18.11.2024 The final hour of this 10 hour Boxing course finished with a continuation of our head movement work. We trained the following 2-minute rounds: Attack versus defence only Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Ditto Free sparring Ditto Ditto Services
16.11.2024 My second MMA seminar for Kingham Hill School this term was with a slightly older group. We got through quite a lot of material today, dividing our time up into four sections: stand-up, clinch, ground and wall. Warm-up We began with some simple transitional movements. This included getting up from the ground, footwork and some shadow boxing. Stand-up activities This second began with shoulder tag games, tying it into some of the shadow boxing. Then we isolated teeps in […]
15.11.2024 Hour six of my Cotswold Karate School’s current Submission Grappling course. This morning we worked around my client’s shoulder and arm injuries by focusing on lower body training. We have been training the top position a lot lately but today we went to the guard. 5 minute rounds Closed guard. Objective to break posture versus to stand up. Close open guard. Objective to get attacking position versus standing up or passing guard. Butterfly guard. As above. Half-guard. As above. […]
14.11.2024 1.5 hour client also focused on cage/wall defence and attack, but the longer lesson gave us more opportunities to expand upon the specific sparring rounds. 5-minute warm-up freestyle MMA sparring 3-minute rounds Full mount against the wall Ditto Half-guard against the wall (left leg) Ditto Half-guard against the wall (right leg) Ditto Full guard against the wall 5-minute objective to move the opponent to the wall versus escape PNF and static stretching warm-down. Services
Hour five of my client’s MMA course on fighting from the ground off the cage. However, we also varied the sparring a bit. 5-minute – warm-up free-sparring 3-minute rounds Full mount against the wall Ditto Half-guard against the wall Ditto Full guard against the wall Stand-up take-the-back sparring Services
11.11.2024 Hour nine of my couple clients training and my second Monday lesson. We continued our head movement training, combining rolling with slipping and ducking by bringing in other punches. 2-minute rounds consisted of the following: No guard sparring Ditto Ditto Hooks only sparring Ditto Ditto Uppercut only sparring Ditto Ditto Free sparring Ditto Ditto Services
11.11.2024 Hour six of my teenage client’s course on Muay Thai continued our work on elbow strikes. After a warm-up that including muscle activation exercises and a kick-exchange 3-minute round we covered the following 2-minute rounds: Elbows on the pads (introducing slashing elbows, uppercut elbows and smash-down elbows) Clinch and elbows to the body and arms sparring Elbows to the head (head cage) versus all counters Full Thai rules sparring with only elbow strikes scoring (head cages worn) Heavy bag […]
06.11.2024 My 1.5 hour client focused on attacks and defences to and from the back. 5-minute freestyle sparring warm-up 11 x 3-minute specific sparring Full back mount. Objective to choke, five uninterrupted strikes to the head or move to another dominant position versus objective to free one hook Ditto Single hook back mount. Objective to submit, deliver five uninterrupted strikes to the head, move to another dominant position or get a second hook in versus free single hook or turn […]
05.11.2024 My Tuesday night client also agreed that turtle in MMA needed work, so we began it with his fourth hour. 6-7 minute warm-up of light placement sparring and grappling 3 x 5 minute rounds Free sparring Turtle Ditto Rounds were broken with tactical assessments. For example, we looked at using the single back hook/seatbelt position to present a dilemma to the opponent: receive punches to the face, take choke or second hook. My client concluded we should continue with […]
04.11.2024 My other Monday night lesson saw my teenage client return for hour-five of his Muay Thai course. Tonight we did a series of layering rounds before I introduced elbow strikes. We completed these specific-sparring 2-minute rounds: Placement kickboxing – very light no-equipment warm-up round Linear techniques only Kickboxing Clinch with no strikes Clinch with knees Clinch with elbows to the arms and body Pad-work – chaining elbows onto punches jab/rear horizontal elbow jab/cross/lead spear elbow jab/cross/hook/rear horizontal elbow jab/cross/hook/cross […]
04.1.1.2024 Hour eight of my couple client’s Boxing course focused on rolling. This practice is also known as bob and weave, and might be described as U-shaped ducking. Although the obvious purpose for this movement, along with slipping and ducking, is to evade strikes I believe it is most effectively executed as a repositioning technique. This makes it more proactive and less negative. Fighters like Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Henry Armstrong, Rocky Marciano, Archie Moore and Jack Dempsey all heavily utilised […]
01.11.2024 Hour five and six were covered with Zanshin Karate’s online lessons. At their request, I taught a full deconstruction of a simple arm-bar from full-mount and, building on that, we went through some work with the gi. Games: Arm-bar position. Continuous objective to maintain arm-bar position versus objective to free arm. S-mount position. Continuous objective to maintain S-mount versus objective to reverse position. Full-mount double under-hook. Continuous objective to maintain full-mount double under-hook versus free arms or reverse position. […]
31.10.2024 My 1.5 hour client continued on the theme of MMA and our focus went to the turtle position. Our five-minute rounds consisted of the following: Light free-sparring MMA Turtle – Objective to land five uninterrupted punches to the head or knees/kicks to ribs or get back-mount vs objective to escape/stand-up without giving the back Ditto Free sparring The rounds were separated with some extra drilling and live play working form specific areas brought up in the round e.g. after […]
30.10.2024 My client, in his third hour of MMA, requested we look more at striking on the ground. He even suggested a constraints-led game to help with his development. 5-hour rounds: Light free-sparring with an emphasis on flow and working all ranges. Ground ‘n pound. Top objective to score 5 strikes to the head versus bottom objective to stand-up, sweep or submit Ditto Ground ‘n pound to the wall. Top objective to push opponent to the wall versus bottom objective […]
28.10.2024 My second lesson of the night was 1.5 hour session with my couple client as they reached the end of hour seven. We decided to continue with the previous lesson’s theme but with more constraints-based 2-minute rounds. One-for-one sparring Ditto Ditto One-for-one sparring with no guard Ditto Ditto Lead hand only sparring Ditto Ditto Rear hand only sparring Ditto Ditto Inside versus outside sparring Ditto Ditto Free sparring Ditto Ditto Services
28.10.2024 Hour four of my teenage Muay Thai client’s first course and we focused more on the clinch. 3-minute rounds were broken up with instructions for the next round: Clinching without strikes Striking to enter clinch versus defence Holding onto clinch Escaping clinch Free sparring The session was finished with a round of pad-work, using the belly pad and the heavy uppercut bag. We switched between using long-guard to set up long knee strikes and clinching for shorter-range spear and […]
