Straight line (the quickest way)

There is so many different martial arts around the world these days.
All created for different reasons and in different environments.
Most of them have been invented as a development of some other styles, more traditional, like kung fu,karate,judo. With believe of improving their usefulness.
Don't matter what style you are working on, when it comes to striking  ( kicking, punching, knees or elbows ). Sooner or later you will find out that the most accurate, fastest and safest way of executing the strikes comes in the straight line. Within your body line.
Most of the time when teaching others basic techniques like hook punches,turning kicks, knees and elbows.
People tent to swing they limbs and tense their muscle believing that is where the power comes from.
The magic hides behind the right technique of going in and out. It is all about right footwork,  positioning, twist, extension with the hits and coming back same way it came out.
Even those fancy techniques as spinning hook kick,spinning back hand and strikes requiring spinning and turning.
Even those executed correctly should be going out within the body line right after the spin.
To achieve that I have found very useful of practicing right next to the wall.
Standing in the fighting stands with leading leg close to the wall and mastering those jabbing hand punches,all variations including the hooks.
Working on those front leg kicks as well as back leg spinning techniques.
All that without touching the wall.
I remember while ago when Sir (my coach) has explained to me how to make it work.
He said that I should imagine that "I am in body width corridor facing skilled opponent, I have to fight him with all I've got".
It is always good to be able throw shots from different angles but I believe we should all learn the right way of basics first.
Have a great practice everyone.
Take care
www.GMMA.co.uk

Bad habits

While ago during winter holiday, me and my wife had some beautiful time in Polish mountain skiing and snowboarding.
As Renata ( my wife's name ) already knew very well how to skiing, she has enjoyed herself on two boards all day long.
Myself as I haven't had experience with both sports whatsoever.  I have chosen to learn snowboarding.  It looked cool and more interesting to me.
I would hire all essential gear from the shop downstairs of our hotel, check few tutorials online and go to nearest easy slope to practice art of snowboarding.
I was always confident with my learning skills and physical abilities.
So I was pretty sure that it want take me long to learn how to slide on one board.
I didn't wanna pay for lessons as I thought that I can figure out everything myself,  learning on my own mistakes.
I would watch some guys taking tuitions near by on this same slope, I would pick few techniques and practice it for all day long, going up and down restlessly.
At the end of the day I was quite proud of myself and pretty sure that I am moving in the right direction I would decide to join Renata on much higher and aggressive slope.
The cable lift we were going to use had long stick ( to place between the legs) with little rubber wheel at the end (to rest on )while being pulled up.
It took me three attempts to manage how to use it correctly.
I remember all the little kids watching me falling down while holding the stick and being dragged up with the board on my feet.
At the third time one of those kids has given me some tips which has made it all much easier but still had to use my muscles at the end to hold myself as the technique wasn't 100% correct.
Renata was waiting for me up on the top with big question mark written on her face. As a proud young man I wouldn't want to discuss why it took so long for me to come up. I would just encourage her to slide down and not waste the time.
So she went down. ( very smooth )
My beginnings started pretty smooth too.
Till I realised that there is big drop right in front of me and I wasn't able to avoid it.
All I have done was: faced down to the ground and supporting myself with hands and knees start breaking with the edge of the board. I would slow down, fall down the drop and flip over after hitting some bumps on the snow.
Then I would go back to my training slope and carry on drilling some basics.
This same day, evening we would go to drink some hot tea and have some hot local food in one off traditional polish mountain pubs.
As the place was very busy we have joined some big,long, wooden table where we seen few familiar faces.
Few young people leaving at this same hotel as us.
We would make friends pretty quick and share our experience from few days stay in the area.
Those people were experience skiing and snowboarding users.
And they made me think when they agreed that learning on my own could be risky as I could pick some bad habits and in the moment of danger it could cost me an injury or even more.
As when there is no time to think your brain and body reacts automatically the way it has been taught. Just like in the fighting and martial arts.
They pointed that couple hours of snowboarding lesson could save my time by giving me the basics to work on.
It all made sense to me and first think I did when woke up next day was to rush to the instructors office and book lesson for nearest available gap they had.
Instructor would adjust and explain my mistakes, would give me many tips how to improve step by step.
And finally would teach me how to use cable lift correctly.
It had made me improve quicker and made me enjoy it much more.
That experience has given me some very important lesson which has been saved in my memory very well.
Anything I practice since I do remember that the way I do it in the training is how I am going to react when performing.
Especially when fighting there is no time to think you need to each your brain and body how to react by practicing correct way.
www.GMMA.co.uk