Sunday, February 28, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Dana White talks UFC 110
Interesting wrap up from the weekend. Here's hoping for Melbourne next year, not sure if the laws will change in time but we all know money talks.
VIDEO: Ultimate teacher
VIDEO: Ultimate teacher
Campbell was kind enough to email me a video link of last nites Randy Couture Seminar at Extreme HQ in Chadstone. Thanks to all the guys who came from Mornington. It was a bit of a circus with media, sports stars and specatators. Good opening nite for the new club though. Glad to see the boys getting photos and the like with Randy. He is an inspirational guy. I found it interesting the divide between those on the mat doing it and those fans now who follow the sport without really training beyond being a keyboard warrior.
Campbell was kind enough to email me a video link of last nites Randy Couture Seminar at Extreme HQ in Chadstone. Thanks to all the guys who came from Mornington. It was a bit of a circus with media, sports stars and specatators. Good opening nite for the new club though. Glad to see the boys getting photos and the like with Randy. He is an inspirational guy. I found it interesting the divide between those on the mat doing it and those fans now who follow the sport without really training beyond being a keyboard warrior.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
The Wonder Years
Ah the good old days of MMA,the nostalgia brings a tear to my eye.....Time waits for no man. Lets see if The Axe Murderer can go one more time against Bisping this Sunday before the clock runs out. And you know what, me and my buddies will be there to see it firsthand! Now thats cool!
The Wonder Years from Huck Blade on Vimeo.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
More Quotes
Two quotes I read today I really like so I'd thought I'd share them.
Q: What are your weaknesses? Fedor: I do not talk about my weaknesses, I work on them.
“One must learn to pick the lock rather than break the door down at its hinges” Marcio Feitosa.
Q: What are your weaknesses? Fedor: I do not talk about my weaknesses, I work on them.
“One must learn to pick the lock rather than break the door down at its hinges” Marcio Feitosa.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Nike Advertisement
Heres a sign that MMA is mainstream now. Rampage in a new Nike Ad.
Human Chain from NikeSportswear on Vimeo.
Friday, February 12, 2010
More Thoughts
I made the observation last night after training that I finally think we have an actual club on our hands. In just under four years we have began to achieve what I set out to do. Building a team of dedicated and talented grapplers on the Peninsula. As a group we have a wide range of body types, sizes, ages, games and experience levels, succeeded individually and collectively at competitions and now have a core group of novice, beginner and intermediate level students. The learning culture on the mat is strong and competitive where people are willing to try and test ideas and techniques. We have a number of teachers on the mat ready to instruct the many new faces turning up at our doorstep. All the guys are friendly and respectful to their training partners. Class sizes are growing and so the number of training partners available increases and accelerates our learning curves. We are now at the point where the club is bigger than any individual, which is a good sign of progress. I can delegate responsibilities to others without having to look over their shoulder and know that things get done properly. I hope we finally have the momentum to take the next step as a group. That we have achieved some kind of critical mass, only time will tell. We can offer a very strong grappling curriculum and striking classes for MMA, with techniques that are both reliable and reproducible in a pressure situation. We have a strong training philosophy about "Aliveness" and we are affiliated to a strong national organisation. My dream for the remainder of this year is to get our best guys back on the mat more often. There are a few blue belts out through injuries, or other pursuits, who would be gladly welcomed back into this environment when the time is right. To get our best and complete competition team out on the mat for the Pan Pacs in the last weekend of November would be a great achievement. Thanks to all those who have helped with the journey so far.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Students & Teachers
The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. He inspires self-distrust. He guides their eyes from himself to the spirit that quickens him. He will have no disciple. ~Amos Bronson Alcott
To teach is to learn twice. ~Joseph Joubert, Pensées, 1842
The relationship between student and teacher is one that has been well described in martial arts training and literature. The best results are obtained when both parties are actively involved in the learning process. Consider what it takes to be a good student or teacher and I suggest the following to be some important, and largely intangible, qualities for both.
Communication Can you break things down into manageable chunks of information for learning and them re-introduce the information back into the whole picture whilst keeping it relevant, useful and effective. Can you listen? Ask the right questions? Be present in the moment. Pay Attention to detail. Can you give appropriate feedback?
Empathy is the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes, can you teach where the student is at and can the student see where you are going with a technique or idea. Even if they don’t get all the details can they see the big picture? What are the teachers and students goals at any given point?
Trust in letting go of your previous ideas and accepting new ideas. Let go and take the journey even if you don’t know exactly where it is going to end. Trust in the process. Once you have chosen a teacher carefully then go where the training takes you. You can’t take new things onboard if you can’t accept what you already have has been ineffective in some way. Evolve. Leave your ego out of it.
Knowledge is knowing what to teach and how to teach it to gain maximum retention and relevance. Are you curious enough to seek out information and ideas yourself? Take the initiative to study the history of your sport, to mimic the greats, absorb what is useful (that’s no my quote BTW that’s Bruce Lee) Knowledge is power. Read broadly, research, analyse and put things to the test. Find out what works for people in a given situation most of the time.
Wisdom is knowing when to teach someone or intervene and when to let students stumble along and find out themselves. I read somewhere that knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and wisdom is knowing that you don’t put tomatoes in a fruit salad. Know when to push and when to back off. Knowing the one thing to say that makes all the difference in that persons game right when they are ready to hear it.
Inspiration Can you help someone to realise their potential in a given area and motivate them to succeed, persist and progress through the journey when things invariably get tough. Good students inspire good teachers and vice versa.
Commitment Are you both willing to commit to the cause? There will be days when you don’t want to teach and there will be days that you don’t want to train but the important thing is to keep turning up. I think the hardest part is getting your arse off the couch because everyone always feels better after a decent training session where progress has been made.
The classic example of this relationship being successful is the one between a young raw street kid called Mike Tyson and Cus D’Amato the old and frail boxing trainer considering retirement. Cus took Tyson to the top but Tyson also ignited something in Cus as a trainer and inspired him to teach. Its always a two way street. The results were amazing in the early days because Tyson was a student of the game and Cus was a master trainer. On their own, no different, put them together and you got dynamite. The chemistry is largely intangible because its about qualities and personalities. Money can’t buy what those two did, and Tyson couldn’t buy back what he lost when Cus died, shortly before Tyson became the youngest ever heavyweight champion in history. Think about it, if you took a great boxing trainer and an elite young athlete with all the time and money and facilities in the world there is still no guarantee of success like Tyson. The irony is those two had very little material things early on and lived a very humble existence indeed. Only a good student and good teacher together produce results.
To teach is to learn twice. ~Joseph Joubert, Pensées, 1842
The relationship between student and teacher is one that has been well described in martial arts training and literature. The best results are obtained when both parties are actively involved in the learning process. Consider what it takes to be a good student or teacher and I suggest the following to be some important, and largely intangible, qualities for both.
Communication Can you break things down into manageable chunks of information for learning and them re-introduce the information back into the whole picture whilst keeping it relevant, useful and effective. Can you listen? Ask the right questions? Be present in the moment. Pay Attention to detail. Can you give appropriate feedback?
Empathy is the ability to stand in someone else’s shoes, can you teach where the student is at and can the student see where you are going with a technique or idea. Even if they don’t get all the details can they see the big picture? What are the teachers and students goals at any given point?
Trust in letting go of your previous ideas and accepting new ideas. Let go and take the journey even if you don’t know exactly where it is going to end. Trust in the process. Once you have chosen a teacher carefully then go where the training takes you. You can’t take new things onboard if you can’t accept what you already have has been ineffective in some way. Evolve. Leave your ego out of it.
Knowledge is knowing what to teach and how to teach it to gain maximum retention and relevance. Are you curious enough to seek out information and ideas yourself? Take the initiative to study the history of your sport, to mimic the greats, absorb what is useful (that’s no my quote BTW that’s Bruce Lee) Knowledge is power. Read broadly, research, analyse and put things to the test. Find out what works for people in a given situation most of the time.
Wisdom is knowing when to teach someone or intervene and when to let students stumble along and find out themselves. I read somewhere that knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit and wisdom is knowing that you don’t put tomatoes in a fruit salad. Know when to push and when to back off. Knowing the one thing to say that makes all the difference in that persons game right when they are ready to hear it.
Inspiration Can you help someone to realise their potential in a given area and motivate them to succeed, persist and progress through the journey when things invariably get tough. Good students inspire good teachers and vice versa.
Commitment Are you both willing to commit to the cause? There will be days when you don’t want to teach and there will be days that you don’t want to train but the important thing is to keep turning up. I think the hardest part is getting your arse off the couch because everyone always feels better after a decent training session where progress has been made.
The classic example of this relationship being successful is the one between a young raw street kid called Mike Tyson and Cus D’Amato the old and frail boxing trainer considering retirement. Cus took Tyson to the top but Tyson also ignited something in Cus as a trainer and inspired him to teach. Its always a two way street. The results were amazing in the early days because Tyson was a student of the game and Cus was a master trainer. On their own, no different, put them together and you got dynamite. The chemistry is largely intangible because its about qualities and personalities. Money can’t buy what those two did, and Tyson couldn’t buy back what he lost when Cus died, shortly before Tyson became the youngest ever heavyweight champion in history. Think about it, if you took a great boxing trainer and an elite young athlete with all the time and money and facilities in the world there is still no guarantee of success like Tyson. The irony is those two had very little material things early on and lived a very humble existence indeed. Only a good student and good teacher together produce results.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
OSU!
I got the following piece from a Kyokushin site and its one of the best summaries of the Japanese word "Osu" I have found. Its one of my old habits to still use this word and often it attracts some strange looks in training. But if I use this word with you I am serious, because it represents and summarises all those things I believe are valuable in Traditional Martial Arts training. I am not certain if these are Mas Oyama's words or not.
The meaning of " OSU! "
Osu means patience, respect and appreciation. In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit it is necessary to undergo rigorous training.
This is very demanding, because you must push yourself to what you believe to be your limit, and you want to stop; to give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your weakness and you must win. To do this you must learn to persevere, but above all you must learn to be patient. This is OSU!
The reason you subject yourself to hard training is because you care about yourself, and to care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self respect evolves and expands to become respect for your instructor and fellow students. When you enter the dojo you bow and say "Osu" . This means you respect your dojo and the time you spend training there. This feeling of respect is OSU!
During training you push yourself as hard as possible because you respect yourself. When you finish you bow to your insructor and fellow students and say "Osu" once more. You do this out of appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is OSU.
Thus OSU is a very important word in Kyokushin Karate because it signifies patience, respect and appreciation. That is why we always use the word OSU; to remind ourselves of these indespensable qualities.
OSU!!!
The meaning of " OSU! "
Osu means patience, respect and appreciation. In order to develop a strong body and strong spirit it is necessary to undergo rigorous training.
This is very demanding, because you must push yourself to what you believe to be your limit, and you want to stop; to give up. When you reach this point you must fight yourself and your weakness and you must win. To do this you must learn to persevere, but above all you must learn to be patient. This is OSU!
The reason you subject yourself to hard training is because you care about yourself, and to care about yourself is to respect yourself. This self respect evolves and expands to become respect for your instructor and fellow students. When you enter the dojo you bow and say "Osu" . This means you respect your dojo and the time you spend training there. This feeling of respect is OSU!
During training you push yourself as hard as possible because you respect yourself. When you finish you bow to your insructor and fellow students and say "Osu" once more. You do this out of appreciation. This feeling of appreciation is OSU.
Thus OSU is a very important word in Kyokushin Karate because it signifies patience, respect and appreciation. That is why we always use the word OSU; to remind ourselves of these indespensable qualities.
OSU!!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
1st MMA Fight in History
Toughest man alive. Anybody know someone who got a black belt from this man?
Monday, February 1, 2010
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