MarksTraining.com

Larry Hartsell

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:46:51 PST

Today’s video is dedicated to the late Larry Hartsell, RIP. (August 15, 1942 – August 20, 2007) Larry was a martial artist who began with Judo, moved onto Kempo, studying under Ed Parker and then trained privately with Bruce Lee. After Lee’s death, Larry continued training under Dan Inosanto in which he explored and researched additions to the grappling techniques which now form the core of the Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do Grappling System. He also worked as a bodyguard for people such as Mr T and was a trainer for the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. (For more info about Larry, please see here)

What is interesting about this video is firstly some of the submissions he demonstrates. He uses a variety of various submissions from a single position. For instance, when demonstrating the knee bar, he also demonstrates a number of submissions from the knee bar position, such as heel hooks, ankle locks etc. It is good for all martial artists to also do this. From a submission position, try to figure out what other submissions can also be achieved. It is good to have an idea of some backup techniques that one can quickly transition to if the one they are trying fails.

The video also gives a short interview with Larry about his initial training, his involvement with Ed Parker and Kempo and how he got started training with Bruce Lee. This may also be interesting to watch. Enjoy.

Marks
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Tags: larry hartsell, bruce lee, dan inosanto, ed parker

The Squat, A Great Exercise

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:22:15 PST

Some people say that the squat is the king of exercises when it comes to weight training. Some people say that it is the king of ALL exercises, period. Others think that it should be avoided at all costs. Many people have strained there lower backs with squats are have popped there knees with them. Here at MarksTraining.com though, we love squats! They are seen as one of the best exercises one can do and deserve an article written solely about them.

The squat is one of the oldest exercises known to man. It is one of the three main power training movements, the others being, deadlifts and bench presses. Although there are squat machines that people can use to perform the exercise, which do help one focus all there energy into using the muscles of the thigh only, many still feel that the free weight squat is the way to go for size and strength.

So what are the major benefits of squatting?

Will blow up your lower body – Squatting is the best exercise if muscle gain is your goal. Not only will it make your thigh muscles grow but it will also make the muscles of your backside and to a lesser extent the muscles of the side of your torso and calves grow. Some people may not like this and if that’s the case, watch how much squatting you do, but others who are really thin or who are looking to pack on some quality muscle will welcome this type of growth.

Will work your cardio – After performing a few sets of squats with reps more than 12 per set one will notice that they are breathing more heavily than with other weight training movements and that they may be starting to sweat. Since squatting uses up a lot of energy it is also a good way to combine strength training with cardiovascular conditioning.

Will help you lift more on other exercises – Some people will not agree with this, but others (including myself) have sworn that by doing heavy squats, they are able to lift heavier on other exercises. This in turn leads to further gains in strength and body mass. Whatever the reason this is, who knows, but maybe it will work for you too.

Will train your mind – There is no exercise more daunting in the gym than the heavy squat. Having to load a heavy bar full of clanging metal plates into ones shoulders, and then having to squat with them, can seriously challenge the confidence of some. On the other hand, one of the best feelings one can have is to know that they took on that heavy squat and completed the required reps, pushing through the pain and blocking out all thoughts of quitting from ones mind. By squatting heavy, one can eventually develop a “never back down attitude” which can spread into other areas of ones life. This may be the most important reason to squat.

Weather you are a martial artist, any other kind of athlete or just a normal person, im sure you will agree that the above benefits apply to all. For this reason, next time you see that squat bar and are intimidated because you may be new to squatting, don’t be. Start slow, with light weight, grab a spotter or a trainer to show you the correct technique just in case and after a few squat sessions, start noticing the beneficial differences it brings.

Marks
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Punching Power, Top 5 Methods

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:48:57 PST

Punching with power is something that everybody wants to be able to do right from the start. Just like rookie weight trainers try to develop there pecs and biceps, rookie punches wish to develop there power.

However, a lot of people simply do not go about the correct ways in order to achieve there goal.

Below are the MarksTraining.com top 5 methods to produce harder punches, 5 being the least important and 1 being the most important. Obviously, some will disagree with this top 5 and may have there own opinions, which we invite you to comment about.

5) Weight Training
Weight training definitely helps to build muscle, ligament and tendon strength for hard punching, however, one can develop a hard punch without it and for this purpose, it is not considered as important as the methods below.

4) Heavy Bag Punching
By using the heavy bag, one will learn how to hit a stationary or slightly moving target, whilst also strengthening the wrists, so harder punching can then develop. However, a heavy bag is not an opponent, and learning how to hit a moving target which is what your opponent is, requires further, more important training.

3) Focus Pads/Sparring
The reason why focus pads and sparring are together here is that with both methods one learns how to punch hard against a moving target. A heavy bag may be still, a punching board such as a makiwara is also still. By hitting still targets one does not learn how to punch whilst also moving, which is much harder to do and something that is necessary when facing an opponent, hence it is more important than heavy bag work. By training on the pads and sparring whilst hitting and moving, one will learn the correct ways to develop power punches with movement.

2) Learning to Breath
Obviously you know how to breath, but many people who are just starting martial arts, tend to hold there breath whilst executing strikes. By doing this, your shoulders become tense, your body becomes rigid, movement becomes slower and as a result, strikes become weaker. By learning how to breathe whilst striking will aid in relaxation and as a result, punches will become more powerful. Without correct breathing and relaxation, one will never be able to use the bag properly or spar with finesse so it should be given much attention and is ranked as number 2.

1) Body Rotation/Positioning
Something many will not agree on, but here at MarksTraining.com, body rotation and positioning is given top priority when concerned with power punching. To punch with power one needs to turn there hips and bodies with each punch which helps to project the punching arm and hand forward with not only speed but with as much power as possible which works in the same way as a sling shot. Using arm strength alone may produce some power, but the body is much bigger and stronger than the arm and using it whilst punching will produce much better results. Also, positioning should be addressed. For example, a lot of people allow the elbow to fly out away from the body with straight punches, which restricts power. One should always keep there elbows in pointing towards the floor as much as possible when punching. (Apart from with hooks, but even here, they should also be tight and not too wild)

So this is the MarksTraining.com, top 5 ways to develop power punching. It is not something that can happen over night, but needs plenty of practise and even more patience. It is very easy for one to get carried away and start punching as hard as possible from the start. This will not only lead to sloppiness but it will be harder for one to develop power later as bad habits may develop and will prove difficult to break. Learn steadily and patiently and results will soon come.

Marks
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Warming Up the Mind for Martial Arts

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:25 PDT

One of the most basic but often heavily neglected parts of martial arts training is the warm up. It should be a time when one is preparing there bodies physically but also there minds mentally to do battle with themselves. After all, it is during training that one develops there skills and tries to surpass the plateau they are currently on.

Some people may be thinking to themselves now, that a warm up is simply a way to heat up there joints and muscles etc so as to not cause injury to themselves. Although they are correct in thinking this, a warm up can be so much more. Whilst performing physical movements like stretches and light callisthenics, one should be thinking about what they are about to undertake, the level they are currently on, and ways in which to improve it.

Before a fight, many fighters try and picture ways in which the fight could possibly progress. They have studied there opponents style of fighting, they have trained in order to capitalise on there weaknesses, and during the warm up prior to partaking in combat with them, they think about all of this and try to form some sort of strategy in order to be successful.

This type of mental preparation or “warm up” should also be used by each and every martial artist prior to training. Although they may not be training for competition, hopefully everyone plans on bettering themselves during training. During the time taken to physically prepare themselves, they can also mentally prepare by thinking about what there focus should be placed on during the training session. Using more body movements on punches, keeping the guard higher, twisting the head more with throws, trying to gain more leverage with each submission etc.

These, plus much more are all general things which martial artists train to improve with each and every session, and having a mental picture of them can help improvement greatly.

Thinking about all of these things helps the martial artist warm up the mind as well as the body and should be carried out by all. By taking the time during physical warm ups (usually about 10-15 mins) to think about ones abilities and ways in which to improve them, one shall find that there mind and body shall be better connected and prepared to learn and improve from the training session. They shall find that by thinking more, they are able to move better and overall, will be able to train much smoother.

Marks
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Karate's Grappling Methods Book

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:45:13 PDT

With the boom of the UFC and now Lyoto Machida, a lot of karate ka are trying to learn grappling techniques so as to be able to fight in MMA. While this is a good thing, some do not go about the correct way of doing it.

The priority of all at this stage is for them to enrol in a grappling school so as to learn from a proper qualified professional, the correct way. However, should they totally abandon there karate? No, they should not, they should still keep training it hard as they will eventually find, that karate and grappling can go hand in hand.

One of the best books that demonstrate this and one which all should think about purchasing is Karate’s Grappling Methods, by Iain Abernethy.

It is all about grappling techniques, and how kata bunkai incorporate them. Buy reading this book and training at an actual grappling school, there karate shall also improve, there kata will become much more alive as they shall start to see applicable bunkai for themselves and there fighting as a whole will be much more complete.

Here is a few other reasons for purchasing the book,

It is one of the best books to give grappling applications to kata techniques -With sometimes slight adjustments to how the techniques are actually performed in the kata, the bunkai shown are all good grappling techniques that can be practised and drilled in class time.

Each grappling phase is broken down – There are whole chapters devoted to all the different phases of grappling, included, arm bars, leg and ankle locks, finger locks, fighting dirty, throws and much more. What Abernethy also does, is show examples of all of these phases in katas.

Shows positions – Most of the time, when karate ka who are new to grappling start, they are eager to learn submissions only. While this is a big part of grappling, the other big part of it is positioning. Positions always come before submissions and the book demonstrates the basic positions in detail.

Gives sparring examples – The book gives great sparring examples of how to practise grappling, and how to slowly incorporate strikes in order to make, for an overall effective form of fighting.

Along with training at a grappling school the book is a great start for karate ka wanting to learn the basics of grappling and it should be on the bookshelf of all.

Marks
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Rolling Knee Bar from the Ankle Pick

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:08:50 PDT

Today’s video is a sweet transition from a failed ankle pick into a rolling knee bar. The knee bar is one of my favourite submissions and almost always, when I find myself under my opponent’s chest, it is the first technique I check to see if it is available.

By the opponent pulling his ankle back in order to defend the takedown he leaves himself wide open for the rolling knee bar and with a quick hip rotation in order to gain the correct position for it, it is one of the best takedown/submissions from this position. Obviously, other initial techniques other than an ankle pick can be used to draw your opponent into making the pull back with his ankle, such as ko ouchi gari, however by using a low ankle pick you put yourself in a better position to transition into the rolling knee bar.

People have commented weather this technique would work without the use of the belt /gi to hold. Although it may be harder to pull off, over hooking near the top of the arm close to the shoulder or holding around the head, (e.g. from the clinch) could allow for possible no gi alternatives.

Marks
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REPOST: Street Fighting and MMA Style Fighting

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:18:32 PDT

This article was written over two years ago. It created quite a bit of a debate with some visitors to this site (you can check out the original comments here). I may have put the point across that MMA training is useless for street fighting, which was not the intention. MMA training is very effective for street fighting, however I do feel that in order for an MMA fighter to become a more competent street fighter he/she will have to slightly tweak there training a little.

Now two years on I would like to see what peoples views on the subject are.

Over the last few years we have seen UFC, Pride and others bring out the most advanced fighters the world has ever seen. They are able to punch, kick, grapple, ground fight and submit. Also the level of fitness they attain for each fight makes them some of most well conditioned athletes alive. Does this mean that they are also great street fighters?

Firstly let me point out that when i say MMA fighter for this topic i am referring to MMA sport fighters who train under rules and regulations. And this is just what i mean. RULES AND REGULATIONS. In a street fight there is no ref, so no one will stop you gouging eyes and pulling inside of cheeks, (fish hooking) if there are weapons around (sticks, bottles, walls to be thrown into) you wont get disqualified by using them to your advantage, and most importantly IN TODAY'S DAY AND AGE YOU DON'T FIGHT JUST ONE PERSON.

This is the most important point. If your rolling around on the floor looking for a submission or clinched up trying to deliver knees and elbows his/her friend will probably creep behind you and do all sorts of damage. You have to be able to finish one guy off quickly so you can either worry about the next or run like hell!

Now don't get me wrong, i love watching and training MMA and a lot of techniques they use are very practical and useful, but you must realise that street fighting is a completely different thing. Theres loads of good books that give more information on this and the best techniques to use and avoid in a street fight so i wont bore you with them. All I'm saying is sometimes when training, think what would be the best strategy if your were out on the streets with no RULES!!!
Marks
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How to Fatigue your Opponent

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:04:46 PDT

“People are irritable when they are fatigued”. This is one of the strategies written in Sun Tzu’s “People are irritable when they are fatigued”. This is one of the strategies written in Sun Tzu’s Art of War (a series on this book is coming soon by the way). When a fighter is tired they get irritated which leads to mistakes, sloppiness and flaws in there fighting system. This is when the patient, strategic fighter knows that it is one of the best times to capitalize.

Below are a few ways in which one can fatigue there opponent,

Keep them on there toes – Moving in and out, always keeping out of range until its time to strike is one of Lyoto Machida’s strategies in his style of fighting. He is an undefeated MMA fighter with 15 wins under his belt as well as the UFC light Heavyweight Champion. This strategy which he uses keeps his opponents on there toes, which fatigues them and makes them very irritable which usually leads to mistakes on which Lyoto, has many times countered on.

Use hard kicks – A lot of people throw kicks without the intent on making them hurt there opponents. This is ok when concerned with feints or set ups but if your kick is an actual true strike, make sure that it is hard. Hard kicks, especially to the legs quickly wear down opponents. Marco Ruas vs Paul Varelans is one of the best examples of this. Ruas’s hard kicks quickly tired out his opponent in which he started to drop his guard, make mistakes and was doomed.

Clinch non clinch fighters – If someone does not know the first thing about the clinch, make sure, that you always aim to get them in it. Usually people who are not familiar with the clinch expend lots of energy trying to get out of it. It is a great way to quickly and easily fatigue an opponent.

On the ground, always try to be on top – A lot of people when ground fighting prefer to fight from the guard position. This is ok as submissions are far and wide from here, but in order to fatigue your opponent it is always best to be on top. Side control, scarf hold and the mount allow for short sharp strikes which wear down your opponent and also force HIM to try and get out from underneath as it looks bad with points. Because of this he will expend more energy and will tire quicker, possibly leaving way for a quick submission or harder strikes.

Build your cardio – This is not so much a way on how to wear down your opponent, but how to make sure that he tires first. By building your cardiovascular system to the maximum hopefully it will be your opponent that tires first.

By fighting a fatigued irritable opponent one will quickly start to see openings, and chances to win the fight. Study these and other ways which you can figure out for yourself, if you simply do a little research through slow controlled sparring. It is always the brains that make the best fighter, never the bulging biceps, something we could all do with remembering at times.

Marks
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How to Fight?

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:23:21 PDT

No introduction to this video. Please leave your comments below on weather you agree or disagree. This should be interesting.

Is fighting a 90% mental situation rather than a physical one? Let people know what YOU think by adding your comments below.

Marks
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Judo Throw Variation from the Clinch

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:39:06 PDT

Takedowns without a gi are slightly different to ones with a gi. By being able to grip certain places on ones jacket or trousers, there are much more ways in which a person can be taken down.

One of the best examples of a throw in which a gi comes in more than handy is sasae tsurikomi ashi.

It is a throw in which a strong pull is needed in order to take the opponent off balance and because of this, it is used mostly with a gi where this kind of pull can be achieved. However, with a slight alteration in grips, this can be one of the best kind of throws for anyone involved in no gi combat sports and is great for MMA fighters to include in there arsenal.

Since a gi is not worn and a pull of the clothing can not be achieved, the next best grip to have or possibly, an even better grip, in order to perform the technique is the half clinch. (picture on the right) Although the throw can be achieved via a full clinch (where both hands are behind the opponents head), the half clinch is best to use for this throw as it enables one to secure there opponents arm when they go down, which would allow for more options when on the ground.

To perform the throw, looking at the picture, the fighter on the left, from this position would simply move his opponent in a clockwise motion in order to break his balance while simultaneously blocking his opponents left ankle with his right foot. (As in the sasae tsurikomi ashi fashion) Using his hands, again in a simultaneous fashion, he would push his opponents head sideways with his left arm and pull strongly on his opponents arm, just inside the crook of the elbow, to take down his opponent.

When performing the Judo version with the gi, it is common for the person performing the throw to let go of there opponents gi with one arm and to hold them with just one, however it is important when performing this no gi variation, to not let go of the opponents arm or back of the head until they are on the floor. This is so you can maintain control of them and it is easier to move into positions such as knee onto belly, side mount of even an arm bar.

As mentioned, the throw can be performed from the full clinch position, but it is harder to control your opponent once they are on the floor and even more importantly, it is much harder to control your own balance. It is very easy to fall or be pulled down by your opponent with a full clinch, whereas by having only one arm tied up as in the half clinch one is able to control there own balance much better, as well as there opponents movements.

Marks
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Counter Attacking or Pre-Emptive Striking

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:29:54 PDT

Street fights are something that most do not want to be involved in. Im sure most have heard of the incident last week in which a very patient martial artist took a lot of abuse from a thug for more than long enough before flooring him! If you have not, check it out here at the Urban Samurai website. (It is the top video, but the bottom one is also worth watching) The question is though, how much abuse should one take before deciding that it is justified to defend oneself physically.

Principle No: 1
Some people believe in the principle that one should only defend themselves once a physical attack has been made by there opponent. In other words, they can be shouted out, swore at, and even spat at, but are not justified to defend themselves until an actual technique is thrown at them.

Principle No: 2
Then there others who state that the pre emptive principle is necessary, meaning that if you are 100% sure that you know you are about to be attacked, be it with a punch, a weapon or by having your opponents buddies creep up behind you with the intent on doing some damage, then you are justified to retaliate there and then. You pre-empt your opponents attack by performing one of your own.

There are good and bad points with both principles here.

The first one definitely labels the person defending the attack in the self defence group. They have physically been attacked and have defended and countered, striking back just enough to stop there opponent/s in there tracks without unnecessarily hurting them. This is the good part in the sense that they have defended themselves all legally and above board. However, the bad thing here is that it does not usually work out so easily. The block and counter approach is a very basic form of training self defence techniques and against a real opponent, when adrenaline is pumping, weapons are probably lingering, and multiple opponents are in most cases waiting, it is very hard, if not impossible to counter your opponents attack/s, without coming out of the situation unharmed. Even if one has performed realistic self defence training, there is always a big chance that one will not come out, the way they went in. Because of this, it is always better to pre-empt the attack and get in there first, so as to be better off.

Here is a situation involving pre-emptive principles. You have pre empted your opponents attack. He was swearing at you, calling you every bad name under the sun and you where sure he was about to get physical, in which you struck him first, cleanly and solidly. He went down and you moved on, however, later in the day, you get a knock on the door. It is the police who have come to arrest you for grievous bodily harm (GBH). Now, you are in more trouble than you started in. You say to the police that you were sure that he was going to attack you and you attacked first, acting in self defence. However, how can anyone be completely sure that an attack was going to be made. Taking the video at Urban Samurai for instance. The thug was rude and stupid, but was the victim actually ever going to be attacked? Maybe the thug was all hot air and no action and the victim could have easily just walked away.

It seems to be a no win situation. Either you attack first, but possibly face bad consequences later, or you wait until an attack is made, but maybe it could be too late then to defend adequaltly, in which you could end up being hurt.

What do you do? Comments and opinions are more than welcome on this topic below.

Marks
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Kashiwazaki Ne Waza Technique

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:09:15 PDT

Today’s video is another simple ne waza (ground fighting technique) that is not only very effective but full of possible variations and follow on techniques.

It is a sweep from when your opponent is in front of you as opposed to in your guard. Although it is possible to use the technique when you have someone in your guard or butterfly guard, it is best used when your opponent is in front of you as the momentum you generate when falling backwards helps in flipping your opponent over.

The technique plus a simple variation is demonstrated here by one of Judo’s greatest ever ground fighters Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki. For Judo purposes, the sweep is great is one as able to gain a tight osae komi hold down after it and for BJJ/submission fighters it opens up various possibilities for arm bars and chokes. Enjoy!

Marks
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Sparring, Winning and Losing

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:45:45 PDT

The aim when one spars to be the best. Everyone wants to win without ever getting overpowered and everyone wants to be able to dominate whoever it is they spar with. It is a great feeling to be able to spar with everyone in your dojo/gym and have no worries about being dominated by anyone.

The problem is though, if you are always getting the upper hand of your sparring partners and do not face difficulties or pressure during your sparring, firstly you may become over confident in your abilities thinking you are able to beat everyone, (which is never the case) and secondly you may never work on your weaknesses to improve them.

The following are ways in which you can be easily dominated by your sparring partners, with the purposes of working your defences more, bring up your weaknesses and become a better overall fighter. (For these exercises, it is best to spar with someone who not only understands to control his techniques but also someone who is the same or of similar ability to yourself)

Spar with a handicap – This type of sparring is great for bringing up any weaknesses in your fighting as well as putting yourself at a disadvantage to your opponent who should dominate you. For instance say you are a great kicker but your punches are not so good. You then agree to use just your hands to spar maybe even limiting it to a few punches only, excluding elbows, clinching etc, while your opponent is free to use any technique. Simply because they are able to use more techniques they should dominate you, forcing you to work harder to bring up any weaknesses.

Start from a bad position – No one likes having a good grappler behind them as most likely they shall fall prey to rear naked chokes or other submissions or strikes. In a nutshell, it is a bad position, but one which one can be of use. Starting your sparring from this position or other similar ones which provide your opponent the upper hand are great so as you can get used to them and provide you with the ability to work defences to them. Another good one is to start your sparring with your opponent gaining a full double handed tight clinch, in which you must break free or reverse the position whilst defending close range strikes.

Spar against two or more opponents – When one spars against two or more people the tables soon turn if it is you who are always in control of a single opponent. Having the disadvantage of having to fight multiple opponents will not only put you on the defensive more, forcing you to train areas you do not usually train but is also a great way to practise for real life street scenarios.

Perform drills which go wrong – Drills are used to work techniques over and over again repeatedly, so as they become second nature. However, one practises drill with a (most of the time) compliant partner who will go with the movement and allow you to perform the techniques correctly. (Which is the correct thing to do). A variation to this though, is for your partner to sometimes resist the technique and try to defend it slightly. This will then force you to flow with the nature of the defence into another completely different technique. This will help one to develop awareness to when things go wrong and how to flow from technique to technique, something you may not be doing if you are always dominating your sparring partners.

Regarding submissions, since you will be at a disadvantage to your opponent, chances are they shall catch you in them. If you do find yourself on the receiving end of them don’t try and fight them if they are locked on tightly and don’t let pride get in the way. Simply tap out and continue with the exercise. Similarly, with striking you shall also be caught in bad positions where hard strikes would end the fight. This is where your “good” sparring partner recognises this and does not strike hard to hurt, but just enough to let you know that you are in a bad situation which you must get out of quickly.

These exercises and other similar ones which you can easily create for yourselves are great in order to work areas you do not usually work, but most importantly, they help in bringing ones pride and cockiness down which can easily become out of control, especially if one is always beating up there sparring partners.

Marks
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Kevin Rooney on Mike Tyson

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:02 PDT

The following is an interview taken from WWW.TYSONTALK.COM with Kevin Rooney, one of the legendary Cus D’Amatos trainee’s. Rooney answers questions about Mike Tyson. Although the interview was conducted in 2004 it still is very interesting to hear the thoughts and opinions of one of the very few men who ever really knew Mike Tyson. Although it is a long interview, for Tyson fans it is definitely worth reading to the end.
(WARNING: does contain some bad language)

Over the years, 'Iron' Mike Tyson's legion of devoted fans have firmly held on to a tattered thread of hope: To see their beloved fighter resurrect his desire and regain the heavyweight championship for a third time. Along with that hope are the unwavering contentions: 'Mike should return to his roots... If Mike would only take his training seriously... Mike should go back to Kevin Rooney...'

Kevin Rooney. The man who was coached as a fighter and then as a trainer by the legendary Cus D'Amato at his fabled training camp in the Catskill Mountains of New York - and the one who picked up where D'Amato left off in sculpting a young Tyson into one of the most devastating fighters the sport has ever seen.

After D'Amato's death in November 1985, Tyson won his first championship a year later at the age of 20 by annihilating WBC champ Trevor Berbick in 2 rounds. The win made Tyson the youngest heavyweight champ in history and Rooney (at 27 years old), the youngest trainer to have lead a fighter to a world title. Under Rooney's guidance, Tyson earned a record of 24-0; 20 KO's and a unification of the WBA, WBC and IBF titles by blasting his way through such opponents as: James 'Bonecrusher' Smith, Tony Tucker, Larry Holmes, Tony Tubbs and Michael Spinks.

Immediately after Tyson's brutal first round knockout of Spinks in 1988, Rooney was fired. So began Tyson's turbulent and scandalous life both in and out of the ring.

In recent days, there have been confirmed reports that Tyson (50-4; 44 KO's) has resumed light training on his own in Phoenix, Arizona and is expected to fight in the coming months. Currently, Tyson has yet to announce who will be training him.

In this exclusive interview, Fightnews spoke to Rooney to get his perspective on Tyson:

Mike has gone less than one full round in a span of nearly two years (against Clifford Etienne). How difficult will it be for him to shake off the ring rust?
It won't be that difficult. If he's been running and keeping in shape, it won't be a problem. He's been doing this for so long, that it's almost like turning on a light switch. Mike's not going to be as good as he was when he was 20 or 21, but if he gets into shape and gets prepared mentally, he'll still be a very dangerous fighter.

Has Mike ever talked to you about training him again?
No. We've really had no communication. I talked to him on the phone once, you know...'how ya doin,' blah, blah, blah. Last summer, I heard he came up here (Catskill) looking for me. But he knows where I live. My house is still the same. For him not to come to my house... uh, I don't know. You know, I've always believed that you just don't leave people, you stay with the person who brought you to the dance. Mike and I have a long history together and we accomplished a lot in this sport. That's something you just don't walk away from.

If Mike were to ask you to train him again, would you?
If he were to ask me... sure I would. Just so I could try and bring him back to where he once was.

It's been 15 years since you've worked with Mike. Is it too late to pick up where you left off?
No. I don't think so. If he concentrated and really trained hard, it can be done. When we were at the peak, I had Mike sparring 10 rounds everyday... 5 days a week! It was an all out war EVERYDAY. There was none of that one day on and one day off crap. To be a great fighter... you have to spar. You gotta spar everyday, day in and day out, week after week. With Mike, I would spar him up until two or three days before a fight.

One time in Atlantic City, Mike had gotten a bloody nose and Jimmy (Jacobs) wanted me to stop the sparring. I told Jimmy 'What the fuck? If he gets a bloody nose in the fight, you want me to stop the fight then too?!' Then, Jimmy understood exactly what I meant. Another time in Vegas, Mike got a little cut over his eye a few days before a fight. But, the cut didn't re-open because he would move his head.

Another thing, ever since he left me, Mike stopped moving his head. All of his trainers after me, weren't in his mind like I was in his mind. I was raised by Cus and I think Mike had respect for me and he knew what I was telling him, was the right thing. The average person doesn't know what it takes to become a great fighter. It takes constant discipline and repetition. Boxing is 80% mental and 20% physical. Anyone can get in physical shape.

Since your departure as Mike's coach in 1988, very few trainers have been able to motivate him and keep him in the gym. Why do you think that is?
Mike didn't respect those guys. He knows more than them... and he knows it too. Those trainers that he's had, they don't know anything! Mike couldn't pull that shit with me. When it came to style, technique and all that, he couldn't go head to head with me. When he had those other guys, they didn't know what to tell him! My work with Mike had made the phrase 'Move your head' common now. But, there is much more to it than someone just saying 'Move your head.' When I say 'Move your head', there's a system. There's a secret behind that. Cus was very secretive. He always wanted to keep things secret for his own fighters.

Could Mike be so confident in his abilities that it just makes him lazy?
No. All fighters have a tendency to be lazy. Because Mike has had no guidance since he left me, he just does what he wants! His mind set is 'I'm the man.' But, a lot of fighters get like that. They forget the training that was there when they were just a little pup. Mike won't listen to anybody! If he felt he was in shape and needed to take off 5 or 10 pounds, he would just dry out. When I had Mike, he worked out. There was no need to dry out! He work out hard! That's what made him the best fighter and youngest heavyweight champion in the world.

Two weeks before his fight with Etienne, Mike got a tattoo on his face. What did you think about that?
That's just Mike being impulsive... and silly.

In June, Mike turns 38 years old. Since he's not a beat up fighter, how many more years do you think he has left?
Maybe one or two. Mike should get out because I think he lost his desire to fight. Once you lose your desire, you should get out. Right now, he's just fighting for the money. But on the other hand, there really is no one out there. The heavyweight division is wide open for him. Mike still has punching power and when you still have power, you're always dangerous.

What is your opinion of the heavyweight division and the future of boxing in general?
The future of boxing doesn't look good. When was the last time the American's really did something in the Olympics? It was in 1976! All those boys were kickin' ass back then! Now, we've got nothing coming out of the Olympics. And, you know something... part of that problem is because we're the only major league sport, whose minor league has a different set of rules. Baseball, Football, Basketball... you name it. They all have the same rules in their amateur and pro leagues! Boxing is the only sport who does things differently! But, nothing is coming out of the amateurs and that's why we're in the tailspin that we're in right now. It's THAT, and the greedy promoters who've ruined the sport.

As far as the heavyweight division now, it sucks! Boxing through the 50's and 70's was where it was at. Guys like Tyson, Frazier, Ali, Liston, Foreman and Marciano were killers! Today... you've got the Klitschko brothers and Joe Mesi. So what! They'll never make great champions because they are too gentleman-like. They're not killers! Fighters in the 70's and earlier were looking to take your head off! Also, Chris Byrd... who wants to see him fight? He doesn't knock anybody out and he doesn't LOOK to knock anybody out either. He just looks to survive! He's nothing special... with all that running around and tap, tap, tap shit he does.

Mike's fight against Lennox Lewis. What did you think?
Mike wasn't in shape. If he had gotten in shape he would have beaten Lewis. But he quit against Lewis. That whole fight sucked! Lewis didn't do anything great or spectacular! He hit Mike with a couple of shots and Mike got a couple of cuts. Then, Mike tried to quit in the corner, but they sent him out. After that, Mike just laid down. He could have knocked Lewis out if he had only trained.

In that fight, Mike took a heck of a beating - the worst of his entire career. Do you think it affected him?
Nah! Mike quit! He gave up! He was just in it for a payday!

Although there have been many, in which fight do you think Mike threw his best punch? A punch that surprised even you!
The Spinks punch was pretty good. Mike hit him on the chin and put him in La-La Land. Although, that was expected because Spinks was a little nervous. But, Spinks grabbed his 13 million and got the hell out of there and retired. But, the Trevor Berbick punch... THAT was the best! He knocked Trevor down three times with one punch! That was a hell of a punch. That was the best one!

Cus D'Amato. If he could see how Mike's career turned out, what would he say?
Well, I gotta answer that in two ways. Number one: If Cus had stayed alive, it never would have happened. Number two: I think Cus would be very disappointed. He would have thought 'Dammit, I didn't have enough time to teach Mike.' And, I believe that. Cus and Mike were together for almost 5 years and it took Cus almost 2 years to get Mike's trust. Once Cus got that trust, Mike started to go through everybody in the amateurs. Then, when Cus died after Mike's 11th pro fight, he told Jimmy and Bill 'Let's prove Cus right.' There was no greater mind in boxing than Cus D'Amato. Nobody!

Even Ali sought Cus's advice. No?
Right! He did that before his fight with George Foreman. Cus told Ali: 'George doesn't respect your punch, so go out there and nail him!' If you watch the fight, you see in the first two rounds, Ali plants himself and nails Foreman hard with a straight hand - right on the button! You can see the surprise in Foreman's eyes! With 30 seconds left in the rounds, Ali would open up on Foreman. So, after every fuckin' round, George is going back to his corner and they're telling him Ali can't punch! That was the psychology and Cus saw that. After the rope-a-dope, Foreman was tired and he more or less gave up.

Fighters who are big punchers usually have problems with their hands. Did Mike have hand problems? Was it ever a concern for you as his trainer?
Mike never had any broken bones or knuckles. He never had any type of hand problems when I was working with him. One time he had a problem with his thumb, but he got that in a street fight with Mitch Green.

Speaking of Mitch 'Blood' Green, he was the first man never to touch the canvas against Mike. Did Mike have a problem with Green's style or did he underestimate him?
It was Green's style. All Green was doing was counterpunching. He wasn't leading. Green fought a defensive fight and didn't look to engage. He only looked to survive. Mike beat the fuck outta him! When you got a guy who's 6'4", that doesn't want to lead or exchange, he's hard to fight - and he's definitely hard to knock out. Also, Mitch has always been pissed off about his situation with Don King. That's what lead to that street fight in Harlem in front of that clothing store. Green took a slug at Mike and Mike blasted him.

What do you think prompted Mike to bite Holyfield?
I believe Mike bit him because Holyfield kept head butting him. Holyfield is a very dirty fighter and no one ever talks about that! He's very slick with those dirty tactics. Even George Foreman said that Holyfield was the dirtiest fighter he ever fought. But in that fight, it all started when Holyfield threw Mike up against the ropes and came in with his head! He cut Mike. And, Holyfield kept on doing it throughout the fight! People have to realize that the atmosphere in that fight was really charged up. If you look closely, Mike nibbled on his ear before he actually bit him. It was almost like a warning to Holyfield to stop head butting. Of course, it was wrong for Mike to do that. But back in the old days, stuff like that used to happen all the time.

When I was coming up, Cus showed me some tricks and how to get away with them. Cus was from the 20's and he knew every dirty trick in the book! He showed me how to hold a guy a certain way... come in with your head... put your elbow under his chin... put a thumb in the guys eye... hit a guy low... knee him in the groin, things like that. When you're in close, you can do those things and get away with it. It's hard for the referee to see things like that. In a fight, it's an all out war. Although there are rules and you try to stay within those rules, fighters... like Holyfield, do try to break those rules.

It's been said that Holyfield had the perfect style to beat Mike. How would you have coached him against Holyfield?
I would have sent Mike right after him. Get right in Holyfield's face! AND, move his head more. That was Mike's main ingredient. Moving his head. It made him difficult to fight. When a fighter throws a punch at another fighter, and it doesn't land, he becomes more cautious and won't throw that same punch. The guy gets confused. That's when a guy like Mike, who's moving his head, can land his punches and knock the guy out. If Mike had the proper training, with me in his corner, he would have knocked Holyfield out. There is no question about it.

Mike's loss to Buster Douglas. Many people were saddened to see him on the canvas struggling to grab his mouthpiece. What did you think of that fight?
I wasn't saddened because I saw it coming. But, I was saddened when I saw Mike's next fight after Spinks, eight months later. He fought Frank Bruno (their first fight) and his skills had already become diminished. I could tell he wasn't training like he should. If Bruno could fight, he would have knocked Mike out that night. Bruno landed a punch that buckled Mike, but Bruno didn't know what to do after that! When I saw that, I knew it wouldn't be long before he got knocked out. For me, that was sad... to see Mike's skills start to unravel.

But for Douglas, the minute I saw Mike walk into the ring, I knew he wasn't in shape. I saw the fat. He wasn't ripped. I just KNEW he was partying it up in Japan before that fight. They really like to party over there in Japan. Believe me! I found that out when we went over to Japan the year before to fight (Tony) Tubbs. But, we had to refrain until AFTER the fight. It was a long plane ride over there, something like 14 hours. When we got there, Mike slept for a while and then I woke him up for a 3 mile run. Then, he would go to the gym and he worked out hard. There was no fooling around before the Tubbs fight!

Two weeks before the Douglas fight, I heard Mike weighed 250 and had to take off 30 pounds. So, he dehydrated and starved himself. In the first few rounds, Douglas came out throwing a few jabs and you could see that he was nervous. But, he was throwing punches and Mike wasn't! If I had been in Mike's corner that night, I would have said: 'Look Mike, you came all the way over here and all you did was party. You've only got 3 or 4 rounds in you and you better throw EVERYTHING you've got. If you don't knock him out in that time, I'm throwing in the towel.' If Mike had done that, he could have knocked Douglas out. But, he didn't. He let a scared fighter get brave. Once you do that, you've got problems. Brave fighters don't go back to being scared. So, as the rounds went on... Douglas got confident! And when Douglas got knocked on his ass, he punched the canvas and got up. The next round, he beat the hell out of Mike... and then stopped him.

Which fights do you feel were the best performances of Mike's career?
Oh! There were many! When he went 10 rounds with James Tillis. It was his first 10 round fight. Before that, he was knocking guys out in less than 6 rounds. Another one was the fight with Mitch (Green). Mike beat Tony Tucker in a 12 round decision, EASY. He destroyed Tyrell Biggs, EASY. He knocked out Larry Holmes, EASY. Then it was Tubbs and then Spinks - EASY. Mike was on the road to greatness. In his first fight without me, he looked terrible against Bruno. Then he fought (Carl) Williams in a controversial stoppage. And then came the Douglas fight. So, all I have to say is... look at Mike's record before and after me.

Mike's rape conviction. Many people feel it was a set up. Your thoughts?
Definitely a set up! How the hell are you gonna get a TAX attorney to defend you in a RAPE case?! Just before that happened, the rumour was that Mike was going to leave King and go with Harold Smith. That whole thing just didn't add up. So... who knows.

Mike could have gone down as the greatest heavyweight ever. He could have been undefeated in 100 fights! But, he surrounded himself with lowlifes and jerk-offs and everyone was having a party with his money. Mike was making a ton of money because of Jimmy and Bill (Cayton). They are the ones who got Mike 20 million to fight Michael Spinks! It was the biggest purse ever at the time. He made 10 million to fight Tony Tubbs in Japan and Mike was making commercials for millions of dollars. Then, Mike marries Robin (Givens) and King steals him away. Mike can't sit around and say 'Cus never told me!' That's all bullshit! Mike had the BEST team! You don't go from the BEST to the WORST and then try to play naive! It's Mike's fault and his fault alone.

You know, Mike hurt himself and stabbed me and Bill in the back when he went with King. But, Mike was wooed away by King and I understand that. Mike should have just stayed with the people who brought him to the top. But, he chose to go with King. Mike blew it. He had a great run. But, he got suckered when he went with King and he should have known better. Now... Mike is suing him for 100 million dollars! You go figure it.

Marks
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Tags: mike tyson, kevin rooney, cus damato, don king

BJJ Drills for Smoother Grappling

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:58:06 PDT

Today’s video is to do with grappling drills. Although the video is entitled BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) most of the drills can be applied or slightly adapted to all forms of grappling including no gi.

Drills are what carve out fighters rough edges so as there grappling “game” can run as smooth as possible. Without practising them regularly one can easily develop bad habits, become sloppy and try to use too much strength when good technique is all that is needed.

The idea of performing drills is so one can not only understand the movements and body positioning of certain techniques but so one can gauge there progression and iron out any sloppiness that may appear. For this reason it is best to perform drills at a slower pace than one would use when sparring. Speed should be worked, but should only constitute about 10% of your drill time.Enjoy!

Marks
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Vitor Belfort Hand Positioning

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:25:08 PDT

Vitor Belfort and Rich Franklin fought recently in UFC 103 in which Belfort knocked out Franklin in the first round. After reading a post on Ikigaway.com entitled Vitor Belfort keeps Karate Love alive in UFC 103, I came across a picture from there pre fight weigh in.

The first thing that hit me straight away was the difference in the arm positions of each fighter whilst the picture was getting taken.

As you can see, Franklin’s hands are held higher than Belfort’s, just under his chin whilst Belfort has them level with his shoulders which is considered too low by some trainers and fighters. Also what is worth pointing out is how far there lead hands are from there actual bodies. Franklin has his much closer to his body than Belfort does.

Just by looking at the difference in these hand positions one can see how much more relaxed Belfort looks to Franklin.

If you have your hands under your shoulders, yours shoulders tend to be quite relaxed. Raising them so they are higher, not only tenses them slightly but also tenses the trapezius muscles located in the middle upper portion of the back just under the neck muscles. The contraction of Rich Franklins trapezius shows this clearly, and by having his lead hand so close to his body he pulls his elbow back slightly which tenses up his back muscles even more, which is a waste of energy.

Obviously ones guard must not be too low. Dropping your hands to an area level with the lower abdomen as seen by some point karate fighters may protect your body to some degree but leaves your head wide open to attacks. But in the same respect, having your hands held too high will also not enable one to protect against low blows and possible takedowns, and as mentioned above tenses up the muscles.

Belfort has his hand positioning just right. They are not too high so as to tense up the shoulders and upper back which wastes energy. They are not too low so as to leave his head open to shots. They are not too close to his body which would prevent him from parrying, clinching and controlling his opponent and are not to far away from his body which would prevent him from executing strikes with power.

Now this is not to say that what Franklin is doing is wrong, or that he is not a good fighter, because he is and the reality is that during a fight, ones hands are constantly moving especially during the course of throwing punches or feints. But it must be remembered that in general, one must hold there hands in a position that not only offers the best protection to the whole body, whilst allowing for the most successful strikes to be thrown, but that also prevents a fighter from tensing up and using up unnecessary energy.

The best way to practise your hand positioning and relaxation when moving, feinting, striking and defending is through shadow boxing in front of a mirror. Mentioned time and time again on this website, this is the best way to make sure that one is moving correctly whilst staying relaxed, and to check for any bad habits that may crop up.

Marks
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Tags: rich franklin, vitor belfort, ufc 103, hand positioning

Links for 2009-09-29 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

UFC® : Ultimate Fighting Championship®
The UFC official website, for news, events and more
Martial arts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
the wikipedia definition and history of martial arts
The Gokyo of Kodokan Judo: Videos of 40 Throwing Techniques
40 Judo throwing techniques
United States Judo Federation
The Judo Federation of USA
GRACIEMAG.com
The Gracie Jiu Jitsu mag
London Fight Factory - Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), Capoeira, MMA, Muay Thai, Weng Chun Kung Fu - Home
MMA gym based in London

Roy Dean: BJJ Purple Belt Requirements DVD

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:56:16 PDT

“The rank of purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is the gateway to the advanced game.” RoyDeanAcadamy.com

It is clear that Sensei Roy Dean wants his purple belts to not only learn the actual techniques of BJJ, (as a blue belt) but to actually start thinking about the principles of them and how each and every student can vary them according to the type of situation they find themselves in.

Gaining a purple belt from Roy Dean is proof that one has learnt the skills and techniques needed for blue belt level, and has used them to open up the door which leads to a more advanced and self reliant approach. In this two disc compilation, Sensei Roy not only demonstrates the techniques and requirements of purple belt but also tries to start making his students start learning how to combine and flow, two elements of the art that truly make it unique to others.

Disc 1
Sensei Roy gives a brief description using examples of what a purple belt is and what a purple belt should be able to do. By doing this he helps not only members of his dojo who are looking towards taking there purple belt grading, but all Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ka in general, understand what is needed to be a successful purple belt and how one should be developing from when blue belt.

The positions of BJJ and grappling in general are probably more important than the actual submissions to some extent. Sensei Roy understands this completely and in doing so, he spends time (but not too long to bore) on explaining these, the aims of each one and illustrates the most dominant submissions and combinations from each position.

Progression when passing the guard was a chapter that Sensei Roy did an excellent job with. Not seen on many other instructional DVD’s, Sensei Roy explains how to progress when things do not go according to plan. How to not panic, lose positioning, ending up back where one started, but how to progress and change ones strategy to make the pass effective. This is just another way which Sensei Roy demonstrates that a purple belt needs to start thinking about the art on his own and how to use there sensei’s teachings in a way which is specific for them to advance.

What makes the demonstrations of techniques more appealing on this disc is the fact that Sensei Roy shows short video clips of them being used effectively in actual live sparring/grappling matches. Many times, techniques are demonstrated that have not actually been tried or tested during real situations. Sensei Roy on the other hand backs up his teachings by showing the practical applications of them.

Disc 2
The second DVD is more like a treat for the viewer. It is full of seminars, (including one in the Middle East) sparring sessions and other footage of Sensei Roy and his students. Although there is a lot of footage of Sensei Roy on the Internet, the materiel contained here is unique to the DVD and is a sight to see. Sensei Roy proves that BJJ and grappling in general is not an art of brute strength and that timing, good technique and patience is the best way to be successful.

So should people studying BJJ be interested in this DVD? Yes, along with every other martial artist who has a good basic level of grappling and who wants to develop themselves to become better. Coupled with fantastic backing music tracks which helps one to become entranced in the flowing, graceful and sheer dominating techniques and movements of BJJ, this DVD is a must for all!

FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE DVD OR ANOTHER OTHER OF SENSEI ROYS, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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Tani Otoshi

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:41:00 PDT

Today’s video is one demonstrating one of my most used takedowns in grappling, Tani Otoshi. I would not say it is one of my favourite techniques but it does get me out of trouble many times when caught in hip throws and is well worth fighters practising it if not already. For the street, it is not really advised to perform such a technique unless one really has to but for competition it is great.

It is demonstrated here as a counter, as an attack and as part of a combination and what is good about he demonstration is that after each takedown the person performing locks up his opponent in a hold down, which from here one can move towards gaining some kind of submission.

The hold down which is shown mostly here is kesa gatame (scarf hold) however I have always felt comfortable and more natural performing tate shiho gatame (mount) instead as I feel that after performing the takedown the body automatically naturally rolls into it. Each to his own though and as long as the takedown is tight and the hold down is tighter it works.

What is important to remember though, just as with every other throw and takedown, your opponent has to be off balance before performing the technique. Many people simply hold there opponent and drop to the floor hoping to drag them down also. Although this sometimes may work it will use up much more energy than performing it the proper way and is simply, plain bad technique!

Marks
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Supplemental Training for Martial Arts

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:50:00 PDT

There are martial artists who train diligently in there chosen art, trying to perfect each movement in order to become as best as they possibly can be. They also supplement this by training there bodies to be able to perform there martial arts movements even better. Is there supplemental training correct though? Could it be altered to benefit them even more?

For example, would a point karate fighter benefit from lifting heavy weight, concentrating on isolating muscle groups like biceps or claves? Of course he would benefit from the training and develop his muscles but it would not do much to benefit his karate fighting. Or at least not as much as performing explosive compound movements would, like jump squats. Doing something like this would make him faster, stronger and more explosive which are the exact requirements for his fighting sport.

In the same way, a Greco Roman wrestler could run marathons every day and surely he would build up a level of stamina which some only dream of. But with the strength required to scramble, clinch and grapple he may find it better to run less and concentrate also on weight training in order to develop the strength required to last during his fights.

The point is that one needs to honestly think about the requirements of there martial art and perform supplemental training that is best suited to it, rather than just train in order to train

So what are the best supplemental training methods? Well all martial artists need strength, speed, flexibility and stamina. These are the building blocks that all can then progress with. With this in mind, some cardio work (running, cycling) stretching exercises and weight training should be in everyone’s regime. Regarding weight training, everyone should aim for fast (but controlled and strict) explosive movements with a weight heavy enough to perform 10-12 reps. Martial artists are not bodybuilders and should aim to develop muscles which are fast and powerful at the same time.

Along with this basic supplemental training one should then look at there art and perform exercises which would benefit them the most. Thai boxers need a high level of body conditioning to take the hard impact of bone crushing strikes, so heavy bag work may help in order to condition shins, elbows, knees etc. Ground fighters need to train in order to develop good hip movement on the floor so solo and partner drills for this may be worth there time. People training for self defence need to develop good awareness and reaction skills so maybe exercises to help develop these areas need to be incorporated.

Each martial art is different and requires a different type of training and one must think about this and try and train as sensible as possible. Obviously it is good to change ones training from time to time in order to fight boredom but again, the training that one does must be beneficial to them.

Marks
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REPOST: Martial Artist's Plateau Effect

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:59:28 PDT

Over my training years, there have been countless times when i have thought that no matter what i do, i haven't been able to improve, even sometimes i have felt that my hard acquired skills are decreasing!

The strange thing is also that my training has always been consistent. I once read a chapter in a book entitled The Karate Do Manual by Sensei Vince Morris, in which he talks about the plateau effect.

In a nutshell he says that it is a short period of time when your brain is soaking in new information and it will feel as if you can not do anything right. When sparring you will be getting hit constantly, your balance will be completely lost on striking pads and the simplest of Kata's movement's will be forgot.

He also mentions not to worry, and this plateau will soon disappear. I completely agree with Sensei Morris on this one as i have had this happen to me countless numbers of times, but these plateaus always disappear and i DO feel a more better martial artist after them, so if you also get them don't worry, keep training hard!

UPDATE
Since writing this article I seem to have been through at least two plateau effects. I feel that I have recently come out of one now. For a short while, my timing has been off during sparring, I have not felt as if I have been working the heavy bag smoothly enough and I have noticed other areas to be weak. However I feel that I have come through this plateau effect much quicker than normally.

Because of an ankle injury a couple of weeks ago I was forced to take a few days off training, for it to recover and also had to take time off work. With nothing much to do except rest I went through a few old martial arts books which I have not done in a while, thinking about my recent form and how it can be improved and when I was able to move better on my foot I started going through some very light and slow punches, and body movements. Kicking and grappling was out of the question, but now after a few light workouts I am kicking again lightly and hope to start grappling again next week.

What I have noticed through a few shadow boxing and light bag workouts is that my form is back when striking and I can easily work the bag much more smoothly than a few weeks ago.

Maybe this ankle injury was a good thing in the fact that it forced me to take a bit of time off and to start training basically, slowly and with thought about each movement. Next time I go through one of these plateaus I shall remember back to this point in time, how I have been forced to train at a slower and more basic pace and shall work up again slowly, hoping to quickly get through it.

Marks
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Tags: plateau effect, heavy bag, grappling, kicking

Jay Hieron's MMA Conditioning Workout

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:50:47 PDT

MMA fighters train differently to bodybuilders or high endurance athletes. There goal is to be explosive, strong, fast, well balanced and well coordinated. Because of this there workouts must also be tailored for there specific goals. Although most incorporate old school training methods such as weights and running, they also incorporate high intensity, multi muscle workouts such as the one shown in today’s video by MMA fighter Jay Hieron.

The first part of the video is all about core strength. Exercises with the ball are great. Jay uses it to perform not just crunches but a great variation to the plank. The roller is also great for building strength in the core. Core strength is one of the top priorities for all fighters and Jay spends good quality time on developing it.

The second part is about explosiveness and all over body strength. If you notice, this type of workout is not geared to building single muscles during each movement (like bicep curls) but each movement uses up many muscles at once which not only is great for cardiovascular conditioning but is much more geared towards martial arts where one is constantly using up many muscles through striking and grappling.

The final part of the workout is where a partner is used to provide resistance and unbalancing. The moves which Jay performs are explosive ones via the repetition of typical martial art techniques such as clinching, shooting in on an opponent etc.

The exercises demonstrated do not need much practise in order to learn and all martial artists could benefit from adding some of them into there training.

Marks
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Tags: MMA, jay hieron, high intensity workout, cardio

Worst Martial Art Techniques

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:26:50 PDT

After reading a post on Stephen Kestings site (which is well worth a look) entitled The Two Worst Martial Arts Techniques of all Time it inspired me to give my own thoughts on the subject.

Throughout time, there have been many techniques demonstrated that have completely baffled me. The reality of some of them actually having any chance of working in a real situation is not very likely.

1st Worst Martial Art Technique The first technique which I really don’t understand how anybody would ever want to use is the crescent kick defence to a knife attack. Just like in the picture, the person defends by crescent kicking the opponent’s wrist in order for him/her to drop the knife. Firstly if one is to kick the wrist there is always the chance that there kicking leg will touch the blade and all it takes is a touch and the leg will instantly be cut. Secondly a knife holder will not be holding the knife as far away from there own body as in the picture which will make it even harder to try and kick the wrist. Thirdly if the kick misses, which is likely, because the kick uses a swinging motion, it is very hard not to turn with the kick which will then expose your side/back slightly, allowing for an easy stab by the knife holder.

2nd Worst Martial Art Technique The second technique which I have never ever seen used effectively in sparring, competitions of any kind or on the street is juji uke (X block) There are two types of this block, one where you block upwards and one where you block downwards. From looking at the pictures, the first thing that one notices is that when blocking, you leave yourself completely wide open for counter blows. Your opponent can easily strike you as you block, with there free hand/hands. Also, blocking hard leg bones with weaker arm bones is never a good idea. Parries, covering up or moving out the way are better. Additionally, the fact that to block low kicks with your arms means one must lower there body by either bending at the knees, widening there stance or bending the back is to much wasted energy, and not very practical.

Practicality is always the number one aim when looking for techniques that are successful in competition or the street. Each one you learn and practise must be studied to see if it is useful. If you have any questions about anything you may be learning, never feel afraid or embarrassed to ask your teacher what you are learning and why you are learning it. That is what they are there for.

Marks
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Tags: knife attack, martial arts, juji uke, competition

Dirty Clinch Fighting

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 02:49:37 PDT

To a western style boxer, any type of fighting in the clinch is considered unethical and is normally described with the phrase “dirty fighting”. However, clinch fighting to many other types of martial artists is considered fair play, very effective and well worth practising. Rightly so, it is practised with the intent of being able to deliver devastating close range attacks whilst controlling your opponent in a position where they are very venerable.

However, even people who practise the clinch believe that there are a few techniques that are considered “dirty”, below the belt and should not be executed. These dirty fighting techniques from the clinch are mostly prohibited in competition where clinch fighting is used such as Muay Thai and MMA, but are well worth becoming aware of, just in case you sense your opponent start trying them in the ring or cage and occasionally practising in a controlled manner since for self defence purposes, they could be very effective. Some of these include,

Ear slap – If you have ever been slapped with an open palm strike, right where your ear hole is, you will know how it feels. A slap to the ear can severely damage the ear drum if done hard enough and can disrupt ones balance extremely. It can easily be done without much power as you are trying to gain control of your opponents head. This is one to be practised WITH CAUTION.

Eye gouge – Obviously with boxing gloves on, this is not possible, but with MMA gloves or open handed, it is very easy to eye gouge from the clinch. Controlling the head with the fingers and gouging with the thumb is very effective here. Again USE CAUTION with this.

Biting – Mike Tyson did this to Evander Holyfield as in the picture while simultaneously applying an arm bar. For the ring, this is completely unethical, but for the street, it surly is an effective way of gaining the advantage. With the fear or catching a disease though, one may want to stay away from using it, but one definitely needs to be aware that it can be used against them. Biting is a survival instinct and is used many times in self defence situations.

Body ramming – Being so close to your opponent it is very easy to slam parts of your body into him/her. Obviously if you can hit vital points it will be better but ramming anywhere will do something. Good ones are shoulder rams, either to your opponents chin if possible or maybe to there own shoulder in order push them back or to create space. A hip ram to your opponants own hip bone or lower abdomen/upper groin may also be effective. Judo fighters will know the pain of this when they have been hit with a strong hip throw.

Striking under the armpit – Weather this is legal in sporting events, I don’t know. What I do know though is that it is painful. If for some reason, your opponent’s armpit area becomes exposed, like when controlling someone in an arm triangle choke position, one can easily strike the exposed ribs under the armpit. These ribs are not protected by any muscle and fat does not seem to travel there much making them easy targets to sustain damage.

Arm locks – Mike Tyson was accused of doing this during his some of his fights, and the reason it is prohibited in boxing is because it works. Circling your opponents arm in order to lock it is very easy and should be practised by all for self defence purposes.

These are just a few dirty tactics that can and are used when clinch fighting. They don’t need much training in order to be useful, but because a lot of people train only for sport and consider them foul play, (and rightly so for competition) they don’t even consider any defences for them.

The problem with this is that when one starts clinching there opponent on the street, chances are they shall easily dominate them as they practise the clinch for hours and hours in the gym. However, being under pressure and controlled, the opponent may start attempting some dirty tactics like groin grabs or hair pulls and because the person clinching is not used to this and does not have quick defences for the techniques, they could end up in trouble. It is important that one practises dirty fighting from the clinch, especially if self defence is on ones mind.

Marks
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Tags: MMA, muay thai, clinch fighting, mike tyson

Karate Competition Foot Sweeps

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:08:06 PDT

Today’s video is all about foot sweeps that are found in karate. As with all types of takedowns, breaking your opponents balance is key and sweeps are no different. Weather one pulls, pushes or lifts to break there opponents balance does not matter as long as it is done and concerning judo, where there is near enough constant grappling, this is how most sweeps take place.

The foot sweeps that are found in karate competition however rarely involve any grappling of any kind, and a karate ka will tend to try and catch there opponent off balance, as they are attacking or defending. It is during these two phases of combat that they are moving either forwards, backwards or sideways and as they are moving, they momentarily break there own balance and are susceptible to foot sweeps. (Having said this it must be pointed out that karate ka, like judo ka sometimes try and grapple there opponents while trying to execute foot sweeps, which is how most are found in kata bunkai.)

The following video demonstrates two types of foot sweeps that are found in karate competition. The first being an attacking foot sweep, which is performed after a strike, (which could be either real or a feint) and as the opponent defends the strike and moves backwards, breaking his own balance in that direction, is caught with a foot sweep in the same direction. This type of technique can easily be compared to the Judo sweep, Okuri ashi barai (below left picture).

The second sweep demonstrated is a defensive one, which is performed as the opponent is attacking. As there balance is broken in a forward direction through there own movement, there front foot, is then swept in the same direction to take them down. This type of technique can also easily be compared to another Judo sweep, this time Ko Ouchi Gari (above right picture)

Timing is critical for these types of foot sweeps where one is not holding there opponent and they are definitely worth practising if you do not already. Enjoy!

Marks
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The Side Facing Stance for Fighting

noreply@blogger.com (MARKS) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:02:43 PDT

The side facing horse stance (kiba dachi) is one that is used some times in some karate/kickboxing schools to practise side facing techniques such the side kick and the side backfist. However, many people use it as there actual fighting stance. Is it really effective for this purpose?

In order to practise basic techniques such as the ones above, especially if one is new to them, then yes, practising them in this stance may be worth it. However, the aim is to be able to throw side facing techniques, front facing techniques and back facing techniques from a stance that offers the best balance, defence and mobility. The side facing stance simply does not do this.

Some of the reasons why include,

Limited techniques – From this stance a side kick and backfist can easily be executed but nothing much else. In order to throw jabs, crosses, front kicks etc one must first pivot there feet turn there body, and then throw the techniques and by the time this happens, your opponent will have easily reacted.

Limited cover/defence – It is possible to cover yourself and to defend slightly with your front arm, but because you are side facing your opponent, your back arm is wasted unless again, one pivots there feet and turns into a front facing position.

Limited movement – Moving back and forward, although awkward from this stance is possible. However, sidestepping, bob and weaving, and many other movements are hard to do.

Limited balance – A slight push to either side is more than enough to bring someone down who is standing in this stance.

Limited sweep defence – Because this is a wide stance and the front leg is projected too far forward, one is in danger of being swept very easily and taken to the floor. Coupled with the fact that there is limited balance to either side in this stance, this is not good.

If someone is not aware of these limitations, within two minutes of sparring using this stance, one will quickly become aware of them, so the question now is, why do people still prefer to use it when sparring? The answer being, simply because it looks good. It looks great to be able to throw a high side kick from this stance. The picture above shows Bill Wallace posing for the cameras using this stance, however, if you watch his fights, you will see that his stance is more realistic and forward facing. Being such a great fighter, he knows the best stance and all the advantages it offers over the side facing stance. One should know that realistic fighting does not look good, it looks boring to some and brutal to others, but the fact is that it works, and why, because it is basic. I quick knee strike to the groin that will hit nearly all of the time from a simple forward facing stance will always be much more effective than a high side kick from a wide side facing stance, which rarely scores.

Marks
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Tags: side facing stance, martial arts, karate, kickboxing

Links for 2009-03-27 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Martial Development — Martial arts for personal development
A good blog with interesting artcles
Mousel's Self-Defense Academy - Mixed Martial Arts, Jeet Kune Do, Thaiboxing, Submission Grappling
Martial arts forum with interesting articles and discussions
Muscle & Fitness Magazine Online -- Bodybuilding, Health and Fitness Information
Great Monthly Muscle Mag
Bodybuilding.com - The Future Of Bodybuilding! Huge Bodybuilding Site.
The Best bodybuilding site on the internet offering training advice on all topics and supplement store.
Build Muscle, Six Pack Abs and Lose Fat Fast. Natural Bodybuilding blog
FightingArts.com - Martial arts magazine and center for discussion, martial artists, martial arts supplies, martial arts books, budo, self defense, karate, kung fu, aikido, taekwondo, judo
A great traditional martial arts website
24FightingChickens - Shotokan Karate
Karate blog with many great articles
Martial Arts Supplies including Uniforms and Weapons
A good supplier of martial arts training equipment
Iain Abernethy is one of the leading exponents of applied karate, Bunkai and Kata
A great website by one of the leading authorities of Karate kata bunkai