Lindsey had us working from and against the scissor sweep. His counter to it was interesting, and something with potentially broad applicability. Essentially, he would pancake the top leg as soon as the guy brought it up. He'd grab the top of the pants by the belt for hip control and the leg by the knee to keep from getting put back in the half guard. From here, up on toes with weight down heavy on the top leg, try to smash the legs together as you walk on tip toes (but still heavy) around to side control.
The review of the basic scissor sweep was nice. I used to get killed by Shaka with this sweep, or an open guard variation of it, and have just started to add it to my game. I remember getting swept by Sauleh in my second-ever match against him with an open guard scissor sweep, also. I'm starting to include it, especially when I'm sparring against white belts and smaller opponents.
Lindsey also likes the armstuff triangle from Rap Star. I'm not a big fan of triangles from the bottom. But it's a solid technique.
A roll with Andrew and a roll with Mike. I got a little sloppy in the guard with Andrew, the half guard. I need to watch that. I did a better job of not panicking in Mike's guard, especially when he went to replace it, which has historically been very difficult to deal with.
The trick right now is to try and replace as much bad jiu jitsu karma with good jiu jitsu karma. I'm not quite at the "lemons to lemonade" moment, but training tonight with my GB Seattle team-mates went a long way toward washing what was bitter about Saturday out of my system. It's true: Mat Time Cures All Ills.
153.8 on the scale post-train. One of my goals will be to stay down at this level, on the light side of 155. Ramping up the aerobic work (LSD Sun/Mon/Wed/Thu) will help make that very doable.
At the spring Revolution, the good news was my half guard. This past weekend, the half guard actually came through again - if the referee's confession is to be believed - and I was able to add takedowns, particularly the Jacare, going 3 for 3. I need to do a better job of landing outside of the guard. But that's a detail that can be fixed and drilled with a sense of confidence.
So that leaves two pieces: passing the guard and finishing from a dominant position. And I've got 17 weeks - about four months - to burn those pieces into place.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Top Three GB Performances at Revolution 7 11 09
This list includes only advanced divisions (purple and higher). I missed most of the blue and white belt matches.
Tie
3. Stephen Wanderer (brown belt LW)
Great technical performance. Combined 20+ to 0 in two matches.
3. Sauleh Eetemadi (purple belt LW)
I know that there were more than a few nervous Gracie Barra fans early in Sauleh's first match with a tough guy from Marcelo Alonso. But by the end of the day, Sauleh had wrapped up another first place, finishing his second opponent by armlock from the top.
2. Casey King (brown belt absolute)
Handsome, schmamsome ... Casey "Vicious" King comes back from a loss by armlock (against an opponent with a 25+ pound weight advantage) to win the fastest submission of the day in his second match - by armlock!
1. Lindsey Johnson (purple belt WW)
In what was clearly the deepest, hardest advanced division - Lindsey beat the guy who beat the guy I KNEW was the guy to beat to take first place. A very exciting match.
Correction! I learned Monday night that Casey's 29-second submission was actually bested by an even faster submission in a white belt match later that day. I'm keeping him in 2nd.
Tie
3. Stephen Wanderer (brown belt LW)
Great technical performance. Combined 20+ to 0 in two matches.
3. Sauleh Eetemadi (purple belt LW)
I know that there were more than a few nervous Gracie Barra fans early in Sauleh's first match with a tough guy from Marcelo Alonso. But by the end of the day, Sauleh had wrapped up another first place, finishing his second opponent by armlock from the top.
2. Casey King (brown belt absolute)
Handsome, schmamsome ... Casey "Vicious" King comes back from a loss by armlock (against an opponent with a 25+ pound weight advantage) to win the fastest submission of the day in his second match - by armlock!
1. Lindsey Johnson (purple belt WW)
In what was clearly the deepest, hardest advanced division - Lindsey beat the guy who beat the guy I KNEW was the guy to beat to take first place. A very exciting match.
Correction! I learned Monday night that Casey's 29-second submission was actually bested by an even faster submission in a white belt match later that day. I'm keeping him in 2nd.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Roger: Swimming and Drowning
from "Roger's Secret"
Your elegant posture makes it looks almost like an English sport, although it’s called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It reveals a lot of coolness and patience during fights, a lot different from the more agitated Jiu-Jitsu that we see a lot these days. Does that posture help you to defend?
Patience is the key to Jiu-Jitsu. I like the metaphor about the guy that is drowning. If he starts to flap his arms and legs, he is going to lose oxygen quicker and won’t think straight. To swim like that will make him sink to the bottom, but if he is calm he can come to surface easily. The same applies to Jiu-Jitsu. If the guy that is being attacked starts to move randomly trying to escape, he may simply be moving to adjust the position for his opponent, to tighten the move.
Training Day: Friday
151.5
That's my official weigh-in late this afternoon at Foster BJJ, nearly 3 1/2 pounds under the lightweight limit.
There were noticeable fewer people registering and weighing-in compared to the event at the beginning of the year. I always forget how much summer vacation plays a role in attendance at the July Revolution. I think last year, my last competition as a blue belt, there were only four of us. This past spring, in the purple belt LW division, there were six.
I had a great training Friday. Just what the doctor ordered. I got to work the kouchi gari with success, the Jacare with success and, maybe even more importantly, both the hug/kick half guard pass and the #1 closed guard open and pass from standing. It was pretty incredible.
I got to work with the black belt Joe, who I haven't seen in awhile. Rodrigo had us work on guard passes. The first was the underhook where you bring your inside elbow tight and reach under and grab the belt with the outside grip. Step deep (to his armpit) with the leg on the belt-grip side and pull him into you as you move your hips forward. Remember to drop your head between his head and his knee as you move into side control.
The second pass was one that I really, really want to focus on after the tournament. Here, you take advantage of the guy hipscaping back when you open the guard on the ground. Your move is to reach between his legs with your inside grip and cup the knee on his inside leg. A little bit above the knee is fine. With your outside grip, you want to control the sleeve on that side.
Sprawl out with your head in his abdomen area, pressing him down. Walk around to avoid the hook (it may be there, it may not), keeping the pressure. When you get to the side, all you need to do is pull up on the sleeve and pull up on the knee to get an excellent opening to side control.
The last pass came from standing. This was the one where you controlled the abdomen and the knee. The trick was to press forward with your knee, challenging his open guard and inducing him to push back. The order of the pass was: press forward, step back, then hop onto your outside foot as you kick back your inside leg and then swing it around to knee on stomach.
Like I said, a great training day - and one of the more productive classes, I've had. It also probably doesn't hurt that today was my fourth class this week and I'm becoming a fanatical convert to the idea that Mat Time Cures All Ills. I'm becoming convinced that a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday training schedule might be just the ticket to help me get better at the pace at which I want to improve.
We'll see what happens tomorrow. My record-breaking 151.5 weigh-in may be one example, but I have to admit that I feel better prepared for this tournament than I have for any other I've competed in. I've got my jitters, to be sure. And am enjoying a Mariners home game in HD to help pass the time between now and then (if worse comes to worse, I'm tossing in The International.).
But I've got a plan. And more than that - much more than that - a plan that has been tested at least to some degree in training. I think that has been the missing link. The success I had with the half guard earlier this year was an example of familiarity developed through training the same situation over and over in training can be priceless when you are "in the spot" - as Saulo puts it.
That's my official weigh-in late this afternoon at Foster BJJ, nearly 3 1/2 pounds under the lightweight limit.
There were noticeable fewer people registering and weighing-in compared to the event at the beginning of the year. I always forget how much summer vacation plays a role in attendance at the July Revolution. I think last year, my last competition as a blue belt, there were only four of us. This past spring, in the purple belt LW division, there were six.
I had a great training Friday. Just what the doctor ordered. I got to work the kouchi gari with success, the Jacare with success and, maybe even more importantly, both the hug/kick half guard pass and the #1 closed guard open and pass from standing. It was pretty incredible.
I got to work with the black belt Joe, who I haven't seen in awhile. Rodrigo had us work on guard passes. The first was the underhook where you bring your inside elbow tight and reach under and grab the belt with the outside grip. Step deep (to his armpit) with the leg on the belt-grip side and pull him into you as you move your hips forward. Remember to drop your head between his head and his knee as you move into side control.
The second pass was one that I really, really want to focus on after the tournament. Here, you take advantage of the guy hipscaping back when you open the guard on the ground. Your move is to reach between his legs with your inside grip and cup the knee on his inside leg. A little bit above the knee is fine. With your outside grip, you want to control the sleeve on that side.
Sprawl out with your head in his abdomen area, pressing him down. Walk around to avoid the hook (it may be there, it may not), keeping the pressure. When you get to the side, all you need to do is pull up on the sleeve and pull up on the knee to get an excellent opening to side control.
The last pass came from standing. This was the one where you controlled the abdomen and the knee. The trick was to press forward with your knee, challenging his open guard and inducing him to push back. The order of the pass was: press forward, step back, then hop onto your outside foot as you kick back your inside leg and then swing it around to knee on stomach.
Like I said, a great training day - and one of the more productive classes, I've had. It also probably doesn't hurt that today was my fourth class this week and I'm becoming a fanatical convert to the idea that Mat Time Cures All Ills. I'm becoming convinced that a Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday training schedule might be just the ticket to help me get better at the pace at which I want to improve.
We'll see what happens tomorrow. My record-breaking 151.5 weigh-in may be one example, but I have to admit that I feel better prepared for this tournament than I have for any other I've competed in. I've got my jitters, to be sure. And am enjoying a Mariners home game in HD to help pass the time between now and then (if worse comes to worse, I'm tossing in The International.).
But I've got a plan. And more than that - much more than that - a plan that has been tested at least to some degree in training. I think that has been the missing link. The success I had with the half guard earlier this year was an example of familiarity developed through training the same situation over and over in training can be priceless when you are "in the spot" - as Saulo puts it.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Training Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Maybe that Friday class was too good, insofar as it blew me out of blog posting for days. I have been training, three times this week so far with another appearance scheduled for Friday. And I do think that I've got a gameplan that is coming together.
Instructionally, Rodrigo has been focusing a great deal on standup/takedown conditioning and guard passing. Just what the doctor ordered, pre-competition, as far as I'm concerned. In particular, Rodrigo has us working on a leg underhook pass, one of the classic passes, with a caution to remember to keep the other elbow tight to avoid the triangle.
One thing that I have really been struggling with during this competition week has been passing the half guard. With the Royler pass, my mistakes include not sprawling my free leg out before I pike up, and not stiff-arming the leg. I suspect that the free leg sprawl is the biggest problem. And, fortunately, I'll get an opportunity tomorrow to work on it a little bit.
The watchdog half guard pass is something else I need to tighten up. Here, the mistake was more specific, but more crucial, as well. I need to remember that when passing the half guard (a) do not pass unless he is flat and (b) it is the hips/bottom leg that have to be pinned, not the top leg.
Monday and Tuesday classes were very intense. Monday Lindsey had us working on rear mount escapes for an hour, and then Rodrigo started the advanced class. Tuesday was all levels starting out with a bang with standup conditioning, guard passing and then some specific work before sparring.
Tuesday was the session in which I was really struggling with the half guard. I need to slow down and remember the technique and execute it. I was also having a hard time escaping rear mount - another instance where patience would help execute the proper technique.
Missed most of Wednesday's class after getting stuck in unbelievable downtown traffic. It took me almost 45 minutes to get from Eastlake to SoDo. I knew I'd be a little late, but leaving Eastlake around 5:45, should have been at the Academy a little after the top of the hour.
That said, I was able to get in a roll with Tommy and a roll with Stephen. I worked mostly the Flat Pass and the #1 half guard sweep with Tommy and some sitting/open guard stuff with Stephen who was playing me standing up a lot.
Like I said, it is nice to have a gameplan, a real front-to-back idea of what I want to do the day after tomorrow. I'm realizing that I've had a lot of half-efforts and half-notions about what I'd try and accomplish. But little that had been completely thought-through - to say nothing of drilled endlessly during training.
There are still more holes to fill than I'd like - and the calorie restriction that I've been using to get down to my target weight has me feeling pretty damn wiped out at the end of training. But it's really good to have a plan.
Instructionally, Rodrigo has been focusing a great deal on standup/takedown conditioning and guard passing. Just what the doctor ordered, pre-competition, as far as I'm concerned. In particular, Rodrigo has us working on a leg underhook pass, one of the classic passes, with a caution to remember to keep the other elbow tight to avoid the triangle.
One thing that I have really been struggling with during this competition week has been passing the half guard. With the Royler pass, my mistakes include not sprawling my free leg out before I pike up, and not stiff-arming the leg. I suspect that the free leg sprawl is the biggest problem. And, fortunately, I'll get an opportunity tomorrow to work on it a little bit.
The watchdog half guard pass is something else I need to tighten up. Here, the mistake was more specific, but more crucial, as well. I need to remember that when passing the half guard (a) do not pass unless he is flat and (b) it is the hips/bottom leg that have to be pinned, not the top leg.
Monday and Tuesday classes were very intense. Monday Lindsey had us working on rear mount escapes for an hour, and then Rodrigo started the advanced class. Tuesday was all levels starting out with a bang with standup conditioning, guard passing and then some specific work before sparring.
Tuesday was the session in which I was really struggling with the half guard. I need to slow down and remember the technique and execute it. I was also having a hard time escaping rear mount - another instance where patience would help execute the proper technique.
Missed most of Wednesday's class after getting stuck in unbelievable downtown traffic. It took me almost 45 minutes to get from Eastlake to SoDo. I knew I'd be a little late, but leaving Eastlake around 5:45, should have been at the Academy a little after the top of the hour.
That said, I was able to get in a roll with Tommy and a roll with Stephen. I worked mostly the Flat Pass and the #1 half guard sweep with Tommy and some sitting/open guard stuff with Stephen who was playing me standing up a lot.
Like I said, it is nice to have a gameplan, a real front-to-back idea of what I want to do the day after tomorrow. I'm realizing that I've had a lot of half-efforts and half-notions about what I'd try and accomplish. But little that had been completely thought-through - to say nothing of drilled endlessly during training.
There are still more holes to fill than I'd like - and the calorie restriction that I've been using to get down to my target weight has me feeling pretty damn wiped out at the end of training. But it's really good to have a plan.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Roger Gracie's Perfect Nine
Roger's Nine Mundial Matches
This is some incredible photography of Roger Gracie at the Mundial earlier this summer.
This is some incredible photography of Roger Gracie at the Mundial earlier this summer.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Abu Dhabi East Coast American Trials
Find out who made the cut - with more great photographs - here.
And here's a link to the ADCC 2009: Barcelona webpage.
And here's a link to the ADCC 2009: Barcelona webpage.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Friday Training
A really great class on Friday. I had planned to come early and stay late and I did, getting to SoDo around 11 am and staying until almost 2 pm.
Admittedly, the weather was great, one of the hottest days of the year, and given that Friday was the first day of a three-day weekend, it would have taken a pretty hefty measure of tragedy to dampen my mood much. All that said it was a great day of training and rolling. I got to train with Bryan (who I never get to roll with unless I train on Fridays) as well as Stephen, Connor, Jared and Maggie, who was in town from San Francisco and stopped by the academy. It's been a regular reunion week with Tommy returning to the mat midweek and then Maggie appearing on Friday ...
The instructional was mostly clinch work, with a conditioning edge. Rodrigo has developed a style of showing us three techniques that we work on one by one. Then, to finish up, he has us work back through the three to help improve the body memory and recall. Today, we worked mostly on clinch work. We pummeled for awhile, then trained a step back and re-under hook as a counter to the double unders, then a third move where you stepped back but then brought up the forearm against the neck to help drive the guy away.
Also, in what might have been a nod to Royler's self-defense work in his recent seminar, Rodrigo has us do a "plum" escape, an escape from the muay Thai plum that Anderson Silva has used with such devastating effect (especially against Rich Franklin).
First off, block any incoming knees by reaching up and hooking on top of the opposite plum arm. For me, it was easiest to reach up with my right hand and hook on top of his right arm, with my elbow pointed down to block any knee strikes. From here, step back with that same side leg so that you are in an open stance. As you do this, drive your other arm between him and his plum grip. It is a combination punch/stiff-arm type of move.
Bring that arm through and down, and wrap it back around his back as you either clinch or go in for a shoot on the legs.
As far as tatame notes go, SRO gets an "A" for effort. It's really just a matter of making it a regular part of what I do - along with the Flat Pass. Bryan swept me out of the Flat Pass when I leaned too far back instead of doing the "hand on a clock" rotation that Justin Garcia talks about in his video clip. But I did manage to have some success with it later. I also tried to switch too quickly to the Twist out of a Tackle half guard sweep with Jared and missed the move. I've got to remember that what makes the Twist such a devastating sweep when it works is the fact that I've felt the momentum correctly and waited for the moment before switching. Going too early just ends up in trying to muscle the move over (not a good idea with someone like Jared).
Like I said, a really great day on the mat - no doubt boosted by the fact that it was the first day of a summertime holiday weekend. The mat was packed, Rodrigo had to let us spar in Group A / Group B style because there were so many people there to train. Maybe I would feel differently if I were regularly in one of those notorious NYC jiu jitsu classes with 150 people or something, but there's nothing more fun than training when there is a huge turnout with a big range of sizes, experience and style. That's part of what makes seminars so much fun. I remember Cristiano's seminar from a few months back, where you could line all four walls with people from white belt to black belt. It was like some house party from the 90s.
I doubt that I'll train on Saturday (which is too bad; I need to make the Saturday before a tournament a must-train afternoon). But Friday was just the kind of session I need before competition week gets going on Monday. My plan is to train Monday through Thursday, take Friday off and weigh-in later that evening. I'm not entirely convinced that the 153.2 I got on the scale post-training is to be trusted. Then again, I hadn't eaten anything all morning but a Clif Bar (crunchy peanut butter, if you're curious) and have been increasingly disciplined about my diet in recent days. So maybe I'm already dipping into the Revolution's lightweight zone of 154.9-140. Pretty crazy to start the week at 166 and end it at 153 (a 7% drop).
Conditioning-wise, I'm doing LSD every other day into Thursday. Friday will be all about sweating out any few remaining pounds (Martell: "Do Not Burn Glycogen"). Watching some track and field on cable this afternoon, I was reminded at the sharp physique difference in top athletes as you move from the sprint competitions (100m and 200m) to the so-called "distance" competition (800m and 1500m), and how that reflects on the relative importance of aerobic conditioning over anerobic for all but the most short term of activities. I feel great when I'm doing regular LSD, which has not been often enough. I think that genetically I'm tuned more toward the power, fast twitch (think Olympian sprinter Michael Johnson or judoka Rhadi Ferguson) way of generating energy. Anything I do that takes me in the other direction (toward the Ethiopian) will only help balance and extend my ability to perform.
Admittedly, the weather was great, one of the hottest days of the year, and given that Friday was the first day of a three-day weekend, it would have taken a pretty hefty measure of tragedy to dampen my mood much. All that said it was a great day of training and rolling. I got to train with Bryan (who I never get to roll with unless I train on Fridays) as well as Stephen, Connor, Jared and Maggie, who was in town from San Francisco and stopped by the academy. It's been a regular reunion week with Tommy returning to the mat midweek and then Maggie appearing on Friday ...
The instructional was mostly clinch work, with a conditioning edge. Rodrigo has developed a style of showing us three techniques that we work on one by one. Then, to finish up, he has us work back through the three to help improve the body memory and recall. Today, we worked mostly on clinch work. We pummeled for awhile, then trained a step back and re-under hook as a counter to the double unders, then a third move where you stepped back but then brought up the forearm against the neck to help drive the guy away.
Also, in what might have been a nod to Royler's self-defense work in his recent seminar, Rodrigo has us do a "plum" escape, an escape from the muay Thai plum that Anderson Silva has used with such devastating effect (especially against Rich Franklin).
First off, block any incoming knees by reaching up and hooking on top of the opposite plum arm. For me, it was easiest to reach up with my right hand and hook on top of his right arm, with my elbow pointed down to block any knee strikes. From here, step back with that same side leg so that you are in an open stance. As you do this, drive your other arm between him and his plum grip. It is a combination punch/stiff-arm type of move.
Bring that arm through and down, and wrap it back around his back as you either clinch or go in for a shoot on the legs.
As far as tatame notes go, SRO gets an "A" for effort. It's really just a matter of making it a regular part of what I do - along with the Flat Pass. Bryan swept me out of the Flat Pass when I leaned too far back instead of doing the "hand on a clock" rotation that Justin Garcia talks about in his video clip. But I did manage to have some success with it later. I also tried to switch too quickly to the Twist out of a Tackle half guard sweep with Jared and missed the move. I've got to remember that what makes the Twist such a devastating sweep when it works is the fact that I've felt the momentum correctly and waited for the moment before switching. Going too early just ends up in trying to muscle the move over (not a good idea with someone like Jared).
Like I said, a really great day on the mat - no doubt boosted by the fact that it was the first day of a summertime holiday weekend. The mat was packed, Rodrigo had to let us spar in Group A / Group B style because there were so many people there to train. Maybe I would feel differently if I were regularly in one of those notorious NYC jiu jitsu classes with 150 people or something, but there's nothing more fun than training when there is a huge turnout with a big range of sizes, experience and style. That's part of what makes seminars so much fun. I remember Cristiano's seminar from a few months back, where you could line all four walls with people from white belt to black belt. It was like some house party from the 90s.
I doubt that I'll train on Saturday (which is too bad; I need to make the Saturday before a tournament a must-train afternoon). But Friday was just the kind of session I need before competition week gets going on Monday. My plan is to train Monday through Thursday, take Friday off and weigh-in later that evening. I'm not entirely convinced that the 153.2 I got on the scale post-training is to be trusted. Then again, I hadn't eaten anything all morning but a Clif Bar (crunchy peanut butter, if you're curious) and have been increasingly disciplined about my diet in recent days. So maybe I'm already dipping into the Revolution's lightweight zone of 154.9-140. Pretty crazy to start the week at 166 and end it at 153 (a 7% drop).
Conditioning-wise, I'm doing LSD every other day into Thursday. Friday will be all about sweating out any few remaining pounds (Martell: "Do Not Burn Glycogen"). Watching some track and field on cable this afternoon, I was reminded at the sharp physique difference in top athletes as you move from the sprint competitions (100m and 200m) to the so-called "distance" competition (800m and 1500m), and how that reflects on the relative importance of aerobic conditioning over anerobic for all but the most short term of activities. I feel great when I'm doing regular LSD, which has not been often enough. I think that genetically I'm tuned more toward the power, fast twitch (think Olympian sprinter Michael Johnson or judoka Rhadi Ferguson) way of generating energy. Anything I do that takes me in the other direction (toward the Ethiopian) will only help balance and extend my ability to perform.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
A Few Minutes with Anderson Silva
Anderson Talks Wanderlei, Future at 205
This is the karate era, not normal karate but Machida karate. It's like when we had the Gracie jiu jitsu era, which I think hasn't finished yet. It still exists independently, even if we don't have any Gracie at the top of MMA. Any Brazilian in MMA has to thank the Gracie family. I always watch Royce's fights, Rickson's too. I'm always on what's new in jiu jitsu.
Braulio Wins in Paris
Braulio Estima Earns Gold at Grappling Master VIP Tournament in France
ADCC 2005 brazil trials - demian maia x braulio estima
Uploaded by arnojjb. - Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.
Braulio Estima had a perfect weekend winning the Grappling Master VIP tournament, this Saturday in Paris. The heavyweight world champion took home to England with him a check for 5 thousand dollars. Carcara’s brother, Victor Estima, and Lucio Lagarto also went to battle in the event featuring 16 competitors, 11 of whom were French and five Brazilian.Here's some footage of Braulio Estima competing against Demian Maia at the ADCC Brazilian Trials in 2005.
ADCC 2005 brazil trials - demian maia x braulio estima
Uploaded by arnojjb. - Check out more sports and extreme sports videos.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
More on Royler
15 Questions with Royler Gracie courtesy of Sherdog.
And because I know you want to see it, here is his classic match with Eddie Bravo.
It's worth adding that Royler was recently in town and gave what I heard was a great, 3-hour seminar. A lot of self-defense, little regard for the half-guard and a pretty impressive treatise on why it pays to learn now not to get into bad situations in the first place.
Sherdog: When you want to train in the US, where do you go?
Gracie: My training center is at the University of Jiu-Jitsu, with Saulo and Xande Ribeiro in San Diego. When we have important competitions, I go there to lead the training, but it’s important to make it clear that I don’t teach there. Me and Saulo have an excellent relationship; sometimes he sends a private student to me. I have built a nice dojo in the garage of my house, and it’s a nice area where I receive friends and give private classes. But Saulo’s academy is definitely my headquarters in US.
And because I know you want to see it, here is his classic match with Eddie Bravo.
It's worth adding that Royler was recently in town and gave what I heard was a great, 3-hour seminar. A lot of self-defense, little regard for the half-guard and a pretty impressive treatise on why it pays to learn now not to get into bad situations in the first place.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday Training
Rodrigo had us working more on passing the guard today. There were three variations:
Version One:
1. Open the guard from the wedge position, with one hand on the chest and one on the hip.
2. Slide your left arm under the guy's right leg and grab on to his belt. BE SURE TO KEEP THE ELBOW ON YOUR RIGHT ARM TIGHT AND LOW. The main threat to this pass is the triangle. If you keep your off-side elbow tight and low, you'll be fine.
3. Take a BIG STEP with the leg on the pass side (left). As you do this, pull up on the belt. Driving forward with your lunge, you should be able to put your hip solidly against his back. Remember, you don't want to throw the guy. You want to lock his body and put him on his side.
Version Two:
1. This time, when you go to put your arm under and grab the belt, he blocks it.
2. Bring your off side (right) knee up and knee pin the guy's leg on that side (his left leg). I needed to stand up a little bit to make sure I got on top of the leg for the pin. So there may need to be adjustments depending on how the guy moves.
3. Hook the head with your right arm. Keeping the leg pinned with your knee, backstep with your other (left) leg and move into side control.
Version Three:
1. This time, when you go to put the knee in, he blocks it with both hands.
2. Here, you have two options. The first option is a version of version one: reach high and grab the opposite collar with the version one pass side hand. Use your other hand to keep the guy's knee pin leg in place. Spin around backward (in to out) as you shrug the guy's leg off your shoulder and move to the side.
I can't remember exactly what the second option was. I think there was a banana split type of move with a can opener that allowed you to move to the side as you would in version two. But I'm not sure.
Not a bad night on the tatame, not a good night. One thing that did work very well during the takedown training at the beginning was my kouchi gari, which I hit almost perfectly 2 or 3 times. That is definitely something to continue working on.
I also am feeling my ankle pick sweep. There's really only one of my main six takedowns that I don't have any live success with, the ushiro ashi barai. I'll have to work on that tomorrow or Friday.
My guard passing tonight was horrible. The effort wasn't half bad: I did repeatedly try to work the Squat Pass and the Flat Pass. I think I passed once with the Flat Pass, but the Squat Pass got a little incoherent after I got beyond Step 3. I was probably trying to rush things, having done three sets of 12 Squat Passes as part of my am conditioning. We'll see if things can look better by the end of the week. I really want to go into the tournament a week from this Saturday with some confidence about my guard passing attack. That's really the key goal: pass the damn guard. Everything after that is extra.
Tommy is back! He's around 185, be-goggled and not in the jiu jitsu shape he'd like to be. But it was almost scary to see him rolling after two years off that mat. It was almost like he never left.
When I think of all the guys in that welterweight/lightweight/featherweight range (and Tommy is looking to drop back to 155), we really have one hell of a crew. Even if you just focus on the brown and purple belts, imagine if we had one of those 2-week, every day, training sessions like the Mothership (i.e., Gracia Barra USA) did leading up to the Mundials ...
Finished June with 13 training sessions, two off my goal of 15, but I would have likely picked up those two classes if I hadn't been on le business trip at the beginning of the month. Still, my weekly average for the second quarter rose to 3.33 from 3.17 (38 classes in Q1, 40 in Q2). My goal for the third quarter (July, August, September) is to get that grade up over 3.5, which means averaging 14 classes a month.
On the scale: 156.8. I'll admit to being very pleasantly surprised. I've been wearing my heaviest gi jacket and a rashguard to help pump the water out. And my very modest diet seems to be paying dividends even after two days. To drop more than 10 pounds in a little over 24 hours isn't something I should get in the habit of doing. But it's nice to know that the weekend calories might be costly, but haven't bankrupted me yet.
Version One:
1. Open the guard from the wedge position, with one hand on the chest and one on the hip.
2. Slide your left arm under the guy's right leg and grab on to his belt. BE SURE TO KEEP THE ELBOW ON YOUR RIGHT ARM TIGHT AND LOW. The main threat to this pass is the triangle. If you keep your off-side elbow tight and low, you'll be fine.
3. Take a BIG STEP with the leg on the pass side (left). As you do this, pull up on the belt. Driving forward with your lunge, you should be able to put your hip solidly against his back. Remember, you don't want to throw the guy. You want to lock his body and put him on his side.
Version Two:
1. This time, when you go to put your arm under and grab the belt, he blocks it.
2. Bring your off side (right) knee up and knee pin the guy's leg on that side (his left leg). I needed to stand up a little bit to make sure I got on top of the leg for the pin. So there may need to be adjustments depending on how the guy moves.
3. Hook the head with your right arm. Keeping the leg pinned with your knee, backstep with your other (left) leg and move into side control.
Version Three:
1. This time, when you go to put the knee in, he blocks it with both hands.
2. Here, you have two options. The first option is a version of version one: reach high and grab the opposite collar with the version one pass side hand. Use your other hand to keep the guy's knee pin leg in place. Spin around backward (in to out) as you shrug the guy's leg off your shoulder and move to the side.
I can't remember exactly what the second option was. I think there was a banana split type of move with a can opener that allowed you to move to the side as you would in version two. But I'm not sure.
Not a bad night on the tatame, not a good night. One thing that did work very well during the takedown training at the beginning was my kouchi gari, which I hit almost perfectly 2 or 3 times. That is definitely something to continue working on.
I also am feeling my ankle pick sweep. There's really only one of my main six takedowns that I don't have any live success with, the ushiro ashi barai. I'll have to work on that tomorrow or Friday.
My guard passing tonight was horrible. The effort wasn't half bad: I did repeatedly try to work the Squat Pass and the Flat Pass. I think I passed once with the Flat Pass, but the Squat Pass got a little incoherent after I got beyond Step 3. I was probably trying to rush things, having done three sets of 12 Squat Passes as part of my am conditioning. We'll see if things can look better by the end of the week. I really want to go into the tournament a week from this Saturday with some confidence about my guard passing attack. That's really the key goal: pass the damn guard. Everything after that is extra.
Tommy is back! He's around 185, be-goggled and not in the jiu jitsu shape he'd like to be. But it was almost scary to see him rolling after two years off that mat. It was almost like he never left.
When I think of all the guys in that welterweight/lightweight/featherweight range (and Tommy is looking to drop back to 155), we really have one hell of a crew. Even if you just focus on the brown and purple belts, imagine if we had one of those 2-week, every day, training sessions like the Mothership (i.e., Gracia Barra USA) did leading up to the Mundials ...
Finished June with 13 training sessions, two off my goal of 15, but I would have likely picked up those two classes if I hadn't been on le business trip at the beginning of the month. Still, my weekly average for the second quarter rose to 3.33 from 3.17 (38 classes in Q1, 40 in Q2). My goal for the third quarter (July, August, September) is to get that grade up over 3.5, which means averaging 14 classes a month.
On the scale: 156.8. I'll admit to being very pleasantly surprised. I've been wearing my heaviest gi jacket and a rashguard to help pump the water out. And my very modest diet seems to be paying dividends even after two days. To drop more than 10 pounds in a little over 24 hours isn't something I should get in the habit of doing. But it's nice to know that the weekend calories might be costly, but haven't bankrupted me yet.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Marcelo Garcia on the Mundial, ADCC and Kron
A nice, very short, interview with Marcelo Garcia from Gracie magazine
Did you decide to stay out of the absolute for your lack of rhythm?Click here for the rest.
I always try to make it into the absolute, and this time was no different… But it’s not my option, Fabio and Romero are the ones who chose. In the end it was good for me to concentrate just on the weight group, it was the right choice. Sometimes folks don’t remember much, but every year I’ve won at weight, I also fought in the absolute. I never won a Worlds absolute, but I’ve always tried since I was a blue belt (laughs).
Monday Training
ATM two weeks in a row ... it's been awhile since I've been able to say that.
Two things stood out in tonight's training, which was a mix of instructional (crossover and scissor sweeps) and specific sparring (guard/pass guard and takedowns). One, my ankle pick is definitely a go-to takedown and, two, the combat squat might be the savior of my standing attack against the closed guard.
I also spent some time really working out of my #1 half guard position. For the next two weeks leading into the tournament, I want to give myself full license to focus on that position and my fundamental sweeps. Whenever I realize that a 100% effective twist back tends to be the product of a 99% effective tackle sweep, I tend to be in good shape.
My half guard passing wasn't pretty, but I'm still looking forward to working on it some more this week and next. I have a better idea of the fundamentals of what I'm doing wrong - especially in putting my weight on the guy, giving him too easy control. But it would be nice to work them out some in practice.
A good night full of good training partners. Even though my weight was atrocious coming in (166.2!), I managed to leave the academy at 161. If I can shed another few pounds over the next 24 hours, then I won't feel as if I did too much damage on those thirsty Saturday and Sunday afternoons ...
Two things stood out in tonight's training, which was a mix of instructional (crossover and scissor sweeps) and specific sparring (guard/pass guard and takedowns). One, my ankle pick is definitely a go-to takedown and, two, the combat squat might be the savior of my standing attack against the closed guard.
I also spent some time really working out of my #1 half guard position. For the next two weeks leading into the tournament, I want to give myself full license to focus on that position and my fundamental sweeps. Whenever I realize that a 100% effective twist back tends to be the product of a 99% effective tackle sweep, I tend to be in good shape.
My half guard passing wasn't pretty, but I'm still looking forward to working on it some more this week and next. I have a better idea of the fundamentals of what I'm doing wrong - especially in putting my weight on the guy, giving him too easy control. But it would be nice to work them out some in practice.
A good night full of good training partners. Even though my weight was atrocious coming in (166.2!), I managed to leave the academy at 161. If I can shed another few pounds over the next 24 hours, then I won't feel as if I did too much damage on those thirsty Saturday and Sunday afternoons ...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday Training
Back on the mat for a Cindy class after more than a month ... It was nice to get back into her routine: the semi-gymnastic warm-up has been augmented with a serious core building routine: duo triangles, flutter kicks, duo triangles, isometric situps with trunk twists ... it was actually a relief to get to the Superman, behind-the-head Superman and alternating Superman drills.
We did specific work after several minutes of pummelling. Guard/Pass Guard and Mount/Escape Mount. Since it was no gi, I focused on the Flat Pass. I'm a little hung up on some of the things guys are doing to defend it - tonight, grabbing my attacking hand and controlling it was a major tactic. I need to work through that. It definitely works to get into the habit of opening the ankles with your top leg. It is agility worth developing because it is a nice edge to be able to open those ankles without necessarily needing to use your hand.
That was probably the biggest lesson. I went a lot more for the knee wedge half guard pass with the double underhooks, which should probably be my go-to half guard pass outside of the watchdog position. I had to fight for it, but the ballerina pass out of the watchdog and crossface positions both seemed to work tonight.
I'm also thinking that Thursday night might be a good weightlifting night, given the new equipment downstairs. Being able to do some heavy pulls on the lat machine and rows on the cables would be great, along with some leg extensions for my quads. Mainly focusing on stuff I can't do at home. Doing that after class on Monday and Thursday might be a nice little difference maker in my strength training.
157.8 on the scale. So far I've managed to weigh in below 160 after every class this month. Starting in July, that's going to have to be a pre-train weight instead of post-train, keeping things nice and low for the two weeks going into the Revolution event.
We did specific work after several minutes of pummelling. Guard/Pass Guard and Mount/Escape Mount. Since it was no gi, I focused on the Flat Pass. I'm a little hung up on some of the things guys are doing to defend it - tonight, grabbing my attacking hand and controlling it was a major tactic. I need to work through that. It definitely works to get into the habit of opening the ankles with your top leg. It is agility worth developing because it is a nice edge to be able to open those ankles without necessarily needing to use your hand.
That was probably the biggest lesson. I went a lot more for the knee wedge half guard pass with the double underhooks, which should probably be my go-to half guard pass outside of the watchdog position. I had to fight for it, but the ballerina pass out of the watchdog and crossface positions both seemed to work tonight.
I'm also thinking that Thursday night might be a good weightlifting night, given the new equipment downstairs. Being able to do some heavy pulls on the lat machine and rows on the cables would be great, along with some leg extensions for my quads. Mainly focusing on stuff I can't do at home. Doing that after class on Monday and Thursday might be a nice little difference maker in my strength training.
157.8 on the scale. So far I've managed to weigh in below 160 after every class this month. Starting in July, that's going to have to be a pre-train weight instead of post-train, keeping things nice and low for the two weeks going into the Revolution event.
Georges Hearts Royce
Georges St. Pierre's Idol? Royce Gracie, Of Course
From MMA Weekly
"The fact that he was using a martial art weapon that nobody knew at the time, which is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was smaller than all of the guys and he was able to win... That's what really inspired me.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Fedor Training Secrets & More!
A nice, long interview with the top heavyweight mixed martial artist in the world.
Fedor Emelianenko: Insider Training Facts
"Wake up at 8 am. Train at 10 am. Train again at 5 p.m. Lights out at 11 am. Three meals a day. Cardio before each training session. Diet: meat, fish, vegetables, fruit ..."
I'm still marveling at the idea of getting nine hours of sleep a night!
Fedor Emelianenko: Insider Training Facts
"Wake up at 8 am. Train at 10 am. Train again at 5 p.m. Lights out at 11 am. Three meals a day. Cardio before each training session. Diet: meat, fish, vegetables, fruit ..."
I'm still marveling at the idea of getting nine hours of sleep a night!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tuesday Training
A big class tonight, with lots of white belts, first-class people and, by the end of the evening, a couple of black belts, as well. Plenty in between: Pat, Jared, Nate, Nick, Angela, Jason/Garcia, Wellington, Clint, Benny ...
Rodrigo had us working on guard passing all night. I thought I heard him say that we were going to work on guard passing every day until the tournament. I couldn't be happier if that's the case.
The coursework was the passing of the spider guard. Importantly, for the guy on the bottom, the spider guard comes as a result of getting your guard opened up. In order to stay ahead, you switch to the spider guard inserting the bottom foot first. Rodrigo explained this a few days ago. By inserting the bottom foot first, you prevent the guy from doing a knee pin/Fowler pass. You might stop him if you spider with the top leg first. But using the bottom leg to spider and THEN the upper leg will immediately stop the problem of the ground pass.
It's also a nice set-up for the moth guard sweep, "low pass."
From the top, the passes were (1) stepping back, scooping under the calves and then stepping forward and rolling the guy heels over head. Here, you want to make sure you stay close, with as much body to body contact as possible, to avoid the guy rolling away from you.
There was also (2) which was the pass we switched to when the guard player switched to a DLR hook on one leg while spidering the other arm. Here, you step back with the leg on the spidered side, then as you step back forward, swing your body inward toward his, turning perpendicular. At the same time that you do that, you want to reach behind the spidering leg with your opposite hand and push the legs away from you and to the mat. Again, keep as much body to body contact as you can all the way down.
This time, Rodrigo added a sweep for the guy on the bottom. The steps of the sweep from the DLR guard are: hip, heel, collar, hook, pull, kick.
1. From spider guard, put one foot on the hip and stretch the guy out.
2. Take your other foot and insert it like a DLR hook, but behind hooking behind his heel. Your foot should be on the mat.
3. Change the grip on the guy's sleeve on your hipside to cross collar
4. Remove your hip foot and hook it inside-to-out under the thigh of the DLR'd leg.
5. From here, pull him on to you and, squeezing the leg and pulling the sleeve on the DLR side, kick with your legs and flip him to the outside.
Tatame was fair. I'd say a "gentleman's C". My half guard game feels rough, and I can't tell if I'm slipping or if guys are just getting more and more accustomed to it. If I can get to my spots, then I get to my spots. But I feel a little as if I'm really having to work harder to get to them these days.
From the top, I won't go so far as to say that I took a step backwards in my SRO policy. But I didn't follow up on Monday's workman-like performance as The Guard Passer like I should have. I've still got a bit of the vertigo and could really use a couple more sessions this week to build on what I started on Monday in terms of the SRO.
When I commit to SRO and to the Flat Pass, I have some pretty good success. I've still got balance issues in both instances. But I was impressed by what gravity can do for you when you are standing and trying to get a knee pinned to the mat. I also finally managed to open the ankles TECHNICALLY in the Flat Pass. "Chim" is right about how you can feel how the ankles are locked and then use your leg to open them. Where I struggle is in establishing a base that doesn't make me feel vulnerable to being swept backwards. May be time for another "death cycle" ...
SRO is SRO. When I want it and work for it, I get it. One thing I do need to do is move my control from the upper chest to the hips, and to step back to make the angle harder for the guard player to deal with. I'm hanging in there with what I'm doing now: grabbing the collar and squatting a bit to avoid the double leg bump sweep, for example. And like I said, it has been impressive to see it work when it works. But I'm not quite at a "go to" level of confidence with any one particular approach, at least not yet.
That's a nice goal for the week: to work on switching my grips lower to control the hips, and to step back into that "athletic pose" as Saulo calls it.
156.4 on the scale after training. I had rice and beans (and chicken) for breakfast, which was a Gracie Diet Rule Double Carb no-no. But it doesn't look like I was penalized for it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to train on Friday as planned, which means it might make sense to train tomorrow night as a precaution so I get at least three gi sessions in for the week (and I'm overdue for getting back to Cindy's no gi Thursdays ...)
DVR'd the Ms interleague game against the Padres and I'm just now seeing the local boys load the bases. No runs scored in the bottom of the first. Let's see if we can get a run or two.
Rodrigo had us working on guard passing all night. I thought I heard him say that we were going to work on guard passing every day until the tournament. I couldn't be happier if that's the case.
The coursework was the passing of the spider guard. Importantly, for the guy on the bottom, the spider guard comes as a result of getting your guard opened up. In order to stay ahead, you switch to the spider guard inserting the bottom foot first. Rodrigo explained this a few days ago. By inserting the bottom foot first, you prevent the guy from doing a knee pin/Fowler pass. You might stop him if you spider with the top leg first. But using the bottom leg to spider and THEN the upper leg will immediately stop the problem of the ground pass.
It's also a nice set-up for the moth guard sweep, "low pass."
From the top, the passes were (1) stepping back, scooping under the calves and then stepping forward and rolling the guy heels over head. Here, you want to make sure you stay close, with as much body to body contact as possible, to avoid the guy rolling away from you.
There was also (2) which was the pass we switched to when the guard player switched to a DLR hook on one leg while spidering the other arm. Here, you step back with the leg on the spidered side, then as you step back forward, swing your body inward toward his, turning perpendicular. At the same time that you do that, you want to reach behind the spidering leg with your opposite hand and push the legs away from you and to the mat. Again, keep as much body to body contact as you can all the way down.
This time, Rodrigo added a sweep for the guy on the bottom. The steps of the sweep from the DLR guard are: hip, heel, collar, hook, pull, kick.
1. From spider guard, put one foot on the hip and stretch the guy out.
2. Take your other foot and insert it like a DLR hook, but behind hooking behind his heel. Your foot should be on the mat.
3. Change the grip on the guy's sleeve on your hipside to cross collar
4. Remove your hip foot and hook it inside-to-out under the thigh of the DLR'd leg.
5. From here, pull him on to you and, squeezing the leg and pulling the sleeve on the DLR side, kick with your legs and flip him to the outside.
Tatame was fair. I'd say a "gentleman's C". My half guard game feels rough, and I can't tell if I'm slipping or if guys are just getting more and more accustomed to it. If I can get to my spots, then I get to my spots. But I feel a little as if I'm really having to work harder to get to them these days.
From the top, I won't go so far as to say that I took a step backwards in my SRO policy. But I didn't follow up on Monday's workman-like performance as The Guard Passer like I should have. I've still got a bit of the vertigo and could really use a couple more sessions this week to build on what I started on Monday in terms of the SRO.
When I commit to SRO and to the Flat Pass, I have some pretty good success. I've still got balance issues in both instances. But I was impressed by what gravity can do for you when you are standing and trying to get a knee pinned to the mat. I also finally managed to open the ankles TECHNICALLY in the Flat Pass. "Chim" is right about how you can feel how the ankles are locked and then use your leg to open them. Where I struggle is in establishing a base that doesn't make me feel vulnerable to being swept backwards. May be time for another "death cycle" ...
SRO is SRO. When I want it and work for it, I get it. One thing I do need to do is move my control from the upper chest to the hips, and to step back to make the angle harder for the guard player to deal with. I'm hanging in there with what I'm doing now: grabbing the collar and squatting a bit to avoid the double leg bump sweep, for example. And like I said, it has been impressive to see it work when it works. But I'm not quite at a "go to" level of confidence with any one particular approach, at least not yet.
That's a nice goal for the week: to work on switching my grips lower to control the hips, and to step back into that "athletic pose" as Saulo calls it.
156.4 on the scale after training. I had rice and beans (and chicken) for breakfast, which was a Gracie Diet Rule Double Carb no-no. But it doesn't look like I was penalized for it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to train on Friday as planned, which means it might make sense to train tomorrow night as a precaution so I get at least three gi sessions in for the week (and I'm overdue for getting back to Cindy's no gi Thursdays ...)
DVR'd the Ms interleague game against the Padres and I'm just now seeing the local boys load the bases. No runs scored in the bottom of the first. Let's see if we can get a run or two.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday Training
ATM ... Takes a licking but keeps on ticking!
Back on the mat for a Monday training. There are a thousand reasons why it's great to train on Monday (I was reading a bodybuilder e-mail I subscribe to - don't ask - that was making a similar point about Monday being mandatory squat/legs day). But the fact that you know exactly what you're going to get from the moment you open the door and the music is thumping upstairs. It's like flipping a switch and it's time to go. A great way to start the week.
Rodrigo has started alternating his days a little bit so that he can spend time meeting and training with different folks - including new people he's never even met. This had him back at GB Seattle on Monday, though Lindsey still led his class (Rodrigo and Stephen led the second sparring class that was mostly guard/pass guard specific).
Lindsey had us focus on armlocks from the guard, particularly from the guard I used to call Hilo Guard. He used double sleeve control, which seems like a nice combination with Hilo.
A couple of pointers: make sure not to push back too far and create too much space. That will only allow the guy to put up a knee and start to work a Royler or Fowler pass. Also, make sure that the "chucking" leg doesn't just come up hard under the armit but also comes down hard on the upper back and shoulder. The leg has a major destablizing role to play in driving the guy over AND in keeping him over long enough to get the other leg over for the armlock. Think of the armlock as a sweep, a flower sweep in reverse, and drive the leg all the way over.
Tatame was pretty good. I'm still working the standing passes, which is Project 1 for 2009. I think that once I get over the initial Vertigo of it, I'll be fine. They are actually a hell of a lot more fun and less draining than wrestling around trying to restore your posture on the ground. The trick will be in being relentless about training them, the death cycle as it were.
Back on the mat for a Monday training. There are a thousand reasons why it's great to train on Monday (I was reading a bodybuilder e-mail I subscribe to - don't ask - that was making a similar point about Monday being mandatory squat/legs day). But the fact that you know exactly what you're going to get from the moment you open the door and the music is thumping upstairs. It's like flipping a switch and it's time to go. A great way to start the week.
Rodrigo has started alternating his days a little bit so that he can spend time meeting and training with different folks - including new people he's never even met. This had him back at GB Seattle on Monday, though Lindsey still led his class (Rodrigo and Stephen led the second sparring class that was mostly guard/pass guard specific).
Lindsey had us focus on armlocks from the guard, particularly from the guard I used to call Hilo Guard. He used double sleeve control, which seems like a nice combination with Hilo.
A couple of pointers: make sure not to push back too far and create too much space. That will only allow the guy to put up a knee and start to work a Royler or Fowler pass. Also, make sure that the "chucking" leg doesn't just come up hard under the armit but also comes down hard on the upper back and shoulder. The leg has a major destablizing role to play in driving the guy over AND in keeping him over long enough to get the other leg over for the armlock. Think of the armlock as a sweep, a flower sweep in reverse, and drive the leg all the way over.
Tatame was pretty good. I'm still working the standing passes, which is Project 1 for 2009. I think that once I get over the initial Vertigo of it, I'll be fine. They are actually a hell of a lot more fun and less draining than wrestling around trying to restore your posture on the ground. The trick will be in being relentless about training them, the death cycle as it were.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
GB Seattle Invitational / Saturday Training
Talking with Abel as the GB Seattle Invitational was winding down, he said that while the 12 times a month he was putting in a month wasn't bad, getting to 15 a month is really where you want to be. "That way, you're essentially training every other day," he said.
I couldn't agree more. I used to say to myself that one reason the Brazilians in Brazil were so good was because they probably trained every day - minimum. I can't train every day (at least not until Enlightenment and subsequent liberation from the samsara of wage employment), but I think being able to say that I basically train every other day is saying something. I think that dedication ("I spend two hours every other day working on my knitting/guitar playing/gardening/skiing/horseback riding ...".) is something that would be obvious to anyone who heard it even if they didn't know (or didn't care) about the activity itself.
And the proof in that pudding is in the eating, for sure. I remember years ago Rodrigo telling us - I must have been a white belt at the time - that if we were thinking about competing in the upcoming tournament, then training AT LEAST three times a week, was what you needed to do. He's since said the same thing, but dropped that standard to at least two times a week, but I think - if you really want to compete at your highest level - Rodrigo was right the first time.
The idea being - in my translation - that training three times a week will probably keep you from being embarassed in a match. But it probably won't be enough to guarantee placing and earning points toward the team trophy.
My first quarter pace was 3.17 times a week. I'm on a 3.375 pace right now with about a week and a half to go in the second quarter. If I train every day next week and Monday and Tuesday of the final week of the month, that pace can climb as high as 3.5. That would be a 10% increase over the first quarter.
Training 15 days a month gets you a pace of 3.75 a week. 16 days a month gets you the prize GPA figure of 4.0. Those may be targets worth thinking about for the third and fourth quarters
I didn't compete this morning. I arrived a little later than I'd planned after my strategy to avoid the 520 bridge closure went awry. Rodrigo through Pat asked me if I wanted a fight and I told him, truthfully, that it didn't matter either way. I was most looking forward to the open mat and getting in a fourth day of training for the week.
I didn't end up getting a refereed match. Rodrigo had matched me up with Andrew from GB Seattle at Bellevue, who had a very exciting match with Sauleh - the most competitive since the last Revolution. But Andrew injured his shoulder (or made worse an existing injury, I wasn't sure) and decided against risking it. Again, that was fine with me. I was pretty positive that what I needed - and need most over the next few weeks - isn't referreed competition, it's the death cycle.
The three sessions that I did have, somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes each, I think, were great. A blue belt from Ballard, Jessie Chen from Ballard and Lance. I've pretty much decided to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love my Guard Game as is, and had a lot of fun rolling and focusing on recognizing exactly what type of opportunity existed or that I wanted to create. I've actually seen the most success with this when it comes to my scissor sweep, which has been bad to non-existent.
But what I'm most proud of was my standing guard attack with Lance. Even though I didn't pass, I was glad that I plunged right into SRO against a very tough sparring partner. I was able to work on my balance and at least gain some confidence that I wasn't going to spontaneously combust just for trying to open and pass on the feet. That's part of that "demystification" that I think is necessary for me to break through against what is probably my most critical weakness in jiu jitsu.
Actually, there's no probably about it. But at least I'm that much closer to being able to focus on details of what I'm trying to get done rather than on rounding up the will to do it in the first place.
I couldn't agree more. I used to say to myself that one reason the Brazilians in Brazil were so good was because they probably trained every day - minimum. I can't train every day (at least not until Enlightenment and subsequent liberation from the samsara of wage employment), but I think being able to say that I basically train every other day is saying something. I think that dedication ("I spend two hours every other day working on my knitting/guitar playing/gardening/skiing/horseback riding ...".) is something that would be obvious to anyone who heard it even if they didn't know (or didn't care) about the activity itself.
And the proof in that pudding is in the eating, for sure. I remember years ago Rodrigo telling us - I must have been a white belt at the time - that if we were thinking about competing in the upcoming tournament, then training AT LEAST three times a week, was what you needed to do. He's since said the same thing, but dropped that standard to at least two times a week, but I think - if you really want to compete at your highest level - Rodrigo was right the first time.
The idea being - in my translation - that training three times a week will probably keep you from being embarassed in a match. But it probably won't be enough to guarantee placing and earning points toward the team trophy.
My first quarter pace was 3.17 times a week. I'm on a 3.375 pace right now with about a week and a half to go in the second quarter. If I train every day next week and Monday and Tuesday of the final week of the month, that pace can climb as high as 3.5. That would be a 10% increase over the first quarter.
Training 15 days a month gets you a pace of 3.75 a week. 16 days a month gets you the prize GPA figure of 4.0. Those may be targets worth thinking about for the third and fourth quarters
I didn't compete this morning. I arrived a little later than I'd planned after my strategy to avoid the 520 bridge closure went awry. Rodrigo through Pat asked me if I wanted a fight and I told him, truthfully, that it didn't matter either way. I was most looking forward to the open mat and getting in a fourth day of training for the week.
I didn't end up getting a refereed match. Rodrigo had matched me up with Andrew from GB Seattle at Bellevue, who had a very exciting match with Sauleh - the most competitive since the last Revolution. But Andrew injured his shoulder (or made worse an existing injury, I wasn't sure) and decided against risking it. Again, that was fine with me. I was pretty positive that what I needed - and need most over the next few weeks - isn't referreed competition, it's the death cycle.
The three sessions that I did have, somewhere between 8 and 10 minutes each, I think, were great. A blue belt from Ballard, Jessie Chen from Ballard and Lance. I've pretty much decided to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love my Guard Game as is, and had a lot of fun rolling and focusing on recognizing exactly what type of opportunity existed or that I wanted to create. I've actually seen the most success with this when it comes to my scissor sweep, which has been bad to non-existent.
But what I'm most proud of was my standing guard attack with Lance. Even though I didn't pass, I was glad that I plunged right into SRO against a very tough sparring partner. I was able to work on my balance and at least gain some confidence that I wasn't going to spontaneously combust just for trying to open and pass on the feet. That's part of that "demystification" that I think is necessary for me to break through against what is probably my most critical weakness in jiu jitsu.
Actually, there's no probably about it. But at least I'm that much closer to being able to focus on details of what I'm trying to get done rather than on rounding up the will to do it in the first place.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday Training
Managed to get on the mat for some pre-tournament training on Friday.
I like the way that Rodrigo has been running classes in the month or so leading up to the Revolution. We warm-up with squats, pushups, jumping jacks, chokes and oblique situps, but the conditioning has switched to 8 minutes of stand-up work focusing on grips and foot sweeps. I think this will really pay off in July, especially for the white and blue belts. I'm looking forward to seeing if this will be a big edge.
The instructional was the same thing we've been working on this week: passing the spider guard. Rodrigo showed us two alternate tactics: scooping both hands under the calves and rolling the guy over his shoulder, and scooping both hands on top of the legs and, after a quick lift, driving them down to the mat and leaning in with the inside shoulder (the pass I used to call "The Butler", but is probably more accurately the Watchdog pass since Watchdog is the end position.
One thing I was especially proud of in training with J.M. was that when we did specific sparring, I made sure to use the same spider guard that we had been working on earlier in class. It's another one of those basic, basic things that can make a world of difference over a few months, both in terms of practicing new techniques live to see how they might fit in your game, as well as helping others train against techniques they may seen elsewhere in training or competition.
I also got to roll with Bryan, who was one of my key sparring partners a year ago when I was training more regularly on Fridays. He's a really good person for me to work with also - very close in size and skill. It's another reason to try and make Friday training a regular part of the schedule. Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday training would be a pretty good way to make it through the week. And I may have just made the necessary adjustments to make it so.
I like the way that Rodrigo has been running classes in the month or so leading up to the Revolution. We warm-up with squats, pushups, jumping jacks, chokes and oblique situps, but the conditioning has switched to 8 minutes of stand-up work focusing on grips and foot sweeps. I think this will really pay off in July, especially for the white and blue belts. I'm looking forward to seeing if this will be a big edge.
The instructional was the same thing we've been working on this week: passing the spider guard. Rodrigo showed us two alternate tactics: scooping both hands under the calves and rolling the guy over his shoulder, and scooping both hands on top of the legs and, after a quick lift, driving them down to the mat and leaning in with the inside shoulder (the pass I used to call "The Butler", but is probably more accurately the Watchdog pass since Watchdog is the end position.
One thing I was especially proud of in training with J.M. was that when we did specific sparring, I made sure to use the same spider guard that we had been working on earlier in class. It's another one of those basic, basic things that can make a world of difference over a few months, both in terms of practicing new techniques live to see how they might fit in your game, as well as helping others train against techniques they may seen elsewhere in training or competition.
I also got to roll with Bryan, who was one of my key sparring partners a year ago when I was training more regularly on Fridays. He's a really good person for me to work with also - very close in size and skill. It's another reason to try and make Friday training a regular part of the schedule. Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday training would be a pretty good way to make it through the week. And I may have just made the necessary adjustments to make it so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)