So last week I was off training because we had some friends from Oz staying with us, it was great to have them, but after a week of shadow boxing them at various tourist attractions around London I was itching to get back to training!
Last nights class taken by Dean was great, we covered bears, hugs and the hugging there of 
Bear hugs ladies and gentlemen, bear hugs.
1. Bear Hug from the front (arms free) If your arms are free whilst someone has got you in a bear hug, simply grab their head with your thumbs in their eyes! OWEEE! Push their head backwards, then a hammer fist to the throat should make them think twice about squeezing you for a moment longer. Accompany this with a swift knee to the groin, escape and scan.
2. Bear Hug from the front (arms held) If you arms are caught in a bear hug and your opponent is in front of you, pull your waist away from them to make space for you to strike the groin with your hands, then grab the shoulder blades and knee/kick to the groin. Release an arm by sliding it up the side of your body as if pulling a pistol out of your pocket. Then attack your opponent with strikes from your free hand, or use your free hand to get your opponent into a guillotine choke, then escape and scan. note: standing on your tip toes and adding a twist to the guillotine makes it more effective unless they stand on their tip toes as well in which case abandon the choke after administering some elbows and strikes to the back of your opponents head.
3. Bear Hug from behind (arms free) Lean forward, your body weight will help to prevent your opponent from picking you up and throwing you around the room like a rag doll. Stamp on the top of their foot with your heel. Twist to face them and throw your elbows backwards to strike their head, alternating left and right elbows. Then, once the grip has been loosened, turn to apply a guillotine choke. If there is more than one opponent (you don’t want to be messing around trying to choke someone) jab, cross, position them between you and any other potential attackers then escape and scan.
4a. Bear hug from behind (arms held higher up the body) If your opponent is behind you holding you high up your arms, first grab their hands and hold them to your chest, Stamp down on the top of their foot hard with your heel. Take a large step circling around and behind them (still holding your opponents hands) at teh same time, turn your head into their body, under and out of their armpit so that you end up standing beside and slightly behind them holding both their arms. Now kick your opponent then escape and scan.
4b. Bear hug from behind (arms held lower down the body)From this position it is harder to grab hold of your opponents hands so you have instead to stamp again on the foot, strike behind you to the groin using your body to twist into them. Once the grip has weakened free an arm again by sliding it up your body. Send your arm forward once it is free, then immediately elbow backwards into the face of your attacker. Turn to face them attack, attack, attack , then escape and scan.
5. Bear Hug from behind (arms free alternative less aggressive, finger lock)Now in a situation where you dont want to hurt your attacker to much or lets say its a friend of yours mucking around but your dont want to be hel in a bear hug anyway simply place your hands on their forearms, slid your hands down to the hands and choose a finger to grab in the palm of lets say, your right hand. Twist the finger back towards the hand, hold their hand with your other hand at the same time turn your left foot out and turn your whole body to face them, keep your arms straight, applying constant pressure to the finger. Don’t go down with your opponent, you are in a stronger position here. When you are ready or if your opponent has had enough let go. Be very careful practsing this because it is very easy to break a finger like this! YOWCHIES! Well, it feels like it anyway.
We then hit the pads for some boxing
Pad work included:
Jab, Cross
Jab, Cross, Hook
Jab, Cross, Hook to Roundhouse Kick followed by a power drill!
Yep, that was a good nights sleep
