Prior to his debut MMA fight, Travis Hill (left) squares off against Jason Bartram. Photo courtesy of John John Photography
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VIDEO: BTT Plano Fighter Travis Hill Victorious In MMA Debut
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Winning Smiles? MMA Predictions Using Pre-Fight Pics
"War is a game that is played with a smile." - Winston Churchill (1941)
Smiles in the animal kingdom are one of the most studied emotional expressions. We generally accept smiles as a universal indication of happiness.
Felipe Arantes vs Milton Vieira UFC 147 pre-fight photo (June 2012). The match ended in a draw. Photo Source
In many other species, baring one's teeth can be perceived as a threat or show of potential force. But not all smiles are the same.
Frank McAndrew, professor of psychology at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, observes that baring one's teeth isn't always perceived as a threat.
"In primates, showing the teeth, especially teeth held together, is almost always a sign of submission. The human smile probably has evolved from that."
So how does this apply to the world of mixed martial arts? Can we make MMA predictions based on a fighter's propensity to flash their winning smiles?
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Pillars of the Community Tournament Results: Zach McBride
Gold medal winner, Zach McBride (left) with BJJ coach Diego Gamonal.
While all of our team members performed well, one student in particular stood out.
Zach McBride won four hard-fought matches and took home 1st place overall in the juvenile division.
Zach won three of his four matches by points, without relinquishing a single point until the last 45 seconds of his final match. Continue reading
Teep Kick Foot Jab: Muay Thai Video Tutorial
The teep kick, or foot jab, is an effective Muay Thai technique when properly executed. A teep kick can be used to counter strikes from your opponent by disrupting his or her timing and balance.
Your primary objective in using the teep kick is to limit your opponent's ability to hard jab or set up kicks with their jab.
We've provided a full transcript of this short teep kick tutorial and a quick reference guide for proper mechanics below the video.
If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments section below.
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Hand Strengthening in MMA: Why It’s Important
Hand strengthening is a critical aspect of a balanced MMA training regimen.
Mixed martial artists often overlook one body part in strength training: the hand.
How do you make a fist?
With your hand.
For your stand-up and ground game, what body part can make all the difference?
If you said "the hand", then you would be correct.
Vanity Focus
As professional Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training instructors, it's obvious to us that hand strengthening is an essential part of a balanced training regimen. Regrettably, many students overlook this reality and instead focus on vanity aspects of training: "Look how big my pipes are." MMA is about hand-to-hand, not bicep-to-bicep combat.
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Post-Workout Supplements
You just finished an intense training session and your muscles are screaming for some nutrition. Now it’s time to reap the benefits of all that hard work and fuel those muscles to grow.
But what do you feed them?
Brazilian Top Team Plano – Kids Jiu Jitsu Champion Update
David Ray and BTT Plano team members on the mat.
On Saturday, April 28, 2012, one of Brazilian Top Team Plano's members participated in the 1st annual Samurai Gi Challenge in Keller, Texas. The event for kids and teens was a round-robin style Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament operated under IBJJF rules and divisions.
Our team member, David Ray, represented the school in the 6-7 year old (45-55 lbs.) bracket. David stayed focused, fought hard, executed top-level techniques and showed respect on the mats. In other words, David was the embodiment of what we encourage all of our students to be.
Brazilian Top Team Plano: Self-defense Courses “Headlock Escape” Tutorial (VIDEO)
This post is part of an ongoing blog series covering Brazilian Top Team Plano self-defense tutorials for mixed martial arts (MMA). The aim of this series is to provide you with some of BTT Plano's best training tips through concise video segments and written reviews. Whether you're a novice or experienced athlete, you should follow our blog to learn more.
In this video blog series, we want to show you how we help our students develop perfect techniques. One component of Brazilian Top Team Plano mixed martial arts classes is self-defense training for both kids and adults.
BTT Plano self-defense courses can incorporate multiple aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu--where grappling techniques and application are the focus--and Muay Thai--where stand-up skills include attacks and maneuvers with the elbows and knees.
Today, our MMA Coach, Lee McDermott, will walk us through a self-defense technique for escaping an opponent's headlock. Coach McDormott is an expert in mixed martial arts and has been part of Brazilian Top Team for over a decade. He has also coached boxing to Master Murilo Bustamante, founder of Brazilian Top team, and Rousimar Palhares, amongst other top level athletes.
Brazilian Top Team Plano: Muay Thai “Hip Movement Drill – Throwing a Knee” Tutorial (VIDEO)
This post is Part 2 of an ongoing blog series covering Brazilian Top Team Plano Muay Thai tutorials for mixed martial arts (MMA). The aim of this series is to provide you with some of BTT Plano’s best training tips through concise video segments and written reviews. Whether you’re a novice or experienced athlete, you should follow our blog to learn more.
Head Coach Kale Sims (left) with BTT Plano team member, Tyler Morgan.
In Brazilian Top Team Plano Muay Thai classes, we constantly stress learning through disciplined repetition–both on and off the mat. This tutorial series is designed to encourage both.
Today, we follow our previous "Low Kick" tutorial with a short instructional video featuring our Head Muay Thai Coach, Kale Sims. In the short video below, Coach Sims will walk us through the proper mechanics for throwing a knee. The goal of this exercise is to illustrate the fundamentals of hip movement in Muay Thai.
Brazilian Top Team Plano: Jiu Jitsu “Armbar & Full Guard” Tutorial (VIDEO)
This post is Part 2 of an ongoing blog series covering Brazilian Top Team Plano Jiu Jitsu tutorials for mixed martial arts (MMA). The aim of this series is to provide you with some of BTT Plano's best training tips through concise video segments and written reviews. Whether you're a novice or experienced athlete, you should follow our blog to learn more.
Brazilian Top Team Plano's Head Jiu Jitsu Coach, Diego Gamonal.
In Brazilian Top Team Plano Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) classes, we constantly stress learning through disciplined repetition–both on and off the mat. This tutorial series is designed to encourage both.
Today, we present you with a short instructional video featuring our Head Jiu Jitsu instructor, Professor Diego Gamonal.
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