The gym you choose to train in has everything to do with your success.

So, in a departure from our usual content, today we’re going to see what students have to say about Rhode Island’s Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy.

From the Students’ Own Mouths

You know the major advantages of training in martial arts – most obviously, the benefits to your strength, coordination, and fitness. But there are so many other perks to training that the best way to highlight them is to let real Rhode Island students describe the features that make their experience at BDMMA rewarding for each of them.

Let’s start with Chris Harris, longtime veteran of the Black Diamond BJJ and MMA programs. Check out his testimonial:

What keeps Chris coming back time and time again? Well…

• The positive, helpful attitude of his teammates, and the support they provide,
• Learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from the best teachers in Rhode Island, and
• A fitness regimen that’s adaptable for everyone from first timers to seasoned pros

Pretty promising. Let’s have another perspective, shall we? Meet Brian Krafton, the toughest man working at DuPont. At BDMMA, Brian not only gets a great training routine, but he also gets to share it with his son, Austin:

As a former wrestler, Brian already has fighting experience under his belt, but, nearing 47, he realized it was time to get back into fighting shape. Like Chris, Brian emphasizes the camaraderie that defines the class atmosphere. And, again like Chris, Brian notes how much he appreciates the instructors’ sensitivity to the diverse motivations students have for coming to train. He summarizes,

Anyone that’s interested in Mixed Martial Arts, I couldn’t recommend a better place to give it a shot.

Let’s look at one more review, this time from Ben Burdick, Black Diamond’s Student of the Month back in May.

Ben’s attending CCRI for law enforcement. How does he prepare for such a demanding career? At Black Diamond, of course, where he stays in shape while honing his self-defense skills.

If you listen closely, you’ll notice a theme emerging. What BDMMA has on offer is expert instructors, a supportive team environment, and a set of programs designed to cater to just about every age and fitness level.

So, take it from these guys – if you’re a resident of Little Rhody and you’re the least bit curious about self defense, MMA, or BJJ, you owe it to yourself to check out that 30 day free trial. We’ll see you on the mats.

As we said last time, this is essentially a gi-specific move. In keeping with the spirit of BJJ, the trick to this version of the pass is using your opponent’s energy against him.

The Bullfighter Pass: Exploiting Resistance

Here, again, is Coach Josh Colacone of Black Diamond MMA to show you the move from beginning to end:

BDMMA Technique Breakdown: The Bullfighter Pass

1. Get grips on the inside of your opponent’s knees. Again, this only works if your opponent’s got a gi to grab.
   
2. Compress your opponent’s legs. As before, you’ll lean into your opponent, pushing his knees up towards his chin. Chances are, he’ll know that spells trouble for his mobility, and he’s likely to resist. That’s fine. This version of the pass is designed to exploit that very reaction.
3. When your opponent pushes back, pull his legs straight. If instinct guides your opponent to kick back against your pressure, switch from compressing his legs to extending them. Do not let go of your grips. As long as his legs are straight, pinched together, and in your control, he’s still not in a great position.
4. As you pull his legs out, step to one side. Just like before, you’ll need to pick a side and step quickly to it. This is the movement that makes you resemble a bullfighter. Imagine that you’re the matador and your opponent’s feet are the bull. As they charge at you, you step deftly to one side, holding his gi as though it’s your cape.
5. Keep your opponent pinned on his back. As Coach Josh demonstrates, you’ve got two options for that: take knee-on-belly or drive your head-side shoulder into your opponent’s stomach. If you choose the first option, first pin your opponent with your head-side knee, then switch to your hip-side knee.
6. Consolidate side control. Just like before, the move isn’t finished until you’ve consolidated your dominant position. Get your hip-side knee in tight against his hip,  your head-side arm under his neck, and your hip-side elbow pinned to his far hip. As always, maintain control one way until you have it another way.

BJJ Review:

Charlie’s goal was to work the BEST technical Jiu Jitsu instructor in the area, when he found Coach Daniel Faggella (Pan Am Champion, Absolute Division Medalist, recognized Leg Lock Expert), he knew he’d found the right place to train!

A big thanks to Charlie for his kind words

-Zach

BDMMA

Jared Training in the Jiu Jitsu Room with his Father

Jared works on a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Omoplata lock with his father at a seminar here at BDMMA. Jared is in the back working with Big Paul on the same technique.

Transitioning more and more into the world of MMA – Jared and Jesse came down to Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts looking for a change – and a way to round out their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and formal grappling skills.

Training under Pan American Champion Daniel Faggella, the two quickly were able to build off of their previous skills – and are now even planning to go to a NAGA (North American Grappling Association) tournament soon.

What These Coventry Natives Love Most About Black Diamond MMA

Jared loves the team atmosphere and the emphasis on very TECHNICAL Jiu Jitsu instruction – from fundmental to advanced. Jesse also involves the higher level grappling skills – particularly the guillotine chokes and leg locks!

Jared has now taken the role of assistent instructor, and we’re glad to have him onboard. In fact, recently he helped prepare one of our amateur competitors for his first ever MMA bout – as well as helping a number of our BJJ competitors.

Coventry and Westerly… Why So Many?!

Part of it is probably because we offer a Free Private Lesson and a 30 Day FREE Trial, but Since we moved into our new 4,500 square foot facility, we’ve had tons and tons of people training with us from all over the Western part of the state training with us here at Black Diamond. One time, one of our members from Wyoming, RI mentioned “Jeez, people in the Sticks really like you guys!”

We couldn’t help but laugh – and we’re MORE than happy to have two stand-up martial artists like Jared and Jesse training with us here.

All the best,

-Nick, Black Diamond MMA

The Bullfighter Pass: Simple Version

As Black Diamond MMA‘s Coach Josh Colacone suggests in the video that follows, there’s a proactive and a reactive version of this pass. The difference comes down to how quick you are and how much resistance your opponent gives you. In this post, we’ll cover the proactive version, which ought to be your first choice, and in the following post we’ll cover the reactive version. Here’s how it looks:

BDMMA Technique Breakdown: The Bullfighter Pass

1. Get grips on the inside of your opponent’s knees. This, clearly, is one of the reasons this is a gi-specific pass. You’re grabbing fistfuls of your opponent’s gi; in no-gi, you’d have nothing to grab, and it’d be illegal if you did manage to grab his shorts.
2. Compress your opponent’s legs. Leaning your own bodyweight into your opponent, you can force him to fold up onto himself. That way, he has almost no mobility in his legs, and escaping will require a lot of explosive energy on his part.
3. Step to one side, and push your opponent’s knees to the other. This step and the next one need to happen quickly. If you telegraph which side you plan to pass to, your opponent can adjust and potentially stop you. So pick your side, keep your opponent’s knees close to his chin, and push him to the side you aren’t passing to. Watch out for his feet as you pass; you want to make sure he can’t get half guard.
4. Consolidate side control. The move’s never done until you’ve consolidated your dominant position. Get your hip-side knee in tight against his hip and your head-side arm under his neck. Only then should you release your grip on his knee with your hip-side hand. You know the drill: maintain control one way until you have it another way.

In a self-defense situation, you may trip, fall, or get knocked down. It happens. The most important thing is that you get back to your feet so that you can remove yourself from the situation without harm. (Remember that these scenarios are no time for an ego trip. If you can get away, do, even if you’d much rather show your attacker what you’re capable of).

So, here are the basic points to bear in mind:

• Stay assertive on your back.
• Make space.
• Stay safe while you stand.

We’ll break those down in more detail, below, but first, here’s BDMMA’s Coach Dan Faggella demonstrating how those principles come together:

Now that we know what the move looks like, let’s have a closer look at those principles.

1. Stay assertive on your back. You have to make it clear that you’re down but not out. This is both a physical and a mental issue. If, on the ground, you give your attacker visual cues that suggest you’re beaten, you’re in trouble. Here are some ways to avoid sending that signal:
   1. Stay active. Just like in sanctioned BJJ matches, you do not, in a street fight, ever want to be flat and immobile on your back. As Coach Dan illustrates, the key here is to rock onto one hip to regain your mobility. Don’t turtle up, don’t turn your back to your opponent, and don’t start acting defeated.
   2. Stay threatening. True, it’d be pretty epic if you could pull off a heel hook from that position, but in this case, the more relevant threats are your kicks to the knee, groin, pubic bone, and (depending on his stance) face of your opponent. Don’t hesitate to take the “cheap” shot, here; this isn’t a pro fight, and this isn’t about your honor. If you can disable your assailant, you should.
2. Make space between you and your attacker. It won’t do you any good to stand straight up; in fact, that’ll just put you immediately back in harm’s way. Instead:
   1. Brace your bottom-side foot against your opponent’s shin and kick off. This move has a double effect. First, it allows you to push away from your opponent. Second – and depending, to some extent, on your opponent’s posture – it’ll put your opponent off balance. It won’t destabilize him for long, but you can certainly exploit that split-second to stand up.
   2. Come up first to your bottom-side elbow, then hand. As Coach Dan points out, you don’t want to bring your head and torso closer to your opponent. Again, that’s asking for trouble. Prop yourself up enough that you can swing your leg behind you in the following step.
3. Stay safe while you stand.
   1. Keep your top-side hand up to defend your face. As any good boxer knows, keeping your hands up is essential. If you’re in an inferior position, the need for good defense is even greater. So keep that hand between you and your opponent.
   2. Swing your bottom-side leg behind you. Immediately after kicking off your opponent’s shin, you’ll whip your bottom-side leg underneath you and behind you. Look how much extra space Coach Dan generates with this move. The more space you make, the safer and more stable you’ll be.
   3. Assume your fight stance. Using the stutter-step motion that Coach Dan demonstrates, you can now safely back up and get into your default fight stance. You may still have the bulk of a fight ahead of you, but at least you’re back to a more-or-less neutral position.

Details on Finish on the Achilles Lock

Here we see two very important details! First, that the important factor in getting the finish is INITIATIVE.

Second, that the tightness of the hold is increased tenfold by facing the ground and driving the pressure downward rather than upward. Chris Harris and Brian Krafton both posed a very similar question about where the hips should be angled, and this downward angle was the answer.

A downward facing chest and hip angle almost always produces a better, stronger achilles lock. Dan Faggella is recognized as one of Rhode Island’s best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitors and respected instructors.

The key is, not to necessarily count on extending over one’s shoulder, but to tuck one’s elbow under the body to “force” the position of bellying down. If the grip is kept tight, and the legs in proper position, this is a very effective way to finish.

Thanks a lot for a great Mastery class, guys!

-Nick

He fears no man and he’s so composed but the question is whats in store for the 25 year old superstar

Using this arm triangle is a great way to subdue an opponent without having to truly harm him in any way.

Notice how coach Tim sinks his weight DOWNWARD, allowing is shoulder to do most of the work instead of his biceps / muscles.

In Mixed Martial Arts, this is among the most popular of all choke holds – and it’s important to know for self-defense as well! If you have requests for other techniques, send us a line at coachdan [at] objja.com – we’re always happy to film more for our blog readers!

Best,

-Coach Daniel