Drill progression and equipment use ideas

[HereBeADragon]

I really enjoyed coach Jones Heavy Bag 101 article as I know many others did. So it got me thinking about other drilling ideas and equipment commonly used and how to get the most out of it. I would really like to hear about how others here on the board practice and what equipment they use and how they use it.

I'll get the ball rolling :)

I've got a great little poll I use in my training its called the Quick Hands Poll. I first read about it in Black Belt Mag several years ago. Its basicly a 3 foot section of Capped off PVC Pipe often painted with the middle of it wrapped with tape or painted a different color. In its use I start by holding it out in front of you, picture it as running along your opponents center line, with one hand You quickly switch hands bringing the hand holding the poll back to guard while the other hand extends to grab the poll before it drops. You want to make the poll "float" between your hands basicly. Its a great tool to develop "snap" in your striking as you need to stay loose and fast to keep ahold of the poll but at the same time you need to quickly tense your grip to catch the poll. There are several training progression I've come up with using this poll and I'll try to film them and post them if there is any interesting in this tool. I've got some other ideas but I'll post those later right now I want to see what others are doing as I am constantly amazed by the creativity of this community. :)

[Coach Jones]

We're kind of gettin off track a little I think. Before we get a hundred posts from people with their individual training methods, we need to remember that this is the Flowfighting section which is specifically for questions regarding RMAX POWERING and Flowfighting.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who have training methods that they want to share and comment on but it's easy for people to misunderstand and get the impression that Flowfighting is "whatever you want to do at the time" or that Flowfighting is without structure.

[HereBeADragon]

Not to be at all disrespectful but seeing as how there have been only 3 posts (counting this one) made by non-coaching staff in the last 30 days in this section maybe a little open discussion about training ideas is not a bad thing? I'm fine with discussing this topic along the guidlines of flowfighting or with utilizing flowfighting concepts and drill progressions.

[Coach Jones]

I get what you're saying, and I don't think your being disrespectful at all. However. the overall purpose of this thread is outlined here:

http://www.rmaxinternational.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11135


Not to be at all disrespectful but seeing as how there have been only 3 posts (counting this one) made by non-coaching staff in the last 30 days in this section maybe a little open discussion about training ideas is not a bad thing?

I would agree, but to what end? The purpose is to make clear what Flowfighting is. It's not for everyone, and everyone shouldn't feel obligated to do it. Nor should they feel as though they are looked down upon for having other ideas. We believe that Flowfighting is the best method of training out there. That's why we do it. If people are interested, they can ask questions and those who have experienced it will chime in with answers and assistance.


The goal isn't to fill it up with information (even good information) not pertaining to Flowfighting. If there aren't a lot of questions being asked, I would like to think that's because we've been pretty clear about what Flowfighting is and how one begins working toward being a Flowfighting athlete.

I posted the Heavy Bag Fitness article in the article archives rather than here because it is not Flowfighting specific. It is a very basic overview of how to use that particular tool in your training, because I find that most people jump in to working with heavy bags without knowing much about them or how to use them to get the best out their training.

[HereBeADragon]

I understand what you are saying and so maybe a Style Renovation Section should be added to the forum then? That aspect of RMAX seems to have been significantly diminished as of late. All I wanted to accomplish in this topic was discussing drills and training concepts using equipment in the context of CST and Flowfighting methodologies. If that is not acceptable in this section than as I said prehaps we need another section?

[HereBeADragon]

The goal isn't to fill it up with information (even good information) not pertaining to FlowFighting™. If there aren't a lot of questions being asked, I would like to think that's because we've been pretty clear about what FlowFighting™ is and how one begins working toward being a FlowFighting™ athlete.



Have you ever heard the phrase "A silent classroom is the sign of a bad teacher" ? Prehaps the lack of posts in this section is a sign of a problem and not a solution? Maybe people are simply not comfortable posting questions or ideas in this section because they feel restricted from doing so? The martial arts section used to be one of the most popular sections and now its a ghost town.

I'm not saying that you or any other memeber of the coaching staff are bad teachers btw. I think RMAX has one of the very best teaching methods around (thats why I'm here). I just feel that this section in particular has been overly regulated and has seriously reduced the oppertunity for discussion and growth within the context of martial expression and how others can relate to Flowfight or how they can relate it to their chosen
art(s).

[Glenn Sunshine]

While I wouldn't use the quotation about bad teachers, I think it is more likely that the silence here is more about people doing their best to respect the purpose of the forum, but not having experience with Flowfighting they simply don't know what to ask or comment on. That's the case with me, in any event. It isn't that everything's so clear, it's that it is so new that we don't know what to ask about.

Having said that, the General Discussion section of the forum would seem to be the place for posting on renovations of training methods.

[Coach Jones]

Glenn, Absolutely!


Brian,


Maybe it would help if I could take a minute and try to describe the evolution of Flowfighting.

In the beginning, RMAX focused on (and still focuses on) performance enhancement. many materials were released that produced, and continue to produce amazing results in those athletes that applied them to their training. Over time, as RMAX continued to evolve, more answers to recurring performance defecits were discovered and applied and released. These helped to accelerate the athlete's performance even more as they also continue to do.


As CST's health first approach continued to evolve, it became more than a method of exercise and peformance enhancement, it became a complete system of training for athlete and the person seeking to improve their overall health alike. This health first approach is unique to CST.


Recently, Don "the dragon" Wilson returned to the ring at the age of 45. After he won the North American championship (a very close fight) he was asked what he felt he needed to do if he was going to continue to compete. His response was:


"I was injured at the start of training and if i'm going to compete, I have to make sure I remain healthy throughout my training...there's a science to that". He couldn't be more right and nowhere is that science exemplified more than in the CST training method.


With this health first approach as the core, many materials continued to be realeased that drastically improved martial athlete's performance in their chosen art. They continue to do so today. The CST methodology delved more specifically into several traditional arts with the RMAX POWERED series. These resources show the athlete specific tools to address their particular style and RMAX POWER them to achieve greater results.


As RMAX continued to work with martial athletes, many problems would show up. Hitches in the athlete's games that required specific attention to resolve. Some of these issues were:


1. Fear Reactivity
2. lack of Competitive training
3. Over-emphasis of HARD training
4. Not Enough emphasis on HARD training
5. Lack of attribute training
6. Style over substance


....among many, MANY others.


In an effort to address these problems, many more materials were created and proved to drastically improve the individual athletes' performance.


As these "hitches" or gaps in the martial artists game were addressed individually, a question kept popping up from athletes...


"How can we possibly integrate all of these resources into our practice?"


The unfortunate answer is that you can't. The more you integrate RMAX into your game, the more your game improves. Your performance skyrockets, but there's still work to be done. All of us have issues to work on.


In the beginning, any talk of an RMAX martial art would've been scoffed at. It would've neverbeen entertained even for a second....so what happened?


Through working with literally thousands of athletes, it became obvious that those who followed the CST protocols and applied various performance enhancement methods from RMAX were able to not only drastically improve their performance but were able to assimilate new skills and attributes at a much faster rate. Because of the nature of CST, all of the materials flow together seamlessly. An understanding of CST directly correlates to a better understanding of all things RMAX.


If used in lieu of other martial training, more issues could be addressed successfully, simaltaneously.


This method proved to yield amazing results. Those with no experience were able to approximate ability levels squal to or even in some cases surpassing those of other martial artists who had trained for years. in order to achieve those results consistantly and continuously a specific training protocol had to be initiated.


Over the next several years Flowfighting began to come to life. There was no denying that it was a system. It covered conditioning, fear reactivity, softwork-hardwork continuum, competition, mechanics over technique and each, apparantly separate training goal reinforced the previous. The training benefit increased exponentially because of a built in redundancy.

For example: addressing a previous inury that was causing residual tension in the shoulder, recovering lost range of motion in the shoulder, coordinating and refining that range of motion, applying CST protocols to strengthen the shoulder and increase the quality of the shoulder pack - all directly applies to the goal of increasing power and speed of a fighter's punch. The undertanding of mechanics, which remain consistant throughout CST enables the fighter to not only throw a harder and faster punch, but now to do so with less chance of that punch causing an injury to himself. Beyond that, the continuing practice of Intuflow and the idea of always returning to clean the slate keeps the athlete in a constant state of improvement.


Coach Sonnon devised the method of incorporating delivery systems into the Flowfighting curriculum based on the combined experience of himself and the coaching staff. These delivery systems are trained with the umbrella of CST's focus on breathing, structure and alignment resulting in a much faster learning curve than that of most traditional systems. The goal is not to master a particular system, but to master your own ideosyncratic movement. All movement is and will forever be unique to you. No one is identical to you and your movement will reflect that, but there are efficiency rules to be incorporated here. Mechanically speaking, there IS a right way and a wrong way to punch, kick, elbow or knee. Not based on stylistic preference, but based on how your body is designed to move combined with what's efficient for the task at hand.


Flowfighting is a complete system. Everything builds off of everything else. Everything contributes to everything else. The same mechanics that are used in working on your strength, speed, agility or conditioning are the same mechanics used in your fighting. Good mechanics are good mechanics. Removing all discrepencies in training allows for a redundancy overlap not available to those who have one protocal for fighting and another for training.


It's important to mention here that RMAX in no way looks down upon those who use the resources for improving their specific, chosen martial arts style. We support you 100%. That's what the resources are there for. Flowfighting isn't for everyone. While anyone CAN do it, most will not and that's perfectly fine.


Down the road, as Flowfighting coaches are certified, it will become more and more obvious at the commitment and reward that the Flowfighting curriculum and training methods require and produce. A Flowfighting seminar will push the athlete to their limits physically, mentally and emotionally. A Flowfighting coach has not only learned the material but has applied it. You can't teach a thing without doing a thing. This is practical and not theoretical. No observers only participators. Everyone does the work. There's no sitting and taking copius amounts of notes to be worked on later with the comfort of a willing partner. You learn it, do it and then own it.


Like I said before, Flowfighting is not the path for everyone and that's okay. Most will choose to continue RMAX POWERING their martuial arts and that's awesome, and truthfully the way it should be. For those who want to push the envelope the Flowfighting seminars and live training with Flowfighting coaches will provide a challenging and result producing experience. For those who choose to RMAX POWER their existing arts, live training and RMAX resources are available to shoot your performance through the roof.


Which way someone decides to go is up to them.


I know this post was incredibly long and probably put more than one person to sleep. My hope is that it explains a little why it's important that we don't confuse these different paths.

Brian, I for one would love to hear about your bag and your training methods. My suggestion would be for you to start a training blog and include your bag training in their. How you use it in your program, what results you're getting from it, what your sprcifictraining goals are in your practice with the bag, etc.


You could also post it in the general section where i'm sure others would have some input and ideas as well. No ones trying to squelch the free exchange of ideas, we're just trying to keep a clear distinction between Flowfigthing (a specific RMAX oriented path) an RMAX POWERED path (combining/integrating RMAX performance technologies to enhance a specific art) and other paths that may or may not have a place on the RMAX forum. I'd say your post has a place, we just have to keep it in the right one.;)

[Coach Larson]

Coach Jones,

Thanks for your last post.
I found it to be helpful to understanding some of the history and the relationship of CST, FlowFighting™, and RMAX Powered ____ (fill in the blank).

Jeff

[KD Jones]

... FlowFighting™ is a complete system. Everything builds off of everything else. Everything contributes to everything else. The same mechanics that are used in working on your strength, speed, agility or conditioning are the same mechanics used in your fighting. Good mechanics are good mechanics. Removing all discrepencies in training allows for a redundancy overlap not available to those who have one protocol for fighting and another for training.

This entire post was exceptional and I was completely unable to detect and ounce of "sleep" in it. The section above hits very directly on the exact opposite of a number of issues that I've encountered in my own training. Before coming here, I was completely prey to the "here's a good drill, there's a good drill" mentality. The vast majority of the time, any meaningful relationship between individual drills, or between drills and actual, internalized, usable mechanics, or even between the drills and reality went completely unquestioned and unproven.

There's none of that here, and it becomes ever more clear to me that the reason there's none of that here is precisely a focused, sometimes painful diligence on the part of the coaching staff. In anything I've studied, any endeavor I've experimented with in a social setting, or any discipline I've been touched by, I've come to see that clarity is the one thing most likely to set folk's teeth on edge. In our "open," "egalitarian" society, the requirements of clarity tend to be viewed as picky, overbearing or unecessarily strict - even when there is not the slightest scent of any of these attributes in the intent or attitude in which the need for clarity is conveyed.

I am reminded of a scene from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in which a young wannabe vampire, who is actually hoping to be bitten, attempts to explain to Buffy that vampires are misunderstood, gentle creatures. When told, in essence, that she was out of her mind and needed to wake up quick, she responded with "you need to respect the fact that others may have different opinions." (Soon after which she was just barely spared an ugly, bleeding death.)

Note that I am not applying this simile specifically to this thread nor anyone in it, but this does touch on complaints I've heard about RMAX being - as one person stated his "issue" on another, external site - "all about the dogma... no disagreement is tolerated." I paraphrase, but not much.

It was a long time ago I read that, and already, at that time, it made me laugh out loud. It was just bleedingly obvious to me how foreign the idea of maintaining any kind of consistency - whether it be philosophical, physiological or purely empirical in nature - really was to most folks.

It's really hard to stay to the course of an idea, to develop it without allowing the loss of direction and intent. It's just so horribly exclusive.


FlowFighting™ isn't for everyone. While anyone CAN do it, most will not and that's perfectly fine.
...
I know this post was incredibly long and probably put more than one person to sleep. My hope is that it explains a little why it's important that we don't confuse these different paths.

And I love this... a hint of the inclusiveness and lack of judgement actually present, and a statement of the need for clarity in the path - regardless of what path a person might choose.

Yadda yadda yadda.

This is a beautiful post, and needs to be an article in some form. Says me.

[Dave O]

Coach Jones,

Thank you!

Your last post did anything but put me to sleep, and I am extremely grateful that you took the time to put it together.

From what I have seen, when people on the forum have asked questions about FlowFighting™ the answer reads something like, "Do CST and get to a camp."

Essentially, your post is a much longer version of "Do CST and get to a camp." :) However, it is easier to understand why that is the answer after reading this last post.

Perhaps this could be a sticky?

Cheers,

[Coach Wilson]

Dave-

Congratulations! You get it! Smile.

Always,

Joseph

[Chuck Kechter]

Coach Jones,

That there was some excellent writing! And I agree with KD... This should be an article... AND a sticky.

[Scott Sonnon]

Well written, Brandon!

[Charlie]

No ones trying to squelch the free exchange of ideas, we're just trying to keep a clear distinction between Flowfigthing (a specific RMAX oriented path) an RMAX POWERED path (combining/integrating RMAX performance technologies to enhance a specific art) and other paths that may or may not have a place on the RMAX forum. I'd say your post has a place, we just have to keep it in the right one.

Sounds great! So where is the appropriate place for these non-FlowFighting™ discussions? I think a specific martial-arts area would be really nice, rather than lumped into and lost within the Front Desk General Discussion. Its a topic that many (most?) RMAX enthusiasts are interested in. We already have a sub-forum for combat-sports events ... one or more to cover both 'rmax-powered' (but non-FlowFighting™) and unrelated martial-arts discussion makes sense, imo.

[Ryan Murdock]

one or more to cover both 'rmax-powered' (but non-FlowFighting™) and unrelated martial-arts discussion makes sense, imo.

Charlie,

It's already in the works, just waiting for our overworked tech end to catch up. ;)