GJ "Seven Deadly Sins"

Following the warm-up we played two attribute enhancing games:

Steal the Tail

In this game everyone tucks a quarter-folded kimono belt in their pants so that it sticks out like a tail. You then try to pull out everyone else's tail without losing your own. You cannot hold on or use your hands to defend your tail.

Bizarro Dodgeball

Two teams each member numbered. When your number is called your objective is to get the ball to your side without getting tagged by your opponent. If you get the ball and yourself to your wall your team gets 1 point. If your opponent tags you after you have touched the ball or forces your to tag the ball while remaining in contact with you, their team gets a point. The last person to touch the ball is "it" that is a subsequent tag by their opponent scores against the person who touched the ball last.

We then did an MMA Circuit Training Round with people doing 1 minute of each "half" of a station and then rotating to the next station, that is each station was 2 minutes split into 1 minute rounds:

• 5 push-ups hold for 15 sec / Overhead medicine dribble off the wall
  
• G & P Dummy side mount: 3 knees-3 punches-switch sides / shadow boxing
  
• Shadowboxing for 2 minutes
  
• G & P Dummy full mount: 3 punches / shadow boxing
  
• Snatch and suplex 70 lbs. throw dummy / reset dummy for partner
  
• Shadowboxing for 2 minutes

Next we worked into 3 minute rounds of boxing and muay thai:

1. Basic boxing review (juniors)
   

   1, Double, Triple, 2, 3, 3 Cross, Double to Cross, 1 Double Cross, etc.
   

   Four count review (seniors)
   

   Standard
   

   Knee
   

   Tiip (first kick tiip, second regular kick)
   

   Tiip-knee (first kick tiip, second regular knee)

2. Punch kick combinations (juniors)
   

   "1 Kick" -- Jab, rear kick
   

   "2 Kick" -- Jab, cross, lead kick
   

   "Kick cross" -- Lead kick, cross
   

   Four count game development (seniors)
   

   Taking 2-3 of the fighter's favorite 4 count combinations the holder should feed those as well as simple combinations and trick plays that interact well with them. For example I like tiip and opening with lead leg kicks thus standard combinations 1, 3, and tiip version 1. This choice of favorites plays well with tiip kick, "Fundamental", kick cross, jab kick, and trick plays such as fake tiip and fake lead kick to cross. During the development of this game don't forget staples like 1, 2, 3 (cross) and 4 (cross).

3. Boxing body movement development (all)
   

   The "Tim": Jab-cross-lead hook-cross-bob and weave (lead hook) (with lead body hook)-cross-lead hook-bob and weave (rear hook) (with rear body hook)-lead hook-cross
   

   The "Mike": Jab-cross-lead hook-rear upper cut-lead upper cut-rear hook

Fighting is often, counter intuitively, said to be 90% mental and 10% physical. In other words, its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. Many times a physically and technically superior fighter loses to the one with a better mindset. Without the mental component, upsets wouldn't happen and physically phenomenal fighters wouldn't falter before their peak. On way to look at this is with the (Judeochristian) Seven Deadly Sins, reapplied to combat sports:

1. Anger
   

   "Fear leads to hate, hate leads to anger, anger leads to the Dark Side" -- Osensei Yoda
   

   Anger is a powerful tool and can be a strong weapon, but it is blunt, inexact and terrible. An angry fighter is sloppy, expends energy inefficiently, and is stiff were they should be relaxed. Combat sports is a game that you must enter with a clear head not with a red mist in front of your eyes. Yes aggression is vital but it must be controlled, a raging inferno that you can shut on and off in a split second.

2. Envy
   

   In practice, you are only competing with yourself. Your coach is there to help and guide you but we don't get disappointed with you if you're not perfect all the time. Strive for improvement not perfection, that is 1% better every day not an unchanged 100% of yesterday. To often we worry about the abilities of others rather than not worrying about anything at all and enjoying the practice. In the end it doesn't matter what someone else's martial arts journey is but what your own path will be.

3. Gluttony
   

   Winning in practice doesn't count. Too often "fighters" rack up victories in a fake arena, that of their own gym. We learn by failure and by mistake, we grow from this and become greater than the broken pieces of "defeat". If you are satisfying your ego by beating everyone less physical and experienced than yourself and not challenging your abilities on the mat, in the ring or in a cage, you are fooling yourself and your estimate of your talent falls far short of excellence.

4. Greed

   Look for a small growth everyday, don't begrudge an injury or a slump, and always know when discretion is the better part of valor.

5. Lust
   

   Love what you do, don't lust for it. Victories, ranking and glory are temporary. Experiences, wisdom, and nostalgic anecdotes are what compose a life. To often we praise the recent victor and then abandon them when they falter. Fighting is a relationship not a bloody one night stand. We must love our art and train our sport but never forget that the ideal does not come from winning the bad fight or losing the good but the effort and intention of the attempt.

6. Pride
   

   Many fighters want to prove a point when they fight not just win the fight. They want to showcase skills or show up detractors. Thus they will fight a technically brilliant battle only to lose the war. For example, last night in UFC 58, BJ Penn out struck George "Rush" St. Pierre, but lost because St. Pierre showed superior ring control and takedowns. BJ could have out grappled and submitted St. Pierre but in combatative arrogance wanted to show the world a jiu-jitsu fighter could out strike a striker.

7. Sloth
   

   "Champ or chump, train for a fight" -- Shonie Carter
   

   Competition takes determination and "coachability". Laziness in preparation for a match or fight means only one thing laziness in the ring. Even in practice underestimating a partner and getting lazy can at best lead to an inadvertent scramble and at worst injury to yourself. We need not be actively preparing for fights at all time, but we must at a minimum instill a mental energy and spirit into our daily practice.