Techniques
Unarmed Self Defense Tactics
The human foot is made up of 26 bones that are tied together by strong ligaments. Of these there are seven tarsal bones that form the area directly below the ankle joint and make up the instep of the foot. Five metatarsal bones that make up the ball of the foot then follow these seven and of course you have fourteen phalanges that form the toes. For those wondering how five toes divide into fourteen bones it is simple, there are only two bones in the big toe and three in the others.
By now you are probably also wondering what basic foot anatomy has to do with an assailant. Actually the knowledge of how the foot and hand (which we will cover shortly) is made up will enable you to better understand how to use them against an assailant.
The heel of the foot is the toughest bone of the foot and it is unlikely you will be able to do damage to it. The ankle bones can be hurt but are supported by the heel so more effort would have to be expended. The tiny bones that make up the instep and the toes on the other hand are very vulnerable and easy to break.
When a male or female assailant grabs you, there is an excellent chance that they have your hands, wrists or arms pinned and out of commission. By pinning you in this way, your assailant has affectively removed two of your most powerful weapons, both hands and elbows.
At the same time, it is important to remember they are not the only weapons you have in your arsenal. Your most powerful weapon is of course your head and by using it while staying calm, you are already in a stronger defensive position. Another strong set of weapons is your legs and feet.
It is possible to break the small bones of the feet regardless of which way your assailant has you facing in regards to him. The important part to remember is to use your own strong heel to make the strike, not the ball of your foot or instep.
To get the desired effect you will need to bring your knee up as far as possible and then slamming it downward with your ankle flexed upward so your heel hits first. For any of the following instructions to work, you must be within striking range of your assailant. YOUR striking range, not his.
If your back is to your assailant, you can bring your knee up without impediment and think for a moment of how a mule kicks with his rear legs. He will bring his leg up with the hoof close to his underside and then kick straight back. In some styles of martial arts, bringing your knee and foot up and also kicking straight back just happens to be termed a “mule kick.”
Ideally, as you slam your heel backwards, you will hit the assailant’s knee, a very unstable, vulnerable joint. Regardless if you hit the knee or the shin, the rest of the technique requires you to allow your heel to slide down the assailant’s leg and onto the bones of the instep or toes.
For those that wear high heels or boots, you will have an added advantage although the technique will still work well in tennis shoes or bare feet. You just have to remember to put as much force behind the strike as possible.
If you have been lucky enough to hit the knee or break the bones of the foot, don’t stop there. Use your head as a battering ram against your assailant’s nose and mouth, if your arms are pinned but your hands are free, attempt to step backwards as close to your assailant as possible, use your strongest hand to reach back and grab a handful of testicles or pinch as hard as you can on the inside of the thigh as close to the groin as possible. To get the idea of how light a pinch can cause pain, reach down and pinch the inside of your own thigh.
As to the human hand, there are twenty-seven bones that comprise the fingers, palm and wrist. The wrist itself has eight strong cube shaped bones that attaches the actual hand to the end of the arm. The palm is made up of five long metacarpal bones. From the palm, fourteen phalangeal bones become the fingers with the same breakdown in individual digits as listed in the toes. Three bones are in each finger, two in the thumb.
The hand itself with all the fingers grasping your wrist, shoulder or arm is strong but one finger by itself is weak. For the sake of simplicity, lets assume your assailant has a big meaty hand wrapped around your left wrist or lower arm. Regardless as to who this person is, he or she has no right to touch you without your permission and if permission has been given, the point of this article would be mute.
Keeping calm, look down at the offending hand, reach over with you right hand and instead of grabbing their wrist or entire hand, simply grab one little finger. The weakest fingers in an average person’s hand are the pinkie and the ring finger. Use this knowledge to your advantage. Wrap your hand as best as possible around the pinkie and with a sharp motion down and back, make the back of the finger smash into the back of your assailant’s hand. You must do this quickly, forcefully and be committed to the act.
By hesitating, the assailant is given time to be aware of what you are doing and take appropriate actions and if you feel squeamish about breaking someone’s bones, you won’t use the force needed to do the most good.
If your assailant is holding your hand in such a way you can’t get a good grip on the pinkie or ring finger, don’t give up. The index finger or the thumb will be as affective; they just require a greater deal of force.
To give yourself an added advantage, precede the breaking of the finger with the foot strike and stomping of toes to get your assailant distracted first. If you are facing him, you can see exactly where the knee and foot for the best quality strike.
These suggestions are just a couple of the possible self-defense escape methods that can be used. As with any technique, no single one works 100% of the time in all given situations and against any or all opponents. They can be affective though by themselves or as follow-ups to other types of defensive moves.
As with any and all techniques, they do little good if they have not been practiced and require a period of thought on you part to remember. With any attack, you will have a very small window of opportunity to get your strikes in and get away. After all, that is your main objective, to get away. Once you are free, run, don’t walk to the closest safe place you can find and call for law enforcement authorities to handle the matter from there.
The importance of recovery in a boxing workout
Recovery is very under used by many boxing trainers. Recovery methods are sometimes thought of as a novelty or even a way babying a fighter.
Typically a fighters training camp will run 4-6 weeks of brutally intense training. If a fighter shows up
Sometimes the best thing in a hard workout is relaxing.
in camp in pretty bad shape the training means to get him in great shape can often leave him over trained just barely surviving the training camp. This is do to the high and hard amount of training he will partake in to get his weight down to get in shape. So the fighter starves, runs all these miles and works the bag for many rounds yet no recovery is usually planned. The next line of action is check weight if the fighter is still heavy. Even if a fighter isn’t that bad out of shape, they are still being told that the other fighter is training even harder so they burn themselves even more by picking it back up.
The best solution is to monitor the fighters readiness before training intensely. If the fighter comes to training wore out, why beat a tired horse even more. It’s not weakness the fighter is showing, it’s the fighters body telling the trainer something. The trainer needs to pay close attention to his boxer and at the same time implement recovery modalities after the training to ensure proper training readiness/freshness. The fighter will then show up to the next training session rejuvanated and ready to train hard. You are then building the fighter up and not breaking them down.
Again, Why beat a tired horse? I’ll repeat this again too, naive boxing trainers look at over training as not training hard enough. This has got to stop. We know what happens with this scenario. If the team would monitor training readiness and use recovery techniques such as massage and proper post workout nutrition, they would obviously be building the fighting beast they seek to have ready at fight night. In training we are only as good as we recover. If we don’t recover we don’t progress. It is ridiculous for fighters to show up to the fight fatigued by barely surviving their training camp. Implementing recovery methods will ensure this won’t happen.
Here are some recovery methods that can be successfully applied to the fighters training: foam roller, massage stick, goose bump ball, deep tissue massage, steam room, hot tub, and post workout nutrition. Mineral and epson salt baths work well too. Nutrition on a whole determines how well a fighter can train and recover. If the fighter is bloody starving himself to make weight, that’s the fight itself and it’ll cost the fighter the fight.
By gaging the training intensity of the fighter you allow the fighter to recover better and not peak to early for the fight. It is far better to rest for a day or two and decrease the intensity of the training then to peak before the fight! The fighters who have to take off all the pounds and come to camp out of shape can peak 3 weeks before a fight! This is the reason they can look so flat during the fight. Look deeper and the truth comes out.
I hope this article has shed some light on why applying recovery techniques and modalities in boxing training can determine the success or apparent early downfall of the fighter. The new motto of enlightened, experienced trainers is “Less Is More”. Based on their fighters performances who follow this new slogan, who can disagree?
Mixed Martial Arts Stand-Up Style
Stand-up Fighting is important in MMA
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full, contact sport which includes techniques such as striking and grappling. This sport can serve as a workout that helps improve many different areas of your body. There are different styles in mixed martial arts and the stand-up style helps improve your punching, kicking, elbowing, kneeing and footwork techniques.
Striking
A strike is an attack with a part of your body or with an object such as a weapon. Punches, kicks and headbutts are all forms of strikes. Although, headbutts are prohibited in many MMA organizations because of the amount of harm it can cause a person. Your back, hips, forearms, shoulders, wrists and fingertips can also be used for striking in some martial arts. Judo and wrestling are sports that do not employ striking.
Grappling
Grappling is controlling an opponent without the use of striking. You would use gripping and handling in order to control your opponent. There are various hold attempts such as grappling holds and choke holds.
There are various nicknames for the different styles of mixed martial arts. The sprawl-and-brawl is a stand-up fighting method that focuses on striking and avoids ground fighting. Ground fighting is when both combatants are on the ground in hand-to-hand combat. In a sprawl-and-brawl, combatants use sprawls to defend against takedowns. The sprawl is executed by scooting your legs backwards in order to land on the upper back of your opponent undertaking the takedown. A takedown is a term used in combat sports and martial arts for a technique that off-balances your opponent and brings him or her to the ground. In a takedown, you should be the one that lands on top.
Sprawl-and-brawlers are usually boxers, kickboxers, Thai boxers and full-contact karate fighters. They are trained in wrestling and try to avoid takedowns and keep the fight standing. This style is very different from regular kickboxing styles. The sprawl-and-brawler must adjust his or her techniques to incorporate ground fighting and takedown defense.
Stand-Up Grappling (Clinching)
In stand-up grappling, two combatants start fighting from a stand-up position. The aim and purpose of this style varies depending on the combat sport or martial art you want to do. Stand-up grappling can be offensive such as it is in wrestling or Judo, but it can also be defensive as it is in Aikido.
Stand-up grappling revolves around throws and takedowns. A throw is another martial arts term for grappling where you cause your opponent to be off-balance or you lift your opponent up and toss him or her to the ground. In some sports, the fight is over once the combatant has fallen down.
For MMA, some fighters train in multiple styles with multiple coaches or train in teams. Some important parts of an MMA fighter’s training include flexibility, speed drills, strength training and energy system training.
How to Keep in Shape and Gain More Confidence With Martial Arts
There are many various forms of exercise that people use to keep in shape. One way to keep in shape and gain more confidence is by doing martial arts. You will find many different types of martial arts are available to those who are interested in this discipline. To help you out with the learning process of martial arts there are academies and dojos where you will have a chance of learning different styles and forms of martial arts.
Is Martial Arts a good fitness activity?
In the academies you will get to learn different techniques and weapons use of the many forms of martial arts. While you can learn more about this ancient form of fighting it is best to experience this learning with a qualified and trained instructor.
With the help of these individuals you can make sure that your training progress at a rate that your body will be able to work with. You will also be shown the right movements so that you don’t cause yourself any serious injurious. Now most of these academies can be geared towards teaching one type of training.
For this reason it is best if you see which martial arts form you would like to learn. Once you have made a decision about the unarmed fighting that you want to learn you can think about where you will get this training. You will find that some forms of martial arts are considered as being more popular than others.
You can look at the enrollment form of different classes in a martial arts academy to see which ones have more people in them. At the present karate is considered as being quite a good martial arts discipline to learn about. Even in this form of fighting you will find sub disciplines. Some of these martial arts are ones that we have heard about.
For instance you will find that Tae Kwon Do is one such martial arts that people take part in. Judo, Ninjitsu, Tai Chi are just a few of the other well known forms of unarmed fighting. You will find that many of these martial arts are inspired by legends who keep the flames of these art forms alive just by their names. For instance we have all heard of Bruce Lee.
The Costs of Choosing the Wrong Martial Arts Style
A lot of people nowadays are getting into the martial arts and choosing a school without even knowing which style of martial arts the school teaches. Some schools are not totally clear on what their style is as many are practicing and teaching a hybrid mix of multiple arts. Is this a problem? Should you know which style you practice? Are clearly lineated styles even important? The easy answer to all of these questions is yes and no. Unfortunately there are hidden costs involved in choosing the wrong style of martial arts.
Here’s why:
· Choosing a style based on popularity rather than something that fits your personal strengths
Just because a style is the most popular thing going doesn’t mean that it is right for you. Taekwondo has held the interest of many a young person due to its dynamic and spectacular kicks. If you are athletic and flexible then this might be the art for you but if you have bad knees and worse hamstrings, then think twice.
Not too long ago, Tae Bo was the big thing. At first glance some people thought this was a martial art, especially as the founder Billy Blanks was a former karate champion. However, some of them were disappointed to find out that Tae Bo was a new style aerobic workout using martial arts techniques that has little to no self-defense value.
More recently Mixed Martial Arts has become hugely popular and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is attracting record numbers on its Pay-Per-View events. Consequently, many young people are hoping to ride the next wave of popular martial arts. However if you want to keep your good looks, straight nose and nicely-shaped ears you might want to reconsider.
The bottom line is that you should try to find a martial art that matches your strengths and not your weaknesses.
· Picking a martial art that has conflicting values with your core beliefs
The majority of martial arts have a certain amount of traditional “baggage” that comes with them. This “baggage” can sometimes include some rather esoteric practices and mystical thinking that you may or may not be comfortable with. Most people are able to accept these practices at face value and in many cases the various martial arts schools water down some of the stranger customs and forms of etiquette in the interest of blending in with our popular culture.
Some people however feel that their own personal religious preferences and ideals are being compromised and therefore can feel more than a little uncomfortable. If this description fits you then you might want to check out your chosen style’s practices and customs before you make your final decision. This factor is usually not an issue but it doesn’t hurt to check out this aspect of your martial art before making a commitment.
· Enrolling in a martial arts school based on price rather than quality
This factor can work for you and against you. There is no regulation in the martial arts industry that defines what standards a good school should uphold. Also there are a wide range of martial artists who are full-time commercial school owners and some who are part-time hobbyists.
Most people’s perception is that the more expensive the school the better the martial art. Sometimes this is true but sometimes the local community center has a great martial artist offering a great service. Expensive schools usually offer excellent training facilities and great customer service together with well-structured programs.
Cheaper schools or classes generally offer lesser facilities and sometimes inferior instruction, but very often there are some hidden gems to be discovered. Don’t overlook these people just because of price. Conversely don’t overlook the big schools because they are “too expensive”. Make your decision based on quality and not price.
· Opening the Yellow Pages and choosing a karate school just because the ad looked good
Looks can be deceiving and just because an ad in the Yellow Pages looks good doesn’t mean that the karate school is the right one for you. It just means that they are better at marketing and design than some of the other schools listed in the same pages. Check into a few of the schools by calling them and visiting them and then make your decision. It might end up that you still go to the school with the cool ad and that’s fine, but at least you looked around a little first.
So what is the moral of the story? Do your research first, before you begin your martial arts practice! A little extra time spent up front will more than likely pay dividends later. The martial arts often turns into a lifetime endeavor. You probably won’t be too happy if you spend some significant time practicing a certain style of martial arts only to find out that there is nowhere else to go unless you change your style.
Russian Martial Arts and Kettlebell Training
Russian martial art training and kettlebell training involves elements of strength, flexibility and relaxation. Many would argue that speed and technique should also be included, but given that you have trained in all three of these disciplines, then speed will come naturally. Technique is immaterial: it is related to what you do, not how you do it.
Training, on the other hand, is how you do what you do. The what is irrelevant. It is the how that matters. A boxer cares not what a karate student does, but only what he himself does. A man or woman facing opponents is not concerned with what others can do, but only with they do themselves. It is not the ‘what’ but the ‘how’ that matters, and the ‘how’ is related to training, practice and knowledge.
The training of Russian martial artists is designed to improved the ‘how’. Russian martial art has no need of pre-orchestrated movements or katas as Japanese and Chinese martial arts have. Much has been written about Russian martial arts and their means of attack and self defence, a lot of which is based on the popular view of the Russian Special Forces. Most Special Forces can employ the techniques used by their Russian counterparts, but it is the Russian methods of training that make the difference.
Pavel Tsatsouline, trainer to the Russian military and then the American Special Forces and other military personnel, teaches you the secrets of the super-strong and of attaining supreme martial arts power. He does this through use of Russian kettlebells and the tension and relaxation techniques used by the Cossacks who could slice a man from shoulder to buttocks with only a light one handed sabre.
The Cossacks trained by standing in a lake or river up to their waist and then slicing into the water with their sabres for hours on end. The secret was to be in total relaxation until the moment of strike when all the power of the body was concentrated in the one blow, and then reverting to total bodily relaxation immediately after. In that way, strength and stamina were maintained while the blow itself was imparted with the maximum possible strength of the whole body.
Flexibility is the true secret behind supreme martial art power, and the one bodily attribute that is most ignored and misunderstood by the majority of martial art exponents. Russian martial art techniques make best use of supreme strength and absolute power through the understanding of how to properly relax between blows. The supreme power of a martial art punch is used through a total understanding of the levers of the body, the muscles that move them and the relaxation that allows these muscles to exert maximum power to the levers.
A powerful punch is a rapid snap with maximum power and then total relaxation until the next punch. Russians are trained in dynamic relaxation exercises in all athletic training, and the fast and loose techniques they use are ideal for the rigors of absolute mastery in martial arts.
Russian martial art training and kettlebell training is not the theatrically disciplined art of the Chinese and Japanese, but a technique designed for maximum power and effect in attack and not just self defence. The use of the power of the human body can be maximized only by developing the supreme strength possible through kettlebell exercise, and the flexibility and relaxation techniques as taught by the master of the Russian martial art, Pavel Tsatsouline, master teacher of Russian and American Special Forces personnel.
An Introduction to Bokator
Bokator/Boxkator, or more formally, Labokator (to fight (like a) lion) is a Khmer martial art that may be a predecessor of southeast Asian kickboxing styles. History indicates that Bokator or an early form thereof was the close quarter combat system used by the ancient armies of Angkor.
Without rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes or other symbols instead of Indic characters; or irregular vowel positioning and a lack of conjuncts.
Angkorian warriors were a key factor in enabling a succession of Angkorian kings to dominate southeast Asia for more than 600 years beginning in 800 AD. Popular belief is that Jayavarman VII, the ruler of the Khmer Empire, was a practitioner of Bokator.
Unlike kick boxing, which is a sport fighting art, Bokator was a soldier’s art, designed to be used on the battlefield. It uses a diverse array of elbow and knee strikes, shin kicks, submissions and ground fighting. Bokator practitioners are trained to strike with knees, hands, elbows, feet, shins, and head. Even the shoulders, hip, jaw, and fingers can be used to fight an opponent to submission or death.
When fighting, Bokator practitioners still wear the uniforms of ancient Khmer armies. A kroma (scarf) is folded around their waist and blue and red silk cords called sangvar day, are tied around the combatants head and biceps. In the past it is said that the cords were enchanted to increase strength, although now they are just ceremonial.
The kroma (a cotton scarf worn around the waist) shows the fighter’s level of expertise. The first grade is white, followed by green, blue, red, brown, and finally black, which has 10 degrees. After completing their initial training, fighters wear a black kroma (scarf) for at least another ten years. To attain the gold kroma one must be a true master and must have done something great for Bokator. Becoming a “true master” is most certainly a time-consuming and possibly life-long endeavor: in the unarmed portion of the art alone there are between 8,000 and 10,000 different techniques, only 1,000 of which must be learned to attain the black kroma.
The art contains 341 different styles based on the study of life in nature. As examples, there are horse, bird, dragon, eagle, and crane styles, each containing several techniques. Because of its visually similar style, Bokator (Boxkator) is commonly wrongly described as a variant of modern kick boxing. Bokator has many forms based on traditional animal-based styles as well as straight practical fighting techniques. Pradal Serey is a more simplified freestyle fighting system which uses a few of the basic (white kroma) punching, elbow, kicking and kneeing techniques
Angkor was a wealthy empire that dominated southeast Asia from 800 AD to 1400 AD. It was a monarchy which ruled a vast hierarchy of officials, elite, peasants and slaves and built some of the most spectacular buildings in the ancient world such as the famous Angkor Wat. The Angkorians were often at war, and often with their Cham neighbours from what is now the area surrounding Saigon in South Vietnam. Warriors fought hand to hand, thus out of necessity giving rise to a highly-developed martial art.
The name Bokator is itself possibly an indicator of the age of Bokator. Pronounced bok - u -tau, ‘tau’ translates as ‘lion.’ Lions have never been found in southeast Asia, although lions were found in western India. Indian culture and philosophy were the major influences in Angkor culture. All the great buildings of Angkor are inscribed in Sanskrit and are devoted to Hindu gods, notably Vishnu and Shiva. Religious life was dominated by Brahmins. The concept of the lion and of a martial art named ’striking like a lion’ most likely emerged during the reign of the Angkorean kings and this concurrent Indian influence. The influence of the Brahmins diminished with the rise of Buddhism almost a thousand years ago.
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