June will mark six months since I started learning how to fight. And while I've learned a lot in that time, I'm constantly aware of how much more there is to learn. It's not like when I started that I thought I'd become a fighter after two months of training, but I didn't figure on it being this difficult, either. But the other day it occurred to me just how much of a challenge it is to learn a combat sport, much more of challenge than learning golf or tennis. I'm not saying golf or tennis are easy to learn, but the non-contact nature of those sports does make them easier to learn than fighting.
Maybe I'm just looking for reassurance or excuses to make me feel better, but learning how to punch and block is tough. Let's use the seemingly simple task of blocking or avoiding an opponent's punch and then counter attacking from defense. On paper this is a very simple process: opponent throws a left jab, I power block with my right hand counter with a straight right, a left hook to the body and then a right hook to the head. Simple, right? Not at all. Within these moves are numerous variables and skills within skills.
Let's break it down. My opponent throws a left jab at my head. Right from the start I'm faced with numerous decisions to make on how to avoid this punch. I can slip, power block, sit, shoulder roll, weave or lean back. Anyone of those six options can take weeks to properly learn and whichever method I select will color how I counter attack. So let's say I power block the jab, this is probably the easiest method for me, and counter with a straight right. If I properly do the power block (fist on forehead, wrist rolled out, elbow tucked to body) I can immediately throw the counter with my right. Now a whole different set of skills comes into play when I punch: Did I step in properly? Did I align my shoulder with the target? Did I get enough rotational torque into the punch by using my legs to push backwards and forward? Did I cover my face with my left hand? Did I move my head offline by shifting to the left?
Let's assume I've done everything correct. I blocked the punch and landed my counter punch. Now I want to throw my second punch (always counter with three punches). Since I threw a straight right and properly moved offline I'm in position to close distance and move close to my opponent so I can land body punches. Now I have to employ a skill different from blocking and punching, I have to step in and to the side of my opponent and let loose a left hook to the body. Throwing a left hook is way different than throwing a straight right, so this punch requires a whole different knowledge base and muscle memory. And if I land my left hook to the body I still need to throw one more punch. This could be another left hook to the body or head, that would keep it simple, or it could a jab or another straight right if I decide to pivot out. And if I decide to pivot out I'm using another entirely separate knowledge base and muscle memory to accomplish it.
Performing this action of blocking a punch and counter attacking is difficult enough with a compliant partner. When your opponent is not being compliant and is actually being the exact opposite of compliant and trying to punch you in the face, performing these actions grows in difficulty ten fold.
The point is: don't get discouraged. It can take people years to perfect their golf swing and that's without having to avoid punches flying at their face. Learning how to fight is a long, hard road that requires physical stamina, learning proper form, learning tactics, making split-second decisions, employing and controlling aggression and breathing and doing it all properly while another person is trying to hurt you.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The burning in my legs
May 26 is a day that will live in infamy. It's now May 29 and my legs have still not recovered from the sprints we did during Saturday's class. That's with two solid days of rest and still I grimace getting out of a chair.
Saturday's class started with the usual run, but instead of boxing drills we did up-hill sprints in the parking lot and then moved inside for the circuit of split sets. It wasn't enjoyable. I struggled just to get through it. The split sets meant that each station of the circuit was two exercises in one. Example: when we were hanging in the stirrups and just finished doing knee raises, we immediately started doing toe to bar leg lifts. When we were doing seated curls and finished them, we immediately started doing dumbell shoulder press ...
Saturday's class started with the usual run, but instead of boxing drills we did up-hill sprints in the parking lot and then moved inside for the circuit of split sets. It wasn't enjoyable. I struggled just to get through it. The split sets meant that each station of the circuit was two exercises in one. Example: when we were hanging in the stirrups and just finished doing knee raises, we immediately started doing toe to bar leg lifts. When we were doing seated curls and finished them, we immediately started doing dumbell shoulder press ...
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
As you can see, it's been two weeks since my last post. Bad, bad, bad. Work at the paper has been non-stop and leaving me less than enthusiastic to spend any more time in front of a computer than is absolutely necessary. Sorry for dereliction of duty. However, my slacking on the blog did not carry over to slacking on training. I've been hitting the gym five days a week for combat fitness, FIGHT, boxing, kickboxing, knife fighting and I even got in to the gym for some weight lifting on Sunday.
In no order of importance, here's what's been happening:
Last week's combat fitness (5/14 and 5/16) devastated my legs. Thanks, Matt. On those two nights Mr. Stuart had Matt create some of the stations on the circuit. Matt takes great delight in this because he's in phenomenal shape and can smoke just about everyone in the class. In one night we ended up doing squat jumps, burpee frog jumps up the ramp, Bulgarian splits and Iron Mikes. This was followed up by more lower body destruction in Wednesday's combat fitness class with suicide sprints and midget jumping Jacks (you do jumping Jacks while in squat position with your thighs parallel to the ground). I walked around for a few days with a hitch in my giddy up.
*****
After several people told me I looked too skinny I have started to hit the weights. During the 17 months I have been doing combat fitness I haven't done any lifting. I'm trying to lift three days a week. I'm limiting the weights to mainly work my chest by doing bench press, dumbbell flies and dumbbell press. I'm doing this after boxing and kickboxing class and on Sundays if I can manage it.
*****
It was no great revelation. It was no ephiny precedded by the parting of clouds and rays of sun falling upon me. My understanding came by simply watching some guy in kickboxing class. This understanding was all about movement, specifically head movement and moving offline while throwing punches. This dude, I think his name was Adam, was doing it spot on. Every alternating punch had his head swinging side to side. If he threw a left jab, his head was far to the right. If he threw a straight right, his head was far to the left. When he was throwing jab - straight combinations, he was blur. He would jab (head to the right), sit, and then pop up and throw a straight (head to the left). It was like he was always offline. He was never static. Had I been trying to hit him instead of just offering my hands as targets while I coached, I would have been hitting nothing but air. I have to thank this guy for showing me what being offline really looks like. I will try to mimic him from here on out.
Last week, Mr. Stuart doled out one of his best pearls of wisdom to date. I paraphrase: Someone once told Abraham Lincoln he had an hour to chop down a tree and they asked him how he would go about accomplishing the task. Lincoln responded, I'd spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my ax. Brilliant stuff. Preparation is key.
This isn't words of inspiration, rather it's a question Mr. Stuart poses to us every once in a while. And it's a question, that for me, depending on my mindset at the time, could be answered in a sentence or in an epic novel. So I'll sign of this blog post with this simple question: Why do you train?
In no order of importance, here's what's been happening:
Last week's combat fitness (5/14 and 5/16) devastated my legs. Thanks, Matt. On those two nights Mr. Stuart had Matt create some of the stations on the circuit. Matt takes great delight in this because he's in phenomenal shape and can smoke just about everyone in the class. In one night we ended up doing squat jumps, burpee frog jumps up the ramp, Bulgarian splits and Iron Mikes. This was followed up by more lower body destruction in Wednesday's combat fitness class with suicide sprints and midget jumping Jacks (you do jumping Jacks while in squat position with your thighs parallel to the ground). I walked around for a few days with a hitch in my giddy up.
*****
After several people told me I looked too skinny I have started to hit the weights. During the 17 months I have been doing combat fitness I haven't done any lifting. I'm trying to lift three days a week. I'm limiting the weights to mainly work my chest by doing bench press, dumbbell flies and dumbbell press. I'm doing this after boxing and kickboxing class and on Sundays if I can manage it.
*****
It was no great revelation. It was no ephiny precedded by the parting of clouds and rays of sun falling upon me. My understanding came by simply watching some guy in kickboxing class. This understanding was all about movement, specifically head movement and moving offline while throwing punches. This dude, I think his name was Adam, was doing it spot on. Every alternating punch had his head swinging side to side. If he threw a left jab, his head was far to the right. If he threw a straight right, his head was far to the left. When he was throwing jab - straight combinations, he was blur. He would jab (head to the right), sit, and then pop up and throw a straight (head to the left). It was like he was always offline. He was never static. Had I been trying to hit him instead of just offering my hands as targets while I coached, I would have been hitting nothing but air. I have to thank this guy for showing me what being offline really looks like. I will try to mimic him from here on out.
Last week, Mr. Stuart doled out one of his best pearls of wisdom to date. I paraphrase: Someone once told Abraham Lincoln he had an hour to chop down a tree and they asked him how he would go about accomplishing the task. Lincoln responded, I'd spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my ax. Brilliant stuff. Preparation is key.
This isn't words of inspiration, rather it's a question Mr. Stuart poses to us every once in a while. And it's a question, that for me, depending on my mindset at the time, could be answered in a sentence or in an epic novel. So I'll sign of this blog post with this simple question: Why do you train?
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Faster than a speeding bullet? Doubt it
So here's the scenario: Somehow you wind up in the very delicate situation of having a person standing in front of you holding a pistol just inches from your face and pointed right between your eyes. What do you do? The first thing most of us would do is crap our pants. So, more importantly, what's the second thing you would do? Most people would comply with the gunman's demands: give up money, get in a car ... whatever they say. This is the scenario we worked on in last night's FIGHT class (5/7). FIGHT training conditions us to have the mindset of "I'm taking that gun out of that guy's hand." This doesn't mean that we are taught to be faster than a bullet. That's impossible. But you can become faster than the gunman's trigger finger.
The primary danger is this scenario is being in the line of fire of the gun. So, the first thing you do is remove yourself from the line of fire. Two moves accomplish this: your hands thrust upward to grab the pistol and push it higher than your head while at the same time you are "dropping base," or quickly dropping your height. The two moves are done simultaneously.
Usually we train this scenario with dummy pistols, but last night one of the instructors was using his Glock. After going through the process of clearing the weapon (this is a very systematic method we are taught that ensures there is no way a round is chambered) we used the Glock in place of the dummy. This gave us a glimpse of how fast we actually need to be to get out of the line of fire because the gunman was pulling the trigger in response to our moves. This was a great training aid because it added realism to the scenario. Three us were practicing with the Glock and all three of us would have taken a bullet to the head, or at least have been partially scalped by the bullet grazing our skulls.
Using the real pistol and hearing the pull of the trigger taught us all how critical it is for your hands thrusting upwards to be complemented by dropping your height. Actually, dropping your height is probably even more critical to getting out of the line of fire and the best part of that is gravity does all the work.
The only way to more accurately train this scenario would be to use a loaded BB gun. One of the instructors said he has done that. That's pretty realistic training, but even that falls short of what the real thing would be like because with the BB gun there is no bang, no fire coming out of the barrel, no powder coming out of the barrel. I'm not suggesting we throw firecrackers into each other's faces to prepare for those conditions. I'm just saying keep it in mind that if a gun goes off in front of your face, be prepared to be temporarily blinded and deaf.
 |
| Having a pistol held inches from your face is not a very comfortable situation to be in. However, FIGHT training teaches us that it's better for the pistol to be only inches away, rather than feet away. When it's inches away it's within range for us to snatch from the gunman. |
Usually we train this scenario with dummy pistols, but last night one of the instructors was using his Glock. After going through the process of clearing the weapon (this is a very systematic method we are taught that ensures there is no way a round is chambered) we used the Glock in place of the dummy. This gave us a glimpse of how fast we actually need to be to get out of the line of fire because the gunman was pulling the trigger in response to our moves. This was a great training aid because it added realism to the scenario. Three us were practicing with the Glock and all three of us would have taken a bullet to the head, or at least have been partially scalped by the bullet grazing our skulls.
Using the real pistol and hearing the pull of the trigger taught us all how critical it is for your hands thrusting upwards to be complemented by dropping your height. Actually, dropping your height is probably even more critical to getting out of the line of fire and the best part of that is gravity does all the work.
The only way to more accurately train this scenario would be to use a loaded BB gun. One of the instructors said he has done that. That's pretty realistic training, but even that falls short of what the real thing would be like because with the BB gun there is no bang, no fire coming out of the barrel, no powder coming out of the barrel. I'm not suggesting we throw firecrackers into each other's faces to prepare for those conditions. I'm just saying keep it in mind that if a gun goes off in front of your face, be prepared to be temporarily blinded and deaf.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Getting academic with street attacks
Being the center of attention during a FIGHT class stress drill is not a place I want to be. Talk about being put on the spot ... Being confronted with multiple unknown attack scenarios in rapid fire succession is a pretty tough test to go through. The stress drill forces the person in the center of the circle to recall and execute almost everything they have learned in FIGHT class - while everyone is watching.
Watching Amy go through the stress drill on Monday night (4/30) made me realize that I have a lot of learning to do. I'm making progress on the physical side of learning the various street attacks, but now I need to apply an academic approach to solidfying the knowledge in my brain. It's time to go back to college and create notes and bulleted lists of every move involved in each street scenario. I want to be able to pick up a flash card that says Straight Punch and be able to rattle off the proper response: Step to 11 o'clock, left hand blocks face, right hand punches to body, left hand pins elbow to body and right hand grips shirt and elbow forces head away, three knees, break the ankle.
Watching Amy go through the stress drill on Monday night (4/30) made me realize that I have a lot of learning to do. I'm making progress on the physical side of learning the various street attacks, but now I need to apply an academic approach to solidfying the knowledge in my brain. It's time to go back to college and create notes and bulleted lists of every move involved in each street scenario. I want to be able to pick up a flash card that says Straight Punch and be able to rattle off the proper response: Step to 11 o'clock, left hand blocks face, right hand punches to body, left hand pins elbow to body and right hand grips shirt and elbow forces head away, three knees, break the ankle.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)