Violence is Always the Answer #1 May 20th-May 26th

First Week

Introduction

First I’d like to say, I know that I didn’t make my first non-introduction post on the next week. I have no excuses, I was lazy. On top of that I was hoping to get some pictures to go along with this post but I waited too long and some unforeseen events have made it impossible to do that without delaying this post any further.  But we are getting started nonetheless on the second week.
On top of that I have come up with an actual name for the blog, Violence is Always the Answer will be the name. Before anyone accuses me of misusing/misunderstanding the purpose of martial arts, know that the name does not mean I think you should beat up people for whatever reason, or all disputes/conflicts should be solved with violence. Here’s how I am interpreting the phrase. Martial arts are rooted in violence, there is no way around that, whether it is used to create violence or defend from violence or to prevent violence the one key. Martial arts have also bettered many lives including my own. Times where I have been involved in martial arts were times where I have been stronger, faster, healthier, and happier than when I wasn’t. So violence in this sense has bettered my life. I don’t need to take out my violence on other people out on the street, because I can go hit pads, hit a bag, spar, whatever I need and take my anger out that way. So violence directed towards inanimate objects or in a friendly manner (sparring) is absolutely productive. Violence in this way has bettered me, therefore Violence is Always the Answer will be the name.
Let’s continue now that that that explanation is out of the way. I have discovered something strange however about my fitness level. I was at 190 pounds in my junior year of high school and had abysmally bad cardio endurance. I am heavier now than then but still have significantly better endurance despite not having grown. I think what it comes down to is I am in a better mental state than then, I am happier and more motivated to succeed than I was and as a result it has become easier to push through discomfort.

Accomplishments

A few things were accomplished this week that I am at least somewhat proud of. For the most part I kept to the program I had laid out for my martial arts training, but I did neglect my general fitness quite a bit.  
I started on Monday by shadow boxing behind my apartment for ten three minute rounds using an app called “Ruckus” that calls out moves for you to do and keeps you thinking. I personally had a tough time keeping up with the concentration aspect but I figure with time it will get easier. This is a similar concept to having to read your opponent in a fight/match. You don’t know what opportunities will present themselves but when they do you need to take them. I did however find that the confusion of not being able to constantly move and having no heavy bag to stop each strike meant that I didn’t get as much exercise as I could have from it.

On Tuesday I did four 3 minute rounds of, I guess sticking hands or trapping hands (I don’t know quite what the proper name is feel free to correct me in the comments), against a wall. The concept was to flow using Wing Chun moves and using a wall as a point of contact. I ended up sticking to one particular combo I thought of on the fly that consisted of a centerline punch, followed with a bong sau, then a Gwai Jang (elbow strike), then a backfist strike, after that I would repeat with the other hand and try to do it as quick as possible. I followed that up with four rounds of shadow boxing from a Yi Ji Kim Yeung Ma or “goat squeezing stance” and focused on using Wing Chun movements and stepping, occasionally, as described in the book. Then finally I did four rounds of classic shadow boxing using Muay Thai techniques. My main focus was throwing round kicks and swinging through all the way around, as well as setting up round kicks with punches.

Also on Tuesday I did a class at my current Muay Thai gym where I was paired with some new people so I had to focus on hooks, jabs, and straights as well as teaching someone to hold pads. One good thing did come of that class however, I did get to try “sparring in the tire” which is exactly what it sounds like. Both people put their lead foot in a small tire and spar which forces you to fight in the pocket at all times (elbow checks and rolls will be your best friend here). It definitely changed up my outlook on boxing a bit. Where most thai boxers would try to distance themselves in a match (compared to combination punching styles like Dutch Kickboxing)  this took that element out of the equation. I couldn’t run, I couldn’t teep or low kick. The only option was to actually box. So the moral is, try this it will help your ability to fight in the pocket.

On Wednesday I decided to try a Wing Chun form called Siu Nim Tao. This is the first form in Wing Chun and is kind of the basis of the art if I’m not mistaken. It covers most if not all of the basic movements (at least). I did the first section of Siu Nim Tao but I ended up pretty confused going only off of the pictures, however watching some video demonstrations helped such as this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQOorh6kR4w&t=66s

Although, as pointed out by the comments, the man holds too much tension in his body, I still think it’s a good overview.
Also I found this video of Yip Man himself doing the form to be quite useful despite the poor camera quality:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HayGbErctBY&t=34s
 

After that I ended my Wednesday by doing a class at another gym I was checking out (which was my first gym years ago). I had done a trial class about a week or so prior and was contacted by one of the people who work in the office there saying I could come do another free class, (this significantly eased the reservations I had about returning after all these years). I accepted and did that class where I spent most of the time learning the Bang Muay Thai combos. Bang Muay Thai to my understanding uses a single number for their basic combos instead of assigning each punch a number (or maybe it’s just this particular Bang Muay Thai school) for example: 1 = jab, 2 = jab-cross, 3 = jab-cross-hook (I think), 4 = jab-cross-hook-cross, 5 = jab-cross-hook-cross-uppercut, 6 = cross-hook-cross, 7 = hook-cross-hook, 8 & 9 have not been committed to my memory yet.

Thursday and Friday were both kind of a loss since I didn’t do any actual practice besides reading a little bit of the theory section of my Wing Chun book. Laziness definitely took over, but that’s why I’m on a journey of self betterment.

On Saturday I didn’t do anything physical, but saturday wasn’t a total waste, because I did manage to write out a reasonable general fitness plan for myself (which I started earlier today). So I’ve decided to count my blessings considering I could have just sat on my butt entirely that day and not had anything to show for it at all.

That brings us to Sunday. I did an early morning workout, and then worked all day. Overall, not the most productive week, but not a total loss.  
That brings us to the Philosophy section of this blog post. What martial arts blog would be complete without it?

The Philosophy of Dutch Kickboxing Vs Muay Thai

Just like in any sport there are many different ways of playing with in many rulesets. The current gym I am attending is focused on more traditional Muay Thai while the one I am looking into is based on Bang Muay Thai which has greater ties to Dutch Kickboxing than Muay Thai. Where do these two differ? The main differences in the fighting methods are: Dutch Kickboxers utilize a lot more combination punching than a Nak Muay (Muay Thai Practitioner) who would lean towards distance, low kicks, and clinching.

A Nak Muay would seek to keep his opponent at bay while taking out his base form underneath him, throwing low kick after low kick to weaken his leg. The more pain in his leg the less he can lean into it to throw a punch effectively destroying both his defense and offense.
A Dutch Kickboxer on the other hand would seek to get closer and instead set combinations up with his kicks. Each kick posing as a distraction like the misdirection of a magician making you look one way while he is doing something unexpected beneath the surface. Why drag out a fight, when you can take them out right then and there with a clean punch right on the button.

Really it comes down to is are you a boxer who also kicks or a kicker who also boxes (no offense to anyone, Muay Thai is still my favorite sport).

Procrastination

A lot of the time I find myself sitting at my computer doing nothing productive, I tell myself again that I need to do this or that but can’t bring myself to do it. I know that doing it will objectively better my life and lead me in the right direction but still won't do it. I’m sure everyone has found themselves at one time or another in this situation. It can be big or small, something as simple as, “I need to clean my room,” or something major like, “I need to finish this project for work”. We waste time not usually because we are incapable, or are confused, the reason we do this is because we don’t know where to start. The task seems too daunting to complete and we are scared of the time that will be spent, not realizing that the time will be less wasted just doing it. Can you really enjoy relaxing knowing in the back of your mind you have something you need to do? What we need to do is just do it.
Some commonly suggested things that can help with just doing it are the following:

1. Break the project down into small tasks. This will help you visualize how much you really need to do and how much you’ve done.
2. Work for 52 minutes then break for 17. I don’t know why these exact numbers are the suggested amounts for maximum productivity but they are...because SCIENCE!
3. Find a Mantra or personal saying to motivate you. This doesn’t work for everyone but it has worked for me when I have felt lazy
4. Reward yourself when and only when you get it done. 
5. Remove yourself from a distracting environment. Find somewhere quiet where you don’t have your phone or computer if possible depending on the project and just work.
6. Plan ahead. Make a plan for how much you are going to do each day if it is an long assignment with a deadline.

I am sure there are many other ways to tackle procrastination but these help me. I still need to work on my procrastination as there is always room for improvement.

Wrapping Up

This week hasn’t been the most productive but it hasn’t been the least. I made an easy to follow plan for general fitness, I did practice my martial arts throughout and was able to draft my first official entry to my blog documenting my journey. If you took the time to read this far I would like to thank you. Remember violence is always the answer.