I am not going to become a professional fighter. That was never the goal, or the intent of training. Thus there is a small problem when committing to grappling training- my ears. I cannot get cauliflower ear. This is not permitted, as my wife will freak out, and my vanity is way too well developed to deal with swollen, nasty pinna. For this reason I am seriously shopping for a headgear.
You gotta draw the line somewhere, and when the Professor "snapped" past my ear during a collar choke demonstration last night I realized just how fast this could become a problem.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The Wall
You encounter them all the time, a mental or physical barrier that prevents you from making progress. For me, getting past the intimidation factor to start training was a wall. Just setting foot on the mat was a mental hurtle for me. It is 8 months down the line now, and I can't really remember what my mindset was, but I do recall being a little concerned that I was going to show up and get laughed at. It wasn't that way at all of course, but it was a legit concern in my mind before I understood the mentality of the school.
I felt a similar sensation this evening. It was a wall. I hadn't trained in a week due to travel, and here I was going into a foreign environment- a different school with instructors and students that were unknown to me. The wall presented itself as a deal I was making with myself on the way to the school- I'll just have a look. I'll see what it looks like and if I don't like what I see, I'll just keep going, head back home and watch The Ultimate Fighter. I was making excuses in my mind.
I countered the excuses with commitments
The first commitment was just pulling into a parking spot in front of the School, and putting the car in park. The second was grabbing my gear bag and heading inside. After you are standing in the School, bag in hand you are going to train, and that is exactly what I did. It wasn't my best night on the mat, but I went through with it and I feel better for it. In the end the deals were just distractions. I drove to the School, I went in, and I trained. I learned something too- not just on the mat. I learned that these walls are getting easier to overcome as I go.
I felt a similar sensation this evening. It was a wall. I hadn't trained in a week due to travel, and here I was going into a foreign environment- a different school with instructors and students that were unknown to me. The wall presented itself as a deal I was making with myself on the way to the school- I'll just have a look. I'll see what it looks like and if I don't like what I see, I'll just keep going, head back home and watch The Ultimate Fighter. I was making excuses in my mind.
I countered the excuses with commitments
The first commitment was just pulling into a parking spot in front of the School, and putting the car in park. The second was grabbing my gear bag and heading inside. After you are standing in the School, bag in hand you are going to train, and that is exactly what I did. It wasn't my best night on the mat, but I went through with it and I feel better for it. In the end the deals were just distractions. I drove to the School, I went in, and I trained. I learned something too- not just on the mat. I learned that these walls are getting easier to overcome as I go.
New School New Gameness
The school I train with has about 6 branches, each with different Black Belt Professors. Tonight I strayed from my usual school for the first time in order to train at a newer school that was recently opened by two Black Belt Professors who also happen to be brothers. I have come away impressed, and determined to visit again.
Class structures were pretty much the same. The student group was very welcoming, and the Professor was excellent at showing the methods. Today we learned a halfguard pass, with a nice kimura escape/reversal.
Training was an education. I'll admit, this being my first class in a week I was not on my A game, I wasn't at my best as I definitly had some opportunities to sweep. Had I played an open guard game I could have created some opportunities. Unfortunately I sort of froze in closed guard and it cost me. I think I'll be better next week when I am more relaxed. With that said, these guys were fast, their guards were hard to pass, and their bases were solid. A very impressive crew. I will also say that they were good sportsman, easy going and a pleasure to train with. I am looking forward to next week, hopefully I can show them a better ground game than I came with today.
Class structures were pretty much the same. The student group was very welcoming, and the Professor was excellent at showing the methods. Today we learned a halfguard pass, with a nice kimura escape/reversal.
Training was an education. I'll admit, this being my first class in a week I was not on my A game, I wasn't at my best as I definitly had some opportunities to sweep. Had I played an open guard game I could have created some opportunities. Unfortunately I sort of froze in closed guard and it cost me. I think I'll be better next week when I am more relaxed. With that said, these guys were fast, their guards were hard to pass, and their bases were solid. A very impressive crew. I will also say that they were good sportsman, easy going and a pleasure to train with. I am looking forward to next week, hopefully I can show them a better ground game than I came with today.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Book reviews
I am a reader. As I ride the bus during my daily commute I find plenty of time to indulge my mind with books about all types of subject matter. Some of the books I read are about martial arts, and fighting this includes a few study books and/or manuals I have picked up to help me with my game. I will cover these books in this new "Books" section. I'm not going to rewrite what I have read, but I will give a short report on the content of the books, and I will rate them on the Shrimpin scale 1 shrimp being the lamest, and 5 shrimps being a " You must have this book- get out there and buy it now" kind of a rating.
When possible I will provide a link to Amazon to ease your purchase experience.
When possible I will provide a link to Amazon to ease your purchase experience.
Round Timer
I picked up a Taylor TruTimer digital egg timer at Target this evening. As I intend to get more serious about randori, this will allow me to time rounds 3min, 5min ect.
Just another useful gadget to have in the bag.
Just another useful gadget to have in the bag.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Making the rolling triangle work
So I have had this move in my head for about 2 weeks now, and I have been dying to try it, but for some reason I keep getting paired up with guys who just want to lay and pray so it ends up being me using guard attacks, and side control escapes. What I needed to get to was the mount. Last night I finally got there. When my partner attempted a textbook hip-out escape I was set to work the move. I switched positions bringing my left knee to his back, and my right foot to his chest. I then took advantage of his confusion to pass my right foot under his head. I then grabbed my right foot behind his head with my left hand and then rolled forward over my right shoulder ending up flat on my shoulders with my partner in a perfect triangle. I then finished by hooking my right foot under my left knee, I let go with my left hand, then used it to grab the right elbow of his Gi and bring his arm across my chest and...
Tap Tap Tap.
I must admit it felt really good. My first rolling triangle.
SQUEEZE!
Tap Tap Tap.
I must admit it felt really good. My first rolling triangle.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Equipment
Essentials for the Study of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1. Gi. Most schools will sell you an entry level Gi, and some (like the school I go to) will give you a basic Gi when you sign on with the school. A Gi can range in price and quality like any other article of clothing. Materials and finishes vary, and sometimes limited availability can lead to exclusivity. Most of the professors roll in the school Gi, and I can tell you that as a new student most of the benefits of an expensive Gi will be lost on you. I am a firm believer that each student should have at least 2 Gi to alternate between. A GI MUST BE CLEANED after each session. Hygiene is a huge focus in schools, so there are no exceptions- WASH YOUR FUCKING GI. After washing, it is proper to hang-dry your Gi as you will not want to have it shrink too much and get young. As hang drying takes time, you will want to have that second Gi as the alternate while the other is drying. Again- WASH YOUR FUCKING GI- I cannot stress this enough. I purchased an Atama Gold Weave Gi as my alternate. It is a very nice Gi, but it has yet to turn me into a Jiu Jitsu super hero, so you should realize- the clothes don't make the man. Unless you have dirty clothes, in which case you are a pig, and you apparently can't read all caps- WASH YOUR FUCKING GI.
A gear bag: I use a duffle that has a top load, and also features a nice side load into an attached laundry bag. This means I can put my dirty gi into the side port and it won't touch my clean gear. This is key, because if you don't want ring-worm you will want to keep that dirty Gi separate until such time as you can WASH YOUR FUCKING GI
Mouthguard: as you get into rolling you will notice that you get kicked in the face sometimes. Its a good idea to have a mouthguard. I am using a shock doctor that i bought at Dicks Sporting goods for $9.95- it is a boil and bite fit, and it seems to work well.
A cup: I have 2, a hard cup, and a "spider" flex cup. The spider cup has more give. It protects less, but then no one should be trying to punch you in the jimmy anyway. The spider offers plenty of protection against incidental contact.
base layer: I am using Nike Dri Fit shirts as a base layer under the Gi- Some guys go bare chested, but I have found that the Gi jacket is rough, and tends to tear up my skin so the Dri Fit provides protection. You should also wash your base layer when you WASH YOUR FUCKING GI.
Why am I so militant about Hygiene? Because Ring-Worm is fucking gross that's why...
1. Gi. Most schools will sell you an entry level Gi, and some (like the school I go to) will give you a basic Gi when you sign on with the school. A Gi can range in price and quality like any other article of clothing. Materials and finishes vary, and sometimes limited availability can lead to exclusivity. Most of the professors roll in the school Gi, and I can tell you that as a new student most of the benefits of an expensive Gi will be lost on you. I am a firm believer that each student should have at least 2 Gi to alternate between. A GI MUST BE CLEANED after each session. Hygiene is a huge focus in schools, so there are no exceptions- WASH YOUR FUCKING GI. After washing, it is proper to hang-dry your Gi as you will not want to have it shrink too much and get young. As hang drying takes time, you will want to have that second Gi as the alternate while the other is drying. Again- WASH YOUR FUCKING GI- I cannot stress this enough. I purchased an Atama Gold Weave Gi as my alternate. It is a very nice Gi, but it has yet to turn me into a Jiu Jitsu super hero, so you should realize- the clothes don't make the man. Unless you have dirty clothes, in which case you are a pig, and you apparently can't read all caps- WASH YOUR FUCKING GI.
A gear bag: I use a duffle that has a top load, and also features a nice side load into an attached laundry bag. This means I can put my dirty gi into the side port and it won't touch my clean gear. This is key, because if you don't want ring-worm you will want to keep that dirty Gi separate until such time as you can WASH YOUR FUCKING GI
Mouthguard: as you get into rolling you will notice that you get kicked in the face sometimes. Its a good idea to have a mouthguard. I am using a shock doctor that i bought at Dicks Sporting goods for $9.95- it is a boil and bite fit, and it seems to work well.
A cup: I have 2, a hard cup, and a "spider" flex cup. The spider cup has more give. It protects less, but then no one should be trying to punch you in the jimmy anyway. The spider offers plenty of protection against incidental contact.
base layer: I am using Nike Dri Fit shirts as a base layer under the Gi- Some guys go bare chested, but I have found that the Gi jacket is rough, and tends to tear up my skin so the Dri Fit provides protection. You should also wash your base layer when you WASH YOUR FUCKING GI.
Why am I so militant about Hygiene? Because Ring-Worm is fucking gross that's why...
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