Newsletter subscribers will be aware that Steve Williams and I have been working on a project called “Extreme Impact”. Extreme Impact is a unique training system for martial artists who want to train in a way that will separate them from the crowd. The drills that form the Extreme Impact training system will develop to high levels the vital martial attributes of Speed, Focus, Fitness, Power, Impact, Aggression, Mental Resilience, Flowing Transitions, Timing, Dynamic Movement, and Confidence.
The drills in all the Extreme Impact units reflect the way Steve and I train together and such drills form a large part of my teaching in my own dojo. Whether you are a “traditionalist” like me or a “modernist” like Steve, we feel sure that you will not only reap great benefits from training in this way but you will also enjoy it (afterward if not during).
The way each unit is structured is that Steve or I explain the details of a given drill, which is then followed by Steve or I demonstrating the drill at full speed and power (all sweat, twisted facial expressions and signs of fatigue are entirely genuine!).
The first five units are now available to download:
Unit 1 – Developing a Knockout Jab!
Unit 2 – The Cross: The Ultimate Knockout Shot!
Unit 3 – Roundhouse: The King of Kicks!
Unit 4 – Front, Side and Groin Kicks: Straight Down the Line!
Unit 5 – Strength & Plyometric Drills: Not for the Fainthearted!
The download format means we don’t have to pay for DVD production and hence each unit is available at just £9.70. If you click on the “play now” link below you can watch a short trailer for the first five Extreme Impact units (more units will be released later in the year).
Extreme Impact Preview:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Please click HERE to be taken to the webpage that will give you more details.
“I fall to the floor. I’m breathing so hard that my lungs feel like they are about to burst. I look down at my broken body. I can hear nothing but the sound of my pounding heart. I have a splitting headache as my brain screams for oxygen. My muscles are so exhausted that my body can no longer move. So it doesn’t. Mentally and physically I have nothing left. This is hell. And then it starts; like it always does: “Get up! Get a grip of yourself and get on your feet!” The inner voice. My will. My sprit. It’s the one thing that will never lie down and die. So I get to my feet and I do it all again. This is how I train. This is INTENSITY.” – Steve Williams
Please click HERE to be taken to the webpage that will give you more details.
Posted in Posts with Video | Comments Off
As most of you will know, for the last few months we have been making our titles available as downloadable files in addition to DVDs. The download format has proved popular and the majority of our DVDs have now been converted. “Bunkai-Jutsu 4: Seishan / Hangetsu” and “Bunkai-Jutsu 5: Chinto / Gankaku” were uploaded last week!
During the conversion process we also arranged for a little clip to be edited together for this blog. If you click on the “play now” link at the bottom of this post, you will be able to watch a four minute clip that explains the bunkai for the “crescent kick” and “groin kick defence” found at the end of Seishan / Hangetsu.
This low-res footage was taken from the DVD / high-res download and, as you’ll see, it is my view that the end motion represents a leg kick-takedown followed by a strike; and the action to be taken should the downed enemy try to tackle you to the floor. I hope you enjoy the clip!
All the best,
Iain
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
Bunkai Jutsu 4 Low Res Clip:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Posts with Video | Comments Off
Happy 2010 everyone! Is it just me or have the 10 years since the millennium flown by!? The passage of time is what inspired this first podcast of the new decade. In it I discuss the influence “history” can have on today’s martial practise. It is my view that history can lead to ever increasing efficiency and growth, or stagnation and death depending upon how we view the martial practises passed on to us through history.
There are many different ways in which history can impact upon us and in this podcast I discuss the following: How important is it to be “historically accurate” with regards to kata bunkai? What is “traditional”? Should we faithfully preserve what has been passed on to us? How can we integrate modern developments and remain true to our martial heritage? How should we use “history” to ensure a positive future? Is the “historic way” or the “modern way” the best? And a few more issues relating to the positives and pitfalls when looking at the history of the martial arts.
Thanks once again to all the regular listeners for your support of these podcasts! The number of listeners is growing all the time and I thank you for your continued support and for telling others about these programmes. I’ll be back with more next month! Enjoy!
All the best,
Iain
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
History: A Thing of the Past? [22:54m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off
The sixth issue of Jissen is now ready for download! I’d like to begin by apologising for the delay in getting this issue to you. I’ve been so busy over the last few months that it became obvious that I was not going to get this issue finished on time.
Helen (my wife) picked up the slack and this added in another slight delay while she got familiarised with all the typesetting software. When you see the magazine, I think you’ll agree Helen as done a great job and the good thing is that the magazine is no longer entirely reliant on me for progress. The 7th issue is already being put together. I am therefore sorry for this delay, but the good news is all future magazines should be as regular as clockwork.
If you have a look at the contents list below, you can see that this issue has been well worth the wait! We have a great interview with Dave Turton, an article by world renowned realist Geoff Thompson (with more to come from Geoff in future issues) and articles on a whole host of subjects including multiple opponents, improvised weapons, kata application, flow drills, ancient European fighting arts and even how to fight a horse (kind of)!
I hope you enjoy this latest issue!
All the best,
Iain
Issue Six
Contents: Martial Arts Scepticism: The Pornography of Reality-Based Self Defence –Never Give Up – Bouncer – How to Win a Bar Fight – Karate’s Holy Grail – Whiter Shade of Pale – Anatomy of Back Stance – Flow in Modern Karate – Oh S*it! Taking Chudan Uke to the next level – Stav – Karate Jutsu – Bunkai and the Horseman – The Innocent Walking Stick – Dave Turton Interview – Styles: Are They Killing Karate? – Transitional Aspects of Karate (Part 2) – Contact in Training (Part 2)
Contributors: Jamie Clubb – Lawrence Kane – Geoff Thompson – Rev. Art Chenevey – Michael Rosenbaum – Dave Turton – Andi Kidd – Chris Littlefair – Nikolaj Fænø Skarbye – Eric Parsons – Tony Brush – Kris Mansfield – Ron Briens – Ernest Tuff – Michael Rosenbaum – Iain Abernethy – Chris Denwood – John Titchen
How to download: Right click on the cover image and then select “save target as” (some times “save page as”). Then choose where you wish to save the file (normally the “desk top”) and download it.
PS Please subscribe to the Jissen Newsletters at www.jissenmag.com
Posted in Jissen Magazine | Comments Off
In this month’s podcast I’d like to look at what I feel are the three biggest errors made by karateka today. As regular listeners will know, I like to keep my podcasts positive as it is way too easy to stand back and point out what is wrong with the martial arts.
Personally, I’d rather put forward solutions and suggest how things could be made better. However, people will only be interested in potential solutions if they are aware there is a problem in the first place. So what I thought I’d do in this podcast is point out what I feel are the three most common, and yet frequently unseen, mistakes in karate.
I hope you’ll forgive me for being a little “negative” on this occasion and that you appreciate that my purpose in pointing out these errors is to encourage us to think of positive solutions and to help ensure that both the art of karate and its practitioners can reach their maximum potential.
These three mistakes are so important because people often do not realise that they are making them. There are other common errors to be sure, but what makes these three so problematic is that people either don’t recognise they are making them or don’t fully understand the serious implications of allowing these mistakes to creep into their martial practise.
Curious as to what these three mistakes are? If so, you’ll have to listen to the podcast! In the podcast we explore these three mistakes and then move on to suggest what steps we need to take to ensure we avoid them. I hope you enjoy the podcast and I’ll be back with more next month.
All the best,
Iain
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
Karate's 3 Biggest Mistakes [25:54m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off
In this latest podcast we look at what kata actually is and what purpose it serves. Kata can be a kind of shadow-fighting, a physical exercise, a form of moving mediation, a pointless dance, a relic that should be consigned to history, a repository of forgotten “secrets”, and a whole host of other things besides. All of these views on what kata is can have merit depending upon what is meant by “kata”. However, none of them get to the heart of the matter in my view. In this podcast I explain what I see as the core purpose of kata.
As part of the discussion that leads to my definition of kata, we also discuss how kata came into existence and the nature of the link between kata, kumite and combat. I also look at the relationship between principles and techniques as it relates to kata. Whether you agree with my final definition of kata or not, I hope that you enjoy the podcast and find it interesting and entertaining.
I’d like to thank you all for your support of the podcasts. All feedback and suggestions are always gratefully received (iain@iainabernethy.com) and I’ll be back with another one very soon!
All the best,
Iain
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
What is Kata? [16:39m]:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off
This clip always makes me giggle so I decided to put it on the blog so you could have a giggle too! It is made up of outtakes from the Applied Karate DVDs. These were from the filming of the introductions, conclusions and interviews which took place on the south coast of England. During the filming we were interrupted by airplanes, cars, postal workers, cyclists and a whole host of other stuff too. The guys at Summersdale edited all the problems into a 50 second montage which is pretty amusing (even if it is at my expense). I hope you enjoy it!
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
Applied Karate Outtakes:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Posts with Video | Comments Off
Hi All,
They have been a year in the making, but the good news is that the new DVDs are now available! This two DVD series gives a detailed breakdown of the specific two-man drills that I teach for the Pinan / Heian series of kata. These drills will enable karateka – of all styles and levels of experience – to return practical combat skills to the heart of kata training. The drills are logical and structured in a way that ensures the gap between solo kata and live combat is effectively bridged.
I have taught these drills for years in my own dojo and at my seminars, but this is the first time the entire set has been presented on DVD. It is my hope that you will find the drills useful and enjoyable, and that you will make use of these drills in your own training and teaching.
Volume 1 shows the two-person drills associated with the first three of the Pinan / Heian series (Shodan, Nidan and Sandan). This includes striking, breaking balance, controlling limbs, takedowns, a variety of locks and cranks, grappling and throws. This DVD also includes a discussion of the background and history of the Pinan / Heian series.
Volume 2 shows the two-person drills associated with the final two Pinan / Heian kata (Yodan and Godan). This DVD also shows a series of extra drills to demonstrate how the lessons taught by the entire kata series can be developed, varied and progressed. This DVD also includes a discussion on the four stages of kata training.
I’ve added the introduction to first volume to this post and you can view it clicking the “play now” link at the foot of this post.
So the wait is finally over and I hope you enjoy the DVDs and making use of these drills! Please click HERE for more details and to order.
All the best,
Iain
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
The Pinan / Heian System Vol. 1 Intro:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Posts with Video | Comments Off
Richard Barnes is back! Those of you who have been following the podcasts from the very beginning will remember that the first podcast was an interview with myself conducted by Richard Barnes. Over 80,000 podcast downloads later and Richard is back!
In this light-hearted podcast, Richard and I discuss my own personal journey through the martial arts; from my very first class to the current day. We also discuss the purpose of kata, the rise of the “McDojo”, the realities of self-protection, the future for karate, my current training, and a number of important martial topics.
Regular listeners to the www.GeoffThompson.com podcast will also be treated to numerous “in-jokes” and an update on the unnatural urges that afflict Richard’s dog! I had a lot of fun recording this podcast, and despite all the joking around and general silliness, I think we managed to fit some interesting discussions on the martial arts in there too!
I hope you have as much fun listening to this podcast as we had recording it! Thanks to everyone for the continued and enthusiastic support of the podcasts and I’ll be back soon with more.
All the best,
Iain
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
Richard Barnes & Iain Abernethy:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Podcasts | Comments Off
The Abernethys were recently visited by James Freeman and his family. James was the organiser of my trips to Canada in 2007 and 2008. The picture to the right is of James and me in Canada in 2008, just after some waterfall training / photos (you can see of the waterfall in the background).
When James visited the UK for a family holiday last month we met up to do some training. James has a lot of experience of bunkai and hence we concentrated on more advanced combinations from Naihanchi (specifically the Wado version). This included some combinations taken directly from the kata, but mainly we worked on taking individual methods from the kata and recombining them in different ways (i.e. Stage 3 practise for those familiar with my 4 stage approach).
The day before James was due to travel to another part of the UK his wife filmed a very quick summary of some of the material we covered with my mobile phone. It was intended simply as an aid to memory for James, but the video quality of my mobile is better than we thought. It’s not great, but the footage is certainly viewable. Anyhow, James and I thought you may enjoy watching the clip too. As I say, it was not filmed with public viewing in mind, so it may be a little difficult to follow in places. Regardless, I hope that you enjoy it and can draw some useful information from it.
All the best,
Iain
BLOG HOME
MAIN WEBSITE
Naihanchi / Tekki Mobile Footage:
Play Now |
Play in Popup |
Download
Posted in Posts with Video | Comments Off
