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Archive for August 2009

7

Exciting Changes In The Jiu Jitsu & MMA Program In The Outer Banks

Our new Jiu Jitsu/MMA Coach Jeremiah Lancaster

Our new Jiu Jitsu/MMA Coach Jeremiah Lancaster

KnuckleUp is proud to announce major changes in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / MMA program for this upcoming fall.  New instructors, brand new classes, and brand-spanking-new bjj installations.

To keep myself form "hyping" this post too much, let's start with the changes that are already in place, and then we'll discuss the future ones..

New Jiu Jitsu & MMA Coach

Jeremiah Lancaster has quietly taken over the BJJ classes, and his extensive background in wrestling adds highly effective strategies to the jiu jitsu mix.

Here's a little bit on Jeremiah's background:

Jeremiah Lancaster is a close quarters combat and hand to hand instructor at Ft. Bragg, NC.  He is a professional MMA fighter himself as well as having coached 2 All-Army Championship teams with several All-Army Champions.  Jeremiah has also coached in the International Fight League as well as over a hundred other fights in many organizations.

And some of his impressive accomplishments:

  • Head Coach Team-ROC Fayetteville/FT.Bragg 2004-2008
  • Head Combatives Instructor for 7th Special Forces Group 2006-2008
  • NAGA-National, North American, and World submission wrestling champion
  • 2nd Place Judo Black Belt State Championship

Check out our new instructor at work:

Jeremiah is teaching the 7:30pm class on Tuesdays and Thursdays - check the outer banks gym schedule for more details.

Now, for the other news...

New Gi (Kimono) Jiu Jitsu Classes To Start Soon

Our very own Sal Rullan is crafting the very first Gi Jiu Jitsu class program in the Outer Banks! Sal has recently undergone intensive gracie jiu jitsu training in Virginia Beach, and is now ready to start teaching solid fundamentals that are only really possible with the appropriate garment.

A Gi (Kimono) Jiu Jitsu program is set to start soon

A Gi (Kimono) Jiu Jitsu program is set to start soon at KnuckleUp

Up until this point, very few students had ever trained with the Gi, given that it's widely unpopular for MMA purposes (anybody remembers Royce Gracie's fights on the first UFCs?).  Also, the beauty of the Smooth Art (jiu=art / jitsu= smooth) is that chokes, locks, and the entire body balance and positioning education work no matter what clothes a student has.

However, the way Helio Gracie taught it, the correct way, students are supposed to first solid fundamentals with the Gi and then adventure themselves without it. The Gi in Jiu Jitsu, just like any other Martial Art, represents the art's garment, and only while wearing it a student is allowed to practice.

The Gi is also called Kimono, and they will be available for purchase soon at KnuckleUp. They range from $70 to $100 and they are virtually indestructible.  I had mine for well over 5 years now.

We are all very excited to see new students learn the valuable Gi fundamentals, and we hope Mr. Sal Rullan gets it rolling soon.

Bigger Mat For Jiu Jitsu and Wrestling?

Also on Mr. Rullan's to-do list is to bring down the entire weight room from upstairs to the back room (where the computer desk is at) and install a brand new mat upstairs.

This way, we'd have a room solely dedicated for grappling, with a thicker mat and more space.

We expect both the Gi program and the new mat to be ready within a month. There has been a great deal of interest in the new direction that the Jiu Jitsu classes are taking, and more people are realizing the body and mind benefits a solid martial art discipline offers.

If you want to know more about all of the projects going on at KnuckleUp, simply fill in the form to the right and we'll keep you posted on everything going on at the gym.

See you soon!

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Gina Elko's MMA Training Program Video - She Fights Sept 26th!

Gina Elko, halfway through heavy training, still smiling. What an athlete!

Gina Elko, halfway through heavy training, still smiling. What an athlete!

The relationship between KnuckleUp Fitness and AFL MMA (Amateur Fight League) has created a new MMA talent: Gina Elko.

At age 43, Gina is the Captain of the Nags Head Fire Department, and she runs a successful landscaping company in the outer banks. At first, her decision to jump on the ring may come as a surprise to most people, but Gina's always been an aggressive athlete, no matter the sport.

She is a national competitor at the Firefighter Games, which by itself requires amazing conditioning, but Gina has taken it even further ever since she joined our Kitty Hawk Gym:

She currently holds a 1-0 record from a Tough Man competition, and had her first amateur boxing match last year, against fellow firefighter Donna Black. She won, by the way.

But her very first MMA fight is coming up Sept 26th, and Gina's highly committed to her training. She's been taking jiu jitsu lessons for the first time ever - and man, is she a natural! Her mma training includes being tackled by our instructor Sal Rullan (190lbs) while fighting to keep him on her guard. It also includes pounding head instructor Morrison Butler from inside his guard while maintaining posture - a tough challenge against a pro fighter.

Check out a highlight video of her training yesterday, Tuesday:

Here are some details for Fight To The Finish VII:

  • When: Sept 26th
  • Where: Elizabeth City National Guard center
  • What Time: 6pm
  • Tickets available at the Fitness Warehouse locations in Chesapeake or Suffolk
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Brand New Outer Banks Fitness Bootcamp: KnuckleUp's Evening Edition!

Bootcamp Night Training w/ Matt Costa starts Aug 27th

Bootcamp Night Training w/ Matt Costa starts Aug 27th

The feedback from Matt Costa's fitness boot camp at the beach has been so outstanding that KnuckleUp got him to start a brand new  Night edition!

Matt's had several students that wanted to take the bootcamp, but just could not make it to the morning edition (5:30am!). According to Matt, students have been asking for a different schedule since the very first boot camp edition, but his own schedule never allowed it.

Well, we were finally able to fix that problem:

Matt Is Now A Permanent Member Of The KnuckleUp Team

It's true. Matt has taken over several kickboxing classes, and is now available for exclusive personal training sessions. We are extremely proud of the results Matt has consistently achieved with his students, and the guy was only teaching a couple classes a week!

For the boot camp night edition, Matt designed 10 classes of intensive strength & conditioning training. It all starts Thursday, August 27th, 5:30 - 6:45pm.

According to students that have taken the beach bootcamp in the morning, you'll...

Become The Body You Always Dreamed About

Here's a quick review:

What: Fitness Bootcamp Night Edition

When: August 27th

What Time: 5:30-6:45pm

How Long: 10 Sessions

Where: KnuckleUp Kitty Hawk (directions here)

More Info: Matt Costa - mattcosta1[at]hotmail.com / 252-489-8239

Plus...

This fall, expect a completely new Gym in the Outer Banks: major changes within KnuckleUp (always for better) - brand new fitness classes, a new martial arts program with beginner and advanced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu programs, new instructors, and the same killer KnuckleUp style.

See you soon!

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Outer Banks Beach Bootcamp Fitness Training - Video Up!

Pushups in the ocean at 6am

Pushups in the ocean at 6am

So this sleep lover decided to wake up early last Thursday to see what the buzz surrounding Matt's beach bootcamp was all about. Quite honestly, I hadn't been awake at 5am in a while, but what I saw that morning blew me away.

It's 5:34am and the gym's parking lot is full. Inside, a concentrated morning silence coming from the group of 20+ bootcamp trainees that stretch in preparation to the training.

At 5:45, Matt starts the warm up with 80 sit-ups in under 2 minutes - that sets the tone to the rest of the training. Matt is decided to get the best out of each and every student, no matter what their fitness level might be.

After the warm up, students grab their backpacks, take a military-like formation and head to the kitty hawk beach running. From here on now, they will cover a total of 7 miles, divided by a series of stops for strength training exercises such as push-ups & sit-ups,  along with sprint runs.

On my flip-flops,  there wasnt much of a chance to catch up with the group, but I was able to put together a video that highlights the scenery and the seriousness of the training.

Even though the video doesnt make any justice to Matt's well-designed series of exercises, you can see the level of commitment that his students share. 5 weeks from that Thursday, they'll experience complete body reconfiguration, improved cardio conditioning, and greater health.

But to me, the best part about the training was the scenery: the cool Outer Banks morning breeze, the chilling waters, the misty fog... Of course, I may have missed all of that had I signed up for the training. Well, maybe next time.

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Matt's Beach Bootcamp Is Now FREE!

Breaking news: Matt Costa's exclusive Beach Bootcamp is now available to everybody - KnuckleUp members or not - and we'll pay for your first class.

You got it right: KnuckleUp will take the charge so you can experience Matt's revolutionary training. The first class will be 100% on us!

And we're not limiting the bootcamp to members anymore. Non-KnuckleUp members are more than welcome to take the training with no strings attached.

Now there's absolutely no excuse - Set your alarms clocks and get to KnuckleUp no later than 5:45AM on Thursday, August 6th, with the following:
  • Swim suit
  • Towell
  • Dry change of clothes
  • Cereal bar
  • Bottled Water
And get ready to rock!
The session will take approximately 50 minutes, and it all takes place at the beach.

Best of all: Matt will work with you no matter what - All conditioning levels benefit tremendously.
Give us a call at 252-255-0609 to get all the details. See you there!
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