BJJ and MMA Training and Ego

One problem that occurs during training is that of ego. Student/competitors of BJJ and MMA need to realize that training is just that, training. It is not the Olympics, it is not a life or death situation, and it is training and not much more. It is during training that you should allow yourself to get into bad situations and to not be upset when you are tapped out/beaten by your training partners. It is necessary to see the weaknesses in your skills, strategy, and abilities in order to discover what needs improvement. Training partners are the best tools for helping to discover such things.

Leave your ego at the door and off the mat. Your ego is what will get you or your partners injured because someone refused to tap out. Injuries prevent progression in everybody and if you are injured, you cannot train. Your training partners then also lose out because they now have one less training partner to learn from and practice with. Ideally there will be a feeling of comradeship amongst fellow students of the martial arts as everyone makes a similar personal journey towards being a formidable fighter/competitor.

This also applies to people who have little to no interest in being a fighter or entering any sort of competition. Even those who are not motivated to be a competitor are very valuable to those who do compete. During training injuries are possible. I believe that training with someone who is not having an ego issue lessens the chances of getting injured. The lack of injuries prevents players from having to take time off and slow their advancement and skill improvement. There are many ways to stay in shape and some involve home workouts that are still great for BJJ and MMA. However there is nothing quite like rolling and sparring.

About The Author

Jim Troth is a former National Champion in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and has been involved in exercise much of his life. He has trained others in martial arts and in general health and fitness. He has also developed a video which features the routine he did to increase his fitness for tournaments. This same routine is used by him to stay healthy. Find out how this is changing people's lives and how you too can live a healthier life... beginning today. Go to http://www.homeworkouts.info/

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Are You Trying To Learn Self Defense? Here Are 5 Tips To Make Sure You're Training Is Street-Ready!

Are you serious about wanting to learn self defense - the kind of skills that will allow you to escape from an attacker who really wants to beat, break, or kill you? Effective street self-defense training is very different from what is typically being offered by the average martial arts, karate, or self defense class at the YMCA though.

Unfortunately, many students who get involved in martial arts or self protection classes with the intention to learn self defense, only end up being disappointed. They find out very quickly that what they are learning is either lessons for winning a trophy in a sporting contest loaded with rules, or...

...half-baked ideas from someone with absolutely no real-world self-defense experience whatsoever!

The problem with most self defense programs is that they focus almost entirely on technique, and not enough on teaching the student how to assess, control, and choose best options for specific encounters. If you are serious about developing skills that will allow you to survive a street attack, then you must learn self defense skills that go about step-by-step mechanics.

Here is a list of 5 considerations that your training must address for your self defense training system to be "street-ready," and worth the time, effort, and money that your pouring into it:

1) The techniques are based on defending against modern attacks and attackers - not 16th century Chinese, Japanese, or Korean warriors! You must make sure that you're self defense system is teaching you how to handle and survive against the most probable attacks that would be thrown at you TODAY - not hundreds of years ago!

2) Training is not limited to "classroom" or dojo ('martial arts training hall') study. Chances are that you're not going to be in a wide open space, in loose-fitting clothes and bare-feet when an angry, aggressive, or criminal attacker decides to jump on you!

3) Training assumes that you will be the under-dog, and not the superior fighter. No matter how much skill and ability you have, you must assume that when an attacker chooses you, that he or she already has the advantage - whether it be in size, strength, speed, ability, weapons, or allies that you don't know about!

4) Everything you do must at least consider the laws governing self-defense. If not, you may find yourself locked up instead of your attacker - charged with assault or murder - because you went too far!

5) Training must be "situational." You should be learning "options." You do not know who your attacker(s) will be, what the attack will look like, or where you will be, so you must train to handle as many situational contexts as possible!

Contrary to popular belief, or the sales messages being hyped up by so-called gurus online who are offering to teach you the ONE single move that will devastate any attacker - any time, the reality is that...

Effective self defense requires more than just a few "karate moves." It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

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How to Use Your Feet In All Martial Arts Training, Regardless of Style

It might sound a bit daft but the majority of people in the martial arts fail to use their feet when training. In fact, they probably fail to use them at all, except in circumstances when the feet use themselves!

Using the feet to their potential
Of course, everyone uses their feet in martial arts but the trouble is most fail to optimize the use of their feet. It's rather like training in big platform boots where you can't feel what's going on and as a result movement is compromised. The irony is that even training in bare feet the majority of martial artists fail to use their feet when the opportunity to really feel what is happening is spurned.

The foot/ankle complex is constructed of more than 30 bones comprising 28 joints which allow a huge amount of movement; twisting, bending etc.... Most of this movement potential is circumnavigated by the adoption of rather static 'flat-footed' stances which limit the foot action possible and subsequently movement potential for the whole body.

This has several drawbacks, not least that ground reaction force is compromised and therefore resultant force generated in strikes. Another important failing is the reduced stability as you are not 'in your feet'. This is a term more akin to Chinese Martial Arts but important for all martial artists and refers to being 'grounded' or 'sinking' your weight.

My earlier analogy with the platform boots is relevant here and could be extended. So if you are 'in your feet' you would be IN a pair of slippers rather than ON the platform boots. This may not be obvious and probably sounds like a load of old tosh but can be demonstrated quite easily.

Sanchin: mobility and stability
This much misunderstood stance (and kata, for that matter) provides an excellent vehicle for investigating 'sinking' your weight optimally and feeling what is happening in your feet. It requires you to use your feet properly, or put another way you must be 'in your feet' (slippers rather than platforms) and providing the structure to do so.

First, stand behind a friend, place your arms round their middle and lift them up, note how heavy your friend feels. Then get this person to bend at the ankle (the knee will follow), weight forward (over the ball of the foot) and feet spread the weight can 'sink' into the feet. Now lift your friend in the same manner as before.

Amazingly, your friend will be heavier! This does not mean that they have suddenly put on weight but rather they have allowed their weight to drop lower and to be supported by the feet. So long as the weight is forward and NOT on the heels movement from the feet is easily achieved, this means that Ground Reaction Force can be transferred into a punch as you press into the floor and the twisting bending motions of the feet can be accessed.

So throw out the platforms and put on the slippers to optimize your feet for your martial arts training.

To find out more on how the feet can contribute to the power output of your punch you should click through to Dr. Jon Law's Epic Martial Arts Blog to the article called Driving from the Feet which elaborates on this article.

For more on the importance of the feet in martial arts training you can try the following post http://epicmartialartsblog.com/listening-to-the-feet/, which describes more ways to use your feet to their potential.

Dr. Jon Law is a sports scientist, martial arts instructor and blogger from Birmingham UK with almost 20 years experience. For more information and tips on all kinds of martial arts skills please visit the Epic Martial Arts Blog.

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Martial Arts : Choosing the right instructor for self defense!

You've seen the ads plastered all over the internet. You know - the ones that claim to have the "secret" that the Army doesn't want you to know, or some such garbage.

All of these ads are playing on the laziness inherent in some people who want to learn that ONE technique that will stop any attacker in less than 10 seconds, without having to do the work of actually training. But, the truth is that self defense is a very deep subject. There are just too many variables for anyone - myself included - to tell you that there is one magic self defense technique that will beat any and every attacker.

And, if you're serious about learning effective self defense, then you cannot limit yourself to a single "style" or approach to fighting, as seen in most martial arts schools. You also cannot limit yourself to the rule-laden systems that prepare students for karate or mixed martial arts tournaments either.

There is just too much that is possible in the context of a self defense encounter. There is also so much that you either won't have control of, or won't know about until the moment you find yourself being attacked. Thinks like:

Environment and surrounding size and build of your attacker What will trigger the event Method of attack How far your attacker is willing to go How many assailants you'll be facing...

And so much more!

Add to this things like clothing styles, any training your attacker might possess, your level of health, etc., and you have the makings of a real nightmare!

In fact, without the right guidance and help from someone who has been there before, in many different types of situations, and who has survived to tell about it, you have absolutely no idea just how life-changing a real attack can be!

And, the reality is that each and every one of the variables that I listed above - and those that I didn't - have there own variables that makes each one a little bit different.

What I means is that, let's take "method of attack" as an example for just a minute. Even if we were just dealing with a punch, what kind...

Straight (jab or lunging)? Hooking (boxer's right cross, flailing, or upper-cut)? Intensity (speed attack or a full-power, hauling off, knock-your head off with one shot punch)?

Do you get it?

Remember, most of these "secret" courses speak of self defense, but after reading many of them, they all point to "fighting." The idea they push is that you'll be against a single attacker, who's in front of you, throwing what the writer says is the "way "they" All attack."

Who the hell is "they," and what experience does he have in making the statement that everyone that you could be up against will attack the exact same way?

What? Did they all go to "Bad-ass Attacker University?!"

And...

There is no discussion about the guy who comes up from behind and shoves you to the ground, and smashes your skull with a steel pipe - no talk of the assailant who's so drunk or hyped up on drugs that, unless you physically break his bones, he won't stop because he can't feel what you're doing to him - no talk of the family member who, because of anger, a bad reaction to medication, or for whatever reason snaps and comes at you before you ever know what's going on!

Are you seeing the picture yet?

The honest truth is that there is no shortcut when it comes to self defense!

Are there core level principles and concepts that, if you learn them, you'll have a significant advantage over most attackers? Yes.

Are there ways to hit an attacker - techniques that will stop him in his tracks and make it so that he can't get up. Sure.

But, you have to remember that your attacker will be a real, flesh-and-blood human being. He will probably have much more experience at attacking than you have at defending against madmen like him.

And, he's never going to let you do that cool, "secret technique" that you learned in Joe Cool Karate-man's book either!

If you are going to effectively defend yourself - you are going to have to EARN every strike, every kick and every technique that you get in on him while trying to survive the assault!

Do you see why there can never be a single technique that will beat every attacker? Do you get it now.

So, now what?

So, the next time you see one of those ads selling a magic silver bullet... run!

Effective self defense requires more than just a few "karate moves." It involves the ability to think strategically, and understand how to defend yourself with as little wear-and-tear on you as possible.

If you really want to know what most people don't know about how to master self defense and how to survive a real street attack, read my newest self defense book: "Fight Smarter - Not Harder!" It's available free at: http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/street-fighting-self-defense-book.html

Jeffrey M. Miller is an internationally-known self defense expert. Each month he teaches literally thousands of students through live seminars, corporate training events, and his online self defense courses, the lessons to be able to survive in Today's often dangerous world.

Ninja Training At Home - A Mini Course In How To Become a Ninja

Can you really do ninja training at home? Absolutely....

Won't it take years of ninja training at home to become a modern day ninja? Absolutely not.

Here's a mini course in how to become a ninja from at home training:

There's 3 main areas you want to cover for ninja training at home: Study, physical training, and style.

1. Study -  This part of training involves simply studying ninja history. Learning the origins of the past, while learning modern day applications. Having a strong ninja knowledge base is important for becoming a ninja. You learn the past and learn what aspects you can apply to the future. Study is not just a history lesson though. You also want to study the mindset and mentality of ninjas. Learn the strong and positive aspects and then learn how you can apply them to your own life.

2. Training - Physical training is very important for becoming a ninja. And it doesn't just encompass specific martial art technique. A huge part of ninja workouts involve cardiovascular conditioning as well as balance, flexibility skills, and running/jumping type training. This is actually great as this is the type of training you can get started with right away. Fight training should be added in after an initial conditioning period is completed. And even with fight training, you can learn a lot on your own from guide books to videos.

3. Style - Style is in quotes because one doesn't want to associate ninja with some sort of fashion trend. But one cannot ignore the fact that out of all the martial arts, the ninja encompasses the strongest sense of style, in a good way. You want to begin to incorporate this style in your own life, taking a subtle and more modern day approach. Black hoodies should become your new best friend. Flexible pants and lightweight shoes (black wrestling shoes can work well) can be added to your wardrobe. Style involves more than clothes though. Your demeanor should include more of a ninja style. Practice sneaking. Work on moving quickly from one place to another. Practice getting to the point where when someone glances your way, turns back and then looks a second time, you're gone.

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Cheap UFC Shirts Are for Winners

Wearing the shirts you want to wear is something everyone would desire which at the same time are beautifully designed and are of latest trends. For a long time Cheap UFC Shirts have remain undisputed and till remains the number one choice of people who want to be winner in life. Anyone desiring to buy shirts should seriously consider buying these shirts as they are pretty good with interesting features. Don't go for other brands of shirts as long as you have not seen UFC shirts.

It is really amazing that the shirts of this brand though are original and made of superior fabrics are so cheap and are affordable to the masses. So Cheap Shirts of this brand are made cheap so that everyone gets a real life experience of wearing such a shirt. Here the quality of the shirts are never compromised at any point of manufacture and so you can be rest assured that when you are buying shirts of this brand you are getting your money worth. The sports fraternity has associated with the UFC shirts like the athletes and the fans as they felt the brand of shirts thought cheap but quality wise winner and somehow they would win in their effort. The sports-person preferred the shirts of this brand as they felt comfortable wearing them and experienced the joy of wearing them for a long time.

Get hold of quality UFC shirts which are offered cheap quickly as they are no doubt original and are made of quality fabrics specially designed for the winners in life. Just put a question to yourself that you want to wear something new or not and if the answer is yes, start searching for such shirts which are cheap offered now characterized by original designs prints and colors.

If you are on the search for such shirts for sale I think the best place to search for Cheap UFC Shirts is the world of internet. Search the stores that sells shirts of this brand and it is rest assured that you will get a wide range of shirts to choose from and look as a winner in life. The shirts are unique and it will look nice with a nice pair of jeans.

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Martial Arts : Facts of Karate

With the reports on the daily news about crimes in the society, personal safety must be taken seriously. There are a great number of self-defense methods available today. You can buy stun guns, pepper spray and other devices to have added protection anywhere you go. You can keep them inside your bag or pockets and use them when highly needed. Aside from having reliable tools, you can also choose a martial art and learn its techniques.

The art of Karate is one of the martial arts that you can learn in order to defend yourself when caught in a situation where your personal safety is on the line. It has techniques that utilize every part of the body. You learn how to strike, kick, punch and do counter attacks. It does not involve the use of the weapon. You just need to train yourself on learning the different techniques so that you will be able to aim for personal security.

This form of martial arts was first introduced by Gichin Funakoshi in Japan in the 1920s. He is considered today as the Father of Karate. History shows that Karate was developed using different boxing styles and techniques by the Okinawans to fight armed troops. With the study on human anatomy, physics and psychology, this method is further enhanced to strike at the weak points of the body and thus is a good form of self-defense.

Father of "Karate"

The ultimate aim of learning Karate is to achieve moral perfection. The word Karate comes from the Japanese character "kara" which means the heaven or the universe. When translated to Zen, it simply means selflessness. This implies that you must not take pride on wealth or power but instead live a moral and wholesome life. You must not be overly concerned on material possessions but instead be motivated on building a good moral character.

You might be wondering as to who can learn this martial arts. The truth is it is developed for the learning of everyone. No matter if you are old or young, girl or boy, tall or short, fat or thin; you have the capacity to study the different techniques of this self- defense method. You must train and practice the different moves and instill discipline in yourself so that you will be able to move on to the next level.

This type of self-defense method is not only beneficial for you during unpredictable and dangerous situations but it is also good for the health. It can be your form of exercise daily as you develop physical strength and endurance. You get to move your extremities during your training and it strengthens your muscles. Not only is it good for your physical health but it also teaches you about discipline and humility.

So, aside from owning the most powerful stun gun or equipping yourself with an effective self-defense device, you can also learn the different techniques of martial arts and one of which is Karate. Once you master the skills, you have a greater chance to defend yourself when needed.

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Krav Maga for Women

Women were supposed to learn how to cook, to spend their time stitching beautiful portraits or having tea ceremonies with their friends. As time goes by and our ideology broadens, women fought for their own rights and place in the society. However, the danger for women never lessen, instead they grow more pronounced everyday. This is why Krav Maga video will help in training women to use the Krav Maga style to defend their selves when in unfortunate event that they are attacked.

Learning a tactical defense method through Krav Maga will prepare you when the situation arises that puts you in danger. It trains you how to avoid being injured and how to use the natural reflexes of your body. It also instills in you a sense of self-preservation and developed your awareness to foresee any possible danger to your life. Additionally, it builds up your self control so that you may be able to move from passive to aggressive state to fight back and defeat your opponent through a calm and logical thinking.

This development of Krav Maga for women is build up from valuable information provided through enforcement officials, psychologists, criminal prosecutors and other professionals with enough authority on rape cases. The Krav Maga set-up imitates the how and where women are commonly attacked.

For these reasons the fighting style for women is designed and center on rape case preventions. The Krav Maga videos teaches you on how you can fight an assailant when he chokes, grabs, bearhug or confront you with a deadly weapon. This type of martial art also employs some of the excellent technique of other martial arts such as karate, judo, muay thai and boxing. However, it emphasizes realistic scenarios and defenses more than its counterpart.

Krav trains women on how to safely and effectively throw punches to an attacker with conjunction to the usage of elbows, knees and kicks. It also incorporates building women's spirit and confidence to be able to respond both mentally and physically in an uncompromising situation and removing the danger of freezing or shutting down. With these, women will be able to improvise and make use of their environment to their advantage and defeat their attacker.

The place for training is carried on actual places such at ATM Machines, Parking lots or where women are usually harassed. Instructors put on protective padding pads and attack the student so that they may be able to partially feel what it is to be in a real threatening situation. Women are taught to defend themselves when they are under pressure such as this.

There are several martial arts that women can learn and employ. However, there is nothing like Krav Maga in defense tactics. It is much more practical in protecting oneself and extending it to your companion. Also, founders and practitioners have specifically mold the styles and methods of Krav Maga for women and how they can be of use to them. This is also great for women who don't have time to learn too long and needs to learn this high level skill in a short time.

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The Anatomy of Krav Maga

No other martial arts form comes close to the simplicity, power and effectiveness of Krav Maga. It is designed to give one the skills and techniques to supremely defeat an enemy with quick and lethal responses to attacks. The recent years has gained Krav Maga a good following because it is easy to learn, and the combat tactics involved are guaranteed to ward off unwanted and threatening individuals.

Before getting yourself into a Krav Maga training, understand the following about this full-fledged form of self-defense:

Attack the weaker points of your enemy's body - Given that your life is threatened and you can still defend yourself and fight back, your best opportunity is battering the vulnerable areas of your attacker. Krav Maga videos illustrate how you can attack a helpless body portion, and foresee with chances when these areas could be hit with your counter strike. Instead of the usual multiple undirected punches, you could learn the rabid, vicious techniques of returned attacks on the weaker points of the body that could debilitate your enemy to surrender;

Defend and attack back - In a life threatening situation, once you've temporarily overwhelmed your attacker, Krav Maga teaches you to attack back. In line with the principle that the best way to break out from a fight is to end it quickly, Krav Maga teaches multiple blocks and attacks. More importantly, this martial art form teaches how to block and attack at the same time to immediately end the fight. When a knife or dagger is up your face, Krav Maga teaches a series of techniques to avoid getting hurt, and putting your attacker down and snoring;

Three hundred percent defense - Krav Maga is mostly all about blocking methods and evading tactics during attacks. You will be trained to employ three simultaneous moves, which, upon complete execution, will render your attacker hoping someone will dial 911 - quick! The first move would be blocking using hand or foot defense, or maybe plucking to break a choke or headlock. Next would be the body defense wherein you turn or move your body to distance it from your attacker. The third principle is "moving away from the attack area" which means you go around your opponent to disadvantage his position and direction. Deflecting the first attack and then moving quickly to your assailant's inconvenient point would neutralize him. At this point, you can then regroup your counter moves to end the fight, with your attacker waving the white flag;

Situational awareness and looking ahead - Being attacked in real life is nothing compared to those movie scenes you've seen. Wherein in the silver screen you see two characters slugging it out, exchanging high flying kicks and making zombies out of each other's faces, in real life and with Krav, you cut the scene immediately, render your enemy incapacitated, and as for you, come out of the fight unscathed and victorious. As anyone can be attacked at any time and place, Krav Maga integrates in its teachings how you could heighten your awareness of events and persons, and develops your keenness for noticing trouble right from the start. In all Krav Maga videos, illustrations of how you can move away from the line of attack, and knowing the blind spot of your enemies and yours are included and explained well. Also, methods of escape and possible objects to aid you in the struggle are also pointed out in Krav Maga.

Where success of other martial arts form are only found in movies and tournaments for belts and recognitions, the success of Krav Maga can be achieved in certain victories in any attack you may fall into.

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Finding The Best Qualified Self-Defense Instructor

A qualified self-defense instructor is perhaps the most important component of an effective self-defense program. Without proper knowledge and experience in the fields of psychology and physical combat manoeuvres, an instructor could easily give out misinformation and put students into harm's way. Alarmingly enough, there are actually lots of instructors around who have had very little training and education in the art of self-defense.

Whenever you're searching for self-defense courses to take, you might run into some of these self-proclaimed 'gurus' or amateur instructors. But by interviewing them and researching their backgrounds in self-defense, you can learn to discern the frauds from the truly qualified instructors.

The following list of questions will aid you in your interviews and research, so please refer to it when you're in the process of selecting a self-defense course.

1. Who trained the instructor? Find out if the instructor was self-taught, or if other certified instructors trained him. If a certified instructor trained him, find out who it was and what background he had as well. Training by other highly qualified instructors is ideal.

2. Does the instructor have certification in self-defense training? Training experience doesn't necessarily mean that a person is qualified and certified to teach a self-defense course, so find out which certifications he has obtained. The leader of your chosen course should be a certified instructor in the self-defense technique he is teaching.

3. How much training has the instructor had? Some self-defense instructors have received 'certification' after only a few days of training, whereas others have earned it through years of hard work and discipline. A long-time self-defense practitioner is obviously better qualified than someone who passed a simple exam.

4. How many students has the instructor taught? Would you rather learn self-defense from someone who has taught tens or thousands of students? A high number is a good indication that the instructor offers valuable training, and is qualified to do so. Organisations and everyday citizens seek training from highly qualified instructors, so it's sometimes easier to find a good instructor by simply following the masses.

In addition to these questions, find out if the instructor is able to train you for real-world self-defense. Some martial arts and self-defense courses focus more on exercise or competitive sport than on physical safety. By thoroughly interviewing and researching potential instructors, you're likely to find a highly qualified teacher for your self-defense needs.