Ok - a small snippet from the Q&A section on the SBG website.... Question posted online: Matt, I'm going to have to disagree with you. If I misunderstood what you have to say, please correct me, but it seems that you're saying that all these drills are worthless. I agree that drills are worthless without sparring, but I also believe that if you have weaknesses in your game, they can be worked on in isolation using drills. And then you have to be thrown back in against live opponents again. Boxing and wrestling and Judo which all focus on competing against live opponents have plenty of drills. As far as the BJJ example goes, I've heard a story about Kimo going into Joe Moreira's studio, wiping the floor with the blue belts and purple belts there and being awarded a purple belt on the spot. If this story is true, would you consider Kimo a good technician because he could wrestle opponents with less athleticism and strength up to a purple belt level? Or would you say he was an awesome physical specimen and fighter who had a lot to learn about technique? Answer, posted online: No, I did not say drills where worthless. I said dead pattern drills (such as sombrada, hubud, numerado, & 99% of the drills most JKD/FMA people do) are worthless. They have little to no practical application in a real stickfight. If you want to see drills that WILL have a positive affect on you're fighting skill then check out Burtons new tape. If the difference between alive drills and dead patterns is still a mystery to you...then you won’t understand what I am saying anyway. In regards Kimo. He is a good technician. If he was just strength and power he wouldn’t be able to beat purple belts of his own weight. We regularly have 200lbs + powerlifters enter the gym who are easily beaten by 150lb blue belts. If that 200 + powerlifter beats a 200+ Brazilian Jits trained blue belt...then their is a problem with that blue belts "technique"! Remember, at the time he fought Royce he was much bigger and stronger then Royce was, still Royce won. Let me make this as simple as possible. YES, you can be a tough fighter without knowing any technique. . .just due to attributes, size, strength, conditioning, aggression, etc. HOWEVER, you cannot be a good "technician" without also being a good fighter. Otherwise the term "technician becomes absolutely meaningless! What most people describe as technical proficiency in the FMA can be described as this "looking good in a demonstration against a non-resisting cooperative stuntman in front of a crowd of people who dont know any better" The fantasy distinction between technician & fighter was created by people who can’t fight, and or don't want to make their students do what it takes to fight IE: spar. You can fight without being a good technician...but you cant be a good technician without being able to fight! Otherwise what does being a good technician mean?? Think about it. BUT, please...above all else. . try it!! Take you're "drills" into the realm of uncooperative opponents. . . and let that be you're guide. Not hearsay repeated verbatim from a "guru".
Thanks for posting that Yoda, I wasn't even going to try to claim any real understanding of the Straight Blast Gym thing. And just to make sure no one is confused the "Matt" that Yoda quoted a few posts back is Matt Thorton the founder of Straight Blast Gym (SBG) [I only write this because I got confused for a sec due to reading too fast... was thinking, when the heck did I say that...?]. - Matt
