NEW MONTH NEW YOU

So February is now upon us. We can truly put our Xmas and NY shenanigans behind us.  We have all probably made some changes to our lifestyles with a sober January or a following a new training or weight loss plan. I always find January to be such a lack lustre month.  So now that Feb is here its time to get started for real.  For many of us it might be getting started back to classes or increasing the number of sessions we train.  Maybe you diversify and try out a new class.  If you are interested in starting your journey in Martial Arts or Fitness then get in touch.  If you already train at the gym and you want to find out what other classes are on offer then please just ask. See you at training.

Marcus and the Team

FIRST POST OF THE NEW YEAR

This is the first post of the new year for me.  I'm going to make more of an effort to post more on here as I have really neglected it over the past few years.  Well training in the gym is off to a great start.  We have lots of new blood coming in and starting their journey.  A lot of the regulars are starting to trickle back in and as usual my die hards have never stopped training.  It's a great atmosphere and if you want to get get started then simply take that first step and get in touch.  

Its shaping to be a good year. The gym is hosting a weightlifting seminar in a few weeks time with a fantastic S&C coach.  Scott is currently in Iceland spreading the Scottish Backhand Wrestling word judging competition and training.  We have the Scottish cricket team coming in to train as well as some higher PE classes from private school.  This week we also got asked to another private school to provide some self defence training for the pupils. So all in all its going to be a busy time for us.  

I'm glad that so many of you are committed and training hard and its you guys that keep the gym alive and buzzing.  Keep going at it and if you fall off the wagon a little in January remember its not the end of the world. Its why pencils have rubbers! 

Marcus

A SIMPLE TEST

Do you think you could spit on a person to create an opening, a diversion to enable you to exit a situation as they flinch?  Could you spit in their face and then strike them?  If you find this vulgar, which you should a little really, then how do you think you would be able to hit someone pre-emptively?  You need to think about situations and scenarios such as these.  In class as you practice preemptive strikes you need to actually think to yourself if you could deliver the goods in real time.  If not then your tactics are going to need to be revised.  Perhaps you use the push they deliver to you to fire you up and you launch from there.  If that is the case then you need to train like this.  Your training has to fit you and your morals and your current skill set.  Don't be afraid to ask your coach to change things up a little to fit you as an individual.

Marcus

DONT NEGLECT THE BASICS

Its very once you train for any length of time to no longer appreciate the fundamentals of your art.  I always like to think that a lot of the more advanced ideas and principles are there to keep us interested, to force us to think and explore for ourselves. Hopefully, if a situation does arise, then the tools you use to extricate yourself from there will be basic in nature.  For example, if you end up in a tussle never forget the use of ripping and tearing, scraping and gouging to either have the person disengage or flee or to create an opening for your escape or more counter strikes if necessary.  The picture below is probably around ten years old now. Took it back when I started teaching full time.  It was to capture a moment in a fight and let you know the brutality in nature that could be present.

So when training basics  / fundamentals work hard as you may have to rely on them heavily one day.

Marcus

TRAIN HARD - FIGHT EASY

SCOTT'S SUNDAY WORKSHOP

LAST NIGHTS SESSION

We started off looking at some common defences against straight and circular attacks. We looked at pre-emptive strikes and vulnerable points around the body.  We paid particular attention to the throat and the pros and cons and striking tools and outcomes.  I will try and do a video on this subject at some point in the future.  From there we looked at solidifying our 360 defence against empty hand and edged weapon finishing off with a pressure drill where we used repetition to help aid muscle memory.  

Marcus

WORKSHOP THIS SUNDAY

HANDS HIGH

During training its very often tempting to drop your hands after you have finished a combative set.  In Krav Maga it's essential to keep your hands protecting the jaw line as you have to factor in multiple opponents and being hit from the side by one of them. Even when you are clearly dealing with one attacker only in the class imagine there are more enemies and keep the hands up and scan the area for exits, more bad guys and anything you could fall over.

Even during sparring sessions when you tie your opponent up in the clinch position for example as you reign down with knee strikes perhaps you should already be looking for an exit or planning your next manoeuvre.

Sometimes as a coach its helpful to walk the room with a padded stick and simply hit anyone who isn't looking or who is dropping their hands.  This will encourage good tactics and also add a small element of stress which is essential in some areas of Krav Maga training.

Marcus

TRAINING IS UNCOMFORTABLE

For the majority of us our training is not our job or what defines us in life.  It’s meant to be enjoyable, social and in some cases a way for us to release the pressures of daily life , job, kids, money, family, friends etc.

Whatever you are training for be it CrossFit, Martial Arts, football, rugby or running there is one thing that should feature in your training, and that is pressure in the training environment.  A small bit of pressure does wonders for your confidence so that you can deal with real life events.  You will only grow as a person from your training if you operate at some point dealing with the feeling of being uncomfortable. You’ll recognize this feeling as you might want to stop the workout, give up training or you'll be making all the excuses of the day.  Training doesn’t have to be hell on earth all the time but you should feel the need to have push and fight through some sessions.  When it becomes easy and you don’t feel wary about going to train you want get the best results you are capable of.

Getting through a tough uncomfortable session that you can talk about at a later date with teammates is a great feeling.  If training is occasionally punishing then you can draw on this experience from the training environment when you encounter something stressful in life.

Marcus