25.07.21 Today an old private client of mine held a trial lesson for his five year old son. Despite have years of experience teaching children realistic self-protection and using Mixed Martial Arts as a form of attribute training for them, this was stil a reasonable challenge. Mixed Martial Arts can be taught a single art and sport, but it is probably best introduced within its main base systems: Boxing, Wrestling, Kickboxing and Submission Grappling. However, this is a little easier […]
Return to Sparring (diary entry)
21.07.21 After my final stick fighting lesson, where we worked to nail the single weave and revise all previous material, it was a long-awaited return to sparring. Tonight we focused on boxing using a 10 round model: Round 1 – Pad-work combinations and flash-pads. Round 2 – One-for-one jabbing and catching Round 3 – One-for-one jab/cross and defence Round 4 – Attack versus defence Round 5 – Attack versus defence Round 6 – Jab versus everything Round 7 – Jab […]
Boxer-Puncher vs Out-Boxer (diary entry)
Tuesday night’s second lesson continued by client’s fight history lessons. This time we looked at 1941’s Fight of the Year (according to Ring magazine) followed by Buddy Baer’s rematch with Joe Louis in January 1942. Joe Louis versus Billy Conn 1941 Billy “The Pittsburgh Kid” Conn was from Irish American heritage and the eldest of five children. He was street-fighting by the age of 13 and never attended high school. Instead he got work East Pittsburgh gym owned by Johnny […]
Straight Right/Cross/Overhand/Jabbing Cross (diary entry)
20.07.21 Tuesday night’s first lesson was a pre-class rehearsal for Forest School of Karate. Continuing our experimental lesson last month, they will be streaming me into their lesson and we will be using footage from past masters of certain classic boxing punches. By having this private lesson with their head teacher and his son, they will have extra assistance on the day. Tonight we looked at rear hand variations on punches that go straight to a target. After a warm […]
The Southpaw Offensive (diary entry)
19.07.21 Monday night was hour two of my couple’s 10 hour course on switch-hitting in kickboxing. We warmed up with the three-part switch-hitting drill, consisting of transitioning from orthodox to southpaw and from southpaw to orthodox using punches and kicks. Then we focused entirely on fighting from southpaw and using two combinations that helped to develop the strategy. A good early plan in southpaw fighting is to position your lead foot outside your opponent’s. There are many other options than […]
Pad-Holding Workshop (diary entry)
16.07.21 Athena School of Karate booked me to teach a special class on pad-work based on a combination found in my second online workout. We broke down the individual techniques and looked at their transitions before going pad-holding protocols. The Dutch Kickboxing inspired combination – jab/cross/hook/uppercut/switch-kick/rear shin-check/jab/cross/hook/rear round kick – is used to promote better flow and chaining of techniques. The combinations practical application involves a fast flurry of punches used to veil a shuffle into a kick, a fast […]
Roll for Three Combinations (diary entry)
14.07.21 Tonight my client finished his series of training on the ryhthm and flow combinations by concentrating three decided on a dice throw. We did combination 10, 8 and 12 in that order over 10 rounds. Combination 10 – Jab/cross/hook/double rear round kick/hook/cross/switch-kick Combination 8 – Jab/rear round kick/hook/rear low round kick/lead body kick/southpaw step/orthdox step/jab/cross Combination 12 – Jab/cross/lead low kick/ lead body kick/cross/hook/cross/Dutch block/cross/hook/rear bod kick They were trained in the following way: Round 1 – Combination 10 […]
Buddy & Joe (diary entry)
13.07.21 We picked up with Joe Louis’s boxing journey when he faced Jacob Henry “Buddy” Baer, younger brother (by six years) of Louis’s former opponent and the former world heavyweight champion Max Baer. Joe Louis versus Buddy Baer 1941 Although a 10-1 underdog, Buddy Baer was a legitimate contender for the world title. Like his brother, he was a pure slugger in style and had an impressive 85% KO record. Some records have him fighting 58 times, others 62. All […]
More Inter-War Muay Thai & Pro Wrestling – Addendum (Training Notes)
13.07.21 Tuesday night fight history continued with the career of Joe Louis into the 1940s. However, I thought I would provide a footnote to the previous era’s other professional fights. Muay Thai There is scarce footage of Muay Thai matches in the 1930s despite continuing to grow in popularity in its native country with a strong and lengthy history stretching back centuries. In the 1910s after the king of Siam had paid the victors of fights held at his son’s […]
Five Ranges & Night of the Boxers (diary entry)
06.07.21 Tuesday night’s fight history remained in the 1930s for a review of 1931’s first clash between Kid Chocolate and Tony Canzoneri. That year Max Schmeling defended the world heavyweight title against Young Stribling by technical knockout in the 15th round, establishing his reputation as a legitimate holder of the title. That match was rated as fight of the year by Ring magazine. However, there are others that would give the credit to the aesthetically pleasing World Lightweight Championship that […]
Switch-Hitting Course Begins! (diary entry)
05.07.21 My client couple began their new course on switch-hitting/southpaw/same side stand-up figthing on Monday night. We looked to promote fluid transitioning through stances and then tactics for same side fighting. The warm-up included three flow shadow drills involving striking, transitioning, striking through one stance to another. We used jab/hook/uppercut then teep/round kick/long knee before putting them together for jab & teep/hook & round kick/uppercut & long knee. My clients then drilled a boxing set-up for same side fighting. I […]
Vagabond Warriors Webinar Workout
04.07.21 Sunday saw the first Vagabond Warriors Webinar Workout. This was a follow up to the previous Vagabond Warriors Cross-Training webinar where I introduced my teaching and training concepts. Here we had an opportunity to go back through this information and apply to home workouts. We applied CSI – Clarification, Scepticism and Individuality and the Hierarchy Of Training. Within the HOT plan we used the Tabata protocol for three workouts based on specific training, attribute training and functional training. Specific […]
Jabbing with Champions at Forest School (diary entry)
30.06.21 Wednesday evening saw me hosted by Forest School of Karate to be streamed into their classroom and share with them inspiration from boxing champions. This is the beginning of a course on boxing for martial arts cross training. Students of Forest School watched footage from Larry Holmes, Sonny Liston, Riddick Bowe, Joe Louis, Tommy Hearns and Benny Leonard as we explored the jab. We warmed up with some basic footwork exercises. This was then followed by a tutorial on […]
Jabbing Drills (diary entry)
29.06.21 Forest School of Karate’s head teacher booked me for a second private lesson on Tuesday ahead of our class on Wednesday. Tonight we worked on using the jab. He was partnered with his and I was able to coach them both on use of the jab/parry and the duck, countering with jabs to the head and body. This was then integrated into footwork drills. I also introduced a simiple timing exercise. The lesson was finished with 2 x 2 […]
Battle of the Swarmers (diary entry)
29.06.21 Tuesday night’s teacher consultancy/fight history course continued with Henry Armstrong taking us through the lighter divisions of the 1930s. After gaining the World Welterweight Championship from a courageous Barney Ross, Armstrong dropped a weight division within a few months to challenge for the World Lightweight Championship. This time his opponent was Lou Ambers. Henry Armstrong versus Lou Ambers 1938 World Lightweight Championship Lou Ambers, “The Herkimer Hurricane”, changed his name from Luigi Giuseppe d’Ambrosio for fear his mother would […]
The Last Three Combinations (diary entry)
28.06.21 As my couple clients reached the final part of their last course on rhythm and flow combinations I set them a task to select three they wished to nail in this session. We are continuing and concluding the integration phase introduced in the previous lesson where the combinations would form part of their freestyle work. Next week we will be starting a new journey looking at switch-hitting and fight tactics and strategies. My clients had 12 rounds to spend […]