Two John Hackleman videos.

[Mister X]

First is the “Ice Blitz” takedown, which I know Chuck Liddell used in the Octagon on occasion. Opinions on this and “uncommitted” takedowns in general for self-defense.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nYwmxku2faU

The second video is about favoring drilling over sparring. I had a conversion about this with John awhile back and his opinion was that you probably shouldn’t engage in nor needed to do any hard sparring at all if you were interested solely in self-defense.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=msT2NrHG7sw

[Gun Mutt]

I really like Hackleman's stuff, he's directly responsible for the development I've put into my left hook for the last few years. I may not agree with everything he says, but I'll always listen.

I see a lot of merit in his drills vs sparring take. One of the most useful dojos I ever trained in was a Shotokan/Aikido school run by a father and son team. The son was a brilliant point fighter, talented enough that a school in Japan sponsored him to come live and train with them for a year. The dad was a 5th dan in Shotokan and had recently gotten his 2nd dan in Aikido.

Classes were usually 90min long. 1-30min was the son teaching a Shotokan technique or combo and drilling us on it. 31-60min was the dad teaching and drilling an Aikido technique. For the last 30min, the dad would show us how to combine what we'd worked in the two previous segments in a true, self defense/fighting manner and drill, drill, drill. At the end of every class, I knew I was a better martial artist than I'd been when I walked in the door.

I'm not anti-sparring, gawd knows I've done enough of it in my past, and hard sparring at that. But if I had to pick one or the other, I'd land solidly on the side of drills.

[45dotACP]

Hackleman is one of those dudes that I'll basically always listen when he's saying stuff.

Interesting to hear his take on sparring.

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[Totem Polar]

I'm not anti-sparring, gawd knows I've done enough of it in my past, and hard sparring at that. But if I had to pick one or the other, I'd land solidly on the side of drills.

Absolutely. Drills are like a violin player dissecting a piece to learn it; sparring is like running the whole piece for fun, warts and all.

Another way of looking at it: sparring is awesome for motivation, but not for learning technique. If you motivate someone, but they’re still an idiot, then you end up with a motivated idiot, as opposed to an educated technical fighter.

JMO. But I’m on the right side of this one, despite being a shit fighter, because the same principles of learning apply in a ton of other disciplines, including mine.

[45dotACP]

I don't even do striking anymore...probably should but I need to have at least two brain cells to rub together by the time my wife and I start popping out kids.

Truthfully, once you get good at high cover and learn a good jab, cross, front kick and some very basic footwork you will basically be untouchable to most of the untrained muppets out there.

Add to that some BJJ or wrestling skills and you might as well be Jason Bourne.

Max Halloway, arguably one of the best strikers in the UFC has freely admitted he doesn't spar.

Some may say that will hamstring his performance...I'd tell those people to watch his fight with Calvin Kattar.

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