Tag Archives | physical training

Fight to the Feet Continues to Develop (diary entry)

March 9, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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07.03.18   Tonight we made more progress with our transitional series of lessons. This area of training is planned to be at the core of the upcoming Vagabond Warriors seminar. We warmed up with dynamic stretching and mobility exercises before getting straight into postures. Here we moved through the postures with strict form. Then we isolated each one to perform specific exercises:   • Posture one (closed guard position and fighting from the back): Bridging (upa), snaking/shrimping on the spot, […]

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Tyres and Bobbing (diary entry)

March 8, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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06.03.18 Tonight’s session was my client’s second lesson in his first course Western Boxing for Martial Arts Cross Training. We revised basic footwork drills and slipping to the inside and to the outside. This was done using tyres, obstacles and as mirror partner-work. Tyres were initially used just promote better coordination, but it can be a very effective form of restrictive training when used for partner-work. Here the fighter is forced to move effectively and economically. It encourages faster and […]

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Developing Footwork (diary entry)

March 8, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Boxing Jab

05.03.18   My client’s second course on Western Boxing for Martial Arts Cross Training brought him up to the seven hour mark. Building off this course, where we have focused on upper body mobility and defensive tactics, we looked more at footwork and looping punches.   The lesson began with our revision of combining footwork with head movement. This was trained through line-work, then as partner-work and then onto the focus mitts. Techniques and combinations were trained in isolation and […]

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Flurry and Clinch (diary entry)

February 28, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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24.02.18   This lesson in my client’s second course in boxing for martial arts cross training brought us up to the five and a half hour point. The purpose of this morning’s training was to work more on blending upper-body mobility with footwork and introduce some strategies. Said strategy today highlighted the use of the clinch in Western Boxing.   We began with a warm-up of line-work. First we just isolated footwork. Then we isolated upper-body movement – slipping, bobbing […]

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Galahad’s Goals Part 1 (Podcast)

February 26, 2018 | Podcasts [ssba]

The latest episode of my podcast is now out! I discuss fruitless martial arts quests and go into my view on what makes an effective self-defence system. I had a few technical issues and decided to split this show into two halves. The length is roughly the same as last time per episode, however, it means you will be getting another episode a lot sooner than I had scheduled. Hopefully that will make up for the tardiness of this one!

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Grapple ‘n Strike Transitioning Continues (diary entry)

February 15, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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14.02.18 “They said I was the fighter who got knocked down the most, but I also got up the most,”– Floyd Patterson Tonight’s lesson continued the transitioning theme for MMA and self-defence training. Our work was to hone coordinated striking and grappling techniques throughout the transitioning phases of getting up and standing. The lesson started with a series of break-fall exercises. This led us onto break-falling and regaining footing in the same motion. Then we went back to the core […]

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“Fighting is making the other fella miss” (diary)

February 14, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Bob and weave

13.02.18   “Fighting is not hitting, any fool can hit. Fighting is making the other fella miss. He miss, he think, he worry. It’s a mind game.” (Gladiator, 1992)   Tonight’s second course in Boxing for Martial Arts Cross-Training brought my client up to the four hour point. We combined the previous two lessons’ work on slipping, bobbing and weaving, and also introduced ducking for a comprehensive review of upper body mobility. As my client pointed out, we had mainly […]

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The Bobbing and Weaving Disappearing Act (diary entry)

February 9, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
bobbing and weaving

06.02.18 The second lesson of my client’s second course on Western Boxing for Martial Arts Cross Training brought us up to the two and a half hour point. We are continuing with our theme on head movement, this time concentrating on bobbing and weaving. The lesson began with mirror footwork, including various cornering and drawing drills. This was followed by line-work, moving forwards, backwards, switching stances and angling off. We then revised the slip/jab/overhand work we did in the previous […]

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Stand-up Fighting & Conditioning (diary entry)

February 1, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
Boxing Jab

31.01.18 Tonight my client had an interval from our transitioning programme and we decided to focus on the stand-up range with appropriate conditioning. The lesson provided more of a review of previous material found in Western Boxing and Muay Thai as well as combining them. We warmed up with some mobility and callisthenic exercises before moving onto mirror footwork. Because today’s lesson was focused on mainly the stand-up range we spent more time changing stances and being mindful about angling. […]

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Striking & Submission Combinations (diary entry)

January 15, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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13.01.18   This morning’s lesson brought us to the seven and a half hour point of my client’s 10 hour course in Basic Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross-Training. Our theme was ground-fighting combinations from the top position. We looked at revising all transitions from different pins and submissions, isolating striking from the various pins and then combining them. A key point being made throughout the lesson was how much a well-executed, strong position can give a fighter. A […]

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Transitioning Positions in Grappling (diary entry)

January 12, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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10.01.18   Following my client’s previous lesson, we are embarking on a series of classes focused on transitioning work. This is composed of various drills that can be layered and then applied under pressure. Their purpose is to promote more effective movement and general fluidity through Mixed Martial Arts and Self-Defence. Ideally the movement provides the fighter with options he can use to build on using his own experience.   We began with a series of MMA build-up warm-up exercises. […]

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Transitioning as an Art in MMA (diary entry)

January 5, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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04.01.18   The first official lesson of 2018 began my client on an exciting new exploratory adventure in mixed martial arts and martial arts cross-training. Having spent the latter part of 2017 focusing a lot on half-guard and its place in grappling, we decided to bring it back into MMA. However, the resulting lesson ended up exploring a more encompassing yet specific topic. We looked at our old friend, transitioning. This is a common soap box subject with me. It […]

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Stand-up Fighter’s Game (diary entry)

January 3, 2018 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]
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30.12.17   The final lesson of 2017 brought my client’s Basic Course in Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross-Training up to the four and a half hour mark. We continued to take our cue from the stand-up range and looked at the bobbing and weaving/rolling action as well as an overall strategy maintaining a stand-up fighting range and disengagement.   The lesson began with a series of exercises based on changing ranges. Partner-work included mirror footwork and transitioning out […]

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Slipping the Jab for MMA (diary entry)

December 27, 2017 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

23.12.17   Tonight’s lesson on Basic Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross Training brought us up to the three hour point. We revised some of the previous lesson’s material and then focused on stand-up to clinch transitioning, finishing with a groundwork conditioning exercise.   We warmed up with footwork add-ons. We began with western boxing and then adding on Muay Thai techniques, followed by bulling and pummelling from wrestling and then some basic movement drills attacking and defending the […]

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Lockdown Work (diary entry)

December 14, 2017 | Diary / Training Notes [ssba]

13.12.17   Tonight’s class continued our work on the half-guard. As promised, we specifically looked at the lockdown. All our warm-up was partner-centred, gradually increasing range of mobility and intensity as the exercise drills progressed. We did under-hook/over-hook pummelling, butterfly guard sweeps and butterfly guard arm-drags. Then we immediately reviewed the basic lockdown sweep.   From this position we looked at under-hooking the leg and passing an arm (handcuff), which we previously covered in the lesson before last time. We […]

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