# New MMA Network



## Mark Weiser (Aug 6, 2004)

Here is the rough draft of the Weekly Newsletter


Mixed Martial Arts Network 
August 7th, 2004 Newsletter #3 Copyright 2004 by Matt Thomas 

Hello and welcome all existing and new members. Our network is steadily growing and I want to thank all of the members for making this possible. As we have many new members, I have republished the Long Term Goals of the MMA Network from last issue. Most issues will not have republished articles in them but there will be times when certain articles will be repeated for the benefit of our new and growing audience. 

Long Term Goals of the MMA Network

To build a network of martial artists who can trade knowledge in the arts with each other. A place where martial artists can share many new techniques and concepts. 

To promote seminars in different regions for the MMA Network members. 

To build a support group for independent dojo owners. This could include rank testing. 

To build an extensive training video library where members can borrow training videos from other members. 

To never have to pay for training again. Members could get all of their new training via video tape by the other members of the network. 

News of the Week

Congratulations to Timothy Tharpe on being named the MMA Network Southern Regional Director. He has two schools in Texas and is working very hard in expanding the growth of our network in the south. 

Congratulations to Mark Weiser on being named the MMA Network Midwest Regional Director. He has a school in Topeka, KS and will be helping to grow the network in the Midwest. 

The network has secured a web address: Mixedmartialartsnetwork.com. The website will be up in the near future. 

As our numbers steadily grow, plans of putting an advertisement in Black Belt magazine for new members have come up. Once we achieve a certain number in enrollment we will put together the ad. 

There will now be weekly columns by the regional directors. These are designed as "thought provokers" and will hopefully engage good conversation between members. As with all newsletter issues, member participation is very important so please keep those submissions coming. Every member can submit an article or piece of writing for an issue, but by having the regional directors submitting every week it will create stability in the newsletter. Please know that everyone's submission is treated as equal, no matter rank or experience. 

North and East regional Directors are still needed. We are looking for people in the Northern or Eastern part of the U.S. to become regional directors. The responsibility of the regional directors is to try and spread the word of the newsletter in their region. They will be responsible for weekly submission to the newsletter and to give readers an idea of what is going on in the martial arts within their area. In time, we are hoping to have seminars and/or possible tournaments, and it would be the regional directors responsibility to try and make those things happen in their area_of course that will be quite a ways away but I would like to have people in place for that. 

Will all of the new members please send me a list of any martial arts training videos that you would be interested in adding to our video library to allow other members to borrow? All borrowing guidelines are set by the individual members. If there is a video that you would like to borrow please contact that individual member to set up a mutual borrowing agreement. 

Thank you for the article submissions by new members. The more articles that are submitted the larger our newsletter will be_plus it will be more diverse with a larger mix of martial arts concepts and techniques. Please submit article on anything and everything, from favorite techniques and theory to teaching methods_and everything else in between. Please submit thoughts or rebuttals to any articles you would like to. This is a member oriented network_by the members for the members. Please send all submissions to  HYPERLINK "mailto:MMAnetwork@hotmail.com" MMAnetwork@hotmail.com

Members, please email me your city and state that you live in so that the other members can see where you are. I have been communicating with another member and just recently found out that he is very close to me. We are now planning to workout together and share knowledge. 

Congratulations to Matthew Miller and his wife on the birth of his daughter Elizabeth.

Each members email address is posted on the last page so that the members can get in touch with any member of their choice if they have questions pertaining to their particular type of martial arts experience_or just want to start conversing with them. 



New Members Bio 

Mark Weiser 

Kansas

28 years martial arts experience

2nd Degree Black Belt Dragon Kenpo

Five Animal Kenpo

IKCA Kenpo 

Martial arts instructor Garfield Community Center, Topeka KS

 HYPERLINK http://strikefirstcstc.tripod.com/ 

 HYPERLINK markweiser@sbcglobal.net 

Matthew Miller

Illinois

2 years of Kenpo 





*Lars Rasmussen* age 13

San Diego, CA

1st Degree Black Belt Shaolin Kempo Karate Kung Fu


*Brandon* age 14
Pennsylvania 

Purple belt in Goju Ryu Karate Do

John Hale 

Los Angeles

Story of the Week

By Matt Thomas MMAnetwork@hotmail.com 

This week's story comes from the parent of Black Belt Lars Rasmussen and has been reprinted exactly how it was sent to me in an email:

"Quick story - Lars is in Canada at a Fair where a drunk person approaches him and his grandparents and tries to pick a fight pushing Lars and using foul language. Lars tells him to turn around and go on his way and is able to talk him out of it. As he relays the story to us, he says the last thing you want to do is fight. If you can walk away, it's always better and goes on with reasons why. He says he learned that from you in Karate. He was in such control, not losing his temper. So mature. I was really proud as was his grandparents for the way he handled it." 

I am very proud of Lars for being cool and calm under pressure. Most martial artists handle situations in two common ways. They either freeze up and get scared or they get angry and act without thought. Lars handled it in the more uncommon, yet more often than not, better way_he was calm, collective and talked his way out of the situation. That not only keep himself and others safe, but he takes away any legal problems fights will sometimes come with. Great job at handling that situation.



Notes from the West Coast

By Matt Thomas MMAnetwork@hotmail.com 

I can't speak for the other regions of the U.S. but the Jiu Jitsu craze of the past 10 years has been out of control on the west coast. All of the sudden, Jiu Jitsu masters are popping up everywhere claiming to have studied for years_long before the craze hit. Almost every commercial school offers some type of grappling arts now. I'm sure that many students were amazed to find out that their instructors were secretly Jiu Jitsu black belts. I, for one, am very happy that the Gracie's came in and shook things up in the martial arts world. Grappling hadn't been practiced in large numbers since Judo "died" in the 60's. I am all for cross-training in martial arts schools_but I am a bit skeptical when the Tae Kwon Do instructor (or any other non-grappling art) down the street all of the sudden displays his 5th Degree Jiu Jitsu Black Belt certificate in the window. 

Training Technique of the week

By Matt Thomas MMAnetwork@hotmail.com 

I don't think kicks to the knees get enough respect. Many arts train to kick to the head but the knees are so much easier to reach and create more damage. Our arms are on our upper body and can protect the head easily_but there is nothing that can protect a very fast and well placed knee strike. Actually, it doesn't even have to be that well placed. If a persons body weight is shifted to the front of the knee it can very difficult to bend the knee backward_but nobody stands (or fights) with their weight shifted that far forward. When attacking the knees all you want to do is to a stomp-like kick to any angle of the knee where the weight isn't placed to heavily. Knee attacks could end a fight very quickly because of the distance many fights start in. When someone charges in (or even tries to get closer enough to punch you) just take out his knee. I stopped teaching kicks above the groin level at my school and it gave my students much more confidence in their fighting ability because they could see the realistic application of the knee kicks_plus it saved many people from the knee stress of locking out high kicks. * Please remember, as with all of these training techniques from different arts, it's not necessarily right or wrong_it's just a different way of doing it.



The Beauty of Tai Chi

By Don Drury Donldrury@hotmail.com

I have always been fascinated with Tai Chi because of the incredible power you can get when you know how to do it. I have been studying martial arts for about thirty years and I have seen several different styles. All have strengths and weaknesses, but Tai Chi has won me over. 
The whole idea is to find the perfect bone alignment for a particular strike. Bruce Lee was notorious for his one inch punch, well that whole concept is what I am talking about here. If you know how to align your bones, you can take out your opponent with one shot. 

Most of us are taught at an early rank to focus on bone alignment with our arm,s and that is good. Now let's take it a step further. Once you have the arm and hand in alignment, just add your shoulder. You might be thinking "what the heck is he talking about?" Well here it is: when we practice it is usually done from a horse stance so we can use both sides. That also causes you and I to hold our shoulders back from the strike. At first it will feel like you are "telegraphing" your punch, which you are. But once you get comfortable with it, you begin to move smoothly again. 

The next thing to do is look at your hips. Do they move when you punch? Before or after you punch? They should move a split second before you punch (Just before your shoulder). Then look at your feet_what's going on there? I have seen several different techniques here. Some say you should roll your foot into the strike while others say you should remain flat footed. Still others are sure that being on the balls of your feet is the way to do it. Which is correct? Well, in a sense they are all correct. Being flat footed will give you more power, less speed. Rolling to the balls of your feet (or foot) will make you a little faster but with less impact. Being on the balls of your feet all the time makes you a little unbalanced comparatively, but makes you faster and gives you less power at the point of impact. 

Here is the Tai Chi way_all strikes and kicks start from a "center line" position. All of your strikes will come from your body's center. Did you see "Karate Kid 2," where he went to Japan? Do you remember the little drum Daniel had and how he twisted it? How about the final few blocks and strikes from the ending scenes of the movie? That is the idea. When a person attacks, instead of blocking with a hard block (forearm blocks and such) you "avoid" the strike and at the same time retaliate. Let's say that someone punches at you and you redirect his punch, and it exposes his ribs. Then you decide to strike him with a palm heal to those ribs. Now that you know how to line up all the bones and body parts, it is a simple matter of following through with the strike you have started. As you feel your opponent's ribs in your palm, you snap your hips, sink into a "rooted" stance and let your hand and arm act like a "whip" as it comes easily out from your side. 

Visualization is also a huge part of this, but that is another article for later. There is more to learn than just this in Tai Chi, this is just one of many subtle aspects of the soft art. 

Video Library

The video library is designed for members to borrow video tapes for other members. The borrowing guidelines are set up between individual members only. Please contact the individual owner of each tape to see about their individual guidelines for borrowing their tapes.

Matt Thomas videos

How to Teach Kids Videos 1-4 by The Kovar Bros.

Takedowns and the clinch by Renzo Gracie

Beginning chokes by Renzo Gracie

Defending the Mount by Renzo Gracie

Passing the guard by Renzo Gracie

Gracie In Action vol. 1

Secret Speed Kill-How to end a street fight in less then 3 seconds by John La Tourrette

How to hit a man 11 times or more in a second or less by John La Tourrette

Speed Kicking by John La Tourrette

Hostile Control System tapes 1 and 2 by Jerry Petterson

Attacking the legs/Slick tricks and Wicked Moves by Bill Shaw

Entire Renzoku Jui Jitsu White-Black Belt curriculum on 5 tapes

Hung Gar Kung Fu Tiger Crane Form by David Lee

Cesar Ortiz video

Various BJJ and Jdo submission videos. Please contact for individual titles

Timothy Tharpe

Combat Hapaikido 

Special Operations Combat Karate

Members email addresses:

Matt Thomas (Western Regional Director) Senseimatt@hotmail.com

Timothy A. Tharp (Southern Regional Director)southernregiondirector@yahoo.com 
Mark Weiser (Midwest Regional Director) markweiser@sbcglobal.net


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