Improve Cardio in Boxing - The Double Under
Hang (Guà 掛) - 6 of 12 - The Keywords of Mantis Boxing
'Sneaky' Americana for No-Gi
Connect (Zhān 粘) | Cling (Nián 黏) - 4 & 5 of 12 - The Keywords of Mantis Boxing
Connect (Zhān) - connecting with the opponent. A principle found in Mantis Boxing as well as Taijiquan. The process of trying ‘to stick’ to them. This can be done by grabbing, hooking, finding a way to slow down the limb e.g., a retracting arm, a leg, or taking advantage of a limb left behind.
Cling (Nián) - is the act of sticking once we are engaged. Once connected, staying in contact i.e., clinging, sticking, following, allows you to ‘feel’ where your opponent is at all times, and control limbs. Instead of the floating limb being able to bite you.
Check out our latest video in the series on - 'The 12 Keywords of Mantis Boxing'.
Ezekiel Choke to Americana Lock (Keylock)
Here is another attack using the same sneaky Americana I've been using from under the head. In this example, we go from the Ezekiel Choke and our opponent defends it. Because my weight is side shifted, my savvy friend will feel my opposite leg go light, and try to push my knee into half guard to gain a better position.
Rather than stay there and let them get half guard, we skip over to position 2 of Side Control. Now they defend the position by trying to build a frame. This presents the arm in a vulnerable position to grab it from...
How and When to Stand Up in a Fight
Team Note: I know many of you who train with me will enjoy this video. Truth be told, I wish we had done it years ago because it is so fundamentally important. There isn't enough time in the day to practice everything, so feel free to take this and practice it whenever you can, and as much as you want.
Video Description: Whether we like it or not, sometimes we end up on the ground in a fight/altercation, or just a dangerous situation. When and how we stand up, can mean the difference between success and fail. Here are some tips for standing up when someone is waiting to pounce.
Stop Your Opponents Crushing Side Control
Do you hate being crushed in your opponent's side control? Here's something I've been working on in my game that will hopefully help your game. Building a mountain under your opponents crushing side control can give you space and mobility for countering their attacks, and possibly bringing us to a better position.
Monkey Steals Peach: In-Depth
An in-depth look at the Mantis Boxing move - Monkey Steals Peach. This is one of my favorite counters. Over the years, I've come to rely on a few follow-ups after people began countering the move, and we're including some small details to help you with the execution.
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...
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.
Pluck (Cǎi 採) - 3 of 12 - The Keywords of Mantis Boxing
Pluck (Cǎi 採) is the third of the 12 keywords of Mantis Boxing. The keyword formula houses the principles that define the art. They have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.
With Pluck (Cǎi 採), a short sharp pull down, or powerful snap, we can feed our adversary into a disadvantaged position. Commonly used after Mantis Catches Cicada, and White Ape Invites Guest.
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.
Clinch (Lǒu 摟) - 2 of 12 - The Keywords of Mantis Boxing
Hooking Legs
The Leg Hook is a great easy to use takedown, but sometimes our opponent steps out on us on our first attempt. Here, Thomas helps demonstrate how we use a combination of Mantis principles (strike, hook, pluck, hang, lean) to execute our initial outside leg hook attempt, and then a follow-up inside leg hook if they step out.
Afterwards we tackle the ground component and what happens if they immediately try to pull guard.
Bag Beatdowns for Brains 2017- Annual Alzheimer's Charity Boxing Drive
Bag Beatdowns for Brains is our annual Alzheimer's Research Charity Boxing event; a way for us to help raise funds for research to combat this devastating disease. Anyone can donate even if you can't attend the event (please spread the word).
Unleash your inner fury on a heavy bag for a good cause. Punch. Kick. Slam. Or show up to support someone else. Follow it up with some good eats prepared by a local cafe, and boxes of donated coffee.
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.
Inner Demons #2: "I'm Not Ready For That."
Hook (Gōu 勾) - 1 of 12 - The Keywords of Mantis Boxing
Hook (Gōu 勾) is the first of the 12 keywords of Mantis Boxing. The keyword formula houses the principles that define the art. They have been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.
A Praying Mantis seizes it's opponent with it's large arms and hooks. It pulls it's prey off balance and devours it on the ground. When observing the mantis against a larger foe, one can see the mantis pounce, take the back, use it’s legs to hold on, and continually gain control of it's opponent while it bites and gains better hook positions to keep it safe.
