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.

GJ The Rise and Fall of the Martial Empire

Historians and social theorists have models that describe civilizations. One model (possibly more) describe all civilizations essentially in formative, growth, peak/expansion, decline, and dissolution stages. I think that similar models can be applied to martial arts. In my training applicability and functionality built on sound judgment have been the core of what a martial art should be, thus, in my opinion an ethically sound purely functional martial art is the peak of combat evolution. That means that a style like boxing, wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu would be formative, while highly applicable they are also highly specific dealing with only a fraction of applications. Styles of MMA range from (pre-)formative to growth stages as they are more functional but all the rough edges have yet to be smoothed out. Styles like traditional jujitsu, tae kwon do, and many forms of karate are in the decay and dissolution stages, they lack real world use except on the most esoteric levels and are marred by adherence to doctrine rather than scientific evidence.

Kick-Cross-Hook-(Jab-Cross-Jab-Cross)-slip-spin uki-waza

As your partner throws the last cross, slip outside and clinch at the waist, step up and sit behind your opponent dragging them over your extended leg.

Jab-Cross-(Cross-Hook-Cross)-parry to side Thai clinch takedown

Obtain underhook control and hand control of the neck, take a pivot step back as you pull their head forward down. Use the underhook to pull them over their head and roll them to the floor.

Side Thai clinch to hip toss, uchi-mata, or harai-goshi

From the side thai clinch put your hips in front of your opponent and hip toss, alternatively reap the near (uchi-mata) or far leg (harai-goshi). You can either control the neck or reach across to the far arm and use that to throw.

Slip irimi nage

Slip place one hand on the hip and drive up upward at a 45^o as you drive the other hand across the neck and clavicle in a downward angle.

Corkscrew to single

Use jab-cross while stepping on the cross throw the lead hook, from here shoot to the single, lower your level, drive and pick up the leg, finish the single.

Reverse corkscrew to double

Use jab-lead hook stepping with the hook to the straight cross, shoot the straight double from here against their "parallel stance" against their weakest axis.

Arm dump

Parry the cross, shoot your other arm across their elbow. Clasp your hands and suck it to your chest, then bend forward and twist in the direction of the trapped arm, to drag them to the mat.

JKD & BJJ/GJ Sleep when your dead

Vacillate. I like this word, I use it all the time, just not correctly apparently.

This was a full weekend, after being on call Friday night I went right to JKD and BJJ. We reviewed the Gun Turret position and added to it:

Single Leg Variation

Use your anterior leg to hook thier leg as you stand-up and pull back. Immediately take the shot.

Dive Bomber Sweep

From a tight "in the gun turret" position your opponent grabs the back of kimono and tires to pull you away. Use your free hand to grip their sleeve and then swing your posterior leg through as you five your head between their legs, trying to swing 360° through to your belly as you sweep them backwards.

Knee Bump

In the case where your opponent has passed your Koala Guard. They are sitting on one of your thighs, controlling your sleeve with their far hand. Regrab their sleeve and bump them forward with our top leg and quickly come on top.

Capoeira Koala Defense

This is actually a defense. Push on their shoulder with your free hand, as they try to so the single leg, swing the leg medially and up laterally over their head, while keeping space with your hands.

In Goshin Jitsu we worked on some striking rounds:

1. Walking the Body

2. Permutation Kick Combination

   Using kick combination #1 (lead kick-cross-hook-rear kick) we covered permutations of the kicking combination:

   1. Regular Same: Step out in the direction of the kick, then continue in that direction for the cross, hook and rear kick.
      
   2. Regular Opposite: Step out in the direction of the kick and then switch directions for the cross and hook, switching to their far side for the last kick.
      
   3. Switch Step Same: Use a reverse step, i.e. step with your kicking leg and then throw the kick, continue in this direction for the cross, hook and rear kick.
      
   4. Switch Step Opposite: Again start with the reverse step but switch directions on the cross and hook to get to the far side for the last kick.

   Thus you can not only find the "style" you are most comfortable with but also increase the number of variations on the same theme that you have.

3. Shadowboxing/Pad Round Switch Off

   In this round we switched between shadowboxing and hitting pads, each time the holder could choose anyone and initiate the round with a reaction. This forces people to switch gears rapidly, experience different "energies", and stay a little more on their toes than they might be used to.

We also covered the arm drag to trapped arm guard flow:

It is important on the triangles to use all three dimensions to maximize the pressure on the neck. It is also important to realize that the SPiNE concept also comes into play, your opponent gets weaker and less able to defend the triangle the more you extend their head away from their COM. The closer to horizontal the line between your two COM becomes the stronger your triangle becomes relative to their ability to get out.

Body Weight High-Intensity Training (BWHIT)

High-Intensity Training is the "modern era’s version of one-set-to-failure strength training, producing even greater muscle mass and power in less time" ("High-Intensity Training" (John Philbin), "High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way" (Mike Mentzer, John R. Little)). I've used it with excellent results to build usable strength for combat sports, however with my current schedule getting time for hitting the gym is becoming more and more difficult. Many combat sports athletic trainers are now advocating body weight exercises for greater results (e.g. "The Naked Warrior" (Pavel Tsatsouline), "Combat Conditioning: Functional Exercises For Fitness And Combat Sports" (Matt Furey), "Dynamic Strength" (Harry Wong)). I'm proposing to combine these two modalities into a quick home workout capable of being done in 30-45 minutes. The only pieces of equipment I propose to use is a pull-up bar and a stop watch/timer.
Combat sports are described as anaerobic with intervals of intense cardiopulmonary activity broken up by rest periods (e.g. rounds or tournament). Thus according to Philbin we want the time under tension to be 48 to 72 seconds and increasing the intensity by 3-5% at 12 reps or time when under tension exceeds 72 seconds. A 75 to 90 second recovery time is used between each exercise. A total of 2-3 full body workouts per week is the goal.

1. Sit-ups -- Knees bent 45° and pressed together
   
2. Sit-ups -- Knees bent 45° and apart
   
3. Sit-ups -- Knees bent 90° (shins parallel with the floor) and pressed together
   
4. Sit-ups -- Knees bent 90° (shins parallel with the floor) and apart
   
5. Sit-ups -- Legs straight up (perpendicular with the floor) and pressed together
   
6. Sit-ups -- Legs straight up (perpendicular with the floor) and apart
   
7. Sit-ups -- One leg straight and elevated, one knee bent 45° and elevated (switch every three)
   
8. Sit-ups -- Legs straight and elevated, knees pressed together and apart (switch every three)
   
9. Sit-ups -- V-sit
   
10. Neck Bridge ("Combat Conditioning: Functional Exercises For Fitness And Combat Sports" (Matt Furey))
    
11. Neck Bridge
    
12. Neck Bridge
    
13. Pull-Ups
    
14. Pull-Ups
    
15. Pull-Ups
    
16. Push-Ups
    
17. Push-Ups
    
18. Push-Ups
    
19. Dive Bomber Push-Ups ("Combat Conditioning: Functional Exercises For Fitness And Combat Sports" (Matt Furey))
    
20. Dive Bomber Push-Ups
    
21. Dive Bomber Push-Ups
    
22. Squats
    
23. Squats
    
24. Squats
    
25. Calf Raises
    

But you will ask, how do you increase intensity by 3-5% once you can do 12 reps in approximately 60 seconds? The answer is to switch bilateral exercises to unilateral exercises, e.g. changing push-ups to staggered push-ups to one-handed push-ups or changing squats to "pistols" ("The Naked Warrior" (Pavel Tsatsouline)). As I progress with this experiment I'll detail some ideas for increasing intensity.

GJ "Like a bull on acid"

This evening Jack McVicker came over and did an hour workshop introducing the concepts of Jeet Kune Do and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He covered the basics of the Rapid Assault Tactics (RAT) showing how to inflict pain enter into the straight blast and transition into head butts, knees, and elbow (HKE). His description the straight blast is the title of today's blog. He also covered the three link meshwork from the guard of kimura, hip bump, and guillotine choke.
Following Jack's presentation the advanced guys worked a few rounds:

1. Kick the puncher

   Use tiip and thai kicks to hold off the puncher

2. Clinch the puncher

   Using the four paths to clinch, clinch off the puncher's offense.

3. Dirty boxing

   Using focus mitts stay close and work short hooks, upper cuts, and crosses. Use the rip to step out and create space or open the distance and have the hitter flow into longer range punches. Also throw in the clinch.

4. 3 Knees Turn Lap

   With the thai pads, throw three knees and turn your partner, "walking" them down and back on the mat.

We finished with takedowns from the double under position, always remember to use the concept of the Combat Chiropractor when in the double under position, this will often break them and force them to fall without ever having to do a "real" throw:

1. Backbreaker

   Simply apply head or shoulder pressure superiorly (pushing) as you scoop out the hips (pulling). You can hook the leg to trip simultaneously.

2. Knee bump

   Scoop the hips toward you generating kazushi (off-balancing), then bump laterally with knee to trip them to the mat. You do not need to lift them up, just lighten the amount of weight they have loaded on their feet.

3. Hip toss

   Use the double unders to throw the hip toss, often you will need to "break" the column of the spine, or to step out laterally before switching into the hip toss.

JKD & BJJ Gun Turret Sweep

We worked from the de la Riva guard today:

De La Riva Tilt

Put one hook from the outside behind the knee, control the same side ankle with your hand. Opposite hand controls the same side sleeve. Tilt while pulling on the sleeve, levering the leg up. Transfer your shoulder to their hip and slide your shin across their legs. Secure the underhook.

Push Back Tilt

Push you opponent away, off-balancing them to their posterior. Feed their kimono under the leg the hand that was gripping their ankle. Tilt as above.

Gun Turret Sweep

As you push away they stand-up, sit up and curl forward, pass their sleeve under their leg (a lá the "pump handle slam") to the hand that was gripping the ankle. Pull them toward you as you block the same thigh as the controlled arm. Tilt 45^o anteriorly over the controlled side. Secure top position as above.

Single Leg Takedown

This time as you push way they retreat further, slide both feet to the outside line and use the hand that had sleeve control to lever you to standing. Attack the single leg with strong forward pressure, head at the pectorals, with their leg between yours.

GJ "Pain is an illusion"

Last night we started out by working from the over-under or 50-50 position, from there we worked on pummeling. Essentially take your over hook and place that hand on your chest then swim through the hole under your partner's armpit. Thus as you replace your overhook with an underhook they do the same on the opposite side.
From this set-up we entered into the thai side clinch, by inserting a forearm to the neck and overhooking the arm, step overhook side foot to the outside of your partner's foot and drop step 90^o out with your other foot, pulling them forward and bringing their head down for the knee.
Alternatively we could go directly into the full thai clinch or plum position, by "swimming" up control the head with two strong hooks. In this position too you can turn/throw your opponent by stepping up on side side and drop stepping 90^o out with the other foot, effectively pulling them to the "black hole" you created by doing so.
Remember that the primary objective of both these positions is to punish your opponent with knees or elbows, and in a street situation eye gouges, head butts, and biting. It is important to attack aggessively and switch lines as the damage done in one area forces your opponent to react, e.g. as you knee in the midsection they typically expose their head for elbows.
In any situation action almost always outweigh's inaction (running from a conflict like a gazelle is an action). In any fight from the ring to the street two things will happen you will either get injured a little or you will get injured a lot, even fatally. Research into trauma has revealed three time periods within which people die:

1. Immediately, i.e. your SOL and you won't know your SOL because your dead.
2. Within about 1 hour (the Golden Hour of Trauma) in which you have a short amount of time to get to the hospital and get resuscitated.
3. Within a few weeks as the complications from the trauma, e.g. infections, cause mortality.

In any case this means that should you lose the fight and you do not die immediately you have about an hour to seek medical attention, that's pretty good odds in my opinion.
The senior students then spent about 30 minutes on leg reaps. I showed two combinations, the Hoedown ("Reap the leg, doe see doh, see your partner on the floo'") where you go ILOR to ILIR alternatively use OLIR to ILIR or OLOR. We finished with 2 x 5 minutes of Tabata intervals...no one wanted to stay and train after that...I can't understand why...

JKD & BJJ Rock-Paper-Scissor Combination

Last night we worked a very tight flow useful for scoring points in sport jiu-jitsu:

1. Scissor sweep

   Use cross collar gi control and same hand sleeve control, the cross collar side shin sits across the belt line while the other leg drops next to their sameside knee. Pull your opponent forward at a 45^o angle while scissoring your legs to sweep them to the mounted position.

2. Loop choke

   If your opponent bases to prevent the sweep, loop the collar forearm under their neck and slide your other arm over the back of their neck and under your elbow. Try to straighten the top arm through the hole between your antecubital fossa (elbow joint)and their neck, mean while lean as to pull the collar tighter that is toward the shoulder of the top arm. If they tap great, but they may simply roll, so take the 2 + 4 points (sweep and mount)

3. "Judo chop" cross collar choke

   Should your opponent push the top elbow forward over their head they free themselves from the choke. Should this happen, off-angle away from the side that you have collar control, bite down with the leg, and "judo chop" their grabbing the fold of the kimono high on the shoulder. Drop your elbow down to loop under their neck and apply the cross collar choke, pull yourself up to them.

4. Straight armbar

   Should they frame and create space to defend the choke, go immediately to a straight armbar.