Learning to Fight! Conversations in Combat Skill

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Today I chat with Irish National Kickboxing Coach Jon Mackey about the role of training tools in striking sports. We'll explore whether these tools actually support skill acquisition and debunk some of the popular training gimmicks that are flooding social media.

Coach Mackey brings not only an extensive coaching experience, but his academic perspective as a PhD is skill acq candidate.  

Jon gives his thoughts on the effectiveness of tools like noodles, ladders, flashing lights, and frisbees for improving athletic performance. He'll explain why these tools may not be as beneficial as they're often portrayed and offer alternative strategies for developing the skills and conditioning necessary to excel in striking sports.

Whether you utilize these tools or have wondered how effective they might be, hopefully this convo will help challenge the conventional wisdom and leave you with a better understanding of what most likely works and what most likely doesn't when it comes to training tools and equipment.

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Today I welcome Kit Dale and Greg Souders on to the show.

Kit is well know in the jiu-jitsu world for his rapid development in the sport and his achievements at high level no-gi grappling in a short few years. An advocate of 'learning through trial and error and one that has been preaching the anti-drilling message for years' it seemed fitting that I get him on to talk with Greg Souders.

Greg himself has emerged as a leading advocate of the ecological approach and in doing so, brought a lot of the science and research from the academic side onto the mats and into a broader conversation.

Kit has recently launched his 'Task Based Games' series which is really the first of it's kind in bringing this gamification approach to the wider grappling community. 

A long but interesting convo between the two coaches. 

Thank to all that download, listen and take the time to reach out!

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Today, I chat with Noah Shaffner from the Standard Jiu-Jitsu Grappling Team, mentored by Greg Souders. Unlike my usual guests who are coaches or academics, Noah stands out as a student who has embraced the ecological approach to skill development. Despite being only 17, his insights into the sport and its methodologies are profound. While many might assume he's echoing Coach Souders, Noah showcases a unique understanding. He's definitely one to watch in the sport's future.

After recording with Greg and Kit Dale, known for championing live resistance training, I spoke with Noah. He even invites anyone interested to visit the Standard team in Rockville, Maryland.

While I aim to delve more into MMA, the upcoming episodes remain grappling-focused. Your support and feedback inspire me to continue this journey.

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Today I talk with Coach Rory Singer.  Rory is the younger brother of Coach Adam Singer and together they have run and coached MMA in Athens Georgia for several Decades.

Rory is an UFC Vet and lifelong martial artist.

In this convo we spoke about the expectations we have for new students entering the sport and particularly those who have the aspirations to fight at a high level.

We talk about gym culture, duty of care for fighter and of course our philosophies of aliveness and ecological learning.

You can find Rory here and here.

You can find SBG Athens here.

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Emergence founder, NFL skills coach and MMA superfan Shawn Myszka joined me to discuss Strickland's win over Adesanya last week.

As stated during intro. Must of this analysis is somewhat speculative given we are not privy to the innerworkings of both fighter's camps, preparation and day to day training methodologies. 

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Today I am chatting with Ed Ingamells. (Aka the Partybear).

Ed is a black belt and coach at the Institute of Grappling in North London, UK.

As a former Neuroscience PhD student, Ed has a deep understanding of cognitive psychology. Ed talks about his shift in recent years to a more ecological approach and how ecological psychology and direct perception make more sense to him from a skill development and motor-learning perspective.

If you enjoyed the convo you can find other podcast appearances by Ed here and here.

If you'd like to reach out to Ed, you can do so here and here. 

In the first part of the chat, we talk about the role of memory and cognition in skill development before moving on to discussing our ever evolving endeavors to optimize practice design. 

Thanks to all that download and listen. 

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Adam Singer joins me today to talk coaching, culture and continuing the SBG philosophy of aliveness through an ecological lens. 

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Today I am joined by Coach Josh Root from Gravitas Martial Arts in Arkansas.

Josh has recently re-visited an Eco D approach to grappling after initially abandoning it due to uncertainty.

With a deeper understanding and support from Standard's Greg Souder's, Coach Josh is not looking back and has been all in on the approach. Enjoying some early success he is starting to get his team on board and trusting the practice design.

Josh talks about his switch from a highly prescriptive and high volume drilling approach to a more games based and live learning environment. His initial difficulties making the switch and his excitement and optimism for his team going forward.

As mentioned in the intro, I have been made increasingly aware of strokes from chokes in BJJ. If you have not, then you most likely will in time.  Be prepared and recognize the signs and have a plan. Your own, or your teammates life might depend on it.  Check out this video by my friend Chris Martin who himself suffered a stroke from a lapel choke a few years back.



 

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Professor Alan Dunton is back. Alan is a lecturer and researcher at MTU Cork, Ireland. With a PhD in Skill Acquisitor and having been a long time martial artist himself and a National TKD team competitor, Alan is well informed on both the theory and practical sides of the sport and training. 

Alan and I discuss developing metastability.  Metastability occurs when an athlete is able to maintain a stable position or movement pattern while simultaneously having the flexibility and adaptability to respond and adjust to a highly dynamic environment and conditions (Think Fighting). It can characterized by a delicate balance between stability and instability, allowing for efficient and effective performance.

We also discuss the limitations of pad and bag work as they pertain to skill development. 

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In today's podcast, we're honored to have Jon Mackey as our guest, a celebrated coach in both Taekwon-Do and Kickboxing. With a career that began in 1987, Jon has trained numerous national, European, and world gold medalists in Taekwon-Do and Kickboxing, including Amy Wall, Lauren Bradshaw, and Robyn McDonnell. As the founder of Red Star Kickboxing and the National Director of Coaching for Kickboxing Ireland, Jon has significantly contributed to the Irish national team's success. When he's not coaching kickboxing, Jon works as High Performance Director for Canoeing Ireland and is an avid researcher in coaching, skill acquisition, and decision-making. Jon's philosophy emphasizes the power of sports in shaping young people's lives and developing essential attributes like resilience and self-discipline. With a Masters in Coaching & Performance Science and currently pursuing a Doctoral degree in Elite Performance in Sport, Jon's expertise and passion for coaching make him a truly remarkable figure in the world of sports.

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