Ippon Judo

June 11, 2015 by DM Hutchinson Leave a Comment

During Japan’s Tokugawa period (1603-1867), jujitsu schools focused exclusively on training for combat and specialized in particular methods of fighting such as striking, throwing, choking, joint locking, etc… Recognizing a need for a martial art that could be practiced not only for self-defense but also for self-cultivation and the betterment of society, Jigoro Kano established Kodokan judo in 1882 as a modern martial art based on scientific and educational principles. In developing judo, Kano’s aim was to develop a style that promoted physical training, mental training, and ethical training. The two methods of instruction in judo are kata (forms) and randori (free practice), with randori being further sub-divided into tachi-waza randori (free practice involving throwing only) and ne waza randori (free practice involving grappling only).

Tachi-waza randori is a crucial element of judo training and occupies a third of each practice at Team Academy Judo. Through practicing tachi-waza randori, judoka improve functional strength and stamina (physical training), develop strategies for attempting particular throws in particular circumstances along with the timing required to execute throws (mental training), and they cultivate character by employing virtues associated with judo training (ethical training). The ethical aspect of judo is often overlooked, however when judoka are learning to face their fears, when they are patiently taking falls for a partner who is learning a technique, when they tailor their efforts during randori to match their opponent, they are doing more than getting a good workout; they are becoming better persons, which was Kano’s ultimate aim in creating judo.

To incentivize judoka to practice regularly and make continual progress, Kano also introduced shiai (competition). There are several ways to win a match: by throwing, by pinning, or through submitting by choke or armbar. However, the ideal way of winning is by throwing for ippon (full point), which immediately ends the match. It corresponds to a knockout in Thai boxing or a submission in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Scoring ippon means the winner threw with complete control, full force, and threw his opponent squarely on his back. At Team Academy Judo, judoka train with an aim of perfecting technique and developing strategies to score ippons in randori or shiai. In short, the judo we practice is ippon judo.

Filed Under: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Coaches Corner, The Academy Pulse

Coaches Corner: The Heart of the Athletic Experience (part two)

March 24, 2015 by Greg Leave a Comment

Minneapolis Kickboxing

Almost everyone tries to Thai kick with all their power, when they first learn the kick. In trying so hard they flex the wrong muscles, miss time their focus, drop their hands, and twist and torque their bodies the wrong way, all while getting really tired – really fast. You will hear the instructor say “relax, just let the body do the work.” The hardest kickers realize that less effort can create more results. A smart athlete/martial artist trains with a relaxed and naturally progressive approach while working at a high intensity and quality pace. In this way, they can train hard on a consistent basis, achieving a kind of a “runner’s high” not just in rare exceptional training days, but every time they train. They avoid pressure and burnout that accompanies a stressful approach to training.

The Cost and Demand of Training

• Athletics/Martial Arts develops what it demands. Development is precisely commensurate with the demand. “With no demand, there is no development; with small demand, small development; with improper demand, improper development.

• Demand requires motivation. Without continual motivation to get you going, there can be no consistent training.

• Motivation requires meaning. The motivating factor corresponds to your goals; it must offer an improvement or benefit that you want.

• Demand takes the form of progressive overload. By repeatedly and consistently asking yourself a little more than you’re comfortable with, a little more than you are capable of, you improve.

• Progressive overload takes place in small increments within your comfort zone. You need to stretch your comfort zone but not ignore it. By staying near the top end of your comfort zone, but within your comfort zone, you will improve at a nice and progressive rate, and you will be able to continue training and improving for longer. The key here “Don’t just train harder, train smarter.”

• Development (through overload) requires a tolerance for failure. Development means that there will be “little failures” along the way to your ultimate goal.

• Tolerance for failure comes from understanding the natural process of development. If your expectations are too high you will become frustrated; realistic goal setting develops patience. By being realistic in your training demands you will see failures and obstacles as steppingstones not road blocks to your inevitable progress.

Training progressively develops you through gradual increases in your personal demand. If realistic and gradual demands are placed on the body it will develop. Within its natural capacity, the body will adapt to demands made upon it. It is important that you learn and develop a little every day. Realize progress is mechanical: If you practice something over and over with attention and commitment to improve (quality repetition), you will surely improve. Anyone who practices over time can become competent, even expert, in the martial arts.

“Life was never meant to be a struggle;
just a gentle progression from one point to another,
much like walking through a valley on a sunny day.”
-STUART WILDE

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, The Academy Pulse Tagged With: kickboxing, kickboxing minneapolis

Coaches Corner: The Heart of the Athletic Experience (part one)

January 29, 2015 by Greg Leave a Comment

In the quest to be the best that you can be, it is all too easy for us to fall into tunnel vision in which new ranks, techniques and victories become the goal of training; but if we focus too much on striving, we may forget what we’re ultimately striving for – to feel good about ourselves, for recreation, to experience happiness, to reach our potential in the physical and mental arena. It is important that everyone understands you should not dedicate your life to your training but dedicate your training to your life.

Train vb 3a: to form by instruction, discipline, or drill b: to teach so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient 4: to make prepared (as by exercise) for a test of skill 5: to aim at an object or objective: DIRECT <-ing every effort toward success>

Training n la: the act, process, or method of one who trains b: the knowledge or experience acquired by one who trains 2 the state of being trained

These are the definitions as given by “Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary” it is indeed satisfactory and includes many key words such as discipline, drill, make prepared, and aim to name a few. When I use the term training I refer to an intensified quality of attention, along with a consistent and sustained commitment to refine and improve our chosen endeavor. This type of training approach, if truly applied, will cross over to nearly every area of our daily living. There is an old Japanese saying that embodies this mentality, “A master will show himself in every action.” We continually practice our martial arts, but how many of us still practice our handwriting? How often do we fully jump into our everyday activities showing ourselves in every action?

Training, the heart of the athletic experience, can be represented by a cross country journey. The final destination represents our “best that we can be.” Wherever you are on your road, it is wise to have a map of the trip ahead of you – a way of seeing where you are compared to where you want to be – a view of the potential detours and road blocks and the effort that will be required to reach your destination. A realistic vision and a deep
understanding of your potential will allow you to choose the wisest course and the best way to train for it. It is most important to know that from a good beginning, all else flows.

Just Do It
In Judo, he who thinks is immediately thrown.

Victory is assured to those who are physically and mentally nonresistant.

– ROBERT LINSSEN

Most athletes/martial artists commonly resist the natural way the body works by trying. In everyday simple activities like walking around, taking a shower, driving a car; we don’t have to try to do these things, and we perform them easily and naturally. But when we are about to begin something that we feel is quite challenging – we begin to try. To illustrate how trying too much changes the way we look at things consider walking across a balance beam a couple of inches off the ground. Easy, right? Now put that same beam up at about fifteen feet with a lot of jagged rocks under it. Suddenly you begin trying very hard, you get tense, and the same balance beam becomes very difficult to walk across.

Whenever we start to try, we tense up too much, we fight our own bodies, tense the wrong muscles, think too much and therefore go against what we want to accomplish.

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, JKD Kali, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, The Academy Pulse

The Heart of The Athletic Experience: CONDITIONING

December 3, 2014 by Greg Leave a Comment

Conditioning is by far one of the most important attributes that a martial artist can possess. The most proficient martial artists spend a lot of time training. No athlete has ever become an expert without investing time and energy.

Unfortunately, in most martial arts schools the most important element of the martial arts is neglected – attribute development. Too much time is spent developing skill in techniques and not enough in actual development of the attributes that will make those techniques actually work.

Practicing your technical skills is important, but so is the development and maintenance of your over all physical conditioning. Training is a skill of disciplining your mind, practicing proper technique and developing a conditioned body.

Stamina and endurance are the primary benefits of good conditioning. Stamina is a natural response to training; therefore, it is not necessary to spend time developing it before you begin training in the martial arts – it will be developed. In its own way, stamina- or the ability to work over a period of time – is a natural product of your training, so just let it happen.

To get into shape takes time, but not as much as some of you may fear. Lawrence Morehouse, a UCLA researcher, along with other colleagues found that in six weeks of inactivity, you can lose 80 percent of your conditioning – and in six more weeks of progressive training, you can also regain 80 percent of your peak condition. That is only a month and a half of smart, consistent and progressive training.

You don’t have to hurt in order to develop stamina.

We have a creed that we use in our training – Don’t Train Harder, Train Smarter. Always start your training slowly, learn how to develop stamina gradually. You’ll inevitably reach whatever level of fitness you want, depending on how smart and consistent you continue progressive training – not how fast you do it. Doing the martial arts and “getting into shape” is thoroughly invigorating and fun when it is done right. It will require some adjustments and even some discomfort as your body adapts to the increased demand, but if you are hurting a lot, you’re not training smart. Remember, proper training is for the purpose of building your body and avoiding activities that will deteriorate or injure it.

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, JKD Kali, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Nutrition & Health, The Academy Pulse

Coaches Corner: The Character of Integrity

September 24, 2014 by Greg Leave a Comment

Integrity is a slowly disappearing quality in people today. Personal standards of truth and honesty are crumbling in a world fixed on personal pleasure, quick fixes, shortcuts to success, and outward appearance over inner strength. Acts of blatant dishonesty will be overlooked, and said to be unimportant to a person’s ability to do the job. However, most people will say they respect and look up to people of integrity. This duplicity speaks volumes to the lack of integrity in our society.

A person with integrity is not divided, they stand their ground on what they believe is right and wrong. People of integrity are not afraid to take a stand and speak up for what is right. More importantly, they live what they believe is right. Integrity is not what we do so much as who we are. Inversely, who we are will determine what we do. Integrity becomes so much a part of your character that we cannot separate it from ourselves.

Character represents the sum total of a personality-what one is, what one has done and will do. It reflects itself in actions. Great character has no facades. People of integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear, their integrity protects them. Their lives are open books, which read of honesty, respect, true humility, and an inner faith.

Everyone faces conflicting desires. No one, no matter how “spiritual,” can avoid this battle. At some time you will be wrestling with a great temptation. Integrity is the factor that determines the outcomes of your battles. We battle daily with situations that will make us decide between what we want to do and what we ought to do. Integrity established the foundation for our decisions. It determines who we are and how we will make our choices before our battles even begin. The Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “Character (integrity) is that which reveals moral purpose, exposing the class of things a man chooses or avoids.” Integrity binds what we say, think and do into a person so that they will do nothing that will shake their foundation and destroy their credibility.

Integrity is a rare quality in people. It is a result of self-discipline, inner trust, and a decision to be totally honest in all situations in our lives. If you are honest with yourself and can look in the mirror and believe that you have given 100 percent, you should feel proud. If you cannot, then there is more work to be done. The truth is that the task and work is endless and the desire to reach the 100% level will always push you to greater heights. Be honest and work hard to get and be what you want. Don’t take shortcuts; you only cheat yourself in the long run. Dare to be different, be a person of integrity.

“Integrity is not what we do as much as who we are. Image is what people think we are. Integrity is what we really are. Integrity is a hard won achievement.”

Filed Under: Coaches Corner

Coaches Corner: The Mental Edge

July 21, 2014 by Greg Leave a Comment

Developing yourself to your potential in the martial arts, or athletics is the sum total of many physical attributes, techniques, and training methods. The deciding factor in reaching your potential primarily revolves around one factor– “mental attitude.” This is often the missing piece in many people’s lives, even highly talented athletes and martial artists.

As an athlete for most of my life,I have seen extremely talented individuals fail when they were faced with less talented, but highly motivated and mentally tough adversaries and/or teammates. One of the major themes of training in any program at The Academy is self-defense and developing the mental edge and attitude that can be built through the physical demands of hard training and conditioning. The tough training sessions are not simply to develop strength, endurance, speed, power, flexibility, and overall conditioning, as much as it is to develop a strong mental attitude. Hard physical training over time begins to develop a person’s mental attitude and in time the mental control we have over ourselves.

You will find that the physical aspects of training are relatively temporary. Take time off and see what happens to your endurance, flexibility, and strength. These attributes will stay with you as long as they are maintained through training. Your fitness level rapidly declines when your training stops. Your endurance and strength will drop back to the level of when you started your first class in a matter of weeks when your training stops. However, what does stay with you is the mind set of winning, that “no quit” attitude. This is the reason behind our physically demanding classes and tough testing standards. I read and watch many things that center on success as a teacher, coach, and competitor (all are very different in function). One of the greatest no-nonsense football coaches of all time has to be Vince Lombardi.

Pic from http://www.vincelombardi.com/

During the 1960’s; the Green Bay Packers, under the guidance of Coach Vince Lombardi, were unrivaled in professional football. Lombardi was successful because he understood what the difference was between winners and losers. It wasn’t skill, physical talent, strength, or speed, but rather it was his players’ mental attitude. He built a desire and a will to win. The team’s training developed a positive” attitude that showed in every game. He said, “All the rings and all the money and all the color and all of the display, they linger only in a memory. But the spirit, the will to win, the will to excel. These are the things that endure and these are the qualities, of course, that are so much more important than any of the events that occur. I’d like to say that the quality of any mans life is a full measure of that mans personal commitment to excellence and to victory, regardless of what field he may be in.”

It’s all about a healthy attitude to be the best you can be. One of the main ways to develop the “mental edge” is by the constant reinforcement of succeeding at hard training sessions and tests. Training is not about easy workouts and pampering our students-it’s about physically demanding workouts that tests not only your physical capabilities, but, really your mental toughness and fortitude. The bottom line is that a coach or instructor can guide you by telling you what needs to be done and how often to do it. But you have to want to do it. Only the positive mental attitude to succeed will allow you to go to the Academy when you think you’re too tired to go to class, and help you avoid or bash through the many obstacles and distractions that will get in your way.

Being in shape and fit is about NOT GIVING UP, and this is key to your success in everything worth your time. The winner of any event, be it a self-defense situation, competition, your next rank test, or a personal goal, is not necessarily based on talent and not always the fittest or strongest, but the one with the strongest mind, the mental edge, who is committed to excellence.

Filed Under: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Coaches Corner, JKD Kali, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Nutrition & Health, The Academy Pulse

5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Diet

May 6, 2014 by Greg Leave a Comment

Hey Team! We don’t need to tell you that this winter has been a doozey, but hopefully by the end of this month we’ll have May flowers to look forward to.

This month’s issue we walk to go over ways that you can “spring clean” your diet in time for summer. When the weather is cold and gray, we have a tendency to settle for meals that make us feel good, and not necessarily good for us.

Here are 5 tips to spring clean your fridge and pantry to get ready for summer:

Donate unhealthy/non-perishable food to a food shelf.

Go through your pantry and get rid of all those chips, salt snacks, and boxed processed food out of your pantry. Donate it to a food shelf so you don’t have to totally throw it away. You don’t want to eat anything that has an expiration date of 2 years – it’s not really food if it can stay edible for that long.

Get rid of any anything that may has expired.

Sometimes we have things like ketchup and mustard that sit in the fridge for heavens knows how long. Sometimes there’s that leftover spaghetti and meatballs that ends up turning into a science project at the back of the fridge.

Clean out your freezer.

Many people are big fans of freezing a lot of things for easy meals. Now is the time to go through your freezer and get rid of any meats or boxed items that may have expired. You may think, how can frozen food go bad? Freezing food for extended periods of time (over a year) can cause freezer burn and degrade the quality of the food. If it’s expired or been in there for over a year, toss it.

Start shopping on the outside of the grocery store.

That means add more veggies and leafy greens to your diet. Make sure you have more veggies than fruit in your shopping cart. Fruit is good for you, but it still has sugar in it. Make a commitment to eating at least 1 salad a day, whether it’s for lunch or for dinner. 1 salad a day will keep the boating away!

No more boxed or frozen meals!

Stop being lazy and buying pre-packaged microwavable meals. These are highly processed, high in sodium, and just plain bad for you. Make a commitment to yourself and your family to make fresh meals with REAL ingredients. You don’t have to always buy organic, but buy food that will actually go bad. If that means going to the store twice a week so be it. Don’t have time? Make time. You should always have time when it comes to your health and well being.

Eating well is the first step to getting in shape and staying in shape. You’ve heard us tell you before, working out a lot isn’t enough to stay fit. You have to feed your body the right nutrients to maintain your energy and muscle growth.

Have more questions about eating well? Don’t hesitate to talk to your coach. We are here to be a resource to you whether it’s on or off the mat.

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, Nutrition & Health, The Academy Pulse

Coach’s Corner: 10 Nutrients Proven to Make you Feel Awesome

March 14, 2014 by Greg Leave a Comment

nutrients

Hello Team! You may be thinking, “What’s up with all the nutrition articles?” Well, you may not know this, but nutrition is one of the most important aspects of losing weight and staying in shape. No matter how much you train, if you’re eating garbage you’re not going to optimize your results.

Here are 10 key nutrients that have been scientifically proven to improve your health and make you feel great!

Calcium

Did you know that calcium is the most abundant mineral in our bodies? It helps maintain strong bones and healthy blood vessels! Don’t like milk? Try adding collard greens, kale, or plain yogurt to your diet!

Chromium

There are only trace amounts of chromium in our bodies, but it’s important in metabolizing food. It also plays a huge role in helping the brain regulate emotions and your mood. Feeling depressed? Try adding broccoli, potatoes, and turkey breast into you weekly meals!

Folate

AKA B9, this nutrient is a key player in creating new cells and supports serotonin regulation. Not having enough folate in your diet can make you feel more fatigued than normal. Boost your folate levels by eating spinach, avocado, and brussels sprouts.

Iron

Responsible for moving oxygen, supporting energy levels, and aiding in muscle strength – iron is really important, especially for women who may suffer from anemia. Low levels of iron typically result in fatigue, apathy, ad mood swings. Keep the blues away by eating lentils, beef ribeye, and oatmeal.

Magnesium

With over 300 roles, this nutrient is one you don’t want to lack. Keep your Mg levels up by keeping ample amounts of almonds, spinach, edamame, and cashews in your diet.

Omega 3s

This essential fatty acid is critical for improved brain health and contributes up to 18% of the brain’s weight! Our bodies can’t naturally produce omega 3s so it’s really important you get them through your diet. You can take fish oil, or add chia seeds, Atlantic salmon, spinach or Chinese broccoli to your meals!

Vitamin B6

This essential vitamin helps produce and maintain the neurotransmitters that send messages from our brain to our bodies. A lack of B6 can result in short term anemia, a weakened immune system, confusion or depression. Get your fill by adding chickpeas, tuna, salmon, or chicken breast to your salads and sandwiches.

Vitamin B12

Feeling tired and paranoid? You might be B12 deficient! Give yourself a boost with Rainbow trout, swiss cheese, and Sockeye salmon!

Vitamin D

Known as the “happy” vitamin, vitamin D has been linked to helping ward off depression, especially during the winter months when its cold and gray. Give yourself a pick me up by adding D rich foods like eggs, salmon, milk, and Chanterelle mushrooms to your diet.

Zinc

Found in almost every cell in our bodies, it playing an important role in supporting a healthy immune system and helps the body protect our guts from damage. Get your zinc on by eating cashews, pork loin, and swiss cheese!

Well, there you have it! Your homework for this month is to review what you’re eating and make sure to get as many of these into your diet as possible.

Filed Under: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Coaches Corner, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Nutrition & Health Tagged With: AcademyMN, BJJ, health, Martial Arts, minneapolis, minnesota, mn, Muay Thai, nutrients, nutrition

One Minute Tip : 5 Step Armbar

February 25, 2014 by Greg Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Coaches Corner, Mixed Martial Arts, videos Tagged With: bjj mn, brazilian jiu jitsu, jujitsu, mn

7 Heart Healthy Foods To Keep In Your Diet

February 5, 2014 by Greg Leave a Comment

Hello Team! Since February is the month of love – we want to make sure that your heart is in good shape! Here are 7 heart healthy foods to keep in your diet to prevent disease and keep it strong!

Oatmeal.

One of the best heart healthy foods is oatmeal. So if this isn’t in your diet right now, go and get some today. According to health.com, 67 studies were conducted that showed people with diets that were high in soluble fiber (steel-cut oats) had lower overall and LDL (the bad kind) cholesterol. If oatmeal alone doesn’t sound appetizing, add a dollop of vanilla greek yogurt and a few of your favorite berries.

Salmon.

Although it’s not the cheapest fish on the market, salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to help protect your heart from disease. Not a big fish fan? Not a problem, you can get omega-3s from fish oil capsules or nuts.

Nuts.

When choosing heart healthy nuts, go for the walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts. These are the ones that have mono and polyunsaturated fats – these are the “good” fats that your body needs to process and absorb certain vitamins.

Extra virgin olive oil.

There are numerous studies that confirm that the monounsaturated fats found in olive oil can lower the LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol – reducing your risk of heart disease. Use it over pastas or on salads with a little bit of balsamic vinegar.

Berries.

Who doesn’t love berries? Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries have been shown to lower inflammation in the body and have a ton of heart health benefits. Plus, berries are a great way to get a healthy dose of naturally occurring sugar – great for you, and your sweet tooth.

Beans.

Beans are not only a great source of protein, that are great for your cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that people who eat legumes (beans and lentils) at least 4 times a were had a 22% lower risk of heart disease than those who only ate them once a week. Beans are great on top of brown rice or quinoa, or in a salad.

Broccoli.

This heart healthy food, along with other green and delicious veggies like kale, spinach, and chard, have amazing anti-inflammatory and body detoxifying effects that you shouldn’t miss out on. Enjoy them steamed, raw. in a salad or as a side to a meal.

Well, there you have it. If you don’t have any of things in your diet right now, you should make a trip to the grocery store as soon as possible and pick a few things up and start protect your ticker! You’re already doing your heart some favors by training regularly, but why not maximize your benefits by eating foods that will complement your training efforts?

Eating well is 75% of the battle of losing weight and keeping the weight off. If you’re exercising but eating poorly, you’re not doing yourself any favors.

As always, if you have any questions about diet and nutrition – don’t hesitate to ask your coach. We’re always here to help!

Filed Under: Coaches Corner, Nutrition & Health, The Academy Pulse Tagged With: Healthy Eating, Heart Healthy