It Has Always Been About the Training
Mark Hatmaker
In this week's article I will allow a series of like-themed quotations to lead the way.
"Fights are won in the gym, not in the ring." Fight Gym Maxim
"Conditioning is the best finishing hold." Gene LeBell
"Their exercises too were less severe on campaigns, and in other ways their lives were less strenuous and strict, so that they were the only people in the world to whom war brought relief from trainng for war." Plutarch on the Spartans under the rule of Lycurgus.
Warriors, at least from the times of ancient Sparta, until today have incessantly echoed the wisdom of preparation being key to martial success. War/battle/combat sports are subject to the whims of chaos and a victory or defeat can be turned on a single tactic or strategy. Realizing that much of being on the receiving end of victory relies on chance, the fates, fortune, whatever you want to call it warriors have embraced the only aspect of battle they can have any control over and that is training or preparation.
Only by training for all (or at least most) likely contingencies can we increase our odds of success in martial endeavors. And the training these experienced ancients and moderns are referring to is not mere lip service, it is the "train hard, fight easy" mentality of the Spartans who endured such severity in day-today living that the privileges provided by battle (shelter for one) were a respite to look forward to.
Now, we may have no need to go so far as the Spartans but their legendary commitment to preparation is a useful benchmark to measure our own training regimen against.
This preparation need not be merely in the physical realm but in the mental, emotional, and spiritual realm if you will. Let's close this out with a passage from Seneca's letters to Lucilius (XVIII) that brings these separate domains together.
"...my determination to put your moral strength of purpose to the test is such that I propose to give even you the following direction found in great men's teachings: set aside now and then a number of days during which you will be content with the plainest of food, and very little of it, and with rough, coarse clothing, and will ask yourself, 'Is this what one used to dread?' It is in times of security that the spirit should be preparing itself to deal with difficult times; while fortune is bestowing favors on it then is the time for it to be strengthened against her rebuffs. In the midst of peace the soldier carries out maneuvers, throws up earthworks against a non-existent enemy and tires himself out with unnecessary toil in order to be equal to it when it is necessary. If you want a man to keep his head when the crisis comes you must give him some training before it comes. This was the aim of the men who once every month pretended they were poor, bringing themselves face to face with want, to prevent their ever being terrified by a situation which they had frequently rehearsed."
Let us ask ourselves, have we prepared as diligently as Seneca advises Luciilus?
Places to Go, People to See
As some of you know I try to leave the homestead as little as possible, but this year is an anomaly as we have upped our seminar/playtime. Below you will find a listing of some of the most recent additions to the schedule.
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Of course we'll be at the Annual Karate College in Radford, VA on June 28th & 29th. We'll teach 3 general sessions + 1 certification course. To register for Karate College http://www.thekaratecollege.com/TheKarateCollege.com/Karate_College.html
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We'll be on the roster at Martial Arts on the Mountain--September 19 (5PM start) thru September 22nd (11AM).
Myself, Boyd Ritchie, Carlos Cummings, and John Miller will be presenting classes in MMA, Boxing, Catch Wrestling, Sambo, (and if time permits) an optional Challenge/Obstacle Run.
Four days of training, feel free to room on the campground (rooms and meals provided, crew--beat that).
Cost: $250
To register or for more details contact Coach John Miller
coach@grapplingsports.com
540-354-9356
http://www.facebook.com/events/126726897501640/
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Of course, we'll also offer our Annual Tennessee Boot Camp in November-details to come.
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We hope to see you at one of these events--if you'd like to have us come to you, check out our Pitch An Adventure info in the side bar and if you've got some adrenaline in your neck of the woods that strikes my fancy we'll be there.
RAW Subscription Update
For our current and considering RAW Subscribers, beginning with volume 123 (January 1st, 2013) we will begin unveiling The Combination Man Home Study Course in which we (finally) present in an ABC/1-2-3 manner the steps from, 0-120 MPH how to become the best Boxer-Pugilist, Shooter-Stuffer, Par Terre Wrester-Submission Technician you can be.
Each volume will tied-in to the inTENS PREMIUM CONDITIONING SERVICE (free to subscribers), will be accompanied by a printed syllabi of drills for gym use, and will then be keyed to a foundation text (The Combination Man) that will be released at a later date. In other words, some good methodical let's get better stuff coming your way.
