There's no way to sugar coat it - an opponent who is resisting you full force is HARD to take down to the ground! Most throws involve some combination of off balancing someone, level changing, penetrating under his center of gravity, and then forcing him off his feet before finishing him off by hitting him with the planet (i.e. bouncing him off the pavement). But what if … [Read more...]
5 Mistakes Grapplers Make When Striking
If you’re a grapplers that wants to learn boxing or kickboxing then there are several very common mistakes that you’re probably going to make. This is because each style of fighting (grappling vs striking) trains you to use your body slightly differently which can set you up for failure in the other art Here's a video showing 5 common mistakes for grapplers when they start … [Read more...]
The Worst Problem with Martial Arts Training
In martial arts training it's very common for the person in the attacker role to lunge forward with a single punch and then stand there like a statue with the arm outstretched. The defender can now do all kinds of fancy counters including multiple strikes, jointlocks, takedowns and cool finishes. This type of training makes you feel like you've reached John Wick levels of … [Read more...]
Training Lethwei, The Burmese Art of 9 Limbs
Lethwei is an incredibly intense full contact combat sport from Burma that allows punches, kicks, elbows, knees and headbutts. Did I mention that the fighters don't wear gloves and only have a thin layer of gauze over their knuckles? And that there are no judges or decisions: the only way to win a fight is by knockout? Today's guest on my podcast (The Strenuous Life … [Read more...]
Kicking from the Ground – How to Do It Properly!
Many self defense systems teach that if you get knocked down to the ground you should get into a defensive position on your side. From there you should then lash out at your opponent with sidekicks to keep him away. In this article and video I'll show how staying on your side when you're knocked down is mostly an outmoded technique and that there are much better options … [Read more...]
Wing Chun Trapping in Self Defense
This is bound to be controversial, but I don't think that trapping works in real self defense situations. At least not the way it's normally taught and trained. Here's my video on the topic, along with a few examples of where some of these techniques might actually be useful... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rxl5ukLDICM What is Trapping Hands? Trapping hands is an … [Read more...]
The Simplest Guard Pass for Self Defense and MMA
In the old days, two guys fighting would typically back up, square off, and swing for the fences until one of them went down. The whole idea of taking the fight to the ground, passing the guard, securing a good position, and using ground and pound to finish a fight or set up a submission would have been considered ludicrous. But the popularity of MMA and BJJ have done a … [Read more...]
The Perfect Head Positioning for a Headbutt KO
The headbutt is an incredibly vicious and effective way to KO someone in a self defense situation even though it's illegal in most martial arts. But if you use it incorrectly you can hurt yourself as badly as your opponent. So it's worth thinking about how to do it properly! How NOT to Headbutt! The wrong way to land a headbutt is forehead to forehead. This video of … [Read more...]
The BJJ Guard for Self Defense… on Your Phone!
I've just released the Self Defense Guard as a 2 module instructional for iPhone and Android. It covers the techniques and strategies from the bottom of guard that are most useful in a real fight. From defending yourself against strikes, to getting back to your feet, to choking your opponent out or sweeping him and getting on top, it's all covered here. (Watch the video … [Read more...]
BJJ in a Streetfight, the Merciful Option
Adam Nadow is a Machado jiu-jitsu black belt and he was recently attacked in the street by a mentally unstable individual. He used his BJJ training to defend himself and control his attacker until the police arrived. He used a rear naked choke and a bow and arrow lapel choke to control his opponent (and there are people who say that gi-based grappling is irrelevant for self … [Read more...]
A Great Ground and Pound Drill
Here's a really interesting MMA drill with a TON of applications for self defense... It's features Greg Nelson who has coached 3 different fighters to UFC championships (Dave Menne, Sean Sherk and Brock Lesnar) and has also done a ton of work with law enforcement and the military. Anyway, here's video I think you should watch. The ground and pound section is mostly in … [Read more...]
The Battle to Functionalize Traditional Martial Arts, with Dr Mark Cheng
It was a pleasure to talk with Dr Mark Cheng on my podcast today (The Strenuous Life Podcast). Mark is a lifelong Tai Chi practitioner who was featured in Tim Ferris's 4 Hour Body book and created the Tai Chen warmup and movement awareness training training for the P90X people. But he's also done a TON of training in reality-based, pressure-tested martial arts, which gives … [Read more...]
Kickboxing Sparring without Brain Damage
There's a fundamental problem with learning kickboxing... On the one hand, to get good at it and know that your techniques will work under pressure you HAVE to spar. On the other hand, it's undeniable now that repeated shots to the head are no good at all for your brain. Everyone has heard of punch drunk boxers and football players with CTE, and we DON'T want to do … [Read more...]
What’s In the Precision Kickboxing Masterclass?
As you may know, I've just released The Precision Kickboxing Masterclass. It's an 8 hour long deep dive into the techniques, combinations, defenses, counters, drills, training methods and fight strategies of modern kickboxing. It's a surgical approach to taking your opponent apart in the striking realm, delivered by Coach Ritchie Yip who has been teaching kickboxing for … [Read more...]
A Great Reaction Time Drill
Everybody wants faster reaction times. The best fighters in the world make their opponents look like they're in slow motion, and a large part of that is having the ability to choose exactly the right technique at exactly the right time. Those reflexes aren't magic. They can be trained, drilled, improved. Today we're going to cover a great reaction time drill that'll teach … [Read more...]