Goal: ABC Mill

[Matthew Barnes]

Goal: I want to do an ABC mill. Preferably several in rapid succession.

I took this (actually three posts combined) from my Challenge Blog. It is not entirely coherent, but I hope sense can be made of it. Please feel free to ask questions and/or make suggestions.

Days 1&2
GPP-- our beloved challenge ( I am about to complete the Transformation Challenge)
SPP-- practice: shoulder casts and inward pendulums
safety valve: side clean to back postition
side semi's
flag presses (side and front)
parry cast
sheild casts
SSP-- technical ABC mill
MEP-- technical mill/performance mill
density cycle (it depends on how long it takes me to get here how many reps I will go for)

Day 3
SWuS, PYBe, I-Fl (I will spend extra time on my feet in preparation for my expected next cycle)

Day 4
Prasara Flows: Flock of Pigeons(to hit a problem area for me), Spider Monkey(more specific to this THP), Custom one, will also incluse some seal walking and long arm rolls
Custom one: (tentative, this is in my imagination only)
quad squat
elevated scorpion
(modify landing) table top (palms ala walking seal)
lower into seated forward bend
lateral shoulder roll
hem @ plow
twisting spinal arch out of plow
shoulder bridge (perhaps an anchored version)
leg thread back (onto stomach)*
continue leg up and over into elevated scorpion.
wash rinse repeat (unilateral so must do both sides)

*I may leg thread right or left not sure. One direction will repeat same side and the other direction will go through the other side.
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during the SPP I plan to work up to 5 sets of reps of each of the exercises (moderate day will be the shoulder casts and the inward pendulums. high day will be the rest). As the high day improves I will make two chains. #1 side semi into back postition. #2 shield cast front/side flag press.
I will work to increase my reps/sets of the chains up to five rounds of 10 reps.

I also plan to to this circuit style like 4x7 reducing the rest between circuits.
I will also do spinal rock pistols (like the recent BB mag article) in the circuit. Maybe some sort of quad hop as well.

Cirucuit A is the inward pendulums in B it becomes semis into back postion
For the shoulder cast (or should it be an arm cast? I need to look at my CCC and ABC books) it grows (perhaps too large a step, but only practice will tell me) into sheild cast to flag (from what Coach Murdock showed me I think this is like what he shows in his bujinkan DVD)
In circuit C I take the "safety valve" built during Circuit B and the more grooved motion of circuit A and turn it towards a proper mill. Circuit C will smooth out into real honest mills.

[Matthew Barnes]

I plan to sart this cycle today. Four days of familiarization, then the true start on tuesday.

I have some doubts about doing an ABC mill (due to its complexity and my beginner-ness). Though I think it will help me with several of the 7 key components, namely: shoulder pack, elbow lock and grip confirmation. That is not to say I have all the other 4 down solid, but that these three were the three that I struggled with the most during the Challenge.

Any advice is still always apreciated. I re-read my plan and I see some terminology that is wrong but I will fix that in subsequent blog entries.

[Adam Steer]

Hey Matt,

Good luck with this plan! Just a little something which might be of interest... When I was working on a two handed Mill with the Bruiser, I did "pivoting" Arm Casts as part of one of my circuits. Basically, I would start with a small hip root and pivot to one side or the other, and as I moved the Clubbell® through back position I would pivot around to the other side and change hip root to come out into guard facing the other way. This allowed me to groove the arc of the Clubbell® through back position to more closely approximate what I would get in the actual Mill. It also works the same component of the Reverse Mill as you go back the other way, which I found provided balance to the training. Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Adam

[Joseph David]

Hey Matt,

Good luck with this plan! Just a little something which might be of interest... When I was working on a two handed Mill with the Bruiser, I did "pivoting" Arm Casts as part of one of my circuits. Basically, I would start with a small hip root and pivot to one side or the other, and as I moved the Clubbell® through back position I would pivot around to the other side and change hip root to come out into guard facing the other way. This allowed me to groove the arc of the Clubbell® through back position to more closely approximate what I would get in the actual Mill. It also works the same component of the Reverse Mill as you go back the other way, which I found provided balance to the training. Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Adam

Spot on Adam

[Matthew Barnes]

Thanks for the tips guys. I think that pivoting arm cast will come into play during my sheild cast into muscle out during cycle B. I hadnt thought of the pivoting action in that chain though, I will emphasize it when I get there.

Day -3 Cycle 0 Part I Moderate

Today was a day to play with my planned exercises and work out some of the kinks in my plan.
I kept my exertion below a 7 and my technique above an 8, discomfort was of course below a 3.
I only own a bruiser jr and a pair of 5lb Intu-Flow®® clubs. So unless I state otherwise my workouts are done with the 35lber.

Side semis- These are going to blast my grip all over again. I had trouble keeping crown to coxyx alignment, I think I was messing up the trajectory of the bell and compensating with bad alignment. I am reviewing my ABC DVD today. I also got confused with my hit root and sway. When the bell is rising to the left which hip is rooted? Is it the left or right? I had myself all messed up there. Again I will review the DVD today.

Sheild casts- no troubles here save the need to better thread my head. Nothing like forearm smashing your head every two or three reps...

Rockup pistols: better than I feared (4x7 helped prep me I guess...). I cannot keep hold of my toe on the concentric, I need its momentum more at this point. The bottom position is easier to rock into than before, this is a wonderful thing.

Front ground engagement: This is different than I had planned. What I ended up with is a hop forward from a near parallel squat landing in a quat squat, then hopping up and forward I land in that same low squat. I will be able to use SEE eventually...

I also modified my prasara chain, removing "table top" and using camel instead. This will alter alot of the rest I think...still exploring.

Nutrition will log later...off to the farmers market now.

[Matthew Barnes]

Day -2, cycle 0

I practiced my safety valve exercises today.

Inward Pendulum:(not a safety valve exercise, but I did my semis yesterday) feels pretty good, hip snap/sway/root felt better than the semis yesterday. my guard could be more stable when I reel the bell into position.

Parry cast: (right/left and fwd/rev of each): feels good, I see lots of room to improve here. getting those ribs to open will be wonderful. my cervical spine isnt as mobile as I think it needs to be so I think this will be beneficial.

Side clean to back postition: great! 4x7 has this exercise down strength wise, I need to understand (so I can apply it better) arm lock in the back postion.

Muscle out: some ROM issues in my elbows (some slight crinkly noises as I extend to arm lock) that will smooth out. Locust pose will play a role here methinks.

I also did a few semis today and they felt much better than yesterday. I think some of the issues I mentioned are clearer in my mind after reviewing the ABC DVD.


Question: How does arm lock work when your arms are bent and/or overhead and bent(particularly in the back position)?

[Matthew Barnes]

So Sunday was a crash and burn day. Both in diet and exercise.

Lunch was just excessive, in overall size especially. I felt full of gas for the whole afternoon and evening.

I dont know why I do this, I just eat too much alot of the time. It is still a battle to hold back especially at supper (and if I am anywhere but at home lunch becomes trouble as well).

So I had planned to do Intu-Flow® yesterday and I got as far as shoulder swings ( I also did thoraz cardinals and circles) and got side tracked.
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Today I ate much better.
total water just shy of a gallon ( 4.2L )
up at 0500 (1200mg vit C, 2 udo's oil)
Breakfast @ 0545
4eggs, 1/6 cup amaranth (cooked together) and one banger sausage.
2 mugs of English breakfast tea (and an extra mouthful)
2.5 L by lunch
Lunch: 2 salmon fillets, bowl of spinach, 1.5oz cheese
1.5L
Gym (some big drinks at the fountain)
Supper: 8oz steak, 1 small yam, mixed veggies (fresh carrot and turnip, frozen corn)
My wife made wonderful banana bread (very wholesome ingredients) and we ate several peices each. mmmmm I can feel the love
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Training: Day 0 Cycle 0 Two hand Mill THP
Prasara Day
Did Flock of pigeons, and "cantankerous camel" ( my new flow, maybe Coach Murdock can verify that camels are cantankerous? )
twice each
FloP went well, I think I have it memorized well enough now. I feel much better in pigeon now.
RP e=3 d=2 t=8

CC is imporoving with each practice. It is different than when I started.
RP e=2, d=3 (must be gentle in hero, it pushes my limits), t=8

it goes like this now:
Corpse pose
leg thread under and continue that leg up and over the body (ala elevated scorpion) (when hands engage the ground perform a "diamond press up")
I curl my toes under (like a ballerina!) and roll up my foot from my toes until that first leg is on its shin. ( I know I can find some wonderful ROM in my hips if I can transition over my foot better)
roll opposite leg over and in until legs are shoulder width or less apart
make like a cantankerous camel
curl pelvis under (like intu flow) and lower to
Hero Pose ( this is a very challenging asana, deceptive )
from hero I transition with a lateral shoulder roll into
Plow Pose
Arching leg thread out into
Shoulder bridge (I clasp my hans under me ala SWuS and try to touch the ground. The leather straps holding me back will take some softening)
lower into corpse/leg thread out into the opposite elevated scorpion to complete the series.

Any suggestions? This flow seems to be doing what I wanted it to for now. I am fairly pleased. Try it out and give me some feedback if you want

[Adam Steer]

Hey Matt,

Any way you can video that flow of yours? I'd love to see it (and I'm too visual to be able to imagine it from the written word... ;-) ). Your program is looking great!!

Adam

[Matthew Barnes]

I will ask around and see if I can find a way to digitally record the flow. I have an analog camera but I havent had any success finding a way to convert it to digital.

[Matthew Barnes]

FEBRUARY 20, 2007

FOOD: 5L (more than a gallon)
Up at 0510 Supps: 600mg C and 2 Udo's oil
Breakfast @ 0545 Eggs and amaranth (4 & 1/6) and a banger sausage. 2 cups earl grey tea.
2.5L water
Lunch @ 1145 ~500g Beans and Meat "stew", spinach, 3 pieces of Whole wheat bread ( this is odd, I have been craving bread lately, (just bread, with butter, or margarine if I have no choice) I normally do not eat much bread. Mostly Ezekiel bread at that.)
1.5L
Supper @ 0515 (earlier than normal due to OT) More B&M stew about 500g again, more spinach. My wife was kind enough to add a piece of her very nice banana bread
1L at least before bed.
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TRAINING:
DAY 1 CYCLE 1 MODERATE INTENSITY
A1- inward pendulum 35lb, 10 reps
A2- rock up pistols body weight, 4 reps per leg
A3- sheild casts 35lb, 5 reps per guard
A4- FGE Quad hops body weight, 10 reps

Always RP e/d/t
Round 1- 5/1/8
2-3 minutes
Round 2- 5/1/9
2-3 minutes
Round 3- 5/1/9
Rounds 4 & 5 see comments

NOTES: Inward pendulums felt quite good today, could be more solid catching the bell in guard though (I might choke my grip on this one soon). I kept forgetting to change guard on the sheild casts on round 1 and I found I got sloppy on Shoulder Pack with the sheild casts as well (every round). Rock up pistols are hard to stay midofoot on right leg.
FGEs are going to be fun! I like them already.

COMMENTS: Well, I guess even well laid plans never survive contact with the enemy.
I am currently at work and will be until about 2200 (overtime). This isnt too terrible but normally it is very difficult to get decent food. Thankfully today is my normal judo class and my wife was able to bring me some good home cooking on her way to judo. On my supper break I was able to peel up to the gym to catch a very quick workout. I had planned for 5 rounds and got 3.
My judo instructor took our team picture for the base newspaper tonight, I will get a copy and see if I cant post it somewhere for you all to see.