Evolutionary Self-Protection

Yet another awesome session yesterday – the first half was more Wing Chun type stuff, and then with the second half I introduced some of the basics of effective groundfighting, which we’ll be returning to and building on next time.

PHDEFENCE IS CLOSED NEXT WEEK ON SATURDAY, 30.07.2011 but they’re back on the week after. The venue’s using the hall for something, so we won’t be able to train that week.

A couple of points from this session:

– The atmosphere yesterday was far too calm most of the time, when the open-handed sparring was going on, it was far too chilled-out. In fact, through most of the session you were all far too complacent – your benefits from training like that will only ever be minimal at best. Without committing yourselves you may as well sit and think about having a training session instead of doing it. I know the Zen masters in movies stay calm with a sword in their face, but I can guarantee you won’t. I wouldn’t. You have to get used to adrenaline so get some going, kids! Some of you did, but most of you didn’t, which is a real shame. Next session you won’t get the chance to be complacent and uncommitted. I promise.

– Groundfighting homework – remember those basic positions and practice them if you can: Mount (and bonus points for remembering Back Mount), Guard (bonus points for remembering Closed and Open Guard positions) and Side Control. Get a cushion and practice changing from one position to another maintaining control if you haven’t got a partner.

– Exercise. I’m not being harsh, but I can tell that those of you who do anything at home are in the minority. Now, PHDefence isn’t a fitness class, so at the end of the day it’s your responsibility to do it or not bother, but I’ll make this point again:

Our warmup and stretch is supposed to be a little continuation of what you do at home. It is not supposed to be your weekly training. If you don’t stretch at home then you’ll continue to struggle in class, stretching with bent legs, falling over, being corrected all the time, etc. Pushups are the best (or worst) example here – health concerns aside, nobody has an excuse not to do a proper pushup at least from their knees. I honestly believe that any of you can do one from your knees, because I’ve seen you do it before sometimes.

Like we always say though, your fitness, strength, flexibility, etc isn’t the responsibility of PHDefence. They’ll help you as much as they can, but it’s your responsibility to try or not bother. It is disappointing though when you see people with a couple of gradings under their belt still not trying to do a semi-proper pushup.

PHDefence is looking to expand, but cannot do it without YOUR HELP:

PHDefence, as you all probably know by now (I keep on about it enough! haha) are looking to expand and put on an adults’ class, probably after the childrens’ class on a Saturday. This would be for two hours, the same as the childrens’ class, and would follow the same principles, and would be taught by both Paul and myself. However, the difference would be in the training. While we make the kids’ training as awesome as possible, it can only get to a certain level before any more would be too much for them. Similarly, adults as I’m sure you appreciate cannot effectively train in the same space as children, even though they’re separated like we usually do, as their training needs to be so much more intense to have any real benefit.

Apart from anything else, I’ve got so much of what I’ve learnt that I’m bursting to teach people, which would be ridiculous and dangerous to teach children, for example a lot of the Systema and Krav Maga that I have learnt!

So – any adults who can make it to the PHDefence class, let us know as soon as you can if you’re interested, and when you can or can’t do. Parents, friends, family of all ages from 16 and up are all welcome – come and have a go of the current classes first to give you a tiny bit of a taste of what we’d be doing, but bear in mind there’s currently none of the truly awesome stuff because of the children.

To cut a long story short, PHDefence needs some more students – once they can afford the extra rent for the hall, then an adults’ class would be on every week.

If we hear nothing from you though, nothing can happen! Get the word around! Tell people at work, tell your mates, talk about it – think about it. I guarantee it’ll be amazing. We’ve already had one parent saying he’s interested. Get involved! Come and watch if you’re not sure. Email me, email Paul, comment on here, join the CSPS forum or ask something in the public section, Tweet at CSPS, message CSPS on YouTube, Facebook CSPS, get in touch on LinkedIn, call me or have a chat after class sometime, however you want to do it, get in touch – let us know if you’re interested, and if you’re not let us know if someone else is.

See you all in a couple of weeks,
FCIns. Josh Nixon

P.S. Paul’s decided on the WHITE trousers. Don’t ask me anything about clothes though, because it’s not my department!