Dapper and Deadly

There are only a handful of people who have the ability to pull off the combination of good looks and deadly moves. James Bond, the cool intel agent in a tailored suit who can order a cocktail one minute and disarm an attacker the next. The assassin John Wick who was dragged back into the life, hellbent on delivering a fist-full of revenge. The ex-government operator Jason Bourne, fighting to reveal the truth he has forgotten. And let’s not forget Natasha Romanov, ex-Soviet assassin who can take out a room full of Generals in a slinky dress. These men and women know the value of a good suit to dazzle the eye and conceal deadly skill. Let’s not deny it, we’ve all watched these characters and wished we could be them.

So join me at Horizon Training Center in your most dapper of outfits for a few hours of martial arts training fit for the big screen. We are going to go through a series of scenarios countering empty hand attacks; countering the jab, cross, and hook to return our own flurry of punishment. We’ll move on to cover a few empty hand vs blade counters; disarm and disable. You’ll have to stay sharp for these. At the end of the evening we’ll step into the danger zone by running a multiple opponent scenario.

Dapper and non-Dapper are welcome but a dapper outfit will get you a discount for the workshop. Look good but I suggest wearing something that will let you move. You don’t have to do the full Bond tuxedo. Slacks and a button up will suffice. Egos are checked at the door. We are aiming to have a little fun and learn a few things. Cooperation, not competition tonight! We all want to look good so we’re going to help our partners look their best.

To sign up, follow the link: Horizon Training Center Events

$20 per person
You will find this workshop listed under classes on March 10th! Sign up now- spaces are limited!

Train Hard!

- Sifu David Mitchell

Horizon Training Center
Horizon Martial Arts

Tapout for Tampons

I know it’s not often you run into a guy who isn’t squeamish about buying a box of pads or tampons on an emergency run, much less a guy who puts his picture on an event saying “bring me tampons.” Growing up with two older sisters...it just doesn’t bother me.  Nor should it really, it’s just a function of the body.  Sorry guys, but get over it.

What did bother me, however, was a video I watched that popped up on my Facebook feed one day.  It was a short documentary about the needs of homeless women.  In particular, it focused on the needs of women that weren’t being met in shelters or donation facilities.  The number one request that was not being met was hygiene products.

Women are not receiving the help they need and if they can’t find a way to make do, they have to suffer through their menstrual cycle without any personal hygiene products.  This Horizon event was put together with the intention of helping fill that need.  

Friday night we will focus specifically on joint locking techniques and chokes.  Joint locking is the method of controlling the body by rotating and aligning bones in the body in such a way that it limits motion or “locks” the body or joint.  Typically you can expect to see these techniques done on the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.  They can also be applied to the ankles, knees, and hips. These techniques can be used as way to immobilize someone or to move them to a place you want them to be.

Chokes are little bit different.  Simply by their nature they are an elevated threat response.  You don’t choke someone unconscious just because they annoy you...no matter how much you may want to! Chokes can be classified into two categories: airway restriction and blood flow restriction.  Either can take only seconds to render a person unconscious.  If held too long even death can occur.        

So on Friday night we’ll be training some of the major joint locks and chokes found in the martial arts and their self defense applications.  There are a lot of details involved to make these work effectively and even more to train them safely.  Be ready to come make new friends….and then choke them!  

Train Hard!

- Sifu David Mitchell

Horizon Training Center

Setting the Pace

"If you can't hit them slow, you can't hit them fast."  Probably one of my favorite quotes.  I think it was Mark Dacascos's character who said it in that awesomely terrible movie from the early 90s, Only the Strong.

If you disregard the movie, that statement contains a pearl of wisdom.  Speed isn't always an indicator of a high skill level. Speed is a side effect of good training and a part of good training is understanding how to manage your training pace.

We all get excited when we're training.
It's just human nature. The adrenaline starts flowing, we're having fun...it's just natural that we tend to speed up what we are doing.  We watch experienced classmates working at a high speed and we want to keep up.  Or worse, the ego slips in and we try to out compete our training partner.  No matter which case it is, we run the risk of ingraining bad habits by working at pace we are not prepared for. 

So what can we do about it?  Keep a conscious eye on our training and remind ourselves to start it out slow; especially if we are learning a new skill.  The placement of body, limbs, and hands is so important to being successful that we can't afford to sacrifice it for the sex appeal of looking fast. The placement and feel of a drill or technique should be the same whether it is performed slow or at speed.  Take it a step at a time and ingrain it into the muscle memory.  It will start to become movement without thought.  When you can just act is when you develop speed.

Set your pace.  Train within reason and let the speed happen.

Train Hard, Train Smart
- Sifu David Mitchell
Horizon Trianing Center