Dog Brothers Public Forum

Yeah, I already have 4 fake fronts due to my tendency to lead with my chin. I'll opt for the mouthguard.

I'll definitely make sure to knife fight. C_Growling, how did you break your arm, was it a stick strike or while grappling?

Good advice. I have started running with an axe handle across my shoulders and stopping every quarter mile to do strikes. Joggers are terrified. Any body know of any motel near the gym, like within running distance? I'm coming out from Jersey.

Padraig,

I think you have some sound advice already. I would add a few things:

- In a magazine article, Guro Lonely Dog suggested stopping your hard sparring several weeks before the Gathering. Naturally, this helps you to avoid injury, but I have always appreciated that advice to avoid going into the Gathering feeling psyched out. What if you're sparring the night before, and you just "don't have it" that day and you perform badly? By focusing on yourself those last weeks, you don't bring any performance-related baggage with you into the Gathering space that could come with sparring days before the event.

- Focus on a few things, and put those FMA concepts into a circuit training routine. Go beyond the norm. If you lift weights, halfway through the weight routine, do some carranza, or hit a tire. Go for a run, and cool down with power shots. By working on a few FMA things while your body is recovering from other (varied) activities, you will OWN the FMA material on which you are working.

- Check your equipment the night before, so you don't have to bother with it the morning of. You want to just be able to get into your car and go.

- Most of the fighters I have met over the years, whether I only met them once, or I see them at every Gathering are really good, funny, friendly people. Get to Powerhouse early if you can, and introduce yourself to some folks. It will lighten your mood, and make the waiting easier.

- For me, once my first fight of the day is over, I'm in it, and the nerves settle down exponentially. The night before, and the morning of are the hardest.

- Set a number in your head of fights for the day, and try to achieve it. If you don't think you have another one in you, take one more.

- If you think there is a fighter completely out of your league, try to fight him. In my humble opinion, you will either fare well and surprise yourself, or you will survive a beating, and come back stronger.

- Remember, not too many people in the world want to do RCSF, so enjoy the moment and the day itself!

GD

Howdy,
 I registered formally for the Open Gathering a couple weeks ago and I am cautiously psyched for it. By the Gathering I will be bout 1.5 years into my Dekiti training and I have upped my Kali Training to 6 hours a week supplemented with 6 hours of MMA type stuff. What sort of independant work should I be doing, road work, tire work, weights, probably all of the above? Thanks for any advice.