Machida loss

All credit to Shogun. Really nice job by him. Those two really fought hard. On any day one competitor can beat another. Machida will be back!

Saturday Tournament Results

We had a nice showing today at the Beaver tournament.
Zoe – 3 first places (great job!)
Dillon – 2 first places and one 2nd place (he was robbed by the judges – in sudden death he hit the kid square in the face and the kid followed up with a backhand to the top of the head and they gave the point to the other kid – but three of the judges were from this kid’s school – any one say bias?)
Sensei Mark – got a 1st and a 2nd
Ryan – got a 1st and a 2nd
Me – got a 1st and two 4ths
Nice job to everyone!!

Building Update

Building update – ceiling is done, electric is done. They are doing the flooring this week. We are almost there! Can not wait to get started again!!

What is really nice about the building is that it is an open rectangle, 2200 square feet. We will have a small area up front for parents and the rest is open mats. In the back we will have a weight room for working out.

It is finally a school that I have dreamed about since I was a kid. I am so excited!

Shotokan and Lyoto Machida

With the big re-match on Saturday between Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua, people are wondering what is the style of Shotokan and why is it so effective in MMA?

Let me give you the quick 2 minute run down on the style itself. Shotokan is the name for the Okinawan version of Karate that was brought to the Japanese mainland by Master Funakoshi. There were several styles of Karate in Okinawa at the time, and Master Funakoshi was a student of at least two of them. Now if you really want the details here, I will need you to go to a Wiki page and you can read all about the different styles of Karate in Okinawa at the time and the history and all the different masters. While Master Funakoshi was living on the Japanese mainland, he introduced and started teaching Karate, and it was not until later when his students began to refer to it as “Shotokan Karate” to differentiate it from other Okinawan Karate styles that were being introduced as a result of Master Funakoshi’s success. Shotokan was actually Master Funakoshi’s pen name, and he himself was not entirely supportive of calling one version of Karate one name and another version another.

Lyoto Machida’s father came from Japan and brought Shotokan Karate to Brazil. So Lyoto was introduced to the style at a young age and is obviously a master at it. What makes the style so effective in MMA is that Shotokan is a true self-defense art, and if you apply the techniques in combat you will have success. Watch the little things that Lyoto does, they are all Shotokan techniques that you will see in any Shotokan dojo, that he is able to execute in the ring because of the years of practice and competition.

And this is one of the true benefits of MMA. It gives you an arena to see what will work and what will not. While MMA is not and should not be classified as a “martial art” or “self-defense” because at its root it is a sport with rules, it still enables certain techniques and styles to be tested in as real an environment as possible.

Enjoy the fight!

School Update – May 2010

Here we are, already May, and we are still moving to our new building! Here is the latest:
1. Building bought and title transferred.
2. Working on getting an occupancy permit from the borough (so we can open to the public)
3. Laying down the flooring this week.
4. Need the occupancy permit before we can put up the suspended ceiling, fix the bathroom, paint, etc.
5. We can start training as soon as the flooring and mats are down.

So we are coming along. We will have an Open House for all our students on Weds. night this week (and yes, we will rope you into helping lay down some tiles).

Talk to you soon.