I make notes from training, sometimes more and sometimes less, often simply things like “Kick after the clinch dumbass” and “hit back” or notes on form on conditioning exercises. This week though I sparred a lot and the notes were interesting enough that I thought they might be of interest to someone other than just me.
Notes from sparring (April 26-May 2)
3 BBC classes and Black Belt testing
Partners: Daniel, Elliot, Larry, Dusan, Mark, Kwesi, Willard
Static opponents: Constant low kick attacks effective, followed by flurries of punches. The approach encouraged them to stay in place and heighten reach advantage in a couple of instances
Taller opponents: Fast inside and uppercuts mixed with short jabs. Cutting off kicks effective and threw partners off-balance. In close or out of reach, have to avoid middle distances. Larry used speed and holding moves (extended guard and push kicks) to limit the effectiveness of my tactics.
Sluggers/Pocket fighters: Change angles and pepper with high/low alternating side shots, must not allow them to establish and dominate pocket. Still retreating way too much with Elliot.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Notes from Thai Championship Boxing
In April 2015, I attended a local amateur fight night and came away with some thoughts about the fights and fighters. First let me say that none of my thoughts should be taken as, in any way, disparaging the fighters who had the nerve to climb in the ring and risk real hurt. I have only respect for them.
In no particular order, my observations:
-Too many fighters throw 1 or 2 punches/kicks and just stop, this is noteworthy because we all do it while sparring and everyone I have trained with to date is adamant to keep going and add moves. I know from some hard sparring that this can be tough but it was really striking how few real combinations seemed to be thrown. I think the ability to sustain complex sets of strikes may be a real key to success here.
-There is some kind of negotiation around protective gear and allowable strikes but it is not clear if this is based on some formula of total fights, fighter preference or what. Interestingly, the elbows seem to be a particular area of compromise. Many of the newer fighters are not permitted to use elbows at all but there are others who are fighting with protected elbows, which seems to remove them as a cutting weapon while retaining them as an impact weapon.
-In Round 3, very few of these fighters have much left. It was striking how conditioning was a factor, and one I believe I already have an edge in. At least half the fighters seemed fully gassed out by the start of round 3. someone who isn't is really going to have a substantial advantage.
-I can do this, these amateurs really are amateurs and I may not win but I can fight. I was prepared to back out of this whole endeavor if I wasn't convinced of this. The thing is that we mostly just see professionals on T.V. do this sort of thing, and they are much, much better than the folks fighting these amateur bouts (who I should add are much better than I am in many cases).
-Even the best folks are making the same mistakes that we make. By "we" I mean all my fellow kickboxing cohort who have no interest in competing. They drop their hands, over-extend, throw themselves off-balance and walk into strikes by not moving off the center line. Particularly notable was how fighters would try to chase and catch low kicks, leaving heads wide open. The winning fighters make less of these mistakes but they are apparent among all but the best fighters in the group I watched.
-Changing angles will save your tail,which deserves special mention. I particularly noted this when a couple of middleweights fought. One of these guys was scary tough looking and basically a wall of muscle, but his opponent won by not standing in the pocket and slugging it out. he kept changing the angle and decided when and where to fight. That is the kind of fighter I want to be.
-Even the best prepared fighter can go down with one shot. Watched a fighter go down 21 seconds into round 1 with one punch, leading me to conclude that we are all (or maybe most) one strike from the canvas. Defense, movement and hitting them enough to keep them from lining up a textbook move is critical because anyone you face can put you down.
Altogether an incredibly useful experience (and lots of fun).
In no particular order, my observations:
-Too many fighters throw 1 or 2 punches/kicks and just stop, this is noteworthy because we all do it while sparring and everyone I have trained with to date is adamant to keep going and add moves. I know from some hard sparring that this can be tough but it was really striking how few real combinations seemed to be thrown. I think the ability to sustain complex sets of strikes may be a real key to success here.
-There is some kind of negotiation around protective gear and allowable strikes but it is not clear if this is based on some formula of total fights, fighter preference or what. Interestingly, the elbows seem to be a particular area of compromise. Many of the newer fighters are not permitted to use elbows at all but there are others who are fighting with protected elbows, which seems to remove them as a cutting weapon while retaining them as an impact weapon.
-In Round 3, very few of these fighters have much left. It was striking how conditioning was a factor, and one I believe I already have an edge in. At least half the fighters seemed fully gassed out by the start of round 3. someone who isn't is really going to have a substantial advantage.
-I can do this, these amateurs really are amateurs and I may not win but I can fight. I was prepared to back out of this whole endeavor if I wasn't convinced of this. The thing is that we mostly just see professionals on T.V. do this sort of thing, and they are much, much better than the folks fighting these amateur bouts (who I should add are much better than I am in many cases).
-Even the best folks are making the same mistakes that we make. By "we" I mean all my fellow kickboxing cohort who have no interest in competing. They drop their hands, over-extend, throw themselves off-balance and walk into strikes by not moving off the center line. Particularly notable was how fighters would try to chase and catch low kicks, leaving heads wide open. The winning fighters make less of these mistakes but they are apparent among all but the best fighters in the group I watched.
-Changing angles will save your tail,which deserves special mention. I particularly noted this when a couple of middleweights fought. One of these guys was scary tough looking and basically a wall of muscle, but his opponent won by not standing in the pocket and slugging it out. he kept changing the angle and decided when and where to fight. That is the kind of fighter I want to be.
-Even the best prepared fighter can go down with one shot. Watched a fighter go down 21 seconds into round 1 with one punch, leading me to conclude that we are all (or maybe most) one strike from the canvas. Defense, movement and hitting them enough to keep them from lining up a textbook move is critical because anyone you face can put you down.
Altogether an incredibly useful experience (and lots of fun).
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Fight Plan 2015
So how does someone way past the age of 21 who has never fought competitively begin? Add to that question, how do you shoehorn that kind of preparation into a life that includes two elementary school aged children, a "unevenly enthusiastic about this project" wife, a demanding (but sedentary) job and all the other stuff that goes along with this project.
My answer is simple, you make a plan. Others are running marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing, and sailing around the world. If they can do that, I can do this. The only real difference is this is fighting.
So I developed a fight preparation plan with four areas: Physical, Mental, Technical and Social
The Physical was the most obvious and the most easily defined. I needed to be able to keep up with very fit people in very intense situations. I needed the specific strengths and flexibility to execute and survive in full contact Muay Thai. Finally, I needed to craft this to a late forty year old body that is more easily injured and takes longer to come back from injury (so a continuous but not overwhelming program). Here is what I am doing.
Physical
P1. Overall Fitness
2 per day x 6 days, 1per x 1 day of following:
-Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring Classes or training sessions
-Footwork (20 minutes plus of intense jump rope , shadow boxing, drill)
-Calisthenics (laddering up to 200 push-ups, sit-ups and squats)
-Running (2-4 miles per run)
P2. Flexibilty
Hip openers (every day)
Neck strengtheners (5 days per week)
P4. Physical durability
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
P3. Nutrition
Meet app goals on Calories, Protein and Sugar
Hydration, 8 cups per day
The mental preparation was actually much more challenging to capture for planning. The upside is the I am not scared of being beaten on. To my surprise, I found that my mis-spent youth and some kind of brain malfunction has made me considerably less afraid of being punched than most people. The real problems I am dealing with are relaxing, and executing thoughtful actions in situations that are very intense. Again, as an older fighter who has to think he will face younger fighters, I cannot afford to waste energy being tight or give back anything in terms of thinking because things are moving fast and hard. So:
Mental
M1. Mindfulness
Breathing exercises/meditation (3 time per week)
M2. Calmness
Relaxation exercises during sparring (every time)
M3. Toughness
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
M4. Intelligence
Visualization exercises (3 time per week)
Technical preparation is pretty straightforward, practicing different techniques and fixing my form for greater impact. The problem is that I often have no idea what the problems are, so this is where finding some advanced students and experienced trainers has been the key. Unfortunately, its also where the whole working-all-the-time and raising kids thing makes getting together with them on a reasonable schedule difficult. Still here is what I am pursuing,
Technical
T1. Technique improvement
Focus on single aspect in Muay Thai class
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
Develop "go to" strikes and combos
T2. Technique Drill
Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring (4 times per week)
T3. Fight strategy
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
View & review fights (1 per week)
T4. Rules
Review rules and acceptable actions (ongoing)
Review with experts (ongoing)
Finally there is the social, which a number of people have thought was a little odd to include. I have explained it like this, Muay Thai is not a life and death struggle, it is a rough sport. It is also not a unified sport or even an especially popular one and as a result the norms, rules (both in and out of the ring), and "way of being" to participate are not altogether obvious from a novice entering the field. So I have spent some time trying to sort through all of this.
Social
S1. Connect to fight circle
Identify networks to fight in
Observe fights in person
S2. How to win/Judging
Review scoring and concepts with experts (ongoing)
I don't know if this will take me all the way into the ring but my hope is that it will take me far enough that my trainers will agree that I am ready to get in the ring.
My answer is simple, you make a plan. Others are running marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing, and sailing around the world. If they can do that, I can do this. The only real difference is this is fighting.
So I developed a fight preparation plan with four areas: Physical, Mental, Technical and Social
The Physical was the most obvious and the most easily defined. I needed to be able to keep up with very fit people in very intense situations. I needed the specific strengths and flexibility to execute and survive in full contact Muay Thai. Finally, I needed to craft this to a late forty year old body that is more easily injured and takes longer to come back from injury (so a continuous but not overwhelming program). Here is what I am doing.
Physical
P1. Overall Fitness
2 per day x 6 days, 1per x 1 day of following:
-Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring Classes or training sessions
-Footwork (20 minutes plus of intense jump rope , shadow boxing, drill)
-Calisthenics (laddering up to 200 push-ups, sit-ups and squats)
-Running (2-4 miles per run)
P2. Flexibilty
Hip openers (every day)
Neck strengtheners (5 days per week)
P4. Physical durability
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
P3. Nutrition
Meet app goals on Calories, Protein and Sugar
Hydration, 8 cups per day
The mental preparation was actually much more challenging to capture for planning. The upside is the I am not scared of being beaten on. To my surprise, I found that my mis-spent youth and some kind of brain malfunction has made me considerably less afraid of being punched than most people. The real problems I am dealing with are relaxing, and executing thoughtful actions in situations that are very intense. Again, as an older fighter who has to think he will face younger fighters, I cannot afford to waste energy being tight or give back anything in terms of thinking because things are moving fast and hard. So:
Mental
M1. Mindfulness
Breathing exercises/meditation (3 time per week)
M2. Calmness
Relaxation exercises during sparring (every time)
M3. Toughness
Intensity sparring (1 per week)
M4. Intelligence
Visualization exercises (3 time per week)
Technical preparation is pretty straightforward, practicing different techniques and fixing my form for greater impact. The problem is that I often have no idea what the problems are, so this is where finding some advanced students and experienced trainers has been the key. Unfortunately, its also where the whole working-all-the-time and raising kids thing makes getting together with them on a reasonable schedule difficult. Still here is what I am pursuing,
Technical
T1. Technique improvement
Focus on single aspect in Muay Thai class
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
Develop "go to" strikes and combos
T2. Technique Drill
Muay Thai/BBC/Sparring (4 times per week)
T3. Fight strategy
Training w. expert (min 1 per wk)
View & review fights (1 per week)
T4. Rules
Review rules and acceptable actions (ongoing)
Review with experts (ongoing)
Finally there is the social, which a number of people have thought was a little odd to include. I have explained it like this, Muay Thai is not a life and death struggle, it is a rough sport. It is also not a unified sport or even an especially popular one and as a result the norms, rules (both in and out of the ring), and "way of being" to participate are not altogether obvious from a novice entering the field. So I have spent some time trying to sort through all of this.
Social
S1. Connect to fight circle
Identify networks to fight in
Observe fights in person
S2. How to win/Judging
Review scoring and concepts with experts (ongoing)
I don't know if this will take me all the way into the ring but my hope is that it will take me far enough that my trainers will agree that I am ready to get in the ring.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Aspirations
About a year into my training, one of the students (about a year ahead of me) decided to try a competitive fight at the Battle of Baltimore (a long-running more or less traditional Martial Arts competition). She was successful and won her continuous sparring competition. I only knew her from class but this had an enormous impact on me. I began pondering the idea that if this woman, another parent who had come in as a novice and was not a kid, could pursue this that it might not be impossible for me to try the same thing.
I talked to one of the instructors and he said it was doable (he said it with such easy confidence that it freaked me out a bit). It was at that point I realized I had no idea how that I got from point "a" (wanting) to point "z" (doing). I did not know what different kinds of competitions existed, how one went about doing them, what rules might govern them, or how to go about training for these things. This is very much an insider's game and trying to figure it out was going to take some time.
But I began to form the aspiration to fight competitively, an aspiration I am doing my best to make reality.
I talked to one of the instructors and he said it was doable (he said it with such easy confidence that it freaked me out a bit). It was at that point I realized I had no idea how that I got from point "a" (wanting) to point "z" (doing). I did not know what different kinds of competitions existed, how one went about doing them, what rules might govern them, or how to go about training for these things. This is very much an insider's game and trying to figure it out was going to take some time.
But I began to form the aspiration to fight competitively, an aspiration I am doing my best to make reality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)