Are you ready

I am getting set to start posting again. Thanks for your patience!

A moment of silence

My dad and I recently exchanged a few email messages on the passing of Ed Freeman, prompting him (a Vietnam vet) to suggest, "There are so few Medal of Honor winners alive today and they seem to be forgotten. Would it be too much to ask for a lowering of our flag and moment of silence in Congress?"

Indeed.

How is the economy affecting your martial arts?

I actually started this post by posing, "How is the economy affecting your martial arts business?," but deliberately changed it to "martial arts." It seems to me that anything that affects someone's disposable income, or his willingness to spend it (i.e. his confidence in the economy), then it must affect all aspects of that actvity, be it skiing, competitive table tennis, or martial arts instruction.

Have any of you had to close a school, had your school closed, had to reduce training, or changed your plans to start?

Please comment at the link below, or join the discussion at the Convocation of Combat Arts here.

Mobile Blogging

I am finding that with as little time as I now have available, I may be doing more quick/short posts, even via mobile phone.

Thanks,

Nathan

Brain injuries in MMA and Boxing

A while back we posted on whether headgear actually protected the fighter (see Does headgear protect your noggin?). To quote myself:

I don't believe that headgear does much to prevent damage to the brain. For the following reasons:

1. A blow to the headgear still does to prevent the rapid acceleration of the brain inside the skull, and nothing to prevent the inevitable impact of the brain, possibly resulting in a concussion.
2. Boxing-style headgear, to me, is more of a liability to the user because it ALWAY reduces peripheral vision. That results in more blows taken to the same head. Unintended consequence, to be sure, but a serious one. KOs happen all the time in amateur boxing, don't they?

Is there any benefit to headgear? Sure. I love it because I train on hard surfaces (floors or pavement) or uneven (grass), and I hate worrying about whether I'm going to smack my skull on something sharp or hard when I go down, even accidentally. Headgear is great to prevent that. Headgear also protects against cuts and abrasions to the skin. That's important when training for a fight because a cut could mean a postponement of cancellation of a bout. For most of us, a little cut just makes us look tougher on Monday when we go back to our geeky jobs.

To be sure there's slight reduction in the impact of a blow. I'd much rather take a Thai kick or overhand right to the headgear than my skull, but if I wear headgear I may never see it coming.

How-to-Box has a nice post addressing the same topic.

The argument against headgear is that it doesn't protect against knockouts, only cuts and scrapes.  While true, the amateur powers that be have made it pretty clear that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

There is a perception that headgear prevents brain injuries.  While not necessarily true, the perception is beneficial in helping parents get over the initial shock of young jimmy or suzie coming home and saying they want to start boxing.  The perception is that headgear somehow makes it safer.  In reality it's the rules and attention to safety amateur refs enforce. [Emphasis mine - TDA]

What stands out for me is that this is correct, the refs are the ones that protect the fighters, and prevent the injuries. In pro boxing, I’ve seen fighters sustain near-knockout shots for round after round, (sometimes multiple times a round!), and yet fights aren’t stopped because the recipient of those blows is both upright and fighting back. Yet, as any good fight fan knows, a fighter’s instinct, especially a veteran, is to show nothing to the crowd or referee that would indicate he’s hurt, and many have said later that they didn’t know what happened after round X, in other words they were fighting on instinct after a concussion.

MMA, in contrast, seems to me to be safer because of the quick action by referees when a fighter is stunned, whether on the ground or standing. This can lead to controversy, but, overall, it looks less damaging by stopping the action quickly. The addition of submission stoppages (in comparison to striking sports like boxing or kickboxing) also means that fights can stop sooner with less damage?

What say you?

For more information:

How-to-Box
Striking Thoughts Head shots and tradition
TDA Headgear or mouthpieces
TDA Does headgear protect your noggin?
Boxing Damages Brain Despite Headgear Protection
EFFECTIVENESS OF BOXING HEADGEAR FOR LIMITING INJURY (PDF)
TDA Stop hitting me so hard!
TDA Head Butts - use 'em or not?
TDA Hand Protection, What is the Cost?

Chiron on intervening in a beating

I know, I’ve been gone forever and a day. I’ve been working on making bread to pay the bills, and should’ve posted on that, to say the least. More in another post.

Just read a post by Chiron called One Full Circle, where he answers a reader’s question about how to jump in on a fight and take down the aggressor. Read it then come back.

Several great points to consider:

1. You may escalate a situation and something bad could happen after you intervene
2. You may have no idea what’s really going on. There is a chance that you’re interrupting someone engaged in self defense of the variety that we espouse here at TDA Training, and may view you as another bad guy. Maybe not, but if you don’t know…
3. You may be saving someone’s life
4. There’s no way to know if one or either has a weapon (or more than one) unless it’s already deployed. Your intervention may be just the gap in the action to allow them to be engaged – could be bad for everyone
5. The crowd or a witness may get involved on you
6. You’ve still got to make a decision. Life is full of risks, and not making a choice is a choice, too.

The point is not to discourage you from helping out, but to think about what could happen. Chiron makes pretty clear, better than I could, what can happen, and advocates control techniques more than strikes (another debate), but gives good reasons, which I respect a lot. The ability to act, and the willingness are two different things, and that should be recognized.

Finally, he recommends always going around with a weapon, and for good reason – the bad guys always have them, whether a physical weapons or an advantage that serves the same purpose.

Be careful. Read the post if you haven’t already.

Rooting for the Steelers and Arizona

Since my Redskins season was on the way down the drain after week 8, I’ve had a few bright spots this NFL season:

1. The Steelers are in it, and seem to be peaking on both sides of the ball
2. Dallas is out, too! Hah!
3. The old guy on the perennial loser team, Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals are looking good, taking on Philly as I write this.

If you love Dallas, sorry. I’m just glad they’ll be watching, too.

I do have to say that I’m rooting for the Cardinals and Pittsburgh!

 

Technorati Tags: Washington Redskins,Dallas Cowboys,Kurt Warner,Arizona Cardinals,Pittsburgh Steelers

Top 10 posts of 2008, part 1

I know, this is overdue, but I’m going to jump on the bandwagon, and, in case you missed them, these are the 10 most popular posts of 2008, in ascending order, starting with numbers 10 through 5:

10. Defend the Thai Clinch

I have often expressed my love for the knee, and it hasn't waned at all. I enjoy locking someone up in a Thai clinch and delivering multiple, full-power knees more than few other things. So, I have been asked how you defend the knee, but more important, how do you avoid getting kneed in the first place. To do that, you need to know how to escape or defend the Thai clinch.

9. Boxing Punch Numbering System

Similar to the stick angle numbering systems in the Filipino martial arts, boxing punch numbers help you learn to build combinations and to train a fighter as you have them throw the punches in drills or on the mitts.

8. Airsoft Pistols for Tactical Training

Airsoft (or soft air) weapons are one of the best tools in your training toolkit to develop realistic techniques and tactics with handguns and long guns. Head over to the post, then the link for more.

7. Anaerobic Training Drills

All types of fighting are closer to a sprint than marathon. Hence you should develop your anaerobic capacity. Check it out.

6. Why Do We Get Hit?

Besides the obvious answer of, "there was nothing in the way," the reason is usually one or more of these three factors…

5. Practical Hand Techniques is helpful because it covers what techniques to use for practical self-defense, not sparring. How do you adapt what you know for “the street?

Open-hand strike (slap) - awesome. Why did they outlaw the slap, elbows, and forearms in boxing? Why do they penalize you for using anything but the knuckle area in Olympic boxing? Because it works! There was a fighter named "Slapsie" Maxie Rosenbloom, for whom the rule about not using an open glove was created. He was a force to be reckoned with, and literally slapped his opponents around. The open-hand strike can be used to the trunk and head, and is excellent at delivering “blunt-force trauma”. Use with control!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Thai clinch,Filipino martial arts,Airsoft,Tactical training,weapons,self defense,handguns

Saturday Tribute to Military Veterans

This is beautiful, and worth your time. Please watch.

Thanks to all veterans.

Taekwondo versus wildlife

This was sent to my by my old muay Thai and boxing buddy Brian, and I just had to post it. Enjoy!

What do you think. Is it realistic? I’m wondering how other styles would fare? There goes that old style vs. style argument again…

Now you can follow TDA on Twitter

Click the pic or this link to check it out! If I should be following you too, please let me know!

And if I seem like an amateur at this Tweeting thing, it’s ‘cause I am.

What's up with TDA Training?

Instructional posts

One of my Christmas gifts to the family was a DVD burner that automatically converts old VHS and mini-DV tapes. I have well over a hundred hours of training and teaching video from which I plan to compile instructional posts, technique critiques, and sparring material.

Interviews

I have a great interview in the hopper, almost ready to go. Look for more.

Collaboration

Guest-posting, series with other bloggers, and discussions at the Convocation of Combat Arts will be relatively frequent.

Quote of the Day: Gace on Awareness and Preparation

“I make a habit of finding seating in restaurants where I can see the entrance and most of the room while putting my back to a wall or corner if possible. In my career I do many of these sorts of things; not pulling up directly in front of houses, approaching cars in a special manner, walking into convince stores from the side lot and looking in through the window before entering to buy a coffee&and many others. This is not done out out of fear or paranoia, just out of habit. Awareness and a bit of forethought will keep you alive a lot longer than fighting skills.” – Thomas Gace at The Things Worth Believing In

I have many of the same habits, but probably not to the well practiced degree that Thomas does, considering his line of work. The opening of his post quotes from a treatise on the duties of a feudal Japanese warrior tasked with guarding or escorting his lord, and what considerations he should take to ensure the safety of said lord. Should our safety or that of your family take any less importance to you?

Technorati Tags: crime prevention,awareness,Samurai,Preparation,forethought,Japanese,warrior,lord

Marines evaluating SAW replacement

Via Military Times:

The Corps has awarded four contracts to three companies to produce prototypes of the 5.56mm Infantry Automatic Rifle, which is slated to supplant the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW, according a Dec. 26 Marine Corps Systems Command announcement.

The three firms will compete for a contract that could be worth up to $27 million. The firm selected will manufacture from 4,476 to 6,500 rifles.

There always a need for heavy firepower, even at the squad level. The specs of the weapons seem pretty impressive, but what stands to me is the compact size and magazine (as opposed to box/drum) feed, which should mean a Marine or soldier can carry more. For more on the candidates, see this episode of Future Weapons, on of my son’s favorite shows. I watch too, just to make sure it’s OK for him, of course…

Technorati Tags: IAW,SAW,Marines,Infantry,Rifle,prototypes