Thoughts of Muay Boran, Krabi-Krabong, and Kung Fu

So, I've been doing some more research on Muay Thai and other martial arts, primarily surfing on youtube for techniques and demos. In my searching I stumbled across Muay Boran/Muay Thai Boran, which is far more of a martial art than straight up Muay Thai. After looking at some videos I found it to be strangely pretty while also quite deadly, as most martial arts are. So I am thinking about training myself in a little bit of Muay Boran (I can only find Muay Thai schools in my area!)

What is of real interest to me from my youtube galavants is Krabi-Krabong, basically Thai swordfighting or Muay Boran with sharp pointy things ZOMG SO AWESOME. Alot of the technique I've seen in Krabi-Krabong is with single-hand swords (Daab) that are dual-wielded, and for some reason the videos make me want to shell out moneys for a set of Daab and lessons.

A set of Daab. What is interesting about Daab is that their handles should be long and used as counterbalances, since they are meant to be wielded in one hand.

preeetttyyyy Daabs.....

aaand a video I found on youtube, Krabi-Krabong sparring starts at 2:20

I really hope one day to learn Krabi-Krabong so I have absolutely no excuse anymore to not own swords, particularly an eastern ones (....unfortunately, I can't pull off swords in MMA, so there you go.)

Also, I am thinking about learning Kung Fu to round out my severely lacking defense. Having only two months of formal, rudimentary Muay Thai training, I can sorta punch, elbow, knee, and roundhouse my way through sparring, but defensively, I'm pretty lame. A lot of that probably stems from my brawler approach to fighting (see my Cyborg vs Yamanaka post,) but more of that is from slow reflexes and lackluster core strength. Kung Fu appears to be an incredibly effective defensive art, and if I want to avoid banging up my face I need to do something to round out my skill sets. Luckily, there is a Kung Fu place about 15-30 minutes walking distance from the Cabell Library bus stop in Richmond, so, if their rates aren't too bad, I may enroll in a few classes.

So, anyways happy New Year everybody!

photo creds: Macao Museum of Art website and this blog that gets awkward in 2011 so don't look at those posts.

Cyborg vs Yamanaka reactions

Okay.

So.

Cyborg vs Yamanaka last night.

All I can say about this fight is:

A) AH MAH GAWD CYBORG

B) Yamanaka, why you so unprepared?

C) This fight just did not last long enough.

A) You can just tell that Cyborg was itching to get back in the cage after having a year-long hiatus because of contract difficulties and some uncertainty with the Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce. She just went straight to the point in this fight: "I am Cyborg, #1 pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world, and you are not."

After some thought, reflection on sparring, and feedback from training/sparring friends, I think I might decide to base my fighting style on Cyborg's. While I highly doubt I will ever be able to have the muscle power of Cyborg, I admire her quickness and controlled aggression (I'm sure by now you all have pretty much noticed that I'm a fan of her.) I've been told I have good intensity and heavy hands (and apparently a good fighting face,) and I mainly need improvements to my cardio, defense, and fight awareness. So yeah, I think I'm going to apply Cyborg's fighting style to what I do

B) At this point, I would think it should be obvious to any fighter challenging Cyborg that they should be prepared for the woman's aggression and power. I have no doubt that Yamanaka was studying Cyborg's fights and preparing herself, but it just didn't seem to show in this fight. Maybe Yamanaka was not expecting Cyborg to jump right into the fight as she did - the overall style of fighters in Jewels, the Japan-based fighing organization Yamanaka came from, appears to be a quieter, more-calculated, counter-strike type creature, which contrasts with Cyborg's Chute Box training and style. The Jewels fighters also do not appear to have the stiff, heavy hands of Cyborg, so Yamanaka may not have been prepared to take the power strikes that the 145-lb champion was dishing out. Still, Yamanaka should have been expecting the explosiveness from Cyborg, and her tall, leggy frame would have been perfect to keep Cyborg at a distance. Whatever preparations Yamanaka no doubt made, either it did not seem to show in this fight, or she was far outmatched by Cyborg.

C) I know how important it is to get a fight done as quickly as possible, but at the same time... entertainment value, guys. Women's MMA fights are still too few and far between, and seeing such exciting fighters get finished before it even gets to the 2 minute mark in the first round... well, its a little disappointing, especially in this case for me. I was hoping to see a good challenge for Cyborg's first fight in a year, and I was hoping to see some exciting counter-striking and technique on display from Yamanaka. I don't know - I feel like this particular fight should have gone on a little longer.

In any event, exciting fight still, and I hope to see more from Strikeforce in 2012 (yes they will be putting out fights all year! Score!)

Thoughts on Upcoming Strikeforce "Melendez vs Masvidal"

December 17th is the next Strikeforce event, the main card being the lightweight title fight between champion Gilbert Melendez and challenger Jorge Masvidal. Following that will be the women's featherweight championship fight Cyborg vs Yamanaka, with light heavyweights Mousasi vs St. Preux and lightweights KJ Noons vs Billy Evangelista afterwards.

According to Sherdog, the MMA site I go to occasionally, the main fight should be an exciting one as long as it stays a stand-up battle. From what I've seen, both Melendez and Masvidal are good strikers with very polished technique, which, from personal taste, I prefer watching over an all-out brawler. Sherdog predicts Melendez will win after Masvidal gets tired in the final rounds. With UFC keeping an eye on Melendez, I'm sure he's gonna work extra hard to outshine and KO his challenger. However, I'd like Masvidal to win based purely on the fact I like his face more I'm allowed to be shallow every once and a while.* 

But as you all should expect from me by now, the point of real interest to me, and the fight I know more background about, is the women's fight. Cyborg is gonna fight!!!! She hasn't had a challenger since June of last year, so the world of women's MMA is itching to see Cyborg in the ring again. Following the Melendez vs Masvidal fight is the featherweight championship battle between title holder Cris "Cyborg" Santos and her challenger Hiroko Yamanaka.

Cyborg is a fast and aggressive fighter without sacrificing too much technique. Thought not as technical a fighter as Gina Carano was, her strength lies in her ability to properly channel aggression and in her raw power that most women fighters cannot match. Not only is her stand-up striking game impressive (8 of her 10 wins have been from TKOs,) the woman is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and if you take her to the ground, she will make you pay.

Elaborating on properly channeled aggression, compare Cyborg to Zoila Frausto, who is a Bellator fighter. Frausto is aggressive and throws devastating power strikes; but Frausto's aggression appears uncontrolled and her technique is sloppy (WHY does she have a title belt, Bellator? WHY?) Cyborg has just as much, if not more, aggression than Frausto, but her strikes remain clean and, despite the brute force she delivers, she seems controlled, balanced, and alert.

Ranked #2 featherweight fighter in the world and standing at 5'11", Yamanaka has a height and reach advantage over Cyborg, which she will have to exploit in order to keep the champion out of striking range. Reviewing Yamanaka's fights, she is a very technical Muay Thai fighter who does indeed know how to use her height to her advantage. She will have to be able to take punishment from Cyborg, however, if she intends on winning.

Sherdog predicts Cyborg will TKO Yamanaka in the first round, but because we all know Dana White the UFC will be watching, I hope, for more than just entertainment's sake, they fight for longer. While it would be interesting to see an upset, and probably beneficial to give Cyborg a worthy opponent since Gina Carano's been so woefully absent, I can see Yamanaka being overwhelmed by Cyborg's aggression.

I might paper-view pay-per-view and watch the events on Showtime this weekend, but I'm not sure. If not I can always youtube the fights, because Strikeforce has never really seemed to mind having people put their fights on the internet.

I'll post my reactions when I get the chance to watch!



*(I also used to root for the Baltimore Ravens because I liked their jerseys more than anyone else's in the NFL, but now I do because they Ball So Hard. Fan's gotta start somewhere.)

311 at the National 11/30/2011

First off.

OH MAH GAWD!!!!!!!! I JUST SAW 311!!!!! IT WAS AWESUMMMM JAFIEWJFKSDLFKSGJIEQ!!!!

I'd been planning this for a whole month! Spent the past week psyching myself up with 311 on repeat on my ipod, yes indeedy.

I went with two of my friends from back in the (540) and we decided to do the Early-In program with Gibson's Grill, the restaurant that is attached to the National. Basically, you show your ticket and a reciept for $10 of food per person (minimum total purchase of $15) and they let you in 15 minutes before the doors of the National open.

This here was our meal - margherita pizzas and nachos

We may have waited an hour before anything started, but it was totally worth it, I mean....

...This is the spot we got, front row and dead center. Be jealous, guys.

"DJ Soulman" opened for 311 that night. It was quite good dubstep, he even scratched well, though I was wanting more scratch than dub at that point.

Using a Mac, of course, because that's how it's done.

Then, finally, after an hour and 45 minutes, came the part we were all waiting for:  P-Nut  SA's dance moves Nick Hexum 311!!!! (and yes I did get to touch Nick Hexum's hand and high five SA)

Welcome to the Nick Hexum gun show. That'll be $47.

Chad Sexton's drum set looks like a small Borg collective

It was so hard to get a good shot of SA, he was rocking out so much!

P-NUUUUUUUUT

Highlights from the night: Amber, Down, Come Original, All Mixed Up, Beautiful Disaster, Count Me In, and Homebrew... they played Homebrew, guys!!!

SA rocks the tambourine

So pretty much, best night I've had for a while! They may not have topped No Doubt at Nissan on my 17th birthday, but I'm pretty sure true love couldn't top No Doubt, and 311 was most definitely a close second.

Good times, guys, good times.

From here on out, I am a dork

I'm back in Richmond from Thanksgiving break. Had a rough time, but that's nothing that friends and a LAND BEFORE TIME MARATHON can't fix!

They should've read Jurassic Park. Would've known T-rexes can't see you if you're standing still. Sucka's.

Seriously, guys, you have no idea how awesome The Land Before Time series is.

See, I've always been a big time dinosaur nerd (though because people my age seemed to have lost interest in them I don't really ever get the chance to geek out about them) and from the age of whenever until the end of elementary school, all I drew were dinosaurs. I designed dinosaur games. I made up new dinosaurs. I tried to draw complete encyclopedias of dinosaurs. I doodled them all over my math homework. I doodled them when the teacher was talking about multiplication tables. I made dinosaur caricatures of '90s political figures. I embarrassed my older sisters by pretending I was a dinosaur in Giant. At one point my mom had her office space covered in probably 10-20 of my best compositions about the Mesozoic era.

In short, dinosaurs errwhere.

Hell, if I weren't so bad at mathematics and so good passable at art, I'd be in Montana digging up some dromeosaurid claw and obnoxiously re-enacting the opening scenes of Jurassic Park.

So its only natural that my favorite movie was the Land Before Time (the first one.) Now, I was born about 4 years after the movie was made, but I still managed to hop on the train by the time the second and third movies were coming out.

I hadn't watched the first movie (the best one!) since the age of 6, so seeing it with fresh, jaded older eyes gave me a new perspective on the depth of the movie's messages.

To elaborate, here is a scene that was cute and fun to me as a child, but never really spoke to me until now:

This was probably my favorite scene when I watched it the other day. Having come out of a big loss, though not so big as death, I could relate to Littlefoot in a way I had never considered. When I go through loss, I ignore everything like Littlefoot did, sometimes even gestures of kindness from other people, because things seem so bleak to me. When the narrator spoke about him losing sight of finding The Great Valley, I realized I do the same sometimes, and I understood what the message was: you can't give up on your goals, no matter how big of a wall you run into.

There are also messages of accepting people no matter how different they are (Cera and Littlefoot becoming friends despite their parents ideology,) persevering against fear and doubt (Petrie learning how to fly,) and the importance of friends and taking care of your bonds with them (they'd never find the Great Valley without each other.)

Seriously guys, I love these movies even more now. Except for the songs in the sequels.

And the sequels after number 5. They don't exist to me.


On an unrelated note, does anybody else get the feeling that The Brave Little Toaster was one of those movies Disney couldn't wait to shut away in the closet of obscurity along with the racist crows from Dumbo...?

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I spent my Thanksgiving in the (540) with my best friend, Abby, and her family.

Abby's family owns a small farm made up primarily of poultry (they got chickens, geese, peacocks, pheasants, quail) and I keep a few of my pet chickens with them, because I can't do that where I live.

Cock-a-doodle-doo! :)

This is one of my roosters, Stubsy. He is a Japanese Bantam (bantam means they are a miniature breed.) This breed is particularly cute because they have dwarfism in their legs 

Abby with one of her Silkie roosters. Silkies have a mutation in their feathers which gives them a soft, fur-like texture and makes them look like stuffed animals! They also have a very sweet disposition.

Abby with a Polish Crested rooster. Great head of hair, eh?

Another one of my roosters, Buddy Holly, who is a black Rosecomb bantam.

This is my Bearded D'uccle rooster Roy Orbison, who won Champion Bantam in last year's county fair

And of course, I couldn't forget about the goats! Abby's family has 4 goats: 3 females and 1 male whose name is Hercules.

playin the push-me-push-you game with Herc

But of course, my day wasn't all just chillin' with the animawls. Can't forget about the dishes, after all ;)

Le Turkey

Le canned cranberry sauce (my absolute favorite)

Le Stuffing, which, as we all know thanks to South Park, is what makes the world go round.

My plate of happiness and carbohydrates (which are sometimes the same thing!)

And to top the night off, I spent a good two hours soaking in their hot tub, making my poor back all loose and happy again. All in all, a great night :)

I am so thankful for my family and friends, thankful for the opportunities that have crossed my path, for wisdom, for the gift of art, and for the gift of life. I cherish it all deeply, and I know that despite the bad things that happen to me, they can never outweigh the people for which I have been so blessed or so lucky to have in my life.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

How to deal with a breakup? MMA, y'all.

About a month ago, my boyfriend of almost two years broke up with me. The relationship was serious and I was very hurt by the loss. I did not understand how something so special and so deep could dry up like that.

I don't want to go all mushy sad emo girl on you, because that's just not cool and just not who I am, and I'm sure everyone who knows me has heard enough about it! But I will say this: after a month of feelings, thoughts, and processing time, I've changed and matured from the experience, and dare I say I feel good about it now. In fact, put on some 311, and I'm downright happy to be alive!

Some of the things I've done to help me work through my problems have been to explore Richmond (my new place of residence,) explore possible career options, move forward with my illustration style and skills, read up on women's MMA, and throw myself into my kickboxing routine.

Speaking of which, let me introduce you to the sport of women's MMA with this video of the fight between Strikeforce champ Cris "Cyborg" Santos and Hitomi Akano.

This is a very exciting fight, though probably one-sided (Cyborg has a clear weight advantage over Akano and is throwing her around like a ragdoll!)

Upon watching numerous WMMA fights for a few months now, I've noticed that I find the women's fights more fun to watch. Perhaps its because they're a small rebellion against the traditional view of a woman's place in the world, or maybe it is because I see a focus on technique and dexterity I don't quite observe in male fights, or perhaps its because I can relate more with a female fighter than with a male fighter. In any event, after watching these fights, I've come to a conclusion:

In addition to making art and illustrating, I want to be an MMA fighter. Maybe not pro-level, but certainly at the amateur level.

All right, enough of this, I'm all pumped up for kickboxing from the Cyborg vs Akano video :) Peace!