A Dark Side Adventure

About  5 1/2 hours I think. Visiting instructor Dave Quaile from Australia and 26 others, just two of us women.

Well so much stuff to remember. Started with slow pushing, as always. Then moved to evading/absorbing strikes, still slow. Several very light tactile drills. Each section is punctuated by sloooowwww pushups (even only one) to reset the brain. Much discussion of the Systema principles of breathing, moving, structure, feeling, minimalism, pre-emption, intuitiveness.

After lunch more of the same, sophisticating the action. Spent the last hour or so working on response to hook and straight strikes. This was hard…but I certainly wasnt the only one struggling with it. We have to completely give up the “block”. And it did improve.

Many awesome demonstrations by Dave, some sad meat puppets. Dave says – ” Not a good day out for him! “  Very very impressive. A really enjoyable day, looking forward to tomorrow, Part 2.

Ashihara – horrible warmup running up the hill and round the stairs and partner strength stuff – wheelbarrow  for 20 mins, situps, leg raises, pushups etc. HOT.

Then various partner combinations, sabaki. I just went slowly with each one to start with which worked well. Sensei pointed out my stance as attacker   was too strong and forward, too vulnerable to a shoot,which he kindly demonstrated lol. Repeat of Rick’s takedown from the clip, connects to the Sanchin opening move.

Tuesday Systema – 10 or 11 of us tonight. Arm pushing variations with partners gripping each other by the wrists, strong vs relaxed, using body movement primarily, maintaining structure. Then slow pushups with breathing variations..

Avoiding slow strikes with minimum movement, then adding light trapping. Tactile partner handwork – kind of a freestyle where one partner has to simply relax and go wherever the other leads. Mummy drills first just avoiding, then avoiding with strategy, then adding a gift. More slow pushups to finish.

Loren is concentrating on getting us moving  three dimensionally with relaxation/deliberateness/efficiency/structure.

Monday Ashihara – half hour warmup of running outside up the little hill around the tree, round the dojo, up and down the stiars, repeat etc then a series of alternating rounds of varieties of pushups, crunches, burpees etc and striking and kicking the big bags. It was hot.

Then an hour devoted to the big bags starting with striking combos and moving onto a big variety of spinning/jumping kicking combos. There was climbing walls, levitation and even flying ( though not by me sadly). Some supremely athletic individuals and very powerful with it.

What I like about this class is that its not dumbed down for beginners. What I hate about this class is that its never slow or progressive. Sensei demonstrates – you do. Thats it for tuition. I am improving but frustratingly slowly. Ah well, very character forming!

Systema at Mt Eden – just five but Janet showed up today to see what its all about, awesome.

First a joint-circling warmup. Then pushing progressions concentrating on aborbing and redirecting the leaving a gift. Slow experimentation of different types of strikes to different places, seeing what works, how the body reacts. Lazy avoiding strikes, improving position. Mummy drill just avoiding and evading.

 Rolling practise, moving on the ground and getting up and down with a gun, and the rolling mummy drill.

Then knife-point pushing, moving with the pressure, progressing to lazy disarms using the body and locks.

Then Alex got out his Aikido staff and we practised avoiding the swinging stick, various formats.  Switch off brain, just intuitive movement. Then avoiding the knife and moving with a knife held to the neck. Padraig did his amazing “chin-lock” stuff. I’m going to put up a clip of this - haven’t been able to find anything like it on the net so far.

So a really good all-round session.

Thursday Systema  – Out on the grass, group of ten with a couple of first-timers. 

Started with the heavy-arm drill from Tuesday, just moving round and under and through, maintaining contact. Long time on this one, changing partners. This is pure Intuflow. And theres lots of laughter which tells me people are enjoying the movement and interaction.

Pushups very slow. Then more strategic moving and pushing, always looking for the gift. First “attacker” has eyes closed, then receiver. Very beneficial with eyes closed, always staying in contact.

More pushups – circular movement. Then some fun stuff. Everyone lines up and gets pushed by the person behind – as hard as they can – towards someone with outstretched fists -  object to avoid fists! Then everyone jogs in a circle  – but one person is going in the opposite direction, just evading and avoiding. Then two sets of partners, inside arms around each others waists, one side attacking the other team trying not to get caught. Mayhem and surprisingly hard work.

I come away from these sessions energised.

Tuesday Systema - partner drills – have to move around and under the outstretched arms, maintaining contact. This progresses to pushing maintaining contact and leaving a gift. Pushups to refocus.

Progresses to a fluid multi-pushing/receiving/striking exercise where attacking and receiving are mixed up. Add light locks, partial takedowns. Very very nice movement in this, always looking to find the easy path. Each partner has a different style/agenda. Useful.

Monday Ashihara. Hard warmup 30 mins including stair-running, multiple strength stuff, few stretches. Hard basics for about 20mins. Very hot and humid.

Then a black belt kata which consists of the usual 10 (I think, kinda lost track) combination format. Each two sections were practised separately and and then we did bunkai work with a partner. Then link the whole lot back together again. This was just plain hard, lol - I could have spent the whole night just getting one or two of them working right. Ah well.

To finish we vacuumed and mopped the dojo.

Had to miss Thursday because of work, havent really had time for anything,so I was really looking forward to Sunday morning.About ten of us on the covered stage because of the rain.

Started with pushups. Then pushing. Sometimes with big movements and steps, also with knees together (pivoting and jumping). Advances to absorb and trap.

Then a tactile drill – just fingertip-to-fingertip pushing, very lightly, no pattern. Then one partner with open hands the other with a fist, ramping to quite strong striking and very circular absorbing/deflecting. This was an excellent drill. It really helps to isolate where the defensive movements fail to flow and also helps link strikes – one strike segues into another with no stop. Then more pushups.

Knives to finish. First just moving with the knife tip slow pressure, just as we do with our usual hand push drill. Then moving to make the blade of the  knife flat with the body, and lastly adding a trap/lock/release or counter with the blade. Very educational, apart from one session with Ashihara last year I’ve done almost no knife work.

Very good session, bloody good fun.

Damn had to miss Monday and Tuesday because of work. Just made it to Wednesday Ashihara.

Comparitively light session, because Monday night was a killer, not quite sure how I feel about missing it lol. Partner work with a progressive drill striking, blocking a front kick, sabaki, countering with side kick to knee and then with with a spinning  (and jumping) back kick and a round kick. By the end I had it not too bad, not pretty but at least with footwork functioning and kicks connecting with some power. Still needs a lot of work but there has been some improvement.