The University of Utah MMA/Jujitsu class schedules are up. There are Monday-Thursday morning classes, and two Wednesday night classes.
There are two changes to the official schedule as it’s posted now at www.utah.edu.
One change is that the W 6:00-8:00PM Aikido class is really going to be a Jujitsu class. Yes, there is a healthy relationship between Japanese Jujitsu and Aikido, but still, it won’t be an Aikido class. It will however, still be a lot of fun.
The second change is that the Monday/Wednesday 9:30-10:40 AM class instructor is still being coordinated.
Also, remember that the fitness classes are 1/2 a semester long, so make sure to sign up for both half-semester sessions if you want a full semester of training.
I was watching a Shonie Carter video on throws and he said something pretty catchy: “Punish first, submit later.” I’ve known about the concept for a while, but I loved the phrase.
The idea is that after you gain a dominant position, you punish your opponent with some strikes and hopefully open up a submission. When they are defending your punches, try to isolate a limb and crank it – flowing between ground and pound and submission searching. I’ve heard a couple of different MMA legends – BJ Penn and Bas Rutten come to mind – say that you don’t want to have two modes: a striking mode and grappling mode. It shouldn’t be an on/off switch – your strikes and submissions should be integrated.
That being said, it seems that submission attempts can wear both combatants out physically, and unless the submission finishes, you may not have been better off because of it. Strikes however, chip away at the enemy and even when they are blocked cause cumulative damage. As long as you are striking efficiently and following some smart guidelines of ground and pound, you are making active progress toward both a potential striking victory and a submission finish – given that you have an integrated punch/submit attitude.
The season 9 Ultimate Fighter Finale Wilks vs. Johnson is a good example of a fighter who have this mentality. (Watch it below for as long as it stays up)
Here are the easy to watch versions of the Throwdown grappling tournament videos .
If it interests you, the higher higher quality videos are available for direct download on my server at the bottom of the original “Utah Champion” post.
It’s time again for the Utah Throwdown Champion Submission Challenge XI, down in Orem. It’ll be a great time – no time limit, no gi, no points submission tournament action.
Some of us from the Fusion Academy went down and competed in the 10th Champion Submission Grappling competition and so we wanted to post some photos and videos about this great event.
The competition was a ton of fun, especially because it was my first one since I started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If you’ve never been inside the Throwdown Elite Training Center, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. It’s huge, clean, and well-equipped (even has a high elevation room). The walls have huge artistic photos of local and big-name fighters as well as beautiful yoga girls. The octagon-like cage and the large grappling mats can be seen well by spectators from the second floor.
Also, quick shout out to all Fusion BJJ competitors. Out of 19 schools that competed, Fusion placed 3rd for overall top team. To see all the tournament results, see here.
