Finnegan's Wake

Ok, I went to far back to watch your sparring vids yesterday, saw the deadlift (600PR, nice) and then got all frantic about my form and for got to look for the sparring.

Now I've seen em, and...

Natural response to a punch coming towards your face is to push your hands out and pull your head back...you only did it a few times...that will go away in time if you concentrate on it..
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That's the first thing I thought too. I know this from experience, as this was one of the things I was doing a lot of in sparring.

You have a pretty quick jab, try doubling it up more often, and don't let it come back to anywhere but your chin. There was also a few times when your lead hand was coming down instead of protecting your chin. I find this to be a problem for me as well, esp when wearing head gear, (which I hate with a passion).
Also, when a guy like that keeps his hands up so high, try double jab, cross to the body (about 4:00 into vid you do it quite nicely). Just remember to keep your head moving.

On the positive side, you have nice footwork/lateral movement when you want(4:27-4:55 in vid). Use it more often. Nice guard and head movement (4:37-4:40) There was a few times where your mobility was making him end up in awkward positions, and that's awesome. The few big guys I've sparred with (240-330lbs) aren't nearly as mobile as you. Maybe because they don't need to be with a smaller dude like me, but I think that you could definitley use it to your advantage.

I can't really comment on the MMA sparring, because I've never done. But damn, get some shin guards man!
 
Thanks for the advice. I've worked quite a bit on my jab lately. I'll try the double jab-body combo more often.
I've got two sets of good shin guards, one for me and one for my sparring partner. The opponent (Matt), who hasn't done any shin conditioning, said he wanted to go without. I obliged. I think a lot of his crappy kicking was that he was nervous about hurting his shins.
 
I see. The main reason I was saying was the last thing you wanna do is break your toe or a (meta)tarsal on some dudes shin before a fight. I seen it happen with a blocked teep. Right to dudes shin, toe was completely fucked, like a spiral fracture and the guy (my trainer actually) was out for about 3-4 months.
 
Yep. That's basically what happened to the big guy. He through a kick and caught my hip bone it on the top of the foot, just below the padding; hence a lot of his immobility and the fact that we are boxing.
 
yikes... i've been taught that basic low kicks shouldn't be thrown unless you are close enough to punch or just outside of it. The hurt foot thing happens to me every time we train kicks because I still kick like a karate black belt and not a fighter.
 
Well, technically speaking, he threw it right, I just moved back diagonally and his foot connected w/ the point of the hip. I'm decently light on my feet and moved away to take power from the kick; and consequently put my hip bone where my thigh had been a second earlier.
 
Um, this may be a double post, but...
Thanks for the link, Fatty. I can definitely sympathize with him. Looks like fun.
 
MMA
1 1/2 hours

Warm Up:
sprint in place jump rops x 1 minute, stairs x 1 minute, DE bag 1 minute x 3

Sparring:
We didn't waste any time today, it was all MMA sparring with the small gloves and no headgear. Obviously, we went a little light on power, but oh man was I in heaven. I could see!
Anyway, we did something ridiculous like 10-11 three minute rounds. The first half was rotating in for two rounds, sit out one. The second half was 2 matches of 3 threes.
Highlights:
-Sweeps from bottom: arm triangle sweep from guard ot top mount, mount escape to guard, pick up and toss escape (more on this later), slam escape.
-Landed a really nice 1-2-liver kick combo on my instructor. Thanks Bas!
-turned my hips over better tonight on low kicks
-doubled up on the jab more with some success
-good head movement. Only got tagged a couple times.
-much less bouncing.
-defended 3/4ths of the takedown attempts from the -instructor. Pushed his head away/ hip checked him.
-got a takedown that I set up with a jab (high double -leg, basically a tackle).

Lowlights:
footwork was off tonight, especially moving in and out of the clinch.
hands floated down too much. Didn't get caught but I noted it when it happened.
Spent way too much time being back mounted, nearly a whole round. I know my instructor is primarily a wrestler and has bookoo experience keeping guys in that position, but I still need to work on this. I eventually spin into his guard, but that was near the end of the round.
-Ate some decent shots messing around in gaurd and not controlling opponent's wrists.
-sat under a side mount for too long and ate some knees to the body.
-Got ipponed hard by the instructor with a highlight reel quality hip toss.

Impressions:
All in all, I did well tonight. My hips are getting stretched out so my kicks are getting crisper. I decided that I wasn't going mess around sitting in someone elses gaurd too much tonight, so whenever my opponents used closed gaurd, I'd just stand up and either push them away back to standing, or bring them up high and set them back down for a soft slam.
I know my JiuJitsu isn't going to win against a guy who has been instructed in it, so my current plan is the pull a Rampage/ Arona if I end up in guard.

Other good news: The fight will be 3 three minute rounds instead of 3 fives. I can hit a tire non stop for 10 solid minutes, so that's fine with me.
 
doubled up on the jab more with some success
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Very good!

Didn't get caught but I noted it when it happened
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That's a good sign man.

The fight will be 3 three minute rounds instead of 3 fives
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Perfect. It's amazing how fucking tired you are after just a couple of minutes. My first fight I could do 16 x 3 min rounds in training no problem. By the third round in the fight I was fucking exhauseted. I can't even imagine going 15 with only 2 1 min rests.
 
Good stuff.

Since your cardio is so good, wouldn't five minute rounds be more advantageous to you?

edit: I suppose not with all the adrenaline you're likely to dump, especially with it being your first fight and all.
 
Yes, the longer rounds would mean that I would have the cardio advantage in the later stages (esp at 220 lbs weight class, amateur level), but three minute rounds means I can rock out with my cock out in the last two rounds instead of just the last one.
 
Unless of course you knock the fucker into a highplane of existence in the first round, which is very likely to happen when 2 big fuckers fight their first time.

Very rarely have I seen to first time HW go all 3 rounds. At least in Muay Thai that is. MMA might be a different story due to the jew jeet zu.
 
Please, please, please, let them play closed gaurd...

Winner: Finnegan Method: Submission (slams)
 
And Brandon, care to watch my sparring vids and give a critique? On the boxing one, I land a bodyshot for you.
 
That's great how everything's lining up for you. At this rate, chances are your opponent will play closed guard.

Now why couldn't your instructor have a lot of sparring that last Friday when I was there?? Lol...
 
Well, its good to switch it up. We need the technique practice and instruction just as much as the live sparring, esp Matt for striking and me for ground.
 
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