Dan's Blog

Today marks the 236th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. It also marks the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 Attack on America and the 70th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Marines have always defended our Freedom with Honor, Integrity and Valor.

Thank You.

I love when Athlete's reach out to me to solve their skin care problems. More and more Men are finally getting serious about their Skin Care. It's About Time.  

Hey Dan! I've just recently been getting really bad acne after my face gets rubbed on the mat..I am a neat-freak -we steam-clean the mats every night. I clean my gi after every practice. I wipe down with sanitizer on my head neck ears arms legs after practice then shower as soon as im home...but i'm still waking up with these damn pimples! I run a dojo so its kind of embarrassing talking to parents of my students with this problem, any suggestions or products you could suggest? thanks man!

Dear X,

I am Glad you emailed me. First guess - the sanitizer is probably irritating your skin. Sanitizers are primarily made with alcohol and the continual use is putting your skin into over drive as you keep stripping it bare. I also dont know what body wash or body bar you are using when you shower. They are most likely further irritating your skin. I would skip the sanitizer and just take a shower as quickly as possible after training. 

Very simply- the reason why Manumission works is that we use the best quality ingredients we can buy- ingredients that clean the skin without irritation and naturally hydrate the skin after use. Since these ingredients are more expensive- our competition will not use them. We can afford to use them because my family has been in the cosmetic industry for 60 years and have the right connections.

BTW- I train 3-4 days a week in BJJ. After class I use hand sanitizer on my hands and get home and shower ASAP. I would shower at the Academy but I live very close and would rather let my Instructors get home earlier. When I get home I don't touch anything and leave everything at the door.

I also appreciate that you steam clean your mats every night. Not enough Academies put in the time and effort to keep their Students safe.

All the Best. 

-Dan

Have Schweddy Balls? Either share with your friends 

or try our Body Wash or Body Bar. Lol. 

I'm happy to share a new Manumission Skin Care review from BJJ Weekly.com.
I learned of BJJ Weekly from a few friends that I train Jiu Jitsu with in the City. BJJ Weekly is an Email Newsletter that is delivered Monday mornings and contains a simple and easy to read format: One Technique of the Week by a Guest Expert, One Training Drill, One Product Review and One post on Lifestyle/Opinion related to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. You can read the full product review at the link below or check out some of the highlights below.

"So, now on to Manumission in particular. I liked the soap fine, it compares most closely to Defense Soap, with very similar bars, and a very similar scent. The Manumission is not as strongly scented however, so if you don't like the Defense soap smell that's a bonus..." .

"... It lathers up nice and rinses well, and sure enough after I finished my shower I felt clean!"

"...of all the fight related soaps I have tried, this one is the closest to a traditional bar of bath soap in terms of scent, lather, and general performance."

http://www.bjjweekly.com/bjj-gear-reviews/manumission-more-soap-for-fighters.html

Jiu Jitsu is more than just a hobby or sport to me; it is more like a way of life. When I am not actively competing in tournaments or in the gym, I am studying video tape of my past matches, watching instructional DVDs, and drilling moves over and over until they become muscle memory.

Unortunately, jiu jitsu is not my job, but at the same time I love what I do. I am a convoy driver in the United States Air Force. A lot of people don’t even know that we exist in a branch that is more commonly known to fly and provide support to those who fly. We are an elite group of airmen who take cargo and supplies into the most dangerous parts of Iraq in up-armored tractor trailers.

I have done 2 tours in Iraq so far, and plan on making the military a career. I enjoy seeing the world and being able to train in jiu jitsu in different countries with competitors who train so many different ways. I take bits and pieces from each instructor I train with all over the world and work it into my training routines.

I have lived for the past 4 years in Okinawa Japan. The island is so beautiful and the people are so honest and polite. I have been doing most of my training under professor Ivan Sakamoto. He is a BJJ black belt that was born and raised in Brazil. His brother is none other than the GFC Champion and now UFC veteran, Fredson Paixao. I have trained with Eddie Bravo, Rich Franklin, Joe “Daddy” Stevenson, Cristiano Carioca who is Maricio "Shogun" Rua's BJJ coach, and Bob Anderson. Bob Anderson is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and was the coach for athletes such as Rulon Gardner and Randy “The Natural” Couture.

I train as hard as I can each time I enter the gym; I try and leave better than I entered each and every time. It doesn't matter to me how many times I get tapped out during a training session, as long as I learn from it.

When I am unable to get mat time in on a certain day, I am in the gym with dvds I get fromwww.mymadmethods.com. They have some of the best kettlebell workouts on the market today that incorporate BJJ and MMA moved to improve explosiveness and stamina. The workouts have you doing shrimps, sprawls, and even jumps all with kettlebells. Such training makes it a breeze to run through your opponent when it comes time to compete. The repetition of sit-outs and other highly effective moves, just makes it second nature and muscle memory come crunch time.

I have a lot more to my training that I will have to save for another time. To all of you that support our troops, I would like to say "Thank you". We couldn't do it without you and the support from back home.

The Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) started in 1995 with the 2nd Ranger Battalion and has spread at the grass roots around the Army. There are 4 levels; Basic Combatives Course (was known as Level 1), Tactical Combatives Course (was known as Level 2), Basic Combatives Instructor Course (was known as Level 3), and the Tactical Combatives Instructor Course (was known as Level 4). With this, the Army has tournaments from unit level, then to Post level and a full Army wide annual tournament that is held once per year.

We had the pleasure of speaking to one of the Instructors Staff Sergeant JM who is coaching a team that has a unit level tournament starting on March 21. " Combatives is not just a way we train our soldiers for possible use in a combat environment. It is also used to build morale within the soldiers and team unity that is facilitated by having tournaments. Soldiers work together training, which is additional to the time they spend doing their jobs together. It takes a lot of heart and dedication to transfer from just training to using your training in a tournament. The tournament for Level 1 qualified soldiers is pretty close to a grappling tournament. There are male and female weight classes, weigh-ins, and two three minute rounds. They start on their knees and can not stand up at all. They can only posture up with one leg. They win the match by getting the opponent to submit using a submission or by points. The soldier is given points for getting the full, side, or rear mount and the guard." said SSG JM

"My team has been training two to four times a week for the past month and a half. I have 3 female Soldiers and 3 male Soldiers on my team. We have other soldiers that are not going to be competing come in as training partners. We even have some soldiers that help with my team that are BJJ Blue and Black Belts. I use my training and experience as well as that of my soldiers. We are looking to take all 6 weight class trophies next week. Thank you for giving me the time to talk about two things I love, training the US Army's best and grappling." Said SSG JM

We are sponsoring Ricardo Romero at UFC 126. Here's the press release:

Manumission Skin Care today announced it has signed mixed martial arts fighter Ricardo Romero, who will be fighting Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 126.  The event will be held on February 5th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Through this sponsorship, the Manumission Skin Care logo will be prominently featured on his fight shorts and Octagon banner. In addition, Romero’s social media will publicize his partnership with Manumission Skin Care. Ricardo personally uses Manumission Skin products for his every day grooming and skin care requirements.

Romero (11-1) will be making his second appearance in the Octagon. His first fight was against Seth Petruzelli, who he submitted with an armbar in the second round. Romero has won six fights in a row, including the win over Petruzelli, and a victory over former “Ultimate Fighter” heavyweight James McSweeney.

“A key target audience for Manumission Skin Care is the martial arts community; because they are very conscious about cleaning and protecting their skin,” said Dan Ostrower, Founder and President of Manumission Skin Care. “Ricardo is one of those guys who trains hard, overcomes obstacles and then gets it done in the cage. Most importantly, he’s been using Manumission Skin Care, since we started the company.  So he makes a great brand ambassador for Manumission Skin Care.”

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to represent Manumission Skin Care,” said Romero. “With my heavy training schedule, I typically shower 2-3 times a day. Dry skin was a problem before I used Manumission Skin Care. Manumission products really clean and quickly hydrate my skin.  I recommend Manumission Skin Care to my training partners at AMA Fight Team and other martial arts practitioners. It’s a simple and effective way to take care of your skin.”

At Manumission Skin Care taking care of your skin is our business.
Washing our faces is a routine task we don't give much thought to, still there are a few key techniques to getting it done with the best result.

Cleaning Tips:

Wash your hands to remove dirt, oil and bacteria before you begin.
With clean hands, gently splash warm water on your face to prepare your face for cleaning.
Squeeze a dime size amount of Manumission Skin Care Face Wash into the palm of your hand and work into a lather. Gently massage the lather into your face and neck.
Rinse clean by splashing warm water on the skin.
Gently blot your skin dry with a clean towel.
Follow with Manumission Skin Care Facial Moisturizer.

Tips To Avoid Irritation:

Do not wash more than 2 times per day, unless absolutely necessary.
Do not aggressively scrub the lather onto your face.
Avoid bacteria laden objects, such as phones and dirty linens away from your face.
Do not touch, rub, or pick at your facial skin to avoid transferring germs, bacteria and/or oil to your skin.