Topic 1 - Class 3 notes

5/22/2024

Part of slice 1

Part of topic 1

 6 Attendees, Zach, Shane, Andrew, Mike, Alexis, Brandon. Brandon for the first time, class already encounters the "Variable Skill Level and Attendance Dilemma", to be noted at the end

Reviewed (though 1st time for Brandon) the following. Use the "learner explanation" method to see what the class remembers. I'm hoping since I always include the why, they'll remember better

  • Stance
    • Basic dimensions and why
      • Balance, base and mobility
    • Arm positions
      • Maximal defense
  • Footwork
    • General rule - foot in direction you want to go moves first
      • Don't cross feet, compromises base and mobility
    • Don't let feet come together (with exception)
      • Ditto above
    • Same height
      • More efficient
      • Better stability
    • Slight drag
      • Both feet in contact with the ground for more time == better stability/mobility
  • Range game
    • To combine the above 2 into a more live exercise
      • Maintain good fight stance
      • Practice above footwork
      • Learn to read the opponents movements/ maintain constant distance
    • start attached - easier to read, tactile reactions faster than visual
    • unattached - closer to reality
  • Jab
    • Position
      • In center - others cannot be in center
      • Twisted
        • natural wind of muscles make snapping it back easier
        • protects the chin along w/raised shoulder and chin tuck
    • Mechanics
      • Decided to start everyone with the "Simplified Shaolin punch" remedial technique to force them to use alignment and body rotation
        • Mostly successful except for 1 - to note below
        • Once they have the feel, morph back into normal form
        • Spend a fair amount of time on the bag and hitting target to try to reinforce this. Mostly successful
  • Jab blocks
    • Block first
      • Easier
      • More natural "oh s**t" kind of reactions
    • Catch - most don't like this, but when get the hang of it, simple, esp. easy w/boxing gloves
      • Small movement, if good fight stance right there
      • If catch punch before it reaches full extension, much easier
      • If miss hand still between you and opponent
    • Cover - most beginners also don't like this 
      • With boxing gloves,  glove on head, with MMA gloves palm on head
      • Need good structure and base so impact gets transfered to foot
      • Crazy Monkey version redirects force upward - more coordination
    • Parry - easiest, most favored
      • Keep motion small 
        • Head only like 6 inches wide, don't need to move more than that
        • across and in center, if get faked out, hand still between you and opponent
          • Downward parries "open the hole"
    • Start static to work distance
      • Partner must punch
        • At correct distance, must reach opponent if they don't block
          • Else timing is wrong
            • At wrong distance - "All blocks work"
          • At the target - face, not gloves (a bad habit that comes from pad work)
      • Puncher practices
        • maintain fight stance - particularly non punching hand stays up
        • Correct distance, must know your own distance
        • Wants defender to succeed, mostly. Ramp up at the edge of defender's ability to block - progressive resist
          • If he blocks 10 out of 10, make it a little harder, repeat until nearly full strength
    • Add footwork
      • Makes it more alive
      • Harder to acquire target
      • Distance can nullify punch
      • Works the Range game skill
      • Progressive Chaos
        • 1 side punches, other blocks
          • Multi reps one block
          • Rotate blocks
          • Which ever block you like
        • one for one, 1 punch, block of your choice
          • Start to refine blocks, and preferences
          • Can use evasions if know them, will be teaching next
        • Jab sparring
          • Currently only limited to head because I didn't show body blocks yet - per Ecological - do I need to?
That's as far as I got this time.

Thoughts and Challenges
  • The gradual build of skills all focused on the theme/goal of straight punch sparring (starting with  jab sparring) gives them plenty of reps, and confidence
  • Always running over timewise, need to figure out some time management, perhaps via rounds. I've been trying get them to a certain stage of competence before moving on.
    • I should use some combination of rounds, and a long running timer so I don't go over
  • Variable Skill Level and Attendance Dilemma already encountered on 3rd class. Going to split advanced and beginning. Will announce ultimate end goal and put progression on whiteboard for advanced group to sort of self direct while I attend more to the beginning.
  • Simplified Shaolin Punch mechanism as remedial method to get them to utilize alignment and and body turn really worked well except in 1 case
    • The exception had several notable difficulties in understanding
      • Striking completely new, no natural sense of how to put body behind it
        • Despite having grappling experience, no sense of base while standing - just a totally unrelated thing
          • Tried to map grappling into it - "don't let me push you over", then having her keep that position, but with a block, to keep that body stability - mixed results on that
          • Her natural stance on this, very narrow and unstable, reverts back to this, despite shown that she can form a stance with better base
        • Somehow has this pseudo backfist motion pre programmed - she said "someone taught me this". Unfortunately it's the exact opposite motion to be powered by the body turn in Simplified Shaolin Punch. Tried to show how the torso turn, pushes the elbow and pushes the fist - not sticky at all. Some moment with her hitting the bag, but not sticky
        • Footwork also needs addressing, perhaps more rounds of a livelier pace of the Range Game? Definitely in the drills and games it was segmented from the other parts, i.e. hit or block stationary, then move, then hit or block.  For whatever reason, despite being athletic in grappling, not able to connect that in striking
  • Ecological/CLA - Seeing in some cases being less restrictive can help.  Going to try bigger steps next time. Though from the above, I still see cases where more guidance is needed. I will say on the one for one drill, she came a little more alive - maybe the competitiveness woke something. That said, in "trying to create opportunities to allow the student to learn" to try to get her to clean up some things - like "keep your hands up" - making light contact with the face, should allow her to self organize to keep the hands up, but didn't really work - she even admitted that.  Might be just a case of more reps/confidence needed.
  • Whole game/being representative - jab sparred with Zach afterwards. Quickly started to see limitations of jab sparring against that level of ability. Makes me think we should not dwell too long on this phase for worry of developing bad habits - i.e. if only a jab can be thrown, don't need to keep lead hand up to protect the cross.
    • Going to expand this phase and topic to include evasions, probably curved punches too.  Trying to constrain this phase enough to be just enough function before topic 2 (shootboxing takedowns). Could easily spend forever here. Curved punches will work to give more coverage in topic 2 as there are curved punch setups
    • Thinking of throwing in some calf kicks for 2 reasons
      • Limitation of jab sparring, made me really want some kicks give opportunities to open up the opponent
      • Probably the easiest kick to learn in line with slice 1 being the "least athletic functional slice"

Video
Some progressive chaos towards Jan starting.  Not so much this time as I spent more time going around and correcting



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