MMA and me; day 63

So I am a big liar, and only went to two classes yesterday, but I made the most out of it, and worked my butt off. After jumping rope, we grabbed the kick paddles, and worked on high kicks. First the high 10, and then the high 9. Though I am right handed and right side dominant in nearly all aspects of my life, my 10 (right leg kick, as that is my rear leg in my fighting stance) is not terribly accurate, strong, or even all that high. It was a little encouraging towards the end of the round, as the kick started to get more consistent, but still needs work. My 9, on the other hand, felt much crisper, and strong. Odd how that worked out. For both kicks, you throw them the same as you do a low kick, but as you open your hips, you bring your knee much higher before driving the leg down, and you're trying to hit with the top of your foot, instead of the shin. After the kick paddle drills, we lined up on two heavy bags, and had the first person in each line run up to the bag, and throw ten high 10s for 5 minutes. After that round, we did the same with high 9s. We went into plank position for a round, and finished with a round of flutter kicks.

Jiu jitsu was more of the chokes we went through on Monday. The guillotine, the D'Arce, and a variation of the guillotine where their head gets all the way off to the side, and you can wrap your arm all the way around their neck. Instead of clasping hands and pulling up, make a fist of the hand that is snaked around their neck, and push it into the neck with your other hand, as you twist your body to crank their neck. By making a fist and pushing it, you can put pressure on both sides of the neck, and both carotid arteries, making it much more likely that they will tap out. A very nasty variation of an already potent choke.

MMA and me; day 62

Man, going for three classes in a day is dang exhausting. Since I can't go today, I went for an extra class yesterday, and am going for one tomorrow as well. Yesterday was an MMA class, and we worked exclusively on take downs. First was the single leg take down, where you lower your level and push forward with your rear leg as you drop to the knee of your front leg, reaching out to grab their leg on that same side. Wrapping your outside arm around the leg, and getting a tight grip with your other arm, you pin the leg you have wrapped up between your thighs, and stand up. Keeping your head pinned to their hip, you rotate towards their back, and push down with your head, until they fall to their back. Next was a double leg take down, which is initiated in a similar fashion, changing levels and exploding off your rear leg. However, instead of shooting for the outside, and turning the corner for one leg, you want to aim your forehead at their chest, and get your hands around the back of their thighs. From there, using your head for leverage, suck their legs in, and drive them to the mat. We ended with ten minutes of grappling, starting from standing, to work on take downs.

Next was kickboxing, and it was pretty similar to last weeks classes. First we just worked a simple jab, or 1-2 combos, depending on what our partner called out. We then moved on to more advanced, and unorthodox combos. First, a 1-2-high 9-low 10. After the 2, throw a switch 9, where you switch your stance and throw a high kick with what was your lead leg and is now your rear leg, then follow that with a low 10 to the thigh. I still need to work on opening my hips and really driving the leg down on the 10, but my 9 is coming along alright. Next was the 1-2-inside 9, low 10. Very similar to the previous combo, but instead of going high with the 9, kick to the inside thigh, and then as you bring the leg back from the 9, hop and throw the 10, almost simultaneously. It took me the whole round to get comfortable with this one, and I definitely need more work on it. Lastly, was the 1-2-inside slip-5-low 10. We did this one last week as well, but I think instead of an uppercut, it was a hook to the body, but this week we went uppercut. after the 1-2, you slip, but instead of to the outside, you go inside, setting up the uppercut, which in turn sets up the low 10. Another nice kickboxing class, but it was hard to concentrate, because I finally got to grapple next!

We worked on submissions from the snap down position, which is initiated from the head and arm tie up. From the tie up, swim your hand behind their neck, and with both hands, pull down, as you step back with your rear knee, and as they fall, get your chest on their back, and get a seat belt grip (under an arm on one side, around the head on the other). From there, the first submission was a guillotine choke, where you slide your arm that is on the head side, so your hand is on the front of the shoulder, and grab it with your other hand. Pulling up as you constrict your shoulders, and dropping your hips to the mat will force your arm or wrist under the chin, and force them to tap out as they get choked. Next was a D'Arce choke, which is a submission to go to, if you can't get the guillotine. From the seat belt grip, reach the arm on the side of the head all the way under their chest, and grab their tricep. Next, release the tricep, and grab the bicep of your other arm, and swim the hand of that arm over the back of your opponent. With the hold locked up, walk your hips up towards your opponent, compressing the neck, and then roll to the side opposite your hands, walking your hips towards your opponent, until they tap out. Lastly, we worked a Peruvian Necktie, which may get a little complicated, but I will do my best to explain. From the D'Arce position, instead of reaching under with the head side arm, reach under with the outside arm, until your hand is on the far side of the neck. From there, place your other arm across the back of their neck, and grab across the back of your other hand, that is under their neck. When your have a firm grip, throw your outside leg over their back, and step your other leg through to bring over their back as well. At this point, all you have to do is arch your back a bit, and they will tap out.

Really a fun day of classes. So glad to be back and grappling, it was a little rusty, but so much fun. No class tonight, but back for three classes tomorrow!

MMA and me; day 61

Last class of the week, and man, boxing was fun! We started out, after jump rope and shadow boxing, with some more unorthodox combos. First was a 1-body 4-body 3. This felt a little odd at first, but the hooks to the body, which were thrown more like uppercuts than hooks, started to feel really comfortable towards the end. Next was a lead 2-body 3. This felt different because we were leading with the straight, instead of the jab, but was good, as I could tell it felt really awkward to defend against. Lastly was a particularly strange combo, a 1-2-hop step to the side-body 3. So you throw the 1-2, then hop your rear leg to the outside of your opponents rear leg, and bring your lead leg behind you, effectively switching your stance. From there you throw a body hook, which is actually a 4, since your stance has been switched. Definitely something different, but very cool. We then did two rounds of jab sparring, which I need to do more of, because I'm just not used to getting hit. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but if I want to try my hand at fighting at some point, I am going to have to get used to it. Afterwards, I hopped on the treadmill, and got my two miles in, but as of this coming Monday, I'm back in jiu jitsu! I can't wait.

To everyone out there, Merry Christmas!

MMA and me; day 60

One more class before the holidays, and then I can go back to grappling next week. Can't wait, but until then, I will enjoy striking. Yesterday we worked on kick-punch combos, and a couple were of the unorthodox variety. First we were at the mercy of our partner, throwing either a 1-10, or a 1-2-9, depending on what they called out. Next was a 1-2-high 9-low 10, which took a little getting used to. First, our coach wanted us to bring the lead leg back and then step forward to throw the low 10, then had us do it all in one motion after the high 9. Kinda funky, but started to feel more comfortable toward the end of the round. Next was a 1-2-low 9-low 10, which was more rhythmic once the punches had been thrown. The key for me, was making sure I stepped my lead leg out after the low 9, or my legs would be too close together when I threw the low 10, and I would be off balance. Last, we threw a very odd 1-2-inside slip-5-low 10. Normally when you slip a jab, it's to the outside, but this time we slipped the jab to the inside, setting up the uppercut, and then stepping over for the low 10. I need to get better at reacting to the punch when I slip, instead of just doing it automatically, but I was getting the hang of it, and I'm also getting some nice power on my 5. We finished up with plank position, and called it a night.

MMA and me; day 59

Boxing was yesterday, and it was, like on Monday, a day for fundamentals. We worked exclusively on the jab, jab-straight, and the jab-straight-hook, also known as the 1, 1-2, and 1-2-3. When I was working on my jab, I found that I am lunging forward too much, and not keeping my weight back, which is taking a lot away from the punch. I need to remember to push hard with my back leg, and step in with the punch, but then step out. Also, if pressured by my opponent, to step off and around. When throwing the 1-2, I'm not twisting enough on my back leg or through my shoulders as much as I should, which is where most of the power is generated. I should be pivoting on the ball of my back foot, and snapping the straight with a little sting to it. On my 1-2-3, I need to put more emphasis on the hook, and less on the straight. If I hit too hard with the 2, there will be no target for the 3, so I need to sting with the jab, increase a little with the straight, and then really pop the hook. That's the nice thing about working on the basics, you can really start to fine tune your skills, and they can never be to sharp. We worked two man ab drills for the final three minutes, and that was that! After putting in my two miles on the treadmill, I called it a night. Great day of classes.

MMA and me; day 58

One more week and I can go back to grappling... probably. Until then, it's kickboxing, boxing, and the treadmill. Yesterday was kickboxing, and it was back to basics. Worked the 10, making sure to step out across the body and pivot on the front foot as you open the hips to really turn the leg over and dig it in to the kick shield. Next was the 9, and two different ways to throw it; first being just stepping across with the rear leg and digging the kick into the leg, or quickly skipping and throwing a switch kick. The switch is a little quicker, and has a little more sting to it, but I like to practice both, if only to keep my opponent guessing. Lastly, we worked a jab-kick combo. Throw a 1, and then throw a mid level 10. The nice thing is when you throw the jab, you are already stepped in with your front leg, so instead of stepping across at a 45 degree angle, you can just step straight out as you throw the kick.

We finished with flutter kicks, leg lifts, and plank position, then I hopped on the treadmill for 25 minutes and kicked my own ass with a pre-set calorie burning program. (Damn that incline got steep) Anxiously awaiting the return to grappling and jiu jitsu.

MMA and me; day 57

Another boxing day yesterday (no not the Canadian holiday), and another day of working on what we did on Tuesday. First we just worked the jab, in one, two, and three punch combos. Next, we went back to throwing the jab across the body as we stepped over instead of straight forward, and following up with a short straight. Next, we added a slight tilt over to the side we threw the jab from, and fired off the hybrid hook/uppercut to the ribcage. Finally, our last punch addition to the combo was another straight, making the final combination 1-2-3-2, but all from different angles then we normally throw from. Good class, finished up with leg lifts, and then over under leg scissors. After class I hopped on the treadmill for a couple miles, and called it a night. Can't wait to get back in the gym Monday!

MMA and me; day 56

Our usual kickboxing coach is enjoying the Arizona sun and hitting up the final WEC event ever tonight, so we had a different coach for yesterday's kickboxing class. We warmed up by stretching as a class, as opposed to stretching on our own and then jumping rope for ten minutes. After stretching, we shadowboxed for the next 10-15 minutes, working on footwork and not staying in one place when we throw our kicks and punches. We worked head movement along with the footwork, and by the time we were halfway through the class, I had a good sweat, and burning quads. We paired up and grabbed the kick shields, and worked on some Muy Thai knee drills. First, we grabbed a Muy Thai clinch, and alternated knees, while dragging our partner around the mat for a two minute round. After switching, and giving my partner a chance to do the same, we went with a fairly rough drill. Getting the clinch back, we picked up our right foot off the mat, and threw knees to the kick shield much like the previous drill, except this time we were not allowed to touch the mat with that foot. By the end of the two minutes, I was pretty dead tired. Again, my partner got the chance to do the same, and before the end of class, everyone sat in a circle and locked legs, and rocked out sit ups for the next five minutes (or something like that, I actually never looked at the clock.) We did somewhere in the neighborhood of 95-100 sit ups straight, and called it good. A much different class, but that's one thing I like with all of our various coaches. We get something different from everyone. I hopped on the treadmill, rocked out a couple miles and headed home to pass out.

MMA and me; day 55

Man, being back in the gym feels freaking awesome. A solid day of boxing, and we worked on some new stuff! First we worked on jabbing while either walking down an opponent, or being walked down, and we did two rounds of that. Next, we worked on a 1-2-3, but it was a whole new 1-2-3. Instead of sliding forward and jabbing, we stepped out with the lead foot at a 45 degree angle, and threw the jab across the chin, instead of directly at it. From there, we threw the straight punch, albeit a bit shorter, then tilted over to the side of the lead hand, and threw an off axis hook to the body. It almost felt like a hybrid hook/uppercut, and though it was short, if dug into the ribs properly, it felt like it could do some damage. To that combo, we added a second hook, only this time, after throwing the first body shot, we switched the tilt of the body to the other side, and brought the hook over and down. I learned a similar combo a while back, but this one had a new entry, and I liked it a lot! We finished up with a round of leg flutters, a round of over unders, and our favorite, a round of plank position. Since I can't grapple for a few more weeks, I'm running a couple miles after striking class, and adding the same amount to my weight training, to compensate for the missed class. Can't wait to get back to jiu jitsu though, that's my favorite!

MMA and me; day 54

Whoo hoo! I'm back! Mostly. So I missed all last week due to illness. It started out feeling cruddy as hell, and I figured I caught a little bug from a co worker, or somebody at the gym. Turns out I was partially correct. I had picked up a staph infection during jiu-jitsu. In any event, one doctors trip, I got some crap prescribed that should knock it out in a couple weeks, and I can go back to grappling in January. That sucks, but considering how gnarly staph can get, I'm okay with no jiu jitsu for a couple weeks.

Okay, so all I could do was kickboxing yesterday, and it was fairly simple as far as technique goes. We worked on punch-kick combinations. First a 1-10, which is a jab followed by a high rear leg kick. I struggled with this one a bit, I think mostly due to taking a week off, and feeling a bit rusty, but was starting to get that flexibility back by the end. Next, we worked a 1-2-9, which just adds a straight right after the jab, and then throw a high kick with the front leg. I prefer throwing a switch 9, instead of stepping over with my rear leg. The switch lets me get the kick off quicker, and snap it off a little harder. The third round was the partner holding the focus mitts calling out either a 1-10, 1-1-10, or 1-2-9, and just hitting the combo as it was called out. We finished out with partner ab drills, which was a weird combo of leg lifts and twists, and totally worked me over. Then came the beloved plank position, and class was done.

UFC 124

Worst, preview, ever!

Was sick, and feeling sorry for myself, so I didn't get around to doing my UFC preview. Wah, wah, wah, poor me. So in a nutshell, here is the worst preview for a UFC.......EVER!

Thiago "Pitbull" Alves vs John "Doomsday" Howard
welterweight

Alves wins by being better all around, and a harder hitter.

Alves via TKO, Rd. 1

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs Mac Danzig
lightweight

Stevenson is a better wrestler, and will grind Danzig out for three rounds for the victory.

Stevenson via Unanimous Decision

Jim Miller vs Charles "Do Bronx" Oliveira
lightweight

Miller has the cardio, and experience, Oliveira has the flash, and dynamic striking, so Miller takes a close, hard fought fight.

Miller via Split Decision.

Stefan "Skyscraper" Struve vs. Sean "Big Sexy" McCorkle
heavyweight

There's one Big Sexy, and it's not McCorkle. Struve is a better striker, and it will show.

Struve via TKO, Rd. 2

Georges "Rush" St. Pierre vs Josh Koscheck
welterweight

GSP is the best the UFC has seen in a long time, and though Koscheck has gotten better since they last fought, he's still not good enough to handle the champs "riddum"

GSP via TKO, Rd. 4

MMA and me; day 53

So I spaced out, and didn't recap Thursday night's classes yesterday. My bad, I'll fix it. So in boxing, we worked more uppercuts, which I gotta say, I really enjoy. First we just worked 5s and 6s as our partner holding the focus mitts called out which one we threw. Then we moved on to 1-2-slip-6, which took some work to get the timing and balance, but I started to pick it up. Next we worked on a 1-2-3-roll-5, and I gotta say, I really like that combo. After the boxing, we did the usual plank position to finish off, and we moved on to jiu jitsu.


In jiu jitsu we worked on the following submission drills, triangle chokes, swinging armbars, kimuras, and omoplatas. The first two I've worked on before, so I didn't suck too bad at them, but the next two I was pretty bad at. In the kimura drills, while in someones guard, you grip their wrist if they post their hand on the mat, and dive your other hand over their shoulder and lock it on your wrist. As you shrimp your hips under them, and throw the same side leg as you are grabbing their wrist with, and throw it over their back as you torque their arm behind their back for the submission. The omoplata drill involved countering a triangle defense by swiveling your hips and throwing a leg over their shoulder to twist their shoulder in a similar fashion to the kimura. All in all, a very constructive day of class.

MMA and me; day 52

So I have figured out what is worse than doing leg kick drills. Doing them a second time in the same week. We did every thing we did on Monday, throwing 9s and 10s and checking them, countering a checked 10 with a high 9 (which I'm getting better at. Soon I may actually get a head kick) swinging the leg out as you eat a 9 to throw a hard 10 and vice versa (my least favorite) and then much to my dismay, we had kick sparring. At least I got to go with a variety of opponents, and not just the guy I'd been going with all week who apparently doesn't kick hard, as much as have shins of granite. Either way, my legs are black and blue, and a myriad of other colors not normally found on the exterior of the human body. It's given me pause about doing MMA sparring tomorrow, maybe just boxing. I've got a few days off, and how long can a black eye last if I get tagged a few times? Let's hope I don't find out.

Jiu jitsu was pretty simple; just grapple. I rolled with this guy Andrew that I've gotten to know a little better over the past few weeks, and though he's much smaller than me this guy really made me work. I caught him in a couple submissions (which surprised me) and got caught in a couple myself. After that, and a little discussion about the things I need to work on (still trying to muscle moves instead of flowing and using technique) I moved on to Tony, who is probably just a hair below being a professional in terms of ability. Also, he's bigger and stronger than I am, so muscling is out of the question. I got to an advantageous position on him on a couple of occasions, but didn't get any submissions. He, on the other hand, subbed me several times, which I take no shame in. All in all, a good class, and really made me work.

MMA and me; day 51

Well I'm running a bit late today, so this will have to be a bit short. In boxing yesterday, we worked the basics (which is code for the coach wanted to wear us out, and forgot to prepare a specific lesson plan :) ) After jumping rope and shadow boxing, we worked the jab in one, two and three shots. We then moved to a 1-3, or jab-hook combo, that is a little funky, but thanks to the work we did last week with the 1-5 (jab-uppercut) I was more comfortable throwing this combo than I thought I'd be. We ended hitting focus mitts by adding a 2 to the end of the combo, making it a 1-3-2, which once you get down to the flow of everything, feels very fluid, and each punch sets up the next. I also liked how an emphasis was placed on keeping your punches centered. Not just on your opponent, but from where they're thrown as well. We then rocked out a round of punch ups, further burning out the shoulders, then went to plank position for three minutes, and finished with a round of leg flutters.

In jiu jitsu, we did a lot of conditioning work, and a lot of shadow grappling. We did our shrimping drills, but scooting, forward and backward rolls. Side rolls and re-rolls, modified gramby rolls, sit out drills, then did a round of head stands, and a round of hand stands against the wall. Next, we did more of the modified gramby roll drills, this time with a partner, and rolling into a triangle choke, moving to an armbar, moving to guard. We finished up by drilling triangle chokes, but focusing on cutting the angle to the side, and putting the pressure on with the top side leg, and not squeezing too much with the leg that is laced over the ankle. First we cut the angle by underhooking the near arm, then underhooking the near leg, and then finally (though I don't see ever using this one practically) reaching around their side, and clasping both hands in a monkey grip. The last one was super tight, and though I'm not the best at triangles, if I ever land one this deep, I'm pretty sure I could get the tap out.

MMA and me; day 50

Well, here I am with an extremely sore leg, and now I know why it is preferable to check leg kicks with the shin, instead of eating them in the thigh. So we worked leg kicks again, this time throwing a 10 then a 9, and having them both checked. Not too bad, they guy I was partnered with clearly has been doing this for a while, so his kicks land a little more cleanly, but it builds character, right? Anyways, the next drill, was checking your partners 10, then countering with a switch, high 9. I've had trouble with this in the past, mostly because I am not a flexible individual. Much to my surprise, I was getting my kick up to the ribcage/shoulder area! I'm very slowly working out the inflexibility I've had my whole life. So we did a couple rounds of that, and then we moved onto what I think may have been my least favorite drill to date. One person threw an inside 9, and instead of checking it, the kickee would swing the leg out as it was kicked, and then immediately counter with a low 10. Let me tell you, even with shin pads, taking a low 10 from someone who knows how to properly throw one.... is a less than desirable outcome. As the tears welled up (no joke!) We finished the drill, and moved onto the last couple of rounds. We lined up on the three heavy bags in the gym, and for five minutes, the first person in each line would run up to the heavy bag, throw ten 10s, then run to the back of the line, and the next person would go. After that we did the same with 9s, we finished up with our standard plank position, and then it was on to jiu jitsu.

After warming up with our standard shrimping drills, we went into three minutes of bear crawls. Let me tell you, if walking around on all fours sounds easy, try doing it that long without stopping, it is not so damned easy! With a good sweat going, we went right into a little leg lock flow. First you break down your opponents guard, by posting your hands on their hips, leaning back, digging your knee into their tailbone, and elbows into their inner thigh. As their legs separate, reach back, and swim your hand under their calf, and drop to your hip, throwing your same side leg as you have your hand under their calf, over their leg. From there, scoot your butt towards theirs, and work your grip down the calf, towards the heel, until you can feel the top of their foot in your armpit. Use your opposite arm to post up on, look over that shoulder, and arch your back, keeping your other hand flat on your stomach, and hopefully driving your wrist bone into their Achilles tendon.. This should cause them to tap, and is called an Achilles lock. It is painful, but not dangerous. The next submission in the flow, is in the event that you can't get the Achilles lock. Say you're trying, and trying, but just can't get it; drop to your back, and push their shin away with the hand opposite the one wrapped around their leg, with that hand, grab across the top of their toes, and site up, as you scoot your but out, bringing your leg that is over the top of their legs, in closer. From here, swim the hand not grabbing the toes under that arm, and grab your own wrist, then proceed to attempt to, and I quote my coach, "Try and put his foot, in his butt". It is the motion you want to really torque that foot and ankle, getting the tap out, and now you've learned an ankle lock! Good first day back after the holidays, now I'm going to wait and see how many pretty colors my legs turn.

MMA and me; day 49

Well, with the weather being less than clement yesterday, and with Thanksgiving upon us, the gym was decidedly empty, with only a few people showing up for striking class, and even fewer sticking around for jiu jitsu. In any event, I was there, and thoroughly enjoyed myself..... even if my leg bruises say otherwise. In kickboxing, it was all about checking leg kicks and bump drills. Bump drills are exactly what they sound like; I kick you, you eat the kick in the leg, then vice versa. Wash, rinse repeat. To say my legs feel and look sore, is a gross understatement. I took kind of a sick pleasure in the bruises I got due to those kicks. A badge of honor, so to speak. Anyways, class was awesome, jiu jitsu was all free grappling, which I did okay in. I'm still a bit sloppy, but I'm getting better. I hope the few who read this have a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm off to eat turkey!

MMA and me; day 48

Another day of chilly weather, another day of kicking my own behind in class. Boxing was back to basics, and we worked on some simple, fundamental combos. First, the 1-2, making sure to bring the elbow up first, snapping the fist out and back, and really sitting down on the 2, instead of reaching. We followed that up by adding the 3, and making sure that all three punches have a very tight rhythm. I still kind of trail my head after the 3, and need to make sure I keep my head up, or I'm going to get clocked. Finally, we worked on a 2-3-2, which is one we haven't worked on that much. Throwing a lead straight, felt a little awkward, and it took me a bit to get the timing down. Also, I felt my balance get way out of whack, but as I got better at flicking out the elbow before I threw the first 2 really helped with the quickness and not telegraphing the punch. We finished up with 100 sit ups, and more of the wonderful plank position. The nice thing was it kept us quite toasty.

Jiu jitsu was arm bars, arm bars, arm bars. First we worked an arm bar flow that went from a snap arm bar from side control, to a mounted top side arm bar, to an arm bar from having the back, to a rolling arm bar from back mount, back to a snap arm bar from side control. Next we worked a couple of arm bar drills. First, from the mount, the partner on bottom would clasp their hands together, and the partner on top would hit snap arm bars on each side, going back and forth , trying not to post on the mat if at all possible. The second drill, was hitting the arm bar from having the back of your opponent, which entailed getting a seat belt grip, then with the underhooked arm, grabbing the shoulder, with the overhooked arm pushing their head away from the side you have underhooked, and swinging your leg around and over the head to sink it in and secure the arm bar. We went right into free grappling from this drill, and I got caught in a couple of arm bars, and doled out a few of my own as well. This was one of my favorite jiu jitsu classes yet!

MMA and me; day 47

Due to the ridiculous weather we've been having, I only went to one class last night. More because of the amount of people that was there, than a desire to only do one class. In any event, I worked my butt off, and feel that the decision was just. I got there a little late, and missed doing my jump rope and shadow boxing, but managed to be right on time for the hellish kettle bell workout. Not wanting to be a pansy, I grabbed a 25 pound weight, and went balls out. First we did 25 one armed swing presses with each side, 25 push ups, 50 two armed swing presses, 50 squat thrusts, 25 clean and presses with each arm, than finished with 50 mountain climbers. To say this kicked my ass would be an understatement. We jumped right into putting boxing gloves on and doing burnouts on the heavy bag for three minutes, then three minutes of rolling uppercuts on focus mitts. Continuing the gnarly exercises, we did three minutes of skippies, and finished off with the plank position. It was only one class, but it so thoroughly kicked the poop out of me that I didn't feel bad going home before jiu jitsu. Also, nobody was going to stick around for it, so I would have had nobody to roll with. Maybe tonight will be different.

MMA and me; day 46

Worked up a pretty nice sweat during boxing yesterday. After jumping rope, and shadow boxing, we jumped right into a 1-5 combination. Throwing punches from the same side can be a little difficult. You pump the jab, turn the rear knee in and drop it a bit, then explode your hips open and up as you bring the lead hand back through for the uppercut. We then added a straight to the combo, making it a 1-5-2. You can feel the punches start to flow together, and stringing together combos starts to feel much more natural after a bit. From there we added a slip and a rear uppercut, to make it 1-5-2-slip-6. Then capped it off with a lead hook to the head, making the final combo 1-5-2-slip-6-3. It sounds long and complicated, but once you find your rhythm and feel how to finish the punches in preparation of the next punch, it starts to flow much more smoothly, and feels pretty damn awesome. We finished up with our core exercises, and it was on to jiu jitsu.

Jiu jitsu was all about body positioning, and first we drilled on top of kick shields, using them to simulate an opponent on the ground. We started in mount, and went to S pass to side control, high judo, head mount, high judo opposite side, side control, low judo, and back to mount. We did that for one round as coach called out the positions, and transitions, then one round on our own. For the third round, we added posting up a knee on the stomach and sped the transitions up a bit. From there we did a couple rounds of the swinging armbar drill, which though I'm getting better at, still kinda suck at. I have a hard time keeping my hips in close, and keeping that momentum going from side to side. Then we switched to the triangle drill, popping the arms out, snaking a leg over the opponents shoulders, , and sinking it in. I did a little better on this one, and it's a great ab workout on top of it. After two rounds of swinging armbar drills, three rounds of triangle drills, and a sore abdomen, we finished up class. I had a blast, and am quite sore, but jiu jitsu is just too much fun!

MMA and me; day 45

The days where we work on punch and kick combos in kickboxing don't happen often, but when they do, they are greatly appreciated, because they are pretty damn fun. We worked on throwing a lead 2, followed up by a body 3, then added a head 3 in the next set. The reasoning behind this is to set up a low 10, by working the body on one side, force them to cover it up by attacking it repeatedly, and then go for the exposed leg with a 2-body 3-low 10 combo. By really working the body with the 3, it makes them lean to that side, exposing the opposite leg, allowing you to really dig in that 10. I liked these combos, a whole lot!

Jiu jitsu was more of what we worked on Monday, the D'Arce choke, and a variation on the Vice. The difference in the Vice that we worked, was instead of trying to finish them from the arm over the back of the neck position, we allowed them to roll through, putting themselves in an inverted triangle. Pretty neat, even though since I don't have the longest arms in the world, I have a bit of trouble getting these chokes. It just means I have to work a little extra to get them.

UFC 123

Well, I gotta put in a better showing than last week, but once again being an adult and having very little free time rears it's ugly head, so I'm going to do my best. We've got a good card here, full of up and comers, rising stars, and the cream of the crop. How will it all play out? Let's see what this poor schmuck thinks!

Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis vs. Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch
light heavyweight

If we were just going off of nicknames, it would be a fantastic match. Luckily, we have a seasoned veteran in Boetsch, and surging MMA neophyte in Davis, to make it more than that. After a stellar wrestling career at Penn State, Davis has transitioned into MMA perfectly so far. Running his record to 7-0 and winning his first three fights in the UFC, he looks to face his biggest test so far in the super durable Boetsch, who won his first match back in the UFC after a pedestrian 2-2 record in his first tour of duty with the organization. Both fighters have a strong wrestling background, but Davis has a greater skillset on the ground, while Boetsch seems to have the heavier strikes. Who can impose their will more readily, and who's wrestling will win out? It's going to be a tough fight, but should be a goodie.

It all comes down to who can get the fight where they want to. Davis is taller, has better reach, and if he stays out of the clinch, should be able to execute whatever gameplan he wants. Boetsch needs to get in close, and use elbows and knees to try and negate the reach advantage Davis has. Boetsch also likes to use the teep, or push kick, to keep opponents from pressuring too much, so look for that if he can't execute the clinch to his liking. If this fight gets to the ground, which I suspect it will, Davis has the smoother, more fluid grappling game, and has a blue belt in bjj, so he should be able to dictate how the fight progresses in the grappling realm a bit more than Boetsch.

While Boetsch is tough, this fight is Davis' to win, and should be able to keep his distance on the feet with his reach, and even if he gets taken down, should be able to out grapple "The Barbarian", and either snatch a submission late, or earn a nod from the judges after a tough three rounds. I suspect the latter, and Davis will continue his ascent towards the top of the light heavyweight division.

Davis via Unanimous Decision


Gerald "Hurricane" Harris vs. Maiquel Jose "Big Rig" Falcao Goncalves
middleweight

In what should be a live action rock 'em sock 'em robots match, Harris and Goncalves will lock horns and try to beat the holy bejebus out of each other. Harris is a former college wrestler with solid stand up, and big power. Goncalves is a new comer to the UFC, but boasts a stunning 25-3 record. Goncalves seems to be more of a stand up fighter than most Brazilians, cut from a similar cloth as Wanderlei Silva, or Anderson Silva, and of his 25 wins 21 have come in the form of KO or TKO. Their size seems comparable in this fight, but we'll see what kind of game plan Harris brings, if the stand up doesn't go to his liking.

Harris is well rounded, and is just as happy to bring the leather on the feet, as he is to use his wrestling to get the fight to the ground and grind opponents out. Goncalves seems happier to bully on the feet, throwing a barrage of punches, kicks, and knees, until his opponent wilts under the pressure. I admittedly do not know much about the newcomer, and had a hard time finding much information about him, but from what little I gleaned from the interwebs, he is one tough hombre, who is going to bring the fight to Harris in a big way.

Expect some feeling out early by Harris, while Goncalves will undoubtedly try to kick things off by bringing aggression early. Harris will fall back on his wrestling if he gets uncomfortable, and if Goncalves has anything less than stellar conditioning, he could be in trouble if he doesn't finish early. Harris will withstand an early onslaught, and early in the third, get the stoppage win, in what should be a fairly exciting fight.

Harris via TKO, Rd. 3


George Sotiropoulos vs Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon
lightweight

With Sotiropoulos being hailed as the next challenger to the throne, and Lauzon rapidly ascending to the heights hinted at after bursting onto the scene in dramatic fashion by knocking out Jens Pulver in his UFC debut, this fight has two of the most promising fighters in the UFCs light weight division locking horns for a chance to fight for the 155 pound strap. Sotiropoulos brings an amazingly well rounded skill set, to try and overwhelm the highly unpredictable style Lauzon likes to utilize.


Sotiropoulos is a much more technically proficient striker, and is a black belt in bjj. He has emerged as one of the top contenders for the lightweight championship, since he dropped down to 155 after fighting at 170 during his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, and his first two UFC bouts. His striking could prove problematic for Lauzon, as the Bostonian has had problems with fighters possessing longer reach and solid boxing skills. Sotiropoulos will need to keep his distance standing, and utilize his strong clinch game to initiate takedowns. The Aussie also needs to be wary of dropping his hands, which nearly cost him towards the end of his decision win over Kurt Pellegrino.

Despite his youth, Lauzon actually has more professional fights than Sotiropoulos, and has been fighting in the UFC since he was 22 years old. Despite the perception that he was brought in to lose to Jens Pulver in Pulver's first fight back in the UFC in quite some time, Lauzon promptly knocked Pulver out inside of one minute. Since then, Lauzon has compiled a 5-2 record in the UFC, and added 6 "*blank* of the Night" awards to his ledger. A skilled grappler holding the rank of purple belt in bjj, Lauzon is an aggressive fighter, always looking to finish his opponent, though sometimes to his detriment. Against Sotiropoulos, he will need to temper his aggression with patience, and also have to have improved his conditioning. In his decision loss to Sam Stout, Lauzon nearly had a couple submissions early, but expended so much energy, that it left him exhausted, and Stout picked him apart from there on. For Lauzon to have a chance, he will need to be particular about picking his spots, because Sotiropoulos isn't the kind of fighter who fails to capitalize on mistakes.

My personal pick for Fight of the Night, this should be a heck of a throwdown. Sotiroploulos will engage on the feet, and prevent any take downs, but Lauzon will make it a tough fight, and isn't likely to make the same mistakes he did against Stout. This very well could turn into a ground fight, with both men being very skilled grapplers, but I give Sotiroploulos the edge in the ground game as well as on the feet. Lauzon may be able to snatch a submission off his back, or catch the Aussie with a counter punch, but I expect Sotiropoulos to be just too much for the New England native, and despite a furious rally late, Sotiropoulos will pull out the unanimous decision.

Sotiropoulos via Unanimous Decision

Matt Hughes vs BJ "The Prodigy" Penn
welterweight

A year ago, these fighters were at opposing ends of the fighter spectrum, compared to today. BJ was on top of the world as the most dominant lightweight in the world, and Hughes was looking to fight big names, but had become a name nobody mentioned in respect to a title shot. In the last year, Hughes has convincingly stopped two highly respected bjj black belts, including an impressive choking unconscious of Ricardo Almeida. Conversely, Penn has lost two fights in a row to the now king of lightweights, Frankie Edgar. Seemingly at a crossroads, Penn has opted to make the shift back up to welterweight and finish the trilogy of fights with Hughes that started nearly seven years ago.

In 2004, Hughes was king of 170 pounds. With brutal strength, and imposing ground and pound, nobody had really come close to defeating him. Enter Penn, a lightweight moving up in weight, that few outside of the hardcore fan even gave a chance. Penn completely outclassed Hughes on the feet, and after a scramble on the ground, Penn took his back, and choked him out with 20 seconds to go in the first round. To say this was a shocking upset would be an understatement. Even more unbelievably, Penn left the UFC to fight overseas, ostensibly to challenge himself in any arena possible. He even fought a heavyweight bout against former UFC light heavyweight champ, Lyoto Machida, losing a unanimous decision. The UFC wouldn't see him for over two years.

Fast forward those two years, Penn has fought all around the world, and against a variety of opponents, Hughes racked up five straight wins, and regained the welterweight belt. Set to rematch Georges St. Pierre, Penn was a late replacement due to an injury suffered by GSP, and Penn was intent on regaining the belt he never lost. While the fight started similarly to the first, Hughes started to wear out Penn, and after surviving a triangle/armbar at the end of the second round, the third started with Hughes looking much fresher, and Penn looking exhausted. After tagging the Hawaiian with several punches, Hughes took Penn down, and proceeded to pummel him until the referee called a stop to the fight.

Four years later, both men stand ready for the rubber match, and it comes down to the intangibles. Will Hughes be able to impose his will and take Penn down? Will BJ be able to go hard for three rounds if need be? Is Penn's head even in the fight game after suffering two consecutive losses for just the second time in his career? Is the resurgence of Hughes for real? I'm going with my gut, and ignoring my head and picking Penn. Hughes has looked great, but he's still the same fighter he's always been, while Penn is a much more well rounded fighter, a better striker, and better grappler. There will be some feeling out, but ultimately Penn will start to land cleaner shots, and force Hughes to make a mistake, ending with Hughes tapping out, and Penn ending his losing streak.

Penn via submission, (rear naked choke) Rd. 1


Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
light heavyweight

In what many thought would be a championship fight when it happened, Machida and Jackson clash with both fighters coming off losses, and looking to re-establish themselves in the 205 title picture. Machida is looking to rebound from his first career loss, losing the light heavyweight strap in a rematch with Mauricio Rua, and Jackson is trying to get the bad taste out of his mouth after losing a unanimous decision to former champ Rashad Evans. With both men looking to prove they should be next in lone for a shot at the champ, this should be a hell of a scrap.

Machida got to the top of the 205 pound heap by being nearly impossible to hit, and bringing a varied skill set to bear including punches and kicks from odd angles, trips and sweeps to get take downs, and a vastly underrated submission game. After winning his first three UFC fights in somewhat pedestrian fashion, he picked up some steam and started finishing fights. three of his next five to be exact, with the two decisions being fairly exciting as well. Against Jackson, he will need to regain that elusiveness, because despite a somewhat cartoonish persona, Jackson has some extremely technical skills, and packs some of the heaviest hands in the light heavyweight division. He'll need to stick and move, and attack with leg kicks a la Forrest Griffin, if he hopes to wear out "Rampage" and move in for the kill.

Jackson needs this win, but for that to happen, he is going to need to get inside Machida's reach, stand firm in the pocket, and use quick, snapping combos, utilizing his nasty hooks and uppercuts to test the Brazilian's now suspect chin. With strong wrestling, and great balance in defending take downs, Jackson will more than likely not need to worry about the fight going to the ground, but should be well equipped to prevent that from happening if need be. Jackson will also need to be patient, and not try to walk Machida down too much, because with his excellent counter punching, Machida waits for opponents to do just that, and then turns on the pressure. Never afraid to take a punch to give two, Jackson will definitely need to use his strength and strong chin to suck Machida into standing in the pocket and trading, where Jackson is extremely dangerous. If he can do that, it will be a short night for Machida.

This fight comes down to whether or not Jackson has the patience to pick his spots, and not try and bullrush Machida. No shabby counter puncher in his own right, if Jackson can bait Machida into over committing, he may be able to give him a dose of his own medicine, but Machida is too smart for that, and will likely pick his shots, and frustrate Jackson for most of the fight, until "Rampage" escapes late in the fight, and puts a scare into Machida fans everywhere, but will fall just a bit short. Machida gets a close, but unanimous decision here, and Jackson will be left pondering his next move.

Machida via Unanimous Decision.

MMA and me; day 44

Ahhh boxing. Why is it when it's more of a technique or defensive class, I always get a much more intense sweat going than in classes where it's more offensive? Anyways, yesterday was all footwork, and it kicked my behind. After a couple rounds of shadow boxing, we switched up and with a partner, worked on throwing punches to the focus mitts while walking towards them, and being walked down as well. First was just a 1-2 combo, then a 1-2-slip-2. We did the second combo for two rounds of walking up and down the mat, it killed my shoulders, and got a heavy sweat going. We finished up with footwork drills, and the usual plank and then leg flutters. Solid class, and I need A LOT of work on my footwork, so you can bet I'll be practicing.

Jiu jitsu was a couple of submissions from top mount. First was a near side arm triangle, where you swim your hand across the opponents neck, posting a fist on the mat, and leaning on the neck. As they try and push the arm off, push that elbow across their neck, and pin it in place with your chest. Reach under their head, and grab their wrist, while posting the opposite side foot, and pulling the hand out that initiated the neck pressure. After pulling the hand out, swim that same hand back around the neck, and under the elbow that should still be pressed across their neck with your chest, and grab a monkey grip with your other hand. Kick both legs to the side opposite the arm wrapped around the neck, and keep the opponents elbow pinned in place across the throat with your head, and bring your elbows in while slowly compressing inwards to finish the choke. Second, we learned a top side arm bar from S-Mount, and it starts from the same position as the arm triangle. From the position of having their arm and elbow pinned across their neck with your chest, pull the knee opposite that side up by their ear, and unfold the opposite leg out to an S-Mount. Keeping the pressure on their chest with your butt, swap grips under their near side arm from your far arm, to the near arm, pull the straight leg side foot in to their shoulder, and rock forward onto the far arm, then go through the arm bar checklist, and lean back for the submission. Quite technical, and it helps to be flexible, but very cool.

MMA and me; day 43

Well, back to the grind after the weekend. In kickboxing it was working on the teep, or push kick. You bring either leg up, lean back, bring your hips up, and thrust your foot forward, impacting with the ball of your foot, and violently shoving your opponent in the stomach or chest. We worked rear teeps, and then front teeps, then switched to attacking the upper leg. Lastly, we followed up a teep to the thigh, with a low 10 (leg kick) to the same thigh. By the end of class, my legs felt like they were made out of lead, and my hips were killing me. Finish off with some planks, and leg raises, and Monday's striking class is in the books!

Jiu jitsu was all about D'Arce chokes, and variations from there. A D'Arce is a choke similar to a guillotine, but instead of getting completely under the chin, you thread the choking arm under their armpit, and lock your hand over your bicep, grabbing around the opponents back muscle, or shoulder with your other hand, and dropping to your hip opposite the side your hands are on, and walking your hips towards theirs until the choke compresses and they tap. From there we learned the Vice choke, where you can't get a D'Arce, and thread the other arm around to the side of their neck, put your other arm over the back of their neck, get a palm to palm grip, and squeeze your elbows together for the choke. The last choke was a Japanese Necktie, and though very cool, my partner and I had a hard time pulling it off, because it was not easy for big guys to execute. From the Vice choke, you take the leg opposite the side of the choke, and hook their near leg, from there, you push the head down, keeping the leg in place with yours, and stack their legs and chest over their chin for the choke. Sounds weird, and I had a hard time with it, but the rest of the class seemed to indicate that it was a crappy position to be caught in, so I think I will be avoiding it.

UFC 122

So I ran out of time this week, and it will be my shortest preview ever. (I really need to manage my time better) So here we go...


Goran Reljic vs. Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski
light heavyweight

After a failed two fight run at 185, Reljic returns to 205 where he first made his mark in the UFC. Flashy kicks and strikes wont save him against Soszynski, who is bigger, stronger, and more than capable of taking him down and grinding him out.

Soszynski via Unanimous Decision

Amir Sadollah vs. Peter Sobotta
welterweight

Sadollah is coming off a spirited loss to Dong Hyung Kim, and Sobotta is staring down the barrel of being 0-3 in the Octagon.Sadollah's pressure, and multifaceted arsenal will keep the German from getting anything going in front of his hometown crowd. If Sobotta get's Sadollah in trouble, he is more than capable of taking the fight to the ground where he is a much better grappler, and submission artist. It will be tight, but Sadollah gets the late stoppage.

Sadollah via TKO, Rd. 2


Dennis Siver vs. Andre Winner
lightweight

Two lightweights who keep a good pace, and like to bang, have this fight tagged as my pick for fight of the night. Siver has his spinning back kick from hell, along with solid boxing, and Winner brings the whole arsenal of strikes. Both men have been beaten by fighters who put them on their butts, but with the two of these fighters preferring to keep things standing, we're going to see three rounds of fireworks. It will be close, but I see Winner eking out a split from the judges.

Winner via Split Decision.


Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera vs. Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara
middleweight

Another solid contender for Fight of the Night, Sakara vs. Rivera will be brutal, exciting, and could end quickly as well. Both fighters have solid stand up skills, and have the ability to end fights early. It's a tough fight to pick, and while neither fighter is likely to give an inch, both have been susceptible to getting caught early, and Sakara has a bit better boxing pedigree. Look for the fight to start and end with a flourish, as Sakara gets a nasty KO late in the first.

Sakara via KO, Rd. 1


Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Yushin "Thunder" Okami
middleweight

A very interesting fight that is also serving as a title eliminator for the next shot at the 185 pound strap, Marquardt vs. Okami should be a hard fought affair. Okami has solid takedowns and ground and pound, with improving striking. Marquardt is a bjj blackbelt, and extremely well rounded in all departments. Marquardt will get the better of the striking exchanges, and frustrate Okami by staying away from the counter punches he likes to throw. Okami usually can muscle his opponents around, and when he can't (see fights against Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz) he struggles a bit. In Marquardt, he has another beastly strong opponent, who will keep the pressure on him, and expose the holes in his striking game. It will be a tight, but clear cut win for Marquardt in the Judges eyes.

Marquardt via Unanimous Decision

MMA and me; day 42

Well, there's not a whole lot to tell about boxing class yesterday. Warmed up by jumping rope for ten minutes, shadow boxed for two rounds, and then threw one thousand jabs. That's correct, one, zero, zero, zero. To say that I has a sore shoulder afterwards would be an understatement. I think for the most part my form was good, and I'm getting better at keeping my hands up, but 1,000? Damn.

Jiu jitsu was very cool, as we worked on leg locks and kneebars. We first did a leg lock flow that went something like this, break the guard, drop for an achilles lock, move to the toes for a compression lock, then a toe hold, heel hook, back to the achilles lock and finish with a half crab compression lock. None of them felt particularly nice, and after the coach had me in the heel hook, I can see how it blows peoples knees out. After that, we worked on kneebars, and those are pretty damn cool. There are a multitude of entries, we worked specifically on spinning out of half guard, sitting on your opponents stomach, and grabbing around their leg with your elbow pit in their knee pit and securing a rear naked choke grasp. From there, fall to either side, keeping your butt up against their stomach, pinch your knees together, work your grasp up to the heel, and lean back. Pretty nasty, and a lot of fun!

MMA and me; day 41

Whoo hoo, I'm past the 40 day mark! Anyways, onto business. Kickboxing was one of my very favorites, leg kick checking and counter drills! So we practiced throwing low 9s and 10s, and checking them. To properly check a leg kick, you lift the leg being kicked and meet the shin with your own shin. At the same time, you move the hand on that side to cover your neck, while pushing the opposite hand across the forearm of the arm with the hand behind your neck. Also, as you bring your leg off the mat, bring your knee to the elbow of the arm wrapped around your neck. I'm sure if you're reading this, you're confused, but if you like, I've added a handy dandy visual aid.
http://www.ehow.com/video_2353609_checking-leg-kicks-kickboxing.html

Pretty nifty! After working leg kicks to either side, we worked on throwing a counter mid to high kick after checking either a 9 or 10. Immediately following a checked kick, throw a kick on that side, which would be the opposite of the kick that was blocked. For example, if you check a 9, you follow up with a counter 10. Easy peezy, except I'm not flexible, and have a hard time kicking above the waist.

Grappling was more guard passing, and another submission. From guard, you post up on the hip bones, as you lean back and drive one of your knees into their tailbone. From there you swim both hands under their legs and suck their hips into yours, and lean up over them, compressing their body on top of itself, also known as stacking your opponent. Then you need to get aggressive and shove both legs off to one side, landing in what is known as a low judo position, or your ribcage pressed on theirs, facing their legs, with your bottom leg in front of you, and top leg behind you. After you get to low judo, sneak your arm that is away from the across their stomach, and switch to side control, voila, guard passed! We also learned a submission from here, which instead of switching to side control from low judo, you walk your body up towards their head, until you are trapping one of their arms under your body, and when you get up by their head, reach the arm on the same side as their body under their head. From here it's just a slow sprawl with your legs, and reach your other arm to grab a monkey grip with your hands, and slowly compress your elbows to your side until they tap. Good times!

MMA and me; day 40

Boxing was more uppercuts, and though I'm getting better at them, I'm still having trouble finding my balance, and turning my hips through properly. Other than that, I feel like my form is improving, and my footwork is also getting better. First we did the 1-2-slip-6 (jab-straight-slip-rear uppercut) then added a hook onto the end. After those two combinations, we threw the 1-2-3-roll-5, (jab-straight-hook-roll-lead uppercut) and then once again added a hook onto the end of it. It was nothing new, but it was also combos I need a lot of work on, so I was glad for the chance to improve on them.

Grappling was very simple, everyone sat against the back wall, and coach picked two people at random to have grappling matches. After a couple matches, I went against a kid who though young and inexperienced, is much more capable than he looks. I went the whole five minutes and didn't get to sub him, but would like to think I got the nod, points-wise. Second, I went up against an older guy, who is in phenomenal shape, and managed to get him down into side control, and almost got him into a wrap submission (that we worked on yesterday) on two occasions, and also controlled the match for nearly the entire five minutes. I really liked how they did grappling, and it gives me hope for the possibility of entering grappling matches in the future.

MMA and me; day 39

After a nice weekend, it felt good to get back in the gym. Like the last boxing class I had, kickboxing was all basics, and we worked leg kicks. First 10s with the rear leg, which I'm getting better at. I need to open my hips more and really drive my shin down into the thigh, but at least I didn't end up with a sore foot. We worked on 9s with the lead leg after that, and I'm really starting to like that kick. You don't put as much oomph behind it, but it can still sting just as much. After kicking the pads, we switched to bump drills, and even though I'm sure that it could have been much, much worse, I'm not achy, and it was really fun working on that with several different partners. We finished up with plank position, and then leg lifts, gotta love those core workouts.

Jiu jitsu was all about working on passing your opponents guard. First, you keep your hands off the mat, and either post them on the arms, or stomach of your opponent. From there, put one knee right behind their butt, and lean back on the other knee, sliding it back a bit. Then you post both hands on the hip bones, and drive your elbows down into the inner thigh, this does not feel good if you're on the receiving end. Once you've broken the guard, you push the leg opposite the side your knee under them is on, to the mat, and slide your far knee over that leg, and keep posting your hand on their hip. From there, you slide over into a high judo position, rib cage to ribcage, and secure a far side underhook. You walk your hips up next to their head, and transition to side control, from which we learned a submission. From side control, reach over with the arm on the side of their head, and reach under their neck, grabbing your own shorts. Sprawl out to a north south position, and after releasing your shorts, get your hands in a monkey grip, and slowly bring your elbows to your ribcage. It's called a reverse arm triangle, or a wrap, and it's awesome!

MMA and me; day 38

Boxing class was a return to the fundamentals yesterday. We started with a round of shadow boxing, and from there we partnered up and worked on the jab. After a round of the jab, we incorporated the straight. We proceeded to practice defense, in particular, head movement and rolls. We did a round of rolling under hooks, after practicing changing levels as an entire class. We finished up with the usual plank position, and leg raises, but for five minutes each, instead of three like we've been doing. I really liked getting back to the basics, it forces you to make sure you don't make mistakes, and keep everything clean.

In jiu jitsu, we worked on everything. We started with shrimping, then shrimping with a partner. Then it was jumping guard, and knocking out sit ups. From there we did jumping guard and climbing around your partner, which I am sad to say, I cannot do yet, but I will not stop trying. Then we did triangle drills, and swinging armbar drills. I still suck at the triangle, but am starting to get the hang of the armbar. From there it was just free grappling, and I just wore myself out for the final 25 minutes, trying to tap my opponent, which I did twice, and promptly collapsed. Good times!

MMA and me; day 37

I need to work on my flexibility. In kickboxing, we worked on mid kicks. Not high kicks, mid kicks, and I just don't have the confidence that my hips and groins wont explode, and I pull up short on the kicks. Still, I'm working on getting better, so I soldier on. We first worked on 10s and 9s, and after that, we threw punches in addition to the kicks. I feel a little more fluid in throwing the 9 than the 10, but I like the leg kick versions of these kicks better, mostly due to the angle that is used in each form. In leg kicks, the idea is to swing your hips open, and bring the leg over to drive it down into your opponents thigh. In the mid kicks, you're still opening your hips, but instead of driving the leg down, your bringing it straight up, and I'm having a hard time getting my body positioning correct. By the end of class, I was feeling more comfortable, but it still needs a lot of work.

Grappling was all about wrestling, and the single leg takedown. First we worked on the form, widening your stance, dropping a little bit lower, and after bringing your lead knee to the mat, pushing your rear leg straight through until it's in the lead position. From there, we drilled getting into a deep single leg, with the head on the inside, as to avoid getting choked out. Also, sucking the leg in tight, and pinning it between your thighs. Next was the actual take down, where you use your head, and legs, to pivot, and drive your opponent to the mat. We worked on an ankle pick next, where if you couldn't pivot around your opponent, due to them being backed into the cage, you drop back down to your left knee, and grab their ankle opposite the leg you already have, and pull it in quick, dropping your opponent to the mat. All in all, it was a nice reminder of wrestling practice, and though I was never that good, it all came a little more naturally to me than I thought it would.

MMA and me; day 36

So I didn't go to class on Monday, wanted a slightly longer weekend, and needed to spend more time with my wife. That being said, I was really itching to get back into class yesterday, and I worked my ass off. In boxing, we worked on uppercut to hook combinations, or as Coach Troy called it "popping them up, and knocking them down". First was a 1-2-slip-6, which is the standard jab, straight, followed by a slip and a rear hand uppercut. I had a little trouble with my balance at first, but I started to come around and find out my footwork. We then added the 3, or hook, to the combo. This felt really natural, but I need to keep my eyes forward, and on my opponent at all times. I was trailing my head off to the side, and I'm guessing that gets people knocked out. After those, we switched to a 1-2-roll-5, which is similar, but instead of slipping the punch after the straight, you roll under it, and throw a front hand uppercut. It's more of a timing thing, and it feels really awkward, but by the end of the round I was starting to get it. Just like before, we added a hook to the mix, but this time it felt really strange, because the uppercut and hook are being thrown from the same side. I had all sorts of problems with this one; dropping my hands, not keeping my eyes to the front, didn't care for this one as much. All in all, it was a fun boxing class, and I got a great workout in to boot!

Jiu jitsu was tough, but fun. We worked more jumping guard drills, and I felt bad for my partner, who I outweighed by almost 50 pounds! He was tough though, and made me work for every last submission that I got. First we each jumped guard 10 times, and then we threw in a submission with an entangled arm. First was an entangled arm lock, which Frank Mir used to tap out Pete Williams in Mir's UFC debut. (look it up, it's pretty sweet), and then from the same position, we threw on a triangle choke. Both of these submissions are tight, but I need to work on the entangled arm lock. I had trouble getting the elbow down far enough to make it a tight submission, but when I did, done! Before we free grappled, we worked on rolling from an opponents side backmount into a triangle, and I really liked that one! Dropping to the shoulder that is on the same side as your opponent, rolling across your shoulders, and sweeping your leg around their head while grabbing wrist control, and then going down the checklist to lock it in tight! If I can remember wrist control, I think this one is something that I can and will use a lot.

MMA and me; day 35

Boxing was just fun yesterday. I mean, don't get me wrong, I worked my butt off, but I really enjoyed it. We started off by warming up with punch combos that the coach called out, instead of the shadowboxing we normally do. That got an excellent sweat going, and from there we just worked combos with our partners. First it was all 1s and 2s. Then we added the 3, and finally, the 6, which is a right uppercut to the head. Just when I think I'm starting to get down the fundamentals, the coaches throw that 6 into the mix, and I realize I still have a long way to go with my boxing. Still, I am feeling so much more fluid with my punches, and if I could just feel more balanced with my feet and keeping my weight centered, I'd be ecstatic!

Grappling was very exciting, because we worked some more exotic moves and submissions. First we worked on pulling guard, which consists of jumping up and wrapping your legs around your opponents torso, and gradually pulling him to the ground. From here, there were two different submissions we covered. First, a flying guillotine choke, which I had a harder time sinking in to completion, but my brother managed to get locked in very tight. The second, was a flying triangle choke, which I found I had a much easier time sinking in tightly, than I have with the standard triangle, and conversely, my brother had a harder time with. After this, we worked on what I can only call "Human Rock Climbing". One person stands still, with their arms straight out, and the other jumps guard, and using the arms and legs, clambers around their body without touching the ground. That freaking sucked, but I think I can get there, eventually. Lastly, we did some crazy situps, where you jump guard, but instead of pulling your partner all the way down, you let them stay standing, and then rock out situps. It turns out, my core is fairly strong, though you wouldn't know by looking at me. It was an extremely fun day of class.

MMA and me; day 34

When you go into the gym knowing you're only staying for one class, it makes your work extra hard. This can be both good and bad. It's good, because you push yourself to improve as much as you can in the shorter time period, and really exert your body, knowing you don't have to go for two hours. Bad, because you only work for one hour, not two, and as in yesterdays kickboxing class, it just wasn't as taxing as classes have been in the past.

We worked light bump drills, and I was paired up with a guy who had been doing it for a while, so we just dove right in and did that for two rounds. Since he knee was bothering him, I paired up with someone else for the next two rounds, which was outside 10s and outside 9s. My new partner, Mel, is new to the gym, so I did my best to help him get comfortable, but I'm not quite at a level where I'm good at helping newer people with techniques I'm not extremely familiar with myself, but we managed a pretty decent couple of rounds.

I had to bail on grappling, which was a bummer, but if it's only yesterday and tonight that I have to skip on, I will be okay. Maybe I'll try and sneak a few extra classes in next week, to compensate.

MMA and me; day 33

Well I got my more vigorous sweat request fulfilled yesterday in boxing class. We did nothing but work on jab defense, and some counters as well. Holding your hands up for 35-45 minutes so you don't get punched in the face, along with slipping punches is pretty dang exhausting. First we worked parrying the jab, then slipping it. After that, we worked the parry into defending a follow up 2 with a block. By the end of class, we did some light sparring, with only the jab, and I'm pleased to say, I only got punched in the nose hard, once! It still stung a bit, but if I ever intend on trying to fight, I am going to need to get used to getting hit on occasion.

Grappling was a very relaxed class. We warmed up with the armbar-triangle-omoplata transition, and after we got through with that, we moved on to flow grappling. I was really excited to try this out after the coach explained it to us. You basically just grapple at a really low level with an opponent, and instead of trying for a submission, you just alternate sweeps, passes and subs with your opponent. You go, they go, and keep it really calm, and oriented around learning and teaching. Unfortunately, my partner had not been to many jiu jitsu classes, so he was a little self conscious, as well as not very comfortable with grappling as a whole, so we spent most of the time going over things he was less than familiar with. I'm really hoping we do this again though, it looked awesome!

MMA and me; day 32

Whoo hoo! The weekend ended, which means it's back to the gym! Man, I'm really starting to get excited for each new week of getting the crap kicked out of me, and yesterday was a nice couple of classes to ease into the week. Kickboxing was simple leg kick drills, and checking them. We threw 10s and 9s, and checked them, and then we worked on checking a 10, and then throwing a switch 9. We finished off with light leg kick sparring, which I can only believe sucked for my partner who had no shin guards. Not an extremely tough class, but it was marked by the first time I made it through the entire three minutes of the plank position without hitting the mat. Leg raises, on the other hand, were not touched by such an accomplishment.

Grappling was pretty cool, as we worked on defending against someone taking your back. First you tuck your chin, and turn your head towards the arm that is attempting to sneak under your chin. From there, you roll to the opposite side, pinning the arm that is going under your arm to the mat with your body, and using both hands, pull their top arm off, and move it to the other side of your head. Keeping the arm in place with your bottom hand, reach down for the outside edge of their top foot, and driving your elbow into the shin as you grab it, pull the leg off your hip, and around your leg. You then turn towards the leg you pulled off, and controlling the same arm you have wrist control of, move to side control. Pretty wordy, but very effective. We then worked a submission from there, where as you turn, you reach up for the head, and sink an inverted arm triangle. Very cool, because I LOVE arm triangles! A good class, but I'm looking forward to working up a slightly more intense sweat tonight.

MMA and me; day 31

Shadowboxing with resistance bands is much tougher than doing it without. After two rounds of that, we switched to combos, but it was different yesterday, we we're only using our lead hand. Jabs, hooks, and upperhooks were the only punches we threw. First it was 1-1-roll-body 3, then 1-1-5, then 1-1-body 3-head 3. Working combos where two hooks are thrown back to back is challenging. It's difficult to get the footwork, and body movement all dialed in together, but when you do, it it feels so fluid, and nasty. It's like swinging a baseball bat, when you get the best contact is when you have the most relaxed body, and are smooth with your hips. It was a much more technical boxing class, compared to earlier in the week, though the real conditioning work was yet to come.

Jiu jitsu started with pummeling against the fence, and working to establish dominant control. After drilling that for a bit, we did triangle drills, where first we just switched back and forth from throwing up a triangle on both sides. This drill really wears out your abs, but it's great for working wrist control, and getting a feel for sinking the choke in deep. We worked a little bit on the inverted triangle, then we went into the triangle-reverse triangle-kimura-cutting armbar-triangle-armbar sequence.

We finished off class with free grappling, and I was matched up with my brother first, and he caught me with a rear naked choke pretty quick. After that, I eventually caught him with an arm triangle, but it was after an extended period of grappling, and I was a little tired, and Coach Wise immediately tossed me in with another guy to grapple with, who had me in trouble for a little bit, but I managed to get out of it, and finally got him to tap with an americana. I didn't listen particularly well though, and he then threw me in with a fella that weighs over 350 pounds, and though I finally got the submission with a rear naked choke, it took a long time, and with a guy that big, grappling is exhausting. Coach put me right back in against the guy I had just grappled with before the big guy, and though I nearly had him in a guillotine, I got slammed on back, and it just took all the wind out of me, and I finally succumbed to an armbar. I got tapped twice, and got myself three submissions, but it just sucked getting tapped. I know it's unreasonable to expect to be really good at this when I've only been doing it for a couple months, but my competitive nature was starting to get the best of me. I'm starting to get the physical aspect of everything, but I'm still barely scratching the surface of being mentally prepared.

MMA and me; day 30

Man, I don't think I've had two Muy Thai classes in one week until this week, and let me tell you how rough, but still fun that is.We started out with skippies, which is just leaning against a wall with your forearms in a Muy Thai clinch position, and simulating knees to the body of a clinched opponent. Two rounds of that was pretty rough. After that, we went into drills with a partner, where they held a kick shield against their body, and you drilled it down the middle with a knee, as you pulled their head close with the Thai clinch. We then worked switch knees, which is exactly what it sounds like, you switch your lead leg and back leg, then hit with the knee that is the new back leg. If that wasn't enough, our final drill, was to knee with the same leg as in the first drill, but to never let it touch the ground. Whew! This is one of the few drills I can think of that is harder on the person holding the pads, then the person working offense, sweat city.

Jiu jitsu was all about working escapes from bottom side control. First was pummeling the far arm under their chest, and reaching over their back as you shrimp out to back control. Next was a similar position, but it involved countering the guy on top throwing a whizzer, and getting in as tight on them as you can, and instead of shrimping out behind them, pushing them either directly over, or backwards onto their back. That one took a few times, but it felt pretty good after several tries. Finally, we worked on pummeling the near arm in, if we couldn't get the far arm. You sneak the far arm over their shoulders, and the near arm under their stomach, and turn away from them, which is against everything else you learn, but it works. With the near arm under the belly, you keep reaching it over the back as you turn, and to the seatbelt grip with your arms, and voila! During grappling with my brother, we each tapped each other once, and I managed to get kneed in my nose, while he jammed his thumb into the mat. Overall, it was pretty damn fun!