Saturday, April 4, 2009

Tennis Match MMA sparring

Last Wed night I had one of the best training session for a long time. We've been doing some MMA training since last year but when Vince introduced "tennis match MMA sparring", I realised that I could actually see how some of the techniques work in slow motion and this helps me to understand the intricacies of a particular technique so that I can apply it better. For those curious, tennis match sparring means each person take turns as attacker-defender so that both can drill a certain technique.

By limiting the sparring to a certain technique like the Single Leg Takedown only, it allows us to drill and practice this often-used technique with more focus and intensity.

By the time we were allow to spar like normal, most of us were able to apply those MMA moves smoothly. And I managed to do a few single and double leg takedowns, something that I've not been able to do whenever I spar in the past. By understanding the mechanics and flows of a particular technique through tennis match sparring, we improve our timing and execution of that technique. Tennis match sparring allows you to break down a technique and help you to understand why you fail to execute it earlier. Of course, there are other factors like physical attributes and fight plan but that's for another entry.

Note to self: remember to check distance, setup or distract, level change then lift up.

MMA training in Kuala Lumpur

Haven't been blogging awhile but looking back, this year signaled a surge of interest in the Crazy Monkey Defense (CMD) class at our gym, KDT Academy.

From around 10-12 people training since 2007, the class has dwindled down to around 5-6 people by the end of 2008. Many stopped due to work commitments, traveling, relocation and etc. One of the highlight of 2008 was my fellow gym-mate Albert Lim graduating as Certified Trainer and opening his own gym called Studio 23 in Kuching, Sarawak. Congrats Bert and hope I'll have the chance to visit you in Kuching soon.

But come 2009, boom!! An explosion of interest and all of sudden, we have a big batch of newcomers to the Crazy Monkey Defense class till Vince have to allocate a separate session for them. This will help them pick up the basics faster and get them up to speed with us "old-timers". One of the best thing from this is now I get to train 2 hours a night instead of the normal 1 hour session we used to do last year. And so far, it has been most satisfying because not only do I get to train longer, I managed to refresh myself on the fundamentals again by joining the CMD beginners class. I began to notice a significant improvement to my game by going back to the basics which I've been neglecting in favour of a more flamboyant game.


Why the sudden increase in MMA (mixed martial arts) training, esp. in program with a questionable name like "Crazy Monkey Defense" in a country where traditional martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do, Aikido or Karate dominate the scene? Well, the answers could be many, but I suspect this is due to fast growing popularity of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) reality shows or fights.

While originally MMA is meant for professional fighters, in the sense that it has a much more demanding training regimen than most typical martial arts, the Crazy Monkey Defense training is specifically catered for people who want learn MMA as a fun and exciting pastime, perfect for people like me who enjoys combat sports minus the killer regimen (or risk of injuries) of a pro-fighter.

With so many new people in the gym, I look forward to some really interesting and exciting training sessions with lotsa good stuffs to learn. If you are interested to train MMA in Kuala Lumpur, please visit http://www.kdta.com/ for more info.