Achieving Mushin

Mushin is a Japanese term; English translation "no mind") is a mental state into which very highly trained martial artists are said to enter during combat.[1] They also practice this mental state during everyday activities. The term is shortened from mushin no shin is a Zen expression meaning the mind without mind and is also referred to as the state of "no-mindless". That is, a mind not fixed, or occupied by thought or emotion and thus opens to everything.

  Mushin is achieved when a person's mind is free from thoughts of anger, fear, or ego during combat or everyday life. It is my opinion that to achieve this state of mind should be every martial artist goal. I myself enter the no mind state quite often, during my training sessions. I wonder if any of my fellow martial artists have. 

Timing

                                                                           

As children our parent's taught us many life lessons. We all know, or should know there is a time for everything. A time to talk, a time a time to listen, a time to eat, and a time to sleep, a time to laugh, and a time to cry and ultimately a time to live and a time to die. The lesson of timing is essential and practical. They are applied in everyday living without thought in everyday operations. 

  Last night some of the Universal General MMA, (UGMMA) family and myself were at Buffalo Wild Wings watching UFC 194 Jose Aldo vs Conor McGregor. If your a MMA fan, you also know Aldo was knocked out 13 secs into the first round. I chalk that quick stoppage up to Aldo's timing being off. You see the last time Jose stepped in the cage was Oct 2014. Coner on the other hand has been busy fighting the whole time, he was ready for that fight mentally, physically and timing wise. If your aspire to be a great fighter you must learn the lesson of timing. You must stay busy in the ring, cage or arena that your sport is in. Taking a year and a few months off then coming back to defend your title without first taking a tune up fight or two before hand is being reckless  and irresponsible  with your career. You must stay busy to be competitive in your sport. Food for thought.

Traditional Martial Arts making an impact in the Sport of Mixed Martial Arts

Since November 12, 1993 Ultimate Fighter (UFC 1), traditional striking arts, karate in particular, has taken a blow in the world of martial arts. In the mixed martial arts community in particular karate is looked at as a joke. However, since the reign of George Rush St Pier, and most recently Uriah Hall, Stephen Thompson, Lyoto Machida, and Conner McGregor it’s has been demonstrated that if used properly karate is very effective in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Yet in the mind of MMA practitioners the ideology in most cases are the only fighting systems that are effective are Muay Thai, Western Boxing, Wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Yes these fighting systems are very effective, but as a 36 year MMA practitioner and now teacher, I say it’s no longer about styles in martial arts. It’s about how good you are at applying the system that you are raised in. There is a difference between a martial artist and a good martial artist. Universal General MMA teaches fundamentally sound techniques deep rooted in traditional martial arts background.

  Love goes out to My teacher and mentor Grand Master Robert Dickerson for 34 yrs. He taught me everything I know about karate and boxing. Shout out to the Universal Pasha Karate school in Camden NJ, see you guys around Christmas time OSU!

Membership Drive

We are halfway toward our initial membership goal of 75 students. Stop by or give us a call for information about our grand opening special. It is the best deal in Hampton Roads!

Open

Well, if our last blog post was about it finally sinking in I think it is safe to say that it really has. We had our grand opening celebration on June 29th and have officially been holding classes for 2 days now. Each day sees a few more students that we are thrilled to teach. Here are a few pictures.

It is starting to sink in

Our sign went up today. It felt like a surreal moment when that truck pulled up this morning. I always have that sinking feeling that things aren't going to be how I envision them, but this turned out so well. It was a long first day in the building getting things cleaned up.
We have to really sit back and take our breath sometimes when we realize how far we have come.

What's In A Name?

What's in a name?
UGMMA is an acronym for the full name of our academy, Universal General Mixed Martial Arts. We decided on our name long before we put our plan into action. Our name has a special meaning to Rob and is a tribute to the karate school he was raised in: Universal Pasha Karate (UPK). He credits this school with saving his life during his youth in Camden, NJ. UPK’s meaning is defined below. 

UNIVERSAL – Including or covering all or a whole without limit or exception.
PASHA– General, or a high-ranking official.
KARATE – “Kara” means empty in Japanese and “Te” means hand, so Karate is defined as an empty handed self-defense system. We use what we are blessed us with, our magnificent body, mind, and spirit.
And so, Universal General Mixed Martial Arts was born. A name designed to honor Rob’s lineage and further define ourselves as a school that honors the traditions of Martial Arts while moving forward by providing innovative Mixed Martial Arts instruction.