A Little Bit Of Redemption

Did the day training today. The trip down was such a massive effort. Traffic was crap so it added about 30mins to the trip. But it did give me plenty of time to think about my previous couple of training runs and what is going wrong with my rolling at the moment.
In my head I broke down all the things I've been doing right and wrong on the mat over the last month. By the time I got to the gym I had come to a couple of conclusions.

Firstly I need to relax a bit more and just react to what is happening in the roll rather than over thinking the moves and halting the flow of the roll.
Secondly I'm going to work out a position and a series of techniques to really focus on and specialize in.

Man that first conclusion really worked well for me today. I made some vast improvements on my previous rolls. I pulled off some of my half guard sweeps that I haven't used in ages, my transitions were a lot smoother, I was able to string together some nice techniques and I took the back in all my rolls. My coach even commented that I should of filmed these rolls instead of the one from Saturday. Yeah they would have made me look a lot better but if I hadn't had filmed those crap rolls and really analyzed where I'm at, I don't think I would have made the rapid improvements.
My second conclusion is going to be a bit of a work in progress until I decide what position and what specific techniques I want to specialize in. I think that if I have a 'go to' position with a few really tight techniques from there, my game will really benefit.
I like to play guard and try to be technical so I'm thinking one of the guard positions. Closed guard makes the most sense to me. it's a reasonably safe position with lots of options to submit or sweep. I will have a chat to my coach and see what he thinks my best area would be to specialize in.
I've been on a high all afternoon. Normally the hour long trip home after a session when I don't roll well is tough but when I have some fun rolls and use some of my techniques well like today, It really makes the trip home much more enjoyable.
Ahhhhh the Jiu-Jitsu high better than any drug I know!!
C u on the mat,
Rex

Warts & All

I feel like my training has hit a little plateau. I'm trying to add new moves to my arsenal with varying success. But I really feel like i'm not getting better.
I watched a video of my self rolling from the open mat Saturday and it's not pretty. I knew after the roll it wouldn't look good. It felt clunky. I thought about not posting this up and filming my self totally owning a newbie, but that would be dishonest. The team mate i'm rolling with is a really cool cat. He's on the verge of getting his blue belt and is currently training for his first mma fight. So here it is warts and all.

Here is my analysis of the roll.
11sec I went to my back way to easily from my pass.
30sec My deep half guard sweep was very lazy I needed to sit back on to my base much faster.
50sec I sat in turtle for way to long trying to catch his arm for the roll under sweep that I learnt at the Perosh seminar. This resulted in my mate getting one hook in.
1:06 When I went to shrug him off I forgot about my base and I rolled clumsily on to my back.
1:25 I then got that sweep from turtle i'm working on and set up the darce. My darce needs some work. 1:55 I could have sprawled my weight on to him more and got the tap much quicker.
2:29 I needed to sit my arse out much more when I went for the armdrag from butterfly guard. From half guard I was stalling a bit.
3:10 When I got closed guard I should have attacked more and really committed to throwing up that triangle.
3:25 I didn't grab the leg when I went for the sweep so it wasn't smooth.
3:50 When I had the back with one hook in I could have easily put the other hook in but I was too worried about my grips.
4:26 I got shrugged off way too easily and i missed a transition to an armbar while I was being shrugged off.
4:41 Got the Perosh sweep from turtle again, then when I went for the kimura from knee ride 4:56 I was way to loose on controlling his body.

Over view.
I'm not pulling off my techniques perfectly.  I go to my back to easily. I'm being a bit inactive from halfguard and closed guard. I need to push the pace more. I need to be much tighter.
The most obvious is that i'm really over weight. If i could get my weight down some more i'll move a lot better and have better flexibility i'm sure. I'm not transitioning to the next technique smoothly. I'm either stalling or rushing, not flowing.
I think I need to drill my old techniques as well as my new ones a lot more to keep my game sharp. A good way of doing this is by flow or slow rolling with a partner and trying not to pull the same technique twice. Really makes you think and reach deep in to your technical knowledge.

So although the footage is embarrassing due to my poor movement, poor techniques, lack of cardio and my fat ass showing towards the end of the roll. It's still a really good example of where my no-gi game is at the moment. It needs lots of work.
The journey continues.....
C u on the mat
Rex

Will BJJ Help Me In A Zombie Apocalypse??

My town has been flooded for about a week. And one of the many well wishing txts i got from my mates got me thinking about something. Yes I'm safe from the flood waters but I'm not sure if I'll be safe if a Zombie plague breaks out.

Sure Zombies are slow, stupid, unco, and can be pulled apart with a bit of force. But one bite and you're screwed. So what skills do I have to fend them off?

The first thing I think of for Zombie defence is cardio. One has to be able to run good distance at a steady pace to keep ahead of a pack of hungry zombies and while I can run at a good pace I'd have trouble keeping it up for a long time in my current physical condition.

So I may have to go to the 2nd line of zombie defence, Shotgun. Hands down the best way to rid your area of pesky zombie hoards is a shotgun blast to the head, but unfortunately I don't own a shotgun.

3rd line of defence has to be a bat. One good crack upside the head with my Kookabura Big Bird cricket bat would dislodge an undead head real nice. But if i drop my bat,

Then it's 4th line of defence, hand to hand combat. Now things get tricky. In a normal fight I would throw some hands look for a takedown. and try to catch a submission but as slow unco and stupid as zombies are it only takes one bite.

Say I get a nice single leg takedown then pass his undead guard go straight to mount. Might work some ground n pound till he gives me an arm. Then I go for the armbar but I pull his rotting arm off and as I adjust and transition to the triangle he bites me on the doodle. I'm done for, even if I choke the shit out of him and elbow his head to pulp. I'm still intimately infected with the zombie plague.
Zombies 1 BJJ 0
Even though BJJ may not be use full in hand to zombie combat I still think my 2 years of BJJ training are not for nought. I'll be able to think clearly under pressure and use my functional strength that I have gained from grappling to help me survive in the apocalypse. But i think the kicking martial arts would be your best bet in hand to zombie combat. May be some Muay Thai or TKD to dislodge undead head with solid high kicks from a safe distance.
So what have I learned from all this,
1- I need to work on my cardio
2- I need a shotgun,
3- I should work my stand up more.

C u on the mat,
Rex

Zombie Cage Fighter!!

This Guy Uses His BJJ Against Zombies With Some Success (but he is a black belt)



A Typical Training Day For The Gympie Grappler

Thought I'd do something a little different for this blog. This is how a typical open mat training day goes down for me.

I get my gear together, kiss the wife and kids and jump in the car.

Next I pick up my hombre Steve, who comes down for the drive just to keep me company.(what a good mate)

We put on some tunes or listen to a podcast while we roll down to Caloundra which takes an hour.

We roll in to the gym and I say yo to all my homies. I do a quick warm up, then go straight in to rolling.

I like to try all my new techniques out where I can. We help each other out with a few questions on positions we might be having trouble with. Coach might even show us a new technique to help us out. Which today was an escape from the Kimura when you are in halfguard bottom. We roll some more then hang out for a little bit. Then I high 5 all my homies then hit the road back to Gympie. We usually grab some food on the way home. Yes It's usually junk.

 

So that's how a typical open mat day goes down. Regular class is a bit different, there is a much more intense warm up. Then we are shown a new technique which adds to a series of moves that we have been working on. We then drill that move and then link it with the series. Then we'll finish off with rolling.

Happy New Years!!!

C u on the mat,
Rex

Rollin out of 10 and in to 11

Cruised down to training yesterday for my last roll for 2010. Was a good open mat training session, had some good rolls and got some new stuff to work on. One of my training partners destroyed me. He's been on a tear lately. Training down the house and smashing peeps on the mat. It's so cool that he's picked up his intensity towards training. It really helps my game improve.

By him kicking up a gear and really dominating it's forcing me to look at what's going on a bit closer and work out a new strategy then try it out. Once i've figured out a way to slow him down a bit so he can't smash me so bad, I'm sure in return he will adjust his game and so on. It really speeds up the evolution of both our games. So when I'm getting smashed I'm also getting excited. 

Like today while he was on mount or sidecontrol and I was defending myself for about 5mins, all I was thinking about was how am I going to stop this dude from passing my guard in the first place.... then bam! caught in a Kimura. Damn I love Jiu-Jitsu.

I always find that as the year approaches it's end I start having a good look at myself as an individual and what I've achieved over the last year. Usually I don't like what I see. The years after I did my knee the first time playing footy, I let myself get very lazy and let time slip away. But the last two years since I've started BJJ have been awesome. I've achieved a lot on and off the mat. And my potential to achieve so much more inspires me to try harder to achieve more things and at a higher standard next year.
I'm going to compete at least 2-3 times next year. I have to get my weight down, increase my flexibility, increase my squeeze power and of course get my competition game technically and mentally tight. My game has lots of holes in it at the moment and I'm going to work real hard next year on getting it air tight. I'm going to set my self some bjj goals for next year.

I'm going to work on my takedowns at least once a week, compete in tournaments at least twice during the year at under 99kg. I'm going to do Yoga everyday, eat healthily and increase my functional strength.

Nothing to full on there but my weight is currently around the 110kg mark and the first comp could be in March some time. So I've got to drop 11kg in about 2-3 months. So after the New Years celebration I'm going to start getting the weight off. I'll let you guys know how I'm going with it and what I'm going to do to get it off and keep it off.



 Last 'Day Class' before Xmas

So thank you to all my Family, Friends and Team mates for helping me have such a great year and I'm super pumped for a massive 2011.

Stay Safe and Happy New Years!!

C u on the mat,

Rex.

Last Gradings For 2010

Last night was the last grading night for 2010. I really enjoy gradings nights, everyone rolls with a bit more intensity and it is a real test of fortitude for the team members going for belts and stripes. At our gym grading night consists of having some warm up rolls at the start of class, some of which are real battles, then we line up in belt rankings and our coach tells us which team mates are to step out to the middle of the mat.

It's a total surprise to the person and they better be warm because they are about to get put through the wringer.

Last night we had a 4 stripe white belt and 2 blue belts get called in. Before they started our coach told them that no one was going for a new belt but it was a night for them to feel what it will be like when they do go for there next belt.
So coach matches them up with lower ranked guys first and then works up to them rolling with the more senior dudes over about 8-10 rounds last night was not quite as many rounds I don't think.
I got the privilege to roll with one of our most senior blue belts. I believe he would have got his purple belt a while ago but circumstances has meant he hasn't yet. Our coach gave me the green light to really make him work.

So I went at him like he had stole my last donut. Really trying to push the pace and make him feel my weight. He's an excellent guard player and towards the end of the roll we had a leg lock battle and I've got little to no game in that department so I'm glad I walked away with all my ligaments still attached.

I then got to roll with the 4 striper for his last roll. He has really gotten good in the last month or so, and I reckon he'll be up for his blue real soon. He swept me straight up and got real close to a pass but I scrambled back on top and got a kimura. The kimura come on real quick and I think I hurt his arm. I felt real bad but he gritted his teeth and wanted to keep going. I ended up taking his back and worked for a collar choke until time went. He's getting real good and is an excellent training partner. He really deserves some big ups for his hard work this year.

It was one of the most fun grading nights I've been to. A lot of dudes got stripes on there belts, including a blue belt getting his first purple stripe. Lots of peeps will be stepping up for new belts next year. It's an exiting time on the mat.
C u on the mat,
Rex.

Finding Inspiration

Training is going good(when i can get there), working on stuff from closed guard. Coach has shown me a couple of closed guard techniques that have really increased my options in that position. I'm loving the set up that he showed me for the armbar. It's all about keeping tight, keeping my opponents posture broken down, keeping my hips free and waiting for the right momentum to go for the sub, the sweep, take the back or if I stuff it up keep closed guard. I've found that if I use my entire body efficiently I can bring my opponent tight to me and work for the sub. Remembering to use my legs, my core and my arms all together is the key for me to pull it off.

It's amazing where we can find inspiration. During the week I had the absolute pleasure to have dinner with one of my mother in-laws family friends visiting from England. He's here to watch the Ashes cricket series. He was an officer in the Royal Navy and was Knighted for his service. The way he carries himself is quiet inspiring. He truly is an English gentlemen and in this day and age we very rarely get to meet such men. I had the pleasure of reading some of his family history. He had transcribed out the history of his Australian relatives. The story tells of how his relatives were sent over to Australia on the early fleets. Reminded me of how lucky we are to live in this day and age. It was extremely well written and made my blogging efforts look like a 2 year old had posted them.

Although in his late 80's he has a terrific memory and a very impressive general knowledge on most things. We also spoke about family and friends. He kept saying how lucky I am and how I must be very pleased with my life. Sometimes it takes someone else to point it out, or you don't acknowledge what is great in your life. I am truly blessed to have the family, friends and team mates that I have. The advise he gave me was pure gold. I really hope I get to speak with him again one day soon.

Keeping inspired or motivated is an on going battle for me but not when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu. I would train everyday of the week if I could but it's not possible for me right now. Why do I have so much motivation to roll but at times I have trouble getting myself out of bed to go to work. I easily slip in to chill/procrastination mode at home and at work and achieve bugger all for extended periods of time.
Passion is what gets me to training, even though it's a 2 hour round trip on a dodgy stretch of highway and takes me away from my family I love for 2-3 nights a week. Even when I talk to someone about Jits the passion starts flowing out of me and I get pumped up. I also think it has to do with the fact that I'm not good at Jits. I really have to focus when I'm on the mat or I'll get my arse handed to me. That feeling of having to strive harder to achieve the level I want to be at, also motivates me to keep at it. I have to find that passion and feeling of wanting to be better in the other areas of my life and apply it.



My son was so pumped when he saw this rainbow. not as much as that double rainbow guy on YouTube though


P.S.
Please check out my mates blog at http://underhookindustries.blogspot.com/
He's a top bloke and a wizard on the mat.