Judo Techniques - The Results After Improving the Fat to Muscles Ratio

As somebody who has struggled for thirty years coping with a scale, even while improving my judo techniques, you have no idea how great it was to find something, that totally changed my life. Something, that not only allowed me to shape my body properly, in order to always become better in my judo activities, but also to find the right balance between mind, body and spirit. It sounds like a big secret, but is simply learning how to use food in order to improve the fat/muscles ratio in the body. As simple as drinking a glass of water.

In a very short time by changing my nutrition habits, the biggest change that occurred was following: from a night owl I became a morning lark! Since I was born the night has always inspired me, while the morning has always been a nightmare. Now after only a few weeks, something that was the same for more than forty years suddenly changed: I am an early riser now, I sleep less hours, but deeper and start the day full of energy.

Besides feeling better, being more focused and laughing a lot more, the greatest satisfaction concerns my judo activity: I became a Master World and European Champion. I do not only participate every year at these major Championships, but for fun I also enter International Tournaments in order to compete with the 20-30 year old and most of the times I win, more than when I was their age. You might say it is because of the greater judo experience, I say it is because through a balanced nutrition plan I gained from 40% up to 60% more energy.

Last but not least, at the beginning when I started following the new nutrition plan I lost some weight and was able to reach my lowest weight ever after I became a teenager: 57kg (125 pounds). Now I am at 63kg (139 pounds), but the proportions between fat and muscles have totally changed: I only weigh 3kg (6 pounds) less than when I used to enter the 66kg (145 pounds) at age twenty, but my pants shrank about 3 sizes! Not bad?

My judo techniques have dramatically improved and I must say, that it really becomes a pleasure to understand and feel how great it is to reach the maximum result with the minimum effort, which is what judo is all about.

     By Aida Guemati

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4163643

Mitsuyo Kosei Maeda, Judo Techniques and MMA

Mitsuyo Kosei Maeda, who was born in 1878, became a member of Kodokan Judo in 1896, as former jujitsu scholar. Having superior skills and performing outstanding judo techniques within very shortly he became one of the best students there.

Sensei Kano, who was promoting judo around the world and interested to gather approval from the Westerners in order to have it added to the Olympic program, in 1906 sent two of his students to the East Coast in the States: one was Tomita, his first student and veteran of the Police Tournament of 1886 and the other was Kosei Maeda, quite younger and in shape in order to face eventual challenges.

As most of the judo players of his time, also Maeda was faced with a mixed martial arts challenge almost immediately after his arrival in the States. At the Military Academy of West point he faced a strong American football player, who charged him right away and pinned him to the ground while between his legs. The victory was assigned to the American, however Maeda, who did not consider the pin valid, as per the jujitsu and Kodokan rules at that time, continued and went for an arm lock. The football player surrendered.

Because of the different opinions on the matter, it was decided to repeat the fight, but this time against Tomita, as he was the oldest, had a higher judo rank and was considered stronger. The football player charged again and won right away humiliating Tomita by defeating him immediately. After this embarrassing episode the two Japanese separated: Maeda remained on the East coast, while Tomita went to the West coast.

Maeda was in the States in order to promote Kodokan Judo, but did not have enough money to make a living, so he continued his "mixed martial arts" experiences facing both wrestlers and boxers. He combined his jujitsu knowledge with the Kodokan Judo and being a smart innovator was able to get rid of the less efficacious jujitsu and judo techniques giving rise the style, that he later promoted: "Brazilian Jujitsu".

He toured North, Central and South America and even fought in England and in Spain, where he picked up the name of Count Koma, with which he became famous continuing his mixed martial arts fights.

His behaviour was not appreciated by the Kodokan and even though he used to be one of the best students with the most exceptional judo techniques, he was banished from the Kodokan. Some people assume, that this was the reason he picked up the pseudonym of Count Koma.

     By Aida Guemati

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4255086

The Keys to Mentally Preparing For A Grappling Competition

So you have a competition coming up? Here are some important points on preparing yourself mentally for victory.

One of the first pieces of advice that I give people that I'm training is to address what they will do when their in trouble. This isn't thinking negatively but taking care of a negative situation before it happens, and focusing on turning it into a positive one.

When you get in trouble and are put in a bad position during sparring what is your initial reaction and how do you cope with the pressure?

By bringing this out in the open and honestly looking for the mental and emotional weaknesses in yourself you can set up solutions for better coping with negative situations and bad positions to help keep yourself in a resourceful state of mind instead of losing your focus, getting frazzled and giving up.

Once you understand where you are most likely to panic or fall apart mentally, then you are in a better position to put yourself there on purpose during sparring and remind yourself to breathe, relax, and stay focused. The more you practice the new reaction to the stress, the more you will develop the confidence to get yourself out of the bad situation both mentally and physically. Push yourself to new levels of drive and focus on what you need to do when in trouble and you will be able to move past your negative emotions. Remember to ask your instructor for help in order to get options for getting out of the bad situations that cause you to think negatively.

Another very important piece of advice I offer is to enter the competition with the mindset of performing well on a moment to moment basis, not winning. When you goal and mindset is to win, you will feel more pressure if you get stuck in a bad situation, because you will feel further away from your goal of winning. But by focusing on performing well in the moment you then stay focused when things are going bad and are much more likely to turn things around, escape the bad position and end up winning the match.

Decide to enjoy the competition beforehand and have fun no matter what. By not deciding to have fun you can easily slip into too much of a nervous state come competition day and fall apart mentally. Although being a little nervous is a good thing, you don't need to worry about this some nervousness is normal come game day when you stand before spectators and your opponent. You'll want to go to the competition thinking about how much fun you'll have grappling and competing and what a great learning opportunity this will be.

Ultimately by treating the competition as a learning experience you can help alleviate some pressure and develop a more solid focus which is critical to performing at your best.

     By Kosta Megas 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3935914

The Best Martial Arts Styles Suited For MMA

When a person begins to investigate the training required to participate in Mixed Martial Arts competitions, they will quickly find that diversity, flexibility, adaptability, and skill are the key to competing and winning these types of matches. To discuss the best martial arts styles suited for MMA, it is important that you get an overview of what will be required when you compete.

MMA requires the use of a mixture of combative disciplines. A person is required to have very fast footwork and the ability to fight using all of their limbs. When training for this type of competition, a person must practice several types of martial arts that they can easily use interchangeably in the ring.

An important style that you will use is Muay Thai. This type of martial arts teaches the art of using all of your limbs to kick and use your hands, shins, elbows, and knees in striking. In recent years, the individual with the ability to effectively strike in competition is often at an advantage.

However, the sub-sets of the competitions require different martial arts styles. For instance, in addition to Muay Thai, a person will need to master Sambo, and Judo to fight effectively in Clinch fighting. For sprawl and brawl fighting, you will need to master full contact Karate and Thai boxing. Submission grappling will require you also include Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in your repertoire.

Many MMA competitors have begun their careers knowing one or two styles intimately. Therefore, the individual who has a well-rounded training that encompasses Muay Thai, full contact Karate, Thai Boxing, Judo, Sambo, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will have the edge in these competitions.

Training and competition require discipline and the ability to adapt styles to meet the demands of the competition taking place. You must be able to adapt and overcome the style that is being used and effectively take your opponent down with the least effort. Finding the school that will provide the kind of dynamic training environment you need under the tutelage of a skilled competitor will be very helpful when you are first entering this type of training.

Since the 90s' the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts has grown and there are now many schools that teach the multiple styles that are required for a person to compete successfully. By focusing on the styles and learning how to use them properly as a combatant, you can successfully win when competing again an opponent who does not have complete control over all of the martial arts styles required.

By contacting a professional who has knowledge and expertise in the styles that are required, and the benefits and advantages of each style you will need, it will be possible to develop the MMA style that will be most effective when you begin to enter competitions. In most cases, an individual who is entering MMA training will spend several years in school learning each of the arts before they begin mixing them for competition. There is no quick way to learn mixed martial arts, you will need to be persistent, disciplined and committed in order to achieve your goal.

      By Dustin A. Fennell

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4282693

The New IJF Rules on Judogi Means More Cost for Top Level Athletes!

As of January 1st 2011, the International Judo Federation's new rules on Judo Kits came into force. Nothing too unusual with rule changes, but this particular change has far reaching consequences in terms of the choice available, and increased cost to the practising Judoka, especially at the Top Levels of the sport.

But a Judo Uniform is a Judo Uniform you might think.....Yes, but not if you are intending to compete, in which instance you absolutely need to ensure your Judo Suit meets the latest approvals.

The smart move is to certify that the uniform you buy is IJF Approved, For instance competiting in a famous brand name that has their complete range approved by the International Judo Federation, such as with adidas Judo Gi. All adidas uniforms are manufactured to the latest IJF specifications, and therefore are 100% guaranteed acceptable in all Judo competitions.

How have the rules been changed? Well, holding up your old Judo gi and comparing it to the new model Uniforms won't tell you much. The Ijf mark should be adequate to be certain it is the correct gi, but you really need to confirm with your provider that they are not retailing old style judo gi!!

The most distinctive changes are to the fabric of the Judo uniforms, from a historically 100% cotton model to a blended polyester/cotton. Why? Well, shrinkage is decidedly reduced using polyester cotton, and the strength is immediately augmented, so in theory at least you do get a stronger Gi.

As anyone who has owned a Judo gi before, 100% cotton shrinks....more than you might think!! Getting the right fit was an art form as you had to buy your Uniforms slightly bigger to compensate for shrinkage. To make up for for this shrinkage, manufacturers made their uniforms a little larger, and it almost always worked out ok.

Now, however, with the changes to the fabric, the gi shrinkage is minimal or even non existent, so changes to sizes have had to be made to ensure as near exact fit right out of the packet!

The other additional change is cost. The IJF have basically altered how manufacturers are approved, and have raised the cost of the approval process hugely! From an inexpensive $6000 per year to have your Judo uniforms International Judo Federation approved, has now ballooned to an eyewatering $50,000 not just for the approval, but to become an IJF Approved supplier.

This has seriously affected the choice on offer, as smaller manufacturers are priced out of being able to compete and offer an IJF Approved Judo gi, leaving just the bigger players with the money to invest in International Judo Federation approval.

The effect is that your Uniforms are costing you more.

As if Judoka need to be spending even more on their Judo Kit, how about a condition that you now need a separate uniform as well? Where, previously, you could just take a different colour belt to competitions you now need to take a complete additional uniform. The new rules stipulate competitors to pack both a blue suit and a white suit to differentiate competitors.

So, having just bought your lovely new top of the range Judo gi for that important competition, you now have to spend at least double to ensure you have both colour options available.....or face the real prospect of disqualification!

      By Steven M Turner

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5902819

Judo and BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) Integration - My Story

Judo and BJJ: My story...

In around 2001, I began to read about an online article on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Olympic level Judo players Dave and Dan Camarillo. I had recently begun training at a Thaiboxing orientated Mixed Martial Arts Club and had begun learning "groundwork". I really wanted to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and here were these guys advocating mixing it with Judo. Well there was a lot of "bad press" on Judo within the MMA scene at the time; Judo apparently didn't work without a gi and everyone knew that you just took the back of any Judo player once they had done a dodgy head and arm throw!

I eventually began training BJJ with Brazilian Top Team (BTT) and then continued this when I moved to StraightBlastGym (SBG). I also resumed boxing, began wrestling and resumed MMA training. The original notion of BJJ and Judo being combined never completely left me and whilst commuting, there was one evening each week night where I was unable to train at SBG but there was a local judo club. So I began training Judo....

The Judo guys were impressed with my armlocks and strangles but I actually found Judo, and particularly the stand-up extremely physically tough despite thinking I was very fit. I rarely took anyone down as they gripped my gi early, preventing the double legs I used in wrestling. And whenever I went for a single leg, they always managed to somehow throw me. Their reactions just seemed faster and even the non-blackbelts always had a plan, a strategy that revolved around landing the same couple of techniques but off of a few set-ups. And the blackbelts just made me feel like a small child in a straight jacket during randori.

The Judo continued on and off until I resumed BJJ competitions. Suddenly I found myself not having a clear approach. Sure I could land double legs in the gym against guys with similar experience and pull guard easily enough, but under competition pressure, I felt clueless.

With time, I began to return to the original article featuring Dave and Dan and it all became really obvious. If you want to compete in BJJ, then you have to practice Judo. This was probably obvious to many others, but it hit me like a thunderbolt. Since then, I have begun to split my time between BJJ and Judo and there has been a clear movement of gi grappling towards combining Judo, BJJ and indeed Sambo. Rhadi Ferguson, JC Santana, Lloyd Irvin, Saulo Ribeiro, and the Camarillos have done much to publicise this movement in their articles, books, and DVDs. And competitors from BJJ and Judo (albeit more slowly) are beginning to follow.

However, whilst this truth seems incredibly obvious, there remains the traditions from which even those "in the know" are reluctant to stray from. Familiarity, personal preference, and convenience are one thing, but erroneous technique, ignorance and fear are quite another. "That's not [insert Judo / BJJ when you are in a BJJ / Judo environment]" is a comment I have heard too many times in both arena's. Even in BJJ with its more typical "whatever works attitude" as a reaction, its known for those who knee-fight to complain when a training partner uchi-mata's them or refuses to repeatedly pull guard. In Judo, its frequent for those with BJJ experience to hear that an unfamiliar armlock, position, or strangle is "not Judo", "illegal" (when it is not) and such claims are often made by experiencied blackbelts; often looking for excuses rather than question the exponent.

      By Glyn Powditch

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/936919

MMA Training Workouts (Strongman Focus)

Recently there has been a huge push in MMA training workouts to incorporate lifts that you normally see performed in the World's Strongest Man. Finding a way to add strongman lifts to your MMA training workouts is the best way to bridge the gap between weight room strength and functional strength you can use to your advantage in the cage. Strongman lifts require full body strength and power and, due to their unpredictability build great full body stabilization and reactive strength. The benefits are numerous so start reading and implementing the following lifts into your MMA training workouts today!

Log Clean

Muscles Worked: Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves, Low Back, Shoulders

Stabilizers: n/a

Setup: Grab the handles, lift the log off the ground while maintaining a flat back and position it against your hips with your knees slightly bent and your hips driven back.

Execution: Drive your hips forward while simultaneously rolling the log up your chest. As the log reaches the top of your chest drive your elbows up toward the ceiling and stand in an upright position with the log resting on the top of your chest. Lower the log back to your hips and repeat for reps. Never bend at the back in an effort to complete a rep that you're struggling with. This does nothing but put you at risk for serious injury.

MMA Usage: The log clean is another great way to develop powerful triple extension. Because the weight you'll be using is going to be considerably heavier than the med ball during a between the leg toss, the speed at which you perform this lift will be a little slower. As a result, it will not transfer over as well to increasing your striking speed. However, because of the higher weights used for the log clean, it will help to train you to be explosive against large external resistances (ie it will help you be more explosive when looking to lift/throw an opponent).

Tire Flip

Muscles Worked: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves, Shoulders, Biceps

Stabilizers: Core

Setup: Take a stance with your feet outside of your hands. Your feet should be back a little bit from the tire at a distance that puts you at an angle when you go to flip it. Your chest and shoulders should be tight against the tire.

Execution: Drive your chest and shoulders into the tire as you drive your feet into the ground. Once you have reached maximal extension drive your knee under the tire as you quickly reposition your hands from an underhand grip to an overhead position. Focus on doing this as quickly as possible otherwise you'll lose momentum and end up having to battle to get the tire wedged up high enough on your thigh so you can switch your hand position. Once you have switched your hands push the tire over.

MMA Usage: Tire flipping is a great all around strength builder and is one of the best ways to bridge the gap between traditional weight room strength and odd object strength. Tire flipping and other strongman exercises develop strength at angles barbells and dumbbells can't and will better prepare you for the many positions you'll face in a fight. So while I can say specifically this exercise will help you finish more takedowns, I think it's just a great all around strength builder that will help you in a number of ways in the cage.

Sandbag Shouldering

Muscles Worked: Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Shoulders, Lats, Biceps

Stabilizers: Core

Setup: Take a stance with the sandbag between your feet. Grab the sandbag.

Execution: Lift the sandbag to your thighs and squat down to rest it on them while you regrip/reposition the bag (this is known as tabling). From there squat up with the bag and lift it to one of your shoulders. Lower the bag back to the ground and repeat to the other shoulder. This seems like a very vague set of instructions, but this exercise is really individually specific. 

Everyone has their own strategy as to how to lift the bag, but pretty much everyone I work with tables the bag in between the start and finish of the exercise. How each person gets the bag from the ground to their legs and then from their legs to their shoulder is different from person to person so experiment with different techniques and see which works best for you. Either way this exercise is a killer and develops some serious grip and back strength.

MMA Usage: Much like the tire flip, sandbag shouldering is another great way to build functional strength for MMA. Not that lifting barbells and dumbbells won't build strength that won't apply to MMA, there's just something about lifting an odd, unpredictable object that I find really useful for fighters. A strong grip and low back are needed in MMA, especially in the clinch and on the ground, so developing strength in these areas will definitely pay off.

Stone

Muscles Worked: Hamstrings, Glutes, Low Back

Stabilizers: Core, Lats

Setup: Stand with a stone between your feet. Lower your chest to the stone and grab around it in an effort to hug it as tightly to your chest as possible.

Execution: While keeping the stone tight to your chest, lift it off the ground and table it much like you would with a sandbag before you shoulder it. Regrip the stone when you have it securely tabled and then explode up and drive your hips forward to lift it onto the box. This takes a lot of getting used to so start light and get some quality reps out before looking to move up. One of the issues you may run into is the stone slipping out of your arms when you go to lift it. There are a number of tacky/pine tar type products available to help combat this, but by the time you get it on you and cleaned up you've lost a lot of time. Since you're not a professional strongman and your success doesn't depend on whether or not you can lift a certain sized stone (although having the strength to lift heavier stones will certainly help you in a fight) I just have my fighters chalk their hands and arms to help cut down on the slippage that occurs. If you do end up going with tacky, a mechanic's hand cleaner like Goop works well when looking to clean it off when you're done.

MMA Usage: The stone lift is very similar to the sandbag shouldering exercise and, as a result, offers some of the same benefits as the sandbag.

There you go, the top 4 strongman exercises that you need to start incorporating into your MMA training workouts immediately. I work them in with my MMA fighters on the 3rd day which focuses on building full body power and reactive strength. There are a number of ways to work them in, and depending on your goals, you may want to put a bigger or smaller emphasis on these exercises. But, no matter what, you need to start working these into your MMA training workouts in some capacity.

      By Dickie White

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3659250