An Interview with Neil Melanson: Newest Member of Team EFS

By James Smith

For www.EliteFTS.com

James Smith:

EFS readers, this interview marks a high point in the lives of Neil Melanson and me. Neil and I met in May 2000 while serving in the military and have been the best of friends ever since. The dawn of our professional endeavors began shortly after we met. Among many other things, Neil began his intense training in mixed martial arts (MMA) while I began my studies in Soviet research. Seven years later, we’re reunited to work with EFS. Seven years ago, Neil and I would have been reading this interview just as you are now. It was that year that we discovered EFS and Westside Barbell. And here we are now.

Imagine, you and a close friend set out on related, professional endeavors. Both of you discuss the idea of working together as the years progress. Years go by and both of you develop at an accelerated rate. Both of you live in different parts of the country and only see each other once every few years. Then an opportunity presents itself that allows both of you to offer your insight through the very medium that was instrumental to your professional beginnings.

Much like my perceptions and actions regarding this industry of ours, I’m going to conduct this interview in an unconventional manner. Neil and I have kept in very close communication these past years. I know what he’s going to say to any questions I might ask in an interview. Consequently, what you’re going to read here is exactly what Neil wants to share with you about what he’ll be doing here at EFS.

Regarding the context of this piece and Neil’s forthcoming role in the Q&A, I’ll leave you with this. Through my experiences in life—professionally and in the military—I’ve had the good fortune to meet some very capable individuals who have became great friends. They include MMA fighters, Navy SEALS, Army Special Forces commandos, military/government contract operators, and federal air marshals. I have no hesitation in stating that Neil is the most capable man I know whether he’s grappling, striking, submitting, or using his hands, a knife, or pistol.

So here we go bro. The floor is yours…

Neil Melanson:

First, I’d like to thank the members of the EliteFTS staff who have asked me to come on board. I truly take it as an honor to be a part of such a great crew of trainers. I would especially like to thank you, James, for all of your help and loyal friendship over the years.

My life in grappling…

I’ve been training in MMA/grappling for about five years. I first started in the back of a karate studio in Cincinnati doing shoot fighting on a concrete floor covered with carpet. It was a lovely beginning into a sport that would eventually save my life.

I was working as a federal air marshal, traveling constantly trying to get what ever roll time I could wherever I could. I was kicked out of more Jiu-Jitsu schools than I can remember. I was pretty much obsessed with leg locks at the time, but apparently, they aren’t too popular at most Jiu-Jitsu schools. At least they weren’t back then.

I continued to train at every chance I had. I competed at and won a few grappling competitions when I had time to do so. I had been training as a powerlifter (I pulled 600 lbs sumo without a belt) so I was pretty strong, and I had decent techniques. I felt pretty sure of myself and my abilities. Then one day I came to Los Angeles.

I flew out to Los Angeles to see some friends and train with Gokor Chivichian, one of the best leg lock practitioners I’ve ever met. After training with Gokur, I realized that I still had a long way to go so I eventually moved out to Los Angeles to train with him. I was still working as an air marshal, which made it very hard to train because I was so tired all of the time. While training at Gokor’s Hayastan Studio, I made a very good friend, Karo “the Heat” Parisyan.

Karo changed my life as a fighter. If you haven’t trained with the professionals, you really don’t know what it takes. Karo changed my entire game and helped me become a better grappler, better than I could ever dream to be. I owe him many thanks. He never really showed me that much technique, but he showed me the concept of fighting. I remember that for at least nine months, he would let me go for any submission except a triangle choke. I’m very tall with very long legs. He felt the triangle should be my strength. It sure is now.

When everyone knows that you’re going for a triangle, you learn to be very tricky, fast, and most of all, tight. The concept was never about how to do the submission, but how to get there. It was about how to be an overwhelming opponent and hard and fast with no mistakes. It was also about the speed and strength at which the game is played. Like I said before, you don’t know it until you feel it.

Karo had a problem. He never trained for his fights. He would just show up and fight. This is where I was able to pay Karo back. I had been studying strength training under James Smith for years. He had been helping me get stronger and faster ever since we were in the Navy together. James and I started banging are heads together, and we discovered different training methods for fighters. I won’t go into depth here as to what my methods are for fighter strength training and conditioning though. This is what I’ll be doing on the Q&A.

I started training Karo and helping him with his pre-fight preparations, and I became a favorite training partner for many MMA/UFC competitors. The air marshals even changed my position to a full-time trainer so I got to grapple, fight, and teach fellow agents all day long. I was starting to believe that fighting professionally was in my near future. But then I went blind.

It turned out that I was born with Behcet’s disease. I had just turned 28 years old, and I went blind. It shook up my world. The doctors weren’t sure if they could save my vision. I had been having problems with my vision for a while, but out of nowhere, the world slowly turned black. I remembered what Karo had told me. Grappling is all about feel. You don’t need to see. So I continued to grapple with Karo and tried to develop my game. I’m lucky to have his friendship.

Thanks to great doctors and Remicade Infusions, the sight in my right eye returned a few months later. However, unfortunately, the sight in my left eye never did. And because of my blindness, I couldn’t work as an agent with the federal air marshals any more.

So how did grappling save my life? I had been working in law enforcement my entire adult life, and I could no longer be a cop because of my blindness. I only had one skill left that would earn me money—teaching grappling and MMA.

I have been sought out by the federal government and the military. It is in these arenas that I enjoy teaching federal agents and members of the military how to fight. I’m still training with Karo and cornering him in his fights. I’m also currently producing fighters who you’ll hopefully be hearing about soon. My goal in life is to produce great fighters.

How does all this make me a good coach or trainer? In the sports of MMA and grappling, there are millions of variables that could happen. If you understand them all and how to limit your opponent’s options, you can always find a way to win. Even if you’re blind.

Tell me your problem, ask me about a technique, and I’ll show you a way to win.

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