Commit! Commit! Commit! part deux

"If I do "x" they can do "y" "If I do this, they can do that!" I hear that a lot in my travels as a martial artist. My experience has led me to know that these types of statements are usually made by people who are afraid of contact. I dont mean a healthy fear either. Healthy fear is good, and usually the sign of at least average intelligence. I mean crippling fear. I dont mean physically crippling, but mentally. There are some people, whose martial arts travels will be cut short by the fact that they are afraid to be hit. As a matter of fact, I read an article about "The fear of contact" decades ago in Black Belt magazine. That is what is prompting me to write this blog.

Now, for just about everything that I can think of, there is a counter. Not just a counter, but an effective one. Let me give you some popular examples. If someone throws a lead hand hook, they are open to a cross. If someone throws a leg kick, you can step in and throw a cross again. if someone leads with a cross, a lead hook to the body is calling out to you. Now I could do this all day, but there is no need.

My point of this is to say that you HAVE to commit to your techniques. If you are hesitating with your techniques, the counters become EASIER. If you think about what they can do to you if you attack, you are in a world of trouble. Like I said, it can make you hesitate, which is extremely dangerous. You have to practice to the point that you have FAITH in your techniques. Against a skilled opponent in the ring or outside it, you may have to attack with all that you have. The "One strike, one kill" philosophy came from this mentality. Hard training is what will give you the faith that you need in your technique. That is just anothe reason that I cannot over-stress the concept of hard training. If you HAVE to fight, make sure that the person pays for making you stoop to that level.

Learn to commit in training folks. Not only will it help you with self defense, it will help you in all of your life endeavors. Remember, life can be a beautiful thing. Commit to all that you do. That is all for today kids, I have some serious taco making to do.

The side kick.

Guys,



I am gonna have a little fun with this one. When I mention sidekick, I dont mean that electronic thingamagig that everyone has these days. I dont mean that little jeep that Suzuki used to make. I am talking about the real side kick, also known as the side thrust kick. I have been a fan of this kick for a long time, as I know many of you are. I also have heard some of the most ridiculous things of all time regarding said kick. So without any futher delay.................... Here I go!!



I recently spoke with some Muay Thai and MMA enthusiasts, and they were talking about how the side kick was not very useful. After I rolled my eyes, I asked them to explain. The Muay Thai guys told me that in Muay Thai matches, a side kick would expose their hamstrings to leg kicks. I said, you are correct, they CAN expose your hamstrings. The funny thing is, that in almost every instance, they were talking about the use of side kicks by point karate fighters. They mentioned how they could just walk through those side kicks and then maul a point fighter. I mentioned things off the top of my head. I asked them, did the side kicks land? They usually said "yes." So I mentioned that the strike did land. Then I mentioned that the focus on point karate and the like was not to knock the opponent out, just to land cleanly. Now I personally have a grievance with that mindset, because I think that it can be dangerous in a self defense situation.

I also threw in that if the side kick was thrown with the real intent to hurt or injure someone, it is likely that "walking through" side kicks was not a good option. I personally have used side kicks against Muay Thai boxers with success on a number of occasions. How? By throwing them at unusual targets. I used the superior reach of the side kicks to strike the shoulder and the arms. I know that it sounds kind of funny, but that really hurts. In a self defense situation, kick someone in the fingers, or in the hand. Dollars to doughnuts (mmm doughnuts) says that they wont be making a fist anytime soon :) But maybe that is just me.

Now for the mixed martial arts fellows, I hear the same crappola. It usually sounds like this "If you do a side kick, you are vulnerable to a takedown." I immediately crack a smile. I remind them that one of the better wrestlers in the UFC has taken a couple of side kicks on more than one occasion. If you dont know what I mean, check out the matches between Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. Or check out Anderson Silva versus Rich Franklin. Or if you want to go vintage, you can check out WRESTLER Mike Van Arsdale side kick Jujitsu brown belt Joe Pardoe off his feet in an early event. You can always make the argument of " That doesnst happen very often." I will agree and then say," That is because there are not a lot of skilled kickers in MMA."

I am tired and kinda sleepy, so I am going to leave it at this: Viva la Side Kick!!!!!

Commit! Commit! Commit!

Guys,

I bet you wont be able to figure what this is about LOL. Yes, committing is important. One of the most important aspects of self-defense is knowing why you fight. If you are fighting for a trophy, or even prize money, your motivation need only reach a certain level. If some punk pulls a knife on you while you are walking with your grand-mother, the motivational level will be off the charts. With that said, I would like to talk a little about committment.

Now, in competition, I full understand the idea of checking a strike, or not looking to injure someone. After all, this person is not your enemy, merely your competition. So if you throw a strike that catches them by suprise, you will be a better person if you remember this is just a game. So "strike hard but dont remove teeth" is a good rule to remember.

That said, remember why you train. You should be training to save your life, not win points. You train for the worst, and hope it never comes. So follow through. What do I mean by that? Let me illustrate. In Thai Boxing, they throw hard leg kicks with the intention of wearing down an opponent. That is a good plan, because it is unlikely that another trained fighter will go down from one strike. But we are not fighting Thai Boxers. Throw that strike like you will never get another. Dont leg kick at your opponent, throw it through them. When your throw a punch, pierce your opponent with it. When you execute a throw, put them through the concrete, not into it. I dont know how many times I have seen boxers box in a real fight. They shouldnt have been boxing, they should have been fighting. I have seen wrestlers wrestle on concrete. They should have been looking to finish an opponent, not wrestle him.

Once the need to fight has arisen, make sure you are the one that walks away. Parents, you getting hurt means that you cannot tuck in your children. Married folks, it means you cannot have a laugh on the sofa with your spouse. Single folks, it means your parents may outlive their children. That is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Like someone told me once: Violence is RARELY the answer. But when it is, it is the ONLY answer. Im out like a New York governor after a scandal :) If you dont know what I am talking about, watch the news tonight.

My 20 second rant

I was recently told that my bare-knuckle roots in karate lack realism because we dont strike the face with a closed fist. Then he told me about how realistic his mixed martial arts training was. I was going to go into a whole TIRADE ABOUT why he was incorrect in both cases, but I will keep it short. One, In my school we strike the face with open palms. It still hurts like you wouldnt believe. And second and most important to me is: YOUR TRAINING REQUIRES YOU TO USE GLOVES!!!! I HAVE NEVER WORN THEM IN A FIGHT, HAVE YOU?