For an MMA or stand up fighting camp to become absolute top-notch it naturally must present top class instructors. That's why Summer Camp 2011 have summoned some of the most respected, friendly and inspiring fighters and coaches, representing all disciplines an MMA- or stand up-fighter needs. Our team of instructors could almost be seen as a the Who's Who in martial arts, all backed by some serious credentials with not only medals, but also tons of experience from some of the world's largest championships and events.
And the best part of it all is that they have all come to instruct at the camp for one primary purpose – to help you to take your fighting to the next level. Besides, all instructors will discuss between them what to teach, in order to create an integrated theme through all classes, in order for you to benefit the most from the training.
"Incredible initiative to an awesome camp. I've been training martial arts for almost 20 years and I've been to countless camps
with
good instructors,
but I've never seen such a professionally arranged camp like this with so many good instructors."
Unknown participant from Summer Camp 2009
At the MMA camp you will be trained in all the different areas that build a successful MMA-
fighter – muay thai, grappling and MMA striking (boxing). There will also be several integrated
MMA sessions uncovering how it all should be properly combined for maximum efficiency – both
defensively and when attacking.
The teachings at this year's MMA camp will be at the courtesy of the following (observe these are the instructors that are booked as of today, however adjustments may be made):
- Brandon Vera (US) | MMA
- Waldo Zapata (SWE) | MMA & Grappling
- Joakim Engberg (SWE) | MMA & Ground game
- Elina Nilsson (SWE) | MMA Stand up
- Andreas Michael (UK, SWE) | MMA Boxing
Brandon Vera | MMA
Brandon "The Truth" Vera is one of the most experienced MMA fighters in the world. With 13 UFC appearances – among them fights against giants such as Frank Mir, Randy Couture, Thiago Silva, Jon Jones and Fabricio Werdum – Brandon sure knows a thing or two about MMA and cage fighting.
Brandon will teach at all group levels, and we are certain he has some tricks up his sleeve he will share with us during the classes. The thing is, Brandon is not only a great fighter, but is also known to be an excellent trainer. He has even co-owned a boxing gym in his previous fighting career.
During the camp, Brandon will also further sharpen his own technique with our very own striking coach Andreas Michaels, so for all of those who want a sneak preview of how a real-life UFC fighter trains, this is your opportunity.
Waldo Zapata | MMA & Grappling
Waldo's the man whose classes are bursting with joy, pedagogy and the phenomenal sensation that every single student is picking up something new each time. On our previous camps, Waldo has been praised for this technical brightness, out-of-this-world pedagogical talent and overall martial arts ingenuity, and his techniques are always widely discussed on the way home. In case you've missed Waldo, he's one of Europe's absolute elite BJJ-practitioners and accordingly a well-decorated grappler - just have a look at these merits:
- Gold Medal in the European Open BJJ Championships 2007, as Black Belt Master 88,3 kg
- Bronze Medal in the International Masters and Seniors 2006, as Brown Belt Master 82,3 kg
- Bronze Medal in the European Open BJJ Championships 2006, as Brown Belt Master in 82,3 kg and the open class
What define Waldo aren't just his accomplishments on the mat, but also his phenomenal sense of teaching as well as his great charms with a big smile always waiting around the corner. Waldo's path as an instructor in BJJ and MMA started back in the 90s when a great deal of us was still back in middle school. Since then Waldo's been teaching for at various gyms all over the world - both in the martial arts heaven of Japan as well as in the motherland of BJJ.
With Waldo's lengthy and international experience of MMA his classes at our MMA Camp 2011 will without any distrust serve as an eye-opener for even the most hardened MMA veteran.
Elina Nilsson | MMA stand up
Elina Nilsson is Sweden's first female MMA pro and is fighting out of 'Shooters', Gothenburg. For those of you thinking a successful MMA fighter has to be a macho man, standing two meters tall and roughly as wide will have to think again.
When you train and spar with Elina you'll pick up a completely different perspective. Thanks to her technical cunning as fighter combined with a pedagogical mastermind and an always positive demeanor, there's no wonder Elina has become the most popular private instructor at her home gym, and has traveled all of Europe instructing MMA.
With several WC medals in muay thai, Elina's strength is her standup game – therefore her MMA classes will focus on fighting while standing on your feet.
It is evident that Elina is here to stay, swinging in the ring and teaching others how to do the same. Therefore, we're absolutely thrilled to have Elina back as one of our main instructors at this summer's MMA Camp.
Andreas Michael | MMA Boxing
Andreas Michael is by far the best striking instructor in Europe and one of the most merited boxing coaches in the world. That's no joke!
Having worked with some of the very best boxers in the world – among them Olympic champions – from boxing giants such as Cuba, Russia and USA, Andreas surely knows a thing or two when it comes to striking. He's been coaching all over the world, working with national team boxers from some 15 different countries. When taking a look at his merits we hope you understand this man is no joke:
- Former Olympic boxing coach of Sweden
- Have trained many Swedish and Nordic champions
- Worked in Cuba and Russia with Olympic boxing champions
- Have been a pro boxer himself, and have been in boxing and martial arts for 21 years
Besides, Andreas is deadly serious when it comes to instructing, so we expect to be fully blown away at his classes, walking away much better strikers than ever before.
However, boxing and MMA are different things. Luckily for us, Andreas Michael has vast experience from coaching MMA fighters as well. He's been in the UFC as head coach with striker Alexander Gustafsson, one of the world’s best light heavyweights ranked in the top 20 in the UFC. Alexander has stopped 3 of his 4 UFC opponents. Besides, Andreas has worked with Team Alliance – one of the 10 best MMA teams in the world – and regularly train some of Europe’s finest MMA fighters. So, in summary, Andreas knows a thing or two about striking in MMA as well.
Therefore, we are very proud to present MMA Academy's very own boxing coach!
Joakim Engberg | MMA & Ground game
Joakim Engberg is without doubt one of Sweden's most well-rounded and talented MMA pro fighters, with appearances at international A-class acts such as K-1, Finnfight, M-1, and Strike and Submit.
Joakim is also known to be a very experienced and popular instructor. Did you know he teams up with Alistair Overeem a couple of times a year to train Alistair in his ground game? In our world, that's impressive. Besides, Joakim runs and owns GBG MMA, which is one of the largest MMA gyms in northern Europe. Quality and personal attention are his trademarks as an instructor, and Joakim also puts great emphasis at creating a welcoming atmosphere in his classes.
Joakim is usually seen with a big smile on his face, and with his true love for the sport we are very proud to welcome him aboard.
The stand up fighting camp will leave the ground game aside, fully focusing on improving your standing techniques and sparring tactics and strategies. Here you will be welcomed by, among others, world-class K-1 fighters and muay thai WC medalists, as well as some of Sweden's most successful muay thai coaches and our very own boxing coach with vast experience from both national boxing teams and UFC-strikers. So, no matter whether you are a stand up fighter who enjoy kicking and striking, or an MMA fighter longing to improve your MMA striking – this is your week!
The teachings at this year's MMA camp will be at the courtesy of the following (observe these are the instructors that are booked as of today, however adjustments may be made):
- Jörgen Kruth (SWE) | Muay thai & MMA Striking
- Larry Lindwall (SWE) | Muay thai
- Elina Nilsson (SWE) | Muay thai & MMA Striking
- Andreas Michael (UK, SWE) | Boxing
- Magnus Cedenblad (SWE) | MMA Striking
Jörgen Kruth | Muay thai & MMA Striking
Jörgen is without a single doubt one of the world's best and most respected muay thai-fighters of all time. His list of credentials is extensive, and when we ask Jörgen to pick his own favorites among his victories he chooses the following:
- Amateur Muay Thai World Champion, Bangkok 1996
- K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, Amsterdam 2003
- VMC Super Heavyweight Muay Thai World Champion, Stockholm 2005
A glance at the list above shows that this guy seriously means business. Despite his impressive height and weight, Jörgen is a technically very sound fighter. With his natural talent for teaching, even lightweights such as ourselves can learn a lot by training with him.
For anyone with the slightest knowledge of Swedish MMA there is no shock that Jörgen for the last years has devoted himself completely to MMA – with the recent super fight against Bobb Sapp last November as an exception, resulting in Kruth kneeing Sapp into K.O. in a mere 43 seconds. Thanks to his wide martial arts experience, Jörgen has a total understanding of which aspects of muay thai that applies to the MMA game, so for those of you who want to improve your MMA striking Jörgen's classes will be very valuable as well.
Larry Lindwall | Muay thai
Larry Lindwall is one of the true legends of Swedish muay thai. Larry is a former multiple world champ in muay thai, and the winner of two prestigious K-1 tournaments. With an impressive record of 40 wins (28 KOs!) in 46 pro fights, Larry sure knows a thing or two about stand up fighting.<
Nowadays, Larry runs his own fighting gym – Malmoe Muay Thai – in the very south of Sweden. Malmoe Muay Thai is one of Sweden's most successful gyms, no doubt. Many of Sweden's finest boxers – both men and women – train with Larry on a daily basis. Larry thereby has vast experience of coaching and instructing, and is known as a very pedagogical teacher. Therefore, we are every proud to welcome him aboard on this summer's stand up fighting camp.
Elina Nilsson | Muay thai
lBesides being Sweden's first female MMA pro, Elina is also a highly merited thai-boxer. She has made numerous trips to Thailand where she's both trained and competed. Some of her biggest achievements are:
- Two gold medals from the Swedish Championships in muay thai (2009 and 2010)
- a gold medal from the European Championships in 2010
- a silver medal from the World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, in late 2010.
With her dedication, fighting know-how and attitude, Elina Nilsson quickly became one of the most popular instructors at last year's Summer Camp. Thanks to her technical cunning as fighter, combined with a pedagogical mastermind and an always positive demeanor, there's no wonder Elina also has become the most popular private muay thai instructor at her home gym – one of Sweden's largest! – and has traveled all of Europe instructing MMA.
It is evident that Elina is here to stay, swinging in the ring and teaching others how to do the same. Therefore, we're absolutely thrilled to have Elina back as one of our main instructors at this summer's Muay Thai & MMA Striking Camp.
Andreas Michael | Boxing
Andreas Michael is by far the best striking instructor in Europe and one of the most merited boxing coaches in the world. That's no joke!
Having worked with some of the very best boxers in the world – among them Olympic champions – from boxing giants such as Cuba, Russia and USA, Andreas surely knows a thing or two when it comes to striking. He's been coaching all over the world, working with national team boxers from some 15 different countries. When taking a look at his merits we hope you understand this man is no joke:
- Former Olympic boxing coach of Sweden
- Have trained many Swedish and Nordic champions
- Worked in Cuba and Russia with Olympic boxing champions
- Have been a pro boxer himself, and have been in boxing and martial arts for 21 years
Besides, Andreas is deadly serious when it comes to instructing, so we expect to be fully blown away at his classes, walking away much better strikers than ever before.
However, boxing and MMA are different things. Luckily for us, Andreas Michael has vast experience from coaching MMA fighters as well. He's been in the UFC as head coach with striker Alexander Gustafsson, one of the world’s best light heavyweights ranked in the top 20 in the UFC. Alexander has stopped 3 of his 4 UFC opponents. Besides, Andreas has worked with Team Alliance – one of the 10 best MMA teams in the world – and regularly train some of Europe’s finest MMA fighters. So, in summary, Andreas knows a thing or two about striking in MMA as well.
Therefore, we are very proud to present MMA Academy's very own boxing coach!
Magnus Cedenblad | MMA
Magnus live and breath MMA. During the last couple of years Magnus has been very successful in his pro fights in the MMA cage, and has defeated tons of opponents. He is one of the fastest rising stars on the Swedish MMA scene, so don't be surprised if he will be the next Swede in the UFC. Besides, Magnus is hard to miss, even if you are like a mile from him. He's always boosting a big smile, and his laughs are often highly present. And loud. In short, where Magnus is, the energy level is sky high. A class with Magnus, in other words, is never dull nor boring. Magnus will be the main teacher at the "I'm a total beginner (MMA for dummies)" group level. Warmly welcome!
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