Property Investments, Landlording, CrossFit, Nutrition & Safety

It was not really much surprise that I lost 5 pounds in the first week of my new year’s diet. It’s pretty common to lose a stack of retained water initially once you stop eating high levels of carbs.

So the real test is always, is that weightloss sustainable? Here’s the graph for January. It shows my target weight line in green, my actual measured weight in dark blue, and a 3 day rolling average in light blue:

I like to use a 3 day rolling average as it helps to even out the peaks and troughs. Some days it can be pretty baffling why weight changes the way it does, so the average helps to compensate for that.

As you can see though, I’m slightly ahead of target and have lost pretty much bang on 10 lbs over the whole month of Jan. 1/3 of a lb a day seems a perfectly reasonable rate of weightloss to me. Especially as I haven’t been very strict, I certainly haven’t been WAMing (Weighing And Measuring) all my food. Plus there’s the once a week cheat days, which are a new experiment for me, but certainly don’t seem to be messing things up. The Zone is coming through for me again and I’m over half way to my target of 175 lbs (12st7 or 80kg).

However, the point of this is not weight loss, it’s fat loss, which is simply measured in inches. Measuring the circumference of 5 points: waist, hips, both thighs, and a bicep and recording the change, I’ve lost 4 inches in January, 2 from my waist alone. It’s pretty much been a steady 0.5 inch per week off my waist, which is very satisfying, and clothes are already fitting better.

All in all, a good January and I have heigh hopes for February.

In the new year, it’s never a bad thing I think to look back at what you’ve achieved last year to objectively decide if you think it’s been a good year or not. It’s something I try to do every year, and I did last year.

To be honest I felt last year was pretty torrid, at least that’s how I felt. But I put that down to doing a job I wasn’t enjoying and living away from home all week. In fact, if I look at what I achieved last year in terms of personal advancement, 2010 was a pretty damn good year! So, in chronological order:

March 2010 – British Masters Weight Lifting Champion

It took a couple of years of trying (I came second in 2009) but I did manage to become a British Masters Champion in a recognised Olympic sport, which is pretty cool. There’s some video here. Of course focusing on the weightlifting, my CrossFit and all round fitness suffered. And if I’m honest, despite following a Hungarian weightlifting training program, I got pretty bored with weightlifting. It’s just simply not as much fun as CrossFit workouts or exercises!

June 2010 – Personal Defence Readiness (PDR) Fundamentals Coach

This was a life changing event for me. Not only has my own feeling of personal safety gone through the roof, I am now helping others learn how to stay safe whilst out and about, and that’s a precious feeling indeed. Already one of my students survived a real life abduction attempt whilst on holiday in Bulgaria! (I hope to get a video interview of that up later this month.)

June 2010 – BWLA Level 1 Assistant Club Coach

June was a busy month. After all the Olympic weight lifting I’ve done, it seemed silly not to get a recognised coaching qualification from the British Weight Lifting Association (BWLA). You can see a review of the BWLA course here.

August 2010 – CrossFit Kids Trainer

It was an absolute pleasure to have the whole Martin family over from CrossFitKids.com to put on a cert in Manchester. They are a great bunch and a real testament to what CrossFit has to offer the young generation. It really spurred me on to upping the training my daughter gets and as a CrossFit Kids Trainer myself now, I am better placed to help her.

October 2010 – Self Defence Federation Level 1 Instructor

Needing some UK insurance for the PDR classes that Karl and I put on on a Monday evening, I joined the Self Defence Federation, which is now a division of the All Style Martial Arts Association (ASMAA) and became a Level 1 Instructor in Basic Self-Defence.

October 2010 – CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Actually this is a bit misleading. I became a CrossFit Level 1 trainer over 3 years ago at the first CrossFit certification ever outside of North America, and personally attended by Greg Glassman. However since then, they have introduced a test to the certification process. Not only that, they back-dated the requirement to take the test! So I had to take and pass a test for a course that I’d done 3 years ago! Not a trivial exercise I’m sure you can imagine, but pass I did, so I now have a spangly new CrossFit Level 1 Trainers certificate with another 5 years on it.

So all in all, it appears to have been a rather productive year and I can’t really complain now can I? It’s important to note however, that the goal of life is not to simply badge collect. By which I mean, certificates, diplomas, titles, qualifications etc are nice and all that, but ultimately labels are meaningless and the pursuit of them for their own sake is a vanity I’m glad I have little of. This post and the certificates I’ve collected tell a story of personal development and that’s what I enjoy. I don’t expect to ever stop learning, even the day I die, I’ll be doing something I’ve never done before! 🙂

Excitingly 2011 looks like being another good year for personal development too. On top of my New Year’s Resolutions, coming up this year already is:

• Another PDR certification, and training with Tony Blauer (this was last weekend, and was awesome all over again!)
• A CrossFit Gymnastics certification
• A CrossFit Olympic weightlifting certification

It’s going to be another fun year!

When I saw this I just had to post it:

I don’t know why this makes me laugh so much, but it does.

Some time ago, I created a list of the Girls Named CrossFit Workouts. I intended on doing this post ages ago, but never quite got round to it. It’s the brother post to the girls post, in that it’s the Hero CrossFit workouts, so called because they are named after CrossFitting solders, law enforcement officers etc who have been killed. Mostly this is men, actually it will be interesting to see if there are any women in the list.

Often these hero workouts are some of the hardest CrossFit throws out there, but that just makes them all the more poignant. As before, I’ve created links to all the exercises and where possible, links to the workout demos, so everything you need to know is in one place.

These are some of my favourite CrossFit inspired designs for t-shirts and mugs and the like. I love these phrases, but it’s trying to explain them to non CrossFitters that makes me laugh the most! Just click on the image you like to see it in more detail, and buy it if you like it. They make great gifts.

Adam Brown
For time.
Two rounds
295 pound Deadlift, 24 reps
24 Box jumps, 24 inch box
24 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball
195 pound Bench press, 24 reps
24 Box jumps, 24 inch box
24 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball
145 pound Clean, 24 reps

Arnie
For time.
With a single 2 pood Kettlebell:
21 Turkish Get-ups, Right arm
50 Swings
21 Overhead squats, Left arm
50 Swings
21 Overhead squats, Right arm
50 Swings
21 Turkish get-ups, Left arm

Badger
3 rounds for time.
95 pound Squat clean, 30 reps
30 Pull-ups
Run 800 meters

Blake
For time.
Four rounds of:
100 foot Walking
100 foot Walking lunge with 45lb plate held overhead
30 Box jump, 24 inch box
20 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball
10 Handstand Push-ups

Brenton
For time.
Five rounds of:
Bear crawl 100 feet
Standing broad-jump, 100 feet
Do three Burpees after every five broad-jumps. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Bulger – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Ten rounds of:
Run 150 meters
7 Chest to bar Pull-ups
135 pound Front squat, 7 reps
7 Handstand push-ups

Bull – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Two rounds of:
200 Double-unders
135 pound Overhead squat, 50 reps
50 Pull-ups
Run 1 mile

Coe
For time.
Ten rounds
95 pound Thruster, 10 reps
10 Ring push-ups

Collin – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Six rounds of:
Carry 50 pound Sandbag 400 meters
115 pound Push press, 12 reps
12 Box jumps, 24 inch box
95 pound Sumo Deadlift high-pull, 12 reps

Daniel
For time.
50 Pull-ups, 400 meter run
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
800 meter run
95 pound Thruster, 21 reps
400 meter run
50 Pull-ups

Danny – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
Rounds completed
Rounds in 20 min of:
24″ Box jump, 30 reps
115 pound Push press, 20 reps
30 Pull-ups

DT
For time.
Five rounds of:
155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps

Erin
For time.
Five rounds of:
40 pound Dumbbells Split Clean, 15 reps
21 Pull-ups

Forrest
For time.
Three rounds
20 L-Pull-ups
30 Toes to bar
40 Burpees
Run 800 meters

Garrett – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Three rounds of:
75 Squats
25 Ring Handstand Push-ups
25 L-Pull-ups

Griff – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards

Hansen – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Five rounds:
30 reps, 2 pood Kettlebell Swing
30 Burpees
30 Glute-Ham Sit-Ups

Helton – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Three rounds of:
Run 800 meters
30 reps, 50 pound Dumbbell Squat Cleans
30 Burpees

Holbrook – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
Each Round For Time:
Ten rounds of:
115 pound Thruster, 5 reps
10 Pull-ups
100 meter Sprint
Rest 1 minute

Jack
Max Rounds in 20 Min
115 pound Push press, 10 reps
10 KB Swings, 1.5 pood
10 Box jumps, 24 inch box

Jason
For time.
100 Squats
5 Muscle-ups
75 Squats
10 Muscle-ups
50 Squats
15 Muscle-ups
25 Squats
20 Muscle-ups

Jerry – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Run 1 mile
Row 2K
Run 1 mile

John Runkle
AMRAP, 20 Minutes
225 pound Deadlift, 6 reps
7 Burpee Pull-ups
10 Kettlebell Swings, 2 pood
Run 200 meters

Johnson – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
Rounds in 20 Min
245 pound Deadlift, 9 reps
8 Muscle-ups
155 pound Squat clean, 9 reps

Josh
For time.
95 pound Overhead Squat, 21 reps
42 Pull-ups
95 pound Overhead Squat, 15 reps
30 Pull-ups
95 pound Overhead Squat, 9 reps
18 Pull-ups

Joshie – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
3 rounds for time.
40 pound Dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, right arm
21 L-Pull-ups
40 pound Dumbbell snatch, 21 reps, left arm
21 L-Pull-ups
The snatches are full squat snatches.

JT
21-15-9 reps, for time
Handstand push-ups
Ring dips
Push-ups

Ledesma – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
As Many Rounds As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
5 Parallette handstand push-ups
10 Toes through rings
20 pound Medicine ball cleans, 15 reps

Luce – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Wearing a 20 pound vest, three rounds of:
Run 1K
10 Muscle-ups
100 Squats

Lumberjack 20
For time.
20 Deadlifts (275lbs)
Run 400m
20 KB Swings (2pood)
Run 400m
20 Overhead Squats (115lbs)
Run 400m
20 Burpees
Run 400m
20 Pull-ups (Chest to Bar)
Run 400m
20 Box jumps (24″)
Run 400m
20 DB Squat Cleans (45lbs each)
Run 400m

McGhee
Rounds in 30 min
275 pound Deadlift, 5 reps
13 Push-ups
9 Box jumps, 24 inch box

Michael
3 rounds for time
Run 800 meters
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit-ups

Mr. Joshua – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Five rounds of:
Run 400 meters
30 Glute-ham sit-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps

Murph
For time.
Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed. Start and finish with a mile run. If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run

Nate
As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 2-Pood Kettlebell swings

Nutts
For time.
10 Handstand push-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
25 Box jumps, 30 inch box
50 Pull-ups
100 Wallball shots, 20 pounds, 10′
200 Double-unders
Run 400 meters with a 45lb plate

Paul – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Five rounds of:
50 Double Unders
35 Knees to elbows
185 pound Overhead walk, 20 yards

Randy
For time.
75# Power Snatch
75 reps

RJ
For time.
Five rounds of:
Run 800 meters
15 ft Rope Climb, 5 ascents
50 Push-ups

Roy – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Five rounds
225 pound Deadlift, 15 reps
20 Box jumps, 24 inch box
25 Pull-ups

Ryan
For time.
Five rounds of:
7 Muscle-ups
21 Burpees

Severin
For time.
50 Strict Pull-ups
100 Push-ups, release hands from floor at the bottom
Run 5K
If you’ve got a twenty pound vest or body armor, wear it.

Stephen – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
30-25-20-15-10-5 rep rounds of:
GHD Sit-up
Back Extension
Knees to elbow
95 pound Stiff legged Dead lift

The Seven
For time.
“The Seven” Seven rounds of:
7 Handstand push-ups
135 pound Thruster, 7 reps
7 Knees to elbows
245 pound Deadlift, 7 reps
7 Burpees
7 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood
7 Pull-ups

Thompson – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
10 rounds of:
15 ft Rope Climb, 1 ascent
95 pound Back squat, 29 reps
135 pound Barbells Farmer carry, 10 meters
Begin the rope climbs seated on the floor.

Tommy V – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
115 pound Thruster, 21 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 12 ascents
115 pound Thruster, 15 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 9 ascents
115 pound Thruster, 9 reps
15 ft Rope Climb, 6 ascents

Tyler
For time.
Five rounds:
7 Muscle-ups
21 reps, 95 pound Sumo-Deadlift High-Pull

War Frank – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For time.
Three rounds of:
25 Muscle-ups
100 Squats
35 GHD Sit-ups

Whitten
For time.
Five rounds of:
22 Kettlebell swings, 2 pood
22 Box jump, 24 inch box
Run 400 meters
22 Burpees
22 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball

Wittman – Post a video of this WOD, let me know and I’ll add a link here
For Time
Seven rounds of:
1.5 pood Kettlebell swing, 15 reps
95 pound Power clean, 15 reps
15 Box jumps, 24″ box

If you spot any broken or wrong links, please let me know in the comments below. And if you are the first to post up a video of one of the workouts that don’t have a video yet, let me know in the comments below and I’ll add a link to your video above.

Whilst I know the first week is always the fastest in terms of weight loss, I’m pleased with losing 5lbs in the first week of the new year, dropping from 193lbs to 188 (13st11 to 13st6).

If my Tanita scales are to be believed, my body fat percentage has dropped from 20.0% to 19.4%, which means I’ve lost 2.1lb of actual fat (rather than shedding water retention which is typically why diets work so well in the first week.

Probably of more importance though is inches lost, measuring: Waist; Hips; Bicep; Left Thigh; and Right Thigh came to a total of 140.5 inches a week ago, but as of this morning is 138.5, so a 2 inch loss there.

I had a plan to lose 18lbs by the end of Feb, which is just over 2 lbs per week, so on the face of it, I’m rather ahead of schedule, although it does fit with the 2.1lb fat loss based on body fat calculations.

I just saw this video over at Mads Jacobsen’s blog which does a great job of explaining the Paleo diet approach:

Personally I mostly follow the Paleo diet where possible (in Zone Diet proportions), but I do add milk and dairy. The reason is, we did evolve to drink milk, your mum’s milk. Now I realise that cows milk isn’t quite breast milk, but unless you want to be drinking other women’s breast milk (although that’s apparently available on some choice American websites!) it’s the best you can do. I do generally insist on whole Organic milk though, and when I can get it, unpasteurised raw (real) milk.

Well, that didn’t go according to plan!

This time last year, I wrote up 3 New Year’s Resolutions, which were:

1. Give up booze for the whole of 2010, no exceptions.
2. Give up sugar in all its forms. Yes that means chocolate, for all of 2010!
3. Earn enough money online to be able to give up paid office work by the end of 2010.

Things started well and no booze passed my lips for many months and no chocolate was consumed till Easter. I decided I’d been so good that I was entitled to an Easter off, which is when that one went pair shaped. There are other issues too, work and my personal circumstances, but I’m not here to make excuses. I am happy to renew my vows of abstinance for 2011 and intend to do better than last year.

In many respects it’s the 3rd resolution that was worse though. Try as I might, I was unable to balance working on my own money making projects with a fulltime freelance consultancy role, especially one that I wasn’t happy in. After doing a full day’s work, I found my motivation for working in the evening too was very low. I tried various approaches, all without much success. So I find myself a year later, having achieved none of my 2010 resolutions. Ho hum.

However, there’s one interesting thing I’ve learnt since starting my first company 10 years ago (and to steal a quote from Myth Busters): “Failure is always an option.” In the last 10 years I’ve tried several ways to earn money, some successful, some not, but each attempt has a lesson to be learnt and with each failure I get closer to success. A couple of light bulb inventor Thomas Edison’s quotes spring to mind:

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.

However it’s the quote from Frank Wilczek, the 2004 Nobel Prize winner for Physics that I think I like best:

If you don’t make mistakes, you are not working on hard enough problems. And that’s a big mistake.

And so it is that I have never been in a better position to progress my ideas and turn them into a profitable income! As a short summary, in the last 10 years I’ve:

• Started and run 2 small but very profitable IT consultancies, mostly farming myself out to the highest bidder.
• Created an internet marketing company that whilst profitable, wasn’t quite what I wanted long term. (I ended up as a simple salesman, selling services for a host of offshored staff.)
• Launched an air conditioning company that was profitable from its first month, which I ultimately shut down for various reasons (a long story!).
• I have also launched some info products online, that again were profitable but not quite what I’d hoped for.

Looking back, I made some obvious mistakes, well at least obvious to me know, but each of these ventures have been great learning experiences and prepared me well for what lies ahead in 2011. I’ve also learnt a lot about myself and my own motivation. As a result, I’ve decided to leave my consultancy work to one side for this year and concentrate 100% on launching an online only business.

One of the most exciting additions to my approach for 2011 is starting from the beginning to outsource many of my tasks, not only business tasks but personal jobs that distract me from profitable work. So I spent a week in December interviewing and recruiting some very talented people from the Philippines to work for me.

And so it is that ironically, my 2011 New Year’s Resolutions are pretty much exactly the same as 2010’s! Certainly I intend to do the no sugar and no alcohol, that’s a given. As I am stepping back from the consultancy work fulltime then in some ways I’ve already achieved the (3), however it’s currently not sustainable as I haven’t yet generated the income necessary to perpetuate it, but that’s just a matter of time.

As I think I said last year: this time next year Rodney…! 😉

I’m very pleased today to have recruited a very talented artist and graphics designer, who specialises in website design and logo design. He’s going to start work for me from 3rd January and I can’t wait. Take a look at some of his spectacular website design samples and logo examples:

As part of the warm up in our weekly Personal Defence Readiness™ (PDR) classes at CrossFit3D, we always do the 3 Step Bear Hug drill. For me, the 3 Step Bear Hug encompasses in a single drill many of the core elements of Tony Blauer’s S.P.E.A.R. SYSTEM™:

1. A realistic training scenario.
2. The flinch response.
3. Starting from a sucky position.
4. The flinch conversion.
5. Getting control of the fight.

It’s a relatively simple drill, but one that allows the student to quickly experience the efficacy of the S.P.E.A.R. SYSTEM™ when done right, whilst maintaining a safe environment. Experiencing the power of superior use of physiology against a stronger opponent is often a light bulb moment for students, it certainly was for me when I first did this drill. In this post I’ll take you through the elements of the 3 Step Bear Hug drill and explain what’s going on and why it’s important.

To start, here’s a short video of myself (sporting my Movember moustache!) and one of our students (Paul) demoing the 3 Step Bear Hug. It’s shot twice, so you can see both sides:

As you can see this is a slow and deliberate choppy drill. Taking my points above in turn:

1) A Realistic Training Scenario
The scenario here is that I have to move someone who doesn’t want to go. An example is someone has overstayed their welcome at a party in your house and you are forced to physically eject them. At first they resist, then the second time you give them a tug, they jump you with a bear hug and push you back, from which you have to attain a point of dominance.

A key point is that this is not a lethal encounter, a friend has just got out of hand. Always the scenario will dictate the scale of your response in a conflict. It is disingenuous to teach “If he does that, you do this.” in every case, as the particular circumstances of a fight will determine your reactions. You will react differently fighting with your sister, than you will when facing a potential rapist!

You can see in the video I approach Paul and grab his right shoulder with my right arm (protecting my face in case he swings for me with his left hand) and his left wrist with my left hand. I tug and he resists. I tug again and the trap is sprung as Paul leaps forward and grabs me in a bear hug.

2) The Flinch Response

In a realistic encounter, this would happen faster than I could consciously react. In the drill we do it slowly, at about a speed of 3 out of 10 say. In reality, surprised by a close quarter stimulus, I would flinch bringing my right arm up to protect my head, thereby probably getting my right arm trapped against my body. It’s likely that the Cross Extensor Reflex would mean that I grab on tight to the bad guy’s wrist, which I’m already holding. These aspects are replicated in the drill in order to provide realistic integrity.

3) Starting From A Sucky Position

Continuing the realistic scenario, having taken me by surprise Paul pushes my backwards, for the purposes of the drill Paul pushes me back 3 steps. A nuance here is that I’m not walking backwards, Paul is pushing me. This replicates what would actually happen; I am not in control of the fight here.

After the 3 steps, I’m in a completely compromised position: my feet are together in a non-athletic stance; my axis (my back) is angled backwards; I’m virtually off balance and am at risk of being dumped an my butt (Paul’s job as a Good Bad Guy in the drill, is to look after my safety and make sure I don’t get dumped backwards). This is my starting point and a key point to PDR training: there’s no “stance” here, I’m not physically prepared to fight, but this is the sucky position I must get myself out of in order to take charge of the fight.

4) The Flinch Conversion

The 3 Step Bear Hug drill is not only slow, but intentionally choppy. At each point of transition, I deliberately take a second to think about my positioning and what happens next and in which order. You can see this in the video. Starting from my sucky position, with the knowledge of how to leverage my physiology to my advantage, I begin to convert my flinch response into something useful.

The first step is to let go and splay my fingers. This engages the stronger and more efficient extensor muscles in my arm. Note that this happens in isolation, nothing else moves except my fingers.

I got slightly ahead of myself with my left hand, but it’s in the right place now. I’m lightly indexing Paul’s triceps with my left hand. Not only does this give me more control over positioning him, but it also brings into play one of the 3 sense with which we detect a stimulus: the tactile sense. (The other 2 being: visual and auditory.) If Paul’s right hand were to reach for a knife or otherwise recoil to punch me, I’d feel it before I saw it, which would give me a moment’s notice to react.

Step 2 is to get my elbow to an angle that is more than 90 degrees, or “outside 90”. Again this is done in isolation. Until my arm is outside 90, I apply no forward pressure on Paul. The reason is that until I have splayed fingers and an outside 90 elbow, there is no point pushing into him as I will simply collapse the structure of my own arm first and we’ll end up in a Sumo style shoving match. That is not what I want (partly because I know he’d kick my butt at that with ease!) but more because I want to attain a point of physiological advantage first.

Step 3 is a compound movement in which I first twist my hips towards the threat and then stomach crunch into the bad guy, angling my back forwards. It can be instructional to do these 2 moves in reverse, i.e. push into the bad guy first, then twist the hips in. If the hips aren’t pointing towards the threat, any initial push is ineffective, only when the hips are twisted in then the power comes on like a switch. It’s a good teaching point to demonstrate the power of the hip movement before the drive into the bad guy and a common fault to spot in students who are struggling at this point.

The point of all this is to use our physiologically strong arm (splayed fingers, outside 90) to attach like an unbendable bar to our body, which allows us to bring to bear our strong leg and stomach muscles. All the force at our disposal from our big muscle groups are brought to focus on the side of the bad guy’s neck. As a long time Crossfitter and semi-pro rugby player, Paul is a super strong guy. Being a Good Bad Guy, he’s under instructions not to let go of me unless I do something to make him, but he folds like a paper hat as I move to my point of domination.

Step 4 puts my feet into a stable and ready for action sprinter stance. Here I have a balanced and stable platform form which to act or react as necessary.

5) Getting Control of the Fight

Up until now, Paul as the bad guy has controlled the fight. He decided when and how it started and what happened in it. I’ve been reactionary only. Now however, I’ve gained control and now I decide what happens next. The SPEAR System is sometimes described as “A bridge to your next move” and so it is here. Back to my point earlier: the scenario dictates what you do.

In this reticent party goer scenario, I’m not now going to use lethal force, I’m not going to go for a weapon, I’m not going to use whatever martial arts skills I may have at my disposal to beat him to a pulp, instead I’m going to allow Paul to back off, cool off and go home. I may have choice words to say to him in the process!

A key point for every drill here is that until the bad guy has retreated out of dangerous range, I maintain my Close Quarter Combat Stance. My fingers are splayed and I am looking through my thumbs at the threat (the “Rule of Thumb”). My lead elbow is outside 90. My trailing hand is protecting my face. My axis is forward. I’m in my sprinter stance and ready for action. I move and react to the positioning of the threat as Paul moves.

The reason for this is we practice what is required in a real scenario. If you practice relaxing and resetting as soon as the bad guy is controlled but still within striking range, that’s what you’ll do out on the street. So we practice staying on our guard until the bad guy is safely away.

Summary

Everything we do when teaching PDR classes has thought to what would happen in real life, being mindful of how we behave and how we’re wired genetically as people. The S.P.E.A.R. SYSTEM™ is Genetically wired and behaviourally inspired™. In this way, the system stays honest to its reality based routes and we make sure we’re not teaching cool moves for the sake of looking cool!

If there’s one drill that can be taught to a completely novice student, and within just 1 hour have that student leave the class a more competent, confident and safer person, it’s the 3 Step Bear Hug drill. And that’s why it’s my favourite drill!