Joker's Training Journal

We worked an interesting progression,

• first the shuffle kick
  
• next high fake (hands snap out and up, use eyes) to shuffle
  
• finally the high fake to the shuffle (which is evaded) follow with cross

This was a nice evolution and a natural progression that could be conceivably be seen in a fight. It illustrates three principles nicely (a) self-perfection via isolating a technique, (b) Jeet Kune Do's "progressive indirect attack", that is faking one line and attacking on another, and (c) combat reactivity, even after setting up one line we may not be successful and need to use a defensive reaction to set-up another line. We progressed into trapping (which I missed part of as I repaired focus mitts), but we did a lop sao pok sao into straight arm head push to the horizontal elbow to the neck.
Two passes in BJJ:

• In de la Riva, control hook side lapel, slide hooked leg across opposite thigh put knee to floor, lapel control arm keeps elbow in hip pockets, free hand detaches other leg and then controls same side arm. Free foot by kicking with free leg.
  
• In koala guard, you create frame with "koala'd" side arm grabbing kimono cross collar. Partner controls your far leg, dives to front for sweep. Drop "koala'd" leg's knee to floor, across partner's thigh. Intensify frame, putting your elbow to partner's ear. Imagine trying to pry their head off. Your free hand controls the kimono sleeve nearest floor. Free foot by kicking with free leg.

A number of years ago one of my students decided that he wanted to fight MMA at a local bar. He decided to do this at the next "show", which was a week away. He had been training regularly, but had not been getting ready for a fight in particular. I had never prepared anyone for a fight before and tried to dissuade him to wait a little so we could prepare him. With a weeks preparation he went, got in the ring with a considerably larger opponent and won in under a minute when his opponent was DQ'd for headbutting him and opening an inch long and about as deep gash in my student's face. From that point I vowed that I would do all that I could to help someone from my team prepare for a fight be it as simple as being a punching bag (which I have been a lot) to a coach (which I pretend to be on occasion). They could take advantage of this or not, but I would offer my body and (meager) skills.
Today I worked with two of our fighters. I held punch mitts (at least that's what I call the hybrid boxing glove-focus mitts) and worked on tightening up their boxing and reaction. Also concentrated on avoiding "no-man's land" that is the distance where fighters are close enough to trade but to close to adequately defend, either close or open the space, don't let Mr. Murphy win your fight. We also worked the four pathways to clinch. We worked one "dirty boxing" round, using a simple wrestling pummeling drill to transition into a break (return cross-hook-cross), a rip (and counter rip), and plum/side thai clinch. We finished with a combat sports Tabata protocol round of 20 second intervals with 10 second shadow boxing. The intervals were

1. Pitterpat
   
2. Push-ups
   
3. Pitterpat
   
4. Spider-man
   
5. Pitterpat
   
6. Squats
   
7. Crosses and Hooks
   
8. Mountain Climbers
   
9. Crosses and Hooks
   
10. Push-ups

As an aside observation, in recent MMA fights that I've seen it seems that knockouts either happen very early in the first round or later rounds. Now this may seem like an extremely obtuse observation but the very early KO seems to occur either due to inadequate warm-up or as part of the feeling out process (that is, the winning fighter finishes the assessment sooner than the losing one). The later round KOs seem to be more an effect of attrition, fatigue, or complacency. That is, these victories come when fighters return to sloppy habits or a poor guard due to being tired, they don't have an answer for something being thrown at them and it breaks them down over time, or thinking they've figured out their opponent they caught by something completely out of left field. Whether this is a biased observation or not, I do not know. However if we plotted results of say past UFCs (after they started using a system of rounds) we could see if this effect is real or not.