The eternal question: Part II
Thu, Dec 22 2011 10:48
| MMA, bjj, martial arts, muay thai, www.amaclub.org.uk, EWTO, martial arts Altrincham, Bruce Lee, kickboxing, self defence
| Permalink
Yesterday I wrote about the eternal dilemma of your martial arts “working” – a topic as grand and broad as this deserves more than a simple post. Those of you who read part one will know my views on the art being only a small part of the equation. Today I want to talk about the pitfalls and the benefits of cross-training.
Cross-training doesn’t refer to the gym machine of the same name but actually training in different arts, styles and more importantly ranges. Wing Tsun’s most famous son is undoubtedly Bruce Lee. Lee was famous for many things but his most appealing influence was his approach to breaking down barriers. Cultural and stylistically he did his best to ask questions and answer them. This was an admirable and brave decision given the cultural context of studying martial arts in 1970s Hong Kong.
Martial arts are riddled with egos, paranoia and mistrust towards not just other arts but other lineages within their own art. It is a sad, but somewhat understandable frailty of human nature.
Myself, having trained with various masters in different arts I like to think I’ve never shied away from facing up to the limitations of what I know and what I can do. Lead by my interests I have always complimented my Wing Tsun base with striking arts such as Muay Thai and Kickboxing – partly due to my physique being suited to them, partly because I simply really enjoy the contrast of pad-work and exercise with the methodical approach of WT, and partly because I wanted to see what these “simpler” arts have and do not have.
The answers were always enlightening. With a ‘white belt’ mentality I always try to approach a new training environment as best I can. I recommend this approach where possible. Throw away all you “know” whilst training and reassemble the pieces later in your own time. The big fear for people is that no longer being the top dog or even someone of average proficiency in the room can destroy all confidence. Being wailed on by guys with less overall experience but many more hours in your new art is a hurdle you must jump if you want to take away more than just bruises and worry.
I am always very impressed when a new recruit joins AMAC with this attitude, especially if they stay for any length of time. Therefore I try to embody this myself. But with this in mind what can another art be of benefit does it not simply distract and detract from time put in perfecting your primary skill set?
Yes and no.
For me it’s about satisfying my own curiosity. How can I as a teacher talk about other arts having never stepped into their world? I’ve seen it done suddenly often and respect for those martial artists is hard to come by. Secondly how can I say with any confidence that WT’s way is better? By training other things it helps me think about gaps in my own knowledge, faults in my own technique and lastly developing a greater understanding of my own body and how I use it.
This is crucial to the ideas I discussed in part one. The art I have studied changes as time goes by not just in content but in difficulty level too. Sometimes it gets harder, sometimes easier, by constantly appraising how effectively I can move and can learn new techniques allows me to use this knowledge when assessing whether my tan sau is as effective as it should be – it allows me to draw on a greater depth of knowledge knowing that other arts differ or concur with our way of thinking in WT.
This is important when trying new things out. Competition in martial sport springs immediately to mind. WT is well known for not fostering a culture or interest in competing. This is obviously down to the style and concepts behind WT being about disarming and maiming an assailant running at odds with the rules and nature of a sporting bout. While the MMA revolution may have made household names of various fighters and previously “unknown arts” such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and woke martial artists up to the possibilities and the panic of the ground game.
Even when I began training WT years ago the idea of fighting on the floor was snorted at derisively more often than not. Now it’s seen as an essential element for everyone. When one thinks about self defence though, the idea of rolling on concrete in the early hours of the morning as part of a self defence scenario seems somewhat ridiculous as well as dangerous. This is the main problem which causes so much angst.
Training should always be fit for purpose, if it doesn’t work, throw it away. If your experience and expectations are one of solely self defence, being king/queen of the triangles and chokes should be fairly way down the list. If like me you just love getting sweaty and up close and personal, they can become a fun and interesting exercise in the “what if” syndrome – mortal enemy of the “I don’t need” disease mentioned in part one.
People like to train in their comfort zone and as someone who loves and feel comfortable as a “striker” kicking and punching opponents until I can swarm all over them is my MO I feel the need to confess I don’t like the floor. It’s good for standing on and handy for bouncing other people off, but being down there isn’t for someone with long skinny monkey limbs like me. That’s why when the opportunity arises I get down there as quick and for as long as I can.
I know I can punch and kick – improving those is a simple case of reps now. I know my chi sau needs work, so I roll as much as I can. I know my form is always in need of polishing so I do that in my own time. But when there is floor space and a willing partner, ground-fighting is top of my list, because it’s still a whole new world to me.
So the next part of answering the eternal question is to ask you another one: what am I scared of doing in the training room? Go ahead and answer it in 2012.
Cross-training doesn’t refer to the gym machine of the same name but actually training in different arts, styles and more importantly ranges. Wing Tsun’s most famous son is undoubtedly Bruce Lee. Lee was famous for many things but his most appealing influence was his approach to breaking down barriers. Cultural and stylistically he did his best to ask questions and answer them. This was an admirable and brave decision given the cultural context of studying martial arts in 1970s Hong Kong.
Martial arts are riddled with egos, paranoia and mistrust towards not just other arts but other lineages within their own art. It is a sad, but somewhat understandable frailty of human nature.
Myself, having trained with various masters in different arts I like to think I’ve never shied away from facing up to the limitations of what I know and what I can do. Lead by my interests I have always complimented my Wing Tsun base with striking arts such as Muay Thai and Kickboxing – partly due to my physique being suited to them, partly because I simply really enjoy the contrast of pad-work and exercise with the methodical approach of WT, and partly because I wanted to see what these “simpler” arts have and do not have.
The answers were always enlightening. With a ‘white belt’ mentality I always try to approach a new training environment as best I can. I recommend this approach where possible. Throw away all you “know” whilst training and reassemble the pieces later in your own time. The big fear for people is that no longer being the top dog or even someone of average proficiency in the room can destroy all confidence. Being wailed on by guys with less overall experience but many more hours in your new art is a hurdle you must jump if you want to take away more than just bruises and worry.
I am always very impressed when a new recruit joins AMAC with this attitude, especially if they stay for any length of time. Therefore I try to embody this myself. But with this in mind what can another art be of benefit does it not simply distract and detract from time put in perfecting your primary skill set?
Yes and no.
For me it’s about satisfying my own curiosity. How can I as a teacher talk about other arts having never stepped into their world? I’ve seen it done suddenly often and respect for those martial artists is hard to come by. Secondly how can I say with any confidence that WT’s way is better? By training other things it helps me think about gaps in my own knowledge, faults in my own technique and lastly developing a greater understanding of my own body and how I use it.
This is crucial to the ideas I discussed in part one. The art I have studied changes as time goes by not just in content but in difficulty level too. Sometimes it gets harder, sometimes easier, by constantly appraising how effectively I can move and can learn new techniques allows me to use this knowledge when assessing whether my tan sau is as effective as it should be – it allows me to draw on a greater depth of knowledge knowing that other arts differ or concur with our way of thinking in WT.
This is important when trying new things out. Competition in martial sport springs immediately to mind. WT is well known for not fostering a culture or interest in competing. This is obviously down to the style and concepts behind WT being about disarming and maiming an assailant running at odds with the rules and nature of a sporting bout. While the MMA revolution may have made household names of various fighters and previously “unknown arts” such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and woke martial artists up to the possibilities and the panic of the ground game.
Even when I began training WT years ago the idea of fighting on the floor was snorted at derisively more often than not. Now it’s seen as an essential element for everyone. When one thinks about self defence though, the idea of rolling on concrete in the early hours of the morning as part of a self defence scenario seems somewhat ridiculous as well as dangerous. This is the main problem which causes so much angst.
Training should always be fit for purpose, if it doesn’t work, throw it away. If your experience and expectations are one of solely self defence, being king/queen of the triangles and chokes should be fairly way down the list. If like me you just love getting sweaty and up close and personal, they can become a fun and interesting exercise in the “what if” syndrome – mortal enemy of the “I don’t need” disease mentioned in part one.
People like to train in their comfort zone and as someone who loves and feel comfortable as a “striker” kicking and punching opponents until I can swarm all over them is my MO I feel the need to confess I don’t like the floor. It’s good for standing on and handy for bouncing other people off, but being down there isn’t for someone with long skinny monkey limbs like me. That’s why when the opportunity arises I get down there as quick and for as long as I can.
I know I can punch and kick – improving those is a simple case of reps now. I know my chi sau needs work, so I roll as much as I can. I know my form is always in need of polishing so I do that in my own time. But when there is floor space and a willing partner, ground-fighting is top of my list, because it’s still a whole new world to me.
So the next part of answering the eternal question is to ask you another one: what am I scared of doing in the training room? Go ahead and answer it in 2012.
Should it hurt like that?
Sun, Oct 10 2010 12:46
| injuries, martial arts, cardio, boxing, form, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, stretching, kickboxing
| Permalink
I was going to start this blog by saying that nothing you do in martial arts should hurt -but that's patently rubbish. It's not even true to say that nothing you do in martial arts should hurt you. Stretching being a pertinent case in point personally speaking. Hard clay-like muscles and tendons aside I was not graced with qualities such as stopping because something hurts a bit. I've finished sessions covered in blood, sweat and snot and usually most of it isn't someone else's.
When I first started to train really hard I went through a phase of presuming if it didn't leave me broken in some way I was wussing out or doing it wrong. Perhaps not the sensible or smart way to approach things. I'll happily admit that deep down as much as I relish getting hit I don't relish getting hit directly in the face when I could have prevented it. There's a fuzzy distinction to be drawn. Similarly I don't mind the aches and the pains of training; DOMS from hitting weights, or stiff burnt out calves from cardio, the scabs from split lips or busted knuckles are all things I can live with. Where it starts to become a problem is when you pull (or even worse) tear that muscle you didn't need to. Injuries are something I've made quite a habit of and to be honest I wish I'd taken other people's advice more. There's nothing worse than missing training because you've been an idiot. It does you no good and to be honest no one gives a crap that you're bandaged up because you did something preventable.
Stretching is commonplace for most kicking arts and boxers, wrestlers any athlete really but in Wing Tsun it seems deemed as contemptible and “unnecessary” by many practitioners. I generalise of course but out of all the teachers I've come into contact few pay more than lip service to it. I understand their position. We place very little impact and strain on our joints compared to most arts. The problem is that the stress is rather more gradual and often it is forgotten by us teaching.
When our students first learn IRAS stance and practice form, hand-shapes and even stepping we often seem to be confused if not dismissive of their “should my knees hurt?” type questions. I'd say at least 75% ask and the other 25% suffer in silence out of embarrassment or the misplaced assumptions I had early on. Often when we see things for the first time we put our all into them. This often means we exert extra and unnecessary muscular force into things like punching and our stance. This muscular tension can be rather dangerous particularly when one is still trying to learn correct technique. Forcing your muscles into any position is going to be a wing and prayer type scenario if you are stubborn enough to forgo comfort in search of excellence.
IRAS is particularly dangerous the odd and new angles asked our knees and ankles can often lead to people “limboing” as they push their knees down and forward over their toes into an uncomfortable and dangerous position. The basic rule if there is pain whether immediate or accrued over time is to stop and say “what's going on?”. Perform the move as you normally would and look in the mirror see if there are any obvious defects with your alignment. Ask yourself how “tight” do the muscles and joints feel. People forget or do not know just how “soft” WT is and therefore exertion is not always needed. When learning especially good technique done “softly” is often much better. It is easy to build up power or speed in your movements. It is hard to undo them to replace technique afterwards I find.
Most importantly of all -ask. Pull your teacher to one side or find a senior student and get them to check out anything that is causing particular concern or discomfort. The answer is usually quite simple and the smallest tweak or adjustment can work wonders. I've had people email me and calling it a day saying that WT is wrecking their bodies. A fair comment if you add in the caveat that their interpretation of WT is wrecking their body at the moment. We can't blame the art it's intangible – we can look at ourselves in that mirror literally and figuratively before pointing fingers. Preferably non arthritic fingers at that.
When I first started to train really hard I went through a phase of presuming if it didn't leave me broken in some way I was wussing out or doing it wrong. Perhaps not the sensible or smart way to approach things. I'll happily admit that deep down as much as I relish getting hit I don't relish getting hit directly in the face when I could have prevented it. There's a fuzzy distinction to be drawn. Similarly I don't mind the aches and the pains of training; DOMS from hitting weights, or stiff burnt out calves from cardio, the scabs from split lips or busted knuckles are all things I can live with. Where it starts to become a problem is when you pull (or even worse) tear that muscle you didn't need to. Injuries are something I've made quite a habit of and to be honest I wish I'd taken other people's advice more. There's nothing worse than missing training because you've been an idiot. It does you no good and to be honest no one gives a crap that you're bandaged up because you did something preventable.
Stretching is commonplace for most kicking arts and boxers, wrestlers any athlete really but in Wing Tsun it seems deemed as contemptible and “unnecessary” by many practitioners. I generalise of course but out of all the teachers I've come into contact few pay more than lip service to it. I understand their position. We place very little impact and strain on our joints compared to most arts. The problem is that the stress is rather more gradual and often it is forgotten by us teaching.
When our students first learn IRAS stance and practice form, hand-shapes and even stepping we often seem to be confused if not dismissive of their “should my knees hurt?” type questions. I'd say at least 75% ask and the other 25% suffer in silence out of embarrassment or the misplaced assumptions I had early on. Often when we see things for the first time we put our all into them. This often means we exert extra and unnecessary muscular force into things like punching and our stance. This muscular tension can be rather dangerous particularly when one is still trying to learn correct technique. Forcing your muscles into any position is going to be a wing and prayer type scenario if you are stubborn enough to forgo comfort in search of excellence.
IRAS is particularly dangerous the odd and new angles asked our knees and ankles can often lead to people “limboing” as they push their knees down and forward over their toes into an uncomfortable and dangerous position. The basic rule if there is pain whether immediate or accrued over time is to stop and say “what's going on?”. Perform the move as you normally would and look in the mirror see if there are any obvious defects with your alignment. Ask yourself how “tight” do the muscles and joints feel. People forget or do not know just how “soft” WT is and therefore exertion is not always needed. When learning especially good technique done “softly” is often much better. It is easy to build up power or speed in your movements. It is hard to undo them to replace technique afterwards I find.
Most importantly of all -ask. Pull your teacher to one side or find a senior student and get them to check out anything that is causing particular concern or discomfort. The answer is usually quite simple and the smallest tweak or adjustment can work wonders. I've had people email me and calling it a day saying that WT is wrecking their bodies. A fair comment if you add in the caveat that their interpretation of WT is wrecking their body at the moment. We can't blame the art it's intangible – we can look at ourselves in that mirror literally and figuratively before pointing fingers. Preferably non arthritic fingers at that.
Review: Ultimate Warrior Workouts by Martin Rooney
Sun, Sep 5 2010 10:05
| MMA, karate, kettlebells, martial arts, sambo, boxing, muay thai, keep fit, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, kickboxing, judo
| Permalink
The concept of mixed martial arts (MMA) as a sport and spectacle often rankles with the purists amongst the kung fu and wider martial arts communities in my experience. There is perhaps a distrust and even jealousy in some cases of the guys involved. Dismissed as “meatheads” or barbarians who are destroying the sanctity of arts with their cherry-picking and cross training ways. Ironically most of these guys, particularly in the Wing Tsun community will express a deep love of Bruce Lee – the movie star who built his house on breaking the mould in the field of martial arts training.
The pedigree of Rooney as a trainer of champions is impressive and in this book he relays some great philosophy and musings on the lot of the martial artist. I was worried when I invested in this tome on a whim I might have wasted my money on yet another book that promises a lot and fails to deliver. Luckily those fears were dismissed in the opening few pages.
Rooney wanted to write this book by training with the best in certain fields he identified as crucial to success for the MMA fighter in the octagon today. He identified the arts/styles and relevant instructors and went and trained with them on location. From Brazil for BJJ to Russia for Sambo or Thailand for Muay Thai to Japan for Karate and Judo to locations in USA for Wrestling etc. Offering a small apology to anyone offended by the omission of their style Rooney might be covering himself needlessly. As a WT exponent for years I'd be amazed and amused as to how he can reconcile it with what is clearly a sporting pursuit. While some WT guys bristle at the chiding challenges as to why no one from the art has stepped into the ring with the new boys on the block, it's not really necessary. When they let us go in un-gloved and able to gouge, pull, snap and break you might see WT in full fury and glory – you might also see the collapse of society back into a Roman state of bloodsport and grisly macabre.
I am not a purist. I've enjoyed sparring with other styles and am fully aware I do not represent WT, it represents me. Anything I do wrong or badly is not the fault of the art but my understanding of it. So with that in mind what does this book offer?
Well the answer is a lot of exercises that relate to specific arts and therefore the all round fitness of the MMA exponent or enthusiast. Personally I was bit concerned as each chapter seemed filled with hundreds of press up variations on first skim. This perhaps vindicates me in my notion that weightlifting is only a small part of the martial artist's needs.
Glossy and clearly written there is little here in terms of long essays but some honest and practical advice from a man who is clearly a fan-boy and student of martial arts as opposed to a self-aggrandising master or guru. Rooney comes across as quite likeable in the course of the book, from art to art and country to country. What you build up is a clear picture of the dedication all races and arts bring to the table and how there is more to martial arts than Oriental chaps in pyjamas smashing each other about. All countries have great fighters and ergo great martial arts if you scratch the surface a little.
There is a heavy flavour of 'sports science' pervading the book. A meal planner and massive six month (yes I know, SIX of 'em) workout schedule. Whilst that may seem unwieldy the excellent photography and detail within this book make it more manageable. In fact I am still tempted as I type to embark on the mammoth quest of six months with religious vigour and see how I progress. Added into that there are specific “warrior challenges” to test yourself and a level system in place there is reason to think this book and Rooney's work provides many years of mileage for the hobbyist and pro alike.
Overall I really like it as a book and concept, its weaknesses are the same as any other book trying to relay the split seconds of physical exertion that is combat in still and academic media such as a textbook. It is perhaps biased towards the more well known arts it covers but for Rooney there is little market share for a book on obscure and esoteric fighting arts that while deadly have no place in rules and sport of MMA. For example it would be impossible and fruitless to try and capture the mechanics of Poon Sau that develops soft and reflexive responses to unprovoked attacks. In the scope of MMA you should know and expect an onslaught from the opening bell as it were.
The real strength of this book is the sport and athletic elements that are relevant to everyone. The attitude that technique prevails so common in many non-sporting arts is something that cuts little ice with me. Those that believe simply training ideas without any physical exertion are kidding themselves I'm afraid. While the ravages of time might be compensated for with technique when you are younger and more inexperienced the ability to be resilient and fit in order to fight is crucial as you don't have decades of practice to refine your skills behind you, unless of course, you hope not to use them until you are old. This book will no doubt inspire and guide you to become a “warrior” should you choose to accept the long and arduous path ahead. A great and easy to use manual that will help you up your game.
The pedigree of Rooney as a trainer of champions is impressive and in this book he relays some great philosophy and musings on the lot of the martial artist. I was worried when I invested in this tome on a whim I might have wasted my money on yet another book that promises a lot and fails to deliver. Luckily those fears were dismissed in the opening few pages.
Rooney wanted to write this book by training with the best in certain fields he identified as crucial to success for the MMA fighter in the octagon today. He identified the arts/styles and relevant instructors and went and trained with them on location. From Brazil for BJJ to Russia for Sambo or Thailand for Muay Thai to Japan for Karate and Judo to locations in USA for Wrestling etc. Offering a small apology to anyone offended by the omission of their style Rooney might be covering himself needlessly. As a WT exponent for years I'd be amazed and amused as to how he can reconcile it with what is clearly a sporting pursuit. While some WT guys bristle at the chiding challenges as to why no one from the art has stepped into the ring with the new boys on the block, it's not really necessary. When they let us go in un-gloved and able to gouge, pull, snap and break you might see WT in full fury and glory – you might also see the collapse of society back into a Roman state of bloodsport and grisly macabre.
I am not a purist. I've enjoyed sparring with other styles and am fully aware I do not represent WT, it represents me. Anything I do wrong or badly is not the fault of the art but my understanding of it. So with that in mind what does this book offer?
Well the answer is a lot of exercises that relate to specific arts and therefore the all round fitness of the MMA exponent or enthusiast. Personally I was bit concerned as each chapter seemed filled with hundreds of press up variations on first skim. This perhaps vindicates me in my notion that weightlifting is only a small part of the martial artist's needs.
Glossy and clearly written there is little here in terms of long essays but some honest and practical advice from a man who is clearly a fan-boy and student of martial arts as opposed to a self-aggrandising master or guru. Rooney comes across as quite likeable in the course of the book, from art to art and country to country. What you build up is a clear picture of the dedication all races and arts bring to the table and how there is more to martial arts than Oriental chaps in pyjamas smashing each other about. All countries have great fighters and ergo great martial arts if you scratch the surface a little.
There is a heavy flavour of 'sports science' pervading the book. A meal planner and massive six month (yes I know, SIX of 'em) workout schedule. Whilst that may seem unwieldy the excellent photography and detail within this book make it more manageable. In fact I am still tempted as I type to embark on the mammoth quest of six months with religious vigour and see how I progress. Added into that there are specific “warrior challenges” to test yourself and a level system in place there is reason to think this book and Rooney's work provides many years of mileage for the hobbyist and pro alike.
Overall I really like it as a book and concept, its weaknesses are the same as any other book trying to relay the split seconds of physical exertion that is combat in still and academic media such as a textbook. It is perhaps biased towards the more well known arts it covers but for Rooney there is little market share for a book on obscure and esoteric fighting arts that while deadly have no place in rules and sport of MMA. For example it would be impossible and fruitless to try and capture the mechanics of Poon Sau that develops soft and reflexive responses to unprovoked attacks. In the scope of MMA you should know and expect an onslaught from the opening bell as it were.
The real strength of this book is the sport and athletic elements that are relevant to everyone. The attitude that technique prevails so common in many non-sporting arts is something that cuts little ice with me. Those that believe simply training ideas without any physical exertion are kidding themselves I'm afraid. While the ravages of time might be compensated for with technique when you are younger and more inexperienced the ability to be resilient and fit in order to fight is crucial as you don't have decades of practice to refine your skills behind you, unless of course, you hope not to use them until you are old. This book will no doubt inspire and guide you to become a “warrior” should you choose to accept the long and arduous path ahead. A great and easy to use manual that will help you up your game.
Here's the Kicker
Sat, Aug 7 2010 04:25
| MMA, martial arts, training, muay thai, fighting, technique, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, kickboxing, self defence
| Permalink
Ask anyone what they associate with martial arts and it won't take long for them to say, describe or even act out a roundhouse kick to the head! It is the iconic and most loved image from any chop sockey movie for most people. It's also the one attack students seem to fear or at least be the most wary of and for good reason. Anyone who can lift, aim and put power into a kick over 5ft off the floor has some skills. The main problem with it, is that anyone who knows what they are doing will probably never use it outside of competition.
It is something I can almost guarantee you won't be likely to face in a confrontation outside of training. The reason being is as a manoeuvre it is very risky, requires a lot of room and perfect timing to pull off well. As an opening gambit your opponent would have to be pretty brave, reckless or phenomenally good to try this one on you. In terms of shock and awe it can be a brilliant tactic and if it connects you're going to knock down and probably knock out your victim with it. The main disadvantage of it is that it relies on momentum and your assailant to barely move in the time it take to lift your foot off the floor and turn it in arc whilst raising it to the desired height. While this may be a matter of a second or two, ask yourself what you can do in a second or two to the opponent with his weight on one leg, his groin exposed and head often turned away from you – you'd be surprised.
This is often the main problem I face as a teacher. The lack of faith and belief in the art and their own skills often makes students reluctant to even try and stand up to a decent kick(er). My main principle in teaching kick defence is to demonstrate the need for range awareness. Kicks are long range attacks, the foot is the striking part of the attack and is pushed out to an extreme range of motion. The first port of call for a defender is to close the distance and to do that they must go forward – as the motto dictates 'when the way is clear, go forward!'.
This makes sense on two counts. Firstly the kicker is generating power in a circular motion this is a longer path than the straight line taken by the Wing Tsun exponent who moves towards the his attacker and tries to dominate the space yielded by the 'opening up' of the kicker. Secondly the force generated by the kicker whilst considerable is concentrated in the foot and lower limb. The closer the attacker moves to the source of the power (the kickers torso and standing leg) the easier they can dissipate the force which is simultaneously being sent 'past' them towards the kicker's foot. This is exactly the same as swing defence when you think about it.
The arrow step forward also ensures the WT student moves quickly, powerfully and with a low centre of gravity. Tipping and extenuating the spin of the kicking action dumping the kicker on his head on the floor. I always encourage students to master stepping in, dominating the kicker's balance and doing nothing more refined than using their hands to barge and push the kicker over. This allows the student to focus on using good tactics and concepts to beat the kicker and not fixate on specific techniques or the kicking leg which is rendered useless if the remaining 3/4s of the kicker's body is attacked well.
Once someone is confident with ploughing forward in the face of such an attack it is then we can introduce variations and techniques. Generally speaking if the kick is delivered above the waist (high kicks) then you should use your hands to deal with the kicking leg if necessary. If it is below the waist (low kicks) then legs should be used.
A high kick can be beaten taking a movement from section six of SNT. Sweeping the leg aside with a gwat sau, lifting it with a tok sau and stepping in and under the opponent, flips them onto their head and drives them into the floor. As an aside Muay Thai uses an almost identical move to slam the back of a boxers head onto the ropes to try and knock them out. Obviously with no ropes the impact of concrete from a much greater fall is one you might like to consider when dishing this technique out on your kicking assailant.
A low kick should be dealt with using your legs. As the motto says 'every step is a kick and every kick is a step'. Therefore the front foot stepping into the opponent can be used to attack not just their stance but their legs too with a kick. A stop kick to the standing leg will see the attacker crumple and buckle as all of their weight is taken from under them. Alternatively the thigh of the kicking leg can be stamped on using the stop kick. Both options require aggression, timing and accurate footwork to work but with a little practice they can be achievable. They are also highly effective due to the short and impacting way in which they attack a kicker. From here a falling attacker can easily be picked apart with follow ups either using strikes or kicks and stamps as the situation dictates.
Kicks are fairly high up in the syllabus because they require decent impulses from confident training partners. The students must also have a decent understanding and ability in WT to successfully pull off the defences and avoid injury for themselves and their partner. They are also not a pressing concern for those who are looking to learn self defence due to their rarity in street fights – for that reason I believe it is also a topic pushed higher up more for technical interest than necessity.
It is something I can almost guarantee you won't be likely to face in a confrontation outside of training. The reason being is as a manoeuvre it is very risky, requires a lot of room and perfect timing to pull off well. As an opening gambit your opponent would have to be pretty brave, reckless or phenomenally good to try this one on you. In terms of shock and awe it can be a brilliant tactic and if it connects you're going to knock down and probably knock out your victim with it. The main disadvantage of it is that it relies on momentum and your assailant to barely move in the time it take to lift your foot off the floor and turn it in arc whilst raising it to the desired height. While this may be a matter of a second or two, ask yourself what you can do in a second or two to the opponent with his weight on one leg, his groin exposed and head often turned away from you – you'd be surprised.
This is often the main problem I face as a teacher. The lack of faith and belief in the art and their own skills often makes students reluctant to even try and stand up to a decent kick(er). My main principle in teaching kick defence is to demonstrate the need for range awareness. Kicks are long range attacks, the foot is the striking part of the attack and is pushed out to an extreme range of motion. The first port of call for a defender is to close the distance and to do that they must go forward – as the motto dictates 'when the way is clear, go forward!'.
This makes sense on two counts. Firstly the kicker is generating power in a circular motion this is a longer path than the straight line taken by the Wing Tsun exponent who moves towards the his attacker and tries to dominate the space yielded by the 'opening up' of the kicker. Secondly the force generated by the kicker whilst considerable is concentrated in the foot and lower limb. The closer the attacker moves to the source of the power (the kickers torso and standing leg) the easier they can dissipate the force which is simultaneously being sent 'past' them towards the kicker's foot. This is exactly the same as swing defence when you think about it.
The arrow step forward also ensures the WT student moves quickly, powerfully and with a low centre of gravity. Tipping and extenuating the spin of the kicking action dumping the kicker on his head on the floor. I always encourage students to master stepping in, dominating the kicker's balance and doing nothing more refined than using their hands to barge and push the kicker over. This allows the student to focus on using good tactics and concepts to beat the kicker and not fixate on specific techniques or the kicking leg which is rendered useless if the remaining 3/4s of the kicker's body is attacked well.
Once someone is confident with ploughing forward in the face of such an attack it is then we can introduce variations and techniques. Generally speaking if the kick is delivered above the waist (high kicks) then you should use your hands to deal with the kicking leg if necessary. If it is below the waist (low kicks) then legs should be used.
A high kick can be beaten taking a movement from section six of SNT. Sweeping the leg aside with a gwat sau, lifting it with a tok sau and stepping in and under the opponent, flips them onto their head and drives them into the floor. As an aside Muay Thai uses an almost identical move to slam the back of a boxers head onto the ropes to try and knock them out. Obviously with no ropes the impact of concrete from a much greater fall is one you might like to consider when dishing this technique out on your kicking assailant.
A low kick should be dealt with using your legs. As the motto says 'every step is a kick and every kick is a step'. Therefore the front foot stepping into the opponent can be used to attack not just their stance but their legs too with a kick. A stop kick to the standing leg will see the attacker crumple and buckle as all of their weight is taken from under them. Alternatively the thigh of the kicking leg can be stamped on using the stop kick. Both options require aggression, timing and accurate footwork to work but with a little practice they can be achievable. They are also highly effective due to the short and impacting way in which they attack a kicker. From here a falling attacker can easily be picked apart with follow ups either using strikes or kicks and stamps as the situation dictates.
Kicks are fairly high up in the syllabus because they require decent impulses from confident training partners. The students must also have a decent understanding and ability in WT to successfully pull off the defences and avoid injury for themselves and their partner. They are also not a pressing concern for those who are looking to learn self defence due to their rarity in street fights – for that reason I believe it is also a topic pushed higher up more for technical interest than necessity.
Making it Work
Thu, Apr 1 2010 04:18
| kung fu, martial arts, muay thai, fighting, technique, Wing Tsun Kung fu, basic, martial arts Altrincham, sparring, kickboxing, self defence
| Permalink
It's been a while since I've posted due to technical problems, busy schedules and a few things to ponder of late. Recently at Altrincham we had the first session of our “fight club” intensive lesson as we call it. The point was not to be a vicious test of masculinity but to see where our skills fitted with more “combat” based contexts and to offer new ideas to students alongside some conditioning work.
I began by introducing the famous “jab cross” combination from boxing and it soon became clear that even badly executed versions at high speed were underestimated or taken for granted by people at first. However, it is the one attack even the most untrained of assailants tends to throw our way in degenerated forms of varying degrees, time after time.
The challenge of reading the opponent's body to ascertain timing, range and power is one that is challenging to even experienced students with sound technical knowledge and application of techniques and hand-shapes. What became apparent to all was a lesson I'd learned the hard way – having the knowledge, putting in the time and getting pak sau punch (a fundamental technique) to work wasn't as straight forward affair.
But with time and patience progress was clear. I found that often students who had a good knowledge and had repeated their basic footwork and hand-shapes coped much better. This was hardly a revelation to me – a lot of people I've studied have talked about the “elite” amongst them always had their basics nailed down.
The irony is that as students we often want to progress thinking that each new technique is better and more advanced than the last. However I would suggest that these new techniques are simply more specialised. They are designed for rarer and rarer scenarios.
What you will notice as you progress through the grades is that the first thing you are taught is to deal with 90% of attacks. The following years of training merely refine this idea and fills in the other 10% of knowledge.
This was demonstrated when I dedicated the last 45 minutes of the session to a baptism of fire for everyone present. Donning a body shield, helmet with mask, 14oz boxing loves, shin and groin guards I asked each man present to spar with me for 3 minutes. The others meanwhile were given the choice of calisthenics to fill their time and test their constitutions.
While the point wasn't to bully or cajole my students into accepting defeat, my aim was to pick up on their weaknesses or shortcomings and encourage them to face them. Whether that was backing off, standing still, covering up, resorting to grappling/boxing etc my aim was to get them to use their WT.
It was apparent when people succeeded they were confidently applying techniques and adaptations of them using theory we'd covered. With a range of experience and abilities it was impressive to note how much people could do after mere weeks of classes. I really do believe with focus and effort learning to “fight” and being proficient is possible after mere months. Beyond that point in your development it is the refining process of making techniques; sharper, harder, faster etc.
The way to do this is to rep the basics over and over and over until they become instinctive answers to the questions raised from assailants. The smoother and more effective these techniques become the better the results and the only way to acheive that is to condition your muscular and endocrine skeletons to perform these responses through constant practice of the most basic movements and ideas.
I began by introducing the famous “jab cross” combination from boxing and it soon became clear that even badly executed versions at high speed were underestimated or taken for granted by people at first. However, it is the one attack even the most untrained of assailants tends to throw our way in degenerated forms of varying degrees, time after time.
The challenge of reading the opponent's body to ascertain timing, range and power is one that is challenging to even experienced students with sound technical knowledge and application of techniques and hand-shapes. What became apparent to all was a lesson I'd learned the hard way – having the knowledge, putting in the time and getting pak sau punch (a fundamental technique) to work wasn't as straight forward affair.
But with time and patience progress was clear. I found that often students who had a good knowledge and had repeated their basic footwork and hand-shapes coped much better. This was hardly a revelation to me – a lot of people I've studied have talked about the “elite” amongst them always had their basics nailed down.
The irony is that as students we often want to progress thinking that each new technique is better and more advanced than the last. However I would suggest that these new techniques are simply more specialised. They are designed for rarer and rarer scenarios.
What you will notice as you progress through the grades is that the first thing you are taught is to deal with 90% of attacks. The following years of training merely refine this idea and fills in the other 10% of knowledge.
This was demonstrated when I dedicated the last 45 minutes of the session to a baptism of fire for everyone present. Donning a body shield, helmet with mask, 14oz boxing loves, shin and groin guards I asked each man present to spar with me for 3 minutes. The others meanwhile were given the choice of calisthenics to fill their time and test their constitutions.
While the point wasn't to bully or cajole my students into accepting defeat, my aim was to pick up on their weaknesses or shortcomings and encourage them to face them. Whether that was backing off, standing still, covering up, resorting to grappling/boxing etc my aim was to get them to use their WT.
It was apparent when people succeeded they were confidently applying techniques and adaptations of them using theory we'd covered. With a range of experience and abilities it was impressive to note how much people could do after mere weeks of classes. I really do believe with focus and effort learning to “fight” and being proficient is possible after mere months. Beyond that point in your development it is the refining process of making techniques; sharper, harder, faster etc.
The way to do this is to rep the basics over and over and over until they become instinctive answers to the questions raised from assailants. The smoother and more effective these techniques become the better the results and the only way to acheive that is to condition your muscular and endocrine skeletons to perform these responses through constant practice of the most basic movements and ideas.
A Sporting Chance
Wed, Dec 30 2009 02:22
| kung fu, martial arts, boxing, training, street fight, martial arts Altrincham, kickboxing, self defence
| Permalink
If you ask our old friend Joe Public to name a martial art you tend to receive a narrow set of answers. Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu (a coverall for hundreds if not thousands of styles), perhaps even boxing or wrestling or global brands such as UFC might all get the nod.
So what? You might ask. The common thread is that by and large all of those are sports. They have rules, referees, specific types of strikes/ranges and weight classes etc they are not practiced, designed for or implemented on the most important arena of all – the street.
However if you talk to our friend Joe Public they will not see the difference and nor should we expect them to. What is even more worrying is when students or even worse instructors of these styles cannot differentiate the gulf between these two contexts.
I do not seek to defame any one of these pursuits or criticise them as styles of combat. However it does bother me that from a cultural point of view there is a complicit willingness to mislead or simply avoid the gap between the mat and the pavement.
It is not to say that the skills and techniques from any of these sports cannot be used for self defence but in my humble experience it is often a case that a certain amount of adaptation and understanding is needed to make this work.
How often do you hear stories of martial arts enthusiasts suffering horrific injuries and humiliation at the hands of thugs and criminals? What can possibly cause this? How does the highly trained exponent of a fighting style fall foul of the untrained?
The answer can be complex but generally speaking there is a combination of the following factors often enough:
· An overinflated confidence of the individuals own strength and skills
· A lack of exposure to self defence/street fights
· A fundamental flaw in understanding their styles strengths and weaknesses
· A basic lack of conditioning to physical, psychological and verbal assaults from unprovoked opponents
· An assumption that an attacker may fight fair or within a consensual set of rules/code
Violent and criminal acts are often borne out of base desires or instincts the perpetrators often utilise the deepest and most animalistic of methods and traits. Regularly these acts are malicious, opportunistic, instinctive and cruel in nature. In essence they go against every cornerstone of the sporting world and culture no matter how violent or barbaric a sport may seem to outside world (see much of the moral debate over boxing and increasingly MMA bouts).
It is this dichotomy that in my opinion often leads to confusion amongst the martial arts community as to the validity and more importantly relevance of various styles to practical street defence. In martial sports their design and motivation is to achieve as much parity between contestants as possible. Fighters are seeded, compete in weight classes and receive medical care and attention as well as the grace and attention of referees to protect their health as much as possible.
On the street there is no code, no starting bell, no one to separate pugilists and there is no reason for an attacker to stop maliciously beating a stricken foe and inflicting severe damage and even death using any strike, weapon or method they choose.
At this point you may be thinking I am seeking to dismiss and undermine martial sports as a glorified side show and spectacle. Far from it! I love to box and kick-box and would hate to trade blows with any well trained exponent of Muay Thai, MMA, wrestling etc
My participation in those pursuits however, isn’t designed to improve my effectiveness but to improve my basic martial skills. The test of stamina, fitness, muscle, coordination and balance I gain from kick-boxing all provide ample reason enough to train it. Most importantly though I simply enjoy it!
My underlining point is that often instructors fail their students by not differentiating between the dojo and the alley way. I have seen instructors of various martial sports claim an in depth knowledge of self defence and for it to be an area they teach extensively in their class without a hint of embarrassment of self-denial.
Often this is simply a marketing ploy as the instructor knows full well a novice will not be able to discern the difference or the fact and fiction of what they are told until many hours of training have been undertaken. The martial arts which are well renowned amongst experts and enthusiasts for a high level of usability are also linked to various military and police bodies. These arts include Wing Tsun, Krav Maga, Systema, Sambo and Eskrima amongst others.
This is no coincidence. The military and police deal with dangerous and deadly encounters as a matter of course. They need and rely on techniques not only to do their job but to stay alive as they have no margin for error.
My question to you is does your training cater for what you need over what you want? It is easy to dismiss one art or one teacher over another. However it is fundamental that you not only find a teacher you enjoy training with, but you find a teacher who can deliver what you require.
So what? You might ask. The common thread is that by and large all of those are sports. They have rules, referees, specific types of strikes/ranges and weight classes etc they are not practiced, designed for or implemented on the most important arena of all – the street.
However if you talk to our friend Joe Public they will not see the difference and nor should we expect them to. What is even more worrying is when students or even worse instructors of these styles cannot differentiate the gulf between these two contexts.
I do not seek to defame any one of these pursuits or criticise them as styles of combat. However it does bother me that from a cultural point of view there is a complicit willingness to mislead or simply avoid the gap between the mat and the pavement.
It is not to say that the skills and techniques from any of these sports cannot be used for self defence but in my humble experience it is often a case that a certain amount of adaptation and understanding is needed to make this work.
How often do you hear stories of martial arts enthusiasts suffering horrific injuries and humiliation at the hands of thugs and criminals? What can possibly cause this? How does the highly trained exponent of a fighting style fall foul of the untrained?
The answer can be complex but generally speaking there is a combination of the following factors often enough:
· An overinflated confidence of the individuals own strength and skills
· A lack of exposure to self defence/street fights
· A fundamental flaw in understanding their styles strengths and weaknesses
· A basic lack of conditioning to physical, psychological and verbal assaults from unprovoked opponents
· An assumption that an attacker may fight fair or within a consensual set of rules/code
Violent and criminal acts are often borne out of base desires or instincts the perpetrators often utilise the deepest and most animalistic of methods and traits. Regularly these acts are malicious, opportunistic, instinctive and cruel in nature. In essence they go against every cornerstone of the sporting world and culture no matter how violent or barbaric a sport may seem to outside world (see much of the moral debate over boxing and increasingly MMA bouts).
It is this dichotomy that in my opinion often leads to confusion amongst the martial arts community as to the validity and more importantly relevance of various styles to practical street defence. In martial sports their design and motivation is to achieve as much parity between contestants as possible. Fighters are seeded, compete in weight classes and receive medical care and attention as well as the grace and attention of referees to protect their health as much as possible.
On the street there is no code, no starting bell, no one to separate pugilists and there is no reason for an attacker to stop maliciously beating a stricken foe and inflicting severe damage and even death using any strike, weapon or method they choose.
At this point you may be thinking I am seeking to dismiss and undermine martial sports as a glorified side show and spectacle. Far from it! I love to box and kick-box and would hate to trade blows with any well trained exponent of Muay Thai, MMA, wrestling etc
My participation in those pursuits however, isn’t designed to improve my effectiveness but to improve my basic martial skills. The test of stamina, fitness, muscle, coordination and balance I gain from kick-boxing all provide ample reason enough to train it. Most importantly though I simply enjoy it!
My underlining point is that often instructors fail their students by not differentiating between the dojo and the alley way. I have seen instructors of various martial sports claim an in depth knowledge of self defence and for it to be an area they teach extensively in their class without a hint of embarrassment of self-denial.
Often this is simply a marketing ploy as the instructor knows full well a novice will not be able to discern the difference or the fact and fiction of what they are told until many hours of training have been undertaken. The martial arts which are well renowned amongst experts and enthusiasts for a high level of usability are also linked to various military and police bodies. These arts include Wing Tsun, Krav Maga, Systema, Sambo and Eskrima amongst others.
This is no coincidence. The military and police deal with dangerous and deadly encounters as a matter of course. They need and rely on techniques not only to do their job but to stay alive as they have no margin for error.
My question to you is does your training cater for what you need over what you want? It is easy to dismiss one art or one teacher over another. However it is fundamental that you not only find a teacher you enjoy training with, but you find a teacher who can deliver what you require.
Welcome
Sat, Dec 19 2009 04:18
| MMA, kung fu, martial arts, boxing, fighters, martial arts Altrincham, fitness, kickboxing
| Permalink
This is my blog, welcome. I have found the idea of doing this odd as it seems incredibly indulgent.
However I do have good intentions. I hope this blog will be a chance to help me and you learn more about smarter training, to be better equipped for achieving goals, to make greater strides at being fitter, faster, leaner, stronger and better.
Please feel free to add comments, links, ideas and counter opinions as you see fit.
Matt
However I do have good intentions. I hope this blog will be a chance to help me and you learn more about smarter training, to be better equipped for achieving goals, to make greater strides at being fitter, faster, leaner, stronger and better.
Please feel free to add comments, links, ideas and counter opinions as you see fit.
Matt