DISCUSSIONS
BODY WAVES

This exercise serves as an excellent general warm-up for the spine and the entire body. It opens the chest and relaxes the spine in a coiled position. While it looks quite different from Yoga’s cat-cow pose, it actually involves a similar spinal motion. Furthermore, you are also engaging the legs, abs, and neck as the wave motion ripples through the body. Developing control and awareness of each body segment moving sequentially provides valuable neural training for the brain.

Key-points

• Push the knees forward.
• Push the hips forward.
• Extend the lower spine vertically.
• Open your chest toward the ceiling by bending through the thoracic section.
• Stand up through vertical with straight body
• Then allow yourself to droop forward, starting from your head and then one vertebra at a time, while keeping the pelvis rounded and butt tucked.

Common errors:

• Arching at the lower back instead of through the thoracic section of the spine.
• Not pushing the hips forward enough.
• Not moving one section of the body at a time.
• When the body is ripping past vertical, you must keep the back and neck relaxed instead of tension.
• Allowing the buttocks to stick out backward.

REALITY ABOUT STREET FIGHTS

• There are no referees; you cannot tap out.
• Even a push can be deadly if your opponent’s head hits the pavement.
• It is not a game—there are no reset buttons.
• Even on your best day, you may still get hit. Be prepared for pain; there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
• You don’t know what you don’t know—the aggressor might have unseen friends.
• A fight must never be about ego, anger, or teaching someone a lesson. It must be about protecting something more important than life itself.

PICKING TARGETS

Focus on soft, vulnerable targets such as the eyes and nose—areas that are especially painful and effective for self-defense.

When you are under stress, it is hard to manage things requiring a lot of precision. For example, you should not aim for an eye poke unless it is presented to you. Groin kicks, while effective, is well known and therefore you can miss if you telegraph.

SCENARIOS
A Frontal Push to the Chest

If you feel yourself stiffening up during training, it’s not good enough. This usually happens when the hips lock up or the panic reflex kicks in.

• Using the body wave to absorb the force buys you valuable milliseconds.
• Resisting the push directly often causes stiffness and creates leverage against yourself.
• You must “step out of the firing line” as you perform the wave by spinning your pivot heel outward, then moving your other leg off the line as well.
• If you feel yourself stiffening up during training, it’s not good enough. This usually happens when the hips lock up or the panic reflex kicks in

EXERCISES

• Stationary Body Waves: Focus on smooth spinal motion without unnecessary tension.
• Heel Spin: Spin the heel without lifting yourself up first. Make sure your heel, knee, and chest move as one.
• Body Waves with Spin: Perform body waves while rotating around one leg.
• Squat: Maintain control and grounding throughout the movement. Stay put until your legs burn and shake. Then count for another slow 8 count.
• Projection Through the Fingers: Extend energy and intent through your fingertips as you move.