Live Online Train Course Conclusion (diary entry)

Vagabond Warriors live online training

10.12.2024 Rather than summing up material covered in this online course with Dunstable’s Zanshin Karate, we decided to go in a totally different direction and cover stand-up work. Tonight’s theme mainly focused on taking angles. The session began with some fairly standard line-work exercises, training Boxing and Muay Thai techniques with some visualisation. We began with a simple single shoulder tap game where both fighters stand in mirror stances. They take it in turns to call out the number of […]

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MMA Clinch (diary entry)

MMA clinch sparring

10.12.2024 Hour nine of my client’s Mixed Martial Arts course continued our problem solving approach to sparring. We ended up focusing on the clinch, first from the wall and then in general. I placed an especial emphasis on landing and defending knees due it being an area that was lacking in my client’s arsenal. His Wrestling is very strong but he is fairly reluctant to throw knees due to the takedown risk whilst also prone to receive them. 5-minute rounds […]

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Kickboxing Restricted Rounds (diary entry)

Catherine Kick

09.12.2024 My couple client followed a similar lesson plan to my Muay Thai client in my second lesson of the night. However, due to three of us sparring we changed to 2-minute rounds and ensured all of us had an opportunity to play each role against one another. Punches versus kicks Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Jab/teep versus everything Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto This training encouraged more creative thinking within the restrictions, including finding new angles for teeps and […]

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Muay Thai restricted rounds (diary entry)

Teep

09.12.2024 Tonight for my client’s ninth hour of his course, we followed a more basic plan. It was time to have a more overall look of his performance. This was done by checking basic areas of out-boxing and also pushing him with his conditioning. We covered the following 3-minute rounds: Punches versus kicks Ditto Teep/jab versus everything Ditto Combinations versus combinations Attack versus defence Ditto Southpaw versus orthodox Ditto Heavy bag tabata (8 x 20 second rounds with 10 second […]

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MMA Bag and Pad Work (diary entry)

MMA BAG AND PAD WORKOUT

04.12.2024 Due to an injury, my client and I decided to er on the side of caution and not spar for a change. That didn’t mean training wasn’t intense! He followed this routine: 5-minute rounds Uppercut bag – knees and punches Heavy bag – low kick combinations Uppercut bag – combinations into body locks Heavy bag – combinations into shoots Ground bag – ground ‘n pound Ground bag – guard pressing All rounds with active rests of footwork, shrimping, break […]

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More MMA Solution-Based Sparring (diary entry)

ground

03.12.2024 Hour eight of my client’s MMA course focused on more problem-solving through sparring. Round one was free-sparring where my client had trouble trying to pass my shield. Round two focused on attacking the knee shield. Round three focused on defending from the knee-shield. These were repeated for rounds four and five. Services

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Kickboxing American to K1 (diary entry)

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02.12.2024 My second Monday lesson took my couple client to hour two of their kickboxing course. We decided to push everyone outside their comfort zones with constraints taken different sport rule-sets. Sport kickboxing – all kicks above the waist, no sweeps, no holding, all punches allowed Ditto Ditto American Kickboxing – all kicks above the waist, sweeps permitted, no holding, all punches allowed Ditto Ditto Low-kick Kickboxing – all kicks permitted as well as sweeps, no holding, all punches allowed […]

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Elbows and Switch-Kick (diary entry)

long guard knee

02.12.2024 As stated in the blog title, my teenage client’s eighth hour combined both elbow strikes and the switch-kick. We trained the following rounds.   Heavy bag warm-up – looking at the ranges between elbow strikes and the switch-kick Clinch only sparring Clinch with elbows to the arms and body Clinch with head cages (elbows to head as well as body) Clinch with knees and elbows Switch-kick versus clinch Ditto Pad-work       Services

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Muay Thai Centred MMA (diary entry)

muay thai centric MMA training

27.11.2024 Tonight’s 1.5 hour lesson focused put Muay Thai at the centre of the MMA training. We looked through everything using the Thai Boxing lens. Warm-up of dynamic stretching and muscle activation exercises. Focus mitts Kicks versus clinching Ditto Side control knees and elbows versus defence Ditto Clinch striking Kicks versus take the back Ditto Boxing versus elbows (MMA gloves) Belly shield Low kick shield PNF and static stretching warm-down. Services

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2-hour MMA (diary entry)

problem solving MMA

26.11.2024 Hours six and seven were combined in my client’s MMA course. We decided to pace the class out over a series of five minute rounds, each being used inform the next. I am encouraging this client to think about areas he wishes to most improve upon. MMA free-sparring – warm up and highlighting initial area of study Fighting from leg-clamp ground position Ditto Fighting from half-butterfly clamped position Ditto Half-guard off the wall Ditto Services

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CCMA Kickboxing (diary entry)

kickboxing specific sparring

25.11.2024 As a change of pace my couple clients, who have just come off three Boxing courses, decided to bridge the gap between this art and Muay Thai with a course dedicated more towards Kickboxing. Kickboxing, as a martial art, is not as easily defined as many would have you believe. Savate, probably the influence over certain kicks in karate, taekwondo and freestyle semi-contact, is a specific form of kick-boxing. It developed its own punching techniques through cross-training with British […]

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Switch-Kick (diary entry)

Switch kick chamber

25.11.2024 Hour seven of my teenage client’s Muay Thai course focused on the switch kick. We used the following rounds to train this particular technique. 3-minute rounds Boxing permitted but objective is to touch the opponent’s lead foot with the inside of the rear foot. This encourages correct fast foot placement to “switch” the kick. Same as above but rear foot needs to be followed up with a lead hand to touch the shoulder. This pairs the two switches movements […]

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Dirty Boxing Workshop (diary entry)

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22.11.2024 Tonight’s monthly three-hour workshop focused on Dirty Boxing. That is the tactics and methods used within the clinch. These are also techniques utilised illegally in Boxing, hence the nomenclature. Jab only sparring – helping to form a foundation for entering and defending against the clinch as well as the basis for Dirty Boxing Foot-stepping game – instinctive footwork training Collar ties Jabs and collar ties Jab, collar ties and rear hand punches Over-hook/under-hook pummelling As above but seeking to […]

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Boxing Centred MMA (diary entry)

Boxing centric MMA

21.11.2024 Thursday night was my 1.5 hour client’s MMA training session, where we decided to have a look at MMA from a Boxing perspective. After our warm-up I devised the following 3-minute rounds: Jabs on the focus mitts Jab versus clinching sparring Ditto Ground ‘n pound (top position wears boxing gloves) Ditto Boxing – outside versus inside Ditto Boxing – Front foot versus back foot Ditto Boxing versus kicks Ditto Services

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Self-Protection in Hook Norton (diary entry)

Breaking News

20.11.2024 I held my first Introduction to Self-Protection session at Hook Norton’s Sports and Social Club. This was a real test for me to condense this ever-evolving and progressing course. The general version clocks in at 10 hours, usually delivered as a 2 x 5-hour course. Bespoke versions can be shorter or longer, depending on the demands made by a company or individual client. Violent crime has increased over the past 10 years in the UK. It was already rising […]

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Online Live Ground-Fighting Course with Zanshin (diary entry)

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19.11.2024 This evening saw the seventh and eighth hours’ of my online ground-fighting course for Zanshin Karate. Tonight we explored more work on setting up chokes mount and back mount as well as layering in strikes and use of the gi jacket. We used a series of games where neither player could use their arms. This was used from guard and from pin positions. It is a great way to activate the right muscles that control and defend these positions. […]

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