Sacred Words: Training Involution #164

Should anyone other than a politically correct dweeb, a prime-time-ready talking head, garden-variety prude, holier-than-thou twit, or virtue-signalling chuckle-head want to clean up their potty mouth?

Sure.  Because speech is sacred.

Our greatest myths and holy books embody this truth.  According to the Egyptians,

"Thoth is the mediator through whom the world is brought into manifestation. He is the Tongue of Rā, the Herald of the Will of Rā,  and the Lord of Sacred Speech.”¹

In Genesis 1 of the Holy Bible, God speaks the universe into being.  He says, "Let there be light: and there was light."  Later in John 1, when speaking of Christ, we hear,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

The ancients revered the ability to recite poetry and holy words.  They embodied the idea of sacred speech.   Modern people have mostly surrendered in the battle against profane, rude and crude speech.  And few are able to recite any beautiful words even if they wanted to.

There was a time when we expected our kids to memorize poems, speeches and scripture.  Why?  So that they would have command of the words and speech on a fundamental level.

Sacred Words: Training Involution #164

Restriction breeds creativity, not freedom (for more on this topic watch this video).   Let's put some restrictions on ourselves and see if it drives our creativity.

  • Warm up thoroughly, at least 8 minutes.

  • Hobble yourself. Take a scrap of rope, an old Karate belt, Yoga strap, etc. and hobble yourself such that your ankles cannot get more than a shoulder's width apart.²

  • Complete a gauntlet. Set a timer for 8 x 2:00. You may do this with hand strikes only or with a practice weapon, your choice (I used my walking stick). Complete this twice: (1) Strikes vs. Heavy Bag (2) Get-ups (3) Sit-ups with two heavy bag strikes at top of each (4) Strikes vs. air while doing Prisoner Get-ups. ³

  • Cool down for 3 minutes and then hit the showers.

  • Hold your tongue. Refrain from swearing for one week and see how you feel about it. For extra credit, memorize some pretty words, some poetry, a piece of scripture, etc. Write it down on a scrap of paper, put it in your pocket, and study it every hour or so for a couple of days until you own it. Another way to do it is to make a voice recording on your phone and play it over and over until you can recite along with it. This is good for your brain and for your soul.

¹ Mead, G. R. S, Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. 1, [The Thesophical Publishing Society, London 1906]

² I do several of these sorts of training exercises every month for self-defense practice -- hobbled, one hand tucked into my belt, one eye patched, a rock in my shoe, etc.

³  Prisoner Get-up: Drop to left knee, drop right knee to get on both knees, rise up to right knee only, then stand up.  Next time drop right knee first.  Alternate sides.

SNAKE, FISH, DOG, OWL: TRAINING INVOLUTION #163

This week’s T.I. comes straight from Karate College 2019 in Radford, VA. See pics at right.

SNAKE, FISH, DOG, OWL: TRAINING INVOLUTION #163

The single most effective martial arts maneuver is running away.  Not literally running, but getting the heck out of Dodge City, evading, hitting the road, saying bye-bye.  A martial artist should be able to move.  And when the situation is over, be able to sit still.

Set timer for 7 x 4:00 mins, no breaks.

  • Rounds 1 & 2: Warm up thoroughly. Light to moderate activity, low-key calisthenics like Jumping Jacks, Push-ups on knees, Crunches, maybe some low-intensity Jumping Rope, etc.

  • Round 3: Slither free like a snake. Get your floor bag or grappling dummy and start wrestling.¹ Back Bridge it, Neck Bridge it, and Reverse it. Squeeze, throw, and flip it. Stand it up on end and practice your Shots against it, etc. No striking — just wrestling — and no breaks longer than a 12-count.

  • Round 4: Swim away like a fish. If you have access to a body of water, swim as fast as you can. If you don’t, get on the floor and do a dry swim. Alternate between Prison Push-ups, Swimmers, and Flutter Kicks. When you gas, take 12-count breaks in Elbow Plank position.

  • Round 5: Run away like a dog. Cover as much distance as you can in 4 minutes.

  • Round 6: Walk it off for 4 minutes. Get your heartbeat down to normal.

  • Round 7: Watch like an owl. Now assume your posture of choice — seiza, lotus, half-lotus, cross-legged, sit in a chair, or have a seat in the grass and lean back against a tree. Spend 4 minutes just sitting. Don’t judge, don’t fantasize, don’t evaluate, don’t plan. Just sit. This is how the owl gets wise — by paying attention.

    ———————————————————————————-

    ¹ There’s no excuse for a martial artist not having a floor bag.  Buy a used bag on Craigslist for $10 or make one.

FOLDEROL AND FRIPPERY: CABAL FANG TRAINING INVOLUTION #162

This week’s T.I. comes straight from the founder’s blog. You can’t be pushing the martial and/or fitness envelope. Sometimes you have to take it down a notch and do some internal work. Enjoy.

A snail gets attacked and beaten up by two turtles. The police come.  They ask the snail what happened. The snail says, “I don’t know — it all happened so fast!”

My grandsons gave me some cool origami for my birthday.  They made what they made because I wowed them with snail jokes (I got a million of them), they love my cool watch, and I guess they always see me in collared shirts.  Great gifts from two amazing boys.

Origami is folded paper, which got me thinking about folderol, which is different but sounds similar.  Folderol is frippery, wish-wash, claptrap, and other unimportant stuff.  Origami gifts from my grandsons are treasures — they are not piffle, twaddle, or gimcrackery.  Still though, got me thinking.

So I re-evaluated my activities and made some changes.  You should do this too from time to time.

FOLDEROL AND FRIPPERY: CABAL FANG TRAINING INVOLUTION #162

Cabal Fang Vital Grace #3 is Frugality  — “to be efficient in the use of time, effort and resources.”  Take today off from training and spend an hour evaluating your use of time and resources.    What you can do to trim, slice or eliminate waste of all kinds and get more frugal?  For some examples, here’s what I got rid of and or adjusted this week.  

  • Fearless Fridays. Made a pact with a friend of mine as follows: every Friday we email each other a report of what we’ve done to advance our projects for the current week and we ruthlessly evaluate one-another — no quarter taken or given.

  • Adjusted training time. 15 minutes less time on fitness and 15 minutes more on technique. I’m training 80 minutes a day on average (including days off — 100 minutes if you don’t). Too much wear and tear on my body at this age.

  • Focused training time. Freezing my Korean Karate training. Current forms twice a week to maintain existing foundation in basics only. No new forms or techniques. 99% focus on Cabal Fang and Frontier Rough & Tumble.

  • Very little free stuff. Can’t hope to make any money teaching martial arts in my retirement if I keep making making YouTube videos that give away all my secrets. Only occasional tidbits and teasers going forward. More effort on interesting books and sale-able products.

  • Efficiency in fundraising. One more giant load to the recycling center to benefit the Cabal Fang Temple, then I’m done. Takes hours to crush cans, organize, bag, and haul, and we only get $100/load. The county can have it going forward. Writing books and increasing donations is a better use of my time.

  • Gave up shopping for a new vehicle. I not Miss America and heaven knows I’m not pretty enough to need a fancy car to wave from. My ugly truck runs fine. I can rent a car for a couple of trips a year and not take on a $500/month car payment.

Flag Day: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #161

This week’s T.I. is out a day early so you can, if you desire, complete it on Flag Day.  Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14th, 1777.

FLAG DAY: CABAL FANG MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING INVOLUTION #161

  • 5 x 10 of Dumbbell Squats and Bench Presses (if you don’t have access to weights, just do 4 x 10 + 1 set to failure of Air Squats and Push-ups).  Choose a weight you think will work and get started.  If a set is easy, add a little weight on the next one.  If you can’t quite get your 10 reps, take a little off the next set so that you get as close to 5 x 10 as you can.

  • Heavy bag carry.  Pick up a heavy bag and carry it as far as you can without stopping.

  • 2-mile flag run.  Okay, fine, you don’t have to run with an actual flag.  But run with something in your hand, like a water bottle or my personal favorite, a walking stick.  It’s a heckuva lot harder than it sounds.

  • Flag Meditation.  Set a timer for 10 mins.  Use the flag as an object of meditation, either visual (q.v. mandala) or verbal (q.v. mantra).  If you choose the visual method, meditate on an actual flag or a photo of one; if you choose the latter, use the Pledge of Allegiance.  Silently recite it to regulate breath.  “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America (breathing in) and to the republic for which it stands (holding breath with airway open), one nation, under God, indivisible (breathing out), with liberty and justice for all (hesitating empty with airways open).

Squiz: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #160

SQUIZ /skwɪz/
Britain, Australia, New Zealand, colloquial. Perhaps a blend of squint +‎ quiz

  1. [noun] a look.

  2. [verb] to peer at or eye suspiciously.

But because this month's external focus is Self-Defense vs. Unarmed, we're going to add a new definition:

3. a self-defense quiz (contraction of self-defense and quiz)

And since our internal focus is The Candle (meditation) we're going to add in that element as well.

Squiz: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #160

  1. The last time you stayed in a hotel, did you request a room between the 2nd and 4th floors? (FYI, fire ladders don't reach beyond the 4th)

  2. Do you know your spouse or significant other's license plate number?

  3. Do you know the nearest safe harbors to both home and work? (A safe harbor is a location that's open 24 hours which has some kind of security presence)

  4. Do you have your attorney's phone number memorized in case you're arrested?

  5. Do you know your state's laws regarding use of force?†

  6. Is there at least a quarter of a tank of gas in your vehicle right now?

  7. Do you have a fully stocked first aid kit in your home that contains a first aid manual?

Expand your definition of meditation beyond sitting on the floor in lotus position reciting a holy mantra.  Your mind treats visualization like actual experience with 80% efficiency.  Which means that in addition to preserving your spirit, meditation on strategy and tactics might preserve your body in a self-defense situation.

  1. Have you spent at least five minutes this week visualizing what you would do if you were the victim of a violent attack, such as a carjacking, abduction or sexual assault?

  2. Have you spent at least five minutes this week visualizing what you would do if someone tried to force their way into your home or office?

  3. Have you spent at least five minutes this week visualizing your own demise?  "Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily." ~Hagakure

That's 10 questions.  How did you score?

10 = A
9 = B
8 = C
7 = D
6 or less = F

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† Here in Virginia, USA, our laws are basically "stand your ground lite."  In other words, youI don't have to run, but you can use only sufficient force to ensure your safety.  Details here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONE SHINING HOUR: CABAL FANG MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING INVOLUTION #159

Exclusive of warm up, transitions and cool down, this T.I. is one hour of action.

Make this your shining hour.

Put out like this is your one shot for an Olympic gold medal or it’s your black belt exam.  Put out like Mom and Dad are watching you fight to free nuns and orphan babies from a concentration camp. 

All we want is all you’ve got.

ONE SHINING HOUR: CABAL FANG MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING INVOLUTION #159

  • Warm up for at least 8 minutes.

  • 10:00 half pyramid of BackNeck Bridge, Prison Push-ups, Ankle Picks and Get-ups.  See how high you can climb before the timer beeps (I almost finished my 9th rep of each).  Beginners sub Back Bridge for Back Neck Bridge, regular Push-ups for the Prisons, Lunges for the Ankle Picks, etc.  as needed.  Modify, adapt and overcome.

  •  10:00 on the heavy bag.  No round breaks and no pussyfooting around.  Take as few 12-count breaks as you need to survive this nightmare.

  • 10:00 run.  See how much ground you can cover before the timer beeps.

  • Cool down for 5:00.

  • 30 minutes of contemplation, mediation or prayer (your choice).

Firefly Style: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #157

“If you can’t run, you walk.  If you can’t walk, you crawl.  If you can’t crawl, you find someone to carry you.” ~Firefly

This week’s T.I. is about understanding the power of realizing you are not alone.

You are going to struggle with this involution. When you do, you’re going to be forced to do two things: modify the exercises and get your head straight. Rest assured that if you were training with the rest of the Cabal Fang crew, none of us would ever let you quit. Imagine you’re there with us, that we’re encouraging you, helping you, making suggestions regarding how to modify exercises, and urging you to dig deep.

Your brothers and sisters in Cabal Fang are right there with you. Now go get it done.

FIREFLY STYLE: CABAL FANG MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING INVOLUTION #157

  • Warm up for a full 8 minutes.

  • 3 sets of HSPUs to failure. If you can’t do HSPUs, do Jackknife Push-ups. If you can’t do them, do Regular Push-ups.

  • 3 sets of Squats. 2 x 5 + 1 set to failure. Pick a weight that works for you (I used 110 lbs).

  • 10 x 10 yards of Heavy Bear Walks. Select two hex dumbbells. Go way lighter than you think you need. I used 10 pounders. Bear Walk with dumbbells in hand for 10 yards. Stop and do 10 Push-ups with a Plank Row between, alternating sides. Repeat 10 more times for a total of 100 yards of Bear Walks, 100 Push-ups and 100 Rows.

  • Unless you are Captain America, you are going to fail at this. When you start failing, imagine all of the other people in Cabal Fang working right there with you. If you gas on the Bear Walks, drop the dumbbells and go on without them. If you gas on the Push-ups or Plank Rows, come up and do them on knees. Switch to lighter dumbbells halfway through if necessary. Make whatever changes you have to make and take as many 12-count breaks as you need. The only rule is don’t give up.

  • Cool down for 3 minutes.

  • Stretch and practice contemplation.

  • Record what you learned in your training journal.

Real Deal Basics: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #156

This week’s T.I. marks the third anniversary of the weekly program — the sixth anniversary counting the original protocol.  Sometimes, when folks go on vacation and such, we re-post previous T.I.s. But mostly you get something fresh every week. 

Being fresh ain’t easy, because martial arts aren’t as much about exploring new territory as they are about knowing the road map of fighting like the back of your hand.  Self-defense requires fight-specific strength and complete, automatic command of the basics.

That’s why we often re-combine essential ingredients to give freshness to the basics — kind of the way Taco Bell creates new products from the same basic meat, cheese, sauce and tortillas.  Those of you have been doing C.F.T.I.s for a few years will recognize some familiar ingredients in #156 for sure.

REAL DEAL BASICS: CABAL FANG MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING INVOLUTION #156

  • Ideally you will have two heavy bags –one hanging/standing and  one for the floor.  Substitute a large gym bag full of gear for the floor bag or make one.

  • Warm up for a full eight minutes by doing multiple mini-sets at 50% effort.

  • Set timer for 5 x 3:00 (beginners 5 x 1:00, intermediate 5 x 2:00).  Rounds go as follows: HB Shrimps, HB Bridges and Reverses, Punches, Kicks, and Clinch Work.  Take as few 12-count breaks as needed to finish standing up.  See video below for details.

  • Perform the Salutations of Sun and Moon per the Cabal Fang Study Guide.  Our internal focus this month is The Luminaries and our external focus is Evasion.  More on evasion next week.


MORE TRUTH: CABAL FANG TRAINING INVOLUTION #155

This week we’re revisiting T.I # 50…

During his fight with Maleficent in her dragon form, Prince Philip loses the Shield of Virtue because that’s what we all do.  We’re human.  We mess up, we make mistakes, we do things that we know are not in keeping with our own moral and ethical codes.  But as long as we hold tight to truth the way that Prince Philip does in the movie, we can slay any dragon and ultimately regain our virtue.  Because making a commitment to speak the truth is more than just a speech modifier.  If you do things you’re ashamed of you’ll have to lie about what you did.  So telling the truth is a behavior modifier too.

Truth may be the highest ideal known to man.  That’s why it figures so prominently in the initiations of Cabal Fang.  Individuals and cultures that do not revere truth may reap short-term rewards of one kind or another but eventually they will completely lose their virtue and have no way to regain it — and some dragon or other will eat them up in their bankruptcy.

Hold tight to truth my friends, and aim your compass toward it like it’s true north.  You’ll screw up because we all do.  But at least you’ll be able to get back on course!

MORE TRUTH: CABAL FANG TRAINING INVOLUTION #155

  • 10 minutes of slipping and bobbing.  Set a timer for 10 minutes and practice your slips and bobs, preferably with a slip ball.  Beginners use this intro video.  Advanced folks, run this slip ball impairment drill.

  • Heavy bag 4 x 2:oo/:30.  Go after a heavy bag with maximum ill intent, just make sure that between each combination you (a) complete at least 2 slips or bobs, and (b) you circle the bag rather than standing stock-still.  Hit while you move and move while you hit.

  • Meditation on Truth.  Look into your past starting with most recent history and find a time when you were less than truthful.  Now set a timer for 10 minutes and assume your chosen meditative posture.  Untangle that lie through meditation.  Use your imagination to step into the scene.  Relive the incident.  See if you can come to understand why you weren’t truthful, what you should have done, and what you think you might do the next time you’re in a similar situation.  Record your thoughts and realizations in your training journal.

Big News + IMT: Cabal Fang Training Involution #154

Cabal Fang attends Karate College 2019

For the first time ever, CF will be going to Karate College as a group.  Register here, send me an email, and roll with us!  Camp costs $219 and dorm rooms are only about $35/night.  Karate College is the best martial arts camp in the country, and it's three days of non-stop action!

 Cabal Fang Helps Revive Community Park

The defunct civic association that owns the park where we train here at CF HQ is coming back to life and Cabal Fang is going to be a part of the plan.  The first official meeting of the new association will be on May 20th, 2019.  Yours truly will be at that meeting to volunteer for a seat on the board.  For the last ten years we've been the only folks who cared enough to haul off trash, cut grass, and deter vandals.  Our energy will continue to flow and evolve in concert with this new initiative.

 Planning Begins for Cabal Fang 10th Anniversary Event

October will mark the official 10th Anniversary of Cabal Fang.  If memory serves me, we started meeting in April of 2009.  But the first monthly constitutional we have on record is from October, and you know the rule: "If it ain't in the training log, it didn't happen."  We're still spit-balling, but the idea that has come up several times in the past is some kind of tire run that will be open to the public.  Watch this space for details.

Now for the T.I.

IMT: Cabal Fang Training Involution #154

IMT stands for "Individual Movement Technique."  In a nutshell, moving target acquisition takes 3 to 5 seconds.  To avoid getting shot, pop up, sprint as fast as you can for 3 to 5 seconds, then hit the dirt.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  This one comes straight from the mind of Mark Hatmaker.  Click here for instructions.

Here’s what you look like from the knees after a half-mile IMT mud run.

Katabasis: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #153

katabasis /kətă'bəsis/, IPA(key): /kəˈtæbəsɪs/ n. (plural katabases) From Ancient Greek κατάβασις (katábasis), from verb καταβαίνω (katabaínō), from κατά (katá, “downwards”) + βαίνω (baínō, “go”).

1. A journey downwards: a journey downhill, a decrease of winds, a military retreat, a trip to the underworld; a trip from the interior of a country to the coast.

For most of the world, today is a dark day.  For some it is the last dark day before the light returns tomorrow.  For others the darkness won't lift until next weekend.  Today is a good day to think about katabasis -- the idea of what it means to go dark.

Since our focuses this month are Basic Self-Defense and The Book (the Book of Hermes, a.k.a. the Book of Hermes-Thoth, a.k.a. the Tarot) we will explore the concept of katabasis with our bodies and with our meditations rather than with our intellects.

Katabasis: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #153

This week's T.I. is not easy, so buckle up, hold on tight, and don't forget: modify, adapt, overcome.

  • Warm up thoroughly (at least 8:00).

  • Sparring. Spar all-in for 30 minutes.  Adjust round length to suit your fitness level.  If you are going it solo, do Wrestling Conditioner #2 (see below if you don't want to get out the Cabal Fang Study Guide).

  • Constitutional.  Jump Squats (100), Lunges (100), Crunches (100), Bear Walk (100 yds), Get-ups (25), Mountain Climbers (100), Sprints (50 x 12').

  • Meditation.  Lay out the spread of cards below, print out the picture, or set up your tablet/laptop.  Set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes.  Look at the pictures.  What story does this little "chapter" of the Tarot "book" relate?  Don't think in words -- look at the pictures as if they are selected photos from a children's book.  What are the intervening pictures that complete the story?  What comes after?

  • Record what you learned in your training journal.  If it ain't in the journal it didn't happen.

Wrestling Conditioner #2: Set timer for 10 mins. Top Saddle a.k.a Mount your heavy bag and strike it 10 times as hard as you can. Drop, lock, and roll so that bag is on top of you. Knee boost or Reverse the bag as hard as you can back to Top Saddle.  Strike 10 times as hard as you can. Drop, lock, and roll so that bag is on top of you. Bridge the bag and roll it off to regain Top Saddle.  Repeat until timer beeps.

Pay Attention: Training Involution #152

Why do you suppose it is that almost every religious symbol since the Egyptians screams out, "Pay attention!"?  A Celtic cross is basically a giant set of cross-hairs.  The Dharma wheel is a perfect target.  And the symbol of the Jains is literally a big hand saying, "Stop! Look at this target thingy right here!"

When you are giving something your full attention, time stands still.  When you are playing the guitar, making love, or getting hit in the face in a sparring match, you are essentially in touch with the eternal -- from the Latin aeternus , meaning atemporal.  In other words, outside the bonds of time.

Get this through your head right now.

  • Paying attention is the secret sauce that makes your martial arts burger tasty and delicious.

  • Paying attention is the splashy color that makes your oil painting fry people's brains out when they look at it.

  • Paying attention is the magic mojo that makes your lover want to hold your hand until the sun becomes a black hole.

  • Not paying attention is what makes you step on snakes and tumble down slippery slopes and fall on punji stakes and suffer a short a miserable life.

Pay Attention: Training Involution #152

This week do whatever you want -- as long as you do it with your whole heart, your whole mind, and your whole attention. 

It doesn't matter what you do as much as how you do it. 

This is why we journal in Cabal Fang -- to focus and refocus our attention -- and this is why journaling makes you powerful.  Do something with full attention and then write it down.

That is all.

HIIT Parade: Training Involution #151

Last week's T.I. was a double-down.  So this week we're going to take it down a notch -- see below.

This month's internal focus is The Book, a.k.a the Tarot.  The Tarot is essentially an encyclopedia of symbolism in the form of a deck of cards, a way to train your mind to see the world in terms of story and symbol.  When used as a tool for reflection and psychoanalysis, Tarot is fun and beneficial beyond measure.

Tarot cards are not dangerous and scary unless you use them to tell fortunes.  The finest Tarot book ever written was penned by a devout Catholic.  Divination and magic, on the other hand, will get you into hot water. — we advise against it.

HiIt Parade: Cabal Fang Training Involution #151

A parade is a "succession, series, or display of items.” like a spread of cards for example. The origin of the word parade is the Latin paro which means to prepare, provide, or resolve. 

Let's do this.

  • Warm up thoroughly -- that's 8 minutes minimum.

  • Cabal Fang Grappling Conditioner #2. Set timer for 3 x 3:00/1:00.  For each 3:00, Splay-n-Punch 1-2, Splay-n-Punch 1-2-3-4, Splay-n-Punch 1-2-3-4-5-6, etc. up to Splay-n-Punch 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, then start again.  If you're not dawdling you should be able to get at least 5 climbs done during every 3:00 round -- that's 25 Sprawls and 150 punches.  For the 1:00 "rests" body-lock a heavy bag and squeeze it as hard as you can.  Take as many 12-count breaks as you must in order keep from upchucking.  Just breathe.  I promise it'll be over in 12 minutes.

  • Scuffling, grappling and wrestling HIIT. Set a timer to beep every 40 seconds. Whenever it beeps take a 10-second break and then start the next exercise. Cycle through the following 6 times for a total of 16 minutes, each as many as you can for 30 seconds: Smearing Push-ups, Cross-arm Clinch Lunges (maximum cutting power!), Leg Triangles and Splay-n-Punch. See video below for details.

  • Tell a story. Shuffle your Tarot cards and deal out nine cards, all face up, in a 3 x 3 square.  Think of them as panels in a comic book of your life -- the top row your past, the middle row your present, the bottom row your future.  Come up with a plot that connects the pictures.  Spend some time asking yourself questions about the little story you made up.  Which episodes from your childhood are brought to mind by the first three cards?  Do you know why?  Does the story have a good or bad ending?  What could you do to change it?

  • Record everything you learned in your training journal.  If it ain't in the journal, it didn't happen.

New Month, New Constitutional, New Focuses, New Dispatch

This month’s focuses are Basic Self-Defense and The Book. Our new constitutional:

Jump Squats (100)
Lunges (100)
Crunches (100)
Bear Walk (100 yds)
Get-ups (25)
Mountain Cimbers (100)
Sprints (50 x 12')

There’s so much going on around here we can’t even see straight. As you can see by the picture on the right, we now have a new monthly constitutional and two new focuses.

In addition to that, thanks to our new newsletter editor James A. Williams, a big ol’ honkin’ Cabal Fang State of the Art Dispatch just got mailchimped out into the web-o-sphere this afternoon. It’s our biggest and most jam-packed issue ever. If you aren’t subscribed to the CFSOTAD, follow this link to read it online.

Ex Gladio Scientia!

Double Trouble: Cabal Fang Training Involution #150

We highly recommend doing a double-down day once every four to six weeks or so.  Pick a recent training session that didn't go well.  Then double it and try to find a way to modify, adapt, overcome and suffer through it.

If you listen to your body and you know your limits, and if you are cautious enough to do this safely, the benefits are out-of-this-world.

Double Trouble: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #150

We don't know what you're going to do, because we don't know what you will select to double!  But here's what Elder Mitch did.

——————————————

1. Forms.  I spent a full 10 minutes running through the Star of Ishtar, the Fool's Journey and the new Six-headed Hydra choke form, plus a quick run through a few of my favorite Korean Karate forms.

2. Double weights. Tuesday's session was weak sauce, so I just about doubled the reps.

  • T-handle Dead Lifts.  #70 @ 2 x 10  as warm-up.  #140 @ 4 x 5 + 1 set to failure (I made 5).  Here's a beast showing how it's done.

  • HSPUs.  2 x 10 Jackknife Push-ups to warm up, then 5 sets to failure.  I got 4, 3, 3, 2, 2.

  • Sandbag Shoulder Carry. #95  @ 4 x 50 yards+ 1 set to failure.  50, 50, 50, 50, 24.  Still cruddy, but getting stronger.

3. Ground Fighting Conditioner #1 -- twice.  The conditioner so nice you ought to do it twice.  Details here.

4. Weighted Shadowboxing. 10 mins with #2 weights on ankles and #2 dumbbells in hands.  Count your strikes (10-count combos makes it easy to keep track).  I made 520 strikes.

5. Stretching Meditation. Nice relaxing stretch, full 20 minutes, with total focus and body awareness -- no linguistic thinking or daydreaming.

Slug Fest: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #149

According to the very nice county police officer who gave us a heads up Thursday night,  there's a chance we're going to be run out of the civic association park where we've trained since '09.  We're okay for now, but "No Trespassing" signs are likely going up soon.

Running is almost always the right answer in a self-defense situation.  But not this time.

Next week we'll be asking for a zoning variance at the monthly county board of supervisors meeting.  And I'll also be asking about the future of the park -- about the county's commitment to its upkeep, and so on.  Meetings are video taped and saved on the county website, so video to come.

Slug Fest: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #149

  • 9 mins of slugging.  Warm up thoroughly (at least 8 mins).  Set timer for 1:00 min intervals.  Bang the heavy bag for 1 min as fast and as hard as you can.  Then shadowbox as fast as you can for 1 min.  Then, based on your fitness level, hold a Handstand, Push-up Plank or Elbow Plank for 1 min.  Repeat twice more for a total of 9 mins.  Take as few 12-count breaks as you must in order to finish.

  • Ask Archangel Barachiel for intercession.  Light a white candle and/or burn some incense as an offering to Archangel Barachiel, our guardian angel, and spend a few minutes in silent reflection.  Request he lend his wisdom, guardianship, guidance, care, visitation, and defense to Cabal Fang as we struggle to keep our space.

 

Enduro: Cabal Fang Training Involution #148

In Cabal Fang we generally train for max output over a limited time.  Cabal Fang is a self-defense martial art.  Self-defense situations don't usually last for more than a minute or so.

But we also want Cabal Fang to be applicable in every day life.  Only cops, medics and soldiers will likely use their martial arts skills more than once or twice in a lifetime.  But if Cabal Fang makes you healthy and strong inside and out, you can apply that in a million different ways, all day every day.  And every day life sometimes will require you to work until you can work no more.

So once in a while we should shake things up and train for distance instead of speed -- for length of time instead of for output across a span of time.

Enduro: Cabal Fang Training Involution #148

  • 9 rounds of emergency action.  Only 8 breaks of 12 secs each, one break between each of the 9 rounds. Each round you'll go until you gas, take a 12 sec. break, then proceed to the next exercise: HBSC (Heavy Bag Shoulder Carry), Up Strikes, Bear Walks, HBSC, Mounted Strikes, Bear Walks, HBSC, Low Kicks, Bear Walks. No pacing or lollygagging on the strikes, but travel at a relaxed pace for the HBSCs and Bear Walks.  8 breaks only.  My time was a fairly pathetic 20:39. Post yours in the comments.  See video below.

  • Internal work for time. Assume your posture of choice and set a countdown timer for one hour.  Practice your choice of contemplation, meditation or prayer as long as you are able -- until your mind or body fails you -- or until the timer beeps, whichever comes first.  I made my hour.  Did you?

  • If it's not in your training journal it didn't happen.  Record all times and all self-realizations in your training journal.

Boy's Twelve: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #146

Apparently boys were pretty fit back in '45.

Check out this little fitness drill called the "Army's Daily Dozen" from the Boy's Fun Book of Things to Make an Do (Grosset & Dunlap, New York 1945) pages 142-143.  It's not as hard as Self-Destruct Sequence or anything, but it's no walk in the park either!

No rep counts or time guidelines are provided except for two exercises -- Burpees (40 minimum!) and the Banks Twists (30 minimum!).  For our purposes I have guesstimated what seem like reasonable numbers.

Now go see if you're as fit as little boys used to be back in the day.

Boy's Twelve: Cabal Fang Martial Arts Training Involution #146

If you get this done in under 25:56 you got me beat.

  1. 40 Burpees (no hop, no Push-up)

  2. 25 High Jumpers (a.k.a Standing Broad Jump)

  3. 25 Squat Benders (Squat, then touch toes)

  4. 25 Rowing Exercise (a.k.a. Jackknifes)

  5. 25 Sit-ups with Plough (dead stop after each Plough)

  6. 25 Push-ups (narrow)

  7. 30 Banks Twists (a.k.a. Windshield Wipers, over-back = 1)

  8. 25 Side Benders (look at the drawing and good luck!)

  9. 25 8-Count Push-ups (Burpee with 2 Push-ups and no hop)

  10. 25 Squat Jumps (Split Jump Squats w/ hands on head)

  11. Stationary Run (100 taps of each foot)

  12. 25 Trunk Twisters (Windmills, elbow to knee, 25/side)