Purposeful Training

I think it is an easy thing to lose purpose in training, both as the coach and as the practitioner.  We can get stuck in comfort zones and just bumble along in big ruts, doing what we have been doing for ages.  I can remember many a time in the past when I would inquire why things (pertaining to MA training) were done a certain way (yes, I am the inquisitive one), and the response was either very vague, or complete silence.  I guess that meant it was either A) none of my business, or B) they had no idea.  It was probably none of my business because they had no idea, but I digress.  I can certainly tell you that the majority of adult learners like to know why they are doing things.  Most people I know do not have unlimited time, and they are hungry for purpose, generally speaking.  They want to feel their time is spent wisely.  Now, as instructors, we do get a lot of crazy questions, and sometimes there is not a great answer to divulge at the moment—we may have to give something further thought, or we may have to go consult another expert and get back to students.  This is truly one of the great aspects of teaching, because it forces us to really figure out what we think we already know because we have to deliver the knowledge to another person.   It is our responsibility to keep evaluating the training practice, as well.  Is it doing what it is supposed to do for the students?  Sometimes we try things and they don’t work, and then we have to discard them, but we are always learning and seeking new knowledge to help us do what we do. . .BETTER. 

Brian Willis expresses his thoughts about training as it pertains to officers.  In my mind, it is even more critical that time is spent wisely, participating in meaningful training.  It is unfortunate that the mire of bureaucracy often gets in the way of this.  Complacency can do so much harm.  Check out Brian’s post: 

http://excellenceintraining.typepad.com/excellence_in_training/2009/11/and-the-purpose-of-this-drill-is.html

Guro Dan on Stick Fighting

I cannot recall the show from which this clip was derived (maybe Human Weapon??).  Regardless, here is our Kali instructor talking about stick fighting.  I was in the mood for another video clip on Filipino Martial Arts.  How about you?

Thunder Band

 

Okay, this is so cool.  I posted on Dave Schmitz the other day.  He is going to offer resistance bands that can be stretched up to 5 yards, which opens up a lot more exercises you can do, and you don’t have to link bands together anymore.  If you have never experienced resistance bands, you will be quite surprised the first time that you do.  Most people are flabbergasted that a simple rubberband kicked their tails.

Check out Dave’s post and videos: http://askdaveschmitz.com/thurder-band-videos

You can purchase bands from Dave here: Performax Resistance Band Training

Dog Brothers

At Combat Hard, we love our Filipino Martial Arts. Ahhh. Here are the Dog Brothers doing some full-contact stick fighting. Enjoy!

Interesting Post on Threat Recognition

One of our blog readers sent me this link to an interesting blog post on threat recognition.  It discusses the predatory mindset of criminals.  There are great analogies to other predators in the animal kingdom to help flesh out these characters.  We talk all the time about becoming the predator.  This does not mean you prey upon weaker people, too.  Criminals have a very restricted view of the world, and you possess higher ideals.  No, you seek valuable insight about how these predators  operate so that you become the superior predator in the landscape “with another purpose.”  Read on, it is great stuff:

http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2006/03/recognizing-threats.html

Increasing Punching Power with Resistance Bands

Here is an interesting video clip on exercises to increase punching power.  We had the pleasure of training with Dave Schmitz (aka Rubberband Man) back in the fall of 2008.  Dave is a tremendously knowledgeable guy and has so many cool ideas on all things related to fitness.  The thing about Dave, too, is he tests everything out on himself and walks his talk.  His exuberance is very infectious–he’s so darned passionate about his work.  Anyway, check this out:

 

Home Security Safe Room, Part 2

Here is part two on suggestions for creating a safe room in the home.  These are pretty thoughtful ideas.  It’s always a smart idea to plan for worst case scenario.  Preparation does not equate to paranoia, which is what we have to convince folks sometimes.  We can find plenty of statistics to back up the “need” for preparation.  In addition, it never fails that we have more than one individual in a seminar that has successfully evaded or been touched in some way by violent crime.

http://letstalkhomesecurity.com/?p=2016

 

Great Ideas for Home Security Plan

I got some interesting ideas from this article on the Lets Talk Home Security website.  I like the idea of creating a safe room in the house, using the same things you would for your external doors, like reinforced frames, doors and deadbolts.  There is a lot of stuff in here that probably does not occur to most homeowners, myself included.  I hear more and more about home invasions, and certainly we all need to have some basic plan in place so we can do something useful if the you-know-what hits the fan while we are chilling out at the homestead!

http://letstalkhomesecurity.com/?p=2014

 

Post on “Hooded Box Drill”

Here is an interesting post on the things worth believing in weblog, with video, on training dynamic warriors.  I fully realize this is geared towards law enforcement and operators, but these concepts can be applied to civilian training/real-world self-protection because, in the end, a hostile environment that endangers our lives requires decisive action no matter who we are or what our mission is in life.

We’ve talked in class about hooded drills.  The hood comes off, and you have to deal with whatever threat presents itself. . .

http://tgace.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/reboot-your-ooda-loop/

 

Blog post on the concept of “aliveness”

This post brings up an interesting point about “aliveness” training.  We had arguments this summer about this, because in a seminar I attended, instructors overemphasized full-throttle training before students really had any skills to speak of–before they had truly been brought along so it was something they could handle, in my humble opinion.  There is reality training, and there is kicking the crap out of people who have no mental preparation, and who, frankly speaking, you may lose forever if that is their first experience. 

Without further blabbering on my part, here is the post on that great blog, TDA Training, and a video clip explaining aliveness :) :

http://tdatraining.blogspot.com/2009/11/is-aliveness-most-important-thing.html