Why I want a Stav Centre
Published: Mon, 02/03/14
This evening was the Advanced weapons class with two of my
students who have been training with me for about a year now. I
now have six people locally who have been training for at least a
year, in a couple of cases nearer five years. It is great when I
can get all six training together on a Monday evening and it does
happen quite often. this evening one is abroad on business, two
were working late and one babysitting. That is okay, two of the
others should be there on Wednesday for the Close Quarter Combat
(CQC) class. Tuesday is the foundation class and I am expecting a
new beginner to start tomorrow evening.
I am enjoying being able to structure the training so that a
foundation of skill and knowledge is laid over an appropriate
period of time. I am expecting beginners to do twelve weeks at
least of staff exercises, basic two person drills and trel stances.
Anyone going through this programme will actually learn a great
deal in terms of how Stav works, how to use the body, how to handle
a staff and how to work safely with a partner. It is challenging
training but by constant repetition of the basics competence
develops in the student and I, as teacher, become confident that
they will be ready to absorb more knowledge in due course.
This evening we were working with the axe and we explored
distancing and timing. How to judge distance, how to know when to
attack and how to recognise the distance at which someone has to
commit themselves to an attack. How to cover distance and yet land
balanced and in control. How to recognise when your opponent has
blocked you and when you could get past. Training with battle axes
using the five principles drills may seem far removed from
'self-defence' and real life fighting. However conflicts
of almost any kind begin with an intent to attack which depends
upon whether or not the target is aware and willing to respond,
even if that response is simply removing themselves from the
situation. Weapon training drills create situations where we learn
to observe and be aware of our training partners and of our own
responses. In the CQC class we work more with actual contact but
the observation and awareness is just as critical.
I am creating a Stav training centre so that we can really explore
this stuff in depth. By having the opportunity to run as many
classes as there is demand for I can develop students from
beginners into accomplished martial artists. I will also be able
to nurture other people to teach as well. It really isn't
possible to do that with everyone mixed in to one class per week.
If you can't make a weekly class then come for a day or a
weekend, see the programme at
http://www.iceandfire.org/calendar.html
For members of Ice and Fire I produce a regular 12 page newsletter
of study material (this month's edition looked in depth at the
Ur rune) and at least once a week I post a short video lesson on
some aspect of Stav training. These cover how to do the stances,
self-defence applications and drills and exercises with the staff.
Anyone joining gets access to the archive which already has over a
dozen videos and a good deal of reading material. Members also get
a big discount on courses and an invite to the Summer Camp. More
on that at http://www.iceandfire.org.uk/join.html
regards
Graham
PS Next day course, and the first one at the Stav Centre in
Crewkerne is on the 15th of February, come along and see what Stav
training can do for you.