Fight Team

Friday, 28 August 2009

Aberdeen Martial Arts Group has been producing fighters in the local area and nationals for many years now. We have always done well, usually winning or getting medals. We've had Scottish champions too.

Although it might seem cool to be able to take part in the competitions and fights that are arranged, it requires a lot of hard work and commitment to both yourself and the fight team. This is the part that may not always be seen. For example, as part of the BJJ Competition Team it is not just the case of doing an extra bit of cardio at the back of the gym. Instead it requires you to commit far more than that. I'd expect to see a competitor turn up to all the classes without fail for a start. Then he/she would need to turn up to all the additional competition training and yes I do expect them to re-arrange their life around that training. This is important remember!! Now there are obvious things like going offshore to work or being at work during the normal working day. But your mums birthday or worse still you needed to go for a run(!!) are not really acceptable reasons to miss the training. You are basically at the coaches beck and call. They will of course put the training on at a reasonable time to try and suit everyone but they are doing this to help you achieve and they do it out of their own time - for you.

In the Jitsudo competition training you get one strike. If you miss the training after that without a suitable reason then your off the team. It's as simple as that. If you need to miss a session then you need to arrange it with the coaches and if its bollocks then you need to ask yourself why your doing this and if you are committing to yourself.

So the bottom line: Don't ask to compete unless you have the time to do the training and fully commit to the training. Train hard fight easy isn't just a cool saying - it's a reality!!

Head Stop Drill

Thursday, 20 August 2009

Tuesday class saw us doing a pretty good warm-up on the pads. We call it 'Fifteens' and guess what?? We have to do each drill fifteen times.
After that we did some of our standard drills then we looked at a new drill called the Head Stop Drill. See the video below.
Here's the moves:

1. Jab
2. Jab, cross
3. Criss-cross
4. Head Stop
5. Rear upper-cut
6. Lead hook
7. Cross
8. Nao Tek

Drifting into danger

Tuesday, 18 August 2009

One of the great things contested martial arts does for someone is allow them to see their weaknesses and address them. Too often people have the attitude it will never happen to me and for that reason alone will allow themselves to drift into danger, one way or another. Walking through a city park at night on their own or thinking that their martial arts training will save them in a confrontation - when they have never tried to apply any of their 'killer' moves on people that don't want it done on them. Also, contested martial arts is more than just physical, you have to contest your beliefs and fears too. That's the hard part and that's why most of us claim to ourselves; "it'll never happen to me!!"
Why am I saying this today?? Well I just watched this video and I'm mindful of a few things Bob Spour and Marc McFann said at the weekend. The root of the problem with the events in this video, I believe, is the thought that 'it will never happen to me'. The video is part of a campaign to stop people texting while driving and whilst this is a crucial message that you should listen to and follow, it seems to me only part of a much bigger problem with people thinking that nothing bad will happen to them even when they don't heed the danger.
So back to the texting - and the realisation that texting and mobile phones, like the iPhone, have become a big part of our lives. We text all the time even when we're out with friends we will still be texting others that couldn't make it. However, there is one activity that you should not mix texting with and that is driving. Driving requires our full and undivided attention doesn’t it?? But you already know that!?
Well here's why. But it'll never happen to you, right!? (Watch all of it!!)

UFA and TBA-UK Camp 2009

Monday, 17 August 2009

Well I'm just back from another awesome UFA and TBA-UK camp. The turn out was pretty good and we all took part in some great training. The Saturday started with Marc taking us through some of the focus mitt drills he and his fighters use for MMA training over in his school. Then we went on to some take-downs and a closer look at how he incorporates some aspects of silat into the MMA game.
Next up was Ajarn Chai. He traditionally looks at boxing with a view to Muay Thai boxing first and Saturday was no exception. The best part of this part of the seminar is when you get a chance to go up on the pads with Ajarn. A few of the Aberdeen people went up including Bill and Hayden, who were both testing. The funniest part was when Ajarn asked Ray his name and Ray dropped his guard, leaned forward to tell him his name and POW!! Ajarn slapped Ray across the face for dropping his guard. Most people gasped but one or two of us laughed our asses off. Ray man that was so funny!!
We had a great meal and drinks that night then we all went our separate ways, with some of them going off to Ewen's local for more drinking.
Sunday brought us our special guest, Ajarn Spour. He took us through some Muay Thai clinch work and a then let us apply it (loosely) in a self-protection sort of format.
Marc then took us through some double stick kali which we all enjoyed even if it did perplex a few folk and this led into Ajarn Chai coming back in to take us through some Muay Thai Boxing this time.
Peter and I had to leave early so we never got to hold pads or watch Bill and Hayden testing. Suffice to say they both past and are now Krus under Ajarn Chai within the TBA-UK. I'll leave the story of the testing to be picked up by the AMAG Blog.
Overall - AWESOME!!

Sifu McFann Seminar

Wednesday, 12 August 2009

Last night saw the return of Marc McFann to AMAG, after a long while and a tough year. He was looking great and was buzzing with his usual humour, stories and passion for the arts. Marc is a real inspiration to me and many others including Pat and my brother and manages to mix hardcore/hardwork with the art aspect of the Martial Arts.
The seminar was split into two parts. The first part was Silat and an area that Marc has studied a lot. He has taken the art and applied its application to the West. The art tradionally is a weapons based system that comes from a culture where everyone carries one or more blades. This causes the system to sometimes look a bit poor when shown without that context (blade). Marc applies the art to the way we behave and fight in the West and blends and shows routes into other systems such as BJJ, wrestling, CSW etc.
Last night was no exception - he showed us several take downs from a cross entry and several finishes including a type of juji submission/break with strikes and a crussifix stock applied from a Hari Mau kneeling position.
The second part of the seminar then went into an area of Kali that had no weapons. Here we applied sectoring to understand the different options we have. Then from those sectors we learned to employ some striking and du mong (Kali grappling techniques) to chokes and take downs.
Everyone left with a big smile on their face and some will be looking forward to the weekend where we will continue the training with Marc at the UFA Instuctors camp. Ajarn Chai our Muay Thai instructor will be there too and several people will be testing under him. So good luck to them!!

Sifu McFann @ AMAG

Tuesday, 11 August 2009

Classes

Thursday, 6 August 2009

Next week my Tuesday class and Pat's Jun Fan classes won't be on because we have Sifu Marc McFann up to teach a seminar. The seminar will be in two phases:

6:30pm - 8pm will be looking at Silat Ground Fighting
8pm - 9:30ish will be looking at Kali

See AMAG Site for details

Then at the weekend we have the UFA Instructors camp. Ajarn Chai is going to be testing Bill and Chris too so that will be fun ;-)

July Highlights Reel

Saturday, 1 August 2009

Just uploaded the July Highlights Reel. Didn't have a lot of video footage this month because I only had the idea a couple of weeks ago.
Enjoy....


See it on youtube too in better quality.
July Highlights Reel