As mentioned previously, the weekly mettle maker supports all of the Heritage Arts programs — Heritage Self-Defense, Heritage Wildwood, Heritage Fitness and Heritage Spirit.
There are weekly cycles in the self-defense curriculum by the way, and the mettle maker’s self-defense portion will have them in mind. First full week of the month is striking focused, second is grappling/clinching, third is wrestling, fourth is weapons, and if there is a fifth split week at the end of a given month, it will be devoted to general self-defense (awareness, prevention, avoidance, de-escalation, and escape). Mettle makers release on Saturdays, the final day of a given week, but they will reference the upcoming focus so that, if you are running your own training circle, you can fold them in. Capiche?
Without further delay, we humbly present…
Reflex and Reflect: Mettle Maker #272
Warm-up before training. To avoid injuries, warm-up thoroughly for at at least 8 minutes before you train. Do about 4 minutes each of (a) jogging, jumping rope, or similar activity, and (b) light calisthenics. Martial artists should do 8 minutes of MBF.
Self-Defense: Throw to ground flow. Get a partner or your grappling dummy (that’s my pal Larry there on the right). Execute a either Shoulder Throw or Hip Throw and immediately transition to a hold, lock, shin ride with punches, etc. Do this for two rounds. If you’re working with a partner, switch roles after each sequence. If you don’t know these methods, and/or if none of this makes any sense at all, consider enrolling in the Heritage Self-Defense distance learning program.
Fitness: What are you doing? What are your fitness goals? Does your fitness support an athletic endeavor? Are you trying to look good with your shirt off? Is health your goal, or perhaps just fun? What percentage of your fitness work is devoted to the goal and what percentage is cross-training? Sit down with your training journal, do an analysis, and make adjustments. If you don’t keep a training journal, that’s going to be a major stumbling block to progress, so fix that. Need help? Sign up for the free the Heritage Fitness program.
Wildwood: Track yourself . Go for a nice, relaxing stroll on a trail at the park, in a patch of woods near your home, around your property, etc. — not on concrete or asphalt. Go nice and slow. Stop to investigate things. Smell a flower, pick up a leaf or a feather. After a few minutes, turn around and track yourself back to your starting place. Look for the places where you knelt down, reached up, changed direction, and so forth. What did your tracks do when you did those things?
Spirit: Let go of dead things. You would never allow a dead thing to rot inside your home or in your car. How many times have you seen the image of a ghost or zombie surprising someone in bed? The idea of being close to the reek of death creates intense revulsion. And yet many of us cling to useless junk, drive around with negative thoughts and viewpoints in the passenger seat, and snuggle up with decay of all kinds. Ditch the clutter and clean up your basement, your closet, your desk. Let go of failed projects, bad ideas, and deadly habits. Many years ago, when I was quitting smoking, if I slipped up and bought a pack of cigarettes I would say, “I’ll finish the pack and then I’ll quit again.” One day, after yet another lapse, I realized that I was literally holding onto a time bomb. I threw out a pack with 19 smokes in it, and I did that every time a slipped until I quit. Are you nurturing resentment, driving around with road rage, walking through life with hateful thoughts? Reflect on this. If something is dead or deadly, let it go.