Old Style Muay Thai Open House in Santa Clara, CA

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

Punch and pie.

Angel Of Death

Hey Everybody

Just wanted everybody to check out a Bad Ass Hardcore Chick named Eve, she's an assasin with a bad attitude.

She can shoot a gun, punch bareknuckle and throws some mean knees and kicks! I'm in love!

"Meet the girl that can kick your ass" as the add says, go to crackle.com and watch "Angel of Death" and see if she isn't what I say she is.

There are ten episodes and everyone is kickass, so get on over and start watching the action, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Who knows you might learn a few cool moves from the beat downs she gives.

Take Care

Daniel Sambrano

Come by and Visit

Come and train at a no nonsense Combative Training Center.

Muay Thai Academy International

Come train to be a warrior today.

Cage Fighting

Multiple Opponent Training in a Steel Tiger Cage.

Using drive to add power your strikes

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.

Things that make you go Hmm...

Here are two true stories that will make you scratch your head and go Hmm...

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Babysitter Shot by Angry 4-Year-Old

by Amy Hatch

Police are scratching their heads over what to do with a 4-year-old Jackson, Ohio boy who shot his babysitter after the 18-year-old caretaker stepped on the child's foot.

Nathan Beavers was minding the boy in his grandmother's mobile home when the shooting took place. Beavers says that after he accidentally stepped on the boy's foot, the enraged child announced he was going to get a gun.

No one in the house took him seriously -- several other teens and kids were present -- but the boy ran to a nearby closet, and grabbed a gun. He then opened a drawer, took out a shell, loaded the gun and fired it at Beavers.

Beavers sustained minor wounds to his arm and side, and was treated and released from the hospital. One other teen also suffered minor injuries.

The boy is in the custody of his parents while cops figure out what to do about the incident. He may be too young to be charged.

His father says the kid has seen adults fire guns before, but maintains that he was not aware that his son knew how to load and shoot the weapon. Counseling has been arranged for the young shooter.

Wow, and I thought it was bad when the kid I babysat for hid my shoes. What's next? I mean, the guy just stepped on his foot. What would have happened if he had tried to make him take a nap or sit in the naughty chair?

This just goes to show that A) kids are more prone than ever to violence at younger ages and B) you need to lock up your guns, people.

Teen Arrested After Passing Gas at School

by Sandy Maple

If this kid in Stuart, Florida was looking for a little attention at school, he certainly found an offensive way to get it.

According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, the 13-year-old was arrested earlier this month after purposely disrupting his classroom at Spectrum Junior-Senior High School.

No, he wasn't threatening anyone or endangering the lives of his classmates or teacher - he was passing gas.

The Sheriff's report alleges that the boy repeatedly and deliberately broke wind in the classroom and shut off a few computer that other students were using.

After confessing to his crimes, he was arrested on charges of 'disruption of a school function' and released to his mother.

You know, if deliberately and repeatedly passing gas is a crime, I know a few people who should be behind bars for life.

************************************************
So what have we learned from these two stories today, be careful of people with loaded weapons.

Take care and be safe out there.

Daniel Sambrano
www.SuperHeroSystems.com

Another MMA Fighter Shot and Killed This Year

Hey guys just wanted to give you all the heads up, sadly another MMA fighter was killed this year.

His name was Justin Eilers, he was shot and died shortly after on Friday morning, the day after Christmas.

In an apparent domestic disturbance at an acquaintance's home in Canyon County, Idaho.

The cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest, the bullet punctured his lung before exiting his body.

Justin Eilers was 30 years old.

The shooter James Robert Malec, 48, was arrested and charged with second degree murder in relation to the shooting.

Justin was a heavyweight fighter who fought for the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Andrea Arloski at UFC 53 in June 2005.

He also fought for Elite XC in 2008 for a title shot against Antonio Silva.

What I wanted to point out was his killer wasn't a big heavyweight MMA Fighter or a tough thug, but a 48 year old man who wasn't a fighter but someone who became deadly due to the use of a firearm.

This tragic death could have been avoided but unfortunately wasn't, what started out as an argument ended deadly.

For all you MMA Fighters or Martial Artists out there you need to be careful what you do outside the gym, that secret stand up combo or new jiu jitsu move won't work against a committed individual willing to kill you with a weapon.

When real violence enters your life you may not be able to make it tap out or be able to knock it out!

What you really need to know doesn't involve strength or sweat, a punch or a kick.

What you need to learn is awareness and deescalation skills and tactics to deal with this type of situation, no amount of kicks or punches will help when the bullets start flying.

Also if you're not training in how to deal with weapons of any kind then you're training is incomplete and needs to be reevaluated.

So take off the gloves and get up off the ground and start learning how to protect yourself from this type of violence, at the very least you'll have some options that may save your life and those of your love ones.

Take care and be safe.


Daniel Sambrano
"Keep It Simple and Savage"
www.SuperHeroSystems.com

Your defense is always offensive in muay boran

Just because my arms aren't wrapped up in hemp and I'm not wearing long shorts doesn't mean it ain't muay oran. Here's a few things to consider about muay thai in general, but more specifically the older styles(muay boran, muay chao churd, mae mai, even lerdrit):

1. Even your defense is offensive, be ultra aggressive
2. Face the weapon
3. You rarely move back, more often you move in as your opponent strikes
4. Like in bando, you're always looking to take your enemy's territory (drive him back)
5. Strike hard, use your elbows often, and aim for soft tissue.
6. Blogspot's content editor doesn't auto format numbering...annoying.

I really don't recommend going under and hooking a kick in any street fight scenario. You leave yourself way too open, but in the ring when you're sparring, now that's another story.

Punch Your Way to Fat Loss!

Hey guys here is a great article by a friend and student of mine by the name of Aaron Briscoe, check it out and learn some new twists for fat loss using punching and fighting drills, enjoy.

And don't forget to check out his website to see some samples of his training via video clips and to read more interesting articles.

PUNCH YOUR WAY TO FAT LOSS!

Ever wonder why you hardly ever see a boxer, muay thai fighter, or any other combat athlete with a soft mid-section or soft anything else? Well, aside from the intense conditioning they must go through, prior to a fight or competition, they are on a strict diet, but in reality, these people BURN CALORIES!

Making weight can be difficult for anyone, but when you consider their profession, it's no wonder the vast majority of pugilists are lean.

For the rest of us, boxing can provide an unreal calorie burning workout that few can rival. The average boxing session can burn up to 600 calories per 60 minutes. Now, in this sense, when I refer to boxing, I'm referring to bag and focus mit work. Not actually sparring. If we talk about sparring the rate of caloric expenditure goes up much higher.

In order to get the absolute most out of our boxing sessions, what I like to do is incorporate movement drills with the boxing. For instance, there's one drill we do often--"Running to Battle".

Basically, the client throws 20 punches, then has to run a pre-determined distance, and then back to me for another round of punching. Try doing that for 5 straight rounds and see if the sweat doesn't pour down. Once comfortable with the coordination of the movements, I also incorporate Thai knees into the equation, making the body work just that much harder.

Also, boxing offers amazing core work. The constant rotation of the hips and upper body creates tension throughout the entire abdominal complex, in particular, the obliques. Your obliques are your shrink wrap. Work them well, and they help pull the rectus abdominis in creating a leaner mid-section. You will also develop a strong, defined back. Look at the back of any combat athlete and see if you can't point to each specific muscle.

For stress relief, aside from maybe meditation, I don't know of a better exercise. If a client comes in and says they've had a bad day, we go straight for the gloves. If their mind is distracted, even in the least, clean and presses will have to wait!

Now, for safety considerations, I highly recommend taking a few lessons, buying some large gloves and hand wraps. Some contraindications to boxing are if a client has any shoulder, elbow, or wrist conditions.

When I teach clients to punch, I prefer to teach them the old bareknuckle style which is to NOT turn the hand over as you see in boxing today. The reason is simple, it protects the wrist. As you turn your wrists over during a punch, it is easy to "snake", or bend, the wrist and upon impact if your wrist is not straight, it will hurt....bad. Having done this before, I can assure you, this is something you do not want to do.

Also, when first beginning, I never advise punching hard. Most people don't spend time punching anything, and to, all of the sudden, start slamming your fist into bags or pads will result in bad cramps in the hand. Go easy and focus on speed and movement. After all, this is to burn fat and not to train to fight.

Boxing offers a change up to the traditional workout. It makes things fun and exciting, and at the same time, helping to burn fat at a high rate. I have yet to see a client not have fun with this while working extraordinarily hard at the same time.

Again, make sure you always focus on what you are doing to protect yourself from injury. Just like any other exercise in the gym, one lapse in concentration can result in you getting hurt and that's not point of any workout plan.

Now, get out there and punch your way to fat loss!

By Aaron Briscoe

Aaron Briscoe is a Martial Artist and Personal Trainer specializing in unique and funtional

training programs for fat loss. For more information and video exercise clips... Go To =>

http://www.mindbodypersonalperformance.com/

Spread 'em! Simple street combat entry technique

On my November 22nd post I went over the flower technique to gain entry past an opponent's guard. The flower technique is a muay chao churd (older combat form of muay thai) method that's very effective getting to the center line. Tonight, I go over a ledrit entry technique that splays out your adversary.

Some call it a punter's, kick, a splay kick, a football kick - it's actually an inside bando drive kick aimed at the shin instead of the inner thigh. It's a very aggressive move, meant to drive through the attacker's shin, and it's only a set up strike (however, extremely painful for unconditioned shin).

Drive against your opponent, driving your shin through his, This will cause him to lose his balance. As his off set leg is splayed outward, he buckles at the waist and his head drops forward. He's spreading himself out in effort to maintain his balance. Setting him off like this gives you the opportunity to follow up with strikes to the inner thigh, legs, his head is exposed, and most importantly he opens up his lower back to you.

It works well in multiple opponent sitations as it allows you strike and move to the outside of the group, soften up a target, give you an opening to control an individual, who becomes your asset/shield. I'll save multiple opponent strategies for another post.

Holiday gift ideas for the muay thai enthusiast

Two years ago I set out to find some training gear as Christmas gifts for some of the other instructors at my school and I was hit by the harsh reality that finding good muay thai gear locally, at a fair price, is nearly impossible. If I, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, a martial arts hot bed, can't get good quality gear in town, how does the guy in Kansas, or in Erie, PA get a hold of decent thai pads for less than $180? Seriously, if you're paying more than $150 for a pair of Twins or Windy full sized thai pads, you're paying too much.

I've done the research to find some of the best online deals for good quality muay thai training equipment at the best prices. Pass this post on to friends & family to help them get you want you want this year. Happy shopping!

Thai liniment: MuayThaiEquipment, an eBay store has the lowest prices thai liniment out there, starting at $3.50 for a 120ml bottle.

Focus Mitts: Some of the best quality boxing equipment comes from the folks at Everlast. Right now they're having a sale on professional focus mitts for $29.99.

Thai Pads: Another eBay store, BlackEye Athletics offers Twins leather thai pads for $106.99 a pair (XL).

Shin Guards: BlackEye Athletics also carries Twins shin guards, all priced around $55. MuayThai-Fighting.com carries ThaiSmai leather shin guards for $44.94, but shipping takes about 6 weeks.

I also shop at MuayThaiStuff.com, they have great close out sales. They recently launched a 50% everything sale, but be warned, it appears that the retail prices have been artificially inflated. You're not getting 50% off of anything. I suggest that you wait it out before shopping at that site. Let them figure that shoppers aren't stupid.

If you have any great equipment vendors, let us know! Happy holidays!

Ancient Gladiator Exercises

Here is an interesting article on the exercises the ancient gladiators used to get conditioned, add them to your training, who knows they just might bring out your inner warrior...

A List of Ancient Exercises from Galen's De Sanitate Tuenda Galen (130 - 200 A.D.)

Hailed from Pergamon, an ancient center of civilization, containing, among other cultural institutions, a library second in importance only to Alexandria itself. Galen's training was eclectic and although his chief work was in biology and medicine, he was also known as a philosopher and philologist.

Training in philosophy is, in Galen's view, not merely a pleasant addition to, but an essential part of the training of a doctor. His treatise entitled That the best Doctor is also a Philosopher gives to us a rather surprising ethical reason for the doctor to study philosophy.

The profit motive, says Galen, is incompatible with a serious devotion to the art. The doctor must learn to despise money. Galen frequently accuses his colleagues of avarice and it is to defend the profession against this charge that he plays down the motive of financial gain in becoming a doctor.

Galen's first professional appointment was as surgeon to the gladiators in Pergamon. In his tenure as surgeon he undoubtedly gained much experience and practical knowledge in anatomy from the combat wounds he was compelled to treat. After four years he immigrated to Rome where he attained a brilliant reputation as a practitioner and a public demonstrator of anatomy. Among his patients were the Emperors Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, Commodus and Septimius Severus.

Galen divides his exercises into three categories, which we may term "strong", "rapid and "violent", which is a combination of the preceding two. Galen's listing of the exercises gives us a fascinating glimpse into the everyday activities of the Paleastrae, Gymnasia and other more leisurely-areas of the ancient world.

The affinities they have with the various sporting events can be made out: kicking of the legs for Pankration, rope-climbing for wrestling, holding the arms up for boxing.

STRONG:

1) Digging

2) Picking up something heavy

3) Picking up something heavy and walking with it

4) Walking uphill

5) Climbing a rope using the hands and feet: commonly done to train boys in the wrestling schools

6) Hanging onto a rope or beam for as long as possible

7) Holding the arms straight out in front with fists closed

8) Holding the arms straight out to sides with fists closed

9) Holding out the arms while a partner pulls them down

10) The preceding three exercises but while holding something heavy such as jumping-weights

11) Breaking loose from a wrestling waist-lock

12) Holding onto a person trying to escape from a waist-lock

13) Picking up a man who is bending over at the hips and lifting him up and swinging him around
14) Doing the same but bending oneself at the hips also when picking him up
15) Pushing chest to chest trying to force the opponent backwards
16) Hanging from another's neck, attempting to drag him down

Exercises requiring a wrestling pit:
a) Entwine your partner with both your legs around one of his and try to apply a choke or force his head backwardsb) The same but using only one leg to entwine the opponents leg closest to yours
c) The same but using both legs to entwine both of the opponents legs.

Rapid:

1) Running
2) Shadow-boxing
3) Boxing
4) Hitting punching bags
5) Throwing and catching a small ball while running
6) Running back and forth, reducing the length each time until finished
7) Stand on the balls of the feet, put the arms up in the air and rapidly and alternatly bringing them forward and back; stand near a wall if afraid of losing ones's balance
8) Rolling on the wrestling-ground rapidly by oneself or with others9) Rapidly changing places with people next to one in a tightly packed group
10) Jumping up and kicking both legs together backwards
11) Kicking the legs forward alternatly
12) Move the arms up and down rapidly with open or closed fist, increasing in speed

VIOLENT:

1) Digging rapidly
2) Casting the discus
3) Jumping repeatedly with no rest
4) Throwing heavy spears and moving fast while wearing heavy armour
5) Any of the 'strong' exercises executed rapidly: presumably running uphill, swinging jumping weights forward and back, and lifting them up and down, chin-ups and so on.

Other Exercises:

1) Walking
2) bending up and down repeatedly at the hips
3) Lifting a weight up from the ground
4) Holding up an object for a long time
5) Full and loud breathing
6) Placing two weights on the ground approximately six feet from each other, picking up the one on the left with the right hand and then the one on the right with the left hand, then in turn placing them back where they came from on the ground and doing this many times with the feet stationary

The translation of this Galen text come's from an article at Judoinfo.com Submission Fighting and the Rules of Ancient Greek Wrestling By Christopher Miller

I hope you enjoyed the article as much as I did, now get out there and start training like a gladiator.

Daniel Sambrano

"Keep It Simple and Savage"

http://www.superherosystems.com/

Muay thai round kick redux

One of the first web videos I did was a demo of the old style muay thai round kick. Since then I've had a couple of people tell me that my technique looks nothing like the muay thai that they're learning." Well, that's because the widely popular modern form of muay thai has become bastardized by martial arts franchises like Master Toddy, Fairtex, and to an extent, the UFC. What's being taught is static-stand up ring style kickboxing. Like modern boxing, muay thai has been watered down over th years for the sake of the fighter's safety. It's the sport version of a nearly forgotten combat system. Yes, there's more than one branch in the muay thai family. Thanks to people like Tony Jaa, old style muay thai is gaining recognition.

I've been lucky enough to train the old combat forms of muay thai: the muay baron, the muay chao churd, the ledrit and boar bando systems for over 13 years. The differences between modern sport muay thai and old (military/combat) style muay thai are numerous. Take the round kick for instance. The video below shows a side by side comparison of the two kicks - modern and old style muay thai.

People Over 30 Should Be Dead

Here is an article I came across that sums up why this generation is having trouble today.

In this day of political correctness, self esteem issues, I'm offended, lawsuits, and blame the other guy, we need to come back to reality and realize that we are not the center of the universe.

While the article is humorous, sadly it is so very true...

People over 30 should be dead

Here's why.

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, or even maybe the early 70's probably shouldn't have survived.

Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, ... and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention the! risks we took hitchhiking.)

As children, we would ride in cars with no seatbelts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors!

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on. No one was able to reach us! All day!

NO CELL PHONES!!!!! Unthinkable! We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends! We went outside and found them.

We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were! no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents? We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment!

Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors! Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. And you're one of them! Congratulations!

Please pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before lawyers and government regulated our lives, for our own good !!!!!

People under 30 are WIMPS!

jmm.aaa.net.au

Daniel Sambrano

"Keep It Simple and Savage"

http://www.superherosystems.com/

Don’t Be a Punching Puppet

When I was a little boy my dad bought me a punching puppet.

You know the kind on a plastic rod that has a handle that you squeeze and it punches at whoever you point its boxing gloves at.

It always looks funny when you punch someone with your puppet, the way it moves its arms straight out when it punches.

Many strikers remind me of punching puppets, the way they move their arms like someone is squeezing their handle when they punch.

They often look very silly as they throw their punches as hard as they can only to come up short of their goal of knocking out or incapacitating their adversary.

The reason being is that they are primarily arm punchers and not body punchers.

You may be saying what’s the difference, well my friend there’s a big difference, it’s like I tell my students all the time when they train their strikes, “Do you wanna knock’em out or piss’em off?”

You see you need to know how to strike with your whole body and not just your arms for true power.

You need to learn how to generate the maximum amount of weight into your strikes, to hit like a jackhammer and cause major trauma and pain to your adversary.

Fist fighting is a lot different than gloved fighting, you do it wrong and
you break your hand, you do it right and you break their jaw.

And finally you need to understand the principles and techniques that truly work on the street that will keep you alive.

Don’t be a punching puppet, having your adversary laughing at you as you fight for your life in some dark alley.

Put fear in their hearts when you hit them and make them regret that they ever messed with you.

And learn to be the puppet master.


Daniel Sambrano
“Keep It Simple and Savage”
http://www.SuperHeroSystems.com/

Fighting with Flower Power

You know, most martial arts train its practitioners to be reactive. Drills usually consist of one student throwing a technique on another student, whether it be a punch, kick, grab, et al. The receiving student is taught to react with a block, perry, counterstrike, what have you.

What isn't taught is the fact that there may be a time when you'll need to be the one who starts and finishes an altercation. The streets aren't bound to the rules, boundaries, or respect that you'll find in a dojo.

The flower technique is a great fight starter. Based in muay baron and muay chao churd, the technique is a great way to break through an opponent's guard and gain access to his center line.

Watch the video for the nitty gritty.

Great Muay Thai Round kick Drill - The Pyramid

Here's a great drill that will increase the speed and power of your muay thai round kicks, but will it will help you also help you increase your ability to recover quickly between strike combinations. The pyramid is the best kicking drill that you'll hate to do.

With a partner holding thai pads (or a heavy bag - I prefer a partner) 4 sets each leg of the following:

single kick
double kick
triple kick
4 kicks
5 kicks
4 kicks
triple kick
double kick
single kick

If you've trained muay thai for more than 6 months you should be comfortable with at least the double kick... make sure that each strike has equal power. It's only 200 kicks, I promise it's effective.

Try the drill out and let me know how what you think of it.

Beware the Shredder Cometh

Hey everybody, just got done participating in a seminar at our gym on Saturday, and let me tell you it was a real eye opener.

The man teaching it was Richard Dimitri of Canada, he is the founder of Senshido,a realistic based self defense system who's primary directive is enhancing your survivability.

He came to teach a "Close Quarter Conceptual Tool" that really works for the street, this tool is called "The Shredder" and let me tell you it will put fear and terror in the hearts of the violent if they encounter it.

Now don't get me wrong, Rich is a very nice person and went above and beyond to teach us this valuable information and he did it without any ego or bravado.

As a matter of fact right up front he told all of us that if we just came here to learn new techniques to fight and kick someones ass, then we were at the wrong seminar.

There were many Law Enforcement Personnel as well as Martial Artists participating at the seminar and they all enjoyed the information that was taught that day.

As for me and my students, we were all impressed with what Rich brought to the table and let me tell you it takes allot to impress them.

After going over the physiological and behavioral concepts of the "Shredder" we got into the physical aspects by learning through progressive drills demonstrated by Rich and his assistant Ted Williams.

Then we would work the drills with at least three different partners and even Rich himself, to get the concepts down.

The great thing about the "Shredder" is that you can add it to your present fighting system no matter what it is immediately and not miss a step.

Rich was constantly working with everyone correcting any mistakes while performing the progressive "Shredder" drills.

He even extended the seminar to make sure everyone got the "Shredder" down and answered every question asked.

For those who have never experienced the "Shredder" get to one of Rich's seminars as fast as you can and learn this life saving tool or get the DVD's and manual.

Don't just learn to survive, learn to prevail.

You can contact Rich at http://www.senshido.com/ or at RDimitri@Senshido.com

Daniel Sambrano

"Keep It Simple and Savage"
http://www.superherosystems.com/

Old Style Muay Thai Clinch, Whoohoo!

The standard muay thai clinch simply isn't effective in a street/combat scenario. Once you grab onto your attacker his natural instinct will be to grab you - now you're wrestling with one (or more) opponents.

The ring style muay thai clinch serves two main purposes: 1. It gets you inside your opponent's strikes, providing an opportunity to score points (take down, or knees), and 2. it gives the winded fighter a short break. But in a street combat situation points don't count and your attackers certainly aren't going to tie up with you to catch a breather.

It's super important that you keep a hand free, and (more importantly) that you don't lose your ability to maintain visibility of your environment. The old style (ledrit, muay chao churt, muay baron) clinch allows you to control your opponent, use him as a shield from other attackers, and enables excellent visibility.

It's difficult to change old habits, and if you've been training to clinch up as soon as you get inside a one handed clinch is going to feel foreign (and maybe a little unrealistic). But if you give this technique a shot, I'm willing to bet, you'll soon realize that it opens up your striking & controlling options. Now you can throw elbows at different angles, knees, and even round kicks to your opponent's front and back. Try it out with a partner, you'll like it!

Watch video below. I provide technique and I touch on just a few of the options that open up. You won't learn this stuff at Fairtex.



Watch out for the man sandwich!