Kung Fu Fighting Tips Blog

Let’s say you’re in a mixed martial arts match.  I don’t mean a pay per
view cage match or anything like that.  I just mean you’re working out
with your sparring partner on the mats and takedowns and ground
fighting are allowed.

It’s a friendly match with gloves and headgear, and both stand up and
ground fighting are allowed.

By the way – I do not like full-contact sparring, unless it’s
restricted to striking a heavy chest protector.  I don’t care what
people say about full-contact preparing you for “real” self-defense.  I
think you’ll get more injuries (some potentially chronic) from regular
full-contact training than you will from that street fight that may
never happen.

If you’re into sport full-contact or it just happens to be your
training preference, fair enough.  What I like to get out of sparring
is a chance to try out whatever I’ve been working on lately, learn
something from my partner, have some fun, and get a great sweat going.
If I can do all that, I consider it time well spent . . . and I’ll have
gotten some preparation for the street too, even if it wasn’t
full-contact.

Keep in mind though, with a heavy chest protector, you can have the
best of both worlds.  That is, a friendly match that still allows some
injury free full-contact training.

Anyway, back to my topic.  You’re in a mixed martial arts match with
your buddy.  Here’s the question:  which is more important, stance or
footwork?

Some people think stance is because you need to be able to shoot in for
a takedown, and sprawl when your partner shoots in.  This means you
need to use a version of a wrestler’s forward facing, hips away stance.

Others say footwork is king because it adds power to your strikes, can
be adjusted as you shoot in, and can keep you out of range of your
opponent when he shoots.

So which is it?

Well, nothing is 100%, but I favor footwork.  That’s not to say someone
who fights entirely from a wrestler’s stance can’t beat you.  People
get you with what they’re best at, and if they’re better at what they
do than you are at what you do, it’s not too hard to predict the
outcome.

Still, even the wrestler is going to have his footwork figured out, but
he has generally adapted it to wrestling, not striking.

Personally, I prefer a boxers stance, but a little deeper to give me
power for my kicks, and to give me a base in case I get caught off
guard when my partner shoots in.

You can find out how a nice flexible stance sets you up for strong
kicks, and blitzes on my “How to Hit Faster Than The Other Guy” DVD at
http://www.kungfufightingtips.com/products/hitFaster.php.  With the
right footwork you can make a modified boxer’s stance work for both
striking and grappling . . . which is why they call it mixed martial
arts.

Train like you mean it.

Even if you don’t like doing forms, I strongly suggest you read this newsletter.  It could change the way you workout.

The reason I said “Even if . . .” is because I know many martial artists think form is a waste of time.

Do they think practicing punching is a waste of time?

No.

Do they think practicing kicking is a waste of time?

No.

How about shadow boxing?  Do they think that’s a waste of time?

Of  course not.

But if you put those three things together in a routine and call it a form . . . suddenly you’re wasting your time.   Hmmmmm.

When I practice form I sweat and breath hard and end up with sore muscles.  My balance, flexibility, agility and timing improve.  Now keep in mind, I’m not doing beginner level forms for preschool tots.  I’m doing traditional, hardcore Tien Shan Pai empty hand and weapons forms like you can learn on my DVD 8 Tien Shan Pai forms at http://www.kungfufightingtips.com/products/8tienShanPai.php.

Form doesn’t just get you in shape either.  I’ve had people join my school or get my DVD specifically because they felt they had two left feet, and wanted to gain coordination.

Now then, could you get all the benefits of form just by doing some bag work, taking a break to do some kick combinations across the floor, adding in some punch combinations, throwing in a few jumps and deep stances for leg strength, maybe some floor sweeps for flexibility, and finishing with some hard fast shadow boxing?

Yes, you could.  And if you put the routine together just right . . . it would be a form.

So what I do is, instead of adding punch/kick drills to bag work, I add bag work to my forms.  Do a form, hit the bag for 30 seconds.  Do a form, kick the bag for 30 seconds.  Do a form, knee and elbow the bag for 30 seconds.  Do a form, work combinations on the bag for 30 seconds.

Do five forms that way.  I mean hard and fast, with furious bag work in the intervals.  Do it at least 3 days a week for two weeks and then see how much your combinations, agility, flex, and stamina have improved.

For people who enjoy it and work it, form isn’t a waste of time, it’s a highly structured skill and conditioning drill.  And it has many uses.  You can do a form very slowly and call it a great warm up.  You can do it hard a fast and call it the best shadow boxing you’ve ever done.  You can do it super slow with each move synchronized with your breathing and call it tai chi.

However you do it, the rewards are yours for the taking.

Train like you mean it.

Hi,

Stamina training generally involves high repetitions, which can be a little boring.  One way to deal with that problem is by doing a“declining sets” workout.  You can do this with weights, body weight, or punch/kick drills.

Here’s an example – let’s say you want to increase the number of push ups you can do.  Start with a set of 15.  Most people can do fifteen push ups.  If you can’t, then start with 10, or maybe start with 15, but do them on your knees, or simply lower yourself down 15 times, and do an actual push up later in the routine.

The point is, we’re starting with a high number relative to what we can perform.  Now, your second set will be 15 again, then 14, 14, 12, 12,
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1.  Guess what?  You just did 146 push ups.  Of course, you may modify the routine so you only end up doing 100, or 75 or whatever, but you didn’t work your way up to it. You worked your way down.

You can do this at the gym with weights, or in your back yard with roundhouse kicks.  And you can mix and match.  Maybe you just want to do 8 sets of 8 reverse punches and in the intervals you do declining sets of push ups, or declining sets of crunches.  Or alternate with both.

Experiment with this and you’ll find that the declining sets keep you motivated because each one is a little easier.

Good luck, train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe

P.S.  If you’re a martial artist, personal trainer, yoga or pilates
instructor, or work in any other area of fitness and wellness you can
make a very good income offering corporate seminars.  Find out more at
www.indyinstructor.com

Last newsletter I raised the question of ice vs. heat for martial arts injuries.

When I was younger and sparring all the time it seemed I always had several on-going injuries.  Jammed fingers and toes were my specialty, but my shins took a beating as well.

Let me say that, being younger, I didn’t really treat my injuries at all, other than maybe to tape my fingers or toes together to prevent making it worse when I sparred.  If I really thought I had something worth doing something about (one time my wife wanted me to go to the hospital to have my wedding ring cut off because my finger was purple and swollen, or some such thing), I would take an aspirin, ice the injury, and elevate it.  I would hold the ice on tight for compression.  This is the standard RICE formula – rest, ice, compression, elevation.

That’s still the conventional treatment.  However, the Journal of Orthopedic Science, 12: 74-82, 2007, sites a Japanese study in which heat was found to promote healing by encouraging formation of cells that fuse to the injured cells and add new tissue, thus speeding recovery.

Next time I get something worth treating, I may try ice at first for pain and swelling, then heat just to see how it feels/works.

HOLIDAY SALE!!

Buy 1, Get 1 FREE – All December 2007

Buy any product or set and get a second product or set of equal or lesser value free.  You can see what’s available at www.kungfufightingtips.com.

You can’t order on my site though.  You need to call my 24/7 secure order line.  Just say you’re a subscriber and you want in on the Holiday Sale.  The number is 1-800-878-7103

Until next time, train safe, enjoy the holiday season, and take care,

Rob LaPointe
www.kungfufightingtips.com

P.S.  My marketing will go into high gear in the New Year, so this Buy 1, Get 1 FREE offer may be the last one you see for a long time.  Don’t miss out on it.

Let’s say you and your training buddy have the same idea at the same time during sparring, and you both end up with identical bumps on your shins.  Do you use heat or ice?

Most people say ice.

Let me tell you something, I’ve questioned doctors, martial artists, coaches, nurses, physical trainers, and a few others and I’ve gotten answers, conflicting answers and “I don’t knows.”

First of all, why use ice?

For effective healing?  Maybe not.  When you get a nice goose egg, it’s swollen, tender, a bit hot. (By the way, why does it get warm?  Increased blood flow to an injury?  Okay, but that’s an increase of blood, not hotter blood.  I asked an M.D. about this and he said he didn’t know, but “it’s a good question.)  Anyway, it’s warm and ouchy, so ice is soothing.  So we use ice.  That soothing effect may be the real reason ice is favored.

After all, if your throat is death-bed sore, do you want the triple gross cough syrup your mom used to give you in 7th grade . . . or a shot of bourbon, um, with ice?

We’re told that, ice reduces inflammation.  But if inflammation is the body’s response to an injury, do we really want to discourage that?  If so, why?

But I’m also told that for about the first twenty minutes, ice causes more blood flow as the body tries to counter and keep the iced area warm.  After about twenty minutes, the body begins to shut off that area to prevent heat loss.  So, ice at least 20 minutes or not at all?  Also, if the body is shutting down circulation to the area because of the ice, doesn’t that prevent edema from subsiding?

So maybe heat is better after all.

In my next issue, I’ll tell you what a recent Japanese study found.

Until then, take care and train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe
www.kungfufightingtips.com

P.S.  To celebrate a very successful 18th Annual Fall Training Camp (we focused on White Eyebrow Long Staff, and Swimming Dragon Ba Qua) I’m offering my 2 DVD Set “Kung Fu Conditioning” for 1/2 price.  It’s normally $69, but for the next 72 hours it’s only $34.50.  This DVD Set is the advanced compliment course to my Shaolin Fitness Secrets book.  You can’t get the DVD special on line though.  You need to call your order in at (703) 997-2585.  Simply say you’re a subscriber and you want the 72 hour special deal on Kung Fu Conditioning.

If you were training for a fight – ring or school yard, doesn’t matter which – how would you make the best use of your time?

That is, would you focus more on your fight game (skill) or physical toughness (conditioning)?  Obviously, you want to put time into both, but what do you think the percentages should be?

These days, I say 60 percent conditioning, 40 percent skill.  That’s an approximation, but the point is that you need to be able to last the fight.  As they say in boxing, When the hands drop, the fight’s over.

Boxers know this, wrestlers definitely know this.  Martial artists, at least some, seem to be a little slow to catch on.  Which ones?  Well, not kick boxers, not Judo competitors, not San Shou fighters.  I’d say it’s the ones who . . . never get in the ring!

To this day, I occasionally hear someone in martial arts bloviating about how a “true master” can defeat someone twice his size and half his age with proper technique.  I’m not saying it’s never happened in the history of the planet, but I’d call it unlikely.  It’s also a tautology.  What if the true master doesn’t win?  He wasn’t a true master!

I was at a tournament about a month ago and a “true master” demonstrated his skill and Qi by having one of his students hit him in the stomach and then the student stumbled backward arms flailing.  They also knocked staffs together and the student literally jumped backward and landed on his rear.  Both these guys looked out of shape.  Also, for some reason, neither of them entered the continuous sparring event. They probably didn’t want to hurt anyone.

I use this example because if you’re in martial arts, you’re not just studying a mental discipline and a skill set.  You’re also an athlete and your art demands that you train like one.

The 60 percent conditioning rule keeps us honest.  I like to start with form.  If you’re not dripping sweat after ten minutes of form, you’re not doing it as a martial (kicks and punches done in combination, get it?) conditioning drill.  Then do bag work so your kicks and punches meet some resistance.  Then some push ups, lots of ab work, and squats.  I like to use exercises from my book Shaolin Fitness Secrets so as much of my conditioning as possible also improves my art.  Which is my final point – there should be plenty of overlap between skill and condition so your time is used well.  You’re better off doing hard, fast form and bag work until you drop, than your are doing jumping jacks and running. Finish with stretching as a cool down.

Take care, train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe
www.kungfufightingtips.com

P.S.  If you want to put loads of overlap (skill as conditioning) in
your routine, check out my 2 DVD set Kung Fu Conditioning.  It’ll wear
you out.

When you spar, how hard should you and your partner hit?

The short answer is – as hard as you want.

If you’re preparing for a full contact match, then at least part of your training will need to be full contact.  Most martial artist don’t compete regularly in full contact though, and many of them don’t compete at all.  For them, sparring full contact probably isn’t what they want to do . . . but then they miss the benefits of full contact training.

And what are those benefits?  Well, hitting and kicking full power requires better conditioning, better set ups, more exact use of leverage, footwork and rotation and it conditions you to not freak out when you get hit.

On the other hand, you’re going to have injuries – jammed fingers and toes top my list.  Also, getting hit hard in the head is sort of like getting x-rays:  you should only get so many in a lifetime.

So how hard should you spar?

Here’s how I like to spar in my school.  We wear head gear with a face guard, and a sturdy rib and chest protector.  The rules are: VERY light contact with punches to the head (anything more than that seems to escalate), light kicks to the head.  For some reason, they’re easier to control than punches, probably because the person is farther away and you don’t feel the pressure to back them off with power.  Full contact punches and kicks to the body wherever it’s covered by the chest and rib protector – again, I use the most solid ones I can find.  Full power (or close to it) leg kicks.  They sting, but I’ve yet to see an injury from a thigh kick.  Take downs are allowed, and the fight continues if it goes to the ground.

Following these rules, we’ve been able to have good matches, get a great workout, and improve timing, power, combinations, and both stand up and ground fighting.

Doesn’t all the gear get in the way?  Of course it does.  The face guard blocks vision, the chest guard is bulky and makes it difficult to do some moves.

You don’t have protective gear on the street, so why wear it in the School?

Huh?

Who said anything about the street?  It’s a sport.  If you want to get completely “realistic” in your training, why not just go at it with baseball bats, or guns?  A sport is a sport.  It has advantages and disadvantages when you try to apply it to anything other than the sport itself.

So, if you haven’t sparred the way I’ve just described, you might want to give it a try.  I recommend that you only use a chest and rib protector that is so strong you can let your partner side kick you full power in the chest and you get knocked down but not injured or even bruised in the least.

Being able to hit that hard is fun.  Knowing that nobody is going to get hurt keeps it fun.

Until next time, train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe

P.S.  In a few hours I’m heading into Washington, D.C. to teach a Tai Chi workshop at a hospital’s annual staff retreat.  It’s 45 minutes long and they’re paying my $675.00.  I’ve got two other seminars in the pipeline.  If you’re not getting bookings and paychecks like that, I strongly suggest you check out my site www.indyinstructor.com

Until next time,

Rob LaPointe

When I trained in Kenpo years ago, we were required at some point to know all our techniques on both the right and the left sides.

Considering the amount of time it took to practice and get good at all those techniques on the left side, was it useful?

I’d have to say no, it wasn’t.

Was there a benefit to doing it?  Sure.  It improved my discipline, and marginally improved my left side coordination.  But again, consider the time it took to do so.

My feeling is that it’s more important to find the things you’re best at and then develop ways to bring those strengths to bear.  For example, I’ve got a pretty fast lead leg (left) roundhouse and a nice right spin rear.  So I practice that combination – lead leg roundhouse to the head, plant the left to set my distance, then spin rear to the

body with my right.

I do not practice that combination on the left side.  I do however, practice fighting from both sides  - that is, sometimes my right leg is back, sometimes my left is.  I do this because it creates change that my opponent has to adjust to – and he might make a mistake when he does.  Changing sides also allows me to do some of the things I can do better with a right lead, than with a left.  For example, I like to throw a JKD style straight punch firing from my thigh.  I do that better with my right than with my left.

So, where does that leave us?  I’d say we need to do some things left and right because it creates variables, but we shouldn’t try to do all things left and right because there are only so many training hours available so we need to apply them to our natural strengths.  Also, there is such a thing as handedness.  No matter how hard I try, I’ll probably never be able to write with my left anywhere near as well as I do with my right.  Right?

Take care and train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe

Which moves first?

When you throw a strike, a punch for example, which moves first, your hand or your body?

Many people say the hand moves first and the body follows through.

If you’ve practiced the Silk Reeling exercises of Tai Chi you know that movement begins in the feet and channels upward through the waist and is released through the hand. In other wards, the hand completes the movement, it doesn’t begin it.

It’s like snapping a towel.

You can generate tremendous force for knockdown punches, but you need to practice correctly or you’ll have big problems with telegraphing.

I own a set of street fighting DVDs I got from a guy in the U.K. They cover a ton of material in 5 volumes, including knockouts, and pressure point fighting. So far, my favorite volume is the one on power generation. It basically teaches Fa Jing (coiling energy developed in Silk Reeling) but shows you how to generate it from different angles. We’ve been working it into our advanced class and some folks have been throwing some pretty hard strikes – both punches and kicks, which you tend not to see in classical Silk Reeling.

Take care and train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe

Since a big part of martial arts is personal protection, we need to look at self-defense as more than a set of techniques.

With that in mind, at the end of last year I signed up for the Arlington County Citizen’s Police Academy.  The Academy met on Wednesday nights and lasted 12 weeks.  Each week we were introduced to a different department and got a lecture, demonstration, and often a tour.  We learned about everything from handcuffing, to bait cars, to vice, gangs, homicide, crime prevention, SWAT, canine units, and plenty more.

I mention this because I learned a lot and enjoyed each session.  The police who presented were obviously chosen because they’re friendly, knowledgeable, and could keep it fun and interesting.  If your community Police Department offers such a program and you’re interested, I suggest you get involved.  The one I took was free, and like I said, very enjoyable.

I also learned so much about what police do and how they function, that I feel I can interact with them from a position of knowledge, should I need to.

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, self-defense is more than techniques, and having a good knowledge of your local PD can be part of that.  All in all, it was fun, educational, and time well spent.  I strongly recommend you call your local department and ask them if they offer such a program.

Take care and train like you mean it.

Rob LaPointe