Rashad Using Some Movements Similar to Monkey?

[bawang]

old footage of monkey boxer li goushi at 1928 lei tai competition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeoLqus4CB0

[Kevin73]

Rumors about some of Rashaad's training are that he has trained in the deadly art of 52 blocks.

[HumbleWCGuy]

Rumors about some of Rashaad's training are that he has trained in the deadly art of 52 blocks.

52 blocks seems like a reasonably sound system. What's your problem with it?

[Kevin73]

52 blocks seems like a reasonably sound system. What's your problem with it?

Mostly it's questionable history. They market it as never before seen ways to fight etc. but it looks like filipino boxing.

[Chief_Suicide]

If anyone saw the fight between Rashad and Rampage last night, I found it interesting that a few of his moments were right out of the Monkey play book, as I understand it. The low stance and extended arm that set up the take down. Dave Camirillo also does a lot of monkey-like stuff. I have often thought that if monkey stylist stopped larping and incorporated some BJJ into their fighting that they would be pretty formidable because they could use their knowledge of unorthodox but effective entries to take people down.

Well, your thread got hijacked in the worst way. Par for course.

I watched the fight, and I can see what you are saying. Rashad stays low and fast, feigns a few punches and then hits the takedown. It has done him wonders in his last two fights. In both of those fights he was rocked by a solid punch, but won convincingly because of his low fast takedowns.

[HumbleWCGuy]

Mostly it's questionable history. They market it as never before seen ways to fight etc. but it looks like filipino boxing.

What's a long rich history worth if you just go out and lose fights? As far as their marketing, they seem to claim to be an amalgam of boxing, kung fu, and some other arts. I don't think that they are claiming to have anything super original.

[HumbleWCGuy]

Well, your thread got hijacked in the worst way. Par for course.

I watched the fight, and I can see what you are saying. Rashad stays low and fast, feigns a few punches and then hits the takedown. It has done him wonders in his last two fights. In both of those fights he was rocked by a solid punch, but won convincingly because of his low fast takedowns.

Does your system contain any monkey?

[Chief_Suicide]

No, not any Monkey in the style I train. But Rashad looks like he trained in it. His Octagon entrance, his 'feints' and then rush.

[HumbleWCGuy]

No, not any Monkey in the style I train. But Rashad looks like he trained in it. His Octagon entrance, his 'feints' and then rush.

My instructor was/is a monkey specialist in his northern kung fu. In our southern systems we use a lot of monkey. Almost all of our throws are monkey based. In addition we use a lot of movements similar to Rashad's. Obviously, it is something that you have to have some conventional fighting skill to go with, but it does seem to add a dimension to our game. It is really helpful against Uber orthodox systems like JKD. They think that anything with flash doesn't work so they ignore it in their training.

[Kevin73]

What's a long rich history worth if you just go out and lose fights? As far as their marketing, they seem to claim to be an amalgam of boxing, kung fu, and some other arts. I don't think that they are claiming to have anything super original.

Now that it is out and in public, many people who say that they practice and learn the style attribute it to early defensive black boxers like Jack Johnson. If you read about 52 blocks from about 5 years ago there was only one person talking about it on the forums who claimed to know it and it was an art shown ONLY to black people after they had shown themselves trustworthy and that the art was created by slaves and was created for fighting in close while wearing shackles. The art had been passed on in secret since before the Civil War and was only known to certain people who also kept it secret.

Do I buy that it was/is a progressive self-defense art mixing boxing with other tricks and tactics that are found to be effective on the street? Yep

Do I buy the other history of it that it was created and passed on in complete secrecy to only a select few people and no one ever showed anything? Nope

Sorry, for the highjack, but it was related to the question of what Rashaad Evans uses. Here is the link where Evans talks about 52 Blocks.
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma....ail&gid=111673

As far as monkey footwork, 52 Blocks was also influenced by Caporeria (sp?) which has low acrobatic footwork included.