Uechi-Ryu.com

Rough Outline of Lesson Plan For Boston


First of all, the Practical Self Defense Team (PSD) is double booked for Friday at 1600, both “under the tent” and the regular class. Unless that gets changed, I’m counting five classes to cover, four of one hour, one of 1.5 hours.

I have certain prejudices and assumptions about how karateka are usually trained and I’d like to take the first two classes out of the theme of self-defense and do some of what I call “building block” classes.

Class 1 Friday 1600-1700: Everything there is to know about joint locks. This is a principles-based class that covers the practical physics required to make a joint lock work in real time; that there are only three types of joints which can be locked; that each type is locked the same way.
NB- If the double on Friday is resolved and we get an extra class it will be on closing and infighting striking.

Class 2 Saturday 1500-1600: The takedown. A principles-based class on how to get people off their feet. Identifies key physical principles and types of take-downs.

Class 3 Saturday 1600-1700: Sudden attack training. This class will be more free-form than the building block classes. It needs to concentrate on two concepts: 1) Operational conditioning to close and counter-attack, and 2) falling and off-balance fighting. If traditional instructors want a practical demonstration of why old stances are good, there’s a three-phase demo/drill, blindfolded that makes a good lead and gives some validation. After that, it’s a half hour (give or take) of touch-attack conditioning. Falling and off-balance fighting may be ambitious to do in this time slot, but if it at least gets instructors thinking about it, it may save some lives. We’ll go over drop step to front, rear and sides, drop step as a force and speed multiplier, and falling elbow counter attack to the rear.

Class 4 Sunday 1000-1130: This is the longest time slot we have so it will be all lecture on the differences between real violence and dojo violence and how to adapt your training. It will cover most of the same material as the “Rhinoceros and Unicorn” pamphlet.

Class 5 Sunday 1333-1400: Drills. The adaptations part of the previous lecture will be up on the dry-erase board. Remember context! We’ll start with stance evaluation, then the blind response drill if we didn’t do it in class three. The purpose is to show how to adapt simple skills, techniques or concepts to a SD context. Then we’ll demo TB’s Manson Drill and contrast it with my Reception Line Drill to show a larger but still limited lesson plan. The Manson Drill is a nasty wake-up call for most practitioners. The Reception Line introduces the concept of flipping the switch. Then simple scenarios with multiple threats (or allies) and environmental hazards (or tools). The difference between a hazard and a tool is how you perceive it and who uses it first.


Van's looked at the lesson plan and the pamphlet and thinks the lecture, Class#4 should be moved up, since Sunday has the most people leaving.

Input and suggestions?

Rory,

Gem did mention about giving you more time. From what I read in your “Rhinoceros and Unicorn” pamphlet, this information should reach out to as many people as possible, and usually Saturday is the biggest camp day.

As you indicated, you gave this lecture [on the differences between real violence and dojo violence and how to adapt your training] in Seattle and it went really well, but you needed more time than the one hour you were given.

I am sure Gem can give you the one and a half hour you need, and possibly schedule the lecture for Saturday.

In my opinion, also on Saturday, you should do this:

> Demo TB’s Manson Drill and contrast it with my Reception Line Drill to show a larger but still limited lesson plan. The Manson Drill is a nasty wake-up call for most practitioners. The Reception Line introduces the concept of flipping the switch. Then simple scenarios with multiple threats (or allies) and environmental hazards (or tools). The difference between a hazard and a tool is how you perceive it and who uses it first. <

The above is a departure from the ordinary, and should be appreciated by a good crowd.

If you agree, please be in touch with Gem and see what can be worked out.

Regards,

_________________
Van

I can arrange the schedule to fit your needs. I'll be fixing the spreadsheet today, removing the double entry and expanding your sessions if you wish.

_________________
GEM
"Do or do not. there is no try!"

Personally, I feel that the "campers" this year_ will be very fortunate to gain exposure to the concepts of a violence professional as Rory, who encounters violence in the prison system.

This is as real as it can get when addressing the "defensive component" of our traditional training.

Rory's seminar won't be "Technique laden" __ [Rory

This is a most excellent teaching method that matches the theme of this forum.

I believe Rory's approach to be along this concept [ Shihan Michael Pace]

Again, this is one camp you don't want to miss.

A blend of technique and tactical_ something we should be studying more. Here is a perfect chance to put it together.

Get your application in today.

_________________
Van

Let me know if this is acceptable. We will need Blauer suits for the activity segment. The discussions can be done in the Lecture Hall, where the "Masters" promotions take place, or "under the tent".

_________________
GEM
"Do or do not. there is no try!"

Under the tent would get us more attendance__ George _ agree?

_________________
Van

Breakdown under the new schedule:

Friday 1600-1700 (1 HR block):
Joint locks. We'll go over the physical principles and anatomy that make all joint locks work. The idea is for the students to understand how locks work instead of specific techniques. This isn't, strictly, a self-defense class but one of the building blocks. It's also the one I'll feel least bad about if I'm late (plane arrives in Boston at 1452. Between getting luggage and getting to Buzzard's Bay I don't know how much time it will take.)

Saturday 1300 -1400 (1 hr block)
Contact Response and Off-Balance/Falling Attack training. Again, in one hour we won't be working on new skills. There will be about five minutes of talk on why response must be immediate, why range will be close. We'll probably talk about elements of speed and refining reaction time and the power of initiative. For contact response, we'll get started on programming response to any sudden, aggressive contact. It will start slow and be a mostly blind-folded drill. Bring an extra T-shirt for the blind fold. If students are picking it up really well, we'll work on falling with the attack versus falling in counter-attack. If time permits, we'll work for the last twenty minutes on how to use falling as a speed and power multiplier and how to counter-attack while either in the air or extremely off balance.

Saturday 1500-1700 (2 hr block)
The Rhinoceros and the Unicorn lecture. This will cover a lot of material: Personal and Stylistic Assumptions; Strategy training; Types of violent assault; Basic elements of violent assault; adapting training for reality; context; chaos; stress hormon response; after-effects of violence.

Sunday 0900- 1030 (1.5 hr block)
Designing drills. We'll re-visit Contact/Response as a way to design a drill around a simple concept and an intro to operant conditioning; Then we'll introduce Tony Blauer's Manson Drill and my Reception Line Drill as ways to introduce larger concepts; lastly safely setting up scenario training.

If PSD team members want to PM me with your e-mails, I'll try to get more detailed lesson plans out to everybody before I leave for Montreal on July 26th.

Rory