Geezer's Long March Toward the Elite Sneaking Up On the Finish Line

[tertius]

Hmm. MIGHT be this guy, who you would probably get along with. I didn't remember him being a cop, so it might not be the guy, but you could check out Steve Kardian. Watching a video, his voice doesn't sound right, to me. But boy, it was ten years ago now that I saw the guy I'm thinking of lecture. And there can't be too many of these dudes out there.

Website isn't great, unfortunately. http://www.nydefendu.com

[Mark E. Hurling]

Interesting stuff and thanks for dredging the memory banks. What you described sounds a lot like Marc Macyoung's approach. His stuff, along with Rory Miller's Meditations on Violence and Lawrence Kane's Little Black Book of Violence provided some really solid thoughts on the environment, awareness, along with what the run-up to an attack can escalate. Even though most of their work is directed at a general audience rather than women in particular. I highly recommend Kane's book for every street warrior wanna-be. It was sobering and eye opening for me and caused me to realize that I couldn't do things like I used to when I had the force of authority behind me. Well whoever you were talking about, I'm always on the lookout for more and better information. So much of what passes for self defense is really about an appeal to ego gratification for men. Women barely get covered adequately and getting them primed up on lots of groundwork rather than simple escape is worse than a disservice. It's suicidal for a woman to stand and fight and to do more than fend off an attack if she downed so she can get up and run is just teaching women how to get in position to be raped. Women have been fed so much bad information they need to be deprogrammed from the myths and idiocy they have been exposed to before anything else can be done. Men aren't much better, especially the younger ones who have gotten even worse with the rise of MMA.

As for your descriptions of taiji class, Chen approached balance and alignment just like Master Bellman. I'm sure it's the Chinese kempo influence Bellman incorporated into mushin ryu. He uses the term anatomical physics all the time. Funny, huh? I wish I had known the movement, balance, and alignment when I was competing in judo while in college. I'd never have lost a match.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Since they run a 10K along the Pacific on SuperBowl Sunday which includes access to Gold's, I couldn't get there to lift until afternoon today. I haven't lifted this late in the day maybe ever. I was completely awake though which is not always the case some mornings.

Bench Press: 220 x 5 x 3. A 3 second pause on the first rep of set 5. I have been using 2 minute rests between sets up until now and started with 3 minute rests. The later sets seemed to get easier, because the first 2 sets made wonder if I could get all my reps in for the last couple sets. No problem though.

Sumo Deadlifts: Warmed up to a top set of 315 x 3. My excel chart called for 310 but I figured, oh what the hell. Those 3 big red Power Systems bumper plates looked so cool taking up over a foot of space on either end of the bar. They just made such a satisfying "whump" sound as I set them down between reps. Not a cake walk, but not too taxing either. I know I will be hitting more than the 355 I hit last time I pulled for a max single.

Finished off with the usual suspects; foam roller and stretching. It's glorious to be alive and being capable of doing more than getting up from the toilet or a recliner.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Medium day today.

5 minute warm up on the bike.

Bench Press: 205 x 5 x 5. The 3 minute rests between sets are definitely needed now. The last couple reps of sets 4 and 5 went up sloooowly.

Hammer Row: 370 x 5 x 5. I just enjoy myself too much loading 4 plates on each side of this equipment. The added 5 lb. plate is just frosting on the cake.

Claw Grip: 162 x 5 x 2 PR!

It's been 4 hours since I lifted and my delts, triceps, and lats are still pretty sore. This is very unusual. I don't think my lats have ever gotten sore before and the other groups have only felt this way 2 or 3 times in my whole life. Never all at the same time though.

[JM3]

congrats on the deadlift!

[Oldster]

Some mighty good looking lifting going on here!

Good job on the PR and congradulations on the soreness!

[BillBrownley]

excellent lifting--nice PR!

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thank you gentlemen, one and all. In fairness I should put the claw grip PR into context though, Bill. I am microloading this move, I can't in good conscience call it a lift, and seem to have not found the end point quite yet.

The flu seems to have settled in me in what is starting to feel like a host/symbiotic relationship. I am still a little woozy from time to time, and get unexpected outbreaks of the sweats. Dearly Beloved asks if I am now going through the change. Add to this a lower GI tract that feel like it has baling twine being hauled through it episodically, and it has a disruptive tendency on one's day and activities. Saturday I had to stop in the middle of my teaching session of the blue and purple belt and hustle off to the head. Twice. It's a real drag trying to get out of a heavy weight canvas gi with side ties so you can attend to bidness. The cramps yesterday were significant enough for me to decide to forego jujitsu last night until these disturbances moderate.

I did a running GXP this morning. Not my first choice what with the effect such jostling can have below, but all my regularly used equipment was occupied at Gold's. Finished up with foam rolling and stretching.

[RobCor]

Mark,

Your log is one of, if not the, most interesting on the forum. I've clipped together some excerpts about the realities of women's self defense and sent them to my gf. Despite being skinny and totally untrained, she's convinced that she could fend off an attacker with her "Women's Self Defense" moves. The fact that I can easily pin her down doesn't seem to sway her for some reason.

[Mark E. Hurling]

I guess it comes down to what you (and she) means by "fending off." If it means stop the hands from making contact by blocking, side stepping, or prying the fingers loose in the event a grip is achieved on her it may have some merit. I suspect that is not what she means though. First off, don't be where you can get hurt. Second, heads up and detour, run, and scream if you get surprised. Attract all the attention you can because a predator wants isolation of the prey from the herd.

THEN if those failed, does the prey have to resort to block and run; slip by and run; grab the fingers and bend them in an impossible direction backward or sideways, release, and run. All of us, women and men have been exposed to too much entertainment in TV and movies that influence what we think we can do. Jennifer Garner in Alias has probably sold more kickboxing lessons and gotten more women hurt than any other single show. Garner is about 5'8" and 115-120 lbs. Watching her spin kick a 6 ' 200+ lb. man in the nose (6 inches over her head) is Hollywood, not the world. Someone half the weight of their assailant cannot muster the intertia or kinetic energy to significantly affect the assailant. Maybe trying the above physics metaphor might open her eyes.