JIU-JITSU RONIN

WINNERS TRAIN...LOSERS COMPLAIN...

2012-01-04T02:12:00.000-08:00

It's an old saying but at the start of a new year it's time to evaluate your training and decide what aspects of your game need work. Have you got a gameplan drawn up yet that you are working on? Are you happy with your flexibility, your conditioning, your passing, top game, bottom game, escapes?
What do you plan to do about it?
Are you going to commit to getting on the mat as often as possible? I know this is tough sometimes, working a full time job, kids, relationships... but you have to ask what it means to you, commit to a training routine you can maintain yet still make progress and stick with it.
WINNERS TRAIN...LOSERS COMPLAIN...and make excuses.

Happy New Year
Train Hard

2011-12-25T01:21:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
GOD BLESS.

the mind is the best weapon

2011-12-05T05:08:00.000-08:00

I was talking to one of the guys in class the other day telling him I want him to focus more on finishing his opponents in class.
I believe Jiu-Jitsu is as much mental as it is physical.
I try emphasize this in my classes.
I think if you lack a focus in your training you will only go so far. And conditioning your mind is as important as your body.
He responded with something very interesting. He told me that he thinks he has issues with the finish because when he gets close he lets go. He explained that he has a mental block that hits him right before he goes for the finish. He continued saying that he feels if he sets his mind to finish and misses it he will experience a blow to his psyche.

This reminds me of some students that hold up the wall. When some students get tired they sit against the wall. Many times they complain about being out of shape. And I respond by reminding them the best way to stay out of shape is to stay on the wall.

It is the same with the mind. If you allow mental blocks to control the finish, you will rarely get there. But if you break through them you will strengthen your abilities beyond expectation.

Crawl before you walk, walk before you run!

2011-11-29T02:36:00.000-08:00

Rubber Guard, 50/50, flying toe lock from upside down guard! There seems to be no limit in sight for the evolution of ground fighting. This barrage of slick submissions and crazy guard passes recently entering the fast growing scene of MMA has created a revolution of excitement. One might even call it a step towards Martial Arts fanaticism! The enthusiasm surrounding this surge has created a new approach to training and fighting. But like anything in life, you must learn to crawl before you can run!

I have cornered lots of MMA fights, from small shows to bigger national events, and there seems to be a consistent theme when it comes to a fighters approach to ground fighting. There seems to be no order in which a fighter approaches his ground fighting education.

It is structure that ensures a fighter is efficient in every aspect of the fight. Without structure our world would crash. If I wake up, get in my car and drive to the gym I expect the stop-lights to work. When the light is red I stop. That ensures there are no accidents. And when the light is green I go, that ensures I get where I am going. That aspect of everyday life is fundamental. I don’t have to think about it because it is structured. And with structure comes reflexive action. Green means go, I don’t have to think about it.

When Anderson Silva enters the pocket (striking distance) he sees a green light, hence he strikes. When Randy Couture sees a potential takedown opportunity, he sees a green light and shoots. The best fighters have a game plan for every possible crazy, face-smashing, arm wrenching situation, and that is part of what makes them champions.

The same goes for your ground approach. Without structure you have a universe of techniques that are not linked together. That is like trying to carry on a conversation by only knowing every other word in a sentence. That leads to hesitation. In MMA that indecision could mean waking up with a crazed-fighter celebrating over you!

The ground is the most position-oriented of the fighting situations. You could be passing guard and then get swept to mount with your opponent on top of you punching your face into the mat. The ground is a rapid-firing-monster that needs a game plan to control. And there is no better way to calm that storm then drilling proper fundamentals.

That doesn’t mean working an escape for five minutes and calling it a day. Just ask yourself how many times you have jabbed the punching bag in training. There seems to be a tendency for fighters to spend hour after hour developing their striking. But when it comes to drilling an escape from the mounted position the same enthusiasm is just not there.

So when a fighter approaches ground fighting it is best to master the fundamentals in a flowing manner. Getting wrapped up in the ever-exciting innovations has its time and place. Rubber Guard is not going to help you when your arm is about to get ripped off. Mastering the 50/50 position does nothing when an opponent is mounted on top of you. And the flying toe lock from upside down guard… just doesn’t exist! If your goal is to be great then there are proper steps. And those steps may seem tedious, but only if you ignore the long term benefits that drilling proper fundamentals will give you on your way to becoming a competent ground fighter!

2011-11-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

A lot of MMA fans in SA may not know who Dean Strydom was, and if they had to see his record may dismiss it and not think much of it. And honestly, there's nothing about it that really stands out. He was a really good fighter who beat some other good fighters of his era, and he put on some wonderful fights in that time. Even getting a win against one of South Africas top MMA fighters, Chris Bright, when they were both just starting out.

But there was so much more to Dean Strydom than that, and I'm afraid that's what history will miss.
I was working as a Personal Trainer at the old Westville Health and Racquet while completing my studies, 1995/1996, and my brother Ivan, Abdul Hassan and Chris Kistan used to get together and train in the aerobics hall by pushing aerobics mats together to grapple on. We had only just started out in BJJ and I think our enthusiasm for Jiu-jitsu was through the roof (as it still is - Abdul is still a threat on the MMA circuit in SA) and I met Dean who at the time was the Ops Manager for the gym.
He was already a provincial and national level competitor in boxing, karate and tennis. He had injured his knee in a motorcycle injury which had put an end to his tennis carreer and as a result had started weight training to rehab his knee.
In true Dean fashion the bug bit and he started bodybuilding and was soon a provincial and eventual National level bodybuilder.
He was a natural athlete and seemed to excell at anything he put his mind to.
He was still boxing a little and often used to watch with interest when we rolled or trained and was soon joining us on the mat.
His knee was still an issue and often gave him problems as it hadnt yet regained full stability, and I remember him quite badly spraining it one day grappling with my brother. Never one to let it get him down he was there on the mats when he could training around his knee, which was usually braced and still giving everyone a hard time and being an absoulute monster on the mat.
He was one of the strongest and fittest people (next to D. Moodley anyway) that Ive ever trained with and was always in shape.
Throughout his life Deano faced personal challenges - others called them his demons - but I hope he's remembered for all the good things and there were a lot...
All the peoples lives he touched and changed as a personal trainer, an incredible training partner-always available when I needed someone to train with no matter what his personal circumstances were, a loving and doting father, an absolute beast on the mat- I remember no one, NO ONE, black belts included passing his guard on one of our trips to Brasil while doing guard passing for over an hour, Dean losing a toe while training takedowns with Big Lenin at Game City Gym and us hustling him upstairs to the Doc's, he was back on the mat a few weeks later, post-surgery ready to give us a hard time, his infectious laughter, his incredible support and enthusiasm everytime I or someone on our team fought, his support of NOVAGEN after I moved to the UK, providing the guys with a place to train.
Dean needs to be remembered for all the good things he was and I hope he's found the peace he seemed to often struggle to find in life,
I look forward to sharing a joke and hearing his laugh again on the other side, but for now, we will miss you bro.

Rest In Peace Bro... 11/07/2011

2011-11-07T04:05:00.000-08:00

You were a warrior fighting for your soul
Taken from this world below
We who are left
Need to remember how it used to be
In the light of day it's easy to see
Now it's nighttime
You had to leave
water's always rushing and we keep trying to swim against the stream
And it seems, like your not moving the many water's gushing you gasp for air
Almost drowning ears ringing, once upon a time we were singing
Life trying to make us forget we got a job to do
we can't be moved
Descended to the pit
What's this feeling can't get rid of it
Soul sick
Can't seem to shake it
When one retires at night weeping, joy will come in the morning
Like an ancient memory
Remember how it used to be
Close our eyes and breath in
That's the scent of freedom
Ringing across the sea
One day will wake up from this sleep and we'll stop dreaming,

Rest in peace bro...
Youll be missed

Recovery cont...

2011-10-27T01:17:00.000-07:00

2 Glasses of Water Upon Waking
--------------------------------
This is a very simple, yet effective approach to recovering faster.
You will never be
able to perform at your best if you aren't properly hydrated. By
the time you wake
in the morning it has been hours and hours since your body last got
water.
Two glasses upon waking will rehydrate the muscles and cells.
It will help flush toxins as well.
It will keep the muscles strong and capable of increased work loads.
Do this for a week, and you will be amazed at how much better your
recover and perform!

Recovery Ideas pt 1

2011-10-26T01:25:00.000-07:00

Recovery is one of the most misunderstood factors in
the development of combat athlete.

The type of person that generally engages in these sports
is usually driven, hard-working, and willing to endure whatever
is necessary to win.

This frequently leads to overtraining by those that take
the 'more is better' approach.
After you have figured out how much stimulus your body can
take without breaking down, you can then think about speeding
up the recovery process between workouts, both practice and
strength/conditioning.

Post-Training Recovery Drink
----------------------------
This drink is the number one area of importance when setting the
stage for recovering between practices and workouts.
Your recovery drink must be consumed within 20 minutes of your
training completion. It is during this time that your nutrients
will be
transported right to the muscle cells. This helps replenish your
muscle
glycogen that was used to fuel your anaerobic workout. Your drink
can
be 16 oz. of chocolate milk, 12 oz. grape juice with a scoop of
whey protein
powder, or 16 oz. of Powerade with 1 scoop of whey protein and 5 grams
of
creatine.
The important thing is the protein to carbohydrate ratio. You want
to
keep a ratio in the area of 1:2 or 1:3
This will give the correct ratio for consumption of nutrients with
no
storage to fat cells.
The other consideration is that a 180lb. athlete needs roughly
80grams
of carbs from the drink. Keep this in mind and keep the ratios the
same.

Congratulations Fred!!!

2011-10-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

““The spirit of a warrior is not geared to indulging and complaining, nor is it geared to winning or losing. The spirit of a warrior is geared only to struggle, and every struggle is a warrior’s last battle on earth. Thus the outcome matters very little to him. In his last battle on earth a warrior lets his spirit flow free and clear.””
Carlos Castaneda

Well done bro

2011-10-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

"A good friend is my nearest relation."

2011-10-03T01:32:00.000-07:00

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith.
Franklin D. Roosevet

2011-09-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

God knows our situation; He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them.
Author: C.S. Lewis

ATTITUDE Part 2

2011-09-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you like to win but think you can't
It's almost a cinch you won't

If you think you are outclassed, you are
You've got to think high to rise
You've got to be sure of yourself
Before you can win a prize

If you think you'll lose, you are lost
For out in the world we find
That success begins
With a fellow's will
It's all in the state of mind

Life's battle's don't always go to the
Stronger or faster man
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who THINKS he can.
- Vince Lombardi

Often our attitudes are a result of the people we surround ourselves with. If you notice that the people around you don't have an attitude of a champion, share this with them and help them see that, perhaps, their thoughts need to change.

- ATTITUDE -

2011-09-05T02:53:00.000-07:00

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home ... or a school. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we do have and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.

~ Chuck Swindoll

Advice On Passing the Guard

2011-08-26T02:48:00.000-07:00

Playing guard and passing the guard seem to make up a huge part of sparring in Jiu-jitsu. If you consider that any time you arent either controlling someone from or escaping from a dominant position , such as mount, back or side position, you are essentially either playing or passing some form of guard.

Passing the guard can definately be difficult task against guys who have good guard reposition skilss but especially against guys who are very skilled in certain types of guard i.e. a great spider guard or butterfly guard.
A friend and training partner and I where chatting about it after class recently and he said he was having a little difficulty passing a certain type of guard against guys who were really proficient at it.

I had faced a similar problem a while back and found especially against guys from purple belt and up who were starting to develope their own personal styles and were becoming incredibly good at a certain guard, I found if they pulled me into it I was battling to pass and the more I fought my way out I played staright into a sweep and wound up on my back.
So I started searching for answers, I started trying to learn as many passes as I could, but then found that it still wasnt the answer as there were so many different types of guards being developed all the time it was very difficult to know one for every type of guard and it's variations, spider, de la riva, reverse de la riva, inverted, butterfly, x-guard...
Not to mention that guys who were good at these types of guard had a huge advantage in that they were investing in a lot of time becoming proficient in ONE aspect of their game while I was trying to split my time up divising an answer to everyones games.

I chatted to my coach Luiz about it and he gave me some great advice which defiantely helped me.
He said, when it comes to passing your opponents best guards, your goal should be to prevent him from putting you there!
If you let him get his grips and and set it his position in too far, youre in for a tough time.
You dont have to solve a problem if you prevent it from materializing.

The best way to prepare for these different games is prevention. He told me when I then asked , 'yes but, what if the guy manages to get a grip here and pulls me into position and does this or that...?' 'well, if you let it get that far, youre in trouble as youre in his game and you deserve to get swept or caught.'

I remember reading an article about Fabio Gurgel training with Rickson Gracie at the time when Marcelo Garcia's X-guard was exploding onto the competition scene and apparently all Rickson asked Fabio about the position was how would he attempt to achieve the x-guard and control it, not about how he felt it should be played or passed.

It is definately important to have techniques to deal with different types of guard, especially those you face frequently but also try to impose your game plan-get where you want to be with control and learn to understand the different aspects of blocking your opponents various games and you will rarely have to deal with it.

Micah

Visit From Seymour Yang

2011-08-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

We were visited by Seymour Yang, last night, who was in Bournemouth on holiday. He stopped by to train with us at our Wednesday night Gi class.

A really nice guy with a very good game. It was great to train with and chat with someone who is so passionate about Jiu-jitsu and works really hard and does such a great job promoting the art through his articles and website (http://meerkat69.blogspot.com/).

Drilling-Part-1

2011-08-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

Some interesting points from Lloyd Irvin:

■There is no winning or losing when rolling at the club, but only there, everywhere else (including in life) you’re either winning or losing.

■The higher the level, the more important the mental game becomes.

■“If the school wants to be a high level competition school, they have to ban excuse making, they have to ban letting their students make excuses, they have to ban sitting out rounds during sparring, they have to ban asking for water when live sparring is happening (you take water breaks when the instructor says so), you have to ban all of the BS happening on the floor in your school.”

Lloyd Irvin says in the interview “when it’s all said and done the only thing that matters is the results.”

The most important reminder came in the answer to the question: “If you could only pick one thing that an individual could start today that would improve their Jiu-Jitsu what would it be?”

His answer: drilling. He may mean something specific, but in general, drilling is key and includes:

1.Drilling with perfect technique (which often means slow but steady) against a non-resisting opponent.
2.Positional training against a resisting opponent
3.Flow drills: flowing through positions in order to explore variations and possibilities

You need to get off the computer, hit the mats and start drilling RIGHT NOW. To get a move down pat you need a minimum of 2,500 reps, but if you want to perfect it you must hit 10,000. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Look, if you truly want to be a master you must realize that repetition is the key that opens an endless amount possibilities—This is not just for grappling, the concept can be applied to any goal you have a burning desire to conquer.

Believe!

2011-08-08T02:59:00.000-07:00

The level of our success is limited only by our imagination.
Aesop

2011-08-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

The Jiu-Jitsu that I created was designed to give the weak ones a chance to face the heavy and strong.
The primary objective of Jiu-Jitsu is to protect the indivisual, the older man, the weak, the child, the lady and the young woman from being dominanted and hurt by some bum because they don't have the physical attributes to defend themselves. Like i never had.
- Helio Gracie

Midweek Motivation

2011-07-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily. ~ Zig Ziglar

'Get knocked down 6 times, get up 7!' Samurai saying.

Competition can be a double edged sword sometimes. Im a big believer that it can be a very positive means for growth as a martial artist and a person IF viewed in the correct light.
It can definately help us to improve by pressure testing not only our technical ability but ALSO our 'self' control (our ability to control our emotions and thoughts leading up to, during and especially after a fight or competition.)
Losing is an important part of our growth and we need to view it as such, and we should never measure our self worth based on a result, wether in a competition or anything else.

Jerry Lynch, Ph.D.,once said that when you believe and think “I can,” you activate your motivation, commitment, confidence, concentration and excitement, all of which relate directly to achievement. On the other hand, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right in both cases.”

Dr. Lynch also says that the path to personal excellence is cluttered with obstacles. It is my own personal conviction that you can’t develop your full potential without encountering serious obstacles along the way.

Dr. Lynch says that you can’t stretch your limits without encountering some rough moments. You need to understand that failure and losses are acceptable learning experiences that can help improve your performance. This is true in every part of life, whether it involves athletics, academic achievement, business or personal success.

It’s true that airplanes and kites rise fastest when they fly into the wind. Individuals grow stronger physically, mentally and spiritually when they are “tested” with resistance or opposition. Think about it and I’ll see you at the top!

The Gi...Why Bother?

2011-07-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

I recommend training with the gi firstly because it forces you to learn some of the essential techniques to escape from different holds and attacks. The gi really tightens things up and makes it much more difficult to muscle out of things or slip & slide your way out of a hold.

You will also notice that using the gi gives you many more options to grip onto your partner. Consequently you can slow the pace down more than you could without using a gi. Having to slow the pace of a practice roll down forces you to practice your technique. Since we are here to improve our health & fitness while learning effective techniques, it only makes sense to force yourself to learn the technique.

Also from a practical/self-defence stand-point, getting used to training with and against someone wearing a gi (essentialy a long sleeve top/jacket and trousers), especially if you live somewhere where it gets cold in Autumn and Winter, is very practical, as you arent very likely (at least I hope not) to be attacked by a guy wearing a speedo or just shorts.

I would like people who train at our school to learn both styles, gi and no-gi, and feel comfortable doing both. I feel they should understand the benefits of both styles and not feel like one is better than the other. Having said all that, if you have no interest in training with the gi then don't. The important thing is that you are having fun and enjoying the workouts!

2011-07-19T01:46:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid going to Karate class and before stepping onto the dojo floor, kicking off my flip-flops under a big sign that said leave your ego and shoes here.
It didnt mean much to me then, fast forward to when I taught from home, for a while between gyms in Durban, SA, we trained out of my garage and I had a sign there similar to the one in this article. It was an attempt at using humor to remind people to take their shoes off before stepping onto the mat.
For sure hygiene is a huge part of it, we roll around on those matts and would rather not have skin contact with whatever has collected on the sole of your shoe, but I still often think back to the sign at my old Karate class.

Learning to leave your ego off the mat affetcs you greatly in your jiu-jitsu life. There are two critical points that I feel it probably does more so (at least from my experience) and that is at white belt and then again at black belt.
A major reason Ive experienced with students quitting early on in Jiu-jitsu, in my opinion is ego. You have to be prepared to tap to training partners who are smaller, weaker, older than you or who you may feel are just plain inferior to you.
We have to learn to put our ego to rest.
Stay open to learning, and keep in mind how often we derive more from defeat than victory.
Just get out there having fun, enjoy your time on the mat, and not try to rip it up or impress anyone. Just roll for the fun of rolling, treat your training partners with the same amount of respect you'd like to be treated with. You will improve if you train hard and are consistent, but leave that ego off the mat.

Now imagine if everyone carried that attitude with them off the mat with them into their day to day lives.

2011-07-13T03:19:00.000-07:00

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

"If today you have nothing to be happy about, thank God for the potential of tomorrow."

Rickson Gracie

Training While Injured

2011-07-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

Injuries are something that every athlete is afraid of, yet at somepoint must deal with. Grappling training involves a lot of twisting, falling and bending, so there tend to be a fair share of back and neck injuries. Jammed fingers and toes as well as knee, hip, elbow and shoulder injuries are fairly common too.
As a martial artist it can be difficult to avoid injuries. My main concern is how to treat, rehab (then prehab) and accomodate the injury/ies while continuing with my training routine.

Two of your best friends when training should be ice and tape.

By properly taping an injured finger, ankle or knee you can often prevent yourself from reinjuring an area while still continuing to train.

Even if Im injured I believe it's still important to train.

Some people prefer to rest completely but I believe by staying active (spend time drilling techniques that dont aggrevate the injury instead of rolling-we can all use more time drilling and getting our reps in-sometimes an injury is a way of forcing you to get on it) you can maintain and maby improve your conditioning and continue to work on and even improve certain ares of your game.

Staying active also allows you to get blood flowing into the injured area to help speed up the healing process.

If you approach it properly you can continue to train and heal up faster than if you just rested completely.
But you must be smart-pay attention to the little injuries before they become big problems and look after them, and train around them if necessary.

Remember to use that ice (how many of us go 'yeah ill ice it when I get home' and actually do?), massage, foam rollers or a rubber ball (check out http://www.mobilitywod.com/ if you havent already for some awesome flexibility and mobility advice) for tight spots.

If something is really bad I might consider using an anti-inflammatory like voltarol, gel always being a better option than the tabs as it isnt as harsh on your stomach, but I prefer to stay as natural as possible.

Ive had quite a few injuries in my training career but attribute being able to avoid them to my flexibilty and stretching and mobility routine.

It's very unusual that I have to completley stop training due to an injury, I try to have an easy joint mobility session every morning and always make sure I have a good warm up before training. I try to start my training slowly and progress up to speed as my training continues and have a good stretch at the end of the day.

I try to really focus and look after myself well (especially as I get older) and use a rubber ball and thera-cane for deep tissue massage, which although painfull definately helps relieve pain and stiffness in the muscles and tissues.

Many times you wont feel an injury at the time but only later at bedtime or first thing in the morning when you get up, but these I find are relievd with either stretching at night or some joint mobility work in the morning to ease off the tightness and get some blood into the area.

Sometimes you may have an injury that affects your movement completely (although you could probably still swim :-) ), such as a very bad back or neck injury or a rib fracture that affects your movement, then what?

As I joked, find a pool and do some gentle swimming or go for long easy walks, but also use the time to keep your mind sharp. Get to class when you can and watch the training and motivate your friends and team mates, work on your training notes and game-plan (if you havent jotted one down yet and still have holes in your game -it's time to get out a note pad and a pen and do some self-evaluation!) watch some competition footage- I recon you can learn a lot by watching competition footage, sometimes more so than just instyructionals, watch high level competitors pull off the stuff we try in class, but at a world championship level and make it look easy.

Also read, get a subscription to Gracie Mag or BJJ Style magazine or one of the many great instructional books available now such as Saulo's Jiu-Jitsu University.

Stay healthy and happy, both of which jiu-jitsu can help you with, so go train.

Micah

2011-07-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

“In Jiu Jitsu, your yearly age does not account for anything when it comes to your technical ability. Your age is marked by the hours you spend on the mat.”

Breathing

2011-06-29T05:23:00.001-07:00

Have you ever rolled with someone and it sounded like they were hyperventilating, or even better have you ever rolled and felt like you were hyperventilating. This is something that I see very often while I am grappling and I see it watching others grapple. People always end up breathing as fast as they move. If their movements are really fast and explosive they are breathing a mile a minute. This is what causes them to gas extremely quickly and also makes them feel claustrophobic while they are on the bottom trying to escape.

For me on the other hand, my breathes are always much slower then my movements and I try to keep them as controlled as possible. This obviously comes with practice, but it is something that is extremely important and shouldn’t be overlooked. Breathing correctly and at a good pace is one of the most important aspects that will help you to stay relaxed during high intensity situations. Faster breathing leads to panic and stress, while slow controlled breathing induces calmness and focus.

The thing is that not many people realize is that it is possible to breathe at a controlled pace even while you are moving very fast. For example while I am rolling at a regular pace I will stay relaxed and breathe normally, then there may be a moment where I have to explode or resist and I will give some quick bursts of my breathes and then after I have completed the movement which is usually quick I will take a deep breathe through my nose and let it out slowly through either my nose or my mouth so once again I can gain my composure. Others will keep there breathes fast after moving explosively and will not be able to focus as well as they should.

It is extremely hard at first to breathe at a slow controlled pace while you are moving quickly but it is very possible and extremely worth practicing. If you become able to do this you will be able to last much longer during you matches and you will feel less tired when the match is over. It will also enable you to keep a clear mind while you are in action. No matter how fast you grapple try to control your breathing, even if you feel it hinders your performance in the beginning. You will benefit in the long run.

Breathing correctly is not only important in grappling but it is important in life in general. It helps you to relieve stress and relax. It helps you to stay focused on your goals at hand and keep a clear mind to what it is you want to achieve. Everyone can breathe but not everyone breathes in ways beneficial to them.

I practice breathing wherever I am, and in many situations. If I feel a little anxious I will breath deeply through my nose focusing on pushing my stomach out so I am breathing with my diaphragm and not with my lungs and I will hold it for 4 seconds, then I will release my breathe for another 4 seconds out of my nose while I drop my shoulders and relax my body. That exercise is one of the easiest and most effective stress relievers any one can do.

Some things you should focus on when it comes to breathing while training:

-Never hold your breathe. It will only lead to panic.

-Every 5 to 10 seconds check in on your breathing and see if you are breathing fast or are you breathing in a controlled manner.

-If you feel like your getting gassed check in with your breathing if that may be the cause.

-Try to focus on breathing more and less on smashing your opponent, I recon you will see a difference.

Competition Advice

2011-06-22T07:24:00.001-07:00

“When you watch a lion hunt, he sits in the shade and rests. He watches the zebras go by, and he doesn’t get excited or angry. But when one of the zebra comes too close, he is quick and aggressive making his kill. It’s not emotional, but it’s aggressive, it’s final. When you compete, you don’t look across the mat and see another lion—you see a zebra.”

Conditioning for BJJ Revisited

2011-06-17T02:35:00.000-07:00

My good friend, and one of my long time SA based training partners, Andre', kindly agreed to do an article on incorporating kettlebells for conditioning for BJJ. With the huge number of routines and exercises it can be difficult to know where to start and what to focus on.
This is the place to start and revisit often.
Micah
p.s. If youre in Durban and want some great kettlebell or conditioning instruction give him a shout.

A conditioning programme can always assist one in your martial art training. The kettlebell offers good value for one's effort.

Pavel Tsatsouline in his superb book Enter The Kettlebell prescribes the programme minimum for people that are starting kettlebell lifting. Programme min is two basic lifts, the Get Up, a pressing exercise and the swing, a pulling exercise, which are done two or three times a week. These exercises are done for time using an interval timer or clock.

The routine would be as follows:

Joint Mobility warm up
5 min get ups
12 min swings

The beauty of this programme is that not only is it forgiving on the demands made on your body, especially if you are training hard at your BJJ but it is also very easy to modify according to ones needs. If you add another two lifts, the snatch and the clean and press you can compile a programme where you can increase or decrease the intensity of the practice sessions.

A routine one can use is the method of doing a light, med and heavy training session during a weekly cycle. It would be as follows;

Monday (light) practice good technique and dont worry about amount of reps done
Joint mobility warm up
5 min get up's - 16 kg bell
12 min snatches - 16 kg bell

Wednesday (med) medium intensity trying to do a few more reps each time
Joint mobility warm up
6 min get up's - 16 kg bell
14 min swings - 20 kg bell

Friday (heavy) Full tilt boogie go for it and push yourself
Joint mobility warm up
Clean and press 5 ladders/4 rungs - 20/24 kg bell
14 min swings - 24/32 kg bell

For the swings i like to start off with 100 two handed swings in a marathon like way and then after a brief rest rep short sprint type bursts of one handed and hand to hand swings.
The snatches can be done using the VO2 max protocol or just for reps.
If the exercises are too easy the bells are not heavy enough. If your form especially your alignment goes the bells are too heavy.
Try to structure the programme on your heavy day so you get between 24 to 48 hours rest before your next practice session.
Doing basic exercises does not mean one is a beginner and as in BJJ it is always good to revisit the basics.

Andre'

Belts pt 2

2011-06-13T04:28:00.000-07:00

Also worth noting is that belts are and aren’t important, at the end of the day it’s a piece of fabric that keeps your jacket closed and as Royce Gracie said it only covers an inch or two of you’re a$$, the rest you have to cover yourself.
Saying that however they are also important as they allow for practitioners to be matched up for training and competition purposes of similar level, as the belt gives a rough indicator of skill and experience level. They also are important as they serve as recognition for your effort, a pat on the back to say good job after all the sweat and hard work you put into the art.
They should never be used as leverage, i.e. weight a bracket by keeping good guys at a lower level to dominate competitions or as a reward/punishment for “perceived” loyalty.

A final word on the belt: Caring for your belt is easy. It keeps the Gi closed and you looking sharp. Just don't wash it (bad luck) and please tie your belt at all times. If you decide to wash your dirty belt, keep in mind that all your dreams, sweat, and hard work will be washed down the drain along with the funk.  You need to wear your belt until it falls off. Or until your instructor, puts a new one around your waist.
Micah

2011-06-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranking system awards a practitioner different colored belts to signify increasing levels of technical knowledge and practical skill. While the system’s structure shares its origins with the Judo ranking system and the origins of all colored belts, it now contains many of its own unique aspects and themes. Some of these differences are relatively minor, such as the division between youth and adult belts and the stripe/degree system. Others are quite distinct and have become synonymous with the art, such as a marked informality in promotional criteria, including as a focus on a competitive demonstration of skill, and a conservative approach to promotion in general.

In 1907, Kanō Jigorō, the founder of Judo and the individual who would later dispatch Mitsuyo Maeda on the trip to Brazil that resulted in the development of BJJ, introduced the first use of belts (obi) and gi (judogi) within the art of Judo, replacing the practice of training in formal kimonos.

At the time however, Kanō implemented only the use of white and black belts, with white representing the beginner, as a color of purity and simplicity, and black being the opposite, representing one who is filled up with knowledge.Mikonosuke Kawaishi is believed by many to have been the first to introduce additional colored belts. He originated this practice in 1935 when he began teaching Judo in Paris, France. Kawaishi felt that structured system of colored belts would provide the western student with visible rewards to show progress, increasing motivation and retention.

Kawaishi's adoption of colored belts came only 10 years after Carlos Gracie opened his academy in Brazil. Since then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and many other martial arts have adopted the use of colored belts as a way to denote a student's increasing progress.

There have been few published guidelines or standards that determine when a practitioner is ready for promotion, with the criterion generally determined on an individual instructor and/or academy basis. Even the IBJJF, while maintaining an extensive graduation system that takes into account time-in-grade and membership standing, makes no mention of specific performance or skill requirements. When instructors or academies do comment on the criteria needed to achieve the next belt, the most widely accepted measures are:

The amount of technical and conceptual knowledge a practitioner can demonstrate, and;
Performance in grappling (randori) within the academy and/or competition.
Technical and conceptual knowledge is judged by the number of techniques a student can perform, and the level of skill with which they are performed in live grappling. This allows for smaller and older practitioners to be recognized for their knowledge though they may not be the strongest fighters in the school. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a distinctly individual sport, and practitioners are encouraged to adapt the techniques to make them work for their body type, strategic preferences, and level of athleticism. The ultimate criterion for promotion is the ability to execute the techniques successfully, rather than strict stylistic compliance.

Informal versus formalized testingAs noted above, the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu historically has had an informal approach to belt promotions, with one or more instructors subjectively agreeing that a given student is ready for the next rank. In recent years however, some academies have moved toward a more systematic, formalized testing approach. This is especially true for the lower ranks, where the decision to promote is arguably the least contentious.

One of the first instructors to publicly publish some of this formalized testing criterion was Roy Harris, who has formalized promotion tests, up to and including black belt. Formal testing is now becoming common-place in many Gracie Academies as well as organizations such as Alliance. Some Gracie systems have even introduced formalized on-line testing that allows you to become proficient in the art without stepping into the dojo. Formalized tests are generally based around the same elements as a normal promotion, that is, technical/conceptual knowledge and the ability to apply those techniques against a resisting opponent. Some tests however, take other aspects into account, such as a student's personal character or a basic knowledge regarding the history of the art.

Formalized testing may also contain conditions more familiar to traditional martial arts, such as testing fees and a required amount of pre-testing private lessons with the instructor.

Competitions
Students are generally encouraged to compete, as it can play an important and oftentimes accelerating role in a practitioner's growth and overall speed of promotion. Competition allows an instructor to gauge a student's abilities while grappling with a fully resisting opponent, and it is not uncommon for a promotion to follow shortly after a good competition performance. In most academies it is not an essential prerequisite for promotion, but there are exceptions to this and in a minority of schools, competing is not only endorsed but required.

Stripes/degrees
A blue belt with three stripes.In addition to the belt system, many academies award "stripes" as a form of intra-belt recognition of progress and skill. The cumulative amount of stripes earned serves as a rough indication of a practitioners skill level relative to others within the same belt rank (i.e. a blue-belt level practitioner with four stripes would be more adept than a blue-belt practitioner with one, but not a purple belt with one.)

Stripes can be as formal as small pieces of cloth sown onto the sleeve of the belt, or as informal as pieces of electrical tape applied to the same general area. Although the exact application (such as the amount of stripes allowed for each belt) varies from school to school, the IBJJF sets out a general system where 4 stripes can be added before the student should be considered for promotion to the next belt.

Stripes are only used for ranks prior to black belt, after black belt is achieved, the markings are known as "degrees" and are only formally awarded (with time-in-grade being as significant a factor as skill level). Unlike the belt system, stripes are not used in every academy and, where they are used, they may not always be applied consistently.

One long-standing tradition practiced in many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools immediately following a promotion, is a custom known as "running the gauntlet" ("passar no corredor" in Portuguese).

BJJ mild variation of the gauntlet can come in many forms, but generally follows two basic patterns:

The newly-promoted student is hit on their back with belts—once by each of their fellow practitioners—as they walk or run past;
The newly-promoted student thrown by his instructors, and sometimes also by each of the students with equal or higher grade in the academy.
In recent years some have criticized the practice, citing philosophical and even legal reasons, and it is no longer part of some prominent academies. Advocates for the custom argue that "running the gauntlet" serves as a method of team building and reinforces camaraderie between classmates.

Saturday Training!

2011-06-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to training this Saturday when some of the guys from Sutton are coming down to train here in Bournemouth!

Phoenix MMA
725 Wimborne Road,
Bournemouth,
Dorset,
BH9 2AX

See you on the mat!

Tuesday Night No-gi Class at Phoenix MMA

2011-06-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

Play Jiu-jitsu

2011-05-18T08:03:00.000-07:00

Why do we say play jiu-jitsu when talking about training?

Think back to your childhood and to years dominated by playtime, when there seemed to be endless hours to fill and the only objective was to be captivated in the moment,

to have fun.

Playtime was also productive however, even if as kids we didnt realise it. Activities like soccer, playing tag, marbles, blocks and playing games were all exercises in resourcefulness, decision making, strategy, design, planning, creativity and risk taking.

In play we did not avoid facing obstacles, we looked for them! By voluntarily challenging ourselves. We eagerly tacled seemingly insurmountable odds- height, size, speed, lack of money- to make our dreams a reality.

Using our imagination we climbed Mt.Everest, fought the biggest bad guys, surfed huge waves, were champions, doctors, ran our own businesses. We voluntarily tested ourselves and accepted failure as part of play. We ran, fell and wiped out but got straight up and ran again. When we lost a game we simply started a new one.

I think theres a lot we can learn from and apply when we watch our kids play.

Now go play jiu-jitsu.

Training Assignments

2011-05-09T02:52:00.000-07:00

SO WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?

Here's a Monday training assignment for
you I picked up, I want you to pick one sweep
and one choke from positions that
you get to the most and only
use those 2 moves for the next
week, if you like it I want you to
push it out for 2 weeks.

So your assignment right now is
to write down what your one
sweep will be and what your one
choke will be.

Then think about the positions that
you need to get to for the move and
which of your teammates you're
able to attain these positions on.

Then make sure that you get to
work with them, you can also ask
your instructor if you can get
paired up with them because you
want to work on a specific technique
set and they are the best partner for
you.

That's it. And let
me know how the week went.

Have fun.

Micah

2011-04-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

Politics seem to be a big part of Jiu-jitsu (unfortunately). It's odd as well that no matter how hard you try to avoid it, some-how it always rears it's head. Ive been fortunate to train with a lot of great instructors and been exposed to my share of ego and bull-shido politics.
Without this becoming a soap-box moment, what I feel has helped keep me training is TRYING to achieve the following:

Train hard and be ego-free. Guys should be able to come through the gym without worrying about some numbnuts running their mouth on the interweb about who tapped who.

For some reason, the martial arts sometimes tend to breed an atmosphere where people get really weird and almost deify their instructors. They will say, “You’re not doing this technique exactly how so-and-so said to.” It stops being about training, growth, and fun and it becomes an unhealthy cult of personality.

No environment like that can be a healthy one. I admire guys like Roger Gracie, Braulio Estima, Saulo Ribiero, Rafael Lovato, Felipe Costa, etc. who get out there and compete in front of their students. They have plenty of titles and name recognition to sit on the sidelines if they were so inclined, but that’s not the way they do things.

The big key is to avoid isolating yourself from others who can challenge you. So often, instructors develop the attitude that they have to be infallible or unbeatable in order to maintain the respect of their students (which i think they fear affects their bank account). Not only is that psychologically unhealthy and unrealistic, all it does is kill you in the long run. Everyone around you is developing daily. You may be an instructor for a few hours a day, but you are a student for your whole life. W should try and act like it.

In the end it’s just about the training, with the ultimate goal of enjoying your training and trying to get better every day.

2011-04-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even the smallest act of giving up, stays with me. So when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would I rather live with?"
Lance Armstrong

Head-locks

2011-03-29T01:51:00.001-07:00

A really common problem in martial arts training is to assume that everybody else practices that same martial art. Let me explain what I mean by that... Boxers spend 99.9% of their time learning how to fight other boxers. Wrestlers train to attack with, and defend against, wrestling techniques. And Wing Chun kung fu practitioners mostly spar - you guessed it - with other Wing Chun practitioners. If your goal is to compete then training this way makes a certain amount of sense. There's not much point for a pro-boxer to use valuable training time honing his ability to sprawl against a double leg takedown, or defend a Muay Thai knee strike. But what about self defense? Nobody's obliged to stay within a certain set of parameters on the street, and completely ignoring certain common scenarios in training could lead to a very bad outcome in a real life self defense situation! Let's take a look at just one example of how this applies in BJJ: consider the garden variety schoolyard headlock. This is a super common low-tech attack. Youll even see this move happening repeatedly in less experienced grappling matches, amateur MMA events and even people with Judo and certain wrestling back-grounds will use the position to control and strike or as a throw and control position. This weekends UFC Fight Night saw Anthony Johnson controlling and trying to neck crank Dan Hardy with a headlock on the ground. (see picture at top of this post.) The head is a great big prize on the top of the body. When fists start flying, the temptation to grab ahold of it and start feeding punches to the other guy's face can be almost irresistible for some people. As a grappling position, the headlock has pretty much been discarded from the BJJ repertoire. Most jiu-jitsu teachers feel that clamping a headlock down on someone exposes your own back too much. I was lucky that my start in BJJ was basic basic basic old school Gracie Jiu-jitsu heavy with the original self defense program. I remember at the time thinking wow, this stuff is great and so practical! But then with time I started getting more and more into "grappling" and started negelecting this aspect of Jiu-jitsu. A lot of the clubs Ive been trained at, all really great Jiu-jitsu (or should that be grappling?) clubs never even touch on the self-defense programme anymore as everyone focuses on grappling tournaments against other Jiu-jitsu ("sport grapplers") and learning the latest slick 1/2 guard sweep or spider guard arm wrap with collar into roll over sweep for 2 points. Im not sure many people will ever face the threat of having to face a drunken attacker or home intruder who will attack them with their latest spider guard technique! Im not saying dont continue to learn and add to your positions. Definately stay abreast with new developements in the art to add to your game-plan or at least to know how to defend against it in a grappling match or competition but dont negelct the basics of which I believe the self-defense programme is a very important part. The techniques are definately not outdated-If Dan Hardy knew some of the head-lock counters in addition to his rubber guard attempts it may have helped. The self-defense programme isnt outdated 1925 technique, as the fights on Saturday 26th March, 2011, showed. The danger is that if you don't encounter a certain position on the mats then you're not going to get very much experience at defending against that position. So even if you don't use the headlock as an attack yourself, you still need to know how to defend against it.

2011-03-09T02:15:00.000-08:00

HOW TO CHOOSE A SAFE REUSEABLE WATERBOTTLE
(by thegoodhuman.com)

Aside from staying home and drinking tap water out of a washable glass, the best way to be “green” while on the go is choosing your water bottle wisely. From the lowly single-use-only bottle you can buy at your local gas station to the stainless steel and aluminum options, making the right choice is important in maintaining both your health and the health of the environment!
petbottles How To Choose A Safe Reusable Water Bottle.

The worst kind of bottle is the kind that you only use once – the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle that you find in grocery stores, gas stations, etc, that is used for water, soda and juice. This kind of plastic has been proven to leach DEHP (Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate) after repeated use and is a probable carcinogen. They can also harbor bacterial growth inside any cracks and crevices inside the bottle, which cannot be too good for your health either!

Next to the regular old plastic bottles we see everywhere, probably the most common would be your typical bottle as seen here. These plastic bottles, commonly used by exercise buffs and campers, are made out of thermoplastic polymers that usually goes by the name polycarbonate. However, it’s not just water bottles that are made out of polycarbonate; CD’s, iPods, sunglasses, and computer shells are also made of the material. Thankfully though, we don’t normally chew on CD’s or computers because polycarbonates have been proven to leach BPA, a synthetic hormone that can mimic estrogen and cause prostate cancer. Even scarier is the fact that most baby bottles are made out of polycarbonate, and when you heat up milk in them to feed your baby, the BPA could be leaching in at an even higher rate than normal. Not good at all, if you ask me!

A much better option than either of the above two would be an aluminum bottle. A big manufacturer of aluminum water bottles is Sigg (which you can get at Reusable Bags, where we got ours), which claims to make environmentally friendly products. While their older liner was questionable, the new liners are the BPA free EcoCare ones.

The best way to get your daily dose of water on the go, in my opinion, is a stainless steel reusable container. Kleen Kanteen is a large manufacturer of these type of bottles, and you can get them from Reusable Bags. They are made entirely out of stainless steel, which does not leach, is difficult to break or crack, and does not easily stain or interact with whatever product you are consuming. The water always tastes good out of it (at least ours does, and it is Los Angeles tap water!) and it keeps it reasonably cold for a little while when we go hiking or out in the sun. They don’t recommend using them for hot beverages, which is understandable – that’s what a thermos is for.

Ideally, the best way to drink water on the go would be an aluminum or stainless steel water bottle, as they seem to exhibit the least amount of health concerns out of all the choices. Add in the fact that they can be used over and over again with no degradation and do not need to be recycled each time you use one, they really are the “green” choice. And since upwards of 40% of bottled water is actually just tap water in disguise, buying it seems like not only a health risk due to the plastic leaching possibilities, but also a wallet risk due to wasting money on something you already have at home!

2011-02-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain

Grip Fighting!

2011-02-05T00:24:00.000-08:00

Grip fighting is one of the most under looked aspects of Brazilian jiu jitsu.

The grips on the gi can give one opponent a huge advantage not only on the feet, but the ground as well. Its well known that grip fighting is important for judo throws but the same control can be used on the ground as well.

One of the key concepts in wrestling/Judo/or jiu jitsu is hip control. Controlling your opponent’s grips will give him a hard time getting inside and being able to dominate your hips. In addition to this defensive advantage, your opponent being dominated by your grips will not be able to prevent you from attacking his hips.

This is especially relevant when dealing with the guard. When playing the guard position open or closed one needs dominate grips. If you’re able to control your opponent’s sleeves and arms and maintain inside control he will have a very hard time passing. Also, by controlling my partner’s body I can then set up all my sweeps and submission attacks. One of the most critical areas for this is the seated guard. It is in this guard that you must control grips or your opponent will quickly pass. A good grip in this situation is a deep lapel grip and a same side sleeve grip.

If on the other hand you’re passing your training partners guard it is also critical to have dominate grips. A good example of dominant control for the passing man is a lapel grip and an inside the knee pant grip on the opposite leg. This grip combination on the inside allows one to pin an opponent’s leg to the mat and set up the knee through the middle pass or the bull-fighting pass. Even if the pass attempt fails this grip combo places the passing man in a dominant position safe from most sweeps and submissions.

If you take the time to work on little overlooked areas like grip fighting, you will see drastic improvements in your jiu jitsu game.

Halfguard

2011-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

The focus of this article will be to explore the many uses of the half guard position and why it’s so critical to know.

The key idea with the half guard position is to think of it as a transition position. The half guard is the key link between the closed and open guard, side control, mount, the back, and even the turtle and front headlock position. Thinking of it as a key link means that if your half guard is weak, then ones transitions between all these fundamental positions will also be weak.

This is especially true when it comes to the fundamental escapes. For instance, when one escapes the mount position the first step leads to the half guard, from there one typically looks to attack or transition further to the full guard. Now, if one has a weak understanding of the half guard the escape would be halted right then and there, and the attacking opponent would move back to the dominate mount position. The same would also be true of the side control position, the back, the turtle, and the front headlock position.

The half guard position has also been a staple for the smaller fighter with shorter legs. For some BJJ players with short powerful legs, the closed guard has been an important aspect of their bottom game. Not that small legs are a disadvantage to the bottom man, but for someone having difficulty keeping their legs locked in the full guard, locking only one leg seems to be much easier. There is one note of caution in regards to the half guard position. Do not sit and wait in this position! It is very easy for the bottom man to lock on to the leg of his opponent and rest. This is a terrible habit to get in and is not what the half guard is designed for. Like every position on the bottom it is important to keep moving and attack always on your back, don’t be lazy in the guard! The take home message being devote considerable time to the half guard position, as it will greatly enhance your bottom game.

An interesting read and some advice for 2011!

2011-01-08T01:52:00.001-08:00

This was an article I came across recently that I felt had some great advice for facing the new year, all the best for 2011, thanks for reading and TRAIN HARD!
Micah

Undefeated, having won by submission in all his eleven official MMA matches, Rickson Gracie is victorious as an icon living a life of dedication to Jiu-Jitsu. But even the samurai, who exhudes confidence and seems to be unbreakable, nurses wounds slow in healing.

In an interview with Brazilian, Ragga magazine, the Gracie comments on the loss that turned his world upside down. Never before has Rickson spoken so candidly about the death of his son Rockson, found dead in a New York hotel in December 2000. This is how he replied to the question “What’s the worst beating you’ve ever taken?”

“Without a doubt, the loss of my son, ten years ago,” he admits.

“I feel that his passing represented a lot, because I managed to deal with this loss. Nothing is more significant than losing someone you truly love. When you talk about a loss, you may think of strength, perseverance, praying, the belief that there will be a tomorrow, all these factors, when a friend perhaps comes over and puts his arm on your shoulder. All these opinions are relevant, but the truth is that I came to the conclusion that none of that matters. When you lose something truly profound, you have to sit, cry, and accept that you’ve hit rock bottom,” he vents.

“Deep down, you see a reason to shoot yourself in the head, to stop doing the right thing, to stop being a happy person. You may want to fools yourself, thinking “it’s bad, but I can take it,” and that’s the kind of lack of honesty that will never cure the wound. I hit rock bottom and decided, deep down, whether I would come back to the surface or not,” he adds.

The Gracie took many years in coming to terms with the tragedy, and changed the course of his life and the way he leads it. Part of his plan was to return to Brazil. Other foundations were family, the gentle art, and learning, even if through suffering.

“I went through the healing process with my family. For practically three years I was focused on recuperating this energy and seeking some reason for me to be happy again. And that reason is my three beautiful kids, my family, Jiu-Jitsu. To put the issue to rest in my head, I spent a long time looking for a bright side to this loss, something I could take away from this tragedy as an advantage. After much meditation, withdrawing to the woods, without feeling any desire to surf, play, train, I reached the conclusion that there was an advantage, a positive side. Up until that moment, I had never really valued time, I always thought I controlled my time, that I could put off talking to my son until tomorrow, that I could put off that trip or class until later, that time was just a question of reworking my agenda. I put off doing a lot of things thinking I’d be able to do them later. With my son’s departure, I understood that there is no tomorrow. We have to do everything as though there were no tomorrow.”

And again Rickson affirms that he is retired, he will not fight again. Indeed, the black belt hasn’t fought since Rockson’s death.

The Man In The Arena...

2010-12-04T00:35:00.001-08:00

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Losing To Win...

2010-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

One of the most intriguing concepts I have learned over my study of jiu jitsu is the idea of losing to win.

When starting jiu jitsu lessons I used and depended on my natural attributes to ease the ego blow of being smashed daily. Its never fun to lose over and over again so it is very natural for people to overemphasize strength and athleticism while learning the sport. My first 3 years of jiu jitsu training, I exclusively tried to smash everyone I trained with and avoided any dangerous positions. I would as soon die than let someone sweep and pass my guard. I would panic in any dangerous positions and my defensive skills were far behind my offensive assault. Regardless I still competed well and won many tournaments but I could tell my potential had been reached.
I came to a cross roads in my training when I decided to break down all my weaknesses and focus on the mental side of the game. I used to hate being on bottom in side control where I felt claustrophobic and weak. My new goal was to force myself to deal with this apparent fear and force my self to deal with it. From this mindset I realized how bad my submission and pinning escapes just were. My game sank to new lows and I became very depressed with my training to the point where I wanted to quit.
As bad as things were I started to relax and focus on exactly what was happening to me in those bad positions. I was able to gain valuable insight into the deeper realms of the sport and my game flourished like never before. I was in tune mentally with everything I did on the mat and feel I learned at an incredible rate.

The key to growth I believe in this sport is a selfish training mindset. You can’t worry about what other people think of your training sessions or how you perform. The focus must be on your specific training goals and your long-term goals. In order to develop flawless technique you must turn off your ego and any other natural attribute that can hinder its growth.
Hope this has been helpful and good luck with your training.

BASICS!

2010-11-17T02:01:00.000-08:00

Basics are the key to success in any endeavor and jiu jitsu is no exception!

With thousands of techniques out there its hard to know which ones to incorporate into your game. More is not better in this game, a strong foundation in basic skills is key to advancing in our sport. So what then should you work on first??

THE GUARD! The guard position is what uniquely separated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from the likes of Judo and the other grappling arts. A clean understanding of the guard position should be the first skill developed in BJJ. From your back it is possible to submit or sweep an opponent. The key concepts of this position are the following: breaking posture, learning the "attacking zone concept", armlock, triangle, cross choke, omaplata, and basic reversals.

In the same umbrella idea the bottom game is essential to know. This means you must understand the concepts of the half guard, all the pin and basic submission escapes, dealing with getting out of the mount and escaping the hooks. Once you have learned these basic skills it is possible to train freely without getting stuck and being confused.

The top game is much easier conceptually and can be learned second. The most important aspect of top control is breaking and passing the guard!! You must learn proper posture, how to stand up, how to open the guard, how to pass around the legs, and how to pin your opponent in cross side. From cross side the skills required are the following: basic movement and control, transitioning to the mount and attacking the back control, and basic submission skills.

After learning the basic concepts of the sport it is then possible to start adding content to your training. From a strong fundamental base it is then helpful to start focusing on positional strategy and more advanced submission skills. Here is also a good time to start developing your own style. For example different body types perform different techniques with varying effectiveness. If you would like to know what type of game is best for your body type give me a shout about a 1-1 lesson or chat to me or one of the Purple or Blue belts in class. Private instruction and game plan development Ive always believed is a good investment in your developement!! Good luck guys.

Aggressive Guard

2010-10-21T02:38:00.000-07:00

Something that bothers me about jiu jitsu is the "lazy guard".

When playing the bottom game in BJJ there must be a sense of urgency. Too many times have I watched skilled jiu jitsu players practically falling asleep in their guards. The goal in jiu jitsu is to finish your opponent and advance in position.

Playing bohemian music and flopping around the mat are not going to prepare anyone for a combat situation. A classic pitfall to this type of training is becoming too wrapped up in technique and losing grit and toughness. I’m not saying avoid working on technique and become a spaz by any means. The goal is to be aggressive and attack non-stop. Work on your physical abilities while engaged in training not just your strategy.

The goal is to reach a level where everything is improving. As you advance in BJJ the following should also improve; stamina, strength, flexibility, skill, strategy, balance, toughness, heart, determination, etc! Don’t be one of those guys that gas out and quit the moment the training becomes challenging.

If you have any questions about this topic ask me and I’ll explain it in more detail. This is an important topic and one of particular annoyance to me so work on it!

Attacking!

2010-10-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

The core concept we are going to discuss is attacking fundamentals in the Jiu Jitsu game. Learning the sport of Jiu Jitsu and wrestling one often focuses on drilling the moves and learning the transitions. It’s critical to know the move inside out. The fundamentals of good offense in Jiu Jitsu is knowing when to execute a move, and then how to perform the technique. The second part involves good instruction and a willing drilling partner. Once you are able to perform the technique with speed and precision you are ready to learn the timing.

What I’m going to convey to you guys is the idea that every technique has an ideal timing. Lets use the guard position as our first example of offensive timing. While attacking inside your closed guard, there is a timing I call the “attacking zone,” it’s when your training partner is posturing up. This is the ideal time for an attack. Anyone with six months or more time training BJJ will understand the fundamental attacks. Knowing this, if I attack an armlock while my opponent is ready he can easily perform the counter. However, if I attack the move while he is focusing his attention on gaining posture I will have a much higher finishing percentage. If I attack the same move while my partner is in full posture or fully broken down he can defend much easier. A good set up is to break your partner down several times making him think only about the posture game. Then, surprise him with a submission attempt as he regains his posture. One of the ways more skilled jiu jitsu players win is by predicting their opponent’s next move. When you are able to start predicting your training partners moves, you will seem much faster and in turn finish more attacks.

Using the same concept will help your all around Jiu Jitsu game. Another example of attacking during the transition is the takedown game. The best time to attack your training partners hips is on his recovery. For instance, your partner attacks a double leg takedown but fails to finish. At this stage of his recovery, while your opponent is getting back to his feet is the most crucial time for a counter attack. In the takedown game, you will notice your opponent defending his hips well prior to his shot. After the initial sprawl there will be a moment of space ideal for an attack. It is essential that you learn these moments for fundamental attack timing. Also, when your training partner is switching his grips during grip fighting is an important transition to attack from. The same grip timing is also available in guard passing where you want to attack as your opponent switches grips. Every move in Jiu Jitsu has a fundamental timing where the move is most likely to succeed. Your goal as a student is to not only learn the techniques and drill them until proficient, but to also understand the appropriate timing of the move. I hope this has helped you guys out let me know if you have any questions.

First Year Of Training

2010-10-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

There are many challenges to face the first year of Jiu Jitsu training. It’s important during this time period to keep a healthy prospective on what is important and what is not.

First of all, this is a long-term sport that takes hundreds of hours of practice to become proficient. It’s not realistic to expect to be finishing people on a regular basis until the appropriate amount of work has been devoted. The most important thing to focus on one’s first year is drilling moves and conditioning.

When your actively training you will be on the defensive most of the time as more experienced practitioners will be several steps ahead. Do not compete against fellow students in class this is not a tournament.
Everyone should be working on their own game plan and focus on themselves and not who is tapping who and so forth. The easiest way to stunt your progression in Jiu Jitsu is to close off your game. What I mean by this is you have to play open and try new moves to learn and progress. If you become competitive in training you will only use moves you feel comfortable with. Improving in Jiu Jitsu is all about taking chances and opening up during practice. In a tournament is the time to be competitive and care about winning and losing period!

The most effective strategy to get good in Jiu Jitsu is consistency and patience. When you learn moves in class drill them before and after the class and work on them during training. Jiu Jitsu is like life as the hard lessons come far before the rewards.

Good luck and stay positive!

Inspiration

2010-10-13T01:56:00.000-07:00

"We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training".

Black Belt Blues...

2010-06-11T02:37:00.000-07:00

Ive been reading BJ Penn's book "The Belt is Just an Accessory" and was reading his background in Jiu-jitsu and accomplishments and came to the section on how long it took him to get his black belt, even thogh I already knew the answer part of me was still kind of expecting to hear something different, especially in light of the fact it's taken me almost 14 arduous years.
I knew it was about 4 years but was hoping he'd now confess and go, "well it was actually 6 years" or something like that. My ego could have accepted that. Of course he's good and everything, but it still takes most people around 10 years to get their black belt, and no one should do it faster!
But there it was "A little over three-and-half years." I wasnt ready to read that, 4 years felt a bit cheeky but 3.5!!!
So mentally I started to argue, it's not possible and coming up with reasons for him getting it so quick.
However, Ive seen and then after reading that rewatched him winning the 2000 Worlds beating some really excellent Black Belts along the way-but 3.5 years compared to my 14!
I tried hard to rationalise it but that number kept bugging me.
Id worked hard and made a lot of sacrafices, dedicating a huge part of my life to jiu-jitsu...

But, the more I thought about it, the more I remembered that it didnt seem like work during those 14 years. The amount of enjoyment I had training just cant be measured in years-Ive had a lifetime of enjoyment on my journey to black belt.

I thought about the progress and the suffering, the sweeps and submissions (often felt like just me tapping all the time). I thought about all the trips that I took, from Rio to London to Sunderland, back home again to Durban and back to the Uk.

The friends Ive made, Ivan and I rolling in the back yard, training with Stix at the scout hall and in his garage, Abdul (one of the most naturally talented people Ive ever known), Chris, Ketha and I beating each other up at Westville Health and Raquet, Deano and I sweating buckets at Berea gym on crappy little aerobics mats, rolling with Dr.(let me just show you this move quick)Armbruster in his driveway on his chip foam mats, the paper thin mats at Shuriken back in Brickfield Rd, Aaron and Trev training at Spartan on cold snowy days and running around the front of his shop when we had no-where to train, back to Shuriken to meet my second family and the best training partners Ive ever known Darell and Big Lenin, the Gym at Game City where our class began to really grow-Andre-my toes are like this because of karate, Ross-chicks dig it (apparently), Johno Spradbury, Clint-'Ill fight any car guard you put in front of me', Quint-one of the best people I know, Ryan and buddy,my brothers Cass, Ebie and Salim Badat, big P, Ash 'I like Candy' then too my garage with Heavy D (Damon), Imraan, York, Bad Boy Bronson and Russle Gracie, Padawan Dave Hellestoe joined our family, X-Fit at Greyville where we had more space for a while than we knew what to do with...

The more I thought about it the more I realised that the journey has been way more rewarding than a mere belt ever could be, and I wouldnt trade the last 14 years of blood, sweat and tears for anything.

Then I started to feel sorry for poor BJ and feel bad about what he missed out on by being so good :-)
Seriously though what BJ did prove though is how amazing Jiu-jitsu is that someone can, with intelligence and dedication pick up the art relatively late in life (BJ was 17 when he started and lived/s in Hilo-out of the way) and be really competitive in the sport no matter what their circumstances.

The point of this loooong ramble however is this-it doesnt matter what belt you are or how fast you progress as long as you enjoy the ride, and I can safely say I have.

Thursday Inspiration...

2010-06-03T10:49:00.001-07:00

"The mind of the warrior,in the end, becomes nothing more than seeing things as they truly are.
And then, realizing the beauty, in that simplicity."

2009-10-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

Laura-4 months :-)

'Cause there's a beautiful life to behold
And its the biggest part of my life to unfold'

1 week to go...

2009-10-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

WIN FRESH, LOSE SPENT...

The final week: there is little you can do the week before the event that will greatly improve your performance on the day. This week is about listening to your body, letting your body heal and getting your head together for the tournament.
It's important this week not to overtrain, the last hard day of training should be 4 days before the tournament. No more practice matches after today instead just drill techniques and very light rolling with your team mates. Focus on getting good nutrition, drinking lots of water , stretching and getting plenty of sleep.
Do not train the day before the competition and only stretch.
If you have lots of nervous energy, go for a light run or swim to help work it out and help you sleep that night, but nothing to fatigue you or cause soreness.

Making Weight:
I dont believe in cutting weight the week before the event, you risk burning out or weakening yourself before competing. If you are over weight for the bracket you want to enter try lose the weight in the months and weeks leading up to the event by cleaning up your diet and doing it properly.
But dont obsess about the weight and enter the division you can make comfortably.

Dealing with stress:
Even the best fighters experience stress leading up to the event and on the day. It's very normal. Stress places a big drain on the body-poor digestion, sleep and focus.
The important thing to remember is that winning is not everything, there are variables out of your control and the fears associated with both dont matter.
This is an easier thing to say than to believ but by continually reminding yourself you can achieve a positive outcome.

Some advice from Nick Diaz:
The only way to win is to not be afraid to lose. I imagine the worst case scenario. losing in the worst way possible. What is worse than that? I think of all of them and then cancel them out by reminding myself" I can deal with that"
I imagine it's already happened and imagine where I stand afterwards and realise I can deal with it and then I go forward...

Train smart this week, Ill cover preparing for the big day next.
See you on the mat.
Micah

Training with Master "Broca"

2009-10-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

Fridays workout was great, it was taken again by Master Broca.

Here's a bit more information about Walter "Broca" Jr:

3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt & No-Gi World Champion
BJJ Coach of UFC Light Heavy Weight Champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida

2x Black Belt Mundial World Champion
2x Black Belt Mundial Silver Medalist
2x Black Belt Brazilian Nationals Winner
6x North & North East Champion

No-Gi:

3x Brazilian Nationals Champion

MMA:

Professional Record with 11 Wins
ALL via Submission

It was a great class with some call warm up drills.Broca then taught 2 techniques, an escape from half guard and then using the same technique to set up am omopalata or gogopalata.
It was then on to an hour or so of rolling.
It was great to get to roll with Broca and to see how smoothly such a big guy moves. He weighes around 120kilos and was playing for some cool deep half guard sweeps, catching me repeatedly with one I could see he was working on, and most impressive of all to me was he used no strength at all. With such a big guy with such awesome technique he must be scary when he does use strength.
Master Broca was great to train with and I picked up a couple of great pointers from him and learnt some new drills. Ill hopefully get to train a bit more with him while he's around.
Ill try post some picks soon.
Micah

Impossible is nothing...

2009-10-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

4 weeks to go...

2009-10-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

Friday Inspiration

2009-10-02T02:52:00.000-07:00

Hard work will
always beat talent.
When talent refuses
to work hard.

Helio Gracie Day

2009-10-01T00:20:00.000-07:00

Helio Gracie Day – October 1

Helio Gracie, was born October 1, 1913. The Gracie Academy has created Helio Gracie Day which will be observed the first day of October every year, starting today, Thursday, October 1. All lessons taught on Helio Gracie Day will end with one minute of silence, so that all practitioners can reflect on the life and legacy of the Eternal Grand Master.
Even if you are not a member of a "Gracie" Academy, if you train Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, it's still worth remembering the Grand Master today and what a huge impact, wether directly or in-directly he had on so many of us.
Have a great day, train hard the Master may be watching!
Micah

Competition advice....

2009-09-27T10:47:00.001-07:00

Saulo Ribeiro gives a lesson on what competion is.

“It is not necessary for every student of jiu-jitsu to enter into competitions. Some may do jiu-jitsu simply because they enjoy gaining the knowledge. Others perhaps dislike the limelight or just don’t want to compete in this particular sport. I love to do other sports, but I don’t have the desire to compete in those sports. Some people don’t like to compete because they don’t know how to deal with loss. If you win, you’re happy, and if you lose, your world gets turned upside down.

That is a problem. This fear of losing scares some people from competition. Then there are those who live and die by competition, but fail to realize it is just a game. It is a game where you mix knowledge, strategy, timing, health, and attitude. Like any game, the best jiu-jitsu practitioner doesn’t always win. Take the World Championship for example. 30 guys sweat blood in their training, and there is only one winner. What about the 29 who worked so hard? Is the champion really better than all of them? It depends. Sometimes, the person with the best technique gets eliminated in the first round.

If you decide to compete, realize that competition is the art of dealing with pressure. Some people face pressure early in life and others not until much later, but in every case, where there is pressure there is competition. The student who doesn’t compete at the tournament is still competing if the pressure is there. Perhaps he even feels more pressure than the one who does go to tournaments because he fights against himself…competes against his feelings and choices. This is the toughest opponent you can have — yourself.

Ultimately, the opponent you will face in the ring is you, because you cannot compete successfully if you do not address internal issues that will affect your performance. When competing, you will not even be able to think about overcoming your opponent if you are too worried about yourself. However, if you are comfortable with your preparation, you will have the confidence to perform. Becoming the champion is not about your opponent. It’s about you.

Kettlebell Workout

2009-09-24T03:32:00.000-07:00

This is a cool workout that places an emphasis on conditioning as well as strength.
Do as many rounds in 20 minutes of 5 pistols (right/left), 5 strict one arm press (right/left) and either 5 one arm body weight rows or 5 strict pull ups as you can.
These types of circuits give you the benefit of heavy low rep strength training, but also give a great cardio conditioning workout, especially if you take no rest between exercises or circuits.
Try and get this workout done 2x a week in conjunction to your BJJ training. A quick warm up of 5 minutes skipping and some joint mobility is always a good idea as well.
Remember your strength and conditioning work is supportive of your jiu-jitsu be carefull not to overtrain.
Enjoy
Micah

No Gi Guard

2009-09-21T02:21:00.000-07:00

The closed guard is your first barrier in grappling. Because you have your opponent trapped between your legs you have a fair amount of control and can take a bit more time working for attacks.
Once your guard is open and you cant readily close it again you are into the territory of the open guard. This is an extremely effective position to attack from and has many variations such as traditional open guard, De la Riva, Spider, butterfly, x-guard etc...
Ideally when training you need to keep in mind that your guard wether gi or no- is based on fundamental concepts that if you can keep in mind will make your guard much more effective.

You want to have a core set of basics that work for no-gi, gi, mma and self defense with few modifications. Once youve got them down you can then obviously add details and work on some adding details etc to them. Certain techniques dont translate as well to no-gi (such as spider guard) so you need to keep that in mind when working on your game-plan.

FUNDAMENTALS FOR AN EFFECTIVE GUARD:

1: Always keep your knee's to your chest.
When your knees come away from your body it becomes easier to pass, i.e using a bull-fighter pass. Ideally when in open guard you must be sitting up like getting ready to stand in base,back hand assisting with movement and lead hand working for a grip or defending but knees bent and pulled into your chest.
Always try to keep your partner at 12 oclock and your legs between you.

2.Maintain 4 points of contact with your grips and feet pressure.
You need to be activelycontrolling your opponent with both feet (hooks, on hips, biceps etc) and your grips on his wrists, behind his head, ankle etc...

3: Be Aggressive-constantly looking for either a SWEEP/SUBMISSION/STAND UP
The guard is generally considered a defensive position but to have an effective guard you need to be attacking and applying pressure all the time. Look to link your attacks into simple combo's so that you are always threatening your opponent with something. i.e basic kimura-hip bumb-guillotine.
You also need to always threaten with being able to stand up and out of your guard esp against really big guys with great base a quick escape back to your feet can put you on top of their turtle position ready to attack their backs.
sweep/submit/stand up

4:Guard Retention Early and Late-
Early guard retntion would be techniques you use to defend your guard with your back off the mat.
Late guard retention would be once you are on your back and your opponent is working to control your legs and hips to pass to side control:
-dont let him control both your legs
-dont let him control your hips
- try keep your back off the mat. being up or at least on your side allows you to be able to move your hips and torso out to set up attacks and defend
-dont let him pass an imaginary line in front of your knees. Your foot, knee and shin are an importent barrier in your guard defense.

If you can keep these 4 points in mind youll find youre guard will become alot more effective.
Have filmed some clips and techniques to illustarte each point will upload them soon.
Train hard
Micah

Monday Morning Inspiration...

2009-09-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning inspiration...

2009-09-13T03:48:00.000-07:00

"Whenever problems seem to get the best of me, whenever I feel them closing in on me, I go to a quiet place that lies somewhere in my soul. I do not reason, analyze or think. Those will come later. I simply go. From this place of silence, I garner strength and inspiration to stand firm in the face of fire, to be calm in the midst of thunder. When I emerge, the world has not changed, but I have. And in changing, a whole new world is born."
---John Harricharan

Jacare' Highlight...

2009-09-10T04:43:00.000-07:00

Cool highlight video of Jacare. Im working on some no-gi guard and open guard stuff which ill put up asap!
Enjoy the clip.
Train hard!
Micah

Tones of home...

2009-09-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry for gap in posting been busy two weeks teaching and training. Have some cool stuff for the blog so will be getting it up asap.
Gotto get my ass to the train to make lunch time class on time,
chat to you later, train hard
Micah

16 Tips For Closed Guard

2009-08-27T04:48:00.000-07:00

This was an awesome list of tips I came across. Really worth going through and keeping in mind when playing closed guard, with or without gi.

These are very important aspects of the closed guard to remember and practice.

Don't give him space. When having your opponent in closed guard you don't want to give him any space. Space for him means more opportunities to work a pass.
Don't let him posture. When he has his posture he is able to get his elbows in and head up to work out of your guard.
You want to get control of your opponent's hips, head, and upper body.
Climb your legs high up on your opponent's waist, closer to his upper back. When they are higher up it is much harder for him to sit back and get his elbows in. You also have your hips off the ground, which allows for better movement on the bottom.
Knock his hands off your body. When he has his hand flat on your body he has the opportunity to push off of you. As emphasized before, if your legs are higher up his waist/closer to his upper back it is much harder for him to push on your body and regain his posture.
Pull him in with your legs. Do not rely on using just your hands to pull your opponent in close to you. It will not work. Your hands against his whole body are not an even battle. You want to close your legs tightly around your opponent and bring your knees into you: this will cause your opponent to lunge forward.
Control his head. This is a really important point. Where the head goes the body follows, so you want to try to control your opponent's head most of the time, at least until you have moved onto something better. If you have ever experienced someone constantly pulling down on your head while you were in their guard, you would probably agree that it is very frustrating. Also when you pull down on their head you want to pull down on the upper back of their head because that is where you get the most leverage. It is much harder to pull down on your opponent's head once you get closer to his neck area. Don't control directly on the neck
Try to control his arms/shoulders. Immediately after controlling your opponent's head and bringing him close to you you want to get control of at least one of his shoulders or arms. This gives you a lot of control. You can either overhook one if his arms or underhook one of his arms, but always remember to keep control of his head.
After you gain control of your opponent you want to start moving your hips out so you can start working some attacks. Most attacks are going to come from the side or with your hips out, so you need to be a step ahead of your opponent and start moving your hips out right away. Many people make the mistake of not angling out while having a closed guard, but it is very possible to have tight control with a closed guard and work angles at the same time.
You want to stay tight at the same time as making your movements. An example of this would be placing one of your feet on the ground to aid in scooting your hips out, but retaining control of your opponent's head and shoulder/arm as you do it so he can't sit up. Once you get your hips out you want to immediately get your legs tight around your opponent's body again. Think of yourself as a Boa Constrictor, always on the move but staying tight at the same time.
If you feel you can't stop your opponent from getting his posture and opening your legs. then you need to open your leg voluntarily before he forces you to do it. Remember you want to always be a step ahead. If he forces your legs open, he will have the upper hand and will most likely be able to control your legs and hips. Always be ready to react and go into a position if you feel your opponent is going to open your legs.
When he sits back, try to sit up with him. Remember you always want to be tight. When he goes to push you back, lots of times he will open up an opportunity to gain control.
Always practice regaining guard control. During your practice sessions allow your partners open your guard and work passes. Then fight your way back into guard. To do this always practice your hip escapes (shrimps), this is a really important fundamental movement that is used in a ton of techniques involved in grappling. Also do not let your opponent get control of your legs above your knees, close to your waist. You are in a bad spot if your opponent gains control of your legs close to your hips, or even worse gains control of your hips all together.
It's in your hips. Remember a lot of the grappling game, especially on the bottom, is in the hips.
Always practice your backward rolls. These are very important in getting back to your knees if your opponent stacks you up and there is no way for you to stop him from passing your guard. If you can roll back to your knees, you're in a much better position. Also work on getting back to your knees during your grappling sessions so you can increase your reaction time.
Always practice your shoulder bridges. These are very important should your opponent pass your guard and you need to escape or prevent the pin. You can develop the right mechanics and reaction time to bridge into your opponent and back on your knees, or make at least enough space too scoot back into guard.

Water...

2009-08-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

Here in the UK and in SA we have pretty good tap water. For some reason people dont drink it. It's true stuff is added to our water but I wonder which is better, chlorinated tap water or "pure spring" water out of a plastic bottle?
Sure maby the water is pure- BUT it's in a plastic bottle.
The stuff used to make plastic bottles includes some pretty scary stuff. Phthalates and bisphenol A, 2 of the most common chemicals used to make them soft and shatterproof are both known to cause endocrine and reproductive system problems.
Plastic bottles are also a huge enviromental problem.
90% of marine debris is plastic!

Once plastic makes it'sway into the ocean it becomes more than just an eye-sore it becomes a hazzard to sea creatures. The plastics mix of petroleum and toxic chemicals also become part of the food chain.

If you dont trust tap water, consider a home filtration system. If you feel you must buy bottled water (or any bottled drink), go for glass containers.

You may be wondering what this has to dowith Jiu-jitsu. Jiu-jitsu and surfing have very strong ties as many top practitioners are surfers or body-boarders.

I grew up in Durban, South Africa where, like Rio the beach is a huge part of our culture and we were blessed with miles and miles of beautifull coastline. I spent most weekends and holidays at the beach with my mom or with my Uncle, body-boarding or snorkeling so the sea is a big part of my life.

Even if you dont surf or enjoy the ocean, water is the essence of life. Our planet is made of water, We are made of water.

Our blood contains the same trace minerals as seawater, only in slightly different proportions.

The oceans cover over 3/4's of the earth's surface, provide 50% of our oxygen and are home to 80% of all known life forms.

I need the ocean, you need the ocean AND the ocean needs us.

For more info on plastic pollution in the ocean: www.algalita.org

Wednesday Inspiration...

2009-08-19T13:04:00.000-07:00

“If you always put limitations on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work, your relationships and into your whole life and you will stagnate. And stagnation is worse than death. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them even if it kills you. Even if it kills you.”

Bruce Lee

Cool De La Riva Guard Pass

2009-08-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

The De La Riva guard can be a tough one to pass, especially if the guard player has control of your back sleave. If you stay standing you are at risk of being swept with the basic sweep from here where they kick your back leg out, if you step back to avoid that leg you risk having your back taken.
Here Jacare shows a cool pass.

Part 2...

2009-08-14T05:50:00.001-07:00

This was at Rodney King's Pride and Honor II. It was a real pity that these didnt continue as it was a very well run show. Good refs, international rules and the fighters were treated well.

Late night Thursday inspiration...

2009-08-12T13:49:00.000-07:00

"To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it."

I thought about this for a while after I read this as I cant dance, play music or write very well but the times I feel closest to this are sliding down the face of a wave or hitting that sweep or technique without thinking that Ive been drilling and working on for a while.

Where it all began...

2009-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

My first exposure to Jiu-jitsu was Gracies In Action and the thing that most impressed me apart from how incredible the concepts and techniques were, was the absolute belief they had in Jiu-jitsu.

"Jiu-jitsu is perfect and does have an answer to every problem. We as practitioners arent perfect and WE can make mistakes."

We were the only people I knew of practicing jiu-jitsu at the time and we got a lot weird looks and dumb-ass remarks from the members of the kick-boxing gym we rented mat space from. The owner of the club was also a promoter and we managed to talk him into putting a couple of mma events at the end of one of his shows. I was paired up against a Thai-boxer as the last fight before the main kick-boxing match of the evening.
I wasnt too sure what to expect but I believed in jiu-jitsu...

The Tozi Pass

2009-07-31T03:51:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting pass thats worth playing around with a little. I first saw Mike Fowler doing it for no gi and it looked interesting.
"Most" guard pass's need you to first establish good posture to open the guard and this is one of the few that doesnt. So definately worth a look, there are a few variations Ill put up as well.
Enjoy
Micah

First and Foremost

2009-07-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I dont much care where..." said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat.
-LEWIS CARROLL

Cool Cobrinha Highlight Video!

2009-07-24T03:46:00.000-07:00

There are some awesome techniques on display here, look out for some slick 'Brabo' chokes, sweeps and guard passes.
Cobrinha is a smaller dude and incredibly athletic, there are some sick clips of him doing Capoeira floating around, so keep that in mind while watching. There is still definately stuff to be learnt here though even for us mere mortals!
Work those basics! Advanced jiu-jitsu are basics done well!
Enjot this clip!
Micah

Monday Motivation

2009-07-20T02:22:00.000-07:00

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary

Once again, please excuse gaps in posts but stilladjusting to my new sleeping patternsof 2-3 hours on, 1-2 hours off!
Sleep has become a precious comodity! As I type this Im trying to psyche myself up to get up and get to training.
My gi is packed and Ive had my bfast smoothie but my bed is calling!!!
Had about 4 hours sleep last night but if I dont go now I know Ill regret it, I can sleep later but wont get back the class Ill miss if I dont go.

Have a great Monday! Enjoy full nights sleep if you can :-)
Micah

Do you have these 24? If not get to work!

2009-07-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

This was an awesome email by Stephan Kesting of beginningbjj.com that i wanted to share with you. It will help you a lot with your gameplan design, which if you are battling with, this will definately get you started!
Ive been doing Jiu-jitsu now for 12 years and I constantly realise more and more just how important the fundamentals are, and having a well rounded game before starting to specialise in any positions.
Enjoy this email and check out www.beginningbjj.com for some great resources from Mr.Kesting.

Early in your BJJ development you should be a generalist. This means developing basic skills in ALL areas of BJJ. (Eventually you'll probably specialize a little bit more, but that comes much later, usually around purple belt).

So for now you need to make sure that you're covering all your bases. You really don't want there to be severely underdeveloped areas of your game!

One way to figure out whether there are major holes in your game is to use a checklist like the one below.

Try ranking these positions in order of how much you know about them:

Closed guard
Open guard
Half guard
Side mount
Knee mount
Full mount
Rear mount

This ordered list then becomes a handy tool to decide which techniques to practice, and what positions you should start your sparring in.

Remember, usually you make your fastest progress by working your weakest area!

Another, somewhat more analytical approach, is to subdivide these positions even further. Lets split each of the above positions into three technical areas:

Submissions from that position.
Transitions from the position to an even better position.
Escapes/guard passes if you're caught in that position.

When we take consider those three types of skills for each of the major positions, we end up with 24 skill sets:

Closed guard submissions
Closed guard passes
Closed guard sweeps
Open guard submissions
Open guard passes
Open guard sweeps
Half guard submissions
Half guard passes
Half guard sweeps
Side mount submissions
Side mount transitions
Side mount escapes
Knee mount submissions
Knee mount transitions
Knee mount escapes
Full mount submissions
Full mount transitions
Full mount escapes
Rear mount submissions
Rear mount transitions
Rear mount escapes
Turtle submissions
Turtle transitions
Turtle escapes

Now I don't normally assign homework, but I want you to try this. Go down that list again and figure out if you know at least two techniques for each area.

To be able to flow and spar and play and feel comfortable on the ground you need to have at least a few good options for each one of the above 24 areas.

This approach also helps you identify areas for improvement.

Hypothetically, let's say that you know 17 different sweeps from the open guard, but you're completely lost when you get stuck in the half guard.

Question for you: if that's the case, should you work on more open guard techniques, or spend some quality time on the half guard?

I bet you just answered the question yourself! Stephan Kesting
www.beginningBJJ.com

Stability Ball for BJJ-part 2

2009-07-13T06:20:00.000-07:00

The original Physio Ball Master-Circus Charlie.

Here is part 2 of the physio ball instructional by Roberto.
Hope youve been working on the basics in part1 as this one builds on those basics moves.
The intro is great too where he reminds us that we are using the ball as an adjunct to our bjj training so not to get too carried away with the ball and learning tons of fancy tricks!
Enjoy and train hard!
Micah

Sorry for the gap in posts!

2009-07-10T06:37:00.001-07:00

"When Science and Art
Embrace — looking at the stars,
Knowing God is real "

Laura Ann Atkinson
11.03 am
6th of July 2009

Have a great weekend,
Micah :-)

Courage

2009-07-05T04:09:00.001-07:00

There are times that test our courage; the first time you stepped on the mat, your first competition.

There are times that test our character: accepting wins and losses with equal measures of humility and grace.

There are times that take all our courage and character.

the word Samurai, literally means "to serve." For over 500 years, the Samurai served as warrior knights for the nobility.

Over hundreds of years of battle, a code of honor was developed, called Bushido. "Bushi" for warrior, "do" for way. This way of the warrior centered on: courage, benevolence, and wisdom.

The Samurai believed knowledge must be assimilated in the mind and shown in the character – to know and to act are one and the same.

We should try to apply these principles of courage and character to our lives.

It will give you a new certainty and calmness of purpose. Train jiu-jitsu for you – for your love of the sport.

Not for gold medals, not for instructors’s approval - for you.

I know that sometimes you have to dig down deep to find your courage.

Because for an athlete, the very worst thing is to know that you gave it your all, and your all was not enough.

Facing down that fear of injury and fear of failure takes courage. And that kind of courage can take you a long way in life.

But practicing courage in the small moments, in everyday acts and decisions prepares you for the time that you will have to face down your fear.

We don’t normally think of the Samurai being afraid. But there were times when young knights would ride into battle, hearts pounding and knees trembling. And yet, they rode ahead with the brave ones. And as they fought in battle after battle, eventually their minds would settle and they would become strong, praiseworthy knights, not so different from those who were naturally brave.

And so it can be with you. Because courage is in each of you, in the strength of your character.

We are locked into battle together. Sometimes it feels like we are battling each other.

We draw up alliances with loyalties thicker than blood and we nurse old grudges with photographic memories.

But we are locked in battle together fighting apathy, obesity and drug use.

We are locked in battle together fighting for discipline, respect and tradition.

We have all been knocked down. It takes time to heal. But as an instructor told me long ago, there is a difference between pain and injury.

You must never tap out. You must get back up and keep fighting.

It will take courage.

But it is possible. And it is in you.

Have a great weekend.

Micah

Stability Ball for BJJ 1

2009-07-03T08:01:00.000-07:00

Part 1 of an excellent series on using the physio ball for BJJ by Roberto Torralbas. He explains applications for the various exercises with a partner and breaks it down really well. (a common trait with Master Lloyd trained students)
Give this a try for a couple of minutes before or after your training this week and Ill get part 2 up next week.
Have a great Friday,
Micah

The Good Fight

2009-07-03T02:18:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of a long read for a blog but a worthwhile one. I came across this in a passage by the author Paulo Coelho, I got a lot out of this. It may seem a bit preachy initialy but Jiu-jitsu is a great reflection of our lives and there are elements in both that reflect each other and I find myself learning so much about myself every time I step onto the mat.

"Men can never stop dreaming. Dreams are the food of the soul, just as food is to the body. In our existence we often see our dreams come undone, yet it is necessary to go on dreaming, otherwise our soul dies and Agape does not penetrate it. Agape is universal love, the love which is greater and more important than “liking” someone. In his famous sermon on dreams, Martin Luther King reminds us of the fact that Jesus asked us to love our enemies, not to like them. This greater love is what drives us to go on fighting in spite of everything, to keep faith and joy, and to fight the Good Fight.

The Good Fight is the one we wage because our heart asks for it. In heroic times, when the apostles went out into the world to preach the Gospel, or in the days of the knights errant, things were easier: there was a lot of territory to travel, and a lot of things to do. Nowadays, however, the world has changed and the Good Fight has been moved from the battle fields to within us.

The Good Fight is the one we wage on behalf of our dreams. When they explode in us with all their might – in our youth – we have a great deal of courage, but we still have not learned to fight. After much effort we eventually learn to fight, and then we no longer have the same courage to fight. This makes us turn against ourselves and we start fighting and becoming our own worst enemy. We say that our dreams were childish, difficult to make come true, or the fruit of our ignorance of the realities of life. We kill our dreams because we are afraid of fighting the Good Fight.

The first symptom that we are killing our dreams is lack of time. The busiest people I have known in my life had time for everything. Those who did nothing were always tired and could hardly cope with the little work they had to do, always complaining that the day was too short. In fact, they were afraid of fighting the Good Fight.

The second symptom of the death of our dreams are our certainties. Because we do not want to see life as a great adventure to be lived, we begin to feel that we are wise, fair and correct in what little we ask of our existence. We look beyond the walls of our day-to-day life and hear the noise of spears clashing, feel the smell of sweat and gun-powder, see the great defeats and the faces of warriors thirsty for victory. But we never perceive the joy, the immense joy in the heart of those who are fighting, because for them it does not matter who wins or loses, what matters only is to fight the Good Fight.

Finally, the third symptom of the death of our dreams is peace. Life becomes a Sunday afternoon, not asking too much of us and not asking more than what we want to give. So we feel that we are “mature”, leave aside the “fantasies of childhood” and guarantee our personal and professional success. We are surprised when someone our age says they still want this or that out of life. But deep in our heart we know that what has happened is that we gave up fighting for our dreams, fighting the Good Fight.

When we give up our dreams and find peace, we enjoy a period of tranquility. But our dead dreams begin to rot inside us and infest the whole atmosphere we live in. We start acting cruel towards those around us, and eventually begin to direct this cruelty towards ourselves. Sickness and psychoses appear. What we wanted to avoid in fighting – disappointment and defeat – becomes the only legacy of our cowardice. And one fine day the dead and rotten dreams make the air difficult to breathe and then we want to die, we want death to free us from our certainties, from our worries, and from that terrible Sunday-afternoon peace."

2009 is almost half way done already! To avoid all the above have a serious think about what you still want to achieve or do, on and off the mat and go for it!

Micah

Feeling Jiu-jitsu

2009-07-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

"If you think, you are late. If you are late, you use strength. If you use strength, you tire. And if you tire, you die."
Saulo Ribeiro

300

2009-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of "300" inspired workouts floating around at the moment, this is the basic version of the one Ive been using for the last two months or so and Ive had some really good results with.
By using natural body weight conditioning exercises and a unique, non-stop superset concept, 300 workout's unleash your natural growth hormones and jump start your metabolism and as a result help increase fat burning.
Ive made good strenght/conditioning gains and even improved my flexibility by using full range of motion exercises.

This is the basic version of the workout that Ive been doing. I started with this one for my first 3 weeks or so. I wasnt getting to roll as often as Id like then so was doing the workout 3 times a week.
Remember there are no "one size fits all" workouts out there. We need to be constantly assessing ourselves in 3 aspects: technique, physical conditioning and mental prep.
As this article is based on conditioning thats what we will address. As I said we need to be constantly assessing ourselves, do you find yourself gassing in training, lacking flexibility or getting out muscled all the time and by guys your weight or lighter. There are some guide-lines for basic strength requirements for jiu-jitsu, which Ill put up in another post.
It's important to remeber that jiu-jitsu is technique based but when we are talking competition jiu-jitsu attributes become more important but you should never be trying to out muscle opponents as there is always someone stronger, however as a competitor one still needs a base level of strength and conditioning.
This workout is an excellent one in that it hits these requirements really quickly and requires very little time and needs no equipment other than somewhere to do pull ups.

The workout consists of 5 pairs of exercises done back to back in a super-set fashion until you have done 30 reps of each in good form! Each workout you try to improve your time (once you are doing all the reps correctly that is).

Basic 300:

1a) push ups
1b) chin ups

2a) full range of motion, flat footed squats
2b) slow full range janda sit ups

3a) hindu push ups
3b) body-weight rows (i loop my jiu-jitsu belt over my pull up bar for these=good grip work at same time)

4a) wide stance, toes out full squats
4b) slow full range twisting crunch (left and then right = 1 rep)

5a) sprinter lunge (left and right = 1 rep)
5b) basic burpee (full squat palms to floor between your legs, jump feet to push up position then jump back to bottom squat position and then stand up)

Time yourself, keep form very strict on all exercises, and try to improve your time. I managed to get my intermediate version done on Friday in 25 minutes, which i was stoked with as Ive improved my time a lot since I started.
Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy and train hard and smart!
Micah

Friday Inspiration

2009-06-26T01:45:00.000-07:00

The important thing is this:
To be ready at any moment
to sacrifice what you are
for what you could become.

Andre Galvao and Leo Viera

2009-06-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool clip of Andre Galvao and Leo Viera playing around with the stability ball. The stability ball is a great tool to use to help your jiu-jitsu. It can help develope strength, conditioning and very important dynamic balance which will help with passing the guard.
Ive got a couple of cool instructional clips I found to get you started that Ive been playing around with and I definately recon it's worth a go, it will help your balance and it's a lot of fun!
Use this clip to give you some ideas and to motivate you to get your hands on a ball.
Ill post the first instructional clip to get you started with this weekend.

(Cant let Darell be the only person squatting on the ball :-)! )

Andre Galvao

2009-06-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

This an awesome interview and glimpse at some older training footage of Andre Galvao. Ive got some more and will post it asap, also will stick up my current body-weight workout that Ive had a few requests for and that Ive been getting really good results with.
Enjoy
Micah

Monday Inspiration...

2009-06-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

"If you believe, then you have already taken the first step towards your achievement."

Gracie Diet

2009-06-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Combination Tables

These tables are the heart of the Gracie diet. By understanding and following the matches established in them correctly, the chemical combination of the foods are believed to be respected, always maintaining a neutral pH of the blood.This is believed will make digestion easier, as well as prevent and even combat ailments.
I often get asked for advice regarding the diet as I have have attempted to follow it for several years now and have definately felt healthier for it. I am no expert but these tables are definately the starting point.

Other observations are waiting at least 4 1/2 hours between meals to allow for complete digestion and avoiding incorrect combinations.

Egg yolk (raw or cooked), coconut, coffee, brewers yeast, and many varieties of teas are compatible with any food, for they are considered neutral.

Avoid: Sweets, canned goods, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, mustard, pickled foods, and vinegar.

Never eat: Pork and derivatives.

Bread: to be less fermentable, shall be made out of pure or natural flour and eaten 24 hours after baked. Also, it should be eaten as toast or oven warmed.

No alcoholic beverages.

No smoking.

Drinking a glass of water when you get up and before you go to sleep.

Good sources for more info are Master Helio Gracie's book "Gracie Jiu-jitsu" and Royce Gracie's "SuperFit". Royce in his book includes Protein shakes and MRP bars and shakes between meals to increase calories and ensure nutritional requirements are met during periods of hard training.
In a recent interview on the fighters podcast the legendary Rickson Gracie mentioned that he believed life is about moderation, metioning that he ate 6 small meals a day, (still following the combinations) and not taking anything to extreme but maintained his fathers belief that most disease enters through our mouthes.

I have had good results following the diet and believe it's worth experimenting with even if it just leads you to eat healthier, drinking more water, eat more fruit and vegetables and eating less meat.
It's also worth remembering that jiu-jitsu is the ultimate form of self-defence and that self-defence is more than just throws and chokes, it's about defending ourselves against bad habits like smoking and eating crap. Respecting ourselves and others and conducting ourselves with humility and respect.

Inspiration...

2009-06-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Self-respect is the fruit of discipline.

Passing The Guard-Pt1

2009-06-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

Passing the guard is a huge part of Jiu-jitsu, and one that you will spend a great deal of time working on.
Ive been fortunate enough to get to train with some guys with really slick guard games so have been making a conscious effort to work on my passing game-plan.
Im a big fan of Mike Fowler and came across this clip on youtube, which is an exerpt from his excellent no-gi instructional dvd set.
It's a worthwhile starting point as he covers some great concepts and principles that apply to all types of passing and have helped my guard passing.
Enjoy.

Inspiration

2009-06-15T06:21:00.001-07:00

"Size doesnt matter, if it did, the elephant would be the king of the jungle."
Rickson Gracie

Killer Omopalata's and The King

2009-06-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Inspiration...

2009-06-11T15:54:00.001-07:00

I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
–Henry David Thoreau

Gameplan Design

2009-06-08T15:01:00.001-07:00

The Gameplan is an organisational tool that will help streamline your training and allow it to always have direction.
It's basicly a start to finish outline of what you use on the mat, from shaking hands to submission.
Ideally do a rough draft on paper but keep it as a word document as it makes it easier to update, and you should be updating it regularly! It's a living thing and you will be adjusting and refining it all the time.

It's a framework of techniques for each position, i.e. CLOSED GUARD: armbar-triangle-... you will then have details for all you've learnt for each of these, i.e. triangle: control the head, clamp down with shin etc.

It's very important that you use a standardized format and terminology so that if you look back in 6 months you know what the heck you were talking about.

STARTING: Standing: Gi: your gripping system, grips you work for, takedowns, pull guard
No Gi Standing: armdrag single ,double leg etc
*note:these are just hypothetical examples to give you ideas.

Important that you have CONTINGENCY SITUATIONS, what ifs...
Must have your objectives outlined at the start of each position:
e.g.GUARD: Objectives: submit, sweep, take the back, submit!
(important to note that you must have gi and no gi gameplans for each position, they may very well be similar but should still be seperate. Can even have MMA gameplan.)
e.g.GI GUARD -double wrist control to push/pull triangle
-collar and sleeve control to cross choke-armabar-triangle

Dont just list every technique that you know! That could go on for pages and pages and isnt focused enough.
Must have Positions Of Referance
e.g. for guard, double wrist control, collar/sleeve, etc then have options in bullet form off that.

Position
-initial grip 1
-initial grip 2 -option 1
-option 2...
Then contingency plan:
-if he escapes triangle-hard transition to omopalata
-look to face plant opponent
-get sweep
It's also important to have transitions- if in a scramble need to look for POSITIONS OF REFERANCE,i.i to lock in a submission or position.
e.g if opp passing your guard and it's almost passed, dont be stubborn and hang on just to waste energy and get passed, have transitions planned.
Getting guard passed- turtle out-granby roll to reposition guard
-hit double or single leg
-turtle guard sweep

Now work your way through all 8 Primary Positions doing the same thing.
BACK-MOUNT-SIDE-KNEE RIDE-ATTACKING TURTLE-GUARD-OPEN GUARD-HALF GUARD

It's also important to include "your" techniques, find the techniques that work for YOU in each position.
You dont have to include every conceivable type of guard. If you suck at butterfly guard, dont play it, likewise for De La Riva Guard etc stick to the 8 primary positions and work from there.
It can be as deatilaed or simple as necessary.
Remember this is your A-Game!! Choose techniques that you would use to step onto the mat and win now.

This is where the learning happens as it will allow you to now start to identify the holes in your game. The areas you need to work on get stuck onto your training game-plan or your B-Game and get worked on, when you pulling them off regularly then add it to your A-Game.

Once done the primary positions then remember their opposites, i.e under mount, passing guard etc.
I know the initial process is a pain in the a$$ to get started but you just need to do it! Once the basic outline is done it gets easier and starts to come alive.

I hope this helps, if you have any questions give me a shout and Ill do my best to try answer them.
Now get that gameplan down!

Monday Inspiration

2009-06-08T01:42:00.000-07:00

"Our fears don't stop death, they stop life."

Roger is 2X Absolute World Champion

2009-06-08T01:04:00.000-07:00

Roger Gracie's the big name at the World Championship 2009.
With his win over Romulo Barral with a choke from the mount in the absolute black belt final, he wrote his name into the hall of two-time winners of Jiu-Jitsu's most prestigious category along with Amaury Bitetti (96 and 97), Rodrigo Comprido (99 and 2000), Márcio Pé de Pano (2002 and 2003), Ronaldo Jacaré (2004 and 2005) and Xande Ribeiro (2006 and 2008).
Roger had 9 fights and finished all 9 in the same fashion, pass,mount and choke. (gameplans? worthwhile?:-) )
There are 9 pictures identical to the one above, just each with a different opponent on the receiving end. It's also great to see what are generally considered "basics" being used against the best in the world. How often do you hear,"basics! basics!".

Marcelo Garcia was back on form and won the middle-weight division.
For more results go to www.ibjjf.org and check graciemag.com

Inspiration...

2009-06-06T03:10:00.000-07:00

Courage does not always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice
At the end of the day saying
“I will try again tomorrow”.

2009 Worlds Have Begun!

2009-06-06T02:26:00.000-07:00

The 2009 World Championships are on the go at the moment in the U.S. again, it appears the Championships new home.
The middle-weight division is stacked with incredible talent and will definately be the division to keep an eye on.
Some of the names in the 38 fighter bracket include: Mike Fowler, Kron Gracie, Lucas Leite (the guy who edged out Kron earlier this year on points in the finals), Edson Diniz, Regis Lebre and Marcelo Garcia!
Featherweight will also see "Cobrinha" stacked against Mario Reis and Rafael Mendes who beat him earlier in the Abu Dhabi World Pro Cup in a six-minute match, Cobrinha apparently cracked a smile. “So let’s see, with 10-minute matches, things are different. I’m going to turn on the turbines the whole ten minutes, without stopping.”
Xande Ribeiro defending open weight Champion is out due to injury.
There are going to be some awesome matches this weekend!
Micah

Gameplans Why Bother?

2009-06-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

Firstly it gives you a way to constantly evaluate your performance in class and competition (if you compete). Im always amazed at how many guys say they feel they arent improving but when I ask what they are working on they just stare at me blankly. Either that or they change their focus constantly without any structure. Having a gameplan allows you to really evaluate your game all the time. It also allows you to identify and eliminate weak points and improve a lot quicker than if you just wing it as you go.

It gives you a big confidence boost and really allows you to focus your taining as you can eliminate the "what do I do know!?" situations in class as you can work out what you are trying to achieve offensively and defensively in each position. This is also where the evaluation and elimination of weak points come in as now after training, you can quickly think where you did well and if there was a point you got stuck or didnt know what to do you can identify what you need to work on.
You can chat to your coach or training partnersfor help, or work it out yourself. There is so much information available now for jiu-jitsu it's awesome, books,dvd's the internet. Identify where you have holes or weak points in your game andwork on them. But you cant do this if you dont even have a gameplan.

Ill discuss next time some basic tips on how to structure a gameplan.

“He who fails to plan, plans to fail”.