BJJ Lion Killer Coming To Milwaukee On Saturday

Get to know The Lion Killer, Garry Tonon, who will be at Nova Gyms in Milwaukee this Saturday for a special vip BJJ clinic.  

Garry Tonon is one of the best grapplers on the circuit right now, check him out at Nova Gyms in Milwaukee this Saturday. 

Garry Tonon is one of the best grapplers on the circuit right now, check him out at Nova Gyms in Milwaukee this Saturday. 

If you do not know Garry you must know that he is one of the best competitive grapplers on the BJJ circuit right now.  This video is a great introduction to Garry and his philosophies on Jiu Jitsu. 

There are still a few spots left for this event, for details email :(jiujitsuathlete@gmail.com) or call 3129338658.  

Healthy Happy BJJ/Muay Thai

Because Brazilian jiu jitsu includes very close contact between training partners and teammates, it’s important to go the extra mile when it comes to personal hygiene.

If you have just  taken a fitness kickboxing class, a Muay Thai class or finished a circuit training session before stepping onto the BJJ mats to train, be sure to have a clean rash guard or shirt to wear under your gi.

Keeping your fingernails and toenails trimmed and clean prevents cuts and the spread of germs and bacteria. WASHING YOUR GI AFTER EVERY PRACTICE IS A MUST. Even if you feel you didn’t sweat, you have been in contact with others and the mat.

Just like it is important to have a clean gi, it is also important to have your own Muay Thai equipment. Sharing equipment can be unsanitary and unsafe. Using your own pair of gloves and shin guards is the safest way to go.

We keep the cleanest facility in the Milwaukee area and that starts with healthy mats. Our mats are cleaned and sanitized daily and you can help keep your facility healthy and happy!

Have You Tried Open Gym Yet?

Open gym from hours run from 11 a.m  to 2 p.m every Monday through Friday after the organized fitness class from 10-11 a.m. Take this time to use the equipment at your own pace and as much as you’d like. You can follow along with the workouts that are written on the chalkboards or you can do your thing! This is a convenient time to workout for as long or as short as you want to without having to keep up with an organized class or worry about reserving a bag.

 

Supplement your BJJ and Muay Thai training with a circuit and conditioning session of your choosing. Check out these ideas on how to use our resistance bands, kettlebells, and  battle ropes!

 

Combat Corner Vol. 17 Tournament Results

We are very proud of everyone who competed at Saturday's Combat Corner Jiu Jitsu tournament!  Everyone brought home a medal or two but more importantly, gained valuable experience in a competitive event.

Tournaments are a great way to gauge where we are as a team and see what we need to focus on more in practice, and it also shows us what is working well.


We are one of the youngest BJJ teams in the Milwaukee area and our Nova Gyms kids placed fifth overall for total points against teams that have been around for many more years! Check out the list of teams here!  Win or lose, every match helps our team get stronger! Great Job kiddos!!

Safety and BJJ

Nova Gyms is the safest facility in Milwaukee to practice Brazilian jiu jitsu, Muay Thai, and MMA.  All members of our BJJ team must review our safety videos that detail the mindset and habits of safe training. The first mindset that is addressed is ‘’technique over strength’’ mentality.  This means that during a training session, teammates are applying the techniques that they have learned and not just trying to out muscle and ‘’fight’’ their training partner using strength.  Using muscle and strength instead of proper technique leads to injury and also fosters a dangerously aggressive atmosphere.

 

Brazilian Jiu jitsu is not about force and aggression but about technique and movement. Having an ‘’I will not tap’’ attitude is also a dangerous mentality to have because it leads to injury.  Having the awareness and attitude of an ‘’I will tap and try again’’ mentality will help you develop and grow throughout your BJJ journey.

 

At Nova Gyms we aspire to foster a helpful and healthy environment for all of our members.

 

With the re-introduction of our beginner adult program, it’s important to review the safety videos that we have provided.  Our goal is to help and encourage you along your martial arts journey, and to provide a safe facility to help you reach your personal goals.

 

Start your MMA Journey from the Ground Up

With mixed martial arts gaining popularity and attention in Milwaukee, Nova Gyms provides the perfect mixed martial arts and cross-training programs to chase your MMA vision, pursue your hobby, get fit fast, or just release any pent up frustrations. We believe that every mixed martial artist should have a solid understanding of how to fight from the ground. For those with MMA aspirations in Milwaukee, our coaches have the professional MMA experience to help you develop through the beginning to the advanced stages of your martial arts journey.  

Because an overwhelming majority of MMA fights end on the ground, Brazilian jiu jitsu is the perfect foundation and preparation for mixed martial arts as well as for ‘’real life’’ self defense.  Our zebra mats provide a clean space with sufficient room to train with our coaches and BJJ team, to practice the skills you need to develop. 

The majority of your MMA training should be spent focusing on transitioning to the ground and knowing how to be in control of the situation using Brazilian jiu jitsu technique.  With classes running six days a week, (twice a day on Tuesday and Thursday), our schedule caters not just to the casual practitioner but also to the hard core fanatic.

Nova Gyms provides the perfect facility for you to pursue your MMA ambitions, begin a fun hobby, or pursue your personal fitness goals!

 

Gi WASHING AND MAINTENANCE

If you are new to Brazilian jiu jitsu you may have some questions about how to take care of your gi! Nova Gyms is the cleanest MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in the Milwaukee area and part of keeping a clean, healthy facility is taking proper care of equipment and BJJ gis.

The first time you wash a brand new gi, you may want to check to see if is ‘’pre-shrunk’’ otherwise you can expect some shrinkage to occur. Using cold water and hang drying your gi instead of machine drying can prevent shrinkage from happening. Order a gi just a bit larger than your ideal size to help ensure that your gi will fit comfortably after washing. (Check out this tutorial on how to tie your BJJ belt and pants! Don’t worry, after a few dozen times, it becomes second nature).

Washing your gi is huge part of good BJJ hygiene and just plain good etiquette (nobody wants to train with the stinky guy/gal) Your gi should be washed as soon as possible after every practice to prevent a buildup of bacteria that can cause an unpleasant odor or even cause outbreaks of ringworm or staph infection. (Preventing ringworm starts with clean gis! Learn more here)

Our BJJ and MMA mats are cleaned and sanitized daily, but due to the physical nature of brazilian jiu jitsu and close contact between the team, it is still important to wash your equipment immediately after class. If you attend more than one or two brazilian jiu jitsu classes a week it is a good idea to have more than one gi so that you will have a clean one to bring to every practice.

Stay clean, stay healthy, keep rolling!

 

New Martial Arts Students Get BJJ Tournament Experience

Our kids Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program here at  Nova Gyms is about to get back into full swing this fall starting with the Combat Corner jiu jitsu tournament!

The in-house jiu-jitsu tournament that we hosted for our kids jiu jitsu team with team Neutral Grounds kids team was a huge success. The Nova coaches saw big improvements from the team, the kids have greatly improved their takedowns and their chokes are tighter than ever!

 

There were some great armbar finishes and our team showed impressive attention to detail with their technique! We are looking forward to continuing the positive momentum by taking our team of BJJ kids out to compete at Combat Corner on September 17th!

We believe we have the best kids jiu jitsu program in Milwaukee here at Nova Gyms Martial Arts & Fitness and Combat Corner grappling tournament is a great way to watch each competitor progress. This tournament is for children five years old and up and will be held in West Allis Central High School. The rules and divisions are outlined here. Feel free to ask one of our coaches if you have questions about registering your child! Pre-register before September 9th and get ten dollars registration fee ($80 after September 9.) Spectator fee is $10.00, so come out and support the team!

Check out our very own Cesar finishing a choke for the win at the last Combat Corner!

Our kids jiu jitsu program is evolving and growing into a strong team and we are proud to be working with such an amazing group of rising BJJ stars!

Combat Corner Kids Tournament

Our BJJ kids performed very well in the last Combat Corner competition and we are excited to keep the positive momentum going on April 9th in West Allis!  

This local tournament is for all jiu jitsu kids ages 5 on up!  Kids will be separated into brackets by age, weight, and experience level. (If you have any questions about which bracket to register your child into, feel free to ask one of our Nova BJJ coaches) For full registration details as well as schedule for the day visit Combat Corner and click on the "Full Registration Form + Rules +Event Schedule'' tab.  

Our kids jiu jitsu program here at Nova Gyms is strong and growing stronger every week! Each one of our little competitors meddled in the last competition and are eager to compete again; this is also a great opportunity for first timers to test themselves and grow as martial artists. This tournament is held in the Milwaukee area and we are expecting that a large group of our students will be competing! Pre-registration ends April 1st so register your child soon!

Why Our Member's Train Here

#1 It is always a celebration over here!  We are a fitness orientated family. 

#2 The workouts will get you the results you want and are never boring!  Always changing it up. 

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#3 Parents and kids workout at the same time so the gets get awesome martial arts practice that they can use in the real world! Kids Jiu Jitsu is taking over the world! 

#4 Super positive people support each other and make each other better everyday!  

What else can you ask for?  Try a free kickboxing or BJJ class today if you live in the Milwaukee area: 




Top 3 Reasons To Try Kickboxing This Spring

1) It was a long cold winter and you might not have been as active as you would have liked - kick the fitness rust off easier with a coach yelling at you here in Oak Creek!

2) Kickboxing improves coordination!  It is not as easy as it looks but it will drastically improve your focus and balance.  Kicking is definitely an art and improves with time with practice. 

3) Because the coaches and students at Nova Gyms in Oak Creek are super cool and fun to be around!  Stop in today for a free class!



Aggressive Closed Guard

By Chris Martin

Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time with two of the world's best grapplers, both from the Dominican Republic.  Abraham Marte is a top ranked (multi-world champion) black belt training under Basico BJJ in the Dominican Republic and his student Kaelum Kalista is one of the top-ranked brown belts in the world (number one IBJJF for his weight and age).  Training in the Dominican Republic was paradise, but the guard play from the crew at Basico BJJ was something entirely different than what I had been used to up until now.  

The best way to explain Marte's guard is like walking through a minefield of explosives where every angle is exposed and your base quickly gets broken down with never ending attacks.  

His closed guard game is called "The Aggressive Closed Guard" and he recently launched a DVD which you can get HERE !  I highly reccomend this DVD.  

I learned so much at the BJJ4Change camp and met so many new friends!  Rolling with Abe was a learning experience in itself.  Once Abe cuts off the angle of the shoulder he has your back immediately! 

All this week we will be working closed guard and back takes at Nova Gyms in Oak Creek.  If you have not tried BJJ before now is a great time to get started.