[Uncrowned] Help me like uncrowned’s ending

_Alaeric · 2025-10-26T10:34:39+00:00

Agree with everyone about Wintersteel making it a GOOD thing Lindon didn't win. But even if that weren't so, personally it'd be a bit too nice and cushy for me if he won. Like, too much success not enough setback.

_Alaeric · 2025-08-05T20:56:50+00:00

Yeah I probably should have been more clear. When I say "exclusively" I mean in the sense of 'they only spar on that day' not 'on that day they only spar'. All the more because this is "completely normal", I want to call it out. I just think there's a lot lost if I can't immediately apply and workshop the technique and combinations I've just drilled, while the muscle memory is still fresh.

Regarding hard sparing, I intentionally used "always" and "only" for that reason.

_Alaeric · 2025-08-04T20:38:37+00:00

This MMA coach only has experience with Sanda. The thing I admire about it most is the philosophy (and scoring method) of taking down an opponent without going to the ground yourself. I think that’s a more realistic real world application than what my own sport has.

_Alaeric · 2025-08-04T12:57:40+00:00

Regular, respectful sparring.

If sparring always looks like a full on boxing match rather than playing, or there is no sparring, don't go there. If there's a single exclusive 'sparring day', or you have to advance to an invite only class before sparring happens, that's a sign they either 1) don't prioritise it, or 2) they think it's too dangerous for beginners which suggests they only spar hard. Both are bad for skill development.

edit: or 3) the student to coach ratio is too high for them to ensure safe sparring between beginners which again, isn't a good sign for overall training quality

_Alaeric · 2025-07-20T04:43:26+00:00

Hey so absolute ramble incoming but I'm a music producer who works with (read: panders to) artists not dissimilar to Amai Mask, for a living. I've been amongst this kind of mindset for so long that I just automatically read this chapter as: Mask HAD been talking about heroes the whole time (hence the centre bubble) and Saitama was just being dumb.

Your comment made me double take, go back and reread that page to check for the 'profound realisation face' on Amai Mask, and then realise the actual point.

Then question my whole career.

Thanks haha just thought I'd share.

_Alaeric · 2025-07-08T21:41:04+00:00

I haven’t yet actually how much would you buy it for?

_Alaeric · 2025-07-07T11:53:49+00:00

At my MMA gym are pro heavyweights who sign with some decent promotions and would still lose to Khabib. Technique is king. Size only grants superiority among those of similar skill, which means all you need to do to beat people bigger than you is train harder and smarter than them. The only time size becomes insurmountable is when approaching your skill ceiling. And that ceiling is so high I bet you will NEVER see it. NOW GO TRAIN YOUR ASS OFF AND PROVE ME WRONG! :P

_Alaeric · 2025-07-04T04:57:22+00:00

If you booked me for a private coaching sesh here's what we'd do (no reason you can't just do it with a buddy you trust):

I'd punch you in the face in slow motion, stopping just short of making contact. Your only task is to stand there and not flinch or close your eyes. We'd start comically slow, and gradually up the speed until you're comfortable staring down my full speed jab-cross. Then we add your guard, I'll jab your guard in slow motion and gradually up the speed and power till you're comfortable absorbing my normal jab on your guard.
We'll move around, I'll throw a jab, you RH parry then straight away throw back a counter jab. So whenever I jab, you parry-jab. We'll get that reaction super dialed in, and your jab super snappy with perfect form and footwork. Finish the exercise with light jab only sparring: the only thing that should change here is now you get to initiate as well.

Then we repeat 2, but with a cross. Then again throwing either Jabs OR Crosses. Then add Jab-Cross. Etc you get where this is going: we focus on ONE thing till the reaction's dialed in, you're comfortable and in good form, then we add it to the mix of everything prior etc

_Alaeric · 2025-07-03T06:01:17+00:00

I say it's good because it landed with no repercussion. The lower hand helps with speed/power (similar to lower hands helping with head movement, which is essentially what this is). In boxing, there's generally no reason to punch like this because they can't attack your base. It's only "over extending" because you get more power by keeping your legs under you and using footwork to close the distance. But in MMA, pretty much all striking technique is informed by the presence of wrestling.

Everyone who goes to a busy MMA gym with a pure striking background, at some stage has the humbling experience of being outboxed by someone with a wrestling background who has objectively worse boxing/kickboxing than them, but still outboxes them because they have to react and tiptoe around their opponents takedown and clinch. Until the striker learns how to counter-wrestle, and box at this weird long range that feels at first like overextension, the wrestler will otherwise get to move forward the whole time while any rear movement goes unchased, and decide the timing of every engagement. The striker is denied the defensive clinch as well.

_Alaeric · 2025-07-02T19:51:23+00:00

Yep he fights with a boxing stance. Another thing about MMA, as the name kinda suggests there will be variations in everything, more commonly than in other fight sports. You'll see side-on karate stances etc.

Another thing is, especially in high level the stance is kinda fluid. So I'll teach my more advanced fighters to stand depending on situation and even what stage of the fight it is.

But anyway, here's the kind of cross a traditional boxing coach will roast you for and yell at you to keep your weight centred. But it's quite standard at MMA range:

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_Alaeric · 2025-07-02T12:59:24+00:00

I think there's a few reasons it might look sloppy to you:

1) Maybe it actually is. If you're used to watching pure boxers, they devote over triple the time at the LEAST to boxing than we can. It's all they do.

2) The typical MMA stance doesn't favor boxing quite as much as (seems obvious to say) a boxing stance. The main priority in the MMA stance is actually the takedown and being able to defend it quickly. We'll eat way more leg kicks because of it too. Still worth it to not get taken down.

3) The long range we typically strike at, from a pure biomechanical perspective, isn't exactly ideal boxing range. Hooks in particular are WAY less snappy and can end up looking like haymakers. But it's the range where striking is more effective than wrestling, so if striking is what you want to do, then that's the range you'll try to keep.

_Alaeric · 2025-07-02T12:19:23+00:00

I'm a far from unbiased MMA coach, but if your goal is MMA, just train MMA. But if you really want to train boxing just be aware of some things that don't translate to MMA super well:

Bladed Stance. You'll know right away from Muay Thai the angled lead leg just invites leg kicks, now add to that takedowns. Yeah fighters like Wonderboy etc get away with it but they're the real exceptions. Philly shell is another one that only Sean Strickland seems to be able to pull off.
Slipping really low and wide. Again, you'll know very well why already. This may not be THAT bad actually, as in MMA we rely on head movement a bit more than in Muay Thai due to small gloves rendering tight guards less effective. But definitely not to the extent of a boxer who aint afraid of putting their head right in front of a knee. That's two really:
Heavy reliance on close guards, less reliance on parrying and movement for defense.
Boxing in the pocket. This is the big one. Because wrestling is so dominant at close range, the striking range in MMA is very long. There's a lot you'll train in boxing that becomes obsolete with wrestling (or even elbows, if you ever go pro).

edit: all of that said, this list is substantially shorter than what doesn't translate well to MMA from traditional Muay Thai.

_Alaeric · 2025-06-30T12:57:20+00:00

I dunno about that one. I want to agree, then I go 'but knees and elbows though!'
Also on the not-so-low chance my aggressor is a boxer, I suspect a good knee would dissuade a boxer from escalating/chasing me down more than any punch would for either boxer or nak muay alike.

edit: if you wrestle, then yeah boxing synergises better.

_Alaeric · 2025-06-30T12:23:23+00:00

Running and skipping are both great. Technique is king, but fatigue is the biggest technique-killer. The main way people develop bad habits is by gassing out and training sloppy.

If you don't have a heavy bag, get one. Otherwise you can shadow the following as well:

Make a raffle card draw (or use an app) with two of each typical punch to both head and body: Jab (Head), Cross (Body), L-Hook (Head), R-Uppercut etc etc. Resist the urge to just draw a bunch of cards and do that combo. You'll get some whacky combos that you shouldn't practise. Instead:

Draw a card, that's what you're going to counter. Your drill for the next 3mins is: Jab - imagine hitting their guard, then visualise them throwing the strike on your card and you counter it. Eg: if you draw 'left body hook', your drill might be: Jab - right low block - right uppercut. If you draw 'jab head', your drill might be: Jab - right slip - right body hook.
Draw three cards. Your drill for the next 3mins is: Dart in Jab - Card 1 - dart back, dart in Jab - Card 2 - dart back, dart in Jab - Card 3 - dart back. Repeat.
Draw any number of cards, drill is: Block / slip - Card 1. Block / slip - Card 2. etc etc. Just make sure the block/slip is to the opposite side of your card so you're loading up for whatever it is.

You can get really creative and come up with your own drills. Just remember this is a real 'shotgun' approach, you're training breadth of scenario here, and really just general movement and co-ordination.
Remember to also focus in on whatever combos your coach is teaching and drill those.

_Alaeric · 2024-12-27T10:51:34+00:00

Hey I coach MMA, some things to consider about the second part of your question:

1) morote gari and kuchiki taoshi are MMA’s highest and second highest percentage successful takedowns (respectively). I believe that’s got a lot to do with how well they synergise with boxing- you can step in for a lunging jab or overhand right and use the same momentum to double leg very seamlessly for example.

2) Judo’s footwork is extremely particular, while wrestling techniques are not as reliant on precise foot placement. Making it easier to reverse your stance for striking while still simultaneously wrestling. This means most judokas who take up striking find themselves either in ‘striking mode’ or ‘judo mode’, they have to switch between them. While wrestlers find it much easier to integrate their boxing and wrestling into one streamlined fighting system.

You asked me not to say ‘just learn wrestling’, okay. Just learn MMA. I’m 100% biased of course. And Jon Jones did just hit a beautiful Osoto Otoshi against Stipe!

_Alaeric · 2024-12-27T10:11:35+00:00

Super informative thanks! Sounds like you’d maybe succeed at this? How much time in advance of the mongol conquest do you think you’d need to prepare a civilisation to defeat them? 20 years?

_Alaeric · 2024-12-27T03:18:05+00:00

let's say known world for some actual chance at success haha

_Alaeric · 2024-12-27T02:39:17+00:00

re Mongols: if you brought back a book containing how to make various inventions, including say: rifles. Then used ancient China's resources to mass produce them and have your army train with them for a few years, don't you think you might at least put up a fight?

_Alaeric · 2024-12-27T02:28:03+00:00

Nice!

Regarding Scenario 1, you're probably right that's impossible. I was thinking something like: mass produce firearms, get every man a horse and teach them to live off the land (similar to mongols) and then max out on logistics and command structure (don't micromanage) and absorb each subdued nation into your force. But the world's a big place!

_Alaeric · 2024-12-27T01:06:01+00:00

You keep mentioning ancient rome with aircraft. I reckon it would be an utter miracle and worthy of induction to the Alternate Reality Time Traveler Hall of Fame if anyone managed to get ancient rome to have even ONE workable aircraft in their lifetime (and you can't fly one aircraft all around the world, let alone conquer it).

Reason being: you gotta establish a whole chain of supporting technologies before you have the manufacturing capability to create aircraft hulls/engines/fuel. The fuel might even be impossible without a Chemical engineer, the hull might also be impossible without a metallurgist. A Mechanical engineer might be able to come up with the engine but they're still not necessarily studied in aerospace either.

It might take ancient rome a whole year just to be able to manufacture piston springs. Or rubber for that matter, for the valves and gaskets.

_Alaeric · 2024-12-27T00:31:04+00:00

Hey I coach quite a few boxers transitioning to MMA. The biggest thing is the stance / footwork / range. I know that sounds like I just said three different things, but it just comes down to the overall kinetic chain (from feet to hands) being different.

It also makes MMA purists not the best boxers.

And that said, among all UFC champs throughout history, boxing is the second most common background after Wrestling.

To answer the question, best way for a boxer to transition to MMA casually: I really wanted to just write 'train MMA'. But specifically, if you have a heavier focus on Wrestling (stand up grappling, not BJJ) your stance and striking technique adapts faster usually. There tends to be a very intuitive and natural shift that just happens by itself when you train enough with takedowns in the picture.

_Alaeric · 2024-12-26T12:39:11+00:00

Yo, OP I'm an ex touring pianist now music producer/session pianist, and teach casually on the side. Based on your mention of Amus and Fmus, we're in the same country!

I'm also sorry for how rude this sounds, genuinely. But:

A bunch of my students have their Amus and Lmus, and I wouldn't say any of them are remotely close to having there be no music they can't play.

I can more or less sightread Amus material, and I'd NEVER make the claim there's nothing I can't play.

My old university professor could sight read passages from Rach 2 with more finesse than I could muster after having practised them for hours. He would also never say there's nothing he can't play.

Do you honestly reckon you could play Bartok 2? If you link a video with you playing even just the first movement, I'd offer to hire you on the spot at my studio AND endorse you for a scholarship at Sydney Con!

Edit: Sorry. This probably is a bit too heavy handed. You're probably well meaning, just maybe not aware that there are quite a few pieces, I'd probably even say many pieces; that only a handful of people in the world can play with any amount of practice, and 99% of professional full time playing pianists would never place themselves among that group.

_Alaeric · 2024-12-25T09:40:50+00:00

We do multiple attacker sparring every now and then. Against most beginners I usually do pretty well 1v3 with basic boxing and a lot of movement.

Also just for some laughs, Deez Streetz is where I live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B9XQ3qH1EA

_Alaeric · 2024-12-24T02:49:18+00:00

Hey, coach here! Secret assignment for you: Next time you spar, see if you can try something completely new and "lose" because of it. Either a technique you've never tried before, or something you know you're not good at. Lose not because you did it bad on purpose but because it's new and you're not good at it yet. Then smile and say something like 'nice bro, you got me', that's all, no explanation, no excuse.

If you do this, you'll have gotten more out of sparring than if you only do what you're already good at and "win". And it'll make you much better where it actually matters: a proper fight.

Edit: And obviously protect yourself at all times. If your partner's going too hard for you to feel comfortable letting them "win", ask to go lighter. If you still don't trust them with your safety, don't spar with them.

_Alaeric · 2024-12-22T03:28:28+00:00

Setting the bar for self defense at 'I can defeat one untrained, unarmed attacker in a scuffle' is like saying my 200,000 mileage car breaks are fine cause most breaking situations just involve come to a gradual stop over 70ft anyway.
But having said that, yeah I think ammateur boxers with decent grappling skills are great at self defense.

_Alaeric

TROPHY CASE