MMA for beginners

by Mike

For anyone who is new to the sport of MMA and managed to catch CBS' primetime showing of EliteXC, I'd like to point something out:

An example of a recent show that was bad in nearly all aspects, including stoppages, quality of matches and overall production values: EliteXC Primetime.

Examples of recent shows that were excellent in nearly all aspects, including stoppages, quality of matches and overall production values: UFC 84, DREAM 2.

I am very amused that when Frank Shamrock was going over the rules of MMA the clip they used to illustrate "no knees to the head of a downed opponent" was Shamrock throwing knees to the back of Renzo Gracie's head.

Spontaneous fun and...having fun

by Mike

Over at his blog, Art DeVany is discussing the import of spontaneous activity in keeping weight off and staying in shape.

His advocacy for "random" (as opposed to regimented and scheduled) activity shouldn't be news to anyone who's read our review of his system. But the interesting thing here is the assertion that spontaneous is the important thing.

"Yeah, yeah, he talks about his neighbors turning into fatasses, but what's that got to do with me, who shows up to the gym like es mi vida?"

I posted a comment which didn't seem to take, but the gist was: my mind somehow read "spontaneous activity" as "spontaneous fun."

Is your training fun? No, really.

Turning martial arts training into a mostly spontaneous activity rather than a part-time job has paid dividends. I've lost some sport-specific skills (in martial arts terms: my timing is way off, my cardio sucks (I think this is dietary more than anything else) and suddenly I'm not as apt to hang in submissions for as long as I might have otherwise been or bang for 10 rounds), but I really haven't lost all that much elsewise. The mental and physical benefits of turning training into fun rather than, well, training have been awesome.

How awesome?

Seeing-the-look-on-Evan-Tanner's-face-when-he-got-back-in-the-Octagon-for-the-first-time-in-almost-two years-awesome.*

Seriously. Try it.

Take a couple months where you show up once or twice a week rather than, "I signed up for unlimited classes and I'm damn well gonna use them." So, you get subbed 45 times in a row by someone who you normally beat nine-out-of-ten. Cool!

You look like a fool in front of a pair of hot new girls who just signed up. How's that different than normal?

What's the difference? What you tell yourself is fun and actually having fun are two different things. "Obviously this is fun despite me managing to turn the adrenaline dump into a post-workout endorphin rush which somehow turned into confusing exhaustion with relaxation" is not a place you want to be, but it seems to be exactly where a lot of people are in their training. It's certainly where I was for years.

It's also where a lot of people get stuck in their training. I can't count how many cool, talented people I've met over the years who were training like they were going to have a vanity organization started around them (aka EliteXC 160# division or the reborn M-1) and ended up quitting after their first break from training - whether it was due to injury, transitory financial hardship or plain ol' life - because it wasn't fun anymore.

I suspect that taking it easy for a few months would have been enough to recharge or otherwise remind them what they liked about training in general.

If you're a pro fighter, or a fighter in training, you won't have the luxury of taking 3-4 months "off." I'm hesitant to use the word "hobbyist," but for the rest of us, changing "training" into "fun" might be one of the best things you could do.

* Tanner's been one of my favorite fighters for a long time. He's like a cross between Robert E. Howard, Jack Kerouac and Farmer Burns. He's got a poet's sense not only of the world and his place in it, but a poet's sense of biting the hand that feeds him. He gives off that, "I'm here for fun moreso than anything else" vibe even more than maineventer-at-that-same-card Dan Henderson. Being there live to feel the mood shift from "who?" to "awesome! I hope he pulls this off" was a singular experience.

He promptly got pnw3d by Okami, but whatyou gonna do?

Public domain photo by the Library of Congress.

How to not get sucked in when you're trying to take it easy

by Mike

I've been out of the gym for awhile, nursing some injuries, but will still pop in every now and then to keep my skills sharp and work with some guys training for a fight. Despite my best efforts to say, "no" and not get involved with sparring, rolling or etc., I sometimes get sucked in and before I know it, what was supposed to be an easy day on the bags involves a pseudo-private lesson, rolling, coaching and teaching a pickup class.

How does one avoid getting agreeing to more than they intended to?

1. Say no. "Hey, wanna spar with us?" "Naw, dude. I don't want to mess my wrist up again." This should be sufficient for most reasonable training partners. I personally find this to be the least effective, but that's because I'm a pushover.
   
   
2. Offer to coach. If saying no doesn't work, you can always offer to help in other ways. "Naw, dude. I did want to point out some stuff to you though, why don't you two spar and I'll corner you?" "Lemme hold the pads for you and I'll show you some things I think will help you."
   
   
3. Show up when your buddies aren't there. Show up earlier or later than open mat times. Stop by after class has already started to work the bags. Go right after work, but before your buddies show up. See what everyone's up to on your off days.
   
   
4. "Forget" your gear. This is the most drastic, but sometimes all that can be done. Show up without your gloves, or your mouthguard or your cup. If you don't have your gear, you shouldn't be sparring anyway.
   

These are just a couple simple, effective ways to get back into the gym without reinjuring yourself or otherwise going to hard before you're ready. Don't disappear for too long though - your skills will drop off a lot quicker than you suspect and it's very likely that people will forget your name and start calling you "Mark."

Things no one ever told you about - how to sit.

by Mike

In Grapplearts' newsletter, Stephen Kesting recently recounted the time that Jean-Jaques Machado gave him advice on, of all things, how to sit:

My arm was straight and my elbow locked out. Jean Jacques told me never to sit like that on the jiu-jitsu mat. He pointed out that if someone behind me, absorbed in their sparring, rolled onto my arm then my elbow would be shattered.

Unfortunately, many gyms have a story about this exact thing happening - someone wasn't paying attention (make that two people - the person sparring and the person sitting) had their arm or leg locked out and...they've got an injury that may or may not ever heal.

Be aware of your surroundings, whether you're rolling, watching, hanging out or even just outside the pit at a Ministry concert.

Mailbag! What do you call right-handed boxers?

If a left-handed boxer is a southpaw, what do you call a right-handed boxer, who fights with his left hand forward?

Normal?

A boxer who fights with their left hand and foot forward are said to use an orthodox stance, also called a conventional stance.

For more information about this, see the real reason boxers fight left hand forward.

[Update: Thanks to Anon. for reminding me of the term you're more likely to hear.]

Drill like you intend to fight

by Mike

The Robson Moura seminar from a couple weeks ago really solidified something that had been kicking around in the back of my head for a while:

People who stay sharp no matter what they're doing are much better than people who simply go through the motions.*

We've previously discussed the desire to be working on something when you're drilling, but staying sharp when you practice your technique seems to be a common denominator among those who are really good.

Even while demonstrating the most basic techniques - techniques he's no doubt drilled thousands, of not tens of thousands of times, Robson always made sure that every aspect was perfect from start to finish; whether it was where he put his foot on the mat, when he shifted his weight, or how he pulled his uke to put him in position, everything was done just so, even when he was describing, coaching or answering questions while he was doing it.

Watching the pro fighters, instructors and the better students around my gym shows that they all have the same behavior. They might be laid back, talking and joking while instructing but when it comes time to perform the technique, everything is sharp, crisp and with intent. The students that don't hang around long enough to make it into pro fighters, instructors or better students are generally slow, sloppy and not paying attention.

I suspect the reason for laziness is because drills are the least-fun part of training for most people. Why spend time jabbing in the air when you could be jabbing into a punch mitt? Why spend time jabbing into a punch mitt when you could be sparring?

Drills are where you build the foundation for the rest of your training, both the physical and mental aspects.

It's dangerous to think that you've mastered a technique and that that mastery means you can leave it as-is and move on to other things. I've had periods in my training where I figured that I'd hit the point of diminishing returns on technique X and why should I bother with drills, I'll just keep it sharp with sparring? Months later, when started drilling it again, I found that not only had my technique gotten sloppy, it had lead to other bad habits that were very difficult to break.

Here's a couple visual examples:

Notice how Eddie Bravo breaks down the uke in this video - it's still nice and sharp. BONUS! Keep watching for the secret to defeating the rubber guard!




Here's me getting armbarred by our Judo correspondent, Gary O'Soto.



Despite this being a drill (and a position he's caught me in many times before), I still gave the escape an honest effort and he did the same with the sub.

Moral of the story: there are only two ways to be sharp: 1. Get sharp 2. Stay sharp. To get sharp, you need to be mindful of the details and work them until you've mastered them. To stay sharp, you need to be mindful of the details and work them so you'll still be mastering them.

Poll Results: Have you seen Redbelt?

Hell, yeah! I wore my Affliction shirt.	0 (0%)
Uh, no. Looks stupid.	4 (100%)
Good for the sport!	0 (0%)
Bad for the sport!	0 (0%)

Review: Combat Sports Grappling Shin-Instep Guards

by Mike

Combat Sports Grappling Shin-Instep Guard

One Liner:

A necessary tool for MMA guys who like to kick - and not a bad choice for straight-up kickboxers either.

Overview:

The Combat Sports Grappling Shin-instep Guards are designed for MMA fighters who don't want to have to stop in the middle of a round to readjust their shin guards that get moved into all manner of awkward position while rolling.

If they do get moved around, it tends to be from your partner grabbing and pulling on them while you're on the ground. They aren't perfect by any means insofar as staying in place when you're kicking, but are much better than anything else I've tried.

The padding finds a happy medium between taking the sting off of a kick (or check) and keeping you honest about your defense. The padding may be a bit too stiff for casual kickboxers, but should be good for the guys in the gym who complain about having wear shin guards. The only complaint I really have is that the leather can wear through in spots and bleed color onto your opponent's gi pants/shirt. Then again, it is kind of satisfying to see that you landed all those kicks....

My only real complaints about the product is that they can be difficult to take off and keep clean.

Sweating in these somehow seems to make them "sticker" rather than more slippery - this is good, but it can be a chore to get them off once you've gone a couple rounds in them. If you don't "unloop" them first and then make sure you work your heel clear, you end up tugging at them and ripping the neoprene at the bottom of the calf. This ends up making your shin guards looser, which basically defeats the purpose of wearing them. This may seem odd given my complaint about the bottoms being too loose (see "The Bad" below), but, I dunno, I didn't do it.

As far as cleaning - the neoprene backing tends to hold moisture pretty well and it doesn't take anything except a couple training sessions of forgetfulness to end up with a pair of shin guards that smell like you left them in a septic tank. My favorite alcohol and/or vinegar and Febreeze don't seem to help as much as you would hope they would. Putting them in the washer isn't an option, what with the leather front, so be sure you let them dry properly as soon as you get home from training.

Those with skinny legs might be better off going with the regular size - I've got some fairly meaty gams and the larges are cut a bit loose, especially around the ankles. I can only wonder at the behemoths who will need the new x-large size.

The Good:

• Enough padding to protect you while still letting your kicks have a fair amount of oomph. Shielding kicks transfers enough force to keep you honest, but without having to worry about the bumps and bruises that come from taking full-blast kicks.
  
  
• They do a great job of staying put on your legs while you roll. The "even the most intense scrambles" part of their product description isn't entirely accurate, but trying to use any other shin guards while rolling is futile.
  
  
• The padding is such that you get a satisfying "thwack" when you land a kick.

The Bad:

• After you've been wearing these for an extended training session, they can become sweaty and tough to take off.
  
  
• I have no idea how to clean these things and they can get stinky if you don't let them air out properly. Be careful!
  
  
• The pad that covers the "ankle" wears down pretty quickly and gets a little rough. If your partners have sensitive faces, you might feel bad about landing headshots.

Recommendation:

I don't think there's a comparable piece of equipment for MMA training. Tough-guy strikers who don't already have a pair of shin guards that they're in love with would likewise do well to give these a try.

Glossary: Pound-For-Pound

aka P4P.

Pound-for-pound is a term used to denote a fighter who is the most skilled, regardless of their weight class. That is, if you could somehow eliminate the advantage that greater size/weight grants, you'd be able to determine the best fighter in the world. Generally, the factors considered include: skill level, ability to finish (or dominate) opponents and the quality of opponents.

Ring Magazine's lists of the best p4p fighters (scroll all the way to the bottom) are generally considered to declare the best boxers in the world (currently, Floyd Mayweather ranks #1). In comic books, Thor or Superman generally come in #1 (with "Batman, if prepared" the perennial contender) In MMA...have fun trolling the various forums or getting into arguments with the nerds at the bar.

Given how subjective the determinants of a p4p fighter are, the term becomes essentially meaningless.

Advanced Swiss/Stability Ball training for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

by Mike

We've talked before about the utility of using a Swiss ball for learning balance in BJJ. We generally start our MMA workouts with a couple minutes on the balls and I usually like to do it to warm up before working the bags or while waiting for others to show up.

Once you've gotten the basics from the other video down, you'll be ready to try the hard stuff:



From bumptori.

Ask Sifu Z: How old is too old?

Dear Sifu Z,

I'm 40 years old. Is it time to quit Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

Sifu Z sez:

Dear bjj 40 yrs old -

Should I quit?

The question is "is it a hobby or a way of life?" You see I'm 49. Been doing martial arts for 24 years and plan on practicing until death. I needn't win all the time. In fact I, of late, take great pleasure in getting my ass kicked by one of my female students. She has gotten pretty good, I still dictate the way the fight goes but she is so much more aggressive than I am and so much faster that it's a chore to keep up. Now I'm not that familiar with the details of BJJ but the Gracies practice well into old age.

The question you should ask yourself is "am I gettin' pleasure outta this and is it having a positive effect on my life?" Both need to be yesses. If not, why dontcha try tennis?

Sifu Z

Photographing Fighters

by Mike

Over at Notes from Ringside, Hywel gives some advice on taking pictures of fighters.

Presumably, this also applies to taking photos with fighters which makes me think that maybe I didn't really break rule #2 (avoid the "fight pose" shot) when I really only had the half-fighter pose going with Robson Moura.


However, nothing beats a pic of Wanderlei Silva playing cornhole.

Mailbag! What do you call...those things you do?

Hi guys, What is the proper term for...all those things you learn when you do martial arts? Like each punch has a name, if you do Jiu-Jitsu, each submission has a name...is it a technique? an expression?

Hm. That's a tough one. Much like anything else related to martial arts, there's a varying amount of consistency within a style and almost no consistency between styles. So, there's no real answer. The following might give you a better idea of what tendencies people have, so you an at least be in the right ballpark.

Wrestlers often refer to "moves," karateka and jiu-jitsu players (among others) have "techniques," and right before a fight, Dangerous asked me to show him "that retard thing."*

But the above could also be plural. A thing could also be, "that...thing from the mount" (where they refer to moving from mount to S-mount to an armbar submission). A move could refer to a sequence of discreet techniques that others might refer to as a sequence. Boxers have "combinations" and savateurs "enchainments." Shootwrestlers and Catch-As-Catch-Can guys like their "lockflows."

Do note that if the person you're talking to is a real stickler (or a jagoff), you should probably just call it whatever they do, if only to avoid having them talk to your ear off for hours about what, and why, it is what it is.

* He was, of course, asking about the Rubber Guard's retard control.

CC-licensed photo by Nick Lo.