JKD & BJJ "The hardest part about training is denying myself apple strudel"

I love Entenmann's Old Fashioned Apple Strudel and I've done so since I was a little kid. It never fails that as soon as I'm on my competition diet and training I'll run into apple strudel at the store. After practice tonight I swung by the store for some dinner and breakfast. There it was. Just sitting there, giving me a come hither look, seducing me with its sugary, applely goodness. I went over and I looked at it, caressing the white box with my eyes, dreaming of apple filling. A long minute passed, as sweat gathered on my brow, and I turned dragging myself away with halting steps. I'm not training for a tournament, I'm training to earn my strudel.
Tonight I worked some boxing focus mitt rounds. I feel sluggish but that is most likely and effect of being on the other side of the mitts for the first time in a while. For the BJJ portion of practice we worked a useful flow pattern:

Angled Cross Collar Choke

Insert one hand cross collar. Post one foot in the same side hip to off angle as the other "bites down" with the calf across the shoulders. The free hand comes over the top grabbing the fold of the kimono for the choke.

Straight Armbar

To defend the choke most people make posture, extending the arms. Thus switch to a straight arm bar by throwing the foot in the hip over the head and sliding your arms down to control your partner's arm. Squeeze the knees, pull the feet to your butt, and extend the hips.

Sweep to Armbar

In defense of the armbar your partner attempts to stack you. Reach the cross hand to the armbar and catch under the thigh. Extend your legs while lifting with the thigh with your hand and sweep them unto their back. Finish the armbar as above.

Triangle / Oma Plata

Your partner turns their thumb superiorly and bends the arm. Now they follow this direction by walking (not jumping) their legs away aligning with your central axis as they turn over from supine to a prone position. As they do so you can pick up either the triangle or the oma plata

We also did two reactions to triangle defense:

"Hot Model"

Your opponent is caught in your triangle and stays squared with you, attempting to look up and create posture (the infamous "Look to Jesus" maneuver -- the Hoosier Open was held in a Catholic High School Gym there was a large cross high on the wall). As they do this they will protect their neck but extend their arm. Quickly open the triangle and use the leg on the same side as the arm within the triangle, cross it over your other leg...just like a hot model would.

Extension Shift Sweep

Again your opponent is caught in your triangle and stays squared with you, but this time they stack you. Extend your legs and then pivot in the direction the triangled arm is pointed (away from the shoulder within the triangle), underhook the same side leg and lift, sweeping them to the cross body armbar.

I rolled a bit after practice, exclusively with people that competed this weekend and have some comments on that:

1. Always come out ahead

   Regardless of whether you win or lose this is supposed to be a fun activity. So if you won great, enjoy your moment and try to learn something. If you lost, well the other competitor was better for those brief minutes on the mat, take this experience and grow from it. In any case regardless of the outcome, come out ahead.

2. Lower body > Upper body
   

   Sorry guys but despite your prodigious bench pressing workouts your lower body will always be stronger than your upper body. This is the primary reason to use the lower body. Secondly, gibbon factor aside your legs are longer than your arms and are more able to create space for you to escape. Thus when your are in positions that limit your upper body's strength, e.g. when fully or side mounted, the use of your legs becomes vital to escape.
   The bridge and roll is a fundamental escape from the full mount position. In it you first bridge up and then your roll, hence the name. It is not just a roll, a roll leads to your back being taken. By bridging first you lift your opponent so that they lose contact with the mat and use this displacement to turn them over. To counter the displacement they must extend a leg, creating the shrimp escape.
   An excellent way to train the bridge and roll is to do it slowly while escaping. If your slow, methodical lifting of the hips and the rolling over works, when you do it explosively it will work as well. Also don't hang your hat on one escape, have a Plan A, but also B, C, D, E, and F (as in f*cked).
   Another important use of the lower body is escaping the side mount. Your opponent has most control of the side nearest them and of your upper body. Thus shrimping away from them creates space which allows you to either turn over and go to four points or put them back into the guard. The key though is to first bridge to allow your lower body the maximum amount of vertical clearance that allows for the maximal amount of horizontal coverage. That is, lift your hips up and then away from your opponent, before trying to get them into guard or switching to four points.

3. Underhook
   

   The underhook has been discussed briefly in the past but may need a little more commentary. Jeremy Horn predicates much of both his stand-up wrestling and grappling game on underhooks with good reason, in the offense-defense or balanced positions where neither fighter has the advantage the fighter who obtains the underhook typically has control of the situation. Thus from standing wrestling, e.g. the takedown phase, to top or bottom position in the guard or half-guard the underhook can be a powerful leverage tool for takedowns, submissions, sweeps, and escapes.
   The simplest of all of these is as an opponent passes your guard into half-guard, establish your underhook on the same side as the lateral (outside) leg of your half-guard. Use this to escape out the back door and access the back or threaten this to reestablish guard or sweep if you know how.
   Excellent drills for this are pummeling to double unders and the half-guard underhook pummeling drill.

4. Base
   

   Your center of mass (COM) dictates where you go. Torque is defined as force x distance, and a person can exert greater force the closer they are to you. Thus, the closer and higher above your opponent's COM the easier it is to move you be it a throw or a sweep. Closer means an easier time exerting force on you as more proximal muscles can be recruited while higher means less effort is needed to lift and upset your balance. Thus keeping a good base means

   1. Keeping your COM either distant from your opponent's such as when you stand and pull their legs flat before passing and dropping your COM in low, or
      
   2. Keeping your COM on or below level with your opponent's such as when you pass by sprawling on the legs.

   Low COM is accomplished by keeping the butt low by attempting to drive your hips through the mat. Distant COM is achieved by extending your opponent as much as possible at their points of engagement with you.

I finished with 3 x 3 minute rounds on the thai pads with Jeff, I'm looking for speed not power, but have a stutter step before initiating kicks. I'll have to trim this in the next few days. I finished with a 3 minute cardio round designed by Jeff:

• 30 sec pitterpat
  
• 30 sec alternating kicks
  
• 15 sec jumper squats
  
• 15 sec push-ups
  
• 30 sec knees
  
• 30 sec pitterpat
  
• 30 sec knees

Cutting Weight

DISCLAIMER: Cutting weight is dangerous and detrimental to your health. Do so at your own risk!

Every few weeks I hear people discuss or read on-line about cutting weight for a tournament or fight. Cutting weight is a necessary evil of combat sports when weigh-ins are done a significant amount of time, e.g. 6-25 hours, before the event. Combat sports are a fight-game thus rules based on experience level and size that would never be considered in a self-defense fight are exploited to their utmost. That is, how can I be the biggest I can be in the weight class without losing strength, speed, and stamina.
Cutting weight must be considered weeks in advance as part of the game plan for the event. The body is a self-contained system:

Change in body weight = Caloric intake - Energy expenditure ± Hydration status
Caloric intake is the amount of calories your consume by eating and drinking while energy expenditure is the quantity of calories burned off by your basal metabolic rate plus exercise. Hydration status is how much water you have on board.
Caloric intake and energy expenditure are the longer term weight control and body composition controls, that is diet and exercise control body weight. If you eat less you will lose weight, just look at people from countries that suffer drought and famine. If you exercise more you will lose weight, just look marathon runners. If you eat more and have a sedentary lifestyle you will gain weight, one of the contributing factors to the obesity epidemic in the US. If you strategically eat and exercise more you will gain weight, the masters of this being bodybuilders.
Hydration status is short term control. If you drink a liter of water in the next five minutes you will gain weight, over the next hour this water will be absorbed by the gut and spread throughout the body. The kidneys will excrete none, some, or all of this water depending on your volume status or level of hydration. Thus for the next hour you will weigh more than you did the hour before. You can not remain dehydrate or over hydrated for too long and the more toward the extremes you get the shorter time you have at that volume status before overwhelming your body's feedback control loops and earning yourself a trip to the hospital and even possibly the morgue.
Thus when planning weight cutting for an event the first step is diet and exercise. Two useful resources for diet are "The South Beach Diet : The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss" (Arthur Agatston) and "The Paleo Diet for Athletes : A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance" (Loren Cordain, Joe Friel). The South Beach Diet has to be slightly modified, because the carbohydrate load is a little low for a performance athlete. Other resources are certain chapters from "The Team Renzo Gracie Workout: Training for Warriors" (Martin Rooney) and The Athletic Edge is Performance Eating, Part I and Part II. The basic summary from these sources is this: unprocessed is more desirable than processed, but performance athletes need a little extra. The ideal dietary composition is

Protein

In the form of lean meats, fish, nuts, eggs, and whey protein powder. The maintenance load for protein is approximately 1 g protein/kg body weight (0.078 oz/lbs) while an anabolic load is approximately 2 g/kg (0.15 oz/lbs). Thus:

Body Weight (lbs.)	Maintenance Protein (oz.)	Anabolic Protein (oz.)
100	8	16
150	12	24
200	15	30

Fats

In the form of fish, flax, and virgin olive oils. As a round number 30% of your calories should come from fats, recall that there are 10 kcal/g (283 kcal/oz) of fat.

Carbohydrates

Fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole legumes. No processing means no sodas, juices, or breads! About 50% of your calories should come from carbohydrates, with 3.4 kcal/g (96.3 kcal/oz).

The real basic way to do this is by shopping along the edges of the grocery store and not the middle. The middle aisles typically hold all the processed stuff while the perimeter does not. For performance athletes there are essentially two ways to "diet":

1. Cutting carbohydrate caloric load by 5%, or
   
2. Increasing water intake and eating several small meals throughout the day.

In either case you reducing caloric intake while maintaining or increasing exercise load. Increased exercise load is dually beneficial as it both increases conditioning while dropping weight, as long as the caloric load is not inadvertently increased with it. Cardiovascular activities such as running or walking have the greatest "bang for your buck", and can be as simple as running, walking, or biking to school or work, taking the stairs versus the elevator, or parking in the farthest lot.

Enough of this smart way to make weight, we need desperate measures and that calls for changes in hydration status, specifically dehydration. Dehydrating yourself is by nature dangerous and detrimental, but can be advantageous if you do so reasonably and rehydrate correctly. Basically a healthy person can dehydrate themselves about 5% and still be able to rehydrate themselves safely with oral rehydration solutions (ORS) of carbohydrates, sodium, and potassium diluted in water ("Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide 6th edition" (McGraw-Hill Professional)). Yes some rare and insanely gifted athletes, like Joe "Diesel" Riggs, can cut a great deal more than this, but us mere mortals must be content with 5%. Thus:

Body Weight (lbs.)	Amount of "Cuttable" Weight (lbs.)	Maintenance Fluids (cc)	Replacement Fluids (cc)	Rehydration Rate (L/hr) over 12 hours
100	5	1760	2270	~1/3
150	7.5	1980	3410	~1/2
200	10	2210	4550	~3/5

The table shows the 5% dehydration weight loss limits for 100, 150 and 200 pounders, the maintenance fluids or fluid volume that needs to be replaced daily due to breathing, sweating, and voiding ("Current Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment (Current Surgical Diagnosis and Treatment)" (Gerard M. Doherty)), replacement fluids or the fluid volume lost as weight by dehydration, and the rate over 12 hours that these fluids need to be replaced.
According to many weight cutting competitive athletes a period of increased hydration before holding fluids makes the dehydration process easier ("The Team Renzo Gracie Workout: Training for Warriors" (Martin Rooney)). This increased hydration causes an endocrinological change in levels of renin and anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) that makes your kidneys excrete more water, since the hormonal axis is relatively sluggish the taper and sudden decrease in water the day before the event fools your body into excreting more water leading to greater weight loss. Thus the week of your event increase your water intake and the day before taper so that you are consuming minimal to no fluids the day of weigh ins. You will still want to eat, but do so sparingly using a meal replacement bar.
The easiest way to cut weight is to sweat with minimal energy expenditure. You need a high core temperature to promote and keep sweating. You could continually exercise for hours but this would make you tired and sore for competition (I have run for an hour before to make weight, this is not fun the next day). I've found that a warm-up wearing a sweat suit and hat gets the sweat easily started. Then I usually hit the sauna until the sweat flows freely. At this point I strip down and begin using a credit card to scrape sweat from my body. This circumvents the body's ability to cool itself by perspiring and forces it to produce more sweat. Do not stay in the sauna for extended periods, you can leave and your body will continue to perspire. You can also build up a sweat and then use a jacuzzi or warm shower to keep the sweat going.If you become nauseated, dizzy, stop sweating, confused or faint stop cutting weight and seek medical attention.
After making weight ORS must be started immediately but slowly. ORS tastes like slightly bitter salt water not exactly what one craves after sweating off a lot of water. Unfortunately research has shown that sport drinks, juices, and plain water are not suitable for efficient ORS. Here are four methods of ORS:

1. Off the shelf plain or flavored Pedialyte (comes in 1 L bottles).
   
   
2. Home-made ORS A (schoolnurse.com):
   • 1 L boiling water
     
   • 1 cup orange juice
     
   • 8 teaspoons sugar
     
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
     
   • 3/4 teaspoon salt
     
   • Mix thoroughly
   
   
3. Home-made ORS B + eating 2 oranges or 1/2 banana:
   • 1 L boiling water
     
   • 8 teaspoons sugar
     
   • 1 teaspoon baking soda
     
   • 3/4 teaspoon salt
     
   • Mix thoroughly then hang 2 decaffeinated or herbal tea bags and let seep for 3-5 minutes
   
   
4. Using 33.8 oz of chicken broth to make chicken soup + eating 2 oranges or 1/2 banana

I would also recommend supplementing with a multivitamin and of course resume eating a series (of which chicken soup could be one of) meals to replenish and load energy stores for the next day. Rehydration can continue up until the event, don't stop just because its a new day after weigh ins. Keep ORS by the bedside and with you the following day.
This discussion would not be complete without mentioning diuretics and laxatives. Personally as foolish as cutting weight already is the addition of diuretic and laxative medications is ludicrous. Their effectives are extremely hard to predict and regulate to one strategic portion of the day, so most likely they will be a detrimental effect on your day of competition rather than a beneficial one for cutting weight. They are potentially life threatening and effect much more sudden changes than the methods described above. For these reasons they are also illegal in most amateur competitions. I do not use them and strongly recommend anyone from doing so.

GJ If I'm NOT going to run from a fight, why do I train hill sprints?

Shielded Striking
The tactic of shielded striking can be useful against a strong counter puncher. Thus a tactic for every time you try to start a punch combination they use this opening to hit you. There are four keys to shielded striking: Minimal initiation -- Do not telegraph, explode into the strike without hesitation or excess motion prior to the strike. Linear punching -- Punch straight down the pipe, imagine a laser sight connecting your fist to the target. Pre-emptive covering -- The punching side shoulder rolls up to meet the settling and tucking of the head while the other side rises to half cover, narrowing the exposed target of your head. Rapid recovery -- After the shot has landed, do not wait for the effect or the picture to be taken. The hand must explosively retract for defense while the combination, that is the initiation of same hand, other hand, kick or knee, continues.
The more desirable method of shielded striking using, minimal initiation, linear punching, pre-emptive covering, and rapid recovery.
The more you telegraph, hook the punch, allow the "defensive" arm to drift, and the slower the recovery the more likely you are to get hit.

The competitors started early jogging up to a local hill we started with 5 minutes with four stations:

1. Shadowboxing
   
2. Uphill sprint
   
3. Push-ups
   
4. Downhill jog

We then tried a modified Tabata protocol with staggered runners doing 30 seconds on the hill and 15 second rest. It turned into a continues sprint which rapidly degenerated into a jog. It was brutal in any case. We jogged back to the house and then started with lower body conditioning 10 minutes on the thai pads, 5 kicks each side. We then did upper body conditioning with 30 second rounds of:

• Side A: Pitterpat
  
• Side A: Low pitterpat to abdomen
  
• Side B: Pitterpat
  
• Side B: Low pitterpat to abdomen
  
• Side A: Pitterpat
  
• Side A: Low pitterpat to abdomen
  
• Side B: Pitterpat
  
• Side B: Low pitterpat to abdomen
  
• Side A: Pitterpat
  
• Sides A & B: Side-plank push-ups
  
• Side B: Pitterpat
  
• Sides A & B: Side-plank push-ups
  
• Side A: Pitterpat
  
• Sides A & B: Cover push-ups (Push-up and in the extended position quickly cover one side, do another push-up cover the other side)
  
• Side B: Pitterpat
  
• Sides A & B: Cover push-ups
  
• Side A: Hook pitterpat
  
• Side B: Hook pitterpat
  
• Side A: Hook pitterpat
  
• Side B: Hook pitterpat

For our core we worked 2 minutes shadowboxing from a legs flat, shoulders of floor position with 1-2-4-8-16 sit-ups. We finished with 1 minute shadowboxing from the V-sit position. Our thai pad rounds reviewed the provoked reaction concept:

1. Jab provoked reaction

   "Jab reaction jab" -- 1-catch (jab)-C-LH-C
   

   "Jab reaction cross" -- 1-high cover (C)-C-LH-C
   

   "Cross reaction hook" -- C-side cover (LH)-C-LH-C
   

   "Cross reaction hook" -- C-bob n' weave (LH) w/ LH-C-LH(-C)
   

   "Cross reaction cross" -- 1-high cover (C)-C-LH-C

2. Kick provoked reaction

   "Kick reaction cross" -- L/RK-high cover (C)-C-LH-C
   

   "Kick reaction hook" -- L/RK-side cover (LH)-C-LH-C

3. Forced range drill

   We worked from three artificial ranges, simulating the mobility and variability of a real fight. The feeder forces reaction by the "nature" of the combination, e.g. 2-knee would bring the fighter from long to close range while 3 knees push to C-H-C would change from close to medium.
   

   "Long" -- The outside range where one must first close to strike and then reopen to prevent counter attack.
   

   "Medium" -- The "stay n' play" range where a fighter must remain busy as they are within the range where trading occurs. Feeding here is rapid and continuous but this range serves as a transition zone between the clinching and long range kick boxing (see No Man's Land)
   

   "Close" -- Plum position, throwing knees and controlling your partner.

Four basic ways of doing the CorkscrewTM evolved by a combination of which "triangle" is formed by stepping either foot and by whether you are closing (e.g. short punches, clinching, takedowns) or opening (e.g. long punches, kicks). The diagram is exaggerated in its specificity, the open or close is simply a range modification of the angling accomplished by corkscrewing.

Next we worked on using punch-kick combinations to set-up the angle for the kick:

1. 1-Kick (anterior)

   Using a lead open corkscrew, that is, step anteriorly at a 45^o angle using the lead foot with the jab, opening up your opponent's body for the rear kick. This is easier than the posterior version detailed next but is higher risk putting you into the line of your opponent's power hand.

2. 1-Kick (posterior)

   With a rear open corkscrew, that is, step anteriorly at a 45^o angle with the jab while stepping with the rear foot, bring your original lead to your foot and pivot, setting up the rear leg kick to the posterior side of the thigh, kidneys or head. This is lower risk and safer but requires greater coordination than the anterior version.

3. 2-Kick (posterior)

   Use a rear open corkscrew off the cross. Step anteriorly at a 45^o angle with the cross while stepping with the rear foot, setting up the lead leg kick to the anterior side of your opponent. This will decrease the power of the cross but protects you by moving to the weaker side of your opponent and opens posterior targets on them.

4. 2-Kick (anterior)

   Using a lead open corkscrew off the cross. Step anteriorly at a 45^o angle with the lead foot during the cross while stepping with the lead foot, pivot bringing your rear foot to the lead foot, setting up the lead leg kick to the anterior side of your opponent. This opens the your cross line as you shift your power side to your opponents midline and allows you to attack the rear leg. However this also increases your exposure you to their power weapons

We finished with a few rounds of knee play.

2006 Hoosier Open

I'm off to compete and coach at the 2006 Hoosier Open.

GJ Provoked Reaction

We warmed-up with dynamic stretching and then did some conditioning rounds:

Upper Body

Push-up ladder with shadowboxing

1. 1 push-up shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
2. 2 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
3. 4 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
4. 8 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
5. 16 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
6. 32 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
7. 16 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
8. 8 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
9. 4 push-ups shadowbox remaining 20 seconds
   
10. As many push-ups as you can do in 20 seconds

Lower Body

Thai Kick-Sprawl ladder, 1 minute each round

1. 1 Kick Sprawl
   
2. 2 Kicks Sprawl
   
3. 3 Kicks Sprawl
   
4. 4 Kicks Sprawl
   
5. 5 Kicks Sprawl
   
6. 1 Head Kick Sprawl

Core

Three minute round of

1. Three sit-ups feet to the ceiling
   
2. Shamrock stand-up
   
3. LH-RH-LH
   
4. Hug your partner and pivot 180^o
   
5. Three leg raises feet to the ceiling
   
6. Shamrock stand-up
   
7. RH-LH-RH
   
8. Hug your partner and pivot 180^o, repeat from top

Next we worked three rounds of provoked reaction. The idea here is two-fold:

1. By initiating certain actions we generate or provoke certain reactions that set us up as a counterstriker, and
   
2. By breaking the reaction down into the one step before the reaction phase we learn more about how to react.

Thus the provoked reaction drills:

1. Jab provoked reaction

   "Jab reaction jab" -- 1-catch (jab)-C-LH-C
   

   "Jab reaction cross" -- 1-high cover (C)-C-LH-C

2. Cross provoked reaction

   "Cross reaction hook" -- C-side cover (LH)-C-LH-C
   

   "Cross reaction hook" -- C-bob n' weave (LH) w/ LH-C-LH(-C)
   

   "Cross reaction cross" -- 1-high cover (C)-C-LH-C

3. Hook provoked reaction

   "Hook reaction cross" -- LH-high cover (C)-C-LH-C
   

   "Hook reaction hook" -- LH-side cover (LH)-C-LH-C
   

   "Hook reaction uppercut" -- LH-lead cover (RU)-C-LH-C

We finished with a three minute conditioning round incorporating pitter pat to "fall, sprawl, and follow" switching about halfway through to 10 punches from mount, bridge and rolled to 10 punches from guard then hip bump back.
I worked two more technical drills incorporating the jab as an offensive tool:

Jab to provoke the shot

In this drill the fighter punched to a posteriorly held focus mitt, as soon as they landed that jab, the feeder tried to tap their knee and they sprawled. This simulates using the jab offensively and having the opponent shoot off this entrance and trains the appropriate sprawl reaction.

Jab mobility

This time we worked on increasing the fighters mobility for closing and opening range. The holder pops a focus mitt and as soon as the fighter lands the shot, the holder swings through (slowly) with a light or foam stick. The fighter must clear the stick without being hit. Although unrealistic in the range demands it forces the fighter to be light and quick on their feet.
We finished by rolling 3 x 4 minute light grappling rounds.

GJ "I sold my soul for cardio"

For warm-up we started with 10 minutes of alternating kicks, 5 each side with a partner using the thai pads. At the 8, 6, and 4 minute marks we threw them at head height. A the final 2 minute mark we threw two kicks, first low then high. The round finished with alternating kicks. For the upper body we did 30 second rounds of:

• One side pitterpat
  
• Other side pitterpat
  
• One side pitterpat
  
• Other side pitterpat
  
• One side advance-retreats (pitterpat while moving forward or backward)
  
• Other side advance-retreats
  
• Both sides push-ups
  
• One side pitterpat
  
• Both sides push-ups
  
• Other side pitterpat
  
• Both sides shadowbox
  
• Both sides side plank push-ups
  
• Both sides shadowbox
  
• Both sides side plank push-ups
  
• One side pitterpat
  
• Other side pitterpat

Next we did our core warm-up:

• 30 secs pitter pat with shoulders floating off floor
  
• 30 secs as holder
  
• 30 secs sit-up two straight punches
  
• 30 secs as holder
  
• 30 secs sit-up two hooks
  
• 30 secs as holder
  
• 30 secs pitter pat from V-position (modified from a drill I saw in a TKD class)
  
• 30 secs as holder
  
• 30 secs alternating iron cross
  
• 30 secs rest
  
• 30 secs punching Superman (on belly float arms and legs off floor and punch along floor)
  
• 30 secs rest
  
• 30 secs climbing down wall into gymnastic bridge and climbing up again (do not use wall if able)
  
• 30 secs rest
  
• 30 secs neck bridge
  
• 30 secs rest

We then transitioned into thai rounds

Two strike combos

We started with two-strike combinations, emphasizing the basics of muay thai and the application of the combination in its simplest form:

• Double
  
• 2
  
• C-LH
  
• LH-C
  
• Body hook-head hook
  
• C/O-LU
  
• LU-C/O
  
• 1-Knee/Kick
  
• Knee/Kick-C
  
• C-Knee/Kick
  
• LH-Knee/Kick
  
• Knee/Kick-LH

Two strike combo sets

This round we used the two strike combos practiced above and started doing two sets of them. The holder called the first set and then called the second either before, during or after the first set. The holder could initiate reaction (C-H-C) either after the first set or second. Thus the fighter is given a texture more like that of a real fight. The more supertentorial (higher brain) processing performed the more difficult it is to initiate and react. Its also a method to break down more complex combinations and develop new unorthodox set-ups.

Stay-n-play / chained reactions

In this round the fighter started closer in a reaction situation where they continued to pick-up high, side, body lead, body rear, and leg covers followed by the appropriate reactive response. After several repetitions the fighter was told to clear the area and had to do so when they felt comfortable that they would not get caught. The holder would feed some longer range offense before returning to the chained reactions. The goal here was to train strong offense for the "trading" situation and to show how difficult it is to continually stay in the inside range.

The people competing this weekend at the Hoosier Open did some gi rounds while everyone else did some throws and submissions with Bart.

JKD & BJJ Number of the Beast

Today in JKD we worked on knife passing, picking up angles 1 and 2 with the cross forearm and then guiding it down and across before switching off to the other arm. If they check your passing arm to re-attack on the angle 1 use the same hand side to check it and then reset with the cross hand. We then did some knife sparring.
For BJJ we worked on escaping the rear mount by keeping the elbows tight and forearms crossed, slide inferiorly and use your elbow to lift one hook while simultaneously kicking out with the same side leg, now spin toward the hook side and smother the leg. Pass the half-guard. A similar escape can be done if your partner tries to rear mount from the turtle position. Use the elbows and slide away while rolling, ending in the half-guard position.
Next we went through the rear mount choke arsenal:

Mata Leao (rear naked choke)

Slide one hand along the "negative air space" inferior to the chin. This should make your arm a tight fit along the neck, with your elbow over the larynx. Your shoulder should be at one ear and your hand at the other. Grab the biceps of your free hand and tuck this hand posterior to the base of the skull.

Clock Choke

Over-under position, under hand opens kimono and feeds to over hand, creating tight fit. Switch under hand to opposite lapel. The arms cross each other and sweep away, cinching the lapels across the carotids arteries and jugular veins. Pull posteriorly at an angle to prevent your opponent from lying on you.

Chicken Wing Choke

Do the Clock Choke set-up but this time your opponent pulls the other lapel away so that you cannot use it. The under hook arm goes laterally before plunging posteriorly behind the head. Push this hand forward as you draw the person backward with the lapel.

Spin to Side Choke

From the rear mount control the opposite lapel over the shoulder and the opposite knee. Pull, spinning your opponent so that they are perpendicular to you. Pull the collar while extending the leg anterior to your opponent. Since the tree trunk Jeff calls a neck doesn't feel this choke, I needed to increase the pressure, thus sneak your other shin across the near side of the neck.

I picked up an interesting submission today that I hope to work on in the future. I set up a rear cross body crucifix and then worked in the Chicken Wing. I then let the far arm go, and pulled my inferior leg through to the other side of my partner's body. Since he was pulling down on my arm to stop the choke I looped this leg in for a triangle. Dunno if it'll ever work again but I enjoy setting stuff up from the crucifix position.

GJ Close and Open Corkscrews

I started training with the Thai 10 minutes which is done on a heavy bag five kicks on one side and then five kicks on the other...for 10 minutes. Then I switched to 1 minute of jabs, crosses, lead hooks, and rear hooks. And then repeated and finished with 1 minute of pitterpat.
Joe and I then "warmed-up" with:

Upper Body

30 secs pitterpat

30 secs side plank push-ups -- Do a regular push-up and at the top transition into side plank on one side, return to push-up position, do another push-up and side-plank to the other side.

Repeat for a total of 3 minutes

Lower Body

30 secs 3 kicks w/o repost -- throw one low kick to bag and then without touching floor throw one to the middle and then one to the top

30 secs alternating pistols (one legged squats) ("The Naked Warrior" (Pavel Tsatsouline))

Repeat for a total of 3 minutes

Core

30 secs pitter pat with shoulders floating off floor

30 secs as holder

30 secs sit-up two straight punches

30 secs as holder

30 secs sit-up two hooks

30 secs as holder

30 secs pitter pat from V-position (modified from a drill I saw in a TKD class)

30 secs as holder

30 secs alternating iron cross

Next we worked on emotional climate training (go to Martial Arts Videos) for the lead inside kick and lead hook. I reaffirmed the value of the telephone position for the rear hand.
Following ECT we worked on transitions from knee play. One side wore shin pads while the feeder wore BTS High Gear Helmet. If the knee play broke the fighter tried to kick the helmeted feeder in the head. Transitions are one of the key under trained areas of combat sports. If you can beat them on the transitions you can win the fight, that is while your opponent is focused on what just happened you are focusing on what is happening now. The gym is the laboratory where we experiment with our skills, numerous trials both successful and less than successful breed winning experience. Experience you will need in your thesis defense -- the fight.
We did a few rounds of boxing timing and then worked on some pad rounds. I worked Joe on using his body's defensive body motion, that is slipping, bobbing, and weaving to set-up his offense. For example:

1. Bob the jab-lead hook-close corkscrew cross-lead hook-cross
   
2. Bob the jab-lead hook-open corkscrew rear kick-lead hook
   
3. Bob the cross-rear hook-close corkscrew lead hook-cross-lead hook
   
4. Bob the cross-rear hook-open corkscrew lead hook-rear kick
   
5. Duck the jab-jab-rear uppercut-lead hook
   
6. Duck the cross-cross-lead uppercut-jin rear kick

The Corkscrew^TM is the the pivot step used to set-up angles, this is beneficial for two reasons

1. It makes it harder for your opponent to defend, the Corkscrew attacks at an off-angle where they are weakest
   
2. It makes it harder for your opponent to react, since you have reduced the number of weapons they can hit you with

The Close Corkscrew is a tight pivot ideal for takedowns, clinching, and "dirty boxing", and maximizes the the first reason for the Corkscrew -- strong offense. The Open Corkscrew is a loose pivot followed by a retreat step to allow for longer range punches and kicks, this maximizes the second reason for the Corkscrew -- strong defense.

JKD & BJJ Jeff Explains the Kimura

I apologize to my faithful readers for being in absentia but life forced a little holiday from my blogging. But I hope to be back with a vengeance starting with this entry of absolutely unoriginal material. My training partner Jeff went over the kimura yesterday and did an excellent job, so here are the notes:

Setting up kimura

We worked from the half-guard, the superior shin and knee are across the hips of your partner. Bring the inferior knee out to provoke your partner to push on the knee. From here set up the kimura by grasping the same side wrist and then over hooking and grabbing your wrist with the opposite hand.

Breaking the grip on the belt

Should they grab their belt, feed their hand along the belt toward their spine before breaking the grip and pushing their hand along their spine to the back of their head.

Taking the back

Should your opponent defend the kimura by grabbing their threatened appendage by going over your legs, free your figure four and clasp the forearm with the overhook (opposite) hand. Use the other free hand to post and work your body past your opponent's head. Free the superior leg and insert as hook on the far side as you climb to the back.

Sweeping

Should your opponent defend the kimura by grabbing their threatened appendage by going between your legs, bring your head towards their knee and push their entrapped arm over your side use your legs to left and push. If they keep their hands locked you will sweep them to side-mount, if they base out finish the kimura.

And some defense

Jeff showed a neat defense here, placing his threatened hand on his chest while pushing his opponent's superior hip to the floor, effectively removing both the hands and legs as effective weapons. This worked well with opponents of equivalent size, but with (much) larger ones sticking the threatened hand medial to your own thigh seemed more effective.

I hope if I've made any errors Jeff will let me know directly or by commenting.

Also Bart sent me this training article and I found this on Rotational Axis Training. Both look to contain good things, but I've only skimmed them so far.

GJ "Deathmatch? Sure...Aztec or Mayan rules"

Today's title has nothing to do with this entry but was just something funny that my friend Dan said in practice the other day. A few brief notes on some drills I did this week:

Half-guard underhook pummel

Put your partner in half-guard, work on the top and bottom player alternately "swimming through" and getting the underhook on the side controlling the top players leg, i.e. the half-guard side.

Half-guard underhook sweep

Put your partner in half-guard, with the top player having the underhook on the "half-guard side". Bottom player "swims through" to half-guard, shucks the overhook and comes to knees. The sweep is done by reaching through to the far knee and calf and pushing through to the top position within either half-guard of the new bottom player. The new top player works for the underhook.

Partner leg press

From your guard your partner stands, control their wrists and put your feet in their hips. Lift them so that their torso is parallel with the floor. You are attempting to improve your strength and kinesthetic sense.

Scoop under

This attribute drills works on developing the getting underneath your partner from the guard. Put your shins medial to your partner's thighs. Get double underhook control and clasp your hands in a strong grip (no thumbs). Use your arms to pull and legs to lift while simultaneously rounding your body to pull your partner on top of you. You should be able to "float" them above you in this position.

GJ Breaking Technique

My weekend with Blauer Tactical coupled with some slightly fridgid temperatures in the Bugeishako has inspired some MMA drilling ideas. But first for warm-up we alternated sets of five push-ups with our dynamic stretching routine. We then transitioned into throwing thai kicks and having our partner catch them. The kicker retracts their foot and does a backfall followed by a Frank Shamrock stand-up. For abdominal warm up we did palm strikes from the crunch and cut elbows from crunches to the pads. We followed that with some shadow boxing. Now thoroughly warmed-up we did some drills:

In/out

Off a J-C-LH-C combination defender called "in" for clinch and "out" for creating distance. The attacker had to retain their combination and then adapt their motion to the call. It is necessary to plan, but it is also necessary to read cues and spontaneously react to the situation. Here we force either closing or opening the range following the combination.

Sprawl/Fall

Following J-LH-C-LH react to a fall or sprawl and return to your feet. The objective is to teach the rapid fight reaction necessary to switch from one game ("striking") to another ("wrestling").

Alternating 4 count kick ranges

This was the standard four count kick combos but your partner switched up the distances either stepping closer or opening the distance, forcing range adjustments to the first or final thai kick

Bluff

In this drill we used the first three techniques of the same four count (i.e. LK-C-LH or RK-LH-C) and then inserted another technique at the end e.g. either kick or knee, a hook, cross, overhand, or uppercut. This is a way of developing "gamemanship" taking a simple combination and building a method of landing shots using similar combinations.

Needless to say in all these, technique breaks down perhaps because it simulates the ever changing variability of a round.
Next we worked on submission wrestling grips:

"Judo" Gene Lebell slap grab

Throw the gripped forearm from one hand to the other, setting up inside and outside lines. See "Gene LeBell's Grappling World, The Encyclopedia of Finishing Holds (2nd Expanded Edition)" (Gene Lebell)

Arm drag

Reach with your opposite hand to cup the triceps and pull. You can pull and sit a lá Marcelo Garcia, pull to side clinch, pull to the back, or pull to double leg.

Wrist-to-ankle

I got this from "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Submission Grappling Techniques (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu series)" (Royler Gracie, Kid Peligro). Double wrist control and pull to the mat this should extend the back but make them bend over. You are trying to access the ankle. If they jerk up and away you can shoot the low single. If they keep the hand there you can scoop the forearm and ankle together into the low single.

Judo tie-up

One hand posterior to neck the opposite superior to elbow. Opponent ties up equally. Elevate elbow grip side laterally and duck under.

Steering wheel

Control biceps from inside. Set-up double leg.

Over-under (50-50)

Pummel to double unders.

JKD & BJJ Newton's 1st Law...of Grappling

For Jeet Kune Do today we worked off the low jab and the reaction it generates:

Lead hand low parry

Trap and back fist.

Rear hand low parry

Jao sow while controlling lead hand.

Covers jao sow

If high line available head butt, followed by knee

If high line unavailable knee, followed by head butt

Retreats (creates space) follow with thigh kick into straight blast, clinch neck, HKE.

This s not a scripted formula but rather a method for picking up changes in range and line familiarization. Every action provokes a reaction from the simplest of physical collisions (thanks Sir Isaac Newton) to the psychological (thanks Sigmund Freud). Here we are simply the addressing the kinesiology of the interaction of our weapons and the range of our opponent.
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we worked on elements of the guard game starting with the "knee in the butt" guard opener. I like to think of passing the guard as a five part formula composed of

1. Creating posture
   
2. Opening the guard
   
3. Passing the legs
   
4. Closing the range
   
5. Securing position

Most guard passing uses all these elements in different ways. The "knee in the butt" guard opener addresses point #2. This is a strong guard pass if your opponent (the one holding the guard) has longer legs than you.

Knee in the butt guard opener

1. Control both armpits by gripping the kimono and pushing it into the deltoid or the meaty part of the shoulder just anterior to the axilla (arm pit).
   
2. Create space by walking two "steps" back on your knees.
   
3. Stand up and stagger your legs placing one knee just behind your opponent's behind.
   
4. Return to the mat in a kneeling position, your shin sliding along their crotch posterior to anterior. Place your rear shin flat on the mat but splayed out enough to keep good base.
   
5. Apply pressure anteriorly with your shin, posteriorly at a 45^o with your rear hip, and inferiorly with the forearm of your rear side arm (see figure)

Variation of knee in the butt guard opener

For the taller BJJ player if you cannot insert your shin and return to the kneeling position a variation is available.

1. Place both knees behind your opponent's butt.
   
2. Use both hands to control the pants.
   
3. Use both forearms to apply pressure inferiorly on thighs (see figure).

Now if your opponent is opening your guard in this fashion you need a response (Newton again). Opening your legs rather than letting your opponent open your legs forces them to play catch up rather than you. The De La Riva Guard is set-up fairly easily from this position by placing a hook anteriorly by circling your same side around their lead leg, so that the calf is on the lateral side of their thigh and your instep is on their thigh. Control their ankle with this hand. Your other foot posts in the hip while you control this same side sleeve, your knee is medial to their arm. This stymies the foot lock attempts.

Shoot I messed up and couldn't get the hook

Use your foot in the hip and knee on the inside of their arm to push first laterally and then away. This created space should allow you to insert the anterior hook.

Dagnabit I really messed up and my opponent's starting to smash

Fear not. Pull laterally on the sleeve as you drive your knee (of the hip post side) to your chest. The two pulls should give your adequate room to put the foot in the hip.

Still stuck...

Try the reverse De La Riva, using the foot you would have hip posted with as hook on the opposite leg. The instep will be on the lateral part of the thigh. Control the same side sleeve or lapel with this hand as your other hand controls the ankle. By scissoring at the knee you can sweep and by pulling on the lapel/sleeve you can transition into X-guard.

We did a few sweeps from the De La Riva guard:

Grapevine extension sweep

Use your hip post leg to push on the knee/thigh and then pull the sleeve in this direction as you lift their (other) leg with your other hand and the anterior hook. Essentially you are elongating their base and then sweeping over the narrowest dimension.

Baby koala sweep

In this case your savvy opponent sags posteriorly onto their leg. Feed the gripped sleeve to your other hand underneath their forward knee. Use the hip post foot to block their knee and tilt them to this side.

Jack also told me to be more aggressive with the sweeps from the guard and to use open roll as time to drill sweeps.

GJ Emotional Content

This past weekend I went to the Blauer Tactical Personal Defense Readiness Instructor Development Seminar in Montreal, Canada. It was a thoroughly entertaining and educational time in which we covered the first few seconds of a street ambush in both concept and design as well as how to access the tools that I've been training for years. However, it was also much more than this as we discussed not only the physical but the psychological and emotional components of self-defense. Much of the material we covered was very applicable to combat sports both as a fighter and a coach but also applicable to the philosophy of one's approach to daily life. The coaching staff between Tony Blauer, Tony Torres, Tom Arcuri, and Marc Joseph were all very open and willing teachers. Plus I met a lot of TMA instructors looking to expand their self-defense skills.
The key for me this weekend was the message that

1. "Good information does not replace good information" (Tony Blauer) rather good information enhances good information
   
2. In self-defense/fighting, things are not right or wrong rather they are more or less desirable.

The PDR seminar offers a new, evidence-based, evolving system not a technique oriented style. It provides tools for empowering your students not only physically but psychologically and emotionally. It's also a great way to feel both information overload and yet feel totally pumped. I look forward to completing my certification requirements and integrating the PDR fundamentals into my own and my club's training.

Tony Blauer stands in the center of PDR #13. Tony Torres is on the far right. Your faithful scribe's head is just to the right of Mr. Blauer's in the back row.

Today I trained with Bart, Jeff and Matt at the Bugeishako. We talked a lot about both the Megaton and PDR seminars that each of us had attended. We then did a little shadowboxing followed by 4 count kicking combinations building up 1-5 kicks on each combo. We then used the emotional climate training (ECT) formula and applied to the jab. Me I know the jab. I live the jab and I even I feel like I get an extra 1/2 second to pick it up with ECT. And an extra 1/2 second is a long time for me to do a lot of stuff in. We finished with some tag team grappling rounds, due to the space and hazard conditions of the Bugeishako.

GJ Smoker II Take 2

We completed our smoker, the one that was derailed by a local tornado a few weeks ago. Only four fighters competed and they all did great. To finish up practice we worked on RATTLE for thai boxing and wrestling:

Range	Range Finder Drill	Distance Shot Work on shooting from increasingly far away, analyzing for effectiveness of the shot.
Angle	Cut Kicks	Shooting of Circling Begin circling your partner, when they say "shoot" take your shot.
Timing	Applauded Shadowboxing	Sprawl Reaction Partner ducks toward floor, sprawl
Target	All of the drills contribute
Level	Body Punch Partner extends punch, change level and deliver body punch under it	Shot Limbo Take your shot under progressively lower levels held by your partner
Execution	All of the drills contribute

Next we worked on defensive reactions. Actually we worked the same reaction off different defense. For the cross:

• High cover-cross-lead hook-cross
  
• Parry-cross-lead hook-cross
  
• Bob-cross-lead hook-cross (be sure to shuffle off angle)
  
• Jab parry-cross-lead hook-cross
  
• Tiip-cross-lead hook-cross
  
• Lead kick-cross-lead hook-cross (rear kick-lead hook-cross-lead hook)

For the lead hook:

• Side cover-cross-lead hook-cross
  
• Bob and weave-cross-lead hook-cross (be sure to triangular step)
  
• Tiip-cross-lead hook-cross (lead inside thigh kick-cross-lead hook-cross
  
• Cover to clich-lead knee-cross-lead hook-cross

The cross-lead hook-cross reaction is elegant in its simplicity. We attack perpendicular lines with the straight cross and hook. We can pick high (head) or low (body) targets.
We finished by working on catching kicks. We worked on the ankle catch, here we need to move with the kick and away from our partner. That is, along the 45^o vector off the centerline. The arm hooks and cinches tight to the latissimus dorsi muscle. From here we can pull or push, remembering that in muay thai rules you must hit to step. The foot can be thrown to the floor, sticking the foot and giving the back, use a hip pop forward and down. Kick the thrown leg. You can also knee to the underside of the thigh or throw elbows to the the top side. Jim correctly recalled that you can also throw punches catch the head for knees.
Smokers are not about winning or losing. Victories in practice are meaningless, losses are simply training exercises. The goal is to ready people for the mental and emotional psychology of competition. To make them more aware of the performance anxiety of competition. Suddenly a 2 minute round feels like 2 hours. With everyone looking and cheering it changes a few simple rounds of sparring into a emotional marathon. Smokers are a different kind of sparring, testing our emotional and mental fitness as well as our physical toughness.

GJ "I use the latest technology and science to allow martial artists to...martial artist"

I basically took yesterday off as I slept through my AM practice and then only coached the impromptu afternoon practice. We started with warming up by working RATTLE using:

Range Finger

Lead Leg -- Tiip, Lead Kick, Lead Knee

Rear Leg -- Rear Tiip, Rear Kick, Rear Knee

Lead Hand -- Jab, Lead Hook, Lead Uppercut

Rear Hand -- Cross, Overhand, Rear Uppercut
Obviously these are artificial, just a selection of techniques that demonstrate the small range corrections needed to throw each one. You could even do this with one technique, e.g. the kick going from "Drunken Pirate" to a round knee.

Cutting and catching

The key to successful cutting and catching kicks is angling. Thus on a cut kick you angle in toward your partner and away from the kick. On a catch you can angle in (catching at the knee) or out (catching at the ankle) but always away from the kick.

Timing

Using "applauded shadowboxing" we can work on our timing and read of our partner.

I held some pads for Jim and after doing so started thinking about the "Combat Algorithm"Essentially when you fight in a ring or cage either you or your opponent initiate an offensive action and there is a series of counteractions until there is a break or pause in the fight either due to fatigue, strategic reconsideration, or victory. Thus the offensive action is followed by an exit strategy, a desire to fight in a shorter range, or defensive reaction to your opponent. The offensive strategy must be a set of different tactics that can be re-used and played off of to generate momentum in the match. Successful exiting can break the flow or requires reentering off the provoked missed shot. Failed exiting means defensive action and offensive reaction. Examples of exiting are bob-and-weave and other evasive headwork as well as Checkmark and Jin. Staying requires pushing the offense despite the probable need to actively defend, i.e. inequitable trading with you getting the better of the exchange. The offensive push of staying is enhanced by transitioning the game to your strong suits. Examples of stay n' play might be dirty boxing, knees-elbows(-headbutts), trapping, clinching, or takedowns. Of course any defense action demands reaction and recycles the algorithm. Reactions must be simple and high repetition, so that they are so highly ingrained as to be almost automatic.
Great fighters have great basics, great coaches have great ways to train basics. Anecdotally, Lennox Lewis' coach once held a 3 hour seminar purely on the jab.

GJ Big Kahuna

Following the warm-up (thank you Jeff) we reviewed the hip toss working on either the basic set-up or entrances from tie-up, plum, pummeling, etc. We then covered defenses for if your opponent steps in front of you from the side clinch to hip toss.

Reverse uki waze

By stepping in front of you to defend the anterior pressure of the the throw opens them for a posterior throw. After they step, sit extending your leg behind their ankles, pull them perpendicular to both your extended leg and use lateral pressure with your head on their chest. Transition to side mount.

Thigh lift (or inverted single)

An alternative is to underhook the leg with your far arm and lift, putting your partner on their back. A variation is to reach the near arm and anteriorly and grab the far arm posteriorly around your partner's near leg. Pull hard up and away (a lá the "baseball" throw).

Shuck and jump to rear mount

Use your partner's forward push and pull them forward as you free your head out the back door and then take their back.

Shuck and pull to rear mount

As above but take the back by kicking out the legs.

We also discussed the lateral and posterior hip toss. Both are basically identical to the hip toss. The lateral hip toss means posting your rear on your partner's hip and then throwing 45^o off their centerline. That is, doing a half rotation on your entrance step and finishing it during the throw. The posterior hip toss remove is done "butt-to-butt", your partner is thrown over your hip in a posterior direction.
Our pad rounds:

1. Dean Lessei 9 count

   Focus mitts

2. Body-Head combinations

   Thai pads and belly pad

   • 1 Body: Jab to the body
     
   • 2 Body: Jab Body Cross
     
   • 2 Body Head: Jab Body Cross Lead Head Hook (NOTE: This is opposite to what was stated in practice)
     
   • 3 Body: Jab Cross Lead Body Hook (NOTE: This is opposite to what was stated in practice)
     
   • 3 Body Head: Jab Cross Lead Body Book Lead Head Hook
     
   • Punch Knee Combos (1 Knee, 2 Knee, Knee Cross)
     
   • Shovel Hook (1 Shovel -- Jab Rear Shovel Hook, 2 Shovel -- Jab Cross Lead Shovel Hook)

3. G & P Round

   Focus mitts

   • Sidemount: 3 punches to far pad
     
   • Mount: 3/10 punches
     
   • Get bridge and rolled to guard: 10/3 punches
     
   • Guard: Holder feeds punch, defend and take back
     
   • Rear mount: Holder plants focus mitt of posterior side of arm, 3 punches

4. Conditioning

   Thai pads. The rounds differed slightly for the first and second groups, due to me running the first and Jeff the second

   • Head kick sprawl
     
   • Pitter pat sprawl
     
   • Climb the wall with punches
     
   • Cricket Song drill or unrhythmic jumper squat sprawls
     
   • 3-6-9 kicks or n kicks-n kicks-sprawl n = 1-5 plus 10 push-ups

We finished with a drill to enhance our ability to "read" an opponent and combat reactivity. One partner would shadowbox for 30 seconds while the other clapped every time they threw a technique. The objective was to read the body and facial "tells" of their partner without having to worry about getting hit. We alternated this way for three minutes. In the second round we added sprawls every time the shadowboxer shot.
My students call me "Big Kahuna" after one of my top students, Jim, first started training with our club. After attending practice Jim, in a quavering voice, asked "Sir...what do I call you?" Without skipping a beat I said "Big Kahuna". It took a second before Jim caught the fact I was joking, but to this day I get a "Big Kahuna" thrown at me from time to time. Jim's confusion was well warranted, he came from a formal Japanese jujitsu background and wasn't used to the more violently relaxed world of mixed-martial arts.
Martial arts lends itself to a certain cultish mentality. Teachers, coaches, and fighters are given greater status in the martial arts than in other fields. Bullshit warrior mysticism coupled with a visceral fear of getting your @$$ whipped by your superiors and unhealthy performance anxiety leads to some strange social dynamics. I've seen people afraid to go talk to their own teacher, exactly the last person you should be afraid of. In the eyes of their disciples, these masters can do no wrong and are wise about all things.
Unfortunately this is far from the truth. I'm the "chief instructor" and pretty much grand poobah of my little club. I can tell you I know absolutely nothing. Sure I have multiple advanced degrees as well as extensive fight coaching and competition experience but that doesn't mean I know all about how you should live your life. Heck I hardly know how to live my own. Being able to fight dirty and take insane amounts of punishment does not give me some greater moral compass or right to pass judgment on the ethical virtues of others. I consider many of my coaches to be good friends and have sought their advice on matters non-martial just as I would other friends. Their martial arts and combat sports wisdom is that of experts, their life wisdom is that of friends you take it as it works for you. Unfortunately in martial arts, more particularly traditional arts, instructors are granted by their students omniscient knowledge and power over non-martial parts of their lives. I hope that my students understand that I'm a self-defense and fighting coach as well as a sound board and a friendly resource. Although I will strive to do and say the right thing, anything I say or do could inadvertently be wrong, just as I hope, any other person in their life would be. OK, less talk more hit.

JKD & BJJ Must... have... calories... energy... fading...

Missed most of the JKD portion as my clinic time ran over today. Saw two interesting entrances of the lead hook:

Straight elbow to axilla

As your partner throws the hook do a side cover but point the elbow straight ahead. Drive the point of the elbow into the armpit while checking the rear hand with your lead hand.

Upward elbow to axilla

Rotate and pick up the hook with rear forearm while driving a lead upward elbow into the biceps intersection with the deltoid. Follow with a rear downward elbow.

In BJJ we worked a takedown set-up from single lapel control. Use two hands to grip the wrist and detach the hold then arm drag to the double leg or single leg lift to inside line outside reap.
We then played from the open guard with the feet in the hips, controlling both sleeves. Jack briefly described a few things to do offensively:

• Extend and go to triangle
  
• Extend and arm drag, take back
  
• Pull the elbow towards the center and transition to oma plata
  
• Transition to other guards: De La Riva, lasso, Koala, etc.

We did several rounds like this. Then Jack delineated some defensive strategies:

• Compress the legs, that is, get the knees as bent as possible by grabbing the thighs and pulling to you.
  
• Deny control by get the grips off the sleeves.

The older and busier I get the more important my nutritional demands become. Today I had not eaten for 6 hours by the time I started training except for some ice cream shortly before class. In other words I hit a glycemic low about 20 minutes into practice. When I was younger I ate more strategically, that is, all the time. Now that I (practically) work I often skip meals and since I'm busy do not have a stocked kitchen at home. This can lead to some poorly thought out snack strategies that then kill me when I need energy. I greatly enjoy the nutritional advice in "The Paleo Diet for Athletes : A Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance" (Loren Cordain, Joe Friel) and have a bang-up recipe for a protein shake, but fail to follow it. However to coin a phrase, fighter feed thyself...go grocery shopping.

GJ "I cannot guarantee victory, but I'll fight anyone"

Today we started with a drill showing how easy it is to sucker punch someone. Three people were designated as sucker punchers while everyone walked around and spoke with each other. Without any verbal or physical cues the sucker punchers would tap people on the head.
Next we worked on scenarios using verbal and physical cues, that is, groups would start trouble with each other and go to pushing. Interestingly, people would take a lot and give a lot of territory before engaging. The leading expert on this, Tony Blauer, has a lot of really good stuff to say about this.
We then worked into pad rounds:

1. SPEAR to padwork

   Using the SPEAR off a street punch we set-up two combinations:

   • Knee-thai side clinch knee-throw away
     
   • Knee-transition to plum, three skip knees

2. Erik Paulson Olé

   With this round we started with 30 seconds of overhand-lead uppercut-rear hook-lead hook and then went into the round. We added the olé drill where the feeder walks head down at their partner who pivots out of the way.

3. Reach out and punch someone

   Here we worked on the extension of our punches. Punches should reach out as far as possible with a strong extension. Too often we shorten our punches. We started and finished with 30 seconds of pitterpat, emphasizing extending the punches.

4. Conditioning

   30 seconds head kick sprawl
   30 seconds pitterpat
   30 seconds climb the wall
   60 seconds of kick-cross-hook-kick-hook-cross
   30 seconds head kick sprawl head kick fall

We finished with more on the hip toss. We used the SPEAR to enter into the hip toss:

Against the punch

In this version stop the punch and then side clinch on the punching side wrapping the far arm before throwing.

With the punch

Stop the punch and then wrap the punching arm for the side clinch and then throw.

Next we showed two MESHwork techniques for the hip toss:

Hip toss-single leg

Your opponent hops with the throw (as detailed previously). This places their legs on either side of your leg. Pivot 90^o and shoot a double leg.

Hip toss-leg breaker

In this case, your opponent defends by dropping their weight. Make sure one of their legs bisects your midline. Detach from the hip toss, reach down and grab their ankle, left and drop them on their back. Groin stomp optional.

JKD & BJJ "I can't hurt you physically but you will pay"

Saturday we reviewed the stick chokes and then worked three guard passes:

Shin slide through

From an already open guard posting up on one knee. Slide this knee through to the opposite side while controlling the same side kimono lapel (or underhook in no-gi). The opposite arm controls the same side arm. Post the head to the floor and slide through, use your free leg to kick off your partner's remaining half guard.

Head post

From the half guard get an under-over on the legs and post the head in the belly. Tripod while holding the legs and wait for them to adjust their half guard. Now walk around and gain control with the free hand under the head.

GJ grrrrrr LA LA LA

I was bit late working in the ED but Jeff got everyone started with warm-up and started 3 minute pad rounds:

1. Boxing to clinch

   In this round Jeff had the hitter clinch after each combination. Clinching must have

   • A safe and effective entrance. We must minimize the jeopardy in which we place ourselves when closing distance. Thus our hands must take the straightest route to the clinch either shooting individually or simultaneously.
     
   • A strong final position. Clinching whether offensive or defensive is to give us advantage. It should place us in a maximally effective position and destroying our opponent's posture.

   This drill highlights the skills of entering off strikes while showing the holder what clinching looks like.

2. Reaction: Strike or clinch

   In this drill Jeff had the holder set-up a high cover. If the holder maintained their ground the hitter clinched. If the holder created space the hitter went for cross-hook-cross. Verbal and/or physical cues could be given to assist the hitter.

3. Fall, Sprawl, Follow

   Along with a regular boxing pad round, the holder could call:

   • "Fall" -- Back fall, kick away, tactical stand-up, CHC
     
   • "Sprawl" -- Sprawl, CHC
     
   • "Follow" -- off any punch the holder could drop or fall to the mat, allowing the hitter to come in for the finish.

   This drill was designed to push the up-down nature of a fight as well as hone the killer instinct needed to finish a wounded opponent.

4. Staccato Drill

   In this drill we checked the boxing guard (i.e. slapped our partner in the head or ribs) after each punch. Thus on a 3: jab-check-cross-check-hook-check. We did this for two minutes and then fed the last minute with regular reaction. The concept here was to improve and tighten up the the boxing guard

5. Hook Refinement

   For this drill we made groups of three. One partner held for lead hooks while the other stood on the lead side of the hitter and created a "channel" with their arms and focus mitts for the hook. Each partner through 10 hooks and then rotated through 2 rotations. Here we attempted to clean-up the hook mechanics by forcing the hook to not loop and to remain parallel with the floor.

We then reviewed the hip toss (ogoshi) and hip reap (harai-goshi). We added the dropping (wrestling-style) hip toss. You can either throw the person and then drop to the ground, but ideally it works better to get the hip toss and in midtoss drop to knee you are throwing over and take the side mount or kesa gatame.
We next discussed (at least) four methods of defending the hip toss:

1. Get fresh

   In this defense you literally put your hand on the hip or butt and hop with the throw. The hand creates space while the hop redirects the momentum of the throw.

2. Sukui-nage

   Lower your center of mass (COM) forcing your opponent to sit on your thigh. Reach through with your hands grabbing behind each calf. Lift and scoop throwing your partner in front or behind you.

3. Hip bump

   Lower your COM and bear hug your partner. Bump with your hips and tilt them to the floor.

4. High crotch hip toss

   Lower your COM and reach your posterior arm between their legs. The anterior hand controls under the far armpit or at the neck. Use your legs to lift your partner. They will be slightly off angle so their own weight will rotate them horizontal. Pull them so that their belly button is on your hip and then rotate their body so that they fall in front of you.

We finished with 6 minutes of 1-2-3-4-5 kicks with the final minute being head kick sprawl. We then held the push up position for 1 1/2 minute with 5 push ups every 15 seconds.

And the title of this blog is in honor of Brittany's warcry. Ask her.

JKD & BJJ "A door close and three windows open"

In BJJ we covered a few ways to go from side mount to mount, that is a few open windows to make up for closed doors:

1. Disrupting the legs

   Push or pull your partner's legs and use the space you create or the space created to find the mount. The mounting leg should be explosive either slapping the floor or kicking the lateral far thigh.

2. Creating a track
   

   Use your inferior arm to create a track which your inferior knee can slide. Drive your head to the floor on the far side and slide your knee across.

3. Lift your foot
   

   Retain strong head control. Use your inferior hand to grab your inferior foot and lift it superiorly to your opponents legs. Transition into the mount.

4. Removing hip control
   

   Slide your superior knee inferiorly and in towards your partner. Scoop out the near arm. Pop the knee up as in #2 above, as your partner checks your knee with their far hand, insert the underhook and itsy bitsy spider their arm upward. Post your head on the far side and slide your knee through for mount.

5. Kimura fake
   

   Grab the wrist with your inferior hand as if you were going to kimura. Then pop your leg over as in #1 above.

6. Leg ride

   Push your partner's legs to the mat on the far side. Put your inferior foot in the crook of their top knee and roll your knee to the floor on the farside. Meanwhile obtain a farside head post and arm underhook. Itsy bitsy spider this arm superiorly and slide your leg through.

Medicine Ball Drills, Preemptive Reaction, and G & P rounds

I trained with Jeff yesterday and worked some rounds with him. We started with some medicine ball drills:

• Chest pass
  
• Trunk twists
  
• Trunk twists (other direction)
  
• Posterior overhead drop, anterior pick-up
  
• Explosive bounce pass
  
• Clean and press, drop to push-up

Next we worked pad rounds, first focus mitts (3 minutes):

1. Boxing Elements for MMA
   

   30 seconds of pitterpat
   Warmed up basic boxing and developed a multi-angle flurry: J-C-LU-O-LH-C.

2. Entering to Focus Mitt Pummeling
   

   30 seconds of fast pummeling
   This round we worked boxing and the entrance to work focus mitt pummeling drills.

3. Groundwork Striking

   • Sidemount: 3 punches to far pad
     
   • Sidemount: 3 hammerfists/forearms to far pad
     
   • Mount: 10 punches
     
   • Get bridge and rolled to guard: 3 punches
     
   • Guard: Holder feeds punch, defend and take back
     
   • Rear mount: Holder plants focus mitt of posterior side of arm, 3 punches

We followed with thai pad rounds:

1. Thai Boxing Elements for MMA
   

   nLK-C-LH-nRK-LH-C for n = 1-5 (maybe I'll just call this drill Cricket Song)
   This round we worked basic punch-knee and punch-kick combinations

2. Thai Boxing Elements in the Clinch
   

   30 seconds of knees
   Continuing off the previous round the knee is used to clinch (i.e. pummeling and takedown) or skip knees (3 knees turn until throw to kick range).

3. Preemptive Reaction
   

   30 seconds 3 punches sprawl
   With this round after each combination the hitter creates space and throws a tiip as the holder re-closes distance. The objective is to generate a good defense by developing a better offense.

We finished with 2 x 5 minute of combat sports Tabata protocol conditioning. We added "Sprawl n' Fall" as well as "Fall n' Follow" (first fall to back, kick up, three punches, holder falls, follow to ground with three punches).
And like this picture:

Derrick Noble squares off with Thaigo Alves at UFC 59. Although Noble came out strong Alves was able to recover and pull out the win. I just like Derrick's shorts =D.

Tao of Training

The concept of mind-body-spirit has been long maintained in martial arts. Recently I was listening to some of Tony Blauer's audio CD's where he discussed this concept and it made me start thinking. Previously, I proposed a Bio-Cognitive-Experential (BCE) model which talked about how training evolves your martial arts journey but in the end why do you train? That is, why do you do what you are doing for practice today.
First, rest is training. Our bodies need recuperative periods between training sessions. This functions on both an extremely short and long time scale. Rest periods and intervals are necessary between rounds and within a practice session. No one lifts weights constantly for an hour nor can you spar uninterrupted for the same period. Rest breaks exist, however short or seemingly inadequate. Similarly, taking a rest day is often not only desirable, "resting is training, too." Hardcore martial arts and combat sports training can be an occupation or as demanding as a second job, taking a vacation won't hurt.
Training no matter what kind is phasic. Your life outside the dojo/gym/ring effects the frequency, timing, and intensity of practice. Your coach or instructor's current goals will vary. Your health and injury status will wax and wane. The next event be it a certification test, competition, or seminar will dictate training values both before and after. This will alter practices and the why of training.
However the tao of training is more than that. I train in a Jeet Kune Do and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class where the class is roughly split into 45 minutes each of "striking" and "grappling". Many of my classmates divide themselves into these rough categories. They excuse perceived inadequacies in one portion of practice and then highlight their accomplishments in the other. Fundamentally this is like training your strengths and ignoring your weaknesses as well as evaluating yourself against others rather than using your own progress as a barometer. Sure you might be "better" at one but how close to perfect are you with either? That's like saying a million is closer to infinity than hundred. The body mechanics of stickfighting is not dissimilar to boxing or, surprisingly, wrestling. They all have hip motion, level changes, and footwork. So then by isolating our perceived strengths and weaknesses we are in fact slowing our development and understanding of not only combat sports as a whole but the element we might most enjoy.
Training is too often self-serving and egocentric. The best example is when people do focus mitt or pad drills. More people always run and get gloves than pads although they know that both sides will be doing the same number of rounds. Once the majority of eager hitters is trimmed the yin-yang of pad work begins. On one side the pumped, excited hitter and on the other the apathetic, bored holder. The hitter has the easy job: hit the target and defend when told to do so. The holder has the hard job, they are coaching, encouraging, and coming up with sequences as fast as they can. They are intercepting strikes and generating reactions. The holder is training both their offense and defense. They see how combinations work and train their reactions as much as the hitter does if they only try and do so. If you hold apathetically and concentrate solely on your time as the hitter you are only achieving half a training session.
Training is not about physical victory. When I train timing or sparring rounds with fighters, I push the action and try things that I might not normally do. I don't want them to fight me, but I want them to be exposed to a wide array of energies. If they beat me, they beat me. I'll tap in practice or get hit if it helps them win in competition. At this point it's not about me, but about them. However, by freeing myself from the anxiety of losing in the gym I learn and practice new skills.
I still show up to practice when I'm not a 100% or contagious. You can always learn by observing and taking notes. You can always contribute to training even if it is a simple as yelling encouragement, preparing equipment, or timing rounds. If wheelchair-bound Doug Blevins can coach football kicking how can I have an excuse when I'm tired or my knees are sore to not practice my art.
Thus the why of training has to be reviewed. Training is mind-body-spirit, do not solely focus on the body. Every time we practice we hone our brains and temper our souls sometimes with a great physical workout, sometimes not. So what if it was a "bad" practice for you. Did you contribute to others development? Did you learn one little thing? Did you at least get away from the house to clear your head? In other words, to quote sensei Doug Musser blackbelt in Danzan Ryu Ju Jitsu, "its been a good [practice] if you can go home and wipe your own @$$." This after one of his pupils broke both shoulders in practice and was unable to perform even the simplest of hygiene without assistance for six weeks.

JKD & BJJ Brutality

This blog is entitled brutality because I trained 4-6 pm Friday evening then worked 7 pm to 7 am in the ED, slept for 2-3 hours and was back training at 11 am until 4 pm Saturday.
We worked hubud with the single stick implementing:

Double Leg Takedown

From hubud stick shot, roll it over to hit the temple, then curve superior to the head, lower your level, and bring the stick behind the knees. Grab the stick with your free hand and finish the double, use your stick to lever against the proximal calves.

Posterior stick choke

From hubud you strip your opponents stick by cupping the wrist and pointing their stick toward the floor, apply pressure with the wrist against the punyo and pop the stick laterally with your thigh. Your partner loses their stick and shoots a double taking your down. Your stick ends up behind their neck. Hook your elbow over the stick and grab your wrist. Elevate the elbow and pull down on stick.

Anterior stick choke

Again your partner has taken you to the ground. The stick is in front of their neck, place it against your far side and their near neck, reach posteriorly to their neck and grab stick, freeing this hand to reach across their neck to grab your wrist.

Cross stick choke

Again your partner takes you down, but is holding your wrist keeping the stick far away. They throw a punch which your intercept at their shoulder with our elbow. Slap the ear and regrab stick in a reverse grip. Slide stick behind neck and set up a "cross collar" choke using the stick as the collar.

For BJJ we practiced attacking from the side-mount with the posterior collar choke from side mount and 180^o armbar. We then drilled obtaining the mount from side mount. After practice I rolled a few rounds and then went off for muay thai sparring practice.

Foul is the Smell of Victory

The smell of victory is foul because it is earned with blood, sweat and tears. Equipment gains an unholy odor and hardcore training is honored by a prodigous funk. The more you sweat in practice the less you bleed in combat -- Richard Marcinko in Rogue Warrior.
Warmed up with 2 minute rounds of:

• Shadowboxing

  Standard MMA-style shadowboxing, that is, boxing/thai boxing with shots and sprawls.

• Pummeling

  From over under position

• Shadowboxing

• Four count sprawls

  Any four count kick combination followed by a your partner shooting on you, sprawl in defense. Then switch.

• Shadowboxing

• Threatened stand-up

  Push away with leg kicks and tactically regain feet. Other side falls to back and repeat.

• Shadowboxing

Next we worked on MMA timing but using variably timed rounds between 10 seconds and 3 minutes. One side was told the length of the round before starting with the intention that the shorter the round the more they would push the action. This was to encourage the simulation of different energies, the more aggressive the shorter the round. We worked four or five rounds in this fashion. Next we worked 2 x 5 minute drilling rounds using:

• Standard boxing on focus mitts

  Standard boxing round, with occasional fall of "knock down shot" followed by strikes

• Standard thai boxing on thai pads

  Standard thai pad round, with occasional fall of "knock down shot" followed by strikes

• Pummeling with focus mitts

• Takedown against the wall with focus mitts

  Partner pins holder to wall and attempts takedown. Once on the ground throws three punches to focus mitts.

• Throw dummy

  Pick it up and throw it...duh

• Alternating standard thai boxing on thai pads with throw dummy

  Rapid alternations between hitting and throwing

• G & P Dummy

  • Side mount: Two punches head, two knees body
    
  • Knee on stomach: Three punches and switch
    
  • Mount: 3 or 10 punches

• Takedown against the wall

  Partner pins to wall and attempts takedown, pinned partner defends takedown.

• 1^st takedown

• Grappling

We finished with 2 x 7 1/2 minute broken into 2 1/2 minute interval MMA timing rounds, keeping one person in and rotating the others.

GJ Tying Up Cats

Today we started with warm-up and then practiced break falls. We then discussed the hip toss, first set-up positions:

Front

The front set-up occurs typically from any tie up where you and your opponent are anterior to anterior. From here you will cross step your front foot and rotate 180^o so that you eclipse your partner's hips with your own. Your hips displace their hips as your arms pull them through throw. The throw is accomplished by:

• Rotation
  
• Hip displacement from the front
  
• Bending at the waist

Side

The side set-up occurs off a side clinch position, their arm over your shoulder posteriorly. That is, your anterior to their lateral side, in other words, your belly button to their hip. Control the body and far arm. Now step in front of your opponent, displacing their hips and throwing forward. This version is accomplished by:

• Lateral pressure
• Lateral hip displacement directed posteriorly
  
• Bending at the waist

Next we talked about grips/holds for performing the throw, much of which I believe is dependent on the body morphology differences between thrower and throwee (uke and tori if you will):

Over

This version is essentially an overhook. Arm control is in the direction of the throw and over their arm. Body control is typically around the head. Hook their head/neck with your arm and punch for the floor. This works well if you are taller than your opponent.

Under

This version uses an underhook for body control. Insert an underhook for body control and drive that hand in the direction of the throw to the floor.

Hip/Low

This version works well if you are shorter than your opponent. Make a scooping motion at the hip with the body control hand, lifting them as you displace them.

Hug

This is the "wrestler-variant" in which rather than having individual arm and body control we bear hug and throw. This tightens the throw making it more difficult to achieve but also harder to defend. The hug can be over both arms, 50-50 (over-under) or double under.

Anything that uses the hip as pivot point is in my opinion a hip toss. We covered two variations:

Outside hip toss (Sambo variation)

This is a backwards side clinch set-up, their arm is not over your shoulder but across your front directed anteriorly. Your anterior arm has over control cupping just proximal to the elbow. Your posterior arm controls at the hip. Now step in using the side entrance set-up and hip toss. Their head will rotate in a small circle as their legs make a wider loop.

Outside reap (harai goshi)

"High on the thigh for harai" -- Shonie CarterThis is a hip toss with a reap, that is, rather than throwing them over your hip you throw them over your thigh. As you pivot/pressure and begin to displace use your reaping leg's thigh against their thigh, increasing the torque of the throw (longer axis, more force). There should be no knee stress. You must have good basic hip toss balance to advanced to what is essentially a one-legged hip toss.

For our pad work we worked on clinch fighting using a couple of different rounds and drills

1. Focus Mitt Pummeling (focus mitts and belly pad)

   • Rip/Counter Rip
     
   • Break 3 Reclinch
     
   • Knees
     
   • Takedown

2. MMA-style Dirty Boxing (focus mitts and belly pad)
   

   • Body Cover Front-Lead Uppercut-Cross-Lead Hook
     
   • Body Cover Front-Rear Uppercut-Lead Hook-Cross
     
   • "Fall" -- Back fall, kick to belly pad, tactical stand-up, cross-hook-cross
     
   • "Sprawl" -- Sprawl, pop up, cross-hook-cross
     
   • Evade to Back

3. Punch Knee Combinations (thai pads and belly pad)
   

   • Jab-Knee
     
   • Knee-Cross
     
   • Cross-Knee
     
   • Cross-Hook-Knee
     
   • Hook-Cross-Knee

   With any combination ending with a knee you can transition your partner into three skip knees and turn, until you want them to throw you to punch or kick range (e.g. finishing with cross-hook-cross or head kick). You can also do the "Fall" and "Sprawl" sequences.

4. Conditioning Round (thai pads) (4 minute round)
   

   • 30 seconds distance drill
     
   • 30 seconds 3 knees, 3 punches drill
     
   • 30 seconds wall squat with punches
     
   • 30 seconds partner carry
     
   • 30 seconds 3 punches, back fall, kick off, stand
     
   • 30 seconds wall squat with punches
     
   • 30 seconds 3 knees, 3 punches drill
     
   • 30 seconds distance drill

As for tying up cats...I have absolutely no idea what that means (although it does happen in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Full-Color Collector's Edition)" (C. S. Lewis)). However should I ever see anyone doing that I'd beat them senseless with a tennis racket. Why? Because they'd stay conscious longer than with more robust sports equipment.