Extreme Self Protection

The over-under clinch is the big dog of clinches in MMA and competitive submission grappling and for good reason--we'll get to why in a mo', but first a little on why we see so little of three other major clinches: the traditional Boxing Clinch, the Collar & Elbow (C & E) clinch, and the Plum Blossom or Muay Thai clinch.

First, the traditional Boxing Clinch. The absence of this one is almost a no-brainer, too upright and loose to kibosh knees and elbows, too narrow and "light" to avoid the takedown. As much as I love boxing this clinch simply has no place in the MMA game.

Next, the Collar & Elbow or C & E tie-up which is exceptionally common (and useful) in collegiate and folk-style wrestling. It sets up countless shots for the legs, numerous duck-unders, go-behinds and offensive gambits out the wazoo.

A good C & E clinch is also a deceptive little defensive tool that allows you to "read" an opponent's intentions, and use steering motions to defend shots which is way less energy costing than the gambited offense.

So, why is such a formidable tool so conspicuously little-seen in MMA? Because if you use it as it is used in the traditional sports you will get clocked.

The C & E tie-up is a fantastic grappling tool but it commits the hands to grappling in such a way as to lead one to not even think of mounting a striking offense--and if you do mount that offense this is such a loose base to launch from methinks the tie-up could have been skipped altogether.

It performs even worse on the flip side of the striking coin. It's openness/looseness is full of striking holes that any good inside fighter will punish for trying to apply this clinch where it doesn't need to be.

Before my wrestling brethren despair, don't throw that C & E clinch away--not by any means. I suggest that rather than thinking of it as the starting point and or feeler in a match, move the C & E to quick windows of opportunity. By this I mean apply it in short-timed iterations where your transition to the next phase of your offense or defense is tripped to fire immediately and not get stuck in a C & E "clinch" game where it might get you hurt.

The Plum Blossom, or Muay Thai clinch, also the Double-Head Tie-Up is a devastating weapon in the Muay Thai game and we do see it from time to time in its pure form in MMA but not nearly as much as we did in the early days of the game.

I surmise that the Plum Blossom used in its pure form is diminishing for the opposite reasons of the C & E clinch's waning. Where the C & E clinch is strike vulnerable, the Plum Blossom is grappling vulnerable. The posture is a bit too high and the base a bit too narrow allowing good wrestling to shrug and blow through this tie-up fairly easily--the key is not to get lulled into thinking of this tie-up as a snaking/re-snaking-pummeling game and treat the tie-up itself as what it's intentions are- a strike. With that in mind, blow through your clinch defense quickly (the shrug is high percentage here) and you should be good to go.

Just as with the C & E clinch, the Plum Blossom used in quick instances or in modified form most definitely has its place in MMA. It is it's pure upright form that needs a caveat or two.

That brings us to the clinch that has established its utilitarian dominance for both its offensive/defensive potential: The Over-Under Clinch.

The Over-Under Clinch pre-MMA was most commonly seen in Greco-Roman wrestling where legs dives, picks, and lacing are off-limits and upper-body control is key. Taking this clinch almost intact from its original sport and adding a few modified concepts and you have an MMA ready highly functional offensive-defensive weapon.

The Over-Under Clinch allows for good upper-body control and staving off most effective punching due to its cutting off punching room nature. Elbows can still be formidable here but good under-hook control and/or under-hook "reading" (feeling of intention) can go a long way to reducing this threat.

This clinch does open up the possibilities of knees but good weighting via over-hook forward and "down", tight and aggressive under-hook pulls, accompanied by aggressive under-hook shoulder "pinning" and bothersome head-in-the-pocket work reduces the threat and intensity of knee strikes.

The over-under also presents numerous takedown possibilities, both of the upper-body Greco Roman variety and of the folk style and Judo leg lacing/tripping variety.

The under-hook portion of this clinch is also the root of much good defense versus these vey same takedown attacks.

The Over-Under clinch is also an almost optimum point to work from as you spin and pin an opponent into the cage. On the flip-side of that equation, when your back is to the cage the over-under is your defensive friend and the key to you turning yourself off of the cage.

The only downside to this most useful of MMA clinches is that is essentially a neutral position meaning that competitors have the same offensive/defensive opportunities available to them-- the key making yourself king of this position is twofold.

One: Have superior conditioning.

Clinch work is grueling work. You can go from fresh to exhausted in 15 seconds-no kidding. The better conditioned competitor will have an edge.

Two: Have a deeper vocabulary.

If you are able to exhibit a deeper well of offensive and defensive tools and preserve a conditioning edge you increase your odds of being the owner of the clinch victory. Only being able to pummel and to have one or two offensive/defensive gambits at your disposal is no longer viable in the game.

The over-under is the go-to big dog clinch  in MMA and to go onward and upward our education in this position must improve.

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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This year's Old School MMA Boot Camp will be held on Saturday and Sunday, November 16th and 17th (10 AM start both days) at Bill Whitworth's beautiful facility in Morristown, Tennessee. Here's the skinny:

• 2-days of hardcore Old School inTENS Conditioning, Boxing, Pugilism, Elbows, Knees, Leg Dives, Clinch-Work & Dirty Boxing, Par Terre Drills, Ground & Pound, and, of course, old school submissions galore.
• All material will be presented in integrated chains (strikes, submissions, and takedown material).
• Also, we know we have some folks who wanna hit but don't wanna roll (I've got your back, Mr. Covello), and some folks who wanna roll but don't wanna hit-with that in mind we offer 3 Ways to Play at this year's Camp: 1. The Whole Enchilada (striking, takedowns, and ground) 2, Striking-Only 3. Grappling-Only
• This Boot Camp is suitable for all levels of experience and/or fitness.  All we ask is that you work to the top of your own ability/limits--not anyone else's-you're always the boss.
• Gear: Mouthpiece, boxing gloves, and MMA gloves are required. 
• This is a limited attendance Boot Camp-meaning, once a slot is gone, it's gone.  We like to keep the numbers low so that we can provide individual attention.
• The pre-registered price is $120 for the 2-days. ($100 for past attendees, $75 for RAW Subscribers).
• And yes, there are discounts for traveling partners and groups. You got a crew, contact us for the discount details.
• Folks who registered for Martial Arts on the Mountain can play for the RAW Subscribers price-we must reward the hardcore, am I right?
• For those with family in tow who have better things to do than to watch you sweat, we are less than a 1/2 hour drive from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, the Dollywood Amusement Park, and shopping opportunities too numerous to count..
• For accommodations, search in the Boot Location area:  Red Dragon Martial Arts Center 284 South Daisy St.  Morristown  TN  37813  (423) 587-3755 (School) www.rdkarate.com
• For those of you flying in, your destination airport will be McGhee-Tyson in Knoxville, TN.
• Oh, as for Certification-for those who choose the Whole Enchilada we will run evals for the Combination Man Curriculum Certification.
• To register, simply contact us via email and we'll plug in your discount code to get you set up. 

Combination Man Boot Camp 2013

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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.