Elite Training Center: Redondo

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.

This Saturday, March 3rd at 1pm, is the next Krav Maga Promotion and Test. Whether you are promoting, testing or just coming to support your fellow students, you will be a part of an amazing day. Come join us for a little bit of everything including a great workout, Kickboxing, Krav Maga, MMA and teamwork.

CM

Stand up for something! Fight for what you know is right! Be something more than a faceless drone in the sea of billions!

Martial arts were developed to protect the practitioner and his/her fellow warriors. The battlefield is what brought the martial way to the forefront. It was because people stood up for something. This isn’t to say that all armies of old were standing up to something evil. There have been many instances where invading armies did not have the best of intentions. But in order to change anything, it takes the will of one.

All of the martial arts taught at Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach, CA were created by people who stood up to or for something.

Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), and Kali Silat were all at one time a component for change or protection. These martial arts all stood for something.

Elite Training Center’s Winter Survival Education Retreat was an enormous success. It’s taken a few days for the magnitude of the knowledge and experience to sink in, and I’m finally ready to share my thoughts.

To begin, getting a taste of what it’s like to fight in the snow with winter gear on was an eye opening experience! From kickboxing, to kali, to Krav Maga, to MMA and jiu-jitsu, students discovered how different it is to fight and defend themselves off the mat. It’s one thing to train in a controlled environment, and it’s another challenge entirely to adapt and apply those techniques in a more unstable and unfamiliar situation.

Besides training in martial arts, we learned survival skills that are so important yet so difficult to come by. Land navigation and orienteering, shelter building, fire starting, water purification, fishing/hunting/gathering, and first aid were just some of the topics. What made the information even more valuable was the real-world experience behind it; we had a former Army Ranger and former Navy SEAL as our expert instructors, and their experience and knowledge lent a unique perspective to each lesson.

On a personal level, I was privileged to witness some of the more subtle yet crucial necessities of survival at work. My team’s positive attitude, teamwork, and calm demeanor were critical to their success. It was also fantastic to watch them apply survival lessons learned at the last retreat, such as organizing effective search parties, and to see them have such success with those techniques.

I consider myself so fortunate to be a part of a school that teaches all aspects of martial arts. Martial arts, at the core, are about survival and defending those who are weaker and less able to defend themselves. An army defending the freedom of a nation cannot succeed if they can’t survive conditions long enough and well enough to actually fight. The same skills and mental fortitude can enable a family to survive if stranded in a snowstorm. I feel so much more prepared and equipped to handle such a situation. Elite is unique, and has enriched my life in immeasurable ways…I can’t wait to be a part of the next adventure!

Katie T.

Lots of people recognize that Elite Training Center’s staff is “always here.” This is true. In order for us to truly relay the necessary information to the students we must stay current. By staying current means, up keep on not only techniques from Krav Maga, Kali Silat, Muay Thai Kickboxing, MMA and BJJ, but our own fitness and health as well. We must simply “practice what we preach.”

The above is not to say we are perfect as mentioned before in other blogs, perfection is something unattainable. NEVER give up in the pursuit of it though.

Really great to see all of the various martial arts careers unfold and progress at Elite Training Center. The movement and commitment the instructors have been witnessing continues to impress and make us proud. I’m eager to keep moving forward and continue to evolve with you all in the future. Great job yet again students of Elite Training Center, Redondo Beach, CA!
-A. Haro

  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