I'm not nearly the historian of boxing and fighting in general that many fans of the sweet science seem to be. A question I've been trying to find an answer for recently is why boxing continued to be a more-or-less legitimate sporting competition while wresting became, well, the WWE. The simple answer is of course that amateur/Olympic wrestling is boring to watch while boxing can be exciting for the right match-up.
I'm not convinced of that though. First, people have proved to be willing to watch grappling in the context of MMA, and some forms of wrestling are major spectator events (think sumo). From what i've read professional wrestling was considered a legitimate fighting sport until around the 1920s, but was declining in popularity especially after the retirement of the legendary Frank Gotch. The answer to the decline seems to have been the rise of the theatrical style now honed to perfection in modern pro wrestling.
Even with the profusion of fight sport on TV these days it's hard to imagine a new professional wrestling organization that tries to have "real" matches, even if they incorporate judo and jiu jitsu techniques. Although some have argued that the popularity of MMA has increased peoples' awareness of pure boxing, I haven't seen evidence yet that this translates to more viewers for live and pay-per-view events.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Style of the Week VI: Gladiator Combat
OK, so this isn't so much a style as a category. The gladiators were among the first warriors trained exclusively for sport fighting, albeit of a particularly brutal nature. The word gladiator means "one who wields a sword", so not surprisingly the training of gladiators often involved sword training. But other weapons and methods were used, for example the type of gladiator known as a retarius used a trident and a net to capture opponents' weapons.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of information about exactly what the combat style of a typical gladiator might have looked like, but there is evidence that gladiators were often trained in set of choreographed routines and that they would fight according to these sometimes in gladiatorial contests. Some archaeologists have even suggested that gladiatorial events were a sort of ancient WWE-style spectacle, although it's clear that combatants did in fact sometimes die in these contests.
Gladiators were trained in schools called ludi, the best known being the ludus magnus that was connected directly to the Roman Colosseum. There were also schools in which combatants were trained specifically to fight animals. Gladiators were owned by men called lanista, who were sort of the Don King/Dana White equivalents of their time. Sources including Epictetus and Cicero indicate that gladiatorial training was also like modern fight training in the sense that it included conditioning and dietary restrictions.
True gladiatorial spectacles, called munera, are mercifully a thing of the past. But apparently, you can still engage in the training of the gladiator.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of information about exactly what the combat style of a typical gladiator might have looked like, but there is evidence that gladiators were often trained in set of choreographed routines and that they would fight according to these sometimes in gladiatorial contests. Some archaeologists have even suggested that gladiatorial events were a sort of ancient WWE-style spectacle, although it's clear that combatants did in fact sometimes die in these contests.
Gladiators were trained in schools called ludi, the best known being the ludus magnus that was connected directly to the Roman Colosseum. There were also schools in which combatants were trained specifically to fight animals. Gladiators were owned by men called lanista, who were sort of the Don King/Dana White equivalents of their time. Sources including Epictetus and Cicero indicate that gladiatorial training was also like modern fight training in the sense that it included conditioning and dietary restrictions.
True gladiatorial spectacles, called munera, are mercifully a thing of the past. But apparently, you can still engage in the training of the gladiator.
UFC 76
Wow. I was not only wrong, but had Jardine followed up on his knockdown of Liddell in the second round, i'd have been wrong in reverse.
It's kind of hard to believe that not long ago Randy Couture was retired, Liddell was thought unbeatable, and Pride was considered by many to have the superior fighters. The idea that any fighter can win on any given night is what gives MMA much of its appeal, but i'm not sure if fans are going to want a situation where there is no dominant fighter at any weight class.
Personally, i thought that both Tavares/Griffin and Sanchez/Fitch were excellent fights even if they went to decision. But Griffing/Rua and Liddell/Jardine were only interesting in the "what the hell is going on here" way. That's the Rua that KO'd Quinton Jackson and outpointed Nogueira? Very unimpressive. And Liddell was pathetic. When he raised his arms at the end of the fight I was actually embarrassed for him.
It's kind of hard to believe that not long ago Randy Couture was retired, Liddell was thought unbeatable, and Pride was considered by many to have the superior fighters. The idea that any fighter can win on any given night is what gives MMA much of its appeal, but i'm not sure if fans are going to want a situation where there is no dominant fighter at any weight class.
Personally, i thought that both Tavares/Griffin and Sanchez/Fitch were excellent fights even if they went to decision. But Griffing/Rua and Liddell/Jardine were only interesting in the "what the hell is going on here" way. That's the Rua that KO'd Quinton Jackson and outpointed Nogueira? Very unimpressive. And Liddell was pathetic. When he raised his arms at the end of the fight I was actually embarrassed for him.
Friday, September 21, 2007
TUF 6
I'm already bored with TUF 6. Even Matt Serra can't sell the idea that there's some sort of legitimate feud between him and Hughes. It cracks me up when Serra says about Hughes "He thinks I got lucky". Got news for you Mr. Serra. Everyone thinks you got lucky.
Here is the one really interesting thing that i learned from Episode 1 of TUF 6: Mac Danzig is the world's most bad-ass vegan. I hope he wins on that basis alone.
Here is the one really interesting thing that i learned from Episode 1 of TUF 6: Mac Danzig is the world's most bad-ass vegan. I hope he wins on that basis alone.
UFC 76 Predictions
One of the good things about the UFC is that the good fighters get matched up (sometimes, still waiting on Emelianenko/Couture). The bad thing about that is it's pretty easy to lose a couple of fights in a row, which can be tough on a fighter's career. That could be the theme for the night at UFC 76 though. Clearly, somebody will have consecutive losses in the Liddell/Jardine fight since both are coming off losses, and i think it's entirely possible that Sanchez loses to Fitch. Although Griffin won his last fight, he's in a similar boat. He might withstand a loss since he's incredibly popular and everybody seems to acknowledge that his opponent is simply better than he this time, but this would be three losses in five fights.
My predictions: Liddell by KO, Rua by submission, Sanchez by controversial decision. Of course, the only thing harder to predict than the future is a future MMA fight.
The only really interesting undercard fight is the Thiago Tavares/Tyson Griffin match up, since there's some speculation that the winner could fight BJ Penn for the lightweight title left open by Sean Sherk's suspension.
My predictions: Liddell by KO, Rua by submission, Sanchez by controversial decision. Of course, the only thing harder to predict than the future is a future MMA fight.
The only really interesting undercard fight is the Thiago Tavares/Tyson Griffin match up, since there's some speculation that the winner could fight BJ Penn for the lightweight title left open by Sean Sherk's suspension.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Book Review: No Holds Barred Fighting-Submission Wrestling
A training partner recommended Mark Hatmaker's No Holds Barred series of books to me. I'm very skeptical of martial arts instruction books, because my personal experience is that most techniques have subtleties that require both the guidance of a good instructor and repeated practice with a live opponent at various levels of resistance. However, i decided to buy Hatmaker's Submission Wrestling book to see what value it might have.
The book is well produced, with quality paper and good photographs (black and white, but clear and well composed). The progression of the material from stances and drills to positions, takedowns, and takedown defense before proceeding to submissions is very good. It would have been easy for an author simply looking to exploit the current UFC-inspired interest in grappling to move straight into submission techniques, but clearly Hatmaker is a committed teacher.
The photographs are, in my opinion, adequate to illustrate the techniques. That was one of my biggest concerns prior to seeing the book, but i didn't find many cases where the transition from move to move was not clear (the Switch Step takedown defense being an exception for example). The text is also written clearly and generally augments the photos. There are some suggestions that I find interesting and will probably experiment with (for example, Hatmaker's recommendation to try to figure-4 the legs when you have your opponent in guard rather than just crossing the ankles).
On the other hand, my original concerns remain. I think this book serves an excellent reference for someone who already has some training in some submission art, but I'm not convinced that somebody without any previous experience could become proficient using just this book (plus willing training partners). So much of grappling is learning to sense when you have the opportunity for a particular submission, or switching positions to create opportunities. For example, the book illustrates well how to do a triangle choke and you could learn the basic technique by drilling what's in this book. But it won't teach you how to create the opportunity for that triangle, or what to do if your opponent tries to stack you or lift you.
If you're a relative newcomer to submission grappling (like me), I'd definitely recommend the book as a reference. You'll probably discover some submissions you don't know, and depending on the situation in which you're learning the chapters on takedowns and takedown defense might be new material. However, if you have no grappling experience, i'd still recommend finding a good instructor first.
The book is well produced, with quality paper and good photographs (black and white, but clear and well composed). The progression of the material from stances and drills to positions, takedowns, and takedown defense before proceeding to submissions is very good. It would have been easy for an author simply looking to exploit the current UFC-inspired interest in grappling to move straight into submission techniques, but clearly Hatmaker is a committed teacher.
The photographs are, in my opinion, adequate to illustrate the techniques. That was one of my biggest concerns prior to seeing the book, but i didn't find many cases where the transition from move to move was not clear (the Switch Step takedown defense being an exception for example). The text is also written clearly and generally augments the photos. There are some suggestions that I find interesting and will probably experiment with (for example, Hatmaker's recommendation to try to figure-4 the legs when you have your opponent in guard rather than just crossing the ankles).
On the other hand, my original concerns remain. I think this book serves an excellent reference for someone who already has some training in some submission art, but I'm not convinced that somebody without any previous experience could become proficient using just this book (plus willing training partners). So much of grappling is learning to sense when you have the opportunity for a particular submission, or switching positions to create opportunities. For example, the book illustrates well how to do a triangle choke and you could learn the basic technique by drilling what's in this book. But it won't teach you how to create the opportunity for that triangle, or what to do if your opponent tries to stack you or lift you.
If you're a relative newcomer to submission grappling (like me), I'd definitely recommend the book as a reference. You'll probably discover some submissions you don't know, and depending on the situation in which you're learning the chapters on takedowns and takedown defense might be new material. However, if you have no grappling experience, i'd still recommend finding a good instructor first.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Carano Submits Evinger
The build-up to the Gina Carano-Tonya Evinger fight had just about every cliche imaginable, from Evinger's line about wanting to "make out" with Carano, to discussions on Internet forums about Carano's lack of seriousness because she wasn't making weight. In the end, it turned out to be a pretty good fight though (several sights are hosting video of the entire fight). The fight was almost entirely on the ground and Carano ended it with a rear naked choke.
Evinger, a former wrestler, took Carano to the ground with ease, and it looked for most of the first round that she might end the fight there. It doesn't appear that Evinger's grappling skills are any match for her wrestling though. Eventually Carano reversed positions, and managed to get a rear naked choke. I think it's significant that such a high-profile fight ended on the ground, since many women's MMA bouts look essentially like kick-boxing matches. Evinger clearly needs to work on grappling defense (Sherdog says that all of her losses have been by submission), but this was a quality fight on the part of both women.
Evinger, a former wrestler, took Carano to the ground with ease, and it looked for most of the first round that she might end the fight there. It doesn't appear that Evinger's grappling skills are any match for her wrestling though. Eventually Carano reversed positions, and managed to get a rear naked choke. I think it's significant that such a high-profile fight ended on the ground, since many women's MMA bouts look essentially like kick-boxing matches. Evinger clearly needs to work on grappling defense (Sherdog says that all of her losses have been by submission), but this was a quality fight on the part of both women.
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