11 Mar 2010

MMA, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Steve Spencer

    • Two Utah Throwdown fights make season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter

    As we head into season 11 of The Ultimate Fight (Hole crap!  Has it really been running that long?!) there is some excitement for the Utah crowd in particular.  Two of the fighters chosen for this season come out of the Throwdown ETC gym out of Orem Utah.

    I’ve been down to watch some of the shows put on by Throwdown, and have been really impressed not only with the quality of shows they’re running, but with the caliber of the fighters.  There is really some top notch talent down there (I can’t wait to see Siler make it into a season of TUF… I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.)

    The fighters from Throwdown to make it on this season are:

    Court McGee


    Age: 24
    Record: 9-1

    Court is one hell of a fighter, that has made his way through a challenging life, and become a champion over difficulties inside and outside of the ring.  Court’s only loss is to to Jeremy Horn (a legendary UFC fighter himself.) In facing some of his challenges in life, this former plumber was once pronounced dead following a heroin overdose.

    Having overcome that challenge, and now on the right track, Court is coming off two straight wins, the most recent being when he defeated World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Isidro Gonzalez in 2008. McGee also holds a 2007 submission victory over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 runner-up DaMarques Johnson.

    Jordan Smith


    Age: 24
    Record: 10-0

    A hell of a slugger, the seventh-grade science teacher, Jordan Smith comes into the season with a stellar 10 and 0 record.  I sat cage side not long ago, and watched Jordan and “Braveheart” slug each other into near senselessness.  Jordan has huge power, and a great chin.  Additionally it appears hat Jordan has improved his ground game as well, with a first-round submission over International Fight League veteran Bristol Marundeby by triangle choke in November.


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    8 Mar 2010

    MMA, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Steve Spencer

    • Miguel Torres WEC 47: What a cut

    Miguel Torres, who only a short year ago was being discussed by many as a possible inclusion in the “Pound for Pond best fighter” lists, has fallen on some harder times recently.  In WEC 47 Torres suffered a back to back loss for the first time in his career.  What’s more, he has been forced to conclude that his likelihood for inclusion in “Next Top Model” is severely impacted by a nasty cut (pictures below):


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    1 Mar 2010

    Grappling, Judo, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Utah Martial Arts Feeds

    • Great Jiujitsu Seminar at Hidden Valley

    This Article comes from Utah Judo
    To see the full original article click here

    Weekend before last, my son, Ty (15, tell and skinny) competed in his first Jiu Jitsu tournament.

    He really, really got into it.  Particularly the no-gi portion.

    As a follow up to that, we had a really great seminar this weekend with several other schools.  We do Judo and Jiu Jitsu at our school.  We had another Jiu Jitsu school join us (thanks Robert Scoca!), as well as some Hapkido guys (great to see you Ty!)  We even had a guy who teaches catch wrestling (sorry, I forgot the name… but I definitely want to learn more about it.)  It was a great experience to train with other people, of other styles, and from other schools.  I can’t wait for more combined seminars in the future.

    One of the things that really stood out to me were some of the differences.  I have often noticed that in any class, if you have more than one instructor, you will start to see some stylistic differences.  You might even have one correcting what another just showed you to to.  It’s just the nature of martial arts I think.

    Whenever you work with new people there will be certain things you nod your head and think, “ya… just like I do it now,”  some things that you may find yourself internally disagreeing with, and some things that make you say, “Holy crap!  That’s cool!”  Just go into it expecting that, and don’t get too hung up on any discrepancies.  Realize that every one’s style is a little different, and respect all of the people who are working to share their knowledge and experience.

    Thanks to all who contributed to make this seminar possible.  It was really great.

    To comment on this post, please visit the original article click here


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    1 Mar 2010

    Grappling, Judo, Karate, Kenpo, MMA, Martial Arts, jujitsu

  • Posted by Steve Spencer

    • Reno MMA, Karate, and Martial Arts at the Lions Den

    I spent all of last week in Reno, Nevada on business.  One of the things I was really looking forward to on this trip was a chance to meet, and train with a living legend: Ken Shamrock.

    I spent 3 hours at the Lion’s Den in Reno Tuesday night.  The first things that I noticed wit the gym were that it’s very clean, well lit, and comfortable.  There are adults and kids there, and it’s an open, welcoming atmosphere.  I know that a lot of MMA training centers, and even just fitness facilities in general, can create an atmosphere where you feel a little out of place when you walk in.  Almost like you’re intruding on some one’s private club.  Not so here.  The workers were very friendly, and made sure I felt welcome and knew what classes were being taught.

    That leads me to my next impression.  The breadth of opportunities of things to learn was really impressive compared to most places.  Not only did I get the chance to train some grappling with one of the best on the planet (more on that in a minute), but there were classes on Kenpo Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Boxing, MMA, and even Judo.

    My first class of the night was “Leg Locks and Grappling” taught by Ken Shamrock.  Okay, so I think it’s important here to cut through the hype, and tell you what I was afraid of, and what I really found:  I have never met Ken before this experience.  I ahve seen him on The Ultimate Fighter.  I have watched him fight in the cage for years.  But what would he really be like?  Let’s don’t kid ourselves, the UFC generally does a pretty good job of using The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) to paint one person as the “good guy”, and the other as the “bad guy”.  Sometimes it is almost like reading a comic book.  In the season with Ken, they painted him pretty poorly.

    So what would I find?  Would he be difficult to deal with?  Would he be too intense for non-professionals, screaming at me to not be such a “girly man?”  I wasn’t sure.  But I was curious to find out.

    What I found was really neat.  I have never done leg locks before, so my technique was really terrible.  But Ken came around, and was very kind, very patient.  He had me move aside for a moment, and showed me how to do the move.  Not only did Ken show a level of skill that anyone who needs to improve their game could benefit from, but a level of patience and caring that would make me open to sending my kids to his classes.  I was very impressed, and pleasantly surprised.

    After my Grappling class, I watched the boxing class for a bit before starting my Kenpo.

    Some of the guys were preparing for some upcoming fights, so they were working in the cage on a combination of boxing and takedowns.  Ken was watching from outside the cage, calling in advice and encouragement.

    Watching Ken was another opportunity to really see what made this guy tick.  He was so patient, and eager to help.  As the fighters would move in the cage, Ken would subconsciously move as well; he feet moving, his body twisting slightly in empathy for what the fighters should be doing.  It reminded me of the scene in The Incredibles, when Hellen is feeding the baby, and moving her mouth as well.  It showed how intently Ken was thinking about, and wanting to help this guys.

    I finished of the night with a bit of Kenpo, and some no-Gi Judo.  By that point I was pretty much ready to crash.

    Can’t wait for my next trip out to Reno, and the Lion’s Den though.  Thanks Ken, and crew (especially you Heather!) for lettign me come train with you!


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    25 Feb 2010

    Grappling, MMA, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Utah Martial Arts Feeds

    • Karate Advice to Advance your MMA

    This Article comes from SLC MMA
    To see the full original article click here

    karate in mma

    Try to see yourself as you truly are and try to adopt what is meritorious in the work of others. As a [martial artist] you will of course often watch others practice. When you do and you see strong points in the performance of others, try to incorporate them into your own technique. At the same time, if the trainee you are watching seems to be doing less than his best, ask yourself whether you too may not be failing [in that same area]. Each of us has good qualities and bad; the wise man seeks to emulate the good he precieves in others and avoid the bad.

    - Gichin Funakoshi, founder of Shotokan Karate,

    There is a lot of wisdom in this quote. One part in particular has been enlightening  for me – when you see a fighter make a mistake it is easy to criticize instead of checking yourself to see if you too have the same malady.  I’ve been told that the faults we possess are easy to see when they are exhibited in others, but elusive in ourselves.

    Know yourself. See what is being proven effective. Evolve.

    To comment on this post, please visit the original article click here


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    23 Feb 2010

    Karate, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Steve Spencer

    • Dugway Proving Grounds looking for new Martial Arts Instructor

    Hi all,

    I was asked to help put out the word that Dugway Proving Grounds is looking for a new Martial Arts instructor to work with the Dugway Community.

    I know that in the past this has been a Karate class.  I don’t know for sure if they are open to teaching other styles than Karate, but I would assume so.  If you are interested, and live out that way, please contact me and I will pass you information along.


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    19 Feb 2010

    Grappling, MMA, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Utah Martial Arts Feeds

    • SLCMMA is now on Twitter

    This Article comes from SLC MMA
    To see the full original article click here

    For those who tweet, SLCMMA is there.  Hiding like a ninja.

    To comment on this post, please visit the original article click here


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    19 Feb 2010

    Grappling, MMA, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Utah Martial Arts Feeds

    • Survey: What would you like to read about?

    This Article comes from SLC MMA
    To see the full original article click here

    (Image courtesy of icantcu )

    I’ve published over 150 posts here at SLCMMA, and I appreciate you reading some of them.  You’ve brought traffic to my blog, maybe even clicked on my adsense ads to help me out – now I want to do something for you.

    Tell me what you’d like to see – more pictures, videos, interviews … request away. As my blog grows, I want to give you what you want. So tell me what that is!

    For example, in my personal life, I’ve had a number of requests to write something about flexibility, so I’m putting together a free Ebook that will be available later this year.  It’s a pretty big project for me, but since I know it will be appreciated I’m going to do it.

    Of course, I may know nothing about what you want to know. In that case, what a cool opportunity for me to learn it, right?

    In the comments, request something you’d like me to write about, and I’ll do my best to cover it in the future.

    To comment on this post, please visit the original article click here


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    11 Feb 2010

    Krav Maga, Martial Arts

  • Posted by Paul Evans

    • krav maga gun seminar

    The Krav Maga Gun Seminar was a huge hit. we had over 100 people attend. The seminar was 8 hours long. everyone did well.

    Salt Lake City Feb 2010 Evans MA version


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    10 Feb 2010

    Grappling, Judo, Karate, MMA, Martial Arts, Muay Thai, jujitsu

  • Posted by Steve Spencer

    • Judo in MMA Thought of the day: The Cage

    Judo ThrowAs many of you probably already know, I train in, and really enjoy Judo.  I am also a true lover of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA.)

    When it comes to MMA, it really is all about “what works.”  To hell wit the right way, or what a style is based on.  You gotta do what it takes to walk out of that cage the winner.  This is why we have seen so many styles start to really “blend” into a style that is MMA, all its own.

    Today, I would say that a good MMA fighter is either a good boxer and/or a good Muay Thai fighter (some might point to Lyoto Machida and throw Karate in here, but I think that one example does not make a pattern.)  Additionally, they have to be good at Jiu Jitsu or eventually they will be tapping.

    Now, we have seen a lot of MMA fighters then add wrestling to the mix.  I think that’s a good idea.  Wrestling is explosive and powerful.  It’s a great way to get someone to the ground.

    But Judo has had a bit more of a challenge in the sport.  Don’t get me wrong, there are great examples of strong Judo players in the game, including Karo, and even Fedor.  But take a look at Karo’s last several fights.  You really don’t see any Judo throws in there… just a lot of double-leg shots, just like everybody else.

    I had to do some soul searching on this one… Is Judo really just not up to it?  That led me to a couple of thoughts:

    1- The Cage.

    I think that the cage itself is a real inhibitor to the ability for Judo to function well.  If someone can just lean back against the cage, and spread their legs, then many of the throws that make Judo so strong are artificially crippled by the stability that the cage gives a person.  “So what?” you might say.  Well, this may be less relevant if you only intend to fight in a cage, but it does make me feel a bit better as far as Judo’s ability to be useful outside the cage in a self defense situation.

    2- One trick Pony.

    Even if the double leg is more effective in a cage 9 times out of 10, if it’s all you’ve got you better either be Olympic caliber, and have cardio that never stops, or you are going to get shut down.  I can’t believe how many MMA fights I watch where a guy shoots for a double leg… then again, and again, and again.  Not only is it ineffective, but you’re setting yourself up for a D’Arce, Gator roll into an Anaconda, a Guillotine, or any number of other nasty submissions.

    Work your wrestling.  Nail that double leg… get awesome at it.  But dangit, get some other arrows in your quiver.  There are few this as satisfying as sprawling when someone shoots, then grabbing the guy and suplexing him.  Ashi waza, or foot technique is when you see two guys locked up, and one of them seemingly just taps the other guy’s foot… but it’s enough.  Down they go.  It’s this ability to take the game where you want it in a variety of ways, to always keep the person guessing, and to play your own game your own way that Judo can help fill in.

    Anyway… my two cents worth for today :)


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