RMAX Powered Internal Martial Art Review

[HereBeADragon]

I received RMAX Powered Internal Martial Art yesterday and watched it before bed last night. Big mistake! I spent half the night going over the course in my head. Coach Jones is a very impressive martial artist as it is but watch him move as an internal styalist! He shows a level of skill and movement beyond what the very best of todays internal martial artists could muster.

His explanations and examples are clear and very easy to understand AND follow. As with all things RMAX there is a clear progressive development of the movements and a very demystified explanation for what is happening. Coach Jones shows how to apply these principles both standing and on the ground, also its a rare treat to see Coach Sonnon being the one grimmacing. ):) Coach Jones leads the group, Coach Sonnon, Wilson and I think Coach Murdock through the concepts and movement drills needed to access the foundations of internal power and explains how these tools can be applied to any combat art.
Very exciting concepts in this course that I cannot wait to start experimenting with.

At the end of the DVD coach Jones does what appears to be a mix of Tai Chi and Prasara that is VERY exciting to watch. I believe this course will become one of the Flag Ship series for flowfighting. It is definitly a must have for any martial artist out there.

Now that I have raved about this course I do have one critique to add. I feel this DVD was too short. At only 33 minutes it seems a little light when compared to the scope of the topic. I feel this DVD could have ran a bit longer, I know I did not want it to end! I would have liked to have seen all the coaches experimenting and playing more with the tools and concepts presented. I think the demos in Hardwork are a good example of what could have added greatly to this course. A dynamic demo would have been, I think, fitting for this course. I also think that watching the Coaches "play" often has lead me to a deeper understanding of the materials they are presenting.

All things considered I give this new RMAX release a 9 out of 10. It was well made and had great material that already has my head spinning. I cannot wait for volume 2! If you haven't ordered this DVD yet I advise you to order it now! JMHO :)

[HereBeADragon]

one more little reflection I wanted to add. As I think more about it I feel this series is a great way to introduce martial artists from more traditional arts to RMAX. All to often people think of RMAX as a seperate martial art or an isolated system. It is in reality a duality. It is both and it is neither. I've always felt that while other arts give you the what and the where RMAX gives you the why and the how. RMAX Powered Internal Martial Arts is a perfect example of this. Coach Jones has not given up anything "new" he has simply shown us what was there all along. Sadly for most of us what is right in front of our eyes can actually take 20+ years to see. Thanks RMAX coaches for once again taking off the blinders!

[KD Jones]

Nice, Brian. From what you say, it's exactly what I'd hoped it would be. But I must admit, I was kinda hoping it would be more... like say... 7 hours long... (I'm guessing they had trouble with the disks melting after about 30 minutes.)

[TNichols]

...and am I having fun. It's an outstanding addition to the RMAX library. As expected in all things RMAX, Coach Jones breaks the skills down in simple English, and shows an accessible drill progression. I was glad I had seen Integrating Structure and read The Anatomy Trains before seeing this, because Coach Jones alludes to the fascial net without explaining it much, but I'm one of those geeks who likes lots of background info. In his defense, if you do the drill, you can feel what he's talking about immediately; having a long discussion is kind of secondary at that point. The presentation is very compact; on one hand, I'm with Brian in wishing it was longer, and on the other, getting this much info about IMA, with means of practice, in half an hour -- wow. Martial arts instruction for busy people, and a practical demonstration of the fact that it doesn't have to take as long as commonly billed. It would be kind of fun to be able to say, a year from now, "I got to this point from a standing start in just one year, training from video. Oh, and the video was only HALF AN HOUR LONG."

My sole gripe is Coach Jones' expression of contempt for the idea that it would take 20 years to train any skill. Two issues here:
First, it's just silly. If it used to take 20 years to get to point x, and now we have a new methodology that can get you to x in a year, that doesn't mean there's no such thing as a 20-year skill; it just means that the 20-year skill level is now at point 20x (or whatever). Come the next performance enhancement revolution, it will be even further out than that. Kudos to the anti-complacency attitude, but I think we're going overboard a bit here.
Second, if you've got to say it, the best place to say it is at the end, when the guy's already thinking "Man, if I'd had this information 25 years ago when I started..." Saying it at the beginning just raises unnecessary resistance. Human communication about new concepts and methods has a reputation for being a bit chancy as a general rule; why pour sand in the gearbox? It's a lot easier to make a point like that after you've already won the argument, and you're just pointing it out for him, in case he missed it. But enough about that.

I'm very grateful to Coach Jones for including the compensatory exercises in the program. Anybody who's ever been injured by training *correctly* will instantly see the value in this. In my opinion, compensatory exercises ought to be required information for any long-term martial arts instruction. The whole *point* is to keep the bad guys from wrecking your body; doesn't make a whole lot of sense to do the job for them before they ever get to you, does it?

My wish list for Volume 2: I hope it...
1. has more footage of the instructors at play
2. gives a little more detail on the mechanics of 'torsion in the fascial net'
3. comes out tomorrow.

[Chuck Kechter]

If it used to take 20 years to get to point x, and now we have a new methodology that can get you to x in a year, that doesn't mean there's no such thing as a 20-year skill; it just means that the 20-year skill level is now at point 20x (or whatever).

You're right... it would depend on the skill set... Or which end of the telescope you were looking through.

It also could be a one-year skill practiced 20x... Which happens a lot in TMA (regardless of cultural origin), and would lead to a long-term skill plateau, or even stagnation. Meanwhile since you have taken up so much of your available training time repeating this skill acquisition you don’t have the time to develop in new areas.

[wadem]

I recently watched Coach Jones' IMA DVD. All I can say is WOW. Very well done. I have read a ton on the Chinese internal martial arts over the years and actually enjoy trying to 'decipher' the poems and songs, and always felt like I was learning something. However, Coach Jones did an amazing job of demonstrating the basic concepts of power transfer, which you do not see very often, if ever.

I can stay glued to videos for long periods of time. The relatively short duration was not something I am used to, but after thinking about it, it is probably best this way so the viewer is not totally overwhelmed. There is plenty to think about and practice until Volume 2 (Coach Jones, are you listening?).

[KD Jones]

Regarding the 20-year thing...

I think it's a question of what's being addressed. I seriously doubt that Coach Jones would argue that consistent, daily, and diligent practice over 20 years will NOT produce profound effects, and result in a better fighter than the same program in say, 5 years, or 1 year...

But I think it's worth addressing in some way, face up, that the skills aren't as enshrouded in the passing of time as they are often believed to be.

I think, in the end, our evolution will result in a very clear statement and methodology that espresses both the value of time and repitition, and the gains in speed of acquisition available through effective philosophy, pedagogy and methodology.

Really, it's all in there already; now it's just a case of how to best translate it for the common viewer. I also think it's really close to fruition.

[Coach Flanagan]

it seems my review got lost in the shuffle so I'm posting it here in order to share the love

I should also add that initally I was a little irriated that its ONLY 30 minutes - however, I've devised a relatively simple means of making that a moot issue - I've watched it probably about 6 times thus making it a 3 hour dvd you could say;) :)



"RMAX Powered IMA is easily one of the best produced RMAX DVDs avaliable to date. The format and presentation of the material provided by Coach Jones makes the concepts extremely easy for anyone to grasp instantly. The DVD also has this sort of Live Seminar feel to it that makes it feel alive so you feel like you're right there with Coach Jones studying the material.

Anyone who practices any sort of internal martial art I'm sure will instantly see dramatic performance through practicing the skills in this DVD. Coach Jones also breaks down many conceptual self-imposed barriers by demonstrating the applications of these methods of force generation in several different combative sport venues including MMA, which featured my favorite part of the DVD when Brandon demonstrated how to apply Load, Lead, and Launch from the guard.

My only suggestion that could improve future volumes in this series is that it would be great for people who do not practice IMA's to see a few sample drill progressions of how to begin to utilize these concepts into their practice. "

[Coach Bentz]

Time to give this thread a little more air time...

I know its been some time since its release, but having seen Brandon demonstrate a few strikes at a prior seminar, I knew I had to get there someday and see what he had to say about the subject. Tonight, I finally carved some time out to watch this DVD, and I'm going to have to echo the WOW here.

I've got some qigong in the background somewhere. To have standing tree exercise explained in terms other than qi, with applications other than meditation, is like having the curtains pulled back on a large bay window. I've seen teachers demonstrate rooting and the use of that posture by having a bunch of people push on their forearm, but it seemed like a stunt without practical use.

Coach Jones' demonstration and explanation of these terms, and their application for martial artists, is quite impressive. I was also particularly impressed by the strike he delivered from the guard. Not only with the power delivered, but the speed and stealth. Unless, maybe, one knew to look for a whipping spine, I couldn't see where anyone could see that blow coming, and it did not look like it felt good.

At 33 minutes running time, it seems like a short release, and there could be perhaps added examples or angles. But if you're paying attention, you can immediately apply this, especially if you've been doing Intuflow every day (everything starts there, folks). The principles revealed are more than the price of admission. I suspect in the past, a great deal more gold than $35 has been traded for far less useful information.

Well done, Brandon!

[Coach Jones]

Thanks guys!

The biggest complaint (and only complaint other than "he could've been nicer") that I received was the running time. The short format wasn't by accident.

The exercises shown are some of the most result producing work a person can do to ramp up their ability to apply IMA principles in a dynamic sphere.

I feel that they're so important, that they need to be the base. Without a base nothing else matters. It's like trying to balance a bowling ball on a house of cards.

Had there been more on the first DVD, the temptaion would've been to blow past the "simpler" exercises in order to get to the "good stuff". Trouble is...that IS the good stuff. While there is much, much more only those who have worked dilligently on the first tape will be able to "grok" the material in future releases.

Glad everyone enjoyed it.

More coming soon.;)

[KD Jones]

Without a base nothing else matters. It's like trying to balance a bowling ball on a house of cards.

... the temptaion would've been to blow past the "simpler" exercises in order to get to the "good stuff". Trouble is...that IS the good stuff. While there is much, much more only those who have worked dilligently on the first tape will be able to "grok" the material in future releases.

This is the heart of everything.

It is inspiring (and challenging) to see what's required stand above what's marketable.