Basic fighting skills

[Lucas88]

I've ordered a mat and gloves so we can spar. What is the standard sparring like in martial arts classes these days? Is full contact sparring common? I want to minimise the risk of injury.

No, full-contact sparring is not common. Most customers would be too p***y to do full-contact sparring and it would only increase the risk of injury and concussions anyway. It is better to do light sparring most of the time and to do hard sparring only from time to time. The focus should be on technique and learning together with a bit of tough love on rare occasions.

I know some fighters who trained at American Top Team in Florida. They told me that the training was extremely scientific and that they mostly sparred light. That's at an elite-level MMA gym.

[Cornfed]

If I have the equipment next week I might try judo-type sparring where a win consists of a clean throw, restraint on the ground on either front or back or submission. At some point I might try pankration-type sparring with gloves, but I'll have to think of some rules.

[Cornfed]

No, full-contact sparring is not common. Most customers would be too p***y to do full-contact sparring and it would only increase the risk of injury and concussions anyway. It is better to do light sparring most of the time and to do hard sparring only from time to time. The focus should be on technique and learning together with a bit of tough love on rare occasions.

We might do some sparring tonight. Ramsey Dewey recommends sparring with open hands within the gloves to avoid really hard punches. Does that actually work?

[Lucas88]

We might do some sparring tonight. Ramsey Dewey recommends sparring with open hands within the gloves to avoid really hard punches. Does that actually work?

I'm not sure. We've never done sparring with open-handed strikes at my MMA gym. We just used to punch normal but without full power. I personally don't see any reason to introduce unnatural striking mechanics into sparring.

Back when I was learning Brazilian Jiujitsu we would sometimes do exercises in which the guy on top would simulate punches with slaps but that was more to get the guy on the bottom to defend himself and learn how to perform Jiujitsu techniques under pressure in a fight with strikes. If you are teaching students how to strike, it would probably be best to have them spar using the techniques that they've been taught.

This is just my opinion on the matter. I'm sure that Ramsey Dewey has his own reasons. He's an excellent coach.

[Cornfed]

I'm not sure. We've never done sparring with open-handed strikes at my MMA gym. We just used to punch normal but without full power. I personally don't see any reason to introduce unnatural striking mechanics into sparring.

Back when I was learning Brazilian Jiujitsu we would sometimes do exercises in which the guy on top would simulate punches with slaps but that was more to get the guy on the bottom to defend himself and learn how to perform Jiujitsu techniques under pressure in a fight with strikes. If you are teaching students how to strike, it would probably be best to have them spar using the techniques that they've been taught.

This is just my opinion on the matter. I'm sure that Ramsey Dewey has his own reasons. He's an excellent coach.

I don't mean doing slaps BTW. I mean what Ramsey suggests in this short vid.

[Cornfed]

Here are some clips of a session with just a couple of students showing the kind of things we are doing. Is this the sort of thing people would expect with a basic class?

https://rumble.com/v2art9k-fighting-ski ... orial.html

[Lucas88]

Here are some clips of a session with just a couple of students showing the kind of things we are doing. Is this the sort of thing people would expect with a basic class?

https://rumble.com/v2art9k-fighting-ski ... orial.html

Nice setup, bro!

You got the crash mats next to the jigsaw mats. In my experience, people tend to really like any kind of training involving crash mats. They find it fun.

I think you have the right idea for your classes. Basic boxing combos, clinchwork, a few Judo throws and restraining techniques.

I'd personally make the striking a bit more dynamic. I'd have the students put on MMA gloves and actually try to hit each other with the preset combos. The defending guy has to parry the jabs and block the crosses with an elbow shield. This teaches the defending guy how to react to strikes. He also learns how to take a punch since some strikes will inevitably get through. We used to do this type of training at my MMA gym together with Dutch drilling.

Also, try to correct your students' defective mechanics. At about the 1:10 mark your student has a really open guard which offers no defense and negatively affects his punching mechanics. Tell him where he's going wrong and instill good habits from the beginning.

Hey, I thought you were in Mexico and those students look extremely White and European for Mexicans. Are you in another country now or are you living in a gringo expat community?

[Cornfed]

I think you have the right idea for your classes. Basic boxing combos, clinchwork, a few Judo throws and restraining techniques.

I'd personally make the striking a bit more dynamic. I'd have the students put on MMA gloves and actually try to hit each other with the preset combos. The defending guy has to parry the jabs and block the crosses with an elbow shield. This teaches the defending guy how to react to strikes. He also learns how to take a punch since some strikes will inevitably get through. We used to do this type of training at my MMA gym together with Dutch drilling.

Also, try to correct your students' defective mechanics. At about the 1:10 mark your student has a really open guard which offers no defense and negatively affects his punching mechanics. Tell him where he's going wrong and instill good habits from the beginning.

Hey, I thought you were in Mexico and those students look extremely White and European for Mexicans. Are you in another country now or are you living in a gringo expat community?

With the striking, I was trying to train a particular drill which differs from boxing. We did some boxing-type training later on, but as I have just got the gloves I am still working this out, so it was a bit embarrassing to post. My own skills turn out to need work. I'll try your suggestion. The students are of Mennonite background. I think this makes them of mostly Dutch descent, which explains their large size for their ages.

[Lucas88]

My own skills turn out to need work.

That kind of reflection is normal when you begin teaching. I experienced the same thing when I first began teaching no-gi Jiujitsu at my local MMA gym. All of a sudden, basic ability to perform techniques was no longer enough for me. I now needed to understand the mechanics of techniques in greater depth in order to be able to break them down for novice students and ensure an effective transmission of knowledge. I would spend a lot of time on YouTube studying all of the miniscule details of the techniques that I had decided to teach and thinking about how I would explain the correct mechanics to my students. As a result of this my own knowledge of technique grew significantly. Teaching martial arts is really good for self-development and will make you a better martial artist.

[Cornfed]

Here are some clips of a session with just a couple of students showing the kind of things we are doing. Is this the sort of thing people would expect with a basic class?

https://rumble.com/v2art9k-fighting-ski ... orial.html

This video got a surprising amount of views after being up only a day. I wonder whether a channel with training vids and self defense tips would be of interest to anyone.

[WilliamSmith]

@Lucas88
@Cornfed
OK, I've read through this thread, and it's official:
If either of you two guys ever decide to attack me, I'm going to act as over-confident as ever (the "Will to win" as they say), but pragmatically favor projectile weapons over actually trying to take either of you guys on hand-to-hand.

Cornfed, my vote is we both 'co-exist separately' and keep focused on our more important goal of eradicating the international ZOG, but if you ever try to call the love of my life a "she-boon" to my/our face, here is what you'll get:

https://www.bitchute.com/video/Or1bO4IhnfyJ/

[Cornfed]

I think I've got the sparring worked out for next time. We'll do judo-type sparring like in the video with the emphasis on throwing from a tall stance, but failing that winning by pinning the opponent on the front or back. For boxing we'll punch with unclenched fists and not try to win but try to land good, snappy punches. Maybe just one-minute rounds. I'm just wondering whether or to what extent I should spar with them, given that it won't be long before they can beat me, if they can't already.

[Cornfed]

Here is another fighting skills training session with me and some of the guys where we go through a few of the techniques we are learning. The video ended up being mainly self-defence techniques.

https://rumble.com/v2chutk-fighting-ski ... ial-2.html

[Cornfed]

I used to think shoulder throws were impractical, but they are really quite easy once you get the gist of them.

https://imgur.com/a/DbJSr3p

[Cornfed]

These lessons have ended. I think they were successful in that the students have gone from having no fighting ability to being better than average in a short space of time, not so much because they are expert in the particular techniques but because they know how to punch, kick, move people around etc. It seems I might have started a craze among boys for wrestling each other which has alarmed some adults which, if true, is great. All in all I am quite happy with how things turned out.

I never got around to teaching the main class how to use a baton, since I am not that expert myself, but here is part of a lesson with my original student.

https://rumble.com/v2t3ifs-basic-fighti ... hting.html