There was a time in my early youth when I didn’t believe a shot to the midsection could do much. Two cracked ribs helped me reverse my particular position on this. Nowadays, being kicked or punched in the body is not on my top 5 favorite things. That being said, I do love them when I’m not on the receiving end. Below, a few fights ending via body shots.
You’ll see some nice strikes to liver and diaphragm – remember that the liver is on the left hand side of a fighter (as you face him). If you want to jump to the proverbial punch line (who has time for the buildup these days?), the good stuff starts at 5:30, 2:20, 0:20, and 0:15.
First, my heart goes out to all Utahans that may have suffered ill effects from the sustained heavy winds (75-100 mph) and power outages on 12/1/11 to 12/2/11. It sucks to have a 30-year-old pine tree ripped from your yard and placed not-so-gently onto your car, or to have your truck flipped over by sheer wind-power.
With this recent calamity in mind, I’d like to draw a parallel between emergency preparedness and overall fight preparedness. When the storm comes – be it literal or in the cage – you know in that moment what you don’t have. Many folks here in Davis county (where I live) had the power out for 18+ hours; they immediately realized a need for candles/flash lights, extra blankets, and non-electrical heating/cooking.
In that moment, when your opponent is hitting a solid double-leg takedown, you realize your deficiency in wrestling. In that moment, when you cannot get past your opponent’s jab, you realize your boxing is sub-par. In that moment, when you are gasping for air, think back on your cardio time in the gym.
In that moment, all you can do is try to make the best of things.
However, let this be a lesson to all of us. You cannot prepare for every contingency but you can prepare for many contingencies. If an emergency beyond your capacity hits, your self-reliant attitude and survival practices will help you see another day.
I hope that when our moment finds us, it does not expose our weakness but reveals our preparedness.
When I first started grappling, I heard the word “base” a million times but couldn’t really define it. I remember Sensei Valladares judo-throwing me to the ground like a sack of potatoes and telling me, “You need better root – stronger base.” I totally agreed – but really had no way of acting on the advice, since the whole notion of base was nebulous.
At length, I finally got what everyone was talking about. My hope is that with a few visuals, beginning students don’t have to struggle like I did. My intention is give them some thinking tools to demystify groundfighting and the structures they see. Below are two videos I shot in my spartan home-gym/dungeon while going over some wrestling with my friend John Ares. Certainly, I’m no a master, but I found this type of explanation to help me out a good deal.
Many students, such as myself, are vacationing heartily on fall break. If you’re not wasting time as effectively as I am – perhaps you have a real job/kids/responsibility – you can make up for it by watching these videos below. Happy fall break.
