Transitioning to Close Range Fighting (diary entry)

Today’s Triple C session was concerned with transitioning to very close-range stand-up fighting and mid-level intensity cardio training. The technical section looked at blending straight strikes with their short-range counterparts. As far as self-defence tactics go, I like to encourage people to make as much as possible as a rule. There are always exceptions - such as covering to recover from an onslaught of strikes or when you are trying to restrain someone - but for the most part, when someone is trying escape they need to disengage as quickly as they can whilst ensuring their enemy isn’t going to immediately repeat their assault. However, combat sports offer more decision-making due their dynamic. In today’s instance, we trained to seek close range following a long range attack. We looked at the mechanical relationship between straight punches and straight elbows and likewise with hooks and curved elbow strikes. At clinch range we examined the nature of the curved knee strike, delivered whilst moving an opponent’s body in the clinch (a good simple video on the technique). We then got back onto building up my client’s cardiovascular/lungs training. This was done using the 150 repetition model. This is a type of training I use in-between technical rounds training and the High Intensity Interval Training. He performed 3 x sets of 10 reps of the following exercises:

• Frog Jump Swings with a kettlebell

• Bridging with a heavy medicine ball

• Glute raises with barbell

• Diagonal Punching Press with an odd-ended barbell

• Diagonal Single Arm Standing Rows with an odd-ended barbell

The session was then finished with some groundwork, looking at the butterfly guard defence.  This was a follow up to the previous session where looked at a back roll defence to the under guard pass. We examined trapping the arms of someone trying to pass and setting up for a sweep. Photography by Charlotte Von Bulow-Quirk