I would like to get in one more good workout before the weekend. I may go for a longish run tonight then start carb loading for the weekend. I want to have a good supply of energy on hand for Saturday. I initially thought that it was a bit of a curse to be smack in the middle of my weight class, but listening to some of the other guys around the gym talk about trying to drop four or five pounds to make the cut off has changed my mind. The way I see it now, I can come in well rested and with lots of energy. Plus, the truth is that even if I am a few pounds lighter than some opponents, there is a good chance I will still be the stronger fighter.

...That said, I wouldn't complain if I was the heavier man on the mat.

An Unbreakable Umbrella: The security entourage of the President of the Philippines carries these. The Unbreakable Umbrella can support the weight of a full-grown man and acts as a fully functioning umbrella. It will pass through any metal detector or casual inspection. It will also wreck the shit of any person you hit with it. Price: $180

Five-In-One Emergency Tool: Saw this in SkyMall while flying to Baltimore this past weekend. SkyMall regularly targets weird product niches, like "things to help you break out of a trapped car," this being the latest in that line. This keychain conceals a spring loaded stainless steel pin that can supposedly shatter auto glass - just the thing if you drive into a lake or flip over your car or if you get bored with opening the door.

Sick puppy that I am, I see a concealed metal pin that can break a windshield and I wonder what else it can do. Some drunk asshole starts shoving you around, pull this out of your pocket and hide it in your hand. Warn him to back off. Then, should he fail to heed you, thwack him with the business end in the temple. If this doesn't terrify his friends, or if you prefer a simpler approach, use the 140 db emergency alarm to scare them off. And if the cops show up, what can they do? I hit him with this simple keychain, officer; I dunno what happened next!^* Price: $23.

Either An Asus EEE 7" Laptop Or An iPod Touch: If you love me enough to break the $200 price ceiling - an arbitrary limit, really - I would not mind having a very tiny computer to take around with me. The Asus EEE does everything I need a laptop to do - surf the web and open .doc files - and it offers the street cred of running Linux. However, for the same dollars, you could get an iPod Touch with 4x the storage space and a glossier display. But no keyboard. Ultimate usability on one hand, ultimate portability on the other. Decisions, decisions. Price: $400.

Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero: Do I even need to describe this one?

Possessing no supernatural powers, Batman is the most realistic of all the superheroes. His feats are achieved through rigorous training and mental discipline, and with the aid of fantastic gadgets. Drawing on his training as a neuroscientist, kinesiologist, and martial artist, E. Paul Zehr explores the question: could a mortal ever become Batman?

Zehr discusses the physical and skill training necessary to maintain bad-guy-fighting readiness while relating the science underlying this process, from strength conditioning to the cognitive changes a person would endure in undertaking such a regimen. In probing what a real-life Batman could achieve, Zehr considers the level of punishment a consummately fit and trained person could handle, how hard and fast such a person could punch and kick and the number of adversaries that individual could dispatch, what it would be like to fight while wearing a batsuit, and the amount of food one would have to consume each day to maintain vigilance as Gotham City's guardian.

Price: $18

____________
^* Periscope Depth does not advocate the use of this product in felony assault.

" Je crois que Bruce Le suivrait la même philosophie que de son vivant. Selon moi, sa philosophie était la clef de son succès. Il avait une idée claire et précise sur la façon de pratiquer les arts martiaux. Il ne croyait pas qu'un art martial doive être statique et inerte. Au contraire, selon lui l'art martial devait être une "entité" vivante et constamment changeante. Certains, pensant être en accord avec la philosophie de Bruce Lee, rajoutent des techniques a leur arsenal un peu au hasard, favorisant des techniques flashantes et compliquées. Alors que pour Bruce Lee, le seul guide était d'utiliser ce qui est efficace lors d'un vrai combat!

C'est pour cela que je suis persuadé que Bruce Lee aurait sans doute fait exactement ce que nous faisons au  Jeet Kune Do Unlimited. Nous essayons tout simplement d'améliorer notre technique de combat de rue dans un cas de self-défense. C'est ce que Bruce Lee a commencé et nous suivons son exemple. Bruce Lee aurait sans doute fait usage de sa fortune pour engager les meilleurs combattants au monde et s'entrainer avec eux. Il aurait étudier l'art du Jiu-Jitsu Brésilien, pas pour le sport, mais pour améliorer ses chances de survie au sol. Il aurait rajouté des techniques et méthodes d'entrainement au corps a corps (clinch) provenant de la lutte Gréco-romaine. Il aurait incorporé certaines techniques de Free Fight, mais avec certaines modifications pour qu'elles soient plus efficaces pour la rue: ajoutant yeux, gorge et parties comme cibles. Il aurait pratiqué la lutte au sol pour pouvoir se remettre debout plus facilement ou pour pouvoir finir un adversaire au sol si l'opportunité se présentait. Il aurait fait une exploration encore plus profonde de l'aspect émotionnel du combat. Et bien sur, il aurait continuer à tout tester en situation quasi-réelles: sparring, résistance, etc. Je pense qu'il aurait aussi approfondi sa connaissance des armes à feu, surtout s'il était resté à Los Angeles!

En conclusion, je crois que Bruce Lee aurait continue son incroyable évolution dans les arts martiaux, grâce a ses recherches et grâce au développement de nouvelles idées. Aujourd'hui encore, il aurait été un avant gardiste dans le monde des arts martiaux, surtout pour les techniques et méthodes d'entrainement de self défense en combat de rue."

Traduit de l'Anglais par Sarah Badat-Richardson

I was about 15 minutes late to class Monday. I entered during the technique demonstration.

We worked on a variation of the Meathook to Triangle on the above video.  The variation of the technique also led to an armbar as well. It also required underhooking the leg.

On another note: I am going to have to start writing down some of these techniques right after leaving class because we are learning a lot of technical information and I am having trouble remembering it. And it's only been one day. However, we are reviewing a lot of these moves constantly so it usually falls into place.

I rolled with Big K at the end of the session. Nothing new to report there, mostly gi struggles. I'm still trying to catch my bearings after practicing no-gi for almost 3 years. I believe he caught me with an armbar...

Smiley had them run laps around the academy/gym first. My eight year old newphew acted as if he was being tortured, but my oldest nephew flew around the academy like a trooper. Although he didn't realize that he might be running for a while, he held out until the end. After the jog they stretched for a good five minutes. Smiley also had everyone go around and shake hands and introduce themselves to the other children.

They started out working the mount and then guard. They performed an exercise where they had to hold the position for 30 seconds each. My oldest nephew was into it and the youngest was going through the paces. Once when Smiley made a bet with my youngest nephew that he had to do 10 pushups if he couldn't get out of rear mount, he made a motion as if he were going to bite his older brother's arm to get out. (Everyone had a good laugh when Smiley told him, "No biting.") Training for them didn't really perk up until it was time to roll. Smiley paired them up with two other brothers in the class who were also 8 and 10. Except these guys were much shorter than my nephews and since my nephews are pretty tall for their age they also outweighed them by about 30 lbs each.

Both nephews found themselves "fighting for their lives" to keep the little guys from being all over them. You can definitely see the value of BJJ when watching two little kids dominate much larger children. The two smaller guys could have tapped out my nephews pretty quickly except Smiley told the smaller brothers, "No submissions."

When I asked them about their rolling session in the car, my youngest nephew acted like he was in control the whole time and the oldest stated that he couldn't stop his from "walking all over me."  The oldest had smiled the entire time he was rolling even though he wasn't dominating.

They said they enjoyed it, so I will see if they want to go back when the time comes. I think the youngest nephew will be motivated after having a much smaller child control him. His older brother out wrestles him all the time, so being dominated by him in a BJJ class is not new, but  being dominated by someone his own age and much smaller was a new experience.

Friday was a good day for my BJJ development. I am having trouble pulling off certain techniques in class because of flexibility. Just about every class, I have to be given a variation of a technique in order to pull it off. I am not a basket case, I just need a serious flexibility regimen.

I must honestly say Friday was the first time that I could remember during a class feeling embarassed. I couldn't quite pull off a movement and there was an older women present watching the class. I just couldn't get the technique and I felt a twinge of feeling like a 'dunce."

Go figure.

But that was fleeting and it doesn't matter because I am not going to stop training BJJ.

Now here's the good part of class. As I rolled with the instructor (Smiley), during the last portion of class,  I could literally feel the improvements that I have been making. I was able to pull off a Granby roll, a sit-out, escape a rear mount choke, escape from a couple of armbars and generally protect myself better. Smiley's technical instruction has really provided me with a lot of new tools. I still spent most of my time defending, but I have added more offense to my defense. I can't remember what I tapped out to the first time we rolled, but the second time it was to an armbar. At the end of our first roll, Smiley said, " Good roll. Good movement."

I was jazzed because I actually could sense the improvement.

Then I rolled with a new guy to the day class. I believe he takes the night class and brought a couple of his friends to the day class to try it out. He seemed to have some experience because I noted the way he took his friend's back easily from his guard using an underhook. I actually remember saying to myself that he wouldn't be able to take my back like that when I was watching him wrestle his friend. But I'll be doggone if after we started rolling he was able to take my back from my foiled butterfly attempt. I could tell he hasn't been doing it that long though because he stood up while I was in butterfly guard and basically ran around my defense. Either way he had my back. I grabbed his right arm placed it over my left shoulder and then twisted into his guard. I broke and passed his guard and went from side control, a small sit out and then a quick mount. After about a minute of struggle I was able to tap him out to a knuckle choke.

From time to time I enjoy rolling with average students and the newer students. It lets me see the progress I have made. I usually grapple with the most advanced student (Big K) or the instructor since it is a morning class of usually 6 to 8.

Note: The above video demonstrates the Granby roll again. The wrestler gives up his back to achieve a pin. I would spin to guard in BJJ.

My biggest concern is making some stupid mistake and getting guillotined in the first five seconds of my first match. I say that because it happened yesterday in class. I was rolling with a more experienced fighter and I tried one of my favorite passes. It's the pass where your opponent has butterfly guard, so you wrap both his legs in a bear hug, sprawl your hips out and then switch them to one side and kind of walk into side control. Where I went wrong was that you need to keep your head tight to your shoulder and bury it in his side, but I left mine sitting out there and he put on the deepest guillotine I have ever been caught in. I tapped right away, not because I couldn't breath, but because I could feel the cartilage in my Adam's apple being crushed. It hurt like hell and it still hurts to swallow. I am glad it happened in training though, it was a lesson I won't forget anytime soon and one I needed to learn for next Saturday.

Here are Tips 1-3 for improving your closed guard:

Tip #1: Don't allow your opponent to get their grips - When
grappler are sparring and they start out in the guard position, all
too often I see the grappler on the bottom allowing the grappler
inside their guard to get their grips first. Whenever you allow your
opponent that's trying to pass to your guard to get their grips
first, you give them an advantage over you that will enable them to
pass your guard. You need to attack their grips and force them to
deal with you tying them up instead of passing your guard.

Tip #2: Keep your opponents head in front of their hips - Someone
may be asking right now how I'm supposed to make that happen while
sparring. You do that by forcing your opponent to keep leaning
forward in bad posture and not allowing them to sit back trying to
get correct posture. The easiest way to do that is by pulling your
opponent forward off his base by bringing your knees towards your
head while keeping your heels pressed down on their lower back. You
should do that along with pulling down on their head while keeping
them from establishing their grips (Tip #1). If your opponent can't
keep good posture, it's highly unlikely they'll be able to pass
your guard.

Tip #3: Try to get into your opponent's "blind spot" by using angle
attacks - Whenever you start with your opponent in your guard and
you're aligned or parallel with each other (as if your opponent
could lean forward and head butt you with ease), your opponent has
you in their full vision. But once you start breaking down their
posture while scooting out your hips off their centerline
(requiring them to have to turn their head to keep you in full
view), you're in their "blind spot" and that makes re-establishing
their body alignment more important than trying to pass your guard
because they're vulnerable to sweeps and submissions.

Apply these three tips and you should notice that your opponents
will find your guard more difficult to pass as well as providing
you more opportunities to set them up for your favorite attacks.

In the next article, I will reveal Tips 4-6 for improving your
closed guard.

Meg White botando pra quebrar

Descrição: não importa muito o estilo musical. Para essa garota, a frase ‘tenho uma banda’ é afrodisíaca. Os olhinhos dela faíscam a cada menção que você fizer sobre shows, apresentações e repertório. É do tipo que fica na primeira fila, canta junto TODAS as músicas e dá gritinhos histéricos e assobios estridentes para todos os integrantes. Cuidado: o interesse dela é proporcional à fama do grupo; se perceber um ‘the dream is over’ pelo caminho ou época de vacas magras, desaparece mais rápido que ‘one hit only’ bands.

Vantagens: é mais empolgada que todos os integrantes juntos e sempre arruma uma caminhão de gente para comparecer aos shows, mesmo que a maior parte seja galera da família e amigos intimados sob pressão. Disponibiliza a garagem da casa para ensaios extras e ainda ajuda a carregar instrumentos e levar tudo de um lugar para outro, no melhor esquema roadie. E no período de seca arranja shows quebra-galho: batizado do sobrinho, festa de 15 anos, quermesse e churrasco da faculdade.

Desvantagens: esperta, a Maria Palheta conhece muito bem a concorrência e, ciumenta, não desgruda do pretê em nenhum momento. Se escolher uma Maria Palheta, dê adeus aos casinhos com groupies, sexo selvagem e drogas: ela tentará de todas as maneiras mudar seu estilo de vida rebelde. Vide Jim e Pam Morrison, Lennon e Yoko, Pitty e o carinha do NX Zero.

Xaveco campeão: ‘Tenho uns convites para a festa em que a minha banda vai tocar. Tá afim?’

2. Maria Tatame

Kyra Gracie, mexe com ela não

Descrição: a Maria Tatame seleciona os alvos por meio de medições à distância de tríceps e orelhas de couve-flor; quanto mais ‘batata’ for o músculo do cara ou quanto pior estiver sua orelha, maiores as chances de se interesse. Ela tende a mirar graduações mais altas – de preferência, só os preta –, mas se avaliar que um faixa azul tem bom potencial, é capaz de investir por meses a fio. Pode ser encontrada em competições e academias de jiu jitsu, judô e vale tudo, seja treinando, seja só observando. Adora um kimono e no sexo prefere ficar por baixo. E levar uns bons puxões de cabelo, claro.

Vantagem: ela SEMPRE vai te incentivar a ir aos treinos e lutas e ainda ajudar a fazer compressas de gelo, drenar a orelha de couve-flor e botar o kimono suado para secar. Quando rolar competição, fará questão de mudar todo o cardápio do mês para ajudar você a perder peso rápido e nem vai se importar (muito) com sua irritação depois das bombas de hormônio de cavalo.

Desvantagem: ela quer ver o lutador dela vencendo todas. Se começar a arregar nos treinos ou perder competições, ela muda de tatame mais rápido do que você dá um mata-leão.

Xaveco campeão: ‘Esse treino de armlock destruiu meu braço. Quer me ajudar com um gelo no ombro?’

3. Maria Chuteira

Eu mesma, malandro!

Descrição: diferentemente do que se imagina, o universo das Marias Chuteira não se restringe apenas a jogadores; há muitas que se interessam pelo esporte e fazem dele seu truque para atrair presas. A Maria Chuteira de verdade adora futebol e usa daquela conversa de bar sobre meia-atacantes e a seleção de 82 para chamar atenção. Informada, ela pode dizer a escalação do Flamengo para o jogo do dia seguinte antes mesma de ter sido divulgada para a imprensa. É do tipo que prefere ver um joguinho da série C do Paraibano do que um seriado da Warner. Coleciona camisas de times e países do mundo todo e tem mais ciúmes delas que do namorado.

Vantagem: você pode fazer sexo e ligar a TV logo em seguida para ver o finzinho de Holanda e Alemanha pelo Mundial de Juniores que ela não vai reclamar. Ao contrário: se você não quiser assistir, aí sim tem reclamação. Nunca vai se opor a um futebolzinho com a galera no sábado nem à sua ida ao estádio. Não fará perguntas estúpidas sobre impedimento nem fará planos para a quarta à noite, Dia Mundial do Futebol na TV.

Desvantagem: se vocês torcerem para times rivais, fodeu. Vai ser briga atrás de briga, provocação atrás de provocação. E se ela for melhor jogadora que você... é capaz dos seus amigos de time te deixarem no banco e botarem a garota como titular.

Xaveco campeão: ‘Ronaldinho Gaúcho é só fita. Driblar beque grosso do Getafe qualquer um dribla. Quero ver meter entre as canetas do Cannavarro!’

GENTE, NÃO ACABOU!!

A segunda parte deste texto sai na sexta-feira. Outras 3 Marias para você escolher ;)

Being only 2 weeks away, I am really trying to train hard. I have switched almost all of my training to no Gi to prepare for the format. What I am most concerned about is that the tournament will start standing, but, our sparring always starts on our knees. I will need to work some take downs and defenses as soon as possible. Although I think a take down is only worth one point, I would hate to start in a bad position.

Full Tournament Info.

At the end of the bout, Penn did his obligatory interview where he thanked the crowd and stated his oft repeated comments about Hawaii having the best fighters in the world. However, the best part of the interview occured when the announcer asked him what was his gameplan going into the fight. Penn said, "You don't need a gameplan when you believe in yourself and never quit!" 

I know that this doesn't mean that he doesn't have a strategy going in or tactics he won't use, but it demonstrates what is behind the mystique of his greatness as a grappler and as an MMA fighter.

His thought process.

Those two things; believing in oneself and never quitting are two areas that I am always working on and I am glad that BJ Penn lists it as a fundamental element of success.

Mixed martial arts conditioning is probably the most rigorous, difficult training an athlete can do. It is imperative that a fighter has high stamina everytime he or she enters the ring. Stamina is everything, and can make the difference between winning and losing. Condition yourself well, and you'll be able to go the distance.

Most individuals who want to start training for MMA think that the best way to become a better fighter is to start fighting with different opponents. This attitude may help one learn how the opponent fights and but it does limit your creative fighting skills and also does not help one build the endurance or strength- which are very important factors in MMA type fighting.

For those who are interested in becoming AN excellent MMA fighter, one should be a balanced athlete with efficiency. This is only acquired after having undergone an all round conditioning program. The bottom line in any sport today is sports conditioning and physical fitness. Further all first rate athletes should have placed their bodies under varying degrees of stress to increase the physical and mental capabilities- which are a must in MMA.

The component of a fitness program for a professional athlete in MMA are diverse and in general include the following:

Strength - The quality or state of being strong; with great capacity for exertion or endurance (both physical and/or mental)

Power: Ability to act and exert or perform maximal muscle action instantaneously

Agility: The ability to move the body or limbs quickly and easily with forceful muscular action

Balance: The state of being able to control the body's position (either while stationary or mobile) either in the air or on the ground.

Flexibility: The ability to achieve a wide range of motions and angulations of the body without undue stress.

Endurance: The ability to bear or suffer moderate to severe degrees of pain or distress without being over come.

Patience: The ability or quality of putting up with enduring pain and waiting for the right moment to strike.

Stamina: The principal strength or power of enduring a prolonged fight or exercise schedule

Coordination: The ability to integrate power, flexibility, strength and balance in a fight. Well coordinated fighters are very successful in MMA.

For the ideal MMA athlete, all the above factors are required to build on physical fitness and conditioning of the body. All are important factors, but the key factor is to improve one's cardio-respiratory system, for without it none of the above can be improved.

For those wishing to enter a body conditioning program, one should join a professional gym. A professional personal trainer can help guide you through the best exercises and view your performance. There are many sites on the Internet which deal with fitness and conditioning and one should read about it. Body conditioning is a time consuming affair and one should understand that time commitment is an essential part.

A commitment to conditioning, is a commitment to success in the world of mixed martial arts.

After that I rolled with another guy (Ant) who usually attends night classes. We started from standup and I was able to quickly take him down with a controlled hip throw and established side control. From there we pretty much went back and forth for about 10 minutes. I was able to incorporate a lot of the moves that I have been learning since I arrived here and I can see that I am becoming a lot more technical. I also was able to reverse his mount position by slapping on a body lock and bridging to my side.

I did, however, have one thought while grappling though. I had on a gi and he had on a rash guard and shorts. While I had to work with gripping his arms and torso, he constantly used my gi and collar. I have very little experience grappling with the gi on in BJJ so it put me at a disadvantage. I will be fine because I need to learn how to defend (he tapped me in the end with an armbar) but what do you guys normally do when you are grappling no-gi and the other person has on a gi? Do you also wrestle them 'no-gi style' or do you use their gi to your advantage?

"What is the difference between Japanese (classical) Jiu-Jitsu (jujutsu) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?"

The first and most important reason can be found in the art's history and is primary to all others discussed afterward. When you research the history of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, you will understand that it came from "Judo" in its time of renaissance. In the early 1900's, Judo was being developed from a variety of Jiu-jitsu styles in order to make it the most complete and effective martial art in the world. Some older Jiu-jitsu schools only focused on one area of fighting (some practiced primarily standing techniques) and had been left without a realistic battlefield testing ground for hundreds of years. If you recall the history of Judo's beginning, you know that it was made up of mostly standing techniques at first, from Kito Ryu Jiu-jitsu and a few other styles. This alone was not enough, so the groundwork of Fusen Ryu was added, making it more complete. When you say "traditional" or "Japanese" Jiu-jitsu, you are referring to only one of these Jiu-jitsu styles, which is incomplete alone. When you say Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, you are referring to the best techniques from a wide variety of styles.

Our Jiu-Jitsu in the United States was underdeveloped compared to the Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil. Only now are we beginning to catch up, and we are still suffering from the inadequacies of the 'older' and more traditional schools of Jiu-Jitsu in this country. To give you an idea of what I mean, I'll tell you a little about my training. I earned a black belt in a classical style of Jiu-Jitsu, which taught all the Judo throws of the Kodokan and Aikijitsu (the grandfather of Aikido). It was a great art, but one that could not be used on anyone with skill effectively before complete mastery. I was subsequently defeated by a student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who was only at blue belt level, while I was a black belt in traditional Jiu-Jitsu. Why? Lack of realistic practice is the reason. There was too much of: "you stay perfectly still while I try an extravagant technique on you and you play along." There are many techniques which is where Judo is great, and some traditional schools teach techniques that were designed thousands of years ago whose applications have not been modified or thought about since. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is simple to learn, so simple that a dedicated student of one year can easily beat martial artists of other styles who have many years of experience.

Some styles of martial arts spend hundreds of hours working on a rigid stance and one hundred standing techniques that cannot possibly be mastered in a reasonable amount of time. I once interviewed Royce Gracie and he gave a response that supports this point quite well:

"We don't believe in teaching a ton of moves every class and the student walking away with limited knowledge. We prefer our students to know 20 techniques at 100%, than 100 techniques at 20%."
(Interview with Gene Simco for www.jiu-jitsu.net)

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on techniques that are easy to learn in a very short period of time. The techniques taught in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are also effective and have been tested on knowledgeable martial artists who are not cooperating. A small amount of simple but high percentage techniques makes the difference. If all you do is practice five or six techniques, you will be very good at them in a year or so, but if you have to divide your time between a hundred or more techniques, you will most likely be a jack of all trades and a master of none in a year's time.
The differences in the two styles of Jiu-Jitsu are not necessarily in the technique, but in the practice and application. First of all, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a very sophisticated ground-game, where Japanese Jiu-Jitsu places importance on standing techniques, as does Judo. Judo as a sport does not allow leg locks, where Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu does. Sport rules for Judo dictate that if a player has been pinned by his/her opponent for twenty-five seconds, he or she will lose the match. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has no time restraints on ground positions and stalling most often occurs while standing. Older styles of Jiu-Jitsu (often spelled jujutsu or jujitsu) are usually preceded with their style name or Ryu (the Japanese word for "style"). These Ryu of Jiu-Jitsu were developed long ago and have no sport application to allow them to develop technically. The lack of realistic practice is what makes some styles ineffective or obsolete.

To really understand the differences between Brazilian and Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, one must research the history of both arts. In particular the birthing of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by Carlos Gracie, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's founder, who was an avid boxer. Most Japanese Jiu-Jitsu fighters were studying traditional Karate strikes, which are much different from that of a boxer. Maeda, the man who introduced Gracie to Jiu-Jitsu, was also a student of Judo, which at the time was considered an updated version of Jiu-Jitsu, or Kano 's Jiu-Jitsu. As discussed previously, the Judo that the Gracie family was introduced to was a Judo whose focus had turned to ground fighting in recent years. This ground fighting came from only one style of Jiu-jitsu (Fusen Ryu), the other styles that made up Judo had not focused on ground work, so as their practice continued, they stayed to their traditional roots, which considered mainly of standing techniques. While older styles of Jiu-jitsu stuck to their core curriculums, Judo soon forgot about experience and turned its attention to gaining world wide exposure as an Olympic sport, which would eventually restrict the once great art and cause it to focus once again on primarily standing techniques. Maeda was also exposed to western wrestling, as he had encountered one wrestler in particular at the West Point Military Academy in New York, and had more experience fighting throughout Europe and the Americas than any other Japanese fighter of that time.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a progressive style of Jiu-Jitsu; once a technique is developed and used in competition, other Jiu-Jitsu players begin to design counters to that technique, and counters to those counters, which allows Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to evolve freely. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu players do not prepare for the untrained opponent; they assume that their opponent may be more technical.

The problem with some 'older' styles of Jiu-Jitsu is the same problem with old cars, or anything that has not been updated or modified. I earned a black belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and now that I am at an advanced level of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I notice the similarities and differences. Some of the self-defense movements are identical; it is typically in the groundwork (ne waza) where the Judo or Japanese Jiu-Jitsu practitioner lacks ability. It is for that reason I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Comparing "old" Jiu-Jitsu to "new" Jiu-Jitsu is like comparing old cars to new. Both a Ford Model-T and a Ferrari will do the same job, but a Ferrari will do it more efficiently. The ability of Jiu-Jitsu teachers can be compared to the mechanics certified to work on these cars; if you take a mechanic from 1910 and show him a Ferrari, some things would look familiar, but he would not understand the new design and complexity of the modern variation without proper training.

In the style of "Japanese" or Traditional Jiu-Jitsu I learned, not much is technically different. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has more techniques on the ground whereas Japanese Jiu-Jitsu has more standing techniques. What I like now about having plenty of experience in both styles is that I feel it has brought my technical level to a higher understanding. I know lots of little details and "tricks" or "secrets" within the techniques that you don't see anywhere. I think that although things improve in the evolution of Jiu-Jitsu, you also lose some details that the "ancient" schools sometimes hold "secret". Without proper modification, these "secrets" don't mean much, but when you combine them with the refined practice of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you've really got something. As I get higher in the ranks of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I start to appreciate the Model T. I'm not so embarrassed of my "old" Black Belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu anymore, I'm actually learning to apply it. I know details of arm locks and chokes that I don't see anywhere else. It is important to note, however, that I attribute my ability to apply the old Jiu-Jitsu to my advanced level in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes need a healthy blend of all nutrients. They need carbohydrates for instant energy. Ideally, carbohydrates should form 55 to 60 percent of the total calories consumed by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes. Proteins help an athlete develop muscular mass and should form 12 to 15 per cent on his diet. Athletes must also pay special attention to their vitamin and mineral intake. Usually athletes focus on a protein-rich diet and miss out on vegetable and fruits that are chief sources of vitamins and minerals.

However, monitoring the nutritional intake can be tougher than monitoring calorific intake. Setting nutritional goals can help a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete maintain his weight and proper nutrition. He can divide his nutritional and calorie requirements of an entire day according to different meals and try to achieve them one at a time.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete’s breakfast could contain high fiber cereal, fruit juice, skimmed milk, whole-wheat toast, low-fat yogurt, fruit preserves, milkshakes make from low-fat milk, fresh fruits egg whites, poached eggs, etc. He should take care not to include products that are high on sugar or fat.

Lunch and dinner could contain soups, chicken or tuna salad, boiled egg sandwiches, fresh fruits, cottage cheese, vegetable pizza, low fat yogurt, etc. An athlete can also include puddings that are made of low-fat milk. Ideally the dinner of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete should be 60 to 70 per cent of the lunch. He should take care that mayonnaise and toppings used in salads or sandwiches are low-fat.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete also needs a re-hydration plan to replenish all the fluid lost in exercising and practice. He can determine the amount of fluid he requires in a day and divide the intake over the entire day.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete can finalize the contents of his meals by determining the number of calories that he needs to consume in a day to manage his weight. Ideally, this number should be the product of his body weight, 10 and 1.7. He’ll also have to consider the energy his body loses in workout and add it to his calorie intake.

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Nas férias, o Sol é o convite para a praia. Mas neste mês de julho, os maranhenses têm mais um motivo para curtir a praia: é que no próximo dia 18 começa a quarta edição dos Jogos Radicais de Praia 2008.

A abertura oficial dos Jogos será realizada na sexta-feira (18), com a apresentação das concorrentes ao título de Garota Praia 2008. No sábado (19), começam as competições de surf, bodyboard, triathlon, duathlon, mountainbike, rally, kitesurf, windsurf, windcar, skate, jiu-jitsu, corrida de aventura, bicicross, basquete de rua, sandboard e pára-quedismo, que, ao contrário dos anos anteriores, agora tem caráter competitivo.

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If you are studying martial arts in a dojo, you’ll find sparring to be very exciting as well as beneficial to your training.  The instructors and teachers will be right there watching and guiding students, making sure that no one gets hurt.  Students use full body gear, including headgear, to ensure safety during practice.

Depending on your skill level and martial art you are studying, you may end up using no protective gear.  Students that are very skilled won’t normally need protective equipment, as they are good enough with sparring and their techniques that they can go a few rounds with other skilled students and not make any type of contact at all.

Martial arts such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, that focus on grappling, make the most use of sparring, as it is needed to properly execute the techniques.  Martial arts that focus mainly on grappling use joint locks and submission techniques, which will need to be practiced quite a bit before they can be used effectively during a competition or even as self defense. 

During sparring, students go back and forth, competing with each other and testing each other.  The rounds will vary, although most last several minutes.  Students will also receive help and insight from their instructors to let them know how they are doing and if they need to change anything they are doing.  This also gives instructors the chance to see just how well you are progressing in training and what areas you need to work more on.

Sometimes, sparring is done by yourself, without anyone else working with you.  If you are sparring by yourself, you’ll use equipment such as punching bags, tackling dummies, or other forms of equipment that will help you with your martial art.  The foam or rubber dummies are most often used with grappling techniques or punching on the ground, as they represent the opponent that you are trying to pummel into submission.

All in all, sparring is an excellent way to practice the skills you have learned against equipment or other students.  Students are fun to spar against, especially if they are at a higher level of skill than you are.  You can use sparring to your advantage, learning what others do and how they react to your movements and techniques.  The longer you spar and practice your moves - the better you will get in your training, speed, and the execution of your skills.

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BENGJUN

Yes, you’ve probably never heard this term before…in Chinese, anyway. It’s better known by its Japanese pronunciation, kuzushi. Generally, kuzushi is translated as “break balance” and it’s heard most frequently in the grappling arts of judo, jujutsu, and aikido.

The characters for kuzushi are pronounced “bengjun” (that is, bung-joon) in Chinese. One author stated that the first character (“beng”) means, “to demolish” but that’s incorrect. “Beng” means, “to collapse.” The second character (“jun”) refers to balance or equilibrium. The term “demolish” would seem to infer a violent, explosive action and bengjun/kuzushi needn’t be so overt. The word “collapse” fits it better; a smooth and often subtle movement that causes the opponent’s equilibrium to collapse, to fall in on top of itself.

Not long ago I spent some time on my computer watching judoka (judo practitioners) competing in various events. I think what I saw would have had Dr. Kano (the founder of judo) turning over in his grave. There was little in the way of real technique being displayed. Instead, the participants yanked each other this way and that in a contest of strength. Many throws were successfully executed only because one competitor simply hoisted his opponent up and then slammed him into the mat. The “ju” of judo, which means roughly, “to yield, to give way”, went right out the window.

At the other end of the spectrum are films taken of Kyuzo Mifune, one of the last 10th dans in judo. His techniques were as smooth as silk and his methods of kuzushi were often extremely subtle, hardly more than a slight shift. Masterful.

Bengjun is an essential ingredient in all grappling maneuvers. All. Grappling. That includes joint twists and even chokes. Without it, chin-na (joint twisting, choking, and seizing) techniques can be very difficult, if not downright impossible, to apply effectively. And there are few things worse than a botched joint technique because there you are, close enough to swap spit with your opponent, and your vicious joint technique just sort of fizzles. That’s definitely an “oops!” moment.

So if you haven’t been practicing forms of bengjun when you practice the various chin-na techniques, you need to go back over each of them and determine just how it is to be done. Or better yet, ask your instructor.

And as for throws…well, most throws simply can’t be done without correct bengjun unless you plan to literally lift your opponent up with whatever strength you have and toss him through the air. The films of Mifune showed him practicing with men who were less than half his age. They were in their twenties and he was in his late sixties and the smallest of them probably outweighed him by at least forty pounds. Mifune couldn’t have weighed more than 110 pounds after a hefty meal. Yet, he tossed his opponents around like so many rag dolls!

But there’s more to bengjun than subtle forms of pushing or pulling prior to executing a throwing technique.Hearken back to one of my previous writings that rambled on about the true qualities of balance. Those of you who have parted with a small amount of money and purchased a copy of my book, Martial Mechanics, have ready access to this material. It states that one’s balance (perhaps a better term is “equilibrium”) consists not only of one’s physical posture but also one’s mental poise. You’ll recall that the two are interrelated; if you lose one you almost always lose the other. So. You can execute bengjun by “unbalancing” the opponent’s physical body or mind!

To unbalance his mind you need to cause him to lose his shengxin (in Japanese, zanshin) – his mental/spiritual centeredness and poise. For instance:

• You can try to cause his mind to “stop” somewhere. Draw his attention to a particular place or thing so that he focuses on it. A simple feint is a good example of this.

• If the opponent becomes fearful or loses the will to fight his spirit is in disarray and he can be easily defeated.

Remember, if his mind becomes unbalanced his body is also placed in a condition of instability. A story that illustrates this idea involves the founder of judo, Dr. Jigaro Kano. Kano was on an American ship, talking to several officers about the benefits of his new judo training. The Americans wanted to test Kano’s skill and brought in a young seaman who was the champion boxer of the fleet. They asked Kano to demonstrate his skill and have a go with this young bruiser.

Now, Kano was hardly suited up for such a contest. He was wearing a three-piece suit and tie. Besides that, he knew that if he injured the American fighter he would also injure relations with the Westerners.
The two faced off, the boxer in his shorts and wearing boxing gloves and Kano in his business suit. Kano calmly reached into his coat’s breast pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief, which he deftly tossed into the air. As the boxer glanced at it Kano slid in quickly and threw him easily.

THAT is judo. And it’s also an excellent example of the highest level of skill in bengjun (kuzushi). It’s unfortunate that so few judoka today strive to reach this level of excellence.

It occurs to me that bengjun is an essential part of any technique, whether it’s a throw, a joint twist, a kick, or a punch in the nose. To make the technique truly effective the application of bengjun is an absolute must. Nowadays, karate and kung-fu practitioners pay no attention to this subtle concept and they simply flail away at each other until one fellow manages to whack the other. It’s kind of like a pillow fight. It may be martial but it’s not martial ART.

Not only must the opponent be mentally or physically unbalanced as the entry to the technique is performed, he/she must be held in a condition of instability until the technique is completed! This isn’t difficult to figure out if you’re executing a throwing technique or a quick punch but try to imagine the application of a joint twist or a choke; the opponent must never be permitted to regain his/her balance and he/she is ultimately brought into a position of control.

In the execution of combination techniques, whether the combination involves two or more strikes (or kicks), a strike and throw, a strike and joint technique, or whatever – the opponent must be kept off-balance at all times. That’s going to take some considerable practice.

And remember, unbalancing the mind is the same as unbalancing the body.

So, even in percussive disciplines such as karate or kung-fu you must unbalance the opponent prior to executing your technique. This is the true art. It is also a barometer by which one can measure a practitioner’s real skill. A beginner’s attempts at bengjun/kuzushi are large, overt, and sometimes heavy and clumsy. An intermediate student’s skill is a little more refined. A master’s skill is very subtle and may be very difficult to see unless you know what to look for.

Needless to say, real masters are very few and far between.

A martial arts practitioner for nearly 50 years, Pete Starr is a black belt in Kyokushin karate, trained in traditional shao-lin, xingyiquan, and baguazhang, and the author of The Making of a Butterfly. He lives and teaches in Omaha, NE. Order Martial Mechanics on Amazon, HERE.

Most people know that there can be benefits from taking regular exercise. While some of us enjoy running, swimming or going to the gym, one particular type of exercise that is also very popular, is learning a martial art such as Kung Fu, Karate or Judo. There are of course quite a few different martial arts that you could choose to learn, but the one thing that they all have in common is that are generally linked to self-defense or the ability to physically defeat another person. That said, the key motivating factor for many martial arts enthusiasts is not the gaining ability to defeat others, but rather the satisfaction and sense of achievement they get from their sport.

While many people do primary consider martial arts from the physical and exercise point of view, it should also be born in mind that each particular martial has a particular cultural origin. It is because this that some martial arts are linked to particular religious or spiritual beliefs. Furthermore, particular martial arts may have their own unique codes of honor, and in some cases may be linked to other cultural practices such as dance.

Of course, there are many professional martial arts teachers and schools, and you can learn more about the subject by attending a martial class. Safety should of course always be a primary consideration, and getting proper instruction from a professional can help insure your safety when learning martial arts. However, that does not mean that you can't benefit from also exploiting other martial resources too - for example, there are many interesting web sites which you may also find useful in learning more about martial arts.

Today in class we worked on how to counter someone when they block your scissor sweep (from the guard) by inserting their elbow in. The counter ultimately led to a triangle. Consequently, we also worked on triangle techniques. Including a variation where you can use your own arm as a lever to increase the squeeze when your opponent pulls their arm out.

Today in class I discussed with Smiley (lead instructor) and Big K my hesistancy in applying pressure to some submissions (e.g., knee-bars, shoulder locks and any submission where carelessness could lead to serious injury). I know that I also have to work on technique, but I also notice that I am hypersensitive at certain points even when practicing technique slowly. Smiley compared it to Judo and stated that to hesitate on certain throws actually endangers your partner, which I can attest to. In Judo, sometimes you can have a person go too slowly because they are afraid to hurt you and it feels worse to be thrown by them. I don't want to fall in that category. Smiley also told me about a guy who was 265 lbs and was very hesistant to apply techniques on many smaller opponents. He accidently broke another student's ankle by not properly carrying through on a technique because he was afraid to follow through.

I need to be careful, but I also need to follow through properly so I don't injure myself and others...

As far as sparring is concerned, I am using my gi now and I am being trounced.

It is a totally different world between gi and no-gi.

Several techniques from various forms of martial arts are allowed to be applied in Mixed Martial Arts tournaments. Fighters may use striking techniques (kicks, knees, punches) as well as grappling techniques (throws, takedowns, submission holds, etc) within the limits of the rules. Sprawl-and-brawl, clinch fighting, ground-and-pound, submission grappling, and lay-and-pray are some of the strategies that fighters use in the tournament.

Though, initially known for minimal application of rules in the combat, MMA fighters have to adhere to specific set of rules while fighting the tournament. Rules regarding time limit of the fight, number of rounds, knock-out, submission, disqualification, etc. have evolved over a period of time to address fighters’ safety issues. State Athletic and Boxing Committee is a governing body in the U.S. that oversees tournament rules. However, there are a few such agencies in Japan and Europe that regulate MMA tournaments. As a general rule, eye-gouging, head-butting, biting, spitting, fish-hooking, attacking groin, and using abusive language during the tournament is illegal and unethical.

A fighter can win the MMA tournament either by knocking out the opponent or if the opponent admits defeat verbally or by tapping thrice on the mat/floor. Referee stoppage, doctor stoppage, disqualification, corner stoppage (fighter’s cornermen admitting defeat on behalf of the fighter), judges’ decision after the tournament bout has expired , and no contest (in the event of both fighters violating rules of the play) are some other ways to conclude the tournament.

Gi (wrestling singlet and tight fitting vest and shorts) is the official fight apparel for MMA tournaments. It is mandatory for the fighters to use MMA gloves and groin guards for safety. They may also use other protective gears like gum shield and knee pads in the tournament.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the title of highest rank in Mixed Martial Arts. Apart from this, there are several others organized in the U.S on regular basis. The rules of the tournament may vary with the sponsor organizations, but general rules apply everywhere.