Alasdair's Blog

[Neo]

****...trust me to start a blog and get it wiped out.

Can't remember what I first said in way of introductions, but basically decided to write this as a way of forcing myself to keep a record, and to also write something for a change instead of continually reading this forum.

Have done wing chun since 1988, first with a couple of James Sinclair instructors who then joined up with samuel Kwok, then as an instructor with the NWCA (Andrew Cameron) which became the UK branch of the EWTO. Was with EBMAS for a year or so when Sifu Emin left, but have stayed with Master Steve tappin of Escrima Concepts and his World martial Arts Alliance.

Mainly do the Crossfit workouts at the moment, as these have given me the most benefit.

Also recently taken up judo to add to my skills base.

So, training last night was working lat sao, particularly the garn dar defences and then working kwan dar defences.

Today:

Crossfit WOD:

5 rounds:
400m run
95lb OHS 15 reps

lost note with my final time but it was on the 20 minute mark. Wife wanted a treadmill recently so this has enabled me to do the WOD involving running, while my 2 year old plays in the garage! Times were 1:37, 1:36 x2 1:35 x2.

Then done about 120 reps of ab work, before stretching off.

Wing chun tonight, probably working more lat sao. Have a 3rd dan jiu jitsu now coming along and has given some good insights last week into the use of pressure point striking for hold releases, for example the figure four lock on ground.

Sevenstar:

You asked about o soto gari. No, we haven't been shown different angles, just what I've seen in the textbooks I have and on the judo information website. I should be grateful if you would expand upon this

[Neo]

Tuesday 28/6
Class

Few in last night, so woke them up a bit with some of the judo team exercises, but modified them with a wing chun flavour, for example, chain punches and squats at the end of the shuttles.

Then went on to technical night, working the 3SG lat sao, some not having worked this much. Hard for them to get the kwan dar movements, ended up having to break down the movement. Worked from traditional rather than from the lat sao punching, move up to that next week. Key points was that attackers were sometimes forgetting that they should be feeding a backfist, and with a forward pressure to enable the partner to turn their kwan sao. More footwork drilling required, especially turning.

Cooled down with SNT.

[Neo]

crossfit WOD
1 pullup in the 1st minute, 2 pull ups in 2nd minute, escalating until you cannot do the amount in the minute.Liked this one alot, even though it was PUs.
Got to 12 mins and was starting to struggle, then beginner came round for a wing chun session. Worked on his inside and outside punching from lat sao, trying to reduce his tension in his arms and over reliance of force to move partners arm. Then got him onto the bag to have some impact experience. Then worked on his footwork, advancing stance broken down before adding the punches back in. He started training recently at 48, not done anything before, so body takes a bit longer to lose the tension. Got there though. finished with first two sections of SNT to get them off pat, start 3rd section next week.

When he left, finished with some wood chopper twists using cable, and then T bar rows, 2 sets of 10 with 108lb.

Saw some useful clips on the NCSF website that I might incorporate. Want to incorporate more twisting actions, rather than just straight forward push and pulls, albeit composite movements. Definite plus for major judo throws I think.

Judo session later.

[Neo]

Judo last night

running warmup around mats, to the call, drop 10 pressups, then 10 sit ups, then 10 squats, then 7's then 4's then 1's.

Breakfalls.

Hook and roll turnover, kick their legs to shift them down, then okuri eri jime, sliding collar strangle.
Same again, but opponent's head down, push their head to side, hook leg over and cross arm lock, juji gatame.

Same again, but roll to side and legs out to kami shiho gatame Upper four quarters.

Worked on the same blooming turnover and hold down that we've been doing for the past three weeks, complicated to explain, can't see it in the textbooks I've got, but provides a leg strangle, an arm lock as well.

Worked on push and pull. Both partners pushing, on call both pull. Change on each call, call gets quicker, who can unbalance first.

Uchi komi next.

Push partner, pull them short, then tai otoshi.
Same again, with ippon seoi nage.
Same again, with o goshi
Worked left grip as well.
Partner walks back, o soto gari.
Finding judo compellingly interesting, and just ordered Osaekomi (Judo Masterclass Techniques) by Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki. Emule is getting worked aswell now for judo stuff.

This morning

Crossfit is a rest day, so did the monday workout I missed.
10 rounds:
10 pull ups
20 situps
30 squats.

thought the squats would kill after the DOMS I got from OH Squats earlier in the week. Worked it out of them though, it was my grip on the pull ups that blew.

Had to cancel class at my place tonight due to son's play, but might still get chance to do some form and bagwork if the missus goes out running with the neighbour.

[Neo]

Friday 1/7
Crossfit in the morning:

For time:
80 squats
95 pound Push press, 10 reps
60 squats
95 pound Push press, 20 reps
40 squats
95 pound Push press, 30 reps
20 squats

11:12

Last set of push press was broken into three sets.

Then a few rounds on the heavy bag:
2min rds with 30sec rest.
Huen bo with lin wan kuen
double punch with pie jarn hacking elbow
double punch, hook, number two strike hammer fist with same hand as hook.
falling technique with continuous chain punches and back to standing
All out round with punches and elbows
No kicking as legs whacked.
House warming party tomorrow for new neighbours, no driving so drink may be on the cards.
Got hold of mike swain's first judo tape, pinning and transitions, some good stuff on there.
Looking at possibility of local tournie, students mentioned. About four months away, not sure yet.

[Neo]

devastated.

party on Saturday night, did nothing stupid other than stand around a big telly watching Live 8 and drinking loads (a rarity nowadays).

Wake up Sunday morning and could hardly walk, shooting pain in the left hip joint.
Shuffled around all day Sunday, still in pain today, taken some diclofenac and pain killers so hoping will be in better shape in the next few days.

Wouldn't mind if I had dome something stupid, then I could feel guilty, but this is annoying...

[Neo]

Monday 4/7
Painkillers helped to get rid of ache down the side of leg, still need them though.

Only had a couple round last night for training, and started late due to watching some tapes I had got hold of.

Worked on entering with kau bo and lin wan kuen. Students working on smooth transition from punches to elbows/knees/controls. Nice engagement with front knee press slides up to knee strike (not on left knee though!). training partner is 18 stone so there's always plenty of mass behind his punches, quite fast too so good to work against. Worked on pressing punch defence against pak sao punch within lat sao. Then kwan dar if they continue from the pak dar with lap dar. worked that quite a bit due to stance needing a bit of sharpening up.

They finished with SNT as they need to get that sorted. Still forgetting the odd bit.

[Neo]

Class Tuesday 6/7

Hip still aching, awkward for lifting knee. better though.

Anyway, class was a good group. Some team fitness sprints, with different exercises at the end of the sprints, such as abdominal curls with chain punches, backward fall with chain punches etc. Footwork drills quickly; huen bo with lin wan kuen, advancing step with yap guek, etc. Students then worked on lat sao punching inside and outside. New students worked on bong guek from lat sao, others worked on kwan dar defence against the pak dar/lap dar attack. Then on to chi sao, with guys now getting to grips with poon sao, working their basic attacks.

No exercise this morning due to hip and son's induction, judo tonight to test out hip, then if okay I'll be starting again in the morning. I hope...

[Neo]

Judo Training eve 6/7

Warm up, ukemi, then some ground shuffle exercises.

Worked on that awkward leg strangle which i now know is sankaku jime. Starting to get it now, and working on the finer points.

worked side four quarter hold yoko shiho gatame, kesa gatame scarf hold, kami shiho gatame upper four quarters hold, with opponent trying to get out of it. Held down well.

Back to back groundwork randori, had to new guys start, heavy set, younger, and one had done judo as a kid. Tapped one, but found the stronger guy hard work. was in poor position when end was called. Got a good side four quarter hold one one, tapped another with a choke but not sure why he tapped, didn't seem like I'd got it on.

O uchi gari, o goshi, tai otoshi, and osoto gari drilled. then one out and throw everyone three times with any throw.

Finally, ground randori again from seiza, big guys over power and having to turn them as I fall back. Next person from the group dives in as soon as he thinks one has got the upper hand and starts from there.

Hip screaming! Out came the pain killer before bed time...

[Neo]

Thursday evening class...relatively all beginners so lat sao defences against opening up forround houses to front thighs, and some of the self defence program against attempted hand grab and arm lock.

friday morning 5k, lost the scrap with the time on it but notice its on tomorrow's CF WOD, so might stick in another for the hell of it.

Saturday rest day.

Sunday did the CF WOD:

Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
1 ½ pood Kettlebell X 21 swings (or 55 pound dumbbell swing)
12 Pull-ups

About 14 minutes, interruptions from kids.
Then did 5 rounds using Bas Rutten's thai boxing tape, difficult when kids are noisy in the garage. Finished with some ab exercises.

[Neo]

Monday morning, did CF WOD, too hot though for anything else.

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups
BP 168 x3, 158 x2
PUs 8, 8, 8,7, 6

Bench press was a struggle and have done much better in the past. 168lb is the most weight I have. PU's need to be more frequent and not sure if I need to suplement with more strength work to the CF workouts.

Training tonight, if only my regular guy then chi sao and see if he'll do some judo escapes as well.

Looking forward to Thursday, got a session with a 3rd dan in jiu jitsu that's been coming to my Tuesday class. He's into the use of pressure points (not the Dilman method though, from what i remember him saying) and we should have a good session. he's already shown a good one for the figure four lock so will pick his brains for more.

[Neo]

Training Monday night

Too hot, worked chi sao with training partner, working the simple attacks for him as he's been doing wing chun for nearly six months now, attends the most sessions.

Then worked upa escape from opponent in mount.

This morning, did 5k run in unbearable british heat 23:32.

Class tonight.

[Neo]

Tuesday evening class:

More senior guys worked simple roll over back fist attack, and the lifting punch defence from fook sao, or bong sao if strong back fist. Looked at follow on, tan sao becoming mang geng sau with twist to throw, or from bong sao edfence getting into standing shoulder hold - throw or choke from position.
Newbie worked on kau bo and chain punches, getting in against diagonal punch, adding on a follow up such as elbow. Then worked his kau bo against a low kick to the groin, needs to attack into the opponent with his body.

Worked from opponent in mount again, utilising arm lock throw, keeping head covered with arm against blows. also using armpit pressure points using chuen kiu.

Wednesday morning, not much time, stuck Bas Rutten's Physical workout on my PDA and did that for 30mins. Sucking air after the ascending count of tuck jumps.

[Neo]

Wednesday evening Judo:

Warm up, ukemi, handstands, cartwheels, wide leg forward rolls, etc.

uchi komi practice:

tai otoshi
ippon seoi nage
o goshi
osoto gari

new technique: koshi guruma ( hip wheel)

then five throws each working in group of three.

Then tachi randori in the groups of three:
Stay out for two, then next one stays on for two, etc.

Then winner stays on. Had new guy with us who had down a bit in past. Much smaller than me but could tell he done weight training as he was very stocky and powerful. actually found him more difficult to work with than the new guy from last week. His small size and power made him difficult to get anything on. Found this in uchikomi as well, having to drop right down to get underneath him.

Then ne waza randori, from knees. Again, small guy was immensely strong and powered you over. Got a kesa gatame on one of the guys so was happy with that, tried to go to guard against other guy to see what I could work with but he passed too quickly for side control. Oh well, it's all good fun. makes me question whether I do enough strength training though...

Pressure point instructor coming over today, see whether its useful....

[Neo]

Hmmm....

Just had session with ju jitsu guy. As I may have mentioned, he's come to my classes to learn wing chun.

He decided to show some of the techniques against throat grabs, single hand and double hand. Obviously the single is more realistic as the other hand will be coming in as punch. Worked very well and didn't feel as if they were techniques for technique's sake. reasoning behind alot of the movement. Use of opponent's body against him, body movement to break opponent's stance and balance. good stuff.

Worked on the hammer lock. His method worked. Not so sure about the use of hau gum sau now, as I think my arm would have been chicken winged. Think this is more for as they put it on. His hammer lock is different to the one you see being used in Leung Ting's Siu Nim Tao book.

Will try to recall the details more, later.