Looking to see how *really* good Jiu Jitsu and other martial arts are in the real world of self defense?

If so, visit Marc’s No Nonsense Self defense - an excellent, EXCELLENT resource on all sorts of self defense-related topics. Check out these resources:

• Misconceptions about Self-Defense
• Frequently Asked Questions.
• Using This Site
• Why Do We Get So Wordy?
• Our Approach
• Are Martial Arts Self-Defense?
• Crime is a Process
• Specific Topics

Definitely give it a look-see and pass it on to your friends.

’nuff said,

Mama Bear

ps - speaking about self-defense:

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Ever wonder what a Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu lesson looks like?

Check it out here!

You can learn more about Renzo Gracie at his homepage.

’nuff said,

Mama Bear
Please click here to continue your search.

Just came across

this really excellent article:

…By the time last night’s class rolled around my eye was in that lovely stage of healing that combines all the colours of a Himalayan sunset in a sickly hue. My students naturally asked about it and I told them honestly how it happened and that it had been entirely my own fault. When students give me a look of surprise that I should make a mistake my usual response is, “Hey, even monkeys fall out of trees.”

Some martial arts students see a Sensei’s mistakes as a sign of weakness. This mentality of deifying instructors is silly and when Senseis start to believe it, they stop learning and improving. All martial artists from the newest novices to the highest ranking instructors with decades of experience make mistakes. Mistakes are what teach us ….MORE….

Really excellent points. My senseis at my Karate dojo as well are very fond of highlighting that to us too - it’s so very true in all aspects of life.

‘Nuff said,

Mama Bear

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One of the side-effects of massive BJJ or MMA or martial arts in general is sore muscles. My favorite way of dealing with that is using muscle rub.

My favorite ones are Tiger Balm (been using that now for over 25 years) and, believe it or not, the generic muscle rub you can find at Rite Aid or Eckert Drugs. It has a concentration of:

• 30% menthol or camphor
• 10% aspirin
• 10% menthol or camphor

and smells like Wintergreen to boot. Nice stuff!

For heavy-duty achies, you can use capsaicin rub instead, but let me warn you now, it’s intense. I really it, mind you…but it’s intense.

‘Nuff said,

Mama Bear

ps - speaking about Muscle Rub:

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Such a thing really does exist.

I just came across MMA Woman and it has a wealth of resources for women in mixed martial arts. I especially liked the article ESPN: Women Fighters Carving Their Own Niche in MMA - to wit:

…Mixed martial arts can be an acquired taste, and the sight of one man sitting astride another, raining blows down on his opponent’s face, isn’t for everybody.

Even those who can see the scientific aspects to boxing sometimes find the sight of a well-executed ground-and-pound session too gritty for their taste.

Those who can’t stomach two men engaging in such fierce combat are even less likely to accept the concept of two women trading bombs and getting their faces rearranged.

But there is a large, ever-growing contingent of women who have gravitated to MMA. The runaway leader in the sport, UFC, hasn’t latched on to the concept. But that hasn’t dissuaded New Jersey’s Tara LaRosa, a 29-year-old who excelled in field hockey at Catawba College, from amassing a 15-1 mark since turning professional in 2002. …MORE….

As a Mama Bear myself, I’m darned pleased to see other women appreciating the sport.

‘Nuff said,

Mama Bear

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You got problems when grappling for half guard on the bottom? If so, check out this excellent resource - to wit:

… These are some important aspects to focus on and remember when it comes to being on the bottom in half guard

* Don’t just hold on. Gone are the days when someone moves into your half guard and then you try to hold onto them for dear life. The half guard game is a more active, offensive, and aggressive position then it once was. So if someone ends up in your half guard because they were working a pass, you should know that you have plenty of offensive options from this position and you should work just as hard from the half guard as you would if you were in any other guard.

* When you’re in the half guard on the bottom, you never want to be flat on your back. The main reason for this is because when you’re flat on your back you greatly decrease your mobility. You should be facing your opponent on your side in a position that looks similar to a fetal position. If you were to let your opponent get your back flat on the mat then he will have a much better chance of stopping your movement on the bottom and you will also feel much more of his weight on top of you ….MORE….

Follow the link above for 15 more great tips and ideas.

‘Nuff said,

Mama Bear

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It looks like MMA and BJJ are fast taking the UK by storm as well! To wit:

….In 2004, mixed martial arts was a fledgling sport in the United Kingdom.

But for Liverpool fight fans Anthony McGann and Lee Gwynn, that was when a mutual interest in MMA, boxing and submission wrestling crystallized into a vision of a dedicated, world-class facility in their hometown: the Wolfslair MMA Academy.

Fast forward to 2008 and the flourishing gym is perhaps England’s premier residence for high-level mixed martial artists. It is home to UFC fighters such as Michael Bisping (Pictures), Paul Kelly (Pictures) and an additional slew of quality British and international fighters — a remarkable achievement considering that upon its creation, the gym was little more than a hobby for its creators ….MORE…..

When you visit the page, you’ll see how the Wolfs Lair is laid out, how the training is structured and more. Looks real good.

‘Nuff, said,

Mama Bear

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MMA/BJJ, do you think about big huge brawling men dead-set on beating up each other?

Or do you think of keyboard warriors who spend 12 hours a day on the computer and then unleash their manhood in flurry of punches and kicks (and hit with keyboards, toilet plungers, and a Martha Stewart magazine wrapped around an iron rod?

I know, I know, it’s definitely the latter!

So check out this video. Hat tip to doshdosh for dropping a tweet about it.

’nuff said,

Mama Bear

Like this post? Please feel free to Digg It - I very much appreciate your time!

ps - speaking about fight clubs:

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I just came across this article:

…Sibling rivalry is something everyone is familiar with. Whether it was a brother or sister growing up, or even a close friend where a competitive edge was always present in all activities, the urge to defeat and compete is present in everyone. At the same time, however, when it is someone so close there is a degree of care that goes with the territory.

This is not something lost on MMA. Unusually, you won’t find any of the brotherly pairs from mixed martial arts competing with each other. In some of the pairs of brothers examined for this piece, there seems to be one brother that stands out from the other ….MORE…

Now, while I’m the only person in my family who does BJJ, my kids will often spar at our local karate dojo. In the beginning, I made certain not to allow them to spar against one another (one was always superior to the other and didn’t know how to control techniques), but now…I’m pleased to say my single-digit boys and double-digit girls can go against each other without me having to worry about it carrying over into our home life.

It’s interesting to witness - the older boy without fail constantly knocks down the younger one and then pounds on him when he’s on the ground. But recently, I’ve noticed my younger one has finally gotten tired of being a punching bag…and he now proactively tries to counter. I’m looking forward to the day the younger one actually wins a point match; he’s well on his way to learning to achieve that goal.

‘Nuff said,

Mama Bear

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ps - speaking about MMA -

Do you have a personal Google Page? If so, you can now add a Fightworks Google Gadget to it! To wit:

…From the feedback I’ve gotten since we began our humble BJJ internet radio show here back in September 2005, I know that people listen to the show in many different ways. Sometimes people listen on their iPod or mp3 player, and sometimes they listen from their desk. If one thing is constant, it’s that people like as many options as possible in terms of where they can listen to and how they get our audio shows.

Our crack team of web engineers, BJJ experts, and audio gurus are all hard at work discovering a way to telepathically deliver The FightWorks Podcast’s BJJ news and interviews straight into your brain. But we’re having difficulty because it’s tough going and the whenever the BJJ experts get frustrated, the meetings inevitably end with everyone else choked unconscious.

So for the meantime we’re announcing our Google Gadget. If you have a Google or Gmail account, this allows you to embed our flash player right in your Google start page (aka iGoogle)! …MORE….

Definitely check it out.

‘Nuff said,

Mama Bear

Please click here to continue your search.