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San Shou Tip of the Month
TRAINING TIPS:
1. Stay calm and punch lighter on the bag so you can last more rounds, keep your form together, and punch sharp. This will allow you to get in more minutes of quality bag work. You want to have energy to hit the bag with correct form and keep your punches snappy, instead of spending most of your bag work panting and huffing to show that you have “heart”. Don’t waste energy showing off on the bag – nobody cares.
2. Don’t workout till complete failure. Get tired, break a sweat, and just push yourself a little more each day. If you go until failure every day of the week without a reason, you’ll probably over train and quit training very soon.
3. Drink lots of water. One cup every hour minimum!
4. Make friends in the school, be humble, and ask your trainer for fighting tips. When another fighters beats you, ask him how he did it; you may be surprised at how helpful he might be at showing you your own weaknesses.
PUNCHING TIPS:
1. Turn your whole body into the punch. If your feet are slow, (most people have slow feet at first) you will find that punching a little slower actually hits harder than punching faster. So in other words, punch as fast as your body can turn so you won’t sacrifice power. Again, use your whole body instead of just the arms to punch.
2. Throw short hooks, short uppercuts, and short rights but long jabs.
3. You don’t always have to throw one knockout punch after another. Combo light and hard punches and use head movement to fake out your opponent. Remember that the harder you try, the harder they will counter, and the harder you will get hurt. Calm down and throw the hard punches when you know they’ll land.
4. Never forget to go to the body. Try a jab to the head, and right hand to the body. When you’re in real close, lean your head inside to smother him and throw 2-3 body punches.
5. Throw 3-5 punch combos maximum. You don’t need 10-punch combos – all those do is sap your energy and leave you open to counters. Don’t even practice these for now.
6. Breathe out when you punch and always look at your target when you punch. Don’t hold your breath and don’t look at the ground. Learn to keep your eyes open during the heat of the battle!
7. Let your hands go! Don’t wait around forever to let your opponent hit you all day. Throw something even if it doesn’t land. Keep him thinking and keep your eyes open for more punching opportunities.
DEFENSE TIPS:
1. Stay calm and never stop breathing. If you’re starting to panic, ask the other guy to slow down so your mind and body can catch up.
2. Hold your hands high, elbows low, and move your head.
3. Don’t waste energy running around the ring, just take one step and pivot out of the way if your opponent is overly aggressive. Think of yourself as a matador pivoting out of the way as the bull misses. Don’t forget to hit him back.
4. Don’t lean back and don’t take your eyes off your opponent when you’re taking punches (this is especially hard for most beginners). Establish your ground and defend it with hard counters. Pivot so that you don’t get countered.
5. Don’t always wait for your opponent to finish punching before you start punching back. Interrupt his combos and hit him! Too many speedy fighters get caught up in trying to block all the oncoming punches that they never get to counter. Let your hands go!
April 9, 2016
San Shou Fitness Training Tip

Fitness training is vital to maximize performance during fights. The number of rounds a fighter will fight depends on their category of the fight they are competing in, and it’s important to ensure that you have the stamina to perform until the final round. It also helps burn calories. Warm up your muscles and tendons before training to increase their flexibility and prevent injury. Spend at least ten minutes warming up. You should train at least three times a week to see an improvement in your fitness. Make sure you keep hydrated during training.

San Shou Fitness Training Tip #1: Mind Set

Fitness training should be performed with consistency and dedication. Set aside time for fitness training and focus on the exercises, making sure that you have no distractions. Find ways to motivate yourself, such as making arrangements to train with a friend.

San Shou Fitness Training Tip #2: Sleep

Make sure you get enough sleep. This allows your muscles to recover from training. It also helps increase your concentration and performance during training. Eight hours of sleep a night is the recommended amount.

San Shou Fitness Training Tip #3: Nutrition

Take care of your body and eat the right foods to ensure good health. Good nutrition gives you energy to participate in a vigorous fitness training program. Consuming the right amount of calories is important, as excessive fat will inhibit your fitness training.

San Shou Fitness Training Tip #4: Preparation

Wear comfortable clothes and footwear that are suited to your workout. Prepare all equipment and remove distractions. This will help your mental fitness and allow you to focus on training.

San Shou Fitness Training Tip #5: Jogging

Jog 3 to 5 miles at a steady rate. Sprinting at the end can help increase fitness and improve your technique. This will help you have a burst of energy at the end of rounds to perform at your peak. Occasionally increase your runs to 6 to 10 miles.

San Shou Fitness Training Tip #6: Interval Training

Interval training recreates the demands of a fighters round. Begin by warming up, which can include jogging, skipping and sprinting. Run for 600m, and then have a 1 minute break. Repeat 3 times. Run for 200m at an increased speed and then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat three times. Perform interval training twice a week. Other interval training can include fast sit ups, pushups and squats with short intervals between them. Another exercise is a workout on the bag or with a sparring partner at a high intensity, with one minute intervals. This helps mimic rounds and increases fitness and stamina.

San Shou Fitness Training Tip #7: Skipping Rope

Skipping burns calories and helps increase fitness. It also strengthens calf muscles, which is essential to fighting. Skipping helps improve balance and increases coordination. Skip for 3 minutes, with 1 minute intervals. A variety of techniques can be used. You can jump using both feet firmly planted on the ground after each jump. Another technique is jumping using one foot while keeping the other foot off ground. Another option is to alternate between which foot is held off the ground. You can increase the pace by turning the rope twice for each jump.

March 9, 2016
What is fear?

No matter how skillful or fit a fighter might be physically, this will count for nothing if the fighter is not prepared mentally. Many fighters underachieve because of the demons swimming around in their heads, from the weeks of buildup to sitting in the changing room waiting to get gloved up then the long walk to the ring.

But what causes these very uncomfortable feelings? And more importantly, how can we handle them and use them to our advantage and not let them drag us down feeling like cowards? Well first thing I must stress is that everyone, no matter who they are, gets the exact same feeling as you before a fight.

The difference between a champion and a coward is the champion can control his feelings, let’s look at the different causes of these feelings and what they mean.

Fight or flight syndrome

This is the most common feeling a fighter will experience leading up to a fight, it is the brain telling you to run away to survive or stay and fight. It would rather you not face the fear because survival is its main aim and there is a better chance of this if you don’t hang around. Adrenalin is released into the blood stream getting you ready for action (this makes you stronger), you will sometimes feel sick and need to go to the toilet, and you will get the shivers and sometimes stutter. Another name for this is FEAR.

Eustress

This is a type of stress that has a positive effect, the fighter will actually seek the stressful situations and thrive on the feelings associated with them, they will get fight or flight but they use it to their advantage.

Stress

Is seen as being the result of the performer perceiving an imbalance between what is being demanded of them, and whether they think they are capable of meeting that demand i.e. “am I good enough to be in the same ring as him?”

Anxiety

It’s seen as being a negative emotional state usually associated with feelings of apprehension and worry. This is caused by over arousal, to a person being stressed. Anxiety is usually therefore associated with feelings such as nervousness, worry and apprehension.

Arousal

It’s seen as a general internal state of physiological activity and alertness varying from deep sleep to intense excitement.

Now we have had a quick look at the different types of feeling a fighter may go through, let’s look at ways to overcome the negative aspects and become more confident.

Imagery

This is often used with relaxation techniques in order to reduce arousal. The fighter imagines the circumstances and feelings associated with being relaxed. Imagery can also be used to practice something; this is known as mental rehearsal. The fighter can ‘run through’ his performance in his mind, deciding how to cope with tactics. This type of training is thought to enhance performance to a great degree if used correctly. Ten minutes a day is good! Just lie in a dark room and imagine you’re at the fight, you feel scared, you can hear the crowd. Imagine you’re getting gloved up then walking to the ring and getting in, imagine yourself performing well and handling the fear. Try this before training, imagine sparring etc., it’s no good doing it on fight night. You need to practice, that’s the only way you get good at it. Did you know the brain struggles to tell the difference between reality and imagery (if done properly)?

Relaxation

You can use tapes and such to wind down after training, one widely used method is progressive muscular relaxation (PMR). This involves tensing and then relaxing groups of muscles in turn over the whole body. Boxers can devise their own techniques along these lines, and practice usually enables the athlete to relax effectively in a very short space of time. Other types of relaxation: Meditation, Hypnosis. You can listen to music, this is a great relaxation method used a lot, whatever feels good for you.

Goal setting

Goal setting can help the fighter focus away from the source of stress and on something achievable. It should focus on performance related goals rather than on outcome related goals. Fighters can be helped to focus on a particular, achievable, goal during performance which can switch attention from external factors which may create arousal and worry.

Self-motivation

One way to do this is to give yourself buzz words, or a quote of some sort you read every time you go training or to a fight. This type is effective because it releases self-confidence and give you that something extra in training/fighting. An example could be a note hand written on a piece of paper that you keep with your training gear and read when using it. It could say something like “today I will train like a champion, so tomorrow I may become one”

Self-talk

The ability to perceive arousal and to maintain a problem focused attitude before and during performance has a positive effect on performance. Self – talk helps the fighter to see arousal as positive. Self – talk can be used to change your perspective of the situation. You could tell yourself “I’ve trained so hard for this fight that no one can stop me”.

Conclusion

Fighting is a draining sport, both mentally and physically. Don’t underestimate the power of the mind, it is a powerful tool that can make or break you. If you use these suggestions I am certain you will see some improvement in your performance, but you don’t have to believe me. Try them out for a while and see how you get on, but not just in the ring, it has to become part of your mindset.

Quote of the Month:

Never give up, which is the lesson I learned from boxing. As soon as you learn to never give up, you have to learn the power and wisdom of unconditional surrender, and that one doesn’t cancel out the other; they just exist as contradictions. The wisdom of it comes as you get older.

Kris Kristofferson

July 18, 2015
Watching out for Uppercuts
Uppercuts are not as commonly thrown as the other punches (like the left hook or right cross)…but should you ever run across an opponent with deadly uppercuts, they can be your biggest nightmare. They’re actually quite hard to see and don’t telegraph as much as boxing coaches would have you believe.

Sure, anybody can see a loaded uppercut from a mile away. But up in close-range, in the middle of an exchange, you don’t realize you got hit with an uppercut until about 3 seconds later. It’s like you’re safe in your guard and then *BOOM!* your jaw hurts for no reason.

Here’s how you get away from that tricky uppercut!

Watching out for Uppercuts

Uppercuts are not usually a serious problem. For me, the more threatening and most annoying punches have always been the jab, the right cross, and the left hook. More fighters are more skilled and versatile with those punches and so they tend to be more of a problem. It also happens to be that if you’re getting hit with uppercuts, you’re probably getting hit with the other punches, too.

But every now and then, you WILL come across a guy with a great uppercut and knows how you to use it. And if you’re like me…you’ll panic…because great uppercuts are hard to see and a bit tricky to defend against. They don’t come straight into your line of sight and the body doesn’t seem to rotate as much. So you have less visual indicators to go by.

The worst part about suddenly finding yourself vulnerable to uppercuts is that your opponent now knows you have an extra chink in the armor. And you’re suddenly exponentially more vulnerable when he mixes up his angles of attack.

So what can you do?

1. Don’t lean forward

Unless you’re able to see incoming uppercuts, you shouldn’t be in that position in the first place. Don’t get caught leaning forward. Any time that your upper body is leaning over you’re basically giving him a huge target to arc his uppercuts into. And he’s not going to miss and he’s also not worried about your counters because all you can see are his balls anyway. You won’t see his uppercuts coming and you won’t even know if they’re going to the head or the body.

Leaning forward gives your opponent the perfect angle to throw uppercuts at you without being vulnerable to your counters.

How to avoid getting caught leaning forward:
2. Uppercut defense techniques

Lean away from the uppercut

Yeaup! If you lean back, there’s no angle for his uppercut to come under and hit something. He’ll miss wildly and you’ll get a huge opportunity to counter. Now I wouldn’t suggest for you to be leaning back all the time but instead to not leave it forward all the time. Anytime that you have your upper body forward for too long, make sure you pull it out. It’s kind of like head movement…keep it moving when you know it’s at risk of getting hit.

Hit him or push him with a straight punch

In theory, a straight arm is longer than a bent arm. So if you’re keeping the distance and using the jab or pushing him back with your jab, you’ll never be in range of his uppercut. This isn’t a guaranteed principle because he could still lunge and catch you anyway but at least you know to use distance to avoid uppercuts.

Shoulder rolls the uppercut

If you can tell which side the punches are coming from, you can avoid them easily by rolling your shoulders perfectly in rhythm. Uppercuts are easily defended when you turn your side into them because they’ll end up hitting your arms. Obviously, the uppercut angle is only good at coming straight up the front of your body, whereas hooks and crosses can be thrown at your side because they can get over your shoulders.

Block the uppercut

Yes, the good old trusty block always works. There are a couple risks that come with relying on blocking for defense. One is that you might not be able to see punches. It’s not so much about the gloves covering your eyes but more so about your awareness skills not being able to detect incoming punches. Even if you block, it’s important that you keep your eyes active to look not only for incoming punches but more importantly, for counter-punching opportunities! The other risk is that you don’t want your opponent to force you into a defensive shell. By then, it’ll only be a matter of time before something gets through.

Now if you do block the uppercut, try to do it with your elbows (instead of with your hands). This will hurt his hands and also still keep your hands in ready position to punch back. And if you can’t catch it with the elbows, try to catch it on your forearm.

Defend the uppercut by: leaning away, countering with a straight punch, rolling it, or blocking it.

3. What NOT to do

Blocking with the hand

First off, the hand is too weak to stop the uppercut power completely. The power will still penetrate and you’ll take damage. Even if you’re not hurt, you might be distracted enough to eat follow-up punches. The other problem with trying to block the uppercut with your hand is that you might even lower your hand to stop the uppercut and risk exposing yourself to follow-up punches. It’s actually a common tactic for fighters to throw uppercuts to make their opponent’s block low, which then exposes their heads for the left hook.

Slipping by bending forward

Unless you’re seeing the uppercut perfectly, and know exactly what you’re doing, slipping is not a safe way to avoid the uppercut. Even if your head gets out of the way, your bent over body is still perfectly exposed to the uppercut.

Now you can slip by bending back, sure, that’s fine. But bending forward to evade uppercuts…that are very scary.

Closing up into a shell

This is usually the default move when fighters realize they don’t know how to avoid a certain punch. They just close up completely in hopes that it will protect them from everything. But in reality, making yourself completely defensive is only going to invite more attacks, not prevent them.

While I think it’s important for you to become more defensive if you feel yourself being extremely vulnerable, its better that you don’t close up completely. Try to be defensive in other ways. Perhaps be more cautious of his right arm or his left arm…or be more cautious of punches coming from the bottom rather than the top. But try not to close up completely.

OR…you could also try to exchange with him. If you know you’re going to be hit anyway, then at least you can focus on making sure you get some hits in, too. Perhaps hurting him with a good shot is the best way to make him back off. It’s my preferred option, too.

Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. – Sun Tzu
August 17, 2014
How to Prepare the Mind in Martial Arts – Part II

Train for yourself, not for others. When you feel you have to impress others your focus is not centered, your true feelings are not at work and your true martial arts abilities cannot be expressed.

Train to expand yourself spiritually, mentally and physically. The true training comes from learning to train the emotions that result from our life experiences. The discipline of the mind is vital to becoming physically disciplined and skilled.

Train to better your life and all it has to offer. Every time we train, we teach ourselves how to overcome life’s day to day difficulties. To hurt people is easy, to understand life is hard.

Focus on developing intention and technique. The mind is the weapon, and it should control the body, not the other way around. If you have no control over your mind and spirit, you have no control over your body.

Be proactive, not reactive. Don’t think about what is going to happen, feel what is happening. He who looks can only see, he who feels can only better himself.
Study meditation techniques so that you can learn to concentrate. Concentration is mind conception, mind acceptance and mind application. Use these tools to train your mind to stay one step ahead of your opponent by anticipating his next move, processing it, and deciding your response in a split second.

Adopt the mindset when you train of thinking as if you or your loved one is about to die, otherwise your response is meaningless and futile. Training your mind to visualize real danger will naturally result in more power and accuracy in your moves.

April 21, 2014
How to Train Mentally for a Fight – Part I

Train the body so that certain actions become instinctual. Fighters that have to determine if a kick or punch has been thrown from too far away to land, for example, are wasting their mental focus. It is imperative to train so that blocks and certain counters are performed without thinking.

Purchase equipment such as gloves and trunks that appeal to the fighter. A fighter should not borrow equipment. They must be as comfortable in the ring as an executive would be in their office. Encourage fighters to inspect any new ring before a fight so they are familiar with the rope tension, size and even any loose spots in the flooring.

Establish that pain is merely a message. Fighters must train mentally to accept that pain is a warning from the body, acknowledge the message and then disregard it.

Create a mental comfort zone by selecting music that inspires the fighter. It is best if the music is associated with a movie character they admire or has some other secondary meaning attached to it. Play the music at the beginning of every training session and periodically while training. By playing it before an actual fight, they will associate the music with not only the original inspiration but also the relative comfort of training. This will also reinforce the long hours of preparation they have endured and reassure them that they are ready to compete.

Spending time every day visualizing victory will help the fighter train mentally for a fight by making them accustomed to the idea of victory. A fighter must believe they can win before they are able to win. However, it is even better if the fighter trains to believe that they will win after extreme effort.

Choose a motto for the fighter to repeat to himself while training. This mental slogan should reinforce the idea that they will emerge victorious and should be used as a rallying cry during training. It should be extremely simple, yet hold meaning for the fighter. “I am the champion” or “You cannot beat me” are good examples of this type of phrase.

April 10, 2014
The Most Costly Opponent

One of the biggest barriers to your accomplishments is probably procrastination. Whenever you hear yourself saying “someday” or “when I get time” or any number of delay tactic statements, you are procrastinating. If you let it continue, you will find yourself under constant stress and self-loathing. You may even start to dread things that you used to love.

Everyone becomes a victim to procrastination as some point in their lives. The sense of procrastination will often hold us back from our goals and prevent us from truly reaching our potential. There is, however, a way to combat it and allow you to come out on top.

Step 1: Identify if you really need to do the task

Often we find ourselves procrastinating over items we’ve tasked ourselves to do. Sometimes these items are critical but there are times when the things we try to do aren’t actually necessary. This ends up causing us undo stress and unnecessary burden.

So the first step to combatting procrastination is to be honest with yourself in identifying if the task is truly something that needs to be accomplished. If the answer is no then stop beating yourself up and let go of the task.

Step 2: Identify why you’re procrastinating

Once you’ve eliminated all the unnecessary tasks, you are left with the things that must get done. Now you need to go through each and clearly identify why you’re delaying. What is it about that job or task that is making you not want to accomplish it? Unless we face what we fear and dread, we will never be able to overcome it.

Step 3: Seek help

Often why we procrastinate is because we aren’t the expert in accomplishing the work or we don’t have the right skill set to do it. In other words, we’re beating ourselves up over something we just aren’t able to do in the first place. Stop hurting yourself like that and be open to seek help. There is nothing wrong with finding and receiving help. For instance, if you’re procrastinating on doing your taxes, maybe it’s worthwhile to find a CPA to help you.

Obviously you can’t get something for nothing in life so seeking help may involve returning something. It may not be monetary in nature. Thus, it’s important to consider what are your strengths and what can you offer to someone else that might be of value and help them with overcoming their procrastination issues. Create a win-win situation and both of you come out on top.

Step 4: Break it into bite-sized chunks

Bigger tasks can be daunting, even with the help of others. So the next step is to break the overall task into small subtasks. Make the steps reasonably sized that you’re able to finish the task quickly and efficiently. Then, focus your attention on the smaller tasks and you will find it easier to accomplish the overall job without even realizing it.

Step 5: Reward yourself

Don’t forget to reward yourself for overcoming the procrastination and getting the task accomplished. If the task is big, setup goals and milestones along the way that allow you to celebrate while you’re working through your bite-sized chunks. Pick an appropriate reward that makes sense and doesn’t end up causing you additional stress in other areas.

Procrastination can halt the progress of even the best person. Left unchecked it will trickle into other aspects of your life and begin to make you dread even unrelated things. Don’t let it stop you from accomplishing your dreams!

September 15, 2012
Heavy Bag

Hitting the Heavy bag is a comprehensive cardiovascular and anaerobic workout that builds strength, stamina and quickness. Training with the heavy bag incorporates all of the body’s major muscle groups and is a functional exercise that can lead to better muscle balance and joint stability.

Heavy bags are filled with sand, water, or synthetic material, a heavy bag is hung with the top about a foot or two above your head. A good pair of handwrap will protect the bones and tendons in your hands from injury and provide support for the wrists. For small hands, choose 120″ wraps and opt for 170″ or longer for medium to large hands. Handwraps can be WASHED and reused, but if you train often you’ll want to invest in a few pairs.

Start wrapping at the wrists and work up the hands, remembering to keep the marked “this side up” to Velcro the wraps properly. Wrap the wrists and hands tight enough that the wraps are firmly in place but not so tight that they impede circulation. Lastly, find a good pair of bag gloves. Bag gloves are perfect for a brisk session with a heavy or speed bag, but are not appropriate for sparring. Bag gloves protect the hands and can offer limited wrist support, depending on the model. Leather gloves are a superior choice because of their durability, and you’ll want gloves that secure with Velcro unless you have a partner to lace your gloves for you. Push your fingers into the gloves as deep as they will go and wrap them around the internal bar for a proper fit.

The proper fighting stance for right-handed boxers is to put your left foot three to six inches in front of your right, lean forward with 60 percent of your weight on the balls of the feet, and stand with your feet hip-width apart. The knees are bent with kneecaps roughly even with the balls of the feet. The upper body should be loose and the shoulders should be slightly in front of the hips. Point your left shoulder toward your target. Keep your chin down and your hands up around your chin or cheeks. Test your stance by asking someone to give you a push; you shouldn’t stagger in any direction.

You can improve your overall quickness, agility and coordination with speed training on the heavy bag. Try training in one-minute intervals, throwing continuous combinations of four or more punches at a time. The key in speed training is to throw as many punches as you can as fast as possible with proper form. Lightly pepper the bag with jabs, straight punches, hooks, and uppercuts– save the heavy hitting for power training.

The most basic speed drill is the “outside drill,” where you circle the bag and throw jabs with your front hand and then move to combinations by adding straight punches with your back hand. After your interval is up, take a 30- to 60- second breather.

Power bag training increases your punching power and overall strength with intervals of hitting the bag as hard as possible while maintaining proper technique and form. You will run out of energy much faster when power punching than in speed training. For power training on the heavy bag, punch 15 to 25 repetitions or in 30-second intervals with a minute of rest in between. Try the “inside drill,” where you get close to the bag and throw only hooks and uppercuts, bobbing and weaving in between punches. As your stamina increases, increase the workout time and decrease the rest interval.

It always helps to have a certified coach around for at least your first few heavy bag sessions. The heavy bag is not forgiving on the joints if your technique is off. Start slow in practicing fighting bag techniques to avoid injury, and remember that it takes hours of repetition to develop sound form.

“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious” Vince Lombardi

September 1, 2012
Speed Training with the Double End Bag

The double end bag is one of the more challenging fight training techniques that you can work on. That’s because the double end bag has a far greater range of motion and a greater scope of unpredictability than even the speed bag. Looking on the bright side, they are cheap and easily installable, meaning you can get all of the benefits of one while fight training.

You get all of the coordination and speed benefits of the speed bag, while increasing the intensity and difficult level and adding in defensive training, footwork and technical form.

Stand in front of a double end bag and flick a couple of jabs to the center of the bag. Notice the rapid bouncing motion. Throw a few more with various levels of power, follow through and even come from different directions so you begin to understand how the double end bag works.

Once your comfortable and loosened up a bit, begin working some combinations on the bag. Always keep your eye on the middle of the bag, not on the ropes, not straight ahead but dead center on the bag itself. This will help improve your accuracy. Circle the bag as if it were a sparring opponent, and keep your guard up high and your form tight.

If you step in closer than a full arm’s reach from the bag you’ll also be able to practice your defensive speed and maneuvers. Throw a quick shot and duck under or move away from the returning bounce of the bag itself. Step back in and alternate throwing shots and avoiding the incoming rushes of the bag.

As you’re practicing these fight training techniques, stay consistent with all of the standard training principles in terms of using a three minute round with a one minute break. I usually like fitting in my double end bag training after my heavy bag work and before my speed bag work.

You’ll be able to find your double end bag in a variety of different sizes and shapes. Diameters start usually at 5 inches and extend to 9 inches, and shapes range from spheres to a speed bag shape to a double speed bag shape. The smaller the bag, the more difficult the training will be.

Spontaneous adaptability is the key to a warrior’s survival……

August 1, 2012
Go Outside Already!

With all the nice weather, I hope you’re taking advantage of this great opportunity to extend your training to the outdoors. Being outdoors is a wonderful experience when training Martial Arts. You get a sense of being closer to nature and the world around you. In addition, it teaches you some valuable lessons on how to handle different terrains and situations… all of which will heighten your understand of yourself.

The Setup

Pick a day or time to accomplish this. Make sure you’re not rushed and you can truly take the time to appreciate what you’re about to do.

Pick a form/kata/routine. Choose something you’re familiar with and can practically do in your sleep. The last thing you’ll want to do is stop to think about the basics. This is a time to explore beyond just learning the steps and movements.

Pick a location. Find somewhere where you have lots of space. If you’re uncomfortable about having an audience, pick somewhere isolated.

Absorb and learn from your surroundings

The ground beneath you

Consider the location where you picked. What is the surface like? Chances are if you’ve been practicing inside the whole time, the outdoor surface will be very different. Even a simple grassy field can pose different challenges. The earth is not smooth. It has ridges and rocks, dips and folds.

On grass

If dry, it’s crunchy under foot. If green, it’s probably at a different temperature from the air around it. The grass hides the earth beneath. It could be soft and muddy or hard and rocky. You won’t know until you step down. Depending on the length and type of grass, it could tickle against your feet, trying to distract you as you move. Can you compensate for these things? Can you keep going?

On rocks

Much of the coastal area around me are rocky. Rocks pose a different challenge from grass. You can see the mounds of rocks and their unevenness. But visual cue is not always enough and the path is not always linear. Maneuvering on rocks requires you consider your next move and plan how you choose to step. You must adjust your step and balance to the surroundings and compensate for the gaps and rises.

On sand

Sand is one of my favorite surfaces to walk on. Regardless of if the sand is wet or dry, your feet naturally sink into the surface and you need an extra effort to make the next move. When working in sand, you have to be careful you don’t twist too quickly or move without first breaking the grip the sand has on you feet.

On water

I love working in and around water because there’s natural energy that fills the air around any body of water. With that being said, working on the water poses its own challenges. Not only is every slippery and you need to be conscious of where and how you step, water has its own flow and movement. Working in water is a great test of balance in the presence of forces pushing against you. But for all the struggles, water is also great to work in if you pains or struggle to move in certain manners under full gravity.

The air around you

Beyond the surface, being outside means dealing with the environment. Is it cold? Is it hot? Is it sunny? Is it windy? Each of these different environmental changes can impact how you perform even the most basic of forms. Understanding your personal limits in these environments and how you compensate for these distractions is a powerful lesson in understanding yourself.

The sounds and smells

When we’re training, we primarily use our sense of sight and touch. Being outside provides us with a unique opportunity to develop our other senses. As the air drifts in and out, we are introduced to new sounds and smells that we wouldn’t have found on our training floor. Allow oneself to become aware of all this helps to build a total body training.

Enjoy your training

So as we enjoy the nice weather, don’t forget to take the opportunity and train outdoors. Become closer to nature and the roots of your Martial Arts and gain a better understand of yourself and your style.

July 21, 2012
10 Easy Steps for Beginners

1. Adjust bag to proper height. The belly (the fattest part) of the bag should be level with your mouth or chin. Many people hang their speed bags too high, and this will result in unnecessary muscle strain and poor technique.

2. Get in the “standard” speed bag stance. Face the bag with your feet apart at about shoulder width. Your whole body, from your feet to your head, should be facing the bag, and your shoulders should be squared up with the bag. You should be near enough to the bag that you don’t need to extend your arm more than a few inches to hit it, but far enough from it so that it won’t hit you in the head on the rebound.

3. Hold your fists up at chin level or just slightly below, and raise your elbows up so that they are almost parallel to the ground. Your arms should be bent in at about 90 degrees, and both your upper arms and your forearms should be nearly parallel to the ground.

4. Execute a front circle punch. Extend one fist to punch the bag lightly. You should be able to extend your fist straight out or just slightly up to strike the belly of the bag in the front (the part that is facing you directly), and you want to make contact with the bag with the side or heel of your fist—ideally, you will contact the bag with the side of your little finger near the first knuckle).

5. Circle your fist down and back to the starting position, all in one smooth motion. Once you strike the bag, immediately circle your fist back. The circle should be small: just large enough to bring your fist back into position near your chin.

6. Count the rebounds of the moving bag. After an odd number of rebounds, the bag can be hit again. After striking forwards, the bag will rebound off of the back of the platform (rebound “1”). When the bag swings back toward you it will rebound off the platform again (rebound “2”), followed by the bag swinging back away from you and rebounding off the platform on the far side again (rebound “3”). As you become faster it will be difficult to see the rebounds, but you will still be able to hear them.

7. Strike the bag again as it’s tilted away from you. You can use the same hand or the other hand. Strike the bag after the third rebound, as the bag is returning toward you. You should make contact with the bag while it is still tilted away from, ideally when it is tilted at about a 45-degree angle from the board. This punch restarts your “1-2-3” count, and you can continue in this same cadence with as many punches as you like.

8. Combine a straight punch with a front circle punch. Start in the same starting position as above, but drop your elbows a bit so that they are angled slightly toward the ground but still held away from your body. This will allow you to execute a right straight punch. Punch the belly of the bag, making contact with the front knuckles of your fist. Punch “through” the bag so that your arm crosses your chest. Meet the bag on the third (or other odd-numbered) rebound with a circle punch that comes up, strikes the bag as it tilted away from you, and then proceeds to carry your arm back to the starting position in one fluid motion. This is the most basic speed bag combination, and it can be repeated over and over with one fist, or you can alternate fists.

9. Change the fist that is punching every two or three punches. After a circle punch with one fist, follow with the straight punch of the other.

10. Move your feet and swivel your hips. When performing combinations or alternating between fists, you should move your body, not just your arms. For example, suppose you do a straight punch – circle punch combination, alternating between the right and left fists. When you throw your right straight punch your right leg should come forward a bit, and your hips should swivel in the direction of the punch. As you return you fist to the starting position by throwing a right circle punch, your hips should swivel back and right foot should swivel back as well. This puts you into position to throw your left straight punch, during which you’re left leg, will move forward, etc

July 1, 2012
More than Just a Teacher

When we put on our black sash/belt for the first time, we should remember that we are more than just a teacher. As the younger students begins learning, they also begin taking note of our actions as well. To some we will be only a teacher, to others we may become more of a role model or mentor. Which means they will see you in a whole different light, because they will want to be more like you. Do the things you do, act like you, or even mimic the things you might do. This could be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing, depending on the character of the teacher. We not only teach them a martial art and how to defend themselves, so that they will gain confidence in their ability, we also teach them how to be one of good integrity and morals. This means you also become a person of influence in their lives as well.

So like the old saying goes, “we must practice what we preach”. If we are only of good character and integrity in the school, and not in our personal life as well, then we fail that student and the essence of our art and family. It’s an honor to a teacher and the system they train in, when the student represents his teacher and family so well, that everyone knows who their teacher and/or style is by the way they carry themselves. (The apple don’t fall far from the tree)

You may not want to believe it but there are more eyes on you than you know, when you are not aware of it. Wearing that black sash/belt has more responsibility to it than just saying, I’ve completed all the requirements for it, it carries much more. Now you have to do things on a different level to handle the responsibility that comes with that sash. Carrying yourself in a manor that is respectable, both in and out of the school, because what you represent is not left in the school when you walk out the door, it’s outside the door as well. The student should not only respect the rank, but also respect the person wearing the rank.

Young minds are impressionable minds and what they see in you may make a big impression on them. What we say, what we do, and how we teach will say a lot about the person wearing that black sash/belt. Make sensitivity, caring, and humility apart of your character, because each student will be motivated differently, and we all have to be sensitive to that. With that said, ask yourself which of these qualities am I missing, and how do my students see me.

Am I more than just a teacher?

June 30, 2012