Exclusive Interview with Scott Sonnon, inventor of the Clubbell. He is America's leading proponent of Russian Martial Arts, an international champion and physical culture expert. He was kind enough to take the time to fill us in on his training ideologies and the history and evolution of Clubbells. Be sure to check out his website for further information, www.rmax.tv.
	Coach Sonnon wielding a pair of his recently released 15lb Clubbells

Scott, what was your first experience with Clubbells? When did you
realize their potential as a training tool?

Firstly, when we get together for your first session, I would like to
help you create a sport-specific (tennis) program using Clubbells. This
is the emphasis of clubbell training - Specific Physical Preparedness
(SPP) rather than the GPP now becoming the vogue (and well it should.)

The model of training towards which I have naturally gravitated can be
understood as a pyramid (which I call the Training Hierarchy Pyramid)
with GPP on the bottom, SPP next upwards, Physical Skills (PS) next,
with Mental and Emotional Skills (MES) on the top. GPP holds priority
as the BASE of all solid programming because without this level of
readiness the mind and body cannot effectively absorb specificity. My
theory is much like Maslow's Pyramid: meaning one cannot effectively
address higher levels of training without the lower level's fulfillment.
One can practice MES, but without GPP, it's a house on quicksand.
Furthermore, without fulfilling the SPP level, PS and MES lay on a shaky
foundation and have limited potential.

I see in new clients continually from various pro and amateur sports I
call over-practice. Over-practice is the notion of combining skill
acquisition and physical conditioning. People try to get a workout by
practicing the skills of their respective sports as if the skill
practice developed GENERAL attributes. Remember, everything you do
competes for development and growth. There are many good coaches in the
GPP methodology, but basically you can go Dino (simple, compound,
abbreviated, heavy, and intense) for strength and go HIIT for endurance.

After GPP on the bottom of the pyramid comes SPP. Sport-specific
exercises to develop attributes as further refined platform for skills.
The Soviets were genius at this and developed an array of exercises and
apparati to augment attributes within the contexts of the specific
sport.

The development of clubbells was a just a result of my intention of
utilizing exercises and methods of SPP for combat sports, in particular
grappling. As a Distinguished Master of Sport (international champ) and
US Coach of SAMBO, I intended on intensifying grooved-in development of
my clients in the shortest time possible. But I always experiment on
myself first, so…

I began with conventional equipment such as barbells and dumbbells in
odd exercises most closely approximating the range, scope and depth of
motion for the activities of fighting. When I determined that these
apparati were too bulky and awkward, not suited to dynamic motion, I
moved on to kettlebells having first been exposed to this manner of
training in Russia and then later from my friend Pavel Tsatsouline,
Master of Sport in Kettlebell Lifting.

I began to make modifications to equipment, understanding I did so at my
own risk and did not ask any of my clients to follow suit. I
cut-and-pasted, grafting whatever I could until my Frankenstein
inventions were more readily crafted from junkyard reconnoitering. Old
church curtain weights equipped with karabiners to load plates, to lead
shot filled aluminum baseball bats, to sledgehammer heads on steel
poles, to axes (don't try that at home or anywhere else, please. I
still shudder at some of the property damage that could have been
flesh.)

Slowly, the design evolved. I had two intentions that needed to be
fulfilled. These intentions molded the design rather than some
prefabricated mental blueprint.

Firstly, I intended to maximize the physical ability to resist, stop and
overcome the application of submission holds in fighting. I intended to
create equipment that would allow me to build combat specific strength
under what I named the Yield-Halt-Overcome™ protocol. In other words,
ballistic motion needed to be slowed (eccentrically), stopped
(isometrically), and reversed (concentrically) when the arm was taken
out of the normal functional range. The equipment needed to be able to
address this Yield-Halt-Overcome™ protocol in dynamic ranges of motion.

So, I began to utilize my devices in ranges of motion most closely
approximating the range, scope and depth of various submission holds. I
would add inertia to the pendulum, slow the device as rapidly as
possible, stop it "on a dime" and instantly reverse the motion or send
it to an angle that countered the submission attempt.

The equipment needed to function even at extreme ranges of motion where
submission holds are typically final. I gained in sight from the sport
science of the former Soviet Union in their concept of "dynamic
flexibility." Their Olympic Coaches would have their athletes train
slightly outside the range, scope and depth of the ranges of motion
"expected" to be found in their sport. They did so because WHEN the
movements of the athletes deviated from the expected ranges of motion,
they would effectively possess a "safety valve" to prevent injury.

The intent of submission holds in fighting is to bring a joint to
extreme range of motion until either the athlete receives so much pain
that he concedes the win to the opponent, or his joint breaks and he
loses the match. The notion of dynamic flexibility exhibiting both the
characteristics of strength and flexibility enhancing properties became
an invaluable standard influencing the design evolution of what would
become the Clubbell.

Simultaneous to the intention of thwarting submission hold attempts
through superior physical conditioning, I held another agenda. I
intended to cultivate EXPLOSIVE throws in SAMBO, which in addition to
being the 2nd style of international submission fighting, was also the
3rd style of international wrestling and 2nd style of international
jacket grappling.

Throwing or taking an opponent to the ground requires a special
combination of three characteristics:

1. kinesthetic sensitivity to balance and tension,
2. specialized skills and tactics,
3. and most importantly - physical attributes.

I say that physical attributes are most important, because at elite
levels, superior GPP conditioning becomes the measuring stick of
success. Furthermore, SPP is the EDGE over the competition. SPP is the
gap between GPP and Physical, Mental and Emotional Skills: a gap that’s
too large in most sports training.

I intended to research and develop equipment that could most closely
approximate the range, scope and depth of motion in throws. Most throws
occur at extreme ranges of motion; the strength required must explode
over a fulcrum, like one's shoulder or hip, and happens at the earliest
portion in the range of motion, such as depicted in a "shoulder throw"
or a "hip toss." For instance, in the shoulder throw the power
generation requires forward explosion from one arm in the position of
hand behind one's head and elbow pointed skyward. The other arm begins
across one's body fully extended gripping the opponent's sleeve, and
must explosively rip the jacket around in front circularly.

More importantly, not only did I require explosion from "fit-in"
positions, I needed the strength to continue to ACCELERATE throughout
the movements of each throwing technique.

I concocted various devices such as ropes on pulleys with nets
containing various amounts of stones, rubber strands attached to
dumbbells, and medicine balls attached to ropes and belts. These
devices slighted improved performance that my client athletes
specifically required, so I continued with the R&D in this direction.

Honestly, I had no idea that these two intentions, to firstly thwart
submission holds through superior physical conditioning and to secondly
create explosive, speed strength for grappling throw and takedown
techniques, would evolve into a singular piece of equipment - the
Clubbell.

Experience with fighters from other cultures and training with Olympic
and National Team coaches from different countries allowed me to
discover a rarely known aspect of old-time strongman physical culture:
club swinging exercise. This method forged a long history of success in
physical conditioning for combat specific strength, speed, endurance,
agility, coordination and flexibility. My research and experiences with
club swinging exercises evolved the final genesis of clubbells.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that clubbells resulted from the
singular intent of gaining superior physical advantage over opponents in
hand to hand combat. I believe that clubbells and what I have named the
standard of Circular Strength Training™ IDEALLY suit performance
enhancement in combat sports and all forms of human fighting. I believe
so simply because I journeyed through this evolution arriving at the
final, functional design, rather than thinking of a hypothesis, creating
some invention and hoping to "test" its merit.

While you were in Russia, did their fighters train with Clubbells?
What other types of training did they do?

Firstly, clubbells I designed, and we don’t ship overseas because of the
shipping cost making it too unreasonable. If you’re asking did Russian
fighters train with club swinging exercises, then definitely yes. I’ve
seen so many different contraptions, that I forget more than I remember:
light-weight kettlebells held by one horn, adjustable dumbbells with
weight on one end and collared on both sides of the plates,
sledgehammers of every size, and of course the Russian club itself, the
“Bulava.” The Bulava in Russia is an Olympic activity: a lightweight
club for women’s gymnastics routines.

Regarding other types of training, the answer depends totally on the
group, gym or team. Some were Dinosaurs, some were HIIT-men, some
concentrated upon technical wizardry, and some upon esoterics (the
mental and emotional), but most seemed to have a balance of some sort or
another.

Playing “kettlebell circle catch” with several people walking around in
a circle was one of the most frightening games I’ve played. It’s one
thing to lift a KB, another to throw it, and QUITE another altogether to
try and calculate and lead someone walking in a circle and THEN throw it
to them.

An interesting device that I’ve tried regarding rubber strands over
non-rotating pulleys, ultimately attached to weights. Fighters attach
the ends to arms, legs and torso and would be required to approximate
certain fighting techniques, such as throws, strikes and kicks. Really
horrible and really effective SPP.

While you were in Russia, training with the Spetsnaz, did you have any
amazing experiences that you could share with us?

I’m a strong guy, Tyler, functionally. I don’t think I could
bench-press my way out of a wet-paper deathtrap, sometimes, but
functionally once I grab a hold of someone, they’re lucky to be set free
of their own volition. But one of my trips I met a smaller fighter,
maybe 5’6” and 140LBS, named Andrei. Andrei was then an active operator
for Condor, a very active team who frequently go into hi-intensity
contact engagements. We were talking about training methods in America.
He asked me directly, what fighters thought of grip strength. Before
waiting for an answer, he stood and hooked his hands around the top of a
beam on the ceiling and pulled his body horizontal and began to do what
I can only call horizontal pull-ups, his entire body parallel with the
floor. I rubbed my eyes, checked my vodka for PCP and checked again.
Andrei lowered his body but with feet not touching and performed an even
more amazing feat. He walked hand over hand, pinch gripping the beam
about 3 feet total before letting go. And you know by pinch grip I mean
fingers pressing flat against thumb pressing flat; no hooking? Ever
feel like you were in Oz? I knew then that I had to begin to focus on
SPP and functional strength more than ever.

What do you think of the methods traditionally used in America to train
fighters? How does it compare to the Russian programs?

Well, in general, American fighters still body-build. They think that
larger equates with stronger, and moreover that the “beach muscles”
provide the strength they need for fighting; we’re still quite arrogant
and egocentric. How many American fighters can you think of that have
a magazine cover physique but gas rapidly and have little strength
transfer once the fight begins?

Furthermore, the Soviet training models are still light years ahead of
general American understanding; in particular upon cycling or
Periodization. The effect of the 1990’s “cross-training” evolution has
been the creation of a weekly balanced S&C program: where fighters in
any given week train in strength, endurance, cardio, flexibility,
agility, coordination, and fighting skills. Most Americans seem to just
want to do everything and right away.

The most disabling virtue of traditional American methods regards the
inflexibility to experiment with alternative methods. The typical
American response to failure is working harder. Working hard, simply
stated, has worked for us in America. But in combat sports it doesn’t
always work, it seldom works effectively, and it rarely works
efficiently.

Finally, combat sports still hold the stigma of barbarism in our
country, and as a result, they remain inaccessible to sport science in
general. Suburban soccer Mom support groups tend not espouse combat sports, and as a result grassroots competition cannot cultivate our country's youth.

But that’s all really changing at the elite levels of competition, and
certain American coaches in my opinion have actually transcended the
Soviet fighters, such as Steve Maxwell and Matt Thorton.

When you first starting training your clients, where do you usually
start out?

Each of my private clients must undergo an assessment interview and
examination in order to:

1. Determine their entry GPP level. A basic physical examination
something like the Soviet GTO helps both me and the client understand
his or her current conditioning level.
2. Determine their entry SPP methods. This typically is not a
factor since most client’s have never done any SPP methods.
3. Determine their entry Physical Skill level in their sport’s
respective skills. Specificity determines all program design.
4. Determine their entry level Mental and Emotional Threshold.
One’s threshold of performance equals their threshold of mental
toughness and emotional control. Assessing where a client begins helps
me understand his or her current potential ceiling of potential, and
where the bar can be raised.
5. Determine their goals, expectations and commitment to
accomplishing those goals. It’s important here to state that some
people are more willing to work more intensely than others.
Understanding a client’s commitment helps me create a program that
neither bores them (under-motivates) nor overwhelms them
(over-motivates). Furthermore, some people are willing to invest more of
their hard earned money than others. Understanding how much a person is
willing to invest determines frequency of personalized training
sessions, equipment, gear, and facilities. Finally, understanding how
much time a client allots for achieving their goals determines the
nature of the program design.

As you can see it’s all relative. However, one thing is common and that
is the Training Hierarchy Pyramid: GPP firstly, SPP secondly, PS
thirdly and MES finally.

Thank you very much Coach Sonnon. I look forward to our meeting next month. Readers, stay tuned for next month's article on Clubbell training.