Hi Terry,

Thanks for the kind words. :)

Explaining Softwork and Hardwork is a little difficult but I shall
attempt to do so in a digestible format. Before I do though I would
like to stress that this is not my system and is something I have
borrowed from Scott Sonnon.

Most people when they train have a "drilling phase" and then
a "sparring phase". This division in training is often compounded via
the practice of doing a number of static and dynamic drills to work
on a number of skills and then trying to put them into practice in
all out sparrring. I have trained in this fashion for many years in
all sorts of formal martial arts and now believe this format to be
inefficient both in terms of developing real skill and also in how
enjoyable training can be made.

The way we train now involves working on one skill or group of skills
at a time and working them from a static (predetermined) drill
through dynamic (random factor) drills through to limited sparring
and then right up to integration into all out sparring. Problems can
be encountered at any point in the continuum and one can move through
it backwards and forwards as circumstances dictate. We don't move
onto anything else until everyone has the skill working under a light
sparring level of pressure. Note that these are not "phases" that are
moved through but a natural process of intuitively increasing skill
level.

Now we don't get through working on more than 3 or four skills in any
class with this system but what we work on, we make sure that we can
actually perform. Everyone stays focused because the dynamic drills
where we spend alot of our time force you to stay focused of get hit.

I believe all learning to be context based. You can do all the
footwork drills you want but if you are doing your drilling under at
least a token level of real fight pressure then you are not
developing the actual skill. By the same token, someone who gloves up
and insists on training "hard" and basically spars all out the whole
time exposes themselves to unnecessary risk of injury and will never
increase their biomechanical efficiency.

The RMAX method has revolutionised my training. I sincerely believe
that I have made more real gains in the last 12 months or so than in
the preceeding 9 years of training.

Now, an article. This one is a good start although the whole Magazine
is a goldmine. Just because we train in old martial arts, I feel that
we shouldn't neglect cutting edge sports science to help us attain
our goals and stay healthy.

http://www.circularstrengthmag.com/26/sonnon2.html
Cheers,
Stu.