BJJ Gradings

I wish there were more hours in the day. I wish there were more days in a week. And I wish I could train BJJ 5 days a week. For me, it is an addiction like surfing. When you catch that perfect wave or have that "everything goes right" roll; you keep coming back for those moments. Even when you get your ass kicked and know you could have, should have, not rolled over so easy, you want to correct it.

Because of a flurry of personal and professional things (most good, some bad) occurring all at this precise time in my life, I feel that my BJJ mind is getting its ass kicked. I felt useless rolling today, which is rare for me. And in addition to the storms beating down my brain from every direction, I am grading next Wednesday.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the simple thing that holds everything together for me. It is the perfect game to play in order to progress mentally, physically, and for the new age crowd; spiriturally. It is not easy. But it is not difficult either. The challenges can be overcome with time and dedication. The hard part is where to put the focus.

Gradings urgently set the focus on proper curriculum or fundamental study. The general overview of what needs to be achieved to make progress. You have to demonstrate an understanding in front of the class and the Professor. This public display causes the previously mentioned urgency that forces preparation. However, there is a difference between "showing" and "understanding". "Showing" means steps can be demonstrated in a controlled situation and does not speak to proficiency. "Understanding" means that techniques can be implemented in different ways and used as a part of a larger plan in real world situations.

At this point, with the curriculum I need to demonstrate, I may be ready for my next level with some polish of course. In terms of the curriculum I understand, there is no way for me to gauge that with a stripe or a belt. When I roll, it all just sort of happens. Some things come naturally. And some things I must pull out of the mental technique library. And techniques are added that do not reside in the curriculum.

For me, I wish that BJJ was a little more organic and less structured at this point. And I think that this can only be achieved, for me at least, by focusing more on the whys and less on the hows. Because if I understand the whys; the hows will be much easier to apply, even invented.

There is a lot of curriculum to take in and it is extremely difficult to be proficient at everything. Could I even use all of it? Probably not. But over the past 15 months, I have my favourites. Does that mean that everything else is useless? Of course not. But some things are more important for me right now than others.

I look forward to the day where there is no set curriculum and I can focus on just training and adding to my game. Well, I kind of do that right now which may get me in trouble for the upcoming grading. Self discovery, the "oh that works" moments, when rolling have always been of greatest value for my BJJ memory. Holes appear in my game and I do my best to fill them in; I remember these techniques most.

I do not know why I am so conflicted at grading time. I see the importance. I know the need. But for some reason I am conflicted as to a gradings value to me personally at this point in my training. But this is my conflict as a white belt, with a white belt's understanding. I know when I am a purple, brown, or even black belt and read this, I will then understand the value of providing the general base for future progression thrust upon me by the discomfort of gradings.

Ous.

Recovery

Funny how sometimes life jumps up and grabs you when you are hitting a stride. I have missed two classes, one due to family obligation and one due to my son bringing home a bug I did not want to spread around. The side effect, I feel that my body has relaxed and healed up from 2 months of constant training.

I admit that I was starting to feel sluggish when rolling; not crisp. But now I feel relaxed and ready for Wednesday's class.

Sometimes it essential to take step back, whether you want to or not, to get back in the mind set of training more effectively. Because BJJ is becoming more entrenched in my life, it is alright to stand back for a moment and take a look at what it is doing for me.

And with my baby girl due in less than 2 months, I will rely on BJJ more and more to a) keep me sane, and b) prepare to intimidate the hell out of future boyfriends 16 years from now with my mad BJJ skills. ;) I think Professor Schilling does private lessons on stare down and intimidation tactics, I will ask him tomorrow.

Ous.

BJJ vs. Wrestling

Rickson: National Geographic

A Part of His Game

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to go the Marcelo Garcia Gi seminar at the Combat Fitness Gym in Toronto. First I want to say that I have always been blown away by watching Marcelo work his game. It is like some out of this earth turbo jitsu that only conforms to the most basic of bjj elements. The rest of his game is a sort of a counter jiu jitsu that allows him to walk past and step over what other people train over and over. It defies, no, redefines logic.

The seminar only lasted 3 hours and it was done in a progressive style; first do this, practice. Now add this. Practice. Now do this, because this could happen. Practice. This really helped drive home the fundamentals which in my opinion were the "Atari" or "Joystick" grip which he uses to save his fingers from thrashing, a "Leg Control" sweep to awkwardly put an opponent off balance, and the "Arm Drag" to steal an opponent's back.

It was clear that the techniques presented were effective; check out Marcelo's record. But what really surprised me was the simplicity. His game plan is awesome because it is so simple once broken down.

After the seminar I took another look at a video I put up in February, re-posted below, to see if what we learned was present in his matches. The first match I watched in the video was the entire seminar. The arm drag, the "Leg Control" sweep, the taking of the back, and the finish. Awesome!

And as for meeting Marcelo, he is just a happy nice guy. You would never know he was a World Champion from talking to him. And when I found out he is only 23 years old, I was in shock. I suppose age has nothing to do with mastery of an art. Thank you Marcelo!

Ous.

P.S. If Marcelo Garcia comes to your town, go to the seminar. Do not miss it!

Marcelo Garcia Video

WTF? Sorry about this.

The Game is Not a Game

The past two classes I took a look at how I was rolling from a different point of view. Sure, rolling is fun and challenging and keeping it light helps all of us improve. But I considered for a moment why sometimes rolling must be taken much more seriously.

Sometimes we seek a defensive position to relax and gather strength to escape or recover from an intense play. But I have never been happy at anytime gathering recovering from a weaker position; bottom mount, bottom side control, even close guard (although neutral). I would much rather fight to an offensive position and recover there. Knee on belly, full mount, or side control are much easier places to catch your wind and get your head back in the game.

Here is why this is important for me and should be for everyone.

Imagine for a moment that your opponent could throw punches and drop knees on you. How effective would recovering be from bottom mount with a heavy hitter sitting on top of you. Not very. And just because we train in BJJ should not give us a false sense of confidence in the real world. If it came down to it, getting hit in the face may throw us off our finely tuned grappling game in a real fight.

So from now on, if I am stuck in a bad place, I will imagine that my opponent has the option to hit me. And that will be a good motivation to escape. Unless, of course, I have them tied up. And if I am on top, I will imagine how many times I can drop a bomb on my opponent; without doing so of course. Because I am a nice guy... ;) That, I think, will add a realism and urgency to my game and make me a better fighter.

Ous.

P.S. Marcelo Garcia seminar this Sunday!!!

Rickson Gracie: Choke

Latest Class Photo

Here is our team's latest photo, with a few guys missing, from just over a month ago. (Click it to see larger version.)

Cauliflower Ear (DIY)

I am not a doctor. But I know my body and am getting old enough to understand that I do not need to see one for every little thing. On Monday, after class, I found that my left ear was pretty sore around the top curve part. It had a bump, like a little pocket of juice under the surface between the cartilage and the skin. As the discomfort continued and I asked for advice in the forums on Tuesday. The consensus was to drain out the fluid.

Being the cautious guy that I am, I decided to wait to see if the discomfort would diminish. I was not afforded that luxury because after class last night, and a few rolls, that little pocket of juice grew. It grew enough so that my sleep was disturbed a few times. In the middle of the night, I grabbed an ice pack that became my new pillow.

So this morning I decided to take action. I did some preparation reading online; I like to study things of this kind of importance. I was then ready to pick up the materials for my little bubble bursting mission. I picked up the following:

• A 10 pack of BD Ultra-Fine II Insulin Syringes (1cc, 8mm, and 30 gauge)
• Gauss
• A triple anti-biotic ointment

Now for the attack. I had given a lot of thought to how I was going to penetrate the skin and suck out the juice for maximum effect. I did not want to stick the needle in and out all over my ear, so one entry point was essential.

At the bottom edge of the bubble, I stuck the needle in upwards so the point was almost parallel beneath the skin, I did not want to hit cartilage. *It is important to bring the needle to the ear and not bend the ear to the needle as it slipped out one time as my ear bent back. Once the needle's point was at, where I though, the center of the bubble was I started to extract. I slowly pulled out .4 cc of dark red and clear fluid.

As the needle exited the hole, a big drop of blood followed. I took the gauss and cleaned it up and applied the anti-biotic to kill any baddies that may want to wander in to the needle's exit point. I felt instant relief from the pressure, although it is still sore to the touch but less so than before. It has not bled since the initial bleeding and I can barely see the entry point. Kudos to the inventors of small needles!

The next part is to keep an eye on it to ensure that it remains drained. Next class is in a while and, with some things, I heal pretty quickly. So I should be good to go before my next roll comes around; I will be defending my ear in any case.

Thank you for the advice from everyone on the subject. I only wished that I had asked for advice on dealing with the discomfort from the pharmacist's attitude when asking for a bunch of needles. That, in this whole process, was the most challenging thing.

Ous.

Managing Expectations

It is a good idea to understand where you are in your training, because setting up certain, not all, expectations will allow you to fight at a higher level. If you train every class and give it your all, you can expect that after a few months, you are in pretty good shape. That expectation will allow you to fight a little harder when you roll, without the need to mentally save your energy for the next fight, or the next, or the next. You expect your body to perform.

Now that the physical element has been managed, at least pushed aside from your main focus, you can tackle your mobility. Your drilling of certain moves will allow you to understand what you can do well and what you need to work on. If you have a good escape, say Upa (or bump from bottom mount), then you can expect that to work for you most of the time. That expectation will lead to confidence in that situation so you can concentrate on what comes next after the escape.

Expectations that you have a full tank of gas and a vehicle with some mobility is a re-assuring thing when rolling. Even if you lack a little confidence, we all do sometimes, we at least know that some bases are covered.

The next is the submission game. Similar to mobility, it is good to know that you can rely on certain things that will help you finish your opponent. After practicing and practicing, you know what you like to use. And it offers comfort to know that if you can get to a certain place, you can deal your submission.

I really enjoy figuring this stuff out. I expect my body to function well for the rolling part of class. I expect that I will be able to be mobile. I expect that certain defenses will work. I expect that certain offences will work. This can only be achieved through constant practice and training. The balance, as with all things, is essential for improvement. Lastly, I expect to have fun when rolling when my expectations are wrong because that leads to even more improvment.

Ous.

P.S. The expectations you have for yourself can sometimes be read by others... ;)

Ribeiro Brothers HL

Jacare vs Werdum

The Mexican Standoff

There is nothing like getting "back on the rack" in training. Last month was full of impediments to my training (staph infections in class, the Master Cleanse, vacation, etc...) But I have been to 7 classes straight and trained hard. Not that 7 classes straight is a big deal but I hate missing classes and feel the pain after only one miss.

So my stamina is back up to normal levels. I am training harder and harder. I feel my fighting improving. And I am becomming more intelligent in my game.

One thing did happen in last class which confused me. I was fighting a really tough classmate (one of my favourite guys to fight because he is insane strong and a blue belt to boot). He closed guard on my and locked my right arm in his arm pit (to draw the picture). I know he was going for a cross choke, which I could defend all day. And I was hoping he would go open his guard and go for a sweep, because I would have a chance to pass. But that did not come.

I tapped and asked to start in a different position because I wanted to add some motion to the roll. As I pulled my arm out and asked to start in a new position, he said "put your arm back in there". "You want it out, take it out". I felt a little ashamed about what I asked for, and I admit to being a little amused by my white belt request. But in the end, my arm was locked there for a few more seconds and I did get it out in a position shift.

So what would you do in this "Mexican Standoff"? No one had a distinct advantage. I wrote about this about 4 months ago when a classmate got my back triangled and I would not give up the choke. It is possible to get in a stalemate in BJJ if either opponent is unwilling to smash ;). Perhaps that is why there is a five, six, and seven minute time limit to matches. And there is always a next class and another opportunity to roll. What would you do?

Ous.

Getting to Choose

I question the timing in writing this post as I feel pretty exhausted after class. But, as with the lesson I am about to share, all it takes sometimes is a willing brain; even if it needs a little coaxing.

I did not feel good enough to attend class today, but I would have felt even worse if I missed it. The past two weeks has taken a lot out of me caring for my son and the lack of sleep and stress that came with it. It all came to a head around 1:30 this afternoon. As I continued my duties as father, I take every Wednesday off to have father son day, I tried to pace myself to get ready for the prospect of attending class.

When I am in class, I do not like to do things half assed, because the results for my development would be half assed. But I admit today after the warm up and technical portion of the class, I was ready to pack it up, go home, and sulk. I told my Professor that I wanted to sit out for the roll and he said "alright". So I sat down for about 3 seconds until he called the Blue Belt line up. I stood up and told him to put me in the rotation. He even let me choose my partner so I chose one of the two toughest fighters around my size in the class today. I got the second in my second roll... ;)

I fought and I suffered and I loved it. After class, I told professor that I felt like death. He said he would not let that happen and said that the feeling was only going to push the bar just a little farther. I regret saying that because I have been in worse physical situations. I wish someone would kick the drama out of me sometimes, because there is no place for it as I progress. None.

So that brings me to what I had to re-learn tonight, a reminder. I do not have to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I get to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. If I feel ill, it would most likely be ego that stopped me from rolling, not the illness itself. If I get tapped, big deal, I still learn something. If I can stand on the mat, I should do everything I can to complete class because as Professor said, I will not die. And that is the best invitation to push the bar higher and higher. The best part is we get to choose to train!

Ous.

P.S. Although I feel like crap, my mind feels good. And that outweighs the physical pain! Time to sleep.

The BJJ Outlet

My son took really ill after we came back from our little vacation South. And it was torturous to watch my 18 month fight a battle like that; he has since recovered but must still put on more weight. One thing that helped me save my sanity from sleepless nights and a sense of loss of control was hitting the mat.

After class, I feel fantastic; like a weight has been lifted. I can come home again feeling refreshed and ready to take care of family business. Sometimes we all need a change of pace and BJJ is certainly a pretty big change of pace. Just another simple reason I like training and how it helps me improve my life...

Ous.

P.S. Stretching and ice has saved my arm yet again. It was just a muscle pull, I think. Anyway I am good to go for my next class. 99%!

"Pre" or "Self" Submission

Ever feel intimidated when fighting a larger, senior, or superior opponent? Does that intimidation lead you to hold back in hopes that your taking it easy will elicit the same response from your opponent? I have come to learn that this "pre-submissive" approach will earn you no quarter when rolling, especially when at an uncontrollable disadvantage.

I consider this "pre-submissive" fighting mind set to be different than "non-committal" in certain situations where experience is an issue; attempting take downs when fighting "stand-up" for the first time for example. Solving the "non-committal" mind set comes with time, as I am finding when gathering more experience and applying knowledge. Practice, practice, practice is the key to confidence of making commitments.

But "pre" or "self" submission has more to do with expectations of getting your ass whooped or being a victim. I have done a lot of thinking about this as I progress in BJJ and have figured out that this personal mental opponent can be conquered.

There are three specific things that I do before each match I fight where I think I may be out-matched.

1. Think of one thing I need, not want to, need to accomplish against the opponent. Sometimes, for me, it is not a submission but to score and hold a dominant position or to escape a position I found myself in the last time I rolled with the opponent. A small achievable goal...
   
   
2. When I bow and shake hands, the mutual respect shown means that I will most likely not die in the fight, so I should not be afraid to fight. Drop the emotion from the game. It is a mental, physical, and technical game of chess.
   
   
3. Be the thorn. I may not win, but I sure want my opponent to know they were in a fight. This means, even though I may not have a lot of skill yet, I will bring what I got and be quick to seize opportunity.
   

Much like when I wrote about the defensive mind set a few months ago, "pre" or "self" submissive mind sets can be equally detrimental to improvement in BJJ. I may not be able to control my opponent, but I can control myself. I suppose it all comes down to dropping the emotion and "given'er" when rolling. Small personal victories build up to real and measurable results in technical, mental, and physical BJJ development.

Ous.

P.S. In striking sports, the harder you hit, the harder you would get hit. In BJJ, quickly applying techniques and thinking faster will most likely not result in the same physical retaliation. So why set personal limits on playing your game?

Balancing the Big Three

There are three things that need to be balanced in order to ensure a happy life. Each of the big three need to be maintained at all times and none of them can be neglected. If one slips, everything will most likely suffer. I speak of this because Brazilian Jiu Jitsu plays a most important role in one of these major life elements. Here they are:

1. Personal development: This is where you take care of yourself and make your self better internally. To improve myself personally, I train in BJJ, exercise, read a lot, play, and work on personal tasks that sharpen my mind intelligently and creatively.
   
   
2. Family/Friends Development: We all need to be supported and need a home base to come back to to share. If my wife or son are unhappy, then you can bet that my unhappiness is sure to follow. And the same goes for friends; those relationships need to be taken care of in the form of hanging out, sharing experiences, and aiding when needed. All this takes as much work as personal development.
   
   
3. Professional Development: This can be literally related to the generation of cash for labor. All focus in professional development should only be aimed at generating wealth. Of course skills must be developed to get more and more, but skills development falls under personal development. The better your skills, the easier it is to put them to work for more wealth. Do I enjoy running my companies? Sure, but not at the expense of my family, friends, or personal development. But, again, there must be a balance because my business allows me time for the other two.
   

So why the life pep talk? Because if you are reading this right now, you probably train in BJJ and it is important that you understand this. Just like you should never let your training slide, keep an eye on the other things that matter. As you can see by the picture above, in 2001, I weighed in access of 215lbs because I concentrated too much on business, less on family, and very little on personal development. As a result, my life was not so good; I had man boobies for Christ's sake! So I have experienced what can happen if balance is broken and it isn't pretty.

It took a great deal of effort to put everything back in proper order and it is easier now that I understand what is required to maintain the big three. Just do not fall into the life unbalance trap, because it is hard to escape once in it. Personal, Family/Friends, and Professional development. Keep training as well no matter how tired or sore you are, because that is a major element to keeping everything together. Trust me, I know.

Ous.

Back from Vacation

I just got back from my first vacation in almost a year and a half. My wife, son, and I did a road trip to Washington DC and Virginia Beach; a 14 hour journey. I remember trips like this when I was not in shape and hotel beds and long car seat sitting would kill my back, but this marathon was a piece of cake this time round. Here is a quick summary of stuff and random thoughts if you are interested;

• Food in the US is very bad for you. On the road there is almost nothing nutritional to eat. I am happy to be back in Canada and my healthy food filled fridge.
• My son climbed every step of the Lincoln Memorial, a feat for most some people and he is only 18 months old. Every step!
• The best workout I had was the 2 or 3 hours of boogie boarding every day in Virginia Beach. I also enjoyed running in waves.
• Sports stores in the US kick ass. You can find things there you can not find in Canada. I picked up a Nike Speed Rope and one pound Finger Grip Ball cheap.
• There is nothing worse than knowing you are turning to meatloaf due to inactivity.

That is it, five things. I picked up SuperFit; the Royce Gracie book on working out for BJJ and will write a review shortly. It had some good things in it, but noting beats training in class. I will be back in class tomorrow and look forward to getting my ass kicked back into shape. But I have to warn every one in my class; I have a skipping rope now and I am not afraid to use it...

Ous.

Sakuraba vs. Carlos Newton

Third Stripe Grading

I just passed my third stripe grading. I would like to say that I feel relieved and I would also like to say that I feel good. But I do not feel relieved or good. I made a mistake that I will not make again and I am happy that I learned it now, early in the game. I tried to catch too many rabbits.

Sticking to the learning of fundamentals must trump all other learning, hype, or pursuit of accolades when concerning growth and development in BJJ. I must start at the beginning, move up step by step, and embrace and nurture fundamentals before moving forward if I truly care about BJJ. Foundation is everything and I lost sight of that for the past few weeks.

My error in this grading was focusing not only on the third stripe curriculum, but trying to tackle the fourth stripe list as well. I have a basic grasp of all of it, third and fourth stripe; a few private lessons with professor go a long way. But rather than turning out a spectacular grading performance, I felt mine was lack luster. I am ashamed and not because of what anyone else saw because it was not that bad visually, but because I hold myself to a standard that I feel I did not meet tonight. I am capable of nailing every single technique but my loss of focus killed that potential. I feel undeserving of my new stripe.

However, the stripe on my belt does not define me, I define the stripe on my belt. And I am pissed off just enough with myself to train harder and focus more on the basics. My new stripe will laugh at me every class and every roll until I set things right. And I can't wait to start all over again... ;)

Ous.

P.S. If you try to catch too many rabbits, you will not catch any.

Gracie Family ESPN Special

Gracie Jiu Jitsu History

Talk is Cheap

You have to do the work. ;)

Ous.

The Next Level

I stand at the shore overlooking an ocean of possibilities. It has been just under a year since I started studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and I can say that I am finally scraping the surface of what this is all about. Of course seeing is different than doing and that is different than saying, but for myself, the picture that I am drawing is undeniable. I am starting to understand.

After 6 years of Karate around the time I received my invitation to grade for Shodan, that was the time I started to "get it". And things were clearer after the year and a half of intense preparation to achieve my Black Belt. It has been years since I earned that belt and I buried those teachings. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is un-earthing the core of those learnings.

The only problem with an ocean of possibilities is you first need a boat. And that boat needs to be constantly worked on and improved in order to float in a sometimes calm or a sometimes choppy ocean. The better you take care of that boat, the better it will work for you.

The challenge after the boat is in good working order is how to steer it. You can go forward, left, right, circle around, stop, and reverse. A captain can adapt to the conditions of the ocean and with more time spent on the water, can anticipate conditions and go with the flow. If the captain makes a mistake, the boat could get damaged and sink. And that happens. But the boat can be rebuilt and the captain should know better for the next time.

Now that the boat is in good working order and the captain has some skill in controlling the boat it is time for the navigator or pilot to take charge. Because the ocean is so large, the pilot has the tough duty of leading the captain in the right direction. The direction depends on the destination. The tough part is figuring out the destination. And that is the place where I am at.

My boat (body) is in pretty good condition. My captain (techniques and rolling skills) are improving in every class. My navigator (game plan) has not yet been developed to a place where it is functional.

At a white belt level, where I am happy to be, I must go with the flow. And that is a lot of fun when training because I do not know what to expect. But I understand that the next level is putting together a plan of action in every roll for every position in order to move myself forward. I mentioned this in an earlier post, but when I actually started to do this, I found out exactly how much I know about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

My three options from each position. What do I try first or based on my opponent's position. If that fails, what next. If that works, what next. Knowing what I need to have myself in the proper position for what I want to do. The plan falls apart, how can I adapt to get back to a place I need to be to work my plan.

Once the plan is established, it must be practiced until second nature. It is a matter of applying the plan faster and faster with more accuracy. It all starts with writing it down from memory. If you can do that without looking at notes, you know it sits in your mind as a functional extention of what is possible or that you can actually do. Then memorize the plan and work on every element until it you have it consistently. All plans can be modified and improved as needed. But everyone must start somewhere.

As I said in the beginning; seeing is different than doing and that is different than saying. I may not have mastered all the techniques I have learned over the past year. But I know what I like and I think I can tie them all together to really build my base; my next step in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Ous.

Masahiko Kimura

A Saturday Full of BJJ

I woke up this morning bright and early to take my wife to work; a Saturday call in at her government job. Today I would be responsible for my son all day, as I usually am because he is my priority. The only challenge for me is I had planned to spend the day at a pretty big BJJ Tournament; the Bravado Open Tournament followed by the Ontario Invitationals. I made the decision, rather than visit the Zoo for the day like last weekend, to bring my son the tournament. My son is 17 months old, which pretty qualifies me for a job in the cat herding sector.

We, my son Aiden and I, showed up at the tournament around 1:00 in the afternoon. We were welcomed by the school gym full of the humid heat of competition and my Professor smiling and waving me over. As I sat with teammate Timmy, we instantly got to enjoy some of my teammates fight; Victor was very impressive in his second match victory. And Oscar had a great fight a few minutes later in another win for our team. There were many other great matches in all four rings.

That was pretty much it for the first half of the tournament; good fights and some unmentionable drama. The next part of the tourney was the Invitational where we would get to see some of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters in our area put on a show.

The team all showed for this part because Jonathan Lee, was invited to fight another tough 125lbs fighter from Joslin's, Greg Chadd. But Jonathan was not the only one of our team to fight; Sam Osman was also fighting for the intermediate open weight title.

Let's start with Sam. He is by far one of my favourite fighters and not because of his size or skill. I have never met someone with his spirit. You see, Sam takes BJJ and competition very seriously, a seriousness that one does not often see in people. Some people find it intimidating, I find it utterly refreshing and to put it bluntly, kick ass. His fight was with a another fighter who cleaned out their division to make it to the open weight division final. Sam had a tough fight against his very mobile opponent and won on points, 5 to 0 I think. It was a fun fight to watch because I role with Sam often and picked up some ideas. Hear that Sam... ;)

Now for Jonathan. He was one of the main reasons I attended today. Jonathan was born August 30th, 1986 making him a full 10 years younger than me... I was born August 31, 1976 :). I know, a useless factoid. Anyway, he was invited to fight in this tournament against a pretty tough fighter from Joslin's as I mentioned before. I was expecting a long game of chess but it turned out to be a 2 move checkmate. Jonathan went for the Triangle and then transitioned to a foot lock. 26 seconds after beginning, the fight was over. He won convincingly.

So today I walked home with an exhausted toddler, some new Keiko Raca fight pants, and the joy of watching my team kick some ass. As I close out my long day I sip my cold beer and write this post I think, "Man, I love this BJJ stuff".

Ous.

The FightWorks Podcast

For the past two months I have been an avid listener of the FightWorks Podcast. If you do not know what it is, your in luck because I am about to tell you. The FightWorks Podcast is an internet radio show on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu hosted by Caleb from the Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu Association school, FightWorks in Sterling, Virginia.

The weekly show covers many cool topics to anyone interested in BJJ with just a hint of MMA. All interviews are informative and in my opinion the best source on what is going on; Caleb does not trawl the Underground for info, he goes right to the source. And by source, I mean the likes of Royce Gracie, Roger Gracie, Relson Gracie, Rich Franklin, Dean Lister, Saulo Ribeiro, and others.

If you love the sport and want to be entertained and informed each week, check out the FightWorks Podcast. Here is the link (You will need iTunes installed): The FightWorks Podcast.

Ous.

Developing My Game Plan

Like most the people I train with, and those who I speak with regarding Brazilian Jiu Jitsu; we all consume vast amounts of subject material. There is no shortage of training videos, articles, step by step pictures, books, etc... You could spend all day, every day checking this stuff out. But how much would sink in? For me a least, not much.

There comes a time when you have to think about YOUR game and not the BJJ Superstars' you see on TV. In our school, we have a curriculum we follow for our development and advancement; I spoke about it in an earlier article. That curriculum provides the techniques for various situations, but as I am continually discovering, it does a whole lot more.

A move is just a move. But when broken down into specific parts, it demonstrates crucial mechanics for many other movements, transitions, and situations. No advanced move can be performed without the solid fundamentals found in the basic move.

So that takes me to the point. There is a lot of stuff out there to consume and a basic curriculum to be followed in class. Now that I am coming to my one year anniversary in BJJ, I am ready to start taking these two things and putting together my own personal game plan. Of course, right now, I have my favourite techniques which I have some success with when rolling. But I think it is time to take it to the next level.

My plan is this; put the plan to paper. I will write down my favourite two or three techiques from each position. I will review these techniques in the "randori" or rolling part of class as best I can. I can then add notes to my successes and failures as I remember them. I can make adjusments as I go and ask my seniors for advice and assistance.

Once I have a better understanding of my base, I can tie everything together for my "game plan". The best part is I can add or subtract and shift around. This way I do not limit myself.

I think this way, I can focus on what is important and not use a shot gun approach and hit everything I see or read about. If I try to catch too many rabbits at one time, I will not catch any.

Ous.

P.S. I may even put this online so you can see what I am up to.

10 Day Master Cleanse Completed

I have now been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu every week for just over 11 months and I can only see myself getting better. I have learned what my limits are at this point and know that I can improve dramatically mentally and physically as I continue training. I have just finished a major mental and physical challenge I laid out for myself about two weeks ago; The Master Cleanse.

Basically the Master Cleanse is a 10 day fast that "new age hippies" engage in to empty out and clean their colon as well as detoxify their system. I am in no way new age or hippie, so I will share my 29 year old, beer drinking, Nintendo playing, UFC watching, normal guy opinion of the hell I just put myself through.

Firstly I must say that this cleanse is not for everyone. It is hard to eat no food for 10 days straight; no chewing, no biting, and no flavour other than lemon juice, cayenne, and pure maple syrup. The only exercise my jaw got was from talking.

The main challenge for someone who trains is the lack of nutrition that our healthy conditioned bodies need. I missed the last two classes because of lack of fuel; which sucks for someone who loves training. If you enjoy training consistently, do not do this cleanse because you will have to miss a couple of classes to complete it.

During the cleanse, I had strong days and weak days. Because I cook dinner for my wife and son, this time was the most challenging because I make tasty stuff. Other than that, my discipline was strong. I found that my mind wanted to stay active but my body would not go. In the end, even my mind got tired and my memory was not working at normal levels.

I lost a few pounds of fat and a some by emptying my colon. I used to hover between 168lbs and 171lbs depending on the day. I now weigh in at 162lbs after the cleanse. I plan on doing some strategic re-building of my weight by concentrating on muscle building using protein shakes, and more anaerobic exercise. I think just eating alone will put more air in the balloon anyway.

In hind sight, I probably should not have done this Master Cleanse, but it is now done and over with. I can now get back to the business of training and getting better. Will I do the cleanse again? I do not know. It depends on how much someone is willing to bet me I guess...

Ous.

P.S. for more info on the Master Cleanse, check out this site: http://www.therawfoodsite.com/

Drake " ULTIMATE " Dudley

Good BJJ UCLA PCT Match

Copa Pacifica 2006 BJJ Black Belt fight between BJJ Revolution and Joan Silvia. Joan does a jacked up takedown attempt halfway into the fight (7:20 in); you can hear the crowd boo big-time.

Why We Train? Matt Thornton

My classmate, David, told me to check out this video from Iceland presented by Matt Thornton. It is a good presentation of the BJJ "why we train" idiology.

M. Hughes V. Over R. Gracie

I want to get my thoughts out of my head before they are skewed by all the other chatter that will be tossed back and forth for the next week or so on the Matt Hughes victory over Royce Gracie. I usually do not comment on MMA or things outside my training, so this will be a rare opinionated post. Please excuse me.

I had high expectations for Royce Gracie to come out on top in this fight. I, for many years, have put him and Gracie Jiu Jitsu on a pedestal, even as a Black Belt in Goju Ryu Karate. He was the face of closure in the age old martial arts debate of "my Dad can beat your Dad". Has the foundation been shaken? Of course it has. Because of this fight? No.

The best thing that could happened for the development of Martial Arts is that Royce Gracie would lose to a "Mixed Martial Artist". The reason is; evolution never stops, in anything. We watch color TVs today while our parents watched Black and White. Our kids will probably watch something that makes color look black and white in the future. It will never stop.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu of 1993 and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu of 2006 is different. Fighters are different. If we profess that ours is better than the theirs, we put ourselves in a nice, safe little box where we can be comfortable in our ignorance. Development demands impermanence. Foundations must shake and break and then be re-built. And not by us, but those crazy and fully dedicated fighters we try to be like on TV. They lead the way, as they did in '93 when this whole martial art debate went mainstream.

Has my confidence been shaken in BJJ after watching this? Hell no. Every fight was won with the stuff we learn in class every week. I could see every move in almost slow motion; except for the Sanchez/Alessio which was my favorite of the night. This is because we learn what works. Is it or should it be called Gracie Jiu Jitsu? Well, that is the best label for it, so yeah. But in the end it is all called "fighting", and sometimes it all comes down to the man. Tonight that man was Matt Hughes.

Ous.

P.S. Nothing is as fun as having a couple Guinness and watching fights with the team. I had a blast and can not wait until the next event!

Royce Gracie MMA Highlights

Mizo no kokoro

Kodokan Judo 10th dan Kyuzo Mifune and his students demonstrate Judo tachi- and ne-waza techniques, randori and kata.

Marcelo Garcia OW 2006

Tape - My New Best Friend

I am back in class now after taking off 3 classes to recover from a hand injury. I was a little nervous when stepping back on the mat because the guys on our team are so good, you miss only one class, you get your ass kicked when you come back.

My concern was not for my stamina because I stayed active while in recovery. My concern was for my hand. Because I had a pretty bad injury with my thumb 5 or 6 months ago, I know what it is like to not have full use of an essential tool for fighting. But how do I contend without the full use of three of my fingers and a messed up wrist. The answer: very carefully.

The key to avoiding re-injury in this case was imobilization. Over the past few weeks of trying to understand what motions caused pain, I figured out how to best effectively tape my fingers together to allow me a desired range of motion while still protecting the healing parts. In this case, two pieces of tape in between the first and second and second and third nuckle holding my index finger and middle finger together. My index finger acted as a splint for my other three injured finger nuckles. And I had full use of my hand.

So at this point, when I see the professionals tape up, I know that there is a reason. And understanding how to tape an injury just right is an essential art in our kind of combat sport. The best part; 6 rolls of hockey tape at Canadian Tire for just 12 bucks. For that price I can get injured every day of the week and twice on Sunday and never go bankrupt buying tape. Thank you Canadian Tire!!!

Ous.

My Recent Inactivity

Over the past two weeks I have been nursing a left hand injury that occurred at the Canadian Nationals that I wrote about a week and a half ago. In the No Gi division, I felt like I was being picked apart by this really kick ass fighter from Joslin's; I do not remember his name. He was up on points and with about a minute and a half to go it happened.

On a pass from Half Guard, my opponent pulled his leg out and attempted to roll up to either a high side mount or north south. The only problem was my elbow was braced to the floor and my hand tried to stop the freight train. The result was my fingers were bent back, I do not know how far, and the match was over. The Ambulance guys slowly made their way over to me with a nice bag of ice and said nothing was broken.

Today I have about 30% strength in my left hand and it sometimes throbs in between my index and middle finger and the blade of my hand. Typing is a bitch as well as some other extra curricular activities... You know, lifting things...

I have taken the last 3 classes off to nurse it and it is getting better. I will be in class next week, but the lure of rolling is sometimes too strong and I may just want to jump in and go. But if I learned anything from my thumb injury from last year is that these things take time. So it looks like I get to watch all the fun happen around me and wait.

Ous.

I have heard Professor say this, and I will take it to heart next time; "Do not get in a position that will turn your injury into a liability".

Royce Gracie Media Workout

I can't wait until the 27th!

Another BJJ Demo Video

BJJ Demo Video

Marcelo Garcia On BJJ

Roger Gracie vs. Jacare

The video is a little shaken, but the fight is good. 2005 Europeans.

My First BJJ Tournament

Part 1: Waking Up

I woke up this morning for the first time in over a week without having to step on a scale because today my exact weight is no longer a concern. Yesterday, my weight was one of the top things on my mind because for the first time in my life, weighing under 170 pounds was actually important. Why was it so important?

Yesterday I competed first grappling tournament; the 170 pound beginner division of the CJA Canadian Nationals in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. I made the decision to compete, not because of the potential glory of placing, but because I wanted to measure my skill against other dedicated students of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from outside my team.

The tournament showing was low. There were only around 9 fighters in my division alone; the most populated division of the day. But each of these nine fighters were dedicated enough to wake up a 6 AM on a Sunday morning and drive over an hour (in some cases 2 hours) to Barrie, just to fight some strangers. Because they showed simply up it implied that they had the potential and the belief to "take it home".

Part 2: The Super Unknown

Nothing could prepare me for what I had to face. I practically starved myself the day before to hit my weight; I had gained a few pounds of muscle over the past few weeks training for the tournament. But starving myself did not make me hungry for food; I wanted to step in the ring and face the unknown.

I found that once I stepped in the ring and faced my first opponent, a great calm came over me. A peaceful quiet. All complications left my mind and I only had to focus on one thing; destroying my opponent. When the clinch happened, it was like fireworks and I swear I heard the bellowing chorus of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" in my soul. It was awesome!

I took my opponent down I established series of controlling positions that had been drilled into my head and body over the past 10 or so months racking up points. But I admit I did not do it alone; Professor was playing me like a Nintendo game from the side of the ring. There was only one problem, my opponent was strong and wanted out and after a few minutes he got his wish by pushing up on my trachea. Nice. I was, at this point, not content with winning by points, I wanted a submission so I went for an arm bar. I could hear my entire team shouting to keep control because there were only a few seconds to go. So I took control and won the fight.

And that was the beginning of the end of my chances of moving forward to the medal round that day. Due to an error at the judges table and my ignorance of the form submission process, my opponent was credited with the victory and moved on. The confusing events that followed are not important as the process was tainted and the details boring. But I did defeat myself in my next match. With a bruised trachea from my first match going in, I was magically submitted by guillotine on the ground. Funny how that kind of thing happens.

After the tournament, I do have some lessons learned;

• You do have to be very prepared physically to compete. Going to class alone will not cut it.
  
• Fighting in a tournament is not the same game that you play in class; it is far more serious because there are stakes involved.
• Injuries will probably occur if you are not careful. And may occur even if you are.
  
• There are some really great fighters out there and you will not truly know what a fighter is until you get into ring yourself.
  
• The tournament is not as fun as spilling beers and sharing stories at a restaurant with teammates after it is over.

So that's it. I woke up today with a swollen left hand from a no gi fight, bruised trachea, sore muscles, and a desire to do it all over again. Why? Because I see potential in myself to do better the next time. This tournament style Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has a different taste and some new tastes, once acquired, taste good.

Ous.

P.S. Today I played "So What" by Miles Davis for my 15 month old son and he dug it.

What was I thinking?

Tonight I did something that is very uncharacteristic, stupid, and certainly way above my skill level. When rolling with one of the Blue belts, Jason, starting from stand up I grabbed his right arm, jumped up, put my right shin in his armpit, and kicked my left leg over his head; I tried a flying arm bar. And here is the strange thing; I had never practiced it and only seen it applied a few times in videos. A very reckless mistake on my part.

I do not know how or why it happened, it just did. And the thing that broke the "almost" lock is when gravity slammed me into the ground and I blanked out for a second. Not to mention that Jason came crashing down onto me and I took a nice unintentional elbow to the nose and mouth causing me to blank out for a moment or two. For the rest of my roll, I was in a dazed auto pilot.

For the past few weeks I have been stepping up my training for my first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament this Sunday. This is my last class before my final physical and mental preparation. I am feeling a little bit of pressure, I admit. But it is more excitement to compete with the unknown than anything else. I know I have been training hard and all the tools for success have been given to me. My biggest concern is that my adrenaline will take over and I become clumsy or reckless with my technique; like I did tonight. Guess what I will be thinking about for the next few days... ;)

And, will I try a flying arm bar again? Of course because it is a slick submission! But there are a lot of other things I need to work on first. I am deeply ashamed for losing my head like that and doing something that could have caused a team mate or my self an injury. I am also thankful that Jason is freakishly tough. The only good thing is, I learn from my mistakes. And the bigger the mistake, the more of an impact the lesson will have on me.

Ous.

P.S. Damn Mikey, how the hell did you get my back again?

Eye on the Prize

How often do you actually look when fighting on the ground? I mean really use your eyes and try to see what is going on? As a product of the Nintendo generation, I thought my hand eye coordination was pretty good. Well, as it turns out, my hand eye coordination is not that good when put under fatigue, stress, and duress of a roll.

Sure, I rely on feeling what is going on as it is happening. But is that enough? Sometimes "as it is happening" is too late. And not only that, if you do not have the ability to use your eyes, you are probably in a bad position; being able to effectively "see" means you are most likely in a good position with good posture. And as Martha Stewart learned from her fights in prison, seeing what is coming "is a good thing".

But is it enough to simply be able to "see"? Seeing is only one part of a sequence of internal events that must take place in order to apply your will. First you must "see". Then you must "interpret". Then you must "respond" to what you have seen. The more you can see, and the more time you have for interpretation (unless you are a fast thinker or have lots of body memory), the better your response should be.

Using your eyes is just another tool that, I think, can be developed in addition to body memory. (Body memory is interpretation without seeing). Interpretation comes from skills developed in class and materials consumed off the mat like videos, pictures, articles, etc.

So, if you are put in a position where you can't see, try to get back to a place where you can. Because, again, if you are in a place where you can see what is going on, you will have a much easier time determining where you are supposed to be going.

Ous.

ESPN Gracie Family Special

Another nice little Gracie Family documentary from ESPN.

One Hundred Pound Quarter

The distribution of weight by means of mobility, position, and balance is essential for control of top position and understanding how to escape from bottom. Last night we worked an effective pass from butterfly guard. But it was only effective if certain conditions were created; proper weight distribution was a major key to controlling the transition.

A quarter is pretty easy to pick up off the ground. But what if that quarter weighed over a hundred pounds? Not as easy. And what if that hundred plus pound quarter was sitting squarely on your chest as you tried to do a sit up?

When rolling with some of the guys in my class and especially Professor, it feels like they have a roll of hundred pound quarters and they are constantly placing them on my "sit up" points. I have found that anticipating where they want to weigh me down helps me shimmy out of the way. It has also helps to try to keep control of my hips, stay on my side, and keep my elbows and knees between my opponent and I as much as possible.

As for my hundred pound quarters, I am still learning how to invest. But I have some pretty good advisors and difficult lessons seem to sink deep.

Ous.

Fedor vs. Alek Emelianenko

This is a Sambo fight between Fedor and brother Aleksander Emelianenko. Check out the takedown and turtle flip. I wish I had a brother...

Pins and Needles

In order to isolate specific advantage in any position, it is essential to use "Pins" or "Needles" as tools to do so.

A "Pin" would be considered locking down any element of an opponent; getting heavy on a part of an opponent so they can not move. Even using their weight or part of their body to stop their desired motion like pinning their shoulder to the ground, arm across their chest, head to one direction. One pin I find especially effective is using my shin on the inside of an opponent's thigh when passing guard, because they have trouble lifting their leg, and a measure of pain is delivered.

A "Needle" would be considered using pain as a persuader to open up, move in a specific direction, or as in last class, motivate a tap. An elbow on the side of the neck, a knee on belly (also a good pin), or any pressure applied to a nerve are good "needles". And no-one likes needles, so they are effective tools to not only motivate a desired response, but also shift an opponent's concentration away from offence to defense.

It is not the same when a fighter moves because he wants to move, and another when he moves because he has to.

Joe Frazier,
1944

I think is as important, now that I am finally understanding the game, to not only focus on specific techniques, but also the small little "why" and "how" stuff. Every class when I get caught with something, I do my best to remember how it happened and correct it in my mind for next class. One thing, over and over. I find it less likely I am caught with the same thing again, well, it does not get applied as easy if it does happen.

Ous.

P.S. Someone who always has cool little and effective tips is the Blue belt Jason from our class. Two weeks ago he spent some time with a few of us after class explaining different ways to break someone's resistance to an arm bar. Slick bio-mechanical stuff from his personal experience. These little things are golden.

Ba Da Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bas Rutten - Ba Da Bang! Bang! Bang! Ha. Ha. Ha.

Pressure Cooker

You get to determine your own level of involvement. You choose to show up and to bring your game or you don't. And the game is extra hard sometimes, especially when you are nursing injuries or discomforts. And you can injure more than just your body; ego can take a beating sometimes too. But if you can't get past conquering those discomforts, you end up suffering in the end.

The best thing about these different kinds of pains and pressures is that help you understand what you need to work on. If you get your thumb bent back; keep it tucked in next time (this lesson can be taught over a two month period...). You run out of gas; train a little harder. You have trouble applying a certain technique; break it down into pieces and work on it piece by piece. You thought you would own the fight, but your ass was handed to you; ego will always beat you first so it is better to let it go. Facing your challenges makes you an effective person.

Taking challenges head on is the most important thing you can do in life. And always look for harder challenges, because that will help you grow better and faster than those who don't. Do not run away from or give up on the important fights; those kinds of losses stack up and follow you for the rest of your life.

Why the preach? Well, my problem is that I see people quit sometimes who had some potential. And not just BJJ, but other things too. I admit that I am not perfect either and I have my share of shame because I dropped the ball a few times. But I still try to keep myself in the pressure cooker, and so should they. Fight the hard fights. And remember to stay out on a limb, because that is where the fruit is.

Ous.

P.S. The opinions of others mean less than nothing when you are in control.

Rolling with Professor

Last night I rolled with Professor Schilling for the first time in a while. Anytime I get a chance to test my skill against my teacher's is a great opportunity. So here is how it went...

I attack and get tapped. I attack and then get tapped. Then I attack, get flipped, and then tap. Four and a half minutes to go. Tap. Defend. Tap. Tap. Almost fall asleep... Tap. You get the idea. I may have exaggerated the amount of times I tapped, but do not exaggerate the skill in which Professor "Pwnd" me. The best part was after it was over he pointed to himself and said, "Got Jits". Classic.

There was one difference rolling with Professor this time, than the last time a few months ago. My stamina has increased and I can move a lot faster. So basically, I can get tapped faster and more often and still be able to roll a few more times afterwards.

Man, one day, if I can do what he did to me to someone else... ahh yeah.

Ous.

P.S. Thanks Sam, for looking at my forearm and giving me some peace of mind.

ADCC 2005 Highlights

Some highlights from ADCC 2005.

M. Garcia vs. D. Sanchez

A kick ass ADCC Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappling match between Marcelo Garcia and TUF Winner Diego Sanchez.

Don't Sleep On It

Our past Wednesday class was devoted to a senior belt grading where our blue belts and purple belt graded. I have to admit, it was more like a demonstration than a grading to the white belt line watching. Basically those who graded were asked to demonstrate technique after technique in different situations from memory. It appeared to me that 80% of what I saw was based directly on the white belt curriculum. The other 20% was some pure candy. My personal favourite was Tommy's Turtle Choke. Slick!

From watching the grading, it made me realize how important it is to have a series of techniques dedicated to memory and be able to draw upon them when needed. Earlier this week I wrote about thinking faster; essential. But it is more than that; acting faster and just going for it is even more important.

"G", one of my seniors and solid fighter, expressed the importance of building a strong base technique, or two, or three for each situation that could be drawn upon easily. That base of techniques will provide a strong launch pad for future applied curriculum. That, tied in with Professor's "attack, attack, attack" mentality would make for a pretty good fight plan against any opponent. But more than those two elements, hesitation must be reduced or eliminated to be effective.

If an opponent gets an advantageous position and I stop to think about how to escape; that hesitation will be the opportunity my opponent needs to submit me. So I must act fast and hope for the best. The only challenges for me with this "act quick" mind set is that the game speed will increase, I have to fight to curb clumsy or gross movements, and build my stamina to compensate for the lack of stationary position time.

So, at this point in my game, my biggest opponent is myself. How do I want to roll? How will I go about improving my game. I think, because I am getting to a good place in my training, if I can concentrate on indentifying one personal error and correct it the next time I roll, I will keep getting better and better faster. There are hundreds of classes to come, so I have lots of time and opportunity to improve...

Ous.

P.S. Always be quick to seize opportunity.

Royce Gracie vs. Kung Fu

I am starting to see a trend here with this clever BJJ propaganda...

BJJ Animal Farm Explained

Two days ago I wrote a short parable about an animal farm based on a weird dream I had after class on Monday. Don't ask. I was aware when writing it that it would be a little cryptic, but I figured I would try to emulate George Orwell a little, the author who actually wrote a book called "Animal Farm", and talk in analogies. And now for the explanations...

Each animal on BJJ Animal Farm represents a belt level in BJJ; or a fighters mind set in a fight. The barn on fire from the storm represents a fight, or a specific situation in a fight with the wide open barn door representing the escape or opportunity.

• The Farmer would be the Professor or instructor who generally sees a storm (situation) coming from miles away. Their job is to look after the animals or students.
  
  
• The pigs would be Black or Brown belts because they read signs that no one else can see and will act at the earliest opportunity. Why did I chose pigs to be Black and Brown belts? In Orwell's Animal Farm, the Pigs controlled everything; crafty, devious, controlling, and mentally savvy warriors. If you read the book, you will understand. And because that is how it was in my dream... ?
  
  
• The sheep dogs would be a Purple belt; smart, good fighters, helpful, and a little slower to react than a Brown or Black belt in certain situations.
  
  
• The sheep would be Blue belts who follow instructions well. But, no offense to any Blue belt, but still reliant on instruction or "herding" to be a better sheep.
  
  
• Horses would be a pretty good White belt but still not smart enough to leave the burning barn without some help. Not too many horses follow instructions well, but they are known as hard workers.
  
  
• And finally, the Cows are new level White belts who may just stay in a bad situation no matter how loud the farmer shouts instructions.

At the end, I talked about how after the storm, the Farmer surveyed the situation and took count of his animals; gradings and course corrections. Every fight is just a moment in time and will be repeated, just like a bad storm. Sometimes there is damage, but the rebuilding is often better than the original product.

So there you have it, the most far out thing I think I have written based on a weird dream.

Ous.

P.S. The chickens represent people who don't train. That is just how it was in my dream... ;)

Royce Gracie Interview

Rorion Gracie vs. Hapkido

Rorion Grace vs. Hapkido instructor. Close the distance...

BJJ Animal Farm

It was a dry, hot August on the animal farm. The farmer worked hard taking care of his animals; making sure they were safe and looked after under the relentless summer heat. The pigs spent their days rolling in the mud to keep cool. The sheep dogs spent their time keeping the sheep together in the field and took a break every once and a while to lay in the shade of the nearby orchard. The cows and the horses slowly chewed the cud doled out by the farmer. And the chickens stayed in their coup, out of sight in the dark.

One night, loud thunder rippled across the wide open farmland. Now because August is so damn hot, it keeps pretty dry too. And when a storm comes, it does not bring much rain with it. A dangerous time for farmers and their animals.

As the animals laid down in their barn for the night, the pigs watched the farmer who stood in the field gazing at the flashing sky in the distance. He began pacing back and forth; not a good sign figured the pigs. Then the farmer headed back into the farm house and closed the door. As the other animals fell asleep, the pigs stayed awake.

In the early darkness of morning the once distant storm came upon the farm. Lightning hit a tree in the orchard with an explosion of sound and light; the leaves erupted in flame. The farmer bursted out of his house and ran into the yard, just as lightning cracked and hit the barn. Flame erupted and engulfed the entire side of the barn.

The farmer ran towards the barn, yelling muffled instructions. As he lifted the latch on the barn door, the pigs were waiting and made a dash into the field. The dogs barked at the sheep; aware that something was wrong, although they could not see the fire from inside the barn. As the dogs left the barn quickly, the sheep slowly followed.

Fire covered the roof of the barn and inside it became smoky and hot. The cows and the horses struggled in confusion. The farmer stood at the doorway yelling something, but only the horses showed some understanding. The horses then clumsily and slowly left through the wide open door.

The farmer stood with empathy as the cows just stayed there, in their wide open stalls. He knew they were just cows, but he continued yelling instructions. They did not move, confused by all the commotion, smoke, and the now unbearable heat from the fire. Some cows eventually exited the barn with burns while others were consumed by the collapsing structure.

As the sun came up, the farmer wandered his farm; surveying what he had lost the night before and took count of the animals that survived. The barn would be rebuilt, but some animals could not be replaced. All the animals were a little more aware of what a storm could bring after the destruction of the barn.

The farmer continued to tend to his animals despite the challenges, because that is what a farmer does.

Ous.

Think Fast

Drilling techniques requires a mutual give and take by both participants. There is a set up and a conclusion to the technique. In essence, the position is spoon fed to allow the technique or attack to happen properly. This is essential to get the move down pat.

The challenge in rolling is to quickly identify the opportunity and perform a specific technique. And generally the opportunity will pass by as a transition from one move or position to another occurs. There is only a split second in which to identify a possibility and go for it. Many times I find that "I just missed it, crap".

There are times where I can dictate how I want an opponent to move by giving a little persuasion. This allows me to perform the set up to get the attack I want. This works less frequently, if at all, on some of the senior belts; they know what I am thinking for some strange reason. But that does not mean that there is no opportunity, there is. But why do I feel like a deer trapped in the head lights?

After class tonight I had the opportunity to watch Professor and one of our senior belts, Jonathan, role. One of my classmates, Oscar, said that it was like watching "Fireworks". His description was right on. The roll was fluid, continuous, technically fascinating (pardon my assessment, I am in no position to judge technique), and awesome to watch. All I can say is, "that is where I want to go".

So, I will continue to practice. Analyze my game after class. Play in my mind. Work on the tools to make my techniques easier to apply. As of today, I have been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over nine months. And I can say that I feel less clumsy and things are starting to make more sense. As for the "Think Fast" thing, I think I need to think less to think faster. Or as Bruce Lee said, "Don't think. Feel."

Ous.

No Gi Arm Bar & Triangle

Nice little instructional of no gi arm bar and triangle from Ultimate Joe.

Fear

They outweigh you by 30 to 60 pounds. They are stronger than you. They are fast, very fast. They know how to take you apart piece by piece; their skill is very good. They, or monsters like them, are the reason you closed your closet door and checked under your bed when you went to sleep at night. And for the next five, six, or maybe even seven minutes, you have no night light to keep you safe. Ever felt this way?

Big deal. It is all nonsense. They are human just like you and guess what, every one makes mistakes sometimes. Everyone. And all you have to do is stay in the fight and not give up. At least let your opponent know that they have been in a fight, and that is sometimes good enough.

You may be in for an ass kickin, but as long as you fight, you will get better. You will get stronger. And your frustration will cause you to fight your biggest opponent hundreds of times in your own mind thinking of ways to win; that is also good training. And one day you will win, as long as you keep fighting as hard as you can.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Frank Herbert

Why are you training in BJJ anyway? It is more than just improve your mind and body, although you may not be aware of it. It is better to bruise in practice than to bleed in battle. Get your ass kicked, thank your opponent, and ask for more.

Ous.

Injuries Just Happen

It is a full contact sport and sometimes, even with caution, injuries just happen. In Monday's class, I sprained my wrist; big deal. In fact, I did not even realize what had happened until after class when I got home and started to relax and my wrist started to throb and smart when rotated. Nothing a little ice, tensor bandage and some immobilization for a few days would not fix; my wrist feels a little better already.

Sometimes down time is as valuable as uptime, although I prefer uptime. But this week, I just chilled out for the first time in a while. No posts, light workouts and stretching, and focused on some other aspects of my life; there are many. :)

Injuries force a change of pace and helps stave off burn out and more injuries. Like when you get a cold or the flu, your body tells you to chill for a while. But when the sickness is gone, it is back to work time. And since my wrist starting to feel better...

Ous.

Nogueira Instructional

Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira shares some effective techniques. The leg locks I do not think are for me yet; There is no way I am comfortable working on someone's knee or side ankle for a submission. Besides, I think these are off limits for white belts.

Five Machado Submissions

These five moves are pretty slick. #2 and #4 are my favourites.

Popcorn and Toast

On Wednesday, we were working some pretty effective escapes from side mount bottom. Without getting into specifics, there were two things I noticed that were essential to first setting up the escape and then second performing the escape.

Popcorn

If you are being held down and your arms are not in the right place, you need to make space where your arms should be to set up the escape. Once the proper space is created, you must quickly fill that space with your arms. The motion reminded me of being like popcorn; popping up and down with my hips and legs to lift my opponent off me for a fraction of a second. When the opponent is up, I come down as I push my hands and arms into proper position. If I do not get my arm in the right place for the escape, I keep "popping" until it is there, just like popcorn.

Toast

Once the escape is set up and arms are in the right position, legs are set up for the push; I become like toast. Toast is the is the full motion to escape and requires full dedication to get out; you do not put toast back in the toaster. And now that I think about it, I am not toast when I escape, I am more like the toaster; my opponent is toast. ;)

Just two random thoughts on popcorn and toast; effective in some situations. These two essential movements get stronger and stronger as I strengthen my hips and my bridge. I still need work on learning how to lean up and base with my arm...

Ous.

Origins - Helio Gracie

A discussion on the origins of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from the founder. These stories are great!

Habits - Good and Bad

After class tonight I had a quick chat with one of the senior blue belts of our team, Jason. I was explaining how I would prefer being swept to give me opponent top mount because I can escape bottom mount easier than passing a tight closed guard... I have been spending a great deal of time developing my Upa.

Jason pointed out the flaw in my logic of giving up position the "easy" way; "Would you like to be on the bottom of a mount on the street?" and "If you compete, getting mount is worth 4 points." He was right, of course. Rolling is a fun game of chess, but every class I start taking "the game" a little more seriously. And this is where habits come into play.

If I develop bad habits, they will cause me great problems moving forward. Having the senior belts and Professor Schilling make corrections to my learning and training, from the theory to details, will make be a better fighter and perhaps a good teacher in the future. We all know that a bad habit is hard to break, well, so is a good one. Being a white belt and listening, really listening, and constantly trying to form good habits is probably the most important thing in developing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Good habits.

I have to start working very hard on my guard passes; not my favourite thing, but that I think is a good habit to develop moving forward. And keeping what I earn... Another good habit.

Ous!

P.S. In class tonight, Professor Schilling mentioned two books we should pick up; The Gift of Fear and Protecting the Gift by Gavin De Becker. I am a father of 13 month old son, and his safety, as well as my wife's, are always on my mind. I will be picking up the Protecting the Gift book next time I am at the book store, or perhaps the library ;).

GotJits.com Forum Online

It took a week to get up and running, but the GotJits.com forum is now finally online. Why another forum? Well, there are a lot of MMA forums and school forums, but this forum is all about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. And, although it amuses me to read my own writing, I would like to get some other perspectives from other people who train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

And sure, there will be a mix of other martial arts talk in the forum, no doubt. But this forum is dedicated mainly to BJJ. And there is no charge to read or write anything or limit to what you can or cannot read. I also plan to work on it until perfect, listening to your recommendations, just like this site.

To register or take a look, visit: http://www.gotjits.com/forum

Ous.

P.S. Nice idea Mikey!

Jackass Jiu Jitsu

Steve-O and Chris Pontius from Jackass visit the Gracie Bara School in Brazil. Funny stuff even without wasabi, panda suits, or fire crackers.

Second Stripe Grading

Tonight I added another ring to the target on my back; I graded for second stripe white belt and passed.

Gradings are an opportunity for Professor Schilling to assess our ability to preform techniques listed in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu curriculum for our team. For each stripe there is around 20 to 40 specific defenses, offenses, guard passes, and movements that need to be understood and demonstrated before moving forward in rank. This is in addition to "how we roll" in class.

But rank is more than just an addition of a stripe to our belt; it is an addition of responsibility. If I have one stripe on my belt, I should be able to help out a no stripe teammate with any technique for my level. And as I progress and my technique catalog increases, I should be able to be able to help out junior students more and more, not only with my immediate belt level criteria, but everything I have learned to this point.

There were three specific things I did to help me with my grading.

1. The first was make it to class regularly and often. Being in class and training hard helped me establish the physical tools needed to preform my techniques, as well as apply my knowledge.
   
   
2. The second thing I did was mark off all the items on the curriculum that I had a pretty firm grasp on. I would not mark off something I was not too sure of. This helped me narrow down what I needed to work on step by step and one technique at a time.
   
   
3. The third and most valuable thing I did in my preparation was set up a couple of private lessons with Professor Schilling. I can not express how important and helpful these sessions were. We covered the curriculum step by step with points I needed to focus on. This gave me a high level of preparation for not only the grading, but my regular training as well.
   

I would not have passed if it were not for my teammates as well. Unlike Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do or any of the other form based martial arts, you can not do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu alone. My team forms me and I them. My rank is a reflection of the teamwork we all put into our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training.

The one thing I will always remember from earning my Shodan in Goju Ryu is the rank is not a destination; it is a starting point. And like with anything in life, knowing where you are and where you have been helps you with where you are going. And I just took another step forward...

Ous.

P.S. Congratulations to everyone on the team who graded. And thanks for helping me with my training; you all rock!

Brazilian Soldiers

Donald Rumsfeld is giving the President his daily briefing. He
concludes by saying: "Yesterday, three Brazilian soldiers were
killed."

"OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!"

His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching
as President Bush sits, head in hands.

Finally, the President looks up and asks, "How many is a brazillion?"

Royler Gracie vs. Kempo

It does not seem like a fair fight. Once again, a BJJ fighter, this time Royler Gracie, agressively takes down and defeats a Kempo instructor, twice.