Empire Academy Programs
Program List
Grappling Program
Students enrolled in Empire Academy's grappling program have the opportunity to train Gi and/or No-Gi in a variety of disciplines. Students can train in 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu and/or Judo and Sambo and enjoy the benefits of training in these different grappling styles. Although each grappling style has different techniques and skill sets, the focus of our program is to integrate these skills in a seamless fashion.
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu
Coach Chris Herzog with Eddie Bravo
10th Planet Jiu Jitsu was created by Eddie Bravo under the tutelage of Jean Jacques Machado. It is a unique style of No-Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which was made to work both inside the cage and on the sporting mats. The intentionality behind the creation was to have an unorthodox style which could keep an opponent under constant control and in the threat of danger. The system was put to the test in Abu Dhabi 2003, and it succeeded masterfully by facitlitating Eddie Bravo’s victory over long time reigning champion Royler Gracie.
What seperates 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu from other styles is its innovation and evolution. Some of the moves, like the rubber guard, the twister, and the lock down have taken the Jiu Jitsu community by storm because of their originality and effectiveness. The moves mentioned here are so different that opponents do not know how to react to them and they leave the practicioner in a unique position to execute with little to no defense from their opponent. Moreover, the beauty of the system does not stop there: Eddie and his students are constantly inventing new moves and counters to old moves in order to keep the style relevant and functioning. So, where other systems cease to grow, 10th Planet finds itself in a situation where its entire focus is to continue its own growth.
Judo
Judo, when translated from Japanese, means "Gentle Way". This Martial Art is derived from Jujitsu, and was created by Professor Jigoro Kano.
Sarkis wins at the Empire State Games
After mastering several styles of Jujitsu in his youth, Kano began to develop his own system based on science and modern sporting methods. Kano developed a way to train so techniques could be easily mastered and done with full force to ensure a decisive victory without injury. This allowed one to train in a realistic manner against fully resistant opponents, something that at the time and even today is lacking in many martial arts and forms of self-defense. The popularity of Judo increased dramatically after a famous contest hosted by the Tokyo police in 1886 where the Judoka soundly defeated the most well-known Jujitsu practitioners of the time. Judo then became a part of the Japanese physical education system and began its spread around the world, eventually becoming an Olympic sport.
Team Empire Grappling Success
Judo consists primarily of nage-waza (throws), along with katame-waza (grounding fighting), which includes osaekomi-waza (hold downs), shime-waza (chokes), and kansetsu-waza (armlocks). Judo is generally compared to wrestling but it retains its unique combat forms. Because Kano was involved in education (President of Tokyo University) Judo training emphasizes mental, moral and character development as much as physical training. At Empire instructors stress the principles of Judo such as the principle of yielding to overcome greater strength or size, as well as the scientific principles of leverage, balance, efficiency, momentum and control.
Empire Academy is a member of the United States Judo Association.
Sambo
Ryan with a body triangle working for a
rear naked choke in Freestyle Sambo
Sambo (Sombo,Cambo), the English translation of the Russian acronym meaning "self-protection without weapons" (SAMozashchitya Bez Oruzhiya). Sambo is a curriculum of martial tricks, covertly taught in the former Soviet Union to the Soviet special forces (‘Spetsnaz’), since the Communist Revolution in October of 1917.
In the 1930’s a sport form of Sambo was created so that it could be practiced safely, and has now become an International Sport which is seen all over the world. Sambo is comprised of techniques from a variety of Russian national wrestling styles , as well as wrestling techniques from Greco-Roman wrestling, Catch Wrestling, Jujitsu, Judo, Aikido, Karate, Muay Thai and Savate. Unlike many modern martial arts true Russian Sambo has no belt ranking system.
Sport Sambo focuses on throws, positions of control and joint locks (primary armlocks and leglocks) The main goal of a Sambo Match is a "total victory ". This can happen by an opponent giving up by "tapping out" due to an armlock or leglock, a perfect throw, or a lead in score by at least 12 points (similar to a "technical" in wrestling).
Igor Yakimov & Chris Herzog
Combat Sambo focuses on preparing the practitioner for intense street and battle field combat in as short a time as possible. The goal of Combat Sambo is survival on the street not in the ring. Using punches, kicks, knee, elbows, headbutts, throws, joint locks, strangulations, etc. its no secret as to why the Soviet Special Forces, KGB and the current Russian Army favor Combat Sambo as there hand-to-hand system of combat.
Empire Academy is a member of the United Federation of Russian Sambo.