Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How can Joe Blow hit pads like Mayweather?
If you haven't seen the incredible hands of Floyd Mayweather Jr, while training on focus mitts with his uncle, its a must see.
It's a style second to none, cultivating great defense, reaction time, speed, coordination, accuracy and agility.
However, I was taught by an expert not to move the pads while holding them for a fighter.
Then why do all the Mayweather trainers do it?
Check it out
So naturally, like a scientist,
I said, "let'see what happens"
tried it, with some students of mine, and the results were
both refreshing and exciting. Here, take a look at one of them.
It's a style second to none, cultivating great defense, reaction time, speed, coordination, accuracy and agility.
However, I was taught by an expert not to move the pads while holding them for a fighter.
Then why do all the Mayweather trainers do it?
Check it out
So naturally, like a scientist,
I said, "let'see what happens"
tried it, with some students of mine, and the results were
both refreshing and exciting. Here, take a look at one of them.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Dirty Ground Fighting: Fannul Harb Jujitsu
Have you ever wondered what groundfighting would like without the rules of MMA? Brazilian Jujitsu is by far one the most formidable fighting arts ever invented!
With that said...
Everything has it's weaknesses!
Yes I said it...
A major weakness in Brazilian Jujitsu, aside from the fact that it's no good against multiple attackers is the way it's trained.
It becomes instinctive NOT TO DO THE THINGS ON THE GROUND THAT WOULD SAVE YOUR ASS IN A REAL SITUATION!
Rules that apply to MMA that don't exactly apply to true self-defense.
Call it a philosophical conflict...
In the octagon they're looking to prolong a fighter's career...
V.S.
In the streets with an attacker,
well,
we're definitely trying to shorten his career.
I did some ground grappling with a very skilled partner a few days ago, and saw numerous opportunities with striking and small joint manipulation. He demo'd a move on me and my immediate reaction was to break his wrist (which almost happened) What's scary to me is that he knew nothing about this stuff!
Much of today's MMA grappling comes from Pankration, Which literally means "ALL Power"...
Comprised of strikes and grappling... Many of today's illegal moves, were legal back in those days when gladiators armored up and battled.
Illegal moves Like:
Gouges
Fish hooks
Groin shots
Illegal Elbows
Endless chokes to name a few
In FHJ (Fannul Harb Jujitsu) Art of Combat fighting, everything is good. And it's trained at a tempo that fosters maximal learning and realism, with minimal injury. To get an idea of what this looks like,
click here.
Feedback please.
With that said...
Everything has it's weaknesses!
Yes I said it...
A major weakness in Brazilian Jujitsu, aside from the fact that it's no good against multiple attackers is the way it's trained.
It becomes instinctive NOT TO DO THE THINGS ON THE GROUND THAT WOULD SAVE YOUR ASS IN A REAL SITUATION!
Rules that apply to MMA that don't exactly apply to true self-defense.
Call it a philosophical conflict...
In the octagon they're looking to prolong a fighter's career...
V.S.
In the streets with an attacker,
well,
we're definitely trying to shorten his career.
I did some ground grappling with a very skilled partner a few days ago, and saw numerous opportunities with striking and small joint manipulation. He demo'd a move on me and my immediate reaction was to break his wrist (which almost happened) What's scary to me is that he knew nothing about this stuff!
Much of today's MMA grappling comes from Pankration, Which literally means "ALL Power"...
Comprised of strikes and grappling... Many of today's illegal moves, were legal back in those days when gladiators armored up and battled.
Illegal moves Like:
Gouges
Fish hooks
Groin shots
Illegal Elbows
Endless chokes to name a few
In FHJ (Fannul Harb Jujitsu) Art of Combat fighting, everything is good. And it's trained at a tempo that fosters maximal learning and realism, with minimal injury. To get an idea of what this looks like,
click here.
Feedback please.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Is the Term "Live Martial Arts" an oxymoron?
You can walk into a dojo,
On any given Monday and see what Bruce Lee called "the classical mess".
The instructor calls a student out to demo a technique,
student gets into a stance...
lunges in with a classic karate/kung fu punch..
and freezes while the instructor demos strikes and control.
Now,
Don't get me wrong... before you talk about how Master Shum Li is probably swirling in his urn right now,
please remember that I trained in systems like this and I understand.
Initially it's important to demonstrate on a static target to teach effectively.
But what I believe Sun Tzu (Art of War) said, "the map is not the territory, the territory is the territory".
What's my point?
ok.
AT some point we need to graduate from the static demonstration to find the truth.
In no uncertain terms...
the truth about applying tools/ weapons when the opponent moves the way people move today.
Instead of spoon feeding generic technique, how about if we as trainers, wrapped the art around the nature of the student?
I know, "you can't do that in a class setting." Right? But can't you still cultivate unique qualities in each person?
How about training in a way that is "mindless"?
True Zen.
Minimal effort or thought required, yet maximum effect.
Like my mentor Professor Tanwir, founder of Fannul Harb Jujitsu says.
2 words my classical brothers and sisters: "Drills", and "Sparring".
By the way, here's a quick test to see if your on track:
Teach a technique to a class; practice to ample proficiency; then drill it; then spar it; What? your students can't do it?
Simplify it and start all over again.
"Now let's go to the videotape!" Here is a good example of
what I call "academonstration (who moves like this today?)" v.s. Live Fighting. Not the difference in practicality.
What's your opinion?
On any given Monday and see what Bruce Lee called "the classical mess".
The instructor calls a student out to demo a technique,
student gets into a stance...
lunges in with a classic karate/kung fu punch..
and freezes while the instructor demos strikes and control.
Now,
Don't get me wrong... before you talk about how Master Shum Li is probably swirling in his urn right now,
please remember that I trained in systems like this and I understand.
Initially it's important to demonstrate on a static target to teach effectively.
But what I believe Sun Tzu (Art of War) said, "the map is not the territory, the territory is the territory".
What's my point?
ok.
AT some point we need to graduate from the static demonstration to find the truth.
In no uncertain terms...
the truth about applying tools/ weapons when the opponent moves the way people move today.
Instead of spoon feeding generic technique, how about if we as trainers, wrapped the art around the nature of the student?
I know, "you can't do that in a class setting." Right? But can't you still cultivate unique qualities in each person?
How about training in a way that is "mindless"?
True Zen.
Minimal effort or thought required, yet maximum effect.
Like my mentor Professor Tanwir, founder of Fannul Harb Jujitsu says.
2 words my classical brothers and sisters: "Drills", and "Sparring".
By the way, here's a quick test to see if your on track:
Teach a technique to a class; practice to ample proficiency; then drill it; then spar it; What? your students can't do it?
Simplify it and start all over again.
"Now let's go to the videotape!" Here is a good example of
what I call "academonstration (who moves like this today?)" v.s. Live Fighting. Not the difference in practicality.
What's your opinion?
FH Jujitsu: a solution to slip and fall injuries?
A petite young lady is walking her large,
Wildly powerful German shepherd, named "Ali", down the hill outside her house...
Ali gets excited, and things get bad...
Ali takes off,
She's still holding onto the leash for dear life when she floats seemingly weightless,
like a leaf drifting in the wind...
Then she lands hard, face down!
She came away with nothing more than scuffed boots, and an invisible scratch on her chin.
(which she had the nerve to whine about lmfao)
Why'd she come out unscathed?
I trained her for an hour one day at ukemi: Japanese term... refers to art of Tumbling, falling, and landing.
And the kicker is..(drum roll please.. no really. Are you doing it? Then do it now... ok.)
She wasn't that good at it when I taught her, yet it saved her beautiful "grill".
Oh by the way, just in case you're wondering, FH stands for "Fannul Harb" Jujitsu founded by Professor Tanwir Sahib. It simply means "the Art of combat" in Arabic. The system is rooted in part, in Sanuces Ryu Jujistu under the late great Moses Powell... But more on that later.
Facts:
Falls are common:
* 30% of people over the age of 65 fall each year—most of these falls happen at home during everyday activities
* Falls are the number one cause of accidental injury in adults 65 years and older
* 2 out of 3 visits to the emergency room by older adults involve falls
* The number and severity of falls increase with a person’s age.
Falls have serious consequences:
* 40% of older adults who are hospitalized with a hip fracture require nursing home admission
* Hospital stays in older adults after a fall are twice as long as those in older adults hospitalized for other reasons
I believe that learning it early is important, but one can begin improving balance,
bio-feedback and kinesthetic awareness
at any age.
There is a step by step process to introducing ukemi based on the individual.
Watch this to see some kids I worked with who may never have to worry about being devastated by slip and fall incidents.
Wildly powerful German shepherd, named "Ali", down the hill outside her house...
Ali gets excited, and things get bad...
Ali takes off,
She's still holding onto the leash for dear life when she floats seemingly weightless,
like a leaf drifting in the wind...
Then she lands hard, face down!
She came away with nothing more than scuffed boots, and an invisible scratch on her chin.
(which she had the nerve to whine about lmfao)
Why'd she come out unscathed?
I trained her for an hour one day at ukemi: Japanese term... refers to art of Tumbling, falling, and landing.
And the kicker is..(drum roll please.. no really. Are you doing it? Then do it now... ok.)
She wasn't that good at it when I taught her, yet it saved her beautiful "grill".
Oh by the way, just in case you're wondering, FH stands for "Fannul Harb" Jujitsu founded by Professor Tanwir Sahib. It simply means "the Art of combat" in Arabic. The system is rooted in part, in Sanuces Ryu Jujistu under the late great Moses Powell... But more on that later.
Facts:
Falls are common:
* 30% of people over the age of 65 fall each year—most of these falls happen at home during everyday activities
* Falls are the number one cause of accidental injury in adults 65 years and older
* 2 out of 3 visits to the emergency room by older adults involve falls
* The number and severity of falls increase with a person’s age.
Falls have serious consequences:
* 40% of older adults who are hospitalized with a hip fracture require nursing home admission
* Hospital stays in older adults after a fall are twice as long as those in older adults hospitalized for other reasons
I believe that learning it early is important, but one can begin improving balance,
bio-feedback and kinesthetic awareness
at any age.
There is a step by step process to introducing ukemi based on the individual.
Watch this to see some kids I worked with who may never have to worry about being devastated by slip and fall incidents.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tennis Warrior part 2:Thai Boxing to better tennis
One Day I was teaching a boxing class at the club. There was beautiful, petite Filipino woman who was a regular there...
Now,
It was a classical boxing class. Not Kickboxing...
Yet when I asked them to kick, was stunned at how much power she had in her roundhouse kick!
And she wasn't into kicking at all!
I learned many years ago, from that experience with her, a secret to training for power.
The age old adage,
"as above, so below" applies here.
Muay Thai boxing movements work the obliques and abdominals in such a rapid fire way, that you couldn't help but increase raw power. In sports like tennis, that means more powerful returns, backhands, and forehand swings. Learning the proper movement involved in throwing knees, elbow and roundhouse kicks can help give you a great foundation upon which to build.
You can view video footage at this channel, by looking at the subscriptions and finding "monkeysee". They demo how to throw a good low thai round kick
Now,
It was a classical boxing class. Not Kickboxing...
Yet when I asked them to kick, was stunned at how much power she had in her roundhouse kick!
And she wasn't into kicking at all!
I learned many years ago, from that experience with her, a secret to training for power.
The age old adage,
"as above, so below" applies here.
Muay Thai boxing movements work the obliques and abdominals in such a rapid fire way, that you couldn't help but increase raw power. In sports like tennis, that means more powerful returns, backhands, and forehand swings. Learning the proper movement involved in throwing knees, elbow and roundhouse kicks can help give you a great foundation upon which to build.
You can view video footage at this channel, by looking at the subscriptions and finding "monkeysee". They demo how to throw a good low thai round kick
Monday, April 19, 2010
Can Martial Arts/MMA training improve your tennis game
One Day at a gym in New York, I was introduced to a guy swinging a body bar like a golf club... ok.
I'll save that one for another time...
One of the most important things to look at in evaluating the benefits of cross training, is the specificity to the actual event as Bruce Lee called it.
When carefully analyzing the demands placed on the body, it's not difficult to train and improve your tennis game with the right type of martial arts style/s.
The rapid change of direction, sprinting, acceleration/deceleration of movements, load/unloading, agility, power, speed and grace just about sum it up.
There are disciplines that are very specific to the needs of tennis players. I've put these specific styles together to form the "martial arts for tennis" program to help everyday people improve the attributes that elevate their game, in a fun way.
If you would like to get an idea of what Kali/ escrima is about you may visit here. You will also see some of what I've done with others here
What's your opinion?
I'll save that one for another time...
One of the most important things to look at in evaluating the benefits of cross training, is the specificity to the actual event as Bruce Lee called it.
When carefully analyzing the demands placed on the body, it's not difficult to train and improve your tennis game with the right type of martial arts style/s.
The rapid change of direction, sprinting, acceleration/deceleration of movements, load/unloading, agility, power, speed and grace just about sum it up.
There are disciplines that are very specific to the needs of tennis players. I've put these specific styles together to form the "martial arts for tennis" program to help everyday people improve the attributes that elevate their game, in a fun way.
If you would like to get an idea of what Kali/ escrima is about you may visit here. You will also see some of what I've done with others here
What's your opinion?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Modern v.s. Traditional training which is best?
I've gotta use the ring anouncer voice for this one...
Hang on...
Announcer voice: enabled
Ok.
"In the Blue corner we have hailing from Anygym USA...., a powerlifter... Former college wrestler, a former golden glove fighter. He holds a yellow belt from the local karate dojo when he was 8 yrs old, he is Joe "the Local" Gymraaaaaaaaaaaaaat!
The fighter in the red corner. He is a blackbelt at 3 styles of traditional karate, he can stand for hours in a horse stance with a bowl of water on his head, (that he boils with his Chi), it's Joe "Kung Fu" Guuuuuuuuuuy!
Announcer voice: disabled
Who'd win if evenly matched in age and physical attributes?
I know I'm going against the grain here, but isn't the point to grow?
Challenging our ideas can be painful....
(But don't go blowing poison darts at my a$$. I know some of you guys. Lmao)
Bruce Lee was great because he challenged traditional concepts.
That said,
Why is static horse stance still trained as a staple in traditional schools?
Tudor Bompa, an icon in sports performance, taught that static exercises (dynamic tension) only works if the activity takes place in that same position.
Improbable in real combat.
While there are many benefits to traditional training, improved function isn't always one of them.
But who are some great kung fu MMA fighters? Cung Le and Roy "Big Country" Nelson (last Ultimate fighter winner) come to mind.
They, however use modern training methodology, couple with time tested technique.
Oh yeah!
Back to our match up...
Announcer voice: enabled
Will it be...
Gym Rat or Kung Fu Guy.
Which one is your money on?
Hang on...
Announcer voice: enabled
Ok.
"In the Blue corner we have hailing from Anygym USA...., a powerlifter... Former college wrestler, a former golden glove fighter. He holds a yellow belt from the local karate dojo when he was 8 yrs old, he is Joe "the Local" Gymraaaaaaaaaaaaaat!
The fighter in the red corner. He is a blackbelt at 3 styles of traditional karate, he can stand for hours in a horse stance with a bowl of water on his head, (that he boils with his Chi), it's Joe "Kung Fu" Guuuuuuuuuuy!
Announcer voice: disabled
Who'd win if evenly matched in age and physical attributes?
I know I'm going against the grain here, but isn't the point to grow?
Challenging our ideas can be painful....
(But don't go blowing poison darts at my a$$. I know some of you guys. Lmao)
Bruce Lee was great because he challenged traditional concepts.
That said,
Why is static horse stance still trained as a staple in traditional schools?
Tudor Bompa, an icon in sports performance, taught that static exercises (dynamic tension) only works if the activity takes place in that same position.
Improbable in real combat.
While there are many benefits to traditional training, improved function isn't always one of them.
But who are some great kung fu MMA fighters? Cung Le and Roy "Big Country" Nelson (last Ultimate fighter winner) come to mind.
They, however use modern training methodology, couple with time tested technique.
Oh yeah!
Back to our match up...
Announcer voice: enabled
Will it be...
Gym Rat or Kung Fu Guy.
Which one is your money on?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
How useful is Bruce Lee's 1-3 inch punch
Bruce Lee did several demonstrations and among his most famous was the 1-3 inch punch....
Holding a fist 1-3 inches away from it's intended target it, the punch would be fired shortly following a short twitch by the puncher, and back/down goes the assailant.
Bruce is seen sending men his size into a chair behind them after this small movement. As impressive as it looks, I just ponder the effectiveness and usefulness of such a weapon.
Dan Inosanto (Bruce Lee's successor) demonstrated that the purpose of it was for trapping, and close range fighting.
The movement you need to learn to get it, opens up other things as well.
I Just used it today with a student, measured his ability with it initially, then returned to it after some related exercises and was astounded at the results!
It's practical but when used at the right time.
What are your thoughts?
Holding a fist 1-3 inches away from it's intended target it, the punch would be fired shortly following a short twitch by the puncher, and back/down goes the assailant.
Bruce is seen sending men his size into a chair behind them after this small movement. As impressive as it looks, I just ponder the effectiveness and usefulness of such a weapon.
Dan Inosanto (Bruce Lee's successor) demonstrated that the purpose of it was for trapping, and close range fighting.
The movement you need to learn to get it, opens up other things as well.
I Just used it today with a student, measured his ability with it initially, then returned to it after some related exercises and was astounded at the results!
It's practical but when used at the right time.
What are your thoughts?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Is MMA real martial arts?
What makes martial arts real or outdated? I've spoken with colleagues and mentors in the martial arts and heard interesting things. For example,
Technical criticism:
One master said that "many of the MMA fighters kick like yellow belts". LOL. He went on to say that when they throw Thai round kicks and turn all the way around, that it's wrong, or makes them vulnerable to counter-attack. I agree to an extent. But I've tested it, and I understand why people don't get crushed when they spin all the around after missing a kick.
MMA V.S. A real fight:
Real fighting has no rules, and takes place anywhere, meaning that if you're on the ground with an opponent, and he has friends present, you're toast. Groin shots and stomps are good etc.
I say if you really want to test this realistically, create new rules add new factors and start a platform to elevate self-defense training.
My Take on it:
Back in the days there were the Gladiators engaging in realistic combat for sport. Today we have MMA and it's part of the evolution of combative technology. I say it is real martial arts, done in a sustainable way to minimize injury and maintain the longevity of fighters.
What's your opinion?
Technical criticism:
One master said that "many of the MMA fighters kick like yellow belts". LOL. He went on to say that when they throw Thai round kicks and turn all the way around, that it's wrong, or makes them vulnerable to counter-attack. I agree to an extent. But I've tested it, and I understand why people don't get crushed when they spin all the around after missing a kick.
MMA V.S. A real fight:
Real fighting has no rules, and takes place anywhere, meaning that if you're on the ground with an opponent, and he has friends present, you're toast. Groin shots and stomps are good etc.
I say if you really want to test this realistically, create new rules add new factors and start a platform to elevate self-defense training.
My Take on it:
Back in the days there were the Gladiators engaging in realistic combat for sport. Today we have MMA and it's part of the evolution of combative technology. I say it is real martial arts, done in a sustainable way to minimize injury and maintain the longevity of fighters.
What's your opinion?
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