I Kind Of Like The Pain...

Just stepped off the mat and I'll feeling good, bit stiff and sore but good. Glad to be over my sickness and back training hard.
Monday nights session at Caloundra was tough going. We just did hard sparring. I think we would have done about 10 or 12  6min rounds with a rest round about every 6 rounds so it put the cardio to the test. I moved ok and worked a lot on my closed guard techniques and setting up my submissions from all the top positions focusing on the north south position that Portugese showed my team mates at the seminar.
The level of guys on the mat Monday night was very decent. All though I was the only blue and our coach the only purple all the white belts are really putting in and pushing the pace, which is excellent preparation for the comp. Sometimes I feel a bit flat after training with the higher belts due to getting totally owned and not being able to pull off any techniques. But rolling with the lower belts allows me to get some reps in of some techniques. It reminded me of the importance of being a part of a good team and having lots of different level guys to roll with.

I trained over the weekend at home. I did a strength and cardio session on Saturday arvo after work which consisted of squats, kettlebell presses and crunches. I also got in to my garden and dug up some weeds and spread some mulch which got a bit of a sweat going. On Sunday after work I got a decent session in with some mates here in town. We worked some technique then did some hard drilling. Then I rolled with my mate the blue belt for 4x5min rounds. He really pushed me. I am very fortunate to have such a good training partner here in my home town. BJJ is still very much an underground sport in rural Australia and blue belts in small towns like mine are as rare as rocking horse shit. So I'm very grateful to have access to such an excellent training partner.

The soreness I'm feeling at the moment isn't all bad. My upper legs have got some soreness from all the squats I did Saturday and my shoulders and hips are sore from all the hard sparring. I kind of like that pain. It lets your body now that you are putting in some hard work. I take a few supplements to try to keep my old footy injuries at bay and so far so good. (touch wood) I also try to do some yoga when I get the chance to keep loose and flexible.

My team mates here in town seem to be enjoying the training and techniques I'm showing and I'm seeing some rapid improvement in them all. Feels good to be spreading the good word of the Jiu-Jits!!
C u on the mat!
Rex

Portugues!!

On Saturday night I made the hour long drive down to the gym to get some training in with a world class Brazilian Black Belt.. It was an honour to have the chance to roll with Carlos 'Portugues' Vieira http://www.bjjheroes.com/bjj-fighters/carlos-portugues-vieira-wiki-bio. He's at the top end of the black belt food chain. His BJJ record speaks for it's self.

Most important Black Belt Titles
    2002 and 2003 Pan-American Champion
    2002 and 2004 Brazilian Championships 3rd place
    2004 Pan-American Vice-Champion
    2004 European Champion
    2005 Brazilian Champion
    2005 and 2006 Pan-American Championships 3rd place
    2006 European Championships 3rd place
    2009 European Champion 1st place
    2009 and 2010 Victorian Champion 1st place, Australia
    2010 Pan Pacific Champion 1st place

He was a super cool guy. He was at the gym for a seminar the next day and my self and 5 others got the chance to get some rolling in with a world class Black Belt. His technique, feel, speed and pressure was amazing to feel but his grips were what really amazed me. His hand was like a vice. He was having a super fun time as well. Each time we rolled he was making jokes and laughing while he was kicking my arse. I had at least 30kgs on him but he handled me like I was a little girl haha... Good times!
It was an amazing experience and really inspired me. Unfortunately I had to work the following day so I missed the seminar but from what I've heard from my team mates and what Coach wrote in his blog AdvanceSC Portugues Seminar the seminar was amazing. He showed some nice setups from the north south position in the gi and some ways to attack the back after a sit out when on the bottom in turtle.
I was so impressed I've decided to go down to the Pan Pacs a week early to train with him in Melbourne. I can't wait to get smashed again, and hopefully some of his awesome will rub off on me.

My preps for the Pan Pacs has been a bit poor the last week. I still got some training in but I was down with a tummy bug for 2 days then a cold for the rest of the week. I trained through the sickness but i was very weak and not very sharp in the mind. I came better just before the training session with Portugues thank god and also got a good session in at Caloundra Monday night.
I'm at my shop right now getting ready to train, I just swept the floor and layed the mats. I have about 3 or 4 guys coming in tonight. I'll really push my pace tonight and get some hard work in.
C u on the mat!
Rex

Action!!

Week 1 of my little fight camp is under my belt. I've worked on all the things I wanted to get done this week, and I'm already seeing positive results. Work is very busy this time of year so I'm stretching my self a bit thin. But I'm happy with my progress.

(Technical) I've been thinking more about what game plan I'm going to use in the comp. Things like what's my plan at the start of the fight.... Shoot? Grip fight? Takedown? Pull Guard? I'm still a bit undecided but I'll finalize that this week after a bit more thought. I've been putting in some reps of passing open guard and open guard work this week. Will keep working that this week but start bringing in some closed guard passes and attacks from closed as well.
(Strength/Power) My strength training is helping me. I already feel stronger on the mat. I do a kettle bell work out which consists of doing 3 different exercises in a row at a fast pace then a short break then back in to it. I  do 3-4 sets. Seems to be helping my grip strength as well. I'm doing this work out after Jits on my home mat and (Flexibility) some yoga on the days that i can't get any Jits in.
(Nutrition) My weight is sitting at about 97kg. I need to put some more effort in to the diet if I'm going to make the weight. I need to be 94kg with a Gi on. More fruit and veg. I'm taking my vitamins everyday and they seem to be keeping me healthy... touch wood.
(Organization) I need to draw up a schedule for my training and work. I'm definitely not getting enough sleep at the moment, our baby girl has been sick for a week. But she seems to be getting better so that'll help the rest.
(Cardio) I've got some decent rolls in to push my cardio but not enough. I'll start making all my sparring rounds a bit more intense and for at least 6 mins.
(Mental) I've been saying some words and phrases that fire the synapses in my mind and make me think about Jiu-Jitsu. If I say them out loud or even inside my head they spark me up!
Action!!
Dictate!
Move! Move! Move!
Go! Go! Go!
Do not accept the position!!
Work! Work! Work!
Up! Up! Up!
2 points the sweep! 4 points the mount!
Finish!!
Squeeeeeezzzeee!!
It's a match played out in my mind as well. I've never really consciously tryed to use visualization as a tool. But I've pictured a match in my mind a couple of times now and it's helping me work out a solid game plan of techniques that I'm already familiar with. It's also helped to identify what i need to work on.
6 weeks to go!

C u on the mat.
Rex