Thursday PM training w/ Professor Junior- Adaptation

When everything starts to go wrong in your life what should you do? Should you push a bad position and hope that by pushing hard enough you will overwhelm your troubles? Should you just freeze up and let the bad things happen? Should you look for an alternate way out of the problem? Change direction, and focus? Should you draw in your goals to focus on short term success instead of planning out the long run?
So it is with Jiu Jitsu. It's always good to have a plan A, and a plan B- but when it all starts going sideways, you need to adapt to what is happening, and react to it with smaller goals- like "I need to get my elbow out of there" or "how can I get him to transfer some weight off of my chest so I can get to my side" once you accomplish those small goals and regain a bit of control you can start planning your steps. This is why so many people compare BJJ to Chess. It's planning, adapting, reacting, attacking.
Last night we worked on some sweeps, and a sweet (but complicated) triangle from inverted guard.

I did some training with John, who is larger than me- he is quite good at using his size, and technique together and he pulled of some great subs- caught me in an armbar, and a choke- he nearly had a kimora, but gave up on it a little too soon. I wish I could say I was letting that happen, but really he was getting around me just fine. I think in his case I need to focus on making him reach so that I can get to the top. He storms my guard, and is one of few people I have rolled with that just seems to break right through. So I learned I need to develop some new engagements.

I finished the evening with a smaller guy and triangled him twice.  The first was almost identicle to the drill: triangle, armbar, then back to triangle and finish. The second was just straight triangle- he defended so I wrist locked him and sunk it in for the tap.

Not long for Broadway... AM training with Coach Boyle

The big news around Easton right now is the new 10,000 sq ft "Easton Training Center" which will be a full training center- BJJ, Muay Thai, Cross fit, Cardio- the works. the rumors say we will also have Showers at the new facility. Still, I was pretty much planning to keep coming to the school on Broadway since it is a bit closer than the new location. It's been nearly 2 years on the mats at Broadway, and the place feels like a home to me, but alas, my coach verified today Broadway is to close, and be replaced by the ETC. This raises some community questions for me, as it is widely publicized that MMA fighter Elliot Marshall will run the ETC. I like Elliot a lot, the few times we have met he has been awesome to work with- but this leaves me wondering where our current administrator will go. Professor King is a large part of the reason I started BJJ. Sure, Andrew "dragged" me in there for that first lesson, but honestly I had met Prof. Larry a few times before then and his genuine personality was definitely a factor in making training a permanent part of my life. I hope there are plans for him to continue in his role at the new facility- if they move him elsewhere, there is a good chance I would follow.

Monday AM training was the same drill focused workout I have come to expect and appreciate. I got my heart rate going, and learned a new drill. Excellent training partner once again- even more excellent than before because apparently he could be reading this (Ben) LoL

Interesting sidebar to Training Partner Ben, he will also be participating in the Boulder GORUCK in May. This is awesome because the more people I know who get involved the more driven I will be to train and be ready.

Also of note- the BEST MOTHER IN LAW IN THE GALAXY has gotten me a gift certificate to help me pick up my needed UA Coldgear for the Jan. Tough Mudder. Pretty psyched about that.

Jiu Jitsu Week Training Day 5 Intermediate Gi training with Professor Junior Fidelis (Denver)

Saturday I attended my usual 11am Intermediate class. Class went well, I got a lot of opportunity to put the techniques I worked on all week into practice.
I had a funny moment when I went for the cross guard- inverted triangle on Eddie. To review, Eddie and I are about the same weight, but where I am lanky, he is compact so he makes for an interesting challenge. I rarely get a choke to work with him because it is very difficult to get to his neck. So I get to cross guard- slip the bottom knee through and hook up strong with my over the top leg. I pull in the clench expecting the tap. It doesn't come. I make an adjustment of angle- clench- no tap. So now here I am WAY out of position to regain defense. I got control of both sleeves again, then "gave up" the inverted triangle- and drew my leg back through. I was able to then get my right knee to his left biceps in a modified spider. I gave that up for closed guard and started hunting for options again. This was a relief and gave me more confidence in "going for it" when the inverted triangle is available because I have some steps to get back to a safe position.

It was a good day training, I took some lumps, and learned some things. I didn't get hurt.

Day 5- the day that wasn't

Yes, I am pussing out on my own challenge. My wife has kindly asked me to spend this evening at home with her, and our daughter. I didn't really discuss this challenge with my better half before I embarked upon it, sooo... t is time to be realistic and honor thy family. 4 Days in a row was a good run, and I DO plan to be back training on Saturday morning, so really I am just taking a rest day to be one with my peeps.

Also, I forgot my mouthguard.



 Also, I do what my wife says.

Jiu Jitsu Week Training Day 4 Intermediate Gi training with Professor Junior Fidelis (Denver)

I went to the 8:30pm class last night to roll Intermediate with Professor Junior. We did more cross guard work, and I was able to add an additional sweep to the line up of moves from cross guard. this sweep takes the opponent over my head, so it gives me some options in the event I can't use the 1st momentum sweepI learned with John on Wednesday. We also worked some single leg takedowns. I had a good partner- a newer student but he was really easy to work with.

I'm a big believer in how Easton encourages mat conduct. It seems like we have a ton of really great students throughout the network of schools. People are just patient and good natured on the mats., and I don't think that is really all that easy to come by in combat sports. I get the impression that most of the guys there are really there to learn something, and sometimes to teach something. Knowing these people from training you'd think we were all a bunch of softies, but then I see the same guys roll in comp, and DAMN- we have a pretty tough room out here in Denver!
I am going to try to keep the training streak alive tonight. Friday is pretty bleak at Easton, and there is only one Intermediate session- No Gi at 6:30pm. That one can be a bit rough to get to from work, but my No Gi gear is in the car, and if I can make it I will.

Jiu Jitsu Week Training Day 3 Wednesday NoGi w/ Coach John Boyle (Denver)

Laundry room is getting crowded...

I wore the Prana Monday, the Shoyoroll yesterday, and then my No Gi gear today. I pulled the SYR out of the washing machine and found some black stuff on it, looked at the Prana and fount the same, so I re-washed both along with my SYR Mamba pants, and my rash guard I wore to train today. The end result is a very busy hang-dry rack...

I managed to pry my sorry ass out of bed at 5:30 AM for training with Coach Boyle at the Denver school. It turned out only 3 of us were able to do so- which is awesome, and yet kind of a bummer. Awesome because we get a lot more focus on our technique, but a bummer because it is always good to have a solid class attendance. I have to admit I almost punked out. I ended up going out with a buddy for a few beers after training last night and didn't get home and into bed until midnight. At 5:30 the Alarm went off and I was mentally scrolling through excuses- but then I just went into the mechanics-
1. geet feet out of bed.
2. Sit up
3. Stand up
4. Get dressed
ect...
I had some great excuses- my eye got poked, I was sore, I was mildly hung over (or maybe a little drunk-over). It was cold, I was tired... The thing was, I had commited to this specific class and my wife has errands to run tonight so i am home with my daughter. I knew it was go in the AM, or don't go. Don't go= fail at 7 consecutive days of BJJ. Fail at my plan to rediscover my game.
Nope.
I got my ass to class- STFU and train...

Ben, my training partner from Monday was there, as was Joe- both of those guys are good guys, excellent training partners. We worked on X guard- placement, attacks, recoveries, submissions, drilling all for several minutes each. I have a real nasty triangle attack from there that just feels "right" when I go for it. We finished off class with some up/down/out work. I felt great that I went and already look forward to tomorrow night Intermediate at Denver.

Jiu Jitsu Week Training Day 2 Tuesday Night W/ Coach Rob Sanchez (south school)

I did an evening class Tuesday night. Decided to drive down to the South School for the 7:30pm Intermediate class. I did this because I like the guys down at the south school, and because one of their younger students (15) paid me one of the single nicest compliments I have been given when I ran into him at Coach Vellore's MMA fight on Saturday. This kid is introducing me to another student, an old guy like me and he says "This guy is one of the best training partners you will ever roll with". Now i know he wasn't saying I was the "best" because of skill level. He was complimenting my style of helping instead of "beating" the lower guys I roll with. It was a nice thing to say, so I figured I'd go roll with him for one of my 7 Crazy BJJ days.
Tuesday night Intermediate at south school is a sparring night. We started out with 3 series of flow rolls with different opponents and then moved on to actual sparring. I was the only Blue Belt in the class of 5 so I was prepared to wait out the first round and hopefully work in on the second. Instead one of the coaches offered to roll with me, so I did that.
Tuesdays focus for me was working the things I drilled Monday AM. I was focused on trying to implement De La Riva, and also implementing some inverted guard into the game. At some point I caught a finger to the eye resulting in the damage you see above. That was kind of a bummer, and it still stings a bit today, but I'm pretty sure I'll live.
All in all it was good training, with a healthy dose of live rolling. I was happy I went, and will likely go back again for more of the same (minus the eye poke)