Indigenous Ability

For more such history digs, well, keep browsing this here blog. For my dulcet tones on such matters, try our podcast The Rough 'n' Tumble Raconteur . To jump feet first into the historically accurate and viscously verified Old School Way of throwing hands, twisting limbs, slingin' hawks, slashin' Bowies, well, have a look-see at our Black Box Training Warehouse.

  Let’s start with a definition of the concept of “bricolage.” Bricolage is, and I quote “ something constructed or created from a diverse range of available things .” We find the term being bandied about in art where “found” objects are used in a creative way. The term is also used by sociologists and anthropologists who describe how societies and cultures are formed; it is less by a top-down fiat as in “ We’re all gonna wear cargo shorts and ballcaps, and use the fork in our left hands ” than it is a loose amalgamation of elements that gradually cohere and then concretize into, “ Well, that’s just how it’s done .” We find the concept in engineering where a problem is presented, a mechanical solution is required and the perfect tool or ready tool does not exist nor its constituent parts, so a bit of creativity and tinkering leads to a bricolage answer that fits the bill. How does bricolage apply to combat systems? We’ll come back to that. First, let’s talk Frogmen, the...

  Ready for an obvious statement? Powerful shoulders are vital to the combat athlete and the Life-Warrior who chooses to interact with the planet rather than simply view National Geographic quality photos and allow that to suffice the soul. Combat, survival, swimming, climbing, skulking in a low crawl while on an ambush, what have you, requires not only strength, but stamina and full use of the fluidity that this ball-and-socket joint can provide in its healthy state. Often shoulder power is sought via weight-use only—and this is, indeed, not a bad way to go, but there are a few alternate considerations to ponder to see if old school thought can inform us how to better aid our own shoulder pursuits of the four attributes: strength, stamina, pliancy, and aesthetics. One -Old school iron training can indeed fit the bill exclusively—countless examples can attest to that. Overhead pressing of many varieties are and have been used to do the deed, from see-saw presses, to Arnold...