Youtube coaching and learning

Posted: 19th February 2012 by Matthew in All
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Most people these days turn to YouTube and the web for information and techniques. Coaches and students can both gain from the information out there, and if your coach denies ever looking at YouTube he or she must be living in 1935

For good basics there is some sound advice but for the latest methods, concepts and principles you possibly need to visit, Ryan Hall, Roger Gracie, Marcello Garcia, Kevin Kearns, Jc santana, Randy Couture (Or someone who trains with people like these, you know where we are)  and so on, you get the idea.

So where am i going with this? Well if you put 20 people in the British library and ask them to read every book available (OK its not possible but bear with me) does this make a specialist or a genius?

No it does not, so what does?

Knowing what to look for and how that information fits with your current situation, having a plan a structure and some goals.

Let me elaborate, some weeks ago in class we looked at shoot to double leg take-down, the following week we looked at side control and compressing the diaphragm. the following week we looked at transition to mount, mount retention and spinning armbar, and finally this week we looked at armbar escape to side control to knee ride and up.

So now do i go on YouTube and just browse thousands of techniques watching the ones i like the look of or do i go on YouTube and look at double leg takedowns or entry’s for the shoot, side control development, armbar escapes etc to see if there are any variations i can use. I might see some wonderful triangle tutorials but right now were not looking at guard in class so that can wait, i’ll tag that video for later reference.

Does this make sense so far?

What makes a genius or what accelerates learning, is knowing what to look for and how it applies to your game now, not collecting hundreds of techniques when you cannot do the basics well.  Drill drill and drill the basics, for weeks and months at a time. This is why the Thai boxers are so good, just do what they do with your art and the basics.

There is nothing wrong with looking up stuff  on YouTube, just work out where it fits now and be honest with yourself, can you do the basics first? If you find yourself simply surfing hoping to find some cool techniques then you don’t have a plan or a structure to your training.

If you know what your training then you know what your looking for. When you find it, train it with your partner, if you don’t have one shadow it, train it on equipment, write it down. I have met so many people over the years who go on courses costing thousands of pounds, seminars, workshops and so on, only to never train and study the information. What a complete waste of time money and energy. You would be better off staying at home drilling what you already have and save yourself some money at the same time.

Unfortunately gathering information (technique collectors) has been bred into most of us, this type of person is a product of our educational system with exams and the collection of information only to be completely forgotten once the all important certificate is gained. This is what schools and universities teach our children, cram in information, pass a test, get the paperwork and a job will follow.

This has negative consequences when you apply this to your martial arts learning and if your a farmer your screwed.

Get used to the idea that you cant have it all now, focus on one or two things and nail them, then move on to the next one or two and blend them all, continue like this for a few years and you will grow much faster than the technique collectors out there.

 

Diabetes shock tacticts

Posted: 26th January 2012 by Matthew in All
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Take a look at some of these new shock tactic posters now on release in the US. I personally don’t think they are so shocking but you decide.

In the year 2006 around 3000 New Yorkers with diabetes, yes just one state in the US, were admitted to hospital for amputations.

How many miles do you have to walk to burn off tose fries and big mac?

This is why we at s2c8 martial arts in Lincoln see self defence as much more than kicking and palm strikes. The biggest threats we face come in the form of ill heath through poor food choices and ignorance.

Our self defence program for children includes diet and nutrition and some simple healthy recipes that children need to make for their gradings. Please call in and ask to see our program, its been a huge project for us and we are happy to talk to you about it.

Matt

MMA show Lincoln

Posted: 23rd January 2012 by Matthew in All
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Saturday February 25th Instinct MMA show comes to Lincoln.

The show has MMA competitors from around the UK in attendance as well as some local talent from Lockdown MMA and our own S2C8 fight team. 

The show is at NK Centre in North Hykeham doors open at 6pm

Tickets are available from the INSTINCT website HERE

 

 

 

Benefits of martial arts

Posted: 14th January 2012 by Matthew in All
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Yoga, tai-chi, martial arts, meditation and other Eastern traditions can be profoundly beneficial to your mental health — and your physical health and fitness as well.

Studies show that martial arts training has multiple positive benefits. Physical exercise improves blood flow to the brain, it also enriches the blood with oxygen which in turn has a positive effect on your mental health. Active people generally sleep better which is when your body produces its testosterone and growth hormone levels. So if you working out and want to see that six pack then its happening while you sleep.

Martial arts develop a mind body connection which again develops a positive mental attitude. The obvious benefits are improved stamina and fitness levels as well as gains in flexibility and  muscle tone whilst learning an art form. But in what can sometimes be viewed as a macho sport the mental health and personal development benefits are huge.

Come and try out our classes, we cater for everyone, all levels, shapes, sizes and abilities.

 

Supermodel and Krav Maga

Posted: 13th January 2012 by Matthew in All
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OK, cheezy sales and marketing coming up.

Right you have all seen the “Get a bum like Pippa” nonsense marketing. Well here’s s2c8′s version.

Supermodel Bar Rafaeli trains in Krav Maga.  Oh did i point out that Bar once went out with Leanardo DiCaprio, not sure how that helps but it seems to work for celebrity worshippers. While I’m at it did you know Angelina Jolie, Jeniffer Aniston, Robert Downey Junior all train in Krav Maga.

This of course means (albeit subliminally) that you, YES YOU can look just like them if you come and train Krav Maga at s2c8 martial arts academy in Lincoln. We are the only Krav Maga Specialists in Lincolnshire.

Lets be honest here, you wont look like them, you’ll look like you and thats fine. Yes you will tone up, yes you will have a lot of fun, yes you will learn a realistic self defence. But ultimately you are you and you are perfect the way you are.

Want to get healthier and more toned? nothing wrong with that. We will show you how.

Check out our other classes on here, there’s plenty to choose from and we promise you will feel great and notice a positive difference in your life.

Matt, s2c8 marketing Guru

S2C8 Tribe, its emotional.

Posted: 22nd December 2011 by Matthew in All
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The following was posted on Facebook by one of our tribe, Mark Lloyd. Having to move to Leeds means we wont be seeing him as much but the relationships we have built are forever and great things are to come in the future. Matt.

 

Marks sunburnt, sand in eyes tap out.

Well, that time has arrived, I have to say goodbye to the normal training times and routine that has been KFM for me for nearly two and a half years. What a journey! New friends, amazing learning, a chance to be amongst a crew of people that care about what they do and what they’re part of.

I’ve been around a bit, and seen much, and I can safely say I’ve had as many laughs, emotions and beasting’s as anywhere else I’ve ever been. I’ve never had such a visceral desire to attend anything, a need to be part of something that just makes me feel complete and capable.

There’s a simple answer as to why a place like S2C8 has so captured my head and heart, and that’s the underlying philosophy of learning and respect. Have I been too much at times, yes, have I hurt a few people by being heavy handed? Yes. And I apologise to those people whole-heartedly for that pain. But, the key thing here is that they didn’t hold it against me because we have a care and respect for each other in the team that I’ve not felt for a long long time.

This vibe is primarily down to Matt Frost, a man I’m proud to call my friend, my teacher and my business partner. He has a vision that’s all his own, and is driven by hard work and a will to succeed. If you listen to what he teaches, you will be a better human being, you will train harder and more intelligently and you will have immense fun doing it!!

Recently Matt made me an S2C8 team member, one of the guys that have a chance to make a difference within the academy, I’m very proud of that, and I know the other team members are too.

There are key people I want to say a direct thank you too.

Matt Frost – for his leadership and tuition, and his ability to understand and temper my anger.
Paula – For making me laugh, reminding me of important things, and her straight talking attitude.
Mark Senior – For the genuine guy that he is, and for his spirit when training with me.
Phil – For his patience and steely determination coupled with general toughness.
Ed Jones – For being my regular training partner, a good friend, and pushing my fitness forward for 2 years.
Simon – For making me apply good technique in my training.
Binksy – For showing me that maximum effort while being a genuinely nice guy is possible.
Mike Smallbones – For training hard with me, and not being afraid to mix it up.
Paul – For making me smile with his comments and showing commitment to S2C8.
Vinter – For matching me in physical power, training with me at seminars, usually for hours at a time.
Sammy – For rolling with me, caring and being an all round nice guy.
Susan – For being brave enough to train with me, and for laughing like a maniac while I threw her around the mat.
Jamie – For matching and besting me blow for blow, and especially in the early days at the priory.
Lee – For his patience when training with me, and his gentle approach to life and people.
Carl – For showing me intensity and meaning in the way we train.
Stu – For helping me through my last grading and showing that S2C8 works.
Joe – For making me laugh, and showing others that even people with challenges can learn.
Tony Davis – For great seminars, teaching and philosophy.

Sam, Andy, Steve, Sian, there are so many more,

For those I haven’t mentioned individually, I have enjoyed training with you all. We have shared effort, sweat and pain. We have graded together, pushed, supported each other and grown farther than any of us realised. I thank you all for training with me; it’s been a blast.

I’ll be coming around now and again in 2012, and I will train whenever I can on the regular nights, as rare as that may be. If you are reading this and are new to the S2C8 academy, whether its KFM, MMA or KRAV MAGA, stick with it, your journey will be fulfilling and worth it, have no doubt.

Our promise to you

Posted: 20th December 2011 by Matthew in All
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It’s in our organisations rule book, values and vision. It’s one of our core values that makes us what we are, what am i on about?

Our promise to continue with growth, learning and continuous improvements to every single aspect of s2c8.

So 2011 here’s where we delivered.

Firstly you our students

What you give is what you get.

In our adults KFM we have our first students ready for blackbelt now. They have been with us for 5 years, that may seem a long time depending who’s reading this. All i will say is try and get a Gracie BJJ blackbelt, we have standards that cannot be comprimised and the rewards are there for those who work hard.

Our first fighters went out this year and did us proud, with only 5 and 7 months training the results speak volumes.

Our children have shown huge growth and learning. The introductioin of team viper is working well. Team Viper training is free and those invited to join are done so because they show commitment and hard work

Our coaching and educational growth and learning

  • Simon attended 2  Krav Maga instructor course’s 5 days each in London
  • Simon became a certified KEWAP coach and took a refresher course
  • Matt Became a certified strength and conditioning coach in MMA
  • Matt completed year 10 of KFM instructor course
  • New syllabus created with over 600 class plans over 4 years for kids and adults
  • New leadership and lifeskills program for cadets and little dragons
  • Free kewap courses run for youth groups and schools

Next our academy and equipment upgrades.

  • Heating and air conditioning fitted
  • New heavy duty bag rack fitted
  • New heavy bags
  • 2 new floor to ceiling balls
  • Video cameras installed to film training and sparring from 4 angles
  • extended reception, extra 18 seats for viewing area
  • 24 new kettlebells
  • 4 new jc slings
  • Olympic weights and powertec rack
  • Dip and pull up station
  • 15 sets riot police leg protectors
  • 4 new TRX straps
  • 6 new resistence band sets
  • 3 new power bands

It’s been an amazing year and we thank you all for your support. 2012 is going to see more development and growth, for all of us.

One of our many 2012 pledges

Posted: 27th November 2011 by Matthew in All
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All our own branded clothing and equipment will be organic, fair trade, recycled and fully traceable in 2012.The ink used for printing will be envonmentally friendly and again tracable.

In our commitment to reduce damage to our planet and environment we are currently in talks with clothing companies and we will be switching to ethical sustainable brands very soon.

We will also be switching to 100% recycled office products.

We currently only use non animal tested fully bio-degradable products in our wash rooms and for cleaning the academy. Our waste is recycled and what cannot be recycled is burnt, the ashes are then compressed into breeze blocks and sold for building materials.

More details to come soon

What is self defence?

Posted: 19th November 2011 by Matthew in All
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The most common reply i get when i ask this question is something like, “Learning to defend yourself when being attacked”

This is of course correct, but what do you define as being attacked?

Lets look at some other possibilities

1/ Consumerism

Companies spend billions of ££££££££££$$$$$$$$$$ on advertising their wonderful products to you. The adverts are designed to manipulate your choices and make you believe the decision was solely yours to buy. Supermarkets give you loyalty cards then mail you vouchers to direct you into aisles you do not usually frequent, they know your shopping habits and if they can get each customer to purchase one item from an aisle they do not normally go down, then annual profits soar by millions of ££$$.

I would say this is an attack on your personal choice, deliberate manufactured manipulation of peoples choices, would you?

2/ Food

So pretty much everyone now knows that type 2 diabetes is escalating out of control as is obesity and a range of illnesses directly related to diet. The food chain has been polluted with genetic modifications, chemicals soak our land to grow food fast, chickens dehydrated in china and shrunk to the size of tennis balls then imported to Holland where they are re hydrated with huge amounts of salt and injected with solutions made up from the waste of other meats, then sold on supermarket shelves as fresh chicken. The plastic your food is wrapped in and the bottle your baby drinks from release chemicals into the food we consume altering our genetic make-up and damaging our health forever. High steet junk food chains targetting children with their unhealty processed foods and the huge environmental damage done to do so.

I could go on but you get the point? What you eat can harm you. You need to defend yourself against this.

3/ Education

You have heard it said “Knowledge is power”

Now to quote Scroobius pip and Dans la sac, im not saying go and get a job, just get better. There are many ways to make a living, having a job is just one. If you decide to work for yourself then study business, you dont need an MBA but you need to understand the basics at least. Just like in martial arts, if you dont train and study you wont grow, business, musician, artist and so on, its no different.

An education is a defence against the many pitfalls that life has to offer.

There are more area’s to self defence and i will write about them soon, we at s2c8 do not only teach how to kick and punch. There is plenty of that in the world already, yes we love it and live it and are pretty good at it, but it’s merely a part of the whole.

You defend yourself with your mind, knowledge is power.

Matt

 

Weapon culture

Posted: 12th November 2011 by Matthew in All
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This is an article i wrote for the Lincolnshire Echo, published 10th November 2011

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My own experiences with gang and weapon culture are the sole reason i became a martial arts coach and opened an academy in Lincoln. I lived for many years in Europe and as a result got to know more than i ever wished for about knives and guns and gangs.  In countries such as Spain, you can buy the most disturbing items while fuelling up your car from most service stations and carrying them into nightclubs is not uncommon, as i found out on many occasions.
I now see similar patterns here in the UK surrounding weapon culture, be it models posing with knives for glamour shots or children carrying weapons to clothing brands that deliberately target knife and weapon culture.
I use the term weapon as the array of instruments i have come across to harm another are vast and are not limited to knives. There are modified weaponry, this would be something altered at home with the sole purpose of damaging another person. Made weapons, these are weapons made for specific purpose like hunting. Intended weapons, like kitchen knives or carpentry blades and then we have cloaked weapons, hidden inside everyday objects. These can be purchased from so called respectable businesses legally and quite easily. The creativeness of the human mind never seizes to sadden me when it comes to harming others. For me the disturbing fact is that someone designed a concealed weapon into an item that’s carried daily, made it out of a material so as not to be picked up by metal detectors and then put it into mass production with only one purpose in mind. To damage another person and this is all done for profit by businessmen.
This sends out a contradictory message to children and the general public. It’s legal to manufacture and sell concealed weapons but not to carry them. Now there are some controls here in the UK but it’s not difficult to shop globally these days and most things can be purchased online designed to kill or maim another. Lovely professional websites, glossy catalogues and clothing brands to match with slash proof hoodies. These hoodies are available in the UK, i have some myself. In certain areas gang members quickly came to recognise the logo’s of these slash proof street clothing brands and used different weapons to penetrate the clothing. The answer was of course to remove the logo and offer a de tagged version.
My journey into martial arts began after some unfortunate situations. I returned to the UK to study violence and violent people. I joined martial arts groups to learn more about a subject that nearly took my life on several occasions, but i never found anything that related to my experiences. In fact mostly what i came across was delusional and dangerous. Out of my experience i built s2c8 martial arts academy on Dixon Street, my sole purpose to educate people.
The new mandatory prison sentences being passed by government are a sign of knife culture growing in the UK, I believe in preventative measures and i believe they empower individuals and the community. I run free courses from the premises on Dixon Street in Knife and Edged Weapon Awareness (KEWAP) to under eighteens in Lincolnshire, minimum age eleven. The courses are designed to engage children in discussion and debate, no shock tactics or live weapons are used on the course which lasts one and a half hours.
Please contact me if you work with youth groups and would like to arrange a KEWAP course.
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