I'm Back...

For the past two months I have been keeping my nose down and sticking to business. My wife gave birth to our second child, Sofia Karin Stoll. This has been the most challenging time of my life, in addition to running my company and, of course, preparing for my blue belt grading.

Now that everything is falling back into place, I will be again more consistent with my mental release here on Got Jits. I found time to read a couple books while away from writing, and will be bringing that stuff up as well.

Now that I have a new belt around my waist, my focus will be on putting together an even better game plan. Not that the belt has anything to do with it because I still fight the same, but now there is no "etched in stone" curriculum and I can work with my professor to establish some custom attacks and defenses now that I have a better understanding of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. But I see this as just a new beginning, I am a white belt all over again and it feels fine.

Ous!

P.S. Congrats to everyone who graded and passed. Jason and Timmy put on a show as they passed their Purple Belt grading. Timmy chose me as his grading partner and got to experience his sharp skills first hand, a true honor. Thank you, Timmy. And Chris also walked away with a well deserved Blue belt around his waist.

Game Plan on the Fly

Sometimes you have no other choice than to abandon your standard game plan when facing opponents of a larger size or superior skill. Some attacks or defenses will simply not work and you have to adjust accordingly.

In recent history, say the past year or so, every class I am paired with opponents who outweigh me by 30 to 50 pounds married to more experience. I do not learn much in the 5 minutes of attack defend, but the hours spent on reflection has taught me much. And my game has improved vastly because of this as well as my strength and conditioning. Of course my opponents have improved as well, so the results of each match has not altered much, but is closing in on parity. Time will do this as everyone improves.

I have learned when fighting a stronger and larger opponent, it is far more difficult apply different arm bars where strength is required. Try an Americana from top half guard against a guy who outweighs you by 50+ pounds who can most likely beat Sylvester Stallone in an arm wrestling match... You get the point. So how do you form a game plan on the fly?

At this place in history in my training, 16+ months of training, I have more and more tools in my arsenal. Enough understanding that I can more than likely do most of what my Professor tells me to do as he observes from the side lines. But all this understanding must lead to the formulation of what may work and what will most likely not work on an opponent that I size up before a match.

For a smaller opponent - Use your weight and work to hold top positions, avoiding sweeps and escapes. Strength has to match up well against speed. Shutting down mobility should lead to victory.

For same size opponents - All things being equal in size, initiative must be used to stay in control of attack. Once in defensive mode, the game is much harder to play. Getting and keeping control is the path to victory.

For a larger opponent - Where is the weakness? How could you work to gas an opponent with big muscles? Is it easier to leg or foot lock a tall opponent? How can you take away their size advantage; perhaps working on getting to the back? Is it easier to choke a big guy than to arm bar?

Experience is teaching me that it only takes time to figure out what works and what does not. As long as I stay on the mat and spend time on seemingly more productive routes to success, the faster I will achieve my goals. If I take a step back, eliminate all the useless stuff like emotion, appearance, and hesitation and then focus on options, the game becomes much more fun and fluid. And, of course, having Professor point out errors in judgement and style helps immensly over time.

Next time you face off against a tougher opponent, picture a better fighter than yourself, say Marcelo Garcia, and ask what would he do in the match? Then try it out.

Ous.

Litany Against Fear

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

Rear Naked Bed Making

There are right ways and wrong ways of applying different submissions, but I want to first talk about making your bed. Anyone can make a bed, although I suspect most fighters, to the disappointment of spouses and perhaps parents, are not very good at it. I know that I get an ear full every once and a while from my wife when I don't straighten the sheets.

When making a bed it is essential to do it the same way each time, step by step. First remove all loose materials from the under sheet. Then straighten up the pillows so they are in proper order and not sticking up or out. Then pull the top sheet or blanket over the bed and pillows. Then tuck in the sheet under the pillows for presentation's sake. And then swipe out any bumps. The bed is done and looks nice too.

Having a nicely made bed will impress your spouse, significant other, or parents regardless if you care or not. It may take some time in the beginning to get a process down, but the more you do it, the faster you will get. Just take a look at a maid in a hotel; 3 minutes to make bed so tight and neat, it looks military. Step by step practice leads to increase speed and accuracy in getting the job done right.

The same goes for a submission techniques. I failed to apply a rear naked choke this week that I usually can put on and pretty tight. I was in perfect position for the submission. In an attempt to put it on quickly, I missed one step that allowed my opponent to peel it off because I did not get my second hand in low enough behind his head; hidden below the bottom part of his skull to act as a door stop. And because I did not get the second hand in tight enough, I could not use my head to layer on my attack defense. And the whole technique fell apart like a house of cards; especially since my opponent was very strong.

Speed does not matter if you want to make a bed properly. The same rule should apply when attempting a solid submission. Sacrificing speed for sloppy execution harms the perfection of the technique and leads to bad habits over time. Go as fast as you can without missing steps. You may miss the application due to a defense, but step by step will eventually lead to speed, accuracy, and a successful submission.

Ous.

Gassing

I was away from the mat with a thing for the last two weeks. Last night was my first class back where I felt something I had not felt for a long time and certainly never to the extent it hit me yesterday.

Class was pretty normal, although we are in tournament preparation mode for Joslin's in November. And there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. The rolling portion of class Professor put me with the usual heavy hitters for my first two rolls. I felt fine, although I find it difficult to not rely somewhat on strength when out muscled. After these rolls I was paired up with an sneaky opponent that weighed less than me, causing me to move and think at a faster rate.

Near the middle of the third roll, I lost my breath but continued to roll. After my breath left me, my muscles started to work less and less. I felt clumsy and my attacks were more holey than church on Sunday. I kept trying to keep up the attack and gain position and play my game, but I could not hold anything. Credit goes to my opponent, but it was frustrating for me to feel like I could not lock anything in, which is unusual.

After the three rolls, class came to an end. While standing in line, I could not breath. I do not know what asthma feels like, but I imagine it felt like this. I knew I would not die, so it may sound strange, but I enjoyed the agony. I did my best to stay upright, although I did put my hands on my knees once or twice, and see through the fading darkness to pay attention to Professor's words during the final bow. The hardest part about being gassed is to not show that you are gassed, and to not pass out of course.

So I know why I gassed; I drove to damn fast far too early in the race. Two weeks off requires some re-building to get back to proper fighting shape, especially when you were ill. Missing classes is the fastest way to become unhealthy. The flip side is that the fastest way to getting healthy is to make it to every class. But all this lead me to an interesting paradox on gassing: the more you gas, the less you gas. I will be better next class.

Ous.

Checkmate or Stalemate

I had the opportunity to watch a class on Wednesday due to a thing. I rarely get to watch my team mates roll as I am usually "in the shit" and seeing where most of the guys are in terms of skill is pretty cool. I have to mention Victor because this guy has improved immensely since he started with his brother in January this year. He uses the fundamentals well and once he learns to sew things up tighter, he will be a force. He also has some really sneaky knees...

Anyway, I saw something in the rolling portion of class that I did not expect and I will comment because I have been there before and have learned to move past it. I saw a part of match where fighter (a) got caught in bottom mount. Fighter (b) held it and was ready to launch an attack and waited for fighter (a) to make an escape attempt. Fighter (a) knew what was coming and refused to attempt an escape. It seemed like forever where fighter (a) just lay there while fighter (b) held position and waited.

When fighter (a) was asked why he did not attempt an escape, he replied, "because I know what fighter (b) is going to do". They ended up breaking the stalemate and started over in a different position which I could not understand. This was a missed opportunity to learn for both fighters. I wish I could have seen fighter (a) at least attempt the escape so fighter (b) could have done his thing. But I question why fighter (a) knowing what fighter (b) wanted to do could not put together a plan. As well, there are a few options to escape from bottom mount that fighter (a) has used on me more than once, all of which were effective to a least create space and get out from under there or end up in half guard. It surprised me that he did not use escape techniques in this situation even though his opponent was larger. Maybe I missed something...

I wrote about this a few months ago talking about 2 specific times I could not escape, but could not get tapped either. Once when Mikey had my back locked in an Anaconda or Back Triangle really tight and I did not know how to defend my neck while breaking the lock. And once when Gabre had my arm trapped in closed guard real tight and I, again, could not escape while defending the cross choke grip he was attempting. In both instances it is my opinion that I was check mated, even though there was no submission. I now have some idea how to deal with both these situations because I looked for answers. But with the fight I just mentioned, the bottom fighter had viable options already.

I am happy that I am still a white belt and will continue to keep my mind open like a white belt. If I play all defensive all the time just to avoid getting tapped, I will hit a ceiling and plateau in my ability. Sometimes it is better to get tapped just to see how it happened, why it happened, and work on a solution for the next time it may happen.

Grappling, like chess, has so many pieces and so many variables. I would rather lose to a checkmate than force a stalemate if it meant I got better for the next time. Will ego be my biggest opponent as I progress? I hope not because then that and everyone else will kick my ass.

Ous.

Cliff Keen Headgear

Draining my ear after every class sucked. But wearing headgear sucks a little less. I am not a big fan of wearing headgear to protect my ears, but found that it was essential to keep my training comfortable. After I tired of draining my ears, around 14 or 15 times, I decided to purchase some headgear. I looked online high and low and there were very few vendors who carried the headgear that I thought would be good for me. It is a specialty item which means that people do not usually carry it, including Walmart or Canadian Tire... ;)

I was looking at the Cliff Keen Tornado Headgear because of all the reviews I read. I checked out eastbay.com who had all the stuff I wanted, but the cross border duty rep and shipping was 35+ dollars. That was almost the cost of the headgear I wanted so it was not going to fly. Note to US companies and our glorious Canadian government; US/Canadian currency parity and the current state of cross border duties kills international consumer shopping.

Jonathan, a Purple belt at our club hooked me up with his gear temporarily until I could score my own. I was thankful, but wearing headgear felt like rolling in a fish bowl. It was worse than wearing my mouth piece for the first time after a few months of naked teeth. But for the good of my ears I continued.

So, I was set on the Cliff Keen Headgear and could not find a suitable vendor in Canada or the US until I went to the source. I went to http://cliffkeen.com and found my first choice; the black/black/black Tornado Headgear. Their online transaction did not work for Canadian shoppers, so I called. The sales lady was real nice, used to taking large orders from universities, schools, and other organizations, asked how many I would like to order. I said, "One black/black/black Tornado Headgear please". She laughed and took my payment info.

Three weeks later my gear arrived at the grand total of $46.00 Canadian; around $25 dollars less than the final cost of EastBay.com. I tried them on and was instantly happy with how they felt and these things were so well designed, I could actually hear very well. I returned Jonathan's gear and rolled with my new gear the day I received them. There was a world of difference with these things; comfortable, unobtrusive, and after my third roll, I was somewhat unaware I was wearing them at all.

I love my gear and am happy I put the ear needles away. I may continue to wear them even after my ear finally heals up. Thank you Cliff Keen!

Ous.

GJJ Advanced Video

Staphylococcus

Our club is clear of Staph infections and has been for months now. But watching TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) over the past few weeks was a sad reminder of what happened at our club funnily enough, as it was happening during filming of the show. First of all, Staph infections suck. I had it really bad and so did some, but not all, of my classmates. If you have been reading Got Jits for a while now, you may remember my time doing the Master Cleanse. Well, 2 days into my cleanse, the first red "pimple" like mark showed up on my left forearm. Here is my story...

At first, Staph or Impetigo, shows up as a little dot or pimple. And then becomes 2 or 3 pimple like lesions as the first starts to grow. Then all 3 grow and the area gets red and itchy. As the entire reddened area continues to grow, the center of the break out starts to open up, showing a deep and wet honey colored moisture as the top layer of skin recedes.

By the time you are aware that something is not right, maybe 3 or 4 days later, you get an itch on your jaw. A little bump has appeared where you shave. You attribute it to acne because you have never heard of Staph. Your arm starts to throb and you put Polysporin or maybe even Tea Tree Oil on it. It is time to see a doctor.

By the time you see the doctor, the bumps are all over your neck, where your beard would grow if you let it. The doctor informs you that you have a Staphylococcal infection and that your shaving has caused it to spread from your chin to your neck, in some places bleeding out. Not only that, it may get worse before it gets better. Your arm throbs. Your neck feels dry, but is constantly wet with discharge. And you are no longer allowed to shave. Not even a 1980s turtle neck will save you from the looks of disgust from the people around you.

That was my experience with Staph infection. It really sucked. My pain and suffering was amplified because I thought it was a product of my 3oo calorie a day intake during the Master Cleanse. At this point, I will share my treatment and the expert care in which my Professor sought to quell the outbreak at our club.

Firstly, my doctor put me on a systemic anti-biotic called Flucloxacillin, ingested every day for 6 days. I was also given an Anti-Inflammatory called Hydrocortisone to apply twice daily; this was supposed to weaken the skin, break it down so the wounds would heal faster. After doing a lot of research on Staph, I also added a Triple Antibiotic Ointment to my array of tools to kill the infection. It took around 10 days for the treatment to take effect. 30 days for the wounds to heal. And it has been months since my ordeal and I still have slight discoloration on my arm but my neck shows no trace of the Staph Infection. That is how I dealt with my personal situation.

My Professor, once identifying the beginning of the outbreak immediately took action to protect the un-infected students. He called everyone and asked them if they felt like they had something. If yes, it was time to take a break from training and watch some TV, as well as to go and see a doctor of course. His quick action saved a lot of guys from getting hit and in a few weeks things were back to normal. Our club is also kept very clean which helped keep this incident under a firm control.

The reason I was so descriptive in the beginning of this post was to make sure that if you think you have something to get checked out. Because if you think you have something like Staph, you could easily spread it around. And really, who likes bleeding from the neck? I would have written about this earlier, but the pain was still to close to my heart. Just Kidding. I am posting now because of a quick note in the forum from "FarmBoy", which brought back my entire ordeal. If you got it, good luck. If not, I hope you never get it.

Ous.

Fourth Stripe Grading

Everyone starts at the bottom. Everyone must work hard to progress. Nothing is free.

I have given much thought to my last post regarding BJJ gradings. To sum up, I was under the impression that building a game from the ground up, based on situations experienced, would lead to a better game. Organic Jiu Jitsu. Of course, if you are constantly getting caught in triangle, you will learn the defense. And that was the basis of my perspective last week.

I spent some time discussing that perspective with my Professor and he, as with everything in the realm of BJJ, improved my vision. There were two specific discussions that I want to share, as presented by someone who has been there and done that. These two "Perspectives from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt" should be important for everyone who trains in BJJ.

The First Perspective

Driving back from the Marcelo Garcia seminar a couple weeks ago, my Professor shared some of his insights regarding his game when rolling with me. I was interested in finding out how he was able to take control so easily in almost every situation; the little and almost unnoticable things. His words were simple and profound. He said, "I know what your options are." He knows what my options are is because he taught me what my options are.

The Second Perspective

In a private lesson last week, Professor and I spent the first half hour just talking, specifically regarding my BJJ Gradings post. It was time to defend my perspective to my teacher. The discussion was around curriculum. He said, "Do University students go to class and simply choose to learn what ever they want? No. They follow a curriculum based on someone who knows what is important and what is not. That way success is structured and measurable, and ensures the student leaves with the right tools to be proficient in their profession. In our case, the profession is fighting in BJJ."

Tonight I passed one of the hardest gradings mentally I have had to face so far in BJJ; my fourth stripe. The curriculum was not easy and there was a lot to cover; 2 pages of techniques in my case for the stripe. In order to progress in our BJJ club, you need to really understand your stuff and train hard. Rather than discuss what I did or how I did in the grading, I want to discuss how my Professor's two perspectives came into play in altering my thoughts on BJJ Gradings today.

At this stage in my training, I have been introduced to a lot of techniques that cover almost every basic situation found when rolling. As I continue to train, I will know more and more what my opponent's options are. I will constantly re-discover what works because it comes from someone who has done their homework and shares the secrets. Curriculum gives us the path. Gradings ensure we stay on the path. And I am very lucky to have my Professor as a guide to keep my game, and my mental development in check.

Ous!

P.S. Thanks Sam for being my training partner for the grading.

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.)