“Escape Plan Drill” a.k.a. “EPD” has been a fitness standard in Cabal Fang Martial Arts for many years, even before making its first appearance almost exactly four years ago.
If you haven’t done it yet, you’re in for a treat.
EPD is A+ because it shrinks to fit. You can use whatever calisthenics you like based on your needs and/or fitness level. And, since it’s an “as-many-as-you-can” type of drill, its difficulty increases with the fitness of the user.
This week’s variant uses martial-specific calisthenics. Dig it.
Escape Plan Revisited: Cabal Fang Training Involution #145
- Escape Plan Drill. Set timer for 1:00 intervals. Sprint for 1:00, Shadowbox or hit Heavy Bag for 1:00 then complete as many calisthenics reps as you can for 1:00. Repeat 4 more times for a total of 15 mins, taking as few 12-count breaks as you must in order to finish. Your 5 calisthenics are: Sit-outs, Shots, Sprawls, Bear Walks, and Back Bridge. On the Back Bridges, hold or pop reps based on fitness level. This version of EPD could be called “Humility Sandwich.” Try a bite and tell me if I’m wrong about the recipe.
- Hagakure Meditation. Escape is not always possible, certainly not in the end. After cooling down, set countdown timer for 10 mins., then read the paragraph below and meditate as directed. Seppuku is of course an ancient form of ritual suicide, so this is not to be read literally. Read metaphorically it contains a wise but very hard teaching. We are going to die, perhaps even by having to lay down our lives for what we value most highly. We modern people struggle with these old, hard lessons. But some things are worth the struggle.
NEXT WEEK…
Are you more fit than a 12-year-old boy circa 1945? Find out next week in Boy’s Twelve: Training Involution #146!
Robert Mitchell Jr. 