11/12/2010 – Power Generation and Impact Delivery

A good session by all today.  Although we didn't get to do conditioning due to time restraints, it was an enjoyable and educational experience nonetheless as we delved back into the mechanical basis of Systema and learned to apply it under pressure (not to mention how messy anything becomes when subject to pressure).  Constantly revise these basics as striking effectiveness depends less on strength and much more on efficiency, which is guided by...'feeling' is probably the best word I have for it - the kinaesthetic sensitivity that tells you when everything is perfectly aligned to deliver an almighty whack with your whole structure behind it, not to mention which keeps you from fighting your own power and pulling your punches subconsciously.  'Feeling' or sensitivity is also the first thing to go when you start to get out of practice.  With that in mind...

Homework

1.)  Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning - joint mobility, strength and conditioning work as we have been covering in class so far.  The better condition you are in, the greater your potential to learn and successfully apply what you pick up in class.  Karl Gotch said, "Conditioning is your best hold (as in wrestling hold)."   Need I explain further?

2.)  For today's work, the wave and other movement drills are very important for grinding out the resistance to your own movements and sensitising yourself to the fine adjustments needed to guide power to its intended destination.  Most of them belong in the joint mobility syllabus in the first place, so practice them along with your joint mobility.

3.)  'Heavy hands' is simply another way of expressing removing resistance to your own movements in the context of hitting someone, as we discussed at the end of class.  The solo drills help develop this, but there is no substitute for working with (and hitting a partner).  Continue to train amongst yourselves while I am away.



Objectives

- Basics of power generation - Wave versus Ball

- Impact delivery - aligning structure for optimal impact transfer

- Basics of intercepting, translating and redirecting impact

Warmup

- IntuFlow intermediate routine


Skill-Specific Prep Drills

- Arm waves

- Lateral arm waves

- Dropping waves

- Spinal waves

- Heavy hands drill - taichi arm swing

- Heavy hands drill - falling knife catch

Skill Drills

- Wave power versus Ball power; Wave = sequential summation of momentum across adjacent bodily segments originating at prime mover and ending at end-effectors (eg. from foot to hand);  Ball = instantaneous transfer of power from prime mover to end-effector via all bodily segments acting as a single unit

- Ball power partner push structure check - partners respond to sustained pushes by maintaining structure and moving as a single unit

- Tenderiser - reciprocal wave striking

- Ball power strike training - hand-to-hand slapping; structural disruption test by slapping to body

- Partner push drill to force movement - passive, creeping to resisted; goal is to target structural weaknesses and point of weakest stance integrity; experiment with both wave and ball power

- Intercept impact on arms and recycle wave into dependant strike - start versus circular strikes, creep to linear strikes as comfort level increases

Limited Symmetrical Sparring

Each partner stands their ground and throws strikes at the other in competitive fashion, aiming to slip or batter through their partner's defence while simultaneously absorbing and redirecting incoming attacks back into their own attacks.  Speed is to remain moderate, while power is allowed to creep upwards along with comfort level.