NLP Artillery!
NLP Artillery!An NLP workshop by our chief coach Ashwin Mohan that makes your mind a weapon
It took some effort a will of steel to get my a** off my cozy bed and get ready for a 6:30 am Tai Chi class at Lalbagh… that was my first class! After that there has been no looking back at all…
Each morning begins with the greeting of cool breeze of trees in Lalbagh, and the touch of warm sun’ rays… with the practise of harnessing the hidden martial powers…
And if you are a part of our kickboxing classes or have interacted with Ashwin, you just cannot help but get hooked to his addictive enthusiasm for Tai Chi.
An art, which so far has been highly underrated and misjudged… I was pleasantly surprised when Ashwin, threw people 3-4 times his size and weight all over the place… with a seemingly simple move… and with practically no effort… it seemed easier and more powerful than even jujutsu!
Tai Chi, is all about the forms and weight-shifting, effortlessly… each move seems easy, yet is very technical and is a covert lock or throw. When I first saw Tai Chi, I was reminded of a dance, then I realised, it is a dance but a very deadly one.
Not only does it help you develop a strong internal power, your movements start becoming more defined and accurate in a fight… each strike, lock becomes more subtle and smooth.
So, what is so special about Tai Chi in Lalbagh… well, the canopy of trees overhead seem to guide your every move. It is probably one of the most mystical feelings I have ever had… the soothing breeze, and energy from the trees, or chi so to say from the trees… give the whole practise a very surreal experience.
For a change, I have understood what patience and slowing down means, and it is not necessarily a bad idea either!
I realised there is no other better way to start a day… I might be groggy in the beginning, but by the end of my session, I more alert and relaxed… not to mention more productive than the days I miss the Lalbagh Tai Chi sessions.
Do all these every day before you get into your practice. These take very less space so you can do them in a hotel room too
- rotate all movable joints and stretch muscle groups before you begin the routine
- do 50 burpees to warm up
(you can thank me for this video of the hot girl doing burpees later)
- do the back bridge
back arch or chakrasana
- do the front bend on both knees
front bend or janushirasana
- do the splits
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side splits
front split
DAY 1 Ukemi Study
- 20 front falls
- 20 back falls
- 20 side falls on both sides
- 20 front rolls
- 20 back rolls
- 20 side rolls on both sides
- 100 crunches
- 100 leg lifts
- shadow box 20 o-soto-gari on each side
- shadow box 20 swivel takedowns on either side
- shadow box 20 bridge-to-mount and 6 elbows on either side
- shadow box 20 scissor take downs on either side
- massage legs and hands along with thai massage sen lines if you know it otherwise just squeeze and release
- rest till your heartbeat comes back to normal
DAY 2 Hand strikes
after evert 10 hand strikes do 5 pushups and 5 squats
- 10 straights with both hands
- 10 uppercuts with both hands
- 10 round house elbows with both hands
- 10 straight, uppercut, round house elbow combos with footwork both sides
- 10 jumping elbows both hands
- 10 reverse spinning punches
- 10 straight, uppercut, roundhouse elbow, jumping elbow, reverse spinning punch with both hands
- 10 headbutt and groin slaps on both sides
- 10 body hooks on both sides
DAY 3 – Grappling
- 50 dive bomber pushups
- 50 side squats on either side
- 2 mins side bridge each side
- 2 mins pillar bridge
- 2 mins V hold (navasana)
- hip rotation 50 on each side
- 20 times kotegaeshi on either side, followed by a sidekick
- 20 times kotemawashi on either side followed by a sidekick
- 20 sidestep-knee-guillotine on either side
- 20 duck and armbar on either side
- 20 butterfly takedowns and groin kick
- 20 reverse guillotine against a punch either side
- 20 children bow to the buddha followed by armbar either side
- 20 outside hand wraps either side
- stretch and relax till heartbeat comes to normal
if you’re travelling more than 3 days repeat day 1 on day four and so on!
Hope you found this useful. If you don’t know any techniques call me on 9845396360 and come over to my office in shantinagar
cheers,
Ash
Sid gets it on a varmam!
What is Varmam?
Varma Kalai refers to the ancient martial art that uses to art of performing actions that can cause loss or blockage of vital energy at varying pressure points nerve junctions or bone joints. The points are referred to as Varmam and the action in itself is termed as Varma Adi/ Varma Strike.
Who should attend?
This is the perfect opportunity to learn one of the oldest martial arts. With equal appeal for self-defence and healing, this workshop is a must attend for martial artists, healers, students of martial arts and students of Healing. This workshop is open even for those who are interested and curious about Varma Kalai.
What is the need and use of the workshop?
This workshop on Varma Kalai, helps one understand the body and its functioning better. In case of martial artists, it art ensures that your fighting abilities are taken to a much higher plane, and for healers it gives a deeper insight and understanding of various ailments and alternative remedial measures.
Curriculum
1. Introduction to Varmam- Origin, History and the basic facts of the art. Also comparisons with other arts like Dim Mak, Kyusho etc
2. Explanation of How Varmam Works and the Medical rationale behind Varmam
3. Harm and Heal with Varmam — Using diagrams and safe actual performance demos
4. Specific Medical Applications of Varmam in treatment of diseases and ailments.—also references medicinal preparations like Oils, potions etc
5. Exercises– a practicals session , so to speak.
6. Q & A time.
Venue: Indian Heritage Academy Koramanagala
Date: 12th Dec with a repeat on 13th Dec 10am to 4pm
Fees: Rs 1500
Seats running out! Register today call Ashwin on 9845396360
You can mail a cheque out made out to ‘Ashwin Mohan’ to the following address:
G9, H-I Block, Golden Orchid Apartment,
Behind Hotel Reegalis,
Lavelle Road, Bangalore 560001
Or you can do an online transfer to my account, details below
Account Holder: Ashwin Mohan,
Account Number: SB a/c 101110017243
Bank and Branch Details: ING Vysya Bank, KH Road Branch,
SWIFT code of Branch: VYSA0002160
About Kumar CSK
Kumar CSK
Here is my martial arts CV including some details of the lineages in the various arts that I have studied.
I started learning martial arts very early. My first study was a variant of the Shorin Ryu style of Karate, which I learnt from Sensei Pradeep K Jose under whom I spent 9 years of training eventually rising to 2nd Dan in 2005 when I was only 20 years old. I also cross-trained in Muay Thai and Wing Chun Gung Fu (Jun Fan) from Mr.Antony Ravindran who was trained in Muay Chaiya (souther Boran) style by a student of GrandMaster Ketr Sriyapai of Chumporn province, Thailand.
In the meantime I also had the opportunity to learn the Thekkan Kalari from a gentleman called Thennoor Moosa from Trivandrum and having a natural inclination towards all things mysterious and esoteric led me to learn the science of Marma Prayoga which is the most secretive part of that particular system of Kalari, which he had learnt from trio of brothers who were the custodians of their own family system.
I also learnt the Tamil variant of this system known to us as Varma Kalai from my Guru, Rajendran Asan who was kind enough to share his manuscripts and his vast trove of records including the Agastyar Varma Sutras. Besides this he also taught me Tanjore Kuthuvarisai and Jujutsu.
A chance encounter with a Japanese gentleman in my hometown led to two most valuable years of martial arts study. Mr. Taro Kawanishi was engaged in research at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore and was gracious enough to share his knowledge of the two systems of Koryu Bujutsu, the Yagyu Shingan Ryu and Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto Ryu.
It was during this period of study that I learnt the rudimentaries of Kenjutsu, BoJutsu and Ninjustsu (Tenshin Shoden Ryu incorporates Ninjutsu in higher levels of its curriculum) and advanced Jujutsu forms like Yoroi Kumi Uchi (Armour Grappling) and interestingly, Shingon Buddhism also.
Finally, in 2006, I resigned from my old karate school and was accepted by Sensei Bhaskar, my current Karate teacher as a student in Kyokushin (IKO1) Karate. Although it was a difficult decision to leave a school where I had begun my journey in martial arts, I was drawn into the philosophy and training methods of Kyokushin as well as the “Mas Oyama Effect” that I simply had to experience it for myself. So now I am training primarily in Kyokushin karate for the past 3 and half years, awaiting black belt grading August 2010 (hopefully!! fingers crossed)
I was very fortunate in the matter getting good teachers and instructors who taught me selflessly and with genuine concern for my development. Besides, I also have a large network of friends who are also martial artists in different styles. I have had the opportunity to share what little knowledge I have with them and by this cross training, learnt a little of Eskrima stick fighting, Pencak Silat and bits and parts of various Kung Fu styles. I have also had a few years of experience in teaching when I was assisting my Karate Sensei as an assistant instructor as well as having coached guys from my college for Inter College and Inter-university boxing tournaments with moderate success. One of my former students won a scholarship and became a varsity level boxer and Golden Glove memeber in the United States.
Besides martial arts, I also have a deep interest in traditional healing systems like Siddha, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and Accupressure. I make medicines myself and being in possession of a number of rare medicinal manuals, would be happy to help in any way I can.
When I am not doing martial arts, I am a software programmer, specializing in customized ERP solutions, automation and IT training.
Neville causing pain disproportionate to his size
Qinna is a collective name for all the seizing and controlling
techniques of chinese martial arts. The eagle claw and tiger style
kung fu schools have particularly menacing Qinna techniques. These
formed the base for japanese Jujutsu.
Qinna techniques have super exotic names like “yellow eagle twists its
wings”, “lion bows to the buddha”, “bird forages the bush”. I suspect
these names were designed to distract students from the pain!
When Neville Bulsara came down to teach Qinna everyone was surprised
that he was the teacher. He is a kindly old gentleman without biceps ,
however we had to apply loads of balm in the evening to dull the pain.
Ask anyone who was there. Qinna is painful.
Qinna is not commonly practiced in modern karate and Kickboxing,
however at Shootfighters we feel that seizing and controlling
techniques are useful when you want analog control over an opponent.
What I mean by that is that you can crank up the intensity in these
techniques by many degrees. It’s not an on or off situation like a
punch. You can go from no pain to ripping a limb off in a smooth
progression of pain. Hence Qinna is useful for interrogating your
attacker or making him sign his property over to you…
If all this sounds incredible I’d love to demonstrate it on you, oops I
mean to you! Head over to my Jayanagar studio and lets party. Or call
me on 9845396360.
-Ash
The first rule of fight club is you do not talk about fight club… the legendary dialogue from the movie Fight Club. Hollywood has made some really cool and awesome movies on Mixed Martial Arts… Fight Club, Never Back Down, Red Belt, each of these leave one awe struck!
All the awesome workout sessions, your head automatically has the Rocky Balboa, “Eye of the Tiger,” playing… Shootfighters have all of these amazing training sessions, that would transport you to any one of these flicks… strengthening exercises, conditioning, free- running… all of that you can ask for!
But there is a catch! When it comes to Shootfighters, there is more than what meets the eye… there is always something new and exciting to be offered by Shootfighters… While speaking of MMA, we have, taken this term very seriously and to the point!
Ashwin has been practising martial arts for over 2 decades now… and these arts range from Karate, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jujutsu, a bit of Sambo, Taekwondo, Aikido, Jujutsu, Kalaripayattu, Tamil Kalaripayattu, Wing-Tsun, Kenjutsu, Garadi, Vajramushti, Judo, Tai Chi, Baghuazhang, Various types of Kung Fu- Eagle Claw, Tiger, Snake and a bit of Manthis… and each of these forms have been blended in Shootfighters…
This unique blend makes the classes, complete fun and totally exciting. Martial Arts has a huge history, and there are wide array of arts… each place has adapted and taken an art form to suit their own needs and requirements. Thus, the existence of this melting pot of so to say, martial arts under one roof… makes it a complete martial treat!
“One needs to enjoy what they teach… and I would personally find only striking pretty boring… after sometime plain old kickboxing without grappling, take-downs… gets very boring. It is not even practical in a real fight, where you are grabbed, pushed, clawed, slapped. Also, in most cases, you are up against more than one opponent… where one person does the hitting, while the others do the holding.” Says Ashwin.
Hmmm, only strikes and kicks seem like so much of a constriction here… one needs to know different techniques and ways to get out of any attack situation. Shootfighters Inc, takes in all the useful martial arts and makes it a part of their course curriculum.
Sounds fun right! Different martial arts, being blended and taught with some really cool moves… but behind all of this is a serious effort made, with tremendous hard work, and passion for Martial arts.
Ashwin has been in constant touch with different people in the world of Martial art, making friends, getting to know their art forms. Many masters do not teach you some art forms that easily… they need to know whether one can handle it. Ashwin had to go through years of patient waiting before he was introduced into numerous arts.
“It is a complete course you need to go through, most teachers do not teach you what part you want and leave the rest… you need to wait it out patiently and get the useful information out. Every martial art has some very useful and amazing techniques, and some may not work.”
With real-time experience of numerous fights, Ashwin knows that one needs to have a multitude of techniques that work.
“My instructors like Siddarth are very good fighters, because they have only learnt techniques that work and nothing else.” Adds Ashwin.
The most tough to capture have been the Indian Martial Arts… these seem to be very well hidden and shrouded, many have been lost and left only to a chosen few., as they need to make sure whether one can wield the power given by the arts.
The organization is doing a lot to preserve and document lesser known Indian martial arts such as Garadi, Vajramushti, Varmakalai, Silammbam so that they don’t die out entirely.
“I had this curiosity to understand and know, why an agriculture based civilization would need Martial Arts. Hunters and gatherers, it is understandable, but Indus Valley Civilization, the first civilization to develop a deep cultural setup of Martial arts was something I wanted to learn about.” Says Ashwin.
The great sages of India like Agastyar, Thirumular, Boghanathar… all of them have made huge contributions to Martial Arts, also incidentally the word ‘Chi‘ is derived from Chivaya (a tamil way of saying Shiva). The insights provided by them in Martial arts is very profound and deep. It set a base for the growth of martial arts all over the world.
“Martial arts, is about being strong, self-defence and all of that… but then there is more to Martial arts… it has a deeper ethereal meaning. When many students had signed up for self-defence or fitness, they continued classes even after achieving fitness and self-defence. Out of sheer curiosity I enquired, and found out that they felt a sense of achievement and strong confidence while be a part of our classes.” Says Ashwin.
Thus, martial arts works directly on the mind of the person, which in turn reflects in the body. “Martial arts is like Kundalini Yoga, where the aim is to achieve enlightenment, thus sages like Agastyar practised the arts. In order to see a mental change, physical vigour need to be done, once there is a mental change it is seen in the spirit… all of them are interconnected. “ Adds Ashwin.
The best part about these arts are, they are very nicely blended and gelled in to make a perfect school for martial arts- Independent Shootfighters Inc.
Martial Arts are truly a vast yet intriguing field of study! I say vast because there is just so much out there! But how did it come to pass that so many forms of Martial art are present in the world today? Well the simple fact is that like any other subject in the world, physics, mathematics, biology, rules are meant to be broken: D! What would be ‘a be all end all’ discussion 50 years ago is not valid in today’s world. Sure there are those basic truths and traditions but not everyone follows them and many are seen breaking many of so called laws. There are always those brave enough to find the loopholes and test them out. Many of our greatest inventions were in fact ideas thought about by people who could not accept that this was all there was to the world
But that’s the beauty about living here on this earth in this day and age! There is still so much to discover so much to learn so much to experience and the same goes with Martial arts. Its because of people who decided that what they are learning in one art was not enough that they decided to learn some more and invent their own marital art! Judo is great example for that (there are so many more). Dr Kano, felt that what he learnt in Jujutsu was not enough and a little too deadly so he made a more refined sport which till today is practiced as a sport and martial art! In Judo, Dr Kano incorporated what all he learned from his teachers and added many new techniques that he had tried and mastered himself and Judo was born.
That’s Martial arts for you. Like any other art like music, painting, dancing, you can also discover different things while practicing marital arts. As you look around at all the martial arts today you see that though very similar to each other there is enough of difference between them to make them their own yet connected to each other by someway or the other. Marital arts has adapted according to the eras as well. In the olden days was used in battle, healing, protecting and other ways. In today’s world used as self defence, as a sport, people are rediscovering the healing aspects of it as well as the health related aspects. And all it took was for was some individuals or a group of like-minded people to realize and create the change! Martial arts begin with the mind and then put into practice!
In our Kickboxing classes we teach you to be creative. We teach you techniques but we expect you to try out different ways of applying the technique. I have always mentioned in my class that no technique is the be all and end all. You have a template and you work around it and that way you never get stuck. You never run dry of techniques. You will always be able to create new ones and hey who knows one day if you work at it, make your own martial art 
! We are in the end creative beings and we were here to create new things or rediscover old forgotten things all the time. So next time you think you are stuck with a technique or anything, remember your templates and see what else you can do in that situation. You get stuck only if you don’t use that wonderful creative mind given to us as a gift ! So keep at it, after all Martial Arts is all about helping create new ways of living life.
Fitness is now in. people are willing to spend money on this. I’m proud to be a part of this movement. However, we are in the longevity business not just fitness, what we do is completely different. So we are currently in a niche market.
People have not understood that longevity is the promise of fitness, but your gym may not have the knowledge to deliver on this promise.
I have been researching the work of siddhas who claim to have lives thousands of years. The siddhas are also responsible for the development of internal and external martial arts to keep the body agile and make it live long.
Yoga as codified by Patanjali is called Raja Yoga. However there exist other forms of yoga that give faster results, I’m slowly including these healing elements in our syllabus. The goal of martial arts is to live a long and safe life.
Come down to my Jayanagar class or qualify with a yellow belt for my Koramangala seniors class if you want to learn these things.
Make your goal martial arts goal Longevity, Health and Fitness and tell your friends too!
PS Coming soon a workshop on Varmam for healing and self defence by my teacher Kumar Dec 12th with a repeat on Dec 13th. Book your seat now call me on 9845396360.
What is varmam you ask? click here
Shiva meaning the Auspicious one, also known as Rudra or the feared one, is one of the Trimurti, Brahma being the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer or transformer. In the Shaiva tradition, he is seen as the Supreme God. Shiva is usually worshipped in the form of Shiva linga.
In images, he is generally represented as immersed in deep meditation or dancing the Tandava upon Maya, the demon of ignorance in his manifestation of Nataraja, the lord of the dance- the same dance is also known as the dance of death, great cosmic dance… and many martial arts forms are seen in the Tandava. As Rudra, he is known as the wind, and the hunt.
The name has been translated as “Roarer” The earliest mentions of Rudra occur in the Rig Veda, where three entire hymns are devoted to him. There are about seventy-five references to Rudra in the Rig Veda overall. In the Rig Veda Rudra’s role as a frightening god is apparent in references to him as ghora (“terrible”), or simply as asau devam (“that god”). He is “fierce like a formidable wild beast” The Sanskrit name Rudra is usually derived from the root rud- which means “to cry, howl.” According to this etymology, the name Rudra has been translated as “the Roarer.” Known as “The Archer”, he is referred to as “One who can kill the forces of darkness.” The names Dhanvin (“Bowman”) and Banahasta (“Archer” or “Armed with arrows in his Hands.)
There are numerous references of Rudra/ Shiva, defeating many in the art of archery, and other martial arts. One famous story of Shiva coming in the form of a hunter to Arjuna and defeating him, re-establishes the fact that he is a great warrior and archer. The two most common forms of Shiva’s dance are the Lasya, which is associated with the creation of the world, and the Tandava, is associated with the destruction of the world. These two dance forms are said to be the source of many ancient martial arts like Tai Chi. As also the father of Murugan, the god of war, Shiva is said to be one of the most powerful war gods of India.
Have you been part of a belt test in any of our classes? If not, then you definitely need to visit one of our centres, during a belt test. The class gives you a complete feel what channelling ancient martial spirits might be like! 
Actually its quite enthralling to watch a bunch of students, push themselves… some how the phrase ‘mind over matter’ seems to work completely during a belt test. Everyone gets into this complete adrenaline pump, the very mention that “ENDURANCE TEST!” or “Half way to an orange or yellow belt!” seems to do the trick! No matter how tired one feels, each one keeps going…
Our kickboxing classes have formulated a basic set of drills that determine, whether you are a yellow, orange or red belt… and these drills also form a part of our daily class. But when someone is a part of the belt test, the same free running, leg-raises, crunches, squats, punches, kicks, iron-man, side bridge… seem different… the need to do them seems stronger.
And that is what the belt test is all about. The spirit! Do you have the spirit in you? Fighting Spirit… what shootfighters wants to see is, do you have to the ability to take control of your mind, and push yourself to go ahead? A belt is not whether you are bigger or smaller… its the mind of a fighter. And when the instructor sees that in you, you get your belt! But do not assume that Ashwin, will give you belt out of generosity… the deal is, even if you are dying and even if you feel too much pain, do you continue kicking, punching or going ahead with the ab exercises?
Many times before the belt test, I hear people say, ‘let me see, I don’t know if I can do it…’ But when the mood sets in, everyone finishes it all… after the first half-an-hour, the unconscious mind takes over, and everyone gets into a trance… which, works wonders! The legs feel heavy like lead, and yet the kicks come up, your shoulders squeal in pain and yet the punches are coming forth… That is what makes the belt tests so important and special… a bunch of people in a trance, with the complete will and zest to fight!!!!!!!!
Typical birthdays without shootfighters – Wake up early in the morning, visit the temple, go attend the “surprise” party thrown by my friends, receive two to three self acclaimed modest rounds of birthday bumps, lunch and movie in the afternoon, evenings with family and nights by replying to mails and copy pasting ‘thank you’ messages on facebook and orkut!
This November 7th birthday with shootfighter – woke up earlier than i would (makes me wonder why I slept even!) cuz I had to visit the temple first thing in the morning and then attend the 7 am class at the malleshwaram centre! Anyway so I finish all that in the morning and reach a little late to class to find no one there!! First it made me wonder if they were planning an ambush attack on me then it struck me that aki has taken everyone to sankey tank for parkour! So I put on my shoes again and trotted my way to sankey tank to be greeted by an early morning drizzle. I started jogging in the direction we usually do and after a couple of meters I found aki leading a pack of panting guys and jumping over the obstacles near the jogging track. After a nice greetings and wishes we got back to the grinding and proceeded towards the side wall which is about 8ft high topped with 2ft of railings. We were to scale that wall by practicing to kick into the wall and other techniques. Ok now I swear, if any of my family members (esp my grandmom who goes for her morning walk in sankey) would’ve seen me be a monkey they would’ve banished me from attending classes forever! Anyways so fighting these mental thoughts off i completed the task 5 times (as assigned) with enough minor bruises to last me a month to heal them off and enough stains on my new tshirt which would take a couple of washes to clean up – Was awesome fun never the less! We did a few more parkour things and jogged back to the centre which now seemed a lot more scarier than usual – you’ll know why soon 
After a good healing session aki called off the class and promptly closed the door and started to take the attendance of the class. Made me feel like a trapped little lamb. After a few moments THE moment was here – birthday bumps! Ok for all those who think you get it nicely on your hind side – u must get a dose of this. On a regular basis birthday bumps is given by connecting with the instep and by un conditioned shins with a decent amount of force. But here it was a different story altogether! – round house kicks, well conditioned shins, eager and savage monster turned class mates, me hanging mid air – u get the picture!?!? Man I had jitters of the never ending kicks crackling through my bones for more than 20 seconds. The guys and aki were happily taking turns and kicking as though completing a tribal sacrifice ritual! Makes you really wonder as to why you were born in the first place The only bright side was that I was left with a “well conditioned” red hot lower back side!
The rest of the day was pretty much the same as I expected it would be like. It was a lovely memorable day with one heck of a mental ‘kick’ start to it!
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