MMA News and UFC Betting Odds

This is beautiful, and worth your time. Please watch.

Thanks to all veterans.

Martial Training, Military

This was sent to my by my old muay Thai and boxing buddy Brian, and I just had to post it. Enjoy!

What do you think. Is it realistic? I’m wondering how other styles would fare? There goes that old style vs. style argument again…

Martial Training

“I make a habit of finding seating in restaurants where I can see the entrance and most of the room while putting my back to a wall or corner if possible. In my career I do many of these sorts of things; not pulling up directly in front of houses, approaching cars in a special manner, walking into convince stores from the side lot and looking in through the window before entering to buy a coffee&and many others. This is not done out out of fear or paranoia, just out of habit. Awareness and a bit of forethought will keep you alive a lot longer than fighting skills.” – Thomas Gace at The Things Worth Believing In

I have many of the same habits, but probably not to the well practiced degree that Thomas does, considering his line of work. The opening of his post quotes from a treatise on the duties of a feudal Japanese warrior tasked with guarding or escorting his lord, and what considerations he should take to ensure the safety of said lord. Should our safety or that of your family take any less importance to you?

Martial Training, Self-defense

Via Military Times:

The Corps has awarded four contracts to three companies to produce prototypes of the 5.56mm Infantry Automatic Rifle, which is slated to supplant the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW, according a Dec. 26 Marine Corps Systems Command announcement.

The three firms will compete for a contract that could be worth up to $27 million. The firm selected will manufacture from 4,476 to 6,500 rifles.

There always a need for heavy firepower, even at the squad level. The specs of the weapons seem pretty impressive, but what stands to me is the compact size and magazine (as opposed to box/drum) feed, which should mean a Marine or soldier can carry more. For more on the candidates, see this episode of Future Weapons, on of my son’s favorite shows. I watch too, just to make sure it’s OK for him, of course…

Martial Training, Military

To my knowledge, Lethal Weapon was the first display of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in a mainstream film (or any film that I’ve seen). This was prior to the original UFC,  which was a Gracie showcase. Be honest, had you heard of BJJ at the time? I had not, and don’t remember when I started hearing about the Gracie Challenge in Black Belt magazine. Watch this scene.

Trivia and stuff about this film (most via IMDB):

1. Why has Gary Busey been a villain so often? Per IMDB, “he was hired to play Joshua because they were looking for someone big and menacing enough to be a believable foe for Mel Gibson. Busey also credits the film for reviving his failing movie career.”
2. And check out the ‘80s hair on Mel Gibson! I’m thinking he’s got a little of the Billy Ray Cyrus thing going on, don’t you?
3. Gunophile movie mistake: Riggs continually references a "hollow-point" bullet when talking about his suicide plan, yet he is clearly holding a bullet with a full metal jacket both times it is shown.

UPDATE: Per his site, Rorion Gracie choreographed both Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 3.

MMA/Grappling, Martial Training

At TDA Training, we often focus on things like mob attacks (or defending Multiple Attackers), defending against weapons (Knife defense and/or Gun defense). Additionally, many of us see martial arts training as an equalizer.

I've always looked at martial arts, in general, as an equalizer, much like the Colt .45 in the old west. I believe that you can improve your chances of survival in all self-defense situations if you have some training. – from How to Make Your Training More Practical for Self-Defense post

However, I have to make an admission to you that I was speechless when I was asked, at a family gathering, the following question: “You have a lot of training and experience as a martial arts instructor. What could someone like me do to protect himself?” I probably looked (and sounded) like an idiot of the first order as I paused, stammered, and then backtracked in my multiple responses. I think it was evident to my friend that I didn’t believe that there was.

What can you and I do to train someone who has a physical disability such that he or she can’t fight back? You see, my friend had a condition which affected his ability to stand, to say nothing of walking or running. It makes his ability to transfer power a near impossibility.

Nearly all of my life I’ve been either bigger, stronger, or faster than the next guy (or at least I believed I was). When I became skilled in martial arts, it only made the differences starker. In my thousands of rounds sparring against hundreds of opponents, and in all of my years of teaching and training, I’ve only felt out of my depth a few times; like I would definitely lose if it were “for real.” What would it be like to feel that way all of the time? How about to have something happen to you that made you feel that way, and that you could never prevail over someone else?

For me, that would be a nightmare scenario, and yet, for all of us, it’s inevitable? Age, injury, or infirmity will catch up to all of us. Old age is, past a certain point, as inevitable as the Earth turning or the sun rising, and yet most of us go through life training and teaching without that in mind? Why?

This is a serious question for all of you instructors, students, fighters and fans out there. How would you approach teaching someone who realistically couldn’t fight back? Or what would you do if you couldn’t (see how I slipped back into the trap)?

I’d like your feedback on this in the comments. Look for a post to answer shortly.

Thanks.

Martial Training, Self-defense

One of the least-known Jackie Chan films includes American full-contact legend Bill "Superfoot "Wallace as the villain in The Protector. What do you think of the fight scene?

Martial Training

A common topic in law enforcement training circles is the detection of something called "pre-assaultive threat indicators". In any police contact, officers are trained to look for physical cues that serve as "early warning signals" that a person may flee or become combative. These same cues can be useful in the civilian world as well. Being able to identify body language that indicates an imminent attack can give you the opportunity to, at best, "beat feet". Or at worst, allow you to preempt the attack with a defensive measure.

Avoiding Eye Contact: When a person acts like you are not there and wont look at you it can mean a few different things, or a cluster of them. The person is avoiding engaging because he is mentally processing the situation in an agitated state and cannot multitask. He is trying to decide what to do and when, he could be looking for an escape route or psyching himself up to act. He could also be attempting to distract you for a sucker punch.

The Chest Puff: "Making the body bigger says 'I am powerful' and is a typical male action. This warns other men not to attack and may indicate that the person is thinking of attacking. It can thus be a response to a threat. If one man expands, then others have the choice of retreating or expanding also ('If you attack, I'll fight back!'). Expansion can thus indicate anger."

Rocking Motion: When people are going into "fight or flight" mode their bodies are pumping oxygen and adrenaline into their systems and if they are trying to contain that urge to fight or flee (for the moment) they will do some odd things. Pacing, bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth, helps "burn off" some of that extra O2. it is also indicative of a subconscious "warming up" for action.

Averting the Face: People on the verge of initiating an action often attempt to hide their anxiety by averting or hiding their faces. This will also be seen in facial wipes, slicking back the hair, looking up into the air, etc.

Boxers Stance: This is a solid indicator that the "fight" half or "fight or flight" is being chosen. Look for a flexing of the knees and a "nose over toes" lean that indicates a preparation to launch.

Clenching of Fists: Another indicator that "fight" is the choice. Its also another "warming up" gesture.

Thousand Yard Stare: The subject is looking "through you" instead of at you. He has that "faraway look" on his face. He is putting himself in his "angry place". He is dehumanizing you and hovering over the launch button. Gain distance.

Target Glance: The opposite of the Thousand Yard Stare. the subject is zeroing in on a target. If he's staring at your chin be ready for the sucker punch. If its your weapon, a gun grab attempt.

Facial Wipe: see Averting the Face

Now, don't go nuts just because some guy wipes his face. The secret to decoding these cues is to take the entire situation into account and look for clusters of behavior. If you are in a profession where you have to deal with people in these situations; when you see these indicators it is time to act! Put some distance between yourselves and start issuing commands for compliance. I would be getting my OC or taser limbered up and/or tightening the laces on my running shoes. If you are a civilian and you see these cues...leave...if possible. If leaving is not an option, get ready.

The attached video is a clip from a project put together by a close friend who is a martial arts instructor, a local film artist and myself. It's a project in progress. Don't be too critical of the realism of the defensive response at the end. The threat indicators were the focus of the piece and we were not willing to roll around on the hot summer pavement for a more realistic "fight".

For more articles like these, please visit my blog: The Things Worth Believing In.

Martial Training, Self-defense

At first I thought, "Ah, another copycat of the world-famous TDA Blitz (after all, who wouldn't want to copy it?), but ol Bob Patterson (a Convocation Partner) really puts together a great (and original) summary of interesting martial arts-related news and links. Read his Martial Arts News posts every week at Striking Thoughts.

View my page on The Convocation of Combat Arts

Martial Training

From the archives. The only editorial comment I'd make is that a good knife might be better.

[Note: this was originally posted in January of 2006]

Martial Training, Sparring