30.07.20 Thursday night saw the Athena School of Karate booking me to teach a shadow takedown Zoom lesson. We looked at stance-work, footwork, sprawling and double-leg takedowns. Next we put together a combination focusing on defending a low line takedown into a failed guillotine choke and returning with a double-leg takedown. Next time we intend to address single-leg takedowns.
04.02.20 Tuesday night brought my client up to the ninth hour and penultimate lesson of his second Submission Grappling/Ground-Fighting Lesson. Tonight we looked to begin our journey to a Mixed Martial Arts Single Objective Path and combined stand-up grappling/Wrestling with Submission Grappling/Ground-Fighting. After a series of specific dynamic stretches and callisthenics – combining Wrestling and Ju Jutsu exercises – we began a double-leg/guillotine drill. This particular drill had been shadowed in the callisthenic exercise previously. The fighter sprawls […]
24.01.20 My client’s final lesson in this MMA course consisted of a technical review of most of the material covered. We did not cover techniques against the cage/wall, but did cover certain aspects that have transferrable value. The lesson began with a series of gentle callisthenics and dynamic stretching. We then switched to mirror footwork and switching levels. From here we began using the pawing jab from Western Boxing. This allowed the fighter to gauge distance whilst distracting […]
21.11.19 Thursday night’s second lesson brought my client up to the four hour point on his latest Mixed Martial Arts course. Tonight’s objective was to go over the three striking to grappling combinations covered in last Thursday’s lesson and to begin more work on fighting against the cage as well ground-fighting. We began with mirror footwork followed by one-for-one sparring. We then drilled the plumb position, bulling with the collar and elbow, pummelling under-hooks into takedown entries and then some […]
28.08.19 The junior lesson today focused on under-hooking. The senior lesson looked at riding the storm in Muay Thai and timing calm resting periods in between flurries of strikes. The junior lesson began with wrestling callisthenics and dynamic stretching. Then we did grappling specific ladder drills, including hip switches and double-leg takedown entries. Next we clinched with some basic bulling on the collar and elbow tie. From here we focused on the over-hook/under-hook position and did a pummelling warmup drill. […]
31.07.19 Wednesday night the nephew and uncle double lesson got underway with lowline takedowns for the junior section and advanced Muay Thai combination work for the senior section. Both classes warmed up on the agility ladders and cones. The senior lesson included some revision on the L-Step and V-step work. We also looked at using other technique suggestions. The junior class also used the cones to set up for a sprawl double-leg takedown combination. Here we addressed the […]
06.07.19 Saturday’s second lesson brought my two junior clients onto the sixth hour of their course on the clinch/stand-up grappling. We looked at linking techniques together and resistance-based training. The lesson began with a series of wrestling-based callisthenics. We then moved onto partner drills such as bulling (neck and elbow tie) and pummelling (over hook/under hook). Next we revised the two-on-one, which led us onto chaining techniques together as well as breaking grips. We did some grip sparring […]
15.06.19 My second Saturday morning lesson saw my two junior clients enter their fourth hour of a 10 hour course on clinch/stand-up grappling. We looked more in depth into the waist-lock and taking the back, and I introduced the single-leg take down. We warmed up with a revision on break-falls and rolls. With this confirmed we got straight into some bulling and pummelling. From bulling I introduced the two-on-one position, controlling the arm. There were elements from this, such as […]
clinch12.06.19 Wednesday night’s double lesson began with a junior lesson on the clinch/stand-up grappling and was followed by a senior lesson mainly concerned with Muay Thai. The junior lesson introduced break-falls, rolls and the collar and elbow tie. Then we moved onto the first official technique: the outer reap throw. As I have previously discussed with clients who have just begun their clinch/stand-up grappling courses, getting students familiar with rolling and falling is an essential foundation to this range. Not […]
04.06.19 Tuesday night saw my client complete the seventh hour of his stand-up grappling/clinch course in fine form. We did further work on setting up takedowns and takedown defence. The lesson began with a warm-up of Indian push-ups and Indian squats followed by break-falls and rolling combinations. Then we swiftly moved onto standard muscle memory positioning drills – bulling, pummelling, taking the back, arm-drags and arm-drag counters. We then engaged in some grip-fighting to put the positioning under […]
01.06.19 Saturday’s second lesson brought my two junior clients up to hour two of their course on clinch/stand-up grappling. We went back through rolls and break-falls, getting better flow and improving technique before we moved onto high line and mid line takedowns. The warm-up consisted of Indian press-ups and Indian squats. This was followed by basic rolls forwards and backwards. We then linked in break-falls from the front and back before covering shoulder rolls and side break-falls. […]
23.04.19 Tuesday’s private lesson consisted of the second hour of my client’s Clinch/Stand-up Grappling course. We revised falls and rolls, turning them into muscle memory callisthenics. Then we resumed work within the clinch, looking at breaking posture, control positions, under-hooking and two basic sweep/throws. The lesson began with a simple warm-up followed by Indian press-ups and squats. Then we moved onto rolls from the front, shoulder/side and back followed by front, side and back break falls, finally finished […]
07.11.2018 Tonight’s junior boxing lesson focused on moving in and out of the fight zone. Previous lessons have promoted footwork with upper body mobility, but we haven’t done a lot of work on tactics. This time I looked at a hit and run strategy for shorter fighters. We looked at slipping past linear punches and then moving out of the striking range only to come back in again from another angle. Forwards and backwards footwork, v-steps and circling were […]
29.09.18 My client reached the two and a half hour point of his scheduled second 10 hour course in Mixed Martial Arts. Today’s lesson was a complete run-through of all ranges with less time concerned with the ground. We looked at mainly punching entries – but later added on kicks and defended kicks – into takedowns. We began with mirror foot-work. This progressed to changing levels, upper body movement (slips and rolling), range finding and cues to sprawl. […]
01.02.17 Tonight we covered takedown defence with more practical application, working under pressure and the use of elbow strikes. After warming up with muscle engagement/mobility exercises for grappling, we did some mirror footwork. I then added on targeting for strikes, working from various angles. This then changed to cornering work, specifically escape from cornering. This exercise has a particular relevance to the fundamentals and principles of takedown defence, as a fighter defending a takedown needs to be wary of […]
