30.03.16
Tonight was the second in CCMA’s second course on Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross-Training. We had an extended lesson, working on several different variations between the ranges. A similar format will follow next week.
We started off with some simple sport specific movement exercises. This began with shadow boxing, moving onto partner work. I had my client perform repetitions of jab-slipping and rolling off hooks into hooks and uppercut/hooks. This movement was then applied from clinch range, drilling the standing arm-triangle. From here we looked controlling the body and utilizing diagonal and round knees. This moved onto a basic takedown using the same position.
We went back to stand-up striking and went onto the Thai focus mitts. We began with basic Muay Thai crossing combinations. We brought in elbows and looked at spear elbow defence. This works well in an MMA or self-defence context, using half a cover. The fighter covers and then drives forward with the elbow off the same side before throwing a cross. Next we looked at working the same side punch/kick combinations, beginning with the jab/teep combination. This brought us onto shin-block/cross, which introduced the hop-cross technique found in MMA. Here the rear leg is brought up as if to throw a front kick, but is quickly exchanged for a powerful cross. Contradicting grounding principles often taught in strike-based martial arts, the “hopping” leg kicks back as the cross is thrown. I taught a jab/teep/back-leg front-kick/cross combination to help my client coordinate his rear leg more confidently.
We then revised kick-catching again. This began with the check and then the check/catch following onto a different variation of the flying knee follow-up to a kick-catch. Next we revised the kick-catch takedown landing in a dominant position, breaking the ground guard. From here we looked at the knee-bar as an alternative to the straight foot-lock. The session was finished striking through these ground-positions and into the knee-bar finish.