Month: July 2008

Part 1 of the get ready for the army notes

It is a good idea to start with defining the constants in your life and to start to play with them. For example: eating, sleeping and showering are a constant in most people’s lives and it is a new experience for them when they are altered in the army.

 

Work to be able to work well and calm without one or two nights of sleep

Learn to manage without fully showering for at least three days and see how you can somehow clean the important parts

Learn to work without food or drink for 24 and than for 48 hours while you monitor your mood and performance. Look up how to notice if you are well in terms of water and energy and go from there. Taking care of yourself in any situation possible.

Work in teams of three or more with all of you cupping your hands over the back of your necks. Two or more work using their bodies and legs to fell the one and he has to stay upright and mobile. This is good to teach you to work with the body even if the arms are in a bad position or if you suffer from shock and cover your face and ears and if you tense up against the others you will fall or get hit and learn from their tension to relax and keep moving and to avoid fighting for land. This is sometimes a must in bodyguard work but the approach is different. Work and change jobs from time to time and you will learn to move better and to stay relaxed under tension.

Keep breathing and note that this position also narrows your field of sight. You will find that moving and turning serves you well to create a better field of sight and learn to do so even if the arms are free. practice this.

Place your hands at the back of your neck and lace your fingers together. Now have a partner move you about. Pull your head back from behind, lift one of your legs and and shove your hips down. This is a drill to teach you to relax in hard positions and keep moving and relaxing in it. Move slowly at first and remember it is a person you are working with and move from there. Think of the smallest movement you can make to align yourself or to effect your partner. Move on your knees and than standing up and change all the time.

Other positions:
1 Arms tied behind your back
2 Legs tied together
3 Hands tied in front of you
4 Elbows tied behind the back
5 Hands in pockets
6 One hand tied behind the back to the other over the shoulder

This is a simple practice for relaxing and releasing tension in the spine and hips. Have your partner lie on his back with arms to his sides and lift one of his legs. Now pull the leg a little (it’s ok to move him but don’t forget the purpose of the drill) and using the foot turn him on his chest. Pull and turn back and return this drill for both legs a few times. Take care if you work with children whose hips are not yet closed or young mothers.

Relax and breathe.

Here are two breathing drills to help you see the power breath gives you.

Start by standing and slowly squat down with your back aligned going down in small steps as you exhale and relax. Once you are down move your hips and shoulders a bit to relax in this hight as well and slowly climb up in small steps using the inhale to move the body. This may seem strange at first but will help connect the gaps in letting the breath move you.

The second drill is just like the first only you drop and raise one hip at a time while keeping the spine aligned from it upwards.

Try them a few times with awareness to the small happenings and check how you work afterwards.

Place one hand on the ground and have your friend place his hand on yours. Keep your attention on your alignment and slowly get up and once you stand lift your hand as high as you can. Your partner will resist you in a constant way downward and than you switch. Note how the tension in your body changes as you move and work so you stay as relaxed as possible and free to move.
Next do this as your partner resists with sudden pulls and pushes and you have to keep from tensing up and move your body to avoid getting hit. The same can be done with a knife or two where you redirect and move and from time to time move fast to teach greater freedom of movement and awareness. Check that you decide where you want to go and avoid becoming a reacting machine. Keep your freedom within.
Take a rope or a belt and hold it under your armpits. use your body movement and transfer it from side to side and front to back using just your body and arms till your elbows. Next take the belt and hold it in your elbows and move it around. now hold it at a comfortable distance in your fists and see where you can go with it and with a partner defend yourself by moving with the belt. From time to time shorten the distance between fists and see how you learn from this.
It is also good to check how you work in tight places like under a door or sitting next to a table. Giving yourself limitations lets you find new ways to move and solve problems. This way you have a better sense of movement and intuition when a problem arises.
A simple note: To increase your awareness and power in a drill or work simply increase the number of breaths you take during it without dropping the count. Example: do a push up and breath once during it and try to increase it to ten per push up one by one. Than climb back down and note your progress in cleaning the tension.

Take note of the temperature of the air coming in. It is important.

Stand up and close your eyes. Breathe and check that your shoulders and hips are relaxed and lift one leg in the air. Do this without shifting the rest of the body and do this with both legs a few times. Now Draw the numbers in the air using first your toe and than your knee from 1-10 and do this in the front and in the back. If you have a friend to check your form on this it will be also entertaining 🙂 Now place a chair or a box and walk toward it. As you meet it continue to move so there is no impact and you stay upright though without tensing to do so. Next take a stick or have a partner sweep and stab with the ends and you need to keep breathing and move with it to come closer to the person working with you. You can also do this by yourself but will less surprise.

Mind your sensations in the foot and work barefoot if you can. It helps.