METTLE MAKER #522: Finish the Russian and Mettlecraft Month Week 2
Russian Tie is #3 in the Star Mettle Drill — our combat grappling clock . Watch this fun video we shot live at the club the other night. It features some alternative finishes to this bread-and-butter grappling move.
To practice this move at home, use the dreaded pool noodle. I know, it seems a little goofy. But it works. See the video below.
This year’s Mettlecraft challenge — the Army Ground Forces Test. — is turning out to be quite hard indeed. [For the backstory and the set-up, see last week’s Mettle Maker] Our newest club member Matt is leading the pack right now. Some of his scores are in the “Excellent” category.
Meanwhile yours truly is putting up pretty horrific numbers. Look at the rep counts for average and excellent. Something just ain’t right. Are our modern expectations of self just far too low? Were the young men of 1946 just tough as nails? Take a look at the numbers that were average for soldiers coming out of Basic Training in 1946. 8 Pullups was average in 1946? 46 old-school Situps were average?
It just doesn’t make sense.
Oh well — there ain’t no quit in us. We’ll put up some solid numbers before the month is through. Here’s a tip on how to make progress.
How to Increase Your Scores quickly and easily
Calculate the number of reps = 1/2 of your previous raw score.
Complete that number of reps.
Do this as many times per day as you can can without discomfort or loss of form.
Discomfort or loss of form means you are straying over the risk line and headed toward repetitive use injury.
If that that means 3 times a day or 10 times a day, doesn’t matter.
After the next test, adjust your 1/2 number and start again.
Note that this is for short-term use only — maybe a month tops. If you use this method month-in-month-out with the same exercises, you will get a repetitive use injury. Mark my words
Mitch’s AGFT score card for Week 1. Note that I have a bum shoulder and can’t do Pullups. So I’m working on my Dead Hang time instead. Remember: Modify, Adapt, Overcome!
This is essentially a simplification of the “grease the groove” method popularized by Pavel Tsatsouline (credit where credit is due and all that jazz). Don’t take that as an unqualified endorsement of Pavel. I ‘m not that familiar with his oeuvre. I just know that frequent sub-maximal sets work, and after a lot of experimentation, it seems like Pavel is right on the numbers.
Want more American Rough ‘n’ Tumble goodness? Click here to sign up today for our distance learning program!
Click here to sign up for daily motivational text messages!
...
Click here to sign up for daily motivational text messages! ...
SACRED READING FOR THIS SUNDAY
Divine Reading (“Lectio Divina”) of sacred scripture is an ancient way to interact with the Bible. Its four elements are reading, meditation, contemplation, and prayer. CLICK HERE for the Sunday Lectio exercise. To watch daily mass, CLICK HERE. For daily gospel reflections in your email box, SIGN UP HERE.
Or even better, go to church. The old-timers did, and it’s their steps we’re following in, right? So put on a collared shirt and saddle up.
Speaking of shirts, make a donation and get a cool t-shirt — but don’t wear it to church. Just click here.
