Get A Grip From Hell
My good friend Charlie Lysak once grabbed my trapezius from behind. He was sitting in the back seat. I was teasing him about his strength training - I think I said something like, “I saw you picked up that heavy rock. That’s a practical skill.”
As I started laughing, he grabbed and squeezed my trap so tightly I thought the muscle was going to rip. I winced and tapped. Shhh, do not repeat that!
His grip strength was sick.
Aside from a ton of amazing strongman stuff he was doing, one of his favorite exercises was using handgrips - specifically Captains of Crush from Ironmind.
I immediately got a pair.
You know me…I ALWAYS think about how any movement or exercise relates to personal safety and self-defense.
I don't train for cosmetics, I train for combatives.
I began exploring and experimenting with grip routines to improve speed and power for striking.
I focused on kinesthetic perception.
I played with tension to achieve optimal explosiveness - I figured out to intentionally only clench my fist just prior to imagined impact. That was a game-changer!
This is not how most people throw punches!
I filmed some of this for you in the video below. I share some pretty cool concepts and I know if you integrate them, you will improve your striking speed and make your hands and wrist more resilient.
In the video, I also share a super interesting story about the power of grip strength (that's a pun and metaphor). More importantly, I share ideas on how to get started.
Let me know what you think.
As always, I appreciate you and your interest in my approach to training.
Coach B
👇BONUS INSIGHTS BELOW!👇
BONUS: My intuitive training protocol led to an accidental, but serendipitous discovery: My hands became incredibly resilient and strong that I could punch really fast and hard without needing to make a full fist.
I was able to contract the extensor chain and connect the right amount of tension from my forearms through my hands which controlled my wrist flexion. (I demo this in the video.)
This amazing discovery allowed me to conserve speed when striking (when you clench your fist, you activate antagonistic muscles) during sports training or street scenarios.
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
If you enjoy my style, philosophy, and method and want to take your training to the next level, here are 4 options for you:
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Guessing you did not go to Catholic school. We called that trapezius grab "the Essig Hold." Priests did this to us for generations. George Essig taught me in 5th and 8th grade. Priests did this to him when he was a kid. Mr Essig taught at Catholic grade schools before getting a real job as salesman at beer distributorship. His gentler corporal punishments were having us stand in front of class and hold textbooks up at arms length. If real jerk, then 1 light book 1 heavy. If worse jerk then no text book. Horrific to look like puss with no weight.
Years later, learned aikido in college while moving furniture. Forever skinny guy. Caught a bit a grief here and there from normal framed guys at work. Jimmy Daly, another wild Irish Catholic had crazy grip like a horse bite. Grabbed my leg while he was driving just about broke my femur. Could not hit him while he was driving. Applied sankyo to open his hand. I had leverage. He had strength. Even struggle for bout a mile doing 60. Last time he grabbed me. Surprised me it worked.
Years after that (and more aikido) I worked in lumber. Still too skinny. Still plenty o grief for it from all coworkers. Yard manager was retired butcher. 5'6" bout 280#. Butcher 30 years, yard ape 10. Butcher arms where there is no wrist. Like Popeye. Huge forearms go straight into thick sausage fingers. Al trusted me since I hid him from his guys once while he was having a coronary episode. Maniac guy.
Couple years later I was on the phone sitting next to Al's number two yard ape. Al thought it funny to Essig Hold me during my customer call. Let his #2 watch. Both chuckling His right hand my right trap. Knew from school, move into pain relax and smile. Al about picked me up. Kept even tone with customer, never missed a beat, reach up slowly with my left hand on top of his. Pulled his hand onto my trap harder and slowly applied sankyo. Leverage not strength. As Al's face started coming down toward my desk next to the phone he released. Could have pinned him to my desk. His expression was worth years of training. Loved that guy. And that look. Probably the toughest strongest old guy I ever met.
Read somewhere that grip strength and leg strength are two best indicators of longevity.
Too bad nobody trying to rob me is likely to try an Essig Hold eh?
Thank you for the post. Thank you for the attitudinal adjustments too.
Couple unpleasant looking gents ran up on my wife and me in my little dump truck last month. Panicked looking yelling they needed a ride to train station 4 blocks away. Door was locked and window up high enough to make it a mistake to reach in. Kept vehicle creeping slowly into traffic at the intersection. He was trying to sound pleasant and pleading. Never got my hackles up. Just automatically said no politely and kept vehicle moving until traffic cleared. He backed off. We drove on.
Then hackles came up. Realized his request for a ride was not a request for a ride. No room in the truck without pulling us out and not likely he could have climbed in back dumpbed. Nice that automatic movements kicked in before I came close to gift of fear. Only disappointment after was that I usually never let pedestrians get close enough to touch vehicle. I leave room at intersections to creep and drive away for that reason. First time anyone got that close to carjacking me. And it was in a neighborhood with homes going for 500k to 2.5mil.
Thank you again and please keep on. Saving lives man.
Again, thanks for taking the time to encourage me to persist in spite of feeling frustrated. It really made a world of difference to me!
.thanks
.Vinny