appreciation

I think we have, in this country, an inability to show appreciation. There seems to be a general attitude too often of "What else can you do for me?"

What brought this up today was an article I read in the local paper about the NFL's preparations for the Super Bowl, which will be held here. The article reported how the NFL is attempting to offset the energy use and greenhouse emissions involved with this undertaking by planting MILLIONS of dollars worth of trees around the country. In my book, that is a good thing. Whether they did it to buy them good publicity is, to me, a moot point. The fact is, they are doing something good. Golf claps from me.

The problem is, the article quotes a local "environmental expert" who basically says, they should do more! What a tool.

Stay with me on this. I am not saying the NFL shouldn't do more, but how about just being appreciative of the act itself for now? What if, you give someone a Christmas gift of a $50 gift certificate to that person's favorite restaurant, and instead of thanking you, they say "I wish it was $75". You tell me, how would you feel? Would be so quick next time to give that person a gift at all?

There was a great episode of Seinfeld where Jerry got great hockey playoff tickets and refused to thank the person who gave them to him. He missed out (deservedly so) on the rest of the playoffs.

All I am saying is, if someone or some organization does something positive, let's be appreciative and not so quick to criticize.

Just a thought.

being an athlete

I use the term athlete a lot. I use it a great deal when I am talking about the people I coach in BJJ or CM Boxing. In my head, it sums up everything I think is important when training. One of my guys once said to me that he wasn't an athlete. He is older, a little chubby, and is a computer geek. So, in his mind, the word athlete didn't apply to him.

I read him the riot act. The fact of the matter is, it is not what you say or think, but what you DO, that defines you. And he was an athlete. Why did I say that? Because he TRAINED ATHLETICALLY. He put on the gloves, got on the mat, and put it on the line EVERY TIME against anyone, regardless of whether they were better than he was. Sometimes he did well, sometimes he didn't. It doesn't matter. He was training when most of his contemporaries were watching the boob tube or surfing the 'net for porn. To me, that is the test of being an athlete. Don't talk about it, think about it, or (uh oh) write about it. Just do it (to steal an overused phrase).

There are different kinds of athletes. There are professional, or elite level, or gifted athletes. But, if you actually do your part to fight the scourge of couch potato-ism, YOU ARE AN ATHLETE, regardless of age, ability, toughness, or physical prowess. Wear the mantle proudly.

yoga words of wisdom

I have been doing yoga (specifically, Bikram Yoga also referred to as "hot" yoga) for a while now. I have been enjoying it, and I think it has given me some really nice benefits beyond flexibility. It has helped my breathing, and it has helped my knee that had surgery on it become noticeably stronger. I like the class as well because since it is done in a heated and humid room (the temp is around 102 and the humidity is around 60%), it helps flush stuff out of your system through immense sweating.

There are some interesting phrases and terms used on a regular basis too. I would like to pass on a few that I think have some carry over to other things in life, like martial arts..

The first one is something Bikram writes in one of his books. He says "You do not do yoga, you try to do yoga, and in the trying is where you receive the benefits." I really like this, because it takes the pressure off in trying to live up to a certain standard as the only way to "succeed". Just in doing it you succeed. How many times do we forget this in our other activities? I know that I myself am sometimes overly hard on myself when I get tapped in jiu-jitsu, or get punched too often in stand up sparring. I am really trying to just learn to enjoy the benefits no matter what the external indicators are telling me.

The second one is that none of the teachers EVER refer to doing yoga as "training" or "working out". It is ALWAYS just practice. You do your practice. You enjoy your daily practice. You practice your yoga. Again, the pressure of living up to your ideal of forcing yourself to train like a maniac is left behind. You just do the practice, and enjoy it. Something else I am trying to remember to follow when I put on the gi, or the boxing gloves.

And finally, this one from Bikram. "Give 100% of yourself to every posture. It does not matter how much of the posture you do, just how much you put into it. If you can only do 10% of the posture, but you are doing it with 100% focus, effort, and intention, you will get 100% of the benefits." This is probably my favorite, because it emphasizes that you are not in competition with anyone, only with yourself. If you give your all when you do something, you are winning. For example, if you are sparring someone and they are completely dominating you, as long as you are trying your best, you will get better. It might take you longer than the guy next to you, but that is irrelevant. All that matters, is that YOU WILL improve.

Anyway, I hope you can take away something useful from this. I am trying to!

Random Quote 1

This is the first installment of random quotes that I love. This is one of my favorites.


"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit" - Nelson Henderson


There is a TREMENDOUS depth of meaning there.

picking MMA fights

So, for a good while I was pretty proud of my ability to pick the winner of the major MMA fights. I was on a fairly decent streak. GSP-Hughes, Liddell-Couture 3, Liddell-Jackson, Couture-Slyvia, etc.. The only one I flubbed on was GSP-Serra, and, honestly, who picked that one?

Well, now, I have to stop bragging. I was SOOOOOOO wrong on Gonzaga-Couture that it is not funny. Now, Randy is my favorite all time MMA fighter. He is just an amazing competitor. I was one of the few who publicly picked him against Slyvia. But I thought Gonzaga was exactly the wrong opponent for a 43 old fighter who has been through some wars. I thought the Brazilian's skills were perfectly matched to overpower Randy. Boy, do I look like a dumb ass. Couture proved that not only does he have the physical skills, he also has the mental skills to beat almost anyone.

I will NEVER pick against him again. Even if he matches up against Fedor, I will go with Captain America.

one of my pet peeves

I just don't understand people who, with little practical experience, feel the need to extrapolate their tiny universe into a macro application. It seems like too many people just have to act as if their tiny amount of experience confers on them the status of expert and that they have just as much right to chime in with their opinion regardless of who they are interacting with.

It is epidemic in sports, and very much so in martial art. I remember an internet arguement where a guy who had been training (on his own, with no guiding coach) for about a year, thought he stood on the same level as someone (one of my best friends) who not only had an ungodly amount of experience and individual performance, but who also coached (successfully) professional fighters. Yet, in the other guy's mind, his tiny bit of knowledge was just as valid as my friend's. Another time, another internet debate involved another one of my best friends and someone else discussing empty hand knife defense. The debate revolved around a supposed medical chart that laid out set bleed times that would lead to death. The other guy, with no medical training, was insisting on the fact that this mythical table existed and had even seen it. My buddy, because of his background, knew it was a myth. He asked to be sent a copy. That was over a year and a half ago, and still no copy has been produced. The other guy assumed because he had heard about this fantasy, he had the same level of expertise as someone who actually had the knowledge.

Imagine this scenario. A doctor says he has to perform emergency surgery to save a patient. Someone in the waiting room says "hey, I have seen every episode of House and Gray's Anatomy, plus I once had stitches in my hand, and I think the patient doesn't need surgery". That person would be looked at like he was from Mars. Yet, that EXACT scenario in martial arts plays out everyday on the internet!

So, the next time you feel like commenting on something, do a quick mental check to make sure you should. There is an old saying that goes something like this:

"better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are an idiot, instead of opening your mouth and removing all doubt"

Combat Potential from the Gracies

This is from the latest issue of the Gracie Academy newsletter. I like the simple guideline of understanding your progress when learning a new technique/tactic/strategy. Too often, we jump in against an opponent at our level and get frustrated when our new cool technique fails. this might help keep things in perspective. All props should go to the Gracies if you like this, not me!

What’s Your Combat Potential?

Question of the Month: "I have heard people say that strength doesn’t matter if you know jiu-jitsu. My problem is that I have been training for 7 months and I am constantly loosing to stronger opponents at my training center and as a result am starting to believe that I am not strong enough. What are your thoughts?"

-Ivan B. (Detroit, MI)

Answer: First of all you should understand one thing- strength does matter. Hypothetically, if two fighters are pitted against one another with the exact same level of technique, the one with greater strength and size will win every time. In order for you to overcome a skilled opponent who is stronger than you, your technique must be far superior to his so that you can make up in technique what you lack in strength.

In order to better understand what Gracie Jiu-Jitsu can do for you, you must first understand “Combat Potential”. Combat Potential is term used to depict the level of threat that an individual is capable of neutralizing in a physical altercation. There are 4 levels of Combat Potential. An individual who has reached Level 1 Combat Potential is skilled enough to effectively neutralize someone of similar physique who does not have any technical knowledge. Level 2 indicates that the practitioner can effectively neutralize a larger, stronger attacker who does not have any technical knowledge. Level 3 indicates that the practitioner is prepared to neutralize an opponent of similar physique who has some technical knowledge. Level 4 indicates that the practitioner is prepared to neutralize a larger, stronger opponent who has some technical knowledge.

Without knowledge of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, one’s Combat Potential is determined almost entirely by their preexisting physical attributes such as strength, speed and coordination. The reason Gracie Jiu-Jitsu will increase one’s combat potential so rapidly is that the techniques are so based almost entirely on proper timing and usage of leverage so that strength and speed are less important than they would be in any other martial art.

One very common occurrence amongst new jiu-jitsu practitioners is that they test themselves against a level 3 or 4 opponent when they have not yet achieved level 1 or 2 Combat Potential. This can be very discouraging and in many cases cause a new student to quit taking lessons. To prevent this from happening, a you must have a clear understanding of the 4 levels of Combat Potential and be patient enough to progress through them one level at a time.

a real hero

I won't spend much time writing about the shootings at VA Tech last week. There is enough commentary out there about it. However, I do want to bring some attention to the actions of a great man and true hero.

His name was Liviu Librescu. He was 76 and a professor of aerospace engineering at the university. During the shooting rampage, he was conducting a class. Realizing what was happening, he used his own body to barricade the door and held it closed while he told his students to get out. He was shot through the door and was killed. He knowingly sacrificed his life to save others, some of whom he probably barely knew.

I just stand in awe of this man's greatness. To give his life so others can live is amazing, especially when it is so easy to hear only of cynical things happening. I don't know if I would have had his courage if I was in that situation. Maybe being a survivor of the Holocaust gave him a stronger resolve and deeper wells of bravery. I don't know. I do know I don't think I will be so quick to overlook it the next time I hear someone make an anti-semitic remark, or denigrate some professor on the other side of the political aisle from my beliefs.

I will close this post with what Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenathal Center said of Prof. Librescu. The rabbi said "...This man(Librescu) decided he would not let this act of evil occur. He was not going to be a bystander."

Yes, indeed. A very, very brave soul.

MMA role models

I enjoy MMA. I think a competitive match between fighters with heart, skill, or brains, is a joy to behold. I also think that MMA gives us many clues as to what really works in a fight or what is a good way of training your techniques.

However, I don't worship at the altar of MMA, and I am really disappointed that with it's new popularity, it has already taken a step towards big time professional sports and the problems associated with it.

For example, I am really dis-heartened by the MANY, MANY recent drug test failures by a number of fighters. Nick Diaz, Melvin Guillard, Stephen Bonnar, a guy from the IFL. and in three local California shows in a ONE WEEK period, THREE fighters failed drug tests.

Now, I am not passing judgement on their personal choices. That is between them and their own conscience. My point in bringing this up is to point how that what MMA athletes do to get better does not automatically mean it will help me. Just because a guy wins an MMA fight, does not confer on him a magic ability to teach me how to do the same thing, ESPECIALLY if he is on 'roids or meth or other performance altering drugs.

So, will I try to learn all that I can from a professional fighter? Absolutely. But it does not mean that EVERYTHING he does is applicable.

Okay, enough soap boxing for now.

Learning the rules

This past Saturday, I attended a 7 hour referee's clinic put on by Alvaro Mansur, the head referee of the International BJJ Federation. It was long, but somewhat interesting.

I learned some details of tournament BJJ rules that I was not sure of, but, more importantly, I learned the thought process behind ALL the current rules. Basically, they are designed as much as possible to reward the person trying to finish the fight with a definite end (submission or high amount of points) and punish the guy just trying to survive with the minimum. Like any set of rules for human endeavor, they are fallible and not perfect, but at least it is an honest attempt. The fact that you are not rewarded for doing what you should be doing (i.e. escaping a bad situation) and only rewarded for trying something beyond that is kind of cool.

So, after this, I can now referee an official IBJJF event. I am not a certified ref yet, though. I am basically, a ref-in-training. I need to actually get some real world experience, and sometime in the next 2 years, I have to attend another clinic. I don't really want to do too much of it, but every now and then acting as a ref might be fun.

At least, until I make a call that pisses off some famous black belt!

Am I training with technique, or am I a lazy fat a**?

I pride myself on training with an emphasis on technique, and trying to minimize physical attributes as much as possible. Most people who do jiu-jitsu with me will say I roll like I weigh much less. Most of the lighter guys in class have no problem being willing to roll with me, because I will not crush them. I think this is the best way to train. Besides being fun, it gets to the heart of the "art", and will enable me to train for the rest of my life. The guys who tend to use their attributes (size, strength, speed, conditioning, etc...) seem to burn out eventually. I cannot count the guys who have come and gone, while I keep chugging away. The nice thing is, I can always add my attributes when I need to, but they are generally unable to add technique when they want to. So I prefer this way of training. However.........

Recently, I have come to the conclusion that my BJJ game is sort of stagnant. Thinking about how to bring my "slump", I have realized that at some point in the recent past, I made a virtue (training without attribute) into a vice. I have used the excuse of being "technical" to become somewhat lazy and complacent. I think it started last summer when I was bitten by a spider, went to the emergency room to have the venom treated, and I was apparently exposed to MRSA (staph infection). It ravaged my body for the next 6-7 weeks. Even after it was gone, my body was very weak and it was taking me a good amount of time to get back some decent level of conditioning. Just when I was getting my groove back, I had a serious knee injury. The resulting surgery and rehab took 3 more months out of my training time. Since then, I have noticed I am having some real difficulties getting back to where I was last May (when I was bitten). It is not the art, but the artist. I roll without intent or focus, and I have let go of the drive to do extra curricular conditioning workouts. I told myself that it was okay, because I was using "technique". But I wasn't, I was just being lazy and waiting for some magical opening to appear.

Well, that ends now. I have already started to revamp what I am doing. The conditioning work is back on, and now when I roll, I have a definite idea what I am looking to do, and I will be aggressive about doing it. That doesn't mean I will use excess attributes, but I will be working to accomplish a goal, as opposed to waiting for the goal to happen. I have also committed myself to drop 30lbs by the end of August to get down to 190, a weight I have not been at since college. Why August? Because that is when the BJJ world championships will be held in Los Angeles. Since there are no age divisions, I will be competing against guys who will probably be 10 - 20 years younger, so I figure the weight loss (and drop in weight categories) will help me minimize some of the disadvantages I have as an old fart going against athletes in their prime.

The funny thing is, this is only with BJJ. With my CM/striking, I am having almost constant improvements every time I glove up. The cardio part (the lack of) is having a negative impact on my stand up, but I am still feeling like things are working better than before. I am still concentrating on technique, but I have a constant focus and intent when I am hitting my partners. I just need to get that back for the ground, and that is the plan.

So, to sum up. Training with a de-emphasis on physical attributes is a good thing. Just make sure it is not an excuse to dog it. Don't be like me :)

Pan-Ams

I have the BJJ Pan-Ams this coming weekend. I am entered in my weight division, as well as the open weight class.

I am not looking forward to it. I am just not mentally or physically ready. I have not gotten my cardio up to my pre-knee injury levels, so it has made it harder to get mentally prepared. I will still go, compete, and try to have a good time. But this is the first competition in a long time where I am not very confident. It is a disappointment because it is my first comp as a brown belt. I was really anxious to get on the Pan-Am mats a few months ago. Now, not so much.

Oh well. I will still be able to eat at my favorite restaurant in the world (Curry House), hang out with one of my best friends Jerry Wetzel and his uber-cool wife Gigi, and watch A LOT of high level jits.

No worries.

meeting the champ

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of meeting Xande Ribeiro, the reigning Open-Weight champ from the last BJJ world championships.

My BJJ coach, Megaton, was having a surprise birthday party for his daughter Mackenzie, and Xande and his older brother Saulo came over from San Diego (Saulo and Megaton being great friends for a long time) to participate.

Now, BJJ is not the big money sport of football or basketball, nor is it popular on the level of movies or TV. But, Xande is still the world champ of a world wide sport and martial art. He is a celebrity of sorts. It would be not surprising if he were a little stand-offish. But that could not be farther from the truth. Xande is one of the nicest, most down to earth people you will ever meet. Not only is he approachable, he goes out of his way to introduce himself to strangers. I had the chance to have a nice long conversation with him. He is a great guy.

I bring this up because I am constantly reminded how nice most well known BJJ practitioners are. It is a welcome change from athletes who refuse to sign autographs or celebrities who won't interact with fans. It is just another reason I am proud to be involved with BJJ.

what about the other guy?

I was talking with my BJJ coach, Megaton, in his office after a class the other day. We were discussing the problem of guys who train like their life will end if they get tapped out by someone. You know, the type of guy who thinks (or who wants to project the image) of himself as a bad ass. Generally these people don't care if they hurt others, and usually they don't last in the long run because at some point their ego takes too much of a beating.

Funnily enough, in Brazil, where machismo and being tough is almost a religion, they don't really have this type of problem. It is the American/European who have it. That is why in BJJ academies in Brazil, if an American /European goes there to train and they don't know you, they will be very cautious at first until you prove you are not one of those idiots.

Anyway, Megaton said something so profound that I was momentarily stunned. Now remember, Megaton is one of the baddest mothers you will ever meet. He loves to train and he loves to compete. He is a legend in that regards. As a matter of fact, he is the ONLY man to compete as a black belt in every single BJJ world championship. Think about that. What it means is that most of his contemporaries who he came in with have long since retired, yet he is still out there putting it on the line against BJJ BB's 5 - 15 years younger than him. So his competitiveness is well documented. Now if anyone alive could be justified in being a little self-centered in his training outlook, it is him. Yet, having said all that, here is what he said to me that shook me:

"The other guy (your opponent in training) deserves a good day too"

Now think about this for a second. Here is a guy who has every reason to go hard every session and try to do his best, yet he is advocating that we should also take into consideration the well being (physical and emotional) of the other guy across from us on the mat. I have tried to be a nice guy when I train (some of my friends tell me too much so at times), yet I have never thought about it in the context that Megaton expressed. Just brilliant.

How much better would ALL of our training experiences be if we all followed this? The gym would be a true place of refuge and solace. The pressure on us would always be OUTSIDE, in the real world, not on the mat or in the ring. And then, what would happen if we followed this philosophy outside as well? Every single one of us would be responsible for some improvement in the world. A nice thought, in my opinion, and a much more lofty goal than making my triangle better.

So, for me, this will be a new mantra for me. Maybe someone else will follow suit. I hope so.

watching vs participating

In today's USA Today, there was an article on a guy who is REALLY, REALLY into fantasy sports leagues. He has become some kind of super expert and is now involved with ESPN as some sort of commentator. He was bragging in the article how he has been playing since he was 14 (he is now 37) and how he has played in more leagues than almost anybody.

I truly don't get it. How does this matter, and why should I care? I mean, this is about FANTASY SPORTS!! I suppose it can be fun for some people to play in these kind of things, but to this extent? This guy NEVER mentions where he actually played the real version of these sports, or in fact, whether he ever did any physical activity. How can someone get so involved in something as a spectator, but not as a participant? And how in God's name can he be an "expert" when he has no clue at all without first hand participatory knowledge? You don't have to have played pro football, but it would be nice if you had stepped on the field once or twice in high school.

Fantasy can be fun, but it is probably a little more important to PARTICIPATE i the real world every now and then.

what "dead patterns" really are

Recently, I was watching an instructional DVD from a somewhat known MA personality. The DVD basically dealt with ways of integrating techniques from MA styles that were pretty popular in the '80's and early '90's into a modern MMA paradigm. I have also read a number of internet posts from said personality that followed similar lines. He spends an inordinate amount of time trying to justify his use of "dead patterns". He also spends an inordinate amount of time (on both the DVD and in his internet posts) trying to use the term sarcastically, letting you know he is obsessed with trying to prove they are not, in actuality, "dead patterns". I keep laughing every time he brings it up, because he truly does not understand why those training methods are being critiqued. In case he reads this (a highly dubious assumption), or anybody who sees his work and is curious about that criticism and just happens to stumble over my blog, I will try to clarify some things.


The greatest problem with so-called dead patterns is NOT that they do not work. Obviously, there are a lot of fighters who have come through that type of training and can functionally demonstrate their skills. ANY practice of a physical movement will increase your ability in using that movement in a "real" situation. That is obvious and not up for argument. Rather, the question is, is there a better, more efficient, and faster way of accomplishing the same thing as a "dead" pattern. The answer is a resounding yes. And, even better, that is an easily provable fact. It is actually a weird semantic debate that is pre-loaded with negative feelings because of the term dead. So, getting past that, what we are dealing with is what is a better way of training someone to perform adequately in a fight?

IMHO, modern MMA methods have built up an unassailable history of proof. These methods work because we see, on a constant basis, the results. Watch UFC, Pride, IFL, Bodog Fight, EXC, and tons of smaller local competitions. We can see them in BJJ and submission grappling tournaments, where average people demonstrate the validity of these methods. The methods work because if they did not, these competitors, from the average amateur on up through the top professionals like Chuck Liddell would not be using them. Let's be real for a moment. Right now, there is a great deal of money at stake for the top guys (Liddell made over 2 million from the last Ortiz fight). Do you honestly think that if there was a better way to train, these guys would not jump at the chance, since that might mean the difference between earning $20,000 and $2,000,000? If someone could show Liddell that doing chi sao for 2 hours a day would give him an edge in his rematch with Rampage Jackson, do you not think he would do it? The fact is, there is a better way of training for a fight. And by better, I mean faster, more efficient, more sure, more specific. And that is the crux of the arguement. A professional fighter could devote the time to use "slower" ways. He has nothing but time. But for the average person, who might have 2-4 hours a week available, they don't. They need the most efficient methods. And simply put, the MMA training paradigm is superior, hands down.

As soon as someone can debate that, I will listen. But the debate HAS to be that the "dead patterns" work as easily and as efficiently as MMA methods. Please, let's not base the debate on "dead patterns work too". That is irrelevant. Focus on the heart of the matter. Otherwise, we are wasting valuable free time that should be spent in more productive ways.

what Gracie Jiu-jitsu really teaches

I have read some internet posts lately by people involved in self-defense/martial arts with a certain agenda. That agenda usually revolves around trying to come up with reasons they don't train in Gracie Jiu-jitsu. You have probably seen the stuff that they propagate. Something along the lines of "you can't go to the ground because ......."

1) mulitple opponents
2) weapons
3) hard, uneven, surface

Those are the "holy trinity" reasons of the anti-grapplers (who usually happen to be completely out of shape and either overweight or sickly un-muscled). We know the real reason they don't train in GJJ is because they are deathly afraid of having their ego destroyed by not being able to perform. They know they will be tapped like a typewriter by some unathletic looking white belt, which will shatter their self-styled image of the bad ass reality based "combatives" expert.

While they do everything in their power to not get on the mat, I believe they are overlooking the most important thing that BJJ actually teaches. In my opinion, the single overriding concept in BJJ is how to deal with a larger, stronger, faster opponent at torso to torso touching range. This is usually expressed on the ground. HOWEVER, it is just as valid when you are upright and on your feet i.e. where nearly all "self-defense" techniques usually begin. I submit that every time you roll, you are hard wiring your system to handle an attacker at contact distances. It is not hypothetical, it is real because you are doing it, over and over. And, moreover, you are doing it constantly with an unending variety of opponents. All the "combatives" training you can possibly do will not be able to say that. And that constant variety will implant a subconscious ability to handle whatever "fighting" situation comes your way.

To sum up, 99% of non weapons fighting will involve some torso to torso attachment, usually with a disparity in physicality. Gracie Jiu-jitsu trains there, day after day, 24/7. You don't want to fight on the ground? Fine, then you better learn how to keep a bigger, stronger opponent from controlling you. I am still waiting for someone to show me another martial art that does that as well as BJJ.

open hand vs. closed fist

I was recently reading a blog article regarding the virtues of the open hand in a fight versus a closed fist. I think this is a very interesting and important discussion. The article itself was fairly good. Most of its reasoning was well supported. However, there is a really important aspect that not one pro-open hand person has ever successfully addressed (at least to my experience). For all their pushing of the virtues of the open hand strike, they have yet to overcome the single most outstanding virtue of the closed fist. No matter how you throw it, no matter how fast and non-telegraphic, EVERY single viable open hand strike will be circular. Some might be less circular than others, but they are ALL circular to some extent.

Don't believe me? Try it. Hit a heavy bag really, really hard with an open hand. Every possible way of effectively doing it that actually transmits some power has to open up at least slightly on the delivery. If you don't, you either hurt you hand/wrist OR you only hit with partial power. Still don't believe me? Do this experiment. Videotape a sparring session with a partner. The first round only use open hand strikes. The second round use only closed fists. I guarantee the punching in the 2nd round will be more direct and leave you less open for counters. It is a fact that closed fist strikes can be delivered incredibly straight, while keeping yourself defensively covered much better than the most efficient open hand blow. Plus, it is much easier teaching someone to hit straight without exposing their heads than it is teaching them the best method of open hand striking (at least it is if you know CM).