As I've written many times before, the Toughen Up Philosophy consists of three components: 1. Using combative training methods, such as focus pad and heavy bag training, combative drills and fight-related activities as a form of exercise. 2. Incorporating functional fitness methods that will directly improve your performance in a street fight or self-defense situation and... 3. To … [Read more...]
Footwork Training For Self-Defense
January 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Guest Post by Philip Kouse, Seatte, Washington Footwork is a critical element of combative training because it transports the body into range to attack, and gets the body out of range to avoid being injured by an attack. Footwork is an important component of timing and key to successful combat. Mobility also is the first line of defense. As Bruce Lee wrote, it is better to avoid getting … [Read more...]
Product Review: “Enter The Kettlebell”
November 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“Enter The Kettlebell – Strength Secret Of The Soviet Supermen" by Pavel Tsatsouline If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you know that kettlebells are a big part of my approach to self-defense training. Unlike more “mainstream” exercise programs, kettlebell training transfers over quite well to the qualities that you need in a fight. They provide an awesome full-body … [Read more...]
The Self-Defense Keychain – Applying Weapon Selection Criteria?
November 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
In my last post, I wrote about eight things to consider when deciding whether or not to carry a self-defense weapon for your protection. I’d like to follow up that post, by applying those criteria to a common device called the self-defense keychain. It’s also called the “Kubaton,” “Yawara,” “Persuader,” “Ninja Stick” and a host of other … [Read more...]
Self-Defense Weapons – 8 Points To Think About
November 19, 2011 By 1 Comment
Should you carry a self-defense weapon to protect yourself? Google the term, “self-defense weapons” and you’ll get over 2.8 million results! Do you think self-defense weapons are an important personal safety issue? It's sad that we need to consider arming ourselves to feel safe. The truth is however, that bad things happen to good people far too often. If you are thinking about … [Read more...]
Self-Defense Training For The Mature Martial Artist
November 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I had a discussion with a subscriber who is a self-defense instructor. His question was about how to reduce training-related injuries in his martial arts classes, in particular for his more "mature students." I thought you might be interested in our conversation. Here's what I wrote him back: Hey Malcolm, Thanks for writing and kudos' on your commitment to share your knowledge and … [Read more...]
A Couple Basic Focus Pad Videos
June 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I'm always on the lookout for informative clips that I can throw up on the blog to give you a couple pointers or ideas about training. I came across a couple by a company that sells focus pads (I have nothing to do with the company and no vested interest in their products.) But if you are relatively new to focus pad training, you might find the clips useful. I wrote my Toughen Up Training … [Read more...]
How To Incorporate Kicks Into Your Combative Workouts
June 8, 2011 By 2 Comments
(an excerpt from the Toughen Up Guide to Power Kicking) I'm going to take a stab at discussing how to incorporate kicking into the power punching workouts that I lay out in my Power Punching Guide. If you don't have the guide, but have a solid striking skills base, you should have no problem following along. My philosophy on kicking techniques is that they're a valuable supplement to solid … [Read more...]
Kettlebells: Taming The Beast!
April 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that a big part of the Toughen Up Training system includes Russian Kettlebell Training. The kettlebell is an awesome tool to improve all aspects of functional conditioning and in particular increasing the stability and resilience of your body in preparation for the rigors of combative training such as focus pad work and hitting the … [Read more...]
A Cure For Focus Pad Shoulder Pain
March 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I recently came across a combative training entry on a forum at Dr.Squat.com by someone who was experiencing nagging shoulder pain from holding the focus pads for a hard-hitting training partner. He is a boxing coach and indicates that regardless of how hard he tries to resist the impact (which is one of the causes of the problem), the pain in his shoulders is accumulating to the point where it … [Read more...]
