Bri Thai Reviews: Senshido - Functional Combative Strength Training - Tape 2

[Thai Bri]

Senshido

Functional Combative Strength Training Volume 2

Training with Equipment

Introduction

Senshido is a fighting art developed in Canada by Richard Dimitri and his team. Further details about it can be found on www.senshido.com

This tape is the second in a series outlining training for functional combative strength. Tape 1 has already been reviewed and, for the most part, involved no equipment at all. This tape outlines how equipment can be used to benefit your training and help you achieve your potential.

It is largely presented by Marc Ste Marie, a leading instructor with Senshido. Dimitri is on hand to demonstrate exercises and contribute to the content. This tape is NOT a workout though. You are not asked to copy each and every exercise in the order that they appear. Rather it is a menu that gives you both a selection of exercises to choose from as well as an aid to creativity. Once you get the idea you can devise your own exercises. As Marc said “This is Senshido. Be creative”.

Tape Quality

Senshido tapes are usually done in one spontaneous take. This one is a little different. It is done in sections, and the camera fades in and out between each one. Apart from the odd noticeable “hint” from Marc for the camera operative to fade (i.e. clicking fingers), I feel it is a more professional and watchable presentation style. The camera work is good, but one or two little slip-ups occur with the editing, i.e. at one point they set up equipment for an exercise, but then you don’t get to see it.

There is also a bit of a “false finish” at the end. The tape closes, the picture fades out….. and the fades back in again because they want to show you more exercises! At just under 55 minutes this is one of the shortest Senshido tapes. Richard does a conclusion at the end, underlying some important safety advice.

The Theory

The basic premise is that ordinary body building type weight training, whilst of some use, does not fully satisfy the functional needs of the fighter. Isolation work is not the best way to teach the body how to more effectively work as a whole when generating power or strength. For example, many believe that improving your performance in the Bench Press will have a direct benefit in your punching potential. Senshido questions this. A punch involves movement in the legs, torso, chest, shoulders and arms; all working together. Surely an exercise that more accurately reflects this would be better, especially considering that striking power comes from the core anyway (i.e. hips). Having said that, though, the tape is split into sections were the primary effects cover the same body area – Legs, Back, Chest and Shoulders. Each has a training effect on the core also.

The illustration given to communicate the theory is that of a crane (a real one by the way, not the Kung Fu style). You may construct one with the strongest and most resilient “arm” in the whole world. But, when lifting something heavy, if the stand upon which it is built collapses, all that strength was worthless. Our torso, or trunk, is the equivalent of this stand. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and this tape aims to bring all the links up to par.

Another proposed advantage for the functionality of the exercises revolves around their specificity in the direction of movement. Some of them can be clearly compared to an actual fighting movement; displaying that the muscles used are exactly the same as the ones needed.

But these exercises are not the most efficient way to build an impressive looking physique. They build substance, not style. You have to decide on what it is that you want. Impress people on the beach, or have more potential to successfully defend yourself. You don’t have to totally abandon your more established weight training routine. Keep some of it in the mix – variation is a good thing.

Safety

There are safety warnings throughout the tape. These exercises are very taxing on the body. There must be adequate rest between sessions. Also the core (the torso) must be held rigid during the exercise to both protect and build strength in the trunk. The body must be held stable. Attempts to lean over and compensate for the induced stress on the muscle is both counter productive and dangerous. They recommend the use of training partners and/or mirrors to keep check on posture. And these exercises should not be trained to failure. There was one exercise that I do not believe would be safe for me. But that is easy enough to deal with. I just won’t do it.

These exercises are not really for beginners. Get Combative Strength training Tape 1 first, and train these for a while if you are not already fit.

Exercises

I cannot do them justice by a written description and, of course, this is not an instructional piece of writing anyway; it is a review of an instructional tape. But I can say that they opened up a whole new world of exercise that I had never really seen before, and certainly never appreciated.

Equipment used includes empty barbells, tiny dumbbells, pulleys, Swiss Balls and inflatable stability discs. No 45lb weights are evident. I always used to laugh at the Swiss Ball, thinking it was for old ladies and kids. But I was wrong. I purchased one after viewing the tape. It taxes my musculature easily as much as any barbell. More so, in fact. For example, imagine standing next to a bench, putting your hands on it and walking your feet backwards until you were in a press up position (with your body at an angle). This angle makes the press up easier than normal, as more weight is being carried by your feet. You can press all day. Now replace the bench with a Swiss Ball and try again. The extra stability required on the Swiss Ball suddenly causes an explosion of effort in your body. Arms, shoulders, abs, back, legs etc. All are seriously challenged, and all at once. Keeping still is hard enough, actually performing the press up is incredibly difficult. But don’t think “is that it?” The video has far more varied and creative exercises than this. At Senshido they have an ability to think laterally and apply it to their exercise development, coming up with all kinds of different ideas.

Conclusion

I have never seen these type of core exercises before. Resistance is applied by the use of moderate weight along with the need for stability and balance. They seem to make sense to me in their application to fighting. Do we need to perform massively weighted barbell squats and bench presses etc? What value do these have compared to exercises that feel just as hard, but rely on balance, stability and the application of muscular power simultaneously across the entire body. From the core outwards.

I have been using exercises similar to these for the last couple of months. I have used some of theirs, seen others on the net and in books, and even devised one or two of my own. I can see an improvement in my performance, and have certainly not lost any of my “barbell strength”. I also haven’t lost any muscle size. The more I research and train these exercises, the more I can understand their benefit. They are just more suited to what it is I am trying to achieve, it is as simple as that.