Okay, I must admit.

I made a HORRIBLE mistake.

I did what no one in sports should ever do.

I underestimated the strength of the human spirit and the strength, of what my former college football coach used to call, “want to.”

The subject of that email, is the email that I wrote yesterday for this email today.

I kinda started the email because I thought for sure that Peyton Manning was going to make mince-meat out of The Saints Defense.

Hell, I also though the Minnesota Vikings were going to win.

I’m not a huge NFL fan (I love college football and the University of Miami) so I wasn’t really rooting for anybody per se, but I did have my predictions.

I do want to do this……

I would like to apologize to all the New Orleans Saints fans for doubting The Saints.

So…. I APOLOGIZE.

I certainly know how it feels to be an underdog and to have people doubt you. It doesn’t feel good, but to the champion… the winner…. it does fuel you to train harder, to push further and to go beyond what others thought you could do.

So, I take my hat off to the New Orleans Saints.

For the rest of time, they will be Super Bowl Champions!

================
How Did The New Orleans
Saints Do It?
================

I’ve won a couple of championships, so I can tell you how they did it.

The WHOLE WORLD was watching this game……but they didn’t win the game during THIS game.

The New Orleans Saints won this game when no one was watching, when no one believed, when the sun was out during the summer and the air conditioning was cut off in the weight room and guys were spotting each other while drenched in sweat.

They won the game when they were running 7 on 7 drills at 12 noon during the day when the weather man says, “It’s too hot to perform strenuous exercise today.” But they went outside with gallon jug of water, set it down on the sideline and began to practice and then run sprints as a group.

This is how they did it.  This is how we won at Howard University. This is how I got to the Olympics. And you know what else they did…

They surrounded themselves with winners and they watched and studied a BOATLOAD OF VIDEO AND FILM.

Why am I telling you that?

Well, I’m telling you that because, if you want to get good at BJJ, Judo, Sambo, or grappling, getting good training, good coaching, and good information is a MUST.

Watching quality video is a must.  Accessing great studying and enrichment tools is a MUST.

If you, one day, want to be a champion, or at the least, awaken the championship spirit inside of you, you MUST GOVERN YOURSELF LIKE A CHAMPION!

===============
Big News On 14th of
February
===============

On the 14th of February, 4-time Olympian and 2-time Olympic Bronze Medalist, and 1999 World Judo Champion, JIMMY PEDRO, will launch his 12 Month Online Newaza Coaching Program.

Jimmy Pedro, will take you by the hand and show you the skills, drills and moves that you need to become the best newaza practitioner you can become.  All you have to do is study and practice.

That’s it.

Get the RIGHT (and quite honestly, THE BEST) information  and apply it.

Just think about your television…. if I walk up to it, while you are watching it and unplug it, what do you think will happen?

What?

You know.  You will no longer be able to see the picture.  That’s it. You will not be able to see how the picture of what good newaza looks like and you won’t be able to implement that which you cannot observe.  Therefore, you should NEVER unplug yourself from quality information. You should plug in so that you can see.

Plug in so that you can see.

Right now… go to http://www.NewazaMadeEasy.com and follow the instructions and let Jimmy Pedro and I give you some phree videos so that you can have a New Orleans Saints Experience.

==============
Conclusion
===============

>>> http://www.NewazaMadeEasy.com <<<

Congrats to the New Orleans Saints and congrats to you in advance for plugging in and turning the RIGHT picture on.

With Respect,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion

http://www.Rhadi.com
http://www.LiveJudo.com

Popularity: 1% [?]

==============
Introduction
==============

For those of you who have never seen Jimmy or I roll together, this is Jimmy and I on the mat warming up.

Now the headline was just to get your attention. Jimmy and I are NOT competing here. We were simply warming up to get ready for the video shoots and to ask each other some questions about certain movement patterns.

One thing that you will see is that Jimmy is a guard passing MONSTER. He doesn’t stop.

You can check out the video below

==============
Important Video To
Make Sure You Get
The ‘Fast-Acters’ Special
===============

http://bit.ly/bp7UVQ

Follow that link above. Put your name and email address in the boxes provided and I’ll “hook you up” before the 14th and give you some other goodies too. And you’ll pay less than everybody else.

==============
Closing
==============

February 14th is the big day, so make sure you are ready to get Jimmy’s 12 Month Newaza Coaching Course Called “Newaza Made Easy”

http://bit.ly/bp7UVQ

Take care,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS

2004 Olympian

Popularity: 24% [?]

==========
Introduction
==========

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about Jimmy Pedro’s Newaza Coaching Program. Here’s one of the best questions that I received from J.S.:

Question:

Regarding Jimmy’s Newaza Program, as someone who trains BJJ 5-6 days a week along with my judo twice a week, what is in the program that I’m not likely to see in BJJ? I’m blessed to have a fantastic world-caliber BJJ coach whom I trust with my technique development, but I’m intrigued by what Jimmy may have to offer.

Answer:

First and foremost, Joe, thank you for your question.

I must say that even though you probably didn’t try too, your post does take a position of martial arts superiority. The line, “what is in the program that I’m not likely to see in BJJ?” makes an assumption that there isn’t any groundwork in Judo which can match what you are learning in Brazilian Jiujitsu.  Such is just not true.  Learning groundwork and techniques has more to do with the quality of the instructor than it does with the sport.

As the Vice Principal of Jimmy Pedro’s Coaching Program, I’m sure that both you and I can agree that my instruction is “world caliber” and I’m sure that you can agree that Jimmy Pedro’s Coaching is “world caliber”.  Why not invoke the help, support and advice or 3 world-caliber coaches instead of just one?

Jimmy and I are here to add to what you are receiving, not to take away or replace it.

In terms or what you will receive.  Let me say these things.

What makes judo different from Brazilian Jiujitsu are the rules. The rules determine the emphasis and also the movement selection. What you will find is that there are many moves which are done in judo which you just would not attempt in Brazilian Jiujitsu because you are not under time constraints.

I’m also sure that you know that just because one is a BJJ Black Belt doesn’t mean that one can submit world class judo players in judo competition. Why? Because although all techniques are available there’s a way that you have to access the techniques and you have to know which ones to access.

Also, as a BJJ Black Belt, I learned a great deal from Jimmy while we were creating this program. I thought that it was enlightening and I found the experience very educational.

Also, if you can learn just one thing per month, that’s absolutely phenomenal. In my opinion, you will learn no less than 3 things that you didn’t know in the first month. As a matter of fact, I guarantee it.

Why?  Because you are getting Jimmy’s take on what made him good and my interjection of what I would do as a judo player per the movement patterns which are typical for the Judo player.

Also, understand this… we are looking at the sport from the Point of View of Judo, which is VERY different from that of Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Also remember no one person or coach knows everything.  A lot of people don’t get outside help because they think that they are getting “everything” that they need from their current situation.

And lastly… what’s the worst thing that can happen?  You learn some new stuff, practice it and become better. Or, you find out that you know everything which we are offering, which I doubt, and you get a FULL REFUND and lose nothing.  Worse case scenario, you come out ahead.

I, for one, certainly hope and encourage you to make your pursuit of learning a life-long one and one that is open-minded to new things, different approaches, different coaching methodologies, and differing points of views.

==============
Important Video To
Make Sure You Get
The ‘Fast-Acters’ Special
===============

http://bit.ly/bp7UVQ

Follow that link above. Put your name and email address in the boxes provided and I’ll “hook you up” before the 14th and give you some other goodies too. And you’ll pay less than everybody else.

==============
Closing
==============

February 14th is the big day, so make sure you are ready to get Jimmy’s 12 Month Newaza Coaching Course Called “Newaza Made Easy”

http://bit.ly/bp7UVQ

Take care,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS

2004 Olympian

Popularity: 2% [?]

==========
Introduction
==========

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about Jimmy Pedro’s Newaza Coaching Program. Here’s one of the best questions that I received from J.S.:

Question:

Regarding Jimmy’s Newaza Program, as someone who trains BJJ 5-6 days a week along with my judo twice a week, what is in the program that I’m not likely to see in BJJ? I’m blessed to have a fantastic world-caliber BJJ coach whom I trust with my technique development, but I’m intrigued by what Jimmy may have to offer.

Answer:

First and foremost, Joe, thank you for your question.

I must say that even though you probably didn’t try too, your post does take a position of martial arts superiority. The line, “what is in the program that I’m not likely to see in BJJ?” makes an assumption that there isn’t any groundwork in Judo which can match what you are learning in Brazilian Jiujitsu.  Such is just not true.  Learning groundwork and techniques has more to do with the quality of the instructor than it does with the sport.

As the Vice Principal of Jimmy Pedro’s Coaching Program, I’m sure that both you and I can agree that my instruction is “world caliber” and I’m sure that you can agree that Jimmy Pedro’s Coaching is “world caliber”.  Why not invoke the help, support and advice or 3 world-caliber coaches instead of just one?

Jimmy and I are here to add to what you are receiving, not to take away or replace it.

In terms or what you will receive.  Let me say these things.

What makes judo different from Brazilian Jiujitsu are the rules. The rules determine the emphasis and also the movement selection. What you will find is that there are many moves which are done in judo which you just would not attempt in Brazilian Jiujitsu because you are not under time constraints.

I’m also sure that you know that just because one is a BJJ Black Belt doesn’t mean that one can submit world class judo players in judo competition. Why? Because although all techniques are available there’s a way that you have to access the techniques and you have to know which ones to access.

Also, as a BJJ Black Belt, I learned a great deal from Jimmy while we were creating this program. I thought that it was enlightening and I found the experience very educational.

Also, if you can learn just one thing per month, that’s absolutely phenomenal. In my opinion, you will learn no less than 3 things that you didn’t know in the first month. As a matter of fact, I guarantee it.

Why?  Because you are getting Jimmy’s take on what made him good and my interjection of what I would do as a judo player per the movement patterns which are typical for the Judo player.

Also, understand this… we are looking at the sport from the Point of View of Judo, which is VERY different from that of Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Also remember no one person or coach knows everything.  A lot of people don’t get outside help because they think that they are getting “everything” that they need from their current situation.

And lastly… what’s the worst thing that can happen?  You learn some new stuff, practice it and become better. Or, you find out that you know everything which we are offering, which I doubt, and you get a FULL REFUND and lose nothing.  Worse case scenario, you come out ahead.

I, for one, certainly hope and encourage you to make your pursuit of learning a life-long one and one that is open-minded to new things, different approaches, different coaching methodologies, and differing points of views.

==============
Important Video To
Make Sure You Get
The ‘Fast-Acters’ Special
===============

http://bit.ly/bp7UVQ

Follow that link above. Put your name and email address in the boxes provided and I’ll “hook you up” before the 14th and give you some other goodies too. And you’ll pay less than everybody else.

==============
Closing
==============

February 14th is the big day, so make sure you are ready to get Jimmy’s 12 Month Newaza Coaching Course Called “Newaza Made Easy”

http://bit.ly/bp7UVQ

Take care,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS

2004 Olympian

Popularity: 2% [?]

============
Introduction
============

I absolutely love matwork.

I think I even love it more now that I’m older. Hell, I just can take all the repeated falls over and over again… It hurts.

Newaza, is easy to do and easy to learn.  But it can really create high levels of anxiety, discontent and frustration for many reasons.

As a competitor, practitioner and coach, I’ve found 3 key things that really, really cause a high level of frustration when it comes to newaza.

I’d like to share them with you and then provide you with a surefire solution to eliminate your frustation.

==============
Newaza Frustration
Reason #1
“You Don’t Know Newaza”
==============

Many people get frustrated because they don’t “know” newaza and often times they end up saying, “I don’t like newaza” when the truth is, they really don’t know it.

I can understand why people get frustrated. I used to get frustrated to because I just didn’t know what in the hell to do.

I thought it was just like wrestling and that my background as a collegiate wrestler would help me. I DID NOT. In fact, it provided me with a false sense of confidence and I ended up getting beat even worse.

================
Newaza Frustration
Reason #2
“Your Coach Doesn’t Know It”
================

Well, needless to say, in this world of Brazilian Jiujitsu, Sambo, and Mixed Martial Arts, it’s pretty evident that there is much to know and learn in the area of groundfighting and newaza.

And those in the sport of judo who bash MMA and BJJ for no reason at all while not choosing to understand the sport or the culture are just silly.

Not only that. They are insulting and  “dissing” that which they don’t know.

And more often than not, they are doing it to protect themselves and their following, their constituents, their students and customers from leaving them.

Think about it.

How many times have you heard these “candy-cane” red and white belts with the pot bellies speak negatively about MMA or Brazilian Jiujitsu.  Think about how many times you’ve heard traditional jiujitsu people speak negatively about BJJ or MMA.

Why?

For no reason at all.  They talk, because they don’t KNOW!!!

And they don’t want to know.  What’s a shame is that YOU NEED TO KNOW THESE GROUND SKILLS IN JUDO.

And the reason why you don’t know them is because someone never taught them to you.

WELL, JIMMY PEDRO AND I ARE GOING TO ELIMINATE THAT *&^%  RIGHT NOW!!!

We have an excellent brand of groundfighting and matwork in Judo. Some people just don’t know it. Now it’s time for you and the rest of the world to know too.

===============
Newaza Frustration
Reason #3
“You Don’t Have Any Way
To Get Good Quality Instruction
===============

The third reason is because you just don’t have any quality instruction.

I can tell you right now that I’ve traveled all over the globe for quality instruction.

I’ve been to Japan.

I quit my $70,000 job with Texas Instruments in 1999 to move the Olympic Training Center.

When I used to live in Massachussetts, I used to drive 90 minutes each way just to practice with Jimmy Pedro.

I flown Lloyd Irvin to the Olympic Training Center to help me train and practice. I’ve done it all… and I’ve done it all JUST TO BE ABLE TO LEARN AND GET QUALITY ADVICE AND INSTRUCTION.

Because neither Jimmy Pedro or myself want you to have to spend the time and money that we spent on traveling from here to there and to and fro, we constructed this coaching course JUST FOR YOU.

Oh how we wish that something like this was in place when we were competing. It would have made life a lot easier.

=============
Have No Fear The
SOLUTION Is Here
=============

On the 14th of February, the Jimmy Pedro Newaza Coaching Program will be here and you will be able to get your hands on quality information and quality newaza instruction.

I’m looking forward to sharing with you and I know Jimmy Pedro is too.

Take care,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time Olympian
http://www.rhadi.com

P.S.  Tomorrow I will provide you with a special website so that you may receive the ‘fast-acters’ ridiculous price drop.  Only those that provide their name and email address on the special website that I’m going to provide over the next couple of days will be privy to this great deal.

P.P.S.  If you haven’t already, you really need to get your hands on the best grip fighting instruction available. This is the BEST in all the world >>> http://www.GripFighting.com

Popularity: 3% [?]

===========
Introduction
===========

Many of you know that I have a hectic schedule. In the past 6 months, I’ve taken several trips to the Bahamas as a Consultant, Coach and Technical Advisor for the Bahamian Judo Federation.

I’ve been working with some of the top Mixed Martial Artists in the fight game today.

I’ve been on the mat with some of the best Judo players in the World recently and now I’m pondering if I want to jump in the cage in 2010.

Not sure, gotta see.  (wink, wink).  Fighting, is easy. It’s the training that’s hard. I’m not sure if I want to train hard again. I’ll give it a go and see how I feel.

I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t inspired by Herschel Walker this weekend in Strikeforce.

=============
Herschel Walker
=============

Here’s the bottom line.

We all KNOW THAT Herschel Walker didn’t fight the best of the best.  But that wasn’t the point. The point was that there was a 47 year old man in the ring who trained for 12 weeks, whose body would put ALL OF US TO SHAME, who had the “balls” to jump inside of the cage in front of millions of people and put his reputation on the line. And he DID NOT HAVE TO.

Herschel donated his ENTIRE winnings to charity.

My hat goes off to Herschel Walker.  If he never fights again. He’s still the man in my book.

I’m not going to “hate” on Herschel Walker because he had a good manager who looked out for him and made sure he had a good opponent. That’s smart.  That’s what management and agents are SUPPOSED to do. They are supposed to look out for their clients.

==============
Okay, Now Here’s the
Real deal
==============

I was having a conversation after Strikeforce with a prominent fighter who said, “I don’t need to train in the gi. I do MMA.”

I laughed at him because MOST OF THE fighters with the best submission records come from a background in the gi. They can choose or not choose to fight in the gi while they prepare for MMA, but in the beginning, the trained in the gi.

And…..those that got good without the gi, got good by training with a bunch of people who had QUALITY gi training backgrounds. GOTCHA!!!!   *wink*  (that’s for those people who want to cite Jeff Monson as a reference for not training in the gi or Josh Barnett).

I tried to explain to him the benefits of the gi and he didn’t want to hear it.

It’s kind of silly that people don’t understand.

MY JUDO TECHNIQUE DOES NOT DISAPPEAR BECAUSE THE GI DOES!!  LOL

Just like BJJ technique does not disappear because the gi does.

What it does is allows you to practice in an environment where your mistakes have to be minimized because the payment for such mistakes is higher than with no gi.
I’m reading a book now that covers this point clearly. The title of the book is “Slow Practice Will Get You There Faster”

You see, practicing slow is actually very key to being able to perform moves proficiently and fast.  And there are some technique which are done in no gi and MMA that actually require a gi to practice them at slow speeds.  (If you are scratching your head here, that’s good. You aren’t supposed to be able to know everything I’m talking about. If you did, I’d be of no use to you.)  LOL

Just kidding…. But on a serious note. I found this out from Dustin Denes. While practicing with him and learning from him I discovered this key point.

I also discovered this while training with one of the best ground technicians in the sport of Judo, Jimmy Pedro.

As a matter of fact…….

================
Jimmy Pedro’s Newaza
Coaching Program
================

As a matter of fact, I’ve been working on and with Jimmy Pedro diligently for the last year in creating, developing, structuring and implementing a quality newaza coaching program with a quality system of deliverability to all of those interested.

For those of you who DO NOT know who Jimmy Pedro is…. He is THE MOST decorated Judo player in United States History.  He is a 4-Time Olympian, 2-Time Olympic Bronze Medalist, 1999 World Judo Champion, a member of the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame and he has earned more honors and awards that we have time to mention right now.

He’s absolutely amazing.  He was also the Head Coach for the 2009 World Judo Championships for Bahamas and upon retiring, he created some of the best coaching and teaching material for Judo Players and gi grapplers in the world.

His works

Grip To Win – http://www.GripFighting.com
Grip Like A World Champions – http://www.GripFighting.com
Underground Gripfighting Secrets  - http://www.GripFighting.com

Are the best and most comprehensive on the art of gripfighting.

And now, he’s addressing one of the greatest needs in the sport today….. NEWAZA.

In 13 more days, the Jimmy Pedro Newaza Coaching Program will launch.

Why 13 more days? Well….. that’s one of my favorite days of the year.. That’s Valentines Day!

So on Valentine’s Day, we will share our love for the sport of judo and the art of grappling in the gi and launch the Jimmy Pedro Newaza Coaching Program.

The programmers and developers are still in the final stages of finishing the video delivery system. I was informed that this would be finished and ready for FULL TESTING by the end of this week.

So February 14th is the day.

==============
Closing
==============

If you have any questions about the Newaza Coaching Program please email me at info@rhadi.com and I’ll answer any questions that you have.

Please take this time to prepare yourself for the one and only online judo coaching program that will launch your groundwork game in the next stratosphere!

See you on Valentines Day!

Sincerely,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS

P.S. If you want to “cheat” and take a sneak peak at the site.. (even THOUGH IT IS NOT FINISHED YET!!) all you have to do is Google “Jimmy Pedro Newaza Coaching Program”

P.P.S. There WILL BE a bonus for those who are the “fast acters”.  You’ll see this on the 14th.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Greetings:

This week has already been exciting, frustrating and fulfilling and its only Wednesday!!

I hope that you New Year has started off on the right foot. I received a call yesterday that one of my friend’s had some hardships already. Her father passed away. I immediately stopped what I was doing after receiving the news via phone and began to pray for her and her family.

It’s tough starting off the year like that, but as hard as it is to accept, sooner or later we are all going to leave her and go elsewhere.

My fervent hope, wish and prayer for many of you is that you leave a lasting legacy and work you can be proud of.

===============
TNA Wrestling
===============

On Monday, I attended the TNA Wrestling show in Orlando. I was super excited. My main man Bobby Lashley got tickets for my son and I. I was awesome.  The main reason was because I got to spend some time with my son. The second reason is because Hulk Hogan was in the building!!

I’m sure many of you have your Hulk Hogan story.

Here’s mine…..

My cousin David Dorsey and I used to watch wrestling without fail. We used to do the moves on each other, we used to do the moves on our little cousin Aris (thank God she never got seriously hurt) and we used to workout with the weight hard. Especially on Saturdays after watching wrestling.

We went to the first Wrestlemania together. We watched it in Miami via satellite. The place was PACKED!! It was an incredible experience.

I grew up with Hulk Hogan. He was a hero of mine and believe it or not a major influence in my life as well as many other kids.  Phrases like, “say your prayers and eat your vitamins” were huge. I wish I had someone other than my wife and I saying that to my son. It’s great reinforcement.

Hogan provided a sense of togetherness when he asked the question:

“Whatcha gonna do…. Whatcha gonna do when Hulkumania runs wild on you?”

It let you know that there was strength in numbers, that more was possible with people, than without them.

I’m sure I’m taking this Hogan thing a bit too far, but so what. I LOVE Hulk Hogan and I’m 34 years old, pushin’ 35 and I aint got no problem with saying that I begged Bobby Lashley to get me on a jam-packed V.I.P.list so that my son and I could experience our first Hulk Hogan moment together……..and…. we got to meet Brooke too.

Rufus had a REALLY FUNNY MOMENT when he met Brooke. Please check out my Facebook photo if you want to know what I mean. LOL

>>> http://bit.ly/60oAif <<<

================
What’s New?
================

Well, what is VERY new is that I’m really working my butt off to get this new Newaza Coaching Program that I’m doing with Jimmy Pedro.  I wanted to deliver it in the format of a DVD a month, but after speaking with a lot of you, you said that you preferred the online method of renderring information if it would really cut costs.

So what I’m doing right now is getting everything in a working format and creating an EASY delivery system so that you can get quality information at a very good price.

I really love judo as well as the other grappling arts, but I want to make sure that my judo folks are taken care of. So Jimmy and I have been working diligently on this product and it will be out soon. As a matter of fact, you will be able to experience some sneak peaks of Jimmy Pedro’s Coaching Program called - Newaza Made Easy - starting next week.

==============
Please Get This
Done
===============

If you haven’t gotten your hands on:

Pushups from A To Z >>> http://www.PushupsFromAtoZ.com

Popularity: 6% [?]

January 2010 is here. And we’ve made it to another year.

Last year was quite eventful for me in the world of Judo and grappling. I had the opportunity to coach a gentleman by the name of Ray Marquez who place 3rd in the World at the Masters Judo Championships. I was also appointed as the Head Coach for the Bahamas for the World and Cadet World Championships and currently work with them on a consultation basis along with some other coaches and advisors to the President of the Bahamian Judo Federation D’Arcy Rahming.

2009 also was the year where I received the appointment as one of the Assistant Coaches for USA Grappling at the 2009 Grappling World Championships where the United States was successful in capturing 4 World Titles on the men’s and women’s side in both gi and no gi. It was a phenomenal experience and felt great coaching Olympians, Olympic Medalists and some of our best athletes in USA Judo.

In 2009 I also finished my dissertation and received my Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Professional Studies. I wrote a kinesiology based disseration to the surprise of my committee. They asked me, “How in the world did you do that?” I replied, “The amazing thing is this. There are books all around the place. You can learn whatever you’d like, if you just pick up a couple and read them.” We all laughed. I had one of the foremost authorities on Sports and a very well published individual in the field of Health, Physicial Education and Recreation, Dr. Newton Jackson and actually wrote about some of the cutting edge developments in sport that I was exposed to while training with Juan Carlos Santana, of the highly acclaimed Institute of Human Performance.

Most importantly, on the judo side, 2009 is the year which many will remember. It is the year in which Judo was changed forever.

In 2009 the International Judo Federation instituted a rule that banned all leg grabs from competition, except in some ambiguous cases which are very hard to clearly identify.

I would go into but I fear to because if I’m confused by the rules, I’m sure you will be to. All I can say is this. If you grab below the belt, and it seems like you did it intentionally and not as a counter-attacking measure, you will be disqualified from the competition. You will not only be given HANSOKU-MAKE but you will be out. The general rule for Hansoku-Make is that you are out of the tournament. It really doesn’t matter much because under the new rules, you are really ONLY guaranteed one match anyway. If you lose, the person that you lost to has to make it all the way to the finals in order for you to have a chance for more matches.

I’m sure you can see that grabbing below the waist is a risk that is not worth the possible reward of a score or disqualification.

All this means is that some of the best and most dynamic throws in judo have been removed. Throws such as kataguruma, morote gari and kuchiki taoshi are gone.

====================
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN
FOR MOROTE GARI?
====================

Well, for those of those who know me. You know that 2004 and 2008 Olympian Taraje Williams-Murray and myself created a product called “Morote Gari”. It was absolutely a HOT ITEM until this new rule change and then it died. BUT IT WAS RESURRECTED with the Grappling World Championships and the Brazilian Jiujitsu crowd.

===============
The Benefit of “2-0″
===============

There’s nothing like starting off a match and having the score of the match be “2″ to “Nothing” in your favor. What I noticed was that because of the high level of implied gripping in the development of my Morote Gari, it was and is HIGHLY effective in Brazilian Jiujitsu and in Gi Grappling. Many people think that you can just go out and hit a regular double leg in the gi. You cannot.

What Was Judo’s Loss Has Become Brazilian Jiujitsu’s Gain

Now one of the most devastating techniques that has allowed me to beat some of the best people and watch some get knocked partially unconcious is now all the rave in Brazilian Jiujitsu. It hurts me to see Judo just give MMA and Brazilian Jiujitsu a “push”. Lord knows we need the push in our sport, but I guess we have enough fans :-/

At any rate, I got a call from the one and only Lloyd Irvin the other day and he said, “Rhadi, I watched the Morote Gari DVDs. I even had my trained snipers ________, ________ and _________ watch it. I want more and I want you to give me some more specific stuff for the BJJ peoople. This stuff is deadly. I’ve seen you do it and teach, but not like this.”

I said no problem and then went into the “lab” which is my war room and began planning out some new stuff for the secrets of the double leg in the gi”.

Stay Tuned… In 2010 there will be a massive takeover on the mat!!! MASSIVE!!!!

=================
Hey, Rhadi how do you
feel about the rule change?
=================

The rules are the rules. I can coach across the board from Wrestling to BJJ to Grappling to Judo. Doesn’t matter to me. I just need to know the rules. The rules are the same for everybody. All rules have “holes”. You just have to find the “holes” or what needs to be done so that you can gain an advantage based upon the set rules. Simple.

Some can do this, some can’t. Like I told somebody before, “You are a part-time coach. This is my full time job. I study this. I study game theory. I study sport. I sit down ALL DAY while you are at work doing your other job, doing THIS. So please don’t tell me that you’ve been coaching for 20 years. You HAVE NOT!! You’ve been part-time, playing around for 20 years. I’ve read more books, watched more film, put in more hours and done more time than you could imagine. You haven’t drank from the waters which flow near my presence. Therefore, speak softly and walk away quietly and no one will ever know how much you don’t know.”

My only gripe is in the change within the quad. I wish that this change would have been made, either right after 2008 or right after 2012. To make this change in the middle of a training quadrennial is horrible. Especially for coaches who have put together the macrocycle based upon the former rules.

==============
TO THE JUDO
PURISTS OF THE
WORLD
==============

Many judo instructors around the world think that this change ONLY manipulates the techniques one can use in judo, when it fact this SMALL RULE changes EVERYTHING!!!!

It changes strategy, if change how metabolic currency is spent, it changes ones strength and conditioning program IN A MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR WAY. It also changes the on the mat training and preparation in a major way. If you don’t think so, please think again.

I’ll give you a little tip. A free one at that……

When “the game” changes, so does the “game plan”.

It’s all a “game” and can be figured out with a proper understanding of game theory.

That’s about all I can discuss on that right now, but the bottom line is this. If you are spending your time learning throws, that’s great, but that’s not what going to win or lose the match for you. Not at all.

Check out these videos:

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Since the International Judo Federation came up with the new rules which were tested at the 2009 Junior Worlds I’vel seen some amazing things happen with my business and with me on the judo side.

First and foremost the shift from the Morote Gari explosion.

What happened with the new rules is that all of a sudden people were investing in my product that I did with Taraje Williams-Murray, Morote Gari and then all of a sudden they weren’t and now all of a sudden they are again, but now its the Brazilian Jiujitsu crowd.

The BJJers are absolutely having a field day with my DVD Set Morote Gari. They’ve already accepted the fact that people think that their judo is ugly anyway so a product titled Ugly Judo: 101 is right up their alley.

I recently had a very prominent BJJ coach call me and tell me that my Morote Gari product is phenomenal.

One person from Facebook by the name of Michael Carter wrote me and said:

“You probablly get this every few days or so but when i was actively competing in judo your training manual and videos took my game from A to A++ just wanted to thank you for that. Thanks for helping the ‘regular joes’ like me get my game to where i wanted it to be. That concept that ‘we are all just regular joes until we decide to do the irregular’ is what allowed me to change my mentality from one of linear learning to outside the box attack concepts.”

This person understands that judo is about having a sound philosophical approach to judo, not just doing some moves. That’s why Morote Gari is as valid today as it was yesterday.

=================
Rhadi Ferguson Couldn’t
Have Gone To The Olympics
With These New Rules
=================

I had one person ask me via www.AskRhadi.com

Do you think you would have gone to the Olympics with these rule changes?

I laughed. My answer,

“Of course. If you really looked at my matches you’d see that most of them were won via armbar, NOT Morote Gari. It’s not about Morote Gari. Morote Gari was just the ‘hole’ in the rules. There are new ‘holes’ and ‘opportunities’ now. If you talk to coaches and read like I do, you’ll know that the game of judo really hasn’t changed. It’s still a game based upon having a great strategy and sound tactics. Having traditional flawless tachiwaza technique is just a bonus, but not a requirement. If it was, ONLY the traditional tachiwaza technicians would win and that wouldn’t be fair in terms of sport. Sport allows many different options and choices for success. We all choose our chalice, without the understanding if the elixir within is a magic potion or poison.”

Here’s the bottom line. The new rule changes are sweet. What they really did is increase the need for all of Judo (players and coaches) to become super familiar with how to *see*, recognize and teach gripfighting.

There has been an explosion for the need to gripfighting information.

Now the superb thing about the new rules is that people now know that there is ONE PLACE and one place only to go to in order to get THE BEST gripfighting information on the planet and that place is http://www.GripFighting.com

That’s it >>> http://www.GripFighting.com <<<

In this new game of Judo, if you can’t grip, you REALLY are in trouble, because there is no Morote Gari bailout. (hint hint: but there are other bailout techniques. Morote Gari was just the best one to select because the counter attack options were fewer than some others).

LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN!!

I don’t give a s–t about the moves. All the moves are bulls–t.

UCHIMATA
TAIOTOSHI
SUMIGAESHI
OSOTO GARI
OUCHI GARI
SODE
OGOSHI
UPSIDE DOWN / INSIDE OUT TRIPLE FLIP

WHO GIVES A SH–!?!?!?!?!?!

It doesn’t matter!!!!!!!

And anyone who tells you that it does is an idiot. A sound strategic approach to competition is the key. Some strategies work and keep working. Some don’t and need to be refined. That’s it. Bottom line.

Now don’t get me wrong. You DO HAVE TO LEARN THE MOVES. But the keys are winning aren’t in perfecting your Taiotoshi to the “nth” degree. That’s what I’m saying.

=================
Teaching and Coaching
=================

I was at the Grappling World Championships and was in the lobby and Denny Prokopos from 10th Planet Jiujitsu, who is a PHENOMENAL JIUJITSU player and a student of the game, pulled me to the side and asked me the most important question of the day.

He said, “Man tell me. What is it? What is it that you and Lloyd do that makes you guys and the people you train so good?”

I then explained to him a small snippet of what it is that we do. I didn’t give him everything but I did give him enough to win the World Championships next year.

There’s a system to teaching that few people understand that Lloyd Irvin and I have developed. It’s the system that allowed him to create JT, Ryan Hall, Mike Fowler and turn me into a Judo submission machine.

It’s the same system that allowed Taraje to go to the Olympics, turned Brian Picklo into one bad @$$ judo player in 6 weeks, allowed Thiago Alves to stymie and nullify Karo Parisyan’s “judo” during their UFC fight. What allowed me to take a BJJ guy like LLoyd and turn him into a “judo guy” in the BJJ World and allowed him to call me on the phone with no practice (that’s right ZERO practice) before going to win the World Championships in BJJ with just a mere 25 minute phone call on strategy. (now understand that it only took 25 minutes because he and I have practiced together for years, but it was 25 minutes none-the-less).

Look, if you have the time to get such products as:

http://www.TheGrapplingBluePrint.com

Guess what? GET IT!

If you have the time to get

http://www.JudoSuccessSecrets.com

Guess what? GET IT!

If you have the opportunity to get

http://www.GripFighting.com

Guess what? Get it!

There are very few people out here who are giving you the cogs, nuts and bolts of their systems so that you can put one together for yourself. And understand that every systems has holes in it. Your job is to plug up the holes.

The Holiday Season is upon us. Make a quality decision and pick up one of the products above or get http://www.MoroteGariDVD.com

Whatever the case, get something because the Gate Keeper to your success is QUALITY Knowledge and without that, you’ve just got some techniques that you can’t use.

Take care and thanks for haning in there with my rant for today. Please excuse the typos.

I have to go pick up my son and get him a haircut,. The dude says he wants a freakin’ mohawk!

Take care,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS
2004 Olympian

http://www.GripFighting (If you do nothing else today, make sure you go there).

And…if you’re smart, you’ll understand that philosophy to Morote Gari is what will make everything else work under the new rules too ( http://www.MoroteGariDVD.com )

Popularity: 7% [?]

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Numerous members of the U.S. Grappling World Team will participate in a training camp this week in preparation for the FILA World Grappling Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 12-13.

The training camp will be held at the American Top Team facility in Coconut Creek, Fla., from Saturday, Dec. 5 through Thursday, Dec. 10. The training camp will be directed by USA Grappling National Coach Ricardo Liborio, who is also the co-owner and head instructor of the American Top Team program.

Attending the training camp will be most of the No. 1-ranked No-Gi Grapplers on the U.S. team, along with a number of other U.S. team members. There will be as many as 23 of the 50-member U.S. team members attending the training camp during the week. The United States is the reigning World Team Champions in both No-Gi and Gi Grappling.

Liborio is the head coach of the U.S. Grappling World Team, and will have a number of the team assistants participating in the training camp. He was a champion in international Jiu-Jitsu, and has trained numerous champion athletes in Grappling, Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts and other disciplines.

Liborio was recently inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame.

Journalists are invited to attend any of the scheduled U.S. Grappling World Team workouts to conduct interviews with the U.S. athletes and coaches. American Top Team Main Academy is located at 4631 Johnson Road, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073.

Journalists are asked to contact Gary Abbott of USA Wrestling in advance if they are attending any of the training sessions. Contact him on his cell phone at 719-659-9637 or via email at gabbott@usawrestling.org.

The FILA Grappling World Championships will be at the Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Dec. 12-13. The No-Gi competition will be held Saturday, Dec. 12 and the Gi competition is Sunday, Dec. 13. Daily ticket prices are $20 for adults and $10 for youth and seniors. They are available at the door, or in advance through TicketLeap.com.

U.S. GRAPPLING WORLD TEAM TRAINING CAMP SCHEDULE
At American Top Team Academy in Coconut Creek, Fla., Dec. 5-10

Saturday, Dec. 5 – 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, Dec. 6 – 4:00 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 7 – 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 8 - 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 9 - 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 10 - 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Tentative roster of 2009 U.S. Grappling World Team members at training camp

Men Grapplers
60 kg/132 lbs. - Zachary Makovsky, Philadelphia, Pa. (Philadelphia Fight Factory)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Matt Kucala, Frankfort, Ill. (Gilbert Grappling)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Brian Peterson, Valencia, Calif. (Big John McCarthy’s UTA)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Matt Betzold, Phoenix, Ariz. (Gracie Barra Lions Den)
60 kg/132 lbs. - Jason Patino, Coconut Creek, Fla. (American Top Team)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Dennis Prokopos, Milbrae, Calif. (10th Planet Jiu Jitsu)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Bryan Caraway, Goldendale, Wash. (Victory Athletic)
66 kg/145.5 lbs. - Din Thomas, Coconut Creek, Fla. (American Top Team)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Alex Pacheco, Mesa, Ariz. (American Pankration)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Ian McAlpine, Chandler, Ariz. (American Pankration)
74 kg/163 lbs. - James Dinette, Golden, Colo. (Grappler’s Edge)
74 kg/163 lbs. - Cole Miller, Coconut Creek, Fla. (American Top Team)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Largus Brock, Oklahoma City, Okla. (USAStars)
96 kg/211.5 lbs. - Sam McCoy, Coconut Creek, Fla. (American Top Team)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Kelly Anundson, Columbia, S.C. (Black Knight WC)
120 kg/264.5 lbs. - Charles McCarthy, Coconut Creek, Fla. (American Top Team)
Absolute - Mario Rinaldi, Port St. Lucia, Fla. (American Top Team)

Women Grapplers
50 kg/110 lbs. - Felicia Oh, Valencia, Calif. (Big John McCarthy’s UTA)
55 kg/121 lbs. - Stephanie Murata, Minden, Nev. (Sunkist Kids)
59 kg/130 lbs. - Tara LaRosa, Woodstown, N.J. (Philadelphia Fight Factory)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Shayna Baszler, Sioux Falls, S.D. (CSW/Next Edge)
63 kg/138.75 lbs. - Miesha Tate, Tacoma, Wash. (Victory Athletics)
67 kg/147 lbs. - Tori Adams, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Sunkist Kids)

Head Coach – Ricardo Liborio, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Assistant Coach – Sheldon Marr, Aurora, Colo.
Assistant Coach – Shawn Sheldon, W. Palm Beach, Fla.
Assistant Coach – Anthony Califano, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Assistant Coach – Rhadi Ferguson, Boca Raton, Fla.

For information on the Grappling World Championships, visit:

http://www.WorldGrappling09.com

Popularity: 7% [?]