Initial plan and sequence (slice 1)

Here is my initial plan of attack for the MMA curriculum and my reasoning. 

The goal of the approaches I will be applying to the MMA class is to develop functional, well-rounded skills by consistently incorporating striking, clinching, and grappling in each session, following Greg Souders' notion of training the "whole game." Too often, training focuses solely on one range for extended periods, leading to the atrophy of skills in the other ranges. This approach aims to prevent that by practicing the full scope of mixed martial arts. Think about all the techniques you've forgotten because you only address them once a year.

A key part will center around themed two-person flows inspired by 10th Planet's warmup drills. These flows will catalog techniques and transitions across all three ranges, serving as warm-ups to reinforce recently covered material while providing a mechanism for better retention.

I am calling each one of the plan and sequences slices. The plan is to take a slice of each range, that is just enough to flow from one range to another. The slice may be made of several flows/sequences. They may also be a series of games to embody that slice

By systematically moving through striking, clinching, and grappling sequences, students will ingrain the transitions and build muscle memory for seamlessly integrating the different skill sets. These flows will be derived from the material taught and extended until the flow is complete.  Content from previous class becomes the warmup for the next class until we have the complete flow.

Since we are starting from the beginning, we will progressively build up to the "whole game" approach. With an extensive array of techniques in each range, we will initially focus on a slice from each range that flows coherently into the next. This allows students to develop a solid foundational understanding before expanding the curriculum.

To begin, we will focus on a shoot boxing flow that offers an accessible entry point.  Shoot boxing techniques like straight punches, double-leg takedowns (without a knee to the floor penetration step), and ground-and-pound sequences require relatively less athleticism compared to more advanced skills. This allows students to develop a solid foundation before progressing to more challenging movements.

The shoot boxing flow will start with straight punches (striking range), transition to a shoot boxing double-leg takedown (clinch range), and finish with ground-and-pound techniques (grappling range with integrated strikes). This progressive sequence reinforces the core concepts of maintaining offensive output while closing the distance and taking the fight to the ground.

Tentative breakdown 



 Striking

Image

  • Straight punches
    • Jab
    • Cross
  • Straight punch defense
    • Blocking - easier to do - Evasion later
      • catch - good with boxing gloves, less so for mma or bareknuckle
      • parry
      • cover
      • Crazy monkey cover
  • Progressive chaos for straight punch offense defense
    • 1 side punches, 1 side blocks (pick from the techniques above, you'll find out which ones your body likes)
      • just jabs 10 each side
      • just crosses 10 each side
      • 1 for 1
        • jab
        • cros
        • jab cros
        • 2-4 techniques
      • Light sparring straight punches
  • Sequence
    • A: jab B: block
    • B: jab cross, B: block block 
Clinch


  • Takedown off of jab
  • Takedown off of cross
  • Progressive Chaos
    •  one side blocks, other side tries to setup jab to takedown fit in 
    • one side blocks, other side tries to setup cross to takedown fit in
    • "" jab cross
    • arbitrary straight punches to takedown fit in
    • light sparring straight punchyes and takedown
  • Sequence:
    • A: jab B: block
    • B: jab cross, B: block block 
    • A: strike to to takedown
Grappling
Image
  • Takedown to side control
    • Striking from top
    • Blocking and escape from bottom
  • Takedown to guard
    • Ground and pound from top
    • Ground and pound defense
  • Progressive Chaos
  • Sequence
    • A: jab B: block
    • B: jab cross, B: block block 
    • A: strike to to takedown to guard
    • A: strikes, B: pulls in
    • B: technical standup
Changes:
5/23/2024
  • Naming it slice 1, explaining what a slice is


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