Fitness
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“Everything that we do requires our muscles to work in synergy with each other. Every required task moves through all three planes of motion (multi-planer). Only the intent changes the out come”.
.gif) "In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment."
Darwin
The Origins of the Torqueblade:
The Torqueblade like any other item dreamed into being was inspired by another. My inspiration came from my experiences in various fitness regimes, military, para military, martial, and numerous civilian. The main underlying thread which I came to appreciate was that of strength to weight ratio and specific endurance for the desired tasks. Always looking for the most cost and time effective regime I realized that the fundamentals of fitness never changed only the intent. In essence training motions rather than muscles seemed more applicable to my daily routines.
I amalgamated my appreciation of blade training with medicine ball type exercises and the training regime of Indian club training. To take you back to the quote of Darwin that “adaptability ensures a creature’s success” In other words functional training. Or to put it another way “If you can’t pull yourself out of a hole, what use are you?” The conception of the Torqueblade came from two routes, like parallel lines on train track, that of “Functional Fitness” and the “Arts of Mars” both originating from the need to improve certain desired attributes and heading towards a similar goal. I originally started designing the Torqueblade from the desire to develop an awkward training tool to enhance adaptability to impromptu weapons. This would also challenge the body’s equilibrium when in motion. These requirements would aide in adaptability.
I realized that when training with weapons (swords/clubs), students body mechanics improved quicker than when training empty hands alone. The reason for this is that when the equilibrium of the body is challenged by holding an object outside of its natural range of motion the core of the body has to react quicker to regain balance. This reaction of muscles turning off and on to regain balance is called proprioception. If in a fight or flight situation, the ability to adapt the proprioception of my neuromuscular memory for an impromptu weapon (if warranted) would be somewhat hindered, due to the on coming threat at the time. |
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Blade Examples:
The Torqueblade adopted the weighted tip of the (1) Nepalese ghukri an elongated belly to resemble the shape of the (2) East Indian club and pistol grip of a (3) Philippine blade (kriss). “Therefore, training in a manner which would prehabilitate my body for such an eventuality would seem to be the ideal way to go”. |
Torqueblade and Companionblade |
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The fitness training of the British military circa 1800 “Club swinging is believed to have originated in India by soldiers as a method of improving strength, agility, balance and physical ability. During the annexation of India, British officers witnessed the graceful motions and essential property of expanding the chest and exercising every muscle of the body. Information kindly supplied by DR. ED Thomas of Motionrx.com “The British government, moving with the times decided to upgrade the Royal Navy. The Admiralty at that time replaced sails in favor of steam, to power the new warships. Consequently, labor was not as demanding and the Admiralty perceived a lack of fitness. So the R.N. adopted the training regime of club swinging. To this day the fitness instructors in the R.N. are still referred to as Clubs”. Information kindly supplied by Warrant Officer Richardson Are based on modern functional fitness principles
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