baronbvp

Several of us have been looking for more info on Muay Thai. I just found a good site that discusses Muay Thai use in MMA and in street fighting. The site author is a MT practitioner. I haven't read every page, but I think it's a good one to start a discussion. See it at: http://members.aol.com/Thaiboxing2000/ Another site I found that discusses the Thai round kick in some detail is: http://www.muaythailesson.com/articles.html. There is some good info on there. Now if I can just get my hips to turn over every time...

It's a new hardcover, so it's on sale at B&N for less than $20. Thus, you'd be losing money if you didn't buy it.

These are good. I am also always conscious of protecting my groin, so while my hands are up in whatever position, I am also ready to raise my right (lead) knee/shin across my center to block a sucker kick to the groin. I've noticed it can be a little difficult to concentrate on the conversation when you are standing passively coiled like a spring, waiting for a sudden strike.

The formation of formless sensation...

Ooh, I like this! I have very pointy elbows. I have sometimes grabbed the leg and punched the calf, but your way is better and more effective. I do this somewhat, but not to the side as forcefully as you mention. I haven't been very effective at preventing the contact. I will try this. Thanks for the tips, Bushido Man.

European Kickboxing is done in pants with no shirts. Christoph Delp is a German kickboxer and MA writer. Two of his books available in the USA, Kickboxing and Fitness for the Full Contact Fighter, show people in pants. As has been said, I believe it's because they don't kick below the waist, so the knees are not at risk.

Good point. I have a Royce Gracie self defense book that some advanced BJJ people think is not spectacular, but I like it. In it, he says that "checking your watch" is a way to get your hands up. That might be an option if you don't want to just stand there or look like you're flinching. Tricky business.

Yeah, you're right, Cross. I haven't been in this sort of situation very often - maybe a few times. Those guys in the sucker punch videos on another KF thread sure should have used the passive stance.

Yeah. It should settle down once I figure out what I want to do for the long haul. These classes get expensive when you start adding them together. I'd like to get a base of Muay Thai and BJJ, then work JKD using that knowledge. For instance, I know how to do a Thai round kick. Now it's just a matter of practicing it until I can roll my hips over and make it smack hard. PS - I like your location - "standing right behind you."

I think of self-protection as preemptive actions I have to take myself, as opposed to help I might expect or seek from others (like police or friends). Self-defense is action in progress defending against an active threat. Of course, this might just be old fighter pilot definitions to get to the target and back.

Great post, cross. This would be a good article in the Articles section. I agree with you. The only thing I don't like about passive stance is when the conversation gets long-winded. Then, it starts to feel a little obvious with your hands up like that - at least for me. But if we are still talking at that point, that's a good thing and maybe the threat is no longer as high. I might look for further things to do with my posture that are equally non-confrontational - perhaps gesturing toward another area where we might talk to others, exit the situation, get a beer, etc. (It's not like I do this very often.)

I saw Sam Sheridan on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show promoting his new book, A Fighter's Heart. It's about his journey training Muay Thai in Thailand, then going on the MMA circuit. I think he went to Brazil to train, or at least trained with some BJJ MMA guys. I'm on chapter 3. It's a great read so far, I recommend it! Very current.

That belt will always be a little bit special. Good job!

No, they're more streamlined and have a thinner sole that doesn't grip so fiercely. They have a flat bottom with no real tread. Some have padding on the top of the laces so you can spar with them. I will have to get new shin/instep guards since the ones I have now go on bare feet and won't work with shoes.

I have four more Muay Thai classes through the county park system before the course ends. I just dropped the next MT and BJJ classes I was signed up for because I couldn't do it all, and the JKD looks more attractive. Once my sons are done with their swimming lessons in May, it should free up another two nights/week. (I'm also taking ballroom dancing with my wife to get ready for my next job. Really!) As summer arrives I may sign up for BJJ and MT again, or for fencing which I love and miss. If the JKD submission grappling isn't enough, I'll take at least the BJJ class to get a baseline from which to train. I've never had this many options before. It's quite amazing. Being 45 and having a life, I have to have some nights off, too. Here's my current sked if I did everything I'm signed up for right now: Mon JKD and weapons Wed Muay Thai (twice more), then JKD submission grappling/ground fighting Thurs JKD Sat Muay Thai (twice more), then JKD sparring. Ballroom dancing at night. This doesn't include the classes my sons and wife are each taking. Whew!

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Thanks brother. I think so too. Much more my style.

Sehr gut! (I'm learning German.)

I can't get my wife to video me because she doesn't like fighting.

Great article, Bushido Man. I just now ran across it. At my old Shorin Ryu dojo, ground fighting wasn't an option. They didn't really want to hear the suggestion, either. Perhaps if they could have found a good instructor they might have been more enthusiastic and receptive. My opinion on the subject is that "martial arts monogamy," an elegant term you've coined, is a dying or dead concept. Many if not most people are now interested in learning what is most effective. Rigid adherence to a single style is an outdated way of thinking and training. MMA is the anathema of single style. Jeet Kune Do was Lee's attempt to incorporate what works, eliminate what doesn't, and promote the philosophy of each person developing what works best for them. I agree with him. I think a person's fighting ability has more to do with innate ability, training time, and fitness than with choice of style/art. I believe in learning what works for me, being exposed to different styles, and attending more than one school at a time if I want to. (Which right now, I am.) I think an instructor who advocates monogamy and would expel you for going to another school to find out more is dealing from a position of insecurity. I believe the most important things for a person's personal growth are in the journey itself: the search, the sampling, the knowledge gained along the way, and the skill, fitness, and peace of spirit that result. Anyone who really wants to become a well-rounded fighter should train in striking, clinching/trapping, joint manipulation, and ground fighting. That's the reality of the modern era. People just need to accept reality without feeling that their students are being disloyal.

Tooooooooootally worth it. A great pick by the moderators. Congratulations, cross! I always value what you have to offer.

I just ordered the Adidas MA shoes for JKD. They don't make the nice TKD 2000 anymore, so I got these: http://www.karatedepot.com/cl-sh-06.html. They come highly recommended, so I'll see how they fit and how I like them.

Alles gute.

After all this, I forgot to ask a question: what are your defenses against side kicks, other than moving out of the way? Down blocks are pseudo-effective but usually just push the kick's impact point farther down your body. If I see the chamber, I'll push my foot on the opponent's knee to prevent the kick. I also try to move away or move in to reduce the kick's power. But, I'm tired of being kicked when I can't evade. Does anyone have any good defenses against a side kick you see coming but can't evade?

Me too. I gotta million of 'em. Like after you win a sparring match, act like you've been there before. I hate seeing some young kid jump all over the place like TO in the end zone.