Seize Leg - Mantis Heel Kick Defense

I absolutely love this heel kick defense. My favorite one to practice, as you'll see in the video; thank you Thomas! There are two variations of this depending on the leg the opponent kicks with, and whether we end up on the inside or outside position.

Some clear distinctions:

Variation I (above) - uses the chopping hand to clear as we are cutting across the chest to get the sweep. 

Variation II (below) - uses Inverted Mantis Neck Hook. The chopping hand won't work here because of the neck angle, so the Mantis Hook is used to catch the neck and unbalance them for the sweep.

For some of my personal notes on Seize Leg and where it shows up in Mantis Boxing forms, check out my backer page. You get early access to videos, and exclusive content for joining.

Necktie Counter to Omoplata

This move could be a hit or miss. It's something I have been working on recently as I was shut down on my Peruvian Necktie with an odd counter. It caused me to think as it wasn't the 'expected' counter for this submission.

Now, I was able to pull this off on Thomas, as he has long arms and is fairly relaxed in his rolling. But...another guy did the same counter to me with a stiff arm. This made it impossible to move this way. It's definitely a situational with some 'IF's' involved, but play with it if you want and see if it works for you.

You know what they say about 'if's'... "If, if's and but's were candy and nuts, my what a fine Xmas we'd have."

Tame Tiger - Heel Kick Defense

Here's a great counter to the heel kick. This move is actually inside Tai Ji Quan forms, but I adopted into my Mantis Boxing system after seeing it in Muay Thai. It's an awesome counter/defense against the heel kick, and definitely one I want in my arsenal.

There are some nuances to it, and inside this video I'll highlight 3 fail points that are common and how to avoid them. Check it out.

Oh, and Thomas really took one for the team on this video, so be sure to give him a shout out in the comment section.

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Spider Killer - The 3 S...Words to Kill Your Opponents Spider Guard

Here are some tips on how to deal with that opponent with a nasty spider guard. I use three words to remember - Stuff, Stand, Step. Once we train them, we can bounce back and forth between them if the first one gets countered.

What Type of Gloves Should You Train With?

MMA Gloves or Boxing Gloves? Which glove should you train with?

This is a great question we are going to tackle today. The type of glove we use in training, can have adverse affects on our skills. It's important to know the difference and choose the right glove, for the right goals we are trying to achieve.

What's the difference between and MMA vs Boxing Glove? Why should we be concerned with it? Check out this video to find out.

HEAVY ASSAULT! - Circle and Chop, or Haymaker and Hammer

HEAVY ASSAULT - Go heavy, or go home! This striking combination, plucked right from the catalog of Mantis Boxing techniques passed down for centuries, is to overwhelm the opponent with big, destructive, blows. 

Connecting with the first one is ideal and effective, but if they duck, or move back, the second strike, by design, takes advantage of the built up energy from the first strike to fell them with the second. 

Advance with the Circle Punch, aka Haymaker (see video on Circle & Hook) to attack from the side door. Try to connect with your partners Effective Strike targets to increase your targeting accuracy. Use your footwork and body torque to maximize power (on pads).

Have your partner duck, or shuffle back to counter the first strike. This is where the Chopping Fist comes in. Now unwind that transverse core rotation, and hip torque, and unleash it back where it came from. 

The Chopping Fist will come over the top and downward, again looking for Effective Strike targets to practice with on our partner. With pad drills, ramp up the power to work your speed, and might in your technique.

As you get the striking combination down, start paying close attention to your guard hand. I have seen this combination used twice in the UFC over the past couple of years, to amazing effect. Unfortunately, one fighter Roy 'Big Country' Nelson, didn't use his guard hand and his opponent connected with an uppercut in between. 

Timestamps:

00:40 - Technique Explained
1:33 - Watch the Counter-Strike!
2:46 - Footwork
3:14 - Pad Drills

Gear

You can find some of the items we use in the video by following our affiliate links:

Assassin Pads 
Punching Bag 
Gloves

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Hook vs Circle Punch - What's the Difference?

What's the difference between a Hook Punch and a Circle Punch? Are they really that different? Yes, and yes. 

The Hook Punch is used at a closer range, similar to an uppercut. It works well when you are striking in tight, or engaged in a Clinch (Lǒu 摟). In here, a long range strike will extend beyond my opponent. We position the arm in a tighter hook shape to help land on our targets such as the temple, kidney, liver, ribs, stomach, and jaw.

The technical position when throwing a hook punch is critical. When bare knuckle striking, there are no wraps to support the wrist, so technique has to be spot on in order to prevent breaks, sprains, and fractures in our own hands/wrist. 

The wrist is held in a straight line, and we use the transverse core rotation of the upper torso to connect the punch, versus extending the arm and bending the wrist which is dangerous to our own hand. Thumb position is up.

When the range to our opponent is further out, and we are still throwing straight punches, this is where the Circle Punch really shines. It allows us to attack the side doors as well as down the middle; utilizing the principle of - Randomized Striking. 

Connecting with a Circle Punch has the added benefit of increased power generation through a looser whipping action. The punch is thrown relaxed; the arm builds up speed before connecting. If this impacts the temple, jaw, occipital lobe, bracchial nerve, or ear, it can have devastating consequences.

Because of this, when our opponent sees a Circle Punch steaming for the side of their head, they are more likely to open the center doors trying to defend; thereby allowing our other punches to land. 

The hand position for the Circle Punch is wrist straight, thumb pointing down. 

Timestamps:
0:42 - Technique
4:12 - Pad Drills - Hook Punch
5:29 - Pad Drills - Circle Punch
6:12 - Bag Drills
6:44 - Bag Drills - Circle Punch
7:10 - Bag Drills - Hook Punch

Gear

You can find some of the items we use in the video by following our affiliate links:

Assassin Pads
Punching Bag
Gloves

6 Positions of Side Control - How to Drill and Improve BJJ Side Mount

My Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teacher (Andre 'Dedeco' Almeida) showed me this awesome Side Control drill when I was a new White Belt. It is one of the best drills I've seen for training Side Control/Side Mount and really emphasizes the necessity for each position. I use this drill to this day as warm-ups in my classes, and pass it on to benefit my students.

The drill connects various positions by number which is a big help. We need each of these in order to control our opponent on the ground when we have side control/side mount.

The drill works not only a solid position, but also the transitions from one to the next. You can increase the complexity of the drill by having your training partner call out the number and you go to that position. Once you have the drill down, randomize those numbers to make it harder. 

Note: Position 6 is technically not Side Control, it is known as North/South, but it makes an excellent addition to the drill, and something we often need when trying to maintain side control and someone is getting out.

You can train this with a partner for best results, or with a throwing dummy, punching bag, or body pillow. Enjoy the drill!

The Scraping Fist

The Scraping Fist - like a low uppercut, or body shot. One of the advantages of this punch, is the fact that unlike throwing a straight punch toward the body which comes in from a high angle, this punch comes from underneath by dropping the elbow, making it harder to block. 

It's a great punch to sneak in shots to the body, especially when using the principle of Changing Levels/Varying Targets. . But it can be dangerous trying to pull it off at the wrong place/time. 

Here are some tips along with pads drills, and bag drills later in the video for practicing the scraping fist on your own, or with a partner.

1:20 - Technique
4:56 - Pad Drills for Focus Mitt, Thai Pad training
7:24 - Bag Drills for Punching Bags

Gear

You can find some of the items we use in the video by following our affiliate links:
Assassin Pads 

Punching Bag

Gloves
 

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Guest Appearance: Fight for a Happy Life with Sensei Ando

Fight for a Happy Life Podcast

hosted by none other than Sensei Ando of Happy Life Martial Arts

I had the honor of being invited onto Fight for a Happy Life martial arts podcast with host Sensei Ando. The episode just released today. 

Check out our conversation on topics like - freedom, defining success, barriers to students progress, living life, and weird questions about what I want on my deathbed/tombstone (is this guy planning to kill me???), and lots of laughter.

Click the photo above to visit his website for the podcast, or follow the links below for your favorite podcast location. Enjoy the show!

To Listen to the Interview: 

iTunes
Google Play 
Stitcher

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Many of you know Sensei Ando from our previous collaborations, as well as his visit to our school last summer. He's a positive influencer that's always reaching out to help other people. Admirable. 

Here are a couple of videos we did in case you missed them. I highly recommend following him on his YouTube channel, as well as his podcast.

Tips to Manage Distance in a Fight

Tips for Defending the Bear Hug

You can contact Sensei Ando - 

Sensei Ando

Sensei Ando YouTube Channel

Monkey Grips! How I Strengthen My Grips and Keep Them Healthy

Fingers hurt after training? Grips not strong enough to hold on when grappling? Check this out.

Grip strength and health can be a really important thing for martial artists. Grip intensive arts such as Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Shuai Jiao, and other Grappling Arts, all require/build grip strength, and put a great deal of wear and tear on the fingers. Today I'm going to show you the methods I use to keep my grips not only strong, but healthy.

For strengthening: exercises like rope climbs, battleropes, sledge hammer, pull-ups, all assist in strengthening the hands. If we're already doing a martial arts with lots of gripping, chances are we are getting plenty of strengthening from that, and we can move on to the section of the video highlighting grip/finger health, and taking proper care of our hands in martial arts.

Links for Items:

To buy Mung Beans: https://goo.gl/KPy9mE

To buy Bean Bag: https://goo.gl/ybjyme

To buy a Battlerope: https://goo.gl/gtHqNt

To buy a Rope: https://goo.gl/h1ftFc

To buy a Sledgehammer: https://goo.gl/qQ2Knp

To buy a Pull-Up Bar: https://goo.gl/GiqfGd

Bean bag - this bag is filled with Mung Beans. I have been using these bags since early in my Mantis Boxing training back in 1999. The beans release a powder that helps the skin, and the pliability of the beans allows for the fingers to sink in and work on the catch/relfex while massaging the hands. It's an excellent tool and I highly recommend getting one, or having one made.

Green Dragon Stretches Claws - this is an amazing drill that's easy to remember, and even easier to do almost anywhere, and anytime. This exercise is even good for strikers since our hands are balled up most of the time. As you stretch the fingers and hold, you are helping open up the fingers, joints, and tendons. 

Magic Bean Pot - this is my all time favorite. Get a pot from somewhere. I was fussy so I found a bronze pot on eBay with a cool design. Buy a bunch of Mung Beans and fill the pot up. Now use the bean pot to wash the hands. I use this after a heavy training session, or earlier in my BJJ training when I had a tendency to over-grip and not let go when I should have. 

Tools of the Trade - (1:21)
Bean Bag - (2:10)
Green Dragon Stretches Claws - (3:10)
Magic Bean Pot - (4:45)

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The Tiger Tail - My Most Hated Throw!!!

This was truly one of my most hated throws. In 2009, on one of my semi-annual sojourns to San Diego to train with my Mantis Boxing coach at the time, I was introduced to this personal menace known as a ‘thigh lift throw’, or in Judo - ‘uchi mata’.

The primary purpose of this trip, was for my teacher to share with me the 20 throws of Mantis Boxing that his 8-Step Mantis Boxing teacher had shared with him. We were to meet up with another of his Black Belt's - Mike Dasargo, and work on these techniques at Mike's school. 

As the coach would show each throw, Mike and I would work on them together, and I would scribble notes down as we went. Doing my best to catalog each throw and its variations. As the day went on, we finally arrived on the ‘thigh lift throw’, what I have affectionately named the Tiger Tail Throw (as it looks like the tail of a tiger sticking up). A ferocious takedown. 

I don't know what it was, but this throw was the single most difficult one for me to get. Maybe I was getting hungry, or having a 'short day' (sarcastic reference to my height), but this one was just not clicking. It seemed like a throw for taller people; at least that was my whiny excuse at the time. I took it down my notes, maybe even left a nasty comment in there, practiced a bit more, and moved on.

When I returned from San Diego, my ritual was to work on everything I did on the trip as soon as possible, so I would not lose it. I practiced this throw along with all the all 19 other throws even though I didn't care for it. 

I'm not sure what happened next, but eventually, this throw became one of my favorite takedowns in Mantis Boxing, and probably the one I use with the highest frequency. Most likely...since I worked on it more than all of the others because of the difficulty I had with it, it began to morph and I adapted to it, and it to me.

In this video, I'm not only sharing the Tiger Tail Throw with you, but additionally the alternative throws (Descending Dragon, Demon Wheel, Retreat Astride Tiger, Mantis Hangs from Branch), Knee Strikes, Guillotine Chokes, that I use when someone counters this throw, or I miss on the execution.

Timestamps:
Tiger Tail Throw - (2:05)
Descending Dragon Takedown - (5:39)
Demon Wheel & Guillotine Choke - (7:00)
Knee Strike & Shoulder Lock - (8:02) 
Retreat Astride Tiger - (8:50)
Mantis Hangs from Branch - (10:40)

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The Straight Punch - Throwing the Forward and Reverse Punch

The Straight Punch - devastating and destructive! Forward and Reverse punch are a good place to start when learning to punch in Mantis Boxing, or other striking arts. They are destructive, and can easily be modified to open hand strikes if necessary. 

The following video shows the in's and out's of starting to punch with these two strikes and some of the pitfalls to watch out for. 

Using footwork with punches, increases the power, improves range, and helps keep us mobile instead of fixed. Check out pad drills, and blocking drills, or use these on a heavy bag to train on your own.
 

How to Throw a Punch...Safely

Having an improper structure, leaving a finger misplaced, or snapping our elbow, can all cause lasting damage, injuring ourselves more than the object we are trying to hit.

Whether we are hitting bags, pads, mitts, makiwara boards, or sparring partners, it's important to keep these tips in mind to keep us punching without injury for years to come.

How to Drill Your Basic Footwork Skills

Basic Footwork is pivotal in understanding how to move when fighting/sparring. Bad footwork creates vulnerabilities in our game that our opponent can capitalize on. Once we have an understanding of our basic footwork skills, Mirror Drill becomes a great tool to help train fluidity and responsiveness, as well as range sensitivity, and neutral position; where our guard/blocks work best.

We are using some newer students to help show this drill - Lauren and Natalie, as it's important to understand that, once you have this down, you dump it and move on to the Advanced Footwork found here - https://youtu.be/UDpnleVQO60

A mantis boxing coach shared this drill with me back in 2006, and it's an excellent way to master basic footwork before going to advanced. 

You can view our Basic Footwork video for more on the individual components - Shuffle Forward, Shuffle Back, Circle Left, Circle Right, Step Forward, Step Back, Change Step, and practicing them on your own. 

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The Round Kick - Like a Dragon Lashing It's Tail

Here we help you set up the round kick without getting hit, run over, or shut down. Check out our video on Advanced Footwork if you need help with some of these angles. 

This is an extremely powerful kick. It's like getting lashed by the tail of a dragon. When fighting, getting hit here can be a huge game changer. Whether we take our opponents leg out from under them, or we weaken/injure the leg to get them to change sides. 

Check out these angles that can help you set up a good position to throw it from. Thanks for watching.

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I'm Not Ready For That.

"I'm not ready for that." is a healthy approach to training things that overwhelm us.

Here are a couple of counters to the standing guard pass to help your game. Years ago I learned the second of these moves at a workshop with Renan Borges. I was still a white belt at the time, and even though I really liked the move, it wasn't something I was ready for. 

I filed it away in the "I like this, but I'm not ready for it right now. I'll do my best today, and someday I'll come back to this." A few months ago, it started reappearing in my rolls and here's how I integrated it and hopefully you can too. When you are ready.

Sickle Sweep - place the feet in the hips as they stand up. As they push the leg down, rotate your foot inside to help with leverage. Not necessary, but it can give a good bite on the hip. 

Use your other arm to attack the ankle with an underhook. Push up with the foot in the hip, and slice the back of the ankle with your leg as you hold the other ankle. 

Deep Pass Defense - when they step through more aggressively, it is difficult to get the leverage to apply the sickle sweep. Here we shoot the arm through the leg following with our head and shoulder. Think of the hand as the tip of the arrow, and the head is the feather.

Place the back of the tricep on the back of the leg to help finish rotating through. No need to pull the leg all the way through, and it is faster to use the shin with the other leg. Grab the ankles and leverage up. 

You can then take the back, or attack the ankles. 

Defending Against the Bear Hug - PASS vs. FAIL

Jumped from behind? Your opponent got position on you? No matter how it happened, it's a bad place to be. Join me and my special guest Sensei Ando as we show what to watch out for, and how to make one of the most commonly failed escapes, succeed.

►For more of Sensei Ando's tips and tactics, SUBSCRIBE to Sensei Ando: https://www.youtube.com/user/AndoMierzwa

►Also visit Sensei Ando's website here: http://senseiando.com

First thing to do is to drape the hands to defend the choke, and drop your stance to keep your center of gravity lower, making it difficult for your adversary to pick you up. 

Next, it is important to realize that standard escapes with splitting the arms do not work unless your opponent makes a mistake. The objective of holding you from behind, unless a multi-attacker scenario, is to pick you up and slam you. This means, our adversary is going to grab us lower, around the elbows; making it impossible to split the arms and slink out.

After establishing control of the arms and a good wide base, start using your hammer fist attacks to the groin, combined with foot stomps to rattle your opponent and get them moving around. Remember to always use the 'outside' foot to stomp. Never the inside.

Since our opponent has widened their stance for stability and to avoid the attacks we are making, we can now make our first attempt to escape using the underhook to the single leg takedown.

Caution

Be careful not to walk out and stop. This is transitional only. We have to immediately move to the takedown, or re-establish our base and position if something went awry. 

As you shoot for the single leg, if the opponent moves, or you do not have enough mobility to get a strong hook/position, then we can abandon that and use the elbow splitting escape that previously did not work. After all the moving around, chances are that the grip they had before, has slipped higher on our arms and we can make our secondary attempt a success. 

Where to? 

Once we're out of the bear hug, we want to look for a follow-up move to secure our position and turn the tides. Sensei Ando has a good go to he shows, followed by a variation I would use.

After the elbow split - immediately snag the neck hook position to keep control.

Ando

Attack the head with a knee to the face to soften them up. Maintain the neck hook and do not give up a strong position. Immediately follow up with a shoot underneath using the elbow in the groin to bring them over the back for a Fireman's Carry Takedown.

Tips: Sensei Ando makes note to watch the danger of the headlock as we're slipping out. Good tip. He also points out to tuck the foot so they don't land on you and break your toes.

Randy

I start off the same way and attack the head with a knee. I'm anticipating the block, but if they don't, even better. We're done here. If they do block as planned, then I shoot over the top and thread my arm under the neck all the way to the other underarm. Clasp the hands, and we have a nice guillotine setup. Use your shoulder to drop weight on them making it difficult for them to posture up and move. Follow this up with a nice reaping leg takedown variation for the finish.

The finish is up to you and your skillset. You can chuck them and go to a ground and pound, pound the ground package, or you can hold on to the guillotine, keep a solid position on the same side of the body as you started on, and finish the choke you already have.

Guest Post: Self Defense Mistake - Don't Just Stand There!

My friend Ando from SenseiAndo.com was in town this weekend teaching a workshop in Boston. We took some time to shoot a couple of videos for everyone (when we weren't scoffing down ice cream). Here is his latest video on good self-defense training. Funny video and I know you'll enjoy.

Don't forget to hit Like, and Subscribe to his channel to get more training tips and advice. He's an open book.

Many people make a BIG mistake in self-defense training... don't be one of them! Join Ando and Sifu Randy Brown for a quick tip that might save you from trouble. ►For more of Randy Brown's tips and tactics, SUBSCRIBE to Mantis Boxing here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuKvVm_kd4A62onE4bUz-nQ ►Also visit Randy Brown's website: http://randybrownmantisboxing.com/ N ow for the big self-defense mistake...

Martial Superiority: The Silent Assassin

View of Mt. Washington from 7000 feet - 2012

I had this amazing conversation the weekend before last, with two accomplished martial artists/teachers over lunch - Sensei Ando, and Sensei Dave Abraham.

During the discussion, we arrived on the topic of judging other schools, or the policing of other martial arts schools/styles because of what they are doing; whether said instruction, or the belt requirements not being up to standards.

I shared something that took me years to arrive at within myself, and what I believe is an important perspective to maintain for all of us as martial artists; especially, as teachers/mentors.

When we look at one school versus another, and determine that one of them is promoting people to Black Belt with far easier requirements than we ourselves went through, or they are expecting less of their students than what we expect of our students, we can climb on our rickety soap box and take a stand against them, railing at the injustice of it all, or we can look at it like this...

Harvard University does not concern itself with trashing lesser universities, community colleges, night schools. They do not publicly humiliate students of those institutions for taking classes there, nor for their effort they applied to achieve their goals under said curricula.

If you attend either school, an Ivy League, or a Community College, you will receive a bachelor's degree upon completion of the required courses/credits just the same. Both are Bachelor's degrees, both are opportunities to learn and grow. One of these holds more credibility, or esteem than the other, by outward appearances only. Yet the price tag attached along with it is far greater as well. 

The individual who studies is the one who truly defines the value of the degree. Going to an ivy league school is not a qualifier that we received a good education. The inverse is true as well; going to a community college, or night school, is not definitive proof someone received a sub par education.

This judgement happens in the martial arts world as well. People use lineage, and even race, as a testimonial to the value of their belt. I have witnessed this first hand. If we study a Japanese Art, is our teacher from Japan? Did we go to Japan to study? The implication in the question being, that an answer of 'No', somehow makes your achievement less significant.
 

If we practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is our teacher Brazilian? Did we sweat in the dojo's of Rio? If we follow Chinese Martial Arts, is our teacher Chinese? These are seemingly innocent questions from the uninitiated, but I have seen more times than I can count, this being used as a bully tactic from those in the martial arts world. A world where we are largely responsible for empowering others to stop bullies.

A Mantis Boxing coach I trained with for years, is Mexican-Filipino. He jokes with people that he is 'Paco the Gardener'. Why? Where he lives, people will see him as that, long before recognizing him as a highly effective, and battle tested warrior.

"Not all Black Belts are created equal." - unknown

The quality of a Black Belt is another mountain we stand upon to look down upon others from on high. I have seen this in Mantis Boxing, Eagle Claw, Tai Chi; and it will become more prevalent in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as the art becomes more proliferated and widely spread.

The Tibetan Monks did not populate temples in the mountains to look down upon others, but rather to peer closer to the heavens.

Someone who received their belt from a no name individual, but trained diligently for years, persevering numerous trials; could, and at times does, outmatch a person who has had access to, and trained in the best facilities, with a famous fighter/teacher that awarded them their Black Belt.

The person makes the belt. The teacher is only a guide. We should be careful judging others, as it is simply Narcissism disguised as justification, goodwill, or constructive criticism.

Focus on what we have, be the best we can be, and we will rise above the fray. Stay focused on what everyone else is doing, and we will drag ourselves down into the mire.