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Why train boxing?
For me training in martial arts is about worst-case scenarios. Am I ever going to get attacked by George Jones Jr.? No. Am I going to get attacked by someone who punches like a karateka? Very unlikely. Am I going to be attacked by someone who punches like Tank Abbott? That's more likely. If I equate against the boxer, I am better equipped to successfully deal with punching attacks. Notice I didn't say train in boxing (although that's a good idea for the simple reason that it develops key attributes such as endurance, defensive footwork and head movement, speed, timing, and all that good stuff), but assume that you'll be facing a skilled boxer. You can practice any art in the world - if you can make it work against a boxer, then you can make it work in the street.
Training in BJJ is also about worst-case situations. We all know that going to the ground is a bad idea in all but the most favourable conditions (you're with 12 of your buddies for example), but it's plain short-sighted not to prepare for it.
To put it all another way, training is about having a back-up plan in case you screw up.
My chief complaint about kenpo (it was my first martial art, I studied it for three years) are the training methods. Kenpo tries to cover all the bases, teaching individual responses for individual attacks starting with the most common (wide swinging hook punch, front kick, lapel-grab, etc.). Unfortunately it doesn't help you to have studied responses to attacks A to Y if your opponent comes at you with Z. These self-defense techniques aren't merely about counters, but they also contain the prinicples of the style's movement. These principles are valid in themselves - ideas such as economy of motion, leverage, zoning in foot work, body positioning and alignment - but it takes much too long to learn them all individually and to learn how to put them together spontaneously. A classmate of mine was attacked by two men. She was fortunate that the curriculum up to the point she had studied had covered her situation and she was able to disable both attackers and escape.
While I believe it is a good idea to have some basic "escapes" (to use the BJJ term) to things like wrist grabs, bear-hugs, half-nelsons, and so on, there are much better (i.e. realistic) training methods available out there.
This rant is officially over!
Tony
For me training in martial arts is about worst-case scenarios. Am I ever going to get attacked by George Jones Jr.? No. Am I going to get attacked by someone who punches like a karateka? Very unlikely. Am I going to be attacked by someone who punches like Tank Abbott? That's more likely. If I equate against the boxer, I am better equipped to successfully deal with punching attacks. Notice I didn't say train in boxing (although that's a good idea for the simple reason that it develops key attributes such as endurance, defensive footwork and head movement, speed, timing, and all that good stuff), but assume that you'll be facing a skilled boxer. You can practice any art in the world - if you can make it work against a boxer, then you can make it work in the street.
Training in BJJ is also about worst-case situations. We all know that going to the ground is a bad idea in all but the most favourable conditions (you're with 12 of your buddies for example), but it's plain short-sighted not to prepare for it.
To put it all another way, training is about having a back-up plan in case you screw up.
My chief complaint about kenpo (it was my first martial art, I studied it for three years) are the training methods. Kenpo tries to cover all the bases, teaching individual responses for individual attacks starting with the most common (wide swinging hook punch, front kick, lapel-grab, etc.). Unfortunately it doesn't help you to have studied responses to attacks A to Y if your opponent comes at you with Z. These self-defense techniques aren't merely about counters, but they also contain the prinicples of the style's movement. These principles are valid in themselves - ideas such as economy of motion, leverage, zoning in foot work, body positioning and alignment - but it takes much too long to learn them all individually and to learn how to put them together spontaneously. A classmate of mine was attacked by two men. She was fortunate that the curriculum up to the point she had studied had covered her situation and she was able to disable both attackers and escape.
While I believe it is a good idea to have some basic "escapes" (to use the BJJ term) to things like wrist grabs, bear-hugs, half-nelsons, and so on, there are much better (i.e. realistic) training methods available out there.
This rant is officially over!
Tony
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