 Today we're going to talk about spinning techniques and ask the question are they worth learning and should you ever use them in a fight? So the preface this topic we should probably start with saying that all spins are not created equal There are a variety of different spinning techniques out there and of course when we're saying spinning techniques We're talking about any motion or any maneuver in a fight or in sparring or even in practice in which you actually have to Rotate your body and spin to build up the momentum to deliver a strike And I say they're not all created equal because you've got a lot of different flavors to work with You've got simple maneuvers such as you know spinning back fist spinning back kicks small maneuvers No, but even some sweeps all the way up to the complicated tornado kicks and jump spinning inside crested kicks and all the fancy stuff You see on TV and see that's also the problem is that we see all the fantasy stuff on TV and in films because it looks cool I mean how many of you grew up watching movies and TV and seeing these characters perform these fancy spinning jump kicks going Oh, I want to learn how to do that. It looks cool But is it practical so I feel that we should start off by kind of giving a preemptive Yes, it's worth learning and at least in a training frame of mind because at the worst-case scenario whether or not you feel They're practical or not in a real fight Learning spinning techniques, especially the complicated ones at the worst case can teach you coordination They teach you how to move your body and in a three-dimensional space how to gauge your distance from the ground How to gauge your distance from your opponent So I think in terms of a training point of view and a coordination point of view I think spinning techniques are wonderful to learn in that aspect and they're a hell of a workout to boot But then it comes to the question of should you ever use a spinning technique in a real fight or sparring match? Well, let's break it down I have to say that I feel that one of the biggest advantages to doing spinning techniques is the power that you can generate when you apply it a Spinning technique not only uses your body mass and your physical strength But you're adding rotation to it and rotation is one of the main power principles and pretty much most martial arts So when you apply your skill and technique with a rotation you can generate some serious impact with those strikes So if you're ever caught by a spinning technique, you know what I'm talking about And if you want to amplify that power think about speed you look at an art like taekwondo tonksudo even Muay Thai They put a lot of speed into their strike So if you have a practitioner who's fast and can deliver a powerful spinning technique You got a serious winning combination right there And I say winning combination because of the third aspect, which is that these techniques are often unexpected You have someone who could deliver a powerful strike while spinning and they could do it fast It makes it a lot harder to see and I'm gonna put a little note next a little asterisk next that because we're gonna come back to it But very very often a well Executed spinning technique is hard to see and can be very unexpected So continuing that concept is the concept of momentum You're utilizing your own movement to continue it into a spin So you're utilizing that momentum that's already in play But the thing though is that momentum doesn't always have to come from you or doesn't have to start with you and many times It can come from being pushed or it could be grabbed or somebody even hitting you and you're rolling with it Or you're reacting somebody else so to break that down yet one more level We could talk about rebounding or being countered my two personal favorite spinning techniques would be I would say the spinning backfist Or really more of a hammer fist hitting with the meanier part of the hand and the spinning back kick the spinning hammer fist I've used it a few times like I said when I'm being pushed or I'm being countered and I have my orbits change another direction It's really easy to snap that second strike when it comes to the kicks if I throw a front kick or a round kick You know sometimes my opponent will they'll block it or they'll hook it and they'll read divert my energy to a different direction Well, I'm not just gonna stand there and plant like okay He got me no if I feel my energy being pulled away I'm gonna ride with it and deliver a second kick using that momentum again. That spin is there the opportunity presents itself I'm gonna utilize it and ever once while I'll even use a hook kick sometimes it lands sometimes it just acts as a deterrent to at least get myself Some space so I can reset and the other thing too is the everyone's favorite criticism is if x y z works How come we don't see it now in May well you do you see spinning techniques all the time in MMA And sometimes they are picture perfect beautiful and they can be knockout fight-ending techniques So there we have it We have evidence right there that spinning techniques can be effective and they can work in a real fight or at least in a sparring or Competitive match ah, but now we're at the part where some of you were going oh Nene that there are certain caveats to delivering these pain techniques and you're absolutely right What are they well for example and the obvious one and the one that's brought up the most common is Vulnerability the second you turn your back to an opponent you are Vulnerable and it can be first but second, you know, you know, you don't know how long that window is open But even there was a fraction of a second you are vulnerable. You don't have your main weapons You've got an open target. It's a lot harder to defend when the person's behind you So yes, there's all sorts of scenarios. Yes, there's all sorts of exceptions But just fundamentally speaking turning your back on an opponent is always going to be a risk Regardless of the situation and something that makes that vulnerability tenfold is telegraphing now most of us know what that is But for the uninitiated telegraphing is when you're basically telling your opponent what you're going to do through an involuntary or Subconscious or inefficient motion on your end So for example, if you're in a fighting stance and your hands are up and you're going to throw a punch And you load back right that that action right there is telling your opponent you're getting ready to throw a strike You're telegraphing that move, you know A lot of arts teach was called point of origin in which you're taught to strike right from where you're loaded not to reload because that's wasted motion So if you telegraph you are giving your opponent an Opportunity to see what you're doing in counter and if you've got someone who could read that you're in a lot of trouble And let's go back and revisit one of the advantages about the speed Oh adding that speed can make those kicks powerful, but that's a big if What if you don't have that speed, you know, what if that you're not a prime taekwondo fighter? Or what if you're aging or maybe your knees don't work as well as you do as they used to, you know That speed does wane and if you don't have that speed behind it that kick or that technique becomes less and less effective And more and more of a risk to yourself. What if you miss playing simple? I mean, you know to do a Spain technique You usually have to take your eye off your opponent for a split second if they move or if you misjudge if you Miss and you commit to that strike. You might have just opened yourself up to to a serious counter attack So the risk is higher if you miss and think about it in the heat of a moment in a real competition in an MMA ring or a street fight How? Detrimental missing the strike can be that window that opens up for them But if we're being fully honest, you know, let's be practical about it They're harder to pull off if you're in a real life confrontation or real situation You want to keep it simple, you know, you want to do the basics of that works You don't want to drag this fight out You want it over quickly and efficiently and even if you know, say spinning hook is your powerhouse technique and you're going for the knockout shot That's all well and good. It may work for you But it's kind of like that baseball player that only swings for the fences like he only swings full power going for the home run But by doing so he's missing a lot of singles or doubles or chances again on base And maybe strikes out because he's trying too hard for that one powerhouse hit It does always play out that way and let's not get into adding any jumping or anything like that into it Because that's a whole other level of risk alone Once your feet are off the ground you are committed and if something goes wrong Your landing might be a little faster and rougher than you'd had anticipated it So honestly when it comes down to it, I would first of all say yes I would say learn some spinning techniques at least I'm a huge advocate of adding tools to your toolbox Even if you are never going to go use that tool for a practical or a real fight It might be good just to at least understand how it works and get that coordination and the drilling out of it But as far as the fancy stuff like I loved it growing up And of course I was the age where I was all about bouncing off the walls and jumping and spinning I didn't do it in sparring though You didn't see me doing jump spinning inside crescent kicks or tornado kicks or anything like that in sparring Maybe an occasional hook kick if I saw the opportunity But I think that fancy stuff is best left out of a real scenario Maybe good for sparring if you want to experiment but a real life situation I would say keep it simple and any spinning techniques that you do want to do Keep them basic and become very good at them and know how to rebound off of them quickly if something goes wrong But that's my own personal opinion. I of course would love to hear yours I know a lot of a lot of our viewers are competitive fighters So I'm kind of curious like what what spinning techniques would you advocate and what would you say absolutely avoid? What's worked for you? Do you have any stories where it didn't work for you and you learned less in the hard way? All that's good stuff and you guys love to share and I love to read about it And it's great for our community So please leave those comments down below and don't forget to like and subscribe to this channel share this video I really appreciate everyone's feedback and thanks for watching and we will see you next week