China MMA

[Kellen Bassette]

So by that argument, a lot of taiji practitioners are not martial artists.

I'll go along with that.

It's like saying pop stars suck

I'll go with that as well.

[Kellen Bassette]

Thank you so much... yeah, the Upper Darby Royals (High School) team won the central league Championship last night. So very proud of them all!
Here is are some videos of takedowns, trips, thows, grappling, striking, etc from our mma sparring sessions, nothing too fancy just some random clips.

But I was told KF never practices with non compliant partners.

[pateticorecords]

But I was told KF never practices with non compliant partners.

hahaha... I know. I will also hear about how what we are doing isn't good enough, or it doesn't look light Kung Fu, etc.

[Lucas]

thats because i believe sanda/sanshou is the future of competative sport fighting for cma. its a very broad spectrum. there are thousands of kungfu schools in china. not all have a sanda program but there are a lot that do. they dont all use western boxing, many do for sure, but not all.


western boxing itself is a great example of clearly visible evolution of a sport fighting method. look at the top fighters today vs the top fighters from 100 years ago. it takes generations of development and evolution to re work your style to fit flawlessly into a new format, and then to exceed and excell beyond the previous generations capabilities.

look at this leonard-crushing video from 1894

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTXye62mAY

by todays boxing standards, these guys would get eaten alive. it takes generations to get things where they need to be, by fighting, losing, winning, and re evaluating your tactics, techniques, and methods of training, and then evolving and growing.

flash forward 70 years.

ingemar johansson ko's floyd patterson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wn0YclbKR0

after 70 years of development, the boxing is much better, leaps and bounds so, much closer to what we see today, but yet, still not up to todays standards. and thats after 70 years of constant boxing development from the previous video.

people are too focused on immediate results and forget all of the other elements in play.

you need to look at the historical cultural impact that chinese martial arts suffered from. the current generation is really THE generation that is re working the chinese martial arts to be able to compete within the modern context. it takes time, and efffort. you know, kung fu

don't get me wrong. I don't disagree with the majority of what people say. It's the simple truth, but I also like to look at the full picture in regards to chinese martial arts, and if you do, you can see what's going on. i'm not so deluded as to think that what cma offeres in terms of competative sport fighting is up to standard, its not, but i do believe that it will be, and we can see evidence of this with the top fighters that are using chinese methods. they are the exception at this point, but do prove that cma can be competative. eventually this standard will become more prominent, and i believe you will see a clear line drawn in the future of cma between combat/sport and non combat training halls.

[Kellen Bassette]

hahaha... I know. I will also hear about how what we are doing isn't good enough, or it doesn't look light Kung Fu, etc.

One, the other or both. But it's a whole lot easier criticizing training than it is to train.

[Kellen Bassette]

Lucas makes a lot of good points. Detractors always say TCMA needs to evolve; then they say Sanda isn't TCMA. Maybe not...but in 70 years it could be. I think it's part of the immediate evolution of TCMA.

And yes Muay Thai is awesome and effective, but so is Sanda. These arts are similar, but not the same...and there's no real reason Sanda wouldn't be every bit as good as a striking base for MMA as MT. For that matter any of the south east Asian kickboxing arts would probably make great bases. The Cambodian, Burmese and Lao arts are all comparable to MT. They have never had much exposure due to lack of tourism, (compared with Thailand)...poorer, less developed countries, poorly developed fighting circuits, a general lack of pro experience...Thais always produce more and better pros. It's a social, economic and cultural thing. Not that MT is necessarily better than the arts from the surrounding countries...they are VERY similar. MT is more popular in the West, due to it's association with MMA, and it's popularity in European kickboxing. Sanda was lesser known, had fewer Western practitioners and came in late.

[pateticorecords]

One, the other or both. But it's a whole lot easier criticizing training than it is to train.

Absolutely. We spar for 2 hours switching partners after every match up, we do 5 minute rounds with 1 minute of rest in between the matches. We tend to start the first couple of match ups focused on striking (punching, kicking, elbows, knees, shoulders, etc), then striking with take-downs and throws, then striking with take-downs into submission grappling. Also the sparring starts at medium speed and power and as it progresses we move into full speed and power. I am 41 and I make it through it all without getting winded.
It's a great workout to say the least.

[Kellen Bassette]

Absolutely. We spar for 2 hours switching partners after every match up, we do 5 minute rounds with 1 minute of rest in between the matches. We tend to start the first couple of match ups focused on striking (punching, kicking, elbows, knees, shoulders, etc), then striking with take-downs and throws, then striking with take-downs into submission grappling. Also the sparring starts at medium speed and power and as it progresses we move into full speed and power. I am 41 and I make it through it all without getting winded.
It's a great workout to say the least.

Is that a once a week routine, or more often?

[pateticorecords]

Is that a once a week routine, or more often?

Every Saturday morning 9-11 AM... we have about 15 people or so that participate some of them are High School and College wrestlers, amateur MMA practitioners, and people from other arts that come to cross train with us.

Our regular classes are hand's on and once the initial concept it taught it is put to the test on resistant opponents... my focus is that everything that I teach is applicable in a real life/street scenario. We do a lot 2/3/4/5 vs ones. We also have days were they come in for sparring training in regular clothes, not sweats more jeans, slacks, etc I want them to experience what it is like to fight with their regular everyday work clothes.

[Kellen Bassette]

Every Saturday morning 9-11 AM... we have about 15 people or so that participate some of them are High School and College wrestlers, amateur MMA practitioners, and people from other arts that come to cross train with us.

Our regular classes are hand's on and once the initial concept it taught it is put to the test on resistant opponents... my focus is that everything that I teach is applicable in a real life/street scenario. We do a lot 2/3/4/5 vs ones. We also have days were they come in for sparring training in regular clothes, not sweats more jeans, slacks, etc I want them to experience what it is like to fight with their regular everyday work clothes.

Is your KF and MMA classes combined, or are they separate? If their separate do you get many of the KF folks showing up for sparring?

It's awesome if your getting wrestlers and guys from other schools to come down...I really think mixing it up like that goes a long way to sharpening everyone's skills. When it's all guys from the same school I think you get a lot of similar tendencies and it can be easy to pick up on.

[pateticorecords]

Is your KF and MMA classes combined, or are they separate? If their separate do you get many of the KF folks showing up for sparring?

It's awesome if your getting wrestlers and guys from other schools to come down...I really think mixing it up like that goes a long way to sharpening everyone's skills. When it's all guys from the same school I think you get a lot of similar tendencies and it can be easy to pick up on.

The MMA perspective is always combined into our regular curriculum even if the students don't spar, we spar after class several times a month for those who can make it on Saturdays. For every principle taught I show/demonstrate as many possible reactions, what if's, and how would it work against boxing/grappling/mma. Then I also teach how to counter if that same principle move is done to you. I also show them how the same principle can be applied while stand up fighting, from a clinch, and on the ground.

I have been working on building a strong community of local like minded martial artists that get together to cross train in each other's methods. I have also humbled by some of the Masters of other arts taught here that now study under me as well.

Oh, I have been challenged as well and took on the challenges to prove a point.

My main objective to show people that the "flowery stuff" (one of the wrestling coaches once said that to me when I first met him and he changed his mind when we grappled...lol) does work.

[Kellen Bassette]

I really like the idea of incorporating the MMA perspective into the traditional classes. To my way of thinking, MMA is just application and it should be taught with the traditional stuff.

[GeneChing]

Taiwan gets Ruff.

Taiwan’s Huang set for China mixed martial arts debut
By James Goyder / Contributing reporter

Taiwanese welterweight Jeff Huang is set to feature in China’s biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion this month. The 34-year-old will be taking on Wang Aning at Ruff 9, which is set to take place at the MGM Grand in Hainan on May 18.

Huang will not have youth on his side when he goes up against the Chinese fighter, but he has just returned from an extensive training camp in Brazil and the US, and believes that experience might just give him the edge in this encounter.

“I have been training with some top-ranking, world-class fighters. Their level is way higher than mine, so I really learned a lot from getting beaten up in sparring with them. It made me mentally tough because I had to force myself to stand in front of them and try to survive,” he said.

Ruff was founded in 2007 and only fighters who are either native to China or who live in the region and possess a valid work permit are allowed to compete. Huang is to debut for Ruff on May 18 and will be fighting for the first time in almost a year.

In the intervening months, he has been training after quitting his job as an investment consultant in Taipei to dedicate himself to pursuing his dream of becoming a professional MMA fighter.

He was training at the American Kickboxing Academy in California at the start of the month, but flew back home to put in some final preparations for Ruff 9. After months of training, this will be a major test for Huang, whose opponent is fighting out of the most successful MMA camp in China, and he admits to feeling some pre-fight nerves.

“I am always nervous, but that’s a positive thing because it makes me cautious, and that makes me think more and train harder. I respect everyone who has the guts to step into the ring or cage, so I will always be nervous and get the best preparation for any fight,” he said.

For more information on Ruff 9, visit www.ruffchina.com.

[Dragonzbane76]

I really like the idea of incorporating the MMA perspective into the traditional classes. To my way of thinking, MMA is just application and it should be taught with the traditional stuff.

exactly how we run our class. our flyer states at the top. "Traditional Kung Fu with a modern perspective." We do grappling at least once a week, we do clinch work (plum, knees, throws, sweeps, etc. We spar with equipment on for maximum potential and understanding power striking. We have a wide base of people with differing background from grappling to judo, to wrestling, to kung fu. We keep some of the traditional parts intact and teach varying kung fu techniques. I just like to think we threw out the crap honestly.

[GeneChing]

Luv the title of this article.

Kung fu dreams
Updated: 2013-05-14 13:48
By Belle Taylor ( China Daily)


Left: Fred Thomassen (right) practices jiu-jitsu with a student at Big King BJJ gym in Beijing. Right: Students spar with each other at the gym. Photos by Yin Di / for China Daily


Top: Augusto Miranda (right) and Luciano Queroz practice in their apartment in Beijing. Above: Miranda displays his tattoos and the logo of his jiu-jitsu team.

They are three foreigners who share a passion for an ancient Chinese art. They traveled halfway across the globe to realize their vision of opening up a gym to share their knowledge of martial arts learned in Brazil and Europe. Belle Taylor reports.

Up a narrow stairwell in a gym above a coffee shop in Beijing's Wangjing area, three friends from opposite ends of the globe, Norway and Brazil, are working hard at creating their own version of the Chinese dream.

They are not manufacturing products to export, or selling foreign made goods to the booming Chinese market - they are building a martial arts gym, bringing an international flavor to an ancient Chinese discipline.

"We have been friends for a long time and we started to talk about plans to open a gym in Scandinavia," says Brazilian Luciano Queiroz. "But we talked things over and we saw that it was going to be much better to come to China because China is growing so fast."

The trio, Norwegian Fred Thomassen and Agusto Miranda and Queiroz, both from Brazil, met as they pursued their sport by training and competing internationally over a number of years.

They are all impressively tall and well built, athletes with years of training behind them.

But their imposing physical presence has little relation to their friendly demeanor as they chat about trying to encourage more female fighters and the challenges of adjusting to a different language and culture.

They established Big King BJJ gym in Beijing 18 months ago, renting out rooms in Wangjing's KOO Gym to start taking students.

While China has a long history of martial arts, commonly known as kung fu, Queiroz says they want to "introduce a wider spectrum of martial arts to China, in particular jiu-jitsu".

Thomassen, Miranda and Queiroz teach a variety of disciplines with a focus on Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Thai boxing and reality based self-defense, a pragmatic form of martial arts that focuses on modern conflicts and crime situations.

Thomassen says there are similarities across the various forms.

"There are only so many ways the human body moves," he explains. "So if you go into the Chinese system you are going to find the same way to break an arm," he explains.

Thomassen first came to China eight years ago to study martial arts.

"I started doing some Chinese styles in Norway and Europe and I wanted to come over here and check out how good I could get, how real it could get, and when I came to China I tried to find a good school, there are some good schools, but for every one good school there are a hundred dancing academies, they just show you how to dance, it's not real, and all of us are more into competing or defending ourselves."

Big King BJJ has had the softest of soft openings, slowly increasing the size and number of their classes to ensure each new student feels like they are part of the business. Chatting to them, it is apparent that they are operating their gym with the same one-eyed zeal they approach their sport - this is less a business and more a labor of love.

"Most gyms here start out by looking for a lot of capital from an investor and then they start looking for the students. They are usually not that financially sound and the students don't feel that much ownership to the gym, so we are doing it the other way around," says Thomassen.

When Big King BJJ opened they had only one student - their neighbor who worked in a local horse riding equipment store.

"He was just your average Joe, you know?" says Thomassen. "And the thing is, we still have that kind of customer, not all professional fighters, not all rich embassy people or something, we want all kinds of people, all walks of life to just blow those barriers away and just communicate and be happy together," he says, sounding more yoga instructor than martial arts competitor.

Thomassen has a firmer grasp on Mandarin than his fellow trainers, although Queiroz says he's improving every day.

"'Hao, bu hao (good, or not),' you can teach a lot with just those words," Queiroz says with a grin.

"I really like China but it is completely different from Brazil and the Western world. Sometimes it's kind of strange and hard to deal with but still, I've been here a year and a half and it gets better every day."

"We work together as a team and we help each other out but it's also an individual challenge," says Thomassen.

The trainer's ultimate goal is to have students they can develop into serious competitors who will represent the gym at competitions in China and abroad. But for now, they are working on developing relationships, building a client base. They show off their logo, two chess pieces with martial arts belts tied around them.

"Jiu-jitsu's like a chess game, using the mind and body together," Queiroz says.

It's the same approach they are taking to building their Chinese dream.