walkingalonenyc-blog

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New Nihilift workout w/ Dumbells!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tek29nrrZuE&feature=share

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Here's a fun kettlebell workout I like. Be sure to check the audio for the key details.

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Wandy is CuTE

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New episode of The Reem is up, feels like this should’ve ended by now but what can you do. We follow Alistair finally gets a title fight against the very game champion, Stipe Miocic. As a fan of Overeem, I’d really love to see him hang up the gloves and move on. I understand he want to get the UFC title but you gotta worry about your mental health for the future. Still very fun to watch though!

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FloGrappling and The American Gangster himself, Chael Sonnen bring us “Submission Underground” tournament that will take place on December 11th in Portland, Oregon. Headlined by Jon Jones vs newly retied MMA legand, Dan Henderson. Both men are have phenomenal grappling bases and will offer what should be a fun match to watch. It will be nice to see Jon to take a break from NAGA where he has dismantled regular human beings. 

The other match up on the card will be Jessica Eye vs another recent UFC retiree, Miesha Tate. Tate is coming off back to back losses, one of which was a submission loss to Amanda Nunes as where Eye is on a 4 fight losing streak, so both these fighters are going to be competing in the ‘I got nothing to lose” gear.  

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For the last couple of months, I've had the honor and pleasure of giving BJJ lessons to Zack Sabre Jr. He is an amazing professional wrestler who is considered the most technical wrestler in the world. We've been working to add transitions and submissions that are rooted in "real" fighting. Zack and I also share an affinity for not eating animals as his new Morrissey spin off shirt so clearly states. 

 Buy the shirt HERE 

Watch ZSJ wrestler HERE

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If you got 200 bucks burning in you’re pocket I would suggest picking up Ron English’s Boxing Brain sculpture. It’s one of those things you can look at and think, “TOO REAL!” 

Buy it HERE

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This is helpful. 

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November 19th is quickly approaching, a night that will host two of the most dominate boxers today. Sergey Kovalev 30-0-1 (26 KO) will meet Andre Ward 30-0 (15 KO) in Las Vegas. This is gonna be a really fun fight, it kind of has that classic technician vs power puncher feel to it but they both better than that singular distinction. The new breed of fighter that is both intelligent and can deliver devastating punches. 

This breakdown from Lee Wylie is fantastic and displays how important the jab os to both of these pugilists game is. Personally I have an adoration for Ward and his trainer Virgil Hunter, I just love the, “Frustrate your opponent into making big mistakes” style they have developed together but Kovalev is not one to toy with, he will end your night quick.   

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Whenever I’m feeling down I remember that not too long ago NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal took on Oscar De La Hoya in a boxing match for his show “Shaq VS”

A few things to notice, first that is UFC announcer Mike Goldberg on the mic and the legend Freddie Roach in Shaq’s corner. Oscar was able to walk out with the victory but I’m sure those jab’s didn’t feel good. 

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Here’s the newest episode of me web series, Da Snack Boys! Mike and I review Anita’s coconut yogurt and it was very interesting. Watch, thumbs up and subscribe! 

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I am humbled and honored by this accomplishment. This week I was awarded my brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, by Prof Roger Mamedov, my first and only martial arts instructor, who himself was a brown belt when I started with him. I took my first BJJ class on May 9th 2009 and since then I have become myself, I have be tested, beaten, bent, injured, sore, unconscious, and even broken, but I have survived and become a better man.

I thank my friends who have been kind enough to congratulate me on my promotion but they don’t understand, they can’t understand. Only those who have sacrificed their free time, relationships and general well being can understand. Only the initiated can understand how much this this piece of cloth means to me. I’ve never worked this hard for anything else in my life. 

I want to thank everyone at Williamsburg MMA, especially Eric Y, Kris K, Charlie B, Danny L and Koji B. Thanks to Prof Ricardo Almeida and everyone at RABJJ, Dez, Turtle, Frankie Edgar, Frankie Perez, Katlyn Chookagian, Edson, Marlon, Max Bohanan, Chris Matakas and Prof Dante Rivera. Thanks to Master Renzo Gracie and everyone at RGBJJ, Jeff Knight, Frank Marshall and Prof Sapo, Igor Gracie and Daisuke Yamaji. The time we have spent together has stayed with me and always will. I bow to you all and am forever in debt.

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Movie’s That Jits Could Ruin

Welcome to the first installment of my new project, “Movies That Jit’s Could Ruin,” where I dissect scenes in film that could’ve made a big change in the plot if someone trained Jiu-Jitsu.

In the 2007 Coen Brothers crime drama, “No Country For Old Men,” a mercenary, “Anton Chigurh” played by Javier Bardem, is in search of a briefcase containing a large amount of money. In the opening scene a police officer brings Anton into custody and is then attacked from behind by him while on the phone.

Anton uses the handcuff’s he is wearing to pull the officer down to the floor and starts to use the same handcuff’s to choke him. Anton has his back to the floor and the officer is laying on top of him. Anton does NOT have his hooks in and is just pulling with all his strength. If the officer had 8 months of BJJ training he would have gripped the chain or the cuff’s, used his feet to cut the angle and turn to face Anton putting him on top with the ability to draw his weapon. Maybe he takes mount, Anton bucks and throws weak punches but within a few seconds the officer is able to take the back, sink HIS hooks in and apply a sloppy but sufficient rear naked choke.

At this point in the film, Anton would either be shot dead or at least re-arrested and charged with attempted murder on an officer of the law. Anyway you look at it this film is over before it starts. Jiu-Jitsu wins.

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Hey NYC friends, I'm hosting this free and awesome comedy show in Williamsburg tonight with my friend Mike Abrusci at the very cool Kinfolk bar at 8 o'clock. Come hang!

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Too Much Of a Good Thing.

In the past 2 months, counting private clients and the academy, I taught roughly 235 classes. I understand this is an unreasonable amount, but I had to. In my academy, the only people that teach are my instructor, who is also the owner, and myself. 

I was texting a friend about feeling tired, sore and burnt out on teaching from the influx of private lessons I was giving, then I got a text from my instructor, basically telling me he was in an accident and would not be able to teach for some time. The reality of the situation and how much work was now placed in front of me hit me like truck. 

I want to make this very clear, he did not tell me to teach this much, in reality he offered to close the gym as much as I’d want, but I couldn’t do that. This is both of our livelihoods, but he has a family, a wife and a daughter to support with the gym and I couldn’t live with myself if I closed the gym because I was tired. Everyone’s tired, shut up, get to work. So for the first 3 weeks, I taught 7 days a week, morning and nights, Monday through Fridays, and mornings, Saturday and Sunday. After week 3 I cowered and asked to close on Sunday’s, to which he obliged. 

In month one, because of show I had previously agreed to be on, I only closed 2 nights but I was starting to lose it. Not only was I at the gym every day, I couldn’t pursuit stand-up comedy like I was before the accident. It was hurting me, I knew I wasn’t getting better at comedy, and I knew all my friends were out at shows having fun. I felt like I was grounded. In month two I started to ask for help from the senior guys at the gym. I couldn’t do it alone anymore. They were happy to help and I was happy to sneak some stage time in once or twice a week. 

Towards week 7 I still had no real timeline to when he would be back, but I refused to ask. I knew how frustrated he was with not being able to teach, and the last thing I wanted to do was to add to that with questions. “He’ll be back the second he can physically be back on the mats” I kept telling myself. Somehow I was getting booked more and more which meant asking for more help, which I can bet you can tell is not one of my strengths.

Then, on a Tuesday afternoon, I got a text from my instructor telling me he was going to be back to his regular schedule. I almost cried, I re-read the text over and over to make sure I saw it correctly. It’s now been 1 week since I went back to my normal classes and it’s been strange. For how trying and difficult all that teaching was, for how tired and honestly, sick of being on the mats as I was at times, I feel like I was given a beautiful gift. I now look at my work week as a vacation, it’s so goddamn easy now. Every day that I leave the gym feels like I’m playing hooky. I know how hard, I know I can sacrifice and it will only make me stronger. I don’t know what good deeds I must have done in a past life to deserve the life I have now, but I feel so lucky and I won’t forget to appreciate it.

Thank you Prof Roger for trusting me and giving me the gift of MMA, thank you Nate, Brian, Alan and Danny for helping me out with classes, I’ll never forget it.

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Hilarious comedian and All-American wrestler Greg Warren  and FLO Wrestling bring us, “Stall Camp.” Just as it sounds, it’s a camp for wrestlers who are looking to hone their stalling craft. I’ve always said wrestling has too much action and needs to be slowed down to be truly enjoyed. I am so happy the legendary Dan Gable was cool enough to do a quick cameo in this very funny video.    

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I jump rope barefoot. I do that because sooner or later, I’ll make a mistake and that fast moving rope will slap me on that thin skin covering my foot and it stings. Not terribly painful but enough to annoy me and that’s the point. I want to challenge myself physically as well as mentally while skipping rope and that sting can really fuck with your head. As the rounds of rope increase and the amount of red lines across your foot increase so the ability to keep your cool and not make a mistake gets harder and harder. 

I like that. I think about it in basketball terms, I can practice 3 pointers all day and all night in the playground courts and get pretty good but the second I HAD to make this next 3 pointer in front of a big crowd when the pressure to win is on me, I doubt I’d be able to sink it. Find ways to add mental pressure to your training, it will pay off in the long run.