Awesome food post: Primo

Ok, so normally I wouldn't post about a restaurant that is usually my wife's thing.  But the guys who own this restaurant are fighters, and they are awesome....and the food was AMAZING!  Today I am going to fill you in on an Italian place in Naha called Primo.  The owners of this place are Masato and Naoya Teruya (pictured below) also known as the Feather Weight and Welter Weight kickboxing champions of Tenkaichi Stadium.  Before I started fighting I used to love going to the fights to watch these guys kick the crap out of people.  They don't just win, they make the other guy feel really dumb for thinking they had a chance.haha

This was after my August fight and Naoya's title defense

During our anniversary trip my wife and I wanted some good Italian food so we decided to give it a try, needless to say they did not disappoint.  We ordered the Carbonara, Caprese, pizza, and this salad to share all of which were probably some of the best we have had.  

Masato also hooked us up with some of their chocolate cake, which again was amazing.  Thank you Masato!

The atmosphere is pretty relaxed and romantic...yes I can say romantic on a manly blog.... All of the food is given a little extra care and even plated fancier.  Just about anything you order will taste great and it is all very well priced.  So if you are looking for a great place to take your wife/lady friend this is a good pick. 


Directions:  The place is located just down the street from the Naha Jusco, not to be confused with Naha Main Place.  If you are standing by the monorail and facing the Naha Jusco turn right and walk about 2 blocks and you will see Primo on the 2nd floor to your left.  Warning, the menu is not in English, but there are lots of pictures and no matter what the food will be good.  The sign is pictured below....

So if you are ever in Naha and want some REALLY good Italian food give these guys a try, I promise you won't regret it.  Also as a side note they should be opening one close to Chatan in the future, I will be sure to let everyone know where it's at.  Thanks again for the awesome food and the awesome fights Masato and Naoya, you guys rock!

Workout Program of the Month: Brazilian Juijitsu (BJJ)

It's probably one of the fastest growing martial arts in popularity ever since Royce Gracie blew everyone's minds at UFC 1 back in 1993.  BJJ is known as the one martial art that the "small guy" can take and beat the big guy.....much like Royce Gracie did against Chad 'Akebono' Rowan where there was about a 308lbs weight difference....yea insane.

I borrowed this from: marrajj.homestead.com

But factoring out that we may all one day face an angry sumo wrestler with a 300lbs weight advantage, there are great advantages to practicing BJJ over other martial arts.  I have tried multiple types of martial arts and still practice a variety, but I would have to say that when done right BJJ is the "safest" and most versatile.  I say "safest" because if done wrong or if you let your pride get in the way it is potentially....maiming.  When practiced in a professional environment (not letting your inexperienced friend try what he saw on tv) with the right training it can be a very educational, and humbling workout.
  I have practiced BJJ for the past 6 years earning my purple belt and have seen how awesome of a martial art it is.  Throughout that time I have had the privilege to teach BJJ as well as lead an inductive bible study that incorporates grappling with the word of GOD and how to apply it to your life (so if you are ever in Jacksonville NC and you are curious, go to Calvary Chapel on Sunday morning).....that was a plug for you there Jerry.haha  I have also had the misfortune of suffering strained ligaments in my knee, ankle (twice), and back , all as a result of my own pride and not tapping out as a dumb kid....I'm only 23, can I use the dumb kid excuse?   By no meas am I an expert or a grand master of fighting but here are some of the pros and cons that I have noticed:

Pros:

• It is a martial art that is tailored to all sizes and body types. (tall, short, fluffy, skinny, strong, weak, young, older)
• A lot of schools have programs for all age groups...and kids are scary good at it.
• BJJ is by far the most humbling martial art I have even done.  You think you are tough as a muscly 18 year old (like me) until this tiny 110lbs guy ties you in a knot over and over again....like me...
• If done with a bit of competitiveness and not laying around it can be a seriously great cardio workout and can definitely put you in great shape.  You will by no means look like Arnold Schwarzenegger but you can lean down.
• You will experience improved all around flexibility and dexterity.
• Unlike striking martial arts you can do several full speed sparring matches back to back and still feel pretty good (if cardio permits).  Where as with striking usually after having someone punch me in the face for a few rounds I will probably have a head ache and a black eye the next day.
• If you are looking at something for self defense this is a pretty good option.
• The curriculum is not as strict as some martial arts.  You can put your own spin on things and tailor it to yourself, in fact its encouraged.
• You can never learn ALL of the moves, this art is ever growing and someone is always finding a better way to do something. For example the Chaotic Arm Bar....who thinks of these things?!

Cons:

• This isn't as much of a con as it is a warning.  If you are easily frustrated or dont like losing then DO NOT DO THIS.  No one likes grappling a sore loser and this will take a LONG time to get really good at.  I lost maybe 30 times before I got my first tap out on someone.... and it was from smothering them with my Gi...dont you judge me!haha
• Accidents happen.  Someone accidentally pulls to hard, you fall the wrong way, your opponent doesn't feel you tap.  You will if you spend a length of time in this sport get hurt at least once.  But I will say from experience that most injuries are from pride.  I now know that it is better to tap out and lose than to get hurt and lose.
• Depending on who is teaching you, you can be REALLY good at one thing and REALLY lacking at another.  For example I can from on school to another and I was great at guard work but horrible at leg locks/leg lock defense.  Until Jerry threw about 20 heel hooks in a row on me, then he helped me improve in that area.

Borrowed from Napoleon Dynamite

 Obviously after the time that I have put into learning this I would say it is a great martial art to try out.  But it all depends on who you are and what you are looking for.  If you read the pros and cons and liked what you saw then give it a shot.  If you didn't then try something else like maybe Rexquando (for those who have not seen Napoleon Dynamite I am kidding).  Either way thanks for reading and don't forget to check out the Organizations page on your way out.  God Bless

My MMA Fight Video From August 28

Ok, so we finally had time to get this thing on here for everyone to see.  I am sorry it took so long, but here it is!  For anyone who didn't know from my pictures and recent post I finally got to step back into the ring again after about 2 years of being away.  While I was stationed in New River I really didn't have the time to get into MMA like I wanted to so I just took the 2 years to study.  I had been spending a lot of time training under the Jiujitsu Master Jerry Roeder while I was in the states.  After having that man kick my butt for me on a weekly basis lets just say I have learned A LOT.  So one day when I finally decide to take a fight to the ground, you will see it in action.lol  I would like to thank everyone again for the support and for encouraging me.  It was a lot of fun and I am so glad I can get back to fighting.
All of the proceeds that I received from this fight went to the Im Jai House orphanage in Thailand. A few years back, I got to go on a mission trip to Chaing Mai (with the Harbor), where they're located, and got to hang out with and minister to the kids during VBS. So if you want please donate, it doesn't take much.  The exchange rate is like 32 bat to $1 ....which is insane.....basically $5 is 140 of their dollars......you can afford it. lol

Sorry the video uploaded a little small. If you want to watch it larger, go to the Youtube link HERE

August 28th MMA Fight!

Hey everybody!  I have been out for a while dealing with....life.  Work has been long and dramatic, and I have been training nonstop for my fight that I didn't have the time or energy to post on here.  Now things have slowed down and I can get back to having fun with my wife, and trying ridiculous new things to put on here again.  As some of you know I just fought this past couple of Sunday's ago and it went well for me.  Lucky for me I had my hot wife there to take some pics for me.  Check them out...

Blocked kick

I threw a head kick like every 5 seconds in this fight for some reason.  I REALLY wanted a head kick KO.lol

Right hook that connected, shortly after I dropped him with a combo.

I have to take some credit from myself on this win and say that this guy was a last choice filler.  My original opponent hurt his knee and they asked this guy to step in a few weeks out.  Either way he gave it his best and I thank him for coming out to fight.

It was such a rush to get back into the ring and fight again, I really did miss it.  Unfortunately I may not be able to step back into the ring for some time due to a possible deployment.  But we will see what happens....   There was a decent chunk of money raised for the Im Jai  House Orphanage, not thousands (unless you count it up in their native dollar then it is thousands) but a decent amount.  I just want to thank everyone who came out to support me, and I will have a video posted soon.  I would also just like to thank my wife for helping me out and being so supportive.  I just had another fight offer recently in Tokyo, as soon as she heard about it she jumped up and was finding hotels that were open and trying to help me get ready.  The fight ended up not happening but I still got to see how much she cared.  I really do have an awesome wife, thanks babe!

Guest Post from the Wifey

Hi everyone! This is Mrs. Caveman. I kinda hacked Chase's blog because he never has time to update this thing and he'll generally not talk about himself. This Sunday, he has a fight coming up. I'm super excited as he's been waiting a long time to get a chance to step into the ring again and has been working around the clock on his training. Please pray for him not to get too injured (ie: his elbow or knee getting bent the wrong way) and to be a good witness in this sport. Thanks for reading! :)

   

Workout Program of the Month: Body By Jake Tower 200 Gym (Randy Couture Gym)

Anyone who is a Randy Couture fan has seen the commercial at least once and wondered if this thing was legitimate.  I will admit when I first saw it I thought "oh yea, just another one of those dumb 'As Seen On TV' things."  Honestly how many times have we seen the latest and greatest workout equipment on TV?  Total Gym, Bow Flex, 6 Minute Abs, Shake Weight (kidding me right?), the list goes on.  So its no wonder that everyone would see this gym and think nothing of it.

      But one day back in February my wife and I were walking through the sports store and saw it.  One thing leads to another and for some odd random reason I end up buying it on a total whim.  Now before telling you how I rate it as a workout I must tell you how DANGEROUS it is.  I being a highly capable and INTELLIGENT (yea right) manly man did not feel it was necessary to read the instructions.  I pulled it out of the box threw the book and warning sign to my wife and began installing it to my door.  A few minutes later I was staring at at my door quite pleased with myself and my new Tower 200......but the frame was a little crooked.......so I tried fixing it.......bad idea.  Like any intelligent manly man I decided to force things and not follow the instructions on how to loosen it.  But as I pushed up on the bottom of the frame the 200+lbs of resistance cables pulled it down.....into my head.

That is just a very small amount of the blood.haha  The irony of it is that the edge of the frame that hit me was also where the warning sticker was located.  That paper I tossed Airin, said that several people got hurt doing that. Yes.....I am now a statistic.(smacks self in head)  

       On the brighter side of things this gym is actually pretty good.  It comes with a workout video that had this kinda goofy and over motivated guy on it doing the workout to some intense guitar music.  The guy looked like he ACTUALLY used this gym and not like all of the other work out guys you see like this guy to the right.  "Cut your hair like mine and I will pump you up!" (said with the Arnold accent) But the cardio workout that he tried didn't look bad.  I am not much for following along with a video so I did my own workout and it turned out surprisingly good.  Here as the pro's and con's that I saw:

Pros:

• Fits on any door just about.
• Good for a quick workout if you are in a rush.
• You can do almost anything imaginable on it,  make up some workout.
• Good for muscular endurance and strength building.
• Easy to store, move around, and keep out of the way.
• Easy upkeep.
• Will go up to a decently heavy weight for any workout you want.
• Mixes into a cardio workout very well.
• Can be used for a range of fight exercises like punching and kneeing the mits.

Cons:

• It WILL hurt you if you dont set it up the right way.lol
• You need a pretty sturdy door for it to latch onto.
• It might mark up the door way around the top where the cables stick out.
• It will only get you so far depending on what you are looking for, don't expect to get huge with it.
• It will not make you as good of a fighter as Randy Couture.... I tried. :(

      Overall I would say this is a good piece to add to your workout routines but not something that's good for doing all by its self.  You will not look like the guy on the front of the box or good old Randy, but you can get into some good shape with it.  I am using it for the end of my workout and throwing punches with it and things like that.  So is it worth the investment?  Depends on what you are looking for I guess.  I think it adds well into what I do and my wife thinks it is especially good for women as it tones instead of bulking you up.  She had a lot of fun with it.  So give it a try if you are interested.

Workout of the Month: Stair Sprints vs. Distance Runnning

We see them all the time in commercials, football shows, and most importantly ROCKY.haha I have always seen people sprinting up stairs and never gave it much thought other than "MAN!  I would hate to fall down those!"       
          But when I got back to Okinawa and took over the PT program for my shop I was curious.  I remembered this set of stairs that my friend Robert showed me just off base.  They were about 3-4 stories straight up and running up them was TORTURE!  I want to keep my pt program interesting so I brought them out there and sure enough things got interesting.  After only a mile run there, 6 races up the stairs (losers had to do 7), a mile back, and 3 people puking they all decided that it was harder than it looked.  But in an odd and masochistic way.....fun.  So we kept doing it.  After about a month I have noticed great improvements, we have already extended the run and found an even longer set of stairs.  Soon I will have to start running them with a pack on!  Not only did the stair sprints get surprisingly easier each time we went but my leg power and endurance have increased immensely.     

     

        In comparison to distance running stair sprints are much more ideal for what I do (MMA).  Here are a few of the pros&cons of stair sprints:

Pro's:

• Much stronger and larger legs than distance running.
• Improves your speed.
• Offers a much quicker and intense workout vise a long run.
• Gives you much more explosive strength in your legs, which greatly benefits your (sprinting, jumping, striking, etc) power.
• They will improve your vertical jump.
• Mixes well into a Crossfit type workout.
• They do not destroy your knee's, hip's, and lower back like long road runs do.  Trust me I did a marathon, I know. 
• It makes it a lot easier to keep an eye on and work out a large group of people no matter what their running pace may be.  Where as you always have stragglers falling way back on a long run.

Con's:

• They can be slightly dangerous in terms of tripping.
• It might be hard to find a good set of stairs to use.
• If you already have bad knees you may not want to start these.

 It has only been a little over a month and I am a hardcore fan of this workout.  It really does beat distance running for the sake of time and intensity, not to mention results.  Don't take my word for it though, find some stairs and give it a try.  Trust me you will love me and hate me for this.haha