Saturday, May 2, 2020

Straight to the point

I gotta say, although the spread of the Internet did not turn out to be exactly as I had hoped it would, 25 years ago, there are some aspects to it that I can't help loving. One of those is the democratization of instructional value. Do you remember, back in the 80's and early 90's, when martial art instructional videos were always beautifully produced, often overpriced and not-so-rarely worthless? Did it happen that you had to save some hard earned money to order a title based on an ad in a glossy mag, claiming it to be some sort of "super advanced, top-secret, elite level, ultimate system of..." just to find it to be a repackaged bunch of the same old stuff (or sometimes same old shit)? It sure happened to me more times than I care to remember.

Well, although there are still products of that nature lurking around, it is great to see that the availability of recording technology has lead to the proliferation of excellent instructional content, even if with less than stellar production. And I am thrilled to direct your attention to one such offering!

Marko Novakovic is a man from Split in Croatia, and he somehow caught my attention on Facebook for his no-nonsense approach to training, incessant quest to learn more, and unfaltering resolve to sweat and withstand pain and bruises in search of better methods. His training group bears the moniker Ronin, and it suits his inventive DIY mentality well - have no brand or style as master, seek the truth for yourself.

He's actually an upbeat guy with good sense of humor

Well, he has recently put out a course on combative knife handling, titled Basic Knifework - Sabre Grip, and it's a treat. To begin with, we are talking an actual course here: set of lessons that follow a logical path of instruction, aimed at developing solid skill with the knife. Novakovic briefly discusses the preliminary considerations (training gear and safety precautions), and then proceeds to take us through the works on grip, stance, main lines of attack, footwork, targets and ranges. Finally he brings it all together in a series of drills in long, medium and short ranges, shown as solo work and with a partner (with a help from his superbly supportive wife).

What really stood out for me in this package is Marko's awareness of an often overlooked gap in martial art training - going for artistic level too soon. Namely, he understands that a knife is a tool used to cut and stab, and as any other tool it takes effort to become good in its fundamental craft. And those fundamentals are rather universal, hence his emphasis on good mechanics of motion and athletic attributes. As such, the material taught is excellent for anybody wishing to introduce this portion to their training, regardless of previous background in combative disciplines (or lack thereof).



It is also refreshing to see an instructor who constantly displays adherence to all of the principles he had previously espoused. That is why he is able to strike a very good balance between spoken instruction and physical demonstration, which is a great feature for today's fast-paced lives and shortened attention spans - you will spend more time moving and training, less listening to him ranting. Many instructors still have problems discerning between writing a book and shooting a videos, but that is not the case here. If on Facebook, check out the short preview https://www.facebook.com/RoninFMAblog/videos/1654450058036329/

Oh, and with regards to one of those "yesteryear" disadvantages mentioned at the beginning...at just $15 this video course really is the prime choice for any guy or girl looking to add a functional set of skills to their training or self-defense skillset.

Again, you can get it here  https://roninselfdefense.thinkific.com/courses/basic-knifework 

Friday, May 1, 2020

Makes sense?

If you only go back couple of posts, it's easy to see I have already addressed the whole training in confinement issue. However, some things have happened since that I had not predicted... the veritable avalanche of free instruction from excellent instructors offered via Zoom and similar devices.

Quite a few of them have stated that in the circumstances it is really difficult to train with full effectiveness when lacking partners, and I happen to agree. However, it is evident that some instructors have a better grip on tackling the issue.

Naturally, as you could figured by reading through my blog, I really enjoyed the training sessions run by guro Roger Agbulos. Probably the main reason is that he approached those from a coaching perspective, with a keen eye on the people who joined the classes.



The main point, and it really struck a chord with me, is that he said probably 70% of one's training should go on in the form of solo training - not because you shouldn't look for partners, but because you should train as much as you can outside the class, too. For that reason, he focused on developing specific physical attributes demanded by the trainees' chosen system (Filipino martial arts in this case), from a very functional perspective that enables practitioners to maximize their time in training, thus benefiting more from the partnered training as well. It also helped that guro Roger really looks into contemporary athletic training principles when formulating his training methods.

So, with the exception of very beginner who need to avoid forming bad habits, there is really no excuse to slack, even in the inconvenient circumstances. Keep on keeping on!