That guy should have tapped...

At Saturday's Intermediate kimono class I saw a perfect example of where ego, and training can clash with unfortunate effect. I had 2 good rolls with blue belt partners, but when the 3rd 5 minute period started I found myself the odd-man out. I decided to sit and observe another match between one of my preferred training partners, a recent blue belt named Matt, and a second stripe white belt whose name escapes me...
It started out well enough, although Matt was clearly dominating- moving around easily, while his partner was missing escape opportunities. I offered a few suggestions, but seeing that I was not being listened to, quickly switched back to just observing. Then it happened- Matt was knee on belly to the guy, and the 2 Stripe turned up on his side- facing away from Matt, basically giving up his back- I saw Matt bring his right knee up to the guys back, and then step over the other guys head with his left foot- he snaps up the 2 stripes right arm in a kneeling arm bar, using his left thigh as the leverage point- it was a solid submission. I would have tapped. Unfortunately the 2 stripe didn't see it that way. Instead of tapping the 2 stripe tries to fight his way out of it adjusting his shoulders to try and pull his arm loose- but he just makes it worse- in fact he pulled his elbow down to the point where it was locked against Matt's leg, and the leverage for the armbar was better- it ends when the guy basically fights his way into a dislocated elbow. So now i see this guy, writhing in pain on the mat, but I am not overwhelmed with pity. The guy should have tapped.

I'll give you some more back story. I have trained with Matt since before I was allowed to roll. I know he is one of the "safest" partners in the school. I also know he is more of a "thinking" BJJ Player- less of a "natural" if you will. I know this because we are very similar, and I would define myself the same way. I also had an experience with this 2 stripe earlier in the day. the onset of class was an up/down/out exercise with the Fundamentals class. Up/Down/Out is as close as a fundamentals student really gets to "live rolling" or sparring. The drill is a set up- in this case from the closed guard. The "down" player has the "up" player in his closed guard. It is the up players goal to get passed the guard. It is the down players objective to sweep, or submit the up player. There are different variables, sometimes the coaches will tell one of the players to only offer partial resistance say 80%, so that the other position can work the problem, and achieve success. Sometimes it is just a live drill. Once a player has either achieved his objective, or been swept or submitted the drill is over. At that point, regardless of outcome the "down" player gets up and goes to the wall, and the "up" player becomes the down player, a new partner comes off the wall and the drill starts again. I told you all that to tell you this. Earlier in the day I came off the wall to pair up with the 2 stripe that got hurt. As i am approaching to get into position he tells me he has just been unconscious. Apparently he had tried to fight his way out of a choke- now I have been there so I understand that you can get surprised by a choke and try the wrong method of escape. I told him it was best just to tap in those situations. So here I have given him some good advice, but his response indicated to me that he wasn't really listening. I then let him catch his breath, and then passed his guard like it didn't exist. The 2 stripe guy is an older guy- older than my 35 years, he should have listened. It was obvious from what happened later with Matt, that he did not.

After Matt ran and got the guy some ice I made sure to explain about my earlier interaction. If only to provide some peace of mind for him that although the guy got hurt, it was in his own hands to prevent it, and he didn't.

The point I am trying to make here is to TAP when you are training.

The Seminar that became a private lesson...

Professor Luiz Dentinho Eduardo has been running a seminar series at our schools all week, and on Sunday I showed up for a submissions seminar.

I was the only student there for the seminar

What that meant to me was that for my $25.00 Seminar admission I got an hour long private lesson with Prof. Dentinho!

New techniques learned and drilled

passing guard to side control
Side control to the back with a forearm choke
a triangle applied from the back that yields 2 submissions- an arm bar and a triangle choke

a nice new grip from guard that locks up and arm and opens omoplatta, gogoplatta, armbar, and triangle opportunities

and another technique I don't have a name for -(since Professor Dentinho only speaks Portuguese) but it is a choke attack from guard- and it is nasty.

So what I can say is- lucky me! Hopefully the rest of Professor Dentinho's seminar series is better attended.

here is some YouTube of Professor Dentinho in action

Got Handled

Class itself went fine, but the roll at the end was not so fine. 3 stripe was kind of a messy roll, he was trying for arm bars from the bottom when he was clearly not in position. The end result was I had him rolled up onto his shoulders with his knees to his forehead- he didn't have the leverage to extend, and wouldn't let go of the arm so there I was basically sprawled over him- he had my left arm trapped between his legs, my right arm was free. I was trying to figure out how to get my arm out so I could roll him into side control but I just didn't have a technique on thought, so what happened? I have no idea. I think I tried to step around with my right foot to line up in order to "give" him the guard to create some order in the roll, and to get out of the predicament- but in doing so I lost my base footing and got swept- either way I tapped and the roll ended with an arm bar. This was a classic case of me losing patience to try to get the roll moving again. I put myself into a bad position and he capitalized. Too much "nice guy" too little strategy on my part.

The next roll I can't even remember except to say he tried to get me into a triangle- it was pure slop- he made an adjustment and i saw an opening- I quickly brought my hand up intending to get my arm inside his thigh in order to break the triangle the contact was kind of a "slap" which he mistook for a tap. End of roll.

3rd roll ended in a draw I was a bit more explosive this time and almost got him into an RNC- but didn't quite get to his back- he escaped- end of roll.

What do I take away from this class? Well, I'm too "nice"- need to work on my killer instincts. I don't want to call it becoming more "aggressive" so I will call it "more ruthless in imposing my initiative".

I also got marked up pretty good during this class- I got a couple nice abrasions on my forehead, and under my jaw.

Sunday I am attending a seminar with professor Luiz "Dentinho" Eduardo on Sunday- hopefully some positive perspective and technique will spring forth from the session.

That will wake you up in the mornin!

I just reported to my first 6:30 am training session, and it was pretty good. Usually I roll in the evenings, so getting myself up at 5:30am on a Monday was a little different for me, but it was satisfying to have gotten through training. Class was a series of guard passes where we switched back and forth- using one as an alternative to the other.
Unfortunately, at the opening of clas we were practicing "jumping into guard" and i seem to have tweeked the inside of my knee. It feels like it is muscular, so hopefully it will work itself out pretty quickly.

In other news I am now officially on my training regimen for Tough Mudder up at Beaver Creek.

Learning to be at home with "losing"

I noticed last Saturday that I am doing something wrong. I noticed that over these past few weeks I have started to focus on winning, rather than training. During a roll, I could feel pride start creeping in when I am in a bad position, and then I find myself forgetting about position, and forgetting about the game- and that is when I start hunting for submissions. It's sloppy, and it isn't improving my game- it's just "winning". So what exactly do I win there? Nothing. In fact, I am losing out because I am spending my class time training improper technique.

This week I am focusing on position, and I am focusing on technique. I decided for myself that if I can get positioning right then it is ok to proceed- but if the position is bad and I can't get where I want to go- I'm gonna lose. When I lose I'm gonna be humble because I will learn more in failure from trying to work position correctly than I would from a sloppy success.

Tuesday was my first night working this way. I "lost" on all 3 rolls- but that is ok. I noticed something- when you submit your training partner is always more interested in helping you work out the mistake you made.

We are working on Knee on Belly this week (my favorite) this time the work is from the bottom- how to escape knee on belly. We also got a new attack, but it was designed more like preventative medicine- "Here is an attack an opponent could try from knee on belly- this is what you want to avoid". The escape works well- although every encounter with knee on belly reminds me that I need more core strength. Basically the escape is to get both elbows past the knee, then hip out while blocking with the hands. after the escape start looking to replace guard- maybe even a sweep if they are off balance.

Having come so far, but not really gotten that far- and being OK with that.

I celebrated one year on the mat last week. It felt good to finally have found something that I am still as more interested in after a year than day one. I have been tested. Dealing with hurting my arm was a bummer, I didn't enjoy my ear swelling up and having my best friend and training partner drop out for 6 months has taken 'buddy" aspect out of it- but still week after week I am showing up to train, and I am getting better. I'm making new friends, and developing even more respect for my training partners, Coaches, and Professors during each class.

I have a year into the Gentle Art- but that really doesn't mean much in the scheme of training in BJJ. Training in this martial art isn't something you ever really "finish", so there is no finishing chute over the horizon like there is for a runner. You make your goals short term- learn the movements, practice practice practice- get better- then suddenly a coach throws a variation at you that changes everything- it could be a grab, or a placement of leverage for a sweep and suddenly it's a whole new series of options added to your lexicon. One class can literally result in 10 new permutations to your game.

I have mentioned before in this blog that I was never really a "fighter". I was more of a negotiator, and I think that may actually help me in a way since being cool and methodical in approach seems to trump aggressive during a roll. Don't get me wrong- aggressive is good too- you don't want to get caught over thinking or watching the paint dry. BJJ has helped me tap some of that aggression as well- but in a controlled environment where it can be channeled to my benefit.

When I try to explain BJJ to my Dad I can tell he is wondering what the hell I am doing- 35yrs old, going to classes to learn fighting every other night when I have a family at home... All I can say is that this is making me a better father, and a better husband. I am not sure he "gets it"- how a martial art can do that, but really it is constructive- this is a positive channel through which the aggressive urge can flow without putting oneself at odds with society.

All I can think is that in some way we are all pre-wired for combat. Somewhere deep inside we all need to experience battle- for some guys it is debating issues or arguing over the internet, for others it may manifest itself as starting fights when they are drunk. Somehow I feel like this is the middle. BJJ is physically using skill to impose your will. We train to learn how to prevail in combat, but it is also sport, so we play by the rules. We treat each other with respect, and behave like sportsmen. It's not personal, and it isn't life or death but the combat is very "real" and genuine. For 5 minutes you are focused and pushing to win- in a controlled environment and within the rules that keep us safe from each other.

I go home tired. Sometimes I go home proud that I learned something new, or got something right. Sometimes I go home introspective- replaying a mistake and trying to reason my way through it- but when I get home I am that husband, and that father. Having just channeled that aggression I am now totally free to read stories to my daughter, and talk to my wife. I have very little inner tension so the time i spend with them is the highest it can be.

Easton Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Arvada Colorado - Choke from Guard