MMA: bad for the street?

Okay, after ANOTHER person saying how MMA is a sport that will lead to bad things if you try to use it in the street, I have had enough.

This time it was an email newsletter that for the umpteenth time spouted the same garbage about how using MMA ground-oriented tactics will lead to getting your head kicked in by your opponents friends. Rather than deal with the asinine logic of it, let me agree with him for a moment and ask a question.

First, let's ignore the fact that this line of thinking has to assume that you are ALWAYS alone with no one to EVER back you up.
Second, let's forget that this assumes that you will be focused on only the guy you are fighting and will NEVER look around.
Third, let's also assume that this taking someone down and choking them out will require a lot of time (totally contrary to the experience of anyone who has ever done this against an opponent inexperienced at ground fighting- usually the choke takes less than 5 seconds, plenty of time to disengage and deal with others - but I digress).
Fourth, let's also assume that the MMA guy will ONLY go to the ground, totally ignoring the fact that the ENTIRE POINT of MMA is to have some modicum of functionality in all ranges - striking, clinch, as well as ground, and more importantly, no MMAer ever goes into a fight or sparring "knowing" what he is going to do - situations such as your opponent stuffing your takedown and negating your ground game leads to a well rounded fighter who uses the tactics that best handle that given moment in time - something MMA critics, because they refuse to step on the mat are incapable of handling.

Let us ignore all those points for just a minute and let me ask a simple question. Is there ANYONE out there who can provide a DOCUMENTED example of an MMA practitioner getting his head stomped in that was a DIRECT result of his tactics? And not just the typical BS story - "I heard on the internet one time about some guy in Texas" - let's have names, dates, exact circumstances. I, for one, can provide a number of provable situations where the opposite happened, i.e. the MMAer survived because of his tactics. MMA has been around long enough that if the doubters are right, there should be, somewhere in the universe, such an example of failure.

If you have it, send it to me, and I will publicly say I am wrong. Until such time, I will continue to say that those people who say these kind of things about MMA are looking desperately for an excuse not to do the work, because they know they will look like a little bitch tapping out and their egos (especially those of the well known "combat authorities") can't deal with it.

Congrats Luka

I wanted to say congratulations to one of my BJJ coaches, Luka Dias. Luka is a black belt and the wife of my main coach, Megaton. She is a close family friend, a terrific person, and a great BJJer.

At the Pan-Ams this previous weekend, she took the gold medals in both her weight class as well as the absolute. In the absolute, she avenged her loss at the Mundials by beating the current world champ in what most people are calling the best match of the entire tournament. She also officially now holds more gold medals than any other woman in the history of the Pan-Ams!

Way to go Luka!

Radio Nowhere

Between my IPOD and satellite radio, I rarely listen to regular radio. I like being able to decide what I get to listen to. About the only time I listen to terrestrial radio is weekday mornings when I like to listen to a local morning show. It is on the main alternative rock station and the host, Chuck Powell is a comedic genius. Why he isn't on a national broadcast is beyond me. He is fantastic. Brilliantly funny without ever having to use raunchiness or vulgarity as a crutch (now don't get me wrong, I enjoy raunch and vulgarity - the main reason I have satellite radio is so I can listen to Howard Stern whenever I want- but it is nice to have someone who can make you laugh with something other than poop or booby jokes).

The drawback to listening to his show is that he is still forced to play some music in between the comedy. Now I like alternative music, and the station is one of the better ones (one of the nice things about it is that it is locally owned; it isn't part of some national corporate chain). However, there is just something wrong with the current radio scene. In a word, the playlists suck. For example, on this station, they constantly play older stuff like Nirvana or older songs by artists like Green Day. Nirvana was a great band, but do we really need to hear "Smells Like Teen Spirit" again? Or, do we need to hear "Holiday" for the umpteenth time?? I mean, how is it different than a classic rock station playing "Stairway to Heaven" or "Freebird" for the gazillionith time or a pop music station playing anything by Elton John?

Here is a piece of free advice to any radio station programmer who might happen to read this. If you listen to me, I think you will take a big step towards doing something different and PROFITABLE.

STOP TRYING TO BE MY IPOD!!!! No matter how much of a genius you are, you will never be able to beat anybody's personal MP3 player. Everyone knows their own taste better than the greatest programmer on the planet. Rather than regurgitate the same old stuff, and bore 85% of your potential audience, try this. Be the source of new music. Be the place everyone listens to in order to know what the good new stuff is. Don't bother with what we already have, turn us onto new music.

And, this is really easy to do. Go to the nearest university, community college, or technical school and bring on an intern (at no charge! - how cool is that) and have their total duties be browsing the internet for interesting songs, or reading the trade journals, or even magazines like Rolling Stone of Blender. What 19 or 20 year old college student wouldn't love to get school credit by listening to music? Every week, they could find 15-20 new songs, put them on a CD and give them to the programmer to check out over the weekend. The programmer could then see if any of them are good enough to add to the rotation. Just think, FOR FREE, any radio station could be constantly adding new stuff. Very quickly, they would be the radio destination for a ton of people, including ones (like me) who don't currently listen. It is a win-win situation.

The music industry is changing, more quickly than anyone could have realized five years ago. The ones who survive, whether they are artists, record companies, producers, or radio stations, will have to be the ones who think outside the box. My idea is one that could very well be the model for the new age of radio.

I am such a genius.

what is wrong with your CM?

Recently, I read an internet post (I know, I know, I shouldn't even pay attention, but sometimes....) where the poster gave a back handed compliment to CM boxing. He said that CM was okay when you needed a second to handle pressure from strikes, but it didn't work overall. I had to laugh. I actually know a lot about the guy who wrote that post. I know his background, who he trains with, and his overall experience. I know, FOR A FACT, that he has NEVER trained CM with a knowledgeable CM coach. The most he knows is either through DVDs or second hand from someone who MIGHT have trained it. Yet he has no problem making public pronouncements about the system! Amazing. He must be the reincarnation of Bruce Lee to be so insightful.

What is more amusing is the one of the arts he practices is Savate, an art that is often misunderstood. I have seen where this guy gets irritated when someone makes an ill-informed comment on Savate. He will spend a lot of time posting corrections and basically saying someone who hasn't trained in Savate is probably missing a lot of the information. But, it is funny he doesn't see the hypocrisy in his own actions.

As someone who has been coaching CM for awhile, and has conducted or assisted at a good number of seminars, I have seen a lot of people try to learn this system and I have a good idea of the typical mistakes that about 99% of newbies make. I GUARANTEE that the afore-mentioned poster is making almost all of these mistakes and doesn't have the faintest clue he is doing so. Here are the typical problems I see.

1) Too high, not sinking your body down into your pelvis - This is a huge step towards defending against body shots, as well as being able to absorb force without being knocked back off balance. Beginners never realize they are not doing this because they haven't built up their kinesthetic perception.

2) Elbows everywhere but where they should be - Again, newbies don't realize where their elbows actually are. Generally, they are too far forward, not lying on the ribcage, thereby giving the opponent space to go around to land shots.

3) Shoulders down - it takes some practice to learn to keep the shoulders shrugged up. It is easy to let them drop, and forcing the arms to take on more responsibility of the defense which takes away from your ability to go on the offensive.

4) Hips angled - not keeping the hips square to the opponent.

5) Rear foot down - beginners have a hard time understanding the just the act of bringing the rear heel off the ground and leaving it there adds so much to their game in so many ways. It is such a crucial skill, but definitely one that most people lack when they start.

Numbers 1,2,3, and 5 are generally related to fatigue. If you have the proper coaching to make sure you are doing the mechanics correctly, and you actually put in a little time doing the work, they all are easily addressed. Number 4 is just a question of understanding spacial relationships and a basic level of kinesthetic perception, all things that a decent coach can bring out in you.

As you can see from the photo above of the top CM coach in the UK Phil Wright, his torso is dropped down into his pelvis making him look shorter than he actually is, his shoulders are up, his elbows are almost resting on his ribs, his hips are square to his imaginary opponent, and his rear foot is up. This is the right details. Where his hands go at this point is almost irrelevant because everything else is in place to handle the bad stuff that might be coming in.

The key underlying thread to all of them are that most people don't get them from watching a DVD. It generally takes hands on coaching to make them understood.

If you haven't taken the time to actually train it hands on, you might want to pass on public commentary so you don't look like a buffoon.

a good library for today's martial artist, part 1

To me the term martial artist is a good one. To me it means someone who is trying to become a better human being using the vehicle of combat, combat sports, and physicality. To accomplish this, you need more than knowing how to punch someone, or throw someone, or disarm a weapon wielding assailant. It requires a deep and far ranging study of the human condition, physics, anatomy, political science, history, sociology, exercise physiology, and on and on. There is a lot to it. It requires an in depth focus on research. One method of accomplishing this research is through reading. Besides being informative, it's fun! So, to give some of you out there an idea of books that I think are a good idea to pay attention to, I will start an ongoing series of recommendations.

Now, after saying how you need to know how to do more than punch someone, I will mess you up a little by starting the series with what I believe are some of the most important fighting-centric texts. I know, I know. I just figure I should suck you in with the candy first, and then hit you with a higher level of nutrition. So, here we go.

Groundwork

Mastering Jiu-Jitsu by Renzo Gracie & John Danaher - a really good overview of not just jiu-jitsu, but of the overall fight strategy as well. Some fun history as well.











H2H by Greg Thompson - a very nice technique overview and breakdown (although I hate the first guard pass shown, it should NEVER be done or taught, no matter what). He includes some basic clinch work, as well as some weapon-centric stuff as a bonus.







The Essential Guard by Kid Peligro & Rodrigo Medeiros - almost everything you need to know to get up and running with a decent guard game. Heavy on the basics, and not too much flash.









Mastering the Rubber Guard by Eddie Bravo - outside of his pontificating about his favorite extra-curricular activity, this is a great book. Bravo has a good approach to getting techniques across, and, as far as I can tell, he does not hold back any "secrets" which is admirable.








Clinch

Wrestling for Fighting by Randy Couture - Really the only book that approaches wrestling instruction in the context of total combat. Plus, Couture has actually thought about this, not just relied on his natural ability or experience.









Striking

Championship Fighting by Jack Dempsey - the standard right now on how to hit with power in a realistic manner. The only drawback to this book is it is out of print and hard to find, and incredibly expensive when you do find it. Worth the attempt though.












Muay Thai Unleashed by Erich Krauss - Good stuff, plus it covers some aspects of MT style neck clinching.












and, with some reservations: Championship Streetfighting & The Savage Science of Streetfighting, both by Ned Beaumont. I say reservations because there are some things wrong (like his illustration of jabbing in the first book is an open invitation to getting taken down as well as making it tough to use your rear weapons - conversely, his teaching of the left hook is perfect), and a lot of the good info is taken almost word for word from Dempsey's book. However, these books are much easier to find and much cheaper, so it might be a decent place to start. He also has some fun stories throughout both books as well.

Putting All the Pieces Together

Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge by B.J. Penn - Right now, the best book about the total picture of MMA. The only drawback is a complete focus on the sport, to the exclusion of the idea of self-defense or as an "Art". But still a must have, regardless.

These are a pretty good place to start. Next time I will look at some books that are not directly related to the actual technique of fighting, but are still what I consider foundational.

the myth of the leatherneck in the Philipines

In the martial arts, there is SOOOOO much B.S. that goes around that it is sometimes overwhelming. People just throw out utter garbage on a constant basis. Sometimes you can't even argue it because you are just dumbfounded at the utter stupidity of it.

BUT, sometimes you can fight it, often with some simple common sense, or even better, the historical record.

I am really anal when it comes to historical accuracy. You can debate the whys and wherefores in history, but you should not be able to argue whether something happened or didn't happen. So, we can use that to fight some common fallacies in the martial arts.

One of my pet peeves is that the US Marines got their nickname of "leatherneck" from the Philippine Campaign. The B.S. legend goes that the Moro fighters were such bad asses that they would fight their way through a hail of gunfire and manage to get in close where they used their native martial art (Kali/escrima/arnis/whatever you want to call it) to kill marines with knives and swords, often by cutting the necks of the marines. So to combat this, marines wore leather collars around their neck to help survive.

That is a really cool legend. Too bad it has absolutely NO basis in fact. The reason the Marines have the nickname Leatherneck dates back to the early part of the 19th century. The uniform of the Corps had what was called a "stock". Simply, it was a leather collar that was designed to forcibly keep the Marine's head up no matter what, so he always looked smart and squared away on duty. The stock was, understandably, hated and was eventually done away with by the 1860's. And, just so there is no misunderstanding, IT WAS NOT BROUGHT BACK at anytime in the history of the Corps.

So all the proponents of Filipino martial arts, PLEASE stop spouting this line of crap. Your art has enough real and authentic stories that you don't need to make up nonsense that only serves to make you look foolish. It is an undisputed fact that the Moros were bad as*es. They don't need lies to appear so. Be truthful and knowledgeable.

In the above picture of an actual uniform, you can just make out the black leather collar.

Here is the actual official tale of the phrase leatherneck from the Marine Corps itself:

“Leatherneck”
In 1776, the Naval Committee of the Second Continental Congress prescribed new uniform regulations. Marine uniforms were to consist of green coats with buff white facings, buff breeches and black gaiters. Also mandated was a leather stock to be worn by officers and enlisted men alike. This leather collar served to protect the neck against cutlass slashes and to hold the head erect in proper military bearing. Sailors serving aboard ship with Marines came to call them “leathernecks.”

Use of the leather stock was retained until after the Civil War when it was replaced by a strip of black glazed leather attached to the inside front of the dress uniform collar. The last vestiges of the leather stock can be seen in today’s modern dress uniform, which features a stiff cloth tab behind the front of the collar.

The term “leatherneck” transcended the actual use of the leather stock and became a common nickname for United States Marines. Other nicknames include “soldiers of the sea,” “devil dogs,” and the slightly pejorative “gyrene,” (a term which was applied to the British Royal Marines in 1894 and to the U.S. Marines by 1911), and “jarhead.”

And, before you start arguing with me, read the following books that prove beyond all reasonable doubt that what I have just written is correct.

United States Marine Corps by John Selby

US Marine Corps by Charles Cureton

USMC: A Complete History by John Hoffman

as well as this website: http://www.usmcmuseum.org/Museum_LoreCorps.asp

These books include DOCUMENTED fact. If you want to debate me, you had better be prepared to cite facts to back you up. I did.

Martin Luther King Day

Today is a national holiday that celebrates the life and work of a great American. A TRUE American. His famous "I have a dream" speech is one of the most amazing pieces of oratory in history. I am surprised at how many people have never read or heard the entire thing. Here is my favorite part of the speech, but do yourself a favor and go to youtube or google it and actually watch it in it's entirety. If you have any humanity in you, you will be deeply moved.

"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"