Chasing The Dragon

Preparing for a Fight: A Fighter’s Perspective

2011-05-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

For a combat athlete, fight preparation is both trial and tribulation. Though laborious training for a fight needs to be more than just physical, it also requires development of one’s mental toughness and cultivating the ability to improvise.

All fighting: cage, ring, street etc. is challenging mentally and physically. A fighter is the charged/tasked with accepting, meeting and overcoming &surpassing the challenge before him. In order to facilitate this, a training ‘camp’ or program is required to provide an environment and an opportunity for growth.

The physical aspects of the training can be easy depending on your point of view. The athlete must train or work to become physically faster, stronger, more athletic, coordinated and agile. Perhaps it is unfair to say that the physical training is easy but it must be realized that ANYONE can do the physical work. The physical training is sometimes monotonous, often arduous, very demanding and absolutely necessary. The physical training of a combat athlete must include but is never limited to the following- strength training, speed, agility, cardiovascular conditioning, and reflex training.

Strength Training or better yet functional strength/combat strength training. This type of work builds a different type of muscle tissue and fiber. We are not talking about aesthetic looking muscles, we are talking about muscle tissue that is responsive and can be engaged in a multitude of ways at different times. Muscle tissue that engages ON COMMAND. An example of this is how a bench press may prove useful but being able to throw a heavy bag by 10 feet or more is more combat specific.

Put simply, “Speed Kills” and it is a nightmare to the fighter that doesn’t have an answer for it. Physical speed increases the Hit percentage of all of your attacks. Speed will enable you to evade or pursue, it is a major factor that helps control a fight. Speed is a Bitch
to deal with offensively and defensively; in fact, the only thing that can overcome Superior Speed is Superior Timing.

Agility is that very necessary attribute that enables us to engage our muscles with athleticism and coordination; without agility we would move awkwardly and clumsily. When applied with well developed muscles, agility gives us the ability to create, to move to move with style and grace, to be dynamic and extraordinary. Without well developed agility, accurate, multi strike combinations are not possible.

Cardiovascular Conditioning is invaluable to say the least, if you can’t “Dance for a long time you will be in for a very long night or a very short one. The long night is when you just don’t have enough to push the pace or keep up. Sure you have enough to stay in there But Not Enough to Take Control or maintain control. When this happens the end result is a nice Loooong Ass Kicking.
At the other end of the Bad Cardio Spectrum is when you “gas” early. This type of problem produces one very undesirable outcome – you get Knocked the F@ck out!
You will need Strong Cardio Endurance to fire lots of Multi Strike Combos, to be Evasive and Aggressive for multiple rounds, to compensate, manage and overcome adversity. Cardiovascular Fitness is what enables us to fight long and finish strong. Having Superior Cardiovascular Conditioning gives us an extra element and enables us to establish control in a variety of ways.

Reflex and Response Training. Of all of the physical training aspects, Reflex and Response training is perhaps the hardest one to train. Probably because reflex training is as much mental as it is physical. Actually we should call this Perception and Response training. First we perceive stimuli, either and attack or an opportunity to attack (mental) then we address and respond (physical). That is how our reflexes work in fighting. All combatants must train hard to be able to observe and be aware of stimuli and data, once this is accomplished we then engage our muscles and put thought into action. To React and Respond effectively for fighting we must have a very well developed and maintained nervous system coupled with a sharp yet relaxed mind.

The Mental Training is equally, or more, challenging. The mind must be strong to begin with because only a strong mind will be able to push the body beyond it’s limitations. The mind of the fighter must be sharp, able to recognize options and opportunity. It must be expanded in order to be able to create options and opportunity. The Athlete must be quick of thought to be able to make split second decisions and even quicker to change his mind if necessary. Most importantly the mind of fighter must be Clear AND Focused. Free and Clear to absorb information, date and stimuli without a bias or emotional involvement. Clear to Control and use his emotions to accomplish the task at hand. Focused, a focused mind can follow a path or plan and not get derailed or sidetracked and in the event of such an occurrence a focused mind can get back on ‘Track” or perhaps find an alternative route, a better route to the same destination. It must also be mentioned that throughout history, Athletes and Heroes have performed amazing feats and damn near impossible tasks. Such examples like walking on hot coals, lifting a heavy object off of a loved one, fighting with a broken arm, on combatant versus many; Fighting is mental and physical.

Conclusion:
Fight preparation is challenging and grueling. A journey that most are afraid to take or they aren’t equipped for it. The Path Of The Warrior will leave the body battered and bruised and the mind will be drained and taxed. This trip will take you to the deepest corners of your mind, things may break, you may break. If you take the journey you may lose yourself only to find yourself changed. In many cases some take this journey never to be seen or heard from again, they are replaced by a Warrior that bears a striking physical resemblance

Thank You

2011-04-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

So it's a Beautiful morning today . Did you say thank you ? EVERY MORNING and EVERY NIGHT that i remember i make a conscious effort to give thanks . You may wonder who i offer my Thanks to or perhaps you wonder when or why i give thanks . The answers to these questions are very simple yet very poignant . Yahweh , Jehovah , Jah , Allah , The Creator , The One Most High (My Favorite), and of Course GOD (the most common) these beings,entities,these names are all concepts ,ideas and beliefs that are laid out for us to offer our individual thanks for the gifts and the Blessings we have received and continue to receive daily . If you do not subscribe to a specific faith ,perhaps you are an Atheist . If that is your stance then give thanks to Mother Earth , or how about YOUR Mother , or a mentor, a friend ,your boss ,the mailman , a bus driver ! What is important here is to realize that you have been blessed . Acknowledge the fact that at sometime someone has or will look out for you and offer assistance . Throughout our life we will receive and reap benefits that will enrich our life . We will receive love , money , shelter, food ,advice , transportation and friendship ,failure to appreciate , acknowledge and express our grattitude makes us ignorant and undeserving . Ask yourself what you are thankful for . If you don't know or if you truly believe that you have NOTHING to be thankful for then ask yourself: how blind are you that you don't feel compelled to give thanks ? It's not just enough to acknowledge we should DECLARE what and why . There are plenty of things to be thankful for . Here are some suggestions :Be thankful for CLEAN drinking water , be thankful that you did not awaken to gunfire ,be thankful that you woke up today! ,be thankful that you have 2 legs that work and if not be thankful for your crutches or wheelchair . I am fortunate and blessed and i KNOW IT . Personally i am thankful for my amazing son Richard , My mother, I have an awesome BEST FRIEND , I have a great career , I have friends and family whom i love and who love me . I am thankful that i have a mentor that looks out for me and i am appreciative of all the teachers in my life that guided me . I am thankful that i have a 40 inch television that enables me to view misfortune and misery and remind me that things could be worse . EVERYDAY is a gift and EVERYDAY is a test . Make sure you pass it

Been a long time, since I left you, without a dope beat to step to

2011-04-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

So i'm horrible at this shit ! Really horrible . Not horrible at blogging but horrible at maintaining it with any type of consistency . I get caught up sometimes . I am truly a person who lives in the NOW . I am both proud and happy about that . While it is true that we should be mindful of the future it should not be at the expense of the living moment . If we are not present in THIS moment the future really doesn't matter does it ? ALL we have is right now . Technically speaking the Future doesn't even exist until AFTER the present occurs or should i say is occurring . That's me , that's my formula : take care of NOW . My actions now pave a way for a future . Finally it is a well known and documented fact that people cannot truly multi task ( sorry to dissappoint anyone but it's true ). We are only able to manage and perform one task at a time AND anytime we try and do otherwise such as when we try to tackle more than one chore, productivity is the first and biggest casualty . A great Jedi once cautioned : “Keep your mind on the here and now.” Qui-Gon Jinn or if Bhudism is your thing try this :“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” The Buddha
So try that out and see if it fits go handle your business now ( or is that in the now )Peace

Purpose

2010-12-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

"There's no escaping reason, no evading purpose, because we both know, that without purpose there is no reason to exist. It is purpose that created us, purpose that connects us, purpose that pulls us, that guides us, that drives us, that binds us, it is purpose that defines. We are here because of you, Mr. Anderson. We're here to take from you what you tried to take from us. Purpose." - AGENT SMITH from the Matrix Reloaded

What's purpose ? Do you know ? Purpose is a powerful word By definition it is a reason or the reason why . the explanation for existence . All training sessions and opportunity should be applied with purpose . It's not enough to just go through the motions . Proper training requires applied awareness and reasoning . Know what you're doing , Experience what you're doing . Notice an opportunity and judge the distance as you prepare to unleash an attack . Feel your balance shift and your muscles engage as you deliver strikes . Upon impact damage is assessed and follow action is plotted and then takes place . If an adversary launches a counter offensive a combatant must then identify and then process the attack and Determine the correct course of action . "Do i evade ?" , "Do i intercept ?" , "Is there time to react or respond ? IF NOT then i better BRACE FOR IMPACT !" Training with purpose gives one the ability to fight and act with purpose . ALL training or rather ALL PROPER training requires Presence and MENTAL ACUITY . Without those qualities in place an individual is basically just arbitrarily punching and kicking ,"spinning" his wheels . Ponder this and i promise that your training will evolve and change .

Experiencing Bruce Lee's Jun-Fan Jeet Kune Do

2010-02-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

It is revolutionary ! There are lots of great arts and training methods out there but I believe JKD approaches personal growth and developement BETTER than all of the arts . THAT IS MY OPINION and MY TRUTH however i have spent 21 years studying JKD , Boxing , Muay Thai , Kali and Grappling Arts ( and 10 years of BJJ ) all of the arts that i listed are great and have helped me grow but JKD and it's principles can fit into and enhance all of those arts . JKD Is invisible you can't physically see it but it's ALWAYS there . JKD is a philosophy , a learning method and a training method . Once it is put into physical application it ceases to exist . That's where and when I take over ! In simple terms JKD as stated before is Concepts , Learning Methods , Training Methods , and Philosophy . The Art that i use in fights is Called Christopher Smith

The Straight Blast

2010-02-09T02:41:00.000-08:00

So i'm gonna bring back my Straight-Blast , The Infamous Jik Chun Choy( the proper name of the Blast ) . It's been years since i have used it both in training and in sparring . Things just got too easy back when i first learned it so stopped . It's a great Tactic to offset or unbalance an adversary and it sets you up for a big finish . When i was younger using the Blast was a bit of overkill but now with the injuries piling up and they aren't going away i guess it's time to bring it back . First step is to dust it off and refresh my timing with the execution of it and then the next phase will be to drill it and prepare it for sparring . Watch out there's a "runaway train " coming

Focus 3-17-98

2010-02-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is something that i found in one of my notebooks i was 27 years old at the time of writing it .

One day My Roomate Joe and I were watching Michael Jordan play basketball . During the game Joe made the coolest realization : "All he does is put complete and total attention into making that basket" . To an Elite level athlete like Jordan all that exists is the basket. He never thinks of anything else other than making that shot and he definitely does not think about missing . For most of us our minds wander and run wild with all kinds of chaotic brain activity but not Mike . Maybe that's the key to EVERYTHING . As a Martial Artist when you spar you spar to win or to learn ( gaining knowledge is a HUGE victory in itself ) . Why not break down your own mental psyche and focus solely on landing a good shot , or put ALL of your focus into executing a a good Fake/Feint that results in landing a series of vicious strikes . Better yet be mentally present and apply a concentrated focus on EVERY move you make during combat. FOCUS , always play hard always fight hard and always stay in the game . Challenge yourself and NEVER "leave " the game test the limits of your concentration then work to go beyond your limitations . DON'T let your mind wander . Put your mind, heart and soul into the NOW ! This is a theory and formula for everything . Focus on ALL things , friendship , your job , love , rading , writing , singing , EVERYTHING

Long Time No See

2010-02-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

Well it's been awhile , almost forever since i last visited here . I've been hella busy : building a gym /expanding my gym and trying to Walk the path of a Master . I think the project of building the gym and walking the path of the master go hand in hand. I want to live up to the title and position bestowed upon me and i feel the best way to do that , the best way to start ,and the best way to start is to build a dwelling to hone my craft . A place where i can grow and where i can share knowledge and help others grow . My vision for my gym is to make it a place that is a center for peace, learning and developement . Once complete the gym will serve as my vehicle to travel the Master's Path ; I mean you can't go anywhere without proper transportation and my gym will be just that . I believe tat any new position takes some adapting to, you have to "grow" into it . That's what i intend to do . Feel free to follow if you wanna ......

Disclaimer : If you know me than you may be aware that i carry the rank of Master Instructor under Richard Bustillo and his IMB Academy . I Have Trained long , and intensely under Sifu Richard and have always done EVERYTHING he has ever asked of me and will continue to do so . I have been A dedicated Student , Friend and Disciple of Sifu Richard's for OVER 16 Years . I Love him and trust him and if he says that Master Instructor is the Rank i have earned then i will trust him , believe him and live up to his standards . i say this : for all of the haters and small minded morons out there . Keep in mind I am talking about a rank and title at no point did i say i know it ALL nor do i know EVERYTHING ! I Work HARD to get to where i am and work HARDER to stay there . My Martial Arts Journey will NEVER end and i don't want it to ! Put simply I am A MASTER ! I have mastered myself i have raised and groomed many Talented instructors . I am not full of myself i work hard at My craft and hone my skills EVERY DAY ! I mean EVERY DAY . That's it for now and for those that would challenge me : Wait your turn in line , I have already begun to challenge myself . Instead of challenging me why don't YOU challenge yourself i'm a little busy right now i have a path to walk on ......