I recently had one of my former students tell me that he watched a video on the subject that TRAPPING was essentially useless, and not functional in a real fight.
My first comment is that: Whoever wrote that probably was never in a real fight! Trapping is all about clearing, stopping, and deflecting, and if that doesn't happen in a real fight --- I'm not sure what else does!!! The minute you block someone's punch or kick, you are pretty much trapping.
Granted, the way that you practice trapping doesn't really resemble a "real" fight, probably analogous to the "horse stance." But, practice is just that...practice. We have to start somewhere.
It's funny, because the same people that scoff at trapping, also teach parries, slips, bobs weaves, stops, etc, and these are all somewhat forms of trapping. Even many of the sweeps of Jiu Jitsu employ the concept of trapping.
So, what is the bottom line? Easy, practice what makes Y-O-U better, not what everyone feels is right for them. As for me, I'll be working my "traps" tomorrow!
Back then they believed that kicking below the waist was far too dangerous to the legs. Then, some years later, Thai boxing started to become popular; and people slowly began to develop an appreciation for leg kicks. At this point, the new and improved definition of the “complete Martial Artist” was someone who could box well and who also studied muay Thai, thereby possessing powerful leg kicks. For several years, the boxer/Thai boxer was the gold standard for the “complete” Martial Artist…that is, until the Gracies came to town.
According to the most recent government study of violent attacks, around 80% of street altercations involve weapons of some type (this statistic does not include guns). The very second a fight breaks out, it is a visceral response to grab something – including pool balls, beer bottles, ashtrays, cue sticks, etc. Anyone who lives in Los Angeles or on the East Coast knows that every gang kid alive carries some kind of makeshift weapon. You can’t go anywhere in the Midwest and not see some good old boy with a buck knife. How many times have we heard of someone in a fender bender, and the first thing the guy does on the side of the road is get out of the car, go to the trunk and pull out a flash light or tire iron. With this in mind, please allow me to me illustrate my definition of the complete Martial Artist: Someone who can kick and box, and is also proficient in trapping (i.e. head butts, knees, and elbows); this person must be able to ground fight as well; they should be well-versed in all weapons; and must be well trained in two-on-one, three-on-one, four-on-one, biting, eye gouging, etc. These are the principles that Bruce Lee espoused in the Tao of Jeet Kune Do; in fact this has been our precise curriculum at Progressive Martial Arts and our preceding academies, going back as far as 1986. In conclusion, I believe adding the use of weapons to one’s existing game will not only make you a better all-around Martial Artist, but will also improve whatever your empty hand game is.
1 Monitor your breathing to reoxygenate your system. Inhale with deep breathing to a full pause, and then exhale smoothly to a full pause. Learning to control your breathing is a key concept in yoga called Pranayama.
2 Each posture or asana below should be performed for 3-5 full breaths.
3 Follow the poses in order below and perform each to the best of your ability, but never into a range of pain. Perform equally on each side. The key is to relax and slowly build up your flexibility.
4 Focus your mind on the position and how it is helping your body to realign the tightened tissues that have been affected by the previous training session.
5 Use this time to mentally review the previous training session and what new movements you have learned and what progress or lack thereof you have made.
The warrior sequence
I took the following 8 poses that I felt would best counteract the tightening that takes place with combat arts like Jiu-Jitsu, judo, wrestling, and boxing. Since the head, chest, forearms, abdominals and hips are constantly flexed during training, I chose the following exercises to rebalance the body. Follow the pictures above, with Vinicius Draculino, and you should be able to complete the poses. There are other yoga positions that work other areas as well as more challenging exercises for balance and strength. Although I did not include them here, they could be something else for you to pioneer your own path.
As I said in the introduction of this article, a pioneer courageously takes information, evaluates it and adapts it to fit his or her own needs. I hope you take this information, evaluate it, absorb what is useful and blaze your own path toward what you think is right. You may not be proving something like the earth is not flat, but you will be taking your game to the next level. It may be hard at first to stay disciplined, but remember, there is never a traffic jam on the extra mile. Now get to work!
1 Mountain pose - Tadasana
2 Sky reach - Urdhva Hastasana
3 Cobra - Bhujangasana
4 Boat - Navasana
5 Lunge - Ardha Mandalasana
6 Prayer twist - Namaskar Parsvakonasana
7 Revolving warrior - Parivrtta Virabhadra Konasana
8 Warrior I - Virabhadrasana
* Martin Rooney is director of the Parisi Speed School and conditioning coach for Team Renzo Gracie. He has trained fighters for the ADCC, UFC, and Pride. His “Training for Warriors” book and DVD are at www.parisischool.com . Also check out the Training for warriors website.
Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.
PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga
WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid,s Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing
Some of SiFu Bruce's more notable full time, part time, and seminar students have included: Barry VanOver - 6th degree Black Belt & VP of United Professionals, Senior Instructor Premier Martial Arts Patrick Cummiskey - Chief Instructor for Krav Maga - Country of Ireland Todd Renigar - 8th Degree Black Belt, and President of South East Karate Instructors of Chinese Kempo Roland Costanzo - 5th Degree Black Belt & VP of SATORI Academies of Martial Arts Mike Rash - 9th Degree Black Belt & President Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Lou Faralan - 6th Degree Black Belt - Senior Instructor of Kalahi Martial Arts Dennis Ocampo - Founder - STATS Defense System Mark Sheeley - 8th Degree Black Belt & Founder Kensho Ryu Kenpo Nick Chamberlain - 8th Degree Black Belt, and Chief Instructor Dallas Kenpo Tony DeLalla - 5th Degree Black Belt and Senior Instructor Elite Martial Arts Academy (Please note: Mr. DeLalla was awarded an honorary promotion recognizing his previous rank in martial arts. However, he never successfully completed the Black Belt Exam) Keith Gordon - 5th Degree Black Belt and Chief Instructor SD Kenpo
I went to Blockbuster to rent a video, and take some time off. As I was looking through the mass amounts of possibilities, I looked up to see a fully grown adult, dressed in a complete Tae Kwon Do Dobak (Gi) complete with a black belt bearing three stripes!
In my world, this is considered disrespectful, dumb, and yes – stupid!
Okay, some of you might ask why? So, here are some things to think about:
That said; I guess it is just a case of how much something means to you. I also have to ask you: Don’t you think that wearing your Gi, complete with belt, etc to the video renatl store is just plain stupid?
Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.
PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga
WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid,s Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing
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Serving the Tennessee cities of: Oak Ridge Knoxville Clinton Oliver Springs Powell Karns Solway.
PROVIDING INSTRUCTION IN: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Gracie Jiu Jitsu Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu Kenpo Kenpo Karate Kempo Kempo Karate Shaolin Kempo KAJUKENBO Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu Karate for Adults Karate for Kids Yoga
WE ARE ALSO KNOW AS: Tennessee Karate Lessons Tennessee Karate School for Adults Tennessee Karate School for Kids Oak Ridge Child Karate Oak Ridge Martial Arts for Children Tennessee Karate Oak Ridge Kid,s Karate Tennessee Karate for Child Self Defense for Women Martial Arts Oak Ridge Martial Arts Tennessee Cardio Kick Boxing Class Kick Boxing Knoxville Kick Boxing Tennessee Tae Kwon Do Oak Ridge Karate Knoxville kids children families Tennessee Self Defense
In the state of Tennessee we teach: Taekwondo Karate Ju-jitsu / Jiu-jitsu Weapons Grappling Kickboxing Hapkido Kung Fu Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do Escrima Kali Arnis Wushu Aikido Judo Kempo / Kenpo Yoga TaiChi Self Defense Training Practical Street Defense Women's Self Defense Stranger Danger Bully Busting Police Law Enforcement Security Military Hand to hand combat Gun Knife Club Escape School Workplace violence School violence Personal Training Executive Self Defense Bodyguard Boxing