Greetings Team,
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that all of you get a chance to spend some amazing time with your family!
BUUUT.... The holidays are not good excuse to get Fat and Lazy! So my reminder for you today is to have fun over the Holiday Season...just not too much fun. :)
You may have heard me say the phrase Decide in Advance. If we decide in advance what are goals are, it's easier to get the results we want. Decide in advance this year that you will INCREASE your fitness level this winter, not DECREASE it. Now I'm not suggesting to deny yourself some goodies. I am suggesting that you decide in advance how you are going to eat those goodies, and still keep yourself fit and ready.
Let me give you a little suggestion that I think may help. One of the reasons that Fighter's can stay fit is they have a target weight they MUST be to fight. There is no exception. If you can find a target weight that fits you and your body, that will help you ACHIEVE and MAINTAIN your fitness level. Once you get yourself to your Fighting Weight, then you MUST keep it. No exceptions. If you allow yourself to go over your Fighting Weight, then just work hard to get yourself back down. The key is accountability. You are holding yourself responsible to keep yourself ready to Fight.
If you can instill this mentality Team, you just may have the mindset AND body of an elite level Fighter! Good luck in your Quest!
Hope this gave you some benefit today!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
COACH
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Connecting the Dots...
Greetings Team,
As some of you may know, I went to DC over this past weekend for some martial arts/business seminars. To say the least, it was a very powerful weekend that left me very inspired. My hope in today's blog is to share with you something I came to realize over the weekend...I am one Lucky guy. I say this because I do something I love. As a gym owner, I get to take that one step further and do what I love as a career. But, my intent with this blog today is to help YOU to connect the dots between your martial arts training and your personal life. The longer you train, you will find that these two become just one. The longer you train, the martial arts isn't something you DO. It's something you ARE. It becomes your IDENTITY. And at that point, you can just BEGIN to see how LUCKY you really are, too.
My journey in the Martial Arts began 23 years ago. I was an overweight 11 year old, but I had a burning desire to learn the martial arts. At 11, I think it was more about being a ninja. :) You, also, may have joined the martial arts for any number of reasons. Maybe it was just to do a new excercise routine. But, I have found with myself and for students I have trained over a long period of time, that the reason we start isn't always the reason we stay.
I can remember my first karate class. Can you remember your first class? Isn't it funny how the mind can remember what it wants? At any rate, I remember how much I ABSOLUTELY fell in love with training that very first day. At 11 it was everything I wanted. But to be honest, I had one goal...other than being a ninja of course....self defense. I didn't like the fact that other kids made me nervous or sad. I wanted to feel that I could fight another kid if I needed to. I wanted to feel confident that I could say something back if someone picked on me. And martial arts gave me that...and then some. Over time my love affair with training grew and grew. I didn't realize when I was younger all of the DISCIPLINE AND FOCUS I was recieving. I just trained. It wasn't until much later in life and my martial arts career that I was able to Connect the Dots. I started to realize that every time I didn't quit on the Mats I changed. With every challenge and obstacle that training brought me, I realized I had the ability to conquer it. It took a long time to also realize the person I REALLY was. In my personal life I had a tendency to not be that focused, driven individual. But, as I started to see that I could push through any adversity in my training, I could do the same in ANYTHING I did. This mentality carried over into my relationships and my business. I can truely say that I would not be the man I am without being a martial artist.
In closing, I would like to encourage all of you to stay with your training...as LONG as you can. If you stay with it long enough, you will find these wonderful revelations in your own lives as I have. And that has always been the beauty of the martial arts...ANYONE can be a winner. Because the winner is inside of YOU.
I hope this imapacts you in a positive way!
All the Best!
COACH
As some of you may know, I went to DC over this past weekend for some martial arts/business seminars. To say the least, it was a very powerful weekend that left me very inspired. My hope in today's blog is to share with you something I came to realize over the weekend...I am one Lucky guy. I say this because I do something I love. As a gym owner, I get to take that one step further and do what I love as a career. But, my intent with this blog today is to help YOU to connect the dots between your martial arts training and your personal life. The longer you train, you will find that these two become just one. The longer you train, the martial arts isn't something you DO. It's something you ARE. It becomes your IDENTITY. And at that point, you can just BEGIN to see how LUCKY you really are, too.
My journey in the Martial Arts began 23 years ago. I was an overweight 11 year old, but I had a burning desire to learn the martial arts. At 11, I think it was more about being a ninja. :) You, also, may have joined the martial arts for any number of reasons. Maybe it was just to do a new excercise routine. But, I have found with myself and for students I have trained over a long period of time, that the reason we start isn't always the reason we stay.
I can remember my first karate class. Can you remember your first class? Isn't it funny how the mind can remember what it wants? At any rate, I remember how much I ABSOLUTELY fell in love with training that very first day. At 11 it was everything I wanted. But to be honest, I had one goal...other than being a ninja of course....self defense. I didn't like the fact that other kids made me nervous or sad. I wanted to feel that I could fight another kid if I needed to. I wanted to feel confident that I could say something back if someone picked on me. And martial arts gave me that...and then some. Over time my love affair with training grew and grew. I didn't realize when I was younger all of the DISCIPLINE AND FOCUS I was recieving. I just trained. It wasn't until much later in life and my martial arts career that I was able to Connect the Dots. I started to realize that every time I didn't quit on the Mats I changed. With every challenge and obstacle that training brought me, I realized I had the ability to conquer it. It took a long time to also realize the person I REALLY was. In my personal life I had a tendency to not be that focused, driven individual. But, as I started to see that I could push through any adversity in my training, I could do the same in ANYTHING I did. This mentality carried over into my relationships and my business. I can truely say that I would not be the man I am without being a martial artist.
In closing, I would like to encourage all of you to stay with your training...as LONG as you can. If you stay with it long enough, you will find these wonderful revelations in your own lives as I have. And that has always been the beauty of the martial arts...ANYONE can be a winner. Because the winner is inside of YOU.
I hope this imapacts you in a positive way!
All the Best!
COACH
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Timing and Technique!
Greetings Team,
I wanted to share with you the idea of Timing and Technique. My hope with all of these blogs, is not only to help your Martial Arts practice, but to help you connect the dots of how these ideas will help you in you personal life, as well.
I have found through my own practice, and the coaching of others, that when our skills fail we can ususally track its failure to either our Timing or our Technique. Let me use Jiu Jitsu for example. The reason it is so hard to be a white belt is that the skills we are learning rarely work for us in a match. We learn armbar and triangle and we try relentlessly to make our partner tap. Class after class we never seem to be able to get it right. So the question is...how do I know why I can't tap my parnter? It's either in your Timing or in your Technique. The reason you should spend hours DRILLING your basics is to constantly fine tune your Technique. I think it's safe to say that if you miss one detail in your submission attempt, the guy won't tap. Have you ever heard my "Bake the Cake" analogy? To bake a cake you need to FOLLOW THE RECIPE. If you miss one ingredient, just one, the cake is terrible. In that same way, if you miss one detail in the pursuit of your triangle...no Tap for you! :) So my first encouragement is to fine tune ALL your basics. Whether it is your boxing, wrestling, or Jiu Jitsu. Constanlty sharpen the smallest of details.
Now what if you know the technique perfect....you know how to execute all the nuances of your triangle, but yet you STILL can't tap the guy? It's your timing. You don't have the ability to set him up or trick him. Or maybe you don't see the opportunity to hit your trianlge at JUST the right time. This is why being a white belt is so hard. It takes forever to just KNOW the skills. Then it takes another forever to be able to actually tap people. Don't be discouraged....it's hard to tap people regularly until you get above the Blue Belt level. At that point you have been working your skills for a year or more and can spend more time on your "game" : your abiltiy to apply the basics you know.
So, when you are having trouble with a skill, ask your self---is my technique bad, or my timing...or both :) From there you know what questions to ask your instructor and how to practice for the next month or so. Remember from my previous blog...work on one skill at a time! If you do, you can really take a look at why your moves are working or not. You can create an ACTION plan to get good instead of trying to just get lucky.
So take your Sniper Rifle out Team and work diligently on your skills. I think you will find that this attention to detail will carry over into EVERY area of your life!
Hope you enjoyed this today!
All the Best!
COACH
I wanted to share with you the idea of Timing and Technique. My hope with all of these blogs, is not only to help your Martial Arts practice, but to help you connect the dots of how these ideas will help you in you personal life, as well.
I have found through my own practice, and the coaching of others, that when our skills fail we can ususally track its failure to either our Timing or our Technique. Let me use Jiu Jitsu for example. The reason it is so hard to be a white belt is that the skills we are learning rarely work for us in a match. We learn armbar and triangle and we try relentlessly to make our partner tap. Class after class we never seem to be able to get it right. So the question is...how do I know why I can't tap my parnter? It's either in your Timing or in your Technique. The reason you should spend hours DRILLING your basics is to constantly fine tune your Technique. I think it's safe to say that if you miss one detail in your submission attempt, the guy won't tap. Have you ever heard my "Bake the Cake" analogy? To bake a cake you need to FOLLOW THE RECIPE. If you miss one ingredient, just one, the cake is terrible. In that same way, if you miss one detail in the pursuit of your triangle...no Tap for you! :) So my first encouragement is to fine tune ALL your basics. Whether it is your boxing, wrestling, or Jiu Jitsu. Constanlty sharpen the smallest of details.
Now what if you know the technique perfect....you know how to execute all the nuances of your triangle, but yet you STILL can't tap the guy? It's your timing. You don't have the ability to set him up or trick him. Or maybe you don't see the opportunity to hit your trianlge at JUST the right time. This is why being a white belt is so hard. It takes forever to just KNOW the skills. Then it takes another forever to be able to actually tap people. Don't be discouraged....it's hard to tap people regularly until you get above the Blue Belt level. At that point you have been working your skills for a year or more and can spend more time on your "game" : your abiltiy to apply the basics you know.
So, when you are having trouble with a skill, ask your self---is my technique bad, or my timing...or both :) From there you know what questions to ask your instructor and how to practice for the next month or so. Remember from my previous blog...work on one skill at a time! If you do, you can really take a look at why your moves are working or not. You can create an ACTION plan to get good instead of trying to just get lucky.
So take your Sniper Rifle out Team and work diligently on your skills. I think you will find that this attention to detail will carry over into EVERY area of your life!
Hope you enjoyed this today!
All the Best!
COACH
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
How You Do One Thing...is How You'll Do Everything
Greetings Team,
I first heard/read this old Zen phrase a while back. If my memory serves me, I first heard it from my good friend Sensei Joe Hurtsellers that runs 2 incredible dojo's in Toledo. It wasn't long after being introduced to this phrase that I absolutely fell in love with it. My hope today is to share how impactful an idea it truly is, and how it can help your martial arts training and your life.
I often use the Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde metahpor when I talk about the personality of my new students. What I mean is, more times than not, my new students are one personality in the gym...but an entirely different one when they're not on the mats. Usually the personality on the mats is driven, focused, and consumed with being a success. Unfortunately, early on, that personality does not translate well into their personal lives. Maybe they drink too much on the weekend, or aren't a success in businees. Or maybe they aren't a great Dad/Mom/or Spouse. Over time, one of those personalities will get crushed by the other. In my experience, the longer someone trains on the mats, the driven personality wins. Those students learn to be succesful...not just successful at times, or in certain areas...just successful.
So I would like to encourage you to think about that Zen phrase..."How you do one thing is how you'll do everything." I think it's a safe assumption that the "one thing" can be good or bad. It is therefore up to you to make those one things positive. You may have heard the phrase how you train is how you'll fight. See what I mean? If you train to constantly get better, not to "win" that day on the mat, your skills constantly improve. Soon enough you are quite proficient with your skills. When you hit the bags, or spar and you are completely focused on the task at hand, you constanlty reinforce the mental side of your training. When your brain and body are in tune, those skills will come out if you need them....in the cage or on the street.
So over the next week, take a look at your training and your life and see if this phrase can shed some light for you. Can how you keep on your toes in top guard help your side control? Can how you slip a jab help you land one? Can doing that extra push-up or round on the bag help you to not be a quitter when your back is put up against the wall? Only you know the answer...but I'm pretty sure I know what you'll say. ;)
Hope you found some benefit in this today!
All the Best!
COACH
I first heard/read this old Zen phrase a while back. If my memory serves me, I first heard it from my good friend Sensei Joe Hurtsellers that runs 2 incredible dojo's in Toledo. It wasn't long after being introduced to this phrase that I absolutely fell in love with it. My hope today is to share how impactful an idea it truly is, and how it can help your martial arts training and your life.
I often use the Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde metahpor when I talk about the personality of my new students. What I mean is, more times than not, my new students are one personality in the gym...but an entirely different one when they're not on the mats. Usually the personality on the mats is driven, focused, and consumed with being a success. Unfortunately, early on, that personality does not translate well into their personal lives. Maybe they drink too much on the weekend, or aren't a success in businees. Or maybe they aren't a great Dad/Mom/or Spouse. Over time, one of those personalities will get crushed by the other. In my experience, the longer someone trains on the mats, the driven personality wins. Those students learn to be succesful...not just successful at times, or in certain areas...just successful.
So I would like to encourage you to think about that Zen phrase..."How you do one thing is how you'll do everything." I think it's a safe assumption that the "one thing" can be good or bad. It is therefore up to you to make those one things positive. You may have heard the phrase how you train is how you'll fight. See what I mean? If you train to constantly get better, not to "win" that day on the mat, your skills constantly improve. Soon enough you are quite proficient with your skills. When you hit the bags, or spar and you are completely focused on the task at hand, you constanlty reinforce the mental side of your training. When your brain and body are in tune, those skills will come out if you need them....in the cage or on the street.
So over the next week, take a look at your training and your life and see if this phrase can shed some light for you. Can how you keep on your toes in top guard help your side control? Can how you slip a jab help you land one? Can doing that extra push-up or round on the bag help you to not be a quitter when your back is put up against the wall? Only you know the answer...but I'm pretty sure I know what you'll say. ;)
Hope you found some benefit in this today!
All the Best!
COACH
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