FREE 30 Days Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in Miami & Davie

If you ask ten people at FFA why they train in MMA, you will probably get ten different answers i.e. weight loss, self defense, competition, etc. Why do I train? Well, let me start from the beginning.
Ever since I can remember I’ve been fascinated by the martial arts and combat sports in general. As a young child I spent my Saturdays watching pro wrestling and Kung Fu movies. Later, the ninja explosion of the ’80′s permeated every form of entertainment I enjoyed; comics, film, and television. I bought every martial arts magazine I could find and constantly nagged my mother for Karate lessons. Finally, on my 15th birthday I began Tae Kwon Do classes. I studied Tae Kwon do for about nine years and achieved a second degree black belt.
I enjoyed my TKD training but felt it was just a piece of a larger puzzle. On November 12, 1993 the rest of the puzzle became clearer. This was the date of the first Ultimate Fighting Championship. This event was a dream come true; a no holds barred competition featuring various martial arts pitted against each other. Ever since watching those old Kung Fu movies as a kid I always wondered who would win if a wrestler fought a boxer or if a karateka faced off against a judoka. Well here it was, and it was real! Who prevailed in that inaugural ultimate brawl? A lean and unassuming jui-jitsu practitioner who barely threw a strike and was outweighed by all his opponents; Royce Gracie. Before the UFC, I had read about the Gracie challenge in Black Belt magazine, which claimed that the Gracie family was undefeated in no holds barred fights and that they could beat anyone with their form of self defense; they had even challenged Mike Tyson. Now I saw first hand that they could back up their talk and that grappling was the missing element that completed the martial arts puzzle.
Over the years I consumed everything NHB related I could. Along with the UFC this included the World Combat Championship, Battlecade, Shooto, Pancrase, K-1, Universal Vale Tudo, you name it. All the while I wished there was some place where I could learn the hybrid style of fighting showcased in these events.
That day came on February 14, 2002. That was the day I first stepped foot inside the Freestyle Fighting Academy. There were only about a dozen students back then and the academy was just a room with some mats. The instructors were a couple of kids barely in their 20s. I figured I’d pick up a few techniques and move on. Well, I’ve been here ever since and I have no plans to “move on”. Not only did I find a school where I could learn the techniques I had been seeking, but through my training at FFA, I have also had the opportunity to compete in MMA, boxing, and kickboxing. In addition to being a student and competitor, I have also had the honor of becoming an FFA instructor, allowing me to share the knowledge and experience I have accumulated through the years to help guide as many of you toward your goals as possible.
So why do I train? To get in shape, for self defense, to compete? Yeah, those are all good reasons, but there’s one other reason…for the love. I train for the love.

By: John Mangual

I would like to express just a little bit how martial arts has worked in my life and how it has shaped my foundation and the core of my very soul. I could have done many other things in my life, for example, stay in the Marines and make a career in the military. I could have also done law enforcement, but my calling has always been to teach and train martial arts.
From all of my experiences, jiu-jitsu has been the art which has moved me the most and has made me look within myself with deeper thought. Throughout my 15 years of training jiu-jitsu, I have learned to think in three dimensions. A lot of people see and perceive in a flat jigsaw-puzzle manner. Jiu-jitsu in itself is a multi-dimensional art and it makes the practitioner build the senses and perception that others don’t have. You can tell what kind of person or character he/she is by how they express themselves through grappling.
Through jiu-jitsu I have learned to assimilate and to develop. Most importantly, I have learned to protect what is dear to me in martial arts. Our goal as martial artists should be to achieve our visions and reach our self actualization.

By: Efrain Ruiz

Every black belt martial artist started out just like the rest of us, an eager student hungry to learn more technique and get better. Class is a great place to learn that technique; but for those of us who want to learn more and at a faster pace, sometimes class alone is just not enough. If you are that sponge-like student who wants to constantly learn and advance quicker, then keep reading. Aside from the hour you spend in class, there are many other resources available for learning technique (especially with the advent of the internet). The purpose of this article is to point you in the right direction on your quest to learn more technique.

The most inexpensive and convenient resource for learning new techniques is the internet. Nowadays you can go online and spend countless hours watching technique being demonstrated on various websites. Youtube literally has thousands of videos teaching virtually any move you can think of. Just log on to youtube.com and type in what you’re interested in seeing and hundreds of videos will come up in your search results. Other good websites are dailymotion.com, submissions101.com, and lockflow.com.

Another good resource for acquiring new techniques is books. If you like to read and prefer learning at your own pace with books then buying a book is a good choice. Any major bookstore such as Barnes and Nobles has a martial arts section within the general sports section. There are usually specific books on wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing. There are also books that cover all three disciplines in one book. Some students like to buy a book and bring it with them to open mat. Then they open the book up to a certain technique, read through it, and practice the technique with a partner at open mat (usually with the book right next to them on the mat).

Private lessons and mentorship programs are probably the best ways to learn more technique and improve the learning curve. Although pricier than the previous two options, it is definitely worth it. With a private lesson you have a highly experienced coach working with you one-on-one. In a private lesson the instructor teaches you new techniques and focuses exclusively on you. Mentorship programs are extended private lesson packages where your instructor takes you under his wing, like a mentor, and works with you for an extended period of time. If you can afford these options and are interested ask the staff at the gym.

Purchasing videos is another option if you want to learn more technique. Almost any advanced martial artist owns at least one DVD or video series on technique. There is a huge market selling DVD instructional videos on the internet. For those of you that don’t like to read or surf the internet, this option is for you. Each instructional video usually focuses on one aspect of grappling or martial arts. For example, FFA’s head instructor, Marcos Avellan, is soon to release his own DVD instructional that focuses on passing guard.

To sum it all up, there are many places you can go to improve your learning curve outside of your class. The internet, books, private lessons, and instructional videos are just some of the many resources available for learning more technique. Good luck on your quest to learn as much as possible.