Might as well....
Okay, I know it's wednesday and I'm writing, but I'm writing for monday.
We started class by just throwing punches at a partner, and practicing whatever defenses came to mind. This was to see what we remembered, and to see what level everybody is training at (what's that you say, Sensei Ross, I sound like my father...). But when you think about it, it shows where you're at. If you're stuck straining to remember a defense that we've done in the past, it shows Sensei Ross that you need to review. If you perform, with some modicum of skill, defenses that we've learned in the past, it shows that you are intermediate. If you create your own defenses on the spot, instantaneously, it shows that you know your stuff and are skilled in it and he might want to look at you for promotion if your rank doesn't already reflect your performance. I am doing a little of all three. I guess everybody does, but I think I have a healthy balance. I may remember the ending of a technique and have to ask how it began. I perform a few of my favorite techniques skillfully, and occaisionally flawlessly. And sometimes I will screw up an opening, but turn it into a compatable technique on the spot.
After that drill, we did a new defense. We took the incoming punch and guided it down while simultaneously getting behind the attacker, then boxing their ears. I asked Sensei Ross for his thoughts on wether or not to cup the hands when boxing people's ears. He said the cupping the hands will do more damage, and keeping the hands open will make it feel more satisfying because we will be able to feel more like we struck somebody. Then we expanded it, by boxing the ears, grabbing onto the head from behind, gouging the eyes, and pushing down on their shoulders with our foreamrs, while lifting up on their heads, and dragging them straight backwards till they fell. It was pretty interesting.
Then we went into a rather Jeet Kun Do type technique. We started with a limb destruction via guiding the incoming punch into our elbow, followed by a brachial stun (love those), turned into a neck crank to finish off. Then, we modified it by missing the brachial stun and turning it into a strike to the bicept, then boxing the ears, gouging the eyes, and throwing them. Then we modified it even further. Miss the limb destruction, miss the bicept, end up behind the attacker, elbow the lower back, grab their shirt and pull them back while whipping our arms around their neck and half close-lining, half throwing them.
After that, class was over. It was good. The techniques didn't seem to follow the principles the way I understand them, but they do seem to follow the idea of realistic techniques that don't take years of practice to understand.
We started class by just throwing punches at a partner, and practicing whatever defenses came to mind. This was to see what we remembered, and to see what level everybody is training at (what's that you say, Sensei Ross, I sound like my father...). But when you think about it, it shows where you're at. If you're stuck straining to remember a defense that we've done in the past, it shows Sensei Ross that you need to review. If you perform, with some modicum of skill, defenses that we've learned in the past, it shows that you are intermediate. If you create your own defenses on the spot, instantaneously, it shows that you know your stuff and are skilled in it and he might want to look at you for promotion if your rank doesn't already reflect your performance. I am doing a little of all three. I guess everybody does, but I think I have a healthy balance. I may remember the ending of a technique and have to ask how it began. I perform a few of my favorite techniques skillfully, and occaisionally flawlessly. And sometimes I will screw up an opening, but turn it into a compatable technique on the spot.
After that drill, we did a new defense. We took the incoming punch and guided it down while simultaneously getting behind the attacker, then boxing their ears. I asked Sensei Ross for his thoughts on wether or not to cup the hands when boxing people's ears. He said the cupping the hands will do more damage, and keeping the hands open will make it feel more satisfying because we will be able to feel more like we struck somebody. Then we expanded it, by boxing the ears, grabbing onto the head from behind, gouging the eyes, and pushing down on their shoulders with our foreamrs, while lifting up on their heads, and dragging them straight backwards till they fell. It was pretty interesting.
Then we went into a rather Jeet Kun Do type technique. We started with a limb destruction via guiding the incoming punch into our elbow, followed by a brachial stun (love those), turned into a neck crank to finish off. Then, we modified it by missing the brachial stun and turning it into a strike to the bicept, then boxing the ears, gouging the eyes, and throwing them. Then we modified it even further. Miss the limb destruction, miss the bicept, end up behind the attacker, elbow the lower back, grab their shirt and pull them back while whipping our arms around their neck and half close-lining, half throwing them.
After that, class was over. It was good. The techniques didn't seem to follow the principles the way I understand them, but they do seem to follow the idea of realistic techniques that don't take years of practice to understand.