To skip the good stuff and
get straight to the “better” stuff
just go here >>> http://www.rhadi.com/17ideas

Many of you know that I recently finished my doctoral work at Capella University.

After 7 long years J  I’m finally done. But you really aren’t finished until your degree is conferred and sent to you.

I was super excited yesterday as I not only received my final transcript but also my degree. Now I can put it in the frame that I’ve paid for which has been sitting around and collecting dust.

When things happen which are life-changing I like to share with others.

People ask me all the time how I was able to train for the Olympics, train Olympians, mentor and coach athletes, create dozens of products and consult for small businesses and organization while maintaining a home life and a humble motivational speaking schedule.

Well, its all kind of easy to be honest with you and kind of hard at the same time.

First of all, I have some really good parents who always pushed me academically and never athletically. After reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, I was talking to my wife and I said, “You know what? My parents NEVER pushed me athletically but they did academically.”

I kind of see why they did that now.

It really increased my capacity for processing a myriad of issues at once. And things that seem physically stressful are only mentally processed that way so they are really mentally stressful. So the building of your mental and/or cognitive capacity (muscle) is paramount.  This enables you to, over time, handle more and do more.

I also was taught and now teach people to look at things in their lives analytically and critically.  People sometimes get caught up in the notion that if you analyze something too much, you’ll get caught up in what’s called “analysis paralysis” BUT……

“analysis paralysis” suggests that you are analyzing something BUT NOT progressing.

My suggestion and demand of my athletes is that you learn how to analyze and make decisions while pressing forward and revisiting the decisions that you have made in order to refine your processes and your game and/or craft.

This is difficult for some people to grasp who believe that sports are just a physical exercise.

Sports are an exercise in mental discipline and movements in sport are preceded by thought. And quality thoughts are what we call colloquially… “Good Ideas.”

What I have constructed, just for you, is an opportunity for you to become a better judo player, a better coach, and a better judo parent (supporter), by creating a list of 17 ideas that you can add to your judo game and 17 things that will allow you to think about your judo development critically so that you can make some changes immediately and get immediate results.

People don’t really understand that change happens immediately.  Growth happens immediately. Getting better happens immediately…Once you DECIDE to do some things differently. Now the manifestation of your mental decision may take some time, but the growth to make that decision is what makes you better immediately.

For example….

Finishing a marathon doesn’t start with training for one.

It begins with the thought of doing one. And then the thought of saying, “You know what? I think I can do that.”

And then with the idea, “How can I train for a marathon and finish?”

And then with the resolve of, “I’m going to finish this marathon no matter what.”

But what you have to understand is that before it becomes “Real” it starts as an “Idea”.

I have a video that I want to share with you if you’d be so kind to provide me with some of your time.

I certainly believe that you will find it informative and will want to get more information about my upcoming new release “17 Ideas To Becoming A Better Judo Player”

It is absolutely phenomenal and will be priced in a “recession-friendly” manner J

Please enjoy the video >>> http://www.rhadi.com/17ideas

Take care and check out my next video in a couple of days.

Dedicated to your Judo Success,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS
2004 Olympian
BJJ Black Belt
World Class Coach

****************************************
This message was brought to you by
the number one Judo Success Product
available on the market today
“Judo Success Secrets”
>>> http://www.JudoSuccessSecrets.com <<<
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This is a VERY important question that I ask some of my clients. Not all of them, only, some.

Why?

Well, most of them know the answer already and I don’t want to ask and decrease the probability of winning by altering the emotional state of the client in a negative fashion. Therefore, sometimes I just keep coaching and hope for the best, as I’m sure they are doing. Sometimes it turns out okay.

Sometimes it doesn’t.

The problem with luck is that it does exist.  Well, I guess that’s not the real problem. The real problem is that it is passed off as purposeful. If you can’t repeat it or do it again, that’s luck.  And I don’t mean the results, I mean the training.  The training will provide the same yield…. A certain type of performance. That performance at times may be good enough to win and at other times not.

The winning or losing in this case isn’t as important as having a standard or baseline from which to measure your performance so that you can tweak your preparation process and formulate one that will allow you to win and have a great answer available when someone asks you, “Did YOU DESERVE TO WIN?”

You will be surprised how many world class athletes have to lie to themselves to answer that question.
Now you can answer truthfully and provide and feel comfortable about your preparation. You can do that now because, now you have the privilege of knowing what you didn’t know before.  So get on the path of knowing today.  Get Judo Success Secrets

REMEMBER: “Don’t be a Gelding!  Get what it is that you need to succeed.  Fight the fear and keep clicking until you complete your order for Judo Success Secrets today!”

>>> http://www.JudoSuccessSecrets.com

Take care.

Dedicated to your Judo Success,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion
BJJ Black Belt
World Class Strength Coach

P.S. Follow me on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/rhadi

P.P.S. Follow me on Facebook http://profile.to/rhadi

****************************************
This message was brought to you by
the number one Judo Success Product
available on the market today
“Judo Success Secrets”
>>> http://www.JudoSuccessSecrets.com <<<
*****************************************

I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day and to be quite honest I didn’t feel like having the conversation or talking about this particular topic anymore.

You know how you say at times, “I am soooo done with this right now!”  Well, that’s where I was. I really didn’t want to address the subject, talk about it or revisit it at that time.

Now I’m not sure how that was going to fix it or deal with it, but that’s where I was on it.  So my friend asked me, “Are You A Gelding?”

I said, “A what??”

He said, “A Gelding!”

I asked, “What in the world is a gelding?”

He said, “Look it up. I’ll wait.”

So there I was typing it in Google and I was furious, but a little bit humored as well.

So we conversed and hashed some solutions out and things ended up being great.

Why did I tell you that story?

Well here’s why….

============
Some of You Are
Judo “Geldings”
============

You can walk around all you want and fool someone else but you can’t fool me. I see you. I see you when you don’t think I’m looking. I see the fear in your eyes that absolutely paralyzes you on the mat, I see the look of unsureness, insecurity and doubt when you walk on the mat or sit in the coaches’ chair as a coach. I see how you look as a parent, being unsure if you’ve thrown your child to the wolves or if you’ve actually put them in the right position to be successful.

To be honest with you. You don’t really know and more often than not you DON’T WANT TO question your decisions because if there are some things that are true that you don’t want to hear, you are going to have to make some uncomfortable changes that you just won’t like.

I understand.

Just so that you know.  I’ve had my gelding moments and some of us do, but your judo career is no place to lack testicular fortitude.

If you compete, want to compete, coach or run a judo school, you NEED to put some accountability measures in place.

Please allow me to help you.

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

============
Check this out….
============

I had a discussion a couple of days ago with this person who lost at the Natioal Judo  Championships.  I asked this person, “Did you record your matches so that you can review them with your coach or by yourself to fix your mistakes?”

He replied,  “No.”

Well, well, well. What in the H3LL do you expect?!?!?!?

Don’t sulk, don’t cry and don’t complain. You REFUSED to meet today’s challenges with today’s technological solutions and you got what you deserved.

I then asked, “Did you watch any video on the competition before Nationals?”

The reply was, “No.”

I then asked, “Any scouting reports?”

“No.”

“Well, how about a personal gameplan?”

“No.”

After a while I just got upset and said, “LOOK!! You need some help and you need to get it.”  Needless to say, this person knows what they need to do, BUT right now they are a GELDING!!

It’s like the person who knows what weight class they must fight, but don’t want to invoke the discipline to eat and train properly…..

GELDING!

Or the person who knows that their coach can only do so much, but they won’t go outside of the box and ask their coach if they can get some help because of fear of what their coach might say.

GELDING!

Or they fear to look at their judo game with a critical eye or have someone else critique them…

GELDING!!

Here’s the solution if you are having a Gelding Type of Moment…..

============
Get the Secrets To
Judo Success Today
>>> http://www.JudoSuccessSecrets.com <<<
============

Most people have a Fear of Feedback.

We fear feedback because we really don’t want anyone assessing our performance or pointing out our flaws.

This creates a feedback-averse environment physically and emotionally, to the point where we put up walls and don’t want to REALLY hear and fix our problems on and off the mat.

I can’t tell you enough times that the competitive environment is just the natural manifestation of what occurs in the preparation phase on and off the mat.

As you refine your preparation phase, you will refine your performance on the mat.

Get the increase that you seek and get Judo Success Secrets today.

Don’t be a Gelding!  Get what it is that you need to succeed.  Fight the fear and keep clicking until you complete your order for Judo Success Secrets today!

>>> http://www.JudoSuccessSecrets.com

Take care.

Dedicated to your Judo Success,

Rhadi Ferguson, Ph.D., CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion
BJJ Black Belt
World Class Strength Coach

P.S. Follow me on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/rhadi

P.P.S. Follow me on Facebook http://profile.to/rhadi

This message has been brought to you by Beyond The Rings  (http://www.BeyondTheRings.tv)

I needn’t tell you that there are only 24 hours in a day.

You and I already know this, and we can probably agree with little to no argument that at times 24 hours just doesn’t seem like enough. When it comes to mixed martial arts (MMA), the hard part for most people is trying to fit everything that they possibly can into that 24-hour period while still getting the necessary rest and recuperation and training time.

As a strength and conditioning coach and combat sports consultant, I can tell you that the most difficult task that I have to tackle with people, especially beginning or aspiring mixed martial artists, is showing them how they can improve without incurring an investment that will supersede how much they earn currently.

I’m going to tell you what I always tell them. It’s pretty simple and can be accomplished in three steps. The problem is this: If I tell you and you then know the answer, are you gonna do it or are you going to just read this and do nothing?

============
First Thing:
Create a team.
============
Contrary to widespread assumptions, becoming the best is not just about training partners. Training partners are only one part of the equation. You must have a whole team of people around you. When I was training for the Olympics, I had a team that I called Team Ferguson. My team members worked for me, whether they knew that they did or not. If I had a problem, I could access my go-to guy in that area and get things done.

Think outside the box. In this day and age—the information age—you can have people on your team who live elsewhere. You just need to have access to your people; your people don’t necessarily have to live near you. Case in point, I have the personal cell phone number of a physician who works with the Denver Broncos, and I call him when I’m having problems or when some of my clients have problems. I have a personal masseuse who comes to my home and will travel if need be. I have a three-person team of babysitters so that my backup plan has a backup plan.

Find out what it is that you need to be successful and get innovative. If you need access to DVDs to study, round up your local MMA or jiujitsu players and have them go to the library and make requests for this information. The library will then begin to order these materials for you. The library is free!

====================
Second Thing: Look at the
design of your current process
=======================

What does this mean? It means you should ask yourself if you are inside a system that has produced or can produce champions. Then ask yourself if what you have described is indeed a system. Going to boxing at one gym, Brazilian jiujitsu at another, and Muay Thai at another and then doing your strength training somewhere else and never having the opportunity for all of these coaches to sit down in a room and speak with each other is not a system. That is what we call a pile of dung. It is what most coaches and athletes do. I’ve heard some coaches go to the extreme and say, “What does that guy know about MMA?” Well, news flash! That coach doesn’t have to know MMA; he just has to know his part that fits inside of the system. For example, ballet instructors or yoga instructors don’t have to know football in order to help football players. They just teach what they know and the ballplayers use it as a part of their system.

====================
Third Thing: Create some
metrics for accountability
=======================

Every major business, winning team, or elite athlete sets some metrics for accountability. The good ones set several. Is there a mile time that you have established as an indicator of what type of shape you are in? Do you go to small Brazilian jiujitsu tournaments to make sure that your level on the ground has increased? Do you keep a record of your weight room workouts to see where your numbers should be when you are getting ready for the next event? Or do you just say stuff like, “I feel great,” which in actuality means nothing because you have to be able to win when you feel awful too. You have to put some markers in place so that you can see how well you are progressing and know if you are indeed getting better. If you don’t keep track of your progress, then you are guessing at best. In my business people don’t pay me to guess, and if you want to get into the MMA business, you have to eliminate as much of the guesswork as possible. Remember this: What you do must be measurable and accountable.

If you put these things in place, you are on your way to becoming a more professional fighter or coach. I say this all the time: “It’s easy to write a workout on a piece of paper. The hard part is knowing how to coach.”

Becoming great often has nothing to do with your sport and more to do with you. If you are interested in taking your level of good and moving it to great, check out http://www.BeyondTheRings.tv to get more information on how you can become better without even breaking a sweat.

——————————————————————————————————
Dr. Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, is affectionately known as the Grappling Doctor for his ability to break down combat sports like a science. He is an Olympian in the sport of judo and a BJJ black belt. He is a world-renowned strength coach and has coached many elite and Olympic athletes. For more information, go to www.AskRhadi.com.

Dr. Traci Ferguson, MD, is a board-certified internist in the Orlando metropolitan area. She is also a member of the USA Judo Medical Subcommittee and has advised various elite, Olympic, and MMA athletes.

Identifying the keys of what separates a good mixed martial arts (MMA) practitioner from a great one is more than difficult. I’m sure you can identify a plethora of things, as can I, but there four principles that I have found to be evident and four principles that come up time and time again, no matter which sport I am coaching. These are the principles I want to share with you right now.

The toughest thing to do in sports and in research is create a system that is repeatable and as infallible as possible. It’s damn near impossible to do, but you have to try and maintain the constant iterative process that must be invoked if you want to become a champion and stay a champion. One of my former judo coaches from California, Nori Bunasawa, used to say, “Rhadi, in Japan, if you win something one time we count that as luck. If you win it two or three times then we say you’re the better competitor.” That didn’t make sense to me at the time, but it does today. Everyone knows that it is tougher to stay at the top than it is to get to the top. Thus the question is, “How do you stay at the top of your game?”

Well, here are four principles to help you get to the top and, if you are already there, stay at the top.

Principle #1:
Maximize before moving on.

One thing competitors have a tendency to do is to start looking for other options and situations before maximizing their current situation. For example, I was coaching an individual who didn’t have a great amount of economic resources, and this person would say, “I need to train somewhere else that has the equipment I need to get better.” As a former competitor, a current coach, and an entrepreneur I could understand where she was coming from. We all want the latest and greatest tools to help us succeed. But I had to confront her on a couple of points. I told her the following:

“Wait a minute. I understand the want to move, but you haven’t maximized everything that is here. This gym has Brazilian jiujitsu 6 days a week, which you are already paying for, but you only go 3 times a week. First go to all 6 classes. Then strap on your shoes in the morning and go running. Running or even walking for 40 minutes every morning is more than what you are doing now and will provide an added benefit. There are heavy bags in your gym that you don’t even use. Your footwork could always get better, yet you only jump rope to warm up. Why not jump rope before or after class for 15 to 20 minutes? All I’m saying is that I understand you want to go somewhere else, but the fact of the matter is this: You don’t have the money to go and if you go you have not maximized what you can out of this place before moving on.”

Let’s look at this concept in terms of movement. The good competitors maximize their movements before turning to new ones. I’m a person who believes in mastering a move before going on to the next move (especially at the beginner phase). I don’t give a damn how long it takes to learn a move. You learn it until you own it, and once you own it, it is yours to keep! Maximize the move before moving on to the next one. Squeeze all of the juice out of the fruit before throwing it away. Or, as my parents used to say: “Don’t throw that bone away, there’s still some meat on it!” Get all the meat off the bone before you toss it in the trash. There’s some more nourishment there for you, your game, and your career.

Principle #2
Diversify your training partners (portfolio).

Of course you can see that this principle is a huge business principle. If you are an MMA competitor, you must diversify your training partners—not your training camp! The training camp has to be full of competitors who have been hand picked to mimic a certain style or to fulfill your need to combat a certain style of the opponent you are facing. What I’m speaking about is diversifying your training partners. On the Olympic and elite judo and wrestling level, what we usually do is go to different countries in order to train and compete. The competition is usually why we travel, but the most important part of the trip is the training. It is where we can experience different styles and actually see our game and level improve exponentially over a short time. To mimic this travel scenario locally, I recommend that you visit different schools and clubs in your area. If you are at a school that looks unfavorably at such exchanges between schools, MOVE! This exclusivity has no place in martial arts and is selfish and adverse to your growth and the growth of your school. If you go somewhere and train and then return, not only will you get better but also everyone at your school may get better as well.

Principle #3:
Remember your mishaps.

Great competitors remember their mistakes and use them as a platform to grow. Great competitors also use them as a reminder and as foundational stories for others so they don’t repeat the same mistakes. As a competitor you have to be willing to identify your mistakes. The one thing that I could never understand and still cannot to this day is why people who are still competing refuse to watch film of their matches. I mean, they love watching when they win, but they don’t want to watch the matches they lost. YOU HAVE TO! If you don’t watch the losing matches you will not be able to identify your mishaps so that you can remember them and make sure you don’t repeat them or the behavior that caused them. Remember, as the great Dr. Phil says all the time, “You cannot fix that which you don’t acknowledge.” As a competitor, you cannot make the same mistake twice. It is costly. Very costly.

Principle #4:
Change, but do so conservatively.

I’m all about changing. I believe in change and I believe in adding tools to your current toolbox. However, these additions should be made conservatively and in harmony with your core competencies. For example, I think that a flying armbar is a great move, and I used it very successfully when I was a competitor. But just because I think it’s a good move doesn’t mean that I would recommend it to Brock Lesnar or Andrei Arlovski to perform or even spend their time practicing. It’s great to have an open mind, but stay open in a conservative fashion. In my game, the only thing I get really radical about is the basics! I get radical about going back to the gym and solidifying the jab, going to the gym and putting the gi back on for 6 weeks, going back to the gym and returning to the base style that is my strength. I get radical about that. When it comes to making huge changes in the MMA game, it’s not better to lead than to follow. It’s better to look at the most successful practices, look at the current data available, and make an intelligent and conservative decision about what changes should be made in your game. For example, I worked with Brandon Vera and his coach Lloyd Irvin to do all of the things that Brandon should have been doing—not to add anything new. Now Brandon has a renewed outlook on his career that could possibly yield him the financial return that he is looking for. It’s a conservative investment that may pay radical dividends.

Closing

Every competitor, coach, and fighter believes that this day is different from the days of yesteryear. The honest to goodness truth is that the game hasn’t really changed—just the players have changed. The same principles that were utilized in warfare in the ancient times are used in business today, and these same principles and practices are the foundation for preparing on a physical and mental level. What we must do is use the information that is available in order to grow as competitors, practitioners, fans, and enthusiasts.
———————————————————————————————————-
Dr. Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, is affectionately known as the Grappling Doctor for his ability to break down combat sports like a science. He is an Olympian in the sport of judo and a BJJ black belt. He is a world-renowned strength coach and has coached many elite and Olympic athletes. For more information, go to www.AskRhadi.com.

Dr. Traci Ferguson, MD, is a board-certified internist in the Orlando metropolitan area. She is also a member of the USA Judo Medical Subcommittee and has advised various elite, Olympic, and MMA athletes.

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

This year’s National Judo Championships were very exciting.

KATELYN BOUYSSOU

For the first time ever we had a member of the World Judo Team who is 14 years old, Katelyn Bouyssou.  She’s as cute as a button, but ohmigosh, what an ANIMAL on the mat. I’ve never seen a 14 year old more nice and pleasant with the potential to have so much harnessed viciousness.  She is an absolute warrior and an impeccable young lady. I really tip my hat off to her parents. They done an exceptional job with her as will as the rest of their tribe. (I say tribe because Serge and his wife have a small football team they are putting together).  J

KIM CARPENTER

This year the power of Brazilian Jiujitsu was on full display.  A young lady by the name of Kim Carpenter from Jason Morris’ Judo Club was on fire at Nationals.  She defeated the favorite, Jeanette Rodriguez, in the division and put on a, from what I’m told, “a brazilian jiujitsu for Judo clinic.”

As one of the pioneers, along with David Camarillo, of the entrance of Brazilian Jiujitsu into the North American sport judo marketplace, I can honestly say that I was happy to hear that individuals like her see and are able to illustrate the benefits of cross-training in Brazilian Jiujitsu.

Kim Carpenter, displayed oma platas, reverse triangles, sweeps and some superb movement for a blue belt. It was quite impressive from what I understand. Purple Belt, Taraje Williams-Murray called me and said, “You ain’t gonna believe this. I just saw this woman pull of a sick reverse triangle sweep.”  I’m happy that Kim is competing and look forward to watching her in the future. I’m just waiting to join her fan club.

TRAVIS STEVENS

This past weekend was also one the illustrated the resolve of a champion. Travis Stevens, who I quite honestly thinks that breakfast is a bowl tacks and nails with milk poured over top, is one of the toughest and hard-nosed judo players that I’ve ever seen.  This past weekend, he fought while being injured. Not hurt….Injured. He fought with an injury that would have sat most people down, but fought through the whole day and didn’t wince with pain or anguish while fighting….he just fought.

He gets my vote for the toughest man at the tournament. He pulled out victories over some of the best judoka that the United States has to offer and did so with being noticeably, not himself.  I never want to don anyone with any titles that are too premature, but I can say that this dude has certainly go the “It Factor” to take his judo career to the highest level possible because he does understand one thing….TOUGHNESS IS A REQUIREMENT.

TARAJE WILLIAMS-MURRAY

For those that don’t know Taraje competed at the 81kg weight class. He was thinking about retiring and then decided that he should test the waters and compete. I told him don’t do it. Arkadiy told him not to do it and to take a year off.  I didn’t know what his angle was and he called me and asked me to help him prepare about 3 or 4 times and my reply was, “I AM NOT COACHING YOU ANYMORE let just be cool.”

Taraje and I have a great relationship, but the coaching dynamic put an enormous amount of strain and positive development on the relationship. It is definitely much easier being friends and mentoring him. I really didn’t know what weight class he was going to fight, but when I did get wind of what he was thinking about, I called Jimmy Pedro as soon as possible and told him, because of my professional relationship with him, I didn’t want any problems.  He also asked me, “What is he trying to accomplish?”  I answered him like I answered my wife, “I really don’t know.”

I can tell you that after the Olympic Games often times athletes have a hard time defining who they are. I know that I did. For my life I was defined by my athletic achievements and athletic experiences.  It took a while for me to understand that, as BB King says, “The Thrill is GONE!”  I ran a couple of marathons and half marathons for personal high but nothing is quite like throwing somebody through the mat, feeling someone’s arm pop or hearing someone say, “Uuuumph” after a hard throw.  The same can be said about the feeling that your body goes through after running full speed into a middle linebacker. There are paroxysms of emotional orgasms which are abound after such collisions, but when that opiate is no longer available sometimes we have to find another means for alleviating the pain of the missing our relationship with pain.  We’ve essentially developed a relationship with pain; sometimes being on the receiving end and others on the giving end, but a relationship nonetheless.

I can understand why Taraje competed. He missed that feeling that you have the following day, that is only afforded to the people who fought multiple matches. That pain in the shoulders, knees and ribs that lets you know that you actually earned the a—whipping that you are wearing.

Taraje wanted to know that he could do things by himself and he wanted to see if he still had the fire for competition. Clearly he does.  I spoke with him during day while he was fighting and he was having a regular conversation with me as if he wasn’t even competing. Just laughing and enjoying himself. He joked last night that he may fight 90s for a challenge. I told him, “Wait a minute kemosabe.”

Whatever the case, I have no doubt that whatever he decides to do, he can do.

I was impressed with the way that he fought and how he handled himself. To read more about his day at the 2009 Nationals please visit http://www.taraje.com/?p=509

==============
Morote Gari
http://www.MoroteGari.com
==============

Taraje and I talked about his Morote Gari attempt against Travis Stevens where he got reversed. The ironic thing about the counter that Travis did is that it is something that we covered on the video. Taraje made a crucial mistake in thinking that he could perform Morote Gari the same way that he did as a 60kg player. What he found out was that, they don’t move quite as easily!  LOL  J

On the Morote Gari DVD, Taraje and I cover how we perform the technique from a lightweight standpoint and a heavyweight standpoint.  Since I didn’t work with Taraje, this is something that we never covered or went over. Even if we did, there’s a possibly that we may have missed it. It is clearly evident though that the lightweight version that he performs, doesn’t work as well against the “big boys”. The lightweight version has to be done the way that he does it because with too much “air time” a lightweight can squirm out and get to their bellies. Heavyweights, due to anthropometric limitations, don’t have this luxury  J

At any rate, Morote Gari is a great technique and just the threat of it can provide a whole new level of gamesmanship for any player. If you are interested in the 2 Disc DVD and 2 Disc Audio CD set of Morote Gari please visit http://www.MoroteGari.com

============
Outliers
============

Currently reading “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell and loving it.

=============
More Important
Than Ever
=============

With the way that the sport of judo is today it is more important than EVER to be able to play a match independently.  However, in the beginning of your career, this just isn’t possible. You need some help. But while you are getting help you still have to prepare yourself for the day where you can fight a match independently, without a coach in the chair.

For this reason it is more important than ever to be able to govern yourself accordingly when you are on the mat without the aid of a coach.

This can only be done with a thorough understanding of the game. Part of this understanding begins with a thorough understanding of the competition. This is why I believe that scouting the competition is one of the most important things that you can do.

Scouting provide you with an opportunity win…a chance to be successful. If you don’t prepare, you cannot expect to win.

Increase your preparation and thus increase your expectations. Get Judo Scouting Reports Today
>>> http://rhadi.com/judo_scouting/ <<<

Take care,

Dr. Rhadi Ferguson
2004 Olympian

Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion
JUST “GOOGLE ME!!”
http://www.rhadi.com
http://www.TheStrengthAndConditioningKing.com

P.S. Be afraid, be very afraid. The Grind will be back soon.

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

I certainly hope you appreciate this article. Take care and have a great day.

There is no denying that the two most effective and dominating styles in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) today are wrestling and Brazilian jiujitsu (BJJ). As a combat sports consultant and a strength coach for mixed martial artists, I often have to create the training camp schedule and thus decide how the chronological currency of 8, 12, or 16 weeks should be consumed.

Doing this not only is difficult but also has the added challenge of creating something explainable, because there’s nothing like designing the schedule and looking across the table and seeing the head coach shake his head and then begin the next sentence with, “Why?” or “How come?”

Because I don’t want to turn this piece of written articulation into a dissertation or a journal, and I assure you there is enough information to do that, let’s state some assumptions so that we can come to some level of understanding on which style works best for MMA.

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Assumption #1:
We are talking
about cage fighting
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Why? The data I’ve pulled comes from cage fights, and the rules and environment of the sport change the answer to the question. For example, the ring provides a competitive context that is different from that of the cage. If you are on the bottom in the cage, being able to position yourself and put your foot on the cage to turn yourself around or get your hips in the air is a huge advantage.

You can also put your back against the cage and shimmy yourself up into standing position.

You cannot do this in the ring unless you are in a padded corner (which usually isn’t the case). Also, penalties are given more quickly for grabbing the fence when trying to fight a takedown in cage fighting than they are for grabbing or draping your arm over  the ring rope  (for an example, watch all of Fedor Emelianenko’s fights, especially the one against Matt Lindland).

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Assumption #2:
We are talking about the
modern day UFC, meaning
from 1996 to 2009
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Why? Once again, because the data pulled can be misleading if the sporting context changes. The initial rules of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are different from the rules of today, especially in terms of standing up the competitors or moving them off the cage in the clinch if the referee deems the action to be lacking and the weights of the competitors varied. Also, the time limit of the events is not the same, and some of the competitions of the past were 20-minute long superfights while others were tournament based.

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Assumption #3:
We are looking at the
dominating style of the fighter
======================

For example, everyone learns boxing, grappling, BJJ, Muay Thai, and so on, but the dominating style of Rashad Evans is wrestling, the dominating style of Frank Mir is BJJ, and the dominating style of Quinton Jackson is boxing. With that being said, we really had to look at some of the fights to identify the styles clearly if the style was not clearly identified through www.UFC.com or a fighter’s Web site. If many styles were listed we looked at the background of the fighter and matched that with his style. Case in point, Brandon Vera has a huge Greco-Roman wrestling background, but his style is clearly Muay Thai.

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The Data
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The data we chose were from 1996 to 2009. What we did was look at the dominating style of the title holder and how many times that dominating style held the title. Without diving deep into the data, we will have you know this:

BJJ is better than wrestling.
Wrestling is better than BJJ.

According to the data from the UFC, there is an inverse relationship between grappling styles and weight. As the weight class increases in weight, wrestling becomes the more dominant style, with wrestling being the clear-cut winner in the heavyweight class. As the weight classes decrease in weight, BJJ becomes the more dominant style and is the clear-cut winner in the lightweight class.

What does this mean? Well, it means what it means. At this particular time, it is possible for a Brock Lesnar to walk into the UFC and become the heavyweight champion, but if he was a lightweight it would be nearly impossible for him to rise to the top. It is why Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson had little to no chance of winning a title without his opponents being hand selected. Statistically speaking, he had a chance, but based on cage fighting data, the probability of him beating a wrestler is low.

This also means, as it does in EVERY other combat sport, that the middleweight classes are the toughest in the world because (1) there are a greater population of men at that size in the world and (2) you have to have the greatest depth and breadth of styles to dominate those weight classes. This is why Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva are considered to be the best in the sport. They are the best-rounded fighters today because, in their weight category, if you are not, you will not hold the title for long (e.g., Matt Serra). And the growth of the sport is why a Matt Hughes could exist 5 years ago, but not today, and a Randy Couture, although older, is still a title threat.

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The Bottom Line
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The bottom line in MMA is that you live by your sword and you die by your sword. You pick your poison and you hope that your opponent doesn’t have the antidote for your poison or at least never accesses it if he does have it. In this business you have to know a lot of everything, not a little bit of everything, and the more information that you have to make a quality decision the better. All of these things affect your training.

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The Key
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The key is to utilize your off time wisely to improve in the areas in which you are deficient.

Take care.
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Dr. Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, is affectionately known as the Grappling Doctor for his ability to break down combat sports like a science. He is an Olympian in the sport of judo and a BJJ black belt. He is a world-renowned strength coach and has coached many elite and Olympic athletes. For more information, go to www.AskRhadi.com.

Dr. Traci Ferguson, MD, is a board-certified internist in the Orlando metropolitan area. She is also a member of the USA Judo Medical Subcommittee and has advised various elite, Olympic, and MMA athletes.

…Questions answered from http://www.AskRhadi.com

What no-gi grips should I use if I want to use Judo in no-gi grappling?  The only no-gi grip I’ve ever really used in practice is a single underhook with  wrist control on the opposite arm.  I’ve only been doing Judo for about three months, and I don’t know if it’s wrong to say that I enjoy it without the gi better, but I still love all the different throws in Judo.  It’s really hard to find videos on no-gi Judo, so I would appreciate it if you could post a video with some examples and details.

Thanks for your question.

Okay, I know it sounds cool, but there is no such thing as no-gi judo. Now don’t get me wrong, you may hear me say it or write it in an article for that matter, but that’s because that is what most of the world understands, but no-gi judo is WRESTLING/GRAPPLING. Plain and simple.

Now you can wrestle/grapple and wrestle from the context and framework of a judo player, which is what I do. But before you do that you are going to have to develop in the sport of judo. Now you are MORE THAN welcome to bypass the gi and just wrestle and you may be successful. There’s no denying that. But in order to answer your question, the truth is this…you are going to have to do judo and then take the things from judo which are applicable to grappling and utilize them.

If I were you, I would seriously invest in these two packages:

http://www.GripLikeAWorldChampion and
http://www.MoroteGari.com I truly believe that they will help you tremendously.

Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion
JUST “GOOGLE ME!!”
http://www.rhadi.com
http://www.TheStrengthAndConditioningKing.com

P.S. Please make sure that you sign up for the 2nd coming of Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari at  http://www.MoroteGari.com

P.P.S.  Also do not forget that Jimmy Pedro is working on his new Judo Coaching Program and the first release is going to be his 12 Month Newaza Coaching Program which is due to release in late 2009

…Questions answered from http://www.AskRhadi.com

I want to know how to excel in judo? I want to get to the top.

Here’s what I can tell you. Practice Accurate Thinking. Understand what you are saying and then understand what it is going to take in order to achieve your goal. If you are having some problems doing that, I would suggest you go and get The Gold Mettle Plan.

http://www.rhadi.com/goldmettle/superfreegift.html

After that you will be able to find out what it is that you need and what you should do.

Here’s what I can tell you. You CANNOT get to the top by yourself. You are going to need great coaches, good training partners, a supportive family and some money.

It will require a lot of work, a lot of studying and a lot of bumps and bruises in the beginning.  You can truly cut some time off of your learning curve though if you invest your money in the right places and get the right advice.

—————-
http://www.AskRhadi.com
—————–

If you have any questions for Dr. Ferguson please feel free to submit them to http://www.AskRhadi.com

Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion
JUST “GOOGLE ME!!”
http://www.rhadi.com
http://www.TheStrengthAndConditioningKing.com

P.S. Please make sure that you sign up for the 2nd coming of Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari at  http://www.MoroteGari.com

P.P.S.  Also do not forget that Jimmy Pedro is working on his new Judo Coaching Program and the first release is going to be his 12 Month Newaza Coaching Program which is due to release in late 2009

…Questions answered from http://www.AskRhadi.com

Would judo be a good form of self defense or would Brazilian Jiujitsu be better?

Thanks for your question. Overall both “sports” will help you to defend yourself better, just by knowing more than the average person and by getting you into some great shape, BUT judo and bjj as they are taught are NOT self-defense based or self-defense courses.

Now with that being said, judo does have a self-defense/combat portion to it and so does Brazilian Jiujitsu. To be honest with you, they are both doggone near the same because they both come from the same Pre-WWII Combat Judo root.

What I would suggest is that you take a separate self defense course or ask your instructor if he/she knows self defense and then ask to learn from them. Self-defense is pretty easy to learn, and it should be.  The key is for the average person to be able to appropriately and confidently defend themselves.

I hope that answered your question.

—————-
http://www.AskRhadi.com
—————–

If you have any questions for Dr. Ferguson please feel free to submit them to http://www.AskRhadi.com
Rhadi Ferguson, PhD, CSCS
2004 Olympian
4-Time National Judo Champion
JUST “GOOGLE ME!!”
http://www.rhadi.com
http://www.TheStrengthAndConditioningKing.com

P.S. Please make sure that you sign up for the 2nd coming of Ugly Judo 101: Morote Gari at  http://www.MoroteGari.com

P.P.S.  Also do not forget that Jimmy Pedro is working on his new Judo Coaching Program and the first release is going to be his 12 Month Newaza Coaching Program which is due to release in late 2009