Jab Variations Continue (diary entry)

December 12, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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Straight lead

11.12.18   Tonight brought my new Boxing client up to the eighth hour his basic course. We continued work on the jab variations, mainly going over the techniques taught last week before adding in the straight hook and the uppercut jab.   Training began with a review of shadow boxing as a warmup. Here I watched footwork and upper body movement as I called out different scenarios. As per my essay on this area of training, it is important to […]

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Two Clients Two Styles (diary entry)

December 10, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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guards

08.12.18   This morning I began a new junior course with two new clients. My mandate is teach martial arts cross-training principles, building up to a Mixed Martial Arts programme. That is the current plan. My clients have backgrounds in Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Boxing.  We began with a course on Western Boxing. It is a great starting point as it develops great footwork skills and trains the most immediate tool at a martial artist’s disposal: their hands.   […]

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The Blitz (diary entry)

December 7, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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downward cross

05.12.18 Tonight I began a course on Kickboxing (Muay Thai) for my junior client and my veteran senior client focused on blitzing in MMA.   The junior class introduced a change in guard from the peek-a-boo that we have been covering Western Boxing. My client now adopted a high Thai-style guard, but retained peek-a-boo’s more square-on stance. He also learnt a higher, narrower stance along with the unique rocking movement found in Muay Thai. From here we went back through […]

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Ron Goin’s Dracula Cover (diary entry)

December 7, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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cover checking

05.12.18   Today’s first lesson was the final part of this term’s course for Kingham Hill School. The course has mainly focused on self-defence, as per my mandate. However, once these basic skills were confirmed along with some underpinning information personal security, the group moved onto some attribute training in the form Muay Thai.   In this lesson we looked at some basic defence and counters to common attacks within the sport of Muay Thai. We built up several punch/kick […]

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Jab Variations (diary entry)

December 5, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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jab anatomy

  04.12.1 8   The seventh hour of my client’s Basic Western Boxing for Martial Arts Cross Training course brought us back to the first punch: the jab. We spent time looking at different types of jab and the art of outside boxing. After a warm-up of mirror footwork, focusing on different tactics (cutting off the ring, escaping from corners, controlling the centre of the ring and moving in and out) and upper body movement (slipping, bobbing and weaving, and […]

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Anaconda’s Bite Too (diary entry)

December 4, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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Anaconda1

01.12.18   This morning my client began his third general Mixed Martial Art course. We do not have a specific theme at present, but are moving off from concepts covered towards the end of the previous series of lessons. Having worked on the various stand-up guards, we are now training the way the different ranges work together. Today’s training was centred on the double-leg takedown – covering stand-up striking, takedown defence, striking inside the clinch and the anaconda choke.   […]

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Different Guards (diary entry)

November 29, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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mma guards

28.11.18   Tonight was my junior client’s last lesson in western boxing whilst my senior client focused on stand-up guards in MMA.   Revision consisted of going over the entire boxing programme. We warmed up with a demonstration of basic footwork – forwards, backwards, lateral, circular and v-stepping. These were then mixed and step numbers were given e.g. one step back/two steps forward. Upper body movement was then covered – slipping, ducking and rolling. Finally the basic punches were all […]

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Sparring (diary entry)

November 29, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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shin block

28.11.18   Today was my Kingham Hill class’s second lesson in Muay Thai as part of their self-protection course. We revised the techniques taught in the previous lesson and introduced sparring.   The warm-up consisted of line-work, dynamic stretching, footwork and guard changing. Then we went onto the focus mitts going through some basic combinations: jab/cross, jab/cross/teep and jab/round kick.   We then went through some basic defensive techniques, such as parries, shin checking and teep clearing. This was prior […]

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Shovel Hooks (diary entry)

November 28, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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liver punch

27.11.18   Tonight’s class brought my client up to his sixth hour of training in Western Boxing for Martial Art Cross Training. I am very happy with his speedy progress. He is clearly taking home a lot of the material being taught, training it and doing the appropriate research before bringing it back for further development in the lesson.   Our course brought us up to the final actual punch: the shovel hook. Everything else is now a variation on […]

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Submission versus Takedown (diary entry)

November 23, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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In-fighting attack7

23.11.2018   My second lesson of the day continued my veteran client’s current theme on stand-up to ground grappling. We have been looking at takedowns, finishing in submissions. Linking directly to last week’s class, we looked at submission counters to takedowns.   The lesson warmed up with partner work. Stand-up grappling warm-up included collar/elbow tie up bulling, over-hook/under-hook pummelling, takedown entries, arm-drag drilling and arm-drag/takedown counter drilling, whereas ground grappling warm-up included pin transitioning, guard transitioning, submission and sweep drilling. […]

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Muay Thai Begins at Kingham Hill (diary entry)

November 23, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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muay thai small

21.11.2018   My first lesson of the day was with Kingham Hill School. We got straight into attribute training for their self-protection course. The previous weeks have focused on personal security and self-defence. This week we begin looking at other arts that have functional benefits for self-defence hard skills. This took the form of Muay Thai.   The warm-up began with line work. Here we looked at a basic stance, explaining how this can be developed from a simple talking […]

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The Overhand and its Set-ups (diary)

November 21, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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overhand3

20.11.18   Tonight my client completed hour five of a 10 hour course in Western Boxing for Martial Arts Cross Training. In addition to reconfirming everything that had been covered in the previous lessons, we looked at the overhand punch. This powerful technique that was long criticised for being something akin to the days of haymakers and wild swings, has proven its worth as a legitimate technique that can be set up through a number of different ways.   Training […]

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MMA Stand up Guards Continues (diary entry)

November 16, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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Attacking the cover1

15.11.18   My client reached the final hour of his second Mixed Martial Arts course today. He has decided to continue the training with a third course, exploring the use of the stand-up guard. Tonight we looked at the mid-level guard and the low guard. Again, as with the high guard, one of the immediate problems presented by MMA guard as opposed to Muay Thai or Western Boxing guards is the size of the gloves. We worked using footwork more […]

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Head & Foot Fight Coordination (diary entry)

November 16, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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footwork drills

14.11.18   Tonight’s second lessons consisted of my regular junior class followed by my senior class. These are private lessons for an uncle and nephew team. My junior class focused on western boxing concepts, tightening up footwork and upper body movement. My senior class continued work on grappling – stand-up/takedown wrestling and submission/groundwork.   The junior class included mirror footwork and head movement exercises performed in isolation before being combined. This was the difficult part and requires a good amount […]

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Defending against the Headlock (diary entry)

November 16, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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Side headlock defence 5

14.11.18   Today’s session with Kingham Hill School brought an ending to the hard skills part of their self-protection training. We looked at defending against primal grappling, focusing on a specific technique – the side headlock – and in general with a pressure test. Next week we will look at some attribute training in the form stand-up fighting.   The lesson began with a warm-up of muscle memory revision exercises. This included striking whilst moving, covering, sprawling, knee strikes and […]

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Bringing Everything Together (diary entry)

November 15, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes
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head movement

13.11.2018 Tonight’s lesson brought my new client up to the fourth hour of his first course on western boxing for martial arts cross training. We worked on defeating personal fight predictability and creating patterns for opponents. We warmed up line work, isolating and building upon different footwork. We did repetitions of backwards and forwards work then added on slipping, then added on slip/jabbing then added on slip/jab/crossing. The same was repeated for lateral footwork. Next, did some mirror footwork looking […]

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