Uechi-Ryu.com

I know MMA is not held in high regard here (I actually met a Uechi girl who said it was literally impossible to take down a Uechi fighter and they don't fight in the UFC out of courtesy, not joking) but the fight between Dan Henderson and Mauricio Hua tonight was the greatest event in sports history.

If you haven't seen it, go watch it. It makes USA/Russia hockey or Ali/Foreman look ridiculous.

Anyone else blown away? Hendo's shirt "Heart and Mind Overcome All" seems especially appropriate. That was not a display of skill, that was a display of will. Rhyme not intended.

Wow... I just got finished making a post where I referred to mixed martial arts as one of my assets.

Joey Pomfret is a highly-ranked Uechika and BJJ instructor, and regularly appears at Uechi summer camps. He had a great MMA career before hanging up the trunks. (Only one loss, no KOs.) I'm proud to say he's let me get on the mat with him several times - in front of God and the world - and let me see how long I could last before I got to a point of no return. He by the way came from the military where I believe he was trained as a sniper. And I consider him both a friend and a great resource.

Of course there is mixed martial arts in the literal sense, and then there's MMA - the sport. TMA is TMA. LEO training is LEO training. Combat training is Combat training. Karate aerobics (an oxymoron, BTW) is Karate aerobics. Karate "Do" (the life-long practice of an artform) is Karate Do. Dojo Daycare is Dojo Daycare. And sport karate (in its many manifestations) is sport karate. Each is what it is. There's some overlap from one to the next, and many of us have participated in several of these domains. But we must not confuse one for the next. Learn in Space A and take some lessons to Space B? Absolutely. Practice rope-a-dope against a knife attack? As Chris Rock would say, "That's just ignant!"

All that said... I've written several threads (take a look) which have drawn on baseball, football, basketball, and soccer to illustrate universal principles of movement. I'm the biggest fan of getting out of the dojo/dojang and doing a little cross-training to unfreeze the brain.



I met a very large and experienced martial artist who said he could move people through walls, and he had followers. It took a randomized, controlled experiment at camp to debunk the "no touch" touch.

I've had people tell me that martial artists can reach down your throat, grab the heart, pull it out, and show it to you before you die. No randomized, controlled trial needed.



Good stuff! For those who missed it, see the below.

Greatest fight ever? Either way, Henderson-Rua worth the wait

Henderson outlasts Rua at UFC 139

If you saw it, do elaborate!!!

More in another post.

- Bill

I saw the November 12th heavyweight bout of undefeated MMA champion Cain Velasquez against challenger Junior Dos Santos. The improbable end at 64 seconds came with an overhand, looping shot to the side of Cain's head. It obviously didn't knock him out, but he was left vulnerable on the mat to Junior's attempts at finishing him off.

At first it seemed way too improbable. But then I heard the interview of Cain after the fight. He really wasn't hurt. But in his own words, "I lost my equilibrium." Ahhh... that explains it.

I've often preached about the value of percussion shots to the ear, and have ways where I teach it. There are several such potential shots in Seisan kata. Understanding and preaching theory is one thing; seeing theory drop an undefeated MMA fighter is something altogether different. If you don't understand how this shot worked the way it did, then I highly recommend you read up on the body's vestibular system.

WARNING - DO NOT TRY THIS FULL FORCE IN THE DOJO!!! The last thing we need is someone getting a ruptured eardrum because of something they read on The Forums.

Here is the fight.

Cain Velasquez VS Junior Dos Santos (Full Fight) 11-12-11

- Bill

Oh well...we have known for a very long time that Uechi fighters don't go down.

_________________
Van

Did he just say that????

- Bill

_________________
Life begins & ends cold, naked & covered in crap.

Dude this fight was freaking amazing. I loved it.

I actually heard some MMA guys comment that "well they were both tired so i knew it would be boring"

Can't believe i heard this from other guys i trained with. It was a great bloody fight. I loved it. Haven't seen anything this good for a long long time.