by kurly11 | May 6, 2015 | Show on Homepage
Many of you know that Coach Kristen recently won gold at the 2015 Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship. You may also know that this is one of the biggest tournaments in the world. What many of you don’t know, is what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu consists of.
Many people hear the term Jiu Jitsu and automatically associate it with Karate or other traditional forms of martial arts. Or perhaps people just think it’s that thing they do in the UFC. So, let’s take a moment and clarify how it is different. Let’s start with traditional martial arts, things like Karate and Kung Fu. When you imagine Karate you probably think of katas. Katas are a series of movements, usually punches, kicks and blocks, arranged in a particular order to help students learn to string these movements together. In Kung Fu for example, these movements are usually also intended, in some way, to mimic the movements of a particular animal such as a tiger or crane (think Kung Fu Panda). These can be a lot of fun, but generally speaking, they aren’t very effective in real world situations. The other thing that may come to someone’s mind is the UFC. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has gained many fans over the last several years. Most every fighter in the UFC has at least some Jiu Jitsu training, but it is only one aspect of what goes on in the cage.
So, what is Jiu Jitsu? It can most easily be summarized as ground fighting. It has been said that upwards of 90% of all fights end up with at least one person on the ground. While this number may not have be somewhat inflated, the fact remains that most fights end up there at some point. So what happens when one or both parties end up on the ground? Traditional punches and kicks go all but out the window. This is where Jiu Jitsu comes in. Think of it like wrestling, only meaner. While wrestling relies solely on keeping an opponent down, Jiu Jitsu aims to also subdue that opponent. This means that while on the ground the Jiu Jitsu practitioner will be looking for a way to choke or manipulate his opponent’s joints. In a real life situation, that joint manipulation is intended to cause injury, perhaps just enough to allow you to get away from an attacker. In the gym, these submissions are carefully applied to allow one’s sparring partner to “tap out” or give up.
You may be asking yourself at this moment, “Why would I ever want to practice a sport where my partner is trying to choke me?” As previously stated, while Jiu Jitsu is a very effective self defense tool, it is also a safe sport to practice. The key to being a successful student of Jiu Jitsu is to leave your ego at the door. People most often get injured by not tapping out simply out of a reluctance to “give up”. We learn from our mistakes, but only if we can stick around long enough to do so. At Unlimited Possibilities we take safety one step further. Students are not taught how to finish a submission until they have proven that they can let go when a partner taps and that in turn they can tap out at the appropriate time.
Hopefully, this has shed some light on what it is that we are practicing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Coach Kristen. She is always willing to help.
by kurly11 | Feb 17, 2015 | Uncategorized
Part of this year’s commitment to expanding the number of students with special needs that we can serve is to partner with other communities. For example, the cities of Cypress and Buena Park often work together to promote one another’s classes. Last week we reached out to the city of Cypress to see if they would cosponsor our class in Buena Park. The two cities are close in proximity and as stated above, often work together. We were a bit disappointed to find out that Cypress will not be cosponsoring us at this time. They are unsure whether or not their current Karate instructor will be leaving and are hopeful that a new instructor will offer an adaptive class as well. We wish them luck in their search for a new instructor and hope that they will be able to offer a special needs class whether or not it is provided by Unlimited Possibilities.
The next community we plan to reach out to is the city of Cerritos. We have been informed that Cerritos excels in the number of programs it offers to those with special needs. Currently, they do not have have a martial arts program, so hopefully we will be able to fill this need.
Be sure to watch for our next blog as it will help you understand a little better what exactly we are teaching. And no, it’s not Karate.
by kurly11 | Feb 4, 2015 | Show on Homepage
Anyone that knows me, knows that I am not good at keeping people informed about what is going on with me. Hence, the long period of time without a new post. Well, with the new year comes a chance to do many things better. So, here’s to keeping you informed about what’s going on with Unlimited Possibilities.
First an update on the end of last year. On Dec. 7th, 2014, Team UPMA once again was part of the annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks. As usual, it was a great event. There were vendors from all over Southern California and hundreds of new friends to meet. We had a booth complete with a punch out type game where everyone could earn prizes just by doing the most basic move in all of martial arts. It was a big hit! On top of that, Team UPMA was able to raise $820.00 for Autism Speaks. Money that will be spent on research and providing services to people with autism in our community. We owe a big thanks to our friends at Koral US for donating one of their amazing gis for our raffle and to our brothers and sisters at Brazilian Top Team Long Beach for all of their support.
We all thoroughly enjoyed a break over the holidays to spend time with family. Come the first week of January, we were back to it with all of those bright, shining faces returning along with a few faces that had been absent for a long time. With the new year comes new goals. Our number one goal this year is to increase the number of students that we serve. Martial arts has so many benefits to the individual and we want to share those benefits with a community that is grossly under served, the special needs community. Our biggest obstacle is getting the word out. There are thousands of people in Orange County and Long Beach that can benefit from our classes, we just need to let them know that we exist. This includes bringing fliers to Regional Center and partnering with community centers in different cities.
We hope that 2015 will bring great things for Unlimited Possibilities and that we can truly live up to our name. Stay tuned for more of what we have planned for 2015 and updates on our progress. As always, we welcome your feedback and assistance in helping us grow.
by kurly11 | Nov 26, 2014 | Uncategorized
We here at UPMA would like to wish everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
The challenges of living with (or having a loved one with) a disability can make it hard to focus on the positive sometimes. Use this day to take some time to find those positive things, however small they may seem, and give thanks.
We are thankful for the ability to serve those who are in need and to create opportunities were there were once none. Enjoy your loved ones this week and we will see you back on the mats next week!
by kurly11 | Nov 19, 2014 | Show on Homepage
There are less than 3 weeks left before the walk at Anaheim Stadium. We will once again have a booth, so please stop by and say hi. Our goal is to raise $1000 for Autism Speaks this year. The money raised goes toward autism research and providing therapy to individuals with ASD.
You can donate or even better, join Team UPMA and do your own fundraising. Just follow the link below to get started.
http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=1105437&lis=1&kntae1105437=842B6B8163B44068A8B0344FEC5CA777&supId=0&team=6144219&cj=Y
by kurly11 | Nov 5, 2014 | Show on Homepage
This weekend Coach Kristen competed in the IBJJF Masters World Championship in Long Beach, CA. This is the largest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament in the world for people over 30 years old.
We would like to congratulate Coach on placing second her division. This is a big accomplishment, so make sure to pat her on the back when you see her. If you’re lucky, maybe she’ll show you the hardware.
by kurly11 | Oct 27, 2014 | Uncategorized
Today is the last day to help Autism Speaks raise money and get an awesome T-shirt. Order your T-shirt today from Sevenly and they will donate $7 to Autism Speaks. This money goes directly to providing therapy to children with Autism. Therapy, especially at an early age, has been proven to help kids with Autism overcome some of the challenges that they face. Please use the following link to get yours today.
http://www.sevenly.org/collections/autism-speaks?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1443_CharityBoost
Don’t forget to help team UPMA raise money for Walk Now for Autism Speaks. You can donate directly to Autism Speaks or to our team account. The walk will be December 7th at Anaheim Stadium.
by kurly11 | Oct 15, 2014 | Uncategorized
Bullying is an epidemic plaguing our youth today. It is an even bigger problem in the special needs community. Children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than their non disabled peers. We all hope that there are teachers or parents that can step in and stop such harassment, but the fact of the matter is, constant supervision is impossible.
I’d like to ask your help in creating an anti bullying program to help my students. They are already at a higher risk of being bullied, I want to give them as many tools as possible to stop it. Of course I have the martial arts background and can teach them what to do if the situation escalates, but how do we keep it from getting to that point? I’d love some advice. Please post your comments. If you know any School Administrators or Psychologists that may have advice, please ask them. You can also email me at info@up-ma.com.
Thanks for your help,
Coach Kristen
by kurly11 | Oct 8, 2014 | Uncategorized
Looking for a way to help out the special needs community and get a great meal? Look no further. Join Red Robin and your local law enforcement for their Tip-a-Cop fundraiser.
On October 16, Special Olympics Orange County will partner with Red Robin for the annual Red Robin Tip-A-Cop. Law enforcement officers will wait tables, collect tips and help raise money for Special Olympics!
Dine out from 5 – 9 p.m. on October 16 at Red Robin restaurants in Orange, Brea, La Habra, Irvine, Garden Grove, Cypress, Foothill Ranch, Santa Ana or Tustin.
Don’t miss out on the excitement! For more information and participating locations, visit the Red Robin Tip-A-Cop website. If you’re in Long Beach, there are locations for you as well.
Thanks for the support!
by kurly11 | Oct 2, 2014 | Uncategorized
Let’s take some time to welcome our newest student, Miguel, to UPMA. Miguel comes to us from Texas where he studied Tae Kwon Do. Miguel has Cerebral Palsy and has some physical limitations, but he isn’t going to let that hold him back. Way to go, Miguel!
