Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Martial Arts — TKDLouisville

No one wants to think about the horrible possibility that someone could attempt to attack, mug, rape and/or murder you and you will be forced to defend yourself. However the reality is that people need to start thinking about it because it does happen. Rape is one of the most heinous crimes a person can commit. The rapists are imposing their sexual and violent will and desires onto a person who doesn’t want it and wants them to stop immediately, but they cannot stop the action from happening. The rapists do more than sexually assault people they leave them feeling victimized. When a person becomes a victim it is a hard mental state to leave because their trust with the world is broken. This is why everyone should learn to defend themselves and limit their possibility of becoming a victim. In Ellicott City Maryland Self Defense schools are adding in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu experts to instruct their classes. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is by far the most effective self defense system being taught. All over Ellicott City self defense classes for women are growing in popularity because being in a women’s only environment is non-threatening and fun for the ladies.

Why is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu the best self defense system out there today? In Ellicott City self defense schools realize that Jiu-Jitsu is the best self defense system out there today because it is realistic combat. People rarely get sexually assaulted standing up. The attacker usually tries to force them to the ground and hold them down. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the best martial art for dealing with this scenario because it trains to attack from these positions. Jiu Jitsu is best described as submission wrestling. It is popular because of all the various attacks that can be done from the ground whether you are in dominant or inferior position. Also because everyone’s body type is different (large, small, strong, weak flexible, etc.) women learn and drill moves that will work best for them and against any attacker. Helio Gracie the man who developed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was a small man, but his techniques would bring the biggest man onto his face begging for him to release the chokehold.     

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Many parents like to enroll their children into some physical activity program or team sport. Parents want their children to get exercise and to be engaged in other things besides television and video games. Children are less likely to be bullied when involved in a group activity and in general are more social as they get older. Columbia MD Martial Arts schools have started to add kids program to their schedule or curriculum to accommodate this need by parents and because of this Maryland kids martial arts programs have become very popular.

In Maryland kids martial arts programs are taught in many different styles. A good martial arts style for kids to enroll in would be Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art developed by Helio Gracie that enable a smaller person control or subdue a larger opponent making it perfect for self-defense. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can best be described as submission wrestling with judo added. Children will just simply love the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes! Their minds will always be engaged because the moves and techniques that they will learn are detailed, but not too detailed that a child at the age of 3 couldn’t understand and perform it perfectly. Children will be exhausted from different activities done in the classes and that should be good news to hear for parents when they take them back home.

The reason why karate, which is a common martial arts for children to do, wasn’t listed is because it’s not truly effective for children to do. If parents are going to spend the money on a martial arts style they should pick one where the children will be learning the importance of discipline and respect. They should pick a style that requires the children to use their own good judgment to advance their position and win. Parents should pick a style that emphasizes good sportsmanship, a positive attitude and team building. Most importantly parents should pick a style that will teach their children a real self-defense fighting style that works no matter the age or size. This will give the child self-confidence and increase their self-esteem. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu encompasses everything that was listed. Finding the right Maryland Jiu Jitsu school and self-defense classes should be a piece of cake now. 

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There are times in Brazilian jiu jitsu where you will be learning far more than your body can handle.  Usually it is best for new students to learn the fundamentals of the guard and build up.   After learning some basic submissions you start to expand your game.  Over time you will start to prefer certain positions and moves (You may prefer to play from the top or bottom, you may like closed guard or open, etc.).  As a beginner, you should focus on a few moves a month. While you are sparring you should always be looking to set up the move by trying to get to the right position. After a few months, you develop your own series of moves or your game plan. You will be able to see opportunities for the submissions in your game plan and hit them somewhat regularly.

Just because you now have a working system for yourself doesn’t mean you will stop learning. Every time you go to an Arnold BJJ class you learn something new. This is when you may feel overwhelmed by everything new. You start to try new moves and you are basically going through the same process as you did when you first started. You are learning and trying a new set of moves and you have to again sort through them and decide which you like and which you don’t like. Your brain goes into overload because you are taking in so many moves and your body needs to catch up.

You might feel down about how you’re doing in jiu jitsu at times like these. In Arnold Jiu Jitsu instructors teach us that you need to just push through it and let your body catch up with all that your mind has learned. After you spend some time trying new moves you may find that you are having trouble with your old moves while sparring.  Don’t worry if this happens because you will quickly get back your old moves and be better for it long term.  After sorting out some new moves, you can begin to add them in and start refocusing on your old moves. At times it may seem disheartening but if you just keep pushing though you will reap the rewards.  Your mind and body are connected, but also work at different paces and they just need time to catch up to each other.

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I have found that balance is essential for when training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  If you do not have good balance you will notice very quickly that you are falling over or getting swept a lot. Good balance will allow you to remain stable when on top of your opponent, making it easier to pass his/her guard and submit your opponent. Over the last 4 years I have trained at a Severn Jiu Jitsu school.  It is common to see new students loose there balance very easily.  You wouldn’t think so, but I have seen new students easily loose their balance and fall over without their opponent doing anything.   Even if you have decent balance there are many way you can improve on it to make it great.   At our school we use a stability ball and roll around on it and stand on it. In some cases even just sitting or kneeling on it will greatly help. There are also a lot of activities that you can do that will really help. When I was younger we used to skateboard. A friend of mine who trains at a Laurel Kickboxing school uses a wii fit to help with his balance. He told me that his balance has greatly improved and its a very enjoyable way to do it.  Another one of my friends trains at a Catonsville Muay Thai school. He prefers to just train and get his balance from doing his sport.  Ultimately you will develop good balance from doing Jiu-Jitsu but doing extra activities will help your balance get better faster, which will in turn get your jiu-jitsu better faster. Increasing your balance will help you in many areas of your life, and having it help your Jiu Jitsu is a good bonus.

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 The art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu doesn’t teach, or allow, any punching or kicking.  It is the art of subduing your opponent. It incorporates many techniques that allow you to control your opponent through leverage and off balancing and submission hold to force your attacker to give up.

 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills and moves are mostly concentrated on attacking and defending from the ground.  Most law enforcement officers will tell you that the vast majority of fights end up on the ground. This is one of the reasons that Jiu Jitsu is so affective for Self Defense.  This is especially true for women self defense since the majority of males don’t try to trade blows with women.   Most of the time men will attempt to pull you to the ground or grab onto you.  This would be a big mistake if he was attempting to grab someone well trained in BJJ. 

If you talk to anyone that has trained Jiu Jitsu for a while they will tell you that they have seen smaller people defeat much larger opponents.  In an Elkridge Jiu Jitsu class I personally saw a 110lbs girl tap out a 160lbs male in about 10 seconds flat. I have now been training at a Maryland Self Defense school for a few years and I find it amazing just how easy it is to beat much larger opponents.

Jiu Jitsu will teach you very important defensive techniques like how to avoid being choked and to defend takedowns. However it will also teach you offensive skills like how to reverse the positions and attack with chokes of your own. Words cannot describe how good you will feel the first time you tap out a significantly larger opponent. 

There are a lot of other benefits to training at Maryland Jiu Jitsu gyms. You will become faster stronger and loose weight. Also you will become more confident, and sometimes that alone will scare away would be attackers. 

Technorati Tags: BJJ, jiu-jitsu, Jiujitsu, self defense

Given the opportunity, people will come up with a million excuses not to exercise. They can’t go because they have to help their mom, or they already made plans, or they forgot about this “big” thing at work that’s going on. These are all excuses that can be avoided if you are disciplined and are serious about working out.  

Often people will attack the type of training as an excuse not to exercise. For example at a lot of Maryland MMA schools people say they don’t want to train muay thai because they don’t want to get bruises or in Brazilian jiu jitsu they can’t train because they have a really sensitive shoulder. These are also just excuses to not workout. For someone who is new to training in martial arts, it is more important to develop discipline to just complete a whole workout, than doing a specific one. A newcomer needs to find a workout that fits them so they can actually dedicate themselves to enough so that they can complete it and keep it up.

When you begin training at a baltimore mixed martial arts school an easy way find a workout that suits you and that you can be disciplined enough to complete is to gain social support.  When you train in a martial art you become very close with the people you train with. You see many of the same people daily and you constantly are paired up with them to go over techniques. You bond with them and eventually become friends.  Having the social support of the people you are in class with will make your training easier because you know you’re not alone, your training just as someone else is training. It is far easier to complete a workout routine with your friends then it is to do it by yourself.i Having the social support of other students will increase your discipline to complete your workouts, then in turn you will be able to expand the types of workouts your able to complete. You’ll become more disciplined and the thousands of excuses for not working out will cease to exist.

Technorati Tags: BJJ, Exercise, get in shape, jiu-jitsu, Jiujitsu, kickboxing, muay thai

Taking a Self Defense course should be a top priority for all women. All around Maryland and especially in Bowie Self Defense courses are very common so I would recommend look for classes that specializes in rape defense. The best way for women to prevent rape is to admit that rape happens and then these women need to take the necessary precaution to learn ways to protect themselves against being victims. It may seem like rape doesn’t happen very often, but that is because most of the victims of rape don’t report the incident to police right away. They often feel ashamed to tell their family and friends about their ordeal because it is a truly traumatic experience. Taking a women’s self defense course will help women decrease the chances of this happening to them.

If you truly want to be able to defend yourself you should find a martial art system that is proven to work for self defense. Martial arts like Wing-Chun are not ideal for rape defense. Wing-Chun isn’t a bad style for self defense, but for rape defense it wouldn’t have much effect against the attacker. Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are more proven martial art styles for women’s self defense. Many Bowie MMA schools teach both of these styles and have a class that focuses on rape defense. If choosing a Mixed Martial Arts school, be sure that they teach the styles separately. Less creditable schools often teach one mixed class to mask their lack of knowledge.

Muay Thai is the best style to use for stand-up. The reason why Muay Thai is so effective is because they use a wide variety of attacks. The whole body is a weapon delivering attacks by using punches, knees, elbows, and kicks. With Proper technique a women can become a powerful striker but many times they can still be muscled to the ground. This is where Brazilian Jiu Jitsu comes in. It is the absolute best system for fighting on the ground, for both defending and attacking. Women will not only be able to defend themselves, but know how to attack back as well. Jiu Jitsu will allow a smaller less strong person defend their self using body positioning and leverage. Between these two styles women will learn to protect themselves in most situations. Of course if a woman has an opportunity to run away then she should. However it is always best to be prepared in the event that you cannot get away.

Technorati Tags: BJJ, jiu-jitsu, Jiujitsu, kickboxing, muay thai, Rape, self defense, Striking, Thai Boxing

Columbia Maryland MMA scene has been on the rise thanks to the popularity of UFC (ultimate fighting championship). A lot of schools are teaching everything right like technique, strength and conditioning for their students, but there is one aspect that gets overlooked…. the stare down.

Fights are often won before the even start do to a good stare down. Some competitors will get scared or nervous and may even start thinking irrationally and change their game-plan. Just like Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu staring your opponent down is an art and should practice like all other move. The stare down with Rampage vs. Noguiera was crazy with intensity of the unspoken words that their eyes said.

If you want to have a professional level stare down you will need practice. Even if you feel you have a good stare down practice will help you get to the elite level. At my Baltimore Mixed Martial Arts school we practice this a few ways. A very simple tool to get good at this in a mirror. If fighters can’t stare down themselves how can they except to intimidate their opponents. You may feel a little ridiculous at first but you have to keep in mind that the stress that is felt before a match is real, just look at the stare downs at any weigh-in or before a match starts.

The Glen Burnie MMA scene is already ahead of the game by understanding the seriousness of a powerful stare down. The next time you are in the ring look at your opponent, don’t blink, and watch every little expression. Did they do their job and strike fear or did you do your job and strike fear back.

Technorati Tags: BJJ, jiu-jitsu, Jiujitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, muay thai

When asked, the average person in the U.S. assumes that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the same as karate. These two martial arts are not even in the same category. Karate is a stand up martial art focusing on striking. In BJJ there is absolutely no striking of any kind (no punching, kicking, kneeing, elbowing, etc). Jiu Jitsu is a grappling art similar to wrestling or judo. Often referred to as the gentle art, BJJ is about controlling your opponent. The goal is to control your attacker by achieving a dominate position and locking them down or to make them submit.

In Maryland Jiu Jitsu schools have increased in both size and numbers. What is causing this new trend?

The great thing about Jiu Jitsu is that because there is no striking, strength and power are less important. Someone who is much smaller and weaker but has a high skill level can constantly defeat a much larger and more powerful person with a low skill level. While training at a Severn Jiu-Jitsu school I witnessed a small girl (roughly 110lbs) tap out a 170 lbs man in less then 30 seconds. This is very rarely seen in striking martial arts and is why BJJ is ideal for self-defense.

People from all walks of life and all ages have starting training Jiu Jitsu for many reasons other then just self-defense. Another reason many people have started training Jiu Jitsu is for the sport which is a great change up from wrestling or judo Also unlike wrestling and judo that primarily focus on takedowns, which can be very hard on the body, BJJ can be done daily without the risk of serious injury.

Jiu Jitsu is also a great and fun way to loose weight as opposed to just going to a gym. I know for me I have a lot of trouble sticking with going to the gym. In the school environment you have the support of your teammates to keep you coming in. It’s also, simply put, just a fun activity to do with your friends!

For these reasons in Maryland BJJ is becoming very popular. This may also be do to the UFC and the rise in the popularity of mixed martial arts (Since Jiu-Jitsu is one of the two most predominate martial arts in the sport) but for whatever reason BJJ continues to grow. This is not only limited to the big cities (Baltimore, Annapolis, DC, etc.). In Odenton Jiu Jitsu is getting very big as well as in many other areas across the state.

Technorati Tags: BJJ, jiu-jitsu, Jiujitsu

MMA is growing and getting very popular all over the world. People of all ages, male and female are trying to find good places to learn MMA.  Whether its Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Judo, Boxing, Wrestling or just a basic MMA class more and more people are looking to train in this new sport called MMA. In the beginning mixed martial arts training was dominated by men.  Then the women started getting interested in the sport.  These women have benefitted a lot from this and so have the mixed martial arts gyms where they train. 

Women only class have started to become very popular and this has been great for women.  They are able to get a good cardio workout and learn some of the best self defense moves in the world. Women who train in MMA also are more confident and feel better about themselves knowing they are able to fight off an attacker if needed. Often they feel like they are better equiped to manage stressful situations as a whole.  There are no other types of gyms that will do this for you.  Being in good shape does help you stay healthy and live a healthy lifestyle, but if you do not know BJJ, Muay Thai Kickboxing, or MMA you will not be able to stop someone from forcing themselves on you.

If you have MMA gym’s around your area chances are one of them has MMA classes for women.  Go in and try out an MMA class and see for yourself if like it.  Even if they do not have classes only for women it is still a great idea to go check out their MMA program. Some MMA gyms have really big mixed classes with an even number of women and men. These classes may or may not have very many women.  But this isn’t like that at all places so make sure and call ahead of time and ask them how their classes are and check to see if they do have MMA classes for women.

Where I train Mixed Martial Arts in Baltimore there are very good women programs. If your area does not have women only MMA class you can always take separate Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai classes. There are many areas that have very good programs. In Severn Jiu Jitsu is very popular and has very good women programs. Glen Burnie Kickboxing is really big so there are some very nice programs.

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