Tuesday evening saw the next stage in the Combat Ready Essential Workshops.

There is a logical progression to the way these work shops are being presented and irrespective of participant experience they provide a highly focused environment to concentrate on the absolute fundamentals of combat. We get easily seduced by exotic techniques and drills when we’ve sometimes not mastered the core skills required.

I realise more than ever that consistent practice is the basis of superior performance.

KickStart followed a similar format to the previous weeks FirePower workshop. We started with Mandatory mobility, a dynamic warm up and the we got down to business.

Fundamentals, basics, kinetic linkage, breathing and hip power. These are the keys to CR Essentials.

Marcus focused on the Low Line tonite. It was game play first. Toe tag. I am a great fan of using games to get people moving. Everyone paired up and simply tried to tag each other using feet only. From there we went to picking up the outside or inside line of the foot. So much of this type of drilling is about being opportunistic. The idea is to achieve a tactile sensitivity that allows us to pick up on openings and weaknesses in an opponents structure and destabilise them. Unlike high percentage techniques we don’t go hunting here. We find a weakness and we exploit it.

From there we moved to foot drags, moving off the bump and step-through from last week but catching the foot opponents foot and simply pulling them off balance. Simple and effective.

Next was stomps and shin grinds. Low tech but high return. Brutally effective. What ever the shape and size of an opponent, shins are a common denominator.

Next we moved onto actual kicks. The oblique front kick, cutting through and down, a super effective kick that can serve as a stop shot. We practised this against pads and each other!

This led into a simple front sweep kick. Much like kicking a football the leg swings fast and low targeting the ankle or shin. Everyone began to get a sense of the power dynamics on the shields.

Next we used a simple side stop kick, many arts have a version of this, I know it as Jeet tek. Again an incredibly simple, effective stop kick which has the added benefit of working as an effective offence.

Then we used the outside Thai kick targeting the outside thigh or knee. Next we worked on angles, stepping out for a low line Cut Kick, Thai style, same dynamics but this time evading an attack and stepping in to the back leg.

As The Combat Ready Essential workshops progress there will be time to integrate the content into a rounded, progressive practice. This is a tool box of techniques and drills that everyone should be able to make their own.