Today marks my six-month anniversary of beginning BJJ. It is important to note that a couple of periods I didn't train. Once, for two weeks because of military commitments and then again for a week when I was sick. So, it isn't my "six months of trainging" mark, but six months since I first took the plunge. In that time, I've learned so much. I had some experience with Army combatives...but holy damn. I didn't know how inadequate it was in comparison with BJJ. In combatives' defense, it isn't designed to be a sport. It isn't designed to fight with somebody who knows jiu jitsu. Even as a one-stripe white belt, I'm light years above what most Army people are in the realms of grappling.
When I first got there, I wasn't sure I wanted to stick with it. The club actually made a bad impression, but I came back and grew to enjoy it immensley. The group there has grown to become my friends, and I respect them all immensley. Everybody puts a lot into training, and everybody is cognizant of their limits. No body has ever really gotten injured badly in training. That said, everybody is tough as nails. As one of our senior blue belts once said, "There are no easy rolls in this group. Even our white belts make us sweat."
One of my focuses the last few months is defense. I've gotten fairly good at it. I don't get tapped out very often any more, but I still get put in bad positions regularly. I've gotten to where I can survive in very bad positions (say in the mount of a 300-lb beast!). I'm still not very good at escapes when dealing with people like that. People who are around my weight class I can escape and obtain guard...but I still have trouble with big guys.
I've decided that I should come up with some goals to help guide my training in the next few months.
Goal 1: Train moar!
Self Explanatory. I have only been averaging two days a week. Sometimes I manage to get in three, but sometimes I only go once. I think I'd be a beast if I just trained more.
Goal 2: Escapes
Like I said, I'm decent with escapes against people my own size or smaller. Big guys still dominate me. They usually can't tap me, but they shouldn't dictate the whole fight like that. Anyways, escaping is a fundamental skill that you should always try to build upon.
Goal 3: Weight Loss.
I'm floating at around 170. I'd like to get down to 155.
Goal 4: Build my top game
I've noticed that I'm much better on the bottom than I am the top. I think this is probably something that goes for most BJJ newbies, but I want to start becoming more well rounded
Goal 5: Refine the Omoplata
I've mentioned before that the omoplata has been my best submission so far. I have an affinity for it, and I don't know why. We've never even really trained them in my time there, I just got showed how to do it during rolling. I want to keep using it, because its a devastating submission, and if not its a good sweep.
Goal 6: Develop more submissions
Like I said, a lot of my submissions come from the omoplata. I want to work on developing other submissions to become more well rounded. I know generally how to do a wide variety of submissions, but I don't know a lot of set ups or technical details to really pull them off.
Goal 7: Do a tournament
Because experience is the best teacher.
Anyways, I have so many more goals, but I don't want to ramble. I am just going to keep studying, training, and do what I can to get better. I struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome, so I don't think I'll ever be what I should be. I'll never meet my max potential...but I can do what I can. Anyways, feel free to comment and leave feedback on what goals and aspirations you have.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Off night
Tonight I had an off night. Not a bad night, just...off.
We started with doing armbar and triangle drills. Nothing too hard, but it definitely helps with transitions. We had a new person come in. She's a cop with Paul and Nick. She seems cool.
We then drilled a "cobra choke", which is kind of an ezekiel/arm triangle hybrid. After than we drilled a transition to armbar from that transition.
My bad night started with positional rolling. I just sucked at everything I tried. That carried on into my rolls. I also got a nosebleed during one roll. It wasn't serious, but I sat out part of it. Then in another roll, Paul's bandage fell off. He just had an infection drained, so he stopped to redress it. Anyways I was just having trouble with everything I tried tonight.
We started with doing armbar and triangle drills. Nothing too hard, but it definitely helps with transitions. We had a new person come in. She's a cop with Paul and Nick. She seems cool.
We then drilled a "cobra choke", which is kind of an ezekiel/arm triangle hybrid. After than we drilled a transition to armbar from that transition.
My bad night started with positional rolling. I just sucked at everything I tried. That carried on into my rolls. I also got a nosebleed during one roll. It wasn't serious, but I sat out part of it. Then in another roll, Paul's bandage fell off. He just had an infection drained, so he stopped to redress it. Anyways I was just having trouble with everything I tried tonight.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Class 8/24/13
I always enjoy training on Saturdays. There are never many people, and you really get to cut loose.
Yesterday we started out learning the baseball bat choke, from several different set ups. It is an excellent and versatile choke that has applications from many positions. We also learned a few side control defense moves. Those are always good.
We started doing side control positional drills, with one man in the middle. Once you got out of side control, next person was up. I learned how dangerous a position side control can be. I actually prefer to be mounted, I think. Especially when somebody has like 100 lbs on you. Good training.
Afterwards we did a few rounds of sparring. I started off sparring paul, our purple belt beginner's instructor. He's a badass, even though he's small. I had a good roll with him, and he focused on setting me up for a couple submissions. It was awesome.
My next roll was against Curt, our big guy. He's roughly my skill level. When I'm on m game, I can handle him pretty well. When I'm not, he man handles me. The roll started off that way, he tapped me out like three times in three minutes. Finally, I was able to take his back and I got hold of his collar. He tried to roll out, but I popped my knee into his back and rode him down to the ground. It was definitely on of my most dramatic chokes ever.
Finally rolled against Justin, a wiry cage fighter blue belt. He tapped me out a couple times, but towards the end I was able to get him in the baseball bat choke we'd just learned. At first I thought he gave it to me, but I think I actually got him. This is kind of a big deal for me, because it marks progress for me...and its the first time I've ever gotten him in anything.
On another note, I haven't been training as much. Things keep coming up. I promised my niece I'd go to as many of her basketball games as possible. Then my truck blew up on the way home from work on Wednesday. Luckily, I was able to get a new car, but it kind of messed with my training schedule for a couple days.
I have a friend who is interested in training with me. He's a judo black belt, so I can learn a lot from him.
I'm hoping to start doing three session a week, but we'll have to see how that goes. When I have classes like yesterday's it reinvigorates me, but the grind of the week sometimes robs me of that enthusiasm.
Yesterday we started out learning the baseball bat choke, from several different set ups. It is an excellent and versatile choke that has applications from many positions. We also learned a few side control defense moves. Those are always good.
We started doing side control positional drills, with one man in the middle. Once you got out of side control, next person was up. I learned how dangerous a position side control can be. I actually prefer to be mounted, I think. Especially when somebody has like 100 lbs on you. Good training.
Afterwards we did a few rounds of sparring. I started off sparring paul, our purple belt beginner's instructor. He's a badass, even though he's small. I had a good roll with him, and he focused on setting me up for a couple submissions. It was awesome.
My next roll was against Curt, our big guy. He's roughly my skill level. When I'm on m game, I can handle him pretty well. When I'm not, he man handles me. The roll started off that way, he tapped me out like three times in three minutes. Finally, I was able to take his back and I got hold of his collar. He tried to roll out, but I popped my knee into his back and rode him down to the ground. It was definitely on of my most dramatic chokes ever.
Finally rolled against Justin, a wiry cage fighter blue belt. He tapped me out a couple times, but towards the end I was able to get him in the baseball bat choke we'd just learned. At first I thought he gave it to me, but I think I actually got him. This is kind of a big deal for me, because it marks progress for me...and its the first time I've ever gotten him in anything.
On another note, I haven't been training as much. Things keep coming up. I promised my niece I'd go to as many of her basketball games as possible. Then my truck blew up on the way home from work on Wednesday. Luckily, I was able to get a new car, but it kind of messed with my training schedule for a couple days.
I have a friend who is interested in training with me. He's a judo black belt, so I can learn a lot from him.
I'm hoping to start doing three session a week, but we'll have to see how that goes. When I have classes like yesterday's it reinvigorates me, but the grind of the week sometimes robs me of that enthusiasm.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Bad Work Days Make For Good Jiu Jitsu Nights
I had the worst day at work. I can't talk about a lot of it, but it consisted in dealing with a guy who is a such a tool that I call his office "The Tool Shed"
So, I decided "I must go to class tonight", because I was so frustrated. It was a good call. We started off doing a halfguard pass, and chaining it into two crossface submissions. We did this on friday too, but its good to drill things over and over.
When we opened up for class, I rolled with Paul right away. He's a brand new purple, and it was well earned. He actually skipped his fourth stripe...which was all good. He trains six days a week, and dominates competitions. Anyways, I'm proud to say that I didn't tap to him. He only works maybe two subs, but I defended them. I am pleased.
Second rolls was with Curtis, the big white belt. He uses his size well, and he spent the whole time on top of me. I escaped to guard a few times, but I couldn't sweep him. He had me in an americana once, but I wiggled out. I actually had him trapped in half guard for like two full minutes.
Then I rolled against Rodney, he's older and tough as a boot heel. He's a two or three stripe white (he doesn't wear them), who is actually as good as most blues. He trained no-gi in the past, and Paul said he's almost ready for his blue. Anyways, Im happy to say that he didn't catch me in anything either. In fact, I caught him in an omoplata.
Once again, the omoplata has become my go to move. I love it, and I find myself pulling it off more than any choke or submission I know. I don't know why, its just something I adapted to fairly quickly.
I'm proud to say I went through the whole night without being submitted. Its obvious paul wasn't trying too hard for submissions, but the other two were. This is the first night I've actually not tapped out to anybody...it is a good feeling.
So, I decided "I must go to class tonight", because I was so frustrated. It was a good call. We started off doing a halfguard pass, and chaining it into two crossface submissions. We did this on friday too, but its good to drill things over and over.
When we opened up for class, I rolled with Paul right away. He's a brand new purple, and it was well earned. He actually skipped his fourth stripe...which was all good. He trains six days a week, and dominates competitions. Anyways, I'm proud to say that I didn't tap to him. He only works maybe two subs, but I defended them. I am pleased.
Second rolls was with Curtis, the big white belt. He uses his size well, and he spent the whole time on top of me. I escaped to guard a few times, but I couldn't sweep him. He had me in an americana once, but I wiggled out. I actually had him trapped in half guard for like two full minutes.
Then I rolled against Rodney, he's older and tough as a boot heel. He's a two or three stripe white (he doesn't wear them), who is actually as good as most blues. He trained no-gi in the past, and Paul said he's almost ready for his blue. Anyways, Im happy to say that he didn't catch me in anything either. In fact, I caught him in an omoplata.
Once again, the omoplata has become my go to move. I love it, and I find myself pulling it off more than any choke or submission I know. I don't know why, its just something I adapted to fairly quickly.
I'm proud to say I went through the whole night without being submitted. Its obvious paul wasn't trying too hard for submissions, but the other two were. This is the first night I've actually not tapped out to anybody...it is a good feeling.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Back in Black
Get it? My gi is black :D
Anyways, Friday was my first class back in a couple weeks. I'm feeling much better, and going to class has seemed to help me. I followed up by going to the beginners class on Saturday. It was very good.
I'm not going to go into details about my rolls, because they're nothing special. I'm just glad to be back.
Anyways, Friday was my first class back in a couple weeks. I'm feeling much better, and going to class has seemed to help me. I followed up by going to the beginners class on Saturday. It was very good.
I'm not going to go into details about my rolls, because they're nothing special. I'm just glad to be back.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
I'm still here
I haven't updated in a couple weeks, and I appologise. I've had a pretty serious chronic fatigue syndrome flare up, and haven't had the strength or will to train. Its all I can do to get out of bed during these episodes, so I'm lucky just to get to work. I am still not at 100%, but I do think I'll be able to get to training tonight. We'll see how I feel after work today.
CFS is something I've been dealing with for about seven years now, and has taken a good portion of my youth. My doctor thinks it might be linked to my service in Kuwait and Iraq (CFS is more prevalent in veterans of this region), so I'm going to be pursuing VA benefits. I'm not really out to get money from this illness, I'm more interested in treatment options. I feel like if this disease is actually service connected, then the VA should fix me. If I do get a pension, however, I'll not turn it down. I have a daughter to put through college, after all :P
I want to thank everybody who reads this blog for helping me stay motivated. I don't get a lot of commenters, which is fine. I see the page views tick up, and it motivates me to keep training and keep writing. I've gotten over 500 page views, and I'm certain that less than 100 of those are from myself! So thanks again! I'll post a write up if I train tonight. Thanks for the support.
CFS is something I've been dealing with for about seven years now, and has taken a good portion of my youth. My doctor thinks it might be linked to my service in Kuwait and Iraq (CFS is more prevalent in veterans of this region), so I'm going to be pursuing VA benefits. I'm not really out to get money from this illness, I'm more interested in treatment options. I feel like if this disease is actually service connected, then the VA should fix me. If I do get a pension, however, I'll not turn it down. I have a daughter to put through college, after all :P
I want to thank everybody who reads this blog for helping me stay motivated. I don't get a lot of commenters, which is fine. I see the page views tick up, and it motivates me to keep training and keep writing. I've gotten over 500 page views, and I'm certain that less than 100 of those are from myself! So thanks again! I'll post a write up if I train tonight. Thanks for the support.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Quick Update
I only trained thursday this week because of the holiday ('MURICA!)
Tuesday's class was canceled, because one of our students (a 14-yr old boy) ran away from home. A couple of the instructors are cops who opted to keep looking for him, rather than have class. There was also two massive traffic jams that blocked the back up instructors from getting to class.
Bobby and I were the only ones who showed up on thursday. He's a 4-stripe blue belt that is also a former cage fighter. He keeps skipping his tests for purple, saying he doesn't train enough to be a purple. However, he's pretty badass. We just rolled the whole time, with him giving pointers as we went. Having a solo session with him was absolutely humbling, astonishing, and I learned quite a bit. I am still sore from it.
I was planning on going to friday and saturday's classes too, but I ended up getting side tracked. No excuses, I just got lazy.
Also, I didn't get to watch the Kennedy vs. Gracie fight, but I wanted to. I'm an Army guy, currently a reservist. Its good to see the military repped in MMA. However, I'm also a BJJ guy. Its good to see a Gracie back in the ring. I wasn't rooting for either, but for both. I was pleased with the results though. It was, supposedly, a close fight. I'll watch it eventually.
Tuesday's class was canceled, because one of our students (a 14-yr old boy) ran away from home. A couple of the instructors are cops who opted to keep looking for him, rather than have class. There was also two massive traffic jams that blocked the back up instructors from getting to class.
Bobby and I were the only ones who showed up on thursday. He's a 4-stripe blue belt that is also a former cage fighter. He keeps skipping his tests for purple, saying he doesn't train enough to be a purple. However, he's pretty badass. We just rolled the whole time, with him giving pointers as we went. Having a solo session with him was absolutely humbling, astonishing, and I learned quite a bit. I am still sore from it.
I was planning on going to friday and saturday's classes too, but I ended up getting side tracked. No excuses, I just got lazy.
Also, I didn't get to watch the Kennedy vs. Gracie fight, but I wanted to. I'm an Army guy, currently a reservist. Its good to see the military repped in MMA. However, I'm also a BJJ guy. Its good to see a Gracie back in the ring. I wasn't rooting for either, but for both. I was pleased with the results though. It was, supposedly, a close fight. I'll watch it eventually.
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