MMA News: October 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Watch The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Episode 2 online

HUWOW!!! Another episode of The Ultimate Fighter is here with "Suck It Up".
The Ultimate Fighter is the premier reality show on Spike Television. The show is about UFC hopefuls and veterans competing for a UFC contract. For over eight seasons the show has featured not only up and coming UFC stars but the top names in the UFC working as coaches: such as Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, BJ Penn, Ken Shamrock, Antonio Nogueira, Frank Mir and many others. While the format of the show has changed the one constant thi ... more The Ultimate Fighter is the premier reality show on Spike Television. The show is about UFC hopefuls and veterans competing for a UFC contract. While the format of the show has changed the one constant thing remains the same a fighter must establish himself in the octagon to be the Ultimate Fighter. Come join me and watch The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Episode 2 online here:

CLICK HERE TO PROCEED TO WATCH THE LATEST EPISODE
Previous episode "Something to Prove"
Brock Lesnar and Dos Santos look to coach a new batch of fighters in the house.

UFC President Dana White announced that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and number one contender Junior dos Santos will match wits as the coaches of season 13 of the hit Spike TV reality series.

Following the season, which begins filming this month and begins airing on March 30, Lesnar and dos Santos will then match fists in the Octagon later in 2011.
This will be the first time either fighter has appeared on The Ultimate Fighter, which began airing on Spike in 2005. The last time heavyweights coached the show was during season eight in 2008, when dos Santos' mentor, "Minotauro" Nogueira, faced off against former champion Frank Mir. This season, the two will coach a host of welterweight hopefuls looking to secure a UFC contract.
No word on if Mr. Gerbasi will continue to leak information for the UFC. The season will be welterweights which should add a hilarious dynamic to an already angry Brock Lesnar, who will be dealing with Las Vegas for six weeks.

With its twelfth season now officially over and done with, many are once again wondering what the future holds for the popular and long-running ufc reality TV show "The Ultimate Fighter". With the planned WEC/UFC merger looming on the horizon, many fight fans are calling for Bantamweight and Featherweight editions of TUF. As the UFC continues its rapid expansion, fans have also been calling for international editions of TUF. Recently several reports surfaced that shed new light on the future of the show, including when the thirteenth season is scheduled to air as well as new developments on international versions of the show.

MMA Weekly brings word that TUF Season 13 has been pegged for a March 2011 debut, March 30 to be exa ct, with a "Fight Night Live" special expected to air four days beforehand. According to the report, the show has officially begun its casting process but lacks any definitive coaches. UFC President Dana White recently revealed that he'll be deciding who coaches TUF Season 13 soon. March 2011 is shaping up to be a huge month for the UFC, with a rumored event in Abu Dhabi, TUF Season 13, the "Fight Night Live" special that precedes it, and a "UFC on Versus" special all tentatively in the works and scheduled for March.

MMA Junkie also recently reported on the international future of the show. Here's what UFC President Dana White recently told the site: "There will actually be three (international editions). We'll get it done in 2011. There will be three, and then Canada will probably be fourth. We're going to figure out how to get them to everybody." White has yet to reveal which countries would receive their own version of the popular reality TV show.

Al l in all, I'm really looking forward to the thirteenth season of "The Ultimate Fighter". After the dip in fight quality (but a spike in ratings, thanks in no small part to names like Roy Nelson and Kimbo Slice) that was "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 10, Season 11 and Season 12 have seen a big return to some great fights on a per-episode basis. In fact, I've stated multiple times that I firmly believe that Season 12 gave us some of the best fights of recent TUF history.

In regards to international editions of TUF, I think they'll be difficult to pull off but, if they are pulled off, will be crucial in the development of overseas territories. The original TUF did wonders for the UFC, I think the possibility exists that these international editions may end up working the same magic. All I hope is that the UFC makes them available to us Americans, hopefully with subtitles. If everything works out, we MMA fans could be treated to more great fights and more crazy drama than ever before.

In the end, I don't think this is a case of "too much too soon". I'm ready for another season of TUF, and I think international editions have been a long time coming. It's up to the UFC to make the most out of this situation, but their track record alone proves that the UFC knows how to keep TUF entertaining and relevant despite its long, long run. The future of TUF is actually quite bright, and I personally can't wait to see how it continues to evolve in 2011 and beyond.

And what about you, fans and friends? Excited already for this new season?

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Posted by King at 11:44 AM
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Is There Such a Thing as Real Wrestling?

I still remember the first time I heard it was fake. I was six, and on the playground at summer school. A friend and I were talking and we started talking about wrestling when another kid on the jungle gym said "Wrestling's fake." This statement wrought my brain with a confusion that persisted for many years to come. This was simply impossible. How could it be fake? I see them bleed, I hear them scream, and I see them go through tables and the such. So I said the most logical response I could think of, "No it's not," I retorted to the boy. He said that if the wrestlers actually did those moves they would kill each other. I disregarded the claims as childish stupidity and went about my life. Throughout the years there were of course many references made to wrestling being fake. I attributed it to adult cynicism. Like how it was crazy that none of the adults believed in Santa or Magic. As I got older it became increasingly easy to see how everything was done. Through many in ternet sources it slowly unraveled before my eyes. It left an odd feeling in my stomach. I dreamt of going undefeated an entire career and holding every title. Soon I began to compromise. Well maybe they could have an undefeated wrestler; I just won't hold all the titles. Maybe I'll have one loss, after I'm a legend. Maybe a few losses, but only because they cheated. I compromised more and more until I realized I will lose when they need me to and win when they need me to.

When I first found out I was afraid it would frighten me away from wrestling. I didn't grow up watching fake wrestling. I grew up watching real wrestling. Only when I found out did it become fake. How would this affect me? How would knowing my childhood ideals of grandeur were fake affect how I saw the product that largely defined who I am. Yet every week I found myself continuing to tune in, and I found myself equally entranced by it, but in a newer way each week. I appreciated it just as muc h, but now in a different way. Soon I appreciated it more than I ever had. The skill it takes to do some of these moves is incredible, let alone the skill it takes for anyone to do them and tell a story with them. How to use big moves in conjunction with small moves, and vice versa. How a story began, progressed, ended, and transitioned was something I could already appreciate, and now I could even apply it to wrestling. It's amazing really. I am in love with a product that really isn't even the same thing I fell in love with in the first place. I was looking at from two different angles. Two different perspectives, and yet I still wanted it more than anything else. I guess it's almost more of an accomplishment when you can go out there out there and prove yourself in that way. I mean in a sense anyone can go and be unbeatable if it was real. To go out there and be the best in a world where there will be people who try to hold you down, where you have no control over a lot o f things that impact your career, where the words you speak, the way you make the subtle movements in the ring, and even the way you lose can determine how successful you can be. To live in that world and still be able to call yourself the best; that takes some doing.

Now obviously everyone here loves it. We realize the athleticism, and skill it takes to do these moves properly. We know the little intricacies that make a punch a punch, and a bump a bump. We know why the little things happen. Now, why can't everyone else? Wrestling has the worst reputation of just about anything else in the world. Somehow we got right up there with Nazi's and pedophiles. At least that's the way it seems. People look at us like we're idiots when we tell them we like wrestling. Think about it. When you tell someone you like wrestling for the first time a few things can happen. First, they go "cool," and are done with it. Two, they say "No way, me too," and you have a new friend. Th ree, they go "You know wrestling's fake right?" or some variation of that phrase. They say it like it's the first time we've heard it in our lives. And the way they say it.. That condescending tone in their voice. Like they know some big secret. Like they figured it out by themselves. They tell how it looks so fake, and how dumb it is. Let's face it most of the people who criticize it for being so "obviously fake" wouldn't have a damn clue if they didn't hear it on TV or if daddy hadn't told them when they were still watching Barney at eight in the morning. Wrestling's been worked for a long time, but there were certain circumstances where they would just wrestle. This was in the early 1900's. So let's say the modern professional wrestling industry started with Orville Brown becoming the first NWA Champion in 1948. In that case 90% of people who were not involved with the wrestling business had no idea it was fake for a good 45 years. Explain that jackasses.
We know all this, and yet when we try to explain it we start to sound like idiots. We try to tell them how much skill it takes to lift a 250-pound man, then they say that the other person jumps. Well yeah they do, but what exactly is the trick to holding them there? We try and try to explain to make these people understand how hard it is, but they have that one trump card that will halt almost any argument regarding it. They simply say "Well it's fake," and they're right. Once they pull that crap it's almost impossible to come back from it. It's hard to sound convincing telling someone how tough something is when you admit it's fake. And if you deny it's fake you just sound like a doofus.

Then there's that word. "Fake," some would argue just how accurate of a description this is. We know the outcomes are determined, therefore it's fake. Right? Well should we run down the list of injuries these people have that suggest otherwise. Hulk Hogan doesn't have a plastic hip because it's "fake." Shawn didn't leave the business for four years because it's "fake." Mick Foley isn't missing half of his ear, most of his teeth, and can't hardly walk because it's "fake." Chris Benoit did not kill his family because it's "fake." The dangers are real. They are clear, and they are present. They aren't landing a trampoline. The grimace on their faces when they land is more real than you know. Try and see how many kids have been permanently disabled because they were screwing around in their backyard. There is always a chance that something will go wrong, and when you put on a show 300 days out of the year something is bound too. Now before I move onto the next section I must ask people to refrain from using the Owen hart tragedy as an example of how wrestling isn't "fake," the accident had nothing to do with a match. While we're on that subject anyway, I would like to remind everyone that there are people out there who think Eddie Guerrero and Owen Hart are sipping Pina Coladas on a beach somewhere. That's part of the extent of the stigma wresting has.

Watching wrestling with someone like that is even worse. I was over at a friend's house, and he had a friend over, and that friend's clingy girlfriend was there. She does not like wrestling. I was really the only wrestling fan in the room, but the other guys they at least understood. They were cool. So I tell my friend SmackDown is about to come on. He says I can I change the channel. I walk over to the TV. and she asks "What are you gonna watch?," I of course answer, "Wrestling." That elicited this response, "Ugh, oh my God." She's lucky she's a friend's girlfriend or she'd have ran out of teeth. The whole time I'm watching she won't shut up. Benjamin cuts a promo. "Graham how long does it take the wrestlers to memorize there lines, oh my god he didn't even touch him, this is so fake." This is coming from a girl who always has her nose either stuck in a Twilight book, or some half assed manga. I've got my fantasy world, and she's got hers. Yet for some reason she's got to declare war. It really does amaze me how disrespectful people can be for no reason. Calling them actors, saying there moves couldn't hurt anyone. You tell someone you watch wrestling, and they go "Why don't you watch UFC or something like that?" Show of hands, how many of you watch MMA in addition to wrestling. Most of you, at least occasionally. And half the people who say that can't tell me what MMA stands for. Hell this site reports MMA news, which I don't really understand, but I don't question it either. Don't get me wrong I respect the hell out of most MMA fighters. If you take out all the loudmouth little punks who haven't done anything there whole lives except get drunk and get in street fights then you have some of the greatest athletes in the world.

I can't remember who said it, but I read once that a wrestler said "For a non-belie ver no explanation will do, and for a believer no explanation is needed." Where does that leave us. We obviously aren't believers, because we know wrestling's a work, but you can't call us non-believers, because we love this sport. Yeah, I call it a sport. I don't care what Vince calls it, this is the toughest thing on the planet to do. Lawrence Taylor said after he wrestled Bam Bam Bigelow that wrestling would be like playing a football game every night, and that's exactly what they do.

I don't know really what the reason is that I love it. The talent, the moves, the characters, the story, the fans cheering. I can't explain it. People tell us it's fake, and we don't care. As conceited as it sounds I think in a sense it's jealousy. You have actors who play characters on Lost, and then those actors go on Dancing with the Stars. Not the characters from Lost, the actors. When you watch wrestling you aren't watching actors. You are watching the very same people you see walking down the street. That's what makes it real, that's what makes ours a uniquely different subculture. Different from any Star Trek cult, or comic book convention, or D&D play session. You can't last in our world without living in it. You hear the passion with which some of these veterans talk about it, and that's real passion. They mean every word of it. It's got to be some kind of magic. It's what entranced us as children, and made us analyze as adults. We will continue to ask for a "Hell Yeah," It's what makes us ask if you can smell what we're cooking, it's what will always make us twirl our wrists and cup our ears, and leg drop a couch cushion in our living room, and why we will forever strut, style, profile, and WOOOOOOOOOOO at the top of our lungs until the day we die. We are wrestling fans, and we always will be. We have nothing to be ashamed of we only have something for others to be jealous of.

Posted by King at 3:34 PM
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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Summer Body in Miami Beach

Miami Hot Bodies, Pool parties and summer BBQs are in full swing, and now it's time to show off your hard work. But what if you aren't yet in the kind of shape you want to be? Well you still have a bit of time, but there is no time to lose. And be honest, it would pretty cool to show up at the summer party and display some enhanced athleticism in smoking all-comers in volleyball game. Or maybe an impromptu cage fight is more your speed. Either way it's better to be all go -n- show. Whether or not it's smart to hit the kind of parties that involve elbow strikes is another matter.

In Miami Beach where I used to live, summer means hanging out at the old Muscle Beach climbing ropes and using the rings and gymnastic bars. If you've ever been there you've seen people with impressive physiques and real functional strength. Not long ago old school UFC fighter Oleg Taktarov was there climbing the rope next to my client. Now there's a guy that could tear up your backyard fight club picnic.

I've also seen plenty of meathead looking guys walk up and try to show off to their girl only to quickly find out real quick they don't have the strength to make it up a rope. I'm not saying you have to forget curls forever, but you could do worse than incorporating some athletic aspects into your training. The following program may have some exercises and protocols that you might not have tried before, but nothing works better to break out of a rut than a program you've never done. If you are like me or Personal Trainers Miami then undertaking a challenge itself is a good motivator, and makes time in the gym more enjoyable. And be honest, when was the last time you walked out of the gym thinking 'Damn! That was fun'?

Everybody knows that strength and muscle mass are interrelated factors important in performance and aesthetics. But rather than try to reinvent the wheel I suggest that those looking to get ready for beach season not drop what we know works like a good start for Miami Personal Trainers. I've had clients do very well with 3 sets of 5-8 reps or similar variations like Dan John suggests with the 2-3-5 rep protocol. If your gym is anything like mine it's less crowded now than it was in January, so we can be a bit more creative in setting up some fun metabolic circuits. But even if it is crowded these are designed to use minimal space and equipment to avoid possible headaches in dealing with crowds. You won't need much more than a few dumbbells, cable station, or squat rack. If you have access to kettlebells, rings etc... then all the better for some Personal Trainers Miami crew.

To be honest, it isn't so much what you add, it is what you toss out of your training...Every second you spend doing something stupid in training...or something that will hurt you...is really going to catch up to you.

Posted by King at 3:14 PM
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Monday, October 17, 2011

TapouT Apparel Carries on the Charles "Mask" Lewis Legacy With Quality Clothing

TapouT apparel is a high profile clothing line created by the late Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr., who died in a car crash last year. Despite the tragic circumstances of his death, Lewis' company continues to be a major force on the MMA circuit, providing a complete line of clothing and accessories, including TapouT T shirts, for a select group of fighters and fans. The brand name is synonymous with high quality products, and the company now produces everything from board shorts to shoes to.

The respect that the "Mask" earned in the UFC and MMA communities is evidenced by the fact that he was posthumously inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, the only non-fighter ever to be given the honor. His legacy as a proven leader carries over into the company he helped make famous, and each TapouT shirt or piece of equipment is designed with the same dedication and spirit he often showed since starting the business in 1997.

TapouT apparel's clothing line extends to women's fashions as well as men's, since the ladies who support their favorite fighters are an important part of the company's youthful image and fashion sense. They even make some sexy bikinis and casual dresses for the ladies to wear on the beach or around the ring where all the action takes place. They also carry flannels, tube tops, shorts, and of course, TapouT shirts for ladies, becoming one of the most complete vendors for MMA clothing that includes both sexes and all sizes.

One good example is the Long Sleeve Punk Burnout, a sheer TapouT T shirt with the familiar logo splashed across the chest. Another is the matched fashion sets like the Queen French Terry Hoody and Believe French Terry Pants, both in white. These are the types of clothing that look good and make the girls feel good, accentuating all the right curves in the process.

Getting back to the "main event," TapouT T shirts that is, check out the TapouT Jake Shields Signature Tee, a beautifully designed shirt that features TapouT's popular company slogan, "an expression of combat known worldwide," which pretty much sums up the company's worldwide influence as a major MMA brand. The bold silver foil design includes an eagle with wings spread wide above the TapouT logo emblazoned on a shield.

Even children aren't left out by the all-inclusive line of TapouT apparel. The company makes specific models in youth sizes, like the Youth Savage Intentions Tee and the attractive Youth Chainlink Zip Up Hoodie. The detail of the Hoodie is particularly interesting, covering the entire garment in a chain link fence them with embroidered details around the logo. The company also markets TapouT shirts, rash guards, hats, belts, and sweatshirts for the younger generation of MMA fans around the world.

No matter who you are or where you're going, there's a number of clothing choices that suit your needs as a dedicated fan of the TapouT brand. You can expect the same level of quality construction that goes into their line of MMA training gear and accessories to appear in the wide variety of apparel TapouT offers, making them one of the most popular brands in the industry

Posted by King at 12:08 PM
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Sunday, October 16, 2011

Boxing: How To Deal With The Punches

If you expect to walk away out of the ring without getting hit you are either the round girl waving a big placard in between rounds or your nickname is "Pretty Boy." But even the undefeated Mayweather receives a lot of punches when he fights and you as a round girl is out of the question.

The fact is, when you wear boxing gloves, step into the ring and face your opponent, once the bell rings, you cannot escape getting hit. Even if you have the greatest defense, you are only kidding yourself if you believe that you can defend every punch.

You are going to get hit in the face, on the sides and every inch of your upper body that is visible to your opponent. Yes, that's just the way it is; but if you are planning to become a decent boxer, they you have to prepare for the incoming punches. It will be tough at first. "Learn the hard way," they say. But it can be done.

There are 3 major things to remember when dealing with the punches: Keep your eyes open, move as much as you can, never flinch.
1.) In baseball, a study was made to prove that a 95mph fastball is faster than a blink of an eye. And it does! From the pitcher's mound to the home plate (the distance of 60 feet) a ball can travel faster than a blink of an eye. The point is, if a fastball can travel that fast from that distance, how much more will a boxer's punch from a distance of just 2 feet? Well, you can argue several points here but it is clear that if you can't blink when hitting a baseball, you definitely can't close when you are about to get hit by a punch.

Never, in any circumstance, should you close your eyes and turn your back from your opponent. If you want to avoid the onslaught, open your eyes. Obviously, this will allow you to see what's going on, where the punch is coming from and where it will most likely land (if it will land).

Keep your guards up. Do not think that by just closing your eyes, your opponent will get tired and stop. That's not going to happen. Rem ember: you cannot fight back if you have no idea what's going on.

2.) In boxing, there is one dominant rule among all other rules: if you are not punching, you are moving. No more, no less. So unless you plan to be a sitting duck throughout the fight, punch, move, punch again, and move again. When you get hit, and that's not an "if you get hit" kind of thing, never stick your head or the part of your body where it got punched in the first place.

Move! Step, dance, duck, weave or do something that your opponent cannot guess what your next stunt is going to be. If he throws a jab, do not whip back and then come straight towards him.

3.) Never Flinch. This may be a natural reaction to something that is coming right at you, but you have to control it. If you flinch, you are only making yourself more vulnerable to your opponent. The best trick to avoid this is to remember number one, get used to things coming at you, and keep your defenses up.

Posted by King at 9:50 AM
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Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Kettlebell Solution For MMA Strength And Conditioning

The top MMA athletes are far and away the best-conditioned athletes in the world. Second place is so far behind that it is not even worth mentioning. These men and women work hard and need a great strength and conditioning program to enhance their efforts. While no strength and conditioning program can make up for tireless hours sparring and working hard on the mat, a properly executed program will help hard working MMA athletes increase explosive power, ramp up cardio and muscular endurance, and make the body more durable.

There are many effective training tools to choose from for a killer strength and conditioning training. However, the tool that we are going to focus on in this article is the kettlebell. Before we get into why the kettlebell is a great training tool for MMA athletes and how to use it, lets go over what the hell a kettlebell actually is!

A kettlebell looks like a cannon ball with a suitcase handle and is a relative of the dumbbell. Many of the old-time strongman in the US and overseas used kettlebells as part of their overall regimen for building incredible levels of strength and power. In Russia and more recently in the US, kettlebell training is actually a sport in which athletes focus on three kettlebell exercises: The Jerk, The Clean and Jerk, and The Snatch for time.

These are full body exercises that teach your body how to work as one unit. While novices can get away with muscling the kettlebell for these exercises, kettlebell athletes on the professional level have to be efficient and use as many muscle groups as possible to get the job done. The sport involves doing the designated exercises for ten minutes! If you put the bells down at any point it is over similar. Just lasting ten minutes alone with a light kettlebells takes a great deal of mental toughness and conditioning. Imagine using two 70lb kettlebells for the clean and jerk (an exercise in which you take the bells from the floor to the upper body and then overhead) for ten minutes and you get an idea of the incredible strength and conditioning that these athletes have and how such training will carry over very well to the needs of MMA athletes.

While simply working on the kettlebell competition lifts will go a long way for developing incredible levels of strength and conditioning for MMA athletes, it requires professional instruction and a lot of dedication to get really good at (working up to ten minute sets). While I do think that this is worth your time, in this article we are going

To work on some other kettlebell exercises that have a very direct application to MMA. In addition we are going to go over a sample program on how to put the exercises into play for serious explosive power, strength, and conditioning. Lets get started.

The Exercises

The Double Kettlebell Clean and Push Press

If you ignore the rest of this article and only focus on this exercise you will go a long way to getting a lot out of kettlebell training. This is a full body exercise that teaches your body how to work as one unit. It is not as technical as the clean and jerk and is relatively easy to learn. If you have ever done a military press than you have probably done a push press. 99% of the clips I see for the military press on youtube.com are in fact push presses in which you use the legs to help drive the weight overhead.

The Double Clean and Push Press is a combination of two kettlebell exercises. The Double Clean and the Double Push Press. Lets cover the clean first.

Double Kettlebell Clean

Place two kettlebell between your feet aligned with your toes. Sit back as if you are trying to sit in a chair behind you and grab the kettlebells. Looking at the floor slighting in front, swing the kettlebells between your legs as if you are trying to pass a football behind you. Quickly reverse the direction and drive through with your hips, pop your pelvis up and drive the kettlebells to the rack position (Nope, the rack position is not referring to the ring girl's chest). The rack position is where the bells are resting against your upper body below chin level.

Performance Tips

Focus on getting your hands around the kettlebells rather then letting the kettlebells flip over your hands and bang your wrists.

Breathe into your stomach as you drive the kettlbells to the rack

Stand up straight at the end of the move. Your legs should be locked out.

Hold the bells in tight and close to the body at the top.
Breathe out as you swing the bells between your legs
Now lets cover the push press portion of the lift

Double Kettlebell Push Press

Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders. Squat down a few inches and reverse the motion rapidly. Use the momentum from the legs to drive the kettlebells overhead. Once the kettlebells are locked out, lower the kettlebells to your shoulders and the back to the starting position. Stay loose upon cleaning the kettlebells and when you squat down a few inches to power up the leg drive.

Performance Tips

Push the kettlebells off of your upper body.

Do not squat down too far.

Breathe in as your lower the weights and breathe out forcefully as you push press the kettlebells overhead.

Look straight ahead or slightly up when driving the bells off of the rack position.

One-Arm Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing is a great exercise for developing explosive hamstrings and when done in high reps incredible cardio and muscular endurance. Best of all it is pretty easy to learn and apply safely. It has many of the benefits of the kettlebell snatch without the technical demands of the snatch. No doubt the snatch is worth your time to learn, but the swing is the best exercise to put into play immediately while you work on snatches for down the road.

Performance

Place one kettlebell between your feet. Push your butt back and bend your knees slightly to get into the starting position. Make sure that your back is flat and look down or at the floor slightly ahead. Swing the kettlebell between your legs forcefully as if you are passing a football to someone behind you. Quickly reverse the direction and drive though with your hips explosively taking the kettlebell straight out. Let the kettlebell swing back between your legs and repeat. Switch arms with each set. Remember that the swing is primarily a hamstring exercise and that is where all of the power is generated from. It is not a front raise so do not use a crush grip on the kettlebell and keep the arm loose.

Double Swing

The Double Swing is one of the most powerful ballistic drills that you can use with kettlebells. There is no way to muscle up two heavy kettlebells. You have to have powerful hamstrings to make double swings happen. On the Double Swing you are going to focus on driving through with the hips as fast and as powerful as possible. Do not worry how high the bells get. In fact, they should not get higher then chest level. Keep the tension and focus on the hamstrings. A large percentage of the lower body explosive power comes from the hamstrings. Keep that in mind when doing Double Swings. If your lower back gets sore then you are not doing the exercise correctly.

Performance Tips

Place two kettlebells between your feet. While you will most likely have to take a wider stance than you would when doing a regular one-arm swing, do not stand too wide. The wider you stand the less hip drive you will have. Only stand as wide as you need to in order to comfortably place two kettlebells between your feet. Push back with your butt and bend your knees to get into the starting position. Make sure that your back is flat and look down or slightly in front. Swing the kettlebells between your legs forcefully. Quickly reverse the direction and drive though with your hips taking the kettlebells forward. Let the kettlebells swing back between your legs and repeat.

Double Kettlebell Squat Shrug

This is a great exercise for developing full body explosive power. You start the power with the lower body and transfer it into the upper body in each repetition. The best part about this exercise is that it is not technically demanding and fairly easy to learn. It does not require the technique of the clean or snatch, yet has many of the benefits. It is also a tremendous trap developer and strengthener.

Performance.

Place a kettlebell on the outside of each foot. Squat down and pick then up as if they are two suitcases. Keep your eyes forward and arch your back in the starting position. Stand up quickly and drive through with the hips and get airborne on each rep. As you get off the floor, push your chest out and pull your shoulders up and try to pinch your shoulder blades together. Let your shoulders go back in the socket as you land back on the ground.

Full Body Attack

This is an incredible exercise that will teach you how to use your body as one unit and build explosive power from the ground up. It is particularly beneficial for combat athletes. Often in a fight you have to get from the floor to your feet explosively against the resistance of an opponent. That is exactly what you are doing with the "Full Body Attack."

Performance

Place two kettlebells shoulder width apart on the ground. Get into the top position of the pushup with both hands on the kettlebells. Jump forward explosively while holding onto the kettlebells. Now you are in the starting position of the clean. Clean both kettlebells and drive through with the hip flexors rapidly.

Your elbows should be tucked in and in line with your stomach at the top of the movement. Bend you knees slightly, reverse the motion quickly and drive the kettlebells overhead. Now reverse the motion and do another rep. For the purpose of building speed and explosive strength, keep the rep range to no more than three. Focus on moving as quickly and as explosively as possible while maintaining solid form.

Full Body Defense

In addition to learning how to go from the ground to your feet explosively, a combat athlete needs to be able to go from the feet to the ground rapidly as well to avoid takedowns. That is precisely what the "Full Body Defense" will assist you with.

Performance

Start the exercise by cleaning two kettlebells to your shoulders. Push your pelvis up at the top of the clean so that that you can press your elbows against your stomach and keep the kettlebells tucked in. Take the kettlebells to the floor so that you are in the starting position of a double clean.

Now jump back while still holding onto the kettlebells and arch your back. When executed properly, you will look like you are doing a yoga stretch or end position of a Hindu Pushup. Immediately jump back into the clean position, clean the kettlebells, and then proceed with another rep.

Alternating Kettlebell Renegade Row

This is an outstanding drill that I picked up from my friend Coach John Davies, author of "Mastery On The Gridiron." In addition to being an excellent exercise for your upper back and lats, the Renegade Row is a killer core exercise and a great chest exercise. Yes, even the chest is worked with the Renegade row. How is this possible? The chest is activated tremendously to stabilize the body for rowing with the Renegade Row. Don't be surprised if you notice that your pecs are sorer than your lats the next day after doing Renegade Rows. Because you are off balance with the Renegade Row, the abdominal muscles are also worked tremendously to maintain balance. There are not too many upper body muscles that the Renegade Row does not work.

Performance

Get into the top position of the pushup holding on to two kettlebells that are less than shoulder width apart. Take a shoulder width stance and push one kettlebell into the floor forcefully while you pull the other kettlebell in the working arm. Hold the kettlebell in the working arm in the top position for a second and then lower the kettlebell under control back to the floor. Switch arms after each repetition.

Performance Tips

Push the kettlebell of the non-working arm into the floor with as much force as possible.

Breathe in as you pull one kettlebell and out as you lower the kettlebell.

Flex your butt and stomach for added stability

Flex the lat of the working arm before pulling each kettlebell off of the floor.

Take a wider stance to make the exercise easier and a closer stance to make the exercise harder.

The Kettlebell Guard Attack

This is an exercise that suits perfectly the needs of MMA fighters and grapplers. Sports in which you often end up on you're back called the guard and have to fight off an opponent in the mount position. Learning how to be strong and powerful out of the guard position is a valuable skill. The Guard Attack will help build explosive strength from the guard position. It is also great for building strong and a powerful chest, strong triceps, strong shoulders, and impressive core strength.

Performance

Lie on the floor and position two kettlebells on the floor next to your shoulders. Use two arms to get the bell on the weaker side into place on your chest. While holding on to the bell on your chest, pull the other bell towards your other pec and get it into the starting position on your chest. Lets use the right arm to illustrate the performance of the Guard Attack. Press with your right hand and use your right foot to shift your weight to the left. As you lower the bell, press with the left hand and use your left foot to shift your weight to the right. Use maximum speed when doing this drill. You want to be fast and explosive in the guard position.

Sample Kettlebell Training Program For MMA

Monday And Thursday (Circuit Training for strength endurance)

Double Kettlebell Clean and Push Press 10 reps

Double Kettlebell Squat Shrug 10 reps

Guard Attack 10 reps each side

Alternating Renegade Row 10 reps each side

Full Body Attack or Full Body Defense 10 reps

Double Swing 10 reps

Take 30-second breaks between each exercise and 60-second breaks at the end of each round. Do five rounds per workout I recommend that beginners do five reps per exercise and take one-minute breaks between each exercise and round. Add a rep to each exercise each week until you are up to 10 reps per exercise. Work on getting the breaks down to zero in between each exercise and in between each round. Do this by shaving ten seconds off each break per week until there are no breaks at all. If you get to this point with a relatively heavy set of kettlebells you will be a machine to say the least.

Tuesday and Friday (High Octane Cardio for muscular endurance and cardio)

Ten rounds of

Squat Thrust 30 reps

One-arm Kettlebell Swing 15 reps each side

A round is one set of squat thrusts and one-arm kettlebell swings down back to back. In case you do not know what a squat thrust is it is a bodyweight exercise in which you squat down, get into the top position of a pushup, and then get back to the standing position.

Beginners can take on-minute breaks in between each round. Shave ten seconds off each successive workout until you can do ten rounds with no breaks. Once you are there you will never have to blame lack of cardio for losing a fight.

Wrap-up

There you have it an array of killer kettlebell exercises to get you in shape and a sample program to get into action right away. Depending on what else you have going on with regards to training, life, and individual restoration you will most likely have to modify the program to fit your situation. If four workouts is too much, start with two workouts per week or reduce the rounds and go from there.

For more information on kettlebell competitions and how the Russians experts use kettlebells, check out the following sites:

www.ikff.net

Posted by King at 8:37 AM
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Friday, October 14, 2011

UFC 2009 Undisputed Game - A bloody Fight

UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship, a world of mixed-martial arts is an explosive fighting game that brings the action, intensity and attitude of the Ultimate Fighting Championship to the console. These fighting games are a great lure for the people who admire action and thrill.

UFC 2009 Undisputed is gearing up as one of the most highly-anticipated video games of 2009 making its release by the month of May. The presentation of the game is downright impressive. Cameras swoop around the ring and shoot from the same angles. Featuring more than 80 top names in UFC competition across five weights classes, UFC 2009 Undisputed game enters the Octagon surrounded by the sports popular commentators, announcers, referees, trainers, Octagon girls and more.

Sticking with the reality of UFC, this game has been developed by efficient programmers and animators investing their intellect to create games that enthrall the gamers. UFC 2009 Undisputed games have advanced graphics and special effects making these games an amazing replica of thrill that's close to veracity.

UFC 2009 undisputed game is a feast to the gamers who love to play games with great twists and turns. Gamers can play with these virtual fighters that have great moves. For Combat lovers, this game gives them to take their best shot. This game is developed to have a career mode of creating fighter attributes, perfect moves and fight for entry into the UFC Hall of Fame. Gamers can also customize their own physical appearance and attributes. Also they can learn new fighting techniques to use it in the Octagon and can manage their training.

UFC 2009 undisputed game, unleashing its hard-core tournament in Xbox 360 and PS3 modes is now on the boards of the latestchoice.com, comforting an easy purchase through them.

Posted by King at 5:58 AM
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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Watch UFC Fight for the troops 2 Live and be a part of the valiant saga

UFC has come up with yet another power packed fight in its offering, i.e. UFC Fight for the troops 2. The event is all set to entertain its fans live with a treat comprising of splendid punches, kicks, grand spectacle of brilliant fighters, referees and ring girls.

Watch Live UFC Fight for the troops 2 and witness the clash between your favorite fighters with gripping anxiety and nail-biting uneasiness. Being an American organization committed to promote Mixed Martial Arts, (UFC) Ultimate Fighting Championship is all ready to unleash an ambience of fight, which requires strength coupled with strategy & quick reflexes to take over the opponents. UFC Fight for the troops 2 Live brings to your living rooms a season of scuffles and fracas, which is unpredictable yet delectable for the die-hard fighting aficionados.

The main card includes the much anticipated lightweight bout between Cole Miller and Matt Wiman which has shifted its slot from UFC-125 to this season. Live UFC Fight for the troops 2 can be watched on 22nd January, 2011, the day slated for the event to take place at Fort Hood, near Killen, Texas. The main event includes a face-off in the light weight category between Evan Dunham and Melvin Guillard. UFC Fight for the troops 2 brings you the chance to witness Evan Dunham who made a stunning debut in 2009 by knocking Ecklund out with a straight left at 2:14 of round 1. I'll be betting my dollars on this black belt holder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as he locks horns with Melvin on the fight live.

Watch Live UFC Fight for the troops 2 and relish the fight roster which encompasses five weight classes and a series of offense cum defense related moves and knockouts in an arena, which is known by the name of The Octagon. Riding high with the tagline "There are no rules", UFC has envisaged a set of rules or tutorials to avert extreme circumstances. UFC Fight for the troops 2 Live takes you to a stage where techniques such as hair-pulling, gruesome strikes, etc. are frowned at but allowed.

Another highlight of this series is the announcement by Dana White, President of UFC, to include Mark Hominic in the Featherweight Championship, if he defeats George Roop.

Live UFC Fight for the troops 2 saga also offers a bantamweight bout which is a replacement fight between Will Campuzano and Chris Cariaso.

So, don't forget to watch the UFC juggernaut whose kitty on the preliminary card-front includes featherweight bout between Mike Brown and Rani Yahya.

Posted by King at 5:18 AM
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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The UFC Teaches Product Managers How To Fight For Their Product

Product pricing? How boring. Working with development teams? Yawn. Mixed Martial Arts fighting inside of an 18 chain-link fence bring it on! I recently had a chance to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) broadcast of UFC 128 a pay-for-view fight between 10 different men. In the end, I had seen a lot of punches, kicks, blood, and important lessons about product management. Do I have your attention now?
What Is the UFC?
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an organization that stages fights between mixed-martial arts fighters. Two men enter an octagonal ring that is enclosed in chain-link fencing and then proceed to kick and punch each other until either 3 rounds of 3 minutes is up, one of the two fighters "taps out", or the referee calls the fight.

These fights quickly turn into a bloody mess. Unlike the sport of boxing, UFC matches allow for powerful kicking and that changes everything. A strong kick delivered to the side of an opponent's head can quickly end a match

The event that I watched, UFC 128, consisted of 5 separate bouts with the final bout of the evening being between two major UFC stars: Shogun vs. Jones.
Advertise Everywhere
The fight fan in me was up for watching some serious physical confrontations. The product manager was just in awe of how well the whole event was being executed. The UFC product managers find themselves in a tricky spot: their product is a one-shot deal (fight night) , they need to make the most of that 3-hour event. They don't get second chances.

The fight takes place in an octagon shaped ring. What this means is that unlike as in boxing, the fighters don't really have their own "corner". Instead, they stand along one side of the fence before the match starts.

What caught my eye was that as the fighter entered the ring, his support team would crawl up the outside of the fence and drape a banner over the inside of the fence. As it unfurled, you could see that the banner was packed with the logos of various products. The end result was that during the 2-5 minutes that each fighter was in the ring before the match started they were almost constantly being filmed and the logos on the poster filled every TV screen in the bar that I was in.

Just to take this idea one step further, the fighters themselves are also walking billboards. You don't wear a lot of clothes while you are doing this kind of fighting. What you do wear are fighter's shorts. On the shorts of all of the fighters this evening were logos and brand names for various companies and products. As long as the fight was going on, those brands were out there doing their work.
Always Be Upselling
I said that the UFC product managers had to move quickly because their product only exists for a short time (during the broadcast). One of the things that the product managers needed to do was to sell as much of their next product as they could. In this case, the UFC product managers wanted to sell pay-per-view subscriptions to their next broadcast: UFC 129: St-Pierre vs. Shields.

What this meant for the viewers was that during the evening we were constantly bombarded with ads for the upcoming fight. What caught my eye was that the frequency of these ads picked up as we got further into the evening. Clearly what the UFC product managers wanted to do was to capture the excitement and anticipation that we were feeling and to try to associate that with their next fight.

I don't think that the expectation was that very many people would sign-up to watch the next fight during this event. Rather, what I think that the UFC product managers were trying to do was to condition the viewers to respond to their advertising message when they started to push it in earnest. We'd take our positive association with it and open our wallets and make a call to sign up for the next broadcast.
Lead Up To The Big Payoff
Whenever you have a broadcast fight like this you need to make sure that your customers feel as though they are getting their money's worth. To make this happen you can't just start the show with your main event. Instead you have to work up to it.

Comedians have opening acts and in the case of this UFC broadcast there were 4 bouts before the main event. Each one of these events offered fighters that were just a little bit better known than the ones who came before.

This building of excitement for the final match is done on purpose for the UFC event. A pay-per-view event like this can cost upwards of $200 to watch. It is very important that the people who pay this kind of money end up feeling as though they got their money's worth. This means that the excitement has to be built up as the final fight approaches.

The nature of this type of fighting is that that final fight might not last that long somebody might win very quickly. That means that the UFC product managers need to have made sure that the whole event lasted for several hours just so when their customers switch off the set they feel satisfied no matter how long the final event ended up taking.
Know Who Your Customer Is
Finally we come to what might be the most important point of all: the UFC product managers really need to know their customers. I now know this because it turns out that I didn't know who their customers really were until I saw this fight.

You need to be able to picture the scene: I was in a crowed bar and the UFC fight was on something like 20 screens that were on all around me. The guys in the bar were watching the fights like guys do: somewhat reserved and wincing whenever a fighter got a good shot in. The women, however, were out of control. They were yelling at the screen, standing up on chairs to get a better view and shouting things like "Kick him! Kick him" whenever a fighter fell down.

Would I have guessed that the most rabid UFC fans would have been all of these beautiful, slightly drunk, well-dressed women? Nope. However, it turns out that they are. What this means for the UFC product managers is that they need to tone down the traditional male orientation of their broadcasts and make sure that they appeal to the fairer sex. That's one of the reasons that things like "ring girls" are only given an occasional quick camera shot it doesn't appeal to the UFC's hard-core customer base: women.
What All Of This Means For You
Where do we learn to be better product managers? I wish that I could say that there was some class, book, or certification that would magically give you all of the product management training that you need. I haven't rolled my AccPM training out yet so for now no such thing exists.

Instead, we need to look all around us and keep our eyes open in order to learn. The UFC matches are one such place. The UFC product managers understand that they have a very special product that will only exist for a brief moment in time they have to move fast. While they have your attention, they are always upselling, they are always building to something bigger and better and they have a very clear understanding of who their customer is.

It really doesn't matter what you think of UFC fighting. What you need to understand is that this sport has shot from relative obscurity to become one of the most popular sports almost overnight. If you'd like your product to experience the same type of popularity, you had better start watching more UFC fights!

Posted by King at 3:48 AM
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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Dynamic Power of UFC Clothing

UFC is an established brand name with seventeen years of experience in providing quality gear for MMA athletes and fans of the sport. The company has evolved with the changing dynamics of the martial arts industry, and remains true to its legion of dedicated followers who wear this quality vendor's UFC clothing. Fighters rely on an association with UFC apparel because of its dedication and history in their field of interest, and they stand behind their products with the premise that every customer's satisfaction is guaranteed.

People who wear UFC shirts and use their accessories are also dedicated winners, and they want to be connected with clothing that is comfortable, durable, and built to last. These individuals settle for nothing less than the best in themselves, and they expect the same dedication form the items they buy. With the UFC logo on their backs, they gain the confidence and support of a proven leader on the Ultimate Fighting Championship circuit.

Recently publicity regarding Arianny Celeste, who recently made the cover of Maxim magazine as UFC's "hottest UFC octagon girl," has only helped to firm up the power of the UFC brand as the leading authority on the sport, while increasing the awareness and desire for UFC apparel.

She is one of a handful of this company's leading figures that promote the brand's clothing, and Celeste has a couple signature UFC shirts that show off her lovely features. They also carry an Ocatgon Girl Replica UFC Uniform that gives the guys something to stare at when the girls take to the ring between rounds. The ultra-sexy tops and bottoms both have the company logo strategically placed on the front and back to create a dynamite way for fans to remember the UFC apparel these girls wear.

The diversity of the UFC line of accessories and equipment also offers fans a "one-stop shop" for sticking with the same brand for all their MMA needs. The company's fight, bag, and practice gloves are considered among the best in the business, and they give fighters a winning edge in competing to the big prizes in championship competition.

UFC clothing is more than just t-shirts and shorts, however. They have a number of jackets, jerseys, polo shirts, and sweatshirts to fill out a fighter's wardrobe whether he's in the ring or out on the street turning heads. The UFC Mens Motion Jacket is a fine example, made from 100% polyester treated to repel moisture. The stylish jacket is a form-fitting long-sleeve jacket with a full zip front, side seam pockets, and raglan sleeves.

There's also the UFC Fence Logo Thermal, available in black, white, and red, as well as the Classic Long and Short Sleeve Rash Guard in fire engine red that demands attention from fans and fighters alike. This UFC shirt is designed to protect fighters from rashes and skin burns when grappling and wrestling with each other in practice. The power of the UFC apparel line is strong, with a complete selection of clothes that outfit MMA enthusiasts from head to toe.

Posted by King at 1:02 AM
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