30.07.16
Today’s first lesson was another double session along the lines of the buffet style cross-training I ran last Saturday. We decided to work off stand-up striking principles, but ended up bringing elements of wrestling, submission fighting, MMA and even some weapons work. All training was done outside, where we focused on body movement in combat and combat conditioning.
The lesson began on the focus mitts, looking at Western Boxing concepts of movement. We drilled slipping and rolling, both of which lead onto various other areas of combat. The rolling or bobbing and weaving action not only makes the opponent harder to hit but it also helps generate force in strikes by loading the legs. We worked conventional hooks and then moved onto shovel hooks and liver shots. As my client was southpaw, we adjusted tactics to set up the liver shot. These were taken to the ground with some MMA "ground 'n pound" work in the guard. Here looping punches and angled shots have their obvious advantages when negotiating an opponent's guard or cover.
The rolling motion is identical for moving outside the clinch where we used a same side elbow/knee combination as a Thai equivalent to Mike Tyson’s uppercut/hook. Accessing this position led us onto exploring standing arm-bar into a foot sweep. Rolling also allows us to duck under an underhook to take the back position. Finally we use it to initiate the sit-through to take the back when on the ground.
Going back to the slip we looked at attacking off the 45 degree line with overhand punches. Here we isolated the technique and brought it closer, looking at generating force by sending it up and then down into the target. We then applied the overhand straight off without slipping and using a jab. This was done by dropping from an opponent’s eyeline and then coming in at 45 degrees. To further emphasise the angled strikes of today – the liver shot, the shovel hook and the overhand – I brought in some angle slashes from Eskrima. Finally we finished our techniques with a look at the Dutch style round kick, which thrown using a diagonal axis. The lesson was completed with a quick combat conditioning circuit to work the movements we had trained today. My client performed landmine squats into an upward on a tractor tyre, car tyre slams, kettlebell swings and kettlebell sit-throughs. First picture from "Fight Tips" Kick picture from this excellent dissection of Ernesto Hoost's kicks.
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