The Martial Arts Thread

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As of last week, all the kids in the house are doing BJJ now, including the youngest at 3 years of age:shade:!

Of course, kids BJJ is more about grappling-related games and conditioning, with limited rolling, but that's fine by me. I can always teach them 10 001 ways to hurt or put to sleep their fellow human beings when they get older (and I'm sure they wouldn't misuse those, especially on each other:angel:).
Most of those also get easier if you're a better grappler:tongue:!

In unrelated news, I'm looking at the Mizzou Choke and Buggy Choke and laughing my ass out!
One of these is the explanation on how the Mizzou Choke was devised (or at least used recently, it's possibly a catch hold:thumbsup:). Putting people to sleep so fast the referee doesn't notice, so you could pin them, in a competition where choking is actually forbidden? That's a stroke of genius, I say...evil genius, but still:devil:!

And then the Buggy Choke, videolink here, is also a stroke of genius. Reportedly invented by a white belt who caught some higher-level belts with it...it's a reminder to remain humble regardless of rankings:grin:!
I can't confirm it, but have a strong suspicion it was devised by him simply wanting to triangle his opponents after they've secured side control. He seems like a guy that likes using a good triangle:skeleton:.
 
I know nothing about MMA but Warrior is good movie and this video is fun.

 
Yeah, and George Saint-Pierre, a.k.a. GSP, is widely considered one of the top contenders for MMA GOAT. That's the guy commenting on those movies:thumbsup:.

Now, if any of you wants to learn something new for free, I recommend getting The Pendejo Guard by Craig Jones while it's free (they say it's only going to be free for 3 days, though that just might be another of CJ's jokes...he is, after all, the guy wearing a "Fuck Craig Jones" t-shirt while interviewing another MMA legend, Kazushi Sakuraba, about his favourite techniques, and also the guy who named another of his instructionals "Mexican Ground Karate":shade:).

Moracai Moracai and Fenris-77 Fenris-77 should take special heed of this offer...though if you haven't registered for BJJ fanatics yet, use one of my links to also get a discount:grin:!
 
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Separately from this matter, there's three things that I enjoyed today:
First, Carlos Machado stating he likes "Lazy Jiu-Jitsu". What does that mean to him? "The more you flatten the guy, the less you need to move":shade:!

Second, a theory I'm developping is that people's styles are like animals: they attack those targets they are weakest on, themselves. True or not? I'm not sure yet:gunslinger:.

And the third is another of my theories* that I have to explore in more detail. But that's like a series of equations...just keep in mind equations can be read both left to right and right to left...
To get control, you need a strong controlling grip.
To successfully submit, you need control.
Therefore, submission grips are probably among the most stable grips for control, especially in the latest phase. What happens if we can apply the same gripping position that we useon on another part of the body? Do we get superior control? What if we switch it around?
If yes, I should really re-visit my old submissions...and see if I could use the final grips during the previous phase of rolling - fighting for control:evil:. (Amusing fact, I know loads of submissions, I was just working on setting them via striking...now I want to bypass the striking phase for practical reasons:tongue:).


*After Danaher himself seems to have confirmed my previous theory on the relationship of sweeps and throws, I just needed to formulate some new ones to explore:devil:!
 
No quotes for today, because Carlos Machado would take the spotlight yet again, and I feel like giving the spotlight to different people! Otherwise I could quote him for a long, long time...:clown:

I'll just note that he is quite probably the best teacher I've ever seen...whether in an instructional or IRL. Yes, I've been on one of his seminars, envy me:devil:!

I mean, where other people would show you a technique and go on, he shows you the principle of the technique, noting the main points in isolation, then shows you the technique from different angles, then stops and notes a few more details, then shows it from another angle. Then the next technique might well be the same move applied against a different action by the opponent.

Also of note, his butterfly guard moves seem designed to be used where striking is allowed (he usually controls the hands to begin with). And purely time-wise, he pays much more attention to getting the dominant position than to the submissions from there (I think there isn't a single submission in the first five DVDs of his "butterfly guard" instructional...and I'm getting a nagging suspicion the other three might be the same way, which would be nothing short of hilarious, though I doubt it:grin:).

OTOH, he teaches gripping, and more gripping, and grip variations, and uses the guillotine position for a grip ending in a sweep, and when trying one of his grips, I nearly dislocated the shoulder of the (voluntary) dummy. So I suspect I can see how to apply submissions from there, and would like to see more courses like this:angel:!
Also, I might start looking in the V-grip in more detail as a consequence of his course:shade:.

Yeah, I know, I should just watch more wrestling instructionals if I want this. I've got those as well, just finished Matt Lindland's set on Greco...but I'd like to see more BJJ-oriented instructionals which are simply concentrating on positions - and then you can cover the submissions in a different set:thumbsup:!
I guess I'm just being capricious, but the customer is always right, OK:tongue:?
 
I think I reached a huge breakout in my understanding of controlling tactics...shortly before I fell asleep...for nearly 14 hours, and now I remember nothing:devil:!

Today's practice was fun, though. I met Christian again, he's quickly becoming my favourite rolling partner. He's big (slightly smaller than me), stronger, tough and has a no-nonsense attitude without being mean.
I managed to sweep him once from Butterfly Guard in a single roll. He got out of my side control and to half guard so fast I wouldn't have got points for the position:grin:.
But whatever, that's still an achievement for me in my book (he tapped me out after this). Why?
Because I've never been taught that sweep offline. Learned it from Carlos Machado's instructional.
Despite us playing in no gi and the instructional being about the gi (though it doesn't really matter, I think the same moves would work great with changing the hip control to an overhook or underhook).
I mean, I tapped other guys today using a guillotine, a kimura, an americana (same thing, but I used one of each) and an arm triangle...but the one achievement I'm most proud with is that sweep:tongue:! I had strength, mass and experience on the other partners, so I expected nothing else.

BTW, I haven't been exactly shown the arm triangle or the guillotine either, at least not in the last 16 years...and I think the guillotine I haven't been shown, either, though I've used it before. But old habits obviously die hard, like old warriors (especially what you learn on a Gokor seminar:shade:)!
 
And it seems that Carlos Machado himself has uploaded one of his instructionals (that he's made when younger) on YouTube. Haven't watched it yet, but I think some of you might be interested.

...and don't forget to subscribe:shade:!
 
And just a week or so after I said I should look into V-Blocks further, Fanatic Wrestling puts on sale a video about "Secrets of the V-Block". Are these guys following my RPG forums:grin:?

Actually, that would have been kinda cool, though I don't think it's really the case:shade:. (But just in case, guys, your opinion on grappling in RPGs would be appreciated:devil:!)

Anyways, not much to add today, other than I'm continuing practicing my bottom game (easy to do by inviting people in your guard and saying you want to work on the guard). Didn't manage to get a win from the bottom today - I've never been much of a bottom player - but with the advice of a more experienced BJJ practitioner, I managed to stall the guy from passing my guard for a whole 2 minutes or so. Which I count as improvement:thumbsup:!

Also, I was lucky that last practice sessions focused on the Butterfly guard and the Guillotine (in conjunction and used for sweeps from butterfly). Which is exactly what I've been watching, after all! (I did watch half the Alexandre Vieira instructional on no-gi guillotines).
Though it seems some of my rolling partners have learned more about the guillotine already than I have. I have some catching up to do:skeleton:!


Last update, I promise: and as a result, my plan on the order in which to watch instructionals was shot to death...yet again:tongue:!
 
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Finished Alexandre Vieira's instructional on guillotines. Tried starting Neil Melanson's instructional on guillotines...and he started with "many guys haven't studied matwork so you can get away with murder". Then he clarified "people haven't learned nelsons" (and other wrestling moves).
So I'm now watching Jake Shannon's instructional on Nelson holds. Ain't it good having an extensive video library? It's not quite rivalling my RPG library, but it ain't that far, either:devil:!
(After that, Neil Melanson's guillotines it is going to be:shade:. I refuse to make further plans, but either cradles, arm triangles or more guardwork seem most likely).

I just wanted to mention that I like Jake Shannon's attitude, though. It can be summed up as "thank you for watching" and "these are the basics, now experiment", and "I hope to see more cradles in grappling competitions".
To be honest, so do I. I really love seeing styles cross-polinating and getting something better...and while it doesn't happen nearly that often in striking arts (I honestly hope to be proven wrong, but it seems strikers are more conservative for some reason...possibly because the penalty for being wrong hurts more:tongue:), it is a thing in grappling, especially with submission grappling attracting many former and current wrestlers, judoka and sambists.
Also, I notice more and more aikido guys getting into BJJ (possibly because it's the least injury-prone of all grappling styles that I know:angel:).
So BJJ is getting an influx of competent people with different proficiencies, and their game is getting evaluated against what the other guys have got. I really am looking forward to the future:grin:!
 
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Last night, I found a very curious comparison. I think I need to show it before I tell you about it, though...:shade:

So you're waiting for me to edit some pictures (because most of them have text that would influence your answers to the question I'm planning to ask you:thumbsup:).
 
I'm not done with the pictures/quiz, but I just want to share that obviously, martial arts demonstrations can be used for calming crying kids:shade:!
 
Not much to add today, other than the fact that I'm slowly starting to warm to the idea of using more kesa gatame. Maybe I should ask Fenris-77 Fenris-77 for some tips:thumbsup:!
 
Addendum to the above, still from today (in my timezone): Jake Shannon's highlights in the Nelson controls video:shade:.

The first is the amusing term "pinishers": moves that are pins and finishers in one. I just thought it's funny:grin:!

Once, in the 2002-2007 period, when "the Twister was all the rage", Jake showed it to a big-name catch wrestler (Karl Gotch, IIRC!) who was training him. The man answered with "why would you go all the way to China, when you can just go across the street?"
And I've been feeling increasingly like that man in the last decade. Except I'm sorry I didn't have anyone to tell it to me...or at least nobody I actually listened to (and no, whether anyone did or not, I'm not accusing anybody for my mistakes...except myself).

To clarify: Here's the Twister.
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As Eddie Bravo, the guy who popularised it in BJJ, has openly admitted himself, it's a wrestling move called "wrestler's guillotine" (or simple "guillotine"). But since "guillotine" is a very different move in BJJ, his teacher and classmates renamed it for him...:gunslinger:

I mean, he's said where it comes from in his book - as he puts it, it was one of the few moves he actually had down from training wrestling in high school (for a year or two). So he was looking for ways to use it, and to get an advantage...because of course you're doing that when you learn anything new!
But far more people have seen his footage than have read his book (or he'd have been a multi-millionnaire:tongue:).
So you can guess whether Jake Shannon's coach knew that move and considered it worth making a lot of noise over:devil:!


And another gem from Cheat Code Jiu Jitsu channel, when explaining a move that is partially a neck crank, and mentioning that "some IBJJF referees might call you on it".
"Honestly, I don't care what they think".
For some reason, that cracked me up:skeleton:.
 
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After a pause, the new update is that I went to Balefit:tongue:!

Me, not having an idea what it would be: "Does this come from Bhaal or what?"
Turned out it's fitness based on classical ballet exercises:grin:!

The big surprise, however: it was 90% similar to Chi Kung exercises. Make of that whatever you wish. Personally, I enjoyed that fact immensely and fully intend to tease some friends about who borrowed what from whom:devil:!

Verdict: I like it, are going to go again:thumbsup:!
 
Last night, I found a very curious comparison. I think I need to show it before I tell you about it, though...:shade:

So you're waiting for me to edit some pictures (because most of them have text that would influence your answers to the question I'm planning to ask you:thumbsup:).
And here is the picture I have to ask you for. As stated above, slight editing was in order (or it would have spoiled the surprise). Well, and I put them both on one picture because it was easier.

2.jpg

Now, guys, please look at the figures 3-5 on the upper level.

As you can see, the hand as depicted on 3 makes a semi-circle from a low line to position 4, right?
Now, if we were to take as a starting position the time when the hand is already almost raised, and then make the next picture when as depicted in both series of pictures...
Would you say it's a very similar movement of the hands:devil:? Separately, the lower body assumes a similar position from 4-5 (second picture below).

Personally, I'd say is quite evidently similar. But you might agree or disagree.

Also, bonus question, can you guess what style or styles are the two series of pictures from:tongue:?
 
OK it seems nobody was interested in my question. Moving on...:shade:

I got armbarred twice Monday night. Same guy, in the same roll, from the same position - he took my back both times. He was simply vastly more experienced in BJJ...about 12 times more experienced, as we calculated after the first attempt (5 years vs 5 months...well, excluding previous experience, but it's not really applicable during rolls:grin:).
So I applied the most important lesson Carlos Machado's instructional, and I asked him to give me another go while we have the time.
Said lesson is "be humble":thumbsup:.
Of course, it helped that the guy was humble as well, and really was making sure to avoid hurting anyone:angel:!
 
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Missed last practice due to the kids being sick, and now I'm going sick as well...and here I was !@#$ing hoping this update would be about something from the gym.
Ah well, then the update is going to be two-fold.
First, my Cepheus Close Combat optional system is nearly done...on paper:angel:. I refuse to commit to how long till I type it out, though!

Second, now I am watching Chris Haueter, one of the BJJ pioneers in the USA. What I'm taking out from it, however, is that there's a certain "style" of work that's popular with old-school guys (and I don't mean old school BJJ, but old school in general - my other examples would be Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming and a Bulgarian guy that you wouldn't have heard about...:grin:).
And, notably, this style involves lots of headbutts, including upwards and bodycheck headbutts, lots of tying up in a clinch and...curiously, a lot of techniques make it look like an internal style!
Funny, that:shade:.

Third and last, I'm building my own grappling dummy. I plan to paint its "face" as a Vargr, due to the issues I've got with a player in a Traveller game:devil:!
 
And as an extraordinary update, First Son just painted a work of art of the academy where he's training BJJ for over a month now:grin:!
Of course, he calls it just "training", because in his book all training is like this!
 
"‘Kuzushi’ is the art of breaking your opponent’s alignment and getting him off-balance before you attack." - Stephan Kesting
Not much of note here, other than the fact that some people seem to think breaking alignment and offbalancing to be two different acts. While I've always found they flow naturally into each other.
 
This was a pretty interesting video of a doctor going over the broken ribs from that kick by Andrew Koreshkov at Bellator 274:
 
There is a reason why I like hitting the body. Though not necessarily kicking, but chudan ushiro mawashi geri to the body is vicious indeed, even when not delivered as a counter...

Also, it was a favourite of the great Benny Urquidez, who had delivered it to the liver, with results as outlined in the video, since it's not forbidden in any striking combat sport that I know of:shade:.

BTW, is that the real name of the doctor, or a "stage name" for YouTube:devil:?
 
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There is a reason why I like hitting the body. Though not necessarily kicking, but chudan ushiro mawashi geri to the body is vicious indeed, even when not delivered as a counter...

Also, it was a favourite of the great Benny Urquidez, who had delivered it to the liver, with results as outlined in the video, since it's not forbidden in any striking combat sport that I know of:shade:.

BTW, is that the real name of the doctor, or a "stage name" for YouTube:devil:?

Spinning back kicks are extremely powerful if you land them as someone is moving towards you (especially if they are lunging in to attack). But they are hard to pull off. I got kicked in the neck the first time I tried on in a tournament. But over time it became a lot more natural. I would be pretty reluctant to use it in something like MMA or muay thai but was nice to see someone put a kick like that to use in an MMA context (though I feel bad for the guy with the broken ribs)
 
Spinning back kicks are extremely powerful if you land them as someone is moving towards you (especially if they are lunging in to attack). But they are hard to pull off. I got kicked in the neck the first time I tried on in a tournament. But over time it became a lot more natural. I would be pretty reluctant to use it in something like MMA or muay thai but was nice to see someone put a kick like that to use in an MMA context (though I feel bad for the guy with the broken ribs)
IME, spinning back kicks are best delivered as a counter. Starting with it is something I'd consider risky. But if you can start the turn as the opponent is starting his attack, and you've read it right...:thumbsup:

And it's always a balance of risk vs reward, isn't it? Different people are likely to accept different balance points, and even have different balance points for different things.
For some people, kicking at all is too risky. "What if you have to fight on ice, in heavy clothes?" (Most people presenting that objection don't live in Brazil, Hawaii or similarly hot places). "What if he catches your leg?"
For others, it's just high kicks (or high and middle kicks) due to the longer recovery time. Some of them would also point out (and sneer:devil:) that you're opening up the groin when kicking...:shade:
Of course, in MMA only the second and third of these four objections really apply, since there's no fighting on ice and no groin attacks are legal:grin:!

Curiously enough, some of those same people who object to kicks, can be seen happily using long, slow-recovering swings with the hands. Different balance points for different things. Just like I have different balance points for spinning back kicks as a counter, as part of a combo, and as an opening move.


And for today's grappling advice, courtesy of Chris Haueter: In terms of body positioning, mount is the same as the guard. My feet control his hips, and are free to move, his hips are not free to move.
That's like the most succinct way of explaining both the mount and the guard that I've heard!

But the guy still prefers taking the back. Why? If you're in mount and get sweeped, you've lost a dominant position for a neutral one. Knee ride and you get swept, you're in open guard now, so same thing. (He also mentioned that the same relationship exists between the knee ride and the open guard).

But if you're in back mount and he turns to be on top of you? Surprise, surprise, you've still got a dominant position!
Can't argue with his logic, really!
 
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IME, spinning back kicks are best delivered as a counter. Starting with it is something I'd consider risky. But if you can start the turn as the opponent is starting his attack, and you've read it right...:thumbsup:

I agree. In TKD it was one of my favorite kicks for that reason (there are lots of opportunities to use it, and because sport TKD round house kicks are often thrown lunging forward with full body weight, I found they got a lot of impact). We had chest protectors though so you didn't often see the kinds of injuries sustained by that guy in the video (you'd get knocked off your feet before you broke a rib wearing a chest protector). I was a lot more cautious though throwing them in Muay Thai, MMA or sanshou (largely because I had that experience of getting kicked in the neck and getting kicked with the kind of power kicks they throw in muay thai, if you are spinning around and landing, seemed like an unappealing outcome to me). I do agree though, as a counter they are best in that context too. I just think you want to be smart about how when you throw that kind of a kick (really any spinning kick). Sometimes I see fighters throwing them while they are chasing an opponent and that, just in my view, seems a bit reckless and a waste of energy to me (the spinning back kick gets so much more power if you use it when someone is moving into the kick----eespecially if they are moving explosively).
 
And it's always a balance of risk vs reward, isn't it? Different people are likely to accept different balance points, and even have different balance points for different things.
For some people, kicking at all is too risky. "What if you have to fight on ice, in heavy clothes?" (Most people presenting that objection don't live in Brazil, Hawaii or similarly hot places). "What if he catches your leg?"
For others, it's just high kicks (or high and middle kicks) due to the longer recovery time.

Absolutely agree it is about what risks you are comfortable with. And risk taking often makes for more exciting fights. I have no problem inside fighting bull dog style, and taking a hit to land a better one. And I am pretty comfortable throwing kicks (most of the styles I have done emphasized kicking in some way or another).

In terms of never throwing kicks because someone might catch your leg. That can happen, but if you look at Muay Thai, leg catching is part of the sport and there are ways to counter it or use it to your advantage (the first week I took muay thai I learned to pull my opponent in with my leg if they caught it under their arm and just start punching them in the head). I do think it is alarming though outside that context for some people to have their leg caught. I had a friend I did martial arts with who got in a fight outside an Ihop with a bunch of guys who were causing trouble. According to him, he was doing okay when he was using his hands, but the first kick he threw, the guy caught, and then started dragging him on the ground in a pretty humiliating way. My friend was pretty short, and I believe the guy he was fighting was quite tall, so that probably had a lot to do with it. But I would say that is probably something to be mindful of if you are thinking of using kicks in a self defense situation (I only really trained for sport and sparring so I can't say I have a lot of experience throwing kicks at people outside a gym).

I think kicks are all situational. In muay thai the school I went to taught us to use the punches as a distraction to set up a kick to the head. I have found that pretty effective (both doing that and being on the receiving end of it).

I just like kicks in general. I find them elegant and they are a lot of fun to train. However because I came from a TKD background, I realized I had to spend a lot of time developing my punches because that was a weakness for me when I transitioned to other styles for a bit (it was very difficult to uproot some of those deeply ingrained tendencies I had developed from TKD, and I learned to be more judicious in my kicking in order to fix that problem). But when I train these days (and mostly I just use the heavy bag in my yard). I train with my shoes on and in pretty regular clothing. You can kick just as well in shoes and pants (it might be a bit harder to land a spinning hook kick or something, but round house kicks, push kicks, front kicks, spinning back kicks, all work fine. I also found training with shoes helpful because I sometimes like doing very old school TKD kicks where you use the ball of your foot as the striking surface and that makes a lot of sense when you are wearing shoes.
 
I agree. In TKD it was one of my favorite kicks for that reason (there are lots of opportunities to use it, and because sport TKD round house kicks are often thrown lunging forward with full body weight, I found they got a lot of impact). We had chest protectors though so you didn't often see the kinds of injuries sustained by that guy in the video (you'd get knocked off your feet before you broke a rib wearing a chest protector). I was a lot more cautious though throwing them in Muay Thai, MMA or sanshou (largely because I had that experience of getting kicked in the neck and getting kicked with the kind of power kicks they throw in muay thai, if you are spinning around and landing, seemed like an unappealing outcome to me). I do agree though, as a counter they are best in that context too. I just think you want to be smart about how when you throw that kind of a kick (really any spinning kick). Sometimes I see fighters throwing them while they are chasing an opponent and that, just in my view, seems a bit reckless and a waste of energy to me (the spinning back kick gets so much more power if you use it when someone is moving into the kick----eespecially if they are moving explosively).
That's my analysis as well:thumbsup:.

Absolutely agree it is about what risks you are comfortable with. And risk taking often makes for more exciting fights. I have no problem inside fighting bull dog style, and taking a hit to land a better one. And I am pretty comfortable throwing kicks (most of the styles I have done emphasized kicking in some way or another).

In terms of never throwing kicks because someone might catch your leg. That can happen, but if you look at Muay Thai, leg catching is part of the sport and there are ways to counter it or use it to your advantage (the first week I took muay thai I learned to pull my opponent in with my leg if they caught it under their arm and just start punching them in the head).

Sure there are ways to mitigate! You can jump and spin with your other leg for a sweep or kicking him in the head (or legs, I've been shown a pretty brutal way to break the leg of someone who catches your leg). You can do what you said yourself. You can grab him by the neck and turn it into a clinch, then proceed as if your opponent had a single leg on you (including pulling guard from there). There's multiple options.
The only problem is, they all require timing and extra skills apart from kicking, and that on top of excellent kicking where kicking by itself isn't prone to make you prone at any moment...if it is, the moment you kick and your leg is caught, you're going to kiss the ground without the opponent even doing anything:devil:.
Many kickers just lack any other skills, and sometimes even their kicks aren't quite up to it, so...:shade:
OTOH, anything I said in my other post is still true if it's on a street. Let me tell you the most brutal counter to a held kick...I call it "snake bites off the peaches".
You'll notice you simply CAN'T use this in any sport.
Once you hold the kicking leg, snake your outside hand under the leg and pull the man so his hips are basically on top of your gut. Yes, that means you have to be lower. That also means your hand is now close to his privates.
Grab them and use the grip to lift him on your stomach, then either sweep his leg from under him, or push with your front him to elevate him before a throw. Either way, then you lift the leg, making him lean backwards, and throw him backwards. If you want to be real nasty about it, don't go down with him and don't release the grip after throwing. Just let him fall to the ground.
And now the kicker...that's not the most brutal counter out there. I'm abstaining from describing the real nasty stuff, but let's say it's supposed to make sure you are either maimed or dead:tongue:.
Yes, that stuff is also forbidden in MMA!

And yet, kicks are fully valid, including high kicks. Because if they land, it's often sleep time. So in the end, your choice what to use.
OTOH, boxing is a whole style that has basically decided the risk-reward ratio doesn't favour kicks. And it's also a legit choice in my book. Not my choice, but definitely legit! People who intend to just learn something for basic defense are generally better off with a couple years of boxing instead of, say, TKD.
In the end, it's less of a problem to omit kicks than to omit hands and/or grappling.

I do think it is alarming though outside that context for some people to have their leg caught. I had a friend I did martial arts with who got in a fight outside an Ihop with a bunch of guys who were causing trouble. According to him, he was doing okay when he was using his hands, but the first kick he threw, the guy caught, and then started dragging him on the ground in a pretty humiliating way. My friend was pretty short, and I believe the guy he was fighting was quite tall, so that probably had a lot to do with it. But I would say that is probably something to be mindful of if you are thinking of using kicks in a self defense situation (I only really trained for sport and sparring so I can't say I have a lot of experience throwing kicks at people outside a gym).
He's lucky the guy was just out to humiliate him, though. This same grip could have meant "broken kneecap".

I think kicks are all situational. In muay thai the school I went to taught us to use the punches as a distraction to set up a kick to the head. I have found that pretty effective (both doing that and being on the receiving end of it).
Definitely.
I just like kicks in general. I find them elegant and they are a lot of fun to train. However because I came from a TKD background, I realized I had to spend a lot of time developing my punches because that was a weakness for me when I transitioned to other styles for a bit (it was very difficult to uproot some of those deeply ingrained tendencies I had developed from TKD, and I learned to be more judicious in my kicking in order to fix that problem). But when I train these days (and mostly I just use the heavy bag in my yard). I train with my shoes on and in pretty regular clothing. You can kick just as well in shoes and pants (it might be a bit harder to land a spinning hook kick or something, but round house kicks, push kicks, front kicks, spinning back kicks, all work fine. I also found training with shoes helpful because I sometimes like doing very old school TKD kicks where you use the ball of your foot as the striking surface and that makes a lot of sense when you are wearing shoes.
Yeah, kicking in shoes is how I've usually trained it. And the ball of the foot suddenly becomes a knockout weapon, especially in heavy shoes - along with the heel.
(I like kicks as well, though I suck at them:grin:!)
 
And yet, kicks are fully valid, including high kicks. Because if they land, it's often sleep time. So in the end, your choice what to use.

High kicks I think are similar to spinning back kicks: you need to know what the risks and rewards are (and you really need to train them in live sparring so you have the muscle memory to land them well). I knew a guy who used to consistently knock out people at TKD tournaments (it just seemed like one tournament after another he managed to do that). Obviously that is a very different situation than most combat sports and certainly different from the street. But what I observed was his timing was perfect, he used feints to test people and see where they moved to, then landed the spinning kick when they moved where he had anticipated. So he fought like a game of chess, and was always thinking where he wanted the person to be and paying attention to their foot work. That is very hard to do of course, but if you practice it you can get really good. High kicks to the head with round houses I think are a lot easier though. As long as the person is dropping their guard a little, you can quickly drop someone if you land it right. And I have seen quite a few teeps and front kicks to the face land pretty well.
 
Yeah, kicking in shoes is how I've usually trained it. And the ball of the foot suddenly becomes a knockout weapon, especially in heavy shoes - along with the heel.
(I like kicks as well, though I suck at them:grin:!)

Kicks are like developing good punches. You need to watch kickers you admire and pay attention to their movement (ideally have a good instructor where you train if possible as well). For me they clicked when I started learning how to put my hip into it. That I think is the crucial difference between a real kick, and one that does nothing. It is a bit like being an arm puncher in boxing. If you just punch with your arm, you are not really boxing. You turn your body into the punch well, with torque. Kicks need that same rotation but it is at the hip. Obviously where your feet are, rising up on the ball of your foot, all that stuff is important too, but I think the hip is where a lot of people get stuck. Like a lot of things it boils down to practice, good instruction and good observation. I used to pay a lot of attention to the old timers at all the gyms I went to because they always seemed to have the most thorough explanations of that stuff (and they often had old school techniques that were valuable to learn, even if they weren't part of the program anymore)
 
He's lucky the guy was just out to humiliate him, though. This same grip could have meant "broken kneecap".

Yes. This was just a fight at a suburb outside an ihop, so I think the guys causing trouble were mostly harmless, just blowing steam. I didn't get the impression anyone was trying to cripple each other (in fact even though he was outnumbered they let him square off with the one guy who ended up dragging him). Again, I always kept everything in the gym, but when I have heard from people who had real altercations that were more life and death around here, people just seem to instantly use their numbers to overwhelm you, and it gets ugly very quickly. Most of the fights around where I live that I see (usually late at night when people are coming home from parties or clubs or during the day around the corner in closer to downtown when someone just decides to go crazy) end up with someone on the ground. The one my friend was involved in seemed more like a fight where people were all cool with each other after, even if their egos were little bruised.I try to steer clear of all that stuff
 
High kicks I think are similar to spinning back kicks: you need to know what the risks and rewards are (and you really need to train them in live sparring so you have the muscle memory to land them well). I knew a guy who used to consistently knock out people at TKD tournaments (it just seemed like one tournament after another he managed to do that). Obviously that is a very different situation than most combat sports and certainly different from the street. But what I observed was his timing was perfect, he used feints to test people and see where they moved to, then landed the spinning kick when they moved where he had anticipated. So he fought like a game of chess, and was always thinking where he wanted the person to be and paying attention to their foot work. That is very hard to do of course, but if you practice it you can get really good. High kicks to the head with round houses I think are a lot easier though. As long as the person is dropping their guard a little, you can quickly drop someone if you land it right. And I have seen quite a few teeps and front kicks to the face land pretty well.
And you can apply the same logic to any move or series of moves. Victor Avellan has developped his system based entirely off the kimura grip. You grapple with him, you know he's going to try a kimura...and you even know what else he's likely to try. But he uses the same logic: he's anticipating your reactions and restricting your options (no, he's not testing you with feints, but he knows that if he gets you to a kimura trap and has the grip, you're going to have exactly three options where to move).
So the point is, you must learn a series of moves that work well together and then map the possible reactions of the opponent...which, ideally, should lead you to another of your moves.
Your friend's high kicks, Tyson's punches and pressure, Avellan's kimura trap system, and the fencing system I've been taught all follow this logic:shade:.
 
High kicks I think are similar to spinning back kicks: you need to know what the risks and rewards are (and you really need to train them in live sparring so you have the muscle memory to land them well). I knew a guy who used to consistently knock out people at TKD tournaments (it just seemed like one tournament after another he managed to do that). Obviously that is a very different situation than most combat sports and certainly different from the street. But what I observed was his timing was perfect, he used feints to test people and see where they moved to, then landed the spinning kick when they moved where he had anticipated. So he fought like a game of chess, and was always thinking where he wanted the person to be and paying attention to their foot work. That is very hard to do of course, but if you practice it you can get really good. High kicks to the head with round houses I think are a lot easier though. As long as the person is dropping their guard a little, you can quickly drop someone if you land it right. And I have seen quite a few teeps and front kicks to the face land pretty well.
And you can apply the same logic to any move or series of moves. Victor Avellan has developped his system based entirely off the kimura grip. You grapple with him, you know he's going to try a kimura...and you even know what else he's likely to try. But he uses the same logic: he's anticipating your reactions and restricting your options (no, he's not testing you with feints, but he knows that if he gets you to a kimura trap and has the grip, you're going to have exactly three options where to move).
So the point is, you must learn a series of moves that work well together and then map the possible reactions of the opponent...which, ideally, should lead you to another of your moves.
Your friend's high kicks, Tyson's punches and pressure, Avellan's kimura trap system, and the fencing system I've been taught all follow this logic:devil:.


Kicks are like developing good punches. You need to watch kickers you admire and pay attention to their movement (ideally have a good instructor where you train if possible as well). For me they clicked when I started learning how to put my hip into it. That I think is the crucial difference between a real kick, and one that does nothing. It is a bit like being an arm puncher in boxing. If you just punch with your arm, you are not really boxing. You turn your body into the punch well, with torque. Kicks need that same rotation but it is at the hip. Obviously where your feet are, rising up on the ball of your foot, all that stuff is important too, but I think the hip is where a lot of people get stuck. Like a lot of things it boils down to practice, good instruction and good observation. I used to pay a lot of attention to the old timers at all the gyms I went to because they always seemed to have the most thorough explanations of that stuff (and they often had old school techniques that were valuable to learn, even if they weren't part of the program anymore)
I totally agree. But much as I like kicks, I've concluded that I don't have the practice time needed to get the Really Good Stuff, so I don't train them as much...they're a humble component of my personal Melee (unarmed)-0* skill, but not the most important one:grin:!
But all that you say is definitely true. The reason I like front kicks is that I have the easiest time getting the hip into them, actually...:tongue:


*Skill-0 in Cepheus means more or less that you don't get a penalty when rolling, which is actually the biggest improvement to your odds (from 8,333% for a normal person with no attribute bonus to literally 41,667%)...so I don't pretend to have much skill, but only that I'm avoiding most of the rookie mistakes:grin:!

Yes. This was just a fight at a suburb outside an ihop, so I think the guys causing trouble were mostly harmless, just blowing steam. I didn't get the impression anyone was trying to cripple each other (in fact even though he was outnumbered they let him square off with the one guy who ended up dragging him).
OK, then it was about blowing steam up. The reason I don't like engaging in those is that sometimes things escalate from there... and that I haven't been taught stuff that's appropriate for such situations. ("Snake rips off the peaches" should tell you what I've been taught).
Again, I always kept everything in the gym, but when I have heard from people who had real altercations that were more life and death around here, people just seem to instantly use their numbers to overwhelm you, and it gets ugly very quickly.
Totally true. But again, it might start as blowing up steam and as soon as their guy loses...:thumbsdown:
So maybe losing in this way was the best thing that could have happened:devil:.

Most of the fights around where I live that I see (usually late at night when people are coming home from parties or clubs or during the day around the corner in closer to downtown when someone just decides to go crazy) end up with someone on the ground. The one my friend was involved in seemed more like a fight where people were all cool with each other after, even if their egos were little bruised.
Yeah, that's most likely blowing up steam. Unless you mean "down and being kicked all over", which is how it tended to go when I was younger...
How popular are those kinds of fights where you live?


I try to steer clear of all that stuff
And you're completely right:thumbsup:!
 
High kicks I think are similar to spinning back kicks: you need to know what the risks and rewards are (and you really need to train them in live sparring so you have the muscle memory to land them well). I knew a guy who used to consistently knock out people at TKD tournaments (it just seemed like one tournament after another he managed to do that). Obviously that is a very different situation than most combat sports and certainly different from the street. But what I observed was his timing was perfect, he used feints to test people and see where they moved to, then landed the spinning kick when they moved where he had anticipated. So he fought like a game of chess, and was always thinking where he wanted the person to be and paying attention to their foot work. That is very hard to do of course, but if you practice it you can get really good. High kicks to the head with round houses I think are a lot easier though. As long as the person is dropping their guard a little, you can quickly drop someone if you land it right. And I have seen quite a few teeps and front kicks to the face land pretty well.
And you can apply the same logic to any move or series of moves. Victor Avellan has developped his system based entirely off the kimura grip. You grapple with him, you know he's going to try a kimura...and you even know what else he's likely to try. But he uses the same logic: he's anticipating your reactions and restricting your options (no, he's not testing you with feints, but he knows that if he gets you to a kimura trap and has the grip, you're going to have exactly three options where to move).
So the point is, you must learn a series of moves that work well together and then map the possible reactions of the opponent...which, ideally, should lead you to another of your moves.
Your friend's high kicks, Tyson's punches and pressure, Avellan's kimura trap system, and the fencing system I've been taught all follow this logic:devil:.


Kicks are like developing good punches. You need to watch kickers you admire and pay attention to their movement (ideally have a good instructor where you train if possible as well). For me they clicked when I started learning how to put my hip into it. That I think is the crucial difference between a real kick, and one that does nothing. It is a bit like being an arm puncher in boxing. If you just punch with your arm, you are not really boxing. You turn your body into the punch well, with torque. Kicks need that same rotation but it is at the hip. Obviously where your feet are, rising up on the ball of your foot, all that stuff is important too, but I think the hip is where a lot of people get stuck. Like a lot of things it boils down to practice, good instruction and good observation. I used to pay a lot of attention to the old timers at all the gyms I went to because they always seemed to have the most thorough explanations of that stuff (and they often had old school techniques that were valuable to learn, even if they weren't part of the program anymore)
I totally agree. But much as I like kicks, I've concluded that I don't have the practice time needed to get the Really Good Stuff, so I don't train them as much...they're a humble component of my personal Melee (unarmed)-0* skill, but not the most important one:grin:!
But all that you say is definitely true. The reason I like front kicks is that I have the easiest time getting the hip into them, actually...:tongue:


*Skill-0 in Cepheus means more or less that you don't get a penalty when rolling, which is actually the biggest improvement to your odds (from 8,333% for a normal person with no attribute bonus to literally 41,667%)...so I don't pretend to have much skill, but only that I'm avoiding most of the rookie mistakes:grin:!

Yes. This was just a fight at a suburb outside an ihop, so I think the guys causing trouble were mostly harmless, just blowing steam. I didn't get the impression anyone was trying to cripple each other (in fact even though he was outnumbered they let him square off with the one guy who ended up dragging him).
OK, then it was about blowing steam up. The reason I don't like engaging in those is that sometimes things escalate from there... and that I haven't been taught stuff that's appropriate for such situations. ("Snake rips off the peaches" should tell you what I've been taught).
Again, I always kept everything in the gym, but when I have heard from people who had real altercations that were more life and death around here, people just seem to instantly use their numbers to overwhelm you, and it gets ugly very quickly.
Totally true. But again, it might start as blowing up steam and as soon as their guy loses...:thumbsdown:
So maybe losing in this way was the best thing that could have happened:devil:.

Most of the fights around where I live that I see (usually late at night when people are coming home from parties or clubs or during the day around the corner in closer to downtown when someone just decides to go crazy) end up with someone on the ground. The one my friend was involved in seemed more like a fight where people were all cool with each other after, even if their egos were little bruised.
Yeah, that's most likely blowing up steam. Unless you mean "down and being kicked all over", which is how it tended to go when I was younger...
How popular are those kinds of fights where you live?


I try to steer clear of all that stuff
And you're completely right:thumbsup:!
 
High kicks I think are similar to spinning back kicks: you need to know what the risks and rewards are (and you really need to train them in live sparring so you have the muscle memory to land them well). I knew a guy who used to consistently knock out people at TKD tournaments (it just seemed like one tournament after another he managed to do that). Obviously that is a very different situation than most combat sports and certainly different from the street. But what I observed was his timing was perfect, he used feints to test people and see where they moved to, then landed the spinning kick when they moved where he had anticipated. So he fought like a game of chess, and was always thinking where he wanted the person to be and paying attention to their foot work. That is very hard to do of course, but if you practice it you can get really good. High kicks to the head with round houses I think are a lot easier though. As long as the person is dropping their guard a little, you can quickly drop someone if you land it right. And I have seen quite a few teeps and front kicks to the face land pretty well.
And you can apply the same logic to any move or series of moves. Victor Avellan has developped his system based entirely off the kimura grip. You grapple with him, you know he's going to try a kimura...and you even know what else he's likely to try. But he uses the same logic: he's anticipating your reactions and restricting your options (no, he's not testing you with feints, but he knows that if he gets you to a kimura trap and has the grip, you're going to have exactly three options where to move).
So the point is, you must learn a series of moves that work well together and then map the possible reactions of the opponent...which, ideally, should lead you to another of your moves.
Your friend's high kicks, Tyson's punches and pressure, Avellan's kimura trap system, and the fencing system I've been taught all follow this logic:devil:.


Kicks are like developing good punches. You need to watch kickers you admire and pay attention to their movement (ideally have a good instructor where you train if possible as well). For me they clicked when I started learning how to put my hip into it. That I think is the crucial difference between a real kick, and one that does nothing. It is a bit like being an arm puncher in boxing. If you just punch with your arm, you are not really boxing. You turn your body into the punch well, with torque. Kicks need that same rotation but it is at the hip. Obviously where your feet are, rising up on the ball of your foot, all that stuff is important too, but I think the hip is where a lot of people get stuck. Like a lot of things it boils down to practice, good instruction and good observation. I used to pay a lot of attention to the old timers at all the gyms I went to because they always seemed to have the most thorough explanations of that stuff (and they often had old school techniques that were valuable to learn, even if they weren't part of the program anymore)
I totally agree. But much as I like kicks, I've concluded that I don't have the practice time needed to get the Really Good Stuff, so I don't train them as much...they're a humble component of my personal Melee (unarmed)-0* skill, but not the most important one:grin:!
But all that you say is definitely true. The reason I like front kicks is that I have the easiest time getting the hip into them, actually...:tongue:


*Skill-0 in Cepheus means more or less that you don't get a penalty when rolling, which is actually the biggest improvement to your odds (from 8,333% for a normal person with no attribute bonus to literally 41,667%)...so I don't pretend to have much skill, but only that I'm avoiding most of the rookie mistakes:grin:!

Yes. This was just a fight at a suburb outside an ihop, so I think the guys causing trouble were mostly harmless, just blowing steam. I didn't get the impression anyone was trying to cripple each other (in fact even though he was outnumbered they let him square off with the one guy who ended up dragging him).
OK, then it was about blowing steam up. The reason I don't like engaging in those is that sometimes things escalate from there... and that I haven't been taught stuff that's appropriate for such situations. ("Snake rips off the peaches" should tell you what I've been taught).
Again, I always kept everything in the gym, but when I have heard from people who had real altercations that were more life and death around here, people just seem to instantly use their numbers to overwhelm you, and it gets ugly very quickly.
Totally true. But again, it might start as blowing up steam and as soon as their guy loses...:thumbsdown:
So maybe losing in this way was the best thing that could have happened:devil:.

Most of the fights around where I live that I see (usually late at night when people are coming home from parties or clubs or during the day around the corner in closer to downtown when someone just decides to go crazy) end up with someone on the ground. The one my friend was involved in seemed more like a fight where people were all cool with each other after, even if their egos were little bruised.
Yeah, that's most likely blowing up steam. Unless you mean "down and being kicked all over", which is how it tended to go when I was younger...
How popular are those kinds of fights where you live?


I try to steer clear of all that stuff
And you're completely right:thumbsup:!
 
Yeah, that's most likely blowing up steam. Unless you mean "down and being kicked all over", which is how it tended to go when I was younger...
How popular are those kinds of fights where you live?

It varies a lot. But I live in a bad neighborhood, so it isn't smart to pick fights with people because it could be just blowing up steam or it could become more serious. Most of the late night fights I see are the former, but still people get hurt in them (getting knocked out on concrete isn't the safest thing in the world). But I just see them because I hear fights outside my house sometime on the weekends when people are walking home from clubs or parties. And I am just seeing that through my window. But we have also had plenty of shootings and stabbings (though to be honest those usually seem more gang related and targeted, rather than drunken party related). And I have witnessed some really violent altercations downtown around the corner from my house (but those incidents seemed more like a crime was going on, not two people just having a spat that got out of hand). However, we had a friend of the family who got into a shouting match with some young guys who were messing around outside his worksite, and they ended up beating him to death with a 2-by-4. So you never really know who you are dealing with, what they are capable of, and who they are connected to. Where my friend was, is a much different area though and it is the kind of place where people get might get into bar fights, but I never hear of it escalating past punching and kicking.
 
It varies a lot. But I live in a bad neighborhood, so it isn't smart to pick fights with people because it could be just blowing up steam or it could become more serious. Most of the late night fights I see are the former, but still people get hurt in them (getting knocked out on concrete isn't the safest thing in the world). But I just see them because I hear fights outside my house sometime on the weekends when people are walking home from clubs or parties. And I am just seeing that through my window. But we have also had plenty of shootings and stabbings (though to be honest those usually seem more gang related and targeted, rather than drunken party related). And I have witnessed some really violent altercations downtown around the corner from my house (but those incidents seemed more like a crime was going on, not two people just having a spat that got out of hand). However, we had a friend of the family who got into a shouting match with some young guys who were messing around outside his worksite, and they ended up beating him to death with a 2-by-4. So you never really know who you are dealing with, what they are capable of, and who they are connected to. Where my friend was, is a much different area though and it is the kind of place where people get might get into bar fights, but I never hear of it escalating past punching and kicking.
Sorry for your friend:shade:!

And yeah, sounds like a bad place, but I've seen such around here as well (amusingly, there were/are spots in prime locations where due to the high number of night clubs the drunken fights were as you describe:grin:).
How often do you get shootings, though? Around here, those are virtually unheard of and usually get in the news, even if it was an accidental discharge, but I get that in the USA it's probably quite different:thumbsup:.
 
drunken fights were as you describe:grin:).
How often do you get shootings, though? Around here, those are virtually unheard of and usually get in the news, even if it was an accidental discharge, but I get that in the USA it's probably quite different:thumbsup:.

I don't know what the actual numbers are for my city, but I hear about shootings periodically. I think the reputation of my city is much worse than the reality. In the past several years, near my house, I read about two people who were shot in their homes from stray gunfire, and I remember an incident about a year or two ago, when five people were shot around the corner. It mainly seems to be gang related. And pretty recently someone was shot in a deli parking lot. The city itself isn't too bad, but it does depend on where you live. I just happen to live where things seem to happen a bit more. Places like Chelsea or Everett (which are pretty close to me) have much worse crime stats.
 
In other news, I'm close to catching up with my Instructionals-Watching Schedule Prana (an Exalted Charm name* if I've ever heard one:tongue:)!

Mind you, that doesn't mean "having watched all my instructionals". It means "I'm not too far from finishing those I wanted to watch in January"...:devil:

And speaking of instructionals (which I watch all the time when I'm sick), the Gracie's 32 Principles are now being sold on BJJ Fanatics. I wanted to buy them...but they're selling them for $320 - which could drop to 240 due to the current sale, but that's it. It seems they've blocked the use of other discount codes for the time being...or I could have dropped it to below $200 with a -40% code:shock:.
It matters, because if I were able to use my discount, I'd have bought it. But as it stands, it's outside of my acceptable range for a single purchase, pure and simple...:sad:


*Probably a Lore or War charm? Hmm, I wonder what it should be doing:grin:!
 
And here is the picture I have to ask you for. As stated above, slight editing was in order (or it would have spoiled the surprise). Well, and I put them both on one picture because it was easier.

View attachment 42006

Now, guys, please look at the figures 3-5 on the upper level.

As you can see, the hand as depicted on 3 makes a semi-circle from a low line to position 4, right?
Now, if we were to take as a starting position the time when the hand is already almost raised, and then make the next picture when as depicted in both series of pictures...
Would you say it's a very similar movement of the hands:devil:? Separately, the lower body assumes a similar position from 4-5 (second picture below).

Personally, I'd say is quite evidently similar. But you might agree or disagree.

Also, bonus question, can you guess what style or styles are the two series of pictures from:tongue:?
As my instructor keeps saying '2 arms, 2 legs, only so many moves'.

My guess would be Tai Chi and Classic wrestling :smile:
 
As my instructor keeps saying '2 arms, 2 legs, only so many moves'.

My guess would be Tai Chi and Classic wrestling :smile:
Ding! We have a winner! Half of a correct answer is way better than nothing!
You're right on the Classic wrestling part, the other one is from Ba Ji Quan, though. And the move is usually explained as "you move forward to spear with an elbow"...

But the thing is, the moves in classical martial arts usually have more than one use. So it might well have started as a way to get the back...something really popular in all kinds of wrestling. And the Manchurians, which were ruling China when Ba Ji was used for training the Imperial Guards, were very good wrestlers:shade:.


And I've got a translation of a Chinese wrestling book (Shuai Jiao) which begins by listing the postures. They're the exact same postures you'd find in kung-fu. "Bow and arrow", "rider step*", and so on...
The text explains it in passing as "those are the positions of the legs that were seen as making it hardest for the opponent to get out of a bad position once the wrestler manages to put him in it, and from there they got into wushu":devil:.

So, bottom line, this is another indication - not proof, we can't find proof one way or another - that the traditional arts were based on weapons and grappling, which is basically a necessity when you're using weapons anyway. But if you want proof...see China-made martial arts movies made before Bruce Lee! Swords, other weapons and more swords...
Based on all of the above, I suspect that the Chinese arts - back when they were seeing regular use - were a lot more like Philippino ones (arnis, kali and panantukan) - which are also based on weapons, strikes emulating the weapons to a large degree, and the kind of grappling that you need anyway in order to use the weapons.
Internal energy is going to be covered on another day:grin:!

*"Stance" is a mistranslation of "step".
 
I was thinking today...always a dangerous activity, that:thumbsup:!
Anyway, I was thinking about my own footnote above:
"Stance" is a mistranslation of "step".
And "step" is literally what "bu/pu" means. It's "ma_bu", meaning "horse step", not horse stance, for crying out loud!
But, as the name shows, you're not meant to hold it for long periods* of time! It's a still picture taken out of your continuous movement - but you must keep moving at all times, from one "step" to the next, or mabu to gunbu**, and so on. Just like walking.

For some reason, though, people*** have a tendency of thinking about these "stills" as something that you do for extended periods of time.
Just as people have the tendency of thinking of "sticky hands" as something you do for extended periods of time. (You don't, you do it just a bit to get an advantageous position and then you keep striking).
Just as people think of positions in ground fighting as something that you hold for a long time. But in practice, you get those, and unless you're really good, you must already be moving towards the submission or improving the position to a better one. Pinning an opponent is not a simple thing to do! (In fact, Neil Melanson mentioned in one of his instructional videos that what people call "stalling" is actually an art and an opponent that can keep him in place long enough to recover is a very dangerous one indeed).
Granted, that doesn't mean "hurrying to get the submission before properly securing the position", either. It means once you get there and get the grips, you should maybe stop the opponent's first attempt to escape, and then start applying the finish...
In short, "hurrying has no place in the strategy of the long sword", as Musashi Myamoto said long ago. But similarly, trying to draw things out has no place in the strategy at all!


*Except when using it for exercise, but that's like holding a plank. You don't think a plank is useless because a front press requires you to alternate between the plank position and the position with your body close to the ground, right?
**This particular move would probably be something like "having grabbed the opponent, pull with a backstep (that's the mabu), while he's out of balance, release and give him a rear straight".
***I'm also guilty of it, just in case anyone was in doubt. I'm not criticizing you, I'm criticizing myself:shade:.


Oh, and also, I just realized that I've done a really good deal by getting Marcelo Garcia's Butterfly guard from fansdecombat site.
Why? Because it's usually $127 on BJJFanatics. But it's only EU77 on fansdecombat, and it was on promotion for EU 30,80...
And I applied a coupon on top of that, so the price became really suitable for a poor Bulgarian practitioner:devil:! (Granted, it also requires the Bulgarian in question to speak French fluently, but I satisfy this condition as well).
Well, this means I could compare Marcelo Garcia and Carlos Machado's curriculum (I've got their butterfly guards instructionals). Now I'm curious which one is better. You know to expect updates, right:grin:?
 
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