Sonnon |

If you’ve read my posts for a while, you know that I’m very interested in Systema (the “Russian Martial Art”) and related movement disciplines.

When Scott Sonnon came out with his TACFIT product, I had to buy it.

You see, Sonnon trained with Systema and Sambo experts in the ex-Soviet Union. His methodology is based on the things he learned during that time (along with everything that came after), and is extremely well thought out and well taught.

The TACFIT program outlines an entire progression of movements, from the most basic to highly complex. All of these movements are designed to improve the practitioner’s relationship with gravity, to increase freedom of movement, and to improve strength, speed, and power development.

The product is awesome. If you have any interest in this sort of movement discipline I won’t even tell you to go buy it. I’ll just say that you should definitely check out the page now.

Posted this reponse to John Sifferman’s latest blog entry about Crossfit. While I agree with John about Crossfit, I think it’s important to find the deeper needs that people are trying to fulfill through their actions, and speak to those, instead of battling on the surface all the time.

Here it is:

Hi John,

Good post. I encounter this in many areas of my life on a daily basis. Trainers are often just as (if not, at times, more) guilty of “cult-following” as any trainee. Trainers in the cults of Chek, Verstegen, Sonnon (no offense intended!), Pavel, etc., only look at training through the lens of their leader’s viewpoints.

I think the bottom line with these cults harkens back to the definition of the word. Cult means “religion,” in Latin, and, as such, a cult is a “community of like-minded individuals.”

By the very nature of this type of structure, it is exclusive, and exclusionary – it seeks to pit itself over/above/against any other group.

Does that make it right?

Not at all. But for the people in the cult, all they see is their cult-ure. Their fellow cultists are constantly there to back them up.

It’s kind of a useless battle to fight.

Instead, I’m always interested in the background for the cult’s beliefs. What is/are the need/s that is/are being fulfilled by/through the cult, through membership in it, and also through the exclusivity of the cult?

When I look at it from that perspective, I become more empathetic. I understand that the person is trying to feel connected to something, they want to achieve an image of themselves that they feel the cult offers, they want to belong to something that supports them, etc.

If I can offer them those feelings from my own heart, then we can have a meaningful dialogue about it. Till then, though, we just butt heads.

Josh

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Scott Sonnon’s TACFIT

Cults