The Primal MMA Training and Practice design blog - Articles, videos and podcasts

A coach's dilemma. - Primal MKE - MMA Fitness BJJ Grappling kickboxing best milwaukee west allis

A coach's dilemma.

MMA is stupid and damages your brain!

So let’s at least try to be better at being stupid!

At Primal, we spar on day one! - Primal MKE - MMA Fitness BJJ Grappling kickboxing best milwaukee west allis

At Primal, we spar on day one!

How irresponsible! What Negligent coaching! What a McDojo! These are all critiques we would have jumped to before, and of course can still be valid. But we think differently now.   Our rational:   Sparring is a skill that needs to be developed over time. Effective, safe, fun, controlle...
Introducing The Primal Practice design video series. - Primal MKE - MMA Fitness BJJ Grappling kickboxing best milwaukee west allis

Introducing The Primal Practice design video series.

Can we be better at getting better? This is a question we consistently ask ourselves at Primal. This series of short video animations, introduces concepts and principles from the sport science research and their practical implications for practicing and developing in Mixed Martial Arts. With help...
An open letter on Primal's training culture. - Primal MKE - MMA Fitness BJJ Grappling kickboxing best milwaukee west allis

An open letter on Primal's training culture.

To our Primal people.     What is a good training culture?   I believe, that underlying every gym training culture is a consensus. A commonly shared set of beliefs, expectations, ideals and behaviors. It is a vibe that should be apparent nearly immediately when someone enters the env...
YouTube Coaching; Why I’m Jeff Chan's fan boy. - Primal MKE - MMA Fitness BJJ Grappling kickboxing best milwaukee west allis

YouTube Coaching; Why I’m Jeff Chan's fan boy.

A few years back, I would have likely flat out denied using YouTube as a coaching resource. Afterall, regurgitating online tutorial content to students doesn’t exactly lend credibility to a coach. Before the age of YouTube, finding techniques and activities to incorporate into practice required...
The Math of Mat time: Those lost minutes add up. - Primal MKE - MMA Fitness BJJ Grappling kickboxing best milwaukee west allis

The Math of Mat time: Those lost minutes add up.

A few years ago, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers. Gladwell helped popularize the ‘10,000-hour rule’, an average number of hours required to achieve elite level mastery within a domain. This ‘rule’ can be attributed to Swedish professor Anders Ericsson, and his 1990’s research into pra...