Frank Shamrock
Blocking A Low Muay Thai Kick
Last Thursday (10/22/2009), you might have read my post about one of my favorites “Low Muay Thai Kick Can End A Fight Within Seconds” and today I owe you a follow-up.
It’s probably better to be the one who is attacking than the one who is on the receiving end.
And it’s probably safe to say that if you are attacking, you should be prepared for your opponent to throw something back at you.
Having a good defense will deinitely increase your chances of not getting seriously hit or injured.
Of course, it would be ideal to simply get out of the way of your opponent’s attacks.
Unfortunately, you will not always have the time or positioning to evade them.
Therefore you have to be able to block or check attacks.
And because I brought up the low Muay Thai kick last Thursday, it is only right that I offer you the defensive technique to deal with this type of attack.
I have to say that when I started Muay Thai years ago I came in with a fairly strong traditional Shotokan karate background and mindset when it came to blocking and counter-striking:
Block the kick by bringing your arm down and counter with a midsection reverse punch.
This actually worked in my favor in a number of tournaments.
But in Muay Thai this led more to a shin hitting the side of my unprotected face or to already described painful thigh that I couldn’t stand on for about an hour.
Can you feel my pain?
Thank you.
Anyway, if you cannot counter the low kick by stepping away or applying a push kick, simply block the low kick by lifting the leg that’s being targeted.
If you do it right and block the attacker’s kick with your knee instead of your shin, your opponent is going to feel the pain in this own leg and will probably be hesitatant in his low kicking actions.
Grasping these concepts have made a big difference is the way I look at blocking and counter-attacking.
I hope this will benefit you, too.
The 2 min. video offers some pretty good tips. Here they are:
Unfair Karate Fight – Let’s All Lighten Up, Shall We?!
I have no idea where you are and what you’re up to today, but I am taking a day off.
That’s why I thought it might be a good idea to chill and just look at martial arts from a not so serious perspective.
Are you with me? What say you?
Hope you enjoy this clip. I sure do every time I watch it.
Escape From The Standing “Rear Naked Choke”
Alright then, so yesterday we got ourselves into a creepy position, aka The “Rear Naked Choke”.
We want to escape from this standing “rear naked choke” as fast as possible.
All kinds of schools and styles promote their preferred ways.
Today I would like to introduce one escape that’s pretty self-explanatory.
If you come across others that are practical, let me know.
As always, be cautious with this and all other self-defense techniques. Professional supervision is highly recommended.
The Greatly Feared And Highly Effective “Rear Naked Choke”
Greatly feared and highly effective, the “Rear Naked Choke” is the chokehold you do not want to be in.
Your opponent’s got you from behind and that is just not a good thing.
It’s never a good thing not being able to see what’s going on, right?!
The term “Rear Naked Choke” most likely originated from Jujutsu and Judo, in which it is also better known as the “Hadaka Jime”, or “Naked Strangle.”
Why “naked”? Well, first of all it has nothing to do with “clothing optional”. Just kidding.
Rather, unlike with some other Jujustu and Judo choking techniques, you do not have to employ a “gi” or training uniform.
When it comes to the “Rear Naked Choke”, the attacker’s arm encircles the opponent’s neck and then grabs his own biceps of the other arm and the hand of said arm presses against the back of the opponent’s head.
There you have it: The “Rear Naked Choke (Sleeper Hold)”.
To make it all more comprehensible I have added the following visuals.
Warning: Kids, do not try this at home or anywhere else without professional supervision!
Here is 2-time World Submission Grappling Champion, Dean Lister:
And, 9-time UFC Champion, Matt “Country Boy” Hughes:
Low Muay Thai Kick Can End A Fight Within Seconds
Muay Thai, which was developed on the battlefields during the 15th century, is known for using punches, elbow strikes, clinches, knee thrusts and of course devastating kicks.
Now, even if one cannot kick above the waistline there is a kick at your disposal that can end a fight real fast and I am thinking of the one you could employ in a self-defense situation.
It is the Low Muay Thai kick aimed at the thigh of your opponent.
Yours truly was once at the receiving end of one of these powerful kicks and let me tell you that I couldn’t use the hit leg for about an hour. Seriously!
Coming from a totally different martial art I wasn’t accustomed to pulling up my knee to avoid described predicament. Sometimes you learn the hard way.
As always, to learn a specific technique correctly, please seek advice from trusted and knowledgable instructors.
The following video shows you legendary Dutchman Rob Kaman, who years ago was an incredible fighter and feared even by his Thai opponents.
And another short clip shows you the kick applied in a real MMA/UFC fight:
Mark Dacascos Still Kicking Strong On “Dancing With The Stars”
Mark Dacascos, the accomplished martial artist and actor is still kicking strong on this year’s “Dancing With Stars”.
Some of you might have heard that he won several Kung Fu and Karate championships between the ages of 9 and 18.
This should come as no surprise as Mark’s dad, Al Dacascos, is a legendary martial arts instructor who exposed Mark to martial arts at a very early age.
His step mother, Malia Bernal, is also a martial artist. Mark’s ancestry is diverse. His father is of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese decent and his mother, Moriko McVey, is of Irish and Japanese decent.
Mark Dacascos has had roles in a number of movies and made numerous television appearances.
He played the lead role of Eric Draven in the TV series entitled The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, which is based on the James O’Barr’s comic book entitled The Crow.
He also stars as The Chairman on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America series.
Currently, Mark Dacascos is doing extremely well in this year’s “Dancing With Stars” and promoting the agility of an open-minded martial artist.
Two thumbs up!
Shotokan Karate According To Gichin Funakoshi
Today I would like to share with you something about the style that got me so excited about martial arts in the first place.
The style is called Shotokan Karate and who could really describe it better than the actual founder of the style himself: Gichin Funakoshi, an Okinawan who introduced karate to Japan in 1917 and later again 1922.
Shotokan Karate is currently enjoying somewhat of a second wind of attention and popularity especially with UFC top competitors such as Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort applying some of its typical elements.
Here are some excerpts of Funakoshi-Sensei’s descriptions and observations:
“In Okinawa, a miraculous and mysterious martial art has come down to us from the past.
It is said that one who masters its techniques can defend himself readily without resort to weapons and can perform remarkable feats: the breaking of several thick boards with his fist or ceiling panels of a room with a kick.
With his shuto (“sword hand”) he can kill a bull with a single stroke; he can pierce the flank of a horse with his open hand; he can cross a room grasping the beams of the ceiling with his fingers, crush a green bamboo stalk with his bare hand, shear a hemp rope with a twist, or gouge soft rock with his hands.
Some consider these aspects of this miraculous and mysterious martial art to be the essence of Karate-do.
But such feats are a small part of karate, playing a role analogous to the straw-cutting test of kendo [Japanese fencing], and it is erroneous to think that there is no more to Karate-do than this.
In fact, true Karate-do places weight upon spiritual rather than physical matters.
True Karate-do is this: that in daily life, one’s mind and body be trained and developed in a spirit of humility; and that in critical times, one be devoted utterly to the cause of justice.
Karate-do is a martial art peculiar to Okinawa in its origins. Although it has in the past tended to be confused with Chinese boxing because of the use of the chinese “kara” character in its earlier name, in fact for the past thousand years, the study and practice of masters and experts, through which it was nurtured and perfected and formed into the unified martial art that it is today, took place in Okinawa.
It is, therefore, not a distortion to represent it as an Okinawan martial art.
One may ask why the chinese “kara” character has been retained for so long.
As I discuss in the section “The Development of Karate-do,” I believe that at the time the influence of Chinese culture was at its peak in Japan, many experts in the martial arts traveled to China to practice Chinese boxing.
With their new knowledge, they altered the existing martial art, called Okinawa-te, weeding out its bad points and adding good points to it, thus working it into an elegant art.
It may be speculated that they considered “kara” (with the chinese character) an appropriate new name.
Since, even in contemporary Japan, there are many people who are impressed by anything that is foreign, it is not difficult to imagine the high regard for anything Chinese that prevailed during that period in Okinawa.
Even at the time of the present writer’s youth, lack of a full set of Chinese furniture and furnishings in one’s home was a serious impediment to the social influence of any leading family.
With this background, the reason for the choice of the Chinese “kara” character, meaning “Chinese,” as a simple case of exoticism is apparent.
Following tradition, the writer has in the past continued to use the Chinese character.
However, because of the frequent confusion with Chinese boxing, and the fact that the Okinawan martial art may now be considered a Japanese martial art, it is inappropriate, and in a sense degrading, to continue use of the old “kara” in the name.
For this reason, in spite of many protests, we have abandoned the use of it to replace it with the new character KARA.
The first connotation of kara indicates that karate is a technique that permits one to defend himself with his bare hands and fists without weapons.
Second, just as it is the clear mirror that reflects without distortion, or the quiet valley that echoes a sound, so must one who would study Karate-do purge himself of selfish and evil thoughts, for only with a clear mind and conscience can he understand that which he receives.
This is another meaning of the element kara in Karate-do.
Next, he who would study Karate-do must always strive to be inwardly humble and outwardly gentle.
However, once he has decided to stand up for the cause of justice, then he must have the courage expressed in the saying, “Even if it must be ten million foes, I go!”
Thus, he is like the green bamboo stalk: hollow (kara) inside, straight, and with knots, that is, unselfish, gentle, and moderate. This meaning is also contained in the element kara of Karate-do.
Finally, in a fundamental way, the form of the universe is emptiness (kara), and, thus, emptiness is form itself.
There are many kinds of martial arts, judo, kendo, sojitsu (“spear techniques”), bojitsu (“stick techniques”), and others, but at a fundamental level all these arts rest on the same basis as Karate-do.
It is no exaggeration to say that the original sense of Karate-do is at one with the basis of all martial arts. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form itself. The kara of Karate-do has this meaning.”
Or as Paul Harvey always said, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
“Girls Gone Wild”, But In A Very Different Way
The girls I want to introduce today meet the criterion “Girls Gone Wild”, but in a very different way.
A friend of mine sent me this video clip that is absolutely jaw-dropping.
We all know how effective jumping rope is. And I mean in how little time you can get an astounding workout.
In my humble opinion, jumping rope should be part of every martial artist’s training routine, no matter what style they practice.
Watching these girls do their thing at The U.S. Naval Academy for about 8 minutes really blew me away.
Maybe we should start a campaign with them as poster children to reverse child obesity and diabetes type 2 in America and in other countries for that matter with similarly growing health problems.
Enjoy the video and have a great workout week after consulting with your physician.
Keep the defibrillator nearby!
Krav Maga – Martial Art Or Not?
Is Krav Maga a martial art or not?
As far as Krav Maga practitioners are concerned it’s more about martial than art.
Now what does that mean? Good question.
For some, traditional martial arts appear to be too rigid and simply too tradition-bound.
Krav Maga strives to be a ‘defensive tactics system’ which means it has to constantly adapt to situation and circumstances.
It is NOT a sport. It is about self-defense that will get you home safely.
Krav Maga incorporates elements of many martial arts themselves.
Krav Maga has been the prime fighting system of the Israeli Defense Forces since the State of Israel was founded in 1948.
Imi Lichtenfeld, who created Krav Maga (Hebrew for contact combat), was the Israeli military school’s chief instructor for physical training and Krav Maga.
He already developed the concepts of an effective self-defense system while still living as a Jew in Eastern Europe and fighting fascist thugs in the 1930s.
Years later in Israel, Mr. Lichtenfeld continued to refine the system to base it on the body’s natural instincts under stress and making it a very aggressive, “never quit” combat system.
Check out this video clip and as always viewer discretion is advised.
Do not attempt without a certified instructor and not before consulting your physician!
So, is Krav Maga a martial art or not? Let me know what you think.
Who’s The Next UFC Hall Of Fame Inductee?
If you are at all interested in Ultimate Fighting, you might have also asked yourself the same question:
Who’s the next the UFC Hall Of Fame Inductee?
Let’s see who’s in there so far:
Now, that’s one heck of an impressive line-up of individuals who have competed at the highest level and in the case of Chris Lewis* who promoted UFC at the highest level.
I’m thinking maybe Matt “The Country Boy” Hughes.
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Or maybe even Pat "The Croatian Sensation" Miletich,
Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz
Frank “The Legend” Shamrock
Anybody else?
I’ll be sitting here in front of my computer waiting for your suggestions.
*Chris unfortunately died in a car crash last March. May he rest in peace.
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