Nuances of Front Kicks & Teeps (diary entry)

September 23, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
teep diary 1

22/09/20 Tuesday night’s teacher consultancy lesson focused on the details of the front kick. This was particularly connected the way the kick is used in full-contact fighting. All types of front kick have found their place in MMA and Kickboxing sports. The snap version seen in karate appears less frequently in full contact competition because its main target is usually the groin and works on an upward trajectory. However, Anderson Silva shocked the world in his UFC 126 match when […]

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Switching Butterfly Guard (diary entry)

September 22, 2020 | Uncategorized [ssba]
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21.09.20 The seventh part of client’s submission grappling and ground-fighting course continued work on the omoplata and we also looked at the butterfly guard. After a warm-up of technique callisthenics and solo training exercises the two lockdown partners went back through the omoplata shoulder lock. After we had reviewed the details of this submission we looked at variations. This included the wrist-lock and the toe-hold. From butterfly guard we looked at a simple sweep as well as taking the back […]

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Teenage Self-Protection Course Begins (diary entry)

September 22, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

17.09.20 My client began her first self-protection for teenagers course today. We began with a lecture and discussion on attitude and awareness. This began with the importance of having a proactive and survival attitude as well as situational awareness. As a practical exercise, we looked at posture and target hardening. We also discussed anaerobic exercises designed to test and improve mental toughness. We also began both tactical escape training and the fundamentals of the fence, preserving personal space.

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Kickboxing & MMA from the Philly Shell (diary entry)

September 16, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
philly shell front kick

15.09.20 My Philly Shell training carried over into my teacher consultation lesson where we looked at bringing together much of what we had covered and integrated into kickboxing. We looked at the pullback/shoulder roll/rear hand parry into the right cross and back-step. From here we covered front kick variation or an inside round kick and then into a diamond step and spleen shot or outside round kick into a liver kick. This combination was then changed for MMA into jab/double […]

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More Philly Shell (diary entry)

September 16, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

15.09.20 My client hit the third hour of his latest course on Western Boxing with a complete focus on Philly Shell tactics. We grounded everything on the cross/hook/back-step combination and footwork. The lesson began with a complete revision of footwork drills. Then we made the guard a bit more active and adaptable, eliminating “dead hands”. We then moved into combination work looking at baiting and luring an opponent, setting up for punches and angling off. A typical reoccurring combination: shift […]

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Explosive Guard Passes & Attacking the Shoulder (diary entry)

September 15, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Shoulder lock diary

14.09.20 The sixth hour of my clients’ Submission Grappling course looked at footwork for guard passes, an explosive stacking pass and the omoplata shoulder lock from guard and sparring. My two clients began with a warm-up of footwork exercises. We used the toe-to-line footwork drill for guard passing. This begins with simple forward and backward rhythmic movements, keeping the posture low. We then progressed with side-steps and crescent steps before moving onto going through the guard and passing guard into […]

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MMAyhem in the third official online workout (diary entry)

September 14, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
rashguard training2

13.09.20 Sunday morning kicked off with a 12 round train along routine. This will be the third official routine offered on the CCMA channel. It was an invitation only event for all those who bought the CCMA rashguards. The routine differs from the previous two in the respect that movement is continued during the rest spots to keep the heart rate up and as a form of active recovery. Rounds included one dedicated entirely to speed, another to virtual pad-work, […]

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Aftermath Webinar in Denmark (diary entry)

September 14, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
aftermath denmark2

13.09.20 Hinnerup Karate, Denmark, kindly booked me to teach the third part of my basic soft skills trilogy of webinars. This particular online session concerns the aftermath. I took the attendees through a range of post-incident problems and methods for handling them. We discussed the double-tap, including immediate reprisals, secondary threats and hazards. Then we discussed short-term safety points and how to establish them, allies and safe havens. Tactical escape was addressed again and why this must be trained as […]

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Switching Guards, Stances & Footwork (diary entry)

September 11, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
diary sparring virtual

10.09.20 The second lesson of my client’s new course on boxing began on Thursday night. We went through different guards and incorporating different footwork patterns. The lesson began with the usual warm-up of dynamic stretching and sport specific callisthenics. Then we revised the diamond step set up along with the peek-a-boo slipping, rolling and pullback. We specifically covered the slipping unique to this style of boxing. Next we moved onto back-peddling and shuffles to set up jabs when circling an […]

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Peek-a-Boo Liver Shot (diary entry)

September 9, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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08.09.20 Tuesday night was my teacher consultancy lesson where we drilled down into the peek-a-boo work we did last week. This was not a case of introducing brand new combinations or adding to existing ones, rather we looked at the relationship between footwork, evasive head movement, positioning and stance-work to set up the liver shot. I cannot emphasise enough the benefits clients experience from training between my lessons. My approach to coaching has always been to motivate and guide martial […]

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Ankle Locks (diary entry)

September 8, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
ankle lock diary

07.09.20 Reaching the halfway mark of my client’s latest 10 hour Submission Grappling course, we went back through the three guard passes from combat base, the de la riva/hook guard and I introduced the straight ankle lock. We began with a callisthenic warm-up focusing on movement that have direct relevance to guard passing and promote hip mobility. Then we ran through the use of the combat base to get the double under-hooks, stack and pass under the guard, to crush […]

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Diamond Steps & Reverse Pendulum Step (diary entry)

September 2, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
peek a boo diary 1

01.09.20 Working more like  Newton’s cradle than an actual pendulum the pendulum step is a great range in and out footwork too. In tonight’s teacher consultancy lesson we used it in conjunction with a diamond step, giving my clients some useful tools for cutting off and cornering their opponents. We began with the peek-a-boo guard and tactics. However, this time we took what was learnt last week via solo and partner work and applied it to focus mitt coaching drills.  […]

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Re-Starting Boxing (diary entry)

September 2, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
boxing diary 3

01.09.20 My regular client began a new course today and we decided to go back to Western Boxing. This was an opportunity to go back over the basics whilst layering in new material. We began with a warm-up basic full body callisthenics appropriate to the techniques we would be covering. Then I went through basic footwork patterns – forwards, backwards, lateral and v-steps. Next we went through some head movement inspired by the peek-a-boo approach – slipping, ducking, bobbing and […]

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Combat Base Guard Pass (diary entry)

September 1, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
combat base diary

31.08.20 Monday night brought my client up to the fourth hour of their current Submission Grappling course. Tonight we looked at guard-passing and focused on the combat base posture. I find this posture is be very effective and efficient, and a great way to look at taking a guard apart. Having found ourselves in a standing pass position with the final technique I went back to the perspective of person holding guard and introduced the long-guard concept in submission grappling. […]

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Discipline in Children’s Self-Protection (diary entry)

September 1, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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30.08.20 On Sunday I was invited back for the fourth time to teach the next part of my “When Parents Aren’t Around” children’s self-protection webinar series for the ever-forward thinking Ryukyukan Shorin Ryu Karate Matsuri Dojo. The focus this time was on discipline. We looked at the best ways to motivate students to maintain good self-protection behaviours and practices. I also brought in the concept of the fence and when to pre-emptively strike. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BOOK ME […]

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Courage Webinar (diary entry)

August 27, 2020 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
courage

26.08.20 Wednesday night I was kindly re-booked by Forest Schools of Karate to continue my “When Parents Aren’t Around” children’s self-protection series of webinar. Tonight, we looked at the tenet of courage and what that means for self-protection. The webinar’s content was generally concerned with handling the effects of fear in relation to self-protection. We discussed the two different types of fear: good fear that alearts us to danger and bad fear that prevents us from moving forward in a […]

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