Dave Kaplan joined "The Ultimate Fighter 8" to advance his professional MMA career. Unlike some of this season's contestants that sought camera time above all else, Dave set out to improve his overall MMA game.
Cut from the same mold as his resolute teammates -- Krzysztof Soszynski, George Roop and Eliot Marshall -- he was always eager to train with high intensity and he possessed a strong willingness to be coached.
Prior to joining the show's cast, he spent many months in Holland developing his Muay Thai skills. As a result, his Thai boxing is sharp. Team Mir's coaches were impressed with his striking ability; he punched hard, fast, and entered the show having never been knocked out.
In his fight against Phillipe Nover, Phillipe landed a string of unanswered punches to his face- -- owing to a sub-par defensive display -- and as a result, his run at the "TUF8" lightweight contract was cut short.
Dave entered the fight with supreme confidence in his chin's durability. He wanted to eat some punches for the camera as well as break Phillipe's spirit. Ever since Forrest Griffin battled it out with Stephan Bonnar in the TUF 1 Finale, some fighters have entered the cage or ring willing to use their faces as shields.
What these fighters overlook is the way Griffin and Bonnar were punching each other; they were not throwing their punches with the greatest form and when they were connecting with each other's faces, it was in the later part of the fight, when both competitors were becoming fatigued. Fatigue will take the sting out of even the hardest strikers.
Dave made the mistake of not properly defending Phillipe's strikes at the very beginning of the fight, when Phillipe was still fresh and had plenty of pop in his strikes. After getting caught several times, he was stunned and could not recover.
It was too bad that he didn't get a chance to really showcase his stand-up talent. I believe he has better stand-up than Phillipe, but he made a crucial mistake and got caught.
Despite the mistakes he made in his last fight, he was still a pleasure to coach. And following his loss to Phillipe, he understood that he had to refine his MMA striking fundamentals. He is now training full time at my Las Vegas gym, Striking Unlimited, where in addition to training with other elite fighters under my instruction, he teaches stand-up classes three times a week.
Training insight
In a fight, you want to inflict the most damage while receiving the least damage. On defense, you have many options to avoid getting hurt. The most basic option is not to be where the punch is directed. You can accomplish this end by slipping, ducking, side stepping, back stepping and parrying.
There are situations, however, when you want to shield a punch directed at your face. Shielding punches is one of the most important defensive techniques to add to your arsenal. Proper shielding form is often neglected with the consequence being a punch connecting with your head or face.
Executing a proper defensive shield may be ideal in situations in which you want to deflect an opponent's punch and possibly cause him to overextend. In that case, several offensive options spring up, including firing back with your own punch combinations, taking your opponents back by ducking under his extended arm, or shooting in for a takedown by securing a body lock or committing to his hips or legs.
A well-executed shield by a trained fighter can be used aggressively to attempt to break your opponent's fist. This can be accomplished by anticipating the incoming punch and aiming the point of your elbow at your opponent's clenched fist. Your elbow will sustain far less damage than your opponent's fist.
Shielding is primarily used against straight punches and hooks aimed at your head. This week we will cover proper shielding techniques to defend against a jab, a jab-cross, and a jab-cross-front hook combination. The accompanying video will help you visualize the following instructions.
We will assume you and your partner are both standing in an orthodox stance (left leg forward). When using the shield to defend against the jab, you will be doing so with your left arm. You are facing your opponent in your fighting stance—your chin is down toward your shoulder, and your shoulder is up (this posture protects your jaw-line).
When your opponent throws the jab, place your left open palm on top of your head while your elbow and triceps muscle positions horizontal to the ground. Your elbow should be pointing directly in front of your nose. And you should be able to look at your opponent with your right eye.
As you anticipate the incoming jab, very slightly twist your body clockwise to cause it to deflect. Also, and this is very important, keep your eyes open as you anticipate the punch!
When your opponent throws a jab-cross combination ("one-two") at your face, you can use the same shielding technique described above for the jab defense (shield with your left-lead arm.
A good counter combination to use after you properly shield your opponent's one-two combination with your left arm is the "right uppercut, left hook, straight cross."
Things become a little tricky when your opponent throws a one-two-three combination at you and you intend to shield his punches. In this case, you still shield the jab and cross with your left arm as described above, but you will use your right arm to shield his left hook.
To properly shield the left hook, cup your right open palm on the side of your head, making sure to keep your elbow pointed ahead of you and raised horizontal to the ground. If your opponent tries to sneak a long left hook past your guard, you will adjust your right arm shield so that your hand cups the back of the lower part of your head (almost on the neck). This will ensure that your jaw-line is protected.
A very important detail to remember when blocking a left hook with your right shield is to brace yourself as the punch impacts your arm. You want to tighten up your core (almost like when you throw a punch) so that the punch does not throw you off balance.
Breathing out sharply as you anticipate the impact can help you tighten up, but you don't have to put as much emphasis on your outward breath when you're shielding a punch on defense as you do when you're throwing a punch on offense. A short, quick outward breath will do.
A good combination to use after you shield the one-two-three combination is the left hook, right cross ("three-two").
You set up this combination as follows: After you shield the left hook at the end of your opponent's one-two-three combination, step with your left foot to your left at a 45-degree angle and throw your left hook at his face. Then move your right foot in the direction of your left foot and once its positioning recovers, fire the right cross at your opponent. The right cross will fire at 45-degrees to your opponent. The footwork will be very fast in a full-speed scenario.
As with other fundamental techniques, proper form for shielding punches cannot be overlooked. Repetition will aid your progress.
Ken Hahn is the owner and head trainer of Striking Unlimited in Las Vegas. He is also Frank Mir's head coach and one of his assistant coaches for this season's offering of "The Ultimate Fighter." In his weekly "TUF" blog, he will present a trainer's perspective about this season's competition. His co-writer, Jacob Regar, is a law school graduate and is the independent lead writer for American Stand Up. He is also a practicing martial artist with a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Hahn's Team Mir blog runs every Thursday on MMAjunkie.com.
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Team Mir blog: Assistant coach Ken Hahn reflects on episode No. 8
Cross Training
By Guro Dan Inosanto
http://jkd.freeservers.com/V001001/voice001.htm
Cross training is a term that has been long used in the athletic community Coaches, whether amateur or professional, have long acknowledged the benefits of exposing their athletes to training methods, concepts and strategies of sports other than those they are training their teams or athletes in. From my early school days through my college sports, cross training was not only accepted, but encouraged. However, this was not the case in the very traditional and close-minded martial arts community of the 1950s and '60s. There were few martial artists who dared to look into arts other than the one they represented. Among those who did see the value of cross training was Mr. Ed Parker, my Kenpo karate instructor. My Sifu, Bruce Lee, was another.
Decades ahead of his time in his fervent pursuit of martial arts knowledge, Sifu Bruce Lee literally left "no art unexamined and researched." Sifu Bruce had the most extensive martial arts library of anyone I have ever met. Not only did his collection consist of martial arts books, but also of body building, nutritional and philosophical publications.
During my training with Sifu Bruce Lee, he was always introducing me to various books that would help my growth in the martial arts and in my personal life. One of these books was The Art of War by Sun Tzu, which contains many principles and concepts that are still valid today.
In this book, Sun Tzu states, "Some people are intelligent in knowing themselves, but stupid in knowing their opponents and with others it's the other way around; neither kind can solve the problem of learning and applying the laws of war".
If you only know yourself and the system you practice, you are only 50% prepared. Sifu Lee knew that, to understand and deal with combat, you must know what other styles and individuals practice and specialize.
During my course in training with Sifu Bruce, he was always researching and experimenting with different tactics and modes of attacks. Sometimes Sifu Bruce would have me attack him in a method from a system or style he was unfamiliar with, to see what response he would instinctively react with.
When I first started training with Sifu Bruce, he was in the midst of creating a "system" of combat that centered around a modified form of Wing Chun -- a blending of his modifications and ideas on the strategies of Western boxing, and then using the principles and tactics for Western fencing. He took kicking from different systems, including Chinese and non-Chinese systems, then customized it for himself.
He was into investigating every known system that he was exposed to during that time period. During this time, he even taught me different sets and forms from a few Chinese systems. He then moved away from this type of training.
I have read in some martial arts publications that he didn't practice the Filipino martial arts such as Eskrima and Kali, and he therefore didn't integrate these arts into his personal system of Jeet Kune Do. While this is true, he was exposed to Filipino martial arts many times by me and, although he may not have put it into his personal system of combat, he did on many occasions practice with me the single stick, double stick and olisi toyuk (nunchaka).
Many people say I taught him the olisi toyuk (nunchaka), single stick and double stick. I like to say I shared with him and demonstrated and practiced with him. We also experimented with light sparring with single stick, double stick and olisi toyuk. So, in my opinion, he practiced the Eskrima and Kali on a small scale to research it, and to put elements of the nunchakas, double stick and single stick in his movies.
You will also read in martial arts publications that Sifu Lee only used Chinese martial arts. Again, this is incorrect. Techniques he modified, equipment he used and principles and concepts he utilized were from many different disciplines and systems.
The best eight examples where Sifu Bruce drew techniques, strategies, principles, concepts, tactics, training progressions and training exercises are:
1. Western boxing
2. Western fencing
3. French savate
4. Japanese judo
5. Japanese jiu-jitsu
6. Western wrestling
7. Muay Thai elbow and knee
8. Head bun of Burmese bando
An uneducated person may not recognize these elements in Sifu Bruce's personal system because he blended it so well for his personal expression of his Jeet Kune Do. To me, he is like one of those Smoothie juice drinks in a health food store. All you can see is the Smoothie and not all the vitamins, amino acids, or protein powder that might have been mixed into it. A martial artist may not recognize the Judo and Jiu-Jitsu element in it because he enters differently using the Western Boxing and Wing Chun to flow into the throws of Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and Chin Na, and then flowing into the submission jocks and chokes.
Sifu Bruce was constantly evolving. When I trained with him in 1964, he didn't possess the alive footwork that he later used. This came about through experimentation and constant practice. I remember when he coined the terms for his foot work, such as step and slide advance, step and slide retreat, etc.
Sifu Bruce Lee practiced what he preached, living by his own creed:
1. "Jeet Kune Do utilizes all ways and is bound by none."
2. "Jeet Kune Do is finding the cause of your own ignorance.
3. "Using No Way as Way" and 'Having no limitation as limitation."
4. '"Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless and add what is specifically your own."
It is important that a student in Jeet Kune Do have a good foundation in the Jun Fan method of Gung Fu before he expands, explores and "absorbs what is useful" for his own personal system of Jeet Kune Do.
After a student has a good understanding of the Jun Fan method, I feel it is important for the student not to adhere strictly to the techniques, principles, concepts and strategies of Sifu Bruce Lee.
Each student must depart on his own journey to find what is workable for him in philosophy, technique, tactics, strategies and principles in the Jun Fan method and then explore other methods that interest him.
You have often heard people quote Sifu Bruce Lee saying, "Jeet Kune Do is not the accumulation of knowledge, but hacking away at the unessential." But do they truly understand what they preach? For the accumulation of knowledge and hacking away at the unessential is not a product, but a process. It is a continual process that lasts our entire lives. We are constantly accumulating and eliminating, then again accumulating and eliminating. I practice arts other than Jun Fan and Jeet Kune Do -- such as Silat, Kali, Muay Thai, Savate, Shoot Wrestling, Bando and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu -- so I am criticized by people because they say this is accumulating, and that Jeet Kune Do is an eliminating process. You practice the entire system because it is part of the curriculum and it interests you, but you never embrace the entire system; you embrace what works for you in that system that you are practicing.
In the words of my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor, Rigan Machado, "You don't fit into the Jiu-Jitsu; you make the Jiu-Jitsu fit you." In other words, the entire Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu might not fit you so you must take the parts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to fit you.
Remember that Bruce Lee was "a finger pointing to the moon," As he said, "Don't gaze on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory." I like to think that Sifu Bruce was a really good finger pointing to the moon.
I'd like to close with my poem:
We are all climbing different paths through the mountain of life and
We have all experienced much hardship and strife.
There are many paths through the mountain of life
And some climbs can be felt like a point of a knife
Some paths are short and others are long
Who can say what path is wrong
The beauty of truth is that each path has its own song
and if you listen closely you will find where you belong.
So climb your own path true and strong
But respect all other truths for your way for them could be wrong.
Yaang Sam Kun – The three-step walk
The famous Thai boxer’s walk is one of the most important Muay Thai techniques to master. It is the basis of all footwork in Muay Thai boxing and is of such crucial importance that without mastering it completely you will never be able to move on to an advanced level. During the Ram Muay pre-fight ritual dance the walk is stylistic and graceful. Different styles of the Yaang Sam Kun developed differently, in different areas, under different masters. But the basic movement is the same and is designed to maintain balance.
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Guard and Movement
Proper knowledge of boxing guard is essential. There is enormous potential physical harm to a body not properly guarded. Regardless of what movement or direction a boxer takes the boxing guard must be strongly maintained. If you are not properly protected you will feel insecure and lose confidence in your abilities as a boxer. The body should be angled towards opponent, the rear arm protecting the flank and abdomen. Your less dexterous foot (the left if you are right-handed) is placed forward with the toes pointing to your opponent. The rear foot should have the toes pointing a little to the side. (The feet should not be placed exactly parallel as this compromises balance.) The heels should be raised so that you can shift the weight between the balls of your feet and remain in a constant state of readiness. Legs should not be held straight. Tuck your chin in. The forearms should be raised for protection. Elbows should remain close to your body. Fists should be loosely clenched. Your less dexterous hand (left if right-handed) should be held to eyebrows, extended slightly to the front in the same direction as the front foot. Do not strain the body to maintain the pose – relax. If you relax you can be quick enough to see your opponent’s weapons coming.
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Vulnerable Targets
Every Thai boxer should be aware of the vulnerable points on the human body and must find ways to protect them.
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Muay Thai Weapons
Modern Thai boxers have an arsenal of eight weapons to choose from: fists, elbows, knees and feet. While it may be possible for a Muay Thai boxer to win a particular fight using exclusively just one of the weapons available to him, by properly mastering the use of each of his weapons he will be able to confidently face any opponent.
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An insight into muay thai kick boxing
The exact date muay Thai kick boxing was started is hard to narrow down, but it does date back all the way to medieval times. King Nareasen made it famous in 1560 AD when he was given a chance to fight for his freedom. King Nareasan was victorious, freed, and returned home where he declared the fighting style (then called Siamese style boxing) a national sport.
The art of muay thai kick boxing is known as both a hard martial art and as "the deadly art." Muay thai kick boxing is a self defence art developed in Thailand and it enjoys immense popularity in many south-Asian countries as well. There is a wide variety of forms and styles, just like other styles of martial arts.
Muay thai kick boxing is the national sport of only Thailand, though it has become popular in many other countries. The main point that separates muay thai kick boxing from western developed boxing is the fact you are allowed to use shins, knees, elbows and fists. The fighter is able to use 8 parts of his body to strike his opponent.
About 50 years ago, boxing gloves where introduced - before this it was more common to bond smashed shards of glass to a rope binding around the hands. This practice was ended when international muay thai kick boxing tournaments began. This ultimate full-contact martial art, builds stamina and mental toughness. In Thailand, every boy is mandated to learn muay thai and most girls will learn at least some basic moves.
Muay thai kick boxing is designed to be performed unarmed, as every move can be done with combinations of eight body parts. Unlike other forms of martial arts where grappling is done on the floor, the grappling done in muay thai kick boxing is done while standing. The most common techniques used while grappling are attempts to hit the opponent's stomach or head with the knees. Muay thai kick boxing appears as an extremely violent form of martial arts. Contrary to how it appears, it actually provides you with anger control and a constant strive for peace and unity.
By Eddie Maclean
www.martialarts-technique.com
A Guide To Thai Boxing
You mostly know Thailand for its picturesque nature, lovely people, wonderful culture, gorgeous beaches, fantastic temples, superb nightlife, and delectable foods, but the country is also known for Muay Thai. Thailand is home to Muay Thai. It certainly is an excellent destination to enjoy and learn Muay Thai. You know Muay Thai?
Literally, Muay Thai means Thai boxing. It is national sport of Thailand, and Thais call it “The Art or Science of the Eight Limbs,” as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are greatly used in this art. It is actually a kind of hard martial art that is practiced in several countries in the Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, it’s known as Pradal Serey, in Malaysia, it is Tomoi, in Laos, it is Muay Lao, and in Myanmar, it’s called Lethwei. It’s pretty much related to Kung Fu or Silat.
Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand. It is believed that Muay Thai has originated from Muay Boran (ancient boxing), which was a way of combating that was used by Siamese soldiers, along with Krabi Krabong, the weapon-based style. The modified form of Muay Thai called Lerdrit is still used in Thai Military. The martial art was greatly kept up by the Thai Buddhist monks, who were regarded as the keepers & teachers of all spiritual & practical arts. They taught the art to their disciples for the general good and welfare of the society.
Muay Thai was often promoted for self defense. Thai kings often invited skilled fighters to Royal palace to teach Muay to their personal guards, soldiers, and princes. The royal fighters were called royal muay (muay luang). Muay Thai was greatly patronaged by the Thai kings. It’s said that during the Ayutthaya Period, the king set up a platoon of royal muay guards that was named Grom Nak Muay (Muay Fighters' Regiment).
During peace, Thais started using Muay Thai for physical exercise, self-defense, recreation, and personal advancement. Gradually, Muay Thai became a sport in which the participants fight in front of spectators. Codified rules for Muay Thai were scripted, after a death occurred in a ring. According to the new rules, the fighters were required to wear modern gloves and cotton coverlets over the feet and ankles. It was around 1920s the term Muay Thai became widely popular.
Muay Thai has been highly celebrated in the Thai movies, such as Ong-Bak, Tom-Yum-Goong (The Protector in the US, Warrior King in the UK), and Born to Fight. It’s dynamically featured in the Jean Claude van Damme movie, Kickboxer, which is about a young fighter, who learns Muay Thai to take the revenge of his brother, paralyzed by the current fighting champ.
Thai boxing is extremely popular traditional sport in Thailand. It’s widely practiced and loved in Thailand. You can very much learn the martial art in Thailand, but you’ll have to become a disciple of an expert teacher for learning art. You can find professional Thai boxing teachers just in Thailand.
By James Burrows
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Muay Thai : About
Muay Thai (pronounced [muait?ai]; Thai ??????) literally Thai Boxing and also known as The Art of the Eight Limbs is the Thai name for a form of hard martial art practiced in several Southeast Asian countries including Thailand. It is known as Pradal Serey in Cambodia, Tomoi in Malaysia, Muay Lao in Laos and as a similar style called Lethwei in Burma. The different styles of kickboxing in Southeast Asia are analogous to the different types of Kung Fu in China or Silat in the Malay peninsula. The Thai military uses a modified form of Muay Thai called Lerdrit.[1]
Muay Thai has a long history in Thailand and is the country's national sport. Traditional Muay Thai practiced today varies slightly from the ancient art Muay Boran and uses kicks and punches in a ring with gloves similar to those used in Western boxing. Muay Thai is referred to as "The Science of Eight Limbs", as the hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all used extensively in this art. A master practitioner of Muay Thai thus has the ability to execute strikes using eight "points of contact," as opposed to "two points" (fists) in Western boxing and "four points" (fists, feet) used in the primarily sport-oriented forms of martial arts.
Various forms of kickboxing have long been practiced throughout Southeast Asia. Muay Thai's origin in Thailand can be traced back to its ancestor Muay Boran ("ancient boxing"). This was the form of unarmed combat used by Siamese soldiers in conjunction with Krabi Krabong, the weapon-based style [1]. The precedence Muay Thai and Muay Boran give to the kicks is only indigenous to Thailand and the surrounding area, since Indian boxing as well as most southern Chinese styles use only low kicks sparingly. Another influence from Thailand's weapon style can be seen in the pre-fight Wai Kru ritual which is based on the sabre dance of Krabi Krabong. Neighbouring countries such as Cambodia or Myanmar also show signs of influence one way or the other. Eventually Muay Boran was divided to
There is a phrase about Muay Boran that states, "Punch Korat, Wit Lopburi, Posture Chaiya, Faster Thasao.
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