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Martial Arts

Martial Arts • Fighting Science • 5 • Yin ☯ Yang of Empty vs. Full Cups

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Entering a new dojo or training facility requires humility and respect. Maybe the instructor is young or small in stature – don’t judge a book by its cover. You are a guest in their gym. Respecting a new gym requires courage and confidence. You are admitting to everyone that you don’t know something, but are willing to spend the time and effort to listen and learn.
 

Learning is about checking your ego at the door.
What kind of student are you?

There are three types of students:

  • Empty-Cups • These are students who have the complete courage to enter a new facility and learn a new craft. They want to learn new techniques and new degrees of freedom. They ware willing to have the instructor fill their cup with knowledge and experience. These students are the easiest to teach because they absorb information like a sponge. Techniques they learn are not only be adopted for that session but will be treated as their personal “laws” to be adopted as part of their training repertoire  – from that point onward.
  • Full-Cups • At the opposite end of the spectrum are students who enter a new gym with big egos, or their personality is overshadowed by insecurity. They don’t have the courage or willingness to lower their guard and learn something new. Their cup may be full from another discipline or gym. So what is their motivation? Maybe they want to “fight-out” their daily frustrations on unsuspecting students, or prove their toughness in a new gym. Maybe they have low self-esteem and don’t have the confidence to lower their guard and admit they don’t know something. These students are the most challenging to teach because the artificial barriers they have created must be broken down first before teaching can begin.
  • Cups-with-Holes • These are students who listen to the instructor for a brief moment and forget or discount what you told them, once you leave. They don’t have the patience or interest to adopt a new technique for longer than the teacher is giving them attention. They treat the instructor’s guidance as temporary. This may be due to a lack of respect for the gym or instructor. Other times it may be due to not realizing that what they are being told is “law” that needs to be adopted from that day forward.

The best students are Empty-Cups – it is enough to tell them once, and the instructor’s mission is accomplished.

As an instructor, I try to understand the type of student standing across from me. If they are a Full-Cup student, my time is ill spent. If they are a Cup-with-Holes then I try to explain that what I am teaching is not temporary – it’s “law”. They should adopt that law from that point onward – at least until something better comes along. Cup-with-Holes students require a lot of patience because they need to be told repetitively what is correct before they finally realize the importance of what you are teaching them.

Martial Arts • Fighting Science Series

If you would like to read more articles in this “Yin Yang of Fighting Science” series, check out these posts:

• 1 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Power
• 2 • Yin Yang of Speed vs. Timing
• 3 • Yin Yang of Fighting Styles
• 4 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Instinct
• 5 • Yin Yang of Empty vs. Full Cups
• 6 • Yin Yang of Slow vs. Fast
• 7 • Yin Yang of Perception vs. Reality
• 8 • Yin Yang of Fear vs. Confidence
• 9 • Yin Yang of Threes
• 10 • Yin Yang of Burden vs. Privilege
• 11 • Yin Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise
• 12 • Yin Yang of Compliance vs. Resistance
• 13 • Yin Yang of Attacking vs. Defending
• 14 • Yin Yang of Fighting 360°
• 15 • Yin Yang of Teachers vs. Students
• 16 • Yin Yang of Physics vs. Physiology
• 17 • Yin Yang of Vulnerability vs. Opportunity
• 18 • Yin Yang of Martial Arts vs. Combat
• 19 • Yin Yang of Sport vs. Violence
• 20 • Yin Yang of Rhythm vs. Random
• 21 • Yin Yang of Stability
• 22 • Yin Yang of Strategy vs. Tactics
• 23 • Yin Yang of Instinct vs. Reason
• 24 • Yin Yang of Unstoppable vs. Immovable

• Fighting Science • Fighter’s Curve
• Fighting Science • Fighting Zones

Gabriel Dusil

Martial Arts • Fighting Science • 4 • Yin ☯ Yang of Technique vs. Instinct

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As discussed in last week’s post, combat training is about learning new degrees of freedom – adding new maneuvers or techniques that have never been tried before. But how to learn a new move well enough that it becomes natural or instinctive? Enter the 100-1000-10000 rule:
 
  • Mechanics • If you do a technique 100 times you will understand its mechanics. Your brain will comprehend how to do it correctly, and why the movement is valuable.
  • Natural • When you do a technique 1000 times it will become natural. This threshold is passed when the movement feels right in sparring. The movement becomes part of your combat portfolio.
  • Instinctive • Once you do a maneuver 10000 times then it enters your subconscious. The movement can now be executed without thinking about it.

The 100-1000-10000 rule is fundamental to combat sports
and applies to the highest levels of professional fighting.

It’s important to clarify that these movements must be done correctly for it to successfully traverse the 100-1000-10000 evolution. Counting doesn’t begin until the technique is done correctly. Doing a maneuver incorrectly leads to bad habits that are hard to break.

If fighting requires surprise and spontaneity, why practice repetition? A fighter needs repetition in order for a new technique to enter the subconscious. Once that is achieved a fighter no longer needs to think of the technique because it’s apart of them. It’s as close to “instinctive behavior” as possibly achievable.

Instinctive maneuvers are the end-game because the moment a fighter “thinks” of performing an attack, defense, or anything in between – then telegraphing occurs and time is lost. An experienced fighter can exploit this delay. Reactionary measures in times of stress, emotion and chaos are worsened, if not completely lost. Practicing a move mitigates this weakness because the “thinking” component is removed from the fighting equation and the movement becomes instant.

Techniques are abandoned in the midst of chaos
and requires confidence and experience
to regain composure.

Repetition is a challenge for students, and especially taxing on millennials. In a one hour session, even 50 reps challenge the patience of students. Reaching 1000 requires grit, endurance, and resources that fall amongst the most dedicated. Striving for 10000 is reserved for the elite among us.

To finish off, it’s worth mentioning that the 100-1000-10000 rule can be easily applied to other disciplines – e.g. dancing, learning a musical instrument, software development to name a few examples, and can be a representation of time (100-1000-10000 hours) with the same effect.

Martial Arts • Fighting Science Series

If you would like to read more articles in this “Yin Yang of Fighting Science” series, check out these posts:

• 1 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Power
• 2 • Yin Yang of Speed vs. Timing
• 3 • Yin Yang of Fighting Styles
• 4 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Instinct
• 5 • Yin Yang of Empty vs. Full Cups
• 6 • Yin Yang of Slow vs. Fast
• 7 • Yin Yang of Perception vs. Reality
• 8 • Yin Yang of Fear vs. Confidence
• 9 • Yin Yang of Threes
• 10 • Yin Yang of Burden vs. Privilege
• 11 • Yin Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise
• 12 • Yin Yang of Compliance vs. Resistance
• 13 • Yin Yang of Attacking vs. Defending
• 14 • Yin Yang of Fighting 360°
• 15 • Yin Yang of Teachers vs. Students
• 16 • Yin Yang of Physics vs. Physiology
• 17 • Yin Yang of Vulnerability vs. Opportunity
• 18 • Yin Yang of Martial Arts vs. Combat
• 19 • Yin Yang of Sport vs. Violence
• 20 • Yin Yang of Rhythm vs. Random
• 21 • Yin Yang of Stability
• 22 • Yin Yang of Strategy vs. Tactics
• 23 • Yin Yang of Instinct vs. Reason
• 24 • Yin Yang of Unstoppable vs. Immovable

• Fighting Science • Fighter’s Curve
• Fighting Science • Fighting Zones

Martial Arts

Martial Arts • Fighting Science • 3 • Yin ☯ Yang of Fighting Styles

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Each martial art has a set of pre-defined techniques. These are typically defined by the founder as a collection of traditional moves. In progressive styles, these techniques evolve over time.

I like to refer to a fighter’s portfolio of movements as “degrees of freedom“. New degrees of freedom adds to a student’s portfolio. For example, a boxer has two basic striking tools: their fists. Although limited in this regard, their degrees of freedom is vast. I’ll explain this in a moment. A kickboxer, on the other hand, is restricted to four striking tools: both fists and both feet. In Muay Thai, there are eight attack vectors – since elbows and knees are added. Kickboxers have twice as many striking tools as boxers, and Muay Thai practitioners have double yet again. In street fighting there are no limits – strikes may come from headbutts, foot stomps, and other nasty attacks. But degrees of freedom extend beyond a style’s striking tools.

Every combat sport can be broken down to a granular level of attack vectors, defensive moves, and maneuvers. Let’s say that a kickboxer has 100 degrees of freedom, meaning that they have 100 ways of moving, defending, and attacking. A boxer, on the other hand, may have 500 degrees of freedom. How is this possible when they have only two attack vectors? It’s because boxers learn to “dance”. They are experts in slipping, bobbing, weaving – in and out of range. A kickboxer learns how to play with distance, but doesn’t learn the intricacies of phone-booth fighting at such a granular level, compared to a boxer. For example, a Karate Ka learns forward, backward, and side to side movement, but doesn’t learn the hook (punch), nor do they learn to slip. Where a Karateka learns to block, a boxer prefers to slip because they consider blocking a waste of motion and adds delay to their counter-strike. For this reason, many martial artists facing boxers are confronted with movements completely foreign to them. For every maneuver, a boxer may know five to ten more. This gives the boxer much more latitude in how they dance in and out of their opponent’s range.

Each technique adds new degrees of freedom
to a fighter’s portfolio.
 

A boxer is well versed in “phone booth” fighting. In this close range, they are most powerful. But against a kickboxer, a boxer has challenges of their own, since they need to watch for foot attacks. In a confrontation, the kickboxer wants to maintain distance, while the boxer wants to slip into phone booth range. A boxer knows that in close range the kickboxer has few degrees of freedom, and this is a weakness they want to exploit. A good boxer can confuse their opponent to the extent they have no idea what to expect, and when or where the next attack will occur. They can “hypnotize” their opponent with movement. Understanding your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses is an essential part of combat sports.

In classic martial arts, tradition overrules transformation.
 

A traditional martial art may significantly restrict a student’s degree of freedom, effectively creating a glass ceiling. They are only “allowed” to learn a set of moves, specific to that style. Traditional approach says, “in our club, we do techniques this way, so you need to learn our way”. In this sense, tradition overrules progressiveness. Modern martial arts, such as MMA don’t restrict learning, dispelling the notion that there is a right or wrong way to a given technique. MMA assesses a technique on the merits of its effectiveness as compared to techniques that preceded it. Each technique is challenged in real combat. Progressive martial arts works on the premise that, “currently this is the best techniques until someone comes up with a better one”.

Martial Arts • Fighting Science Series

If you would like to read more articles in this “Yin Yang of Fighting Science” series, check out these posts:

• 1 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Power
• 2 • Yin Yang of Speed vs. Timing
• 3 • Yin Yang of Fighting Styles
• 4 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Instinct
• 5 • Yin Yang of Empty vs. Full Cups
• 6 • Yin Yang of Slow vs. Fast
• 7 • Yin Yang of Perception vs. Reality
• 8 • Yin Yang of Fear vs. Confidence
• 9 • Yin Yang of Threes
• 10 • Yin Yang of Burden vs. Privilege
• 11 • Yin Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise
• 12 • Yin Yang of Compliance vs. Resistance
• 13 • Yin Yang of Attacking vs. Defending
• 14 • Yin Yang of Fighting 360°
• 15 • Yin Yang of Teachers vs. Students
• 16 • Yin Yang of Physics vs. Physiology
• 17 • Yin Yang of Vulnerability vs. Opportunity
• 18 • Yin Yang of Martial Arts vs. Combat
• 19 • Yin Yang of Sport vs. Violence
• 20 • Yin Yang of Rhythm vs. Random
• 21 • Yin Yang of Stability
• 22 • Yin Yang of Strategy vs. Tactics
• 23 • Yin Yang of Instinct vs. Reason
• 24 • Yin Yang of Unstoppable vs. Immovable

• Fighting Science • Fighter’s Curve
• Fighting Science • Fighting Zones

Martial Arts

Martial Arts • Fighting Science • 2 • Yin ☯ Yang of Speed vs. Timing

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In combat sports, it is often stated:

“Timing beats Speed”

In combat training, good technique is often confused with speed. To understand good fighting technique it’s important to divide speed into three parts:

  • 1. Reaction time (how fast the body reacts to an attack)
  • 2. The execution (or the time a technique begins till it ends), and
  • 3. The pure speed that a fighter’s muscles and physique possess to execute an attack.

All students begin by learning how to minimize their reaction time to attacking and defending, by not wasting movements. Learning good techniques addresses 1. and 2. above and can take a dedicated fighter many years to master. Advanced fighting technique requires the skill of “timing”:

  • Learn to read your opponent: Their movements, the techniques they use, the style they use. Do they telegraph their movements? Meaning, a little foot shuffle before kicking? Do they twitch before punching? Do they hold their breath before exerting energy? Do they load up on their punching, otherwise known as “cocking the gun”?Telegraphing can take on many forms – listening to the opponent’s breathing, watching them tense their muscles, observing needless movement before executing a strike. All of these signals giveaway an attack. Keep a poker face, and don’t give away your next move. The ability of a fighter to “explode” into an attack with minimal movement, no telegraphing, makes them faster.
  • Learn to anticipate the movements of your opponent: Which movements or attacks do they consistently repeat? How can you exploit those repetitive movements? Repetition is good in training, but not good in sparring. In fighting, repetition leads to well-versed opponents using an opponent’s repetition to their disadvantage.

Does good technique make a fighter faster? To a certain extent – Yes. But speed is about reaction time and getting a fist or foot from their home position (in guard position), to the attack position (fully extended and connecting with the target). This is the third aspect mentioned above, and age, talent, and athleticism play key roles.

I teach students to attack with explosiveness and surprise as if they are catching a fly. Catching flies requires relaxing, exhaling, and then reacting without thinking. The fastest fighters learn to move without thinking because they have practiced that move thousands of times. When a fighter needs to think of their next move, their reaction time for their brain to tell their fist or foot to move takes time – especially in front of an experienced fighter who has the experience and muscle memory to execute the same move.

Martial Arts • Fighting Science Series

If you would like to read more articles in this “Yin Yang of Fighting Science” series, check out these posts:

• 1 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Power
• 2 • Yin Yang of Speed vs. Timing
• 3 • Yin Yang of Fighting Styles
• 4 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Instinct
• 5 • Yin Yang of Empty vs. Full Cups
• 6 • Yin Yang of Slow vs. Fast
• 7 • Yin Yang of Perception vs. Reality
• 8 • Yin Yang of Fear vs. Confidence
• 9 • Yin Yang of Threes
• 10 • Yin Yang of Burden vs. Privilege
• 11 • Yin Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise
• 12 • Yin Yang of Compliance vs. Resistance
• 13 • Yin Yang of Attacking vs. Defending
• 14 • Yin Yang of Fighting 360°
• 15 • Yin Yang of Teachers vs. Students
• 16 • Yin Yang of Physics vs. Physiology
• 17 • Yin Yang of Vulnerability vs. Opportunity
• 18 • Yin Yang of Martial Arts vs. Combat
• 19 • Yin Yang of Sport vs. Violence
• 20 • Yin Yang of Rhythm vs. Random
• 21 • Yin Yang of Stability
• 22 • Yin Yang of Strategy vs. Tactics
• 23 • Yin Yang of Instinct vs. Reason
• 24 • Yin Yang of Unstoppable vs. Immovable

• Fighting Science • Fighter’s Curve
• Fighting Science • Fighting Zones

Martial Arts

Martial Arts • Fighting Science • 1 • Yin ☯ Yang of Technique vs. Power

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In combat sports, it is often stated:

“9 times out of 10, Technique beats Power”

This statement is poignant from a few perspectives. First of all, the conspicuous avoidance of a perfect score. Any good fighter can be knocked out by an average fighter. We’re not perfect beings. Through life, we may strive for perfection, but we also need to be practical.

That leaves us with 90% of the time when technique wins.  That there are few caveats to mention. For instance, a powerful opponent may know a few good techniques. This needs to be a consideration in an altercation. They may not have fighting experience, but we can’t underestimate any opponent and assume they have “no” experience. Misunderestimating an opponent is one of the top reasons why fights are lost. Another aspect that mitigates this statement is when the size of an opponent overshadows in weight and muscle. A 150kg Goliath has a sizeable advantage over a 70kg David, and a winning strategy of the smaller opponent will require a balance of several factors: strengths & weaknesses, speed, vs. agility, and confidence vs. psychology. We will explore these factors and many others, throughout this “Fighting Science” series.

One practicality is that most humans have the same head size and weight.  Most human heads weight around 4.5kg regardless of how heavy they are. Why is this important?  Mainly because knockouts in combat are typically from punching laterally to the chin of the opponent. An accurate hook to the chin can bring down most fighters, regardless of their stature. Through nearly 20 years of watching UFC fights, I would estimate that 80% of all head knockouts are from a hook to the chin. I was unable to find exact statistics online, but if anyone has these details, please leave a comment below.

Martial Arts • Fighting Science Series

If you would like to read more articles in this “Yin Yang of Fighting Science” series, check out these posts:

• 1 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Power
• 2 • Yin Yang of Speed vs. Timing
• 3 • Yin Yang of Fighting Styles
• 4 • Yin Yang of Technique vs. Instinct
• 5 • Yin Yang of Empty vs. Full Cups
• 6 • Yin Yang of Slow vs. Fast
• 7 • Yin Yang of Perception vs. Reality
• 8 • Yin Yang of Fear vs. Confidence
• 9 • Yin Yang of Threes
• 10 • Yin Yang of Burden vs. Privilege
• 11 • Yin Yang of Anticipation vs. Surprise
• 12 • Yin Yang of Compliance vs. Resistance
• 13 • Yin Yang of Attacking vs. Defending
• 14 • Yin Yang of Fighting 360°
• 15 • Yin Yang of Teachers vs. Students
• 16 • Yin Yang of Physics vs. Physiology
• 17 • Yin Yang of Vulnerability vs. Opportunity
• 18 • Yin Yang of Martial Arts vs. Combat
• 19 • Yin Yang of Sport vs. Violence
• 20 • Yin Yang of Rhythm vs. Random
• 21 • Yin Yang of Stability
• 22 • Yin Yang of Strategy vs. Tactics
• 23 • Yin Yang of Instinct vs. Reason
• 24 • Yin Yang of Unstoppable vs. Immovable

• Fighting Science • Fighter’s Curve
• Fighting Science • Fighting Zones

Gabriel Dusil

Time is Relentless • To December 2016

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To help navigate through my personal blog I have provided these hyperlinks to easily connect to my posts. This gives everyone an opportunity to find posts they may have missed. Enjoy!

• Dusil

• Taci

• Mamička

• Gabičko & Googičko

• Services

• Swimming

• Martial Arts

• Judo
Family, Friends, Gabriel Dusil, Swimming

Swimming • Photo Restoration • 63 • Dusil

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Diary • 13th March 1994

• Swimming took a big commitment, both physically and mentally. But I have no regrets; Fourteen hours  a week, ten month swimming season, cold water, lactic acid pain, endless push-ups, three day swim meets, pressure of finals, waiting hours for your next race, boring lengths, heart sinking 20x200m endurance practices, swallowing water, goggles filling with water, chlorine burning your eyes, swimmer’s ear, eye sockets hurting because the goggles are too tight, the thrill of winning, and the agony of losing – It was all worth it. It’s a sport only understood by those who experienced it. With commitment and sacrifice, came patience, discipline, endurance, and grit that is hard to explain to someone that has never done it before.

• Reflecting on those years of competition, I remember how hard we trained. To this day I can say I have never trained harder, and no sport since has matched the shape I was in during those seven years.

• Swimming

If you missed previous swimming posts, then click on these links:

Photo Restoration

85 - Burlington · Stelco News, Gabriel, Roman, Vlasta & Karol Dusil (BYAC, AAA Championship winners, BYAC swimming)
85 – Burlington · Stelco News, Gabriel, Roman, Vlasta & Karol Dusil (BYAC, AAA Championship winners, BYAC swimming)
85 - St. Catharines · Gabriel Dusil (BYAC, Brock University, swimming, fly)
85 – St. Catharines · Gabriel Dusil (BYAC, Brock University, swimming, fly)
82.Jul - Burlington · Roman, Gabriel Dusil & Cezar (flexing, restored)
82.Jul – Burlington · Roman, Gabriel Dusil & Cezar (flexing, restored)
87.Aug - Kamloops · Gabriel & Roman Dusil (snowball finger, restored)
87.Aug – Kamloops · Gabriel & Roman Dusil (snowball finger, restored)

Documentation

85.Feb.19 - Burlington · Post, Striking Gold, Making a Splash (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb.19 – Burlington · Post, Striking Gold, Making a Splash (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb.9 - Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil Leads Aquatic Club in Meets (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb.9 – Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil Leads Aquatic Club in Meets (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb - Burlington · Post, Vlasta Collects Medals (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb – Burlington · Post, Vlasta Collects Medals (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb - Burlington · Post, Dusil Family Dominates Meet (BYAC swimming)
85.Feb – Burlington · Post, Dusil Family Dominates Meet (BYAC swimming)
85.Apr - Burlington · Post, Dusil's Pool Their Efforts (BYAC swimming)
85.Apr – Burlington · Post, Dusil’s Pool Their Efforts (BYAC swimming)
84.Feb - Burlington · Post, Roman Paces BYAC at Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)
84.Feb – Burlington · Post, Roman Paces BYAC at Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)

 

Tags

AAAA Championship, Bruce Law, Burlington Civic Award, Burlington Ontario, Burlington Y Aquatic Club, BYAC, competitive swimming, David Darling, David Murray, dusil.com, eurostartups.tech, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, gabrieldusil.com, Gareth Jones, Grant Reffell, Linda Weston, Meg Midghall, Michelle Prendergast, Morris Vaillancourt, Roman Dusil., Sandra Moore, Steve Babiak, Swimming, Tracey Colson, Vlasta Dusil, Wayne Kot, YMCA

Family, Friends, Gabriel Dusil, Swimming

Swimming • Photo Restoration • 62 • Dusil

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Diary • 13th March 1994

• Friendships developed over the years, between my fellow team mates. Friendships which initially centered around competition. We had similar goals and a competitive spirit. The veterans were Wayne Kot, David Darling, Linda Weston, Tracey Colson, and Grant Reffell. I was young for that crowd, and they were closer in age to my cousin Roman. In my age group was Paul Babiak, Dave Murray and Bruce Law. Gareth Jones left after a few seasons to pursue cross country skiing. I remember him well because he was such a nice guy, and how hard he worked at each practice.

• The duo of Wayne and Dave was a welcome refreshment in the club. At the time they were nearing the end of high school. They were truly hip, and fun to have around. Being two divisions higher in age and maturity meant that I looked up to them as positive infuence. They introduced the Daveski and Waynski nicknames for themselves. That spawned Paulski, Daveski, Romski, and Gabski. Nicknames that still hold today, with my cousin.

• Morris once told us, “Never lose to someone by hundredths of a second. If you’re in a close race then make sure you win.”  At a Western Regional Championship meet at Nepean, Ottawa, Canada I was in the 100m freestyle final. The leader was way ahead of us, but I was fighting for second place with a guy right next to me. As we swam to the finish I spearheaded my hand into the board. When I looked up at the clock I saw that I beat him by 1/100th of a second. That was a defining moment, and was proud of that I could action the words of my coach. I won silver, but  winning that battle was more valuable to me. In swimming it’s said that 1/100th of a second is the length of a finger nail. As much as my middle finger hurt, I made the finish count, when it was necessary.

• Swimming

If you missed previous swimming posts, then click on these links:

Documentation

84.Apr.25 - Burlington · Post, BYAC Dominates Aqua Seven Meet (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr.25 – Burlington · Post, BYAC Dominates Aqua Seven Meet (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr.25 - Burlington · Post, 28 Firsts at Dual Meet in Stratford (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr.25 – Burlington · Post, 28 Firsts at Dual Meet in Stratford (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr - Burlington · Stelco News, Super Swimmers (BYAC swimming)
84.Apr – Burlington · Stelco News, Super Swimmers (BYAC swimming)
83.May.11 - Burlington · Post, Ontario AAA Swimming Championships (BYAC swimming)
83.May.11 – Burlington · Post, Ontario AAA Swimming Championships (BYAC swimming)
83.Jul.22 - Burlington · Post, Swimming Victory Not A New Thing to Canucks (BYAC swimming)
83.Jul.22 – Burlington · Post, Swimming Victory Not A New Thing to Canucks (BYAC swimming)
83.Feb.13 - Burlington · Post, Dusil Takes Four Golds at CASA Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Feb.13 – Burlington · Post, Dusil Takes Four Golds at CASA Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 - Burlington · Post, Dusil & Refell Go For Gold and Boys Team Takes Silver (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 – Burlington · Post, Dusil & Refell Go For Gold and Boys Team Takes Silver (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 - Burlington · Gazette, Dusil's Lead Y Club at Nepean Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.22 – Burlington · Gazette, Dusil’s Lead Y Club at Nepean Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.10 - Burlington · Post, Swimmers Impressive (BYAC swimming)
83.Apr.10 – Burlington · Post, Swimmers Impressive (BYAC swimming)

Photo Restoration

83.Apr - Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (swimming medals, BYAC swimming)
83.Apr – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (swimming medals, BYAC swimming)

Tags

AAAA Championship, Bruce Law, Burlington Civic Award, Burlington Ontario, Burlington Y Aquatic Club, BYAC, competitive swimming, Dave Darling, David Darling, David Murray, dusil.com, Eric Coulson, Eric Finstad, eurostartups.tech, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, gabrieldusil.com, Gareth Jones, Grant Reffell, Linda Weston, Mark Hopkins, Meg Midghall, Michelle Prendergast, Morris Vaillancourt, Roman Dusil., Sandra Moore, Sean Simms, Steve Babiak, Steve Belham, Swimming, Tracey Colson, Wayne Kot, YMCA

 

Gabriel Dusil

Swimming • Photo Restoration • 61 • Dusil

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Diary • 13th March 1994

• My first big meet was the Western Regional Championships. I was 12 years old. Leading up to the event I did 200 push-ups every night for six months, to get stronger. I remember building up to 4×50 pushups, which was my limit before the lactic acid was paralyzing and unbearable. Attendance required qualifying times, so only a few swimmers from my club attended. I was swimming the 50 meter, 100m , 200m and 400m freestyle and the 100m butterfly. I made the finals for all of them. This meant a five hour wait till the evening finals. This was my first experience with competitive pressure. Morris prepared me by asking what my splits will be for the 200 freestyle. I looked at him as if, “I should know?” He coached me on the experience of the swimmers I’d be competing against. Their years of swimming exceeding my short one year career. He told me I couldn’t eat any hard foods before the finals, despite how hungry I was. I was only allowed to have a bowl of soup, or juice. In the end I won gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and bronze in the other three. That earned me the nickname “Champ” from Morris. This carried along for at least two seasons. I was growing and improving quickly.

• Swimming also introduced me to my first girlfriend. I was thirteen when I started dating Sandra Moore. My mom allowed me to go to her house after practice, once a week. We’d watch Barney Miller with her mom. Sandra was my first childhood love. We’re still in contact and remain friends till this day.

• By the time I was fifteen my passion in the sport began to wane. The psychological commitment was too overwhelming, and I made a conscious decision that I wouldn’t submit myself to such a strict regime. Our seven day per week swimming schedule was my limit, compared to the 14 practices a week typical of division A clubs. High school, girls, and karate became more important. My lack of effort eventually demoted me to “ex-Champ”, and that stuck until the end of my swimming career.

• Swimming

If you missed previous swimming posts, then click on these links:

Photo Restoration

81.Sep.18 - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, lap, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Sep.18 – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, lap, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Sep.18 - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Sep.18 – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (birthday, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Burlington Road Race, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Burlington Road Race, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Jun - Burlington - Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Graduation, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Jun – Burlington – Sandra Moore & Gabriel Dusil (Graduation, BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.3 - Burlington · Post, Mark Hopkins, Steve Belham, Gabriel, Bruce Law, Linda Weston, Darling, Jones, Reffell, Roman, Cot, Moore, Midghall, Prendergast, Vlasta Dusil (BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.3 – Burlington · Post, Mark Hopkins, Steve Belham, Gabriel, Bruce Law, Linda Weston, Darling, Jones, Reffell, Roman, Kot, Moore, Midghall, Prendergast, Vlasta Dusil (BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.16 - Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil, Michelle Prendergast, Meg Midghall, Sandra Moore, Gareth Jones, Gabriel Dusil, Steve Belham, Bruce Law (BYAC swimming, restored)
82.Apr.16 – Burlington · Post, Vlasta Dusil, Michelle Prendergast, Meg Midghall, Sandra Moore, Gareth Jones, Gabriel Dusil, Steve Belham, Bruce Law (BYAC swimming, restored)

Documents

82.Oct.24 - Burlington · Post, Dusil Tops for BYAC at Guelph Swimm Meet (BYAC swimming)
82.Oct.24 – Burlington · Post, Dusil Tops for BYAC at Guelph Swimm Meet (BYAC swimming)
82.Feb.20 - Burlington · Post, Reffell & Dusil Gold Medallists (BYAC swimming)
82.Feb.20 – Burlington · Post, Reffell & Dusil Gold Medallists (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.27 - Burlington · Gazette, BYAC Fifth Overall at AAA Event (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.27 – Burlington · Gazette, BYAC Fifth Overall at AAA Event (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.16 - Burlington · Post, Making a Big Splash (BYAC swimming)
82.Apr.16 – Burlington · Post, Making a Big Splash (BYAC swimming)

Tags

AAAA Championship, Bruce Law, Burlington Civic Award, Burlington Ontario, Burlington Y Aquatic Club, BYAC, competitive swimming, Dave Darling, David Darling, David Murray, dusil.com, Eric Coulson, Eric Finstad, eurostartups.tech, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, gabrieldusil.com, Gareth Jones, Grant Reffell, Linda Weston, Mark Hopkins, Meg Midghall, Michelle Prendergast, Morris Vaillancourt, Roman Dusil., Sandra Moore, Sean Simms, Steve Babiak, Steve Belham, Swimming, Tracey Colson, Wayne Kot, YMCA

Family, Friends, Gabriel Dusil, Swimming

Swimming • Photo Restoration • 60 • Dusil

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Diary • 13th March 1994

• My swimming career began at eleven, introduced to me by my Mom. Taci wasn’t interested in the sport so he didn’t pay much attention to my development. His hopes were in judo and soccer, but that didn’t work out so well. At the time, this was more obvious to Taci than myself. Regardless, my Mom encouraged me. She drove me to practice and attended swim meets. That support isn’t so evident until you look back at the effort required from parents. I still remember my first swim practice. I walked in with Sean Simms, Eric Finstad, and Gareth Jones. They asked me how well I can swim. Unaware of what lay ahead of me, I said that I was a good swimmer. But my first mistake was showing up with no goggles. Within five minutes my eyes were burning from the chlorine, and I was shuffled down to the last lane, with the novices. It was a reality check, and a bump to my ego, but I stuck with it and eventually learned the concept of lanes, direction, and swimming etiquette. I moved to the senior lanes after half a year. Roman joined a few months after me. He was a born breaststroker, thanks to his father, and didn’t have to start from the ground-up, like me. As the months followed, Vlasta, Soňa, and Alica gave it a try as well. Only Vlasta made a teen-career out of the sport.

• Moving to the senior team didn’t just mean moving up the lanes. It meant meeting Morris Vallencourt, the head coach. He was not much of a family man, as the parents would say, but as a coach he was awesome. He taught us discipline, organisation, leadership, passion, concentration, patience, work ethic, dealing with pain, winning and learning from our losses. His resume consisted of coaching the famous Hamilton swim team and several swimmers to national class. He was a mentor in my eyes. On the flip side, many parents had a strong disliking to him. The truth is Morris was not interested in satisfying parental agendas. He only cared about the swimmers. Besides, the political conflicts between the parents and Morris were uninteresting to me. When parents wanted their kids to swim backstroke Morris insisted on freestyle. When a swimmer complained of menstrual cramps Morris said, “Swim it off”. When a swimmer had a bleeding nose, Morris said, “Swim it off”. From my vantage point politics consisted of Morris’s salary and parental meddling into what they felt was best for their kid. Most of the swim team was behind Morris. Looking back, he was truly an wicked coach.

• Swimming

If you missed previous swimming posts, then click on these links:

Photo Restoration

81.Apr.1 - Kitchener - Morris Vaillancourt (BYAC coach, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Apr.1 – Kitchener – Morris Vaillancourt (BYAC coach, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Apr.4 - Burlington · Post, Bruce Law, Steve Babiak, David Murray, Gareth Jones, Eric Coulson, Gabriel & Roman Dusil, Grant Reffell (BYAC, AAAA Championship winners, restored)
81.Apr.4 – Burlington · Post, Bruce Law, Steve Babiak, David Murray, Gareth Jones, Eric Coulson, Gabriel & Roman Dusil, Grant Reffell (BYAC, AAAA Championship winners, restored)
81.Sep - Burlington · Paul Babiak, Gareth Jones, Gabriel Dusil, Grant Reffell, Eric Coulson, David Murray, Bruce Law, Roman Dusil (BYAC swimming, Civic Award, restored)
81.Sep – Burlington · Paul Babiak, Gareth Jones, Gabriel Dusil, Grant Reffell, Eric Coulson, David Murray, Bruce Law, Roman Dusil (BYAC swimming, Civic Award, restored)
81.Jan - Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (swimming medals, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Jan – Burlington · Gabriel Dusil (swimming medals, BYAC swimming, restored)
81.Apr.4 - Burlington · Post, Y Aquatic Swimmers Mine Gold in Guelph (BYAC swimming)
81.Apr.4 – Burlington · Post, Y Aquatic Swimmers Mine Gold in Guelph (BYAC swimming)
81.Mar.8 - Burlington · Post, Dusil's Lead BYAC (BYAC swimming)
81.Mar.8 – Burlington · Post, Dusil’s Lead BYAC (BYAC swimming)
81.Mar.8 - Burlington · Post, Dusil Brothers Collect 7 Gold (BYAC swimming)
81.Mar.8 – Burlington · Post, Dusil Brothers Collect 7 Gold (BYAC swimming)
81.Jan.10 - Burlington · Post, Dusil and Reffell Win Twice (BYAC swimming)
81.Jan.10 – Burlington · Post, Dusil and Reffell Win Twice (BYAC swimming)
81.Apr.11 - Burlington · Post, Dusil Stars as Y Boys Defeat Welland (BYAC swimming)
81.Apr.11 – Burlington · Post, Dusil Stars as Y Boys Defeat Welland (BYAC swimming)
81.Apr.11 - Burlington · Post, Dusil Paces BYAC at Y Seven Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)
81.Apr.11 – Burlington · Post, Dusil Paces BYAC at Y Seven Swim Meet (BYAC swimming)

Tags

AAAA Championship, Bruce Law, Burlington Civic Award, Burlington Ontario, Burlington Y Aquatic Club, BYAC, competitive swimming, David Darling, David Murray, dusil.com, Eric Coulson, Eric Finstad, eurostartups.tech, Eva Dusil, Gabriel Dusil, gabrieldusil.com, Gareth Jones, Grant Reffell, Linda Weston, Morris Vaillancourt, Roman Dusil., Sean Simms, Steve Babiak, Swimming, Tracey Colson, Vaclav Dusil, Vašek Dusil, Wayne Kot, YMCA