The UFC had another first on Saturday, the first Calf Slicer Submission. Charles Oliveira caught Eric Wisely in a four submission progression that ended with the Calf Slicer. Check out the gifs:
Another angle:
The first of the four we miss, Oliveira first attempted a heel hook, Wisely spun out of, and then, as seen in the gif, Olivera goes for the kneebar. Wisely is able to move his knee below the hips, thus defeating the kneebar submission. Olivera then goes for a toe hold. He doesn't really spend a lot of time on this submission as Wisely was able to step forward and move his foot out of position. That gave Oliveira a chance to do two things, he could go for the calf slicer, or take the back. Since Wisely's right foot was forward and his left was bent on top of Oliveira, the left leg was in a perfect position to attempt the submission. Why perfect? If Wisely was able to defend, and free his left foot, Oliveira would be in position to put in his hooks and start working chokes from the back mount. Or if Wisely was able to free AND able to hip away from Oliveira to defend the back mount, Oliveria would be able to easily move in to side control. There was no bad position consequence for Oliveira here.
So what Oliveira does is to take his left leg and put it just under Wisely's knee, directly on the biggest part of the calf. He then locks his leg down with his right leg, in to a figure four, triangle lock. Next, Oliveira grabs Wisely around the waist and pulls Wisely towards him, being careful to keep Wisely's foot in the center of his body. Most of the time the opponent will go along with this movement. They don't know that they are in danger, and just think that you are pulling them backward to take back mount. More often than not the opponent will put their hands on your hands to prevent you from moving upward and attacking their neck.
To complete the submission, Oliveira pulls Wisely all the way back while pushing his hips in to him. The pressure on the calf is tremendous. As the name implies, this submission tears the muscle apart. On top of that pressure is put on the interior ligaments and tendons of the knee. If the submission is done correctly to completion the person being submitted is looking at ACL and PCL tears, as well as extensive tissue damage to the calf muscles.
You see this submission a lot more in the gi game, as it is much easier to pull off when you can control the opponent's leg via his pants, and his waist via his belt; however, it can be done in the no-gi game as Oliveira demonstrated.
What you should take away here is not the submission itself, although that is the very cool part. You should take away the need to always be thinking ahead in your game. Oliveira did not just give up after his heel hook failed, he was thinking ahead and knew that if he missed the heel hook the kneebar would be there. He knew that if he missed the kneebar, the toe hold would be there, and he knew that if he missed the toe hold the calf slicer would be there, finally he knew that if he missed the calf slicer, the back would be there. This progression in submissions and positions allowed him to flow easily and confidently to the next submission and position. It also forced Wisely to be constantly defending until he made just one fatal mistake. This is how good Jiu Jitsu is played. Constantly setting up new positions, and flowing in to the next movement.
When you train, especially with those less experienced than you, try to practice your position flows rather than just tapping them out with whatever submission they give you. Allow them to escape and move in to your new position. Better yet, only give them one way out of the submission so that you can perfect flowing from a lower percentage submission in to a higher percentage submission. Not only will you learn to chain your submissions together, but you will learn to manipulate your opponent in to doing what YOU want them to do, in a cold calculated way, rather than simply taking advantage of whatever is there.
The video below is graphic. It shows a man with a crowbar threatening a police officer, and the police officer shoots him multiple times. Violence is never easy to watch, so take that in to consideration if you press play.
After watching the video, and ignoring the jackwagons that filmed it, what do we see here? The police have their weapons drawn on an obviously disturbed individual. He is belligerent and has been breaking the windows of the Carls Jr. restaurant that the police have found him at.
The police try to subdue the man by shooting him with a taser. The man simply shrugs off the taser. He then attempts to rush one of the officers and the shoot him.
What would you do if you were in this same situation?
I have to admit that I see nothing wrong with this shooting. I would have done exactly the same thing.
The primary complaint with this shooting is that the police used excessive force. After they brought the man down with the first shots, they shot him again while he was on the ground. This is viewed as excessive. While an argument surely will be made for this, I do not agree with it. They shot the guy with a taser and he shrugged it off. They then shot him five times, and he still tried to get up and go after them. They then shot him again to end the threat. The police did exactly what they were trained to do. You shoot until the threat is over.
Now we ask the question, if this would have happened to an armed citizen, would they be treated the same as the police? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The laws are different for ordinary people and police. If this had been an armed citizen instead of the police, the man with the crowbar would have actually had to have gotten up and came at the armed citizen again before the citizen could have fired a second volley.
What do we learn from this incident? When you are at the range you MUST reserve some time and ammunition to train multiple shot accuracy. You don't train this by simply spraying shots down range. You train this by slowly building up the number of shots you can send down range quickly. It takes a lot of time and ammunition, especially if you use a large caliber, like my beloved .45.
This is what I do:
First find a good sight picture on the center of your target. After you squeeze off the first shot bring the pistol back down and immediately reacquire your sight picture on the target. You will have to have very good shooting stance and technique to do this well. You have to be rock solid to minimize the muzzle flip.
After you can shoot one round, and get the sight picture back immediately, try two shots. Squeeze off the first round, reacquire your sight picture and immediately squeeze off the second, and get the sight picture back just as you did when you were just working with one shot.
This is when you will experience strange things. Shot anticipation can be a big problem when you are trying to get off that second round. Many people will flinch or rock forward in their stance anticipating the recoil. This will throw their aim completely off, normally low and to the left. To correct this, you need to practice your stance, and throw in some snap caps in to your magazines.
A snap cap is a dummy round that protects your firing pin during a dry fire (shooting the gun with no ammunition in the breech). It is an excellent training tool. They really helped me see what I was doing in my stance and in my grip.
After getting two shots quickly down range and accurate, go for a third, remembering to reacquire the sight picture after every round expended. After being able to do the accelerated pair, sending more quick succession shots down range should be easy. Slip some snap caps in to your magazine to check your technique and to practice clearing a jam or misfire.
Do not get ahead of yourself in your rapid fire training. Don't be the guy who just blows the whole magazine down range to impress his friends on how fast he can shoot. What is impressive is shooting rapidly and keeping the grouping inside a four inch diameter. That is what is impressive.
A couple of words that we will be hearing from the Democrats and the President this year are "Equal" and "Fair." They will use these words so often that they might start to loose their meaning. So, let's make sure to get down what their dictionary definitions are:
Equal - like for each member of a group, class, or society
Fair - conforming with the established rules
Why do I define the words? Because words have an established meaning. We must be reminded of this established meaning because then we know when the meanings are being twisted.
So now let's look at a quote from this video from the President:
"...an America where everybody gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and everybody plays by the same set of rules"
That sounds great!!! I do want an America where everybody gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share and everybody plays by the same set of rules.
Will that happen? I very very much doubt it. Currently only 53% of Americans pay income taxes. About 30% of the 47% that do not pay taxes, actually make money in the form of tax credits. For instance, a single parent who makes $16,000 a year with two children, and pays NO taxes, before any other welfare or government assistance, will receive a tax "refund" of $5,044. So taxes actually BOOSTS their income to $21,044.
That is an extreme example you say. Ok, let's play with the numbers and figure out when this single person with two children actually has to start paying taxes... around $34,000. That is when this person starts to actually pay in to the system. That sounds hardly fair.
I think I am slipping in to crazy paranoia... I am not quite tinfoil hat crazy, but I am getting there. I am headed to a funeral today, and I found myself trying to figure out the best way to conceal my .45 on my suit. To a funeral...
Now, we have all heard about shootings that happen at funerals, but wow, am I really the guy that wants to be packing just in case a shooting breaks out at a funeral for an elderly doctor's wife?? What the hell is up with me?
While it is possible that something may break out at the funeral, it is also possible that an extraterrestrial being will decide to make first contact with the funeral party. Should I make sure to have the protocols for first contact with me during the service? On second thought if that happens, it might be a good idea to have some hardware on me just in case the aliens are less than friendly... SEE??????? WHAT THE FU@K???????
Pretty sure I need help, but when you are paranoid, who can you trust to go get help from? What if they are all out to sell my information?
I have a love/scared-to-death-of-them relationship with leg locks. I really like kneebars and toe holds, I threaten them all of the time, and it makes my opponent scramble to defend. That will, typically, allow me to improve my current position. A good example of this is the rolling kneebar from the turtle position.
Using the knee bar as a sweeping tool if the guy stands up an breaks your guard:
and one of my all time favorites the kneebar from half guard:
Another really good one is the toe hold from omoplata sweep.
But the toe hold can be used against you if you attempt the omoplata:
The lock I am most scared of, and one that I almost never attempt is one of the simplest and most effective submissions there are. It is the heel hook.
As you can see, heel hooks are easy to set up and easy to execute. The problem with them is that they are a twisting knee submission, and you really don't feel like you are in danger until all of the knee ligaments snap. They are extraordinarily dangerous. So dangerous in fact that most Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournaments do not allow them for any belts lower than brown belt. Even in the land of macho men and big egos, Brazil, the heel hook is a banned technique for those below brown belt. They are just too dangerous.
So, how do you train with heel hooks and not hurt anyone? Well, in active rolling, I like to go through the movements up until I get to actually hooking the heel. I will simply touch the heel and then let go of everything. I don't actually hook it or work the submission. More experiences guys will acknowledge the submission with a nod or, a good job, or whatever. Less experienced guys will wonder why I didn't finish it off.
It is important to recognize who you are rolling with when you attempt heel hooks. Often times, the one doing the leg lock will remind the opponent that they can do leg locks and you will start to trade them back and forth. If you attempt your heel hook on the gym spaz, you are going to walk away limping. Only work your heel hooks on guys you trust. The submission is very dangerous and the gym spaz will rip you knee apart when they go nuts trying to prove how much more of a man they are. Instead do them with the guy who is at class to have fun and to get a good work out in. He won't tear apart you knee, and will acknowledge your submission attempt.
There are many guys out there who are good at heel hooks. None, however, are as feared or as reviled as Rousimar Palhares.
The guy is a heel hook genius, gym spaz, meathead, and all around unstable crazy person. In his last three fights that he won in the UFC he has submitted his opponents with heel hooks... and in all three fights he didn't stop twisting until the knee was destroyed. What's worse was that he competed in the ADCC no-gi world championships in 2011, he advanced to the finals injuring all three of his opponents with heel hooks. He sent one of the guys, David Avellan, to the hospital for immediate knee reconstruction. Rafael Lovato Jr. limped away from the semi-final match but only suffered tissue damage.
It goes to show the immense damage that can be done by these kinds of submissions. I am too old to be messing around with knee reconstructions, so I am well known to tap out as people are setting up leg locks, rather than waiting until the lock is on and some guy is looking to tag my purple belt up on his submission wall. I don't care. I would rather have you bragging that you caught me in training than risk the cost of surgery, rehab, and go through all of the pain associated with everything.
Some have noticed my lack of political posts lately. It is because I am heart broken, and I can barely stand to read any political stories anymore. The American people broke my heart when they voted in President Obama, but I can understand why they did it. McCain wasn't much of a choice, and his policies were so similar to GWB's. So, I forgave the American People for that. I forgave them, and they seemed to really come along with the election of many Tea Party and small government people on the off year election. But then the politician themselves broke my hear in to very tiny pieces.
First, they ignored Rand Paul's plan to cut really cut, not base line budget cut, government spending. Then they signed on to this ridiculous plan to extend the debt ceiling that created a "Super Committee" to make additional budget cuts. There was no way no how that anything was going to get done in the Super Committee, because all of the "cuts" that the Democrats wanted were automatically triggered if nothing was done. So, what was their incentive to do something?
Oh, and the "cuts" that they made with the debt ceiling mess were all over 10 years and only cuts in to the proposed INCREASES in spending. In other words, there were no actual cuts in budgets, and the reductions made were made so long term that they will never happen. So, the debt ceiling was raised and NOTHING was done to abate the growth of government.
The politicians then took a nice long whiz on the broken pieces of my heart when they passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 that actually gave the Executive the right to indefinitely detain American Citizens with out trial! Hold on... I think there is some superseding law that prevented that kind of thing... Oh yeah THE BILL OF FREAKING RIGHTS!! The very people that were sent to Washington to bring the government back to the Constitution blatantly passed something that takes a shit on it. How many amendments were violated with this act??
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. -- Fifth Amendment
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. -- Sixth Amendment
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. -- Seventh Amendment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. -- Eighth Amendment
What only FOUR amendments??? You couldn't throw in there that American Citizens could be seized without warrants just so you could torch a good half of the Bill of Rights?? OH WAIT, they did that earlier when they renewed the "Patriot Act."
The presidential election goes on now and it looks like the GOP candidate will be Mitt Romney. I don't mind Mitt when it comes to growing business. I think that he would be a very pro business president. However, what will he do to change the regulation mess in Washington? Nothing. He is the type of person who would fit very well in the existing Washington power structure. He won't change the tax code, he won't eliminate useless departments of Government, he won't root out redundant programs, and he certainly won't advocate grater freedom for the people. He will just be there... If elected, he will make history as the first Mormon president. He won't make history anywhere it counts. He will simply be another cog in the machine.
The worst part is, the American People don't care. They are pissing what little freedoms they have left away, and they just don't care. They want big brother government to be there for them. I get so angry when the Democrats get in front of crowds and mention that their opposition just want everyone to "Go it alone," and the crowd goes wild. I do want to go it alone. I do want the federal government out of my life. I would much rather the state or local government be the one to act on these issues. I can change local government by simply convincing my neighbors. To change federal law I need to convince my neighbors, my state, my region, the next region, the region next to that, and finally the President of the United States. It is difficult for a reason.
So I don't write about it because my feelings are so hurt. I am so outside the mainstream with my thoughts of freedom, that I am considered "radical." No one wants me on their side, because I piss off everybody. Democrats don't want me because I want smaller government. Republicans don't want me because I want to legalize drugs. All based on the answer to a very simple question... Who owns me? I want ME to own me. But if I own me, I have to take the risk of failure. That is freedom. Freedom is NOT having 99 weeks of unemployment payments. Freedom is NOT banning contraception practices that I disagree with. Freedom is me standing alone, with the government protecting my rights. Not the government watching over me and involved in to the very minutia of my life, like what kind of light bulb I can buy, or what substance I can put in to my body.
In the wake of the bombing of Perl Harbor, after the humiliating defeat of the American military presence on the Philippine Islands, the country made the worst choice in its history (slavery was an inherited problem, not a choice that the country made). The country decided that it needed to round up all people of Japanese decent and put them in camps.
Rounded up, and put behind fences. These were not Japanese nationals. These were American citizens. Their Constitutionally guaranteed rights striped from them. Their homes confiscated.
I often wonder if anyone stood up for them. Did anyone say this is wrong?
Yes. One man did. He is a great hero of freedom, and the Constitution. Just as those who died during the revolution were heroes of freedom, so is this man. In 1942 Gordon Hirabayashi said:
"This order for the mass evacuation of all persons of Japanese descent denies them the right to live. I consider it my duty to maintain the democratic standards for which this nation lives. Therefore, I must refuse this order of evacuation."
For his refusal to go to the camp, Dr. Hirabayashi spent over a year in jail. He was vindicated nearly 40 years later when the Supreme Court upheld that the interment of American citizens violated the Constitution.
In the face of such an evacuation, would you be able to stand up and say "No"? Would you have the courage in the face of such hate to say, "I am an American, and this is wrong."?
"It doesn't matter now a days." You say "This could never happen again."
Last week the President of the United States signed a law that gives the Executive Branch the power to apprehend and intern, American Citizens without charges and without trial. Sound familiar?
Dr. Hirabayashi died today. He was 93. He will be sorely missed.
Story
Talking back and forth with a friend got me thinking about the various positions for inside the waistband carry. Essentially there are five positions that you can use:
Appendix
Strong side hip
Strong side kidney
Small of the back
cross carry
Each one has their advantages and disadvantages, and before purchasing a holster, you should conciser each one. Before I get in to the particulars, the main term that will be used is "printing." What is Printing? It is when the pistol, or some distinguishing outline of the pistol is exposed. Essentially, printing is what tells people that you are carrying. If you are carrying outside the waist band and are using a jacket as you cover garment, and the jacket comes open exposing your gun, that is a print. If you bend over and the handle of your gun shows through your shirt, that is a print.
You want to keep printing to a minimum, because, after all, you don't want the people around you to know you are packing heat. That will give you attention you don't want, more often than not, from the police.
Appendix Carry
This carry position has the pistol sitting in the front of the hip on the strong side. Since most people are right handed, it is called the appendix carry. The position of the pistol is straight up and down. The draw for this position is done, just like this:
Advantages:
Speed
No printing, full range of movement allowed.
Ease of movement in a struggle, the large muscles of the upper body are used to draw
Unless somebody grabs your junk, you don't have to worry about people stealing your pistol unbeknownst to you.
There is no need to protect your hips or make socially awkward movements to avoid people bumping in to your gun.
Disadvantages:
The business end of the pistol is very near what makes a man a man... Negligent discharge may emasculate you.
Pistol can not be drawn from a seated position.
Pistol can only be drawn when the upper body is moved upright relative to the waist.
Full size pistols are difficult to conceal.
Extra magazines must be stored elsewhere.
This is the method that I use when I am using on the body carry. I believe it offers the greatest amount of flexibility, without sacrificing wardrobe or movement.
One major disadvantage is that you have to either stand all the way up, or lay all the way down in order to draw the pistol. If you are in a crouch taking cover, you can't get to your pistol, with out exposing yourself to fire.
Strong Side Hip Carry
This is the most common form of carry. Pistol is right there on your hip, with the cant, or angle, of the holster again at neutral, or straight up and down. Draw:
Advantages:
Natural draw movement
Drawing from a seated position is awkward, but possible.
Very comfortable carry position.
A negligent discharge is unlikely to hit any vital area.
Easy to carry a full size pistol
Easy to carry extra magazines with the holster.
Disadvantages:
Gun prints when you bend over, and when you move to the opposite side
Prominent gun bulge on the strong side.
Very loose shirt or over garment needs to be worn to even out the strong side gun bulge.
Tendency to protect the gun as people pass by the strong side, giving away that you are carrying.
In a struggle it is easy for someone to prevent the draw, as the small muscles of the arm are used.
Easy for the gun to be detected and stolen in a struggle.
This carry method is very comfortable. I know guys who carry full size 1911 .45s on their strong hip with two extra magazines on their weak hip and have fallen asleep forgetting they were carrying.
The draw is also the most natural movement as the hand naturally sits directly on the hip when it is at rest, and you can draw from almost any position.
The two major glaring disadvantages come from printing and the vulnerability of the draw.
Printing is a big problem when you are carrying on the hip. You have this unnatural bulge on your hip that your arm will constantly be bumping in to. You have to adjust your wardrobe specifically around hip carry, so you end up wearing a lot of shirts that are two big for you, or doing the tucked in TShirt, flannel shirt over the top thing. Not to mention the little dance that you start doing when anyone gets close to your strong side hip. Granted, most people are not going to be looking for a bulge on the hip of anyone, but when you bend over, there is the unmistakable print of a pistol grip. So, you end up squatting instead of bending at the waist. This is not a normal movement, and it does attract strange looks.
The other disadvantage comes with the draw. You need to reach upward on the hip to draw the pistol. The draw is then done by moving the elbow upward. What major muscle group is doing that? The anterior deltoid. This is not a strong muscle group, and the draw can be defeated by simply holding down on the elbow doing the draw. It is a common technique taught at police academies and self defense schools all over the country. The arm is then taken behind the back, for cuffing or a positional submission hold, not unlike a standing Kimura.
Strong Side Kidney Carry
The kidney carry position is very similar to the strong side hip position, however the gun is placed behind the hip. Because of the position of the gun relative to the body, the holster should be canted slightly backward to allow for an easier draw. The main reason for the kidney draw is to reduce printing from the side. Because the pistol is no longer directly on the side, the telltale bulge is no longer present, and elaborate actions no longer need to be taken to avoid bumping in to people with your pistol. Draw:
Advantages:
Very comfortable carry position.
A negligent discharge, in the holstered position, is unlikely to hit any vital area.
Easy to carry a full size pistol
Easy to carry extra magazines with the holster.
Motion from side to side can be done without printing.
Disadvantages:
Draw is awkward.
Negligent discharge during draw can cause you to shoot yourself in the kidney.
Printing is obvious when you bend from the waist.
Wardrobe needs to be selected that will draw attention away from the rear waist.
Draw uses very small, weak muscle groups, and puts the drawing arm in a very vulnerable position.
Draw is slow.
Stealing of the pistol by someone approaching from behind is difficult but not impossible.
This position is becoming very popular as it keeps the gun close to the hip, where the hand is, and eliminates most of the printing issues that the hip carry position has. All the while, the comfort of the hip carry position is maintained. I almost called this the "FBI" position or the "Plainclothes Cop" position because this is where EVERY FBI agent and plainclothes cop that I have ever met, know, or interacted with, carry their pistol. It keeps the gun out the way, and it is very easy to cove up with a suit or other jacket.
The problems I have with it are virtually the same as with the hip carry, the printing when bending over, and how very easy it is to stop the draw if you are close enough.
Additional problems with this draw is that you have to cove a section of the body before you can even bring the gun to bear on the target. Moving the pistol takes time, and that may be time you don't have.
Small of the Back Carry
This is the favorite position of all those who have ever watched Magnum P.I. The holster is canted so that the angle is almost 90 degrees relative to the center line of the body. Draw:
Advantages:
Almost no printing. When bending over a bump may be shown, but it is likely not to be noticed.
Very comfortable.
Easy to carry full size pistol.
All but the tightest shirts can be worn with out printing.
Disadvantages:
Very slow draw.
Negligent discharge during the draw, or in the holster is likely to go directly through the spine.
Draw is extremely awkward, and easy to defeat.
Very easy for someone to approach from behind and steal pistol.
I really hate this draw. It is very awkward, and just plain dangerous. For a good half of the draw you are pointing the gun at one of the most vulnerable parts of your body. It is just stupid. Sure, it is great for concealment, but what you give up?? Nope.
Cross Carry Position
This is also called the cross draw or offhand carry, I have even heard it called the Wild Bill carry because this is how Mr. Hickok used to carry his iron.
Like a fracking BOSS!!
This draw is demonstrated by a douchebag, but he does cover all of the bases:
Advantages:
Easily draw in any situation.
Easy to get to in a struggle.
Draw speed is fast
Draw is difficult to defeat.
Very difficult to steal pistol.
Negligent discharge is unlikely to cause any damage.
Disadvantages:
Draw is long.
Draw is obvious.
Draw is easily defeated by tackling.
This draw position is very unusual. I haven't drilled it much at all, and it is kind of difficult to pull off with IWB holsters. It is a good way to hide the pistol having virtually all of the advantages of the appendix carry.
