Learn How To Grapple From This Guy

Russian Olympic Dominance

Source: http://www.allouteffort.com/2012/07/russian-olympic-domination.html

There was a time when Russians and the Eastern Bloc were dominating the Olympics.

Outside of the controversy of steroids aside, they had made one significant change that challenged all traditional thoughts on exercise. Since then every other country has adopted this secret into training their Olympic athletes.

For a long time a huge part of training athletes were to make them run for a long time at a slow pace.

The Russians had replaced long distance running for short sprints. It didn't take long for this information to get literally smuggled out. Since then elite athletic training has never been the same. Even for marathon runners.

Makes you wonder why there is so much slow long mindless cardio conditioning training for MMA and BJJ.

Why I Train BJJ

Ryron Gracie Matches

Starts at 4:28

Bad Ass 3 Year Old

For Judo Fans

Self Defense Clinic

A self defense clinic I gave to some beginners outlining some of the concepts of MMA style self defense.

Strength For BJJ

I was reading an interview on Zak Maxwell recently, who is known as one of the physically strongest BJJ players for his weight class. He said at the most, he trains BJJ twice a day, having hard days and light days. And that he ONLY trains strength and conditioning twice a week. And when he does it's just general strength stuff and nothing sports specific.

Strange how one of the strongest guys in the weight class, multiple time champion, only trains strength twice a week and only for general strength. When there's so many guys training strength every day, and doing lots of sports specific movements. Maybe that's the key to his strength and technique, there is some thought put into his training programming beyond just overload...

Curious Case Of Kron Gracie

Chael's Big Mistake

In a recent UFC fight between Champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen, there was a moment in the fight where the everything changed. People blame the elbow, I saw things differently. Mistakes happen,  and not all strikes will land, but the goal of martial arts is to keep yourself safe at all times. One of the first things you learn is to get up properly without getting punched, kneed, or kicked in the face. It's the stuff we all drill and probably find boring but here is why its important.

It's not just important in self defense but also in lifestyle situations. The most common problem people have when they get injured, are tired, get old, is getting up and laying down. This should be the most natural of acts. It's all variations of The Turkish Get Up, which is the only way to get up under a lot of duress and load. It's used in martial arts, physical therapy, by strong men, circus, ballet, etc.

Question Of Values

Would you rather get a BA from Stanford or a Masters from University of Phoenix? Whatever you answer, do you hold this true in all aspects of your life?

Why You Need The Ground

And why you don't pick fights.

Alliance BJJ Highlight

GSP In Google Commercial

BJJ Strength and Conditioning

Anderson Silva

Women's Self Defense Tip:

When at the gym, having headphones on, or being on your phone, or acting busy may keep some creepy guys away. But this is the WORST thing you can do to keep yourself safe on the street.

I know a lot of women who use this tactic or boyfriends who tell their girlfriends to stay on their phone with them as they walk home but awareness is your best ally not acting busy. It would be so easy to snatch a purse, mug, or attack someone who can't hear anything, or is looking at something else. You have to be able to hear what's coming, be aware of surroundings, have your hands free to defend, and be able to look at anyone and make them realize, "hey I see you, I can describe you, I can pick you out of a line up." Prevention is the key and why attack you when there are so many other potential victims who voluntarily make themselves unaware and can't pick them out of a line up?

A cop told me how so many muggings happen when people are on their phones or have their headphones on and can't even remember what their attacker looked like because they never saw them, let alone saw them coming. I once had an incident where I was texting and walking, and someone grabbed my cellphone right out of my hand and ran off with it. This is how I ended up with a cheap analog phone and is my constant daily reminder of awareness.

There is actually a street in San Francisco that has made it illegal to be on your phone because of so many muggings.