Finally The New Home Has Arrived

This blog has been moved to www.jitsujourney.com

Please check out the new home!

A Day of Rest

Today is going to be a day of rest. A calm before the storm so to speak. This seems to be what I do the day before a competition...nothing. As I mentioned before I'm not super pumped for this competition, but it should be good growth for me in terms of experience. We have a significant number of people competing this time which is awesome. I love watching other people compete and catch the bug. You can always see peoples game jump several levels after they compete. I think it refocuses some people, and helps them fill in holes they may not have noticed otherwise. One great thing is I don't have to cut any weight for this one so I'm hoping I feel stronger this time. Bri isn't competing this time because of the lack of girls so she is going to get as much footage and pics as she can. I'll make sure to post them all again. Stay tuned.

Great Podcast

Recently I came across an amazing podcast about Bjj. It has over 600k listeners so I think I'm a little late finding it, but it's well worth the hour spent listening to it every Sunday. They cover all types of news related to Bjj and often have in depth interviews with Jiu-Jitsu stars and legends (this week it's Silvio Braga) . Jiu jitsu is way more then just an activity that I do 3 times a week. It really is a way of life, and the more time spent doing it, the more it spills over into other aspects of the day to day. So check it out, I highly recommend it and its free! The FightWorks Podcast

New Home Coming Soon

I just wanted to let everyone know that soon this blog will be moved to www.jitsujourney.com. I purchased my own domain and have been putting in more effort getting it set up then blogging lately. Soon I will be back in full swing with a sweet new look. The Foundry will be representing again in a few weeks a the Maine Skirmish. We are all pumped. It's a smaller tourney, but I'm looking forward to competing again. Just like people run to improve their cardio, I want to compete more to improve my nerves. I want to be able to step out there and roll just like it's a normal session in class. Then I think I will do so much better. The only way to practice for that is to actually compete, and that's what this tournament will be for me. I've been working on a new sweep I saw Abmar Barbosa do at the FGO this year as well. Seems to be coming together nicely with my game.

FGO 2009

Let me start off first by saying Team Foundry had a great showing at the FGO this year. We took 5 competitors and walked away with 6 medals total. Out of around 27 teams that registered we took 7th overall. Not bad at all. We had some steep competition let me tell ya, no one had any easy fights. My first match I went up against a monster from team LINK. The nerves of it being my first match of the day really sapped my energy quickly and I found myself gassed and working to keep him from passing. He defeated me and went on to win the division. I guess that makes me feel better. My second match was against the guy who took first place last year. I had no nerves at all for this match because I was still really bummed that I lost and could no longer take 1st. I stepped out on the mat with an I don't give a shit mentality. I ended up pulling guard after trying a take down. Worked a de la riva sweep that left me on top for the win. Now I found myself going against the guy who took second last year. This match was to decide 3rd place. He pulled guard on me and I came down really odd on my knee almost hyper extending it. It was enough to take my mind off for a split second and by the time we both were on the ground he had a triangle locked up. So I took 4th place. I really wish I had placed, but that's how it goes. I think next year I will set a goal for myself to just medal in the FGO and then work from there. In other news soon my blog will be moving to www.jitsujourney.com. Yup thats right I purchased my own domain. Videos of my matches can be found here.

My Visualization

This Saturday night we all decided to do a little test run to check our weight. We didn't eat or drink much of anything after 5pm. The next day we woke up and went down to the gym and weighed in. I was relieved when I hit the scales weighing 154.5 HELL YEAH! Finally. Now I just need to work on eating right this week and getting my energy back. No Shawn that doesn't mean bud lite limes. The other thing that I wanted to talk about was things I do to mentally get ready for a match. We do a lot of running and extra workout stuff of course to make sure the cardio and strength is on par. The most important thing I do is visualize, and no matter what I am concentrating on at the time, it always ends with my hand raised. I hate running, but one thing I found that passes the time quicker is music. I'm sure everyone runs to their fav jams, so this isn't out of the norm, but I do something a little different I think. I like to run to trance or progressive techno. I started doing this because I hated finding a song that matched my mood while running. Lets just say I couldn't find a tune that said "I friggen hate running, and I'd rather been drinkin' beeeeeeer!" So the techno I listen to has no words just a driving beat that starts slow and builds and ramps up, just like my run. Now where my visualization kicks in is every time a new layer is added to the beat I add in another step in a sequence of moves. By breaking down the different steps to a move and assigning them to a beat, I am essentially drilling technique in my head. This goes hand in hand with my game plan because the early songs will start with everything from stepping on the mat and shaking hands, to later on finishing the match and raising my hand. Then of course Jacare runs out and hoists me on his shoulders and all the Brazilians start chanting a special chant just for me. What? You don't think of that?

2 Weeks To Go

2 weeks and counting. It's crunch time. Literally...I need to do crunches because I have about 5 pounds to lose in that short amount of time. Besides the weight I feel confident. I think my ground game plan is solid. I have some go-to moves that I feel comfortable with. My stand up seems a lot more smooth and confident this time. I have about 4 different setups that I'm going to be trying. Having a game plan is certainly key. They say a lot of any sport is mental and I can't help, but agree. Say you have a game plan that has 5 moves or positions, the plan isn't there so that you have to go in order, it's more for those times when things aren't going as planned. Your opponent may have stopped you from doing move 1 and 2, but somehow you have made it to 3 and guess what you automatically do next...4. This is like a road map for when you get lost, it puts you back on track mentally and you no longer feel hopeless. Of course if you go out and dominate and pull off moves 1-5 then props to you! I personally do a lot of visualization, how about you all? What are some things you do to mentally get ready to compete? I think my next post will be about my methods of visualizing.

Progress is Best Measured in Pounds?

This past Thursday was the first time I've weighed since getting the shocking news that I had to lose 10 pounds. It was after an excellent class where we had lots of high level guys on the mats. It's always nice to see the mats full because you know you will be rolling a lot when the time comes around. I think I rolled with 6 different people Thursday night. So after class we head over to the gym again and Bri and Justin stepped on the scales and weighed about the same. Bri has lost about 4 pounds even though she doesn't need to. Justin has done well maintaining. I step on the scale and cringe because I have worked hard over the last week and a half, and I knew if I hadn't lost anything it would be a huge blow to my motivation. Somehow I lost 4-5 pounds in a week and a half AWESOME! Makes me feel better about being able to drop the other 5 in the last 4 weeks. 155 here I come!

Porky The Pig Does BJJ

So the other night after Thursdays class, we headed straight to the local gym and weighed ourselves. This was just to get an idea of where we are at and gauge how much weight we have to cut for the Freestyle Grappling Open in Oct. My girlfriend Bri doesn't need to cut weight and never does, so that wasn't a shock. Justin had less then 5 pounds to lose. Me on the other hand...10ish maybe even 12 pounds. One thing as become apparent I am a Taco-holic. I friggen hate cutting for competitions. I cut out beer and try to eat healthy for about a month and a half, but by the time the date rolls around I would kill a man for a Big Mac. So needless to say, this week at the Foundry I have been trying to put in extra work and rolls to shed some of these pounds. I need to cut down to 155 by mid Oct. Tofu here I come!

Life after Bjj

Jiu Jitsu has affected me in such positive ways it's crazy. At the same time it's hard to list them out on paper. I guess it's just an over all feeling that's hard to step back from and dissect. I can state the obvious, like I lost a lot of weight just by doing bjj 3 times a week. I lost like 30 pounds I think. I have been able to cut down lower for competitions so in a way jiu jitsu has shown me that I do in fact have control over my health, and being fat and lazy is somewhat of a choice. The less obvious ones are things like confidence in myself and my abilities. Not just on the mat, but in life. Every night when you step out onto the mats you overcome something. When you are mounted and you feel hopeless, you suddenly gain half guard and work hard to regain full guard. Once you are there things don't seem so bad. This outlook helps so much in everyday life. So what about you? What has jiu jitsu done for your life?

Extended Family

It's often said that soldiers will form lifetime bonds with the people they go to battle with. They trust their lives to each other and know that when the shit hits the fan their teammates will be there to back them up. This happens in jiu-jitsu as well. You may not have to trust your life to your teammates, but you sure as hell put your own safety in their hands. This fact forms the bonds that make teammates like extended family. Tonight at the Foundry we had a big class again, the mats were full of familiar faces. Some we haven't seen in months, some only a few days. There is something about sitting on the mats with friends learning things together, sharing new moves you have been trying out and chatting about life that brings people together.

Foundry in Rangeley

We gathered up the local crew and decided to head up to the Rangeley for a high paced, action packed jiu-jitsu class. That's exactly what we got. Shawn is a great teacher and knows how to push people. I think we needed that kind of motivation. The Freestyle Grappling Open is coming up soon and we need to be ready for that. I've been tossing the idea around of competing. I'm just not one of those people who gets super motivated to compete. I don't have that drive or need to match myself up to others and see who is the best. I was telling Jon, what motivates me to compete is my team mates. I like the idea of getting them ready for their matches and being there when they step on the mat. I like congratulating them when they step off the mat victorious. That's why I compete. With that said, I need to find the right mind set to get pumped up for this. I think we have about 7 weeks until it's go time. It's about time to get in the gym and check my weight. I always say after I cut weight that I want to stay in shape, but the weight always creeps back up. I think our last training session at Shawn's will really motivate Justin to get our asses in shape. Let's do this!

A Breather

Tonight I took a night off from jiu-jitsu. I did some stuff around that house that needed to be done and took the dog for a walk. I needed a break. I started jiu-jitsu because it was fun and I want to make sure that “fun” is the reason I keep going to class. Sometimes a step back for a couple days just makes you realize how hooked you really are and the next time you step on the mats you feel refreshed. I hope that happens, last class was a drag. It was really nice outside and I had a tough day at work and I really didn’t want to even go to class. I showed up anyways and had some of the worse rolls in the past few months. That annoyed me even more. So if all goes as planned next class I will feel reenergized.

Good Rolls

I had a good night in class the other night. It's been mostly just Bri, Justin and I showing up to class. Every once in a while Shawn Smith will show up and that's always fun. The other night though Jon showed up and we had some great rolls. Whenever I roll with him it's always high pace and a lot of transitions. It was a lot of fun. Hard to stay motivated these days.

New Gi

I was excited the other day because I got a new gi. If you are into Jiu-Jitsu then you know the feeling I had when I came home and saw the package on the doorstep.

I got the new Koral competition light gi in black. This time I went with an A1 for the first time to try and reduce the bagginess in the chest area. I have to say that the A1 fits pretty damn nice. It feels a tad bit longer then my other Koral, but I haven't washed it yet either. I don’t really expect it to shrink very much because Korals come pre-shrunk, but I think the fabric will tighten up some. The weave on it is really cool and its pretty light as well. So far I think it’s going to be a good purchase.

So I Still Like the Triangle

Had some good rolls last class. The numbers have been smaller, but that just means more purple belts to roll with so that's ok with me. I still have been working my top game trying new passes and there seems to be some progress there. I keep finding myself in the triangle position, but now I'm using it to set up different things like the komora or the armbar. I need to really start working on high guard options because I think it will fit right into my game.

Progress

Well last class I was focused more on my top game. I worked the pass that I had talked about in my previous post and I’m happy to say that it worked about 50% of the time. Maybe a little under because I forget the exact number of times that I went for it. The thing that makes these numbers promising is that the pass was done on high level guys. I’m going to keep working the pass and perfect it more on the lower belts that’s for sure.

I’m super pumped for class tonight. I’ve been watching the Mundials 08 DVD and its really got me in the zone. In fact I wish class was right now lol. Joe T. said he was going to stop by class tonight so that will be a blast. It’s always fun to roll with Joe because he has a very different style then most of the people at the club. Can’t wait!

Meeting of the Minds

Justin and I met yesterday for a little meeting of the minds. We each went over some ideas we had floating around and ironed out some details. I was working mainly on a new pass (new to me). It’s pretty basic. I always pass in the combat base position and tend to do knee rides to the cross side. This works off of that, but instead of going cross knee, I hook a leg and sit on it and base down. The hand that’s on the same side I bring up and grab their belt so they can’t hip away from me. The other hand is controlling the leg I’m not sitting on. Once I have control I sit out into reverse scarf as I extend their leg that I’m sitting on. This forces their leg to flatten out.

The detail that I was working on is how I hook their leg before sitting on it. If done the way I was thinking it’s easier to straighten their leg out as you pass because your heel is kind of hooked on their heel. I’m sure I can find a video of this somewhere on YouTube, and if anyone knows of one already please point me in the right direction. I think tonight in class I’ll only pass using this method to try and work more kinks out of it. What say you?

Workin My Way to The Top

Lately I have been looking for something to work on specifically. I think I've found it. It's my top game and passing. I used to really suck at both of them, and I think now is the perfect time to really concentrate on them and bring them up to speed. I'm a guard player so I always give up position and work off my back, but in a competition that game plan sucks.
The last competition that I went to was last Oct down in Portland. The tourney was the Freestyle Grappling Open and is one of the biggest in Maine. I was so nervous and pumped at the time I just wanted to get it over with. When the match started I was going to so many positions and going for so many submissions that in a 4 min match I was up 14 - 2 on the guy. I ended up getting caught in a triangle with 20 secs left. SUUUUUCKS! I learned something though, if I had just solidified a few of those dominate positions I would have ate a lot of time off the clock and saved energy.
So top game it is. I need to start being able to dictate the pace and eat up time on the clock when I want to rest. My passing seems to be getting better. Now I just need to work on being able to stay there once I have passed.

Past Week

This past week we have had some good classes and I have done some good rolling. Our new guys are really coming along. Jon gave Will and Joe each their second stripe so congrats to them. Well deserved. I hope they both come back from summer break ready to learn.
Yesterday I went to open mat with Justin and Jordan. Justin and I ironed out some small details on things we have been working on. I have been trying this new thing where if the person has me in Oma plata, before they can sit up and control my back I do the normal forward roll escape. Now I have been doing that for a while, but I don't like the idea of letting them get side control on me. So what I do when I roll is make sure its really tight and swing my leg out like I'm going to roll into guard. What this does is if they are posturing up the leg that swings will catch on their back and stop my roll. At this point I'm kind of upside down so I walk out on my shoulders some. The arm that's not being attacked I reach over and grab their belt to make sure I can come up and take the back. It's kind of neat and seems to be working well for me. I have also been trying to work on my top game a lot. Messing around with mount more to set up attacks and just practicing being in the dominant position. This will help greatly in a competition if I want to eat some time off the clock.
I think Justin and I are going to split a few private lessons from Jon. Now that Noel is gone we need someone to be able to point us in the right direction when it comes to making small changes and tweaking our games. I think it will be a great help for both of us. Plus splitting it makes it more affordable.

A New Era

This past week was Noels last class before moving down to DC. It still feels strange and I'm sure for the next couple classes I'll catch myself wondering where he is and why he isn't in class. We are left in very capable hands though. Justin received his purple belt a few weeks ago, Matt got his brown, and of course we still have Jon our resident black belt. Things are changing, but I honestly don't think any of us will suffer. I am confident.
Lately I have been in somewhat of a slump. Not that I have been rolling bad or anything, I just don't know what to work on next. Positions and submissions are more familiar to me now the more time I spend on the mat. I wish it was really obvious what the next step is. I have general ideas of what I need to work on, but it's not in your face anymore like when I was a white belt.
I need to work on my teaching. I want to be able to help the lower belts like Justin helped me. It makes me realize how hard it is to explain a move when you just normally do it without thinking about it.

Thanks Noel for the solid foundation. One day I hope you see the house I'm going to build on it.

Trent Lewis Seminar

Last night at class we had the privilege of having a black belt by the name of Trent Lewis do a seminar. He has been all over the place and trained with some great Jiu-Jitsu practitioners like Robson Moura and Marcelo Perreira. World CHAMPS!
He had a really cool new school meets old school game. Showed us some nice attacks from guard that attacked both arms. It really left you in a triple attack position. I believe he is going to try and put out a video instructional so I wont get into more detail. If you have the chance to train with Trent I highly suggest it. Great guy on and off the mat.
Shawn Smith also got another stripe on his purple belt. I really can't say enough about Shawn he is a monster on the mat. He destroys me every single time we roll. Maybe one day I will be able to give him somewhat of a workout haha. Grats again Shawn keep it up!

The Path of Least Resistance

Sometimes I think humans just naturally take the easy way out. I think it's an evolutionary trait that was meant to save energy and make us use things that will have a greater chance of success. In Jiu-Jitsu I think this is natural as well. In this case though it can stunt growth and slow progress.
The reason I have been thinking about this is lately my triangles have become better and I find myself snagging people with them a lot more often. This is a good thing, but at the same time it's hard to pass up a submission when you know you have it and try for something different that you don't have much success with. This way of thinking opens up your game more and forces you to become better in other areas. I have a feeling this way of thinking is also the difference between a blue belt and purple and higher. I certainly do not think of myself as a person who just goes for the tap, but I find it hard sometimes to think in a catch and release type of mentality. Thinking back now, one of the reasons I have become good with the triangle is because I used to be good with the armbar and have since opened my game up and moved on.
Matt got his brown belt tonight. Quite an achievement. I think I heard him say that he has been doing bjj for over 6 years and grappling for over 20. That is just amazing. His take downs are slick as shit, and he transitions so well for a big guy. He is great to have around on the mat and has so much to give in terms of knowledge. The Foundry is lucky to have him as an asset.

Back on The Mats

It's been a few days since our trip out to Cali and it's been great to get back out on the mats. It's also nice to be able to roll again full speed without having to worry about them tweaking something before such a big tourney. We have had some really good new guys showing up that are starting to learn some fundamentals and it's great to see. A few of them got their first stripe last night and you could tell they were happy by the look on their faces. I remember getting my first stripe and how good it felt.
We had a couple guys go to the Naga Worlds right after we got back from the Pan Ams. Shawn did great as always, placing 2nd and 3rd in various divisions. He is a great competitor and it just shows the reward of competing often. I can't wait to see him in class next time to ask him more about his wins.
The weather is getting nice outside and it's almost time to start running again. As crazy as it sounds once I get in the swing of running I actually like it a lot. It's one of the few things that are so simple, just you and the track. No distractions.
Like the good weather changing, the club is going through some changes as well. Noel and Missy are moving to DC in pursuit of a better life (one outside of Farmington Maine.) Justin and John will be taking over the club and keeping the Foundry name going. The location will eventually change and where to is still up in the air. This all makes me sad, but happy for them and I wish them the best of luck.
My game seems to be changing again, I can no longer play De La Riva guard on Justin he is figuring out a way to counter it right off the hand shake. I still play open, but its morphing into a more scissor type guard. One thing I feel, is as my guard has become better my escapes have become worse. This could be very true or it could just be the people who pass my guard are skilled and are getting better every day.

The Pan Ams Experience

The trip has come to an end, we arrived back in Maine at 1AM Monday morning. It was a very long day filled with lots of time to reflect. I think of myself as lucky, to be a new blue belt and be exposed to the level of Jiu-Jitsu that was at the Pan Ams.

DAY 1

The alarm went off really early on Thursday morning, 4AM to be exact. We had packed the night before so we just had to shower and wake up before headed over to the Danforths. We all met up there and packed the car and crammed into the back seat. The ride to Manchester airport went a lot faster on the way there then on the way back. Our flight left around 10AM and had a layover in beautiful Newark NJ. From there it was on to Cali for bjj, beaches, and Brazilian butts (female of course). There was a small problem we discovered that Noels bag had not been checked properly and was not there for us in NJ. This was an even bigger problem because it had his Gi and belt in it and without them he would not be able to compete.
When we landed at LAX we headed down to the baggage claim to see if his bag had somehow by some miracle reached LAX. It had not. Missy filed a claim for it just in case they were to find it somewhere. We then headed over to the car rental place wondering how we were going to patch together a Gi for Noel to compete in. The car was a black Dodge Caliber, and to our delight it had plenty of room for us. Day one ended with everyone down in the hot tub and me passed out on the bed in the room. I was so tired from the trip.

Day 2

Friday we had Bri and Justin competing. Bri was at 1:30 and Justin was set to go at 3:30. We had some time in the morning so we headed over to the venue to check their weights and also get a feel for the scene. Both of them were going to make weight just fine. Justin was happy because he had enough of a buffer to eat a good breakfast. We headed to grab some food at this wonderful place called Jamba Juice. This place had fresh fruit that they blended up for you and topped with granola.
Bri stepped on the mats a lil later then she was scheduled for, but it wasn't to bad. Her fight went better then her past couple. She really controlled the standup like she had wanted to. She also almost passed the girls guard twice. Wanting to stand it back up she allowed the girl to get back to her feet. At this point Bri was tired and shot for a double leg and the girl sprawled on top of her. She ended up taking Bri's back and getting a choke. It was heartbreaking to see the disappointment in her face. I could tell she was emotional about it so we all gave her some space for a while.
Justin had a bi in the first round and I think that ended up being a downfall because he had to wait for over 2 hours in the bullpen by himself. It takes a lot of work to get warmed up and mentally prepared and to then be put on ice and made to wait for over 2 hours isolated to some extent can't be helpful.
Justin came out strong with his stand up and his opponent was forced to shoot for a double from way out of range. He managed to snag a leg and Justin went to half guard. From there Justin recovered his full guard and started to work for a high guard. His opponent started to pass and Justin was back in half guard. At this point Justin was working an old school sweep and we were all cheering, but in the transition the other guy set up a darce choke. Justin tried to fight it as he came up on top, but it was to deep and he had to tap. Again it was very emotional and as sissy as it might be to say, I was choked up and it was hard to look at him. I knew he had trained so hard and sacrificed so much to give it a shot. It's just hard to see.

DAY 3

The weather was amazing on Saturday. It was about 75-80 with a light breeze and no humidity. Missy didn't have to compete until 7ish that night. So we had been in touch with our friend Mike Tomacelli who used to train back in Maine and now has his own gym in Cali. Mike and his wife Shannon were nice enough to show us around after a short training session to warm Missy up. They started off by taking us to a place called Sharkys in Huntington Beach. This place had amazing Mexican food. I double fisted a pair of Coronas because it just seemed fitting and it all hit the spot. From there we walked down to the beach. It was an amazing time, lounging on the beach talking Jiu-Jitsu and soaking up the sun.
Soon it was time for us to head over to the venue again so that Missy could warm up for her match. When we got there though they had already called her division and Missy had to jump right into the bullpen without much of a warm up at all. Again this would mess with my head, damn you bullpen! Missy went up against a girl who looked like she could bench press me and was rather hard on the eyes. Unfortunately the girl was also very strong at Jiu-Jitsu. She pulled guard on Missy and went straight to a high guard set up. Missy worked hard to defend a cross choke that looked very painful, but ended up getting caught in an armbar. We left shortly after her match and headed back to the hotel to enjoy the hot tub and grab some food.

DAY 4

Noel was the last one of us to compete and he had to go at 9AM and we all were in agreement that was too early. Once we got there he had enough time to warm up before his division was called. He had an extremely close match and ended up losing by 2 points! They had very similar games and seemed to be going for the same stuff.
After the match we all got to kick back and enjoy the black belt matches. I can't even tell you in words the amount of amazing Jiu-Jitsu in that one building. There was a very touching moment of silence for Helio Gracie and Rickson came out and gave a great speech about his dad and the sport.
I recommend buying the DVD when it comes out because there were so many great matches and subs and sweeps. After a long day we headed back to the hotel for a bit. Noel and Missy went over to Mike and Shannon's place, but Bri and Justin and I were to exhausted to go out. We ended up going and picking up some beer and taking it back to he room and getting a nice buzz before enjoying the hot tub one last time.
The trip was a success in my mind. We may not have done as well as we wanted to, but there were many small victories. Besides the Pan Ams came second in my eyes, spending time with great friends and meeting great people came first. After seeing the level of BJJ at the Pan Ams I have to wonder if it's for a hobbyist. Someone who struggles to make it to 2-3 classes a week. Competing against people who train 3 times a day, 7 days a week. Not to mention weight train and stuff. That's something I'm still thinking about and have not come to an answer yet.

This is it folks

Tomorrow we leave for the Pan Ams. I am ready to film up a storm! Everyones matches are all spread out so we should be able to coach and tape everyone. I am going to be making a big post when we get back to fill everyone in.

PS- Missy won the Budovideos.com contest so they will be paying for her Pan Ams entry fee along with a grab bag of prizes! Grats Missy!

Good Weather, Good Company

Thursday is coming very soon, and that means the trip to Cali and the Pan Ams is becoming more of a reality. We leave Thurs morning at 530am I believe so we have a full day of travel ahead of us. Friday it looks like Bri and Justin will be competing and Saturday Noel. Sunday should be a day of rest...erm or a bunch of badass black belt matches! Heck yes!

Side Effects of Training

Sure, there are a lot of great side effects that come along with training. Some of which are losing weight, gaining more energy and cardio. Not to mention all of the great mental aspects like confidence and stuff. Sometimes though my body just hurts. I wake up the next day after rolling with some behemoth and my back is killing me and my knees ache and feel stiff. I wonder why the hell do I do this to myself? It's because I'm addicted that's why.

Small Class, Big Ideas

last night we had a smaller class then normal show up. I never have a problem with this because it always means more one on one time with a teacher that already is very giving. We spent most of the time drilling some techniques that will come in handy for the people going to the Pan Ams. 

The drill I liked the most was the setups for chokes from knee on belly. I find myself here a lot because I 'm light and feel I have more top pressure here. Also when I'm in side control and the person bridges and bucks I normally pop up to knee on belly anyway. The good thing about these drills is that it made me look at chokes when normally I'm looking for armbars or the mounted triangle from that position. 

After that we went on to do some short rounds of about 3 mins each. We were split off into two groups. Each had about 3 people in them and we would cycle in and out each round. I am normally used to 7 min rounds so this was a bit of a shock. One thing I learned is that my setups take more then 3 mins to finish lol. I also noticed that it's hard to pass a good guard in 3 mins.

Rolling Recap-

I first rolled with Trevor, a really decent blue belt that has trained with some amazing people like Marcelo. He is much taller then me and has a nasty guard. When we first started he went to his guard and I attempted to pass, somewhere in the mix I got caught with a reverse armbar that I was expecting to turn into an Oma Plata. When we restarted I went to my back and played my normal open guard game. I did not finish anything, but I found a small victory in not allowing him to pass my open guard.

Next I rolled with Bri. She tends to give my open guard fits because of her flexibility. I can't seem to disrupt her base as well. She has adapted to my game very well and seems to pressure forward for the pass. The only success I have in defending this is to wait for her to over extend herself and then push her off balance for a sweep.

Next up was Greg. Now saying Greg is a big boy is an understatement. I'm not sure how much he weighs, but he is very strong and I would say 200+ pounds. I was able to keep him from passing my guard and setup a nasty armbar on him, but could not finish due to how strong his arms are. One mistake I made with Greg that I should have known not to do is go for a triangle. Sure enough as soon as I through it up I remembered that I can't close my legs around his shoulders.

I finished up with Noel. We have a similar style in certain aspects. We both tend to let the other person make moves and then hang themselves. So when we roll it can almost turn into a flow drill, which is really fun and technical. For someone who weighs less then I do he has really good top pressure, and that's something I need to work on. I guess that means I would have to work more on my top game...yeeeeeah.

Can't Wait

The Pan Ams are getting closer every day and I can't wait. It's going to be a great trip I can already tell. Good group of people going on a nice trip to Cali to do what they love to do...Jiu-Jitsu! I personally am not going to compete this time. I am really ok with that too. I just want to go out and relax and watch some world class bjj and meet some cool people. I think if I had more competition experience under my belt I def would compete, but with only one small tourney of experience I know I would not be able to enjoy the trip and be nervous.


I CAN'T WAIT!

World Class Jiu-Jitsu

One word can describe Abmar Barbosa...WOW. And I don't mean World of Warcraft. His bjj is off the chain. It was a great seminar and we had a really decent turn out. There was a ton of skill on the mat Sunday, from white belts to browns and black.

Abmar seems to have a game that integrates very well with mine. He seems to play a lot of open guard and works very well from his back. I was really excited when the first move he demonstrated started off from an entry I often use. It was when you get double sleeve control and play a form of spider guard with your knees in the bends of their arms pushing out. From there you swing one foot up and over their arm and hook it in their same side armpit. With your other leg you swing it out and over the other arm like you are going for the omaplata. When they defend against that you go for an armbar on the first arm by pulling it in deep and locking your legs together over their back in a figure 4.

The other move was from the same entry and was a great sweep. You set it up the same from spider guard, but this time instead of hooking in the same side armpit you go over the arm and hook your foot in the far side armpit. After you do this you pull hard on both sleeves to load them up on your leg. Once you have their weight going forward you straighten out the leg they are on and kick them over for the sweep.

I'm excited to see Abmar compete at the Pan Ams and I will surely be cheering for him. He seems like a great guy with awesome Jiu-Jitsu. He is having another seminar up in Bangor with Eddie in a few days and I hope to make it to that one too. Money well spent! Guys like Abmar are the future of the sport. Great training.

Close Those Doors

Tonight was another open mat night, and it was a great one lemme tell ya. John, one of our black belts showed up and wanted to roll so that was really awesome. One of the great things about having John roll with me is he's not only a black belt, but he is a black belt that's MY SIZE!
After our rolls I asked John what he thought I could work on and he had some great advise. He told me that I was good at flowing with the person and transitioning, but sometimes I need to fight to stay in a position before flowing to another. This makes me impose my game on someone more, instead of just being ok with going to something else.

Rolls Recap-
John pretty much slaughtered me. I did attempt my old mounted triangle attack and ended up rolling to my back for the normal triangle. I had to switch it off to the armbar because he had wedged his hand in to protect his neck so it was clearly not getting blood. Once I changed to the armbar he stacked me correctly and I was not able to pull it off. I then went turtle and he proceeded to break dance on my back lol. I guess that's what I get for trying that.
Justin and I once again had some good rolls tonight. I noticed my game pretty much all starts from me getting the double sleeve control. So I told him not to let me set that up right from the start. It def seemed to make me work harder and took me out of my element more. I worked some pretty decent knee on belly in some of our rolls, and I was constantly looking for him to under hook my foot so that I could slide up for the mounted triangle.
Kevin has a lot longer frame then me and a few more pounds, so I have to play a totally different game with him then I do people my size. Normally I play open guard and roll off my shoulders a lot, but I find myself playing a tight closed guard game when we roll. I had some success with De La Riva guard tonight with Kevin, but not in the traditional way. I knew his legs are longer then mine and when I would go to that guard he would stand up to clear my foot. When he did this I would sit up and hug his knee and feed his opposite sleeve to my hand. Once I have this grip I would start to turn and sit on my side. This places my shoulder right into the back of his knee. From there all I had to do was drive my weight forward to collapse his leg and attempt taking the back. I did this several times tonight, but none of them ended up with me taking the back lol. I guess that's something I need to work on.

A Lil' Open Mat Time

So today I get the call that Noel and Justin are doing some Pan Ams training and needed a test dummy...well maybe not in those words. I really have been trying to get to class early to give Justin a hand on working through some new stuff, but I just hadn't found the time. Today worked out perfect though. So I skipped on over the the ol' barn for a good open mat session.
One of the things we are trying to work on is their game plan from start to finish. It's always best to have some sort of a plan because it acts as a road map in most cases. Now no plan ever goes exactly like you want it to, but that's the whole point of it being a road map, when you get off coarse it gives you a way to get back on track. So me and Justin went over some of the finer points of a certain take down, and also discussed his strong position in his stand up and what throws seem to work best from there. Its all about chaining them together. If you have your opponent constantly defending he has no time to mount an offense.
After that we went on to some guard passing drill. You have 5 mins to pass the persons guard with one pass. If you manage to pass you just start over, but the hard part is the other person knows what pass you are going to do every time. This really helps tighten your passing because if you can pull it off on someone who knows its coming, you will surely hit it on someone who doesn't.
I think both Noel and Justin are going to do well at the Pan Ams and I am certainly excited to see them compete. Justin did very well at his last comp (The Freestyle Grappling Open) he took 3rd in Gi and 1st in No Gi.

Rolls Recap-
I only had a chance to roll with Justin because Noel is still fighting an injury that he needs to rest. I feel I did fairly well against Justin today, we always have some epic battles and it ends up being great training for both of us. One of the things I was having success with today was starting in closed guard and waiting for him to attempt to break it open by pressing down on my knee with one hand. When he was attempting to do this I would time it just right and stuff that hand down while swinging that leg out and up to his shoulder for the triangle. I was having a hard time finishing the triangle today and it seemed like both times he was able to back out of it enough so that it was around his ears and not his neck. This move will stop working on him once he corrects his posture and stops letting me pull him down into the triangle.
Another move that I was forced to use tonight since my triangles were failing was the switch off to the armbar from the triangle position. I was able to hit this once or twice and I found it was key to take one of my hands and hold under his armpit of the arm that was not across his body. This stops him from being able to back out of the triangle and also keeps my angle consistent. With my other arm I would trap his arm that is across his body to my chest and when the time was right I would swing my leg that's locking the triangle over his face for the armbar. This is one time I find crossing the feet is OK and that's because there doesn't seem like much to hook onto, just the top of his head and you don't want your leg slipping off.

Abmar This Sunday

Abmar Barbosa!

This Sunday I will have another chance to train with Abmar. He came to our school a few months ago and I was very impressed with his style. I heard that he dominated at the most recent Naga and I'll be checking Youtube frequently looking for video of some of those matches. If I find them I will be sure to link them.
One of the nasty moves he taught was a great transition from Omaplata to armbar. I try it almost every time I end up in the Omaplata position, but I fail to pull up enough on the arm all the way through the move. The result is my partner being able to keep his elbow on the mat. Justin is great at defending this.
For more info check out www.abmarbarbosa.com

The Begining

John, a friend of mine a few weeks ago had mentioned in class one night about keeping a journal of sorts about techniques he learned. He wanted to start one as a way of remembering what he had learned and also as a tool to use when he needed people to critique him in areas that he normally might overlook.
I had spent a lot of time thinking about this idea, and although I liked it I am not the best writer in the world. I also have a hard time writing anything on paper because my penmanship resembles gang tags on the back of some Walgreens. So recently I picked up a Netbook (Acer Aspire One) and thought maybe I could bring that paper journal up to date and turn it into a blog.
After each class I would like to take some time to sit down and write about class. I want to go over the techniques while they are fresh in my mind and I can remember the details. I also would like to write about the rolls I did after class. Who I went with and all of the key things that happened in the roll. This will be so that I can look back on it and see who gave me problems and with what moves. I hope to use this as a tool and will be telling my classmates about the blog so that they can leave comments and helpful advice. So here goes nothin'.