Nutrition the Missing Ingredient for Training
Posted on | March 9, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | No Comments
I wonder what would happen if you were to take all the fitness equipment, our barbells, clubells, kettlebells etc.., and replace them with Styrofoam replicas. How long would it be before people took notice? I think that there would be an immediate reaction. People would say, “This is not helping me build muscle, in fact it is a total waste of time.” Well the same thing is happening to our food, it is being replaced with substances that look like food but are not providing the building blocks that our bodies need to maintain and restore our health and fitness.
I am a big proponent of nutrition in martial arts training. I have posted about Martial Arts Nutrition and about dangerous foods. I have recently watched two very informative videos about the dangers in our current food system. One is “Food, Inc.”
Read more about this important issue
Is Your Martial Art Effective?
Posted on | March 7, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | 1 Comment
One of the things that plagues most martial artists is the question of “Will my martial art be effective on the street?” We spend much time in the training hall working on our techniques and honing our martial arts skills but are we working on the techniques that will save us in a real self defense situation?
Coach Freedman stresses that most of our training might not be effective in a real fight situation. Many factors will affect the outcome for a violent situation. Some of the things that will make a difference are:
- The street is not the same as a training hall. The floors are not smooth, there are no floor pads, and now somebody is really trying to hurt you.
- In a violent situation you will not be able to think clearly due to the adrenalin rush. All those memorized techniques will be quickly forgotten.
- Weather, your health, the number of attackers, weapons involved, all those thing will make a difference and cannot be replicated in a training hall.
That is why Coach Freedman always stresses foot movement. He says that in any of the violent situations he was involved in, it was the foot movement that saved him.
This is not to say that our martial arts training is useless. In fact it is quite valuable in conditioning our bodies and spirits to be able to handle a violent situation. We just need to realize that the only way to really know our training is effective is to be involved in a violent confrontation and that is not a good place to be. If our training is really good, it will teach us how to stay out of such confrontations. An old buddy of mine used to say “It is easier to stay of of trouble then to get out of trouble.” That is really good advice.
Read more on this subject here
Tags: attacks > effective > footwork > self defense > training > violence
Understanding Concepts of Aiki and Ju
Posted on | March 3, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | No Comments
At the February work shop Coach Freedman gave an in depth lecture on the concepts of Aiki and Ju. He feels that these concepts are frequently misunderstood. He believes that if we are going to study martial arts we need to understand what these terms mean and how they apply. Coach with his usual humor and wit managed to get us to understand what these principles were and how they were applied to arts like Aikido and Jujutsu.
After the lecture he physically demonstrated how these principles apply. All the participants then joined him on the mat to practice. The workshop was enjoyed by all that attended. Michael Moore (not the director) who runs Michael Moore’s Martial Arts in Beautiful Westport, MA. commented “Mr Freedman is a great teacher I loved how he shares laughs with his students. We do the same all the time, keep it fun and enjoyable, not like a military camp.”
Here is the video of the lecture. Watch and enjoy.
Tags: aiki > aikido > ju > jujutsu > Martial Arts
Wisdom of a Guro – Fear of Failure
Posted on | February 25, 2010 | by Peter Freedman | No Comments
image by stuant63
I want to take a moment to address something that has an effect on all of us. Not just children, but also adults. I want to take a moment and address that inner child that is in every adult. I want to address the issue of insecurity. This feeling of not being good enough or afraid to fail or even to look like a clown in front of others or afraid to make mistakes.
The fear of failing. Even the fear of not knowing some thing well enough. The fear of looking or sounding stupid. The fear of dancing etc.. the fear of being your self. This inner fear started some where during our childhood and has remained with us into adulthood. This inner fear we call insecurity keeps us from accomplishing our goals. It keeps us from getting ahead in a struggling world. It pulls us down from becoming happy. It stops us in our tracks from trying new adventures or even reaching our goals or setting new goals. This inner fear cripples us to a point where we feel and think we are not good enough to accomplish things on our own or to learn new skills. It stops us from just trying some thing, any thing new.
Read more to see what I have learned
Coming Up – February Self Defense Workshop
Posted on | February 23, 2010 | by Peter Freedman | No Comments
Please do not forget about our self defense workshop here on:
Feb. 28th this coming Sunday – 10:00AM to 12:00PM
Cost $35.00 (cash only please)
There will be Good Food! Hint hint..
We will be teaching the Aiki part of Aiki-Jutsu and Aiki-Ju-Jutsu.
People really enjoyed last months workshop so please join us this month for more informative instruction and secret teachings.
ALSO — We will have 20 books on Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Jujutsu foot-work for sale at this coming Sundays workshop for just the low price of $35.00 (cash only please) and it also comes with a DVD.. to help you learn our first 50 Jujutsu foot-movements.
Thank you & see you here on this coming Sunday!
Bring a friend – have your friend bring a friend..
With much Respect,
Peter Freedman Sensei Guro Coach
Weare NH Dojo (603)529-3564
http://www.freedmansmethod.com/
Friday Funnies – Kung Fu Cow
Posted on | February 19, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | 2 Comments
There are some things martial arts training does not prepare us for. I would like to know where this guy got his training. I am sure that this video was not produced by the National Dairy Council. This is for all of you that did not like to drink your milk as a kid.
A Deadly Threat In Your Diet
Posted on | February 18, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | 1 Comment
As martial artists we spend a lot of time practicing to be ready for deadly threats from outside assailants. For the most part we expect these assailants to be other people, but the most deadly threats we face each day are not from other people but toxins in our environment that affect our health. The number one thing that affects our health most is our diet – what we put into our bodies. Coach Freedman has talked many times about how important your diet is to your training and readiness. You can practice all the techniques you want but if you are not keeping your body healthy, all that practice is a waste of time – your body will break down when your training is needed most.
One of the most dangerous and prevalent ingredients in our food today is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The manufactures would have us believe that this is a safe substance but that is far from the truth. HFCS is a major contributor to:
• Insulin resistance and obesity
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated triglycerides and elevated LDL
• Depletion of vitamins and minerals
• Cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer, arthritis and even gout
You need to read Dr. Joseph Mercola’s article on HFCS at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/sugar-may-be-bad-but-this_b_463655.html
If you are overweight, diabetic or have any health problems you need to get this out of your diet now. If you are healthy and want to remain that way get this out of your diet now.
As a martial Artist your body is your weapon. Feed it properly and it will perform for you.
Read more articles on HFCS at Dr. Mercola’s site.
Another good Article on HFCS, and many more thought provoking articles, can be found at the Nutrition and Physical Regeneration site here.
Basic Wrist Grab Escapes
Posted on | February 15, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | No Comments
Coach demonstrates grab
The people that attended the workshop were very impressed with what Coach Freedman had to teach. His combination of humor and deep understanding of what he is teaching helped the students understand the concepts and had them quickly executing the techniques. I heard several comment on how this was not what they expected from the workshop and how they felt that what they learned would be of great use in a self defense situation.
Coach Freedman will be having another workshop at the end of February. Here is the information on the up coming Workshop. We would like to see you there.
Weare, NH Dojo
Feb. 28th Sunday – 10:00AM to 12:00PM
(603)529-3564
Cost $35.00
Taking the Fall
Posted on | February 11, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | No Comments
Coach Freedman had a previous post on Throwing Concepts. Along with learning how to throw, the student has to learn how to fall properly. In traditional Japanese dojos students were not allowed to throw till they had mastered taking falls. I can understand this as to me this is the most important part of learning how to throw. Once you can properly learn to fall you know the dynamics of the throw and are more prepared to execute a throw.
I think that the biggest problem a student has with break falls is the fear of getting hurt. This is a legitimate fear as a bad fall can lead to injury. Initial practice with rolls and and unassisted break falls are a big help to reduce this fear reactivity. In Coach Freedman’s dojo he uses large padded mats that can help take the fear out of hitting the ground. This being the case, it is still imperative that students learn the proper position for hitting the ground. In most cases it is the fear of falling with the resulting tightening up that causes most injuries.
Working with an experienced instructor like Sensei Ryan Birmingham (see video) is a big help. Because his throwing is so precise, there is no difficulty in following and taking the fall. Take a look at the video and you will see me taking the throws from Ryan. The big pad helps. Having confidence in him and knowing he will throw me correctly, I only have to concentrate on falling properly. In my case that is making sure that my chin is tucked and that my feet land properly.
As we learn to fall being thrown by an experienced instructor, we gain confidence in our ability to fall properly. Once we have that confidence, we are able to successfully fall even if our throwing partner is not so experienced and his throwing technique is not so precise. Once we lose that fear reactivity, we learn to just go with the throw and will automatically sense how to fall properly out of any throw.
I would be interested to hear about your experiences in mastering the break fall.
Tags: falling > throwing > training > video
Block, Trap and Counter Drills Part II
Posted on | February 9, 2010 | by Roland Beauregard | 1 Comment
Coach Freedman demonstrating variations of the block, check and counter drills with the help of Guro Birmingham. In the video Coach Freedman explains about rhythm training in Filipino Martial Arts. He explains how to see or spot a 3 count beat or a 4 count beat or even a 5 count beat in a drill. These beats carry over into a fight and if your awareness is high, you can spot these rhythms and disrupt them. Pay attention to your training and see where the beats come in.
Tags: awareness > rhythm > training > video
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