The Art of Hand-to-Hand Combat: Insights from George and Lex

In a unique and candid conversation, martial arts experts George and Lex delved into the intricacies of hand-to-hand combat. The discussion began with an exploration of the first thing that needs to be understood in any physical confrontation – the initial grab. "So that's the first thing," said George. "Another thing, if your hands are here, I wanna take away your hand on me." This fundamental principle highlights the importance of controlling one's opponent from the very beginning.

As the conversation progressed, the duo discussed the various positions and their corresponding advantages. They touched upon the mount position, which offers a high degree of control but is not the most dominant. "Mount is the second best," explained George, "because I'm having alot of control, mount, and also with my knees under your armpit." In contrast, the guard position presents a unique set of challenges, with the opponent using leverage to their advantage. According to Lex, "the worst would be in your guard. So it's not as bad as if you would be in a jiu-jitsu competition because I have the gravity on my side."

The conversation also delved into the importance of respecting three key rules when engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Firstly, never allow your opponent to place their hands on the floor, as this can create an opportunity for them to submit or attack from a vulnerable position. Secondly, ensure that your head is always above your opponent's head, as this prevents them from using a guillotine choke. Lastly, avoid allowing your opponent to take control of your ankle, as this can limit their ability to move and counterattack.

As the discussion progressed, George and Lex touched upon the concept of skill level versus physical attributes in hand-to-hand combat. "Skill beats heart," emphasized Lex, highlighting the importance of technical proficiency in determining the outcome of a confrontation. The duo also discussed the potential advantages that Elon may possess, given his extensive training experience in jiu-jitsu.

The conversation took a poignant turn as George and Lex reflected on the broader implications of martial arts and its impact on society. "I think there's two people who have put themselves in a position where they can create greater benefits for humanity than almost anyone else on the planet," observed George. "And so there's a sense in which I wish they would focus more on that than fighting each other." This sentiment is echoed by Lex, who noted that martial arts has had a profound impact on 21st century society.

The conversation concluded with a final round of sparring, where George and Lex engaged in an intense display of physical prowess. As the fight progressed, it became clear that both individuals were formidable opponents, each possessing unique skills and abilities. Ultimately, the winner was determined by submission, highlighting the importance of technical skill and strategy in hand-to-hand combat.

In conclusion, the conversation between George and Lex provides a comprehensive insight into the world of hand-to-hand combat. By exploring the intricacies of various positions, rules, and techniques, readers can gain a deeper understanding of this complex and multifaceted art form. As George and Lex demonstrated, martial arts is not merely about physical strength or aggression; it is also about strategy, discipline, and respect for one's opponent.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- I'm here training with George St-Pierre,probably the greatest fighter of all time,and also one of thenicest guys of all time.- Not the nicest guy, not today.(George laughing)Not today, Lex.You came on the wrong day, my friend.- He's breathing hard.(George yelling)- Any advice?(George laughing)- Try not to die.(George laughing)- If he dies, he dies.If he dies, he dies.(both panting)- Ooh, ooh, ooh.- Got any advice?- Well, it's actually pretty good.Standing position, I think,sometime, you reach a little bit too much.So if you reach out to me,it's easy for me to take a good position.Or reach out to me,I can probably like climb back on you.So what I would suggest is don't reach,and get closer with your feetbefore you seek contact with me.So don't go here.Go closer.Yes.(Lex clears throat)(George chuckling)(George chuckling)(George laughing)- So how is it differentif you're doing MMA?- Well, there's a lot of differencebecause in grappling,you set up,for example, you takedown from him fighting.In MMA, there's different styles.I like to be using proactiveand reactive take down.Very often, I use one of mylongest weapon as a decoyto get in your leg.I use my jab to create a distraction,then I can get in.Other guys, for example, like Khabib,are more like chain wrestler.They shoot sometimesbut they're very good at using,for example, the fence aslike pushing you to the fence.And then from there,they're using their wrestling from there.So I'm more of a dynamic.Yeah, I like to explode.So that's one of my strength.Which Khabib is very good,for example, very good technically,and he's very strong inisometric strength I heard.So he's very good withthis style of wrestling.- Do you think you can take Khabib down?- I think I could, yeah.- Yeah?- I think he could takeme down as well but-- So how do I defend against this?- So there's many ways.First, you need to be awareof the distance control.That's one of the thing I was the best at.To master the distance control,you need to master the footworkto be always in balanceand ready to explode.A lot of guy they don't knowhow to manage distance control.Also because they don'thave good footwork.They cross their leg,they go all over the place.So when you move,it's important if I go left,I push up with my right.If I go right,I push up with my left.I go back, I push with my lead.I go forward, I push with my back.This is the basic.Thereafter, you canuse different illusion.So if I'm here,I look and I'm more of atrap to you than if I'm here.But I'm at the same distance.So one of my favoritewhich I setup to take down,a single or double,I use my jab which isone of my longest weapon.Of course, my legs are longerbut I like the jab tocreate the distraction.So if I'm here,you see me coming.So I use a distraction.I'm here and like a cobra,like a snake will launchitself on its prey.I'm using my body to boom.So you have a falsespelling of security nowbecause you think I can't touch you,but because of my leg, boom.- Oh, you're shifting the weight.- Yes.- And now you can explode off that.- And my jabs start outsideof your field of vision.So I'm not doing this.I'm doing purposely,I'm putting it down and I'm here.And I'm attracting your attention herebecause I'm moving my hand.Boom, once I attack you once or twice,now I have a perfect setupbecause in fighting,you have a short-term memory.You always rememberwhat hurts you the last.And if it's my jab,then I plant a seed in your mind,then I can go hop and get in easier.- So you finish hop to drop.- There is many ways.The best highest percentage moveis the elbow deep double leg.So when I get in,I try to look across when I step across.So I get in, I go elbow deep.The reason why I don'tonly go with my legsis because if you'restronger and bigger than meand you sprawl from there,I can have a hard time.But if I go elbow deep,because of the leverage,you can't sprawl.Once I'm in,I look across and I driveacross to put you down.Sometime you'll fight a guy,like for example, Bisping was very strongand I couldn't drive across.So when that happened,if you can't drive across,you turn the corner.Because they open up on the other side.Would you like to try?- Sure.- Yeah.- So come here.- Yes.Go with your elbow deep here,and now you're gonna drive across.Yes, step across with your, yes.If you do it again,jab, set it up, jab.Now go ahead, go for it.Up, yes, yes, exactly.And if I give youresistance once you get in,I'm strong and I'm sprawling my leg,then you turn the corner.So jab, set it up a few times.Yeah.I'm sprawling.Yes! Very nice.You feel the difference?- Yeah.- So if he's too strong,you go on the other side.Don't force or don't wasteyour energy for nothing.You try to be as economic as you can,as possibly you could be.- What about on the ground?What's the difference injiu-jitsu for you and not MMA?- Well, there's a lot of difference.I believe in jiu-jitsu,especially in the guard,you can't stay in mid-range.- Yeah.- I don't want to cover like thislike if I'm in the standing position.I want to cover like this.My head is off the ground,my muscle of my abdominal are contracted.So it's possible for you to damage herebut because I'm contracted,it's less likely.So I want to focus allthe protection on my head.- You're okay with these?- Yeah, it's okay, it's okay.But I wanna be here.So there's a gap where I can see you here.- Yeah.- If I'm here, it's not as efficient.because you can go on the side,and it's easy for you to grab my wrist,put it down and hit.Yeah, if I'm here,it's harder for you to control my arm.If you want to grab it,it's hard for you to grab.So that's the first thing.Another thing, if your hands are here,I wanna take away your hand on me.I want to pull you to me.I wanna control your head and your arm.And from there, there's many option.I like to take that (indistinct)because it control your elevationand you can't hit me.It's either I'm very close to youor I'm very far.- Can you try to get up?- I'm very far.Yeah, if I can't get up,no problem, I'm usingmy leg to push you awayor I can use the tip of myfeet to create distance.So you need to be aware that Ican kick you in the head too.So it's either very close or very far.- What about on top?- On top, yeah,so if I'm on top,the best position for me to be,ultimately, is not even mount,is to have your back,let you to the floor from this position,'cause now you cannot hit me,I can hit you,and I can either knockyou out or submit you.This is the worst.Mount is the second bestbecause I'm having alot of control, mount,and also with my knees under your armpit.The worst would be in your guard.So it's not as badas if you would be ina jiu-jitsu competitionbecause I have the gravity on my side.But if I'm here,I need to respect three rules.I never want you to putmy hands on the floor,you go in submission,all kinds of things.You can very easily wrapmy arm and wrap my head,close the distance,and now it's a pain for me.So no hand on the floor.I don't want you to haveyour head higher than my headbecause if your headis higher than my head,you have a guillotine.It's very hard for me tocontrol and do anything to youif my head is lower than your head.And another thing,the third thingis I don't want to letyou take an ankle off me.So if you take an ankle,you do a (indistinct),you see, you need to take an ankle.Yeah, so if I take away that ankle,I kill your offense.So my hands always on you,never on the floor.- Are you hitting?Are you trying to hit a little bit?- Yeah, I can hit at the same time.If you try to raise your head up,I don't accept it,I keep my head up high.If you try to take an ankle,I put you back in line.So if I respect these three rules,as I'm respecting this rule,I can cause damage even if I'm in a guard.But my goal is alwayseventually to pass the guard,get to a more dominant position.- I love it.In a nutshell, that's what it's about.- Well thank you, George.- Nah, man.- You guys got a chanceto train with Elon,to watch him trainto take steps on his martial arts journey.What do you think?- I think he's very strong.Much stronger than the average man.And he's got a lot of heart.He's very tough.- So I've always foundthat by far and away,the most important thing,when two people get into a clash,skill level trumps everything elsein terms of what's gonnadetermine the outcome.- Skill beats heart.- Skill beats it.That's not to say otherthings aren't relevantbut skill is more relevant.From what I understand,his proposed opponenthas almost two years of trainingexperience in jiu-jitsu.That's a big advantageso it would be an uphill battle.I will say however,that he deeply impressedboth George and myselfwith his overall ability tograsp the subject very quickly.He's extremely intelligentand sees what is the crux of the problem,identifies what would need to be done.But I also believethat he's probably one ofthe busiest human beingson the planet.- That said, these guysdoing martial arts training,martial arts is pretty (indistinct).- I think so.I think ultimately,the deepest links with both of these guys,they had an amazing impacton 21st century society,and those two have a lot of work to do.And I think there's two peoplewho have put themselves in a positionwhere they can creategreater benefits for humanitythan almost anyone else on the planet.And so there's a sensein which I wish theywould focus more on thatthan fighting each other.(Lex laughing)- All right, so one more round,this is for everything to submission.- Yes, sir.- This is one of the greatestfighters of all time.(George chuckling)(George chuckling)(George yelling)(George chuckling)- Thank you, Lex.\n"