Chris Herzog Seminar – Decatur, AL (Deep Thoughts)

[Aab]

or maybe josh farted...

I caught one of those guys eating a burrito before the seminar. Why would he commit such an eternal sin as this? Has he no heart?

[Chris Urbanski]

You know when you have a friend and you find out they are in a band, and you finally go see them perform and you see them on stage and they are REALLY FUCKING good? And you say to yourself...."Holy shit, I never knew that my buddy was really THAT good" That is how I feel about Herzog. I have known Chris since we were about 15 acting like retards back in High School, getting in trouble etc etc (I will spare the details as I am unsure on the "Statute of Limitations"). I alsways knew he was training in Martial Arts, I always knew he was winning competitions, I always knew he was traveling but I never really thought about him as an Instructor / Coach until about 3 years ago when I finally joined Empire Academy and 10th Planet Rochester.

I was absolutely amazed...not only at how good he was at teaching and explaining the techniques but that he wasn't as retarded as I remember (just kidding please don't hurt me Coach). Honestly though he breaks things down and uses analogies that are very well thought out and accurate as well as easy to understand.

He is one of the teachers that just make it easy to learn. He has so much pride in his work and it shows. He is constantly thinking, analyzing and breaking things down AND he shares that knowledge and information with anyone willing to put in the time and work to learn it.

Coach Herzog knows his shit. I am glad to have him as a Coach and buddy.

[leach_jeffrey]

He just did a seminar a few miles from my house on Dec 10th, but I was unable to go. Any plans for a Herzog seminar in the near future in a local that is driving distance from CT?

[Chris Urbanski]

He just did a seminar a few miles from my house on Dec 10th, but I was unable to go. Any plans for a Herzog seminar in the near future in a local that is driving distance from CT?

Herzog is soooo amazing he can travel to the FUTURE!

December 10th is in two days!

[Scott Yockel]

Herzog is soooo amazing he can travel to the FUTURE!

December 10th is in two days!

For the record he doesn't teach time travel at his seminars, you need to be a student at 10th Planet Rochester to learn that one.

[theweapon]

Ive been with coach Herzog for roughly 10 years now. Bottom line is you won't find another Grappling instructor that is well versed in Judo, JiuJitsu, and Sambo. He also has the ability to meld all three together so that everything blends together in your own personal grappling game. Beyond that, he is open minded to evolving his game and his students games to the next level. There may be people out there with his knowledge in the grappling arts but Chris is very good at explaining everything in detal and so that you can understand it.

[Jason Hyatt]

I'll jump on this bandwagon for sure!

I don't know a whole lot about jiu jitsu but I do know a fair amount about teaching and learning. Coach Herzog's classes (and I assume seminars to at least an equal degree) are not accidental. There is no "Hmm... what should I teach today?" Every class has a purpose to each step and every series is tied into another series at some point (for example, we may work side control and mount escapes for two or three weeks depending on how many techniques are in the series. If the mount escape series ends in lockdown with double unders it's a pretty sure bet that the next series will start at the lockdown, etc, etc...) Beyond having a planned curriculum -- which I am finding out is not as common a practice as one might think -- Coach Herzog takes the time to teach every technique the right way every time. It doesn't matter if you're a blue belt who's done lockdown -> whip up -> Old School a hundred times. He teaches every detail, every time, every technique. As the guys who just went to the seminar will attest, you'd be hard pressed to find a detail he missed.

Personally, I really appreciate the culture that coach has developed and maintained in the gym. We have fun and we for sure joke around with each other but training is no joke. Each rep matters. Get caught sloppin' your way through a technique and you're gonna get called out on it and get it fixed right then and there. That culture especially extends to safety. NO ONE is out to hurt a training partner and if you act like a dumbass you're going to have a large, loud man who can quite literally throw you like a catapult and crush your skull like a can to contend with.

But all the talk of technical ability and even teaching ability still leaves out a major part of what makes Coach Herzog so effective -- he trains the whole athlete. Technical ability alone is not enough. Athletic ability alone is not enough. Every athlete has individual needs that need to be met to perform at their best. That includes nutrition, conditioning, and the psychology of the athlete as well. More than once he's pulled me aside and had just the right thing to say at the time it was needed. Anyone who's been at Empire for more than a brief stint has had some one-on-one counseling (not the bad kind) and I guarantee every one of them is the better for it. Coach knows the techniques, he understands the anatomy and leverage behind those techniques, he knows a great deal about the history of the arts (which informs his teaching and his integration of other styles' techniques into 10th Planet), he knows athletes and how competetors think, and he knows how to teach. Each of those is a discipline in itself and to have all of them in the same coach makes for an outstanding training experience.

And I'm still leaving out something. He's just a great guy. He's genuinely concerned about his students both in and outside the gym. I hadn't been at Empire for very long when I ended up in the hospital with a Crohn's flare. I was going through a bitter ddivorce at the time as well and frankly I didn't have many friends in NY. Coach was one oof only two people who came to visit me in the hospital. That mattered to me a lot at a pretty important time. I've had periods where I couldn't be there for a few weeks at a time. Invariably, if I've been out for a while and he hasn't heard from me, I'll get a text or a Facebook posting checking up on me. Over the years that has created a sense of urgency in me to get to the gym; especially when I'm just having one of those days when I don't wanna make the drive. I'm glad the rest of the 10th Planet family is finally getting the chance to glimpse what we're so fortunate to have. Call me a nut hugger if you want...

[Chris Urbanski]

It's too bad Jason has Crohn's and not Asthma because he sure the fuck is long winded! LOL Just kidding buddy! Love ya!

[leach_jeffrey]

Herzog is soooo amazing he can travel to the FUTURE!

December 10th is in two days!

Alright, maybe it was November 10th.

[Jason Hyatt]

Yeah... I talk a lot. Words are fun... ten minutes til Wopner...