Closing the doors.

OSU!

As with most things, this blog is evolving. Technically speaking, this blog is going bu-bye.

I've recently relaunched the dojo website, wykkonorcross.com. With this relaunch, I've decided to move the blog along with it. Maintaining the two was a bit cumbersome, to be honest. Those of you who are subscribed via Google, or email, I invite you to subscribe to the blog there. All of the content from this blog has been moved over.

...and I've even started trying to make a better effort at logging workouts ;-)

Thanks, and I hope to catch you on the flip side...
-CM

Starting Points

OSU!

Welcome to Yoshukai Strong. I'm very excited about this post, as it's the first vlog in a series I hope will be a regular occurrence. I hope that you all enjoy the videos and can integrate them into your routines, practice, training sessions or what have you. One rule, though -don't feed the trolls.

This post is going to cover a few drills that fighters can use as a "go to" for training. Each drill can both scale and adapt for various reasons such as number of people available and so on.

3-5-7

The first drill, I call "3-5-7". The purpose of "3-5-7" is to get the fighter accustomed to throwing combinations in bunches. A lot of times we see fighters on the mat throwing punch here, kick there (I'm guilty too...). We want to work towards being effective with technique and ensuring each technique gets us somewhere.

Basic description as follows:
Set a 1 minute timer
Throw fighting combinations of three moves first, then five moves, then seven moves
Complete as many sets as possible.
For each time the fighter cannot accomplish the specified number of moves in the combination, accumulate 10 burpees.


The drill can be scaled (up) for both time and number of combinations. The drill can be done on a heavy bag or kick shield with a partner; this too can be scaled to a partner exercise without the kick shield.

10 Good Ones

We usually do this drill with the mawashi geri, but most any technique will work just fine, and the name says it all; 10 good techniques.

Use a kick shield (with a partner) or heavy bag, and as hard as you can muster WITH GOOD TECHNIQUE, execute a mawashi geri. Try to kick harder and harder each time. If you execute with bad form, it doesn't count. Didn't land the technique, it didn't count. You want the 10 best techniques possible. Switch sides and repeat. There is no time component, and the goal is to get accustomed to adapting to power output.

Move the Holder

With this drill, your goal is to physically move another human, around the same size weight using a technique. With hiza geri, for example:

Partner or pad holder holds pad, kick the pad with good form aiming to move the pad and its holder.
Pad Holder: you will want to stand in a good fighting stance, and move with the force; don't resist (channeling Yoda I am not).

This drill works great with hiza geri, mae geri, ushiro mawashi geri and ushiro yoko geri.

All of these drills are fairly basic and easy to do. Students at any level of ability can perform these drills.

Hope this helps!
OSU!

Fitness, Function, Fight.

All sports, no matter the discipline, have somethings in common. Swimmers have to learn how to stroke and kick, baseball players have to learn how to swing and catch, karate-ka have to learn how to kick and punch; every sport has basics.

The basics, no matter the sport, are the foundation of every sport. Solid basics usually means solid everything; and if everything is not solid, get some grease on that squeaky wheel, please!

There is some credence, a lot of credence, to understanding the basics of multiple sports; running well, having good jumping technique (pick a sport...), good general physical preparedness (push ups, sit ups, etc), dribbling a ball, lifting a weight, whatever the action may be (yes, even curling) lends itself to you becoming a better athlete.

Better athletes perform better athletically --makes sense, doesn't it?

I say all of that to simply say this: don't discount any aspect of physical activity that does not directly relate to your sport. If you take a long, hard look at what you do and what someone else is doing, you'll be shocked to find out that there is a lot to be learned outside of your own walls.

I'm just saying...

OSU!