Me and Krav Maga 05/08/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.
BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS.
Another week passes and more workouts, more pains and aches, more knowledge.
Krav Maga training continues smoothly- a few minor scrapes and bruises.
Inevitably, we all have a point at which we become overloaded with knowledge- even the most basic of knowledge- a point I passed weeks ago in Combative Tactics.  But now- now that I've begun to use the different small joint manipulations over and over again, in C.T. and in Krav, during sparring sessions- I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with them.  I can find the mark more times than not when it comes to using the techniques, and they make sense to me.  Their logic, their purpose, if you will, makes sense, so now I can put two and two together when thinking about defensive scenarios.
This month we've moved on from ground work (Thank God! for my ass and hips could not take anymore…HA!) and onto more blocks and counter attacks from a standing position.  We've learned two new terms "hot side" and "cold side": Hot side is inside blocking and feeding yourself into the attacker's body for a counter attack; cold side is an outside block and feed to counterattack your attacker.  Once again, when we're shown the two handed technique it seems so simple I wonder why I never thought to use it before.
Chance and Dom spoke at length about another friend/martial arts master.  A man named Richard Dimitri.  If you've never visited his web site (http://www.senshido.com/) do so.  It's worth perusing.  His self defense techniques are logical and cover the burden of legality after the fight for survival has ended.     
In both classes the exercises are becoming easier.  All but the hip stuff.  For some reason my hips are on fire pretty much every night when I limp my butt home from training.  Maybe it's age.  Maybe it's my size.  Maybe I'm just not as in shape as I'd like to believe.  Whatever the reason, the pain would debilitate if I allowed it to.  After long sitting sessions at work, when I stand again, it takes a few dozen yards for me to walk straight again.
Now all this probably makes an outsider looking in wonder why the hell I would put myself through the agony and possible serious injury.
Honestly, I got no answer…at least not one I'm prepared to analyze too deeply at this point in my life.  I know there are some cogs and wheels turning inside me now that rely on my self made blindness.  I don't want to pull whatever is making me keep at it day after day into the sterility of analytical light.
Some things that wiggle unseen within the human psyche will not stand up to bright scrutiny, will they?
That brings me to the subject of commitment.
Not withstanding the actual origin of the engine that drives me on each day of training, I still have days where I have to look into the mirror and ask myself how badly I want to make it.  How badly do I want to conquer the mutinous chemical traitors in my body?  How badly do I want to be in control of my own fucking destiny again (at least as much as we can be)?
So far, the reply has always been to push myself out the door, into the car, and into the studio three days a week, and to workout at home at least two more days of the week, with weights and more cardio.
After reading an article in the May issue of Muscle and Fitness Magazine (http://www.muscleandfitness.com/) about Cross Fit Training (http://crossfit.com/), I became curious and did some research.  I think it may possibly be the hardest type of workouts I've ever set eyes on.  I mean it's almost superhuman tough.
Here's a list I was directed to online.
Run 1/2 mile 50 air squats - 3 rounds.

10 push-ups 10 sit ups 10 squats - 10 rounds.

200 air squats for time.

"Susan" Run 200m 10 squats 10 push ups 5 rounds.

Sprint 200m and do 25 push ups, 3 rounds.

10 Handstand push ups and a 200m run 3 rounds.

Tabata squats and tabata pushups.

5 push ups 5 squats 5 sit ups, 20 rounds.

Walk 100 meters on your hands, even if it is 2 meters at a time.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sets of sit-ups and a 100 meter sprint between each set.

Invisible Fran...21-15-9 of air squats and push ups for time.

Spend a total of 5 minutes in a handstand, or headstand. If you are using the headstand do not stay over a minute at a time.

Run 1 mile for time.

10 push ups 10 air squats and 10 sit ups, 6 rounds for time.

Do one air squat and take one breath, ( you can breath all you want while you do the squat or squats) do 2 and take 2 breaths etc...up to 10, and then come back down to one.

3 vertical jumps 3 squats 3 long jumps - 5 rounds.

Handstand 30 seconds and 10 squats, 8 rounds.

10 push-ups 100M dash 10x.

Tabata squats.

5x 400M sprints.

10 X 100 m dash.

25 pressing snatch balances each arm. No weight.

Run 1 mile, lunging 30 steps every 1 minute.

handstand 30 seconds and 20 air squats, 5 rounds.

10 handstand jackknife to vertical jump, 10 handstand jackknife to tuck jump, 10 handstand jackknife to straddle jump.

100 air squats. For time.

4x 25 jumping squats

10 vertical jumps, 10 push ups, 10 sit ups, 4 rounds...for time.

10 air squats every 1 minute of your 1 mile run.

100 burpies for time.

Run 1 mile for time.

10 push-ups 10 squats 10 sit ups 10 rounds.

10 vertical jumps, run 400 meters, 5 rounds.

spend a total of 3 minutes in a handstand.

100 air squats for time.

Handstand 1 minute, hold bottom of the squat for 1 minute, 5 rounds.

Sprint 100 meters, Walk 100 meters, 10 rounds.

100 push ups for time.

Run 1 mile for time.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpies and Sit ups.

50 sit-ups, 400 meter run or sprint or walk. 3 rounds.

10 walking lunges, 10 push-ups, 10 rounds.

Tabata Squats.

50 split jumps for time.

Workout...Handstand for 30 seconds or 5 handstand push ups...400 meter run. 4 rounds.

10 burpies, 100meter sprint 10x for time.

"L" sit off the floor. 10 rounds of 10 seconds...if you can't do it sit with your legs straight out and try to lift your heels of the ground for 10 seconds instead!!!

run 400 meters, 50 air squats. 4rounds.

handstand 30 seconds, to squat hold 30 seconds. 10 rounds.

Ten vertical jumps ( jump as high as you can, land and do it again), 10 push-ups 5 rounds.

Run 1 mile for time.

10 push-ups, 10 squats, 10 rounds.

Tabata Squats: 20 seconds on 10 seconds rest, 8 rounds. Count your lowest score.

Handstand to Jack-Knife to vertical jump. 30 Reps.

Run 1 mile with 100 air squats at midpoint, for time.

7 squats, 7 burpies, seven rounds, for time.

10x 30 second handstand to 30 second bottom of the squat hold.

Burpee to the push up position, do 10 push ups, burpie out. 5 rounds.

Run 1 mile, plus 50 squats-for time.

100 burpies for time.

5 squats, 5 push-ups, 5 sit ups, 20 rounds.

Plebs plank, bottom of squat, hollow rock hold, 30 seconds each for 10 rounds. Use the transition times as your rest periods...they should be as brief as possible.

5 push ups with a 30 second plebs plank(a hold at the top of the push up, arms extended and body tight like a plank!) at the end of each 5 reps, 10 rounds. Then 3x 100m dash @ 80%.

Handstand practice, 25 tries at free handstands, then a 1 mile run at 80%.

Handstand 10 seconds jack-knife to vertical jump. 25 reps...

Mime 4x 25 sumo deadlift high pulls, make them perfect. Be sure the hips extend before the arms bend!

50 air squats x 5. Rest equal amounts as it took to do each 50.

Run 1 mile and do 10 push-ups every 1 minute.

sprint 100m 30 squats...8 rounds.

30 push ups, 30 second handstand or Plebs Plank..3 rounds.

10 sit ups and 10 burpies...10 rounds-for time.

handstand hold, 30 seconds, squat hold 30 seconds...10 rounds.

250 jumping jacks...for time.

100 jumping jacks, 75 air squats, 50 push ups, 25 burpies. For time.

Tabata Push-ups.

30 second handstand against a wall, followed by a 30 second static hold at the bottom of the squat. 5 rounds.

with eyes closed do 10 air squats, open eyes..do 10 push ups eyes closed, 5 rounds for time.

Run 1 minute, squat 1 minute 5 rounds.

run 1 mile for time.

air squat x 10 push up x 10 sit up x 10 3 rounds for time

10 push-ups, 10 hollow rocks, run 200 meters....5 rounds.

Do Tabata Squats with eyes closed.

bottom to bottom ( rest at the bottom of the squat instead of standing....without support on your hands or butt and make the bottom good, straight back, butt back).....tabata squats.

20 sit ups with support under the lumbar spine, 20 push ups, run 400m, 4 rounds.

Handstands, 30 second hold, 30 second static squat, 30 second rest, 8 rounds.

sprint 50 meters, 10 push ups. 10 rounds.

50 air squats, 4 rounds. rest for 2 minutes between rounds.

3x 20 tuck jumps. 3x 30 second handstands.

400m run/sprint 30 air squats, 3rounds for time.

20 jumping jacks, 20 burpies, 20 air squats...3 rounds

Warm up. Run 100 meters and do 20 air squats. 10 rounds.

Handstand 5x 30 seconds. Run: 2x 800 meters for time. Do the handstands first. Rest and recover and do the runs with a rest in between that is as long as it took you to run your first 800.

100 air squats 3 min. rest, 100 air squats.

Run with high knees for 15 seconds and drop into a pushup, get back up and run with high knees again for 15 seconds.......repeat 5x. Each pushup counts as 1 rep. Rest. Do 3 more rounds.

10x 50 meter sprint.

Test yourself on a max set of push ups...tight body chest to the floor...full extension!
If you cannot do "mens style" do your pushups from the knees. After that do 100 air squats for time.

Tabata...20 seconds on 10 second rest 8 rounds of...tuck jumps and then sit ups

run 400m air squat 30 hand stand 30 seconds 3 rounds for time

5 handstand to jacknife to high jump, 5 handstand to jacknife to tuck jump, 5 handstand to jacknife to split jump, 3 rounds...for form

50 burpies for time.

5 pushups, 5 squats, 5 sit-ups - 20 rounds

Run 1 mile, stopping every minute to do 20 air squats.

30 second handstand, 60 second squat hold ( at the bottom of the squat) - 5 rounds

run 200 meters, 50 squats, 3 rounds

Tabata Squats

Air squatsx20, Burpiesx20, Push-Upsx20 - 3 rounds...for time.

Yeah…have fun trying to do even a tenth of these exercises without puking up your dinner.  Seriously.  I can't even do some of the things listed.  I'm not physically able to do them.
Yet.
Anyway, Chance did assign some new homework
Assignment Due: 05/07/08
What are the ten major parts of the human brain and their functionality as it relates to combative tactics?

Workout Album Pick:
THE WAY OF THE FIST (2007)
Five Finger Death Punch
 From the all too soon abortive ashes of nu-metal's brightest star, MOTOGRATER, rises FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.  With their rage filled debut album, THE WAY OF THE FIST, these guys proved that the driving power of nu metal has not yet lost its power to make people think and emote and feel a latent power in empathy and humanity for one another, and yet, they surpass even the stellar sounds of their contemporaries.  This is a group of musicians who know the value of a good hook- lyrically and musically.  Each song has a definitive sound, but different enough that each could easily become a single or a metal anthem.  The bass and guitar work keeps a consistency that lends itself to the drum's polyrhythmic approach.  No song is without space or layers.  This is not simplistic metal; in no way derivative or shallow.  No band out there sounds like these guys.  Many have tried to find that mix of hard core, but still retain a sort of popish catchiness, to their songs.  FFDP has succeeded.   
Hand's down, this was my favorite metal release of last year.  Once you plumb the angry, frustrated depths of such songs as 'Ashes', 'Meet the Monster' or 'White Knuckles' it's easy to understand why this album debuted at 3 on the Billboard New Artist Chart, and made the Billboard 200 as well in its first week of sales.
 Now with a huge summer tour already in the works, The Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival (http://www.mayhemfest.com/) it's a sure bet FFDP is going to take the world by storm in 2008.  Look for them to play alongside such groups as Slipknot, Disturbed and Mastodon, and perhaps to even upstage them this year.
Discography:
PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKE [EP] (2007)
WAY OF THE FIST (2007)
(http://www.fivefingerdeathpunch.com/)

Until nest entry, stay safe and sane.

8:16 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Me and Krav Maga 05/01/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.
BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS.
With a new week come new aches and pains, new challenges, both mental and physical in Krav and C.T.
Now that there are more days of the week devoted to Krav Maga in the new suite, people seem to have found the days they prefer for the most part, and so we have a fairly consistent group on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Saturdays are still a bit of a free for all as to who will show or not.  And with this solidification of membership during the week, the instructors have begun to comfortably move beyond the simple kicks and punches, into some more complicated techniques.  We've even begun to do some ground work.
Now, there's a reason why I never wanted to join the Ju-Jitsu classes.  My body just can't take the torqueing and joint manipulation.  Some people get off on that sort of martial arts.  I don't.  It hurts.  A lot.
Since we started ground work in both Krav and C.T. on a pretty consistent basis, I go home every night feeling as if my hips and knees are on fire and out of whack.
This week's injuries- swollen, bruised knees and ass, have been brought to you by some devastating new ground techniques meant to shatter knees and ankles
On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, Jenna spends most of the hour throwing me to the floor, snatching my legs up, and then trying to maneuver her own legs into a pretzel-like shape that's meant to incapacitate me.  The techniques can be used to simply control a person on the ground until help arrives, or until they calm down enough to see the sense of keeping their Achilles Heel intact, or their knee in socket.  Or they can be amped up to totally blow out the joints, one at a time, with as little as ten pounds of pressure in any direction.
Trust me: Even when there's only a tiny bit of pressure, the pain can freeze up any conscious response.  The pain is like a hot poker being driven into your bone.  And that's without anyone actually snapping the bone or tearing any surrounding connective muscle tissue.
Wednesday evening sees two new recruits join Combative Tactics and more choke outs.  They managed to slide in before the May 1st deadline for enrollment.  I'm not sure what Chance intends from this point, whether he will start a new class for new students at some later date, or just continue this one until he feels he's taught us all he can.
If any  readers has an interest in joining a new class of recruits for Combative Tactics, it would be a good idea to contact Teri or Chance at Ultima to find out if there will be any future classes in which to enroll.
That being said, I warn you that this class isn't for the weak of heart.  It will push your physically and mentally.
Right now, Chance is still taking it easy on us (HA!), but soon, we're moving on to harder challenges to overcome, both as individuals and as a team.
After only this short time I already feel a sort of brotherhood with my fellow students.  We all sweat together, hurt together, fumble and learn together.
But we also rise together and fight together.
I know this tends to sound like a weird kind of Warriors Ethos mentality, but group pain and sweat will do that.
"This class is not about me or the exercise," Chance yells as we grunt our way through another set of warm-up jumping jacks before the Cardio-Hell-A-Thon begins.  "This class is about you!  It's about facing your fears!  Facing your own mental and physical obstacles and overcoming them!  This is about learning to think under pressure!  To persevere!  To keep fighting even when you're half dead because the people you love need you to!  This class is about life!  Yours and, most importantly, those you hold dear!"
I don't think anyone wants to ever have to face that worst fear, but the training gives confidence that the toolbox is more useful now.
Until next entry, stay safe and sane

Chance Assignment due 05/03/08
A short descriptive essay of the major nerves in the leg.

This entry's album pick for a hell of a workout soundtrack:
OPETH- WATERSHED (2008)
These guys really know how to throw progressive metal on its ass and make it bleed melody and harmony.  The guitar work is astounding, and although this isn't blues in any way, shape or form, there are moments that almost sound like The Allman Brothers have haunted their studio.  The addition of orchestral sounds fits like a smooth silken glove in between rumbling bass lines and thundering drums.  This is Opeth's Dark Side of the Moon.  I have a review copy, but this fantastic album will be out later this month.  Get it!  Love it!  Live it!

9:41 PM - 2 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

Special Announcement: Aggressive Advanced Combative Tactics Seminar with Shannon Stallard

This Saturday, May 3rd, special guest, Shannon Stallard, creator of The Advanced Combat Tactics System, will give a special Aggressive Advanced Combative Tactics Seminar from 1PM-7PM.  The cost is $75.00 before the event, $95.00 the day of the event.
Shannon Stallard is best known for his hit self defense DVD, Advanced Combat Tactics DVD, used by many military and professional protection agencies.
If you want to learn the real deal and have a great time with some great people, please call Ultima Self Defense at 520-744-4591 for more details.

http://www.theultima.com/index.html

http://www.ultimaselfdefense.com/
 

Advanced Combat Tactics by Shannon Stallard (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Combat-Tactics-Shannon-Stallard/dp/B000QF7C3C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1209599169&sr=8-1)

4:43 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Shocklines Writers Group deadline: May 3rd

  If you're interested in joining the next round of submissions and critiques for the SWG, please send your submissions to Nickolasecook@aol.com
Make sure to check the updated SWG guidelines on the Writer's Forum portion of Shocklines. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at the above address.
Thanks,
Nickolas.

4:37 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Me and Krav Maga 04/22/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.
BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS.
It's been a while since my last entry, but I've been busy with my writing world, so this blog has taken a backseat for a few days.
So if you are only interested in the Krav Maga and Combative Tactics of this blog, please feel free to skip the next page or so.  There are some things I think are important to my own process and training, but may bore the be-jesus out of the rest of you.  But I need to post them to get it off my mind.  
This week, I've come to recognize that I'm now working with two dichotomies in my life, made very apparent by my participation in Krav Maga and Combative Tactics.
The first is the dichotomy of power.
I am a large man- six foot, one inch, and around two hundred and sixty pounds.  Perhaps it's only because of my size that I'm physically strong.  But it's a power I've never been comfortable with.  As I've mentioned in previous entries, I fear it.  I've seen what I can do when I've used it without thought of consequence.  True, I was much younger, and no one actually died or anything, but my conscience has always been there to remind me of those moments when I didn't control my strength.  And now I'm skirting dangerous ground, where my full strength is always just on the edge of being let loose.  I rarely hit the pads with full force, for fear of the power that will inevitably translate through the cushion, into the person holding it.  But the temptation is there…just to test the power.
Power, strength.  I have it, but I'm afraid to let it loose.
Please do not read this is simple self aggrandizement.
It is not.
I worry that if I ever need to really use it to defend myself or the people I love, will I be able to call upon it?  Or will I have buried it so deeply I won't have access to it when needed?
The other dichotomy is one of social currency.
I've purposely removed myself, for the most part, from the writer's world where I've existed for almost twenty years of my life, a world where intellect, and the ability to converse on any subject, was considered currency and power.  I've purposely moved on to another world, a world where physical ability and martial knowledge is currency and power.  Not that the people I interact with during workouts aren't educated folks.  They are.  In fact, most of them have attained higher education than me.  But these are things we rarely speak of.  Most of our conversations center on physical things, destruction for the sake of life.
That's not necessarily a bad thing.
Not at all.
A lot of the writers I've come in contact with via message boards tend to live sheltered lives.  The older, wiser ones know that there's more to life than the written word.  A life must be lived to write about it with any integrity.
For those of you who don't know, I write horror.  Or more to the point, I write fiction that's pretty dark and disturbing to a lot of my readers.  I dwell on some rather unpleasant aspects of human nature.  To do this, I have to snatch my own fears out for the world to see, kicking and squirming in all their profound ugliness.  I've spent so much of the last fifteen years trying to become the best at writing dark literature that I missed out on a lot of things.  As a younger man, I did not pursue a career like my peers and friends.  Instead, I chose to devote my life to writing.
Or perhaps writing chose me.
I don't know.
And, to be honest, at thirty eight years of age, it doesn't really matter which at this point.  The die has been cast.  Don't get me wrong: There are no regrets on my part.  After all, not many people can create something from nothing the way I do.
But as I get older, I feel more and more that writing is not the end all of my existence.  It is, in fact, only a conduit for a fuller life- not a full life.  It gives me intellectual and emotional focus and clarity. 
At thirty eight, I'm finally moving from obscurity to somewhat of a known personality in the horror industry.  I've been able to help edit horror magazines and web sites, write non-fiction columns for both, and conduct online chats, and do interviews, with some of my personal writing and horror heroes.  I've been able to get different magazines to publish (and mostly pay me for) thirteen of the sixteen stories I've written in the last two years.  That's no easy feat and anyone- semi pro writers included- think it is, feel free to jump on board and give it a try, folks.  I'm justifiable proud of that meager accomplishment.
I've written eight novels in less than six years.  Mostly pedestrian, sometimes decent.
And now I'm moving from unpublished novelist to a soon to be published novelist- with not one, but two books linked for pre order and available (THE BLACK BEAST OF ALGERNON WOOD, published by Daily Swan Publishing http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Black-Beast-of-Algernon-Woods/Nickolas-Cook/e/9780981584546/?itm=1  or http://www.bordersstores.com/search/title_detail.jsp?id=57841071&srchTerms=nickolas+cook&mediaType=1&srchType=Keyword
and for BALEFUL EYE, published by Stonegarden.net Publishing
http://www.stonegarden.net/index.php?main_page=product_book_info&products_id=101).
Of all these things I am proud.
In Krav, Jenna has started adding in new aggression drills.  Now that we have five days a week offered, it allows the Krav group to split up a little.  Now there's more room in the new suite to move around, so more opportunity to test the limits of our strength and agility.
Monday night, we move class to the parking lot behind the suite, wearing our street clothes so that we could see what encumbrance, if any, jeans or tennis shoes might add to the drills.  Some people experience a tightening of their clothes as they begin to sweat, making the kick drills a little more challenging in jeans.  For those in flip flops or sandals, the trick is to keep your feet while kicking and punching.  Later we adjourn to the suite.  Jenna turns out the lights and we work in groups on our choking defenses damn near blind.  It makes for a challenging drill.  You cannot see your attacker, can only feel their hands tightening around your throat.  Of course there's the element of caution to worry about as well—you don't want to accidentally clobber your fellow students with a mistimed or misjudged kick or punch.
I find myself using more and more of the things I've learned in Combative Tactics: throws, small joint manipulation, momentum redirection…
Combative Tactics has moved on from small joint manipulation for a time to ground fighting, especially defenses and takedowns for kicks when you've been sent to the ground.  So far we've covered kicks to the side and to the face.  The moves are surprisingly simple and almost 100% effective, no matter body size or strength.
Teri's cardio core workouts are working their magic, sculpting my abs and back, adding tone to my arms and chest that weight lifting never did.  I'm harder and leaner now, down by two pant sizes, but my shirts are getting a wee bit tight.
But as a break from them, Monday night Dan runs us through a leg workout that pretty much cripples me for the next two days.  Sore hips, flexors, hamstrings, even my shoulders hurt.  My whole body hurts.  But, again, this is a good pain.  It's the kind of pain that means progress.  One look in the mirror proves how much progress.
But this progress hasn't come without some injuries.  Here's what I've sustained so far:
One broken toe; jammed toes; a bitten finger (skin removed); one dislocated knee; a hyper extended muscles in back of knee, ankle, shoulder and intercostal muscle; one stone bruised heel; various mat burns on elbows, knees and cheeks; bruised balls; a twisted ankle; various bruises on arms, legs, and arse; and one cauliflower ear.
And last night, just to add some insult to my growing list of injuries, I punched myself in the lip because I had not gotten enough distance in my hand defense when drilling on punches.
Yep, I'm a moron.
To catch up anyone who is reading to get homework assignments…
Chance has assigned two things since my last entry.
For Saturday 04/19/08:
A short essay on the human trachea; its function, weaknesses, strengths, its basic construction, and how much blunt force does it take to crush it.

Due Monday 04/21/08:
A short essay .. combat specialist Paul Vunak.
For those who have never seen this extraordinary man's work, check out his videos online.  Any one of them will give you a good idea of his superior skills and his simple defense philosophy.
Until next entry, stay safe and sane.

8:01 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Me and Krav Maga 04/08/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.

BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS.

Once again I find myself confronted with the worst parts of my character and my frustrations rise during training.  Being who I am, I resent failure.  It eats at me like nothing else.  As a younger man I tried to blame everyone else for my own weaknesses and failures; as an older, wiser person, I find such excuses threadbare and useless.  I can only lay the blame for failure firmly upon my own shoulders.

The training I receive is more than enough; the instructors, patient and wise in their arts.

Okay, so I sound a little whiny tonight.

I am.

HA!

I spend the night feeling as if my skills and abilities are mostly inadequate, clumsy and gangly, unpolished and heavy.

During Krav, Jenna continues to remind me to keep my hands up, my foot raised, my stance balanced and wide.  I can’t seem to get the hang of the stance and when I become unbalanced or unsure of my abilities I tend to try and power my way through the drills.

Muscle is not always the answer.

I get clocked in the left ear for my troubles and carry a purple and red bruise home to remind me that powerful punches aren’t the end all of a confrontation.  Sometimes a technically sound block wins the day instead.

Afterwards, it’s into Combative Tactics, and more cardio.  And while I enjoy the workouts now, and respect them for the changes in my body and mental outlook, sometimes Teri drops a bombshell exercise in there so that I can only shake my head and wonder how the hell I’ll make it through without looking like a clumsy moron.

Tonight, it’s the Chameleon: on all fours, low to the ground, moving forward like a lizard, without touching the ground with anything but your palms and the pads of your feet.

Watching the others start off, I say aloud, "I’m never going to be able to do that.  No way."

One of my fellow students, K, replies, "Why give up before you even try it?"

His words stick with me throughout the night.

Why do I tell myself I can’t do it?

It’s not as if I won’t try anyway.

So why do I feel the need to verbalize my self doubt (my fears) of failure?

What does it gain me?

Is it that knowing I might not fail I will seem better to others for having accomplished it despite my ’fears’ of failure?

Is this some unconscious agenda to look favorable to them when I pull it off?

Or is it that it’s some sort of psyching exercise with myself?  Maybe if I tell myself I can’t do it, and then succeed, I feel like I’m better than I expected?

Truth is: I have no idea.

I do know that K’s words hit it on the head.  No one wants to hear someone always complaining about the exercises.  Perhaps in the future it would be better to just jump in and see what happens before I verbalize anything.  So if I do succeed I can give myself a pat on the back.

From cardio to training…and tonight we’re learning more about redirecting our attackers’ force.  The first drill consists of taking turns standing in the center of the room while each of us runs in turn at him; his job is to redirect us away from him with hands only.  A good exercise.

But the next is a bit tougher.

Now we take turns being monkey in the middle holding one attacker as a shield, while defending ourselves from a second attacker.

Some are better at this one than others.

I’m terrible at it.  Once again, when my training fails me, I resort to trying to power my way through, by holding the first attacker like a bag of bones in front of me instead of guiding him round to shield myself.  Chance spots my useless strategy right away and calls out not to use muscle, but it’s too late and I quickly fail the drill.  Now his partner is easily able to get me from behind, because I can only move a two hundred lbs. person around so much before the muscles just won’t do anything more.

For those of you keeping score, that’s Muscle=0, Attackers=2.

We’ll see how tomorrow night’s work goes.  Each session is an exercise in self discovery (or even rediscovery).  Despite my whining, I appreciate them.

Tonight, two new students, two more choke outs, and two more comrades in pain and discovery.

Welcome, fellas.  I know you’re going to love this class.

And ’J’, don’t worry.  I got your back, man.  Just keep checking the blogs and you’ll be up to speed, my friend.

For anyone who would like an email update, please feel free to send me your email address and I’ll be happy to do so.

Nickolasecook@aol.com

For anyone else interested, please remember Chance’s cutoff date is coming upon us soon (04/24/08).  If you want to join, make sure to do so soon.  Once we pass the 24^th, the backlog will just be too much to try and catch up on.

The new suite is HUGE in comparison to the other, smaller suite we’re used to.  Now we have some room to move around, to keep from bouncing off one another.  The mirrors and wall pads have not yet been added, but will be soon, and with their eventual inclusion the room will be superior as a workout facility.

Teri and Chance have really put their heart and soul into this additional suite, sparing no expense to get it up to speed as quickly as possible.  They’ve had quite a lot of help from Krav and C.T. students with the painting, dry walling, construction and demolition.  But it’s their bread and butter on the line, here, and their work is much appreciated by we students.  The new suite means more people, more fellowship and more fun to be had for all.

Until next entry, stay safe and sane.

8:20 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Me and Krav Maga 04/06/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.

BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS.

I’m not sure I ever consciously walked into the study of combative martial arts and thought I’d be an expert right away.  Although, in the beginning, the first few weeks or so, the moves felt so natural and easy that I felt as if I already knew them, that the training was just a sort of catalyst to release the knowledge to the surface once more.  But with subsequent challenges to perfect certain moves, it’s plain I’m no expert.

Well, let me clarify that statement:

I’m an expert at protecting myself in a fight, but not the required techniques of Krav Maga.  In other words, I’m not ready to test up to the next level.  And this disappoints me.  I feel I can usually learn something pretty quickly.  But there are plainly some issues of coordination and skill involved that I most certainly lack.  My size has always been my sometimes enemy, and this is one of those times.  It has gotten me out of some scrapes merely by the fact of my bulkiness, but this time it seems to drag me down.

Working on the side round kick proves I can learn the techniques; although they most likely will come a bit slower than I’d like.  But it seems that for every leap forward, I take a couple of steps back.

Namely: Now I’m having trouble remembering to keep my hands up during punching drills, something that is most likely going to get you nailed in the head in a real fight, especially if there are more than a couple of attackers.

During Saturday’s class, and in several others before when I noticed this was becoming an issue with me, I ask Jenna to slap me in the head to remind me to keep my hands up in the proscribed defensive posture.

She makes a general announcement to the class that if anyone is training with me to make sure I keep my hands up-- whatever it takes.

But the effort, self imposed or otherwise, is bearing very desirable fruit.  My body continues to melt away a bit a time, while the muscle tone stays hard and smooth, giving me a body I can finally feel proud of.  I’m no Adonis, but I can see vast improvement on almost a weekly basis.

In Krav, we’ve spent the last few sessions working on legs.  Saturday’s elbows work was much appreciated.  The training can become stall if you work on the same stuff over and over again.

Lots of new students have joined in the last week or so, and have added their own flavor to the training.  Different body types and aggression levels mean you get a chance to try your strengths and weaknesses, your power and speed, against all types.

In Combative Tactics, the small joint manipulation work continues.  Now we’re adding in even more of what Chance refers to as ’seasoning’.  Various kicks and nerve and muscle strikes have been added in to the already very painful manipulation work.

Chance said in the beginning that all the different small joint manipulation moves would become second nature, that all of the things we learned would build on the previous work.  And he is right.

For the past few sessions it’s been layer upon layer of moves, strikes, and takedowns.  We learn what works for us and what doesn’t.  Being the biggest guy in the training I get to play Guinea pig for everyone.  How well would such and such wrist twist work against someone big?  How well does an elbow manipulation work against someone who can put up a great deal of resistance?

Needless to say, my arms and shoulders and thumbs stay pretty sore these days.

HA!

We’ve worked on single hand attacks. Double hand attacks, two attackers with single hand, two attackers with two hands, mirror image grasping, and opposite hand grasping.  Next, it’s multiple attackers with tow hands.

Chance shows us a very effective move Saturday to counter two attackers holding you from either side, a sort of body twisting slingshot move that smashes the attackers together and gets them in one area to dealt with, instead of on opposite sides of you.

Once again, the move is so simple you wonder how come you never thought of it before.  Again, as if it’s being culled from a lost memory deep down and being levered to the surface for your use.  A lot of what he shows us feels natural and instinctual.  Some of it takes me a bit more time to grasp.   

But it hasn’t all been fun and games with small joint manipulation.

Chance has been throwing in team building exercises as well, things meant to test and illustrate how important it is to trust your partners, to trust a group of people.

Wednesday evening, he asks us to gather in a circle and hold one another’s hands.  He places a hula-hoop around ’J’s arm and we have to send the hoop from one person to another without touching it with our hands.  It’s fairly easy, once we understand the mechanics required to get it over the head and the legs through to the next person.

Then we stand in a circle with our backs to one another, arms hooked at the elbow to each side.  Chance counts of group squats…one…two…three…and so on.  Then he makes it a bit tougher by sending us all the way to our butts on the floor and then having us get up as a group.  Again, once the group works out the physics and mechanics, standing as one is no problem.

..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

Chance assigns new homework, some basic metallurgy:

Combative Tactics Homework Assignment, due Wednesday, 04/09/08

What’s a good to make basic tools- i.e., a shovel, a hammer, a chisel, etc., etc.?

What’s a good metal to make a knife?

What are its (or their) weaknesses and strengths?

What’s a good metal to make a sword?

What are its (or their) weaknesses and strengths?

Why different metals for knives vs. swords vs. tools?

Until next time, stay safe and sane.

6:40 PM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Me and Krav Maga 04/01/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.

BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS

After finally finishing the galleys for two books, I decided to take a couple of days off from writing, a moment to breath, to reflect on the enormous task I accomplished in a relatively short amount of time.  During this stressful time, I found Krav Maga and Combative Tactics infinitely helpful in keeping me focused.  The workouts kept me energized and feeling confident, as if no barrier, self made or otherwise, could slow me down...:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Unfortunately a lot of my review work and my other new fiction got left by the wayside for the time being.  Now, with the galleys done, I have an open field before me, and have eight new novels to consider.

Which will it be?

As a writer, it’s a wonderful moment to know you can work on what you want, with no one to dictate your time for you.

Meanwhile, short stories I sent out almost a year ago are still working for me.  I sold another to a new magazine.  Great news to wake up to this morning.

In Krav, my main worry of a few weeks ago, the side round kick, has been progressing pretty well.  I can nail it most times now.  It still takes some concentration to do so, it’s not exactly second nature yet, but it’s getting there.

One thing I have discovered about Krav techniques is that they aren’t always realistic for real world.  Some of the techniques don’t come naturally, and in a street fight, I doubt I’d opt to use them over something that feels more natural.

The fighting stance is something that I’ve apparently been doing incorrectly since day one.  To me, the stance is too wide, I feel as if I have no balance. But when someone pushes me in my natural fighting stance, I actually don’t display much balance.  Where as, if I’m in the correct fighting stance as taught by Jenna, I have more balance, whether I feel it or not.

It still feels unnatural and off.

I suppose I’ll get used to it for technique’s sake.

In a real fight, though, I’ll probably revert to the more natural stance and wind up getting my ass handed to me.

Speaking of which, Saturday’s Krav class focuses on proper falling technique.  I consider myself to be pretty good at them, but after a few dozen backward falls from a standing position, I start to feel the impact.  My neck and shoulders ache, and I carry that pain for the next few days.  Bone deep, no aspirin or heating pad attention touches it.  But it’s a good kind of pain.  It reminds me again that technique is important.  If I had fallen without the proper technique, even one hard time, I’d probably have whiplash.

Having missed Wednesday’s Combative Tactics class, I also missed a shin caning.  This is a training technique used in martial arts to develop stronger shin bones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinbone).  The self inflicted injuries cause the bones to re-calcify and grow more dense as you continue to abuse them.

Does it hurt?

Uh...hell, yes!

30 seconds on each leg feels like forever, but I grit my teeth and close my eyes.  I refuse to even whimper.  Something about working with a group of people whom you respect for their toughness: You don’t want them to ever feel you aren’t as tough as them.  So you refuse to allow your weakness to show.

My right leg bruises even as ’D’ is caning me.  Large, red and purple bruises blossom up and down my leg.  A few hours later, they’re swollen and enflamed, tender to the touch.  I forego any treatment to them because it’s good to know the pain, to accept it.  Afterall, this is something I’ll probably have to endure at least once a week going forward in C.T. training.

We continue to work on small joint manipulation and now Chance throws in some Aikido moves as well.  Aikido (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido) is something I’ve always been interested in.  And it looks like Ultima may be offering that in the very near future.

Speaking of good news at Ultima: Chance and Teri signed a contract for an expansion suite for Ultima.  Now there will be a suite devoted solely to Krav and C.T.  That means more classes all week long for Krav.  Which is a great thing since the Krav classes have become enormous for the space Ultima currently has.  So we can spread out a little and really work on hurting one another.

HA!

And Krav’s popularity continues to grow with yet another media appearance; this time on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club (http://www.vh1.com/shows/series/celebrity_fit_club_boot_camp/splash.jhtml)  Seems to be popping up all over the place these days.  And small wonder when you consider how quickly it melts away the pounds.

7:52 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Me and Krav Maga 03/20/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.

BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS.

A little slower getting the posts this week.  But I have a good reason.

I received final galley proofs for two different novels that will (FINALLY!!) be published this year.  THE BLACK BEAST OF ALGERNON WOOD (Dailey Swan Press) and BALEFUL EYE (Stonegarden.net Publishing) are supposed to both be released in May, so I’m really pushing hard to get them both read, corrected and back to the publishers straight away.

Which, of course, means not so much time to write blog entries.

Or anything else for that matter.

That can be frustrating for a writer, because all writers want to keep writing something new- not go over the same old stuff they’ve been through a dozen times or more.

In class, it’s good to finally be able to let loose with some hard punches.  Working on a heavy bag is great exercise, but not so great for technique.  I need someone to hold the pads and put their full weight into it or else I have to pull my punches.  The past few workouts I’ve been able to do so because I’ve been partnered with people close to my size.  People who are smaller than me tend to shy away from the punches and kicks, afraid (and probably rightfully so) that I might unintentionally hurt them.

Speaking of pain…Jenna’s latest torture method is ROXANNE.  Yes, that old favorite of the 80s by The Police, made even more famous (and funny) by Eddie Murphy in the action film, 48 HOURS.  I understand it’s sort of a drinking game to play the song and take a drink every time Sting and the boys sing the words "Roxanne" or "red light".  Jenna’s inventive little twist on the game is agonizing.  Instead of getting a drink every time we hear the magic words, we do freakin’ burpies.  In between, we do mountain climbers to keep our heart rates up.  By the end of the song, I’ve lost count of the number of burpies.  All I know is my legs are like wobbly springs, barely able to balance my weight atop them.

In Combative Tactics we continue the small joint manipulation portion of our training.  All of the work is from a standing, one hand, or two hand, grab- where your attacker is trying to snatch your wrist towards him.  In Krav our fundamental theory would be to get away from the attacker.  But in C.T., we WANT to get closer.  That’s how to do the worst amount of damage.

My wrists stay sore for days at a time, as we practice and practice.  Even when we aren’t in C.T., we tend to group together in the lobby and work at them.  I lack the essentially subtle skills to really make these manipulations work, but I learn them.  I can do them in a classroom setting, but at this point I’m not sure how effective any of them would be if I actually had to use them in a confrontation.

Last night, we also worked on a quick, easy hip toss move, designed to get your assailant from his feet to his back, in a very painful way.

Watching wrestling, one can hardly estimate the true impact of hitting the floor from a really well executed hip toss.

I’m here to tell you: IT HURTS!

It’s a nasty jolt to the whole body- bones and all.  I learn quickly to exhale before I hit the floor or else I can’t seem to catch my breath after a hard impact.  Especially if your partner is around 230 lbs and accidentally lands with his knee in your ribs as a follow up to the jolt of hitting the floor at full impact.

I’m sure there are easier ways to hit the floor; I just haven’t discovered them yet.

My ass and back are begging me to do so very soon.

By the time we switch to a new move, my right shoulder is aching (point of impact for most of my abrupt landings) and I have a hell of a headache from all the slamming about.  But I do manage to get the gist of the maneuver

Chance shows us another easy move designed to get your opponent to the ground.  A simple slip forward, thrusting the arm past the attacker’s neck and head, a twist to gather the attacker’s arm under your own, a pull to tuck the elbow beneath your arm pit, and presto-bango! his arm is locked tight.  With a few pounds of pressure you can snap the elbow out of joint.

This is so easy, it’s scary.  Seriously.  I never would have imagined how easy it could be to get someone into that nasty of a position in split second’s time.

After having read THE GIFT OF FEAR by Gavin De Becker a short time ago, there are a few things that have struck with me.  The most important lesson was that we should not ignore our gut feeling about someone who means us harm.  Too often, people are persuaded by a lifetime of wrong headed training that everyone is essentially okay and that it’s all in your head if you think someone is going to hurt you.

Now I don’t mean in a dark alleyway at 3 AM in the morning sort of stuff.  If you’re unlucky enough to find yourself (or dumb enough) in that situation, than most people would know to be on guard against the worst case scenario.

What I mean is broad daylight, in a public place.

I work with a young woman who had just that sort of experience this morning.

When I finish the story, there will be a pop quiz.

She pulled into a gas station to the gas pumps, a few dozen yards from the store.  She noticed a man, about 35 years of old, standing next to his beatup blue van next to her pump.  She decided to get a drink, so made her way to the store entrance.  She noticed out of the corner of her eye that the man was following her, and then he was suddenly walking next to her.  She continued on- and in her words- felt like something wasn’t right about his movements, how he seemed at first to be doing nothing at the pumps and now he was next to her.  She stopped to check the pump number and the man stopped as well.  She still avoided looking at him, but she could feel him waiting for her to keep walking.  He seemed polite enough, despite her hunch, as he opened the door for her and allowed her to enter.  She went to the back of the store to get a canned drink, but felt him staring her way.  She turned, and, yes, he was watching her from over the candy bar aisle, not really touching the candy, but just watching her.  She felt her trepidation grow, so she moved around the store.  The man continued to watch her.  When she went to the register to pay, the man was suddenly behind her.  She noticed he had nothing in his hands to purchase.  All along, my friend is convincing herself that its’ silly to feel this sort of fear in broad daylight, and in a public place.  She was convincing herself that her gut was wrong; that she was being paranoid.

But then the man spoke to her, asked about her cell phone she had on her hip.  Is that pink color the phone or a case?

She gave him a short, but polite answer, and turned back to the clerk to pay.

Meanwhile her phone rang and she unhitched it to answer the call, opening the flipface.

The man leaned eagerly forward to see the phone face.

She turned away to hide it.

She put the phone away to pay the clerk, opening her wallet to get money.

Now the man was standing slightly tone side of her, leaning forward to stare down at her wallet’s contents.

She was really scared now.  After paying the bill, she hurried to the car and was going to just drive away as quickly as possible, but remembered she hadn’t pumped her gas yet.

She snatched the hose from the pump, looking up find the man had followed her from the store and he was once again standing next to his ill looking van, watching her.

She edged away so that a pump was between his eyes and her face.

He simply sidled over to see her again.

After she was done pumping her gas, she hurried into the car and drove away, watching the man in the mirror.

He got into his van and drove away from the pump…

And drove away in the opposite direction.

Now here’s the quiz:

1)      Would you consider the man’s behavior to be normal?

2)      What about it was strange or frightening?

3)      What should she have done and when should she have done it?

4)      How would you have handled it?

5)      Are you male or female?

..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

The story gave me cold chills.  To me, my friend probably barely escaped either a serial rapist or killer.

Paranoid?

Over reaction?

Maybe.

But I’d rather err on the side of safety than stupidity by believing that nothing bad can ever happen to me.

That is a sheep mentality.  You might as well be grazing grass, folks.

Feel free to send me your replies to the quiz, or post them here.

My answers are as follows:

1) In a group of men, I might could see his actions as bravado to prove he wasn’t afraid to talk to a pretty woman.  But a single man doesn’t normally act so brave around a pretty woman, and definitely not in such a crazy way.  No, he would have followed her to the drink cooler and tried to start conversation there.  Not wait until she was at the register.  To me, his asking about the cell phone was so he could see her number if she had it on display.  Hence, why he was trying so hard to see the face of it when she answered the call.  Same goes for the wallet.

2) He was acting like a predator, like an animal scenting his prey.  He was obviously stalking her.  His actions were not meant to sooth her so he could move in for a date.  He was trying to find a way to get near to her so he could get information.

3) When she first felt strange, she should have recognized, acknowledged, and accepted the fact that something this guy was making her feel cautionary.  Maybe it was something as subtle as his body language.  But she shouldn’t have talked herself ’down’ from the sense that something was wrong.  She should have turned on him at some point in the store and asked him if he had a problem.  Rude.  Maybe.  But who gives a fuck when you’re feeling as if someone is stalking you.  Fuck his feelings.  A good aggressive stance would have probably sent a very clear signal that this wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted to mess with.  At the very least, it would have worked on an unconscious level to alert him that the prey was aware and not so easy as first ascertained.  It would have also had the added benefit of drawing attention to him from the other patrons, something he sure as hell probably didn’t want.  So some unpleasant words might have been exchanged, such as "What a bitch.  Fuck you, you cunt."  Or some such nonsense.  Again, who the fuck cares.  Alive and seemingly rude is better than polite and dead.

4) Only you can answer this.

5) Why should this matter?  Because, as a man, I will probably never have to worry about a serial killer or rapist trying to stalk me.  A woman has to constantly be aware of the inherent dangers of her fellowman.  Men will hunt them like animals and kill or rape or both.  That is fact.  If you don’t believe me, check the internet for the facts.  It’s not paranoia.  It’s reality for a woman.

Think about it.

Chance has given us more assignments and since I was lax and didn’t post last week’s assignments, I’m including them below, with the due date.

Combative Tactics Homework Assignment, due Wednesday, 03/19/08

What are the functions of the lungs, from the bronchi to the alveoli?

What are the major arteries and veins in the human body (name at least 10)?

And he’s also given us homework for Saturday

Combative Tactics Homework Assignment, due Saturday, 03/22/08

What does Ammonia and Bleach do to the human body when inhaled?

What’s the best way to counter its deadly effects?

What does Pepper Spray and Tear Gas do to the human body when inhaled or making contact with the skin?

What are the best counters for these chemical attacks to the system?

What does Hydrochloric Acid do to the human body when it makes contact or is inhaled?

What is the best counter for this chemical attack to the system?

Until next time, stay safe and sane.

8:29 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Me and Krav Maga 03/11/08

WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT KRAV MAGA AND/OR COMBATIVE TACTICS EXERCISES AT HOME.  I WORK WITH EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED PROFESSIONALS.  THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS BLOG IS FOR EDUCATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.  ITS AUTHOR DOES NOT ADVOCATE USING ANY OF IT IN A FRIVOLOUS OR DANGEROUS MANNER.

BOTTOM LINE, FOLKS: THIS STUFF IS DEADLY SERIOUS AND CAN CAUSE SERIOUS AND PERMANENT DAMAGE, OR WORSE, KILL YOU OR OTHERS.

I really should name this series ’Me, Krav Maga, and Combative Tactics Training’, because it’s come to encompass much more than just Karv Maga training.  As I’m currently only a novice, not yet past my First Level in Krav, there tends to be a lot of repetition.  Sweat, cardio routines, more punches, kicks, and aggression drills galore.

Now that I’ve gotten used to the routines, and have made some progress in perfecting my techniques, I find myself coming up with good and bad combative follow-ups in my head, and trying them when I can in class.

And when you add the stuff I’m learning in C.T. it’s really tough to hold myself back to the basics in Krav now.

Monday’s Krav class sees five new students, a father and his sons, and a mother.

I think the cardio takes them by surprise.

No matter how much you watch someone else struggle through the routines from behind the physical and mental sterility of a glass window, one can never know the intensity and demands of such a workout until you’re thrown into it.  Unfortunately, the youngest of the new students, the one I would think would most likely make it through to the end, doesn’t.  He sits out most of the cardio.

As I observe how the routines wear these new folks down into red faced, heaving, bent flesh frames, it gives me a chance to reflect on my own progress.

Do I still sweat and push myself to finish the routines in Krav?

Of course.

But I can make it through most of the routines without any problems now.  With C.T.’s cardio demands, the big bad Krav cardio boogey man is a joke.

Of course there’s always Burpies to give me the nightmare shakes.

HA!

I hate freakin’ Burpies.

Because of both classes’ cardio routines, I can see and feel an almost weekly physical improvement.  My arms are bigger; my stomach, leaner, tighter.  The muscle definition is clear even through my clothes.  Despite the agony of the C.T. workout, there’s a kind of release in sweating and pushing myself that is like food to my soul now.  I almost look forward to the challenge because I have something to prove to myself with each new class.  I welcome the pain because it means I’m getting stronger, faster, and better.

Teri does a lot of leading us through the cardio these days, as she perfects her Morning Madness routines (http://www.theultima.com/page12.html) using us as test subjects.  All of the routines are meant to strengthen each and every part of the core muscles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_(anatomy) 

After the cardio, Chance pulls aside and goes through a new move.  Like the others he’s shown us so far, it’s simple, but deadly effective.

Starting from what Jenna has jokingly labeled the ’Happy Hands’ position (loose held hands at chest level, in a non confrontational ball, ready to strike and block), we allow an attacker to attempt to push us.  His weight committed, your hands spring open to swat the attacker’s shoving attack away.  All the defender has to do is deliver a strike to the eyes, ears, throat, or anywhere else (knee to the balls, kick to the shins, and so on), or perform a take down.

All of these are good moves.  All of them will probably at least stun your attacker.

But as with most of what Chance shows us, the nastiest move is one we never even think of.

His spice to this move is to swat the shoving hands open, and then to simply snap an open V (thumb and forefinger in a V) strike at a slight upward angel to where the lower jaw connects to the skull.  Even a little force is enough to smack the bone up and into the mandibular nerves.  But with the attacker’s weight falling into it, the shock of the twin simultaneous strikes to the nerves sends a shockwave of stunning pain all the way down the spine and into the legs, pretty much assuring the attacker is going to collapse to his knees.

We spend the rest of the night practicing this simple, but nasty, move until our necks are raw and our jaws ache from the slight taps we administer to each other over and over again.

Afterwards, Chance again discusses why we would need to learn such a move, what it can accomplish in terms of close combat, hand to hand situations, even in a crowd scenario, where you have to keep someone from putting you to the floor.

What is a shove meant to do?

To get distance, to posture, or to send you to the ground.

This two part move is almost guaranteed to stop any and all such aims.

Of course, there’s also the mental aspect of this.

How much more confidence would you feel knowing you can stop a brawl before it gets started by administering this simple move?  How much better for others, innocent strangers even, if you can stop it before someone else gets hurt by accident?

An attacker willing to shove someone as a prelude to a fight is probably not too worried about hurting innocent bystanders to prove he’s a billy bad ass.

At the end of the night, Chance gives us another assignment…

..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

Combative Tactics homework assignment, due Wednesday, 03/12/08

Who is Richard Marcinko?

How is he relevant to C.T. training?

Who is Michael Echanis?

What is his importance to C.T. class?

What happened to him?

Until next entry, stay safe and sane.

5:37 PM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment