When we learn to read, we don’t immediately jump into books with long, complex sentences. First we learn our letters, the formation of each and the sounds they make. Once those are mastered, we are taught how to combine them into words and then how to put those words together to open worlds of stories and knowledge. The martial arts are similar. For example, in basic kickboxing, we are taught how to perform a proper jab, cross, hook, uppercut, parry, elbow, knee, and basic kicks. We practice these individual techniques over and over again, embedding them in our minds and muscles so that they become second nature. So when we move to the more advanced program we are ready to learn how to combine these different elements to form a seamless flow of techniques as well as tactics and strategy. Those initial basic building blocks of movement are essential to every piece of our journeys. Although kickboxing was the example, this is true of all martial arts. At Elite Training Center, we are very proud of our programs (Muay Thai kickboxing, MMA, Jiu Jitsu, Kali, and Krav Maga); each of them has a defined and comprehensive basic training curriculum that truly prepares students for the large amount of knowledge and challenge present in our advanced programs. Our students succeed and progress because they are so well equipped with the fundamentals.
There is a time when reading clicks…when those letters cease to be seen and sounded out individually. We see the whole word and even phrases without even thinking about it. This is how martial arts skills evolve as well. Enjoy the process!

If you find yourself struggling to understand information that you receive, just ask! Far too often students on the martial path fear the judgment of their fellow martial artists if they ask questions. “I don’t wanna hold up the class” or “I’ll just ask later” then forget. Firstly, ego must leave the equation. Never feel embarrassed by asking a question. Chances are that you aren’t the only person on the mat with a question.

Krav Maga, Kali Silat, Muay Thai Kickboxing, MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu were developed by people asking questions. The improvements over the years were lead by those who asked question. Perhaps the burning question could one day revamp or improve the many martial arts practiced at Elite Training Center.

  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

This is a big weekend at Elite Training Center! We have nearly forty students promoting or testing to higher belts in Jiu-Jitsu, Krav Maga, and Mixed Martial Arts, and many of these students are advancing in more than one discipline and truly becoming complete martial artists. We are so proud of everyone, and we’re proud of the students who have shown up to support their teammates and to help them succeed. Keep up the great work!!

We are fortunate at Elite Training Center in Redondo Beach to be able to offer a women’s-only mixed martial arts class. Elite provides a safe, comfortable learning environment for females of all skill levels. Whether your goal is to step into the cage or to expand your self-defense abilities, the class is designed to help you gain confidence in this male-dominant sport. Whatever your primary martial arts discipline is, we encourage you to check out Elite Women’s MMA as an excellent supplement and benefit to your training.

Class is offered Monday evenings at 8pm and is open to all female Elite students.

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

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 mostly on ground work. The two main concepts explored this week were escaping headlocks on the ground and how to use basic submission attacks from your closed guard. We started this off with the expression, “We don’t teach you headlocks in jiu-jitsu: We teach how to get out of them!”

On the mat this week we began with learning the basics of escaping a headlock position. This is one of the most common techniques a novice groundfighter will you against you. When the opponent is attacking you with a headlock without trapping your arm, the basic techniques that we practiced were: The Frame; The Leg Hook & Getting To Your Knees. These basic concepts will help you get out of several types of the most common resistance against an opponent that traps you in a headlock. Use these moves based off of what the opponent gives you during the escape. If he gives you nothing, relax-breathe- and wait for an opportunity to escape; however, if the opponent gives you the frame technique: go for it and commit to using the technique. When there is a counter to the frame strategy, use a different technique like the leg hook. Practice the ability to flow from position to position based off of the most common counter attack. After a little while, you will find you have a little game of overall strategy, and escaping headlocks will be one of easiest things to do in jiu-jitsu. Later in the curriculum we will explore what to do if the opponent controls your head and arm. This is a variation of the headlock position mostly used by wrestlers, judo players and even some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters.

Later in the week, the second focus explored in our classes were submission attacks from the closed guard. The first technique was the two handed X-lapel collar choke. We practiced the strategy of bringing both hands deep into the collar to make the basic x-choke more powerful from a leverage point of view. Many on you found this choke easy to perform after you understand which way to turn your wrist. Remember to open up the collar with the free hand; feed the one hand in the collar; shoot the now free hand into the collar touching both hands behind the opponent’s neck in the collar; grab the collars tight; turn your wrist so you can look at your palm sides of your fist; and pull the opponent to you as if you were rowing a boat…and not like you were doing a muscle curl.

Next we explored how to perform the kimura armlock/shoulderlock (Gyaku ude-garami) and the guillotine choke from the guard. The idea I wanted you to all develop this week was to perform “MOVES IN TWO!” By this I meant to perform the technique that the opponent was giving you, and if he resists the technique use the second or next technique he is giving you. The basic kimura shoulder lock can easily transition into the guillotine chokehold from the guard if the opponent counters the kimura. If he doesn’t counter the kimura, finish the submission hold. All of the techniques this week required many little adjustments to find the right leverage. Take your time in learning these techniques and review them over and over again because you will start to see them in other common jiu-jitsu positions.

In one of the classes, at the end I told the story of how the kimura armlock was given it name by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters and is now called this in many grappling styles of martial arts. The kimura was named after the judoka Masahiko Kimura, who used the submission technique to defeat one of the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Grand Master Hélio Gracie. Today we use the armlock named Kimura to refer to Masahiko Kimura out of respect!

Be ready for next week.

Best,

Prof. “little” Tony Pacenski

Elite Training Center

Hello Elite Training Center Friends,

This week’s classes in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program saw us practicing techniques in stand up combatives and self-defense in how to pull guard from the clinch and also how to finalize the basic drop-knee style double leg takedown.  On the mats, we explored how to pass the guard from the knees and how to take the opponent’s back if found on the bottom position using your own guard strategy with the legs wrapped around the top fighter body.

From the clinch the basic idea if you are being taken to the ground or you choose to pull the opponent into your guard, is to protect yourself when transitioning to the ground.  You maybe taken down by design or by accident, so it is an effective strategy to use your guard.  Once in the bottom position, a skilled ground fighter will use the guard to control the top opponent from strikes, holds and other attacked.  In our classes this week, we focused on using a tight closed guard strategy protecting against the head butt, punches to the face and to the ribs.

Next from the stand-up combatives/self-defense aspects of our lessons this week, we learned the basic technique of a drop-knee double leg takedown.  First it was important to focus on how the opponent was standing.  Many times how the person you wish to takedown is standing will determine if you will perform a double leg takedown or a single leg taken for example.  Secondly, we practiced level changing and shooting in with a quick penetration step.  From the drop knee position with your hands snaking behind the opponent’s knees, we explored knocking the person down; the pick-up strategy; and, the trip technique.  These 3 techniques were based on how the opponent was resisting the takedown.

On the mats, this week we challenged your understanding on how to pass the guard from the knees.  Passing the guard of a skilled ground fighter is one of the most difficult things to do in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in my opinion; however, it was important this week to build off of the confidence we developed last week in how to behave inside an opponent’s guard.  At a glance we worked on this week gaining superior posture & grips, effectively opening the legs of the opponent with leverage, technique and strategy; and finalizing moving to the “Shield Position” or combat base position.  From this point of reference, the basic passing strategies that were cover were: Passing Over-The-Leg; Passing-Under-The Leg; and, Passing-Under-Both-Legs. 

Depending on what classes you attending this week, different strategies and insights were showcased based on individual questions.  However, it was important for me to teach you how to pass the guard putting one leg on your shoulder…A.K.A. Passing-Under-The-Leg Pass.  Many of you have background knowledge in grappling; therefore, it was a key element this week that we built a solid guard passing game on the leg on the shoulder pass using pressure, grips, weight and technique.  I reminded you about gaining the lapel grip or shallow grip on the gi to control the opponent’s hip.  Without the gi: control the far side hip of the opponent.  Nonetheless, we will have another class coming soon on basic guard passing from the knees where we can continue the basic understandings of passing under both legs pass and review related strategies.  I believe it is class 19 in the curriculum where we get a chance to do this.

Lastly, on the mat this week, we trained the basic way to take the opponent’s back from your guard position on the bottom.  Also, we learned how to perform the arm-triangle choke.  The basic strategy was to try to win the fight using the choke; however, after the “College-Try,” when the opponent does not give up, move to the back mount position using many adjustments.  Please note to keep your head up off the mat when using your leg/foot work on the mat to create space in the effort to take the back mount.  Too many times, I have observed sparring matches in the academy where the top fighter got his or her arm out of the arm-triangle choke position reference point because the bottom fighter put his head to the mat during the transition to the back.  Also, please take your time when adjusting to the back mount.  There are many attacks you can do from such a superior angle.  The position is very powerful. 

Once the back mount position is established, you can break the opponent down and flatten his knees/belly to the mat.  From this position, a match, contest or fight can be won by rear naked choke, strikes, armlock or other variations of a choke hold.  We practiced gaining the back mount and having the opponent roll the position.  The idea was to create a positional flow between you and your partner to practice three major positions in grappling: The Guard, The Back Mount & The Front Mount.  Positional training such as this will help prepare you for the advanced program and endless hours of sparring against other Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training partners.

Two mini lessons that were explored during this week and as I remembered were:  1. -The importance of training guard passing without focusing on striking techniques for now to learn proper grappling technique;  And, 2.- Avoid the basic neck crank if someone is in your guard.  I spoke about how neck cranks can be dangerous compared to a choke hold, and that sometimes chokes are a mixture of half choke and half crank.  Learn to make adjustments so that your chokes are chokes: Not sloppy chokes that feel like a crank.  From a jiu-jitsu professor point of view, I have spent over ten years teaching jiu-jitsu choke holds, and I can count on my hands the number of times a student asked me to teach them neck crank submission holds.  I really don’t endorse neck cranks in the academy with your training partners.  It is nice to be knowledgeable in them for a real fight; however, neck cranking walks the fine line many times of being painful verses putting an attacker to sleep.  Your best bet is to focus on chokes!!!  

Be ready for next week.

Best,

Prof. “little” Tony Pacenski
Elite Training Center

Hello Elite Training Center Friends,

Each week I will be writing a little bit of my observations of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructional content. This weekly blog will help all of you remember the little details of each technique and overall strategy of what we explored in the classes. Also, it is important for me to let you know what is coming up in the future, so please stop by the Elite Training Center Blog often to see what you may have missed.

This week in the basic program we addressed the sucker tackle defenses and how to counter the front headlock choke. For the standing combatives, we focused on closing the distance with a low level change shoot to the clinch both front and back clinch positions. The classes were packed as you will remember. The one take down we practiced was from the back clinch. It was called, “THE STEP AND SIT.” Remember to not let the opponent fall on top of you; therefore, when in the back clinch, step to the side first and then take the person down to the mat.

Our focus on the mat this week detailed how to perform the straight armlock from the guard from a close and far referrence point. Please remember to review these two techniques often and if the opponent does pull his or her arm out of the position, this is your chance to transition onto the triangle choke. Make your adjustments in this position to find the best angle to submit your opponent with the triangle choke with your legs.

The second ground focus we explored this week was how to control the oppoent from the top cross side position a.k.a. “The Hundred Kilos Position!” Key points were to use your weight effectively by getting off your knees and sagging your weight heavy on the opponent’s body/chest. Remember to improve your position when needed and make the transition to the mount position. This strategy is a basic goal in a ground fight. From the cross side position: TOES TO THE MAT! Heheh…

We are just getting started,

Prof. “little” Tony Pacenski
Elite Training Center

Next Bully Buster Seminar

Friday, April 15, 2011, from 4:30 to 6:00. Ages 6-12.

If your child is attending, or you have friends or relatives that would benefit from this Seminar, please RSVP to Danny our Youth Program Director at Elite Training Center.  Space is limited… Phone 310-543-1600

Mention that you read about it on the blog to be entered into a contest to win a free Childs Elite T-Shirt!

While I was making phone calls to the parents of current students for the last seminar, I was surprised on how many kids have enrolled into our program because of being bullied at school. I estimate that over 70% of our students from ages 6-12 are here for that reason alone.

What is Bullying?

Bullying is a widespread and serious problem that can happen anywhere. It is not a phase children have to go through, it is not “just messing around”, and it is not something to grow out of.   Bullying can cause serious and lasting harm.
Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that bullying involves:

• Imbalance of Power: people who bully use their power to control or harm and the people being bullied may have a hard time defending themselves
• Intent to Cause Harm: actions done by accident are not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to cause harm
• Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same the person over and over by the same person or group (more…)