Ill be putting some new content up on the Trojan Freefighter page as part of there blog in the upcoming future. I want to do my part to try promote the club and its a good way to keep me writing. Ill be doing some spotlight articles on the coaches and members that train there as well as providing and insight into what training is like for the beginner and those at pro level.
My own training is currently intermittent as BJJ falls on 3 nights at Trojans and currently I am working 2 of them. But only during term time, so during the holidays I will be training every single night possible to try and make up some long ground. However deep in my heart I believe that steady consistency is definitely better than training in bursts. To try get the most out of my limited training I've been really trying to focus on getting maximum practise in each session. I try to never choose my partners, instead to just make myself available to all comers so I don't unconsciously avoid the hard rolls. When I spar with a much less experienced or able opponent I try and put myself in bad positions and give them opportunities. Ill also only use a very specific tactic to try and explore where I need to improve it. I.E open guard to triangle, closed guard to gi choke, spider guard to sweep etc. With the tough guys I can push myself and try do my best. My one big problem is I am a chatty training partner! sometimes I just need to shut up. I don't try coach those who are at a similar level or above, I just like to give compliments!
Friday, 17 July 2015
Monday, 29 June 2015
I live!
It’s been a long time since I’ve updated!
But due to special request I thought I would provide an update.
I had to stop BJJ when I was expecting my son to save some money. Once he was born and we had some idea of
finances I started training Judo again as I had some good clubs near me, its a
3rd of the price and would cross over with BJJ.
I did that for about 2 years, working my way up to brown belt (1st
Kyu). I really enjoyed Judo and made
some good friends at Guildford Police Judo club and Dorking Judo club. One of which was Stuart who has his own blog
and does abit of BJJ. I feel I could definitely
go for my 1st Dan, just need to do a technical grading and then beat a few
people up at competition.
However!
I then moved to Worcester!, found a great Judo club but then also found a
nearby BJJ club!. I had been missing BJJ
alot and I couldn’t make time to do both so I am back to BJJ at Checkmat (Trojan Freefighters)
Worcester under Paul Severn. I am still
a blue belt but the Judo has helped me from deteriorating too much and has
taught me a different skillset. Judo
guys have a fast groundgame and almost always prefer to be on top. Plus the standup obviously.
I feel very comfortable now at blue, and am now able to give the higher
belts abit of a harder time and keep myself safe when fighting giant
barbarians. Its been fun acclimatizing
to new opponents with different styles to that Im used to. As alot of them are MMA guys most of them aren’t
used to being attacked with traditional gi chokes, which I love. Downside is they are all leg lock crazy. But everyone has a good attitude and injuries
are rare so I am happy.
Working towards that purple, but may take a while as new clubs often want
you to earn your place in the team first before being promoted. Im in no hurry though.
Enjoying the Journey!
Saturday, 20 February 2010
Good vibes
Ive been stuffing my face with pizza and takeaway the last 2 weeks, felt abit shit at training (an incentive to eat well!)but was mystified at somehow losing weight. Am now 67kg. Ive noticed two things of interest recently:
Been using the cross choke from guard and mount a huge amount, practically every single roll multiple times and have been getting it quite tight. My hands are feeling pretty strong, hopefully if I can get some more climbing wall practise itll get even better.
The other note of interest is the psychological aspect. I was successfull a few times and some people gave me some compliments and it gave me a massive unconscious boost to carry on with that tactic. Which has led to me improving it through practise and now forms a big part of my arsenal. All down to positive reinforcement really. So give a training partner a compliment on something they did well and see what effect it has. Ive made it a habit of always trying to give a compliment on something they did well after every roll. You run the risk of sounding condescending but the good vibes are worth it I think as these are the things you draw on when you are at a low point.
My instructer doesnt give compliments very often but when he does they hold more gravity. I very specifically remember the first time I got to roll fully, Id been waiting for a long time and was very determined. Landed a triangle quickly on a larger opponent. After the roll my instructer told me I did well, very simple and understated but I still carry that with me.
We put alot of effort into taking care of our physical health so that we can train but the mental aspects are just as important. If you attack every less experienced partner with the aim of submitting them as often and effortlessly as possible then you are gonna kill their confidence, which may hurt their ability and even their enjoyment of the art. Which is unforgivable.
Let me know if you see any interesting effects after giving someone some positive feedback.
Been using the cross choke from guard and mount a huge amount, practically every single roll multiple times and have been getting it quite tight. My hands are feeling pretty strong, hopefully if I can get some more climbing wall practise itll get even better.
The other note of interest is the psychological aspect. I was successfull a few times and some people gave me some compliments and it gave me a massive unconscious boost to carry on with that tactic. Which has led to me improving it through practise and now forms a big part of my arsenal. All down to positive reinforcement really. So give a training partner a compliment on something they did well and see what effect it has. Ive made it a habit of always trying to give a compliment on something they did well after every roll. You run the risk of sounding condescending but the good vibes are worth it I think as these are the things you draw on when you are at a low point.
My instructer doesnt give compliments very often but when he does they hold more gravity. I very specifically remember the first time I got to roll fully, Id been waiting for a long time and was very determined. Landed a triangle quickly on a larger opponent. After the roll my instructer told me I did well, very simple and understated but I still carry that with me.
We put alot of effort into taking care of our physical health so that we can train but the mental aspects are just as important. If you attack every less experienced partner with the aim of submitting them as often and effortlessly as possible then you are gonna kill their confidence, which may hurt their ability and even their enjoyment of the art. Which is unforgivable.
Let me know if you see any interesting effects after giving someone some positive feedback.
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Jiu jitsu brotherhood wisdom
"To maximize your potential as a jiu-jitsoka, it’s not enough to just head to class every day and go through the motions. You need to approach your training from several angles.
I have a particular system which has worked for my students and I. It’s called the A.C.T. Model. This stands for Attribute Maximization, Conceptual Understanding, Technical Knowledge. This article will provide a general overview of this model. " -
Very interesting concept from Nicolas Gregoriades who has just stuck it up on his website: Jiu jitsu brotherhood (goto the link to read the whole article) . Ive mentioned Nic on here before and I quite like his cerebral approach to the complex problem of grappling. I think Ill hit him up for a private lesson one day just to get a better insight into his way of thinking,which may or may not be for me. I tend to think quite alot about BJJ and Ive often found it as much as a hinderence as an advantage.
Matt Benyon over at Martial farts has been churning up some super awesome hyper mega material that makes me want to headbut a horse with creative jealousy. Go there, buy his shit and support him so I can be regularly entertained and inspired.
Havnt been able to train as much as Id like due to Woking (where I live) roadworks which add another 20 mins onto my journey and make me late for my train. I dont want to ride there on the motorcycle because itll end up being a one way ticket to a private with helio. Its getting lighter though so perhaps soon.
I have a particular system which has worked for my students and I. It’s called the A.C.T. Model. This stands for Attribute Maximization, Conceptual Understanding, Technical Knowledge. This article will provide a general overview of this model. " -
Very interesting concept from Nicolas Gregoriades who has just stuck it up on his website: Jiu jitsu brotherhood (goto the link to read the whole article) . Ive mentioned Nic on here before and I quite like his cerebral approach to the complex problem of grappling. I think Ill hit him up for a private lesson one day just to get a better insight into his way of thinking,which may or may not be for me. I tend to think quite alot about BJJ and Ive often found it as much as a hinderence as an advantage.
Matt Benyon over at Martial farts has been churning up some super awesome hyper mega material that makes me want to headbut a horse with creative jealousy. Go there, buy his shit and support him so I can be regularly entertained and inspired.
Havnt been able to train as much as Id like due to Woking (where I live) roadworks which add another 20 mins onto my journey and make me late for my train. I dont want to ride there on the motorcycle because itll end up being a one way ticket to a private with helio. Its getting lighter though so perhaps soon.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Now thats more like it
Finally got in a good solid week of training, around 7.5 hours including a private I had with Andy. Felt quite achey at the end of it but felt it was definitely a good start to 2010.
Private wise I didnt cover anything really specific just some niggling things:
I got raped in the no gi class, by pretty much everyone. My no gi really does suck. Was good to see Ryan back as I love our mad scramble fests, high lights were him getting a scissor takedown. Then trying it again where I imagined to jump and sit on on him like a balance ball. Then he got me in a banana split/crotch ripper. It was an hour and a half of pure sparring pretty much from many positions.
The no gi class did help teach me a good lesson about wrestling though, as Ive been very complacent with just turtling and moving from there, but as people have improved that shit just doesnt fly anymore. Way to much effort now. So my new strategy was to stay on top and give them impression I wasnt gonna pull guard, once I stuff their attempts to get on top most people seem to switch to a bottom game (path of least resistance I guess). I should add that some people have the EXACT same idea...and are better wrestlers than me. Ive been using alot of guard recently so getting back to a proactive passing style felt good.
Future thoughts are on more passing and sweeps. Got alot more to write about but Im gonna split it into a few posts.
Private wise I didnt cover anything really specific just some niggling things:
- Keeping them flat on their back when passing (turns out this was alot more important than I gave it credit for).
- A tighter omoplata sweep ( I was getting the sweep but not keeping the position).
- Knee on pressure (Break the habit of planting the foot on the ground)
- Side control shrimping towards opponent (Ive been going the other way and its been working but it wont in the future.)
- A bjj version of Baz Lurhmans "wear sunscreen", its gonna be awesome.
I got raped in the no gi class, by pretty much everyone. My no gi really does suck. Was good to see Ryan back as I love our mad scramble fests, high lights were him getting a scissor takedown. Then trying it again where I imagined to jump and sit on on him like a balance ball. Then he got me in a banana split/crotch ripper. It was an hour and a half of pure sparring pretty much from many positions.
The no gi class did help teach me a good lesson about wrestling though, as Ive been very complacent with just turtling and moving from there, but as people have improved that shit just doesnt fly anymore. Way to much effort now. So my new strategy was to stay on top and give them impression I wasnt gonna pull guard, once I stuff their attempts to get on top most people seem to switch to a bottom game (path of least resistance I guess). I should add that some people have the EXACT same idea...and are better wrestlers than me. Ive been using alot of guard recently so getting back to a proactive passing style felt good.
Future thoughts are on more passing and sweeps. Got alot more to write about but Im gonna split it into a few posts.
Monday, 4 January 2010
Tapping 10 000 times on the road to blackbelt
Just found this interesting youtube vid, I normally dislike submissions 101 but Keith Owen is bonafide blackbelt. I mention it here to further highlight the importance of tapping.
Let me know what you think.
Let me know what you think.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Injuries and brazilian jiu jitsu
Brazilian Jiu jitsu is a martial art that practises full resistance training with a strong emphasis on competitions, with a great deal of focus on how to render someone unconscious or broken. So injuries will inevitably happen. Control and a relaxed manner are advocated as well which makes it as safe as it is possible whilst still training with full resistance i.e someone trying to stop you and submit you with all their ability.
Recently Ive heard and seen a couple of injuries. Almost all are freak accidents, like this recent one in new Zealand where young guy had a serious injury to the neck, where some of his vertebrae were broken whilst being stacked. One of our very own guys at the club had a freak injury as well where he landed badly on his head during a throw, he has had an operation and last I heard was doing well. So hopefully he will be back on the mats soon, so send Matt Jackson your positive vibes. Get well soon big guy.
Ive been lucky and have never suffered a broken bone or serious injury, closest was in kent where my elbow made some rice krispy noises but no lasting damage. Ive been choked out a few times and that was kinda fun and was alot more enjoyable than you would think...
So what can you do to help prevent injury?
Like I said before accidents do happen but they arnt that often if you train with good people and do it right.
Recently Ive heard and seen a couple of injuries. Almost all are freak accidents, like this recent one in new Zealand where young guy had a serious injury to the neck, where some of his vertebrae were broken whilst being stacked. One of our very own guys at the club had a freak injury as well where he landed badly on his head during a throw, he has had an operation and last I heard was doing well. So hopefully he will be back on the mats soon, so send Matt Jackson your positive vibes. Get well soon big guy.
Ive been lucky and have never suffered a broken bone or serious injury, closest was in kent where my elbow made some rice krispy noises but no lasting damage. Ive been choked out a few times and that was kinda fun and was alot more enjoyable than you would think...
So what can you do to help prevent injury?
- Train with people you trust, if you are brand new then typically the higher grades should have more control and be relaxed.
- Be relaxed and controlled yourself, if you spaz out they might think thats a go ahead to spaz out to.
- TAP, if you cant defend or escape TAP, dont wait for the pain or to be pushed to the limit. Even if nothing breaks that damage will add up if its often enough. TAP, snap or nap as the saying goes.
- Be aware, sometimes legs,arms and fingers get tangled if you roll the wrong way something could pop. And there is often other people rolling right next to you who you might not notice.
- Sit without leaning back on straight arms, if someone rolls into the back of them it will hurt.
- Be a good training partner if you injure your training partners no one will want to train with you, no slams! dont knee them in the face! dont sandpaper their face! dont crank subs on. Control at all times.
- Hygiene be clean! I dont want your staph, MRSA or ringworm. Cut your fingernails and toe nails!
If you have a serious injury obviously listen to your doctor if its just a sore joint or muscle then theres a couple of things you can do:
- R.I.C.E - Rest, Ice, compression, Elevation. It helps alot.
- Take care of yourself, try not to over train. Take your vitamins, some people advocate fish oils and glucosamine for joints. Make sure you sleep right and eat right.
Like I said before accidents do happen but they arnt that often if you train with good people and do it right.
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Monday, 21 December 2009
Catch up.
Trainings going well, been paying attention to my reactionary thoughts while grappling. I used to notice an "arg to much effort" feeling when I was in someones closed guard. Now I notice a much more positive feeling of "you better do something special bucko because Im gonna pass, and Im gonna crush your soul while doing it". Obviously it doesnt always turn out that way but I certainly wouldnt be to annoyed if someone jumped guard on me now. Bottom game is feeling better as well, spending abit to much time under half guard and very little open guard. In my next private Ive chalked up "improve closed guard". Typically on bottom I find myself transitioning between full guard, half guard ( with preference to deep or long half guard), turtle and x guard. Plenty of kimura's Im spotting at the moment, the basic setup being a small explosive movement to get them to base with a hand, and then snatching that up for the kimura when they do.
Underneath side control Im still continueing to attack from with a combo of reverse triangles, kimura's and sweeps. With my favourite being a kind of bottom crucifix position where I have trapped one of their arms between my legs. Severly limits their ability to transition or attack and opens up some interesting options depending on their response.
Big congrats to our James Hardy (I used to call him spider noodles for the long time readers)who got gold in his division at the Abu Dhabi UK trials just gone, one of my favourite sparring partners who has a great approach to the game and is definitely one of our best. Also big congrats to Daniel Agard who I met a while ago on my travels, who won the absolute!. Young lad to, cant wait to see what he accomplishes.
Heres some cool stuff Ive seen since my last post:
True and funny!
Jacare vs Matt Lindland available on http://www.mmascraps.com/.
Not bad Jeff :)
awesome.
Underneath side control Im still continueing to attack from with a combo of reverse triangles, kimura's and sweeps. With my favourite being a kind of bottom crucifix position where I have trapped one of their arms between my legs. Severly limits their ability to transition or attack and opens up some interesting options depending on their response.
Big congrats to our James Hardy (I used to call him spider noodles for the long time readers)who got gold in his division at the Abu Dhabi UK trials just gone, one of my favourite sparring partners who has a great approach to the game and is definitely one of our best. Also big congrats to Daniel Agard who I met a while ago on my travels, who won the absolute!. Young lad to, cant wait to see what he accomplishes.
Heres some cool stuff Ive seen since my last post:
True and funny!
Jacare vs Matt Lindland available on http://www.mmascraps.com/.
Not bad Jeff :)
awesome.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Training and catch up
Been busy the last 2 weeks so not as much training as I would like. On the plus side Im now Archery leader qualified under GNAS. Archery and BJJ? why not. Im also now riding a motorbike, a brand spanking new Yamaha 125YBR. My first vehicle of any kind so have been trying to gets to grips with that. Lots of adventures already.
Had a great training session just gone, lots of stand up throwing practise and full stand up sparring. Recently remembered the strange grip seoi nage setup Micah at Novagen taught and I think Im gonna carry on working on that as I think it gives a nice option when I dont think the tomoe nage is a great idea. The grip relies on them gripping my lapel, I then grip their lapel over their arm on that same side with my other hand gripping their gripping arm sleeve. The throw then works with the same seio nage mechanics of stepping in and twisting, it bends their elbow up at abit of a funny angle which I think helps break down their defense.
Another move that Ive seen pop up recently is the reverse triangle, probaly due to Braulio pulling it off against Galvao. The setup Im liking is when they go for a single underleg pass and you slip the free leg under, grip the offending arm and then as they pass the leg link up the triangle while creating room with your hips. I find it harder to finish than a normal triangle though even with pulling the leg and rolling into a reverse mount position.
Cardio has dipped slightly from the break but am feeling alright. Have a private with Andy that Ive had since April! need to have a proper think about some stuff I need to work on and use it.
Thoughts for this post:
Listen to your instructer!, even if something is working well for you if he/she says its not good then listen!. It might work now but it will probaly cause issues for you later, something they can see but you might not.
Big congrats to Jude Samuel who won his first Pro mma fight!
Video link
Had a great training session just gone, lots of stand up throwing practise and full stand up sparring. Recently remembered the strange grip seoi nage setup Micah at Novagen taught and I think Im gonna carry on working on that as I think it gives a nice option when I dont think the tomoe nage is a great idea. The grip relies on them gripping my lapel, I then grip their lapel over their arm on that same side with my other hand gripping their gripping arm sleeve. The throw then works with the same seio nage mechanics of stepping in and twisting, it bends their elbow up at abit of a funny angle which I think helps break down their defense.
Another move that Ive seen pop up recently is the reverse triangle, probaly due to Braulio pulling it off against Galvao. The setup Im liking is when they go for a single underleg pass and you slip the free leg under, grip the offending arm and then as they pass the leg link up the triangle while creating room with your hips. I find it harder to finish than a normal triangle though even with pulling the leg and rolling into a reverse mount position.
Cardio has dipped slightly from the break but am feeling alright. Have a private with Andy that Ive had since April! need to have a proper think about some stuff I need to work on and use it.
Thoughts for this post:
Listen to your instructer!, even if something is working well for you if he/she says its not good then listen!. It might work now but it will probaly cause issues for you later, something they can see but you might not.
Big congrats to Jude Samuel who won his first Pro mma fight!
Video link
Sunday, 1 November 2009
POSTURE
Posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture
posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture
Seriously, posture.
So incredibly simple but so easily over looked. Andy gave us a really good lesson on saturday focusing on posture. Using your core and keeping your hips close to theirs, it seems most people naturally try and make a gap whilst in guard. But this just results in compromising your ability to keep good posture. Why is posture so important? well it means they cant even begin to set up most attacks let alone you try and escape them. In fact I find if I try attack someone in my guard with very good posture that I cant break I end up helping them to pass if anything.
Made a point of concentrating just on posture in sparring, and I felt a big difference in myself and my opponents. No more getting triangled for me!
posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture posture
Seriously, posture.
So incredibly simple but so easily over looked. Andy gave us a really good lesson on saturday focusing on posture. Using your core and keeping your hips close to theirs, it seems most people naturally try and make a gap whilst in guard. But this just results in compromising your ability to keep good posture. Why is posture so important? well it means they cant even begin to set up most attacks let alone you try and escape them. In fact I find if I try attack someone in my guard with very good posture that I cant break I end up helping them to pass if anything.
Made a point of concentrating just on posture in sparring, and I felt a big difference in myself and my opponents. No more getting triangled for me!
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Roger Gracie visits the clinic
For those on facebook you will need to view this post at http://www.jadonbjj.blogspot.com/ to see the pics.
Last saturday we had the honour of hosting Roger Gracie as visiting instructer. For those unfamiliar with Roger heres a quick bio from wikipedia:
"Roger Gracie Gomes (born September 26, 1981) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He was recently promoted to 2nd degree black belt by Carlos Gracie Jr. He is a member of the Gracie family, the son of Reyla Gracie (who is the daughter of Carlos Gracie) and Mauricio Motta Gomes (one of the six Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts of Rolls Gracie). His most notable achievement to date is winning the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005, taking first place in the 88–98 kg and Open-weight categories by submitting all eight opponents—a feat that had not previously been achieved. He has also won the BJJ World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (the Mundials) a record 8 times including 6 time in this weight class and twice at open weight. "
Last saturday we had the honour of hosting Roger Gracie as visiting instructer. For those unfamiliar with Roger heres a quick bio from wikipedia:
"Roger Gracie Gomes (born September 26, 1981) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He was recently promoted to 2nd degree black belt by Carlos Gracie Jr. He is a member of the Gracie family, the son of Reyla Gracie (who is the daughter of Carlos Gracie) and Mauricio Motta Gomes (one of the six Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts of Rolls Gracie). His most notable achievement to date is winning the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005, taking first place in the 88–98 kg and Open-weight categories by submitting all eight opponents—a feat that had not previously been achieved. He has also won the BJJ World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (the Mundials) a record 8 times including 6 time in this weight class and twice at open weight. "
Ive met him on a few occasions and his always had a smile and a handshake for me (and everyone he meets).
So there we were milling about and Roger steps and blows us all away with his chi:
He taught a very nice judo outside trip and then a variation where you fake the trip and go for an osoto gari (major outer leg reap). According to Olympic coach Mark Earle who I trained with a while ago, osoto gari has the highest instances of knockouts. Because when properly executed with full force and momentum the uke lands on the top of his shoulders, neck and head....which would suck.
Did some drills instead of some sparring with Sid who was abit injured, always a great partner with lots of usefull advice and observations.
He then taught a arm drag manuver. In the next lesson we focused on the knee through standing pass in ALOT of detail, pressure! PRESSURE!.
We then did a fair amount of sparring.
I felt pretty good, starting to get better timing and setting up of the straight achilles. Cross choke from mount is everybodies friend.
Whenever we get a guest instructer or special visitor it always results in crazy injuries. Everyone spars harder and tries to use more muscle, as if by a show of pure gripping strength they are gonna quadruple promote you. Anyone other people notice this?
Roger was then flooded with people to take pics and sign belts, I dont know why but I can never bring myself to ask for a picture so I opted for sneaking into other peoples :P. I remember asking him if he ever got bored of all the people wanting pictures and so on and he replied very concisely "never".
Roger was then flooded with people to take pics and sign belts, I dont know why but I can never bring myself to ask for a picture so I opted for sneaking into other peoples :P. I remember asking him if he ever got bored of all the people wanting pictures and so on and he replied very concisely "never".
And of course we had to have the big group picture.
Thats me sneaking behind Andy and Roger.
Thats me sneaking behind Andy and Roger.
I took the oppertunity to talk to Roger about his thoughts on my pilgrimage, he seemed quite positive about it although perhaps unsure why I am doing it. The guy is so relaxed I would be interested to see him stressed. So all in all a very fun lesson and it was great to have one of the greatest grapplers alive in the world teaching at the club.
Thank you to all those that took the pictures!.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Carlson Gracie Camberley - Mark Earle judo seminar
This visit was slightly different to the others in that it was a seminar, with the main focus being judo but also in applying it to a BJJ context.
Gary Lowe who from what I can tell is the heart and soul of the club picked me up from the station. To my amusement we were both sporting blue obi michi faixa rua belts!
Mark Earle is the head judo coach for the GB Olympic team and holds the rank of 6th Dan (the lighthouse coloured belt). He has coached Great Britain in 3 Olympics!. His experience in BJJ is minimal but he made constant efforts to explain the techniques in a way that would help our jiu jitsu game.
We started off with a light and speedy warm up of touch rugby and some kineastethics. He then made sure we were comfortable break falling, explaining that being comfortable with being thrown would help our stand up.
We then went through a series of throws, always breaking it down to absolute basic level and then adding complexity. These footwork drills made a quick and significant difference. We covered seio nage (shoulder throw), ochigari (outer leg reap), a keraaaaazzy drop kata garuma variation (doing a front split and throwing your opponent side ways over you!) a forward and backward variation of that. And a butterfly Tomoe nage type throw which ended in mount, the setup to which was particularly tight.
Mark had an assistant throughout called Danny, a GB judo international and nice guy. We went a few rounds of randori (stand up sparring) and when I had a go at Danny he was curtious enough not to smash me through the floor. Against my other opponents tomoe nage was my friend as usual but uchi mata is my deadly enemy. At one point I was paired against a taller opponent and on two, TWO! occasions I got nailed right in the tenders by a uchi mata calf.
We then lined up on the wall and we each fought Danny, in a row, without a break with Mark scoring and explaining. There were atleast 10 of us...some atleast 20kg heavier than him. He did not lose a single judo point and beat everyone, although had his back taken a few times but always survived to matte (restart). Awesome thing to see, incredible cardio, heart and ability. Ill be cheering him on in the olympics if he makes the team.
My fight against Danny:
I knew he was on to my tomoe nage so was tryng to keep him out of his element by attacking his legs. At one point I went for a flying armbar but he got his arm out, and engaged me in newaza. Went for an armbar of his own but I escaped. After standing back up he got me with a sweeeeet uchi mata, very nice feeling to be made so weightless...
My camera messed up again so Im waiting on a Mark Phung from Carlson Gracie to upload the picture on facebook. Also had a roll with Mark which was good fun, who is the heaviest 62kg Ive ever engaged with! Mark was good enough to treat me to a protein shake after training which was pretty tasty.
All in all I got a much better appreciation of judo and am keen for more, Mark gave me some compliments I feel very proud of.
Gary Lowe who from what I can tell is the heart and soul of the club picked me up from the station. To my amusement we were both sporting blue obi michi faixa rua belts!
Mark Earle is the head judo coach for the GB Olympic team and holds the rank of 6th Dan (the lighthouse coloured belt). He has coached Great Britain in 3 Olympics!. His experience in BJJ is minimal but he made constant efforts to explain the techniques in a way that would help our jiu jitsu game.
We started off with a light and speedy warm up of touch rugby and some kineastethics. He then made sure we were comfortable break falling, explaining that being comfortable with being thrown would help our stand up.
We then went through a series of throws, always breaking it down to absolute basic level and then adding complexity. These footwork drills made a quick and significant difference. We covered seio nage (shoulder throw), ochigari (outer leg reap), a keraaaaazzy drop kata garuma variation (doing a front split and throwing your opponent side ways over you!) a forward and backward variation of that. And a butterfly Tomoe nage type throw which ended in mount, the setup to which was particularly tight.
Mark had an assistant throughout called Danny, a GB judo international and nice guy. We went a few rounds of randori (stand up sparring) and when I had a go at Danny he was curtious enough not to smash me through the floor. Against my other opponents tomoe nage was my friend as usual but uchi mata is my deadly enemy. At one point I was paired against a taller opponent and on two, TWO! occasions I got nailed right in the tenders by a uchi mata calf.
We then lined up on the wall and we each fought Danny, in a row, without a break with Mark scoring and explaining. There were atleast 10 of us...some atleast 20kg heavier than him. He did not lose a single judo point and beat everyone, although had his back taken a few times but always survived to matte (restart). Awesome thing to see, incredible cardio, heart and ability. Ill be cheering him on in the olympics if he makes the team.
My fight against Danny:
I knew he was on to my tomoe nage so was tryng to keep him out of his element by attacking his legs. At one point I went for a flying armbar but he got his arm out, and engaged me in newaza. Went for an armbar of his own but I escaped. After standing back up he got me with a sweeeeet uchi mata, very nice feeling to be made so weightless...
My camera messed up again so Im waiting on a Mark Phung from Carlson Gracie to upload the picture on facebook. Also had a roll with Mark which was good fun, who is the heaviest 62kg Ive ever engaged with! Mark was good enough to treat me to a protein shake after training which was pretty tasty.
All in all I got a much better appreciation of judo and am keen for more, Mark gave me some compliments I feel very proud of.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Thank you Faixa Rua
Just wanted to say thank you on the blog to Faixa Rua for sending me a cool piece of kit to wear on the pilgrimage. The item in question is the Obi Michi wearable BJJ belt, also mentioned recently on Meerkatsu's blog. I first saw a similar item on an american website but was put off buying in fear of taxes. Its a great idea though and I expect it will do well, so Im more than willing to sport it to some clubs and comps.
The item in question has split the BJJ community though, some think its abit cheesy (like 80's guitar solo's, others (myself included) think its awesome (like 80's guitar solo's).
The material is just like a normal gi belt although different to the normal faixa rua belts. Would I be taking it to far by adding my stripe to it?
The item in question has split the BJJ community though, some think its abit cheesy (like 80's guitar solo's, others (myself included) think its awesome (like 80's guitar solo's).
The material is just like a normal gi belt although different to the normal faixa rua belts. Would I be taking it to far by adding my stripe to it?
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Character
There is more to Brazilian jiu jitsu than jiu jitsu, and brazilians for that matter. Character is important, and I think the training itself is a powerfull filter for those with the wrong sort of character. And I guess thats why you get so many guys and girls from different backgrounds but who get on well in the training environment, because of the similar traits needed. Ive often heard of this also being a sort of prequisite for promotion within the art. Even with boatloads of ability you will not get far if you dont treat your training partners well, respect your instructer and dedicate yourself.
I think club compatriots invest alot of time, effort and emotion into each other. Things we cannot afford to give everyone, and definitely not those who have shown themselves not to deserve it. Im not just talking about the guy who slams you to escape the triangle, Im talking about the guy who ignores the struggling white belt or refuses to help get a guy ready for a big fight or comp. The guy who only fights those 10kg lighter and then makes excuses when he gets put with a bigger guy. The guy who demands his instructer promotes him or he will go elsewhere.
Luckily I dont see those guys very often, they dont last. And the ones that do have a very lonely road.
I think club compatriots invest alot of time, effort and emotion into each other. Things we cannot afford to give everyone, and definitely not those who have shown themselves not to deserve it. Im not just talking about the guy who slams you to escape the triangle, Im talking about the guy who ignores the struggling white belt or refuses to help get a guy ready for a big fight or comp. The guy who only fights those 10kg lighter and then makes excuses when he gets put with a bigger guy. The guy who demands his instructer promotes him or he will go elsewhere.
Luckily I dont see those guys very often, they dont last. And the ones that do have a very lonely road.
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Mill Hill RGA Grand opening and visit
Im battered. Trained Friday – was good. Trained Saturday – was good. Trained Sunday for 4 hours -was awesome. Typically the better the training the more battered and sore I am. On Sunday I attended the grand opening of Mill Hill RGA’s new venue. Myself, Dan, Dave and Rich were representing our front. Loads of people were there, must of been atleast 60. Including black belts Roger Gracie and Nic G. Saw Roger Gracie in the toilets and decided not to shake his hand but did contemplate jumping him and putting on a RNC while he was at the urinal. Just so I could die a legend.
Even more awesome was running into some familiar faces, Lawrence venter from RGA Wimbledon; The Jones family; Mathew Benyon from martial farts; Semour yang from meerkatsu;Alex Hare; and of course Nick Brooks the instructer at Mill Hill.
Left to right: Alex, Seymour, Matt,myself,Darren Vitry
Tons of people were there so drilling was abit cramped but still learnt some good stuff. Focusing a on a flower sweep variation I dont know the proper name of. Gripping the trousers rather than underhooking the leg though, then going for the sweep, or armbar or switching the grip and going for triangle or omoplata!.
We then Sparred....for forever!. Me and Mathew had a tussle which was fun, I was able to dodge the triangles (just!!) but couldnt get to far in setting up much. Then sparred Lawrence which was also awesome, tried for some dodgy americana's from under side control as is my custom but couldnt finish it. Think he tapped me with a choke at some point. Sparred another big RGA blue belt guy Darren Vitry. He gave some great feedback which was really usefull!. Sparred Nick Brooks a whole buncha times! who is one of my favourite people in the world to spar for his feedback and style. I always learn a huge amount from this guy and its always fundemental basic stuff that is so vital. Me and Dale (Mill hill Orange belt - 6 golds in a row: if you meet him he will let you in on this little known secret) met again in a war, this time ending in abit of a stalemate with to be fair the points going to Dale. He has improved his control and tightness tremendously since our last encounter, if I dont step it up he will win round 4 soundly!. In summary I didnt tap anyone...but my defense was pretty good I thought.
Pre Carnage
Nick and Roger then handed out some belts! a few blues and stripes and a very notable purple to Daniel Strauss!, big congrats to him! purple at 18!
Me and my boys then stayed on the mat as we will carry on sparring/training till they kick us off. Nick Brooks shares our enthusiasm and pretty much gave us a private for an hour! Gave me alot to work on, which is a great feeling. POSTURE! HIP PRESSURE! GRIPS! TIMING!!
Had a fantastic time! one of my best visits so far.
I had a case of camera envy so all the photos you can thank Semour Yang at Meerkatsu, Mathew Benyon at Martialfarts and Millhill RGA BJJ.
Even more awesome was running into some familiar faces, Lawrence venter from RGA Wimbledon; The Jones family; Mathew Benyon from martial farts; Semour yang from meerkatsu;Alex Hare; and of course Nick Brooks the instructer at Mill Hill.
Left to right: Alex, Seymour, Matt,myself,Darren Vitry
Tons of people were there so drilling was abit cramped but still learnt some good stuff. Focusing a on a flower sweep variation I dont know the proper name of. Gripping the trousers rather than underhooking the leg though, then going for the sweep, or armbar or switching the grip and going for triangle or omoplata!.
We then Sparred....for forever!. Me and Mathew had a tussle which was fun, I was able to dodge the triangles (just!!) but couldnt get to far in setting up much. Then sparred Lawrence which was also awesome, tried for some dodgy americana's from under side control as is my custom but couldnt finish it. Think he tapped me with a choke at some point. Sparred another big RGA blue belt guy Darren Vitry. He gave some great feedback which was really usefull!. Sparred Nick Brooks a whole buncha times! who is one of my favourite people in the world to spar for his feedback and style. I always learn a huge amount from this guy and its always fundemental basic stuff that is so vital. Me and Dale (Mill hill Orange belt - 6 golds in a row: if you meet him he will let you in on this little known secret) met again in a war, this time ending in abit of a stalemate with to be fair the points going to Dale. He has improved his control and tightness tremendously since our last encounter, if I dont step it up he will win round 4 soundly!. In summary I didnt tap anyone...but my defense was pretty good I thought.
Pre Carnage
Nick and Roger then handed out some belts! a few blues and stripes and a very notable purple to Daniel Strauss!, big congrats to him! purple at 18!
Me and my boys then stayed on the mat as we will carry on sparring/training till they kick us off. Nick Brooks shares our enthusiasm and pretty much gave us a private for an hour! Gave me alot to work on, which is a great feeling. POSTURE! HIP PRESSURE! GRIPS! TIMING!!
Had a fantastic time! one of my best visits so far.
Im in there I promise.
I had a case of camera envy so all the photos you can thank Semour Yang at Meerkatsu, Mathew Benyon at Martialfarts and Millhill RGA BJJ.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Apoligies
I Have recently moved to Woking and do not have internet access yet, hence the lack of updates. Doing a pilgrimage visit to millhill tommorow for their grand opening, should be a blast been looking forward to it for a loooong time.
Training is going well. Been practising the no posture pass and getting some results with it, Andy helped alot in pointing out its weaknesses which gives me a better understanding of how to impliment it. Been doing abit better recently with a slight change in the way I approach sparring. Be as boring as possible!, if Im passing do not do anything untill Ive got posture even if I have to spend the whole time fighting for it. Or not trying any attacks untill Ive got good grips and broken them down etc etc. Fewer moves the better. Will see where it gets me, possibility of becoming to passive. But am enjoying it and has helped.
Will update after millhill.
Training is going well. Been practising the no posture pass and getting some results with it, Andy helped alot in pointing out its weaknesses which gives me a better understanding of how to impliment it. Been doing abit better recently with a slight change in the way I approach sparring. Be as boring as possible!, if Im passing do not do anything untill Ive got posture even if I have to spend the whole time fighting for it. Or not trying any attacks untill Ive got good grips and broken them down etc etc. Fewer moves the better. Will see where it gets me, possibility of becoming to passive. But am enjoying it and has helped.
Will update after millhill.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Just everday training
It occured to me I havnt blogged about normal everyday BJJ training for awhile. So thought I would include a short update.
Its going well!. I regard my topgame as my A-game but feel quite comfortable on my back in good or bad positions. Passing wise Ive really tried to slow it down and find the angles, rather than trying to be acrobatic and leaving to much room. My plan is to frustrate and slowly but surely crush their souls untill I can no longer ignore the juicy morsel of the submission. This video here that I saw on Christian Graugarts blog really gave me alot of food for thought, on pressure and angles when passing.
I found this pass a really interesting way of using hip pressure and a low posture to create an angle to pass. Goes by many names it seems so Ill let the video explain:
Found through bullshido and then Aesopians blog.
Been doing more no-gi training which is fun, my shoot is very crappy I prefer to clinch and go roman greco style. But I definitely need to work on the shoot. I keep on trying a no-gi tomoe nage but without much luck unless I have a guillotine type grip. Scrambles are definitely more fun no-gi, something I feel I do ok in but I definitely miss those collar grips.
Its going well!. I regard my topgame as my A-game but feel quite comfortable on my back in good or bad positions. Passing wise Ive really tried to slow it down and find the angles, rather than trying to be acrobatic and leaving to much room. My plan is to frustrate and slowly but surely crush their souls untill I can no longer ignore the juicy morsel of the submission. This video here that I saw on Christian Graugarts blog really gave me alot of food for thought, on pressure and angles when passing.
I found this pass a really interesting way of using hip pressure and a low posture to create an angle to pass. Goes by many names it seems so Ill let the video explain:
Found through bullshido and then Aesopians blog.
Been doing more no-gi training which is fun, my shoot is very crappy I prefer to clinch and go roman greco style. But I definitely need to work on the shoot. I keep on trying a no-gi tomoe nage but without much luck unless I have a guillotine type grip. Scrambles are definitely more fun no-gi, something I feel I do ok in but I definitely miss those collar grips.
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
MMA and muay thai monday madness
Yesterday I attended the MMA session for the first time and the muay thai for the 2nd. Both were taken by Mike Wood. I always enjoy training with Mike as his a similar bodyshape to me and so stuff he shows me I know will work for me as well. His also a good coach. Coaching ability is nearly as important as knowledge in my opinion and more important than competition ability. Being the best in the world doesnt mean you can teach, knowing everything doesnt mean you can teach either. But Mike has good knowledge, great coaching ability and competes regularly. He reminds me of a slightly shorter Hugh Laurie, which matches perfectly with Micks giant Tony Robinson.
MMA class:
Did a fun warm up that got a sweat going and then training revolved around a circuit.Station 1 & 2 medicine ball situp drill, 3 deadlifts, 4 ground and pound on bag, 5 clinch striking and takedowns on bag. 1 round at each station doing the circuit 3 times.
We then did some partner work, one guy going for takedown the 2nd just defending. Minute each. Going for 2 minutes. Did this first with Kieran who got me with a sweet no gi uchimata, I tried a no gi tomoe nage and we had a chuckle about that. Im not a great fan of shooting for the takedown, preffering to clinch and take them down from there. Then partnered with Rich who DOES have a great shoot, Rich is abit closer to my size so I was able to impose abit more in the clinch pinning him to the wall. But still pretty tough to take down. Good session, really enjoyed it cant wait to start some sparring.
Thai class:
Another warm up. 2 brazilians walked in wondering about classes so I chatted to them trying to be part helpful part salesman. One of them mentions how he also appreciates the muay along with the bjj, I mention anderson silva (been a fan of him for a long time). Brazilian guy 1 then asks me if anderson is here!!, I say no just saying I was a fan. Guy then mentions how he trained a little BJJ with anderson who showed him some stuff in brazil. He also mentions how they found out about us from another martial arts club. Precision martial arts in blackwater (http://www.pmartialarts.com/) Their posters at blackwater station had given me a misinformed opinion of them so was good to hear that the instructer was a good guy, especially as he was reccomending us. So Im trying to repay the favour by putting their link in this post, so check them out if your in the area. Anyway back to training!.
Technique was: jab, cross, hook, push kick, round house kick. Im still chambering kicks and my punches are very loose. But Mike gave me some great positive feedback so I felt good about improving. Im right handed and my partner told me my left leg's kick was considerably stronger, maybe Im forcing the right to much. Mike then worked on me abit trying to get me to turn my hips more, once I slowed it down I think it made more sense to my body. Rather than just going mental.
We then just had abit of a free mat for 30 mins. Did some no gi sparring with Toby a hefty polish guy, whose calmed down alot since starting. Worked on pressure from top of side control and escaping side control, with some random rolling inbetween.
Other news:
Started following Rafel Lovato jr's blog http://www.lovatojr.com/
Andy and bunch of other guys are going to ADCC to watch so ill be teaching some classes while they are away.
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Stages of personal development within BJJ
Although still at a very infantile stage in my BJJ development I have noticed a series of changes in my attitudes. And wondered if anyone had experienced a similar pattern or any changes in themselves for that matter. Regarding BJJ or normal life.
Stage one:
I was obsessed with learning as much as I can, as fast as I could. With quantity seeming to take preference over quality. I start eating better and take up regular running.
Stage two:
I constantly talk about bjj to my disinterested friends and family, and they quickly rename it manhugging. At the slightest wiff of alcohol I cant help but play grappling with friends against their will. I insist on showing friends my newest moves. I start getting very competitive in training and search specifically for lesser known novelty submissions online. I discover Eddie Bravo.
Stage three:
I feel very confident in my ability, and sometimes hope that some lone chav fancies a rumble. I internally debate whether to double leg, mount and pound or flying guillotine with knee's. I examine all the other men in the pub, paying close attention to their ears and decide I am the mightiest.
Stage four:
I feel the highs and lows of winning and losing in competition. I feel responsible for the success of my club compatriates and feel elated when they do well. I know longer seek the submission in all sparring matches, looking to help those with less experience.
Stage five:
I feel more humbled in my abilities, less aggresive and with no wish to be involved in conflict or to use what Ive learnt in a real setting. I am relaxed and easy going, I apply this attitude to all parts of my life. Giving all my focus on basic techique principles and intricacies for weeks on end. I no longer care about winning or losing in sparring as long as Im learning or helping someone else learn. I also find I am able to do a suprising amount of tasks with my feet that I couldnt do prior, and often just lie on the floor feeling more comfortable.
Stage six:
profit?
I wonder what change I will next experience since Ive still got a lifetime of jiu jitsu ahead. Please comment if you have experience any personal changes like this.
Stage one:
I was obsessed with learning as much as I can, as fast as I could. With quantity seeming to take preference over quality. I start eating better and take up regular running.
Stage two:
I constantly talk about bjj to my disinterested friends and family, and they quickly rename it manhugging. At the slightest wiff of alcohol I cant help but play grappling with friends against their will. I insist on showing friends my newest moves. I start getting very competitive in training and search specifically for lesser known novelty submissions online. I discover Eddie Bravo.
Stage three:
I feel very confident in my ability, and sometimes hope that some lone chav fancies a rumble. I internally debate whether to double leg, mount and pound or flying guillotine with knee's. I examine all the other men in the pub, paying close attention to their ears and decide I am the mightiest.
Stage four:
I feel the highs and lows of winning and losing in competition. I feel responsible for the success of my club compatriates and feel elated when they do well. I know longer seek the submission in all sparring matches, looking to help those with less experience.
Stage five:
I feel more humbled in my abilities, less aggresive and with no wish to be involved in conflict or to use what Ive learnt in a real setting. I am relaxed and easy going, I apply this attitude to all parts of my life. Giving all my focus on basic techique principles and intricacies for weeks on end. I no longer care about winning or losing in sparring as long as Im learning or helping someone else learn. I also find I am able to do a suprising amount of tasks with my feet that I couldnt do prior, and often just lie on the floor feeling more comfortable.
Stage six:
profit?
I wonder what change I will next experience since Ive still got a lifetime of jiu jitsu ahead. Please comment if you have experience any personal changes like this.
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