Alexis Davis: Invicta FC2: For OTM SF

Alexis Davis is scheduled to fight Hitomi Akano as the co-main event at the Invicta Fighting Championships 2 in Kansas City, Kansas on July 28, 2012.  She is a renowned Strikeforce Fighter, the 4th ranked 135lb Female Fighter in the World (Unified Women's MMA) and the 2011 WMMA Female Bantamweight of the Year.  She has a Black Belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and holds a professional MMA record of 11-4.  Davis is Canadian and currently resides in the Bay Area studying under Cesar Gracie.  She is a leader in the rapidly growing world of Female MMA (FMMA) and definitely one to watch. 


The following is an introductory interview leading up to her July 28 fight:

How did you get started in martial arts?

A friend of mine asked me to do kick boxing with her. After taking an interest in Martial Arts, I joined BJJ. I have been training for about 8 1/2 years now. I am currently a 4 stripe Brown Belt in BJJ and a Black Belt in Japanese JJ.

What made you decide to compete in MMA?


I got interested when I watched one of my instructors train for a fight. I saw it as a new way to challenge myself.

How do you structure your training camp leading up to a fight? 


I usually train about 4-5 times a day consisting of BJJ, conditioning, Muay Thai, stand up and ground. I study the film/video style of my opponent and add specific training geared towards that.



How do you describe your fight style?


A lot of being hard headed and a lot of heart. (lol) I refuse to give up or give in. I train to be the best and I fight to be the same.

What are your thoughts going into your July 28 Invicta fight?


I am happy to be a part of the inaugural Invicta events. This promotion is bringing the FMMA to a level never seen before. I am happy to be a co-main and represent all the females wanting to excel in this sport!

Who do you want to fight after Invicta?

I would LOVE to fight Miesha Tate, I think our styles of fighting would make a fight that would have the crowd standing every round. I respect her and know this would be a FIGHT OF THE YEAR nomination


What advice do you have for women in MMA?


Stick with it no matter what, although the frustration and hard times may come, focus on where you want to be. Stay positive and supportive of all the females training to be the same. We are in this together and together we will make FMMA a respectable sport for all to watch.

Limits vs Results

Two quotes have repeatedly flowed through my social media channels over the past week kicked off by two people who have been very influential in my own fitness development: 

1)

2) 

"I'm constantly tempted to change my career. As one book says . . . and I paraphrase - 'I love my industry - it's the people in it that I'm starting to dislike'. Fitness sells people on RESULTS! Results this and Results that!!!! Hell - we don't even know what results are anymore!! We think it means the accomplishment of a goal - but that is NOT often the case - especially when the initial goal is misguided!! The majority of long-term PT clients (e.g. >5years) don't look much different then when they started their PT experience. BUT - THEY OFTEN BECOME DIFFERENT PEOPLE. WHY? Improved function (however that is measured from person to person) changes a person's reality, and a person's life by default. If you can live a BETTER life because of your physical and spiritual improvement due to training - then you just have to look GOOD ENOUGH to live that BETTER life!! lol You don't have to have a six pack, get into a size 4, or even look 10 years younger to live that better life!! When your kicking ass - a size 8 can look pretty sexy, a 36 inch waste looks pretty thin when its owner passes your ass on a 5k run, and a little wrinkle here and salt and pepper hair there become the SEXY SCARS OF WISDOM!! SO - kick your client's asses, get them in great shape, make them tougher in this world full of pussies, AND you will see - "they wont give a shit if they don't look like the "Air-brushed and Photoshopped" Models that grace the cover of our demented magazine!!" There - my rant for the day!!" lmao 

-Juan Carlos Santana

There is a common thread in these two quotes: Expand your concept of success.  Look at the inner development that is happening, celebrate the character that is building and allow external pursuits to reveal natural talent even if it happens through failure.  External results matter, they serve a purpose but they are not the whole story.  Limits shed light on methods that no longer serve us and point toward a more productive direction.  The core qualities and intentions can still be in play even if the external means becomes limited in one direction.  Fulfillment is available in any pursuit if the experience becomes the teacher. 

Mental Note:

Don't ever let pedestrian problems block your brilliance.

Habitually override procrastination.

Live your potential.

I Went to TSAC 2012

Thursday, 4.12.12, 14:45 PM
Las Vegas Airport, Pre-Flight Purgatory

This week I attended the NSCA-TSAC conference in Las Vegas.   TSAC is the division of the National Strength and Conditioning Association developed to address Tactical Strength and Conditioning, specifically the fitness needs of the military, law enforcement professionals and fire fighters.  It was an incredible experience and I would like to attend this conference annually.

The lectures on schedule were presented by leaders in each field and the content was relevant and insightful.  I was impressed with the presenters' willingness to note where they felt their research was limited, and how they felt the testing, training and priorities might be adjusted going forward to better serve their demographics.

There were a few recurring themes that made the content of this conference markedly different from a general fitness or strictly athletic conference. Several times it was presented that the success measure for athletic performance vs tactical performance distills down to win or lose vs alive or dead.  The injury reporting rate for service professionals is far lower (they tough it out and don't tend to request treatment) than that of the athletic or general public populations.  The tactical training priority is to complete physical conditioning safely and effectively rather than over-focus on mastery of formal lift technique.


I have a deep appreciation for many traditions of physical training.  The commitment required to reach any physical milestone is noteworthy.  Practice that involves self-mastery is some of the most courageous work we can do.

I also note that when a physical training needs analysis is focused on preserving life in extreme physical circumstances - in battle, in a fire, in a violent altercation or in any other circumstance of physical danger - the emphasis on survival comes first.  Preserving life is the immediate goal of the exercise program.

Being part of a culture that is recovering from some ailments of a prevalent sedentary life-style, sometimes the immediate life-preserving aspects of fitness slip off the radar.  The idea that eating well now and exercising now for health later doesn't carry the same urgency as eat well and exercise now to stay alive now.  This conference woke me up to my own sense of time-lapse lethargy and inspired me to pay more attention to the immediate factors in my own life, even as a civilian with comparatively low risk.

This conference was great for my own growth because historically I have had some insecurity about moving in military-oriented or perceived conservative communities based on some fears of not-belonging.  The presenters were clearly motivated by genuine care and compassion for the demographics they serve and there was an impressive level of attention and respect amongst the participants.  I met a couple new friends over an epic coffee incident the first morning, which made the whole experience so much more fun than I could have anticipated.  I look forward to seeing how this conference will evolve in years to come.

Break.Through. (originally written for Juno Fitness)

What is an athletic breakthrough?  Is it completing more reps, winning a match, lifting heavier weight, losing weight, gaining muscle, running faster, passing the CPAT?  Or is it tapping into the mind-body connection and working intelligently within the physical system to strategically create a breakthrough performance? 

Culturally there is a huge push toward working hard in the gym, burning tons of calories, manning up to ass-whooping workouts that leave participants lying on the floor in pools of sweat unable to remember their own names.  Everyone gets a reward for this type of behavior, be it in the form of an ego pump, a reprieve from feeling lazy or the relief that bodies can actually go that hard when driven.  Of course, there is a fitness level that comes from this too, which is *generally* pretty good. 

The effort in the extreme workout is laudable.  Participants have learned how to face physical exertion and endure discomfort - the opposite of remaining sedentary.  Culturally, that is a leap which deserves positive recognition.  The challenge is in preventing those workouts from becoming leaping points to physical disconnect at which point they cease to advance athletic development.

Athleticism implies a mind-body connection.  One of the compelling factors in consistent physical practice is the flow state or the zone.  In the flow state there is an interplay between challenge level and immediate feedback which provides a deep sense of satisfaction.  As we improve our athletic development, aiming for the flow state keeps us in a healthy range.  If we move out of flow, we move into something more like force or strain and there is a split between our mental/emotional engagement and our physical exertion.

John Douillard, author of Mind, Body and Sport recommends breathing through the nose during physical exertion (when possible - some sport specific technique doesn't support this).   Breathing more slowly allows more oxygen to enter the blood stream and keeps the pace of our movements consistent with what we can be present with.  As technique improves and physical adaptation develops, we move more quickly with this breath style.  

Developing athleticism does involve hard work.  There are points of significant physical discomfort.  The difference between strategically crafting a breakthrough performance and going balls out without a plan is implementing intentional mind/body connection and sport science.  

Next time you hit the gym ask yourself:

What is my big picture goal? 

What is my goal for this workout?

Where does this workout fit within my big picture goal?

Ask us to help you pinpoint where exactly you are in relation to your breakthroughs.  How can we help guide you toward improved mind-body connection in the midst of your badass workouts?  We want the whole package, and we want that for you too.  

written by Carey Rockland for Juno Fitness

Lemming Rebels

What goes on for you when rejecting a fitness or nutrition plan?  What uncomfortable feelings come up when you consider following one?

Is there some idea that following a plan is an admission of defeat, like your way didn't work? Will you lose your edge? Is it finally time to grow up and do the responsible thing? Is it an admission of aging?Will you become a boring spokesperson for a boring life?  Are you afraid it will be uncomfortable?  Is there an aesthetic component that is either compelling or frightening?

Those are some thoughts I brought up at our Athletistry meeting yesterday. I asked myself why I sometimes step away from the Ayurvedic nutrition and supplementation I have available.  It was an exercise in understanding mindset.  We went deep into why we sometimes encounter aversion to our own practices to better understand what our clients might sometimes feel.

At one point I mentioned that if I did everything right I would no longer feel like a rebel.  Then TJ said that during her time with Noah Levine he said or conveyed that: "The strongest form of rebellion is to control your own mind and body."  She said that many lemming-rebels historically have thought they were rebelling when in fact they were succumbing to mass marketing.  For example, marketers sold rebels-past on the image that smoking is cool.  People smoked, funded tobacco companies and died from it.  That was not well thought-out rebelliousness.

When we weed out the false concepts that block us from taking action on what we actually want, we make progress.  Accessing personal power can require blowing through some tricky BS, but more often than not, it evaporates upon analysis.

What blocks do you put between you and your health?  How can they be unraveled?  What is waiting on the other side?

Women's Self Preservation

Sharon Sanghera (of Vincit Magazine) and I just launched the Women's Self Preservation Program.  Last weekend we presented a seminar called, Venus Tactical Training, which covers incident prevention, de-escalization and self-defense.  It's cool to work with a room full of women on movement and mental strategy to become more aware of safety and surroundings.  The Women's Self Preservation  Program also offers courses and material on exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, empowerment and leadership.

I never thought much about doing single sex programming before even though I went to a women's college.  One thing that got my attention was an interview I did with the Sweaty Betties and Leticia Ribeiro for Vincit Magazine.  The Sweaty Betties are a women's only grappling group affiliated with the Gracie Humaita fight team.  They brought 6 x World Champion Leticia Ribeiro to South San Francisco for a women's only grappling camp back in December.  The experience of 60+ female grapplers learning from a female world champion was unforgettable.  The Betties conveyed what it was like to train almost exclusively with men and the breakthroughs that suddenly occurred when they made a point to train with other women.  

I have been grappling/practicing BJJ for about seven years now, and for much of my instruction I have been one of very few women on the mat (this is changing).  My process around grappling began with getting used to full contact and spacial awareness.  My childhood socialization did not cover it and one season of recreational rugby barely scratched the surface.  I remember my first boxing experience around the same time - I was learning to spar and every time I threw a punch I would laugh and apologize.  It was automatic.  I remember noticing that the guys were not having that problem.  It took a few months to feel as though I had reached neutral ground in my relationship to the contact that occurs in combat sports.  More girls are being raised with the option to explore these sports, but it will still be a long time before this becomes common.  Sport participation or not, girls and women should have a sense of the space around them, know how to "hold base" (maintain balance) and space, and be reasonably prepared to handle physical contact if necessary. 

Creating a space for women to learn to defend themselves is powerful.  It creates a safe container to develop physical awareness with others doing exactly the same thing.  This is not martial arts, per se, but it is human movement, mindset and emotion.  We do have men in the class assisting, and we will open some programs in the future.  Right now, the specificity is compelling and effective.

We look forward to evolving this project, and we are excited about what is possible.  Info on upcoming seminars may be found on our website, our FaceBook page, and Twitter: @WSPreservation.