Thursday, August 30, 2012

Mike Tyson Training

If you think you are training hard, you need to look at old footage of Mike Tyson (in his prime). Watch this clip and go to work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUDogb3zO0U

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Workout Anytime Anywhere

How do you stay in shape? Let me tell you. Exercise consistenly at least 5 days a week. This doesn't mean you have to kill yourself working out hard each session. Vary the intensity and do different things. It can be bodyweight exercises, weights, a run, etc. If you don't have a lot of time or your tired one of your training days, do a 20-30 minunte routine. You give yourself a certain number of reps to reach on a series of exercises (i.e. 50 reps of push ups, squats, sit ups). You need to make sure you do routines that involve you moving compound muscle groups (more than one) and make sure to work in your stretching. Make each workout different and keep in fun.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Shidokan Bare Knuckle Rules

Knockdown Karate is popular in many countries. The version most used is that of Kyokushin. All leg and knee strikes to legs, torso and head and no hand strikes to head. Grabbing/holding is not allowed. Scorring is based on effective strikes that either knockdown or visibly hurt the opponent. Shidokan's version of Knockdown allows grabbing and throwing and in some causes submisson. Adding the clinch and throws to ruleset changes things and is a great way to prepare students for practical combat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JcM-xqyq6k

Friday, August 24, 2012

Jon Jones Declines Chael Sonnen

As many of you know, Dan Henderson had to pull out of then next UFC fight against Jon Jones due to an injury. In looking for a replacement fight, a couple of the top contenders turned down the fight, so they ask Sonnen. He accepts, but now the Champ Jones says, no he won't fight him on 8 days notice. In my mind, to be Champion you must be willing to take on all comers at the drop of a hat. In an earlier post, I said that world champions should be determined by tournaments. Get to baddest dudes in one event and on that day, see who walks away with the title. There's no planning for one guy. You deal with each opponent one at a time. When I was an active fighter I fought a former pro world champion in my fourth pro fight. When I started to fight for titles and defend them, I didn't care who my opponent was. I truly feel that if you are a world champion, then you should be willing to fight anybody at anytime. These guys I'm talking about are professional athletes who do this for a living.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

(Un)Caged Fighter Blog.

Here's a cool blog site called Uncaged Fighter. Check it out and visit it often. OSU http://www.uncagedfighter.com/p/lin-kong-jing_13.html

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Full Contact and Karate

In looking at the effectives on Karate, how do you determine what is and isn't effective. If students practice their bunkai (kata applications) or memorize their 1, 2 and 3 step self defense combinations will they be able to defend themselves? Let me answer for you, NO! Look at the evolution of combat sports in martial arts. Judo developed as a sport where combatants could practice full force against a noncompliant partner. Full contact karate is the same for karate folks. The problem with the karate commmunity is that most of them don't want to fight. Everybody who gets in submission wrestling or boxing will end up sparring whether they compete or not. These sports are practiced as they would be used against an opponent. It is real, not so cerebral that you end up with a lot of theories. It is what it is. Full contact gives karate meaning. I wanted to share an article with you that I read some time ago. Enjoy! http://www.shidokan.com/bushido-can-full-contact-sa/

Monday, August 20, 2012

Shidokan Atlanta's 1st Shidokan Cup Judo and Karate

This past Saturday marked Shidokan Atlanta's 1st Shidokan Cup tournament. This event took place after our Ultimate Judo tournament. I tagged the karate tournament onto a judo tournament as it was the only way to make it worthwhile. The karate dojos are so fragmented and in the past everytime I did an event featuring karate, I got small support from karate folks. This day went well, though. Shidokan Atlanta had support from it's brother dojos (Full Throttle and KBX) and World Yoshukai (Oxford AL). I thank you all for your support. I thank all the judo officials, coaches and players for coming out. We had competitors from SC, NC, GA, TN, and FL. There was a lot of action during the judo competiton. One choke submission ended with one competitor going to sleep. A couple of guys got injured during the judo action (one dislocated shoulder and another dislocated elbow). We had a few of our karate students trying judo for the first time and they all placed in the novice divisions. We included a kata division, where kids competed in team competition. Two Tang Soo Do stylist (brothers) placed first and put on a great performance. We had semi knockdown for kids and adults and they all put on a great performance. The highlight of the Karate tournament was a featured bare knuckle match between Eric Heegaard (NC) and Josh Skinner (from SC). Both guys put on a awesome 2 rounds of knockdown karate. Even though this was Josh's first time competing under this format, he should excellent technique and spirit of a warrior. Great job guys and thanks.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Don Wilson vs. Dennis Alexio

More full contact fight history for you. Here's an old clip from the a classic kickboxing fight between 2 world champs, Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Dennis "The Terminator" Alexio. Both of these men won multiple world titles and became actors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBFCGalZXoohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBFCGalZXoo

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Madness of Excellence

Here's an interesting blog by Joe Rogan on the Madness of Excellence. You will see some footage of Ali, Jordan, and Tyson and here opinions of why they were great. It's a great piece. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAzMlbl3Eqw

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Cung Le Kick Highlight

I came across a pretty cool highlight video of Cung Le. Along with being an actor, Cung is a most known for his success in Sanshou (Chinese Kickboxing) and MMA. He is also a former Shidokan Team USA Champion. He is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and uses those skills in impressive fashion along with Greco Roman/Judo throws. Check out this kick highlight of him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kItU8sK7jgg&feature=plcp

Monday, August 13, 2012

Full Contact History

Here's a little knowledge for you. Here's a clip of the 1974 Full Contact Karate Championships. The first full contact martial arts event on American TV. Bill Wallace, Howard Jackson, Joe Lewis, etc. faced international competition. Tournament Karate champions sought a new full contact format of fighting. Out of this event, American Kickboxing grew. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuWlo4VSUo0

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Does Size Really Matter?

I see and read a lot about fighters cutting weight to fight at lighter divisions. The philosophy is to be at the top of a weight class and have a strength advantage. I don't agree with this. I belief that an athlete should train hard and eat right and whatever he/she weighs, he/she fights. When not competing, the athlete should be within 10 pounds of their fight weight. Having to lost 20 plus pounds (especially in a short period of time) is not good. I belief that one should work on skill development instead of trying to get a size/strength advantage. For most of my competitive career, I fought between 155 and 160 lbs. I even fought guys at 168-170 lbs. I feel that my foundation is solid and I don't rely on strength as the determining factor in my performance. I use timing, distancing, and accuracy more than speed and strength anyway. My goal is to work smarter and let opponents work harder. I've come across lighter fighters who were very strong and I've come across larger opponents that I didn't think were that strong. Train hard and develop your skills, eat well, and belief in your abilities. The belief will make you strong than your opponents.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Judo Player And Weed

Many of you have probably seen the report of Nick Delpapalo being sent home from the Olympics for having Cannabis in his system. Nick claims to inadvertently have eaten some food laced with marijuana. This is on list of banned substances by the IOC and after his last match, he failed the test. Wow, it's amazing that weed will get an athlete in so much trouble. It sure won't enhance your abilities. I guess it makes your calmer than your opponent's giving you an advantge of being more relaxed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qa8GHrES7A

Monday, August 6, 2012

America's 1st Olympic Gold In Judo (Kayla Harrison)

Congrats to Kayla Harrison for being the 1st American to get a Gold Medal in the sport of Judo. Kayla has overcome much in her life to get where she is. She was molested by her 1st judo coach as a junior to competitor. She has triumphed over this and become a World and Olympic Champion. Here's an interview with the champ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg4H_6pgLOU

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Coaches Protecting Fighters

As an instructor or coach you have to let your fighters get out their and mix up with good fighters. Many coaches protect their students by keeping them in what they think is an advantageous situation. As a fighter, I feel that I have to challenge myself and take on the best opposition. I want to know where I stand. If I win, I belong there. If I lose, I quickly learn what I need to fix. Again, QUICKLY learn. That means that I progress faster and I don't develop a false sense of security. I want my athletes to be fearless in knowing that they can handle themselves against quality opposition. So, challenge yourselves and don't be afraid to fight the best.