Month: August 2007

This is a drill that can be done with a tool (shovel knife …) or with your fists and feet. Start by placing your arms so they create fists that do not fall back on your body (reverse vector of the strike is not towards you and the equal force counter wave doesn’t hit you) and have people either strike you with a staff or with their body and you have to stay tensed up enough to maintain this form in the upper body as you use the lower body to survive the attacks and hit back. After you do this several times with several positions for the arms reverse the tension chain and have your legs rigid and your upper body free to redirect and work to survive (start this by being on the ground and working the upper body arms and all to survive people working to strike and wrestle with you)

Learn to move effectively by starting to move from the body first and use all that you have even though the tension. 

With a partner walk along side each other and randomly hit each other. Move so there is no warning to the hit by moving only what needs to be moved, Keeping your breath free from the intention and move without any aggression, relaxing your face and by this you will learn to move without the restriction of fueling yourself with aggression to hit.

A good way to release your fear from being struck and by that learning to move freely is to have a few friends hit you all over using anything from fists to shovels for a long time. The body will not survive without letting go of the attachment to being hit. Smile. It hurts less this way.

A very simple partner drill:

50 push ups on your fists: with your fists on your partner and moving each time while keeping your form (Avoid rising your behind or slumping it, Keep your form and you will be able to strike and take a strike better in all positions because you are not attaching a change in form to the strike or to being struck)

50 sit ups with your legs resting on your partner: In this you will learn to move the upper and lower body freely because you have to sense and choose the right movement all the time as your partner moves your legs all throughout the movement.

50 leg raises overhead: Have your partner lie on the ground over your head and aim to strike him or her with your legs on each raise as he rolls back and forth and to the sides. This will teach you to move with what you see and not what you think you see. To see and sense reality as it is.

50 squats: You stand on your partner with feet flat on the body, arm, neck and squat with an upright back. Learn to use the feet and legs well over changing ground and feel with your feet. 

Now roll 50 times over your partner making contact every time Mind your form.

This is a drill I like to do with shovels because of their mass which forces you to move with good posture and relaxation and because they can easily slash, stab hook and anything else. You either stand or squat or lie on the ground and using the 1.2.3.4.5 and than 5.4.3.2.1 you move to change each others form and breath as you move to keep yourself from harm. If you do this standing up you can become eager and sacrifice your form and mobility to gain a hit and a good strike to your head will help you learn what is more important (using the flat of the blade, remember it is a human being) Another drill that can follow this is one moving in with a shovel and the partner or more move without attachment to the strikes and moves to remain free. The purpose of the drill is more important than the actual details. I will post a video to illustrate soon.

Before you can use a tool to effect someone else it makes sense to learn to use it safely. Start by example with your rifle or shovel if you are not in active service and hold it in the firing position you were taught. Now start to walk around your surroundings and use your eyes and feet to feel your surroundings. For example allow a wall to give you cover rather than climbing it and try to relax and feel the blood flow in your body. If it is possible check if you can do the same in a mirror hold (for example the AK 57 can be used from the right shoulder or from the left but you have to be AWARE of the differences) and continue to move (if you can have a partner through tennis balls or anything of the sort at you while you move and point it will be a good drill towards better firing accuracy under operational conditions) To learn to survive falls start by sitting down and advancing in this height as well as you can as you continue to point and shoot on the move. Crawl and sit up and down until you feel you are tired and than you will start to move effectively relying on structure and breathing rather than power alone. If you feel ready roll with your tool and remember there is no better position, there is only what you have right now so use what you have and where you have it.

One of the things that rattle us is a loud bang or yells. Work with a partner with eyes closed on pushing or trying to protect yourself from thievery (he or she will try to take something from your pocket) and at some point he will draw a cap gun and fire close to your face and continue. You will learn to recognize the change of intent in his body and learn to work through the tension this disorienting noise makes. This can be done using yells too and do be careful not to provoke the local law enforcement into shooting you

Start by hanging on a pipe, a door frame or anything that is available and relax your body. After a minutes start to let go of one hand at a time and let the swing of the body happen as it goes for balancing itself in this new position. Do this with your legs in different positions and maintain the least amount of tension in the body as you keep your form. This is good to learn to work through levers and push pulls on your own and will aid in reaching a higher level of relaxation in the body as you strengthen it at the same time.

There are many ways to enhance the abilities of common items. A bar of soap in a sock (especially coming from the army) is a formidable hitter. A wet T shirt or coat is much stronger and heavier in hits than a regular one. A fist is stronger if it is holding a pen and the list goes on and on. As a daily workout, Find a location you frequent or one of chance (think why this place calls for the exercise to be made there or the situation and you will learn about yourself from this) and make a list of at least 50 ways to construct or use what is there as ways to protect yourself and your loved ones. The sand on the beach, the towel hanging over the faucet or anything else goes.

Using wights in your learning:

Take two buckets of water and start to walk very slowly. Move so the water doesn’t move in the buckets and relax your body as much as you can. just keep yourself upright and breathe. Now sit down and get up a few times with as little movement in the water as possible and if you have a partner have him push you and use a stick to help you relax by hitting you from all sides and especially your legs and feet.

Take a long stick or a big hammer and hold it using both hands. Now use your structure to to create support for this mass and start to walk around freely. Sit down, lie down roll on the ground and get up again all while holding the stick with both hands and note the tension in your fingers, your palms and arms. Breath and relax your face as you move and let your eyes see what is in front of them without trying to see for the feet as well. Let the feet feel the ground. Now with a partner have them move the stick in your hands in any way they wish and perhaps even tie a rope around it and use this for extra reach. Move to keep the stick in your hands as you allow the movement to pass through you without attaching a meaning or importance to it.