I asked K-sensei the name of the brown belt who I drilled with last week after class. I am so forgetful when it comes to people's names. I looked at the guy's picture on our member's board and for his name he had written 871. K-sensei told me that was his name. Is he a cyborg, or something? you might think. Actually, the Japanese have a great way of remembering phrases or numbers since their syllables are interchangeable with numbers. The guy's name is Yanai. This can be broken down into Ya = 8, nana or na = 7 and i or ichi = 1. That's why he wrote 871. It kind of reminds me of the Mnemonic Major System but is much easier than ours. Japanese commercials often use this system when displaying their telephone numbers on the TV and they also use it to remember which days of the month don't have 31 days nishi muku samurai 246911 so February, April, June, September and November.
I took it really easy last night because I was low on energy and there weren't many of us at class in contrast to last Friday. Wednesday's class, where I pushed hard, really knocked me off sync. Three other guys besides me turned up to take K-sensei's lesson. The theme continued with knee on the belly choke attacks.
During sparring, maybe it was just one of those days, but everyone seemed to either grab or attempt to trap my injured foot so by the end of the night it was painful to sleep even after icing. The legs play such an important part in BJJ that it's so hard to avoid hitting them on something. I talked to Yoshida about his trip to Brazil a little. He mentioned that the guys there were all really strong and believed it has something to do with their diet. They eat a lot of meat whereas in Japan people eat small portions and mostly fish. It made me think about Mark Sisson's Paleo diet and strength training that is recommended with it.
At the end of class I worked out with the 16 and 20 kg kettlebells just to get a feel for them. I'd like to get hold of an adjustable set.
Sparring time: 4 x 6 mins = 24 mins
Saturday, 25 May 2013
Friday, 24 May 2013
On the Mat Day 374: Knee on the Belly
My body was so beat after yesterday's training that I couldn't go to sleep. It was beyond the point of exhaustion so much so that I could not drift off into sleep - which is weird. I really pushed myself during sparring that by the end I felt dizzy and totally drained. I think I drank about 2 liters of water to replace the sweat I lost. A lot of folks turned up and again, I mostly worked on standing and gripping.
We were taught knee on belly attacks, which were all chokes. one hand gripping collar to stabilize while the free hand slides in either far collar and progresses to baseball bat choke from north-south, or near collar and moves into mounted choke. I frequently attack from KOB so enjoyed this lesson.
During sparring, I actually managed to jump into a flying triangle again without really thinking about it. It is becoming more automatic. The opponent was bigger than me so remained standing and eventually shrugged me off but I was pleased with my ability to jump into it without hesitation. I still need to drill triangle finishes for both leg triangles and arm triangles when the opponent is being stubborn and defending. Teo came to train so got to spar with him a little bit. I was just too tired by the end to offer much resistance though.
We have a 32 kg kettlebell in our gym and I tried to snatch it but it was way too heavy. I asked Atsushi and he did it easily. Apparently another guy at the club tried to do the same thing and messed up his wrist. Anyone who regularly works out with this type of weight on kettlebells must be a beast. I always do a few reps at the start of class now with the 16 kg and 20 kg just to warm up. Love kettlebells.
When I got home I drank a protein shake and ate maguro-don which is a bowl of raw tuna fish on rice with avocado and seaweed. This really helps to prevent muscle ache the following day. I just feel sleepy - that's it.
Sparring time: 8 x 6 mins = 48 mins
We were taught knee on belly attacks, which were all chokes. one hand gripping collar to stabilize while the free hand slides in either far collar and progresses to baseball bat choke from north-south, or near collar and moves into mounted choke. I frequently attack from KOB so enjoyed this lesson.
During sparring, I actually managed to jump into a flying triangle again without really thinking about it. It is becoming more automatic. The opponent was bigger than me so remained standing and eventually shrugged me off but I was pleased with my ability to jump into it without hesitation. I still need to drill triangle finishes for both leg triangles and arm triangles when the opponent is being stubborn and defending. Teo came to train so got to spar with him a little bit. I was just too tired by the end to offer much resistance though.
We have a 32 kg kettlebell in our gym and I tried to snatch it but it was way too heavy. I asked Atsushi and he did it easily. Apparently another guy at the club tried to do the same thing and messed up his wrist. Anyone who regularly works out with this type of weight on kettlebells must be a beast. I always do a few reps at the start of class now with the 16 kg and 20 kg just to warm up. Love kettlebells.
When I got home I drank a protein shake and ate maguro-don which is a bowl of raw tuna fish on rice with avocado and seaweed. This really helps to prevent muscle ache the following day. I just feel sleepy - that's it.
Sparring time: 8 x 6 mins = 48 mins
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Kettlebell Tabata
It was surprisingly easy to wake up this morning. In fact my brain turned back on before 6am and I thought I had overslept. According to my android app, I am up about 7 hours sleep so very well rested.
I decided to do a quick workout of 20 minutes before tucking into my bowl of Asai. The workout was from Fitness Blender and called Brutal Tabata Kettlebell Workout or something close. It rotated a kettlebell exercise like snatches with a cardio exercise like burpees. The time on kept with the Tabata principle. I think it was 30 seconds on 20 seconds off for this workout. I'm not sure because I was panting so badly and sweating like mad. I got through it fine but it was a good kick-start to the day. I'm still looking to buy a heavier kettlebell also. Kettlebells are amazing. It feels like you are wielding a weapon more than a piece of equipment. Very barbarian and primal.
I decided to do a quick workout of 20 minutes before tucking into my bowl of Asai. The workout was from Fitness Blender and called Brutal Tabata Kettlebell Workout or something close. It rotated a kettlebell exercise like snatches with a cardio exercise like burpees. The time on kept with the Tabata principle. I think it was 30 seconds on 20 seconds off for this workout. I'm not sure because I was panting so badly and sweating like mad. I got through it fine but it was a good kick-start to the day. I'm still looking to buy a heavier kettlebell also. Kettlebells are amazing. It feels like you are wielding a weapon more than a piece of equipment. Very barbarian and primal.
Sunday, 19 May 2013
On the Mat Day 373: 3 Hour Session
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| How I felt all night. |
About 13 plus people came to class, which is unheard of on Friday. Usually those numbers come on Saturday night. 1 black, 3 brown, 2 purple, 4 blue, 3 white was something like the breakdown of it. I sparred quite a bit and finished going against F-sensei who tooled me around like a rottweiler with an old chewing ball. I felt very strong during sparring until I ran out of gas at the end. I tried to stand as long as possible with everyone and pulled guard only once when my arms tired out from gripping while standing. I constantly control the inside and block any attempt they have to recover their grips. The only thing is that I cannot throw even with dominant grips - I'm sure this will come with time and sensitivity like I have on the ground.
At the end of class, one of the smaller brown belts, who has been away for 2 years was looking to practice a few moves so I asked him if he wanted to pair up and try a few things. This is what we did, nogi;
Single leg x 10
Double leg x 10
Arm drag to hip lock takedown x 10
Flying triangle with crash mat x 10
If I do these takedowns after every lesson I'm sure it is going to help me improve takedown. I'd like to add some throw in there too.
I can't explain why this was the best lesson so far. I guess it was the length and how much stuff I packed into the lesson. I had lots of energy so much that I felt like I was buzzing. I kept wondering when it would wear off and actually felt that I had an unfair advantage using Assault over the other guys there. Also, in the back of my mind was maybe this is just a placebo effect but even if it is, I'll still take that over lethargic body and groggy mind.
Sparring time: 8 x 6 mins = 48 mins
Thursday, 16 May 2013
On the Mat Day 372: Flying Triangles and Some Newbies
We are working on the Americana technique this week. I've seen it many times because it used to be a favourite of mine but each time I see it, I notice or remember small movements that I had forgotten or never picked up the first time. To a layman, the Americana is "Get his arm on one side of his body and crank it, bro!" but to a BJJ instructor, there are many small steps to making sure it is 100% effective. "Cup the elbow and secure it in place, put your other arm on his wrist, the middle finger should align with the groove of his wrist, and the elbow of that arm should flick down and hit the mat next to his head so he cannot pull his arm back to the middle. The arm on the elbow moves under, monkey grips your other arm, you raise your leg on that side and shift your weight back to stop him from bridging you. Pull his elbow to his ribs, curl your wrists like revving a bike and then raise his elbow." There is so much detail so much so that I probably missed something despite it being only last night. No wonder people starting jiu-jitsu miss out crucial steps (even I do) which means the technique fails. That's what makes BJJ so interesting. Even your best moves can be polished and refined and mastering even a single technique can take years.
We had a couple of guys come last night starting at white belt. One of them actually joined, the other is undecided. I sparred with both of them. The first one I played very light and let him control top and he did a good job. Later he told me he had done some judo (doh - no surprise there). The other guy was a little smaller and was much more easily dominated and tapped. I was still playing with him but he looked really distraught after the roll. I could see his ego crumbling and he was probably thinking "Why the hell am I doing this?" He was the guy who joined the club. I gave him a pat on the shoulder and thanked him. It's important to smile so I did that to. I don't want to be like the guys I first started off with who were just somber faced, never smiled, just wanted to crush you and tap you as many times as possible. Come to think of it, maybe this is why I am a bad finisher. I just don't go for broke most of the time.
During sparring I also got a flying triangle but failed to finish. It was very easy to catch. Obtain dominant grip on lapel, reach out for far arm but don't get it, they usually pull it down to their side and shift their far leg away so they stand diagonal to you. Pull on the lapel really hard and jump the right leg over their shoulder. Left leg comes up and closed triangle. No need to launch off their hip because they are low down because of the pull. If your timing fails you could go for an ankle pick. This maybe a good combination to work on.
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins
Injuries: bruised nose from breaking down opponent in close guard and their face came crashing down on my nose, sprained lower back from God knows whatever reason but was probably due to insufficient warm up, neck twinge from white belt guillotine attempt. Ah the fun of grappling.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
Beginner Kettlebell Workout
Because I had such a shitty sleep the previous night I brought down a thick mattress to sleep on instead of just the futon and it made a world of difference. Despite only getting 7 hours of sleep (thanks Game of Thrones) I woke up pretty fresh at 6 am. I had a choice of a shorter but harder workout or the beginner one which is about 5 minutes longer. I went with the beginner because some of the exercises looked interesting like Around the World. I like to swing the kettlebells because it feels more like playing than working out.
The workout consists of 8 exercises over 3 rounds. The exercises are varied enough to keep your interest high but they are repeated over all 3 rounds. I don't like this format so much and would prefer even a slight variation for example, kettlebell curl squat, kettlebell overhead squat and kettlebell squat with alternate hands. But I guess this is beginner so they didn't want too much variety to confuse the person doing it.
The workout was relatively easy for me but I worked up a furious sweat. I think I need a heavier kettlebell for this workout. I'm still watching the prices at Bodymaker to see when they go down so I can snag a 16kg and a smaller one for my son.
This is deinitely a good intro to kettlebells for beginners because there are not many exercises where you lift the kettlebell higher than waist height. I did actually drop it once while spinning it around my body during the 3rd round - getting tired I suppose.
The workout consists of 8 exercises over 3 rounds. The exercises are varied enough to keep your interest high but they are repeated over all 3 rounds. I don't like this format so much and would prefer even a slight variation for example, kettlebell curl squat, kettlebell overhead squat and kettlebell squat with alternate hands. But I guess this is beginner so they didn't want too much variety to confuse the person doing it.
The workout was relatively easy for me but I worked up a furious sweat. I think I need a heavier kettlebell for this workout. I'm still watching the prices at Bodymaker to see when they go down so I can snag a 16kg and a smaller one for my son.
This is deinitely a good intro to kettlebells for beginners because there are not many exercises where you lift the kettlebell higher than waist height. I did actually drop it once while spinning it around my body during the 3rd round - getting tired I suppose.
Monday, 13 May 2013
On the Mat Day 371: Sunday Morning Training
It was a very hot day yesterday and I sweated a hell of a lot. It's a sign of what is to come as we enter the humid Summer for real here. I was feeling a little groggy when i woke up, sort of as though I had a cold but didn't. I still feel this way today and put it down to my increase in training this week, late nights and inadequate food types to help me recover properly. I considered not going to class and instead doing some DIY or something around the house but thought it would be cool to say I did 4 sessions in that week so ended up going. I also watched the Mark Kerr documentary the previous night so felt a bit inspired by how hard he pushed himself with Bas Ruten during the Pride days.
Both K and F sensei were at the dojo when I arrived a little later than normal. He got me to run through guard passing drills which were:
1. knee slicer pass with emphasis on putting the head first on the opponent's chest to pin him followed by the underhook on the far side. Recently, I've seen this principle a lot because also during butterfly guard we had to first push with our forehead on the opponent's chest and then underhook - or bad things can happen like armbars. I guess this is a universal principle in technique.
2. Closed guard break by bringing one knee in, hand pushes his knee down, one leg steps over then head on his chest and knee cutter type pass as in 1.
3. was when you are caught in his butterfly guard and he elevates you ready for transition to x-guard. Put hands on the mat above his head and get into a sky diver position with feet curled up and soles of feet facing the ceiling. Bring knees together and rotate hips to force his legs down. You can then pass to his back from here. F-sensei gets me with this pass all the time when I try to enter x-guard. Me and K-sensei did these drills quite a few times while other guys starting to slowly dribble into class.
I sparred a couple of times and then left at 12.30pm to take my family to lunch. I sparred with Yoshida for the first time since he got back from Brazil. He didn't use any different techniques on me as he used to but he seemed heavier, which he is. He played spider guard and got me in a triangle. I asked him to show me the setup which involves breaking down a standing opponent in spider guard. Then either sweeping or triangle. I also had partial success with twister to back control from half-guard after running through my repertoire of half-guard passes versus Kawai-san. I also sparred with F-sensei and actually got him breathing heavily which is a good sign I'm giving him a hard time. I think it's a combination of me feeling good on Sundays in regards to stamina and rested versus his bad day where perhaps he has had a few beers or something the night before because on any other day he toys with me easily.
I think from hereon training is going to get hot and nasty, and I will probably end up losing lots of weight during the summer as always. I just hope I can get enough sleep tonight because I want to get up early for Kettlebells tomorrow. I had the worst sleep ever last night because of weird shitty dreams and the fact that I kept kicking off the covers then pulling them back over me every 5 minutes.
Sparring time: 4 x 6 mins = 24 mins
Both K and F sensei were at the dojo when I arrived a little later than normal. He got me to run through guard passing drills which were:
1. knee slicer pass with emphasis on putting the head first on the opponent's chest to pin him followed by the underhook on the far side. Recently, I've seen this principle a lot because also during butterfly guard we had to first push with our forehead on the opponent's chest and then underhook - or bad things can happen like armbars. I guess this is a universal principle in technique.
2. Closed guard break by bringing one knee in, hand pushes his knee down, one leg steps over then head on his chest and knee cutter type pass as in 1.
3. was when you are caught in his butterfly guard and he elevates you ready for transition to x-guard. Put hands on the mat above his head and get into a sky diver position with feet curled up and soles of feet facing the ceiling. Bring knees together and rotate hips to force his legs down. You can then pass to his back from here. F-sensei gets me with this pass all the time when I try to enter x-guard. Me and K-sensei did these drills quite a few times while other guys starting to slowly dribble into class.
I sparred a couple of times and then left at 12.30pm to take my family to lunch. I sparred with Yoshida for the first time since he got back from Brazil. He didn't use any different techniques on me as he used to but he seemed heavier, which he is. He played spider guard and got me in a triangle. I asked him to show me the setup which involves breaking down a standing opponent in spider guard. Then either sweeping or triangle. I also had partial success with twister to back control from half-guard after running through my repertoire of half-guard passes versus Kawai-san. I also sparred with F-sensei and actually got him breathing heavily which is a good sign I'm giving him a hard time. I think it's a combination of me feeling good on Sundays in regards to stamina and rested versus his bad day where perhaps he has had a few beers or something the night before because on any other day he toys with me easily.
I think from hereon training is going to get hot and nasty, and I will probably end up losing lots of weight during the summer as always. I just hope I can get enough sleep tonight because I want to get up early for Kettlebells tomorrow. I had the worst sleep ever last night because of weird shitty dreams and the fact that I kept kicking off the covers then pulling them back over me every 5 minutes.
Sparring time: 4 x 6 mins = 24 mins
Saturday, 11 May 2013
On the Mat Day 370: Hagesikunai Hito no Class
Shitty rainy day last night so I expected few people to turn up. However, a couple of guys who haven't trained or don't train so often did come. little guy who's name I forget turned up after a 2 year hiatus. He is a brown belt and still moved very well. I could not catch him but played for flow mostly with him. He mentioned that he had forgotten many moves and his attention to where to grip had gone. I like rolling with smaller guys because I'm so impressed how they can get out of bad positions. I asked for his input on turtle sweeps because I saw he was very good at moving back into butterfly guard - something I want to do more. K-sensei knew he hadn't been for a long time and said "daijobu, hagesii hito inai kara~ which means there aren't any people who roll intense and roughly so he needn't worry. It was true. We were mostly older guys over 35. I respect that the guy would come back after 2 years and still not hesitate to put on his brown belt. I think rather than crush those type of guys just for letting life get in the way for a while, they should be eased back into training with a friendly smile and a lower rev counter roll. After all, one more guy returning to train is one more partner for you to drill/roll with and learn from.
During sparring I did not jump guard. I am working on controlling the center grip and actually find it quite easy because the guys I train with don't seem to know the importance of it. Getting dominant grips allows me to relax and keep good posture. I straighten my spine and stand completely prone instead of the jiu-jitsu bend at the waist which I now see as quite weak. I had some success with throws using ouchigari and drop seionage. It's a different aspect of grappling I'm trying to get the hang of which means my interest has increased and I want to train more.
At the end of class I asked K-sensei to go over berimbolo, twister side control to taking the back and also reverse de la Riva sweeps he showed me the previous week. A fun injury-free class.
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins
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| Um, now where to grip? |
At the end of class I asked K-sensei to go over berimbolo, twister side control to taking the back and also reverse de la Riva sweeps he showed me the previous week. A fun injury-free class.
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins
Friday, 10 May 2013
It's 6 AM
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| What I wish I could see this morning - My home, cumbria, photo by an old friend |
I used the Kettlebell Cardio Workout and it lasted about 30 minutes which is perfect because it means I get to prepare a hearty breakfast afterwards and chill before heading to work. The workout consists of a kettlebell and cardio exercise rotation. For example, it began with Kettlebell snatches followed by burpees. There are 2 rounds and a 1 minute break in the middle with a quick warmup and a couple of stretches at the end.
One thing I am learning about kettlebells is that Turkish Getups are really hard but are excellent for BJJ. You have the technical standup, a sort of hip bump movement and they could even help you build strength defending against being flattened out in butterfly guard. That's the feeling I got when using them anyway. Lots of fun!
Thursday, 9 May 2013
On the Mat Day 369: Be Careful When Throwing
I arrived at the dojo early last night and was surprised to see so many people there still after the kid's class finished. After Dmitri finished his deadlifts we did a bit of uchikomi for judo throws. I was doing osoto-gari and he showed me tai-otoshi which seems kind of hard to get the hip rotation. We also got the crash mat out and tried flying triangles with the gi but it was harder to elevate the leg past the shoulder because the material slows down the movement due to friction. This causes the legs to be in a weaker position when crossed. I guess it just requires practice. I actually recall a chance during sparring where I could have used it but only thought about it later when I got home. It was a perfect chance because I had the inside lapel and he was hiding his other arm so I could not get the sleeve. His arm was basically hanging down next to his body and at that moment I should have jumped into the triangle. I find that a lot. Situations where I see openings only after the fact. Dmitri also showed me a countermeasure to uchi-mata which is a suplex move. I tried it on him a few times and the last time missed the mat a little so his head struck the normal mat in the dojo. He cursed because he's worried of his previous concussion. I think I should get him a big bobble head crash helmet when he plays uke for me.
F-sensei showed us techniques from butterfly guard against a kneeling opponent. The thing is, it's very rare someone will come onto their knees to work on passing. Most guys at our gym stand to pass. I like to pass on the knees because I use over-under pass a lot. The sweep where you are in the dog-fight position (I think Eddie Bravo calls it this) and tuck under him, grab his leg and roll to end up in side control or top half-guard is worth doing more as well as being fun.
I sparred a bit but was very careful of my injury. I even tried the twister side control to try and take the back but messed it up because I don't lock the legs down enough. It's frustrating. I did ok against another purple belt considering he is younger and has a judo background (hell the all do over here). I stood with him and kept inside lapel grip at all times. It was surprisingly easy to block him from coming inside to dominate the grips. I screwed up though. I had the dominant grip but not the arm, he let go, and for some reason so did I and we reset. I should have attacked at that moment. He then went to grip my lapel and I tried to strip it and he threw me with seio-nage but I rolled to turtle. I was not only slow at intercepting the lapel grip because I think my hands are too low, like a boxer with his hands by his side I am vulnerable, but when I tried to strip the grip I should have forced it down but I tend to do it away from my body horizontally and therefore expose my arm for a throw as happened. With that said, I now need to drill keeping my hands high to intercept grips and stripping straight down (lose my bad habit of punching out horizontally).
I also managed to hurt my leg a bit due to m own stupid fault. I used lasso spider and managed to smack my heel against the injured leg. I had to stop and let the pain diffuse for that one. Then continued sparring because I ain't no pussy...grr. I am contemplating not sparring for the next week or 2 to let it fully heal. Having to ice it every night after training is sucking donkey's nuts. I was disappointed to see a couple of guys sneak off home after only sparring a couple of rounds. I see this a lot particularly from blue belts who don't train often. It may be that they are busy, have to work, but I also suspect that there is hesitation to spar with some of the tougher white belts we have. I think sparring with the toughest guys at your gym is the best thing to do and the only way to improve.
Sparring time: 8 x 6 mins = 48 mins (1 round with Matt working escapes but damn was I so tired after getting up for Kettelbell at 6 am)
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| Dmitri's brain x-rays are in! |
F-sensei showed us techniques from butterfly guard against a kneeling opponent. The thing is, it's very rare someone will come onto their knees to work on passing. Most guys at our gym stand to pass. I like to pass on the knees because I use over-under pass a lot. The sweep where you are in the dog-fight position (I think Eddie Bravo calls it this) and tuck under him, grab his leg and roll to end up in side control or top half-guard is worth doing more as well as being fun.
I sparred a bit but was very careful of my injury. I even tried the twister side control to try and take the back but messed it up because I don't lock the legs down enough. It's frustrating. I did ok against another purple belt considering he is younger and has a judo background (hell the all do over here). I stood with him and kept inside lapel grip at all times. It was surprisingly easy to block him from coming inside to dominate the grips. I screwed up though. I had the dominant grip but not the arm, he let go, and for some reason so did I and we reset. I should have attacked at that moment. He then went to grip my lapel and I tried to strip it and he threw me with seio-nage but I rolled to turtle. I was not only slow at intercepting the lapel grip because I think my hands are too low, like a boxer with his hands by his side I am vulnerable, but when I tried to strip the grip I should have forced it down but I tend to do it away from my body horizontally and therefore expose my arm for a throw as happened. With that said, I now need to drill keeping my hands high to intercept grips and stripping straight down (lose my bad habit of punching out horizontally).
I also managed to hurt my leg a bit due to m own stupid fault. I used lasso spider and managed to smack my heel against the injured leg. I had to stop and let the pain diffuse for that one. Then continued sparring because I ain't no pussy...grr. I am contemplating not sparring for the next week or 2 to let it fully heal. Having to ice it every night after training is sucking donkey's nuts. I was disappointed to see a couple of guys sneak off home after only sparring a couple of rounds. I see this a lot particularly from blue belts who don't train often. It may be that they are busy, have to work, but I also suspect that there is hesitation to spar with some of the tougher white belts we have. I think sparring with the toughest guys at your gym is the best thing to do and the only way to improve.
Sparring time: 8 x 6 mins = 48 mins (1 round with Matt working escapes but damn was I so tired after getting up for Kettelbell at 6 am)
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Time to Awake
The weather is getting warmer in the mornings. That means it's time for me leave hibernation and get up early and work out. I woke at 6 am this morning and started a kettlebell workout from Youtube. I subscribe to fitnessblender on youtube. They have a lot of different themes to work out to. I chose a 30 minute session that was supposed to be HIT. It wasn't extreme but was a great workout to get my heart and lungs going this morning. I really like kettlebells. They feel so natural in movement.I plan to do 2 workouts per week in the morning with kettlebell/cardio and 2 yoga/stretch sessions. Adding this to BJJ x 3 times per week and a squat/deadlift sesion once per week each, I think I am gonna be busy. A friend asked me if I ever get time to be home - I do, somehow. The kids still know what I look like.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
On the Mat Day 368: Barbeque
Yesterday was my first lesson for a week. I usually take a week off around Christmas, Golden Week and O-bon to let my body heal and just to let my desire to train again build up. It was also our annual barbeque where all the guys get together and chat about things they never get the time to during training.
There wasn't actually a proper lesson with techniques being taught but more of an open mat style feel. As always I started off rolling around on the stability ball then after recapping a few techniques Dmitri and I got out the crash mat and practiced jumping to triangles. It was surprisingly easy with the foot on the hip method. I often do this when pulling guard so it felt natural. The crash mat helped until we got comfortable with the technique then we tried a few on the normal mat. I will definitely try to play around with this technique because I can see it being useful as a last ditch effort to win a match and be quite a crowd pleaser. I should probably look at how it works with different grips on the jacket because we did it nogi style.
Later on I talked to Yoshida who just returned from 2 months in Brazil. He mentioned that it was tough training and most of the time he was stuck in side control and it was difficult to escape because they were all so strong. Technique-wise he didn't think their level was any better than in Japan but their power and speed executing the techniques made a huge difference. I have to admit that I should really try to adopt the strategy of quickly moving through techniques when I spar but instead I do something, stop for a bit, then do the next technique. Kind of clunky. I really need to be quicker moving through techniques so the opponent has no time to react correctly.
The small amount of sparring I did do was mostly defending. I am trying to heal my leg while keeping it hidden and the best way to do that is to work escapes from bad positions. I'm getting comfortable in turtle but still panic when my collar is grabbed. I still need more work on this. At the moment, I'm also waiting for Bodymaker to drop their prices a little on judo gis so I can get one and start training at my son's Judo school. I'm really looking forward to improving my standup because it is a huge gaping hole as a purple belt.
Sparring time: 5 x 6 mins = 30 mins
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| Background: K-sensei doing the barbie, Foreground: Underage drinker & me in the cap |
There wasn't actually a proper lesson with techniques being taught but more of an open mat style feel. As always I started off rolling around on the stability ball then after recapping a few techniques Dmitri and I got out the crash mat and practiced jumping to triangles. It was surprisingly easy with the foot on the hip method. I often do this when pulling guard so it felt natural. The crash mat helped until we got comfortable with the technique then we tried a few on the normal mat. I will definitely try to play around with this technique because I can see it being useful as a last ditch effort to win a match and be quite a crowd pleaser. I should probably look at how it works with different grips on the jacket because we did it nogi style.
Later on I talked to Yoshida who just returned from 2 months in Brazil. He mentioned that it was tough training and most of the time he was stuck in side control and it was difficult to escape because they were all so strong. Technique-wise he didn't think their level was any better than in Japan but their power and speed executing the techniques made a huge difference. I have to admit that I should really try to adopt the strategy of quickly moving through techniques when I spar but instead I do something, stop for a bit, then do the next technique. Kind of clunky. I really need to be quicker moving through techniques so the opponent has no time to react correctly.
The small amount of sparring I did do was mostly defending. I am trying to heal my leg while keeping it hidden and the best way to do that is to work escapes from bad positions. I'm getting comfortable in turtle but still panic when my collar is grabbed. I still need more work on this. At the moment, I'm also waiting for Bodymaker to drop their prices a little on judo gis so I can get one and start training at my son's Judo school. I'm really looking forward to improving my standup because it is a huge gaping hole as a purple belt.
Sparring time: 5 x 6 mins = 30 mins
Monday, 29 April 2013
On the Mat Day 367: Working Escapes & Jiu Jitsu Nerd
Today was probably the most chilled lesson ever. K-sensei taught some of the stuff he learnt at the Caio Terra seminar. He started with knee shield and showed us a scissor sweep from this guard when the opponent is leaning back and a duck under and elevate sweep when he is leaning into you. He then went on to show reverse dela Riva guard against a kneeling and a standing opponent. In both cases, you end up taking his back. It's an interesting guard and the techniques shown require some skill thinking in 3 dimensions. I generally like these type of techniques because I feel my brain firing on all cylinders when I work on them.
For sparring I just did back and mount escapes. It's interesting to concentrate on them so much and see that some techniques work on some guys but don't work on others. I forces you to have a couple of escapes in your arsenal. I also sparred with a blue belt I've never seen except on the member's photo board. I just warned him not to trample on my leg and basically let him pass so I could escape and mess around. I also flowed very light with K-sensei which I really enjoyed and in fact felt my BJJ was better than when I try to go all out. I pretty much stopped sparring when the UFC Bisping vs Alan Belcher fight came on. I like both these fighters. Particularly Belcher because he is such a smart guy and managed to beat Palhares at his own game. I didn't stick around to see the Jones fight but I saw the pictures of his toe - eww.
There's a new magazine out in Japan right now called Jiu-jitsu Nerd. I bought it for 350 yen. It's a very small booklet but has a lot of information packed into it. Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese so won't be marketable anywhere except here. Unless I decide to translate it!
Here is the introduction as I've translated it.
It's been about 20 years since Brazilian Jiu-jitsu came to Japan.
There are BJJ clubs all over Japan now and every day there are competitions going on somewhere.
People are training every day, researching on Youtube, and impulsively buying BJJ Kimonos during the night.
When you look at things, there are now many ways to enjoy BJJ, but there is still something missing.
To fill that hole for the hearts of BJJ nerds, we bring you a BJJ specialist magazine.
This is the Jiu Jitsu Nerd.
When I've had time to digest it over the now Golden Week holidays, I'll give more details and maybe translate some of the interesting bits.
For sparring I just did back and mount escapes. It's interesting to concentrate on them so much and see that some techniques work on some guys but don't work on others. I forces you to have a couple of escapes in your arsenal. I also sparred with a blue belt I've never seen except on the member's photo board. I just warned him not to trample on my leg and basically let him pass so I could escape and mess around. I also flowed very light with K-sensei which I really enjoyed and in fact felt my BJJ was better than when I try to go all out. I pretty much stopped sparring when the UFC Bisping vs Alan Belcher fight came on. I like both these fighters. Particularly Belcher because he is such a smart guy and managed to beat Palhares at his own game. I didn't stick around to see the Jones fight but I saw the pictures of his toe - eww.
There's a new magazine out in Japan right now called Jiu-jitsu Nerd. I bought it for 350 yen. It's a very small booklet but has a lot of information packed into it. Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese so won't be marketable anywhere except here. Unless I decide to translate it!
Here is the introduction as I've translated it.
There are BJJ clubs all over Japan now and every day there are competitions going on somewhere.
People are training every day, researching on Youtube, and impulsively buying BJJ Kimonos during the night.
When you look at things, there are now many ways to enjoy BJJ, but there is still something missing.
To fill that hole for the hearts of BJJ nerds, we bring you a BJJ specialist magazine.
This is the Jiu Jitsu Nerd.
When I've had time to digest it over the now Golden Week holidays, I'll give more details and maybe translate some of the interesting bits.
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Squatting Again
The bar was free for me to do squats today so I took the opportunity and did a lot of sets. Just working my way from the bar only, adding weight gradually and finishing on 72.5kg which is my own body weight, then stripping it down to nothing again. I tried to go low on every rep. There were some occasions when I thought I could probably go another rep but might be pushing it and I didn't have a spotter so I stopped at that rep. The workout was really good. I totally see how putting a load on the spine like that can increase testosterone levels. If you're legs could speak to you it would go something like this.
"So, what we gonna do today, buddy?"
"Um, squats."
"Er, ok. Take it easy though, huh."
"Sure."
"Hey wait, wtf are you doing that bar is loaded heavy."
"No worries."
"The fuck are you doing? Oh you bastard this is ripping me apart."
"Hehe."
"I'll get you back for this, you wait and see. I'll give out under you later when you walk down some stairs."
"Yeah, yeah, suck it up."
Just remember grappling loves squats, kettlebells and deadlifts but hates bicep curls and pretty much any other single joint movement that your grandma could do.
"So, what we gonna do today, buddy?"
"Um, squats."
"Er, ok. Take it easy though, huh."
"Sure."
"Hey wait, wtf are you doing that bar is loaded heavy."
"No worries."
"The fuck are you doing? Oh you bastard this is ripping me apart."
"Hehe."
"I'll get you back for this, you wait and see. I'll give out under you later when you walk down some stairs."
"Yeah, yeah, suck it up."
Just remember grappling loves squats, kettlebells and deadlifts but hates bicep curls and pretty much any other single joint movement that your grandma could do.
Friday, 26 April 2013
On the Mat Day 366: Specifi Sparring - Escapes
I was later than usual arriving last night but was still the 1st one there. F-sensei told me a lot of people turned up the previous night so he expected a slow night. In the end we had a good number of people but most of them were late arrivals after 9pm due to work.
I started off doing scissor sweep drills with Matt. I've seen this sweep so many times but still do not do the technique correctly. The secret of it is in extending the body fully. You should not be bent at the hips. It sort of feels like you are storing up kenetic energy for the sweep something similar to a drawn bow would do. He showed us a drill to get our grips and let the opponent decide which leg they post then react accordingly with the sweep on the correct side. This would make a very useful drill because it is a very common position in sparring.
For sparring, again, I did escapes. Taking inferior positions such as rear, top and side mount. This is very good practice for me and I can't think why I never did it so intensively like this in the past. It really helps me to get more sensitivity to where I am being attacked and to defend appropriately. Sort of like stopping grips while standing, this specific sparring seems essential to me to build correct reactions to incoming attacks from the back, side and mount.
Successful escapes for me were:
Mount: Bridge, leg-drag hip escape to full guard.
Back: Trap choking arm between my ear and bicep, grab knee and turn back into their closed guard.
Side: Only practice with Miura-san who crushed the air out of my lungs.
At the end I watched Kondo vs Miura and saw Kondo's spirit wither as Miura just submitted him the same way a couple of times. Following that I saw F-sensei completely dominate Miura with butterfly sweeps and very tight armbars. I wish I had recorded it. It just hammered home the fact that with technique a super strong guy can be dominated and what was the hammer can easily become the nail.
Sparring time: 5 x 6 mins = 30 mins
 |
| Escaping Houdini style |
For sparring, again, I did escapes. Taking inferior positions such as rear, top and side mount. This is very good practice for me and I can't think why I never did it so intensively like this in the past. It really helps me to get more sensitivity to where I am being attacked and to defend appropriately. Sort of like stopping grips while standing, this specific sparring seems essential to me to build correct reactions to incoming attacks from the back, side and mount.
Successful escapes for me were:
Mount: Bridge, leg-drag hip escape to full guard.
Back: Trap choking arm between my ear and bicep, grab knee and turn back into their closed guard.
Side: Only practice with Miura-san who crushed the air out of my lungs.
At the end I watched Kondo vs Miura and saw Kondo's spirit wither as Miura just submitted him the same way a couple of times. Following that I saw F-sensei completely dominate Miura with butterfly sweeps and very tight armbars. I wish I had recorded it. It just hammered home the fact that with technique a super strong guy can be dominated and what was the hammer can easily become the nail.
Sparring time: 5 x 6 mins = 30 mins
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
On the Mat Day 365: Scissor Sweep
I had an asai bowl this morning for breakfast. I can't think of a better way to start the day than that. I don't feel as beat up as I usually do after training last night. That's because I had to limit my sparring to a specific type to prevent my legs from coming into play too much. My left leg is still sore but it's healing well and should be ok in another week. Instead of full out sparring last night I asked each guy if I could work escapes and let them decide what position they want from side mount, rear mount and top mount. Some of them were receptive to this type of training, some not so much and just frowned at me.
Most guys at our gym will always choose an hour of sparring over an hour of drilling or specific sparring. Sparring is good, don't get me wrong but drilling also has its place. I'm a strong believer that you should repeat something 10,000 times before you can say you have mastered it. Take mount escapes as an example. When I end up mounted during sparring, I usually try to bridge them off regardless of their position and weight distribution. In my mind I am feeling the clock tick down and the opponent up on at least 4 points or more for the mount. This stops me from thinking clearly and not engage my mind and body together to apply a correct technique. I am not in the moment. However, if you put this in a scenario where you say to you partner "My goal is to escape, yours is to submit me during mount". It condenses everything you are doing to a single act. It allows me to have a deeper focus on exactly what I am doing. The goals are clearly defined and that's all I need to concentrate on. I like to think of this as "funneling". Funneling my energy for one specific task. I don't care about what happens after I escape. It doesn't matter if I am submitted because we just reset and I get to go again. Eventually, doing this 100s of times, I will improve the escape. This is in comparison with sparring, where you might get into a certain position maybe once or twice in that night. Add that up over a year and tell me that specific training will not improve your BJJ.
I wish our lesson was split like this:
1 self-defence technique
1 escape technique
1 submission and 1 counter to the submission
1 sweep and 1 counter to the sweep
Specific sparring
Free sparring
So a typical lesson might look like:
For 6 rounds at 4 minutes I would have everyone practice side control defence while the other person goes for the armbar we just learnt.
Set each round to 4 minutes so you get 30 minutes including 1 min to switch/rest.
Free sparring in the remaining time.
Doing it like this would cover all your bases. You would learn an escape, a sweep and a submission. The more closesly related the techniques are the better. For example, a person can escape from side control and reguard then apply a hip bump sweep. He could also prevent the hip bump sweep, pass to side control and submit with the armbar. This would get the student to think about linking techniques early. There is method in my madness.
K-sensei came back from Taiwan last night and said that filming wasn't allowed during the Caio Terra seminar. Pity, because I would have liked to see what it was like. Apparently, he taught dela Riva in gi and reverse dela Riva in nogi. K-sensei had just got off the plane and came to the dojo. I watched him spar with Matt and afterwards touch his mouth checking for blood. Miura-san (aka Tsunami) caught K-sensei in a gorilla arm-twisting technique that caused him to tap from a wrist lock. Jiu-jitsu is harsh! I also trained side control escapes with Miura and his pressure is super good. He does the 100 kg side control, on the balls of his feet. He told me that he waits for me to breath out then times it to push into me so that I cannot take a full breath. I felt it and it was not fun!
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins
Most guys at our gym will always choose an hour of sparring over an hour of drilling or specific sparring. Sparring is good, don't get me wrong but drilling also has its place. I'm a strong believer that you should repeat something 10,000 times before you can say you have mastered it. Take mount escapes as an example. When I end up mounted during sparring, I usually try to bridge them off regardless of their position and weight distribution. In my mind I am feeling the clock tick down and the opponent up on at least 4 points or more for the mount. This stops me from thinking clearly and not engage my mind and body together to apply a correct technique. I am not in the moment. However, if you put this in a scenario where you say to you partner "My goal is to escape, yours is to submit me during mount". It condenses everything you are doing to a single act. It allows me to have a deeper focus on exactly what I am doing. The goals are clearly defined and that's all I need to concentrate on. I like to think of this as "funneling". Funneling my energy for one specific task. I don't care about what happens after I escape. It doesn't matter if I am submitted because we just reset and I get to go again. Eventually, doing this 100s of times, I will improve the escape. This is in comparison with sparring, where you might get into a certain position maybe once or twice in that night. Add that up over a year and tell me that specific training will not improve your BJJ.
I wish our lesson was split like this:
1 self-defence technique
1 escape technique
1 submission and 1 counter to the submission
1 sweep and 1 counter to the sweep
Specific sparring
Free sparring
So a typical lesson might look like:
- Guillotine self-defence x 20 (2 variations of takedown - knee tap/pick up and slam)
- Side control escape to reguard x 20
- Armbar from side control x 20
- Armbar defence/escape by stacking x 20
- Hip bump sweep x 20
- Sweep prevention by raising the hips and pass x 20
For 6 rounds at 4 minutes I would have everyone practice side control defence while the other person goes for the armbar we just learnt.
Set each round to 4 minutes so you get 30 minutes including 1 min to switch/rest.
Free sparring in the remaining time.
Doing it like this would cover all your bases. You would learn an escape, a sweep and a submission. The more closesly related the techniques are the better. For example, a person can escape from side control and reguard then apply a hip bump sweep. He could also prevent the hip bump sweep, pass to side control and submit with the armbar. This would get the student to think about linking techniques early. There is method in my madness.
K-sensei came back from Taiwan last night and said that filming wasn't allowed during the Caio Terra seminar. Pity, because I would have liked to see what it was like. Apparently, he taught dela Riva in gi and reverse dela Riva in nogi. K-sensei had just got off the plane and came to the dojo. I watched him spar with Matt and afterwards touch his mouth checking for blood. Miura-san (aka Tsunami) caught K-sensei in a gorilla arm-twisting technique that caused him to tap from a wrist lock. Jiu-jitsu is harsh! I also trained side control escapes with Miura and his pressure is super good. He does the 100 kg side control, on the balls of his feet. He told me that he waits for me to breath out then times it to push into me so that I cannot take a full breath. I felt it and it was not fun!
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Gym Workout
So I took my son to Judo again today, he learned Tai-otoshi and Seio-nage. It seems to be growing on him but when I talk about taking him to class he groans a bit. After class, though, he is a little high and tries to show me the techniques. I know what that high feels like after training grappling.
While he was training I went upstairs to work out at the gym. My ankle is still swollen so I couldn't do squats even though I really wanted to. I just worked out cardio on the bicycle and elliptical machine. Then I was going to do some bench pressing but some kid took over the rack for over an hour. I remember seeing him like 5 years ago when I used to use this gym and he hasn't grown an inch in thickness despite always being there. He's one of those kids who keeps lifting his shirt in the mirror to look at his abs and is probably scared to eat more to pack on muscle because he doesn't want to lose his abs. It makes me laugh to look at him.
I got a bit of a shock while in the changing rooms. I walked in and saw a guy getting changed whose face seemed familiar. He looked at me for longer than usual and we sort of growled a greeting at each other. Then there was an awkward couple of minutes in which we began checking each other out. Then I asked said "I may be wrong but don't you train at Fukuzumi jiu-jitsu?". He immediately laughed and we shook hands. Turns out he is a white belt who goes with his son only I didn't recognize him immediately because he usually wears ear guards and I was wearing glasses so looked different for him. We talked about training for a bit then went off our separate ways to train. Very cool though to meet a guy from the same club even though I only sparred once with him so far. Small world.
In between pull ups and dumbell bench press I saw some chick checking me out. I've become far more sensitive to this kind of attention as I age. She was on the elliptical machine and so I decided to use the one next to her. Sure enough she started talking to me. Name was Ayaka, typical OL (office lady) who guessed rightly that I am British. Foreigners over here really do stand out a lot. I used to be wary of those types who would latch on to you because you are foreign but now I don't care...especially if she is cute.
While he was training I went upstairs to work out at the gym. My ankle is still swollen so I couldn't do squats even though I really wanted to. I just worked out cardio on the bicycle and elliptical machine. Then I was going to do some bench pressing but some kid took over the rack for over an hour. I remember seeing him like 5 years ago when I used to use this gym and he hasn't grown an inch in thickness despite always being there. He's one of those kids who keeps lifting his shirt in the mirror to look at his abs and is probably scared to eat more to pack on muscle because he doesn't want to lose his abs. It makes me laugh to look at him.
I got a bit of a shock while in the changing rooms. I walked in and saw a guy getting changed whose face seemed familiar. He looked at me for longer than usual and we sort of growled a greeting at each other. Then there was an awkward couple of minutes in which we began checking each other out. Then I asked said "I may be wrong but don't you train at Fukuzumi jiu-jitsu?". He immediately laughed and we shook hands. Turns out he is a white belt who goes with his son only I didn't recognize him immediately because he usually wears ear guards and I was wearing glasses so looked different for him. We talked about training for a bit then went off our separate ways to train. Very cool though to meet a guy from the same club even though I only sparred once with him so far. Small world.
In between pull ups and dumbell bench press I saw some chick checking me out. I've become far more sensitive to this kind of attention as I age. She was on the elliptical machine and so I decided to use the one next to her. Sure enough she started talking to me. Name was Ayaka, typical OL (office lady) who guessed rightly that I am British. Foreigners over here really do stand out a lot. I used to be wary of those types who would latch on to you because you are foreign but now I don't care...especially if she is cute.
Friday, 19 April 2013
On the Mat Day 364: RICE
 |
| Not this type, dummy |
Again I did about 30 mins wit Dmitri of uchikomi, just doing o-soto-gari and then a few mins of gripping. I think it's helping because during sparring I am focusing much more on getting dominant grips. I even blocked the opponent from switching to a dominant grip with my elbow. I'm trying to relax more while standing and just keep my grip tight.
I thought F-sensei would show us the spin to back technique but instead he focused on fairly standard half-guard passes. I've come to notice that probably 70% of anything he teaches is geared towards competitors who play from top. We often get instruction on passing various guards, mount and side control but not enough demonstrations on escapes and sweeps from bottom. It's odd then that I play bottom. Breaking my foot during a takedown long ago decided that fate. I only wish we had more classes that were bottom player focused. That's why I would have liked to attend the Caio Terra seminar in Taiwan, where K-sensei headed on Wednesday. Apparently he will get 2 days of teaching from Caio.
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins (estimate because I had to take time out from getting hurt. I think I did 1.5 rounds in nogi)
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
On the Mat Day 363: A little Judo mixed with a bit of Jits
So it's my birthday today. I just turned 41. I have mixed feelings about that. The number sounds very old to me. The thing is, I don't feel that old. In my mind I am still 20something. However, rolling with younger guys at jiu-jitsu tells me otherwise. Although, I wonder if that is an excuse my ego uses to stop me pushing hard.
"Oh that guy got the best of me, he is half my age."
These kind of comments sometimes bubble up in my head but I quickly suppress them. I don't want to be that guy that gives excuses. I want to be a solid grappler, deserving of my rank. I just need to train harder and or become smarter.
I'm certainly at a point where I am very comfortable on bottom in BJJ but not when standing. From a self-defence point of view this is not good. It's a make or break situation where I am right now; do I go and train judo for a few years or continue to butt-flop and improve my guard and enjoy jiu-jitsu that way? Training judo will be hard on my body for sure but I need to do it or suffer being an incomplete grappler.
Last night before training I practiced o-soto-gari with Dmitri for about 30 mins. It's not easy to get all the intricacies working together, things such as foot position, moving each arm differently (pulling and pushing), maintaining correct balance and being aware of where I am looking. I try to do the technique, but feel like a 2 year old trying to kick a ball and missing. What is apparent from sparring is that I need to work harder at grip fighting. I intercept grips OK but then release the attacking arm so the opponent can continuously go for the grip again. I'm looking forward to doing more standing because it feels like I am starting BJJ again and everything is new and exciting.
I also did a round of no-gi last night. I think I prefer this style of grappling. It is less harsh on the finger joints and I get to slip out of holds easier. It also feels more comfortable because I don't have to wear the gi which can feel heavy when drenched in sweat. I used to train Pancrase in shorts and t-shirt and since that was my first exposure to grappling it has always stuck with me as the norm.
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins
Japanese word of the day:
脳震盪（noushintou) concussion, something that will probably happen the more I do standup.
Thngs to improve:
Better grip fighting
Guillotine defence (arm over shoulder and pull down defence)
Versus strong opponent I need to be faster and not play their game
Oh and get more sleep!
"Oh that guy got the best of me, he is half my age."
These kind of comments sometimes bubble up in my head but I quickly suppress them. I don't want to be that guy that gives excuses. I want to be a solid grappler, deserving of my rank. I just need to train harder and or become smarter.
I'm certainly at a point where I am very comfortable on bottom in BJJ but not when standing. From a self-defence point of view this is not good. It's a make or break situation where I am right now; do I go and train judo for a few years or continue to butt-flop and improve my guard and enjoy jiu-jitsu that way? Training judo will be hard on my body for sure but I need to do it or suffer being an incomplete grappler.
Last night before training I practiced o-soto-gari with Dmitri for about 30 mins. It's not easy to get all the intricacies working together, things such as foot position, moving each arm differently (pulling and pushing), maintaining correct balance and being aware of where I am looking. I try to do the technique, but feel like a 2 year old trying to kick a ball and missing. What is apparent from sparring is that I need to work harder at grip fighting. I intercept grips OK but then release the attacking arm so the opponent can continuously go for the grip again. I'm looking forward to doing more standing because it feels like I am starting BJJ again and everything is new and exciting.
I also did a round of no-gi last night. I think I prefer this style of grappling. It is less harsh on the finger joints and I get to slip out of holds easier. It also feels more comfortable because I don't have to wear the gi which can feel heavy when drenched in sweat. I used to train Pancrase in shorts and t-shirt and since that was my first exposure to grappling it has always stuck with me as the norm.
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins
Japanese word of the day:
脳震盪（noushintou) concussion, something that will probably happen the more I do standup.
Thngs to improve:
Better grip fighting
Guillotine defence (arm over shoulder and pull down defence)
Versus strong opponent I need to be faster and not play their game
Oh and get more sleep!
Monday, 15 April 2013
On the Mat Day 362: Jiu-Jitsu Makes Me Happy
 |
| Me, Jiu-jitsu happy |
I was so euphoric after training yesterday. The kick I get out of doing jiu-jitsu has increased the over the years. Usually at this point I'd be sick of doing the same sport for so long but BJJ is a different animal.
Today, I feel like my batteries have been depleted. I've been training more frequently than I usually do but I think it's more to do with sleep than anything and the lack of a real holiday for some time (I need to walk down a sandy beach and hear the drift of the Ocean at night). After training yesterday I came home and slept for exactly an hour but had trouble sleeping later that night. I've read that before the invention of the light bulb people used to sleep at sundown, wake up around 12 then sleep again until dawn. That sounds good to me. Modern life can be so draining. That's why in a few months I plan to quit my job and work freelance as a translator. I want to work on my terms. Hopefully, I can also do more jiu-jitsu as well as train in the morning when I would be normally commuting to work.
Yesterday's lesson was a set of new moves for the week. They all revolved around using the legs to turn the opponent to take the back. It's basically a twister setup, roll over and either take the back or apply the twister. Both I and Dmitri had trouble with the body angle after turning onto our shoulder so that it was hard to switch legs mid-roll. K-sensei suggested to be more parallel with the opponent because I was over-rolling. We did the back take from feet-facing half guard pass, standing versus reverse de la Riva hook, twister side control and half-guard with the opponent flattened out. I need lots of practice with this technique because I am often in the setup position.
 |
| Some of this but at night |
Sparring time: 6 x 6 mins = 36 mins (also got in some nogi which was fun)
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