Dr. Chenique

Our first newsletter featured Dr. Philip Chenique, creator and founder of the Atemi Ryu Jujitsu school. Besides Jujitsu , Dr. Chenique teaches Chendokan Akido, Arnis , Swordsmanship and Kickboxing. The Atemi Ryu school now offers classes in Mixed Martial Arts. Their annual Moses Powell Seminar will be held November 7th and 8th. The seminar will feature grappling, pressure points and more. For information on location of the Seminar call (305) 825-4063 or (954) 967-8272.

In our second issue we decided to do something different. We did an article on the Fushu Daiko school. It’s not everyday that you get to witness a group playing music with taiko drums. I was fortunate to come across this school by accident. It was around 1:00 am in the morning, and I was driving home when I heard a continuous thundering beat. My curiosity got the best of me so I followed the beat to the school. I can still remember Ben Miller’s, instructor of Fushu Daiko, reaction when I told him how I found the school.

“Like a moth flying into the fire”.

Taiko drumming is is 80% physical, 20% mind and 100% spiritual. You can catch Fushu Daiko performing at the Chibipa Anime & Japanese Culture Festival, located at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. It’s definitely an intense workout. If you would like to know more about Fushu Daiko go to www.fushudaiko.com . Fushu Daiko is always accepting new students to their basic Taiko class.

Nicole The Knockout d'Aigullion

Martial Arts Times covered the Florida Gold Coast Martial Arts Hall Of Fame annual banquet. Their quests included Don “The Dragon Wilson”, Joe Bonacci, Hank Garrett, Joe Hess, Micheal Di Pasquale Jr, and Vincent Marcetti. This year’s banquet will be held on September 27, 2008 at the Signature Grand 3900 SR 84, Davie FL. This year’s celebrity guest is from the movie Spawn, Michael Jai White. Other guests will include Sensi Robert Macewen, Grand Master Jack Hogan, Grand Master Neil Hummerstone and Grandmaster Joe Hess. For more information contact Joe Williams (954) 275-6121.

Who could forget the women of martial arts issues with Nicole “The Knock Out ” d’Aiguillon and Jessica Aguilar of American Top Team.

We first saw Nicole at Warriors Collide 3 where she had an impressive win over Jen Goodall. Currently, Nicole is finalizing her clothing line “Iconic Clothing”, which features her art designs paired
with sexy vintage-feel t-shirts, tanks, hats and more. The line is upscale, edgy, glam-rock-style, and unique, and uses metal pieces and swarovski crystals to add to it’s impact. A bad-ass men’s line is coming soon as well. If you like Ed Hardy & Affliction Clothing, you will love this style…and yet be totally unique when wearing it.

Jessica Aguilar with Mike Brown

I first noticed Jessica Aguilar at the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) tournament. I was very impressed by her grappling skills but little did I know that she is a professional MMA fighter. Jessica has been showcased in Bodog. She has fought in Russia, Canada, and in the United States. She has two upcoming fights in September and October.

On a sad note the martial arts world lost the Legendary Grand Master Young Soo Do. Young Soo Do was shot and killed while washing his car outside his dojo, in the back parking lot.

In 1976 Grand Master Young Soo Do came to the United States and opened the Young Tae Kwon Do Academy. His training was not limited to the average citizen. Young taught self defense to police officers, FBI, and DEA agents. He was bestowed Honorary North Miami Police Chief. His achievements do not stop there. Young received a citation for his outstanding contribution to the Art of Tae Kwon Do from the head of the world Tae Kwon Do Association. He also has over 500 civic awards from Federal, State, and City Governments.

Those who committed the inexplicable act have not been brought to justice.

Young Soo Do

Our February issue introduced the readers to a new martial art sport called Combaton. Combaton has a mixture of football, basketball, and martial arts. The game is played on a rectangular field 100 feet by 200 feet with six players on each team for out door, or three players on each team for indoors. It’s similar to American football, but instead of blocking tackling, the player uses martial arts kicks to contact their opponent. The object of the game is for the offense in possession of the baton to kick out the defense’s goal pole from its mount in order to score points for their team.

Combaton will be holding their Tournament of Games at the Powell Middle school in Spring Hill, FL. The championships will be held at the Disney Martial Arts Festival October 24- October 26 in Orlando FL. If you would like more information on Combaton, the martial arts team sport, log onto www.combaton.com.

Combaton

Martial Arts Times had the opportunity to cover our first Warriors Collide, which was number 3. With amateur MMA coming to Florida, we are waiting with anticipation to see how Left Hook and Warrior’s Collide grows into the future.

We look forward to the future ourselves, and hope we can continue to provide a great experience each month.

Warriors Collide 3 Fighters

Alves Trains for Diego Sanchez

When UFC commentator Joe Rogan said that in his opinion he thought American Top team was the that best camp in the country, that was an understatement. They have a variety of trainers who specialize in different styles of fighting such as striking and grappling. One of these individuals is UFC fighter Thiago “Pitbull” Alves.

Alves was born in Fortaleza, Brazil. He started taking Martial Arts when he was eight years old. He studied Karate and Capoeira. At age fourteen he started training intensely in the art of Muay Thai. By seventeen years old he was fighting in MMA.

Like many other people, watching Bruce Lee and Van Dam movies inspired Alves to take up The Martial Arts.

Alves’s Muay Thai instructor was Evilazio Feitoza. Like his other instructors before Feitoza, Alves describes Feitoza as a father figure.

“If it wasn’t for Feitoza I probably wouldn’t be where I am today”.

I asked Alves if there was one characteristic you could take with you about Feitoza what would it be. Without hesitation his answer was that Feitoza is very determined at everything he does.

“There are a lot of people who are so determined to reach whatever goal they are after, that they don’t care what it takes or how it can effect other people. Feitoza, on the other hand, tries to reach his goals without stepping on people’s toes and affecting people negatively”.

I asked Alves how he hooked up with American Top Team. Living in Brazil at the time, Alves saw an ad for
ATT. They were looking for fighters from all over the world. He was also fortunate to know Marcus Aurelio. Aurelio gave ATT co-owner Ricardo Liborio Alves’s profile. Liborio then invited Alves to train in the states.

Alves got his first break in the UFC on his birthday, October 3, 2005. He remembers his manager calling him and asking Alves if he wanted to fight in a match with only thirty days to prepare for. Alves didn’t care if it was ten days. He was excited and determined to be prepared for his first fight in the UFC.

Alves’s first fight was with Spencer Fisher. In the beginning of the match Alves had the upper hand against Fisher. He was feeding into the crowd, sucking in the UFC experience. Unfortunately, he got careless and got caught in a triangle choke in the second round. Having had his first fight in the UFC under his belt, a more focused Alves won his next two fights. In UFC Fight Night 5 Alves lost to John Fitch by Technical Knock Out. Since then, he has won five fights in a row and seven of his last eight. Six of those wins have been by KO or TKO, including his last match with opponent Matt Hughes. Alves next match will be at UFC 90, when he fights Diego Sanchez.

Alves works out twice a day Monday through Saturday. His workouts are so intense that he doesn’t have the energy to do anything else. If he is not seriously injured after fighting in a match, Alves will take just one to two weeks off, then it’s right back to the gym. His workout ethics have paid off. Alves has made quite a bit of money fighting in the UFC . He is enjoying life with little or no complaints.

Alves predicts a knock out win over Diego Sanchez on October 25th.

“Diego brings a lot to the table. He is very explosive and puts a lot of pressure. That’s the kind of fight I love. I know I’m bigger, stronger and faster.”

Alves considers ATT the best school in the country. They have an incredible variety of trainers and coaches. It prepares you for the unexpected when you’re in the ring.

Since Alves’s last win over Matt Hughes, his popularity has risen substantially. With popularity comes a numerous amount of people who want to befriend him. Alves chooses his friends very carefully. He tries to surround himself with people who have positive energy.

Alves figures he can/will fight until he is thirty-two. After his fighting days are done he would like to give a shot at acting. Right now there are so many doors opening for him and he really doesn’t have time to think about it. Right now Alves just wants to focus on fighting and enjoy the ride.

Standing Strong at The Back Alley Brawl

Left Hook Productions debuted their first installment of Back Alley Brawl Saturday July 26, 2008 at Punch Fitness in Deerfield Beach.

Left Hook Productions holds a larger event called Warriors Collide at the War Memorial Auditorium. Back Alley Brawl is held at a smaller venue and gives fighters a chance to find out if they have what it takes to fight in a bigger shows such as Warriors Collide.

Although Back Alley Brawl was held in a smaller venue, the matches were as exciting as the ones at Warriors Collide. A sold out crowd was treated to exciting matches from fighters such as Caleb Archer from American Top Team Deerfield, Dario Camuzzi of Bears Den MMA, and many more.

There were many schools showcasing their top fighters. There was Team Aggression, Freestyle Fighting Academy, American Legacy, Elite Muay Thai, and many more.

There are many fans looking forward to watch future installments of Back Alley Brawl, but in the mean time fans can check out Warriors Collide 6 coming up September 13, 2008 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Ft. Lauderdale. For more information call 954-828-5380.

With the arrival of July some great news came for lovers of mixed martial arts in the state of Florida. The Florida pugilist law was change to allow amateur MMA events inside the state, fully sanctioned as of July 1st.

Prior rules forbid strikes to the head while a contestant is on the ground, which is a far cry from the ground and pound style favored by most competitors today. Executive Director of the Florida Athletic Commissioner, Tom Molloy, led the effort for the rules change.

Proponents of the sport say that authorizing full MMA will allow the sport to grow inside the state, and fighters will be better prepared if and when they do turn professional. They believe this results in a loss of quality across the sport in the region because of the lack of experience and time to transition between amateur and professional.

Left Hook Productions will be the most immediate beneficiary of the new regulations. They already run an amatuer tournament series called Warrior’s Collide that is very popular. Martial Art Times talked with Heather Cooperman from Left Hook Productions about the new changes.

First she thanked Tom Molloy, whose time and energy was vital to the process. Left Hook is ecstatic to hear the news and looks forward to incorporating MMA in future events.

Heather believes the changes will help Warrior’s Collide to continue to be a major player in Amateur MMA into the future. Once the rules are ready, they will work with ISKA to implement the new division into their events.

State bodies should meet within ninety days to have workshops over the rules. Don’t expect official rules, most likely, for about six months. There may be a lot of hot topics, including ages for competitors, head or other safety gear, when to stop amateur bouts for safety reasons, among other things.

As with most state regulations, expect there to be some kinks in the original rules. But, we’re finally on the path to some real Amateur MMA action in Florida.

by Cee Keegan

MMA is an explosive sport that is receiving global attention. As the sport grows, so does every aspect of the surrounding industry. MMA fighters train exceptionally hard as athletes to achieve their MAPtm (Maximum Athletic Performance). In the ring, it’s simple, fighter vs. fighter. Only one will win. What distinguishes the champion from the rest? There is a recipe for success in MMA, hardcore training, proper nutrition and supplementation, and an unyielding attitude. You have to arm yourself with a winning mindset - psychology, and you have to supply your body with all the necessary components for success – physiology.

A new and outstanding nutritional supplement, FIGHTER’S FORMULA, is introducing itself to the MMA market. FF is uniquely tailored to the MMA fighter and supports the mind and body during extremely demanding training and fighting. These rigorous routines deplete the body of essential nutrients and energy. Fighter’s Formula, along with nutritional scientists and combat athletes, has developed a 3-Cycle system that will not only provide you an abundant daily supply of necessary nutrients and help you maintain higher energy levels, but will also help you recover for your next day’s workout. It breaks down like this:

Cycle 1 is designed to provide the athlete with extreme stamina. It is a blend of essential vitamins coupled with MAP-RESV MATRIX and MAP-META FORMULA, combinations of ingredients geared to help you effectively heighten physical and mental alertness, build strong durable bones, maximize your metabolism and burn fat. It is a reservoir for champions!

Cycle 2 is packed with explosive strength. Proprietary formulas MAP-PWR COMPLEX, MAP-S3X PLUS AND MAP-NORVAMAX for peak energy and energy metabolism. It contains Creatine Magna Power and GuaniProtm, which help build bigger, stronger muscles, increase nitric oxide level, and helps eliminate free radicals. Cycle 2 will definitely help the fighter reach MAP.

Cycle 3 is formulated to enhance recovery time for the next day’s workout. Top of the line ingredients contained in MAP-RPR and MAP-AOX7 MAX help preserve lean muscle tissue, strengthen bones, joints, ligaments & cartilage and maintain a proper nitrogen balance. This one helps rebuild and restore vital pathways with Fighter’s Formula Repairecine Proprietary Complex.

With Fighter’s Formula, martial arts schools increase their overall revenue (without adding 1 additional student) by reselling the formula, directly at the school, thru an affiliate program or as a reseller and make even more money. This can further benefit the school by improving attendance, increasing revenue/student, increasing the schools competitive edge thus increasing student enrollment. A reputable school with a comprehensive training system should also have nutritional support system available to the student. It is well known that a holistic regimen is requisite to excel physiologically and athletically. Such a regimen includes both a devout commitment to regular physical training and to superior nutritional supplementation.

The fighter’s who are sponsored by FF are very enthusiastic about their results. Fighters claim to have much more energy, substantially increased endurance and improved recovery. Fighter’s Formula helps you be able to workout harder, longer and with less down-time. FIGHTER’S FORMULA is ideal for the fighter who wants to reach his/her MAP and blow away his/her opponent. ORDER NOW with discount code FFMAT at FIGHTERSFORMULA.COM and receive a 10% discount thru 8.31.08 ONLY.

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