James Bullock

Most of you probably watched the Pride match between Fedor and Kevin Randleman; in which Kevin suplexed Fedor on his neck; then moments later Fedor submitted him with a kimura. Frank Trigg was one of the commentators and stated: "I can pick holes in Fedors' boxing, clinch work, throws and submissions... But he is the absolute best in the world at the transitions. Nobody transitions cleaner or more unexpectedly than Fedor." This is the only time I completely agree with Frank Trigg. To me the ability to seamlessly transition from skill set to skill set and in and out of the various ranges is one of the most important abilities one can possess. At one time BJJ was the most dominant art in the MMA world. Over the course of MMA's evolution it has been relegated to just a skill set. Many fighters get "caught" in the middle of transitioning. Often times it is the one who initiates the transition in the midst of the engagement that decides the outcome of the fight. By initiating the transition you cause the opponent to re-orient himself which lengthens his response time. I personally treat transitioning as a specific skill set as well. It in my opinion is the vital component to integrating all other tactics.

My father started training me when I was 8 in boxing and knife fighting.

I wrote a creed about 5 years ago that is on the back of all of our school shirts... Fear is our companion Pain is our mentor Survival is our duty Life is the only reward Our will shall never die

My fault... I meant to say that your intention should be to end the confrontation with every blow regardless how many you throw. Strike until there is nothing left to hit but air.....in other words...he is no longer conscious or a threat..

I do not advocate using the forearm or hand to block any type of kick. There is too much potential for breaking the hand or arm. I tend to use interception, jamming, evasion or utilizing my legs to block an incoming kick.

In my opinion training should be so demanding that it forces you to evaluate your motives for training on a regular basis, this way of training has allowed me to reach a "new" level in my skills every time I train with no plateaus.

The individual is far more important than the style. Effectiveness is measured by the skill of the individual not the style. When you break down any system or style to its most basic elements what exists is tools and targets and how we implement them into the various ranges of combat.

I don't really think in terms of "killing" the person per se; however I seek to destroy the persons spirit and will to fight. Every blow should be to end the confrontation...there is no setting up the final shot.

There are 2 things that make a kick powerful. Powerful core and the supporting leg of the kick must have allot of stability and strength.

Unfortunately "common" sense is a rarity in this day and age.

Welcome

8/19/08 815-1000 Military Press 45/10 135/8 155/6 185/5 225/5 245/1 265/1 275/1 300/1 Lateral Hammer Strength Press 90/5 135/3 left 135/1 right 1arm push ups Left 15/15/10/11 Right 10/10/10/10 Pec Deck Flies 205/8 250/8 295/8

The key to movement is having bio-mechanical unity in everything you do. However the prerequisite of this is having a high level of proprioception.

I have one entire class a week set aside just for the clinch. Striking within the clinch is one of my favorite things to do. Next would be base disruption leading into greco style take downs.

The male student would be asked to leave immediately and to never return.....If asking doesn't work he will be escorted. I am the head instructor at my school...and I deal with things right then. I have kicked out 8 individuals from my school in the last 2 years. My rule is universal respect...NO ONE WILL BAD MOUTH EACH OTHER....there is no warnings... That is my thoughts... I would find a less dysfunctional atmosphere to train in if I were you...

"To be empty, completely empty, is not a fearsome thing; it is absolutely essential for the mind to be unoccupied; to be empty, unenforced, for then only can it move into unknown depths." J. Krishnamurti

What makes us "artists" is the level and depth at which we are trying to attain through the expression of our chosen endeavor. I have trained in arts that have forms as well as arts that have no forms. I currently only teach MMA and Combative Sciences and there are zero forms, however, it is an artistic thing of beauty to watch someone highly skilled shadowbox or fluidly throw combinations on the heavy bag. Causing a sparring partner to miss at will with only the smallest most efficient movement being used is also a thing of beauty to me. I personally approach my teaching and training of sport / self defense from a martial artists perspective rather than a pure physical perspective. It is always the practitioner that decides to be an "artist" instead of a "fighter" or what have you. My opinions only...

Fighting is fighting...there is no delineation between fair, unfair, dirty..etc. I will injure to the degree that the attacker was attempting to do to me. I also disagree that there is such a thing as "honorable" fighting in the street.

One of the biggest things is to be motivated yourself. When you teach be full of energy and excitement about what you are teaching. The atmosphere that we present as teachers is one of the most important things we can provide. Another way I motivate my students is if they are having difficulty in their training is to use of examples of the difficulties I went through when I was first starting out in the martial arts. It helps them to know that we go through the same stepping stones to get to where we are.

8/17/08 1600-1645 Pull Downs 130/5 200/5 220/5 240/5 260/5 *Focused on form with the pull downs not max weight... Standing Face Pulls 35/10 50/10 70/5 60/10

8/16/08 Military Press 235/3 245/2 255/1 245/3 255/2 265/1 255/3 265/2 275/1

I would prefer to stomp on the throat just to make sure...

What level do you want to reach within your martial arts development? How good do you truly want to be? Some common answers I anticipate are "I want to surpass all levels" or "I want to be the best I can be"... but there is so much more to answering the above questions. What steps are you taking to reach a high level within your system? What are you currently doing now in your training to reach your goals?

Hey Bushidoman... glad to see you still posting your training. I have been insanely busy, still training 3 to 4 times a day and teaching 40 to 50 hours a week. I am going to try to post some of my current lifts and training routines soon.

3/24/08 1 Wide-Grip Barbell Bench Press Set #1 225x 2 #2 235x 1 #3 245x 1 #4 255x 1 #5 265x 1 #6 275x 1 2 Hammer Strength Bench #1 300x 2 #2 330x 1 3 Hammer Strength Rows #1 330x 5 #2 360x 4 #3 380x 3 #4 380x 3 #5 380x 3 #6 380x 3 4 Hammer Strength Low Row #1 180x 4 #2 200x 4 #3 240x 4 #4 240x 4 #5 240x 4