30.09.09 Kickboxing and Chokes (diary entry)

Oct 2nd, 2009 by Jamie Clubb

Classic rear naked choke or strangle

Juniors

Today’s lesson brought kicks and punches together with some elimentary combinations designed to promote flow. We used the punch orientated World Combat Arts’ routine. Number one is jab/rear kick, number two is jab/cross/lead kick and number three is jab/cross/hook/rear kick. There is a fourth combination, but I was concerned with getting these down pat in the time we had available.

When kickboxing first came in vogue training methods were pretty limited. Despite American and Japanese hybrid stand-up striking sports being around since the late 1960s it didn’t really take off in the mainstream until the late 1980s. Muay Thai and its lesser known relatives, lethwei of Myanamar, muay Lao from Laos, pradel serey from Cambodia and tomoi from Malaysia, of course, was a far older form of kickboxing and for the most part were better at it. One thing I remember seeing, at least at the lower levels of kickboxing throughout the 1990s was a distinctive problem with blending kicks and punches together. Both were often taught independently and many western-style kickboxing classes were just extensions of otherwise normal sport karate, kung fu, taekwondo and freestyle martial arts clubs. The hybridization often produced technically disappointing matches.

The Indo-Chinese kickboxing styles, on the other hand, blended their upper and lower limbs in the manner one would expect from one art. Having said this, for a while these styles were criticized for their poor hand boxing techniques. Times have changed a lot today. Dutch muay Thai is owed a lot for the better integration of western boxing into the sport. As for the modern hybrid style of kickboxing, Peter Consterdine, Lance Lewis and Brian Seabright, early British proponents who had firm background in traditional arts, actively teach the intelligent combining of kicks and punches. Influences such as Peter and the various muay Thai coaches I have trained under made work hard to get my students to drill hands with feet.

The class was finished with some intensive non-stop punching and kicking against the pads, designed to promote fast twitch muscles, explosiveness and mental endurance.

Seniors

After specific footwork and movement drills, the class continued with building the CCMA high percentage technique warm-up. After the cover we moved onto the chokes and strangles, the highest percentage grappling techniques, at least as far as self defence goes. Grappling, for the most part, is hard work. However, these moves can end a physical conflict within seconds.

Before a choke can be applied it is important to understand how to obtain the position and also how you might end up opting for a choke. The cover, leading off from last week, provides the perfect set-up for this. If a striking position cannot be achieved then you will need to grapple to tie up your aggressor.We drilled taking the back using the underhook and the arm drag from the cover position. This was then repeated using the butterfly guard. A good way to train this through varying levels of resistance. Then the choke itself is repeated in reps like any other exercise. This is the form it takes during the warm-up. On from here everything is put together and defences are also covered. When a choke is on full and deep, escape is very unlikely. Therefore defences have to come in early and trained instinctively. Aside from the obvious sport applications, it is perhaps a disturbing but significant footnote that the majority of recreational murders are strangulations.

The class was finished with a couple of rounds of MMA sparring.