Learning Grappling - Flow charts

When teaching grappling it does not matter if it is a pro level MMA fighter or a BJJ white belt I always try and get my students to game plan and I think one of the best ways of doing this is to flow chart you game.

Flow charts help you not only focus on a goal and understand what your progression is from position to position but it can be a great tool to improve your game.

When a new student starts at Fulinkazan we teach them the progression and movement from position to position. A great way to do this is to flow chart your game plan, this really helps new students understand how different positions interlink:-

I have been training in martial arts for 15 years and I find this to be a great tool, I will write out my game plan and look at what I need to work on.

So what are you waiting for ? Grab a pen and paper and start designing you game plan! Send us an example of your game plan for part 2 of game planning series.

MMA Mount for Beginners

Here is a short video I have made which goes through the different mounts for MMA, Grappling and BJJ

Miracle Noodles

I am a big Fan of Japanese food and one of my favourite meals is Ramen. Ramen is a soup based dish which has a mixture of meats and a lot of egg noodles, it is very tasty but not great for losing weight.

1 pack of Sharwoods Egg noodles contains 246 calories which can make it hard to fit in to diets ..... So Uncle Spen what are we going to do I hear you cry!!!!

Well thanks to Marie and womens magazines I think I have found our answer!!!!!!!

 MIRACLE NOODLES

So what’s so great about them? 10 calories per 100g …. YES 10 CALORIES it is not a misprint.

I wanted to get to the bottom of this straight away, so I got in touch with miraclenoodle.com I spoke to someone who was very helpful and sent me the following information:-


They have fishy smelly when you open a bag, but if you rinse them well and boil a few minutes, the smell will go! Just a facts about the history and ingredients. 


 The three ingredients of our Shirataki noodles are Glucomannan, which is soluble fiber extracted from the root of a Japanese plant called a Konnyaku Imo, water and a calcium additive. This calcium additive is added to the noodles to keep their shape intact. Traditionally, egg shell powder or crashed eggshells was used and it has been eaten in Japan and Asia about 2000 years. 


 In Japan, Buddhist monks introduced and recommend it to common people because of it health benefits. The noodles contain no soy, tofu, gluten/casein, legume or gluten. You can keep them in a cool place. You do not have to keep in a refrigerator. 


 But please do not store them in a shed etc outside because then they may become frozen. When it is frozen, it changes the texture dramatically. 


 And if you once open the bag, please keep it in a refrigerator with the original water in the bag and use them within a few days.

Sticking with the Japanese theme the first meal I made with Miracle noodles is a Ramen with chicken breast. Ramen is a noodle soup and this recipe is under 250cals !!!!!!!!

The wonderful people at Miracle noodles also do rice which is brilliant to have with the chilli mince or Mexican mince.

Keep an eye on my Youtube site for serving suggestions for Miracle Noodle Spenfu25

These are a great ways alternative to pasta and Rice and something I am using a lot with my meals to cut weight. Visit them here and mention our site Miracle noodle

Product Review - CS1 Boxing Gloves

I am going to be reviewing some products over the next couple of months and the first in the series is the CS1 Boxing Glove producted by Caged Steel.

I have been using these gloves for the last 3 months and I have been very impressed. Before these gloves, I was using a pair of Sandy 16oz Gloves for sparring kickboxing and heavy mma sparring, I had used the gloves for a couple of years so they defenatly seen better day's.

I was thinking about a couple of different brands but I was given a pair of Caged Steel to use and review.

First thing I noticed was the quiliaty of the gloves, I used a pair of old Caged Steel boxing Gloves many moons ago and I was not impressed with the qauility, as it seemed a little bit plastic, but these looked miles better.

When I checked the Caged Steel site they have used a Thai company to produce the gloves, which looks to have really paid off.



On the Caged Steel Website they have the following information:-

Made in thailand. the superb build quality of the boxing gloves coupled with the best materials available mean that you’re getting a premium product but without the premium price tag. The double wrist strap and specially constructed padding round off this superior piece of kit; suitable for anyone from beginners to big hitters.

The double wrist strap is an excellent idea (see the picture below) when we heavy MMA sparring session one of my pet hates when sparring is the glove slipping of when clinching or grappling ... not any more it stays on great.



Comfort is another think I really like about these gloves, the fit nice around the fist and it keeps the hand tight inside.

Overall I can't fault these gloves, the only negative thing (but it is only a small thing) is it can be tricky to put on the glove and wrap the double wrist strap with a boxing gloves ... but I a bit of pratice and it isn't a problem.

Score - 4.5 out of 5

You can buy these gloves by following the below link:-

Lots going on :)

We have got a bunch of guys fighting in the next couple of weeks, a BJJ comp and James Doyles first fight with punching to the head on the mat.

Training is really popping at the moment so get down and get involed :)

Spenna

Submission Grappling - 31st July 2011

Well done Robbie Thacker for competing this weekend at mission submission, he won 1 and lost 1.

Great work mate.
Spenna

Post Fight Interviews - MAX 8

MAX 8

Big Thanks to all the coaches who came down, the Fulinkazan supports and of course the fighters for given there all in training.

It was an excellent night for Team Fulinkazan at MAX 8 on the 30th July 2011, we had 4 fighters on the fight card at Wesleys Night club in Pudsey.

First out was Matty Byrne who took on Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Carl Suanders from Leeds MMA who managed to control the fight on the floor and attacked for submissions to win by Judges Decision.

Parris Mustaq was next against Will Filippi from Big Cat MMA, after a brief exchange and some wrestling, Will took Parris to the floor. Parris took some heavy shots from Will and managed to work for a very tight arm bar in 1:06 of the first round.

James Riley had a hard fought fight against Middlesbrough Alex Beattle of the Akurei Gym, the fights almost went to judges decision but in the last 30 seconds of the fight James managed secure a choke and put his opponent to sleep 2 seconds before the end of the last round.

K-dog was the last Fulinkazan fighter to compete, Kevin Mullin was 6kg lighter than his opponent Rob Wall from the Sheffield based S18gym camp, but Kevin controlled the ground work and secured a fantastic Arm Triangle choke.

I am always very proud of all my students weather they fight or just train, the best part of these guys victories was the hard work and dedication they put in to their training and the support they received from the gym.

Post fight interviews coming soon.

Spenna
www.bradfordmma.com