This is a common question I get from a lot of parents.  Many of the parents who sign their child up for Kids [...]]]> Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR : What Should Your Child Be Working On?

“What should kids do outside of Class To Improve Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR ?” 

This is a common question I get from a lot of parents.  Many of the parents who sign their child up for Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR want to help their child get better outside of class. Additionally many children desire to practice at home, but are not sure what to work, being that they don’t have a proper partner or teacher present.  The good news is that the answer is fundamentally simple, and you can help your child improve his/ her Jiu Jitsu skills at home!

In 2006 I began training under the legendary strength and conditioning coach John Davies. Through my training under him I have had the opportunity to learn the soviet sports model of training. Additionally I have been introduced to and trained with other experts in the soviet sports model. In my own time I have done some research in to their habits of building athletes from childhood.  Jory and I have used this exact model to bring about our own success.

In the beginning, your child need not work specifically on Jiu Jitsu drills at home. You probably feel as “akward” trying to do Jiu Jitsu with your child at home as your child might on his/ her first day of trying classes for Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR . Don’t worry. You don’t have to try to remember all of the drills we do in class, or do any “funny” moves!

The fundamental development of a good athlete begins with a few skills, and it’s crucial that you develop these skills within your child:

• 1. Kicking
• 2. Throwing
• 3. Running
• 4. Jumping

These are 4 simple skills that you can focus your work with your child at home to improve his/ her skills for Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR ! The better your child becomes at these exercises, the better he/ she will be down the line with regards to his/ her training. Actually, working on these skills will help your child in any Martial Art or sport, not just Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR !

Kids Martial Arts In Benton, AR

I would highly recommend you take the time to do these activities with your child on a regular basis. In today’s society, the tradition of family is often lost. There is no dinner time, nor is there much social/ bonding time. It’s proven that due to the internet and social media, people are talking less and becoming more and more disconnected. Use this time to not only help your child improve his/ her skill, but to develop a bond with your child. This can be a nightly activity, or something your family does every weekend. You can include your child’s friends, and your entire family.

There are so many things you can do that incorporate these 4 skills:

• Soccer
• Baseball
• Football
• Basketball
• Dodgeball
• Kickball
• Frisbee
• Trail Runs
• Hop Scotch
• Jumping on the trampoline
• Jumping rope
• Throwing/ Skipping rocks on the pond

These are some games you can use to develop these fundamental skills with your child as your child begins training Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR .  Keep in mind that these are fundamentals. As your child progresses, in age and skill set, your child will need to do more specific things to develop these skills. At a certain age (I will withhold this exact number) your child will need to begin to specialize in his/ her chose sport. But these skills must be developed prior to specialization. This is a good place to start.  But don’t get me wrong, your child should start training Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR as early as he/ she desires! But before the age of specialization, when your child really focuses on the sport, these skills must be developed.

Using this opportunity to have “family exercise” with your child will not only increase your child’s skill set, but allow you some time to have a much needed talk. I’d suggest you talk about a few things:

• 1. Let your child know your family’s rules about his/ her training:  Only you can tell your child when it is acceptable to use his/ her skills. Now that your child is training Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR , he/ she has special knowledge. I would be remiss not to tell you that your child has the potential to hurt someone else. It’s crucial you discuss this with your child.  You want  your child to be safe, but you don’t want your child to become a bully. Judgement skills take time for a child to acquire. Discuss it!
• 2. Get to know your child’s friends: In my past blog I made a mention: “If you child hangs around 9 drug dealers, he’ll be the 10th.” Do you know who your child’s hanging around with? Now’s a good time to find out. Let your child invite his/ her friends. Additionally talk to your child about bullying and peer pressure. Let your child know that it is something most everyone experiences in life, and that you are available to talk to 24/7. Make sure you child doesn’t feel the need to hide problems, or be embarrassed.
• 3. Talk with your child about healthy eating and exercise: Let your child know that these exercises are helping his/ her improve for Jiu Jitsu Class! Encourage your child to make healthy eating choices for performance.
• 4. Be a good role model: If you don’t exercise yourself it’s time to make a priority! Set a good example and take care of yourself so you can watch your kid grow up. The great news is if you feel out of shape, or like you can’t keep up with your child, the good news is you can with these simple exercises. You will both benefit, so give it a try.
• 5. Have fun! Kid’s get bored easy, so here’s another secret: The more fun you can make of exercise, the more your child will do it.

Additionally, while your kid is training Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR , we will be enforcing all of these things in our classes! We’ll talk with your child about his/ her training, about developing healthy friendships and relationships, we’ll provide good role models, and teach healthy eating habits. Most importantly, we’ll have fun!

When your child signs up to train Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR , or anywhere else, It’s my hope that your child doesn’t just learn a set of skills, but has a better quality of life due to his/ her Martial Arts training! Training Martial Arts was the best decision my parents made for me. I got to see the world, compete internationally, and I’m successful in life.  Our program for Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR can help you do the same for your child, and with our proven life skills development program, we’ll put your child on the path to success fast.

I hope you enjoyed my blog. I merely scratched the surface of athletic development for kids! But if you’re interested in improving your child’s performance in sports, or trying Kids Martial Arts in Benton, AR be sure to check out Revolution’s 30 Day Trial! Click here to get signed up!

“Can anyone be a black belt?” 

I had never pondered this question until I was a teenager about 8 years in to my Martial Arts journey.  As I moved through the years in Martial Arts, this question kept reoccurring. [...]]]>

" Can Anyone Be A Black Belt? "

This is one of the most controversial topics in Martial Arts everywhere, even in Benton.

“Can anyone be a black belt?” 

I had never pondered this question until I was a teenager about 8 years in to my Martial Arts journey.  As I moved through the years in Martial Arts, this question kept reoccurring. Depending on who you asked when, the answer was different.  I had never decided for myself, and then one day, as a gym owner, I was smacked in the face and forced to answer this question once and for all.  Keep reading, I’m going to give you a quick history lesson that led me to the shocking answer.

How did this question come about so many years ago? Well, an instructor at my gym was talking with my mom. We were pretty active in the gym and he would tell her all the latest happenings at times, even if he wasn’t supposed to. He told her he and the owner were discussing the topic. He didn’t feel anyone could be a black belt. The owner did. And that was a problem. Until that moment I had never entertained that thought. I suddenly felt very insecure and worried, even though I was already a black belt. I thought perhaps I might not “cut it” for advancement. I remember that day very clearly. I was a teenager, I think about 14 years old.

But let’s go back farther for a minute: From my experience training traditional Martial Arts since the 80′s and now owning a gym, I have been on the front end and experienced the “bubble” of 2 particular Martial Arts styles: Traditional TaeKwon-Do and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

When I began training TKD 20 years ago, it catered to the same age group as BJJ and MMA does now. Everyone who did it was tough. We trained in a skating rink actually, and it smelled funny.  Then we moved to a new spot that had a thin layer of carpet over concrete floors, and that’s about it. A bloody nose was an often occurrence, and the word “retention” meant nothing to school owners. They only wanted the hardcore students.  Testings at my gym above second degree were “secret” and no one could talk about it.  To test for my 2nd degree black belt I had to demonstrate a number of skill, knowledge and physical demonstrations, one of which was  going to my coach’s trailer park and running around the park for 2 miles. It was pitch black and I’d guess my age to be in the 10-13 year old range.  I remember trying to think what I’d do if someone attacked me. I’m not quite sure what my coach did during that time. If you asked those school owners like my coach if anyone could be a black belt, they’d most certainly laugh and say no. A black belt was for those guys who “made it” and never quit. Dojo storms were common, and people always tried to “check” one another’s rank, or try to prove something.

I remember moving to a larger gym 7 years in to my training. This gym was a little more main stream and they wanted me to wear this protective equipment called  headgear and mouth piece. It was absurd, or so I thought.  You also couldn’t punch someone in the face until you were a certain rank, and white belts didn’t spar right away. You actually waited a good 6 months before you even started sparring. I remember one of my first days there we sparred. I was in the black belt teen class and paired up with a nice black belt girl. I punched her right in the face as soon as they said go. She fell down and everyone stared at me. I was so used to trying to stay alive, that I did not know there was a concept called “flowing” or going easy on an opponent. I later learned that. If you asked these people if anyone could be a black belt, you might get a different answer. I will say this was a quality gym with tough ranking standards, but it was evident that the thought processes were changing.  As the years went on, it became obvious everywhere that the pendulum was swinging the other direction.

I began to feel myself wondering back to what I was used to and I would go train on the side at a local kickboxing gym that was less mainstream and much more hardcore.  This gym equally smelled funny, and unlike the big gym with fancy mats, it was back to a place with a think layer of commercial carpet on concrete.

Fast forward to 2003. By this point the TaeKwon-Do and traditional Martial Arts bubble was bursing. “No Holds Barred” was the new “tough guy” Martial Art, and traditional Martial Arts schools catered to mostly children (who could earn a black belt at the age of 5 btw).  I remember my first experience training BJJ. I enjoyed it because it reminded me of the times I first started training TKD. There wasn’t a lot of hooplah, the gym was small, no one washed their gi, the mats weren’t always clean, and some folks weren’t very nice, but I still liked it. There was no curriculum, you just kinda got beat tough and if you stayed you kinda made it, or so one might feel that way.  I do remember I did feel a bit “gross” after every class. Some folks I can say with 100% certainty never washed their body or gi in their life!  None of that mattered. The place was packed b/c BJJ was different than main stream Martial Arts philosophy at the time (by this time those TKD instructors would tell you anyone will be a black belt in 2 years).

BJJ didn’t hand out black belts to 5 year olds, it was real, it was hard! But ask these BJJ teachers the same thing: “Can anyone be a black belt?”, they would have most certainly said no.  In fact if you reached blue belt status you might as well have been a god. I had no idea what I needed to do to get a blue belt other than wait and keep training.  In fact my first BJJ teacher used to stand in front of the class and talk about how it took him 10 Years to get a black belt and it was gonna take us that long too (if we even made it). It was eerily similar to my past traditional Martial Arts experiences. Dojo storms started happening again. It’s the same deal repackaged all over.

Fast forward again to 2011. By now I’ve owned 2 successful gyms for 6 years. In addition to all of my years training and assisting at different gyms, I’ve now been 100% responsible for my own student’s progress. In this time I have often revisited the question “Can anyone be a black belt?”.  

I was faced with a lot of different considerations. I’ve had older students who wanted rank and claimed they couldn’t train like the younger students because they had commitments, families, and were older in years. They didn’t want to be held to the same expectations physically as a young person. I’ve had people get injured and still come to class yet not get rank because, despite their hard work, they could not physically perform the task. I’ve had folks who put little effort in to class and considered it a social event rather than training expect rank because they fulfilled their “class requirements”.  I have been faced with some tough decisions, and I was very stressed over my predicament.  I was in a pickle and it was decision time.

Was I being to hard on the older students? Was I not being accommodating to their family commitments?

Was I expecting too much? Was I being unreasonable or “old school”?

I was sitting there holding that pendulum in my hand, trying to find the right spot. On one side was those who give out black belts like candy, on the other were those like many of the gyms I trained at. Both set their students up for failure: One for handing out rank to those who didn’t deserve it and for NOT having a standard, the other for not having a means to get to the end, essentially for not facilitating the student’s journey. I didn’t want to be either. I wanted my students to get to black belt. I wanted to provide them a path, but I also wanted them to earn it. As I began to ponder the right answer I began looking in other places. I began looking at other professionals and quickly reconsidered my time at a university. I then considered an idea, a theory if you will:

“Earning a black belt in Martial Arts is no different than earning an advanced degree”

All sorts of people earn degrees, some have learning disabilities, some have families and work 2 jobs, some are rich, some are poor. Some need to take remedial classes first. Some go to school full time and live there and take 21 hours a semester. Some go to 1 class a semester and take longer to earn their degree. Some have to take time off for various reasons, and then return. There are people all in between. But anyone who meets the requirements can earn a degree! Those who want it bad enough will do anything to meet the requirements to earn that piece of paper! Next I began to look at the expectations most college professors held of their students for earning an advanced degree:

• Did the part time students who had families and jobs receive special priviledges in class? Were they excused from excess work because of time contstraints? No.
• Did the “older” students get to take longer to complete a test, or did they receive special help or accommodations, or even receive an exemption for certain tests or performances? After all everything declines with age: eyesight, hearing, memory, etc. (and by older I mean those not just out of High School) But in fact these “older” students were held to the same standards as all other students. Whether you were 18, 60 or anywhere in between, you were held to the same standard.
• Were the students who intended to make a living from their degree treated differently than someone who just wanted to earn a degree for another reason (say a stay at home mom who just wanted an education “in case”)? No.
• What would happen if I went to class and said I’d like to be a surgeon but: “I really don’t have time for this internship b/c I’m  not like these young guys who can live at the university and dedicate all their time to studies.  Afterall, I’ve got commitments! I’m a bit more forgetful than I was, and the tests are too hard!”  What would the professor say? He’d laugh. It’s absurd.

As I answered these questions, it became clear to me:

“You don’t have to be the top of Harvard’s graduating class to be a surgeon, and you don’t have to be a world champion to be a black belt.

But there’s one commonality: You have to meet the bar.”

There’s a standard of what it takes to be a surgeon, doctor, lawyer, etc.  While there are variations between those who pass, there’s still a minimum performance requirement that must be attained and demonstrated, regardless of age, sex, life situation, natural born ability, etc.  If you want to be a surgeon, you best be prepared to perform surgery. And you best be prepared to perform it correctly!

Ultimately that led  me to my decision!

“Anyone who meets the requirements can earn a black belt!”

So now this brings the question…Which of my 2 instructors was correct? Well, both were. One felt anyone could achieve black belt, I agree with this. With hard work, perseverance, and proper instruction, anyone can. The one who felt that not everyone can be a black belt felt so because, well, there were a lot of people approaching black belt who needed to make drastic changes in order to actually perform as a black belt. Essentially “not everyone can be a black belt in their current state”.  Anyone who didn’t come up as a lifetime Martial Artist would be wrong not to think that earning a black belt will require some drastic lifestyle changes. Afterall, if you are going to be a black belt, you had better be ready to perform like one. I’ve heard a number of excuses for people being black belts yet not being able to perform: I’ve heard 5 year olds justified as black belts because “their mind knows the moves but their bodies aren’t mature” I’ve seen folks who can barely raise a leg get promoted because “they know it, and if they were in better shape they could do it”.  I’ve also heard the excuse “I don’t want to be a competitor, so I shouldn’t be held to a tough standard.”  That’s crap! You’ve got to be able to do it. Period. If that means losing 100 lbs, waiting till a child is a tad older, training harder, or improving yourself any other way, you had better do it. Otherwise, you don’t deserve it.

The problem with Martial Arts is not that the arts themselves “suck” or are “ineffective”, it’s that in many gyms and organizations, it has become socially acceptable, even expected, that anyone can get a black belt even if they don’t meet the bar.  In fact it’s so commonplace now that instructors lower the bar bit by bit so more students can reach it.  Before you know it, the bar is on the floor and everyone is stepping over it with a bare effort to raise their leg. You don’t have to be a trained Martial Artist to notice it.  In fact it’s a problem because many people noticing it are not trained Martial Artists.  Show up at your doctors office and you can quickly tell if your doctor is qualified. Martial Arts is no different. This has trickled down to the students: In today’s Martial Arts systems, there seems to be a sense of entitlement running rampant amongst the students as well.  It could be just the overall degredation of American Society, or perhaps folks are under the false impression that earning rank in Martial Arts is the equivalent of earning a cookie for your hard work. I’m not sure. So, I had found the answer and now it was time to act.  I once had a college professor tell me “never lower the bar. Instead raise it and people will rise up to meet it”. She’s right. I set the bar. I expect everyone to reach it. I know everyone can reach it. It’s not a matter of “can do”, it’s a matter of “will do”.

“Everyone has the desire, not everyone has the will power to make it happen.”

So back to our question: “Can anyone be a black belt?” Yes! I did it, and you can too! But be prepared to rise up and meet the bar!  In fact don’t rise up to the bar, surpass it! 

Behavioral and emotional problems in kids are all too common these days. A 2005 report shows that nearly 5 percent—of children are reported by their parents to suffer from definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties. These are problems that can interfere with their family life, their ability [...]]]> Kids Martial Arts Benton Helps Kids in School!

Behavioral and emotional problems in kids are all too common these days. A 2005 report shows that nearly 5 percent—of children are reported by their parents to suffer from definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties. These are problems that can interfere with their family life, their ability to learn, and their formation of friendships.  If that were not bad enough, these problems usually persist throughout a child’s life and carry in to adulthood. What that ultimately means is that these problems can affect your child’s chances of success in life.

What if I told you I had a solution to your problems?

A way to ease your fears?

Let me take a minute to share with you an interview from one of the kids in my Kids Martial Arts Benton Classes. This is Rylie and she has been training Kids Martial Arts Benton for almost 2 years. Rylie is a model of hard work and discipline in class. I’d even go as far to characterize her as an “overachiever”. You will notice in our interview Rylie makes several mentions of how training Kids Martial Arts Benton has helped her in school.

Kids Martial Arts Benton can help kids with a number of problems: social and in their studies.

All kids, and kids with behavior problems in particular, have trouble making friends. A child with behavioral problems tends to feel isolated, misunderstood, and lonely. He/ She may be ostracized by other children for his/ her behavior. Wouldn’t it be nice if your child could have a place to go that helped him/ her make positive, lasting relationships with peers? Not only will this benefit your child in the short term, but throughout your child’s adult life, he/ she will have to know how to form and build positive peer relationships for success.  Rylie made mention that her training helps her get closer to people.  This is one of the great benefits that comes with Kids Martial Arts Benton !

Kids with behavioral problems not only have trouble making friends, but they may experience a lot of social conflict.  In fact we all do, but kids with behavioral and emotional problems are likely the brunt of bullying and taunts from peers.

Do you remember what it was like to be bullied in school? 

Do you remember the names of school bullies? 

Perhaps you remember bullying yourself?

It hurts, and to a child who has problems handling their own emotions, it can be disastrous. It can break them in to emotional pieces. Kids Martial Arts Benton helps kids learn how to deal with these problems. First, kids learn common life skills such as courtesy, respect, kindness, and generosity.  They learn how to work with a partner and be a good teammate.  Kids also learn how to avoid physical confrontations through their own behavior and through talking. Kids Martial Arts Benton teaches kids the right things to do and say in order to diffuse a heated conversation. In the case of a confrontation, kids learn to react with reason and not with emotion. They learn to think through their choices and be prepared for consequences.  Kids Martial Arts Benton also teaches kids the right skills to keep themselves safe!

As Rylie also mentioned, Jiu Jitsu helps her calm herself down and relieve stress from the school day.  Kids with emotional and behavioral problems do not deal with stress well. They may overreact to things we would otherwise consider insignificant. Stress can affect a child’s ability to focus and perform in school. Learn Martial Arts can help your child calm down when faced with a stressor. In addition the physical exercise is proven to elevate mood and reduce depression.

Kids Martial Arts Benton helps kids with their studies by giving them alternative means to look at a problem.  Rylie mentions that when her teacher asks her questions, she can relate it to Jiu Jitsu and answer. When learning Jiu Jitsu, kids learn about angles, leverage, and all sorts of other things they will learn about in math, geometry and other classes in school. They learn how to position a joint to make proper leverage or to escape. They learn which angles help make a technique more efficient.  When these kids think about angles in their geometry classes, they can most definitely relate it to Jiu Jitsu.  Math isn’t the only subject kids learn about. They’ll learn about geography as they learn the history of their art. They’ll learn a bit of foreign language and culture, as they meet the guests who come in for special camps.

Most importantly they learn critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is defined as

The process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false.

Kids learn to test a hypothesis and theory, and they learn to question what they assume to be true or false. You see, they practice the techniques they learn daily in a live setting. They learn to make their own combinations of moves, anticipate a persons reaction and plan their reaction accordingly. They also have to react quickly and make a new plan of something doesn’t go as initially planned. All of this entire process takes a split second for a seasoned practitioner, but as kids learn this process, they are learning valuable physical and mental skills. Kids also learn how to deal with others and others’ behavior. They learn that they can’t always predict a persons reaction, but they can control how they react to a situation and how it affects them. Kids who train Kids Martial Arts Benton improve their critical thinking in the process. One they are able to do this, they are able to use these critical thinking skills anywhere in life, even in school.

Did you notice Rylie is very well spoken? While some of the kids were a bit camera shy at first, I noticed later that they were all well spoken. Kids Martial Arts Benton gives kids the confidence to speak in front of others, and feel good about themselves. By watching these kids, you can tell they have confidence. That confidence carries over to many other areas of life, and will be a determining factor in their success. Tessas and Samuels also experienced a significant boost in confidence with their training!

Wouldn’t it be great if your child could experience all of these great benefits in one place?

If you want to help your child become more successful in life, learn critical thinking skills, relieve stress, manage emotions, control behavior and have fun, go on my website and sign up for a 30 Day FREE trial.

Let your child try Kids Martial Arts Benton absolutely 100% Free for 30 Days!

This will be the the best thing you can do for your child! 

If you train Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs or anywhere else for that matter, in particular if you’ve just started, you probably find yourself in a lot of “bad” positions. It’s common to get stuck in the bottom of mount. This [...]]]> Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs : Is There Such Thing As A Bad Position? 

If you train Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs or anywhere else for that matter, in particular if you’ve just started, you probably find yourself in a lot of “bad” positions. It’s common to get stuck in the bottom of mount. This is not a place you want to be. Your opponent is smothering you, dripping sweat in your face and attempting to lock up one of your limbs or choke you.  You might feel claustrophobic and even panic. You can’t get them off no matter how much you try. Equally it’s not fun to be stuck in the bottom of side control, with someone smashing your face and head like a pimple.  While training Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs , there’s a lot of positions we don’t want to be in. Are they bad positions? You might think so now, but my response might make you do a complete 180 in your current beliefs and strategies about Jiu Jitsu.

I’m going to start off by showing you a video of one of our students at the Pan No Gi.  Bobby trains Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs and Benton.

Now, let’s analyze what happened, step by step: In this match, Bobby locks in a Kimura from the guard.  The guard is a great place to do a kimura, as your legs and body give you the positioning and leverage to finish. Bobby’s opponent then does correct to pass the guard. He moves to side control and then mount. By advancing his position, Bobby’s opponent moves to a spot of superior mechanical leverage. Bobby makes several attempts to sweep the opponent over using the submission, but he is in a position of inferior mechanical leverage, so it’s difficult.  In fact, Bobby actually puts himself at risk of being submitted. His opponent’s failure was not capitalizing on his own advancement. His opponent should have used his position of superior leverage (mount, side mount) to free his own arm and submit Bobby.

As to not let his mistake cost him, Bobby listened to proper coaching: As long as he held the submission, his opponent would not get the 3 points for a guard pass and 4 points for the mount.  To correct his initial mistake, he was instructed to not let go, and he didn’t. While training Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs and Benton, Bobby trains to listen to instruction during his match.  He excelled at this in his match. He was a robot!

In our classes for Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs and Benton, did we teach Bobby to go for submissions from the bottom of mount? No. In fact during our Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs , we teach the students how to submit from positions of superior mechanical leverage.  We teach him to do what his opponent should have done in our classes for Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs and Benton.

Now, this match brings to light an interesting question:

“Is there such thing as a bad position?”

As you can see, Bobby won his match decisively via arm break, from the bottom of side control.  Bobby was in a lot of “bad” positions in his match, yet he still prevailed. How did he do this from such a bad position?

Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs

Well, here’s the answer:

“In reality, there is no such thing as a bad position in Jiu Jitsu!” 

In fact, the word “bad” position is poor terminology. In fact what people should be saying is “less efficient positions”, “positions of inferior leverage”, “positions that cause you to generate less force”.

When it comes to finishing a submission in Jiu Jitsu, it comes down to who can produce the most force.

What is force?

In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. In other words, a force is that which can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform. Force can also be described by intuitive concepts such as a push or pull.  Forces which do not act uniformly on all parts of a body will also cause mechanical stresses,^[2] a technical term for influences which cause deformation of matter.

Now, what in Jiu Jitsu contributes to the production of force?  Well, there are several things, but the one you will most likely learn first are the concepts of Mechanical Leverage and Efficiency:

Mechanical leverage: You have already heard me reference this a few times. As you begin your training in Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs , it’s important to learn that the fundamental rules that make  Jiu Jitsu and Martial Arts effective are those of body mechanics.  All of us have 2 arms, 2 legs, 1 neck, and all of our arms, legs, neck, etc move in the same manner.  There are certain ways to lock a joint, there are certain ways to secure a choke, and there are certain ways to secure positional control using these fundamentals of body mechanics. Jiu Jitsu is generally taught from a perspective of mechanical leverage. It is always a good idea to try to advance your position to a position of superior mechanical leverage, and do your submissions from positions of superior mechanical leverage. This allows you to generate the most force, and that allows you to win and stay safe.  You may have started training Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs because you heard the saying: “Jiu Jitsu allows a smaller person to defeat a larger person using proper technique and leverage.”

Efficiency: Efficient positions are those that work, and allow you to conserve energy. When you have conserved energy, you can generate force though muscle contractions, leverage, etc. Inefficient positions don’t allow you to generate force. It could be for a number of reasons, such as the position doesn’t allow you to properly push or pull, rotate, or move in the manner needed to produce force. It could also just require too much effort that by the time you are finished with your escape, you don’t have anything left to generate force for a submission. Regardless, the more efficient a position is, and the more efficient place you are when executing a submission, the higher your chances for success.  It was not efficient for Bobby to attempt to sweep his opponent in that manner from the bottom of mount. He expended a lot of energy that could have cost him.

“So What Contributed To Bobby’s Success, Despite His Giving Up Mechanical Leverage and Efficiency?”

Strength:  Strength produces force through a system of levers.  Strength is dependent on a number of things such as musculature, size of the levers, and the nervous system.   You will often hear that strength doesnt matter in BJJ. In fact that might be true for a self defense scenario: A 125 lb girl might be able to escape the attack of a 200 lb man by using the skills she learned training Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs, provided the man doesn’t know Jiu Jitsu . However, Strength does matter, especially in competition. In competition, people are paired near equally on size, age, and skill level. A number of factors determine who wins, but strength matters. While Bobby was in a position of inferior mechanical leverage, the force generated from the strength of his muscles, bones and nervous system on his opponent’s joint proved superior to his opponent’s position of superior mechanical leverage.

In other words, You can override the basic concepts in Jiu Jitsu of superior mechanical leverage and efficiency via other means such as strength, speed, timing, flexibility, etc.

(Today we only discussed strength, we’ll save the rest for another day)

“Now, here’s the most important thing: It’s all about your mindset:”

Mindset: A lot of people lose or get defeated in class due to negative mentality. When put in  any position you don’t want to be in, don’t freak out. Don’t panic. Don’t quit! Calm yourself and plan your next move. As you can see, Bobby didn’t just give up his position and accept defeat. He didn’t let his opponent trap his head, and smash him and get those 7 points. If Bobby had a negative thought about getting his guard passed, being in the bottom of side control or being mounted, he might have given up. Instead he believed in his submission. He never quit and that is why he was triumphant.

Here is some advice for training Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs , or anywhere else:

• 1.  Do not view positions as “good” or “bad”.
• 2. When training Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs , Benton or anywhere else I would highly recommend that you first learn techniques from the position of mechanical leverage.
• 3. As you progress in your training in Jiu Jitsu in Hot Springs , you will soon realize that more factors in to winning a match, finishing a submission, etc, such as: strength, speed, flexibility, etc. While we only discussed a few here, but keep in mind that there are no absolute rules in terms of positions, submissions, escapes, etc.
• 4. Believe in yourself and your techniques. When a mistake happens in competition or in class training, don’t let negative thoughts stop you from following through. I’m not saying go for some crazy submission and give up position, but believe in yourself, believe in your ability to escape, if nothing else.  And always believe in your ability to finish a submission.

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These Days, not a lot of people can say that their Jiu Jitsu lineage runs pure.  More and more associations are forming and getting organized. With this comes a lot of changes. Some organizations are imposing fees or requirements as well as getting organized and offering [...]]]> Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton : Pure NU Lineage!

These Days, not a lot of people can say that their Jiu Jitsu lineage runs pure.  More and more associations are forming and getting organized. With this comes a lot of changes. Some organizations are imposing fees or requirements as well as getting organized and offering services to competitors and clients. With this a lot of folks are jumping ship from one team to another.  Some because they don’t like the changes, others because it’s popular to open a gym and they are in search of getting rank from whomever will hand it out fast. I’m pleased to say that I have been 100% Nova Uniao since day 1, and all of our students at Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton can say the same.  This is a history of our team!

Nova Uniao is one of the top Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teams in the world. It has been home to multiple World Champions in both grappling and Mixed Martial Arts. From Vitor “Shaolin” Riberio, to B.J. Penn, to Leonardo Santos, to Robson Moura, to Jose Aldo, to Benton’s Jory Malone the gym has played host to generations of talent and success.

Per Teammate Leo Santos, an account of Nova Unaio’s history:

Nova Uniao is the product of the combination of two of the most storied lineages in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Andre Pederneiras was one of the founders and was a black belt under the great Carlson Gracie, the first Gracie to teach the full range of Jiu-Jitsu techniques to students outside the Gracie family. The co-founder of Nova Uniao was Wendell Alexander, who is a key member of one of the most unique lineages in all of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Alexander is one of the few men who can claim a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lineage that is clear of any Gracie. Unlike the vast majority of BJJ players who trace their instructors back through Carlos Gracie, Alexander’s black belt traces directly back to Mitsuyo Maeda. Maeda taught his Kodokan Judo, blended with some catch wrestling he had learned while traveling Europe, to several students in Brazil, most famously Carlos Gracie. One of Maeda’s first students was Luis Franca, a man who sadly little is written. In 1937, Franca took a student of his own, and while Helio Gracie was learning Jiu-Jitsu for the first time so was young Oswaldo Fadda. Fadda would earn his black belt in 1942 and began to given lessons on the outskirts of Rio. By this time the Gracie family had the made the martial art of Jiu-Jitsu well known but many of their prices for instruction were steep and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was a martial art of the middle and upper class. Fadda taught his lessons in public areas, opening techniques to lower classes for no charge. In 1950, Fadda and his students finally were able to open their own academy just outside of Rio. The school specialized on footlocks before the rise of Luta Livre made the techniques commonplace in Brazilian grappling. In 1951, Fadda challenged the Gracie Academy in Rio through the Globo Journal famously stating “We wish to challenge the Gracies, we respect them like the formidable adversaries they are but we do not fear them. We have 20 pupils ready for the dispute.” Helio invited Fadda and his students to a competition at the Gracie Academy. Fadda’s students defeated Helio’s, many of them using foot locks though one Fadda student did choke a Gracie student unconscious. While the Gracie’s scoffed at the use of footlocks, referring to it as a “street technique”, they declared Fadda’s victory as a sign that Jiu-Jitsu belonged to everyone. The Globo covered the event and gave Fadda excellent press and new students flocked to his academy, as well as tough man challengers. Over the years Fadda and his students defeated all comers. Fadda would earn the fabled 9th degree rank of red belt, the highest honor bestowed to a non-Gracie. One of Fadda’s students, Sebastiao Ricardo would become instructor to Master Wendell Alexander, who has led instruction in Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton .

Alexander began training at the age of 4 in 1970 under Geraldo Flores. Alexander went from toddler to purple belt under Flores, but when Flores moved away Alexander turned to Sebastiao Ricardo. Alexander worked hard under Ricardo, and earned his black belt in 1986. Sebastiao asked Alexander to take over his academy. And when Alexander accepted Sebastiao disappeared, and has not been seen since. Alexander proved an able teacher, if a tentative competitor. During the late 1980s and early 1990s there was not much in the way of competition and Alexander by his own admission did not have to the energy to seek out the elite competition. That said he did win gold at the first IBJJF Pan Ams in 1996 in the Masters (30-35 years old) Black Belt division. Despite not having a competitive fire himself, Alexander’s academy in the late 1990s had many successful students in the younger age groups and lower belt divisions. It was during his time coaching that he met Andre Pederneiras, who also had a very young and talented group of students, but neither of their schools could compete with the sheer weight of numbers of the major teams like Gracie Barra and Alliance. In 1995 they decided to merge their academies in order to compete in the quickly evolving world of sport jiu-jitsu. Together they opened the Nova Uniao Jiu-Jitsu Academy, which combined the very decorated lineages of Carlson Gracie and Oswaldo Fadda to great effect. Some of the school’s first successes were Robson Moura, one of the head professors of Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton , who would become regarded as one of the best BJJ players ever winning 7 World titles and guiding the young B.J. Penn to become the first American to win a World Championship in 2000. One of Alexander’s students that would emerge in the 2000s was Leonardo Santos. Santos, like his teacher, started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 4 and while Santos enjoyed playing soccer as a youth he was raised in a Jiu-Jitsu family and felt obligated to train.

Santos would grow up under the tutelage of Alexander and become one of the most technical, dynamic and greatest BJJ Lightweights of all time. Santos would medal at IBJJF Worlds in 2000 and 2001, but he became discontented with the IBJFF and declared he would only compete for cash prizes. Santos would then join a rival organization that would become the Confederation of Sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CBJJE) that tried to attract top talent by offering cash prizes. Santos would go undefeated for five years on the World Cup circuit and won the 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 CBJJO World Cups.

 

Santos also became involved in the ADCC Submission Grappling Championships like fellow teammte Jory Malone ( who coaches Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton ) in 2005 and entered into a very competitive field that included Renzo Grace, Georges St. Pierre, Jake Shields, Shinya Aoki, Pablo Popovitch and Marcelo Gracia. Santos defeated future UFC Champion Georges St. Pierre in the quarterfinals…

After ADCCs Santos took a break from competitive grappling to help his brother Wagnney Fabiano open an academy and then Santos shifted his focus to MMA. Fighters like Leo Santos, Wendell Alexander, Oswaldo Fadda and others like Marcelo Pereira who trace their lineages back to Mitsuyo Maeda with no Gracie present keep Luis Franca’s lineage alive today. It remains an important and under valued aspect of a martial art that is so dominated by one family and this lineage is proof that Jiu-Jitsu indeed belongs to everyone.

100% Nova Unaio At Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton

Now you can train Nova Uniao Jiu Jitsu with Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton !! Right here at our local Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton , we are using the exact same secrets that helped these jiu jitsu players rise to the top. In fact, through Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton , we have produced a number of Jiu Jitsu Champions such as Novice World Champion Charles Smith, Pan American NO GI Silver, NO Gi Worlds Bronze Medalist, and Europeans Absolute Bronze Medalist Abby Malone, and Pan No Gi, Pan American and World No Gi Champion Jory Malone. In addition a number of students have won at International Events including Bobby Riley, 2011 Pan No Gi Bronze Medalist, Andy Threlkeld, 2011 Dallas Open Gold Medalist, and Shon Foreman, 2011 Houston Open Silver Medalist. All of these champions train at Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton and Hot Springs! In fact you could be next. Join us at one of Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton and see for yourself!

How Would You Like to Train With These Champions at Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton ?

Revolution is on the cutting edge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Martial Arts and we are striving to continue our goal to offer World Class Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton . Imagine if you could train with Master Wendell Alexander, UFC Vet and Jiu Jitsu champion Vitor Shaolin, Shooto Figther and one of the top grapplers of all time Robson Moura, or 3x World Champion Marcelo Pereira, 6x World Champion Rodrigo Feijao or Brazilian National Champion Daniel Garcia?  All of these champions and instructors have taught and trained at Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton !  The great thing about it is that we bring these people to you! While  you have the opportunity to attend fun camps to train, you don’t have to do so to get good. You can get good right here!

Get Access To These Secrets In Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton Now!

Get access now with a 30 Day FREE trial  to Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton by clicking HERE! Hurry they are only accepting a few new students at this time and you may be lucky enough to be chosen! Kids are even welcome in our World Class Jiu Jitsu Clasess Benton for kids. “Discover how anyone can train and enjoy martial arts: No matter you sex, age, fitness level, experience level, or even if you want to compete or not at gyms in Benton AR . You’ll see “Raving Reviews” and “real life….real people….success stories” of our happpily involved martial arts students at Revolution’s Jiu Jitsu Classes Benton .”

I’m not sure what gave me this idea. I guess because I find normal interviews [...]]]> Kids Martial Arts Benton Makes You Stronger…. a lot of the kids in my Kids Martial Arts Benton program stated that one benefit of Martial Arts was strength! And I’m going to share their thoughts with you.

I’m not sure what gave me this idea. I guess because I find normal interviews and testimonials boring. One day I just decided I’d let the kids talk for themselves. After one of our Kids Martial Arts Benton Classes I told them they could volunteer to talk on camera about Jiu Jitsu. They were pretty excited about that. Here’s the first of many.

These interviews are:

100% unscripted

100% unedited

100% Real

Kids Martial Arts Benton

Revolution’s Kids program offers so many benefits!

It makes your child:

• strong,
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Click Here for more info about how Kids Martial Arts Benton can help your Child.

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Call Us now and we will let you try our Kids Martial Arts Benton program for Free for 30 Days. In addition we’ll give you all this:

• Free Tshirt
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Just for coming in! Join us and let Kid’s Martial Arts Benton improve your child’s life 10 fold!