LOCAL SUBMISSIONS
SPORTS • FITNESS • WELLNESS
BUSY SUMMER
Photos courtesy of Phil Ross.
at American Eagle MMA!
New RKC Kettlebell Instructors at American Eagle MMA & Kettlebells HO-HO-KUS, NJ – June 21st23rd marked the date for the First Ever RKC Kettlebell Certification held in Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. It was also only the second New Jersey certification for the International Organization. The RKC is owned and promoted by Minnesota based Dragon Door Publications. “This year Dragon Door has held or announced first-ever RKC workshops in the following 13 new locations in the US: Encinitas, Fond-du-Lac, Detroit, Santa Fe, Boston, New
York, Ho-Ho-Kus, Marlboro, Atlanta, Dallas, Salinas, Exton, and Denver.” RKC Master and 8th Degree Black Belt Phil Ross conducted the Ho-Ho-Kus certification and will conduct the NYC and Exton, PA (Philly Cert) this year and the Boston, MA RKC in early 2014. Four of the American Eagle MMA Kettlebell Instructors took the 3-Day, 23 hour course that consisted of the Big Six Kettlebell Movements, Bodyweight Training, Workout Programming and
Movement Correction. Kettlebell Candidates Nicole Ross (Mahwah), Mark Walsh (Allendale), Zachary Fox (Wyckoff) and Spencer Ross (Mahwah). RKC Team Leader from Maryland and Assistant RKC Scott Tigue were on hand to assist with the testing and the instruction of the candidates. The students were tested on the Big Six Kettlebell Movements, Swing, Get-up, Squat, Press, Clean and Snatch; teaching a Kettlebell Class to volunteers and had to perform 100 Kettlebell Snatches in less than 5 minutes. All four passed with very solid performances and two were invited to become Assistant RKCs at future events. In addition to the RKC Certifications, Dragon Door also offers an HKC (Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification) as an introductory instructor course. One will be conducted at American Eagle MMA & Kettlebells on Sunday, November 3rd. For additional information call 1-800-899-5111 or visit http:// www.dragondoor.com/workshops/details/hkc313/ For information on Kettlebell or Martial Arts Classes call 201612-1429 or visit us on the web at www.americaneaglemma.com.
NAGA Battle at the Beach August 2nd, 2013 in Wildwood, NJ two of my students, Zack Fox and Cathy Raimonda (RKC and HKC Certified respectively) competed in the NAGA (North American Grappling Association) Battle at the Beach. Both won Gold Medals. I can easily state that their Kettlebell Training had a significant impact on their strength and conditioning in preparation for the tournament. Zack Fox, 21, came to me a year ago. He had no formal Combat Training. No wrestling, Karate or even Tae Bo. However, he was 230 lbs, very strong and athletic with a strong desire to be the best. He recently competed at 189 lbs, over 40 pounds lighter than when he walked in, but not just pound for pound stronger – but stronger overall. Check out this blog post a few months back: Can you Train with both Kettlebells & Weights? American Eagle MMA and Kettlebells. Zack had incredible numbers on his bench, deadlift and squat. Now his numbers are better, he only lifts once a week (if that), does Kettlebells, Bodyweight and Martial Arts. Zack lost his first few matches and then took second in the White Belt Division at the end of last September. He hasn’t looked back since; piling up 5 Gold Medals out of his last six divisional competitions. Zack’s only loss was a triple overtime, referee’s decision this past weekend while competing in the Intermediate Division. Intermediate competitors typically have 3 to 5 years experience. Zack has only trained for a year. His Gi bouts all ended up in victorious submissions, one in a mere 0:28 seconds. Cathy Raimonda is a 43 year old (she’s going to kill me for divulging her age!) Mother of two. Cathy has never competed in any combat sports what so ever. She had an even tougher uphill climb, there were no competitors for her in the 40+ division. She had to compete with girls in their 30’s & 40’s, one was even 19! Cathy won the Gold in the No-Gi by a dominating 6-2 performance. She also had three bouts in Gi, winning her first bout by a margin of 17-2 and her consolation bout was tough fought battle where she came back from a 9-0 deficit to score 7 points with less than a minute on the clock. She was seconds away from an Americana Submission when time expired. Cathy will be taking her RKC Certification in October.
American Eagle: New Black Belts Promoted! HO-HO-KUS, NJ, July 27th, 2013 – American Eagle MMA & Kettlebells is proud to announce that two new Black Belt Instructors have been added to the organization. The test was a comprehensive martial arts exam conducted by Master Phil Ross, 8th Degree Black Belt. The test was an hour and ½ in duration and included kicks, punching, blocks, strikes, ground fighting, live sparring, kata (series of movements), heavy bag work, weapons demonstrations, self defense and board breaking. The test was completed after a 3 hour meditation earlier in the week. Steven Levitan of Ridgewood, 56 years young and John Haiduk of Westwood, 18 years of age performed at a very high level and completed all of their tasks in every aspect of the teachings as American Eagle Mixed Martial Arts. It was interesting to view the two students as they tested, two totally different, but nonetheless effective, approaches to the test. Instructor Steve Levitan is also a Brown Belt in Bando with the East-West Martial Alliance. In addition to the Mixed Martial Arts, AEMMA students are eligible to receive ranks in Bando and in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with Team Alliance. For additional information on Martial Arts, Self Defense or Kettlebell training, contact us at www.americaneaglemma.com or call 201-612-129.
I hope that these success stories inspire you and your students. Please feel free to make posts and ask questions. As always – Train Hard & Train Often, Coach Phil Any business or team that would like to contribute an article, please email editor@sportsfi tnesswellness.com page 30
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