Steppin up - training '07

[stricker]

nick, check your pm...

[stricker]

Wing Chun

went and hung out with nick at alan orr's class. didn't train...

nicks looking like a ****ing handful!

[stricker]

Status update :

saw physio. apparently i only pass half the tests for a labral tear, despite a previous positive scan and what i know i can feel in my joint, crazy clunk clicking etc... anyway, i'm moving it about a bit now, still hurts doing anything useful. NO WAY anything training-wise or even weight bearing ie yoga

so, a few things i've been spending time on :

butterfly stretch (never really got into this, so concentrating on it for a bit)
standing yoga poses
bodyflow bits i can do without arms
right arm strength (randomly kb bottoms up pressing)
kicks on the bag (except left round, cos i cant swing left arm back)

also all the kicking the bag i've been doing has been paying off big time, i pretty much relearnt my thai kick technique from scratch as before i was doing it half correct and half wrong, tweaking it little by little wasnt working, so decided to start from the beginning again as we havent been doing so much thai padwork for a while. when things got out of hand i'd revert back to the 'old way' but i'm drilling this **** in now, getting higher, foot pointing down, the pivot, hips, drilling i in... today i figured out something about pushing the hips forward while kicking for balance and power. nice still really only working technique\flexibility\balance not unleashing them full force...

need to think about writing out a training program for shoulderless life again. my body is at about the most powerful it's ever been, dont want to lose too much...

[AndrewS]

Jon,

condolances on the bum wing, as you know, I'm there with you. A suggestion- maybe try to snag a hip belt for hip belt squats if squats and deads aren't possible.

Andrew

[stricker]

Groundwork drilling with training partner.

Have a training partner with mats round theirs. Hopefully gonna be doing regular light drilling sessions from now on. Our first endeavour is to get down chapter 6 of eddie bravos mastering the rubber guard - escapes.

Escape mount to half guard (lockdown) :
A. Alcatraz : foot scooping\lifting under
B. Guantanamo : foot dragging over
C. Hip escape : push/drive to get leg out underneath their knee

Spent 5-10 mins working each one out, then a 5 min round drilling it straight, then 5 mins more alive, resisting but only 10-20% strength, then figuring out counters and improvements. Each technique done for about 30 mins total.

Then did a 5 min round of A B C A B C A B C finally top man calling them out at random.

This is mostly dead drilling at like 10-20%, my partner doing the escapes for the rounds, me only really basing on one arm.

[stricker]

Jon,

condolances on the bum wing, as you know, I'm there with you. A suggestion- maybe try to snag a hip belt for hip belt squats if squats and deads aren't possible.

Andrew

cheers bro yeah i know you're bummed with your bicep. especially harsh if you've got a goal in mind like fighting thai... my 2006 was all about rehab and basics, then 2007 was all about getting out and competing. Did one amateur thai fight and 2x sub tourneys, but i wanted to do 4-5 am thai fights and 3-4 sub tourneys... 'spose i got halfway there... i'm ****ing ****ed that i dropped the ball with the thai fighting thing. after doing that first one things clicked in my head so much and i've made a lot of progress since then i was really looking forward to it... if the shoulder is as bad as i worry it might be, amateur fighters better watch out in '09 hahaha

cheers for the suggestion of the hip belt thing, the only thing i dont like is its not hitting the torso at all, but, it could be really good for going low wide and getting good hip ROM...

gonna start putting together a training plan for the next few weeks months etc...

[stricker]

Saw physiotherapist this morning :
- ROM improving loads, still not great
- still 'strong' in nearly all the tests
- internal rotation hurts like hell, poor ROM
- external rotation pretty good
- front raises with palm down hurts, palm up doesnt (good sign for labrum problem apparently)
- stick with isometrics and passive ROM stuff (lifing arm up using other arm\pulley)
- self massage (tennis/physio ball) has helped, muslces were like a rock last time
- back to see physio in 2 weeks time.
- applying to see orthopeadic surgeon again. this takes weeks/months to get, so applying now even if things turn out ok and i cancel...

Training :
Last nights ground technique drilling session cancelled Partner is also on the injured bench (hence us hoping to do just real light pure technique drills not rolling or live drills) but his knee blew up bad after our last session, and he didnt want to risk it...

I did a quick circuit at home :

40 crunches on swiss ball
40 bw squats
40 back extensions on swiss ball
40 bw lunges

repeat 3x through. didnt stick to strict timings but rested about 30-40s between rounds.

I've also started an anatomy and physiology course at the sports massage dept of the local college. better than tv or the pub...

[stricker]

MMA

just went to watch, ended up doing a few things :

helping a couple of new people with padwork, how to hold pads and how to hit them, just basics... stand up and g'n'p, good base in guard etc

4 rounds on the bags, alternate a round of right kicks and teeps on the long thai bag with a round of right hands on either the punch bag or hook/uppercut bag. right cross, right body, right head, combo's like that

then helped the new guys with more basics on the ground. triangle from guard, getting mobile, moving hips and body position, posture and base etc

[stricker]

Groundwork drilling session with training partner (with knee injury)

Revised mount escapes to half guard:

A. Alcatraz
B. Guantanamo
C. Hip escape

quick round of each, then a round of quick fire escapes called out by man in mount, swap, repeat

Went over a couple of mount escapes to butterfly, but between us we're too injured to do them, so moving on...

Drilled side control escapes to half guard :
A. 25 Cent
B. Flo
round of each, round of mixed, swap, repeat

Drilled side control escapes to butterfly :
C. Jailbreak
D. Jailbreak variation
E. Jailbreak (hand under leg)
round of each, round of mixed, swap, repeat
F. Tunnell
round of each, round of mixed, swap, repeat

then a round mixing any of A-F, called out by man on top. swap, repeat.

We did all of these on one side only, due to his knee and my shoulder. Also some of the butterfly escapes we only went half way because of partners knee. Again, dead drilling, little to no resistance, and often poor top game due to injuries.

In case any 'aliveness' crew chip in, yeah i know this isnt building real skill, its just about memorizing a body of techniques while working around injuries, i'm **** at remembering techniques so hopefully it'll really pay off in the long run...

[stricker]

Groundwork drilling session

1. went over escapes from side control and mount as per last few sessions, drilled a little bit each

2. went over back escape
3. went over north south escape

drilled the whole lot, stopped at about 2 hours. Still little/no resistance, and some of the moves on one side only...

[GiggityZZ]

I've been discussing scenarios with friends at school for fighting, and i saw a good number of people talked about "scooping" a person up and slamming them. (my school is mostly filled with gangster/thug-wannabe's) Or scooping someone up and begin wrestling.

ive debated over that idea for awhile and ive been contemplating on a way to avoid being scooped up, or picked up and slammed. if someone tries to go for the leg scoop, i just give them a good knee and/or kick to the face.

my recent practices have been consisting of low sweeping kicks, and forward teep kicks.

[stricker]

I've been discussing scenarios with friends at school for fighting, and i saw a good number of people talked about "scooping" a person up and slamming them. (my school is mostly filled with gangster/thug-wannabe's) Or scooping someone up and begin wrestling.

ive debated over that idea for awhile and ive been contemplating on a way to avoid being scooped up, or picked up and slammed. if someone tries to go for the leg scoop, i just give them a good knee and/or kick to the face.

my recent practices have been consisting of low sweeping kicks, and forward teep kicks.

alright giggity,

did you post this on the wrong thread? dont know how this follows from anything on here... anyway to answer your post :

"scooping up" i guess is a crude double leg takedown or something? maybe look on youtube to check we're on the same page... ok so your proposed answer, the good knee to the face or kick, well it isnt as simple as that...
1. a technically good mma double leg takes into account the knee and will try to keep the head safe
2. watch mma fights, even if the knee connects, 9/10 times the shooter still gets the takedown, which would lead to a win...
3. picking up the (front) leg is actually making it easier for the shooter. e.g. a tricky fighter will even do stuff like throw a few low round kicks to get you to check them by bringing the knee up (thai leg block) then feint the kick and pick up your leg which youve just given to them. we drill this.
4. shooting in from far away is just so last decade much more dangerous is setting up the shoot with good hand work and then going for the takedown when your in the pocket. or, getting the takedown from the clinch
5. look at mma fights and good mma defences to the shoot. the knee DOES happen (hansen vs imanari ) but its all dependent on context, but thats only in like 1% of cases...theres other options too, circle away, cross face, underhook, etc etc even an uppercut can work, but the bread and butter answer is sprawl
6. the only way to answer this is to train. learn to shoot, drill it, then do wrestling sparring for takedowns, then you'll learn what works. take the knees out to start with (dangerous) or put a motorbike helmet on LOL
7. your going about this all wrong. eg you've been discussing and contemplating etc thats no good at all you need to practice, do and discover!!! an imaginary answer is not real, its not in your body and wont come out. drill spar drill spar drill spar.

a friend of mine whos into zen told me a saying the other day "chop wood, carry water" and thats pretty much how i feel about martial arts now. all the theorizing on forums is just bs if you do it for real you know what you need to do and you do it. chop wood, carry water...

fun rant

[stricker]

on another blogging related note, i'm back into investigating various body therapies (physiotherapy massage osteopaths structural yoga therapy etc) again (did a little bit while first time around rehabbing) but if i need an op it'll be a year off training MA hard (or at all ) so i'm thinking of training to do something like that. it fits well with what i do and love and might be more fulfilling carreer than what i do at the moment... any ideas any one?

[stricker]

Groundwork drilling session:

Halfguard :
Lockdown
Jaws of life
Whip up
Old school sweep
Electric chair sweep/submission
Electric chair sweep variation
Electric chair sweep (other variation i forgot the fancy name of)
Electric chair to arm triangle
Electric chair to calf crush

[Nick Forrer]

hey mate

here is recent fight - this was the semis

bust intercostal cartilage and had to stop

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_8ezPLmxemc