Variation on the dive from Lester’s Logic 2 Great for the cage.
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Variation on the dive from Lester’s Logic 2 Great for the cage.
We are living in very interesting times in regards to evolution of martial arts fighting techniques. As a judge for numerous mixed martial arts events, I get to watch all of the cutting edge techniques and see what works and what doesn’t work. (Like my Dog Brother stick fighting days, where we were inventing new moves almost on a weekly basis, MMA techniques are constantly evolving. But this goes beyond the cage − depending whether you’re training for the street, self-defense, or various types of combat sports like muay Thai or boxing, you have to evolve and adapt.
There are plenty of intricate techniques you COULD learn, but you first have to ask yourself what is possible and what is probable? Some things that look great against a cooperative opponent will quickly go to hell if you try them against a drunken biker outside a bar at night who isn’t feeling any pain (self-defense rule one: stay away from drunken biker bars at night). The best things to focus on are techniques and methods that are simple and repeatable under stress. But the very best thing you can do for yourself in martial arts is to be in good physical condition.
If you’re in good shape, you will learn faster, perform better, and retain more. Start with the basics and then move to learning the high-percentage techniques that work for your body type. There are certain techniques that you see working in grappling tournaments or cage fights week after week and most of those can be adapted for self-defense as well. If you’re learning jiu-jitsu make sure you learn the high-percentage moves like the triangle choke, arm bar, guillotine choke, hammer lock, Kimura, and rear naked choke. Then learn the escapes, variations, counters, and counters to the variations. By then you should start to have a pretty solid ground game. Only then should you start to add some intricate moves. But it’s probably a better idea to learn the counters to the intricate moves. Taking seminars from some of the top black belts is a great way to learn the latest and greatest techniques so you know what to expect. You will usually get caught with something you have never seen before.
Become a jack of all trades and a master of none. Be committed to everything but commit to nothing. In Bruce Lee’s style of Jeet Kune Do (JKD) you first get the essence of a particular style and then move on from there. From my own experience of training and teaching, it can take up to two years to capture the “essence” of a style. In the process you probably find two or three that appeal to you more and that you will focus on. When you do, there are five steps in the process of learning techniques.
Trying your techniques against uncooperative opponents is the key to martial arts truth. But be careful to not get hurt or hurt your training partners. Be aware of them tapping out or being rocked or stunned if you hit them. If you’re going to be punching or kicking wear protective gear and have an observer who can cool things off if necessary.
The truth of the matter is that too much of one thing is not good anymore. You have to be well-rounded. If you’re on your back in a cage fight, chasing an arm bar that worked for you in a grappling tournament, you’ll probably end up being pounded by punches. Be aware of what works in the cage and what doesn’t. Likewise, if you’re focusing on hitting someone and overextend on a punch you’ll probably be submitted by an arm lock or a triangle choke.
One of the most valuable things I have learned over the years is to not be too quick to throw out a technique that you think doesn’t work for you. I have thrown out techniques and years later looked at them again, thought how great they were, and was left scratching my head wondering why I stopped using it? Give yourself a chance to grow into the moves. Also remember that there are many other reasons to train martial arts other than just competition. Fighting is just the tip of the iceberg. The benefits that you get through learning martial arts techniques will help you develop both physically and spiritually into a better human being. Keep this concept in mind when you want to stop training. Martial arts are really about helping you to become the best person you can possibly be.
Practice and learn the cross, elbow, knee, and kick on your strong side for power in this drill.
This is a destructive combo I call Decorate the Cake.
Here are four Muay Thai 4 Counts that are easy to learn yet effective if you master them.
This is no. 2 in the High Performance Kickboxing Series.
Not to be confused with Lester’s Logic 1, where I demonstrated the Shoulder Stop Long and Shoulder Stop Short combinations, this shoulder stop drill is the first of four drills in the High Performance Kickboxing Series.
This is the third drill out of four drills that make up the High Performance Kickboxing Series. You scoop the jab and counter with cross, uppercut, cross, right round kick, left switch kick.
The way to become a better MMA fighter is to have and maintain a consistent practice regimen. Practicing is often an overlooked skill and there are not many books or DVD’s on the subject. Practicing is such an important part of becoming a better MMA fighter. Just as important as hard sparring or fighting. It must be integrated as part of your regular training regimen. Be it Thai Pads, Focus Mitts, Ground Work, Equipment training or solo training it must be done!
I am going to layout a guide to help you get the most out of your practice.
Remember the three ways of learning .
First, you must see it done. Second, you must feel it done. Third you must do it! (See it, feel it, do it). This is when the practicing comes in. If you can keep relaxed when practicing your learning will be enhanced. Environment can play a big part . Loud music can be a distraction. The phone the doorbell and climate. All these things can have a negative effect on your practice. Do not allow outside interferences to keep you from your practice. When you least feel like doing it is when you need it most. If you are more organized, you will get more out of your practice to.
Time is an important factor if you do not have much time 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there. Ten minutes can turn into 2 hours. If you have no plans, get lost in your practice. Go past boredom and things will be revealed to you. Things you have never seen before. Create a step by step method. if you maintain maximum efforts your practice will become more rewarding and you will continue to want to practice. Keep a notebook on the things you want to practice. Before you start to practice, make a list of goals that you would like to accomplish that day. Make a list of all the things you need to work on.
Always try to practice the material that will help take you toward your goals and you will tend to absorb it better when it pertains to your goal than if your practicing something that does not. work on your weaknesses and get out of that comfort zone. Make a list of the most important part of your practice. When possible study the material that is most important for your development . You will get more out of it and you will retain it better because it pertains to your goals. Figure out the areas that give you the most difficulty and isolate those areas.
It is easy to get stuck in a rut doing the same old thing (going through the motions with no intent) try to mix up your training. Hit different targets, find different ways to practice the same old thing? As long as you are working toward your goals start to challenge yourself. After every session make sure that you check off the things on your list that you have completed successfully . At the end of the week look back at your list and make sure your on track with your goals.
After you have the list of things you need to work on you will need to divide the amount of practice time you have available into equal parts. Let’s say you have three things you need to work on and one hour-spend 15 minutes on each thing with 5 minutes rest between things . The five minute break helps your memory time rejuvenate before going on the next thing. You will learn things more thouroughly and retain more information with this practice method. You can only retain so much information before your brain is full and your attention span is gone.
Many MMA fighters will practice for hours non-stop and the next day they will have trouble recalling what they did the day before. If you practice for hours without short breaks you will not retain much after the first 30 minutes. Try to practice when you think it would be the most effective part of your day. Pick a time and try to stick to it. It is better to practice every day if you have the time. Try to break up your practice sessions throughout the day. If you can do one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon and another one in the evening, you can absorb large amounts of material in a short time with this method. Not everyone will be able to do this because of other responsibilities. Practicing with this method can allow your brain to recuperate fast.
You can maximize your practice time by following this method. If you can split your training into two parts that would be more beneficial than going for three hours straight with no breaks. It is more productive to consistently practice everyday than to do three hours one day.. Skip a couple of days then workout a couple hours on another day then one hour the following day and so on.
It is very hard to notice any significant improvement if your practicing inconsistently. It is almost like you are re-inventing the wheel each time . You could become discouraged and feel like giving up. If you can record yourself once a month and analyze the footage, to see if you have improved and to see if you have been practicing correctly. That will help to.Try to be your own worst critic and judge yourself on a scale from one to ten and when you become frustrated remember to be happy with progress but not satisfied . After you reach your goals ,set some more. After a while you will find out that you are your best teacher.
Becoming a well rounded mixed martial artists takes time and patience there are no short cuts to getting good .If you follow this guide for practicing you will get more quality out of your practice and you should start to notice dramatic improvement . The key to proficiency is consistent correct practice over a long period of time.
By Lester Griffin. Originally published in Gladiator Magazine
