Pit 1 on 1 with James Walker, Head Coach Team TABMOC 

With the recent rise in popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitions such as Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride Fighting Championship, more and more athletes and coaches are finally getting the recognition they deserve, via similar shows throughout the US. In Texas, one of those teams is Team TABMOC of San Antonio, who has established itself as one of Texas’ premier MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) teams.

Recently, The Spartin Pit caught up with James Walker, Head Coach Team TABMOC of San Antonio, TX and talked to him about his success at coaching MMA and BJJ competitors.

SP: Hey James, thanks for sitting down with us.

JW: Thanks for having me.

SP: How’s the family?

JW: Family is well. No complaints.

SP: Tell us about how you got involved in martial arts and how that led you to coaching?

JW: I’ve been involved with martial arts since I was 12 yrs old. I did the normal route with various traditional martial arts. I got my blackbelt in Shinpuren Kempo and also in Butokukan. Then took Tae Kwon Do for a year or two and did a lot of various point tournaments and a couple PKA kickboxing matches. Then I joined the military and took a break from martial arts for about year. When I started back, I started teaching on base. It was a small group but I had fun and really enjoyed that.  

Another military move landed me in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There was absolutely nothing martial arts wise that intrigued me there so I started my first garage group. It was just a couple of guys from work and I was teaching them traditional Shinpuren Kempo at the time. I was also going to Denver, Colorado a lot and competing and also helping coach various people from both Denver and Cheyenne for point tournaments. One of the guys I was training with was Jef Whittle. Jef was a blackbelt in Japanese Ju Jitsu. We started talking about “realistic” training one day and he told me he was scared to get to involved in point tournaments because they would develop bad habits. Being the “show me” type of guy…we started sparring. I went and threw a high round kick at his head and he shot in, took me down, then choked me out. I mean choked me out completely. I was OUT COLD. I knew nothing at the time about tapping out. It scared me.

I thought here I am a blackbelt in two different styles, I had done very well in full contact and point tournaments and now I just got choked out and had no clue on what to do. It was a very humbling experience.  Of course, I had Jef teach me what he had done to me and also a few other defenses. About 4 months later, the first UFC happened. I had trained with Pat Smith who was in UFC 1 so I was routing for him. What I saw that night with Royce Gracie changed my martial arts thinking definitely. I knew this was what I needed to learn.

My wife was a travel agent at the time so I was able to travel all over and train with various martial artists. I got to train with Frank Cucci, Terry Gibson, Marc Mcfann, Paul Vunak, Nick Starks, Carlos Machado, Ken Shamrock, Tony Blauer, just to name a few. Most of my stuff was JKD Concepts influenced, reality based or of course grappling related. I would take what I learned at the various seminars and training sessions and come back and teach my garage group. Even though I was the instructor I learned more from them then they could have ever learned from me.

In 2000, I moved again because of the military and landed in Oklahoma City. There I met and trained with Rafael Lovato Sr. and Jr.  I was in heaven! I was training 4-5 times a week in both BJJ and Muay Thai. Great training from some really good coaches.

In 2001, I moved to San Antonio. There was nothing here as far as BJJ or Muay Thai that I was interested in.  I already knew a small group of guys that trained BJJ so I formed another garage group. We shared ideas and trained hard together. This is how Team Tabmoc got started.

SP: So tell us how did you come up with the name Team TABMOC?

JW: Lol…I came up with it back in 1999 as a joke really. At that time, there was a big push and a lot of advertisements selling these magical martial arts that would make you unbeatable or the ultimate fighter. If you watched these tapes or what have you there was nothing really magical or special to them. They still showed the basics…Maybe they would call it a different name but it was still the basics. My wife and I have always talked about me opening up a full time commercial school after I get out of the military. One day she asked me what I would call my school?  Since I was involved with so many different arts I couldn’t “limit” myself to just one. So I came up with “Unlimited Fighting Options”. She then asked what all would I teach? I told her I didn’t know…I just wanted to focus on functional stuff and to me it’s just combat. So I turned the letters around and came up with Tabmoc. So Tabmoc is nothing more than Combat spelled backwards. Its mystical huh? People don’t know what it is all about until they are shown the path. But in the end there is no secret…just basic combat.

SP: How many members are there?

JW: We have about 20 active members. Which is rather large for a garage group…lol

SP: Tell us about TABMOC’s training/fight philosophy.

JW: Team Tabmoc’s training and fight philosophy is easy… To be functional in any range of combat. We don’t care if it is standing, in the clinch, or on the ground. With weapons or without. No matter what the range or environment…We have game.

SP: What are the type of competitions TABMOC prepares for?

JW: We train guys that compete in MMA, Muay Thai, Boxing, Submission Grappling, and BJJ.

SP: How do you have your fighters prepare for the different competitions?

JW: Each fighter is different and each type of competition is different so preparation varies.  The biggest thing I try NOT to do is clone fighters.  I try and take a fighter’s strength and work that to his/her advantage first to develop a game plan and then fill in the gaps or weaknesses of their game from there.

SP: What’s your philosophy on coaching? Whether it be MMA or BJJ?

JW: I want the fighters and my students to know that they come first. I want them to succeed. I will give them 100% of myself always but in return I expect them to also give 100% to themselves…not to me…but to themselves. I want them to be confident. I want them to walk into the ring, cage, mat or whatever knowing they have prepared the best they can and they have all the support they ever would need behind them. The fight or competition should be the easy part because all the “hard” work was done in training.

SP: I know that not only does TABMOC train for competitions, but you also train for self defense. Tell us a little about that.

JW: I’m military and law enforcement by trade so my job can be hazardous at times.  For myself, I try and get as much training as I can possibly get. That can be in H2H, firearms or whatever. Any small tool of knowledge I can add to my toolbox to keep me or my partners safe I’m all for. I’ve been lucky because in my current job we are the test bed and they usually send us to become instructors in various systems. So far I have been able to get certified in Krav Maga, Intercept, Stabilize, and Resolve (ISR) Matrix, Tony Blauer’s S.P.E.A.R. System, ASP baton, Protective Services Operations and many, many various firearms courses. 

Some of the guys on Team Tabmoc know they aren’t going to be MMA fighters but still love to train that way. They know that MMA will give them the best base to handle any type of street encounter. But besides the MMA we go beyond that. We add the weapons training. Mainly stick and knife vs empty hands because those are what you are more likely to encounter. We also cover gun disarms and home protection. We also train in multiple opponents and verbal de-escalation situations. I try and keep the self defense stuff as real as possible. Not only the physical but the mental side too.

SP: I know TABMOC is in the middle of a big merger, can you tell about that?

JW: This is a big, big merger for us and a big thing for San Antonio. We are merging with Alamo Jiu Jitsu to bring bjj, no gi sub grappling and MMA all under one roof.  Sergio Marra and Bruno Azevedo will be the primary instructors and Team Tabmoc is going to fill in the MMA gaps. Sorta like my philosophies on training a complete fighter…lol. Seriously, Sergio and Bruno are fantastic blackbelts and coaches. They are definitely the real deal! They are both former members of Brazilian Top Team. It doesn’t get any better than that. The new Power Team Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy is going to bring a lot of notice to San Antonio.  Check out www.powerteambjj.com

SP: Your daughter (Brittany) also trains in the group correct? How does she like the training?

JW: She LOVES it! She definitely has the fever and addiction. She competed bjj recently in Dallas and placed 3^rd. The best part as far a coach and also as a proud father was that she signed up to compete in the open division. No hesitation at all. She signed up without my knowledge even though she knew she would compete against some seasoned women competitors. Even though she lost against the eventual winner of the division she walked away smiling asking me when she could do it again…

SP: Now you were recently awarded your Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu jitsu. What was that like?

JW: You know…that was probably one of the best feelings in the world. In more ways than one. First off, getting my blue was a big relief. I’ve been grappling forever it seems but never under the guidance of a certified instructor. But getting my blue from Bruno was special. Bruno is more than a coach to me. He has become a very close friend and part of my family. Plus knowing that I was his first promotion as him being a black belt even made it more special.

SP: Some of your fighters have competed in MMA shows such as the Xtreme Fight Championship (XFC) in Austin, TX and Fight Fest in Corpus Christi, TX. What do you think these promotions do for teams such as TABMOC?

JW: They give the fighters and the teams the recognition they deserve. These particular productions started out as grass-root shows but now they are major productions in Texas.  If you fight for one of these productions you’re definitely going to get your name out there. With the team’s recent success, I now have productions from all over calling me wanting members of our team to fight for them. It’s a pretty good feeling when top names in the business call you up.

SP: Two of your fighters are Adrian Sanchez (XFC Light Weight Champion) and Jay Peche (XFC Light Heavy Weight Champion). What was it like watching them win their titles?

JW: Man, I was like a proud papa. Anytime members of the team compete I get those proud papa feelings. Win or lose. I know the guys not only have put in the mat time but also have the heart to put it all on the line. For Adrian and Jay however it was like a dream. Not just for me but for them too. These guys have known and trained together for awhile and have always set their goals high for a night like that. Adrian has been with me since the start so I knew he was ready. He has the complete package. Jay was a recent addition to the team who started out as a street fighter but has learned a lot in a short time. The best thing about Jay is that he has a fighter’s heart. He never gives up. In the second round, he told me his hand was broke. Most people would have stopped right there. I asked him if he wanted to quit and he gave me that Hell NO look and said he would be alright. He continued for three more grueling rounds and won the title. We were all proud.   

SP: Do you have a website that people can log onto to see the teams success?

JW: Yes, they can go to www.tabmoc.com

SP: So what’s in store for the future?

JW: Right now, we are concentrating on the merger, the new facility and some upcoming big fights. Tabmoc is always changing and evolving so who knows where the future will lead. All I know is that it will be BIG!

SP: Thanks for your time James and good luck.

JW: Thanks and Thank you…  

Testimonial: 

"Rudy Hernandez of The Spartan Pit has been our biggest addition and one of the best assets to our team. He is the missing link we always needed to take our team to a totally new level.  His knowledge of nutrition for elite athletes is second to none. His strength and conditioning programs are sport specific and very, very functional. All of this showed recently when he helped several of our fighters; including himself, prepare for their mixed martial arts Pro fights. Not only did they all make weight easily without sweating it out in a sauna but they all also had the endurance level to last the entire fight. As in proof, with the current XFC Light-heavyweight Champion, who had to endure a very taxing 5 round war to win his title. Without Rudy, our team would not have gone undefeated that night.