New Year Resolution Solution

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The start of the new year brings the inevitable New Year’s resolution followed often by the abandonment of the resolution. While most start out on waves of positivity, the challenges brought by reality can become difficult to overcome. If you are miserable, bored, or not reaching your goals there is little to keep you motivated to continue. Choosing the right activity and support for your resolution can be the difference between success and starting again in 2018.

Beginning Martial Arts like Thai Kickboxing, Krav Maga, or (BJJ) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not a common choice, but it can help you reach many of your fitness resolutions…

FITNESS AND CONDITIONING

Martial Arts training, like Thai Kickboxing, Krav Maga, and (BJJ) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, can provide full body conditioning and it doesn’t matter if you are an athlete, workout novice, or recovering couch potato. Punches and kicks not only work arms and legs but also require a lot of work from the abdominal and back muscles so you’ll get full body workouts in every class. Training also involves mixed periods of high and low intensity workout which is a great way to improve endurance and burn calories.

The nature of this training also allows you to work at your desired intensity level, instead of keeping up with the class. You set your pace and push yourself as you feel ready. At the same time athletes will find routines that challenge their current Fitness levels and skills. The nature of Martial Arts training also means that your workouts will vary from class to class keeping you regularly challenged.

CHALLENGES

Without challenges, there is no growth, and without growth it is easy to become bored. Martial Arts can provide both physical and mental growth. Even those who have trained for years continue to grow, adapt, and learn.

Learning and applying new skills is a constant physical challenge throughout martial arts training. Martial Arts training also requires persistence and a willingness to face obstacles. Reengaging and committing to your training helps develop a mental toughness that carries into everyday life. And, yes, mental toughness comes in handy when you are trying to stick to your resolution.

CONFIDENCE

Most believe confidence from Martial Arts comes from knowing physical skills or how to fight. It is true that learning an art, progressing in your skills, and reaching goals can give you a confidence boost. Learning Self-Defense techniques, like Krav Maga, will also naturally make you feel more confident out in the real world. However, confidence also develops from understanding your limitations and learning how to handle yourself in difficult situations. When you know what your limitations may be, it gives you the confidence to approach challenges head on inside or outside of the Martial Arts school.

PROGRESSION

Standing still is boring and not motivational. By its nature martial arts is about constantly growing and improving your skills through training and interacting with a variety of fellow students and coaches. A martial art program that includes belt levels can also help you set smaller goals to help you focus through training. Both those who have trained for a few months and those who have trained for several years will have paths for growth and new challenges, a lifetime of training opportunities.

All resolutions start with one step, visit a Martial Arts school to see how it can help you reach your resolution goals.

Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts offers the most  functional and realistic self-defense and fitness programs in the North Shore area.

We offer Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu(BJJ), Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Krav Maga and Children’s programs.

Visit Our Website! www.DWMMA.com

Don’t Wait!  Call TODAY to sign up for your FREE PRIVATE LESSON 978-745-8511 Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts, Salem MA, provides the most realistic and practical self-defense programs for Massachusetts and North Shore Area including: Peabody MA, Salem MA, Beverly MA, Lynn MA, Marblehead MA, Danvers MA

Martial Arts Is More Then Just A Sport

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It’s that time of year when you begin to explore activity options for your child. While both martial arts and team sports can provide conditioning and team camaraderie, martial arts has a unique set of benefits for your child. Whether martial arts and self-defense is your child’s sole focus or a part of their activity schedule, they can find the following benefits.

Everyone Gets a Chance

One of the best features of martial arts is that everyone gets the chance to shine. Each child is taught to focus on achieving their best in every class and encouraged to participate no matter what skill level they are at. In sport teams, the focus may fall on team achievements. Developed players often have more opportunities than late bloomers. As a result, some are left to watch from the sidelines, leading to a disparity in skill development. This can be demoralizing.

With martial arts, the mats are always full and “benches” remain vacant. Everyone has a chance to participate and engage with a variety of students. Children are encouraged to try even if they may fail because this helps them develop physical and mental strength to grow their skills and face obstacles with confidence.

Self Confidence

The growth of physical skills and progression through belt ranks can boost your child’s confidence, similar to that in team sport accomplishments. However, part of martial art and self-defense training is the ability to assess a situation and problem solve. This thought process is not only helpful in self-defense situations but also in finding ways to navigate awkward social encounters, stressful situations, or new environments.

Stopping Bullying and Safety

Bullying is a common and stressful childhood encounter. There is no doubt that martial arts can teach children to physically defend themselves when needed. However, the majority of bullying can be stopped when a child or children stand up to the bully. Martial arts can give children the confidence and knowledge to stand up for themselves and others.

There is also a fear that martial arts build bullies, but that is not true. Compassion and respect are deeply rooted principles of martial arts, practiced in class, and encouraged in everyday life. Since bullies are often struggling with self-respect and control, martial arts can help them feel more positive about themselves and decrease the risk of them bullying others.

Gender Equality

Both boys and girls benefit from martial arts training and it is one of the few activities where they can compete together. This gives both genders an equal opportunity to bring out the best within themselves and avoid gender-set limits.

If you have more than one child it is also an opportunity to have all your children in one place at the same time.

As you begin to search for activity options for your child consider martial arts training for a well-rounded activity that includes skill development, confidence building, self-defense, compassion, respect, and opportunity. Your child may find that martial arts are their main focus or an important part in helping them excel in other sports.

Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts offers the most  functional and realistic self-defense and fitness programs in the North Shore area.

We offer Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu(BJJ), Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Krav Maga and Children’s programs.

Visit Our Website! www.DWMMA.com

Don’t Wait!  Call TODAY to sign up for your FREE PRIVATE LESSON 978-745-8511 Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts, Salem MA, provides the most realistic and practical self-defense programs for Massachusetts and North Shore Area including: Peabody MA, Salem MA, Beverly MA, Lynn MA, Marblehead MA, Danvers MA

My Child is being Cyber Bullied!!

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Dragon Within is taking a stand against cyber bullying. By bringing your child into Dragon within for martial arts training, you can be sure to notice a change in your child’s attitude. We take bullying seriously and work with our kids to avoid the bully and avoid being the bully.

 

What is Cyber Bullying?

Cyber bullying happens over the Internet, cell phone, text messaging, and any other social media source. People are posting pictures, verbal complaints, and hurt full words to each other. It is a serious problem and cannot, should not, be taken lightly.

How to Protect Your Child…

So there are many side effects to cyber bullying. If you notice your child is having episodes of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, failing in school, violence or suicide thoughts, then it is time to take action. Online bullying can have a huge impact on our kids that children may not be aware of.

Examples of Cyber Bullying

Facebook lies; posts, comments or pictures can all cause a huge impact on ones life. . Ever have someone take a picture at the wrong time and make you look like your doing something your really not? Even Photoshop has come a long way and anyone can be changed into anything now.

Tweets, and Instagram can be just as bad. People are vicious.

If I post something on Facebook about Johnny saying he slept with Mary and now has a disease. People will take that and run with it. Now I know that’s graphic but its true and it happens all the time. People are labeled “slut”, “whore”, and all kinds of names for action they may not even have done or actions that got blown out of proportion.

The same goes for texting. Direct or indirect texting can be hurtful. I can send a text to you calling you names or saying ugly things about you, or I can say it to everyone else and let them attack you.

The Impact of Cyber bullying

Any bullying can have a significant impact on kids and adults. Every child responds to bullying in a different. Bullying triggers each person in a different way. The same bully may not have control or effect on one person the same way as another.

Any child may be subject to harassment online. This may cause a child to feel depressed, or have a fear of school. Kids may keep to themselves. They may even have feelings of suicide or start to fall into the path of drugs and alcohol to block out the feeling and to succumb to peer pressure so the bullying will stop.

What can parents do to help make a difference?

A child’s self-esteem can be severely damaged, causing them to feel worthless, powerless and helpless. This hopelessness experienced by a child who is cyber bullied can have significantly negative effects. As parents we need to take a stand and take action. You can do so by following these simple steps.

  • Make yourself available to your child with open communication and lack of judgment
  • Intervene as soon as possible, by contacting the school, parents or police
  • Assist your child in stopping or reducing the harassment, this could be as simple as deleting a Facebook account
  • Buffer the impact of cyber bullying and help your child cope with the negative emotions he or she experiences
  • Keep close attention to all your child’s social media accounts and texts.
  • If you notice something, say something.

If you start to notice any changes in mood, sleep habits, school interests and activities, or a sudden change of friends or even picking up nervous hobbits like nail biting. Don’t wait, talk to your kids, watch the Facebook, and read the text messages. These are our children and this is their future.

For more questions or concerns, please call or visit Dragon Within. We make a huge effort to changing a child’s life, boosting there confidence and work vigorously to bring an end to bullying.

How do I turn to Krav Maga when my life is on the line?

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Turning to Krav Maga with Your Life on the Line

In the darkness of every night lurks a potential danger. You may go your whole life without experiencing the terror of an attacker darting out an alley. Or you might find yourself forced to fight or lose your life when an unstable force comes hurtling your way. How will you respond?

No one wants to expect anything of this sort happening to him or her, but you simply can’t guarantee what will come your way, no matter where you are and what you do. Fortunately, Dragon Within teaches that modern self-defense techniques can empower any man, woman and child to beat back an attack and make it to safety in one piece. Krav Maga is the apotheosis of all the self-defense techniques, a gritty skill set learned on the mean streets of pre-World War II Slovakia – where Fascist gangs roamed and anyone who came from the wrong family could end up with a split skull.

The History:

Imi Lichtenfeld invented the technique known as Krav Maga on these violent streets of Eastern Europe. The balance had swung in the favor of Nazis and he had no choice but defend himself or perish. In those days, Lichtenfeld learned how to counter assailants wielding knives, bats, guns, chains and weapons no had even seen before. It was survival of the strongest – survival of a fighter who could bring unparalleled mental toughness to every encounter and overcome physical limitations with sheer cunning and lightning-quick reflexes.

The Vinidication of a Self-Defense Style

Lichtenfeld survived that ugly period from the mid-1930s all the way up to the Nazi takeover of the region. He made it out of Europe on one of the last refugee boats that took to sea. It was a painful experience, but the proof was indisputable: Lichtenfeld was a survivor and his technique had worked. Upon settling in Israel after the war, the IDF quickly made a place for him in special forces training.

Protection You Can Trust

Incorporating these survival techniques to suit modern times took less refining than you might think. The same concept applies to modern-day muggings. You are walking down the street and you happen to notice a shadow moving in an alleyway. No one is on the street. As you approach, you see movement. An attacker jumps out…are you ready to engage, or do you feel hopeless?

Dragon WIthin teaches that with Krav Maga training under your belt, you will be ready to meet the challenge and repel the attack. Whether you know it or not, quick action in times like these can save your life. You never know when an unhinged attacker will decide he or she wants to jeopardize your life. Knowing how to disarm an assailant in rapid-fire movements could be the difference between waking up in a hospital or walking home unscathed.

Living in fear is no way to respond to the challenges of this world. Krav Maga is not a system designed to get you asserting yourself in violent situations. It is a technique meant to reassure you. It is confidence, pure and simple. When your life is on the line, you’ll know you are ready to respond.

Don’t wait for the moment when you are caught unprepared. Act now and get your free private lesson to see for your self the difference between a prepared person and an unprepared person.

Call 9787458511

email: dragonwithin@gmail.com

or visit 11 Franklin st. Salem MA 01970

Krav Maga, Thai Kick Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Self defense, Martial arts, street defense, mma, 

Are your kids bully proof?

Martial Arts Benefits Adults

So I want to take some time to reiterate some things that have been said in the past, but need to be stressed again. It’s about our children in martial arts. Its not about being the best fighter in the world. It’s about so much more than that. Get the benefits of martial arts for you or your children.

The list of benefits for children who practice mixed martial arts is incredible!    There are a lot of people who speculate that MMA/Mixed Martial Arts isn’t for kids based solely on what they see on UFC; however, the reality of mixed martial arts and children isn’t one geared towards fighting–but more of a way to give your child confidence.  There are a lot of strong positive applications for mixed martial arts that reaches far beyond learning self-defense or keeping your child physically active.

Here are a few examples of how Mixed Martial Arts/MMA has helped a few of our students….

One main value gained from children taking Mixed Martial Arts/MMA is the level on confidence that it instills within them.   At Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts, we don’t force children to compete.  We do (however) have a few who like to compete and it’s a great confidence builder!  We have these four kids (ages ranging from 10-16)  who love to compete in NAGA (North American Grappling Association).  They have been written up in our local paper and it makes them feel good about their accomplishments.  It also teaches them that, win or lose, if they gave it their all–they should be proud of what they have achieved.  Being a sore loser isn’t an attribute in any of these kids.  They are humble in their achievements and gracious in the lesson learned from their defeats which makes them work even harder next time.  They set goals and work to achieve them.  Which is a huge thing for kid’s to learn:  goal setting.

There is a simple benefit from kid’s enrolled in mixed martial arts; it can improve the results in almost anything that you do in conjunction with their Mixed Martial Arts/MMA classes.  We have one teen, 15 years old, who is flourishing in school with A’s and B’s and this all started when he began his training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/BJJ.

The Most IMPORTANT thing to stress is that our programs at DWMMA, Salem MA,  instills confidence in Children!  Whether it is performance in school or sports they have the confidence to perform to their fullest potential.   Or, if they were to encounter bullying or peer pressure–they have the confidence to make the best decisions to make you proud as a parent.

Have your Child Try our Program for
30 days FREE

DON’T WAIT
CALL TODAY!
978-745-8511
VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.DWMMA.com

Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts, Salem MA , provides the most realistic and practical fitness & self-defense programs for Massachusetts and North Shore Area including:
Peabody MA, Salem MA, Beverly MA, Lynn MA, Marblehead MA, Danvers MA

What if my child is a victim of being bullied?

Martial Arts Benefits Adults

Are your children excited to go back to school? Or are they afraid of being bullied? Here at Dragon Within, we take bullying seriously. We can help teach your child the respect, discipline, and confidence they need in school. 

Let me address what bullying is:

Bullying, in a nut shell, is a form of intimidation or domination toward someone who is perceived as being weaker.It’s almost like we are living in the jungle with a pack of wolves fighting over alfa male. We do all sorts of harmful acts to show our dominance and take what we want by force.  Typically as kids, the only thing we want is make the other child feel humiliated. Usually this is because we are insecure for some reason. There are different types of bullying. While some may think that bullying mainly consists only of physical domination, the fact of the matter is that there are verbal and emotional forms of bullying as well. And, with the rise of the Internet, there are now instances of children being bullied online through email, chatrooms and on Facebook. It is even possible to be bullied through text messaging on a cell phone. Chid bullying can happen in any of these forms. It’s not like in the 90’s when you had to go knock door to door to bully someone, now they make it easy for you.

For the most part, boys prefer to use physical intimidation tactics in their bullying. They will use physical aggression to force others to do what they want, or to feel in charge of a situation. Something about testosterone I would imagine. Girls, on the other hand, typically use more of a subtle approach. They stick to teasing, name calling, and passive aggressive methods. None the less it still hurts the same.

so how many ways can someone bully your child?

So why do kids bully other kids?

They may be abused or neglected at home. They may not have parents that get involved in their life or well being. And how well do our school spread knowledge about bullying and taking a stand?

Let’s break down some numbers shall we?

  • 60% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.
  • 86% of students said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools.
  • 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.
  • Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.
  • Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
  • A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
  • 10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above
  • According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying
  • One third of teens reported being bullied while at school
  • About 20 percent of teens had been made fun of by a bully, 18 percent of teens had rumors or gossip spread about them, 11 percent were physically bullied, such as being shoved, tripped, or spit on, 6 percent were threatened, 5 percent were excluded from activities they wanted to participate in, 4 percent were coerced into something they did not want to do, and 4 percent had their personal belongings destroyed by bullies
  • 4 percent of teens in this study reported being the victims of cyber bullying
  • Most bullying occurred inside the school, with smaller numbers of bullying incidents occurring outside on the school grounds, on the school bus, or on the way to school
  • Only about a third of bully victims reported the bullying to someone at school
  • About 2 of every 3 bully victims were bullied once or twice during the school year, 1 in 5 were bullied once or twice a month, and about 1 in 10 were bullied daily or several times a week
  • In this study, females and white students reported the most incidents of being the victims of bullying
  • 44 percent of middle schools reported bullying problems, compared to just over 20 percent of both elementary and high schools

Signs of child bullying

Are you like many other parents out there who are concerned for our children’s safety in school? There are many signs that indicate your child is a victim of bullying.

Also try to be alert on if your child is the one doing the bullying at school:

If your child is the one being bullied, you need to help them as soon as possible. Don’t wait. Try talking to them.

  1. Let them know that you can go together, to school authorities to see what can be done in terms of mediation, and in terms of increased attention paid on the school grounds.
  2. Encourage the child to avoid the child bully, and seek help from a teacher or trusted adult when necessary.
  3. Practice being assertive and asking the bully to leave the child alone.
  4. Encourage your child to be with true friends – bullies are less likely to pick on children who are in a group.
  5. take up a martial arts class to teach confidence, self discipline, respect, and much more.

Please help Dragon Within Martial Arts spread the word about bullying. Talk to as many people as you can. We are hosting an anti-bully workshop that is free to your child. We want to help teach every kid the importance of knowing the signs of bullying. We need to stop this and together we can.

Join us November 22nd from 2-4 for a free community event. We will be teaching anti-bully techniques and how to get away from someone who is bullying your child.

Don’t wait

Sign up today!

Call or click

9787458511

www.dwmma.com

Dragonwithin@gmail.com

11 Franklin st. Salem MA 01970

bully, anti-bully, back to school, child self defense, krav maga, mma, street defense, 

Is Krav Maga good for my Child?

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Krav MagaMental and Physical Training for Children

 

Dragon Within knows that the days of children being terrorized by schoolyard bullies are far from over. In fact, reports from elementary and high school administrators indicate that violence and taunting are at an all-time high. Is your child the victim of bullying? If left to their devices, bullies can have a huge impact on your child’s life. It will affect academics, self-esteem and even his or her safety.

 

Krav Maga is an excellent antidote to this trend. With confidence and physical strength from this technique, your child will be able to respond to attempts at undercutting his or her routine at school. Krav Maga is the ultimate mental and physical training for children of all ages. Here are its best features:

 

 

 

 

 

  • Teaching leadership skills: Krav Maga’s founder quickly realized he had a gift and needed to help friends in Slovakia’s Jewish ghetto develop survival skills. This technique teaches children to be leaders; to stand up for what is right; to protect friends; and help band together to thwart the efforts of evil forces. Allowing your child to be a leader in his earliest communities will be a positive experience later in life.

 

Whether or not you fear your child is being harassed by bullies at school, Dragon Within’s Krav Maga training is a terrific way to teach dedication to physical and mental development in children from the youngest ages. We take the time and effort to make sure all our kids are in a safe environment and that they know how to handle themselves when being bullied.

 

Don’t wait, Join Today!

Dragon Within Martial Arts

call 9787458511

click: www.dwmma.com

email: dragonwithin@gmail.com

visit: 11 Franklin st. Salem MA 01970

Anti Bully, Bully proof, self defense, Kids programs, kids after school, kids martial arts, krav maga, school safety,  

Team Dragon at Tap Out Cancer

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I want to give a special shout out to all the members of our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team that are out today fighting for cancer! Tap cancer out is not only a great competition for out team to get some practice in, but it is an amazing fundraiser for cancer. Too many people are loosing the fight to cancer everyday. I’m sure we all have had an experience with a cancer patient. We need to do all we can to help these people. And what better way then combining our favorite sport with a fundraiser? There is also a way for people who cannot or don’t compete to just donate a little money. People fighting cancer are giving everything, even their last breath to try to make a break through for someone else. Let’s keep fighting the fight. Dragon within teaches Brazilian jiu-jitsu not only for a street fighting stand point, but will also teach anyone who is willing to learn, the fundamentals of competing. We will make you the best competitor you are capable of. If you’re willing to put in the effort, we will take you the distance. Way to go team dragon for competing this weekend and for fighting in the fight against cancer. You truly are an inspiration to those less fortunate.

 

Tap out cancer has only been around since 2011, but has already made a huge impact. Together with donations, these competitions have raised over $135,000 for numerous cancer causes.

Statistics show that over 560,000 people lose the fight against cancer every year. This equals to 1,500 people a day. Can you imagine how many 1,500 is? That is a lot of people to die in one day. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. This is equal to 1 out of every 4 deaths are due to cancers.

“Tap Cancer Out’s founder, Jon Thomas, has spent the last six years of his life training in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). While the sport is commonly misunderstood as something similar to cage-fighting, it is actually quite the contrary.  BJJ is both martial art and sport – a method for promoting both physical fitness and high moral character, and ultimately, a way of life. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu offers far more to a student than a repertoire of arm locks and chokeholds.  It builds camaraderie, self-respect, and discipline. The student becomes part of a team, and ultimately a community of grapplers.” Taken from the tap cancer out website. I couldn’t say it better myself.

 

“At Tap Cancer Out, believe that the jiu-jitsu community can come together to help raise money and awareness to support these organizations, hospitals, doctors, researchers and volunteers who won’t quit until they’ve forced cancer to tap out.”

We need to make people understand that BJJ is not only about fighting and being big and strong. It is not as intimidating as some make it seem. Bjj students are like a family or a unit. They take their skill and turn it into a way of life for themselves. Bringing all these families together to raise money is the same as bringing the running community together to run 5k’s for cancer.

 

“Tap Out: A combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat.

 

Let Dragon Within Martial Arts introduce you to our family….

Get your Free Class today!

Don’t wait, 

Call 978.745.8511

click www.dwmma.com

email dragonwithin@gmail.com

or visit 11 Franklin st. Salem MA 01970

 

Dragon Within, DWMMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, BJJ, self defense, Salem MA, Peabody MA, Marblehead MA, Danvers MA, Lynn MA, 

Guard passing and learning how to do it…..

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Learning the Critical Skill of Guard Passing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu At Dragon Within, We teach a unique style to our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We keep in mind everyones safety and ability. Making sure everyone is working to their full potential while keeping in mind they have limits.  

Guard passing remains one of the most important skills to develop in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

The guard is a significant part of the Jiu Jitsu game since it offers both offense and defense on the ground even while situated on your back. The ability to pass the guard gives a Jiu Jitsu player an edge as well. Through being able to consistently pass the guard, the offensive and defensive capabilities of an opposing Jiu Jitsu player become less effective. Becoming talented at guard passing does not refer to learning a ton of different guard passes and merely memorizing them. Good guard passing skill is based on understanding a number of basic principles and being able to effectively execute them.

In order to pass the guard, you must go over or under the legs.

This is not always safe. At Dragon Within, we understand that without decent control of an opponent and good posture on your part, a weak guard pass leaves you vulnerable for sweeps and submissions. The process of passing the guard the properly begins with establishing good base and posture. Base refers to maintaining both stability and a low center of gravity, two traits critical to prevent from being off balanced or swept. Posture means your positioning protects the neck, arms, and legs from attacks. Once your posture and base are solid, the time comes to control the legs and, if the guard is closed, uncross the ankles.

Opening up the closed guard requires putting some level of pressure on the legs to force the ankles to uncross. Again, without good base and posture, this is not going to be easy at all. Once you have opened up the legs, you must control them along with the hips. With the open guard, you do not have to uncross the ankles. You simply go right into controlling the hips and legs, although this can sometimes be difficult based on the positioning certain open guard present.

Whether you choose to go over or under the legs, you positively must put pressure on your opponent. Controlling the hips is important to prevent an opponent from putting you back in the guard, although focusing solely on the hips while ignoring the importance of pinning him can make a guard pass weaker. The finishing positions of a guard pass is a pin be it side control, the scarf hold, or even the North/South position. To make a pin work effectively, you have to really anchor your weight down. This process has to start during the guard pass because, quite simply, a loose guard pass is not going to help keep anyone in place for a pin.

Developing these skills can take time.

Among the best ways to become better at guard passing is to drill. Your training partner can put you in a number of different guards. While the partner offers moderate resistance, you work on guard passing and pinning. Correct your flaws and mistakes and try to improve with each training session. Your guard passing skills might increase immensely as a result. And great improvement could come far quicker than you ever imagined.

Elbows In! Protecting Yourself When Pinned

No one likes to be pinned down in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Pinning and holding is a large part of the game so anyone interested in learning Jiu Jitsu must learn how to deal with pins. The various top positions such as mount, side mount, north/south, scarf hold, and even knee on stomach are all designed to keep someone in place so in order to be submitted. Escape is the goal when you are pinned, but escaping is not always easy to do. You could end up being pinned for several minutes. To help reduce the chances of being submitted, your posture has to solidly defensive while also creating the best leverage for escaping.

Keeping the elbows close to the body would be among the most important of all posture considerations. There are two major problems present when the elbows are too far from the core of the body. The first is the arms are very vulnerable to submissions. An opponent can easily wrap under the elbow and go into a spinning armlock. The reason it is so easy to wrap the arm is the distance from the elbow and the body presents a significant amount of space.

The second problems is the arms lose a great deal of strength since supporting muscle groups cease to be involved. As a result, forcing the arm down to execute a bent shoulder lock is not all that tough. An opponent on top has a lot of leverage. Having weak arm posture further reduces the ability to defend the arms. Pulling the arms and elbows in towards the body makes attacking them dramatically more difficult.

In order to escape from the bottom, your elbows must press into points on the opponent’s body in order to create space. This is very difficult to achieve when the elbows are even slightly out of position. When they are too far from the body, they can offer no effective leverage at all.

Does this mean all hope is lost when your elbows are out of position. No, it just means you must make it a priority to bring them back in. Performing a simple short bridge to bump an opponent up can create enough space for just enough time to return the elbows to their correct position.

All of this takes practice and experience, but that is what training is for. As long as you continue to focus on good posture on the bottom, the chances are likely you will improve in no time.

Call Now!

978-745-8511

Or Visit our Website
www.DWMMA.com

Knowing self-defense empowers you with powerful techniques, strategies and confidence for life-long success!
CALL NOW TO SET UP YOUR FREE INTRO LESSON

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What is Jiu-Jitsu, and How do I do it?

The is Kyra Gracie. The daughter of the original founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
The is Kyra Gracie. The daughter of the original founder of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Anyone can do jiu-jitsu and even if you think you cant, well show you that you can. Here I will give you the ins and outs of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and when you have finished reading, you’ll want to give it a shot too.

 

What is Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling and How do I do it?

 

  1. What is Jiu-Jitsu?

Jiu-Jitsu is a ground art, meant to teach the student how to grapple and maneuver in the tightest of quarters.

Grappling is a term used in martial arts to describe maneuvers, combinations, and ground work. It does not include striking of any sort or weapons control. Now some martial arts will include striking along side with grappling, but this does not mean it is the same thing. It is mainly just a term for grabbing each other. Jiu-Jitsu is a specific combination of moves that consists of pins, locks and gaining control over your opponent while on the ground. It is a sport that will make you a patient person. It takes years to get to a high rank. There is a reason for this. Technique is not the only thing Jits counts on; it also counts on maturity and age. It is one of the more political sports.

 

 

  1. What does grappling consist of?

Grappling has many different styles and techniques.

 

 

 

 

  • Throws: A throw is a technique in which one grappler lifts or off-balances the opponent and throws that opponent off of him. The purpose of throws varies, must mostly emphasizes throws with the potential to make the next move, position ones self in a standing position or to gain the pin.

 

  • Sprawling: When being taken down, one can sometimes counter act that take down with sprawling. Sprawling is done by shifting the legs backwards and spread out in one fast motion. If you do it correctly you will land on the opponent’s back and gain control.

 

 

  • Submissions holds: Submission holds consist of chokes and locks. Chokes can strangle or suffocate someone. Locks are more to trap the opponent and possibly cause injury or breakage to body part. This is one effective way to get your opponent to tap out or give up.
    • Securing or controlling techniques: securing is basically exactly how it sounds. You are attempting to hold down the opponent and secure them for a win, or until help arrives depending on your situation.
  • Escapes: This too is exactly how it sounds. This is the act of getting out or away from danger/opponent.

 

  • Turnovers: The point of a turn over is to get someone on their back. This is more used in competition style for point’s advantages.

 

 

  • Reversals or Sweeps: Think of a sweep as you are sweeping yourself off the rug. In most cases you are on the bottom sweeping yourself on top of the opponent to gain the control.

 

  1. Where in the world did Jiu-Jitsu come from?

Jiu-Jitsu is one of the oldest forms of martial arts. It is know to be founded in ancient time, although no one certain on what time exactly. It was founded in Japan, China, Persia, Germany Egypt and India. There is a weaponless form of wrestling that has similarities to Jiu-Jitsu. During Alexander the Great’s times (356 b.c. -323 b.c.) he brought this Greek culture of wrestling to many other areas such as India, were Jiu-Jitsu is likely to be born. Now although founded most likely in India, there is proof of the Shaolin Temple, built in the center of China, hosting Dharma as the creature of Buddhism and Boxing.

 

Later in history, the samurai warriors took this and created jiu-jitsu in its original form. Buddhist monks perfected it through their knowledge of the body’s law of physics, leverage, momentum, balance, center of gravity, and weight transmission of the body parts. They had it down to an exact science.

 

From 1860-1938 a man names Jigoro Kano, a practioner of Jiu-Jitsu, and a man of many talents not only created Judo, but took his arts to other countries and began teaching. During WWII we even got the knowledge of Judo and took it back to America. But the real story is how Kano taught in Brazil.

 

Helio Gracie trained his first student in 1929 and realized that he knew the technique of Jiu-Jitsu, but couldn’t execute it as effectively. He began constructing many experiments and many eventually mastered what is now called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This is the most common form of Jiu-Jitsu taught today.

 

 

 

  1. What types of Jiu-Jitsu are there?

There are many types of Jiu-Jitsu. All types can be practiced in real life situations and in competition setting. The whole point of Jits is ending a fight quickly. Compared to UFC fighting which is older than Jits competing, no one knows how to handle a fight on the ground or if they do, they cant finish the fight. Now a days things have come a long way and people tend to practice more Jits in any sport of fighting they take. To compete in Jits, You tend to win by point or by submissions. The more locks and submissions, equals more points. Just because you think you got the last pin, doesn’t mean you win. It has to be about technique and point value.

 

  1. I want learn what the samurai warriors did, that sounds awesome!

Whether you want to learn how to defend and escape a scary situation, or compete in a sport, Dragon Within Martial Arts will teach you. Our founder combines the combinations that Gracie came up with in BJJ and the combinations that Kano came up with in Judo. He gives you the best of both worlds and keeps the history alive! There is no other place to get a calm and soothing culture and atmosphere, as well as a family friendly, judgment free zone! Even planet fitness can’t give you all that.

 This is Kyrs Gracie, the daughter of the

 Now I could on and on about the art and history of BJJ, but the fact is you need to see it yourself. So what are you waiting for….

Don’t wait, Schedule your FREE, that’s right, FREE private lesson. What do you have to loose, besides weight and laziness. You have everything to gain, including technique, style, control, and much more. So act now and get in here with us

 

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Dragon Within

11 Franklin st. Salem MA 01970

click: www.dwmma.com

call: 978.745.8511

or email: dragonwithin@gmail.com