Combined Arts Training and Tactics Foundations: Hand Strikes -- Jab and Cross Punch

C.A.T.T. hand strikes -- boxing adapted



Hooking Palm Strike

 The basic hand strikes in the C.AT.T. fighting system are based on one of the most effective striking systems in history (for hands anyway): Boxing.

We utilize the four basic boxing strikes: Jab, cross, hook and uppercut. The punches in my system are essentially the same as you see in any boxing class, except for one major difference -- we use a closed fist, but will also throw them open-handed, as palm-strike variations. But I'll talk more about that in a future post.

There are other strikes, but these are the foundation hand techniques. Remember, these are the basic techniques that you practice constantly and consistantly until they are second nature.
These are the hand strikes you work on every time you train. Every time.

So let's break down each strike:

Jab -- Well, if you've been reading this blog at all, you've seen my previous posts about the jab and how important it is. Simply put, it is the foundation for all the other strikes, including kicks and even setting up takedowns. A good jab is vitally important in my system, it will set up everything else. Check out my post on the jab for basic guidelines: http://martial-arts-fitness-stuff.blogspot.com/2012/02/jab-elements-of-effective-strike.html

Cross (straight) punch:

• This punch fires off the back leg, with the rear hand.
• Open up your hips and shoulders.
• Rear shoulder and hip shoot toward the target as you punch.
• Rear foot pivots toward the target.
• Rear heel lifts slightly, pushing your entire body into the punch.
• Strike with the big knuckles.
• Don't lock your elbow on impact.
• Keep your chin down and tucked into your punching shoulder
• This is a power punch, more so than the jab.
• Since it comes off the back side your body, it has more distance to travel in order to build power and momentum, and the entire rear half of the body -- from the foot, through the hip and the shoulder -- pivot toward the target.

The jab and the cross are the classic one-two of punching and, when thrown as a proper combination, will have more effective elements of speed and power than any other two strikes in your arsenal. Also a perfect combination for setting up power kicks off the back leg.

Here is a movie with a little C.A.T.T. boxing:

Next up: Power punching with the hook punch and the uppercut.

Combined Arts Training and Tactics: Basic Stance

The C.A.T.T. basic stance looks like this (that would be the picture at right).

I also call this the natural fighting stance. Natural because that's what it is--if I dropped my hands it would sort of look like I'm just standing there, not aggressive, not looking for a fight, just standing there, all natural-like.

This is the stance I use to launch my kicks and punches. Both hands and feet can easily be put into play from here. I can move in any direction--to the front, back and both sides with equal ease.

Elements of the basic stance:

• Weight is equally distributed on both feet.
• Feet are positioned at about shoulder-width.
• Front foot is pointed toward opponent. If you drew a line from my front toe, it would split the middle of my opponent's stance. I just have follow the direction of my front foot to land a perfect jab.
• Rear foot is pointed at an angle, away from opponent (for traction and preparation to turn the hip into a roundhouse or side kick).
• Knees are slightly bent.
• Hips and shoulders are directly over the feet.
• Lead shoulder is pointed slightly toward opponent (easier to defend than facing completely forward which opens up vital target areas. Also puts your jab closer)
• Hands are up--rear hand as high as your eyes, front hand just below eye level, pointed at target (nose, most likely).
• Elbows are close to the body (ready to fire a quick elbow strike or to tuck in tight in order to absorb a body shot).
• Chin is down and tucked in, eyes centered on opponent's chest (easier to see all peripheral movement and not be distracted by antagonist's eyes).

When I was a Tae Kwon Do and tournament fighter, I used a more sideways stance, so I could utilize a quick kick from my front leg or a fast backfist. For self defense and real fighting, I like to open up a bit more, keeping my "guns forward", that is, all my weapons in a position to easily and quickly fire.

This is not my only fighting stance, by any means. If it looks like the other guy is going to shoot in, I may get wider and lower for stability, prepared to fight off a takedown. And If I have a weapon in my hand, my stance will be quite different.

But this is the basic stance, the first stance, and everyone that learns my system would have to understand it completely, with all of its subtleties and nuances.

Here's an example of striking from the basic fighting stance:

Next: Hand strikes.

Combined Arts Training and Tactics

The C.A.T.T. Martial Arts System

Origins
I figured it's time to start chronicling my defensive art. It's called Combined Arts Training and Tactics (really, I just wanted to name something the C.A.T.T. system) and it's actually a subset of my original style, Freewind Martial Arts, so I suppose I should talk a little about that.

Freewind Martial Arts
I developed Freewind with a solid concept in mind: maintain a core style as a foundation and add essences of other arts, distilled down to their pure effectiveness. The foundation was Tae Kwon Do and all of my students were required to learn the forms and requirements of that style. On top of that, I added elements of Kenpo, Filipino arts, groundfighting, Jeet Kune Do and boxing as sort of electives. The concept was simple: a solid, well-practiced foundation with peripherals chosen purely for their usefulness and functionality.

Keep It Simple Stupid
What I wanted to do with the C.A.T.T. system was to strip everything down to a core of effective, simple techniques that can apply to a variety of situations. Too many martial art systems are bloated, in fact, most of them are. I wanted a system built around a few proven and effective techniques that the practitioner trained with constantly and consistently until they were quick, powerful and second-nature. I call these the foundation techniques--a package of strikes that one can always fall back on. When in doubt, go to your foundation.

A Need-To-Know Basis
On top of that, I added need-to-know techniques for joint-control and manipulation, grappling and weapons (the knife, the stick and the staff) as well as an array of secondary strikes. There are no Kata or forms to speak of (by that I mean that I incorporate drills and bag work which, in reality, are forms by any other name).

So Lets Get To It 
Over the next several posts (interspersed by whatever I feel like on any given day) I'll be covering the foundation techniques of the C.A.T.T. system:

• Stance
• Hand strikes
• Kicks
• Knees
• Elbows
• Footwork

Let the fun begin!

The Secret To Life

Busy Busy Busy
I haven't posted for awhile and there are reasons for that--I've been very busy and lately it seems as if something has been going on every weekend, which happens to be when I do most of my writing. My stepdaughter is very involved in dance and we are in the middle of dance competition season and recently I had to go to Houston for a week, attending a conference for work (I wasn't all that impressed with downtown Houston, by the way, not much in the way of character or soul).

Age Catches Up
Work is really the problem right now. I'm an IT manager for a small, international company that supplies chemicals for the semiconductor industry.The dynamics are crazy and it's a busy and stressful job. Now, whenever I was young and energetic I thrived on such work. At 59, I ain't so young these days and my energy guage drops down to zero alarmingly fast. At the end of a workday, I have no energy for anything besides staring at the TV or reading, not even enough left in the tank to sit at my laptop and write. It often feels like work is actually sucking the life out of me. But such is life, ya know? And that's sort of what this post is all about.

This post isn't about aging, I have plenty of others that complain about what a bitch that is. But let me just say that this has been a tough year for me--I'm feeling old. Each workout is a chore and I often have to drag my ass down to the basement and tell myself, "just start, just start and do the best you can." That's the trick to getting a workout in when you don't feel like it--just start.

What Is the Secret  To Life?
Anyway, I've already gotten a little off track from the point of this post--the secret of life. So, what is the secret to a happy, successful, rewarding and satisfying life? What is it that will give us what we ask for in life?

I know the answer to those questions and have known for many years. There is only one secret and once you understand it, you can actually can move toward all your hopes and dreams.

So here it is. Are you ready? The secret to life is...

Work.

Life is work. Period. That's all there is. Nothing more. Sorry, but that's it. Once you get that concept, when you understand what that means in every facet of your life, you will have a shot at the best life you can possibly have.

If you Want It, You Gotta Work For It
I have had to work for every good thing that has happened in my life. Martial arts didn't come easy for me, I had no natural talent for it but worked my ass off and had a successful career. Successful enough anyway. Then I decided I needed to make more money in order to have the things my family and I wanted and needed. A martial arts studio in a small town does not provide for a great living and I always had to work in order to augment my earnings and continue my dream of owning and operating a martial arts studio (See? My dream took a great deal of work to achieve and maintain).


I worked at some crappy jobs while running my studio because I had no real skills, so when I decided I needed to have a career and make more money, I enrolled in the local community college and worked toward a degree in computer science while working full time and operating my martial arts organization. I worked and studied and work for three years, putting in 12-16 hour days (between work, school and martial arts teaching) and sometimes going for several months in a row without a single day off.

Hard Work Pays Off
It paid off. My hard work was noticed and after graduating I continued on at the college as a part-time computer science instructor, which evolved into a full-time IT tech position and then a technology trainer. My wages increased with each new position. New jobs came throughout the years and now I have a well-paying job that I plan to ride right into retirement. But even with a successful career I kept my martial arts school going for over twenty years, working during the day and then teaching at the studio each evening, getting off work and then going to work.

Pride and Accomplishment
For years my days were long and tiring but also satisfying--a job well done is intrinsically rewarding. Few things are more satisfying than accomplishing something through your own sweat equity, when you can say, "hey, look what I did" with a measure of pride and self-satisfaction.

A Good Relationship Required Work Too
Nothing, absolutely nothing, was ever handed to me, but everything that I have wanted, and then worked diligently for, I have gotten; even in relationships--it took a long time to find the wife who was perfect for me and I had to work very hard to make that relationship a reality, but reality it is and I have never been happier with anyone in my life.

Work=Reward
My job is stessful and tiring and drains my energy, but it provides for my family and give us the funds to do things that we enjoy--take trips, go shopping, buy a 60" wide screen TV (I love my TV!).

The next thing I want out of life is to become a successful writer and I've been working toward that for the last few years. I've been published a couple of times and made it to the finals in a few contests. I will get there sometime, not sure when, but sometime. Hard work towards a goal requires sacrifice and I have had to sacrifice many hours on weekends and evening as I work toward my current goal. There is no other way.

With a path to your goals and dreams squarely in mind, hard work + sacrifice = an enriched life.

So there it is, work is the secret to life. It always has been true and always will be. The old saying is that you get out of life what you put into it and that's true, but I would change it slightly--you get out of life what you work to get, nothing more, nothing less. Sorry, but the odds are pretty stacked against you to win the lottery.

Now get out there and get to work.

P90X Workout System

Some time ago, I was contacted by a representative of Beachbody.com (the makers of the very popular P90x workout system) and asked if I would say something about P90X^®  and possibly some of their other products.

So here goes:

First of all, let me say this: no workout program will work unless practiced energetically and consistently over a period of time. It is my guess that most persons who have purchased these videos have them piled on a shelf somewhere gathering dust.

Let me also mention that I have never done the workout. These are just perceptions that I have gathered from the television commercials and a whole buncha web links and videos.

Okay, that being said, lets get to it.

"Muscle Confusion"
This is a trademarked term on the P90X^®  web site. Basically, it means that the workout will be changed up every 30 days or so. This is a workout philosophy that I completely agree with, since your body and its muscles will adapt to a repetitive workout and progress will slow to a crawl. I've been doing a form of this for years, changing my workout every month or two. It doesn't have to be a big change, but you do need to mix it up in order to keep your workout effective. This has been well-proven in several studies.

The Exercises
There are four basic categories of exercises in the system: resistance training utilizing elastic bands and dumbbells; plyometrics (explosive exercises that quickly load and contract the muscles in a rapid sequence); cardio; and Yoga. This also fits into my workout philosophy that every exercise program, in order to effectively improve every aspect the body's musculature, has to include these three elements: strength training, cardio and stretching.

Martial Arts and P90x
The system includes a martial arts workout in the cardio section called "Kenpo X." Tony Horton (the creator of P90X^® ) is not a martial artist but he did consult with a 5th degree Kenpo black belt, Wesley Idol, in order to incorporate real martial arts moves into the system. Here is a clip of Horton working with Idol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCkynLlw3GU

Idol received his black belt from Mike Pick, who was a student of the legendary late Ed Parker. I have met Mike Pick and I've attended several Ed Parker seminars back in the day. Both of these men are pillars in the martial arts community and I'm a BIG fan of Parker's art, American Kenpo Karate. So, some pretty good credentials there.


Wesley Idol


Here is a link to a video of Wesley Idol in action: http://www.ikenpo.com/wes_idol.wmv

Of course, I'm a firm believer of martial arts being incorporated in an any exercise system. It works the entire body, improves coordination and balance, and, of course, it just amps up the cool factor of your workout. Not to mention that you can easily burn over 300 calories in 30 minutes.

This is turning into a long blog so let me just wrap it up: While I don't think the workout is for everyone--it's pretty intense and requires that you perform some explosive movements that may be difficult for older people and those that are terribly out of shape, and it's not inexpensive--I don't think you can go wrong with the P90X^® system. All of the check-boxes are ticked for an extremely effective workout program. One problem I might have is the idea of popping in a video to do a workout and having to watch the same old stuff time after time, but that's just me and applies to every workout video.

Other than that, a good, well-balanced workout is what you're gonna get if you stick with this routine. As I said before though, for it to be truly effective, one has to actually do it consistently over a period of time.

Some time In the future, if I can find the time, I'll take a look at some of the other Beachbody exercise systems.

Here is another link to the P90x site:
http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/p90x.do

UFC 144: Go Tae Kwon Do!

UFC 144 was a blast! One of the best ever, in my oh so humble opinion. Check out the poster above--Quentin "Rampage" Jackson towering over Tokyo like Godzilla. Way cool.

First Japan UFC in over a decade
The venue was inspiring: Tokyo, in Japan, where many martial arts were born and, with it's samurai history and "way of the warrior" philosophy, should hold a special place in the heart of most martial artists.

Tae Kwon Do fighters
And the fights, from the prelims to the main event, were extremely entertaining, including some highlights that were simply astounding, including standout performances from two Tae Kwon Do black belts: Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson. Tae Kwon do was my original art and I have long believed that a good Tae Kwon Do artist has a great foundation from which to build into high-level UFC fighters.

Japanese fighters showcased
It was refreshing to see so many great Japanese fighters on the card. There has been talk of why Japanese fighters don't usually perform well at UFC bouts held in the USA. The theory has even been put forth that this is because the trip from Japan to the USA is harder to recover from than vice versa. Having taken a few trips to China for my job, I tend to agree: I am always more exhausted after the return trip and it takes me days to get back to normal.

The prelims were all good. Some highlights:
Kid Yamamoto is one of my favorite Japanese fighters but he was expertly dominated by British fighter Vaughan Lee when the fight went to the ground, with Lee smoothly transitioning from triangle. Lee is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

Takanomi Gomi (another of my Japanese favorites) was getting his butt handed to him at the end of the forst round by Eiji Mitsuoka. But in the second round he came out on fire, throwing a storm of lightning-fast punches and winning the fight with a TKO.

Pay-per-view highlights
The PPV started with with a stunning first round knockout: Anthony "Showtime" Pettis clocked Joe Lauzon with a picture-perfect roundhouse kick to the head. Head kicks used to be a rarity in the UFC but now knockouts and knockdowns with kicks are a common occurrance. Being a striker with a Tae Kwon Do background,  I love it!

Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski: Hioki's standup was good (nice work with the jab) but his ground game was masterful and the's what won the decision for him.

Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch: Wow! Huge comeback for Boetsch. After taking a beating and being dominated on every level for two rounds, he came back hard in the third and knocked Okami out with some viscious uppercuts thrown from an odd angle--holding the left side of Okami's face with his left hand while twisting into powerful uppercuts with his right. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like it. Massively effective though.

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields: This was easily the least entertaining fight of the night, prelims included. I'm not a Jake Shields fan. He can't strike for s**t and his grappling fighting style is boring. I enjoy watching a good, active grappler but Shields just bores the hell out of me. Akiyami, probably the most decorated Judoka in the UFC, could have won this fight easily if he would have been busier. He did very little in the fight but he did land a couple of spectacular judo takedowns. Nothing like a good Judo throw in a UFC fight! Shields won. Booorrrrrriiiing.

Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo: Most UFC fans are probably not familiar with Mark Hunt, but I'm a big K1 fan (K1 is the world's premier kickboxing organization) I've watched Hunt fight many times, and here is the simple fact: if he gets a solid hit, his opponent is going down. Period. I thought Hunt's last UFC fight was a sloppy affair but he's lost a little belly fat and seems to be taking his MMA fights more seriously. If his grappling improves he may be a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division. Big knockout of Cheick Kongo by Hunt. I liked Hunt's post-fight interview also. A man of few words.

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Ryan Bader: I like Rampage and he has a HUGE following in Japan, but, lets face it: he's just not the same fighter he used to be back in the Pride days. It was great though to see a vintage Jackson slam and I honestly don't know how Bader survived getting his head rammed into the canvas. But he did, and then proceeded to ground out a win by taking Quentin down and mostly just holding him there.

Jackson came in over weight for the fight at 211 and claimed afterward that it was due to a knee injury. It is not like him to be over weight and he's not one to make excuses so I think it''s probably true. I hope he can regroup and come back strong. We'll see.

Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Benson Henderson: A terrific championship match. While the edge went to Henderson, I believe it was a very close fight. The biggest moment was an upward kick by Henderson, while on his back, to Frankie's face, that did some real damage. But Frankie was in the fight for the entire match and had some moments of his own. There was a lot of talk about Frankie dropping down to flyweight and maybe that's a good idea, Henderson looked much, much bigger than he did. And a Frankie Edgar/Jose Also match is intrigueing.

Henderson is a total package, skilled in every area. His punches and kicks are some of the best in MMA (due to his Tae Kwon Do background, no doubt). Looking forward to a Pettis/Henderson rematch. Tae Kwon Do vs Tae Kwon Do!

One of the best UFCs
Another great night of fights for me, one of the best. However, I had recorded the whole affair and started watching at about 5:30 PM and, with dinner, snacks and bathroom breaks, we were watching fights until 12:30 AM. This might have been a bit much for my wondeful wife, Kim, who endures my UFC addiction and usually enjoys the fights, but spending an entire precious Saturday evening on nothing but UFC may have been pushing it a little.

Fight bonuses
Anthony Pettis, Vaughan Lee, Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar each earned $65,000 fight-night bonuses for their performances.

Pettis earned "Knockout of the Night", Lee won the "Submission of the Night" bonus, and Henderson and Edgar rightfully earned "Fight of the Night" honors.

You can check out the round-by-round descriptions here: http://msn.foxsports.com/ufc/story/UFC-144-Round-by-round-022512

Gotta go now, the Academy Awards are on!

Yikes, I'm 59! Martial Arts and Aging

Time flies when you're getting old

So I just turned 59. I'm not sure what to think about that. I mean, it seems like just a short while ago I was writing in this blog: "Holy crap I'm 58!" Really, wasn't that just a couple of months ago?

It seems unfair that as we get older the passage of time feels as though it speeds up and we can't get a handle on it. What's up with that, anyway? We reach a time when we want life to slow down so that we can finally take a breath and enjoy it and here it is roaring down a track like a freight train! And toward what? Well, that's the big question isn't it? Not gonna get into that now.

I used to do awesome stuff. No Kidding!

It seems like just yesterday that I was running my martial arts class, competing in tournaments, camping with my kids, going out dancing, you know, doing young stuff.

Hell, I was an athlete! I could do some pretty incredible things, like a jump side kick to the head of a six-foot tall man, taking only one step; break boards held by guys standing on chairs with a jumping, spinning back kick; perform a flawless forward roll after leaping over eight or ten people lined up in their hands and knees.

Erosion of skills = depression. (Is that why fighters keep fighting past their prime? Is it denial?)

And that's just stuff off the top of my head. If I thought about it, I could easily come up with a bunch more stuff that would amaze most of you (and even me!) and now here I am: creaky joints and brittle muscles, struggling to keep a measure of athleticism despite my rapidly advancing years. How did that happen, anyway? I'd be lying if said it didn't depress me at times. I sometimes think it would be easier if I never had any athletic ability in the past. Less to miss, you know?

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty happy with what I can still do at my age. Check out my side split stretch:

Fighting for my skills

But it doesn't come easy any more, that's for sure. For one reason or another, I've missed working out for five days in a row this week and I'll pay dearly for that. I feel a loss of strength and flexibility in a matter of days now when I don't exercise. If I don't stay on top of it, if I don't stay consistent, if I don't work my ass off, I will lose all the skills that I've worked so hard for. They will continue to erode, slowly but surely, I know that, but the idea of losing my skills is devastating to me. Devastating.

Why do I care?

It gets more difficult every year, not just the actual working out, which is tough enough, but the motivation. If It gets harder and harder and more painful to try to maintain my martial arts skills, why do I do it? Well, there are the obvious benefits, longer, healthier life, etc. but I could gain that with far simpler workouts than hard-style martial arts. Why else then? One of my former students said he was doing it for his legacy. But I could cement a legacy by just showing up, blowing my own horn, promoting myself and kissing a lot of ass...not my style.

Do I do it to be a badass old man? Hmm, maybe, and make no mistake I'm still pretty badass, take a look:

Bottom Line: I'm a real martial artist

But that's not it, not really. I believe I do it for no other reason than because I am a martial artist. It has been my life since I was 21 years old. More than any other single thing, it has defined the person I am for my entire adult life.

A journeyman and a master?

That's all there is to it. I'm just a martial artist and that's all I've ever been. I've often called myself a journeyman martial artist and that is no insult to either myself or the term. I use the word "journeyman" in the context of a hard-working, middle class man who gets up and goes to work every day, not for glory or accolades, but only to perform his trade. That's what I have done and still do.

Does that mean that I don't consider myself a master level martial artist? Not at all. I have been training non-stop for nearly forty years. I owned and operated a martial arts organization for nearly 25 years and ran a very succesful martial arts tournament for fifteen years in a row. I have competed at and placed in national level martial arts tournaments and, on a regional level, was considered one of the best.

By any definition of the word, I consider myself a master level martial artist...I just approach it like a journeyman. Not to mention that the word has a nice ring to it--a journey man, a man on a journey. I still consider myself to be on the Journey.

What is a legacy?

I don't need or crave glory or anyone's approval. I know my self worth and I am perfectly comfortable with what I have done and who I am. I'm a damn good martial artist and still valid and relevant even at my age. And while acknowledgement is nice, I don't need a "legacy" to prove my worth as a martial artist. I've already proven that, time and again. I may end up leaving a legacy behind but if I do, it will have been a by-product of my life and not the goal of it.

What I will leave behind

While I no longer teach, I have a vast knowledge and skillset to pass on. I have distilled a variety of arts down into a relatively simple package. I may eventually choose someone, or a group of someones to pass it on to. If that is the case, that person (or persons) will be privliged to have knowledge of one the most effective fighting arts that exists, in my not-so-humble opinion.

But, then again, I may just leak it out in a series of articles or write a book or make videos. That's one of the reasons I started this blog, because I have a lifetime of some pretty awesome knowledge to share...and time is roaring by like a freight train.

And, yikes, I'm 59!