So you want to learn how to fight?
I can’t tell you that this is going to happen overnight but there is hope for you still and the roadmap is clear to be able to gain that ability. It’s going to take time, dedication and the mindset to continue even when things get tough.
Meet your coaches:
- Coach Lonnie will be your striking coach and guide you through the devastating art of Muay Thai where you will learn elbows, knees, punches and kicks that will disable attackers at length.
- Coach Chris is your grappling coach and will lead you through your grappling journey in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where you will learn how to handle yourself on the ground with chokes, arm bars and graceful sweeps.
Here is a look into a typical 3-Day Training Week:
Day 1: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class with Coach Chris
Today you will be performing a fifteen-minute warm up that will include light jogging around the gym with push ups, sit-ups and really fun partner drills. After warm ups you will be paired up with a partner where you will be covering guard position chokes.
Guard is when you’re on your back and your partner is kneeling in front of you and your legs are wrapped around their waist.
- First drill. Collar chokes! You will be drilling back and forth for clean reps where you will choke your partner just hard enough for them to “tap out”. Rinse and repeat.
- Second drill. Scissor sweeps. Again the drilling begins. You set up the sweep by grabbing your partners collar, securing a sleeve and breaking their base down with a scissor motion making them fall to the side with you landing on top. A position of real power.
Now its time for live sparring. Five minute rounds begin and its you vs. your partner. Each jockeying for dominant position to gain an opportunity to choke or armbar the other. You’re tired. I mean, really tired but you push through and finish the round and move on to another.
You won a few and lost a few tonight but you feel great because you had your feet held to the fire and pushed through when you would have normally quit in the past. You’re growing.
It's time to line up and high-five your training partners to finish class and can’t help but feel this sense of connection to these people you didn’t know just a few weeks ago. They are now your combat family and have your trust and your back.
Day 2: Muay Thai with Coach Lonnie
You line up and bow in the traditional Thai way and begin with a light show boxing round. Jab, cross, hook, knee. You remember these techniques from last weeks class and are feeling more comfortable throwing them with each rep.
Next round is push-ups, sit ups, air squats and you’re reminded of your reps from yesterday as you begin each one. A little sore but that won’t stop you on this journey. It will only make you stronger.
After about fifteen minutes of this Coach Lonnie instructs you to get a sip of water, glove up and find a partner.
An unfamiliar face approaches you to be their partner. It seems this person has a ton of experience and maybe has even fought before. Unsure and slightly intimidated you agree and begin the drills instructed.
- Drill 1. Three, leg. On your partners gloves you throw a jab, cross, left hook followed by a leg kick and the return the drill back to you. You begin to flow and feel more confident because of the control you’re partner is having when they could simply kick your leg right off if they wanted to.
- Drill 2. Pair three, leg with seven, kick. WOW this sounds tricky and is but you’re getting it. Mainly because your partner, who you’ve learned was the 2013 WKA World Champion has been helping you every step of the way. Now this is getting fun!
After a few drills like this you’re learning about range, distance, timing and now its time to move on to power. This is what you’ve been waiting for. A chance to release the hounds. A time to sweat all the stress and troubles from the day out. Its time to hit something hard.
Coach Lonnie instructs you to find a back with your partner and do what’s called “trading kicks”. It's an I kick, you kick drill that last for two minutes.
Two minutes is cake! The bell rings and your partner unleashes a kick onto the heavy back and shakes not only the building but your soul at the same time. It has motivated you to bring your best as well and damn did it feel good.
About ten kicks in you really start to feel it and peer at the clock only to see that you still have one minute and thirty seconds to go. This should be fun.
The drill finishes up and we circle up as a big group which marks the end of class. Again, you look around and see that everyone is in the same state as you are. Sweaty, tired but somehow inspired and looking like a real team who just suffered a battle together.
You high-five everyone and begin to grab your things when you’re approached by your partner who asks if they can show you a few things to help you get the most out of you’re training. Surprised that anyone cares you glove up and move around a bit.
How cool is this? You’re moving around one-on-one with someone who’s fought on the biggest international amateur stage.
Day 3: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Coach Chris.
Today you woke up sore and have every excuse to stay home and watch reruns of ‘The Office’ on your couch with a bag of pretzels and a cold-ass Diet Coke but you made this commitment to learn how to fight and you’ve decided that’s more important than slacking.
Class starts off just like you remember Monday's did. A nice warm up followed by some drilling but then things change a bit and move toward something called “pass/sweep” placed inside of a game called King of the Hill.
Two groups of students make two different circles and two people are placed in guard position with one on top and on bottom. The goal being that the person who is controlling with guard has to sweep the other and their partner must attempt to pass the guard. Each fighting for a better position. The person who does remains in the middle and scores a fresh opponent.
The first round you immediately get swept but find comfort that the purple belt in the middle seems to be doing this to everyone else too. Then your time comes again and the purple belt is visibly tired. Now is your chance. You panic and spaz at first but then remember the guard pass from Monday and begin to employ that skill.
Grab the collar; secure the sleeve, elbows in. It begins to work but you’re exhausted. Then all of the sudden the guard opens and you begin to pass an even more exhausted purple belts guard. Success!
Oh, but wait. Now you stay in the middle and others begin to pounce on you until your guard is passed which is, in some way, a small relief.
Class finishes out this way and as people gather their untied belts off the floor they resemble something from the walking dead. Quickly you gather yourself, tie your belt and fix your hair only to turn around to a group of people who’ve done the same and you all look refreshed but each knows the other is hiding the exhaustion.
The high five circle ensues and class breaks up but as you look over a few people begin to get some live rolls in after class.
You think to yourself, “what the heck?” and ask a fellow white belt to roll with you as well and you finish off the night back and forth with a new friend and a new outlook on what you’re capable of.
At this point, you’ve completed one week of real martial arts training but you’re not there yet. Being able to defend yourself is not something you can build in only one week of training. Heck, even a month or two won’t likely give you that ability either.
This is going to be a journey and one that lasts for years and is, unfortunately, perishable should you stop. But you know that. You also know that not only will you gain the ability to learn how to fight but you’re also going to meet some pretty incredible people on that journey and make some life-long friends as well.
This is a glimpse of what a typical training week could look like for you. In just three days a week you can start to develop a strong foundation in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai Kickboxing. These two martial arts are the preeminent styles in becoming a well-rounded fighter.
If you want to discover what DG is all about, here's what to do next:
- Fill out the form below with your Name, Email, and Phone Number. Then, we'll get you set up our test-drive program
- During the lessons, we'll go over your goals and level of commitment.
- If it's a good fit we'll get you set up on a program to meet your needs.
Let's get after it!
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