Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Shawn Tompkins dies at age 37
I have just started getting reports from friends on FaceBook and from news sources such as ESPN and Bleacher Report that Shawn Tompkins, the head trainer of TapouT Training Centers in Las Vegas, was found dead in Canada where he was training Chris Horodecki for his next fight. This is such an incredible shock. Shawn was only 37 years old and seemingly in excellent health. Apparently, Shawn passed away in his sleep. No cause is known. An autopsy is planned for tomorrow. Earlier this year Shawn had conducted a training seminar at Dion Riccardo's Victory Martial Arts, in Orland Park, Illinois. This is the school I train at, although I train at our Oswego gym. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the seminar. I heard from teammates that he was an inspirational coach. I wish I could have met him.
Something like this happening to someone so young really makes you think of your own mortality. I am 39 years old. My father passed away at the age of 43. Now, while my father's health was poor for many years, and my health is excellent, someone like Shawn passing reminds us that none of us know how long we have in this part of our journey. Here on Earth, what will we do to make our light shine bright? What actions will we do to make a difference? How will we have lived this life?
Live on your terms! Make a difference! Be a leader! Be a role model! Be positive! Be kind! Be a mentor! Be humble enough to learn from others! Be gracious! Go for the finish! Leave it all on the mat!!
RIP Shawn Tompkins! May the transition to the next stage of your journey be swift.
Something like this happening to someone so young really makes you think of your own mortality. I am 39 years old. My father passed away at the age of 43. Now, while my father's health was poor for many years, and my health is excellent, someone like Shawn passing reminds us that none of us know how long we have in this part of our journey. Here on Earth, what will we do to make our light shine bright? What actions will we do to make a difference? How will we have lived this life?
Live on your terms! Make a difference! Be a leader! Be a role model! Be positive! Be kind! Be a mentor! Be humble enough to learn from others! Be gracious! Go for the finish! Leave it all on the mat!!
RIP Shawn Tompkins! May the transition to the next stage of your journey be swift.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sharing "The Bruce Lee Story - As Told By You" Episodes 6-11
Sorry faithful readers. I have been out of circulation. I am trying to get back in the habit of entering at least one blog post every week. Today I am just going to post videos of the Bruce Lee Story interviews that I have missed so far. These are videos or current MMA fighters talking about Bruce Lee and the impact he had on their lives and the evolution of martial arts. In reality Bruce Lee was the progenitor of mixed martial arts.
Episode 6
I wasn't planning on entering any commentary on this string of videos, but for episode 7 I had to make an exception. In this episode we see interviews with Joe Silva, UFC Matchmaker for fights, and Shawn Tompkins, Head Trainer at Tapout Training Center. This is a unique episode as both of the interviewees are not current UFC fighters, but support the sport through what they do. Also, Shawn Tompkins came to my MMA school and did a seminar earlier this year. Unfortunately, I was not able to make this seminar, but I heard he was inspirational. What I like about both of these interviews is the answers given on the answer asked in all interviews. What would you say to Bruce Lee if he were alive today. Both Joe and Shawn just say Thank You!! Thank you for your contribution, and for making martial arts what it is today. Love it!
Episode 7
Okay, episode eight also has some interesting comments. The one that sticks out the most is that Hollywood has not been able to come up with another Bruce Lee. While this is true, not sure it is possible to have another Bruce Lee, it also does not give credit to some of the great martial arts action stars currently out there. Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Tony Ja and Donnie Yen to name some of the top echelon stars. Also an interesting comment is about finding an MMA star who can act that could make MMA a highlight in Hollywood, and possibly be the next Bruce Lee. Good Luck! No seriously, good luck!
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
Episode 11
Episode 6
I wasn't planning on entering any commentary on this string of videos, but for episode 7 I had to make an exception. In this episode we see interviews with Joe Silva, UFC Matchmaker for fights, and Shawn Tompkins, Head Trainer at Tapout Training Center. This is a unique episode as both of the interviewees are not current UFC fighters, but support the sport through what they do. Also, Shawn Tompkins came to my MMA school and did a seminar earlier this year. Unfortunately, I was not able to make this seminar, but I heard he was inspirational. What I like about both of these interviews is the answers given on the answer asked in all interviews. What would you say to Bruce Lee if he were alive today. Both Joe and Shawn just say Thank You!! Thank you for your contribution, and for making martial arts what it is today. Love it!
Episode 7
Okay, episode eight also has some interesting comments. The one that sticks out the most is that Hollywood has not been able to come up with another Bruce Lee. While this is true, not sure it is possible to have another Bruce Lee, it also does not give credit to some of the great martial arts action stars currently out there. Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Tony Ja and Donnie Yen to name some of the top echelon stars. Also an interesting comment is about finding an MMA star who can act that could make MMA a highlight in Hollywood, and possibly be the next Bruce Lee. Good Luck! No seriously, good luck!
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
Episode 11
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sharing "The Bruce Lee Story - As Told By You - Episode 5"
"If Bruce Lee was alive today, what would you say to him?" This is the repeated question in all of the episodes. There have been some good answers and some so so answers. In Episode 5 UFC Fighter Matt Mitrione and The Ultimate Fighter Contestant Andy Main are interviewed. Andy has a pretty good answer. He states that he would ask him about his philosophies and what inspired him in the early days to pursue the creation of Jeet Kune Do. Matt answer is that he would not say a word to him. While on the surface this may seem to be an answer of awe and respect. To me it feels contrived. To have the opportunity to be face to face with Bruce Lee and not say a word. Ridiculous.
Again, it is your opportunity. If Bruce Lee was alive today, what would YOU say to him?
Enjoy the video!
Again, it is your opportunity. If Bruce Lee was alive today, what would YOU say to him?
Enjoy the video!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Sharing "The Bruce Lee Story - As Told By You - Episode 4"
Episode 4 is out. Actually, it has been out for about a week. Only 4000 views on this one so far. Not a real high viewing count on all of these. I am actually surprised.
Interesting choice for interviewees on this one. Seth Kelly, UFC Magazine Editor and Chief, is selected to be interviewed. As well as, UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. I am not sure of the selection process. You can tell from the videos that these are all done at MMA events. They seem to be done, ad hoc/on location. Considering Seth Kelly is not an MMA competitor or trainer it is a variance from the previous episodes. I wonder if they will try and interview and celebrities who are in attendance; there to see the fights. Considering Bruce Lee's connection to the world of film and entertainment, as well as martial arts it would make sense to me. I also wonder if they will get Dana White to sit down in front of the camera.
Interesting choice for interviewees on this one. Seth Kelly, UFC Magazine Editor and Chief, is selected to be interviewed. As well as, UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar. I am not sure of the selection process. You can tell from the videos that these are all done at MMA events. They seem to be done, ad hoc/on location. Considering Seth Kelly is not an MMA competitor or trainer it is a variance from the previous episodes. I wonder if they will try and interview and celebrities who are in attendance; there to see the fights. Considering Bruce Lee's connection to the world of film and entertainment, as well as martial arts it would make sense to me. I also wonder if they will get Dana White to sit down in front of the camera.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Sharing "The Bruce Lee Story - As Told By You - Episode 3"
Here is episode three of the weekly special on Bruce Lee.
It's interesting that they are speaking to MMA fighters. Bruce Lee's philosophy of fighting and training was ahead of the game in relation to the mixing of styles; or to better put it, a breaking down of styles. I would love if they would cut into scenes of Bruce Lee in action. Throw in scenes showing Bruce executing grappling moves. In the beginning of "Enter the Dragon" Bruce used submission techniques to win a sparring match. There must be more out there. This would be a great way of integrating the comments from today's MMA fighters with the evolving philosophy and techniques of Bruce Lee.
This webisode series is produced by Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC and featured on www.collectbrucelee.com and YouTube.
It's interesting that they are speaking to MMA fighters. Bruce Lee's philosophy of fighting and training was ahead of the game in relation to the mixing of styles; or to better put it, a breaking down of styles. I would love if they would cut into scenes of Bruce Lee in action. Throw in scenes showing Bruce executing grappling moves. In the beginning of "Enter the Dragon" Bruce used submission techniques to win a sparring match. There must be more out there. This would be a great way of integrating the comments from today's MMA fighters with the evolving philosophy and techniques of Bruce Lee.
This webisode series is produced by Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC and featured on www.collectbrucelee.com and YouTube.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sharing "The Bruce Lee Story - As Told By You - Episode 2"
Here comes Episode 2 of "The Bruce Lee Story - As Told by You".
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Sharing "The Bruce Lee Story - As Told By You - Episode 1"
Here is a new web series that explores the legend "Bruce Lee". It is produced by Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC and featured on www.collectbrucelee.com. You can also see it on YouTube.
Check out the video, and let me know what you think.
Are you excited to see Episode 2?
"If Bruce Lee was alive today, what would you say to him?"
I would say, "Teach me!". What would you say?
Check out the video, and let me know what you think.
Are you excited to see Episode 2?
"If Bruce Lee was alive today, what would you say to him?"
I would say, "Teach me!". What would you say?
Thursday, May 19, 2011
TUF 13, Episode 3, April 13th, 2011
No excuses this time. I've just been distracted. I have several episodes still in my DVR to watch. I better speed it up, though. At this rate I will have finished posting about this seasons episodes around the time that Season 14 starts. 
Actually, I am so far behind that one might ask, "Mike, why even continue?". Well the simple answer is I don't like to leave things unfinished. Better late than never I always say. So for posterities sake, here is my take on Episode 3 of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 13.
Fight Selection
Team Lesnar has control. Brock picks Len Bentley (Lesnar's first round pick) to fight Ryan McGillivray. An in episode interview with Junior dos Santos reveals Junior's belief that Len is the better wrestler, but Ryan is a better striker.
The Drama
The drama from Episode 2 was the departure of Keon Caldwell. Keon has now been replaced by Justin Edwards.
Episode 3's drama revolves around two issues with Team Lesnar, and one with Team dos Santos.
The first is with Brock himself. In my post on Episode 2 I mentioned Brock's comments, post fight, in their back room. This is where his chicken shit to chicken salad tirade was made. In the very beginning of Episode 3 Brock's team talk about how they were offended by being referred to as chicken shit. Brock hears about it from his assistant coaches and decides to meet with his team and explain. "Before you guys got on this show you were one in 2 million people. You were just another fighter. Just another 170 lb chicken shit, but now you guys are chicken salad. Alright? That's what I am trying to say here." Not sure that works for me. It takes some measure of guts to step inside the cage, and all of these guys have done that. But, okay. That's Brock's take on it.
The second drama is Chris Cope. Chris was the winner of the fight in Episode 2. He defeated, much to everyone's surprise, Javier Torres. Now Chris has been labeled the snitch. The double agent. The one you should be careful discussing tactics, because he is too friendly with fighters from the other team. Never mind that the fighters are all living together, and have to try and get along with each other. Always with the knowledge that when the competition gets down to the final fighters you will potentially have to fight, and defeat anyone, no matter what team they are from. Even if they have already been defeated, because injury or the psychological stress (quitters) could create opportunities for anyone to come back, and have a second chance. The main proponent of this is Len Bentley. As mentioned in the fight selection, Len has been picked by Brock Lesnar to fight Ryan McGillivray at the end of this episode. Len approaches Brock about his concerns, and that he doesn't want his game plan discussed where Chris can overhear. This is one situation where I feel Brock gave good advice. "All my opponents study my fights, etc... don't get caught up in that (gesturing to Chris, but clearly indicating the house drama and mind games). Your here for one reason only. To fight!" No actual subterfuge from Chris is discovered, but Len did review the final game plan the day before the fight with just the coaches. This is good common sense anyway. As I mentioned, anyone is a potential future opponent.
The drama with Team dos Santos actually rests on the shoulders of one of the assistant coaches. Lew Polley, who was brought in as a wrestling coach, decides that Junior and the other assistant coaches are being too easy on the team. Lew believes that a stronger coaching style is needed. He briefly discusses this with the team, and then once training starts he is yelling at the fighters. "Why are you on the cage? Your losing right now!" Not sure that I completely disagree, but his approach to the change was so abrupt. The team members were looking at him like he's Jekyll and Hyde. Also, the heightened intensity immediately causes injuries. Shamar gets a bad cut over his eye during training. Lew tells him to get taped up and be ready to come back. Luckily Shamar has had his first fight, so he has some time to heal before the next one, but a recent cut over his eye could reopen. Not good. Junior is not happy with his style, and trying to take over the head coach responsibilities. Junior takes the coaches aside and calmly explains that he does not approve. Lew is a wrestling coach. Focus on that. Junior will decide how the overall coaching will be handled.
Pre-Fight Suspense
Ryan is weighing in at about 180 lbs a couple days before the official weigh in, so he will need to cut 9 lbs in a day. Cutting weight is common, but it can be a factor in your fight conditioning. If cutting the weight taxes your body to much, you can get gassed if the fight goes the distance. Will this be a factor? Let's see!
Round 1
No touching of gloves as the fighters meet in the cage. Both fighters come out throwing heat. About 25 seconds in Len connects with two hard jabs and drops Ryan. Ryan is on his back, but not out. Len goes in for the finish. He tries to work his ground and pound, and Ryan defends. With 4 minutes 18 seconds left of the round Len gets a full mount. Len again tries to work his ground and pound, but Ryan keeps his head. Ryan shrimps to his side and is able to work into half guard. Len throws several short elbows. Ryan defends as best he can, and works his way into full guard. With 2 minutes 56 seconds left Ryan is able to get back to his feet. Ryan gets a good front hook strike in. Then a good right cross connects. Another front hook and Ryan drops Len. Ryan goes in for the kill, but Len defends and gets Ryan into full guard. Ryan connects several body shots while in Lens guard. Now with 1 minute 20 seconds left Len rolls and gets Ryan in a possible armbar. Ryan does a good job of defending, but then with 54 seconds left Len gets the armbar in really tight. Ryan's arm is slightly hyper-extended, but he does not tap out and successfully fights it off and gets free. Ryan then attempts a guillotine with a possible, if he rolled, anaconda choke. Len fights it and lasts the final seconds of the round.
Round 2
Round 2 starts with Ryan connecting right away with a quick jab. Then a glancing cross. A couple more jabs, with one really connecting hard. Then Len starts coming back Len throws a low rear round kick to Ryan's inside leg. Then a front round to the body. Len then connects with a strong jab. He then attempts a spinning back fist, but misses. There are several strong exchanges with neither fighter getting the upper hand. Len throws a wild front hook. Then Ryan starts throwing heavy hands and backs Len into the cage. They clinch and Len goes for a guillotine. No good. Ryan goes for the double to sweep out both of Len's legs and take it to the ground. He almost gets there, but no good. They clinch again and Len starts throwing knees. No damage given. The cage side ten second warning goes off and Ryan goes wild with a flurry of strikes all connecting. End of round.
The judges score cards get tallied and Ryan is the winner. Ryan takes out Team Lesnar's first pick and regains control of the fights for Team dos Santos.
This was a great fight. Both fighters represented themselves well. At the end of the episode Dana makes a point to meet with Len and give him props for a great fight.
Did you see the fight? What did you think? What was your take on the drama?
Actually, I am so far behind that one might ask, "Mike, why even continue?". Well the simple answer is I don't like to leave things unfinished. Better late than never I always say. So for posterities sake, here is my take on Episode 3 of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 13.Fight Selection
Team Lesnar has control. Brock picks Len Bentley (Lesnar's first round pick) to fight Ryan McGillivray. An in episode interview with Junior dos Santos reveals Junior's belief that Len is the better wrestler, but Ryan is a better striker.
The Drama
The drama from Episode 2 was the departure of Keon Caldwell. Keon has now been replaced by Justin Edwards.
Episode 3's drama revolves around two issues with Team Lesnar, and one with Team dos Santos.
The first is with Brock himself. In my post on Episode 2 I mentioned Brock's comments, post fight, in their back room. This is where his chicken shit to chicken salad tirade was made. In the very beginning of Episode 3 Brock's team talk about how they were offended by being referred to as chicken shit. Brock hears about it from his assistant coaches and decides to meet with his team and explain. "Before you guys got on this show you were one in 2 million people. You were just another fighter. Just another 170 lb chicken shit, but now you guys are chicken salad. Alright? That's what I am trying to say here." Not sure that works for me. It takes some measure of guts to step inside the cage, and all of these guys have done that. But, okay. That's Brock's take on it.
The second drama is Chris Cope. Chris was the winner of the fight in Episode 2. He defeated, much to everyone's surprise, Javier Torres. Now Chris has been labeled the snitch. The double agent. The one you should be careful discussing tactics, because he is too friendly with fighters from the other team. Never mind that the fighters are all living together, and have to try and get along with each other. Always with the knowledge that when the competition gets down to the final fighters you will potentially have to fight, and defeat anyone, no matter what team they are from. Even if they have already been defeated, because injury or the psychological stress (quitters) could create opportunities for anyone to come back, and have a second chance. The main proponent of this is Len Bentley. As mentioned in the fight selection, Len has been picked by Brock Lesnar to fight Ryan McGillivray at the end of this episode. Len approaches Brock about his concerns, and that he doesn't want his game plan discussed where Chris can overhear. This is one situation where I feel Brock gave good advice. "All my opponents study my fights, etc... don't get caught up in that (gesturing to Chris, but clearly indicating the house drama and mind games). Your here for one reason only. To fight!" No actual subterfuge from Chris is discovered, but Len did review the final game plan the day before the fight with just the coaches. This is good common sense anyway. As I mentioned, anyone is a potential future opponent.
The drama with Team dos Santos actually rests on the shoulders of one of the assistant coaches. Lew Polley, who was brought in as a wrestling coach, decides that Junior and the other assistant coaches are being too easy on the team. Lew believes that a stronger coaching style is needed. He briefly discusses this with the team, and then once training starts he is yelling at the fighters. "Why are you on the cage? Your losing right now!" Not sure that I completely disagree, but his approach to the change was so abrupt. The team members were looking at him like he's Jekyll and Hyde. Also, the heightened intensity immediately causes injuries. Shamar gets a bad cut over his eye during training. Lew tells him to get taped up and be ready to come back. Luckily Shamar has had his first fight, so he has some time to heal before the next one, but a recent cut over his eye could reopen. Not good. Junior is not happy with his style, and trying to take over the head coach responsibilities. Junior takes the coaches aside and calmly explains that he does not approve. Lew is a wrestling coach. Focus on that. Junior will decide how the overall coaching will be handled.
Pre-Fight Suspense
Ryan is weighing in at about 180 lbs a couple days before the official weigh in, so he will need to cut 9 lbs in a day. Cutting weight is common, but it can be a factor in your fight conditioning. If cutting the weight taxes your body to much, you can get gassed if the fight goes the distance. Will this be a factor? Let's see!
Round 1
No touching of gloves as the fighters meet in the cage. Both fighters come out throwing heat. About 25 seconds in Len connects with two hard jabs and drops Ryan. Ryan is on his back, but not out. Len goes in for the finish. He tries to work his ground and pound, and Ryan defends. With 4 minutes 18 seconds left of the round Len gets a full mount. Len again tries to work his ground and pound, but Ryan keeps his head. Ryan shrimps to his side and is able to work into half guard. Len throws several short elbows. Ryan defends as best he can, and works his way into full guard. With 2 minutes 56 seconds left Ryan is able to get back to his feet. Ryan gets a good front hook strike in. Then a good right cross connects. Another front hook and Ryan drops Len. Ryan goes in for the kill, but Len defends and gets Ryan into full guard. Ryan connects several body shots while in Lens guard. Now with 1 minute 20 seconds left Len rolls and gets Ryan in a possible armbar. Ryan does a good job of defending, but then with 54 seconds left Len gets the armbar in really tight. Ryan's arm is slightly hyper-extended, but he does not tap out and successfully fights it off and gets free. Ryan then attempts a guillotine with a possible, if he rolled, anaconda choke. Len fights it and lasts the final seconds of the round.
Round 2
Round 2 starts with Ryan connecting right away with a quick jab. Then a glancing cross. A couple more jabs, with one really connecting hard. Then Len starts coming back Len throws a low rear round kick to Ryan's inside leg. Then a front round to the body. Len then connects with a strong jab. He then attempts a spinning back fist, but misses. There are several strong exchanges with neither fighter getting the upper hand. Len throws a wild front hook. Then Ryan starts throwing heavy hands and backs Len into the cage. They clinch and Len goes for a guillotine. No good. Ryan goes for the double to sweep out both of Len's legs and take it to the ground. He almost gets there, but no good. They clinch again and Len starts throwing knees. No damage given. The cage side ten second warning goes off and Ryan goes wild with a flurry of strikes all connecting. End of round.
The judges score cards get tallied and Ryan is the winner. Ryan takes out Team Lesnar's first pick and regains control of the fights for Team dos Santos.
This was a great fight. Both fighters represented themselves well. At the end of the episode Dana makes a point to meet with Len and give him props for a great fight.
Did you see the fight? What did you think? What was your take on the drama?
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
TUF 13, Episode 2, April 6th, 2011
Okay, this one is a long time coming.
Please accept my apologies. My daytime paying job and tax time capitalized on all my extra time, and delayed new content. Now that the excuses are out, here comes the post that has been delayed for three weeks.
The Drama
Episode Two's drama was dominated by Keon Caldwell. Keon is visibly distracted during training, ostensibly due to missing his family, specifically his six year old daughter. Coach dos Santos is pushing his team to train as hard as possible, but Keon lags behind the rest. Talking to his coaches Keon admits that he misses his daughter and doesn't know if he can stay. He wants to go home. Now watching this I had to ask myself the question. Is this really about missing his daughter, or is this an easy out, because now, in The Ultimate Fighter, Keon's own self doubts sabotage his training?
Really, I understand that he would miss his daughter. I have a six year old son, and being separated from him would be difficult. Life is difficult. GET OVER IT! If this is what you want to do, then what example do you set for your daughter by quitting while at the beginning of the greatest opportunity a professional mixed martial artist can get?
Queue Dana White. Dana comes to the gym to talk to Keon. Dana takes him aside and gets right to the point.
"Do you want to be a professional fighter?"
"Oh yeah", Keon answers.
"Do you want to do this?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you want to win this f-bleep-ing thing"
"Yes sir."
"Do you want to be in the UFC?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you want to be a world champion some day"
"Yes sir."
"Focus on why you came here..."
Basically suck it up. Then the very next day at practice. Coincidentally enough after a hard training session with one of the assistant coaches. Keon approaches Junior dos Santos and tells him he has made his decision and wants to go back to his family. As I have mentioned, I have a six year old, as well, but this is six weeks out of your life. Six weeks to make a name for yourself. At the very least to show Dana you won't back down. Keon has an MMA record of 8-1, but now all that Dana will remember is he didn't have the conviction to see it through. Chance of a lifetime blown. Mark my words. We won't be seeing Keon Caldwell in the UFC.
What do you think? Do you think Keon took the easy way out?
The Fight
Javier Torres (Team dos Santos) vs Chris Cope (Team Lesnar)
Team dos Santos has control, so this pick is theirs. They are very confident. Even commenting that during the fight announcement, when the fighters faced off for photographs, that Chris was visibly shaking. He was.
During interviews with the fighters and coaches Shamar Bailey comments, "I'm excited to see Javier fight. I think he is going to run through Chris."
From Junior dos Santos, "In my mind he is going to beat the guy easy."
Brock Lesnar doesn't like Chris' chances either. He even gives Chris and team the Any Given Sunday speech.
To be fair Chris is not a full time fighter. He has a full time job in mainstream America. A nice bit of encouragement comes in the form of a letter Chris' girlfriend sent with him. In the letter she tells him that this is his destiny.
Javier is very confident. He has a lot riding on this. He immigrated from Mexico to be a fighter. To top it all off his wife is pregnant, as well - you don't see him running home.
While in the first fight the safe pick from Team dos Santos pays off. This time it backfires.
Round 1 - Javier pushes Chris up against the cage - this is an area that a team member of Javier's, who knows Chris, said Chris was uncomfortable, but Chris gets in some good strikes. Javier then takes Chris to the ground with a Judo throw, but Chris gets right back up. Javier goes for several foot stomps. No real damage. They go back and forth for most of the round. Then in the last thirty seconds Javier lands a good knee strike to Chris' cheek and opens up a cut below the eye. No danger, as it will not affect Chris' ability to see.
Remember, Javier is supposed to run right through Chris.
Round 2 - Chris starts with a good high kick. We see a lot of clinch fighting for the majority of this round. Both fighters throw some knees to the body. No real damage from either fighter.
Round 3 - In the preliminary fights of The Ultimate Fighter, they will only go two five minute rounds, and if there is no definitive winner at the end of round two, then they go to a third round.
In the third round Javier is tired. He is breathing heavy. Looking for excuses to rest.
Chris simply has better conditioning. He is fired up and he survived the first two rounds. He has better kicks, as well, throwing really hard kicks to the inside of Javier's thigh. Throwing some more high kicks. Controlling the clinch, muscling Javier, throwing knees upper-cuts and elbows.
At the end Chris wins by decision.
What bothers me is at the end of the episode, when Team Lesnar is back in their locker room, Brock makes a point to say "Chicken salad out of chicken shit. That's what we are we chicken shit. We make do with what we got. Any given Sunday. Any given Sunday, anybody can win" A quick camera shot to Chris Cope, and I could see in his eyes, why do I have to be chicken shit. At this point why wouldn't Brock make a point of giving Chris some credit. Admit Chris surprised them all. Congratulate him and bring him up.
Transition to montage interview with Brock, "There wasn't nothing pretty or cool about Chris' win. He just showed perseverance and heart and I was wowed by that". Okay, so you were wowed, but again Brock just dogged the guy, maybe unintentionally or subconsciously, but I have not been impressed by Brock as a coach, yet. We'll see what future episodes reveal.
Please accept my apologies. My daytime paying job and tax time capitalized on all my extra time, and delayed new content. Now that the excuses are out, here comes the post that has been delayed for three weeks.
The Drama
Episode Two's drama was dominated by Keon Caldwell. Keon is visibly distracted during training, ostensibly due to missing his family, specifically his six year old daughter. Coach dos Santos is pushing his team to train as hard as possible, but Keon lags behind the rest. Talking to his coaches Keon admits that he misses his daughter and doesn't know if he can stay. He wants to go home. Now watching this I had to ask myself the question. Is this really about missing his daughter, or is this an easy out, because now, in The Ultimate Fighter, Keon's own self doubts sabotage his training?
Really, I understand that he would miss his daughter. I have a six year old son, and being separated from him would be difficult. Life is difficult. GET OVER IT! If this is what you want to do, then what example do you set for your daughter by quitting while at the beginning of the greatest opportunity a professional mixed martial artist can get?
Queue Dana White. Dana comes to the gym to talk to Keon. Dana takes him aside and gets right to the point.
"Do you want to be a professional fighter?"
"Oh yeah", Keon answers.
"Do you want to do this?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you want to win this f-bleep-ing thing"
"Yes sir."
"Do you want to be in the UFC?"
"Yes sir."
"Do you want to be a world champion some day"
"Yes sir."
"Focus on why you came here..."
Basically suck it up. Then the very next day at practice. Coincidentally enough after a hard training session with one of the assistant coaches. Keon approaches Junior dos Santos and tells him he has made his decision and wants to go back to his family. As I have mentioned, I have a six year old, as well, but this is six weeks out of your life. Six weeks to make a name for yourself. At the very least to show Dana you won't back down. Keon has an MMA record of 8-1, but now all that Dana will remember is he didn't have the conviction to see it through. Chance of a lifetime blown. Mark my words. We won't be seeing Keon Caldwell in the UFC.
What do you think? Do you think Keon took the easy way out?
The Fight
Javier Torres (Team dos Santos) vs Chris Cope (Team Lesnar)
Team dos Santos has control, so this pick is theirs. They are very confident. Even commenting that during the fight announcement, when the fighters faced off for photographs, that Chris was visibly shaking. He was.
During interviews with the fighters and coaches Shamar Bailey comments, "I'm excited to see Javier fight. I think he is going to run through Chris."
From Junior dos Santos, "In my mind he is going to beat the guy easy."
Brock Lesnar doesn't like Chris' chances either. He even gives Chris and team the Any Given Sunday speech.
To be fair Chris is not a full time fighter. He has a full time job in mainstream America. A nice bit of encouragement comes in the form of a letter Chris' girlfriend sent with him. In the letter she tells him that this is his destiny.
Javier is very confident. He has a lot riding on this. He immigrated from Mexico to be a fighter. To top it all off his wife is pregnant, as well - you don't see him running home.
While in the first fight the safe pick from Team dos Santos pays off. This time it backfires.
Round 1 - Javier pushes Chris up against the cage - this is an area that a team member of Javier's, who knows Chris, said Chris was uncomfortable, but Chris gets in some good strikes. Javier then takes Chris to the ground with a Judo throw, but Chris gets right back up. Javier goes for several foot stomps. No real damage. They go back and forth for most of the round. Then in the last thirty seconds Javier lands a good knee strike to Chris' cheek and opens up a cut below the eye. No danger, as it will not affect Chris' ability to see.
Remember, Javier is supposed to run right through Chris.
Round 2 - Chris starts with a good high kick. We see a lot of clinch fighting for the majority of this round. Both fighters throw some knees to the body. No real damage from either fighter.
Round 3 - In the preliminary fights of The Ultimate Fighter, they will only go two five minute rounds, and if there is no definitive winner at the end of round two, then they go to a third round.
In the third round Javier is tired. He is breathing heavy. Looking for excuses to rest.
Chris simply has better conditioning. He is fired up and he survived the first two rounds. He has better kicks, as well, throwing really hard kicks to the inside of Javier's thigh. Throwing some more high kicks. Controlling the clinch, muscling Javier, throwing knees upper-cuts and elbows.
At the end Chris wins by decision.
What bothers me is at the end of the episode, when Team Lesnar is back in their locker room, Brock makes a point to say "Chicken salad out of chicken shit. That's what we are we chicken shit. We make do with what we got. Any given Sunday. Any given Sunday, anybody can win" A quick camera shot to Chris Cope, and I could see in his eyes, why do I have to be chicken shit. At this point why wouldn't Brock make a point of giving Chris some credit. Admit Chris surprised them all. Congratulate him and bring him up.
Transition to montage interview with Brock, "There wasn't nothing pretty or cool about Chris' win. He just showed perseverance and heart and I was wowed by that". Okay, so you were wowed, but again Brock just dogged the guy, maybe unintentionally or subconsciously, but I have not been impressed by Brock as a coach, yet. We'll see what future episodes reveal.
What do you think? Does Brock have what it takes to be a great coach?
Stay tuned. Daily posts will be coming as I get caught up with this season of TUF 13.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
TUF 13, Episode 1, March 30th, 2011
The first episode of The Ultimate Fighter is under the belt, so to speak. Not a bad start. The first episode is usually subdued anyways. The fighters meet at the UFC gym. Dana White gives a speech to remind them of the opportunity they have. Teams get split up between the coaches and they start training. How all this happens always gets tweaked a little bit from season to season.
In past seasons potential competitors fought to see if they would make it in the house. In season 13 the fighters were evaluated before the start of the season. The evaluations were mini training segments. No fights. At the start of this season the final competitors were brought in, got their speech from Dana and then were told that they would not have to fight to get in the house, but would now be evaluated by the coaches. The original evaluations did not have the final coaches for the season. Only Dana White, trainers picked to evaluate and the producers of the show were there to decide. I watched a video of the early evaluations and while interesting in itself I have always loved the fights to get in the house. I found this season's process a little lacking in excitement.
The coaches evaluation was interesting, as you got a sense of the coaches styles. Brock Lesnar focused on testing their cardio/conditioning, while Junior dos Santos put them in sparring scenarios to see what their skills were. What were their strengths? Also, Brock met and interviewed everyone, while Junior, although able to speak English (He is from Brazil) didn't feel he had the fluency with English to make that strategy meaningful.
After evaluations Dana met with the coaches and had them choose the teams. Dana did the traditional coin toss to give one of the coaches their choice of either first pick for the fighter, or to pick the first fight. Brock won the toss and picked the first fighter. Here is a breakdown of the top pick for each team and the final.
Team Lesnar
1st - Len Bentley
7th - Nordin Asrih
Team dos Santos
1st - Shamar Bailey
7th - Keon Caldwell
As usually happens the first picks get the confidence boost, but high expectations from the coaches. While the last picks now have something to prove.
Okay, teams have been chosen, now on to the Vegas mansion that the fighters will call home for the next several weeks. Team Lesnar is stationed on the 2nd floor. Team dos Santos is on the 1st. Everyone is now trying to get comfortable. The best comment during this acclimation was from the resident Brit, Mick Bowman. In wonderful british accent. "Our team will be in one room, the green team (Team Lesnar) will be upstairs in their bedroom. We're not here to make friends, really? Are we? We're here to beat each other up."
Training begins, and early on we find out that TUF has already claimed its first victim. In the coaches evaluation Myles "The Fury" Jury (Team Lesnar) injured his knee. The doctor thought it was fine at the time, but decided to be safe and had X-Rays done. Unfortunately, Myles completely tore his ACL and the back part of the lateral meniscus. Medical opinion-Myles can't fight. Out of the competition, and out of the house before its even begun. Last minute replacement, Chuck O'Neil steps in to fill his shoes.
As Lesnar got to pick the first fighter, dos Santos got to pick the first fight. I personally think its better to pick the first fight, because if you can take control early, and maintain the control you can ride it through a good part of the show. Past coaches have shown that - George St. Pierre, Chuck Liddell & Rashad Evans to name a few. For the first fight dos Santos picks Shamar Bailey (dos Santos first round pick) against Nordin Asrih (Lesnar's last pick). Playing it safe? Most definitely. Shamar is a strong wrestler, and Nordin's only strength is striking.
This was a very one sided fight. Shamar took it to the ground early in the first round and there it stayed. Nordin had zero take down defense and once on the ground a sloppy guard. Shamar was able to pass guard pretty much at will. Nordin was only able to get a couple strikes in from his back and did no damage. In the second round Nordin put himself on his back within the first ten seconds with a wild high kick. Nordin did get a good reversal and almost had Shamar in a guillotine, but after that Shamar was in control, yet again. Shamar got full mount twice, took Nordin's back and had excellent ground and pound in the last 40 seconds. However, Shamar did not take any advantage to finish the fight. He had several openings to attempt submissions, but never took them. Dana White even commented that Shamar basically laid on top of Nordin for five minutes of the first round and then 5 minutes of the second round. "Not the most exciting fight you will ever see, in Ultimate Fighter history."
In his defense, Shamar had this statement. "Our game plan worked in my favor 'cause I didn't show the other team everything that I have in my arsenal. So I do whatever my coaches tell me at this point. Um, I trust them and really happy to be on Team dos Santos."
What did you think of the first fight? Does Shamar have what it takes?
Don't leave it to the judges. Will Shamar show that he can finish a fight, or will all his fights go to decision?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
TUF 13 (The Ultimate Fighter)
Okay folks. It's time to get excited. The thirteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter starts Wednesday, March 30th at 9pm/8pm Central Time on Spike.
The Ultimate Fighter is a Reality TV show on Spike that follows unknown MMA fighters competing for a six figure contract with the UFC. They live together and train at the Vegas UFC Gym for several weeks. There are two teams, coached by current, well known UFC fighters. The teams train and fight against each other in several cage matches in an elimination style contest. The final two fight in the finale, and the coaches fight soon after.
Sorry for the short notice. I am hoping that those of you who planned to watch it already knew the date and time of the first episode. Like me, you probably already have it programmed into your DVR or TIVO. If not, now is the time.
This should be a great season. Welterweight fighters are competing in season 13. The welterweight division (156 to 170lbs) of the UFC is smack dab between lightweights and middleweights. In this division you get the speed and intensity found in lightweight matches with power that compares with the middleweight division. This makes for some fantastic fights.
Strangely enough, the welterweights will be coached by Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, both fighters in the heavyweight division. While both interesting personalities, which will likely bring a level of drama to season thirteen, Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos both out weigh the contestants by 70 pounds or more. Sorry, but you just fight differently when you're 240 pounds as opposed to 170. Junior dos Santos moves pretty well, he is the lighter of the two, and is able to throw decent kicks. Although he currently holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Junior competed as a kickboxer prior to MMA. Holding a perfect record of 18 wins and 0 losses in kickboxing, Junior's record in MMA is 12 wins and 1 defeat. Brock, however, is more well known for his heavy hands and wrestling ability. In addition, even though he is the former heavyweight champion, Brock has very little overall experience in MMA, with only 7 total MMA fights to his name. Two of which he lost. We shall see what they do with their teams. It will most likely be their choices in assistant coaches that is the biggest factor on how their teams fare.
Speaking of drama, most know that TUF is no stranger to crazy antics, house pranks, fighter rivalries, disagreements and physical exchanges outside of the cage, coaches and contestants alike. Sometimes amongst team members themselves. However, I find that the drama often times is childish and becomes a distraction. I am sure a lot of people watch The Ultimate Fighter specifically to see this type of drama, which inevitably comes with any Reality TV programming. For me its the training and the fights that brings me back. I love to see how they train, what coaches they bring to the gym, and how fighters grow as martial artists and competitors over the coarse of several weeks.
ARE YOU READY! The action starts soon.
What do you like, or dislike about The Ultimate Fighter?
Click the following links to meet the fighters, see a sneak preview of the upcoming season, and find videos introducing the new fighters.
http://www.ultimatefighter.com/fighter
http://www.ultimatefighter.com/seasons/tuf-13/team-lesnar-vs-team-dos-santos
Come back to The Manic Martial Artist, following each episode, to get a breakdown of what's happened. The drama, the training and the fights.
The Ultimate Fighter is a Reality TV show on Spike that follows unknown MMA fighters competing for a six figure contract with the UFC. They live together and train at the Vegas UFC Gym for several weeks. There are two teams, coached by current, well known UFC fighters. The teams train and fight against each other in several cage matches in an elimination style contest. The final two fight in the finale, and the coaches fight soon after.
Sorry for the short notice. I am hoping that those of you who planned to watch it already knew the date and time of the first episode. Like me, you probably already have it programmed into your DVR or TIVO. If not, now is the time.
This should be a great season. Welterweight fighters are competing in season 13. The welterweight division (156 to 170lbs) of the UFC is smack dab between lightweights and middleweights. In this division you get the speed and intensity found in lightweight matches with power that compares with the middleweight division. This makes for some fantastic fights.
Strangely enough, the welterweights will be coached by Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos, both fighters in the heavyweight division. While both interesting personalities, which will likely bring a level of drama to season thirteen, Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos both out weigh the contestants by 70 pounds or more. Sorry, but you just fight differently when you're 240 pounds as opposed to 170. Junior dos Santos moves pretty well, he is the lighter of the two, and is able to throw decent kicks. Although he currently holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Junior competed as a kickboxer prior to MMA. Holding a perfect record of 18 wins and 0 losses in kickboxing, Junior's record in MMA is 12 wins and 1 defeat. Brock, however, is more well known for his heavy hands and wrestling ability. In addition, even though he is the former heavyweight champion, Brock has very little overall experience in MMA, with only 7 total MMA fights to his name. Two of which he lost. We shall see what they do with their teams. It will most likely be their choices in assistant coaches that is the biggest factor on how their teams fare.
Speaking of drama, most know that TUF is no stranger to crazy antics, house pranks, fighter rivalries, disagreements and physical exchanges outside of the cage, coaches and contestants alike. Sometimes amongst team members themselves. However, I find that the drama often times is childish and becomes a distraction. I am sure a lot of people watch The Ultimate Fighter specifically to see this type of drama, which inevitably comes with any Reality TV programming. For me its the training and the fights that brings me back. I love to see how they train, what coaches they bring to the gym, and how fighters grow as martial artists and competitors over the coarse of several weeks.
ARE YOU READY! The action starts soon.
What do you like, or dislike about The Ultimate Fighter?
Click the following links to meet the fighters, see a sneak preview of the upcoming season, and find videos introducing the new fighters.
http://www.ultimatefighter.com/fighter
http://www.ultimatefighter.com/seasons/tuf-13/team-lesnar-vs-team-dos-santos
Come back to The Manic Martial Artist, following each episode, to get a breakdown of what's happened. The drama, the training and the fights.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Brawl @ Bourbon Street / Promoter - CutThroat MMA
So, last Wednesday I was out at Bourbon Street watching CutThroat MMA Cage Fights. These are amateur fights in varying weight classes. Here is their website for more info. http://www.cutthroatmma.com/
Although, I have probably seen hundreds on TV, this is only the second time I have been at a cage fight in person. There was some very good action, but also some very anti-climactic endings. Several of the fights didn't last past the first round with the losing fighters still wanting to continue. The reason for this is in amateur fights referees are prone to stopping fights when they feel a fighter is in any danger. Even if they have not been injured and are still defending themselves. This happens in almost any ground and pound situation. In a professional cage fight the fighters are allowed to continue as long as both are actively and intelligently defending themselves. I see the reasons why amateur fights often end like this and they are valid. A professional fighter has proven their ability to defend, counter and improve position, even when they are in trouble, but amateur fighters can have varying levels of skill and experience. However, it is still disappointing to see a friend lose, when there was still the possibility of a win.
Here are the results from the fight, as listed by CutThroat MMA. Special note, the top two fights were CutThroat MMA Title Belt fights in the light heavyweight and welterweight division. Congratulations to the fighters.
Ryan Storey def TJ Rowley - guillotine choke (1:45 round 2)
David Booth def Bill Johnson - split decision
Derrick Malert def Brian Titus - TKO stoppage due to strikes (0:55 round 1)
Mike Peterson def Tim Williams - knockout (0:17 round 2)
Jake Frias def AJ Masters - ground and pound (round 1)
Chris Hill def Zach Feece - ground and pound (0:34 round 1)
Jason Ignacek def Bobby Andrews - guillotine choke (2:10 round 1)
Bobby Moffet def Louis Robles - armbar (1:20 round 1)
Jimmy Moreno def Jerry George - knockout (0:24 round 3)
Kyle Geary def Spencer DeBeneditti - ground and pound (1:04 round 1)
Here are some pics. There is a fair amount of motion blur from my camera. It was from my phone's camera. Next time I will bring a camera with varying shutter speeds. That way I can capture more of the action.
Although, I have probably seen hundreds on TV, this is only the second time I have been at a cage fight in person. There was some very good action, but also some very anti-climactic endings. Several of the fights didn't last past the first round with the losing fighters still wanting to continue. The reason for this is in amateur fights referees are prone to stopping fights when they feel a fighter is in any danger. Even if they have not been injured and are still defending themselves. This happens in almost any ground and pound situation. In a professional cage fight the fighters are allowed to continue as long as both are actively and intelligently defending themselves. I see the reasons why amateur fights often end like this and they are valid. A professional fighter has proven their ability to defend, counter and improve position, even when they are in trouble, but amateur fighters can have varying levels of skill and experience. However, it is still disappointing to see a friend lose, when there was still the possibility of a win.
Here are the results from the fight, as listed by CutThroat MMA. Special note, the top two fights were CutThroat MMA Title Belt fights in the light heavyweight and welterweight division. Congratulations to the fighters.
Ryan Storey def TJ Rowley - guillotine choke (1:45 round 2)
David Booth def Bill Johnson - split decision
Derrick Malert def Brian Titus - TKO stoppage due to strikes (0:55 round 1)
Mike Peterson def Tim Williams - knockout (0:17 round 2)
Jake Frias def AJ Masters - ground and pound (round 1)
Chris Hill def Zach Feece - ground and pound (0:34 round 1)
Jason Ignacek def Bobby Andrews - guillotine choke (2:10 round 1)
Bobby Moffet def Louis Robles - armbar (1:20 round 1)
Jimmy Moreno def Jerry George - knockout (0:24 round 3)
Kyle Geary def Spencer DeBeneditti - ground and pound (1:04 round 1)
Here are some pics. There is a fair amount of motion blur from my camera. It was from my phone's camera. Next time I will bring a camera with varying shutter speeds. That way I can capture more of the action.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Confidence - Attributes Gained Through the Study of Martial Arts
Confidence - belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance
Many strong attributes are gained and developed through the study of martial arts. Confidence is one that I found for myself.
As a child I was smaller than the rest of the kids. Because of this I was an easy target for bullies. I felt weak and helpless. I did not have the confidence, in myself, to take a stand. I began studying the martial arts when I was a teenager. Through this I gained confidence. From then on, not only was I not afraid, but I also believed in myself. This went far beyond fighting. It's funny looking back on my childhood, because I was actually in more fights before I began training martial arts than after.
We learn through the martial arts that the best fight is the one that didn't happen. However, it is extremely important to stand up for yourself and for others. I have found that confidence can sometimes allow you the luxury of both.
True story. Once, while I was in my early twenties, I was at a party with friends. There were all types at this party and one of my friends had upset a group of white power skinheads. Five of them to be exact. The de facto leader of this group challenged my friend to a fight outside. I knew this was a bad situation, so I followed to make sure he didn't get hurt. Watching from the doorway I observed my friend caught off guard as the whole group surrounded him, and the largest guy from the group grabbed him from behind. Now I had every intention of letting the fight happen, if the fight had stayed one on one, but this I could not stomach. I stepped out of the shadows and announced that the fight was not going down like this. I had kept my distance from these guys the whole night, but now I was fully committed to this course of action. The leader of the group told me to back off; that they didn't have any quarrel with me. I replied that this was a friend of mine, and that a one on one fight was one thing, but the five of them ganging up required I step in. While I had some training, I knew this could still go badly. Only, now both of us were in harms way. I continued to parley with the leader, hoping that combat could be avoided. After a few tense moments the leader declared that they didn't want to fight me, and they released my friend.
This is an extreme example. It was confidence that diffused the situation. If I had the confidence to challenge them, they had to question why. There was also a level of respect for what I had done. However, this could have gone either way. I have always been grateful that the fight was avoided. I am also grateful that I had the confidence to take a stand.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
I just did 600 pushups!!
That's right. 600!
I know what you're saying. "Wow, you must be incredibly strong." I am in pretty good shape, but it was not my brute strength that did it. It was dedication, repetition and perseverance.
Actually the title of this post is misleading. I wrote this post while completing my 600. By the way, I am on 280 at the moment. 290, 300...
You see, I am doing my 600 pushups over a 1 hour period of time. Completing 10 pushups every minute. This gave me about 40 to 50 seconds of rest between each set of 10.
380, 390, 400...
I got the idea to do this from two martial artists named Aaron and Jon Knapp. Aaron and Jon have a website called Bad Martial Arts.
Here is an explanation on the title of their website styled in their own words, "The "Bad" in Bad Martial Arts extends from the tradition of Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy and Ben Goldacre's Bad Science web sites.". Aaron and Jon's website explores misconceptions, and myths about the martial arts. Their website is a practical look at martial arts, using critical thinking. It is also a good read with very interesting observations and anecdotes.
480, 490, 500...
I would bet that a lot of people look at the abilities of a martial artist and assume that they are born with it. Sure they have trained, but the belief is that there is some genetic advantage, or god given gift that made the training possible. The truth is never that simple. The martial arts takes practice and dedication, and almost anyone can benefit from the discipline training imparts to the student.
580, 590, 600!!
Hard work and commitment are worth their weight in gold. Martial Arts is like this, and by extension life. The more you work at something the better you get. So whatever it is you do. Or makes you happy. Pursue it with conviction. Follow it with purpose. You will be better for it.
I plan on taking my own advice. Okay, now on to my 600 crunches!
I know what you're saying. "Wow, you must be incredibly strong." I am in pretty good shape, but it was not my brute strength that did it. It was dedication, repetition and perseverance.
Actually the title of this post is misleading. I wrote this post while completing my 600. By the way, I am on 280 at the moment. 290, 300...
You see, I am doing my 600 pushups over a 1 hour period of time. Completing 10 pushups every minute. This gave me about 40 to 50 seconds of rest between each set of 10.
380, 390, 400...
I got the idea to do this from two martial artists named Aaron and Jon Knapp. Aaron and Jon have a website called Bad Martial Arts.
Here is an explanation on the title of their website styled in their own words, "The "Bad" in Bad Martial Arts extends from the tradition of Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy and Ben Goldacre's Bad Science web sites.". Aaron and Jon's website explores misconceptions, and myths about the martial arts. Their website is a practical look at martial arts, using critical thinking. It is also a good read with very interesting observations and anecdotes.
480, 490, 500...
I would bet that a lot of people look at the abilities of a martial artist and assume that they are born with it. Sure they have trained, but the belief is that there is some genetic advantage, or god given gift that made the training possible. The truth is never that simple. The martial arts takes practice and dedication, and almost anyone can benefit from the discipline training imparts to the student.
580, 590, 600!!
Hard work and commitment are worth their weight in gold. Martial Arts is like this, and by extension life. The more you work at something the better you get. So whatever it is you do. Or makes you happy. Pursue it with conviction. Follow it with purpose. You will be better for it.
I plan on taking my own advice. Okay, now on to my 600 crunches!
Celebrating 100 page views
Today The Manic Martial Artist blog exceeded 100 page views. Now to move on to 1000.
I would like to celebrate hitting 100 comments. Yesterday I got my first comments. Please keep them coming. Dialogue and discussion is a purpose of this blog. I welcome your opinions and ideas.
Thank you!
I would like to celebrate hitting 100 comments. Yesterday I got my first comments. Please keep them coming. Dialogue and discussion is a purpose of this blog. I welcome your opinions and ideas.
Thank you!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Mixed Martial Arts
Today's combat sport phenom is mixed martial arts. With gyms all across the world MMA is, without a doubt, the fastest growing sport today. You can't escape it, there are amateur and professional fights occurring at bars, casinos and convention centers everywhere.
There is a good reason it is so popular. The business side is well organized, and masterfully promoted. Also, it is a step beyond boxing or wrestling in every way. The ability to throw kicks while standing, and the option to take the fight to the ground adds a complexity that makes boxing pale in comparison. Where wrestling is concerned, the fact that striking is part of the contest adds a level of excitement that wrestling doesn't have, and is essential to the mainstream popularity that catapulted MMA to its current level. Live on Pay-per-View, on Spike and most sports networks it has become a passion for fans, and a lightning rod for controversy from critics.
March 30th will debut the 13 season of TUF (The Ultimate Fighter). A reality show that features mixed martial arts fighters, who train and compete for a six figure contract with the UFC, the largest and most successful MMA organization in the world. With this groundbreaking series about to start a new season The Manic Martial Artist asks a few questions about this sport.
There is a good reason it is so popular. The business side is well organized, and masterfully promoted. Also, it is a step beyond boxing or wrestling in every way. The ability to throw kicks while standing, and the option to take the fight to the ground adds a complexity that makes boxing pale in comparison. Where wrestling is concerned, the fact that striking is part of the contest adds a level of excitement that wrestling doesn't have, and is essential to the mainstream popularity that catapulted MMA to its current level. Live on Pay-per-View, on Spike and most sports networks it has become a passion for fans, and a lightning rod for controversy from critics.
March 30th will debut the 13 season of TUF (The Ultimate Fighter). A reality show that features mixed martial arts fighters, who train and compete for a six figure contract with the UFC, the largest and most successful MMA organization in the world. With this groundbreaking series about to start a new season The Manic Martial Artist asks a few questions about this sport.
- Is it too violent and dangerous, a Bloodsport?
- How does MMA compare with other combat sports that have been around for years and have empirical data of the long term affects on fighters?
- Does it degenerate the spirit and philosophies of martial arts as a discipline?
- Martial Arts Masters have passed on their styles, techniques and philosophies for hundreds of years. Many never compete and feel that competition of this nature demean martial arts.
- How does it compare with martial arts that have been developed, and studied for hundreds of years?
- If a modern champion of Mixed Martial Arts fought a true Master of Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Jujutsu, Ninjutsu or Capoeira, from the history of these styles, would the outcome be a foregone conclusion?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sword Dance & Shadowgraph
Throughout history there have been many warrior castes. Probably the most famous of these are the Samurai. There are many topics to discuss about the Samurai, but today we are just going to enjoy a beautiful performance by Japanese film and stage actor Taichi Saotome. This was in a special New Year performance of Dragon and Peony, Sword Dance and Shadowgraph, which was performed from the 2nd to the 5th of January 2011 at the Galaxy Theater Tokyo.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Monday, February 21, 2011
What the Martial Arts Means to Me!
I wanted to, very briefly, share an interview with Bruce Lee. Probably one of the most respected, and well known martial artists of our time, and possibly of all time.
Bruce Lee is such an iconic figure and this interview touches on many of Bruce's philosophies. There are three parts to this interview. I will most likely come back to this segment, and other segments in future blog posts. For this post I wanted to touch on one quote. It can be heard from minute/second marker 2:35 to 3:27. Here is the interview, so you can hear it in the legends words himself.
"...martial arts has a very, very deep meaning for me as far as my life is concerned, because as an actor, as a martial artist, as a human being, all these I have learned from martial arts."
Although, I am not an actor, this embodies my passion for martial arts.
Please share a comment of what martial arts means to you.
Bruce Lee is such an iconic figure and this interview touches on many of Bruce's philosophies. There are three parts to this interview. I will most likely come back to this segment, and other segments in future blog posts. For this post I wanted to touch on one quote. It can be heard from minute/second marker 2:35 to 3:27. Here is the interview, so you can hear it in the legends words himself.
"...martial arts has a very, very deep meaning for me as far as my life is concerned, because as an actor, as a martial artist, as a human being, all these I have learned from martial arts."
Although, I am not an actor, this embodies my passion for martial arts.
Please share a comment of what martial arts means to you.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Review of the film Redbelt
My first blog post will be a review of the movie Redbelt.
This movie was written and directed by David Mamet. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as an instructor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu named Mike Terry. I loved this movie. It is not well known, and even though I remember seeing the previews, it was the recommendation of a colleague that prompted me to see it on video.
This film is a drama that just happens to be about a martial arts instructor. The characters drive the story, not the action. While there are fight scenes, it does not feature a lot of crazy fights with dramatic techniques, and unbelievable stunts; adversaries and protagonists getting back up after receiving punishment that would normally put anyone in the hospital.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is charismatic and powerful as Mike Terry. He plays the role with a calm confidence that sells the character. This was the first film I had seen Chiwetel in, and it made the actor a favorite of mine. Chiwetel seems to have been noticed by more than just myself as he landed parts in the well publicized movies 2012 and Talk to Me, opposite John Cusack and Don Cheedle, respectively. Chiwetel is also reportedly on the short list to play Marvel super-hero Black Panther (T'Challa), in the proposed movie of the same name.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's character, Mike Terry, is forced to deal with several pivotal moments that shape his future, and change his life forever. As an instructor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mike Terry teaches that there is always an escape to any situation. This is in the context of a fight, but this is actually a metaphor for life, and in the movie specifically, Mike Terry's life and the curves that are thrown at him.
The action is believable. Decent acting by the main characters. A very well written story.
I recommend this one. If you've seen it, tell me what you thought of it. If you haven't seen it, then check it out, and come back to let me know your thoughts.
Check out the trailer on YouTube from Sony Pictures Classics
This movie was written and directed by David Mamet. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as an instructor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu named Mike Terry. I loved this movie. It is not well known, and even though I remember seeing the previews, it was the recommendation of a colleague that prompted me to see it on video.
This film is a drama that just happens to be about a martial arts instructor. The characters drive the story, not the action. While there are fight scenes, it does not feature a lot of crazy fights with dramatic techniques, and unbelievable stunts; adversaries and protagonists getting back up after receiving punishment that would normally put anyone in the hospital.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is charismatic and powerful as Mike Terry. He plays the role with a calm confidence that sells the character. This was the first film I had seen Chiwetel in, and it made the actor a favorite of mine. Chiwetel seems to have been noticed by more than just myself as he landed parts in the well publicized movies 2012 and Talk to Me, opposite John Cusack and Don Cheedle, respectively. Chiwetel is also reportedly on the short list to play Marvel super-hero Black Panther (T'Challa), in the proposed movie of the same name.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's character, Mike Terry, is forced to deal with several pivotal moments that shape his future, and change his life forever. As an instructor of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mike Terry teaches that there is always an escape to any situation. This is in the context of a fight, but this is actually a metaphor for life, and in the movie specifically, Mike Terry's life and the curves that are thrown at him.
The action is believable. Decent acting by the main characters. A very well written story.
I recommend this one. If you've seen it, tell me what you thought of it. If you haven't seen it, then check it out, and come back to let me know your thoughts.
Check out the trailer on YouTube from Sony Pictures Classics
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