Knife Attack

If attacked with a knife, run. I don't care how much knife defense you do in whatever kind of weapons defense training you do. If you get attacked with a weapon (knife, stick, chain, etc.), you will probably get hit with it. Here's a clip of a security guard in Thailand being attacked with a knife. The attacker is one tough SOB as you will see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBVXglHeSxM

Important Styles Of Full Contact Fighting

If you were to ask me which styles are essential to all around full contact fighting this would be my list. Boxing - Best punching techniques, reaction, timing conditioning Judo - Best throwing techniques (especially with clothing), good position control, quick submissions Wrestling - Specilizes in take downs (especially taking away one's base) and position control, BJJ - Specializing in ground submission (unique in it's approach to fighting from one's back) Kickboxing - The rhythm of boxing combined with the most powerful kicks of traditional martial arts (round, front, side, spin back, spin hook). The only hand traditional technique modified for this discipline is the spinnng back kick. Muay Thai - Shin kicks to leg, body and head; clinching specialty; knee and elbow strikes There are other disciplines: Russian Sambo, Sanda (Chinese kickboxing), etc., and most of these styles are based on the list given above (having some influence from this major styles). So, pick a 2 or 3 from my list between striking and grappling arts to have a well rounded fighting style.

Combat Sports Help Self Defense Skills

I am in an ongoing debate with some traditonal martial artists who don't think that combat sports are the best method of training for self defense. They argure that there are rules, and referees, gloves, etc. They practice techniques that are illegal in competition (eye gouging, fish hooking, groin kicks, etc.). I always ask how many time they done these deadly techniques against a non-compliant, fully resiting, angry opponent. Sure some of them will talk about one or two altercations they had. Then they will tell me how law enforcement and military personnel are better prepared than the combat athlete. Well, the Army and Marines use training methods based on MMA. All cadets at the Naval Academy learn to box. Korean and Japanese cops have to train Judo. Combat sports use competition as a training tool. Through competiton you get to fight over and over again and live to tell about it. Rules are in place so that participants can go all out without dying. This is the only way to experience the closeness of reality. Spar with a decent amateur boxer, grapple with a grappler, or spar full contact with a bare knuckle karate fighter. If you've never done any of these things you are in for a rude awakening. If you can beat them with rules, how are you going to without.

Klitschko vs Povetkin

If you saw the Heavyweight title fight between Klitschko and Povetkin, this past weekend, you saw a boring fight. Povetkin tried to make a boxing match out of it, but Klitschko prevented it by laying on his opponent most of the match. At times, Klitscho used his reach and set up some good shots, even knocking down his opponent with a slick hook. But, being unable to stop Povetkin by KO, he held and grappled his way to victory. I felt the ref did a horrible job, letting Klitschko break some many rules without taking a point. I guess if you're the champ, you can get away with stuff. One of the Klitschko brothers already retired. Can't wait till this one does too so we can get more excitement in the Heavyweight division.

Fight For Money Or Love Of The Sport?

Here's a interview with Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson discussing a past pull out of Kelly Pavlik from a boxing bout. They discuss the business side of boxing. This applies to any combat sport that pays fighters to fight. Should fighters fight for the money or because they love to fight. Floyd Mayweather says he fights for the money. We still see Roy Jones Jr. fighting and he does it because he enjoys the sport. He doesn't need the money. Personally, I enjoyed fighting because I like to fight. I never fought for money. I made some decent pay days for some of my fights. I never fought for the kind of money Mayweather fought for. I've fought for as low as $200 to $15,000. Money was never the motivator. The challenge of competition was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlfw-jde-3w

Keep It Simple Stupid

Martial Arts folks tend to be over analytical sometimes. People are always arguing what is best and what will and won't work in a given situation. The KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method should be applied to martial arts. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. There is nothing can be created, because man has been fighting hand to hand since his beginnings. You can punch, kick, knee, elbow, head butt, grappling, gouge, and throw. That's about it.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

With so many martial arts available, students have the ability to learn a lot. To improve your hands you can box. To learn ground fighting you can do various grappling arts. There is still a lot of tunnel vision in the martial arts. Some stylists still think their art is better than somebody elses. To learn how to fight, you have to look at the world through the window of other houses. You have to go and try other styles and keep an open mind. The difficult thing for people to do is to remain humble. I am champion in kickboxing and Shidokan. I was an elite level Taekwondo player. Despite these accomplishments, I was always humbled when I boxed with Olympic level boxers or really good professionals. When I train Judo, I get thrown by older and younger guys. I am competitve and think highly of myself at what I am most proficient in, but I at the same time I don't know everything, so I am a student always seeking more knowlegdge. This goes for what I don't know and what I already know.