I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was taking part in "Dry January". I didn't make a big song and dance about it, but I decided to go for a calendar month or so with no alcohol. A few people have asked me about my experience, so here are a few points. Why take a break from drinking? Alcohol is an interesting topic. As a drug it is widely accepted in society, central to so much of our socialising and leisure. There seem to be lots of health benefits - so we are told - yet there are also a lot of problems in terms of health, relationships and lifestyle that come from drinking. Over a few years I'd begun to become aware and then concerned that I was drinking too much and too regularly. I am in a busy and stressful job and sometimes a glass of wine after work to relax is really helpful. But over time, one glass became two. Two glasses became ....I might as well finish the bottle. A habit got established....and was starting to get too e...
.......interesting things about fitness, strength, diet and performance.
Comments
I have been doing Jeet Kune Do for a few weeks now. I suck at it and have a feeling I will continue to suck for a good long while.
That stuff Marcus is doing isn't that complicated is it? he is blocking and moving fast into takedowns.
However, in any case 90% of the time we spend practicing very simple stuff - palm strikes, elbows, hammer fists, knees, kicks, simple defences and escapes from various holds. It is all simple and straightforward gross movements, drilled over and over so that it will remain when under stress.
Clamence - I love the way you pop up, chuck in something critical and then quieten down.
how about positive stuff - What/how do you recommend for self defence? How do you train? What do you recommend for diet?
Simple strikes and blocking are probably effective tools to learn if you want to "fight".
The problem with the sequences in the linked video is the opponent is not fighting back, you're reinforcing a series of moves against a passive opponent. How is that going to translate to a situation where someone is trying to kill you when you're performing those moves.
I also saw no examples of reacting to attacks that blindside you, or at least catch you semi off guard.
Just like there is skepticism about functional training for sports, I have skepticism about how applicable skills learned 1 on 1, in a dojo, without a crowd around you screaming, while sober translate to a situation where you need to apply those skills.
As an aside, take downs are incredibly stupid. Any time you take someone to the ground in a public situation you put yourself at huge risk, mostly from the friend of whoever you took down coming and kicking you in the head. Incidently I use to work with a barback who made the mistake of taking someone down in a fight. About halfway through owning the kid on the ground, got stomped in the upper back by someone else and ended up in the hospital.
What do I recommend for defense? Not much really, educating yourself on de-escalating conflicts and learning to break into a dead sprint no matter how drunk you are.
I've never witness or been involved in a fight where someone could not have run away.
I have however seen friends and coworkers end up in the hospital, have tendons severed in their arms from glass, and just get really fucked up in general, ending up with expensive hospital bills and/or legal bills.
If you have no choice but to fight (for whatever reason), I recommend fighting like a chimpanzee, who as far as I know are undefeated.
Break fingers, gouge eyes, crush throats, and bite.
Biting is by far the most underrated and rarely discussed fighting tool. If you bite a piece of someones face or throat off, it quickly sets the tone of you as a crazy person who should not be engaged for any reason.
Breaking fingers is also huge, very hard to fight someone when they've broken several of your fingers. Impossible to grapple with them.
That was a short video of a few moves and does not fully represent what is represented in class. There is a lot about deescalation, legal concerns, awareness of who else is around, getting away as quickly as possible. Take downs are generally taught as takedown, strike and get away....don't hang around. There is also a lot of ripping and mauling taught - like a chimp if you like.
Michael was not fighting back in that clip but there is also sparring in which the opponents do fight back and more reality based stuff with crowds, multiple attackers etc.
Every art has sparing where opponents fight back, it's good stuff.
I have reservations about how effective any sort of training is where strike combination's are "learned" on a passive opponent.
The motor cortex is learning these sequences against a passive opponent, how much that is changed by sparring is up in the air.
I've never seen a fight where anyone used anything that looked like a kata or sequence that they learned in a dojo, my impression is that too many simuli have changed to apply the previous learning.
How about your teacher, what's his experience and authority come from?
Generally I am impressed with Krav teachers and demonstrations, but then again many of the various founders of tai chi were known as undefeated fighters back in the day, and the art has substantially evolved since then.
So you feel you can pitch in and offer your experience based on what?
Seriously bud, come on down and train with us rather than bump your gums for the sake of looking like you know a thing or two.
And hey, take downs are an excellent way bring a situtation to a close. the instructor does not wind up on the ground waiting to get kicked. What was your point there?
Chris, see you next week.
Rannoch
Are you at all familiar with Eddie Quinn's 'The Approach'? A Silat-based pretty simple street system....learned of it from Tom Furman. If not, may want to also take a look.