Kettlebells and Jiu Jitsu: Perfect together
Last weekend, two of my students, Zack Fox and Cathy Raimonda (RKC and HKC Certified respectively) competed in the NAGA (North American Grappling Association) Battle at the Beach. Both won Gold Medals. I can easily state that their Kettlebell Training had a significant impact on their strength and conditioning in preparation for the tournament.
Zack Fox, 21, came to me a year ago. He had no formal Combat Training. No wrestling, Karate or even Tae Bo. However, he was 230lbs, very strong and athletic with a strong desire to be the best. He recently competed at 189lbs, over 40 pounds lighter than when he walked in, but not just pound for pound stronger – but stronger overall. Check out this blog post a few months back: Can you Train with both Kettlebells & Weights? : American Eagle MMA and KettlebellsZack had incredible numbers on his bench, deadlift and squat. Now his numbers are better, he only lifts once a week (if that), does Kettlebells, Bodyweight and Martial Arts.
Zack lost his first few matches and then took second in the White Belt Division at the end of last September. He hasn’t looked back since; piling up 5 Gold Medals out of his last six divisional competitions. Zack’s only loss was a triple overtime, referee’s decision this past weekend while competing in the Intermediate Division. Intermediate competitors typically have 3 to 5 years experience. Zack has only trained for a year. His Gi bouts all ended up in victorious submissions, one in a mere 0:28 seconds.
Cathy Raimonda is a 43 year old (she’s going to kill me for divulging her age!) Mother of two. Cathy has never competed in any combat sports what so ever. She had an even tougher uphill climb, there were no competitors for her in the 40+ division. She had to compete with girls in their 30’s & 40’s, one was even 19! Cathy won the Gold in the No-Gi by a dominating 6-2 performance. She also had three bouts in Gi, winning her first bout by a margin of 17-2 and her consolation bout was tough fought battle where she cam back from a 9-0 deficit to score 7 points with less than a minute on the clock. She was seconds away from an Americana Submission when time expired. Cathy will be taking her RKC Certification in October.
I hope that these success stories inspire you and your students. Please feel free to make posts and ask questions.
As always – Train Hard & Train Often,
Coach Phil
