Zen Mojo

Favorite Videos for the Uninitiated

2011-12-25T21:58:00.001-06:00

Looking back over the year(s), I have a few videos I like to refer people to when I tell them I train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a little bit of MMA. Most of you have probably seen these but I thought I would put them all in one post. These are not my favorite technique, highlight, or competition videos - but rather for the folks who don't have any background in the martial arts and don't watch the UFC.

What are some of your favorite videos for the uninitiated, or just your favorites in general (technique, highlight, competition)?

Minister of Propaganda - Latest Wisdom/Sarcasm

2011-12-18T12:41:00.000-06:00

Just kill me now....

Dignity? Yeah, I used to have some.

I'm too sexy for my hat, too sexy...

Totally Valid Reason to choke someone out #57: People who dress up their pets and carry them to the mall for a photo op with Santa Claus - AND then put it on their Christmas cards and all over their Facebook page.
#IfYouDon'tTakeTheseFakeAntlersOffOfMeIWillBiteYouWoof
~Minister of Propaganda

Santa's coming? Yes children, that is correct, and while most people get put on the NAUGHTY list for choking people out if you do Jiu Jitsu you actually get bonus points in the NICE column.

So what things will get a Jui Jitsu player on Santa's NAUGHTY LIST:

Not tapping
Spazzing out
Not washing your gi, smelling like cigarettes, or being smelly period
Not trimming your nails
Not wearing shoes to the restrooms
Showing up to class late so you miss the warmups
Talking or not paying attention when the Professor is detailing the technique
Doing 2 reps and then goofing off when it is time to drill

What else does Santa like to see for the NICE LIST:

Respect for your school, your Professor, and your training partners
Leaving your ego at the door
Helping your teammates
Getting to class whenever you can
Working hard
Working smart
Having fun
Christmas music for rolling ;-)

~Minister of Propaganda


What's next, a TapOut Snuggie?

What do you get for the man who has everything? I know it's hard to come up with something, BUT even if I DID get a little chilly rolling in this winter weather, a Snuggie-Gi would still be THE WORST IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD.
#ASetOfPrivateLessonsMakeAGreatStockingStuffer
~Minister of Propaganda

Roger Speaks. Smart Jiu Jitsu Fighters Listen.

2011-11-25T20:31:00.000-06:00

I don't post much about the awesomeness that is Roger Gracie, but the man is a ten-time world champion. When he talks, I like to listen. People often call his style super-simple but when you watch him in action you realize that his BASICS are just so solid he doesn't need to go flying through the air into some super-spinny technique to get the win. In this video Rodger talks about how the sport has changed professionally and how he is constantly learning and advancing his jiu jitsu.

And just in case you are not sure why you should listen to what Roger has to say -

Universtiy of Jersey Shore?

2011-11-17T00:16:00.001-06:00

Totally Valid Reason to Choke Someone Out #132:
When people sign up for university courses on "Jersey Shore." Seriously. #WayToSpendMomAndDad'sMoneyLoser

We laugh at you all the way to the bank - SUCKERS

Impressing Women

2011-11-14T23:39:00.001-06:00

...forget MACHINES try a personality

After training BJJ today I stopped by the local globo-gym to meet a friend. I was grabbing a couple of sets of squats while I waited when some noob walks over and asks me: "Which MACHINE should I use to impress the women?"

Without missing a rep I replied, "The ATM across the street." #YouJustCan'tFixStupid

~Minister of Propaganda

Competitor Mindset

2011-11-09T14:57:00.000-06:00

They say I say I make it look too easy, that I pass too fast, sweep too smooth, submit too much.
They say my game is disruptive.
I say you have to train harder than everyone else to make it look this easy. I'm just getting started.
You won't out work me, you can't stop me, you'll never beat me, and the only way to make it end is to take a nap.

#YeahI'mInYourHead

~Minister of Propaganda (a little "poetry" for our Competition Team keepin' it real this weekend)

Playing Games

2011-11-08T11:45:00.001-06:00

Playing Call of Duty MW3 or Batman Arkham Asylum will make you FEEL like a badass. Know what else does? Training Jiu Jitsu and ACTUALLY BEING ONE.
~Minister of Propaganda

Weekend Update

2011-11-04T21:56:00.000-05:00

Someone is going to feel the wrath of my traingle!

Good thing it's the weekend because admit it, you're just one really bad meeting and a break room out of coffee away from choking out a bunch of coworkers.
~Minister of Propaganda

Training Partners Part 2 (Take Control of Your Training)

2011-11-03T12:00:00.001-05:00

In Training Partners Part 1 I said I would share some examples of how I plan my rolling strategy. There is no one size fits all plan. It depends on what I want/need to work on in any given week (so of course your plan may look completely different). Here are some examples:

Heavier/Stronger Training Partners
When I'm rolling someone 10-30lbs heavier I might try and match their technique and power. I can try to challenge their weight/strength advantage by going head to head against their strength with my grips, frames, and pressure. I might play a guard that invites them to crush me, hopefully improving that guard and my survival and comfort under that extra weight. Alternatively, I might specifically work a strategy that tries to neutralize their size/strength advantage as much as possible - even if it takes me away from my preferred game and technique set (which is where we have a tendency to go against someone who is bigger - it's a natural reaction/survival instinct).

If someone has 40lbs or more on me, I might work on a game that keeps me outside and on top so that they never get a chance to use that weight directly or I might decide to play inside and fast to work on speed and scrambling against their strength and weight. For example, I might play an open guard where I've got a foot on their hip keeping their weight off looking for an opportunity to arm drag or scramble to the back rather than chasing a sweep.

Lighter/Smaller Training Partners
With smaller guys I want to try and match their technique and speed. Can I out-scramble them, can I move as fast or faster, can I feel when they want to move and work on my timing, can I beat them to the shot or getting grips? Alternatively, I might concentrate on what I can do to slow the game down. Can I neutralize their speed using grips and position without having to use my size/strength advantage?

Equal Size Training Partners
If I am rolling with someone my size but at a lesser skill level, I like to work on new techniques until I have it down and learn to "trust" the technique (once I think I have it down I want a variety of body types short/tall, thick/thin, strong/fast to really get the feel of the technique). At my level and above, I often swap between running my "A Game" and experimenting with new techniques (tournament time is almost all "A Game"). Sometimes I choose not to go for subs and just see how well I can change between positions and advance positions. Other times I might hunt for only one particular submission ("It's kimura night - GET EXCITED") or combination working on how effectively I set it up and lock it in.

Sometimes I "just roll" and there is nothing wrong with that. BUT if I want to take charge of my training I want to spend some mental energy on rolling with a plan. Remember, gym taps don't count. These are learning/training opportunities to be exploited for that purpose, not fights to the death. Experiment, tap, try again.

On the flip side, remember your training partners need to work on their plan(s) too. Be an asset to your school. Roll with everybody. Help the new guys. Be cannon fodder for the really good guys. Have fun.

Twilight Saga, Oh Really?

2011-10-31T17:26:00.001-05:00

After the Twilight marathon on cable this weekend one of my team mates thought it'd be funny to write TEAM JACOB on my Gi in puff paint. So I thought it'd be funny to rearrange his insides from knee-on-belly. #HappyHalloweenSparkleBoy

And just so you know those fantasy Vampires are totally fake - Have you ever tried to dress that sharp and get your hair just right without being able to see yourself in a mirror? #KeepinItReal

~Minister of Propaganda

Tied Up

2011-10-28T16:38:00.000-05:00

When you train like a superhero at Brentwood BJJ we ask you to check your ego and your superpowers at the door. This policy works pretty well most of the time, but sometimes the rules get bent a little. Like the other night when Wonder Woman kept tying everybody up and choking them out using her gi belt like a magic lasso. I'm not sure all her moves were IBJJF legal, but they sure were effective. #FindYourInnerHeroAtBrentwoodBJJ
~Minister of Propaganda

Halloween Costume Fail

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

It took me years to discipline my body to the peak of physical perfection, so sure, I could pull it off but, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MMA NERDS, YOU ARE TOO FAT TO WEAR YOUR UNDERWEAR AND PRETEND TO BE GSP FOR HALLOWEEN.

#WearingATapoutT-shirtDoesNotMagicallyMakeYouAFighter
#YouAlsoNeedFairyDust
#AndToWishReallyReallyHard

~Minister of Propaganda

Sometimes You're the Hammer, Sometimes...

2011-10-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

Hey man, get out of my head!

Sometimes You're the Hammer, Sometimes YOU'RE THE RANDOM PIECE OF FRUIT. Last night I was the random piece of fruit, but it was good (I learned some things).

As we started the evening's rolling, I was picking my partners to work specific things (primarily open guard against bigger guys) and things were going along pretty good - a decent amount of success and some "negative reinforcement" when I messed up (side control under someone who has almost 100 lbs on you is not fun :-o)

Needless to say I was already feeling pretty "hammered upon" as we wound down when Professor called out "...alright, against the wall. It's time for a Match of the Night!" The Match of the Night is something we do getting ready for tournaments - A full on, knock down, drag out, don't be "nice" tournament match with a referee scoring and the rest of the class split up to coach one contestant or the other (with tournament crowd noise blasting on the speakers). I was called out to match up against one of our guys who is fighting this weekend. I was tired after pretending to be a big guy in my earlier rolls but I thought I was up for it. How wrong I was!

In the moments before we got ready to square off, I realized I didn't really have an "A Game" to bring. The past few months I've been working on my C, D, and E Games trying to bring them up to a B level and I'm not sure what my "A Game" is morphing into at this particular moment in time. My opponent was someone that I have problems with most of the time unless I just really dominate on aggression and hustle. In other words, to win, I needed a full on aggressive A Game from the get go. So, I started trying to build a game plan on the fly.

When we shook hands and he started dancing around me with way more enthusiasm than my already squashed body was mustering, smashing him into submission was looking like wishful thinking. So, I decided to play defensively and pull guard. By strange coincidence, pulling guard happens to be my opponents A Game. Guess who pulled guard successfully? Yep, he did. I spent the next few minutes getting swept and defending submissions one after the other. I never mustered a sliver of offense the entire match.

And lest I sound like I'm making excuses, "I was tired, blah, etc., blah" - my opponent has been preparing well for his tournament this weekend and probably would have won handily anyway. What I wanted to convey was my mindset and how it affected my attitude and choices:

I didn't have an A Game and so tried to create one on the fly
Because I wasn't committed to my game plan I abandoned it at the first whiff of difficulty
Once I adopted a defensive mindset, I was locked into defense - I might survive, but I would not win a tournament match
Even though I knew my opponent, he was one step ahead of me the whole time (because he was working his game plan from start to finish)

I haven't had a mental fail on this level in some time. It was good to have it exposed so I can make sure I can find my happy place and have confidence in it when it counts in the future.

Snuggies

2011-10-19T19:05:00.000-05:00

Totally Valid Reason to choke somebody out #112: People who wear Snuggies outside. Actually, just people who wear Snuggies. #It'sJustABlanketWithHoles
~Minister of Propaganda

Nothing but Love

2011-10-10T21:58:00.001-05:00

I have nothing but LOVE for people. Some people I love to choke. Some people I love to armbar. Some people I love to Tomoe Nage. #SpreadTheLove
~Minister of Propaganda

Training Partners Part 1 (Take Control of Your Training)

2011-10-07T18:31:00.000-05:00

Your instructor/coach may pair you up for some or most of your drilling and rolling. This post is for those other times when you have a "choice." Many BJJers seem to have this idealized picture of the "perfect training partner" - they would literally spend one of their three genie wishes to aquire this mythical beastie.

I have a slightly different take. I'm not looking for a perfect training partner. One perfect training partner isn't going to cut it. Here's why. Until a fairly advanced level almost everyone really only has one "style" (aggressive/grinder/tactican/loose/tight) or "game" (wrestiling/judo/guard puller/closed guard/half guard/knee passer/standup passer). This means the available training partners at your weight may only be presenting you a small subset of the things you need to work against.

It is vitally important that you have a good partner "mix." It is crazy to train with the same guy/girl every practice. When you hit the mat you want to line up your training partners for maximum effect. You don't need to roll with a dozen different people every practice. You might work it so that you "target" rolls with two or three different guys on Monday, "target" two different guys on Tuesday and Wednesday, and "target" a different group the end of the week. (and of course it depends on when you train and they train. If you typically train on M/W/F and only see the same guys each session try and throw in a T/Th or Sat. session when you can to expand your opportunities)

If you are like me, your favorite person to roll is usually the guy who gives you a good fight but that you can still beat fairly handily. It is only natural, but that is likely NOT the guy you are going to face in competition. Work with guys that stop your favorite takedown/throw so that you have to work alternatives or the guys that usually take you down so that you work your defense. If you are a guard puller, work with guys who really give you trouble and pass effectively. Be proactive to make sure you get a good training partner mix every session and across sessions. I'm not saying you need to get your backside handed to you every roll but make sure you are not coasting and ducking the guys that give you a hard time.

I want to get rolls in with guys who are heavier/stonger, lighter/faster, more advanced, less advanced (do you see a trend). Even on nights that I roll everybody, I try to have a strategy/plan of what I want to work on with each opponent. I will try and share some examples in future posts.

Until then, take control of your training by getting a good mix of partners (make sure you include a healthy dose of guys that frustrate you or take you out of your comfort zone) and try to have an idea of what you want to work on with each one.

The Only Thing You Have to Fear...

2011-10-05T23:42:00.000-05:00

The only thing you have to fear is fear itself. And clowns. And my spider guard. And my De la Riva guard. And my Tomoe Nage. And my triangle choke. Okay, so lots of stuff actually.
~Minister of Propaganda

Like a Monkey

2011-10-03T15:42:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks. ALMOST enough to make you forget that I will be on your back like a monkey all week hunting for the choke.
~Minister of Propaganda

Gee, You're Strong (or using your attributes - is it really evil?)

2011-10-02T00:17:00.000-05:00

I've always hated the backhanded compliment in BJJ after a roll - "Gee, you're really strong." The phrase can usually be translated - "you just positionally dominated me, submitted me multiple times, and generally kicked my butt for the allotted time, BUT you didn't beat me with jiu jitsu."

I would like to stand up and formally call BULL. You don't ask a big guy to not be big, you don't ask a fast guy to not be fast, you don't ask the cardio machine to not grind you into dust. WHY do we insist on trying to "guilt" the strong guy into not using his strength?

Now for all you purists out there, I understand that Helio Gracie (RESPECT) always maintained that his jiu jitsu was designed for smaller and weaker practitioners to be able to defend themselves and even defeat much larger or stronger opponents. It works. However, if that bigger stronger guy knows jiu jitsu just like you do, the game changes.

For example, I don't know many upper belts who are afraid to roll with some big/strong newbie thinking their jiu jitsu won't work (although they may worry about catching spazzy knees and elbows). They usually just kind of play with the guy and sweep and submit at will. On the other hand, the more equal the technical skill level gets, the more attributes decide who wins.

If you don't believe me, just take a look at all the recent ADCC competitors- not a muscle to be found right? Riiiiiight. These guys have technique and more. You don't want the economy box, you want the deluxe package - technique, cardio, speed, strength, and power. They are all aspects that can be trained. So by all means put in the mat time and work your technique first, but don't forget the rest of the package. And don't hate me because I'm ~~beautiful~~ stronger than you.

ADCC on the Big Screen

2011-09-23T16:34:00.000-05:00

Saw the projector tonight for our ADCC Viewing Party/Open Mat = AWESOME. However, some of the guys were getting a little too excited. Call me a philistine, but I don't care if the 15 ft. picture "makes you feel like you're there." YOU'RE NOT WATCHING GLEE ON THE SAME SCREEN I WATCH THE ADCC CHAMPIONSHIPS!
~Minister of Propaganda

What are you doing! You should be watching the ADCC!! Don't make me jump off this screen and heel hook you!!!

ADCCeeeeeeeeeeee!

2011-09-22T18:36:00.000-05:00

Hell hath no fury like a grappler scorned. FYI, the correct answer to “does this skin tight spandex make me look fat” is always “no.” (Grapplers have such fragile egos and it is always sad to see them run from the mats in tears)

There are only a few places on earth where spandex is Board Approved: the beach, the gym, and at ADCC.

Brentwood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is hosting our ADCC viewing party this weekend (Sat. and Sun.) starting about 7 am until early evening (it is on London, UK time). There is Team Training scheduled with our brethren from Jiu Jitsu Nation and Cannon County Martial Arts on Sat. 1-3 and the mats are open - you are encouraged to try that latest technique you just saw.

Back From the Abyss

2011-09-22T16:40:00.000-05:00

Yeah, he was smilin' right up until I took his back and choked him out!

Jiu Jitsu never takes a vacation. Neither do I. Except right after Shark Week - when I head to the beach to swim in THEIR ocean just to see what it feels like. ~Zen Mojo

"When we go to the ground, you are in my world. The ground is the ocean, I am the shark, and most people don't even know how to swim." ~ RCJ Machado

I've been gone for awhile from the blog world and some of you even noticed (thanks Georgette). It was a combination of work stuff, vacation stuff, and training stuff. Anyway, I will try and start posting from a lot of my notes from the end of the Summer as well as more short snippets of snarky humor (after all what good is an on-line alter ego if you don't occasionally let some "inner thought" slip out).

Time is Not On Your Side

2011-05-31T23:24:00.000-05:00

Georgette recently posted some interesting thoughts on belts, promotions, and some potential differences in learning styles/capabilities between genders, sizes, and ages HERE (There's Always Time to Fill in the Holes).

I'll take a different spin on the title and say - There may be TIME to fill in the holes but do you have a PLAN to fill in the holes? Without a plan, time is not on your side.

If you don't feel like you "own" your belt or that you are progressing like your peers, it is time for some serious evaluation. Note I said evaluation not whining. What have they got that you do not - where are the holes. Make a list - is it size, strength, aggressiveness, a technique that always works, a lot of techniques that always work (what are they - is it their execution that is superior or your defense that is lacking). Helpful hint: do your evaluation only against your peers or those a little ahead of you - evaluation against those way ahead of you creates a list way too big to manage.

This will give you a list of some of the holes in your game - THEN you have to do some more work to come up with a PLAN to start filling those holes in. You can't just go to class and expect it to magically happen - most instructors structure their classes for "everybody" not you specifically. You need to be responsible for structuring things for YOU.

You need to look at your list and set some priorities. What do you think will give you the biggest bang for your buck - there is only so much time in the day and stress that can be put on the body. You also have to recognize and assess some realities. For example, if you are small/lightweight/female you have to recognize and accept that there are some inherent disadvantages and then work like hell to mitigate them (you can't just say I'm smaller and therefore weaker than everyone else and never hit the weights).

A common problem is not feeling like you know "enough" jiu jitsu so you attend every class and collect technique after technique, but all those techniques are not working for you. You might need to set some priorities on selecting a few techniques to spend time on - getting to know them more deeply. You don't have to know every sweep but you need a couple of strong sweeps from each position. You don't have to know every submission but you need a couple of strong options from multiple positions. You don't have to know every pass but you need a couple of strong options. Until you have those strong sweep/submit/pass options collecting more techniques isn't moving you forward. Your job is to prioritize and pick the one or two sweeps, submissions, passes you are going to concentrate on.

Then you need to get to work. Decide how are you going to attack your priorities and get started.

It might be scheduling some privates with a very specific agenda of techniques/problem areas to cover. It might be only working certain techniques when rolling (passing up an easy armbar to get to the back). It might be only playing guard if your guard is weak (maybe for a couple of weeks, maybe for months - whatever it takes). It might be passing on rolling during open mat to just drill-drill-drill something you need to work on. It might be working on your strength and conditioning. I don't know - but you should.

"Accepting" the Pass

2011-05-08T23:53:00.003-05:00

I have been working on improving one of my basic mistakes lately - I call this one Accepting the Pass. What I mean by this is the situation where your opponent is working on passing and you are defending, he gets past your knees then your hips and any other "frames" you may have and you finally just "give up" and accept the pass letting him flatten you out. The same thing can be said for "accepting" knee on belly or mount, or other positional advancement. You never, ever, ever want to just "accept" a pass.

As soon as you feel your opponent gaining the advantage and passing it is imperative to get your grips/frames and start moving. For example, make sure you get a grip or frame in on the arm that wants to crossface you or on the hip or shoulder that wants to flatten you out and start your bridge or shrimp before he has a chance to settle into position - always test his base before he can settle in. Those first precious seconds are your best chance to recompose your guard. Create a scramble if you can't get back to guard.

From most positions I am too slow to shrimp and get my knees back into the fight. When I turtle I am to slow to roll. From bottom half-guard I am lazy getting to my side and getting a knee shield or underhook or going into deep half. If I moved in that "first second" my success rate would be much higher.

There is also a downside to holding frames too long. You become glued to your opponent and lose the opportunity to move effectively. It becomes a stalling game - it might be fine in the last moments of a tournament if you are up on points but it is not good jiu jitsu.

For the next couple of months I am really going to focus on my guard game. That means a lot of positional sparring and a lot of (for me) pulling guard. I certainly won't make it unpassable in that short amount of time but I should be able to make it much better.

I'll try and let you know how it is working out and any epiphanies along the way.

Cobrinha rocks at Abu Dhabi

2011-04-18T23:18:00.001-05:00

Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles was in Abu Dhabi to just relax and watch the Abu Dhabi World Pro competition. When the sheik asked if he wanted to jump into the competition Cobrinha said yes, and jump in he did.

Cobrinha made it to the finals in the absolute division facing off against heavyweight Rodolfo Vieira. Vieira recently won both his weight-class and the open class at this year's Pan Ams. Watch the match here before it gets pulled.
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2011 - RODOLFO VIEIRA vs CHARLES RUBENS COBRINHA
- final black absoluto:

Cobrinha is a legend - I don't think he has had his guard passed in competition since he was a purple belt. Rodolfo is a much larger opponent and used that additional weight to good advantage in controlling the match. Of course, I would have liked for Cobrinha to pull a "David vs Goliath" and show the beauty of technique over size but Rodolfo is no slouch and had plenty of technique of his own.

So why is the title of this post "Cobrinha rocks at Abu Dhabi?" Because here was a guy who was essentially retired from competition just hanging around and when someone asks if he would just like to casually jump into arguably the toughest competition on the planet with no preparation or training camp he says "yes" and rocks his way into the finals of the absolute division! Win or lose that took some major lower abdominal fortitude.

The other cool thing is that Cobrinha says he has a renewed interest in competing so we will hopefully see him again.

I don't know much about Rodolfo Vieira, but he is now on the world's radar as the man to beat. I know I will be watching him much more closely. Props to Rodolfo on an epic win.

Origins of the Americana

2011-04-05T22:57:00.000-05:00

Rolls Gracie became friends and trained with American wrestling coach Bob Anderson while in the US. Anderson later went to Brazil to train with Rolls and some of his students. Here is his recollection of how the technique we call the American was named...

He’d go, “oh, I like that!” Then he’d say, “what if they did this,” and then I’d show them this – it ended up that I showed them a lot of different techniques. But I didn’t come down there and go ‘ok, I’m going to show you the Americana armbar and I’m the guy that invented it’, it just grew out of what I knew and what he liked, and then he later – I didn’t even know – he called it the Americana because I was the American wrestler that came down and showed him the move and that’s how the Americana armbar got started. ~ Bob Anderson (remembering training with Rolls Gracie in Brazil)

Steroids in BJJ

2011-04-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

"I came here today to prove technique can beat steroids. They should start tests now." ~ Caio Terra over the P.A. during his interview after winning his Black Belt Division at the 2011 Pan-Ams

Caio Terra is awesome. You've seen some of his technique videos on here before. Getting on the mic and calling out the IBJJF and competitors on steroid use at this years Pan-Ams took some “man parts” you just can't get pharmacologically.

It has set off an interesting debate that has revealed a huge lack of basic knowledge (on both the pro and con side) about steroids and other PEDs. This post is an attempt at some basic education on the science of steroids and a brief discussion of the ethical issue.

The Science and the Upside

A steroid is a type of organic compound with a specific molecular arrangement. Hundreds of distinct steroids are found in plants, animals, and fungi. Naturally occurring steroids include estrogen, cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone.

When we are talking about steroids in sports we are really talking about anabolic steroids - drugs which mimic the effects of the male sex hormones testosterone and dihydrotestosterone. Anabolic steroids are by far the most "detected" banned Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in sports that conduct testing.

With proper training and nutrition they increase muscle mass via increased protein synthesis from amino acids, increased appetite, increased bone growth, and stimulation of bone marrow (increasing blood cell production). All these mechanisms stimulate the formation of muscle leading to increased size and strength.

They also significantly aid in exercise recovery by blocking the effects of the stress hormone cortisol on muscle tissue, so that catabolism (break-down) of muscle is greatly reduced. This allows an athlete to train longer and harder (and reap the benefits of that additional training) regardless of muscle gain.

The Science and the Downside

Most athletes are aware that steroids can have some negative side effects such as acne and unwanted hair growth. Many think the worst that can happen is male gynecomastia ("bitch tits"). However there are more severe health risks that can be produced by long-term use or excessive doses of anabolic steroids. These effects include harmful changes in cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, liver damage (mainly with oral steroids), increased risk of cardiovascular disease or coronary artery disease, and dangerous changes in the structure of the left ventricle of the heart (leading to hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, heart attacks, and sudden cardiac death). Paradoxically, steroids can increase libido (sex drive) while at the same time reducing sexual function, suppressing natural sex hormones and sperm production.

Women and children are highly sensitive to testosterone and can suffer unintended masculinization and health effects, even from small doses. Adolescents can have their natural maturation process stunted or overly accelerated and otherwise disrupted.

Psychological side-effects can include agitation/anxiety and mood disorders, increased aggression and violence, mania, and (far) less frequently psychosis and suicide. Long-term steroid use can cause deep psychological dependence and withdrawal issues (while physical withdrawal is similar to substances such as caffeine).

It should be noted that many of the physical side-effects and downsides are drug and dose/duration dependent. This leads us to the final scientific downside in that recreational/sportive use of steroids is rarely under medical supervision. Most users do not know the proper drug/dose/duration cycles for safe use (more is better is not the way to go), they are not being monitored by a physician (and often hide their use from their doctors), and since most steroids (being illegal) are acquired on the black market there are no safeguards that the drug is even what the seller purports it to be.

The Ethics

There are many BJJ athletes who argue that since everybody does it (or can do it if they want) then it should be OK. To these athletes I would like to point out that anabolic steroids are illegal in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Brazil (just off the top of my head) and many more have specific legislation banning “doping” in sports. If it is illegal “under law” to use these substances in the country in which you compete it should be a de facto understanding that they're use in a sports setting is also proscribed. Let me put it another way, they shouldn't have to make a rule that I can't assault you with a knife during our match at a tournament – it is illegal (even though we could all do it). Where do we draw the line? Do we want Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to be a sport that laughs in the face of the rest of the sports world?

There are BJJ athletes who say it is a personal choice and therefore doesn't concern anyone but the individual. That might be fine if that individual never competes, but if he does – it no longer just affects him it affects everyone he has a match against. What a “personal choice” means to our sport when our champions use illegal substances by choice remains to be seen.

There are BJJ athletes who say it is safe and doesn't hurt anybody. If everyone was to be medically supervised the risks are greatly reduced. Unfortunately, the majority of recreational steroid users are getting their information from questionable sources (I doubt “Mr. Biceps” at the gym has an M.D. - in fairness to “Mr. Biceps” he may actually know more than the average M.D. about steroids but do you seriously want to bet your health on it?). The fact that adolescents who want to be like their heroes are in a risk group that can suffer irreversible harm from the misuse of steroids is a serious concern. Another interesting point is that very few people have any understanding of the psychological dependence steroids and other PEDs can cause. You go from being “jacked” and able to train for days – thinking you are "like unto a god" to watching all those gains slowly slip away during your off cycle and only being able to train like a mere mortal. Psychology is a huge factor in long-term abuse and over dosage with steroids.

There are BJJ athletes who say that it is too expensive to test and we can't stop it therefore we should just allow it. It may be too expensive to test every individual in every tournament, but there are plenty of testing protocols that could be put in place that would greatly reduce steroid use in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu without significantly increasing a promoter's overhead or a competitor's entry fee.

Conclusion

There is a lot at stake both in image and money with the title of Pan-Am or Mundial/Worlds champion (not in championship purses but in drawing students to academies and seminars). As long as that is true there will be issues about “what it takes to win.” At some point someone has to draw a line in the sand and say enough - Caio Terra just drew a line. Which side are you going to stand on? Where do steroids fit into a healthy BJJ lifestyle?

Does Jiu Jitsu Happen TO You or WITH You?

2011-03-10T00:57:00.000-06:00

(Waxing philosophical in this post -
Some days I feel like jiu jitsu is happening to me. Other days I feel like I am happening to jiu jitsu. I want to get to the point where I feel like jiu jitsu is happening with me. Let me explain...)

When you first start out and step on the mats jiu jitsu is happening all around you. You grasp at it, try and get your body and mind to understand it, and watch it slip through your fingers time after time. When you roll you spend the majority of your time fighting against it trying to survive, like trying to tread water in a stormy sea. You feel like jiu jitsu is something that happens to you rather than something that happens with you.

Slowly you learn how to survive without fighting so much. Jiu jitsu is still happening all around you. Only now you know enough to want to bend it to your will. You examine and experiment with everything (techniques) and begin to recognize the flow of jiu jitsu. You can select the appropriate technique for many situations as they arise. You discover that pressure can force a change in the flow (effective but not efficient). Making YOUR jiu jitsu happen the way you want it to is still elusive. It seems so hard - you spend a lot of time and expend a lot of energy fighting to make it conform to where you want it to go (passes, sweeps and submissions). Jiu jitsu is no longer happening to you - YOU are now something that happens to Jiu jitsu.

At some point you start to realize that pressure is part of the flow and all this fighting to make YOUR jiu jitsu happen is wasteful. You become aware that jiu jitsu is happening all around you regardless of you making it happen. You start to see the ebb and flow of it and recognize where YOUR jiu jitsu is within it. In any given moment you can recognize where it is going and seize the advantage (timing and sensitivity) - you apply pressure economically to stay close to YOUR jiu jitsu, set up the pass and you are ready to attack sweeps and submissions as soon as they appear. Jiu jitsu happens and you are there with it.

As your sensitivity grows you begin to see how you can surf the flow of jiu jitsu. You are able to see four or five techniques into the future and can move through a series of techniques that takes you where you want to go. YOUR jiu jitsu is now very broad - there are very few places where you feel uncomfortable with the flow. With seemingly minimal effort you pass and can make sweep and submission opportunities appear when you want them to. Jiu jitsu is now something that happens with you.

(...When I am rolling lower belts, I generally feel like jiu jitsu is happening with me. When I am rolling at my level, I feel like I am always forcing it and I am happening to jiu jitsu. When I roll with upper belts, I feel like jiu jitsu is happening to me and there is not much I can do about it. How about you?)

What Do I Really Know?

2011-03-04T11:50:00.000-06:00

"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." ~Bruce Lee

We had a really good training session last night at Brentwood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. We started working from side control and went over the basic Americana/Straight Armbar/Kimura submission series. This is not the first time I've been through these submissions but each time we work them I definitely pick up new details as well as really internalize the "pieces" I already know. Every class I appreciate more and more the technical depth that Professor Jeremy brings to the mats.

This made me start thinking about what do I really know, and how well do I know it. Even though I enjoy learning a wide variety of techniques I am always struck by the fact that the more I roll and watch others roll (including tournament footage) I see the same things winning consistently. I firmly believe that mastery of a few techniques is much more valuable than a passing acquaintance with a large repertoire of techniques (even though they are nice to know).

I was recently watching some tournament footage and one match in particular sticks in my mind. In this match I caught myself cringing as one purple belt lost several good positions early in the match looking for some sort of complicated "gi wrap" kind of submissions even though he physically dominated his opponent. Even when he finally came back to "simpler" techniques like a triangle or bow and arrow choke he had holes in his technique that allowed his opponent to escape.

On the other hand, his opponent never panicked, kept working, and used solid fundamentals - good frames and hip movement along with solid positioning before advancing the one time he got on top - and then secured the win with a solid collar choke from the back.

There is an old adage in the military that states "in a stressful situation (i.e. coming under fire) a soldier will revert to his training." Carlson Gracie used to say something along the lines of - "Punch a jiu jitsu black belt in the face and he becomes a brown belt. Punch him again and he becomes a purple belt." Being able to maintain grace under fire is firmly rooted in being able to revert to knowing a few things really really well.

I want to expand on the things "I need to know" and understand them deeply. I want to truly master a few techniques and make them so intuitive that my mind can be removed from the "moment" and allowed to focus several moves ahead. I want them to become so solid that they are almost irresistible - like Roger Gracie's cross collar choke from mount.

Daniel Coyle, in his book The Talent Code, puts forward the assertion that it takes 10,000 hours of fully engaged deep practice to master a complicated skill (like jiu jitsu) so it might take me a little while :-)

Wrestling in BJJ - Takedown Defense (Part 2)

2011-02-13T23:55:00.000-06:00

When your opponent shoots in for your legs in a wrestling style takedown attempt and you were not able to neutralize the attack with either grips or changing the angle, your last line of defense is the sprawl.

Often the sprawl doesn't get the respect it deserves. Some competitors prefer jumping and spinning at high speed and with great athleticism to get past their opponents attacking arms and try to go straight to the back or at least avoid the takedown by causing a scramble. I can't say that jumping all over an opponent and trying to grab lapels, belts, or ankles in order to score in some super-athletic unpredictable fashion or cause a scramble is bad, but you have to be a significantly better wrestler than your opponent to pull it off consistently. If you go this route a few key points to creating and winning scrambles would be to keep your hips up/underneath you, capture and keep some control over the far side of your opponent, and attack, attack, attack.

I prefer a more fundamental defense - the sprawl. I want to be able to win scrambles but I want a good sprawl first. Against a weak sprawl, a good wrestler is going to keep his head up, keep his hips underneath him, and drive, drive, drive into finishing the takedown.

Shooting your legs back and dropping your hips to the mat might seem as easy as falling down, but there is quite a bit of skill involved in a good sprawl. There are quite a few details for baseline D - legs back, hips low, hips in, stuff the head down or away, fight hands, work for grips, crossface, etc.. A good sprawl will keep your opponent off your legs/hips and a great sprawl will allow you to control your opponent and go on the offensive yourself.

This video shows a great sprawl drill. Things to watch for - how he continues to push back after the initial sprawl before popping back up to his feet. On the single leg version he gets the "attacked" leg down and back, then that hip, then both hips, and again continues to push back before returning to stance.

Wrestling in BJJ - Takedown Defense (Part 1)

2011-02-08T00:15:00.000-06:00

This post is an effort to clarify and organize my thoughts on basic takedown defense (especially things I need to work on). It is not meant to be a definitive guide but hopefully some of you might find it useful. (And as always if you disagree or have additional detail please leave a comment.)

Takedown defense starts well before the shot. It starts with posture, positioning, and grip fighting.

Let me say that again - Takedown defense starts well before the shot. It starts with posture, positioning, and grip fighting.

Posture:

A little extreme on the posture guys.

Head up. If your head is down and your shoulders get in front of your knees you are vulnerable to a snapdown, other leverage/control of your head, or an armdrag/collardrag. You want to stay low by bending your legs - if you bend your back to get low your entire torso is weak (think low=your hips below his hips not bending your back to get your shoulders below his shoulders).

You might notice Judo guys taking a fairly high stance compared to the description above. This is because the current competition Judo rule set encourages "throws" and essentially gives no points to "wrestling" single and double leg takedowns (although they are traditional techniques - Kata Garuma anyone?). So, they don't need to defend the legs the same way. As a BJJ competitor you still need to know how to defend throws (also mainly with your hips) but you will see a lot more attacks on your legs.

Positioning:

I like the stance on the right.

I prefer a slightly staggered stance, one foot a few inches ahead of the other, it provides better offensive mobility than completely square (it makes the double-leg more difficult and you know which single leg he is going to go after). Elbows in - if your elbows flare out it gives your opponent access to your body. Lead hand low to protect the lead leg - the back hand is the one that initiates grips - reaching with your lead hand leaves your lead leg vulnerable to an ankle pick, low single, or snatch single-leg (among others). Don't stay directly in front of your opponent, use footwork to create angles. Let me repeat that - don't stay directly in front of your opponent. You can neutralize a lot of his attacks if you can change the angle. You have to be light on your feet, weight on your toes not your heels (not on your tiptoes, think being able to slide a piece of paper under your heels). The way to have freedom of movement with a strong stance is to use short choppy steps, never cross your feet.

Grip Fighting:

Your hands, elbows, and head are your primary lines of defense. You can't let your opponent control any of them. Nuetral grips (simultaneous collar and sleeve grips) get you nowhere. You want to have "two hands on" your opponent to his zero or one (you want to be at least one grip ahead of your opponent). You want to always think "two hands on" if you want to attack or actively defend.

Everybody focuses on the collar grip but the collar is more defensive (it allows you to keep your opponent away from you). You want the sleeve. Most throws use the sleeve grip to initiate execution of the throw, but even more important I want control of his power hand. You can grab his same side sleeve directly, cross grip it and deliver it to your same side hand, or wait for him to reach and intercept it. (and there are a ton of setups that are too detailed to include here)

If your opponent gets a grip first, don't panic, work on breaking the grip. Once you break his grip make sure you keep control of that hand/sleeve and secure your own grip on that arm.

To break a collar grip, grab his gripping sleeve with your same side hand at the wrist rotate your palm down and pull down to take out the slack - your other hand comes across and aggressively pops/pushes his hand off the collar at the base of his palm/wrist while your same side hand pops/pulls his sleeve at about a 45 degree angle from your body. You don't have to yank your body and shoulder way back - this takes you out of stance and leaves you vulnerable.

To break a sleeve grip, point your thumb toward your chest/head and raise your elbow toward your opponents face (this takes the slack out) and then explosively pull your elbow back down and past your hip. Again, you don't have to pull that side of your body way back - keep your stance and a balanced posture.

(Next up in this series - The Sprawl)

Quote of the Moment - Make the Most of Your Training

2011-02-06T00:02:00.000-06:00

"Sometimes I let my opponent move to maximize my time in transitions. Other times I go straight for the finish when I feel a big challenge. Sometimes if I feel someone doesn't want to give the back, I'll fight very hard to make him make a mistake and give the back. Sometimes I might just train my squeeze for a session. Other times I'll work on my grips. My whole life I have learned how to make my own training by creating little challenges no matter who I am rolling with. This is very important."

~ Marcelo Garcia

Pan Am Training (humor)

2011-02-04T01:24:00.001-06:00

We had another great night of Pan-Am training at Brentwood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Rounds and rounds of grip fighting, takedowns, sweeps, and submissions.

However the real party didn't start until we began to roll. Jeremy, who normally hides his sadistic streak, let it run wild by having us roll with RANDOM time limits - so you had no idea how to pace your game. And since this is Pan-Am training it was "all A Game all the time." I think he was envious of me rockin' my new Shoyoroll 7th Son Gi and looking so fly - because when I partnered up with the biggest meanest dude in the class he let the clock run....and run....and run....and run. And then we rolled some more. I survived (somewhat) and I'm not bitter or plotting my revenge or anything like that (honest).

It was a night of really special fun. But I do not know how much longer I can keep this up. I could not bend my body to fit into my car so I had to hang my upper half out the window in the sub-zero temperature. The drive home was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. When I absolutely had to stop, my body flopped forward into the steering wheel and subsequently the horn. That was probably a good thing as the people on the sidewalk then knew to get out of my way.( It is amazing how surprised people seem to be when somebody drives on the sidewalk - it happens all the time in the movies). When I finally got home I parked on top of something but I was too tired to see what it was. I hope it isn't a body.

The shower felt like I was being beaten with little demon ice picks. I could not hold onto the soap, but that was OK since I was already curled up in the fetal position on the floor - as my body spasmed and twitched I worked up a rather nice lather. I couldn't make my toothbrush reach my mouth but I managed to squirt some toothpaste onto the counter and since my tongue thankfully still worked simply licked it up and chewed - mmmm, minty fresh now.

After my evening ablutions, I suddenly had the urge to inspect the cleanliness of my carpet up close and personal. I do not think my internal organs are where they should be and my bones have also been rearranged. This makes rising more than three inches off the floor now that I am done with my inspection an impossibility. The bed is way too far from the floor to ever make it but I managed to crawl over to the desk and pull my laptop down and start typing this post with my middle right toe - it is taking a while, but I'm not going anywhere tonight.

If I start at sunrise, I may be able to crawl to the gym before training starts tomorrow night!

Strength and Conditioning for Jiu Jitsu - Friday's Midnight Workout

2011-01-30T15:04:00.002-06:00

...boy you don't post for a week and people start thinking you're lazy. Just so you know I'm still training hard even when not posting - sometimes non-online life takes priority - here is Friday night's midnight workout.

Friday night real life kept me off the mats, but when all was settled down in the late evening I finally had a chance to get downstairs for a little Strength and Conditioning work.

After doing some shoulder pre-hab and joint mobility work for about 15 minutes we started with a light "jump" plyometric warmup:
   3 rounds of 5 reps of straight jumps, skaters jumps, tuck jumps, and forward/back jumps.

Deadlifts:
   1 x 3 135 lbs
   1 x 3 185 lbs
   1 x 3 205 lbs
   1 x 3 225 lbs
   1 x 3 245 lbs
   1 x 3 255 lbs

The first 4 sets of deadlifts were alternated with sets of 5 bodyweight plyo pushups off a bench.

Acceleration Squats
   1 x 5 135 lbs
   2 x 5 185 lbs

Pullups
   1 x 3 bodyweight
   1 x 1 bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
   1 x 3 bodyweight
   1 x 1 bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
   1 x 3 bodyweight
   1 x 1 bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
   1 x 3 bodyweight

Kettlbell Swings
   2 x 10 (each arm) 40lbs

Single Arm/Single Leg Deadlift
   3 x 5 (each leg) 45 lbs bar
For this exercise you bend at the waist lifting one leg behind you, reach down with the opposite hand to the middle of the bar and pull - returning to the upright position and back down on one leg. This is a balance/core/stretch movement - you don't have to think about loading much (if any) weight on the bar.

Finished with 20 minutes of Yoga at the stroke of midnight.

Yes that's right, while most people are out having a good time on Friday night I'm either on the mats or in the gym. I'm sick like that. Most of my friends no longer bother to ask me, "so what did you do this weekend?" (sigh).

Knee on Belly Choke and Yet Another Awesome Back Take

2011-01-19T01:16:00.001-06:00

Caio Terra is crazy good. I tried this choke a couple of times tonight but got "bumped" before I could sink my first grip. Next time I try it I will set the first grip up a little better from side-control before I come up to Knee on Belly.

The back take that Samir shows is equally awesome - you can be a much smaller guy and take the back of a much bigger opponent with this one. Don't let go of the grips or a quick opponent will turn into you and force a scramble, but if you keep the grips you have really strong control.

Strength and Conditioning for Jiu Jitsu - Your Jiu Jitsu is Weak!

2011-01-15T22:55:00.001-06:00

I've had a few people who read my strength and conditioning posts complain that they don't have kettlebells, a suspension trainer, or access to a decent set of free weights because they can't pay for jiu jitsu and a gym membership too. Well my answer to that is quit whining! There is plenty you can do with a little imagination like the guys in the video below who say your jiu jitsu is weak! (and mine too)

If that is not enough you can add some sledgehammers (into the ground if you don't have a tire to beat on), push a car instead of a sled/prowler, pick up big rocks, throw a concrete block, fill up a wheelbarrow and run it up and down the street, jump up 3 stairs at a time, run hill sprints - or like many folks like me across the US this last week, shovel massive quantities of snow.

My point is that there is so much to do out there you can still target aerobic conditioning, anaerobic conditioning, basic strength, or power with a little extra motivation.

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - What's on Your Plate

2011-01-11T01:29:00.001-06:00

Because of the winter storms I was shuttling people around in the snow and didn't get home in time to make it back out to BJJ class this evening. I thought about kicking back and having a beer, but then Spike TV had to show a replay of the Randy Couture-Gabrielle Gonzaga fight.

Having had two different people recently (one a training partner, one an MMA fan) both essentially tell me I was the result of a twisted genetic experiment using DNA from Georges Saint-Pierre and Randy Couture I had to do something in honor of watching Couture's ring domination. (I am sure the comparison was made because we all buzz /shave our heads and that I am slightly under GSP's size and slightly over Couture's age - and not referring to my fighting abilities :-( )

With everyone else in the house asleep, I couldn't bang and clank the heavy weights so I decided to just grab a 45 lbs plate and a 16 kg kettlebell and go to work.

Round 1 looked a lot like the video below (but at a faster pace) - keeping the 45 lbs plate moving for a full 5 minutes without setting it down (other than what is in the video I did tricep extensions, bent over rows, stiff legged deadlifts, goblet squats - all with the plate, and probably several other movements that I can't recall now)

Round 2 consisted of 5 minutes of keeping the kettlebell moving in a similar manner - swings, snatches, russian twists, squats, lunges, suitcase lifts, etc.

Round 3 consisted of 5 minutes of shadow boxing - punches, kicks, shots - and working combinations thereof.

Round 4 consisted of me drinking that beer that I mentioned earlier ;-).

I'm not so sure I see the resemblance ;-), but if somebody wants to compare me in some way to these two guys - hella yeah I'm going to put it on my blog :-).

Newbies Rules for Rolling

2011-01-09T00:42:00.001-06:00

I have learned that with proper care and feeding "newbies" can become productive jiu jitsuka and a credit to your academy. I've been trying to write down in one place all the things I wish all newbies had to hear/understand before they were allowed to roll. Here is my list so far (please comment with any of your own - or if you think I'm way off)

Respect your Partner
Always respect your partner. Seriously - RESPECT your partner. You are responsible for his safety as well as your own (and vice versa). Don't jump all over them with flailing knees and elbows. If you think you have an arm or a leg don't just twist/spin/yank at high speed - if you "have it" you should be able to manipulate it smoothly and under control. No striking, slamming, biting, poking, or grabbing/twisting small body parts (fingers, toes, ears, nose)

Know How to Tap
You need to "tap" multiple times and firmly enough so that it is clearly felt by your partner. If you can't tap on their body, tap loudly on the mat, if your hands aren't free use your leg, and finally don't forget verbally - just yell "tap, tap, tap!"

Know When to Tap
There are consequences for not tapping - a choke will put you to sleep, an armbar will put you out for a few weeks, a kimura will send you to surgery and a long recovery, and we won't even go into leglocks - so just tap already. When you first start rolling you may not know the difference between something that is just "highly uncomfortable" and something that is going to mess you up - if you are not sure TAP - you can ask the instructor or an upper belt about where you are in real danger. It won't take long for you to know the difference yourself - but until you do be safe. Special Note: In class we are training. We are all working together to get better. Gym taps do not count - no extra brownie points for getting one, no frownie face on your permanent record for giving one up.

Respect the Tap
When you have a submission applied it is your partner's job to tap, but it is your job to notice and immediately respect the tap. Release immediately and be careful in how you "unwind" from each other. Also be aware of your opponent's position, he may not be able to use his hands on you and could signal verbally or by tapping the mat with his hands or feet instead. If you think your partner is tapping but you are not sure, let go - it is better to be safe than sorry. When you have/are working for a sub you should be alert for your partner's tap.

Other Reasons to Tap in Class
If you wind up with body parts unintentionally tangled up in the gi it is okay to tap and reset (you will learn about gi manipulation and the correct way to grip) - that said, don't stick your fingers and toes into their gi unless you want to lose them. Also, you will need to learn how to breathe when in uncomfortable positions, such as someone laying on top of your face, that said I would rather you tap and reset rather than gag and throw up on the mats.

Tapping an Upper Belt
If you tap an upper belt he/she LET you do it (99% probability) so that you could learn - don't brag about it. It does not score you extra brownie points or get you promoted faster ("No, you don't get my belt if you tap me. Calm. Down." ~ Megan at Tangled Triangle). Most upper belts enjoy helping you learn and will often let you work things through on them, but that can end very quickly (and unpleasantly) if you let your ego get in the way of your common sense.

Don't Spazz
Don't spazz. Seriously - don't spazz - it makes you dangerous to yourself and to your partner. Don't explode randomly all over the mat for 30 seconds and then be ready to puke. Don't freak out in bad positions or when you're caught in a sub, it's just training.
Don't Grind
There is a fine line between good pressure and being a jerk - until you have been rolling for a while you don't know where that line is so you might want to ease up.
Don't Muscle It
Don't bully your partner. Try and relax and not be stiff all the time - there is a difference between a good anatomically strong "frame" and muscling a bad position. You will learn when you need to go fast, when you need to apply pressure, and when you need a little extra umph. You don't have to go soft and floppy but lighten up a little and you will roll better.

Control Your Submissions
Finish a sub under control (and slow enough for your partner to tap) - if you can't do this you didn't really have the sub. You can grab it/sink it in quickly but always apply the finish slowly and under control.

And Finally Some General Housekeeping
Wash your gi , Wash your gi, Wash your gi (and your belt too) after every training session. Nobody wants to roll with a festering pile of stink and biohazard.
Trim AND file your nails. You will get enough scrapes and scratches that can't be avoided. If you don't want to do it for me, do it for you - long finger/toenails are just waiting to get ripped from your digits.
No jewelry (this includes all piercings/plugs) - unless you want whatever bodypart the jewelry is attached to to be separated from the rest of your body - leave the jewelry at home. This also goes for those "special" piercings that I really don't want to know about when they become embedded in ways they were never intended.

This may seem like a lot of stuff but I've found it can be covered in about 10 minutes - slightly longer if you want to have examples and demonstrations.

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Power Hour

2011-01-05T00:42:00.000-06:00

I couldn't get to jiu jitsu tonight due to some "real life" issues, but being inspired by GSP's quote I was determined to get some type of training in. So as soon as I had a moment this evening, I ran downstairs to the gym and got to it.

I call this one the Power Hour because it clocked in at just under an hour (warmup included) and had a definite power leaning.

Acceleration Squats - 2 minutes rest between sets
    2 x 5 135 lbs
    3 x 5 155 lbs
(getting just a little bit of air at the top of each rep - but you don't want to really "jump'' carrying significant weight on your back)

3 Rounds - 30 seconds rest between rounds
    1 x 10 (each arm) 16 kg Single Arm Kettlebell Swings
    1 x 8 Suspension Trainer Dips
    1 x 8 Box Jumps (24" box)
    1 x 8 (revolutions each direction) 45 lbs plate Around the World
(this wound up being a killer combination - the core stabilization of suspension dips right after one-armed kettlebell swings then keeping a 45 lbs plate moving around your head right after the box jumps was a stroke of evil genius ;-))

Then Finished up with a Pullup/Pushup Complex - no timed rest just took a few breaths and jumped in
    8 Pullups/8 Feet Elevated Pushups
    6/6
    6/6
    4/4

How was your evening?

Quote of the Moment - Every Day

2011-01-04T00:11:00.000-06:00

Yeah, I train - always train everyday no matter what. I don’t have a day off. I don’t train hard everyday, like I trained really relaxed today.

My mentality is that when I go sleep at night, I’m a better martial artist than when I woke up in the morning. So no matter what happens in my day, I know that at night, when I go to bed, I learned something new, and I’m a better guy than when I woke up in the morning”

~ Georges St. Pierre

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - New Year's Day Workout

2011-01-03T01:01:00.000-06:00

Now some of you may think I have been replaced with an alien pod person because there are no squats or deadlifts in my New Year's Day workout. I must admit I feel kind of dirty, and this is obviously not the way to propitiously start the new year. I can only hope that I haven't irreparably torn the space/time continuum.

And now for your reading pleasure, a Zen Mojo workout totally devoid of squats and deadlifts:

15 minutes of warmup and upper body activation

This workout started out with a Power phase as the first exercise. Sometimes I work power exercises directly in with the primary Strength exercises (such as a set of Bench immediately followed by Medicine Ball Slams or Plyo/Acceleration Presses of some type or Squats immediately followed by Box Jumps). However today, we start with a straight Power exercise before we do our primary Strength lift. I'm using Power Cleans to a Push Press (Olympic Lifts are great here - I could have done a straight Clean and Jerk or Snatch).

Power Clean/Push Press
   1 x 5 95 lbs
   1 x 3 115 lbs
   1 x 3 135 lbs
   1 x ? 155 lbs (pulled the Clean twice but failed on the press)
   1 x 3 145 lbs (since I missed at 155)

Next I went into 4 rounds of Bench Press - immediately followed by Inverted Rows - immediately followed by Russian Twists (2 minutes rest between rounds)

Bench Press
   Round 1 1 x 5 135 lbs
      Round 2 1 x 5 155 lbs
         Round 3 1 x 5 175 lbs
            Round 4 1 x 1 195 lbs (form was gone by this round so I only put up 1 rep and racked the bar)

Suspension Inverted Rows (feet elevated)
   Round 1 1 x 8 Bodyweight
      Round 2 1 x 6 Bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
         Round 3 1 x 4 Bodyweight + 50 lbs vest
            Round 4 1 x 4 Bodyweight + 50 lbs vest

Seated Russian Twists
   Round 1 1 x 20 25 lbs
      Round 2 1 x 20 25 lbs
         Round 3 1 x 20 25 lbs
             Round 4 1 x 20 25 lbs

Then I finished up with a complex where the bar is loaded (45 lbs plate) on one end and the other end of the bar is shoved into a corner or backstop consisting of 2 x 10 (on each side/arm) of :
   Landmines
   Single Arm Presses

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Wed. Workout

2010-12-30T01:57:00.001-06:00

Here is my Wed. workout with some inserted commentary.

If you have been reading these strength and conditioning posts you know that I am going to tell you that if you want to get fundamentally stronger you need to be doing squats and deadlifts. I know it sucks but that is life. If you want to be able to "posture" out of a triangle, you can't beat deadlifts, if you want to power through takedowns or stand up to pass from your opponent's guard you need some squat muscle. In other posts I will talk about some alternative exercises like lunges and "good mornings" that can also work well but you still have to squat and deadlift every now and then.

The "heavy" portion of the workout consisted of:
Deadlifts (3 minutes of rest between sets)
      135 x 5
      185 x 5
      225 x 5
      255 x 1
      135 x 10 Acceleration Deadlifts

The "light" portion of the workout consisted of:
2 rounds with 2 minutes rest between rounds -
     95 x 5 Barbell Snatch
     105 x 3 Power Clean to Push Press
immediately followed by -
     1 x 40 Seated Russian Twist (25 lbs)
     2 x 10 Single Leg Bridge with suspension trainer

You will get the impression in these posts that I like kettlebells and suspension trainers (like the TRX). I do. They are great for working under a load for both speed and strength at all sorts of odd angles both bilaterally and unilaterally (two arms/two legs and one arm/one leg) - just what we need for jiu jitsu.

And a final note - I'm not posting all my workouts (this blog is not my training log). I've been emphasizing squats and deadlifts a lot I know, mainly because nobody likes to do them and they have some of the highest "bang for your buck" returns. I will try and post some some stuff that has a bigger "fun factor" soon.

Answers to some questions that have come up:

My current bodyweight is 165 lbs. at 6 ft. tall.
I'll turn 50 on my next birthday this summer.
I try to hit two workouts a week that have a heavier strength component - preferably on non jiu jitsu days.
Skill work is a priority, but life can complicate things - I am on the mat 3-4 times a week for 3 -4 hrs. at a time including an hour of rolling most nights. I would love to break up my skill, strength, and conditioning work over multiple sessions in a day but most of us don't have that luxury.
You can check my results on the earlier assessment posts in the comments section here: Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Training Plan - Overview (part 4 of ?)

Quote of the Moment - The Dark Side

2010-12-27T17:59:00.000-06:00

"Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your jiu jitsu." ~ Zen Yoda

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Friday Workout (Christmas Eve)

2010-12-26T02:22:00.001-06:00

Here is my Christmas Eve workout. I wanted to get something quick in dirty in knowing that I would be taking Christmas day completely off.

Note: Lately I've noticed some serious imbalances, basic problems, and weak points and will be adjusting my workouts accordingly. Here is Friday's workout and the logic behind some of the specific exercise choices as an example of how to listen to your body and adjust accordingly:

Squat/Plyo Box Jump Complex
    Squat 135 x 8
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8 (jump down from a 12" box and then up to a 24" box)
    Squat 165 x 5
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8
    Squat 185 x 5
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8
    Squat 205 x 5
      Plyo Box Jump bodyweight x 8

This complex was the "heavy" portion of the workout. Approximately 2 minutes of rest between sets and no rest between squats and the box jumps.

For awhile I had been working on stretching and trying to squat as deep as possible - way below parallel butt to ground.   While I was getting the depth under decent, not maximal, load, I was noticing serious rounding of the lower back starting just under parallel (not just bad form but dangerous). Analysis with another trainer indicated that it was not a flexibility issue but rather an anatomical "impossibility" based on my personal body geometry (where the bar properly rests across my traps, length of spine, length of upper and lower leg) and keeping the weight balanced and centered. I could switch to high-bar squats, but that aggravates an old injury - so no more going super-deep, just strict form to parallel.

I am also working on lower body "power" - hence the combination of squats and plyo box jumps as a complex. I often do box jumps with additional weight (20-50 lbs) - I have noticed a lot of knee irritation when I do this, not from the jump up, but from the jump down. In response, I will not be doing "plyo" jumps off a low box up to a high box under additional weight and will be "stepping" off the high box rather than jumping back down.

The "lighter" conditioning portion of the workout consisted of:
2 Rounds (no rest between exercises 1 minute between rounds)
   45lbs x 20(each arm) One-armed Kettlebell Swings
   bodyweight x 5 "rollouts" on suspension trainer
   45lbs x 20(each arm) One-armed Bent Over Rows
   bodyweight x 20 deep squats (assisted by suspension trainer)
   bodyweight x 5 Gymnastics "skin the cat" on suspension trainer
   30 seconds of "stir the pot" using suspension trainer

Approximately 5 minutes of continuous "wrestler's bridge" neck work

In the lighter portion of the workout I am using deep squats with the suspension trainer because it lets me go deep in an anatomically correct way. Also I will be adding neck work consistently as this is an essential area for grappler's that is currently lagging for me and gets almost no work unless specifically targeted.

Quote of the Moment - Smile

2010-12-20T23:10:00.000-06:00

"I like a man who grins when he fights." ~ Winston Churchill

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Training Plan - Overview (part 4 of ?)

2010-12-18T00:36:00.000-06:00

Just to refresh your memory on some of our opening assumptions:

We are targeting the "average joe" athlete - jiu jitsu players who have a life and day job off the mats but still want to improve and be competitive.
If you are at the upper bounds of great on the previously posted assessments you should look into finding a strength and conditioning coach who can work with you 1-on-1 to continue to improve.
The nature of our sport means that we are ALWAYS going to put skill/technique work at the top of the list and work it as much as we can year round and that low intensity flexibility work (such as light yoga) is recommended.

So how did you do? What should you do next? Whether you used my "benchmarks" or prefer to work with some other criteria we want to determine what should be emphasized in your training program based on your personal assessment and the following hierarchy:
Skill/Technique work >
     Basic Aerobic Capacity >
       Anaerobic Capacity >
             Basic Strength >
       Power >

A good training program will address all of these areas. What should change over time is the balance of work between the areas. Each step should be in the adequate to good range before the emphasis shifts to the next step. Your assessment should give you an indication of where you are (currently) and what type, and how much, of a particular type of training you should be including. Additionally, your training program over time needs to cycle through some sort of periodization (but that is a set of posts for another time).

I've included some (motivational) videos as examples of what training might look like within the different areas. You may be doing a lot of the same "exercises" at each level, but the volume (sets, reps) and intensity (weight, rest) change.

Skill/Technique Work
Skill and Technique work - hitting the mats - is job one. This should always constitute the lion's share of our training time. Find a good school and try to get there as often as you can. You may not be able to live at the gym, but if you want to be competitive you have to put in some mat time.

Basic Aerobic Capacity Emphasis
If you are not currently rating "adequate" on the cardio assessment, the priority of your training time off the mat should be spent on increasing your aerobic base. This is the foundation you need to hang everything else off of. The emphasis here will be slightly longer, less intense workouts. Running, skipping rope, biking, rowing, and simple bodyweight exercises get the most time.

Anaerobic Capacity Emphasis
Once we have a decent aerobic base we want to maintain that base while increasing our anaerobic conditioning into the good range. We start including shorter more intense workouts. Sprints replace distance running, we use tabatas and other high intensity protocols on our activities, exercises become "heavier" and are put together into sets and rounds with only short rest intervals between. You will develop a love/hate relationship with the phrases "burpee," "kettlebell," "prowler," "next round," and "for time."

In

Basic Strength Emphasis
While maintaining our aerobic/anaerobic conditioning we start moving heavy things. There will be assistance exercises but an increasing proportion of our time should be spent doing basic multi-joint exercises: deadlifts, squats, presses, pullups, and rows. We are not talking about a bodybuilding routine here. It doesn't matter how you look (although as a byproduct of all the work you are doing you will be looking good). Exercises are targeted at overall functional strength AND sport specific strength with assistance exercises to keep you balanced and injury free. It should also be noted that if you are currently a big "weightlifter," your lift totals might actually go down as you bring up your aerobic and anaerobic conditioning - but you will be a better fighter.

Power Emphasis
Once we have a good strength base we can take moving heavy things and add moving heavy things quickly. Our strength exercises are combined with complimentary power movements in complexes - we might combine sets of squats and box jumps, presses and medicine ball throws, deadlifts and dumbell snatches. Olympic lifts might replace some of the basic strength lifts in our training plan and plyometric exercises increase.

In the next few posts in this series we will use some "case studies" to talk about tailoring a training program for individual needs.

Kata Garuma - Shoulder Wheel (Judo)/Fireman's Carry (Wrestling)

2010-12-10T00:52:00.000-06:00

In honor of the Kata Garuma throw we worked on tonight, here is a little creamy Judo goodness:

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Basic Strength (part 3 of ?)

2010-12-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know you guys have all been waiting on this post in the series to answer the age old question - "am I strong enough." Now we all know "enough" is a relative term, but there is answer. The answer is - NO, you are never strong enough, but for our assessment we want to know if you have enough Basic Strength where it would be advantageous to include Explosive Power work in your training.

What do we mean by "basic strength" and "explosive power." In a very leave out all the details definition, basic strength is the ability to move heavy things while explosive power is the ability to move heavy things very quickly.

Leo Morton also has a good series on what we are talking about here over on Inside BJJ. Here are the pertinent links: Strength & Conditioning for Jiu-Jitsu Part II, and Strength & Conditioning for Jiu-Jitsu Part III. Go ahead, give them a read. I'll still be here when you get back.

Leo uses a chart which is a subset of a chart presented by Tim Henriques over on T-Nation (Are You Strong). I have no problem with either of these charts for determining if you are "gym strong," but for our assessment in BJJ (and to give us an indication of whether we should add Explosive Power work) they are a little high (and Leo also states this).

Remember, this series is for the Average Joe who has a day job who wants to improve his BJJ game. If you are in the Good/Great range for all these benchmarks, it is time to find a good S and C coach who can work with you one-on-one.

Here is the chart I like to use:
EXERCISE    ADEQUATE      GOOD         GREAT

DEADLIFT    1.5 x BW          2 x BW          2.5 x BW

SQUAT         1.25 x BW        1.75 x BW     2.25 x BW

BENCH         1.00 x BW        1.25 x BW     1.75x BW

MILITARY
PRESS           .60 x BW         .80 x BW        1.25 x BW

If you are somewhere between Adequate and Good, it is time to start thinking about adding some Power work into your routine. If you are in the Good to Great range you should definitely be doing Power work.

So now we have a quick and dirty idea of where we stand on our cardio/conditioning and our basic strength. In the next post in this series we will use this information to determine some priorities and next steps.

And if you are just now joining us - the series so far:
Strength and Conditioning in BJJ (intro)
Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment (part 1 of ?)
Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Cardio (part 2 of ?)
...

Taking the Back From Halfguard

2010-12-02T01:05:00.001-06:00

I have really been working on going for the back as a "first move" from a lot of positions and it has been paying significant dividends in finishing fights. I love this back-take from halfguard. This version also keeps your opponent from going into deep half and is often there after you have tried other passes. Once you get their hips "switched" it should all be over except for the closing credits.

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Cardio (part 2 of ?)

2010-11-28T01:24:00.002-06:00

"Fatigue can defeat us all. Worse even than the loss of technical proficiency is the simple inability to continue..."

I didn't want to use the word cardio because it only captures half of the conditioning equation. In this series of posts cardio = conditioning - I am referring to both cardiovascular/respiratory endurance - The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen and stamina - The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.

Conditioning can be increased by both aerobic and anaerobic activities. Efforts at moderate to high power lasting less than several minutes are anaerobic and efforts at low power and lasting in excess of several minutes are aerobic. (examples: sprints from 100 up to 800 meters are largely anaerobic - longer distances from 1,500 meters up are largely aerobic)

Now on to the cardio assessment. You may be incredibly fit for some activities, such as running a marathon, and be reduced to a mass of quivering jelly when rolling on the mats. The type of cardio training you need most IS sport specific. Basketball, football, wrestling, soccer, volleyball, etc. all benefit the most from anaerobic training. Long distance and ultra endurance running, cross country skiing, and 1500+ meter swimming are sports that benefit from primarily aerobic training. Guess which one you need most for BJJ? That's right anaerobic endurance is the foundation of a great BJJ fighter.

An anaerobic assessment benchmark that matches well with BJJ is somewhat difficult. VO2max testing is expensive - the easy tests of treadmill running and 5-10K race times aren't a good carryover to BJJ. The random "workouts" from sources like Crossfit and other areas of the internet are hard to classify easily. Here are a few of the ones I use when trying to get a general idea of someone's anaerobic foundation (these are quick and dirty for the average Joe and can be done at home and the next time you hit the mats).

Test 1: 6 minute burpee challenge
Since this is a "timed" test form will probably not be perfect, but the chest should almost hit the ground on the pushup phase and the end jump should at least clear a few inches.
Results: 50 (adequate), 75 (good), 100 (you are a beast)

Test 2: 1 mile run
Not a sprint, not a trot - you should push hard enough to not want to do this again anytime soon (i.e. have a strong desire to, but try not to - puke).
Results: 7 minutes (adequate), 6 minutes (good), sub 6 (great)

Test 3: 5 rounds of 6 minutes rolling (30 second rest between rounds)
This is the most subjective, because you can easily stall and sandbag, but the intent is for you to roll 5 hard 6 minute rounds against individuals close to your size/skill level. Taking it too easy will be revealed by you getting tapped multiple times during a round or staying in bad positions. Starting from the feet is preferred.
Results: self evaluation = "I can survive this a couple of times a week" (adequate), "I can easily do this several times a week" (good), "Let's do a couple more rounds right now!" (great)

OK, so what does this tell us? Well I have good news and bad news. The good news is that if you are in the good to great range you can definitely mix your training up to include some serious strength work. The bad news is, just like skill work and flexibility - we should be doing cardio/conditioning all year. If you fall into the adequate range (or are not quite there yet), don't worry - YOU CAN GET THERE - this benchmark simply tells us that your priority should be additional conditioning work before trying to add significant strength work.

A few notes before we close:
1. The results "numbers" are ball park estimates. A 200+ lbs. fighter will not be able to do as many burpees or run as fast as the 145 lbs. fighter.

2. These figures are for the athlete who is serious and wants to be competitive but has a job (and a partial life) outside of BJJ.

3. These numbers are what I would like to see for someone between 25-35 years of age.

4. We can get a little more technical and say that your heart rate after each of these tests should be heading back under 100 bpm at the 2 minute mark and getting close to or under 80 bpm at the 5 minute mark (pretty close to full recovery). How quickly you recover is one of the key indicators of how conditioned you are - if you want to get more serious, buy a heart rate monitor.

5. You may think these benchmarks suck. If you have some other "quick and dirty" tests and results that an average Joe can do without a lot of expense or equipment that are better - post them in the comments section.

(next post in this series - Basic Strength Assessment)

Knees - Love the Ones You Have

2010-11-24T00:27:00.000-06:00

I tweaked my knee (yet again) on Saturday during competition team training working takedowns against a much larger training partner - someone I would never willingly try to takedown directly, but sometimes you have to try to defy the laws of physics just to make sure they are still there (they are).

Since knee injuries are common among BJJ players and one of the most feared injuries, I thought I would share this video. I firmly believe that knowledge is power, but I would feel better if I knew the inside of my knee was reinforced with titanium and steel bands (oh well).

Since I can't bionically improve the inside, I will be rolling in a nice steel reinforced brace for a few weeks. Not comfortable but much better than surgery. Be strong - train safe.

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment (part 1 of ?)

2010-11-23T00:26:00.003-06:00

(alternative series title - "You Can't Do It All or Maybe You Can If You Do It Right.")

Should I just concentrate on skill work? What about cardio? Am I too weak? How strong is strong enough? What about power and explosiveness, when am I supposed to train that? Should I do Yoga or some other form of flexibility work? What should I be doing/not doing for rest and recovery? Where the @#$% am I supposed to find time to do all this?

Most of us are not professional athletes who can dedicate our entire day to training. In order to maximize the benefits of our limited training time we need to train hard but we also need to train smart. Training smart means doing the right things at the right times at the right volume/intensity.

So just how do we determine what all this "right stuff" is. I don't think anyone has figured out ALL the right stuff, but fortunately, there is a wealth of data and research in athletic performance that we can appropriate for BJJ that will let us postulate some general rules of thumb. When we combine these general rules with observation of what is consistently working in the grappling and MMA communities we can map out some suggestions for a training program that may not have ALL the answers but will be a significant leap beyond "Just Do It."

The first step in developing a good training program is to determine where you currently are - only then can you can make logical decisions on what should come next. We do this by performing an Assessment. An assessment helps to determine your individual needs. Some players gas early, other players may get manhandled and pushed around, and others lose matches because their skills are not up to par, alternatively the super-technical guy may be continuously fighting injuries because of strength deficits/imbalances. Even though we are all athletes in the same sport we are not all at the same place on our journey. We need to determine at an individual level what we need most to advance to the next level.

This is where I am going to suggest a few "rules of thumb" for determining where you are. First, the nature of our sport means that we are ALWAYS going to put skill/technique work at the top of the list and work it year round (no true off season). Second, low intensity flexibility work (such as light yoga) is almost always good for recovery and is recommended - that said everyone has varying levels of base flexibility that can be improved with regular stretching but BJJ in general does not require you to be able to do the splits or put your leg behind your head.

This leaves us with the big 3 training variables: Cardio, Basic Strength, and Explosive Power.

(next post in this series - Cardio Assessment)

Quote of the Moment - Be Hard My Friends

2010-11-18T00:27:00.000-06:00

"Be hard my friends. How do you get hard? You train hard - and if you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat."

Weekend Wrapup -Takedowns

2010-11-13T23:52:00.003-06:00

Finished a "perfect" week of training my backside off with two hours of No Gi Friday night (the culmination of Wheeee!...Ow! That's Going to Leave a Mark) . The session, after warm-ups, was spent entirely on drilling and then sparring takedowns. Just takedowns. Did I mention that we worked a few takedowns? All worked at a pace that would be pretty grueling for 20 minutes, much less two hours, but I'm not bitter ;-).

The first technique we worked on was a knee tap from neutral over-underhooks. Mechanically it is very simple - you drop your overhook hand to the outside of you opponents knee while at the same time driving up and across with your underhook. Your arms are driving across your body, one high, one low and your bodyweight is driving through your underhook (kind of like an Aikido tenchi nage - heaven and earth throw but with real world grips and pressure). The key to success with this technique is timing. Your opponent has the same initial grips, so you have to set it up by pulling with your overhook to expose the knee you want - works well during a pummel war.

The next technique drilled was a fast lateral drop starting again from neutral over-underhooks. You step back and pull on your overhook side to get your opponent to step forward and put his weight on that foot. You immediately step with your opposite foot (underhook side) to the outside of his same side foot and as you lift up with your underhook, pull down with your overhook, start to rotate perpendicular to his hips and slide your overhook side leg across his body to block his instep. You continue rotating as you drop your overhook side hip to the mat pulling your opponent over your blocking leg into a shoulder roll. Because of your over /underhooks you follow and control his roll and come up into top side control. This is a "sacrifice throw" - you hit the mat before he does and pull him over your blocking leg - as such, if you don't have good control with your over/underhooks and get his shoulders turning toward the mat before you drop you will be pulling him on top of you. It looks a lot like this with less emphasis on the back arch and more emphasis on the blocking leg to make the technique more effective against a larger opponent you would not be able to lift.

Last drill was a little work from the head tie-up, shrugging off the arm on the neck into a russian 2-on-1, countering with a step back and pull gaining head control and working from there.

The sparring rounds consisted of getting the takedown and then right back on your feet. Concentrated on working the "techniques of the day," so a lot work on controlling the clinch and working for the takedown from neutral over-underhooks (a lot of pummeling going on). Got a good feeling for the new techniques timing and set-up wise against full resistance. Noticed that when you are in the neutral over/underhook clinch if your opponent has his feet back and is "leaning in" to the clinch, the lateral drop works well. When he has his feet and balance more centered it makes it easier to reach his knee with the first technique.

When not working from the clinch, had decent success with a snatch single leg and using an arm drag both for a takedown directly and to set up a side or back clinch to takedown.

Wheeee!.........Ow! That's Going to Leave a Mark

2010-11-12T00:31:00.001-06:00

It has been a wonderful week of Jiu Jitsu and training. Great heavy workouts, great additional strength and conditioning work, great classes (multiples each day), and did I mention rolling? Lots and lots of rolling. Rolling before class, rolling after class, and being the last person off the mat each night.

The result of all this creamy Jiu Jitsu goodness? I can barely move. I need a massage, a chiropractic adjustment, some ibuprofen, and a cold beverage. I would handle items 3 and 4 myself, but I can't move. Seriously, I sat down and my entire body has frozen. This post would have been up hours ago but I'm having to type with my tongue.

Allright, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. There are no major injuries, just lots and lots of deep bruises and other assorted micro-trauma from all the rolling coupled with deep muscle fatigue and serious central nervous system overload.

In my delirium I'm grinning like an idiot at how much I have to pay attention to keep our great group of upcoming whitebelts off my back (you give them an inch and they are all over you) and how hard the "death matches" are amongst the upper belts (in a good way).

And I still have Friday's no-gi class tomorrow to survive, which is good because I don't think I could put on a gi and tie my belt - I can't wait :-).

My friends and relatives considered putting me in an institution but they knew that within a week I'd be running Jiu Jitsu classes from all the rubber rooms. I'm sure I could stop anytime, but who wants to :-).
______________

Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming ... WOW! What a ride!

Wrestling in BJJ

2010-11-06T15:51:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about wrestling and BJJ a good bit since my post on American Jiu Jitsu a couple of weeks ago.

To me wrestling and BJJ aren't two separate things - they are both grappling. Where I train we have a weekly class that is just takedowns (as well as working them in other classes throughout the week). Sometimes the takedown of the day could be classified as more wrestling sometimes more judo oriented, but to deny that there is a ton of overlap between the two is just plain silly.

What also strikes me as silly is to think that these takedowns are not a part of BJJ. In BJJ we like to claim that most fights end up on the ground (true) - but they usually wind up on the ground because somebody A took somebody B down (not because somebody B pulled guard). To think that a BJJ player wants to be the guy on the bottom in this scenario is ridiculous. In a fight you almost always want to be on top and be the aggressor (unless you are disengaging to run away).

So in my mind takedowns and takedown defense are an inherent part of BJJ regardless of how pure or old school somebody's BJJ is. And thinking that incorporating wrestling is a new idea because of wrestlers currently making a good showing in MMA tells me that a lot of folks out there (students and teachers both) don't know about the history of their art. The "old guard" of BJJ practitioners always thought BJJ was the "best fight" (and they proved it on the mat/in the ring but they never thought it was the "only fight"). If something worked they were all over trying to understand it - both to defend against it and to use it themselves.

I love this quote from Renzo about how Rolls especially liked to color outside the lines - "Rolls (...) was the guy who actually completely changed jiu jitsu in Brazil. He started training a lot of wrestling, a lot of judo, he started training Sambo, and he was able to incorporate all that into jiu jitsu. He was the one responsible for all the evolution we have today. He was the pioneer of all that change."

If there is a test for a "true" BJJ school it should be "are they open to continuously learning and innovating, committed to the idea of understanding what works," OR "are they closed to new ideas - thinking that they must be inferior because they weren't invented here." You guess which answer is correct (you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right :-)).

Hopefully BJJ will continue to evolve based on what gets the job done (rather than devolve into another McDojo martial art).

Forget the Zombie Apocalypse

2010-11-03T15:37:00.000-05:00

I've been spending all my time preparing for the zombie apocalypse when what I should have really been training for is how to defeat the ever growing threat from the menace of PIXELS!!!

Who knows, maybe my mispent youth at the arcade will one day save the planet.

Of course I'm still going to continue training jiu jitsu because I have yet to submit someone with this technique from side control:

So all the hoards of pixeloids are safe until I get this down (along with a few hundred other techniques).

Yea, Whitebelts!

2010-10-29T01:04:00.001-05:00

We were talking about working new techniques into our games the other night, especially various open guard set-ups, sweeps, and subs. The problem with almost all open guards (spider, De La Riva, etc.) is that until you get really good at them you generally get passed and smashed pretty easily by anyone close to your skill level and above. Jeremy made the observation that one of the things that helped him move from purple to black (and really develop all the inverted bendy twisty stuff he does) was the fact that almost everyone else he had to roll with at that time were white belts.

How does a white belt help a purple belt advance to black belt you may ask? Jeremy explained that he got to "play" with everything, try it in all sorts of permutations, and really get a fairly deep understanding because he was working in a relatively safe environment full of white belts. Side Control and Geogette both wrote great blog posts about this very issue too, so condering this a trifecta of planetary alignment - I have to add my two cents.

As we advance, rolling white belts is one of the those essential things we all need in order to experiment with techniques and set-ups and learn to "trust" our jiu jitsu. Being able to roll in an environment where the "cost of failure" is not high encourages us to experiment, explore, and develop in new directions.

There are so many techniques that made me look like an uncoordinated idiot the first time I tried them. After drilling them enough to understand how they are supposed to work it is always a challenge to integrate them into my game. If every roll was a fight to the death I would always stick to the stuff I know best and never grow. Rolling with less skilled partners let's me "play" with the new stuff without getting my head handed to me.

As upper belts, our responsibility in return is to bring the white belts along for the ride. No game is fun unless everybody gets to play. You don't need to smash a white belt everytime you work your game. You may control and lead (and be relatively frustrating) and this builds the white belt's base and defense, but they also need to work some offense too. We should be feeding them openings and set-ups, letting them start from advantageous positions, teaching a little bit as we roll, letting them try something again that they almost got. In other words, making sure they get to play too. Saulo Ribeiro says that when an upper belt visits his academy, he places a lot of weight on how he sees them treat his white belts.

All that said, I am thankful for all my training partners. It is great to train someplace that has a good mix of belts. I see a continuum from white to black of what we get to learn from each:

> With complete rookies we get to throw techniques with impunity. This is our "safe sandbox" and we can play freely. (Although we still have to watch for spazzing.)

>> As they get a little better we still get to throw up whatever we want and there is more true resistance and base. If we muck it up we can still "force it," but we don't worry too much (they are still no threat) and we reset and start over.

>>> As they are about to be promoted to our level, we can still work new stuff into our game - but if we are not careful or don't take them seriously they will be all over us - and we might have to revert to our "A game" to survive the moment and regain control.

>>>>When they reach our level it can be like "unstoppable force meets immovable object." Sometimes one comes out on top sometimes the other, but trying new stuff usually gets shut down pretty quickly. But this is where we get to see if our "A game" is up to snuff.

>>>>>When somebody is better than us we can see how a technique is supposed to work, how it feels, and how it is set up effectively. We learn to capitalize on any mistakes they might make and learn to really watch out for the slightest slip - our sensitivity goes way up.

>>>>>>With somebody much better than us we can go back to throwing up anything we want just to see what kind of new pretzel shape they will invent with our bodies and learn from where they effortlessly poke holes in our "A game."

American Jiu Jitsu?

2010-10-26T16:57:00.001-05:00

After Jake Shields appearance and win (not a dominating win but a win nonetheless) in this last weekend's UFC 121 there has been a lot of discussion of his grappling prowess and what he calls his "style" - American Jiu Jitsu.

Although this match was not his best (the drop to 170 took its toll), it was interesting to watch his game - going for the takedown, seemingly not worried by guillotine attempts, easily mounting another fighter with a very good ground game.

Shields calls this American Jiu Jitsu, based on his background as both a collegiate wrestler and a BJJ blackbelt. It has an emphasis on the high pace and pressure of wrestling with the skill and technique of jiu-jitsu. Or another way to put it is an emphasis on takedowns and top-game from wrestling and subs and sweeps from BJJ.

Calling his style American Jiu Jitsu has some people cheering and other people seriously bent. The cheerleading side says it is great that he is bringing more takedowns and top pressure into jiu jitsu, the naysayers claim he isn't really doing anything new and therefore doesn't deserve his own style name it is just BJJ.

My take is that calling what he does American Jiu Jitsu is as legitimate as any other style name in martial arts. Very rarely can a "style" lay claim to inventing something new. What is different between "styles" is where they choose to put an emphasis or use their training time. Such as TKD emphasizing kicks vs. many other styles of karate or Judo emphasizing throws vs. BJJ emphasizing ground work.

A good Judo guy is going to know plenty of ne-waza but his throws are going to be better because that is his emphasis - a good BJJ player is going to know throws but his ground game is going to be better because that is where he puts his time.

AJJ is saying that they spend more of their emphasis/training time on wrestling/takedowns than a typical BJJ school (and I don't think they really do any gi work at all). It is all about where you spend the limited amount of training time you have. A style/name is just a convenient label that let's people categorize things and let's the label's creator/owner differentiate himself and market more effectively.

Visually it might look like this (don't critique the artwork I took like 5 minutes ;-)):

There are only so many hours in the day and you have to divide your time up somehow.

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Sunday Workout

2010-10-25T00:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight's post is brought to you courtesy of Gladiator. I was trying to be lazy and ignore the fact that I needed to have a deadlift day. But as I'm trying to do my best imitation of spudus supinus, remote in hand, Russell Crowe starts taking on the Roman Empire and I'm all "Glaaaadiaaatoooor!" And suddenly I felt the urge to do antisocial things. I quickly channeled these urges into a force for Good instead of Evil and proceeded to eat raw meat and move heavy objects.

I wasn't going to write about this workout as there is not anything particularly interesting or fun about doing deadlifts. But these S and C posts seem to be some of the most popular so I will try to include them a little more often (but this blog is not going to be my training log). Also, as I mentioned in my last post, the basic compound exercises (deadlift, squat, and some type of overhead press) should be the core of the strength part of your workout.

If you are not doing some form of these 3 exercises you may be "working out" but you are not "training" for strength. Learn how to do these lifts with good form and don't let your ego get in the way and you will see the benefits on the mats in just a few months. These exercises suck - they are hard, but the juice is worth the squeeze.

I plan on posting more general info on Strength and Conditioning for BJJ in the coming weeks. Why, because:

as I already mentioned these posts seem to be very popular.
if you go to a bodybuilding forum you'll get some warped info (different "sport" different objectives).
if you go to a powerlifting or other type of strength forum you'll get some warped info (different "sport" different objectives).
if you go to some of the popular mma sites you can find some good info but the examples are generally for fulltime athletes - I will try and show examples for a motivated "average guy" focused on BJJ/grappling (and a little bit of mma).
if it provides a little inspiration to get you started if you're not doing any S and C (some is better than none) or improves the value of the time you spend on S and C then good karma comes my way.

And on to the workout:
Deadlifts (approximately 2 minutes rest between sets)
   1x5 at 135 lbs.
   1x5 at 185 lbs.
   1x5 at 205 lbs.
   1x5 at 225 lbs.
   1x1 at 255 lbs.
   1x1 at 275 lbs.

Reset the bar for Clean and Press (note press not jerk)
   1x5 at 95 lbs.
   1x5 at 115 lbs.
   1x5 at 135 lbs.
(The first 2 sets I was trying to move the bar as fast as possible and didn't really stop in the clean position, they were almost a snatch with a press to lock out instead of a drop back under the bar.)

   2x10 each leg Wrestler Shot Level Changes then a step back into a full lunge (with 50 lbs vest)
   3x8 TRX Inverted Rows (with 50 lbs vest)
   2x15 TRX "atomic" pushups (pulling knees to elbow on alternating sides)

"Strength and honor." ~ Maximus Decimus Meridius

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout

2010-10-22T00:53:00.002-05:00

This is the second post titled "Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout." I don't just workout on Wednesdays, that's just the day this workout happened this week.

5 minutes medicine ball (15 lbs) throws with a partner
20 Kettlebell swings (16 kg)
20 Kettlebell clean and press (16 kg each hand)
20 Kettlebell bentover rows (16 kg)
20 Air squats

This workout was a light "all rounder" before class. I normally like to end a workout with ballistic or plyometric exercises like the medicine ball throws but I decided to grab a partner before they could run and hide :-).

For the throws start about 6 feet apart and use a two-handed "chest pass" to throw the medicine ball back and forth with your partner. Approximately every 5th pass - back up one step. When you reach the limits of how far you can "chest pass" with control on both the throw and the catch, come back to the 6 ft. mark and start again with a two-handed "overhead pass." Continue swapping between chest and overhead passing until the 5 minutes is up.

If you don't have a partner you can throw the ball "overhand" straight up and alternate it with "underhand" throws catching it yourself.

The rest of the workout is fairly self explanatory. You can do this workout for time, but I prefer to make sure I always keep kettlebell exercises under control and don't try to rush anything. On the air squats you can use the kettlebells in a "clean position" for extra resistance or add a jump at the top of each squat. For me, I was concentrating on getting my rear down as low as possible and making sure I had a good "stretch" through my knees and hips.

This weekend I should have a deadlift day which in and of itself is pretty boring so I probably won't blog anything about it. I'm saying something about it here so that you know it is important. If you can only do one "barbell" exercise it should be deadlifts. Also note if you are rolling a lot (1hr or more 3 or more days a week) or doing a lot of "conditioning" oriented exercises you won't be able to lift as heavy as when you are only training for strength. For example, right now with all the rolling I am doing I would be lucky to pull a max over 300 lbs. but if I was just strength training I should be able to pull over 400.

Shrimpin' Ain't Easy

2010-10-19T00:27:00.000-05:00

Last week was a return to basics. For most of the week we spent the majority of the time on hip movement. Explosive shrimping up and down the mats, one-legged shrimping, top leg only shrimping, bottom leg only shrimping, shrimping with hip elevation at the end, etc., etc.

It was eye opening to me to realize how lackadaisical my hip movement had become. Small technical movements are fine but sometimes you need to move your backside from point A to point B with a certain amount of enthusiasm. After regular classes and some extra mat time I think my body is in a permanent curve and weekend barbecues make me strangely nervous :-).

All that shrimping was combined with some frame and grip basics to escape from side control and other "life sucks" positions as well as preventing the pass. The beauty of all this hip movement reeducation was it's immediate and almost universal applicability when rolling.

When I think about how much I got schooled this last week on something as simple as shrimping it makes me wonder if I will ever get a grip on this jiu jitsu thing and then I remember this quote from Roger Gracie ~ "Jiu jitsu is simple, you just gotta do it right." So I guess I'll keep trying to do it a little more "right" everyday.

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout

2010-10-15T00:34:00.003-05:00

Had a light week last week getting ready for the Nashville BJJ Open. This week has been a lot of extra mat time so no heavy lifting days. Wednesday's workout was once again very simple but if you try it you will ~~hate~~ like it.

5 rounds for time with NO rest between exercises and NO rest between rounds:
10 Burpees (full Burpee with a pushup and jump at the end)
5 Pullups (pullups, not chinups, and each rep should begin from a dead hang)

The only place you can "rest" is at the hang of your pullups. DO NOT let go of the bar. If you can not do 5 pullups each round without having to drop off the bar, do as many as you can and immediately move on to the next set of Burpees. In other words, if you drop off the bar your set is over - keep moving at full speed into the next round.

The first set is relatively easy. But each successive set becomes more "interesting." If you are going as fast and hard as you can (the start of your Burpee will look like a solid sprawl, the pushup will be almost plyometric, and the jump will look like your basketball dunk) you will start breathing deep by the second set and this should give you a new appreciation for the dead hang pullups.

On the other hand, you can loaf your way through this routine and wonder what the big deal is.

The Game Plan

2010-10-14T00:59:00.002-05:00

I have a love/hate relationships with tournaments. I enjoy seeing old friends, I like making new friends, I love seeing some outstanding jiu jitsu, and if some vendors/sponsors show up it is great to see new gear. Are you feeling the love?

On the other hand I hate hanging around all day on a set of uncomfortable bleachers for what might be a single roll. At 49, I hate that there is never anybody remotely close to my age to roll with (unless I want to travel to the Pan-Ams) so my matches wind up being "aggressive" rather than "technical."

So it is always with some mixed feelings that I decide to compete. I put all that aside this last weekend to compete in the Nashville BJJ Open/BJJ Grand Prix Tournament. The event itself was outstanding - well run and a lot of fun. Great refs, great competitors, great location, Vendor/Sponsor Casca Grossa was there with lots of toys. If you're in the Southeast you should definitely check it out (the next one is already in the planning stages).

My participation however was not as outstanding. In typical "why doesn't anybody over 30 ever compete" fashion I didn't see many older participants and none around my weight (oh well). I'm not sure what bracket I was in - they called my name, I ran over to the mat and never thought to ask where I wound up being placed. In my finals match I was paired against a 24 year old blue belt who had a few pounds on me (maybe I should have actually cut a little weight instead of eating pizza the night before?).

I had a game plan of some things I wanted to try in this competition: I wanted to work for a takedown instead of pulling guard and I wanted to work my open guard. These were things that I wanted to try in competition because they are not my bread and butter - in other words this wasn't my "A Game." When I saw my opponent I had a brief moment to reassess that plan - since it appeared that I was outclassed on youth, speed and strength should I punt the plan and go with my "A Game" (since we all know that old age and treachery beat youth and skill)? Nah, that would be wussing out. A plan is a plan (or is that really "a plan is just a wish in a party dress").

Anyway, we shake hands and start to go for grips. For my takedown I try for the Power Kouchi Gari and got stuffed (actually it felt like running into a brick wall). This failed attempt left me vulnerable to several possibilities and as he tried to power through me I pulled guard. Not just any guard mind you, I'm sticking to a plan, I tried to pull open guard (working into spider guard). I got one sleeve and foot/hook on his bicep, but I couldn't get my grips for the other side. I tried to get my other foot to his hip to make space, but he caught it before I could get to his hip pushed it down to the mat and started to pass. My one spider hook was useless without some corresponding control on the other side so I tried to transition to De La Riva but it was too little to late.

I spent the rest of the six minutes pinned under a grinding side control. Well not the entire time. He would move to mount and I would work him back into half guard but I could never get deep and wound up getting smashed back into side control several times. He tried a variety of head and arm and breadcutter chokes but they were not truly dangerous (but they did hurt like hell - I think he expected a pain tap).

It takes a pretty big skill gap to make up for advantages in strength and speed. Obviously my skills were not enough to bridge the gap. So much for plans. At least I contributed a silver to the team effort.

Quote of the Moment - See First

2010-10-13T13:59:00.002-05:00

‎"See first, think later, then test. But always see first. Otherwise you will only see what you were expecting. Most scientists forget that." ~ Douglas Adams

Lucas Lepri Seminar Notes

2010-10-03T21:04:00.003-05:00

I attended a fantastic 2 day seminar last weekend of Oct. 25th and 26th with Lucas Lepri at Brentwood Brazillian Jiu Jitsu in Nashville. I'm not going to try and breakdown the details of all the different techniques we learned as much as hit some high points and share some of my impressions.

First bit of coolness: After teaching each day, Lucas made it a point to hang out and roll - and not just roll a couple of guys, he rolled everyone there from white belts to black belts both days. I was especially impressed with the time and energy he spent on the white belts, letting them work and feeding them opportunities and gently correcting their position/technique - without a trace of ego or condescension.

Second bit of coolness: While rolling Lucas had a big smile on his face almost the entire time. You can tell he loves Jiu Jitsu and he just can't keep it all inside.

One thing I noticed immediately when rolling with Lucas is that he moves aggressively with pressure but he is light on his feet and can change direction at any moment - his base and balance is exceptional and he is cat quick. There were several times when I was on the bottom I felt like I was being "surfed" (almost like balance ball drills); and that was with him taking it easy on me and probably going about a quarter speed. (If you watched Lucas in the highlight video of my last post, you can see how quickly he can move and capitalize on the slightest mis-step of an opponent.)

On day one we covered a variety of sweeps and submissions.

We worked a basic Butterfly Sweep - one grip on their sleeve the other grip on their belt. Lucas emphasized having both feet/butterfly hooks in before gripping so you don't telegraph which side/hook you are going to use. Then as you grip, pull the arm across, pull in and up on belt, drop one leg back and down so you can roll to your shoulder (going to trapped arm side). Roll to the side on your shoulder - not to your back (head should go to the outside of their knee) and lift with your hook. Keep the arm and secure side control.

We also did a series of back takes from a Flower Sweep setup (p.114 in Saulo's book for reference) covering a range of "what-ifs": Attempt the Flower Sweep and they post with their free arm. Change your grip to the outside sleeve of their posting arm and use it to help you scoot out and up to take the back. Over the series of back takes we worked with a common theme of finishes - setups for Bow and Arrow, Arm and Collar, and Ezequiel Chokes.

Playing "what-if" from the same set up - they trap your leg as you try to come up to the back. Use your trapped foot as a hook on their hip, spin and post your hand on the mat and push across their hips using your hook to break him down onto his side with you in top side mount. Finish with your choke of choice.

Next "what-if" from the same setup - they trap your knee hard with their arm and thigh and you can't free your hips/leg at all. Shoot back down onto your shoulder and reach under his posted arm and around his neck for an Ezequiel. (Ezequiel note - reach deep into your sleeve and make a clenched fist - don't bend your wrist to follow your other arm or let your fingers loosen as your bring your other hand around for the choke.)

Then we worked similar back takes from a De la Riva Rollover Sweep (p.167 in Saulo's book) - they post their free arm, you trade grips to their posting arm and reach up and take the back. Then De la Riva to sit up guard into a Classic Sweep (p.172 in Saulo's book) variation. As you reach your arm through to wrap around their leg, grip their lapel or belt instead of trading grips to their arm, push their arm down and back between their leg, as they post their opposite arm, trade your grip to their posting arm and take the back.

We continued with back takes from an opponents Knee Cross/Cut Through pass. As they attempt to drive the knee across you use your inside leg to hook tightly behind their knee stopping the cut through, grab their opposite sleeve and push it back between their legs while lifting with your hook for a sweep. If they post with their free hand you sit up, change grips to their posting arm and then use it to help you swing your hips out and reach up with your opposite hand for the back and go for a choke.

The second day of the Lucas Lepri seminar was similarly full of jiu jitsu goodness. We worked passing the open guard (Spider, De La Riva, and reverse De La Riva).

Against Spider Guard Lucas showed a method of clearing one hook from the arm and maintaining control of the leg, then pushing their opposite leg (that still has your bicep hooked) to the mat and stepping over and sitting through to break that hook and take side control.

He also showed a cool way to clear a "lasso" hook by stepping back and then bringing your knee back in to clear the hook.

Against De la Riva you turn your trapped foot to the inside (eliminating the control of the DLR hook) and use pressure on the hip with one hand and knee with the other hand to cut your hips out and around his legs and then hip switch back into side control. Other passes against De la Riva and reverse De la Riva used similar knee and hip controls.

Another pass had you step with your knees together and cut your opposite knee under their legs while using a lapel grip and controlling their legs (and thus their hips) with your forearm/elbow on top in a variation of a smash pass. Sorry for the poor verbal imagery but I could write a book and still just be scratching the surface of the details.

Some last cool observations from chatting with Lucas before and after the seminar: Lucas is one of the most pleasant people you could ever meet. His competition schedule is grueling with an event almost every month. While he could drop weight into a lighter division he prefers to compete at his (very fit) walking around weight about 170 lbs. (which makes sense considering his schedule). Off the mat training he emphasizes stretching, recommends lifting, and doing additional cardio (he likes spinning). Finally, as much as we tried to convince him that Nashville was a great place to live, he loves being based in New York.

(you can check out more pics at the Brentwood BJJ Facebook page)

Power Kouchi Gari

2010-09-30T00:16:00.001-05:00

After our seminar with Lucas Lepri this weekend, Jeremy spent some extra time going over one of Lucas' favorite takedowns. For lack of a better name I'm calling this the "power kouchi gari."

It differs from the traditional Judo version in a couple of ways. Instead of the traditional setup of getting your opponent to step forward and then "picking" the ankle (requiring perfect timing for the kozushi),
you give a pull on the lapel, step back with the lapel grip leg, change level, and "pick" his lapel grip side ankle with your other foot. Then you drive forward and power through chest to chest. Your non lapel grip hand drops to the outside of his hip thigh.

As he falls step wide with your lapel grip leg and secure a strong half guard top position.

You can see this takedown in action at 12 seconds in, again at 15 seconds in, and no-gi versions with an arm drag at 37 and 40 seconds in.

Roll Baby Roll!

2010-09-24T00:09:00.001-05:00

Last night I met some friends early for some rolling before the start of evening classes. It was a great time. Some rolls were strictly "flow" (keep moving, keep advancing position, subs=catch and release), some were more "competitive," some were "learning" (keep looking for specific sweeps/subs with a lot of experimentation), and some were "teaching" (with the couple of the newer guys).

Professor even started regular class a little late since we had sucked several unsuspecting early-birds into our group. But all good things must eventually come to an end and after nearly two hours of continuous rolling without a break I dragged myself off the mat.

I intended to stay for the fundamentals class but I didn't think I had the mental acuity left to even be a decent grappling dummy and headed for home.

Still, all and all, a great night.

"Quanto mais voce suar quando praticar menos sangue perdera em combate".
"The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in combat".

Training Day - Tuesday's S and C and Jiu Jitsu

2010-09-22T23:13:00.002-05:00

Strength and Conditioning Work:
   10 minutes warmup
   10 minutes of shoulder rehab work with powerbands
   15 minutes - Rounds (no rest between rounds) consisting of:
      Pullups x10
      Kettle Bell Swings x10 (16kg)
      Dips x10
      TRX Inverted Rows x10
      Wrestler Shot Level Changes x10 each leg
( pullups started taking multiple sets to get to 10 (7+3, 5+3+2,...) after the second round, same thing for dips after the fourth round - just started round 6 at the buzzer)

Jiu Jitsu
   S and C followed by about 20 minutes of rolling before class

   1 hr Fundamentals Class - drilling favorite takedown, favorite guard pass
   1.5 hrs Advanced Class - open guard transitions
   40 minutes of rolling

I like to do my S and C on days I'm not hitting the mat or when there are no such days - after class and rolling. Today S and C went first and I could definitely feel it in my gas tank. I had to dig deep to keep rolling.

Status: Tired
Mood: Satisfied
Listening To: Rodrigo Y Gabriella - Buster Voodoo

The "Technique Collector"

2010-09-20T23:59:00.000-05:00

I rolled with an interesting training partner last week. At first I didn't really know what to think. We started standing and I pulled guard straight into a tripod sweep and came up to pass. As we started to maneuver and I gained side control he became very "active" throwing up sweep attempt after sweep attempt that were all "somehow off." I don't know how else to describe it.

As we continued to roll it continued to be weird. Arms and posts weren't controlled, leverage points were "in the general vicinity" but weren't really where they needed to be, a lot of strength and explosiveness to try and force something, throwing whole series of sweep attempts and attacks without establishing position first, not staying connected or making space as the technique required, didn't seem to understand how to advance position and make use of control.

I had the opportunity to roll with this guy multiple times over the course of the week. Every roll was the same - he was always very "active," but there wasn't much I had to seriously defend, while I was able to establish mount or take the back and submit at will. Even starting with me under side control or mount his attacks just weren't quite there, although there was a lot of variety - attempts at armbars, kimuras, americanas, ezequiels, cross collars, etc. I'd sweep and we'd start over.

I had a similar feeling when we were partnered to drill techniques during class. It seemed like he wanted to rep the technique just enough to become familiar with it but then became bored. Instead of really working through the details he would start trying to chain the technique we were learning with a bunch of other techniques in his "repertoire." This left him not really getting the technique we were drilling and it certainly didn't help his situation to chain it with other techniques he didn't really understand.

After drilling and rolling then chatting after class I came to the conclusion that he was "aquainted" with a ton of techniques but he didn't "know" any of them well. He was a "Technique Collector." He judged his progress on the quantity of the techniques he thought he knew rather than the quality.

I don't want to sound all self-righteous because I kind of get this mindset. After all, who doesn't want to "know" all the jiu jitsu they can. I would probably be there myself if I hadn't had the importance of fundamentals and details impressed on me early as a white belt. I really feel for this guy, he has been training for a couple of years now but is getting beat by guys with far less experience. If he is going to advance he is going to have to go back to the basics and unlearn/relearn pretty much his entire technique collection. It is hard to go back to relearning the armbar from guard when you think you are the master of the Peruvian necktie.

Strength and Conditioning - Friday's Workout

2010-09-18T00:32:00.002-05:00

Friday's workout in my mind!

After my Strength and Conditioning discussion earlier this week it seems only fair that I man-up and give you an example. Here is my Friday workout. This was one of my two "heavy" days of the week (deadlift, squat, or overhead press) - for whichever of those 3 exercises is up I do 5x5 as heavy as I can go immediately dropping some weight and "grease the groove" with the same (or a similar exercise) working on speed. Then a short break (5-10 minutes) and and on to the slightly lighter part of the workout. You can get some good ideas for exercises from the Crossfit and Crossfit Football sites as well as Ross Training.

Warmup (10 minutes)

Deadlifts (approximately 3 minutes rest between sets)
1x5 at 135 lbs.
1x5 at 185 lbs.
1x5 at 215 lbs.
1x5 at 235 lbs.
1x3 at 255 lbs. (missed the last 2 pulls)
1x15 at 135 (for speed/power)

Rest (5 minutes)

3 Rounds (1 minute rest between rounds) consisting of:
5 pullups
10 weighted (50 lbs vest) pushups
20 weighted (50 lbs vest) squat jumps

Misc. "gymnastic" bodyweight (at 165 lbs) work with a suspension trainer/rings (approximately 20 minutes no rest other than set-up between exercises)

Other than the 2 heavy days, I work a light strength session (similar to the second half of the workout) before class 3 to 4 times a week (in addition to the conditioning work we do in class).

Some general observations. I often have to adjust exercises around tweaks and injuries from rolling (dumbells and kettlebells are great for being able to work around a unilateral injury). Two "heavy" days is all my body can take with 3-4 days of serious rolling. The 3 "heavy" lifts remain fairly consistent (occasional substitutions) the lighter portion of the workout is highly varied. I've noticed I am significantly stronger "lifting" when I've had to reduce "rolling" for some reason after about 2 weeks ("What," I hear you say, "less rolling?" - yeah, sometimes life happens :-)).

I will continue this "theme" in future posts with some of my favorite exercises and motivational videos.

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ

2010-09-15T01:13:00.000-05:00

There are several aspects to why Strength and Conditioning (S/C) is important in BJJ.

First there is the general physical preparedness required for the sport. You have to be able to move your bodyweight (and often a portion of your opponent's bodyweight) effectively (strength) and efficiently over time (conditioning). I see many people coming into the sport who lack this base level of general physical preparedness. For these people basic S/C training is almost required along with their mat time/technique work to progress in BJJ. But fear not, this basic level of physical preparedness is something that "any average Joe" should be able to achieve with some time and effort.

Once this base level of physical preparedness is achieved, many people can advance quite well in BJJ concentrating on technique but strength (and size) and conditioning will almost always have benefits. Given equal skill, a bigger stronger competitor will win most of the time (not all of the time) and given equal skill a better conditioned competitor will be able to win more matches (especially in a tournament) than a less conditioned competitor.

Having a skill advantage allows you to compensate or even dominate against a strength/conditioning advantage. How much skill is needed to compensate against how much strength/conditioning is debateable but why not have both skill and strength/conditioning? (and yes there is a trade-off between carrying muscle mass, speed, and "gassing-out" - but that's a discussion for another post)

BJJ uses leverage as a "force multiplier", but there still must be some force applied. (Mathematically, this is expressed by:
M = Fd
- where F is the force, d is the distance between the force and the fulcrum, and M is the turning force known as the moment or torque.) The magnitude of torque depends on three quantities: First, the force applied; second, the length of the lever arm connecting the axis to the point of force application; and third, the angle between the two.

In BJJ terms this means I have to be able to manipulate both my body and my opponent's body into the proper positions to gain this mechanical advantage. I have to be able to set up the lever and fulcrum/angle properly (skill) in order to get the maximum output from my applied force (strength).

The stronger I am the more my lever and fulcrum/angle can be less than optimal and still be effective. Most of us know from experience that the perfect technique we just drilled becomes slightly (or significantly) less than perfect when we roll against a fully resisiting opponent. Add in the fatigue factor and we get sloppier still.

As for the argument "isn't rolling enough?" to develop my S/C (especially conditioning). It is a good foundation and should definitely be a large component of your S/C.

BUT - rolling by itself may not be optimal. If I have limited time and energy to be my best at any endeavor, I want to "optimize" my training program. I can get stronger/more explosive by specifically coordinating my resistance training; and get a bigger "gas tank" by specifically coordinating external cardio with my rolling than I can achieve just by rolling alone.

Finally, a strength and conditioning program outside of rolling can play a major role in injury prevention. As a precursor, it prepares my body for the stress of rolling. As a supplement to rolling it allows me to generate a greater volume of work without (if done properly) the resulting wear and tear on my body (bruises, sprains, strains, contusions, and other damage from rolling) that a high volume of rolling alone would accumulate.

Quote of the Moment - Kindle the Fire

2010-09-11T17:08:00.002-05:00

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." ~ Plutarch

Getting the Most Out of Instructionals

2010-09-10T23:56:00.000-05:00

Instructionals can be great tool, but just watching and taking notes doesn't do much for you. It is just like somebody showing up for 3 months of classes twice a week and just watching from the side. At the end of those 3 months they hop on the mat and find they can't really do anything. You have to do more than just watch.

For new material, you need to pick just one or two techniques and get one of your buddies to drill them with you (just like you would do in class). Go back and watch the video and continue drilling the technique(s), try it rolling with newer guys until you can add it to your arsenal on guys at your level. Rinse and repeat with a new selection of 1 or 2 techniques. It may take you 6 months or longer to work through all the techniques on a DVD (and there may be techniques on there that are just not right for your game with your body type/attributes or at your current skill level).

You can target certain holes in your game by looking for specific instructionals that address your problem area. But the drilling and adding to your game part stays the same - you have to bring it to the mat for a lot of reps before you really "get it."

Instructionals are also great for reviewing techniques you already know. It's like being able to ask your instructor "can we go over that cool kimura set-up to the half guard sweep?" in the comfort of your living room. And you can ask the question again and again and again without feeling like a complete nitwit.

One caveat concerning the stuff you may find on the internet. The quality of "instruction" can vary greatly and there are even some frequent posters on YouTube with good production values who couldn't grapple their way out of a paper bag. Try to make sure your sources are legit.

So in summary:
Pick only one or two things to work on at a time.
Take it to the mat and drill it.
Introduce it to your rolling
Rinse and repeat

Just like what you have to do with techniques you are learning with your instructor. As a final point, if you find yourself watching instructionals when you could be at class or open mat - You're doing it wrong! :-)

Gi Design Contest

2010-09-09T20:23:00.002-05:00

Well I've finally succumbed to the dark side and made a couple of entries in the big crazy-ass gi design competition put together by uber-jiujitsu bloggers Seymour Yang of Meerkatsu fame and Liam Wandi of the world renown PartTimeGrappler blog. The entries so far are available for viewing on Facebook. To say that this inventive pair have way too much time on their hands would be an understatement (and the appropriate authorities have been notified).

I like to support the people and companies that work on giving a little bit back to the jui-jitsu community and these guys are going all out. The winner will actually get their gi made courtesy of Tatami Fightwear. Can't get much cooler than that. (click on the images for larger versions)

Lucas Lepri Seminar Countdown - 17 Days

2010-09-08T00:26:00.002-05:00

Sweet! If you are anywhere in the Southeast (Brentwood is just 15 minutes South of Nashville) this is a great opportunity to train with one of Jiu Jitsu's top competitors.

Seminar with Lucas Lepri at Brentwood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Flyer Here)

Saturday September 25th 12:00-3:00 (Gi Guard)
Sunday September 26th 1:00-3:00 (Gi Guard Passing)
$80 one day $120 both days

2010 Mundial Black Belt Lightweight 3rd Place
2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Lightweight 2nd Place
2009 No-Gi World Black Belt Lightweight Champion
2008 Grapplers Quest Pro Division Champion
2008 GQ Copa Atlatica Black Belt Champion
2008 Pan-Am Black Belt Lightweight 2nd place
2008 Mundial Black Belt Lightweight 2nd place
2007 Mundial Black Belt Lightweight 1st place
2007 CBJJE Black Belt Lightweight 1st place
2007 CBJJE Black Belt Absolute 1st place
2007 DEEP X No-Gi Superfight Champion

Flyer Here

Judo - It's a Beautiful Thing

2010-09-05T19:58:00.001-05:00

"Pulling Guard? I'm not pulling guard I'm just botching a Tomoe Nage."

Single and double leg takedowns are so passe. If you want to see how I'm trying to get you to the ground watch this.

Lessons Learned - Always Finish the Technique

2010-09-03T22:32:00.001-05:00

The other night I rolled with a four stripe white belt that is new to our school. We had done some drills together before but this was the first time we rolled. At the start he shot in for a low single - good technique and fast (so he was beating my sprawl), BUT just as he should have powered on through and taken me to the mat he eased up. I was able to quickly finish sprawling out and turn him into side control. I normally don't like to stop a roll to talk about something until one or the other of us taps (or I'm working with my partner on a "teaching/learning" roll), but I could have easily finished from where I was and this was too much of a "teachable moment" - the dude shoulda had me.

So I tapped from top and told him, "dude you shoulda had me on that single leg, do you know why you didn't?"

He half answered/half questioned, "because I didn't control your sprawl?"

"No," I said, "because you didn't 'finish' the technique. You're kind of driving into me but then you're letting up, like you're being "nice" during drilling. You don't have to hurt me, but you do have to go all the way through and finish the technique. Let's try it again"

I had him shoot on me again and the same thing happened, just as he should have been able to drive me to the mat he loosened up. "Freeze," I told him. "You are exactly where you need to be, nothing wrong with your execution SO FAR, but the technique isn't finished. Push on through and don't let up on your drive until you come out on top."

One more shot and he almost had it. My balance was broken and I went down, but he didn't follow me all the way for control. "Almost, let's try one more time." The next shot was textbook and he came up in side control with a big grin on his face.

"Beautiful," I told him. "Now for the rest of the roll, think about always finishing." And he did, and I should have kept my mouth shut because I had to work way harder for the rest of the roll :-).

Now for the humble pie. Looking back on all my rolls that night, I must have had at least 6 sweeps that I didn't "finish".

Question: When is a sweep not a sweep?
Answer: When you don't finish on top and get your points. He may be sitting on his butt and not trying to pass your guard any more, but you're sitting on your butt too. Fine if you want to run away, but bad if you want to finish a fight.

I noticed this was especially true with my tripod and other open guard sweeps. You often land with a lot of distance or some strange angle out of these sweeps and so you have to really pay attention to maintaining grips and following your opponent up or hustling through the transition before your opponent has an opportunity to turn it into a scramble.

I didn't seem to have this problem with butterfly or closed guard sweeps (where the sweep puts me directly into mount or side control without much thought). So I think it is a combination of being mentally lazy and not paying attention to the "finish" AND being physically lazy and not wanting to hustle through the transition.

So that first slice of "practice what you preach" pie was pretty tasty, but it was nothing compared to the second slice of "lazy" pie with extra whip cream.

Leaving Behind Childish Things

2010-09-02T00:52:00.000-05:00

I rolled with a blue belt visitor the other night. It was an interesting learning experience. We were about the same height but he had 20-30 pounds on me. I shot at the start and he sprawled but I sucked the leg in and picked him up. We were too close to the wall to finish the takedown so I tapped him to let him know and we started over more in the middle of the mats.

I didn't want to fight for a second takedown so I pulled guard and locked him up. Now this is where things got "interesting." First he tried to open my guard by pressuring back and digging his elbow into my thigh. I'm thinking "okay, he's playing it safe but he surely doesn't expect this to work on another blue belt does he?" Yeah, it was unpleasant but there was no way that it was going to open my guard. So I broke his posture down and threatened a couple of chokes.

I wasn't deep enough into his collar to finish, but he was working A LOT HARDER than I was so I wasn't in any hurry to transition to something else. He got his posture back and I went to work for a triangle. Again he was burning a ton of energy trying to defend and stack me, so since I wasn't too uncomfortable despite the weight disadvantage I let him. With a mighty effort he stopped his stack and stood up, so I released the triangle and pulled him back into guard.

The next time I break his posture, he puts his forearm across my neck and starts to pressure into the classic "bully pass" and once again I'm thinking "surely he doesn't think this is going to work does he?" At this point, I'm curious about what his "game" is so I move him around for a minute or two and he simply moves from digging his elbows into my thighs when his posture is back a bit to the forearm across my neck bully pass. By now I'm thinking, "really? Does anyone really expect these types of pain passes to work on any belt other than white? Are these the only two passes this guy knows?" Apparently they were the only passes he knew so it was time to flower sweep. I consolidated mount and he tapped from exhaustion (did I mention he was working A LOT HARDER than I was).

My point (other than wanting you all to think I'm awesome :-))? Sometimes we need to let go of things that might have served us well at one point in our Jiu Jitsu journey. Bully passes and relying on strength might work at whitebelt but we have to expand our game when we get to blue, and continue making adjustments on our path to black belt.

I'm not saying that we should abandon "old" techniques for "new" techniques, but rather that we need to keep the techniques in our arsenal that work at the black belt level as well as white. We should constantly be evaluating our game and making sure that we continuously refine it. We should examine our rolls against higher ranking students on the mats and constantly look at what is working in black belt matches at the world level. Even though we like our toys, sometimes we need to leave behind childish things...

Tournament Mode and "Killer Instinct"

2010-08-30T15:46:00.000-05:00

Working up your "killer instinct" for a tournament is another topic that seems to continuously pop up in conversations. Before a match you can often see one competitor or another going through a full UFC photo-op staredown with his opponent before a match. Is this level of aggression necessary, is it a good thing?

After a lot of years of observation and competition in combat sports I have both a somewhat objective view and personal opinion/application (yeah, yeah, just like everybody else, but this is my blog so deal with it :-)).

First the observations. In a nutshell, for tournament mode you definitely need to up your level of ''aggression" and "pressure." BUT working up too much emotion/"killer instinct"/super-aggression is usually detrimental to your game - you forget your game plan/strategy, you try to bully techniques when there are much better options available, you miss opportunities, etc. In other words, all that training you put in just got blown out of the water by all that testosterone.

Going super-aggressive can sometimes compensate for a lack of skill at white and sometimes blue belt level but it starts to taper off quickly. In the case of equal skill levels, I think being super-aggressive makes you wildly inconsistent and being inconsistent rarely gets you all the way through a large bracket. In the cases where you have more skill, going hyper is giving your opponent a gift.

Now the personal opinion/application. For me, I treat a tournament match like a "super" class roll. I'm keeping continual pressure, I'm taking everything I can away from my opponent and not giving back an inch.

Would I jump on something I knew would hurt my opponent (so out of position/balance that he couldn't tap before he broke). Probably not. To me a tournament is just a game (like basketball). It is a test of skill not violence. I'm there to make new friends and have fun.

I realize that not everybody shares this view, and when I think there are more people out to "hurt" me than there are those who want the challenge of a good "game" I'll probably stop competing.

The "killer instinct" only gets kicked on in a life/death situation. My life is not threatened in the least if I lose a tournament match.

Quote of the Moment - The Really Great

2010-08-27T23:28:00.003-05:00

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. - Mark Twain

Just Tap Already (part 2)

2010-08-26T00:34:00.002-05:00

There has been some recent blogosphere discussion/internet chatter on the art of tapping. I want to clarify my position: TAPPING IS GOOD FOR BOTH BODY AND SOUL.

My first post, Just Tap Already, is all about tapping when a submission is sunk. To do otherwise is to invite injury. Once a mistake has been made (the submission is sunk), there is no return. But there is a "reset button" - the tap. If you make a mistake and you get caught, hit the reset button and start over.

Where people seem to have gotten confused is where I appear to be advocating "fighting a submission." I'm talking about "fighting" BEFORE the submission is sunk - making your training partner work on getting the details correct. I'm not advocating being a testosterone superfreak and using strength to hold off an armbar or bulling up your neck to avoid the choke.

If you are an upper belt, you are not going to war with the lower belts you are going to bring them with you. Lighten up and let them work the sub but make them get the details - don't pull out your super secret 4 stripe purple belt decoder ring and slip away (hhmmm, did I really just say that? I see a possible future with a lot of purple belts lining up to "teach" me the finer points of tapping). Seriously though, most of the purple and brown belts I've had the opportunity to roll with have been great at this (thanks guys!).

This is in the context of training rolls, we're both trying to learn something, not competitive rolls that might be part of tournament preparation (or your everyday reality if your gym motto is "every roll is a tournament roll"). You have to have a certain level of trust (and control) with your training partner if you are going to work on the details of a submission together during a roll. For the most part the guys I train with bring submissions on slowly always trying to maintain control and being careful of each other. That's the training vibe at my gym. Your gym might have a differnt vibe so you might need a different training outlook to stay safe.

My second post, Don't Believe You're Own Hype, is about the bad things that might happen to you when you think too much in the middle of a roll and hesitate too long before you tap.

Now for some additional tapping theory and practice. If you don't know your training partner well, he is new, or you train at a gym that advocates/allows grabbing a bodypart and cranking things and hoping something sticks, tap early. In fact, tap anywhere you feel a good additional yank by your partner could cause injury. True "cranks" are notoriously low percentage for submissions but very high percentage for serious injury (which is why they are highly restricted in most tournaments).

If your partner has a significant weight advantage, be very aware of where your various appendages are. Tap any time one of those said appendages gets in a position where that weight could fall awkwardly. Even if your partner doesn't outweigh you be careful if your fingers/hands/toes/etc. get tangled in the gi. Tap, get untangled and restart in the same position.

If you have an injury, tap even earlier. Let your training partner know, reach agreement on how hard you are going to go at it and if a position/technique/limb is off limits. Before things even get close to becoming an issue, tap. If your training partner can't reasonably respect the "limits" you put on the roll - DON'T ROLL.

If your gym doesn't have a policy on what is "legal" (such as IBJJF rules by belt) when you roll - expect everything. If you are rolling with a visitor from another school expect everything. If you are rolling with a new guy or a guy who says he hasn't trained in years expect everything. Tap early, tap often, tap like Fred Astaire (that's right, tapping is that classy).

THE ULTIMATE BJJ TRAINING LOG (Part 2)

2010-08-22T22:05:00.001-05:00

NOT ALL TIME IS THE SAME TIME

What you put in your training log and how you go about it might vary considerably over time. I wouldn't expect a white belt's log to look like a purple belt's log.

If you are just starting (<6 months of training) don't make taking notes hard on yourself. Just stick to the very basic ideas - terminology, position and gross movements, and just getting comfortable. Most people who start a training log early on quit because it becomes a chore or they get frustrated because they can't remember the details of a move or even what to call it. Early on in your training just jot down a few of the things you CAN remember when you get home, when you see the move again (and you will) update your notes.

After about 6 months in is a good time to start developing goals and documenting how you are expanding your game, such as working toward two or three moves from each basic position (closed guard, side control, mount, and half-guard) and beginning your understanding of more complicated open guards (Spider, De La Riva, X-guard, etc). Your log is a great tool to track progress in those areas. You can certainly start setting goals earlier, but you may find that what you thought was high on your goal list moves down a few places as you understand more about Jiu Jitsu (and this will probably continue to happen every few months to a year).

As you progress the scope or your goals, plans, strategies, and the details of your techniques expands. In your goals you start to add plans and strategies, on your techniques you start pulling out principles, going deeper into the details, and chaining techniques together (flow with the go). You've probably had an "A Game" for awhile, now is the time to think about why it works for you and where you have holes. When you roll work on analyzing your favorite techniques/positions and options (you will find that your "favorites" also change over time). Write down where your training partners stop your progress in the technique or shut your game down. Analyze this info and come up with a few possible solutions to try next time on the mat. Keep the solutions that have the most success and repeat the process.

At some point in your "old age" you will probably get bored with trying to write stuff down and your log will slowly start to fade. Don't get down on yourself if you miss taking notes for a few days, weeks, or even months. Instead of kicking yourself and giving up, break out your old notes for review and see if they "inspire" you to start again. Remember, you're in this for the long haul. I'm pretty hit or miss, but I try to be consistent over time. One thing I do kick myself for is if I don't do it for seminars or working with someone that is visiting (or when I'm visiting) because I may not consistently see these techniques again presented in that way.

Don't Believe You're Own Hype

2010-08-20T22:33:00.002-05:00

After all the "I make them work for the tap" rhetoric in my recent "Just Tap Already" post last week, I felt the need to really represent and make sure I walked the talk this week. "How's that working for you," you might ask? Well, good and bad. I was very aware of making everyone really work for the tap this week and nobody got any freebies (so far so good).

My last roll of the week I'm working with one of our guys who is getting ready for a tournament this next weekend. I'm giving him a lot of pressure and trying to diversify my pass attempts so he gets to work against some things he doesn't see from me all the time. Not my "A game" technique wise, but like I said a lot of pressure. This had me out of position at several points and my training partner definitely tried to take advantage and go for the submission. In true "walk the talk" fashion I defended vigorously and if he didn't get the submission sunk he had a fight on his hands.

Toward the end of our 10 minute roll I once again found myself with an arm out of position in bottom half-guard and he jumped on a americana. Again I defended, he needed to adjust and pull my arm down and into my body just a little bit more. He adjusts and because I'm being very conscious of making him get it "perfect" I take a moment to have this inner dialogue. "Hmmm just a little bit more and he's got it...almost there....yes that's it...are you sure?...what do you mean are you sure, of course I'm sure...ok then you better tap." In a perfect storm of bad timing, just as I'm tapping, he gives it a final crank and there is a really sick squishy popping sound that comes from my elbow and shoulder. Bad, bad, bad.

So what did I learn from this little escapade?

Don't have an inner dialogue with yourself in the middle of fighting a submission, that moment's hesitation can be asking for an injury.
I should go back and read the entire "Just Tap Already Post." Especially the part about JUST TAP ALREADY and "represent" that for awhile.
Remember that there are some "fights" that can be more costly than others: lose a blood-choke fight and you just go to sleep (3-5 minutes to recover), lose an armbar fight and you get a popped elbow (6-8 weeks to recover), lose a kimura/americana shoulder lock fight and you get BJJ game over (loooong to possibly no recovery without surgery).
And finally never-ever-ever believe your own hype.

Fortunately, he let go immediately and I can move my arm but there are several degrees of shoulder rotation that bring a lot of pain. We'll see how it feels after a weekend rest.

THE ULTIMATE BJJ TRAINING LOG (Part 1)

2010-08-19T21:58:00.003-05:00

I recently lost 2 of my training notebooks. While they were a jumbled mish-mash of technique descriptions, training ideas, strength and conditioning exercises, and random thoughts there were probably some gems in there that will be missed. This loss has given me the opportunity to reexamine what I want to do with a training log and the best way to go about it. I thought I would share some of my thoughts here in a series over the next few weeks, so without further fanfare here is installment 1 of ? on:

CREATING THE ULTIMATE BJJ TRAINING LOG
It appears to be a generally accepted idea that a training log is "a good thing." If you ask "Why is it a good thing?" you will often get the standard answer of "it will help you track your progress." However, BJJ is not like running or weight lifting where you write down your distance/time or weight/reps and hope to see evidence of continual improvement - farther/faster heavier/more. Other than logging our Strength and Conditioning training in this standard way, a BJJ form of this could be documenting all your rolls and describe what was attempted, what worked, and what got shut down. But there is still more I think. Another aspect of a BJJ training log or notebook is about capturing details on techniques taught in class so you don't forget. Finally, there is the aspect of wanting to journal or chronicle the "adventure" of training.

Hmmm, this gives us a "training log," a "technique notebook," and an "adventure journal." Should these be the same "document" or multiple documents. Do we capture and display the information the same way or are different formats better for each dimension. This is already starting to make my head hurt.

So I say to myself, "Self, my head hurts and I haven't even started" and myself answers back, "Well why don't we start at the beginning, why don't you tell me why you think a training log is a good thing and go from there. And by the way you have ketchup on your shirt." ...

MONITORING/ACHIEVING GOALS

A training log can help you keep motivated if you have a section where you record your goals. Over time you can track your progress against those goals. A detailed log of your training allows you to see the steps that you have taken towards your goal, where you currently stand, and how much further you have to go. Your goals can be multi-leveled and broken down into short and long(er) term. For example, short term - work on technical details of kimuras from multiple positions and try to work at least 3 attempts per rolling session for the next month. Long term - I want to achieve my black belt.

Periodically reviewing your goals is great for both motivation and accountability. Even if you don't specifically state your goals it is motivating to see how far you have come since your days as a naive young white belt.

MAKING THE COMPLEX A LITTLE MORE SIMPLE

A training log is very useful in helping to break down a technique. Trying to "grok" everything at once can make things more complicated than they need to be. We have grips, underhooks, kozushi, movements, and a million other details that we are trying to keep up with in training. By carving out a little time to capture some of the main things you are remembering you start to see similarities and principles that your brain will start to automatically organize around. Recognizing those principles leaves more of your brainpower free for the details.

Additionally, as we see techniques for the second, third, and fourth times we have a starting point, a frame, for hanging newly discovered/remembered details on.

VENTING (AND THEN EXAMINING) YOUR FRUSTRATIONS

When we are frustrated, venting that frustration in a log is probably good for your spirit. You let it out and let it go. But when we consciously document some of the technical details along with our feelings we have a new tool. When we periodically examine our rants and the details of our frustrations we can start to see areas of our game that we really need to work on and take corrective action.

GAINING CLARITY AND COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

Taking notes allows you to examine what you think are the key points of a technique and express it more clearly. If anybody ever asks you about that technique or you teach/instruct, you will be able to easily offer a clear and detailed explanation of the technique. The other side of this coin is that if you can't produce a clear description of a technique then you have a good set of structured questions to ask your instructor.

DISCOVERING DEVELOPMENTS/TRENDS OVER TIME

A training log is helpful to analyze what training worked and what might not have worked so well. We can pinpoint potential areas of weakness and possible problems with recovery and injuries. For example, when reviewing your notes on rolling you see that certain positions/submissions bring success and others might not or you recognize that when you were ramping up to 2-a-day practices you were prone to injury (was there a positive trade off?).

There may be more, but that's all I've got for now.

Lost BJJ Terminology

2010-08-17T17:25:00.001-05:00

Slug Trail - The wet sweat-sheen left behind as an opponent drives you across the mat attempting to pass your guard, especially in no-gi.

Quote of the Moment - True to What You Are

2010-08-17T00:07:00.002-05:00

In my music, I'm trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it's difficult is because I'm changing all the time. - Charles Mingus

Example Training Log (humor)

2010-08-16T18:07:00.003-05:00

Dear Diary...

For my thirtieth birthday this year, my wife (such a sweetheart) signed me up for a fantastic "one week special" offer at the new Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school downtown. She knows how much I love the UFC and Joe Rogan always says you have to know Jiu Jitsu to have a good "ground game."

Although I am still in great shape, since after all, I was a high school athlete, I know it is going to be tough. My wife seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started. I called the school and got some basic information from someone called Hoffi who identified himself as a 26 year old assistant instructor. "Hoffi" said to just wear some workout clothes and that they would get me a "kimono" (whatever that is) and to bring a notebook to keep a "training log" to chart my progress and help remember things.

This is going to be so much fun!

My Training Log
Monday:
Arrived at 6:00 pm. Tough to make it on time from work, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the school to find Hoffi waiting for me. He gave me a tour and showed me the changing rooms. He gave me a "kimono" to change into with a white belt and said he would see me on the mats.

When I come out I see about 10 other guys with white belts, 2 blue belts, and a girl in a pink "kimono" with a purple belt. The people with colored belts all come over and say hello and seem very friendly. The girl, Kyra, is really cute with dark brown hair, dancing eyes, a dazzling white smile, and a cool accent like Hoffi's. Woo Hoo!!

Hoffi started the class with a warm-up. We did a lot of something he called "shrimping" where you lay on the floor and push yourself around with your feet,

some push-ups, sit-ups, and a few other exercises. It took about 10 minutes and I was alarmed that my pulse was so fast, but I attribute it watching Kyra in the line in front of me. I enjoyed watching the skillful way she seemed to do everything. Very inspiring.

Hoffi broke the class into two groups and I was in a group with 2 other apparently new whitebelts. First he showed us how to tie our belts (how could something so simple be so complicated?), then he showed us how to do an armbar from closed guard (my favorite UFC move!) and an "upa" from mount.

Hoffi was encouraging as I did my armbar and upa. The rest of the class Hoffi explained some details of the guard and mount positions.

This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!

Tuesday:
Tonight Hoffi did the basic warm-up but at the end he had us do something called a "burpee" for what seemed like forever. My legs were a little wobbly and I felt light-headed, but I didn't stop. I looked across the circle and Kyra smiled at me making it all worthwhile. I found out "Hoffi" is really Raffi, but (R)s are pronounced (H) in Brazil. How cool is that?

Kyra was in charge of my group tonight and I found out that a purple belt is pretty high up there. I knew Kyra was good! She went over the armbar and upa again using me as her partner (I think she likes me!). It felt a little strange working with a girl and I tried to make sure I didn't hurt her. Then she showed us something called a "technical stand up." Basically, you're sitting down and you just stand up. I don't know what the big deal is, but Kyra said it is very important.

I feel GREAT!! It's a whole new life for me.

Wednesday:
The only way I could brush my teeth this morning was by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I think I have a hernia in both pectorals and my abs and back are on fire. I could barely type on my computer at work today. Driving to class tonight was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I think I parked on top of a Prius in the school parking lot.

Hoffi was impatient with me during warm-ups, insisting that my screams bothered the rest of the class. His voice was a little too perky when he announced we were going to do some more burpees. I didn't notice it before (maybe it was the accent), but when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.

My chest really hurt and I couldn't stand up straight so Hoffi had me be the bottom person all night. He told me if I kept working I would get in great shape and enjoy life. He said some other sh!t too.

Thursday:
Kyra was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl when I came out to the mat. I got to class on time but I couldn't help being a half an hour late coming out of the locker room, it took me that long to untie my shoes.

Kyra gave me a list of things to warm-up with on my own and of course there were more burpees at the end. When she wasn't looking, I ran and hid in the men's room. She sent one of the blue belts to find me, then, as punishment, used me as her demonstration partner for some sort of choke. At some point I woke up with the entire class snickering at me. Apparently I forgot to tap and had been drooling on the mat for the last ten minutes.

Friday:
I hate that b@stard Hoffi more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. And that stupid,skinny, anemic little cheerleader wanna-be Kyra too. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat them with it.

Hoffi wanted me to work some more on armbars. But I can't even move my arms (which I am sure you learned in the sadist Jiu Jitsu school you attended and graduated magna cum laude from, you Nazi b@stard). My training partner flung me off and I landed on some bony guy. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the big guy in the corner?

Saturday:
Hoffi left a message on my voice mail in his grating, shrilly accent wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing him made me want to hurl my phone across the room. However, I lacked the strength to even reach the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the *$@#&& Weather Channel.

Sunday:
I'm just thanking GOD that this week is over. I am also praying that next year my wife (the BLACK WIDOW) will just kill me herself instead of trying to get someone else to do it for her!

Just Tap Already

2010-08-13T14:58:00.005-05:00

The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on the list...

There is a time to fight a submission and a time to tap. I will ALWAYS FIGHT to keep an opponent from SECURING a submission and work to get back to someplace safe. If he is not deep enough into my collar for the choke, if he is not controlling the rotation of my arm and using his hips on the armbar, if he is not getting his elbow around to the front of my chin on the rear naked choke - he is going to have to really work those details to get me to tap.

Even if it's someone that is just learning the technique they don't get a free ride. What they get instead is me loosening up a little bit and talking them through the details, even moving their hands/arms or whatever for them if they are not getting it (unless they have their arm over my mouth, then they get a "mrmphhhumphumph"). This gets them used to putting together all the details and gets me used to being uncomfortable and really feeling when a sub comes together.

One of the guys at the gym was laughing the other night because I was working through a rear naked choke with someone. "Man, that choke took 2 or 3 minutes and each time you had him adjust something you turned a little more purple and bug-eyed, ha, ha, ha." That same guy got caught in the newer guy's rear naked choke a couple of nights later and it didn't take 2 or 3 minutes for the new guy to get the tap. Ha, ha, ha back at you brother.

I do this because there is nothing worse than being in a situation where you are playing your "A game" (especially in a tournament) and you think you have something and it is just not working. Think GSP/Dan Hardy. Details matter. In the heat of the moment with adrenaline pumping and fatigue setting in we get sloppier and sloppier. If we don't train all the details when we have the chance we won't stand a chance when we really need it.

BUT once an opponent has it sunk with all the appropriate grips and body dynamics resistance becomes futile and a recipe for injury. Being "too tough to tap" means a short career in the sport.

"Nice" training partners won't want to roll with you or won't treat you seriously because they don't want to really hurt you and your game will stagnate. "Not so nice" training partners will get you injured and you will spend weeks or even months off the mats and your game will stagnate.

Even in the UFC, professional fighters tap rather than go unconscious or get their arm or leg busted up. Why? Because a tight submission fully applied can end a career in less than a second. Being "too tough to tap" may win you some respect among the armchair warriors but it is generally not the smartest part of a game plan.

Quote of the Moment - Genius and Incompetence

2010-08-11T15:14:00.002-05:00

He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which. - Douglas Adams

Getting Wrecked

2010-08-10T15:04:00.003-05:00

I got absolutely WRECKED on Monday night.

I was having one of those "off" nights to begin with but started feeling a little bit better during the Fundamentals Class. Moving on to the Advanced Class for the evening we worked on a basic back take from reverse De La Riva which meant a lot of inversion and movement on the back/shoulders - something I really need to work on because I absolutely suck at it.

This really gave me an ego check. The white belt I was drilling with is flipping around upside down with great movement like he has been doing it for years and is some distant cousin to Gumby (you go Austin!), while I felt like a feeble old man who can barely get enough rotation to execute the technique poorly much less nail it.

Then it was time for some rolling.

We work a series of 3 minute rounds with 10 seconds to change partners in between with one person starting in the reverse De La Riva. So this should be a great opportunity to really work the sweep while rolling if you are at least starting in the position. Well a great opportunity unless you're me. I didn't even come close to hitting the sweep once and had a hard time making it resemble anything like a real guard. All of this sucked, but the best was yet to come.

The final round was 15 minutes starting standing and we were supposed to avoid going to closed guard. I paired up with Ethan, a blue belt who has been visiting with us for a couple of weeks. I fully expected to get beat as Ethan is young, strong, smart, has good wrestling, and a competitive spirit (and is an all around great guy) - but I didn't expect to get absolutely wrecked since Ethan had been training hard for a couple of hours before I even showed up at the gym that night. He's gotta be a little tired right?

I'm sure he was tired but it didn't show as he soundly thumped and submitted me (what 5 times?) over the course of that 15 minutes. My somewhat fever-dream recollection had me get grips to pull open guard, where I wanted to go straight into a tripod sweep, but Ethan came down to one knee in base negating my sweep and promptly passed and tapped me with an armbar. I think in the next series Ethan jumped into closed guard and after some scrambling tapped me again with an inverted armbar. I pulled open guard again and Ethan defended again, I tried to pull him into a triangle but he had his knee in up to his chin so I couldn't get my hips in - got passed and choked from mount this time (I think?).

My broken big toe still won't bend enough to let me shoot so being the creative mastermind that I am, I tried an arm drag into a side clinch - Ethan based well got an underhook on me and sent me up and over for a beautiful throw landing with his shoulder in my ribs. There was a huge whooshing sound as all the air in my body forcefully exploded (or maybe that whooshing was just me sucking all the real Jiu Jitsu out of the gym). After a brief pause to make sure nothing appeared broken we rolled some more and I eventually had to ask Ethan to just take top side control on my opposite side because any pressure onto my ribs on the other side was making me nauseous with the pain (pain I can handle but yakking on the mats is just too much embarrassment). Spent most of those last few minutes under mount fighting off chokes (with very little success).

So all and all a pretty sorry showing. And to add mental deficiencies to my physical deficiencies listed above, I can't wait to do it again!

(note: I thought about using a Thesaurus to find some replacement words for all the times in the above post that I used some form of the word "suck," but I decided not to cloud the clarity and overall brilliance of my suckage :-))

(note: to those that asked, the ribs aren't broken but are bruised pretty good - I'll be on the mat Wed.)

The Fear in Their Eyes

2010-08-09T00:31:00.003-05:00

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. - Frank Herbert (Dune)

At my academy we believe that Jiu Jitsu is for everyone from the hobbyist looking to get fit to the take no prisoners competitor. For a number of reasons (a great new location, way more mat space, more marketing, more MMA on the tube, etc) we've had a lot of new people come through the gym. We take them through a Fundamentals Class and work really hard to make them feel welcome and get them excited about Jiu Jitsu. At the end of class the feedback about their experience is almost always great.

However, trouble sometimes sets in when these same enthusiastic people watch the following Advanced Class. We have a fairly small core group of somewhat intense individuals (which you will find at most gyms/schools). As our guests stay and watch the Advanced Class, especially if we are in tourney prep mode, a look of fear suddenly enters their eyes. You can see the cognitive dissonance flash across their faces - "that last class was so much fun, I feel like I could get fit and learn how to handle myself in a bad situation" vs. "that warm-up would make me barf, are they trying to tear each others arms off, I don't think I could survive being thrown like that."

Now for some the fear acts as a catalyst and they sign up for classes and come in breathing fire. But for those looking for something more casual the fear often causes them to run for the door.

It is this second group that concerns me. I think Jiu Jitsu would be like a miracle drug for this group. Everybody is afraid of something: fear of the unknown fear of looking stupid, fear of pain, claustrophobia, fear of suffocation. Many people are afraid of the clinch, that "in your face" aggression. But it is all about how we face our fears that makes the difference.

In Jiu-Jitsu we learn practical physical skills like how to fall (ukemi) and how to deal with discomfort and pain and keep going. We also learn to grapple with our enemies at close quarters and how to maintain composure under attack and ultimately to use our opponent’s strength against him. But I think one of the greatest things we learn is how to take on our problems close up and that we can survive.

A friend recently told me, “When I started Jiu-Jitsu, I was afraid. It was fear of violence in the outside world that got me started in Jiu Jitsu to learn self-defense. Once I started training I was afraid of the strenuous exercise, the possibility of getting hurt, the submissions, the skill of the higher belts. But I kept coming back. I'm sure it happened in slow stages but it seemed "all of a sudden" when I realized it - I wasn’t afraid anymore.”

(now for the deep surfer dude philosophical point ) I believe that once the question of physical fear is solved, then you can be more open, you are free to be more honest, your ego can take a vacation. When you are no longer afraid you can be strong enough to be gentle and you can live life fully enough to have compassion.

Quote of the Moment - Live Fully

2010-08-05T15:24:00.002-05:00

“Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.” - Anthony Robbins

It's Alive!

2010-08-03T00:58:00.008-05:00

We've had quite a few new guys come through the academy these past few weeks and I seem to be caught in repeating conversations that go something like this:

New Guy #1 - "Wow, I've been watching tons of videos on the net and I either can't remember anything or can't seem to use what I remember on a real person."

New Guy #2 - "Yeah, and there are all these details you are walking us through that I never even imagined."

New Guy #3 - "My friend and I have been trying to train by ourselves rolling around a couple of times a week and we thought we were pretty good but nothing was working until you started helping us clean it up. I guess we really do need training partners who know what they are doing."

Really Big New Guy #4 - "mrruummmph (accompanied by massive flailing and squirming), I can't even move, arrrghhhh!" after having a much smaller guy apply a little bit of pressure in side control.

New Guy #5 - "Oh so this technique is all muscle unless he is putting pressure on us here, but if he does it is an easy sweep."

My response - "That's right guys. BJJ is alive. It requires the right movement, timing, and energy for the magic to happen. That is what you will learn here."

Other martial arts I've trained have been "alive" to varying degrees but the use of spontaneous movement, unpredictable timing, and real energy (resistance/full intent) is built into the very fabric of Jiu Jitsu. This is one of the things I love about it. There is never a question of would it work against a bigger guy - you grab a bigger guy and find out. Will it work if I go full speed - go full speed and find out.

Of course we start slow as we learn something new and we need to be careful with those with less skill or physical attributes - we don't have to rip each others arms off to see that an armbar works. In fact, a sign that you are mastering a technique is that you can do it under control at all times.

When we start learning a technique for the first time we go through the gross motions and then start to add details. This stage is necessary to learn but it is where a lot of martial arts stop. It is not alive yet but it has potential.

Then we start applying a technique against a training partner that starts adding more and more resistance. It starts to be alive, but it is not fully realized.

At last we start to use it in sparring. As we first start to work it into our game our training partner (the good ones) might feed us some openings or we may start with positional sparring that lets us work the technique over and over. Finally, we can use the technique when appropriate as part of our game - It's alive!

For more on the concept of aliveness go here Aliveness 101 Blog.

Quote of the Moment - Perspective

2010-08-02T17:01:00.004-05:00

"The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be."
— Douglas Adams

Motivation (part:1)

2010-08-01T23:31:00.003-05:00

This is part one of a multi-part examination of what motivates me to keep getting my rear-end kicked day after day in this wonderful game of BJJ.

In the broadest sense, for me are the concepts of challenge, mastery, and making a positive contribution. Some interesting research is entertainingly summarized in this video:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: The Game of Human Chess

2010-08-01T15:06:00.001-05:00

I really like this video as a promo showing the many different dimensions of BJJ.

Advancing the Fundamentals

2010-07-29T15:56:00.002-05:00

Some great training last night. I usually go to a Fundamentals class and an Advanced class on the nights I make it to the gym. I don't think I will ever "outgrow" the Fundamentals class - every time I go over even the most basic techniques, I find new technical details that make my game tighter. Sometimes I work through these details with somebody with less experience and I can feel and see obvious differences in pressure or I think it through thoroughly because I want to clearly articulate some part of the technique and "coach" them into doing it better. Other times I'm on the other side of the equation and have a more experienced training partner that requires that all the details come together or it doesn't work.

Although there are still a lot of techniques I probably haven't even seen, I think one of the things that separates a blue belt from a purple belt and above is the level of precision and detail that the upper belt brings to even the simplest techniques.

Last night was a classic case for me with a more experienced player. At one point we were drilling making space with a bridge/shrimp to recover guard when under side control. My training partner and I were working on a version we call the "Rickson Bridge." In nutshell, instead of taking a big shrimp and trying to open up a lot of space to get a knee through, you take a small step out and bridge into your opponent with your hips while bringing your bottom shoulder under your body (I'll post another time about training with Rickson and what I recall from his seminar on "invisible Jiu Jitsu"). Both techniques can work, but the "Rickson Bridge" is a much smaller more precise movement that takes a lot less energy and when done right makes it almost impossible for your opponent to flatten you back out.

And when done wrong leaves you stuck to the mat. My training partner was great and made sure I went nowhere unless all the details were there. I managed to mangle every detail of the technique multiple times, from not keeping my posting foot planted strongly and flopping around like a fish, to not coordinating pulling my bottom shoulder under enough so that it became a battle of strength, to not staying connected with my hips, to easily half a dozen other details. BUT, eventually everything started to click and get burned into kinetic memory.

I enjoyed the Fundamentals work last night as much as learning the cool choke set-ups from Butterfly Guard in the Advanced class. Call me Crazy.

Quote of the Moment - Go Crazy

2010-07-29T14:02:00.004-05:00

“Some people never go crazy, What truly horrible lives they must live”
Charles Bukowski

Seminar with Professor Luiz Palhares

2010-07-26T23:40:00.005-05:00

Jeremy Akin and Luiz Palhares

Went to an outstanding seminar this weekend with 6th degree black belt (Brazillian National Champion and 3X Pan American Champion) Luiz Palhares at Brentwood BJJ.

We started with some simple but effective takedowns and then moved into a series of Butterfly Guard sweeps that flowed into some X-Guard work.

We had a great group of trainees from several schools in the area so we finished up with some friendly rolling between the "clans."

I am a firm believer in training/rolling with "everyone." It is a great opportunity to get to roll with someone that trains someplace else. You see new things and find out if your "awesome technique of the week" is really as awesome as you think it is. Sometimes you may dominate, other times you may get your butt kicked. Sometimes you may be a "student," other times you may wind up teaching something. Some "lessons" you may have reinforced, such as when someone says they want to roll easy - they really mean they want YOU to roll easy while they try and rip your face off :-). As much as I learn from rolling with my team-mates it is often multiplied when I get the chance to roll with some new faces. This is yet another reason I love seminars.

Zen Mojo

Favorite Videos for the Uninitiated

Minister of Propaganda - Latest Wisdom/Sarcasm

Roger Speaks. Smart Jiu Jitsu Fighters Listen.

Universtiy of Jersey Shore?

Impressing Women

Competitor Mindset

Playing Games

Weekend Update

Good thing it's the weekend because admit it, you're just one really bad meeting and a break room out of coffee away from choking out a bunch of coworkers. ~Minister of Propaganda

Training Partners Part 2 (Take Control of Your Training)

Twilight Saga, Oh Really?

Tied Up

Halloween Costume Fail

It took me years to discipline my body to the peak of physical perfection, so sure, I could pull it off but, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MMA NERDS, YOU ARE TOO FAT TO WEAR YOUR UNDERWEAR AND PRETEND TO BE GSP FOR HALLOWEEN.

#WearingATapoutT-shirtDoesNotMagicallyMakeYouAFighter #YouAlsoNeedFairyDust #AndToWishReallyReallyHard ~Minister of Propaganda

Sometimes You're the Hammer, Sometimes...

Snuggies

Nothing but Love

Training Partners Part 1 (Take Control of Your Training)

The Only Thing You Have to Fear...

Like a Monkey

Gee, You're Strong (or using your attributes - is it really evil?)

ADCC on the Big Screen

ADCCeeeeeeeeeeee!

Back From the Abyss

Time is Not On Your Side

"Accepting" the Pass

Cobrinha rocks at Abu Dhabi

Origins of the Americana

Steroids in BJJ

Does Jiu Jitsu Happen TO You or WITH You?

What Do I Really Know?

Wrestling in BJJ - Takedown Defense (Part 2)

Wrestling in BJJ - Takedown Defense (Part 1)

Quote of the Moment - Make the Most of Your Training

Pan Am Training (humor)

Strength and Conditioning for Jiu Jitsu - Friday's Midnight Workout

Knee on Belly Choke and Yet Another Awesome Back Take

Strength and Conditioning for Jiu Jitsu - Your Jiu Jitsu is Weak!

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - What's on Your Plate

Newbies Rules for Rolling

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Power Hour

Quote of the Moment - Every Day

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - New Year's Day Workout

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Wed. Workout

Quote of the Moment - The Dark Side

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Friday Workout (Christmas Eve)

Quote of the Moment - Smile

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Training Plan - Overview (part 4 of ?)

Kata Garuma - Shoulder Wheel (Judo)/Fireman's Carry (Wrestling)

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Basic Strength (part 3 of ?)

Taking the Back From Halfguard

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment - Cardio (part 2 of ?)

Knees - Love the Ones You Have

Strength and Conditioning for BJJ - Assessment (part 1 of ?)

Quote of the Moment - Be Hard My Friends

Weekend Wrapup -Takedowns

Wheeee!.........Ow! That's Going to Leave a Mark

Wrestling in BJJ

Forget the Zombie Apocalypse

Yea, Whitebelts!

American Jiu Jitsu?

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Sunday Workout

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout

Shrimpin' Ain't Easy

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ - Wed Workout

The Game Plan

Quote of the Moment - See First

‎"See first, think later, then test. But always see first. Otherwise you will only see what you were expecting. Most scientists forget that." ~ Douglas Adams

Lucas Lepri Seminar Notes

Power Kouchi Gari

Roll Baby Roll!

Training Day - Tuesday's S and C and Jiu Jitsu

The "Technique Collector"

Strength and Conditioning - Friday's Workout

Strength and Conditioning in BJJ

Quote of the Moment - Kindle the Fire

Getting the Most Out of Instructionals

Gi Design Contest

Good thing it's the weekend because admit it, you're just one really bad meeting and a break room out of coffee away from choking out a bunch of coworkers.
~Minister of Propaganda

#WearingATapoutT-shirtDoesNotMagicallyMakeYouAFighter
#YouAlsoNeedFairyDust
#AndToWishReallyReallyHard

~Minister of Propaganda