Comments for Valhalla Academy

Comment on Claustrophobia and Panic in Grappling by Israel

Israel — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:55:36 +0000

I think people train the way they feel sueopirr, you should want to train where you feel at a disadvantage.Being a bigger guy I like no gi because I feel I can move faster and escape more often.When in a gi I find myself struggling with guys much smaller than me.Therefore I try to get a equal balance of both.

Comment on Bridging the Gap by Rosane

Rosane — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:25:51 +0000

MMA is just that. It is a mixture of miaratl arts being taught to help you win a contest. Which combination of arts is dependent upon the gym in which you practice. Some mma gyms allow you to choose between several of the arts that they teach the ones that you want to train in. In most places you will not learn the art itself, but you will learn a limited amount of techniques from those arts. How good of a fight you become is determined by how well you practice, your ability to perform what you have been taught and how good you coach is at teaching and coaching. Everyone that trains in mma will not be good fighters just like everyone that joins a basketball team will not be good basketball players. Most mma places do not teach jujitsu. They teach jiu jitsu. There is a difference.Everyone chooses their art based upon their own goals, reasons and or recommendations. We don’t know you goals. If you are looking for self defense I would recommend that you find a good traditional miaratl art. If your goal is to one day fight in the UFC then find a good mma gym.Our dojo is a traditional school. There is the guy that now trains with us that is a mma fighter. He is from out of town. He had been search for a good mma place to train but was having much luck. Someone told him about us. He has a background in traditional arts too(wing chung). He is a muay thai and jui jitsu guy as well. My sensei more than twice his age agreed to roll with him a little. My sensei would counter and instruct him throughout them rolling. He enjoyed his workout. He asked if he could continue to come and train and roll with us. It was explained that we are not mma, we are traditional but he was welcome to train and learn. He has been coming every since. We also introduced him to others that are good in mma. This guy was going to do a self defense seminar Friday that just passed. He asked me to help him practice and to give him some ideas on what to cover for his seminar. This guy is a fighter. I had to remind him often that he was teaching beginners. Do not teach them to use brute force or to fight. Many will not have the capacity to fight right now. Teach them to defend themselves well enough to get away. Teach them to escape. Keep it simple. Many of the techniques he wanted to do involved a hard strike or 2. I again had to remind him that some of the men and women in the seminar aren’t string enough or skilled enough to strike someone hard enough to stop them. Teach then how to escape, counter, run away, avoid, and to be aware of the surroundings. Teach them to make a lot of noise to get the attention of others so that someone would call the police to get them some help.This guy is a good fighter. He has a lot of knowledge. He was a drill sergeant in the marines. He is good at combat or mma, but not as good at teaching self defense applications to the general public. I also had to tell him to assume that everyone that comes is a beginner or novice even if they have had some training before. You don’t know what they have been taught or what they have retained. Teach them the basics and build from there. In tradition miaratl arts we don’t teach you to fight. Anyone can fight and trade strikes. But we teach you to end the threat quickly while limiting you attackers ability to harm you. We do not want to trade strike or kicks. We hit without being hit. I don’t care how good you become you can only block so many punches before you get hit. But if you position yourself correctly you can’t be punched, but you are in a great position to strike or take out your attacker.

Comment on Carlson Gracie Kentucky Intra-Association Tournament by Christine

Christine — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:42:44 +0000

Nice assessment. There are many pryaels out there that pull guard right away (thus the double guard pull) because they dont have a standup game. However, just as limiting is the player that can’t or won’t pull guard under any circumstances because they don’t have a good guard game. I think you need to be comfortable with both strategies depending on the situation, the opponent and your overall strategy at that particular time. If you have the choice of pulling guard or playing standup you have a huge tactical advantage.

Comment on Claustrophobia and Panic in Grappling by Rajan

Rajan — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:26:43 +0000

Leg locks really are the dark side of the Jiu Jitsu force. At my scohol, we only allow straight ankles due to the danger of injury and the prevalence of knee injuries already existing within our BJJ family. We see trouble from scohols that are more leg lock focused due to our inexperience with them. I appreciate the tips. A question I have is regarding the 50/50 position. Often, off of a missed leg lock or in a situation where they are illegal, I find myself and my students getting stuck in that position. I would love to see some ideas for transitioning from that position safely to anywhere else really. It seems to be a boring stalemate position.

Comment on Preventing Leg Lock Attacks by Virgilio Sanchez (Tony)

Virgilio Sanchez (Tony) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:22:13 +0000

Good work Brian helpful info. A heel hook is a leg lock affecting multiple joints, applied transversely twisting the foot either medially or laterally. Just like the toe hold to hold the opponent’s foot. Just like you said the foot is vulnerable on the open guard (foot in the pocket). Very helpfull.

Comment on Preventing Leg Lock Attacks by BrianJones

BrianJones — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:51:01 +0000

Thanks for the comments Sidney. I will do a separate post, and possibly a short video on defending against leg locks once your opponent has secured the leg.

Comment on Preventing Leg Lock Attacks by Sidney L Cline III

Sidney L Cline III — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:34:09 +0000

Leg locks really are the dark side of the Jiu Jitsu force. At my school, we only allow straight ankles due to the danger of injury and the prevalence of knee injuries already existing within our BJJ family. We see trouble from schools that are more leg lock focused due to our inexperience with them. I appreciate the tips. A question I have is regarding the 50/50 position. Often, off of a missed leg lock or in a situation where they are illegal, I find myself and my students getting stuck in that position. I would love to see some ideas for transitioning from that position safely to … anywhere else really. It seems to be a boring stalemate position.

Comment on Ills of the Will: Why Willpower Fails Us by BrianJones

BrianJones — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:49:10 +0000

Thanks Eb!

Comment on Ills of the Will: Why Willpower Fails Us by Eb Kieslich

Eb Kieslich — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:08:59 +0000

Brian and Robert,
Very well written. Wish you all best of luck with your new club.
Eb

Comment on Mutual Welfare and Benefit by libur nasional 2012

libur nasional 2012 — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:06:00 +0000

I really like your writing style, good info, thank you for posting . “Every moment of one’s existence one is growing into more or retreating into less.” by Norman Mailer.