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Fisticuffs: Peak Performance Pugilism
A Product Review by Phil Elmore
I was more eager to review
Scott Sonnon’s
Fisticuffs: Peak Performance Pugilism set than other tapes I’ve
reviewed for these pages. That’s because Fisticuffs deals
with a topic I think most of us find more intuitive: striking with
the hands. Something about hitting someone or something with your
fists just resonates more with the average person, I think. It’s
hard-wired into us. In the Fisticuffs series, Scott does for arms
what he did for legs in the
Leg Fencing
series.
TAPE 1: PRIME YOUR BIOENERGY
The Fisticuffs series was created before the Leg Fencing series, and
it’s obvious that Scott has been refining and improving his approach as he
goes along. Those who’ve viewed other tapes from
RMAX are aware that Scott speaks a
language all his own — one comprised of many very specific terms that
relate to the science of physical training and to his philosophy of the
successful approach to that science. Fisticuffs includes a lot
of these terms, and this may confuse some viewers unfamiliar with Scott’s
work.
Also missing are the nice graphic titles separating segments from each
other and explaining the formulae and mnemonics to which Scott refers at
times. This absence, to be frank, made the review a little more
difficult to do, because in taking notes the separation between sequences
was not as clear.
Production values were okay. The tape was audible, and I had no
trouble making out what Scott was doing as he demonstrated drills in front
of a blank white wall. I did find the striped Spetsnaz
tank-top Scott wears to be distracting. (For all I know, the
Spetsnaz chose that pattern for the same reason that a zebra’s stripes
offer some protection from prey.)
So, with all that said, am I writing a negative review? Not at
all. The Fisticuffs series is a good one. Yes, it
is not as well-developed as Scott’s later work, but who among us does not
improve with practice? What is neat about a video series like this is that
even if you don’t follow everything Scott is saying, it isn’t really
necessary. Watch this tape and do what Scott does, when he tells you
to do so. When you’re done, you’ll have “primed your bioenergy.”
This is only the start of Fisticuffs, but it forms the platform on
which you will build in studying the following cassettes.
I should pause to state unequivocally that the principles imparted in
the Fisticuffs series are absolutely vital to your
development as a fighter. Scott brings very real insight to
pugilism. The further I got into this series, the more enamored of
it I became, eager to go out and try in sparring what I learned from
Scott’s coaching. That is what Scott does, incidentally:
coach. Often I found myself thinking, “Well, that’s common
sense.” But if this is so, why does it not come
naturally? Why have I not applied such advice, such principles,
already? The answer is that no fighter is simply born perfect and
fully developed. He or she must be coached to reach full
potential. That is what Scott does well. I have spoken
glowingly of Scott Sonnon’s work on these pages, because I like it very
much. The high esteem in which I hold it was earned by the
material itself and through no other means.
Tape 1, like each of the tapes in the set, opens with an inspirational quote and a pair of stylized video
sequences. The audio of Scott’s metaphor-laced narration during
these sequences could have been louder, but I liked them.
Specifically, I liked the contrast between the two. The first shows
an altercation with multiple opponents in which the defender fails, while
the second shows what he should do to be successful in neutralizing and
escaping the dangers presented. These sequences depict the
difference between the zone and the vortex, between success
and failure, between what we seek to experience versus what we seek
to impose.
In Tape 1 Scott explains how to prime your bioenergy. The focus
here is to integrate breathing, movement, and alignment. The most
important aspect of this — and a philosophy repeated throughout the Fisticuffs
series — is that this is non-technical practice. Focus on the
process, not the product, Scott urges.
An infinite range of motion equals an infinite range of options, Scott
tells us. He goes on to speak of “joint recruitment” and
leads the viewer through a series of joint recruitment exercises.
The figure 8 or “infinity” pattern emerges here again, as it
will many times before the series ends. Scott refers to the “six
degrees of freedom” — movement up, down, left, right, back, and
forward.
The exercises demonstrated include work for the neck, shoulders, arms,
thorax, pelvis, and spine. Scott both explains and demonstrates the
proper way to integrate your breathing with your movement, inhaling when
expanding and exhaling when contracting. The importance of proper
breathing has been stressed to me endlessly by both
of my instructors. I was pleased to see it emphasized
here.
By the time you’re done with the joint recruitment exercises, Scott
predicts, you’ll feel like jelly — and he’s absolutely correct.
Looking at the exercises more generally, they’re all about those figure
8s. If you’ve ever seen a graphic depiction of the angles in which a
sword can move, you’ve seen it as the intersection of several loops that
can be connected as figure 8 patterns. There are only so many — but
they comprise the entire range of human motion, for the sword is simply an
extension of the body. The importance of developing these ranges of
motion cannot, therefore, be overstated.
Moving on to vibration drills, Scott warns the viewer not to bring
preconceived notions to the drills. If any of them look familiar, he
cautions, resist jumping to the conclusion that you already know what is
being done and why. (This is a great philosophy to bring to drills
in general, not just these. It’s an idea I’ve heard Scott repeat on
other tapes.)
The most important part of vibration drills is the seamless transition
from the end of one motion to the beginning of another. As Scott
explains later, the gap between movements is where we are vulnerable and
what we seek to minimize. As he usually does, Scott builds on each
exercise, working from simple motions to more complex and integrated ones.
Starting with a simple shoulder drop and lift, integrating exhalation
and inhalation with it, Scott takes the exercise to a right-left movement
using one arm or another. You will start to see, here, the
application of this exercise to the mechanics of fighting with the arms —
though of course in making that observation I’m already bending the rules
of the exercise, by placing preconceived notions of for what the motions
will be used on the expression of the drill.
The exercise becomes progressively more complicated as Scott integrates
several breaths into the practice, finally incorporating his entire body.
In an exercise that develops tone, Scott demonstrates how to move from
the shoulders to the elbows to the wrist, tensing each in
succession. He then tenses his entire arm and relaxes it. The
drill reminds me of part of Wing Chun’s Sil Lim Tao form, in which an
extended wu sao (a vertical edge-of-hand) is retracted and relaxed into
fook sao (a hooking hand). Yes, I’m bending the rules again here.
Going on to discuss wave motion, Scott demonstrates taking that
shoulder-elbow-wrist motion into a wave forward. It’s not a whip,
but a casting motion. Do this right and you will see not only
the power generated, but the greater ease with which one can continue
moving through the wave without being forced to drag the arm back to
retract it. (The importance of this — constant motion, rather than
dragging back and resetting to launch a new attack — is emphasized in
Tape 2, Weaponizing Your Architecture.)
Introducing a concept that is repeated again in Tape 2, Scott warns the
viewer not to think in terms of specific weapons or techniques.
Focus, instead, on the platform and the delivery, integrated with your
respiration.
Once again building on the previous techniques, Scott works his way
through several ranges of wave motion, cascading from one side of his body
to the next, backwards and forwards, moving through the waves in one
direction before reversing them to move through them in the other
direction. He also speaks about frustration in the course of the
exercises. If you find yourself becoming frustrated, he says, pull
back a bit and reintegrate your breathing, movement, and alignment.
Chuckling, Scott refers to breakdancing as he demonstrates how to
transmit force from one end of your body to the next. It really does
look like breakdancing. I was ready to break out the old Alfonso Ribeiro
breakdancing mat and follow along. While it may look amusing,
though, this is an important concept.
Elaborating on the six degrees of freedom, Scott explains that the
points of rotation are the middle of your upper arm and the middle of your
lower arm. You’re rotating around the forearm, for example — not
the elbow. The smaller the point of rotation, the faster your
relative speed. As the rest of Scott’s body joins the movement, we
can again see the relevance of the earlier drills. He folds from
upper frame to lower frame, from right to left, and back
again. (It’s easy to imagine how these motions apply to
fighting, but — again — don’t imagine too much.) Folding your
architecture is an important concept in Tape 2, as it is critical to
moving around what your opponent offers to continue your motion.
Your body, Scott explains, is a structural system that must
shift to accommodate your movement. It’s a cognitive illusion to
think you can move your arm without moving the rest of your body.
Scott then takes us through free form practice, folding and casting with
both arms while moving.
Scott’s discussion of the lower body reminded me very much of the Leg
Fencing series. (If Leg Fencing did not exist, this is the part
of the review where I’d say, “I’d like to see this treated in greater
detail in another tape.” Thankfully, Scott’s done that
already.) We are not concerned with moving our feet, he tells us,
but with moving our bodies.
To move your legs, you must move your hips. Scott demonstrates a
basic weight transfer from one leg to the other. If you take nothing
else away from these reviews, remember the importance of screwing
motion with the legs (and with the arms). The infinity patterns,
wave motion, casting (with the arms), and screwing are concepts Scott
repeats constantly. In his demonstrations it is obvious why
and how these work. They are sound physiological and
mechanical concepts that you cannot afford to ignore or dismiss.
The movements that follow are, essentially, previews of the material in
Leg Fencing.
“Accordion” and “knee screw” motions are taken into
the box step and then into a slingshot motion. The slingshot
is the result of the seamless transition of the box step. Think of
it as “loading” and “unloading,” storing elastic
energy to give you power to drive forward.
After dealing with the ranges of motion appropriate to lower limb
architecture, Scott demonstrates an exercise in which the entire body
trembles as it collapses down and then comes up again, respiration
integrated with the movement. This relaxes the entire body.
(Try it. It’s quite invigorating.)
The culmination of the tape, as Scott explains, is solo “soft
work” — feeling the seamless transition in your movement to feel the
integration of movement, breathing, and alignment. Combining all the
exercises on the tape, Scott moves fluidly about the screen. I could
not help but picture an opponent before him, for it is obvious by this
point just why the exercises he demonstrates are of use.
Recognize the necessity of daily personal practice with a non-technique
focus, Scott repeats. The integration of your movement, breathing,
and alignment is critical to recovering from mistakes and dealing with the
unexpected — which makes you
tougher
and a better fighter.
The tape includes a nice concluding segment, something that is often
missing from instructional tapes (even some of Scott’s). While such
formalities as introductions and conclusions aren’t necessary to the
function of a video of this type, they help give the reader a sense of
focus, a structure to the curriculum. I was pleased to see it
included here.
The Fisticuffs series continues with Tape 2, Weaponizing Your
Architecture.
Read my
review of Fisticuffs, Tape 2