Elite Training Center: Redondo

  Think Big – Dream Big – Achieve Big!
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Think Big…Dream Big…Achieve Big…is all about seeing a bigger picture of what you really want to achieve in life. Big Goals demand our best effort,
energy and focus. They bring out the best in us and force us to grow. We need to have goals when training whether it be within Krav Maga, kickboxing or Thai Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Kali or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu…
 
To experience a QUANTUM LEAP YEAR you must strive for achieving BLACK BELT EXCELLENCE instead of accepting MEDIOCRITY in any area of your life.
 
Do you want to be an A-rated student or be satisfied as a “B” or a “C”?
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Would you rather be wealthy -or- poor for the rest of your life?
 
Which goal would motivate you to stay focused and take more action?
 
When you think big and strive to achieve big, it’s much more exciting and causes you to take more positive action than when you think small and aim for easy targets that are set low.
 
Think Big…Dream Big…Achieve Big and make a Bigger Difference in the lives of others as well.
 
Training to be an A-rated Black Belt Champion is a big, exciting and purposeful goal. It’s a goal that has life long lasting benefits and causes people of all ages to transform their habits, attitudes and actions. It will change and improve their mental, physical and emotional well being.
 
Similar to any big achievement, it’s not what you get, it’s what you become.
 
In our Goal Setting for Greatness series, we encourage you to…
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THINK BIG – DREAM BIG – ACHIEVE BIG…
 With this mindset you will not fail when training within  Krav Maga, kickboxing or Thai Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Kali or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu…or anything else you set your mind too..
Nobody suddenly becomes a World Class athlete or achiever.
 
Make 2012 your Best Year Ever by staying  focused on your BIG GOALS and GO FOR IT!

Let’s Get To Work
Shihan Brian Rauchbach

Naturally we all come to a plataue in our martial arts training. Sometimes information can leave us feeling frustrated and confused. Take this holiday season to relax and reassess your goals. Realize that although you may struggle with the comprehension of new material, it is this struggle that makes the reward of knowledge so sweet.

Krav Maga, Kali Silat, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu all came to fruition through hours upon hours of practice. It is important to understand that through trial and error that the arts ultimately found a platform to work from. This said platform will still be reworked as most martial arts should be. To not maintain a consistent push to make techniques and arts more feasible to the masses defeats the purpose of training. If anything is to improve it must be broken down and built back up to be stronger, faster and more effective.

As a student living the martial way the realization and acceptance of this process will only lead to a more positive outlook on your martial path.

With the holiday season upon us it is important to think about how truly fortunate we are. At Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, CA, we stress the importance of giving back to the community and those less fortunate. Daily we are able to practice a myriad of martial arts which consist of Krav Maga, Kali Silat, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and MMA. These very functional and effective martial arts would not be with us today had the importance of sharing and giving back not been instilled by the practitioners of the arts.

To truly understand the martial way is to give the self to the arts with the understanding that the responsibility of sharing this information is vital. If one can share information, should it be so difficult to volunteer time and other material goods?

This time of year there is a call to give to those less fortunate. Somewhere a child will wake up without a gift to open. Somewhere a child will be huddled with a loved one just to keep warm. Take some time to look around at what you have, what you want and then what you can give.

Hello Elite Training Center Friends,

This week’s classes in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program saw us practicing techniques in combatives and self-defense focusing using the guard to influence and control the distance against punches, elbows and headbutt strikes by the top fighter. After this instruction, we moved on to additional submission attacks from the bottom position using the triangle choke & kimura armlock.

During the punching defense classes from the guard, we continuously practiced the understanding of making it extremely difficult for the top fighter to land successful strikes in a series. If the top opponent is hitting you effectively, you are not influencing the control of the distance. The middle position in the guard is the major factor of control. When the top fighter can stay in the middle position with good posture, it is going to be a difficult day for the bottom fighter. This is the start of effective guard passing and striking attacks for the man on top.

The basic strategy was to keep the opponent very close (Closed Guard) or very far away from you (Open Guard). This is a similar concept that relates to the standing clinch and closing the distance in jiu-jitsu. We need to keep in mind, our opponent will be bigger and stronger than us in a ground fight; therefore, you will not be able to hold a position for ever or a long period of time. When your opponent attacks with a strike or a punching technique, you will need to move at the right time in this situation to counter it. Using too much strength or wasted energy will quickly make you tired. Move at the right times and use your whole body: Mostly your hips and legs to control the bigger opponent.

Later in the week we continued our understanding of the kimura armlock and the triangle choke from the guard. Some of my observation saw many of the students trying to understand the details of the triangle choke. The kimura was easy to perform after a basic review. The triangle choke had many of you making adjustments to finalize the technique. And adjustments in the details are exactly what you have to do to making all jiu-jitsu techniques and strategies work for you: not just the triangle choke.

Keys to success in finishing the opponent with the triangle choke for the guard are: Getting a good bite on the opponent’s neck with your leg; controlling the opponent’s arm to bring it to the correct side of your body; controlling the posture on the opponent’s body by controlling the head; making body adjustments with your foot on the opponent’s hip to get the best angle to finish the technique; and finally, using a figure-four lock with your legs with the foot behind the knee to squeeze the opponent’s neck for the choke hold. Extra details to finalize the leg choke triangle is to pull downward on the opponent’s head with your hands, squeeze your knees together and lift upward with your hips. This is done at the same time and making for a three directional pressure.

For many of you this was the first time really learning the triangle choke. All the details will get easier: I promise you! There are 15 partner drills I can think of that will help you improve this technique; plus, you will also get a nice workout while improving your jiu-jitsu!

Be ready for next week!

Best,

Prof. Tony Pacenski

Elite Training Center

Don’t be so quick to dismiss someone who doesn’t have as much experience as you in your martial arts career. There is always something to learn either through viewing or doing. At Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach we refer to our upper level programs as Master Path.

Although Krav Maga is not steeped in such rich history as Kali Silat, it is continually changing and moving to ensure efficiency. Kali Silat, 2000 years old is continually researching and developing to come up with new technology to counter enemy tactics. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) stems from Japanese Jiu Jitsu. A once thought art of strength and position was slowly developed into position and angles.

If martial arts are always changing then how can one call themselves or deem another a “master?” There is the masters path, a journey that has no end, only the gathering and accumulation of knowledge in the martial way.

Do not forget how important this time of year is for self defense. With the amount of people doing holiday shopping, good people must be on the lookout.

At Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, CA we encourage all of our students to use situational awareness each and every day. Krav Maga, Kali Silat, Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu all focus on identifying and anticipating movement of an attacker or opponent. With the “silly” season upon on it is important to recognize the dangers that lie within.

Violent attacks and muggings occur around this time often out of desperation. Take this time to recognize what is going on around you. Utilize these simple steps to utilize situational awareness:

Don’t text while walking back to your car from a busy day of shopping. Keep your head up and move with purpose.

Don’t disengage your car alarm until you are at your car. Don’t make a steady line towards your own vehicle if you are alone. Move in the direction of another vehicle and then make a quick move.

Don’t hold onto too many bags which can inhibit your vision and mobility. Shop simply and smart.

Be sure to lock up your belongings and don’t leave anything in view worth stealing.

One more thing…don’t be a bad person. Santa’s watching…

     Justice should not only be used in the perception of government and law. It can be implied in all ways of life. A just man or woman uses justice to always put their friends needs and the needs of life above theirs. A just person does not indulge themselves in selfish acts but more in the well being and betterment of those around them.  How does this pertain to us at Elite Training Center? Whether it is Krav Maga, Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kali or Kickboxing, using such a principle as being a just person, you will always strive to the success of those around you. In turn this forms the best possible training environment for all. For there is something to be said about the lessons learned in teaching someone a step behind you. Grab a student who’s been here for a shorter period of time and you have taken a step forward.

-Rome

We are proud when each and every one of our students performs well on and off the mat. To reinforce positive behavior we must instill positivity in each student. This is important in the early stages of the martial artist’s path.

Last Friday the Youth Krav Maga students had a promotion and test along with the Youth MMA students. To see each and every student perform not only technique but exercise proper etiquette was rewarding for the instructors. But without signing praises for behavior as well as execution of technique would be a disservice to all that Elite Training Center is about.

We expect our Youth programs to carry over into the areas of life that coincide with societal contributions i.e. school, groups, teams, and family activities.

Never settle for less than your best! Again, fantastic job!!!

Challenge yourself everyday to accomplish a goal. Elite Training Center (Redondo Beach, CA), encourages and challenges its members to push themselves to achieve their next goal. As we often talk about in Krav Maga, achieving a short term goal such as your next stripe can lead to accomplishing long term goals such as earning a black belt.

Refine your technique slowly and thoroughly: through this practice, perfecting movement from roundkicks to gun dissarms will lead you to attaining your short and long term goals.

Kali/Silat emphasizes the slow and controlled movement in all aspects of training. Whether it is empty hand combat, blade or impact weapon, to focus on speed above concise and surgical movements would simply instill bad habits and result in failure.

Whether we train in Muay Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or the combination of the above to form a platform for an MMA fighter, precision and controlled movements are paramount in a martial artist’s repertoire.

It is said that in the heat of battle that technique will reveal itself. Tell that to someone who gets into the Octagon, drops their right on their jab and catches one on the chin!

We must address the reality of fighting and confrontation. Krav Maga, Kali Silat, MMA, BJJ and Muay Thai Kickboxing at Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach always stresses the importance of technique. Therefore we pay close attention to not only deployment of strikes, but also the risks therein. To perform sloppily in any of life’s endeavors will often leave us unsuccessful (“whoops…” said the doctor as he performed surgery).

Human possess about 30 to 45 seconds of adrenaline which surges through the body under extreme duress. From that point on, if the altercation hasn’t been resolved, training and conditioning will be called upon. With limbs flailing and searching out targets, proper training will be the solution in the end. Proper training consists of many key elements, however technique, conditioning, and control are 3 major points to focus on.

At Elite our classes cover the above 3 components. It is up to the student to decide if all 3 are trained in or not. We instill in people to not neglect those classes that challenge. In fact we encourage all students to stay current in all areas. One can never tell if today will be the day that these 3 components will be necessary.