Better Yourself Through Martial Arts

In the morning we went to the studio. We started the lesson off by practicing different combinations using our bamboo sticks, before moving on to kickboxing skills as well as some jiu-jitsu moves involving grappling and how to get out of sticky situations while on the ground. During one of our water breaks in between Professor Scott gave us an introduction to the Confidence Cycle while also including a pep talk on how to become confident in our day-to-day lives. Students practicing bamboo stick attacks. Each day I’ve noticed improvements in my form as well as stamina. I noticed I could last for more rounds on the bags without getting tired this week as well as wake up less sore the following morning.  Students lined up to practice kickboxing techniques and combinations. After our lunch break today, we gathered in the commons for a zoom lecture from our martial arts instructors. Although the word lecture typically comes with a boring connotation, this was anything but. One by one, our i

By Sabrina Gubbles-Wingo, Katie Vojvodic, and Natalie Gross March 26, 2021           At the gym, we worked on kickboxing, kali sticks, ju-jitsu, and nunchucks. First, in kickboxing, Coach Manny taught us an uppercut and multiple combinations with a jab, cross, and uppercut to get used to using it in different ways. We then were taught by Coach Eric different combinations with the kali sticks so that it flows better and the momentum builds up for a good finish. We were able to practice on a bag so that we could see how the sticks bounced and how we could use that. We also practiced with a partner to help with rhythm and putting our whole body into it as opposed to just arms. To finish our ninja moves, a good ending move was needed, so we all came up with a fancy, funny, or cool move to end our kali stick section. We then had a small break before we learned jiu-jitsu from Coach Caoilainn and Coach Manny. First, they taught us a choke called the guillotine which is an air choke. We then l

  Isa Pedersen, Cape Echols, India Riley  Mr. Zhou, Mr. Jacobs Martial Arts 25 March 2021 Day 4 Blog  The day at BamBam started with a warmup of running in place while doing uppercuts and then jumping down and sprawling out when Coach Many blew his whistle. We did this for five minutes. After the warmup, we started working on the combination of 1232, or in other words, jab, cross, hook, cross, and we ducked under to avoid two punches from our partner, and finished it with two more jabs and crosses. After we were done with that exercise, we went to the bags and added kicks to our routine. We started with a sidekick, this kick is executed by turning and hitting the bag with your shin. After that kick, we added a front kick, which is using your front leg instead of your back leg. You step forward with your back leg and use that momentum to kick your leg forward. After that, the kickboxing section was completed.  Our next activity was jiu-jitsu, first, we worked on a series of moves that b

Today we received our jiu-jitsu robes which are called gi. Gi means uniform in Japanese and is the word used to describe the uniforms in most forms of martial arts. The gi are white and made of a thick material which allows for better grip when performing jiu-jitsu holds and takedowns. However, our uniforms would not be complete without a belt. The very first belt awarded in jiu-jitsu is the white belt. We all received our white belt today after completing three acts of kindness outside of our training that showed selflessness. Typically, the yellow belt is the next rank after the white belt but for our purposes, we will be adding stripes to our white belt as we progress.  Receiving our White Belts We also learned our first chokehold. This was the rear naked choke which can be used to prevent blood from flowing to an attacker's head causing them to pass out. To ensure nobody accidentally took a choke-induced slumber, each person and their partner made sure that they could tap out o

Aiden Cunningham, Niko Cantu, Jordan Chase Mr. Jacobs, Mr. Zhou Martial Arts A-Term 23 March 2021 Martial Arts Blog 3/23/2021 Kickboxing - Aiden Today, we started with kickboxing in the morning, starting with our 1, 2, 3, 2 combos and practicing adding a knee. We worked on doing our combo then moving forwards with the inside part of our knee and twisting in order to get the most strength from our knees. Sticks (Double & Single) - Niko After we completed the kickboxing, we followed up with the sticks that we practiced with yesterday, and we went back and used the combinations that we had with a single stick as a recap. We then moved on to the double sticks. Using two of these sticks required more focus and precision as we partnered up and began to practice. We were first taught a very basic combination to use on our own swinging from the bottom than top and then top again. This was a very basic combination to get us used to having both sticks. When we finished this first exercise we

Excited to begin! Today was the first day of bettering ourselves through martial arts, and like with anything, we had to start with the background. We began by splitting into groups to learn about and share back information relating to the histories, philosophies, and famous figures of both Jiu Jitsu, and Kickboxing. We also got to research some fighters' signature moves, (which we will definitely master by the time this course is over). I studied Otavio Souza who is a famous fighter who joined Gracie Barra, a Brazilian jiu jitsu association, and won many awards, including being a 3 time black belt Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion. He even landed a job teaching a Gracie Barra school in California but unfortunately he was literally "too cool for school" and got fired because he was always on the road and didn't have enough time to teach.  By: Tyler Learning stick fighting moves  In the afternoon we went to the jiu jitsu gym to start the physical side of this A-Term.