Elite Training Center: Redondo

Brazilian  Jiu-Jitsu has been in the United States since the late 1970’s and early part of the 1980’s in very small circles in California.  It wasn’t until the 1990’s that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became popular as a fighting style worldwide because of its success in Mixed Martial Arts events held on Pay-Per-View television.  So what has been happening with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 1993?

The sad fact is that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors have not been teaching the self-defense and combatives strategies that helped Jiu-Jitsu become so successful in the Martial Arts community.  9 out 10 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school curriculums have been focusing on sport aspects for competition.  Around the country it’s very difficult to find an instructor that teaches self-defense and street combatives techniques.

Further in these academies, the competition techniques and strategies are from the late 90’s.  The result of these curriculums leaves a student with limited to zero self-defense skill.  For competition if this is what students desire as a goal has them involved  with outdated and an old looking expression of jiu-jitsu.  It is sad to watch.  New techniques and strategies make a big difference in competition.

At Elite Training Center, our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu curriculums give a student a well rounded education in Art, Self-Defense and Combatives.  For advance students that are interested in competition, Prof. “little” Tony Pacenski is known in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community for having a rich history in traditional approaches to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and can play in the modern styles.  He has been showcase on Budo Videos.com, Rolled Up,  Mat Time Radio, Inside BJJ, Endless Blogs and Jiu-Jitsu forums for creating specific full curriculums for modern jiu-jitsu practice and theory such as: The Sao Paulo Approach To Passing The Guard; The Berimbolo Attack Game and The 50/50 Guard for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition.  These video-instructionals and seminars have sold out internationally and continue to influence jiu-jitsu instructors, curriculums and academies all over the world.

Elite Training Center 1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-1600
www.elitetrainingcenter.net

Train daily. Create something habitual that can benefit not only you, but others as well. Easier said than done? Not really.

By instituting something physically and mentally stimulating the benefits are tremendous. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, the mind-body connection is the greatest gift one can give to not only the self, but to others.

At Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, CA we practice various martial arts with varying degrees of intensity. Krav Maga, a very intense and brutal martial style works off of instinctual movement. In order to make it work though the mind and body must work in harmony to be successful.

In Muay Thai Kickboxing, technique is everything (this does not negate speed and power). To ensure that a punch is deployed properly can also give reassurance that the striker is actually protected by keeping the jaw line covered with the shoulder.

In Kali the use of angles is extremely important. To not be in the line of an attack, particularly an impact weapon or a blade must be understood. This transition can be applied to simple life experiences.

MMA and BJJ share many attributes regarding technique. In guard positions, it is the more skilled and patient practitioner who can be comfortable on their back and wait for their top positioned opponent to make a mistake. It is not without lessons learned and the manifestation of the mind-body connection that allows to see an opening.

Regardless of what discipline you train in, it isn’t simply about “showing up.” It is about showing up, listening with attentive ears and seeing things with clear eyes that leads us to make the connection of the mind and body.

Inside Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.com conducted an interview with Elite Training Center instructor Prof. Tony Pacenski.

Check it out: www.insidebjj.com/2012/04/29/17-tony-pacenski

Elite Training Center 1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 543-1600
www.elitetrainingcenter.net

Everything has a humble beginning. We’ve all heard the cliche phrases, “He/She/It comes from humble beginnings…” Whether you train in Kali, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, BJJ or MMA at Elite Training Center (Redondo Beach, CA) it is important to understand that most martial arts started small. In keeping with the humble accordance, it is the essence of the true martial artist to adhere to a lifestyle that is rich with humility.

As we grow as martial artists we must keep one another in check. It is the acceptance of the opinions of others that can empower the esteem of the practitioner or negate their progress completely. “Don’t get cocky.” We’ve all heard it and we’ve all said it. Confidence in one’s skill set and the boasting of what we have done to achieve said skills can be a gray area for some and black and white for others.

As a student who is continually on the path of reaching higher levels, never waiver from your path. Your responsibility is to smooth out the bumps to get there. Don’t let your ego drive. Put it in the back seat and tell it to get in the back and keep quiet until you get to your destination.

I realize I have not been able to attend classes as of late. This is due to changing life situation & work schedules combined with out of town travel, pet sickness and my own healing. But, this is not to say that I have been out of training mentally and away from the Elite Training Center family spiritually.

As an example, a couple weeks ago while working at computer I heard the sound of screeching tires and crunching metal. My Elite training and what we learned in summer camp sprung into action. Before the sounds had stopped I had phone in hand and was dialed into 911. This pics below tell the story. As all of this was happening my throughs were ” I always knew this could happen, it’s happening now, and I am prepared to handle it”.

I was one of first on scene. Seeing others were already tending to the injured, I jumped in as primary communications and traffic coordinator. I was able to assess that no one was in danger due to the wreck on a busy road, lots of water and power pole. It was pretty amazing how a group of people sprung into action. We quickly identified a small group of responders, what our roles were and everyone stayed calm for the victims.

Throughout this whole incident I continued to remind myself of what we had learned at camp. While not on that mat with you all I continue to build upon the training I’ve received at Elite and try my best to apply to my everyday life. Sometimes being away from something gives you a greater appreciation for what you have. I hope to be back on mat soon.

Hope all is well with you and the school. I’ve been checking in on the blog to keep up as well. It’s nice to be across the country and read about whats happening. Give my best to everyone.

Alain

This Saturday the 31st at Elite Training Center we will be having a ‘Dog Adoption Fun Day’ from 11am-4pm. This is an open-door event to everyone, student or friend! We will also be having music and a grilled cheese food truck here at the school. In addition to all the fun we will be having a Pro-Shop gear sale with some items with up to 60% off! Again friends and family are welcome as we open our doors to the community.

We don’t ever fully succeed at anything without committing to it. This is true of pretty much everything in life and definitely true in martial arts.

For boxing and kickboxing commitment means entering, setting your weight and throwing punches; you can anticipate that you will get hit but the expectation is that whatever punishment you take is going to be worth it because you’re going to do much more damage to your opponent…you’re committing to winning the fight. Staying on the outside might be safer but it also creates a stalemate or worse, a loss. Why fight if you’re not going to commit to doing everything in your power to win?

The principle is the same in mixed martial arts and jiu jitsu. Sometimes you have to risk a dominant position in order to submit someone. If you want to win the match then you had better commit 100% to that submission or you’re likely to end up in a worse place, fighting just to avoid being submitted yourself.

You can also see the necessity for commitment in Kali. For example, if when fighting with a knife you never do anything but feint and don’t ever commit, you will never get close enough to win. Even if you have a fantastic defense you will eventually fail if you do not attack.

Perhaps the most important situation in which to have complete commitment is in self defense. An attack happens so quickly and is usually over within seconds…if there is any hesitation on the victim’s part it can be disastrous. There needs to be full commitment and intent to do anything and everything necessary to protect yourself and to get away.

At Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, our systems are taught in ways that combine technique with tactics and ideas for real world application. We believe that the learning process involves controlled practice and repetition of techniques and skills, but at the core of all training is the commitment and intent to succeed.

The more we train the more we gain. Krav Maga, Kali, Muay Thai Kickboxing, BJJ and MMA all work in conjunction when applied at Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, CA. Time spent on the mat can lead to many discoveries not only from the physical side, but also from the mental. New ways in which to train are discovered and these ways must be shared by those making the discoveries.

You have immersed yourself in a world that few will understand and even fewer will attempt! Let us know some of the positive
things you have experienced since you began your journey. You could quite possibly have discovered something that lower ranking students are in search of. It is through self discoveries that keep people eager to learn more.

Recently a young boy and his brother enrolled into Elite Training Center’s Kids Jiu Jitsu program. Whenever a new student joins us we always ask them to think about 2 or 3 goals that they want to achieve. The older of the two, 8 years old had 3 goals.

—Learn how to kick
—Learn self-defense
—Learn how to defend others

To grasp the gravity of the 8 year old’s goal is essential to truly understanding the martial way. We continually instill in the students, whether 8 or 80 how important it is to think of others rather than the self. To wholeheartedly give yourself to something bigger is how martial arts endure.

Krav Maga was created out of a true emergency situation. So many people saw the importance of learning the system that citizens and military personnel alike were more than willing to share this particular skill set. Being surrounded by countries who hate you spurred an entire country to buckle down and get focused on the task at hand.

Kali Silat, having it’s lineage close to 2000 years old, actually hid their combat system in dance and other celebratory styles from Spanish conquistidors. However, Kali endured because the culture deemed it as a true representation of the island nation’s spirit.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or BJJ is derived from Japanese Jiu Jitsu. Although not as old as the Japanese system, BJJ really came to the forefront of the martial arts world in the last 20 years due to the success of the Gracie family in the UFC. It is so very well established now that it is considered one of the most practiced martial arts in the world.

Muay Thai kickboxing, although a national sport and an integral part of every successful MMA fighter’s repertoire is to this day shared and trained at very early stages. The country of Thailand teaches a militarized version to its soldiers.

Live for something bigger. Take on the responsibility of giving back and passing the information on to those responsible. If an 8 year old can do it…

Hit first, hit last! Words that we encourage all students at Elite Training Center to adhere to.

Krav Maga, Kali Silat, BJJ, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and MMA all express the importance of timing. To wait or anticipate is too late.

In no way are we condoning to go and punch someone in the event of any altercation. The idea of waiting for someone to throw the first punch can lead to…wait for it…wait for it…BAM! You just got punched! Be aware! This is a judgment call. If all exits and reasoning have been exhausted then it is time to act.

Don’t be beaten to the punch.