KNUXX Vol. 2 No. 2

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N e w M e x i c o ’ s Fi g h t i n g & T r a i n i n g M o n t h ly

INTRODUCING:

February 2012

Vol. 2 No. 2

FIT KIDZ MMA & MEAN KIDS

JACKSON’S MMA SERIES 7 RESULTS THE MILANO PROJECT PART 2 CHARTER / MAX CHALLENGE

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Production Manager: Mike Lo Bianco || mike@knuxx.com Master of Internet Presence: TBD - Open position Contributing Writers: Heath Holmes Trula Howe Mike Taddoni Daniel Rocha Adam “Chewy” Saenz Josh Huggins Genieve Sanchez Kelly Tekin Quiroz Contributing Photographers: Will Fox || thefoxidentity.com Jose Castillo || castilloimages.com Chris Cozzone || cozzone.com KNUXX is publis shed monthly s y by:

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On the Cover: “Hondo” Gutierrez, one of the FIT KIDZ, showcased his skills for the cover this month. You will certainly hear more about these young fighters in coming issues.

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From the Publisher

If You Fall, You should Fall Forward

I

’ve been thinking a lot lately about falling down. That might seem like a weird thing to spend one’s time pondering but I have 2 kids and a ton of nieces and nephews. I was watching them play recently in my dad’s yard. The older kids were running around, jumping on the trampoline, chasing the dogs, playing on the swings, and wreaking all manner of havoc. The younger kids, those just learning to walk/run, were spending most of the time running behind them just trying to keep up. Quite often they would fall down.

I watched as the toddlers, mainly unaffected, would quickly get themselves back up and once again begin pursuit. You could tell that they were much more skilled at getting up then they were at actually chasing – they’d done it more as they learned to stand. I noted that they were quick to get up when they fell forward. When they fell forward they would just get to their knees and pop back to their feet. A few times however they were knocked backwards (dogs, other kids running into them, or when they ran into something immovable). On these occasions they were slower to get back to their feet. The process was more laborious and not as easy to figure out - sometimes it involved rolling around for awhile – but they always got back up eventually.

While watching this I was glad to see that they kept getting up. It made me proud in a way.

I thought about the “rising generations”. These kids, and others, are the ones that will take our place in the future. There’s always someone coming up through the ranks to oust the people at the top.

There have been several “old dogs” in the fight world who have recently retired. There’s always someone who will take their place. It’s incredible to see that there are programs cropping up that start teaching the fundamentals of MMA, boxing, kickboxing and traditional martial arts at a young age. This issue we explore two local programs from FIT NHB and Mean 1 MMA. I couldn’t help but to relate this to all of us and to KNUXX specifically. I get asked, all the time, how I got into the combat sports world. My canned response to this is that “I tripped, stumbled, and fell into it”. It’s a pretty accurate description of the events. It’s also a great way to explain how we keep going. We have made a lot of mistakes with KNUXX. We’ve fallen down a few times but we keep getting back up. It doesn’t matter if we fall down, what’s important is that we’re heading in the right direction and that we get back up p when we fall - and every y time we fall we “Fall Forward”.

I hope you enjoy this issue.

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Rising Generations

Cover Feature

There are many programs for kids in the Martial Arts world.

It has long been an option to put your kid in Taekwondo or Karate. But only recently have you had the possiblity to get them started in MMA at a young age. For this issue Trula Howe looked at a couple programs for the rising generation.

FIT KIDZ - Photo by Will Fox

by Trula Howe

F

it Kidz is FIT NHB’s MMA program for children, ages 5-12. It was developed more than 5 years ago, by gym owner, Tom Vaughn, and teaches children mixed martial arts fundamentals: boxing, Thai boxing, wrestling and submission grappling. The objective of the program is “to teach teamwork, technique, coordination, good work ethics, strength and conditioning, flexibility, self-confidence, self-defense and discipline, while having fun!”

Program coordinator, Gerald Lovato, is one of FIT NHB’s professional fighters and a KOTC veteran, who originally volunteered for the program when it started, and enrolled his now-teenaged daughter, as “a way for the two of us to bond.”

About a year later, he took over the management of the program, even though his daughter no longer participates. “She’s a teenager now, so she’s too cool for this. Now I just do it because I love it.”

Parents enroll their kids in the program for different reasons. For instance, Jennifer Latimer and Rolando Flores recently enrolled their

two kids, 12-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, in FitKidz about a month ago. Invited by their friends Donald Sanchez and Gerald Lovato, they wanted both children to join for different reasons. “We enrolled our daughter to help her get in shape and give her self-confidence, while our son wants to train because he looks up to the fighters he’s known all his life.” Both parents are happy with the results, even after only one month. “We even invited our friends, who brought their kids and they like it too.”

Sergio Gutierrez, an amateur fighter at FIT NHB, has had two kids in the program for the last 2 years, and not only do he and his sons train, his wife, Annalicia, also works out at the gym, for the main purpose of staying in shape, but also for family togetherness. “It keeps us together. Sometimes we’ll be having a bad day with each other, but training helps work all that out; the gym keep us together as a family, like another kind of church.” The Gutierrez family is an incredible example of the family orientation of the program. The elder son, Hondo, who has been in several kickboxing matches, sustained a terrible injury about a year ago, when he was accidentally shot in the abdomen with a 45 caliber handgun. (Editor’s note: Hondo was the cover fighter for this month’s issue.) Although the injury was serious - the boy spent two weeks in the hospital - he was back at the gym 4 months later, with drainage tubes still in, to begin wrestling again; at 8 months, he had his first kickboxing match since the

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incident, which he won. He won his next match as well, and he is slated to box again on February 3, 2012, at Battlegrounds, FIT NHB’s monthly smoker. “I just want to thank UNM Hospital, as well as all of the coaches and the team at FIT, who helped my son get right back into it, so nothing would change for him.” Not only will Hondo be having his 3rd match since the accident, but his little brother, Sergio Jr, will be having his first real kickboxing match at the smoker.

Several Fit Kidz want to participate in the monthly amateur contests, and the coaches at FIT do their best to get an appropriate match for

their age, weight and skill level, with the participation of other gyms in town. “What separates our program is that we’ve always trained mixed martial arts,” said Coach Lovato; as opposed to places which only teach grappling, or kickboxing, or boxing. “I feel like our program not only builds a foundation in sport, but also in life.”

FITNHB now offers Fit Kidz classes 5 days a week: Monday and Wednesday at 4:30-5:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday at 6:30-7:30pm, and Saturday at 11:00am-12pm.

For more information on Fit Kidz or FIT NHB, see their website www. fitnhb.com.

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taking down Montoya at will. Montoya was unable to get out from under Gonzales. Gonzales made several arm triangle attempts, while Montoya’s face was bright red, he hung in there. The third round brought the first failed take down by Gonzales which allowed Montoya to capitalize, sinking a darce choke on Gonzales for the “W”

Fight Results

The Jackson’s MMA Series VII Results January 21, 2012

T

he Jackson’s MMA series has been getting better and better with every event. This 7th installment at the Hard Rock Casino was no exception. A full house of not just great fans, but great fighters, had an exciting night of fights ahead of them.

Pro Card Albuquerque’s Michelle Waterson (8-3) fighting out of Jackson’s MMA took on Denver’s Diana Rael (3-1) fighting out of Seriel Boxe at 105lbs. This fight would mark the return of Waterson to MMA after an over 1 year hiatus.

Rael is coming off of a victory over Angelica Chavez and said she had been training for this fight with Waterson since she was an amateur. Rael’s energy was explosive right from the bell. Rael threw 2 and 3 punch combos at Waterson against the cage. Waterson was able to keep Rael at bay with a big knee and front kicks. Rael’s plan became to get Waterson to the ground, and she did it with a big take down landing outside Waterson’s guard. Waterson executed a lightning fast reversal, and took Raels back, sinking a tight rear naked choke for the victory at the 2:12 mark of the 1st round The co-main event was a very anticipated bout between 7-1 Henry Martinez of Albuquerque and a hungry 2-1 Ali Hanjani of Denver. This was a 155lb fight. Martinez fighting out of Jackson’s MMA and Hanjani out of Seriel Boxe.

The pre-fight videos, while not over the top, had a healthy amount of trash talk. The fight got off to a great start with a lot of kicks from both fighters, Martinez landing a leg kick and Hanjani landing kicks to the body of Martinez.

Hanjani landed an incredible amount of fierce leg kicks on Martinez, but Martinez just kept coming, now with a healthy dose of left right combos. At the bell Hanjani’s face began to show the damage of those combos. The second round brought another helping of combos from Martinez, followed up with a take down. With Hanjani on the ground against the cage, Martinez rained down punches and elbows from outside Hanjani’s guard. When

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Hanjani tried to get up, Martinez took his back and sunk an inverted triangle for the win at 3:44 of the second round..

Albuquerque’s 1-0 Jodie Esquibel of Jackson’s MMA took on Lake Havasu Citie’s 0-1 Amy Riehle of Arevalo Academy in a 109lb bout. Round 1 opened with Esquibel landing punch kick combos that had Riehle rocked on her feet early and often in the first round. Riehle was tough and got off a head kick that landed. Round 2 was more of the same great boxing by Esquibel, that staggered Riele again. Riehle didn’t land much this round other than an accidental eye poke. The third round had Riehle keeping Esquibel at bay only briefly with leg kicks that had Esquibel’s leg glowing a bit. Esquibel finished the round with a flurry of elevation change combos, earning her a unanimous decision win with all 3 judges scoring the fight 30-27.

Albuquerque, Jackson’s MMA fighter Adam Gonzales made his pro debut against Las Cruces, Omega Fight Team member Armando Montoya (4-2) at 170lbs. Gonzales came running in right at the bell with a big take down.

The words “take down” dominated my notes on this fight.

The duration of the first and second rounds had Gonzales

Amateur Card Emily Kagen of Albuquerque’s Jackson’s MMA (4-2) took on Fight Ready team member Courtney Casey of Phoenix (3-1) in a 125lb battle. Kagen came out of the gate very aggressive; in round 1 she landed two solid left hooks and earned a big take down. Round 2 had Casey returning the favor and dropping Kagen with a right hand.

Kagen finished the round a little wobbly, with a bloody face, and a take down. In round 3 Casey landed a couple of head kicks on Kagen, but Kagen’s left hand continued to find it’s way home to Casey. Kagen took a big right hand as she shot in for a take down at the end of the 3rd round. This one would end with a split 29-28 decision victory for Kagen.

Jackson’s MMA fighter Riki Nobuta would make his first ever fight debut against Team Pueblo’s 4-5 Adam Soto in this 185lb bout. The first round showed Nobuta’s promising ground game as he got a solid take down on Soto landing outside his guard; when Soto tried to escape and reverse position, Nobuta grabbed onto a heel hook for what seemed like forever. Soto finally escaped and landed some big punches on Nobuta. In the 2nd round Soto had Nobuta’s arm, but Nobuta was able to escape, and take Sotos back, where he was able to transition into an arm bar for a successful debut victory at 1:42 of the second round.

Jose Caro (5-5) fighting out of Albuquerque’s Jackson’s MMA fought Pete Quezade of Tempe Arizona’s AZ Academy in this 155lb bout. The round opened with leg kicks from both fighters. Things quickly went to the ground and Caro attempted a triangle. Quezade continued to stay active on top, but Caro was able to reverse positions and finish the fight by guillotine choke 2:59 into the first round.

by Mike Taddoni

Waterson vs. Rael - Photo by Will Fox

KNUXX of New Mexico

Cover Feature

MEAN KIDS

by Trula Howe

M

ean Kids, the Mean 1 MMA & Fitness children’s MMA class, for children age 5-13, has been around as long as the gym itself. Opened over a year ago, as collaboration between Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine, and Jackson’s coaches Mike Winkeljohn and Chris Luttrell, and retired policeman Greg Richardson. The idea behind the gym was to open MMA up to everyone, whether for self-defense, well-rounded fitness, or for those interested in MMA to become a part of it.

Scott and Robin Marlowe are the original managers of the Rio Rancho Mean 1, and as of the beginning of this year, they are the new owners of the Rio Rancho Mean 1 franchise.

Scott is a Navy veteran, with nearly 20 years of kickboxing and karate experience, and the 1st black belt and fighter to come out of Mike Winkel-

everyone, including kids.

Mean Kids has its own MMA belt system, with organized teaching and advancement criteria. The class is available every Monday through Friday, from 5:00 – 6:00 pm., and the main instructors are Scott himself,

john’s AKKA, winning Southwest and Southeast US Kickboxing Amateur titles. He’s been training fighters since 1988, and some of his current fighters now compete in Strikeforce, Bellator and various other MMA promotions.

Mean 1 has an amateur kickboxing team, and has several participants and winners of grappling tournaments.

Robin has been a competitive athlete throughout high school and college, a personal trainer for the last 20 years, as well as a gym manager. She started taking Kenpo karate 16 years ago, and has been involved in fighter training ever since. They created the Mean Kids program from the very beginning, in keeping with the vision of Mean 1: to open MMA and fitness to

who handles the standup instruction (Mondays & Wednesdays), and Josh Peiper – 12-year Army Veteran and Director of Operations for Creative Therapy Services- who teaches grappling and strength & conditioning (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Fridays are a mixed basket, usually filled with whatever instruction Marlowe feels should be emphasized. “We try to teach kids self-defense and selfconfidence, building self-esteem while getting physically fit,” said Marlowe.

Both Marlowe and Peiper have children of their own in the program, and both admit to being partial to the kids; “I like working with the kids; it’s way better than teaching adults. So much fun!” laughed Peiper.

Mean Kids - Photo by Trula Howe

Many of the parents of Mean Kids are also members of the gym, participating in the various classes offered

by Mean 1, including Conditioning, Kickbox-Cross-Training, MMA Grappling, and Kickboxing. One of those parents, Tracy McNeil, has three kids in class, her oldest son (14), and his brother and sister, 13 and 9. Her son was a little nervous about starting high school and wanted something to help build his self-confidence, and he heard about Mean 1 from a friend. He convinced his mother to enroll him in Mean Kids, and he had such good results in fitness and confidence, she decided to enroll her other 2 kids; to help her daughter learn how to defend and take care of herself and to help her son to get fit and confident. “I think the coaches are great, very hands-on.

They have a way of teaching the kids respect,” said McNeil. She herself takes part in the conditioning classes at Mean 1.

Another parent, Paul Hill, has one son Isaiah (12), who been in the program about 8 months. He had always liked MMA, seeing some of his favorite athletes on TV, and told dad

he wanted to get into it. They Hills live nearby and had seen the gym, but it was after they spoke to Rocky Ramirez -professionalcagefighter, boxer and owner of Westside Power Gym, who trains at Mean1 - and he recommended Mean1 for Hill’s son.

“I love the class; it keeps him busy andbuilds motivation. The coaches are great, they show one-on-one individual attention; even when class is full, they make time to talk to each kid.”

Hill’s wife takes part in the kickboxing class, which also helps her relate to her son.

Gabriel Atencio’s son,Gabriel (12) has been in class about 6 months.

Atencio heard about class through his friend and coworker, Paul Ray, another fighter who trains out of Mean1.

Atencio’s son had told him he wanted to get into wrestling and MMA,”I think it’san excellent opportunity for him, even after only 6 months, he’s in great shape. I think every kid should try it, learn something.”

Mean Kids have participated in every Grapplefest - Combat Sports Club’s grappling tournament, which happens 2-3 time per year and includes participants from all over the Southwest – since their inception over a year ago. They plan to take part in the upcoming SW Grapplefest VI, scheduled for April 28, 2012, at Rio Rancho High School, with as many kids as want to compete. The Mean Kids classes are well attended and growing; “we plan to move to a bigger facility when our lease is up,” said Marlowe, “So we can accommodate even more children, as well as adults.”

For more information on Mean Kids or Mean 1 MMA & Fitness, you can find them on Facebook, “Mean1-RR”, or just stop by the gym, located at 3301 Southern Blvd SE, Rio Rancho, NM, or call at 505-891-2600. Mention this article and get a free oneweek trial.

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Fighters in Combat

Chris Luttrell

by Trula Howe

C

oach Chris Luttrell is the epitome of a homegrown, hometown hero. Although he’d be the last to place himself in that spotlight, a long line of folks are quite happy to see him there. Luttrell is a member of the Albuquerque Police Department Gang Unit, coach and teacher at Jackson’s and Mean1 MMA, mentor and role model, and family man. Graduating from Manzano High School(where he spent 4 years on the varsity wrestling team, winning State 3 times) he went on to obtain his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from UNM. In 1995, he became a Reserve Deputy for Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, where he stayed until 2000, when he went over, full time, to New Mexico State Police. He served the state in that capacity until 2007, when he moved over to Albuquerque Police Department, where he has been ever since, and a little over a year ago, he became a member of the APD Gang Unit.

From the time he graduated from high school and throughout college, he trained in judo at a local gym, which is where Coach Mike Winkeljohn found him. Winkeljohn had been looking for someone with strong grappling skills to expand the training of his AKKA students, and Luttrell’s skills were exactly what he was looking for. He offered to teach Luttrell standup fighting (kickboxing, box-

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ing, Muay Thai), in exchange for his coaching, and Luttrell agreed. Sometime later, in 1993, a student from Greg Jackson’s Gaidojutsu Academy came to one of Luttrell’s judo classes, and challenged him, wanting to test his skills against the notable wrestler.

The two met and sparred at Jackson’s, and that was when Luttrell met Greg Jackson for the first time.

After talking with Jackson and learning about the principles of Gaidojutsu, a martial art founded by Jackson which loosely translates to “technique of the streets”, Luttrell quickly came to the conclusion that Jackson and Winkeljohn needed to meet. Both had seen the future of combat sports in the form of mixed martial arts, and had begun training their students to master multiple skills and arts. Where Jackson’s strong suit wassubmission grappling, Winkeljohn was the master of standup (kickboxing, boxing, Muay Thai), and Luttrell completed the trifecta with his American wrestling and judo.

Together they came up with a belt system for Gaidojutsu, and in 2000, Luttrell, along with Tom Vaughn and Brad Ahresnfield, were the first three Gaidojutsu blackbelts to come out of Jackson’s.

For the last 15 years, Luttrell has been teaching Groundfighting as a leg of MMA, coaching and cornering each student with equal attention, whether it be the big names in the UFC like Johnny “Bones” Jones and Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit, professional fighters for smaller promotions like Shark Fightsor Evolution, amateur fighters just getting into the sport, or perhaps one of his favorites, boys and girls from his kids’ class at Mean1 MMA & Fitness. Mean1 was founded by “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine, who approached Luttrell, and presented the idea to him, of opening up MMA to the public, as a means of better, well-rounded fitness, selfdefense, and a way for folks interested in the sport to become a part of it at whatever level they desire.

He asked Luttrell if he would like to be a business partner and head MMA coach; “It was something I’d been asked in the past by others, but the timing was right, and I jumped at the chance!” Together with Coach Winkeljohn and long-time friend and retired policeman Greg Richardson (who has years of business and fitness experience, a master of strength & conditioning, including kettle bells), they opened Mean1 MMA & Fitness a little over a year ago. They have seenthat fitness is evolving past the old gym style, of minimum cardio and weight –lifting, to the functional strength and fitness that MMA training develops. For the last year, they have been developing theMean1 MMA belt system, which will be implemented into the Mean1 franchise for future

facilities, opening in other locations.

An experienced hand at multi-tasking, Luttrell continues to teach and coach for Jackson’s and both Mean1 facilities(Rio Rancho and NE Albuquerque), cornering fighters all over the United States and other countries around the world (Japan, Russia, Australia, to name a few). He is inundated with requests for cornering, but if there is any way he can make it, he WILL be there, with no preference given based on fame or experience, “I’m happy to be there.

I’ve learned so much about cornering from Greg and Mike.” In fact, he tends to prefer the smaller promotions where “you see people just putting their hearts and souls into the sport.” He is frequently asked to put together entire camps for fighters, such as Carlos Condit for his upcoming UFC 143 appearance, and if he is able, he agrees, usually consulting with Jackson and Winkeljohn, as well as many other gifted coaches and instructors at both gyms, to put together the best camp for each individual. He’s also been working with several fighters from Mean1 and will be cornering them at their upcoming appearance at Evolution 2, in Clovis, NM, December 10, 2011. For more information about that event, see www.evolutioncombatsports.com.

This hometown hero balances a tough and dangerous job in public service, teaching, coaching and cornering, and on top of all that, he is a husband and father of four children, who hold his highest priority. “After my family, there are two things I love: my job and MMA. I’m so blessed! I work with the best, most highly-trained police department in the Southwest, and Jackson’s and MMA have been very good to me. I love what I do!

For more information about Mean1 MMA & Fitness, visit www.mean1mmanm.com, or Jackson’s at www.jacksons.tv.

KNUXX of New Mexico

The Milano Project - Part II (The Callout)

by Heath Holmes

T

he best laid plans of mice and men…

We are now into our second month of The Milano Project and I can’t say that all is well. I knew going into this that the timing was a bit “over zealous” considering I chose to start training just before Thanksgiving.

I expected the Holidays to be difficult – and they would have been, under the best circumstances.

The Milano Project started out as a plan to get into shape and eventually take a fight. It is turning out to be a test of will power and intestinal fortitude. Going in to Christmas I was down 17 lbs and was starting to feel like I was getting in to better shape.

Then one morning my ankle and foot started to hurt. I hadn’t twisted it, I didn’t step on it weird, in fact all I did was wake up and comment – “man, my foot hurts.”

This was the beginning of 4 weeks of maladies and health issues. With my foot hurting I decided to skip working out at Fitness Kicks – which was fine since everyone was gone for the holidays anyway. Too bad my problems lasted well beyond the holidays. Over the next few days my foot began to swell, hurt more and not respond to anything (ice, ibuprofen, elevation, and walking on it – hey, I

had to try “walking it out”). Eventually I ended up buying a pair of crutches to get around. While this was all going on I got the seasonal flu which left me with a sore throat, cough, and congestion for over 12 days – I really did think I was going to die. I was better for all of 3 days then I caught a cold.

Since I was “self employed” I didn’t go to the doctor to figure out what was wrong. To this day I don’t know what happened to my foot. According to WebMD it could either be a blood clot (of the DVT type), Gout, Pseudo Gout or just a figment of my imagination. The swelling has gone down and it’s only mildly tender so it probably wasn’t a clot… and if it comes back then it was probably gout.

Sufficed to say I had plenty of excuses to stop the whole stupid “project” but I didn’t abandon it all together. Since I couldn’t exercise, I maintained the nutrition portion of the plan as best I could – which includes

by Daniel Rocha drinking the Body by Vi shake twice a day. I ended last week down an additional two pounds which is an incredible testament for the ViSalus product and program. I’m on the path his lifestyle was all focused around one to recovery so we should see some thing… to become an IFBB PRO. great improvement soon.

How profound a concept. To set Now it’s your turn. It’s 2012 – yourself up for success, in every

By Daniel Rocha what’s your goal? What’s your resoluaspect.

Kai did all he could to make tion? Are you going to join me in takMRI/NPC National Athlete sure his dream came true. He was ing control of your health? 2012, for me, is going to be a year of rebuilding. destitute, came from poverty, being Join me in the KNUXX 2012 Chaluneducated, and thru the foster care o I have just finished watchlenge – our goal is to lose a combined system. That alone would hold anyone ing Kai Greene’s 2nd Video 2012 lbs this year as a team. Are you down. But he did one thing …. Made “Redemption.” A video that is a ready? You have officially been called the choice to be better! must see for not just the bodybuilder out!

From there he fell in love with body-

www.KNUXX.com/nm | 505.750.0222

Tools for Your Roc Body

Formulated Thoughts

S

but for every person chasing a dream.

To become a champion you first must conquer your mind, developing and formulating every thought to stay focused on the goal at hand.

But how is that possible? How can one be consistently focus on the goal?

What about responsibilities, our job, our families, our kids, oh my the list keeps getting longer and longer. But really the dream is simple. Every step, every choice is a step towards or away from the goal. In the moment we must learn to collect our thoughts and know that what we do now does affect where we are going to be tomorrow.

In the video… a young student apologizes to Kai for having BBQ sauce in front of him. Kai’s response “ Think about this… Are you a Pro?” Although he says he didn’t mean to be arrogant, the real meaning was he is a Pro because he overcame the simple temptations that would hinder his progress.

That his focus on his diet, his training,

building. That love gave him focus, gave him drive. Thus supported a dream to overcome his situation and be prominent in this world. You don’t have to be a fan of bodybuilding or understand what an athlete goes thru to be the best in his sport. Instead relate the concepts, the education of formulated thought to achieve your own success, whatever it truly is.

The only adversary you will ever have in life is yourself. Yet realize that your ultimate strength comes from within you.

Till next time…

Daniel Rocha is an athlete, personal trainer, body builder, coach and owner of RocBodyFitness / RocBodyAngels. He is also an NPC National Athlete. For more information please visit his website at www.drocbody.com

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A

s we sit down and enjoy watching elite athletes perform their craft on TV, do you ever wonder how they came to be the professional athletes? I would put my last dollar down that most professional athletes grew up PLAYing SPORTS, which in return gave them confidence, conditioning, and competitive skills. All

to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, among all children in the United State, approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese. Since 1980, obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled.

So what’;s next? Parents need to be soldiers for health and fitness with their children. Children have many opportunities to participate in sports in their school, city/ church leagues, etc. Encourage and support their involvement, because it is through these activities that your child will experience a variety of benefits such as social skills, making friends, a healthy body, confidence, and life lessons which will, more often than not, translate in a happier child, period.

Play and sports are a lifeline for so many great opportunities for children, do not underestimate their potential.

North Domingo Park - Park Designer _ Consensus Planning

“Play keeps us in touch with our minds, bodies, and spirits. My father always spoke of play’s “civilizing influences in human evolution,” and it is in play that we leave some of our better marks and traces on the earth’s surface” - Susan Yelavich of PLAYTIME I leave you with a key consideration of not only having your fitness in focus, but to keep dialed in on the fitness of our next generations as well. It is not only our responsibility but it should be seen as a privilege.

Until next time...

“The evidence supporting sports participation for young people is overwhelming. It has the power to combat everything from racism to low selfimage, to the high-school drop-out rate.” (Sue Castle, Executive Producer of PBS Sports: Get in the Game)

KNUXX

of youth in sports? I am not sure whether the statistics are on the rise or in decline over the past decade but I do know this - more and more children are obese! I don’t need to do detailed forensic research to know that obesity is plaguing our youth. In fact all I have to do is look around to see the sad, and alarming, evidence. The parks are more empty than occupied and the cell phones, iPads and video games are tragically dominating the attention of the youth. Although we can all agree that new technology is fun, fast and engaging, it is also making children FAT! According

Jase Sais - Keeping it Moving with Play

of which enabled them to rise up to the next level of performance in both life and sport. The art of PLAY and the experience of SPORTS have just as much influence on a child’s success and as any other subject in school.

Sports set a precedent for personal achievement, health and happiness.

12

Evan Sais - Karate Kid - Earning his Gold Stripe

THE PLAYBOOK

In my youth, growing up on a small ranch in a rural town, I remember my mom would tell my brother and I to go play outside and come back later. It seemed as if we played for hours, digging up ant piles, running and chasing in a game of tag, and it was not until dusk when we knew it was time to head home. For those in the more urban areas, play time included walking and playing at parks, riding bikes for hours, and the never-ending games of hoop at the local basketball court. For me, this art of play transitioned into the desire to be active and play sports at a young age which eventually developed into a deep passion for competition. Perhaps more importantly, being active in play and sports, gave me a bag full of life skills that I continue to use each and everyday in both my professional and athletic careers.

So what happened to the art of play and the increased involvement

KNUXX of New Mexico

Charter/Max Challenge

by Brian Holmes

I

t’s the New Year again and I (like many of you) will revisit many of my New Year’s resolutions that seem to present themselves this time of year. As with many people, one of my resolutions focuses on my health and the type of body that I would like to have.

I stand in front of the mirror and realize that I haven’t achieved the results that I had hoped for at the start of 2011.

My lack of result doesn’t come from a lack of hard work; I have worked out nearly every week this past year and I am in pretty good shape. However, with my metabolism and body type I would need to eat over 5,000 calories every day in order to compile any weight at all.

With being married, having kids and working full-time as a manager at Walmart it is difficult and unrealistic to spend the time necessary on myself when I am pulled in so many other directions. I can’t always prepare meals that would total the 5,000 calories my body needs and I definitely don’t have time to spend 1 ½ to 2 hours in the gym every day.

I started 2011 at 197 lbs. and ended it just over 207 lbs. I am 6’4”+ and very active with a current body-fat percentage of 11.9%. My body weight goal is to be a strong 225 lbs. at around 10% body fat +-. As I sit and stare in the mirror once again, I contemplate what I am going to do differently this year so that I can achieve the physique that I desire. I am a bit discouraged because there isn’t very much that I can do to manipulate my resources.

I have spent the last 7 months working out at Charter Fitness on Tramway and Indian School.

It quickly became one of my favorite gyms due to the cleanliness, types of equipment, management and the overall environment. Over the past couple of months I have become friends with JB Privitt who owns the Charter Fitness franchises in Albuquerque. I was introduced to JB by my brother Heath Holmes who owns and operates KNUXX. The two of them introduced me to Jesus Quiroz who owns the Max Muscle on Wyoming.

In December I was talking to JB about my fitness goals and the many things that impede my progress. I was speaking to him because I needed advice. He asked me about my supplementation program and what supplements I continued on page 15...

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Apparel & Gear

Route 66 Casino

14500 Central Ave SW Round One Promotions Albuquerque, NM 87121 6600 Menaul Boulevard NE # S4 www.rt66casino.com Albuquerque, NM 87110 Phone: 505-883-2794 Gyms & Training www.roundonepromotions.com

Duke City Fight Wear 3250 Coors Blvd NW Ste. F Albuquerque, NM 87120 Phone: 505-728-3379 www.dukecityfightwear.com

Shwag - Custom Screen Printing

Facilities

Mean 1 MMA & FitnessEastside 7610 Carmel Ave NE Ste C Albuquerque, NM 87113 Phone: 505-822-MEAN (6326) www.mean1mmanm.com

3300 San Mateo NE Suite C Albuquerque, NM 87110 Phone: 505-712-0138

Mean 1 MMA & FitnessRio Rancho 3301 Southern Blvd SE Rio Rancho, NM 87124 Damage Control Phone: 505-891-2600 Mouthguards 1924 Juan Tabo Blvd NE Suite C www.mean1mmanm.com Albuquerque, NM 87112 Phone: 505-804-8941 FIT NHB www.dcmouthguards.com 110 Lomas Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87102 Xtreme Ground N Phone: 505-833-3351 Pound www.fitnhb.com Fight Shop 1213-C N. Hwy 491 Fitness Kicks Gallup, NM 87301 11601 Montgomery NE Phone: 505-726-8400 Albuquerque, NM 87111 www.facebook.com/xtremePhone: 505-291-5425 groundnpound www.myfitnesskicks.com

Ed Erler’s Shorin-Ryu Karate & Supply 533 Louisiana Blvd SE Albuquerque, NM 87108 Phone: 505-255-1328

Rhino’s Gym

1417 Central Ave NE Albuquerque, NM 87106 Phone: 505-506-8638 David Erler’s Westside www.rhinosgym.com

Shorin-Ryu Karate & Martial Arts Supply

6961-A Taylor Ranch Drive NW Albuquerque, NM 87120 Phone: 505-898-1313

Event Venues

Rosales’ Karate & Kickboxing 3208 San Mateo Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 Phone: 505-881-1050 www.rosaleskarate.org

Rosales’ Karate &

Kickboxing - Los Lunas

Hard Rock Casino

11000 Broadway SE Albuquerque, NM 87105 Phone: 505-724-3800 www.hardrockcasinoabq.com

Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino

30 Buffalo Thunder Trail Santa Fe, NM 87506 Phone: 877-848-6337 www.buffalothunderresort.com

634 Hwy 314 SW Los Lunas, NM 87031 Phone: 505-865-5414 www.rosaleskarate.org

Jack Candelaria Community Center

400 San Jose Ave SE Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: 505-848-1324 www.cabq.gov/communitycenters/jackcandelaria.html

Tohkon Martial Arts 523 Wyoming NE Albuquerque, NM 87123 Phone: 505-847-6550 www.tohkondojo.com

T-Bones Gym

330 N 1st St Grants, NM 87020 Phone: 505-285-6758

Superior Fitness

Caged Fury MMA

PO BOX 575 Aztec, NM 87410 Phone: 505-419-2434 www.cagedfurymma.com

Bars & Restaurants

Hooters - Eastside

6700 Cerrillos Rd #C Santa Fe, NM 87507 Phone: 505-920-0760

4601 San Mateo Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87109 Phone: 505-884-6600 www.hooters.com

AKKA Karate USA Lessons & Supplies

Hooters - Westside

1100 Eubank Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87112 Phone: 505-275-0031 www.akkakarateusa.net

The Fighters Club /Team Bad Company 2323 Isleta Blvd SW Albuquerque, NM 87105 Phone: 505-261-5276

Jeff Speakman’s Kenpo 5.0

Santa Fe 5985 Airport Rd 505-412-2428 Albuquerque 4100 Ellison 505-344-9866 Los Lunas 526 Sun Ranch Village Rd 505-866-1280

Charter Fitness &

1708 NM Highway 528 Albuquerque, NM 87114 Phone: 505-890-4829 www.hooters.com

Uptown Sports Bar /ABQ Brew Pub

6601 Uptown Blvd NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 Phone: 505-884-4714, 505-884-1116 www.uptown-sportsbar.com

Amadeo’s Pizza

5003 Lomas Boulevard NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 Phone: 505-255-8888

Tattoos & Barber Shops South Valley Barbershop 3315 Isleta Blvd SW

NASM Personal Training Albuquerque, NM 87105 San Mateo & Academy 505-821-1882 Hwy 528 & Sara (Rio Rancho) 505-892-1162

Promoters

Round One Promotions 6600 Menaul Boulevard NE # S4 Albuquerque, NM 87110 Phone: 505-883-2794 www.roundonepromotions.com

Evolution Combat Sports Championship

Phone: 505-414-7699

Sports Nutrition & Supplements

RevVNRG

Phone: 505-933-5409 revvnrgsucess@gmail.com

Max Muscle - Abq

4400 Wyoming Blvd Ste B Albuquerque, NM 87111 Phone: 505-294-4828 www.mmabq.com

Sports Medicine P.O. Box 732 Clovis, NM 88102 Phone: 575-791-6974 www.evolutioncombatsports.com Creative Therapy

SWMMA (Arturo Soliz)

Phone: 817-400-5594 www.swmma.com

Services

2003 Southern Blvd Ste 133 Rio Rancho, NM 87124 Phone: 505-891-3777 www.creativetherapynm.com

CHARTER/MAX from page 13... had previously tried. I explained to him that I took protein, nitraflex, (a very light-weight pre-workout testosterone enhancer) and amino acids. These would be considered the basics for anybody who works out.

It was during this conversation that the entire body transformation challenge emerged. It appears that there are many members who work out at Charter Fitness who suffer from my same problem of not following a customized supplementation program for their specific body type.

JB is no stranger to bodybuilding, he not only owns three of the best gyms in the state, but he has a few bodybuilding titles under his belt as well. JB recommended that we get together with Jesus, owner of Max Muscle to come up with a program specific to my goals.

The challenge is to try and pack on 20 lbs. of lean hard muscle and drop my body fat percentage in only 8 weeks, spending only 45 min. a day in the gym, five days a week. This will all be accomplished navigating the busy schedule of a husband and father who holds a full time job managing at Walmart.

Over the next eight weeks I will be following the lifting schedule as presented by JB. Jesus and the kind folks at Max Muscle on Wyoming have presented me with a revolutionized and specific supplementation and nutrition program. All of this will be covered weekly on the KNUXX of New Mexico blog, and monthly updates will be covered in KNUXX. Come and join us on the KNUXX website to follow my progress. Max Muscle and Charter Fitness will be offering specials to those who come in and mention this body challenge.

While you’re at it, don’t just follow my progress, go and visit the Max Muscle on Wyoming to get your own personalized nutrition and supplementation guide and come and join me at Charter Fitness so that you too can realize your fitness goals.

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