sprawlmma.org ---------SPRAWL MMA PHILIPPINES--------- sprawlmma.org

Gilbert amidst BJJ black belts Stephen Kamphuis and John Baylon

Gilbert Ombao and Ian Nadres of team S.P.R.A.W.L. MMA Philippines were each awarded their fourth white belt stripe at the Kamphuis-Fabricio Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grading by BJJ black belt Stephen Kamphuis at the KMA Fitness and Martial Arts Dojo in Makati last January 23, 2009.


Gilbert Ombao

Team S.P.R.A.W.L. wishes to recognize the genuine efforts of Gilbert and Ian in achieving such a feat. It truly marks the sincere patience and passion these guys have invested in the sport of combat. Keep on training hard and being an inspiration to your teammates! That blue belt’s just around the corner. Mabuhay!

Note: Ian Nadres’s photograph will be posted asap.

Milpitas, CA -- I would like to share on this episode of the Guard Game the success of the Open Mat Submission Challenge 2009, held this afternoon at the Milpitas Health and Fitness facilities, January 24, 2009 at Milpitas, California. Congratulations to the organizers, led by http://www.unlimitedkickboxing.com!

The even gathered 80 plus grapplers in various weight classes and levels from the Bay Area. The crowd was big and was giving their all-out support as well, it was an awesome event in general!

The goal of the event was simple, you have you grapple with someone on your weight class and level and fight at least 3 fellow grapplers. Duration is 4 minutes for each match. Regardless if you win or lose, you get to move on to fight another grappler. The minimum number of match per grappler are 3 fights. I was scheduled to fight 5 matches because my weight class of 136lbs to 145lbs was stacked! But half-way to the tournament, a lot of fighters haven't even fought their 2nd match, so I told the organizers I had enough, and my Coach told my 3 fights where awesome and I can rest now. I told the organizers to use my slot to accommodate the rest of the fighters who haven't fought twice yet.

My Coach and the friends I met at the event said I did well. My stats for the event are the following:

(136 to 145lbs Weight Class)
- 3 Four-minute matches
- 2 Arm-triangle submission finish
- 1 Rear-Naked Choke submission finish

Not bad for a struggling grappler with only 5 months of BJJ training under my belt! Three things I learned and should be practiced for such an event like this:

1. Listen to your Coach or Cornerman.
2. Don't be distracted at the other fighter's girlfriends. Yes, stop staring at them.
3. Enjoy each match. You learn if you win, you learn more if you lose.

Below are some of my "action shots" taken by my teammates during the event:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/guerilla7/sets/72157612917302097/

Respect to everyone and see you at the mat!
Ron

Please proceed to the link below to check them out!


http://rollapalooza.blogspot.com/index.html


Good luck to all who will join! Train hard!

Team S.P.R.A.W.L. would like to give its utmost support to our very own Ron del Rosario as he is currently knee-deep in training for the Open Mat Submission Challenge in California. He will be representing a local gym there and UP Wrestling. Best of luck brother!

Rollapalooza 2 no gi grappling is just around the corner! It is to be held this February 8, 2009 at the ADMU Martial Arts Center. Train hard for it! Check rollapalooza.tv for details and updates.

For inquiries regarding Mixed Martial Arts Training for women or just plain Wrestling training...

E-mail: sprawldiva@yahoo.com

The program will depend upon your choice. You can choose between Wrestling for Fitness or Competition options.

Divination (Training) is held at Eclipse Gym in Shaw Blvd.
(Eclipse 24/7 Fitness Center is near MRT Shaw Blvd. Station adjacent to Shangri-La Shopping Mall in Ortigas. You will take Shaw going away from Ortigas until you reach Sunshine Square and the Liberty Center (Puregold). It's across the street. There is free parking in the enormous lot behind Liberty Center.)

Training fee's are inclusive of the use of gym's facilities.

Divas, see you at the mats! :)

January 7, 2009

How you can develop a respectable guard?

I do not agree on the common notion that wrestlers just could always “wrestle” their way out most of the time on No Gi BJJ or Submission Wrestling tournaments. No matter how strong and well conditioned the wrestler is, the guard game is something he should respect. You can take down your opponent as often as you can but there is always a 50% chance of you being caught by a submission on the way down or the ground itself the person you are taking down.

To be able to survive a submission grappling game you have to develop a “respectable guard” even at the lowest level. So how can you develop your guard?

Try to ask yourself the following questions:

1.Can you control your opponent’s posture when he/she is inside your guard?
2.What is the success rate of your submission attempts on the guard position? Can you apply an armbar? How about a triangle choke? Or a Kimura perhaps?
3.And lastly, can your opponent pass your guard easily without exerting too much effort?

Most of the time, the answer to these set of questions can easily be obtained in the form of "feedbacks" from your sparring partners in the gym.

Yes, the guys that you roll with every training session, they provide excellent source of feedback on how you can improve your mat skills. Sometimes, the insights they provide is more helpful and effective than what your Coach will tell you.

The rule of thumb is to spar with guys that you know has the ability to submit you in an instant.

Never spar with someone that you know you can easily submit or outwork on the mat. It will delay your development, mentally and physically. The best word to describe this is your skills will become “stagnant”

Maybe if you just want to roll light and just work on your techniques, this is understandable. But if you are preparing for a serious tournament or a fight, always roll with someone that you know possesses a set of submission skills a notch higher than yours. This is the underlying reason why professional MMA fighters often cross-train with other teams or their coaches brings in another talent from another gym just to broaden the fighter’s perspective.

As you develop your guard game, often times your sparring partners will tell you frankly that he is having a hard time passing your guard, or even defending your submission attempts. These are the feedbacks you are looking for. If you are getting these type of remarks recently, that means you are improving. If not, try to go back to those 3 questions, and ask yourself. Formulate an action plan in improving the weak aspects of your grappling game.

For questions, comments and violent reactions, hit me up at ronsurf23@gmail.com

Respect to everyone,
Ron

Special thanks to Mr. Clem dela Cruz for taking the following photographs and sharing them with sprawlmma.blogspot.com!