Philosophical Rules…

Be a good Training Partner

This is a Development Session, not a Skills Class. Therefore, these are general rules that help guide us on that journey together.

Rule 1     Train with RESPECT.

It begins with RESPECT. If you train with RESPECT, everything else will fall into place.

  • Respect for your Training Parter’s “Why”, their time, their efforts in helping you be better.

  • Respect for my Training Partner’s Safety.

  • Respect for your Classmates and the Coaches.

  • Respect our Training Space (the gym).

  • Respect for Yourself and the Opportunity to Train.

  • Respect for Everyone’s Time.

Rule 2     Train at a Learning Speed.

Train at a speed that allows you to:

  • Work the Drill Properly

    • Understand the purpose of each drill…if you don’t know, ask.

  • Feel & Understand Your Body Mechanics (Kinetic Linking)

  • See & Understand your Opponent's Body Mechanics

  • Contemplate Combinations, Defenses & Strategy

  • Strengthen Cardio Abilities…both Sustained & Burst

    • Don’t be lazy, push yourself.

    • Manage your pace to last the class.

  

Rule 3     Focus on Footwork.

Draw your power from our planet.

  • Know your Power Balance based on Weight Distribution

  • Know where your feet are and base your Attack on Those Circumstances

Rule 4     Train Danger without Damage.

  • You can throw good Technical Strikes without hitting hard.

    • Slopy strikes cheat your partner and yourself. It trains you both for bad mechanics.

    • Understand, good strikes do land more solid. Defend accordingly.

  • Spar Appropriate Opponents.

    • Unless you are sparring for some other reason, spar with a partner similar in height and striking competency.

      • The primary considerations are Reach and Ability to Defend.

      • Weight and cardio similarities are not as relevant with these controlled drills.

    • Don’t spar people far better than you, unless you both know it and agree on “why?”.

  • Add Speed & Power with repetition…as long as you both agree.

    • With proper mechanics in place, increase your striking speed and/or impact power.

    • EASY ANSWER: Go harder in the last 30 seconds.

  • Push the (cardio) pace to Fight Tired. In sport, everyone can fight. Those who can fight tired Fight Best.

    • Purposely Dig Your Gas Tank to increase difficulty while enhancing positive impacts.

  • If you get caught with a hard strike, Don’t Get Mad.

    • Both partners should acknowledge the strike, why it happened, bump gloves and carry on.

Rule 5     Don’t mistake Informality for Undisciplined.

This is a Development Session, not a Skills Class. We keep it light and informal on purpose. Understand those purposes and [please] don’t be a distraction, to others or yourself.

Those purposes are:

  • We want it to be a collaborative, social event where you can share ideas and enjoy yourself while learning.

  • Our Objective is the practical application of skills [we’ve worked on throughout the week] under controlled circumstances.