Thursday, March 31, 2011

Karate Round Table Discussion 3/20/11

For those of you who missed my 2nd interview on Martial Arts Talk Radio Interview, Check it out.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/martialartsweekly/2011/03/20/ma-weekly-roundtable

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Knockout Highlight

The most refined art of fighting with the hands. Check out this highlight of boxing knockouts for 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9YYIh0sxY

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Carnage

Nathan "The Carnage" Corbett is one of the top Muay Thai Fighters around. He hails from Australia and he is an awesome fighter. Check him out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeSNpG9JkLg

Monday, March 28, 2011

Honor Thy Father

My first hero in life was "Pops". I can remember him coming home and wrestling with me and my brothers, teaching me how to ride a bike, and hit a baseball. He put us in the martial art for discipline, self defense and focus. Pops passed away last week. He had an accident and never recovered. He had been living with pain for several years, so now he can rest. Major Charles Trammell was in Vietnam was when I was born, so, I was walking when he came home. He was a busy man, spending a lot of time in the field training (as he was 82 Airborne). He would be gone 2 weeks at a time, and we are always excited to see this dirty, scruffy solider come home after running in the woods. By the time he was 30, he'd traveled the world and did more than most people will their whole lives. Pops was real good with kids. As we got older, he was harder on us. It was his way of preparing you for the cruel world. He was 100% military. After retiring from the Army, he worked in the civilian world for 3 years and hated it. He went back to working for the Department of the Army as a civilian until he retired. Now, I don't write this to depress you or make you feel sad for me. I am happy to have had my father for 44 years (he only had his for 9). He made my life easier than his and taught me some good basic lessons in life. I learned to accept responsibility for what you do, take care of your family, set goals and achieve them, and work hard. Whatever he set his mind to do, he did it. He taught me to believe in myself and never give up. I write this today to honor my first super hero, my "Pops". Rest in peace old soldier.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The "Brazilian Kick" Mawashi Geri

The "Brazilian Kick" is a popular kick in Karate. It is a version of Mawashi Geri (or Round Kick) where the kicker turns the knee down so that the foot goes over the defender's guard. Famous Brazilian karateka Francisco Filho and Glaube Feitosa are known for this kick and used it with great success in Kyokushin and K-1. Before those two great fighters, there was Ademir da Costa. He was Brazil's first superstar karate fighter. Check him out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTlKC4WZ9yw&feature=related

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Machida Karate

Lyoto Machida is the most accomplished Karate fighter in MMA, in my mind. I say this because he has adopted Karate specific technique to cage fighting. There are a lot of fighters who have Karate backgrounds, but most opt for kickboxing and boxing type of techniques. With Machida, you see Shotokan Karate techniques. Sure, he is well versed in the popular fighting styles (boxing, wrestling, ju jitsu, thai boxing, etc.), but he brings something different that no other fighter in MMA shows. Some may criticize his methods (his patience and lack of aggressiveness), but he is one of the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCWiWeOAYX0&feature=related

Friday, March 25, 2011

Enshin Karate

Joko Ninomiya was a student under the late Ashihara (who left Kyokushin and started Ashihara Karate). After Ashihara passed, Ninomiya would later start Enshin Karate. This system is based on Sabaki. Sabaki uses circular motion to avoid force and move to an opponent's blind spot. For over 30 years, Ninomiya has hosted the Sabaki Challenge, a bare knuckle full contact karate event featuring fighters from all over the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l1fyst5qyA

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Mr. Perfect Ernesto Hoost

Ernesto Hoost is one of the greatest kickboxers of all time. Check out the man know as "Mr. Perfect".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCocBsKI5vU

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Shidokan Atlanta: Believe You Are A Winner

Shidokan Atlanta: Believe You Are A Winner: "I hear a lot of fighters asking what is needed to get ready for a fight. Supplements, new conditioning exercises, new diets, analyzing oppon..."

Believe You Are A Winner

I hear a lot of fighters asking what is needed to get ready for a fight. Supplements, new conditioning exercises, new diets, analyzing opponents, cutting weight, etc. People go through great effort to find some kind of advantage. All I say is train. Sure, a fighter has to work on all aspects of fight preparation (skill development, conditioning, rest, good food, etc.). But, the most important thing is to train doing what your are going to do and believe in what you do. I think that is a big piece that's missing in the minds of young fighters today. My suggestion to being a winner is to tell yourself that you are a WINNER and believe it.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The Most Exciting Combat Sport to Watch

I enjoy all combat sports, but my favorite to watch is K-1 Max. Internationally it is very popular. Unfortunately U.S. fighters don't fair too well in K-1 (that's why it's not popular in the states). Check out this action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrXd5sZPxUI

Monday, March 21, 2011

Do you want to win?

What makes one guy win over another? The both train, they eat right, they run, etc. The know the techniques of their sport. But what causes one guy to win over another. As a competitor, you will always find someone who's stronger, faster, more flexible, etc. Outside of physical traits, I think it boils down to the mind. Believing that you will win, never accepting defeat, and always believing you can win. I've worked the corner of fighters and I could always tell when they were done. After a few hard rounds of a tough fight, some will break down and give up mentally. They give in to pain and fatigue and lose focus of the reason why they are competing. The forget that, "I am in this to win". You can be losing a fight and know you're behind, but you have to say to yourself that it's not over and I will continue to find that one shot that will give me victory. The most important thing is your fighting spirit. Never give up, never accept defeat before the final bell. As long as your are fighting, you have a chance to win. If you give up mentally, only then, did you truly lose.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Jon "Bone" Jones

The light heavyweight division better watch out for this guy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ItfImycSz4

Friday, March 18, 2011

Kyokushin Karate's Greatest Fighter

Shokei Matsui is perhaps kyokushin's most accomplished fighter. He was the youngest to win the Kyokushin World Open. He won the All Japan twice and he completed the 100 kumite. Check him out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baLwd9VxJXs

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Practical Training For Effective Fighting

During my 20s, I spent a lot of time in a ring kickboxing and boxing. It combat sports like boxing, judo, wrestling, kickboxing, etc. training with a noncompliant partner is the best method to develop your skills. This is not the case in a lot of traditional martial arts schools, where you drill theory with a compliant partner. When I teach martial arts, I keep this in mind for my students. I would like to share a clip of me being toyed with by former number one super middleweight boxing contender, Lamar Parks. He would come do Doraville Boxing Gym in the early 90s to get some sparring from me and Sam Garr (who was a top welterweight contender). I sparred with top boxers to improve my hands and develop skills (reflex, reaction, toughness, etc.) that you just can get anywhere else. Watch the leverage he gets when digs to the body. This type of work teaches what works and what doesn't. You also learn when to move (as you will here my coach say at times) when you are in the danger zone.

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

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Shizuka Murakami

Incredible action in this clip. Check her out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo8to9OS4w8

Monday, March 14, 2011

The Book on How To Be A Champion by Richard Trammell

My 1st book project is finally finished. It will be available shortly and I will tell you how to get it soon. It will have information on focus, visualization, training, and techniques. We will put this out as an E-book as a well as a hard copy. So, get ready to buy my book!!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Single Fights Or Tournaments To Find A Champion

In order for a fighter to be a world champion, I think tournament style fights are better. When fighting an individual for a title, fighters learn about their opponent, study film, ask other people about their opponent and come up with a game plan. Sometimes a fighter doesn't really have to be that good. All they need is a promoter to promote them, find an organization that will give them a title shot, and a match maker that will put them in place to fight for a title. In a tournament, you get several good fighters fighting for the top spot. I've had the opportunity to fight in international tournaments that hosted several world champs. To win such an event let's you know that you are fighting top competition from around the globe. You never know who you will face until fight night. You can't look past anybody, because the least popular guy might be the toughest fight you've had. So, my vote to find the champ goes to tournament style championships.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Fighting Strategies Of Muay Thai by Pedro Solana Villalobes

For those of you training in Muay Thai or Kickboxing, check out this book by Pedro Villalobos. Pedro trained in Thailand and many different camps and created this book of his favorite techniques and training methods. One of the models in the book demonstrating technique is yours truly, ME (lol). Anyway get this book!

Go to "Fighting Strategies Of Muay Thai: Secrets of Thailand's Boxing Camps" pagehttp://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Strategies-Muay-Thai-Thailands/dp/1581603584/

World Kumite Organization

The World Kumite Organization is a cool concept because it is non-political. Fighters come from all organizations, fight and the best man wins. Check it out.

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

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Iron Mike

Love him or hate him, no one can deny that he was the most feared Heavyweight in the last 20 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwmW-nnDBOE

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Pay The Price To Be A Star

Every since I've been in combat sports, young athletes have always said they wanted to be fighters and champions. People see champions on TV and because they like the sport, they set their eyes on being one too. But, rarely have I seen athletes train like champions. I was fortunate to be in gyms where top level fighters trained as I learned boxing and kickboxing. The top guys were extremely self motivated and worked out differently than everyone else. Guys come in the gym, take their time getting ready, talk to all of their buddies (while working out) and go through the motions of training. The discipline of movement is not the same. People see a guy with a belt, but they don't look at what the guy went through to win that belt. They see the prize and don't think about the journey. Sometimes a champion may forget about the journey. Successful people sometimes forget about where they came from, but they still come from humble beginnings. This means that you have to study, work hard and believe in yourself when others don't. You have to drive on through hard times and never stop believing. Famous Boxing coach, Freddie Roach said, "If a guy walks into his gym and doesn't think he is going to be world champion, then he won't".  Many will say that they want to be the best, but they really don't (want to work hard at it). They get in there and compete and they find out that there are a lot of good fighters out there. When the going gets tough, they quit. So, watch the top guys train. See how they carry themselves and ask them questions. Don't look at the end product and focus on that, but look at the journey too. And as the old saying goes, "If it was easy, everybody would be doing it." Now, get in the gym and train!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Shidokan Morocco

I came accross this clip on YouTube featuring martial arts from Shidokan Morocco. As I've stated before, the Shidokan may not be real popular in the U.S., but it is an international organization with branches in many countries. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Auvrw6aN_4

Sunday, March 6, 2011

New York City Friday Night Fights

This past weekend, I got to hang out in the Big Apple, New York, for Church Street Boxing's "Friday Night Fights". This event featured some great amateur and professional Muay Thai Fights. I took amateur fighter Eric Heegard and pro fighters Phil Sehenuk and Harris Norwood. Even though my fighters Eric and Phil lost their bouts, they showed the heart and spirit of true Samurais. They had top notch opponents in Ognjen Topic and Elijah Clark. Harris Norwood and Chris Kwiatowski fought a hard 5 rounds to a draw. Great job on the promotion by Justin Blair and Church Street Boxing. During my short visit I got to hang out with Sensei Duvall Hamilton of Martial Arts Weekly Talk Show and Shidokan Sensei Pat Guillano help us out with getting around the city. I commend all of the fighters who fought this past weekend and I enjoyed my time in NY.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Ewerton Teixera Highlight

Kyokushin Karate Champion and K-1 Fighter Ewerton Teixeira.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-VrlC9E-RU&feature=fvsr

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The Champs Secret to Shidokan Triathlon Success

I was I asked by someone why I had success in Shidokan Triathlon tournaments. In Shidokan, I fought in 12 man, 8 man, and 4 man tournaments with no losses. Was I the fastest, the strongest, the best kickboxer, the better grappler or knock down karate fighter. I will say no to all of the above. I was the oldest of the competitors I competed with (not quite, Kickboxing Champ and Shidokan veteran Peter Kaljevic is a couple of years older).  The advantages that I did have were: 1) I had solid competitive careers in single disciplines (tournament karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing, boxing, etc.); 2) I had a good foundation in single disciplines; 3)3 or more years training in: boxing, muay thai, judo, submission grappling, and kickboxing); 4) I was used to fighting in tournaments (having fought 3 to 7 times in one day in Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Judo); and 5) I knew how to conditioning and train myself as I was a fitness trainer. Most importantly I was SELF MOTIVATED. I had good training partners, but I was my own coach. I put pressure on myself to do what I was supposed to do. I would write down what I needed to do and do it. By doing this, you make yourself accountable. Now I faced some good competition  during those tournaments. I had enough in the bag of tricks to find something my opponents might not know about. For example, Matee Jedepitak was a Lumpinee and World Muay Thai Champion. I was not going to out Muay Thai him. I used side kicks, axe kicks and hook kicks. I used techniques and and rhythm (boxing and Tae Kwon Do) that he wasn't familiar with. I didn't try to out Karate experienced knock down karate fighters like Ryo Sakai and Rino Belcastro. I used my Tae Kwon Do experience to control the kick range and use my kicks. I didn't duke it out with good punches like Tomaz Korcyl, I boxed and used the jab and went to the bodly. In the grappling rounds I didn't try to submit experience MMA fighter Rolondo Higueros. I used transitions to escape and I knew enough submissions defense to keep my limbs in. Most importantly, I learned from the good fighters that I competed against and used those lessons to help me in subsequent matches. After a couple of years, I knew what I needed to do to win a Triathlon tournament. So here it is: 1) Be in Shape; 2) Work on all 3 skillsets (Knockdown Karate, Kickboxing, and Grappling); 3) Get experience in the 3 skillsets individually (go kick box, fight knock down, or enter grappling events); and 4) Train with dress rehersals (get your partners to Gi up and go through 3 fights like in a tournament). There you have it, get out there and train.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Listen to the Interview (Martial Arts Weekly)

For those who missed Richard Trammell talking with Sensei Duval Hamilton on Martial Arts Weekly, you can catch the interview by going this link.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/martialartsweekly/2011/02/28/spotlight-richard-trammell-shidokan-karate-the-triathlon-of-martial-arts