Tag Archives | martial arts

Sparring at all Ranges Part 2 (diary entry)

July 6, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
clinch strike

22.06.16 The thirteenth lesson in my client’s second course on Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross Training continued the sparring theme. Tonight we focused on the clinch and specifically striking within the clinch. The lesson began with some focus mitt work. We started on the Western Boxing focus mitts and then went onto the Muay Thai focus mitts. We then did some clinch-positioning. This began with some simple entries and then moved onto “bulling”, where the upper-body gripping and […]

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MMA & The Kimura Part 2 (diary entry)

June 17, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

08.06.16   The eleventh lesson in my client’s second course on Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross-Training continued to look at the Kimura. See my report on the previous lesson for more details on this hold and videos on the two techniques outlined later.   We warmed up with simple linear punching and Western Boxing footwork. We switched between stances, cut off the ring and, in honour the recent late great Muhammad Ali, dropped our guard to draw an […]

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Quick Transitioning (diary entry)

April 8, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
darce choke

06.04.16 The third in my client’s second course on MMA for martial arts cross training was another extended lesson. Rather than systematically going through the ranges, we moved backwards and forwards on them quite freely. This began with the warm-up, which although started with some standard shadow boxing drills, covered arm-dragging from both clinch and butterfly guard. All ranges were covered, including takedown entries for low level and mid-level takedowns. Here we also covered overloading technique exercises, such as the […]

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Stand-up, clinch and ground variations (diary)

April 1, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

  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 […]

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MMA counters to advanced Muay Thai (diary entry)

March 24, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
MMA counters to advanced Muay Thai (diary entry)

16.03.16   Tonight we began my client’s second course on Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross Training. The direction of the training is somewhat different in my client’s personal programme. Having just completed an extended second course in Muay Thai for Martial Arts Cross Training, which included three extra lessons on advanced techniques, we decided to take this experience/knowledge to a Mixed Martial Arts line rather than a self-defence one. Usually we spend the last two […]

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Advanced Combinations (diary entry)

March 15, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
cartwheel kick

09.03.16   The thirteenth lesson in the CCMA second course for Muay Thai for Martial Arts Cross-Training looked more at combinations with advanced techniques. This is the third extra lesson requested by my client on top of the standard 10 lesson course in order to focus on these more difficult techniques.   We warmed up with our standard mobility exercises and then went onto some basic combination work on the focus mitts. We then revised some isolated advanced techniques. It […]

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Building Combination Behaviours (diary entry)

March 7, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Building Combination Behaviours (diary entry)

          02.03.16 The twelfth lesson in my second course on Muay Thai for Cross Training in the Martial Arts combined the advanced techniques with foundation skills. We looked at tactical contexts, but I was generally more interested in reinforcing strong confirmations of my client’s ability to be able to perform one of these new techniques whilst on the move. Having a level of fitness, including appropriate flexibility and strength, is one thing but being able to […]

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Reverse Round Kick vs Spinning Hook Kick (diary entry)

February 29, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
reverse round kick

          24.02.16   The eleventh lesson in my client’s second course on Muay Thai for Martial Arts Cross Training led us to the reverse round kick and the spinning hook kick. Contrary to popular belief these are not the same technique, despite looking remarkably similar. I pretty much thought the same thing until I read Hee Il Cho’s “The Complete Master’s Kick”. This is a book dealing with the sport of Tae Kwon Do, but it […]

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Spinning Crescent (diary entry)

February 19, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
thai high kick

17.02.16   The tenth lesson in my client’s second Muay Thai for Martial Arts Cross Training continued on the theme of so-called advanced techniques. In Muay Thai, these are technical and more flamboyant moves that are known as luk mai (minor techniques). These are supporting moves that rarely dominate a fight and are usually brought in to bring about a speedy finish. Please see last week’s report on why I am taking this unusual diversion.   Tonight’s lesson ended becoming […]

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A Victorian Blue Print for Modern Self-Defence Culture

January 28, 2016 | Reviews and Interviews [ssba]
bartitsu.cover

What follows is a review of a 2011 reproduction of the collected works on Bartitsu, written by the art’s creator, E.W. Barton-Wright. This was a book I got round to reading as part of my ongoing investigations into martial arts subculture. I am currently in the process of writing a book on critical thinking martial arts subculture, “Bullshitsu and the Fight to Make Martial Arts Work”. I am sure you will see from my review, that despite E.W. Barton-Wright’s actual […]

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Power Punching (diary entry)

December 8, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
impact (smaller)

  02.12.15 The ninth lesson of my client’s second course on western boxing for martial arts cross training focused on power punching. With technique and speed being addressed over the past few lessons, all underlined and interlaced with strategy and tactics, it was time to isolate the process of generating and developing raw power. This is a far larger subject than it might first appear and I will probably look at it again next lesson, where the focus will be […]

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Bobbing and Overhands (diary entry)

November 3, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
English: Butterfly-punch Français : Coup de po...

28.10.15 This is the fourth lesson in my client’s second course on Western Boxing for Cross Training in the Martial Arts. After revising the straight punching concepts taught in the previous three lessons, we moved onto the overhand right. This punch is a form of looping cross, which gained recognition when Rocky Marciano used it as his knockout punch, “Suzie Q”. Long thought to be just a sloppy swing of the same ilk as the haymaker, the punch has found […]

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Boxing’s Benefits (diary entry)

October 26, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
right cross amanda

24.10.15   Today’s two hour session concerned another client’s request for Western Boxing in Martial Arts Cross Training. It would appear that many avid cross-trainers look to modern Western Boxing as useful base for their own fighting style. Western Boxing has evolved a tremendous amount in the last century or so. The introduction of the Jack Broughton’s mufflers as the norm rather than just as a sparring tool, made some drastic alterations to the game and the art. The head […]

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Progressive Technique and Conditioning (diary entry)

October 23, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
strongman-tyre-flip

19.10.15   My client booked a one-off training session focusing on evolutionary combative methods and conditioning. We began with Western Boxing, working on basic footwork to promote coordination. Here my client learns the basics of moving whilst striking in different directions. He fed back to me the surprising aerobic and anaerobic demands of learning these skills, which reinforces my current belief that coordination training is good cardio. It also makes sense to cover it early in training. It is good […]

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Deconstructing the Jab (diary entry)

October 13, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
retrait2.jpg

09.10.15   My client returned to training with an interest in exploring further Western Boxing concepts in martial arts and self-defence. He has already completed my basic course on Western Boxing for Martial Arts Cross-Training and, having now explored a wide range of different areas of combat, wanted to return to this base to better improve his hand striking and foot movement.   Tonight we focused on the jab and we will be continuing with this particular area of study […]

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Wrist Locks & to Gi or not to Gi (diary entry)

September 16, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Guard for street

02.09.15 As I have explained before, when it comes to wrist-locks I do not see them as a primary fighting method in most violent situations and I don’t teach them as part of my basic self-protection or basic cross-training methods, unless there is a specific need/requirement. This isn’t to dismiss their efficiency or legitimacy as a fighting tactic. All the major wrist lock techniques have a long and respectable documented history in European, American and Asian martial arts. Outside of […]

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