The Beaverton
BLAST
Newsletter
of the Beaverton Straight Blast Gym
ISSUE #9 Winter 2004
Medeiros’ Seminar Planned for
February
Tom
Oberhue, Chris Woolford, Rodrigo Medeiros, Michael
Chapman
This past August, the Beaverton Straight Blast
Gym was honored to host Rodrigo Medeiros for the
first time, an acclaimed BJJ black belt and a member
of the Carlson Gracie competition team. He has a
long list of accomplishments as an international
competitor. Here are some of the highlights:
- Two Pan-American Tournaments (95/96)
3-time Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Champion (93/94/95)
Champion of US Open (97/98/99)
International USA Champion (98/99/00)
4-time Rio de Janeiro State Champion
(92/93/95/00)
Competitions and medals aside, we were very lucky
to experience Rodrigo’s excellent coaching abilities
as he introduced the Beaverton gym to the basics of
solid ‘Gi’ Jiu-Jitsu. It was a great weekend,
bringing everyone’s awareness up as to how powerful
the Gi can be as a tool. It is really amazing to
watch Rodrigo, as his passion for the sport comes
through in his coaching.
Everyone had a fantastic time and came away with
tons of great information and strategies to work on
with their own training. Rodrigo also did a full
series of privates and semi-privates, allowing
individuals to work with him one on one.
Don’t worry if you missed this opportunity. We
are fortunate enough to bring him back to Beaverton
February 20-21, 2004. See the website for
details at www.straightblastgym.net
and make plans to attend - it will definitely be
worth it!
Spring Camp On Tap
Michael
Chapman, Coach/Owner
Twice a year SBGI members from all over the US
and other countries make their way to Portland for
Spring Camp and Fall Camp. For those of us who
attended this year’s Fall Camp, there was a great
exchange of information, training and new skills.
The event was held at the Holiday Inn located in
northwest Portland. It was surreal to walk into a
"fancy" banquet room and see wrestling mats covering
the plush carpets.
This year, instructor Matt Thornton lead the way,
with Morgan Smith warming us up with Jui Jitsu-specific
pilates and Rodney King from South Africa showing us
the ways of "Crazy Monkey." We also had the
originator of the ISR law enforcement program, Luis
Gutierrez from Florida training us on various combat
control and street techniques. BJJ instruction was
given by Coach Oberhue and Coach Chapman.
The weekend was a great success. Everyone walked
away with improved skills and a better sense of how
to train and why. Each day wrapped up with dinner
and a taste of northwest Portland’s night life.
The Spring Camp will be back March 27- 28, so be
sure to put it on your schedule. This is a fantastic
opportunity to not only learn the latest SBG
teachings, but to meet guys from all over the world
training in our sport. We hope to see you there!
FALL ATP SOLID SUCCESS
For six weeks spanning
October and November, ten gym members took their
training to a higher level by participating in the
Accelerated Training Program (ATP). The group
trained twice a week for 2 hours a day and were
coached by Michael, Dan and Tom. The emphasis was on
sparring and transitioning from range to range. All
in all, everyone found the course to be a very
beneficial experience. We plan to do another ATP
beginning in April. Talk to one of the coaches if
you are interested.
Ben Henning recently finished the ATP and had
this to say about his experience: "During the six
weeks that ATP took place, I was challenged. The
increase in impact training (semi to full contact
training) not only pushed my physical limits, it
forced my in-combat thought processes to evolve. ATP
taught me to think quickly and seamlessly when in a
fighting situation. My body, however, didn’t always
keep up with my brain. Overall, my training
experience in ATP was fun, tough, and very
educational. It helped me gain a wider variety of
tools to use, and more skills to work on. It also
gave me better insight on what I am actually
training for at SBG".
An
ATP Athlete's Perspective
Lorraine
Zelinski, ATP Graduate
What do most martial
arts schools offer? Not enough. Do they really
challenge you or do they simply offer you a flashy
belt? Do your instructors politely accept your
deficits? Or just massage your ego? Or do they have
the guts to push you to your limit and make you
conquer your weaknesses? For you to actually be
effective in a real confrontation you have to be
comfortable in a raw and unpredictable
environment—and few schools offer this. Through a
punishing, but highly effective, and surprisingly
fun training regime, ATP immerses you in the rawness
of full-contact fighting.
Fear, fatigue, pain,
anger, adrenaline and frustration can quickly alter,
or even erase the technical skills you thought you
had a solid grasp on. Repetitious drilling is
necessary for finesse, but if the above emotions
overwhelm you and strip you of your ability to
function, then they’re pretty much useless, thus
making you your own worst enemy. ATP’s intense
environment relentlessly taps into all of these
emotions, forcing you to learn to effectively combat
your opponent AND yourself. You’re going to hurt in
ATP, but that’s what makes it so effective. Repeated
punishing, unpredictable blows completely changes
the equation, and it’s better to discover your
reaction and learn control in this environment,
versus on the street.
Another key aspect I
adored about ATP is the camaraderie. Everyone
suffers together, and you never have to fear
embarrassment or shame of "failure" in front of your
teammates. If you’ve got the guts to put your pride
on the line and realize you’ll probably have someone
wipe the mat with you occasionally—you will be
respected because it means you’re really pushing
yourself.
The only
pre-requisite for ATP is that you have the heart and
the guts to push yourself beyond your breaking
point. By melding the raw unpredictability of
full-contact fighting, with the precise, detailed
guidance of exceptional instructors, the results can
be devastatingly effective. Under the firm guidance
of SBG’s exceptional instructors, even winged-pygmy
goats can become ferocious fighters.
S
B G M E M B E R P R O F I L E S
Natasha Evans
Cardio
Kickboxing,
Women's Self Defense
 She’s
a lean, not-at-all mean, fighting machine. Natasha’s
been doing cardio kick boxing classes for the last
year and a half and loving the experience.
When she first started, she had
never done any martial arts, and now she can punch
and kick her way out of anything. She joined the
Beaverton gym because she found a place that offered
realistic cardio kick boxing classes and a welcome
atmosphere.
Her motivation was to get in
shape. She went from being inactive, to working out
4-5 times a week. Natasha lost an impressive 25
pounds in a little over 3 months - but more
important to her, she’s now in great shape.
Natasha’s got a full schedule with
her video production and pursuit of a business
degree from PCC, but sticks with regular workouts.
She’s looking forward to maintaining the skills she
learned in Coach Cruz’s Women’s Self Defense class.
Ben Henning
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, ATP, Comp. Team
 Who
is that guy? He’s strong, quick, has a ‘won’t give
up attitude’ with a smile... Is he a Ninja? No, just
Ben. For the past year, Ben’s participated in almost
every class offered at the Beaverton gym.
He studies philosophy & history at
PCC. Not surprisingly, his interest in Jits is
somewhat philosophical, "I like its holistic view of
a fighter’s body, everything is equal - the hands
are just as important as the feet, and so on".
Ben’s primary goal is to excel as
a competitive athlete. Aside from injuries, he loves
competition because you see how your skills compare
to others. He hopes to earn a purple belt or at
least a "well-rounded blue belt" as he says.
Ben’s short term goals include
being a full time H.S. or college teacher and a part
time Martial Arts instructor. He adds, "or if not
that, traveling around the world surrounded by
beautiful women as an independent wealthy
entrepreneur wouldn’t be bad".
What's Going On
Did you know we have 2 resources for gym
information now? Find out when the next events are,
holiday schedules, gym philosophies, and how to
share info to family and friends. Check out the web
page at
www.straightblastgym.net
for all that information plus a comprehensive
explanation of what we do, descriptions of classes
and programs we offer, and a photo gallery. You can
also check out the new information boards posted in
the gym lobby.
These are updated regularly and feature news and
information on activities and classes, calendar,
schedule, and other "must know" info so that
everyone is "in the loop" when it comes to SBG
activities. And if you have any suggestions as to
how we can do more to communicate to our members,
let coach Tom know of your ideas.
Our Thanks To You
I n September
’03, the Beaverton gym accomplished a year-long goal
of replacing the mats in the training area. With
generous contributions from members and supporters,
we were able to raise over $6,000 to help purchase
new wrestling mats.
 The
next phase of our ‘gym enhancement’ is to mat the
walls of the training room, so we’re still looking
for your $$ support! Thanks for helping us make the
Beaverton Gym one of the best training facilities on
the west coast. Way to go SBG! WOOF!
Did you know we have 2 resources for gym
information now? Find out when the next events are,
holiday schedules, gym philosophies, and how to
share info to family and friends. Check out the web
page at
www.straightblastgym.net
for all that information plus a comprehensive
explanation of what we do, descriptions of classes
and programs we offer, and a photo gallery. You can
also check out the new information boards posted in
the gym lobby.
These are updated regularly and feature news and
information on activities and classes, calendar,
schedule, and other "must know" info so that
everyone is "in the loop" when it comes to SBG
activities. And if you have any suggestions as to
how we can do more to communicate to our members,
let coach Tom know of your ideas.
S
B G
News & Events
Check out the SBG website at
www.straightblastgym.net for details on all
Beaverton and SBGI events and schedules.
SBG Cup (new date) - January 24
The
Beaverton gym will hosting the next cup between
Portland and Beaverton. It will feature the new
"submission league" format. Weigh-ins are at 10:00
am, matches begin at 11:00 am. Compete and/or come
support the Beaverton crew.
Rodrigo Medeiros Seminar - February 20-21
World champion BJJ black belt and member of the
Carlson Gracie competition team, Medeiros will be
running private and semi-privates Friday from 4-9:00
pm and teaching two special sessions on Saturday
(attacks from guard and attacks from top). You don’t
want to miss out!
SBG Spring Camp - March 27-28
This annual event is open to all SBG members. It
will be a great opportunity to train and learn from
a wide range of experienced coaches coming from all
over.
Belt Promotions
Chris
Kettlehut, received his purple belt from Tom and
Michael in late October. After non-stop grappling
(and almost losing his lunch), Chris sensed the
impending lash. Earlier this fall, Mike McGlynn
received his blue belt. He’s been training at
Beaverton for over 3 years and is looking to
complete his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from
Uof O in June. Congrats to both!
ATP Graduates
Eight ATP participants graduated this fall
including (pictured on page 2): Lorraine Zelinski,
Josh Lamka, Agapito Cruz, Troy Morin, and Ben
Henning.
Got story ideas for
the next newsletter? Email Lori Little at
lori@ora.org
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