On March 2nd, 2002 (a date that will live in infamy), I found myself at the venerable Hard Core Gym (SBG affiliate) in Athens, GA. ready (as ready as you can be) to train with the notorious Adam and Rory Singer. Already having known about the toughness, skills and conditioning level of the Straight Blast Gym athletes, I knew that it wouldn't be your typical walk in the park. Let me just say, I wasn't wrong about that.
It was raining heavily that morning. I remember thinking about how much I just wanted to stay in bed when I visualized Adam telling everyone over the internet what a wuss I was for not showing up. Up and at 'em my dad always said….
I arrived promptly at 9:00 am to be greeted by Rory Singer, who was busy wrapping his hands (which I was certain was for pounding on me). A few minutes later Adam came stomping in. Let me tell you, that guy is one big muther. Two friendlier guys you wouldn't meet anywhere though. They both gave my girlfriend and myself big hugs and welcomed us to the Hardcore Gym. I must say that it was indeed very nice to be there.
Adam and I began the day with a light warm-up, stretching out our cold muscles in preparation for several hours of intense training. Afterward he had me doing a minute of shadow boxing to gauge where my stand-up form was at. Apparently it needed work. Big surprise that was. I could've saved him the time and me the energy if he'd have just asked. (I could've just told him I sucked). Through use of the focus pads, he worked to correct my form and mechanics. I could literally feel the difference afterward as my power increased when hitting the pads. He's a very patient coach and worked diligently with me to make sure that my boxing mechanics were sound before moving on.
Then it was into the ring. Woo hoo. Not exactly what I was looking forward to in all honesty. Not against him anyway. However, the coaches at the SBG's across the US and abroad are all there to help you learn and improve -- not beat you down (this is what I kept saying over and over). Stand-up is where my game had needed the most improvement, and here was my opportunity to do just that. No guts, no glory right?!
Boxing with Adam is a bit like the proverbial exercise in futility. The man has skills. For a guy his size, he has amazing quickness and unerring accuracy. My nose was bleeding before the first round was over! I could taste blood in my mouth as well but there wasn't any pain. It actually awakened me somewhat. I was ready now! In the next round, I went after Adam with everything I had; lefts, rights, hooks, the monkey wrench I'd hidden in my shorts (Rory should've patted me down). You should've been there to see it…Adam wasn't even able to hit back! Of course, this was because it was a drill, where only I threw offense. That fact didn't slow me down any, I was on a ROLL!!! Then…it was his turn. If I wasn't certain as to what I was in for before then, I then realized it. It was going to be a long day.
After going a couple of rounds with Adam, Rory then climbed into the ring for a go at me (having thanked Adam for wearing me down for him). The thing that I noticed about both of them was how very difficult it was to land a shot. I did my best to hit Rory after my frustration with Adam. It just wasn't to be - their defensive game was just too tight to let anything through. I later found out that this was the "Crazy-Monkey" defensive structure that I'd been hearing so much about. (The crazy-monkey is method of defense against hands developed by SBG coach Rodney King of So. Africa).
After some time doing this, we took a break. To be honest, I was feeling like I wanted to toss my breakfast at this point but I regained my composure with a short breather. It was then that I looked at the clock - it was only 10:30 am. I still had three and a half hours to go!! I realized then that my conditioning program (what there was of it) would have to improve dramatically!
Adam recognizing this, eased up a little and adjusted the pace. He is a true coach in the highest definition of the word! He went harder at times and lightened up when I was starting to drag. Sparring when rested, teaching when tired, is how he termed it. It turns out that this would prove to be the hardest part of my day from a conditioning standpoint. After a little more focus pad work, we finished the stand-up portion of training and were about to break for lunch. It was then Adam suggested we go through his conditioning program....
I cannot remember the name of this particular workout for certain, but I think he called it 30/30/30. Makes sense; what you do is, pick an exercise such as:
- Knee Highs (running in place, bringing your knees as high as you can)
- Sprawls (squat-thrusts -- sprawl out completely on these!)
- Mountain Climbers
- Crunches
- Heavy Bag Flurries (hitting the bag with jabs & crosses as fast as you can)
- Or any others which you might prefer
You then perform an exercise for 30 seconds, doing each as fast as you can. Afterward, take an "active" rest for another 30 seconds (jogging slowly, shadow boxing, etc). Then you perform a different exercise on the list for 30 seconds, then rest again. Repeat the process over until you can't do anymore. It's very intense to say the least. When you can do 15 minutes of this with a lot of intensity, you'll be in "fighting" shape. This is a great method of conditioning for combat athletics.
We did 8 minutes of this. Adam was still going strong. I was just going. But it works! I've been doing this type of work religiously since I've been back and I can see tremendous improvements already in just a few short weeks. This workout is a must if you desire to be a well-conditioned athlete.
So off we went to lunch, a nice reprieve from the intensity of the early morning workout. Being fighters and all, lunch would be nutritious and fortifying, something lean that would give our bodies the very life-enriching things that we would need to stimulate our muscles and fuel our endurance. Pizza! (You were thinking something different?). I did opt for the diet cola….
After the lunch break, Rory worked with me for the next two hours. The first hour dealt with the clinch. Much of what we did can be seen on their seminar video (if you'd like to purchase this video, contact Adam Singer at thehardcoregym@charter.net for details). This included, Greco-Roman and muay Thai clinch control methods, knees/elbows, and takedowns. It was awesome material that I have now begun to put into practice within my own gym. Rory's Greco game is very good. He'll definitely make a believer out of you. The under-hooking and plum positioning of his is first rate. Working with the likes of Randy Couture, Dan Henderson and pro Thai boxing coaches will do that for you.
The last hour was spent doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I've been doing "jits" for a while now. Somehow I seemed like a beginner against them while in their "butterfly guards". Excellent stuff those guys are doing! I couldn't pass, couldn't attack (no base) or anything else it seemed but try to hang on. Usually I ended up getting swept and fighting from the bottom. Their ground game (as with all their other games) is very tough. It seems that they've got the complete game within all ranges (isn't that the aim of JKD?!).
I'm presently working to recreate the atmosphere within my own gym that you'll find at any of the Straight Blast Gym locations. This is a simple enough task -- providing you have a grasp of aliveness (and conditioning). If it's functional fighting ability that you want, alive training will give it to you! You really owe it to yourself to attend a seminar given by any of the Straight Blast Gym guys or, pay a visit to one of the gyms for a private. You'll come away with a good idea of where your skills are at and what you need to do to improve them if any.
In the not-too-distant future I plan on having the Singer Brothers up at my gym for a seminar. If you attend, you'll be able to see for yourself what a typical SBG day is like. Just plan on being in shape!
John Kogas (29 Apr 02)
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