News and Updates:

Member referral program. Distance learners who get a friend to sign will earn a feat in the program — and you’ll both get a free shirt. Just tell them to put your name in the “referred by” slot on the application. Members in the RVA club, bring a friend and the same goes for you!

METTLE MAKER #509: wrestling for self-defense

Howdy Rough ’n’ tumblers! Many of us just don’t have a ton of sparring partners and struggle to log as much mat time as we’d like. We have to come up with creative ways to stay self-defense ready when training solo. Here are some tips for folks who find themselves in this situation.

Rough ‘n’ Tumble Solo Wrestling & Grappling Tips

Maintain wrestling-specific fitness. Target wrestling movements and mobility. Use your water barrels and floor bags, play with some grappling grippers, and make sure your constitutionals feature wrestling calisthenics like Bear Walks, Bridges (weighted, unweighted, regular, on bench, both legs, one leg, etc.), Sit-outs, and so on. If you can’t do the big movements in a real fight, you won’t have an opportunity to pull off all those cool fine-motor techniques you’ve been learning.

Drill basic attacks and escapes. Advanced martial arts techniques are basic martial arts techniques done perfectly. Do your mettle drills. Get yourself a grappling dummy. Put a pool noodle on your floor bag or heavy bag. Where there’s a will there’s a way.

Train with aggression. Hold back and be considerate when you have a partner. But when you train solo, you need to be rippin’. Mark Hatmaker says, “Don’t tap ‘em — snap ‘em!” and Dave Durch says, “Pain changes the game.” Look kids, we don’t get involved in acts of social aggression. We avoid knuckleheads and the places they congregate. We don’t scrap over insults, spilled drinks, or petty nonsense. When we fight, it’s in defense of life and limb. So everywhere you touch your opponent should hurt. Train that way. Every position you take against your dummy or floor bag should incorporate some kind of cow bite, horse bite, little mountain, elbow-point, gouge, crush, etc.

Put it all together into drills like the one above right. Have fun and experiment. Throw a few of the ingredients together — fitness, basics, and aggression practice — and fry ‘em up on a pan for a hearty meal worthy of a trail boss.

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Sacred Reading for Sunday, 8/9/26

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