Special Training 2000: Pushing Through Our Limits

June 29 - July 2

By Kathleen

What is Special Training? Special Training is an annual event put on by the National Women's Martial Arts Federation (NWMAF) since the early 1980s. The event takes place in a different location every year, hosted by one of the schools with members in NWMAF. Special Training 2000 (ST 2000) was held in Shepherdstown West Virginia, at Sheperds College . The hosting martial arts school was NWMAF member Barbara Feldman's school, Blue Heron Martial and Healing Arts.

Who is involved in ST 2000? Women of all martial arts styles, ages, ethnic backgrounds, and physical abilities participate in four days of workouts, workshops, and special demonstrations. We were all there to learn from each other. Women with black belts in their own styles join with newcomers to learn new techniques or to experience entirely new styles of martial art.

What did we learn at ST 2000? We had such a great time at ST 2000! A group of 11 from the OSU Women's Self-defense and Martial Arts Club made the road trip together to West Virginia. Once there, we settled into dorms on the Sheperds College campus and began the exciting task of deciding which workouts and workshops we were going to take advantage of during the weekend. We ourselves have diverse interests and the classes we chose ranged from aqua aerobics to boxing and from Tai Chi to tactical ground fighting. There was something for everyone, and classes were ranked for the amount of physical exertion required, so we could plan our days accordingly. The four-day weekend was a wonderful opportunity to push ourselves, both physically and mentally, and try something new. We won't forget the (optional) Early Bird Exercises at 6 AM. Here is a description of some of the other classes:

Outdoor self-defense: The location for this class was a towpath meant for jogging, bike riding, etc. that ran along the Potomic river. We began with a warm-up of jumping, jogging in place, punching and stretching. We also learned a little bit about punching technique and how to use a slashing knife defense against an attacker. Then each of us was sent alone along the clearly marked towpath, where we found trees marked with instructions to practice kicks, forms, or jumping jacks. The most exciting part of this workout was encountering random attackers along the path. Some of the attackers had weapons (made of rubber and wood) and others had the intention of grabbing us to drag us from the path. We were expected to react to these attackers, who turned out to be black belt instructors, in a controlled way. At the end of the trail we were given important feedback on how we had reacted and what we could have done differently to have a better chance of getting away safely. Our club members, especially those who regularly walk on these types of paths in Columbus, learned some valuable lessons from this class.

Knife and Stick Defense: (Espada y Daga) This class focused on the simultaneous use of a knife and an Arnis stick to strike and block against an opponent who is also armed with both knife and stick. We learned a sequence of 8 attacks and counter-attacks. A number of members of our club were interested in this workout because we incorporate a bit of the Philippine art of Arnis in our classes at OSU. The Arnis stick is a wooden stick about 2.5 feet long. Our club works only with the stick, practicing a form and a series of strikes and blocks, so we were excited to learn how to add a second weapon.

The (Martial) Artist in You: This class was taught by our head instructor, Judy Beckman, and was intended for the young girls at the training camp. This class explored the martial arts through art. First, the girls practiced their favorite martial arts form (if they didn't have one they could create one) in small groups to determine their strong points. Then they incorporated their strengths of form execution into a group artwork using drawing and collage. The resulting artwork was displayed for the rest of the camp and then the girls were able to take home part of the artwork at the end of ST 2000.

Were there social activities at ST 2000? Definitely! Meals were eaten together in the cafeteria at Shepards College, which offered to opportunity to catch up with each other on what classes we had taken that morning or afternoon. This also allowed us to sit and chat with women from other schools all over the country. One of the most anticipated events of the weekend was Demonstration night, where the students of each of the instructors performed a short demonstration of their martial art before the whole camp. Some demonstrations were displays of pure physical strength, some were amazingly intricate techniques or forms, and others were educational (with a bit of humor thrown in). After the demo it was time to shop at the bazaar, where all the different schools represented at the camp sold clothing, weapons, videos, and an array of martial arts paraphernal ia.

What was your overall impression of ST 2000? We learned a lot and can't wait to go to ST 2001. This past summer we have tried to incorporate the knowledge we gained at ST 2000 into our practice sessions at OSU. Because we each chose different workouts and workshops at the training camp we now have a lot more to learn from each other. Some of us even came back to Columbus with new weapons and gear. Already we are thinking about what we will do for our demo next year.

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Updated: 2001, Sept 17.
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