UGC, XCC, And Golen Gloves State Finals

Tags

Aaron “The Hitman” Nobles, adam rocco, BJJ, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Golden Gloves, Golden Gloves Boxing, Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament, grappling, Joe Amendola, Martial Arts, Mike “The Grouch” Diplacido, mma, Philadelphia Boxing, rocco, Rocco MMA

Write up for UGC, XCC, And Golen Gloves State Finals

Yesterday, April 21, 2012 was a great day.  It started off with Joe Amendola heading up to the UGC Grappling tournament and taking home gold in the 159.9lb division.  Later that night we had Aaron “Hittman” Nobles compete in the XCC mma show at the armory.  Aaron was in the best shape of his life and it showed.  He went out there relaxed and confident and controlled the entire fight.  He out struck his opponent every round and took absolutely no damage in return.  He used great footwork and combos and kept his opponent at bay and off balance the entire fight.  He has now improved his record to 2-0.  We also had Mike “Grouch” DiPlacido fighting in the Golden Gloves State finals at Front Street gym that night.  Amazingly I had time to run down and corner Grouch as he won the state title.  It was a super tough fight against a very slick opponent.  At first Grouch was having some trouble catching him but he eventually started banging his opponents body and then going up stairs and just simply out worked him.  The fight was close but the Grouch would not be denied and finished super strong.  After the final bell Grouch’s opponent threw a cheap shot and Grouch went at him and it almost turned into a riot.  We all jumped in the ring but it was broken up quick.  In the end Grouch is the Golden Gloves State Champ.  Right after that I ran back to the armory just in time to see our friend and sparring partner, Ben Tichy from the Grindhouse win the XCC 155lb title.  What a great day.

Wasted Youth

Tags

adam rocco, BJJ, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Martial Arts, rocco, Rocco MMA, wasted, youth

Wasted Youth

 There is an old saying that “youth is wasted on the young”.  The older I get the more I realize how true that is.  When I was younger I had no responsibilities like kids, a wife, a house and a job.  I was also injury free.  Now a days, if I can make it a whole week training without getting hurt I’m happy.

People in my life when I was young would always tell me to take advantage of the opportunities that came my way, because it will be harder to grasp them the older I get.  I wish I had listened then.  It is extremely hard to learn from other people’s mistakes.  They say, “A wise man learns from his own mistakes and a genius learns from others mistakes”.  I am apparently no genius.

I see many of the amazing athletes at our gym wasting the primes of their lives.  It is true that athletes can compete at a high level even when they get older, but that is barring injuries and responsibilities.  Many of them are doing more partying than training.  There is a line from my favorite poem, “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost that always stuck with me.  It went, “Oh, I kept the first for another day! (Referring to the road he didn’t take), yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back”.  He meant that once we choose our path in life it is hard to go back to ones we didn’t take.

I know that it is tempting to do what you want when you want.  Most of my students are 18 to 25 years old and are finally at an age that they have some independence.  They see their friends drinking and partying and it looks so appealing.  I’m not saying to give up having fun; I merely want you to think about the consequences of your actions.  Everyday that you choose to party rather than live clean and train is another step away from being a great martial artist.

I also realize that not all my students have aspirations of being a great fighter or martial artist.  They merely use our gym as a way to get in shape and have some fun along the way.  This lesson of not wasting your youth applies to you also.  You may want to be a doctor, a football player, or just to get a job that will cover your bills.  We all have different goals, but when we are young the decisions we make have more of an impact on the rest of our lives.  Really think out your future goals and work towards them now rather than later.  This is the time in your lives to put in the hard work and reach for your dreams.  As Cat Stevens said, “For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not”.

BY: Adam Rocco

My Travel Companions

Tags

adam rocco, BJJ, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, mma, rocco, Rocco MMA

My Travel Companions

             I have been involved in Martial Arts for a large percentage of my life.  I have found over the years that the people and things in my life constantly change.  Members of my family travel out into the world to follow their dreams and to do what they think is best for them at the time.  My friends often take different paths, leading me to find new friends.  I found even my own personal focus changes and the environment around me changes with it.  There are things that have stayed with me for long periods of time, but nothing has been with me as long as me.

My two travel companions have always been my mind and my body.  Through my travels in life they have remained the only two constants.  I realized this some time ago and decided that if they could be so loyal to me then I would be loyal to them.  I decided that I wanted to make them both as powerful as I could.  I have dedicated my life to being the best me I can be.  I study often and workout each day.  I am constantly at war with my vices and make an effort to be as good of a person as I can be.  Nobody is perfect, including me.  To me a man doesn’t have to be perfect or great to be a man.  To me a man is someone who works towards being better each day.

I encourage all of you to try to be better, not for me but rather for you.  The better you treat yourself the better you will ultimately feel about the world around you and the people in it.  I had a lot of anger in me through too big a portion of my life and I took that anger out on me, and the people around me.  I gained nothing by doing that except more anger and negativity.

At a low point in my life I stared at myself in the mirror and asked myself, ”Do I respect the man I see?”  To that point I felt like I was traveling through life on my own.  At that moment I realized I was going down the wrong path and decided to change my focus.  That was the moment I discovered myself.  My travel companions were with me the whole time.  I just never bothered to look.

Since then I have made a conscious effort to better myself each day.  I still have a long way to go but my outlook on the future is good.  Life is the longest journey any of us will travel.  If we stay true to ourselves, the travel will be that much more wonderful.

BY: Adam Rocco

How to stop a bullet

Tags

adam rocco, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, bullet, Martial Arts, mma, rocco, Rocco MMA

How to stop a bullet

            I am sure when most of you read the title of this article that you thought I was going to teach you some ancient technique using your chi or something to stop the bullet. Maybe catch it in our teeth. The truth of the matter is that in martial arts there is no magic. There are many tricks different martial arts instructors use to make their students believe that they have some magical or spiritual powers. I assure you there is no magic in martial arts; at least none that I have seen.

For example, I am sure we have all seen the martial arts instructors that allow their students to kick them in the groin and show no reaction to the pain. When the student tries the same feet he crumbles to the ground in agony. The instructor proclaims it is the power of his chi but I know better. It is merely a trick. The instructor clenches his glutes and quads and forms a wedge of muscle which stops the kick before it ever reaches his groin. His faithful students, unaware of this trick take the full impact to the groin and crumble. This trick reinforces the students’ belief in their instructor but unfortunately, as I stated earlier, it is a trick.

What I am going to teach you is not a trick. I am going to give you the secret of stopping a bullet. The way you stop a bullet is by diffusing the situation before the gun is even drawn. It’s that simple. I know you were hoping for magic but this is a true life lesson. No smoke and mirrors here.

When you are having an argument with someone you should never let it get out of control. If it starts getting heated try to diffuse it by talking calmly and trying to reach some common ground. If you are unable to do this try to leave the situation. It’s that simple.

It is impossible to stop a real bullet, but living a good life and not allowing your emotions to get the better of you should stop that bullet from ever being fired.

BY: Adam Rocco

Golden Gloves Finals 2012

Tags

adam rocco, Golden Gloves, Golden Gloves Boxing, Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament, Mike “The Grouch” Diplacido, Mike Diplacido, Philadelphia Boxing, rocco, Rocco MMA, The Grouch

Golden Gloves Finals 2012

 This Saturday, March 24^th 2012 Mike “The Grouch” DiPlacido stepped into the ring against a very tall and athletic opponent.  As soon as the fight began Grouch went right after his opponent, cutting the taller fighter off and landing big combinations on him up against the ropes.  His opponent tried to use his long jab to keep the Grouch at bay but Grouch kept slipping his shots, getting inside and going to work.  Grouch kept the pressure throughout the fight and eventually wore down his opponent.  Grouch stunned him twice in the third round prompting the Ref to give 2 standing eight counts.  Grouch almost finished him in the third but ran out of time and ultimately won a unanimous decision and the title of golden gloves champ.  He will now be competing in the regionals.  I will keep everyone posted on when he will fight again.  I also wanted to thank everyone who came out in support of the Grouch and our team.

Help me catch my breath

Tags

adam rocco, BJJ, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Martial Arts, mma, rocco, Rocco MMA

Help me catch my breath

I like to watch all of my students train and I noticed something that I wanted to talk about.  I noticed that some of the best athletes in the school were getting winded after only a couple minutes of rolling.  I wanted to touch base on why this happens and how to help prevent it.

In the past, when I was in my best shape but was still relatively new to the sport, I found I would get winded extremely quickly and I didn’t know why.  After doing a little research I discovered that almost all human beings without proper training hold their breath when they are exerting physical energy.  This is something that you have to be mindful of all the time.  I remembered that when I first started lifting weights the same thing would happen.  I would hold my breath while exerting physical energy.  I had to teach myself to breathe when I lifted and the same is true when you are training Jiu Jitsu.  When you are using as many different muscles in as many different ways as a Jiu Jitsu rolling session, your muscles will need a lot more oxygen than usual.  It is important to be mindful of your breathing.  The less you breath while training the less cardio you will have during the session.  The way to combat this is to keep checking yourself while you’re training and rolling.  In your mind ask yourself, “Am I breathing?” and if you’re not, immediately concentrate on doing so.  Doing so consistently will teach yourself to breathe while exerting physical energy and after a while of repeatedly doing this your body will learn to do breathe correctly without your having to double check.

Breathing is not the only culprit, though, when it comes to fatiguing more quickly than you should during a live rolling session.  Another enemy is being too tense and using more muscles than you need to.  When one is new to the sport of Jiu Jitsu, his competitive nature explodes out of him and when he is put into a dominated position he has a tendency to “freak out”.  When you become more experienced with Jiu Jitsu you learn how to relax and use your technique to escape rather than your muscles.  Jiu Jitsu means ‘the art of the gentle way.’  It is meant to use an adversary’s force against him.

Another general rule of Jiu Jitsu is to take the path of least resistance.  Of course, we have to use strength during a Jiu Jitsu match, but the smarter competitor will choose techniques that will use less force and thus conserve more of his energy.  It is extremely important to stay relaxed at all times and be aware of what is happening.  If you tense your whole body, here’s what can happen: other than it resulting in your fatiguing quickly you may also tend to be less aware of what your opponent is doing to you during the match.  I always ask my students after they roll, “What happened?” and the common answer is “I got caught,” so I will ask how you were set up by him and they almost never know how.  That’s because they were caught up in the battle and not relaxed or aware of what was happening to them.  This holds back your progression.  Rolling in class is supposed to be practice.  I realize we are all competitive, but you will learn a lot more by staying calm, relaxed and aware than by being aggressive and unaware during the session.

Remember, take your time and breathe.  The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.  Running the whole way will only leave you out of breath.

By: Adam Rocco

Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament

Tags

adam rocco, Boxing, Golden Gloves, Golden Gloves Boxing, Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament, Mike “The Grouch” Diplacido, Philadelphia Boxing, rocco, Rocco MMA

 Saturday Night, March 10^th 2012, our very own Mike “Grouch” DiPlacido competed in the Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament held at Front Street Gym.  Mike was offered a bye this round, but he chose not to accept it.  He wanted to fight.  He ended up fighting a very tough fighter with good boxing skills.  Within the first few seconds of the fight they both had an amazing exchange, throwing a huge barrage of punches at each other.  After that the rest of the round was a close boxing match.  The second round Mike came on strong landing big shot after big shot and dropped his opponent twice in the round, nearly ending the fight.  In the last round Mike stalked his opponent and finished him by TKO.

Mike looked the best he has yet.  His skills keep improving.  Thanks to his coaches and teammates for all their help getting him ready.  Mike will be competing in the finals of the Golden Glove Tournament next Saturday.  Anyone interested in coming to support Mike and our team please let me know and I will give you all the details.

Police vs. Fire Boxing Show

Tags

adam rocco, Boxing, Charles Klink, Fire, Fire boxing, Jose Ramos, Kevin Sloan, Lenny Rocco, Mike Cassel, Mike Heston, Octavio Pineda, Philadelphia Boxing, Police, Police Boxing, Police vs Fire Boxing show, rocco, Rocco MMA, Shawn Duffy, Vinny Maroney

Saturday Night, March 3^rd 2012 Rocco MMA had 6 fighters compete on the annual Police Vs. Fire Boxing show.  It was a real honor to be involved in such a worthy event like this.  This was our gym’s 4^th year training the fighters for the event and it turned out to be one of the best.

The first fighter was Jose Ramos.  He had only trained boxing for a few months but you wouldn’t know it from watching him.  He looked great and completely dominated his opponent on his way to a second round TKO.

Next to the ring was Kevin Sloan.  Kevin took on a fighter that out-weighed him by over 25lbs.  He used good footwork and outscored his opponent.  He took a decision victory.

Then we had Vinny Maroney step into the ring.  Vinny didn’t know he was going to fight because his prior opponent had gotten injured a week prior to the event.  They asked him to step in for another fighter that couldn’t get cleared from the doctors and Vinny did.  He fought a very muscular and intimidating opponent.  In the first round his opponent came hard at him and Vinny dropped him with a straight right hand.  The rest of the first round and all of the second was Vinny being pressed up against the ropes and him trying to get the guy off of him so guy he could punch.  In the third round he was able to catch the guy coming in and ended up finishing the fight by TKO.

Shawn Duffy was our next fighter.  He was fighting a very tall and long opponent that out-weighed him by 25lbs.  Shawn is about 5’10” and his opponent was 6’6’.  Despite the reach and size Shawn held his own but ultimately lost a close decision.

Mike Heston then entered the ring.  Him and his opponent were the two largest fighters of the night, both tipping the scales at over 250lbs.  As soon as the fight started Mike caught his opponent with a huge over-hand right and nearly knocked him out.  The rest of the first round Mike dominated his opponent, nearly stopping him several times.  Mike seemed to tire though and in the second round his the opponent came back and started landing some good shots on Mike.  In third round though Mike came back and landed some huge shots finishing his opponent by TKO in an extremely entertaining fight.

Finally we had Charles Klink enter the ring in the main event.  He was fighting a Muay Thai specialist who had years of experience over Chuck.  Chuck stuck to the game plan and dominated the fight from start to finish, landing huge shots on the way in and then smothering his much taller and longer opponent.  Chuck had him knocked out in the second round but his opponent was saved by the bell.  Chuck dominated and won a decision.

It was a great night of fights.  Thanks to Lenny Rocco, Mike Cassel, and Octavio Pineda for all their hard work getting the fighters ready for battle.  A big shot out as well to all the people who came out in support of our local hero’s.

Philly Ring King IV Results

Tags

Kermit Cintron, Mike “The Grouch” Diplacido, mma, Octavio "Tornado" Pineda, Philadelphia Boxing, Philly Ring Kings, Philly Ring Kings IV, Raymond "Tito" Serrano, rocco, Rocco MMA

Philly Ring Kings IV held Saturday, February 25th 2012 was a huge success. We had 14 fights and hosted a packed house. All of the fights were extremely exciting and our fighters did great. We even had former 2 time world champion, Kermit Cintron in attendance, along with 18-0, current #10 ranked contender, Raymond “Tito” Serrano.

Our first fighter was Octavio “Tornado” Pineda. He fought a very tall and athletic opponent in an extremely action packed fight. They went toe to toe throughout the fight with both of them landing a lot of clean shots. Octavio definitely won rounds 2 and 3 but the judges ended up giving the close decision to his opponent. In a fight like that though there are no losers and we all are very proud of how Octavio fought.

Then we had Mike “The Grouch” DiPlacido enter the ring. He also fought a very tall and athletic opponent who came with a huge entourage. Grouch fought the way he always does with non-stop pressure and aggression. He kept walking his opponent down and landing some great combinations throughout the fight. He won a unanimous decision.

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported our event.

Xtreme Caged Combat Fight Results

Tags

Aaron “The Hitman” Nobles, Mike “The Grouch” Diplacido, mma, rocco, Rocco MMA, XCC, Xtreme Caged Combat

Rocco MMA wants to congratulate Aaron “The Hitman” Nobles and Mike “The Grouch” Diplacido for their tremendous wins Saturday, February 11^th at the “Xtreme Caged Combat” MMA event.

Aaron used his great hands to dominate his opponent on the feet.  He caught him with several barrages of shots forcing his opponent to try to take him down each round, but Aaron’s take down defense was too good and it lead him to a unanimous decision victory. All 3 judges had every round for Aaron.

The Grouch fought the same way. He used his superior striking and great take down defense to dominate his opponent. He landed a ton of shots early causing his opponent to repeatedly try to take him down, but the grouch was just too good at stuffing the shots and ended up winning by TKO in the second round.

We are proud of both of our guys. They put in the work and reaped the rewards.

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Rocco MMA team.