- Joined
- Oct 22, 2000
- Messages
- 147
It was this past Saturday, right? Please share the experience.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Att. Gaucho: How was camp?
- Thread starter Stormbringer
- Start date
Hey Stormbringer,
Sorry for the delay. I have family in town this week and haven't had a chance to check BFs until now.
This was my first IBFG Summer Camp. I had attended the Spring Intensive Camp in March, and it was hands down the best seminar both from a learning and a physically challenging standpoint that I had ever attended. I'm pleased to report that the IBFG Summer Camp was just as good.
First thing Saturday morning, I ran the attendees through their warmup and fundamental strike and footwork progressions, then into some combat proven enganyos 'off the line'. Then Po (Prof Sotis) took over, and he and I and a couple of the other instructors really focused in on 1. creating attack opportunities (what we in Amok! call misalignments) in space and time through fluid but precise offensive and defensive footwork, and 2. Po's concept of the 'launching pad'.
In knifefighting, everyone above a certain skill level has fast, precise hands. From that point on, its really the quality of the fighters respective footwork that decides who lives and who dies. Spend as much time watching knifefighters spar as Po has, and you will come to realize that most fighters use good footwork for one, maybe two steps- footwork that, even if it doesn't achieve a misalignment, at least doesn't put the fighter himself at risk. If the engagement lasts longer than a step or two, however, one often observes the footwork of each fighter getting progressively sloppier until either one fighter puts himself in a horrible position, or when a misalignment occurs, neither fighter is really in a good position to capitalize on it.
The launching pad concept teaches several things. First, finding one's ideal fighting stance (the 'launching pad'), and learning how to land in one's launching pad every time one steps, regardless of the type of footwork used. Second, learning to move in such a way that when one steps, one never lands in an awkward (read vulnerable) body position relative to one's opponent. And third and most importantly, learning to use one's footwork- be it offensive or defensive- not simply to maintain an equal relative power position with one's opponent, but to actively achieve a misalignment, and once that fraction of a second opportunity is achieved, to always be in a position to launch an attack instantly.
Sound difficult to do? Not really. Its amazing how much one can achieve once a problem is recognized and the 'concentrated light of reason' is focused on it. Po did an awesome job as usual, and by the end of the morning's drills and progressions, the attendees (who varied in skill level from beginners to longstanding guros) were attacking and defending during palasuta (the random exchange) with significantly more precise and effective footwork. It was a Thing of Beauty.
Po's ability to translate his encyclopedic knowledge of bladefighting into effective teaching vehicles for his students never fails to amaze me. And quite apart from my own technical improvement, Po's tutelage has directly resulted in a marked refinement in my own teaching methods. I cannot stress enough what a valuable experience Amok! has been for me- and by extension, for my students.
Next, after a quick and light lunch- meant not to promote later vomiting
- we spent all of Saturday afternoon training with Maatas na Guro Mike Williams in Harimau and other styles of Silat. I had had a chance to work with Guro Mike in March and the Harimau I learned then altered the entire way I think about low line and ground fighting.
The great thing about Silat is that the admittedly difficult leg training progressions translate directly into fighting applications (as I believe my sparring partners will attest to
). After working the Silat progressions several times a week since March, I was physically able this time around to concentrate much more on the techniques and principles that Guro Mike presented as the afternoon wore on. He taught us some terrific attacks and counters, both from an upright position and from the ground. Harimau Silat is wicked fast and effective against single or multiple attackers and is extremely difficult to defend against unless one uses Harimau against Harimau. Best of all, Guro Mike is a terrific teacher and as we are fond of saying, "the sweetest guy who will irreparibly maim you that you could ever hope to meet." I honestly can't recommend him enough.
The Silat session went on for so long that we had no time- and honestly were too fried- to train with Arthur Sennott in Systema on Saturday. That happened on Sunday, but I unfortunately couldn't attend due to family obligations. I hear through the grapevine, however, that it was a terrific session. One day soon I hope to finally be able to learn some of Arthur's stuff.
The folks who stayed over also had a chance to do water training and blade sparring on a raft with Guro Steve Perrin on Saturday evening. I'm told it was wicked fun.
That's the story. I hope that it was useful.
Peace and Good Training,
Mario
Sorry for the delay. I have family in town this week and haven't had a chance to check BFs until now.
This was my first IBFG Summer Camp. I had attended the Spring Intensive Camp in March, and it was hands down the best seminar both from a learning and a physically challenging standpoint that I had ever attended. I'm pleased to report that the IBFG Summer Camp was just as good.
First thing Saturday morning, I ran the attendees through their warmup and fundamental strike and footwork progressions, then into some combat proven enganyos 'off the line'. Then Po (Prof Sotis) took over, and he and I and a couple of the other instructors really focused in on 1. creating attack opportunities (what we in Amok! call misalignments) in space and time through fluid but precise offensive and defensive footwork, and 2. Po's concept of the 'launching pad'.
In knifefighting, everyone above a certain skill level has fast, precise hands. From that point on, its really the quality of the fighters respective footwork that decides who lives and who dies. Spend as much time watching knifefighters spar as Po has, and you will come to realize that most fighters use good footwork for one, maybe two steps- footwork that, even if it doesn't achieve a misalignment, at least doesn't put the fighter himself at risk. If the engagement lasts longer than a step or two, however, one often observes the footwork of each fighter getting progressively sloppier until either one fighter puts himself in a horrible position, or when a misalignment occurs, neither fighter is really in a good position to capitalize on it.
The launching pad concept teaches several things. First, finding one's ideal fighting stance (the 'launching pad'), and learning how to land in one's launching pad every time one steps, regardless of the type of footwork used. Second, learning to move in such a way that when one steps, one never lands in an awkward (read vulnerable) body position relative to one's opponent. And third and most importantly, learning to use one's footwork- be it offensive or defensive- not simply to maintain an equal relative power position with one's opponent, but to actively achieve a misalignment, and once that fraction of a second opportunity is achieved, to always be in a position to launch an attack instantly.
Sound difficult to do? Not really. Its amazing how much one can achieve once a problem is recognized and the 'concentrated light of reason' is focused on it. Po did an awesome job as usual, and by the end of the morning's drills and progressions, the attendees (who varied in skill level from beginners to longstanding guros) were attacking and defending during palasuta (the random exchange) with significantly more precise and effective footwork. It was a Thing of Beauty
. Po's ability to translate his encyclopedic knowledge of bladefighting into effective teaching vehicles for his students never fails to amaze me. And quite apart from my own technical improvement, Po's tutelage has directly resulted in a marked refinement in my own teaching methods. I cannot stress enough what a valuable experience Amok! has been for me- and by extension, for my students.
Next, after a quick and light lunch- meant not to promote later vomiting
- we spent all of Saturday afternoon training with Maatas na Guro Mike Williams in Harimau and other styles of Silat. I had had a chance to work with Guro Mike in March and the Harimau I learned then altered the entire way I think about low line and ground fighting.The great thing about Silat is that the admittedly difficult leg training progressions translate directly into fighting applications (as I believe my sparring partners will attest to
). After working the Silat progressions several times a week since March, I was physically able this time around to concentrate much more on the techniques and principles that Guro Mike presented as the afternoon wore on. He taught us some terrific attacks and counters, both from an upright position and from the ground. Harimau Silat is wicked fast and effective against single or multiple attackers and is extremely difficult to defend against unless one uses Harimau against Harimau. Best of all, Guro Mike is a terrific teacher and as we are fond of saying, "the sweetest guy who will irreparibly maim you that you could ever hope to meet." I honestly can't recommend him enough.The Silat session went on for so long that we had no time- and honestly were too fried- to train with Arthur Sennott in Systema on Saturday. That happened on Sunday, but I unfortunately couldn't attend due to family obligations. I hear through the grapevine, however, that it was a terrific session. One day soon I hope to finally be able to learn some of Arthur's stuff.
The folks who stayed over also had a chance to do water training and blade sparring on a raft with Guro Steve Perrin on Saturday evening. I'm told it was wicked fun.
That's the story. I hope that it was useful.
Peace and Good Training,
Mario