When the original TACFIT program was published in late 2008 i didn't pay much attention to it. I was having the time of my life training kettlebell sport (aka Girevoy Sport) and making a lot of improvement through the 4x7 periodization model.
Actually i wasn't really into kb sport per se. If you know me, i am not a fan of air-conditioned commercial or public gyms which are infested with either bodybuilding types or toning types. Therefore since a long time ago, my mainstay is training outdoor or at home, using bodyweight or portable equipment.
What i was looking for, and am now still looking for (or i would love to say have found, in TACFIT, but that still has to be proven until i finish the whole program), was a sustainable, fast, efficient, effective training program(s) and tool(s) that can be done anytime anywhere. Giving you elite fitness (attributes of strength, strength endurance, cardio respiratory endurance) and skills (complex movement in 6 degrees of freedom (dof)) in minimal time and maximal results.
Classic kb lifting (aka kb sport) was (and still is) marketed as the best (if not one of the best) tools to achieve the said goals. And therefore i jumped into the deep end of the pool to be one of the first kb instructors in Singapore (2006). Indeed it is fast, efficient and effective in giving you the results of the said goals.
I wasn't really into the sport of kb lifting per se, but it was one of the only tool that i knew at that time that fits my requirements. Other systems which included olympic lifts and/or power lifts do not interest me because of the specialized equipment required. I had nothing to lose by picking it up anyway, so i immersed myself in reps after reps under the bells, doing the competition lifts and their variations in the hundreds. It felt great. And i have the Low Intensity Days to practice my bodyweight agility and coordination which keeps my bodyweight movements polished.
I thought i had the perfect training system. Anyway i am training my whole body every workout. And it has been touted to have great carry over to other activities. So i thought.
The programs i learned at CST (Clubbell swinging, Flowfit, Forward Pressure etc) were kept in the closet.
Until i picked up Krav Maga. I haven't punched in years since my Taekwondo days. While i was proficient in kicking and supporting my bodyweight on my hands from capoeira and Prasara, i was not used to explosive movements involving the arms (remember kb sport is about as much legs and as little arms as possible). Doing just a little boxing drills made my arms very sore for days. Taking impact on my upper limbs doing the 360 defense made my arms sore for days.
Wake up call! What the heck is going on? I could jerk and long cycle two 24kg bells for ten minutes, jerk one such bell for 30 minutes or more, and my upper limbs can't even take the abuse of combative classes? I achieved Rank I of World Kettlebell Club rankings in the long cycle unofficially in my training and i can't even take hits to my body?
It's time to rethink my training program. Alright, so locking out the bells reps after reps overhead does little for my functional fitness, functional defined as suited for my activities. Am i in control of my training, or is my training controlling me? What do i really want? A sport? I need a more rounded fitness system, one that not only moves my body in the 6dof, but also to move external objects in these directions, including explosive movements.
Just a few weeks after this realization, Coach Scott Sonnon released TACFIT Commando (TFC). Time to empty my cup and let the Flow Coach fill it. Since i already am a fan of bodyweight exercise, i bought it the moment it was out. It is the best bodyweight training program i ever learned. Though i have a bigger vocabulary from capoeira, but with regards to learning how to put it together into a training program, TFC does a much better job.
Yet i was still reluctant to buy the original TACFIT program, cost being the biggest factor, and the other is the equipment required.
And then my client Chad from Vietnam wanted to have a TACFIT cert held there, and since Sascha my Krav Maga instructor has already wanted me to conduct physical training (PT) for the KM class in the future, i jumped out of the swimming pool of TFC into the ocean of the original TACFIT.
Having been introduced to various protocols used in TACFIT from various sources, Tabata from TFC and TF Rope, "every minute on the minute" and "as many rounds as possible" from Flowfit and "for time" from Trial By Fire, i was already excited about doing it even before i reviewed all the 26 workouts.
I have just finished Bravo and it is too early to say how this program would transform my fitness abilities but i have big expectations. Not only does it include kettlebell movements, which i have drilled into my nervous system for the past few years, but at the highest levels, the kettlebell required is 32kg. Some programs require the use of 1 or 2 Clubbells and the highest levels call for 35lbs or 45lbs.
At time of writing this article, i believe i have in my hands the ultimate fitness (sub)system ever created. Not only does it have bodyweight training (which is my favourite anyway), kb lifting (my love affair for the past couple of years) and Clubbell swinging (pretty much uncharted territory other than the Trial By Fire), but it has all of them or a combination of a few of them at every program. No two consecutive program is the same. To be able to complete the highest levels for every program is a big achievement with a capital "B". It will take a few years to progress to Alpha for every program.
Alright that's all i want to say for now. Meanwhile i am going to enjoy my journey through the 26 programs and post my review regularly on Rmax forums.
Oh before i forget, TACFIT certification course is going to be held in Singapore on 7-8 Dec, 20010. Right after the CST Instructor Cert and Flowfighting. Please book a spot for yourself asap if you want to be part of this revolution.
And i would like to invite you to join me in my trainings as i go through the programs to prepare for the cert.
Drop me an email at hermanchauw@gmail.com.
And i recommend you to pick up the TACFIT program or TACFIT Commando. You won't regret buying them.
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