Judo, Jiu-jitsu, with some cardio on the side at Greubels MMA

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So with all types of free time, I decided to go for the hat trick and do three classes at Greubels MMA.

Set the tempo with jiu-jitsu at Greubels MMA

I started the Greubels MMA session with jiu-jitsu for ground control from the top or bottom.  If you want to win with a pin, or possiblely get a weapon out of someone’s hand when you’re on the ground, you have to pass guard.   The first essential thing to do when you’re on top is to control the legs.  Once you pass that you put your shoulder to their chest, eventually moving to putting sternum to sternum.   The first essential counter for the bottom is to grab the belt (or around their waist for no-gi) and the opponent’s arm and then roll them over.

Round 2 at Greubels MMA

The next dominate control position we learned in jiu-jitsu at Greubels MMA was the knee on belly.  It’s somewhat of misnomer, cause while the knee on the belly is great, it serves better to put your knee (i.e. your whole body weight) on their solar plexus.  Ironically, to defend against knee on belly  you keep a straight arm and put it in your opponent’s the solar plexus to stop them from getting any closer to you.

Greubels MMA

Knee on belly is a great control position. It allows you to safely switch from side control to full mount and vice-versa

Back in the top position at Greubels MMA, if you end up in an opponent’s guard, you can break it by putting your hands on their hips and using a forearm to  push the leg far enough to get your knee over so you can land in cross body.   You can also shoot your hips back to one side to make space and slide your other knee in-between their butt checks (for lack of a better analogy) and break (making sure the knee isn’t too narrow so you can get flipped over).  When you try to get to cross body if they block with an arm, you can trap it an land into an arm bar variation (one leg won’t be across the chest because it’s keeping the arm pinned as you get into position.)

Rounds 3 and 4 at Greubels MMA

With all that to remember from jiu-jitsu, luckily cardio and judo were more straight forward.  In cardio kickboxing at Greubels MMA, Edgar decided to play a card game with us.  Every suit would be a different work out (diamonds were star jumps, clubs were 1,2′s etc.) and the number would tell us how many to do.  Jokers were four laps around the gym.  I mostly got star jumps and burpies.  It was hard work…my legs felt like jelly afterwards so it was a perfect time to get into the combos…which were mostly straight punches and roundhouses so my legs felt like jelly and lead (I don’t know how that works) but I knew I had to push through it to go to judo at Greubels MMA.

Judo at Greubels MMA was easy on the technique, but hard on the body.  The good was we only focused on morote seoi nage drills, getting our feet and grips correct (the grips for morote always get me.)   The hard part was that my partner was pretty big so he threw hard and was hard to throw.   Being gassed never helps with technique but it at least showed me that I relied a lot of strength to complete techniques.   As the class progressed, it eventually got easier to finish the throw.  That’s what Greubels MMA does, it teaches you proper technique and helps you improve physically.

Cardio kickboxing and judo for fitness | cardio kickboxing in Augusta

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Let the workout commence in cardio kickboxing in Augusta

cardio kickboxing in Augusta

Cardio kickboxing in Augusta was beastly as always with Edgar leading the class.  Missed a round for the warm up but I did my best to make up for it.  Still trying to work a jab/cross to a uppercut.  I see a lot of fighters go for the jab – hook combos to the head and neglect protecting the body.  If I could slip that jab then it’s ribs for dinner all day.

Create a combo in cardio kickboxing in Augusta

After the warm up, we started with the 1, 2, 3, 2, with push-ups, mountain climbers and star jumps in between among other things.  Seems like this  is the cardio kickboxing in Augusta go to combo in a fight.  Then we moved on lead leg, 1, 2, 7, 6, rear leg, on top of 1,2′s for speed, 6,7′s for power, and roundhouse squats.  The rear leg was ok but my left knee started acting up some so had to get that a break.  And hitting with my foot instead of my shin didn’t help.  I had the chance to make a combo for the cardio kickboxing in Augusta class to do so we worked side kick, 1, 2, rear leg.  The idea was to push the opponent back and you use your hands to back them up to make room for the roundhouse.  Don’t know how it would play out in a real fight but it was cool to have a combo work.

 Judo for the core muscles after cardio kickboxing in Augusta

Had a private lesson in judo after cardio kickboxing in Augusta with Carlos.  This was a review night of the osoto gari (probably my favorite judo move tied with ouchi gari) and the ippon seoi nage.  After warming up with rolls and doing some wall drills (to make sure my back is straight when I enter for the ippon), I did 25 lifts for the ippon (no throw) and the same for the osoto (just to get  off balance).  After cardio kickboxing in Augusta, my legs were a bit shot.  Got a little rusty with osoto so Carlos helped me make sure I was using my arms to lean him towards one side, and making sure when I kick my leg back, it stays back so the person can use their leg to get up as soon as they land.  After that, I did 25 of each completed throw, and then we did some sensitivity training where one person would throw 5 times, then be thrown 5 times as an easy randori.  It was nice to get back to basics so you don’t take them for granted, especially after getting smoked in cardio kickboxing in Augusta.

Best Workout in Augusta, GA | Greubel’s MMA | gym

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Greubel’s MMA Gym is the Place to Be!!

It took me 40 minutes to get to Greubel’s MMA gym today, but I finally made it to cardio kickboxing class in the middle of warm ups. I was a bit flustered, so I was READY to beat on the bags!! Edgar Nickson was the instructor today, so we typically start out with 3, 4 minute warm up rounds of punching and kicking the bags to get ready for class.

Cardio Kickboxing at the Best Gym in Augusta, GA

For today’s class at the best gym in Augusta, GA, we started out with fast 1-2′s for 30 seconds, 6-7′s for power for 30 seconds, fast lead leg kicks for 30 seconds, and fast rear leg kicks for 30 seconds. We had rounds/combos of 2-3, lead leg kick, rear leg kick. We did that for about a minute, then sprawls for 30 seconds, and back to the combo. The next combo was 2-3, slip left, 3-2 for about minute or so, then high-knees drill, and back to the combo. Then we did 1-2′s for power, 6-7′s for speed, lead leg kicks for power, and rear leg kicks for power. We did a quick drill of front kicks and side kicks as fast as we could for about 30 seconds. Does your gym do that??

Get Those Abs in at Greubel’s MMA Gym

At about 15 minutes until class was over, we started on ab exercises. We grabbed a medicine ball and started with throwing the medicine ball up in the air and catching it for about a minute. Then, we sat on the floor and held the medicine ball and went to the left side then to the right side back and forth. We could lift our feet off the floor to make it a little more extreme, so I did. And I liked it!! This gym gets you in shape!!

gym

Then we did sit ups holding the ball in front of us. By then, class was about over so we did our usual stretches to finish up. I’m so glad I made it to Greubel’s MMA gym in time for class!

Building the chain: take-down to ground position | MMA

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Correctly finishing the take-down to dominant position in the MMA chain

MMA link 2: take-down to dominant position

We’ll continue our discussion of the MMA chain by discussing the take-down to a dominant ground position.  The final landing position of the take-down is a key position that can reduce critical time it takes to secure a dominant position and then set up your attacking submission.  You will note that in MMA no matter what position your take-down leads to, be it your opponent’s full guard, half guard or side control, you still want to proceed to a more secure dominant position to increase the efficiency of your attacking submission, and reduced energy wasted.

Most MMA fighters, when taken down, will quickly begin to attempt to stand back up.  It is important to first secure your opponent’s body to ensure they do not regain their standing position.  If you don’t secure your opponent’s body and establish a dominant position, you have wasted valuable energy used in the take-down.  If your opponent happens to quickly secure full guard, this is not as advantageous, but it still secures your points for the take-down in the current MMA ten point must system, and leaves you in a position to begin passing guard.

For our MMA example in this thread we were using the jab, hook cross combo into a double leg take-down.  The most efficient double leg take-down includes clearing the legs completely allowing you to land in side control.  The best fighter to date who exercises this is the former heavy weight champion and 2 time division-I collegiate wrestling champion Cain Velasquez.  It is this clearing of the legs that makes Cain’s MMA take-down’s so effective.  By clearing the legs and landing in side control, Cain completely bypasses landing in full guard to half guard and then trying to pass guard to side control saving time and energy.  Below is a highlight real of Cain Velasquez showing this in several of his MMA fights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNch_66YhuQ

At the 35 second mark you will see this exact demonstration where Cain executes a beautiful double leg, scooping his training partner’s legs and completely clearing them to the side in MMA sparring.  This is demonstrated again at the 1 minute mark.  I was formerly instructed by former wrestling coach, current MMA fighter and former Olympic wrestling alternate Jeff Bedard on this technique.  To efficiently clear the legs, once you attempt your double leg, secure your hands around the knees, and form a punching motion as if you are punching your opposite arm pit.  By bringing your arm across your body with this punching  motion you cleanly force your opponent’s body sideways and bring his legs across your body.  In MMA, landing in a dominant position also allows for immediate ground ‘n pound if chosen.

Once your have secured side control you are able to begin your attacking submission in the MMA chain.  Next week’s discussion will include the attacking submission of the MMA chain sequence.

MMA

Master the ground game with jiu jitsu at Greubels | jiu-jitsu at Greubels

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We never stop rolling in jiu-jitsu at Greubels

This was my re-introduction to jiu-jitsu at Greubels after a long break and my first time attending a gi class.  Very light in comparison to the 20+ people you see in no gi but it    Sensei Elms was out so Philip was kind enough to teach.   This jiu-jitsu at Greubels class was all about what to do from the guard position if you get stuck on the bottom or out-wrestled.  First thing we learned (and probably never do again) is jumping into guard from standing.  From an over-under grip (clinch), one of your legs is going to be closer to the opponents arm.  When you jump into them to pull guard, that leg will wrap around their back first as you pull them down.  The other leg, due to the grip on their elbow, you pull that up and get that leg in for free.  They can block your near leg with their free arm but if it fails, your other leg can block them from getting a jiu-jitsu at Greubels full mount.

Crossing the T’s and dotting the eyes in jiu-jitsu at Greubels

Once we’re here, you can go for an arm bar from the bottom.  Once you’ve trapped an arm, ideally pinning the arm to your sternum and having their thumb pointing skyward, you block that arm from going back with your leg.  Putting your foot in their hip, you push off, moving your entire body perpendicular to theirs (cross your T’s), you put your other leg into their side and on top of their back.  Depending on how much force you put in the leg in jiu-jitsu at Greubels, the opponent may get knocked over.  The leg in the hip then moves around their head.  You push up with your hips and they tap.

jiu-jitsu at Greubels

Control the fight from any position with jiu-jitsu at Greubels

To escape, your other arm underhooks the arm being attacked and grab the inside of their knee.  You stack (lean in on them) heavy as you pull your arm free.  Once free, that hand blocks the opponents hip and you transitions to their side and sprawl heavy.

To stop someone from completely escaping when you’re on the bottom in jiu-jitsu at Greubels, you can transition to the leg triangle.  As they start to pull their arm out, you release their arm and you grab hold of their head.  As you pull their head down, you push your hips up, shift your body to cross that T, and your replace the hand on their head with your leg.  Your other leg locks the triangle in and both your hands pull their head down as you push your hips up.

To escape this, before they can lock in the jiu-jitsu at Greubels triangle, you sit up and shoot your hips right into them.  This creates space so you can get your arms in-between their legs.  You can either clasp their hands together and push straight down on their groin (if the awkwardness doesn’t get them to loosen up, the pain will) or you can just snake your shoulders in and you’re in guard.

A bit of needed review in jiu-jitsu at Greubels with some combinations and escapes but definitely a good practice.