SW Portland Martial Arts Blog

The most fun fighting principle there is: constant forward pressure (CFP). The simple meaning of CFP is to just keep going. The more complex meaning is to keep feeding your partner problems, so many problems that they won’t be able to solve them all.

For kid’s class, we played the game “new kicks on the blocks”. Yeah. It is an awesome game where you jump from block to block constantly throwing kicks (also punches). CFP on those blocks!

For CrossFit class, we did 12 of everything. Split jumps, ground to overheads, Superman’s… and squats. So many squats. CFP on the squats.

Are you using CFP in your internal martial arts? You should be. You gotta keep working at it if you want it to work!

Continuing our week of fighting principles, today we worked “Economy of Motion”. What’s that, you ask? It’s being efficient. How little energy do you need to use to accomplish your goal. One of the easiest ways to work this idea is to NOT rear back your arms as you punch.

Check out the amazing game “cone wars” as well as the many other brilliant ways that we explore economy of motion in kid’s class today.

For striking class, watch Dug duck! That’s right. You can put defense in your striking combos. It doesn’t all have to be offense.

CrossFit class is ALWAYS about economy of motion. How little energy can you use to get the work done? Jump rope is a fantastic example of this. Are you swinging your shoulders all crazy? Cut that out and just use your wrists. Be efficient! Are you slamming your feet down like a yeti between each rep? Knock that crazy biz off. Bounce off the balls of your feet.

We’re trying to run through a few of the fighting principles this week for kid’s class. Today we did combinations. Why? Because single punches or kicks just don’t work well against skilled partners. You need more than one strike at a time!

And striking class does it have combinations? Always. The structure of the class is Dug goes over the techniques in the first half, and then puts together combos in the second. How do you get better at combos? Throw them. Now is the time to practice.

What about CrossFit class? Are there combinations in there? I mean… we combine an awesome warmup with awesome skill work and an incredible workout topped with a fantastic stretch at the end and BAM! That’s a combination.

What is broken rhythm? It’s a strategy. You set up a pattern. Your partner buys into that pattern. Then, you break that pattern and catch them. In today’s kid’s class, we worked broken rhythm and realized just how tough a concept it is to convey. We explained the difference between tempo and rhythm, we played a drum for each other, and we danced… obviously. Fun times.

Then for the CrossFit class, it was all side balances, shrimp squats, and bridges. Nothing to do with broken rhythm. So it goes… but it was still awesome.