10GAIN - JanFeb2000 PDF

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January/February 2000 Vol. 2, No. 1 $7.50 US
SHUAI-CHIAO GRANDMASTER CHANG TENG SHENG A.K.A. THE FLYING BUTTERFLY
Publisher & Editor ~ Matt Furey Graphics & Layout ~ Vincent Lai Order from: Matt Furey 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511 Tampa, FL 33647 Matt Furey 2000 All Rights Reserved
Any unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.
Stress, Plant Adaptogens and Athletic Performance by Brett Jacques, ND .......................................... Law Enforcement Training by David Burs ..................................................... Gotcha! Q&A with Karl Gotch ............................... Grapplers Mailbag ................................................ January/February Directory of Resources ................
36 37 38 40 45
Calling All Grapplers

by Matt Furey
On the cover: Shuai-chiao Grandmaster Chang Teng Sheng, also known as the Flying Butterfly and the cover of Matt Fureys new book Combat Conditioning. Back Cover: Grandmaster Chang throwing Dr. Chi-hsiu D. Weng Contributing Photographers: Zhannie Furey
I believe that three of the most important keys to success in life are the asking of unthinkable questions, the ability to entertain another opinion that goes against the grain of what you previously learned and the willingness to make corrections and improve upon what you thought you knew. Let me give a couple examples: During a recent seminar in Dayton, Ohio, I asked a student to show me his straight armbar. He grabbed his partner and applied the hold, with one foot under his partners back and one over his face. The student was certain that I would approve of this hold, and was flabbergasted when I began to gently question him. In a non-confrontational way I asked the following: Why do you only have one leg over the opponent? Why do you pull the arm straight into your groin? Why do you control the arm at the wrist and forearm? He quickly put his right leg over the opponents chest and said that he does the hold that way, too. I nodded and continued to question him: Why are your legs uncrossed? Because if I cross them he can put me in a toe hold. Really, I said. Let me see it. His partner pushed down on his toes and he tapped out. That made you tap? I asked. Here, let me cross my ankles and you put that hold on me. I gotta feel that one. His partner pushed down on my toes and I looked at him with a calm expression. He pushed harder. I smiled. He gave up. You call that a submission hold? I said. Now, lets have a contest. You push on my toes and Ill straighten January/February 2000
IN THIS ISSUE
Calling All Grapplers................................................ 1 by Matt Furey Iowa Bounces Back Wins Sixth Straight NCAA Title by Matt Furey ....................................................... 3 The Rules of Catch Wrestling by Matt Furey ....................................................... 5 Behind The Scenes at the Arnold Classic by Matt Furey ....................................................... 6 The Evolution of Fantasy Holds and Worked Wrestling Matches by Matt Furey ....................................................... 9 Royce Gracie Survives First Round of Pride Tournament by Matt Furey ..................................................... 10 My Y2K Hindu Squat Marathon by Nathan Hatton ............................................... 12 Combat Conditioning Kicking Butt and Taking Names by Matt Furey ..................................................... 13 Teacher of Champions An Interview With Romero Jacare Cavalcanti by John Hubbard ................................................ 14 The Wrestling Turks by Don Miller .................................................... 16 A Workout Without Repetitions by Matt Furey ..................................................... 18 Shuai-chiao Techniques by Matt Furey ..................................................... 20 Jiu-Jitsu Combat Tricks by H. Irving Hancock ......................................... 33 Taekwondo: Tradition In Evolution by Philip Ameris ................................................. 35 G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
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your arm. The first person to tap loses. He tapped as soon as the contest began. Well, the other reason to not cross the ankles is because the escape from this hold is easier. It is? I said. Show me how. The student crossed his ankles and the partner pushed both of them over his head. Here, try that on me, I said. I got into position and crossed my ankles lightly. The partner was unable to push them over his head. Well, when he does it you arent already in a set position, the student countered. If youre not already in a set position, I replied, then your ankles arent crossed. He got a puzzled expression on his face. I could see that he was embarrassed and confused. He had been taught a certain method and he believed in it and had never questioned it. For all practical purposes, he believed what he was taught because he had seen it work that way. Then some bald-headed guy comes in and asks a few questions about it and at first he had the right answers down pat ... but then he finds that his answers only give me more ammunition. Look, I said. Its up to you how you want to do this hold. You can continue doing it the way youve been taught, or you can try it the way I was taught. Im not going to lose sleep over it either way. All I want to do is make you think about why you do what you do. And if it doesnt make sense in light of the way that youre seeing it now, then change it. If not, keep it the same. The student began to relax. He and the others in the group practiced the move, compared it to what they had been taught ... and I think most liked the crossed ankle version better. On another occasion I was teaching someone how to do a double-wrist lock. When he applied the hold his partner tapped out. But there I was telling him that he did it wrong, that the leverage was off. He tapped, said the student, defensively. I dont give a damn if he tapped or not, I said. If the move can be improved, improve it. Now you lie on your back. Let me put it on in a couple different ways. Each time I put the hold on the guy tapped. But there was a big difference in how quickly and how painfully G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
he tapped as I changed the leverage of the hold. He got the point. Karl Gotch once told me, When the road your traveling on is flat, look for bumps and watch for potholes. That is what we do when we train with a sincere and open mind. Whenever we think we know it all, were finished. Whenever we think that we know even one hold properly, all learning stops. Even the holds that I teach at seminars and in my classes can and are being improved. Thats what I want to pass on in this first issue of the New Year and new millennium.
Opening News and Notes

Beginning with this issue of G.A.I.N. there will be more emphasis placed on technical instruction. The Chinese grappling art of Shuai-chiao will be the featured art this month. To date, a few of the techniques of this ancient art have been shown in G.A.I.N., but never with the jacket used in competition. Those of you who participate in a grappling art that uses a gi or jacket are in for a real treat in this issue, as youll see me demonstrate the throws and takedowns that led me to a world title in Beijing, China, in 1997. In future issues I will cover additional techniques from Shuai-chiao and Mongolian wrestling ... then will move on to the takedowns, reversals, escapes, pins and so on of catch-as-catch-can wrestling.
In the November/December 1999 issue of G.A.I.N., Brett Jacques article on Vladimir Vasiliev contained an error that he would like corrected. Brett stated that Vladimir Vasilievs teacher was a bodyguard for Joseph Stalin. The correction is as follows: Vladimir Vasilievs teacher was TAUGHT by one of Joseph Stalins bodyguards. Our apologies for this error.
In February I launched two new websites that have become popular. The first, http://www.mattfurey.com was designed to promote and educate people on the value of Combat Conditioning. Each day youll be able to read motivational posts about the results people are getting by following the exercises and programs in my new book. The second, http://www.catchwrestling.com, has historical articles on catch wrestling as well as a Karl Gotch Q&A.
January/February 2000
I have some exciting changes planned for the Internet in the weeks ahead. Im going to keep some of the changes a mystery for now, but I will let you in on one of them: a radio program. The plan is to begin with 30 minute shows and build from there. I expect these shows to become popular in short order, so keep watching my message boards for details.
Iowa Bounces Back Wins Sixth Straight NCAA Title

by Matt Furey St. Louis, MO, The University of Iowa bounced back yesterday, March 18, 2000, taking the NCAA team title out of the clutches of cross-state rival Iowa State. 133pound Eric Juergens was the Hawkeyes lone national champion, while the unflappable Cael Sanderson of Iowa State remained unbeaten in college, winning his 79th-straight match and his second NCAA title in two years. Sanderson, a sophomore, also won the Most Outstanding Wrestling award for the second time. With his current record of 79-0, he is poised to break Dan Gables 90-match collegiate win streak early on next year. Sanderson won his bout in the finals over Vertus Jones of West Virginia, 19-6. He won every match in the tournament by pin or majority decision. Minnesota took third in the team scoring. Gopher heavyweight Brock Lesnar defeated Iowas Wes Hand 3-2 in a tiebreaker held after the score was tied after overtime. Lesnar escaped for the victory. One year ago Lesnar lost a close finals match to Stephen Neal, who went on to win the world freestyle title in Ankara, Turkey, last fall. Iowa, which has won 20 of the last 26 titles, finished with 116 points. Iowa State, despite having four finalists, finished in second with109.5 points. Minnesota was a distant third with 80 points, followed by Oklahoma with 69.5 and Oklahoma State with 66.5. Illinois (59.5) was sixth, followed by Lehigh (46.5), Nebraska (45.5) and Penn and Wisconsin (44) tied for 10th. Iowa had a strong finish in the consolation brackets. In the quarterfinals of the tournament, three of Iowas No. 1 seeds were upset, but each rallied to place third, giving the Hawkeyes a 7.5-point cushion heading into the finals. Juergens opened the gap to 11.5 points when he beat the Cyclones Cody Sanderson, 3-1, in overtime for the 133-pound championship. With only one champion out of four finalists, Iowa State blew its chance to bring the title back to Ames. The Cyclones last NCAA team title was in 1987. Other than Cody Sandersons (brother of Cael) loss to Juergens, the other Cyclones to fall short were topseeded Joe Heskett, who lost in overtime to No. 2 seed Don Pritzlaff of Wisconsin at 165 pounds, and at 197 pounds history repeated itself, when Iowa States fourth seed, Zach Thompson, also fell in overtime. His loss was to Nebraskas Brad Vering by a 2-1 margin.
Todd Hester, editor of Martial Arts & Combat Sports published by CFW Enterprises, Inc., recently hired me as a monthly columnist. The column is entitled Catch of the Day and will contain everything from exercise advice to an analysis of popular mixed martial arts bouts. Todd is also editor of GRAPPLING and Martial Arts Legends Presents.
The June 2000 issue of Black Belt will be on the stands soon. Look for my article entitled 10 Keys to Grappling Success.
Karl Gotch would like to send his thanks once again to all of you who kept him in your thoughts and prayers during his December surgery. He is doing much better now and is back in the gym teaching the guys at our club. Were the luckiest people in the world.
Ill be giving a seminar in Portland, Oregon, on April 12, in association with sambo expert Brett Jacques. After this seminar, I wont be traveling much for a couple months as my wife, Zhannie, is expecting and its a good idea for me to hang around as the due date approaches. For those of you who are wondering ... its a boy.
In the March 10, 2000 UFC, only one major fight was on the card, mostly due to the fact that the UFC has gone so far downhill, it can barely stay afloat. The fight was to be a heavyweight championship bout between Kevin Randleman and Pedro Rizzo. Unfortunately, Randleman slipped on a pipe back stage, fell and hit his head, forcing Dr. Richard Istrico to cancel the fight. Things couldnt get much worse for the UFC.
G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
149-pound Tony Davis of Northern Iowa captured the first individual crown for the school since 1963. He scored a near fall with 23 seconds left in overtime to beat Adam Tirapelle of Illinois, 5-1. At 174 pounds, Byron Tucker of Oklahoma beat Josh Koscheck of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, 3-0, No. 2 seed Jeremy Hunter of Penn State beat Steve Garland of Virginia 7-3 at 125 pounds. Garland was the eighth seed. His road to the finals included a victory over top seeded Jody Strittmatter of Iowa. The biggest upset in the finals came when Carl Perry of Illinois beat No. 2 seeded Michael Lightner of Oklahoma,5-3, at 141 pounds. Perry also beat Doug Schwab, Iowas defending national champion, in the quarterfinals. At 157 pounds, No. 2 seed Brett Matter of Penn beat Larry Quisel of Boise State. Quisel had knocked off another Iowa national champion, T.J. Williams, in the quarterfinals. The tournament set a record attendance of 96,994 for the six sessions, including 16,795 for the finals. The previous record was 90,064 at The University of Northern Iowa in 1997.
NCAA Division I All-Americans 125-lbs.

Jeremy Hunter - Penn State NCAA Champion Steve Garland - Virginia Jody Strittmatter - Iowa T.J. Hill - Cal. State-Fullerton Jeff Ragan - Oklahoma State Leroy Vega - Minnesota Paul Gomez - Nebraska Ruben DeLeon - Cal. State-Bakersfield
133-lbs.
Eric Juergens - Iowa NCAA Champion Todd Beckerman - Nebraska Rob Loper - Pittsburgh Pat McNamara - Michigan State Roman Fleszar - Hofstra Mike Coyle - James Madison Joe Warren - Michigan Cody Sanderson - Iowa State
Team Scores Final Results (Top 20 Only)

1. Iowa ............................ 116.00 2. Iowa State .................. 109.50 3. Minnesota ..................... 80.00 4. Oklahoma ..................... 69.50 5. Oklahoma State ............ 66.50 6. Illinois ............................ 59.50 7. Lehigh ........................... 46.50 8. Nebraska ...................... 45.50 9. Penn ............................. 44.00 10. Wisconsin ..................... 44.00 11. N Iowa .......................... 42.00 12. Boise State ................... 41.50 13. Michigan ....................... 38.00 14. Michigan State ............. 36.50 15. Edinboro ....................... 36.00 16. Arizona St ..................... 32.00 17. Penn State .................... 32.00 18. Pittsburgh ..................... 29.50 19. Virginia Tech ................. 27.50 20. Cent Michigan .............. 25.50
141-lbs.
Doug Schwab - Iowa NCAA Champion Mark Angle - Clarion Damion Logan - Michigan Scott Schatzman - Northwestern Chris Marshall - Central Michigan Sean Gray - Virginia Tech Carl Perry - Illinois Michael Lightner - Oklahoma
149-lbs.
Tony Davis - Northern Iowa NCAA Champion Dave Esposito - Lehigh Quinn Foster - Arizona State Jared Lawrence - Minnesota Eric Schmiessing - Hofstra Adam Tirapelle - Illinois Mike Zadick - Iowa
157-lbs.
Brett Matter - Penn NCAA Champion Luke Becker - Minnesota
G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
Shaun Shapert - Edinboro Bryan Snyder - Nebraska Larry Quisel - Boise State T.J. Williams - Iowa Corey Wallman - Wisconsin Mike Ziska - Pittsburgh
285-lbs.
Brock Lesnar - Minnesota NCAA Champion Wes Hand - Iowa Antonio Garay - Boston College Trent Hynek - Iowa State Bandele Adeniyi-Bada - Penn Tim Courtad - Ohio Matt Brink - Michigan John Lockhart - Illinois
165-lbs.
Don Pritzlaff - Wisconsin NCAA Champion Steve Blackford - Arizona State Travis Doto - Lehigh Joey Killar - Harvard Joe Heskett - Iowa State Chris Martin - Virginia Tech Brad Pike - Minnesota Kirk White - Boise State
The Rules of Catch W restling Wr

by Matt Furey As there has been some erroneous information circulating on the Internet over the old-time rules of catch-as-catch-can wrestling, I have listed the rules for the art as found in The Science of Wrestling , compiled by Dick Cameron, Australias middle weight champion. The amateur rules can also be found in Manual of Wrestling by Wilfred E. Cann. Make no mistake about it, American folk style wrestling (also known as collegiate wrestling) IS amateur catch wrestling. Anyone who participated in American folk style or freestyle wrestling, according to these rules, practiced amateur catch wrestling. Let me begin with the rules for professional catch wrestling as stated by Cameron and conclude with the rules of amateur rules.
174-lbs.
Byron Tucker - Oklahoma NCAA Champion Ryan Cunningham - Central Michigan Randy Pugh - Northern Iowa Rick Springman - Penn Kole Clauson - Wisconsin Ed Mosley - Harvard Mike Dufresne - Lehigh Josh Koscheck - Edinboro
184-lbs.
Cael Sanderson - Iowa State NCAA Champion Vertus Jones - West Virginia Brandon Eggum - Minnesota Doug Lee - Oregon Kevin Welsh - Edinboro Rob Rohn - Lehigh Cash Edwards - Boise State Shawn Scannell - Rider
Wrestling Rules Catch-as-Catch-Can Style Professional

1. Rounds are of ten minutes duration, with a two minutes interval between each round. 2. Championships may be decided on points, but a Worlds Championship is only decided on falls. 3. The referee shall decide all questions that are not covered by the following regulation. 4. Opponents may grasp any part of each others body. 5. No form of strangling is allowed. 6. Neither contestant is allowed to rub any oil or grease on his body. 7. Seconds must not touch their man during a bout. Neither shall they give him advice until a resting period is reached.
197-lbs.
Brad Vering - Nebraska NCAA Champion Mark Muoz - Oklahoma State Nick Muzashavili - Michigan State Nick Preston - Ohio State Ross Thatcher - Penn State Orville Palmer - Oklahoma Pat Quirk - Illinois Zach Thompson - Iowa State G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
8. Should a wrestler roll out of the ring, his opponent is ordered to the middle of the ring and must stay there until the other man reenters the ring. 9. The stranglehold is barred. A single arm may be pressed against an opponents throat, but the free arm or hand must not touch any part of the opponents head or neck. 10. A fall is scored against a man when both shoulders touch the mat at the same time for a period of three seconds counted by the referee, or when a contestant surrenders (submission fall). 11. The referee shall slap on the back the wrestler securing the fall, so that the under man shall not be strained by being held too long in a possibly painful position. 12. A match is won on: best two out of three falls; on points; on a disqualification; if a wrestler refuses to continue at the referees instructions; or should a wrestler be unable to continue at the beginning of a round owing to the punishment he received at the conclusion of the preceding round. Should the falls and/or points be equal at the conclusion of the contest, a draw is awarded. 13. Penalty falls are given against a wrestler who: deliberately strangles, punches, or throws his opponent out of the ring; strikes the referee (in extreme cases disqualification may result); if a wrestler crawls or falls out of the ring and does not return within 10 seconds a penalty fall is awarded against him.
of the referee and one of the two or two of three judges. The period of time during which the two shoulders are together in contact with the mat is immaterial. 6. The Rolling Fall shall not count unless there is a cessation of movement, which leaves no doubt that the two shoulders have been in simultaneous contact with the mat.
Behind The Scenes at the Ar nold Classic Arnold

by Matt Furey After the smashing success of the 1999 Arnold Classic Martial Arts Seminar (held each year in Columbus, Ohio), I was glad to be part of the year 2000 event. Instead of having the seminars at the Adams Mark as we did a year ago, this years event was held at the Columbus Convention Center, right alongside the freakazoid bodybuilding show, as well as the arm wrestling, grappling, karate and cheerleading events. The change of venue sounded great on paper. And so did the lineup. Fairfax Hackley worked night and day, bringing in the best from many different styles and arts. Other than myself, martial artists who gave workshops and seminars were: Vladimir Vasiliev, Ken Shamrock, Cung Le, Stephen Hayes, Krav Maga, Pavel Tsatsouline, John DuCane, Frank Shamrock and Paul Vunak. Boy was I excited about this event. We would be in front of thousands of people. Tens of thousands. We would have the world before us, cheering us on, begging for more. Why hell, wed probably have so much applause that women would curtsy and men would bow ... and as the applause continued, wed reluctantly return for an encore. Of course, this type of thinking would be delusional, but thats how most of us are at times. But the truth is that everyone and his dog doesnt want to go see something that he doesnt even know is happening. The sad news about the Arnold Classic this year is that it was BARELY advertised or promoted. Even on the day of the event, the Arnold Classic website did not have an accurate lineup of who was and who wasnt going to be giving workshops. In fact, it still had a message stating that you should check back later for details. On the day of the friggin event!!! Despite receiving a beautiful plaque for being the 1999 Outstanding Presenter - my name was not even mentioned on the event website. Then, worst of all, the tens of thousands of people who walked through the doors did not even know that there were martial arts workshops and seminars taking place. People would January/February 2000
International Amateur Wrestling Rules Catchcan or Free Style (Condensed)

1. Amateur bouts consist of one round of 15 minutes duration. 2. A fall (Pin Fall only) secured by either man ends the bout. If there is no fall one man must win on points. There are no draws. 3. Striking, kicking, gouging, hair pulling and butting are forbidden, and any grip that endangers life or limb, or has as its object the punishing of an opponent, or inflicting such pain as might force him to give the fall, will not be allowed. 4. Forbidden holds are the Full Nelson, Strangle or Half Strangle, Flying Mare, the Toe Hold with a twist, the Scissors on head or body, the Hammer Lock, and an Arm or Foot up the back with a Bar. 5. A fall is defined as the touching of the mat by the two shoulders to the complete satisfaction G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
demonstrate and talk at the same time. This year, we were given hand-held microphones. Now you tell me how the hell youre going to demonstrate and explain techniques when one hand holds a microphone? It can be done, but it looks like shit and completely louses up your demonstration. As you know, Im no Frank Sinatra, so dont give me a hand-held microphone when I teach because Im not going to sing. In 1999, the seminar was in a sound proof room. This year, you not only received a hand-held microphone, but you were given the opportunity to talk while other microphones competed for attention. Someone would be in the middle of an Matt demonstrates a fr ont-face-lock on Stev e Maxw ell at the front-face-lock Steve Maxwell explanation, then all of a sudden Arnold Classic. someone else would be yelling about bodybuilding, arm wrestling, karate or come by my booth to purchase a book or talk for awhile, cheerleading results. And while this happened, you had and when I told them I was giving a seminar at 1:30, to keep a calm demeanor, wait for the other person to they would ask where? They had no idea. This quickly finish, and pretend like everything was alright. told me that the martial arts part of the event was not only poorly promoted on the Internet, but it was poorly Insult turned into despair by the confusion of who was organized, advertised and planned in general. It is a to present and when and for how long. Vladimir Vasiliev damn shame when people (customers as well as was supposed to get 45 minutes on Friday afternoon. presenters) look forward to an event and go home He got 15. I was asked to run and get John DuCane as disappointed. It is an awful feeling when you return to it was his turn to present. When I called him out of his your office and people call you and say, Some of my booth, he looked at his watch and said, Im not students went to the event. They called me when they supposed to go on until 3:30. Ive got 35 minutes. got home and left a message on my machine, saying it was TERRIBLE. Theyll never go back. No you dont, I said. Youre on right now. What was so terrible about the seminars? Well, lets begin from scratch. I mentioned lack of advertising and promotion. But in order to get a better perspective, lets do a comparison. In 1999, the martial arts seminar was advertised in Muscle & Fitness and other popular magazines. This year? Nada. In 1999, two months before the event, posters were distributed for hanging in schools. This year? Nada. In 1999, the event was held in a separate place where people actually bought tickets ahead of time, as well as at the door, and 1500 people showed. This year, for the afternoon workshops, you were lucky if you had 50 people watching. In 1999, you were given the choice of a lapel microphone or a headset microphone. This enabled you to G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8 Matt demonstrates the pr oper w ay to do jumper squats as young Zach proper way stands by . by. www.combatwrestling.com 7 January/February 2000 Now why was I the one fetching a speaker to go on next? Ive been called a lot of things in my life, but gopher
So, what was I going to do? Complain? Sure, I did a bit of that. But that wasnt helping the situation. The only thing I could do was turn SOMETHING about the event into a positive experience. And that I did during my Saturday afternoon presentation. With the help of Zach and Steve Maxwell, we put on one helluva show. Zach, 11, helped me demonstrate bridging gymnastics. I first taught him when I visited Philadelphia in December. The kid picked it up quite well and continued to work on it each day after I left. After polishing his technique a bit, he was ready to perform. The little guy even held Matt sits on the chest of his young assistant, Zach. his back bridge while I sat on his chest. The small crowd sounded like thunder, when I had him bridge and walk his feet isnt one of them. It appeared that someone or a lot of toward his head. Zach literally put his heels on the back someones left one person to run the whole show by of his head while he bridged. Bring em on Yogananda! himself? Call up Cirque du Soleil as well. When the booths closed at 6 PM, instead of going to the evening event, I went back to the hotel with my survival crew: my wife Zhannie, brother Mal, Nathan Hatton, and Steve and Zach Maxwell. These people traveled to the Arnold on their own dollar to see me present and to help me out in my booth. I felt badly for them. They wasted their time, energy and money. And none of them want to come back. Thats how bad it was. Everything I told them about how great the 1999 event was did nothing to convince them that this year was acceptable. In 1999 I was flying high. It was such a positive, uplifting experience that I literally could not sleep at night. I got about five hours of sleep the entire weekend. This year, after one day, I was physically and mentally drained. And as I wasnt in the Friday night event, I figured my time would be better spent with family and friends. My only solace is that the evening event was poorly attended as well. People who were there estimated the crowd to be about 200. And that was with WCWs Bill Goldberg as the main attraction. Now, how can you have someone like Goldberg and only sell 200 tickets? Sure, Goldberg probably didnt deserve to be in the lineup and the fact that he was may have turned legitimate martial artists off ... but are you telling me that there werent at least a thousand idiot kids who would have stolen from mom and dads pockets in order to attend? Goldberg can draw 5,000 people to a Walmart and when he makes an appearance in Atlanta, hes on the evening news. Steve came out and let me demonstrate a few takedowns and submission holds on him, then he and Zach ended the session with a little sparring. Can you believe it? The little monster tapped out the old man. When this happened, I announced to the crowd that Steve, 47, just wasted the last 36 years of his life. This got a hearty laugh from everyone. In the evening I spent time talking with Vladimir, Bill Superfoot Wallace, John DuCane, Pavel Tsatsouline and a number of others, including Matt McCormick, a long-time martial artist from Dayton, Ohio, (who had me up for a seminar last weekend). Vladimir is not only one of most highly skilled people I have ever seen, but hes a first-class gentleman to boot. Superfoot is always a pleasure to be around ... and like myself, when you ask him a straight question you get a straight answer. Pavel Tsatsouline, the so-called Master of Sports from Russia was sitting with us as well. Although he likes to do the splits, hes scared to death of bending over backwards or doing reverse push-ups. When some others asked me to demonstrate some of the combat conditioning exercises that I do, Pavel was quick to say, Ah, thats nothing new. I saw that in a 1952 book. Unlike Pavel, I dont claim that my exercises are new. People who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. Speaking of new, there is not a single secret technique contained in Pavels books or videos. But, what the hell? We cant all believe the same things, can we?
G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
On Sunday morning I took one last walk through the convention center, saying goodbye to the new friends I made. Vladimir and his wife, Valerie, gave me three gifts from Russia: a babushka doll, a ladle and a pen. It was like receiving three gold bricks. Ill treasure these things forever, not only for their value, but because they represent how you can always find something good when everything around you is so bad.
ous variations), so no problem there. Everyone knows that these holds are legitimate. But when you start talking about arts like catch wrestling, the fine line that separates real submissions from fantasy holds is deliberately and purposefully erased for business and profit. A teacher could know the value of using an act to get the dollars, and the marks line up with open mouths, begging to be hooked. In old-time catch wrestling, you had two basic styles: the amateur and the pro. The amateurs won matches by points or by pin. The pros won matches by pin or by submission. But when we talk about the amateurs and pros of catch wrestling, we still havent entered the word worked into the picture. A worked match (predetermined outcome) in old-time pro wrestling was not uncommon. In the early 1900s there were many legitimate matches, but pro wrestling has always had works because, in the early days, there were a limited number of real wrestlers providing a limited amount of matches. So, to make it interesting for the people, and to make a living, the wrestlers had to resort to works ... but contrary to the belief of some, the best man during the early era (1900s to 1930s) always won. After that, pro wrestling changed because the promoters were running the business ... and some of the promoters also wrestled. The promoter/wrestler rarely lost because he was in the drivers seat of the business. Then with the advent of television, it became strictly show business, and champions were not determined on the mat but in the promoters office. It was easy with the help of television to make a champion, or, on the other hand, to destroy one who didnt follow orders. However, even though the wrestling was easier to get by, the traveling was murder. There was not much time off to get in shape or to recover from injuries. As the old saying goes, You never get something for nothing. Basically, there were two eras in professional wrestling. In the beginning, you had wrestlers and promoters, but the wrestlers told the promoters what to do. The wrestlers got 70% of the house and they gave 30% to the promoters. In the second era, the promoters put themselves in the drivers seat and told the wrestlers what to do. The promoters took 70% of the house and gave the wrestlers 30% - but this 30% was after the wrestlers expenses and taxes were deducted. January/February 2000
The Evolution of Fantasy Holds and W orked W restling Worked Wr Matches

by Matt Furey When you go to a martial arts tournament, quite often you will see flashy demonstrations of high kicks, acrobatics and such. You even see eight year old black belts easily defeating a threesome of grownmen, who incidentally, are also wearing black belts. The audience sees a great demonstration of athleticism, but its relationship to real world fighting is non-existent. The fantasy of martial arts is being sold. The striking arts are not alone when it comes to fantasy, though. Whether youre seeing a demonstration of or participating in a seminar on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, Shuai-chiao or catch-as-catch-can, you may really be participating in something that is more theatre than reality. A wily instructor with a bit of street smarts can make everything look as if it works in real battle. Take the flying armbar. Yes, it can be done in competition, but not too often, and never against a world-class opponent. No matter how many seven year olds youve seen jumping up on a 200-pound man and making him tap ... you know this is not reality. Then take the spinaround step-over toe-hold of catch-as-catch-can. What exactly is your opponent doing when you spin around? Drinking a coke? The only time this move works against a quality opponent is when there is mutual cooperation. Because many peoples exposure to submission holds and grappling in general is relatively new, and because there are more and more teachers of the so-called lost arts cropping up, it is not always as easy to spot a show hold as it used to be. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu you have the classic armbars and choke holds (with numerG.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
When you g o to a martial arts tournament, go quite often you will see flashy demonstrations of high kicks, acr obatics acrobatics and such. . . .b ut its r elationship to r eal .but relationship real world fighting is non-existent.
As these changes took place, acting replaced real wrestling and it was easy to control it because with the help of television you could cut one champion down and build another in four or five weeks. At one time the pro wrestlers were great at doing works because all of them could truly wrestle. But this started to change in the 1930s. More and more pro wrestlers got into it for the money, even though they could not wrestle. At this time, people like Toots Mondt, a legitimate pro wrestler trained by the legendary Martin Farmer Burns, figured out a more acrobatic tumbling type of wrestling that was more fantasy than reality and a booking system like a variety show. Holds that were totally impractical were used. Holds that you could never do on a quality opponent were used and these show holds were blended with the real. In a pro match, youd see some legitimate wrestling moves and submissions ... but youd also see a lot of show holds. The problem in all of this is that the audience didnt have the ability to tell the difference between the real moves and the theatrical. Even worse, the audience admired the show more than the real. It was more entertaining. They could see what was happening. After all, the guy was screaming in pain and there was a lot more movement. And complicating matters even further, when someone imitated the move and put it on his friend, the friend would feel pain. This sure made it appear that the moves were legitimate - even when they were really show holds. However, someone with a few ounces of wrestling savvy could easily counter the hold. In fact, most of the time the move was put on this way so that you did counter ... and this was needed as it kept the action moving. Therein lies part of the difference between reality and fantasy. One hold is real and will seriously hurt you. The other looks like it will do the same, but any wrestler worth his salt can slip right out. In fact, hes supposed to slip out. The point is that you cannot measure the efficacy of a catch wrestling submission hold by appearances or by pain or by whether or not it was ever used by the pros. You measure its usefulness by answering the following questions: 1. How would you set up the hold? 2. Is the set-up truly practical - especially against a decent grappler? 3. Is the hold easily countered? 4. Can you escape from the hold with very little effort? Simply standing still or lying on your back, while someone puts a hold on you is not a realistic way to measure G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
the legitimacy of a catch wrestling submission. Always look for ways to counter a hold you are shown. Do not blindly accept that every hold you see is a real submission hold, even if it hurts. Your willingness to sit there and have a hold put on does not validate a hold. Its practical use in a real match does. Legitimate submissions are difficult to escape from and are much easier to set-up and execute. Phony holds usually have complicated set-ups that are too ridiculous to be true - except in a fantasy. The bottom line is this: In todays world, you can teach catch wrestling show holds and the audience will truly believe that they are seeing the real deal. In a future article, Ill demonstrate the difference between various show holds and the authentic counterpart. When you see these holds, youll understand the saying, The world wants to be cheated. Until then ... how many of you are hungry for some Boston crab?
Royce Gracie Sur vives First Survives Round of Pride T our nament Tour ournament
by Matt Furey Its being touted as a tournament with the best-mixed martial arts fighters in the world; a tournament that will be played out over a period of several months. $200,000 will go to the winner and all of the fights are supposed to be on the level. In the first round of this event we saw the likes of popular fighters like Mark Kerr, Igor Vovchanchin, Mark Coleman, Kazushi Sakuraba, Guy Mezger, Vanderlei Silva, Enson Inoue .... and the long awaited return of one of my favorites, former 3X UFC Champion Royce Gracie. Many in the Gracie family, Royce included, have been the subject of derision and scorn lately. After they advertised themselves as the ultimate martial art and the style that can beat all others, many fight fans have concluded that the Gracie familys abilities are often overblown and exaggerated. Many believe that the Gracie family spent several decades building their name and reputation by defeating fighters who didnt know the first thing about submissions or grappling in general; the equivalent of professional boxers fighting human punching bags. Oh, how times have changed. Today, unlike five years ago, when most mixed martial artists have at least a general understanding of what the Gracies do on the
ground, things arent looking as great as they once did, and some of the Gracies have been criticized for what appears to be a reluctance to take on all comers. This criticism certainly is not justified in the case of Royler and Renzo Gracie, both of whom appear ready to fight anyone, anytime and anywhere. The criticism is typically leveled at Rickson and Royce. Ricksons last two fights, for example, were against Nobuhiko Takada, a pro wrestler, in the negative sense of the term, who doesnt appear to know diddly. Nevertheless, Takada is a name in Japan and fighting him brings in large sums of cash, so you cant blame a man for taking the easy road. But some do anyway. Takada, who is considered by most fight analysts to be lousy at best, found his way into a firstround match in this Pride tournament ... and guess who his opponent was? Royce Gracie.
After they adv ertised themselv es as the advertised themselves ultimate martial art and the style that can beat all others, many fight fans hav e have concluded that the Gracie family s abilities familys ar e often ov erblown and exagg erated. are overblown exaggerated.
administered and judges decisions were doled out when neither fighter could win the bout in regulation (or overtime). This provided Gracie with a list of reasons for not returning. The biggest one of all, though, was that he wouldnt fight in matches that had time limits. Not a bad idea, especially when you heard Gracies eloquent anecdote, comparing the no-time limit to being thrown in the middle of the ocean. If you are told that you only have to tread water for 30 minutes, most will survive, Gracie said. But if you are not told whether or not anyone is coming to your rescue, how many will have the guts to continue treading water? Time limits give fighters a completely different mindset. They can work the clock and the judges in their favor, doing enough to win, but taking no chances to win by submission or knockout (the two main ways to win in a no-time limit match). During Gracies hiatus, mixed martial artists no longer appeared to be the same type of foes that Gracie whooped in the first few UFCs. Not only were many of the fighters coming in all hopped up on steroids ... but to their credit, most were at least part-time students of the ground game. This caused many to say that it was difficult to win by submission anymore because everyone knows that now. A ridiculous statement to say the least, but one that gives other writers something to say that appears to have merit. It is like saying that it is next to impossible to win by knockout in boxing or by fall in wrestling because everyone has seen it before. Seeing and knowing are two very different things. Knowing and mastering are not the same either. Nevertheless, whenever Gracie was asked about his chances with todays current crop of fighters, he was confident that hed whoop them as well. In December of 1998, Gracie re-entered the ring for competition, but this one was not going to be mixed martial arts. It was a sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match against fellow Brazilian Wallid Ismael. To the shock of many, Gracie was choked unconscious in five minutes. This bout was supposed to be a tune up for future fights, but it was no tune-up, thats for sure. So, in January of 2000, to hell with sport matches in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Its time for Royce Gracie to fight for real again. This time in Pride. This time with more rules and restrictions than ever before. This time, with a 15minute time limit. This time against lackluster Takada. Gracie vs. Takada was the last fight on the card. Gracie entered the ring with his family, all dressed in blue sweats January/February 2000
This match-up was seen as disgraceful and shameful. Everyone figured it would be a breeze for Royce, a way to re-enter the mixed martial arts world with a sure victory. Armed with the confidence of this victory, he could move on to the next round, better prepared for a more highly skilled opponent. But Gracie could not put Takada away in the allotted 15 minutes. He laid on his back for all but the first 10-15 seconds of the match and although Takada did virtually nothing from on top, the same could be said of Gracie, who did nothing to reverse Takada or gain a superior position. When the match ended and Gracie was awarded the decision. I couldnt help but wonder what has happened to him. Gracie is not the same fighter I came to admire many years back. Or is he? I cant help but think that Gracie would have snuffed Takada inside of two minutes in the early UFC days, and the fact that he couldnt do so today is pretty sad. Before providing more details about the fight, it must be pointed out that Gracie disappeared from the fight scene after having a 35-minute draw with Ken Shamrock. At the time, UFC bouts were supposed to be no time limit, no judges decision. At the end of the match one of Gracies eyes was nearly swollen shut making many assert that Shamrock won. The truth is that the Shamrock-Gracie bout, other than a few punches, was nearly identical to the Takada-Royce Gracie bout. After Gracies last UFC match, time limits were G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
- hands on backs of shoulders - heads down - just like the old UFC days. Boy, this was exciting. Royce had his white gi on, replete with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu advertising on the back. He also wore a pair of grappling gloves. Within seconds of the bout, Gracie clinched with Takada. The Japanese fighter locked around Gracies back, as if he would attempt a throw. Gracie fought back, moving his hips and legs, jockeying for position. Lacing his foot inside Takadas left leg, it looked like Royce may try a throw himself - but no. Without a takedown attempt on Takadas part, Gracie fell to his butt and held Takada around the waist with his legs. That is how the fight began and that is how it ended. For 14:45 seconds we saw a stalling contest. Gracie stalled with what is known today as the guard. Takada stalled by sitting still and taking no chances. Yes, Gracie used his patented kidney kicks with the heels of his feet. Yes, he slapped Takada in the head and yes, he even tried to wrap his gi around the Japanese fighters throat, and this is more than the man on top did - but come on. This isnt fighting! Its a farce. Thank God for time limits. How much of this can you stomach? Gracie won the judges decision and afterward, when he paraded around the ring with Rorion and his father, Helio, youd think he kicked some ass. Im back, said Gracie on the omnipresent and omniannoying microphone. Then he boasted that the arena he fought in was my house and that he intended to rule it. In a post-fight interview that appeared on the Abu Dhabi website, Gracie criticized Takada, saying that all he wanted to do was last the time, to hang on. This is probably true - but how can one of the worlds best submission masters be held on his back for nearly 15 minutes? Does he mean to say that he cant be faulted for being held down so long? And what about escapes and reversals? Are you saying that you couldnt get off your back against a fighter of this low caliber? Are you saying that you were incapable of forcing your opponent to open up? These are questions that should be answered when you claim the opposition didnt do anything but try to last. Again, it was a big disappointment to see the man who popularized mixed martial arts fighting in this country perform so poorly. The fight world is much better off with the Royce Gracie who used to mop the floor with his opponents. Competitions were so much more exciting to watch back then. Whether or not Gracie can rise to the challenges ahead of him once again remains to be seen.
My Y2K Hindu Squat Marathon
by Nathan Hatton The wind whipped my face as I surveyed the snowswept expanse of forest, rock and lake that lay before me. Northern Ontario in December is a desolate, unforgiving place with temperatures commonly reaching - 40 C for days on end. My hometown of White River Ontario, 350 kilometers from the closest settlement of over 10,000 people, has long had the distinction (or notoriety) as being the coldest spot in Canada. While some dispute the claim, one thing is for certain: if you wish to get back to nature in your training, there is no better place in the world to do it. On December 31, 1999, I got back to nature alright, and in a big way.
With one last sur ge, I low er ed surg lower ered myself to parallel and beg an the last began mile of my Hindu squat marathon. Each r ep felt like 50, and the pain rep er was surpassing anything I had ev ever experienced befor e. before.
At 3:55 PM, I trudged to the top of Blueberry Hill, just outside of town to begin one of the greatest physical undertakings of my life. To ring in the new millennium, I decided to do 2000 Hindu squats in a single workout. I knew it wasnt going to be easy, so I made up my mind to perform them. I would do 2000 Hindu Squats; one for every year of the Common Era. And I reasoned that the exposed face of a near-mountain would be the best place to test my family jewels. There, I would have no music to rely on and no shelter to protect me from Mother Natures wrath. It would be me against the elements, with nothing to assist me but my desire to succeed. I hoped that it would be enough. At the peak of Blueberry Hill there is a man-made earthen structure that resembles the motte construction of a pre-Norman fortification. At its base is a cement doorway that leads to the mottes interior. I climbed atop the cement doorway, snow shovel in hand, and cleared myself a one-meter square patch to serve as a foothold. My father had accompanied me to film the event, but when the time came to begin, the camera had already frozen solid in the - 25-degree weather.
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Fortunately he had a still-shot camera to record my success... or failure. At 3:57 PM, I focused my mind by performing some Maxick and Farmer Burns breathing exercises. Then, at 4 PM it was time to begin. One, two, three. I counted half under my breath as I pumped out the first of my repetitions. I heard the whine of snowmobiles in the distance as my body continued to rise and fall to an unceasing rhythm. Three teenagers rode up the mound just behind me, shut off their snowmobiles and watched silently. Ten minutes rolled by and still they stood, watching. By 500, I reasoned that I was doing fairly well. Fourteen minutes had passed, and there was a minimum of fatigue in my thighs, calves and lower back. The cold weather was making my efforts more laborious than usual, but I had expected this. Fifteen minutes rolled by, then twenty. By the 750 mark, my upper body had become drenched in sweat and each squat was becoming increasingly difficult. As the sun slipped lower towards the west, my back began to cramp and my legs, slowly but undeniably, were beginning to shake. By 9 oclock I was becoming exhausted. The weather was taking a greater toll on me than I had bargained for. On December 21, I had performed 1300-straight Hindu squats, and my fatigue then was not half of what I was now experiencing. At 1000, I did something that I had not done in months: I stopped before I had reached my goal. Summoning my breath, I yelled to my father, Tell me when one minute is up. I quickly stretched my legs, touched my toes a half-dozen times, and resumed my journey the instant the time was up. By this time, two of the snowmobilers had left. One remained to observe my pain. While the brief respite gave me renewed strength, it did not last long. After 1100 repetitions I resolved to focus all of my concentration on my breathing, trying to bring it into perfect harmony with my movements. Down, exhale. Up, inhale. I stretched again at 1400, but it did little for me. Each repetition was now its own challenge; each one completed its own victory. Discomfort was becoming agony as my lower back exploded in fire. I was noticeably slower now. The first 1000 repetitions had taken me 28 minutes, but as one hour came and passed, it felt like I was still a long way from my goal. I stopped for one last 30-second break at 1900 and nearly fell over as my left leg spasmed uncontrollably. Pulling off my wool gloves, I slapped my thighs vigorously, trying to restore some feeling to the quadriceps which were numb from the wind and the cold. With one last surge, I lowered myself to parallel and began the last mile of my Hindu squat marathon. Each rep felt like 50, and the pain was surpassing G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
anything I had ever experienced before. As the sun sunk below the horizon to cast its final rays of light on the 20th century, I ascended to standing one last time. At 1:06:00, my journey was over. I FINISHED! I had set another goal and made it a reality. What an incredible feeling. Now, it was time to return home and relax with an outdoor hot tub and a couple rolls in the snow. Before I descended from my perch I raised my arms in one last salute to the wrestlers and physical culturists whose discoveries and accomplishments during the 20th century had fueled my desires. This had been their century, and I hope that my Y2K Hindu Squat Marathon made them smile from the heavens to my cold, lonely and freezing spot upon Blueberry Hill. It was a great century and a great millennium. 2000 Hindu squats was my way of closing it with style.
Combat Conditioning Kicking Butt and T aking Names Taking

by Matt Furey Several years ago I began working on various fitness and exercise books, none of which I published. I still have them filed away ... and some of them, without a single picture inserted, contain nearly 200 pages of text. There is a lot of good advice in what I began writing
years ago ... but there is a lot more in my newly published book, Combat Conditioning: Functional Exercises for Fitness and Combat Sports. This book, unlike my unpublished works, contains the exercises and advice passed on to me by Karl Gotch. And that alone is reason enough to make sure you invest in a copy. Hindu squats, Hindu pushups, bridging and more than 40 other exercises are clearly explained and illustrated. Advice is given on how to begin a program and most importantly, how to integrate these bodyweight exercises into your lifestyle. Whether you are a combat athlete or simply a fitness enthusiast, youll love Combat Conditioning because you can do the exercises almost anywhere. No equipment is needed. In fact, it is frowned upon. When you take the fitness test in the beginning of the book (100 Hindu squats, 50 Hindu pushups and a one-minute back bridge, youll quickly see and feel why I teach what Karl has been teaching me. Who needs weights when you havent mastered your body weight from all directions and angles? Although I dont tell people to stop lifting weights, I will tell you flat out, that weight training is easier than Combat Conditioning. It will always be easier to put a pin in a machine, then sit or lie down and push or pull on something. Balancing, controlling and stretching your body from every direction takes more athleticism and, amazingly enough, is one helluva lot more enjoyable and satisfying than weight training. From the day people begin following the routines contained in this book, they notice results. I have received e-mail after e-mail from people raving about how good they feel and the progress they are making. Many of these people have decided to give up weights once and for all. Theyre hooked. Combat Conditioning contains several sample routines that you can follow ... and most of them only require 15 minutes. Can you get in much better shape in 15 minutes a day? You better believe it. If you trained for 15 minutes a day, for one year, without missing a day, and concentrated on Hindu squats, Hindu pushups and bridging, I guarantee that you would not be the same person. In fact, Im willing to bet that you wont be the same person after one week. You know why? Because Ive received e-mails from hundreds of delighted customers to prove it. You can be one of them, too. Call (813) 994-8267 and order Combat Conditioning today. Only $20 plus $5 S&H.
Teacher of Champions An Inter view With Romer o Interview Romero Jacar e Cavalcanti Jacare
by John Hubbard If you are familiar with the Sport Jiu-Jitsu, then you already know the name of Jacare. If not, then let me give you a little background: Romero Jacare Cavalcanti is the head instructor and founder of the world famous Alliance Jiu Jitsu team. This team has won the prestigious World Championships in 1998 and 1999. the first team ever to repeat. He is the trainer of such legends as Roberto Traven, Fabio Gurgel, Leonardo Viera and Rodrigo Medeiros. Jacare himself was the Brazilian champion in Jiu Jitsu in 1977 and 1978 in the blue and purple belt divisions. He studied under his friend and mentor Rolls Gracie, who at the time was considered the most skilled and ferocious of the famous Gracie clan. If any of you have seen the Gracie in Action tape you have seen Rolls in action. Jacare now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and baby girl and runs his Master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy. He is a father figure and a very patient teacher to his students, who number around 150. And at the age of 47 he is still in tremendous shape and able to execute the most technical sweeps, throws and submissions, as I can attest, having been on the receiving end of several friendly battles, or, should I call them beatings? I recently met with Jacare in his office and this is his take on where the sport will go in the next millennium.
F rom what I hav e seen, I w ould say Fr have would Rolls w as the best Jiu Jitsu fighter was and now adays it is Rickson. He nowadays keeps himself in g reat shape, he gr follows a strict diet. I hav e no have doubt he is the best still.
G.A.I.N.: When and why did you start training in Jiu Jitsu? Jacare: I started when I was 11 years old. Where I grew up in Copacabana, there were a couple of schools and as a kid, I would sneak into Carlson Gracies school, and oh, man, the first time I saw the class I knew I wanted to be a grappler. G.A.I.N.: What is an ideal age to start?
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Jacare: A lot of kids start around six now. That is good. Jiu Jitsu can be as rough or gentle as you make it. You can train all your life in Jiu Jitsu. G.A.I.N.: Is there a worldview or philosophy behind Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? Jacare: The way I was raised they were trying to prove Jiu Jitsu to be the best system but the world view is about honor and about pride and about representing the art. It was about trying to prove that Jiu Jitsu was the best ground system, the best martial art the way it had been in Japan. G.A.I.N. : Do you have your won personal philosophy or something you want your students to take away from the sport? Jacare: Yes. To have honor, to have conduct, to be confident, to be a better person than before. G.A.I.N.: How long does it take to be at a good level in the sport?
won the Brazilian championship in 1977 and 1978 as a blue and purple. G.A.I.N.: How do you stay in such great shape as a 47year old and new father? Jacare: I try to train Jiu Jitsu four times a week. And I lift weights and do aerobic stuff three days a week. I like to jog and swim but mostly the training is what keeps me going. Stretching and warming up is of course important. G.A.I.N.: What is a typical day in your life? Jacare: I wake up and have breakfast before getting to the school and the first class is at 11 a.m. I train with the guys until 1 p.m., then I go to the gym and train with weights and the treadmill. Then I go home for a short rest period before going back to the school and teaching from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. I usually train with the guys in the morning and just teach at night.
An early morning class with Jacar e seated second fr om the left in the fr ont Jacare from front Jacare: Well, if you G.A.I.N.: What kind row , and the author , John Hubbard, standing first on the left back r ow . ow, author, row ow. decide to train very of diet do you follow? hard, then about five or six years in my system. It of course depends on Jacare: I try to eat 40% protein and carbs and just dedication. 20% fat. I must confess I snack on fruits and vegetables in between meals and I of course drink a lot of water all G.A.I.N.: Who are some of the NAME guys you trained day long. under coming up? G.A.I.N.: Who are some of your well-known students? Jacare: I can say most of my life I trained with Rolls Gracie and still would be today if he hadnt died in a Jacare: I can mention Roberto Traven who won last terrible accident. I can say Carlos Gracie Jr. I can say years Absolute Division at Abu Dhabi and will be fighting Rickson Gracie, too. They were all part of my learning. this year in a Superfight against Mario Sperry. I can say Fabio Gurgel, Leonardo Viera, who will fight in Abu Dhabi G.A.I.N.: Did you compete as a young man? this year. Rodrigo Medeiros who beat Mario Sperry at the Worlds last year. Eduardo Jamelao, there are many. Jacare: Yes, of course, but we didnt have that many Some young guys are Reinaldo, who I have at Abu Dhabi competitions. Jiu Jitsu was not famous like nowadays. this year, who was recently given his brown belt and And no-holds-barred was against the law. I never fought won the qualifier. Reinaldo is in Royler Gracies division. no-holds-barred because it was completely illegal. And Also Jose Mario Esfiha, in super heavy at Abu Dhabi there were hardly any competitions. I competed this year. exclusively as a blue and purple belt but when I was a brown belt the competitions stopped for a long time. I G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8 www.combatwrestling.com 15 January/February 2000
G.A.I.N.: Where will you try to take the Alliance team in the near future? Jacare: The Alliance is in a good position. Of course we will try to defend our title at the Worlds and we will try to keep our tradition as one of the best teachers of Jiu Jitsu in the world. It is very important to me to push out and expand the sport. G.A.I.N.: In the future can money be made in the sport or will the money be in NHB/MMA? Jacare: Actually, Fabio Gurgel is starting the
Jacare: Man, you know, I have no idea about that. It is hard to predict a no-holds-barred, especially when the guys are at the same level. G.A.I.N.: Do you know either of them? Jacare: Yes, of course. And to me they are both nice guys, just not to each other. G.A.I.N.: And finally, is Rickson Gracie the best Jiu Jitsu fighter today? Jacare: From what I have seen, I would say Rolls was the best Jiu Jitsu fighter and nowadays it is Rickson. He keeps himself in great shape, he follows a strict diet. I have no doubt he is the best still. [For more information on Jacare Cavalcantis Master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, call (404) 843-0606. Or visit the website at www.masterbjjjacare.com]
The W restling T urks Wr Turks

by Don Miller
Jacar e and Leonardo V iera, who will fight in Ab u Dhabi. Jacare Viera, Abu professional league in Brazil. They are gonna pay a very, very good amount of money for people to fight Sport Jiu Jitsu. It is supposed to debut in April and be televised live. It will be an eight-man tournament like the early UFCs, only in sport not Vale Tudo. They would like to have it every two or three months. And the price is starting at $3,500. There is a lot of money to be made in the future. G.A.I.N.: How do you see the whole Wallid/Ryan Gracie fiasco affecting the sport? Jacare: I do not think it is good for the sport at all. They need to solve their differences behind a closed door, not by bragging and allowing everybody to know about it. G.A.I.N.: Okay, who would win in your opinion?
The summer of 1996 found me for the first time in Turkey. My destination was Edirne, a city near the Bulgarian border which served as the capital of the Ottoman Empire until Christian Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453.Edirne is the site of the oldest continuing athletic event in the world. Almost annually since 1640 hordes of Turkeys finest athletes have gathered there for the Kirkpinar, the World Series of Turkish oil wrestling. Hardly any tourists attend the tournament, and almost no Americans. Why did I go? Because of a book I read in 1957. My status as a college student, from 1950 to 1954, kept me deferred from the draft throughout the Korean War, and I have always felt some shame that I was spared when so many young men my age died in Korea. In 1957 I completed graduate school, the year that Eugene Kinkead published his deeply disturbing account of the mortality rate of American prisoners-of-war who were incarcerated by the North Koreans. The Russians, having developed the science of brain-washing, had taught it to the Chinese, who passed it on to the North Koreans, who found that American prisoners were ideal targets for psychological manipulation. Never before or since - were American soldiers shown to be so widely susceptible to demoralization. A study conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Corps after the war found that one-third of American POWs
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were guilty to some degree of collaboration with the enemy. In the three years of warfare, not a single one escaped from captivity. Most alarming of all, out of 7,190 captives, the death rate was 38%, or 2,730. One out of three never came home. These statistics far exceeded the rate for any other American war. Nine enlisted men and three officers were later convicted and court martialed. The most notorious was a Sgt. James Gallagher, who murdered three barracks-mates, helpless with dysentery, by kicking them out into the snow to freeze in the dead of winter. The study revealed that neither physical torture nor lack of food or medical care had caused the general collapse in morale. Once captured, many of our men lost all sense of allegiance to their country or to one another. They refused to obey their own officers, cursing and even striking them, buying into their captors propaganda that capitalistic rank no longer existed. On forced marches from one prison camp to another, able-bodied men would refuse to lift the stretchers of the wounded. The strong regularly took food from the weak, and the sick were ignored . . . or worse. Many prisoners simply withdrew into a state of isolation and inactivity. The North Koreans had segregated our commissioned officers out, but each compound still had senior noncoms who, had they established order, could have prevented the tragedy. Instead, the men - chiefly the young - were left free to become easy prey to their captors. Death came most often from what Army psychiatrists simply termed give-up-itis. First the sufferer became despondent, later he lay down and covered his head with a blanket, then he wanted ice water with his food, next only ice water, and if no one managed to break through, he was dead in three weeks. The greatest number of North Korea s prisoners was, of course, American. Of the twelve nations represented, however, the third most numerous were the Turks, with 229. The U.S. Army study found them to have been just as exemplary in prison as they were in battle. The Turks secret weapons were discipline, great pride in their brigade, and an unbroken chain of command. The final official report contains this Turkish officers account of his prison experience: I told the Chinese commander of the camp that I was in charge of my group. If he wanted anything done, he was to come to me, and I would see that it was done. If G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
he removed me, the responsibility would fall not on him but on the man next below me, and after that on the man below him. And so on, down through the ranks, until there were only two privates left. Then the senior private would be in charge. They could kill us, I told him, but they couldnt make us do what we didnt want to do. Discipline was our salvation, and we all knew it. If a Turk had questioned an order from his superior to share his food or lift a [stretcher], the way I understand some of your men did, he would literally have had his teeth knocked in. Not by his superior, either, but by the Turk nearest to him. The Communists made attempts to indoctrinate [us]. . .but they failed completely, and eventually gave up. The crowning consequence of this discipline was that, although half of the 229 were wounded when captured, not one died in prison. When a Turk got sick, the rest nursed him to health. If he was ordered to the hospital, two well Turks went along to minister to him hand and foot and to carry him back to the compound when he was discharged. At mealtime two Turks were dispatched to carry the food back, and it was divided equally down to the last morsel. There was no hogging, no rule of dog eat dog, not ever. Death by give-up-itis was impossible. While an American might curl up alone at night and die in the bitter cold, the Turks all piled together in one corner of their cell, and every hour the two on the outside would rotate to the center of the pile. The Chinese guards actually grew to fear their Turkish prisoners, as they watched the interminable wrestling matches which kept them so tough - and, paradoxically, so loyal to one another. As a consequence of this study President Eisenhower issued the nowfamous Uniform Code of Military Conduct, and the Korean experience, thank God, has not repeated itself. That was how, forty years ago, a book on the Korean War hooked me on Turkey. My admiration was not then easy to admit, for I was a newly minted Anglican priest and these Turks were all misguided Moslems. I had emerged from seminary equipped with my own fix on all the non-Christian religions, and Moslems were fanatics who just wanted to kill everybody else. Here I was, faced with evidence of Moslems who really lived the Golden Rule, and of Christians whose selfabsorption had produced despair and death. I kept chewing on that paradox - and those stereotypes - until finally a chance came to do some observation for myself. January/February 2000
A study conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Corps after the w ar found that war one-third of American POW sw er e guilty POWs wer ere to some deg ree of collaboration with the degr . . . .out of 7,190 captiv es, the enemy enemy. captives, death rate w as 38%, or 2,730. was
Four times now I have visited Turkey, to see what kind of wrestlers the Turks are and, more importantly what kind of people they are. So impressed was I by the Kirkpinar Festival, and the hundreds of athletes, officials and dignitaries with whom I had my halting conversations, that I kept coming back. These are guileless, friendly, physically awesome men who come from every province of a big country just to wrestle, forty at a time, in a great grassy field, barefoot and bare chested, covered with olive oil, in 92-degree summer heat. These fighters range in age from twelve to forty,
When the three-day tournament draws to a close, and the champions have been cheered by a packed stadium, the President of Turkey crowns the Bash Pehlivan of all Turkey, a national hero frequently honored by his home town with a statue. The current Turkish champion, whom I am privileged to consider a friend, is also a champion Sumo wrestler in Japan. Almost forty, but in extraordinary shape, he confesses to a longing to take up American football. Fellow Americans, we have a lot to learn from the Turks and the way their wrestlers treat one another even when they are fighting. We must go on struggling to love and care for one another despite the immense racial, ethnic and religious differences, which characterize American culture. If we fail, then the individualism of which we proudly boast will be our undoing at the hand of some other power whose people have learned to stick together for the common good. Jesus, as always, hit the mark when he said, Greater love hath no man, than that he lay down his life for his friends. It is simply not enough that we be cajoled to celebrate our diversity, which is no more than a glib piece of contemporary sloganeering. Americans will either become genuine brothers, bound together by a compassion which transcends mere tolerance, or this first great world experiment in democracy is destined to fade and crumble. Don Miller www.turkishwrestling.com
The cr owning consequence of this crowning discipline w as that, although half of was the 229 w er ew ounded when wer ere wounded captur ed, not one died in prison. captured, When a T urk g ot sick, the r est Turk got rest nursed him to health.
and each contest may last from a few minutes to an hour. I find it hard to imagine many of our own wrestlers matching their stamina, or to be competing in such a grueling sport at the age of forty. The Turkish style with its dearth of rules could not easily be introduced into our country, because the brotherly trust, which exists between the combatants, is unknown in rule-rich American sports. There are referees, but their involvement is minimal. Turks oiled bodies are so difficult to grasp that, in seeking to secure leverage for a throw, a wrestler is permitted to thrust his hand or his entire forearm down into his opponents leather trousers, something which would freak out any Western athlete. Intentional fouls are almost non-existent. There is no such thing as a draw, the match continuing until one wins and the other loses. A most impressive aspect of the tournament is the participants almost universal comradeliness. Opponents will kibitz and joke with one another while waiting for their line to be sent onto the field. Before tying up for this fight to the finish each pair engages in elaborate Islamic rituals of respect for one another. If during the match one wrestler should get something in his eye the struggle simply pauses, his opponent usually fetches cloth and water to wash it away, then they face off, and the fight is resumed. Once the match is decided they rise to embrace, touch foreheads together and leave the field. A foreign observer must ask how much these deeply ingrained wrestling traditions contribute to the fact that Turks historically stick together in tough situations, while we Americans seem often inclined to look out for Number One. G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
A W orkout Without Workout Repetitions

by Matt Furey One of the amusing things I hear from time to time is the line that high-repetition calisthenics are bad for the joints. Sure, I know this isnt the case, and so do you, but theres no sense in arguing with a fool. Better to give him some of his own medicine. Instead of trying to see if hell agree to do 100 Hindu squats, why not lead him by saying, Look, Charlie, I have the most amazing workout. Its called the No-Rep Workout. Would you like to try it? No reps? hell say. How can you do a workout without reps? Let me put you through and youll see, I say. Come on over here. Put your back to the wall and cross your arms over your chest. Now lower your butt until your hamstrings are parallel to the floor. Once youre there, dont move. Just sit there for three minutes.
This no-rep exercise will get the guys attention, and it wont take three minutes either. Hell be wondering what he got himself into within one minute. After he finishes this exercise, called the wall chair, have him do five more exercises in the same fashion. Listed below is the entire workout with instructions:
4. Once you are on the top of your head, arch your lower back and push your chest forward. Strive to touch your nose to the mat behind you. 5. Once you have a steady position, stay there and fold your arms across your chest. 6. Now lower your heels to the mat and keep your back arched . 7. Breathe naturally and hold this position for as long as you can. Shoot for three minutes.
The No-Reps Workout Routine Wall Chair
Front Bridge
1. Place your back against a wall and sit like a chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. 2. Fold your arms across your chest. 3. Look straight ahead. 4. Relax and breathe deeply. 5. Hold for one minute to three minutes.
1. Rest the top of your head on a soft mat. Your knees are off the ground and your hands are behind your back. 2. Tuck your chin until it touches the upper part of your chest. 3. Keep your feet flat on the floor, legs straight. 4. Breathe naturally and hold this position. 5. Hold for one to three minutes.
Back Bridge
Fingertip Pushup Position
1. Lie down on a soft mat with your back facing down. 2. Bend your legs and place the palms of your hands by your shoulders. 3. Drive off your legs and push off your hands until you are placing weight on the top of your head. 1. Start with your hands on the floor, shoulderwidth apart. 2. Your feet are together. 3. Put all the weight of your upper body on the fingertips of both hands. January/February 2000
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4. Lower your chest halfway to the floor. 5. Hold for as long as you can. Breathe naturally.
and walk up it backwards until your chest is flat against the wall. 3. From this position, breathe naturally and hold for as long as you can. There you have it. The No-Rep Workout. For those who are not in condition, the whole routine may only take about five minutes, if that. As you get more advanced it will take 15 to 18 minutes. Remember to stay relaxed the entire time. Focus on your breathing and keep your mind clear. Youre going to be hitting muscles that you have trouble hitting this deeply through high or low repetitions. Holding stances are hard, hard work ... but it looks easy enough. Keep The No-Rep Workout in your bag of conditioning tricks. Its great for teaching people that training with your own body weight is all you really need.
V-up Position
1. Lie on your back with your legs straight and arms extended above your head. 2. Simultaneously raise your arms and legs in the air above your mid-section. 3. Try to touch your hands to your feet. 4. Hold for as long as you can. Breathe naturally.
Shuai-chiao T echniques Techniques

by Matt Furey
Chopping
Reverse Handstand Position
1. Stand with your back to the wall. Bend forward and place your hands on the floor, about shoulder-width apart. 2. Now place the soles of your feet on the wall G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1 www.combatwrestling.com 20 January/February 2000
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Head Smashing Hip Throw
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Leg Seizing with Ankle Pick
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Duck Under Twisting Throw
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Neck Surrounding Hip Throw
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Leg Blocking Shoulder Throw
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Leg Blocking Throw with Belt Grab
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Reverse Grab Inner Thigh Thrusting
Elbow Locking to Double Leg Takedown
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Inner Shoulder Throw
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Cracking
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Self Defense Application Palm Strike
Self Defense Application Elbow Strike
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Jiu-Jitsu Combat T ricks Tricks

by H. Irving Hancock [Editors note: This fine piece of writing is taking from Chapter 1 of H. Irving Hancocks 1904 classic, Physical Training Jiu-Jitsu Combat Tricks . I have found the authors writing to be both inspirational and highly informative and in the future will include more of it in G.A.I.N.] PRELIMINARY TRAINING HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE HANDS FOR ATTACK, AND HOW TO TOUGHEN THE VULNERABLE PARTS FOR DEFENCE PRACTICE MUST BE CONSTANT UNTIL PERFORMANCE OF THE TRICKS BECOMES SECOND NATURE DONT BE IN A HURRY TO SHOW OFF A NEW TRICK TO FRIENDS COOLNESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO SUCCESS It is true that the offensive and defensive feats of jiujitsu combat may be undertaken without any preliminary training. Yet it is equally true that not so good results are secured by this course as are to be had when the application of the work is based on a proper foundation of well-trained muscles and with other parts of the body properly prepared for the tasks that are to be exacted of them.
methods of bringing the muscles and their governing nerves into the most serviceable condition. Just as jiujitsu has been made to evolve into at least a half-dozen distinct though closely related schools of execution, so there are many different ideas among the initiated as to how the body is to be prepared. Some teachers of jiujitsu give no preliminary gymnastic work, but proceed at once to the practice of the feat of attack and defense, and rely upon continued practice in this work to give the muscles the peculiar tone that is needed. Other teachers, again, have their own special systems of gymnastics, and these latter, while differing in form, are all based upon and meet the same requirements. In the three volumes that the author has offered to the public on the subject of physical training according to Japanese methods there has been explained an eclectic system of preparation that is undoubtedly the best that Japan has to offer. This system is based, for the most part, on the teachings of one of the most modern of Tokyos jiu-jitsu experts, while features have been taken also from the teachings of many other noted exponents of to-day. This system of bodily training, then, as described in the authors three preceding volumes, furnishes the best muscular basis for the work that is to be explained in this volume. But, once the muscles have been put in proper responsive condition, there are other demands to be considered. For instance, the Japanese does not strike with the clenched fist, but with the inner or little finger edge of the palm. This edge of the palm, then, must be put in the most favorable trim for severe attack. The edge must be hard - capable of inflicting injury and of enduring sharp concussion. For training the edge of the hand thus there is a very simple method that calls on from time and patience. Strike the edge of the hand lightly but repeatedly against a wooden or some similar surface. It is never necessary to increase the severity of this training blow, but at least twenty minutes daily should be given to this hardening process. For this no time need be taken from other occupations. When seated reading, exercise the edge of that hand which is not employed in holding the book. At times when neither hand is otherwise occupied the edges of both may be exercised simultaneously. The importance of so training the edges of the hands I snot to be estimated lightly, and this toughening should be January/February 2000
Jiu-Jitsu does not demand m uscular muscular dev elopment to the same extent that it is development used in the practice of boxing or of wr estling, b ut it is w ell - and v ery nearly wrestling, but well very es absolutely essential - to possess nerv nerves and m uscles that ar e especially trained to muscles are respond with lightning-like swiftness . . .
Jiu-Jitsu does not demand muscular development to the same extent that it is used in the practice of boxing or of wrestling, but it is well - and very nearly absolutely essential - to possess nerves and muscles that are especially trained to respond with lightning-like swiftness to the demands that are put upon them by the peculiarities of the Japanese style of personal encounter. The Japanese blows are struck with greater speed than are those used by Anglo-Saxon boxers, and must be landed with far greater exactness. The expert at jiu-jitsu is able to defeat the boxer easily and signally. It follows, therefore, that the blow must have both superior speed and effect. What, then, are the methods of preliminary training that give these advantages. It has been pointed out in my previous works on this subject that the Japanese experts themselves differ considerably as to the best G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
followed diligently for some months. The harder the edge of the hand is made the more effective will be the blows struck with it, and with the least exertion on the part of the combatant. At the same time the parts of the body that are likely to be struck by an opponent must be hardened. This is accomplished most effectively by daily assaults upon these parts of the body. In other words, harden any given part of the body by repeated endurance of the kind of jiu-jitsu attack that would be made upon it. This attack, when made in practice, is not employed with the same severity that would be used in actual, serious combat. An attack against the solar plexus may be resisted, to some extent, by drawing in the abdomen and tensing its muscles; but this is not all sufficient. The endurance of light but repeated attacks on the solar plexus will do far more to harden that sensitive spot against actual and vicious attack. He who is to do well in the mastery of jiujitsu must have from the outset a friend with whom he can practice the work continuously and enthusiastically. This practice must be had daily, and must be carried on with as much severity as can be employed without inflicting injury of serious nature. A movement, when first undertaken, should be gone through with slowly and analytically. Just as soon as the idea has been mastered, then all your energy should be devoted to performing the feat with ever-increasing speed. In order to be effective in the end, one must be able to do all of the work with a speed resembling that of thought. Every time the beginner employs a given feat he must make it a point to carry it out with all the speed that is in him. Speed must become so much of a habit that, in the end, its employment will be automatic - without though! To the student of jiu-jitsu combat this bit of advice will be found excellent: Dont be in a hurry to show off a new trick to your friends. Japanese combat is all so new and so wonderful to the Occidental beginner, and so superior in effectiveness to our own styles of encounter, that the learner is tempted to display his new acquirement just as soon as he thinks he has mastered it. Dont be like a boy with a new toy. Dont expect, after a few trials of a new feat, to be able to down a friend who is unfortunate enough G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
to know nothing better than Anglo-Saxon methods of defense. The expert boxer has devoted years to the practice of his art. It is unreasonable to expect that, after merely an afternoons practice, you will be able to defeat him at his own game. The beginner who disregards this advice, instead of proving his own impregnability, will go down to defeat and expose himself to ridicule. Never allow yourself to become flustered. From the outset cultivate absolute coolness, or you will never become thoroughly proficient. If you discover any flaw in trick of attack or defense, take defeat philosophically; note just what the flaw is and study, patiently and calculatingly, how to remedy it. In the beginning it is well always to practice with the same friend. After a while try the work on other fellow students. Occasional changes from one opponent to another are advisable in order to escape the danger of falling into a style of work too automatically conceived. When you have an opponent who always makes a given move in an exact and unvarying way you are in danger of falling into his rut, and thus of being unprepared to meet a slight variation in the performance of the feat. As to the amount of practice needed for the perfect mastery of any one trick, this depends, in the first place, upon the nature of the trick, and much more upon the qualifications of the performer. Some feats are so simple that they have been mastered forever after a very few trials. Others will require frequent practice during a period of many weeks. Be patient. Expect little or nothing in a hurry. Place an invariable exaction upon yourself that each given feat must be performed a little better each time that it is undertaken. Dont balk at repeated practice of each trick. Practice must be continued until the feat is performed with the utmost speed of which the body is capable. Even when this speed is obtained, practice must go patiently on until the student performs whatever trick is needed as a matter of second nature, and with the prompt response and the precision of an automaton. The student who has but limited time for practice will do well not to attempt the mastery of all the feat described in this volume. A dozen tricks, well mastered, will make any man formidable - invincible to an opponent who does not understand them. If a dozen tricks be taken up at the outset, and are acquired with perfection of detail and speed, then the student may add one or January/February 2000
The harder the edg e of the hand is made edge the mor e effectiv e will be the blows struck more effective with it, and with the least ex ertion on the exertion part of the combatant.
two, and one or two more, and so on, as he finds the time. Good nature is highly necessary. Many of the blows, holds, and pressures of jiu-jitsu inflict considerable momentary pain, which is borne more easily when it is remembered that the other fellow is taking the same chances. In the art of jiu-jitsu mere theory, valuable though it is, will not suffice. One may learn by rote all of the descriptions given in this volume and be hardly a whit better off in the moment of vicious assault upon his person. The students motto must be practice - constant practice! It is worth something to be able to walk abroad secure in the knowledge that though one possesses but very ordinary physique, he is the master of tricks of combat that make him more than the physical peer of an adversary who is much larger and stronger.
and do a couple rounds? I dont think so. But you can take from each of these systems and incorporate them into your training to make you a complete martial artist. We are extremely fortunate today. We have at our disposal videos, books, CD ROMs, audio tapes, the Internet and many other learning aids that will greatly enhance our training, not taking advantage of these avenues is a mistake. In order to improve the quality of your skills, you must have an open-minded approach to your training and teaching. It is not disrespectful to tradition to incorporate better training methods from other systems or from outside sources to better develop your student. It is the instructors responsibility to provide the student with the best methods possible. Martial arts today have come full circle. In the early 1960s, all you read about was judo. This grappling art primarily dominated the martial arts industry. Next was the explosion of point karate. For years tournaments were held every weekend and everyone thought that this form of fighting was effective. The theory was that the back-fist that I pulled to your face could have knocked you senseless. But wait, around the corner came Full Contact Karate. BANG! This stuff was for real and it hurt. Many of the champion point fighters left for the hills, never to return. One of the rules of early full contact matches said that you had to kick eight times in a round ... then you were allowed to duke it out. Enter the boxer. Many boxers learned what were supposed to be kicks. After they lifted their leg eight times in one round, they began to knock the full contact karate fighter out. Wait a minute, how could someone who is only fighting with his hands beat a person who is kicking AND punching? The Thai kickboxers answered this question loudly and clearly. WHAP . WHAP!! Their powerful leg kicks stopped the boxers dead in their tracks and when the boxer tried to clinch he got caught with knees and elbows. After the Thai boxers dominated martial arts for some time, a family from Brazil showed up. The Ultimate Fighting Championships gave a real eye-opener to all martial artists and we owe a debt of gratitude to a guy named Royce. The Gracie family and the Brazilian JiuJanuary/February 2000
Taekwondo: T radition Tradition In Evolution

by Philip Ameris What is the most effective form of martial arts? Is it karate? No. They get beat by boxers. Is it Muay Thai? No, judo players have beaten them. Well, then, it has to be Brazilian JiuJitsu. No, they have lost to wrestlers. Well then is it wrestling? No, they have lost to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This scenario can go on and on.
What is the most effectiv e form of martial effective arts? Is it karate? No. They g et beat by get box ers. Is it Muay Thai? No, judo players boxers. hav e beaten them. W ell, then, it has to be have Well, e lost to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. No, they hav have ell then is it wr estling? No, wr estlers. W wrestlers. Well wrestling? they hav e lost to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This have scenario can g o on and on. go
For decades martial artists have been looking for the ultimate fighting system. But right when you think you have found the key to the puzzle, someone comes along and knocks you out of the box. It has happened time and again. Every system of martial arts has something to offer. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the most effective forms of ground grappling. Taekwondo has some of the most effective kicking techniques known to all martial artists. Muay Thai is known as one of the most brutal forms of combat; the elbow and knee attacks have rendered many fighters unconscious. So what do we do? Train three months in Taekwondo, six months in karate, run down to the local boxing gym
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Jitsu stylists crushed the competition. Nothing anyone tried seemed to work. Gracie took the action to the ground and before you knew it you were crying uncle. Well, all good things come to an end and the person to kick start this was Maurice Smith. In his memorable fight with Conan Silveira, a champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylist, Maurice learned some of the ground and that proved to be a big help. No, he wasnt going to beat Conan on the ground but he learned what to do when taken down. He also learned how to get back to his feet. And when his foot connected later on in the fight, Conans lights went out. So, what does this history lesson have to do with the average student who comes in to learn self-defense at a Taekwondo school? EVERYTHING. Real self-defense is unpredictable. The grappler will tell you that 95% of all street fights end up on the ground. But the striker will tell you that ALL street fights begin standing up. In order to effectively teach self-defense, you as the instructor must have basic knowledge of the four zones of fighting: striking, kicking, throws/takedowns and ground fighting. Martial arts training is intended to develop the whole person. This is easier to do when your mind is open and you study and learn how to conduct yourself, no matter where you are, no matter what fighting zone you find yourself in.
Str ess, Plant Adaptogens and Stress, Athletic Per for mance Perfor formance
by Brett Jacques, ND Stress Stress is a poorly understood concept. When you feel stressed, it usually means that your ability to handle something is being exceeded. There are four basic stages of the stress response. 1. Alarm reaction characterized by immediate activation of the nervous system and the adrenal glands. 2. The resistive phase that activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which helps the body to cope better with the stress it is facing. 3. If the stress is prolonged then negative adrenal, gastrointestinal and immune changes occur. 4. Finally, if the stress still continues the exhaustion phase or breakdown of the organism that may ultimately involve death. Chronic stress negatively impacts cardiovascular, digestive and immune health. The majority of chronic
disease found today might be attributed to some form of chronic stress. So what does this have to do with martial arts? Everything. The four stages of stress impact athletic performance. How many of you have over-trained while training for an event like the state wrestling championships or the local submission tourney? Do you remember what happened? First, you get a little edgy, a little cranky (stage 1), and then you seem to snap out of it (stage 2). You keep training hard and thats when the flu hits or you get the little niggling injuries that dont end the season but clearly slow you down (stage 3). Finally, if you go beyond ignoring the warning signs and keep pushing it until you collapse in utter exhaustion, or you sustain a major injury because you lacked focus and concentration (stage 4). How do you avoid this? Proper training methods help to avoid over-training. Instinctive training is one way. This may be easier for some than others may. Certain people will use this as an excuse to be lazy because unless you have trained in elite military units or spent time in the Iowa Wrestling Program, you dont realize how far you can push your body without breaking down. Instinctive training enables you to learn to become honest with yourself and help you achieve your goals. Other methods include periodization and continual progression. Another outstanding method of improving your bodys ability to handle stress is what the Russians refer to as tempering. Tempering is the use of cold water ablutions. Matt Furey gave an excellent overview of many ways to use cold water to improve resistance and will incidentally, improve your bodys response to stress. Reread the article in the last issue of GAIN and if you dont have it, get a copy. Nutrition is a third way to impact the ability to handle stress. While diet certainly plays a major role, it would take another article to do it justice. Suffice it to say that limiting simple carbohydrates, such as sugars, sweets and refined grains, will go a long way to improving resistance to stress. A fourth way involves plant adaptogens.
Plant Adaptogens
What are adaptogens? Russian scientists, I.I. Brehkman and I.V. Dardymov, coined the term to describe substances that allow greater resistance to stress and exert a balancing effect on various systems of the body. Most everyone is familiar with supplements that are designed to improve performance. The majority of these products are just hype but phytochemicals that improve your bodys ability to handle stress have been researched. The results are promising. Some examples of plant adaptogens include Siberian Ginseng, Korean Ginseng, and Ashwagandha. These may be familiar to you and you might even have tried them. Millions do and some come away disappointed, others offer glowing testimonials. Lets separate the fact from fiction. According to I.I. Brehkman and I.V. Dardymov, an adaptogen must meet three criteria. January/February 2000
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An adaptogen must show non-specific effect and raise the powers of resistance to toxins of a physical, chemical or biological nature. An adaptogen effects a normalizing or balancing action independent of the type of pathological condition. An adaptogen must be harmless and must not influence normal body functions more than necessary. Adaptogens are thought to primarily influence the hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal axis (HPA) but many other organs are supported as well. Adaptogens have been shown to improve blood glucose regulation, protect the liver, enhance brain and nervous system activity, modulate the immune system and have antioxidant capabilities as well. Sound like wonder drugs, well, yes and no. Research using elite athletes taking plant adaptogens has been mixed but normal individuals seem to derive quite a lot of benefit from taking these herbs. Some of the reasons why I feel that research with plant adaptogens on elite athletes has not always been beneficial include quality of the plant material, study design and asking the wrong questions. Many researchers in the academic world may not be familiar with quality issues when is comes to herbs. Many scientists like exercise physiologists, dont know what quality Siberian Ginseng is. An example of flawed study designs includes a two-week trial of Asian Ginseng given to milers. The researcher conclusions were that Asian Ginseng did not have any benefit because timed runs showed no significant improvements. Two weeks of supplementation isnt long enough to determine whether or not there was any benefit to any supplement. The last point with regards to research that Id like to make is how researchers ask the wrong questions. Supplementation with Siberian Ginseng in Japanese baseball players showed no improvement in parameters measuring cardiorespiratory efficiency. Last time I checked, baseball was a game of a lot of standing around followed by brief periods of activity. Surely, this type of exercise cant improve cardio-respiratory efficiency? It has been my clinical experience and those of many others that plant adaptogens work and work well. It can be a simple way for you improve your ability to handle stress, physical stress, chemical stress and psychological stress. Plant adaptogens wont improve your technique but they will improve your ability to train harder and longer. They help your ability to think when youre tired. They will help you to avoid colds or flu and improve energy levels by stabilizing blood glucose levels when you are training longer and harder. Wonder drugs, no, but I believe that everyone can benefit from plant adaptogen supplementation. These plants are just more G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
potent foods. Siberian Ginseng root is nothing more than a super carrot. Russian research has demonstrated that the best way to use adaptogens is an eight-week on, two week off cycle. I would add that by rotating the type of adaptogen, you would derive further benefits. One cycle would use Siberian Ginseng and the next would be Schizandra and so on. The following is a list of commonly available plant adaptogens; best forms to use and amounts to take.
Plant (Latin binomial): Plant Part: Best Form: Dose per day:
Asian/Korean Ginseng Root Standardized Extract or Straight Herb 1-500mg/1-2 grams (Panax ginseng) 4-7% Ginsenosides Siberian Ginseng Root Standardized Extract 500mg (Eleutherococcus senticosus) 0.8-1.2% Eletherosides B&E American Ginseng Root Extract/Straight Herb 30ml/ 1-2 grams (Panax quinquefolium) Schisandra Berry Standardized Extract or Straight Berry 400mg/1.5-3 grams (Schisandra chinensis) 9% Schisandrins Ashwagandha Root Standardized Extract 0.5-1 gram (Withania somnifera) 1.5% Withanolides Arctic Root Standardized Extract 2-500 mg (Rhodiola rosea) 2% Salidrosides Tulsi (Holy Basil) Leaf Extract 1-300 mg (Ocimum sanctum) *It is generally not recommended that you take adaptogens when you have an acute illness such as the flu. These represent the most widely available plant adaptogens. They are all quite safe. Buy them from reputable companies. Give these herbs a chance, they can improve your quality of life and the quality of your training.
Law Enfor cement Enforcement T raining Training

by David Burs In our first article we spoke of being truly prepared to take on the enormous responsibilities of policing in this modern world of ours. Most officers I know equate lifting weights with being capable and prepared. Now dont get twisted, strength and endurance training are great January/February 2000
and necessary, but they are just part of the puzzle. Once you have this physical potential you must know how to use it in a trained and efficient manner. Strength and cardiovascular work are a part of the plan just as tactical thought and approaches are a part of the plan. So what is the plan you say? How about incorporating control techniques in with that strength and endurance training. Unlike the strength and endurance, the techniques for approach, closing, and controls are repetitive and can be practiced alone (when you know you are doing them correctly) as with shadow boxing. One can also practice with another like-minded person in the form of flow drills. The more repetitions you do, the more you re-enforce muscle memory. The flow drills and high reps get you to an instinctive state of being. The movements and counters become more of your natural self and become reflexive. Find a school with a reputable instructor who will allow you to sit in on a number of classes and see what is taught and these tactics will fit into your game plan. Are they effective, humane, court defensible, and most important can you perform them? If you are having trouble finding a school in your area, go online using a key word like martial arts and go to your home state and region. Asking friends usually yields results as the word of mouth is still very powerful. Seek schools that offer grappling arts from both the standing and ground positions. Smooth, flowing techniques, which leave no doubt in the mind of the person you seek to control, demonstrating that you are in control, are what you are after. These techniques offer the target a choice of submit or feel pain, leaving the decision up to the target. Most grappling arts teach striking techniques as do I; but as a distraction while setting up the control(s). In these days of out of control lawsuits, society has told us that punching, kicking, and clubbing a lawbreaker who will not submit to lawful authority is distasteful. Law enforcement is expected to reach a superhuman, but satisfactory conclusion. Where will this specialized training come? Dont expect it from the police academy. Video cameras abound with stations offering rewards for footage they can use on the evening news. Fortunately for us there are alternatives available for those who are willing to seek them out and put some effort into mastering the techniques. Open hand slaps, push-pull balance disruptions, and rooting followed by submission controls are just a few counters to attacks by unruly or dangerous unarmed lawbreakers. The baton that was meant to be a transition tool to close the gap, manipulate limbs, and create submissions has been taught as a striking tool with little or no emphasis on manipulation and portrayed in the worst possible light (e.g., Rodney King). G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
Going back to the basic instruction, my experience has been that if the baton is given as more than two or four hours of instruction annually, the recipient is fortunate. Usually one training session is meant to last a career. There are no positive or negative incentives to make the officer practice and keep up their proficiency. Practice breeds proficiency, which creates confidence. We practice with our handgun quarterly as we should, but we encounter physical challenges that do not measure up to a response of deadly force on a daily basis; should we be any less prepared? It is not that these deficiencies cannot be remedied. No control and no plan leads to confusion, fear, and ultimately finger pointing. Law enforcement changes generally by two means 1) insightful leadership from professional management, active unions, or grass roots public efforts or 2) mistakes of the tragic kind that result in serious physical injury, loss of life, law suits, restrictive new policies or laws. Planning and training go a very long way in protecting the officer and the public. I prefer option number one listed above for change. In the aftermath of the serious incident, when all is said and done, training and planning costs much less. Lawtrainer@AOL.com
Gotcha!
Q&A with Karl Gotch

Q: Who do you think would win a match between the great Alexander Karelin (three-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman) and the former Soviet Unions Alexander Medved (who won three gold medals in freestyle)? January/February 2000
A: How would they wrestle each other? What rules? Unless I know the rules I couldnt say. You cannot sell apples and pears as the same thing. Medved in his glory was strong, and Karelin is strong, but if it were a freestyle match, Karelins legs are there for the taking and hes not used to that. No matter how strong Karelin is, dont count Medved out, after all he handled Chris Taylor. So long as it isnt the same style in an amateur match, you cannot compare. Q: Have you seen the Greco-Roman training syllabus videos put out by USA Wrestling? If so, what do you think of them? A: Through a friend of mine I was able to see those tapes, and everything about them is done the wrong way. The biggest thing in Greco is Victory goes over a bridge. The bridging that was shown on the tape was an abortion. When they showed you lifting a guy to go into a suplex, the man that was executing the throw squatted back down after lifting him and then he fell like a pancake. For what I saw of the throwing techniques, it was pitiful. To me it is very unfair to the boys that practice this style in the USA because by giving them a helping hand, youre already choking them to death before they start. Greco is the old European art and it is beautiful if it executed the right way. But they killed it internationally by speeding up the time and the style. For Greco you need balance, timing and the time to step into your man and execute with explosiveness. If you try to speed up this style, contrary to freestyle, you kill it. Q: Of all the wrestlers you trained in Japan, who was the best? What made him so good? A: Fujiwara was the best because even with the limited natural ability that he had, he had a heart like a lion and nothing was too much for him to get to the top. Youre only going to get out of it what you put into it. Champions are not always those that have the natural talent. And that was proven to me in the amateurs. There was a deaf and dumb guy at featherweight, Ignacio Fabra, who became world champion. Then the one who really stood out who was several times world and Olympic champion, was a man who had one bad leg from polio. He was a Turk by the name of Akbas. This proves it, that even though at the start you dont begin like thunder and lightning, at the end you can become like nitroglycerin. And nitroglycerin is something that has to be produced. Fujiwara started with nothing and become nitro. Q: Did the old-timer boxers do anything special to strengthen the muscles of the jaw?
A: Many of the old-timers used to chew on a black tarlike substance that was used before chewing gum became popular, and it strengthened the muscles of the jaw. Jack Dempsey used the tar and many of the old-timers like Dempsey used to soak their face and hands in brine so that they didnt cut too easily. This especially helped the bare-knuckle fighters. Q: Lou Thesz stated that if he was a young man today, he would compete in shootfighting. Do you feel the same way? And if so, would your training be any different for shootfighting than it was for wrestling? A: Shootfighting is just a fantasy thought up by Saturo Sayama. It has no connection at all with catch wrestling. He threw together a little bit of kickboxing, Thai boxing and a little bit of wrestling and called it shoot wrestling to make it commercial. He was not after the honor of the sport but after the eternal dollar. There is only one way and one way only to be successful. Youve got to train hard and really be devoted to it, no matter what style you would practice. And catch wrestling demands the ultimate. Q: Why was the strangle hold barred in catch wrestling and was the sleeper considered to be a type of strangle hold? A: Catch wrestling was scientifically limited in the beginning. A lot of the wrestlers practiced the strangle hold because they didnt know anything else about submission. That was the only thing they had. We called it poverty. It was like a guy who didnt have any currency to buy something. If the guy had limited knowledge, hed try to win by the strangle and that was all he knew. The truth of this can also be seen in the early days of the so-called ultimate fights. There were a few punches and then most matches were won be a strangle hold or a half-assed armbar. Nobody else knew anything and thats all you needed to win. When the knowledge in catch wrestling advanced, they eliminated the strangle hold because, come to think of it, its really unfair. Now, you may say, What about the sleeper? Well, the sleeper is like a knockout punch in boxing. It has nothing to do with strangulation. Now, I dont say that everything in catch was fair and on the level. When we used to put on a face lock, which we called a groffit in Lancashire catch, sometimes wed slip from the face lock into a strangle until the referee noticed and broke it up. But this was done on purpose against a tough opponent, to take some of the fight out of him. In a strangle hold the pressure is on the Adams apple. In a sleeper, you cut off the blood supply to the brain by pressure on the arteries on both sides of the neck. A face lock is even further away from strangulation because the leverage is put underneath the cheekbone. Its like doing a crooked head scissors with the arms instead of the legs. January/February 2000
G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
Q: How many different types of sleeper holds were there in catch wrestling? Did you do it with arms and legs or just arms? A: With your arms there are three sleeper holds. With your legs there are two.
favorite wrestler is Ed Strangler Lewis, which she calls herself. I hope she can keep up the training because she will become very strong in ten years time. Peace, Balal Khan England
Grapplers Mailbag
Matt, The November/December issue of G.A.I.N. is great. It keeps getting better and better! The main reason I wrote was to tell you it took me three weeks of hard work, but I am bridging with my nose on the mat and holding the bridge for three minutes. I still can not kick over but it will come and soon I reckon. The wall walking exercise is THE key. I kept closing the distance to the wall so I would get more arch, and the next thing you know my nose is flat on the mat while bridging. Here is the kicker. The neck pain I have had for four months is GONE. No more stiffness, no more limited range of motion, no more chiropractor. Thanks. One question from the article, Lessons with Gotch; what is a good goal to shoot for on the one-legged squats, and do you train them every day? I dont know if you know this, but I come from horse country and a variation of the one-legged squat was a common test for wanna-be jockeys; they were not allowed to get on a horse until they could knock out ten one-leg squats in perfect form. Just a little trivia for you. Major Bob Schutz Virginia
M.F. Look out, Balal. You may have a female version of Bam-Bam on your hands.
Hey Matt, Ive been bridging for two weeks now and Im already smashing my nose. Thanks for the tips. I had neck fusion surgery six months ago and I just started neck work. I guess if I can do the bridge almost everyone should be able to do it with no excuses. Dave Dreher New Jersey
M.F. Good news on your bridge. Keep working on it and youll astound yourself. As for the one-legged squats, you dont necessarily do them everyday, but you can. If youre banging out more than 10 in a row youre coming along fine. Keep up the good work.
M.F. Congratulations Dave. Once again, people like you are proving that bridging is not only safe, but it is important for the strength and flexibility of the spine. Im getting e-mails every single day from people lauding the benefits of the bridging they are now doing. Its funny but my brother wrote me the other day with some worries that the bridging would compress the cervical vertebrae. He talked to a trainer who told him so. Bridging stretches the spine and the muscles along the spine, everything from the tailbone to the crown. . Take one of those skeletons doctors have in their offices and lean the head back and tell me if the vertebrae are compressed. Then go to a chiropractor to get your spine adjusted. How does he do it? He doesnt jar you up, he stretches you out. A simpler example is as follows: If you pull on a bowstring is it compressed or stretched? How people have come to believe that stretching the neck and spine with bridging is compression is beyond me.
Dear Matt, Dear Matt, When I train my niece who is only three years old she comes and joins me. She can do over 50 Hindu squats, about 12 Hindu pushups and can hold the bridge, which is her best exercise for over 45 seconds. She likes doing this and when I am done in the morning, she comes to me and makes me do it again with her. Now she is trying to do the wall walking exercise, which she cant do. Her G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1 I have a question regarding the wrestlers bridge. When it is done so that the nose touches the floor is it held as a static hold or is there back and forth motion involved? I have a bad lower back, but my neck is perfectly healthy and I would like to increase neck strength/girth and have heard a whole variety of things regarding bridging from January/February 2000
it being damaging to the discs of the neck (causing degenerative disc disease when one gets older) to it being a great neck exercise. Also, what do you do if you cant touch the nose to the mat but, can only get to the top of the forehead due to poor flexibility? How long should one hold the position when just starting out? The Farmer Burns vignette in the recent G.A.I.N. is very inspiring to say the least and I would like to increase my neck size to 18-19 inches if possible. I am currently 6 foot, weigh 230 pounds with a 16.5-inch neck and have been weightlifting for more than 10 years but paid neck work little if any heed until now. Thanks in advance, Peter United Kingdom
M.F. Doggie style .... hehehehehehehehehe. Thats a great one. Hehehehehehehe.
Dear Matt; I completely endorse your thoughts on cold water bathing and do so through personal experience. I have suffered for years with pain in my shoulder and elbows. I have used various herbal and dietary treatments recommended by various sources to little or no avail. I had seen my doctor about the problem only to have him tell me that it was chronic tendentious/bursitis and that outside of anti-inflammatories (he didnt want to go cortisone) there was nothing he could do. On the advice of an herbalist who was trained by the eminent Dr. John Christopher (recognized as the greatest of recent American herbalists) I began to use alternating cold/hot showers. He recounted his own experience in a European spa where he was bombarded with this treatment at very high pressure and how, after 45 minutes of this ordeal, he was left breathless and slobbering, unable to move for over an hour. He also told of how absolutely wonderful he felt when he recovered his strength! ALL of his aches, pains, and physical problems were gone! With an endorsement like that and nothing to lose I began the treatment, as best I could with a home shower. While not generating the pressure that the doctor had experienced I still felt much better after the first time. It was a simple matter of doing one minute of HOT water and one minute of COLD water in the shower, alternating this for three times. He said the hot water brings blood to the surface and this perfusion brings about healing. He went on to say that the cold water tones and strengthen all of the muscles (including the heart) and organs. I am still doing this after four months. The pain is not completely gone but it is the best its been in 15 years. That is something that is quite noteworthy as all of us with pain can agree on! Thanks for giving everyone this heads up. People, if you have pain from old training injuries, what have you got to lose? You may feel discomfort for a moment, but it may also be followed by hours of feeling GREAT! Phil Buechner California
M.F. You can rock back and forth several times to warm the neck up and to help in stretching. However, you should remember that the key to effective stretching is to stay in the discomfort zone for the majority of the time youre stretching. By this I do NOT mean that you stretch to feel pain and/or to hurt yourself. What I mean is that if you dont feel that you are working hard and can really feel the stretch pulling, youre not getting the full benefit. Work on holding for three minutes in the furthest stretch you can muster. When three minutes is easy, add another minute and so on. This along with the side-to-side neck stretches in my new book, Combat Conditioning, will help increase the size and strength of your neck. Also, forget about those people who say bridging causes degenerative disc disease. If you want degenerative discs, dont train your neck.
Hi Matt, For the fun of it I looked up neck bridging on Yahoo. The second listing is a question for some so-called expert named Jack. He is against bridging and instead recommends getting in the doggie style position and doing isometrics against your partners thighs while your head is in between them. I dont know about you but I can think of more interesting ways to use the doggie position. By the way I have been bridging for quite some time and am making great progress. The picture in your last magazine helped make them harder. I was sore from the neck to my calves. Cant wait to see the bridging tape when you are done. Im going to get my kids started. They do not do this in wrestling class. Take care. Neil Katz California
G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
M.F. Great story Phil. Thanks for passing it on.
Again, kudos on the latest issue of G.A.I.N., and give Mr. Gotch well wishes. Mat Ecklund New York
Dear Matt, I heard that Harry Houdini also did cold water training as well as other exercises. He would run up to 10 miles every day outside his New York City home in cold weather(often wearing thin clothing). He would then perform various calisthenics and stretching exercises in his house while the heat was off. Then to finish it, he would fill his bathtub with cold water and ice cubes...then immerse himself in it. He then would hold his breath as long as he could while his wife counted for him. Houdini felt that these exercises helped him execute his dangerous escape tricks more efficiently, and without risking much injury. He wasnt a martial artist, but I still think it was neat. Harsha Florida
M.F. Mat, you can order many of the Paul Bragg books online by going to www.bragg.com or by calling 1800.446.1990.
Matt, I recently read a few Furey Files extolling the benefits of cold water therapy. This reminded me of a story I read about the training my former shihan had endured. Shihan Sig Kufferath wrote of his former Sensei and founder of Danzan Ryu Jujitsu: One of the most interesting and special training methods Prof. Okazaki had was his calming & steadying the nerves training. He had two Japanese tubs, one hot and one cold. He had me soak in the 105-degree hot tub for two minutes, then go into the 35-degree cold tub for two minutes. I had a 120-lb. block of ice floating in it. I changed off six times each session. He had me do this three times a week for six months. Prof. Okazaki said this will develop nerves of steel and you will have built a shield around you. Even if lightning struck next to you, you would not flinch. It worked. I thought this was a rather interesting coincidence. Derrick Marion California
M.F. Houdini was a man that could teach an old dog new tricks. Thanks for the information on him. Goes to show what you can accomplish by doing things the odd way.
Matt, The new issue is great! All the articles were great. I really liked the article Swimming, Cold Showers, and Saunas. Paul Bragg mirrors a lot of the stuff Bernarr MacFadden wrote about the subject, although MacFadden warns that people without proper vital power should proceed with caution. I tried to see if Amazon.com had that book you mentioned and they said its out of print. I was wondering if there was an address that I could write to in the book itself? On the subject of showers- In the book The Hindu Yogi Practical Water Cure by Yogi Ramacharaka, it says after opening the pores with a hot shower, you should end the session with a brief shower to close the just cleansed pores with water at a much cooler temperature. I employ this method and its great. I also employ the dry friction bath with a towel that MacFadden favors as well. I believe Hackenschmidt has written favorable things about it as well.
M.F. No coincidence at all, Derrick. Cold water therapy has been practiced all over the world. Whats new is old and whats old is new.
Matt, I received Combat Training II today, and I was very impressed. The exercises are natural and of course you dont need any chrome appliances to perform them. What I got out of this video the most was inspiration. I was very pleased and cannot praise it enough, you get better with each video! Keep it up, and dont ever lose that sense of humor! Jon Mitchell Mississippi
G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
Dear Matt, M.F. Thanks Jon. According to your interview with Karl, there were two kinds of Catch: Lancashire and American. In Geoff Thompsons re-release of Blue Blood On the Mat: Story of Athol Oakley British Champion, A. Oakley sites that the victory went to Gotch because of the new rules that permitted submission holds whereas European Catch did not. The toe-hold, ankle lock as A. Oakley sites it in his book, came from the upstart of judo in America by one Sensei Miyaki who did work with Farmer Burns. However, similar and not so similar holds originated from the various European styles such as the step over toe hold and the crooked head scissors especially executed by Lithuanias Karl Pojello who went over to Japan and beat their best in Karate and Judo in front of their Emperor. Back to Hackenschmidts defeat, his was the first as other Europeans found it difficult to compete against Americas new style of Catch, if they didnt feel as if they were ripped off in a match. So after A. Oakleys controversial loss, he went back to Britain to begin working on the new style of catch with his fellow colleagues. Your comments. Randy Cadiz Hawaii
Hi Matt, Ive been studying the grappling arts for five years now and the most frustrating thing that Ive found is that grappling is a two-man art. If you dont have a training partner then its tough to hone your skills. Trying to find training partners that are ready to go when you are is incredibly difficult. Do you have any solo training drills that would help a grappler improve his technical skills (submissions, throws, stickiness, etc...) ? Mike Teachey
M.F. Mike, youll need to shadow wrestle a lot more. Take the moves from standing and from the ground that you need to work on. Now imagine you have a partner and go through them. This isnt the same as a partner, but it helps a lot, as many great wrestlers, Dan Gable, John Smith and Karl Gotch, can attest.
Matt My question is about supplements: All the hype today about one wonder supplement or another is all based on bodybuilders needs. What do you recommend for someone active in the grappling arts. I currently use a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral, vitamin C, vitamin E, and essential fatty acids. Also I supplement my protein intake with soy based protein shakes. Am I going in the right direction or should I be doing something different? Andy Burwell Ontario, Canada P .S. Looking forward to hearing about Karls return to action, he is a positive inspiration to us all.
M.F. Andy, I think youre taking more than enough. Make sure you get a good multi-vitamin and mineral tablet and youre probably doing great, so long as you concentrate on eating good food. Most who rely on supplements eat like crap and think that supplements are the key to success. You are the key to success. Not the pills you take. G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
M.F. Randy, do not believe everything you read. Lord Athol Oakeley s book has about as much credibility as the old Sgt. Fury comic books. I have the book and couldnt quit laughing after page eight. Oakeley also says the pin was given less emphasis because of ovalshaped guys like Zybysco. Now, as a wrestler for some time, does that really make sense to you? Saying that Farmer Burns learned submissions from judo proves that Oakley knew nothing himself. It was Ad Santell, not Karl Pojello, who went to Japan and beat the top judokas. Here is my take on George Hackendschmidt. Hackenschmidt was a strongman, and not much of a wrestler. His manager, promoted him as if he was great, but he knew nothing about submissions. Exactly how was he going to beat Gotch in a catch-as-catch-can rules match? By bear hugging him and crushing him to the ground? I dont think so. The guy didnt know much and when Gotch exposed him for what he was, Hack went back to England and cried the blues for 50 years. But, did he ever wrestle again? No. That tells you something, doesnt it? He was a strongman who looked the part ... but he couldnt wrestle. There were plenty of wrestlers who could have whooped him, but the money match was Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, and the path was paved for that bout.
back my warrior spirit and train hard. Thanks for the inspiration Matt. Matt: I wrote you a couple of days ago about guys being in shape and how big muscles or cut abs dont really mean proficiency in fighting. I was at the bookstore and I picked up a book called Living the Martial Way by Forrest E. Morgan, Major USAF. In his book he talks about many of the qualities that a warrior should have. In chapter 9 he tells a story about how he watched a match between a boxer and a karate man in the 1970s. He tells how the karate man lost to the boxer quite badly. He tells how shocked he was then and what he thinks of the situation now. Let me give you an excerpt from his book: Of course our karate man was no 90-pound weakling. He looked more like the proverbial 200-pound bully. Nonetheless, in terms of physical conditioning, he was a featherweight compared to any professional fighter and any serious warrior. But he thought he was in good enough shape. He believed, like most martial artists, that his techniques would carry him through... that his Asian secrets would be the great leveler that would cancel any disadvantage he might have in physical conditioning. Well, he was wrong. (page 198, F. Morgan) That speaks a lot about conditioning, huh? He talks about the difference between being a martial artist and a warrior. He also says this: There are stories you can believe. Those are the stories about members of elite military forces, such as Green Berets or Navy SEALS, who get into bar fights and stack their attackers like cord wood. These guys are welltrained martial artists, but they have no illusions about technique making up for fitness. They know the stronger, faster, more agile, and more durable they are, the better their odds of survival in combat. So they condition themselves relentlessly. You see, despite what I just said, and despite the fact that they practice martial arts, they arent really martial artists. Theyre warriors, and they understand the need for warrior fitness. So should you. (page 199, F. Morgan) I realized something recently: I practice karate and grappling but I have neglected my fitness and do not train as a true fighter. You cant go back to the past or control the future. So today I tried to get my warrior spirit back. I went for a run and was very winded. I am kind of embarrassed and I even feel like I shouldnt wear my black belt or teach classes till I get in better shape. It is just so easy to eat fast food and focus on school and work and neglect my fitness. I hope to give you some updates about my quest to each day try to get David California
M.F. David, great stuff. Thanks for sending it to me. Stay focused on your new mission and keep me posted on your progress. I admire your humility and candor. Best to you.
Dear Mr. Furey, I just received the video How to Hook a Heavyweight. I want to thank you for the no B.S. production, you just got to it and watching it felt like being in a class. The video was clear and easy to follow and was filled with great techniques. This is the third product I have ordered from you and they were all excellent. Next video Im interested in are your exercise videos. Thanks again, Andrew DiCiaccio New York
M.F. Thanks Andrew. I appreciate your letter very much.
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Questions and Comments If you have any questions or comments you would like to see featured in future issues of G.A.I.N., please send them to me via email at mattfurey@aol.com or by snail mail to Matt Furey, 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511, Tampa, Florida 33647.
Articles If you would like to write an article and have it published in G.A.I.N.please send a query letter. Allow two weeks for an answer.
Matt Furey 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511 Tampa, FL 33647 E-mail: MattFurey@aol.com website: www.COMBATWRESTLING.com January/February 2000
G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1
Dir ector y of Resour ces Director ectory Resources
For more information on Jacare Cavalcantis Master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, call (404) 843-0606. Or visit the website at www.masterbjj-jacare.com World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion Steve Maxwell teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu out of Maxercise in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For more information visit his website at www.maxercise.com or call (215) 928-1374. Olympic and World Freestyle Wrestling Champion Mark Schultz has a grappling school at the Midvale Athletic Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can reach him at http://www.markschultz.com. Jason Crawford is a senior scientist with AnorMed, Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has a brown belt in jiujitsu and is a level one catch-wrestling instructor. His club meets twice per week and they are a great bunch of guys, on and off the mat. If you are in the area and would like to train with Jason, he can be contacted by phone at (604) 530-1057, or by e-mail at JCrawford@AnorMED.com. For some hard hitting, realistic grappling for the street, check out Street Sambo by Dr. Brett Jacques. A three tape set (approx. 4hrs.) detailing how to use grappling for the street and modify your current skills for situations where the mats are made of concrete. Send a check or money order for $69.95 plus $4.00 shipping and handling to Brett Jacques 2433 SW Idaho St. Portland, OR 97201. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. All members of Matt Fureys Combat Wrestling Association get an additional 10% discount. The following books are available through my office: Frank Gotch: Worlds Greatest Wrestler, by Mike Chapman ($20 plus $5 S&H); Farmer Burns 1914 Mail order Course, Lessons In Wrestling and Physical Culture ($50 plus $5 S&H); and The Way To Live by George Hackenschmidt ($20 plus $5 S&H). If ordering more than one book, simply add $1 S&H for each additional book. To subscribe to W.I.N. (Wrestling Institute Newsmagazine) call (515) 792-4436. I have a monthly column in this magazine, as does the founder, Mike Chapman. The website for the International Wrestling Institute and Museum, also founded by wrestling author Mike Chapman, is www.wrestlingmuseum.org. For the highest quality wrestling mats in the country, contact Bernie Stroh at Quality Mat Company in Waterloo, Iowa, by calling 319-233-0833. Those who are interested in strength training the old-fashioned way, with barbells, dumbbells, barrels, sandbags and the like should log onto Brooks Kubiks website, www.dinosaurtraining.com. His books, videos and newsletter are first-rate. For more information on the oldest style of kung fu, Shuai-chiao, a grappling art used on the battlefields as well as in competition, go to www.shuai-chiao.org. Have you seen the movie Conspiracy Theory with Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson? Well, guess where the Hollywood big whigs got the idea. Go to Jim Martins website, www.flatlandbooks.com and find out more or call (707)-9648326. Philip Ameris is one of those open-minded instructors that we dont have enough of in the martial arts world. A sixth degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a student of grappling for the past nine years, Philip runs a great school in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Visit Philips website, www.taekwondo-ameris.com or call (724) 339-0254. The best eyeglasses, sunglasses and contact lenses you can find are available from Dr. Katz. Go to his website, www.drkatzeyewear.com and get what youre looking for. Chi Kung teacher John DuCane has a great website (www.dragondoor.com). It is a great site for picking up books and videos on tai chi, chi kung, kung fu and various other topics. If youd like his catalog, call (651) 645-0517. Russian Martial Arts master, Vladimir Vasiliev, has a website (www.russianmartialart.com) with information on his products and seminars. The phone number for his operation in Canada is (905) 881-4711. G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8 www.combatwrestling.com 45 January/February 2000
Matt Furey
8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511 Tampa, FL 33647
Billing addr ess: address:
To get your order processed immediately call:
(813) 994-8267
with your credit card information. Ship to (if differ ent fr om billing addr ess): different from address):
Name: ______________________________________________ Name: ______________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ City: __________________ State: _______ Zip: ____________ City: __________________ State: _______ Zip: ____________ Country: _____________________________________________ Country: _____________________________________________ Telephone: (In case we have a question about your order.) Email: _______________________________________________ Daytime: ( _________ ) _______________________________ Evening: ( __________ ) _______________________________ Method of payment: Visa MasterCard Amex Signature: ______________________________________ Check / Money Order Card Number:
Expiration Date
Matt Fureys Combat Wrestling Association ............................................................................................. only $50.00 annual fee Matt Furey Books: ______ ______ ______ ______ Combat Conditioning ..................................................................................................................................... 20.00 The Martial Art of Wrestling ......................................................................................................................... $20.00 How To Flatten Your Stomach At Any Age (comes with video) ....................................................................... $39.97 How To Achieve What You Want Without Positive Thinking .......................................................................... $24.97
Grappling Newsmagazine: ______ G.A.I.N. (Grappling Arts International Newsmagazine) - Monthly newsletter that covers training, techniques and tournament coverage of all grappling arts. Only $50 for a one-year domestic subscription (6-issues) or $70 for international subscriptions. ______ G.A.I.N. 1999 This book contains all 1999 issues ..................... $60.00 (domestic rate) $75.00 (international rate) Matt Furey Special Reports: ______ How To Cut Weight For Wrestling Without Losing Strength ........................................................................... $29.95 Catch-As-Catch-Can Wrestling Submission Videos: ______ How To Hook A Heavyweight Without Flopping To The Guard - by Matt Furey ............................................ $49.00 ______ Catch Wrestling Finishing Holds Volume One Neck Cranks by Matt Furey ........................................... $49.00 ______ Street Grappling Two video set by Matt Furey ......................................................................................... $99.00 Collegiate or Freestyle Wrestling Videos: ______ ______ ______ ______ The Lost Art of Pinning by Matt Furey ........................................................................................................... $49.00 The Lost Art of Countering Pin Holds by Matt Furey ..................................................................................... $49.00 Both Videos (The Lost Art of Pinning and The Lost Art of Countering Pin Holds) ............................................ $95.00 How To Use Your Feet To Score Take-downs by Matt Furey ........................................................................... $49.00
Strength and Physical Conditioning Videos by Matt Furey: ______ Combat Training - The Road to China ........................................................................................................... $49.00 ______ Combat Training II 25 Ultimate Exercises for Grapplers ............................................................................. $59.00 ______ Dinosaur Strength Training for Combat Athletes Seminar .............................................................................. $39.00 G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1 www.combatwrestling.com 46 January/February 2000
Chinese and Mongolian Grappling Videos: ______ Mongolian Grappling Secrets Revealed by Matt Furey - Two Videos ............................................................. $99.00 ______ Shuai-chiao Take-down Tactics for Grapplers by Matt Furey ......................................................................... $49.00 Books Recommended by Matt Furey: ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ Farmer Burns 1914 Mail Order Course Lessons In Wrestling and Physical Culture ................................. $50.00 Gotch: An American Hero by Mike Chapman .............................................................................................. $20.00 Muscle Control by Maxick ........................................................................................................................... $18.00 The Way To Live by George Hackenschmidt ................................................................................................. $20.00 Frank Gotch, Worlds Greatest Wrestler, by Mike Chapman .......................................................................... $20.00 The Development of Physical Power by Arthur Saxon ................................................................................... $15.00 The Textbook of Weight-Lifting by Arthur Saxon ........................................................................................... $20.00 Molding A Mighty Grip by George F. Jowett ................................................................................................. $10.00 How To Develop A Powerful Grip by Edward Aston ..................................................................................... $10.00 Developing The Grip and Forearm by Thomas Inch ..................................................................................... $10.00 Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength & Development .......................................................................... $19.95 The Dinosaur Files Monthly newsletter on strength training ....... $50.00 (and get the Dinosaur Training book free) One Year of Back Issues to The Dinosaur Files .............................................................................................. $50.00 Video: Dinosaur Training Volume One The Lost Art of Dumbbell Trainining ............................................ $39.95 Video: Dinosaur Training Volume Two Bags, Barrels and Beyond ............................................................ $49.95
Dinosaur Training Products from Brooks D. Kubik:
T-shirts and Apparel: ______ Combat Wrestling T-shirts ............................................................................................................................. $20.00 **Note: For first product enclose $5 S&H and $1 for each additional item. Canada and International orders, please send $7 S&H for first item and $1 for each additional item. Pacific Rim orders have a $30 minimum for S&H. Other countries, please call or send an email for S&H quote. Subtotal Shipping & Handling Charges Orders from Florida, add FL sales tax Total Payment _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
Thank you for your order.

Please be sure all information is completed and payment is enclosed. Mail Order to: Matt Furey, 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511; Tampa, FL 33647
G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8
F inally , The Best Grappling Information A vailable, Deliv er ed Finally inally, Av Deliver ered , Month after Month! Right T oY our Door Your Door, To
Dear Friend, Month after month the martial arts magazines give us bits and pieces of grappling information; small glimpses into the world of grappling combat. But that isnt good enough for most of us. Many of us want a BIG LOOK into the grappling world and we want it each month. Well, Im prepared to give it to you. And that is exactly why I have started a newsmagazine called G.A.I.N. (Grappling Arts International Newsmagazine). Month after month, it will be the best source of grappling information you can find. With no further fanfare, this is what you can expect in this bi-monthly newsmagazine: 48 pages of hard-hitting information each issue Historical articles on the 54 different styles of grappling around the world. Historical articles about the greatest grapplers in the world, from the past and the present. How to articles in regard to nutrition, strength training, conditioning, injury rehabilitation and mental focus. How to articles on the art of throwing, takedowns and submissions.
$50.00 US & CANADA -OR- $70.00 INTERNATIONAL

TO ORDER CALL: (813) 994-8267 with your credit card information.
Ship to: Name: ______________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ Method of payment: Visa MasterCard Amex
Interviews and articles about top grapplers in mixed martial arts competitions, including but not limited to UFC, Pride, Pancrase and the USWF. Results from different grappling tournaments around the world, including but not limited to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Sambo, Submission Wrestling, Shuai-chiao, Sumo, Freestyle, Collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestling. Questions and answers related to grappling or to training problems that you are having. Annual Subscription (6 issues)
Check /Money Order City: __________________ State: _______ Zip: ____________ Signature: ____________________________________________ Country: _____________________________________________ Card Number: Email: _______________________________________________ Phone: ( ___________ ) _______________________________ G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1 www.combatwrestling.com Expiration Date: January/February 2000
Make Check/Money Order Payable to: Matt Furey, 8801 Hunters Lake Drive, Suite 511; Tampa, FL 33647 48 www.combatwrestling.com

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www.combatwrestling.

January/February 2000 Vol. 2, No. 1 $7.50 US

SHUAI-CHIAO GRANDMASTER CHANG TENG SHENG A.K.A. THE FLYING BUTTERFLY

Calling All Grapplers

Opening News and Notes

Iowa Bounces Back Wins Sixth Straight NCAA Title

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

NCAA Division I All-Americans 125-lbs.

Team Scores Final Results (Top 20 Only)

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

The Rules of Catch W restling Wr

Wrestling Rules Catch-as-Catch-Can Style Professional

Behind The Scenes at the Ar nold Classic Arnold

International Amateur Wrestling Rules Catchcan or Free Style (Condensed)

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

The Evolution of Fantasy Holds and W orked W restling Worked Wr Matches

My Y2K Hindu Squat Marathon

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

Combat Conditioning Kicking Butt and T aking Names Taking

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

The W restling T urks Wr Turks

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

A W orkout Without Workout Repetitions

The No-Reps Workout Routine Wall Chair

Fingertip Pushup Position

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

Shuai-chiao T echniques Techniques

Reverse Handstand Position

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

Head Smashing Hip Throw

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

Leg Seizing with Ankle Pick

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

Duck Under Twisting Throw

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

Neck Surrounding Hip Throw

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

Leg Blocking Shoulder Throw

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

Leg Blocking Throw with Belt Grab

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

Reverse Grab Inner Thigh Thrusting

Elbow Locking to Double Leg Takedown

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

Inner Shoulder Throw

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

Self Defense Application Palm Strike

Self Defense Application Elbow Strike

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

Jiu-Jitsu Combat T ricks Tricks

Taekwondo: T radition Tradition In Evolution

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

Law Enfor cement Enforcement T raining Training

Q&A with Karl Gotch

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

M.F. Doggie style .... hehehehehehehehehe. Thats a great one. Hehehehehehehe.

G.A.I.N., Vol. 1, No. 8

M.F. Great story Phil. Thanks for passing it on.

G.A.I.N., Vol. 2, No. 1

M.F. Thanks Andrew. I appreciate your letter very much.