A Dark Side Adventure

Weights – 3x40kg, 3x45kg, 5x50kg. Aiming to lift my own body weight – this will be lot easier if that body weight is less lol. Two ways to tackle this challenge.

Clubbells – light session, need to look at the dvd again.

Tuesday Systema.

Started with a kind of wriggle warmup where you have to move on the ground  in all directions, front and back, using your shoulders to manoever. Very hard work. Then shoulder stands, shoulder walking, curlovers. Pushups – slow, wide, plank. Some plyometrics, like Coach Steer’s stuff.

A series of partner exercises where you are taking turns to apply pressure to each others arms in different ways. This progressed into a kind of freeform sticking, alternating realxed and full tension. Then  tricky relaxation/tension exercises.

Back onto the ground for a kind of sit-up drill where one person attempts to do a situp and the other has to force then back with their forearm. Then two arms in different places, trying to twist and disrupt. A workout for both people.

Next the mummy progression – first just avoiding the walker by rolling/swaying, then adding a stick, then adding disruption and takedown.  Then adding a dimension – moving not just on the ground but onto your feet, and back to the ground as needed. Expansion and contraction.

Then an interesting and completely hilarious (for me) exercise where I had to lie over Loren on the ground and stick my body to his no matter how he moved about. Progressing into making an opportunity to disrupt.

Lastly the mummy with kicking. On the ground, trying to completely absorb a slow kick from any direction or to any part of the body by moving, rolling, twisting. I had to resist the urge to block. Hardest to absorb are kicks to the legs. Then the same with stick, and finally with disruption to the kicker – some major mayhem with this. Very powerful stuff.

Awesome training.

Thanks for the encouragement Rick and Marcus, the support always very appreciated.

Writing the stuff down has really helped. Last year was quite mixed up, experimental, but theres a clear path forward now, one thats makes sense and is doable. And unique too, dont know of anyone else trying this crazy combination of training…

Saturday – lagoon walk with Ben. Nice.  Can tell the fitness has slipped though…

Sunday – Systema at Albert Park, very hot, sunny. Began with a multi-functional warmup of freeform rolling/situps/pushups/crunches etc. All mixed together in any way moving from one thing to the next. Then did a rolling -avoiding drill where you have to move out of the way of people walking at you. This progressed to avoiding but keeping contact, and then to avoiding and disrupting the walker. The guys are very very good at this.

Then slowwww pushups, twenty counts per one. More softwork avoiding grabs with body movement progressing to capturing the grab with the body. More pushup followed by a relax drill – partner has to shake/jiggle/drop each of your arms till they are completely relaxed. Then you have to tense one arm while leaving the other side relaxed as both are tested. Very very hard to do lol.

Then off to the wall for avoiding-strikes drill. Same as last week,  progressed to the kotikitae-like movements and capturing the strike with the body (chin!). Then the walking drill, matching the partner’s step and disrupting with a sweep or check. Slow, very low squats with a partner checking the posture. Have to stop moving and relax, adjust each time the backside tries to stick out, then go lower.

Another  really good session – variety, principles, progression.