Our Fitness Boot Camp is unbelievable! If you thought P90X was great you ain’t seen nothing yet. Our Fitness Bootcamp classes in Houston, TX offers a wide range of exercises that will have you sweating bullets and burning in muscles that you didn’t even know you had. Within just minutes of trying out one of or Bootcamp classes you will see why our Fitness program will get you in shape faster than anything else around. Bring a friend and have the most fun you ever had while working out. Come try it out for a free week and see why Team Tooke Fitness Bootcamp has the best Conditioning Bootcamp in the Houston area. Don’t wait for the New Year or any other excuse you may use to procrastinate. Make the decision to take control of your body and your fitness and do it NOW. Call us today at 281-955-7300 to schedule your first FREE week. I can’t wait to see you in class!

Have you ever grappled someone who was so flexible that it just seemed impossible to pass their guard? Or, if you did manage to pass the guard, that person was able to simple throw one leg in front of your face and forces the escape. This is the advantage of having great flexibility in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. When you develop a high level of flexibility in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu you will be able to even the match much more, even with someone who is more skilled than you. Imagine if every time someone passed your guard or put you in a knee on belly position you had the ability to simply bring your leg up by your face and push your opponent away. On the other hand, lacking flexibility can really hinder your Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts game. Even with a high skill level and great technique, a lack of flexibility will make you feel like you’re glued to the floor at times.

So what can you do? The most obvious answer is to stretch, right? It’s true that stretching will help to improve your flexibility and decrease your risk of injury; however you should search to find more sport specific stretches. For example, Jiu-jitsu requires a-lot of back and hip flexibility. Try to focus your stretching on the parts of your body that really need to be stretched out in a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or Mixed Martial Arts fight. Also, unlike passive stretching, in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts you need to be flexible and still be able to push, pull and fight back. Stretching in combination with resistance/weight training can be of huge benefit? Remember to talk to a professional before attempting to design you own super, killer Gumby flexibility program.

You don’t need to be able to put both feet behind your head at the same time and walk around on your hands. However, if you increase your flexibility by just 10% I can guarantee that your skill level in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts will increase along with it. Now go stretch!

I really believe that, no, I know that conditioning is just about the most important part of being a successful Mixed Martial Arts or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competitor. The only thing more important is technique. Remember though, your MMA and Jiu-jitsu technique is only as good as your conditioning level will allow you to stay focused. If you are Anderson Silva but you have poor conditioning, you better get the win in the first round. Otherwise, your striking accuracy will diminish, your takedown defense will be off and you will not be able to recover when you get hit or taken down. The fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is a perfect example of this. Sonnen dominated the fight for 4 rounds, kicking Silva’s butt about 98% of the time. Had Silva not prepared his body for such torture he would likely have been beaten in the earlier rounds and he would have had virtually no chance of winning the fight the way he did. However, he was in shape, prepared and pulled off the victory.
Proper conditioning builds mental toughness. When you are conditioned and in shape, you will carry with you a sense of confidence that no one can break you and a mindset that you will keep fighting until you win no matter who may be kicking your ass at the moment. It’s like you have a “Secret Weapon” that you can keep using no matter how bad things get. Lack of conditioning, on the other hand will be the Achilles heel to the most technical fighter on the planet. How many times have you seen a fighter dominate another opponent, nearly finishing the fight, only to have the less technical-better conditioned fighter come back and pull off the upset? It happens all the time, especially at the smaller shows.
Invest in your cardio and conditioning. I always tell my Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu fighters that if they are going to compete, there is “absolutely no excuse” for not being in shape. You don’t have to have a personal trainer (a strong team and motivating friend helps), you don’t need to spend 4 hours a day in the gym and you don’t need to be a fitness expert. You need to plan your day and be sure that “Cardio and Conditioning for Mixed Martial Arts or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu” are part of your schedule. Start with just 10 minutes a day dedicated to extra conditioning and then add more later. As you get into better shape(which won’t take long) educate yourself on better ways to maximize your efforts so you achieve the best results in the shortest amount of time.
Remember, you are ultimately responsible for your level of fitness. If you are not getting the results you desire for your MMA and Jiu-jitsu training, then do something about it. Now go get in shape!

Our Martial Arts Kids program in Houston, Texas is one of the best in the state. With our kids program your child will develop Confidence, Discipline and Respect. Our Kids classes teach real life lessons as well as realistic self defense techniques. And, with 30 days free, you can give your child the gift of Martial Arts with no risk or obligation. Is your child’s confidence, safety and future important to you? Don’t wait any longer. Pick up the phone today and call 281-955-7300 to schedule his/her free consultation, free intro lesson and free 30 days of Martial Arts training in Houston, Texas

Often times when a new student comes to my MMA gym in Houston, Texas they will ask “when are your Mixed Martial Arts classes?” We do offer Mixed Martial Arts classes but I never let a brand new student start with them. I make them build a solid foundation first with our striking and grappling classes.

The logic is simple. You must sharpen your tools separately before you can use them together. Imagine trying to learn how to throw a basic jab-cross combination and your training partner keep taking you down with a double leg. Or, you are trying to work an armbar drill form the closed guard and you can focus because your partner keeps punching you in the face. You will develop sloppy fighting skills this way. It is imperative that you train Brazilian Jiu-jitsu with no striking and that you train striking (Muay Thai, Boxing, kickboxing) with no grappling or wrestling involved. When you have acquired the right skills in each area, you will then, and only then, be ready to start mixing it up. All of my fighters regularly train Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in the gi as well as Muay Thai and boxing where there is no grappling whatsoever going on. We then set aside special Mixed Martial Arts classses where we step into the cage and “everything goes”. What is the result. Our fighters are more technical, more focused and more prepared than they ever could be if all they did was train MMA in the cage.

If you are serious about gaining true Mixed Martial Arts skill and want to fight, then you absolutely MUST train Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Wrestling and striking (Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do) separately as well as mixing it all together. If you don’t believe me, just look at the top Mixed Martial Arts fighters in the world today. Anderson Silva, B J Penn, Randy Couture, George St. Pierre; they all have separated their training schedules to focus on improving individual parts of their games. If you want to be a professional, then you need to train like one. Just look at the names I just mentioned and ask yourself if they would be good candidates to offer advise in Mixed Martial Arts training. Remember, they all sharpen their skills separately and you should too.