Today I woke up and felt like it was one of those days. My shoulder was really killing me from training last night; I've been thinking non-stop about some projects; and I've been busy doing a lot of other things. So, today I said, "F--- this." I decided to take the day off and do no work at all.
This morning, I did some power training followed by sprints. Early in the afternoon, I was craving deep dish pizza, so I ate some "healthy," greasy pizza. An hour and a half later, I felt like training so I headed over to the gym. Two Undisputed fighters have a match next week and it's the tail end of their training. I wasn't planning to train today because of my shoulder. That's one of the reasons I thought it would be okay to go crazy on some pizza. But, I'm stubborn when it comes to injuries. Again I said, "F--- this." So, I went--it wasn't a great idea. I felt like hurling each round, and after sparring with Baret for my third round, I had to call it quits for the day.
Because the competition is next week, we aren't trying to kill one another. The last thing we want to do is hurt the fighters when fight night is around the corner. I didn't film all the rounds but Philip, the first guy you'll see doing consecutive rounds, did 3 continuous rounds, then rested a round, then sparred a fourth. The second guy, Herman, did 3 continuous rounds with guys rotating in every 3 minutes. It sucks to be the "man-in-the-middle." Rounds are 6 minutes with 45 seconds rest. You can easily see as the rounds progress, the fighters get tired quickly. Anyone would get tired if they were sparring consecutive rounds while fresh guys rotate in to spar. Anyway, here's some sparring footage from earlier today.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Training for a Mixed Martial Arts Fight - Some Footage
Monday, April 14, 2008
Mike Banayad Versus Alcer Lozada: Who Do You Think Won?
I visited some friends from Manila who were in LA yesterday. I didn't plan on hanging out the entire day, but one thing lead to another and I had no time to get online. But, I'm back online now. I've been sitting at my desk all day valuing stocks and bonds. Fun stuff.
It's time for a break so I want to write a quick entry about some video clips I came across today. The videos are from the latest Fearless Fighting Championship event at Metrowalk. The fight between Mike Banayad and Alcer Lozada. I thought the match was entertaining. The first 2-3 minutes of the match were the best because both fighters displayed intensity-- I felt like I was watching a Tim Sylvia fight the second and third rounds.
The match does show how "home grown" MMA fighters still have a long way ahead of them if they want to do well against international competition. But, the two fighters showed a lot of heart, and with the right guidance and training, I think both fighters can only improve. I was really surprised with Lozada, and liked his intensity in the first half of round one. I also liked how Banayad seemed calm throughout the match and worked counter punching. I did see a number of holes and opportunities that both fighters should know about (this will be their trainers' job). One example: while Mike worked good counter punching, he seemed to be anticipating Lozada's right leg kick too early. Mike was dropping his left hand to grab the kick and counter with a right cross/hay maker. He timed some attempts well, but on other occasions, Lozada would simply make a slight movement with his write hip/shoulder or throw a light right kick, and without fail, Banayad would drop the left hand. I think Lozada could have, and should have, capitalized on this. It seemed like Lozada wanted a one-punch knock out, and this might have been his only opportunity.
The match was declared a majority draw (i.e. two judges decided on a draw while the other judge gave the match to Banayad). Apparently, a good number of people disagree with the judges. If the fight were based solely on round one, I would have given Lozada the match. Lozada showed little offense and kept backing away in rounds 2 and 3 which probably didn't look good to the audience, etc. Although, Banayad didn't overwhelm Lozada. Technically, based on GAB scoring, I would give Banayad the win. However, I can understand how the two judges decided on a draw.
Here are rounds 1 to 3. Who do you think won? (Note: The video is unclear and shaky at some points, so if you felt like throwing up when you watched Cloverfield, you might not be able to watch this. j/k)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Passing the Guard in Mixed Martial Arts
Nowadays I train all no gi and it's always interesting to notice the differences among sport bjj, no gi, and MMA training, techniques, and strategy. One area that has been standing out in my mind is passing the guard. Fighters who train a lot in Brazilian jiu jitsu or submission wrestling have to remember that what works in the grappling arena does not necessarily work in MMA. I want to cover some points that should be, in my opinion, fundamental knowledge when it comes to passing the guard in MMA.
Guard passing is not simple as many of you already know--especially when you face someone with a great guard. Passing requires a number of basic steps. If your opponent has you in closed guard, then you first have to open his legs. When your opponent's legs are open, you usually have to establish some sort of hip or leg control. Once this is done, then you fight to pass over, under or around a person's legs.
A simple and effective way to open an opponent's guard is to punch, either on your knees or on your feet. Most guard fighters who are getting hit will open their legs to push you away or reposition themselves so they can better defend against strikes. Another way to open a person's guard is to pry an opponent's legs open using your hands, elbows or knees (any typical BJJ guard opening technique). However, this method is usually difficult in MMA because there aren’t many secure grips available without a gi.
Once your opponent's legs are open you don’t want to give him any offensive options. Standing up is a great way to prevent the person from getting you in closed guard again and protects you from arm bars and chokes. If you do stand, you have to pay attention to the distance between you and your opponent--too far away and you give him the opportunity to stand up, too close and you may get kicked in the face. Securing your opponent's feet or shins with your hands after opening the guard, while standing, is a good way to limit your opponent's movement and protect yourself from kicks. Make sure to always watch out for leg or foot locks when you're passing, too.
When you have established control over the legs or hips you can start your guard pass. Basically, there are three ways to pass: over, under or around his legs. In MMA, fighters generally pass over or around the legs. Passing under a person's legs works well in grappling but hardly happens is MMA because these passes are typically slow and require a lot forward pressure and secure grips. When you and/or your opponent are slippery and striking each other, passing under the legs can be difficult. The passes can and still do work, but it's good to know that over and around the leg passes seem to be more effective.
Remember that MMA is not grappling. When you pass, don't forget to mix in some solid strikes. This will keep your opponent on the "defensive" and can keep him guessing. When it's time to pass, make sure you put 100% of your energy into it because speed and strength are vital for most MMA guard passes.
Once you've passed your opponent's guard, don't be too eager to strike or submit your opponent because you will probably make a mistake that allows your opponent to escape. Make sure you've secured your guard pass and the top position. When you have stabilized your position, now you can work your offense.
When you're training MMA, try to keep these few points in mind when passing the guard.
On another note, taught class last night and took some footage of the sparring. Shoulder is still painful and feeling real "heavy." It's beginning to really mess with all my training routines. Anyway, here's a short clip from sparring last night.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Saturday Morning Training
Baret taught the regular class this morning. I decided to take the class because it would be a good warm up for our MMA training. My brother Mike, and our friend Bob were also there to help Baret with his MMA training. We went over some X-guard techniques, drilled, and sparred. Baret seemed to be a little exhausted this morning, so he decided to postpone the MMA training until Monday--it was a good thing because my head isn't on right today, and I'm feeling sluggish today. We all ended up rolling with one another and different students in the class for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Baret was focusing on his leg locks today; Bob has been trying to work some new passes he learned in Brazil; my brother seems to playing around a lot with a specific Brabo choke setup; and I decided to work some half guard techniques. As Like I've said in previous entries, it's always good to go into training with an idea of what you want to work that day. People tend to improve more when they set little goals for themselves.
As I mentioned, I'm a bit drained today so I'm going to cut this entry short. Before I go, here are some pics and a short video from training today. My brother and Baret are rolling in the pics, and both of them are also in the video clip rolling with Aaron. I apologize for the background conversations you can hear. I'm too tired today to edit them out or mask them with music.
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Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Sparring to Develop Mechanics and Timing
I woke up this morning with a real sore shoulder. I've been battling with a shoulder injury for quite some time now, close to a year. I suspect it was from lifting heavy weights. There was a point where I was working to develop more power and explosiveness, and although my muscles didn't mind the heavy weight, my shoulder gave in and has been causing me a lot of pain. Despite this, I keep on training. I have to be selective with who I train with and am limited to what I can do, but I have to keep moving. For the next few months, I'll probably focus only on grappling because punching causes sharp pain. I don't recommend that any of you follow my lead and think you should have an injury checked if it seems serious. I guess I never went earlier because I just got back to training seriously again, and don't want to stop. I've made plans to go to an orthopedic doctor the past couple weeks, but I've been swamped with other things and haven't had a chance. I will go soon though.
Anyway, enough about my shoulder. Heading to Undisputed to train today, I decided to work on escapes. To be specific, I decided to work on a certain position that prevents an opponent from passing my guard.
When I spar to work a particular aspect of my game, I usually roll at about 30%-50% intensity so I can properly work technique and develop timing. All too often, I see people sparring 100% who hardly ever get the chance to work many techniques. These people are always busy fending off an attack or using all their strength and speed to get a position, that they do not have the chance to think, be technical, and focus on timing. I think timing and proper execution are key factors that separate higher level fighters from average fighters. A person can know a million techniques but without timing and proper mechanics, he or she may never be able to pull any of those techniques off in a real fight.
To work my escapes, I chose two sparring partners who were slightly heavier than me. This allowed me to practice my escapes without having to use strength. In addition, these were two people who I knew would "work" with me. It's hard to practice new moves, or develop timing if your sparring partner is acting more like an opponent rather than a training partner or coach. When the round started, I simply let my partners pass my guard, but worked to prevent them from pinning me down and completely passing my guard. If my partner passed my guard, I worked to recompose my guard and started all over.
The next time you train, you might want to first pick a specific position or move you want to work on that day. This allows you to focus and really "learn" a move or position. Another thing you may want to consider is sparring at a lower intensity so you have more time to think and can focus on timing, mechanics, and execution. It's very important to train hard-- don't get me wrong; but, there has to be a balance. I often see guys in the Philippines sparring 110% everyday. First, the likelihood of injury is increased. Secondly, as I mentioned above, if you have a partner who is going 100% and you are too, you won't have the time to think and really understand what's going on when you spar.
Have fun when you roll. Training should be fun. You don't have to be out for the kill everyday. You'll have a better time rolling, and you probably learn a lot more.
Here's a short clip of Baret teaching a class at Undisputed, and a short video of "Kong" (his real name is Rey) smashing me and both of us doing what I just wrote about-- rolling, and having fun. He's 280 pounds (that's why he's called "Kong") and I'm 140 pounds. If you could only feel how heavy he is on top! Listen to Baret's, "Whoa!" when he sees Kong flip me over easily, like i was a little kid! We rolled several rounds today, and unfortunately this round ended early because of my shoulder.
