Ronnie is a fellow Jiu Jitsu black belt at Lange’s MMA in Sydney. He took the initiative to interview his fellow instructors at Lange’s to break down the distance and divide between instructors and students and hopefully make us more approachable … and human. Songs
Category: Self Defence
Life in a Cult – Crash. A Cautionary Tale
Not Jiu Jitsu. But perhaps relevant to some Jiu Jitsu academies, instructors, and students. Definitely about self defence. Crash is not the real name of the organisation. It isn’t far off the real name. The guy who introduced and initiated me into Crash was named Alick. (Not really). I did gymnastics for sport and as…
Health is a Martial Art
I’m seeing too many male friends and acquaintances dying suddenly and unexpectedly in their forties and fifties. A former workmate of mine had a massive heart attack earlier this week. At time of writing he was on life support, awaiting his final act of selflessness as an organ donor.He was only fifty years old. Way…
MMA and BJJ and … “Streetfights”
I spend too much time on social media. One of my most onerous wastes of time is arguing on Wing Chun Kung Fu forums. Wing Chun is a style of Kung Fu, which I have practised pretty diligently since 1988. Following my Wing Chun instructor, Rick Spain’s, example, I also started practising Brazilian Jiu Jitsu…
It Seems to be Working – Part 2 – Road Rage
What follows is long, detailed, and no doubt boring. I wrote it this way intentionally to give the reader a feel of how tedious and disruptive the aftermath of a fifteen second violent confrontation can be. The Event On Friday, May 11, 2018 a bit after 1 PM, I was driving north along Forest Way…
Why you aren’t a streetfighter … and why you don’t want to be
From “Taking It to the Street; Making Your Martial Art Street Effective” by Marc “Animal” MacYoung, Paladin Press, 1999 A lot of martial art instructors claim to be streetfighters. They brag about how their system is street proven. To listen to these people, you’d think they were real hardcore street savages. And to give them…
John Will Seminar 1 August 2009 breaking out of the clinch, roundhouse kicks and takedowns
Breaking out of the clinch Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of MMA-style training. Most of us are taught that once you clinch you stay there or work to the ground. you may be better at striking and he better at wrestling, in which case it would suit you best to be able to break out…
JBW 5 April 2008 – Shell, Omoplata
>At Rick Spain’s Academy. Using the Shell Hands on hairline, not too high. Elbows must be in so he can’t get an underhook. Run at him until forearms contact chest. He should grab instinctively. Wing one elbow up and duckunder to get his back. Drill – get his back, push him away, run at him…
John Will Seminar Jul 28, 2007 – MMA defence from bottom, darce
MMA strategy – Under Mount Opponent is on top, punching. SHELL. open hands or closed gloves in the forehead, elbows down and close together, stopping him moving up to your armpits, keeping him low on your hips. Crunch up to reduce the area to be covered and keep the head off the floor. Hands must…
JOHN WILL SEMINAR 31 MAR 2007 Shell in depth and takedowns
The Shell – protective structure, very similar to Rodney King’s Crazy Monkey. With gloves – fists clenched, palm toward head, finger end of the gloves on your head at the hairline. No gloves, hands open, palms on the forehead. Forearms held close together, elbows down so that strikes cannot slip between them. Chin tucked, shoulders…