wrestling
The Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Hey guys!
I hope you had a great week and you are enjoying your weekend.
You might have already noticed that I have added a very cool inspirational feature of “The Quote Of The Day” on the right side bar.
So, instead of just 2 quotes a week, you’re getting at least 7 a week, or at least one a day. Sounds like taking your daily vitamin!
Besides that let’s just dive right into all the exciting posts and what else happened this last week:
Honor Student – Muay Thai Style
Self-Defense From A Pinned Down Position
Bartitsu, The Fighting Style Of Detective Sherlock Holmes
Canadian UFC Welterweight Superstar Georges St. Pierre And “Operation Olympic Wrestling 2012″?
Get Ready For A Western Boxing Prodigy
First U.S. American Judo Brown Belt And 26th U.S. President
Talk to you soon.
Canadian UFC Welterweight Superstar Georges St. Pierre And “Operation Olympic Wrestling 2012″?
One of the absolute superstars of mixed martial arts, Georges St. Pierre from Montreal, is seriously considering to take a hiatus from his extraordinarily successful UFC career to “empty his cup”.
What that means is that GSP has been thinking out loud about trying for the Canadian Olympic Wrestling Team to compete at the London Olympics in the summer of 2012.
Well, you already know that I admire the fact that he is willing to get out of his comfort zone.
Just think of it:
He is currently at the top of his game, fighting for Dana White’s UFC and is one of the top 3 or 4 Pound-For-Pound Fighters in the world.
Some would even say he is THE invincible UFC-welterweight with a work ethic and athleticism second to none.
Now, stepping onto Olympic wrestling mat is quite a different story, even though GSP is considered one of the best wrestlers on the professional MMA circuit.
Believe it or not, Georges St. Pierre didn’t wrestle on a high school or college level!
In his 20′s, he finally added wrestling to complement his fighting arsenal and thus became a force to reckon with.
As he says himself, it won’t be easy once he has made that final decision and commitment to go Olympic.
GSP will have to adjust his training and will have to prevail numerous qualifiers to even become a member of the Canadian Olympic Wrestling Team.
I am not going to speculate on the money he will be leaving on the table while he pursues his Olympic dream, should he actually go for it.
What do you think: Will GSP go for it or not???
First U.S. American Judo Brown Belt And 26th U.S. President
As I write this post, I make myself aware of the fact that even though the Japanese martial art of Judo translates into ‘the gentle way’ that it is not felt that way when you are on the receiving end of some of these highly effective submission techniques.
But let’s get back to today’s Mystery Man.
If you are a U.S. history buff, you already know whom I am referring to as the 26th U.S. President.
If not, here’s another hint: This gentleman’s face can be seen on famous Mount Rushmore.
But wait a second:
He’s not the only one honored there, because he is in the company of three other U.S. Presidents who left a lasting impression on history.
Well, who is it then?
Along with Thomas Jefferson, he is considered the most well read politician to have ever served.
He was also a fervent supporter of Abraham Lincoln’s civil war policies.
No, of course we aren’t talking about George Washington.
We are talking about no other than Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt!
He was a very active outdoorsman, avid practictioner of physical activities such as wrestling, boxing and yes, Judo.
Teddy Roosevelt was a 3rd degree Judo brown belt in his living years, taught by Master Yamashita, who introduced Judo to The United States in the late 1800s.
There you have it:
The First U.S. American Judo Brown Belt And 26th U.S. President, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.
Talk soon.
Meet The Amazing UFC-Champion Georges St. Pierre (GSP)
I have been following the career of one of UFC’s absolute superstars for some time now and I gotta tell ya, GSP does not seize to amaze me for a lot of reasons.
Refreshingly, Georges St. Pierre is simply a very down to earth and likeable guy. The kind of guy you could just sit down with and have a beer or whatever.
The Canadian from Quebec has stayed very humble and modest even after all the breathtaking success he has had on the mat and in The Octagon.
Unarguably, Georges has become one of the outstanding figures of MMA worldwide with a very strong background in kyokunshinkai karate and wrestling.
He is consistenty ranked among the Top 4 Pound-For-Pound MMA-fighters in the world, along with Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida.
Georges is very methodical in his workout that includes a lot of cross training with plyometrics.
His inclination to being extemely analytical when preparing for his next opponent continues to pay off for him, too.
He is very professional in his approach to fighting, career choices and the way he presents himself.
Recently I came across a magazine headline that made reference to the physical results of his training regimen and lifestyle.
“Georges St. Pierre, The Body Women Desire And Men Admire”.
I let you be the judge!
Thanksgiving Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com
I Hope You Enjoy Thanksgiving Week In Review At TheMartialArtsReporter.com And A Quote I Really Like!
Sifu Eddie Camden, The Instructor Recommended By Martial Arts Legends
Martial Artists And The Day After Thanksgiving, Aka Black Friday
Happy Thanksgiving 2009 From TheMartialArtsReporter.com
Peaceful Warrior Wisdom For Martial Artists (And Others, Too)
Urijah Faber, The California Kid Of World Extreme Cagefighting
Jet Li, From Humble Beginnings To Action/Martial Arts Movie Superstar
This week’s quote for readers of TheMartialArtsReporter.com:
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but the number of moments that take our breath away. ” Unkown
Martial Artists And The Day After Thanksgiving, Aka Black Friday
Hi everybody!
How was your Thanksgiving?
Hope you had a great time with friends and family. And if yours was anything like mine, you definitely had too much turkey and all the trimmings, right?
Well, I was able to get some time on the tennis court, but it just wasn’t enough to burn off all the calories of a genuine Thanksgiving dinner.
The disciplined martial artists an/or enthusiasts that we are, we simply call several friends over for some serious super-human workout.
The kind of fitness workout that includes push-ups, pull-ups and some other fitness exercises every serious practitioner of most martial arts such as aikido, judo, BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), boxing, karate, JKD, Kali, grappling, Wing Chun Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling etc. usually does on a regular basis.
Just check me, I mean, these guys out. Absolutely mindboggling!
Urijah Faber, The California Kid Of World Extreme Cagefighting
Featherweights that are like steamrollers.
Last week some of you might have heard about or even watched the WEC title fight between Featherweight Champion Mike Brown and Jose Aldo.
And yes, the contender won: The new champion is now Jose Aldo.
But there is someone I have been trying to follow ever since he stormed into the limelight of WEC Featherweight division and that is The California Kid, Urijah Faber.
I have seen a couple of his fights leading to Urijah’s championship status. Never a dull moment in the cage.
He was a very successful college wrestler, always taking the cake. Even though that’s probably not part of his diet.
Urijah Faber is known as a very strong advocate of a really healthy diet and working out. And that formula has obviously worked very well for him.
He has never really had to go the full distance in a fight, except for maybe fighting another extremely talented fighter by the name of Jens Pulver of Pat “The Croatian Sensation” Miletich’s team some time ago. The win went to Urijah Faber.
In countless matches Urijah Faber, the very skilled grappler that he is, has been able to apply a rear naked choke and a guillotine choke so convincingly that he has won fights very early on. Many times in the first round.
But then comes along a fighter who rains on his party and who has become the man to beat for Urijah Faber.
And that fighter is Mike Brown who has been able to beat Urijah Faber twice now.
According to the latest rankings Urijah Faber is number 2 in the world and is scheduled to fight Rafael Assuncao on 1/10/2010 at WEC 46.
Assuming that Urijah Faber wins, I am thinking he will probably get a title shot at Jose Aldo.
So far his MMA record that started in November 2003 is pretty impressive with 22 wins and only 3 losses (2 by Mike Brown and 1 by Tyson Griffin).
So where is Mike Brown is this equation? Any thoughts?
Escape From The Standing “Rear Naked Choke”
Alright then, so yesterday we got ourselves into a creepy position, aka The “Rear Naked Choke”.
We want to escape from this standing “rear naked choke” as fast as possible.
All kinds of schools and styles promote their preferred ways.
Today I would like to introduce one escape that’s pretty self-explanatory.
If you come across others that are practical, let me know.
As always, be cautious with this and all other self-defense techniques. Professional supervision is highly recommended.
Switzerland Is The Place For Cheese, Chocolate, Skiing, Watches And ….Wrestling?
Switzerland is known all over the world for great cheese, delicious chocolate,
breathtaking downhill skiing and some of the finest watches money can buy.
This landlocked Central European country, which is only about twice the size
of New Jersey, has a population of about 8 million.
It borders 4 other countries: France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein.
And would you believe that they even have 4 official languages (German, French,
Italian and Romansch).
While travelling there several years ago, I came across something that I found
rather stunning and today I think you might appreciate it as well.
Besides all of the above, you would assume that the Swiss can really put on some
serious wrestling competition at altitudes of several thousand feet?
I gotta tell ya that there’s a lot of hearty food at the beginning of the video footage.
Just try to stay focused on the wrestling, Swiss style, will ya.
What do you think? Do tell.
Pankration – One Of The World’s Oldest Martial Arts
Pankration has got to be one of the world’s oldest martial arts, dating all the way
back to ancient Greece.
How far back in time does ancient go?
How about 648 B.C. as its official entry into the Olympic Games.
That’s like more than 2,400 years before the American Declaration of Independence
was signed in Philadelphia, which happens to be Greek for ‘Brotherly Love’, but I know
you knew that.
Alright, some historians may argue that martial arts originated either in Egypt, Meso-
potamia or India, even thousands of years before they were formulated in Athens, Greece.
Anyway, let’s get back to them Greeks, shall we?
The Greek word Pankration means ‘all powers’.
This ancient fighting form or all-out combat incorporated hands, feet, mind, spirit,
you name it. Except for eye-gouging and biting.
Kicking, boxing, wrestling and whatever gave you a competitive edge.
Reminds me kind of ValeTudo (‘anything goes’), Pancrase, and most certainly of Ultimate Fighting.
Pankration has been enjoying a true revival all over the world in various forms.
Hope you enjoy the video clip below.

Are there any Pankration practitioners reading this blog out there?
Don’t be a stranger, I would love to hear from you.

















