Happy ThanksGIFing/Thanksgiving! (2017 edition)

Welcome to my Happy "ThanksGIFing" 2017 post! Previous posts can be found here:

• Happy ThanksGIFing! (and Happy Thanksgiving 2013!)
• Happy ThanksGIFing/Thanksgiving! (2014 edition)
• Happy ThanksGIFing/Thanksgiving! (2015-2016 edition)

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers who celebrate! I give thanks to many many things, however, suffice it to say, I give thanks to you readers for your continued support in spreading word about my blog and sharing posts!  


I thank you for joining me in my Sojourn of Septillion Steps... THANK YOU!!


OK, here we go... here are the most popular GIF Sets of 2017 (well the day after Thanksgiving 2016 through Thanksgiving 2017) ... ENJOY!!

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2017 Most Popular GIF Sets in Ascending Order

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Kicking off the Top 10 most popular 2017 GIF set countdown ...

• Ted Wong (Nov 5, 1937 - Nov 24, 2010) would've been 80 years old today

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9th most popular set ...

• The Ultimate Fighter Finale Season 16 - Vinc Pichel vs Rustam Khabilov (3 Suplexes!)

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Coming in at #8 counting down to the most popular GIF set, this set is MONEY :) 

• Hard Times (1975) - Amazing One Punch KO (GIFs and Video) 

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7th most popular GIF set I've made in 2017 ...

• Exposing "Exposure" (aka "High Art" (1991) - A look at the knifework - Part II

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Counting down, this is the sixth most popular GIF set ...

• Exposing "Exposure" (aka "High Art" (1991) - A look at the knifework - Part III

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#5 - halfway there ... these were cool for me to make in isolating for this specific takedown ...

• 8 GIFs of Kneepicks aka Knee taps

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#4 - a great movie for the knifework training scenes ...

• Exposing "Exposure" (aka "High Art" (1991) - A look at the knifework - Part I

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This blog's 3rd most popular 2017 GIF set ...

• The Accountant (2016) - farm fight GIFs and video

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The second most popular GIF set I've made for 2017 ...

• GIF/Video of Gilligan's Island S01E31:  "Diogenes, Won't You Please Go Home?" (May 1, 1965)

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And now we have counted down to the most popular GIF set for 2017 I've made ...

• 14 GIFs of Gracie Jiujitsu's United Airlines Arm Drag Defenses

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Some of my favorite GIF sets which didn't make the Top 10 ...

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• Saps in Movies:  Sin City:  A Dame to Kill For (2014)

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• Slungshots in Movies:  "Death Wish" (1974)

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"I Am Wrath (2016)" GIF Set 1

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• The Final Master GIF Set 3

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• The Final Master GIF Set 2

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Hope you all enjoyed this recap of the GIFs I've made for 2017. Happy ThanksGIFing! Looking to make more GIFs for 2018!

I remain very truly yours in GIF-making :),

Stickgrappler

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WORDCOUNT

(This section I will not add towards November's tally as well as the header picture and video I made above... I will only use hand-drawn pictures or animated GIFs I've created towards Nov's NaNoWriMo totals):

It looks like I made my goal of 50,000 words via text and pictures towards the National Novel Writing Month/NaNoWriMo. Although I had a secondary goal of blogging everyday which I was not able to accomplish, but with NaNoWriMo, the ultimate goal was to blog regularly.

This post: 438 (Not counting the GIFs included in this post as I've not created them in November)
November running tally: 68,160 words
Words in excess of NaNoWriMo's 50,000:  18,160

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8 GIFs of Kneepicks aka Knee taps

I had noticed the kneepick used periodically in UFC fights. Made some GIFs. I chatted sometime ago with my friend Ausgepicht about kneepicks as he is a MMA coach.

My deepest gratitude for Ausgepicht's commentary!

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A good old fashioned Kneepick.

A kneepick works in one of two ways based on violations in your opponent's posture - intentional or forced by your hand:

1. Drive his head past his knee - or ankle if it's an ankle pick - with a collar or underhook. In rare cases, if you are a strong person you can do it with an overhook. Ankle pick is the same technique, different control points.

2. You use one of the aforementioned ties and instead of driving his head past his knee, you drive his knee past his head BECAUSE he had no weight on it. 100% weight on one foot is a severe posture violation.

Knee picks, as opposed to its sister the ankle pick does not require much of a level change if at all. Unlike most versions of its cousins, the single and double. So it's a rare leg attack that doesn't require much of a level change. It's efficient, faster and effective. Very good for MMA.

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UFC 79 - GSP's Kneepick with Underhook against Matt Hughes in their third fight
(realtime and slomo)

Another GSP Kneepick with Underhook (realtime GIF mislabelled as UFC74 when in fact, it's UFC79 and slomo GIF)  

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WEC 53 - Dominick Cruz with and underhook and kneepick on Scott Jorgensen(realtime and slomo)

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UFC on FX 5 - Jake Ellenberger gets a kneepick on Jay Hieron(realtime and slomo)

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For selected posts by my good friend Joe Siliva aka "Ausgepicht" that you may have missed, please check out:

• Joe Silvia - "Every throw has specific fundamentals."
• My friend Joe Silvia aka Ausgepicht on Technique vs Fundamentals
• Thoughts on "Techniques" vs "Fundamentals" and "Reading" by Joe Silvia
• TRAINING: Shadowboxing Tips - part 1 by Joe Silvia aka Ausgepicht
• MMA: 2 Concepts for Throwing/Sweeping - "Locking Arm" and "PowerTransfer" by Joe Silvia
• MMA: Joe Silvia's technical comments on GSP's Double-leg Takedown of Carlos Condit in UFC 154
• Randy Couture's Takedowns Animated GIF's Set 1
• MMA: Ronda Rousey armbars Uriah Hall (Ego and Chain Wrestling)
• MMA/WRESTLING: Single Leg Takedowns Finishes - part 1
• MMA/WRESTLING: Single Leg Takedowns Finishes - part 2 (A Proper Running the Pipe Finish)
• MMA/WRESTLING: Single Leg Takedowns Finishes - part 3
• MMA/WRESTLING: Single Leg Takedowns Finishes - part 4 (The Crunk)
• MMA: The Clinch - Fundamentals and Drills by Joe Silvia
• MMA: Guide to the MMA Shoot by Joe Silvia
• MMA: Utilizing Triangle Points when Striking by Joe Silvia
• MMA: The Jab's Role in MMA by Joe Silvia
• MMA: Some Stand-Up Fundamentals by Joe Silvia
• MMA: Cracking the Turtle by Joe Silvia
• MMA: Front Naked Choke Tips by Joe Silvia
• BOXING: Joe Silvia - Keep your hands up!
• BOXING: Why punches in bunches and not singles?
• BOXING: Slipping punches? Part 1 by Joe Silvia

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GIFs of Georges St. Pierre Vs Matt Hughes III (UFC 79)

Today is a special day :) ... I posted separately...

• Happy 33rd Birthday Georges St. Pierre!!

Making some GIFs of him in action as tribute. GSP won the Interim Welterweight Championship and the Submission of the Night on Dec 29, 2007 versus Matt Hughes at UFC 79.


Enjoy this set of 10 GIFs!

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Round1

Superman punch to close the gap to clinch and jockeying for position and gets the Kneepick (aka Knee Tap)

This 2nd GIF is extracted from the above GIF to isolate for just the clinch and kneepick. Notice GSP's attention is on Matt Hughes legs and impeccable timing on the kneepick.

This GIF is a shorter version of the above GIF highlighting the clinch to kneepick.

GSP thinks,  "How am I going to break Matt Hughes' body-lock? I know what might work!" (it didn't)

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Round 2

Another GSP Kneepick with Underhook

SWEEEEEET!!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you UFC 79's Submission of the Night!

Celebratory breakdance (FAIL! LOL) to a Kip Up

SloMo Highlights

SloMo during the Post-Fight In-Ring Interview

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In case you missed my previous GSP GIFs, please check out:

• UFC 154 - Georges St. Pierre X Carlos Condit Highlights (Animated GIF's)
• MMA: The Secret to GSP's Takedowns is not Wrestling but ...

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For further info on GSP, please check:

• Official Site
• Official Twitter
• Official Facebook
• UFC Profile
• Underground Fight Record
• Wiki

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Happy 33rd Birthday Georges St. Pierre!!

Source pic:  UFC.com

Today marks the 33rd birthday of one of MMA's greatest fighters, Georges St. Pierre!


Am posting some videos as tribute. Enjoy!



Happy 33rd Birthday Georges St. Pierre!!

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Georges St-Pierre Highlight - A Legend Retires - GSP Dedication

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UFC 167: Georges St-Pierre Post-Fight Interview

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UFC 167: St-Pierre vs Hendricks Post-Fight Press Conference (LIVE! / complete + unedited)

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Training Regimen

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In case you missed my previous GSP posts:

• UFC 154 - Georges St. Pierre X Carlos Condit Highlights (Animated GIF's)
• MMA: The Secret to GSP's Takedowns is not Wrestling but ...
• Georges St. Pierre on the difference between Dinosaurs and Cockroaches
• GIFs of Georges St. Pierre Vs Matt Hughes III (UFC 79)

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For further info, please check:

• Official Site
• Official Twitter
• Official Facebook
• UFC Profile
• Underground Fight Record
• Wiki

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Georges St. Pierre on the difference between Dinosaurs and Cockroaches

Photo credit:  TheColoringSpot.com

An excerpt from Georges St. Pierre's autobiography, "The Way of the Fight", on the difference between dinosaurs and cockroaches. Believe it or not, GSP relates the dinosaur/cockroach to MMA!

It was disturbing for me to read about the cockroach. If you are clueless as to what I'm talking about, perhaps you should not read the following passages... especially if you can't sleep at night after learning disturbing facts/trivia!

Many people wonder why I’m so interested in dinosaurs and their history. The reason is actually really simple: dinosaurs were the biggest, most physically powerful creatures that ever walked the face of the earth, yet now they’re gone. They ruled the planet for more than 150 million years, but then they became extinct, they just disappeared, and it fascinates me. Ever since my mom bought me that encyclopedia about dinosaurs, I’ve been obsessed. How could these unbelievably powerful, fearsome creatures completely disappear?

But I’m also fascinated by cockroaches. Unlike the dinosaur, the cockroach is built for and exists for one single purpose: survival. It’s the total opposite of a dinosaur. Cockroaches are survival machines. Scientists believe they can survive very high levels of radiation from a nuclear blast, and that’s just the beginning of the story.

The cockroach is one giant nerve, fine-tuned to everything around it: the environment and all immediate sources of potential danger. It’s adaptable to almost any situation it encounters, and that’s what makes the cockroach so interesting. It’s a mobile radar system designed to identify and avoid threats.

The cockroach doesn’t waste a single thing; every part plays a role. It can run up to three miles per hour. It has faster reflexes than humans beings. It can live by eating paper or glue. It has two brains, including one in its behind. It has a set of teeth in its stomach to help it digest food. It can squeeze itself as thin as a dime. It can go about forty minutes under water on a single breath. It has been practicing survival for over 280 million years. A female can stay pregnant her whole life. Its heart doesn’t need to move or beat. It rests for 75 percent of its existence. It lives in cracks and nooks—so, anywhere. It survives at minus-32 degrees Celsius, no problem. It has one giant nerve from head to tail, and the hairs on its back legs measure disturbances in the air. And finally, it can live for a full week without its head, until it dies—just because it can’t drink water anymore. For humans, the cockroach is rather scary and intimidating, very suspicious and totally repulsive. It doesn’t even have a pretty name: the cockroach. But it persists.

Dinosaurs were huge and powerful; they could not adapt and they died out. And so the big difference between dinosaurs and cockroaches is adaptability: one is able to adjust, while the other, apparently, couldn’t. Dinosaurs didn’t make adjustments, either because they didn’t feel they needed to, or couldn’t understand that they needed to. They were slowly but surely dying out as food became scarce and their environment changed around them—be it temperature or the arrival of mammals.

The same analogy applies to fighting, and probably any other sport. It’s not always the strong that survive. It takes brains, guts, tolerance and forward thinking. We’ve seen this since the beginning of mixed martial arts.

A review is forthcoming of GSP's autobiography.

Were you creeped out by the cockroach facts as much as I was?

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In case you missed my previous GSP-related entries:

• UFC 154 - Georges St. Pierre X Carlos Condit Highlights (Animated GIF's)
• MMA: Joe Silvia's technical comments on GSP's Double-leg Takedown of Carlos Condit in UFC 154
• MMA: The Secret to GSP's Takedowns is not Wrestling but ...

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MMA: The Secret to GSP's Takedowns is not Wrestling but ...

 

 ... Karate! Check out this quote from Georges St. Pierre when he was on the Joe Rogan Experience.

Here's the quote:

"That's what I use for my takedown, the shoot, that people see, it's zero wrestling. It has nothing to do with my wrestling. My wrestling is once I get that leg, I'll finish the takedown. But how I get in and out is because of karate. People are like, ‘no way, Karate, no.' And I'm like, 'yes.' Karate allows me to cut the distance and take the people down. I have a very good single, a very good double and very good penetration. It's because of my leg, the way I do it, and the timing is because of my karate. I wrestle, too, but my karate is primary. Before I started wrestling, I was a karate guy pure."

 Check out the full interview:

In case you missed these related GSP posts, please check out:

• UFC 154 - Georges St. Pierre X Carlos Condit Highlights (Animated GIF's)
• MMA: Joe Silvia's technical comments on GSP's Double-leg Takedown of Carlos Condit in UFC 154

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MMA: Joe Silvia's technical comments on GSP's Double-leg Takedown of Carlos Condit in UFC 154

My friend Joe Silvia aka Ausgepicht made some technical comments on GSP's double-leg takedown of Carlos Condit in UFC 154.

Excerpted from http://www.spladdle.com/forum:

You'll notice GSP punches the hip LIKE EVERY SHOOT should do and Condit is forced to drape over his shoulder. WITHOUT EXCEPTION EVERY DOUBLE LEG SHOULD BEND YOUR OPPONENT AT THE HIP. He is following three fundamentals of the double leg pick up.

• DEEP PENETRATION STEP
• PUNCH OPPONENT'S HIP WITH YOUR SHOULDER
• FINISH DOUBLES STANDING

You can't lift a person who is standing upright because you are then lifting 100% of his weight. By making a person bend at the hip, you have achieved four goals:

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UFC 154 - Georges St. Pierre X Carlos Condit Highlights (Animated GIF's)

Georges St. Pierre, the Welterweight Champion, had a 19 months layoff due to a torn ACL. This past Saturday he fought Carlos Condit, the Interim Welterweight Champion. GSP was in fine form and that right knee was 100%. 

I made some animated GIF's of the highlights of the fight. Count 'em! Not one, not two, not three even... eight I tell ya! Eight animated GIF's for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy!  

Round 1 

GSP's elbow opens a cut near Condit's right eye.

Call me silly I liked this oblique kick/high kick to the head combo - bad feint/setup by Condit though ... his combo was on autopilot and he didn't make adjustments in READING the situation ... GSP wasn't fooled.

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