New Link: RossTraining.com

If you, like me, are interested in combat conditioning, technique articles, and so on, RossTraining.com is a great resource. I saw his Rossboxing site a few years ago, and it was a work in progress, and I'd somehow forgotten about it. A short while ago, I saw this link on Physical Strategies, and have been meaning to tell you about it since.

The site has rolled Rossboxing, a blog, a forum, and a compilation of his articles into one great package. I plan to start reading as much as I can, and recommend you do too! Enjoy.

What is your Elephant in the Room?

Nearly every day, Hock Hochheim posts some masterpieces of martial insight on his blog, and his June 11 entry is no exception:

"We already know about the "seen the elephant" phrase, but another one of the main reasons I have chosen the angry elephant as the symbol for CQC Group is that is represents the old expression, the "Elephant in the room." The big elephant in the room is symbolic of the unspoken truth that so many know but so few dare to talk about. In one definition, the room is the martial arts room, or dojo if you well, and the unspoken truth is that common martial arts are abstract renderings of realistic fighting in a mixed weapon world.

Another point is the unspoken and missed aspect of the room itself. Where IS the "room" you are fighting in? You cannot properly train for a fight unless you know where the fight will actually be.

Missing in the dojo is the real context of the fight. What will be the real, chaotic situation that the fight will actually occur in? There is an elephant in the room when it comes to traditional martial arts."

Hock makes one of the best points here, from a "big picture perspective" that we all seem to ignore or gloss over, at least I did for many years. For me, the "elephants" are just what Hock mentions:

• We are more extremely likely to face weapons, including firearms, clubs, knives, and other improvised bad things than we think, and we need to prepare for that. Most training ignores it, as he states.


• The environment where we train usually doesn't come close to preparing us for what we'll face; a smooth floor and bare feet, or padded ring or mats with "rings" aren't even close.

Plus a few more:

• The former dominance of stand-up striking arts versus grappling


• The current predominance of grappling or MMA sport versus realistic street skills


• The one-shot kill of Okinawan and Japanese striking arts


• The meaninglessness of many rankings


• The mystical, esoteric skills we have to wait decades to learn

Any others? Check out Hock's blog for more of the same. Always thought-provoking.

UPDATE: Comments are closed. Please participate in the discussion at the Convocation thread.

Video: Masahiko Kimura vs Heloi Gracie Match, 1951

I didn't know this footage existed. Watch footage of the famous Masahiko Kimura vs Heloi Gracie match in 1951.

For more:
Gracie interview about the match in 2002 on JudoInfo.com, "Judo vs Jujitsu"
Kimura bio on JudoInfo.
An account of the bout on the GracieAcademy.com site.

Mokuren is growing up!

One of my favorite MA blogs, Mokuren Dojo has reached the Big 1! Happy birthday, and congrats, Pat! Please go to his anniversary post and congratulate him in comments.

Newest Convocation Partners: Amanda and Sendo

Please head over to check out some of the newest partners to the Convocation of Combat Arts (list here): Sendo to Kenpo, my journey, and Amanda Takes Off...and Takes on Korea.

Sendo is a very personal blog, mostly about the training and experiences of a Sendo Kung-Fu students move to Nick Cerio Kenpo. It's interesting to read about his daily training and class encounters, and how he was recently found out by his classmates (he was trying to blog anonymously). Enjoyable, and thoughtful commentary on martial arts in general. Check it out.

Amanda's blog is also unique, in that it covers aspects of her move, work, and daily life in Korea, with her Tae Kwon Do training being an aspect, but not the focus of the blog. Check out her excellent content, and say hello. You'll learn something about Korea, too!

Today's Quote: George Ruiz

“…it is not a good idea to cover up in the corner and hope that the bad man who’s hitting you will go away. He will not. So what do you do? Two choices, really. You either fight back or you move.” – George Ruiz

We've covered covering up before (play on words intended), but George's quote seems to apply to more than just martial arts, doesn't it?

I'm such a geek!

I just read about iPhone, and now I must have one! I know, I'm way behind on the hype, 'cause I'm such a busy geek, and also a broke geek, so it'll have to wait. I can dream, though, can't I?

UPDATE: George at Boot just got one, and seems to like it a little. Check out his detached, impartial review here.

Concussions, the danger in Martial Arts is real

Image: Wikipedia

Pat Parker just posted on his recent concussion, and smartly realized it was a concussion. He acted accordingly. He was definitely blessed that it wasn't more serious. I've recently posted about a personal friend who received an injury in a similar manner, eerily so, but he wasn't so fortunate, and received permanent disability as a result.

Martial artists, striking stylists in particular, are in constant danger of brain injury, but those in grappling arts are just as vulnerable. It may occur at any time, and may not be recognized right away, and that can be dangerous, as Pat writes, with his usual clarity, "Repeated concussions, even mild ones, have been known to cause impairment disproportional to the apparent severity of the trauma. Children are particularly succeptible to sudden death from second or third concussions."

Do you have the training or knowledge to recognize it? See the Mayo Clinic on concussions.:

Signs and symptoms

The signs and symptoms of a concussion can be subtle and may not appear immediately. Symptoms can last for days, weeks or longer.

The two most common concussion symptoms are confusion and amnesia. The amnesia, which may or may not be preceded by a loss of consciousness, almost always involves the loss of memory of the impact that caused the concussion.

Other immediate signs and symptoms of a concussion may include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Ringing in the ears
• Nausea or vomiting
• Slurred speech

Some symptoms of concussions don't appear until hours or days later. They include:

• Mood and cognitive disturbances
• Sensitivity to light and noise
• Sleep disturbances

Head trauma is very common in young children. But concussions can be difficult to recognize in infants and toddlers because they can't readily communicate how they feel. Nonverbal clues of a concussion may include:

• Listlessness, tiring easily
• Irritability, crankiness
• Change in eating or sleeping patterns
• Lack of interest in favorite toys
• Loss of balance, unsteady walking

Also, see this Google search for concussion symptoms.

Is MMA just human cockfighting?

Photo: Wikipedia

The Convocation has a thread on the subject of MMA being just a form of human cockfighting, and some excellent responses. A taste from Bob of Striking Thoughts, an excellent MA blog:

Yeah, I told my coworker that the same has been said of boxing. He replied that boxing has rules. Well, so does MMA. So where do you draw the line? Football has rules and is still violent. Football has greed, steroids, overpaid athletes, unsportsmanlike players, etc.

As for sportsmanship, well I have seen MMA fighters hug, shake hands, not murder each other, etc. in matches. Yet, I've also seen others lose their minds and try to hurt their opponent. I guess it's the level of "violence" and blood that bothers some people?

Head over to the CoCA thread and check it out. Post a response as to whether you agree or disagree.

Pic of the Day 6/27/07 - Cop Decorating

Someone goes out for a heart problem, and comes back to this??? With friends like these...

Seagal conducting shodan test

This looks like a good test. I like the level of intensity in it, especially the three-on-one.

Kali two-man set

Nice Kali set. Enjoy.

Average visit length to TDA Training

Neat! Our average visit length, according to our SiteMeter, is now 2:01, meaning that folks are really getting into what we write and post about here at TDA! Or it could mean that more readers are opening up TDA, then walking away, then coming back and closing their browser. Oh well...

The pain and pleasure of slipping

Mike and I were working on slipping punches today, which we've not done in a long time, and it made me realize a couple of things:

1. Slipping properly means shifting your weight over the lead leg, or dropping your weight 50/50 and means assuming almost a wrestling stance, but facing sideways, depending on whether you're slipping inside or outside of the punch. It hurts! I'm not used to that kind of squatting! Jeesh!


2. I've always loved simultaneous counters, including stop-hits, or making someone miss and countering. I'm going to do it more...

Today's TDA Tip: Best opening footwork

When teaching, I stress over and over that footwork is everything. Position is the key to good offense or defense in sparring or self defense, and what gets you there is footwork. With that in mind what's the best opening footwork to use, if you are reacting, and not attacking?

First, you almost never want to move straight back (see Why do we get hit?, and look at reason #2, "You are back on your heels"). The reason you want to rarely, if ever, move straight back is because almost everyone can run you down if you're moving backward. The only time you should do that is if you have no other choice (obstacles or multiple opponents), and you should angle off as soon as you can.

Instead, move laterally - either left or right, and depending on your intentions, move toward your opponent's flank at a 45-degree angle. Your best bet is to move so that you are behind the lead shoulder, which normally means you're moving away from the power hand or leg of your adversary.

See also:
Today's TDA Tip: Avoid Moving Straight Back!

Pic of the Day: Matrix moves!

Pic of the Day 6/18/07 - Summer's here!

Biting Bunkai

We've posted in the past on the practicality of biting Well, here are Charles Goodin's thoughts on the matter:

I which kata do you bite the attacker? Think about it. Is there a specific movement in any kata that you practice in which you bite?

I cannot think of any.

But in the correct situation, biting is a good defence -- or at least will create an opening for your defensive movement.

Sometimes we are too literal in our interpretation of kata. We should not limit ourselves to the specific movements in kata. In a real situation, we have to be able to do whatever works. Sometimes that might mean biting.

I must add a disclaimer. If you bite someone, you might contract a disease (or you could give the attacker one). I would only suggest the consideration of biting when there is no other way out.

A good warning at the end.

More reading:
How effective are eye gouges and biting?
Dose of Reality
The Ultimate Self Defense Technique

Sad news

Martial Views has some sad news for the sport of martial arts (link).

CoCA forum thread here. Join the discussion.

Update: Bob at Striking Thoughts weighs in.

Ronin on Rank and Effectiveness

In his post, Shameless Self Promotion, Ronin of Crime: Information and Prevention extrapolates on a subject on which we have posted repeatedly - rank inflation. Instead of harping on it, though, he exposes the fallacy of rank as a measure of effectiveness.

...A time tested traditional martial art style is like magnetic force - it will pull you along the desired path as long as you stay in close proximity (training the techniques) whatever your ranking might be.

I also watched this "home brew" martial arts style train today and they were using either an overhead or a lower X - Block, to defeat an attacker - armed with a knife. Sensei yelled "break" whenever one side (empty hands - no blade) "pretend chopped" to the skull or thrusted to the legs or groin and the defenders perfectly stopped the attacking arm with their X - Blocks. "Very good blocks" was barked out to all of those still frozen in the "stopped" position! Sensei knows of me, not really well but respected me by asking me to demonstrate a technique from my system to stop these types of attacks. I thought for a moment and walked before the class and told them they would be far better off to pick up a gun or a lightweight telescopic steel baton than to try and defend against a blade in that manner. Looks of incredulity spread across faces, smirks and sniggers were heard - but hey what the heck let's give 'em a show! Without belaboring anyone with my "blade credentials", I simply asked for a husky 1st Degree Black Belt to remain on the mat as I walked over to meet him. It was obvious in his eyes that he appeared ready to trap my thrusts or possibly get hurt badly - I couldn't say for sure.

Without quotes: I asked if anyone had ever really been in a knife fight where one or both combatants have a blade. No one raised their hand as the variables that my question introduced, spread like a brush fire across their faces. Now I can hear pins drop - they're ready. I asked for one of the shiny new training knives I saw earlier in the odds and ends box. It was brought to me "chop chop"! I told this young man, I'll slowly thrust down toward your skull or face area and you trap me in the X- Block and freeze - I'll take it from there - he nodded his head. So, I made the slowest, largest, circular motion that I could with my wooden Tanto/knife. As I had shuffled in deeply, the defender stepped back to maintain distance (A+) and executed the perfect X-Block (A+), which gently stopped my swing at the wrist. I then relaxed my wrist which slid past the block and then re-stiffened the wrist and proceed through the block - illustrating the loss of blood and probably life that would ensue as the blade edge was drawn down and into the wrists of both hands of the blocker. Completing the circle brought the training knife to the right side ready position where it shot straight into the blockers chest and stomach with multiple stab wounds being inflicted. Of course, we repped this several times to acquaint the students with reality. It doesn't matter if you hold the knife blade up or down - it still cuts the block to shreds - only the follow-through cuts change a bit. Next I told my demo partner to prepare for a straight thrust to the bladder area and he nodded. I again shuffled in - boxing style footwork - and oh so slowly pushed the Tanto forward toward his # 3 area as he perfectly executed the X-Block. As I felt the contact and pressure, lightly pushing down on my blade hand, I quickly slid deeper into him and wrapped my free hand across his crossed arms (to stabilize them) and after using my empty "check hand" to control the arms - I turned sharply at the waist and drew the blade up into his "crossed" wrists and pulled it out quickly - effectively severing everything in his wrists/hands with subsequent multiple stab wounds to the body. I explained that an experienced knife fighter will use that blade like a snake uses his fangs to nail you when given any opportunity. C'mon we've all seen snakes nail expert handlers from the most unexpected angles and positions. Where a man may see 1 mm of "free space" the cobra or the blade sees "opportunity!

Head over to read the Shameless Self Promotion to get the rest.

Related:
Black Belt Currency Inflated?
What does the Black Belt mean now?
Today's TDA Tip: Become a Touch Typist

Must see on MMA

Boot to the Head has uncovered one of the funniest clips on MMA ever. Head over to Boot, then his link. You won't be sorry.

Have you heard of a man named Musashi?

Rob Redmond of 24 Fighting Chickens has a fascinating post of a visit to a famous pagoda in Kyoto called Tohji, and happened upon something extraordinary.

As we were leaving Tohji, muttering to one another about how we had seen too much of Japan and had lived there too long to really enjoy it any longer, we stopped by the entrance of a small, tertiary building which probably most Western tourists walk right past without even stopping to bother and visit.

There was no English at the doorway, nor inside, but by 1994, my Japanese skills had improved dramatically, and I was able to read what this was: A temple unto itself which also allowed tours. I was curious, and since we tended to have interesting adventures whenever we followed our instincts, we decided to go in and have a look at what was in there.

Lorna and I approached the entrance and the woman working the front door was certainly surprised to see two Americans standing there. The first thing she said was “We don’t speak English.”

I said, “That’s OK. We speak Japanese.”

She clapped her hands excitedly and offered for us to come in, offering us special slippers to wear, and carrying our shoes for us through the temple to the other side where we would exit. We gave a donation to them for allowing us inside, and we were greeted by a man who worked at the temple. I didn’t think to ask at the time if he was a monk or more of a groundskeeper or tour guide, but either way, he wore a brown uniform and showed us through.

Inside, we were led directly to this room. The man sort of waved us through it toward the rock garden. “Everyone wants to see the rock garden. I saw the walls, however, and asked him to wait. “I recognize these drawings on the wall. What room is this? It looks very old.”

He turned around and smiled at us. “This belonged to a famous swordsman!” he said with great pride. “Have you heard of a man named Musashi?”

Please click here to read the rest!

Aesopian - Taking the Back from the Mount

Nice video from Aesopian - Jeff Taking the Back from Mount. Go watch!

Update: 6/23/07 Mike and I tried this today, and it worked well versus that particular mount counter. I'm going to have to post on the two rear mount counters we've been using - they are devastating.

Heading to Gettysburg and Hershey Park

I am spending Father's Day weekend with my son. Good dad, eh? We are going to Gettysburg, PA, then to Hershey Park, and will be camping in a tent with Scouts. Enjoy your weekend dads; I know I will. - Nathan

Help! I want to change my banner

Anyone know how to change the default blogger banners? I have what I think is a cool banner ready, but don't know how to swap out the code. Does anyone know the new blogger well enough to help? If so drop me a line (email on the sidebar), or comment. Thanks!

Obviously, Joel got me squared away on this. Hope you like the banner look.

Old Gracie Challenge Match

Pat at the Mokuren Dojo blog has a great find: video of 1975 Gracie challenge matches versus a group of Karateka. The results aren't a surprise at all, but the sportmanship and grace of the winners and losers alike are remarkable. Head over and enjoy. Link.

New CoCA partner - Weakness With a Twist

The finest gathering of martial arts blogs in the universe has welcomed Weakness With a Twist to our butt-kicking brother-(and sister)hood (see the Partners page here). Weakness bills itself as, "A place to explore ideas related to martial arts, health and inner cultivation" and it fits the bill. As a partner, Scott (author of said blog) pledges to arrive early, leave late, and otherwise burn the midnight oil to help the Convocation maintain it's station (I'm feeling frisky today, eh?) as the finest forum with the name "convocation" in it's title. I've also added him to Links, so he must be good, eh?

Unarmed vs the drawn handgun

What should you do versus a drawn handgun? There are a lot of techniques out there, including the techniques we show in our Gun defense category, so check them out (esp the videos). Gabe Suarez, in his May Warrior News piece writes:

AGAINST THE DRAWN GUN - A FORCE ON FORCE STUDY

At the recent Salt Lake City Interactive gunfighting Class we added a component dealing with facing the drawn gun. This was largely inspired by the Virginia Tech murders last month. The question being this. You are facing a man who has just drawn on you…or who is about to shoot you.

The method was not technical but rather conceptual. You get the gun off you, you keep it off you, and you either disarm the gun man or beat him into a bloody pulp while keeping the muzzle off your body line.

The examination of this difficult problem began up close. Literally within arm’s reach. I asked a student to point an Airsoft at me and advised him I would not be complying…even to the point of showing him the technique I would use. At full speed, full commitment on my part He was not able to shoot me at all in ten tries. His comment was that he could not pull the trigger fast enough, and by the time he did, the gun was pointing elsewhere.

We repeated this with the various students and at the close distances, the proactive “defender” has the advantage over the gun man.

We moved out farther…just outside of arm’s reach. Now it became challenging. The farther out we went the harder it became. Again, this was based on the idea that you had just come across the gunman and he was about to shoot you. Remember that the plan is to shoot you and kill you so anything that prevents or minimizes the damage to you is desirable. It very much fits in the Die Less Often chain of concepts.

Notice where he says, "At full speed, full commitment on my part He was not able to shoot me at all in ten tries. His comment was that he could not pull the trigger fast enough, and by the time he did, the gun was pointing elsewhere." This jibes with what my training group has observed as well. Emphasis should be on full commitment. One commenter on a disarm video post post asked whether it still works with full energy and airsoft (we practiced with real pistols in the video), and I have to say that yes, it works. Why?

I have always (yes, even at birth!) said that action beats reaction every time. As long as there's commitment. That's why, up close, a handgun disarm is a viable technique. By the time the gun wielder react, it's too late. Now, will it work every time? Assuredly not, which is why people get shot, even trained cops (and most aren't). If you have to choose between getting shot and possibly disarming, or at least redirecting a handgun...

Also, if you want the full copy of that newsletter, just email me (see sidebar), and I'll forward it to you. You can also subscribe to Suarez' excellent newsletter by going here.

Further reading:
Airsoft Pistols for Tactical Training
Handgun disarm, single hand from the rear - video
Handgun disarm - Double hands from the front
Handgun disarm - Single hand from the front
Rush a gun; Run from a knife
The Quick Pistol Disarm: An Aiki-Jujitsu method

Now featured on About.com

This is interesting. Along with 24FC, Martial Development, The Jiujitsu Brotherhood, Dojo Rat, and Weakness With a Twist, our humble blog (TDA Training, last I heard) is featured on About.com's Martial Arts Blogs page. A motley crew, no doubt, especially that Dojo Rat guy. I've heard he even hangs out with the scary bloggers at the Covocation of Combat Arts! Be afraid...

Update: I actually read down through the comments on the About.com post, and want to thank those of you who nominated us. Ok, do 10 pushups, now!

Turns out it's partly Joel's fault, and John's too!

Stack up multiple attackers

Pretty good example here. Watch.



See also Multiple Attackers category.

Best heavyweight boxing KOs

Watch this excellent YouTube clip on some monster knockout heavyweights in their prime.



What I like about this is that it includes fighters from the early days of film and television, including Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Sonny Liston. Along with the more current crop, I think that's a pretty good list. Who do you think hit the hardest? Comments on the post are turned off. Head over to the Convocation of Combat Arts forum and put in your two cents!

George is back!

Head over and give him some love! After my extended absence, I know how he feels, I think.

Have you ever used it?

I've been instructing, more or less on my own, since 1983, and when I owned my own schools, I was invariably asked, at one point or another, "So, have you ever used it?" There was always a slight pause as I struggled to come up with the right angle to the answer. One answer is that I "use it every day." That would pique their curiousity, and I would elaborate:

Martial arts are for not fighting, not fighting. Got that? What I explained was that people fight for many reasons, but mostly they have a choice. Other than in true self-defense, there's almost always a choice. Walk away. Apologize. Be polite. Don't be a jerk. From where does that confidence come, to walk away? Martial arts can provide that confidence. I used to say that when you're really good at fighting that you don't have anything to prove. You can also exude a relaxed self-assuredness that can put people at ease. This isn't always true, but if you teach your students in a way that build confidence, this will be a result.

One of my many proud days as an instructor was when I was going to one of my schools to cover for an advanced (black belt) class, and one of the students was outside waiting with one of his friends. He was in uniform, but without his black belt. Our policy was to have students remove their belts outside of class to avoid provoking others. His friend told me that something had happened before I got there. He said that a group of youngsters had approached the two and asked them if they were "Karate" students, and stating the obvious, my student said yes. With a smirk, the group asked what belt the student was, and he told them white belt. Did he tell the truth? No. He avoided having someone get hurt. That was self defense! The group moved on. I guess there's no challenge in beating up a beginner...

I plan to post several real-life stories that actually answer the question of, "have you ever used it," but meanwhile, share your stories at the Convocation thread here.

The Frazier Left Hook Unleashed

"Looking back at Frazier's career, several things stand out. He was without peer as a body puncher. He fought with never-ending stamina and became stronger as the fight progressed. He cut off the ring and forced his opponents to fight his fight at his pace and possessed a left hook that was without equal in the heavyweight division." - Frank J. Lotierzo, East Side Boxing

The Joe Frazier left hook in all it's glory. Let's examine what made it work:

• It was short - the strongest hook is a short one. The hook is best executed by a short pulling motion with a vertical fist, with the elbow kept low to involve the lats and chest to snap it in. Frazier executes it perfectly.
• Frazier's low then high hook exploited Zyglewicz' low guard by bringing it even lower. The body hook stunned him, lowering his guard, then he took a nice short snappy one to the jaw that dropped him. This was set up by the earlier body hooks - he didn't want any part of that pain, then got floored. That brings up the next point - relaxation. Notice the smooth and looks manner in which it's thrown.

What did Zyglewicz do wrong?

1. Stand in front of Frazier. He was immobile, setting up all of Frazier's power shots. He should have circled to his left, away from Frazier's power hand. This is a common mistake. Always circle away from the percieved threat to take away it's power, and prevent the opponent from getting set.
2. Low guard. He used the Foreman style criss-cross guard. It's great when you're tall enough, but left the right side of his head open. When he fires, he drops the other hand. Practice in the mirror. When you keep the rear hand up, you lose a little power, but gain a lot of defensive benefit.

See also:

Why do we get hit?
How to be a good hooker!
Boxing Combinations: Jab-Lead Hook Combination
Why you lead with a jab, not a hook

Black Belt Mama on Sparring and Bloody Gi

I love posts like this! If you haven't checked out BBM, do it now! And keep the pressure on to help her replace Rosie on The View. See the link on the sidebar below our blogroll! She'd be a great improvement!

MMA Ranks

MMA Ranks is a very cool compilation of rankings in the sport, and actually has a formula for their results. Check it out.

Flinching, power, and being light on your feet

I saw this excellent question on How to Box for Fitness or Competition (check it out):

"hello, I have now been boxing for about 4 or 5 months and spar atleast once a week! I have quite a good denfence however I wish I was lighter on my feet. The problems that I am having though is 1) Lack of power in my punches and mainly 2) Alot of the time when people are throwing punches at me I close my eyes, look away, flinch and cringe etc. I really need to stop this. Would somebody please help me with this. Thanks alot" See the post here.

My reply was:

As far as footwork (getting lighter on your feet), the best things are jumping rope, and running. When you do roadwork, don't just jog or sprint normally, run backward for a distance every couple of minutes, and skip sideways as well. There are a lot of footwork drills out there, but rope skipping seems to be the thing that increases your endurance and the bounce in your step the most.

I have an unorthodox (no, not southpaw!) answer to the power questions: heavy bag, and timing/double-ended bag. If you don't have good technique, you'll end up just pushing the heavy bag, not hitting it. You want to pop the bag and drive through only a couple of inches, not try to move it. The bag should jump. The second component of power punching is timing. I think this is the most important. The timing bag develops the timing and distance in rythme to hit a moving opponent when he's coming forward, which can make up for a lack of mass.

As far as the flinch, you need to drill it. Have someone flick jabs at you over and over until you overcome it. You can. Just need to focus.

Any ideas? Go to How-To-Box and help out.

For more:
The Flinch, The Blink And The Turn Away
Today's TDA Tip: Fight fire with water
Is Knockout Power Important?
Whence the power? How do you apply force in fighting?
The Art of The Big Punch
Interesting post on Footwork

Sapp vs. Kimo in K-1?

I had no idea that this even took place, much less what happened. Watch a big man (Kimo, 6'2" 240+ pounds) versus a huge man (Sapp, 6'4" and 340+ pounds) in kickboxing. One of the wildest rounds I've ever seen in any combat sport. Part side-show, and part spectacle. Watch it!



Learn anything from this?

Ukemi variants

Check out this Mokuren Dojo post, Falling leaves ukemi with some interesting video. As Patrick says in the post, "This guy has seriously GOOD body coordination." Couldn't agree more!

Internet filter for parents

I've been resisting allowing my kids any access to the Internet due to my fears of what may happen - online predators, accidental exposure to inappropriate sites, etc. If you're a parent, you probably share that fear. I've just installed and configured an application I found on Download.com called, WebAllow. It's free, easy to configure, and even works with older Window operating systems. From their site:

WebAllow is a parental control utility that restricts access to all but
selected websites. If you are concerned that your teenager instead of doing the
homework is browsing the Internet this tool is for you. If your 5-7 year old is
playing flash games on a certain site and you a worried that he might click on
an inappropriate add and start browsing questionable material, then this
software is right for you. You may predefine list of "approved" domains, load
them into this software, activate blocking and you may be sure that Internet
Explorer will be able to show data from domain on approved list. Even if a link
is leading to another page on another domain is clicked, this software will
block it if is not on the "approved" list.

WebAllow can also be easily used as a kiosk type restricting software. Suppose you have a public computer at your store and want to display only your merchandize and pricings. By adding your website to the "approved" list and restricting access to other sites on WWW you may be sure that customers will be looking at your catalogue will not be browsing through the Internet in search of better deals that you can offer.

Give it a try. Let me know what you think at the CoCA forum thread or comments.

MCMAP Continuum of Force - Overview

This begins a series on the concept and application of something called the "Continuum of Force." This isn't related to, or applicable to Star Wars, so save your Yoda references! In particular, we're going to cover the US Marine Corps' MCMAP Continuum.

Before we begin, I think we need to define some terms:
MCMAP says that, "The continuum of force is the concept that there is a wide range of possible actions, ranging from verbal commands to application of deadly force, which may be used to gain and maintain control of a potentially dangerous situation."

Further, "Deadly force is that force which a person uses with the purpose of causing death or serious bodily harm or which a reasonable and prudent person would consider likely to create a substantial risk of causing death or serious bodily harm. Deadly force is only employed as a last resort, and only after all lesser means of force have failed to produce the intended result, or when circumstances prevent the use of lesser means."

When do you employ lethal force? Should you strike, throw, or apply submission skills first? What about multiple opponents? What if you opponent has a weapon? That's where a principle commonly known as the "continuum of force" is employed. It's widely known that civilian police officers and other law enforcement have to only apply the amount, and appropriate type, of force needed for a particular scenario. In fact, most of the time when we hear about abuse at the hands of law enforcement is when an officer has somehow given the impression of exceeding the amount or type of force necessary. That's when the cameras come on and the law suits start to fly. All policies such as this attempt to answer the questions of what amount of force should be used, and when. Further, these concepts also define the escalation of threats to the soldier, officer, or security personnel.

The military is now often involved in lower-level hostilities among a civilian populace, or is forced to operate in an urban environment more than in the past, and are thus constantly in contact with subjects who may be civilians, or possible combatants. Thus the need for a military continuum.

Us "pure" civilians, not in law enforcement, corrections, security, or the military also need a continuum, but for different reasons - possible criminal or civil liability may arise if the use, or perception of improper use of force, is witnessed by bystanders, or we are accused of such by our attackers.

MCMAP's Approach to the Use of Force:

"Marines must always walk the high road. Challenges will ensue and threats can follow, but the Marine holds the moral high ground and uses force responsibly. In order to act responsibly, the Marine must understand and possess the knowledge and skills required to handle the situation appropriately, without escalating the violence unnecessarily."

The Continuum of Force is broken into five levels. Each level corresponds to the behavior of the person involved and the actions the Marine can take to handle the situation. Martial Arts techniques make up the actions the Marine can take in levels three, four, and five.

CONTINUUM OF FORCE 1. Compliant (Cooperative): Verbal Commands 2. Resistant (Passive): Contact Controls 3. Resistant (Active): Compliance Techniques* 4. Assaultive (Bodily Harm): Defensive Tactics* 5. Assaultive (Serious Bodily Harm/Death): Deadly Force* * Martial Arts techniques

NEXT: Level One - Compliant subjects

Convocation Forum Thread here.

More lock bumping help

For a few days, most of my hits came from our lock bumping post (see it here). We recently got a comment that I felt deserved it's own post. Please check out www.lockbumping.org for some great information and links. I haven't checked all the links yet, but as I hear back will let you know. Please discuss at CoCA here.