BJJ Instructor Saves Police Officer During Assault (Video)

Another story of a martial artist being the good guy!

Via the San Francisco Examiner:

A San Francisco cop enduring a pummeling from a “crazed” Muni fare evader Wednesday was fortunate that the attack happened outside a martial arts academy.

Hero jiu-jitsu instructor Pedro Arrigoni came to the cop’s rescue, putting the suspect into a choke hold and forcing him into submission at around 1 p.m., police said.

The 24-year-old Portola resident said he had just finished teaching a class at the AB Mixed Martial Arts Academy at 2975 San Bruno Ave. when he saw the suspect had mounted the cop after unleashing a flurry of punches.

Watch the video. [Warning! Graphic content.]

UFC Competitor Fights Crime

We see so many examples of bad press that MMA fighters get, so it’s time to give some well-deserved kudos, too.

Via MMATorch.com:

Jon Jones, trainers halt robber in New Jersey hours before UFC 128 title fight

Hours before the biggest fight in his young mixed martial arts career, Jon "Bones" Jones and his trainers Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn subdued a robber in northern New Jersey.

The three were en route to a waterfall to meditate when they noticed a man breaking into a car and stealing items from the vehicle. They yelled at the man and he took off running, and all three ran after him. Jones caught up to him first, and according to Jackson in comments made to Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, Jones "foot swept" the man to get him to the ground.

A great story of either a bad guy being in the wrong place at the right time, or of some heroics from an unlikely source: the much-maligned MMA fighter! Watch this interview:

Jon Jones, trainers halt robber in New Jersey hours before UFC 128 title fight

Some observations here, in no particular order:

1. These guys didn’t beat the hell out of the suspect, but used appropriate force to detain him – not your stereotype of MMA.
2. They had the conditioning to chase down the bad guy, probably far more than the larcenist had.
3. It could have gone down differently if the guy was armed (always a risk), and we should all consider it when deciding to intervene in a crime in progress. There is always the risk of injury, death, or damages via lawsuit, so be careful. Personally, if there’s a rape or assault and battery in progress, I’m going to probably jump in there and take my chances, but a property crime is less likely to get me in there. You make your own call. That said, we should always be glad that someone’s willing to stick his neck out for others.
4. What??? “The three were en route to a waterfall to meditate…” Uh, are you sure these were mixed martial arts guys? Breaks the stereotype in half, at least, doesn’t it?
5. I have participated in debates about MMA, and one of the knocks on it has consistently been that MMA fighters are undisciplined thugs (OK, no one ever went that far, but it’s an exaggeration only by a little), and have no respect for the arts which make up their “mix.” My argument is that, yes, there is a fair amount of dorkish/caddish/loutish behavior in MMA, but I have seen the same in “traditional” martial arts tournaments, and that will definitely take place anytime you are talking about competition at a high level, especially when hundreds of thousand of dollars are at stake. How could we expect MMA to be different? It’s a sport.
6. We have also discussed (in the martial arts blogging community) the efficacy of MMA in self defense situations, as opposed to traditional arts, and this should be included in those discussions. In the story, all of the skills that a good police officer should use were employed, takedown, nullification of striking, then restraint. Those skills, along with the incredible conditioning that all combat athletes have, plus the striking skills will make any MMA fighter a force to be reckoned with in a self-defense situation. Add to that mix that MMA fighters are used to falling, getting hit, and reversing position from any grappling range, and you have a formidable self-defense package.

Agree? Disagree? Please comment, or join us at our TDA Facebook Page to discuss.

Technorati Tags: Jon "Bones" Jones,Greg Jackson,Mike Winkeljohn,MMA,UFC,UFC128,robber,Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

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Everything works… sometime

A nice find at MMAConvert, a one-kick knockout with a spinning head kick.

There’s been a debate for as long as martial artists get together and trash talk or speculate, as to whether high kicks are effective or a waste of time, or just dangerous to use. My take has been that we need to learn as much as we can, and prepare for as much as we can.

The facts are that this move is rarely seen in MMA, or fights, because it’s a classic, risky, low-percentage technique. The payoff can be high, but so can the costs if you miss. Should you use it? Not if it’s expected.

One final point, the reason it worked was because it was set up with what appears to be a leg kick feint, which drew the guard of the opponent down, creating a perfect head kick opening. You’d be best to plan to emulate that idea – set up your surprise with a good lead, fake, or feint.

What do you think? What are some other examples of high-payoff, but high-risk moves for self-defense or sport?

The “12-6” elbow defeats the cover-up in the mount

In my recent post, Self-Defense lessons learned from The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, I mentioned several techniques that were not allowed in MMA because, well, they work too well! Well I was so excited (and sleepy) when I neglected to mention the one that works “too well” versus someone who covers up versus strikes when under a top mounted opponent. As in this example to your left… [Photo via Bulldog Martial Arts Academy]

So what you’re seeing on the left is a sport-type cover-up to protect against blows raining down from a mounted striker, where the goal is to use your elbows, forearms, and head movement to deflect, block, and evade the strikes raining down. The technique is effective, as such, until you introduce looping punches from the outside (like wide hooks), or, drive through with a blunt weapon, the deadly 12 to 6 (in the old days, a couple of days ago, I called it a downward elbow, but never let it be said that I can’t learn a new trick despite my old dog status!).

The combat oriented attacker may try the “illegal” method illustrated to the right. The problem for the bottom man is that all of the weight of the top man is driving down at the point of his elbow. There’s no way that he can prevent the elbow from driving through or between his guarding forearms.

The real lesson? Don’t get like this outside an Octagon!

For more information:

If it's against the rules, then it must work!
Practicality in Training
Practical Hand Techniques

MMA for the Street: Smith vs. Yoshida

This is the first in a series of MMA video clips which I will break down from a "street" perspective, since I am so "street." Ok, despite my lack of "street cred," I will still break them down for your edification.

The first one is this Maurice Smith vs. Hidehiko Yoshida clip. For background, Maurice Smith is one of the best heavyweight kickboxing fighters of all time. He's a striker who went from WKA to K-1, then to MMA. Having defeated both Marco Ruas and Mark Coleman, he's no slouch. His opponent in the white gi, was a world-class Judo-ka. In fact, Mr. Yoshida won a gold medal in the '92 games.

Stage set?

Watch it first before reading the analysis.

Have you seen it? Yes? Ok then, let's talk about this one.

Tactically, Smith was pretty sound, trying to stay away and strike versus a superior grappler. For a while... The advantage in the clinch and on the ground would obviously belong to the Judo man, so Yoshida nullified or defended the striking well, then closed and took the bigger man to the ground. Well, Yoshida did that.

From a self-defense perspective, Smith nearly did what he should have done from the position he was in (Kesa Gatame or the scarf position) - gouge the eyes. If he had actually done it, and quickly, it may have caused Yoshida to release the hold. As it was, he was prevented from doing so by the rules.

Any other ideas?

H/T: mma-fight-video.com