A Dark Side Adventure

1st January 2010 New Year’s Day

I’ve been putting this off but it has to be done.  

Professionally, personally and martially 2009 was a challenging, disappointing and frustrating year. Cut loose some entanglements, made new ones. Huge commitment in all areas, but I failed to progress as I planned/expected to.

…And yet… there were some achievements and new directions which were unexpectedly rewarding. So much for goals lol.

Fitness and strength -  improved, largely thanks to the intensity of the Ashihara training, which I never really expected to start let alone continue with. But I stopped running and couldn’t even find time for much walking in the last part of the year. So I’m going to increase the Ashihara commitment to two classes a week this year. And I’ve made a start on deadlifting, whole new thing for me, purely physical and completely measurable. An important new part of the mix, once per week.

Mobility – some gains – arms, shoulders and neck, torso and rolling – and some losses. I’m not sure whether my hip flexibility has deteriorated or if I’m just more aware now of the limitations/inadequacies. Continued, regular (daily – somehow?) commitment to Intuflow is just going to be critical. And I need to include more yoga (time!)

Physical Fighting Skills – movement, timing, targeting, strategy improving very gradually. Systema work awesome here, another unexpected beginning, going to continue with 2-3 sessions a week.

Mental Stuff –  old patterning has been a major, at times devastating obstacle        Huge task of re-programming has begun,  and clear evidence of new instincts developing.  

I’ve learnt a huge amount      I love this.

I’ve pushed the boundaries of fear and stress further, been in places I was really challenged. Hated but necessary.

Dark Side Circuit – started well, suffered as the year went on. The challenge of sticking to self-initiated training the hardest thing of all for me.

Sanchin – pivotal, pulls all of the above together. I keep revisiting, working on moving and striking, moving and striking.

So much to do.  I’ve never been good at goals – too flaky and eclectic, not single-minded enough. But theres a bit of a plan here at least.

Think I feel better for writing it all down, maybe the year not as bad as I thought!

Ooh so much sumo training, I have been a happy pig lol.

Sunday Systema – just three of us at Albert Park. Started with rolling and shoulderstands. Then destruction of structure -being pushed, recovering to neutral but with a functional, targeted  reaction. If the push is too hard you have to step to keep structure. The hard part is not to over-react to the input but  to stay relaxed and minimal. 

Then we went over to one of the nearby buildings and worked a series of back-to-the-wall drills. Firstly avoiding a straight strike to the head, all the while keeping contact with the wall. Then adding a single guiding/deflecting hand, then two hands, outside then inside.  And look what we have – kotikitae! Very very nice. Moved onto double strikes. Then kicks – first avoiding a single stomping-through style kick. Then adding the knee check and the systema foot-hook-thing. Dont know what you call this but it just slips the attackers foot forward in the direction it is going to disrupt them – a forward sweep?

Systema is a lot about disruption. And opportunism.

Have to laugh. At GKR you weren’t allowed to do sweeps until brown belt. Systema is functional right from day one.

Wednesday – went to have a Xmas beer at Ashihara and see some belts awarded, particularly wanted to see Barry (54) get his Black. Huge effort, hes still got the scars/bruises- oh man! - from Saturdays marathon event, bloody awesome. Have committed to two days a week there next year-  my stength/fitness/courage challenge. I know theyre pleased i stuck it out, and i’m pleased too.

Then went on to the GKR barbecue end of year thing. I was really bored. Talked to Chris about Systema, he seemed kind of sad. Many people shocked to hear I’m not going to be teaching. Not enough Babel fish to go round..

Thursday – Sytema in the park. Alex took it this time, just four of us. Started with a flowing light warmup with joint rotations and balancing/breathing drills. Then some tension/relaxation exercises alternating sides of the body.  Rolling practise which moved into shoulder stands and shoulder walking.

Then partners working with the Intuflow knee movement (! bloody awesome!) to avoid and deflect low  front kicks and destabilise the kicker. Subtle and sneaky. Not leg checks or clashing blocks but twisty, energy-diveting stuff. Worked good areas to strike on the leg, pressure points etc. Then round kicks, a nice avoid. Then three on one mummy drills using the same and ramping up the speed.

This training is very democratic,  progressive,  tactile. Its about minimalism and stealth. And creating massive disruption.

I am delighted at how it slots into a part of the Uechi paradigm.

Last class of the year, very small group - revised some of  the stuff we have done over the last six months or so. Just a big range of partner work – kotikitae, flinch, evading, absorbing, using the opponents energy, postional stuff, elbows elbows elbows. Threw in some nasty pushups, situps, squats, then kumite and finished with conditioning.

Last time to teach. Hope the guys get some lasting benefit from the Dark Side stuff we’ve dabbled with.

Ashihara – light class because the rest of the group had a five hour long grading on Saturday, plenty of bruises etc. Practised escapes from a variety of arm grabs, working into locks, takedowns. Most of this was new to me, lots to learn and absorb.

Systema. Light warmup/stretch then into a progressive  moving leg-disruption drill. Firtly just walking in sinc with some one learning to watch shoulders, know when the feet are landing. Then as people walk at you, trying to position so your foot lands right beside theirs. Then working a slight disrupt with the ankle, different ways, hooking the leg forward just before the foot lands.  Moving to larger disrupts with knee and leg.

Next was the mummy drill again, I’m getting a little better at this, avoiding and evading. This segues into a tiny control, just with the side of the hand, a kind of follow. And into leaving a gift and striking.

Then did an exercise where we took turns placing hands on a body in a slow strike. The idea is to learn exactly how it should feel when done solidly, where to strike, what parts of the body make good targets, different types of strike.

Then a little more work on falling and rolling, I need lots  and lots of practise. These guys are very acrobatic, do that pistol getup thing effortlessly, lots of tumbling/jumping.

Finished with some breathing exercises and a kind of massage of the internal organs which was very weird indeed lol.

Tuesday Systema in the park. Whole range of stuff.., mainly groundwork., can’t remember it all.

First learning to fold/collapse to go to ground so that you land in a useful position (not hard and spread out as in a break-fall). Moving on the ground using just legs.

Then partner work – being pulled or pushed to the ground and having to take the other person with you to your advantage. Using knees etc on limbs as you get up. Every attack delivers a gift.

Then “the Mummy” on the ground – you’re on the ground avoiding people walking across like diameters of a circle, except messier. Rolling and moving, but less is more and with no sudden or rapid movements, if possible. Then the same thing with stick, if  it works, if not, doesnt matter.

Then a drill where you lie on your back with two people standing close either side. Use only your feet, legs and body to disrupt then or take them down, so very experimental – what happens if i do this? Pressure points, and hyperfunction.

Various Systema pushups, slow with pauses at the points of difficulty – part of the mind conditioning theme. Clock pushups, multi-position pushups.

Then striking to curved pads. Slapping.  Evolved into a variety of strikes, elbows, shoulders. All loose, heavy, wave motion, starting with big movements and fining the movements down to minimal. Sound familiar? lol

Then went and tought my second to last gkr class. Taught them all Sanseryu and then worked on other kata.

Ashihara – Self defence stuff in street clothes tonight.

Started in groups with one person punching and kicking the pads while 2-3 others try to disrupt them any way they can. Aim is to return to the pads and keep going as quickly as possible, not to be disrupted. Then one person holding a “baby” – a muay thai kick pad. Three others form a wall in front, one person has to save the baby by getting through the wall any way they can.

Then partners working on releasing from a headlock, follow up with knee strike to head etc. Progresssed to working as a group again with one person hitting the pad while the others apply the headlock, aim is to escape and counter as quickly as possible. Was pleased with my responses.

Next was boxing gloves on  – partners continously striking each other hard and fast, mainly headshots. Aim was to get as many in as possible while wearing as few as possible. Adding takedowns if you could. Then same thing in groups of five with one person in the middle, dealing with continous attacks.

Final challenge was the whole group in a circle with each of us in turn facing six 10-second rounds. Got very messy, some blood but nothing serious. I did okay, actually quite well, find myself using all sorts of stuff. At one stage Sensei had me completely jammed up against the big kickpads, hitting me continously on the head so I kneed him in the groin. He was pleased lol.

Awesome night’s training, completely full on and exhausting. Everyone loved it and the plan is to do a lot more, adding scenario work and outdoors stuff.

Systema

Worked on moving with structure to start, hips forward, knees relaxed, grounded. Then avoiding a stick  (staff) with body movement – vertical strikes, angled strikes, horizontal strikes. Avoid, enter, control, less is more. Then the same with strikes of various sorts, increasing in speed and intensity. Then avoiding with no hands. Then stick, follow and leave a gift.

Moved onto destruction of structure progressive drills.  Progressed from touching/pushing to learn about body movement through two point destruction to takedowns. All calm, continuous movement. Then worked some leg checks, knees and kicks, all stepped through with intent and lots of pre-emptive. Added hips, shoulders, head. Tony Blauer type knees, nice.

Finished by pulling it all together moving with continuous varied incoming attacks.

The brief summary above does no justice to the huge range of stuff we covered. The parallels with some of the Uechi IUPA material are amazing. Principle based, aiming for effortless, intuitive control.

My challenges are postural (hips forward, I have to retrain this), continous footwork and relaxation. I’m delighted with how good it feels.

Worked Saturday only time for weights – 45kg x 5 then 50kg x 5. Just upping the ante 5kg  each week until i cant get any further, but i need to do it more often.

Met up with a small group for the first time, trained in a park. No gis, no grades, no shouting. Hope I can remember it all.

Started with a breathing/moving drill to warm up, walking and jogging with particular breathing patterns. Then walking holding the breath. These drills are designed to accusomise you to a particular type of physical stress.  Then lying down, breathing with full tension and relaxation to different parts of the body.

Then -  Dazz would have loved it – the Mummy! One guy in the centre, the rest of us walking staright toward him with arms out, he has to avoid everyone with constant but minimal movement. Increase the speed so the mummies are jogging, moving fast. Then add in a very small touch – a stick or a follow. Then add in a touch and a minimal deflect. Then add in deflect and a gift – a hand on the body, anywhere. All the while constantly but calmly moving. Progressive drills…

Systema pushups and situps – slow and controlled. Then a partner drill avoiding a grab by simply moving the body out of the way. This segued into using the body to trap a hand that is placed on you anywhere.

Very very impressed. I loved this.

Then I went off and taught my usual class. We did sparring and partner work concentrating on minimising movement and positional strategy. Kata to finish.