FFMA PT Session in Tony's 'Church' (garage) Bas Rutten - 1 hour special

By Chris Davis

When I stepped into that garage for my 1 hour session of Bas Rutten, I have to admit, there were a number of thoughts running through my mind but the most predominant, was the worry as to whether or not I was going to complete the challenge ahead…

For those who have not heard of the Bas Rutten workouts, they are continuous audio tracks that consist of numbers and instructions related to relevant strikes, defence and conditioning movements. Numbered commands from 1-4, represent a combination of punches. The twist is that in the Thai boxing CD (my mountain to conquer) the last strike of any combination must be followed by a kick or knee.

So…my challenge begins…30 minutes of 2 minute rounds followed by 30 minutes of 3 minute rounds. My first round was far from flawless but energetic none the less. I had the intention of starting as I meant to go on but oblivious to how much I would learn in the coming rounds. Rounds two…I'm around 45 seconds in and I begin to realise how gruelling it was going to be. Round 3…more punches go in and Tony is pushing me now. He tells me to control my breathing sit in to the strikes and really weight my punches. By this point I was sucking some serious air!!!

The thing about training with Tony in this environment is how you become completely immersed and find that you model your partner. There is something quite spiritual about the whole environment and nothing else mattered other that your next combination of strikes. 4th round down and now its Tony's turn. With every strike I feel the sheer weight coming through the Thai pads. Even as he begins to tire the technique alters and the weight remains the same…I think to myself, how on earth was he doing this?? The answer was to stay loose and use your whole body to generate the power. When Tony struck, I can only describe it like a whip with a sledge hammer attached to the end.

Having learnt from Tony how to weight my punches, breathe and relax we enter the 3 minute rounds. Initially I thought I was defeated but then came my second wind. It was like all of the previous rounds of learning and modelling and warming my body up had lead to this moment where finally something clicked. I think what astonished me the most was how my last minute was possibly my strongest of the lot.

And so…it was over, fatigued but buzzing I reflected over the last hour. I had done it. But one of the main things I learnt was how with Bas, you soon learn to hold the pads well. If you don't you honestly are looking at 'game over'!! I now realise that these effective, 1 hour, continuous workouts are something that every FFMA student needs to experience…!

Chris Davis FFMA Student 01-01-2010

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