Thursday, February 28, 2013

Farewell To The Diamond

You may already know this. But for those who don't, one of the greatest kickboxers to ever live has passed away. Known as the "Diamond", Ramon Dekkers died of what appears to be a heart attack. He is the first westerner to have success in Thailand being named fighter of the year there. He fought for many years and was a legend in the sport. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eW_Fp_P-Xg

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Battle of The Bar (Not Drinks)

Here's a cool clip of fitness buffs battling out with calisthenics. Think you're in shape, check these guys out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVfpe8MAPc8

Monday, February 25, 2013

Rousey's Armbar

Ronda did it again this past Saturday. She won again by first round armbar. Liz Carmouche put up a good fight, but it wasn't enough to stop the arm bar of Rousey. The advantage that Rousey has over opponents is that she is a young world class athelete with a strong base in something (Judo) coming into a sport where she is facing athletic women who don't have a strong base (not coming from a world class level). I see her doing the same thing to future opponents for a long while. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvTkrDkLQ78

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Drills or Sparring?

When learning to fight, what is the best method? Sparring of course. Now when you are just learning, you will want to do repetitive drills to get a basic understanding. Once you got an understanding, you have to go through the learning curve of doing against a non-compliant partner. Let's say you want to perfect a technique. Your sparring partners know what you are doing, so, how do you do it? You have to find ways to set it up and trick them. The best way to do this is to understand movement. You have to know how the body responds to certain movements. If you throw a hard hook at someone, you will see how the body prepares to absorb the blow. You learn to read his body language, so you can follow up with another technique. When fighters get together and drill set combinations they have to realize that in a fight patterns reoccur. I look for reoccuring patterns. If you fight in set patterns, I will figure you out. I always try to do something different. I never do the same thing over and over. I always try to change, to adapt. So, be creative and do something different. Never focus on set anything.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Kinds of Karate

There are so many kinds of karate and many styles of competition out there. Looks see some. Kyokushin (knockdown karate) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7OMHI67DII Tradtionial Point Karate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm8Raddemqw Koshiki Karate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iizbs40-89g Kudo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyikzfnTym0 Shidokan (the Triathlon) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJccFuPxOf4

Monday, February 18, 2013

89 Year Old Staying In Shape

Alright now. You have no excuse not to be working out. Here's a clip of an 89 year old man telling you to stay active and keep it moving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_ruim68MKg&list=SP2EAA9EF3B32F50EF&index=6

Friday, February 15, 2013

Wrestling Out Of Olympics?

A lot of folks are upset that wrestling might be excluded from the 2020 Olympic Games. Wrestling is one of the original sports of the Games and many are in an uproar over this decision. But, don't freak out just yet, because this has not been finalized yet. There will be two more meetings with IOC to determine the final outcome. Now, you have to understand that sports in the Olympics have to produce money and and TV ratings. Wrestling has been on the decline in overall viewership over the last few Olypmpics. Ticket sales and venues were down TV viewership was down. Now wrestling groups will have to work on making the sport more global. BMX is coming in because it appeals to a younger generation. Tae Kwon Do almost go the boot, but changed up their game (modified rules so fans can understand, boosted ticket sales, etc.). Wrestling will now look to market itself and get more countries involved with the sport. So all is not lost. Wrestling will come back.

Wrestling Out Of Olympics?

A lot of folks are upset that wrestling might be excluded from the 2020 Olympic Games. Wrestling is one of the original sports of the Games and many are in an uproar over this decision. But, don't freak out just yet, because this has not been finalized yet. There will be two more meetings with IOC to determine the final outcome. Now, you have to understand that sports in the Olympics have to produce money and and TV ratings. Wrestling has been on the decline in overall viewership over the last few Olypmpics. Ticket sales and venues were down TV viewership was down. Now wrestling groups will have to work on making the sport more global. BMX is coming in because it appeals to a younger generation. Tae Kwon Do almost go the boot, but changed up their game (modified rules so fans can understand, boosted ticket sales, etc.). So all is not lost. Wrestling will come back.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Belt Wrestling

The Russians have had a great influence on the grappling world. Here's a clip on Belt Wrestling. The competitors take a grip on each other's belt and look for a way to throw. You can see these type of throws in Sambo, Judo, MMA, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc53z2Xa-zM&list=UUwpj7sIOs_wnvxZGM7LvOGg

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Heart and Spirit

Yesterday's blog talked about having good Cardio for fighting. Now your conditioning, cardio, and technique is good, but there is one more important ingredient to success that you need. It is called heart. You have got to have a strong spirit and believe that you can overcome obstacles. If you have ever had to dig deep, you will know what I am talking about. Fighting through injury and fatigue and not excepting defeat is the what I'm talking about. Never give up.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Cardio Training

The 1st line of defense in combat sports is your cardio. No matter how good your strategy, technique, etc. is, as soon as you gas out, nothing works. A lot of times people will watch fighters fight and wonder why he or she has their hands down or why aren't they using footwork. In their minds, they are telling their hands to be up and their feet to move. But, because of fatigue, nothing is working. In fighting, the legs are usually the first to go. You will find movement and kicking difficult. To deal with these issues, I recommend activities, like running and jump rope. At the end of your training shadow box and work moving those feet. Shadowboxing and skipping rope are best at the end of the workout. You will feel it much more than at the beginning.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

What Is The Best Workout For Your Sport?

What's the best workout for your sport? Your sport! Remember that weight training, cardio, stretching, etc. is supplementary to your sport. Conditioning is important as you have to be in shape to do your sport. Being in shape helps prevent injury and allows you to perform your techniques when fatigued. A lot of athletes look for to far outside of their sport and partake in a lot of things that move them away from practice of the techniques they need. Remember to practice your sport and that is primary. Everything else is secondary.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Bellator In Atlanta Tonight

We put on some contests for folks to win tickets and video game cards to Bellator. Be sure to check it out on Spike if not going.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

MMA Knockout Highlights

Here's a great MMA highlight video I came across on Youtube. It shows some great stuff with some of the top guys in the sport. Watch and learn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JD97RRsYLU