Tag Archives | mma

Expanding upon Martial Movements (diary entry)

August 2, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

30.07.16 Today’s first lesson was another double session along the lines of the buffet style cross-training I ran last Saturday. We decided to work off stand-up striking principles, but ended up bringing elements of wrestling, submission fighting, MMA and even some weapons work. All training was done outside, where we focused on body movement in combat and combat conditioning. The lesson began on the focus mitts, looking at Western Boxing concepts of movement. We […]

Sparring at all Ranges Part 2 (diary entry)

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

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 […]

Sparring at all Ranges Part 1 (diary entry)

June 27, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

15.06.16 The twelfth lesson in my client’s second course of Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross Training was live-training orientated. Previously we had been restricted by space and spent a lot of time looking at specific techniques with limited sparring. A change of training environment has allowed for a little more room in order to safely spar to a certain degree. Therefore, I thought it was high time we put a lot of what my client has covered under […]

Underhooks, Shovel Hooks and Waist-Locks (diary entry)

May 20, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

18.05.16 The eighth lesson in my client’s second course on Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross Training looked at very close range fighting. We began with the clinch and the double-under-hook position. From here we focused on controlling movement and posture. Closing gaps is crucial in grappling, as the slightest space allows an opponent to block or delay an attack. It’s important to move into the grip as deeply and early as possible, and to be wary of […]

Attacking in the Guard (diary entry)

April 21, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

20.04.16 The fifth lesson in my client’s second course in MMA for Martial Arts Cross Training continued where we left off and concentrated on ground work. We warmed up with a series of ground-specific exercises, using combat base, bridging, triangle crunches and snaking/shrimping. Moving onto material we covered last lesson, we also did some guard-jumping and guard sit-ups. Training began in earnest by revising the arm-wrap/trap in guard into a scissor sweep. Then we went back over attacking the […]

Quick Transitioning (diary entry)

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

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 […]

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 […]

MMA counters to advanced Muay Thai (diary entry)

March 24, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

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 […]

Advanced Combinations (diary entry)

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

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 […]

Building Combination Behaviours (diary entry)

March 7, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

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 […]

Spinning Crescent (diary entry)

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

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 […]

Effective Flamboyance? (diary entry)

February 16, 2016 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

10.02.16 The ninth lesson of my client’s second course in Muay Thai for Martial Arts Cross Training made its most dramatic diversion to the norm by looking at more spectacular martial arts techniques. Usually this is the penultimate lesson of a course and it is where I return a combat sport back to the self-defence line, seeing where the attribute training can enhance the core counter-assault methods. Tonight was very different in that we looked at building on the […]

MMA 101 (diary entry)

November 9, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

07.11.15 This marks the beginning of a series of two-hour MMA lessons for an old client of mine. My new regular gym is situated out in the sticks and I appreciate it is not easy non-local clients to get to me on a weekly basis. Therefore, it is often better for those who live further away or have a more sporadic lifestyle to book me in for fortnightly double sessions. However, the dynamic of these lessons will always be different […]

Progressive Technique and Conditioning (diary entry)

October 23, 2015 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

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 […]

Deconstructing the Jab (diary entry)

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

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 […]

Martial Arts Scepticism: Taking it on the Chin and Listening to Fools

July 28, 2011 | Insights and Reflections [ssba]

We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield. —George Orwell (1946) The process of martial arts training can be a […]

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