Peter Aerts Volume 5
Power Sparring & Equipment Training


This tape too is a wasted opportunity. No teaching happens at all. The ealier tapes of this series has some pointers from Peter on what he was doing. This volume and number 4 are just watching him, no teaching.

This tape does have Thom harinck holding pads which is interesting to watch but there are no tips on being a pad holder. Maurice Smith's tape does a better job in that aspect. Some of the segments really appeared to be more of the same, a 1 minute demo round of pad holding you could see in any Thai camp.

After this it moves to the heavy-bag work and really just repeats, punching the bag, kicking the bag, combos on the bag etc., though the segment of Peter peppering the bag with his famous lumberjack round kicks is a thing of beauty to behold. There are no tips on working the bag effectively or how many rounds to do or anything really instructional.

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4

Peter Aerts Volume 4
Power Clinching Knees & Elbows
~30 mins

Unfortunately this is a weak tape. This was probably the one I most looked forward to seeing as I have found little out there in the clinch range. However of the 12 techniques covered only about 4 are done from in the clinch, and two of those are basic swimming exercises.

The rest are elbow and knee combos that are good but not spectacular and certainly nothing especially powerful as the title would imply. Don't get me wrong; any elbow or knee from Peter would hurt but I was left thinking this tape was lacking.

The final techniques was a bit of a saving grace. A nice fake knee into an almost jumping elbow, reminiscent of the fake kick into the superman/flying punch.

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 5

Here is a great video of a female member of the Red Devil Fight team. It appears she'll be fighting at BodogFights.

Muay Thai Ring Girls
~ 80 mins
available on ebay

This isn't a documentary. This isn't an instructional video by any means. I guess you could call it a docudrama or a mockumentary. The fights are real, sort of, they take place, but are probably thrown or mismatched to help Master Toddy's folks look good. The more I see of these folks the more I get this uneasy feeling that all is not on the up and up.

This video doesn't help change my mind, Master Toddy plays himself playing Mr Miyagi, or something. Some of the funniest pseudo-philosophy comes through in the scenes where it is made clear to the world that Master Toddy saved these fine young ladies from terrible lives. The girls all train hard and go off to Thailand to find out they are fighting students of Master Toddy's brother that no-one knew existed. Really they should have stuck with pure documentary if thy wanted us to believe the fights were real or just filmed movie fights to get somebetter angles.

Really, very little real training is shown, the girls all sleep in the ring and train together while Gina Carano narrates about their character and how much each has overcome; very melodramatic. All the while Master Toddy shows the tough love of a trainer and father figure, though to me he comes off more like that creepy uncle we don't like to talk about. Seriously bad acting, matching bad plot and dialogue all make this a cheese fest. It is well shot, the video is clear and the sound is good. It is watchable exactly once. It has no replay value at all.

The Noble Art of Muay Thai
Phosawat Saengsawang
~1 hour

This video is available from dcothai
Overall this is a good video. The menus are clear and the English track is presented in a clear, understandable voice. The presentation is top notch.

The hour or so of video is jam packed with information. There is little repetition and none of the slo-mo repeats and things that drive me nuts on so many videos. Be ready with the pause and rewind buttons as you'll want to see most of it again.

There isn't anything too far out in the first parts of the video. The mai mai and luk mai coverage is quite good and easy to understand. There are some techniques in the middle section that you may not think of as parts of Muay Thai, for example the 'spring whip kick' which looks like an inside crescent kick and the 'smash kick' which is similar to an axe kick.

Overall this is a good video and well worth the $20. Even better if you get it as a gift like I did. Happy Holidays.

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that I told you to go buy George St. Pierre's DVDs back on June 11 so that you could say you had them before he was the welterweight champ. Now it is too late to say that but go buy them anyway. Also visit GSP's webpage. www.gspmma.tv you owe it to yourself .

Congratulations to Georges, and thanks to both fighters for some interesting bouts over the past few years.

Peter Aerts - Volume 3 - Combinations - approximately 35 mins

See the other posts for comments on layout and production. still the same here, overall good.
This is a good video consisting of 15 combinations. The majority of these are purely offensive but a handful start with a defensive move. As expected there are some very interesting and useful combos here. Simple perhaps but certainly effective.

There is less of the fight scenes spliced into this video. I like to watch fight action as much as anyone but this doesn't really bother me too much as most of these fights are available for viewing from different online sources. Google is your friend.

Without the slow motion replays the tape would have time for another 10 combinations, that is the only complaint i have. I'd like to see more. All the instructinoals from this time period have these slo-mo replays so I guess I can't complain too much.

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 4

Volume 5

Muscle & Fitness Complete Taining System
5 DVD set $59.99 US available from Muscle & Fitness webstore

My friend ordered this from the magazine. I feel guilty as I buy these trash books occasinoally when I have to fly or waste time in some other way. I think he may have gotten the ad in a mag I passed onto him when I was done. For that I am sorry.

I can't say anythingbad about the production quality, with the mega millions of this publishing company behind it these can be nothing but hollywood quality. Unfortunately the same can not be said for the exercises and workouts.

Like the magazines these DVDs are all about body building, isolating a muscle for the pump, whatever. $60 for 5 DVDs and a log book isn't a bad price but you will find better workout information from places like Testosterone, and for free. If you need to spend money than buy Georges St. Pierre's set, even though it duplicates the workout, you'll get more out of it.

Peter Aerts Volume 2 Power Kicking ~35mins of techniques

See Volume 1 post for the layout and technical presentation thoughts, this video is the same in those attributes.

This is a very thorugh presentation of the basics of kicking. As an example the first 15 minutes or so of this video is the basic round kick at 3 levels and two sides all shown separately. Sounds boring but each time Peter has a hint or two to share.

After this comes front and back kicks briefly. Then right into defense and attack combos. Block the low kick and kick back, scoop the front kick and kick the leg are examples. This material fills out the rest of the video and it is good stuff. In all 18 techniques are shown.

Like the volume 1 this video is interspliced with fight clips, this time it seems to be better lined up with the techniques being taught, you can see Peter practice the head kick and then watch a clip of some poor soul getting knocked out with it.

I liked this one better than volume 1, perhaps becasue I like kicking in general I suppose. It is worth a watch for sure though as Peter shares some good tips for setting up kicks.

Volume 1
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5

Peter Aerts - Volume 1 - Power Punching - 35 mins approximately.

Filmed in the Chakuriki gym run by Thom Harnik.

Lay out is the tried and true - Technique One: Peter explains slowly, then lets loose, then the technique is shown a few times in slo-mo with some bad music playing in the background. Lather Rinse Repeat. Pretty much par for the instructional course. As a nice addition some fight clips are mixed in between techniques. These aren't tuned to be the technique just shown or coming next but if you watch the whole tape you will see the combinations taught in action in this clips.

Peter's English is good, it isn't his first language and it comes out stilted but the explanations are clear. In all he covers 16 combinations, touches on slipping and weaving and loves the liver punch.

Unfortunately we don't often see past the bottom of the shorts, Peter says many times that turning the body is important but we never get to see how his feet move to accomplish this. Near the end of the video as Peter explains slipping and moving outside punches we do get glimpses of the footwork but he doens't really spend anytime telling us anything about it.

Overall this is a good video for ideas on combinations to practice. Certainly worth the time to watch.

Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5

Thai Boxing: The Devastating Fighting Art of Thailand
Author: Samyon Tanjawon
Published 1975

I bought this book so you won't have to. Seriously, do not buy this book. This is 80 some pages of the worst pictures ever depicting Muay Thai. It was so bad I couldn't be bothered to scan an image to show you. Edit: Found one on the web, know the face of your nemesis!

I have some other books from this time period and they look nothing like this. It can't be that the art has changed this much, as those other books look like Muay Thai. This doesn't look like any martial art. The kicking pictures in particular are horrid. Arms flailing every which way and hitting with the sole of the foot sort of like a crescent kick motion. Really I have no idea how anyone could learn from this book.

Having said that there are some interesting shots of the Mae Mai and Luk Mai in the middle section of the book. They aren't identified as such but they are in there. The Distinguished Art of Fighting is a better book for this though. Please do yourself a favour and buy it instead.

KenFlo vs Octagon Post and Sherk. Watch the video here

Decent fight overall for Sherk, his takedowns are explosive. Kenflo was cool though, hung in till the end which many, including me didn't expect.

So hot on the heels of his win in Heros I get a news release stating Carlos will be fighting Renzo Gracie in the IFL this coming Dec 29th. Go Carlos! Go Dragons! More here

Sport Navi has some great shots of Carlos Newton winning his Heros match. Go there and see them. Go now. You are only ever three devastating uppercuts away from losing consciousness.

Hey,

I found my old Pride post. May as well post it now as I get ready for the card this weekend.

Random Pride thoughts:

Thanks to ExpressVu all day replay I get to watch Pride WWGP Survival at a decent hour.
There must be some time shifting that can be done for us folks way out east. Anyhow with some news floating around about PRide's loss of the TV contract in Japan Survival might be an apt name for this card. The TV company also produce the PPV shows that you and I get to see, hopefully something good comes around, another channel maybe will pick them up.

Random thought 1: Does Ou Won Jin have some kind of unchokable neck?! I would have
been tapping like Gregory Hines in those. From Grappling to slugfest to GnP this fight had it all, good match.

Random Thought 2: Suleov tries to capture the power of Chuck Norris' Beard. 15 mins of playing two for flinching until finally a big punch lands. Little more tag is played. That one punch wins the fight. My grass grew six inches this week, it was more exciting.

Random Thought 3: Nice scramble out the back by Bech... whatever Gregory at the 3 min
or so mark and a nice slam by Filho just after. Mostly decent pace of GnP, if you saw the fight you can't argue with the decision. OK match

Random Thought 4: Beautiful Scramble by Joey at just about the last minute, great finish too. Good Match.

Random Thought 5: I'd like to have Yoshida in my corner...neither that or the gi helped this guy. OK match

Random Thought 6: Throws, sub attempts, and good old face punching. Good Match

Random Thought 7: Let's hope this loss will be Bennett's last...appearance in the ring. OK Match

Random Thought 8: Wasn't this Alfonso guy in a bad video game? Fitting that Sakurai got a perfect finish than huh? Good match just because of the right hand.

Random Thought 9: It's illegal to kill Zebras for use in Speedos isn't it? Oh well it worked for him. Pretty equal brawl, Good Match.

Random Thought 10: Don't Blink. Kang bandwagon, all aboard! Good match

Random Thought 11: Any match with a flying knee is a good match. I don't know why but I like the NYBA, sorry to see him drop this one.

Closing thought: Good card, If there is another Bushido I will watch. Here's hoping the stories are hype or another channel will pick up PrideFC.

Georges St. Pierre
Xtreme Rush Fighting
Instructional Video

Nothing bad can be said about Georges! It is illegal in Canada to insult him in any manner.

These videos are good. Clear sound and picture make this a very easy learning experience. Georges speaks English. You have heard him in post fight interviews and you know what to expect. It is amusing sometimes but in no way affects his ability to describe what is going on. David L'Oiseau helps Georges out in the video and does a solid job as expected.

Striking combos, including the infamous spinning back-kick are covered in the first section. Second section has some great takedowns, including hints for using the fence or wall to your advantage. Very interesting. The final section is a circuit training tour of Georges' weight workout. Chest, shoulders, legs and core are each done in separate circuits. The Georges gives a great description of his sprint program.

Volume 2 is all about the ground game. First some techniques, nothing really fancy in way of technique. Similar stuff to Eric Paulson's material but with the St. Pierre flair. Then Georges and David give us some tips on the ground game of MMA. This is a good section. It is too short at only 20 mins or so.

The only issue I have with this set is the repeating of this conditioning section on both videos. A waste of space that is labelled as a bonus on the sites selling these videos. No it is a waste, volume 2 should be half the price. Note to Mounties, this is not an insult to Georges, do not storm my house and lock me up in the Hudson Bay Detention Center ;)

Georges is great, these videos are well done and hold some good tips. Buy them now and you can say you had them before he becomes UFC champ.

Well I saw the last episode of the IFL pilot. Good stuff. The only part I didn't like was the full screen of Pat coaching, while the fight was happening. They showed the fight on the big screen in the background but the shot was bad. Stick with the fullscreen fights with the coach inserts, Other than that good job by the IFL.tv crew.

Bring on the new teams!!!!

Blogspot was screwed up for a while, they lost my Pride post! and my last IFL post.

Just got to see the second episode of the IFL pilot. More good stuff. All the previous comments stand for this set of fights too. I could do without the picking up in the 3rd round for fights but I understand they have limited time. The show pits Mo Smith's Tiger Sharks against Renzo Gracie's Pitbulls.

I have heard some rumblings of people with FSN getting mixed up schedules and how this programme is jumping around timewise. That is too bad, it could kill the show's chances, it deserves better! Get it on TV in Canada too while you're at it IFL.

Hey! Delson Heleno for all you folks asking for Capoeira in MMA. Leadfoot is here. Lets just say the kicks do finish it, how is up to you to see.

Rogan and Eddie Bravo in the crowd giving positive interviews about the league is nice after the big stink Dana allegedly put up and the lawsuits etc.

I'll be tuning in for the final when I can. I advise you to do the same. It has aired on FSN already but I am sure you can catch reruns. Do it, it is worth every minute.

Carlos Newton!!!!

More IFL news. Newton is going to lead the Dragons team from Canada in the IFL. Go Carlos, go Canada, go Dragons.

Also announced was Matt Lindland as a coach, awesome work IFL. He has pretty much the best name in the league, even if it is prowrestling throwback. The Wolfpack. Also we get Mark Coleman with a UK based team?! and Antonio Inoki coaching team Japan. Holy Shit I am stoked. No names for their teams yet. I can't wait to see these logos.

Which brings me to a criticism of the IFL. Get this news on your webpage. Don't make me read and link to it on Sherdog. Hell everyone loves Sherdog but you have to get this stuff on your page, with logos and bios. This is simple web work folks, all the content should have been ready and approved and the minute that press conference was happening it should have been turned up on ifl.tv
Instead I have to send people here to see the video http://www.sherdog.com/videos/videos.asp?v_id=721

Another criticism. Do not ever let that stumbling, stuttering fool announce important news again! Hire a publicist, never let people know you didn't have the final name of a team ironed out until seconds before the announcement. It isn't funny, it is embarrassing. I don't care if he is rich and running the show, he came off as an idiot.