The following is a letter written to us by Laura, and published with her consent. Laura, we'll look forward to your visits!Having lived on the Outer Banks for two and a half years,.. Read more
Hey everyone! There's been a lot going on around the club lately, and we wanted to make sure everyone is in the loop. We had a marathon, an upcoming tournament, a fitness champ and.. Read more
Beginner and Advanced BJJ moves on video - only for KU readers!
Just a quick announcement this morning - Master Chris Stolzman just gave me word that he'll be releasing an extensive series of exclusive brazilian jiu jitsu moves that he produced with his master, Cazeca.
The videos will be available FREE - at least initially.
To guarantee your access to the video, simply fill out the form to the right (the one that says "win a free weekpass") and we'll make sure you get all of the videos.
Stolzman's videos may be also available for download in iPod format - so you can take it to the gym with you.
Really cool, huh?
Stay tuned for more updates - the 1st video will go up today.
The New Jiu Jitsu Program Introduces Students To The "Smooth Art"
Along with the winter schedule came a highly anticipated Jiu Jitsu program, and 2 weeks into the course, it's already creating newfound fans in the gym. BJJ classes have been getting more and more students that seem to enjoy both the mental and physical challenges created by this intelligent art.
Master Chris Stolzman applying a choke during class
The new program has been on the plans since August, but it wasn't until master Chris Stolzman arrived that it really took off. Stolzman is an renowned brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, having well over 9 years of experience in BJJ. He is getting ready to implement the official USA Jiu Jitsu curriculum this coming week, after testing each student's experience level.
Before, students would receive a challenging mix of Wrestling, Judo, and Jiu Jitsu instruction in a manner more consistent with MMA - wearing only rashguards and shorts - no special garment. The MMA instruction would extend beyond Jiu Jitsu to simulate a more realistic situation and to help students that had upcoming fights.
According to Chris, however, when BJJ is practiced without GI most of the technique is compromised because students get slippery from sweat very quickly. And contrary to popular belief, it does not prepare for real life situations because in the case of an altercation, participants would always be wearing clothes.
A great deal of students have already tried this brand new style and are getting used to wearing the GI (also called Kimono) during class. They also enjoy the powerful workout - BJJ works abs, arms, legs, and back - without high-impact of joint strain.
Give Master Chris Stolzman a call today to schedule a free week of training - 404-247-5494
Charlie Craddock, 1st Place Absolute and 2nd Place In His Category
KnuckleUp Brazilian jiu jitsu and MMA student Charlie Craddock dominated The Good Fight tournament in Virginia Beach on August 29th.
Charlie conquered first place in the Absolute No-Gi Beginner division (Absolute means there's no weight categories - fighters can compete against heavier or lighter opponents) which is in itself a major accomplishment.
But he went on to win 2nd place on his weight category (177-179lbs) in the beginners division as well.
And Charlie is one of the few fighters that actually respects the beginner requirements (less than one year of training) - most competitors forget their time on the mat when signing up.
The entire KnuckleUp team is very proud of Charlie for these two major wins. He's a dedicated student, and comes to the jiu jitsu classes even when he's supposed to start his shift right after.
As you can see in the picture to the left, Charlie is a really strong athlete, which is a huge advantage, but his technique is quickly catching up, as the competitors at the Good Fight tournament noticed.
To Charlie, our most sincere congratulations - you deserved it!
Here are the videos of Charlie's final fights in Virginia Beach:
The Absolute Division Final (Charlie's got the dark rash guard)
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 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.
Sean Spangler (left) and Leo Saraceni after exclusive class 6/18
On Wednesday, the 17th, and Thursday, the 18th, KnuckleUp had the honor to welcome Sean Spangler on the mat.
Sean taught an exclusive seminar on Wednesday, for a group of intermediate and advanced fighters, and left each one of them impressed with the technique and effectiveness of his teaching.
In Las Vegas, where Sean spends most of his time, he trains with Robert Drysdale and a team of high-caliber professionals.
Sean brought to the seminar strong, proven drills, and shared with the students how to take basic moves to perfection by focusing on flawless execution.
His execution of the rear-naked choke is close to flawless, and according to him, the secret is knowing when and where to apply energy.
Sean is not the heaviest fighter on the mat (aprox 180lbs), but controls heavier and stronger opponents utilizing a rather suave style of jiu-jitsu that relies on focused pressure application instead of raw strength. When teaching a defense to the inside-guard arm bar, Sean explained how to control your opponent's hip movement as well as leg pressure, which allowed for a much more efficient defense against stronger opponents.
Here are some pictures of the Thursday class:
Sean Spangler (left) and Leo Saraceni after exclusive class 6/18
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