tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post8231906169368828155..comments2023-09-15T02:40:58.916-07:00Comments on Move Along. Nothing To See Here.: On Being An InstructorFlintharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17456024642528783549noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post-13070977331537532112011-08-01T04:27:43.872-07:002011-08-01T04:27:43.872-07:00Yeah, the groundfighting is a bastard to keep up. ...Yeah, the groundfighting is a bastard to keep up. Likewise good throwing technique. <br /><br />There are a few things to help, though. With throws, it's footwork and entry. Get that stuff right and the follow-up is pretty much a given. Again, though, working counters and combinations is tricky. You need a good partner for that stuff. <br /><br />With groundfighting... well, the Brazilians have really opened that up, and there's a lot of reference material around. These days, I start 'em out with a simple exercise in keeping weight focussed. Put one person on top, and allow them to spider around as much as they like. The person on the bottom has to figure a way out. <br /><br />The simple practice of keeping your weight centred and focussed, keeping the opponent on the bottom, teaches you a lot. You get used to staying mobile, and looking for opportunities like stray arms, legs and necks. <br /><br />Still, I doubt I'd last against people getting a wide range of regular, competitive stuff. So the final thing that's altered in my personal practice has been the focus. <br /><br />Mark Haseman always had a strong focus on the defensive side of things. That made an impression on me, and these days it's the centre of the way I teach. I recognise that I don't have the resources to do a lot of competitive work - but on the other hand, there's a lot of competitive technique in these MMA days which exists pretty much only because the rules (or the cage, or the gloves) make it practical. Once you more or less discard material like that, the core skills are simpler to acquire, practice, use, and pass on. <br /><br />Still. I'm a small-town country instructor. I take the opportunity to train with people from other arts and styles whenever I can do so, but as I said, I don't expect to be wearing a candystripe belt any time in the foreseeable future. But that's not why I'm doing it, so that's okay.Flintharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17456024642528783549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post-5882250737828581552011-07-31T21:49:57.895-07:002011-07-31T21:49:57.895-07:00Great piece. I wonder sometimes, usually the morni...Great piece. I wonder sometimes, usually the morning after getting slammed the night before, what I'm doing dragging my creaking old carcass into the dojo at my age. I dont even have your wider responsibilities. But in the end I do have two kids, one of them a daughter I am determined will go into the world unafraid. That's enough.<br /><br />It's hard though. I dont know how you stuck at it for the years you were exiled in one country town after another. Even now I find it hard to quarantine two sessions a week on the mat. One, I can do. Two and I start getting hard looks from the other busy parent in this relationship.<br /><br />There's certain things you can do at home, especially with a punching bag and some space to move, but as you know, without a training partner most of the curriculum is lost to you.<br /><br />I find this really shows up at the end of the night, when we spar. In kumite, I'm still fast and because I have the time and space at home to work on combinations I can kick and punch and block and trap and sweep my way through most bouts with a smile.<br /><br />But go to the ground and I'm as lost as a karateka. Why? Because over the last 20 years while I've been quietly practicing a few basic things at home, over and over again, I had nobody to work on ground fighting with. And man, does it show.Birmohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04881773501573409032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post-42657293195697459172011-07-31T16:54:50.150-07:002011-07-31T16:54:50.150-07:00Props to you, dude. You rugby guys work damned har...Props to you, dude. You rugby guys work damned hard. Much easier demolishing people efficiently!<br /><br />How's the back coming along?Flintharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17456024642528783549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post-91482339416211723302011-07-31T04:38:41.211-07:002011-07-31T04:38:41.211-07:00It's funny isn't it. I got asked to coach ...It's funny isn't it. I got asked to coach an A grade side this year, despite having no real elite experience other than a few years in A myself and one assistants job. I have been trying to get back to reasonable fitness after a back injury and have been doing some 'extras' sessions with some of the guys. Which they think is cool, but dman I am sore for a lot longer afterwards these days.beesohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11876219112305527188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post-40873566829189331282011-07-29T02:41:06.538-07:002011-07-29T02:41:06.538-07:00Yep, definition of a black belt : a white belt who...Yep, definition of a black belt : a white belt who never gave up. Cheers.<br />drejAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post-14023413946580950312011-07-28T16:54:50.906-07:002011-07-28T16:54:50.906-07:00Ja, studerar vi svenska!
Postcards would be wond...Ja, studerar vi svenska! <br /><br />Postcards would be wonderful. Books would be even wonderfuller. Moomins work very well, and can be guaranteed to be found in Swedish. Comic books highly desirable - any high-profile superheroes are perfect. <br /><br />Yay!Flintharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17456024642528783549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2485469691062620401.post-32758560857820666812011-07-28T14:55:45.946-07:002011-07-28T14:55:45.946-07:00Bypassing the great majority of your post and movi...Bypassing the great majority of your post and moving straight to 'family being overseas', my family and I will be in Sweden in about 2 weeks (Jane's bro, whom you'll recall from my wedding, is getting married). <br /><br />Is Jake still learning Swedish? If so, I'll be sure to send a few postcards, having my own words translated in Swedish my the new in-laws. Also, I was thinking maybe a book or two in Swedish. Top of my list were The Hobbit, or perhaps some quality pulp fiction like Tarzan or John Carter of Mars. I figure any of those ought to be of interest to Jake and also popular enough to have been translated from English. Happy to take your advice.Jyggdrasilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13103800860401813367noreply@blogger.com