Pages - Menu

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Chris Weidman X Anderson Silva II - UFC 168 GIFs

UFC 168 took place this past Saturday, Dec 28, 2013, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman faced the man he beat for the belt, Anderson Silva, in the immediate rematch.


If you do not know the results of this fight yet, be forewarned that there is a graphic GIF of the outcome. If you are squeamish or have kids around, please avoid the last picture. View the rest in privacy.





Round 1 - Champ takes challenger down



SloMo Highlights







Round 2 - first Leg Check




I SloMo'd the above at the request of my friend Ryan "Guard Dog" Gruhn




2nd Leg Check










THIS NEXT GIF IS GRAPHIC!!!
VIEW AT YOUR DISCRETION PLEASE!!!















































Wishing Anderson Silva a speedy and healthy recovery. Whatever he chooses to do in his future, I wish him success!


Congratulations to Chris Weidman! May your career be legendary!




If you missed UFC 168's Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate fight, you can check out the highligt GIFs I've made:



Round 3 GIF Highlights of Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate UFC 168

My sincerest apologies for the slow page load if that's the case with your connection, but please enjoy these 4 GIFs of Round 3 highlights, 1 real-time and 3 SloMo.


If you missed my highlight GIFs of Rounds 1 and 2, please check out:





Round 3 just started and this happened



8 wins for Ronda Rousey - all by armbar!



3 SloMo Highlights from Round 3










Congratulations to Ronda Rousey for winning her 8th fight and retaining her Bantamweight Championship. Additionally, she won the Submission of the Night Bonus ($75,000) as well as the splitting the Fight of the Night Bonus ($150,000) with Meisha Tate.

Round 2 Highlight GIF's Part 2 - UFC 168 - Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate

If you missed the previous entries in this series of highlight GIFs of Ronda Rousey vs Meisha Tate, please check out:











SloMo's






Round 3 Highlight GIF's next:


  • Round 3 GIF Highlights of Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate UFC 168

Round 2 Highlight GIF's Part 1 - UFC 168 - Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate

My sincerest apologies for the slow page load if that's the case with your connection, but please enjoy Part 1 of Rd 2 highlights - 6 GIFs in total.


If you missed my highlight GIFs of Round 1, please check out:
















Check out Part 2 of Round 2 Highlights here:

  • Round 2 Highlight GIF's Part 2 - UFC 168 - Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate


Loren Christensen - Psyching Up



Whether you’re about to face a formidable martial arts opponent, serve a high-risk warrant, or search a house in some hot, dusty town in the Middle East, there are several ways to charge your mind and your body for the task. Some call it “getting psyched” or “psyching up.” Psychologists refer to it as “levels of arousal.” Hmm. I’m not sure about that last term. Should someone ask what you’re doing, do you really want to say, “I’m getting aroused”? Best to stay with “psyching up.”




By whatever term you choose, getting psyched up can be key to functioning at your optimum. Here are a few ways to do it.


Selected Association

This is a psychological term that refers to being with others who already have the level of arousal you need. This isn’t the time to avoid those hyped-up, obnoxious loudmouths. The time to avoid these people is when you want to calm down after an event. But to get psyched up, seize the moment to soak up their enthusiasm.

A good teacher, coach, sergeant, and captain know how to use their words, body language, and energy to charge those about to do a difficult task



Cue Words

I like this method and use it to calm myself — psyche down, if you will — as well as to psyche up. I’ll bare my soul here and tell you my two words. Please don’t tell anyone. To calm myself, I whisper or think sink. Over the years, I have learned to relate that word to letting go of all my tension and stress.

To psyche up, I whisper or think the word samurai. I’ve been training in the martial arts for nearly 50 years, so the word has a powerful suggestibility to me. I’ve seen many samurai movies, visited exhibits, watched demonstrations, and read lots on the subject. When I say or think “samurai,” it conjures in me a warrior of extraordinary skill ready to do what needs to be done.

Words have meaning. The right one(s) invokes powerful psychological, emotional, and physical reactions. In short, the right word or words psyche you up.


Cue Images

These are your mental images — call them movies if you want — of you performing at your best. For example, if you’re trying to improve your running speed, you might think of a cheetah ripping across a plain. If you want to work on your quick draw, you might “see” in your mind the late Bob Munden, who could draw, shoot, hit the target (sometimes two targets), and reholster faster than the blink of an eye. Literally.

If not a cheetah, your cue image might be another fighter who has qualities that you admire. It might be a fellow officer who does an excellent job on felony stops, or a fellow soldier who exhibits all the warrior qualities you want to emulate.


Physical Warm-Ups

This is easier for martial artists to do but cops and soldiers should do it when they have the opportunity. In my martial art class, we do the same warm-up every time. This works as a physical and mental bridge from the students’ workday or school day, to practicing the fighting arts. The loosening exercises are martial arts specific to help bridge that gap.

Cops and soldiers might have to go off by themselves for a few minutes to physically warm up. Should someone make a comment, just say that your back and shoulders are bothering you and you need to get your blood flowing a little.

In the end, know that because your mind and body are connected, physical activation will spur psychological activation.


Self-Confidence Statements 

Many warriors use statements such as the following — whispered to themselves, said aloud, or simply thought — to instill a powerful sense of self-assurance.
  • “I will perform at my best.”
  • “I am ready to do this.”
  • “I’m anxious to do this.”
  • “I’m feeling good.”
  • “I’m strong.”
  • “I’m full of courage.”
  • “I know how to do this.”
Always state your self-confidence mantras in the positive. For example, don’t say, “I am not weak,” because your subconscious tends to ignore the negative word “not.” In other words, it hears “I am weak.” So keep it positive: “I am strong.”


Anger Transformation

Using anger to psyche up yourself is controversial. Advocates believe that it energizes and psyches one to perform at his/her optimum. Others believe that it can be detrimental, in that it tightens muscles and clouds thinking.

I’ve found it to be detrimental, at least as it pertains to hand-to-hand combat. I’ve been in situations where I was angry in the extreme and found that I lost my fine-motor skills and my thinking was restricted. Conversely, when I responded with a cool head, my techniques were cleaner, faster, and my thinking less prehistoric.

Among psychologists, to include sports psychologists, there is little support for using anger to psyche oneself. Wait, there is one.

If you’re in a survival situation and you’re certain that you’re about to die, especially if you were to give up, that is the time to muster all the unbridled anger and rage to psyche yourself to fight all out.


Music

Tunes are the most popular way to psyche up. During my competition years, I listened to certain songs in my car during my commute to a tournament. When I was a cop working a particularly dangerous part of town, I listened to hard rock, which I detest, while driving to work. As a fiction writer now, I listen to certain movie soundtracks when writing action scenes.

Some of our troops in Afghanistan listen to hard rock in their vehicles when attacking or defending against the enemy. And who can forget that iconic helicopter assault scene in Apocalypse Now when the lead chopper played “Ride of the Valkyries” over its loudspeaker to not only psyche the warriors in the birds, but also to terrorize the Vietcong on the ground.

What kind of music works for you?

 * * *

Studies show that psyching techniques work. What is clear is that different people need different techniques to get results. Music works for Tom, but cue words work best for Kathy. Cue images work for your teacher, but performing some simple warm-ups works best to prepare your mind and body.

Take the time to learn what is in your best interest. You will love the results.

Loren was a military policeman in Saigon during the Vietnam War and retired from the Portland, Oregon, Police Department after more than two decades of service. He can be contacted through his website at www.lwcbooks.com.






NOTES:

My sincerest gratitude to Loren Christensen for his kind permission in reposting his article to my site.


For other Loren Christensen posts, please check out:



UFC 168 - Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate - Rd 1 Highlights Part 2

UFC 168 took place this past Saturday, Dec 28, 2013, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Women's Bantamweight Champion, Ronda Rousey (7-0), faced challenger Meisha Tate (13-4).

My sincerest apologies for the slow page load if that's the case with your connection, but please enjoy these 5 GIFs of Round 1 highlights, 2 real-time and 3 SloMo. Part 1 can be found here:






2 Real-Time GIFs








3 SloMo GIFs








Congratulations to Ronda Rousey for winning her 8th fight and retaining her Bantamweight Championship. Additionally, she won the Submission of the Night Bonus ($75,000) as well as the splitting the Fight of the Night Bonus ($150,000) with Meisha Tate.



UFC 168 - Ronda Rousey X Meisha Tate - Rd 1 Highlights Part 1

UFC 168 took place this past Saturday, Dec 28, 2013, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Women's Bantamweight Champion, Ronda Rousey (7-0), faced challenger Meisha Tate (13-4).

My sincerest apologies for the slow page load if that's the case with your connection, but please enjoy these 5 GIFs of Round 1 highlights, all real-time.Next post will have 2 more real-time GIFs and 3 SloMo GIFs.












Please check out the next post for Part 2 of Round 1 Highlights:


Monday, December 30, 2013

Loren Christensen - Combat Breathing

The Power of Combat Breathing 

by Loren Christensen


Four-count breathing is a highly effective and easy-to-do technique that slows your thumping heartbeat, reduces the tremble in your hands, clears your mind, and envelops you in a sense of calm and control. Although this powerful tool has been used in the martial arts, yoga, and medical field for a long time, it’s only been in recent years that it’s has been popularized in the military and law enforcement communities by authorities such as Lt. Col. Dave Grossman (On Combat) and others.

The technical term for the procedure is autogenic breathing, but police officers and soldiers call it tactical breathing or combat breathing. SWAT officers report that they have used it just before making a high-risk forced entry or a critical sniper shot. Soldiers use it to bring calm to their minds and bodies before they go into battle, and again after the battle to “come down” from the adrenaline rush. High school and college students are finding that it reduces test anxiety, and many surgeons use it before beginning a delicate operating procedure where optimum fine motor control is needed. Even serious car accident victims have reported using it while waiting for the Jaws of Life to release them from the twisted metal.

The first time I used it was as a police officer outside the doors of an abortion clinic. I was the first to arrive at a massive brawl between pro-choice and anti-abortion people. Because fists were flying and protest signs were clobbering, I pushed through the mob without waiting for backup. After knocking a couple of people down who had swung signs at me, I found myself with my back against the locked doors of the clinic as the mob pushed against me in their effort to break through the doors.

My hands were shaking, my thumping heart was making my badge bounce, and my eyes were watering so badly that I could barely see. During a short lull in the pushing and shoving, I commenced to do the four-count breathing without anyone knowing. By the second cycle, my hands stopped shaking, my heart rate moved below the red danger zone, and my vision improved. After the third, I was once again in control of myself, and thus able to calm those closest to me as I stalled, waiting for my backup to arrive.

On another occasion, I did it while jammed in a police van with several other nervous cops, racing through predawn streets on the way to a high-risk raid on a gangster house. Not one person in the van was aware I was doing it.


How It’s Done

Begin by breathing in through your nose to a slow count of four, feeling your lower belly expand. Hold for a slow count of four, and then slowly exhale through your lips for a count of four, letting your belly deflate. Hold empty for a slow count of four and repeat the process. Here is the entire procedure.

  • Breathe in through your nose two, three, four. Hold two, three, four.
  • Exhale out through your lips two, three, four. Hold two, three, four.
  • Breathe in through your nose deep, deep, deep. Hold two, three, four.
  • Exhale out through your lips. Hold two, three, four.
  • Breathe in through your nose two, three, four. Hold two, three, four.
  • Exhale out through your lips two, three, four. Hold two, three, four.

That’s it. Simple. You don’t need to sit before a candle, burn incense, or bleed out a baby cow. You can do it anywhere and anytime. The beauty of this wonderful tool is that you can adapt it easily to your needs. Most people find that the described three-cycle procedure works well to bring calm to their minds and bodies. But you might need four to six cycles to get the benefits. If you want to hold each count for five seconds rather than four, do it. It’s about making it work for you. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a dangerous situation to experiment. Practice this breathing procedure once or twice a day to learn what method works best for you (and to award yourself with a few moments of calm and clarity). Practice now so that it will be there for you when you need it most.

Loren was a military policeman in Saigon during the Vietnam War and retired from the Portland, Oregon, Police Department after more than two decades of service. He can be contacted through his website at www.lwcbooks.com.






NOTES:

My sincerest gratitude to Loren Christensen for his kind permission in reposting his article to my site.


For other Loren Christensen posts, please check out:



Sunday, December 29, 2013

Verbal Judo's 5 Universal Truths for Home and Street

5 'Universal Truths' for home and street

Submitted by:
Chuck Remsberg

Most cops are reluctant to bring the street home with them when they go off duty, but PoliceOne trainer Gary Klugiewicz believes there are certain rules of the street that you should post prominently on your family refrigerator, just as he has done.

These are what he calls the “Five Universal Truths” for interacting successfully with suspects, victims, and witnesses on the job — and with the occupants of your own household and others you encounter in your personal life.

First articulated by the late Dr. George Thompson — founder of the Verbal Judo Institute — “these principles are a powerful tool to help protect you on the street by making you more effective in de-escalating volatile confrontations, reducing complaints, and increasing compliance, cooperation, and collaboration,” Klugiewicz says.

“And they’ll make you more persuasive and influential in preventing or resolving conflicts off-duty as well, because they reflect the ways that all people like to be treated, regardless of their status or circumstances.”
Klugiewicz explained the concept during an officer safety/conflict resolution presentation at the annual ILEETA training conference earlier this year and elaborated on it during a recent interview. He is the director of the PoliceOne Training Network and teaches about Universal Truths in the Verbal Defense & Influence Training Program, the revised, updated, and expanded version of Thompson’s internationally acclaimed Verbal Judo course.

Here’s how he describes the truths that, recognized and used skillfully, can give you the edge in person-to-person interactions.


1) All people want to be treated with dignity and respect.


 “Many officer assaults occur in situations where people perceive that they’ve been treated disrespectfully, through taunting, belittlement, abusive language, unnecessarily rough handling, and so on,” Klugiewicz says. “Regardless of race, gender, age, social standing, or cultural background, people behave differently when they feel they’ve been disrespected, and that behavior generally won’t be to your advantage.

“In some situations, suspects may be so dangerous or disruptive that words are not appropriate and you may have to take immediate physical action against them—they need to get knocked down. But afterwards, respectful treatment—helping them up, brushing them off—can help you calm them and keep them under control.” In other words, “you’re nice until it’s time not to be nice, and afterward you’re nice again.”
The first Universal Truth — treating people with dignity and respect — is unconditional in all situations, Klugiewicz emphasizes. As for the other four truths, you act in harmony with them “whenever you can. And that depends on whether it seems safe for you to do so, based on your reasonable perception of threat.”


2) All people want to be asked rather than told to do something.  


“A request is much more palatable than an order,” Klugiewicz says. “The subject saves face by appearing to make his own decision to comply rather than being pushed around and forced against his will. Commands often set up an escalation of conflict. Not only the words are different, the voice tone and facial appearance tend to be different too and they send a whole different message.”


3) All people want to be told why they are being asked to do something. 


If a subject questions the reason for your request, “Because I said so” is not a useful answer, Klugiewicz says. “That only tends to deepen resistance. You may need to explain the law and the purpose behind the law, but your tone of voice needs to be matter of fact—devoid of emotion. You are merely explaining the rule, policy, or law that justifies your request. An angry response is evidence that you’re losing control.”


4.) All people want to be given options rather than threats. 


“If verbal resistance continues, now you need to move into salesmanship. You need to “sell” why they should comply with your request or direction. Start with the good options—what they’ll gain by cooperating with you. Then if necessary, move into negative options, like going to jail if they don’t comply. And end with a positive twist (‘But I don’t want that to happen’), which allows you to remind them of the possible positive resolution if they comply.

“People generally have their self-interest at heart. We all listen to radio station WII-FM — What’s In It for Me. Use the Greed Principle: If someone has something to gain or lose in a situation, you have something to work with.”


5) All people want a second chance.  


If things appear to be headed unalterably toward your telling a subject what to do and backing it up with assertive action, give him/her one last opportunity to comply if that’s safely possible. Maintaining a collaborative tone, ask whether there’s “anything I can say at this time” to gain cooperation, repeating “in very specific terms” what you want the person to do.

“If you can’t persuade them to cooperate, this confirms their noncompliance and justifies your taking whatever action is appropriate,” Klugiewicz says.

The Five Universal Truths don’t require extensive conversation or argument; “You can move very quickly through them,” Klugiewicz explains. Even if the dialog ultimately proves ineffective, “you look good doing it.” And in today’s ultra-transparent world of cell phone cameras and media saturation, that can be vitally important in justifying your enforcement actions.

“If you don’t want to end up on YouTube, act professionally. Where officers tend to go off the rails of decency and common sense,” he says, “is that they make the mistake of treating people in the same disrespectful ways that people sometimes treat them. That only makes things worse.”

The same mistakes that heighten conflict on the street can heighten it at home, he says. That’s why he has posted the 5 Universal Truths on the refrigerator in his kitchen. “It’s a reminder to the whole family that respect benefits everyone by producing much better results.”

For more information on Verbal Defense & Influence training, contact Gary Klugiewicz at: gtKlugiewicz@cs.com.

Copied from http://www.policeone.com/





Some Verbal Judo related articles I've archived to this site:


Saturday, December 28, 2013

NEWS: Malaysia looking to revive and preserve Silat



This is very cool that Malaysia is taking the initiative to revive and preserve the martial art of Silat! This news story came across my Bloomberg News Feed.




(BRN) MALAY VILLAGE COMMUNITIES MUST REVIVE, PRESERVE SILAT

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

MALAY VILLAGE COMMUNITIES MUST REVIVE, PRESERVE SILAT
2013-12-26 09:25:52.113 GMT


JERTEH, Dec 26 (Bernama) -- The National Culture and Arts Department, Terengganu has called on Malay village communities to help revive the traditional Malay martial art of silat among their younger generation.
This is to ensure that the nation''s cultural treasures are not forgotten or cease to exist in this technologically advanced modern era.

Its director Zaifri Hussin said silat, which was the pride of the Malay community, should return to its former glory to enliven village life.

He said with the advent of the cyber world now, much of the Malay culture and arts had been neglected and forgotten, and their possible extinction, therefore, viewed seriously.

"The National Culture and Arts Department will ensure that the various forms of silat such as silat tari, silat tongkat, silat pulut, silat gayong, silat gajah and so on will be continued by the young generation."

Zaifri said this when closing a Silat Tari Jatuh training session participated by 53 children, aged six to 16, in Kampung Durian Telur, Hulu Besut, here, today.

In this regard, he said his department would assist any village seeking to establish an association to promote silat among the younger generation from next year.

-- BERNMA
ND AZM TVKB MO


Dec/26/2013 17:14 MST
20131226BN0232SUB2
-0- Dec/26/2013 09:25 GMT


Inside the Cage TV's 100 Biggest Knockouts of 2013



Published Dec 20, 2013 by Inside the Cage TV, they have assembled a vidclip of 100 of the biggest knockouts of 2013! It's their 5th 100 Knockouts so far to date.


Although I think they may have jumped the gun, given tonight is UFC 168. The highly anticipated rematch between Anderson Silva, the former UFC middleweight champion against Chris Weidman, the fighter who took the belt away from Silva may provide a worthy knockout as well as some of the other fights on the Card.


Regardless, please enjoy this ~19 min clip!







Please check out, in case you missed it:


Full listing of UFC Tonight's "Top 50 Moments of 2013"



Although 2013 is not finished yet, Fuel-TV's "UFC Tonight" picked their Top 50 Moments of 2013. A bold move if I may, given this upcoming UFC, #168 will take place in 2 days on Saturday Dec 28th. It features these matchups which may be potential candidates in the Top 50 Moments of 2013:

  • Chris Weidman (10-0/Middleweight Champion) vs. Anderson Silva (33-5/former Middleweight Champion) - Silva lost his title to Weidman, this is the immediate rematch - both made the list
  • Ronday Rousey (7-0) vs. Meisha Tate (13-4) - both were coaches on this year's (18th season) of The Ultimate Fighter - there is no love between these two - both fighters are included in the Top 50
  • Travis Browne (15-1-1) vs. Josh Barnett (33-6) - Both Browne and Barnett made the Top 50
  • Prelim bout of Chris Leben (22-10) vs. Uriah Hall (7-4) - Hall has a spot in the Top 50




OK, are you ready? Let's get it on! Here is the full listing of the Top 50 Moments of 2013 as picked by UFC Tonight. I have linked where available of animated GIF's I've made from that respective fight. In time, I will make more and aim to make GIFs from all 50 fights.

50. UFC on Fox 8 -- The knockout of Bobby Voelker by Robbie Lawler and brutal finish of Mac Danzig by Melvin Guillard are spotlighted.

49. UFC 158 -- Johny Hendricks' win over Carlos Condit via unanimous decision.
48. UFC on FX 8 -- Jacare Souza's first appearance under Zuffa's banner, where he submitted Chris Camozzi in the first round.
47. UFC 164 -- Chad Mendes' thrashing of Clay Guida.
46. UFC 162 -- Cub Swanson's finish of Dennis Siver.
45. UFC Fight Night 28 -- Glover Teixeira's TKO victory over Ryan Bader.
44. UFC 156 -- Demian Maia's smothering victory over Jon Fitch.
43. UFC 159 -- Roy Nelson's knockout of Cheick Kongo.
42. UFC Fight Night 29 -- Dong Hyun Kim's knockout of Erick Silva.
41. UFC Fight Night 26 -- Matt Brown's finish of Mike Pyle.
40. Nate Marquardt's knockout losses at UFC 158 and UFC 166.
39. UFC on Fox 7 -- Yoel Romero's flying knee against Clifford Sparks.
38. UFC 156 -- Jose Aldo's decision victory over Frankie Edgar.
37. UFC 166 -- Jessica Eye vs. Sarah Kaufman fight.
36. UFC 157 -- Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice's battle.
35. UFC on Fuel 7 -- Renan Barao's submission victory over Michael McDonald.
34. UFC 157 -- Robbie Lawler return's to UFC with victory over Josh Koscheck.
33. UFC on Fox 7 -- The "Immortal" Matt Brown picks up win number five over Jordan Mein.
32. UFC on Fox 7 -- Ben Henderson's controversial win over Gilbert Melendez, then wedding proposal.
31. UFC 160 -- T.J. Grant's finish of Gray Maynard.
30. UFC on Fox 7 -- Josh Thomson's TKO victory over Nate Diaz.
29. UFC Fight Night 26 -- Conor McGregor's boxing clinic at expense of Marcus Brimage.
28. UFC 164 -- Josh Barnett's nasty TKO win over Frank Mir.
27. UFC on Fox 8 -- Demetrious Johnson's submission victory over John Moraga.
26. UFC on Fox 6 -- Anthony "Showtime" Pettis finishes Donald Cerrone.
25. UFC Fight for the Troops 3 -- Tim Kennedy's left-handed knockout of Rafael Natal.
24. UFC 163 -- Jose Aldo finishes Chan Sung Jung in the fourth round.
23. UFC 159 -- Jon Jones demolishes Chael Sonnen and breaks his toe in process.
22. The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Finale -- Cat Zingano vs. Miesha Tate.
21. UFC 158 -- Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre.
20. UFC 167 -- GSP beats "Big Rigg" via split decision.
19. UFC Fight Night 33 -- Mauricio Rua stops James Te Huna.
18. UFC Fight Night 27 -- Carlos Condit finishes Martin Kampmann in their rematch.
17. UFC on Fox 9 -- "Mighty Mouse" knocks out Joseph Benavidez.
16. UFC 160 -- Junior Dos Santos knocks out seemingly un-knockout-able Mark Hunt.
15. TUF 17 -- Uriah Hall's knockout of Adam Cella.
14. UFC Fight Night 30 -- Lyoto Machida finishes Mark Munoz.
13. UFC 156 -- Antonio Silva's shocking finish of Alistair Overeem, followed by Overeem getting knocked out by Travis Browne.
12. UFC 165 -- Renan Barao's finish of Eddie Wineland.
11. UFC on Fuel 8 -- Mark Hunt TKO's Stefan Struve.


And mental drumroll please ... Here's the Top 10:

10. Vitor Belfort's incredible 2013 -- KO victories over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.

9. UFC Fight Night 26 -- Chael Sonnen's finish via submission over "Shogun."

8. TUF 18 Finale -- Julianna Pena's finish of Jessica Rakoczy results in her winning TUF 18.

7. UFC on Fuel 8 -- Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann.

6. UFC 164 -- Anthony Pettis' lightweight title victory over Ben Henderson.

5. UFC 166 -- Cain Velazquez and his dominant victory over Junior Dos Santos paired with Gilbet Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez.

4. UFC Fight Night 33 -- Mark Hunt vs. "Bigfoot" Silva.

3. UFC 157 -- Ronda Rousey defeats Liz Carmouche.

2. UFC 165 -- Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson.

1. UFC 162 -- Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva.

Source: www.mmamania.com



Looking over that list and the amount of animated GIF's I've made (3 out of 50?!?!?!), I've got a lot of catchup to do!

Was there any particular noteworthy moment you felt should've been included but wasn't?




Please check out, in case you missed it:



UFC Tonight's "Top 50 Moments of 2012"



Below is the complete listing of the Top 50 Moments of 2012 as picked by UFC Tonight. I have linked where available of animated GIF's I've made from that respective fight. In time, I will make more and aim to make GIFs from all 50 fights.




50. Pat Barry knocks out Shane del Rosario at TUF 16 Finale.
49. Issei Tamura knocks out Tiequan Zhang at UFC 144.
48. Rich Franklin decisions Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147.
47. Michael McDonald knocks out Miguel Torres at UFC 145.
46. Jimi Manuwa destroys Kyle Kingsbury's face at UFC on FUEL TV 5.
45. Dustin Poirier submits Max Holloway with a triangle-armbar at UFC 143.
44. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira submits Dave Herman at UFC 153.
43. Cain Velasquez bloodies up Antonio Silva at UFC 146.
42. Dan Hardy knocks out Duane Ludwig at UFC 146.
41. Michael Chiesa becomes the Ultimate Fighter by submitting Al Iaquinta.
40. Charles Oliveira submits Eric Wisely with a calf slicer.
39. Cub Swanson knocks out Charles Oliveira at UFC 152.
38. Joe Lauzon's comeback victory over Jamie Varner at UFC on Fox 4.
37. Rory MacDonald beats up Che Mills at UFC 145.
36. Lavar Johnson knocks out Pat Barry at UFC on Fox 3.
35. Jamie Varner returns, beats Edson Barboza at UFC 146.
34. Mike Swick returns and knocks out DaMarques Johnson at UFC on Fox 4.
33. Daron Cruickshank head kicks Henry Martinez at UFC on Fox 5.
32. Roy Nelson's one-punch knockout of Dave Herman at UFC 146.
31. Stefan Struve finishes Stipe Miocic at UFC on FUEL TV 5.
30. Brian Stann knocks out Alessio Sakara at UFC on FUEL TV 2.
29. Brad Pickett scores a one-punch knockout of Yves Jabouin at UFC on FUEL TV 5.
28. Siyar Bahadurzada makes Paulo Thiago plank at UFC on FUEL TV 2.
27. Stephen Thompson wonder kicks Dan Stittgen at UFC 145.
26. Demetrious Johnson wins the inaugural flyweight championship at UFC 152.
25. Justin Lawrence knocks out John Cofer cold with a head kick at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Live" Finale.
24. Carlos Condit defeats Nick Diaz by unanimous decision to win the interim UFC welterweight championship at UFC 143.
23. Martin Kampmann comes-from-behind in the third round to submit Thiago Alves with a guillotine choke at UFC on FX 3.
22. Donald Cerrone becomes the first man to finish Melvin Guillard with strikes at UFC 150.
21. Benson Henderson defends his UFC lightweight championship for the second time against Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 5.
20. Anderson Silva moves up to light heavyweight on short notice and defeats Stephan Bonnar by first-round technical knockout at UFC 153.
19. Junior dos Santos defends his UFC heavyweight championship for the first time against Frank Mir at UFC 146.
18. Lyoto Machida defeats Ryan Bader by second-round knockout at UFC on FOX 4.
17. Nate Diaz becomes the first man to submit Jim Miller in the main event of UFC on FOX 3.
16. Jake Ellenberger earns a unanimous decision over Diego Sanchez in front of his hometown crowd at UFC on FUEL TV 1.
15. Nick Denis makes a memorable UFC debut by elbowing Joseph Sandoval en route to a technical knockout victory at UFC on FX 1.
14. Benson Henderson dethrones Frankie Edgar to become UFC lightweight champion in the UFC's return to Japan at UFC 144.
13. Tim Boetsch comes-from-behind to knock out Yushin Okami in the third round of their middleweight battle at UFC 144.
12. Chris Weidman announces his place as a contender with a brutal elbow knockout of Mark Munoz at UFC on FUEL TV 4.
11. Ryan Jimmo records one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history with his 7-second finish of Anthony Perosh at UFC 149.


OK, you've seen the Top 40 Moments of 2012 as voted by Fuel TV's UFC Tonight. Are you ready for the Top 10? Here we go!


10. Jon Jones successful defends the UFC light heavyweight championship against bitter rival Rashad Evans at UFC 145.

9. Chan Sung Jung submits Dustin Poirier with a D'Arce choke in the fourth round of their ‘Fight of the Year' candidate at UFC on FUEL TV 3.

8. Anthony Pettis nearly decapitates Joe Lauzon with a kick to the head at UFC 144.

7. Johny Hendricks makes a case for top contender status in the UFC welterweight division with a 46-second knockout of Martin Kampmann at UFC 154.

6. Jon Jones survives a submission scare from Vitor Belfort and goes on to defend his UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 152.

5. Cung Le scores a stunning highlight reel knockout over future Hall-of-Famer Rich Franklin in the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 6.

4. Jose Aldo knocks out Chad Mendes with a knee and celebrates in the crowd with the Brazilian fans at UFC 142.

3. Georges St-Pierre returns from an 18-month layoff due to injury and successfully unifies the UFC welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Carlos Condit at UFC 154.

2. Edson Barboza knocks Terry Etim into another dimension with the first and only spinning heel kick knockout in UFC history at UFC 142.

1.Anderson Silva silences Chael Sonnen and sends him out of the UFC middleweight division with a second-round TKO victory at UFC 148.



There you have it, the Top 50 Moments of 2012 from UFC Tonight. Were there any omissions you thought were more worthy of the candidates above?





Please check out, in case you missed it:



Friday, December 27, 2013

Happy 87th Birthday Robert Smith!!

Source photo: www.journalofasianmartialarts.com

Today would've been one of the great martial arts pioneers from the West, Robert W. Smith, birthdays! He was born 87 yrs ago on this date Dec 27, 1926. He passed away 2 years ago on July 1, 2011.

Happy 87th Birthday Smith sifu!



Chen Manching & Robert W. Smith (This is older footage of Chen Manching with commentary from Robert W. Smith)






Obit published in The Washington Post on July 5, 2011:

SMITH ROBERT WILLIAM SMITH (Age 84) Of Asheville, NC, formerly of Bethesda, MD and Hendersonville, NC, passed away on July 1, 2011. Bob was born on December 27, 1926 in Richland, Iowa to the late William and Gertrude Smith. In addition his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Leo Smith, and sisters, Lettie Kinslow, Katherine Moore, and Margaret Folck. Bob was in a state orphanage from age 3 to 13 years old. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17, served in the Pacific and got his first taste of Judo. He eventually won his third degree Black Belt in Tokyo many years later. Bob was graduated with Highest Honors from the University of Illinois. He enrolled in the Russian and Far Eastern program at the University of Washington in Seattle and received his MA while working the swing shift at Boeing Aircraft. He worked toward his Doctorate but quit before writing his thesis saying he was tired. He never stopped learning. He loved to read, research and write. His motto in life was "Wisdom leavened with love." In 1955, Bob joined the CIA's writing team as an Intelligence Analyst. He added Chinese to his Russian and Japanese skills and in 1959 was sent to Taiwan to be an advisor to the Admiral of the Taiwan Defense Command. While there he had time to study a variety of Asian martial arts. He became the first Western T'ai Chi Ch'uan student of the late reknown grandmaster Cheng Man-Ch'ing. After three years in Taiwan he returned to Bethesda, MD and for 27 years held a free Saturday morning T'ai Chi practice in the Bethesda YMCA parking lot. He also offered formal instruction for many decades in T'ai Chi, Pa-kua, and Hsing-i, the three main elements of Chinese internal martial arts. As an early pioneer of Asian martial arts in the West, Bob provided a positive foundation of historical accuracy while emphasizing the traditional and ethical influences of the often misunderstood and misrepresented martial arts. As a result of so many years of teaching Asian martial arts, Mr. Smith, as he was known, has an extended family of many hundreds of devoted students, grandstudents and great-grandstudents. As an editor, author, co-author and co-translator, Bob produced 14 books, dozens of magazine articles, and wrote over 240 book reviews on a wide variety of topics for top newspapers across America. He also wrote numerous interviews with authors who caught his interest and countless letters to the editor. Surviving are his wife of 60 years, Alice Langellier Smith; daughters, Sue Broadhurst and her husband, Don of Taylors, SC, Anne McKay and her husband, Ben of Flat Rock, NC, Chris Cutting and her husband, Paul, of Waynesville, NC and son, Dave and his wife, Marolyn of Columbia, SC; along with nine grandchildren, Jace, Timothy and Kate Broadhurst, Amy Dill, Joshua and Ian McKay, and Heather Mallory, Megan and Joey Cutting; and three great grandsons, Kadin, Rhyston and Davin Broadhurst. Bob loved everyone especially his family, children, animals, birds, nature, jokes, stories, poetry and English literature. Per his wishes, Bob's body has been donated to the Wake Forest School of Medicine. There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 3 p.m. in the Chapel of Givens Estates, 2360 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, NC 28803. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to any of the following: Resident Assistance Fund at Givens Estates, 2360 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, NC 28803; Care Partners Foundation, John F. Keever, Jr. Solace Center, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813 or an animal rescue group in your area. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to any of the following: Resident Assistance Fund at Givens Estates, 2360 Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville, NC 28803; Care Partners Foundation, John F. Keever, Jr. Solace Center, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813 or an animal rescue group in your area.


Copied from: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries



For further info:



Thursday, December 26, 2013

THE WISDOM OF ... Dr. George Thompson (creator of Verbal Judo)



Dr. George Thompson created Verbal Judo to teach LEO's (Law Enforcement Officers) how to tactically communicate with civilians. One need not be a LEO to use Verbal Judo to one's advantage.

Many arguments are a result of any (and all) of the 5 universal truths not being observed. Think about how a LEO may speak to you and your first reaction. Suppose an officer made you feel inferior to him/her and showed no respect to you? How would that make you feel? Odds are you would take offense.

Suppose it's you talking to someone that worked for you or reports to you. Suppose it's you talking to your loved one or child? Suppose you are a teacher talking to your student? Now turn the tables around:  suppose you are the child that the parent is talking to? Or the student that the teacher is talking to? Or the spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend? Or the subordinate being spoken to by their manager/superior?

Run through Dr. Thompson's 5 Universal Truths of Human Interaction and see how it can help you as well as the person you are speaking to.

There is a lot of wisdom in the 5 Universal Truths! Read on for the wisdom of Dr. Thompson.

Hope these help you on your sojourn of septillion steps!




The 5 Universal Truths of Human Interaction


Dr. George Thompson explains the five universal truths of human interaction which remain true across the board, regardless of cultural background, gender, etc.

  1. People feel the need to be respected (Unconditional respect and dignity.)
  2. People would rather be asked than be told (Asked to do something, not told.)
  3. People have a desire to know why (Told Why.)
  4. People prefer to have options over threats (Options given instead of threats.)
  5. People want to have a second chance




Some of Dr. Thompson's Verbal Judo articles I've archived to this site:





For related entries in this series, please check out:



Wednesday, December 25, 2013

The 12 Days of Self-Defense



Wishing the readers of my site Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!  May Santa and the Baby New Year bring you your Heart's Desires and a better New Year than this past!!



Melissa Soalt aka Dr. Ruthless posted this to her Facebook. With her kind permission, am reposting here.





A HOLIDAY SPIRITED SING ALONG SONG FROM SELF DEFENSE COLLEAGUE Cathy Chapaty!!! (To the tune of 12 days of x-mas with added GROINVILLE bonus!.) 






The 12 Days of Self-Defense
(To the tune of Twelve Days of Christmas)




On the 1st day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
A head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 2nd day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 3rd day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 4th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 5th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 6th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me
Six kicks to GROINVILLE 
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 7th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Seven fists a-swingin’
Six kicks to Groinville
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!

On the 8th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Eight nails a-scrapin’
Seven fists a-swingin’
Six kicks to Groinville
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!


On the 9th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Nine knees a-BOOMin’
Eight nails a-scrapin’
Seven fists a-swingin’
Six kicks to Groinville
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 10th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Ten heels a-stompin’
Nine knees a-BOOMin’
Eight nails a-scrapin’
Seven fists a-swingin’
Six kicks to Groinville
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 11th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Eleven elbows strikin’
Ten heels a-stompin’
Nine knees a-BOOMin’
Eight nails a-scrapin’
Seven fists a-swingin’
Six kicks to Groinville
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!



On the 12th day of self-defense, my Sensei taught to me…
Twelve legs a-sweepin’
Eleven elbows strikin’
Ten heels a-stompin’
Nine knees a-BOOMin’
Eight nails a-scrapin’
Seven fists a-swingin’
Six kicks to Groinville
Five strikes with keys!
Four calls of “NO!”
Three shin kicks
Two-finger pokes
And a head butt that knocks out all teeth!


Have a safe holiday season, everyone!






For further info, please check out: