Back on the Mats
I was finally able to get a class in. I haven't gone for about a week and change until today. Work is killing me . . .
Training
Damnit I spent the last half hour trying to figure out how I can make another page on my blog that would act as my training blog but I couldn't figure out how to do it. So I guess I'll just keep posting random things about training here for now.
I doubled up on classes today and did the no-gi class followed by the mma class. The no-gi class was great. I paired up with a really great partner who is very good and also does not hold back on very useful tips during our rolls together. It also helps that he is around my size. Height-wise anyway . . . he's definitely still a bigger guy than I am.
Anyway, Leo was instructing today and he showed us a great move from the mount. In no-gi, there are less attack options from the mount because a lot of the choke attacks from there are depending on the gi. He showed us one option you can go to from full mount: taking the back.
One hand underhooks his head and I use my shoulder to drive into his face and pin it side ways. Assuming he's defending by putting his arms in an "X" shape under his chin, my free arm underhooks his same-side arm and I walk his arm up with my arm so that it looks like I'm trying for an arm triangle. Once his arm is against his face I sandwich it between his head and my head and replace the original arm underhooking his head with the arm that walked up his arm.
I wrap my hand under his neck and around his shoulder like I'm trying to dig downward into his armpit. I used that grip to turn him belly-down, while my leg kicks his legs down to spin him all the way.
After Leo's class, I took a 15 minute break until the next class, which is the mma class taught by Sapo. The technique of the day he showed us was a way to transition to full mount from side.
Shoulder pressure to make him look away, top arm underhooking his head. My bottom arm weaves under and then over his legs and I drive his legs away so that I'm pinning them down away from me. My head-side leg turns parallel and flush against his back while my other leg pins down his top knee that is pointed away from me. My knee is resting on the ground while my foot is stepping on his thigh and not the ground. The arm I used to drive his legs away and pin it down gets replaced by my knee, and I complete the transition to full mount by underhooking his far arm to make sure he does not put me back in guard as I make my way towards full mount.
I took a picture after class:
Me with Rafael "Sapo" Natal
I met up with with Pat after class. I went to his lion dance youth club today to work on some stuff with him. His club just got brand new gear and I had the chance to learn some kicks from him to break in their new banana bag. It's too bad his gym does not have mats. The wooden floor is old and definitely not good for any type of barefoot activity.
I'm trying to look for some mats to donate to his club. He's trying to get something started at his club and I think it's a great idea. Like the character "Cutty" from The Wire, I also think that training in martial arts is a great thing, especially for younger people. It develops discipline. In The Wire it was boxing. At Pat's club, it's muay thai.
If the only thing stopping anybody from training is the lack of resources, I would always be more than happy to help. I really hope he gets something good going at his gym. I'm hoping it will also be a positive thing for him too because it might motivate him more to attend his own classes at his gym more often.
Corporate Jiu Jitsu?
23.
I renamed my blog in haste after I changed the wordpress theme for this site. It was just a random thought that popped up and I typed away. I think it's lame but have not been able to think of anything. Been thinking about it for almost two weeks.
In the meantime, I'll leave it for now. I was trying to think of a name that would describe what this blog was about but I guess not much came to mind. I don't mean to get all martial-artsy philosophical and shit, but jiu-jitsu and life have a lot in common.
Jiu-jitsu is about using brains intead of brawn. It's not about using force and hurting your opponent but rather to use superior skill in order to get compliance. Not much different from life is it? If you have a peanut, why would you want to use a hammer to smash it open when the smartest way is to just gently squeeze? Deeeeeeeeep right?
jj rewards patience and hard work. It's also fun. And isn't this all what life is about?
Well anyway today I got my ass kicked in the gym so that definitely was not fun.
*Forgot to add that the "corporate" part came from this band that I liked a lot when I was in college, Something Corporate. I always thought the band name was pretty cool.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Sunshine
I have always wanted to participate in those photo assignments that I see many people do online. Various meetup groups or forums will have a theme for the week, and your goal is to interpet that theme in a photograph. Some people do this for fun, while others participate because it helps with creativity. These challenges force you to think.
Anyway, I thought it would be cool to do this, but with people I know instead. So far this is only the second week, but already some people have taken some pretty interesting shots. We are following the challenges that are posted on http://www.photofriday.com/.
This morning, as I was walking east towards the train station the sun was shining directly in my face. I didn't have time to think of anything cool so I just snapped two or three shots and went about my way.
17.
Didn't quite get the effect I want but it'll do.
After work, as I exited the revolving doors of my building, I turned to my left and was met with the sun once again shining right into my face. I thought it would be a great shot, and it almost was.
I did not know what those ugly colored spots were so I asked my friend Steve. He schooled me on out of focus higlights. Better lenses produce more desirable oof highlights/bokeh. I think he said that one of the factors is the way the shutter is shaped?
Well, as you can see above, those ugly red hexagonal splotches on that picture ruin the picture =X
After I left work I went to my 7:30 bjj class. Had a very good training session today. I wasn't getting into dominating positions but for most of my rolls I thought I was moving and defending well. The techniques my instructor taught today were pretty cool too, since I can't recall the last time I learned a move from the north/south turtle position.
The first was a head and arm. D'arce? I don't know. My instructor, Magno Gama, said that all these names are new to him. I've heard another instructor say that in Brazil, all chokes are just chokes. Hell, most of the moves we learn don't even have names to them. It's either a "sweep" or a "choke" or an "escape."
The second move was another option in case he defends the first move by tucking in his arms. Magno was demonstrating the move when someone asked aloud if this was the Peruvian necktie. Magno said he does not call it that. Renzo was doing this way before people even started to call it the Peruvian necktie. If you want to call it that though, it's fine with me, he told us.
I asked someone to help me take a picture of me and Magno after class.
Magno Gama. One of the many instructors at RGA.
Training Blues
I came across this article while doing my morning browsing earlier.
I don’t know anyone who has been training in the sport of grappling for an extensive period of time that hasn’t experienced a slump or been in some sort of rut. When you are in a training slump you may experience the following:
- You don’t feel like your improving and have the feeling that you no longer will.
- You’re starting to feel frustrated.
- You feel unmotivated.
- You feel like you want to quit training all together.
- You feel nothing is going right.
Being able to get through your slump in grappling could be the determining factor of whether you continue in your training or not. If you do continue and get through your first slump, then getting through other slumps will get easier. If you don’t get through your slump, then chances are that you probably won’t be grappling much longer. I’ve seen training slumps make and break many people.
Continue to the rest of the article here.
While I did not personally find many of the tips useful, it's comforting to know that I'm not alone.
Everyone has their bad days I guess.
What matters more is what we do after those bad days. I really liked this quote at the beginning of the article
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached as by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed.” ~ Mark Twain
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