Monday, January 31, 2011

Fighting Without Thought

A lot of times when students start sparring, they get tense and then get intense as they start swinging for the fences. It is hard to relax and stay relaxed (especially when someone starts to hit you back). In all combat sports there is a time to use technique and a time to "Squab on 'em". Going toe to toe right of the bat isn't the way to go. If your opponent is weaker and can't hurt you, then it's OK. But, the goal is to win with minimum effort and maximum efficiency. You can't go for the knock out until your opponent is ready to be knocked out. You have to pick your shots, find the opening, and get him into the deep end (where he's tired) and then go for the knock out. There is no emotion involved because they cloud the mind and ruin the game plan. When I fight, my goal is to find the easiest way to win. I am stoic and no matter what my opponent does, I ignore it and stay with my plan. Within the first round of fight, I learn his strong points and weak points. The first thing I do is check his defense and feel his offense. Once I determine his hurt potential, then I decide when the right time to engage is (without getting me hurt). Remember anybody can duke it out, but in a tournament you have to use brains and not just brawn to keep winning (for multiple matches). You movements should be instinctive because you've put the hours in training, but you have to think while your techniques flow.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Six Time Shidokan Champion Jerry Morris

Jerry Morris is the most dominate champion in Shidokan Triathlon history. He is from St. Marteen and came into Shidokan through Shihan Christian Pujol. He won the Shidokan World Open Champion 6 times! In addition to that he is a mulitple championn in Muay Thai and Kickboxing. He has fought the best of the best in the world. He is one of the few to defeat the Legendary Ramon Dekkers. Here are some of Jerry's KO in Shidokan. He was know for being a durable, tough and incredible finisher. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usNSUP88--s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1MfKx3pXEM&feature=related

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Martial Artist and the Martial Athlete

Does being a fighter make one an artist too? The answer is no. A combat sports athlete is one who trains for an event. His or her motivation is winning a contest. Competition is about challenging yourself to attain a goal. It is a selfish quest the feeds ones ego or builds confidence. A martial artist is one who trains for the sake of training. His or her focus is about an endless quest to perfect a craft. An Artist is training when there is no tournament or fight coming up. A lot of athletes do nothing unless they have something to fight for. A professional fighter fights because he or she enjoys fighting. They like hitting people and get a rush out of engaging in hand to hand combat with another athlete. Now, one can be an artist and an athlete. The artist is the one who will still be training and learning when he stops competing. He won't rest on his accomplishments from yesterday and will continue to perfect skills and learn for the rest of his life. I once asked world champion kickboxer, Jerry Rhome a question. I said, "Hey Jerry, I have see you drop a lot guys in the gym and in fights.  It must be easy for you to do that". He said, "No. I feel like I can always get a little sharper, improve my timing, and I still have to practice". And then he went back to hitting the bag. Always be a student. Study, practice, and never think it's over.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Practical Experience Vs. Theory

The debate over practical experience and theory goes on and on in martial arts. Combat sports provide a way for martial artists to experiment and learn what will work in a real confrontation. We now have the reality self defense experts telling us that sport fighting does not prepare you for real fighting. Now of course combat sports have rules (like no eye gauging, fish hooking, biting, hair pulling etc.) and the self defense expert will have you believe that he can teach you to do these "dirty" fighting techniques under pressure. But the truth is, that by training and competing against a noncompliant opponent with full force is the only way to develop that ability. In the martial arts world of combat sports, we have full contact competition where you apply a skill set to it's full potential. Let's use MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) as an example. In this sport you can throw punches, kicks, knees, elbows, throws, takedowns, and apply joint locks and chokes. You have to be in shape, you have to be well rounded and you have to deal with pressure and stress. You have to be able to fight through fatigue and pain. You have to condition your mind to always look for a way to win even when your losing. The problems I see with those who argue  that "Well, it's not real and in a real fight this and that will happen", is that, first of all they don't have any real fighting experience (real or sport) and secondly they will never fight in any combat sporting event. They want to hide behind their theories instead of entering the lab and testing them. The so called reality defense expert, self protection experts and traditional martial artists who never fight, have never gone into a boxing gym, a judo school, or a ju jitsu school and trained with guys who knock people out, throw people on their heads, and twist limbs day in and day out. When you seek out an instructor to teach you how to fight, ask them how many people have they knocked out before you give them your money to show you how to punch or kick.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Old School Shidokan Highlights

Came across this awesome clip of some mid to late 90s Shidokan fights. These fights aired on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports and Pay-Per-View. There are a lot of knock outs here (the triathlon tournaments have a 80% KO ratio). A lot of well known fighters from around the globe are in this video (Kestutis Arbocius, Shonnie Carter, Fredrick Aguilar, Jerry Morris, Joseb Ioboredzie, Tomaz Kurchareski, Zolt Letner, Peter Angerer, Johen Gieb, and many others).  Shidokan is known as "The Triathlon of Martial Arts", where a champion has to compete under 3 disciplines (bare knuckle karate, kickboxing, and grappling) and win 3 matches in a night. The point system during this era of the sport was based on knock down karate rules. A fighter had to be stunned or hurt in order for a point to be awarded (instead of a 10 point must system which is now used). If nobody got hurt, matches would go into overtime. This way the fighters determined the outcome of the match. This is the evolution of the sport and (and martial arts) in showing why a fighter must be well rounded and demonstrate the spirt of the Samurai. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmq61MwBP8A

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Sweet Pea

For those of you who don't remember Pernell Whittaker, I wanted to share this highlight with you. In all of my years of watching fights, I would say he has the best defense in the boxing game (that I've seen). Watch and go practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw1t2yAK_wU

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

There Is No Triumph Without Struggle


People see a champion or anyone who acquires success and wish that they were like those they envy. They don't think about the years of struggle that goes into being good at something. Years ago at the Warehouse Gym (the first gym we had), we'd get young guys coming in wanting to be fighters. They saw fighters on TV and Pay-Per-View and wanted to be like the fighters they watched. All was good until they had their first fight. Most of them quit afterwards and some lasted a few more fights. What happens is that they realize that it's hard work. In many facets of life people don't want to work hard. Sure they will go through the motions with minimal effort, but only a few will push it to their limits. Whatever it is that you want to do, you have to give it your all. When you fall, you have to get up and push on. When people tell you that you can't do it, you have to do it anyway. When you doubt yourself, you have to ignore all negative thoughts and replace them with thoughts of victory. If it was easy everybody would be doing it. Believe it to achieve it!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Kestutis Arbocius

I wanted to share with you one my favorite Shidokan Fighters. Kestutis Arbocius was the 1999 and 2000 Shidokan World Open Middleweight Champion. He was also King of Pancrase. He is a well rounded fighter and I've seen him beat some tough fighters with ease.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ7DeedZh3U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1uK2BYvf50&feature=related

Friday, January 21, 2011

How Long Does It Take To Get A Black Belt?

I get this question a lot. Many people are fooled by rank, thinking that it makes you good. Let me tell you something. NO, it doesn't! A black belt in any martial art doesn't mean you can fight or levitate. Why? Because most martial arts schools sell belts. When Karate was first taught, there was no belt system. People just trained. The belt system is like going to school. You go to high school and then to college. As we all know, you can have a degree and not know squat. Belts give people a sense of accomplishment and that's cool. At Shidokan Atlanta, only four of my students have tested for black belt in the 10 years that I've been teaching the art in Atlanta. They along with a few others have never asked when or what belt they were going to get. The come in and train for the sake of training. They understand that a black belt just means you have a foundation and that you understand the basics. I know that my black students can fight (as they've done so in full contact Karate, Kickboxing, MMA, Grappling, etc.). They don't rest on past accomplishments and seek to continually learn. Getting a black belt is cool, but don't be fooled by the mysticism of it. You have to train, keep an open mind and give back to your art of study. TRAIN!!

Richard Trammell with a kick to the head of Thomas Korcyl (Shidokan Team USA 2000).

Monday, January 17, 2011

Real Karate Kids

I came across this clip on Youtube.  These kids are truly impressive. The style of Karate is Shotokan. Definitely see this movie, when it becomes available. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta6v2zEHpDM&feature=youtu.be

Sunday, January 16, 2011

PKA Kick Of the 80s

As a kid coming up in the 70s and 80s, professional Full Contact Karate (American Kickboxing) was a fast growing sport. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Karate tournament fighters paved the way for something new. I would watch "PKA Kick of The 80s" weekly on ESPN to see awesome match ups. Here are a few of my favorite fighters

Jerry "The Flash" Rhome (Heavyweight and Super Heavyweight Champ)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGhKPdPf6ws&feature=related

Jean Yyes Theriault "The Ice Man" (the most dominate fighter of his era)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0vXTpYqd2k&feature=related

Jerry "Golden Boy" Trimble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsZpZQK_jaw

Alvin "Million Dollar Baby" Prouder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRP0cSIaXf4

K-1

In a previous post, I talked about K-1 fighter Kelly Leo. K-1 is the premier tournament to find the top Heavyweight Kickboxing in the World. The Dutch dominate this sport right now, Kickboxing is a major sport in Holland. Here is a highlight of K-1 knockout action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1xYmBE1m0g

Tae Kwon Do Spin Kicks

I've learned many techniques over the years from different disciplines. My favorite thing to do is kick somebody in the head. The Sport of Tae Kwon Do (Art of Hand and Foot)  is known for it's unique kicking (this is not all there is to the art mind you). The key things that you develop in this sport is timing and the controll of distance. Here is a knock out highlight of Tae Kwon Do kicks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1xYmBE1m0g

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is the "Art of 8 Limbs". It is a sport that emphasizes physical conditioning and strong basics. Punching, kickboxing, knees and elbows are allowed. The clinch fighting of Thai boxing is what makes it very different from other forms of kickboxing.

In Shidokan Karate, the 2nd concept of the triathlon is kickboxing (the first being Full Contact Karate and the 3rd Grappling). When Soeno (Shidokan founder) visited Thailand to test his Kyokushin against Muay Thai he fought against top Thai fighters and even though he won, found the fights to be tough. So, he began to study that art and would later incorporate it into his system.

The clinch and knees of Muay Thai are a powerful weapon. Even in Shidokan Karate tournaments, this is often what decides the winner. Because grabbing is allowed, you can wear an opponent down. Here is a clip of my favorite Muay Thai fighter, Saenchai Sor Kingstar. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jmK2zusIlA

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Kelly "The Lion" Leo

Over the years I've met many talented fighters. One in particular is Kelly Leo. Not only is he a great fighter, but I consider him my brother from another mother. I met Kelly in the early 90s at Doraville Boxing (now Paul Murphy Boxing gym). He and another karate fighter, Paul Cantrell (husband of deceased fighter Erin Cantrell, who I will feature in the near future), came to start their training in kickboxing. Already an accomplished tournament karate fighter, Kelly would later venture into Kickboxing, Boxing, Shidokan (MMA), and K-1 (the elite of Heavyweight Kickboxing). Kelly now resides in Gainesville, GA with his wife, Trisha "TNT" Hill, World Champion in Boxing and Kickboxing (a future blog on her coming too) and 2 beautiful daughters.  He runs Full Throttle Fitness and is a full time fitness trainer and martial arts coach to upcoming fighters. Here is an interview with "The Lion".



When did you start Martial Arts? 
I started in Martial arts in late 1985/86

What types of fighting styles have you competed in?
I have competed in Point Karate
Shidokan Karate
Thai Boxing
Kickboxing
K-1
Boxing

What made you want to kickbox?
I saw it on ESPN with Joe Corley and "Bad" Brad Hefton, Robert Harris and many other great fighters and fell in love with it.
What major events have you fought in?
Naska - National Point circuit
NBL - National Point Karate Circuit
World Shidokan Open
Chuck Norris' World Combat League
K-1
ISKA and IKF events

You hold titles in different styles of kickboxing right?

Yes I Hold the - Pro ISKA US Heavy Weight Title ( Oriental Rules)
IKF - Pro Super Hvy Weight Full Contact Rules East Coast Title
Currently Ranked #2 in the World with IKF

Who are some of the well known fighters you've competed against?

K-1 Champion Micheal McDonald
Shonnie Carter (Shidokan Triathlon Rules/Karate, Kickboxing, Grappling)
Carter Williams (K-1 Kickboxing)
Dan "Son of the Preacher Man" Ericson (World Combat League)
Derek Panza (World Combat League)
I am in negotiations for a fight with Kickboxing legend, Rick "The Jet" Roufus

Have you fought internationally (and against int'l fighters)?

Yes. I fought Tatsufumi Tomihira in K-1, Hector Monterrey in Costa Rica (Shidokan) and I fought in Sochi Russia against Anatoly Nosyrev.



How have you evolved as a martial artists and you blend traditional old school with the new school techniques?

I do blend all the different styles of what I have done to give my students a more well rounded approach to Martial Arts. I still teach the Old school basics as a foundation, then build and add to their arsenal as they grow as a martial artist.

Tell us about your dojo and the future of your martial arts style?
My Dojo- we teach Bare knuckle karate fighting techniques, Jiu Jitsu, Thai and kickboxing, Women's Kickboxing
We offer conditioning classes ( Extreme Fit) and Personal training also.
We are growing and hope to eventually have a place to hold small events to help our students grow to become the best they can.
We teach them to be respectful and confident at the same time. Commitment is huge concept in our gym, if you say you're going to do something you do it.
Help these young kids to be respectful men.
We hope to get the guys out on the national and int'l levels of fighting. ( Big Fish in the Big Pond) ;-)

Mas Oyama

In the last post, I talked about Shidokan founder Kancho Yoshiji Soeno. Before starting Shidokan, he was a top in structor of Kyokushin. Mas Oyama was the fouder of Kyokushin ("The Ultimate Truth"). He started a style of fighting known as "Bare knuckle" or "Knock Down". Unlike point Karate, fighters can only win if they hurt an opponent or the the opponent shows pain (i.e. fatigue). Because of this movement towards hard training and realistic fighting principles, Kyokushin became popular fast. It spread all over the world and it (along with its offshoots)  is viewed as "The Strongest Karate".
Mas Oyama Highlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql99zLrU1wQ

Friday, January 14, 2011

Shidokan Origins

Shidokan Karate (translated as "Those who train in the Samurai Way", was founded by Kancho (Grandmaster) Yoshiji Soeno.  The style evolved out of Kyokushin Karate. It is based on three concepts: Karate, Kickboxing, and Grappling. Here is an early video of Soeno doing a demonstration and some fight footage showing the strong influence of Muay Thai clinching (whereas this is not allowed in traditional full contact or bare knuckle karate).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW4QT1D3EVI

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Shidokan Atlanta: My Judo Coach Olympian Leo White

Shidokan Atlanta: My Judo Coach Olympian Leo White: "Over the years I've met some really good Judoka (Judo Players). My first instructor, Nak Jun Kim was on the Korean National Team. I trained ..."

My Judo Coach Olympian Leo White

Over the years I've met some really good Judoka (Judo Players). My first instructor, Nak Jun Kim was on the Korean National Team. I trained at Atlanta Judo Academy under Bob Byrd for a couple of years. I currently train at Wakamusha Judo Club with Leo White. The top players in the city come and train there (national champion Joshua White, Olympic Alternate Mark Fletcher to name a few). Sensei White is a 2 time Olympian and 17X national champion (the only person to do this). Part of our curriculum at Shidokan Atlanta consist of Judo technique and Ju Jitsu techniques. Jaral Bowman and Eric Heegaard are part of Atlanta Top Team and train in Brazilian Ju Jitsu with Jacao Caneiro. So our approach to grappling brings a wide arrange of techniques from these disciplines as well as wrestling and sambo. Back to Leo, now. He is a phenomenal martial artist and even in his 50s can throw and submit you with ease. I will do other posts in the future on some more of the great martial artists and coaches I've had the honor to meet and train with. Here is a lesson from the Leo on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEUtedg6mkM&feature=&p=1D08D2BE17D46E77&index=0&playnext=1

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Shidokan Atlanta: Lady Warriors of the gym.

Shidokan Atlanta: Lady Warriors of the gym.: "Over the years, I've had the opportunity to train some tough ladies in the gym. In this clip you can see some of the women we've worked with..."

Lady Warriors of the gym.

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to train some tough ladies in the gym. In this clip you can see some of the women we've worked with. Some of them have been training with me since 1999! Using martial arts as a base (mind you I draw training techniques from 5 different martial arts), we are able to work the body in a variety of ways, keeping it different to always challenge the body and develop functional fitness. Check out these Lady Warriors in the clips below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rraayUlsqyI

Here's another clip of our latest female fighter, Rhonda Balsamello. She's been training with us for about 7 months and has competed in Karate, Grappling, and Kickboxing events. She is the hardest working student in the gym.
This is her fist tournament after just a few months of training. Can't wait to show you 1 year later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLRrD_Lamv8

One more for the ladies. This is Grace Ogara, a tough 3rd grader, defeating a boy in her first tournament.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e39kPq7ocOc

Monday, January 10, 2011

Does Karate Work In a Real Fight? The Champ's Favorite Karate Moves

In looking at what Karate techniques work in a full contact competition or self defense situation, I will say that it is a credible and effective art. I will give a list of Karate specific techniques that I have used in competition and in real fights. Technique 1, the back fist (or back knuckle) is fast and painful. In kickboxing, the spinning backfist is one of the most powerful hand techniques you can throw because you spin 360 degrees into the technique. Without the the glove the back fist to the facial area is very effective because the head is a flexible target and the fast you snap your weapon the more effective. I've thrown many spinning backfist in competition and landed some but produced no KOs with them, but I've used the bare knuckle back fist to drop people in reality. Technique 2, the reverse punch or straight punch. This punch is a powerful punch that shoots from the rear side of a stance. The shoots forward shifting the bodyweight into the technique and the hip rotates the punch. This is an explosive movement that results in a lot of power. During my tournament karate days, I learned to shoot it from a distance to close the gap and score. I like to shoot it the to solar plexus, floating ribs and facial area. In reality, it works like the sucker punch in that you explode in to the movement from a neutral stance. Technique 3, the side kick. I've this one defensively (opponent attacking and running into it) and offensively (I fake a punch to the head and slide up into the kick). The great thing about this kick, is that it's hard to grab and it is a strong linear technique that can know your opponent away even if he blocks the kick. My primary target for this one is the body, and it has been effective in knocking the wind out of guys and giving a few KOs with broken ribs. Technique 3 is the front snap kick. I use the snap kick because I can throw at a close range with speed. The snap knocks the wind out guys and like the side kick, is hard to grab. Technique 4 is the round kick. This is the most used kick in martial arts. I mainly use the lead leg round kick for anything waist up. I use the rear leg round kick mainly to the leg. I reality, I've used more of the snapping round kick as I rely more on speed than strength in those situations. In full contact competiton, I will use the Thai style shin kick rotating the whole body through the target. In real fights, you can use the foot (you have shoes on) and you have to be selective in committing your body to this type of technique (unless you kick like Matee or Buakaw). Number 5,  last technique is the Spin back kick. This is my favorite kick. In competition, I've used it mainly as a counter against a charging opponent. It requires timing and distance. So, to my Karate friends out there, it does work in full contact and in reality! The Champs Karate techniques: 1) The Backfist, 2) The Reverse Punch, 3), The Side Kick, 4) The Round Kick, and Number 5) Spin Back Kick (this one is for primariliy for competiton). We will look at other combat sports and self defense applications in future posts.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Effective Kicking for Fighting

When executing kicks in full contact matches, you have to develop your timing, distancing, and accuracy. When throwing low kicks, you want to get your opponent moving back or counter his attack. The goal is to limit his ability to defend your kicks. In the video below (from 2002 Shidokan Team USA which aired on ESPN) you will see feints to set up low kicks and movement to defend against the kicks. I will check (block with the shin) as a last resort. The ability to absorb low kicks involves sitting down (like a squat) to cut the kick off before it reaches it's maximum point of power. I use different kinds of kicks from Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and Muay Thai. You will see hook kicks, round kicks, etc. The fight will end with an array of punches until the opponents corner throw the towel in. But if you watch you will see that it was a left round kick to the liver that hurt him. The delayed reaction of the kicks was felt as the punches were being thrown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiKwilIjbCw&feature=related

Friday, January 7, 2011

MMA Needs Boxing More Than Boxing Needs MMA

Having competed in most combat sports in cluding Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Kickboxing, Shidokan Triathlon (Karate, Kickboxing, Grappling). I've promoted amateur and professional events and I watch every kind of fight that comes on T.V., internet, etc. As the sport of Mixed Martial Arts evolves, I see the skill set of boxing come to the forefront. MMA of the 1990s is different than present day MMA. We saw Brazilian Ju Jitsu dominate (Royce Gracie), then high level wrestlers came in and physically dominated (Kevin Jackson, Mark Coleman, and Mark Kerr). We even say the first "Striker", Kickboxer Maurice Smith become UFC Champion. As the sport has changed, fighters have become more well rounded and knowledgeable of other combat disciplines besides their base art. Not too long ago the "MMA Vs. Boxing" fight between Randy Couture and James Toney took place. Now, despite how this fight was advertised, it was nothing of the sort because MMA and Boxing are 2 different things. Success in one does guarantee success in the other. Toney fought and MMA match, not a Boxing Match. If Couture fought him in a boxing match, the outcome would be the opposite. As a martial artists who has studied Boxing (and, it is a martial art too), I will say that in all things else being somewhat equal, he or she who Boxes best usually wins. Win American Kickboxing first developed, Karate guys thought they owned the sport. Halfway decent boxers began to enter and started to dominate the martial arts guy who spent several years working his way to black belt. The sport had to add a mandatory kick count to keep the sport from becoming a slugfest. Why? Because it's tiring to kick, it takes a lot of skill to kick, and it's easier to just punch. The Karate fighter kind of faded out and Kickboxing became a discipline in of itself. Now back to MMA. Frankie Edgar and just defended his title against Ray Maynard. Both fighters are high level wrestlers. There were a few take downs and only one submission attempt in the 5 round match. The match looked like a boxing match (which ended in a draw). GSP recently beat Josh Koscheck (for a second time) and basically beat him with a jab. Despite Josh being the more accomplished wrestler, GSP applies and masterful understanding of wrestling to dictate where the fight will take place. GSP even worked with famous boxing trainer, Freddie Roach to prepare for the bought. So, it is quite evident that Boxing is still very much alive today in MMA because every participant has to learn it. The hands will be used more than any other weapon in a match. Sure there will still be kicks and submissions, but as we saw in the Cain and Brock fight, the better puncher in most combat sports usually wins. In a future post, I talk about America's place in Professional Heavyweight Boxing, since we haven't had an American Champ since Hollyfield (I think).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Martial Arts Combat Sports History From My Perspective

In the mid 1970s I got my first exposure to the Martial Arts. My father was in the army and we lived on Army bases. My brothers and I took lessons on base from Sgt. Brown. Sgt. Brown taught hand to hand combat to the 82nd Airborne. He student in Korea and taught Tang Soo Do. There was no kids class as dojos (gyms were hardcore) and not commercialized as they are now (kids make up 80% of todays martial arts schools). My oldest brother was 17 years old fighting grown men in tournaments. The competitions were traditional point fighting. There were no pads and hard contact to the body was allowed and blows to the head were controlled (kinda). Sweeps and take downs were allowed and controlled techniques on a downed opponent scored. As my interest in martial arts grew, I would read all of the karate magazines and see famous martial artists  like Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, etc. Also, during the 70s, tournament karate fighters started trying out full contact competition. Using safety gear (an innovation of Jhoon Rhee), events were being held with continuous contact. There was no ring and the fighters used the same techniques they used in tournament karate (backfist, ridge hands, reverse punches, etc.). There were a lot of hand injuries and the physical conditioning required was different for the karate fighters. They began to train like boxers and adopted boxing gloves. Full Contact Karate became American Kickboxing. On the undercard of the Ali Vs. Frazier "Thrilla in Manilla", Don King featured Jeff Smith Vs. Kareem Adallah. Kickboxing grew in popularity and thrived in the U.S. for almost 2 decades airing on TV and in particular ESPN. PKA (the Professional Karate Association) was what the UFC is now. Joe Corley was the Dana White of that time. In the late 1980s some of the fighters started competing with leg kicks, creating another form of kickboxing, International Low Kicks Rules. Muay Thai gained popularity and by the 1990s, it was the main form of kickboxing. K-1, the premier tournament for the top Heavyweight kickboxers was here and in 1993 the first UFC was shown on Pay-Per-View.  By the mid 2000s MMA became popular to the general public because of a classic battle between Forrest Griffin and Stephen Bonner on Spike TVs "Ultimate Fighter" Season I. All of the contact sports mentioned in this post are still around. Even though Full Contact (American Kickboxing) is not very popular in the states, many countries worldwide still air big shows for it. K-1 style kickboxing  (a modified style combining kickboxing and Thai boxing). Here we are today. From Karate to Kickboxing to Low Kick to Muay Thai to MMA.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Fighting Trainers, Jaral and Phil

The great thing about working out at Trammell Fitness and Martial Arts/Shidokan Atlanta is that you get to work with trainers that have REAL experience. There are a lot of gyms and martial arts places in the city. I don't know of many that have a team of trainers that have worked together for 7 plus years. Jaral Bowman calls it like he sees it and Phil Sehenuk lets you know without saying a word. They look like small, harmless guys but big things come in small packages. Through trial and tribulation they have represented the gym as fighters and through sweat and blood have gained the knowledge to make them awesome trainers. They have competed in MMA, Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Sanshou and full contact Karate. Whether personal training or martial arts training, you are training with guys who are true professionals. This is hard to come by, so, come and train with them (They are my right and left hands).

Jaral in Action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5ytIwaDkiI

Phil in Action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP8nG5YygmM

Monday, January 3, 2011

Getting in Shape is Easy!

Now that the holidays are over, people have their resolutions in mind just like last year. One of them is getting in better shape. The want to lose weight, get stronger, improve flexibility, etc. Think about this folks. If you don't feel in shape, ask yourself "How did I get out of shape?" and "What did I do or not do to contribute to this?" Being in shape is not as difficult as you think. We have no problem eating when we're hungry. When you are dirty, you wash. When you get up in the morning, you brush your teeth. These are things you do without thinking about it. Exercise should be part of your day. We drive everywhere (there's no walking). People eat out more (it's convenient) than they used to. When you eat at a restaurant, you tend to eat more (appetizer, entree, drinks, and desert) and the portions too much. Now there's nothing wrong with getting your eat on. The problem comes when you don't burn off those calories. People are always wondering what happen to the condition they had when they were younger. They become more sedentary and less active as they get older. You have to use it or lose it. You can't let a car sit for to long without charging the battery. It is my belief that you have to treat yourself like you're young to feel young. Find the balance between food and exercise. You are your own nutritionist because you know what foods make you feel a certain way and how your body reacts to those foods. So, with all of this being said, there are know excuses to poor health. For the most part, people do it to themselves. It's up to you to get yourself in shape.