Guest Appearance: Fight for a Happy Life with Sensei Ando
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.
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!
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...
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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Guest Appearance: The Strenuous Life Podcast w/ Stephen Kesting
On the latest episode of his podcast - 'The Strenuous Life' - BJJ Black Belt and founder of Grapplearts, Stephen Kesting and I debate the value of Kung Fu, and if it can coexist with BJJ and MMA. I think you are going to like this! I highly recommend his channels if you haven't already found him!
"Can Kung Fu, BJJ and MMA coexist? Maybe they can, and maybe they can even learn from each other.
This is a conversation I had with with Kung Fu stylist (and BJJ brown belt) Randy Brown in which we touched on the history of Chinese martial arts and what made them less effective over time, what traditional martial arts look like when you start training them with resistance, and much more. I think you’ll like this one!"
The Strenuous Life Podcast
hosted by renowned BJJ Black Belt, and founder of GrappleArts.com - Stephen Kesting
Stephen was kind enough to invite me on to his podcast 'The Strenuous Life' last month. We finally got our schedules to mesh up last Monday and recorded this podcast for everyone. It was an awesome conversation and I had an amazing time. I think you are going to really enjoy this.
I know some of you are quite familiar with Stephen, and already watch his videos/listen to his podcast. If you haven't heard of Stephen, please check out his website GrappleArts.com and YouTube channel. I highly recommend you subscribe to his stuff. He is extremely humble, puts out top notch detailed content, is super nice, and is always trying to help others.
Click the photo above to visit his website, or follow the links below for your favorite podcast location. Enjoy!
"Can Kung Fu, BJJ and MMA coexist? Maybe they can, and maybe they can even learn from each other.
This is a conversation I had with with Kung Fu stylist (and BJJ brown belt) Randy Brown in which we touched on the history of Chinese martial arts and what made them less effective over time, what traditional martial arts look like when you start training them with resistance, and much more. I think you’ll like this one!
The best way to listen to this podcast is to go to your favourite podcasting platform, subscribe to ‘The Strenuous Life’ Podcast, and then look for episode 128. You can find it on most podcast platforms, including…"
iTunes
Google Play
Soundcloud
Stitcher
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.
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...
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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'Sneaky' Americana for No-Gi
Here is a No-Gi variation for the Sneaky Americana (Keylock) I've been using from under the head. Using the shoulder to crack open their frame, can help me pry my opponents arm up closer to their head, where I can snag ahold of it to go for the Sneaky Americana.
Be sure to...
Here is a No-Gi variation for the Sneaky Americana (Keylock) I've been using from under the head. Using the shoulder to crack open their frame, can help me pry my opponents arm up closer to their head, where I can snag ahold of it to go for the Sneaky Americana.
Be sure to insert the hand palm up so you can use the fingers to ply along the muscles of their arm and help you get underneath when they are trying to block it.
Again, this variation I've been using in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in order to keep my position during the attack. If I launch my attack across the body, the more savvy practitioners will counter and push my arm away, or launch me over their body.
A nice alternative to the keylock for more flexible opponents, is pushing the elbow vertical and then applying downward pressure to lock the wrist.
The turn away: when they go on their side to defend the arm, we go for the arm closest to us to setup and armbar. If they begin to block that, it will create the opening we need for the Americana. If they block both, step the leg over the waist and roll them back into our guard to finish them from the back.
Have fun with this technique. I've been enjoying it a lot!!!
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...
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 under the neck.
In order to finish them, we need to change our position however. Here is where the hip break comes into play. We hip break over to the opposite side and go to position 3 of Side Control. This gives us the position we need to finish the Keylock/Americana.
Max asked, "what happens if they block our hip break?" Great question. By attempting the hip break, it lifts their arm off the ground, so we can simply return to position 2, and throw our arm under so we can finish the Keylock/Americana from there.
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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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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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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.
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.
Thanks for watching.
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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.
Bag Beatdowns for Brains 2017
Our Annual Alzheimer's Charity Boxing Event
Coming Soon!!!
What is it?
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.
Let's come together and do our best to help put a dent in the cost of researching a solution, prevention, or cure. Help 'Punch Out' Alzheimer's! All are welcome.
Please sign-up for the event by email, in person, or on Facebook page. Thank you!
Date: Saturday, Nov 18
Deadline to Sign-Up: 11-14-17
Deadline to Donate: 11-20-17
Time: Heats start at 10am Sharp!
Location:
Randy Brown Mantis Boxing
930 Main Street
Acton, MA 01720
Last year, with your help, we raised over $3600 for Alzheimer's Research; beating our goal by well over a $1000!!!. This year we'll set the bar higher and see if we can beat it again. Let's make this an event that makes a difference!!!
No experience required. Adults and Kids welcome. All proceeds go to charity.
Sponsors
Our event shirts are brought to us by Cool As a Moose again this year. If you are in Maine on vacation, please stop in and say hello at one of their awesome stores.
We have some excellent food being donated for the event by Metropolitan Catering Co. in Westford, MA run by Ken Messinger and his crew. Once we wrap up the heats, we'll dig into some eats!!
Starbucks Westford is supporting the event again this year. The Manager Linda and her team will be providing boxes of coffee for everyone to enjoy. Awesome!
Bruce is an amazing designer and illustrator. His office is next door if you need Graphic Design work. Bruce has run magazines, and later helped start this dojo with me.
Our very own Dominic Breen located right in Chelmsford. Check him out for your IT solutions.
My top notch Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teacher Andre 'Dedeco' Almeida is contributing again this year.
You will see him again in December for belt ceremony and workshop.
Eric Reardon changed my life with his nutrition expertise. You'll see him working out alongside you at the event. Pick his brain if you have questions.
Dr. Kate Kelly is one of my goto people when I'm dealing with an injury. I highly recommend her.
Another sponsor this year is Boston Kung Fu Tai Chi. Joshua Grant is an exceptional martial artist, athlete, and teacher. He is incredibly supportive of this event and our cause. Please visit if you are in Boston.
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.
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.
Another article on the inner demons that get in the way of our training. This one - "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.
What Is Destroying Kids Martial Arts in America?
Are we as instructors providing a real service to the youth in our communities? Or just offering afterschool care with costumes?
An Open Letter to Parents with Kids interested in Martial Arts
When I was a child I wanted, deep within my core, to know martial arts. Martial arts as I saw it through -magazines, the back of comic books, or VHS tapes in the General Store. Martial arts embodied everything I sought and needed as a small person in this great big world - Confidence. Self-defense skills. Strength. The ability to equalize the playing field.
I was being bullied routinely in the neighborhood, school, and at home. I was often outmatched by someone else’s size and strength. Spirit just wasn’t enough to win battles most of the time. The methods and art of self-defense, at least from where I stood, offered hope for my small, and weary heart.
Unfortunately, there were no martial arts schools for 10’s of miles within our vicinity. By the time I lived close enough to a martial arts gym, I was working, going to school, and trying all I could to not draw the attention of current or pending bullies.
Thus, I never had the chance to undertake this endeavor as a child; when it would have benefited me in my trials and tribulations. It was not until I was an adult before I experienced the life changing benefits of martial arts. The power it holds in enabling us as individuals.
If I sought these life altering skills as a child, I am quite sure there are other children out there today that want the same things, and for the same reasons.
As I later became a coach/instructor myself, I followed the trends and examples of other kids martial arts programs across the nation. I fashioned my own kids training in a like manner, thinking this is what I had to do to be successful. To keep kids coming back. Even though I did not believe in it. And deep down it sickened me. I did this for years.
Eventually I quit teaching kids because I could not wrestle myself to continue on this path. It all seemed so phony. Years passed by and I focused solely on adults and teens. It still gnawed at me though. Kids should benefit from real martial arts training that they want, and/or need.
Never satisfied with the results or sticking with the status quo, I asked myself the following questions as I looked around at kids martial arts classes all over the nation:
Why are kids playing dodgeball, tag, and being chased/beaten with pool noodles in martial arts classes?
Why aren't children learning real skills that can empower them? Help them grow stronger, build character, gain confidence, and develop positive self-worth?
Are we as instructors providing a real service to the youth in our communities? Or just offering afterschool care with costumes?
I realized that these concepts and approaches were highly flawed. What we were doing as instructors was certainly was not what attracted me to martial arts as a child. Then and there, I set out to change things.
I went back to the drawing board and modeled my classes to be more in line with what was found in boxing, wrestling, judo, jiu-jitsu, and other martial arts that focus on empowering kids, rather than entertaining them.
The results speak for themselves. As can be seen by reviews of my program written by actual parents and kids alike. Yes, my classes have structure, respect, and discipline. Not because these are cool industry catchphrases for parents to sign their kids up for my classes, rather because these are necessary tenets to build the framework for a safe training environment. An environment where real skills are being taught.
Mutual respect and self-control are ingrained in the team to keep one another safe while helping one another learn to protect ourselves, and grow stronger. I treat kids with respect. I entrust them with powerful knowledge. I appreciate how intelligent they are even at a young age, and I encourage them to use these attributes in their team training.
My coaches follow in step. Our classes have a positive atmosphere with instructor guidance, not lecture, dogma, and lip service. I believe kids should have the freedom to express themselves, to create, and to help one another grow.
Children are provided time to work with one another solving problems and learning from their mistakes. The older more experienced kids help their newer and younger teammates. Thereby increasing their own understanding and gaining responsibility themselves.
If this sounds like a good environment, what you would like your child to be involved in, then I am happy to have them among the ranks of my team and look forward to meeting you soon.
Randy Brown
Head Instructor
RECENT UPDATE - SEPT 2022
Recently we ran an adult Mountain Training Camp in a resort destination in the mountains of New Hampshire, USA. Our first day of training outdoors in a field, we had a visitor.
The following is an excerpt of an actual conversation between an adult martial artist present at the camp who I will call Carl; Carl taught 1000’s of kids martial arts over the past decade, and a 10 year old girl who I will call Tammy. Tammy has 1+ years of Kids Karate experience.
Coach Carl: Tammy, what’s your favorite thing about Karate?
Tammy: Dodgeball!
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.
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...
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.
Mantis Captures Prey - How to Stop the Underhooks
The underhook is a powerful tool in the hands of an opponent who knows how to use it. They have leverage, control, and setups for numerous takedowns. So how do we stop our opponent from getting the underhooks? With this awesome move from Taijiquan called Fist Under Elbow, and what I like to call Mantis Captures Prey.
The underhook is a powerful tool in the hands of an opponent who knows how to use it. They have leverage, control, and setups for numerous takedowns. So how do we stop our opponent from getting the underhooks? With this awesome move from Taijiquan called Fist Under Elbow, and what I like to call Mantis Captures Prey.
In this video, we'll walk you through 1. The dangers of the underhook. 2. How to shut it down. 3. Counters from our opponent to watch out for, such as the 2nd hand. 4. Spear Hands, Eagle Claws, and Reaping Legs. 5. Hook, don't Reap - how to vary the technique based on our opponents position.
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