MATT THORNTON ALIVENESS - martial arts most important thing Straight blast

[burttanium]

You can tell the martial artists who only ever do alive training without any static (compliant partner) training, they are usually the ones with the poor technique.

[jamesinct]

wow thanks matt thorton captin obvious ! I have been training in JKD for years and have never seen a school or teacher that did not train in a realistic enviorment or as matt says aliveness..I wonder what JKD schools he is refering to ?

[iceblue4u]

I think your concept of aliveness is correct if students spend most of their time doing drills, bag work at expense of sparring. Boxers drill and work the bags then get ring experience with sparring partners. A strong foundation in the basics ( and fitness ) is the first step.

[pedinkus]

obviously has not been in or observed many real fights, useing phrases like "he always" and "they'll never" and "you have to be moving to be alive".

[DrAndreiPopescu]

Nice shorts !

[GracieJujitsu1]

The people you have demonstrating standup lack confidence in their moves and they look really sloppy. What kind of martial art are you teaching here anyway?

[TheKlaj1992]

haha my sifu can go suck donkey dick, i been training for year and half aaaarhh fuck this shit, we dont train in live scenario :@

[SpookeySVG]

The first 30 seconds of the video is great...watch the first "pattern" sequence. In the "alive" training, why was there no knee to the wide open groin? Oh, because too much alive training, without a proper amount of "static" training, didn't create enough muscle memory to capitalize on a GRAND OPENING!

[SpookeySVG]

As with everything else, there is a learning curve. First you learn a static exercise and then learn to apply it in a dynamic ("alive") situation. The static learning will generally be short in nature, allowing for the more dynamic training to encompass the majority of training hours. This build a solid core. However, if all training is "alive" the student will not develop the fundamentals, likewise if all training is static, there is no reality!

[DuykRuyk]

Alive is great for working on getting the technique but if you're just learning you shouldn't do this. Learn the techniques through the usual drilling and then go to live training. They don't explain that well here.

[karatecloutier77]

This guy apparently does not understand the differences between learning techniques and sparing. I've never met a Martial Artist who i considered great who didn't first train simple techniques against a compliant opponents first then trained them in sparring and grappling. Anyone who believes all your training should be sparring is a fucking moron who doesn't know anything about teaching Martial Arts

[Tirane28]

Most martial arts were for discipline, not so much as fighting.

[HozeMarr]

They rushed and got their black belt with out truley understanding the art. The study two years tae kwon do, two years brazilin jujitsu and then move on to the next martial arts craze! If u think this true martial arts I truely feel bad for u because u are missing out on what true martial arts is. 

[HozeMarr]

MstrKey, sorry but I think your missing the point. When technique is done correctly there is no resistance. Yes you will be able to hit that person lock them and flip them, if people are not able to this it's because they are not training correctly.

[HozeMarr]

I saw you post your YouTube site Aliveness Matt Thornton on a different comment on bat self defense I was expecting something great but this is just as bad. This is just fighting no real technique do you think that just grabbing and pushing in a radical way depicts actual combat. People that train in real martial arts train so they won't be in that same situation that you're showing them to be in. You're missing the true concept of martial arts anyone can fight.

[MstrKey]

@HozeMarr You missed the point of the video then. THe more complex your technique, the more doomed it is to fail because people don't let you hit them, flip them, lock their arms they resist you! Nothing you train for will work unless you train in life like circumstance.

[smirkdancer]

100 percent correct there are so many things we can learn from just using resistance. bujinkan does not practice against resistance!

[BrokenTengu99]

Thanks for this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tune5k]

i think the armlock flow is a bad example...it is good to do that first to get the technique and positioning down on how to do it, u will know u are doing it right when the oppenent taps.... and then to roll like in the next part. if u roll without instruction on an americana or kimura you aren't going to know what to do. i dont think anyone just does a kimura flow and doesn't go "live". i think the only thing somewhat true is the traditional kata which i dont care for.

[Obsidian1392]

good vid. makes me wanna take BJJ

[TellinTheTruth]

I think that "dead" training is good, for foundation and understanding of what to aim for, then alive training for the refinement...

great vid though

[tvrulesnation]

This is good, 99% of youtubue has s*it demonstrations etc that represent arts badly to the general public, but this guys right ultimately we should be training in a damn near full contact sparring session.

Obviously some moves are more dangerous than others but i'm sure with protective gear it can properly gauge what a real fight will look like.

However ''static'' fighting is used for beginners to develop technique which should be then applied to moving fights

[biporio]

Chess was an horrible example.

[oldpetty]

brilliant analogy about timing and the blue belt vs. black belt at bjj

[MrWeirdoh]

awesome, very interesting!

[lowtechcombat]

Excellent video 100%

[Eliano55]

if YOU HAVE NO TECH, NO SPEED, NO EXPERIENCE, because you have learned bullshido from YT than yes, this looks ugly

[HerbmosaBeachLocal]

duuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh­!

[mofotax]

Chuck Norris can slam revolving doors.

[rickolini]

This is such bullshit. If you start with alive training you will get good but you will be messy, you will never be great.

You need to start with simple training -eg. doing thousands of tan sau or watever.

Then you need dead training to be able to get you reflexes developed in such a way that you always use the right thing at the right time.

Then you need to do alive training to get fully ready for a real opponent.

Alive training is important but if you need to get good at dead training first

[Shu2jack]

How would dead training develop your reflexes to use the right thing at the right time?

You are missing the point. With a dead drill, your partner isn't attacking realisitically. You are not learning to do the right thing at the right thing. You are not even practicing against a real attack.

[rickolini]

Then its crap dead training. In good dead training someone will punch like normal and you will block except if you fail he will not brake your nose he will stop.

How would dead training develop your reflexes to use the right thing at the right time? Well how would it not ?

[glennmusictech]

Being great and not looking messy is for films and ego heads.

It has nothing to do with reality self defence!

Just like doing thousands of tan sau ect.

If a stone hits your window screen you react with amazing untrained speed for example.

Speed is not required in the street.

Peter Consterdine has proven this.

[crystalnrich]

I agree. I use this method a lot. I see something and I drill it over and over until I get tired of it, then I have to go train live with someone and try it on white belts and blue and then purple and so on. Eventually I get it down packed so it becomes my move. I have to learn the timing and modifications through alive training, but get the theory of the movement through drilling.

[MstrKey]

Seems all the martial artists are doing just what he said they would lol. Crying. He's pretty much on the money. A quick search of youtube(since you're already here) of actual fight videos(not demonstration videos) will show you how ineffective most martial arts really are. In fact I can only find one video where an MMA guy lost to a "martial arts expert". Watch the Gracie challenge videos. You'll see what I'm talking about. Don't know this guys system but......his theory is sound.

[rickolini]

@MstrKey So Martial Arts are all gay except when you mix them ?!?!

[GaolisVideoLog]

@MstrKey What about Arnis? You don't see that in those fancy MMA tournaments of you people from the western world?

[MstrKey]

@GaolisVideoLog Sorry, I'm not a martial arts practitioner. Just a realist. I don't know what Arnis is.

[GaolisVideoLog]

@MstrKey So, you're jduging without knowing?

[chaotic48]

2 the guy who made the video

This is a life? two guys heating each other in protective armour for how long?

Life is agression and life is without armour, not to mention that life would last for few seconds.

What you show is the exactly the same martial arts just under a little bit of pressure.

[UnoriginalName]

With people here talking about having a spiritual experiences and enlightenment, I ask why can't people have a sense of enlightenment doing BJJ, Boxing or ANYTHING for that manner? Does somebody really have to be doing a pretty martial art to achieve sense of enlightenment? I train in BJJ, and I always feel 'enlightened' after class, loving the fact that I learned a couple new techniques to practice, test them out in sparring and in general, having fun doing what I love.

[BestOfBestTV]

@UnoriginalName I am a bjj practitioner and through the years I have experienced "enlightenment" in many ways. To perfect any art, whether that art is music, a martial art, or acting, one has to be aligned spiritually, mentally, and physically. This is what I think achieves enlightenment. This :enlightenment" is not unique to TMA's only.

[haircutdeluxe]

How insightful. Yes, this is exactly hw we "carry on", by learning functional martial arts in an alive manner. It's a heck of a party.

[Kc1189]

Look for this on Youtube.

Matt Thornton is Bullshido

It seems from what I've seen everyone from Matt Straight Blast Guy is rude and arrogant. Maybe they have a good system of training but its not the only way. They way they carry on I think is explained by this video.

[lordtains]

I dont completely agree....

You have to learn the correct move first. Learning the "dead" pattern is needed before you begin using it on a live opponent or you'll never know the correct technique.

Learning dead patterns is essential in Martial Arts or you'll just be a brawler with no technique.

[quagmire1807]

You've misunderstood the distinction between a dead pattern and intoducing the mechanics of the technique.

[lordtains]

Yeah I guess

[MarcusDBrutus]

You probably shouldn't be watching this video. Go do forms.

[lordtains]

Go do Martial Arts and when you come back I hope you'll be a bit more respectful.

Thanks! ^^

[MarcusDBrutus]

Nice rebuttal?

I've been boxing since grade school and Judo since I was 16, I've been doing martial arts for a while.

The problem I have is that you pursue martial arts because you think it gives you an outlook on Asian mysticism. I'll tell you a secret - in China, nobody does Kung Fu to make themselves better people. For that, they learn Buddhism. The whole "Martial Arts = self help" thing is a western phenomena, because they mistake the Asian habit of using flowery language as mystical.

[MarcusDBrutus]

I should mention that I'm 30, to put my practice into perspective.

[lordtains]

You don't know anything about me. Being disrespectful to others clearly shows that you don't have control over your emotions, which IS a part of Martial Arts. If you don't understand this than you have a long way to go.

I don't see Martial Arts as mystical, but I do believe in the spiritual side of Martial Arts and I have enough reason to do so. Don't ever comment about "for what reasons I pursue Martial Arts" because again: you don't know me and saying that you do makes you seem dumb. :)

[MarcusDBrutus]

Making a point you strongly believe in demonstrates that you have no control over your emotions? You can't be afraid to step on a few toes to make a point sweetums, just ask Matt up there.

You're refuting my point with semantics. The way I was describing it, 'spiritual' can be interchanged with 'mystical'. And I don't need to know you to disagree with you. I respect your ability to put your head down and barrel through logic though.

[lordtains]

No of course you can disagree with me, that's healthy. But saying: "go do your forms" is just plain disrespectful. Those are two different things. I wassnt being an asshole to you was I?

Again, of course you don't have to know me to disagree with me, but you were actually making assumptions about me. Quote: "The problem I have is that you pursue martial arts because you think it gives you an outlook on Asian mysticism."

How can you say that? Please don't lump me together in a group.

[lordtains]

"Go and train in Martial Arts" was a pretty disrespectful comment of me I'll give you that. I don't know you nor do I question your knowledge on Martial Arts. Want to get that out of the way.

And what do you mean with "putting my head down and barreling through logic?"

[WarriorMisanthrope]

Of course. To better understand the video, think of the last example he gave: Chess. The moment the guy is "explaining" the other how the pieces work and how to execute certain things would represent a "dead pattern" training. He is simply telling him what to do, which is important for the other to understand how something works and how to execute certain "techniques". But theory alone won't make him a chess master. Once he's understood it, he has to apply & experiment it against an opponent.

[Dmasterman]

This is pretty much the explanation as to why TMA doesn't work.

[chrokeii]

great video!

[NothingEverything1]

good video!

[sebattosai]

hello,

stupid fighting with no really attitude..inner attitude especially, why show those fighting on youtube? i really don´t understand. that´s just connecting selfworth with martial arts skills.

and: the taiji symbol is wrong! So it´s stands for death and not for life...

think about those things before you open you own school..

mtg

[MarcusDBrutus]

Martial arts are for fighting, not pseudo-religious asian experiences. If you really want enlightenment, be a Buddhist. You won't fight it in fighting drills.

[sebattosai]

Yes, they are for fighting. Fighting against you inner Enemy and win against him.

The Word "Arts" includes this Maxime. Otherwise it is just Martial "Sports".

Why how to learn to beat somebody if someone can´t even beat himself and his prejudices or something else?!

Greetings

[MarcusDBrutus]

Well, first of all, that's not a maxim. A maxim is a well known quote containing some wisdom. What you said isn't well known, or very wise. Addressing the other point, you learn to deal with your personal shortcomings in other ways, not with fighting arts. Try group therapy, you'll find more success than in waving your arms around slow.

Also, the 'art' refers to a particular technique in which something is carried out. Like a punch to the face.

[hanaman1]

what martial art doesn't have "live" practice? where i train, bujinkan, we have all the principles he described.

[pangyf25250]

Hmmm....

Lets see ur BJJ ppl prove it to the "Death-pattern-trained" Sanshou Cung Le which r MMA champion, IKF champion, etc

I bet Cung Le will prove that ur BJJ guys nothing but bragging n sending misleading others Martial art trainning system...

Oh....

"Live-pattern-trainned" Matt Thorton is the champions of MMA, IKF i bet...

OR he is the "LIVE-PATTERN-TRAIN" argument (bragging)master

LOL

[ninjutsuHH]

they seem to do nothing right. but they are trying hard. stickfighting and groundskills are low level the rest ok. amerika needs better teachers. check out latosa escrima or go to the gracies

[Filmguy297]

I somewhat agree with this video but...I'm sorry, I don't approve of the taking the "arts" out of "Martial Arts". It's my strong opinion that we practice these Arts to keep tradition alive as well as teach us good self defense.

[kickfase]

The word "art" in "martial arts" isn't meant in the same sense as the word "art" in contemporary times. The word "art" in "martial arts" means literally technique. Martial, of course, means war or combat. So together it means war/combat techniques. Now, the martial arts may very well have become "arts" as we commonly think of art in modern times over the last few thousand years, but initially they were meant for combat. And what good are techniques that aren't practical in real-life situations?

[Filmguy297]

Interesting point, but I think the word art , though changed to us, is essentially the same as it was then as it is now. All art, film, writing, painting, theater, Ninjutus and Brazillian JutJutsu all requier a technique and there are different types. I think that it's partly the dojo (or school) that teaches you but it comes down to all one's self. Courage, Discipline, Planning and hard work win the fight in the end, no matter what the style

[MainosTDK]

i agree realism is important but sir what you lack to mention in your video is that you do have those slow non moving sparing matches so your students can perfect the technique. I can then understand you want to work in liveness into the sparring but there is no point to live sparring if you haven't practiced and perfected a technique to use in a fight.

[AshidaKlown]

Yes, progressive non-compliance is needed so you can learn the technique, then learn how to make it work when the other person is doing whatever it takes to get out / counter the move.

[ibuchanan82]

but what if the technique you are practicing will result in a broken arm if the opponent does not comply and fold? what if the technique is to gouge out the opponents eyes and not holding back actually costs the opponent his sight?

This principle only works if your learning a style designed for sport fighting not real fighting. I'd rather learn to use a tiger claw technique in a form (kata) than actually use it against a friend and watch him bleed out from the throat

[AshidaKlown]

With a little ingenuity you can come up with a way to practice it in an alive environment.

Just like with guns, shooting a target is great practice, but going thru a training course with simunition is worth tons more experience.

Kali guys cant stab and hack each other so they devised ways to simulate these things.

Where there is a will thee is a way

[ibuchanan82]

the only thing i could imagine would help train more realistically using maming techniques is for opponents to wear specialized armour, this is fine for us in the west, we can afford the £600+ for prototyping and £150-£350 for the student to shell out on there own kit, but for alot of people especially in china who suffered great poverty for 100 years this just wasn't an option, and now that they could afford it, they are under government control preventing authentic deadly training

[esgietheqroue]

"authentic deadly training "

Oh dear.

[ibuchanan82]

care to expand on that or can you only say two words at a time?

[esgietheqroue]

I just thought you sounded ridiculous, that's all.

[ibuchanan82]

in what way does that sound ridiculous?

If you need me to expand so your peasized brain understands i am referring to techniques that when applied correctly result in serious harm and/or death.

[esgietheqroue]

You're 26 years old and you believe in teh deadly tiger claw kung fu. How could I possibly explain anything to you? It would be like trying to talk the pope into worshipping satan, or vice versa. I'm afraid you are beyond saving.

[ibuchanan82]

I dont believe you even know what the "deadly tiger claw" actually is, but to let you know it is a technique that is taught in the armed forces and is a technique that has been used in combat for hundreds of years. A good strike to he throat will tear the artery resulting in severe bleeding, ergo death. It's easier to land that a knockout punch, more effective and perminant.

[esgietheqroue]

Okay. Let's break this down:

You say that there is a technique called the tiger claw that, if executed correctly, will "tear the artery resulting in severe bleeding, ergo death". Now, for me, a statement like this raises some serious questions. Three crucial ones are:

1) How do you know that this technique works the way it does?

2) How do you practice such a technique?

3) Why would you want to learn it?

[ibuchanan82]

1) I've watched British commando cadets being trained in this very technique during combat training, they were told, "don't waste time punching the guy, take him out doing this" the "clawing technique" doesn't require strength or accuracy (both of which you lack in intense combat situations) to be effective, if you miss the throat and get the face its still gonna take the guy down....

[ibuchanan82]

2) simple drills similar to punching helps condition the physical mechanics involved, two man drills help you visualise how it would work in real life, also the same is true of the wooden dummy. If you are serious about the technique you can actually strengthen your fingers and hand (youtube search kung fu watermelon challenge or walnut challenge) as commented earlier you cannot use such a technique on a resisting opponent, it would result in serious injury, read back for more...

[ibuchanan82]

2 cont.) People have trained these techniques for centuries methods developed to instruct students while not injuring them. The claw was used often by chinese rebels who taught villegers the technique to defend themselves from oppressive rulers. it was a quick and easy technique.

3) I was seriously assaulted 2 years ago and i'll never let it happen again.

Not all people train for sport you guys need to accept that. If someone makes another attempt ill make him bleed out of his eyes and throat

[esgietheqroue]

You've got mail.

[MarcusDBrutus]

Fuck right off.

[kungfu2u2]

@ibuchanan82

Actually Dan Severn practices using a wrestling-dummy, I guess he lost every time LOL

[baifengsi]

In fact its not the traditional training lacking realism, its rather the widely spread training methods that lack it. Traditional martial arts have usually been developed and practiced together with militant goals. In my opinion its the low level standarts that have spread and pushed aside the higher level methods due to the overwhelming amount of hobby-practitioners.

[zazzafrazz]

Nahhhh, sorry I don't buy this dude. Anyone who criticizes traditional martial arts trainings, like katas, and says it will never develop your ability to use it in a fight...just doesn't know much about the traditional arts.

[zazzafrazz]

Is he really going to bet money against a well trained Muay Thai or worse Muay Boron fighter? Or against Kyokushinkai gyms where they go gear and full contact against each other? Sorry, he's a sales fighter. "I'm trying to get to checkmate with my pawn..." How gay. And obviously any half

way decent school is going to teach the rudimentary building blocks of an art. Duh.The traditional arts training

involves plenty of hostile opportunity...:D

[AshidaKlown]

There is far too much emphsis placed on martial dancing (kata's). More non-compliant drills and less pretty flashy dancing.

The 3 arts you list do full contact fighting, if you would have listed karate, wing chun, or ninjitsu, I would have had to dissagree.

[sk8warrior]

Excuse me, but did I just see you look down on Karate? Type in "Ryoko Machida" and prepare to be wrong. He's beaten TONS of MMA fighters including but not limited to BJ Penn, Stephan Bonnar, Rich Franklin, Michael McDonald, Sam Greco and Tito Ortiz. He is undefeated, I belive. He uses Karate, fool. And you can even compare MMA with Ninjutsu, because Ninjutsu isn't meant to be recreational, it's meant to kill people. It's a tool of war, not for fun.

[kversaw]

It's Loyota Machida, and he doesn't practice traditional Karate. He's taken Karate and adapted it to be effective in MMA.

[AshidaKlown]

Kata's are fine if its just a part of training. When you are learning a new techinque static drills are ok, but must be followed wit progressive non-compliance.

Never haerd of Helio, I thought the Gracie's were the bjj kings, but them I'm not into BJJ.

[lordtains]

Helio Gracie was the creator of Brazilian JuJiutsu

[AshidaKlown]

I could care less who he is. I have never heard of him before a few days ago.

His description is dead on.

BJJ just looks gay, I never said it was the best anything.

[lordtains]

"BJJ just looks gay"

haha! yeah I never felt like rolling around with sweaty bald guys either

[pedro90]

yep, and you can tell the guy whos mugging u in the street- "hey dont pull me to the ground and beat me from a mount. it looks gay" im sure he'll be willing to ablige

[lordtains]

A mugger wouldn't pull you to the ground, he'd threaten you with a weapon.

If you let an opponent get into a range in which he could take you to the ground and actually let yourself be pulled to the ground, he could have stabbed you as well. You should try to react before he does something like that. That's what we're training for

[lethalazn]

So train alive...with a weapon (or a sharpie)...no excuse not to train like these guys (by like I mean...with resistance)

[AshidaKlown]

Agreed!!!! Must have non-compliant partner drills to see if the technique actually works in a real life type situation. Without this you are a martial dancer