Scott I was wondering what your opinion on Soft work is? It appears to be very similar to Pummeling in wrestling.. I was thinking about adding it to my rountine (if I can ever find a partner).
Does the slow motion fighting actually help a fighter reduce his flinch reflex?
In wrestling Pummeling drills make throws second nature.. could soft work do the same for striking, or am I missing a piece of the puzzle?
(note: I'm writing this at four in the morning so incoherant babble, and bad spelling is a possiblity)
I went to Scott's Softwork seminar this last weekend.
Pummeling doesn't even come close to what Scott presented. He went... far beyond any drills or techniques I have seen in over 12 years of crosstraining both striking and grappling. It's hard to describe the experience, but I can say that it has challenged all my prior assumptions about how one should train for competition or for self defense.
If you can go to a Softwork seminar in the future... go. Just go. My mind is still blown, and I even had prior experience with some of Scott's materials.
Softwork will improve your striking, grappling, weapons work, and pretty much whatever else you do. I was doing stuff that I thought would take me another couple years of practice to pull off, for cryin' out loud. My thanks to Scott for putting on such an awesome event!
Softwork draws on all of Scott's materials, but if I had to pick just 3, I'd go with Warrior Wellness, Bodyflow (or maybe Grappler's Toolbox), and Shockability. His 3-D Performance Pyramid manual is the best printed explanation of the role of Softwork and how to develop your own Softwork drills and applications.
My next recommendations would be Fisticuffs, Immovable Object Unstoppable Force, Leg Fencing, and Freedom By Degree. The weapon-based materials would be my last consideration. Softwork also draws on the same physical principles used for Clubbells and Circular Strength Training.
If you only get one training resource, get Warrior Wellness. If you develop smooth, fluid movement in all ranges with all of your joints, it will be much easier to absorb and understand all of Scott's other materials. They are all interrelated, and everything goes back to cultivating the ability to move more efficiently and effectively.
I haven't seen the next Softwork seminar scheduled yet. The next seminar I know of will be on Circular Strength Training. Your best bet is to keep an eye on the RMAX sites for future seminar announcements.