Spanish Martial Arts Interview with Michael de Acevedo

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By Pete Mills, on 07-02-2008 21:25

We at Martial Edge are already booking our flights to Barcelona as we learn about the exciting seminar with Mixed martial artist, Greg Nelson. This event, being held at the at Marin Gym in Barcelona on the 28 and 29 June 2008 is being hosted by Michael de Acevedo who himself is a very experienced instructor in Jeet Kune Do, Kali, Thai Boxing and Kettlebell training.

I’ve worked hard on becoming a good coach and instructor and have competed in both Pro Thai-boxing and Amateur boxing.

Along with his wife Natalie, Michael runs his small but popular school in Barcelona which offers various martial arts and kettlebell classes as well as private tuition. Lesley Jackson says ‘Hola’ to Michael to find out more about his upcoming seminar.

Martial Edge: Can you tell us about your martial arts background, what do you train in and why?

Michael de Acevedo: I’ve always been involved in the martial arts from the time I was 9 years old. I started with Judo and then moved onto Taekwondo. At one point I was with a group of friends and we had two pairs of boxing gloves and decided to go at it. I found out a lot about what I really could and could not do. That’s when I decided I wanted the martial arts that I was training in to be functional. After that, I looked into Jeet Kune Do (because I was into Bruce Lee) and found the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. I originally called to try and get some books on martial arts. After hearing this, the instructor on the line, sifu Ed Markey, laughed and told me my best chance was to get into the gym and start training instead of reading and theorizing about it. So that’s what I did!

So, when I was 14, I started training in Thai boxing, Jeet Kune Do and Kali under Greg Nelson. Training at the MMAA was quite serious as 90% of the small group we had at that time were Muay Thai fighters. In the early 90s, Mixed Martial Arts wasn’t that big and Thai boxing was still making its mark in the US. I remember the first grappling classes on this old beat-up wrestling mat Greg had got hold of from the University of Minnesota. God knows how he got it! Later on, Greg started training under Pedro Sauer and our grappling programme became more organized with better quality grapplers beginning to emerge. The one thing I remember the most is spending hours after school at the academy learning and training. I could never get enough!

I’ve worked hard on becoming a good coach and instructor and have competed in both Pro Thai-boxing and Amateur boxing. I moved to Spain at the end of 2002 to try my hand at opening a school there. I’ve always had a big interest in fitness and keeping my body in shape so I also got into Kettlebell training a few years ago as a supplement for my Thai boxing and other martial arts and really enjoyed it. I’m a certified instructor now and I’m even considering trying my hand at Amateur Kettlebell Sport sometime this year.

Nowadays, I train to stay in good shape and stay at a good level to help my students get better and achieve whatever goals they are after, whether it’s competitions in Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai or Kettlebell lifting or just shed a couple of extra pounds and learn some good basic self-defence.

Coaching and instructor certifications:

Certified Kettlebell Sport Instructor - AKC (American Kettlebell Club) under Valery Fedorenko

Certified Kettlebell Fitness Instructor - RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) under Pavel Tsatsouline

Jeet Kune Do/Jun Fan Gung Fu Instructor Ander Guru Dan Inosanto

Kali/Filipino Arts under Guru Dan Inosanto

Thai boxing Instructor under Greg Nelson

Martial Edge: You are a dedicated instructor, can you tell us about your school?

Michael de Acevedo: I opened my school in Barcelona, Spain along with my wife Natalia about two years ago. I run small group classes and private lessons. It’s a small school with a lot of traffic going through it. I teach mainly Muay Thai, Kali/JKD and now more grappling classes are getting requested. For fitness classes, I do a lot of cross training and use Kettlebells as one of the main tools. I’m looking forward to moving to a larger facility some time in the near future!

Martial Edge: Tell us about the seminar you are organising in June, with Greg Nelson.

Michael de Acevedo: The seminar is going to be held in Barcelona city at Marin Gym on 28th and 29th June. It will cover training methods for both fighters and beginners of both sports, Mixed Martial Arts and Thai boxing.

Without a doubt, I think that Greg is one of the best coaches of mix martial arts a fighter could ever hope to run into. Greg’s style of teaching and his high level of understanding have made some of the toughest “hombres” of Mixed Martial Arts and not by accident! Even if you’ve been doing martial arts for years, you’ll come away with a deeper understanding and an ability to work harder in these sports.

Martial Edge: What is Greg’s background and why did you choose him?

Michael de Acevedo: I chose Greg for this seminar because first, he’s been my coach for sixteen years and second, I think he’s the best person with the most to give at a Mixed Martial Arts seminar in this part of the world. Also I know that what he teaches isn’t full of crap. He constantly tests it at his own gym with his own fighters and even on himself! His training methods have proven themselves time and time again. His school is not known for making just a few fighters, it’s known as the “champion factory” for a good reason. The reason starts with the unyielding determination of its head coach and founder, Greg Nelson.

Greg Nelson has his roots in athletic training and competition. Nelson is a former University of Minnesota Wrestling Team member and an All-American high school gymnast. Since starting his martial arts training in 1983, Mr. Nelson has earned Full Instructor Credentials in Jun Fan Martial Arts/Jeet Kune Do Concepts, the Filipino Martial Arts, and a Level III Instructor in Maphilindo Silat under Guru Dan Inosanto. Mr. Nelson is also a Full Instructor in Muay Thai under Ajarn Chai Sirisute of the Thai Boxing Association of the USA. A grappler at heart, Nelson earned the level of Advanced Student in Shoot Wrestling under Sensei Yurinaga Nakamura, and a certified Full Instructor in Combat Submission Wrestling under Erik Paulson. In 2002 Greg was awarded his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Professor Pedro Sauer. Greg has taught tactical training to numerous Federal and local law enforcement agencies and military units, including the FBI, the US Army National Guard and the Federal Air Marshalls. In addition, Greg is a husband and father of two young children. Greg is also a 2 time cancer survivor after beating first non-nodgkins lymphoma and secondly beating a rare form of nerve cancer called neurolymphomatosis.

On a competitive level, Nelson has put his skills to the test. After graduating from college in 1989, Nelson started competing again in 1993. Nelson fought Muay Thai in the US and in Canada, Amateur Shoot Wrestling(Mixed Martial Arts), won a Gold Medal in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the 1999 Pan-Ams, a Silver Medal in thee 2000 Pan-Ams and most recently three golds in 2001 Grappling Games in LA.

As a coach, Nelson has developed numerous champions in Muay Thai, with several fighters holding title belts from the UFC, CMTF, USMTA, IKF, ISKA, WKA, NAGA, and a Bronze Medal in the 1996 Muay Thai World Championships. In submission grappling and Mixed Martial Arts competitions Academy fighters have victories and titles in the the Ultimate Fighting Championships, Pride Bushido, BodogFIGHT, Shooto, King Of The Cage, Super Brawl, Hook-N-Shoot, All-Osaka Shoot Boxing Championships, San Shou Championships in Bejing China, IFC, Extreme Challenge, Danger Zone, WEF, WEC, and many more. Fighters such as UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk, IKF & WKA Pro-Muay Thai Champion Nat McIntyre, CMTF/USMTA Champion James Cook, Former UFC Middleweight Champion Dave Menne, BodogFIGHT Welterwight Champion Nick "The Goat" Thompson, Adam Clary, John Renken, Tom Schmitz and Brad Kohler have gained the mass of their Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts training under the tutelage of Greg Nelson.

Martial Edge: Who is this seminar aimed at? What do you hope the attendees will gain from it?

Michael de Acevedo: As I’ve said before, this seminar is geared towards Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts with hopes to improve the quality of training, safety, intensity and preparation for fighters and enthusiastic martial artists.

Even if you are not a fighter, the ability to train properly is necessary. This seminar is for both advanced and new comers alike. If you are looking for a great workout during the weekend, tones of martial arts knowledge… or if you just want to hang out in Barcelona for a few days… ha ha … this is an event that shouldn’t be missed!

Michael de Acevedo

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