Vary your attack!!

All right folks, I am writing and I am not even mad about something. Shock huh? Anyhow, I would like to speak on the virtue of variety. I recently saw a good boxing match against two skilled fighters. One fighter was excellent in the classical sense of the word, a workman's fighter. He kind of reminded me of Marvin Hagler. The other fighter was equally good, but his attack was very unpredicatable. He threw body shots, head shots, lead hand crosses, the whole nine yards. He won the fight. He did not throw harder punches, he just kept his opponent guessing, and scored more. My advice to you guys, switch it up.

Don't be afraid to specialize.

Guys,
I am bringing in maybe more than 2 cents today. I just read this really good book. It is called, " The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing." It is a book of business, but is applicable to martial arts, if you think about it. See, we live in a world where the trendy mantra is " learn a little bit from every art. Pick what works, discard what doesnt" seems to be very popular in the martial arts world these days. But I caution you not to get carried away. It is okay to be good in only one thing.

For example, there are a lot of good martial artists out there. They may be good at striking, or good at grappling, or good at weapons. The current trend is that a martial artist must be good at ALL of these. Not so. Maybe if you like to participate in mixed martial arts. But in everyday real life, that may not be a good idea. It is very difficult to be adept at a number of martial arts in a reasonable time. I say, that it is MUCH better to specialize first.

Now as a man with extensive experience in kenpo, Muay Thai, judo, jujitsu, wrestling and boxing, that may seem strange coming from me. But the fact is, most people DON'T want to do all of those things. People tend to want to do just one thing, because it is that one thing that they enjoy. So for the instructors out there, do not be afraid to do just one thing. If you do karate, teach karate to the best of your ability. If you teach judo, practice it to the utmost of your skill.

What I am saying is that, there is still a need for a specialist in the martial arts world. If you want luxury in cars, there is still the Bently. If you want fast and sporty, there is still the Ferrarri. What I am saying is that you should not believe the hype. There is no need to be a jack of all trades, you may find yourself the master of none. Specialize, become and expert, and you will still have an audience.

Fights are fights, sports are sports

Guys,
I am sorry that it has been so long, but I have been busy. Anyhow, today I want to talk about the difference between sport fighting and fighting. Now that geniuses are going to say
"one is real, one is a game." Ummm yeah, but there is a little more to that I think. Let's take boxing. Now I believe that boxing teaches a lot of good things, like footwork, crisp punching and endurance. But remember that there is a mindset that you need when you are in a real fight.

You don't have all day to fight someone. Most fights are over in about 10 seconds anyhow. That equates to the length of a good hockey fight. Now as much as I can appreciate boxing, it does teach some habits that can get you really hurt in a real fight.

The first thing is the punches. Boxers can punch for a long time, with their hands properly wrapped. In boxing the main target is the head. So in a real fight, boxers tend to head-hunt, to the detriment of their hands, and the use thereof.

The second is defense. Boxers employ excellent footwork. In a ring. In between 2 cars, or in a melee, they may lack the ability to defend as effectively. Also, boxers are very good at bobbing and weaving. Good for a waist and up sport like boxing. Bad when someone can clinch and knee you in the face. Also boxers tend to block with their gloves. Now this is a dangerous habit to develop. For all of you ultimate fighting fans, think of the Tito Ortiz/Chuck Liddell fight. Tito was using good motion just like his boxing training conditioned him to do. He was covering his ears with gloves that are much smaller than the boxing gloves he trained in. Result? He caught a punch behind the ear, that put him down and out. Remember folks, fights are fights, sports are sports.

Too much, too soon

Folks,
I just happen to have 2 more cents to add. I have been watching a lot of instructionals by expert martial artists, and legitimate champions. And I thought, "Wow, there really is a lot of information out there" But then, kind of piggy-backing on a previous post, I thought about how much trouble that can get people into. See, beginners and complete novices have access to the moves of the some the most elite competitors in the world. They see the cool new moves, and think that they can use to moves to become better.

This is dangerous thinking. See, behind all of those flashy moves, is a sound grasp of the basics. Martial arts training is a funny thing. A newbie is dying to learn the cool, spinning moves. An expert realizes that all of the value of martial arts is in the basics they learned the first year. Being a champion is not about the coolest moves. It is about who can perfectly execute the basics. That is my .02. Later folks................