NeoGAF Martial Arts |OT| Should You Desire the Great Tranquility, Prepare to Sweat

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Great to see another Krav dude. How long have you been training for?

Just a few months, but I was sold pretty early on since they basically threw us in what I thought was the deep end to check how well we kept ourselves alive. And then it turns out that it's just one big deep end.

The system I train in is sort of scaled down on technique but ramped up in application, pretty much every session has a serious stress test and i think the instructors do a really good job att keeping it dynamic and "real." I think they dropped something like 80% of the available technical variations based on the idea that sorting through too many options can cost you valuable time in a real life situation.
 
JTran, how was the PATHS? I might be in that area sometime in the future and if i need a new place to train itll be a candidate
 
JTran, how was the PATHS? I might be in that area sometime in the future and if i need a new place to train itll be a candidate

I wasn't able to go last weekend but will attend the coming weekend. From the email I got from the instructor, Allen Carroll, they train in their Hsing I classes at a park in the basketball court on Saturday and Sunday mornings only. I will be sure to update you after my first class, mainly for my own selfish reasons for advice and what not :). I have been watching a few videos like this one and this one to try and get a feel of what the class will be like. Hopefully my class updates will be enough info for you to base your decision.
 
I wasn't able to go last weekend but will attend the coming weekend. From the email I got from the instructor, Allen Carroll, they train in their Hsing I classes at a park in the basketball court on Saturday and Sunday mornings only. I will be sure to update you after my first class, mainly for my own selfish reasons for advice and what not :). I have been watching a few videos like this one and this one to try and get a feel of what the class will be like. Hopefully my class updates will be enough info for you to base your decision.

Yeah, you might do line practice but the first thing you'll learn will probably be this:

San Ti Shi stance

This is the "horse stance" type foundational training of any Hebei style XYQ system, it's also the fighting stance where skills come from (in combat/spars i raise my rear hand a lot for blocks and such) kinda like this:

santi.jpg


youtube it and try standing in that position for like 5 minutes. The physical structure is important, but try to focus on being relaxed. Don't force it. The point is to remodel your body (especially your legs). You won't have a good santi stance even after a couple months, honestly. But you can at least try to start it.

Edit: you might also learn the first of the 5 elements Pi Quan too
 
Dear Sweet Prudence.

I've been unable to workout due to a respiratory infection for the last month.

Did Muay Thai drills the last 2 days to get back into shape.

I am extraordinarily out of shape.

Jiujitsu is going to be brutal tomorrow.
 
BJJ-

great class last night. last week someone got me in a deep collar choke. it didn't feel good. luckily my partner showed me the particular choke and its defense. last night I managed to tap out 2 different guys in class with it. almost as rewarding as pulling off the chokes was teaching those guys how I did it.
 
I have a BJJ tournament saturday and sunday. And I don't feel like it. I feel stressed about it, and frankly im scared.


I've been to 5 ones before over the last two years so it's not that it's a new thing. It's just that.. since I broke my arm, and it came so unexpectedly, and I still barely lift a frying pan, I am scared.


Stand up is also what frightens me. In our gym our instructor knows a lot about good wrestling takedowns and solid defense. however almost all of us dont want to do this. everyone ive talked to feels like they are much more prone to injury when starting standing. My instructor tells me to just grab a collar and pull guard.


but.. Sometimes, its hard or the other guy fights for it. Yesterday I tried going for a single leg but hesitated before I grabbed the leg, and he guilotine grabbed me. the technique was shoddy but mostly it was just my complete hesitation. its lethal. he pulls into my throat, and i try to yank out of it, and as we both descended to the our knees, it was like he cracked my neck halfway to hell. he did the right thing, it was me who didnt tap, because I thought I could escape it.

but its so stupid to tap to a standing guilotine because you cant do proper head gesture. I mean.. what the flying fuck.


we've practiced a few breakfalls, but not anything with confidence. it just gives me a lot of stress and I dont want to compete. my instructor pushes for it. I've tried living my life in a way over the last few years that I try to kill my fears by acting on it and going towards it. usually I am more happy for facing it, than being limited by what-could-have-been.

but I have no drive or need to win. I just want to get better for myself. the tension is so sick though. and im mixed of feeling bored of all the waiting during the tournaments and anxiety. its a strange combo. I want to do it because I see the value in learning to relax under stressful situations. having people yell at you (strangers, the your opponents teammates and coach) and yelling on how to destroy you.

facing defeat in a jiujitsu tournament has been the most humbling defeat(s) ive had. the animal instricts act up, and I feel like a caged lion fighting for its life. its so alien having these completely primal survival instinct. its not really violence or agression (at least for me). its like I dont even matter. my body does what it can based on the muscle memory it has learned from the training. whatever happens its almost like I am just a passanger in my own body, and no preparation besides common sense and not having bloody diarah come fighting day, or submissions 101 instruction youtube video, can make me win.


/venting
 
tournaments are stressful, nothing will change that.

if you cant do takedowns, pull guard. the only difficult is pulling guard correctly and not pulling guard into a terrible position where you immediately get passed. so as weird as that sounds, there actually is some technique and strategy to pulling guard. if you dont want to pull guard, just stand and wait for your opponent to do something and be annoying. you both might have that same mindset, then it just comes down to who is willing to try for it first. thats why if i dont feel confident in my takedown, i will try to pull guard asap and give myself as much time as possible to work my guard game.

i have found that getting a good warm up and getting a bit of a sweat in before i start my first match helps out a lot. i still get nerves when i do tournaments now and that adrenaline dump during the first few minutes can really screw you up. trying to control that with a meaningful warm up can really help out.
 
Yeah, you might do line practice but the first thing you'll learn will probably be this:

San Ti Shi stance

This is the "horse stance" type foundational training of any Hebei style XYQ system, it's also the fighting stance where skills come from (in combat/spars i raise my rear hand a lot for blocks and such) kinda like this:

santi.jpg


youtube it and try standing in that position for like 5 minutes. The physical structure is important, but try to focus on being relaxed. Don't force it. The point is to remodel your body (especially your legs). You won't have a good santi stance even after a couple months, honestly. But you can at least try to start it.

Edit: you might also learn the first of the 5 elements Pi Quan too

I tried it out yesterday and I will admit it was difficult. Not sure if I was doing it correct but a lot of weight was on my back leg knee, thigh, and hamstring. I have been doing martial arts for a few years and had to do front, back, and horse stances a lot. Not saying I am very good at them but San Ti Shi stance felt more difficult then what I think is close to a back stance. I think it is because the back foot was facing forward instead of back and both feet where on the same line instead of shoulder width apart. Or maybe I was doing it wrong but definitely feels like something I will need lots of practice on. Thanks for the tips and help.
 
BJJ dudes,

Any tips on keeping guard and preventing a pass? I've only been practicing for a few months and my instructor and some training partners tell me I am getting better but it just seems so easy for anyone to pass my guard. Last training session I felt was better because after each round I was not as tired as last week. I was submitted by 2 gi chokes, armbar, americana, and omoplata but I did get a arm triangle so not too bad. The arm triangle felt more like luck though cause the guy had me in side control then he switched to scarf hold. Somehow I got out of it and almost had his back but got side. My chest was on his arm and I pressed his arm against his chest. Noticed it was wrapped around his neck so was able to finish with the arm triangle. It was cool to get the submission but everytime I get one, it feels more like luck then anything which is why I ask about you guys' defense tactics. I watched the youtube videos and read stuff online in forums and sites but just curious on what you guys do.
 
I tried it out yesterday and I will admit it was difficult. Not sure if I was doing it correct but a lot of weight was on my back leg knee, thigh, and hamstring. I have been doing martial arts for a few years and had to do front, back, and horse stances a lot. Not saying I am very good at them but San Ti Shi stance felt more difficult then what I think is close to a back stance. I think it is because the back foot was facing forward instead of back and both feet where on the same line instead of shoulder width apart. Or maybe I was doing it wrong but definitely feels like something I will need lots of practice on. Thanks for the tips and help.

Thats actually kind of the idea. You wanna be backweighted 70/30. You also should be switching legs when you get tired. Xingyi along with most other kungfu doesn't emphasize a dominant side a la boxing. You wanna eventually work yourself up to an hour of Santi practice (switching legs when tired). The important thing is to relax, feel your breath returning to your abdomen, keep your elbows glued to your ribs, expand your arms but don't make them straight, grab the earth with your feet, and make sure your heels, nose and hands are all on a line essentially.

It's all kinda hard to do at the same time starting out, so for now just mimic the physical form. Highly recommend getting a mirror or practicing near one. And ya this is different from horse stance holding. apart from the overall form, there are mental aspects to it that you'll eventually learn.
 
Did another Krav Maga endurance thing yesterday, 400 full force punches to the bag. Felt like an odd exercise for the first 300 punches, but at that mark it clicked and I really just wanted to murder the bag. And did so with really good punching force and form. I've never experienced actually getting better form at the end of endurance tests before.
 
Did another Krav Maga endurance thing yesterday, 400 full force punches to the bag. Felt like an odd exercise for the first 300 punches, but at that mark it clicked and I really just wanted to murder the bag. And did so with really good punching force and form. I've never experienced actually getting better form at the end of endurance tests before.
interesting, I need to try this. are these straight punches it hooks? I'm worried i'd fatigue, lose form, and tweak my wrists.
 
interesting, I need to try this. are these straight punches it hooks? I'm worried i'd fatigue, lose form, and tweak my wrists.

Straight open palm strikes, with one hand "grounding" the hit. I noticed that really putting the body weight into it and throwing the head forward with the punch really helped both with force and fatigue. But it was definitely tough.

Using tape for the wrists is highly recommended.
 
Fight class today was good. I've been meaning the boxing side of training a lot more seriously as I really enjoy it and as such have spent the last week researching boxing styles and fighters. Last night I also picked up from the book store a book on boxing training to brush up on the basics.

Today I put what I've learnt so far into practice and I'm pleased with the result. As I'm pretty sure an in-fighter's style suits me best I went with the peek-a-boo defence and managed to take a lot less hits and get in some pretty solid blows. Unfortunately we were just doing straight punches today so I couldn't really take advantage of my style but the tips I read on how to tackle a taller fighter really gave me an edge.

Gonna see how far I can push myself.
 
Fight class today was good. I've been meaning the boxing side of training a lot more seriously as I really enjoy it and as such have spent the last week researching boxing styles and fighters. Last night I also picked up from the book store a book on boxing training to brush up on the basics.

Today I put what I've learnt so far into practice and I'm pleased with the result. As I'm pretty sure an in-fighter's style suits me best I went with the peek-a-boo defence and managed to take a lot less hits and get in some pretty solid blows. Unfortunately we were just doing straight punches today so I couldn't really take advantage of my style but the tips I read on how to tackle a taller fighter really gave me an edge.

Gonna see how far I can push myself.

I have to say, Krav Maga is a lot more strike focused than I thought it would be. They have even said as much, with the argument that good striking form is what's going to keep you off the ground. Not that I mind it, and I'm toying with the idea of training a bit of Muay Thai as a complement to the Krav Maga. But I never realized how poor my strikes had been until, well, they got better. Some 350 strikes later.
 
I have to say, Krav Maga is a lot more strike focused than I thought it would be. They have even said as much, with the argument that good striking form is what's going to keep you off the ground. Not that I mind it, and I'm toying with the idea of training a bit of Muay Thai as a complement to the Krav Maga. But I never realized how poor my strikes had been until, well, they got better. Some 350 strikes later.

Remember that the founder of Krav was a champion boxer and wrestler so it's not surprising that boxing is a vital part of the training. Besides, boxers have the best standing game out there.
 
I've been doing BJJ for 2.5 years
Been a blue belt a year in December

I love the damn sport.
I never compete because I work weekends and I have a family
But getting good enough to help those who do compete in BJJ and MMA is really fulfilling

My favorite game is 2-on-1 guard
 
BJJ dudes,

Any tips on keeping guard and preventing a pass? I've only been practicing for a few months and my instructor and some training partners tell me I am getting better but it just seems so easy for anyone to pass my guard. Last training session I felt was better because after each round I was not as tired as last week. I was submitted by 2 gi chokes, armbar, americana, and omoplata but I did get a arm triangle so not too bad. The arm triangle felt more like luck though cause the guy had me in side control then he switched to scarf hold. Somehow I got out of it and almost had his back but got side. My chest was on his arm and I pressed his arm against his chest. Noticed it was wrapped around his neck so was able to finish with the arm triangle. It was cool to get the submission but everytime I get one, it feels more like luck then anything which is why I ask about you guys' defense tactics. I watched the youtube videos and read stuff online in forums and sites but just curious on what you guys do.

It's going to be a long road if you don't have a tight closed guard.
My advice is to open your guard and get on a hip.

Be active in working for sweeps from there. Start simple with hip bumps when you open and scissor sweeps when that fails.

You have to fail at something a BUNCH of times before you get good at it, so open that guard and be active on offense.
 
Remember that the founder of Krav was a champion boxer and wrestler so it's not surprising that boxing is a vital part of the training. Besides, boxers have the best standing game out there.

True. And it's a positive thing as far as I'm concerned, feels more natural than the grappling. Which is really just a sign that I need to work extra on the grappling since it feels more awkward.
 
Today i went for a long practice of "softer" work, focusing more on full body connections and coordination rather than explosiveness. Worked some push hands with a Tai Chi/Taiji guy at my school for about an hour, developing that sensitivity. kind of like this, funny kids.
 
Mixed it up with wrestling club guys today. Man, their shoots and grinds are so good. I learned a lot. And, applied some old football skills, good stuff.
 
Went to my third Judo class last night.
At the higher levels their standup game is excellent. I could stale mate against the Green and Blue Belts, but got taken down by the Black Belts.

But on the ground even the black belts aren't very good. Maybe it's just in my area, but I feel like they almost exclusively focus on standup technique. I was able to sweep and kneebar my instructor almost at will. \
 
Excellent video of some guys in China demoing "Qing Gong" or light body skill, which essentially translates to a combination of parkour, fluid, fast movement, and some impressive aerial stunts. This stuff gets parodied a lot in kung fu movies with the jumping on water and wire fu but this is what it is actually supposed to look like.

here


This guy's kicks are versatile and well placed, i bet he practices Tan Tui frequently.
 
Class yesterday was good. We did nothing but kickboxing so lot's of emphasis on defending - and performing - various punch/kick combos. My thighs are killing me.
 
Hard frustrating practice today. Couldn't get my mechanics right in san shou (sparring) and I was fucking up my tiger form real bad. Having trouble sinking into strikes. I think this week and next i'm gonna have to break down my form again, make it longer range and harder hitting, and keep opening myself up. My teacher says im unconsciously making the transition towards short/anjing skills before my body is ready. It could have just been one really bad day fucked up because i'm busy with school etc, but shit was not good. I'm hitting hard, but not hitting right.
 
Punishment session. Pounded and kicked by 7 others, drop to the floor, defend best as I could and then ordered to get the hell out of the room any way possible which in this case meant shielding my way past two only to be tackled and grabbed by an instructor. It felt pretty good when I managed to lift and neutralize the guy, and it's always nice when I actually get some use of my strength.

It'd appear as if the instructors have now quietly divided the class up a bit during these types of exercises, meaning some of us will see more brutal resistance than others.
 
Punishment session. Pounded and kicked by 7 others, drop to the floor, defend best as I could and then ordered to get the hell out of the room any way possible which in this case meant shielding my way past two only to be tackled and grabbed by an instructor. It felt pretty good when I managed to lift and neutralize the guy, and it's always nice when I actually get some use of my strength.

It'd appear as if the instructors have now quietly divided the class up a bit during these types of exercises, meaning some of us will see more brutal resistance than others.

Heh, awesome. Very similar to stress drills that we do.

Man, today's fight class was exhausting. It was essentially an endurance class to see how much punishment our bodies could take as it was nothing but body blows. The craziest was when we had two people in a small ring (created by laying a few belts on the ground) and one person would fight one person one after the other up to seven. The last person would then step in and the whole thing would repeat until everyone had a go. My arms are bruised from absorbing body-punches.
 
First time coming across this thread(I have rarely stepped into the off topic section before) so I thought I would introduce myself for randomly popping in and joining conversations.

I am from Perth, Western Australia, Australia and currently train in Muay Thai. I will add that I do 3 boxing classes a week as well to keep me sweating in the gym for longer and having a class purely about hands is always good.

I started Muay Thai around 2 years ago and kept at it 4 nights a week for an entire year. It began as a way to get fit and lose weight as pushing weights in the gym bored me to tears. I went from 100kg-80kg in that time. My goal was to reach mid 70's and re evaluate my goals from there. Sadly my interest dwindled away, barely being home and having any time after working and training just slowly pushed me away. I wish now I had just toned it back a little instead of giving myself a complete break from it all as this led to struggling to find the motivation to get back into it. However a year later I have been back for a month averaging 3 nights a week and I couldn't be happier. I'm sad that I am back at square one and need to lose all the weight again but live and learn I guess.

Current goals in mind are to hit 4 nights a week consistently and to drop that first 10kg.

I would love to hear from other trainers in Muay Thai what cardio based exercises they enjoy doing as 1 of those nights it is open gym where I train myself. Lots of skipping at this stage lol.
 
First time coming across this thread(I have rarely stepped into the off topic section before) so I thought I would introduce myself for randomly popping in and joining conversations.

I am from Perth, Western Australia, Australia and currently train in Muay Thai. I will add that I do 3 boxing classes a week as well to keep me sweating in the gym for longer and having a class purely about hands is always good.

I started Muay Thai around 2 years ago and kept at it 4 nights a week for an entire year. It began as a way to get fit and lose weight as pushing weights in the gym bored me to tears. I went from 100kg-80kg in that time. My goal was to reach mid 70's and re evaluate my goals from there. Sadly my interest dwindled away, barely being home and having any time after working and training just slowly pushed me away. I wish now I had just toned it back a little instead of giving myself a complete break from it all as this led to struggling to find the motivation to get back into it. However a year later I have been back for a month averaging 3 nights a week and I couldn't be happier. I'm sad that I am back at square one and need to lose all the weight again but live and learn I guess.

Current goals in mind are to hit 4 nights a week consistently and to drop that first 10kg.

I would love to hear from other trainers in Muay Thai what cardio based exercises they enjoy doing as 1 of those nights it is open gym where I train myself. Lots of skipping at this stage lol.

Good to see another Aussie! Keep it up.


Class today was painfully realistic. We covered defending chokes when we're on the ground: chokes when the attacker is to your side, between your legs and sitting on your chest. We also covered the basic headlocks on the ground defence: one arm free, both arms trapped and when the attacker's head is buried against you. Pretty standard stuff. Done it plenty of times before.

Except then we went to the roof and did all the above drills on hard concrete.

Yeah. As my instructor pointed out now we know precisely why you don't want to be fighting on the ground. Even though we were doing the moves as carefully and slowly as possible I'm still covered in scrapes, bruises and grazes.

A great but painful class.
 
Old Badass of the Week: Su Dong Chen

Wow. Clear example of years and years of practice. Not overtly powerful in the hands but smooth, connected and genuine full body power. His zhen jiao (that stomp) isnt loud but you can see the gym shake when he makes his move. That's the end goal, to naturally create that power.
 
Another brutal trial, group attack but this time one of the blind attacks was with a knife, and not the "look at this knife coming" way either, but streetfight style with short and fast stabs to the midsection. Did alright, would have sliced up my arms but I at least eliminated the guy without receiving any hits to the vital regions.
 
Great class today. Sparring. Got to meet and spar with a couple Chen Taiji guys too, they highlighted a lot of areas i needed to work on grappling wise. They made me work for striking position, had to use a lot of lateral and diagonal movement
 
Another brutal trial, group attack but this time one of the blind attacks was with a knife, and not the "look at this knife coming" way either, but streetfight style with short and fast stabs to the midsection. Did alright, would have sliced up my arms but I at least eliminated the guy without receiving any hits to the vital regions.


That sounds really horrific, but I guess if inner city survival is your goal then this kind of drilling has to be effective.

Great class today. Sparring. Got to meet and spar with a couple Chen Taiji guys too, they highlighted a lot of areas i needed to work on grappling wise. They made me work for striking position, had to use a lot of lateral and diagonal movement


Do you ever roll/spar with people outside of your discipline?
Or are you just trying to compete within the discipline?

As a BJJ guy I grapple with Judo, Wrestling, and Aikido guys a lot so I can find the holes in my own grappling game.
BJJ has a lot of holes in it. Mostly standing and positional ones.
 
Do you ever roll/spar with people outside of your discipline?
Or are you just trying to compete within the discipline?

As a BJJ guy I grapple with Judo, Wrestling, and Aikido guys a lot so I can find the holes in my own grappling game.
BJJ has a lot of holes in it. Mostly standing and positional ones.

Yep. Its usually either with some mantis people, some guys from krav, some guys from combative training concepts (think a military style CQB program), and most recently with these guys doing chen taiji and BJJ. The main issues with a single Xingyi+Bagua training program usually lie in ground game. I have a pretty good takedown defense; used to wrestle and do Baji and boxing in high school and college so infighting is my natural range, but im just now getting into making a guard on the ground and getting out of stuff there.
 
This came in the mail:
xingyi-quan-chinese-army-huang-bo-niens-dennis-rovere-paperback-cover-art.jpg


This book is great. Xingyiquan has a history of being taught in armies in China, and this is Huang Bo Nian's attempt at a sort of drill sargeant's manual for it. During the Sino-japanese war, this manual was used as a progression guide for certain soldier units, in which they learned empty hand forms of the 5 elements and then applied them to weapons like Bayonets and Saber fighting.

Here's a bit of the history stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8BhQp2QvZU


There are two person drills, solo practice, lots of different stuff. It's a great book simply from a historical perspective. First, its a traditional martial art being applied to military situations and CQC. Second, its just rare that the martial arts practices of higher ranking officers in chinese military are being shown. Lots of TMA are and were taught and valued in chinese armies from what I understand, including Xingyiquan, Baguazhang, and Bajiquan from what i remember.

He

Here's a clip of Baji being taught in the military to commandos(?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLJfaRAaAm8


Obviously in modern situations with sharp decreases in H2H and close combat this stuff has all been stripped down and synthesized into CQB systems, but still very interesting to note.
 
Man, I am dead after today's class. I missed Wednesday's class due to sickness (first time I've missed class in a long while) and today I could feel that my stamina was definitely affected. On the plus side my experimentation with trying out Cus D'Amato's "Peek-a-boo" boxing stance (made famous by Mike Tyson) bore fruit, allowing me to be harder to hit. The down side is as the stance requires heaps of stamina and core strength for all the bobbing and weaving I took a lot of hooks to the temples as I was trying it out. It gives me something to work on, though.
 
Man, I am dead after today's class. I missed Wednesday's class due to sickness (first time I've missed class in a long while) and today I could feel that my stamina was definitely affected. On the plus side my experimentation with trying out Cus D'Amato's "Peek-a-boo" boxing stance (made famous by Mike Tyson) bore fruit, allowing me to be harder to hit. The down side is as the stance requires heaps of stamina and core strength for all the bobbing and weaving I took a lot of hooks to the temples as I was trying it out. It gives me something to work on, though.

When I started out boxing i used to use that stance as well. It's definitely something of a specialist style. It allows you to throw volleys of explosive hooks and uppercuts pretty well. It's good for shorter fighters. It has ups and downs tho like you said- you're right about stamina, but it also makes it harder to throw good straight punches in my opinion. You should still be able to throw a mean overhand right if you want to and straights to the body, but that limits your middle and long range options. Plus it kinda has a predictable attack pattern. I'm not to sure about how it is in an MMA or self defense context, but it is very boxing specific. I ended up moving to a more roberto duran/ joe louis style classic stance. I felt like it gave me more options.
 
If you appreciate grappling at all, you need to watch this great HL from Worlds 2012; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_94SS8ZSHvI&feature=channel&list=UL


my god. these guys are on such a high level.
Great video, very entertaining to watch.

Haven't been training that much lately, mostly teaching. From Dec 8 - January we have xmas break with no training, so I will mostly just do training at home. Then when the new season starts next year I always really hungry for some training.
 
Thinking about fighting full contact sanda at a tournament in the novice division in april. Shits got me kinda nervous. Never done competition before.
 
When I started out boxing i used to use that stance as well. It's definitely something of a specialist style. It allows you to throw volleys of explosive hooks and uppercuts pretty well. It's good for shorter fighters. It has ups and downs tho like you said- you're right about stamina, but it also makes it harder to throw good straight punches in my opinion. You should still be able to throw a mean overhand right if you want to and straights to the body, but that limits your middle and long range options. Plus it kinda has a predictable attack pattern. I'm not to sure about how it is in an MMA or self defense context, but it is very boxing specific. I ended up moving to a more roberto duran/ joe louis style classic stance. I felt like it gave me more options.

EDIT: thinking about fighting full contact sanda in a tournament in april. should be fun

I'm 5'10" and more of an in-fighter so it suits me well. However I definitely like to switch stance often whilst sparring so I may start in classic guard and then switch to peek-a-boo, then Philly Shell and back to classic, etc. I'm also trying to work on my counter-punching as it's so important to master.

As to the predictability of the peek-a-boo stance, yes you can pretty much guarantee that once the person closes the distance they will launch a volley of hooks and uppercuts. The thing is once they're right in your face there's not much you can do other than shell-up or clinch which is why the peek-a-boo is so good for in-fighters.

On the street in a real fight however I'd probably stick to a classic guard because I'd be using my legs as well to defend.
 
I'm 5'10" and more of an in-fighter so it suits me well. However I definitely like to switch stance often whilst sparring so I may start in classic guard and then switch to peek-a-boo, then Philly Shell and back to classic, etc. I'm also trying to work on my counter-punching as it's so important to master.
Same. Generally ill drop my guard more at a distance and change my leg width. I think its easier to feint and draw punches that way. And then i'll close up more as i get in range. Never was much of an outboxer though. I'm 5'8" ~175-180, lol

As to the predictability of the peek-a-boo stance, yes you can pretty much guarantee that once the person closes the distance they will launch a volley of hooks and uppercuts. The thing is once they're right in your face there's not much you can do other than shell-up or clinch which is why the peek-a-boo is so good for in-fighters.
Predictability is a bad word. I think versatility is better for what I'm saying. If you kind of side tilt the stance like Patterson did you can throw a pretty decent piston like jab if you step in. You need a fair bit of power or good mechanics to get the right results at that range though, as far as punching goes. An infight is pretty much a struggle for the tiniest bit of space and an endurance test. Used to love how you could use that peek a boo bob and weave to hurl your bodyweight into a hook

On the street in a real fight however I'd probably stick to a classic guard because I'd be using my legs as well to defend.
Agreed. My fighting/sparring stance is different from a classical xingyi guard as well. I open up my legs a bit and raise my rear hand to chin area. I like to move my lead hand around a bit to probe for openings and such.
 
Same. Generally ill drop my guard more at a distance and change my leg width. I think its easier to feint and draw punches that way. And then i'll close up more as i get in range. Never was much of an outboxer though. I'm 5'8" ~175-180, lol


Predictability is a bad word. I think versatility is better for what I'm saying. If you kind of side tilt the stance like Patterson did you can throw a pretty decent piston like jab if you step in. You need a fair bit of power or good mechanics to get the right results at that range though, as far as punching goes. An infight is pretty much a struggle for the tiniest bit of space and an endurance test.

Agreed. My fighting/sparring stance is different from a classical xingyi guard as well. I open up my legs a bit and raise my rear hand to chin area. I like to move my lead hand around a bit to probe for openings and such.

Yeah, I've got to get used to widening and narrowing my leg position.

Also, if I want to make the most of being an in-fighter I really need to pack on more muscle. I've lost a tonne of weight this year and as such I don't have the power to do my strikes justice. Early next year I plan to hit the gym to adress that however.
 
Yeah, I've got to get used to widening and narrowing my leg position.

Also, if I want to make the most of being an in-fighter I really need to pack on more muscle. I've lost a tonne of weight this year and as such I don't have the power to do my strikes justice. Early next year I plan to hit the gym to adress that however.

Being able to move your legs actively makes a huge difference. I think a lot of westerners have issues with this in martial arts because of the sedentary lifestyles we lead. A lot of my foundational training in xingyi is footwork stuff, long steps to open your body up. Its not just about flexibility I think, but also maintaining your balance, posture and hip position as you move around. The key to power IMO is hand to foot. you wanna start a kinetic chain from your hand, through your hips, up your back and out into whatever you're striking with. Muscular strength and mass makes a difference for sure, but I think you can make similarly incredible gains in striking power from focusing on coordination, breathing, and mechanics.

That being said I definitely would check out http://rosstraining.com/blog/

Tons of conditioning for combat athletes; strongman work, calisthenics, weights. You name it. I would recommend the sledgehammer tire exercise. Great workout and you will notice the difference in hitting power. Plus its cheap and convenient, you can do it at home in the morning before work or something.
 
Being able to move your legs actively makes a huge difference. I think a lot of westerners have issues with this in martial arts because of the sedentary lifestyles we lead. A lot of my foundational training in xingyi is footwork stuff, long steps to open your body up. Its not just about flexibility I think, but also maintaining your balance, posture and hip position as you move around. The key to power IMO is hand to foot. you wanna start a kinetic chain from your hand, through your hips, up your back and out into whatever you're striking with. Muscular strength and mass makes a difference for sure, but I think you can make similarly incredible gains in striking power from focusing on coordination, breathing, and mechanics.

That being said I definitely would check out http://rosstraining.com/blog/

Tons of conditioning for combat athletes; strongman work, calisthenics, weights. You name it. I would recommend the sledgehammer tire exercise. Great workout and you will notice the difference in hitting power. Plus its cheap and convenient, you can do it at home in the morning before work or something.

Cooll, thanks! Bookmarked!
 
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