Powell Combat Arts

Click link to register for Panantukan Seminar! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/panantukan-martial-arts-seminar-tickets-2000159560087?aff=oddtdtcreator  

My first martial arts instructor Grandmaster Ulysses "Pop" Winn passed away on May 9, 2024. He was a 10th degree black belt in Nisei Goju Ryu. Thank you Sensei for being a mentor and positive role model to me when I was growing up. Until we meet again in heaven.

I am a big believer in physical fitness. This is especially important for those engaged in Combat Sports, such as Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA. It does not matter how skillful you are if you cannot go the distance. That is why I became a Certified MMA Conditioning Coach. I wanted to have the knowledge to train athletes to be in top physical condition to compete successfully. To show just how serious I am about fitness, I recently entered a fitness competition. I am competing to be crowned Mr. Health & Fitness for 2023. You can view my profile and cast your vote here: https://featured.muscleandfitness.com/2023/roderick-p

This is a case of art imitating life. I am a Boxing Coach in real-life. I had the opportunity to serve as an Executive Producer and Action Director of the new female boxing movie "LOLA 2." The movie stars actress "Taja V. Simpson" as Lola and real-life boxing champ "Claressa Shields" as her nemesis. You can check out the movie on the ALLBLK streaming platform. The first "LOLA" is available there too. You can watch the new movie at https://allblk.tv/lolatwo .

  Miyamoto Mushashi In feudal Japan, there were two types of warriors: Samurai and Ronin.  Samurai were loyal to a particular Master, while Ronin answered to no one.  One of the most famous Ronin in history was Miyamoto Mushashi who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries.  He wrote the masterpiece of swordsmanship known as the "Book of Five Rings." In more recent times, Bruce Lee could be considered a Ronin.  He famously broke from the teachings of his Master Yip Man to create his own unique martial art of Jeet Kune Do.  His conversion from Samurai to Ronin was prompted by his difficulty in winning a fight against fellow martial artist Wong Jack Man. Lee discovered that sticking dogmatically to the Wing Chun techniques taught by his Master limited his growth as a martial artist.   I had a similar epiphany.  One day I attended a martial arts class and I was asked by my instructor to demonstrate effective defenses against a straight right or cros...

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"Panantukan" is a term that refers to the empty-hands component of Filipino Martial Arts.  In some circles, this striking art is called "Filipino Boxing," "Suntukan," or "Dirty Boxing." The art is derived from the same movements when using sticks and blades for combat.   Several characteristics of this martial art make it unique: 1.) Focus on limb destructions, e.g., striking the arms and legs, 2.) Fighting from both the Orthodox and Southpaw stance, and 3.) Unbalancing your opponent by pushing, grabbing, foot sweeping, etc.  The martial art requires a lot of practice and dedication in order to master the techniques and be able to apply them effectively in the octagon or the streets.

Manny Pacquiao aka "Pac-Man" is one of my all-time favorite pro boxers, both inside and outside the ring.  It is well-known that he is a devout Christian.  Many other top combat sports competitors, such as MMA star Cris Cyborg, attribute much of their success to their faith.  I believe that having a connection to a higher power is gives an athlete a spiritual edge and is beneficial to success as a competitor in Boxing or MMA.   Lately, I have been meditating on a Bible verse that imparts great advice for athletes who want to be their very best.  1 Corinthians 9:26 says "So I do not run without a goal.  I fight like a boxer who is hitting something - not just the air."  What the Apostle Paul was saying with these sports analogies was that he approached his mission as a Preacher of the Gospel with a clear purpose.  He also had discipline.  The Apostle did not let anything distract him from his mission.  Success in the ring or octagon ...

Kobe Bryant Just like Bruce Lee ... I believe Kobe Bryant is going to inspire many more people in death than he did in life ... Kobe and Bruce had so much in common ... both put "everything" they had into their craft ... martial arts for Bruce ... basketball for Kobe ... both were focused ... driven ... their hard work paid off in spectacular fashion ... leaving a path for future generations to follow ... I had a poster of Bruce Lee on my wall as a kid ... I still remember the image on t hat poster ... a scene from "Enter the Dragon" with Bruce holding two kali sticks ... I believe the inspiration I received from looking up at that poster every day growing up helped contribute to whatever success I have had in life ... now there will be kids who were not alive during Kobe's lifetime wearing his jersey ... watching old clips of his games on their smart phones ... looking at images of Kobe dunking a basketball on their screensavers ... being inspired to work ...

Guro Dan and Coach Roderick I look forward to training with Dan Inosanto when he conducts his seminars in Atlanta every year.  I always learn something new from him, because he is always learning something new.  One of the qualities I admire about Guro Dan, as he is affectionately called, is his personal commitment to life-long learning.  Even at the age of 83, Guro Dan continues to explore, research, and learn new ways of expressing himself in the martial arts.  He does not rest on his many laurels.  His thirst for knowledge is the reason he has had so many different martial arts instructors over the years.  From Ed Parker to Bruce Lee to John Lacoste.  Guro Dan knows that no one person has a monopoly on martial arts knowledge.  I have been greatly influenced by Guro Dan's example.  I find myself searching out the best instructors I can find and learning what they have to teach me.  I adhere to what Guro Dan's most famous instructo...

Back in the old days, many boxers used to chop wood with an axe as a regular part of their conditioning routine.  Former heavyweight boxing champ George Foreman, one of the sports most devastating punchers, used to regularly chop wood.  He credited it with giving him almost superhuman punching power.  More recently, Floyd Mayweather Jr has been seen chopping wood. Many of the same benefits from chopping wood can be gained by slamming a sledgehammer into a tractor tire.  It is one of my favorite conditioning exercises.  I also have my boxing trainees do it.  Hammering a tire works your shoulders, arms and upper-back muscles.  It also improves endurance and grip strength.  Not too many exercises can both shed fat, build muscle, and give you a powerful right cross at the same time.  It's also a great way to relieve stress! I suggest you use a staggered stance the same as you would when fighting.  I have my boxers hammer the tire in both...

Introduction A basic understanding of physics can lead to an improvement in athletic performance.  One concept from physics that is especially relevant to boxers and other combat sports participants is "power."  The colloquial term for power in the context of sports is "explosiveness."  Power is defined as the rate at which work is done.  For example, if you watch Mike Tyson's boxing matches from early in his career you will see explosiveness or power in action.  The ability to quickly apply enough force to knock someone out before they knew what hit them is "power." In physics, power is expressed in watts.  For example, the power used for walking is about 280 watts.  The power used for playing basketball is about 800 watts.  The power used for sprinting is about 2,415 watts.  The power used for boxing or MMA would probably rank somewhere between 800 and 2,415 watts.   The Work Component of Power In physics, work is define...

Oleksandr Gvozdyk knocking out Adonis Stevenson  I enjoyed watching the boxing match this past weekend between Adonis Stevenson and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.  Unfortunately, my enjoyment quickly turned to sadness when I found out that Stevenson suffered severe brain trauma from the fight and is now is now lying in a hospital bed in critical condition.  Stevenson's nickname in the ring is "Superman."  But even Superman had his kryptonite.  The one thing that could take away his superpowers.  For boxers, brain damage is kryptonite. I received my first pair of boxing gloves when I was about 12 years old.  My stepfather actually bought me two pairs.  I could not wait to put them on and convince one of my cousins to box with me.  We went all out.  No headgear, no mouthpiece, and no cup.  If I knew then what I know now, I would have been much more careful.  Now I am a boxing trainer and I never let my boxers go all out in sparring...

I recently spoke with a long-time boxing trainer and former pro who told me he never uses mitts when he trains boxers.  He said his trainer never used them to train him.  I use mitts a lot.  This trainer gave me some serious food for thought.  He said the problem is that you tend to create a routine when you use the mitts.  The boxer gets accustomed to reacting a certain way to certain punches.  Of course, in the ring, there is no set routine.  You have to adapt to whatever your opponent is doing. The best boxer of all-time Sugar Ray Robinson never used mitts.  I never saw Angelo Dundee use then with Muhammad Ali.  Obviously, you can become a great fighter without training with focus mitts. All of my boxers know when I throw a jab and lead hook they are supposed to catch the jab and bob and weave under the hook and then throw a 2-3-2-1-1-1.  This looks great for their Instagram … but when I think about it … it is a pre-arranged routi...

There are several bad habits I have witnessed in my time as trainer and trainee in combat arts.  These habits can cost you dearly in the ring, octagon, or in a real fight for your life.  If you are guilty of any of these habits, it would be a smart idea to break them.  Here we go … 1) After going through an empty hands technique drill, you immediately lower your hands in front of your training partner.  Don't do that.  2) You stand in front of a heavy bag punching wildly and paying no attention to your defense.  Don't do that.  3) In order to get the heavy bag to stop swinging you let your guard down and grab the heavy bag with both hands.  Don't do that.  4) You throw your training partner to the ground with a great judo move and immediately help him up.  Don't do that.  5).  You are training with weapons and superbly disarm your partner and promptly give his weapon back to him.  Don't do that.  Until next time!

Jeet Kune Do in Chinese Characters Jeet Kune Do was the name Bruce Lee gave to his martial art.  The English translation of Jeet Kune Do is "The Way of the Intercepting Fist." Lee developed Jeet Kune Do after years of training, studying, and observation.  His magnum opus on his martial art is the " Tao of Jeet Kune Do ." There are two versions of Jeet Kune Do taught today.  One is called "Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do" ( Ted Wong lineage ) and the other is called "Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do Concepts" ( Dan Inosanto lineage ).   Of the two versions taught, "Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do Concepts" is by far the most widely-practiced.  However, the family of Bruce Lee endorses the "Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do" version.  This blog highlights the main differences between the two versions of Jeet Kune Do ("JKD"). Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do   Ted Wong and Teri Tom Jun Fan JKD is based on techniques taught directly by Bru...

A few days ago, I was discussing the difference between "traditional" martial arts, such as Karate and Kung Fu, and "non-traditional" martial arts, such as MMA, with one of my trainees ... I mentioned that many people these days go straight into "non-traditional" martial arts and miss out on the lessons of "respect" and "character" that are taught in "traditional" martial arts ... I recalled how in the movie "Return of the Dragon" ... after Bruce Lee's character killed Chuck Norris' character, Bruce spotted the top of Chuck's karate uniform and, as a gesture of respect, covered his face and body with it ... that is what you learn from "traditional" martial arts ... I admire Conor McGregor's fighting skills ... however McGregor's recent actions illustrate what can happen if you miss out on those important lessons of "respect" and "character" that are taught in "t...

There are a two schools of thought when it comes to sparring.  Some trainers like their fighters to go all out when sparring and some do not.  I am in the latter camp.  I do not see any reason to ever spar at more than 75% of your full power for head shots and more than 85% of your full power for body shots.  You primary focus when sparring should be to improve or hone specific skills you will need to win a fight, not to knock out your sparring partner! Sparring

Floyd Mayweather Sr and his son Floyd Jr Yesterday I had the opportunity to train with Floyd "Money" Mayweather's Dad.  Although I only worked mitts with him for one round, my brief training time with him was very revealing.  I watched intently as Floyd Sr trained other folks in the gym.  My main goal was to pick up tips that I could use to help the fighters I train.  The first thing I noticed is that Floyd Sr loves boxing.  He is in his mid-sixties now.  Boxing has been his entire life.  His nickname is Joy.  Which he lived up to by joking and laughing outside the ring with all the gym goers.  However, when he put on the mitts and stepped into the ring, he became a different person.  Floyd Sr became a boxing trainer.  He taught ... he motivated ... he pushed for your best.  Floyd Sr never received a lot of accolades for the great job he did training his son.  For some reason, folks assume Floyd Jr jumped out of the wo...

The heavy bag and speed bag get a lot of attention.  You often see videos of boxers slugging away at a heavy bag or showing off their speed bag skills.  The double-end bag is like the ugly duckling.  However, there are many benefits to using this tool.  It is excellent for practicing the placement of your straight punches, i.e., jabs and crosses.  It enhances timing and accuracy of your punches.  The double-end bag is also great for developing rhythm.  It can help you learn to coordinate your jabs with your footwork.  Step and jab in rhythm.  The other great benefit is that the bag will come back straight at you; assuming you hit the bag square on.  This allows you to practice your defensive slips. See clip of using the double-end bag below.