my san da fight...

[ashe]

Ashe:

When I asked my teacher how he felt about Bruce Lee, he said, "I don't know. I have never met his teacher in any tournaments." IMO, there are 3 different kind of MA guys. Those who:

- don't go to any tournaments.
- go to tournaments but just watch and don't fight.
- go to tournament and fight.

You should be proud of yourself that you belong to the top 33% of the CMA population. As fas as advice, I can only give you one and that's "run your opponent down" (the highest level of CMA training IMO).

Here is one example: http://johnswang.com/Sanshou_6.wmv

i used a lot of that leg reaping last time. my goal this time was to try and do more striking and kicking. lol.

i need to find some really big and mean sparring partners. i had never gone up against a guy like this before (size + aggression), which was a big shocker. plus i hadn't been in the ring since last year. no matter how hard you train it's just not the same as actually being in the ring.

[Juan]

plus i hadn't been in the ring since last year. no matter how hard you train it's just not the same as actually being in the ring.

Amen brother.

[cerebus]

Ain't that the truth...

[Doc Stier]

I watched and cheered for both Ashe and Chris Fleming at this event. Although both men lost their respective bouts, they made a good account of themselves in spite of the questionable judging and officiating which allowed numerous violations of the published rules of competition.

These infractions included prematurely ending many bouts far too quickly, when the losing competitor clearly could have continued; ending matches in which the winner achieved victory with illegal techniques that were clearly in violation of the rules; and ending some bouts under circumstances that also occurred in other bouts without stopping the contest for the same reason. Go figure! Ai-ye! Yau mo gau cho aah!

In any event, both Ashe and Chris are to be commended for participating and for waiting several hours until the Heavyweight and Super-Heavyweight bouts finally got underway. It's tough for any competitor to keep a competitive edge and attitude under the stress and tension of such a long wait to get it on.

I believe that both men would have totally smoked their opponents in a non-competitive street fighting situation in which many of the techniques used by their opponents wouldn't have succeeded, and where no cumbersome protective equipment or rules restrictions were present.

Kudos to both men for making a good fight under difficult circumstances. Well done!

Doc Stier

[Sprint]

i need to find some really big and mean sparring partners. i had never gone up against a guy like this before (size + aggression), which was a big shocker. plus i hadn't been in the ring since last year. no matter how hard you train it's just not the same as actually being in the ring.

I think any kind of sparring partner is better than none at all. If you spar with smaller opponents and you use control it will help you a lot. Another added advantage of a smaller, lighter training partner is that they should be a lot faster than you. If they are more skilled than you then you will see how they can get round a reach advantage, which will help you to sharpen your technique. A lot of really big guys are so used to bulldozing their opponents that they never really reach their full potential, basically because they don't have to. However they don't like it when they come up against someone their own size who is also fast.

[ashe]

thanks for the big ups doc! how did your boy do?

[Doc Stier]

thanks for the big ups doc! how did your boy do?

He took an illegal upper forearm elbow to the temple in a clinch, and was knocked down as a result. Although momentarily a bit dazed, he's strong and could have continued, but instead they ended the match immediately.

This was one of several matches in which the fighter who was injured or dazed by illegal techniques or other rules violations was declared the loser, rather than disqualifying his opponent.

Why bother having any rules if they're not properly applied? Go figure!?

Doc Stier

[ashe]

the one that really caught my eye was the chinese fighter applying repeated hammer fists against his opponents head and collar bone.

[Chris Fleming]

Thank you for your words Sifu Stier.

Some examples of the *flexibility* in the rules also included people landing with their body weight on top of their opponent when doing a trip or a throw. I know this can be par for the course in san shou but the rules said that was illegal very clearly and they mentioned it in the rules meeting, but people were doing it all day. At least two fights that I saw ended because of people doing that and the last fight of the day ended when the super-super heavy weight man landed on his opponent--the guy must have twisted his knee because he blew it out and said he heard it pop when it happened.

And they were calling Ashe "holding"!

My opponent wasn't trying to use a forearm/elbow strike, but it's just how it happened in the heat of the moment. I don't blame him and I was the one who didn't get out of the way. I remember getting hit and falling backward thinking, "I got knocked down. well that's just great!". So if you have time for sarcasm in your own mind you're probably ok. I got up right away and definitely could have kept going. Looking back on it, we were hitting each other with some good hits prior to that, and I did feel that my brain was a little jar-ed after the elbow so it probably was best that the fight ended there. Another serious hit could have meant a concussion or worse or at least some serious recovery time and missed training.

I feel good about my fight in terms of a learning experience and although I didn't win, I got what I came there for.

[hopgarsansau]

lol i was fight #3 in the lightweight division. my fight ended with getting a thumbshot to the eye.

[Doc Stier]

I saw that bout, and thought that it was a good match. You fought a good fight.

I know from many similar personal experiences how much it can hurt to get poked in the eye by a finger or a thumb, especially when the point of contact is the edge of the fingernail.

Doc Stier

[ashe]

chris fleming = 7' tall lumber jack dude?

[Chris Fleming]

Well I am 6'6 but I think the lumber jack looking dude was the guy who fought the very last fight. He was the one who fell on his opponent in the third round and thus ending the fight. Cool guy though. He had that "country" look and that "country" strength.

[Doc Stier]

Well, I'm happy that I don't have to feed any of those big men on a regular basis.

I'll bet they all throw down some serious groceries at home everyday!

[hopgarsansau]

Thanks Doc!

I wish I could find footage of it somewhere. Anyways, we have to meet up soon since we both live in Austin.