Extreme Self Protection

This is volume 8 in the Combination Man Curriculum (CMC).

Now that we've spent the past 6 months of the CMC material getting our wrestling base underneath us let's start building our true Combination base by combining boxing with unorthodox striking.

Here's what is included on this volume...

• We give the hair-splitting but, oh, so needed definition of the difference between boxing and pugilism.
• We discuss the necessity of overlaying Pugilism on top of boxing and not the other way around.
• We then introduce how we will build boxing/pugilism facility via integrated combination ladders shot through a Tri-Part Build. Each drill will be demonstrated fully on the Heavy Bag, the Double-End Bag, Wall Drills where appropriate, and lastly live-fire partner drilling.
• We will emphasize the outer blade of the forearm from elbow to fist pad to supplement our boxing in unusual and surprising ways. All of the strikes on this volume are currently legal under MMA rules so sportive integration is not a problem. [Combatives folks, rules are never a worry I know, but there is much grist for the mill on this volume--no nonsense stuff.]
• We will begin by using the forearm as a kick corollary and discuss why we NEVER open with a forearm blast before we show how to integrate them form the word go.
• We work the proper set-up for the Cram (head position is key--head in the wrong spot and you'll get clocked and/or reduce your drive).
• We'll also use the Cram for an easy Plum Blossom Defense--why grapple and snake for position when you can go offensive at once?
• We move down the forearm to the fist pad and discuss why this is a weapon of subtlety and if you're short on finesse the accompanying live-fire footwork drills will get you moving like a pro to fire these jolting shots.
• We'll take several varieties of the introduced pugilistic weapons, and if you fire them through every drill provided you'll wind up with 99 rounds of drilling if you only work through the material once.

These formerly illegal shots will super-charge your striking with power and unorthodox angles to get that combination man/woman striking base up to snuff in no time.

This volume, as with all of our RAW material, comes with a printed syllabus for inclusion in your training notebook.

(Hang on to these syllabi because at some point in the Combination Man Curriculum run we will supplement and key these syllabi to a Master Text for easy Drill & Technique search).

To order: 

That's right, today is a three-fer (it's a word, look it up-on second thought, don't look it up). I want to explore the three ways there are to throw a hook (lead or rear) so we can see what the inherent pros and cons there may be of each (if, indeed, there are any). We will use the standard boxing tool of the hook punch in all of our examples but I think you'll find that the bio-mechanics and physics will apply across to the board to any and all laterally traveling weaponry ( round kicks, hook kicks, spinning crescents, ridge hands, what have you).

            First, let's start with the arm hook. An arm hook practically defines itself, it is a hook punch powered almost primarily with the musculature of the firing arm and shoulder. A main feature of the arm hook is that it travels with the body/torso/core almost stationary. Lazy or speed jabs along with arm hooks are often what are being referred to when you hear fight side commentary refer to a fighter as arm-punching. Arm-punching carries little power as the body has been isolated and provides no support to the punch beyond being the skeletal frame that supports the firing arm. To throw a lead arm hook:

• Lift the lead elbow to the horizontal (some fighters get a great deal of play out of lifting the elbow slightly higher than horizontal).
• Place the hum
  .
  erus, radius, and ulna into the desired angle of impact delivery (a 90 degree bend seems the most effective for power) and lock the angle into place with the musculature of the arm.
• Using the chest and shoulder musculature of the firing arm, whip the punch into its target (upon impact, your palm-fist will be facing you-if this is news to you check out our previous column on proper fist alignment).

Arm Hook Pros

• Speed.
• Decreased telegraphing.
• Allows for quick follow-up off of a lead hand combination (a corollary of speed).

Arm Hook Cons

• Very little power.

Next we come to the core hook. A core hook is what you commonly see from more experienced boxers/MMA fighters when a KO-worthy hook is being thrown. The core hook utilizes the entire body and derives its power as you work the body into one cohesive whole. Here's how to throw the core hook:

• Follow the first two steps of the arm hook-locking the angled arm into one fused piece of bone.
• Think of the inside ball of the foot as a hinge and your upper-body (hips, shoulders, and chest) as a door.
• Now slam that door hard over the given hinge.
• Allow the slamming door (the body) to drag/whip the fused arm into the given target. (As we've already mentioned these mechanics will work with all "hooking" weapons but here I want to call your attention to how the best Muay Thai fighters use this same "core precedes the weapon" protocol when we see the hip advance in front of the leg to deliver the devastating Thai kick).

Core Hook Pros

• Still mighty fast.
• Powerful.
• Loads the opposite side of the body for quick, powerful counter-revolution combination work.

Core Hook Cons

• Decreased speed on same limb combinations (meaning if you launch a second punch with this same arm the second punch will more than likely be poorly loaded due to hip transfer and carry a bit less stink on it).
• Harder to learn to throw properly but...great things comes to those who work.

And finally we come to the whip hook. The whip hook is hard to read at ringside (or TV-side) as it looks exactly like the core hook. Good boxers and good MMA fighters are often utilizing a whip hook over the standard issue core hook but you just may not be able to tell until you are on the receiving end of one and then the mechanics become all too clear. As we already mentioned it looks mighty similar to the core hook because it differs in only one aspect-a slight change in the start and finishing position of the punching arm.

Before we get to how to throw the whip hook, a quick digression with Mr. Newton.

            Let's call up an Olympic image, one of a figure-skater going into a tight spin. At the beginning of the spin the arms are held laterally away from the body and then to achieve the brain-scrambling speed the athlete pull the arms in towards the body-the closer to the body the arms are pulled the faster the spin. Arms out-slow/Arms-in fast is an illustration of the of conservation of angular momentum. From figure-skating back to violence, if we want to take advantage of this law:

• Utilize all of the body placement, hinge work and door-slamming of the core hook but...
• When you lock the hooking arm, position it at the beginning of the arc as if you were going to punch 3-4 inches beyond your target ( for example, if you were going for the tip of the jaw, aim for the jaw hinge at the start of the hook).
• As you approach the target use the musculature of the upper arm (the biceps as we are firing with the palm facing us-another point in this placements favor-greater muscle mass recruitment) to whip the arm inward into the target.

Whip Hook Pros

• As quick as the core hook.
• Possess the bio-mechanical power of the core hook with the added Ooomph of the use of Mr. Newton's law.
• Harder to defend as the defender often reads the beginning arc of the punch and positions themselves for the perceived angle of attack rather than the end of the arc.

Whip Hook Cons

• A bit tougher to learn than the core hook as it's all in the timing but...well worth your time.

So, in a nutshell, each hook has its place in a good fighter's vocabulary but if speed and power are paramount (and of course they are, it's a fight) it makes more sense to devote most of your training time to the speedier, more powerful, and trickier to read shots in your arsenal. With that said, the whip hook seems to be the way to go more often than not.

This book s

erves as a Triple Purpose Manual.

Purpose One: To provide the inside info needed to survive the oh, so fun phenomena of obstacle course racing.   

Purpose Two: It is a conditioning manual for those who want to hit the courses in peak condition. It provides the scientific skinny on our stream-lined high-intensity approach, then details all of the unique exercises we use that are course specific, and then progresses you through 66 non-repeating workouts to get and keep you primed.  

Purpose Three: It is a comprehensive manual on Flight/Evasion Skills for Real-World Combative trainers & trainees.

Among the contents include: The differences between Mud, Adventure, & Obstacle Racing, Competitive & Cooperative Mind-Sets, Military Function & Course Correlates. The extensive Techniques, Tactics, & Strategies section covers Stride Work, How to Approach Hills, How to Leap from Height and minimize Landing Load, How to Approach Electrical Hazards & Running the Gauntlet, The most Efficient ways to Climb Ropes (vertical, horizontal, and wall ropes), Tips on Climbing (everything from cargo nets to vertical walls to bouldering walls), Improving Low Crawl Efficiency, Balance Work, Hand-Over Hand Tips, and Tips for Bearing Loads for Distance.

We close with the Logistics Section which will provide tips on Clothing , Gear, Registration, and Clean-Up to make your race experience as streamlined as possible.

To snag an autographed copy for  $12.95 (S&H Included) or $22.95 International hit the button.

Mud, Guts and Glory with Standard Shipping:

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We'll be on the roster at Martial Arts on the Mountain--September 19 (5PM start) thru September 22nd (11AM).

Myself, Boyd Ritchie, Carlos Cummings, and John Miller will be presenting classes in MMA, Boxing, Catch Wrestling, Sambo, (and if time permits) an optional Challenge/Obstacle Run.

Four days of training, feel free to room on the campground (rooms and meals provided, crew--beat that).

Cost: $250

To register or for more details contact Coach John Miller

coach@grapplingsports.com

540-354-9356

http://www.facebook.com/events/126726897501640/

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Of course, we'll also offer our Annual Tennessee Boot Camp in November-details to come.

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We hope to see you at one of these events--if you'd like to have us come to you, check out our Pitch An Adventure info in the side bar and if you've got some adrenaline in your neck of the woods that strikes my fancy we'll be there. 

Here's where you come in, if you'd like to host a seminar and save yourself some bucks off of the standard fees in the process--if you've got an Adventure Race in your area, a rock you think I'd like to climb, a river you think I want to raft, a hike you think I just need to take, a desert I've not run on, you get the idea--pitch your adventure and school location. If the adventure appeals and the logistics are right we offer greatly reduced fees to come to your school and play with your crew before we go play at your Adventure Pitch.

BTW--You and your crew are welcome to attend the adventure, as a matter of fact, we'll knock off even more bucks for this sort of hands-on guiding.

So, you got some adrenaline in your neck-of-the-woods and want to train? Feel free to make your pitch and we'll see what happens.