Tip of the week: Fix cauliflower ear

I had to do this tonight. I drew 3.5ml of fluid out of my left ear. Ear looks totally normal again, but I'm going to get myself a headgear to prevent it from happening again.

Yuck.

Shoyoroll A3S standalone Gi pants (ripstop)

I got lucky a few weeks back and scored a pair of Shoyoroll standalone Gi pants in blue- size A3S on Ebay. The A3S size was one that I have been curious about since I fall into a weird size range where the A3 pants seem to be a bit young (short), but I swim in the A4 sized britches. A3S is supposed to be a happy medium for skinny tall guys- 6'2" to6'5" weight 170lbs-205lbs. I am 6'1" usually weighing in between 190-200lbs so technically I should be an A3 (5'11"-6'3" 195lbs-225lbs)but like I said the pants seem short. I guess I am just leggy. either way, the A3S pants I got seem to fit great.
In my opinion the pants are the best thing about the Shoyoroll product line. The stretchy drawstring ties very well, and it does not get all tangled like the pulls on my Atama and Solid pants do. This is key, because when the drawstrings get tangled up inside the waistband of the pants they become very difficult to pull tight and that leads to plumbers ass on the mat. Plumbers ass on the mat sucks. Also, the stretchy stuff ties nice and tight, so I don't have to constantly re-tie my pants during class which is nice.
As with my Comp 450 pants, these Gi pants are nicely padded at the knee, and are stretchy and flexible in the crotch area. Shrinkage has been pretty standard. I'd like them to shrink up maybe just a touch more- but in order to accomplishe that i may just have my wife alter them slightly. The pants overall have been a good fit and are good to roll in. having these pants paired up with my Atama, and Solid kimonos will help me be more patient as I wait for the delivery on my new Yank Gis, and the Mamba Gi pants I currently have on pre-order.

I will be interested to see how the A3S kimono I ordered will fit. I ordered the Yank in both A3, and A3S sizes so if I need to hybrid I can. The White Mamba pants I ordered in A3S only.

Knee on belly... Better than any sit up if you want to strengthen your core.

I went to class 4 times last week- Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. I did double classes both Friday and Saturday. Last weeks intermediate curriculum was all about Knee on Belly positioning, and controlling your opponent using the techniques. This means I spent a lot of time with someones shin across my stomach, and their knee pressed either on or just below my solar-plexus. Not a real comfortable kind of an exercise- especially when drills involved switching sides, changing positions, and setting us for arm-bar, and triangle attacks. For those the motion was for the top man to pivot on his knee and bring his opposite foot around the bottom mans head (misses here frequently resulted in a foot to the head) and if successful the top man will end up sitting (with full weight)on the bottom mans chest. So that pretty much sucks, but it is good strength building for the bottom man's ab region.

The Fundamental curriculum was a side control escape which is an area where I strongly feel I need work. Needless to say I got a lot of work bridging from flat on my back onto my shoulders to create space and then hip-ing out into the void i had created. It was working for me though. I got in a lot of escapes over the course of the week, and when I rolled with a blue belt training partner on Monday I was able to capitalize on the escape and set up for a triangle as he chased me trying to get back into control. It was a good moment where I felt like I was controlling the outcome.

Upsides- I'm starting to feel a lot stronger, my overall physical condition is really improved over the year I have been training. I'm definitely stronger- I was able to sweep some very big dudes from side control. I am feeling a lot more comfortable on the mat.

Downsides- My left ear is feeling a bit "juicy" or swollen. This has led me to the conclusion that I MUST get a headgear if I am to continue training. Expect a gear write up soon. I am still not "flowing" like I would like to. I would really like rolling to start becoming more intuitive, but I have no idea how to go about that. I am scheduling a private lesson with Professor Larry this weekend, and i will be working on that for sure.

Getting down to it- Goals for 2011

So, I was a bit surprised (pleasantly) to receive my 4th stripe promotion prior to the end of 2010. There has been a lot of hard work and toil getting to this place where I am now, and I am nowhere near the end of my journey. I need to decide what are my life goals in jiu jitsu. Where do I want to go with this?

The Blue Belt

2nd year goals- Since I began training last February achieving Blue Belt has been an objective, but now that that objective is on the horizon I feel that I need some additional benchmarks for the next year. After some serious consideration I feel like I'd like to compete. I don't need to win but I would like to see how I stack up against students from other schools. I think the whole experience of grappling in an organized setting would be both beneficial to my game, and also give me the motivation to step up the intensity of my training. I'd like to compete prior to blue belt promotions...
I'd like to cut some weight. I think 180 would be a good walking around weight for me. I have no idea how far from that goal I am right now since i haven't stepped on a scale in over a month. I'd guess somewhere around 190-195.

Longer term goals
3yr goal- I'd like to compete in a national event before purple belt- so that ought to be a 2 year goal. I would also like to be coaching others by this time. I honestly feel instruction is my long term calling in BJJ.
6yr goal- I'd like to travel and train in Brazil sometime before brown belt. I would also like to place in a national event as well.

What about the "Black Belt" as a goal?

Of course, as a standard in all martial arts, Belt promotions are a good means to demonstrate achievement. The thing about BJJ is that they don't promote gratuitously. As you can see- I don't even expect to make my second color belt prior to being in the game at least 3 years- it just isn't that easy. There isn't a "test" you can take every two months to accomplish a promotion. If you endeavor to achieve in BJJ you are going to practice endless hours and fight tooth and nail at the end of each class. You are going to roll with people that are way bigger, and more experienced than you are and you are going to tap out thousands of times. The ignorant seem to believe that if your belt ain't black then your skills are seriously lacking, but that is a relative statement. This is because, even though many martial arts use belt rank to denote experience, not all ranks are comparable. For example- in TKD the black waist wear can take as little as 2 years to achieve, but I wouldn't put a TKD 1st Dan (1st degree black belt) on a Mat with a BJJ Blue belt- it would be cruel and inhumane to humiliate the TKD practitioner like that. What about a 10th Dan? due to mandatory age requirements to test for rank, a 10th Dan TKD practitioner is like 60+ years old- I am pretty sure he has mastered the art of "fighting without fighting" by then.

It will take upwards of 10 years to wear a BJJ black belt barring you being some sort of phenom. I am not a phenom- I'm on this ride for a long while if I want to wear the Noir. With the possibility of a Black Belt being a decade into the future it seems a bit too long range for a goal.

Still, I can't help but to be fascinated by the possibilities this sport bears with it. There is some discussion of bringing BJJ to the Olympics- given that Brazil is scheduled to host in 2016 I am hoping BJJ will at least make an appearance as a demo sport. We shall see...

4th Stripe

That was NOT easy. These last several months training have not been easy, but last night was about the hardest 2 hours of training I have ever done. Rather than a lesson we just rolled for the whole first hour, and then the intermediate class sort of blended into the advanced class- either way, I basically spent 2 hrs rolling with dudes that were bigger, or at the very least better than me. It was basically 2 hrs of beating, and being squashed. I did however get some good one on one instruction working on hipping out of side control. and 2 new side control reversals- one to get to scarf hold, and another to take the back.

At the conclusion of what felt like a marathon I was given the 4th strip for my white belt. Now I am one step away from my Blue Belt, and the work gets harder. I want to be ready when it is time for belt promotions in April, which gives me 4.5 months to work through all the technique I will need to qualify.

2010 My first year in BJJ. What did I accomplish?

I'd say just getting involved with BJJ, and the positive changes it has brought about in my life would be an accomplishment.

As a husband, a Parent, and a Professional I have a LOT of very important responsibilities on my plate each and every day. It can be very easy to become overwhelmed and forget about taking time out for myself. BJJ has really given me an escape that is all my own. 3 times a week when I am on the mat I don't worry about work stress, or any of the little messes in my life that distract me. I just train. That escape actually aligns perspective for me. I can go home and play with my daughter, interact with my wife, and just engage my life with a clearer head because I had that time to "reset" my perspective.

I have tried other hobbies, but I was never captured by them the way I am with Jiu Jitsu. I think about it all the time- but unlike day-dreams the result of that thought is productive the next time I am in class.

I can also say that there is a social aspect to it that has been really good for me. I have met so many new, and great people in this last year thanks to training. Honestly, I haven't made new friends like this since college.

I also think we live in a time when there is a lot of focus on classifying people- It creates a segmentation within our society that files us into our separate classes which isolate and divide us. This is not so on the mat. I think the fact that we spar with each other regardless of what we do outside the gym builds respect for each other. I roll with doctors, construction workers, lawyers, students, line cooks, stock brokers, police officers, social workers, teachers- you name it. Some drive 80k cars to the gym, and others ride bicycles. We come from all walks of life, different races, religions, nationalities and socioeconomic backgrounds. We roll, and sometimes the guy that mops the mats, and cleans the locker room after class to earn tuition taps out the Neurosurgeon. This is usually followed with smiles, handshakes and maybe a brief discussion about what just happened. There is respect for each other as human beings. This is the way it should be.

I think the world would be a better place if everyone rolled. I know for sure my world is.

That is what I got out of BJJ in 2010.

Up-Down- OUT!

Attended coach Matt's intermediate class last night. We were working on defending strikes from guard which seemed a bit odd for a grappling class, but still quite applicable if you are training for self defense applications.
I have actually put some thought into BJJ as a self defense, and really I am glad the school doesn't pitch the art form that way. From what I gather with regards to the prevailing attitude when training: We practice BJJ for sport- with an eye toward competing in organized BJJ/Grappling meets rather than throwing someone a beat down on the street. Don't get me wrong, I think it is very useful to know headlock escapes, and the RNC, or kimura would certainly come in handy when restraining someone, but really if I am up against someone with a knife, or a gun I'm not looking for a single leg- I'm looking to bug the fuck out of there immediately. Fortunately my social, and professional activities rarely put me in a position where I have to worry about defending myself. Last time I checked the gang activity down at the local Albertsons was at a minimum.