Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Robson in Rio - Life in the Favela
Happy Thanksgiving. Remember to be thankful for what you have, many don't have it.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
COMING SOON: The Grapplers Masterclass
Unlike other instructional sites , our videos are longer and take a more in depth view of specific positions, drills, and submissions with an emphasis on developing a system and skills that allows you to chain the techniques together to form your own personal system. We are focused on No-Gi grappling and Grappling for MMA, although many of the concepts are applicable to Gi Grappling as well.
This program is for anyone looking to get a leg up on the competition or to compliment their game. Are you a no-gi competitor and want to learn a super efficient system of grappling that, until now has only been shown to a select group of professionals? Or are you a striker looking to add a simple and effective grappling system to your game to make you more well rounded? This system is also great for school owners looking to add a grappling curriculum to their school.
This is not a program intended to show hundreds of moves in isolation, but rather take an in-depth look at major techniques and positions and how to develop them into a seamless, efficient and winning system; as proven by the Pro MMA fighters, world champs, and many outstanding grapplers we have helped produce.
What sets us apart is our advanced on-line platform, our exclusive video content and our price. We will be rolling out in the most affordable way possible. Initial pricing is set at $24.99 for a years subscription, however we are offering a %50 discount with promo code "masterclass" for the first 150 members. That's black belt instruction of a proven system for only about $1.00 a month.
We'll be releasing the url just after new new years...stay tuned.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Fat Guy in a Little Gi Entry-1: Who Is This Guy?
Fat Guy in a Little Gi
One big man’s journey of self-discovery through combat sports
Entry 1- Who is this guy? AKA the journey so far
They call me Polar Bear. I started my journey into martial arts, as many in my generation did, through old kung-fu movies and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Watching Leo, Mike, Don and Raph stick it to the foot clan every Saturday morning ignited a lifelong passion that I wasn't able to really commit to until MUCH later. From the time I could follow coherent logic, I ‘trained’ by reading every martial art book I could; practicing the moves by mimicking the pictures on the page. Names like Ramon Dekker, Andy Hug, and Royce Gracie weren't known to me yet; instead names like Jean Claude Van Damn, Chuck Norris, and the man himself, Bruce Lee inspired me. From the age of about 3, I have constantly pictured myself in some sort of martial combat.
Unfortunately, I wasn't the kung fu/karate guru I wished to be. Theory only helps so much when applied to real world experience. I was bullied relentlessly during my youth. Growing up, my personality was very odd, and I still have more than enough neurotic behaviors to label me ‘a f*cking weirdo nutjob’. While I have overcome much of my social awkwardness, childhood was hell for me. I lost A LOT of schoolyard battles. Most weren't epic scraps, but poor excuses for grappling matches that ended with me mounted and people taunting me. I can only remember winning two fights before I was 14 to be honest.
Part of my issue was a total lack of self-confidence. While formal martial arts training would have helped with that, we didn’t’ have a lot of extra money back then and my mother was adamantly against violence in any capacity off the football field (still is by the way). In fact I never even asked to do formal training until I got a flier in middle school. There was an afterschool program for Tae Kwan Do that was cheap enough ($25 a month) that I could attend, and I jumped at the opportunity. It wasn't long before I realized that it wasn’t the epic ‘defeat anyone style’ I had hoped it was. This was sport TKD, not traditional, and not effective. Further the instructor was very strict at the most random times. During touch sparring (everything was always too forceful apparently) she would joke and laugh, during forms she would be a dictator. All the while I kept studying other arts through the local library. My love of TKD died just after I got my yellow belt, at the age of 13. Sport TKD just wasn't for me.
It wasn't long after that, I found a copy of UFC 1 on VHS. Wow. I was hooked. These guys were real fighters! And one man captivated my vision. It wasn't Royce Gracie like people reading this will expect, it was actually Ken Shamrock. Here was a guy with my first name, a history of being a complete badass. I was rooting for him through everything. When he was submitted my heart was crushed a little bit, but I kept being a fan long after that fight. I watched every UFC VHS I could (my family couldn't’ afford pay per view until I was much, much older). I started reading on this ‘grappling’ thing and found that I needed a true hybrid system if I wanted to be one of these guys later in life. *note- I have since learned the error of my ways and LOVE Royce*
When I was 15, I finally found a system that called to me. That I could use to launch my No Holds Barred career (the term MMA hadn't been coined or used broadly yet). That system was Kajukenbo. It had everything I wanted; Kung-Fu, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, Kenpo, and Boxing. Everything was there in one spot! My first day was very difficult, the school had old ½ mats that did very little to break any fall, and because the studio was still being built, it was often that my arm felt the cold sting of concrete. I really enjoyed it, but when I sparred my friends at a local open mat gym, I would still get whooped. Wrestlers would continually take me down and negate my stand up, kick boxers would continually beat me on my feet. II joined the Marines and when I came back the school was so different I decided to move on.
In the Marine Corps I participated in my first MMA fights. These weren't regulated and I can barely say there were anything more than drunken service members and locals fighting for sport. I thought I knew what I was doing, but yet again I was proved wrong. At 8-10 I started fearing maybe my passion wasn't for me. I left the Corps and came home, only to find myself even more lost in this journey.
I started my own fight team. I figured I knew enough about the game, if I couldn't do it, maybe I could find guys who could use my knowledge. Glacier MMA (now Glacier Combat Arts). Our first outings were less than stellar, but we started putting up wins and I felt good. Something was missing though. I had rudimentary skills but nothing I was ‘excellent’ at. I looked to a local gym owner who was kind enough to let me bring my team into his gym and train them with his staff or by myself. It wasn't long before we became a part of the family. Now whenever we fight we are Glacier Combat Arts/Academy of Brian Johnson. Brian has taught me more about kickboxing and the striking game than I can even begin to explain. In his school he also has a Marcelo Alonso BJJ affiliate. That is where I met Kano Melvin and my BJJ journey begins…
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Neil Melanson - Mastering the Triangle - Technique 1
This is great, I'm so excite for this book, I have it on pre-order and I'll do a review of it once I get it which should be in the next couple weeks. You know I love Neil's game and this video shows why- tight control and smart positioning!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Khabib Nurmagomedov MMA Highlight
Love this guy! Is there a better, more technical, and powerful lightweight?
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Friday, November 8, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Daymon Smith: Side control Escape to Armlock
Daymon Smith is a beast of a Black Belt trained by Tim Burrill...He runs an awesome program in Coventry RI and works with many TOP BJJ'ers (world Champs) and MMA fighters (UFC)...like my friend Nate said "Yo! There are Black Belts and then there are Blackkkk Beltssss, and Daymon is a Blackkkk Beltttt!" He's also a super chill guy; so when he shows you something you pay attention!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
SOTG Exclusive Interview With Top Sambo Coach: Joe Neely
The third in our series of exclusive interviews with three of Americas top Sambo coaches: Joe Neely. As you'll learn Joe has had an incredible impact on the sport of Sambo here in the US. He was a national team coach and competitor, who now runs a very successful program in the Kentucky and Ohio areas, where he also organizes National level Sambo competitions. In this interview Joe makes some very good points and observations about Sambo, not the least of which is the name itself, the state of its organizing bodies and the resurgence of collaboration of its top coaches.-Greg
Photos top to bottom:1. Joe (back row-second from right) World Team 1987 Milan Italy. 2. Joe (second from right) with Gregg Humphreys at one of his SomboJoe locations. 3.Joe with some of his Sombo Joe Students.
SOTG: Joe can you tell us about your background: when did you start Sambo, what was your first impression of it, when did you know this is what you wanted to do. Any career highlights you’d like to share?
Joe: I started dabbling with Sombo while wrestling with the 1978 All Marine Wrestling Team (Greco-Roman). I was a young wrestler that thought Greco-Roman Wrestling was the toughest style of combative sport out there. After a long nine hour day workout, I would drag myself up into the bleachers and watch some of my team members (Wilfredo Levi, Jimmy Howard, Jack Beard, Greg Gibson, etc…) put on those funny looking jackets and go for another couple of hours of Sombo only practice. I heckled them quite a bit. One day Levi (105.5lbs) challenged me to come down on the mat (I was 180.5) so he could show me what it was all about. After they put a jacket on me, he proceeded to throw; arm lock, leg lock, and calf crush me to the point of embarrassment! I said that no one that small should be able to do that to me, so I wanted to learn what it was all about. I would venture to say that it was love at the first lock!
I received an honorable discharged in 1979, and came home to start a local summer wrestling program. Title 9 was in full swing back then, so wrestling programs were leaving colleges at an alarming pace. We practiced all styles of wrestling, including Sombo. I still did all the other styles of wrestling (Folk, Free, Greco), but Sombo had stolen my desire for the other styles. I taught what I knew to local kids, and to adult competitors. Around this time FILA had just given up control of Sombo to a newly formed organization, FIAS. We participated in Sombo through the USSA, under the AAU at that time. I won several National titles, USSA, AAU Grand Nationals, AAU Masters, USSA Masters, etc. In 1987 I was ask to coach the USA National Women’s Team, at the World Championships in PAU France. One of my students took second, and the Team took third. From that point in 1987 thru 1993 I travelled to many National, and International Championships, World Cups, and invitational tournaments. After a brief return from my retirement, I placed 4th in the Pan Am Championships in San Diego, CA. The first three were John Maschido, Greg Dixion, Rigan Machido. I have only coached since then. My competitive days are through. In 1999 I was inducted into the USSA Sombo Hall of Fame.
SOTG: Wow, that is an amazing resume and impressive accomplishments…but you've also grown a very successful program in a grassroots way: do you want to talk about your program a bit?
Joe: In 2006 the path of my Teaching/Coaching took a different turn. The Northern KY Wrestling Club changed to the “SOMBOJOE” Program. There was no longer a need for a summer program for the youth to participate in anymore (most schools had their own now). At this point, we focused primarily on Sombo in our club. The SOMBOEJOE program is set up as a Christian Outreach and we still compete in many different type of grappling/martial arts styles. We do what we need to supplement our need for diversity in styles.
SOTG: From what I've noticed I've seen more collaboration with You and some of the other top Sambo coaches Can you tell us more about your relationship with them ? How have those relationships grown and what’s next for Sambo? Also what in your opinion are the hurdles that Sambo has to overcome to progress here in the USA? Do you believe Sambo has to make any significant changes to be successful here?
Joe: The collaboration between myself and other coaches, and organization is an attempt to bring back some of the swagger that Sombo used to have here in the States. The largest tournament that I can remember, was three hundred plus in Billing, MT. I wish to see us surpass those numbers before I finish with all that I have left to do. I have met some new people during this continuing adventure, and I always stay in contact with my OLD friends. Recently I have seen many people put aside their egos for the good of the sport. What we seem to forget is, when people fight for titles, position, or status, it’s the local athlete that suffers the most. I am happy that for the first time in many years, it looks like people are finally starting to work together again.One thing that I catch a lot of flak about is the spelling of Sambo with an O (Sombo). I think that our sport has enough to deal with without using a word that brings up racial discussions. I truly believe that if a sport is to make it in the world, it’s has to make it in America also. Television is the market that we need to bring on board. I don’t think that we would ever be accepted with the name using the SAMBO spelling.
SOTG: That is a GREAT point! Joe, considering your contributions, where do you see Sambo, sorry, Sombo, in the next 5 -10 years here in the US, where does it fit into the jiu-jitsu/grappling /mma scene in your opinion
Joe: Not just with my contributions, but with the hard work of everyone working together, Sombo could become the pinnacle of Combat Sports. It has everything you need to be a great fighter. It’s not just good on the ground, not just in the standing, not just with the striking, and not just good with the submissions, IT HAS IT ALL IN ONE PACKAGE! I can see Sombo really taking hold and growing with the people that we have involved now, maybe a new Sombo Fight League!
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Straight Armbar from the Rodeo Position
I am really starting to like the so-called "Rodeo" position with both legs over the back- I've been killing from here lately...this is a great beginners technique from dominant guard position.
Friday, November 1, 2013
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