Principles through Combination Work (diary entry)

21.11.19 Thursday night’s second lesson brought my client up to the four hour point on his latest Mixed Martial Arts course. Tonight’s objective was to go over the three striking to grappling combinations covered in last Thursday’s lesson and to begin more work on fighting against the cage as well ground-fighting. We began with mirror footwork followed by one-for-one sparring. We then drilled the plumb position, bulling with the collar and elbow, pummelling under-hooks into takedown entries and then some light fighting from guard and the top position sparring. This section was finished hip escapes from guard. Next we looked fighting from the cage where I held focus mitts for dirty boxing techniques and clinching. This drill involved under-hooking for control whist throwing body shots and then turning the coach into the cage to continue striking. The coach would wrestle control back and the entire process is repeated. We then extended this drill to fighting from a ground position against the cage. We then went back through the three MMA combinations. Combinations work is often used as means for teaching good principles. The three combinations taught here largely involved attacking from an angle and turning strikes into grappling techniques. We then added in jab/cross/drop level feign/rear uppercut/hook/jab/cross/shoot. Next we went to the ground and drilled using the oma plat position using punches. This set the opponent up for arm-bars, triangle chokes and oma platas. Then we finished with a full mount escape to butterfly guard to a heel hook position to a standing escape. The lesson finished with a five minute round of MMA sparring and PNF stretching.