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  For competition if this is what students desire as a goal has them involved  with outdated and an old looking expression of jiu-jitsu.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

-A. Haro

The Avengers is currently smashing box office records around the world, so I thought it would be interesting to explore why society loves superheroes and why martial artists in particular seem to have a special affinity for the characters and their stories.  Of course the powers and the toys are awesome, but it goes much deeper than that.

The answer is multifaceted.  On one hand, superheroes and supervillains are archetypes of various aspects of the human soul.  A book could be written on this topic, so all I’m going to say here is that they are the physical incarnations of our emotions and desires, and on this level we can relate to them and we can relate to their internal struggles.  They have many of the same weaknesses and flaws that we do, but they manage to overcome them in a way that inspires us to try and do the same.

When it comes to superheroes and their stories, it’s the always-present battle of good and evil that is more interesting to me.  We need heroes in an age of cynicism, and the stories of pure good versus pure evil and right versus wrong appeal to us because they are black and white.  We live in a world that has a lot of gray; our villains are sometimes less tangible and range from terrorists to rising sea levels.  This inability to always identify and fight evil makes us wish that good were always cloaked with omnipotent strength and evil always garbed in the robes of villainy.  Who doesn’t want to escape for a time to a fantasy world where the good guys triumph over the sneering villain who oozes malice?  So we watch, and we cheer good and we boo evil and for a time we feel secure that justice will prevail.

 People are attracted to martial arts for the same reasons they are attracted to superheroes.  “Do you swear to guard the lives of the innocent and preserve the peace?”  Thor’s father asks him.  “I swear,” answers Thor.  This is at the heart of what appeals to all of us and especially to true martial artists, who tend to have a strong sense of justice and a desire to make the world a better place.  Additionally, not only do we actively train to gain skills akin to those of the mythological superheroes, but training gives us a sense of control in an unpredictable world.  It gives us abilities to protect our loved ones and our way of life should it be threatened.  Therefore we relate to and admire superheroes; they represent the best we wish to be and what we aspire to become.

Not only does Elite offer classes in martial arts which will improve your skills in MMA, Muay Thai, Kali, Krav Maga, and BJJ, but the school itself emphasizes the importance of being a positive part of the community.  This applies within the school (such as when we support one another at testing or coming to a match to cheer on our fighters) and outside it as well.  Recently some of our instructors and teenaged students visited disadvantaged children in South Los Angeles and shared the positive effects of martial arts in their own lives.  This is just one example of how Elite and its students serve the community at large.  We may never be able to fly or shoot lasers from our eyes, but we all have the power to make a difference in the world.  It’s just a matter of taking our own gifts and using them for good. 

~Katie T.

Elite Training Center • 1628 South Pacific Coast Hwy • Redondo Beach, CA • 90277 • 1-310-543-1600

elitetrainingcenter.net

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.

Elite Training Center is proud to bring you another opportunity to study under the champion expertise of Erik Paulson. Sign up to learn from a real MMA pro for three hours at an astoundingly low price. SPACE IS LIMITED SO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!!!

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

I started my Tuesday morning with a Krav Maga class at Elite Training Center 1628 South Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (310) 543-1600, and finished up with a Muay Thai kickboxing class. Afterwards since the weather was beautiful I decided to jog the two short blocks from Elite to the beach, and while I was running I saw a whale less than 15 yards off the shore, playing in the wave swells and scratching his belly on the sand. I couldn’t help but reflect on how lucky I am not only to live but to train in such an amazing place. Most people who practice martial arts aren’t so fortunate.

If we’re casually training in martial arts, we don’t often reflect on the origins of the systems we train. This is a mistake, as most martial arts were developed for battle and for survival; even the “recent” sport of MMA draws its techniques from ancient arts of war. And many of the people who study martial arts around the world do so out of necessity. People train to prepare for military service or to combat a daily threat of terrorism or violence. The majority of the Muay Thai fighters in Thailand train and fight just to feed their families and have little personal choice in the matter. Even in the United States children in less affluent communities learn to fight to protect themselves from bullies and gangs.

Worldwide, many people who train, even those who do it for enjoyment or fitness, do so in gyms that are filthy and crowded. Some don’t allow women. Elite is truly unique…not only is it kept fastidiously clean, but it’s a place where people from all backgrounds, ages, and goals can study martial arts at their own pace with an abundance of support from their instructors and fellow students. When I look around at the students in class with me, I know everyone’s face and most of their names. Probably 40% of the students are women. This tight-knit, supportive community makes training a pleasure, and I always have confidence and trust in the people I’m training with. And I also have complete confidence that the training I’m getting in all systems, from Kali to Jiu-Jitsu, is always intelligent and cutting edge. I’ve been to many schools, and this combination of community and quality of instruction is extremely rare.

I try to never take for granted the fact that I’m able to train by choice and with a goal that doesn’t involve my urgent and immediate survival. And to be a part of the Elite family, in the beautiful South Bay, two blocks from the ocean? I consider myself extraordinarily fortunate!

~Katie

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The basics for all classes, from Muay Thai kickboxing to Kali Silat, are simple: Always change shirts before and between classes. If you tend to sweat more heavily, bring a towel. Keep your skin clean…if you can, showering before class is a great idea. Replace your equipment before it begins to smell horrible…and speaking of smells, a little gum before class can go a long way towards freshening up your breath!

When it comes to classes that involve ground techniques and fighting, such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA, and Krav Maga, in addition to the above “good partner basics,” it’s especially important to keep your fingernails short (and I’ve always found that filing them to round the cut edge helps even more). If you have long hair, do your best to keep it back and out of the way when training. But guys, be patient if your partner has to pause to re-tie her hair…chances are you’re sweating more than she is and she’s being cool about it, so give her and her hair a break!

Beyond those basic courtesies and hygiene, to be a good partner you have to communicate and work at your partner’s level. This means you must slow down if warranted, and it also means that you need to let your partner know if he or she is going too fast or training too hard. If the training is too one-sided, with one person dominating the other, then no one learns anything of positive value. The “conversation” and cooperation back and forth between partners are crucial to both parties’ advancement.

This brings up a comment that I hear a lot. “As a beginner student, I don’t want to partner with more advanced students because I’m afraid to ‘hold them back.’” You must not worry about it!! In martial arts, it is the duty of the senior student to work with junior students and help them along their paths. To deny more advanced students this aspect of their training is to rob them of some very important lessons with regards to teaching and character development. Every black belt was a white belt at one time, struggling to put together the mechanics that make a proper jab or a basic arm bar. Everyone should remember that struggle, and as students we shouldn’t forget how great it felt to have a more advanced student work with us and share their experiences with us. So don’t be afraid to partner with someone with more experience than you…it’s a good thing for both of you!

Practicing with many people is crucial to your martial arts training. Working with different body types and skill levels helps you learn to adapt your technique to your partner, which better prepares you for a hypothetical future opponent or attacker. So branch out! Don’t always pair up with the same person. And always make sure you’re someone that others want to train with by having a positive attitude, communicating well, and keeping those basic rules of partner courtesy and hygiene.

See you in class!
Katie

Venturing down to a church in South Los Angeles, we met an amazing group of young teens we will never forget. Introducing ourselves we went straight into the demo and immediately captured their attention. This group of kids were respectful and welcoming the second we got there. We spent the next hour sharing our knowledge and love for the martial arts.

Never forget a martial artist’s purpose is to protect and serve his community. The martial artist’s life is dedicated in service to others. When you truly grasp and live this principle you will experience martial arts the way it should be and to the fullest.

All in all everyone had a great time. Very impressed and proud of Maddie, Brooke and Selah for representing the school and leading by example. Instructors as a Team worked together to share our experiences and knowledge to the best of our ability to represent who we are and what we stand for.
-A. Haro