Playing Card Workout Revisited

Due to some problems with my shoulder I have not been doing a playing card workout for sometime.

This morning I decided to start up with it again. I dug a deck of cards out of storage and sorted them out so I had the two through ten of each suit.

The idea of the workout is to use each card to determine what exercise to do. You pick a set of four exercises (I use push ups, sit ups, Hindu squats and double leg lifts) and match them with a suit of cards. Then you flip each card over and do the number of reps for the number of the pips on each card.

Using the two through ten gives me a total of 54 reps of each exercise. I plan to add the face cards and ace one at a time (each is worth ten reps) over the next few weeks. I will finally end up with 94 reps of each exercise.

Advanced Tomahawk Seminar

Saturday Ocotber 23, 2010 from 10 AM to 5 PM in Leaf River, IL (25 miles from Rockford, IL)

Registration is $50 until October 9th and $75 thereafter

See wwww.GallowglassAcademy.org for more details.

Solo Weapons Workout

I try and do a weapons only workout from time to time. This last Friday I once again took up Bowie knife and tomahawk for such a session.

I started with a warm up using a flexibility and strengthening workout for the tomahawk based on the one shown in the Cold Steel tomahawk video.

I then moved on to a flourishing (angles of attack) drill with the Bowie knife. For this I would do the flourishes at one end of my basement workout area and then run to the other end where I would do either ten push ups or ten Hindu squats. I did ten (five with the right hand and five with the left hand) sets of flourishes so I ended up doing nine sets of the intermediary exercises.

After the Bowie knife flourishes I did ten sets of flourishes with knife and tomahawk (again five with the right hand and five with the left.) Once I finished the flourishes I worked on short drills with the 'hawk and knife, both right and left side.

I finished with some drills opening a lock blade folder and going into attack mode with reverse/ice pick grip stabs to the "face" of my imaginary opponent. Once again I did these with both my right and left hands.

Date for Advanced Tomahawk Seminar?

Check your calendar for Saturday October 16th and 23rd. I am planning to put together an Advanced Tomahawk seminar on one of those days and am interested in finding out which day is best for interested students.

You can drop me a note at gallowglassacad@aol.com.

Class at Highland College

Registration for the next session of "Warrior Spirit" at Highland College in Freeport, IL is now open.

The class will run from Tuesday, September 7 to November 23, 2010 at 8 to 9 PM. Class #PERS 034 ACC (3783)

The class involves learning martial arts moves, weapon work and physical culture.

To register or get more information call 815-599-3612.

Knife Throwing

I have been working with Ralph Thorn's style of knife throwing based on his DVD from Paladin Press (see review to follow soon.)

Today I went out to my throwing target with two of my throwing knives. I warmed up by tossing first a knife from the right hand and then the left. When I was sticking both knives on a regular basis I switched and threw with the left hand and then the right. I very quickly found myself sticking both knives this way as well. I then worked on throwing both knives at the same time. In short order I was sticking both knives at the same time with this method.

If you are interested in knife throwing I suggest you pick up Ralph's DVD from Paladin. I think you will find the system quick and easy to learn.