Let's Get Training

Deployed

CFCMatt — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 01:02:44 +0000

While Master Mahan is deployed to Iraq for his 3rd tour, I can be reached using the contact form with any program or membership questions for Let’s Get Training and The American Combat Arts Federation. Your email will also reach Master Mahan, but I will be the main contact.

Jim, we wish you a successful mission!

Respectfully,

Matt Munson

Weapons Seminar Was A Great Success!

Jim — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:10:10 +0000

Matt Munson of Champions Combat Arts hosted a basic weapons seminar this past Saturday. Matt is the Regional Representative for Central Texas. We had a nice group of folks with a wide variety of martial arts and bladed experience. The day flew past and lots of stick banging as well as slashing and stabbing was the standard!

Katy Overman and Rick Johnson took the exams for basic Instructor certification in Single and Double Stick as well as the Knife. Fine job by both of them.

Thanks to Matt and Pam for a great event!

I am happy to have met two new friends, Gerry and Mate. Great guys who love knives. How can that get any better?

American Combat Arts Federation Seminar - 1-19-08

CFCMatt — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:43:24 +0000

Saturday, January 19, 2008

American Combat Arts Federation Holds Weapons Seminar!

Instructed by Master Jim Mahan

Module One will cover:

Basic Single Stick:

Basic striking angles
Basic blocking techniques
Basic weapon disarming techniques
Basic joint locking techniques
Basic Single Stick pattern or form
Training exercises to develop this skill set
Sparring exercises to develop this skill set

Basic Double Stick:

Basic Double Stick striking angles
Basic Double Stick blocking techniques
Basic Double Stick disarming techniques
Basic Sinawali patterns

Module Two will cover:

Basic Knife:

Basic Knife slashing and stabbing angles
Basic Knife interception techniques
Basic Knife disarming techniques
Basic Knife pattern or form
Training exercises to develop this skill set
Sparring exercises to develop this skill set

Module 1 will be held 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., cost = $75
Module 2 will be held 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., cost = $60
If attending both Modules, total cost = $110

Location: CrossFit Champions, Spring, TX.

Contact Matt (281-636-3087 or use the contact form here) immediately to reserve your spot!

Theory of Motion

Jim — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:13:10 +0000

Are we able to find all our movements on a pattern? The Kenpoists think so and to a certain degree so do the FMA folks. In the Black Belt levels of SJK, you will be required to work in and explain these patterns of movement. My power versus your power is an argument that has been around for years and will continue to muddle on for quite a while. In the arts we that we study, the student learns that there is always someone stronger than you, so trying to muscle your way through a technique won’t work.So how do we defeat a stronger opponent or sometimes just a stronger attack? When using the motion pattern you can always put yourself into the opponents opposite pattern or position him to be in your strong side pattern (which ever way you prefer).

By positioning yourself you are able to break his balance without using a whole lot of body movement.How do we do that? If you are face to face with an opponent in a clinch postion, you are both at an equal advantage. If you move at a 45 degree angle to either your left or right, you have just broken his balance. That’s using an angle to get into a strong position where you can strike or take down the opponent. The same principle also applies if you move forward 45 degrees as well. We have just made an ” X ” by moving at the 4 mentioned 45 degree angles. In a striking situation you always try to put yourself in a position where you are able to strike the opponent with all types of body weapons but he is only able to respond with one. When we work against punch attacks, we always move inside/outside or back to avoid the strike.

Imagine your opponent in a diamond or two mated triangles, one facing north the other facing south. If he is in the center of the diamond, that leaves the diamond shape itself for you to work with. Start by moving up and down the diamond along the lines. Interesting how you just walked around the opponent at a very close range.

When you block, think about the motion pattern and how it is directly relating to your opponent or his strike that is entering into your defensive movement pattern. Take a parry and strike combination. If you parry across the centerline and hit below that line, you begin to separate the halves of the opponent’s body. If you use the triangle footwork and penetrate past the opponent as in several of the SJK one steps, you can even take your opponent down by separating the halves of his body and forcing the fall.

Stick evasions or blocking use shapes also. In the FMA, we can use the palasut as an example. We meet the attack at a reduced angle to lessen to blow. Then we attach our stick to theirs and roll around it to our strike. Another example is the basic meeting block. You are standing in front of your opponent and he is holding the stick at position one for angle one. He begins to cut or strike down, you move to your left or maybe your right or maybe you decided to step back and clear the length of the cut. What if you step forward and cram him up from being able to move? So lets see, you can move straight, left, right or back….This is an example of the plus sign in the motion pattern.

Using the motion theory patterns for throws or takedowns are interesting as well. Imagine you have an opponent standing in front of you, feet are square at the shoulders. A triangle has 3 points, keep this in mind. So if we are to imagine the attacker to be a triangle it would work like this: his left foot would be one point, his right foot would be the second point.

Now, lets find point 3, if one and two are side by side then the third must be in the middle of both points but slightly forward or behind him ( remember we are using a triangle) Stand with both feet shoulder distance apart, now lean forward till you have to step to get your balance so you don’t eat the floor. Did you see where your leg moved? That was the third point of the triangle.

Gives you food for thought.

Delay in Deployment!

Jim — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:21:10 +0000

Well, it looks like I will not be deploying until after the New Year! We have been informed that there is a new timeline for my unit and we’ll continue training and wait and see what happens next.

All affiliates and Instructors will be contacted within the next week to discuss possible training options until I deploy.

Talk to all of you soon!

Another Sil-Jeon Kwan member

Jim — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 02:50:18 +0000

We welcome Mike Puett and his club, Idaho Modern Mudo Association to our family. He brings lots of experience and knowledge to our family.

Welcome Mike!

Absolute Combat is Closed

Jim — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:19:50 +0000

Greetings. It’s that time again. We have closed the Fort Hood Absolute Combat Grappling Club due to upcoming Iraq deployment. Thanks to all those who took the time to train. We’ll start up again once we redeploy.

Tempus Fugit

Jim — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 15:26:13 +0000

As the saying goes, time flies. I’ll be heading out to Iraq in the next couple of months. I have tried to reach all those of you who are affiliates, independant instructors, students and communicate goals as well as training strategies for the time that I’ll be gone.

If I have missed you, please don’t be offended; contact me as our member roster may be inaccurate. I’ll contact you immediately once you let me know.

In the time that I’ll be gone you can still contact our VP Master Roger Lewis for guidance and information. For membership and other instructional materials needs, please contact our Secretary General, Mr. Matt Munson. He’ll be able to take care of all your needs.

I hope to be able to talk with or train with most of you before I go. Once I am deployed, I’ll be sending back updates and pictures so interested folks can see what is going on with my third Iraq deployment.

Until then, Let’s Get Training!

Introductory Stick Work Training Progression

Jim — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:04:07 +0000

Hi all, this is a subject that is always confusing to some and very interesting to others. This information can be interpreted many ways and used forever with new material always cropping up. Take a look!

The ABC’s Training Method

· Stage 1: One Block, one hit
· Stage 2: One Block, two hits
· Stage 3: One Block, three hits
· Stage 4: Receive two hits (1-1,1-2, 1-3, through 12, then 2-1, 2-2, 3-3 and etc)
· Stage 5: Receive three hits
· Stage 6: Receive fakes (fake the 1, give the 1, fake the 2, give the 2 and etc)
· Stage 7: Utilize different weapons
Using different weapons
Receiving different weapons
Using different locks
Receiving different locks (counters)
Using different takedowns
Receiving different takedowns (counters)
· Stage 8: Receive while retreating
· Stage 9: Receive while moving right to left or left to right
· Stage 10: Receive while circling
· Stage 11: Receive low to high or high to low
· Stage 12: Receive on different terrain or environment

Note: Stages 1 - 7 are trained in a stationary posture
Note: Stages 8 - 12 focus on footwork while blocking and countering

ABC’s Weapon Progression

· Stage 1: Stick vs. Stick
Strike with middle of stick
Strike with tip of the stick
Strike with butt of the stick
· Stage 2: Stick vs. Stick and Knife
· Stage 3: Stick and Knife vs. Stick and Knife
· Stage 4: Double stick vs. Double stick
· Stage 5: Double stick vs. Stick and Knife
· Stage 6: Single Knife vs. Double Knife
· Stage 7: Double Knife vs. Double Knife

Sparring Template

BASE VS. A B C D E

1) S/S S/S D/S K EH SAK
2) D/S D/S K EH SAK S/S
3) K K EH SAK S/S D/S
4) EH EH SAK S/S D/S K
5) SAK SAK S/S D/S K EH
6) P S/S D/S K EH SAK
7) D/D D/D P S/S D/S EH
ST S/S D/S EH PS K
9) P/S DP/S S/S K EH SAK
10) D/PS S/S D/S EH SAK PS
11) R S/S D/S EH SAK PS

Legend:

S/S - Single Stick ST- Staff
D/S - Double Stick D/D - Double Knife
EH - Empty Hand K - Knife
P/S - Palm Stick R- Rope
SAK - Stick and Knife D/PS - Double PS

As Grand Master Ernesto used to say, “Play, go to work”!

I’m back

Jim — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 01:37:03 +0000

As you can see, I am back from my training at Ft Benning, Ga. It was a very long 7 weeks. It’s great to be home and back to work. I am a few short months away from going back to Iraq, so things are very hectic and fast paced.

I’ll be going to Matt Munson’s school in Champions, Texas next weekend for some training and to speak with potential new members to our organization. It should be an awesome time. Matt and Pam Munson are great folks and always do things up nice. If you are into getting into great physical shape, you absolutely owe it to yourself to pay them a visit.