Society are full of symbolisms and brands. They create a belief system, that may or may not, be beneficial to the user.

One example of this is the Krav Maga system. At these schools, they teach students how to take away guns and knives from attackers. It seems appealing, and creates a belief that you may be able to disarm an attacker with  Israeli Special Forces techniques.

Nothing could be further from the truth. And these schools rely on the fact that you may never get into these situations.

Imagine a housewife using a knife disarm technique against a 200 pound attacker….

We will be posting the new schedule for the New Year during the last week of December.  Changes will be made to the Kids Program incorporating more MMA training with the Pankration curriculum and to the Jiu Jitsu program.

More to follow….

With the downturn in the economy, crime will grow rapidly, and the people who live in wealthier areas (i.e. Orange County) are very susceptible to this danger.  Criminals will look for easier targets, and will come to these neighborhoods to stirke.  Home break-ins are becoming more popular among these criminals, so self defense is especially important.

The added stress also needs to be relieved during these times. It is really hard to motivate yourself to go  to the gym, so our instructors are more than happy to push you to achieve greater health. Working out with a partner and learning self defense is killing two birds with one stone.

Learn self defense and get fit. You won’t regret it. It is also a cheap insurance policy.

OCJJ and MMA instructor James Wilks won the Gladiator Challenge Welterweight title against Mike Robles last Saturday.

James is not only a superb fighter but an excellent instructor at OCJJ. He currently runs the beginning and advanced MMA class at OC Jiu Jitsua and MMA.

OCJJ student Mark Vorgeas won his first professional MMA fight in 2 mins. The event was the Apocalypse event held in Palm Springs.

Mark has only trained for only 2 years before breaking into the MMA professional arena. With steady training, and dedication, his hard work has paid off.

Having a long term goal is the only thing that keeps us on track. If the goal is realistic, chances are that it will come to fruition. There will be obstacles, diversions, and failures - but that is part of having a successful life.

With the recent market debacle, having a long term plan will make you a winner. Warren Buffett, the richest stock investor in the world, is a shining example of patience.  At these stock market levels, Buffett is on a bargain hunt and knows, with great probability, that he will make money - lots of money. It was only 9 months ago that he said there were no bargains in the markets; he kept to the sidelines, and waited for an opportunity like this.

If you think the US will go into a severe recession or depression, then you need to move to a Third World country. Let the optimistic individuals live with this great opportunity at hand.

In the martial arts, having a long term goal is attaining a Black Belt. The benefits (weight loss, great self defense skills, and a healthier lifestyle) outweigh anything I can think of .

Keeping on track on attaining a Black Belt will buffer you from panic situations - most often from a surprised attack or even health problems.

It is your choice on what to do with your life - you only have one, and it is short indeed. Use it wisely, and protect yourself and live a healthy lifestyle.

The state of the economy is a result of greed and lack of forward thinking. When things are good, little is done to refine the status quo and self-evaluation is postponed.

With your physical well being, taking practical martial arts that work (like Brazilian JIu Jitsu and MMA), and exercising your body is a cheap insurance to protecting yourself, when you need it, and giving yourself more years of life.

Regarding “practical” self defense, there are many martial arts out there. There is only one that works, and it has been proven over the last 10 years in the ring - Mixed Martial Arts. Taking anything else raises the risk of injury when you need it.

Only when facing adversity, do people realize what works and what does not. Don’t put yourself in that position when you need the skills to defend yourself. Being overweight, can place great burden on your health as well. Somehow we ignore this fact - either we are too busy with work, the family, or something else.  All this goes out the window if you experience a heart attack, get diabetes, and cancer.

Life is more fragile than you think.

James Wilks, OCJJ MMA instructor, will be fighting for the Gladiator Challenge lightweight title on October 25 at the Casino Pauma. 

With the recent debacle of the stock market, the funds that have diversified their risk, will be the winners in the end. 

Diversification of risk is something that should be thought in earnest. Even eating one type of  food (i.e. a large meat diet) will put your health in risk.

When is comes to self defense, you really need to diversify your risk. The one time that you need it, you really need to cover all aspects of an attack. If you just train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you will be at risk against an attacker who is skilled in stand-up. 

The UFC has shown us that the fighter with the complete skills are the ones that win. George St. Pierre, BJ Penn, and others who have diversified away from their core martial arts have remained winners.

This is why at OC Jiu Jitsu and MMA we put beginners through a program of MMA and Jiu-Jitsu. You never know where you are going to end up when attacked, but at least you will have all your bases covered.

OCJJ and MMA student, Andrew Lang, fought in the professional JG and TKT Promotions - Fighting 4 Kidz fight several weeks ago. Although he lost by decision, it was an exciting fight for him and the school.

Andrew is a graduate of UCLA and works in marketing for a company in Orange County. Most of our students are business professionals and take advantage of the great training at the school.

OCJJ and MMA is also the Number One team in Pankration (Amateur MMA). The team beat out the highly established Marines from Camp Pendleton, Cleber’s BJJ school in Huntington Beach, and several other established schools in Orange County.

The school has been in existence for over 2 years,and has already established itself as the number one school for MMA and Jiu Jitsu in Orange County.

Here is a pic of Andrew’s fight: