The right cross to the face is one of the most powerful attacks in boxing and kickboxing. It's relatively non-telegraphic but still has the power to knock you out and leave you drooling on the floor. So you absolutely need to know multiple effective counters to the right cross. Boxing and kickboxing coach Ritchie Yip has a formula for defending punches that I would … [Read more...]
A Super-Simple 3 Part Formula for Defense in Standup Sparring
Standup sparring can be really overwhelming sometimes, especially if you're new at it. There are punches and kicks flying at you from every direction and every angle. There's so much to keep track of, and so many things you need to do, that you don't even know where to start. Fortunately there are ways to simplify the situation and cut down on the number of decisions you … [Read more...]
Does Training in Kung Fu Forms and Karate Kata Actually Work?
I trained in a LOT of traditional systems back in the day, including some forms of Karate and many styles of Kung Fu. (Hung Gar, Northern Shaolin, Wing Chun, Southern Crane, Tai Chi, Hsing I, and Shotokan Karate to name a few.) Kata and Forms were important components of that training, sometimes to the exclusion of nearly everything else. In these pre-arranged … [Read more...]
The Power of the Front Kick!
The front kick is one of the very first kicks most people learn in the martial arts. And that’s for good reason: it’s effective but also not that tough to learn - it’s the low hanging fruit of the kicking world. But it can also be a very, very sophisticated technique; just look at how professional Thai boxers use it to gauge distance, control distance, set up attacks, … [Read more...]
Beating the Adrenaline Dump in a Fight
Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. On the one hand adrenaline makes you stronger, faster, and hugely increases your pain tolerance... On the other hand it destroys fine motor function, gives you tunnel vision, or even makes your mind go blank. Adrenaline is a powerful horse to ride, but you need to control it so it takes you where you want to go!https://t.co/9ywxoUuuts — … [Read more...]
Getting Back to Your Feet From the Ground
If you're talking about sport jiu-jitsu tactics then pulling guard and fighting an entire match from the bottom position can make total sense. But in a real fight, where punches, kicks, and stomps are being used, you definitely DON'T want to spend one second more than necessary in the guard position. You want to submit, sweep or standup as fast as possible! Today's … [Read more...]
New Release: The Self Defense Guard with Elliott Bayev and Stephan Kesting
I've been working on it for a LONG time, but the 'Self Defense Guard' is finally live at Self Defense Tutorials! This is a really in-depth instructional about how to use the guard in a self defense situation. In a real fight there is always the chance that you're going to end up on the bottom. And if that happens the guard could save your life. But fighting off your … [Read more...]
Training Martial Arts As You Get Older
For me, like for many people, martial arts is a lifetime endeavour. But as I approach my 50th year I don't (or can't) do the same things I used to do in my teens or twenties. I used to feel guilty about this, but then I heard Dan Inosanto talk about how your game needs to change every 10 years to adapt to the changes in your body. He started training at age 11 and is … [Read more...]
How to Take a Punch in 3 Steps
Getting punched in the head is always a bad thing. But - if you know what to do - then it doesn't necessarily need to be a fight ending, knockout inducing catastrophe. Of course you should try to dodge, deflect, block or evade a punch that's coming your way. But things don't always go according to plan. In a sparring match or a real fight sometimes you're just going to … [Read more...]
A 5 Second Self Defense Exercise That Could Save Your Life
STOP what you're doing and try this SUPER-QUICK mental exercise... Imagine you're exactly where you are now (lying in bed, sitting on the bus, working at your desk, whatever)... But now you know for sure that you're about to be attacked! The guy is bigger than you and possibly armed with a knife... For whatever reason, you can't run... You have 5 seconds to get … [Read more...]
How Different Martial Arts Exhale While Striking
It’s amazing how many different martial arts use a grunt/yell when they strike. Of course many systems of karate has their Kiai, which is expressed as a ‘Heeaht’, ‘Hyah’ or ‘Aiight!’ Very similar vocalisations are used in traditional Japanese ju-jutsu (like in the first 12 seconds of this Armbar vs a Knife video on Youtube). And if you’ve watched or trained a lot of … [Read more...]
Escaping One of the Worst Positions for Ground and Pound
The ground and pound strategy in MMA is one that relies on getting on top, staying on top, and then beating your opponent into unconsciousness with your fists, forearms and elbows. In other words, it's a slightly more sophisticated version of your basic street fighter's approach to groundfighting... One of the worst ground and pound positions is the so-called 'giftwrap' … [Read more...]
Karate Myth: Can You Kill a Man by Driving his Nasal Cartilage into his Brain!
It's absolutely amazing how persistent the myth of "drive a man's nose cartilage up into his brain to kill him" myth is! Almost EVERYONE has heard this story at some point, even people who don't practise martial arts. Belief in this 'technique' has been fostered by Hollywood, with both Bruce Willis in The Last Boy Scout and Nicolas Cage in Con Air lethally driving a man's … [Read more...]
The Dreaded Double Ear Slap
The double ear slap has long been a staple of combatives training. The official story, related by many self defense experts, is that if you slap both of your opponent's ears at the same time then, no matter his size, his eardrums will explode and he'll drop to the ground in a shrivelled heap. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Let's take a look at the best data we … [Read more...]
Should You Stretch Before or After Martial Arts Training?
You wouldn't think that something like stretching before a martial arts class could be controversial, but it is (I blame the running community for muddying the waters)! Some evidence and experts suggest that you should only do it after your workout, whereas most traditions say that you should do it before. Who's right and what should you do? Well, in the following … [Read more...]