Work with pain, not against it.

My friend, Kris, stayed over a couple of days (Saturday night until tonight), to continue our training in MMA. We focused a lot on Judo takedowns and takedown defense as well as grappling and BJJ submissions. The striking was more on drills, but there was still a sparring session. It was fun and grueling. Grappling is tiring work and is probably even more tiring than stand up striking could ever amount to. You have to worry about submissions, dominant positions, countering transitions, keeping your joints and critical body parts safe from submissions, deterring any damage from striking from the top or bottom, depending on your position and much more.

It was all worth it, and there's a notable difference. I was able to perform submissions other than a rear naked or a guillotine and so did my friend. But we both experienced injuries. Here's the list:

-I was going for a knee-bar, my friend was trying to escape and kneed me right between my eyes and right above my nose bridge. It hurt like a bitch.

-I was standing up, my friend was in open-guard. I dove in, he raises his leg, and land my chest on his knee. !@$$#%! It hurt A LOT. No other way to say it. The acceleration of his knee being raised and the acceleration of my gravity as I dropped met at one point...my freaking chest. Lesson: Be careful with dives into open guard.

- We were practicing takedown defense. He was sprawling. He bent his toe and turned the above part of his big toe blue. Lesson: DO NOT sprawl with your toes bent! Sprawl with your feet firmly planted on the ground, as much as possible to avoid toe injury.

-We were doing stand up Judo sparring. I had a good opening for an Uchi Mata. As I swing my leg in between his legs to catch his left thigh with my right calf, my sole skid his toe nail and bent it, resulting in a lot of bleeding. Lesson: Make sure ALL your nails are cut before sparring or grappling.

The injuries are all good now. They hurt a lot initially. I guess it's due to psychological shock, since I don't know how it feels to get hit real hard, with knees no less. But it was an invigorating feeling. The feeling of pain reminds you that you are alive and that you are a human being. It probably also means you're getting beat up, lol. I want to be able to attain that high level of physical ability to withstand the pain from a punch to the face. The more I train and receive minor injuries, the more I will feel at home with them, that doesn't mean you should not avoid taking shots though. As the famous saying goes: "Work with pain, not against it."

Here's my progress on the ground techniques, made during this training session(s):
-Rear-naked choke (good)
-Arm-triangle (needs revision, positioning needs work)
-Guillotine (satisfactory)
-Triangle-choke (needs revision)
-Arm-bar from open guard (satisfactory, speed of execution needs work)
-Kimura from open guard (decent)
-Knee bar (needs revision)
-Achilles lock (decent)
-Ankle lock (needs revision)
-Omo Plata (decent)

I got several Achilles locks on my friend, an omo plata, a kimura, an armbar and a lot of rear naked chokes. He was very good with the triangle chokes, with which he got me twice and three times with the ankle lock. Overall, the training sessions were very productive. Anyone who wants to join in the fun, are more than welcome, lol. We're planning on joining a Judo dojo during the school year, and going there every weekend (as much as possible, I'm sure there will be times that I would be too pre-occupied with my academics)

Also, a lot of you probably know what those submissions and locks are. Omo plata, on the other hand, is a submission move that is not often seen in professional MMA bouts, so here's a picture:


When that hand gets in between the legs and you position the right leg at the elbow joint and put weight on it, there's no escaping and all you gotta do is lean your body forward and crank dat shoulda boi! Instant tap. Unless the opponent is too prideful, in which case, go all the way and pop his shoulder out =) It's a very good submission technique.

Continue the fight,
Alan

Andy Hug

It's been like a month now, since I took up MMA training, and I have amassed an abundance of past fight videos, whether if it's MMA, K1 or boxing to discover the fighting spirit of these fighters. For my stand up, I have been training mostly in Karate. My primary focus is on Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate. There are several Karate styles, but they are all essentially the same and they all originate from Okinawa, making the Karate I am learning, one of the original ones. My dad's a first degree black belt in Shorin Ryu which he had acquired in the short time of 3 years, while we were still in Kuwait. I regret my actions back then and I wish I could've continued all the way with my dad. I guess that's why I'm training hard now.

Anyways, I love Karate. I know recently it's died down in popularity, what with the popularity of Muay Thai and Brazillian Jiu-Jutsu on the rise (thanks to MMA) and the ever so present flashiness of Tae Kwon Do, a lot of other traditional martial arts, Karate included, are dying out.

I was searching on youtube for amazing Karate fighters. One particular fighter stuck out and must have been one of the most successful Karate fighters in history. Andy Hug. A simple name, befitting a simple man, hailing from Switzerland who loved Karate and loved fighting. This man is quite simply the shining example of what a Karateka should be. Disciplined and fierce. His moves where execute with finesse, speed and amazing power. He was especially noted for his devastating and picture perfect ax kick and spinning back kick or tornado kick. In Japan, he was known as the "blue eyed samurai" (even if his eyes were not blue) and was adored by the Japanese people. He was also called Tetsujin, which translates to Iron Man. They considered him a hero and an ambassador for their fighting culture. Unfortunately, Andy Hug left us much too early, dying suddenly from Leukemia in 2000, when he was only 35. Those who knew him will surely remember him and those who don't know him...well, that's your loss. Andy hug left behind a legacy of excellence in Karate and in sports and I'm here to share his legendary skills. My only regret, is not knowing him earlier.









That's just about to land. Ouch.

Fortunately, Karateka, MMA hero and UFC Light Heavy Weight Champion, The Dragon, Lyoto Machida, is here to show the world, Karate is definitely as potent as ever.

R.I.P. Andy Hug, from your new fan,

Alan

First Impressions: Nabari no Ō

Nabari no Ō:


Ninjas in suits....yay!

So, like in my previous post, I said I was watching some animes. So I tried this one. It had ninjas in it, and being a fan of ninjas, I had to check it out. There are some similarities to Naruto and Bleach, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Anyways, I'll summarize what I found out in the first episode, which usually sets up the entire series. Unlike Monster, and being an action anime, the plot was introduced in a very straightforward manner. Its setting is in modern day Japan, in which ninja factions still exist (called villages, but really, they're clans) The world of ninjas, is reffered to as Nabari, hence the title. There's this kid, Miharu (protagonist), who for some reason has been sealed with the most powerful ninja technique ever created. It some sort of book, which has the power to control life itself. But strangely, being referred to a book of techniques, it takes a shape of a young girl cough Yomi cough Ga-Rei cough. Anyways, all the remaining existing ninja "villages" are after this kid. Now these two guys at his school, his sensei (Kakashi-ish, I guess.) and some blonde kid, are in some martial arts (ninja club). They're convincing him to join the club, so that they can help protect him and train him to control the power within.

The plot is very linear, but does the job well. Plus this is just the first of 26 episodes, so I don't know where they are going to take this. So I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. The characters are interesting and unique. The protagonist, unlike in many action animes, is not a loud mouth, courageous, all or nothing type of guy. He's negative, he's a loner, sarcastically funny and wants nothing to do with these ninjas, which I find interesting and different. The art style is reminiscent of Bleach (long, lanky bodies) and the faces are similar, albeit a more basic form of Basilisk (very basic form, the detail in Basilisk was much more superb, also the eyebrows and eyeshadows are much less thick) Personally, like a lot of animes, the manga art looked cooler. The animation is average, but the action scenes are excellent and well done. In the first episode that I've seen, the action was much better compared to it's shounen counterpart, Naruto. I'm talking about majority of the episodes. I hope it's constant through out. The music is good, but not more than that.

Screenshots:


Intro is pretty standard fare.

Intro still.....Jin?! Kurenai?!!




Awkward dialogue. Males talking to other males. -_-'




Excellent action scenes.


This guy honestly looks like Jerick @ Prom. Except with grey hair, which Jerick does fewly possess. Minus the wrinkles also.

Verdict: Depends on your taste. (Personally, I will continue and finish this, since I enjoy these types of anime)

Strangely this anime is not categorzied as Shounen, even if it has many aspects of a Shounen, I'll see differences as I go along I guess,

Alan

I hate Kimchi.

That is to say, I hate the feelings and memories that kimchi invokes: dorm life. Ugh, if I could just drive to school, I would seriously avoid being cramped in my room with a bunch of white kids I can never relate to. They are soo different and it's hard to relate to ANY of them. The only people I kinda made friends with was my next door neighbour and this Arab guy (since I came from Kuwait).

Kimchi was so good, long before I associated the sensations it provided me with post secondary education and dorm life. Ick.

Also, Kimchi is responsible for several reddish spot marks on my keyboard.

*Slurps up Kimchi and gets a chill down his spine*.
Alan

First Impressions : Monster

I felt like watching some animes lately, so I was browsing ninjavideo, to see what they have. There are several titles there I know nothing about, but I found 2 interesting ones (so far).

Monster:


O my God! It's a monster!!!!!

I just finished watching the first 3 episodes and I am very entertained. It's not the usual anime that I would watch. Everything I will comment about the anime is strictly based on the fact that I've only seen 3 episodes. There is almost completely no obvious humour in this series, because it's a very serious anime. It's basically about a young Japanese doctor, who is a genius, living in Germany. He was highly regarded and had it all, until a series of events took place. I won't go further than that. The dialogue is very mature and can easily transission into a lve action T.V. show. A lot of themes here, presented in adult situations, such as ethical morality, equality of human lives, big corporation vs local population, monetary assets vs value of life, social depiction vs self fulfilment etc. Anyways, the story so far, is superb...although you must watch pass episode 1 to truly appreciate the direction in which the anime is going. It's one huge trek though, as it is 73 episodes long, so I don't know how long it would provide me interest. It is highly regarded in the anime community though, being 5 years old (released in 2004). The animation is not the best, but it certainly isn't a big factor here. The style of drawings for the characters looks very 90's and plays well with the setting of the story, which is 1980's-1990's. I also love how they captured the true look of Germany, although a lot of anime's have come to accomplished that. As I mentioned earlier, this anime could easily be a live action TV show, but it is not necessary, since it is good enough as it is. The music is cool. The intro is instrumental, but the first season's outro is so damn good. I dunno why, but I love it. It's english and by a western artist. It's called "For The Love of Life" by David Sylvian (former lead singer of Brit pop/rock group, Japan) . Check it out.

Note: This was based on a manga of the same name, the manga being a decade older than the anime. From what I've heard around forums, it's been very faithful.

Verdict: Reccomended! (Impressed and Interested to continue viewing.)

Wow, I really need to get around to finishing DTB.

Anyways, happy viewings.

Oh my COD!
Alan

The Boat That Rocked

Plot from IMDB: "The Boat That Rocked" is an ensemble comedy in which the romance takes place between the young people of the '60s and pop music. It's about a band of rogue DJs that captivated Britain, playing the music that defined a generation and standing up to a government that, incomprehensibly, preferred jazz. The Count, a big, brash, American god of the airwaves; Quentin, the boss of Radio Rock -- a pirate radio station in the middle of the North Sea that's populated by an eclectic crew of rock and roll DJs; Gavin, the greatest DJ in Britain who has just returned from his drug tour of America to reclaim his rightful position; Dave, an ironic, intelligent and cruelly funny co-broadcaster; and a fearsome British government official out for blood against the drug takers and lawbreakers of a once-great nation."

This movie rocked. It was funny, in a smart, British kind of way. It had awesome actors, all of whom performed well. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Nick Frost etc. (To name a few) The plot was brilliant and shows how music can be such an influential factor on a nation or society. It was released in the UK in April but unfrotunately, NA will not see a release until November. Thank goodness for torrents =) (the DVD rip is out) I don't want to make this a gigantic review, so I'll just make it brief.

Pros:
-Brilliant plot
-Excellent cast of characters
-Interesting history of the public broadcast of pop and rock back in the 60's

Cons:
-A bit on the long side (Just over 2 hours)
-A lot of side plots, neither of any were explained properly
-Sudden change of pace near the end
-Incoherent

Total Score: 8/10

Verdict: RECCOMENDED!

Over and out,
Alan

P.S. I've watched several movies this summer, but I rarely review each and everyone. I should try doing that. Meh.

Kingcardalan

Just came home from Kincardine, after a day practically soaked in water. The lake was as pristine as ever. I wanna take the boiz out like the last 2 years, but it's looking a little shady. I also kept telling my youngest sister how many times I've been there now, and I dubbed myself Kingcardalan, the king of Kincardine; she got sooo annoyed.

buh-bai,

Alan