Stand-up Fighter's Game (diary entry)

30.12.17   The final lesson of 2017 brought my client's Basic Course in Mixed Martial Arts for Martial Arts Cross-Training up to the four and a half hour mark. We continued to take our cue from the stand-up range and looked at the bobbing and weaving/rolling action as well as an overall strategy maintaining a stand-up fighting range and disengagement.   The lesson began with a series of exercises based on changing ranges. Partner-work included mirror footwork and transitioning out of clinch-holds into strikes. Here we merged Muay Thai's clinching knee strikes with wrestling's over-hook/under-hook pummelling. We also combined punching combinations with sprawling and spear-knee strikes, shoulder-checks with crosses, and neck-ties with crosses. Solo work comprised of a series of solo line-work exercises where we switched from advancing forward with stand-up techniques to practising low-line take-downs. Not to leave the groundwork out, we also transitioned from guard to combat base for a series of repetitions.   Bobbing and weaving started on the focus mitts with standard western boxing combinations. This included punching to the body and head in succession off the same hand. Then we looked at how this same movement can be applied from the clinch to access a back-hold (waist-lock or seatbelt-lock). Next we brought in the ever-useful overhand punch from the bobbing and weaving head movement. This was trained both on the focus mitts and as a targeting exercise.   On the ground, we went to guard and looked at disengagement. This began with simple hip-blocking, sprawling and standing, but we ended up adding in punching and a knee strike to the transition. The lesson finished with some specific sparring. We did 1 x five minute round of stand-up fighting/take-down defence (sprawl 'n brawl), where my client was restricted to kickboxing and anti-grappling against my clinching attacks. Then we did 1 x three minute round of ground 'n pound groundwork, where my client fought from inside the guard working to score strikes and/or pass guard.