Like a Monkey

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?)

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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?