Cracking the Black - Don Maurer

We have some great news to share from last weekend. Don Maurer was awarded his Black Belt in Mantis Boxing by my hand on December 3, 2016.

Don Maurer - 2006

Don was one of our first students when we started this school. He has spent the past 12 years training with us, and is, in my mind, the epitomy of perseverance. No matter the setbacks life has thrown his way, he has found a way to stay the course and keep his feet on the path. 

Don has always worked at bettering his skills, and bettering those around him. Some of you may even remember when he was helping run classes back in the mill. He is a tenacious martial artist, and always pushing forward through adversity.

I recall a story Don told me once from his childhood that I believe had a profound affect on his ability to stick with it when life tried to say otherwise.

When he was a child, Don's father came home one day with a guitar. He asked his father what the guitar was for, and his father replied - "It's yours. I signed you up for guitar lessons and you start next week." Don adamantly told his father that he did not want to learn guitar. His father's respons - "Too bad. You're taking guitar."

After a couple years, Don grew to love playing the guitar. Do you know what he still does to this day, some 40+ years later? Plays guitar. I have not personally heard him play, but I can tell through our discussions, and how he relates martial arts to music, that he is at a master level. 

That same perseverance has paid off again. Now his level of understanding has evolved in Mantis Boxing. The ability to see the unseen, to know the intricacies, to connect the dots. To achieve something that cannot be taken away, or erased. A mark is left.

It is such an honor to be able to guide people to this level of the journey. Thank you, Don. I am glad Mantis Boxing is being passed down and I am grateful to be able to share the art with you. 

photos by Max Kotchouro

Increase Your Martial Arts Learning Potential

photo by Max Kotchouro

"I don't like this move."
"This technique isn't for me."

These are examples of things I hear from students from time to time. Usually they are unaware I am listening, and I like to keep it that way so they feel free to express themselves in the process of learning. I myself have said similar things in the past while going through the process.

One such time, I was on a trip to San Diego to train with a Mantis Boxing coach for a few days back in 2008. On this particular trip, he was passing on to me, his entire 8 Step Mantis Boxing throwing curriculum as taught to him by Sifu James Shyun.

I was excited to go through this material, and we spent the entire afternoon at Sifu Mike Dasargo's school going through all 20 of the throws and their variations. During the session, I remember getting to one throw, what we call Thigh Lift Throw (see photo) and absolutely hating it.

I felt so disconnected from the movement, and I was laying out reasons why this throw wasn't for me, and why I would never use it. I convinced myself to learn it, practice it, but I put it in a category for something that will work for someone else's body type, but not mine.

I returned from San Diego and set out practicing all the material from that weekend. I spent months going over everything, and working on integrating some of it into my fighting. Obviously some takedowns worked better than others, but I practiced them all.

Fast forward a couple of years and I was hit in the head by an 'epiphany stick'. Also known as that voice in your head saying - "Look at you dumbass." I noticed the throw I was successfully using the most, was none other than...the Thigh Lift Throw. The one throw out of all of them that I despised, turned into something I relied upon heavily in my fighting repertoire.

I realized how silly I had been, and I picked up the pieces to move on, vowing never to make that mistake again. I can't say for sure that I have been completely successful in that undertaking, but I can be certain that I stop myself whenever I hear those words enter my mind.

This single experience helped me beyond measure when approaching the learning of a different art - Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. There were many times I was attending a camp, workshop, or class, and felt that what we were learning was way beyond my level. Instead of getting angry and throwing my "sucker in the dirt" (Sifu Puyot), I categorized what I was learning as 'something for later', and committed myself to participating in the workshop with full focus, and effort so my partners could get the most out of the workshop too.

The things we struggle with the most, will occasionally turn into some of our best work. As we go through the process of learning and meet these moments of difficulty, if we step back and observe ourselves in the moment, as well as what we are learning, we can approach things with an open mind and empty cup.

If we try our best, ask questions, assist our partners, and prepare ourselves to see that material again in the future, we will be better prepared at that time to receive the knowledge and we will not become bogged down with bitterness and despair.

We should never discount what we are being taught as something - "not for us", or - "that will never work for me", etc. In doing so we limit our potential for growth.

No DISCOUNTS!!!

Speed Kills

In martial arts there is a significant importance placed on speed. Why shouldn't there be, this trait is often times what gives one fighter an advantage over another right? Yes. The problem is, speed in 'training', has more negative effects than positive.

All too often speed is the culprit that inhibits our learning and growth when training how to fight. This is easily explained by the emotional state of the fighter who is stressed out in unfamiliar territory; confused, and/or trying to multi-task. Once we can slow down the training/sparring, we see that there is much to learn when we play things out at a decreased pace.

This is video from a private training session with Master Andre 'Dedeco' Almeida, 5th degree Black Belt in Jiu Jitsu. We filmed this to help show 'rolling to learn'. The tendency on the mats is to roll like we are competing at a tournament.

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Example

While footwork training two students are going too fast for their skill level. One has never done the drills at all and is green as a Mantis. At the speed they are going, the two of them are wandering all over the ring with no concept of where they are, and why they are moving. Just moving for the sake of moving. They are failing to use all of their newly trained footwork skills, the same skills that they just trained earlier in the class; instead opting for speed. This causes them to revert back to what they had done the most, thereby losing possible advantages gained by reinforcing the lesson learned in class.

When we are learning something like footwork, if someone says, "Freeze!", can you explain the reason you stepped where you did on the last step? Can you describe the advantages and disadvantages of your current position? Can you map out the last 3 moves before you landed there? Or, what your opponent has to do from here to counter you?

If not, then you could benefit greatly from decreasing speed. Slowing down the footwork allows us to see our mistakes. We can then either do it over again, or move on knowing next time not to repeat our previous mistake because we were running at a speed where we could analyze instead of just react.

This principle applies to other aspects of combat training as well, and is not restricted to just footwork. Blocking is a great example. Our partner is throwing punches at us. We are blocking away. They speed up. We start getting hit more often than not. Now we're in survival mode, not training/learning mode. If our partner slows the pace down to 'success, success, fail, success, fail, success' from 'fail, fail, fail, success, fail, success, fail, fail' then we are able to learn and fix. Once we start succeeding too consistently it's time for our partner to ramp the speed up a notch or two till we again fail once in a while.

SPEED IS A MUST!

Do not mistake this as advocating an abolition of speed, as speed is a necessary component when introduced at the right time in the training process. If training is slow all the time, you will never build up the reactions, kinisthetic feedback, or gain the confidence to block for real. So speed has to be a part of the training.

Speed is used heavily to test skills, to determine if we have attained and retained a technique, movement, skill, reaction, but has to go away if failure is the higher percentage of results, or if new material is introduced.

When going fast, we have no ability to analyze our actions. We are throwing our training to the 'Fates'. Speed increases with skill, not the other way around.

"Fast as you can, slow as you must!" and "Slow to learn. Fast to Test." - unnamed source

The DO OVER

A highly productive training environment is evident when sparring/rolling and you are able to ask your partner for a 'do over'. Yes, a 'do over'. A chance to go back one, two, or three positions and try the same move over again to see why you failed. Perhaps you got your De La Riva hook in, but you were too slow and missed the sweep, only realizing after the fact. It could be months before you end up there again, so repeating the setup then and there is a perfect way to try again.

A real fight doesn't give you that opportunity, but our training environment, and friends in the dojo are able and willing to help. This produces better fighter's than an ultra competitive atmosphere where no one ever wants to see their partners succeed. In martial arts, we're only as good as those around us. If you don't help elevate your partners/classmates, then your skills will eventually plateau until you or someone else helps others rise up.

(original post - April 11, 2009 - updated September 14, 2016)

Whether rolling in Jiu Jitsu, or Boxing in the ring, speed is a factor that can destroy, or enhance your training; depending on how you use it. Here's a quick introduction for the part 2 video on Speed Kills - Rolling with Dedeco. Part 2 link: https://youtu.be/5UNFzyrJgew

Cracking the Black - Holly Cyr

photo courtesy of Haeyong Moon

Saturday was a very special day. Holly Cyr received her Black Belt in Mantis Boxing  (Tángláng quán 螳螂拳) on Saturday, January 2, 2016. The first Black Belt awarded by my hand. Holly has beaten the odds and continued to stay the course. Becoming one of the few women to achieve such a rank in Mantis Boxing.

Holly has spent the past seven plus years dedicated and committed to not only her training, but the elevation of her peers. She constantly contributes to the team in any way possible, and has been an upstanding student, mentor, and coach.

Holly receiving her first belt in Mantis Boxing. 2008

Over the years Holly attended classes every possible chance she could. Including workshops (here and abroad), mountain retreats, and competitions. Training during the day, returning again at night. Day after day. Any opportunity to train, learn something new, or hone an existing skill, she was on it. This took second place only to her desire to help others.

As our mantis boxing has grown and evolved, so too did Holly along with it. Change is difficult for many, but rather than let it stop her, she embraced it. If it improved what we did, she never looked back.

In 2010, we added to our striking and kicking, with a class devoted to throwing. Holly jumped right in. When we added Fitness Kickboxing to create a bridge to the local community, she offered to help coach it. When we needed a kids instructor, she was there helping to run the class, and organize holiday events for the kids.

Seeing a need in the local communities, she jumped at the chance to help coach self-defense training for adult and teen women. Later integrating her knowledge of ground fighting into her coaching.

Continuing to add to her skillset, she took on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and devoted a passion and focus and to ground fighting and self-defense. She competed and gold medaled at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation in 2013, and was one of the first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belts in our school.

Over the past year, her Mantis Boxing has coalesced into a formidable art; Holly has become a force to be reckoned with on and off the mats. Her hard work has paid off, and will continue to serve her well into the future.

IBJJF Boston Open 2013

It has been a true honor to watch Holly grow and evolve as a coach. It is the pinnacle of our experience to be able to see someone reach this level. Many fall by the wayside over the years, which only makes this achievement all the more meaningful. Staying the course for this length of time, persevering, seeing something through to this level, is a sign of true inner strength.

This accomplishment did not demarcate an end to Holly’s journey, nor a completion of her training. More aptly, it has only served as an entry into Holly’s greater sight, skills, knowledge, and an ever growing desire and ability to share her art with those around her.

No matter where she goes. No matter how hard life gets. No one can ever take this achievement away from her. Thank you Holly for many years of dedication and commitment to the arts, and the pleasure of being able to award you this honor. You are an inspiration to all those who follow in your footsteps. I look forward to seeing where you take the arts from here.