Road trip training = opportunity.

Will be starting a road trip across British Columbia into Alberta, up through the Drumheller badlands to Banff, Jasper, across to Prince George and home. I will be taking my sword and shield, as don't want to lose what proficiency I have obtained.  The rest of my training is ...opportunity. The chance to be thrown into strange environments, without my clubbells, kbells, trx, sticks, practice knives. I could take some of this along, but i want to create a chance to train in hotel gyms, or to get back to pushups, lunges, chins.  To have to pick up a branch, or a broom, , or a frying pan, and go through the Arnis flow with it.  The chance to  challenge myself to adapt.  A major purpose of training, for me, is to allow me to rise to challenges, to seize opportunity, to have the strength, endurance and confidence to able to try new things.  At Acadamie Duello they say "Gioco Largo : Making Space, Creating opportunities"...I am making space in my life, and creating the opportunity for a new look at familiar things. As I say to my students, samerent, same, yet different.

Don't just workout..work on something.

No matter what you are working on, have a specific focus. IE., today i was working on carrenza, or shadow work, with knife, stick, staff, empty hand and sword and shield...but my focus with each weapon was the same.  Enter, or move in with an attack, ie, thrust with sword or knife, fire one solid blow or attack, one follow up or limb disabler, and then a straight thrust to cover as I moved out of range. (This is all heavily influenced by Joe Lewis' teachings in Karate) .  Then I went back with each weapon, and worked on moving fluidly from defense to counter, whilst maintaining good cover.  Again, different tools, sometimes different movements with the same tool, but always the same focus.  Third time through, I began to combine the drills, ie. parry, then move in with a quick threatening thrust to occupy space, and my "opponents" mind, then a hard blow to the head, a wrist cut , and angular retreat with a thrust to cover.  If you are doing kettlebell snatches, the same thing applies...be focused on an aspect for each minute...ie, wrist position at top, or making sure to take a full backswing, etc.

Today's workouts.

Did a basic martial arts workout this morning....3 minute rds, with 30 seconds rest. 2 rounds of footwork, for both FMA and sidesword, 2 round empty hand, emphasis on bareknuckle tools, ie, palm strikes, hammer fist, fore arms. 6 rds sidesword and shield, 1 rd stick, 1 round knife, 1 round anyos, or forms. 12 rounds = 42 mins. Rationale : my sidesword still gets sideways, so that is where i put a lot of my work.

noon: swam 1600m free, then 100k with big fins. Then drowning man arnis (practicing my empty movements and kicks in deep water).  Rationale : I swim because it is good cardio, good recovery....and I LIKE IT. Got to do things you like, or you just quit doing.  Fins are for my hip, DMA is because i got no bag to hit.

Interesting day

Did a private lesson with Devon at Acadamie Duello on side sword and shield...my shield work is improving, but needs to improve more.  There is a real difference between  using a sidesword and shield, and doing daga espada in FMA.  Everything is bigger, especially the strokes, momentum is not reversed, but is ridden on, recircled, and whipped out again. A two pound sword coming at your head is a very different beast from a stick, and most be dealt with firmly, and with perfect form, or it will smack you.  A shield, ill used, is a hinderance only to you not to your opponent.  If you think it protects everything, then in all likelihood, it is protecting nothing.   That being said, some things are similar.... the shield is used to check, like a daga, or an alive hand, stepping to angles...trying to get to someone`s back.  I think in the long run, the sword and shield work will vastly improve my stick and knife work, but right now, I am enjoying the differences, and the delight of so much new material, and new precision.  And that was also the case with my kettlebell class later at Code 5. I am concentrating more on GS style, and less on hard style. And while the newness, in both cases,  is frustrating, it is also liberating, more opportunity to learn, less expectation of knowing. Life is good, and it is good to stay open to new things.

this morning's workout.

11 mins. sword and shield work, to warm up, and to work my technique.  Doing better at keeping shield on line, and linking footwork to my sword movments.  I try to do sword and shield work most days, as it is my newest, and weakest area. 1 min rest.
Then 10 x 30 sec on, 30 off, clubbell swipes with the 15's. Held 9 -10 rpm. This movement works all the muscles for sword strokes in a full body movement without trying to mimic the strokes, which, IMHO, would be a major mistake. 1 min rest.  Then I did 40 atomic pushups with as little rest as possible. Again, a full body movement, this one working the core, and the horizontal push. By this point, i am deep into fatigue. Then 4 kneeling lunges with 6k kettlebell, terminated the set at 4 as the wobbling was getting dangerous to my hip. 26 mins total of fun.