When training in martial arts or any endeavor worth learning for that matter, it is tempting for the novice to attempt the techniques as fast as possible without paying attention to detail.  There is this idea that when an attack happens in reality that it is going to be fast so we may as well train that way.  While I agree that an encounter is going to be random, the attack is limited by the finite number of entries that your attacker has available to him.  A good approach would be to learn the common entries and treat anything else as a permutation of one of those common entries.  For example, a blunt object to the side of the head be it a fist or a lead pipe is still something to the side of your head.  Sure, the arms and hands will do something different on the entry depending on the implement, but the footwork is very similar.

When learning the entry, a mantra of mine is “5,000 repetitions to perfection”  However when practicing, it is important to wire the brain properly if you are going to have any muscle memory of note for a given skill.  Unfortunately, this can’t be done rapidly.  A technique should be built up slowly and the practitioner should strive to move seamlessly or smoothly when transitioning through the “funnel”.  If the technique is done poorly in training then it will be done poorly when it has to be executed.  Even under the most favorable circumstances, the easiest techniques can be difficult to execute so it should be every practitioner’s duty to get the techniques  ingrained so deeply that they can be performed while sleeping.

One point on realism: If we trained with the aggression and commitment to force necessary for realistic scenarios, most of our training time would be spent in recovery.  Also, we should not rely on emotion alone to get us through an encounter.  Ever heard of the term ‘Blind Rage’?  It is not a Rutger Hauer movie and it is also a problem if you give into anger and lose your bearings on reality in a scenario.  What if you mortally wound someone?  What if in your rage a loved one is kidnapped?  We are going for what martial arts guru Tim Larkin calls asocial violence.  For our purposes, enter — go through the funnel (aggressively)  –and disengage.   Do not lose awareness to the point that you cloud your objectives.

So, practice your form.  Learn how to move well.  Demand smooth flawless techniques each practice session.  Speed will come as a result of it all.

Identify the primary danger and use the proper entry

The next part of the funnel is the short circuit.  You simply need to cause pain to divert the attacker’s attention away from his attack.  Part 2 of the funnel is:

Short Circuit

When the attacker is injured, it will be necessary to get to a point of reference to gain more physical control.

Get to the Reference Point

Short Circuit … Yes.  You must short circuit again.  Depending on the nature of the attack it may be any weapon that you have from knees to elbows to any hand held implement.  This point is this…There is only so much pain one can take before they submit.  So it is in your best interest to cause as much pain as possible.

The last part of the funnel is to disengage and this will happen 3 ways:

1. Incapacitate
2. Restrain
3. Terminate Note: Use good judgment here.  This is something that I do not recommend nor advocate  because of legal implications.

For example, rounded shoulders can cause shoulder tendon issues or even cervical spine dysfunction.  The lack of mobility in the thoracic spine can make it difficult to perform movements such as overhead lifting which can also allow the lower back to compensate.  That would certainly lead to another set of issues.

Tight hamstrings could place the lower back in a position that may cause a strain in the spinal erectors, or worse, a possible disc herniation if left unaddressed .  Tight hip flexors can also lead to hyperextension injuries of the lower back.

The point of all of that is that everything is related and dysfunction in  muscle can definitely affect its antagonist as well as change optimum function of other muscles and joints in the kinetic chain.

So, the goal of flexibility training in any program is to increase the extensibility of tight muscles and facilitate underactive muscles.  The result should be improved posture to allow for more efficient movement patterns.  In relation to active athletes, a good stretching program will aid in restoration of posture to combat the adaptations made during a season.  To paraphrase a great coach, “Athletes, play your sport but don’t live in it”

Before embarking on the stretching routine, you should get an assessment on what actually needs to be addressed instead of taking the shotgun approach and stretching everything, because you may be increasing the dysfunction.  Even if you are an experienced athlete and objective eye can go to great lengths to maximize your training.

When stretching, depending on your phase of training, you’ll have a few options:

• Static or Relaxed Stretching – The task: hold a stretch for 30 seconds.  You are trying to tell the brain through a sensor called the Golgi tendon organ that the muscle is under high tension forcing it to relax…this principle is called autogenic inhibition Perform this for 3- 5 repetitions.
• Active Stretching – Here you’ll use the muscle on the opposite side of the joint to move the joint into the desired range of motion (ROM).  When a muscle group is contracted, the antagonists are inhibited allowing a greater ROM in the joint.  A 2-3 second contraction followed by a 10 second relaxation should do the trick.  Repeat that cycle for 3-5 repetitions for 3 sets.
• Isometric Stretching – In this method, you’ll contract against the stretch.  The thing that is happening here is that the body is inhibiting the sensory signal of the muscle spindle causing the muscle to move into a greater range of motion.  (Sports Biomechanics Volume 3, Issue 1 2004)

Each of these modalities can be used in different phases of training to help you achieve your flexibility goals.   Please be not to turn yourselves into human wishbones and move too quickly into a range of movement.  You’ll be happier and your journey to full flexibility will be relatively pain free.

Check out this video :

Learn these stretches and more…contact Rhodes Fusion Fitness for class details.

Train Smart and See you next time.

1. Increasing the tissue temperature.  While you can use a treadmill or any other piece of equipment to elevate the core body temperature to prepare the body for work, you can accomplish the same things by practice joint mobility drills.  By using mobility drills to raise the tissue temperature, the connective tissue of the body goes through changes such as the increase of the extensibility of the tissue, a decrease in joint stiffness, the relief of muscle spasms and an increase of blood flow to the body’s tissues. (Cornelius, PhD 112-14)
2. Maintain Joint Integrity.  Practicing mobility drills along with a well designed strength training program can maintain the strength around the muscles of the joints which can reduce instability and changes in the cartilage  associated with degenerative joint disease.
3. Prepare the brain for work.  Yes, practicing the mobility drills can improve proprioception or the way your body senses itself in its environment.  These drills may be performed as  movement brain teasers.  For example, try the following drills: 1) Perform the classic belly rub with a simultaneous head tap or 2) Perform a set of arm circles rotating one arm forward and the other backward.  Now, do the same thing with a jumping jack added to the equation.   I am sure that both of those drills got your attention, but if you were able to do both drills, you just became a bit more coordinated than you were when you woke up today.  Some balance style drills that are also implemented in the mobility practice also allow you to have more postural control and can teach you how to stabilize your body in a dynamic environment.  (Wong, and Lin 608-12)

Practicing your mobility work is  simple and shouldn’t  take that long at all; 5-10 minutes as a warm-up or 20-30 minutes as a standalone training.   Start from your head and cervical spine and then work down to to the ankles.  Move your joints through all of their planes of movement and avoid compensating for any range of motion that you do not have.  During long mobility sessions, perform your reps in a range that equal your age.  Once your body has gained the desired mobility then you can go into more of a maintenance phase of 1 set of 10 repetitions before your sports or fitness practice.  Other movement systems are beneficial and can accomplish all of those things that were listed and can stand alone as part of your mobility and flexibility practice.  These systems include :

• Tai Qi
• Qigong
• Ginastica Natural
• Stav

If I didn’t mention your favorite movement system, have no fear.  You can use any system as general warm-up.

The keys to noticing any of  the changes associated with mobility work are consistency and progressive practice.  If these drills are applied before strength training work or sports practice, they can be a piece of the puzzle to having a more productive workout or game.  Take a look at the video below to see a general warm up that we practice in the studio.

Until next time, train smart.

Cornelius, PhD, William. “The Effects of Warm-up on Acute Hip Joint Flexibility Using a Modified PNF Stretching Technique.” Journal of Athletic Training. 27.2 (1992): 112-14. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1317146/pdf/jathtrain00034-0018.pdf>.

Valderrabano, Victor, and Christina Steiger. “Treatment and Prevention of Osteoarthritis through Exercise and Sports.” Journal of Aging Research. (2011): n. page. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2011/374653/>.

Wong, AM, and YC Lin. “Coordination exercise and postural stability in elderly people: Effect of Tai Chi Chuan .” Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 82.5 (2001): 608-12. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000399930113337X>.

• increasing the temperature of your tissues before sports practice or strength training
• maintain joint integrity
• prepare the body for work

The key here as with any skill is consistency and proper practice.  Maintain your posture and move in a way that is mechanically sound to your body.  In other words, don’t move for the sake of moving.  Have a purpose and don’t compensate.

Enjoy and train smart.

Rhodes Fusion Fitness is now offering rank in the F.I.G.H.T. System

The F.I.G.H.T. ranking system was developed by the International Haganah Federation  board of directors as a means to test the student’s proficiency in the empty hand scenarios and weapons defenses.  The ranking system is elective and is not required for anyone enrolled in the self-defense classes.    Completion of the ranking test requirements will allow the practitioner to be recognized by the National Headquarters.

• Ranking in the F.I.G.H.T system is offered as a way to measure progress and goal achievement
• If the rank of F.I.G.H.T. Black Belt is desired, it is not equivalent to a Black Belt in Haganah.  The Haganah Black Belt is limited to instructors of the F.I.G.H.T. system, however the F.I.G.H.T. Black Belt is parallel to a F.I.G.H.T. Instructor
• F.I.G.H.T. Black Belts are eligible to become Haganah Black Belts after completing Instructor Modules and attending the National Conference.
• Testing fees for Official recognition are: $50- Intermediate Levels & Advanced Levels, $75 – Elite Levels, $100-Black Belt
• ALL promotions are merit based with a minimum of one rotation for each rank.

WHITE BELT – BASIC  (rotation 0-1)

GREEN BELT – INTERMEDIATE   I,II  (rotation 2-3)

BLUE – ADVANCED   I,II,III  (rotation 4,5,6)

BROWN – ELITE  I,II,III     (rotation 7,8,9)

All testing requirements will be given before the test to ensure success and may include:

• All Combative Techniques
• The Engagement Drill w/ (Incapacitation, Take-down, & Restraint)
• Hand-to-Hand Scenarios
• Gun Threats
• Knife Attacks and Threats
• Ground Survival
• American Kickboxing
• Fitness (basic calisthenics, running, kettlebell snatch test, and swimming (BB only))

The following are  the fitness standards for testing: (If you are unable to perform a test due to physical injury, a suitable alternative can be used)

Self-Defense is about muscle memory.

Yes.  That is correct.  Keep in mind that when acquiring a skill, it has to be practiced approximately 300 times  to ingrain the movement pattern.  Afterwards, you’ll need another couple thousand repetitions to actually gain some mastery.  Sometimes as novices, it is easy to get bored because of the perceived simplicity of a particular scenario.  For that reason, the desire would be to move quickly to try to learn more new things.  Try this experiment: learn a self-defense scenario as quickly as possible; run 1600m as fast as you can; then repeat the self-defense technique that you just learned.  How did it look?  I would imagine that it struggled to resemble the technique that was initially practiced.

Self-Defense is about slow precision and accuracy.

When you are involved in an encounter, things are moving too quickly to try to recall the necessary steps.  Remember, when under stress you, as the operator, will revert to your training.  Also, guess what happens if time spent training is wasted on fast inaccurate reps?  Well, you’ll be doubly inaccurate when the technique  matters.  During training it is important to repeat the movements precisely the same as the previous repetition.  This movement should be accurate as well.  As a self-defense practitioner, you should strive to acquire the same objective every time a scenario is practiced.  In sterile conditions, there is no reason to miss a repetition.  Precision without accuracy is just as bad as not knowing the technique at all.  Slow down to acquire the skill, then it can be  gradually determine whether the self-defense skill is known…or not.

Self-Defense is tempered aggression.

The zombie attack is the ultimate self-defense scenario.

Once the above conditions are met, then it is OK to try the drills out in a more aggressive stressful nature.  In the end, when all of the practice is done, it is not enough to only know the technique well.  You have to be committed to action.  A intensity of the response to an attack should match or even exceed that of the attacker.  If this condition isn’t met, the consequences could be severe.   Practicing the drills under stress will test your ability to act under pressure and give you an idea of how to evaluate your training.  Here is a note on aggression:  You have to be able to turn it on and off.  You only need to access your animal survival instinct enough to get you to safety. After you are where you need to be, turn it off and start using the higher mind.

So remember, start all of your training with a base.  Practice slowly with many high quality repetitions to acquire the skill.  Add a little stress later to see if you have actually learned anything.  Dial the intensity back for a while and continue perfecting the skills.  Self-defense is an ongoing lifelong labor that needs attention to become proficient.

Until next time…Train smart