my san da fight...

[ashe]

the loss has left me feeling a bit like someone else banged my wife, but it's all part of the process.

i think it also shows how sport matches are different than a real fight, since i would have done everything humanly possible to make sure this guy never got back on his feet after the first take down. (i didn't really need the first eight count i got.) plus the ref kept calling me for "holding" which i kinda thought was bogus, since they kept asking the fighters to "show some real kung fu" and i often will work a shuai or na application after i trap, but since my observation on the point is still a little fuzzy, it sometimes takes me a bit to find the right angle or point of contact, especially against a guy like this, but hey, what are you gonna do?

http://fallingleaveskungfu.com/blog/my-third-san-da-fight-and-first-loss

[Areios]

nice fight regardles of the outcome.

[cerebus]

It's unfortunate, but nonetheless a fact, that in a competitive venue, you have to take the rules into account and tailor your fighting to work well within those rules. You can change back to more "street" oriented training after, but when prepping for a tourney some strategies and tactics will have to change.

You could have been more active with the punching, and there were a couple of opportunities early on for takedowns against his kicks (though you did catch on to that and do a couple of nice takedowns later). I think you did a decent job using your sticking to mess up his punches several times, but should have alternated the defensive sticking with your own offensive punching. Altogether you did good, you kept your cool, you applied your training, you're a more experienced fighter than you were before this match. Keep it going!

[dragontigerpalm]

Great props for being there and doing it. Would liked to have been there to cheer you on. One quick observation/suggestion - move and move off the center more making use of the 90/45 angles which would lessen the effectiveness of an aggressive frontal fighter.

[neijia_boxer]

you got to spar alot of different people and punch and kick before the real thing. you still did well and your right you should of continued.

a loss is a win- you know what to do next time. you can study what worked and what did not.

[Dmitri]

So close to that back injury, I can't believe you even WENT to fight... Kudos for that.

It looks almost you don't really want to be there... And the guy was moving like an aggressive brawler at a bar somewhere. It seems like the only reason any of that worked/got through was because of your mental state at the time.

Best wishes as always...

[Pat]

Ashe, that throw was gorgeous!

Anyone that puts their money where their mouth is deserves my respect. I can't and won't offer advice, I haven't had the balls to compete in Sanda. Most of us here haven't.

Ashe = balls + brains + humility. I have Respect-a-tude.

[ashe]

lol @ pat

[cerebus]

Seriously though, out of all the traditional Kung Fu practitioners in the US (and especially INTERNAL ARTS practitioners) how many would have the cojones to step out there & fight full-contact? Not many. Much respect to ya for pressure-testing the training...

[Mut]

I have to agree with the first part of Dmitri's post..... the fact that you fought after sustaining such an injury so close to the 'big day' is serious testament to your desire to not only test your skill but also to your willingness to represent your art and Sifu. You are obviously a great credit to him. I also agree that you look as if you are not mentally present in that fight.

It looks to me like you where defeated in the first 10 seconds of the fight where you backed up far too much and helped to set the tone for the other guy's aggressiveness through the remainder of the match. It seems like you had a plan that did not work and you didn't have a plan 'B' in this case.

anyhow invest in loss and find the gold.

Again great effort just to be there and compete!

good luck bro!

[ashe]

actually i feel in many ways that this was my best fight yet in terms of staying calm throughout. now i just need to really figure out what my Sifu means when he talks about making your oppoenent stick to you rather than you sticking to him.

my intent to stick to my opponent has been a constant liability. i usually jam myself as much as i jam him, hence the lack of me throwing many punches.

[gosao]

^^Ashe, When an opponent "sticks to you" you're using body contact stickiness to read your opponent to lead him to a disadvantageous position. When you stick to HIM he's doing that to you baiting you leading you to disadvantageous situations. If you stick for the sake of sticking and not doing it in an active sense to suck him into your game plan you're just falling into HIS game plan.

[dragontigerpalm]

Your opponent sticks to you when and because his failure to do so will result in a successful offensive action taken against him. It's like when playing chess and continuosly placing your opponent's king in check - your opponent has to take defensive action or succumb. In simple terms as I understand it sticking to one's opponent is playing defense while forcing your opponent to stick to you is playing offense. Of course both can occur simultaneously or at least alternate quickly.

[ashe]

i meant more in the sense of actualizing it as opposed to just an intellectual understanding of the concept.

just understanding the concept intellectually is not really understanding at all.

[dragontigerpalm]

Ashe,
My post was in response to gosao's which I should have quoted. I certainly wouldn't presume to teach the teacher.