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Precision MMA for self defense in the Hudson Valley

Posted on June 10, 2014 by fighter in Hudson Valley MMA, Precision MMA, self defense

There are many joys I get to experience as a martial arts instructor, from helping a student master a difficult technique, to teaching a young child the value of hard work, to being in the corner for a championship prize fight. However, there is nothing more satisfying than stories of self defense. Knowing that the techniques you taught someone came to the rescue at the most critical juncture provides a satisfaction like nothing else.

Precision MMA is fortunate to have both incredible instructors and dedicated students. Here is the story of Nick Formichelli, a corrections officier in Dutchess County who was able to use the techniques he learned at Precision to protect himself from a hostile inmate.

Want to learn realistic self defense in the Hudson Valley? Find out what you can learn in 30 days call 845-392-8495 or visit http://www.poughkeepsiemixedmartialarts.com to get started

The Strike Based Jiu-jitsu of Javier Vazquez

Posted on April 17, 2014 by fighter in Precision MMA

Why did you start jiu-jitsu? Additionally, ask yourself why you chose jiu-jitsu over the myriad of other martial arts available. For me the answer was simple, I needed to learn how to fight. I remember being a skinny freshman in high school when the captain of the varsity football team, a pharmaceutically enhanced goliath, laughed as he threw his trash at me during lunch. In a moment of anger I threw it back in his face as hard as I could along with a few four letter words for good measure. Not wanting to lose his alpha status he got nose to nose and put the fear of God in me. I didn’t back down and I put on my game face, but (aside from the time I was attacked by a pitbull) it was the single scariest moment of my life. Fortunately I made it through the encounter unscathed, but the feeling of helplessness had staying power. I never wanted to feel that way again, this was a problem that needed solving. I wanted to learn, but I thought most martial arts didn’t work for a real fight against a bigger opponent. I had no idea where to start, after doing some research I thought “Jeet Kune Do” would be my best bet since it touted itself as a no BS, no rules fighting style. I called a gym that advertised JKD classes, the receptionist told me the instructor had left, but encouraged me to try Brazilian Jiu-jitsu instead. I was skeptical, but they told me to check out the first few UFCs and see it in action. I had heard about the UFC on Dateline specials and they always referenced “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock. When I saw skinny Royce Gracie effortlessly dispatch of Shamrock and in subsequent events dispose of the similarly terrifying Dan Severn and Kimo I knew Brazilian Jiu-jitsu was for me. I immediately set an appointment. At my first class I had every extremity wrenched and was repeatedly strangled by a woman who was too small to ride most roller coasters. While some might have found this discouraging, I was elated. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

My story is not unique, almost everyone who started when I did saw UFC 1 and wanted Royce Gracie’s super power. Jiu-jitsu was about empowerment, personal protection and real fighting. However, the more I trained the more my techniques drifted from “vale tudo” to grappling specific. My spider guard was improving, but my ground and pound defense was non-existent. I decided to take matters into my own hands. I’d ask neighborhood kids to punch me while I tried to take them down. I got a key to the gym and met up with one of the guys and started rolling with slaps. I watched every MMA event I could and tried to mimic the strategies that seemed effective. I learned by trial and error. I endured a few headaches and black eyes, but I quickly came to understand the most important element of BJJ for fighting – always control the distance.

My technique improved, but it was still terribly unrefined. I would get a tip here and there and bought a few Mario Sperry vale tudo videos, but I didn’t have a real strategy beyond get really close and try to submit them fast as you can. I was basically winging it. The instruction I was getting in BJJ class was quality grappling advice, but it was always up to me to modify it to prevent strikes. My coaches weren’t overly concerned with the finer points, even once I started my professional MMA career the idea was basically “just take them down and play your game”.
Shockingly, this strategy was fairly successful.

I was winning fights quickly, but once my blitzkrieg submission attack fell short I started taking damage. Even when I won, hospital visits were becoming a post-fight tradition for me. I knew I needed to improve the defensive side of my ground attack. I had a million ways to tap someone out, but very few to stop them from bashing my brains in. I needed a new style, a new approach.

Believe it or not I won this fight

I saw that style in action one night while watching the old WEC. The fight was Chad Mendes vs Javier Vazquez. I was always a big fan of Javier from his days on the grappling circuit. I was rooting for him, but honestly I thought he was going to get crushed. Mendes was undefeated, a stellar athlete and he was 8 years younger and had taken no real damage in his career. The fight started and Chad put Javi right to his back. I thought to myself “if Javi doesn’t sub his quick he’s going to take a beating from this position”. However, that was not the case. Javi’s guard completely neutralized Mendes. He patiently threw up submission attempts with no forced urgency. He looked completely comfortable on bottom and was confident he wouldn’t take damage. Although the judges didn’t agree I thought he won the round off his back. Javi ended up losing the decision, but I knew his style of BJJ for MMA was something I wanted to emulate.

Fast forwarding, I heard Javi on a podcast talking about his style of grappling termed “strike based jiu-jitsu”. The idea was that all the techniques he taught from all positions assumed the partner would be striking. Additionally, the focus was safety first offense second. I realized this was exactly what I was looking for, a BJJ system that needed no modifications for real fighting, taught by someone who had been tested at the highest level of combat sports. I made my mind up that I had to check this out. Fortunately, Javi was going to be near my home town for a seminar and through the magic of Facebook I was able to book him at my gym as well.

In addition to the seminar I booked a private lesson so I could get more in depth in the system. The approach was completely revolutionary, but shockingly simple at the same time. We worked from guard and bottom side control. The first thing we broke down was how someone could strike us, then we systematically shut it down by clamping, blocking, pummeling or bridging – movements with which I was already well acquainted. The next step was to simply relax and frustrate the opponent by showing them their dominant position would provide them no openings. The frustration would lead to reaction which would create the opening for escape. I quickly realized this would be equally effective for pure grappling with no modification. Rather than exhausting myself fighting frantically to escape mount or side control I could simply relax knowing that I was perfectly defended. Javi’s game made scary positions much more tolerable. A fundamental principle of his SES (side control escape series) approach was not allowing the partner to control your head. My old coach has a saying “when in doubt smash the head”. Against properly executed SES positioning head smashing is practically impossible. I realized that this would not only change my bottom game, but force me to find new methods of attack from the top and so the journey began.
I quickly realized that if I wanted to commit to learning this system I would have to head out to the west coast for some more intensive training sessions. I booked my ticket and flew out to Rancho Cucamonga California to Javier’s gym “Gracie Rancho”. The intensive training helped cement the defensive system and introduce me to the offensive side as well. Javier originally received his black belt under the Carlson Gracie banner, known for its offensive attacking style. However, after meeting his wife Rose Gracie he learned the defensive Helio Gracie self defense system of the Gracie Academy. In many ways Javier is the bridge between the two ideological paradigms of the Gracie system. Javier was always known for his flashy submissions, earning him the moniker “Showtime” – but his system of ground and pound is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. By training the defenses so intimately, Javier knows exactly where to position himself to overcome them and make his opponent helpless against devastating strikes. Unlike MMA fighters Javi wasn’t simply concerned with blows legal under the unified rules of mixed martial arts. His system accounts for variable such as head butts and groin strikes.

The thing that impressed me the most about my trips to California though was not Javi’s advanced techniques, but rather his method for teaching beginners. From day 1 all his students leard how to defend against strikes. They don’t spend all their mat time doing triangle chokes and armbars, instead they are clinching against strikes and neutralizing punches on the ground. My method was to get everyone to a blue belt in pure grappling based jiu-jitsu and then start teaching them vale tudo styled techniques. I thought the strikes on the ground would be too much for them to handle and that the extra variables of punches, knees and elbows would overwhelm them. However, I quickly realized that Javi’s white belts had a better understanding of striking defense than most of the purple belts at other academies. As a result I’ve completely reversed my thinking. Now my students start with striking self defense and only learn the more grappling specific BJJ at blue belt.
The most dramatic difference in my technique became visible in my MMA sparring. I started noticing everyone was easier to hit when I was on top and easy to stifle when I was on bottom. Half my sparring is done at my home gym and half with a group of pro and amateur MMA fighters far from my home. As I started teaching my students to techniques Javi had taught me I began to notice they were MUCH harder to ground and pound than the pro fighters I’d spar. Despite the fact that this group included high school students, police officers and musicians by implementing strike based jiu-jitsu they had better striking defense than Bellator and Strikeforce veterans. Many of the fighters have since converted and now tag along whenever Javier comes up to my school.

If you live on the east coast and want to join the strike based jiu-jitsu revolution take the trip to my Poughkeepsie MMA school Precision MMA on May 3^rd from 1-3pm for Javi’s no-gi seminar. Invest $60 in your personal protection. Email Precisionmma@gmail.com or call 845-392-8495 to reserve your spot.
For you lucky souls living near rancho cucamonga check out Javi’s academy Gracie Rancho

Can’t make the trip? Javi is sharing some of his strike based jiu-jistu via instagram http://instagram.com/javiershowtime#

Poughkeepsie Kickboxing classes

Posted on April 4, 2014 by fighter in martial arts, Poughkeepsie martial arts, Precision MMA

Poughkeepsie Kickboxing classes

Big in Japan – Andy Main and Brian McLaughlin at Pancrase 256 (Precision MMA Pure MMA)

Posted on February 6, 2014 by fighter in Precision 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.

Precision MMA