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.
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
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.
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
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?
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?
Sunday, 20 April 2014
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
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
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
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
Friday, 18 April 2014
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.
Thursday, 17 April 2014
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.
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
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
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
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
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
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Tuesday, 15 April 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, 5 April 2014
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
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
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
Sunday, 30 March 2014
Saturday, 29 March 2014
Head shots only on the ground
Next we worked on head shots only, no submissions. My ears are still very hot 4 hours later. More importantly this is the first time I have grappled in anger since stopping MMA almost a year ago. The knee felt good, it feels good now so I am really looking forward to when Martin introduces the ground games to our learning.
Clinch to ground fighting
Craig was working the takedown from clinch, from there it was on!!
The magic bones that Martin talked about on Tuesday work as does the neck crank
The magic bones that Martin talked about on Tuesday work as does the neck crank
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Standing neck crank
I have just looked at this bit with no sound so don't rely on my lip reading.
His use of the forearm looks really good in terms of what Martin was talking about as the key bones on the arm in grappling.
The neck crank he does later on in the video, not the set up but the actual crank position looks quite similar to the one we were doing last night. It looks like nothing but until you have felt those bones grinding across your face, well enjoy the thinking about future parts of training we are yet to wince from.
His use of the forearm looks really good in terms of what Martin was talking about as the key bones on the arm in grappling.
The neck crank he does later on in the video, not the set up but the actual crank position looks quite similar to the one we were doing last night. It looks like nothing but until you have felt those bones grinding across your face, well enjoy the thinking about future parts of training we are yet to wince from.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Class notes: standing neck crank plus give and take a shot
Firstly it was great to see more newer faces tonight and old ones. The class felt busier and had a real energetic buzz to it. I will also apologise to the newer members of the class for not blogging about what you guys did. Hopefully the stuff below will become relevant to you very soon and not seem that new as you have already ready about it...
The pummel: addition of detail from previous blog entries, when turning the shoulders for the underhook there is a slight pushing motion with the upper arm and shoulder. This subtle motion adds to moving the partner and affecting his balance. The rear arm is also activated so that the lat muscle is helping to secure his underhook and give it no space to move around.
Half Thai clinch: This was covered a few sessions ago but new details worth mentioning is that as he goes for his underhook you take the back of the head. You still have the underhook on the other side so clasping the shoulder and pivoting with help to to control him. I think we only looked at pivoting one way and that was towards half Thai clinch side.
Full Thai clinch: don't let go of the contact to get it. Steps of the ladder. Swim your underhook out to get full clinch.
Arm drag: Trace the arm back, punch the hips and no matter what his size grab around at the hip bone. Any further and he can look for the DWL.
DWL: Trace the arm back, rev the wrist and reach over his arm, maybe catching a naughty elbow on his nose on the way over...
This is what can happen to the elbow on the ground if you chose not to tap when in a deep DWL:
Standing neck crank and the magic bones. If he goes low with the Thai clinch or head control you can look for this which at first glance is a guillotine. In fact it is a bloody horrendous neck crank.
His head needs to be at your ribs just under the pec muscle and you want the hairline at the forehead to be on you. Slide your forearm along his jaw bone using the key bones of the arm, the 3-4 inches of ulnar and radius bone from the wrist crease, then go palm to palm. This driving of the forearm will cause the head to turn, as if he is looking across the front of your torso. As you push your hips forward pull the radius bone towards you causing both big pain in the jam but tremendous pressure on the neck.
This is a nice technique to use if you have gone for the choke and he has worked his head out. Even though we were not doing it hard, my neck is still not 'right' almost 3 hours later. If this was done in the heat of combat it really would mess up someone's neck for a long time.
3 Drill with a low and deep stance using any attacks that we remembered. I worked with Dave, Ayyaz and Trist. All felt very different in their feel and attacks. Ayyaz kept nailing me with the throat attack through the centre off the back fist. Trist kept getting deep chops in and Dave was most excellent at controlling my elbows. I found it hard to stay low and deep and my tendency was to raise up with the attacks which straightened the legs, plus it is more taxing on the legs to stay low.
Give and take a shot drill with 2 extra attacks and being balanced in all points of the punching phases.
As last week, left head hook, right head hook, left body shot, right body shot. Notes on these, specifically the body shots - keep the hands up when turning into them to prep the uppercut counter. Keep the hands up.
The extra 2 shots and counters were after the right body shot and he has countered with an uppercut, drop the right shoulder and attack with a left uppercut. He blocks (catching the ball left) and throws a right cross. You roll the shot and drop the left shoulder and attack with a right uppercut. He blocks with his right hand (catching) and attacks with a left hook to the head. You duck under and come up on the outside of his left arm.
Footwork - the 3 basic motions with punches and looking to get fluid and balanced in our motions. 1: Step out and pivot away. 2: step out turn the hips and move perpendicular, 3: retreating in a curve with feet that in my mind were making the noise da-da-da-da-da
Jab and counter jab drill. Range, range, range. Do not step into range and have a jab that lands with a bent arm and you in range for him to attack and not needing to step forward. Tonight the next phase of the jab was throwing with forward footwork but then getting back out of range when you bring the arm back to the protective shell. Don't stay there.
The catch them every time right hand. Jab, jab and regular right hand then every so often step out to the left and commit to what looks like a left hook. Circling under extend the right hand to land. Even though I knew what was coming, it vexed me every time. This was one of those one time only tricks so hopefully no one will read and remember this...
The slight edge and the percentage of messy and working. It is better to train well and with precision so that when we actually spar and fight it will be messy. However if we have trained the techniques well then when it gets messy we have a higher percentage of being successful than if we learn poorly. Poor learning will always equal poor execution.
Inside and outside gate pak sau against the jabs. An elusive boxing drill. I did not get a chance to do this other than in the air. The partner throw jabs and you stay alive with footwork. Martin analogised by saying his glove has dog shit on it and you do not want that glove to touch you. So using alive footwork and the inside and outside gate pak sau you can practise being out of the shitty glove range.
The pummel: addition of detail from previous blog entries, when turning the shoulders for the underhook there is a slight pushing motion with the upper arm and shoulder. This subtle motion adds to moving the partner and affecting his balance. The rear arm is also activated so that the lat muscle is helping to secure his underhook and give it no space to move around.
Half Thai clinch: This was covered a few sessions ago but new details worth mentioning is that as he goes for his underhook you take the back of the head. You still have the underhook on the other side so clasping the shoulder and pivoting with help to to control him. I think we only looked at pivoting one way and that was towards half Thai clinch side.
Full Thai clinch: don't let go of the contact to get it. Steps of the ladder. Swim your underhook out to get full clinch.
Arm drag: Trace the arm back, punch the hips and no matter what his size grab around at the hip bone. Any further and he can look for the DWL.
DWL: Trace the arm back, rev the wrist and reach over his arm, maybe catching a naughty elbow on his nose on the way over...
This is what can happen to the elbow on the ground if you chose not to tap when in a deep DWL:
Standing neck crank and the magic bones. If he goes low with the Thai clinch or head control you can look for this which at first glance is a guillotine. In fact it is a bloody horrendous neck crank.
His head needs to be at your ribs just under the pec muscle and you want the hairline at the forehead to be on you. Slide your forearm along his jaw bone using the key bones of the arm, the 3-4 inches of ulnar and radius bone from the wrist crease, then go palm to palm. This driving of the forearm will cause the head to turn, as if he is looking across the front of your torso. As you push your hips forward pull the radius bone towards you causing both big pain in the jam but tremendous pressure on the neck.
This is a nice technique to use if you have gone for the choke and he has worked his head out. Even though we were not doing it hard, my neck is still not 'right' almost 3 hours later. If this was done in the heat of combat it really would mess up someone's neck for a long time.
3 Drill with a low and deep stance using any attacks that we remembered. I worked with Dave, Ayyaz and Trist. All felt very different in their feel and attacks. Ayyaz kept nailing me with the throat attack through the centre off the back fist. Trist kept getting deep chops in and Dave was most excellent at controlling my elbows. I found it hard to stay low and deep and my tendency was to raise up with the attacks which straightened the legs, plus it is more taxing on the legs to stay low.
Give and take a shot drill with 2 extra attacks and being balanced in all points of the punching phases.
As last week, left head hook, right head hook, left body shot, right body shot. Notes on these, specifically the body shots - keep the hands up when turning into them to prep the uppercut counter. Keep the hands up.
The extra 2 shots and counters were after the right body shot and he has countered with an uppercut, drop the right shoulder and attack with a left uppercut. He blocks (catching the ball left) and throws a right cross. You roll the shot and drop the left shoulder and attack with a right uppercut. He blocks with his right hand (catching) and attacks with a left hook to the head. You duck under and come up on the outside of his left arm.
Footwork - the 3 basic motions with punches and looking to get fluid and balanced in our motions. 1: Step out and pivot away. 2: step out turn the hips and move perpendicular, 3: retreating in a curve with feet that in my mind were making the noise da-da-da-da-da
Jab and counter jab drill. Range, range, range. Do not step into range and have a jab that lands with a bent arm and you in range for him to attack and not needing to step forward. Tonight the next phase of the jab was throwing with forward footwork but then getting back out of range when you bring the arm back to the protective shell. Don't stay there.
The catch them every time right hand. Jab, jab and regular right hand then every so often step out to the left and commit to what looks like a left hook. Circling under extend the right hand to land. Even though I knew what was coming, it vexed me every time. This was one of those one time only tricks so hopefully no one will read and remember this...
The slight edge and the percentage of messy and working. It is better to train well and with precision so that when we actually spar and fight it will be messy. However if we have trained the techniques well then when it gets messy we have a higher percentage of being successful than if we learn poorly. Poor learning will always equal poor execution.
Inside and outside gate pak sau against the jabs. An elusive boxing drill. I did not get a chance to do this other than in the air. The partner throw jabs and you stay alive with footwork. Martin analogised by saying his glove has dog shit on it and you do not want that glove to touch you. So using alive footwork and the inside and outside gate pak sau you can practise being out of the shitty glove range.
Saturday, 22 March 2014
Why don't we ever see 'deadly' martial arts in competition?
Because they don't work and have not been tested.
In the above video a tai chi master does a self defense demo. My issue is not with what he is doing but what he 'attacker' is doing. I will be the first to out my hands up as I bought into this propaganda and thought I was learning a properly effective martial art. After learning lots of forms and some drills I realised that nothing was being tested against non-compliant training partners. The attacks of the training partner are quite unrealistic. His double leg attempt is playground level at best.
That is the beauty of methods like BJJ, MMA, Judo, wrestling etc as you find out very quickly what does and does not work. This will be the beauty of Martin's system when sparring becomes more embedded in our training. We will find our own unique and more importantly honest way of answering the problems and questions our partners ask of us. I know my default answer is clinch, takedown and work on the ground. I am looking forward to years of frustration on my feet so that one day I will be competent on my feet and in all ranges of physical chess.
Anyway, here is a compilation of striking in the early UFC events. Bloody brutal and not much technique = most big guys on the street?
A compilation of UFC and K-1 KOs. 8.11 Cro Cop at his jaw jangling best where precision and technique are the order of the day. Along with a healthy dose of athletic prowess. I used to use a mailing list in the 90's and had all the K-1 fights on VHS. Rarely was there a boring fight.
Finally, here is a wonderfully grainy clip of the King of the Streets in action. I still squeak with nostalgia when I see the foot stomp from the clinch in modern MMA.
In the above video a tai chi master does a self defense demo. My issue is not with what he is doing but what he 'attacker' is doing. I will be the first to out my hands up as I bought into this propaganda and thought I was learning a properly effective martial art. After learning lots of forms and some drills I realised that nothing was being tested against non-compliant training partners. The attacks of the training partner are quite unrealistic. His double leg attempt is playground level at best.
That is the beauty of methods like BJJ, MMA, Judo, wrestling etc as you find out very quickly what does and does not work. This will be the beauty of Martin's system when sparring becomes more embedded in our training. We will find our own unique and more importantly honest way of answering the problems and questions our partners ask of us. I know my default answer is clinch, takedown and work on the ground. I am looking forward to years of frustration on my feet so that one day I will be competent on my feet and in all ranges of physical chess.
Anyway, here is a compilation of striking in the early UFC events. Bloody brutal and not much technique = most big guys on the street?
A compilation of UFC and K-1 KOs. 8.11 Cro Cop at his jaw jangling best where precision and technique are the order of the day. Along with a healthy dose of athletic prowess. I used to use a mailing list in the 90's and had all the K-1 fights on VHS. Rarely was there a boring fight.
Finally, here is a wonderfully grainy clip of the King of the Streets in action. I still squeak with nostalgia when I see the foot stomp from the clinch in modern MMA.
Phantom KO?
http://mmashare.mma44.com/2014/03/koreshkov-vs-burrell.html
This fight was also on the recent Bellator 112 show. At first the ko looks like it came from a body shot. The fighter's reaction to the body shot as you will see is most peculiar; straight and stiff arms. But watch and enjoy how he really got stunned.
This fight was also on the recent Bellator 112 show. At first the ko looks like it came from a body shot. The fighter's reaction to the body shot as you will see is most peculiar; straight and stiff arms. But watch and enjoy how he really got stunned.
Hands up
http://mmashare.mma44.com/2014/03/oropeza-vs-souza.html?m=1
If you keep you hands down then bad things can happen. Frustratingly the Brazilian is not even tired. Sam Oropreza has much better hand discipline and made the other pay.
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
The more busy you are the more chances you have to connect
At about 3.30 mins in he starts to talk about something Martin touched on last night; throwing more attacks than your partner. In this video we also see the coach light sparring and applying this concept. In addition the people he spars with provide their own feedback from the session.
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Class notes: DWL, sparrring and the slightest edge
The pummel. Doing the roll and on occasion looking clasp your hands to get his hips close to yours. You can test his hip distance by simply hugging. Technically one overhook and one underhook. To get the hips away is a two part motions; hips down then back.
Pushing them from the legs into their void. It was during this drill you might find your hips sneaking towards his. Push from the back leg to where his base is weak and not backwards.
Arm drags from the pummel, to get the ¾ position, the DWL (double wrist lock) see the entry from last week. Additions and refinements are when you trace the arm and lead with the underhook there is no need to grab the tricep. It felt like the elbow is against their rib with your bicep up tight to their tricep. Then grab, pass the arm and take the back.
Punch the hips, punch the hips, punch the hips…. (as in the explosive movement and not foolishly and actually punching the hip)
If they resist the DWL, go with their energy and circle it. This feels very tough to explain because as I type I am throwing my head in the direction of the move. Kind of like looking back over your own head. Having this done to you is very disruptive as you think there is an exit only to find yourself in an equal or worse position.
For me, the big thing with the DWL is revving the wrist as part of the initial action. This apparently small motion seems to have a significant impact on the quality of your final technique.
Against an arm drag resister. For the sake of this explanation, my arm drag is taken with my right hand at his left wrist and I am aiming to get around the left hand side of his body for control. If I am trying to arm drag him by taking the inside of his arm he might not let me. In this situation we have linked hands on the same side. Climb to take steps up the ladder. When climbing the ladder there must be no gaps, no chances for him to feel an escape is on the cards. Maintaining press with my right hand, I pass his arm into my left hand and pull him down. The right arm comes under his left upper arm and hugs tight as if you are holding your own left shoulder. Release the wrist (keeping control with the right arm) and wrap his arm with your left by coming over your own arm. This looks like you are hugging his arm with two. Release your right arm and reach around for his far side hip. It does look and flow much smoother than my explanation.
Tristan's arm drags seem to be ok...
3 drill: 5 minutes to look for the arm drag. Then from the outside we looked at a head and arm control. Coming under his arm with what looks like a vertical uppercut, the hand snakes to the back of the head, push the head and lift the elbow causing a lovely head and arm restraint. Make sure the arm you have snaked under is still in control of your other hand.
Gloves on:
Jab and counter jab drill. Points to note were keeping the rear hand up when throwing the counter jab to protect the face. Secondly; head movement, head movement, head movement. Catch that ball.
Give an answer drill. Go to week 2 (64) for the detail in the drill. I labeled it give a shot take a shot in said blog post.
Sparring with Ayyaz: Hands only.
Trying to put the learning into practice: the protective shell, chin to chest, staying protected when attacking, foot work, head movement, range, rolling, discipline in the hands being where they should be.
Whilst I did not land many punches to Ayyaz’s lots I felt like defence was tighter, head movement was happening, trying to relax and let the hands flow. Really good learning experience and look forward to more as our time goes on.
Martin ended the class by talking about the concept of the slightest edge. Essentially make sound choices and good habits. Don’t just turn up and train once a week, but reflect on it, put some practice in at home. Small and almost insignificant habits will have big benefits in time. In my life I am trying to be much more disciplined with my diet. For near on 40 years I thought I could exercise and eat whatever I wanted. But the will be biological payback, nothing is for free. Hopefully I half of my life left, the best half, to have a higher and longer quality of life based on choices I am making now. Things like trying to cut out gluten and switch to brown rice and pasta, changing from your typical ‘man’ protein powder to a plant based one.
An old friend once told me something that stays with me to this day. He always tried really hard to get to training because he said if you miss it, yes you can go again next week but you can’t get that time back. The slightest edge.
Pushing them from the legs into their void. It was during this drill you might find your hips sneaking towards his. Push from the back leg to where his base is weak and not backwards.
Arm drags from the pummel, to get the ¾ position, the DWL (double wrist lock) see the entry from last week. Additions and refinements are when you trace the arm and lead with the underhook there is no need to grab the tricep. It felt like the elbow is against their rib with your bicep up tight to their tricep. Then grab, pass the arm and take the back.
Punch the hips, punch the hips, punch the hips…. (as in the explosive movement and not foolishly and actually punching the hip)
If they resist the DWL, go with their energy and circle it. This feels very tough to explain because as I type I am throwing my head in the direction of the move. Kind of like looking back over your own head. Having this done to you is very disruptive as you think there is an exit only to find yourself in an equal or worse position.
For me, the big thing with the DWL is revving the wrist as part of the initial action. This apparently small motion seems to have a significant impact on the quality of your final technique.
Against an arm drag resister. For the sake of this explanation, my arm drag is taken with my right hand at his left wrist and I am aiming to get around the left hand side of his body for control. If I am trying to arm drag him by taking the inside of his arm he might not let me. In this situation we have linked hands on the same side. Climb to take steps up the ladder. When climbing the ladder there must be no gaps, no chances for him to feel an escape is on the cards. Maintaining press with my right hand, I pass his arm into my left hand and pull him down. The right arm comes under his left upper arm and hugs tight as if you are holding your own left shoulder. Release the wrist (keeping control with the right arm) and wrap his arm with your left by coming over your own arm. This looks like you are hugging his arm with two. Release your right arm and reach around for his far side hip. It does look and flow much smoother than my explanation.
Tristan's arm drags seem to be ok...
3 drill: 5 minutes to look for the arm drag. Then from the outside we looked at a head and arm control. Coming under his arm with what looks like a vertical uppercut, the hand snakes to the back of the head, push the head and lift the elbow causing a lovely head and arm restraint. Make sure the arm you have snaked under is still in control of your other hand.
Gloves on:
Jab and counter jab drill. Points to note were keeping the rear hand up when throwing the counter jab to protect the face. Secondly; head movement, head movement, head movement. Catch that ball.
Give an answer drill. Go to week 2 (64) for the detail in the drill. I labeled it give a shot take a shot in said blog post.
Sparring with Ayyaz: Hands only.
Trying to put the learning into practice: the protective shell, chin to chest, staying protected when attacking, foot work, head movement, range, rolling, discipline in the hands being where they should be.
Whilst I did not land many punches to Ayyaz’s lots I felt like defence was tighter, head movement was happening, trying to relax and let the hands flow. Really good learning experience and look forward to more as our time goes on.
Martin ended the class by talking about the concept of the slightest edge. Essentially make sound choices and good habits. Don’t just turn up and train once a week, but reflect on it, put some practice in at home. Small and almost insignificant habits will have big benefits in time. In my life I am trying to be much more disciplined with my diet. For near on 40 years I thought I could exercise and eat whatever I wanted. But the will be biological payback, nothing is for free. Hopefully I half of my life left, the best half, to have a higher and longer quality of life based on choices I am making now. Things like trying to cut out gluten and switch to brown rice and pasta, changing from your typical ‘man’ protein powder to a plant based one.
An old friend once told me something that stays with me to this day. He always tried really hard to get to training because he said if you miss it, yes you can go again next week but you can’t get that time back. The slightest edge.
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Ground fighting tips
From a Jits perpective, looking forward to learning the CACC perpspective
Ground fighting tips:
Half bottom control (half guard):
Eddie Bravo
• the half guard should be mastered because whether you are a beginner or an advanced player you will find yourself on your back. Once there, trapping your opponent’s legs between your legs in a half guard is much easier than trapping their body in full guard (bottom control).
• When your opponent has you trapped in mount (top control) or side mount (side control), the half guard is only one step away. by hooking one of the opponent’s legs between your legs, you can retain control of the fight.
• From this position you can turn a neutral or weak position into an offensive one.
• Never look at half guard as your opponent is half passed your guard, look at it as you are half way to getting a sweep or taking your opponent’s back.
• Mastering the half guard allows you to be more aggressive in the mount (top control) and side mount (side control) because the fear of getting reversed and placed on your back is gone.
Top control (mount)
• If you guard is dangerous you’ll be more confident on top.
• Take time to work top control. It can be extremely frustrating at first because you are always getting rolled but once you have learned how to establish a good base, the subs will fall into place.
• Head and arm control provides the best balance in top control. If you do not have balance you do not have offense or defense.
• When your opponent rolls beneath you learn how to float on top of him to avoid getting pulled on your back.
• When utilizing downward punches from top control will open up numerous submission possibilities.
Saulo Ribeiro:
Survival
• Always close your elbows. An open elbow is a pathway for armbars, upper body control and poor posture.
• Always prevent the cross face control. If your opponent controls your head he controls the direction of your entire body.
• Never stay flat. A flat body is an immobile body.
• Use your hips and body pendulum to generate power. Your body is a much stronger weapon than your arms alone.
Submissions
• Release your ego and always tap. Tapping prevents injury so you can train tomorrow.
• Never forcefully hold down your opponent. Use his movement to transition to submissions.
• Use strength where it is necessary.
• Learn what is needed for each submission whether it be leverage, angle or movement. Each type of submission has special mechanics.
Ground fighting tips:
Half bottom control (half guard):
Eddie Bravo
• the half guard should be mastered because whether you are a beginner or an advanced player you will find yourself on your back. Once there, trapping your opponent’s legs between your legs in a half guard is much easier than trapping their body in full guard (bottom control).
• When your opponent has you trapped in mount (top control) or side mount (side control), the half guard is only one step away. by hooking one of the opponent’s legs between your legs, you can retain control of the fight.
• From this position you can turn a neutral or weak position into an offensive one.
• Never look at half guard as your opponent is half passed your guard, look at it as you are half way to getting a sweep or taking your opponent’s back.
• Mastering the half guard allows you to be more aggressive in the mount (top control) and side mount (side control) because the fear of getting reversed and placed on your back is gone.
Top control (mount)
• If you guard is dangerous you’ll be more confident on top.
• Take time to work top control. It can be extremely frustrating at first because you are always getting rolled but once you have learned how to establish a good base, the subs will fall into place.
• Head and arm control provides the best balance in top control. If you do not have balance you do not have offense or defense.
• When your opponent rolls beneath you learn how to float on top of him to avoid getting pulled on your back.
• When utilizing downward punches from top control will open up numerous submission possibilities.
Saulo Ribeiro:
Survival
• Always close your elbows. An open elbow is a pathway for armbars, upper body control and poor posture.
• Always prevent the cross face control. If your opponent controls your head he controls the direction of your entire body.
• Never stay flat. A flat body is an immobile body.
• Use your hips and body pendulum to generate power. Your body is a much stronger weapon than your arms alone.
Submissions
• Release your ego and always tap. Tapping prevents injury so you can train tomorrow.
• Never forcefully hold down your opponent. Use his movement to transition to submissions.
• Use strength where it is necessary.
• Learn what is needed for each submission whether it be leverage, angle or movement. Each type of submission has special mechanics.
Yin style training
Here are the links to the tai chi vids of the long form I practise
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Saturday, 15 March 2014
No head shots in fight camp
http://mmajunkie.com/2014/03/video-ufc-171s-johny-hendricks-on-why-he-doesnt-take-head-shots-in-camp/
A really quick and interesting insight into why he does not do head shots in training. Maybe he has a point? I have also read recently that Robbie Lawler has a similar training camp philosophy.
A really quick and interesting insight into why he does not do head shots in training. Maybe he has a point? I have also read recently that Robbie Lawler has a similar training camp philosophy.
Boxing body shot only sparring
Craig and I put the gloves on this morning and went at it in between gymnastics lessons. Helping him get ready for his Amateur MMA bouts in April. In addition I fancied the contact. Not had heavy hands thrown my way for a year now.
With 12oz gloves
With 7oz gloves At about
At the mid 3 minute point he drops me with a lovely liver shot. We need to get hit so we know how out body will react.
With 12oz gloves
With 7oz gloves At about
At the mid 3 minute point he drops me with a lovely liver shot. We need to get hit so we know how out body will react.
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