BJJ

1. Midline (Belly) Guillotine

   This guillotine is set-up from the double wrist control, to ensure that you are close enough to jerk the head. Use one hand to jerk your opponent's head toward your midline, lay your abdomen on the occipital surface of their neck. Hook the other forearm under their chin (gently) chopping up. Pull up into the anterior surface of their neck while pushing down into the posterior surface of your head with your belly.

   
   

2. G & P Defense to Figure 4 Arm Bar

   Your opponent is in your guard and throws a looping punch. Cover and simultaneously throw a face shot (palm heel, punch, eye jab). Wrap the punching arm, placing your forearm proximal to your opponent's elbow. Use the hand you struck with to put pressure on the shoulder, and form a figure 4. Their forearm should be trapped under your armpit. Use your "check hand" to hold their shoulder in place, as you elevate the forearm on the wrapping arm, placing pressure on the elbow joint. Thus your hand and armpit apply pressure inferiorly while the wrapping forearm applies pressure superiorly. If they roll their arm, switch to a straight sameside armbar using the the leg.

BJJ: Attacking the Turtle

We reviewed methods for attacking the turtle as presented by the Kyle Watson. The basic control position is the sprawl, laces in the dirt, with the hips directed into the head and shoulders of your opponent. With the kimono, grab the triceps area and push into the mat. The techniques reviewed were:

1. Clock Choke (relógio)

   Assume rear side control. Personally like to insert the knee after I grab the cross collar but that's probably because I have large thighs and usually end up defeating my own choke. The hand closest to your opponent's head grabs the cross collar. The other hand can control any portion of your opponent, the pant leg at the hip or ankle, the far wrist, or even sliding your triceps on the near side of the face. In any case the choke works by cropping your weight across the your opponent's neck and shoulders, placing maximal torque on the spine while simultaneously pulling your elbow toward the ceiling.

2. Anaconda Choke

   From the sprawl, insert one hand to grab the cross collar, while the other arm overhooks and then reaches back toward you. The cross collar grip should be snug but not tight as you will need a little play. Dive your head into the "hole" created by your over hook arm, rolling your opponent to their back. As you transition, your choke will tighten while your other hand pops beneath their head, this is accomplished by hip heisting from parallel supine position to a perpendicular (prone) side mount.

3. Crucifix Choke

   Assume rear side control, with the hand nearest the head pull their near hand away and hook with your near leg, underhook the opposite arm with your other hand. You can attempt to arm bar with your legs and pelvis by sliding distally on the first snared arm and extending your legs. If this fails, transition control of the arm to your other leg and somersault forward, landing on your back with your opponents limbs outstretched laterally. The hand of the arm that has arm control should go to your ear (imagine you have an earache). Now use your free hand to reach around your opponent's neck and grab the collar closest to your head. The arm control forearm now drops posterior to the neck to complete the choke.

4. Figure 4 Turn Over

   Start in the front sprawl, insert one overhook, place your opposite hand on the occipital surface of your opponents skull, and complete a figure 4 with the overhook. Using this increased leverage push your opponents head toward your knee on the overhook side to roll them to side mount.

5. Atomic Wedgie Rear Mount

   From rear side control secure a grip on your opponents belt with your inferior hand, transition behind them while standing, pinching with your shins. Secure the grip on the opposite side of the belt. Stand and jerk them upward to open the access for the hooks, and tehn drop your weight backward into the rear mount position.

6. The Flip Over

   From the rear mount position, dismount and turn 180° leaving one hook in and standing next to your opponent. With your far hand grab the skirt of the gi while at the top grab the collar, sit while lifting your opponent with the hook and skirt grip to flip the to their back. You should end in a position to cross arm bar or with your opponent's head on your inner thigh while the calf hooks the far arm. From here you can choke.

JKD & BJJ "The pointy end goes into the other man."

Filipino kali is used in Jeet Kune Do not only to teach the use of a weapon for self-defnse, e.g. a stick or knife as well as a rolled newspaper, car antenna, screwdriver, or bat, but also to translate the body mechanics of fighting with weapons to that of unarmed fighting. The complex motor skills need to whip a stick or sword around are difficult skills to master and the thought process may have been, if these skills are hard they may help hone the simpler (unarmed) ones, see for example the Dog Brothers series on stickfighting concepts in MMA called Kali Tudo. However this translation is not always obvious. Today I used some simple stick drills to highlight the offense and defense similarities in unarmed combat. There is one caveat, whenever one trains with weapons from fists to nuclear missiles always remember that it is applied to a specific target. Thus when we do a stick drill we are not merely waving the stick around we are picking a target and attempting to damage it because of the inherent properties of both weapon and target. In each drill use both a stick and a boxing glove

Jab

Using the high-low-high stick jab drill, envisioning targets at the throat and just distal to the knee cap, the footwork and energy of the unarmed jab is developed. After 90-seconds of the drill, drop the stick and go into 90-seconds of jab panatuken (3-strike drill).

Lead Hook

Using the high-low-high pattern to emulate the the lead hook. The initial forehand has many of the same torso driven power delivery of the hook. Again 90-seconds of stick work followed by 90-seconds of lead hook panatuken.

Lead Upper Cut

The upward figure eight pattern is similar to the lead upper cut. Repeat as above.

Slipping the jab

Using the middle range passing drill, where a forward angle with a triangular step is necessary to avoid the angle 1 we can emulate slipping the jab. As they strike with the stick you defang the snake and pass the hand, stepping with your rear foot to not only off-angle but to close on their flank. Then you pivot bringing all off your weapons against their backhand. In the unarmed version you slip the jab without checking it.

Slipping the jab/cross

The downward backhand (angle 2) emulates a cross, the lowering of your level and the roof block prevent the stick from landing. In striking your opponent has measure you for the jab and knows you will slip off angle, they then try to catch you with the cross and your merely bob and weave to the opposite side.

During the BJJ portion I reviewed the figure 4. We covered the drills we worked on Wednesday. We also did:

Round the world version for the neck

From standing, figure 4 guillotine, pivot your partner for rear naked choke from both sides, and then finish another figure 4 guillotine from the front, switch after each set

The Clockface

From side mount do the americana, followed by the straight lateral arm bar (figure 4 the arm pointed directly perpendicular from your opponents body), and the kimura, then switch sides by jumping from one knee on the stomach position to the other. You should tap your partner in each position, relax it and allow the to "escape" the next one before resubmitting them.

We finished with two rounds of using only figure 4 submissions. Remember with the figure 4 that a stable, locked grip is key. The hand on your opponent must fully surround the appendage you are submitting while the opposite arm must encircle this appendage and have a thumbless grip attached to your wrist. This grip should be immovable thus your wrists should be straight and you should be holding them at roughly your peanut butter jar point (the place in front of your abdomen where you would open a tightly stuck jar of peanut butter). Be as relaxed as possible as you tighten the submission, you should ooze into place gently taking as much slack out of the submission until it is as tight as you can make it without effort, then apply the muscle. In order to tighten the shoulder locks bring your partners elbows in the direction opposite their hand is pointing, for ankles try to put their foot to their butt.

Grueling Days of Summer

This evening we trained in the Bugeishako (my garage) our warm-up and conditioning consisted of

• Lower body: 1 minute rounds of kicks starting with one and going up to five, alternating each minute for a total of 10 minutes.
  
• Anterior core: Two minutes of crunches while throwing the medicine ball, one minute rest before doing leg lifts with the medicine ball.
  
• Posterior core: 20 second neck bridges, 10 second alternating side plank x 10 rounds.
  
• Upper body: 20 seconds pitter pat, 20 seconds holding, 20 seconds push-ups w/ 10 second hold while being kicked in the abdomen.

After this "light" warm up we worked on grappling technique, specifically the figure-4. The Figure 4 allows you to do several things (1) it locks your grip, securing you to the extremity you want to submit, (2) it gives you a 2-on-1 set-up allowing you to recruit more muscle groups than your opponent for controlling an extremity, and (3) it increases your leverage on the extremity you want to submit. Thus given (1) it is important to lock your grip even if that means riding your opponent until the submission presents it self. The drills we worked are the following:

Surrendering Gorilla Drill

Place your partner in the guard position, they put their hands on their knees and flare their elbows (the Gorilla) use your same side hand to grab their wrist and then do a sit-up reaching over their arm and secure your figure-4 grip by grabbing your own wrist. This is the kimura or inferior shoulder lock set-up position, notice if your partner's hands point inferiorly (i.e. down) it is a same side grip with an over hook figure-4. Repeat on the opposite side.
Now your partner holds their hands up (the Surrender) do a sit-up and use your cross hand to grab their wrist, then slide your same side hand beneath their arm to finish your figure-4 by grabbing your cross hand wrist. For the americana or superior shoulder lock set-up position your opponents hands points upward or superiorly, it is cross hand grip with your same side hand underhook figure-4.

MALrotation (medial ankle lock rotation)

Start with a reverse knee on stomach, i.e. with one knee on your opponents hip and lower abdomen, facing inferiorly, use the hand nearest the midline to grab the lateral side of your opponents foot. Slide your other hand beneath their calf and lock your figure-4, then fold the ankle medially and inferiorly (i.e. toward the buttocks). Next transition around the leg, and stand with one foot at midline and the other laterally toward the side you same from. Use the hand farthest from your opponent to grab the plantar and lateral surface of their foot and then reach over their shin to secure the figure-4. Again try to force their foot to their buttocks, they may turn over partially in the process. Repeat this on the opposite leg, and then transition around to the hip on this side and set-up your reverse knee mount to repeat the first ankle lock described.

Happy Submission Feet

Sit with one of your partners legs between yours and drifting over your hip. Lock a figure four by looping your same side hand around the leg and then placing your cross hand on their shin, cinch the grip by grabbing your own wrist. Pinch with your knees (your midline leg should be bent with your foot under your partners posterior and your other foot in your opponents hip, with the toes diverted laterally) Roll to the side the submission is locked and arch while raising the arm beneath the leg. Then switch the legs tapping the other side.

We finished by first rolling rounds where we could only submit one another with figure 4's and then with rounds using our full arsenal.

What "I need a partner" means

So today my BJJ coach was out of town teaching a seminar. During practice I was assigned teaching duties so I showed some conditioning/technical flows and some technique (more below). At the end of practice open roll started and I called for a partner. No response. There were six rounds of grappling before I left and of those I wrestled three. The folks that wrestled me are all a lot smaller than me yet we have a good technical rounds. I can count on the fingers of one hand those willing to grapple with me in a class of 30+. Back when I started and even now if someone senior to me says "I want to roll," I sprang at the opportunity, when I'm at practice I want to train as much as I can. There is no winning or losing in practice merely learning. As I get older and my schedule more full I find by making it into practice I'm just grateful and happy to be able to train. It angers me to think that people would want to take that away from me simply because they are concerned about winning or losing.

Today the flows we worked were straight arm to oma plata with your partner puling the arm out of the armlock and rolling trough on the oma plata, this was continuous for one side. We also worked on the kimura, straight, and americana arm locks from the side mount before transitioning via the knee on stomach to the other side.

Moving Again

This week we lost the use of the South Wright Street Martial Arts Facility (SWSMAF) essentially a beat up warehouse for the University's Print Services and Refrigerator Repair divisions. We had approximately 900 square feet of matted floor, a heavy bag stand, and lockers for our equipment. It was moldy, dusty (note the filter in the corner) and had no shower or locker room facilities. Yet it was a place to train, to temper our minds and bodies in the fires of adversity and painful drills. The genetic matter in the form of blood, sweat, and tears left on these walls and mats could probably be enough to clone anyone of us. For now we are exiled back to my bugeishako.
Yesterday we reviewed the flow..er...no the windmill sweep. This sweep use cross arm control and a same side under thigh "hook" to lift your opponent while you sweep the leg closest to the cross arm control side wide and through their base. Sit up to mount. Should they reposition their leg for balance, immediately switch to arm bar. An another variation places one foot in the hip, control the outside pant leg on the opposite side, retain same side arm control with the foot in the hip side. Bump your opponent toward the pant leg controlled side. They will base, free your arm control and cinch this hand in, re-bump to the sweep.
Today we worked some basic conditioning rounds, both sides with thai pads, one minute rounds of:

1. Kicks, alternating, five each side
   
2. Kick-knee, alternating, five each side
   
3. Knee-kick, alternating, five each side
   
4. Kick-sprawl, alternating, five each side
   
5. Kicks, alternating, five each side
   
6. Kick-knee, alternating, five each side
   
7. Knee-kick, alternating, five each side
   
8. Kick-sprawl, alternating, five each side
   
9. Kicks, upward pyramid, one side
   
10. Kicks, upward pyramid, the other side

Next for our core we worked one minute on, one minute off (10 minutes total): 3, fall, n punch sit-ups, stand up, pick your partner up and turn them, 3 body punches, fall, n punch sit-ups, stand up, pick your partner up and turn them, repeat. The n increases each time.
For our upper body we did one partner 20 seconds pitterpat, both partners 10 seconds push-ups, other partner 20 seconds pitterpat, both partners 10 seconds push-ups. Repeated for 5 minutes.
Then we got into our pad rounds:

1. Basic Thai
   
2. Ground n' pound especially working from inside the guard, passing to the side, and the mount. The emphasis was on heavy hands in the ground engagement.
   
3. Knee drills: the distance drill, the three knees three punches drill, and the three knees turn drill.

JKD & BJJ A simple way to pass

From inside the guard control the lapels bilaterally and then knee walk backward stretching your opponents guard. Roll up to your standing, and then kneel with one knee up to break the guard. Once the guard is broken drop this knee to the floor on the same side as your rear knee. The shoulder on this side should also drop and you should control the underhook. Slide low and tight to pass the guard.

The creative juices are brewing once more

Yes I have a more hectic schedule and yes my software wasn't working, erasing a few blogs but I think I want to write some more, because it's good for me. This evening we worked a few rounds of pads:

1. Focus mitt combinations
   • Jab-cross-lead body hook-rear upper cut-cross-lead head hook (Body 3-Upper cut 3)
     
   • Jab-cross-*pause*-jab-overhand-upper cut-cross (2 into 4 angles).
   
   
2. Thai pad rounds: Leg evasion skills building
   Specifically using any of the four count kicking combinations and then reacting to the kick to the lead leg with a leg evasion followed by "Thai" reaction (cross-lead hook-rear kick). The holder could then vary the flow by doing nothing, forcing the leg evasion with cross-hook-cross (3) reaction, or holding for the opposite kick. This emulates the disposition of a flurry, do you reset your range, ready yourself for counter attack, or continue to hunt an injured opponent.
   
   
3. Thai pad rounds: Tiip combinations review
   • Tiip-2-lead kick
     
   • Tiip kicking combination #1 (Tiip-cross-lead hook-rear kick)
     
   • Tiip kicking combination #3 (Tiip-cross-lead hook-lead kick)
     
   • Tiip-rear kick
     
   • Tiip-lead kick
   
   
4. Defensive flow
   Both sides are wearing boxing glove, the feeder throws a tiip which the fighter deflects with the lead hand and follows with 3, then high covers the cross followed by three, then low side covers the body hook followed by three, then catches the kick (either right or left side) and either strikes off this or dumps the feeder. They then reset.

.Next we worked on the chutes and ladders concept, using pressure at one level to set-up an easier takedown at another. We worked four examples of this:

1. The upper body combat chiropractor to the double leg, if you can don't even free your grip, just loosen and drop.
   
2. The hip toss (ogoshi) to the double leg, attempt the hip toss, as your opponent hops/pivots around your hip shoot your double. Alternatively use the uchi-mata (a hip toss but with a reap to the medial part of the thigh opposite the reaping leg) if they again do not fall, do a low line shot to the base leg.
   
3. Soto-makikomi to re-soto-makikomi, in this throw you initially overhook the arm and then turn 270° pulling your opponent over your back. Sometimes they don't fall, at this point, cut your far shoulder to the floor and repeat the throw over a smaller turning radius or reap upwards with the near leg.
   
4. Arm pull single to clothes line, in this use two hand to pull your opponent's hand to his foot and shoot for the low single, if they fall great, but if not they will most likely pop up and try to get this leg out of the way, i.e. run backwards, you can then go for this throw and then chase them, shooting one hand for the cloths line and the other in the opposite direction at their hip pushing up.

Lastly we worked two grappling drills one using the kimura from side mount followed by climbing to knee on stomach and jumping to the otherside. This repetitively drills alternating sides with a dynamic transition. We then worked a new flow, specifically arm bar from guard, your opponent pulls out leaving the reverse (scoop) arm bar on the other arm, if they bend the arm, attack with kimura after returning to the guard or triangle position. If they fight out spin to the opposite side arm bar, allowing the drill to repeat.

Don't show me you can hit hard, let me feel it and never have the chance to see it

I came up with this today as I was holding, lots of folks like to pose as if to demonstrate that they are hitting hard. Don't worry your opponent or coach will know from the impact, you don't have to show them. Today I worked on some clinching concepts:

1. "Garage Door" or cover lift

   With this use the cover with a partial duck, to pick up the punch and then wing the elbow up, to work into the clinch on the outside of the arms.

2. Cover check

   As you cover, extend the opposite hand to catch the cover side neck, followed immediately by a knee

3. Flurry clinch

   To often we separate striking from clinching, I think this is an error, if we want to set up a shot, we would tap or misdirect, why not do the same but with punches, really fast and hard ones, too. Thus throw five "shots" (in the striking not the wrestling sense) but only three punches, e.g. jab-cross-lead hook-rear clinch neck-lead clinch neck

I also did some FUN (frigging unholy nastiness) with some Tabata rounds, I included:

• Striking Spider-man
  
• Medicine Ball Push-ups
  
• Cover Push-ups
  
• Pistol Squats
  
• 3 push-up alternating with climbers
  
• Alternating one leg on the ball squats
  
• High Knees
  
• Happy Feet

Rules

Yesterday we had a balmy winter day and did some training following our run to the Hill with intervals of sprints, shadowboxing, and push-ups. We then worked kicking and knee combinations alternatively on the pads to finish our warm-up. We then did two sets of 2 x 2 minute rounds on the focus mitts of:

1. Head/Body Reactions

   We used high and side cover to enter in to cross-lead hook-cross, in addition we used the lead and rear body cover enter into lead uppercut-cross-lead hook and rear uppercut-lead hook-cross, respectively.

2. 3-Parry-3-Side Cover-Reverse 3

   Jab-Cross-Lead Hook-Parry (Cross)-Cross-Lead Hook-Cross-Side Cover (Lead Hook)-Lead Hook-Cross-Lead Hook

On reaction drills it is especially important to not to celebrate, admire your handiwork, or run out of gas at the end of your combination. All fight exchanges have a beginning, a middle, and an end. On a provoked reaction or action reaction, when your done, be sure that your disposition of the situation is enough. When I train someone on pads and they complete their combination, if they look expectantly at me with puppy dog eyes begging for praise they get swatted...hard. The time to relax is when your are well back out of range and can then watch your opponent fall down.
We switched to the thai pads and did two sets of 2 x 2 minute rounds of:

1. 2-Kick Follow-ups

   We covered two variations here:

   • Jab-Cross-Lead Kick-Cross
     It is very important to shield (i.e. pre-cover) when entering for the punch, the impulse to generate kick power drops the hands away from the head, so when closing for the final punch, be sure to protect yourself from an intercepting punch.
   • Jab-Cross-Lead Kick-Lead Knee
     Use the kick to punish and then re-cock and throw the knee.

2. 1-Kick Follow-ups

   We covered two variations here, note that these combinations are a good way to train the flow into the Superman fake, since they basically do that but include rather than fake the rear kick.

   • Jab-Rear Kick-Rear Knee
   • Jab-Rear Kick-Cross-Rear Hook-Cross
     It is especially important here to reacquire your original lead so that you can go right back into the your punching combination.

At the end of our practice, I did some fast boxing timing with one of my students. This was probably a bad idea, as he came out whipping really fast, tight combinations at me. I haven't purely boxed in months, so the first thing I thought about was kicking him and then realizing that I shouldn't, as I registered the shouldn't part he pasted me. OK. So as we exchanged again I thought about clinching, nope can't do that either, before getting swatted again. After several exchanges each time getting the worse of it, I invoked senior privilege and bowed out (that and I was hacking up a lung...yeah that's the ticket). Joe, my student, started boxing about a year ago and has been competing and training in this almost exclusively for the past six months. I've been training guys for mixed-martial arts and been sparring more in that line. Given a set of rules, boxing, I was spending a large amount of processing time, remembering what I could and couldn't do, time that I couldn't give up to someone as fast as Joe. And as each time he was getting the better of it, I was scrambling to some up with something.
This is both the boon and ban of rules. Rules can refine skills to incredibly high levels. No one would argue with punching superiority of a boxer, the elbow-knee clinch dominance of the thai fighter, the takedown skills of a wrestler, and the submission skills of a sport jiu-jitsu expert. By playing within in the context of given rules, these combat athletes have refined their tools to be the best for those rules. However, they are also purely functional within those rules. Mixed-martial artist like to point out then that they are the superior fighters as mixed-martial arts incorporates "everything". This is a fallacy on two levels, (1) to refine skills in one area it is better to return to the source, I'd rather learn to box from a boxing coach and then have an MMA coach integrate that into a MMA game and (2) MMA has its own rules that gamemanship can exploit, not everything is legal and depending on the mechanics of the fight can favor certain elements of a fighters style. Here's another example:Another problem with rules is the unreality they impose on any "live" situation from a match in ring or self-defense fight for your life. In training we often impose rules on sparring, self-defense scenarios, or drills. This is done to protect ourselves and often to emphasize an attribute to technical point. To paraphrase Tony Blauer, All training is fake, just try to train the most realistic fake stuff possible. Thus when someone drills combination X, followed by combination Y and their willing partner moves the right way, the desired result Z, they form a rule in their head. When I do this, this happens, however when dealing with an unwilling opponent and then X + Y suddenly doesn't equal Z. Rules then are a necessary evil, understand where they conflict with reality and why they do so, find ways to train around this unreality, but recognize that the rulebook isn't always what you think it is.

Channelling the ancients and realizing they aren't always right today

Sombrada
The sombrada middle range flow pattern (using the right hand to wield the stick). The entire pattern is given in a continuous loop from the perspective of both partner A and B. Numbering in red is from the offensive perspective, while numbering in yellow is the mirror image, that is how those lines of attack appear to the defender. Download written version (PDF).

Small workout today in Bugeishako starting with thai pad warm-up:

1. Kick for kick
   
2. Deep knee-head knee (same side)
   
3. Curve knee-deep knee (same side)

Next we worked on some boxing combinations:

1. 3-High Cover 3 (J-C-LH-cover-C-LH-C)
   
2. Reverse 3-Side Cover Reverse 3 (J-LH-C-cover-LH-C-LH)
   The reverse 3 combination is good versus someone with the opposite lead, i.e. orthodox vs. unorthodox because it sets up the outside angle off their weaker side.
   
3. J-C-Side body cover-Rear uppercut-LH-Side cover-Lead shovel hook-Bob and weave rear hook-rear ripping hook
   Be sure to pivot and reacquire your target after the ripping hook, either to continue attacking or exit with long distance shots.
   
4. J-Body C-LU-Overhand-LH
   Remember to change levels and throw the cross straight, almost as if taking a shot (well you are but not in the wrestling sense). Although the shortest distance between two points is a line it is sometimes safer to change levels and then through, mostly because you are harder to hit and can protect yourself better. For the uppercut make sure you travel cleanly up the "channel" between the guard and to the chin.

When striking look for the channels created by a persons guard, as you fire straight down the centerline the outside or circular strikes open up, e.g. hooks, overhands, and kicks. As you throw "bombs" the center line or "channel" widens, so switch back. Low shots open up the high line and vice versa. As the guard composed of the hands and arms drift away from the body more shots open, angling of the arms away from the body opens the floating ribs, chin, and top of the head to curvilinear shots. The hands drifting away from the face creates "chaff" of low density, its distracting but powering through it and looking for straight and curved channels to the head has high yield. Think of an electron, the lower energy electrons are "nearer" (classically not quantum mechanically) than the high energy electrons. You want to use minimum energy on defense and keep the guard close to the body.
We also covered some basic ground work, some slightly different things that I like to do:

Guard checking to stand-up

Frame hard and quick, insert this same side knee and push, place the opposite foot in the hip, free your knee leg to push/kick to the chest or face, post back on the opposite side and lever yourself to the upright position.

Sameside straight arm lock from guard

From the guard, cover the looping G n' P cross. Reach across with the other arm, catch at the elbow and pull. Loop your cover arm around their arm. Slide out to this side, top foot in the hip, knee on the shoulder, bottom foot on the hip knee pinching the trapped arm's shoulder. Scoop just proximal to their elbow, over your bowed body.

Sameside straight arm lock from side mount

Your opponent tries to bench you, transfer to knee on the stomach, and pop their arm outward, catching it between the crook of your neck and shoulder on the side inferior to them. Scoop the arm, proximal to the elbow, joint for the lock.

Remember that fighting is not a complete enough science to harbor universal truths. While there have been a series of excellent approximations of combat laws, they do not always stand the test of time nor the rigors of interpretation and transmission. Teaching and training based on repeatable results is unfortunately not as appealing or as easy as taking things on faith. Questioning the mechanics and the concepts of ones art is a difficult thing to do, especially in the increasing commercialization of martial arts, if the results come back negative that can place one in the red. Also if you continue to question, you can never rest, removing the goal and continuing the journey is the true path to combat enlightenment.

JKD & BJJ

For JKD we worked on intercepting either by first avoiding the wild swing or striking right off the cocked posture of a haymaker. Using this "inflicted pain" we entered with the straight blast, secured the neck, and delivered our headbutt, knees, and elbows. We then isolated the trapping range and worked on lop sao pok sao. There are a few simple keys to this, for the lop put pressure at the elbow to reopen the high line, then use the pok to trap both hands. Always advance to increase the forward pressure.
For BJJ we reviewed the half-guard position from Saturday and added one from the whizzer position. Use your free hand to grab the wrist or sleeve. Now drive your elbow to the mat and roll your opponent over the trapped (whizzer) arm.
And here are some fun KOs:

Half-Spear, Forearm Check, Etc.

Often in fight sports, especially MMA that half-spear, forearm check, and the same technique with various names comes into play. Essentially its the reflexive reaction that occurs when someone rushes you and your put your forearm between them and you. This often checks their motion, but you will have to do something with it. Here are some suggestions:

Side thai clinch

Half step away and over/underhook the near arm, control the neck with the checking hand. Do a quarter pivot to break their posture (Combat Chiropractor) and deliver two knees to the head/body. Either throw them to the ground or throw them away off balance and follow with a combination.

Thai clinch

Trace the checking hand over the neck and then secure the neck/head with the other hand. Deliver a knee flurry and look for disposition, i.e. another knee flurry, takedown, or throw to strikes.

Over under or double under position

Pummel the check hand under to the far armpit, simultaneously doing the same with the free hand trying to secure double unders. Look for short knees and punches to takedown.

Brian and I ran to the Hill, sprinted up the Hill ten times (well he sprinted I lumbered), and did an incentive jog back (where you do push-ups every minute, sort of speeds you up). I held 3 x 5 minute rounds for him, concentrating the first round on striking combinations and reaction, the second on the ground engagement holding from the open guard position and using sprawl/fall/follow, and lastly holding a round using the three half-spear/forearm check transitions.

JKD & BJJ Position really is everything

Case in point King Leonidas and 300 of his spartans fought and held against the vastly outnumbering legions of Xerxes. In the context of fight sports positioning makes the unmovable sweepable, the untouchable strikable, and the undefeatable beatable. This especially true in the half-guard position. Originally the half-guard was the result of your opponent attempting to pass your guard. This was a place you ended up in, not one you fought from. However as sport jiu-jitsu has evolved the half-guard has evolved as a offensive position of its own, notably by such jiu-jitsu players such as Roberto "Gordo" Correa and Eddie Bravo (see "Jiu-jitsu Unleashed" (Eddie Bravo)).
In BJJ we worked three sweeps from the half-guard. The primary key to playing the half-guard is to remain oblique to the mat, that is, up on one side (shoulder and hip) never flat on your back. Also the hooking leg (bottom side) should drop the toes to the mat as a better hook.

1. Half-guard ankle pick

   Using your top-side knee and forearm, frame at the hip and neck. Pummel the frame inside to an underhook as you simultaneously extend the the top leg, dive your head to their far knee. This flattens your opponent, allowing them to fall into the "black hole" caused by the removal of the frame and the repositioning of your body. Reach your bottom side hand through and catch the far foot from underneath, slide your underhook arm down and pass the trapped foot to this hand. Bring your bottom elbow in to your body and then slide it to post, transition out and unhook your leg, then redrive into your opponent rolling them to the mat. Incidently you can pass the guard in a very similar fashion of passing and trapping the foot.

2. Taking the back

   You attempt the half-guard ankle pick described above, but your opponent sprawls out. Reverse your position and use the underhook to shuck forward and attack the back with a Marcelo Garcia "seat belt" grip. Climb to the back and secure hooks.

3. Whizzer counter sweep

   In this scenario your opponent blocks the above attempt at taking the back by putting in a whizzer, essentially overhooking your underhook. They want to drive your forward with this pressure, you will defend by posting out, creating a strong frame. Now pinch your upper arm down on the whizzer, punch their knee with your posting hand, and dive your head to their far knee. If they have strong (realistic) forward pressure they will literally roll them selves forward into th spot where you used to be.

This can be easily drilled by switching between the taking the back and the whizzer counter sweep while having the top player switch between defending with whizzer and posting against the sweep.
During the JKD portion of practice we worked on advancing and retreating while using the downward and upward figure 8 patterns. Talk about positioning, a mistake earns you a crack on the hand or noggin'.

Frostbite and adversity builds champions

Yesterday our university martial arts gym closed for the winter break. That leaves us with our reserve training facility, the Bugeishako (Combat Garage), which is climatologically fine in late spring, summer, and fall. In winter the mat is frozen to a concrete like consistency and your breath steams, the walls serve to slow the winter winds and that's about it. Thus I present here empiric evidence that frostbite and adversity builds champions, the first is Rocky IVThe second is Fedor Emelyanenko

Ugly like good cuts go to the bone

This evening we worked on activity level needed to fight. A fighter must be emotionally and physically in action, in training and in combat. Intensity does not mean going apepoop, that's anger not the fierce joy that proper training and fighting bring. We started by intensifying out shadowboxing, extending our strikes, remaining in motion, and visualizing the violent dance between ourselves and an opponent. We further warmed up with continual movement and then thai clinch spin/bear hug lift and turn.
Our thai pad rounds were 4 x 3 minutes and a 6 minute conditioning round:

1. Activity Round

   In this round the fighter stays at long range closing to throw a combination. They can then at their holders command reopen the range or close throwing a continuous barrage of lead hook-rear uppercut-lead uppercut-rear hook or knees. The goal here is to work on mobility, and an active combat stance whether moving to extend the range or using the continual flurry of the up close fighting.

2. Long Chain Combinations

   Jab-Kick into Kicking Combination #2 or #4 Reaction (High, Side, Leg Cover, Sprawl, or Fall) followed by 3, Thai (into kicking combinations #2 or #4), Knee, etc.
   Jab-Cross-Kick into Kicking Combination #1 or #3 Reaction (High, Side, Leg Cover, Sprawl, or Fall) followed by 3, Thai (into kicking combinations #2 or #4), Knee, etc.
   Our objective here is that when we train 3-4 strike combinations we often throw a lot fewer punches in the heat of battle, thus by creating longer chains we will perhaps increase the magnitude of fight combinations.

3. Spider-Man Striking Drill

   Using the sprawl, fall, or follow the fighter engages the ground and starts the Spider-Man Drill (lifting one foot or hand and replacing it with a hand or foot) after each transition they must throw a punch or kick to the thai pads. Obviously this means throwing some awkward punches, however just as the Spider-Man drill teaches ground transition, this teaches ground transition with striking.

4. MMA Knee Combo

   Jab-Cross-Holder reacts w/ cross-Pull to the cross side hip as you throw a flying knee with this side knee-thai clinch-3 alternating knees-holder pummels in one arm-thai side clinch-3 knees from the far knee-pull to the mat-knee on stomach-3 punches

5. Conditioning Ladder #2>

   30 sec intervals of push-ups (or cover push-ups) continuous 4 count (lead kick-cross-lead hook-rear kick-lead hook-cross-repeats) in a ladder 1-2-4-8-16-32-1 minute of shuttle-32-16-8-4-2-1-30 second of pitterpat sprawls

We briefly reviewed the angling pendulum. We worked alternating kicks and shots off the corkscrew set-up.
Lastly we worked some self-defense using the SPEAR methodology to engage a primary attack and then allowing that attack to evolve into second and even third attacks. We worked this s l o w l y trying to realistically emulate a real fight and the what happens if at each stage we engage in more or less desirable action.

GJ "I...have...returned"

After a month of being the nighthawk I finally have gotten back to a normal schedule and have to opportunity to teach my class and train with my team once more. So we started with a really light warm-up to hide my acquired decrepitude. We transitioned from basic core warm-up (squats, jumping jacks, push-ups) to full body dynamic stretching ("Stretching Scientifically: A Guide to Flexibility Training (4th Revision ed)" (Thomas Kurz)) to functional skills warm-up using shadowboxing, pummeling, shrimping, rolls, and falls.

At this point we highlighted the two primary purposes of rolls and falls, i.e. the ball and book phenomenon. Rolls (be the ball) are primarily an exercise in converting the vertical downward vector of your body's momentum after a throw into a horizontal one. This is done to decrease the amount of energy and ballistically release it by rolling out. That is increments of your body connect with the mat and absorb a fraction of the energy before the next increment makes contact. Falls (be the book), on the other hand, attempt to decrease the force per unit area by maximizing the surface area that makes contact with the mat. The human instinct in a fall is to reach, thus trying to stop all of you on an extremely small surface, namely your hand and hence your wrist, elbow, and shoulder. Proper judo/jiu-jitsu falls spread the large muscular areas, e.g. the gluteus maximus, thighs, latissimus dorsi, and trapezeus muscles, across the mat and increase the area absorbing the force of your fall. Drop a book on its edge versus the cover and notice how much more damage is caused when the book hits the small area (the edge) compared with the large area (the cover).

Next we worked into the leg lever a simple throw that use the concept that you can run a lot faster on two legs than your opponent can hop on one. Basically, attack the lead leg and lower your level by bending your knees. Grab one hand at the ankle, pull upward and toward your hip as you push at the hip, laterally.

This was then applied to a caught kick, where you step with the kick and wrap at the ankle, followed by the leg lever above. I also showed two transitions the first if the lever doesn't work. Use the thigh near the leg to "hold" the leg momentarily as you underhook the leg and tilt the person over their base leg. The second took advantage of if your opponent place the leg between your legs. Pinch with your thighs, secure your arms around the leg, make a tight spiral and fling your opponent laterally away from their posted leg. If they are too "resistant" switch directions and go for the double leg.

Next we addressed some striking combinations with both sides switching off using in gloves and shin pads:

Alternating (fundamental) style combination

Typically we think of striking as left-right or right-left, chaining our strikes and using the simplest biomechanics granted to us by having one axis of symmetry. For this we used J-C-LH-C and Tiip-J-C-LKn-push-C-LH.

Permutation style combination

The advanced group worked on the permutation combination, taking the first three strikes of fundamental combination and doing "whatever" at the end. This builds gamemanship and crafts individual combination approaches to sparring.

Same-side switch up combinations

Since the alternating combination is so ingrained, it is often useful to set-up opponents by using a same side switch up especially if the same side combination can be delivered with similar speed and power as a more traditional alternating combination. The examples we used here were J-RK-RKn-pull-LH-C and J-C-LK-LKn-push-C-LH.

Next we covered knee combinations, specifically:

• Curve knee, same side straight knee
  
• Curve knee, opposite side straight knee
  
• Straight knee transition to side thai clinch straight knee and throw.

It is important to use good curve knee mechanics our base leg should move allowing the weight of your body to drive the curve knee. The straight knee should be thrown by allowing your body to lengthen. Feel free to continually tug on your opponent's head.

Using these skills we did 2 x 2 minute rounds of tag team knee play, where one person continually switches off with their partners, never being allowed an advantage moment or rest. It is important to use your entire body in this drill, conserving as much energy as possible.

Ah its good to be back.

ICE ICE Baybee -- Incremental Combination Exercise

Having again spent most of the week working nights, eating "dinner", sleeping, eating "breakfast" and then doing the whole thing again I had the need to do something, anything to keep my technical skills and conditioning from deteriorating further. However, I didn't have a lot of time so the masochistic perfectionist in me said, why bother working out if I couldn't do it for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but the realist won the battle, I figured a 25-30 minute workout was better than nothing. When your scheduled is cramped you might as well take advantage of what you got.
I'm a big proponent of bag work and shadowboxing, it's excellent solo training and no great fighter is complete without it. However its hard to do well, anyone can swat at a bag a few times or do the fighting equivalent of an air guitar for 20-30 seconds, few people can do the round after round needed to polish their fighting craftmanship.
Hence the latest in solo training technology: ICE or incremental combination exercise (sorry back to the silly acronyms). Basically you build a combination, e.g.:

An offensive striking combination

1. Jab
   
2. Jab-cross
   
3. Jab-cross-lead hook
   
4. Jab-cross-lead hook-cross
   
5. Jab-cross-lead hook-cross-lead uppercut
   
6. Jab-cross-lead hook-cross-lead uppercut-overhand

Or breaking down the four count kicking combination and going through them in series, for example #3:

1. Lead kick
   
2. Lead kick-cross
   
3. Lead kick-cross-lead hook
   
4. Lead kick-cross-lead hook-lead kick

A provoked reaction:

1. Jab
   
2. Jab-high cover
   
3. Jab-high cover-cross
   
4. Jab-high cover-cross-lead hook
   
5. Jab-high cover-cross-lead hook-rear kick (body)
   
6. Jab-high cover-cross-lead hook-rear kick (body)-lead kick (head)

or

1. Jab
   
2. Jab-cross
   
3. Jab-cross-side cover
   
4. Jab-cross-side cover-lead hook
   
5. Jab-cross-side cover-lead hook-cross
   
6. Jab-cross-side cover-lead hook-cross-lead kick (body)
   
7. Jab-cross-side cover-lead hook-cross-lead kick (body)-rear kick (head)

In this way you do non-monotonic repetitions and you have to keep thinking about which set you are on. At the same time you can start to feel how each move functions independently, that is, assess its technical perfection but on the subsequent repetitions see how it flows or assess its applicability.
A separate note: it's getting kind of chilly in my garage so I wore my wrestling shoes. This forces one to kick with the lower shin, hitting with the top of the foot cause the shoe to create painful pressure on the ankle, who knew that wrestling could contribute to proper kicking mechanics.

Never take your training for granted

Last week I started my one month rotation of "night float", that is, spending 7 PM to 7 AM in the hospital, while the hours are no more intense than my regular schedule they are only normal for someone living on the opposite side of the world. In other words when I want to train I neither have training partners or a facility available, the regularly scheduled practices that I would normally attend are right about the time I'm leaving home for work.
So what's a training masochist like me to do. Obviously I still try to set-up practice slots where I can, and got to workout Friday and Saturday with some of guys from my gym. I couldn't believe how much a week off made me miss training nor how much I had actually been taking my training regimen for granted. It was refreshing and a bit humbling to realize that I had taken a good thing and expected to last no matter what. I'll be grateful for the training opportunities I have this month and be more appreciative of them when I get back.
Saturday we worked on passing the guard by "jumping". One of the most frustrating things to deal with in an opponent is one fluid enough to jump past the full guard to half guard in an attempt to pass. Once in the half-guard the jump can be used to switch sides forcing the bottom player to constantly play catch-up. We jumped from three positions:

Half-guard

From a stymied passing positon, with your front more toward the floor, jump to the opposite side, rotating around your leg, landing face up, secure the grip around the neck and far leg.

Koala guard

Lower your weight, reach the near side arm over your opponent's shoulder and secure the kimono on the far side. Push your knee into your opponent's chest as you spring forward and roll out laterally, posting with your far leg. Secure the your free hand under their far leg. Note your opponent can defend this by blocking with the rear leg of the koala position, using securing a low guard position around the shins and then pushing to a kneeling position on top.

De la Riva

Pop the extended leg laterally off your hip and push the hook through as spring forward and spin on the formerly hooked leg.

At sparring I coached (mostly due to a wicked leg cramp...apparently 30 hours of not sleeping with minimal fluids will do that...who knew). This was the first day for new member sparring. And they rapidly learned that it is a lot harder than it looks, as they were paired off against more experienced club members. Everyone starts off gung ho, but after getting punched in the face and kicked in the stomach they loose much of their ability to string an offense together. However, this should not be seen as a defeat, rather it is a learning opportunity to see how well you fair under stress, how well you take the fear that is instilled by having someone trying to hurt you. The best part is how much more serious the people who spar become in their training, they understand the more repetitions in training the more likely they will do better in sparring.
Following sparring we covered the entering bait, that is, using gradual probing steps to draw your opponent's fire, learning what that reaction is, and using it to set-up offense and counter offense. The biggest mistake people make is standing in the range where the other guy fights best. Switch the range, open to draw the to you, close to force them into action, use these and see how you can make them play the game according to your rules. "Games" likes shoulder and knee tag work on this concept.
Leg evasions were also discussed and drilled. If your opponent is kicking you in your leg we will slow you down and eventually break you down entirely. Evade by stepping your lead leg back to the same line as your rear leg, as they spin through deliver the cross. We drilled this by evading and tagging the far shoulder as it came through on the spin.
We also covered the tiip defense, reiterating that the entering bait above can be used effectively to make your opponent kick and miss. Alternatively and more traditionally use a downward lead hand scoop to divert the kick and drive it hard into the floor, planting them there momentarily. For same lead, tiip follow with a rear kick to the back of their thigh, lead head hook, and rear cross. For same lead, rear tiip lead kick to the inside of the base leg, straight cross.
With my new goal of never taking training for granted, as I watched my training partner Jeff teach the arm bar and triangle, I picked up new nuances on how to both perform and teach the technique and I've done thousands upon thousands of arm bars, taught it to hundreds of people, and won major combinations with both those techniques. Maximize every minute of your day, from getting one more good repetition of a technique to savoring one more second of sleep, take no moment for granted.

Application at the expense of technical perfection

I've asked the question in practice recently, "does your mighty instructor fight a technically perfect fight." My guys want to say yes, mostly out of loyalty and politeness, but in truth the answer is no. I doubt anyone has ever fought a technically perfect fight, there are too many internal and external variables that take the ultimate combat stud we are in practice on the pads and makes them a little more full of mortal foibles when the chips are down. Perhaps this is an artifact of rarely allowing ourselves to see ourselves train, we don't tape or have spectators for practice like we do for events. Perhaps I'm just overly critical, but if we fall into the trap that victory means excellence then we allow our ego to rather than our needs direct our training. Just because you got away with something once doesn't make it right it makes it lucky. We must practice endlessly for technical perfection, but we must also accept that realities of application, that we will make mistakes when the chips are down but that by repeated, correct practice we will minimize the repercussions of those less than desirable actions while maximizing the effects of the things we do right in the fight.

This is my MMA fight from the Total Fight Challenge, February 25, 2005. I was pretty ripped for this fight due to the same day weigh ins, so that's dehydration (and a profound inability to tan) your seeing. The Monday after I fought, unbeknownst to me, I was diagnosed with a rip roaring case of mononucleosis, explaining why I'd been feeling so tired for the past few weeks before the event. An ultrasound a few weeks after that revealed my spleen to be at the upper limits of normal, that is I'm lucky that between training and fighting I didn't end up in the emergency room with a splenic rupture. I also have a subtle limp, my standard prefight ritual is to thoroughly mess up my knee about 3-4 days before the fight, after weeks of it being solid as a rock. During the fight look for a lack of extension on my punches, allowing my significantly shorter opponent to reach out and tag me solidly in the nose and snap my head back, fortunately I've killed all the weak brain cells. This probably could have been remedied by more sparring w/ smaller gloves. I could easily have thrown a solid head kick and had been doing so for weeks up until my knee worries. We end up on the ground due to his take down attempt, all I did was step over his sacrifice throw (this is clipped from the video due to spectators moving around). I also just ride him on the ground, with poor mount control. In essence I'm suffering from a lack of commitment and being reactive rather than being proactive, but I still scratch out the win by rear naked choke set-up with punches to his right orbital socket.