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One of the methodologies of CrossFit is to select movements that are generally applicable to everyday movement. In other words, we want to get strong and competent in ways that are functional for our lives. Most people have to take out the garbage once a week, so we want to be able to lift heavy things. Most folks have to carry groceries, so we want to be able to carry heavy things.
A result of this is there is a standard stable of CrossFit movements. After about 6 months, you’ve probably seen them all.
Another methodology of CrossFit is to challenge students with new movements and games. Thus, we have novelty movements. The standard movements make you strong in a broad way. The novelty movements challenge us to see if that general physicality is paying off. It helps us answer the question: does this stuff work?
SW Portland Martial Arts Blog
Standard Stable versus Novelty Movements
October 11th, 2024Sharing the Knowledge
October 7th, 2024
Today was a Gi day for the kids. We worked on how to hold the rear mount, and some finishes specific to the Gi from there.
How did we know what to work? We let the kids play and find the gaps. Then, we pick the biggest gap and try and fill it in. The best part? There are and always will be gaps – the learning goes on and on.
What will we work tomorrow? We’ll see what new gaps are revealed.
Spooky Side Control
October 4th, 2024
For October, we’re focusing on side control. One student, upon hearing this, was slightly shocked. “How basic,” he said. True enough, and we will spend plenty of time on the nuts and bolts of the position.
We will also spend time looking at how to flow from side control to other positions – like mount, rear mount, north-south, and kesa getami. As you may already know, it’s not enough to know one top pin – people who have trained for a while know all sorts of escapes and if you hold on desperately to only one pin, they are more likely to escape.
In addition to transitioning to the “big” top positions, we’ll also look at how to move from side control to increasing positions of control. While you can submit beginners from regular side control, against skill people, more is required.
The lesson I hope to take from this month, as always, is to move, and adapt to the situation at hand. Onward!
Don’t Forget the Ankles
October 1st, 2024
When you’re trying to throw a ball (or any object) fast, it’s important to use the explosive power of all your major joints. The trouble is you have to open those joints in the right order. In short, it’s not enough to generate power, you need coordination.
So it is with the Olympic lifts. In fact, the Olympic lifts are sort of like throwing a ball… except you’re throwing it straight up and then getting underneath it, so maybe it’s a big stretch to compare the two, but it is not a big stretch to say you need power and coordination.
One joint that is easy to forget, especially during warm-up drills, is the ankles. The bar is light and it’s just a warm up, so who cares, right? Wrong. The purpose of the warm-up drills is to burn in the correct motor pattern, not to casually and consistently do things incorrectly.
The fix is easy. Make sure you’re opening your hips, your knees, AND your ankles during your lifts – even during your warm-ups.
Leg Entanglements
September 30th, 2024
September’s theme was leg entanglements. For those of us steeped in “regular” BJJ, all the new positions and movements can be baffling, but the rewards are amazing. Your guard passing improves because you can threaten leg locks at the same time you are passing. Your submission threats increase because you’ve suddenly got two more limbs to threaten.
It is – however – a ton of work. Like everything in martial arts, if you want to make techniques and concepts function, you’ve got to punch the clock. Try the new moves and positions when you roll. Force yourself away from your old game and don’t sweat it, you’ll come out the other end a better player.
Next month’s theme: side control.