Search Results

With the rise of the MC-Dojo's turning martial arts into a pay for blackbelt center. Handing out black belts for Jiujitsu to kids. Even Gracie gyms online program that rewards belts for sending them videos of you reciting techniques and doesn't require the extensive periods of rolling sessions that develop real experience. We feel like combat sports is getting watered down. When The Paul brothers first showed up on the map, it felt like another slap in the face to fighters and fight fans everywhere. It used to be that becoming a fighter meant climbing ranks. You started out by doing things like Golden Gloves, Olympic boxing, and you fought your way through the contenders. The Paul brothers have come along and changed this. They got their start on social media making funny and controversial videos. Then went 180 degrees and decided to put in those grueling hours in the gym to compete in combat sports. So these guys aren't really in it for just the money, obviously they have something to prove. I've slowly begun to become Paul brothers fans. You can tell on camera they're boisterous to promote the fights. Off camera they have a genuine love for the sport, and concern for the quality of life combat athletes have. Jake Paul has been consistently calling out Dana White and his unfair treatment of fighters. While many people just accept things like the Reebok deal shunning fighters from their sponsors. Or a gladiator made billionaire telling his gladiators they're "fucking up" his budget. It felt like I was the only one concerned with that issue. So seeing Jake take a stance there was nice. Many fight fans are still on either side of the fence. They love the Paul brothers ability to promote fights and Immediately climb to fighting the champs. They hate the young in their prime Paul brothers for bypassing all the other young hungry boxers, while targeting retiring MMA fighters and dudes who are way past their prime. I am still discouraged by that. If you think about it though, that's the animosity that fuels their PPV sales. That's a calculated move. Build the animosity until everyone wants to see them get KO'd. So here's my stance. If the Paul Brothers continue to grow PPV sales, champion better career conditions for fighters, and eventually fight peers - young hungry dudes in their prime. Then they're helping the sport. If they continue to fight the old heads and challenge MMA fighters to come box, they're soft. Do you think they're hurting or helping the boxing world?

1. Standard heavy bag. Generally comes in weights of 80, 100, and 120 pounders. Although you can get some bags that weigh hundreds of pounds. This is where perfecting your basic boxing starts. Putting in those hours on a heavy-bag. 5 minute rounds with only your left hand, then right hand, then both, then just left jabs, then just right jabs. Your arms feel like spaghetti afterwards. Over time, they can throw more punches without feeling weak. They hit harder, faster, grow more accurate. The standard heavy bag is a must for any boxer. 2. Thai bag, like a heavy bag except longer and lower to the ground so you can practice low kicks. If you're a Muay Thai fighter or kickboxer, a regular heavy bag just won't do. You can't practice leg kicks on a standard heavy bag. Generally Thai bags are more narrow but weigh about the same. You see the bags fold in a lot more as you strike them, so they have less swing. It seems like they absorb shock better, so when it comes to throwing a flurry of strikes in one combo. The Thai bag reigns supreme in practicing your kicks and low/high combos. 3. Double end bag. The good ole double end bag, kind of confusing to use at first but it remains just as fun through training from a noob to experienced fighter. It's a combination of practicing your jabs, crosses, head movement, and counter punches. The bag is about the size of your head and fastened between a ceiling and ground bungee. The bag flies around as you hit it, and comes right at your head. So as you hit it, you have to bob your head out of its way. A must for any striker. 4. Speed bag. That thing you see boxers effortlessly bounce around on a wall mount. That there is a speed bag. It's all in the name, it trains your hand speed. Mostly these bags are all about rhythm, being able to move your hands quickly in a pace that matches the bags bounce. The faster the hand speed, the quicker you can bounce it. The fastest boxers can practically make these bags sing. 5. Teardrop bag. The teardrop bag is about the same size a standard heavy bag, but its shorter, wider, and shaped like a waterdrop. It's ideal with Muay Thai and mastering your knees / elbow strikes. It's also great for uppercuts. There's variation like uppercut bags and wrecking ball bags, which are similar but more orientated for uppercuts and just boxing. Many people say they're all different but I believe these types of bags to all roughly fall under the same category. There's of course other punching bags out there on the market and in the gym, but unless you're getting into the more complex striking equipment like the Bas Rutten's - Body Action System or the Liteboxer Pro. There's really not much difference between bags below the fancy stuff. So as long as your local gym has these 5 bags, it's all about your sparring partners and who is running mitts at your gym.

Jiujitsu originated from Japan. It was the Samurai style of grappling for when combat went to the ground and nobody had weapons. It was and still is a pretty devastating form of self defense that spread around the entire world. Many Japanese migrated to Brazil and there, Brazilian Jiujitsu became a thing. Two cultures that really loved grappling, Brazilians flocked to jiujitsu gyms. It was the Gracie family that brought it into the mainstream U.S with the early days of the UFC. Where you saw these smaller dudes going in and very quickly taking down / tapping out these giant guys when they didn't have weight classes. Some people didn't even think it was real. You know it's real if you've ever had a rolling session in a real Jiujitsu gym. Jiujutsu is a hard-core sport. You pretty much spend your first year just learning how to survive if you have no grappling experience. It puts a lot of stress on your body, but the knowledge of grappling and being able to defend yourself is worth it. So it's just kind of weird how it's evolved today. Much has changed in the sport and what became famous for it's nasty takedowns, is now also synonymous with "butt scooting." Decades ago, a jiujitsu tournament was guaranteed to show you the filthiest throws, slams, and explosive grappling. Today, you pretty much just watch two dudes butt scoot towards each-other and flop their legs around taunting the other person to approach their guard. Until one of them grabs the other guys leg for a heel-hook. Now of course this isn't every match but it's become often enough that its expected and even joked about in the grappling community. What's next for jiujitsu? Will we ever go back to the more brutal days of sweeps and rear naked chokes in every match? Or will the butt scooting evolve into something even more odd?

Spartacus was a Roman soldier who deserted his legion, was later captured and sold into slavery. While readying to fight as a gladiator, he proved himself a strategist. Bringing together about 70 other slavery induced gladiators, he planned a massive escape. Escape they did. Spartacus and his 70 gladiators would escape, fight, lose some men and then gain more as they pushed from city to city. Victory to victory, Spartacus proved himself a hard knocks general. They would take out entire legions, fighting for their freedom. This was the Third Seville war, started by Spartacus. He was going from Roman city to city, freeing slaves and enlisting them. Their goal to end slavery and the atrocities allowed by the Roman government. He kept going until his followers we're in the hundreds of thousands and he commanded a handful of tough legions. Spartacus wave of retribution against the Roman government was ended when general Marcus Crassus and his 8 legions battled Spartacus in 71BC. Although his body was never found and he may have escaped, the rebellion ended that day. The 6,000 some odd remaining Spartacus followers were crucified beside roman streets as warning to any who may fight for their freedom again. Spartacus can teach us a lot. As a warrior, as a freedom fighter. Don't give up and accept your fate that society has cast on you. Fight back. Never surrender. Even if you know you're on the losing side, fight for what you know to be true. Spartacus was never documented again after that battle, whether he died or escaped. What he did though, is still heavily researched. Spartacus was a big mentor and influencer for Voltaire, a French philosopher associated with starting the French Revolution. Toussaint Louverture, who led the Haitian slave revolt and was dubbed "The Black Spartacus." If you identify with fighting for the ones who society discards, you can find a mentor in Spartacus.