Still Having A Blast

I am blessed to be in good health and find ways to test myself. I am on old guy having fun these days. For the past several years I've competed in Judo. I competed with the young guys into my late 40s. Now I primarily compete as a Master Athlete in the M5 Category (50-54 years old). The last time I put on 10 ounce gloves in competition was in 2005. I got a call a few weeks ago from my old friend and training partner, Kelly Leo and was to be part of Team USA in a modified kickboxing competition against Team South Africa at the Annual Battle Of Atlanta. Along with him and one of my students (AJ Weathersby) we got together trained a little as a team and we had a blast. We competed in a format that provided contact fighting without anybody getting seriously injured. All the fights were competitive the old guy (Me) doesn't get hurt. I was able to use good technique and compete out of pure fun. I no longer have the desire to hurt anybody, so the event was great for me.

Martial Arts In The Olympics, Combat Sports And Competition

In the Olympics there are 2 eastern martial arts included (Judo and Taekwondo). Karate has been vying for a sport in the games since the 90s and will be a spectator sport in the 2020 Tokyo Games. There are a lot of Karateka excited about it and a lot not. Judo and Taekwondo as sports have gone through many changes since their inception. Whenever a change is made some folks are going to disagree with it. Many of the changes are necessary to make the sport worth watching and interesting to sponsors. As we saw with the sport of Wrestling, viewership and interest went down over the years and they were almost taken out of the games. Now Wrestling has modified the rules and the uniform (long sleeve, so there will be more scores), so that people can better understand what's going on. Changes in these sport are good because if they get viewers they reach more people. The purist have a problem with these changes because they tend to be close minded. If these changes increase viewership and revenue, they stay around. Martial artist who look at competition as something bad are usually those who would never get on a mat and test themselves. They will criticize those who do.  When people see martial arts on TV (movie, sport, etc.), interests increases. If a kid goes to a martial arts school because he or she wants to be an Olympian, it is a good thing. They get exposure to the marital arts, they have an opportunity to compete and the instructor has the opportunity to show them other aspects besides competition.

Practical Vs. Theory

You go to school and study something and then you go into the real world and find out that most often things are not like they are in theory. This is the case in most fields of study. Medicine, Law, Mechanics, Cooking and Fighting. In martial arts, so many practitioners get got up in how things are supposed to work. I see guys over thinking and talking about what they think will and won't work. I am of the mind set of learning through doing. I don't think about strategies and pre plans in combat. I believe in having an open mind and being adaptable to the situation. There is no specific way you have to do anything. There is no script to how things will play out. You figure it out through doing and then you use that experience to build on. When choosing a surgeon, patients will ask for referrals to find a doctor who has the experience and reputation to make them comfortable. When you look for a builder to redesign your home, they usually come through referrals. These let you know that they have experience. You usually don't go for the new inexperienced guy. In martial arts, I am amazed that people will join a martial arts school with the intention of learning how to fight from instructors who have never fought. These same consumers will go to the barber shop and ask for a Master Barber. They don't go to the barber school for the free cuts from the up and coming barber. Now it would make sense to get free lessons from the new martial arts instructor with zero fighting experience. But, a lot of people pay a lot of money to somebody who has some stripes on his belts and no fights. I'm not saying that one can't find quality instruction from such a guy. But, in most cases I would never let somebody with less experience at doing what I'm trying to learn teach me anything. I've they don't have the practical experience, neither should you.

Martial Arts Weapon Training

In looking at martial arts training with weapons, keep in mind that most of it is theory and a lot of it is for show. When you see forms (Katas) with weapons a lot of time you see a lot of twirling and spinning. You see light weight staffs and nunchaku so the can move faster. Real weapons have a little more weight to them and you won't be spinning nunchaku in a real fight because you don't want to drop them. When you hit with them you have to hit at an angle toward the end so that they don't bounce back at you. Most of your swings will be at a 45 degree angle. You won't be releasing them and flipping them. All that is for show. You see demonstrations with the nunchaku against other weapons (usually a staff or a sword). The look good, but the nunchaku isn't that effective against the longer range weapons. They work best as an element of surprise against an unarmed opponent. The Octagon shaped nunchaku provides a good edged angle to cause a nice blunt force trauma attack. They can severely bruise an opponent and can be used to break bone. They can be used to choke or be twisted around a joint.

The staff (Bo) is a long range weapon for blunt force trauma. You will see 2 martial artist dual with the Bo but real combat won't look like the demos. If your opponent gets in close range, it's going to be hand to hand.

The tonfa is a good one. Because it is like re-enforcing your you forearms and extending your fists. You can fight better with this one over the others in my opinion. The cops use this one.

Left Hook To The Liver

One of the most effect punches in fighting is the liver shot. The punch is a combination of a hook and uppercut. This is also known as a shovel punch because of the upward angle it lands. Unlike a punch to the head (which may or may not hurt), the liver punch hurts instantly when hit causing the diagram to release all air. You can't breath and you feel like quitting. The liver is located on right side of the body right at the 9th and 10th lower ribs (floating ribs).  The vagus nerve is also affected by the liver shot causing chemical reactions in the nerves sending a shockwave along the vagal nerve network. This can cause of loss of breath or temporary paralysis. Pain, high stress, dehydration and digestive problems can occur. Blunt force can crush blood vessels and lacerations of the liver (internal bleeding). Below is a clip of one of might kickboxing bouts with the late Larry Jarrett. Larry was an international and world champion as well as a pro boxer. You will see me land a head kick first which dazes him and then you will see a liver shot land. Notice the difference in how his body responds to the 2 blows. Now he does recover and continued to fight (this is rare because most opponents I hit with liver shots did not).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxcYF_w1GdQ

Heart and Spirit

It's a given that you have to be in shape for fighting. Everybody works out. Some harder than others. But what is most important in fighting? Is it the fighters who has the state of the art equipment? Is it the fighting who has several coaches? Sure these things are helpful, but I think heart and spirit are most important. With those 2 things, comes the will to win. I know a lot of strong athletes who fold when things are no longer easy and they can rely on athleticism. Once you get tired, the will to win is what propels you forward. You will eventually feel pain, fatigue, etc. It is your spirit that will pull you through the fires of doubt. Continue to train with all of your special devices, coaches, etc. But, make time to focus from the inside out. Visualize and meditate on finding your inner power because you will find that it is just as important as your outer power.

Money Vs. Notorious In Boxing

You may heard about the possibility of Floyd and Conner boxing. They say anything can happen in sports, but it is next to impossible that he can beat floyd in a boxing match. Even if Floyd was 60 and fat. In the times were MMA is seen as the sport of the future and superior to boxing, only those who've never sparred with an Olympian (or local state champion) would say that. I have seen combat athletes try to cross over to boxing, mainly kick boxers. Even though boxing is part of kickboxing the skill level of pure boxers in the punching department tends to be superior. I'm not saying the combat athlete coming to boxing has no chance. But, unless you've started boxing a young age, it is doubtful (not impossible) that you will become an Olympic level or successful pro boxer. We've seen good pure athletes become successful in some of the other combat sports, but this almost never the case in boxing. Back to the Conner and Floyd fight. Of course he should take the fight against Floyd if the opportunity arises. It will definitely be worth his while. But to zero pro boxing matches against a fighter of Floyd's caliber, come on.