|
OCFM Review
“Dropping Bombs and Making Waves with Herol and Russell”
A Review of a Russell Stutely Open Circle Fighting Method
Weekend Seminar
By Jamie Clubb
“Don’t worry I won’t do it hard” is fast becoming the
catchphrase of the quietly spoken founder of the OCFM (Open
Circle Fighting Method), Russell Stutely, as he demonstrates the
effect of what happens when certain principles are applied to a
general technique. Within a dramatic split second several things
are confirmed by the student by being demonstrated on: trust
Russell when he says that a certain modification will
dramatically alter the effectiveness of a certain technique,
trust Russell when he says it is very often not what you do but
rather how you do it, but whatever you do never trust Russell
when he says something is not going to hurt.
Russell Stutely’s OCFM weekend course, organized by Way of the
Spiritual Warrior, was the latest in the Way of the Spiritual
Warrior’s series of seminars, bringing cross-training
opportunities, with some of the country’s best martial arts
instructors, to their resident students and growing army of
outside supporters. All students were certainly in for a treat
this time. Russell brought with him several different specialist
instructors, all expressing the different faces of OCFM. The
premise of the whole weekend’s training was to introduce
principles that can be applied to all martial arts, be it for
sport or self-defence.
Day 1
Herol “Bomber” Graham, former middleweight Boxing champion,
warmed everybody up with a typically energetic aerobic routine.
OCFM preaches the importance of fitness to build a strong and
healthy physical base, as well as correct warming up before
stretching. It was a very hot day anyway, but the “light”
warm-up was enough to expose the student’s need to improve his
individual fitness level.
Russell began the technical work with the importance of striking
using a downward motion. This same method was applied by Herol
during his professional boxing career. The idea is that if you
send the force of a strike down the body, it will greatly affect
the body’s physiology. It weakens a person both physically and
psychologically. Upward striking, Russell and Herol argue, no
matter how hard it is administered, can be weathered by the
average fighter. Striking downwards causes an internal
disruption. Using this principle, different strikes were then
tested on various areas of the body.
Satisfied that the class had an appreciation of the benefits of
striking in this direction, Russell then led the class in
utilising a method he has made famous: the wave-form. As the
name implies, this method uses a wave-like motion through the
body that starts at the feet and rises upwards, almost throwing
the user off balance as they project their energy into the
strike.
Using the Shukokai Karate double thickness float pads, we
first practiced an elbow strike – applied as if you were to move
past your opponent – and then a punch taught by senior OCFM
coach, Peter Holmes. One of the method’s most appealing features
is that it can be delivered at a very close range without
telegraphing.
The physical exertion needed to produce this devastating
effect was very little indeed. In fact, those who were
experienced in the wave-form just appeared to be casually
walking past the striking pad as the strike went in. From an
observational point of view I saw similarities with Peter
Consterdine’s “double hip”, particularly with the horizontal
version of the method, and Alan Gibson’s Wing Chun (in the case
of delivering powerful strikes at close range).
Following the idea that if you strike one part of your
opponent’s anatomy the rest of the body will be affected and
that by striking one part of the body another part is left
unprepared, Russell finished the striking work off with a
“cutting” punch across the mid-section followed by a hammer-fist
to the chest. Herol explained that he regularly caught his
opponent’s out with the cutting strike, which is best described
as a low swiping-type punch.
Anthony Bailey then took us through some grappling applications.
We began with some collar and elbow work and then moved onto
taking guard and turning your opponent to get the mounted
position. Herol rounded the seminar off with some skipping
practice.
Day 2
Russell got us straight into working on the principles of OCFM.
We began with balance points. Using the triangle principle,
which I have seen emphasised during my studies in traditional Ju
Jutsu and Systema, we began looking at taking balance from
certain postures. Then we looked at taking balance from wherever
the elbow is pointed or the knee is pointed.
I would find this to be very beneficial the next day when I
fought from guard at my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class. Something
seemed to twig and I began to fight more offensively, looking
for the balance points on the person inside my guard.
The balance point training followed along the same lines as the
striking methodology taught yesterday and we unbalanced each
other by sending the force downwards. We also sent it up using
the wave-form. Further on from this we looked at applying
pressure to the small of the back, which is a very efficient
unbalancing method.
OCFM follows the principles of Yin and Yang i.e. opposites. This
not only means that combinations should be done by attacking
opposite points of the body, but also – following Newton’s
theory – every action has an exact opposite reaction. Strike
someone forward and down and the other side will go back and up.
Russell got everyone to lock up in a typical Greco-Roman tie-up
and move each other around. We froze on his command and then
analysed the weaknesses in our posture and our partner’s
posture. “By keeping the mind working fast and your body slowly,
you learn at a faster rate” is Russell’s theory. After working
out various takedowns from the balance-taking principles, we
looked at a rather painful way to apply a rear naked choke.
Peter Holmes took centre stage and concentrated on the
application of pressure points. We used a basic “centre”
wristlock (Nidan in Hakko Ryu Ju Jutsu and Nikyo in Aikido).
Peter applied pressure to certain areas of the hand rather than
just the wrist joint. Emphasis on gripping with the little
finger - a principle adhered to by most traditional arts that
apply empty-hand techniques from Japanese sword movements – was
also made. Peter explained the importance of visualisation in
techniques: the OCFM process is mind, breath and application.
After looking at various pressure-points on different sides of
the body and a painful one to the face, we moved onto
pressure-point knock-outs. We struck various parts around the
head and neck, always aiming for the opposite side. These moves
were applied from very natural gestures and different ones
worked for different people in different ways. Peter explained
that several of the head attacks, famously used in the OCFM BAR
(Body Alarm Response), have often been applied by evangelical
charlatans, claiming they were putting people “in touch with the
Lord.” A lot of us certainly saw some white lights that day and
there was an example of an actual pressure point knock out
followed by the revival method.
The subject of white lights brings me onto one of Russell’s
analogies. He explained that when a person attacks they have
already made some decisions about what they intend to do; they
think they have seen the clichéd light at the end of the tunnel.
Russell explained that white light has been mistaken for the
headlights of the OCFM juggernaut response. Students are taught
to dive in using a covering method that can be split into two
techniques. One is a forty-five degree angled block.
The arm is surprisingly relaxed, but the bones are in perfect
alignment and the harder you strike it the more damage is done
to the opponent’s forearm. The student is taught to move their
fingers in a manner often seen in a lot of Chinese forms and
commonly only thought of as an eye-flick. The other arm wraps is
wrapped tightly around the head, as you charge forward, aiming
to plough through your opponent.
We moved straight onto the clinch from here and looked at
various striking methods inside the clinch. Eventually we used
this position to blend in the various unbalancing techniques and
pressure-point attacks.
Herol meanwhile sparred over two hours with various different
students, helping them out with body strikes. It was a great
diversion from the specific based training and gave students a
good way to give and receive techniques in a “live” environment.
Other coaches on hand during the weekend were senior OCFM coach,
John Andrews, Brian Whatford and Matt Summerfield who received
his full coaching award at the end of Sunday’s training. Russell
has an open-minded and friendly group of instructors around him
who are always willing to help and trade information, each
impassioned with their own particular branch of martial arts.
Russell has a great method of instruction and students pick up
his teachings at quite an alarming rate.
With methods ranging from Kata Bunkai in Karate to Western
Boxing to Mixed Martial Arts and principles of Chinese medicine,
you certainly get your money’s worth at a Russell Stutely
seminar. The weekend course was very well attended and there was
a broad range of students from complete beginners to experienced
instructors.
I would recommend that any open-minded school consider booking
him when he next makes the journey over from Cyprus. Although I
urge you take one word of advice: be wary when you here any
declaration that something is not going to hurt!
Russell
Stutely Articles
|
|
