tallgeese

Foot work and head movement are critical. But you defend by doing a couple of things: 1) You can displace the target. This would be moving the head and using body mechanics. 2) You can displace the attack. Blocking, parrying, ect. or, and best of all 3) Do both. Body movement evasion and moving the attack. Now if one fails, the other is in place. To do this and cover the head, the hands have to be up. Moving them from the midsection is wasted movement. Espicially when your elbows can cover the middle areas. Again, just what's worked for me. I've never had a problem with a high set of fists obscuring vision.

1/18 light day 1 mile treadmill back/ bis sport specific conditioning

Welcome to KF!

Depending on your definition of grappling, that might be true. But the easy answer is - Because it is lost to time. The massive amount of time spent decoding it from kata would be a huge effort. And while it might be culturally rewarding, it's not going to be time efficient. Further, there would be no true way to recreate the specific movements, just interperate into exsisting framework anyway. Better to go to the source that exsist now. Not to mention, there was a huge trend in the early 90's when BJJ first hit with the UFC where lots of traditional school went out of their way to "discover" grappling in kata. It was always, as far as I could see, an effort to take a rudimentary understanding of grappling and insert it into what people were already doing. It's a pet peeve of mine. Be proud of what your art does, and if it has a hole (which we all do) admit that and find a way to fill it. Further, the grappling that often gets interperated from kata is tuite based. It revolves around standing joint manipulation and sweeps, reaps, throws, ect. Kata was intended to be a moving textbook, and not a simulated fight. Part of this text was showing/ describing specific patterns to destroy joints, put and adversary on the ground, ect. It harkens back to an era before jiu-jutsu (JJJ) and karate began to be taught seperatly. People that can walk you thru this are hard to find. Additionally, I doubt that there was EVER a heavy influcence of what we consider grappling or ground fighting today that was covered in the old forms. If it were, we'd see a different methodology employed for forms. Remember, way back in time, the old forms were battlefield tested modalities. So, a joint lock was not for defeating a mugger and escaping, it was for maipulating a weapon holding appendage into a position to break it and make it non functional. Not to control the limb, but to end the enemies primary ability to use the weapon of the day, a sword, against you. Ground work as it is seen now is a highly individualized form. More suited to one on one self defense (or competitive arenas) than battlefield application in large scale. Most ground work in the day would have been to stand up. The intricate grappling practiced now would have been less than ideal under the conditions that first codified karate in ancient Japan. A soldier down was at the mercy of those still up. All focus would have been on standing him back up to deploy his weapons. If you're interested in tuite and joint manipulations (which still have useage in sd today) then by all means find an instructor that can point you down the correct path by rediscovering those things. However, if you're thinking along the lines of ground fighting, it will be more time efficient and effective to simply find a good BJJ school than anything else.

1/17 1 mile treadmill abs legs/ shoulders, light conditioning

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to KF!

We don't use a heel front, so I can't comment, though it does sound a bit off balancing. In general, I'd say what is mandantory is front and MT round. Those would be primary. Secondary would go to round and side. If we must say 5 then an up kick from from the ground should be added and practiced. Very useful survival skill.

Definalty look at a grappling art to compliment your stand up. If you want to do ground fighting, get into BJJ for sure.

I don't think you can look at just the hand position without just a brief look at the entire body position. A short overview of my personal suggestion that's worked for me across a wide variety so circumstances, but we'll focus last on the hands. First up, feet about shoulder width apart with the rear foot off line back about half a step. You're upper body should be angled slightly to the back foot side, but not extessively. This gives you great movement while giving you optimum defensive options. The hands are up, but loose. My back reast near my cheek bone on it's side. The lead hand is slightly out and again around the jaw to nose area. the lead shoulder is elevated a bit and the chin dipped to it. You should have the elbows tight to the side, but again skeletally tight. Not using tight muscles. Just keep them from winging out. Now, structure is useless without a way to use it. I suggest blocking body shots with the elbows by rotating at the midsection. Anything below the belt gets blocked by the legs, and head coverage is performed by the hands and upper forearms. This keeps you from dropping your hands and exposing your head. Just what's worked for me. Good luck, let me know how it works out. I'll see if I can find some video of this in action.

1/16 abs 1 mile on treadmill chest/ tris conditioning

Good luck and keep us posted!

1/15 Warmed up with escaping mount practice for 15. 75 min free roll.

1/14 1.5 on the treadmill, okay I'm so ready to get outside back/bis abs Drilled sport specific work on the mat as conditioning. Working thru Galvano's "Drilling to Win".

1/13 BJJ nite: Drilled over mount escape followed by work in the inverted guard. 3, 2 min rounds of inverted guard v. pass 45 min of free roll. Focused on brining inverted guard into game. Worked on side mount from half movement from tues.

Welcome aboard KF!

I'd give this a go for a few classes or portions of class: Warm up with focus mitt drills that are worked off of your partner taking shots to the melon. Defend, combo. Or combo, defend. Mix it up with some preset combos. Move to non-defined mitt work. In other words, move as if sparring. Then have your partner show you mitts for combos or try to tap you. Work about 1/2 speed or less. The goal is NOT to knock you silly or try to prove what you can or can't make work, but to drill movements you can use later. Then, move to sparring. Do rounds of you just defending. That's it. No coutners even. Start with your partner again just taking head shots. After a couple of rounds of that, let him take any shots he/she wants, just keep defending. That's all you get. At the end of the session, reward yourself with some normal rounds, but keep in mind the hands up and defenses from there. Keep this pattern in the routine until you feel progress. It should help quit a bit. Consider doing it for maintainence occassionally as well. It will usually take a few sessions of work like this to really get improvement. If you're going to train solo, work on something else for a bit. Only work this while you've got someone to keep an eye on your hands up. Once you've got the feel, I recommend putting some time in on your own. The idea though is to not slip back into bad habits, so I'd break out the video and record your sessions. Either shadow boxing or bag work and check out where your hands are going. Review it on the spot after each round to keep yourself honest. Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.

Another book that I've been aiming to write a short review on for awhile but hadn't gotten around to. It's part of Penn's "Book of Knowledge Series" of which he also has an MMA title out in. This particular offering is "Brizilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Closed Guard". It's laid out much like any other Victory Belt publication. The same high quality printing and, more importantly, photos that they've shown in their other products. You will pay a bit for these, although the MSRP is probibly not too far out of line given the cost of similar products on the market. Again, both presenters are in different color gi's, a bonus that has become standard in the industry it seems. All tacics in the book are shown in the gi and many of the movements rely on it's use. This might bother some people, but bear in mind is't a BJJ offering, not MMA. The layout is excellet with him dividing beyond simply chokes, arm attacks, ect. It is futher divided by the method of application. For instance, the choke section is further broken down into chokes via the collar, arms, and triangle positions. As far as content, it is well designed, with a showing across a wide array of technique. An even happier find for me was a second on basic drilling and posture control, as well as submission drills. There are some chaining options given in the book as well. This is a good addition, and one that's not seen often enough. On the down side, there is only one view of most movements in the book. Granted, they will put a second picture up with a slightly different angle for partiularly critical or difficult sections. This is a nice compromise, but I'd prefer the entire series of the movement to be visualized from different angles. I'm sure some people will feel there is too much "basic" technique. I'd counter with that is where the game will be decided- in one's fundimentals. The best thing about this view of the basics is that Penn really breaks down alot of small features that often get overlooked. Espicially outside of the traditional BJJ class. Overall, I'd recommend the book to anyone intereted in making their guard game better in a gi. For no gi guys, you'll get less than you'd probibly like, but there are still points to pick up here. I would ceratinly rate this offering better than his MMA book. No replacement for class, certainly. But a good, well sturctured reference volume that is broken down well.

Awesome! I dig Monty Python.

I'd disagree a bit here. Sure, there is attitude in MMA, much as any athletic endevor. Yes, I'd like to see that change. However, I dont' thing that makes it an unworthy endevor. It's an excellent athletic accomplishment, to compete in full contact. MMA in itself also provides a relitively effective unarmed method of self defense, a major goal of any martial artist. I have a hard time faulting them simply bacause they are based out of a competitive outlet. Competiton is not a bad thing. In fact, it instills some valuable things- the abilty to goal set, pursue via training and hard work that goal, put aside fear and face an obstical in front of everyone. All good things. No, it is not a charater buidling device, but most sport psycologist will tell you that despite retoric, neither is traditional sport. We might teach team work, espirit de corpe, and the ability to perserve in traditional team sports, but we do not teach "charater". I think also, with the advent of MMA as it's own niche art, we need to stop to consider that perhaps we need to make sure that students are training inthe right venue to meet their goals. If a student is bound and determined to fight MMA, then why try to keep in in a traditional karate school. It is not striving towards his goals. Better to refer him to a quality gym more focused to developing and integraing multiple diciplines related to fighting in the ring at those specific venues. Kata is not pushing him towards his goal, nor is time spent in tradional weapons or stances. Get him somewhere he can maximize his time. Conversely, someone wanting to be part of an traditionl linage, who desires a rigid structure of response to attack patterns, like small joint manipulation, or who wants to become proficient in weaponry probibly should be guided away form MMA. It simply won't meet his needs.

Try drilling from position to work your top game. Maybe rounds from there so you're not getting smashed. If you get swept, subed, or otherwise put in a negitive posture just reset. Or work super light with technique 15-20 percent. Don't be afraid to call each other on it. You'll be better off because you will be able to work and learn without being smashed constantly. LP will improve because he will have to focus on pure technique without the use of his natural abilities. This willl drive his ability to flow and link series up. Consider rolling while blacked out occassionally as well. Moving without the lights slows everything down, or should. It really moves your technical capacity and feel upward; thus, it usually keeps smashing down. Plus the new factor of it will keep you from focusing on how few partners you have. It will keep training fresh. Also, the bigger guys need to treat smaller guys the same way more advanced belts treat white belts to a degree. When I roll with a newish guy, I'll take mount but won't ride it with my A game. I'll usually set it, feel it for a couple of seconds then either lighten up so they can work a sweep on me or transition to another top position and work from there. Me crushing them with my best mount for the round accomplishes nothing for either of us. Signifigantly bigger guys need to get in the same habit. It will let them work more and more stuff rather than just a small aspect of their game. Just some thoughts on dealing with one of the issues you mentioned GS. As to class sizes, well, it's always kind of been that way with smaller clubs. I've felt the same thing. Keep recruiting. Maybe try to cozy up to local PD's to see if you can generate some intrest. A couple of guys invovled who end up in scraps as part of their job will keep you focused. Futher, they will get more bodies availiable. Have you guys thought about putting on a demo down there. Maybe not in the traditional sense but looking into demonstrating some exhibition bouts of MMA, just for fun on the part of the participants, during the Fall Festivial somehow? I know that you know a promoter . Maybe some competition jiu jitsu as part of the card? Throw in some combative demos between bouts to showcase that side of things? Just brainstorming based on who all you have access to down there. It might serve to get some people interested, which might be what you need. Of course, a bunch of new people brings problems of it's own but it would get more bodies in to keep you enthused.

Immediatley strike in a stright line. The striaght motion of a jab or cross will be quicker than the hook. Stop the looping puch with a penetrating straight line attack. That's best option opener. Follow up from there. My typical follow up is some sort of takedown. If a parry is called for, a simple boxing parry with the elbow bent towards his head and my fist lying against theisde of my head. Drive forward with it to allebiate the impact and counter. That's next best.

1/12 Spent day training at department. Lugged shields and mirrors around all morning. Cornering, force on force and scenarios all afternoon.

1/11 Drilled X guard sweep, half guard escape via kimura, followed by side control maintainence. 10 min core work on the swiss ball 30 m in free roll

1/10 BJJ nite: Drilled over mount to knee in transition. Then to back off counter. Finished with work out of inverted guard. 6, 2 min rounds of knee in v. escape 45 min free roll