Sunday, January 31, 2010
Fedor Teaching MMA Pt 1-7
Here is a link to a youtube channel where there a seven 10min videos of Fedor teaching MMA and Combat Sambo with English subtitles. I couldnt embed the vids so you'll have to go and see it yourself. Very Cool.
Training Music
Went out and got a stereo for the club, so put together some playlists and bring them into training. Its got an ipod dock or usb input for MP3 player. I have got Tabata rounds somewhere that I'll try and bring them for Interval Training or, if someone is up for it, put together some timed rounds to music like 4, 5 or 6 min rounds for sparring. Bring your tunes and we can all complain about your choices!
More Grappling
Yo yo my Cobra Kai brethren.
The MG Vic Titles Warm Up is on like donkey kong.
The usual crack:
Saturday February 13th
DMMA 555 Victoria St, Richmond
Weigh in and registration 8:30 - 9:30am
Rules 9:30am
Fights state 10am
$40 for competitors. Round robin so you have four fights. Plus an open division for those with the coconuts to throw the gauntlet down in a single elimination death match bracket.
$15 for spectators.
So put down your rebreakable boards for a day and get your Skins/2XU clad selves down for some half nekid man wrestling.
Weight and belts divisions.
Dave
DMMA
"Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it!?!"
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Aliveness by Matt Thorton SBGi
Just in case you haven't got the idea yet......Thornton still says it better than I ever could.
Friday, January 29, 2010
C Class Shooto Event Perth
Amatuer C - Class Shooto is back for a HUGE 2010
This well established Amatuer Shooto Series allows all novice and beginner MMA compediters the chance to compete under a safe rule set with shorter rounds, mandatory head protectors, shin pads, kneepads and the forbiddance of striking on the ground
New Venue........The Arena Fremantle - 13-20 Sustainable Ave, Bibra Lake
Date.......Sunday March 7th 2010
Weigh In's 10am
Fights Start 11am
Spectators $15 (Door sales only)
For more info please visit http://www.shooto.com.au/ for rules, regulations and application forms.
or phone Mach1 9443 1227 or 0437777797
This well established Amatuer Shooto Series allows all novice and beginner MMA compediters the chance to compete under a safe rule set with shorter rounds, mandatory head protectors, shin pads, kneepads and the forbiddance of striking on the ground
New Venue........The Arena Fremantle - 13-20 Sustainable Ave, Bibra Lake
Date.......Sunday March 7th 2010
Weigh In's 10am
Fights Start 11am
Spectators $15 (Door sales only)
For more info please visit http://www.shooto.com.au/ for rules, regulations and application forms.
or phone Mach1 9443 1227 or 0437777797
Dojo Creed
EFFORT / PATIENCE / TEMPERANCE/ RESPECT / CREATIVITY
For all the talk about how ineffective Traditional Martial Arts (TMA) is compared to today’s bigger and badder MMA cousins, there is still a lot to be learnt from the old Chinese and Japanese Arts.
In my experience many of the students who progress well in BJJ and MMA have at least some experience or background in some kind of TMA training and this often affords them a mindset and attitude that is conducive to learning. In effect, they already know how to be good students. They have persevered in a structured and disciplined environment come to realise its shortcomings and then pursued more effective and alive systems like boxing or wrestling or BJJ. But they take the right attitude and intent to their new system and this speeds progress significantly. The same can be said for those who have a military or law enforcement background who have experienced enforced discipline over time that has eventually translated to self-discipline.
In many ways today’s new students who have little experience of any kind of martial arts training and watch UFC wanting those skills, often seem to lack perspective on the time and dedication it takes to achieve theses skills. TMA on the other hand, instils these things through its culture and rituals from the start. Everyone is reminded from the beginning that there is a history and journey present that needs to preserved and respected. The journey is long and tortuous but ultimately worth the effort. The irony of course is that TMA aims to build a better human being through self-development but the skill set achieved from this type of training is now well demonstrated to be far from effective in real world applications. The challenge for me as coach is to strike a balance between these two worlds of what works and what makes good students.
With this in mind I was thinking the other day about our karate Dojo Creed that was mounted on the wall to remind everyone at all times what values we were required to adhere to in our training. The words were there in English alongside their Japanese characters every time you trained. There was no explanation of their meaning beyond this and you added meaning to these words yourself in accordance with your own level of experience and training.
I have yet to come to terms with the best way to merge these two things, to combine the best of both worlds, maybe its just Darwinian? Let those students who come, try and realise its hard work on the ego, attempting to survive and let evolution do its thing, sorting out those with characters not willing to train for real. I think we all as Coaches aim to develop a culture at our own clubs that promotes respect for our training partners and fosters a learning environment. But in the end real training is hard work.
I believe that long term TMA training teaches you to expect to persevere and endure hardship. The generation gap is opening though; students today want the real skills now, with very little hard work indeed. I think the difference in expectations comes from the modern world that runs on instant money and instant information. We can buy things now or get any piece of information now. There is no longer delayed gratification and this attitude then stems into other areas of life. I often think to myself that these new guys should go away and do some TMA for 2-3 years first before even coming to BJJ so as to change their expectation’s of training and place some kind of perspective on their skill set and what works against resisting opponents and what doesn’t. Go ahead and see what’s out there and through experience come to realise the real value of the MMA revolution. Maybe I’m turning into a grumpy old man who thinks nothing compares to the good old days? Who knows? I just think there is gap opening now that MMA is the norm and TMA is something the rest of us did before this and with this widening gap a very different attitude to training has emerged. And that somewhere in this process something important has been lost.
For all the talk about how ineffective Traditional Martial Arts (TMA) is compared to today’s bigger and badder MMA cousins, there is still a lot to be learnt from the old Chinese and Japanese Arts.
In my experience many of the students who progress well in BJJ and MMA have at least some experience or background in some kind of TMA training and this often affords them a mindset and attitude that is conducive to learning. In effect, they already know how to be good students. They have persevered in a structured and disciplined environment come to realise its shortcomings and then pursued more effective and alive systems like boxing or wrestling or BJJ. But they take the right attitude and intent to their new system and this speeds progress significantly. The same can be said for those who have a military or law enforcement background who have experienced enforced discipline over time that has eventually translated to self-discipline.
In many ways today’s new students who have little experience of any kind of martial arts training and watch UFC wanting those skills, often seem to lack perspective on the time and dedication it takes to achieve theses skills. TMA on the other hand, instils these things through its culture and rituals from the start. Everyone is reminded from the beginning that there is a history and journey present that needs to preserved and respected. The journey is long and tortuous but ultimately worth the effort. The irony of course is that TMA aims to build a better human being through self-development but the skill set achieved from this type of training is now well demonstrated to be far from effective in real world applications. The challenge for me as coach is to strike a balance between these two worlds of what works and what makes good students.
With this in mind I was thinking the other day about our karate Dojo Creed that was mounted on the wall to remind everyone at all times what values we were required to adhere to in our training. The words were there in English alongside their Japanese characters every time you trained. There was no explanation of their meaning beyond this and you added meaning to these words yourself in accordance with your own level of experience and training.
I have yet to come to terms with the best way to merge these two things, to combine the best of both worlds, maybe its just Darwinian? Let those students who come, try and realise its hard work on the ego, attempting to survive and let evolution do its thing, sorting out those with characters not willing to train for real. I think we all as Coaches aim to develop a culture at our own clubs that promotes respect for our training partners and fosters a learning environment. But in the end real training is hard work.
I believe that long term TMA training teaches you to expect to persevere and endure hardship. The generation gap is opening though; students today want the real skills now, with very little hard work indeed. I think the difference in expectations comes from the modern world that runs on instant money and instant information. We can buy things now or get any piece of information now. There is no longer delayed gratification and this attitude then stems into other areas of life. I often think to myself that these new guys should go away and do some TMA for 2-3 years first before even coming to BJJ so as to change their expectation’s of training and place some kind of perspective on their skill set and what works against resisting opponents and what doesn’t. Go ahead and see what’s out there and through experience come to realise the real value of the MMA revolution. Maybe I’m turning into a grumpy old man who thinks nothing compares to the good old days? Who knows? I just think there is gap opening now that MMA is the norm and TMA is something the rest of us did before this and with this widening gap a very different attitude to training has emerged. And that somewhere in this process something important has been lost.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
My Coach
I remember when I first heard about John Donehue well over 10 years ago now, BJJ was still in its infancy here in Australia and although I had started training and wrestling with some OK guys no-one really knew what they were doing compared to now. The Wing Chun crew I was cross training with at the time also knew Mick Nicholls, a Thai Trainer, in Thomastown who mentioned this guy was coming back from the States who was ‘the real deal’, one of only four Gene Lebell blackbelt’s as a well Machado BJJ black belt. Gene Lebell is a living legend in Martial Arts, and very senior and respected people all say he is the toughest man on the planet. Growing up reading Blitz magazines about his exploits and achievements made him a figure of mythic proportions in my mind. So stupidly, I chased down a phone number for John and made contact arranging to attend one his classes in East Bentleigh at the All Stars Gym. At the time I was still very much involved in teaching and training in traditional karate, acting as head instructor at a very large dojo with over 200 students in Croydon. But with the emergence of No-Holds Barred Fighting and the early UFC footage I wanted to learn BJJ, so I could fight on the ground.
Well that first class with John was a real eye opener, the warm up was a killer, thought I was dying in the first ten minutes like everyone else, trying to learn to sprawl, choke, arm bar was a whole new world. I remember shaking Johns hand at the end of the class, trying to make a positive impression with a firm grip and being met by the most gentle hand shake ever. A trait that continues to this day. The irony of this is never lost on me when he hands down an epic beating when wrestling, of complete control and mind numbing pain. But I knew then and there that this was a man about substance, what works, and not style, what looks good. I still regret not leaving karate sooner to start training with John more often but karate is what I knew and at the time, was my life. I was never under any illusions about the effectiveness of karate as a combat style but walking away totally from this type of training was very difficult for me at the time. So, as a result, my progress in BJJ was staggered and slow because I didn’t train in a regular fashion and this both frustrated my coach and I. John wanted nothing less than total commitment to the cause and now as a coach myself I can see the frustration myself in my athletes when they have potential but don’t commit to regualr training.
The other memory I have of those early days are the high calibre martial artists who trained with John like Cameron Quinn, a Kyokushin Karate master, and I never use the word master lightly, who I admired for the longest time as a tremendous example of a Martial Artist, or Larry Papadopolus a pioneer of Shooto and mixed style fights from Sydney, or Dave Berry an original Zen Do Kai legend and hard man. All these guys saw fit to train with and listen to John and if he was good enough for them then that was good enough for me. Larry commented some time ago that he never really understood the basics until he trained with John and now I can finally see what he means. When guys who are very good already and accomplished teachers in their own right, seek out your instruction and guidance that is a very high complement indeed.
Sometimes I look at those guys who are very new to this kind of training and who haven’t studied the history of this sport beyond the first series of The Ultimate Fighter, they can often forget or not appreciate the quality of teaching and coaching available to them. They have no perspective.
John was at the forefront of early MMA with the RAW team in the USA, names like Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Frank Trigg, Vladimir Matyushenko and Rico Chiapparelli as head coach have all benefitted from his Johns approach to training. At the time I had no idea about these guys and how the were shaping the future of a sport but I think in same way BJJ revolutionised how we looked at fighting, the RAW team shaped the way wrestling was to be used in MMA for years to come. John often says good grappling is good grappling and all those years ago I was too focused on BJJ to realise the benefits of wrestling and some potential weaknesses in BJJ. Again John was right and well ahead of his time. I have said this before, if you were to create a hybrid of catch wrestling, judo, freestyle wrestling and BJJ you would have a great grappling system. Well, John Donehue is that man and I defy any else to find me someone else who has such a broad and effective skill set in Australia or perhaps elsewhere. And for those lucky or smart enough to train at Extreme JJG that’s what you will receive the best of all grappling systems.
I remember training in the early days, with Cris Brown when he first put on a Gi as a white belt and wondering who this guy was? Cris was clearly frustrated in training with a jacket on, however not too long afterward I was sailing through the air on the receiving end of fireman’s throw, wondering how this white belt was so damn good. Cris Brown competed at the highest levels of wrestling for many years and is an amazing athlete who is another example of a very accomplished person who chose John as their coach in submission grappling and BJJ.
John has a strong eye and mind for detail. And grappling is a game of inches. And if the devil is in the detail as the saying goes then John is a very bad man indeed. Feeling is believing, and I have yet to see him get in trouble while training with anyone. Technical is best way to describe his approach, he is a largely impassive whilst training and never hurried. He controls the direction and timing of his opponent by limiting their options through pain mostly. Transitional control and positional dominance are the hallmarks or his game. And from these two things an endless procession of submissions ensues. His game is tight and heavy. The pressure he generates with his frame is immense.
Now, none of this comes easy to those who wish to train. John sets very high standards for promotion because to understand one aspect of grappling like Judo or BJJ is a lifetime’s work. To understand and apply aspects of other things like catch or wrestling to the equation is even harder. But what you get is the ability to prevail. To be able to adapt. To see angles and submissions and leverage where others don’t. To control position and transition in unique ways. That’s the pay off if your willing to commit and stay loyal to your coach and teacher. Now John is not a big self promotor but the product he delivers, the substance, is very unique and incredibly effective.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
BJJ Quotes
"Jiu-jitsu is the gentle art. It's the art where a small man is going to prove to you, no matter how strong you are, no matter how mad you get, that you're going to have to accept defeat. Thats what Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is." -Saulo Ribeiro
"Sometimes you're gonna be the hammer and sometimes you're gonna be the nail; and the day it's time for you to be the nail. Take it like a man, take it like it's your time. It's your turn to be on the other end of the stick, and just gotta take it... that's it."- Renzo Gracie
"A good friend doesn't try to break up a fight. A good friend comes in with a flying kick." Renzo Gracie
"If size mattered, the elephant would be the king of the jungle."-Rickson Gracie
"Jiu jitsu is like chess, except with choking" Unknown
"There is one thing I cannot stress enough - DON'T STALL. This is the most important concept to remember when fighting from the closed guard." - BJ Penn
"In order to be effective from the bottom guard position, you must be able to capitalize on every opportunity to attack, sweep, or stand. If a window opens and you fail to quickly jump through, you'll miss a chance to eliminate your opponent's leverage and weight." - BJ Penn
“If you think, you are late. If you are late, you use strength. If you use strength, you tire. And if you tire, you die!” Saulo Ribeiro.
"Sometimes you're gonna be the hammer and sometimes you're gonna be the nail; and the day it's time for you to be the nail. Take it like a man, take it like it's your time. It's your turn to be on the other end of the stick, and just gotta take it... that's it."- Renzo Gracie
"A good friend doesn't try to break up a fight. A good friend comes in with a flying kick." Renzo Gracie
"If size mattered, the elephant would be the king of the jungle."-Rickson Gracie
"Jiu jitsu is like chess, except with choking" Unknown
"There is one thing I cannot stress enough - DON'T STALL. This is the most important concept to remember when fighting from the closed guard." - BJ Penn
"In order to be effective from the bottom guard position, you must be able to capitalize on every opportunity to attack, sweep, or stand. If a window opens and you fail to quickly jump through, you'll miss a chance to eliminate your opponent's leverage and weight." - BJ Penn
“If you think, you are late. If you are late, you use strength. If you use strength, you tire. And if you tire, you die!” Saulo Ribeiro.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
AFBJJ Comp Dates 2010
For your information. From afbjj.com
Latest news
2010 COMPETITION DATES CONFIRMED
Victorian State Championship - Friday 19th March + Saturday 20th March - Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne Australia
Australian Champions Cup - Saturday 18th September + Sunday 19th September - Craigie Leisure Centre, Whitford Avenue, Craigie, Perth Australia
Pan Pacific Championship - Friday 26th November + Saturday 27th November + Sunday 28th November - Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne Australia
All entry details will be made available in hard copy to all members and online around one month prior to each competition.
Latest news
2010 COMPETITION DATES CONFIRMED
Victorian State Championship - Friday 19th March + Saturday 20th March - Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne Australia
Australian Champions Cup - Saturday 18th September + Sunday 19th September - Craigie Leisure Centre, Whitford Avenue, Craigie, Perth Australia
Pan Pacific Championship - Friday 26th November + Saturday 27th November + Sunday 28th November - Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne Australia
All entry details will be made available in hard copy to all members and online around one month prior to each competition.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Important Notice to all Students
Owing to very poor class attendance during the month of January, their will be no training during the Australia Day long weekend on Friday 23rd January, Saturday 24th January and Tuesday 26th January. This applies to all sessions scheduled on these days. Tuesday and Thursday night classes will run as normal this week. Training will then resume on Thursday 28th January after the weekend break. An extra effort has been made to offer a broad range of classes over a range of nights, if support for these sessions, like Boxing and MMA, does not improve during the month of February the timetable will be amended accordingly in March to have classes on Tuesday and Thursday only. Get your arse on the mat in the next two weeks if you want a flexible and open timetable to continue. Consider yourself warned.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
BJ Penn Compilation
A study of BJ Penn guard passing during MMA matches. The replays highlight his amazing BJJ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)