23.05.18 Training at Kingham Hill School moved onto combat grappling. We began with an energetic series of movement exercises, designed to reinforce various behaviours learnt over the previous lessons and to increase reaction timing. This started with simple changing directions, then altering heights of stances, varying footwork, striking whilst moving, covering, sprawling, switching ranges and finished with transitioning through postures to regain footing. We began our technical training with the side headlock. This is a primal grappling move […]
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Clinch and Sweep (diary entry)
17.05.18 Tonight was the penultimate lesson in my client’s second course in Muay Thai for Martial Arts Cross Training. We continued our work with the clinch and exclusive worked in and around this range. We also spent the majority of the lesson going through three sweeps. Warm-up began with mirror footwork, which progressed onto pad-work. We went through a series of punching, kicking and punch-kick combinations that all ended with achieving a clinch position. The purpose of this […]
Second Self-Protection Lesson at Kingham Hill School (diary entry)
25.04.2018 Today’s afternoon lesson was the second in Kingham Hill’s Basic Self-Protection/MMA course. We began with some simple fence targeting and target familiarisation. These exercises are designed to train a robust and legal way to set up a pre-emptive strike. I do this as a touch-contact drill to reinforce the behaviour to hit realistic targets. This is then overlapped with hitting the focus mitts. We discussed intent and the anaerobic nature of striking for self-defence. This was […]
Self Protection Course Begins at Kingham Hill School
18.04.18 Today’s first lesson was the beginning of a special course I am teaching for a term at Kingham Hill School. The students in attendance were between the ages of 16 and 18 years of age. The course was trialled last term with a good response. The agreed content was self-protection moving into Mixed Martial Arts. Today we addressed the legalities of self-defence, including when it is permitted to use a pre-emptive strike as well as other soft […]
Stand-up Grappling as Self-Defence (diary entry)
07.10.17 This morning saw the final part of my client’s first course in basic stand-up grappling for martial arts cross training. The 10 hour course focused mainly on takedowns and takedown defence. The final part of the course brought the training back round to self-defence tactics, looking at how the clinch range works within the context of counter-assault situations. For the most part, I am with the argument that grappling works best as a backup system in a defence against […]
Big Throwing and Combination Time (diary entry)
23.09.17 Tonight’s lesson on basic stand-up grappling for martial arts cross training brought us up to the seven hour mark of the scheduled 10 hour course. After an unexpected and extended break between classes I thought it was wise to do a fair amount of revision before we looked at some new techniques. This wasn’t simply just going back over old material, but I looked at encouraging more combination work. After a warm-up of specific mobility and callisthenic exercises […]
Low Line Takedowns (diary entry)
31.08.2017 Tonight’s private lesson on basic stand-up grappling for martial arts cross training brought us up to the 5 ½ hour mark. With this client, I usually schedule the last lesson as the only one hour one in the course, but certain time constraints forced us to adapt. Having worked for the past three lessons mainly on highline and mid-line throws (although not always within Greco-Roman Wrestling rules), we worked mainly on lowline takedowns. We warmed up with […]
Modern Boxing’s Hook (diary entry)
06.05.17 Today’s lesson on Basic Western Boxing for Martial Arts Cross Training brought my client up to the four and a half hour mark in his scheduled 10 hour course. We primarily focused on the hook punch, but also revised previous lesson techniques and introduced the uppercut. We began with our standard boxing footwork warm-up using agility markers and partner training. We then moved onto the focus mitts and drilling jabs, crosses, bobbing and slipping. Modern western boxing […]
Moving the Body to the Target (diary)
29.04.17 My client completed his second and third hour of my course on basic western boxing for martial arts cross-training. We warmed up with a revision of jabbing and footwork drills – including slipping, the shuffle, angulation and stance switching – before getting onto the cross. The main area of focus today was on moving the entire body to the target. Due to our innate drive to preserve energy and also to view techniques at their extremities – […]
Transitioning Postures & Hook Punches (diary entry)
16.03.17 Tonight’s double session comprised of the third and fourth lesson of my basic self-protection course. We layered the fence by looking at offsetting a potential risk and pre-fight conflict by setting up physical angles. This was followed by revision of lineal rear-hand striking with the addition of referencing targets and incidental combinations with new techniques. Then we moved onto hook strikes and backhand strikes with an early short deviation into multiple threats. Next we covered fighting from different […]