Training for Stick Fighting--Beginner

[CrazyIvan]

Curious as to what videos (preferably DVDs) people reccomend for a matrial artist looking to train for a full contact event. I know all the Dog Brothers videos are good and I eventually plan to get them all.....but where would you start?

I need to learn basic mechanics and techniques for training. I train and teach a Russian martial art style all the time, so I have and use many bodyweight exercises. I am not worried (too much) about my physical conditioning, just learning to use sticks properly.

I can fight (some) with a staff, but the knife is emphasized over all else in our style.

I am going to need to train alone frequently, because I wont teach anything I am unsure of to a student and I dont know a lot of FMA people.

Any advice appreciated....

[Guard Dog]

RCSF:

Power & Footwork

Gruhn

[Crafty_Dog]

CI:

May I suggest that the whole first series would be a good idea for solo training?  Although tapes 5 and 6 are not solo, the price of the series is so reasonable that there would be no point in buying only 1-4.

Woof,
Crafty Dog

[Stickgrappler]

i 3rd the recommendation for the RCSF (real contact stickfighting) series. although you can get it through panther videos, i believe if you get if from this site you will be getting a better deal for the whole set.

#6 is just fights, but sometimes when training, you are swinging the sticks in the air and don't have focus or intent. after watching #6 you will know why you are swinging/training the way you are taught after watching 1-4. #5 concentrates on stickgrappling.

early on in my training, i've made a vid of just Top Dog swinging the stick, and i swing along with him. good for visualization/nlp/form to see a good 'model' of ideal form/execution. heck, i still go back to that vid from time to time and 'swing along with Eric'

edit:  if i may, you posted that your style/system has staff. the DBMA Staff dvd is excellent, not just in presentation, but also in material taught. it teaches 3 simple techniques and by chaining them together, you have a functional staff 'game'. also, there is fight footage. check it out if you want to up your staff game a notch.

[Bob Burgee]

4th the recommendation for the RCSF series. It is still one of the finest sets of martial arts instructional footage available. That series changed the way a lot of people train, including myself. It's an absolute steal at the price you can get it for on this site.

http://dogbrothers.com/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=30

[sting]

5th the recommendation for the series.   All of the tapes are good, and some of them (Power, Footwork) are totally unique.  The style of the series is to back the training exercises with examples from actual stick fights.   Or, another way of saying that is useful techniques used in the fights are extracted and developed into training drills.   This is what distinguishes these instructional videos from all others, which largely demonstrate techniques developed and trained only under cooperative training in the "dojo."

Gints

[Sisco T.]

i 6th the recommendation. i know it will be available on DVD soon but the tapes are an invaluable tool for your FMA fight training and, at least for me, just fun to watch. from the tapes themselves to the training, to the fights,etc. the series is just good. you may not know 12 disarms for 12 angles but if you practice, or just even watch, what's on this series you feel you know much more about the art. for each of the gatherings i've been in i've always referenced the series. it even kind of video documents the beginning of Dog Brothers.

[Stickgrappler]

5th the recommendation for the series.   All of the tapes are good, and some of them (Power, Footwork) are totally unique.  The style of the series is to back the training exercises with examples from actual stick fights.   Or, another way of saying that is useful techniques used in the fights are extracted and developed into training drills.   This is what distinguishes these instructional videos from all others, which largely demonstrate techniques developed and trained only under cooperative training in the "dojo."

Gints

in fact one of the mottos of the DB is "If you see it taught, you see it fought."

[CrazyIvan]

Been very busy for a bit...many thanks to all who answered and special thanks to Crafty Dog and Pappy Dog for taking time on the phone with me.

I will be buying the series as soon as it comes out on DVD. I wear out videos waaay too fast, and at least I found an Inosanto certified stick swinger to work with until I can get the video set or make it to train with Crafty Dog.

Nick I know my sticks are gonna be awesome bro....I appreciate the personal attention that is so rare now days