My daughter Amira has finally arrived! She is a big girl, 8lbs and 9 ounces! And so beautiful! Rima and Amira are healthy and safe, but we will be in the hospital for a few days regardless. Wow! Nothing could have ever prepared me for this – it is truly the best day of my life!
I’ll still be at the Miami MMA school at 10:30AM to teach kickboxing, so I will see you guys there!
–Master Marcos Avellan
P.S. I now have DAD STRENGTH!!!! :)
Check out the video above, it’s Joe Ray’s Postfight Strikeforce MMA Interview! Joe Ray just won by TKO in the first round, utilizing excellent Muay Thai kickboxing techniques, it was a great victory! Listen to what Joe Ray has to say in this interview!
Learn more about the Freestyle Fighting Academy mixed martial arts (MMA) and our 30 Day FREE Trial by calling 1-888-FFA-GYMS (1-888-332-4967) or visit www.BestFreeTrial.com. We have gyms in the Miami, Doral, Kendall, Davie, Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, and Pembroke Pines areas.
–Master Marcos Avellan
www.FFAspace.com
I just got to train WEC fighter Mackens Semerzier. He will be here training with us until Tuesday. He will be training in the mornings at our Davie MMA gym and evenings at our Miami MMA gym. He just tweeted a video of himself saying nice words about the Freestyle Fighting Academy, check out the video above!
-Master Marcos Avellan
www.FFASpace.com
When you have a big presentation to give, do you prepare for it? How long in advance do you begin working on it? How much effort do you put into your projects? How do you feel about yourself and your project afterwards? These are simple questions that will be very telling of your performance. If you feel very uncertain, scared and ashamed – you know you came unprepared.
Just by putting in the time to prepare for a mission, you are increasing your chances for success. The more time you put in, the more likely you will succeed. You will be able to build more experience, enhance your skills, develop your product, test it, and revise it. Think about it, how would you feel about sponsoring an athlete to compete in the Olympics how only trained for one day?
Preparation is the hallmark of a successful person. I have met many athletes who say they want to be champions. Then these same people will fail to show up to practice and put in the time to properly prepare. They will have, ironically, prepared excuses for why they couldn’t train or why they haven’t made it to the top yet. It is easy to identify a successful person. They are the ones who always come to work on time. They have their projects finished in advance.
When you have an assignment to complete, plan your route to success. Think about what resources you will need, how much time it will take, what sacrifices you will have to make, and what tasks are you going to have to do. Every minute of planning will save you ten minutes of action, so be thorough. Once you are done planning, begin taking action. Do NOT procrastinate!
–Master David Avellan
www.FFAspace.com
Joe Ray makes weight for Strikeforce Miami! He fights tomorrow, Saturday, January 30 at the Bank Atlantic Center! Joe trains out of our Miami MMA school – but the venue is literally 5 minutes from our Davie MMA school – so both schools should be present in full force! :) Let’s give Joe Ray all the support possible for his pro MMA debut and Freestyle Fighting Academy’s Strikeforce debut!
Joe is the first MMA fight of the evening, so be there early if you plan on seeing him fight! Go Joe Ray!
–Master Marcos Avellan
Strikeforce Miami is this Saturday, January 30, 2010. In it is one of FFA’s up and comers, Joe Ray. Joe Ray started in our Miami Muay Thai Kickboxing program and has been competing in kickboxing for years with us, having accumulated an amateur record of 8-0 along with the ISKA southeast championship title. Joe then trained in Thailand for nearly a year, racking up a pro thai kickboxing record of 4-1. This will be his first foray in professional MMA.
I have had the pleasure of training him, or rather the pain (the man hits hard!). Joe is one of those people that excel under pressure. He fights his best in the ring, not in the gym – which is excellent for an avid competitor. I have been waiting for the day that Joe would go into MMA. He has so many weapons in his arsenal, he can really pick how he will finish the fight.
Today he will be doing his last training session with me at 6pm, then afterwards heading over to do photos and interviews with the Strikeforce crew. Tomorrow, he will be weighing in and of course on Saturday – it is go time!
I will post videos and pictures of Mr. Ray as we continue his preparation for Strikeforce.
OSU!!!
–Master David Avellan
www.FFAspace.com
Anybody with one month of BJJ training knows this move. It is one of the most basic techniques in a grappling practitioner’s arsenal. It is truly a classic Jiu Jitsu technique, dating back to the origins of the martial arts inception. If it could file a restraining order on me, it would have done so years ago. I have used this move so much that everyone who has trained with me knows that I am going to use it against them. The best part, it that I still catch everyone with it.
I have bastardized this hold and have made it my own. I have so many variations with it, that I have had to map it out on a piece of paper. On people who are not familiar with my devilish twist to it, they are easy prey – succumbing quickly to it and a mix of horror and amazement. To those who have been to the depths of my hell, they dread it’s face – when they see it coming, they simply close their eyes and pray for their salvation.
It amazes me that more people haven’t used this technique like I have. I myself, had picked up on this from a chance meeting with a BJJ black belt. He too, abused this technique thoroughly – catching many unsuspecting victims off guard. I owe him greatly for this, but in my endless study of this move, I have taken it to another level. I hope to meet with him some day so we can compare styles and see if there is anything we can teach each other.
Until that day, I will keep honing my weapon and make it as deadly as possible. I show my students how to use this mighty attack, and watch them practice it against each other – learning from other viewpoints. I attempt it from my different positions, figuring out how versatile this tool is. Amazingly, it is applicable from nearly every situation I have encountered.
If you have trained with me, you know him by his name. Named after a great Japanese martial artist who used this technique to break both of Helio Gracie’s shoulders – Kimura. If you have trained for a few months, you are probably familiar with how to execute a Kimura from your guard or side mount. If you have more experience, you know how to attack with this hold from your half guard, the north/south position, and from the turtle. If you are savy, you can pull this off from your feet. Then if you are me…well, you can pretty much go into this move at will.
Most people get frustrated, especially when you know a move is coming and you STILL get caught in it. “Not again damn it,” is what goes through there minds. This is how you become a juggernaut – developing exceptional skills in one key area and utilizing it as often as possible. Look at great grapplers like Marcelo Garcia – infamous for his arm drag. People know he is going to do it, and STILL get caught.
Many people think that to be great, you have to know MANY techniques. This is not true – it is practicing one technique MANY times that develops greatness. Becoming an expert in one move, that is, having practiced a technique so much that you have learned all the nuances of the hold and know every possible outcome. Like a master chess player, you can see your opponents moves ahead of time and trap him.
So be like the spider, spending his time perfecting his web. Sometimes expanding on his creation, other times beginning from scratch to create an even better trap. There are many ways to hunt, but the spider has perfected his craft so well, he only needs one. Because of his effectiveness, a spider never goes hungry. If you learn from his example, you too will be unstoppable on the mats. I’ve seen my students in both my Miami MMA school and Davie MMA school pick up this move and run with it!
–Master David Avellan
www.FFAspace.com
Anyone who trains striking has at one point used a heavy bag. They are a great tool to develop striking power and building sport specific stamina. But like all tools, proper use will enhance the benefits – and many do not know the techniques you can implement to create an effective heavy bag workout. Here is a brief overview of different techniques I use regularly and recommend to our MMA Miami and MMA Davie schools.
Striking styles – When hitting the bag, you can train with a specific striking style. For example: power, combinations, volume or freestyle.
Power – In this style, I will throw one strike every four seconds. This is not a cardio workout – it is strength builder. I will repeat the same strike 10 times, with each strike hitting with more speed and force. I focus on utilizing my full body power – twisting my hips, driving off my legs, rotating my fist, etc.
Combinations – Similar to power, except now I will focus my power on a sequence of strikes. I will execute the combination explosively every four to five seconds, repeatedly it ten times as before. Each repetition should be faster than the previous one.
Volume – The opposite of power, I will try to throw as many strikes as possible. The emphasis is on speed. Each strike is fully extended. This is definitely a cardio round.
Freestyle – Here, you so whatever you want. So it is good to mix everything up.
Just by using styles, you will get much more our of your heavy bag workouts. You can also add some more bang for your buck by implementing additional exercises.
Sprawls – Every so often, drop down flat to the floor and get back up a mimicking your defense to a takedown.
Slams – If you have a throwing dummy or equivalent, you can lift it up and slam it, training your throwing ability.
Explosive bursts – Let your hands fly and strike with bad intentions for either a set amount of strikes or time.
Abominals, shoulders, neck exercises – During your bag routine, for 15 seconds do a quick set of crunches, shrugs, or neck rolls and jump back onto the bag.
These are just a few ways of making your heavy bag routine more challenging and beneficial. Give it a try in your next workout!
–Master David Avellan
www.FFAspace.com
Here is a very simple routine that I learned from one of my brown belts, Coach John Mangual. This is a great workout for mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes and anyone who wants serious muscle stamina. All you need is a pull up bar and a stop watch. If you do not have a pull up bar, find a wall or a fence you can climb.
Rounds are 1 minute in duration. You have to complete the following exercises:
A) 5 pull ups
B) 10 push ups
C) 15 squats
If you finish before time, you can rest. Once the minute is up, you repeat the exercises. Your goal should be to so as many rounds as possible. If you are unable to complete a round, you are done.
A good goal is to shoot for 15 rounds. That is 150 pushups, 75 pull ups and 225 squats in only 15 minutes. Give it try tomorrow and let me know how it goes! For those of you that train out of our MMA Miami school, I dare you to challenge Coach John! :)
–Master David Avellan
www.FFAspace.com
Just putting out a reminder about the Freestyle Fighting Academy’s word famous mixed martial arts (MMA) 30 Day Free Trial! We offer world class kickboxing, boxing, wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), grappling, and UFC-style training with a full size cage, boxing ring, heavy bags, and much more!
Our Free Trial consists of:
FREE Tour & Consultation
FREE 30 Days Training
FREE Uniform
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FREE Physical Assessment
And furthermore, we also offer an unbelievable 60 Day Money Back Guarantee!
We have gyms in the Miami, Doral, Kendall, Weston, Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, Pembroke Pines, and Davie areas. For more information about starting our 30 Day Free Trial, please give us a call at 1-888-FFA-GYMS (1-888-332-4967) or email us with your full name and phone at info@FFAgyms.com .
Also, our MMA Miami location is Open 24 Hours a day, with classes from 6AM to 1:45AM!
–Master Marcos Avellan
www.FFAspace.com
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