An article written by one of my brown belts concerning the Gracie University debate
http://mygenerallyfunnyblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/03/wappingers-fall-mma-guest-blog/
Precision MMA!
Cool article from my student Kevin about my gym Precision MMA
http://mygenerallyfunnyblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/wappingers-falls-mma/
Why BJJ is better than a gun for self defense…sometimes
There are many misconceptions about martial arts. When people find out what I do for a living they often ask me questions like how many boards can you break? Or what happened to your ears? One misconception is with regards to self defense. I was recently speaking with a man who asked me if I taught self defense. I told him I do and he responds that the only self defense he needs is his handgun. It’s a common sentiment, why would I want to learn all these involved pins, choke holds and joint locks when I could just pull a trigger? Obviously when faced with multiple attackers or against a deadly weapon a handgun has many advantages to BJJ. However, in my opinion there are many instances where jiu-jitsu is a better tool for personal protection than a firearm and many of the self defense shortcomings of firearms are often overlooked by gun enthusiasts.
#1 – I can take my jiu-jitsu anywhere
The top drawback of having a firearm as your only means of self defense is that you cannot bring it to many places where you may need to protect yourself. In my home state of NY bars, certain restaurants, schools, racetracks, amusements parks, hospitals, airplanes, most sporting events and government buildings all prohibit firearms. Additionally, you cannot have a loaded gun on your person while traveling in your car or in certain major metropolitan areas (such as NYC). Those are simply the areas in which firearms are expressly prohibited by law, there are numerous instances where carrying a gun may just be impractical.
Jiu-jitsu is different. You cannot take my jiu-jitsu away from me or make me leave it at home; it is an inseparable part of my identity 24 hours a day 7 days a week. I don’t have to read up on legislation to decide whether I can bring my jiu-jitsu while traveling. Ironically, when the gentleman told me he only required his handgun I asked him if he was carrying it right then and there, sure enough he was not. Additionally, guns are not perfect machines. They jam, misfire or suffer a host of other malfunctions – while my jiu-jitsu isn’t perfect I always have it available on demand.
#2 – I’ve never armbarred myself
Many of my friends are gun enthusiasts and routinely practice marksmanship and train for specific self defense scenarios with their weapon. Aside from those that are active police or military who fired their weapon in the line of duty I don’t know anyone who used their gun to stop an attack. However, I know multiple people who have accidently shot themselves. New Yorkers are familiar with the case of Plaxico Burress the Giant’s wide receiver who suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound inside a Manhattan night club resulting in a two year prison sentence.
Jiu-jitsu doesn’t backfire. When you apply a submission the only person who will suffer the impact of that attack is your intended target. You also don’t have to worry that your jiu-jitsu will fall into someone else’s hands and be used against you. While I may not know anyone personally who has used a gun to fend off an attacker I know many who have used their jiu-jitsu training to subdue an attacker and never once has their use of force resulted in any personal or collateral damage.
#3 – Jiu-jitsu offers a sliding scale of violence
After defeating an opponent in the UFC Demian Maia once said “I want to show Jiu-Jitsu to the world. I want to show people that you can win a fight without hurting your opponent”. Maia highlights arguably the most valuable aspect of jiu-jitsu as a self defense art, the selective use of harm. If someone is a threat to me and talking them down hasn’t worked I can gently take them down, establish a dominant position and calmly diffuse the situation. If more force is necessary I can throw light strikes to show them I mean business. Should more force be required I could apply a submission and gradually apply force until I achieve compliance. Finally, if all else fails I can render them unconscious, which while more aggressive is unlikely to result in long term damage. Not every fight is life or death. For example, one of my students had to subdue his brother in law after he had too much to drink and went after another family member. My student simply got behind him, applied a rear naked choke and the altercation was ended.
When your only method for diffusing an assault is pulling a firearm it quickly escalates the situation to life or death. As a result actions too often become erratic and chaos ensues. While guns do offer a deterrent effect, if that deterrent is ignored the next step is lethal force. Gun owners are trained to shoot to kill and while a Glock might be necessary for a hostage situation it isn’t necessarily the best tool for diffusing a bar fight. There are also serious psychological implications for self defense killings as well that are often underestimated by gun owners. If your only tool for protecting yourself is lethal force you may have to face the uncomfortable reality of taking the life of another human being. Jiu-jitsu offers a less than lethal option that can save an innocent person from the psychological stress of taking a life.
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/experts_the_psychological_afte.html
For example, in this scenario jiu-jitsu training would have offered the officer a method of restraint that would have kept both parties alive. Regardless of how justified the shooting may have been the officer now has to live with the fact that he shot and killed a man on his wedding night. A skilled jiu-jitsu practitioner would be armed with the tools to control the fight without loss of life.
Clearly there are instances in which carrying a gun could save your life. I know I wouldn’t want to test my jiu-jitsu against an armed attacker. However, there are a host of situations and a scenarios where using a firearm is either illegal, dangerous, or unnecessarily escalates the encounter. At the very least jiu-jitsu offers a viable first line of defense or alternative to lethal force that should be seriously considered by those who take their personal protection seriously.
Precision MMA
Learn Brazilian Jiu-jitsu at the top Poughkeepsie martial arts school Precision MMA call 845-392-8495 or visit http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com to get started
Golden Gloves!
It’s that time again, the birds are chirping and bees are buzzing, but it’s boxing that’s in the air for Precision MMA. Two of my Poughkeepsie pugilists are headed to the third round of the New York State Golden Gloves. Dan “T-1000” Power and Paul “The Small” Maley have been tearing it up inside the squared circle and are looking to bring home that title. Although these guys are still amateurs they work harder than most professional fighters, I can’t wait to seeall their hard work pay off!
Gi Choke From Crucifix
This is my absolute favorite gi choke, simple but incredibly effective. The key to the technique is the use of the crucifix, be pinning the arms there is virtually no defense. Check out techniques like this at my Poughkeepsie martial arts school Precision MMA http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com
Get Excited!
A new study suggests that re-framing nervous energy energy into excitement can actually improve performance. I’ve been one to try and calm myself before stressful events, but this research suggests that the opposite may actually be more beneficial.
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-anxiety-calm.html
“people should try to focus on the potential opportunities. It really does pay to be positive, and people should say they are excited. Even if they don’t believe it”
My old coach (Tampa Gracie) used to always put positive thoughts in my head prior to competition, but I always tried to block the stress of the event out of my mind rather than absorbing it into excitement. I did notice that no matter how much relaxation I attempted I always felt incredibly on edge. Maybe I was setting myself back all along.
Precision MMA
Success in martial arts
Check out this article
Precision MMA at UFC 168 – It’s Miller Time
Precision MMA
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I first met Jim and Dan Miller – it was around 2005 at “Planet Jiu-jitsu” (the name of the gym where the Miller’s began their training). Planet was an affiliate of my coach Rob Kahn and he brought me along to roll with these two blue belts everyone was talking about. I knew they both were standout wrestlers, but knowing these prodigies hadn’t been training very long I didn’t expect much. Despite their limited mat time Jim and Dan gave me all I could handle – the only reason I was able to come out on top at all was because I used submissions they hadn’t seen yet. Afterwards we all went out to eat and they told me how they were training for their first MMA fights in a few weeks. I immediately knew they would quickly be making a name for themselves.
Eventually Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella started asking me to work with him. He took to my teaching well and began singing my praises enough that a few other fighters started trying me on for size – eventually I wound up working with the Millers. Jim and Dan are special athletes. For most people, they’ll learn a new move or concept and it will take a serious amount of repetition along with trial and error before they make it their own. With the Millers, I could show them a technique on Monday and they’d tap me out with it by Wednesday. Jim and Dan are submission hunters, we used to joke that they had a “submission before position” style of fighting. This sort of approach has earned them more than a few bonus checks and some amazing highlight reel finishes, but from time to time it could backfire.
Precision MMA
In Jim’s bouts against Joe Lauzon and Pat Healy he went full seek and destroy mode right out the gate. He left Lauzon covered in blood and had Healy nearly unconscious at the end of the first round. However, as the fights played out both turned into back and forth wars – while the FOTN bonus checks were nice it was becoming apparent that a more tactical approach might result in a longer and more fruitful career. Going into this fight camp all coaches were in agreement about being efficient and calculating; hitting single and doubles rather than constantly swinging for the fences. The ground attack for based around safety first, making sure to avoid unnecessary damage and allowing the opponent to give us the opening rather than forcing it. Jim’s opponent Fabricio Camoes was a 3rd degree BJJ black belt so we had our work cut out for us.
This was my first time cornering a fight in Vegas. I didn’t realize how intense the fight fans were. Jim was a full-fledged celebrity, every step he took he was shaking hands, signing autographs or kissing babies. More people knew Jim here than if he was at his high school reunion. The interesting thing I noticed though was how short the fan’s memories were. After leaving a fighter meeting I walked ahead while Jim was meeting with fans. Standing next to me the entire time was former world champion Mike Brown. To me Brown is an MMA legend; he finished Urijah Faber when many thought he was untouchable. Before Jose Aldo came along he had won 10 straight and was a two time defending WEC champion. Still and active fighter, he had won 2 of his last 3 UFC fights. Yet he walked through the crowded sea of fans without recognition. I came to realize that MMA is very much about “what have you done lately”.
Team Miller passed the time telling stories about youthful hijinks, gardening and brewing strategies and the many misadventures of their precocious children. Aside from briefly discussing strategy you’d have no idea we would be entering a fist fight on pay per view.
Precision MMA
I’m generally very nervous before fights. Regardless of how prepared a fighter happens to be I can’t keep my mind from running through doomsday scenarios. I generally try to conceal my uncertainty through a combination of binge eating and bad jokes. For this fight I felt abnormally at ease. I was certain Jim would be successful and his confident disposition calmed my normally alert nerves. However, for a moment all that changed. While at weigh-ins I saw Royler Gracie stroll by and thought to myself, “I wonder who he’s cornering”. Then I remembered that he was there for Camoes, Jim’s opponent. I had a sudden bout of self-doubt. I grew up on legends of the Gracie family. When I was 16 you could have convinced me that Helio and his sons hung the moon. I remember Royler was hand-picked to corner Rickson in Japan years before I even knew how to spell jiu-jitsu. I thought he had likely forgotten more than I’d ever know about jiu-jitsu. However, for the past two months I was tasked with devising a jiu-jitsu strategy that would overwhelm Royler’s top fighter. My dormant neurosis was now alive and well. I reminded myself that it was Jim vs Camoes, not Brian vs Royler and tried my best to focus on the task at hand.
This fight camp there was a new approach. Jim took a more analytical approach to his preparation and really put himself under the microscope. He realized that while he had elite technique and conditioning, he would occasionally get himself into hot water by being overly aggressive. Trying to KO his opponent with every strike earned him some hefty bonuses, but may have cost him some key victories as well. Patience and relaxation were the theme of this fight camp. Attack when the moment is right rather than forcing the issue. Warming up Jim looked fluid and focused. When the first note of “Long Cool Woman” filled the arena Jim marched towards the octagon with unshakable composure.
Precision MMA
The bell sounded and Camoes rushed towards Jim. While our approach was slow and steady, Camoes was in seek and destroy mode. The first few exchanges saw Camoes landing hard strikes that were starting to find their mark. He was loading up on hooks and head kicks, trying to end the bout quickly. This was not what we expected. A wrestling and jiu-jitsu attack was what we assumed Camoes, a third degree BJJ black belt, would bring to the table. This straight ahead striking attack took us by surprise. Jim shifted gears and looked for the takedown, which presented itself when Camoes attempted a high kick. Immediately Camoes attempted to spring back to his feet and in the process exposed his back. Jim got a little overanxious and slid off the back though, ending up on the bottom in guard. Instantly, he began breaking Camoes’ posture in order to control the distance and limit any strikes. I called out for him to swim his arm to the mat. Jim responded, but Camoes countered and kept his arm on the torso. Jim cleared the head and immediately swung into the armbar. He clamped his legs into position and synched a tight grip across the wrist while hooking the leg to prevent a slam. Then he waited. Rather than forcing the issue he was biding his time and waiting for the ideal opportunity. Camoes for a moment pulled his weight back; Jim now had his opportunity and powerfully arched his hips. Dan saw Camoes wince in pain and instructed his brother to give it everything he had. Jim obliged him and Camoes was forced to submit.
Precision MMA
Immediate exaltation spread throughout our corner. A first round submission without taking serious damage, by all accounts a near perfect performance. Camoes stormed off, punching the cage in anger. In that moment I felt for him. He had obviously made substantial improvements for this fight. He had hoped to put the new and improved Fabricio Camoes on display and for a few moments looked like he might enjoy his day in the sunshine. However, MMA is a winner-take-all system and despite his diligence he would suffer the slings and arrows of defeat. Following his cathartic fence stomping Camoes shook Jim’s hand.
-During his post-fight interview Jim surprised me. It isn’t often that a fighter gets a captive audience, victory speeches are often opportunities to bolster their accomplishment, proclaim their title worthiness, or call out rival fighters. Instead when Joe Rogan asked Jim about his victory he took his moment to tell the world that I was a quality trainer, a truly selfless act that reminded me that every long drive to New Jersey was well worth the trip.
Looking for elite mixed martial arts, boxing or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu near Poughkeepsie, NY? Check out Precision MMA for 30 Days Free visit http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com or call 845-392-8495
845-392-8495 to get started
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Big in Japan – Andy Main and Brian McLaughlin at Pancrase 256 (Precision MMA Pure MMA)
Precision MMA
2014 has been busy for me. Although the year is still in its infancy I’ve traveled from Poughkeepsie to Las Vegas, Atlanta, and now Tokyo, along the way sharing in surreal victories and heartbreaking defeats. The mixed martial arts world is a roller coaster of experiences. Fights are by their very nature chaotic and unpredictable. As martial artists we attempt to tame the beast of uncertainty through rigorous training and preparation. Yet, despite our best efforts there are no guarantees and fortunes rise and fall with each punch thrown. Although I’ve often times felt the cold realities of this phenomenon; as I boarded the plane for Tokyo I thought to myself, “we’ve got this in the bag”.
Stepping into the ring was Andy Main, a long and lean southpaw who could tap out most men with a stern glance. He was riding a three fight winning streak, including a victory over Hiroki Aoki, a feared top ten Pancrase fighter. His opponent this time around was Akira Okada. Akira was heralded as the top pupil of Japanese MMA legend Takanori Gomi. Similar to “the fireball kid” Akira earned his victories through vicious power. He’d throw hard and often, and on more than one occasion left his opponent wearing a crimson mask of his own blood. However, his power and fierceness left him wild. A precise fighter like Andy could navigate the turbulent sea of aggression and find many ports to victory. There were other factors on our side as well – Andy was half a foot taller with a sizeable reach advantage. His movements were faster and more dynamic. Akira moved forward in a leaping fashion, Andy’s footwork was sure to leave him lost and confused. Andy had also sharpened his jiu-jitsu, adding new submission entries from his already dangerous guard. Every time I ran the numbers the arithmetic yielded the same result, an Andy Main victory.
Precision MMA
Boarding the plane felt familiar. Things were going to be easier this time around I thought. We were prepared for the marathon flight and jetlag. We knew where to train and how to traverse the landscape. The ring would be familiar and the unique rules routine. While the lack of novelty was comforting, it also made the experience less magical. We had become well acquainted with Japanese mores; episodes of culture shock were few and far between. This trip was less about exploring a foreign land and more about taking care of business.
After getting settled we went for our fist pre-fight workout. Since Andy was fighting at 155, a weight class above his featherweight home, his energy was high and we were able to train hard. We rolled for close to 30 minutes straight and I had to fight for every inch of progress. Andy’s transitions were sharp and the 15 hours of flight had not robbed him of one ounce of strength. We went over a small handful of techniques and scenarios and then met the media for photo ops and interviews.
Later in the evening I wanted to get some training in so we made a trip to Tri-force Gotanda, a spectacular BJJ school that I had visited during my last trip to Tokyo. We reviewed some Judo throws and then it was time for rolling. I expected Andy to be a bit slower considering our earlier training session, but he was every bit as fast and left his training partners scratching their heads and gasping for air. I knew he was without a doubt in fight shape.
Precision MMA at Tri-force Gotanda
The following day was weigh-ins. I was surprise when I saw MMA legend Yuki Kondo step on the scale. I had no idea he was fighting on the card. Kondo had tooth and nail battles with the likes of Semmy Schilt and Dan Henderson. He famously stopped the MMA hopes of BJJ legend Saulo Ribeiro and even took on Tito Ortiz for the UFC title. Even more amazing was that Andy had higher billing than him on the card. Kondo shook my hand and obliged my requests for photos with admirable humility.
Yuki Kondo and Precision MMA Coach Brian McLaughlin
Finally fight day was upon us, we followed the routine of “hurry up and wait”. Pancrase events are marathons with up to 30 bouts on a single card with talent ranging from aspiring new comers to mixed martial arts royalty. Andy was the co-main event, which meant we had some time to kill. We alternated between waxing philosophical about deep existential mysteries of the universe and trading stories about crazy ex-girlfriends.
As fight time approached we rehearsed the gameplan and I went about reassuring Andy of his success (which is as much for me as it is for him). When I heard the familiar sound of his walkout music I knew we’d reached that point of no return and made our way towards the ring. The bell sounded and Akira rushed forward, Andy rattled off a three punch combination finding the mark with each strike. After tasting Andy’s strikes Akira rushed in for the takedown. I could tell Akira’s strength and power were alive and well for this bout. Immediately Andy tied Akira up, taking away all his offensive options. Akira drove his head forward pressuring Andy, but this only made him more vulnerable to attack. Andy shifted his hips and began maneuvering into position for armbars and triangles. After several close calls Akira abandoned all offense and made survival his sole concern. The round came to a conclusion and I assured Andy that his strategy was working, but he’d need to open up more in order to secure the submission. I also noted that Akira had unusually small arms, making the triangle a better option than the armbar. Andy nodded and paced in the corner awaiting the start of the second round. A unique part of Pancrase is their open scoring where fighters know exactly what the judges render after each round. Two judges scored the round even, one judge gave the round to Andy; making us ahead by the smallest of margins.
Precision MMA
Akira was aware he was behind and the threat of defeat clearly awakened a dormant sense of urgency in him. The echo of the bell was still in the air when Akira leapt forward with a thunderous punch. The shot landed flush but Andy clinched and fired back a knee. They were chest to chest now, which negated Andy’s reach advantage and gave Akira the window he had been waiting for. Akira fired off rapid fire hooks, uppercuts and knees finding their mark over and over again. Andy was caught off guard but bit down on his mouth piece and began firing back. The fight devolved into a pure slugfest where Andy was taking two to give one in a battle of pure power – a battle that Akira was clearly winning. At one point Andy stumbled and Akira pounced on him, driving him to the ground and punching with murderous intentions. As he passed to the mount I was screaming for Andy to tie him up and regroup, but I could tell he wasn’t firing on all cylinders, as the strikes began to add up the referee seemed moments away from stopping the fight. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of Andy’s eye and sweat poured from his body. He was faced with a decision, he could lay down and accept defeat or he could move his hips and stay in the fight. He chose the latter. Andy recovered his guard and threw up a triangle attempt, although Akira wasn’t in real jeopardy symbolically this told him that he was still in a fight and nothing short of death was going to dissuade Andy Main.
Precision MMA
Andy made his way back to the corner and I attempted to reassure him that Akira was exhausted and he could still win the fight if he kept his guard up and fought in the center of the ring. I ignored the scores and before the start of the round screamed “You can still win this!”
Andy got off the stool and marched toward Akira with confident determination. He looked desperate to return the favor. They traded punches much like the previous round, but this time Andy’s strikes had steam on them and Akira’s were losing power. A big knee sent Akira staggering back into the ropes and just like that the momentum had officially changed hands. Akira powered a takedown, undaunted Andy began firing off submissions left and right. Despite being on his back Andy was clearly in control of the fight. Each successive armbar and triangle attempt was closer than the one before until it happened…a fully locked in triangle. The figure four was perfect, the arm was across the carotid artery, the leg was hooked to prevent the escape – everything was in place. Akira struggled, twisted to his side, stacked his weight forward, furiously attempted to posture, nothing was releasing Andy’s hold, there would be no escape. I was elated, we had survived the most turbulent of fortunes and now victory lay in our lap. Akira made one thing clear though, he would not be tapping. If we were to steal victory from him it would have to be pried from his cold dead hand. Just before the final second ticked away I saw Akira slump over, I thought for sure he was unconscious, but as the final bell sound he rose still in the fight our fate would now be decided by three judges. 
As a fighter you become a utilitarian. Success, failure, sadness or happiness is dependent on one result – victory. Absolute success and abject failure are a consequence of three people’s opinion. However, in the moments before the scores were tallied I couldn’t have cared less about the decision. What Andy had accomplished in the ring that night was a victory of magnificent heights regardless of the callous number system attributed to his name.
Both fighters made their way to the center of the ring. Eyes closed and fists clenched, enduring the uncertainty like a title wave, the decision was read…DRAW. The anticipation met a seemingly anti-climatic conclusion, there was no jubilation, no pounding of chests or devastating remorse – both fighters shook hands and walked away bewildered and dismayed.
Precision MMA
Fighting isn’t easy, stay with it long enough and it will bring you face to face with your greatest fears. Physical fears of fatigue, pain and injury are the obvious dangers that occupy the concern of the uninitiated. However, the truly terrifying phobias a pugilist must confront are those of failure, inadequacy, and cowardice. Along with these perils fighting brings truth, it shines an illuminating light on the character of those daring enough to step into the ring. The greatest victory a fighter can earn comes not from the external validation of fame or fortune, but of self mastery. Andy ventured to Japan in search of victory and although that eluded him, along the way he earned something much more valuable.