MMA striking syllabus

I have gone back through my MMA blog and broken all the learning down into sections. I trained MMA for 18 months, 2 sessions per week. This is not chronological, simply listing. Hopefully there are no duplications.

Here is the striking section:

STRIKING:

Prone heavy bag striking working from all the grounded positions possible.

Kicking: We moved into kicking only and straight away the range becomes greater for obvious reasons. I tried to work the concept from last week of using the round kick to put the body in what the opponent should perceive a s a weak position then launch attacks from there.

Landed round kick:
• Outward strike (turn the lead foot to begin the motion, follow with the hips and then the arm)
• Back elbow (shift weight from the rear to front foot as you thrust the elbow strike to the face)
• Back kick (lean the head away, pick the knee up right up to the collar bone and extend out with the strike)
• Spinning back strike

Faking the low kick (use the eyes to look down too) as you throw the rear hand to the head.

Long range striking: Round kicks to the thigh, checking round kicks; if they continue to check then attack the rear standing leg; Use footwork to evade out of range as well as to step into the kick. Both mean you don't get hit where the kick is at it's most effective and powerful;

Attacking with the rear hand when the kick comes in.

Round kick then front kick drill. Only allowed to defend with footwork. Round kicks attacking the upper legs and front kicks at the torso.

Movement away using feet no hands: The point is Lee is showing us why moving back in straight lines is rubbish for so many reasons. When you are not allowed to defend with your hands the feet certainly work much, much harder.

Head movement = flat feet so go for the level change: At this point Lee made reference to the fact that if an opponent is moving lots, his head is still on his shoulders and if the head is bobbing and weaving continually then the feet will generally be more planted.

Low hands v walking down striker: to circle away from someone walking you down with quite wild punches and your hands are down.

Ridge hand to thigh

Double punch

Single leg shot spinning elbow or high reverse elbow

Mirror striking shadow boxing with specifics inserted: body shots, head shots, knees and elbows, sprawls, push ups, double knee whilst maintaining.

Footwork round kick drill: shin pads on and round kicking delight to our partners legs. No checking, blocking just evasive footwork combined with eyes up and tidy attack position hands.

Hitting the rear side and countering with 1-2: This drill lasted for several rounds. Attacker had to attack the rear side of the opponent and the defenders job was to counter attack with a 1 – 2.

Footwork for evasion no head movement: One partner attacks with anything and the defender needs to simply evade by using footwork and keeping a disciplined guard. Head movement was also prohibited.

3 for 3, 2 for 2, 1 for 1: As it says on the tin. Each throws said amount of strikes and the idea is to limit the time between defending and attacking.

Try to throw first attack as they finish their final attack. The last drill (1 for 1) was essentially fighting in the proverbial phone booth

Bag striking whilst being grappled Tenacity drill In the fog of war.

1-2-1-2-6 (6 is right body hook)

1-2-low lead round kick-2

1-2-lead uppercut-2

1-spinning back fist-4-neck clinch to knee

Jab – jab – uppercut

Jab – jab – uppercut – rear knee

Jab – jab – uppercut – rear knee – front elbow and out

Jab - Jab - Rear cross – knee

Jab - jab- rear hook - round kick

Jab - jab - rear hook - spinning Backfist

Jab - jab - rear hook - round kick - spinning backfist

Head movement from partner feeding straight punches. Simply getting used to integrate the torso.

Head on belly from striking: A challenge of getting your face on their belly in boxing sparring. When done they need to sprawl as a punishment.

Hybbrid joint mobility program

This program is an amalgam of all I have learnt so far in terms of joint mobility and wellness over the past 20 years.

As this program is about developing, extending and maintaining mobility wellness, start slowly and relax through it. Use the weight of the limbs and the body. Your body will also tell you how and when to breathe.

You can use this in isolation to waken the body for the day or as part of a warm up.

Any questions just ask.

Neck: circles l2r, r2l x10, chin to sky then chest x10, side to side x10

Shoulders: figure 8’s, l2r, r2l, u2d, d2u, b2f, f2b x5, single and double Mexican waves x10, scapular claps x10, arms screws x10, discuss swings x20, single and double shrug circles.

Elbows: figure 8’s, l2r, r2l, u2d, d2u, b2f, f2b x5

Wrists: figure 8’s, l2r, r2l x10

Fingers: individual waves thumb to pinky and back x5

Torso: figure 8’s, l2r, r2l, b2f, f2b x5, giants x10, opposite calf taps x10, pull the rope x20, side bends x10

Hips: figure 8’s, l2r, r2l x10, snake creeps down x10, Wudang squat bends x20, leg circles f/s/b x5, can can swings f/s x 5

Knees: single leg figure 8’s, l2r, r2l x5, double circles, pressing circles, butterfly circles x5

Ankles: single leg circles x5, rocking heel to toe x10

4 corner balance drill: 30 seconds each hold

Being in the moment

Found this article on attckproof.com. I like some of his ideas so thought I would share

SOLO PRACTICE, PART II

By Lt Col Al Ridenhour

"by training you will be able to freely control your own body, conquer men with your body, and with sufficient training you will be able to beat ten men with your spirit."
--Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

Recently I was having a conversation about training with a number of students and one of the more consistent themes that I found regarding their questions was "what do I do when time prohibits me from training on my own like we do in class?"

This is totally understandable after all for the most part between family and work our lives are very busy, heck for most people it's a stretch just to be able to find the free time to attend a regular class let alone set aside time to train on your own. I realize that I have also been remiss in not pointing out that there are things that you can do everyday that in some cases enhance you ability in ways beyond the normal exercise regime that we prescribe. In this newsletter I will pick up on where I left off with the newsletter on "Solo Practice" and I will offer some advice on some alternative training methods you can do during your normal day to day routine.

What I am presenting here are but a few concepts and helpful hints of things that I along with others have done over the years through our training with Grand Master Perkins to enhance our development in the principles of the art. Bare in mind that what I present here are but a handful of training tips that you can do and are only meant to act as a reference point from which to build on in your martial development. Some of these are so simple and practical that you may be hesitant to do them however this does not in any way diminish their importance or effectiveness.

"We must sharpen our minds as well as our skills if our swords are to prevail in battle"
--Attila King of the Huns, "The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun"

Some of these training tips have a "Zen" like quality to them however as with proper physical development without the proper mind set or mental development you are just wasting your time.

Be in the Moment: being in the moment means just that, "being in the moment." In all that you do you want to become one with whatever you are doing. Researchers working with high level athletes have discovered that regardless of sport there is a common term used which is referred to as being "in the zone." Many of us throughout our lives have experienced this though we may not have fully been aware of the phenomenon we experienced. When in the zone it seems as if time stands still and that all you seem to be aware of is the physical or the sensation of the movement that one is engaging in. However this goes much further; for those of us who have experience being in the zone it is not uncommon to experience the following:

•· A feeling as if time is slowing down or stands still.

•· The perception as if you are viewing the activity you are engaged in from the third person or as if outside your own body.

•· A feeling as if your entire body is as light as a feather as if gliding through the air when moving, almost a sense of weightlessness.

It is also not uncommon when in the zone to have little recall of all of the actions you have undertaken when engaged in the activity. It's sort of like when driving on the highway and you begin to think about something and go into a trancelike hypnotic state. All of a sudden something snaps your attention back to the road and you realize that you were driving for a considerable time totally unaware of your actions.

When training you want to learn to tap into this ability because in truth, when under duress, this is the way your mind operates when a real fight goes down. This is one of many reasons why memorized forms, katas, fight by the numbers systems and unnatural movement techniques don't work in real fights. When the feces hits the oscillating device your brain generally goes on auto pilot and your body just reacts, which is why we place so much emphasis on contact flow exercise along with developing the principles so they become a part of you and you don't have to think about them, they just happen.

A way to practice this is to focus and pay attention to one simple task at a time when performing it. For example, when changing a tire, focus on all its aspects: the lifting of the jack, the turning of the lug nuts and the position of your body in relation to the activity. When washing dishes relax and focus on washing the plates, scrubbing the pots and just be in the moment without much thought. If an errant thought enters your mind, say "oh well" and go back to what you were doing. The more you do this the easier it gets and the more focused you can be when you need it.

Breath in Breath Out: learn to relax in all that you do, when sitting, when moving, when walking etc... and breath deep in the belly, expanding the diaphragm to allow for more air into your lungs and exhale at a slower rate than when inhaling. By learning to relax your breathing it allows you to relax your muscles and remain loose in all of your movements, which brings me to my next point...

Move as Little as You Need: when performing a task, for the sake of developing your body unity and the ability to remain loose throughout your motions (even at high speeds), learn to utilize only those muscles that are required to perform a given motion no matter how trivial in order to function with maximum efficiency. For example, when pushing a chair in try to line your body up so that your entire body is unitized. This will allow your body to work more efficiently without your antagonistic muscles putting the breaks on your movement. Initially you will notice that your body is not properly aligned to perform many tasks and has a lot of superfluous motion. In doing this exercise you will begin to learn how to move as little as you need in all that you do. This skill is critical to your ability to cut off angles of attack through economy of movement.

"In all forms of strategy, it is necessary to maintain the combat stance in everyday life and to make your everyday stance your combat stance...whether you move fast or slow, with large or small steps, your feet must always move as in normal walking...."
--Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

Move with Grace, Move with Power: in all of your movements you want to try to be as graceful as possible. With practice, your body will begin to feel as if you are moving through well. Also when moving or sitting or whatever, learn to feel everything through your sensitivity while remaining relaxed. Throughout the motion, feel the wind on your body, on your face etc... This in turn will increase your overall level of sensitivity and body unity. Remember that grace equals efficiency and efficiency equals power and speed. You want to move like a panther, graceful and even yet powerful and ready to explode when necessary.

Place Your Feet on the Ground When Walking: when walking instead of just stepping on the ground practice placing your foot on the ground, focusing on being as silent as possible when stepping. This forces you to step with balance and increases your ability to step to a new root point without thought. Do this in all that you do since it requires greater control to place your feet on the ground vs. just stomping your feet or falling into your steps as most people do. With practice you will feel as if your body glides through the air as you walk unitized and balanced.

"We are what we repeatedly do"
--Aristotle

"Roll the Ball" in All that You Do: when ironing your clothes, rather than just using your arms, move the iron with your entire body in a similar fashion as with the "Rolling the Ball," "Dry Land Swimming," and "Starting the Mower" drills. When sweeping, mopping the floor or using a vacuum cleaner, move as if "Rolling the Ball:" swaying back and forth, transferring your weight from one root point to the other, pushing and pulling the object with your body rather than just your arms. When opening the door, try to get your whole body involved in the motion focusing on the body unity aspect of the motion.

Rooted Stair Climbing: when walking up and down a flight of steps lift your legs as if you are performing the ninja walk and focus on stepping as naturally and as silent as possible. This will build you a root like an oak tree and when you get really good at this, try it while carrying packages or bags.

Rooted One Legged Balance: when standing around or standing in line such as at the super market or the bank, practice picking up one foot at a time just enough off the ground to place all of your weight on the opposite foot rooting over the other leg. Also practice this barely touching other objects as well as free standing. When you're really up to it, perform this while riding on an elevator or on the train while lightly holding onto the bar, using it just to counter-balance your body while working your root.

Ghosting Through the Door: if you want to really spook people try this: in order to practice my stepping off line and moving as little as needed, sometimes I will step through a door after I open it "just enough" for my body to fit through it on an angle. As you get better at this you will be able to follow people and step through the slight opening after they have already entered a door. This works particularly well with doors that have closing mechanical arms. As the arm closes the door, time it so that you are able to "slip" in just before the door closes. As you step in you will notice that as long as you step through on an angle [i.e., stepping off line] you will be able to do it. People get spooked by this because they only notice it after you have stepped in behind them, so be careful. Also learn to move in this fashion when moving through a crowd and remain mindful of your sphere of influence throughout, mentally imagining controlling your sphere as you move

Universal principles for stepping up to the edge

...as adapted and adopted from the work of Baron Baptiste.

Note; stepping up to the edge refers to moments of difficulty in our lives. These principles can help the mind like a map for those lost on the road. Guidance. These don’t resonate with everyone and not all with me yet. Perhaps in time when I am ready.

Principle 1: We are either now here or nowhere: All life happens in the present moment, right here, right now, in front of us. Any moment that has happened in the past is a memory, and any moment that will happen in the future is a fantasy. Both can be very nice but they lead us nowhere except into the past which no longer exists, or the future which does not yet exist.

For me this is apparent in my fears as posted in a previous entry. They are things I worry about happening in the future. I think that the future will take care of itself and I need to be concerned only with the now in my training.

Principle 2: Be in the here and now: Essentially stay focussed and listen to your body. In wing chun and combat we listen to what energy our opponent is giving us be that physical or mental. If we have tension then it will be harder to listen and thus tense and therefore working a much lower and ineffective level.
Principle 3: Growth is the most important thing there is: For me, before I read this book, I entitled the blog growth through hardship. For me this is most important principle of all. We simply have to look to grow in all aspects of our live otherwise what is the point in living?

Principle 4: Exceed yourself to find your exceeding self: If you want to grow beyond what you are then you need to change your habits, body, mind and life. Do you know what you will get or become if you push yourself that little further. For me this is putting myself in uncomfortable situations in training, trying to grow through the hardship encountered. This can also be likened to when doing the pad training circuit and Martin tells us we will only become great during our most tired phases of activity and learn the most about what and who we are.
Principle 5: In order to heal, you need to feel: We need to get rid of the negativity inside us, face our fears and discomforts. Higher wisdom only comes through trials and tribulations.

Principle 6: Think less and be more: Essentially this is analysis paralysis, thinking things to death. This is about letting go mentally, drop the doubts and they will vanish, feel the fears and face them and they will fade. Let go and flow.

Principle 7: We are the sum total of our reactions: We 2 basic reactions to stressful stimulus – fight or flight, there is however a third and that is to breathe and relax. Be aware of the stressful situation and remain calm through breathing. So when in a grading or sparring a tough partner, stay present and breathe to create mental clarity.

Principle 8: Don’t try hard, try easy: Don’t use brute force, an add on from the previous principle. Breath and relax, let go, not of the effort but of the struggle. Ask these questions of yourself in training
• Where is my tension?
• What am I supposed to be doing?
• So, where can I let go more?
• Where can I struggle less?
• Where can I breath and relax whilst staying present?

Steve Cotter Joint mobility warm up

These words are from Steve Maxwell:

Courtesy of Steve Maxwell Mobility, or joint mobility, is the ability to move a limb through the full range of motion--with control. Mobility is based on voluntary movement while flexibility involves static holds and is often dependent upon gravity or passive forces. Mobility demands strength to produce full-range movement, whereas flexibility is passive, thus not strength-dependent. Some authorities refer to mobility as 'active flexibility'. It is possible to have good mobility without being especially flexible, just as one can be flexible with poor mobility, i.e., control. Of the two, mobility is more important. It is better to be inflexible with good mobility than flexible with poor mobility. The percent difference between your mobility and flexibility is the same percent chance of creating a musculo-skeletal injury during physical activities. Sports, recreational activities and other daily physical practices can result in reduced range of movement in any participating joint. When the joint is unable to move through its full range, we call it compromised. When compromised movement is present in a joint, surrounding joints take up the slack, creating extra stress all around.

A typical example are immobile ankles and feet underlying stress and injury to the knees, hips, and lumbar spine. It's a cascade effect, albeit in reverse: the body tissues are held together with sheets of connective tissue called fascia, so stress extends upwards from the feet. Poor mobility in one area can cause pain and stress in seemingly unrelated areas, but once fascial anatomy is understood, the idea that immobile feet could cause neck or shoulder stiffness is no longer a conundrum. Mobility work reduces the potential body imbalances inherent in our athletic and recreational pursuits. For example, it's widely accepted that running for distance shortens the hamstrings, calf muscles and hip flexors, resulting in decreased free movement in simple full-range exercises, such as bodyweight squats.

Well-documented is the compromised range produced by heavy weight-lifting and body building strength sports--yet, properly conducted, weight training can improve range of motion! All too often, in practice, weight lifters endow themselves with tight, restrictive movement by over emphasizing short-range movements and excessive hypertrophy. Worse, especially in the U.S., is that ubiquitous non-activity: sitting. Sitting in a chair, at a desk, while hunching over a computer is a recipe for a compromised structure full of imbalance and continual pain.

The solution? A joint mobility program. Joint mobility exercise stimulates and circulates the synovial fluid in the bursa, which 'washes' the joint. The joints have no direct blood supply and are nourished by this synovial fluid, which simultaneously removes waste products. Joint salts, or calcium deposits, are dissolved and dispersed with the same gentle, high-repetition movement patterns. Properly learned, joint mobility can restore complete freedom of motion to the ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, neck, elbows, wrists and fingers. It's especially important to keep the spine supple and free and if there were such a thing as a fountain of youth, joint mobility exercises come very close.

Use mobility exercises as a warm up, an active recovery during other activities, or as a stand-alone workout. You can rejuvenate yourself and reclaim the movement of a child with a good joint mobility program. Joint mobility makes a wonderful, energizing morning recharge and sets the day up on the right foot

These vids are Steve Cotter:

The Five Tibetan Rites: Exercises for Healing, Rejuvenation, and Longevity

Listening to latest Joe Rogan podcast, he had the guest Steve Maxwell:

Maxwell was the first man to teach kettlebell classes in the United States. He holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Maxwell trains professional athletes including players for the Phillies, Dodgers, and Eagles. He also has worked with various US Government agencies, including the DEA, Secret Service, and FBI as well as many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academies throughout the country. Maxwell travels around the world leading seminars in strength conditioning, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kettlebells, and joint mobility. Maxwell had owned and operated Maxercise Gym, in Philadelphia, PA for 16 years.

On the podcast he was discussing many things but this is what caught me attention. He is well into his 60s and swears by daily joint mobility work and other health related practices. Personally I do a combination of Scott Sonnon's Warrior Wellness and Steve Cotter's joint mobility program in addition to yoga. Maxwell started to talk about this system and that it only takes 10 minutes out of your day and is a great way to start the day so have decided to buy the book off Amazon (the eye of revelation) to look more into it. As I am now 40 all my exercise is about maintaining good health and getting stronger but smarter. I found this article below by Mary Kurus which outlines the 5 rites. There are also loads of videos of the 5 rites of YouTube. This might not be your path but it is the one I am am wandering. I am making this martial art we are learning from Martin and these health practises 'my' style.

The Five Tibetan Rites: Exercises for Healing, Rejuvenation, and Longevity
By Mary Kurus

Copyright Mary Kurus 2001, All Rights Reserved

Background

In 1985 a book called The Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth written by Peter Kelder was published which for the first time fully described an exercise program for "youthing". This is an exercise program used by Tibetan monks to live long, vibrant and healthy lives. In fact, this book states that many have lived longer than most can imagine by following the program often called the "Five Tibetan Rites". The benefits are described in this book and a subsequent book 2 with an expanded description of the program by the publisher called the Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth - Book 2, a companion to the original book by Peter Kelder. Many thanks to the publisher Doubleday for such a special an expanded explanation of the Five Rites.

Potential Benefits of the Five Rites

The authors provide many examples of the benefits of the "Five Tibetan Rites" including the following: looking much younger; sleeping soundly; waking up feeling refreshed and energetic; release from serious medical problems including difficulties with spines; relief from problems with joints; release from pain; better memory; arthritis relief; weight loss; improved vision; youthing instead of aging; greatly improved physical strength, endurance and vigor; improved emotional and mental health; enhanced sense of well being and harmony; and very high overall energy.

How the Five Rites Work

Medical professions explain the benefits based on their personal perspective and I suggest you read the entire two books for a broad overview. However, the majority share the view that the rites represent a system of exercise that affects the body, emotions and mind. The Tibetans claim that these exercises activate and stimulate the seven key chakras that in turn stimulate all the glands of the endocrine system. The endocrine system is responsible for the body's overall functioning and aging process. This means that the Five Rites will affect the functioning of all your organs and systems, including the physical and energetic systems and that includes the aging process. The man who brought these Five Rights out of Tibet stated that "performing the Five Rites stimulates the circulation of essential life energy throughout the body".

Chakras

Chakra is an Indian Sanskrit word that translates to mean "Wheel of Spinning Energy". Chakras are spinning wheels or vortexes of energy of different color that perform many functions connecting our energy fields, bodies and the Cosmic Energy Field. Chakras are powerful electrical and magnetic fields. Chakras govern the endocrine system that in turn regulates all of the body's functions including the ageing process. Energy flows from the Universal Energy Field through the chakras into the energy systems within our bodies, including the Meridian System.

Our bodies contain seven major chakras or energy centers and 122 minor chakras. The major chakras are located at the base of the spine (Root Chakra), at the navel (Sacral Chakra), in the solar plexus (Solar Plexus Chakra), within your heart (Heart Chakra), within the throat (Throat Chakra), at the center of your forehead (Brow or Third Eye Chakra), and at the top of your head (Crown Chakra). These chakras are linked together with all other energy systems in the body and various layers of the auras.

The Speed of the chakra spin is a key to vibrant health. The other keys to vibrant health that relates to the chakra is ensuring they are clear of negative energy and that they are perfectly shaped and not distorted.

The Five Rites speed up the spinning of the chakras, coordinate their spin so they are in complete harmony, distribute pure prana energy to the endocrine system, and in turn to all organs and processes in the body. This is one of the major requirements for vibrant health, rejuvenation and youthfulness.

The Five Rites Exercise Program

This program is often described as a modified yoga program. Simply put, yoga is a science that unites the body, mind and spirit. Today this is often called Mind/ Body Healing. The author of the book believes that yoga was brought to Tibet from India in the 11th or 12th century and that Tibetan monks over time developed modified these exercises and developed an effective program of exercises that western society now calls the "Five Tibetan Rites". The rugged mountainous conditions these monks live in may well account for their particular emphasis on vigor. Many of the yoga exercises and practices being taught in the western world today are very new. The "Five Tibetan Rites" are exactly what the ancient Tibetans developed over many centuries of time. Therefore it's very important to do the "Five Tibetan Rites" exactly as they are presented without altering the form or sequence to achieve some of the benefits accrued to these "Rites".

Beginning the "Five Rites" Exercise Program

For the first week, and only if your are relatively healthy and fit, do each exercise three times.
If you are inactive, overweight, or have health problems begin these exercises doing one of the first three each day, and only if you feel totally comfortable doing this. Later in this article I will describe exercises you can do to help yourself strengthen so you can begin to do the "Five Rites". If you have any concerns whatsoever, please consult with your physician. Individuals on serious medications should consult with their physicians.
If you are overweight do not do Rites #4 and #5 until you have developed some strength and endurance. Do the substitutes for #4 and #5 until you yourself feel ready to begin doing #4 and #5 of the "Five Rites".
Do only what you feel comfortable doing. That may be only one of each exercise for the first week. Build up to two of each exercise the second week, three of each exercise the third week, etc. or at a faster pace only if your body does not hurt when you do these exercises.
21 is the maximum of each exercise you should ever do. If you want to enhance your program, do the exercises at a faster pace, but do not so more than 21 of each exercise each day. Doing more than 21 repetitions of each exercise in any day will affect your chakras negatively and can create imbalances in your body.
The "Five Rites" may stimulate detoxification and often creates many unpleasant physical symptoms. This is why it's recommended to increase the number of each exercise gradually on a weekly basis. I also recommend a vibrational detoxification with Choming Essences. For more information on vibrational detoxification with Choming Essences please visit my website www.mkprojects.com.
If you have not exercised for some time, prepare to begin your "Five Rites" exercise program by walking daily, for a half hour each day if possible. Another alternative in preparation for the Five Rites is a stretching program with a gradual increase in the types of stretching exercises and the duration of this program.
A sugar free and low fat diet is an important support when integrating the "Five Rites" exercise program into your life. Also check for Digestive Food Sensitivities and eliminate all foods you do not digest easily.
Do the Five Rites exercises every day. The maximum you should skip is one day each week. If the exercises are done less than six days each week, the results will be greatly reduced.
If on certain days your time is limited, do 3 repetitions of each exercise. This takes less than five minutes.
For maximum benefit, do the exercises before breakfast in the morning, if at all possible. If this is not possible do them anytime during the day.
Detoxification

Detoxification is a process that helps to clean out of the physical and energetic body toxins or poisons that have accumulated in your physical cells, organs, systems and in your energetic systems (auras, chakras, meridian system and all electromagnetic, magnetic and electric systems). I strongly recommend that people beginning the "Five Rites" exercise program undertake a Choming Essence detoxification program either before or as they begin these exercises.

If you have never detoxified you will probably have many poisons accumulated in your body and energetic systems. A full detoxification program with Choming Flower Essence, Gem Essences, and Tree Essences will eliminate all toxins. Detoxifying with Choming Essences uses vibrational essences, or what is sometimes called vibrational medicine to clear your systems of toxins and poisons. This includes the elimination of parasites, candida, viruses, and all poisons from pollution, pesticides etc.

This vibrational approach to detoxification is completely complementary to the exercises of the "Five Rites". Detoxification is essential for vibrant and long life. For more information please refer to my article "Detoxification with Choming Essences" and other vibrational health articles on my website at www.mkprojects.com.

"Five Tibetan Rites" Exercise Program

The following instructions and photographs for the "Five Rites" and other preparatory exercises as taken from the book Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, Book 2. I will show the exact Five Rights exercises, a group of exercises for those who need to develop flexibility and strength before beginning to do the "Five Rites", and a set of warm-up exercises. I strongly recommend you purchase the book since it provides detailed information about methodology, concerns and benefits not included in this article.

SPECIAL CAUTION: Spinning and stretching through the following exercises can aggravate certain health conditions such as any type of heart problem, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons's Disease, severe arthritis of the spine, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a hyperthyroid condition, or vertigo. Problems may also be caused if you are taking drugs that cause dizziness. Please consult your physician prior to beginning these exercises if you have any difficult health issues or if you have any other concerns.

The Five Tibetan Rites

Rite #1

Stand erect with arms outstretched horizontal to the floor, palms facing down. Your arms should be in line with your shoulders. Spin around clockwise until you become slightly dizzy. Gradually increase number of spins from 1 spin to 21 spins.

Breathing: Inhale and exhale deeply as you do the spins.

Rite #2

Lie flat on the floor, face up. Fully extend your arms Along your sides and place the palms of your hands against the floor, keeping fingers close together. Then raise your head off the floor tucking your chin into your chest. As you do this, lift your legs, knees straight, into a vertical position. If possible, extend the legs over the body towards your head. Do not let the knees bend. Then slowly lower the legs and head to the floor, always Keeping the knees straight. Allow the muscles to relax, and repeat.

Breathing: Breathe in deeply as you lift
your head and legs and exhale as you lower your head and legs.

Rite #3

Kneel on the floor with the body erect. The hands should be placed on the backs of your thigh muscles. Incline the head and neck forward, tucking your chin in against your chest. Then throw the head and neck backward, arching the spine. Your toes should be curled under through this exercise. As you arch, you will brace your arms and hands against the thighs for support. After the arching return your body to an erect position and begin the rite all over again.
Breathing: Inhal as you arch the spine and exhale as you return to an erect position.

Rite #4

Sit down on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and your feet about 12" apart. With the trunk of the body erect, place the palms of your hands on the floor alongside your buttocks. Then tuck the chin forward against the chest. Now drop the head backward as far as it will go. At the same time raise your body so that the knees bend while the arms remain straight. Then tense every muscle in your body. Finally let the muscles relax as you return to your original sitting position. Rest before repeating this Rite.
Breathing: Breathe in as you raise up, hold your breath as you tense the muscles, and breathe out fully as you come down.

Rite #5

Lie down with your face down to the floor. You will be supported by the hands palms down against the floor and the toes in the flexed position. Throughout this rite, the hands and feet should be kept straight. Start with your arms perpendicular to the Floor, and the spine arched, so that the body Is in a sagging position. Now throw the head back as far as possible. The, bending at the hips, bring the body up into an inverted "V". At the same time, bring the chin forward, Tucking it against the chest.
Breathing: Breathe in deeply as you raise the body, and exhale fully as you lower the body.

Superman kick

Just because this never gets old

Class notes: Get your shirts off

We started off by discussing clothing in a street fight. In Martin's experience, getting rid of at least the coat if of great importance. If they are bigger and longer they can really mess up your movement potential and base. Martin also discovered that the classic wing chun punch does not work against this type of attack as your angles and range are all jammed. He said it took him 3 failed wing chun punches before he realised to turn the shoulders and start throwing right crosses.

Getting your shirt off: So don't be shy about bravado as this will give him nothing to hold onto. Especially the coat. It is almost one of those things that seems so obvious yet never taught or spoken about. This was the first time I had ever heard of going bare chested as a viable strategy. Last night when I got home I began to watch street fight videos on youtube. Most of them are clips of brutal KOs but when the scuffle happens, so does lots of grabbing. So it makes perfect sense to not give them that option.

Fighting with grips:
So what do we need to do if he does have hands on us?
Firstly, try to feel the strength of the grip as he can't have a tight grip and throw heavy shots with the other hand. This is mechanically very hard for the body to work in opposition like this. Conversely, if he has a loose grip then assume that heavy shots will be coming your way.

Hand under the knuckles: Get under the of fingers of the hand that is on you and bend the wrist with your free hand. We looked at going into DWL and striking with the elbow.

Striking from a gripped situation: chin down and feel.Have your palm on his chest as this will give you a gauge of his distance and movement. Hit on the counter by coming under or over the grabbing arm.

Grabbing at the centre: pull the wrist into and on your chest so that the back of his hand will be against your chest with fingers pointing up. You other hand will be controlling the head or neck in a clinch.

Here are a few fun clips of hitting and holding at the same time. Whilst our situation might end up looking like this, I do doubt it as

Hockey fight



A classic between Don Frye and Takayama



3 drill: on their chop forward, pull on the elbow along its powerline and step into head and hip control. Keep the head on the back of his scapular and weight on him.
From here backfist to his face, he covers, you snake the arm over the back of the neck for the wrist to elbow lever. Head on his ribs and throw knees to the face. Again keep heavy pressure on him, let him carry your weight whilst worrying about what is happening to him.

Striking on the break: As he starts to escape, which he inevitably will, and fight for space you need to decide when it is time to let him up and attack. It is too late when he has escaped as he will be better set to attack. As you let him out charge with HQ footwork and throw hands. This will be tremendously difficult psychologically for him because he is under constant pressure from your grappling then striking attacks. Hopefully someone under this pressure is reacting instead of pro-acting.

Breaking the hands risk: A very real fear and concern of mine is my little boy hands and inability to land sustained blows to the head of an opponent. Martin did say that there is a good chance the hands will break when hitting skull and facial bones, regardless of conditioning or hand size.

Even the former heavyweight champ of the world breaks his hands in a street fight:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tyson_vs._Mitch_Green

Martin said that the option is heel of the palm or punching the jaw. Jaw is the fist target. Knuckles to skull will hurt you more than his head.

Pummeling then using the 4 attacks - DWL, head and arm, arm drag, neck and shoulder clinch.

Thai clinch - defend - pull in for head and hip control

Lots of pummelling with everyone. Turning and extending to find the gap in the pummell. Rotate around the spinal axis.

Boxing sparring rounds and incremental development:
Jab catch the ball jab counter

Jabs to the body only, both sides

Throwing the punches and the other simply moves and defends but always thinking about returning fire

Attack with any punches and only defend with movement and the jab

Striking to clinch vs anti grapple and counter striking.

Really loving the sparring and how it is developing. The concept of the protective shell and being defensively minded, accurate in your movement and timing. I feel so more confident and precise since my time in MMA. All the tools I learned in that system are being refined and improved. In addition we are learning a lot more strategy and i find this helps m too. Thinking about strategy prevents me from feeling like a fish out of water. I am interested to see how the sparring will develop in terms of it becoming incrementally 'harder' and lesson to be learned in there.

On a final note, I passed on some wisdom from the class last week to my own students (8/9 years olds). We are currently getting ready for our class assembly and during practise this week I told how important it is to practise really well rather than hoping it will ok on the day. Martin mentionned this last week; in training we should always be trying to perfect our movements as that is what we are there for. Should we need this stuff, how effective can we be if our practise has been poor?

Hope you enjoyed the cartoon violence in the YouTube clips!

Home training update May

Added in the last 5 or 6 weeks worth of techniques

Striking range:

Jab
Cross
Hook
Combos: 1, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-2
‘Invisible’ right cross
Jab, cross, hook, cross
Slipping the right cross
Shoulder roll against the right cross
Catch the ball jab
Left hook and left uppercut to counter the right cross
Foot work: squaring him up, getting off the power lines, pivot, step and go, retreating curve, inside and outside paks against jabs
Pak jab defence followed by a right cross:
Give and take a shot drill: left hook head, right hook head, left body shot, right body shot, left uppercut and roll, right uppercut and bob.
Punch resistance drill: Slo-mo with a partner holding their hands up.

Sensitivity drill: - guiding down the power lines
1: Follow the punch by snaking your arm along the top of his, sort of clasp the upper arm as you step in and take his back from the ¾
2: Double lap
3. Elbow from the outside over the incoming arm
Sensitivity drill: double inside gate wrists –
1: Arm drag
2: DWL

Grappling range:

DWL to shoulder control and back again
Escape from the can opener.
Grip breakers:
Headlock defence:
Wrestling pummel:
Double underhook defence:
Arm drags
From hands on the shoulders and hips
Head and arm trap
Grovit – thumb guillotine – blossoming flower of oblivion
Arm drags from the pummel
To get the ¾ position, the DWL (double wrist lock), underhook and head clinch, full Thai clinch,
Against an arm drag resister.
Thai clinch into headlock take down, Chicken wing, Standing Kimura, Bail out and strike, Two hand to One shoulder control.
Standing neck crank (old school)
Standing grapple sparring.

3 drill:
Forward pressure - make each hit direct and aiming for target, not merely there as something to be 'blocked'
- lop sau - to his hip - engage the lat and grab with thumb
- inside gate lop sau after first chop - key is to drop the elbow in the lop
- chops are from the elbow from the centre (as the punch)
– forearm attack, pak and punch into DWL
Their chop forward – take them into head and arm (pak/pull along powerline)
Extending from the inside gate lap, swap to other arm to inside gate lap and arm drag.
3 drill off back fist (now forearm): body hit, x trap, tan sau. 3 drill initial block pak sau
Body shots from the back fist attack (now forearm):
Hit through to the abdomen, piston back inside to face followed by lap and hit to chin.
As above initially but instead of piston, crappy chop to the outside gate and hit to chin.
Backfist, step to the side, turn and hit to floating ribs.
As above but fake the body shot and slide across his centre to other side and hit to body..
Sinking and dropping the weight to hammerfist the groin. This can be done in 2 subtly different ways. The first sinks down and hits through the guard, the second involves lifting the arm and coming under for the hit to the groin.
Thirdly is circling the hand down and to the solar plexus.
Fourthly, rotating the fist back and up to hit to the chin.
Lifting the arm held and hitting to the ribs.

Sparring development:
1. Jabs to the body.
2. Jabs to the body whilst holding the right glove between your jaw and your neck.
3. One attacks and one defends - defender can't move feet and only uses head, body movement and hands and covering to defend the shots coming to the head and body.
4. As above but now the defender can use movement and the left jab.

Class notes: Punch resistance, deep forearm and controlling the centre

It appears Ayyaz had the hump with me for such a short blog post last week. I even managed to disappoint his daughter with my measly paragraph. Don't let the word count of a blog entry be a reflection of your excellent leading the class. You did a top job Bruv.

Martin is back from his Vegas trip and more importantly his running up the Rocky steps in Philly.

Punch resistance for the right cross and left hook.

Partner gives the palms up to offer resistance to test and refine the structure, alignment and balance of these punches. I find this a very useful tool as it finds gaps very quickly even though you are punching in slow motion. Tonight for me the key was the shoulder. In the right cross is the punch coming from there and am I aware of this area and not just thinking about my hand. For me, thinking of the shoulder helps to centre everything and all other checks come from this location out. I can then check my left hand, rotation and extension of the shoulders, turning of the hips, weight in the feet.

And the same self analysis happens for the hook. Martin talked about the direction or position of the elbow in relation to the punch. The best way for my mind is that the elbow is the final link in the chain of the punch. Generally the wrist is straight so depending on the height or angle of the forearm will depend on the angle of the fist. If you had a broken arm and were wearing a cast you cant bend the wrist so the elbow will always be delivering the punch at the correct angle. As always it was nice to put time in to get lots of quality reps. In addition, maintain the full motion of the punch and that is ending up in a pulling motion back towards yourself. On a final not make sure you look at your feet and check you are pivoting on the balls. Have a look at where your rear heel is on the right cross and front heel on the hook.

3 drill:

New addition of detail on the basic roll: the forearm. Shift the idea of a backfist attack to that of a forearm strike. Using the forearm with get you deeper in on them and set up more opportunities for head control and the hit through the centre. Because you are giving a deeper and more penetrating energy their defensive will have more energy and thus a chance to feel where to go from there.

Looking for the arm drag, DWL and head control from the drill.

I was working with Slippers and we thought the best or only way to find a way in was by entering with an inside gate lap. After some brief experimentation Martin showed us to get in from the forearm attack followed by a pak and punch. Using the pak hand you can enter for the DWL or the arm drag. As the centre is tight be smart in getting what you need. To get the arm drag lift his wrist and your other arm will slide to his bicep for the arm drag.

Head and arm choke come from their chop. Pull with the pak along the powerline of the chop and shoot the arm in deep. To make the choke secure reach the arm though by turning the thumb up. This will give you a few more centimetres. Before you squeeze make sure it is secure because if you tighten when it is not tight, you won't finish the technique. Take your time, be in control and get rid of any gaps. Use your free hand to pull his head to again a few more millimetres of space to close it off even more.

Control the centre to find the arm drag and the DWL.

This was a great drill whereby you have your arms inside his at the wrists. We worked on turning to dominate the centre and slip off the arm drag and DWL. Working the DWL with Martin I got some good refinement points. My apologies if these only make sense to me as I am visualising what we were doing - looking down to see he has an L arm.
If when applying the DWL his arm is straight you get it to bend by simply going for a wrist lock. This will cause the elbow to bend. I tried to fight the pain of a wrist lock by making a fist, this gives you a little more time and control of your wrist before he starts goosenecking you.

Workman Sau number 2: I think it was the following? If the DWL does not work then switch to the shoulder control then back again to DWL. Don't break your grip. Slide under his arm to get your palms on his shoulder. Keep the grip of holding your own wrist. This one definitely needs lots more repping even though Slippers was trying to tear my arm from my torso.

Head and arm on the floor - weight, squeeze after it is tight and on. L shape. Climbing over using knee slides and monkey mount.

Boxing hands - the jab and pak (perv) drill, then countering with the right hand over the left. Almost like a mini pak but it does need to be one movement and small, When throwing the jab try really hard to have the head lower at the end of the punch than at the start. When attacking use broken rhythm so the work is more alive and not predictable or mechanic.

Standing grapple sparring to get sweaty and end the evening working hard. Martin gave me the green light to use the fifth limb - the head which I was more than happy to oblige. Again it was about controlling them, dominating grip and position. It is also about being tight, relaxed and always moving. I can imagine that if I was still Ben and Ron would break me in half so I need to keep applying pressure and movement to them to avoid a mauling.

As always, a great session. Even more important is what Geoff Thompson talked about in a recent podcast. Find areas of your life where things are difficult difficult. I love the fact that I fond everything in class hard and that the only way to get better is to put time and effort in. Make mistakes and learn from them. Love it.

Daniele Bolelli book

Here is the link to the fine book Martin was talking about:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Warriors-Path-Philosophy-Fighting-Mythology/dp/158394219X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400015561&sr=1-1&keywords=on+the+warriors+path

He also has a podcast which is free to download and covers the following (this is from the front page of his website)

The Drunken Taoist is a bi-monthly podcast by writer/martial artist/college professor/whatever-label-you-feel-like-adding Daniele Bolelli. One of the monthly episodes features discussions and interviews with one or more guests. The other includes the infamous Bolelli rants and verbal Tai Chi with co-host Rich Evirs.
In terms of topics covered by the show, the common thread is whatever makes life intense, passionate and worth living. Anything that meets this requirement is fair game—regardless of whether the starting point is religion, politics, sex, martial arts, philosophy, history, or any other specific field.

http://thedrunkentaoist.com

Surrender

http://youtu.be/DIEQ8A8Z65w

Something I personally struggle with is this idea of surrender. I have a lot of time for what GT talks about, some of it touches on the religious and that is something I find hard after a Catholic education for the first 18 years of my life and finding my own path there after.

Towards the end he talks about oneness and that is something Martin talked about when sparring and being in the moment with another human where only the moment matters. 

The reason I have time for Geoff Thomspn is the seminar I went on in the late 90's that was hosted by the wing chun organisation Martin used to belong to. They seemed to have an open mind and would get guest instructors down. At the time GT was big in the martial arts media and was pushing his type of training: real, fear based, 3 second fighter. So I know from a martial perspective there is absolutely no bullshit. I also had the pleasure of a Brian Jacks seminar.

Perhaps in training we need to surrender to what will happen in sparring; to us and by us?

Ultimately he is talking about being a good person, giving more than taking and being responsible for all our actions and choices. Seems like sound advice to me!

Flying triangle

Sweet submission in this fight. Good to and fro action for the several minutes it lasted too.

'Flying' submissions are ones, I believe, that happen standing that are normally done on the floor. I think they are so rare because they are such a low percentage move and as the triangle is one my most favourite sub ever I posted this one:

http://mmajunkie.com/2014/05/video-paddy-pimbletts-masterful-flying-triangle-at-cage-warriors-68

Other personal favourite subs are calf compressions, gogoplata and fist chokes!!

Class notes: Awesome Ayyaz's class

Martin was away 'working' in Las Vegas so Ayyaz stepped up and taught the class.

Tonight was great as it gave us a chance go over lots of material to increase our own rep count. So we looked at:

- 3 drill rolling

- attacks out of the 3 drill: hitting through the centre, arm drag, DWL

- Pummel and attacks out of the pummel: arm drags, DWL, Thai clinch, shoulder control from 3/4

- Boxing drills: jab and counter jab, adding the right hand and shoulder roll, attacking with the left hook over their right hand, mini kau sau right hand against the jab.

- Light sparring out of the 3 drill

Massive thanks to Ayyaz and of course Trist for their patience and guidance tonight.

Class notes: Catch wrestling on your feet

Warmed up with the pummel; just rolling and looking for the different attacks out of this such as the DWL, arm drags, full and half Thai clinch.

Class was split again in two tonight; standing grappling and striking sparring (standing).

DWL defence against a big guy:

It is unlikely that sinking down and doing the palm to palm hip capture will work against Big Ron and others of a similar build we looked at the grip break. When they have the DWL the arm is isolated and disconnected from the body and thus much easier to manipulate. To even this out and take it back you need to integrate the whole body. Clasp the palms and get your hip behind your grip, you will need to step into him to get behind your hands. Now the hand and arms are in a more powerful and structurally string position. You are no longer fighting arm against arm. To break it, punch the hips through and turn. I started to lift but got corrected. Keeping the hands sort of central to you as you punch the hips will make it very hard for him to maintain his dominant position.

Defending the standing head and arm:

Briefly looked at this - fist to neck or speak on the telephone. This will jam your elbow into his neck or shoulder giving you space to breath. A cheeky attack from here is as you turn towards him you can hit your own elbow which will hit him in the head. CI like this as clearly it will not KO him but it will give him something to think about. I have found when your stuff is being messed with it is hard to ignore that, instead most people want to deal with that and then return to a dominant position.

Blossoming flower of oblivion:

This choke can be likened to a very deep bicep guilotene. It might just be the worst cranking choke out there. From the clinch grapple his head goes down and here is the chance for the choke. Punch the arm around the neck deeply. So that you are trying to get the bicep under his chin. We investigated having the forearm across the jaw bone and under the chin, both horrendously effective. For me the absolute key and unashamedly worth repeating is the initial motion to punch the arm around the neck to get deep on him. If I punch my right arm around the neck, my left hand braces against his left shoulder. The very fact that you have gone deep with the choking arm might by itself be enough. There is no space in there for the head so any motion has big effects. To get the right hand on to the left wrist you do not need to crab walk the hand to the wrist. Your right closed fist will blossom open and simply park at the wrist. If he has not tapped yet he soon will. The full completion of the movement is either: get the elbows close as your put all your weight on the back of the neck driving him to the ground to close off on the floor. the second, and more violent option is to suplex him...

Punching entry for head crank:

This is the neck crank Martin showed in the old class many years ago and has stuck with me and one I often think about. To set it up throw a left jab then left hook causing him to cover up, keep your left hand on his cover as you throw the right. Blocking with his left you elbow around his forearm to enter head lock range. If the punching was too complicated a set up, Martin did give us the opportunity to work from wrist control and forearm contact. To get the elbow in range for the headlock, use his forearm as the fulcrum and go around it, it looked like the elbow strike from the powerlines drill a few weeks ago. Arm that is closed to him slides under the chin and the hand goes to the top of his head, rear hand meets at the top of the head with a deep grip. The forearm will be grinding into the temple. To finish the crank lever the hands away and close the elbow together. This will cause the neck and jaw line to move along lines they were not designed to. And if any of the three standing neck crank/chokes we have done (grovit, thumb guillotene, blossoming flower of oblivion) does not work because he stands up out of them then they can stand into the neck crank just outlined.

Sparring:

Tonight we started to spar in incremental and developmental steps: `loose fists, learning pace, all about learning

1. Jabs to the body.
2. Jabs to the body whilst holding the right glove between your jaw and your neck. This was to enhance the feel for the shell. The glove should not fall off when you move, attack or defend. Clearly it did but it really focussed you on keeping that shell tight.
3. One attacks and one defends - defender can't move feet and only uses head, body movement and hands and covering to defend the shots coming to the head and body.
4. As above but now the defender can use movement and the left jab. Also his was to the head and body.

Bloody loved it. It was great to work the protective shell in real time. Jamie's first night sparring too so very proud of him. We chatted lots on the way home in the car and he really loved the sparring too. So looking forward to many more session like this.

Grip sparring:

I feel bad in retrospect when I analyse what I was doing. It was supposed to be grip sparring but I turned into clinch range and was using my head as an additional tool for control. So I apologise to Ron, Trist and Ayyaz for grinding my forehead into you. Tonight was not the night for that and if I messed up your learning time by doing something out of the drill or range I apologise. I guess I just got excited to be in clinching range. I did not listen to the full instructions and heard sparring and grip so went for what I wanted to get in terms of control instead of practising all the grips and controls. So lads I am sorry.

Some other points worth mentioning from Martin's teaching tonight was:

Brief insight into the scarf hold catch version from side control - grabbing your own thigh and cranking on the neck.
Catch wrestling is catching - they move and you catch them in their motion, no need to hunt for limbs as they will come your way. Controlling the pace - only you are in control of you o set your pace so that you can do all day. 80/20 rule - goes above your 80% of effort 20% of the time. Fight in different paces but fight smart, to work well you need to preserve you. Being gassed will have a dramatic effect on your ability to breath, think and act well.
Breathing - when it is getting tough exhale all of your air from the lungs through the mouth. Let the Co2 out and get good air back in.
Control the range - with bones as these do not move. For example in the half Thai clinch. Use your structure to dictate and control the range.
Uppercut detail - brief words about dipping the opposite shoulder to load the uppercut, use the whole body and not isolated arms. When Martin demo'ed it looked like small tight motions, as if the spine is rotating and the punches just happen to be part of the core rotation.
Uppercuts from the clinch - his head is on your shoulder then as you uppercut you will leave a space where you were and now where your punch can go.

Finally, being present. If there is a practise out there that puts you in the moment better than martial arts I would like to know. Nothing else matters, just the moment. Martin rightly said that a lot of what we fear is in the future and is essentially all in our minds. We can't control the future as it is not yet happening. The past has been and gone as we can't affect our past only learn from it. We can only act in the now. Sparring is all about the now. It is both an intensely physical and mental challenge.

Martin is away on a work gig next week so it is guest instructor time again.

Grovit: Front face lock

Becoming a student of the game

Last night Martin talked about becoming students of the game. This weekend is an excellent chance to develop that part of our learning as Jon Jones is back in action. His use of range, timing and striking creativity are amazing. I believe in facing Teixeira he is facing a 'bomber' so it will be interesting to see his game plan.

Class notes: Grappling from the pummel

The class was split in two tonight; grappling from the pummel and looking deeper into the jab/pak drill.

Grappling from the pummel:
The techniques we looked at tonight can be labelled loosely for memories sake, and even now only a few hours later I am struggling to remember all the variations. I think this is because it for me was about flow and not individual moments.

The individual positions were from the Thai clinch:

Headlock take down, Chicken wing, Standing Kimura, Bail out and strike, Two hand to One shoulder control. There was a few more but 2 things stick in my mind, the corrections for the Thai clinch and the concept of flow.

For the Thai clinch we were reminded about weight distribution - have weight in the back leg so the front can start to knee. Heaviness - put your weight through the top of their head, let them carry you. Squeezing forearms - clamp down as being in the Thai clinch is murder.

No technique is worth fighting for. Don't stay and fight for a technique or a position, if it is not there or working, go to something else. Be fluid and keep moving but with control. Don't resist the resister. This was something me and Tristan had time to play with. Starting from the half Thai clinch, we would take it in turns to see what we could get, always going back to the Thai clinch if it was there. Being the one being moved around is quite alarming as you have not time to get set, you are always thinking about defending, about moving away from the pressure, the pain or escaping too. What was most refreshing about this part of the class was Martin's honesty. He said that what he was teaching was messy, few people teach messy as people like crisp, neat and tidy. But rarely to thing look neat and tidy in the chaos of combat. Messy in the visual sense not in the practical sense.

Here is a video that is a stylised version of what we were doing and i can see many of the positions we trained in this drill.



The final part of the grappling tonight was countering the double wrist lock. Change levels and secure a hip capture palm to palm grip

Striking

Footwork drilling on the lines to analyse forward and backward steps, weighting, feet and stance lengthen and shorten, skimming feet.

Jab and pak drill, never forget the basics and keep being mindful of them - how to throw every single punch, regardless if you are the feeder or the responder, training time is training time, force good habits on yourself.

A jabs, B jabs and right cross, A parry left, left jab right cross (DISTANCE AND TIMING)

As above but simultaneously pak down the right hand power line and attack with your right hand.

As above but use the left hook over the right hand. Do not look to watch it land, feel it in the elbow. Big 3-d rolling with the punch motion. This left hook os the nail in the coffin for much wing chun as the chin is simply not protected. Martin also talked about having the tightness of your shell to protect the brain from having the bell rung, chin to shoulder, chin to shoulder.

Sparring starts next week so we can begin to explore our movements, timing and all that. We can also loose our ego by finding our weaknesses

Final note - Z made an appearance whilst on a visit back to the UK from the Dirhams so always great to see familiar faces. A shout out to South African Dave, teacher Dave, Slippers, Black Panther, H and even Damo. Where for art thou?

7 life lessons

1. Don't just make peace with your past. Make purpose from your past. Don't just accept what has happened. Seize the opportunities that it has given you. Don't just let it go. Let it grow. Every day in your past has been specifically culminating toward your ability to make the current decisions, even if you don't yet know it or understand it.

2. What others think of you is none of your business. How others perceive you reflects their internal state, not your own. The size of your reputation is an illusion. Only the integrity of your character is real. Stay true to your values. When others attempt to influence you with their opinion, weigh all choices against your moral compass.

3. Time will heal almost all wounds. Give time, some time. Pain will subside. Scars make us who we are. They are the story of our lives written on our body. Be proud of your wrinkles and scars. They share who you are, and prove that you've challenged yourself to improve and grow. You can also help time with tender loving care; yes, you deserve to heal, no matter what choices caused the wounds.

4. No one person or thing is responsible for your happiness. Nothing can give it to you. Don't waste your time trying to find happiness outside in the world. Everything you desire outside will only lead to disappointment or dissatisfaction, once you possess or achieve it. There is no one and no way to become happy. Happiness is the way. Bring happiness to every problem, and you'll discover the potential; to every obstacle, and you'll discover the opportunity.

5. Don't compare your life path or process with others. If we all threw all of our problems in a big box, we'd immediately snatch our own back very quickly, once we discovered what path others must follow and the process life requires for them. Don't even compare your current self with a past version. This is the first time that you've been the current you. Compare your current choices against your values: which will decisions will bring you closer to your values? That's the only valuable comparison.

6. Don't think so much. Once you start acting, the solution will appear. Over analysis leads to paralysis. You don't know all the answers anyway. Often in life, the answer is that there is no answer and yet you must act anyway; giving us the chance to be courageous. Courageous action despite the unknown leads to confidence we are competently capable. Confidence that we can handle any challenge allows us to experience the mysterious support helping us if we are determined and persistent enough to act... which leads to faith that everything is happening for a specific purpose: a loving conspiracy to your growth and development.

7. Smile. As strange as it sounds when you're in a crisis, if you remember the points before this one, smile. Not all the world's problems are your own. What you can do, you must do, for awareness of an issue implies a responsibility to take action upon it. But the best energy you can bring to any choice is a relaxed smile. Often you won't feel happy about the current situation, and feel that you can't smile. You don't only smile because your happy, as it is a two way mecha

Wing Chun movies

Wing Chun from New York

A different perspective to us but interesting none the less

Why need need a sound jab

Last night in the UFC, Cerone v Barboza highlighted why we need to have a strong sound jab. It should not be underrated in terms of it's potential power

http://mmajunkie.com/2014/04/ufc-on-fox-11-donald-cerrone-vs-edson-barboza-full-fight-video-highlights/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Certainty

Re-found the work of Geoff Thompson and watched / listened to his talk on certainty. Sounded really good and resonated with me and what I want to achieve in my own training.

Round kick clinic

Below are my notes from the Steve Morris DVD round kick clinic. These are the points that I have picked up and feel pertinent to my training as of this time. Of course as I delve more into this research these may alter.

Angles are critical as to how you deliver the power into the target so that they can't absorb the shot.

Angles are important to the delivery of power. Hit him into the ground and not just backwards. Deliver the shots into the muscle at an angle as if chopping a tree with an axe as opposed to striking a ball with a racquet.

Diagonal shot have more muscle alignment and usage rather than vertical shots which use less.

Body weight has to support the angle of the shot. Weight is posted over and through the supporting leg to allow the kicking leg to accelerate faster over a shorter distance meaning they have less chance of defending the attack.

The head is giving the direction of the attack. For example is throwing a high kick the head needs to go back over the hips to open them up. Body punches will have the head loading over the hips.

Engage the whole body in a dynamic way.

In terms of stance, when fighting orthodox v orthodox you need to be able to penetrate their stance for the takedown. I know that I am very tentative when stepping into their stance. I need to be more positive with this. Against a southpaw you need to get to the outside of their lead leg.

Don’t adjust the width of the stance to deliver the round kick. Your lead leg foot should be in line with their stance, squarer with the opponent.

Need to be multidimensional with your body. When throwing the round kick after a 1-2 you need to be moving back slightly not giving the hips forward motion as this will aid the opponent taking you down. To practise this concept using the punch bag as free standing with same side hand on the top and kick from this range. Use the tabata protocol with this technique to build endurance plus technique plus concept.

The reflexive jerk or pull back of the free part of the body will add extra power to attacks. The analogy of touching a hot stove causes a short but explosive reaction from the body. The arm does not flail in a large motion. This can be applied to punching and kicking. The pull in the round kick is in the waist of the kicking leg. Steve used the pattern on movement like the claw of a hammer in that the withdraw does nasty damage too.

The hands are used to aid the rotation of the spine in attacking, use the hands to balance takes the power of the attacks.

The voice needs to carry the intention of the action. Shorter for punches and longer for kicks as the amount of body use.

ANGULATION IS THE THING. LEARN TO THROW THE LEG AND STAY AWAY WHEN THROWING. ENSURE THE WEIGHT HAS GONE INTO THE ATTACK NOT JUST THE LIMB.

Russian conditioning

When I trained in a Russian martial art they were very big on breathing and developing breathing through exercises and a lot of the exercises we did were done very slowly, including long holds.

Here was the skeleton the conditioning I did when doing the Russian style:

Russian 4 core exercises (push up, squat, sit up, leg raise)

Push up variations and lengths/intensities/amounts – shoulder, triangle, wide, tricep, hi-lo, bear, dog wide, dog shoulder., POW stick insertion
Leg raises – writing the numbers , slow counts.
Sit ups – slow counts., insert a stick POW style
Squats – slow and fast, POW stick insertion
Core exercises - 25 pushups, 20, situps, 20 leg raises and 25 squats while rotating the breathing patterns mainly keeping it simple either exhaling on the way down and inhaling on the way up or vice versa, i these 2 breathing patterns to be both simple and powerful.
Things to try
- Try a 10 minute push up hold and see how far you get.
- Try holding any of the core exercise positions at the ending/ starting or halfway positions
- Try holding the squat position up against a wall
- Try holding a one armed push up or one legged squat
- Pyramids - You can use this protocol for the core exercises - starting from 1, you do 1 pushup then you change the breathing pattern and do 2 all the way up to 8, 10 or 12 and then you come back down. All the while you stay in pushup position do not drop to your knees.

example - 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

- Core exercise flow - This teaches you to have adaptability and relaxation throughout all ranges and levels (low, mid, high).
Firstly you do 5 pushups, then you have to get into the situp position somehow, with a roll or a turn, twist or movement. You then do 5 situps and now you have to do a movement that puts you in the leg raise position, now do 5 legs raises, and then finally make your way into a squat position and do 5 squats. Repeat as desired. In this exercise really try and use your imagination and creativity to find new and interesting movements.

- 4 hold - Hold each one of the core exercises for 5 mins.

- Slow progression - do a slow pushup lasting one minute then do a 1 minute situp, leg raise and squat, then do a 30 second pushup, situp, leg raise and squat and then finally go onto a 15 second P-U, S-U, L-R and SQUAT
Walking and running

Walking and breathing - starting off with my arms held in the air, with 2 steps inhaling and then 2 steps exhaling, then skipped along to 5 , 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19 , up to 20 steps then i held my arms in front of me and then went back down to 18, 16, 14 etc.

Rolling
Rolling progression for softness - here is a rolling progression with sticks and other variations:

- rolling over and on a stick on the floor from kneeling
- same with eyes closed
- from standing
- added more stick 8 + and rolled from kneeling
- with eyes closed
- faster
-slower
- from standing
- from standing eyes closed
Rolling is a fundamental skill. Its uses are infinite and it is a highly practical, usable skill. There are many dimensions to a good roll,
which include:

- Proper balance of tension and relaxation
- Awareness throughout the entire movement
- Correct breathing and form

KO whilst moving backwards

So last night on the new series of TUF (Penn v Edgar) there is a heavyweight fight a one of the dudes gets KO's whilst moving forward. The other, as you will see has excellent timing, footwork (distance control) and body rotation.

This was something that Martin first talked about when the class started; delivering a KO hook punch whilst moving backwards, unless my memory deceives me...

Enjoy

Kron Gracie training

Not only does he have a Dad who is arguably one of the greatest grapplers ever, he is pretty slick himself. The main part of the video that I like is when he and a friend are on their skateboards whilst training!! That starts at the 1:50 mark

ht

Class notes: (guest instructor Andy Cross)

As Martin was away he arranged for his training partner to come and take the class. The class has more of a street feel to it and Andy's approach is a little more gritty than Martin's. He talked candidly about his own real life experiences and was thus teaching from practical experience. We did learn a sequence of techniques that followed an incremental progression but the main theme of the night was angles, leverage and structure. This was something that Andy was most insistent about us taking away from the lesson and looking to apply in future learning.

As I reflect back on the class there was also the idea of being in the best position at all times to ensure you are safe in the environment you are working in. Being aware of the threat and any other potential threats from the environment, from his friends. Be aware of the distance and range and aim to control that.

We started with our jab and counter jab drill and then using the pivot footwork to create the angle for the right cross and thus being off his power lines.

Next we looked at attacking his lead foot by stepping on it when he attacks with the jab. Thankfully I can moan on here about my sore toes from the session tonight as we did a lot of this initial attack. Thankfully because I am not Ayyaz who was politely tortured all night long as the crash test dummy for Andy.

From this the foot step we added a range of attacks depending on their range. As I have said before, in essence it did not matter what techniques we learned tonight, it was about what angles and leverage did we use.

- foot step - grab the jab and left hand to the back of the head, step up and in balance and stomp kick to his knee, sweep with the heel, control his fall and land with knees. Nice straight spine so the knees land heavy and you are in a safe structure position.

- Miss the foot and go deep and using the left to go high to protect you from his right, adding the knee to get him folding his structure.

- 'Come on then' posture: Crash in to control his left with your right, your left smashes into his collar bone taking the single Thai grip, sweep the foot then continue with knee stomps and takedowns. To get the sweep correct they must be on the back foot first then you lengthen and shorten your stride. By doing this you are dragging his base long to put you in a better position as his structure is now very weak.

- Headlock defence: strong positive spine posture, reach around and grab his shoulder and use this as a lever. Pull him around and not back on the shoulder. Your shoulder will also act as a brace point to pressure his shoulder. Turn towards him hip to hip (perpendicular) and affect his structure with a scissor action (forehead and base of his spine). From here we looked at several options to get the job done - elbows to the chest, neck crank and nasty fook sau guillotine. The new detail on the guillotine was using the thumb bone - folding to base knuckle - sitting flat on the hand and lifting into the centre if his throat. This was very painful and very fast yet it feels like nothing when you are doing it. The difference between a tight one and one you believe you can escape from is the elbow. The thumb arm is the same shape as a fook sau. Your elbow is against your torso and this small distance automatically gives you range to prevent him from taking the hips. When Trist had the thumb up it was horrible but when he had it all in the fook sau shape it was horrendous and I was tapping instantly.

In closing it was great of Andy to give his time to us tonight and show us his perspective on the martial arts. There was a real buzz in the class and a good turn out too. A huge thanks to Ayyaz for being a most excellent demo dude cos we were glad it was not us.

Working on footwork

Just moving around and having a go

Class notes: DWL, arm drags and jabs

Technical
3 drill and range. Initially we quickly looked at the chin position and where it should be. Depending on the range is important and range was the general theme for all aspects of training tonight.
Using the feet to keep the range. Ayyaz is very good at getting the hit through the centre and Martin showed how using the feet will keep you out of range of this strike. Of course you need the presence of mind to feel the energy from the attack as well.
Pressure from the back fist and deciding where the pressure is; throw the hands down and use the hook with the holding hand. We then considered how to use inside or outside gate lap against the pressure being given.
Using the backfist as a way to get deep to look for some head and arm control. this was the first time that I had seen the 3 drill in context and application. So often you will find yourself fighting for hand positions in the clinch and grappling so now it is time to look for those opportunities to apply this learning.


Grappling
Hand on hip - DWL
Hand on same side shoulder - arm drag
Hand on opposite shoulder - head and arm
Thai clinch defence - head pull and shoulder butt to break their grip. 3 attacks from this grip break - head and arm choke, DWL, arm hug to DWL

Ground fighting - the head and arm using the forearm bones attacking the defensive turtle.

Striking
Range for the jab: Step in to deep and you will get Dugan'd

Jab and counter jab drill
Just out of range and in range jabs to get you used to feeling the difference in a few centimetres.
Out of range punches against the counter puncher. Martin gave a quick demo showing how that punches that land just out of range still need to moved against as you can't predict if the next one or combo is going to land. This keeps you moving and not mentally or physically getting a chance to settle into your own rhythm.

Jab x 3 they respond with jab and cross, this gives a chance to practise getting behind the wall with your roll. On your third jab use a pak sau to draw the punch (their right cross) in along the power line, then chop and follow up immediately with the right cross

Jab x3 then right hand but moving away from the right hand so that when he has to throw it he is punching across himself. I always used to think that fighters were doing this to get away from the power punch. Now I know that this is setting them up for your attacks. When he throws the right across himself you can simultaneous slip left parry and uppercut. You are then in range to blast with you punches.

Homework:
3 drill visualisation
Shoulders back in the sockets in all you do
5 mins footwork a day