Nick was awesome! The crowd was awesome! The only thing we could hear was, “Scotti, Scotti, Scotti, Scotti, Scotti, Scotti.” Congrats Nick! Another victory!`

The Titan goes Pro!

Matt Tobie wins his first Pro Fight on Saturday 1/23 with a TKO in the 2nd!  Thanks to all of the Wreck Squad who came out and showed their support!

Clint Blackburn

Dylan Geick

Zack SellRichard Dey

This episode: Bangkok Thailand

Mission: Muay Thai Training with Buakow – K-1 Muay Thai Champion

Clint, Nick, Pickles and myself decided it would be an awesome idea to travel half way around the world to visit the birth place of Muay Thai…  Thailand. This would be my third endeavor to train in Thailand, so I knew exactly what to expect. My entourage, however, was in for a very BIG surprise, and I was excited to see how they would embrace this completely different culture. I was rather vague in my descriptions about the country because I didn’t want to ruin the surprise for my fighters. I wanted them to create their own first impressions for that is half of the fun. Needless to say, I was interested to see how they would react to the interesting features Thailand has to offer – like its common Eastern toilets that were merely holes in the ground with a platform and some grip tape to stand upon. Why spoil the surprise, I thought, a third world county is filled to the rim with new experiences.

Now, two weeks of training in Thailand converts to two months of training here in the states, due to the intensity of the work-out sessions and the extreme heat factors that are ever looming in Thai training camps. With passports in hand, weeks of pre-trip circuit training woven into our muscles and large quantities of diarrhea medication tucked away in our bags, the four of us set out for O’Hare international airport on July 14th for a two week training camp in the midst of Mother Siam.

After suffering a 30-hour flight accompanied with inedible, indescribable and unrecognizable plane food mysteries, the gang and I finally touched down in Bangkok at 11pm. Now reader, you must realize that Thailand is 13 hours ahead of us, so to our incredible confusion, we some how skip a day of life while traveling in the air due to the time changes. So leaving Chicago on Tuesday somehow translated into landing in Thailand on Thursday.  Regardless, we landed safely, passed immigration with ease and successfully found our driver from the gym all before 1am. Not bad for the trip’s beginnings. 

Now as I stated before, I have been to Thailand several times prior, so I kind of knew the routine with the gym-driver and the trip to the camp. But this time, some very interesting foreshadowing occurred that began to set off red flags. The first of the flag show was the fact that our driver spoke no English… AT ALL! In my prior trips, I could communicate my needs to my driver even if he spoke minimal English. This driver (notice I keep saying “this driver” because he never conveyed his name to us – no English wink wink) looked at the four of us, gave a quick up and down with his eyes and then began a series of hand motions which I believe translated in to, “follow me please you silly bastards so I can take you to the camp where the trainers are going to kill you with pad work that will make you wish you had never been born!” Now due to my limited fluency in hand motions and grunting sounds, I could have been wrong, but it was the first thing that popped into my head when our driver grunted and waved his hands.

The driver placed our luggage in the back of a pickup truck and made more hand gestures for us to get into the cab. The humidity was already beginning to have its way with us because once we entered the truck’s cab our shirts were sticking to our skin and the vehicles AC began to work against our balmy clothes. We were very hot one moment and shivering the next. Jet lag and constant temperature dynamics made for a very uncomfortable arrival.

A very silent and disagreeable two-hour drive from Bangkok to Por Pramuk gym followed. We found ourselves in the most under-developed and isolated town I think I have ever visited, that is, if I can even call our destination a town at all. It was more like rows of dilapidated shakes, a few buildings that look as if they survived a bombing and a gas station. This may explain why the driver spoke no English. We were so isolated from civilization that the inhabitants of this province most likely never needed to learn another language. There was no reason for foreigners to visit the area for it had no tourist attractions. No foreigners = no English. We reached the gym at 3am and the next sequence of red flags began to frantically wave. 

The main street to the gym was separated by a very beautiful stretch of dirt road ornamented with rows and rows of coconut trees and river ways.  It was a warm welcome to the gym and very picturesque. However, the moment we merged onto the road our nostrils began to tingle with the scent of something foreign and nauseating.  

As we neared the camp, the scent strengthened and our empty stomachs began to turn. Apparently, the brochure to Baukow’s camp failed to mention that a pig farm was also located on the same premises as the gym. I failed to see any pictures of the farm on the gym’s website and there were no warnings that stated the stench of pig fecal was complimentary with our stay. We entered the gym driveway; again more dilapidated shacks, and several feral dogs, salamanders scurrying about the walls and the squeal of 30 to 40 pigs filling the nights moist and humid air, greeted us. Our driver grunted, which meant get your stuff and follow me, and walked us to our rooms. Pickles and I would share a room and Clint and Nick would room together in another part of the gym. Finally we could rest after the long journey.

Ohhh the rooms… All I can say is that the rooms were that of a Thai prison containment cell. I will spend little time on this description for I feel pictures will speak a thousand words, maybe more. The beds were solid wood and the bathroom looked like a perfect setting for a scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Nasty, nasty nasty. All of us were completely baffled by the bathroom. It was a rickety door, a hole in the ground with a platform and grip tape, a bucket in the corner containing dirty brown water and a long wooden stick resting against the wall. It had all the athletics of an outhouse with one additional feature. This gem of a bathroom also contained our showerhead. Oh dear god, I thought!  Need I say more? See pictures.

Now, this adventure had a very positive side to it as well: the training. Our training session was divided into two workouts per day. Each session was roughly 3 to 4 hours apiece and was without a doubt the toughest thing any of us have ever done. Due to the gyms isolation from the rest of the world, the training is very rigorous, taken very seriously and the gym breeds nothing but champions.  There are no distractions and all the fighters are cooped up with nothing but other men and testosterone for weeks at a time. This creates an extremely aggressive fighter. Their fight styles literally match their tough lifestyles. They are hard, driven and with out mercy in the ring. Each fighter, even the children are belt holders and undefeated in boxing and Muay Thai. It was a very impressive quality. 

Here is a quick glace at our training regiment.

5:30 am 7 mile run

6:00 am Bag Rounds   (10 minute rounds)

7:00 am Pad Rounds   (10 Minute rounds)

8:00 am Bag Rounds (10 Minute rounds)

8:30 am 100 sit ups/ weights

9:00   am Breakfast (rice and eggs)

10:00 am Nap/read/ internet/ grocery store

4:30 pm 7 mile run

5:00 pm Bag Rounds   (10 minute rounds)

6:00 pm Pad Rounds   (10 Minute rounds)

7:00 pm Bag Rounds (10 Minute rounds)

7:30 pm 100 sit ups/ weights

8:30 pm Dinner (rice and eggs – Again!!!!)

Even more impressive was the nature of the fighters outside of training. They were all very warm, very welcoming and without ego. We all trained together, ate together and on the weekend, partied together.  They looked after us and made sure we were safe from harms way, accept for Saturday night when two of our trainers nearly started a brawl at Club Dome. All I know is that all the fighters, Buakow and our coaches were suddenly whisked away outside and a series of switch kicks, screaming and falling bodies began to ensue. In the end of the melee, I know there were several individual laying motionless on the floor and myself and the Wrecking Ball crew were drunkenly trying to throw our trainers in the bed of the pickup truck before any other people received kicks to the head. They were literally wiping out anyone in their way. Defiantly a story I will tell the grandkids.

All and all the trip was successful. We made some great friends like Ciro, the Italian stallion from Milan. He is such a great guy!!! Ciro, if you are reading this, we really miss you buddy. Thanks for finding Clint’s elephant. We received some killer training under the watchful eye of K-1 champions and Lumpini bad boys, and I had the chance to bond with my fighters and watch them literally grow and mature right before my eyes. I love you guys and thank you for all the memories and hard work in Thailand. Thank you for impressing all the coaches in the motherland. You all represented Scott and I with grace and honor. Scott and I are very proud of who you were and what you’ve become. 


Wreck’em All

Brian  Wrecking Ball

The Wreck Squad traveled some 4 and half hours south in our first effort to expose our fighters’ talents to distant communities, and I must say, I think all of us experienced a bit of a culture shock.

So the story goes…

I recently received a phone call from Dan, our fight promoter, following our fighters’ incredible performance on Saturday, June 20^th. Dan called to apologize for the fact that 5 out of our 6 Muay Thai fighters were pulled from the fight the previous night due to complications with their opponents’ blood work. Although aggravating, I understand the importance of keeping our fighters safe, therefore, there was little we could do. Tired and sluggish from the long night of celebrating and drinking multiple flavors of adult soda pops, I listened to Dan explain that he could get my guys a chance to fight the upcoming Friday in Hillsboro, Illinois. He continued to bait me with his offer by ensuring me that he would pay for all of our travel costs and our hotel. Great, I thought, this will give us a chance to get our team on the road for a change and Wreck some other teams. Plus the little “rock star” voice swelling in my head was all over the offer. Dreams of grandeur and pampering began fluttering about in my mind. Finally, I thought, the big payoff has arrived and the front seat was reserved for The Wrecking Ball Fight Facility.

Now, you may be asking yourself, as I did, where the heck is Hillsboro, Illinois? Please allow me to offer a brief MMA history lesson and quench your inquiry. Hillsboro is home to Matt Hughes, nine-time UFC Welterweight Champion. For anyone who has not been living under a rock for the past 5 years, this name is synonymous with the birth of mainstream MMA. I was rather excited to travel to his town and perform. I felt it would be an honor. Plus, Dan informed me that Matt Hughes would be attending because his team would be fighting at the venue. It all sounded like a perfect weekend of fighting in the good old country air. That was my fanciful notion.

This was the actual nightmare…

Hillsboro is a place that was left behind as the world continued to turn some 45 years ago. No disrespect to the community or its inhabitants, the town just seemed sluggish, as if it was drugged perpetually, and the lovely people that dwelled there made no effort to conceal their unwelcoming gaze. Simply put, we were definitely outsiders and the fact that we were one of the few people not driving a rusted-out pickup truck from the 70’s made us sitting ducks.

We met Dan at a lovely little motel appropriately named, The Country Inn. Yes, it was in the country, but the brochures failed to mention that the rooms’ glorious view faced a State Correctional Facility - one of the largest in the state from what I was told.  Ironically, the rooms bore no relief from the awful eyesore outside… we walked into a room that hookers would refuse to work in. The walls were ornamented with cheap skewed pictures and the whole room seemed to possess a dingy yellow hue from all the smokers that stayed there over the past 60 years. The 100-watt bulbs struggled to cast light through the smog that lingered like an uninvited guest. It was dim, dirty and filled with duck tape that clung to broken hinges, sinks and ceiling fans. Remember what I said about the rock star treatment? Forget it, it never happened.

The best remedy to this experience would be to set the Country Inn ablaze and watch it burn to the ground. We managed, however, and we stayed close while sleeping in fear that the room’s complimentary cockroaches might carry us away in the night. I figured if we slept alone they could team up and get the best of us, but if we slept tandem those nasty roaches would never get the drop on us.

The fight venue was located at the Montgomery County Fair Grounds in Butler, population 200. Butler was another sleepy town proudly consisting of good old boys driving multiple arrays of pick up trucks and wildly imaginative farming equipment. I think we even saw a John Deer with tank treads lumbering down the street. We entered the fair grounds, and to our surprise the cage was set in the center of the same dirt pit where the crash derby and monster tuck races were held. Ok, I thought, this should be interesting.

The cage was set up under an array of lights and there was a mega grandstand roughly 20 feet away that would hold all of the general admission spectators. The locals began to fill the place and it actually turned out to be a very impressive showing. Like I said, Matt Hughes was a local there and he was bigger than sliced bread to the hundreds of people that worshipped him there. By the time the fights kicked off the place was flooded with fans.

Both of our fighters won and displayed very impressive combat skills. Joe Gurgul, or CAPTAIN AWESOME-O (proudly walking in to Michael Jackson’s Thriller) to the loving Butler spectators, won his first fight ever by dominating a veteran MMA fighter. The fight lasted all three rounds, but Joe walked out victorious with the win and a smile. His opponent, however, limped out with an extensive collection of bruises and a frown spattered in blood.  We are very proud of Joe and all that we put him through during the weekend. His brutal combinations and his new found love for leg kicks made him a crowd favorite under the country stars that night. I also have to mention that a couple spectators asked Joe for his autograph and got a picture with the superstar!

Matt “The Titan” Tobie was the main event of the evening.  Matt was fighting Colby Watson, a tough fighter from the Pat Militage Camp based out of Iowa. Pat Militage is another name that walks hand and hand with the birth of mainstream MMA, for he was Matt Hughes’ coach in addition to a slew of other UFC superstars. So needless to say, we were not going to underestimate any fighter that trains with the Militage Family. Colby had beat our beloved Franky “The Tank” Rano in a too close to call split decision this past February. Although Frank kneed the soul out of Colby’s body and viciously cut his head open during the second round, the judges somehow were swayed to give Colby the win. This fight was very important to Matt because he wanted to seek vengeance for his teammate and bring the win back home. The crowed went nuts as the fighters entered the cage, and Scott and I literally were chewing at our fingernails waiting for Matt to do what he does best.

With great pride I write that Matt Tobie ended the fight with Colby Watson in one minute and thirty seconds of the first round. All of his hard work, determination and heart brought redemption home to our family. Matt won the fight with a deep arm bar that was inflicted perfectly.  All the Wreck Squad family attending the fight jumped from their seats and screamed in excitement. It was a perfect ending for a very imperfect weekend.

All and all, it was a Fair Fight.

Brian Blackburn

Wreck’em All

The Wrecking Ball Family demonstrated incredible athleticism and technical Machado Jiu Jitsu at the NAGA 2009 Midwest Championship on May 30th. We are proud to announce that 13 of our 14 fighters placed during the regional competition and the Wreck Squad truly attended the tournament with ONE MISSION: to wreck any and all competitors that set foot on the mat.

If you’ve never been to a NAGA tournament, let me tell you what it’s like.  The entire event really is organized chaos at it’s best.  You don’t quite know who your students will be competing against since competitors are still signing up at the door.  Once you get there, you’ll find a large mat divided into about 14 “rings” as they call them.  Competitors of all levels compete at these events, usually the children going first and the adults in the afternoon and into the early evening. For a coach, this event can drive you crazy.  With so many competitors going at the same time, you find yourself running back and forth across the mats to make sure you’re there coaching and supporting each of your students. You also have to listen carefully, they often will change the “ring” you’re supposed to be in so if you don’t pay attention…. you’re out! Not to mention battling the enormous crowd of people who have come to support their teams as they sit so close to the competitors they literally are on the mats, although careful not to get too close or you could get toppled by a take down. Just trying to get close enough for your students to hear you is challenging sometimes. All in all, this event is something to see. And I have to say something about the Wreck Squad… I’m proud of the incredible bunch of students we have that attend these events.  The support they show each other is overwhelming. We truly have a family at the gym and a family when we compete.

Now the highlight of the day came by way of our Jui Jitsu coach, Scott Goddard. Scott has taken a hiatus from competing and he had decided only weeks before NAGA that he would saddle up once more to see how his beloved sport has evolved over the past decade. Scott was informed that he would be fighting a Gracie black belt who has won numerous NAGA medals over the years. This would be a true test of skill against skill as the Gracie/ Machado rivalry rekindled once again

As the two faced off on the mats, the whistle’s screech would literally mark the end of the Gracie winning streak. Within 30 seconds, Scott had effortlessly reclaimed the thrown he left long ago. Scott outclassed his competition and submitted the Gracie black belt with a vice grip knee bar. The fight was over before it began and the referee raised Goddard’s arm before this witness had the chance to press “record” on the camcorder.

Congratulations Wreck Squad!

Brian Blackburn

It has come to our attention, that one of the greatest assets a MMA fighter could possess is the ability to take an opponent off of his feet… grounding them on their back and forcing them into a position that makes them incredibly vulnerable to both strikes and submissions. In the cage, many fighters will see two types of grounding methods.

The most prevalent of the two, would be the Wrestlers’ “shot”, which is a very strong means of removing a fighter from striking positions and forcing them to the ground. The second method is the “Rush and Pin” strategy. This is displayed by fighters who are less technical and more strength oriented. In this method, a fighter waits for an opportunity to blitz his opponent and pin him against the cage, therefore allowing him to gain leverage and bully the pinned opponent to the ground.

Both of these methods are very effective and Wrecking Ball fighters use them interchangeably. However, we have decided that we are going to take a third approach to grounding fighters, giving our fighters and edge over so many other schools. Scott and I have decided to add Judo to our fight curriculum. So “how can Judo help an MMA fighter?” you say. Well I am glad you asked! My response is,”How can Judo not help a MMA fighter?!?!”

Judo and  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Although they come from separate parts of the world, have subtle physical features and use different words to describe technique - they inherently contain the same genetic make up. Judo is an “artful” method of destruction.  If a wrestlers’ “shot” is an elementary child’s crude paper airplane, then Judo is a Wise Man’s Origami swan made from the finest Japanese vellum.

Make sense? No!

Ok try this on for size.

Judo competitions are held throughout the world.  Points are awarded for throwing an opponent, holding an opponent on his back while on the mat for a designated amount of time, or forcing an opponent to submit via “tapping out” to an armlock or choke or rendering the opponent unconscious with a choke.  A match is won with a “perfect throw” called an Ippon, two near perfect throws called Wazari, holding an opponent on his back on the mat for 25 seconds, a combination of one Wazari and holding an opponent down for 20 seconds, or submitting an opponent with a choke or armlock.  SOUND FAMILIAR?

Good!

Scott Goddard is a Black belt in Judo and  a 27 year veteran in the sport. Scott is instilling his expertise in Wrecking Ball fighters every Wednesday night at 6:30 pm. At our facility we are currently offering BJJ five days a week and with the addition of Judo, our competition team has added more weapons to  their arsenal. Feel free to come and join Scott and his BJJ team for a free lesson. If you have any questions regarding our blogs or facility, please contact the gym at any time.

Wreck’em All.

Brian Blackburn