TAPE 1: PRIME YOUR BIOENERGY

The Fisticuffs series was created before the Leg Fencing series, and it's obvious that Scott has been refining and improving his approach as he goes along.  Those who've viewed other tapes from RMAX are aware that Scott speaks a language all his own -- one comprised of many very specific terms that relate to the science of physical training and to his philosophy of the successful approach to that science.  Fisticuffs includes a lot of these terms, and this may confuse some viewers unfamiliar with Scott's work.

Also missing are the nice graphic titles separating segments from each other and explaining the formulae and mnemonics to which Scott refers at times.  This absence, to be frank, made the review a little more difficult to do, because in taking notes the separation between sequences was not as clear.

Production values were okay.  The tape was audible, and I had no trouble making out what Scott was doing as he demonstrated drills in front of a blank white wall.  I did find the striped Spetsnaz tank-top Scott wears to be distracting.  (For all I know, the Spetsnaz chose that pattern for the same reason that a zebra's stripes offer some protection from prey.)

So, with all that said, am I writing a negative review?  Not at all.  The Fisticuffs series is a good one.  Yes, it is not as well-developed as Scott's later work, but who among us does not improve with practice? What is neat about a video series like this is that even if you don't follow everything Scott is saying, it isn't really necessary.  Watch this tape and do what Scott does, when he tells you to do so.  When you're done, you'll have "primed your bioenergy."  This is only the start of Fisticuffs, but it forms the platform on which you will build in studying the following cassettes.  

I should pause to state unequivocally that the principles imparted in the Fisticuffs series are absolutely vital to your development as a fighter.  Scott brings very real insight to pugilism.  The further I got into this series, the more enamored of it I became, eager to go out and try in sparring what I learned from Scott's coaching.  That is what Scott does, incidentally:  coach.  Often I found myself thinking, "Well, that's common sense."  But if this is so, why does it not come naturally?  Why have I not applied such advice, such principles, already?  The answer is that no fighter is simply born perfect and fully developed.  He or she must be coached to reach full potential.  That is what Scott does well.  I have spoken glowingly of Scott Sonnon's work on these pages, because I like it very much.  The high esteem in which I hold it was earned by the material itself and through no other means. 

Tape 1, like each of the tapes in the set, opens with an inspirational quote and a pair of stylized video sequences.  The audio of Scott's metaphor-laced narration during these sequences could have been louder, but I liked them.  Specifically, I liked the contrast between the two.   The first shows an altercation with multiple opponents in which the defender fails, while the second shows what he should do to be successful in neutralizing and escaping the dangers presented.  These sequences depict the difference between the zone and the vortex, between success and failure, between what we seek to experience versus what we seek to impose. 

In Tape 1 Scott explains how to prime your bioenergy.  The focus here is to integrate breathing, movement, and alignment.  The most important aspect of this -- and a philosophy repeated throughout the Fisticuffs series -- is that this is non-technical practice.  Focus on the process, not the product, Scott urges.

An infinite range of motion equals an infinite range of options, Scott tells us.  He goes on to speak of "joint recruitment" and leads the viewer through a series of joint recruitment exercises.  The figure 8 or "infinity" pattern emerges here again, as it will many times before the series ends. Scott refers to the "six degrees of freedom" -- movement up, down, left, right, back, and forward.  

The exercises demonstrated include work for the neck, shoulders, arms, thorax, pelvis, and spine.  Scott both explains and demonstrates the proper way to integrate your breathing with your movement, inhaling when expanding and exhaling when contracting.  The importance of proper breathing has been stressed to me endlessly by both of my instructors.  I was pleased to see it emphasized here.

By the time you're done with the joint recruitment exercises, Scott predicts, you'll feel like jelly -- and he's absolutely correct.  Looking at the exercises more generally, they're all about those figure 8s.  If you've ever seen a graphic depiction of the angles in which a sword can move, you've seen it as the intersection of several loops that can be connected as figure 8 patterns.  There are only so many -- but they comprise the entire range of human motion, for the sword is simply an extension of the body.  The importance of developing these ranges of motion cannot, therefore, be overstated.

Moving on to vibration drills, Scott warns the viewer not to bring preconceived notions to the drills.  If any of them look familiar, he cautions, resist jumping to the conclusion that you already know what is being done and why.  (This is a great philosophy to bring to drills in general, not just these.  It's an idea I've heard Scott repeat on other tapes.)

The most important part of vibration drills is the seamless transition from the end of one motion to the beginning of another.  As Scott explains later, the gap between movements is where we are vulnerable and what we seek to minimize.  As he usually does, Scott builds on each exercise, working from simple motions to more complex and integrated ones.

Starting with a simple shoulder drop and lift, integrating exhalation and inhalation with it, Scott takes the exercise to a right-left movement using one arm or another.  You will start to see, here, the application of this exercise to the mechanics of fighting with the arms -- though of course in making that observation I'm already bending the rules of the exercise, by placing preconceived notions of for what the motions will be used on the expression of the drill.

The exercise becomes progressively more complicated as Scott integrates several breaths into the practice, finally incorporating his entire body.

In an exercise that develops tone, Scott demonstrates how to move from the shoulders to the elbows to the wrist, tensing each in succession.  He then tenses his entire arm and relaxes it.  The drill reminds me of part of Wing Chun's Sil Lim Tao form, in which an extended wu sao (a vertical edge-of-hand) is retracted and relaxed into fook sao (a hooking hand).  Yes, I'm bending the rules again here.

Going on to discuss wave motion, Scott demonstrates taking that shoulder-elbow-wrist motion into a wave forward.  It's not a whip, but a casting motion.  Do this right and you will see not only the power generated, but the greater ease with which one can continue moving through the wave without being forced to drag the arm back to retract it.  (The importance of this -- constant motion, rather than dragging back and resetting to launch a new attack -- is emphasized in Tape 2, Weaponizing Your Architecture.)

Introducing a concept that is repeated again in Tape 2, Scott warns the viewer not to think in terms of specific weapons or techniques.  Focus, instead, on the platform and the delivery, integrated with your respiration.

Once again building on the previous techniques, Scott works his way through several ranges of wave motion, cascading from one side of his body to the next, backwards and forwards, moving through the waves in one direction before reversing them to move through them in the other direction.  He also speaks about frustration in the course of the exercises.  If you find yourself becoming frustrated, he says, pull back a bit and reintegrate your breathing, movement, and alignment.

Chuckling, Scott refers to breakdancing as he demonstrates how to transmit force from one end of your body to the next.  It really does look like breakdancing. I was ready to break out the old Alfonso Ribeiro breakdancing mat and follow along.  While it may look amusing, though, this is an important concept.

Elaborating on the six degrees of freedom, Scott explains that the points of rotation are the middle of your upper arm and the middle of your lower arm.  You're rotating around the forearm, for example -- not the elbow.  The smaller the point of rotation, the faster your relative speed.  As the rest of Scott's body joins the movement, we can again see the relevance of the earlier drills.  He folds from upper frame to lower frame, from right to left, and back again.   (It's easy to imagine how these motions apply to fighting, but -- again -- don't imagine too much.)  Folding your architecture is an important concept in Tape 2, as it is critical to moving around what your opponent offers to continue your motion.

Your body, Scott explains, is a structural system that must shift to accommodate your movement.  It's a cognitive illusion to think you can move your arm without moving the rest of your body.  Scott then takes us through free form practice, folding and casting with both arms while moving.

Scott's discussion of the lower body reminded me very much of the Leg Fencing series.  (If Leg Fencing did not exist, this is the part of the review where I'd say, "I'd like to see this treated in greater detail in another tape."  Thankfully, Scott's done that already.)  We are not concerned with moving our feet, he tells us, but with moving our bodies.

To move your legs, you must move your hips.  Scott demonstrates a basic weight transfer from one leg to the other.  If you take nothing else away from these reviews, remember the importance of screwing motion with the legs (and with the arms).  The infinity patterns, wave motion, casting (with the arms), and screwing are concepts Scott repeats constantly.  In his demonstrations it is obvious why and how these work.  They are sound physiological and mechanical concepts that you cannot afford to ignore or dismiss.

The movements that follow are, essentially, previews of the material in Leg Fencing.  "Accordion" and "knee screw" motions are taken into the box step  and then into a slingshot motion.  The slingshot is the result of the seamless transition of the box step.  Think of it as "loading" and "unloading," storing elastic energy to give you power to drive forward. 

After dealing with the ranges of motion appropriate to lower limb architecture, Scott demonstrates an exercise in which the entire body trembles as it collapses down and then comes up again, respiration integrated with the movement.  This relaxes the entire body.  (Try it.  It's quite invigorating.)

The culmination of the tape, as Scott explains, is solo "soft work" -- feeling the seamless transition in your movement to feel the integration of movement, breathing, and alignment.  Combining all the exercises on the tape, Scott moves fluidly about the screen.  I could not help but picture an opponent before him, for it is obvious by this point just why the exercises he demonstrates are of use.

Recognize the necessity of daily personal practice with a non-technique focus, Scott repeats.  The integration of your movement, breathing, and alignment is critical to recovering from mistakes and dealing with the unexpected -- which makes you tougher and a better fighter.  

The tape includes a nice concluding segment, something that is often missing from instructional tapes (even some of Scott's).  While such formalities as introductions and conclusions aren't necessary to the function of a video of this type, they help give the reader a sense of focus, a structure to the curriculum.  I was pleased to see it included here.

The Fisticuffs series continues with Tape 2, Weaponizing Your Architecture.

Read my review of Fisticuffs, Tape 2

Read my review of Fisticuffs, Tape 3.1