Joe Stevenson gets Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt from Phenom Robert Drysdale!

Robert Drysdale, the Las Vegas Jiu JiTsu professor, recently awarded a Black Belt to UFC fighter Joe Stevenson. Robert has been training with Joe extensively and has been helping him polish his Jiu-Jitsu skills in preperation for Joe’s fight against Ken florian for UFC 91. Robert and Joe have been training together extensively and Drysdale has servered as a coach for Joe for his last 3 UFC fights. Joe is an accomplished grappler and has has earned three of his last four victories via guillotine choke.

You can watch some videos of the award ceremony at Robert Drysdale’ s blog, las vegas brazilian jiu jiTsu

More information about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Robert Drysdale’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in Las Vegas, Nevada is available at his official website, www.robertdrysdale.net

Tags: "jiu-jitsu instruction", "Joe Stevenson", "las vegas jiu jitsu", "las vegas martial arts", "las vegas self defense", "learn jiu-jitsu", "robert drysdale"

Judo, the art of Self Perfection

by: Anne-Marie RONSEN

Have you ever wondered what exactly is up with Judo? When you talk about martial arts, what comes first in your mind? This informative article can give you an insight into everything you’ve ever wanted to know about judo and Martial Arts.

Judo

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of judo. Today Judo is enjoyed by more than 800,000 men, women and children. There are many reasons for learning Judo. Judo provides exercise, relaxation, sport, an interesting challenge, balance, coordination, self-protection and self-confidence.

Modern Judo is a martial art based on the traditional Jujutsu fighting and self-defense techniques of Japan. It was developed by Professor Jigoro Kano from a martial art called Jujutsu (also spelled Jujitsu). He is often called the “Father of Japanese Sports.” Professor Jigoro Kano eliminated some of the traditional jujutsu techniques and changed training methods so that most of the moves could be done with full force to create a decisive victory without injury.

The Japanese word “Ju” in Judo means “mild” and “natural” and “do” means “art” and “way.” Judo therefore denotes “way to peace” or may be translated as “the Way of gentleness,” with the implication of first giving way to ultimately gain victory.

Judo techniques are divided into three primary catagories - Nage-waza (throwing techniques), Katame-waza (grappling techniques), and Atemi-waza.

Judo training has many forms for different interests. Some students study the traditional art and forms (kata) of Judo. Other students train for competition by sparring and entering the many tournaments that are available. Other students train for self-defense, and yet other students practice Judo for fun and recreation. Black belts are expected to learn all aspects of Judo.

The most important principle of Judo as practiced was to disturb the center of gravity of the opponent, and then pull or push in a way that the opponent cannot stand, exerting skill rather than strength, so that he might lose his equilibrium and fall heavily to the ground. A series of rules was taught respecting the different motions of feet, legs, arms, hands, the thigh and back, in order to accomplish this object.

Judo is an art, after all, a practical approach to life. Judo develops complete body control, fine balance, and fast reflexive action. Develops a keen desire to coordinate mind and body. Also, provides the means for learning self-confidence, concentration, and leadership skills, as well as physical coordination, power, and flexibility.

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Enjoy, and in the words of Dr. Jigoro Kano:

“Before and after practicing Judo or engaging in a match, opponents bow to each other. Bowing is an expression of gratitude and respect. In effect, you are thanking your opponent for giving you the opportunity to improve your technique.”

Copyright © Anne-Marie Ronsen

Tags: black belt, Judo, martial arts

When is your child ready for Karate and Martial Arts training?

When is your child ready for Karate?

Beginner level Karate Kids seem to be getting younger and younger nowadays. What is the right age to start the martial arts? Is your little one ready to become a karate kid?

Back when I started practicing martial arts in the early 1980s in England the youngest child my local karate school would take was 8 years old. Consequently I started karate at the age of 8. I was then thrown in with the older kids and the adults and was given the option to “sink or swim”.

As karate has become more popular over the years, kids of a younger age are getting started in the martial arts. There has of course been a strong influence from the Ninja Turtles and the Power Rangers but also with the ever expanding commercial karate schools, specialized programs for the little kids are becoming more and more popular. Programs with names such as Tiny Tigers, Little Ninjas or Little Dragons abound in most martial arts schools. So at what age are kids being accepted into these programs?

It seems that the age of 3 ½ to 4 years old is the youngest age for kids to be accepted into a martial arts program. This basically coincides with the age that a child can begin pre-school and this is no coincidence. So if your child is around 4 years old then he or she will probably be accepted into your local martial arts school. However there are other factors that you should be aware of.

· Is this the first time your child has been involved in a group activity? If so be prepared for some initial nervousness and unwillingness to get out on the floor without you.

· Have you already taken your child to your local martial arts school to watch a class? If not, then do so as this is a great opportunity to pre-frame your child so he or she knows what is expected and what a karate school and karate class looks like.

· Do you have realistic expectations for your child? Karate for a 4-year old should be about coordination, focus and fun. It is not about self-defense or hard core discipline at this age. These aspects will be gradually introduced over time as they get older.

· Can your child stay focused for about a half-hour at a time? Most young kids have very short attention spans and consequently when teaching karate to a 4-year old an instructor needs to use a series of short but focused drills that flow from one to the other. Be sure to find an instructor who uses this type of method so that your child will maintain interest for the whole duration of the class.

·Can your child follow one or two-step instructions? Your child needs to be able to follow basic directions in order to function in the karate class.

If your child does not do this at home then it may be a sign that he or she will also struggle at first in the karate class. On the other hand a karate class may be the ideal place to help your child learn the value of structure and basic discipline.

All of the above points are just some ideas that you should ask yourself when thinking about enrolling your young child in a martial arts class. The bottom line is you probably won’t know all of the answers unless you give it a go but at the very least you should have some ideas of what to expect and how you can help your child make a successful transition into a fun and very valuable activity.

Tags: class, Karate, martial art, martial arts, Ninja, training

5 Common Mistakes Martial Arts Instructors Make

Becoming an instructor in a martial arts school is often a really exciting time because in many ways you feel like you have made it. In order to teach others you must have already mastered the basic content and now is your chance to “give back” your knowledge and continue the progression of your style.

Martial Arts Instructors

This is a great honor but it is not without its pitfalls. As any experienced instructor knows, teaching martial arts, and practicing martial arts, are in many ways two completely different skills.

So if you are a new instructor listen to these words of wisdom because while you are probably a competent black belt student, you are a now a beginner again in terms of teaching. Here are some of the most common mistakes that new instructors make.

If you are an experienced instructor reading this, please do not forget to relate some of your own teaching horror stories to your assistant instructors, so that they can learn from your mistakes as well.

Mistake #1: Showing up to class without a lesson plan and “winging it”. This is a BAD idea for any new instructor. Planning is critical in all aspects of life and in any job. Being a martial arts instructor is no exception. Just because you are good at your chosen art, does not mean that you can instantly snap all of the instructor puzzle pieces together and teach an inspiring class without a lesson plan.

Even many experienced instructors refer to some type of lesson plan or overall structure before teaching each class. A lesson plan will guarantee that you are organized, that you do not “freeze” on the spot, and that you are not constantly thinking, “OK, what shall I do next?” When you are in this mode, it means that you are not focusing on your students in the moment!

Mistake #2: Trying to teach everything you know in one class. It is very tempting as a new instructor to feel the need to stamp your authority on a class and to prove yourself to your group as being very knowledgeable. Consequently in your first class you drill your students in every possible basic technique, all of the different forms whether they know them or not, and multiple partner work drills to the point of overload.

This causes major stress to your students as they feel completely overwhelmed and when you go to teach your next class, you will not have anything left to give them that is new. There are very good reasons for a structured curriculum and a solid lesson plan.

Mistake #3: Teaching class so that you get a good workout. There is a difference between leading by example and training with your peers. In every class that you teach, your primary focus should be on the needs of your students and not on your own personal needs. It will be inevitable that you will get a good workout just by demonstrating the different techniques, forms and partner work drills to your students, and it is important to model these things well.

However, you must observe your students closely so that you know which of them need help. In this way, you position yourself to give valuable feedback rather than just working up a good sweat.

Mistake #4: Being too hard or too easy. There are very often two types of new instructors. Type 1 is the drill instructor who wants to put the students through hell so they know who is boss, and type 2 is the friend who wants everyone to like him and is overly nervous about how well he taught each class.

Try to find some middle ground and work your students hard by holding them to high standards, but also develop strong and respectful relationships with them and show them that you care about them and their success.

Mistake #5: Allowing your students to decide on the content for the class. This is a BIG mistake because so many things can go wrong. First, you cannot please everybody and by asking what your students want to study you will get requests for everything possible within any group - forms training, sparring, pad work and target training, and self-defense. You can’t possibly fit everything into one class, nor should you (see mistake #2).

In doing this, you are setting yourself up for failure. What would you do if they asked you to teach something you do not know very well yet, like an advanced form or some knife defense that you may not have studied yet? You are the leader of the class and your students expect you to know what they need to study. Do not abdicate your responsibility to your students and allow them to dictate your content or methods in the class.

Tags: black belt, martial arts instructors, teaching martial arts

Krav Maga in Colorado

Here’s where I do my training - Krav Maga Worldwide Regional Training Center - ColoradoKravMaga.com. I wanted to let anybody else know in Colorado that I highly recommend the school and Krav Maga as a discipline in general.

That’s me at 0:37 in the white striped pants doing shoulder tap drills to emphasize 360-degee defense.  The reason I chose Krav Maga as my base martial arts is because it is real world training.

Krav Maga is the official self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces, and has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement agencies and thousands of civilians in the United States.

Krav Maga is a simple, effective self defense system that emphasizes instinctive movements, practical techniques, and realistic training scenarios.  Krav Maga is not a traditional martial art, there are no katas and no rituals.  It’s all about real-world, multi-attack, scenarios.  We practice under extreme physical duress, and the technique is effective and brutal.

Krav Maga is a mix of stand-up and ground fighting techniques, and you almost always assume that your attacker has a knife or a gun, and react accordingly.  Many of the techniques are not allowed in MMA, but many are similar.

I train for about 2-hours a day, 5 times per week, and I love it.  I’m planning on adding some BJJ to the mix later this year.

The Krav Maga Worldwide Regional Training Center - ColoradoKravMaga.com is an excellent school as well.  I highly recommend it for students of all levels.

So what are you training in?

Tags: Krav Maga