Today was the birthday of one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time, William Harrison Dempsey better known as Jack Dempsey, he was born at the turn of the century June 24, 1895.
The west was still wild when he started to fight at the age of 15 against bigger and older opponents.
Between 1919 and 1926 Dempsey reigned as the heavyweight boxing champion of the world.
He could knock you out with either hand and was not ashamed to be called a slugger, men feared getting in the ring with him.
Above are a few quotes and pictures of the champ, enjoy.
We've recently seen a spike in new student enrollments at the Muay Thai Academy International, a number of which have defected from Fairtex and Master Toddy. Others have a background in TKD & other sports oriented martial arts. Regardless of their respective backgrounds, they all tend to have one trait in common - they have the 'exchange' mentality.
Almost all sports oriented martial arts teach students to always stand in front one's opponent. Body movement is much like that in fencing - get in, strike, and back out - but always be in front of your opponent. Whether we're doing shadow boxing, pad drills, or sparring: most new students want to strike and wait to counter, thus exchanging blows with their partners.
If I'm in a fight, the last place I want to be is in front of my opponent trading punches. I've been trained to use continuous movement and react on the fly. Instead of simply blocking, I move in at angles to get myself close enough so its uncomfortable for him to attack. That's my comfort zone. If I don't move in, I'm trying to get behind him because, where else could you be safer than behind you enemy?
Its really just a matter of your mindset. If you train to stay dynamic and reject the rule that states you have to stand still and absorb blows you'll find your movements more fluid and your sparring partners more frustrated.
Hey everybody here is a multiple opponent fighting drill we use at Muay Thai Academy International.
The object of the drill is to protect yourself as your training partners hit you with Thai pads, you can also use focus mits or gloves.
Go for 1, 2, or 3 minute rounds. You don't need a cage to do the drill, just use a training mat or mark the floor with tape in a ten foot diameter circle and stay within the circle.
This drill develops your defense, footwork, tactics and conditioning all at once, not to mention getting use to dealing with multiples and getting comfortable with impact to your body.
So try the drill and let us know what you think, I know you'll get alot out of it.
We're hosting an open house at the Muay Thai Academy International tomorrow (March 21, 2009). If you live in the SF Bay Area - or if you happen to be in town this weekend - drop by.
We'll be on hand to answer questions, run through some reality based street fighting situations and give guests a taste of how we train lerdrit, muay boran, muay chao churd, and close quarter combat. A sister school will also be on hand to demo some 'dirty' jujitsu that's a little more street oriented than the typical stuff you find at a MMA school.
Here's the logistical info:
Date: 3/21/2009 Time: 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm Place: Muay Thai Academy International (below the yoga joint) 1500 Norman Ave , Santa Clara , CA
Stationary strikes can become fairly strong with a tweaking of body mechanics. But in my opinion, stationary strikes carry two inherent problems. They limit the amount of torque and thrust you can generate, and they also inhibit body movement - arguably the most important aspect of a fight. If you aren't moving in a fight/combat situation, you're a target that's going to get hit.
Incorporating drive (forward motion) into your strikes will increase your hitting power not only because you're adding momentum to the force mix, but also consider this:
Knee Strikes - you'll be able thrust your hips farther forward, allowing you to drive deeper into your target
Elbows and Kicks - increased range of pivot rotation and hip drive
Punches & Headbutts - Additional force behind the strike and more ability to hit through the target.
In the video below I used the basic muay thai up elbow strike to demonstrate this concept. Modern ring style muay thai teaches the up elbow as a stationary attack. Lerdrit and muay chao churd integrates drive into almost all of its offensive and defensive techniques.
So when when you're moving while you strike you're killing a number of birds with one stone while conserving movement and keeping yourself a difficult target to hit.
