We started with some mobility and warm up exercises. Then moved to breathing exercises with pushups, squats, leg lifts in various modes and exercises to prepare the body for striking. We then explored the different 'weapons' available in the body (fingers, palms, back of the hand, forearms, biceps, elbows, shoulders, chest, head, waist, knees, feet, legs, etc) and how they can be used. We then did more mobility drills and 'manipulation' drills with the partner. Then we worked on 'escaping, breaking structure and controlling'. First when attacker and defender have no hands (tied behind back)... and so they must use whole body movement. Then attacker has one hand, then attacker had two hands, then defender had one hand and finally defender and attacker had two hands. In the meantime we got some 'hammer punches' and did several drills of application for all the 'weapons'. We finished up with some 'fear and breathing drills' on the ground and then with some deep tissue massage. 

Tonight in class we worked with a stick again. First we did some warm up excersices and movement drills with the stick, then we worked on sensitivity (special attention to breaking body structure, spotting and working with tension, giving and removing points of support, etc.) and breathing of course. We did some good drills on the floor, standing up and standing on a medicine ball. We finished up with a good stick massage.

Oh... and we did some BREATHING and FEAR DRILLS too :-)

Today we had our Tactical Pistol I Course - or as it's known too "Tactical Mindset for Pistol Owners". We covered topics like situational awareness, safety, effective movement, Israeli Point Shooting, unconventional shooting positions, magazine changes, discrimination, communication, mindset, mindset, mindset, stress drills, and more. We also had an introduction to the Russian approach to pistol work.  

Tonight we worked on Kapap Gun Disarming. We started inside the ac talking about awareness, distance, timing, relationship, position of hands, 2 points of contact, pull and push, relative position, body structure, presssure points and other topics. Then we went to the matt and worked slow. Then we did our 'take-the-ball-from-him' stress drill, and some other goodies like our now-famous Salamandra, rolls, sprints, rope climbing, and more. When everyone was exhausted we did more disarming... this time much faster and with immediate reaction. After that, we did a good 6 scenarios that involved real life situations. Please share your thoughts from tonight's work!

Tonight's work focused on releasing our friend from an attacker holding him up with a knife... by understanding the situation, the kind of angle with the knife, the way the attacker stands, spotting the tension points on the attacker, what is supporting him and what can break his structure. Then in one quick and precise movement we take action and allow our friend to 'escape' while controlling the attacker.

Please share your thoughts. What did you learn tonight? What was challenging? Etc...

Tonight we had a special guest from out of town, our Systema friend Bill Parravano. Thank you Bill for visiting us and sharing your knowledge! We started with a great warm up, first doing some breath work and then combining it with 'soft' and smooth movement on the ground.

We then went to the parking lot and started working in and around the cars:
-Familiarization with your vehicle: the different angles and how they can help you or limit you in different situations. Getting in and out of the various seats in one quick movement. Moving inside the car and using the seat belt. Getting out and taking low cover as quickly as possible. Opening the door and getting into the driver seat as quickly as possible (with high heart beat and then with vertigo...). 
-Familiarization with the street asphalt. Soft and smooth movement on the ground. Rolls, up and down, movement.
-Knife/Gun defense situations in and around the car.
-"Help your friend escape drill" - how to remove the threat from your friend in one quick and precise movement (without getting him slashed or stabbed). 

We finally ended up inside with a good 'walking massage' to relax the psyche (and the body). 

So what did you like tonight and what were some of the things you learned?

The last weeks of 2011 were very cold here in South Florida - seriously :-) -and in a few classes we worked with our jackets on... Great for manipulation of your opponents 'form' and many other 'applications'.

Please share your feedback!

Our last segment of training in 2011 was "work in confined spaces". Through many different drills and scenarios we studied subjects like sensitivity, precision, economy of motion, timing, distance, relationship, psychology of combat and many other topics! 

If you joined us for some/all of these... what were your thoughts? What did you like most? What challenged you most? What did you learn? 

Ok guys, we're going live! This blog will be the place where you can 'hang around' after training and share ideas from the courses we offer here at Technon Tactical. View it as your own personal AAR (after-action review) Lounge!
 
The goal is to enhance your own experience and understanding by enabling this element of 'collective learning' where you will be able to share your thoughts on a specific course/class, provide your feedback and share with others what you liked, what you had challenges with, what you learned, what you could have done differently... and more! The sky is the limit!

I encourage you to share your experience with the group after every training session and read what others have to say. It will give you other angles, ideas and lessons that you can then check out or apply in the next session.

Let the information/experience sharing begin!