Black Belt Goal

My 2 year goal to attain 1 of the 101 HaganaH BlackBelts in the world

What do you do when you miss a goal? This video just may help:

I am back in Colombia again loving life but I wanted to do a quick post on the 4th of July. I was home in LaPorte Indiana and decided to run in our 5K. I did not train for the running just decided to run. The cool thing was I finished in 21:06. Did not hit my goal of 20:00 minutes but I did finish 11th overall and won the over 41 division. I also beat everyone over 30 so that was cool!

Will fill you in as we progress here in Bogota!

Last friday I picked up a Glock -17 for the first time. I normally would not make a big deal out of the first time I touched a handgun but as a pursue my Black belt in HaganaH one of the things we have to do is be able to handle a hand gun.

Well my instructor Mike Lee Kanarek called and said he had an opening in the new course they have set up featuring the latest Lotar techniques from Israel. Of course my first thought was no. But, I SUB’d and decided to go.

When we got to the class we where introduced to Garett who is fresh from the Duvdevan Unit out of Israel and we went right to safety then to drilling. Of course being so new my head was into safety long after we where into drilling but I just kept listening to the instructions given and hide my nervousness. Which I did not do very good. I managed to stay safe and get through the tactical and the movement part of the class. I have to say it was some of the most intense learning i have ever done.

I have done some learning to, I have an MBA and a PhD so I have been through many types of teaching. Garret did an amazing job, his curriculum was tight and his teaching style exceptional.

As we kept moving forward I started to gain some confidence and then we where off to the range. This is where my nerves really kicked in. I mean I have never handled a Glock let alone shoot one. All my exposure was that morning. Now I have gun experience as I have shot clays with a 12 gauge before so I understand the gun goes “BOOM” but I was till intimidated. Everyone in the class had some pretty good experience.

We got to the range and Garett got us going right away. He was right in my ear the whole time and for the first hour I was like what the hell am I doing here. But, I stuck with my thoughts of just listen and follow orders. As the day went one I got more comfortable with the gun and the mechanics. Actually, doing a lot better, thanks to Garrets patience and the functional fixing of my rookie breakdowns.

By the end of the day I was doing really good with changing the magazines and understanding the tactics. My only real issue was with jams. I just needed more dry practice. Fixing a jam under stress is difficult and I know understand why the repetition is needed.

Overall the course was amazing. I know what I need to work on thanks to Garret. I know the basics of the system and of concealment. I am VERY comfortable with the Glock -17 so much so I ordered my first one today. Amazing class with an amazing teacher. I still have a ways to go. But I have a toolbox that is amazing and I can think of no better way to start my handgun training then with the best. I am sticking with this system and just working it every week. So much so, I can’t wait to show the group my progress!

Also, I am still hitting 2 a days on training and am probably at around 8% BF, we will be doing testing next week and I will post where I am at.

Ok I will be the first to admit this is TOUGH….

I am currently at 9% and starting to hammer away to get to 8%. My travel to Colombia hurt some but that is no excuse. I am working hard. Today for example I have FIGHT at 10:30 then I have BB3 Arms at 12 then Combat Fitness tonight at 7:30. My diet is pretty clean. I just need to maintain more consistency.

I am heading to Chicago for the 4th of July, then back to Colombia on the 10th of July for 7 days. I have decided to look for space in Colombia to open a small gym. That way I have no excuses.

Pretty pumped. I turned 41 this week, so it is all out peddle to the metal! I will post some pictures in 2 weeks

Keep up the good fight!

I will do a review on these two items but my birthday came early! Picked up a pair of twins gloves and some king shin guards from http://www.fighters-inc.com! They are made in Thailand through Daytona Beach. Looks like all my gear is from over there. I know have Winning HeadGear – King Shins – Twins Gloves (+ RingSide Gloves).

Pretty pumped.

On goals, I got stuck in Bogota for 3 weeks, so I got a little behind on the goal of 5.5% but getting right back to it this week. I actually had a major stomach issue. I start back with measurements with BB3 on Monday. I went and picked up 2 tubs of afterglow! So I am ready. Tomorrow after Combat Fitness I am hitting the grocery store.

Really excited about a real good week of training! It is amazing how new gear can motivate!

BTW has anyone seen the new video of John Clarke and Combat Wrestling if you have not check it out!

Now that I am 99% Next week I am starting to get back into CW…

I am getting ready to head out to do some high altitude training here in Bogota Colombia. I arrived on Saturday night and had to take care of some business and I am know ready to get training. I have yet to find a MMA gym or boxing gym but I have found the worlds highest cross-fit facility. I am going to go on my search today for a boxing gym to hit some bags etc…

I have a week left and my goal is some hard core training. It is really hard to eat on my diet here. Everyone loves bread it is everywhere. I am going to focus on my training and do the best I can at my diet. When I get home in a week it is back to hard core HaganaH and Combat Fitness as well as working with Billy Beck III to get my body fat down. I am still in single digits but it is tough.

My cardio should improve it is really difficult at this altitude. I will follow up with some updates. Have a great week!

It has been awhile since I did a review and I thought I would do it on my shoes. I bought a pair of red and black Reebock Zigs a few weeks ago before my HaganaH Certification at headquarters with Mike Lee Kanarek. I really liked them at first they felt real comfortable and felt like a great shoe.  I got up to head out to the second day of training and I noticed something wrong with the bottoms. As you can see by the picture a small piece was coming off. When we got our lunch break I ran over to Foot Locker to exchange them for another pair. The only issue was in the size 8.5 they only had the orange and silver. I had to grab them and get back to working out.

After getting ribbed for the colors I made it through the certification and have had them for 2 weeks. I have to give them thumbs down. The initial comfort is not there. I guess they are good for straight line running, but they just don’t get the job done with all the training I do.

Nike Air Free vs Reebok Zig

I have had a pair of Nike Free 5.0’s for over 3 months, in fact this is my third pair that I just love. The only issue with them is I had to change the insoles. The ones that come with the shoe are brutal. I love the feel of these shoes and the weight and the actually torque ok on the mat. I would not run more then 5K in them though as they are designed to feel as you are in your bare feet. I leave long running to ASICS and other running brand shoes.

I am going to be looking at some new cross trainging running shoes this week and will report back.

I am also buying some new gloves and some new King shin guards I will review in the upcoming weeks!

Been a great couple weeks. Then next 4 Billy Beck has really got me on an aggressive plan to gain lean muscle and drop down to 5.5% body fat. I was at 9.5% Friday. I have a big speaking event next weekend, but other then that ready to train!

Have a great weekend!

Well one and half years of hard work have really paid off. Last Thursday – Sunday I went through a very intensive HaganaH Instructor Certification. Training for the last year and half at the HaganaH headquarters with Mike Lee Kanarek really paid off. I felt amazing and had a great weekend. I am also very thankful to all the other students who where just amazing.

Another special thank you goes out to Chris Kisslen who is an instructor and black belt in the system who stayed the entire event and helped us all. Obviously, I want to thank Mike Lee Kanarek for putting this whole thing together.

Amazing week – now I am on to getting better with Tactical Knife, Ground Survival and Ground Wrestling, and Tactical shooting. Along with that a weight gain of about 5 more lbs and a body fat percentage drop to 6%. Then next 6 months are going to be amazing!

I will keep you informed on my progress!

I wanted to include a new video on dedication here:

This is going to be an amazing week – this morning I headed to BB3’s to start my Large and in Charge workouts. Since last week I was destroyed from my Combat Fitness certification I came in to get started and Billy Beck III KICKED MY ASS. It has been years since squats, flys, and all the other things Billy was working me on. But it feels great I am back. I had to miss Muay Thai tonight as I am getting prepared for 4 days of Certification training and I have to get ahead with helping people on MorningCoach.com.

Tomorrow I start with my normal FIGHT class and then head back to have Mike Lee Kanarek hammer me with Combat Fitness. Then Wednesday back to BB3 for a terror Large and in Charge workout then sparring at Muay Thai Wed night. Then finally at 8AM we start the FIGHT Certification.

Going to be an amazing week, and next few weeks as I look to lose fat and gain 3-5LB’s of muscle. Eating everything in site on my diet plan LOL. I have to tell you it feels great to be alive!

What a weekend! I am still recovering from the 2 – 12 hour marathon sessions with James Cooper, Mike Lee Kanarek, John Clarke. It was mentally and physically exhausting and I am at 9% body fat.  I salute all my fellow class mates that used bands, balls, gloves, kettle bells, bars, weights, tires in ways not humanly possible.  Great job everyone.

The year and a half of training had me mentally and physically ready for what we went through.

It was a great accomplishment. I have to tell you James Cooper’s knowledge of the body and structure is amazing. His passion and training ideas where awesome. I love people with passion and he just knows how to motivate and get work done. I am looking forward to more ideas that Mr. Cooper implements into this system.

I am a testimony to this program as I have gained 20 lbs and I am now in the best shape of my life. I am confident that through this year of training I can help someone reach their fitness goals through combat fitness. What a great group of people.

Awesome weekend! Taking a break this weekend, then next week we are building muscle with Billy Beck III and I have my HaganaH Fight Cert next Thur – Sun! Been a rocking April!!! What the heck is May going to bring.

Many blessings to all!