On Friday June 12, 2009 THE TRAINING MAT honored its outstanding students with a demonstration and banquet.  Over 240 friends, family and students turned out to help us recognize 25 outstanding students, 1 outstanding parent as well as our youngest students. To see the photos Click Here. Our Outstanding Students represent the character, loyalty, camaraderie and work ethic we wish to promote in all our students.  This is our way to acknowledge their hard work and hold them up as examples for others to follow.

Listed below are the names of our Outstanding Students from 2005 to 2009.  They are as follows;

Outstanding Students for 2005
Kirsten O’Dell 
Katrina Collins
James O’Dell
Don Hudson
David Dayeen

Outstanding Students for 2006
Bill Simpson
Arturo Madrid
Peggy Ninneman
Joseph Knotts
Steve Dayeen III

Outstanding Students of 2007
Michael Simpson
Jonathan Patterson
Troy Castro
Deion Doan
Charles Caballero

Outstanding Students of 2008
David Aranda
Regina Marie Hoskins
Michael Parr
Sean Quinn
Ana Murcia

Outstanding Students of 2009
Cole McKenney
Alexander O’Dell
Rodrick Bush
Judy Moore
Robert Nolan

Outstanding Parent of 2009
David Aranda

The staff of THE TRAINING MAT would like to thank all those who donated their time and energy to participate in our demonstration.  They are as follows;

Rodrick Bush                                  Troy Castro
Katrina Collins                                Deion Doan
Steve Dayeen III                      Regina Marie Hoskins
Ana Murcia                                     Jordan Marez
Robert Nolan                                   Kirsten O’Dell   
Jonathan Patterson                          Mike Parr
Michael Simpson                            Bill Simpson
Skyler Reider

Special thanks to Cynthia Marez, Kirsten O’Dell, Katrina Collins and David & Peggy Ninneman.  Without the encouragement, support and behind-the-scenes assistances from all of you the banquet would have not gone off nearly as well.  All of you have my most sincere gratitude.

School Events

As part of our ongoing policy to actively contribute to our community we at THE TRAINING MAT have volunteered our time to assist in end of the year school events.  To see the photos click here. Special thanks to Regina Marie Hoskins, Bill Simpson and Michael Simpson for contributing their time and to Tracy Lang for putting on such a great demonstration for the kids at Bethune Elementary.

Addtions to the Upper Ranks

On Saturday May 16th five students successfully tested for advanced belts.  Steve Dayeen III attained his Green Belt.  Deion Doan, Jonathan Patterson and Troy Castro attained their Blue Belts.  And Cole McKenney attained his Jr. Blue. 
The Blue Belt is one of the most critical transition points in our system.  The basic skills emphasized in earlier belts must be expressed with a level of  intensity that rivals an actual conflict.  The speed, power and control required for the Blue Belt sets the standard for how the rest of the system must be appraoched.  The Green Belt builds on this by requiring more refinement and a greater attention to detail while learning more advanced applications.  Don't let the "Jr." that sits in front of the Jr. Blue Belt fool you into thinking this belt is any less demanding than the Blue Belt.  Even though the Jr. Blue Belt is a scaled down version of a Blue Belt test it still requires the student to demonstrate over 60 self defense techniques, 5 forms, 34 kicks and a cross section of techniques against a training partner.
To appreciate what these students accomplished it helps to know what they had to overcome.  To read their individual stories click here

Participating in competitions is only a small part of what we do. All students of THE TRAINING MAT train in grappling, striking and street application.  This is so every student learns how to adapt to any situation.  Training for competition is an option available for those interested in testing and refining their technique against a resisting opponent.  In this way our students are able to explore aspects of their martial art in more depth than otherwise possible.

On April 18 our students competed in grappling and Pankration matches at the National Guard Armory in San Bernardino.  Despite competing against some of the most talented grapplers the Inland Empire has to offer our students still brought home 4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze & 2 forth places.  Two highlights of the event occurred when Ana Murcia won the all-around grappling by defeating an opponent 50lbs. heavier and half a foot taller and then when Mr. Houston won his Pankration match with a devastating body kick to his opponent’s midsection. To see more photos click here. Video coming soon. Special thanks to Cory Cass and his team for running a very professional and organized event.

Advanced Conditioning Class

In our conditioning class we focus on developing the capacity to confront and overcome obstacles, both physical or mental.  As part of this approach Mr. Houston brought the class on a field trip to THRESHHOLD indoor rock climbing gym in Riverside.  The same internal strength needed to push ourselves harder or to do the things we didn't think we could do becomes more evident when hanging from a ledge by your fingertips.  Our trip to THRESHOLD was our way of examining this idea in greater depth.  Check back in a few weeks to see how our students handle the remainder of this years Conditioning Class.

Level 3 Certification

On March 7 and 8, 2009, Mr. Marez became the third person to become a Level 3 Certified Coach in Scientific Wrestling under Jake Shannon, Billy Robinson, Dick Cardinal, and the esteemed board of Scientific Wrestling.  Mr. Marez is the first Level 3 coach in the United States. 
According to the scientificwrestling.com web site, Level 3 Candidates are tested on their ability to "Put It All Together" and demonstrate technique and conditioning during exhibition and competitive CACC rules matches.  Level 3 Certification allows you to demonstrate and be evaluated on your ability to compete, run a club, and train others.
It was a fun weekend in the cold and altitude of Bountiful, Utah, of hard rolling, wrestling, submissions, and all of the basics that lay the foundation for a good catch wrestler.  Under the watchful eye of Wrestling Legend Billy Robinson Mr. Marez was able to successfully “put it all together” and bring his knowledge and experience back to the Training Mat. Click here for the photos.

Aaron Heyes' Recent Win

On January 25th Aaron Heyes fought at the Gladiator Challenge. Winning his third professional MMA fight. Aaron won in the first round with a tap due to shoulder choke. Pictured below are a few of those who attended.

Mr Marez and "Judo" Gene La Bell

Here Mike Paluzzi (Millenia Jiu Jitsu) and Bryan Harper (Team Quest)

Kaylon Goodsite and the instructors of The Training Mat

High School Wrestling

Daniel Horcacitas and Kaylon Goodsite, both ranked in the State for High School Wrestling in California have been supplementing their training at the Training Mat.  Both wrestlers were State Qualifiers last year, and are number one ranked in Riverside County this year.  We expect them both to not only make a return to State but to Place as well.  With all the choices of places to train in the Inland Empire, we are thankful that Kaylon and Daniel have chosen the Training Mat as a home for continued excellence on the Mat.

Additions to the Toe Hold Club

First some CACC news. Takanori Kuno Takes The Bronze at the Grappling World Championships! Takanori is Billy Robinson's student from Japan and he placed third in his division, 92 kg/202.5 lbs!

Second Mr. Marez received his Level 2 Catch Wrestling Certification in September.  Billy Robinson showed drills and application from Wigan England and from Japan.  It was a great 17 1/2 hours of learning.  Mr. Marez came away with a ton of good stuff. Level 2 means you can teach, demonstrate, perform and explain the Positions & Rides, Takedowns/Tie-Ups/Transitions, Pinning Combinations, and Submission Chains learned during Level 1.  You are able to wrestle and make the curriculum work while actually wrestling live. To see more pictures of the certification click here.

Recent video added to the Media section

Looking back into the archives we found a boxing match with Brittany Minder in 2007. We cleaned it up and added some detail. Check it out here.

New format for schedules

Due to the growing student body we have added a new kid's grappling class at 6:30 on Thursday. Plans for more classes are in the works so check back soon or talk to your instructor.

We have also changed the schedule to make it more user friendly. Find the class you want (basic, striking, or grappling) and find the time you want. Click on the class to get a description of the class, belt requirement, and equipment needed, if any.

Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera signs boxing contract

Fresh off a big win, an eighth round stoppage in November, junior welterweight Mauricio “El Maestro” Herrera is taking the next step in his career by signing a promotional deal with Thompson Boxing Promotions.

“We’we had our eye on Mauricio since we turned him pro, and with his recent win over Pavel Miranda, there was no question that we needed him on our team,” said Ken Thompson president of Thompson Boxing Promotions.

Mauricio has had the support of The Training Mat since his armature career. We wish him the best in the future and will be there on February 27 at Doubletree Hotel in Ontario. If you would like to attend the fight you can learn more here.

November Tennessee Boot Camp

The 2008 November Tennessee Boot Camp was a great success.  He drilled two days of pugilism, takedowns and old school submission wrestling.  There were fighters, grappling champions, law enforcement and government self-defense trainers.  It was two days of hard core drilling, fighting, learning and conditioning.  It is our hope to bring a lot of that technique and skill back to the Training Mat.  For more pictures click here.

Turkey Tapout

On November 22 our competition team took part in a wrestling / submission tournament held at Millennia MMA in Rancho Cucamunga.  The event brought together some of the best grapplers in the region.  Despite some very tough competition our team members demonstrated great control, technique, heart and generalship.  To see the pictures click here.

TV Commercial

On Saturday July 12, staff and students of THE TRAINING MAT finished shooting for our first commercial.  Our commercial will air at primetimes on major networks.  Exact times and stations will be announced at a later date.  Since we can only fit so much inside a 30 second commercial we plan on taking the additional material and turning it into highlight video for our web site.  Stay tuned for further updates. To see more photos Click Here.

Kickboxing Event

Staff and students of The Training Mat are always looking for ways to test, refine and enhance our system and training methods.  As part of that process a select number of our students volunteered their time to train and compete at local events.  Since the first of the year five of our students dedicated three to five days (in addition to their regular training) to prepare to compete in Muay Thai (Kickboxing).

 
     Arturo Madrid, Troy Castro, Rodrick Bush, Elliott Cox, Ana Murcia and Regina Marie Fresquez all demonstrated great tenacity and discipline as they worked through various bumps, bruises and the occasional headache to prepare for their fights. 

      On Saturday June 28 our fighters signed up at a local event but as is often the case with amateur competitions not all our fighters got to fight.  Finding someone competing in your chosen discipline (Kickboxing, Grappling or MMA) who also matches your weight and experience level can be difficult.  In this case we were able to get fights for Elliott Cox and Arturo Madrid.

  
Elliott demonstrated good movement and hand technique in the first round but lost in the second round when fatigue caught up with him. It was a good fight and there is a lot of talk about a rematch. That is, after he does more wind-sprints. Art weathered a barrage of wild punches until he found his opportunity and knocked-out his opponent in under 1 minute of the first round.  

    We want to acknowledge all the hard work put in by our fighters, the support of our friends, family and students and the  additional training and guidance provided by Joe Sarkissian.

     There are many more fights to come so check in with us regularly to see how the rest of our fighters do.

To see our training and fight pictures click here.