Sideways

 Here is one of those topics in martial training that tends to be divisive, although it really doesn't need to be. See, in the traditional arts there is often a lot of emphasis on practicing any and all techniques on both sides equally, with the declared ideal of becoming ambidextrous in application. Let me state it right here -  I don't think you can ever become truly ambidextrous from training, no matter how many sinawali patterns you happen to learn...however, becoming bilaterally functional is another thing. 

But, let's take a step back. For the opponents of the idea of bilateral training, since most of us are not professionals in the field and don't have all the time in the world to only focus on training, the limited time we do have on disposal ought to be dedicated to developing the best possibly performance ability on the preferred side. Interestingly, the professionals, who can and do dedicate their lives to training, for the most part also firmly belong to this camp. After all, how many boxers do you know who can switch stances fluidly and box equally well on both sides? It brings to memory an old interview of Bill "Superfoot" Wallace, the legendary full contact champion, who only kicked with his left foot. Namely, asked about that he said that faced with a choice of having two good legs (if not mediocre) or one that is unstoppably phenomenal, he chose the later. And from the standpoint of a competitor whose belt is on the line, it makes sense. After all, symmetry is not even natural, right?

Hmmm...

But, what about those of us who aren't high level competitors, so no big money or titles on the line? Plus, the self-defense oriented community resorts to the argument of defending when your strong/dominant side is injured. And before some of you laugh an point that if the opponent is good enough to eliminate our string side option, the other will be a joke, let me point out that not all injuries are incurred in an encounter as such. For example, I am currently boasting a bad case of tendinitis in my right wrist, unrelated to training, and I'd rather train with my left than not at all. 

That said, it is not even the main benefit I see in the bilateral approach. The biggest advantage there is to it, lies in the fact that such endeavor shows strong benefits to the maintenance and improvement of the overall neural and cognitive systems. Creating new neural pathways, firing synapses etc, it all has long term good effects on human health and functioning. 

Since the work on the non-dominant side essentially stimulates the "opposite" side of the brain, typically related to creativity and intuitive thinking, this might even enhance one's ability to find new solutions to the problems faced. The maintenance of the neural and cognitive networks as also VERY important in the advanced age, to prevent dementia and other degenerative issues. 

However, we don't even have to go into brain science to see other, possibly more evident upsides. Depending on the chosen training discipline, training exclusively on one side may lead to an unbalanced muscular development (particularly when training with heavy implements/weapons), which in turn results in problems with posture and movement patterns, further loading the compensatory joints and movements, and the injuries that will stem from that. 

By the way, if you also include regular conditioning work in your training process, such as weight lifting, roadwork, intervals and so on, would you approach that work with emphasis on the dominant side only? Yeah, I though so...

There is a kind of a third way, too! Years ago, I talked to a pencak silat instructor about this subject, nudged by his "don't care" attitude about whether the jurus of his system (forms) should be practiced in the mirror image as well, since they are not symmetrical on their own. His response was that that a practitioner could develop two different sets of responses for the attack coming on similar lines but from two different sides. I found it awkward at the time, but later it started making sense. Again, going back to weapon-based systems, you just have to work this way! Well, unless you switch the tool between the two hands or grips to deal with the stimuli from left or right. 

In conclusion, I'm afraid there is till no definitive answer to the debate, but hopefully you will find some information here that will help you organize your training better, according to your own needs and priorities. 

TV time to timing

 Have you ever spent some time in front of TV or Youtube and later reprimanded yourself for not having spent that time training? Yeah, sounds familiar... But let's see if that time itself could be made into training. As the matter of fact, one of the tougher aspects of fighting to develop on your own, through solo training is timing, i.e. faster reaction. 

Well, the next time you are in front of the screen, try using it as the "feeder"! Prior to starting this session, pick at least two elements you will be working on - different types of footwork, different combos, maybe just two different individual techniques/maneuvers, or work on the same thing but switch sides...whatever needs to be addressed in terms of reaction time. Once that is set, things are simple - just do the switch every time there is a new shot in the video! For those unfamiliar with film work terms, every time the lens of the camera closes, it is the end of the shot. In other words, every single time you see a new view on the screen, that is it. If you are more of a comic-book type, see what is the parallel with a new picture/frame in the story. 

If you really want to go for intensity, music clips and various ads are excellent, because they are rather quickly paced. As an example, there is 40+ shot changes in the first one minute of this video:

Naturally, if you don't dig this kind of music (shame on you!), just pick your favorite type. Ads also lend themselves really nice for the same purpose. Say, the first one in the following compilation has 8 different shots in the 30 seconds that it lasts...and it is not the busiest one of them!

So, next time, turn the guilty pleasures into satisfying pleasures, or start looking at the commercials as the most useful portion of your time in front of the screen, instead of the most annoying. 

Look from the side

 As the time goes on and technology keeps progressing and developing, we are often tempted to look for the latest piece of training gear, gadget or app that could propel our training further and faster. In that search for new and more it is easy to lose sight of the fact that often the improvement can be achieved quicker by working on the old. Specifically, on mercilessly identifying and removing the mistakes we make in practice, and with this insight working on enhancing our performance through the elimination of own weakness(es). 

Of course, this identification process is best achieved in the presence of a good instructor/coach. But what to do when left to one's own devices? Exactly that - use the device we all normally use on the daily basis! While martial arts have been around for much longer than video recording technology, I am dumbfounded that there is still so many people who fail to recognize the valuable aspects of regularly taking footage of their training. 

Not all cameras are spying on us

If you are on a true, incessant pursuit of improvement in training, video recording is priceless help. Even if you do have a coach, they are only able to see and process so many things at once, but when analyzing footage, it is possible to rewind, slow down, isolate and really focus deeply on any little minutia of the practitioner's work. Even more so when forced to work on your own. And it works both ways - finding out good solutions that have emerged spontaneously in some situation, and then trying to work them in one's regular game; also, recognizing the recurring mistakes and omissions that need to be eliminated. 

Cameras can be very useful in a group setting, too. As an example, when the whole class is involved in an activity, some people may be more successful in doing it, and the video footage may later be used to better explain to other trainees how to approach it more effectively. 

Finally, if you are an instructor in a system that does not rely on ranks/belts as the means of tracking the student's progress (or even if it does), as I have witnessed in the RMA circles, you will be regularly met with students' periods of doubt and resignation with their progress. Naturally, it may lead to their sub-optimal effort, or even giving up on training altogether. In such  situations, letting them compare their performance, captured on video in the span of a few moths can offer a great boost to their confidence and motivation to carry on with the work. 

A word of warning - depending on you age, pulling out a phone for its camera capacity may tempt you to make the training session into a posing session for Instagram or TicToc or whatever... Make sure that other participants in training also understand that at issue is not a demo, but the regular workout, so that you would have authentic material input to work with it for the benefits down the line. 

Basically rewinding

 I started this year with a big step back. But not a drawback by any means. The idea is to boil the big chunk of my practice time down to the bare basics and work on it in earnest, in a fully deliberate manner for a while. How long will that while last...remains to be seen. Yeah, there is still ongoing work on the new material as part of the already undertaken studies, but at the moment there will be no new systems or arts introduced. 

So, what are the basics at hand? In terms of empty handed work it means a handful of ground maneuvers/exercises that are applicable to grappling (front, back and sideways rolls, shrimping, getting off the ground and engaging it); jab and cross; front knee kick and oblique stomp kick. When it comes to weapons work, just the forehand and backhand diagonal and horizontal strikes with stick; three thrusting and three cutting angles with a knife. 

That is it. When working on them in a solo regime, I'm using a "pyramidal" approach - a set of very slow and deliberate reps, a set of semi-fast reps, a set of max-speed reps, a set of mid-speed, another set of very slow and deliberate ones. Then do the whole thing 2-4 times. 

Is it tedious? Sure. But, what I do in order to combat the possible boredom and maintain focus is pick a visual target (or a physical one) and stay on it, because it provides feedback about the trajectory of hte technique, distance, structure etc. 

It takes commitment and discipline to do it, but it is worthwhile. Namely, I have noted certain wrinkles in my performance that have crept up over time, and now they are being ironed out. If you are like me and subscribe to the "advanced techniques are basics done really well" school of thought, then it is not hard to understand the satisfaction of improving those fundamentals, for the greater benefit down the line. Not to mention that sometimes KISS-ing is just so refreshing.

Go with the...flow!

 Asked what are the characteristics of a high-level martial art exponent, several typical responses come to mind - ease of movement, grace of execution, thinking ahead of the opponent etc. - but when they are all integrated it would be fair to say that when they are at their top game, such expert practitioners all seem to possess and exhibit flow in performance. However, this very notion may prove to be rather tricky in its meaning. Also, there is no consensus regarding if it is possible to be trained. 

Interestingly enough, some martial systems emphasize flow as their prime goal and desired result of training but may have very different ways in seeking to achieve it. Let's take the example of grappling arts such as aikido and BJJ: the former strives to develop flow as a component of its technical base and seeks to train it through relaxed and soft execution of specific techniques through high repetitions; the latter perceives flow as the result of having all other technical components in order, and tends to come at it through sparring, i.e. free rolling. 

If you have had the opportunity to try or at least see both approaches in action, you may have noticed that their understanding of what, or better yet - how, flow is is not exactly the same. In aikido it is seen as good if the whole sequence of moves and techniques runs seamlessly as one long, uninterrupted statement, even speech. But, when reading a well written article/book, or listening to an engaging speaker, you have certainly noticed full stops at the end of sentences and heard pauses at varying times in the speech. In a conversation, this is even more obvious. This is why BJJ sparring seems more natural, with its transitions, isolations, positional escapes and finally submissions - this is how a natural conversation may be represented visually. 

But, what with the striking arts? Obviously, there is high value placed on the flow in those as well, but again, the approaches frequently differ. Filipino martial arts are known for professing their preference for the flow as a supremely important aspect, but quite often it is attempted in practice in a manner similar to aikido...artificially, devoid of context, via so-called flow drills. Here is an example...

What technical attributes do you see being drilled properly here? Stance, biomechanical structure, distance, footwork..? Not exactly the most brilliant display. That said, the drill itself isn't necessarily faulty, be it sumbrada, hubad or whatever. With proper energy and intent, all those other things would fall into place. As an example, seek instruction from Roger Agbulos, either seminar or classes, to see how hubad, when well done, tend to resemble wrestling's pummeling drills. 

Over the years of my training with Alex Kostic, we came at a notion of "punctuated flow", as a term that may better represent a genuine state of performance in actual fights. To most of us, seeing a good boxer doing his craft would be a great visual representation. The following clip shows some of those, but I especially like the portion starting at 1:38, because it is a great parallel to giving a good speech, as mentioned earlier, with its pauses between well connected phrases and sentences. 

See what I mean? Now, some people may argue that flow is a mental state that cannot really be trained. I will readily agree that with some practitioners it is more innate and easier to attain, but it can be trained for sure. There are many factors involved in an adequate training methodology, but let me point to an important one to begin with. First, the trainees should be working on longer series of technical maneuvers and looking for fluid performance, but the thing is they should be aware of the purpose of each individual component, while facing progressive resistance and increasing demands in doing, so. Why? Well, once you know what are you doing and why, it is much easier to have proper intent behind your actions. Whoever has seen a Thai boxing fight knows that most exchanges are short and crisp, done explosively, and yet, in most schools you will find many strings of long combos, such as this one:

The point there is that the person practicing the drill knows the purpose and function of their individual techniques and their possible combinations, which enables practitioners to take them apart and reassemble them in different ways, according to the context and circumstances of the fight. Like learning foreign languages - you may and should learn entire phrases and expressions, but also need to know meaning of individual words and rules of linking them when expressing new meaning. Here, meaning is intent...without you can throw together any words you like in any order you want, but they might end up sounding like gibberish. 

And we all like being well understood, right?

Old School

It was my birthday a couple of days ago, and with “life experience” some things become painfully obvious…or just painful! I guess that if you are even remotely a regular reader of my blog, we agree that physical conditioning is a very important part of one’s training process. Well, as so many other things, that part gets to be increasingly harder to achieve and maintain after certain age. In order to make it, there are some guidelines that may come in handy, as they have proven to be quite effective in my case. With that in mind, do not take these suggestions as any kind of recipe or program, but rather a framework to work with.

First, the main challenge that “advanced experience” presents in view of conditioning (besides the hectic life stuff, with job and family) is the need for more recovery. In simple terms, you just cannot train as much and as often when 40+ as you could in your teens of twenties. Therefore, you need to be picky about what you do and when. Essentially, I strive to have two days off between workout days, which means that I will do dedicated conditioning session two or sometimes three days in a week (if it fits Monday, Thursday and Sunday). Personally, I then focus on strength at those workouts, while using my martial art training sessions for conditioning purposes, i.e. harder drilling to that end.

Basically, this kind of approach is detailed in a very good book “Ageless Athlete”, by Jim Madden. He does include roadwork, i.e. specific conditioning sessions, but in my experience it can be replaced by more skill/drill training slots. Also, I normally conduct strength training in the form of so-called “lazy circuits”, and that that supports the conditioning aspect as well, if done adequately.

Still, there will be stretches of time when the above approach is not viable, so what do you do then? In these circumstances the method known as greasing the groove, made popular by Pavel Tsatsouline’s “Naked Warrior”. Basically, picking two or three essential exercises to be done in single sets dispersed a few times during the day (one arm pushup and one leg squats in my case), enables you to do it even at work or at home…or wherever; so, with good exercise choice and a little commitment it is possible to achieve solid results this way. In addition, I subscribe to the idea of using stairs instead of elevator, walking or running instead of driving whenever possible, doing some vigorous, playful movement daily etc, because cumulative effects can be surprisingly pleasant. 

Finally, it bears mentioning that I do some sort of mobility training every morning, before commencing other obligations that await me. Similarly, before going to bed in the evening, I do a short sequence of static stretching, in order to relieve my mind and body of stress and tightness that might be left from the day, thus maximizing the chances for successful recovery, and subsequently optimizing the further training process.

In conclusion, ageing brings poses new challenges and obstacles, and the chief hindrance in tackling them could be the memory of our younger selves and trying to do things the same way as 10 or 15 year ago. Embracing the new circumstances will allow you to learn more about yourself and your training, and possibly make you even better in what you do owing to this new perspective.

Training yardstick

This week I have had to act as a gym coach of sorts for a bunch of kids, and that experience brought up an issue that is rather spread out throughout the martial art world. Now, I like to to implement experiences and methods of other training disciplines and modalities in my combat-related training, including those from weightlifting and other athletic fields, but some of those, in my view, are doing more harm than benefits when  plugged into fighting domain.

Probably the one that rubs me in the wrong way the most is the obsession with reps. Typically, the instructor will show/tell the technical exercise that is supposed to be worked on, and say something along the lines of "...do it for XYZ repetitions", and very often they will even proceed to count those reps out loud. This is especially widespread in traditional schools, and particularly with beginner classes. The problem with such angle in coaching is that the grand majority of trainees will be focused almost solely on numbers, while neglecting the quality of move/technique...as if cranking those numbers is the magic formula to mastery.

Too much of enough?

Some instructors say that if they do not count the repetitions, some people will do them faster and will then be idle while the rest of the class is completing their work. Well, guess what? There is a very simple solution for that - use the timer/stopwatch! Doing your work for timed rounds instead of mere repetitions is a time honored method in rel-time fighting activities such as boxing and wrestling, and consequently in MMA, too. I have heard attempts to justify the avoidance of that tool as being more suited for individual training than groups, but it just doesn't hold up. I have run most my martial art and fitness classes using this template for years, and the results were excellent. Indeed, some people will squeeze in more repetitions than others that way, but there is much less deterioration in the technical quality of movement with everybody.

That approach is also in accord with the fact that humans live their lives in time and space, and have only become obsessed with counting over the last hundred years or so. speaking of time and space, thee is another model of training I use, but this one is definitely more suited for individual sessions. Namely, sometimes I will go for certain distance, thus completely discarding the need for any counting whatsoever, including the time. For example, instruct the students/athletes to perform a technique or a combo while moving from "here to there" (whatever your reference points are), and then stress the intensity/quality balance as you deem necessary.

...inch by inch, it's a cinch! 

All that said, there are times, of course, when you will need a more strict quantitative layout in your training, and that is absolutely fine. My aim here was simply to point out that it is easy to get lost in the magic of numbers and the quasi-scientific aura it provides for one's training, while other approaches could be more valuable in those situations.

Practice of exercising

I got a question the other day, which made me elaborate a bit on something that was clear in my head but nobody had ever asked before for an explanation. Since lately a major portion of my solo training is in the form of physical conditioning (the topic that has been addressed several times already), the discussion first touched upon the aspects of what is the contents of my sessions, but then, more importantly, on how does it affect my martial training.

Now, in the strength & conditioning circles the debate on the adequacy of the distinction between general and specific exercises and workouts is seemingly endless, but my approach is somewhat different. Namely, what I will be briefly presenting here is not aimed at the same goal as the concrete conditioning plan, but rather as something of an auxiliary-type work to be done alongside one’s main, discipline-specific training. However, it is not to say that I don’t use the same kind of exercises or methods, but their implementation might differ, depending of the desired outcome.

But potentially handy 

When including any exercise in my training, it will be treated either as developmental or preparatory. In short, the former type of exercise strives to develop certain attribute(s) that will hopefully positively affect the trainees’ performance, especially in the long-term. As such, it is done over periods of time, possibly following some sort of progression. The latter type is primarily meant to prepare a practitioner for the demands of any particular training session, or maybe the series of sessions. In consequence, they are implemented on a shorter term basis.

It also stems from the above explanation that the developmental exercises could be done both as part of regular training sessions (for example, during the warm-up section) and on their own, in separate sessions. On the other hand, the preparatory work only makes sense if done immediately prior to the main portion of the discipline-focused session. In that regard, we could say that the developmental work loosely relates to the standard idea of general conditioning, and the preparatory to the specific. Yet, there is big difference in the intensity, load and other aspects of programming. Therefore, neither side of my dichotomy is really the replacement for the proper S&C program, should you need one.

Another point to ponder is that many exercises and movements could belong to the either category, depending on how and when they are included in one’s training. Take one of the typical groin stretching exercises as an example:

In many martial disciplines it would be a good developmental exercise in an attempt to facilitate the better form when doing the horse stance.

Developmental goal

But, in BJJ/grappling it could be the main preparatory exercises when working on the so-called rubber guard technique and its aspects. 

 

Preparatory goal

Following the same logic, the overhead press might be perceived differently when done explosively with a light load (ballistic manner) and slowly with a heavy load (grinding manner). Which of those would be developmental or preparatory from the perspective of a striking combat system? How about a grappling method?

I hope this short article has provided some useful insights that may help you take different and applicable look at your training, but ultimately, it is simply my way of thinking about particular aspects of my training, so it is most certainly not an attempt to offer the new be all end all paradigm. 

Cross domain teaching of understanding

As practitioners of martial arts, or combative disciplines if you prefer to call it that way, we strive to achieve the best possible command of the technical tools we use in such endeavors. Saying the full mastery of techniques could be somewhat presumptuous, but that would be the goal to aim for. But, how do we know when our technical understanding is on a satisfactory level? Don’t’ you love it when answers come from unexpected places?

I guess we all seek to find the right criteria and diagnostic approaches to find an answer to that question, especially so if we’re instructors and wish to monitor the progress among our trainees. Well, after years of building some resemblance of a coherent set of criteria, I got an excellent, almost ready-made measurement “filter” from my music teacher Anthony Wellington. Ant is a superb instructor with solid curriculum and great pedagogy when working with his students. So, he told me that a person learning some piece of music needs to have four dimensions of understanding in place, in order to attain the full command of what they’re working on: intellectual, visual, aural and tactile. 

From this...

What he said immediately struck a chord with me, as it only took a slight modification to apply the same reasoning to one’s training in any kind of fight training. 

...to this!

Since the aural grasp is not so much pertinent for our purposes here, the domains we need to get a grip of are the following:

-          Intellectual;

-          Visual;

-          Tactile-outgoing;

-          Tactile-incoming.

Intellectual understanding, basically, means the ability to explain (verbally) what is required of a practitioner who is performing an action. The less you need to resort to the physical demonstration, the better. Also, it entails being able to explain why the thing are done the way they are done.

Visual understanding, as you probably presume, means being capable of understanding what is going on when you see a technical maneuver in action. For example, if you’re watching a boxing or grappling match and have no “what has just happened?” moments. The lack in this domain is typically why the grand majority of lay persons find BJJ or other grappling types of fights confusing and boring.

Tactile-outgoing sphere is developing the feel for the right technique. When it is accomplished, you don’t even need anybody to watch and comment your performance, or analyzing the video footage, to tell you that some details of your technique are flawed, or what needs to be worked on. Also, such tactile awareness helps you adapt to the actions of your opponent/training partner. However, even if well developed, this field of tactile insight is still just one side of the coin, hence the need for…

Tactile-incoming perception, which is how I call the ability to figure out what is going on and how it is done, while you are on the receiving end of a maneuver. This is especially important for some of the more intricate holds and tactics, especially in clinching, grappling and similar situations. I love being the demo dummy (or uke for the more traditionally oriented people out there) during seminars and regular training sessions[1], for this exact reason.

Four-pronged approach to understanding

Naturally, the best learning situations are those in which a few or all of those aspects are accessible. Let’s take the example of a seminar. Ideally, the instructor conducting the session would be highly eloquent (but not a logorrhea-suffering type) and well-articulated with his explanations, as well as able to answer the questions accurately and succinctly. Also, his demonstration of whatever technical actions would be clear and well executed, while the participants would have a good an unobstructed view of the action, maybe even from more than one angle. Next, the said participants would then have ample time and opportunity to practice executing the techniques on more than one partner, but also to feel those techniques being applied on them.

Over time, the four domains of understand start melting together, thus enabling a more holistic understanding. I mentioned before my inclination to serve as the dummy for technical demonstrations. At this stage I have developed enough kinesthetic and proprioceptive perception to make it possible for me to see the action being done with my “inner eye”, while having it executed on me. On the other hand, seeing it done with someone else (or maybe on video) often elicits certain physical sensations in the parts of the body that would be affected by the hold in question. Sometimes the same goes while hearing a good explanation from a good instructor. You get the picture….

Hopefully, this article will help other practitioners and instructors in doing more efficient analysis of their training and spend less time trying to figure out what is going on and how to proceed with it. Have in mind that developing this level of understanding takes time and the process needs to be engaged again many times, when encountering new and unfamiliar type of moves and techniques.

---

[1] Of course, if the instructor at hand is not of a sadistic predisposition and/or prone to inflicting injuries and hurting people just to stroke his ego or prove something.

Good news!

Hey! I know things have been a little slow here lately, but there was good reason for it. Namely, as you may have noticed, one of the articles I had done earlier (see Move that body) was removed. Well, it has been slightly brushed up but also accompanied with a much better video illustration of the subject covered.
However, the best part is that as part of my new/official association of the excellent portal complementarytraining.net, run by my friend and brilliant coach Mladen Jovanovic, that article is now available at
http://complementarytraining.net/movement-training-in-the-mma-and-combat-sports/

While over there, make sure to check out their other stuff, since there is plenty of very interesting material to see. And of course, hopefully, there should be more of my contributions in the future. 

Digging for nuggets

Every fighting system out there has a certain pool of techniques, some specific, some very similar to those in other systems. Sometimes, the entire difference between two such martial schools is not even the mechanics of their techniques, but rather their application. That said, even within the system there could be more than one possible expressions of a chosen move, hence the emergence of individual practitioners' personal styles.

How does one learn about various possibilities with a particular movement? Obviously, the easiest way is to be shown, by the instructor or a fellow practitioner. The problem with such an approach is that quite frequently those shown applications tend to become the accepted "only true" ones, while other options, even if stumbled upon, are discarded as "not right". That happens to be a common occurrence with interpreting the individual techniques from karate kata. Sometimes two or more practitioners will learn differing bunkai of the same kata, end then sink into the heated debate about whose is the proper one.

The other angle is to do your on research, investigation and experimentation. The advantage of this approach is that the discoveries could be more authentic for the practitioner and better accommodating their personal physical attributes and mental aptitude etc. Also, these are usually better remembered and understood in the long term. The disadvantage, however, is that some people may get lost in the quest for the sheer quantity, thus losing sight of the need to seek the functionally best applications. Well,,,if one is training for the functional goals in the first place.

Namely, a lot of things are possible, but in our training we should do enough drilling and testing to figure out which of those are also more likely and probable.

Take a look at an exercise I did with my friend Daniel from Germany. You'll see that the first move this two-piece combo is treated in the following order:

- as an elbow strike;

- as a punch defense;

- as a grab defense/release. 

Naturally, the effectiveness of each particular application will depend on the proper distance and timing, as those elements are the key factors. Unfortunately, they are often forgotten about, and the problem is sought in improving the mechanics. Sometimes, the mechanics will turn out to be fine, and the technique/application will be discarded undeservedly. 

Certain martial systems have this sort of research as an integral part of their methodology, Such is the example of pecahan in pencak silat, where the sequence of moves is take apart in order to thoroughly analyze its elements, and then put back together with new understanding and new views on what could be done with it. This is the simplified explanation, but you get the gist of it. The following clip of Rita Suwanda offers a nice example. 

To conclude - if you seek a deeper and broader understanding of you chosen discipline, then don;t just take things at their face value. Do your work and be critical about the results, and over time it will bring ripe fruits of your labor. 

Move that body baby...

Hey, good news! The article that used to be here can now be found over at my friend (and brilliant coach) Mladen's site  http://complementarytraining.net/category/free-content/
The text is pretty much the same, but the video attached as illustration is a bit better, so I hope you will enjoy it. 

In the meantime, also feel free to search Youtube for the clips titled pelokinetic fitness in order to see more material of the same nature, as well the page of the same name on Facebook.