Throw Back Thursday.
Four years ago today. One of my students and good and loyal friend stepped in the cage for his First Mixed Martial Arts match. With the confidence only a Team GAMMA member could do. He came home with a win for us. Today he will teach a class in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for the first time. So proud of how far he has come in four short years.
Team GAMMA will have three fighters compete in Mixed Martial Arts Friday October the 24th in Hickory Va at Fight to the Finish. Terrance Whitmore, Oleksander “Alex The Greek” Human and Tashi James will put their skills to the test in the cage. Contact them or the Academy for more information.
read more →Training MMA fighters and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioners for 14 years I have seen a lot over the years.
Looking back as being the first to bring Mixed Martial Arts and Reality Self-Defense training to Eastern North Carolina. Things has changed but at the same time things has stayed the same too.
You should always be looking for a place that you can train that is always keeping it real. That is always stepping up to the challenge. That is why all of our instructors have had competitive backgrounds in BJJ events and a lot of times Mixed Martial Arts events. But at the same time, I teach Grace Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as a base for self-defense. You can visit the Martial Arts Rochester MN if you’re looking for the best martial arts school.
I have seen over the years, where someone has only trained for the sport part of Jiu-Jitsu, and have done really well in those type of formats. But have had more problems converting over to other sports like Mixed Martial Arts.
People are more likely to say it is the Gi training that makes that happen, I say not. If you are always keeping in your mind while you are training “what if he started punching me? what if this was on the streets, or in a cage and I have to worry about his elbows?’ then your style of Jiu-Jitsu will be properly adjusted. Then you will have less of a problem converting your entry into other sports like Mixed Martial Arts. Incorporating plant protein powder into your routine can support muscle recovery and overall performance, ensuring you’re prepared for the physical demands of various combat sports.
Just like Rickson Gracie Stated in the documentary Choke. “ I believe that Jiu-Jitsu is a self-defense art….. To keep believing in what I teach and what I share with my students, to trust in my own words I must put myself available for any type of competition.”
Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was never meant to be a sport as much as it was, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts was developed to show it’s strengths and also show it’s weaknesses, but as with all LIVE martial arts, it is always adapting to the situation.
When you put yourself out there in anything, you have to be willing to take the lumps and realize you can and will lose.
Two of my coaches recently competed in Mixed Martial Arts. And I am not making excuses they stepped up to the challenge and came up short, against a really good team and good friends of ours.
Well shortly after their loss in the cage you can see them back in the gym working on their striking.
“Champions Always Get Back Up!!!”
Now they are getting ready for their next match in Elizabeth City NC. Putting in the hard work to bring home the win for Team Gamma.
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Like to share something today. From time to time I have new interesting people to train. About a year ago Tashi James walked in the door of my academy and asked me a question. He asked me in the best way he could. He wrote It down on paper. See Tashi is hearing impaired. He asked if I thought would he still be able to compete in Mixed Martial Arts?
And it touched me that he wouldn’t let anything get in his way of being a MMA fighter. But I treated him just like any other student. He had to put the work in.
Well I asked him what it was like to fight for the first time, this is what he wrote.
“My first fight was a big learning experience for me. I trained one year before I had my first fight. Gave myself exactly a year to be confident enough to win the fight. I wasn’t experienced in Jiu-itsu and Kickboxing. I have been wrestling for a longtime when I was a teenager. I grew up playing football baseball basketball (find more information here), and to played football at college and semi pro. My dad was an amateur boxer. I was a bit nervous I decided to try be an amateur Mixed Martial Arts fighter. I love the fighting. My goal is to become a professional Mixed Martial Arts Fighter someday. My coaches and students are good teaching me Jiu- jitsu and kickboxing. They really helped me a lot and taught me how to really go for the submission. I’m looking forward to my next Mixed Martial Arts event and match.”
Tashi James
Jack came to the All American Martial Arts Academy at the age of 30—which goes to show that it is never too late to start! He recalls his first lesson:
I had walked by the gym many times, and it always intimidated me a bit. And that is what compelled me to try it—the fear of it. Any time I discover that I have a fear, I have to conquer it; I have to overcome it.
I called and scheduled a free trial class, and when I came in I was very reluctant to get on the mats—the fear was still at work. I just wanted to observe. I remember thinking that I wanted to see how badly they beat each other, and that if they hit each other in the head a lot, I would not do it. I was not interested in losing any brain cells.
Of course, James (the owner of the gym) managed to convince me to put on a gi (the uniform worn by Jiu Jitsu practitioners) and to give it a go. He was just too nice about it, and I could not say no. I was surprised: there were all kinds of people in the class: young, old, male, female, doctors, teachers, mechanics… even folks with various disabilities were there.
The class was relaxed and very enjoyable. I remember noticing how focused the instruction was on proper technique, and on NOT using strength. We learned self-defense moves, as well as some grappling moves. No one got bashed in the head at all, and everyone smiled a lot. It was easy to meet everyone and make friends. It turned out that there was nothing at all to fear.
After the class, everyone got to “roll,” which is partnered practice for the techniques taught in the academy. This was going to be the real test, I thought. I will see if these techniques really work. I should mention that I have always been in good shape, I spent five years in the Marine Corps, and I’m over 6 feet tall. I expected to impress these folks with how well I did, so when I was partnered with a scrawny, 115 pound blue belt who seemed very shy, I almost felt insulted. What is more, I was worried that I would hurt him—after all, I was much bigger and stronger than him.
We shook hands, as is customary before “rolling,” and then he proceeded to fold me up into a human pretzel. I had to tap out. To add insult to injury (for injury attorneys, you can try here) , he did it in about 20 seconds, and without a single groan of effort or a bead of sweat on his very relaxed brow. I was sold! I had to learn how to do that! You can also click to read more here about hiring injury attorneys.
Jack Teller
read more →My daughter had begun to seclude herself and not go out to play anymore because of the children in the neighborhood threatening her but since attending classes at the All American Martial Arts Academy, she has began to go back out to play.
Chantez B.
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And as the sport has evolved and more people are watching it, more and more people are getting ideas of what it is and what it isn’t. Well someone who has been around this sport for awhile I have seen the pendulum swing back and fourth. At first the grappling part of Mixed Martial Arts was really neglected to the point that just being a good grappler was enough to win Mixed Martial Arts matches.
Then everything swung the other way, then you have to be good at other styles of striking like kickboxing, and have a good base in a grappling style.
But now I am seeing a dangerous trend. There are so many Mixed Martial Arts matches to never get to the ground. Fighters are more content to keep things standing up and win by knock out, or by decision. And that is good, but when the new generation of fighters are inspired by what they are seeing in Mixed Martial Arts, they are getting maybe the wrong idea.
When Anderson “The Spider” Silva was knocking people out, a lot of people I was talking to about his style and ability didn’t know he had a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. And when I was with a group of people watching some of his fights, they were so excited when he was taken down, and I would say “just wait and see what happens.” We all know what happened.
Just because you don’t see the grappling moves and submissions don’t mean the fighter isn’t working on that part of his game. And don’t mean he is not proficient in that range of fighting.
I also think having a good Grappling game will help you in your stand up too. I have seen the stand up fighters be so scared of going to the ground that they couldn’t get that 3rd or 4th punch or kick off the finish the fight. They was always having to protect their hips and stay in longer ranges. Sometimes this is a good idea to win a judges decisions, but seldom allows you to finish the match.
Get on the mat, and let’s train.
Coach’s Corner
James Speight.
read more →All American Martial Arts Academy has played a crucial role in allowing my wife with whom is visually disabled and suffering from M.S. To participate in an activity that not only allows her to be more active and healthy but maybe more importantly has given skill and confidence to defend herself should the need ever arise. Now my son is receiving the same instruction which is giving him the same confidence at school allowing him the opportunity to focus more of his attention on his schoolwork.
Eric W.
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“Mixed Martial Arts is Dangerous!!”
You know how many times I have heard that?
Just because you have many many options when you are fighting MMA it does’t make it more dangerous. I would like to say I think that it makes it less dangerous. To the average fighter or person who practices it.
In any other single style sports what ever it is boxing, kickboxing, karate, TKD or anything. When you compete, or train and when you realized that you are over matched in something with your competitor. For the most part due to the rules they are forced to accept the situation you are in. Have a look at how jake paul fights and how much he earns as a professional boxer.
You have to face your attacker and get served up like the main course meal.
And I know yes “if you have heart!!” you can fight back and win, if you “use your mind” you can surprise your opponent. And yes that is great, but that can be used in MMA too. What I am talking about is options to be able to take your opponent out of their comfort zone. If the rules of your sport close the focus then you can just work on smaller parts of the combat. If your rules of your sport open the focus then you have to be open to work on larger parts of your combat. Less rules gives you more options.
Let me ask you this. If you had a choice to fight multiple attackers on the street but you get to choose. To fight them in an ally way in the city. Or a field in the county. Yes you would pick the field in the country. Why because it would give you options you wouldn’t get in the ally way. Mixed Martial Arts is the same way. It gives you options you wouldn’t have in other sports. If you are losing the stand up you can take it to the ground, if you are losing the ground game you can escape and stand it up.
Keep a open mind
And lets train
James Speight
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