Melbourne Pan Pacs 2011

Once again Jiu-Jitsu has provided me with more than just some kick arse moves. This time it got me too Melbourne to compete at the Pan Pacs for the first time. This is the second time i've been south of the boarders where the mexicans live. But this time i really got to see and do a lot of what the city has to offer. Like really great coffee, great food, rad street art, tasty beverages, super cool people and bad ass jiu-jitsu!!

I got to catch up with one of my best friends from boarding school. He's been living in Melbs for many years and really has his ear to the ground for all that is totally radical. Myself and a team mate from the gym crashed at his joint in Fitzroy for the first few days of our trip. He and his super cool girlfriend were excellent hosts. My friend is quiet the cook. His home made pizzas were amazing after a hard nights training.

He took us on a guided tour of Melbourne on the trams and also convinced me to get on a push bike for the first time in about 20yrs. Yes i did have a couple of stacks... nothing to bad but my family jewels got a good whack at one stage.
The city it self has so much to offer. I really dug the vibe in Fitzroy and over in St Kilda where my friend informed me that everything was just a little bit trippy.

The training was excellent. The level of the guys on the mat was very high and the intensity of the training for the first couple of nights we were there was full on. My body didn't hold up to well. Next comp I will emulate what they are doing down there and really push myself much more. I think the colder weather and the intensity of the training combined to cause me to strain my lower back which kind of made things a bit hard on the mat. I need to work harder on my core stength and hip flexibility.

The competion was by far the biggest i've been to. I was a touch over whelmed by the occasion but i really liked the atmosphere. The quality of the BJJ being played was of a very high standard even the white belt divisions were stacked with very strong technical guys and girls. My team mates from IgniteSC all competed very well. I think nearly everyone picked up a medal. One of my coaches from Ignite did extremely well winning his weight in the Purple belts and 3rd in the absolute. Also the Melbourne Cia Paulista guys kicked arse picking up a swag of gold medals in all the divisions. Head coachs Carlos Vieira and Alexandre Santos where stand outs for me. They had some epic battles and both won there weight divisions. Carlos Faced off against Big Mick Wilson in the absolute final. Where he lost by points in a great match. Cia Paulista team came in 3rd overall. which was a top effort and the Mestre was extremely happy.

When it was my turn to compete, i'd be lying if i said i wasn't shitting myself. My lack of comp experience really showed and my no-gi match did not go to plan. I shot for a double got sprawled on and spent most of the round scrabbling between turtle and half guard. He even had my back at one stage but I pulled off an escape and got a pass. I popped up to knee ride a bit fast and was granby rolled to half guard where he caught me in a darce choke which really gave the old neck a tweak. He went on to win the division which meant i got 3rd by default. 

I was looking forward to some redemption in my gi match. I tried to pull guard but missed my grips and didn't pull properly so my opponent got a near pass. In the scramble i found my self with a nice grip on his sleeve and my leg in a position i thought i knew a sweep for but it turned out i had the wrong grip and needed to change hands. I held this position for a while but gave up on it and tried to get to my knees but he took my back. Once again i escaped and attacked a straight leg lock. I need to watch the fight again to see what actually happened but i think i got a sweep and an advantage out of that, because with about 30 sec left i needed a pass to win but I had nothing left and time ran out. I was pissed off at myself, i let a chance go by to get a win. My cardio is what let me down in this fight and some poorly executed technique. But it has given me lots to work on and i'm going to compete a lot more from now on. I'm going to get my weight down even more, and build up my cardio and strength. 

One of the most inspiring things a bout the comp was my team mate and friend 'Timeless' Tom Taylor competing against guys half his age. He showed some true heart and never gave up in both his fights. He deservedly picked up 3rd. I hope that i can stay as positive, healthy and courageous as Tom as I move through life. I had a great time getting to know Tom better and really enjoyed the experience we had together. From competing to partying with the Brazilians. 


So I had a great time in Melbourne but I was disappointed in my performance on the mat. I learnt a lot out of the whole experience. Most of all I am truly grateful to my beautiful wife for all her support in allowing me to pursue my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu addiction. I missed her and my two kids so much. It was great to get home and give them all a big hug. I love them!
C u on the mat!
Rex.

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

So you want to be a Champion…..

I love competing and like Charlie Sheen I'm especially fond of winning!! Like any other great ape, I always want to be the Alpha male. As I've grown older and "wiser" I've realised that the Alpha has to work damn hard to become the big dog, especially when you are running with a pack of other crazy monkeys who all want run shit as well. It's easy to be the Alpha of a pack that consists of lazy flea picking, arse scratching, banana split eating sloths. But who wants to say they are the head of that pack.... not this Orangutan!!

I competed in a couple of comps while I was a white belt with varied results. I think my comp record is 3W- 3L. I’ve picked up 3rd in a couple of brackets but there were not many competitors, so it was no big success. I’m yet to compete as a blue belt.
Earlier this month I decided that I'm going to compete at the BJJ Pan Pacs in Melbourne. The Pan Pacs is Australia’s biggest and most prestigious Jiu-Jitsu tournament. It’s on the 16th 17th 18th September, so my preparation has started now. My training intensity has already picked up.
A small group are also going from my gym but because I'm so isolated from my gym's coaches and training partners, I'm setting up my own fight camp. I will train with my team mates at least once a week but most of the preparation I'll have to organize my self.

The fight camp is going to be just under 8 weeks long.
I've broken down the areas I need to work on to do well in the comp. I will also set some mini goals along the way.

• Organization- Training Schedule encompassing all 7 areas, goal setting.
• Nutrition- 94kg Aug 16th,  Calorie counting, I'm taking some vitamins as well in an attempt to keep healthy and on the mat.
• Technical- Game Plan, Drilling, High intensity sparring,
• Strength/Power- Kettle bells, Body Weight circuit, Grip strength, Core strength
• Cardio- Skipping, High intensity sparring,
• Flexibility- Yoga, Old school warm ups
• Mental- Positive self talk, Affirmations, Motivation, Visualization.

My first objective is to get my weight to 94kg in 4weeks.
I've never been in peak physical condition ever in my life. I plan to get as close to that as I can over the next 8 weeks.
I'll keep a weekly blog right through the camp and do a bit of an analysis of the camp and my performance after the Pan Pacs. Hopefully it helps keep me on track.

C u on the mat!
Rex.