TMA techniques that work

[Tom Yum]

I am starting this thread in the MMA section as a learning process and as a point of discussion.

You're age and experience will be intuitive in this discussion since the time you got started will determine the MA trends at the time and the general availability of MAs in your area. As many of you have guessed, I'm not a spring chicken (relatively speaking) but am no where near an old geezer like Thai Bri

Anyhow, I'll start off with some TMA techniques that work (and the one's that don't)

Low Kicks

I've found that lead leg snap kicks (TKD roundhouse or front kicks) are not effective at attacking the legs, due mostly to lack of power when wearing tennis shoes. The first two kicks (if they land) will bounce off your opponent's leg.

The round house kick with the ball of the foot striking (assuming you are bear foot or wearing boots) is good though.

A thrusting or skipping lead leg side kick will work if aimed at the knee or just above it. A rear leg front snap kick to the knee will work too.

Open hand strikes

Palm strikes aimed at the ribs, solar plexus, chin, throat, nose and ears work. Knife hand strikes or hammer fists to the ribs, collar bone, kneck and ridge of the nose also work.

Most of these strikes are prevalent and used in a more fluid fashion in Chinese-influenced arts such as the pukulan tjimande system, kenpo, wing chun and tang soo do.

[mthand]

I like this thread and agree with Tom Yum. I would like to add that a rake to the eyes and a good snap kick to the groin area is good too. Especially for women defending against an attacker. I like the arts that use open hand strikes such as palm, rakes, finger jabs, etc.etc.. I have also found that blade kicks to the front and side of the knees are very effective at close quarter fighting situations.

[Sagacious Lu]

A good head butt can be devastating.

[blitz]

I like lots of the traps used in FMAs.

[Tom Yum]

I like this thread and agree with Tom Yum. I would like to add that a rake to the eyes and a good snap kick to the groin area is good too. Especially for women defending against an attacker. I like the arts that use open hand strikes such as palm, rakes, finger jabs, etc.etc.. I have also found that blade kicks to the front and side of the knees are very effective at close quarter fighting situations.

The lead leg snap kicks are great for hitting the groin. The kick hits with enough power to remove if you know what I mean. If the kick misses and hits the thigh or if you target the knee, it will do little.

When you say blade kicks, I assume you mean a side kick landing with the blade of the foot versus the heel?

Where traditional MA kicks lack, the muay thai kicks pick up. The thai round kick hurts when it slams into your thigh especially if it hits that artery; one kick from someone who practices thousands a day will send you down. Push kick aimed at the knee is also a good one.

Finger rakes and jabs are good. Finger jab to the eyes is a technique taught in about every TMA style, I think.

[Tom Yum]

Question

The problem with alot of these techniques is that they are difficult to put into practice with sparring. They seem to work best in drills, which can be done somewhat live as long as the defender doesn't know exactly when he will be punched, grabed etc.

[blitz]

Theres no point in putting them in sparring and injuring everyone who practices them. Some of those techniques are altered a little when sparring, like when I took Arnis, in Mano Mano we used to hit a palm to the chest after we parry instead of palm their face. Things like kicks to the groin can be altered by hitting right over it instead or to the side. As long as your practicing your timing you can do it when you need to.

[danfaggella]

I think trapping skills are useful but I don't think its easy to keep a fight there unles the opponent also wants to trap, in MMA competition trapping does not occur very often, I've never seen it in MMA anyways.

I think that there are plenty of TMA techniques that are great that you wont see in modern sportive martial arts, such as all those brutal non-sportive moves! Eye attack, throat attack, tendon removals, all that brutal grabbing and ripping and gouging stuff. Most of it can be aplied practically in a self-defence situation.

[aseepish]

Trapping

There's a time and a place for everything. Trapping is useful before punches are thrown - in a pushing, shoving, and grabbing situation. Trapping is not so useful against a boxer, but is against an opponent who is moving backwards flailing their arms in an effort to avoid the blows you are raining down on them.

Trapping doesn't have to be some sort of complicated pak sao/jao sau/gaan sau/huen sao/lop sao etc. combination. Just clearing your way of an obstruction to get the clinch, or to land a shot.

[blitz]

I think trapping skills are useful but I don't think its easy to keep a fight there unles the opponent also wants to trap, in MMA competition trapping does not occur very often, I've never seen it in MMA anyways.

I think that there are plenty of TMA techniques that are great that you wont see in modern sportive martial arts, such as all those brutal non-sportive moves! Eye attack, throat attack, tendon removals, all that brutal grabbing and ripping and gouging stuff. Most of it can be aplied practically in a self-defence situation.

The thread is named TMA techniques that work, I could have been referring to an attack by a stick We used those to stop armed opponents. Those are some of the techniques I loved doing and didn't get bored practicing them. Very useful and you also get to learn some nice strikes while doing them, like when you get in the trap we used to elbow pressure points to make him relax his muscles so its easier to take the stick etc.. Defenitely what I liked most from my 8 months in Arnis.

[Thai Bri]

I think the thread misses the point (Sorry Tom!).

It isn't the technique. They almost ALL work. But only if the TRAINING METHOD to learn them is effective.

For example, a right cross isn't all that different from a Karate Reverse Punch. But think of this, who will make it work? The guy who trains against pads, bags and opponents ((with safety equipemnt of course) or the guy who marches up and down a dojo punching at thin air like a robot? Only supplementing it by semi contact sparring (and, of course, the body mechanics of punching hard and pulling punches is vastly different).

So there really is no question of which traditional technique works. It is a question of which training method works.

[Tom Yum]

Good points, Bri.

There's a misconception that TMA techniques don't work. I wanted to clarify that they do work and you supplimented that with the delivery methods and training methods required to apply them.

There's also a great deal of technique overlap between styles, for example knee and elbow work in muay thai, silat, kenpo and wingchun. But some of the old methods aren't as practical when compared to more modern, direct training methods.

I agree completely with you about working techniques on pads as live as possible and with as much spontaneity as possible.

What about rakes and finger jabs? snap kicks aimed at the groin?

[blitz]

What about rakes and finger jabs? snap kicks aimed at the groin?

You can just practice them by pads etc.. You don't need to practice those in full contact sparring. It isn't that hard to hold a pad on the groin area. As for rakes and jabs, maybe a better kind of pads which are easier on the fingers? like a small pad filled with water. Just throwing out what I have I don't know how I would actually practice those.

[Tom Yum]

You could practice them against a dummy bag that has the face on it. To make it more live, you could get someone to wear a motorcycle helmut with a strong face shield and throw finger jabs at it.

For example, your opponent comes at you with a jab or a cross and you parry and come back in with the finger jab or slip the punch and go for a rake.

[danfaggella]

Great points Thai Bri I loved the post.