Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville IL, and Merrillville IN - Mixed Martial Arts Training

Mitsuyo Maeda: A Protege of the Ne Waza Revolution- MMA Training and Workouts

2011-01-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

One of the most important figures in the history of grappling jujitsu was Mistyyo Maeda. He was originally a highly regarded student of classical jujitsu, but like most people of that time, he eventually switched to kodokan judo. Around 1986, Maeda began judo and quickly rose to prominence in the kodokan as a result of his outstanding ability. It is interesting to note that the time that MAeda entered judo coincides with the time that followed Mataemon Tanabe's individual challenges to members of the kodokan. Judo players were already studying ne waza as a way of countering Tanabe's well-known ground skills. Maeda was in fact present to witness the kodokan team lost to Fusen ryu, which preceded the movement toward ne waza training. Maeda was highly ranked in the kodokan and was doubtless a part of the drive toward ne waza expertise.

At the time, however, Jigoro Kano was interested in exporting judo from Japan. He sent delegates all over the world to expand judo overseas with several highly ranked judo men being sent to America and other parts of the world. Maeda was sent to the East Coast of the United States to display and promote judo in 1904, but there he had mixed success. He did fight some challenge matches and win; however, he considered America unsuitable for living as a result of the strong anti-Asian sentiments that he encountered.

Thus, he began a remarkable journey around the world, not unlike that of Yukio Tani, fighting a huge number of challenge matches wherever he went and emerging the winner in all but two cases. In Europe, he took on the name and emerging the winner in all but two cases. In Europe, he took on the name "Count Comde," which is a humorous play on words. It plays on both the Spanish term for combat and Japanese term for trouble, and it conveys the idea that he was the "prince of combat who was constantly in trouble!"

Shortly before World War I, Maeda moved to Brazil. He became involved in the Japanese government's program of overseas colonization. This was the time of colonial powers. Japan, as an emerging power, wanted to be part of the colonial elite and join nations such as England, France and Germany. A national program of emigration to Brazil was begun, and a considerable number of Japanese made the voyage. Maeda was a major figure in this movement and an enthusiastic advocate of Brazil as a place for the Japanese to live.

In looking for land in which to house the colonists, Maeda came to befriend Gastao Gracie, a man of Scottish descent whose family had emigrated to Brazil and gained some prominence on local politics. Both men had an interest in professional fighting. Maeda had become something of a legend in Brazil, fighting all-comers in a large number of challenge matches and teaching his fighting skills to an ever growing number of students. Indeed, "Count Comde" had grown quite rich as a result of his exploits and became an owner of a considerable amount of land. In return, for the help given by Gastao Gracie, Maeda offered to teach his famous fighting skills to Carlos, the oldest of Gastao's sons. For somewhere between two to four years, Carlos learned from Maeda until, Maeda ever the traveler, moved on to a different part of Brazil.

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Technique Differences - MMA Training, Workouts and Muay Thai

2011-01-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

Other significant differences exist between traditional jujitsu and Brazilian jiu jitsu. Unlike, Brazilian jiu jitsu, traditional jujitsu has many techniques that could not be used in a sporting or live-training context. For example, many of the favored strikes in traditional jujitsu are aimed at the genitals, eyes and other weak points of the human body; in addition, there are numerous foul tactics, such as biting, hair pulling, stomping and the like. Brazilian jiu jitsu completely lacks all such techniques. In fact, every technique of Brazilian jiu jitsu can be used in sanctioned sporting MMA matches.

In addition to the removal of technique that cannot be practiced at full power on a resisting opponent, there has been wide=-scale revision of technique of the part of Brazilian jiu jitsu stylist. This way due partly to the small size of many of the most influential members of the Gracie family. Lacking size and strength, they were forced to look for the most efficient, effective use of leverage and bio-mechanics to get techniques to work in their favor. The result has been some significant revisions to traditional techniques. Brazilian jiu jitsu has a clear emphasis on technique that makes of so-called gross-motor movements. These are movements that involve large muscles of the human body, and they are strongly contrasted with the fine motor movements, which involve delicate and precise manipulation of small-muscle groups. Swinging a baseball bat would be an everyday example of a gross-motor movement. Threading a needle is an example of fine motor movement.

Many of the core techniques of traditional jujitsu involve fine motor movement. For example. many of the standing wrist locks, finger locks. and eye pokes- which are so prevalent in traditional styles of jujitsu-require precise finger placement. However, fine motor movements are hard to accomplish under the kind of stress and strain found in real combat. Think of how difficult it would be to thread a needle when your heart is pounding and when you are in the midst of a massive adrenaline burst. In the heat of combat, gross-motor movements are far easier to perform. For this reason, many of the core techniques of traditional jujitsu are either totally absent in Brazilian jiu jitsu, or greatly downplayed.

When Brazilian jiu jitsu is compared with traditional jujitsu. It soon becomes clear the Brazilian jiu jitsu is much closer in form to other grappling arts than it is to traditional jujitsu. This is not surprising when one looks at the lineage of Brazilian jiu jitsu artists. Maeda, the Japanese fighter who taught Carlos Gracie, was for a time a student of a traditional jujitsu. however he became a student of Jigoro Kano's judo at age 18, and it was in judo that he really excelled, rapidly working his way up the ranks of th kodokan seniors. Such was his skill level that he was selected by Kano as a representative of judo to be sent to North America. This was an honor meted out only to the best kodokan teachers and fighters, and it clearly shows just how highly regarded Maeda was by his peers and teachers.

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Grappling Arts - MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Merrillville IN

2011-01-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Grappling styles of jujitsu are based on live training, control and dominance on the ground, in addition to the use of submission holds to end a fight. We have seen that they came into prominence in the late 19th century. They rose to a peak in the early 20th century with the rise of ne waza training in judo, the beginning of kosen judo, and the exploits of individuals such as Yukio Thani, Mitsyo Maeda, and the Gracie brothers. In addition, other grappling styles such as Western catch wrestling- a professional wrestling style based on a rich and complex set of grappling skills that include submission holds-reached a peak at this time. The modern Russian grappling art of sambo had its roots in this time period as well, when a group of grappling experts trained in Japan under Kano and returned to Russia. Combining their knowledge with the extensive tradition of wrestling in Russia, they created a formidable, grappling style of their own. Just when the grappling arts seemed destined to bloom, a series of events undercut the tremendous progress that had been made and thus greatly reduced the popularity and prestige of the various grappling styles.

In 1952, Jigoro Kano, disturbed by what he saw as an unhealthy trend toward ne waza in judo, instituted the first set of rule revisions that favored the use of standing-throwing technique over ground grappling. Players would be penalized if they repeatedly tried to drag their opponent straight down to the mat without attempting to throw. Over time, more and more such restrictions were put in place that made it increasingly difficult to use ground grappling to win a match.

In the post-World War II era, these restrictions got even worse. As judo became an Olympic sport with spectator demands, there was increasing pressure to severely limit "boring" ne waza and focus on the more crowd-pleasing throws. Judo became more and more a test of gripping and throwing skill with less and less focus on ground grappling and combat in general. In time, a widespread view developed that judo had little to do with fighting. The result was that judo, despite its prestige as an Olympic sport, fell into disfavor as a fighting art in the public view.

Sambo became the national grappling style of the Soviet Union. The political tensions between communism and the capitalist West, however, meant that sambo never got any real exposure in the Western nations until after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Even among martial artists, it was virtually unknown until the 1990s.

Professional catch wrestling, a fascinating and effective grappling style with many unique submission holds, was ultimately overtake by the development of fake professional wrestling with crowd-pleasing, "worked" matches. The great skills of th old time catch wrestlers were not needed once the outcome of the "fight" was predetermined. Professional wrestling slowly descended into the farcical comedy that it has become today. Nowadays only a tiny number of genuine catch wrestlers remain.

Amateur wrestling, on the other hand, received a tremendous boost with its early inclusion in the Olympic Games. However, all the really combative elements, such as submission holds, were removed. This created a public perception that amateur wrestling was merely a sport, one not to be taken seriously as a martial art or fighting style. It was not until the 1990s that this erroneous perception was overturned with the great success of many amateur wrestlers in MMA competition.

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Technique and Concepts- MMA Workouts, Training and Conditioning

2011-01-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

Think about the basic jab. The technique itself is simple and can be adopted quite will in a short time, even by a novice. However, the actual application of the technique is quite a different matter. At this point, you need to do much more than perform the technique itself; you must also engage all the attributes that allow you to apply the technique under combat conditions. For example. you must time the blow correctly and throw it with accuracy. Failure to do so results in a failure to hit the target. In addition, the blow must be thrown with adequate speed, or an opponent will easily evade it. Should you lack conditioning, fatigue soon sets in, destroying your ability to perform the technique correctly. You can clearly see, then, that the actual application of a technique involves much more than the physical movement associated with ti. Rather, proficient execution involves the technique itself combined with an array of attributes that make for successful application.

Herein lies the great weakness of martial arts that train only with kata, because the techniques they teach cannot be preformed safely in a sparring match or sporting competition, they can only be taught by repetitive drilling on a cooperative partner. Such kata training never develops the attributes that are required to accompany the technique if the fighter is to successfully apply it under combat conditions. In other words, kata simply builds technique, not attributes. This imbalance is the great failing of the traditional martial arts and one that has been readily exposed in MMA combat. Combat sports, on the other hand, allow the students to apply their "safe" techniques at full power, application of technique possible. This rationale explains the irony of how an art limited to "safe" techniques can regularly defeat arts packed with deadly or dangerous techniques. Once the distinctions among techniques, concepts and attributes are clearly spelled out, the wisdom of Kano's training method becomes clear.

Modern forms of jujitsu, most notably the Brazilian style, have taken the same approach. Limiting the techniques to those that can be made part of a safe sport, the modern forms of jujitsu have broken away from the classical schools in the all-important area of training method. This trend also applies to the striking aspect of contemporary jujitsu, which is based around Western and Thai boxing, which have both utilized the idea of limiting technique to that which can be made part of a safe sport. Just like modern practitioners of jujitsu, boxers develop the necessary attributes far more proficiently than do classical martial artists because boxers and modern jujitsu fighters can both train the same way they fight.

In fact, there is an axiom of martial arts training that everyone ought to know; The way you train is the way you will fight. Martial arts that allow you to apply your technique at close to full power in daily training and sport allow you to constantly use those very technique in almost exactly the same way during a real fight. This consistency creates a tremendous familiarity with the technique and with its real-world application.

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Defensive Clinching Skills - MMA Training, Conditioning and Workouts

2011-01-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

One apt example of a fighter who made excellent use of defense clinching skills to aid his game was the Brazilian fighter Pedro Rizzo. Skilled primarily in Muay Thai kick boxing, he needed a means of keeping a fight in the standing position where he could utilize his strong punches and kicks. Rizzo centered his defense on an effective sprawl, along with an aggressive use of the over-under clinch. Whenever an opponent attempted a takedown, Rizzo would sprawl back and look to under hook the opponent's arms at the first opportunity. This under hook control made it trough for an opponent to complete the takedown. From there, Rizzo would stand up into an over-under clinch, which can be used in a defensive way to make it hard for your opponent to successfully take you down. Once in the over-under clinch, Rizzo would keep his hips back and stay in solid balance, then break the clinch to resume in his favored free-movement phase. Using this tactic, he negated the takedowns of many of his opponents. It simply tired them out. Rizzo could take advantage of their fatigue later in the fight and knock them out with solid punches.

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Sociological change and the Decline of Traditional Jujitsu- MMA Training, Muay Thai, and Jujitsu

2011-01-10T10:45:00.000-08:00

Ironically, the same social stability and peace that allowed for the rise of koryu jujitsu also brought about is decline. The extreme isolationist policies of the Tokugawa shogunate meant that Japan stayed locked in a feudal age while the rest of the world went through the scientific and industrial revolutions, which caused a gap between the technological, economic, industrial, and military strength of Japan and the European nations. This came to a head when Commodore Perry sailed his modern gunboats into Japanese waters in 1854 and demanded access to Japanese ports.

Japanese political and military weakness was apparent, and it became increasingly obvious that the old order would have to go. Japan became divided between the forces of conservatism that demanded the preservation of the old feudal system and the growing intellectual classes who clamored for immediate change. In 1868, the old order crumbled, and Emperor Meji restoration took effect, the samuari class, their feudal overloads, and the domains they governed were an immediate casualty. The phasing out of the professional warrior caste and the fighting methods that they employed undercut much of the need for traditional jujitsu schools. Demand for instruction felt away drastically, and the result was a decline in jujitsu ryu, both in quantity and quality. More significant, jujitsu was heavily associated with old Japan and with the old order that had been responsible for th decline of Japanese power relative to the rest of the world. As such, it was seen as obsolete and without value.

Interest in koryu jujitsu plummeted. In addition, the breakdown of the feudal system of domains and restrictions on travel, along with the rapid growth of industrializaton, meant that many Japanese moved from the countryside to the city. Thus, many jujitsu instructors, no longer financially supported by a daimyo, also moved to the cities. This, along with falling number of students, created great competition for paying students. The result was a large number of bloody challenge matches that were designed to prove the superiority of one savory reputation as the activity of thugs and ruffians, which further dampened public interest. The overall result was a real crisis for koryu jujitsu. Most teachers sought out other occupations to make a living.

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Effects of the Fusen-Ryu Challenge Matches

2011-01-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

IT is worth investigating the matches between the kodokan and Fusen ryu because they set the pattern for much of the modern development of jujitsu from the 20th century to the present. The single greatest feature of the Fusen-ryu victory was the adoption of an overall strategy that was wedded to a fighting technique that left opponents at a distinct and unexpected disadvantage. The idea was to take an opponent our of his area of expertise and into a situation that he was ill-prepared to deal with, while at the same time developing one's own skills in that specific area. This is exactly the strategy adopted by Mataemon Tanabe.

He saw that the training of pre-20th century judo was woefully inadequate in ground grappling. Thus, he developed his students' skills in ground grappling to a high degree, knowing that it is a relatively easy matter to take a fight to the ground. In this way, he could rationally expect his students to rapidly put their opponents into a phase of combat that they wee simply not able to cope with. T His unexpected strategy succeeded brilliantly in the empirical test of open competition. The core element of this novel strategy is the idea that unarmed combat can be broke up into phases, each of which is quite different in character from the others. For example. fighting in a standing position is entirely different from fighting on the ground. A fighter can be proficient at one but inept in the other. In addition, fighting in the standing position is quite different when the tow combatants get a grip on each other and go into a standing clinch. At that point, the control that they can exert on each other totally changes the character of the match from the situation where neither had any hold on the other.

Tanabe realized that the judo players were skilled in the standing position when they had a grip on this opponents. This is where they had been able to trounce their opposition in the previous challenge matches, such as the Tokyo police tournament. The gripping and throwing skills honed by live training had given the judo representatives a decisive advantage against the classical jujitsu schools and tournaments. The mistake made by traditional jujitsu ryu was to take on the kodokan at heir greatest skill-namely, groping, and throwing.

Fusen-ryu representatives saw that if they could take the fights into a phase of combat that the judo players were ill-suited to deal with, the chances of success would be much greater. Ground grappling was an obvious choice. IT is easy for trained fighters to take a fight to the ground, especially if they are confident enough to simply sit down to the guard position and fight from there. In addition, the means of victory on the ground is via submission holds, something that most untrained people have no idea how to defend against. Tanabe's great insight, them, was this notion of phases of combat. It was a strategy that used these phases to take an opponent out of his comfort zone and into a phase in which he had little change of success.

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Massed Attack-MMA and Self-Defense in Chicago and The Suburbs

2011-01-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

A sad fact of life is that many people lack the courage to fight alone against another person. Often, they attack as part of a group, using their superiority in numbers to win an easy (and cowardly) victory. Of all the weaponless self-defense situations, this one is the most difficult to defend. People give all kinds of advice on how to defend this situation. Many claim that mobility is the key, that if you just keep moving and striking, you can create angles between you and your attackers and pick them off one by one. Others say that you should severely bloody one attacker to scare the others off. All of this certainly sounds good, and it all appears exciting in Hollywood movies. Unfortunately, reality has a way of ruining such delightful fantasies. Serious attackers do not attack one at a time. They rush in together, one high, one low and within seconds you find yourself under a barrage of strikes, grabs, and tackles. Invariably, the next stage involves you falling to the ground, where the ultimate step is usually a fearful stomping at the hands of your attackers.

The best counter to such an attack is almost always a good burst of speed. There is no guarantee that this will work, however, since they may well be faster than you, in which case you will merely take your beating in a state of exhaustion. Other times, running is simply not an option; you may be with a loved one or in a confined space. Another counter that is effective is the use of a weapon.

Weapons are great equalizers. If you are carrying a dangerous weapon, you can intimidate even a group of attackers. Should they pull out weapons in response, then you are truly in trouble. Remember that you do not have to carry a weapon to have one at hand. Improvised weapons are all around us; Broomsticks, bottles, pool balls, chairs, belts and a host of other everyday object all make excellent improvised weapons that can even things up with an group threatens you. An excellent idea, then, is to take a quick look around you before the attack occurs to procure an improvised weapon. The danger of this approach is that it usually inspires your attackers to pick up their own improvised weapons and take your beating to a whole new level. Failing this, there is not a to you can do when determined group attacks you.

With certain kinds of groups, you can verbally challenge them into fighting one on one, berating them for their cowardice and appealing to their sense of work in every case. People who are ruthless enough to attack in groups are usually not impressed by such arguments. Sometimes, you just have to be fatalistic and accept that you are about to take a beating and therefore do as much damage as possible before going down.

Talking about massed attacks in these realistic terms is disappointing to many people. Often, they have been told that resounding victory is a definite possibility when attacked by even a large group. It comes as a letdown to be told that victory is unlikely, the same way that children feel disappointment when they learn that Santa Claus does not exist. Still, it is much better to learn the unpleasant truth. At least the heard truth dissuades people from foolishly attempting to fight with a group, except when it is utterly unavoidable. As for the martial artists who claim the ability to defeat groups of people, let them publicly demonstrate this ability on a group of people who are trying seriously to attack and defeat them. Only then will their arguments have any credence.

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Common Headlock (physical attacks cont) MMA Training, Jujitsu, and Mauy Thai

2010-12-29T09:45:00.001-08:00

One of the all-time favorite techniques among people engaging in a street fight is the common headlock. We say the "common headlock" to differentiate the poorly applied headlocks used in street fights by untrained people from the powerful headlocks used by trained grapplers. The basic idea of all headlocks is the same. When you control the head of an opponent, you control his whole body; since the spinal column runs down from the head to the middle of the body. When a trained grappler uses any form of a proper headlock, it is a powerful form of control that can effectively immobilize, control, or throw an opponent. Untrained fighters try to mimic this kind of control by grappling the head as best they can and attempting to control it. Unfortunately, they usually do a poor job.

Their intention is to hold the head with one arm and pound away with strikes with the other arm, hitting the face and side of the head. Other times, they attempt to pull the head down and drag the opponent down tot he ground. The problem with these common headlock attacks is that they usually gain insufficient control of the head and upper body. As a result, a person with adequate technical skills can slip out of the headlock relatively easily and get quickly into a position behind his opponent so that he can get on the attack.

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Headbutt (physical attacks in the streets)

2010-12-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

The headbutt is a highly effective technique that can have devastating results on your opponent if done correctly. The idea is that an attacker steps into his opponent and slams his forehead into the nose or mouth without "winding up" by drawing his head back. Sometimes fighters grip the opponent's head and immobilize it, thus creating a truly devastating headbutt.

The key to defending the headbutt, however, is distance. By keeping away from your opponent, you make it impossible for him to hit you with such a strike. It is in the clinch and on the ground where the headbutt becomes a real problem. You can negate a headbutt attack in the clinch by working into dominant clinches yourself to gain inside control. On the ground, the headbutt is most commonly used when your opponent is in your guard. To prevent this situation, place your open hand on his forehead or hug his head tight to your chest. These positions control his head movement and effectively negate the headbutt.

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Groin Kick (physical attacks in the street cont) - MMA Gyms in Illinois and Indiana

2010-12-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

Many people view the groin kick (or knee kick)as the magic formula of street fighting. They believe that a solid kick to the groin immediately ends any fight and that such a kick is easy to perform. In fact, it is not so simple. Many times, a determined fighter keeps going even after a strong kick to the testicles. Also, the target must hit precisely if it is to work as desired. Nonetheless, the belief persists that the groin kick is the king of techniques. Accordingly, you must be prepared to defend it, given the likelihood that someone will attempt to use it if you get into a fight. To block the kick, simply raise your lead leg up with your front drawn back toward your buttocks, then draw it across in front of you, effectively blocking the groin. This move is similar to the defense of the roundhouse kick to the leg shown earlier.

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Tackle - (physical attacks cont)-MMA Gyms in Illinois and Indiana

2010-12-22T09:12:00.000-08:00

Another common form of attack in a street fight is the tackle. Superficially, this appears similar to a double-leg takedown or bear hug. Because it is performed by untrained people, it actually tends to be done rather poorly, more like a football tackle than a true takedown. Typically, street fighters charge in with poor balance, head down, bent over at the waist, neck extended, and arms out wide- a really dreadful attempt at a takedown. This ineptness makes the tackle easy to counter, especially if you practice your takedown defenses. You can simply block the tackle by posting your hands on your opponent's head or forearms. From there, you can counter with a knee strike to the head. Another solid option is to sprawl out on your opponent and lock a front headlock. Perhaps the best counter is to lock on a tight guillotine choke and finish the fight right there.

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Wide, Swinging Punch (physical attacks in the streets cont)

2010-12-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

Most people lack training in the combat arts. They fight only a few times in their adult lives. It is no surprise, then, that when they do fight, they do son in a way that is bereft of skill. In fact, the majority of people in a street fight throw punches rather than any other technique since a punch is the most commonly know method of hurting another person. These punches area almost always wild swings from out wide, thrown with great enthusiasm but with little skill.

Fortunately, these wild swings are easy to avoid. If you practice the correct method of striking and defense in the few-movement phase along with sparring, you will find it an easy matter to avoid these sloppy punches and thus counter strongly. To block the punches, you can simply employ any if the standard defenses to strikes. An even better reaction is to forgo defense altogether. Instead, take advantage of the wise, slow, swinging motion by quickly blasting straight punches into your opponent's chin, knowing that your straight punches will arrive on target sooner than his wide, looping punches. Another alternatives is to close distance under the punches and either clinch or take him down. From there, you can go to work while in the clinch or on the ground.

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Sucker Punch (physical attacks in the streets cont)

2010-12-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

One of the most commonly used techniques among street fighters is the sucker punch. This move involves any form of attack that takes the victim by total surprise-for example, by hitting an opponent from behind or from the side, or by initially distracting him by some form of ruse. A sucker punch is simply any method of getting a powerful first strike in without giving your opponent any opportunity to defend himself or launch his own attacks. This approach has many advantages. First, the attacker has little risk of a counter, since the opponent does not see the attack coming. Second, the strike almost always has a catastrophic effect on the victim, since he is not braced to take the blow. As a result, sucker punches often result in knockouts or at least severe stunning effects.

Such attacks take little skill to perform; hence, they can be used by anybody and can produce great results. The only skill needed for a sucker punch rests in the setup. Experienced street fighters are experts in getting surreptitiously behind a victim or out to the side. Others feign weakness, friendliness, or fear then they smash their victim with total surprise. There is no counter to a sucker punch for the simple reason that you do not see it coming. Obviously, you cannot counter a technique that you do not see.

The key to avoiding sucker punches is not a technique at all. Rather, it is keeping yourself in a state of awareness that prevents people from taking you by surprise. You can employ a number of tricks to make it tougher for someone to catch you unaware. To prevent rear attacks, place your back against a wall. Tell you antagonist to keep his distance from you. Inform him that if he gets within a certain distance, the fight is on. Do not bluff with this threat. If you do not act on your threat, you will be seen as weakling. IF you are reluctant to initiate the fight, avoid the verbal threat and simply adopt the prayer stance. This position makes you much less vulnerable to a sucker punch than standing in front of your antagonist and arguing.

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Simple Shove - MMA Training and Conditioning

2010-12-17T09:02:00.000-08:00

Probably the most common form of physical aggression in street fights is the simple open-handed shove tot he chest or face. This act usually occurs in the gray zone of an ego fight, just as the dispute is switching from a verbal dispute to a physical one. as the dispute heats, up one of the combatants decides to take it to the next level and shoves the other, looking for a reaction and hoping to either set up a more devastating technique, manhandle his opponent into a wall, or shove him all the way to the ground. The shove itself is not dangerous. What is dangerous is the follow-up.

If the shove takes you either off-balance, to the ground, or it cause you to freeze with fear (a common reaction in many people), then it will make you vulnerable to a powerful second attack that may well be at a new level of intensity. The shove is best countered with inside control of the opponent's arms, which greatly lessons your opponent's ability to shove you with any power. You can follow up with a powerful snapdown by taking advantage of your opponent's forward pressure to set him off-balance and thus make him vulnerable to attack. The sumo drill is an excellent way to prepare yourself for a strong shove and how to counter it.

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Most Common Forms of Weaponless, Physical attacks in the Street - MMA Self Defense and Training

2010-12-16T08:25:00.001-08:00

Street fights are wild, chaotic affairs. Interestingly, however, they do have repeating patterns of behavior that usually reflect a definite lack of experience and training on the part of the attacker. Remember, most adults fight only a few times in their lives. When they do, they are unlikely to do so efficiently. The fact that many of them are in a blind rage when they fight does not add to their technical proficiency. Other times, the method of attack actually reflects a streak of cowardice or ruthlessness in the attacker. These cowards often use "sucker" punches, where the idea is to hit someone from behind or without warning. They achieve victory by surprise and deceit, rather than skill.

In other cases, a group will attack an individual or a much smaller group and seek to win by virtue of outnumbering their opponents. This scenario is often the modus operandi of the criminal classes and those of a violent temperament who "fight" on a regular basis. Their idea is not so much to win a fight but to hurt another person. To achieve this end, the ambush is an effective tactic. Thus, technically inexperienced rage and ruthless deceit are the two major mind-sets that lie behind most street fights. Occasionally, one will see fights of honor, where two people square off and fight one-on-one, as if they were in an MMA fight. Their fight will even resemble something more like a boxing match. Setting aside these fights of honor, however, let us analyze the more common forms of weaponless attack.

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A New Theory of Range and Motion - MMA Training

2010-12-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

Everyone agrees that range and distance are crucial concepts in the free-movement phases of combat. Experience in MMA competition has show, however, that range and distance change so rapidly in the course of a standing fight that hey are exceedingly difficult to control. If a fighter closes the distance with determination and commitment, the fight always ends up in the clinch and free movement will be lost. In addition, there is no way to predict which techniques will be used at any given range, since every category of technique has many variations, each of which can be used at any range. The only concept of range and distance that has proven useful in MMA competition is the basic division between contact and non contact range. By this, we mean that if a fighter can reach out and physically touch this opponent, then you are close enough to strike him or take him down. If you cannot touch him, then any offensive technique is useless. You will have to use some form of movement take you forward into contact range, where you can successfully apply offensive technique.

The concept of contact versus non contact range is loose. It does not try to specify a range at which a given technique is appropriate, nor does it try to divide ranges into short, medium, and long. Experience has shown that range changes so quickly in the free-movement phase of combat that such a division is not helpful. Our new concept of range enables a fighter to know that if he is far enough away from his opponent that neither one can reach out and touch the other, he is safe from attack. He has sufficient warning to evade and counter whatever form of offense his opponent attempts.

Our simple concept of range and distance does not attempt to limit, a fighter to certain types of attacks at certain ranges. It recognizes the fact that once contact is possible, then any form of attack is possible - from kicks, punches, elbows, knee strikes, and takedowns. If contact cannot be made with your opponent, then the chance of an attack being successful are quite low.

Because it seems to say little about range and distance, such a simple concept of range seems open to obvious criticisms. There is a reason for this- there is not much that can be said. Previous theories of range tried to legislate too heavily, and they quickly came into conflict with the observable facts. Another criticism is that there are different ways in which I can reach out and touch my opponent. If I reach out with my lead leg, I can touch him sooner than if I reach out and touch him with my lead arm. Which method is correct? The truth is that the small difference in reach between lead arm and leg is not significant enough to matter. Remember, range and distance change with tremendous speed in a real fight, thus; small variations in distance are unimportant.

So then, we have put forward a new theory of range and distance. It is exceedingly simple, and it deliberately avoids dividing range and technique into categories that are of no use in actual combat. Its simplicity makes it easy to apply even under the stress of combat, and it has proven itself a reliable guide to successful application of technique without limiting a fighter's option.

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Hip-heist Sweep- MMA Training and Conditioning

2010-12-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

The hip-heist is one of the best moves to employ when your opponent is on his knees inside your closed guard. It is a low-risk move that is seen often in MMA competition at all levels. Done well, it can turn the direction of a fight in a matter of seconds. To initiate the sweep, place both feet on the ground. Post tone hand behind you on the floor and quickly sit up toward the side you have posted your hand-this will be the side that you will sweep your opponent's arm on the side you wish to sweep him over. Drive your hips up into your opponent, placing your hips higher than his. Turn your head to look behind you and drop your knee down to the floor on the same side you intend to sweep your opponent. In one motion, roll your hips over to the side. This will take your opponent over very easily. Drive to the side rather than into your opponent. You will finish in the mounted position.

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Transition form mounted position to rear mounted position

2010-12-10T09:47:00.001-08:00

We have already noted the crucial importance of transitional movements that take you from one position to another. This is central to the positional strategy of jujitsu that this book features. One of the really crucial transitions is that of the mounted position to the rear-mounted position. Opportunity for this movement occurs whenever your opponent turns his back on you while you are mounted on him. He may do this when he attempts a wild escape from the mount, or when the pressure of repeated strikes from the mounted position induces panic. The key to successfully getting behind a wildly thrashing opponent underneath you without losing position is to give him sufficient space to roll over unhindered. If you clamp your thighs together you can get flipped over quite easily. As your opponent turns, open your legs in the direction he is turning toward and let him roll. Keep your feet tucked against his outer thighs just above the knees. If he attempts to get up and escape. Slide your feet as "hooks" into his hips to stabilize your position. Only after your hooks are in and you have established a sound position should you think about the next logical step - attacking your opponent with the rear naked choke.

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Armless- Guard Drill - MMA in Naperville, Aurora, Schaumburg, and Minnoka

2010-12-09T09:09:00.000-08:00

The drill that is most useful for developing a strong guard is the armless-guard drill. The idea is to begin with your partner in your open guard. He attempts to pass your guard while you attempt to keep him controlled by your legs and feet. The catch is this: You cannot use your arms to help you. In this drill, you have to rely entirely on your legs to maneuver your hips and body around to keep him in the guard. This drill is extremely frustrating at first. Your guard will be easy to pass. However, if you persist, your leg work will dramatically improve, and your guard become tough to pass. Nothing develops the superior leg work, flexibility and body position of the guard position better than this drill.

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Knee Bar - MMA Training and Self Defense

2010-12-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

The knee bar is another submission hold that can be used in a large number of positions. It is particularly effective when an opponent stands up in your closed guard. It combines very well with the arm bar attack just seen, since the initial movement is the same. Should the arm bar fail, the knee bar is an excellent follow-up. As your opponent stands in your closed guard, reach inside his leg with your arm just as you did for the arm lock. Pull your head towards the foot of that leg. Open your guard and let your hips drop. Your foot will rest on the hip of the leg you intend to lock. Bring your knee inside the knee of the leg you have grabbed. This is crucial detail. Swing your other leg around in a wide arc until your foot touches the opponent's buttocks. Be sure to bring your hips up and above the knee of the leg you are attacking! If you fail to do so the lock will be ineffective. Squeeze your knees together to control your opponent's leg. Lock your arms around your opponent's ankle, arch back, and thrust your hips forward to put breaking pressure on the knee joint.

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Double - Underhooks Clinch- MMA Training

2010-12-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Whenever two proficient clinch fighters get into the chest-to-chest position they typically look to secure double underhooks. This clinch position offers a definite measure of dominance by offering a tremendous amount of control over your opponent's lower back, hips, and upper body. This move occurs when you successfully get both your arms under both your opponent's arms. Additionally, this clinch makes it easy for you to drop quickly to your opponent's legs for double-and single-leg takedowns, and it also cuts down your opponent's offensive options.

Thus, the double-underhooks clinch is the first of the dominating clinches, however, it is probably the least dominating. It occurs quite often and is relatively easy to attain. Just like the over-under clinch, you can lock your hands and perform a body lock on your opponent for additional control.

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Cross - MMA Training and Self Defense

2010-12-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

The rear cross is the power punch of MMA. It is responsible for more knockout victories in the free-movement phase than any other punch. Again, try to visualize it as we take you through the movements: From a fighting stance, the rear hand snaps out in a straight line as you rear hip and shoulder rotate in the same direction. Push off your rear foot to add further impetus to the blow. Do not wind up the punch and thus telegraph your intentions to your opponent. Let it snap straight out from your stance without any unnecessary movement.

Because a larger percentage of your body weight is involved in the punch, tremendous power can be generated when a fighter executes this move. Do not, however try to use muscular strength to generate power. To do so only serves to tighten you up and slow the punch. Relax and let your moving body weight do the work. Make sure that your lead hand stays high to protect your face. Usually the rear cross is set up by a jab; however, there are times when the rear cross can be the first blow thrown. Often, it is good to follow the natural flow between these two strikes.

The rear cross is also an excellent counterstrike. Fighters can use it to counter an opponent's roundhouse kick or knee strikes. One of the best times to throw the rear cross is immediately after a change in level. An opponent will often take the change in level as a prelude to a takedown attempt, and he will drop his hands to defend the takedown. This gives an excellent opening for the rear cross. Remember that the main target of the cross is the chin, jaw, and face.

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Neck Clinch to Front Headlock Clinch - MMA Training and Conditioning

2010-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

The neck clinch is one of the very best clinches from which to unleash strikes on your opponent, especially knee and elbow strikes. However, through dominating it is better to transition to a front headlock if possible, since this offers even more control and submission and striking possibilities. The easiest way to make that transition is to throw a knee tot he midsection. Most people react by bending at the waist to avoid the full impact of the knee. This inevitably brings the head down and makes it easy to throw on a front headlock. Even without throwing the knee, by merely cranking or snapping the head down and to the side, you will have little difficulty in getting the head down far enough to lock up a front headlock on your opponent.

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Neck Clinch- MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Minooka and Chicago IL

2010-11-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

The neck clinch is something of a misnomer. The grip is really on the crown of the head, rather than the neck. To perform this maneuver, place one hand on the crown of your opponent's head, then place your other hand on top of the first. Squeeze you elbows together, and pressure your forearms into your opponent's collarbones. Stand up on your toes,and try to keep your opponent's head lower than yours.

The neck clinch is popular in Muay Thai kick boxing. It offers many opportunities to hit your opponent with devastating knee and elbow strikes, while off-balancing him by jerking his head around then stepping back to the side. this move is responsible for many knockouts in MMA competition, rustically as a result of strikes with the knee to the chin. In addition, it is an excellent setup for guillotine chokes. One of the best times to lock up a neck clinch is just after your opponent attempts a shot and fails. As he attempts to get back up, he is very vulnerable to the neck clinch, followed by knee strikes.

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Points System - MMA Workouts

2010-11-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

The heart of the Brazilian jiu jitsu training method is the use of a point system that is designed to reflect the nature of a real fight. We noted earlier that once a fight begins, the two combatants can work their way into a number of different positions relative to each other. These positions can be arranged into a hierarchy; some very good, others very bad, and the others somewhere in between. The point system of Brazilian jiu jitsu awards points to a fighter each time he advances into a better portion. The better the position, the higher the reward in terms of pints, But, if a fighter escapes a bad position, he is not given points for escape-that is simply his duty. For example, in a real fight, if you work your way into a tight, controlling position behind tour opponent, it is clear that you have gained a considerable advantage. From this position, it is difficult for your opponent to successfully apply a submission hold on you and even harder for him to strike you effectively. For you, on the other hand, it is easy to move into a wide array of strikes, chokes, strangleholds, arm bars, neck cranks, and so on. This clear positional advantage would be reflected in the point system. Attaining a controlling rear position scores teh maximum of four points.

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Breaking out of a Front- Headlock Clinch

2010-11-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

We have seen that the front headlock is one of the most dominating clinches. If your opponent is skilled, it can be a difficult position to break out of. One of the best escapes to it, however, is the short-arm drag. Using your trapped arm, reach up to grab the opponent's elbow. If you cannot reach the elbow, use your other hand to help bring it down within reach. Having grabbed the elbow, drag it hard across and in front of you, then circle behind your opponent. You can punch your other arm over your opponent's back as you attempt the move. Should your opponent take the front headlock to the ground, the same move works equally well on the mat.

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Collar and Elbow Clinch into Standing Guillotine

2010-11-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

The surest way to enter into a guillotine form the standing position is to utilize a snapdown. There are several types of snpadown, but the one from the collar and elbow clinch is one of the fastest and most efficient.

From the collar and elbow clinch, maneuver the hand that is on your opponent's below inside his arm to his biceps. This places your two arms inside your opponent's arms and gives you a slight positional advantage. From there, drive the forearm of your arm around your opponent;s neck into his collarbone and push into him. As he begins to push back, snap his head into his down by jerking both arms down and forward, simultaneously stepping your feet back, This move takes your opponent;s head down below your,s allowing you to quickly wrap an arm around your opponent's neck and apply a guillotine. Fighters use several ways to lock up a guillotine choke; each has it s respective advantages and disadvantages.

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Guard Position - MMA Training

2010-11-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

One of the most talked about positions in ground fighting is the guard position. This position refers to any situation where one fighter is on his back or buttocks with an opponent in front of his legs. When MMA fighting began in North America in the early 1990s, most people worked under the assumption that if a fighter was on his back, then he was in trouble. After all, in the Western tradition, if a man is on his back, he is pinned an considered helpless. In most people's minds, the very image of helplessness in a fight is that of a man on his back with another man on top, hitting him at will. To the absolute shock of most people, a regular sight in these MMA fights was that of Brazilian jiu jitsu fighters' fighting from their back ans winning.

People had simply not realized the enormous difference between pinning a man on his back in a truly dominating position and simply begin locked in the guard position. The former involves getting past an opponent's legs and effectively pinning his hips to control the top man's movements to a surprising degree. The quicker you can understand this crucial difference, the quicker your progress in the ground fighting will be.

All too often, the difference between winning and losing a fight is this very difference between keeping a man who is on top of you in front of your legs and allowing him past your legs. As long as you hold an opponent in the guard, you have an effective means of defending yourself form strikes and upper-body submission holds while at the same time being able to strike and submit your opponent. The moment your opponent gets past your legs, you lose and semblance of control; thus, you become progressively more vulnerable as your opponent works his way up the hierarchy of positions.

From the top man's perspective, the guard represents something of a problem. It is possible to win a fight by simply pounding away at your opponent while locked up in his guard; however, it is also possible to lose the fight by following this strategy, as many "ground and pound" fighters have discovered. A much more sensible strategy is to attempt to get past the bottom man's legs and hips into a truly dominant top position that makes it far more difficult for the bottom man to defend himself. This strategy of "passing the guard" is the one most favored by seasoned grapplers and is a high-percentage approach to the ground game. An alternative strategy is to attack the bottom man's legs with submission holds, which can be an effective shortcut to victory if done well. If done poorly, it can lead to loss of the top position.

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Striking in the Front - Headlock Clinch

2010-11-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

The front headlock is without a doubt one of the best positions for a fighter to lock up an opponent so that he can strike with impunity. Many knockouts and referee's stoppages have occurred in this clinch position- more than any other in fact. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that a tight front-headlock clinch is as dangerous as the mounted position is.The front headlock is also much easier to attain than the mounted position, and this ease applies to both the standing position as well as the ground game.

But what makes the front headlock so dangerous is the fact that your opponent's head is tightly controlled in a position that places it directly in the path of your knee strikes. His head is ultimately immobilized, and thus it takes the full brunt of the strikes. At the same time, your opponent has little opportunity to defend the incoming elbows since movement and arm position is totally controlled. The fighter can perform knee strikes that hit directly on the top of the opponent's cranium and consequently do catastrophic damage in short order.

Although it is certainly possible to strike from the front headlock in the standing position, it is certainly possible to strike from the front headlock to the mat before you begin striking. This adjustment creates a much more stable platform from which to deliver your blows. To take a front headlock from the standing position to the ground, you simply throw your legs back and sprawl out. Another methods to step back with both feet, and lower your level by sagging your hips down and circling your opponent down to the mat.

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Head to the Outside Single-Leg Takedown- MMA Training

2010-11-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

An alternative to the double-leg takedown is the head to the outside single-leg takedown. This can be a little easier to accomplish since you focus your attention on the leg that is closest to you. Change levels just as you would for a double-leg takedown. As you go down and forward, shoot your lead hand between your opponent's legs and hook it around his lead knee. Both your knees land on either side of your opponent's lead foot as you lock both arms deep around his lead leg at the knee. Having gained this preliminary control position, reach with your inside hand to the back of your opponent's other knee, blocking it from moving backward. Drive forward into your opponent's hip for the takedown. Be sure to keep your head and neck tight to the hip of your opponent to prevent the guillotine choke being used against you.

For more on MMA Training, visit; Carlson Gracie Fight Team

Sumo Drill - MMA gyms in Chicago

2010-11-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

The sumo drill is an effective way to develop strength, speed, and reflexes in the clinch. More important, it develops the ability to create movement in your opponent and off-balance him. It is a physical drill that quickly proves exhausting to the beginner. As you develop skills, however, you will substitute technique for strength and therefore will last much longer. More than anything else, the sumo drill develops the skill of hand-fighting, which is the battle for superior hand and arm position that is so important in attaining a solid position and setting up takedowns. You will soon find the drill is much easier when you can get your hands inside your opponent's hands.

The drill itself consists of you and your partner standing inside a circle. The object is to push the other fellow out of the circle. Each time someone goes out, a point is scored. Another way to score is to snap your opponent down so that he goes down to a knee or a hand. In this case, a point is scored as well.As you attempt to push your opponent out of the circle, he naturally pushes back. This reaction sets up your snap downs. Soon, you will develop the ability to push and snap your opponent completely out of balance. This ability-with the resultant gains in stamina, strength, and coordination-proves vital in live fighting. Once you can readily off-balance an opponent, you will find it much easier to strike, takedown, or submit an opponent in the clinch.

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Striking in the Neck Clinch - MMA Conditioning and Workout

2010-10-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

The neck clinch is one of the best for striking an opponent. If your two arms are inside your opponent's arms, locked around the head and neck, you can often knock your opponent out. The key is to first create space in which to throw a knee strike to the jaw.

To do this, explosively straighten your arms out so that your opponent is thrown out at arm's length while you sill have control of his head. Skip your legs into a lunge position with one knee back. Now there is sufficient distance to smash a knee to his jaw. Be sure to pull your opponent's head down into the strike to add power while at the same time jerking him off-balance. As soon as the strike lands, return to a tight neck clinch with your opponent's forehead pressed into your chest and arms. Repeat the process as necessary.

In some MMA events, elbow strikes are allowed, and the neck clinch is a great platform to use these. Hold on to the head with one hand, and use the other arm to whip elbow strikes into your opponent. This technique is much easier when your arms are inside your opponent's arms, so apply elbow strikes when the opportunity arises.

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Rear Clinch- MMA in Illinois

2010-10-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

The rear clinch is a useful clinch that offers excellent opportunity for attack and control. In this case, you are behind your opponent with your hands locked around his waist under one or both of his arms. There are other variations of grip, but the grip is simple and effective. Because you are behind your opponent, it is difficult for him to strike you effectively. Your opponent is largely limited to foot stomps and backward elbow strikes.

You do need to be wary of several submission hood counters. However, you have many of your own attacks, so be aggressive in this position. Many excellent examples of the standing rear clinch have occurred in MMA competition.

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Passing the Half- Guard - MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora and Naperville

2010-10-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

In the course of passing the guard, and indeed of grappling in general, it is likely that you will end up in a half-guard position on a regular basis, which can be a frustrating experience. In fact, some jujitsu fighters develop the half-guard position to the point where they even use it offensively, attacking with sweeps and submission. Therefore, you definitely stand in need of a strong and effective means of getting past the half-guard position if you are to play the positional dominance game.

Fighters have dozens of effective ways to pass the half-guard. One problem is that many of these methods require a precise set of preconditions to work. For instance, the opponent must have his arms and legs in certain positions if the pass is to work as intended. However, the great virtue of the method we shall look at is that it works regardless of the positions of the opponent's arm and leg. It is thus one of the most versatile means of getting past the half-guard, as well as one of the safest and is known as the sit-out method.

Starting inside a half-guard position where your right leg is trapped, place your left elbow on the floor next to your opponent's left ear. Sit on your left hip and turn to face your opponent's legs. Shuffle your hips toward his head as you post your right hand on his left knee. In this sit-out position, slide your left knee on to your opponent's stomach so that your left shin is wedged against his upper legs and hips. Push his legs away with your left shin and use the leverage that this gives you to extract your trapped right leg. It often helps to precede this by shuffling your right foot up to your opponent's buttocks. This make the extraction of your trapped leg much easier. Finish by coming up to your knees in a tight chest-to-chest position in side control.

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Position and Angle - UFC/MMA Training

2010-10-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

We have seen already the degree to which positional skills are stressed int eh overall strategy of the jujitsu fighter. People normally think of positional skills in the ground-fighting phase of combat and, to a lesser degree, in the clinch phase as well. However, position does play a role in the free-movement phase of combat. The guiding idea in the free-movement phase is to seek a positing that gives you some kind of offensive and defensive advantage. In effect, this means you must create some kind of angle between you and your opponent that give you a better position form which to launch your strikes and takedowns, while at the same time limiting your opponent's ability to do likewise. This constant effort to create an advantageous angle on your opponent is a key skill in the free-movement phase of combat.

If you stay directly in front of your opponent, you will be directly in front of his main offensive striking weapons and will suffer accordingly. In addition, it is much easier for him to block any takedown attempts you make. Instead, you can use good footwork skills to take you out an angle that limits your opponent's offense and makes his defense more difficult. One particularly useful angle is to circle around his lead hand. This takes you away from his power hand and leg and makes takedowns much safer and easier.

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Front- Headlock Clinch - MMA Conditioning

2010-10-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

The front headlock is undoubtedly the most dominant means of locking up your opponent in a standing clinch. This grip is tight and controlling. It offers many great opportunities to strike, takedown and submit your opponent, while leaving almost opportunity for your opponent to do the same to you. It is probably fair to say that the front headlock, both in the standing position and down on the mat, has been responsible for more knockout and submission victories than any other clinch by far. Once a fighter attains the front headlock it is easy for him to rain knee strikes into his opponent's vulnerable head and face. The front headlock also provides close proximity for guillotine chokes, in addition to effective takedowns for controlling positions.

The front headlock can be attained in two basic ways. Proactive front headlocks are the result of deliberate efforts to snap your opponent;s head below your own so that you can lock him up in the headlock. Reactive front headlocks are a defensive reaction to your opponent's attempt to take you down. As you sprawl on top of him, you lock up a front headlock.

In both cases, however the lock is the same. You must control your opponent's head and one of his arms. After wrapping your arm around your opponent's head, grab his chin. Your other hand grasps his elbow and pulls it outward. Be sure to keep your head on the side of the trapped arm, and keep your own elbows back in tight to your ribs. You can keep you hands in this position, or you can lock them together for additional tightness.

For more on MMA Conditioning, visit; MMA conditioning

Ground Combat- UFC/ MMA Training

2010-10-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

Almost no fights begin in this phase; however, they almost always end up there. Going to the ground totally changes the nature of the fight. Movement supine position is very different form movement in a standing position, and it requires extensive training before it becomes natural. Great control is possible on the ground because bodyweight and the ground itself can be used to pin an opponent and confine his movements. This makes possible the use of many highly efficient submission holds. The key skills in ground combat are the application of submission holds, the ability to work your way out of inferior positions, and the skill to move into increasingly dominating position.

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Control Position (cont 2)

2010-10-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

By pinning one of your opponent's legs to the floor, you create the possibility of passing over that leg into the side-control position. Since his leg is controlled, it is difficult for him to attack with submission holds or sweeps. Should your opponent make it difficult of you to pass by this method, simply change direction and pass by stacking.

Push down on the knee that you are pinning to the floor and slide your knee over the inner thigh close to the knee until your foot hooks into the inside of your opponent's knee. Lean forward and grasp your opponent around the neck, jeeping your foot hooked inside the knee that you are pinning down. AT this point you still have one leg between your opponent's legs. Step that leg out wide behind you to clear your opponent's pinned knee training your other foot hooked inside your opponent's legs. Come up onto your knees and establish a firm side-control pin, chest to chest on top of your opponent. Use the staking guard pass in combination with the leg-pinning method. Whenever you cannot make forward progress with one, switch to the other.

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Control Position (cont) - UFC/ MMA Training

2010-10-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Any time you stack your opponent up on his shoulder with his hips and legs off the floor, you place him in a position where it is extremely difficulty for him to do anything meaningful form the guard position. Once in a deep stack, your opponent makes it difficult to pass by stacking, simply switch to the next method.

From the control position, reach around your opponent's leg at the hip and drive forward, brining your opponent;s knee towards his chin, stacking him up. Drive with your hips and stomach and keep a straight back to add to the pressure. Begin to circle around the leg that you are driving forward. Take your other hand and grasp the same leg from the inside close to the knee. Pull the leg by you and advance to a strong side-control position. Grasp your opponent under the neck to further control his movements. Take your time with the pass. Do not feel a need to sprint around your opponent's legs. Often it is more fruitful to work at a slow, grinding pace, using bodyweight and leverage to work around the legs. Make sure you finish in a position where you are chest to chest with your opponent. Very often your opponent will resit the stacking guard pass by pushing back with the leg you are attempting to stack. When you feel that forward progress is difficult, switch to the leg-pin guard pass.

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The Control Position- MMA in Chicagoland Suburbs

2010-10-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

The great virtue of the control position is that it allows you to instantly switch direction as you pass. Whenever, you feel resistance in one direction, simply switch to the other side. This makes it very hard for your opponent to resist the pass. At the same time it nullifies most of your opponent's offensive submission and sweeps.

To achieve the control position, lift one of your opponent's legs under the knee while at the same time pushing the other knee down. Slide your own knee over the knee that you are pushing down, pinning it to the floor. Bring the leg you are lifting all the way up to your shoulder. You now have your opponent in a strong control position where movement is difficult for him and from where he cannot attack you with strikes or submissions. The beauty of this control position is that it gives you a tremendously effective and safe platform which to pass the guard in two different directions.

Two passes from the control position are the stacking guard pass and the leg-pin guard pass.

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Turtle Position- MMA in Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates and Streamwood Illinois

2010-10-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

The turtle position occurs often in the course of a ground fight. When one fighter is on his hands and knees, head down, balled up tight, he is in the "turtle position." His opponent generally stays on top of him, either in front of him with his arms around the head and one of the arms, or out to one side with one arm around the opponent's waist for control. A third alternative is for the top man to position himself directly behind his opponent.

From the bottom man's perspective, the turtle position is a disadvantageous position. By keeping himself in tight, the bottom man can make attack difficult for the top man. Indeed, it is possible for the bottom man to attack with his own submission holds, as well as attempt numerous escapes to better positions. Nonetheless, it is not sensible to spend too much time in the turtle position under an aggressive opponent, since you will often absorb some heavy damage, The bottom man must either escape as soon as possible to a better position or attempt a submission hold. The top man has the choice to either strike his opponent, improve his position, or attempt submission holds.

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Shadow Fighting - UFC Training

2010-10-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

Shadow fighting is among the most important drills for developing the skills, and attributes required of fighters to succeed in the free-movement phase of fighting. Most people are familiar with the notion of shadow boxing. This is shadow fighting. The ideas are similar, but there are important differences. The main difference is that the jujitsu fighter practices solo with a ll the techniques used in the free-movement phase-stance,motion, punches, kicks, knees, elbows, blocks, evasion, shots, sprawling, and so on. Remember, jujitsu and MMA encompass many more techniques than does boxing.

Jujitsu fighters therefore do not merely shadow box with their hands, but they shadow fight with their whole body. They move about just as they would with an opponent. For instance, imagine an opponent in front of you, trying to strike you and take you down. Counter his attacks as you attempt your own attacks. Make sure you use the full range of techniques in the free-movement phase. Set a timer for five-minute rounds, and work at a good pace. Really imagine an active, aggressive opponent as you move about with fluidity and grace.

For more on Shadow fighting and UFC/ MMA Training, visit: MMA gyms in Chicago

Blocking a Shot - MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville and Chicago IL

2010-10-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

A crucial skill in the free-movement phase of combat is that of blocking a shot and sprawling. In early MMA events, few fighters had this skill. The result was that most fighters went down early when their opponents shot in for a takedown, This move allowed grapplers to totally dominate the matches, and it gave little, opportunity for stinkers to utilize their skills.

In time, however, fighter learned to defend takedowns, and the game changed considerably, When takedowns fail as a result of good defense, the fighter who attempts the takedown is often put in a vulnerable position and can be easily attacked. The key to defending the most common takedowns, legs attacks, and high dives is to either block the initial shot with the hands or forearms, or failing that, get one's hip and legs back and away front he opponent by sprawling heavily on him.

When your opponent shoots in for a takedown, he needs to lower his level just before the shot. As he does so, lower your own level to match his, them block his shoulders or collarbones with your hands or forearms to stop his incoming momentum. Quickly move away and return immediately to a fighting stance. Look to counter with strikes as he struggles to regain his stance. This is an excellent time to drive a knee strike into him.

Once final method of blocking a shot that has proven effective in MMA competition is the use of under hooks. If your opponent locks around your waist or legs, dig one of your arms under his, and left up as you push your hips back. This detracts greatly from his offense and gives you considerable control of his body.

For more on blocking shots and MMA in Chicagoland, visit; Carlson Gracie Team

Conditioning - MMA Training Schaumburg, Aurora,Crown Point/ Merrillville IN

2010-10-06T10:35:00.000-07:00

In a street fight, conditioning does not always play a crucial role, though it certainly can. Quite often, street fights are over in a short time, usually as a result of the use of cheap shots, sucker punches or bystander intervention; thus, great conditioning is not always a prerequisite of success. However, in an MMA fight between two athletes over a specified time, conditioning plays a huge [art in the final outcome. No matter how refined and developed your technical skills are, if you are exhausted, your ability to apply these skills will be totally negated. It is important, therefore, that if you wish to preform to the best of your technical ability, you develop yourself physically so that your levels of conditioning, flexibility and strength are adequate for the tasks you set for yourself.

Obviously, if you are preparing for a professional fight, then the level of conditioning that you require is far higher than someone who is preparing for a local grappling tournament in the novice division. Do not delude yourself: Strength and conditioning play a definite and often decisive role in a fight. Too often, one hears claims that strength is unnecessary to win a fight and that technique is far more important. there is a lot of truth to this. You should do everything you can to develop your technical skills. When you train, you should do so in ways that encourage the use of technique over irrelevant or unimportant. You should spend a good deal of time working on these attributes as well. Usually; development of strength and conditioning occurs as part of a separate program outside the dojo, but there is disagreement as to which exercise program is best for the MMA fighter. A rational analysis of the needs of an MMA fighter quickly reveal a few key points.

For more on conditioning and MMA Training, visit: MMA Gyms in Merrillville IN

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Competition - MMA Training in Crown Point/ Merrillville IN, Schaumburg, Naperville

2010-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is the standard competition of Brazilian jiu jitsu. It is based on the rule and point system designed by the Gracies to reflect the nature of a real fight. Positions are awarded points based on the degree to which they would enable you to strike and control an opponent. Takedowns, the means of getting an opponent to the ground where he can be much more easily controlled, are given two points. Getting past your opponent's legs to a position of genuine control is given three points. Should the man on the bottom sweep his opponent over before he can get past his legs, he is rewarded with two points. Getting to the best striking positions-the knee-on-belly position and the mounted position-are awarded three and four points, respectively. Getting the covered rear-mounted position is also worth four points. No matter what the score, though, a match is automatically ended if either man can get the other to submit, just as it would end in a real fight.

Using this point system, fighters are rewarded according to the degree of position, control, and submission that they would want to achieve in actual combat. Thus, Brazilian jiu jitsu ingrains in students the same habits in sport competition as would be used in an actual fight. The wearing of a judo gi is compulsory. As a result, the knowledge of how to use the gi fro throws, control and submission i s absolutely crucial. IT is no exaggeration to say the jujitsu competition with the gi is quite different in feel from grappling without the gi. Fighters will often perform much better in one that in the other.

For more on Brazilian Jiu jitsu, visit: Kids Jiu Jitsu in Crow Point/ Merrillville IN

Defense From the Guard Position - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, and Merrillville IN

2010-10-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

Most people think of the guard as a defensive position in which they can shield themselves from the strikes of an opponent who is on top of them. We shall try hard, however, to dispel the notion that the guard is a purely defensive position in the next section. Nonetheless, it is true that the guard can provide an excellent means of defending yourself from an aggressive, striking opponent when used well.

Fighters have two main options when using the guard as a defensive shield. The first is to hug your opponent as tightly to you as possible in a closed guard, over hooking one of his arms with your arm and holding his head down with the other. This puts you in a tight, supine clinch with your opponent and makes it tough form him to strike you effectively. You can improve your position by scooting your hips out to the same side as the arm that you have over hooked and then getting on your side.

A second option occurs when actually using the open guard. In this case, you generally want to keep your opponent as far away from yourself as possible, since he will be trying hard to punch you. Place your feet on his hips and push him back, making it difficult form him to reach your head. You can also place a foot on his chest, shoulder, or biceps as a means of preventing his coming into range to hit you in the head. Although many other gripping techniques can limit the amount of damage your opponent can inflict on you in the guard potion, these tow are the simplest and easiest strategies to implement in the chaos of a real fight.

For more on the Guard Position and MMA Training, visit: MMA gyms in Chicago

MMA Events - Chicagoland

2010-09-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, MMA events have proven to be the most popular with television audiences and martial arts enthusiast. We have seen that the basic idea is to test the relative combat-effectiveness of the various styles by pitting them against each other in a fight with few rules. this is as close to a real fight as civil society will allow. As such, it represents the best empirical evidence we have for the effectiveness of a given fighting style.

A strong argument can be made that MMA combat is the ultimate sporting test of a martial artist's combat prowess. It involves the full spectrum of martial skills, strikes, takedowns, clinching and ground grappling. Such MMA competition obviously requires a good deal of preparation if you wish to avoid serious injury. In addition to the great skill level required for success, you must also be in great physical condition. The constant impact, grappling, and motion are utterly exhausting to those who are not well prepared.

Not immediately that MMA competition is not currently standardized. Each organization has its own set of rules and regulations. Make sure you check into these before signing up. Local tournaments are often run according to rules intended to ensure the safety of participants. For example, they may limit the type of striking that is allowed by banning elbow strikes and closed-fist strikes.

It is probably fair to say that you should enter these three types of competition in the order they are presented here. Begin with Brazilian jiu jitsu competition, move on to submission grappling, then if you desire, take the step up to mixed martial arts. You must learn to take the impact of strikes before moving onto MMA competition, so you do not attempt it without engaging in regular, live sparring. It is also important for you to face someone of your own skill level and size when you start out. To ensure that this happens, you must participate in a responsible organization with promoters who hold the fighter's safety in high regard.

For more on MMA events, visit: PureMMAfighting.com

Two Approaches to the Top Ground Game- MMA Training

2010-09-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

When fighting from the various top positions, we have sent hat there are two basic approaches, and both have proven highly effective in mixed martial arts (MMA) competition. The first is the so-called "ground and pound" method, which can be performed with greater or lesser degrees of sophistication. Some fighters simply try to hit as fast and hard fast they can from any top position that they can get, usually bigger and stronger than your opponent. This static can get results if you are much bigger and stronger than your opponent. All too often, however, it quickly result in defeat when the bottom man locks on a tight submission hold and forces a tap-out.

A much more successful method used by almost all of today's top fighters is to strike with a greater sense of caution, never exposing oneself to the major submission holds and sweeps. By keeping a solid base and by being careful not to overextend one's arms or over commit to strikes, a fighter can hit successfully inside the guard. This kind of approach rarely gets a submission, though it often gets a decision victory. Better yet is the attempt to get past the guard and into a really dominant position from which a fighter can pound away with confidence. This tactic often leads to submission or referee's stoppage, and it is the highest form of the "ground and pound" game.

A second approach, much favored by the jujitsu fighters, is the use of joint locks and choke holds from the top position. This is the most common means of securing victory by submission. The elegance and artfulness of these holds are what so impressed many viewers of the early MMA events. The y seem to represent the marital artist's dream of a clean, efficient and peaceful victory over a bigger and more aggressive opponent. Remember that you can always combine both approaches to the top game. Indeed, this is probably the most sensible way to approach a real fight in the top ground position.

The biggest impediment to victory in the top position, however, is the guard. The guard position is unusual among bottom positions in that it prevents your opponent from ever really controlling you, even though you are on the bottom, underneath your opponent. Thus, it is absolutely crucial that you learn to deal successfully with the guard position, which means that you must be able to get around your opponent's legs and hips and into side control, without getting swept over or submitted. This battle to get around your opponent's legs and into a truly dominating pin is referred to as "passing the guard." It is the basis of true positional dominance in jujitsu and one of the genuinely essential skills in the top ground game.

For more on MMA approaches, visit: MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, and Merrillville IN

Clash at the Kilt!! Pure MMA fighting!!

2010-09-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

We are the premiere mixed martial arts promotional company in the Midwest. Based in Aurora, Illinois, Pure MMA Fighting strives to be the most professional regional mixed martial art organization offering the best series of MMA events in the Midwest. By focusing on the purity of the sport and the MMA fighters themselves, Pure MMA Fighting, Inc. has been able to position ourselves up for success and impact in the Chicagoland area for sporting events.
Pure MMA Fighting's leadership is made up of MMA fighters, coaches and business professionals whose main goals are to thrive across a spectrum of live event sports, television production and Internet media, and to support and promote the true asset of the sport-the fighter. Our commitment to the fighter and their fans is the foundation of Pure MMA, and every event is built around promoting the fighter and entertaining the fans.
When you experience a Pure MMA Fighting event, you will immediately notice the difference between our mixed martial arts fighting event versus the others. Professionalism and true passion for the MMA sport radiate from every aspect - from the lighting, live video feed, instant replay and professional commentaries, our MMA fight events are world-class featuring the best athletes in the sports world. By staying true to the mixed martial arts sport and its fans, Pure MMA Fighting, Inc. is set to dominate Chicagoland and the Midwest mixed martial arts arena.
Please check back regularly for updates on fighters, mixed martial arts coaches and training camps. We invite everyone to come to any of our mixed martial arts event and experience Pure MMA Fighting!

To purchase tickets, visit: PureMMAfighting.com

NEW GYM IN MERRILLVILLE IN!!!!

2010-09-20T08:39:00.001-07:00

Carlson Gracie is pleased to present a new GYM in Merrillville IN. Experience the MMA fighting world.
Carlson Gracie Team MMA offers an array of classes including, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai Kickboxing, Boxing, MMA & beginner and kids programs. For more information regarding our available classes or to sign up today, please feel free to call us at 630.820.6055,
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a form of self-defense that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. It promotes the principle that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant using leverage and proper technique; most notably, by applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat them. >Find Out More About Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Training
Muay Thai
Known as the art of eight limbs, Muay Thai focuses on striking using the eight points of contact: fists, elbows, knees, and feet. Furthermore, utilization of standing holds such as the Thai clinch further separate Muay Thai from other striking combat arts. >Find Out More About Muay Thai Kickboxing Training
Boxing
Boxing has existed as a means of combat and sport for thousands of years. In-fighters, out-fighters, punchers and brawlers, boxing has an extensive and broad wealth of technique and skill. >Find Out More About Boxing Training
Wrestling
Wrestling is an ancient martial art that uses grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, generally between two people, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. >Find Out More About Wrestling Training
MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
MMA is a blending of various standing and striking techniques such as Muay Thai and traditional Boxing as well as ground fighting techniques from judo, jiu-jitsu and wrestling, MMA utilizes a vast array of combat techniques to knock out or cause an opponent to submit. >Find Out More About MMA Training
Beginner Programs
We offer a beginner Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes. Call today for more information 630.820.6055
Kids Programs
Carlson Gracie Team MMA provides an outstanding kids program that is both engaging and entertaining. >Find Out More About Martial Arts for Kids
Private Instruction
Carlson Gracie Team MMA offers private instruction sessions 7 days a week to addresses specific disciplines and aspects of your martial arts that you may need to improve upon. >Find Out More About Private MMA Training

Rise of Battlefield Grappling Arts - MMA Training

2010-09-15T08:12:00.000-07:00

By the time of the Kamakura period, a clear and distinct combative style had emerged in Japan that was intrinsically linked to clashes on the battlefield. This was the art known generally as kimichi, a somewhat generic phase that denotes grappling skills. In the course of fighting, warriors often had a need for a range of hand-to-hand combat skills. or empty-hand versus weapons skills in case of weapons breakage or loss in the midst of battlefield combat.

During this period, military combat was done in heavy, protective armor. Since heavy armor made the use of strikes impractical, these arts tended to revolve around grappling skills. Most of the techniques were designed to be used in full battlefield armor. They and a specific application that centered on off-balancing the opponent to the ground, where he could be dispose of with a short-bladed weapon or he could be tied up for capture. As the armor worn by soldiers became much lighter and handier over time, so the techniques of kumichi changed, allowing for freer movement and a wider range of grappling technique,

As long as military confrontation remained a feature of Japanese history, the prevalence of these battle field arts survived. Unarmed fighting technique simply became on the many areas of combat expertise.

The prevalence of warfare in feudal Japan led directly to the establishment of a professional warrior caste. Their desire to succeed in their military endeavors was what created the need for expertise and instruction in the battlefield arts. The development of bugei ryu, schools for the military arts, represents the direct prelude to the development of classical jujitsu ryu.

It should be made clear that Japan appears to have had a strong tradition of martial prowess and technical development before the confirmed establishment of the bugei ryuha. For instance, the Butokuden was established by the Emperor Kammu around the beginning of the Heian period to encourage the development of martial skills. The establishment of genuine bugei/bujutsu ryu, where military skills were promulgated in a more systematic fashion, did not occur until the Muromachi period.

The beginnings of jujitsu were in to his atmosphere of battlefield technique. The warrior caste clearly had a need for some empty-hand techniques because there was always a chance of losing one's weapon or being caught without one. Thus, event through empty-hand combat was a distinctly secondary skill to an armed warrior, some development of unarmed combative skill occurred in these bujutsu ryu. This was the initial see from which a complete approach to unarmed combat was born.

For more on the Grappling arts, and to find a local gym: visit:MMA gyms in Chicago

Standing Clinch- MMA Training

2010-09-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Once a fight begins, it almost always goes into a clinch. Interestingly, most street fights begin a clinch, with grabbing, shoving and holding. The fact that the fighters hold each other restricts their movement. A distinct set of skills is required to do will in the standing clinch position, and these skills are different from those required in the free-movement phase. The skills that are crucial in this phase of combat include attaining and breaking a grip; off-balancing an opponent and keeping one's own balance and posture; striking in the clinch; takedowns appropriate to clinch fighting; standing submissions' and so on.

For more on the Standing Clinch, visit: MMA workout

Strategy in the Top Position - MMA Training

2010-09-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

You can easily deduce the guiding strategy for the jujitsu fighter in the top position; Always seek to get past you opponent's legs. Most of the time, this means attempting to get to the side-control position, although one can also pass the guard into knee-on-belly or the mounted position. Once three, prevent your opponent from reestablishing th guard and thus regaining control: seek to move on to sill stronger positions. As your positional dominance increases, look to finish your opponent with strikes or the application of submission holds.

Some jujitsu fighters have tremendous leg work and can create great problems when a either attempts to pass their guard. In cases where you simply cannot get around your opponents legs, and alternative strategy is to forgo the passing process and attempt to go directly for a submission attempt on their legs. This move can serve as a useful strategy. In general, jujitsu has strongly favored the guard passing strategy since it leads to control over your opponents upper body and consequently, strong and secure positional pins. These upper body pins allow you to make a choice between striking an opponent from a dominant position or going for a submission hold. When you pursue leg submissions, you tend to lose that choice, since you are sacrificing upper-body control. But this does not mean leg submissions are not a good choice; they can work well. Be sure, however, not to make them your only option.

Learning to pass the guard is one of the best ways to learn to really control a resisting opponent. It is done in a way that embroider the proven positional strategy of jujitsu-the constant struggle for better position. It also give you a great deal of flexibility in the way you fight an opponent. You can simply get into a position where you can hold him down in a truly dominating upper-body pin and either pound him or utilize any one of a large number of submission holds.

For more on the top position, visit: MMA Training in Schaumburg, Naperville, Aurora

Mastering Jiu Jitsu - MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville

2010-09-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

We have been stressing the degree to which unarmed, single combat is divided into phases. Each phase has a set of attributes and skills that are required for success. It is quite possible to have the attributes and skills to excel in one phase to the next is the great hallmark of real combat. One such transition that occurs rapidly in most fights is the transmission form the fee-movement phase of combat into the clinch phase. In general, we can define the clinch phase of combat as any form of solid grip that a fighter has on an opponent that gives him some form of control over his opponent's movement. Even a grip on your opponent's wrist, for example, is a form of clinching, since it gives you a small degree of control over his movement. When we think of a clinch, however, we usually think of it as a grip that affords much greater control than a simple wrist grab. Thus, we normally understand a clinch as a solid grip on the opponent's head or upper body with a high degree of body contact. This type of clinch allows you to control an opponent's movement and tie him up to negate his striking ability.

To begin, let's first examine the number of difference that exist between the free-movement and clinch phase. The most obvious difference is the degree of control over an opponent's movement that is made possible by gripping him. The free-movement phase of combat is always a neutral a neutral phase. IF two fighters of equal skill face each other in the free-movement phase has direct control over the other man's movement. Imagine a different situation where one fighter has his hands tied behind his back. Obviously, this handicap places him at a huge disadvantage, especially as the other begins to attack.

A dominant clinch works in much the same way. By attaining a dominating clinch position, one fighter can tie up his opponent's arms and body in such a way as to severely reduce his ability to attack and defend himself. Thus, it is in the clinch that we begin to see the influence of the positional strategy that has proven so important in the development and success of modern grappling approaches to jujitsu. It is here that the key idea begins to emerge of working into a position that allows a fighter to attack an opponent while undermining the opponent's ability to retaliate.

Another change that occurs when a fight switches from the free movement phase into the clinch phase of combat is that submission holds begin to play a significant role. A number of submission holds can be effectively employed in the clinch, either in the standing position or as part of a takedown. Once the clinch i established, the nature of striking also changes quite radically. In the free-movement phase, you are free to use whatever strike you feel is appropriate for th situation. In the clinch, you are limited to whatever is possible within the constraints of the specific clinch that you are locked up in.

For more on jujitsu, visit: Jujitsu Training in Schaumburg, Naperville, Aurora

The Clinch as an Intermediary phase of Combat - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Merriville IN

2010-09-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

When most people think about MMA fighting, they think of two major components; the standing position, where strikes and takedowns are the order of the day, and the ground game, where positional skill and submission holds prevail. To think in these terms is to completely overlook one of the most crucial aspects of real fighting, the battle that occurs in the clinch.

The clinch is a fascinating aspect of the fight game. It combines the characteristics of both the standing position and ground game into one phase of combat. People often think of themselves as either a ground fighter or a standing fighter. Standing fighters tend to emphasize striking skill above all else whereas ground fighters emphasize positional and submission skills. This artificial divide, however, is broken down in the clinch. In the clinch, the characteristics of both the standing game and the ground game merge. Success in the clinch is a strange combination of striking, balance, grappling, positional, takedown, and submission skills. To do so is to totally overlook the crucial role of grappling in the standing-clinch position.

To fully appreciate the role of the clinch, keep in mind that it is relatively rare for fights to go directly form the free-standing phase tot he ground phase of combat. This transition only occurs when one fighter is either knocked to the ground bu strikes or taken down cleanly. Far more common is a situation where the two fighters lock up in a clinch as they strike or when one fighter defends a takedown and they then progress into a clinch.

Once a fight goes into a clinch, it almost always progresses in one of two possible directions: First, the clinch can be broken and the fight returns to the free-movement phase. Second, the fight goes to the ground. Technically, a submission hold can be applied in the clinch, and a knockout can occur as well. In the majority of cases, however, the fight will either return to fee movement or go to the ground; it depends on the intentions of the two fighters and their relative sill in carrying out those intentions. as such, the clinch usually plays the role of intermediary between the free-movement phase and the ground phase of combat.

A range of techniques allows a fighter to take either direction when using the clinch. This use of choice is what makes the clinch such a vital phase of combat. In other words, control of the clinch allows control of the direction of the fight. Should you desire a return to free movement, having skill in breaking a clinch will allow you to do so. Should you desire a ground fight, having skill in takedowns form th eclinhc will allow you to do that as well.

For more on phases of combat and for MMA Training visit: MMA training

Reflections on Maeda's Approach to Combat - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Merriville IN

2010-09-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

In the course of his many travels, Maeda fought a vast number of fights. Some were all- out challenge matches whereas others were impromptu street fights or grappling-only exhibitions; some were sanctioned wrestling matches or were fought in a Japaneses gi; others were not. This vast experience in many different environment gave Maeda a wealth of knowledge on the art of combat. His formal background was in Tenshin Shin' yo jujitsu and kodokan judo; however, it seems that he began to modify his fighting style in the face of his own practical experience.

First, Maeda faced opponents who were different from those he faced in Japan. The majority of them were Western boxers and wrestlers who presented an entirely different set of problems from those Maeda faced in Japan. For instance, the wrestlers fought without the Japanese gi jacket, and they employed a set of takedowns and ground-grappling techniques different from the ones used by the judo and jujitsu fighters, who Maeda began with. Boxers presented another problem. There was no striking in judo competition, and the strikes of traditional jujitsu were nothing like those of Western boxing. Maeda then had to learn an entirely new skill, which has since become one of the most fundamental skills of grappling jujitsu fighters when they fight in modern, mixed martial arts tournaments. It is the skill of closing the gap and getting into a sage clinch with a dangerous striker.

Once in a tight clinch, a jujitsu fighter can tie the striker up and nullify the power of his strikes; then, he can take him down to the ground where striking ability will be of little value. Maeda talks about this problem in his biography. He liked to use elbow strikes and low kicks to close the distance and get into a throw. At that point, he would use the same strategy used by the Fusen ryu: Take the opponent to the ground, and expose him to pins and submission holds that he had no idea how to defend.

Maeda was thus executing the strategy of phases of combat and taking it a step further. His central idea was to take his opponents into a phase of combat in which they had no experience but in which he had great experience. Maeda's training in the kodokan during the ne waza revolution had left him with tremendous expertise in ground grappling. Boxers, on the other hand, had no expertise on the ground. Wrestlers had skill on the mat, but they were not versed in the range of submission holds that Maeda was using against them. Just like the Fusen-ryu fighters, Maeda sought to take advantage of this by taking the fight to the ground at the first opportunity. But unlike the Fusen-ryu fighters, Maeda had to deal with the problem of losing the gap against an aggressive and skilled striker, and this called for some technical innovation on his part. Maeda was among the first to prove the usefulness of phases of combat theory in open, mixed martial arts fighting against high- level opponents. In addition, he showed the great combat-effectiveness of grappling skill against dangerous strikers. His tremendous record of success left no doubt as to the usefulness of his strategy.

For more on teaching styles and to find MMA Training facilities, visit: MMA gyms in Chicago

The Current Split in Jujitsu - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Merriville IN

2010-09-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Although the tremendous increase in interest toward jujitsu is gratifying, it has also given rise to a problem that has split jujitsu into different camps. The fighters who did so much to renew interest in jujitsu cam almost exclusively from one particular style of jujitsu - Brazilian jiu jitsu. This unique offshoot of jujitsu has Japanese origins, but over time, it has evolved into an art whose techniques, philosophy of combat, strategy, and training methods are quite different from those of traditional jujitsu. There has been a tremendous imbalance between the fighters from Brazilian schools - which have been massively represented by MMA events- and the traditional jujitsu schools, which have been underrepresented. Indeed, many traditional jujitsu people feel the whole concept of challenge matches and MMA tournaments is contrary to the spirit of their martial art. Others feel that the emphasis placed on ground grappling in Brazilian jiu jitsu is good for MMA events but is disastrous for street combat and self-defense. The result has been a split in jujitsu between those following the lead of the of the Brazilian stylists and those more interested in a historically or classically motivated programs. The split is unfortunate because both approaches to jujitsu have much to offer each other.

Traditional jujitsu was an art that aimed for what is called combative completeness. It encompassed all manner of striking techniques, takedowns, throws, locks, chokes, and pins. There were even techniques for weapon disarmament, body guarding, and tying up and restraining an opponent, in addition to a host of other skills. Modern approaches to jujitsu, however, tend to be much more narrowly focused toward ground grappling. This emphasis led jujitsu fighters to easily dominate their opposition in early MMA tournaments. In time, opponents learned how to fight on the ground and how to counter many of the ground-grappling aspects of jujitsu. The result is that contemporary mixed martial arts matches tend to involve much more than ground grappling. Fighters must now be well-versed in all aspects of combat, striking, clinching, and groundwork.

Thus, the ideal of completeness that was so important in traditional jujitsu is now coming back in vogue, and both traditionalists and modernists of jujitsu can benefit from each other. Traditional jujitsu can offer its ideal of the complete fighter, as a positive influence on the more modern grappling styles of jujitsu. Likewise, modern grappling styles can offer traditionalists the extremely effective ground-fighting techniques and modern training methodology that catapulted it to the top of the mixed martial arts world.

For more on Jujitsu and MMA Training, visit: Jujitsu and MMA Training

Submission Wrestling - MMA Training in Scahumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Merriville IN

2010-09-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

Submission wrestling is essential for MMA fighters for two simple reasons. It gives you the skill to submit your opponent and avoid being submitted by him.

The strategy employed by a submission fighter is to score a takedown on the opponent. From there he will work to get himself into a dominant position. Finally, from his superior position he will apply a submission hold. After that he just waits for the tap.

What takedowns, positions, and submissions the fighter gravitates toward are greatly determined by his training background. Both the styles he has trained in and who he has trained with will makeup his background.

Some of the many arts that would be termed a submission wrestling style are…

Brazilian Jujitsu - Style developed from classical jujitsu and judo by the Gracie family.
Sambo - Russian grappling art with many similarities to judo.
Judo - Japanese martial art with a heavy focus on throws and sweeps from the clinch.
Catch Wrestling - American form of submission fighting with origins in both Europe and Asia.
Shoot Wrestling - Japanese submission grappling style with roots in catch wrestling.
Many fighters pick and choose certain elements from all of these styles. Then put them together under one name which is usually referred to as submission wrestling, submission grappling, or submission fighting.

These days the trend is moving toward practicing some kind of hybrid art with elements of all the styles used. Although that is the case, you can still find many fighters who specialize in just one art. The most common example of that is the MMA fighter who uses only BJJ for his ground skills.

To use the classical submission grappling styles in MMA the practitioner needs to make some adaptations.

In most MMA fights you and your opponent will not be allowed to wear a uniform (Gi). That means a lot of the moves in BJJ, Judo, and Sambo will need to be changed. Grabbing the Gi when throwing your opponent will need to be replaced with holding onto the limbs or trunk of the body. Using the Gi for handles to maneuver both your opponent and yourself, while on the ground, will not be available. Once again you will need to use the opponent’s actual body.

In Sambo the practitioners wear wrestling shoes. This will have an effect on a couple of things. Whoever is wearing the shoes can lock their legs together in the guard position much more securely. Also, whoever is wearing them is more susceptible to ankle locks. So you can see that someone with a background in Sambo who wishes to use it in a MMA fight will need to be aware of a few things. They will need to realize that both their guard and their opponents may be easier to open. They must also be aware that the man they are fighting could slip out of an ankle lock more easily.

Another factor to consider when training for MMA submission wrestling is strikes. There are techniques used in both classical styles and modern hybrid arts that could leave you open to being struck. When training for MMA, make sure you get in a lot of grappling sessions that also allow strikes. This will give you a good idea of what moves can put you in harm’s way. From there you can make a decision about whether it is worth the risk.

Let’s not forget the judges. In their eyes the man on top is in a superior position. Of course the fight can be ended from the bottom, but if it’s close and goes to decision, usually the man on top gets the win. So you may want to tweak your game a bit to take that into consideration.

For more on Submission wrestling and MMA Training, visit: Submission Tactics for MMA

Grappling Arts - MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Merriville IN

2010-09-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

In the 1990s, MMA competition was introduced to both North America and Japan, and it was down so with an unprecedented degree of public exposure. The idea was to have the various marital arts face off against each other with few rules or restraints. In the cauldron of open combat, people could see the relative merits of the many different approaches to martial arts. These events became some of the largest pay-per-view events in history. To say that their effect on the public's view of real combat was eye opening would be an understatement. In a short time, the misconceptions about real fighting that had developed in the decades of the post- World War II era were shattered.

People were shocked to see hallowed theories of combat repeatedly fail when put to the test. Competitors who had expected to blast their opponents with deadly strikes proved unable to dispatch them before being rapidly locked up in a clinch and invariably taken to the ground. Once on the ground, few competitors had the necessary skills to perform well. and most proved unable to defend themselves when put in vulnerable positions. Ironically, when they were put in dominant positions, most even lacked the skills to maintain and exploit their positional advantage.

The exception to this rule,however, was the grapplers, especially those skilled in Brazilian Jujitsu. They were able tot et to the clinch, and from there, they actively looked to take the fight to the ground, knowing full well that few people had the expertise to offer much resistance as soon as the fight went to the mat. People were stunned at the ease with which jujitsu fighters wrapped their opponents up and took them to the ground. The Brazilian fighters quickly gained an aura of invincibility that made them the envy of the marital arts world.

Mixed martial arts events became dominated to a truly extraordinary degree by Brazilian jujitsu. In the United States, Royce Gracie totally dominated the early Ultimate Fighting Championship and Marital Art Reality Superfight events; and Ralph Gracie was undefeated in the extreme fighting events. In Japan, Rickson Gracie breezed through the competition to win two consecutive vale tudo tournaments.

These early MMA events had a number of features that made them a particularly valuable and interesting part of marital arts history. First, they were as close to a real fight between the various styles of martial arts as could be allowed in a publicly sanctioned sport. There were long time limits, bare knuckles, no weight categories, and very few rules. None of the fighters really cross-trained, and almost every competitor came from one fighting style. As a result, there was a genuine clash of styles in those early MMA events. It was an arena where one could see a man trained only in boxing take on another man trained only in karate.

In this environment, the Gracies' and their students employed the same phases of combat strategy that had served Fusen ryu and Maeda so well almost a century earlier. The Gracies' used it with a polish and sophistication that immediately took them to center stage of the martial arts world. Their opponents were shocked to see the Gracie- trained fighters working effectively off their backs in what appeared to be hopeless positions and winning fights with unanticipated submission holds. The success of Brazilian jujitsu was as surprising as it was complete.

For more on the Grappling Arts and MMA Training, visit: MMA programs in Naperville, Schaumburg, Aurora, Merriville IN

Submission Grapplers - MMA in Naperville, Aurora, Chicago, Schaumburg, Merriville IN

2010-09-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

These are fighters who base their game on the use of positional control on the ground as a means of setting up highly efficient submission holds to end a fight. It was this approach to combat that proved so dominant in the early MMA events and continues to be one of the most popular and successful approaches today. We have seen that the most well-known advocated of this approach were Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters; however many other grappling styles employ a similar strategy.

The guiding idea with these fighters is to take the fight to the ground so that they can assume the kind of control necessary to restrain a wildly resisting opponent before applying a submission. Although most submission grapplers prefer a top position on the ground, they will often accept a bottom position, because many of their favorite submission holds can be successfully applied from underneath their opponent.

What was impressive about the submission grapplers in early MMA competition was the efficiency of their victories. Quite often, they challenged and defeated opponents far larger than themselves. This was possible because they were comfortable working underneath their opponents. The submission holds they employed were also highly efficient; they applied a large amount of force against a weak part of their opponent's anatomy. Such victories were bloodless and made a favorable impression of victory without the brutality.

The chief weakness of submission grapplers has been their lack of takedown and striking skills. These weaknesses were not exposed in early MMA events since few of the fighters had any idea how to defend a takedown or break out of a clinch. As a result, even rather poorly executed takedown attempts were almost always successful. On the occasions when submission grapplers faced skilled wrestlers, they were able to take advantage of the wrestlers' lack of knowledge of submission holds an gain many impressive victories. In time, however, strikers came to learn takedown defenses, and wrestlers learned how to avoid many of the most important submission holds. In addition, the rule changes greatly increased the amount of time spent in the standing position in each match.

For more on submission grapplers and to find local gyms, check out: MMA conditioning

"Ground and Pound" Fighters - MMA in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Chicago, Merriville IN

2010-08-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

Wrestlers are noted for their tremendous skill in takedowns, defending takedowns, and controlling position on the ground. Once it became obvious that take down and ground-grappling skills were crucial in real fights, wrestlers began to enter MMA tournaments, in large numbers.In the early days, the wrestlers had mixed success and failure. They had many good attributes, great athleticism and conditions, and unmatched skill in takedowns, however, they lacked any real knowledge of submission holds. The result was that they could not finish the fight efficiently. In addition, they were vulnerable themselves to such holds and often fell victim to them. Once wrestlers learned to avoid the submission holds of submission grapplers, they preformed much better.

In time, the use of small, fou four ounce gloves became mandatory in MMA events. These allowed fighters to hit hard for long periods of time without fear of harming their own hands. Shorter time limits and the use of judges to decide the outcome of a fight that went the distance also meant that wrestlers could take an opponent down and gain any kind of top position. From there, they would look to pound their opponents with their fist while simultaneously avoiding submission holds as best they could. Since the wrestlers were almost always larger, stronger, and more athletic than their opponents, this strategy of taking opponents to the ground and pounding them for long periods of time often worked. It was almost always enough to win a judge's decision if the fight went to the time limit- and quite often, it resulted in a referee's stoppage.

The chief weakness of this approach is that it almost always requires the fighters to have grater size, strength, and athleticism to attain victory. There are no cases of a smaller, weaker man using this strategy to defeat an opponent. Also, such fighters can only win if they gain a top position. If they should be taken down themselves or swept over into a bottom position. "ground and pound" is not longer possible,and defeat normally ensues. There is also a constant danger of submission holds that can always catch the unwary or tired off guard.

For more on Fighter's moves and for MMA Training near you, check out: MMA conditioning

Mastering Jujitsu - MMA Training in Naperville, Chicago, Aurora, Schaumburg, Merriville - Hobart, IN

2010-08-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

In the last decade, gound fighting has become the most talked about aspect of fighting in the martial arts, which is a complete turnaround from the previous decades, when it was almost totally neglected. The grease for this shift in momentum is undoubtedly the influence of mixed martial arts (MMA), where ground fiting has so often proven to be the phase of combat where fights are won and lsot. There are, however, deeper reasons that explain why ground fighting currently has the undivided attention of so many martial artist.

First, in a fight without rules, there are no weight categories. You must fight whomever fate places in front of you, which was also the case in the early MMA events. Whenever there is a dramatic difference in size, the likelihood of a smaller opponent being taken down by a far larger opponent is much higher.

Second, regardless of any great disparity in size, there is always the chance of being taken down to your back in a real fight. This could be due to your opponent's great skill in takedowns or a mistake on your part. It is simply a fact that if you fight tough opponents, you have a high chance of being taken down at some point.

Third, fights are usually chaotic affairs, where things never seem to go as planned. Often your opponent turns out to be much more difficult to contend with than anticipated, even when he is untrained. In the swirling chaos of a fight, anything can happen. For example, you can easily trip and end up in the bottom position, despite your intention not to go down.

Perhaps the most important reason for developing your bottom game is the sense of confidence that it will develop in you. For most people, their greatest fear in a real fight is being held down and beaten. This natural fear prohibits them from fighting with confidence. If a fighter is terrified of being taken down, he will be reluctant to apply his techniques. His concern will be that in committing to a strike. he will be taken down and pummeled. However, if he knows that he can survive from the bottom position and even attack from it, then he will have no fear of being taken down. The result is that he will hit with confidence is the standing position. The bottom game is a way of dealing with the worst-case scenario of a real fight- the image of being pinned down and crushed. Jujitsu makes you comfortable specifically in the worst-case scenario. If you can deal comfortably with that aspect of a fight, there is little to fear.

For more on jujitsu check out: Aurora, Naperville, Minooka, Schaumburg, Chicago Jujitsu

Differences between Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Traditional Jiu Jitsu - MMA Training in Naperville, Aurora, Schaumburg, Merriville - Hobart, IN

2010-08-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Brazilian jiu jitsu was largely unknown outside of its home country until it exploded onto the world stage in the 1990s. The initial reaction th this previously unheralded combat style on the part of the martial arts community was mixed to say the least. Based on moral and apathetic principles, some people rejected outright the whole idea of challenge matches and MMA competition, claiming that such events contravened the "spirit" of the martial arts. Others claimed that MMA events were nothing more than an interesting sideshow that had little to do with real combat, since real fights involved multiple opponents, weapons, concrete floors, and the like.

Among the many martial artists who accepted the validity of MMA fights as important evidence of combat effectiveness, a good deal of confusion arose over the nature of the most successful fighting style - Brazilian jiu jitsu. Many people saw the similarities between certain elements of traditional jiu jitsu and Brazilian jiu jitsu technique, particularly some of the submission holds and pinning positions. Ont he basis, some people misinterpreted Brazilian jiu jitsu as merely some subspecies of traditional jujitsu. This initial confusion was not helped by the shared nomenclature of the two arts.

It is important to realize, however, that there are dramatic differences between Brazilian jiu jitsu and traditional jujitsu that run much deeper than the difference in spelling! The fact that Brazilian jiu jitsu has had tremendous success in MMA competition that has not been replicated by traditional jujitsu is a clear sign that Brazilian jiu jitsu has important combat and training elements that are lacking in traditional jujitsu. Few people have been able to articulate these differences in print, which has led to the persistent belief that the success of Brazilian jiu jitsu somehow vindicate all jujitsu systems.

What is needed, then, is a clear statement of the differences between Brazilian jiu jitsu and traditional jujitsu. When writers approach this topic, one often hears glib references to Brazilian jiu jitsu a s being a "ground-fighting style" or that it somehow makes more efficient use of leverage and technique than traditional jujitsu. Though there is some element of truth to these statements, the real differences urn much deeper.

But before we examine the differences, let us begin with the common ground. First, all systems of jujitsu have a clear philosophical commitment to the use of efficient technique to defeat brute strength and aggression. Second, in bringing about this end, there are many classical techniques that date back centuries- submission holds, throws, takedowns, and so on- that are just as integral a part of Brazilian jiu jitsu as they are of traditional jujitsu. Nonetheless, the differences between traditional jujitsu and Brazilian jiu jitsu are profound, and we shall now examine them in detail.

For more on Jiu Jitsu and to find local gyms check out: MMA Chicagoland

Victory in the Ground Phase - MMA Training Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Chicago, Merriville - Hobart, IN

2010-08-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

We have taken pains to point out that the ground phase of combat is the place where most fights are won and lost. When two unskilled fighters clash, they almost always end up on the ground. The bigger, stronger, a more aggressive fighter normally prevails, especially if he lands on top, but this tendency changes when skill and technique are factored into the equation. A skilled grappler can use knowledge of positional pins and escapes to evade and control an opponent. In addition, he can employ submission holds to lock or strangle an opponent and thus swiftly defeat even a larger, stronger fighter. In fact, if a skilled grappler begins the ground fight underneath his opponent, it is still quite possible for him to prevail and attain victory, though he may have to work a little harder to do so. This type of occurrence has been shown numerous times in MMA events, and it is no longer a surprise to most martial artists. The two most common means of victory in a ground fight, them are the following:

Attaining a dominating position, then striking one's opponent with sufficient power and relentlessness to make him submit, to knock him out, to force a referee's stoppage, or to win a judge's decision. This strategy can be done with varying degrees of sophistication. If you are far larger and stronger than your opponent, it is usually enough to attain any kind of top position and pound away at your opponent. This "ground and pound" methodology is popular among wrestlers in MMA events and has certainly had some success. It has also had many notable failures, however, especially when the size of the positional strategy central to modern jiu-jitsu. The idea is to constantly seek a better, more dominating position, from where a striking attack is not likely to be stopped or countered by a skilled opponent. This position greatly increases the effectiveness of your striking attack and makes it unlikely that your opponent will be able to interrupt your attack with submission attempts.

Attaining a dominating position, then looking to finish the fight via a submission hold. This is one of the most characteristic features of the various grappling styles. especially in modern jiu-jitsu. These submission holds comprise an impressive element-a remarkable demonstration of artist to win a fight in a bloodless display of pure grappling skill. This is one sense in which modern jiu-jitsu is an art form, rather than a bloody, gladiatorial locking of horns in which only strength and endurance prevail.

In actual combat, these two approaches are usually mixed together. It is almost always the case that your opponent will have strong defenses to the basic submission holds. Often, this necessitates the use of strikes to open up his defenses. As he reacts to a barrage of strikes, his limbs become exposed, making the application of submission holds much easier.

For more on Ground Phase and MMA Workout programs check out: MMA workout

More Power, More Muscle - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Chicago, Merriville - Hobart, IN

2010-08-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Ever since Bruce Lee exploded onto the marital arts scene via television and the movies, our perception of martial arts fighting heroes and villains have been formed mostly by Hollywood and Hong Kong. Most are lean and muscular, and directors love to show their physiques in torn shirts, dramatic lighting and spray-on sweat. Rarely do we see overweight martial arts actors, Sammy Hung being the rare exception. Adding to our preception of the ideal fighting physique are today's full-contact fighters, many of whom rival bodybuilding contestants.

Lean, muscular physiques have been presented by the entertainment indursty and in martial arts magazines for so long that many people - fans who don't train and people just beginning to- consider such musculature a standard in teh fighting arts. Some even believe that ripped physiques can be developed by just practicing the martial arts. While that would be wonderful if it were indeed the case, the reality is that we need to do more than just kick and punch. Yes martial arts training when coupled with a proper diet often develops a lean physique with some degree of musculature, but to pack on extra muscular weight, one has to make an extra effort? Is it easy? Nope. Nothing worthwhile is.

Decades ago, weight training was considered in many martial arts circles to be detrimental to one's skill. There were absurd claims that larger than average muscles would slow a fighter down and interfere with ease of movement. While there is some truth to this when talking about a person in the top echelon of professional bodybuilding, few if any martial artists reach that caliber of muscularity, or want to.

It's been our experience teaching thousdans of studetns ofr over 50 combined years that those who train with some kind of resistance exercises are better than those who don't Can you be successful in your chosen fighting art without such training? Yes. Will you be better if you make resisitance training part of your repertoire? Yes, at least in our experience and in teh experience of many, many other instructors. We certainly don't believe that fighters need large and showy muscles, but when muscles are developed specifically to augment martial arts movements, their overall fighting improves dramatically.

For more on power and MMA Training, go to: MMA conditioning

Last Man Standing - MMA Training, Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, and Merrillville / Hobart

2010-08-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

UFC fighters who like to stay on their feet need two things above all else: excellent striking ability and good take down defense. By using their strikes-especially solid, fast kicks and punches, they can keep an opponent at bay. Optimally, they can keep the other guy at just the right range for landing those debilitating hits.

At the same time, they need to be able to withstand a sudden charge from their opponent, who might be looking to score a take down on them.

Fighters who like being upright need to be able to land solid shots. This means a lot of work on heavy bags to condition hands and feet. IT means they need to be able to land these power shots on actual opponents and target the strikes to areas that will actually damage their opponent.

Being able tot drive a punch into a viable target and quickly bring it back into a good defensive position are also essential. Fighters don't like to leave punches hang in out there. Not only is that weapon not chambered and able to then deliver a lot of power, it also exposes an opening that the opposition may take advantage of.

How good are they pacing? Chuck Liddell is one of the most well-known punches around. And while he looks for early knockout, he is also respected for his stamina having gone in to the third and fourth rounds for wins over Tito Ortiz and Jeremy Horn, receptively. Other knockout artists aren't as prepared and in their zest get the early KO, they are apt to tire themselves out. a savvy opponent may be able to stay alive just long enough for them to burn out before moving in for a finish.

But if a stand up fighter gets taken down, they need a good defense. Again using Chuck Liddell as an example, if he gets taken down, he is usually able to get right back on his feet again. This is crucial, especially if the fighter in question feels more comfortable on two feet rather than on the ground.

For more on MMA warrior and MMA Training near you check out: MMA gyms in Chicago

Additional Cardio Considerations - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Chicago

2010-08-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

As if this type of training isn't challenging enough, there are a couple of additional elements that fighters can incorporate to increase their conditioning levels. The first is one that is often overlooked by many combat athletes. In an effort to simulate the conditions of an actual match as closely as possible, we highly recommend that MMA warriors wear their mouthpieces during a workout.

Following this simple piece of advice will help reduce the amount of oxygen a fighter can take in while exercising, thereby increasing anaerobic conditioning. It will also help a fighter get used to wearing his mouth guard. Once this becomes comfortable, there is another easy way to make cardio training even more challenging; adhesive tape.

In a sport where getting punched in the face is normal, busted noses are a common occurrence. When this happens in a fight, it generally means that a fighter's only option is to breathe through his mouth. To simulate this during training, use some medical tape to seal the nose and tape it shut. Combine this technique while wearing a mouthpiece and your anaerobic conditioning goes to a whole new level.

Another common practice among professional fighters is what is called high altitude training. Working out at higher altitudes increases the body's ability to extract oxygen from the air and transport it to the muscles. At sea level, normal air has an oxygen content of about 21 percent. Most people know that the higher you go in altitude the "thinner" the air gets. What this means is that the oxygen content of the air is reduced to between 9 percent and 15 percent.

Some of the best-known MMA training facilities, are high- altitude training centers. Another practice that is becoming more common for fighters unable to travel to these high-altitude training camps is the use of personal hypoxications. There portable devices simulate a altitude environment by reducing the amount of oxygen that is consumed.

Although they run several hundred dollars, high-altitude simulators made by Altipower and AltoLab are gaining in popularity. Some training centers have purchased a hypoxicator to be used by all the fighters on its team. This helps to defray the cost among team members and provides the ability to incorporate regular high-altitude training without having to go to the mountains. Some studies have even shown that a regular hypoicator training program yields better results than the approximate two-week short term benefit of training in the mountains.

For more on Cardio and to find a MMA gym near you; check out: MMA Chicagoland

Circuit Training - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville, Chicago

2010-08-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

The beautiful thing about all of these exercise is that they can be combined into what are called circuits. Circuit training involves doing a number of exercises at different stations to compose a full workout. The benefits for combat athletes are numerous. first, this format of training promotes cardiovascular fitness as well as muscle endurance. It can also provide a full-body workout using numerous muscle groups.

MMA warriors endeavor to simulate the conditions of a real match as closely as possible. For a hard-core anaerobic workout routine, this means adopting the nonstop, five-minute-round formula. To maximize out circuit training, we've combined a series of exercises and drills into rounds. This greatly improves a fighter's ability to adapt quickly and develop the all-around stamina needed for a real match.

For more on Circuit Training and MMA Training check out: Aurora, Naperville, Minooka, Schaumburg, Chicago MMA Training

The Day of the Fight- MMA Training Schaumburg, Chicago, Aurora, Naperville

2010-08-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Upon walking in teh morning, the MMA warrior approximately double his average water intake for the first couple of hours. Continuing our illustration, the 195 pound fighter would drink between sixteen and twenty-four ounces per hour. Afterwards, he can reduce his water consumption to an average of eight to twelve ounces per hour. This regulated water intake helps the fighter to be fully hydrated while avoiding any bloated feelings.

If possible, have smaller meals every hour until two hours before the fight. This is to give your final meal adequate time to digest prior to the match. We recommend alternating actual food meals with carb-protein shakes. IT is also important not to change your food from what you normally eat. Stick to the types of food you are comfortable with and you'll be fine. Again, avoid consuming too much food at one time, which will levee you feeling sluggish.

Lastly, we recommend a power bar about twenty minutes prior to the fight. Since you have been loading upon complex carbohydrates it is time to give your body that last-minute boost with some fast-acting simple carbs. Eating helps to calm your last minute nerves and gives you a fast acting boost of energy. You can also have some green tea, which will give you a final boost of caffeine.

For more on the Day of the Fight and MMA Training check out: Pure MMA Training

Practices to Avoid - MMA Training Aurora, Schaumburg, Naperville, Chicago

2010-08-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Weight cutting has been a commonly used in both wrestling and boxing for many years. Unfortunately, some of the least effective weight loss methods have been carried over from these sports into MMA. Typically used teh last few hours before weigh-ins, these practices can have an adverse effect on the performance output of the body.

One of these techniques that you'll want to stay away from is sweating offer excess pounds through last-minute intensive exercise. This is usually don't in heavy clothing, or even a plastic suit, in an effort to raise the result in losing several pounds, it can also be detrimental to the body. This method expends vital energy that is needed for the fight. You wan tot save your stamina for the match, not waste it in a last-minute flurry of exercising to make weight.

Another method to avoid is extended dehydration. Never go more than twenty-four hours without water, especially right before the bout. The muscles in the body are approximately 70 percent water. Going without water for longer than twenty-four hours will not only dehydrate your muscles and sap your strength, it will also significantly reduce your speed.

Unfortunately, some athletes who lack common sense not only dehydrate themselves, but they even go without food for a few days before the fight. How can you expect to do well if your body is malnourished? If there is a sure formula for lousy performance, this is it. Do yourself a favor and avoid falling into these common weight-cutting traps.

There is one last technique used to drop weight that bears mentioning. Some athletes desperate to lost the last couple oiynds have resorted to using diuretics. A Diuretic is any drug that increased the rate of the excretion of urine from teh body. These drugs force the expulsion of water from the body through urination, Although there are natural and synthetic diuretics, both can lead to electroyte imbalances. Synthetic diurectics should only be used under the supervision of a doctor.

For more on weight cutting and MMA Training check out: MMA Training and weight cutting

Weight Cutting for the Warrior - MMA Training in Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville

2010-08-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Since MMA now uses weight classes under the United Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, fighters typically wan to be as big and strong as possible for their division. As we discussed, fighters follow specific nutritional guidelines to decrease their body fat levels. This increases their lean muscle mass and gives combat athletes an advantage over opponents who have a higher percentage of body fat.

Many MMA warriors also endeavor to lose several pounds just before a match. This is known as 'cutting" or "dropping" weight. After weighing-in, they then try to put back on the pounds they shed in preparation for the bout. Combined together, these two strategies provide competitors teh best chance to be the biggest overall fighter in the weight class.

A fighter who implements this method often looks much bigger and stronger than one who doesn't. A fighter who normally weighs 185 pounds and has 14 percent body fat has a lean muscle mass of 159 pounds. His opponent, the MMA warrior, normally weighs 197 pounds and has only 7 percent body fat due to a nutritious diet and excellent workout program.

In this scenario, the MMA warrior has a lean muscle mass of just over 183 pounds. He is almost at the maximum weight for his division in lean muscle mass alone. If he is able to temporarily cut 12 pounds for the weigh-in, it means that the MMA warrior will be almost 25 pounds bigger than his opponent. This is a huge difference. The MMA warrior will essentially be more than an entire weight class heavier than the first fighter.

For more on MMA Warriors and cutting weight check out: Pure MMA Warrior Training

Nutrition and Supplements - MMA Training Schaumburg, Aurora, Naperville

2010-08-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

For the combat athlete, proper nutrition is an absolute essential part of training. Food is the fuel of the MMA warrior. How and what a fighter eats is an important element of success. Proper nutrition helps to keep the body performing at peak levels. Think of it this way: There is a difference in the type of high-test fuel that goes into a Ferrari and your everyday sedan. High-performance vehicles require high-performance fuel. The same is true for any athlete.

We've already established that mixed martial artists aren't just your typical athletes. They require an even fighter level of performance than someone who is working out just to stay in shape. A fighter's diet and nutrition intake is often very specific to ensure he is operating at his peak. Keep in mind, of course, that you should always consult with your physician before starting a new fitness plan or taking supplements.

Quality meals are an important part of training for a couple of very good reasons. First, having a high-performance body with minimized fat levels allows for increased speed and endurance. Fat is nonfunctional, and carrying around extra amounts of it will make a fighter's reaction time slower.

Think of it in this way: A combat athlete who weighs in at 185 pounds with 14 percent body fat has a lean body mass of 159 pounds. A fighter who also weighs in at 185 pounds, but has a 7 percent body fat will have a lean body mass of 172 pounds. The second fighter,, in addition to probably having quicker reaction time, is also 13 pounds more muscular than the first athlete. In a highly competitive sport like MMA, this kind of advantage can make a huge difference in a fight.

The second reason eating healthy is important to the MMA warrior because it assists in the prevention of injury. A body that is receiving ample amounts of proper nutrients is less susceptible to damage. Additionally, performance nutrition can aid considerably in decreasing the body's recovery time from extreme training. The faster the recovery time, the stronger the athlete will be for competition.

For more on Nutrition and Supplements check out:Pure MMA Fighting

Swimming - MMA Training Schuamburg, Naperville, Aurora, Chicago

2010-08-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

Swimming is one of the best all-around exercise on the planet, and it is awesome for MMA competitors. First, it is a rigorous anaerobic workout because you have to hold your breath when your face is in the water. Second, it is a full-body workout, which also gives a fighter complete freedom of movement. Many combat athletes report increased body sensitivity, relaxation and fluidity of movement in their sparring as a result of a regular swimming practice.

If you are new to swimming, try starting with the basic freestyle stroke. As your skills in the water progress, you can advance to the breast and butterfly stroke. To improve your swimming technique, we suggest checking out the terrific Total Immersion DVD series.

While there are a number of excellent swimming strokes to help you get from one end of the pool to the other, there is one rule you absolutely should never break: Always have a swim buddy. Since the type of swimming training a combat athlete undergoes is very intense, the last thing you want to do is take a chance on drowning. So do yourself a favor and make sure there is always a lifeguard or coach to monitor your progress.

Remember MMA is a sport where you need power, speed, and endurance for up to twenty-five minutes. Thus, any swimming routine you develop should follow the same five-minute round and one-minute rest formula. If you haven't done any swimming ina long time, you can bet on needing to start with one minute of swimming followed by a thirty-second rest. Everyone has to start at his own level, and you'll build up your endurance the more you practice.

For more on MMA Training techniques check out: http://www.chicagommatraining.com

Evolution of striking in Mixed Martial Arts- MMA Training in Schaumburg, St. Charles, Naperville, Aurora

2010-08-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

In the early days of MMA, Striking may have lacked the technical finesse fighters possess today, but it didn't stop warriors from slugging it out. One of the first strikers to rise to prominence was UFC bad boy Tank Abbott. Known for this incredibly heavy hands, Abbott established his presence in his debut in UFC VI by knocking out John Mata cold in only eighteen seconds. Although he had incredible striking power, Abbott lacked good physical conditioning and often suffered losses when fights lasted longer than a few minutes. Competitors quickly realized that even great striking ability was useless without the cardio necessary to endure a tough match.

Another noted striker using the infancy of the UFC was Marco Ruas, Winner of UFC VII. Ruas combined his grappling skills with kick boxing and became a well known fighter. HE was also one of the first MMA competitors to effectively employ the Muay Thai leg kick as part of an overall striking strategy. Ruas successfully used this thigh kick to wear down and defeat Paul Varelans and capture the tournament.

Don Frye, a wrestler and professional boxer, showed the effectiveness of good boxing technique just one event later in UFC III. Frye won the event after knocking out his first opponent in only ten seconds. This KO still stands as one the fastest knockouts in MMA history.

The perfect combination of punching technique, accuracy, and lightening-fast speed was demonstrated a year later in the boxing skills of nineteen-year-old Victor Belfort. Nicknamed "The Phenom," he blasted through his competition in UFC XII and also defeated Tank Abbott in UFC XIII. Belfort showed fight fans just how valuable a fine-tuned boxing skill set could be for an MMA warrior.

Meanwhile, kick boxer MAurice Smith had been racking up wins in Battlecade Extreme Fighting, proving his kicking skills by defeating Marcus Silveira with a head kick. Smith was soon earning a name for himself as an excellent striker and proving that well-placed kicks were an important part of a fighter's striking arsenal.

As UFC ownership changed hands, Chuck Liddell emerged as one of the prominent strikers in the world. With over a dozen career knockouts, Liddell's powerful right hand is typically set up by his great footwork. While it may seem trivial, footwork is an often-overlooked component of the MA stand up game. Having excellent footwork is an important element of striking and separates the champions from everyone else.

While Liddell was demolishing everyone in his path in the UFC, Wanderlei Silva was doing the same in Japan's PRIDE Fighting events. Known for his vicious Muay Thai knees, Wanderlei has won over twenty fights by knockout. Although not a relation, another Muay Thai fighter named Anderson Silva was also making a name for himself in PRIDE. Anderson signed with the UFC in spring of 2006 and burst onto the scene with a string of victories. Displaying a complete range of powerful punches, elbows, knees, and kicks, Anderson Silva is considered one of the most accurate and talented strikers in all of MMA.

The current stand up striking techniques of MMA are a fusion of traditional boxing and Muay Thai kick boxing. Effectively integrating the accuracy of boxing punches with powerful kicks form kick boxing and devastating Muay Thai knees and elbows, today's fighter has an abundance of strikes to choose from during a match. But knowing how to land great strikes is only the equation. A combat athlete must also know how to defend against all of these potentially dangerous threats to be a complete fighter.

For more on MMA Fighting and MMA Training check out this website: Pure MMA Fighting

Sparring and Grappling- Schaumburg!!, Naperville, Aurora,

2010-08-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

For the aspiring MMA enthusiasm there is absolutely no better way to enhance cardiovascular fitness than through actual sparring. It provides an opportunity to test both your techniques as well as your perseverance.

If you have multiple training partners, one of the best sparring conditioning exercises is to go with a new partner for each round. This way, each opponent is fresh and ready to give his all for each round. You, on the other hand have to develop your mental resolve to push through the fatigue. Five rounds of sparring in this format is sometimes called "the shark tank" because you spar against one opponent while the others are circling the mat like sharks waiting to get their turn.

One quick note: Make sure your sparring partners all agree to the level of intensity of the sparring session, The easies way is to establish a 1 to 10 scale with 1 being shadow boxing and 10 being about 85 percent strength and speed. Of course, this scale should also be evaluated on the amount of sparring gear you are wearing.

Wearing groin protection, a mouthpiece, full shin pads, headgear, and twelve- ounce boxing gloves may mean that yo can spar harder without a high risk of injury. Wearing just a cup, mouth guard, and MMA gloves may mean you'll have to tone down the intensity level. The balance between intensity level and threat level provides multitude of training options during a sparring session.

For more on Sparring and Grappling, visit here: Pure Mixed Martial Arts

MMA Training in Schaumburg, IL

2010-08-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

COMING SOON!!!!!! NEW CARLSON GRACIE MMA TRAINING GYM IN SCHAUMBURG!!!!!!!

CARLSON GRACIE will be opening on September 1st, in Schaumburg IL. The CARLSON GRACIE new gym will be located at:
1207 Remington Rd., Suite 105, Schaumburg, Illinois,60173

This extraordinary gym will feature everything listed below among others. The Gracie name is synonymous with honor, tradition, and dedication – the values that the team at continues to uphold. The history of the Gracie name is very important to our coaches.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a form of self-defense that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. It promotes the principle that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend themselves against a bigger, stronger assailant using leverage and proper technique; most notably, by applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat them

Boxing
Boxing has existed as a means of combat and sport for thousands of years. In-fighters, out-fighters, punchers and brawlers, boxing has an extensive and broad wealth of technique and skill.

Wrestling
Wrestling is an ancient martial art that uses grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, generally between two people, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position

MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
MMA is a blending of various standing and striking techniques such as Muay Thai and traditional Boxing as well as ground fighting techniques from judo, jiu-jitsu and wrestling, MMA utilizes a vast array of combat techniques to knock out or cause an opponent to submit.

Beginner Programs
We offer a beginner Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes.

Kids Programs
Carlson Gracie Team MMA provides an outstanding kids program that is both engaging and entertaining

Private Instruction
Carlson Gracie Team MMA offers private instruction sessions 7 days a week to addresses specific disciplines and aspects of your martial arts that you may need to improve upon

For More on the CARLSON GRACIE TEAM and other locations please check out our website:Pure MMA Fighting

Physical Training - MMA Training Chicago, Naperville, Aurora, Schaumburg

2010-08-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

After all the personal mental development, it is time to move on to creating a physical training strategy. In this stage, with the help of their coaches and training partners, fighters will develop a training regimen and strategy. Each training schedule and strategy is custom designed to the individual needs of the fighter. For instance, an athlete may have excellent physical conditioning, but lack ground-fighting techniques. In this case, his training regiment would focus on developing the submission and escaping skills of jiu-jitsu and the fundamental movements of wrestling. Another fighter may have excellent jiu0jitsu skills but is missing the stand-up skills necessary to be a well-rounded fighter. Here, the fighter would seek to develop his boxing and Muay Thai kick boxing abilities to improve his stand-up game.

The physical training of a mixed martial artist is second to none, combing a high level of anaerobic performance with incredible strength training. MMA warriors have to be fast, strong, and have incredible endurance. In addition, flexibility is an often- overlooked component of their physical training regiment. When it comes to wrestling and jiu-jitsu, it pays to have a flexible body, which can help fighters escape from submissions or positions of disadvantage.

Check out this link for more physical training, and MMA Training: Pure MMA Training

Sparring- MMA Training Chicago, Aurora, Naperville, Schaumburg

2010-08-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

A very large percentage of training time in Brazilian jiu-jitsu is taken up with live sparring. You and your training partner engage in live training, employing the techniques of jiu-jitsu to the best of your ability in an effort to make your opponent submit. This gives a considerable advantage to the practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. By constantly being exposed tot he pressure and demands of live training with a resisting partner he or she becomes very used to the idea of restraining, dominating and finishing a resisting opponent-which is exactly what will be demanded of you in a real fight (such as biting, eye gouging, hair pulling, and striking) are removed from training you can partake in such live sparring on a daily basis without fear of constant injury and damage. As you grow in skill and confidence you can periodically add in striking to test yourself and your defenses.

In Brazilian jiu-jitsu live training normally begins on your knees rather than from a standing position. This allows you to get right into your ground grappling without distraction. Starting on your knees also greatly reduces the likelihood of injury in training. However it should be noted that time must be devoted to standing grappling training also. While it is a fact that the vast majority of fights end up on the ground it is also true that most fights begin in a standing position. Consequently it is crucial to set aside time to practice standing grappling as well. This includes take downs, throws, defending take downs, clinching, and standing submission holds. However in your day-to-day training where ground grappling is being emphasized it makes good sense to begin sparring on the knees, The idea in sparring is to utilize the overall strategy and techniques of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to force your opponent to submit- just as you would in a real fight. You want to work yourself into progressively better positions form where you can control your opponent and then use some kind of finishing hold to force a submission.

As you train you must try very hard to think strategically rather than simply muscle your way to victory. Try to stay as relaxed as you can and to employ the moves. In this way you will become a technical fighter rather than a brawler. As you from in confidence you can even give your opponent an advantage by deliberately falling into a bad position and trying to work your way out. By this means you can become very adept at escape. Initially your wrestling sessions will be exhausting as you substitute strength for technique, but as your progress technically you will become smoother and more efficient in your grappling style.

More grappling can be seen at this gym: Pure MMA Fighting

No- Gi Training - MMA Training Chicago, Naperville, Aurora, Schaumburg

2010-08-09T08:22:00.001-07:00

If you have never trained without a gi before, you are in for a great new challenge. The no-gi game is different, no doubt about it. Because you don't have a gi to control your opponent and keep him dry, submission grappling is a game of speed and quickness of thinking that requires more out of its participant in many ways. Your physical abilities will be tested to the fullest because you are much more able to move from position to position and can match up against a more technical fighter and still prevail. This downplaying of technique turns some people off, but if you are looking for a pure form of combat, this is just the ticket. Submission grappling prepares you for the real thing.

In submission grappling, you have to make better use of your grips. In fact, you have to develop a whole new set of grips. The wrist, the back of the neck, the ankle, the knee, the elbow- these are all different grips than their jiu-jitsu counterparts. The main thing about no-gi fighting is that it's slippery. Without the gi to grip, many times you lose your folds. The trick is not to be too set on a particular plan. With a gi, you can proceed one step at a time and be pretty certain where you are going next. Without the gi, you can't be so determined to control a certain grip. You have to let things happen, flow with the situation.

Because it is seemingly a less technical game. to be successful in submission grappling you also absolutely must make the best use of your body. For instance, in the open guard, my feet work like hands, gripping my opponent's biceps as they follow his arm movement, keeping contact with him. When going for an arm bar from the guard, my legs climb on my opponent's back, keeping him from moving away from me. I use my heels like hands again, cupping and digging his back to keep extra control. I need to make use of my weight, applying it to the correct points to take away the opponent's ability to just slip away.

Additionally, instead of only thinking one step ahead, now you have to think three or four steps ahead because things happen so quickly due to the nature of the sport. The grips slip, so you lose and regain your grip a lot more. Sometimes you grab and lose, then grab and lose again. You need to be prepared to take advantage of the times you do get control. and not to get discouraged when you lose control, because that happens to everyone constantly in submission grappling. The real key is being ready for your opponent's escape. Not that you plan on failure, but having your contingency plan in place - anticipating where he is going to escape to and how he is going to escape - can get you far. What ways can be escape? How does he usually like to escape? Once you know that, you can have the next attack ready to go and can shorten the gap. Because if he is late on the first one, he will likely fall further behind on the second and third attacks, and that is what you need to succeed.

This gym has it all, so check it out: http://www.chicagommatraining.com

Sizing Up the Competition - MMA Training Naperville, Aurora, Chicago, Schaumburg

2010-08-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

When a fight is announced, the first thing each fighter wants to do is examine their competition in detail. With an analysis that would make the Central Intelligence Agency proud, fighters and their team pore over records, fight tapes, and any other information they can glean to help build a comprehensive picture of the man they'll soon face.

Tapes

Perhaps more vital than any other piece of information, a fighter's team will pull tapes of all the competitor's recent bouts, as well as a few older bouts. They will watch the tapes over and over, stopping or pausing to learn how their opponent fights. Every detail will be examined, from how he holds his hands, to how he leads during a kick and how he slips his strikes in during a clinch. What holds does he favor? Where does he seem weakest as he moves in to launch a technique?

Along with the assessment, the fighter's team is comparing how the opponent fights to how their man fights. Does the opponent have any visible weakness that can be exploited? Does he seem to have a weak chin that might mean he can be taken out with a good punch? What is his takedown defense like? If he's a fighter who favors wrestling moves, does his standup suffer as a result?

Training

Along with tapes, the fighter's team will want to know who the opponent is training with. This is valuable intelligence that will be used to help build a game plan. If the opponent is studying with a famed wrestling technique coach, does that mean he might haul those skills out during a fight? If he's working kicking down walls, will he be looking to use his legs to score a knockout?

Along with finding out who he's training with, the fighter's team will want to know how he trains. Does he go all day or are there too many rest periods built in to his schedule? Does he seem determined to win or is some of that all- important spirit lacking? What about endurance training? Does he do enough roadwork to stay active for five five-minute rounds? Can he keep up?

Personal life

While some experts would not choose to focus on this area as much there's little doubt that a fighter's personal life can affect how they approach a fight. If there's a great deal of stress or anxiety in the opponent's personal life, there may be a chance it will spill over into even the most disciplined of fighters. As such a previously unshakable fighter may be compromised.

With a ll these factors now resolved, the fighter's team looks to the next stage of preparation.

This gym has all the preparation you will need; check it out:http://www.chicagommatraining.com

Fighting Strategies- MMA Training in Chicago, Aurora, Naperville and Schaumburg IL

2010-08-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

The attraction of MMA lies in its range of techniques and fighting skills including kicking, punching, kneeing and elbowing strikes. Practitioner also have to be good at clinching, wrestling and groundwork. Any weaknesses shown in these areas will quickly be exploited by an opponent. Fitness is important too, as is a strong and agile mind that can formulate and execute strategy to defeat the opponent while competing. The main focus of MMA is the exploitation of an opponent's weaknesses combined with the imposition of one's own strengths. An effective fighter is one who can adapt in this way, but who also minimizes their own weaknesses while maximizing their strengths. The fighter's choice to fight standing or on the ground will be dictated by the opponent's background. The concept of combining fighting styles was first pioneered by Bruce Lee. He believed that combining other styles into his concept and philosophy, which he called Jeet Kune Do, would give the fighter an advantage. He also felt that a good fighter should be able to adapt to the opponent's fighting style, which is also true for Mixed Martial Arts. Bruce Lee's concept was recognized by UFC president Dana White, who called Bruce Lee 'the father of Mixed Martial Arts'. In the first MMA contests different styles competed against each other in order to see which had the advantage in a realistic confrontation, and it was not uncommon to see boxers fighting judo or karate martial arts. As the sport continued to develop, most MMA fighters trained in a wide range of styles. Today the successful MMA fighter understands the importance of being experienced in different disciplines. MMA fighters often train in elements of boxing, kick-boxing and Thai boxing to enhance their punching, kneeing elbowing and kicking skills. The take-down, clinching and throwing techniques are gained by training in sambo, judo and wrestling. To gain skills in submission holds and ground work, fighters use Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo, samb, pankration and wrestling. Although modern MMA fighters train in a variety of styles and strategies, they often have a preference for what has proved successful for them in competitions.

Many of these forms are found on this website: http://www.chicagommatraining.com

Being on Top - Schaumburg, IL MMA Training

2010-08-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Being on Top

The top fighter has improved his position to the side mount. Things are now looking pretty good indeed. With both of his legs free, the top fighter now has a wide range of things he can look to do from this position to end the fight. He can again launch a ground-and-pound attack. He can look for a variety of submission holds. Or he can look to again improve his position and acquire the dreaded mount. He will need the opposite side under-hook to maintain his position. When the top fighter is striking, he must not give up too much space to the bottom fighter enabling him to regain the under-hook. If so, the bottom fighter has greatly increased his chance of escaping the side mount. Just like the MMA Training in done in Schaumburg, some fighters, are conscientious that there are fighters who prefer to do their ground-and-pound from the cross mound and not the mount.

If your looking for MMA Training, please check out this link: http://www.chicagommatraining.com

Mixed Martial Arts Training Tips-How to Encourage Technical Progress While Training-Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-Aurora,Naperville,Chicago,Minooka

2010-07-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

Most of the sparring training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu consists of both combatants starting on their knees and then commencing to grapple. Each tries to gain some kind of positional advantage from where they can attempt to force their opponent to submit. This is an excellent manner in which to train. It develops great skill and confidence in applying the techniques that you have learned in a "live" clash. One problem, however, is that you can quickly develop a predictable "pattern" to you training. Most people discover that some moves and positions suit them better than others. So, for example, big people tend to be able to force their way into a top position. Small, flexible people tend to spend most of their time underneath their opponents in the guard position. Consequently most people find a "comfort zone" where they feel most at home. They stick to a small set of "tried-and-true" moves and positions. Staying in such a comfort zone can, in the long run, inhibit technical progress and have a limiting effect upon your training.

There is nothing wrong with having favorite positions and moves. However, to make technical progress you will need to move out of the comfort Zone and incorporate new moves. You can try placing yourself in positions you do not normally enter into or like and force yourself to defend and work your way out of them. Try picking a small set of submission holds that you rarely use and only allow yourself to employ those holds until you become good at them, thus widening your submission arsenal. Force yourself to practice escapes by letting your partner start mounted on you. In this way you will be exposed to a much wider array of grappling situations, forcing you to expand your technical base to deal with them.

For more Tips, Information, or locating a Mixed Martial Arts Gym in your area, please check out this website: Pure Mixed Martial Arts

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Mixed Martial Arts-The Two-Sided Game-Aurora,Naperville,Chicago,Minooka

2010-07-19T09:31:00.000-07:00

Most people generally develop a one-sided game. They prefer to pass the guard to one side and defend the guard to one side, and their sweeps are generally also one-sided. Yet when you see a top-notch grappler compete, one of the things that strikes you is his ability to do things to both sides. It seems almost effortless. Of course, nothing is further from the truth. The top guys reach a two-sided game by practicing much more than regular students. The demands of competing against different opponents with different tendencies force them to develop both sides or fail.

Does this mean all black belts are ambidextrous? Certainly not. Many have an Achilles' heel that they try to keep hidden. If they possess a very strong game with a certain characteristic, they will, most of the time, dictate the direction that the training will go and avoid having to go to their weak side. The problem arises when they are faced with a superior opponent who forces things to go to the other side.

Having said that, I don't recommend that you practice both sides equally from the beginning. I never did, and I don't encourage anyone to do that. The best way to develop you game to both sides is to first fully develop your better side. Completely understanding the moves and the details to your favorite side is a must. Once you have this knowledge down and are confident with it, then you should slowly "transfer" that knowledge to the other side.

I have used this method with great success, and it is what I teach my students. I have found that your conscious and subconscious will absorb this sequence of instruction better than if you try to develop both sides at once.

Many times, injuries will force you to accelerate this process and develop the weaker side or a different part of your game. Perhaps you twisted an ankle and can't use the hook to that side, and that forces you to sweep the other way or use a different sweep than you normally do. Or you hurt your elbow and have to attack the neck with the other arm or pull to the opposite side. Even if you don't become somewhat ambidextrous by your own choosing, eventually you may be forced by circumstances beyond your control to learn to use both sides.

Once you have mastered a move to one side, one of the best ways to become equally adept from the other side is to get a partner of equal size and technical level and simply practice drills to your bad side. If your triangle is good to the right, do ten to that side and twenty to the left. The important this is not to get ahead of yourself. If you can't do something really well to one side, that is okay. Improve your strong side to the point that you feel it is close to perfect, then try to duplicate the results on the other side.

For more Tips or Information on an MMA Gym in your area, please check out this website: Pure MMA Fighting

Mixed Martial Arts Training Tips-Dealing with Injuries-Aurora,Naperville,Minooka,Chicago

2010-07-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I am a very energetic person and am on the go all the time. I wake up early, teach privates all morning, then work out in the middle of the day before returning to the gym in the afternoon for more lessons and groups.

The risk, however, is that when you are on the go all the time, you don't allow your body to recover and this pace eventually causes injuries. Over the years, I have learned that one of the most important things you can do is allow your body and mind to rest. The natural tendency is to simply ignore the body's messages. Most of the time, however, something eventually gives and you are forced to rest and recuperate.

I liken it to driving a car and the oil light goes on. Rather than stopping and adding oil, you simply ignore the warning light and continue to drive. At some point, the car will break down and force you to stop. Whether you are a high-level competitor or just an enthusiastic practitioner, it is very important to rest properly. Grappling is a very demanding sport. It requires a lot from your body and your mind. If you always train and do not rest properly, you will likely get injured. Something will give and, rather than rest a little, your body will force you to rest a lot. Don't want to take a day off? Your body may say, "Here's a pulled hamstring buddy. Take four weeks off!"

Grappling is not a sport that you need to train for everyday all day. In fact, some of my top students prefer to train only a few days a week--except of course when competition nears. I personally like to train all the time, but even I have had to understand the demands of my body and adjust my routine accordingly.

If you are a serious grappler, even if you take steps to protect your body as much as possible, there will come a time when you get injured. I've been training and competing in jiu-jitsu, submission grappling, and vale-tudo fighting for more than thrity years. Over those years, I have sustained my share of injuries and have been around a number of students who got injured. Injuries are a part of the sport, but how you deal with them and what you do during that time may help or hinder your development as a practitioner.

The first step to take when confronted with an injury is to stop training and asses the nature and extent of the damage. Many times, you can do that yourself for lighter injuries, but most of the time you should consult a specialist to fully determine not only the extent of the injury but also the proper course of action.

Having taken those steps, it is up to you to make the best of the situation. Don't get down on yourself or start feeling miserable. Thoughts like, " Bad things always happen to me!" will lead you nowhere except down, so stay away from them and get busy getting better. Injuries take time to heal and a positive attitude will go a log way to make the recuperation seem faster and easier. Start doing things you can do to help yourself. Improve your overall flexibility, strengthen other areas of your body, or work on your endurance.

For example, when I am injured and can't train, I try to exercise in a way that doesn't aggravate my injury but still maintains my level of fitness. I usually ride my bike on long rides to increase my endurance and burn some extra energy.

A very important part of the recuperation process is to remain mentally sharp. Watching competition and instructional videos will help enhance your knowledge and keep your mind sharp. Going to the academy and watching other people train will also help keep your mind in the game. All these suggestions are an important part of everyday progress, but they become even more important when you are injured and can't train.

For more tips, and information on an MMA Gym in your area, please check out this website: Pure MMA Training

Mixed Martial Arts Training Tips-Choosing Your Training Partner-Aurora,Minooka,Naperville,Chicago

2010-07-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Choosing who you will train with can greatly affect your progress in submission grappling. You should select someone with similar goals. If you just love submission grappling and want to do it to get in shape and learn how to move, you need to train with people that are more like you. Imagine, for instance, that you are a surgeon and you train with all of the toughest guys at the academy, and then one day you break your hand! Maybe you can't work for a month, maybe your hand never heals properly. If you want to have fun and practice the sport for personal enjoyment, choose people that are seeking the same objective.

If on the other hand, you want to compete at world-class levels, then you need to train with competitive , advanced, determined fighters. That still doesn't mean you should train with reckless people. Before a competition, I have to stay healthy and injury free, so the closer it gets to the competition, the fewer training partners I throw into the mix. I don't want to get injured at the last minute and throw all my hard work out the window.

I usually have one "hard" training session in the morning and an easier, skill-sharpening session in the afternoon. The hard training session will be against one of my toughest (but still not reckless) sparring partners, who will simulate my opponent. The easy session will be against a guy that I find easier to catch in submissions. He will still be very skilled but perhaps plays a more open game and makes a few more mistakes. I use this person to fine-tune all the moves that I have acquired and to work on sharpening the timing and precision of the moves.

Any time you are developing a new position, start out by practicing against a less skilled, lighter opponent, preferably a beginner with some knowledge of the sport. Since he is not at your level and preferably not as strong, you will be able to sharpen the move and repeat the move with a certain frequency, because you will control the sparring match. As you get confident with the move, you should move up to a heavier training partner but maintain the skill level. Once you have the move down pat, then you should begin to try it with the more advanced fighters and the heavier fighters. As you practice the position following this pattern, what happens is you begin to adjust and adapt the position to your body type and style. At that point, you should have acquired the speed and perfected the dynamics and nuances of the position well enough that you can use it against a fighter of any skill and size.

Don't start by trying a move you haven't got completely figured out against someone of equal or greater skill. You will probably fail, and you may not get the chance to repeat the move the entire training. Then you may not want to use it again because you think it doesn't work, but the truth is that it never had a chance. Say you are beginning to learn to dunk a basketball and you go one-on-one with Michael Jordan. What should you expect? He is going to stuff the ball down your throat and then you are going to say, "I can't dunk!". But the truth is that you may be able to dunk; you just chose the wrong partner!

For more tips, and information on an MMA Gym in your area, please check out this website: Pure MMA Training

Mixed Martial Arts Training Tips-Developing a Training Routine-Aurora,Chicago,Naperville,Minooka

2010-07-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

To compensate for the lack of control in submission grappling, you have to spend a great amount of time training on the mat, learning the nuances and subtleties of the sport. It isn't enough to be in great physical condition, because this is a fast-paced game. You need to sharpen your neuromuscular skills to the greatest degree possible because everything happens very fast in submission grappling, much faster than in other grappling styles, because of the slipperiness factor.

I recommend a lot of agility drills, like calisthenics or plyometrics, anything that can sharpen the mind-body connection so that you react more quickly to what you see.

In addition, you need to learn positions in an order that makes sense. You don't learn an arm lock and a choke at the exact same time. There is a real logic to the way you proceed in learning and progressing in any martial art, and submission grappling is no different. Again, you don't learn an arm lock and a choke at the exact same time, but after a while you learn to use them in sequence. You string them together. First you learn an "upa" (bridge), then you learn how to pass the guard, then you learn about defending an arm lock, and then little by little you learn how to mix the positions.

One thing you learn, once you advance beyond a certain level in submission grappling or Jiu-Jitsu, is that everyone is able to defend a straight-ahead attack. If you concentrate your efforts on getting an arm lock, your opponent will focus on that single attack. In martial arts, as in war, defending is stronger than attacking, and it is easier to defend against someone who is using only one attack. So it is important to mix things up, to string positions together, to use feints to throw your opponent off balance, and to create an element of confusion.

How do you learn to achieve this? As you learn positions and start to master them, you will naturally start to piece together your game. First, you put two techniques together. From there, make a conscious effort to add a third one. Eventually, you'll have the tools to deal with a particular situation. Always start with the techniques you are most comfortable with, because those are usually the ones that will succeed most frequently. Even when they don't succeed, they will create enough "reaction" that something else opens up. If you start with the ones you don't do well, or try something that you are not comfortable with, then you may just give your opponent such an opening. On the other hand, there is a use for those moves you don't do so well. You don't want to really try them, but they are perfect for feints, to clear the way for the move you really want to spring. In general, it is important to learn a variety of things and then sort out what works for you because the more options you have in your arsenal the harder it will be for your opponent to keep countering you.

Picture your opponent as a house with ten windows and three doors, and you want to get into it. It doesn't matter if you get in through a window or door, so long as you get in. Initially, you have the door on the right opening and closing several times and the window also opens and closes several times. Are you able to react quickly enough to take advantage of these openings? Sometimes all the windows are open but the doors are closed, and sometimes it's the other way around. But at anytime, in any position, there are a number of openings and choices that are available, and it is the fighter with the greatest precision, the fastest reaction, and the quickest thinking who will get into that house. It is fundamental for a fighter to have this kind of fast mental reaction on both defense and offense, which entails having options in place two or three moves ahead.

With each new move, the entire house changes. An opponent putting a hook inside your legs slams shut the front door, but pops open the attic window. You have to know the house so well that you recognize what has changed instantly. You can't sit back comparing mental pictures and trying to figure out what has changed.

If you would like more information on Mixed Martial Arts, MMA events, or a training gym in your area, please check out this website: Pure Mixed Martial Arts

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Mixed Martial Arts-Making Technical Progress-Aurora,Naperville,Chicago,Minooka

2010-07-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Most people who begin a martial art are anxious to make the fastest possible progress--students of Brazilian jiu-jitsu are no exception. One great advantage of jiu-jitsu is that no great athleticism or strength is required to attain a high level of proficiency (though it is always to your advantage to work hard on your conditioning and strength training). This means you are not required to develop extraordinary flexibility or strength before you can perform techniques well. The basic route to technical progress in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu consists of a consistent training regimen based upon three main elements.

1) Learning the techniques and strategy of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

2) The use of drills to practice those techniques and strategies until the technique can be performed flawlessly on an unresisting partner.

3) Applying the techniques and strategy on a resisting partner in live sparring.

By incorporating these three key elements of training progress can be made very quickly. As soon as you learn a given technique and try to apply it well, chances are he will not be able to counter you. Eventually, however, he will learn to resist you successfully. In order to keep ahead, you must learn new techniques, or new combinations of old techniques--some kind of innovation or expansion of your grappling arsenal is needed. You can see the pattern that is emerging here. As your opponents learn to counter your moves, new ones become necessary, in order to retain whatever advantage you have. For example, as a beginning blue belt, you might have one takedown that you know and apply well. With time, however, your training partner will learn to counter it. In order to be able to keep taking him down you must learn new ways to apply the takedown or to learn a whole new takedown. Should he learn to counter your new technique, then you must progress again.

The deeper point that is beginning to emerge here is this: You are only as good as your training partners make you. If your training partners are weak or incompetent, there will be no pressure on you to improve your technique. This fact reinforces the crucial importance of training at a good school so as to have a healthy supply of quality training partners. Your progress through the belts is largely dependent upon them and the tough competition they provide. The technical progress you make is largely contingent upon the quality of your training partners.

For more tips and/or information on an MMA gym in your area, please check out this website: Pure MMA Training

Mixed Martial Arts Training Tips-Fighting "Phrases"-Aurora,Naperville,Chicago,Minooka

2010-07-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Certain positions in submission grappling go together so naturally that I think of them as words linked to form a phrase: the same phrases or sequences pop up again and again. To really learn them, to get as comfortable with them as you are with speech, you must practice and practice and then practice some more.

I can give you a rough guide on how to devise some combinations. For example, the sweep and the arm bar from the guard are neighbors; they live right next door to each other. So you should practice the arm bar, and when your opponent defends by pushing his weight forward, you quickly change to the sweep. Now you have your first combination.

The "omoplata" and the triangle have a similar relation. You attack with the triangle, and when the opponent defends it, he may leave an opening for the omoplata. You switch to that, and then go back and forth: when he postures to defend the triangle by raising his head and trying to bring the arm to the same side of the body, he makes an opening for the omoplata again. Now you have a four-attack sequence to practice! And once you get this sequence down, you really will have a formidable set of weapons.

Do the same thing for other related positions and all of a sudden you have some natural large phrases that are interlinked for a solid game. At the highest level of performance, all the options are connected to one another and the best choice depends on your opponent's position, weaknesses, and other similar variables. Now you have some notion of the submission grappling roadmap. As you develop, the roadmap fills in more and more with back roads, shortcuts, loops, blind alleys, and other options. "You can't get there from here!" disappears from your vocabulary. You can always get there!

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Mixed Martial Arts Training-Specific Fight Training-Sparring-Aurora,Naperville,Minooka,Chicago

2010-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

As the fighter trains at his various schools, his individual teachers will be putting him through endless training sessions to improve his skill at new techniques or refine his skill at previously studied tactics. Many of these sessions also will include sparring, but the sparring will generally be limited to the style of the school--for example, ground-fighting sparring will be done at the Jiu-Jitsu school or kickboxing sparring will be done at the Muay Thai academy.

But along with the sparring at each school, the fighter will need a partner that he can try all of his new skill out on. Preferably, he will be able to locate a sparring partner somewhat similar to the opponent he will face on fight night. This isn't always possible, but a lot of fighters look to get with someone who is at least somewhat able to give them a taste of what they will be facing.

Time spent training in the ring is time spent refining the game plan. If the sparring partner excels at the same things the opponent does, it will provide immediate valuable feedback to the fighter about how he stacks up. If the fighter thought that elbows and a body slam were going to win him the fight and finds out that they don't work against his sparring partner, then there's a chance they may not work in the Octagon.

Such revelations then demand that the game plan undergo changes that will hopefully put the fighter into a superior position come fight night. And anything that seems out of place or appears that it will not work is usually dropped from the game plan.

As it should be. Fighters have an extraordinary amount on their minds. Game plans must be refined to the point that they are sleek and without too many complications. An easy-to-remember strategy that relies on the fighter's natural skills and gifts is far more likely to work than one that includes every technique and the kitchen sink. Of course, while all of this preparation is going on, the fighter's opponent is across town, across the country, or across the world doing exactly the same thing. And so starts the almost chess match, a battle of strategy and sheer aptitude that will determine the outcome of the fight inside the Octagon.

But even as the fighter has prepared as much as he can with regards to his fighting skills and techniques, there is still a lot to be done before he is ready to step in front of millions of fans on fight night.

For more information, tips, or a gym in your area, please check out this website: Pure MMA Fighting

A Fighter's Power-Basic Strength-Training Concepts

2010-07-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

While many fighters develop a muscularly toned athletic physique, the full-body strength of fighters is different than that of bodybuilders. Using resistance training as well as basic weightlifting exercises, competitors can build muscle strength and bone mass without accumulating overly large muscle groups. This helps fighters to maximize functional strength while maintaining the speed necessary for the sport. Utilizing whole-body exercise also burns significantly more calories and speeds up a fighter's metabolism.

In addition to achieving a high level of strength output, the MMA fighter also has to keep that output going for up to five rounds. This type of strength endurance is usually referred to as strongman training. If you've seen the World's Strongest Man competition on t.v, you know that many of the contests revolve around this strength endurance concept. And while combat athletes may not need to lift cars or pull airplanes, having a high degree of strength in the later rounds of a fight could be the difference between winning a championship and losing one.

MMA fighters typically use a combination of weight and resistance training to build their overall strength. Weight training utilizes free weights to oppose muscle contraction, forcing the muscle to overcome the inertia of the mass in order to move the weight. This means that the majority of the strength development occurs at the beginning movement of the exercise. Examples of basic weight training exercises are the bench press, clean and jerk, and barbell squats.

Resistance training involves the use of elastic or hydraulic tension to provide resistance to muscle contraction. In contrast to free weights, elastic resistance training provides the greatest opposition at the end of an exercise movement. Most gyms have resistance machines, and if you've ever seen an infomercial for the Bowflex you know that these types of equipment utilize elastic resistance to develop strength.

Exercises that move a body part against a force are called isotonic. Most people are more familiar with exercises that hold a body part in place against a force which are called isometric exercises. Isometric exercises are actually quite important for a combat athlete because there are numerous times in a match where one fighter may have to hold a certain position for an extended period of time. A good way to train isometric strength is to simplify pause for five seconds during parts of a weight or resistance-training exercise.

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Jiu-Jitsu and MMA Training-Getting Out of a Rut-Aurora,Naperville,Chicago,Minooka

2010-07-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

Generally speaking, as you get a series of techniques or a specific game down, you tend to be more effective and your results improve. You have greater and greater success with the same moves and the moves get sharper and sharper. You start to feel really good about your game! However, you aren't training with a dummy but rather with another human being who is intelligent and very capable of recognizing what you are doing and adapting his defenses. Soon, what was very successful doesn't work and you are forced to change, to learn new tricks. But change doesn't always come quickly; it takes time to incorporate the new moves into your game, and sometimes you fall into a rut.

As you learn new techniques and begin to implement them, your timing naturally will be less sharp. After all, these things are new to you and they take time to fit into your game. At the same time, you stop using tried-and-true techniques because you are concentrating on your new ones. They aren't working anymore, and now you're stuck in no man's land. You son't have the new weapons ready yet, your game loses it's sharpness, you get frustrated and feel like quitting. How do you get out of this situation?

My personal experience has been that the quickest way to get out of one of these ruts is to practice the new moves over and over with a willing partner. Repetition will help you get the timing of the technique and also let you understand the subtle nuances of each move until you have a full understanding of what you are doing and how to accomplish it. The next step, for me, is to start training with lighter, lower-level practitioners in the academy. I can repeat the same positions over, and over, without the fear that one mistake will cost me dearly. If you try to practice your new game against someone more advanced than you, chances are that it won't work out and you'll just give up and go back to the old.

Another great thing you can do is take time off. In my experience, I have found that time away from the mat lets your mind ease off the pressure of progress. The pressure and frustration of adjusting to a new game sometimes make it even more difficult to sort the moves out and to have the clear thinking necessary for fast reactions. Once you come back refreshed, you'll be able to focus on the game again.

For more tips, information, and a gym in your area, please check out this website: MMA training for You

A Mixed Martial Artist's Power:Strength Training For a Fight-Strength Training Exercises-Aurora,Minooka,Chicago,Naperville

2010-06-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

There are numerous ways to structure a strength-training regiment. Some fighters break their workout down by body part, dedicating an entire session to a handful of muscle groups. In this approach, a combat athlete likely uses a combination of free-weight and resistance-training exercises to develop strength over a weekly routine. For example, the fighter may choose to work the neck, arms, chest, and shoulders on day one. Day two could be back, core, and hip exercises. Day three could focus on lower body strengthening.

Other MMA warriors work on one type of strength conditioning per session. Using this formula, a fighter may work on strictly explosive exercises on one day followed by only pulling exercises on the next day. The succeeding third and fourth sessions could consist of pushing and lifting conditioning. By using this routine, a combat athlete can work the entire body in one session with a specific focus on one application of strength training.

A third method involves integrating the four pillars of strength, (Explosive, Pulling, Pushing, and Lifting), into one workout. A fighter could start off with a non-stop five-minute cardio round followed by a one-minute rest. The second round could be dedicated solely to five minutes of explosive strength exercises. Round three could consist of pulling exercises, followed by pushing drills for round four. Lastly, the final five-minute round would be lifting exercises. This routine, lasting only thirty minutes, would provide the fighter with a full-body workout using the most important types of strength conditioning for MMA.

You may also choose to mix and match all of the above strategies in order to form your workout routine. Whatever method you decide is best for your body and schedule, it is best to avoid going longer than a week without training a muscle group. This is because the muscles need to be regularly worked in order to progressively accumulate strength.

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Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as an Answer to the Fundamental Problem of the Martial Arts-Aurora,Naperville,Chicago,Minooka

2010-06-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

We have seen the core problem at the heart of the martial arts is that of protecting oneself against attack by a bigger, stronger, and more aggressive opponent. MMA events gave the best available means of evaluating the different responses to that problem. The evidence furnished by these MMA competitions was very clear. Grappling was a potent element of real fighting that had been almost entirely neglected by the martial arts community. Traditional martial arts based upon standing striking, and kicking skills proved incapable of dealing with grappling attacks that bound the strikers in a tight clinch, and took them to the ground, where striking power was largely negated. Foremost among the grappling arts was hitherto unknown Brazilian jiu-jitsu whose success was as unexpected as it was clear-cut. The record showed that Brazilian jiu-jitsu was undoubtably one of the very best answers to our fundamentals problem.

In the face of this success, it is worth asking: What is the answer of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the fundamental problem of the martial arts? A clear statement of that answer can be offered now.

Contrary to the advice of most martial arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu does not advocate engaging in a standing striking battle with your opponent. Such a strategy exposes one to too high a risk of losing to a bigger, stronger opponent, since he will hit harder than you can as a result of his greater size and weight. In addition, experience has shown that such striking cannot be relied upon to stop and defeat an opponent who is determined to charge into you and grapple. The traditional doctrine of "one strike, one kill" is simply not borne out by experience. A much safer option is to close the gap and enter into a clinch, from where you can prevent your opponent from punching you while at the same time using grappling skill to off-balance your opponent and control his movement. From here you can either strike your opponent with knees and elbows (preventing him from doing the same by off-balancing him and controlling his body through grappling technique) or take the fight to the ground.
Once in a clinch it is very likely that the fight will go to the ground, either by design (one fighter deliberately takes the other down) or by accident (one of both fighters trip and fall). A common misconception is that Brazilian jiu-jitsu always advocates taking a fight to the ground. In MMA events this is true, since you are engaged with only one opponent and the floor surface if favorable. In some street fights the Brazilian jiu-jitsu student might well decide to resist going to the ground, perhaps because he fears being kicked on the ground by his opponent's comrades, or because the ground surface is hazardous. In such a case he or she can stay in a standing clinch and fight from there or break the clinch and look to escape. What Brazilian jiu-jitsu recognizes as a hard fact of life that many traditional martial arts do not, is that in a real fight it is usually not a matter of choice whether you end up on the ground--it just happens--regardless of your stated intentions. The weakness of the answer given to the fundamental problem of the martial arts by most styles is that they do not take into account the actions and intentions of the opponent, or the wild and chaotic nature of real fighting. Part of Brazilian jiu-jitsu's answer to the fundamental problem of the martial arts is that fighting on the ground is not a choice, but is almost always made necessary by events. Ironically, the people who are best qualified to keep a fight standing are grapplers, since they spend a good deal of time practicing clinching and takedowns. This makes them skilled at resisting takedown attempts when they so desire.

Nontheless, the kind of positional dominance and control sought after by Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners is best attained on the ground, where most people do not know how to move and where body weight and the floor can be used to thwart an opponent. Hence the preference for taking a fight to the ground when circumstances favor it.

The essential idea behind Brazilian jiu-jitsu's answer to the fundamental problem of martial arts is this: You must constantly strive to put yourself in a position where you can control your opponent as much as possible. Thus allowing you to do maximal damage to him while exposing yourself to as little potential damage as possible. This is the answer in a nutshell. In practice this generally means getting into a tight clinch as quickly as possible, thus preventing your opponent from striking you effectively. From here you can control him by holding his head or upper body while off-balancing him, or better yet, slipping behind him. If you desire to stay standing you can attack with knees, elbows, and standing submission holds. If you decide to take the fight to the ground, or if you end up there anyway, you will seek to maneuver yourself into a controlling position where you can strike your opponent far more successfully than he can strike back and then finish with a submission hold. The coldly efficient theoretical core of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is the idea that you should seek always to place yourself in a position where you can damage your opponent while he cannot damage you. The myriad techniques of Brazilian jiu-jitsu are designed to enable a fighter to bring about this goal. This strategy can only be realized by grappling with your opponent. After all, you cannot control your opponent without grabbing him in some way. This is half the reason why Brazilian jiu-jitsu advocates grappling as the answer to the fundamental problem of the martial arts. The other half is the unavoidable fact that regardless of your intentions it is almost impossible for you to stop your opponent from grappling with you if he attempts it. The record shows that in a real fight he almost certainly will attempt it. This is why Brazilian jiu-jitsu advocates grappling as the most important part of its answer to the fundamental problem of martial arts.

For more tip, information, or finding a gym in your area, please check out this site: Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as an Answer to the Fundamental Problem of the Martial Arts-Aurora,Naperville,Chicago,Minooka

2010-06-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mastering Double Arm Controls in Mixed Martial Arts-Aurora,Naperville,Minooka,Chicago

2010-06-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

As you know, the best way to defend against your opponent's attacks and still remain on the offensive is to secure one of the one of the posture control guards. By gluing your body to your opponent's body, you eliminate the space he needs to strike. However, sometimes when you reach a posture control position, your opponent will realize any action he makes will only allow you to better set up an attack. Instead of attempting to strike or pass your guard, he focuses all his energy on defending against your attacks. If you should find yourself in such a stalemate, transitioning to double wrist control closed guard or double arm control open guard can be a good way to get your offense going. In this blog i'll talk about submissions that can be applied from both, but it is important to remember that you are better protected and have a lot more options from the various posture control positions. If you transition to one of the double arm controls and fail to submit your opponent, and he becomes active again, you want to immediately transition back to a posture control position.

DOUBLE WRIST CONTROL CLOSED GUARD:
In this portion you will learn my favorite attack from the double wrist control closed guard--the triangle. It's possible to set up other submissions from this position, such as armbars and omaplatas, but I prefer to utilize those submissions from the posture control positions.

DOUBLE ARM CONTROL OPEN GUARD:
The double arm control open guard position is similar to open guard posture control in that you are sitting up and have both of your feet positioned on your opponent's hips. However, instead of gaining control of his head using one hand and establishing inside control with the other, you wrap both of your arms around the outside of his arms, which hinders him from punching and backing out of your guard.

TECHNICAL NOTE:
To secure wrist control, most fighters will grab their opponent's wrist with their entire hand and cinch down as forcefully as they can. This is totally unnecessary. If you look at the bone structure of the human wrist, you will see that there is a narrow gap where the small bones of the wrist meet the large bones of the forearm. Establishing a grip in this gap provides the best control. The gap is far too small to fit an entire hand; however, it is the perfect size to fit your middle finger and thumb. Although it might not seem like you can establish a firm grip with just two fingers, give it a try and I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you're fighting in MMA, you can secure an even tighter grip. Examine an MMA glove and you will see that there is a gap between the strap that covers the wrist and the pad that covers the top of the hand. When you wrap your middle finger and thumb around that gap, the padding serves as a backstop that prevents your grip from slipping down your opponent's hand. I'm not saying that you want to keep your other fingers extended as though you were drinking tea out of fine china--they should still be wrapped around your opponent's wrist--but the majority of squeezing should be done with your middle finger and thumb. When you utilize this form of wrist control, your opponent will have a much harder time breaking your grip. In addition to this, you save loads of grip strength, which means you can hang on for a lot longer before burning out your arms.

For more information, tips, and a gym in your area, please check out this website: Chicago MMA Training

Fundamentals of An MMA Fighter's Diet-Aurora,Minooka,Chicago,Naperville

2010-06-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

During active training, meals are typically consumed a certain amount of time before and after each workout. This process helps a fighter have sufficient energy for intense exercises, while avoiding the lethargic feelings that come with overeating. Likewise, it also helps a fighter to replenish his energy following a tough workout.

All athletes need a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, and even fat to function properly. But how much should a mixed martial artist eat? In other words, how many calories are in the daily diet of a fighter? That is a great question, and it depends upon a number of variables, including how much a fighter weighs, the intensity level of his workouts, and whether he is trying to cut or gain weight.

The normal male needs approximately 2,100 to 2,500 calories per day. For a female, the approximate range is 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day. To get an estimate using an online calorie intake calculator, go to www.mayoclinic.com/health/calorie-calculator/NU00589.

You can also calculate your approximate calorie intake using the following formula. A normal person with an average exercise level can simply multiply his body weight by 12. For example: 200 pounds times 12= 2,400 calories per day. If you are just beginning your training in MMA, add 25 percent as you start to lower your workout regimen and adjust from there.

If a fighter is trying to cut weight, he will reduce his calorie intake as the fight approaches. To gain weight, an MMA fighter needs to increase his caloric intake by an estimated 500 calories per day to gain one pound of muscle per week. Keep in mind that the combat athlete will have already increased his caloric intake to compensate for the strenuous workouts. This 500-calorie increase is in addition to the extra calories added for training.

Using the above example, a 200-pound MMA athlete would be consuming an average of 3,000 calories per day. To gain one pound of muscle per week, the fighter would have to ramp up to 3,500 calories per day while training. These extra calories should come primarily from carbohydrates with small increases in protein and fat. To facilitate muscle gain, most combat athletes increase their weightlifting routine and use heavier weights with fewer repetitions. This is because the calorie burn is relatively small compared to more active aerobic exercise, resulting in increased muscle mass.

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The Crucial Importance of Fundamentals in Jiu-Jitsu-Aurora,Naperville,Minooka,Chicago

2010-06-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

There is often a tendency for students to accumulate as many techniques as possible in the shortest time. Often there is an assumption that there is a great tactical advantage in knowing a greater number of moves than opponents. Some students show a distinct preference for the more spectacular moves, hoping that these will lead to success. These are natural enough sentiments. However, it cannot be emphasized strongly enough that the key to success is mastery of the fundamentals--this is true at any level of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. To say that a technique is fundamental is not to say that it is simple. Students soon learn that there is no technique that is simple per se. The degree of difficulty of a given technique is largely a reflection of how good one's opponent is. Even the simplest moves are very difficult to perform upon a skilled opponent. Conversely, "difficult" moves seem easy against a beginner. Champion jiu-jitsu players are those who pay great attention to the fundamentals of the sport. This is true even of unorthodox champions. Underneath their unique game plan you will invariably find strict observance of fundamental concepts.

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The Evolution of Wrestling in MMA-Aurora,Naperville, Minooka,Chicago

2010-06-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Dan Severn was the beginning of the wrestling movement in MMA. Holding more than seventy amateur records, Severn displayed his impressive Greco-Roman wrestling skills against Royce Gracie in the finals of UFC IV and went on to sweep the tournament in UFC V. Severn proved the importance of wrestling fundamentals in combat and became a legend in the spot. He was even inducted into the UFC's Hall of Fame.

Only ten months after UFC V, Severn's protege, Don Frye, entered the Octagon. Severn had coached him at the collegiate wrestling level, and after Frye saw his former mentor in the UFC, the two reunited and became training partners. Although Frye didn't have the vast wrestling experience of his coach, he nonetheless did extremely well in competition, demonstrating effective clinching techniques and defending against his opponent's takedown attempts.

On the heels of Frye winning UFC X, Mark Coleman came to prominence. A former freestyle Olympic wrestler, Coleman had explosive takedowns and always dominated the wrestling portion of a fight. Coleman went on to win the UFC heavy weight title and was later inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Soon other Olympic level wrestlers like Kevin Randleman, Mark Kerr, Matt Lindland, and Kevin Jackson joined the ranks of MMA competitors.

The next wrestler to take the MMA world by storm was four-time national Greco-Roman wrestling champion Randy Couture. Couture won the heavyweight tournament in UFC XIII and went on to become a legend in the sport. His biggest strength was the ability to end up in a dominant position every time the fight went to the ground. A three-time UFC heavyweight champion, two-time UFC light-heavyweight champion, and UFC Hall of Fame inductee, Randy Couture is arguably the most decorated veteran in the history of MMA.

Matt Hughes, a two-time All-American wrestler, also dominated opponents with his powerful slams in the 170-pound division and became the UFC welterweight champion. Some of the top contenders in MMA with wrestling backgrounds are national contender Sean Sherk, Olympic wrestler Dan Henderson, and NCAA wrestling champions Matt Hamill, Josh Koscheck, and Brock Lesnar.

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