ReGroove Fitness

by Wellness Coach Dan Ma

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More Pak Sau Energy Drills

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This week we picked off from last week’s pak sau drills by refining the movements.

The following steps from last weeks made better sense as steps and 3 & 4 were elaborated on. The pak sau happens first, then the punch. The footwork happens quickly at the very end of the punch:

  1. Using the right hand as the reference point.
  2. Left handed Pak sau to your partner’s reference hand. Be sure to push into your opponent to break their structure and off-balance.
  3. Straight punch.
  4. Close the gap with footwork.

The second variation was also elaborated on.  We focused and drilled steps 1 – 3. A variation was added to step 1, where your partner could block your punch with their forearm. The response is that you grab from the top and pull it down and towards you, then roll your back fist over and up (like your elbow is hinged to your partner’s arm.

  1. Your partner uses a left pak sau to your straight punch
  2. Position your left hand under your right arm, so that you can trap your partner’s pak sau arm. Push your partner’s arm into their body or pull them into you  
    to break their structure and off-balance.
  3. Whip your right arm for a back fist
    1. Position your right elbow to your partner’s trapped elbow arm by twisting.
    2. Twist the other direction and deliver your back fist.

We drilled this with our eyes open and closed. It was even suggested that we could do both variations (top or bottom responses).

Pak Sau Energy Drills

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This Tuesday John and I trained at Octavio’s house. We learned:

  1. Footwork
  2. Energy drills

The footwork session revealed a more advanced leg exercise. You slide your feet from a squat stance together then back to a squat. It really works the quads and helps train the sliding motion rather than a bouncing motion; It is quicker. 

The energy drill session gave me more detail in how the pak sau works. 

  1. Using the right hand as the reference point.
  2. Left handed Pak sau to your partner’s reference hand. Be sure to push into your opponent to break their structure and off-balance.
  3. Straight punch.
  4. Close the gap with footwork.

The second variation includes your partner to use the pak sau. Picking up from the first drill:

  1. Your partner uses a left pak sau to your straight punch
  2. Position your left hand under your right arm, so that you can trap your partner’s pak sau arm. Push your partner’s arm into their body or pull them into you 
    to break their structure and off-balance.
  3. Whip your right arm for a back fist
    1. Position your right elbow to your partner’s trapped elbow arm by twisting.
    2. Twist the other direction and deliver your back fist.

JKD In Octavio’s Living Room

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Lately, training under Octavio has been sporadic. While Sifu is busy with business decisions, the group of students have been actively training together once a week, which has been good. 

Today we learned an entry with a punch that starts with the pak sao, then a lead punch, and lastly advancing with the feet.

  • Entry with a punch starting with a reference point (partners wrists touching) :
    1. Using a fast and hard slap of a pak sao on the opponent’s forearm, which with the use of advancing foot work, pushes into the centerline, either pinning the arm and/or breaking the structure. 
    2. A wave like motion starts with the lead arm’s shoulder, which rotates back, then fires out. This is slightly telegraphic, but it adds more distance and explosive power.
    3. The foot work moves after the punch is started.
  • Stealing a step foot work

Systema Training – Level 1 Part 2.1: Spinal Alignment

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This section focuses on structure and spinal awareness of the three arches:

  1. Cervical
  2. Thoracic
  3. Lumbar

The two focuses for the exercises / stretches:

  1. Maintain optimal spine alignment
  2. Strengthening & stretching each arch

Resetting the cervical arch:

Cervical Reset Laying down:

From the floor on your back, tuck your chin in and elongate your cervical. Press your head into the floor. Breath into the stretch.

Cervical Reset against a Wall:

With your back against a wall, tuck your chin in and elongate your cervical. Press your head into the wall. Breath into the stretch.

Neck Fly Laying down:

From the floor on your back, tuck your chin in and elongate your cervical. Raise your head off the floor and and towards your chest. Rest your head back down. Use performance breathing. Do 10 to 20 reps.

Turn your head to the side, then lift up the head from the ear towards the chest. Do each side; 10 to 20 reps.

Neck Fly Seated:

Same as laying down. Tuck your chin in to a neutral position and elongate your cervical. Move your head towards your chest.

Turn your head side to the side. Do each side; 10 to 20 reps.

Resetting the thoracic arch:

Thoracic / shoulder reset standing:

Shrug your shoulders towards your ears. Roll the shrug backwards using a “rowers roll” back then downwards to the lowest shoulder engagement. Let the shoulders hang in a neutral position.

Thoracic / shoulder reset laying down on your back:

Same as standing. Shrug your shoulders towards your ears. Roll the shrug backwards using a “rowers roll” back then downwards to the lowest shoulder engagement. This will lift your spine off the ground. Relax and let the spine lay flat on the ground.

Thoracic / shoulder reset laying down on your side:

Same as standing. On your side, have your one shoulder and foot making contact to the ground. Your back is straight. Shrug your shoulders towards your ears. Roll the shrug backwards using a “rowers roll” back then downwards to the lowest shoulder engagement.

A tougher variation is to have both feet making contact to the ground as you “rowers roll”.

The reverse push up:

On your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Elbows at your side and touching the floor, and hands in the air. Lift up by your elbows by pushing off them.

Other exercises:

Facing a wall (not really necessary) with your elbows out. Do “rowers roll” exercises with the hands positioned as follows:

  • Left: 9 o’clock; Right: 3 o’clock (crucifixion)
  • Left: 10 o’clock; Right: 2 o’clock
  • Left: 8 o’clock; Right: 4 o’clock

Resetting the lumbar arch:

Lumbar reset sitting:

Tuck the pelvis and chin in, then pull the spine straight.

Lumbar reset laying down:

Same as sitting.

The Crocodile:

Stack one foot on top of another. The two feet moves as a whole unit. Leading with the top foot, lean towards the outside of the bottom foot. Hands out in the shape of a crucifixion. Turn head in the other direction. This is a spiral spinal stretch. Be sure to breath into the stretch.

Other stretches:

Sit on the floor crossed-legged. Put back of your forearms on the top of the other lap, so that the bottom of your hands are facing to the sky. Match the crossed arms to the cross of the legs. Lean forward and drop the head down. Breath into the stretch and feel the lungs expand.

Systema Squat:

Done with the feet under the hips and parallel. Drop a few inches and tuck the pelvis in. As you sink down, allow your pelvis to untuck. Rinse & repeat.

Cradle crunches:

Laying down with knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Bring your knees up to your chest, lifting up the tail-bone off the floor. You can can go as far as lifting some of the thoracic off the floor.

The Clock Kicking Drill

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A good JKD kicking drill that Octavio taught me before I created this site:

  1. Standing in a neutral position.
  2. Picking a leg and do a 12 o’clock straight kick.
  3. Continuing with the same leg, do a 2 o’clock inverted kick.
  4. 3 o’clock: side kick.
  5. 4 o’clock: heel kick.
  6. 6 o’clock: back kick.
  7. Repeat using the other leg.

 

Back Kicks & Striking Combos

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Today we revisited the back-kick and refined our executions. We also trained on firing three back-kicks with a forward pressure. We went over on the proper alignment of the legs (focusing on the glutes) while also getting a feel of “whipping” our kicks. The second half of our class we did a 3 strike combo with a cross to low hook-kick, finishing with a back-fist. If you are standing in a right-lead stance:
  1. Left cross
  2. Right hook-kick
  3. Right back-fist
For each strike there is a forward pressure. The hardest detail is to time the cross’es retraction with the advancement of the left back-leg.