Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in MMA
June 2, 2008 by admin · 6 Comments
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) techniques are utilized in the majority of modern MMA fights. This is because the majority of MMA fights hit the ground and some point or another. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is without a doubt, the ground-fighting system of choice amongst MMA fighters. That’s basically what it is - a complete ground-fighting system. It doesn’t teach striking and the takedowns are fairly weak compared to those of wrestlers and judo players but once an accomplished Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) fighter gets you down, you’re in a whole lot of trouble.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is highly effective at neutralizing size advantages. Royce Gracie best proved this during the early UFC competitions. There he was; this tiny little Brazilian guy, having to fight guys who were much bigger and much stronger than he was. As you may recall, the early UFC competitions weren’t what they are today. There was no weight classes, no gloves and basically no rules.
Even as the fights transpired and the larger opponents were being choked out, most people (myself included), didn’t really understand how it was happening. It took a few UFC tournaments before people started catching on and ever since then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has become one of the most respected martial arts. Mission accomplished for the Gracie family!
The Orgin of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) was originally developed from Judo. A man by the name of Mitsuyo Maeda (a judoka) was sent from Japan to countries around the world to popularize the art by giving demonstrations and accepting challenges from masters of other fighting arts. He eventually made his way to Brazil in 1914 and since then, judo was separated from Jiu-Jitsu in it’s training regime and goals.
Ranking System
The adult ranking system in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) goes from ..
1) white belt
2) blue belt
3) purple belt
4) brown belt
5) black belt
6) black & red belt
7) red belt
It usually takes between 8-10 years for someone to obtain a black belt ranking. Belt promotion is primarily based on ability to perform in competition and against other students of the same ranking.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in modern MMA
MMA has come a long way since those early UFC’s where it was primarily style vs. style and Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu (BJJ) reigned supreme. Nowadays, the MMA fighters are extremely well rounded. If any facet of your game is weak, your opponent will likely try to exploit it. If you’re a good striker but you’re ground game is questionable, your opponent will likely look for the takedown. If you’re not prepared to fight on the ground, you’ll be a “fish out of water” so to speak and will likely get either submitted or pounded on until the fight is stopped.
Chuck Liddell, who is easily the most popular North American MMA fighter and known for his striking ability, has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). MMA fighters have gone from being one-dimensional brawlers to complete, well rounded gladiators and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has played a major role in the transition.
Combat Sambo in MMA
June 2, 2008 by admin · 2 Comments
Sambo is truely one of the most effecient, “straight to the point” fighting styles. The effectiveness of the style is demonstrated time and time again in MMA competition. Fedor Emelianenko; the top ranked mma heavyweight fighter in the world, is an accomplished sambo fighter. Actually, saying Fedor is an accomplished Sambo fighter is like saying Tiger Woods is an accomplished golfer or Michael Jordan was an accomplished basketball player. While it’s true, it’s also an under-statement.
Fedor Emelianenko is the current world combat sambo champion and has been for years. Sometimes his opponents don’t even bother showing up to face him. In MMA competition, he is widely praised for having “no weaknesses”. That says a lot about completeness of the combat sambo fighting style. Standup technique, Judo-like throws and a complete ground game make combat sambo the well rounded fighting style is has become.
Plenty of other MMA fighters have also found success using the combat sambo fighting style. Aleksander Emelianenko (Fedor’s brother) is a very successful heavyweight MMA fighter in his own right. Then there’s former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. Andrei Arlovski captured a world junior combat sambo title and if you’ve watched him fight, you know he’s one of those fighters that can heel hook you into submission just as easily as he can deliver a devistating knockout. Again, simply another testimate to how well rounded the combat sambo fighting style really is. There are also plenty of other fighters that have successfully implemented combat sambo into MMA.
The shared similarity amongst these fighters, aside from their MMA success, is that they all hail from the same region. Just as Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand, Sambo is the national sport of Russia. Sambo, which translated, means “self defence without weapons”, was originally developed in the early-to-mid 1900’s as a self defence system for the soviet armed forces.
There are various different styles of sambo. There are sport versions that disallow strikes and resemble Judo/Wrestling competition. Leg-locks are allowed in sport sambo while chokeholds are not. Then there’s self defence versions. These versions of combat sambo were developed and utilized by the military and include joint locks, grappling techniques, striking and weapons practice (both aggressive and defensive). Combat sambo competition closely resembles MMA competition.
Muay Thai
May 30, 2008 by admin · 8 Comments
The flying knee; one of the arts most devistating techniques
The national sport of Thailand comes from thousands of years of history and culture. Muay Thai is not only about fighting, it is about honor and humility, persistence and dedication. You don’t just hone your fighting skills, you learn to understand your limits, both mentally and physically. Your body will try desperately to convince you to quit, so your mind has to be strong enough to ignore pain and fatigue.Muay Thai comes from an ancient form of fighting, used by the Thais to fight the Burmese during ancient wars, called Muay Boran.
When the wars ended, everybody still loved seeing people get their faces smashed, so large organized fighting events were staged everywhere. After loads of deaths and critical injuries, however, rules and equipment were altered so that fighters wouldn’t leave the arena crippled or dead. Fighters used to use hard-packed banana leaves or tree bark for groin protectors, thick ropes to cover their hands and forearms, and would sometimes cover their wrapped hands in glue and broken glass, until thick gloves and metal groin cups were introduced in the early 1900’s and became mandatory shortly thereafter. Groin hits, headbutts, and biting were banned from use in the sport as well, although they were all legal attacks until the 1930’s. In any case, nobody actually knows the accurate history of Muay Thai up until the early 1900’s. Everything known about Muay Thai before that time is based purely upon hearsay, legends, and poorly recorded texts. Kind of like the bible!
Another side to Muay Thai is the clear and distinct fitness benefits. A Muay Thai class starts with skipping rope for 3-5 minutes, followed by 15-30 minutes of pad hitting, followed by 10-15 minutes of conditioning workouts such as pushups, situps, burpees (a pushup followed by a jump, repeated several times), etc. Typically students cool down on their own. In Thailand, however, all vomit-inducing sessions start with a brisk run of between 3-15km depending on your ability, 5-10 minutes of skipping rope, and then as many rounds of pad hitting as you can handle. Most studies regarding Muay Thai’s fitness benefits estimate that an average person will burn upwards of 800 calories in one one-hour training session. Most sessions in Thailand last an hour and a half, and most fighters train twice a day. It’s their job – train, eat, nap, train, pee a little blood, eat, sleep.
Fighting is, in essence, the main purpose of Muay Thai, but’s not as simple as stepping into a ring and kicking your opponent in the head. It takes loads of practice and dedication. Plus you must learn the traditions of Muay Thai, such as performing the “Wai Kru” which is a sort of ritual dance before you fight to honor your trainer and gym, and get yourself into the right state of mind to get kicked in the leg 30 times. It might look a little ridiculous to people outside the sport, but once you do it you realize you can’t go without it. I’ve had 2 girls leave me for doing the wai kru before having sex with them, but in my defense they were needy and impatient. Just kidding, that never happened. But I digress…once you’re done the wai kru, the ref tells you not to smack each others’ nuts, you go back to your corner, bell rings, and it’s game time.
Now the thing that a lot of people seem to have a tough time wrapping their head around is that fighting in the ring isn’t really like “fighting.” Most people take the first round to figure out their opponent’s weaknesses and strengths, then start building steam in the following rounds. It takes skill and sharp senses to predict your opponent’s next move, and also to keep your opponent guessing as to what you’re about to do. Your mind figures everything out, your body only does what your mind needs it to do. Then again, some fighters (usually first-timers) enter the ring and go balls-out swinging, throwing grenade-like fists and kicks at their opponent. You’d think that works, but really those people get knocked out pretty fast by a sharper, more alert and aware opponent.
If you’re curious about Muay Thai but worried that it’s all about face smashing, leg kicking, and blood peeing, check out a class at a local gym sometime. Fighting sports are rapidly growing in popularity, causing MMA and Muay Thai gyms to pop up like that rash you got that time you slept on your friend’s bed that smelled like sugar crisp and salmon. In the gym I train at, there are about 140 people doing Muay Thai, and only a dozen of us are fighters, which goes to show that the vast majority of people who do Muay Thai do it for the fitness and self-defense aspects of it rather than the fighting. But if you’re interested in fighting, your gym will get you in the ring as soon as you’re ready. Just make sure you’ve cleared up that rash or they won’t let you fight.
As they say in Thailand – Chok dee, yed katoy mai dai! (Good luck, and don’t sleep with ladyboys!) Well…I say that, anyways. Happy training!
By: Cameron Fraser
Originally Published By Star7Mag
