A melodramatic title for a short article touching on something we do every minute of every day we're alive. This one goes out primarily to my students, who have to practice this for homework, but will also serve as a useful primer to breathing as used in the Ryabko System, but with my own take on it (as with all things).
Burst Breathing
What
Rapid, active, shallow exhales and shallow passive inhales deriving from the very top of the lungs.
When
Generally used to overcome distress and pain, such as when winded with fatigue or experiencing severe pain or other discomfort, such as after taking a particularly penetrating strike or performing a difficult exercise.
Why
Rapid active exhalations and passive inhalations appear to reset the diaphragmatic nerve, enabling relaxation of the muscles of breathing, which in turn reduces the overall state of alarm of the nervous system, restoring psychological and in turn biochemical equilibrium.
How
Activate the compression of the lungs with the muscles of breath in order to exhale, then immediately relax them while keeping the airways open, allowing the elastic recoil of the lungs to draw air in without conscious effort. It helps to practice this in a closed, silent room so you can listen to the very quiet passive inhalation. Enter into burst breathing with an exhale:inhale ratio of 1:1, then gradually increase the ratio to 2:1, 3:1 and so forth as you get more practiced. It is better to emphasise the exhalation over the inhalation as overinhaling leads to hyperventilation, which will lead to increased stress levels and even dizziness or loss of consciousness. As always, exhale through the mouth, inhale through the nose. Practice this in conjunction with intense physical exercise and note its effect on your heart rate and breathing drive - both should come down appreciably if you do this right.
Square Breathing
What
A single breath divided into four discrete phases of inhalation, breath hold with full lungs, exhalation and breath hold with empty lungs, each stretched out over the same length of time, hence the name.
When
Used as a meditative focus to calm down the nervous system (works great to slow the heart and shut off the brain for sleep), and also a training tool to stretch the body's capacity to work under (perceived) hypoxic conditions, as well as to detrain panic responses to perceived hypoxia.
Why
This pattern of breathing appears to reduce sympathetic nervous tone (fight or flight) and increase parasympathetic tone (rest and relax/feed and breed). From a conditioning point of view, with less panicked signal noise jangling in your nervous system and your heart beating slower and more efficiently, you learn to perform a given amount of mechanical work at a lower metabolic cost to yourself.
How
Enter into the pattern by sitting or lying down comfortably and counting off the seconds in your head, beginning by exhaling and holding empty lungs. Start with 1 second each phase - empty hold (1) -> inhale (1) -> full hold (1) -> exhale (1). Gradually increase the count to as high as you can manage with at most mild discomfort. Variations include pyramid breathing (increasing the count by 1 every so many breaths till you reach your limit, then decreasing by 1 every so many breaths till you come back down to 1) and combining the breathing with various forms of exercise, using repetitions of the exercise to count down the intervals (eg. pushups, steps when walking/jogging).
Saturday, February 26, 2011
26/02/2011: Asymmetrical Engagement – Striking vs Grappling
An interesting and educational session today, in which we explored the effect of giving and removing consent to engage symmetrically, ie. with the same methodology as an opponent. The overall conclusion arrived at is that attempting to engage someone who does not consent to fight in the same way as oneself is a lot more difficult that it may at first appear, while giving (or appearing to give) consent to do so tends to lull an opponent into a frame of mind suited to a controlled, limited conflict - a fight with 'rules', as it were.
From a technical perspective, the uses of fundamental standup grappling controls to facilitate close-up striking were explored, as well as to smother strikes while on the way in to execute takedowns. For a change of pace, instead of a set of conditioning exercises after class today, we played a game of 3-on-3 Kabbadi with house rules, as detailed in the log. I am glad to report that much fun was had by all.
Homework assignment is as follows:
1.) IntuFlow joint mobility series: I can't emphasise this enough. Without a limber, supple body that moves exactly the way you want it to, much of the potential of Systema is lost to you. It only takes 10-15 minutes and zero energy, so EVERY DAY, folks. Without fail.
2.) Basic rolls, falls and other ground engagement: As all of you have already attended at least two or more classes, you will know by now that you can expect to fall down a lot during class, whether by accident or design. 5-10 minutes each day doing slow, smooth rolls and falls, preferably on hard ground. The more comfortable you are with the ground, the more friendly it becomes when things kick off.
3.) Breathwork: Square breathing and burst breathing. I will detail these in a short article immediately following this log. Practice both these breathing methods in addition to what has already been taught in class.
4.) Specific conditioning callisthenics: Pushup/plank for upper body striking alignment (involving the whole body), squat for spinal and lower-body structure for level changing and developing a strong, supple base. Those of you who haven't learned this yet, get the methods from your mates who have during the week, or else approach me before class next week. These take literally 3 minutes to do each day, so they can be done completely extemporaneously.
5.) General conditioning syllabus (TacFit Commando routines): What you get out of training depends on what you put into it. The better your work capacity and rate, the more you can put into training, plus the greater your functional reserve of strength and endurance during actual combat. Assuming you attend training without fail every week, do this at least once more each week on your own, preferably two (for a total of three, including weekly class). You can either use the free Gymboss app for smart phones to time your session, or Daniel's audio timer, which can be found HERE.
Objectives
- Learning the importance of controlling consent to engage in symmetrical struggle (ie. the same ‘type’ of fighting) with opponent; learning to give and remove consent
- Blunting grappling attacks with striking and defensive grappling
- Smothering and defeating strikers with offensive grappling
Warmup
Intuflow Beginner/Intermediate routine
Prep Drills
- Pinned Limb rolling
- Neck and body pummelling
- Strike absorption – free-standing reciprocal and restricted motion (use a wall or other obstruction if third parties are insufficient)
- Marionette/Sweater-snag drill
- Hair-brush defence
Weaponised Drills
- Slipping punches to clinch – tori aims to slip past uke’s punches to secure a head clinch; drill begins at half speed and creeps up in speed according to comfort; uke may aim to actively fend off clinch attempts from time to time.
- takedowns from clinch – tori and uke begin in collar-and-elbow tie; tori aims to execute any takedown of choice from the clinch; drill begins with passive resistance on uke’s part and creeps up to more active resistance according to comfort level and mutual consent between partners
- strike absorption from clinch – tori aims to maintain clinch on uke while absorbing strikes from uke; drill begins with simple absorption and may creep up to uke attempting to break or seize control of the clinch and tori aiming to manhandle uke in the clinch to diffuse the strikes.
Asymmetrical Sparring
Partners begin the fight in head-and-elbow tie. Designated grappler will attempt to secure a full clinch and takedown, while the designated striker will aim to either break the clinch with strikes or else seize control of the clinch and continue to strike from superior position. If clinch is broken, drill continues with grappler attempting to close and regain the clinch and striker aiming to fend off grappler with strikes.
Circle
House Rules Kabbadi
Two teams of three lined up roughly five metres from a central boundary line. Each team takes turns sending a single raider across into the opposing team’s territory, whose goal is to carry, drag, push or otherwise manipulate an opposing team member across the boundary line into their own territory. Raider must perform all actions in a single breath, chanting, “Kabbadi,” repeatedly at all times while on the opposing team’s side. If the raider inhales while on the opposing team’s side, the round is lost and no point is scored. All members of the defending team may act in any way to prevent their members from being moved across the boundary.
From a technical perspective, the uses of fundamental standup grappling controls to facilitate close-up striking were explored, as well as to smother strikes while on the way in to execute takedowns. For a change of pace, instead of a set of conditioning exercises after class today, we played a game of 3-on-3 Kabbadi with house rules, as detailed in the log. I am glad to report that much fun was had by all.
Homework assignment is as follows:
1.) IntuFlow joint mobility series: I can't emphasise this enough. Without a limber, supple body that moves exactly the way you want it to, much of the potential of Systema is lost to you. It only takes 10-15 minutes and zero energy, so EVERY DAY, folks. Without fail.
2.) Basic rolls, falls and other ground engagement: As all of you have already attended at least two or more classes, you will know by now that you can expect to fall down a lot during class, whether by accident or design. 5-10 minutes each day doing slow, smooth rolls and falls, preferably on hard ground. The more comfortable you are with the ground, the more friendly it becomes when things kick off.
3.) Breathwork: Square breathing and burst breathing. I will detail these in a short article immediately following this log. Practice both these breathing methods in addition to what has already been taught in class.
4.) Specific conditioning callisthenics: Pushup/plank for upper body striking alignment (involving the whole body), squat for spinal and lower-body structure for level changing and developing a strong, supple base. Those of you who haven't learned this yet, get the methods from your mates who have during the week, or else approach me before class next week. These take literally 3 minutes to do each day, so they can be done completely extemporaneously.
5.) General conditioning syllabus (TacFit Commando routines): What you get out of training depends on what you put into it. The better your work capacity and rate, the more you can put into training, plus the greater your functional reserve of strength and endurance during actual combat. Assuming you attend training without fail every week, do this at least once more each week on your own, preferably two (for a total of three, including weekly class). You can either use the free Gymboss app for smart phones to time your session, or Daniel's audio timer, which can be found HERE.
Objectives
- Learning the importance of controlling consent to engage in symmetrical struggle (ie. the same ‘type’ of fighting) with opponent; learning to give and remove consent
- Blunting grappling attacks with striking and defensive grappling
- Smothering and defeating strikers with offensive grappling
Warmup
Intuflow Beginner/Intermediate routine
Prep Drills
- Pinned Limb rolling
- Neck and body pummelling
- Strike absorption – free-standing reciprocal and restricted motion (use a wall or other obstruction if third parties are insufficient)
- Marionette/Sweater-snag drill
- Hair-brush defence
Weaponised Drills
- Slipping punches to clinch – tori aims to slip past uke’s punches to secure a head clinch; drill begins at half speed and creeps up in speed according to comfort; uke may aim to actively fend off clinch attempts from time to time.
- takedowns from clinch – tori and uke begin in collar-and-elbow tie; tori aims to execute any takedown of choice from the clinch; drill begins with passive resistance on uke’s part and creeps up to more active resistance according to comfort level and mutual consent between partners
- strike absorption from clinch – tori aims to maintain clinch on uke while absorbing strikes from uke; drill begins with simple absorption and may creep up to uke attempting to break or seize control of the clinch and tori aiming to manhandle uke in the clinch to diffuse the strikes.
Asymmetrical Sparring
Partners begin the fight in head-and-elbow tie. Designated grappler will attempt to secure a full clinch and takedown, while the designated striker will aim to either break the clinch with strikes or else seize control of the clinch and continue to strike from superior position. If clinch is broken, drill continues with grappler attempting to close and regain the clinch and striker aiming to fend off grappler with strikes.
Circle
House Rules Kabbadi
Two teams of three lined up roughly five metres from a central boundary line. Each team takes turns sending a single raider across into the opposing team’s territory, whose goal is to carry, drag, push or otherwise manipulate an opposing team member across the boundary line into their own territory. Raider must perform all actions in a single breath, chanting, “Kabbadi,” repeatedly at all times while on the opposing team’s side. If the raider inhales while on the opposing team’s side, the round is lost and no point is scored. All members of the defending team may act in any way to prevent their members from being moved across the boundary.
Monday, February 21, 2011
18/02/2011: Plural Engagement, Part 2
This week, our focus was on building upon the lessons of the previous class. The last session involved plural attacks in a relatively open and unimpeded environment. This week, I turned up the pressure by introducing attackers who actively attempted to restrict the defender's movement as well as attack with strikes, which showed some interesting changes to the dynamics of the fight. Directly introducing mechanical tension to someone's structure leads to increased psychological tension, which brings the person closer to their own panic threshold if said tension - physical and psychological - is not addressed.
The homework assignment for the week is as follows:
- conditioning syllabus, including both joint mobility and TFC syllabus: your freedom of movement, usable (functional) strength and work rate determine how much you get out of your training. Joint mobility should be done every day without fail, and if you come to class each week, you should get in at least one more day of conditioning on top of what we do in class.
- rolling and falling: Being able to engage the ground smoothly and without coming to harm is very important in what we do as you can expect to fall a lot in training. It is also a good way to overcome fear and train shock absorption on your own. Spend at least 10 minutes each day practicing what you have learned of this in class.
Objectives
- Surviving plural attempts to force cessation of movement
- Maximising effective range of movement under hostile resistance
- Inoculation to fear and discomfort of physical compression and contortion
Warmup
IntuFlow intermediate routine
Drills
- Pinned limb rolling : trainee attempts to roll on the ground with one limb pinned by partner; emphasis on breathing through tension and discomfort and finding effective range when one limb is pinned
- Restricted Motion Absorption Drill, standing version : trainees work in threes; tori is bearhugged from behind by one uke and receives strikes from another, attempting to absorb impact without breaking free
- Restricted Motion Absorption Drill, prone version : tori is held down and contorted by multiple uke (3 or more) who proceed to strike to points of tension; emphasis on absorption and using torsion from one source to cancel out another
- Dogpile : tori is dogpiled by multiple uke and must attempt to get out from underneath by any means necessary short of actual attacks
- Limb torsion escape drill: tori is subjected to jointlocks, restraining holds and sundry other contortions by uke and must escape with minimal use of strength; drill escalates from one to two attackers (optional use of counterthrows and holds for advanced students)
Sparring
Tori is attacked by two uke, one of whose objectives is to immobilise tori, the other’s being to attack tori with strikes. Tori’s objective is to survive the encounter for a set duration by evading or countering attempts at immobilisation and fending off both attackers by any means necessary.
Variation for new students – uke attack with grabs and holds only; primary goal is to escape and survive.
Conditioning
TacFit Commando Mission 1 – Recruit-to-Grunt
1.) Front Lunge/Lunge Jump – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
2.) Plank Push Knee/Ball of Foot – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
3.) Sit-Through Knee/Reach – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
4.) Basic/Screwing Pushup – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
5.) Spinal Rock Basic/Pike – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
6.) Tripod Basic/Twist – 20/10 x 8
Circle
The homework assignment for the week is as follows:
- conditioning syllabus, including both joint mobility and TFC syllabus: your freedom of movement, usable (functional) strength and work rate determine how much you get out of your training. Joint mobility should be done every day without fail, and if you come to class each week, you should get in at least one more day of conditioning on top of what we do in class.
- rolling and falling: Being able to engage the ground smoothly and without coming to harm is very important in what we do as you can expect to fall a lot in training. It is also a good way to overcome fear and train shock absorption on your own. Spend at least 10 minutes each day practicing what you have learned of this in class.
Objectives
- Surviving plural attempts to force cessation of movement
- Maximising effective range of movement under hostile resistance
- Inoculation to fear and discomfort of physical compression and contortion
Warmup
IntuFlow intermediate routine
Drills
- Pinned limb rolling : trainee attempts to roll on the ground with one limb pinned by partner; emphasis on breathing through tension and discomfort and finding effective range when one limb is pinned
- Restricted Motion Absorption Drill, standing version : trainees work in threes; tori is bearhugged from behind by one uke and receives strikes from another, attempting to absorb impact without breaking free
- Restricted Motion Absorption Drill, prone version : tori is held down and contorted by multiple uke (3 or more) who proceed to strike to points of tension; emphasis on absorption and using torsion from one source to cancel out another
- Dogpile : tori is dogpiled by multiple uke and must attempt to get out from underneath by any means necessary short of actual attacks
- Limb torsion escape drill: tori is subjected to jointlocks, restraining holds and sundry other contortions by uke and must escape with minimal use of strength; drill escalates from one to two attackers (optional use of counterthrows and holds for advanced students)
Sparring
Tori is attacked by two uke, one of whose objectives is to immobilise tori, the other’s being to attack tori with strikes. Tori’s objective is to survive the encounter for a set duration by evading or countering attempts at immobilisation and fending off both attackers by any means necessary.
Variation for new students – uke attack with grabs and holds only; primary goal is to escape and survive.
Conditioning
TacFit Commando Mission 1 – Recruit-to-Grunt
1.) Front Lunge/Lunge Jump – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
2.) Plank Push Knee/Ball of Foot – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
3.) Sit-Through Knee/Reach – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
4.) Basic/Screwing Pushup – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
5.) Spinal Rock Basic/Pike – 20/10 x 8
1min rest
6.) Tripod Basic/Twist – 20/10 x 8
Circle
Monday, February 14, 2011
12/02/2011: Plural Engagement, Part 1
A heartfelt welcome to our new students, and congratulations on your initiation into this crazy thing we do ;-) Good session had by all on Saturday with a balanced mix of hard and softwork, and I could tell that everyone left with a much better understanding of the dynamics of plural engagements. I left out the conditioning element this time around so we would have more time to drill skills as the class was larger than usual, which demanded more coaching time to make sure everyone was on the same page.
Homework assignment is as follows:
- Freeform ground engagement: as done in class, minus of course the people walking around you; new students simply practice your basic rolling and falling for now
- Conditioning: We will be cycling back to TFC Mission 1 soon, so I suggest you revise that one.
Objectives
- Mental/emotional inoculation to plural engagement
- Introduction to the mechanics of plural engagement in multiple modalities
Warmup
IntuFlow intermediate routine
Prep Drills
- Freeform ground engagement from Brownian walking
- Partner assisted altitude-rolling – forwards and back
Plural Engagement Drills
- plural push drill – partners work in threes, with two uke applying pushes to tori from all angles; drill progresses naturally to strikes according to comfort level
- Zombie evasion drill – three on one and zombie infection; emphasise economy of motion – no more than two-step evasions; progress from simple evasion to adhering to and following uke
- Stick evasion drill – tori evades versus swings and thrusts from uke at comfortable pace; drill progresses from simple evasions to getting close enough to touch
- belly walk shock absorption drill – progress from walk to low jump to box jump according to comfort
- grounded evasion drill – slow-speed evasion versus stepping and slow-motion kicking; two on one
Combat Drills
- two-on-one slow sparring: tori aims to survive against two simultaneously attacking uke and effect takedowns and evasions for the duration of each 1-min round
Circle
Open Mat
Homework assignment is as follows:
- Freeform ground engagement: as done in class, minus of course the people walking around you; new students simply practice your basic rolling and falling for now
- Conditioning: We will be cycling back to TFC Mission 1 soon, so I suggest you revise that one.
Objectives
- Mental/emotional inoculation to plural engagement
- Introduction to the mechanics of plural engagement in multiple modalities
Warmup
IntuFlow intermediate routine
Prep Drills
- Freeform ground engagement from Brownian walking
- Partner assisted altitude-rolling – forwards and back
Plural Engagement Drills
- plural push drill – partners work in threes, with two uke applying pushes to tori from all angles; drill progresses naturally to strikes according to comfort level
- Zombie evasion drill – three on one and zombie infection; emphasise economy of motion – no more than two-step evasions; progress from simple evasion to adhering to and following uke
- Stick evasion drill – tori evades versus swings and thrusts from uke at comfortable pace; drill progresses from simple evasions to getting close enough to touch
- belly walk shock absorption drill – progress from walk to low jump to box jump according to comfort
- grounded evasion drill – slow-speed evasion versus stepping and slow-motion kicking; two on one
Combat Drills
- two-on-one slow sparring: tori aims to survive against two simultaneously attacking uke and effect takedowns and evasions for the duration of each 1-min round
Circle
Open Mat
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