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Jiu-Jitsu Diary Entry 1: Toward a More Cerebral Violence

Despite a shared attention to the application of physical force against limbs and heads, Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu demand entirely different mental and emotional states to be performed well. For all its technical intricacies, Krav Maga is essentially a matter of counteracting unwarranted aggression with an overwhelming aggression of one’s own. When in doubt, simulating a whirlwind will substitute for proper combinations with the fists. Which is another way of saying there are no proper combinations with the fists: any combinations will do.

But in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, an art form based on the subtle manipulation of joints and the cerebral attunement to the intricacies of leverage and its influence on the human body – what a gambler or a pool player might call the “playing of angles” – control and patience and awareness of patterns are valued above all else. Muscling your opponent around might work in the short run, but eventually exhaustion, and craft, will get the better of even the strongest brute. It’s hard to imagine a teacher of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu telling a class to act like a cat that’s struggling to avoid being thrown into a bath, as one Krav instructor recently advised during a demonstration of the best way to free oneself from a bear hug. Flailing and clawing are generally frowned upon in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

This is one of several reasons why so many people find mixed martial arts so unlikable. If haters of cage fighting aren’t busy going on about the amount of blood mixed martial arts fighters seem to spill, they’re attacking the boredom of watching grown men turn each other into pretzels through incremental grappling maneuvers. Detractors say MMA fights are either 1) too violent; 2) not violent enough; or 3) both too violent and not violent enough. Arguing points 1 or 2 are matters of personal taste, but beware the man who feels comfortable arguing point 3. Such a person (and they do exist) is ideologically opposed to the whole idea of mixed martial arts as sport and cannot be convinced otherwise. He wants to shut the whole operation down in the name of preserving civilization. He believes, as former presidential candidate John McCain does, that it is “human cockfighting.” He is not to be trusted in business dealings, political debates, or matters of the human heart.

It’s been said many times that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is like human chess – each movement opening the door to dozens of other movements and counter-movements, and so on, some of those counter-movements as predictable, or rather inevitable, as death. There are simply certain things you have to do when someone is applying a certain kind of pressure to your arm or leg or neck. Years of experimentation, and broken bones, have borne this out.

Take a sequence coaches teach their newest students in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools from Rio to Belem to Austin:

Starting from your back, you wrap your legs around your opponent, locking him “in your guard.” You then isolate one of his wrists, and by way of a series of hip shifts and leg sweeps up and over his shoulders, you move in for an arm bar, whereby you pull his wrist and shoulder down while simultaneously pushing his elbow up, resulting in what one could only call a lingering unpleasantness that, when left to linger too long, leads to what one could only call a broken arm. The smart Jiu-Jitsu player recognizes such a move, however, and slips his vulnerable arm out through his antagonist’s legs. But doing so leaves an opening for the offensive fighter to change position, grab onto the second arm, close his legs around the defender’s neck, and go for a triangle choke, which cuts off the blood flow to the carotid arteries, which is just as bad as it sounds. Sensing this choke coming on as well, fighter number 2 then stands up to relieve pressure on his neck, at which point the first Jiu-Jitsu player swings one of his legs back around the others head and locks in yet another arm bar, this time while hanging upside down from his victim’s head. From an arm bar to a triangle choke and back to an arm bar, all in the span of 10 seconds. I learned that move two weeks ago from one of the Jiu-Jitsu instructors teaching at Fit & Fearless as part of a new affiliation with the Pedro Sauer Jiu-Jitsu Association. I’ve been looking to practice it on friends and strangers ever since.

An eight-degree black belt, Pedro Sauer studied at the feet of Helio Gracie, who developed Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which is the foundation of modern mixed martial arts. No one gets into a cage anymore without knowing how to do the move I just described and dozens more like it. Fighting these days without knowledge of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is like fighting blindfolded and half-drunk.

For those many of us for whom Krav Maga has been our one foray into the world of martial arts, Fit & Fearless is hosting a Jiu-Jitsu seminar with two black belts from the Sauer school on Saturday, January 28. $59 gets you an introduction to this quieter, more deliberate, more temperate approach to causing great bodily harm to your fellow man.

Guest Blogger Miss Carrie!

http://www.txkrav.blogspot.com

How to make a fist…

One of the first questions we often get from a new student is how to make a proper fist. Here's me in my backyard talking about it.

I have no idea why I look so mad in the first frame, or why I'm talking like a robot when my thumb is extended (??).

The book I reference, The Armored Rose by Tobi Beck is out of print, but you can get it used on Amazon. Its the only book I've ever read that discusses the inability of some people to make a fist with a flat top, but its not uncommon to have a student facing that situation. The most common explanation I hear is that the trainee has long fingernails, but I usually look to the bones in the hand for the answer first.

The doctor I talked to about it didn't know if it would damage the hand to hit with a fist made with one or two knuckles sticking up, as if you were frogging someone. If I can get a definitive answer from a hand specialist, I'll post their answer.

As Many As It Takes

Not a day has gone by since Esme Barrera's murder that she hasn't been the subject of a conversation, news or blog update, or Facebook post.

The man who killed Miss Barrera and assaulted at least one other woman New Year's Eve night is still at large. The following Saturday my free monthly women-only self defense class exploded - I walked out into the lobby of FnF after teaching a small intro class to see the lobby filled with over 50 new women. It blew my mind. Several other martial arts schools in Austin are also offering free women's classes, which is wonderful. The more people who train the better.

However...I read the text version of a KXAN news report a couple of days ago that was really cool, right up until the moment that it made my blood run cold.

There is a kung fu school in town offering 2 free months of free self defense classes to women. This is no small thing, as they have to pay an instructor, the light bill etc. The school rep was also giving some good advice and I was very happy reading the story until I read that they teach women you should only ever strike an attacker once and then run away. Grrr...

His larger point, which I agree with, is that it's not appropriate to increase the danger you're already in by standing there trying to beat the guy up if you have the opportunity to escape. This is true. Get the hell out of there and call the cops. It's the reason I run wildly out of class sometimes during a demonstration after I successfully defend against my "attacker".

What I strongly disagree with is the idea that you should assume that one punch will neutralize an attacker. Hey, maybe it will take one punch. That would be awesome. Maybe it will take 3 punches, 2 elbows to the face, and a strike to the groin. Maybe you can start shrieking like a banshee, as one of this fugitive's victims did, and he'll split. What I'm getting at is we have no idea what it will take to neutralize an attacker in some future unforseen attack!

I'm pretty much never the strongest or fastest person on the mat. Sad fact. But I'm certainly willing to keep trying if at first I don't succeed. So if I seriously wanted to harm someone and had the means and opportunity to do so, I really think it would take it would take more than one punch from most people to stop me. I'm not saying they couldn't stop me. Punching me in the face would certainly be a good start. Think how much more true this would be when trying to defend against someone bigger, stronger, and accustomed to violence.

Ultimately, I want to say this:
1) You CAN learn to defend yourself, but you must be willing to do whatever the situation requires, whether that's striking once and running, fighting like a demon, screaming, hiding, etc.
2) Please use your own brain when it comes to people telling you about self defense. If it doesn't sound right, ask for an explanation. It's not rude, just ask nicely. But ASK. And then try it out for yourself.

Look for new blog posts up by Parker! http://www.txkrav.blogspot.com

News Report: Losing Weight, Krav Maga Style

Losing Weight Krav Maga Style: MyFoxLA.com

West LA - Krav Maga is a form of self defense used by Israeli soldiers as well as hundreds of law enforcement agencies in the US... Lauren Sivan uses Krav Maga as well... for an unconventional way to lose weight... she went to the Krav Maga Worldwide in West LA

Check out Lauren's video report in the media player.

Learn more!
Fit and Fearless Krav Maga - Austin
http://www.fitandfearless.com

Krav Maga
http://www.kravmaga.com
11400 West Olympic Blvd. Ste 100 (Olympic & Sawtelle)
310-966-1300

Read more: http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/good_day_la/losing-weight-krav-maga-style-20120104#ixzz1jJLo7yaX

Fearless Fifty

Celebrating a great turnout at January’s free women’s self-defense class and thoughts on how to keep the momentum going.

Sometimes the stars align and all the right elements fall into place. Whatever conspired in the universe to bring together 50 women for this month’s class, I salute it!

There were new faces, Krav Maga regulars, teenagers, hipsters with tattoos, moms, young women and young-at-heart women, and everything in between. The room was full of energy from this very engaged group. They gave it their all, as they learned how to throw elbows, defend bear hugs, and use their voice and fighting stance to stop someone in their tracks. They learned how to carry themselves so as not to be an easy mark. They worked together, encouraged each other, asked questions, and fought their butts off.

Parker and Kersten did a great job plowing through a lot of really helpful information and techniques in such a short amount of time. They brought the intensity and their passion for teaching, and it rubbed off on the students.

Many women were concerned with the recent attacks in Central Austin, and several joined Fit and Fearless after the class. Others vowed to return for February’s class – and bring more friends with them. All this engagement, commitment and energy around this important topic is really inspiring.

But now what? Now that we have gone our separate ways and are back at work or school or home with our kids, living our regular lives, watching the news and hearing how this guy (terrorist, I like to call him) has still not been identified or caught, what do we do?

In my opinion, you should incorporate your new skills and go on living your regular life. Be smart about your safety – don’t walk alone, pay attention to your gut, be aware, lock your car/house doors, etc. But live your life.

Fortunately, if anything "good" can be said to come of this profound tragedy, Esme Barrera’s murder has heightened awareness of the need for women to know how to defend themselves. Unfortunately, the need exists. It exists not because we live in a terrible, scary world, but because as long as there have been people on this planet, there has been brutality between them. And sadly, the subject of this most recent manhunt is not the only violent person out there. There are others, and there will be a next time.

But you need to live your life. I believe that smart, prepared people can mitigate the dangers in life. Your new self-defense skills are tools in your personal safety toolkit. So is your awareness and your common sense.

So be safe and smart, go live your life, and come back for more training. We’ll see you in February!

New Blog Post by Parker

Check out the new entry, "Make a Change" on Parker's Blog! If there's anything you'd like to change in your life, here's one of the keys...http://www.txkrav.blogspot.com

Darren Levine, 6th degree Krav Maga black belt is in HOUSTON for one weekend ONLY!

After 15 years, Krav Maga Founder’s Diploma Holder and US Chief Instructor Darren Levine is Back in HOUSTON for One Weekend ONLY!

If you love Krav Maga as much as I do OR have always wanted to try it - NOW is your time.

Darren Levine, a 6th degree KRAV MAGA black belt and Founder’s Diploma holder will be in Houston JANUARY 21st and 22nd - one weekend only - to teach three AWESOME seminars with Krav Maga Houston’s founder and 3rd Degree Krav Maga Black Belt candidate CJ Kirk.

Try one, two, or all three seminars!


Topics include:

Third Party Handgun Defenses: Learn to intervene when loved ones are held at gunpoint - just like the Secret Service and Federal Air Marshalls!

Knife Attacks: Learn how to defend edged weapons attacks and understand the nature of those attacks to save yourself in life and death situations!

Car Jacking: Learn how to defend against car jacking attempts with attackers both inside and outside your vehicle - a must-learn skill for people with children!

Self defense capabilities are CRTITCAL LIFE SKILLS - build your skills with Darren and CJ in January.

Register Now!

AMAZING OFFER #1: The first 50 to register will receive a special OFFER - attend as many of these seminars as you want for $99/per session.

Want more?

AMAZING OFFER #2: Register this week for all three seminars and get each seminar for $89/per session.

Want more?

AMAZING OFFER #3: Finance all three seminars for up to 90 days - that’s just $89/month for three months and you can attend all three seminars with Darren!

Want more still?

AMAZING OFFER #4: Register this week for all three seminars and pay-in-full to get an additional 10% off the total price - $80/session.

That’s four hours of training with Darren Levine, CJ Kirk and several other Krav Maga Black Belt instructors covering three AWESOME topics for $20/hour. YOU just can’t beat that!

MIND BLOWING OFFER: Krav Maga Houston and Krav Maga North Houston students that take advantage of AMAZING OFFER #4 also receive a FREE pass to attend any TEST REVIEW they choose in preparing for a KMH or KMNH Krav Maga test in 2012!

That’s right… Each of Darren’s seminars often cost $299/per session and higher. And YOU can get all three seminars and a FREE test review for $80/session - That’s a $950 value and a savings of $710 for YOU.

How can we do this?

It’s vitally important that the Houston and the Spring/Woodlands schools have a great turn out, so we are offering YOU and opportunity to have a world-class, top-shelf Krav Maga training experience without the heavy cost.

You help us by simply showing up and loving the seminars!

ACT NOW! Call 713-526-2500 or email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to save your spot. Once the offer is gone… it’s gone...

Barebones Self-Defense: Be Difficult

Make your attacker’s job frustratingly, exceedingly and most of all, painfully, difficult.

This blog post is geared toward the person who knows nothing of self-defense. Who has never learned the right way to throw a punch or kick, or any techniques for that matter. This is what I would, and do, tell my mother.

In a perfect world, you have your head on a swivel at all times. You walk with purpose and carry yourself with confidence, making eye contact with people. You pay attention to your gut and avoid situations that make you feel uneasy. And you avert danger by using common sense (having someone walk you to your car at night, etc.).

However, we don’t live in a perfect world and sometimes bad things happen – to very good people. This week in Austin, a remarkable young woman was murdered in her home. The same creep is believed to have attacked two other women that same evening. Luckily, the attacker ran away from the first one when she began screaming.

If you find yourself in this situation—someone grabbing you, pinning you to the ground, standing over your bed in the middle of the night—I want you to fight like an animal. Do not go down easy, and never, ever, ever give up.

I want you to be the squirmiest, loudest, bitey-est, spitty-est, eye-gouging-est, wiggliest, kickiest, punchiest, groin-grabbing-est, elbow-throwing-est, most generally annoying and difficult “victim” you can be. In the words of a friend, I want you to “make him forget why he wanted to grab you.”

The truth is you can make someone pretty miserable with some simple acts:

- Go for the groin: Standard advice for a reason – it works. I know from vast personal experience that it doesn’t take much – AT ALL – to really hurt a guy with a groin strike.
- SHOVE your fingers in their eyes. It’s gross to think about, but in a life and death situation you get over your aversion to squishy body parts real fast. If you have access to a simple weapon (pen, screwdriver, etc.), use it.
- Be hard to pin down. Wiggle. Move. Squirm. Kick. Knee and punch if you can. Wear them out trying to control you.
- Use your voice. If you have time and it’s not “on” yet, tell them “NO” or “back away” or “get away from me” loudly and forcefully. If you are involved in a struggle, scream.

In Krav Maga, we like to say that once you are attacked you are NOT a victim; you are now the attacker who is going to attack the aggressor until he is no longer a threat. Focus on this. Be fierce and difficult, and make them absolutely miserable. And never, ever, ever give up or quit.

At Fit and Fearless we offer a women-only self defense class FREE to any female over 12 the first Saturday of every month. The January women-only class is ON for January 7 at 11:30 and is taught by a female instructor. This month we're working on boundary setting (courtesy of Kelly Campbell) and thanks to the current series of attacks in West Austin, bearhug from behind.

Be safe, everyone. See you in class!

Jiu-Jitsu Seminar

Fit and Fearless is hosting a Jiu-Jitsu Seminar with Pedro Sauer Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belts, John Hosford and Mike Horihan.

This seminar is a kick off to our new affiliation with Pedro Sauer Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association.

An affiliation with Pedro Sauer Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association provides our Academy and Members with a direct link to the source of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Master Sauer is one of a handful of Master Level instructors trained by Grand Master Helio Gracie, the pioneer who developed Gracie Jiu-Jitsu from Japanese Judo and Jiu-Jitsu.

Master Sauer is considered to be one of the most knowledgeable and technical instructors in the U.S. and prides himself on teaching the art as it was taught to him, as a self defense system first and foremost. These principles make Pedro Sauer Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Association a perfect fit for Fit and Fearless, its members, and staff.

We're happy to welcome two of his black belts, John Hosford and Mike Horihan to the Fit and Fearless Studio so they can share all of their knowledge with our members.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Saturday, January 28 from 10 AM to 1 PM

Fit and Fearless, 118 Alpine Rd, Austin, Texas 78704

12 Days of Christmas Sweepstakes Winner is Announced

Congratulations to Andrew Munoz, winner of our 12 days of Christmas online sweepstakes!

Andrew won a three-month, all access pass to Austin Fit Magazine’s Best Martial Arts Studio, Fit and Fearless, or CrossFit training at CrossFit and Fearless.

Thanks to all who entered! Hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

A Look into Krav Maga Instructor Training

by Brandon Phillips

This past weekend was big for everyone in the Instructor Training program here at Fit and Fearless. Between classes and in house instructor training, a lot of us were ready for our 200+ hours of work and training to finally pay off. We all knew we were in for a rough three days, and John Whitman of Krav Maga Alliance certainly did not disappoint.

After only being in the building for a matter of minutes, we were put through a nice intense warm up. After loosening up, however, we were then all thrown into “The Cauldron,” which is John Whitman’s term for three hours of hell. After enduring the non-stop rounds of combinations and sprawls, we were ready to get started. This truly set the tone for the entire weekend.

Throughout the weekend we were all tested physically and mentally. John Whitman did an amazing job of fitting so much information into such a quick crash course style program. He kept us all interested through his captivating teaching style. The best way to put it is, when John was speaking you were listening. John did a great job of explaining things once in one way, and then again in a completely different way to ensure that everyone fully understood the material. He explained certain techniques and tactics in ways that none of us had heard before, causing them to resonate and stick with us in our quest to becoming instructors. Needless to say, we all learned a lot in such a short amount of time. We learned a lot about ourselves, about each other, and ultimately about Krav Maga. It was a great weekend with a lot of great people, and I think I speak for everyone when I say it was worth every drop of blood and sweat that we expelled that weekend.

“The best training I have been through since starting Krav Maga. John Whitman's instruction was precise clear and enjoyable. The physical portion of the class was exhilarating. I feel that after attending John’s class, I will be a much better student and now instructor! Looking forward to the next phase!” –Jonathan Ede

“John Whitman displayed a knowledge of Krav Maga and held movement standards that challenged me to better myself. Between the help I received going into training from Wayne, Jeff, and Kersten and John Whitman's incredible instruction, I couldn't have asked for a better training opportunity.” –Jeremy Ross

“John Whitman's training took me to the next level of deep understanding of Krav Maga. The information he delivered was just right to get me thinking like an instructor.” –Joe Graef

Mean Girls

New blog post by Miss Parker! You may not have known this was going on in Austin, but...

Fit to Fight Diary Pt. 4: Graduation Day

At my college graduation ceremony in 1998, the keynote speaker, Oprah Winfrey, shared anecdotes from her childhood as a way of illustrating the value of maintaining a sense of spiritual wonder in the face of emotional tribulation. 13 years later, at my Fit to Fight series “graduation ceremony,” the instructor, Conor Brantley, kicked and punched me and my classmates repeatedly in the face as a way of illustrating the value of not getting kicked and punched repeatedly in the face. I take this as a demonstration of just how far a man can stray from the straight and narrow path in only 13 years.

Now that Fit & Fearless’ inaugural Fit to Fight series is over, the question is: What’s changed? How much did I learn? Where do I stand after two months of really fighting, of putting together combinations and learning how to move my feet and my head and what to do when someone is shooting in on me and how best to not get punched when locked in a Thai clinch and how best to punch someone else when locked in a Thai clinch and how far to roll my shoulder to best slip a punch yet still be ready to punch back and when exactly to counterpunch off an opponent’s kick to catch them most unawares and what exactly to say about an opponent’s mother to most effectively goad that opponent into making some mistake he or she will regret for years to come?

The answer is, I’m not entirely sure. I know I’ve gotten better. I know I’m less afraid of getting hit than I was two months ago. I know I’m better at putting together combinations that don’t look like something a 5-year-old might summon in the throes of a revenge-fueled attack on an older brother. I also know that while at a wedding ceremony last weekend the thought crossed my mind that I could probably beat up anyone in the room. (A thought I’m sure my mother would be delighted had come into her only son’s head.) Beyond that, though, I have no concrete way of gauging my improvement.

Thankfully, Conor was sweet enough to videotape last Wednesday’s teacher-on-student sparring session so we each would have a visual reminder of what our most erroneous instinctual tendencies are and be able to relive in real time the consequences of those tendencies. And in the spirit of that kind of open quest for knowledge, dear reader, I am now going to ignore my pride and my natural, inborn, deep-seated need for privacy and allow you to view the video footage of my sparring session with Conor. You’ll be able to see just how well or how poorly I jab and move and slip and counter and get my hip into my roundkicks and get my shin into Conor’s roundkicks and land a punch and take a punch and generally how I stand up in the face of the kind of pressure and pain I wisely spent the first 34 years of my life avoiding. By offering you this video, hopefully I can impart some of the wisdom I acquired by way of other people’s fists and ankles so that you can avoid some of pitfalls I’ve encountered, while making the inevitable journey toward your own.

Comments are welcome, but please remember that I’m still new at this, that Conor has fought professionally, and that I come from a long line of cowards that stretches back to Brooklyn to Ellis Island to Minsk to ancient Babylonia, all the way to the Garden of Eden. So be kind.

Now, let’s do this quickly before I change my mind.

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