MT : orange sash mitts 1,2,1,2,slip,4,3,2,step 2 and 1,2,1,2,sl,slap, 5,2,3,2 step 2
evasion on the pads
Tuesday:
1 mile run 9:30 mile
BJJ:
moves from spider guard-
off of leg overwrap (foot in armpit):
get other leg across, knee out, get deep underhook on near leg, bring weight on top, sweep to knee on belly
Omaplata from same position:
go for sweep, doesnt work, continue circling under the trapped arm, extend legs and go for omaplata. Be sure to get trapped arm high in crotch, rather than at knee bend. Makes it way tighter.
Failed omaplata to arm bar:
go for omaplata, if it stalls or fails, switch hips so butt is facing up towards his head, get top (far) knee over top of shoulder and onto ground behind his armpit, pinch with bottom leg, finish
Rolling was good. I tried to not use any strength when going with Linda, only technique. That got me rear mounted and choked. She's good. Also, Ben and I had a good roll. He got me in a triangle, and something else. And I took his back and got an arm bar using the technique that we learned a few weeks ago. Felt good to pull off something like that. I was distracting him with neck attacks, and was able to secure the grips on his arm.
MT: Manu Taught us whiile Paul celebrated his son's bday
brutal warmup.
Combos: 1,2, 2x left, check ,evade teep, 2x right, teep
1,2,3, 2x right,check , evade teep, 2x left, teep
mitts 1,2,1,2,slip 2, 3, right kick low, rt high
1,2,1,2, slip,slap, 3,2 left kick low, left high
""""" rt kick low, 2x rt knees
NEW TECHNIQUE - parry jab w/ right hand, step out and 2x left knees. mirror as well.
"sticky hands"
Thursday : AM run 1.2 miles, no BJJ. too tired. Having to get conditioned to run a few times a week in addition to training MT and jits will be a slow process.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Review: Pistol Wear PT-2
I'm going to start this review with a short rant. Over the past several months I have had the privilege of helping Claude Werner of Firearms Safety Training, LLC teach a few of his classes. I continue to be amazed at the number of people who say they are 'gun people', and even 'instructors' who come to the range with empty guns, and are satisfied with leaving a range with an empty gun. Or ones who take their guns off to go to the restroom at the club house. I absolutely will not be without a gun. There are people who have known me for YEARS who have no idea that I always have a pistol with me. The only time I don't is when I'm in the gym (on the mats) and it's securely locked in a safe in my car. Well, my recent foray into running caused me to search a solution to a new problem I was having. How was I going to carry a gun while I ran?
Well I had a DeSantis belly band (size L) that no longer fits due to weight loss, so I went on the search for a replacement that would do a better job at the more rigorous bouncing that comes with jogging/running. As well as something that wouldn't itch my bare skin, since I don't wear an undershirt while I run. The velcro on the DeSantis always was a bit annoying.
I came across Pistol Wear from some random forum when I searched "pistol belly band running" on google. They have 3 sizes of holsters. The PT-1 which is large enough for probably a g17 and a spare mag. I chose to avoid this one, since the pancake of the holster looked like it would wrap most of the way around my torso. Instead, I opted for the middle of the road version, the PT-2.
The PT-2 is the 'medium' sized pistol wear holster. It will fit a G19 comfortably, though that's probably as large a gun as I'd carry in it.
Neoprene slabs cover and obscure the outline of the gun. It also protects the gun from salty sweat. 3 snaps let you get it on and off without messing with your velcro adjustment.
Stiffener plastic keep it from flopping over. Also, a weak magnetic snap keeps it shut while running, but gets out of the way quickly when you go for the gun. The draw isn't fast, but the gun comes with me.
G19 fits, but I've found it's too heavy to run with... I opt for the Kel Tec PF9 or a J-frame.
So far I've probably run 30 miles spread over the month or so that I've had it. It comes with me on every run. I really like it so far. Here are some pros and cons as I see them.
Pros:
adjustable- The large slit and velcro adjustment allow a wide range of bellies to be fit. My wife and I both use the same band. It's just a matter of un-securing and re-securing the velcro band. Very nice.
security- The magnetic button sort keeps anything from bouncing out of the envelope of neoprene. I don't think that the button is necessary, since if you're wearing it tight enough to jog in, the stretched neoprene will keep it in place. It also gets out of the way quickly when diving for a grip.
protection of finish - I'm not super concerned with surface rust on my pistols, but it's nice to know that I'm not sweating directly onto the side of the pistol.
Conceal-ability - This thing keeps the pistol very tight into the belly. When I'm running, it makes me look like I'm carrying like 5 extra pounds in my gut. The neoprene breaks up the outline of the pistol pretty well.
Cons:
Draw - Since the gun is kept inside a pancake of neoprene, you can imagine that it's a bit slower than say the Desantis. The way I draw is I grab a bunch of material with both hands, rip that up, hold the shirt out of the way with my left hand, and knife-edge my right hand into the pancake, popping the magnetic clasp, and getting a full firing grip on the pistol. From there, the drawstroke is the drawstroke.
gun weight sensitive-Obviously depending on how vigorously you run, the pistol's weight is a factor. The pf9 and J-frame are good to go in this. The G19 was a bit too bouncy for me to not notice it. A small .22, .32, or .380 would also be great in this thing.
Anyway, that's a quick and dirty rundown of this thing. I think it's a good option for the runner or backpacker.
-M
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Getting used to being hungry
During 9 months of 2011 I was able to lose 50 lbs of fat. What did that take? I'll try to lay out how I did it, and give relevant links if you're interested.
The diet portion of my weight loss started with me reading The 4-hour Body. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's summary is as follows:
Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates (or anything that can be white).
Rule #2:Eat the same few meals over and over again.
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories.
Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit.
Rule #5:Take one day off per week and go nuts
This worked very well for me, I lost about 35 lbs using this method over several months. I don't know if the 'science' Ferriss is talking about is true or not. He posted lots of references to studies, but I didn't evaluate them personally. Specifically regarding insulin sensitivity stuff and so forth. One thing I didn't like about this diet was, during intense training, I would bonk. I would feel like I was totally out of gas. I feel like this was the result of the 'slow carbs' not replenishing my glycogen stores completely or something. It was funny because I would eat my bowl of beans with salsa and some meat and veggies, and still feel 'hunger'. Though I'm sure it wasn't hunger, and just my body whining that it wasn't a bunch of rice or something. Not sure if that craving was a conditioned response to a lifetime of too much carbohydrate, or because my muscles needed the sugars. Either way, there were some mentally tough spots. I felt real hunger during this time. This was a good primer for my next experiment in diet and fat loss.
More reading and more research led me to intermittent fasting. This is the method I used to lose the last 20 lbs, as well as maintain my current weight of 180 lbs. What I like most about this diet is that with a little bit of will power, and a change in attitude towards food, and some mental rearranging, it's sustainable for long term. The nuts and bolts of it are simple. Don't EAT for 24 hours, 2 or 3 times a week. So, eat lunch Tuesday, and don't eat again until Wednesday lunch. I do this usually sunday dinner/monday dinner, tuesday lunch/wednesday lunch, thursday lunch/friday lunch. What does this do? Here's a solid summary of the science. But in the broad sense, what you're doing is just not putting calories in. I'm able to train while fasted, no real issues. There is obviously hunger involved, and I feel real hunger while fasting. Not the usual "Oh look at the time, better eat" hunger. The book Eat/Stop/Eat is a good manual to follow. The website leangains is also a good place to learn about intermittent fasting.
One thing that was very convincing, and surprising, was just how few calories we need to maintain a low fat percentage composition. To get a pretty accurate idea, use the simple Basal Metabolic Rate calculators online. When doing the calculator, I always purposely underestimate my daily activities, lest I overestimate them and wonder why the hell I can't lose weight. Turns out a person my height should probably eat about 1700-1800 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight. I am barring body builders with lots of extra muscle here, but a guy my height (using the Body Mass Index charts) should weigh probably 170-180. If you're 6'0", then you should probably weigh about that much too.
There is also some scientific research that shows fasting may help kill cancer cells. Here's an article about that. This is relevant to me, obviously.
The hardest parts, but ultimately most liberating are the self control issues that I had to overcome. Like I said, real hunger is something I have been facing regularly, by my own choosing. My friend Larry L. noted them as 'brain hacks' you can do to help with the mental toughness it requires. The most useful one I have used is "Hunger is the feeling of your body burning fat." I try to revel in the hunger and know that I am doing my body good and reaching my goals. The results have been well worth the occasional irritability and discomfort. It also makes food taste better to me. If you know you will get lunch every day at the same time, and you can have whatever the hell you want... then what's the fun in that. But when you go 24 hours without eating, going to Willy's Burrito to "break your fast" is like mana from heaven.
The other important thing to do is to consider your caloric intake on a weekly basis, not daily. So if I pig out on Saturday and Sunday , I try to eat smaller meals for the rest of the week, in addition to my fasts. I could probably continue to lose weight if I didn't take any cheat days, but I like to take my wife to dinner, and I like beer, and I like eating a pizza every once in a while. I'm able to hold strong at 180lbs and train as hard as I want. It's a balancing act, but it's very doable. It affords me the chance to live a normal social life, and not have to eat rabbit food when I go to a steak restaurant. Which brings me to another point.
The alternative proven diet technique would be caloric restriction. The problem with that approach, for me, is I'm very inclined to overeat. I don't like weighing portions or thinking too hard about portions. I prefer to chose healthy foods that I can sort of gorge on, and then plug the fasts in to keep overall caloric intake in check.
One more thing that I feel obligated to say is that fat composition should be controlled by diet, and muscle mass, cardio, or sports performance should be controlled by exercise. You can run for an hour and burn only 400 calories. That's like 2 sodas. But sleeping on the couch all day, just being alive, burns you 1800 calories (my basal metabolic rate, your mileage may vary). It's just not worth trying to exercise your way thin. Go back and read the first sentence of this paragraph again. Then watch this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbuzsY_34Q
The only way I alter the eat/stop/eat diet is I'll allow myself a few tablespoons of 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee, and have some BCAA/Glutamine powder after training, go give some repair fuel to the muscles. I believe these are leangains principles. I got them from Larry L.
Nothing of the above has anything to do with Macro-Nutrients or food type selection. There are probably optimal combinations of fat/protein/carbohydrates, but until you can keep from eating a surplus of calories above your basal metabolic rate its just not worth worrying about.
Anyway, I'm only a user of this method, and not a nutritionist. But I advocate it, for what it's worth, based purely on personal experience, and stories from friends who follow the same system.
That's all I can think of for now.
The diet portion of my weight loss started with me reading The 4-hour Body. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's summary is as follows:
Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates (or anything that can be white).
Rule #2:Eat the same few meals over and over again.
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories.
Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit.
Rule #5:Take one day off per week and go nuts
This worked very well for me, I lost about 35 lbs using this method over several months. I don't know if the 'science' Ferriss is talking about is true or not. He posted lots of references to studies, but I didn't evaluate them personally. Specifically regarding insulin sensitivity stuff and so forth. One thing I didn't like about this diet was, during intense training, I would bonk. I would feel like I was totally out of gas. I feel like this was the result of the 'slow carbs' not replenishing my glycogen stores completely or something. It was funny because I would eat my bowl of beans with salsa and some meat and veggies, and still feel 'hunger'. Though I'm sure it wasn't hunger, and just my body whining that it wasn't a bunch of rice or something. Not sure if that craving was a conditioned response to a lifetime of too much carbohydrate, or because my muscles needed the sugars. Either way, there were some mentally tough spots. I felt real hunger during this time. This was a good primer for my next experiment in diet and fat loss.
More reading and more research led me to intermittent fasting. This is the method I used to lose the last 20 lbs, as well as maintain my current weight of 180 lbs. What I like most about this diet is that with a little bit of will power, and a change in attitude towards food, and some mental rearranging, it's sustainable for long term. The nuts and bolts of it are simple. Don't EAT for 24 hours, 2 or 3 times a week. So, eat lunch Tuesday, and don't eat again until Wednesday lunch. I do this usually sunday dinner/monday dinner, tuesday lunch/wednesday lunch, thursday lunch/friday lunch. What does this do? Here's a solid summary of the science. But in the broad sense, what you're doing is just not putting calories in. I'm able to train while fasted, no real issues. There is obviously hunger involved, and I feel real hunger while fasting. Not the usual "Oh look at the time, better eat" hunger. The book Eat/Stop/Eat is a good manual to follow. The website leangains is also a good place to learn about intermittent fasting.
One thing that was very convincing, and surprising, was just how few calories we need to maintain a low fat percentage composition. To get a pretty accurate idea, use the simple Basal Metabolic Rate calculators online. When doing the calculator, I always purposely underestimate my daily activities, lest I overestimate them and wonder why the hell I can't lose weight. Turns out a person my height should probably eat about 1700-1800 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight. I am barring body builders with lots of extra muscle here, but a guy my height (using the Body Mass Index charts) should weigh probably 170-180. If you're 6'0", then you should probably weigh about that much too.
There is also some scientific research that shows fasting may help kill cancer cells. Here's an article about that. This is relevant to me, obviously.
The hardest parts, but ultimately most liberating are the self control issues that I had to overcome. Like I said, real hunger is something I have been facing regularly, by my own choosing. My friend Larry L. noted them as 'brain hacks' you can do to help with the mental toughness it requires. The most useful one I have used is "Hunger is the feeling of your body burning fat." I try to revel in the hunger and know that I am doing my body good and reaching my goals. The results have been well worth the occasional irritability and discomfort. It also makes food taste better to me. If you know you will get lunch every day at the same time, and you can have whatever the hell you want... then what's the fun in that. But when you go 24 hours without eating, going to Willy's Burrito to "break your fast" is like mana from heaven.
The other important thing to do is to consider your caloric intake on a weekly basis, not daily. So if I pig out on Saturday and Sunday , I try to eat smaller meals for the rest of the week, in addition to my fasts. I could probably continue to lose weight if I didn't take any cheat days, but I like to take my wife to dinner, and I like beer, and I like eating a pizza every once in a while. I'm able to hold strong at 180lbs and train as hard as I want. It's a balancing act, but it's very doable. It affords me the chance to live a normal social life, and not have to eat rabbit food when I go to a steak restaurant. Which brings me to another point.
The alternative proven diet technique would be caloric restriction. The problem with that approach, for me, is I'm very inclined to overeat. I don't like weighing portions or thinking too hard about portions. I prefer to chose healthy foods that I can sort of gorge on, and then plug the fasts in to keep overall caloric intake in check.
One more thing that I feel obligated to say is that fat composition should be controlled by diet, and muscle mass, cardio, or sports performance should be controlled by exercise. You can run for an hour and burn only 400 calories. That's like 2 sodas. But sleeping on the couch all day, just being alive, burns you 1800 calories (my basal metabolic rate, your mileage may vary). It's just not worth trying to exercise your way thin. Go back and read the first sentence of this paragraph again. Then watch this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbuzsY_34Q
The only way I alter the eat/stop/eat diet is I'll allow myself a few tablespoons of 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee, and have some BCAA/Glutamine powder after training, go give some repair fuel to the muscles. I believe these are leangains principles. I got them from Larry L.
Nothing of the above has anything to do with Macro-Nutrients or food type selection. There are probably optimal combinations of fat/protein/carbohydrates, but until you can keep from eating a surplus of calories above your basal metabolic rate its just not worth worrying about.
Anyway, I'm only a user of this method, and not a nutritionist. But I advocate it, for what it's worth, based purely on personal experience, and stories from friends who follow the same system.
That's all I can think of for now.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Week of March 19
MT: Tested for our orange sash. Asked a few things that I either hadn't heard in months, or had never heard before. Manu was frustrated, but understanding, I think. The most important things that I screwed up but make sense when I think about them are using a bicep tie and a neck tie, instead of a triceps hold. I think this confusion stems from when we do the pummeling drill, you keep your non-inside hand on the back of the tricep, but obviously, the opponent could throw an elbow easily from there and stop the fight. The other thing I screwed up was w/ a right neck tie, which knee would I throw to do the most damage to his face. The answer was the right knee, since if you throw the left knee, he can use his neck tie on that side to off balance you.
BJJ:
Worked moved from the overhook/opposite collar hold.
To get position, either control sleeve w/ same side arm, swim opposite arm under, while 'combing your head' w/ that sleeve and get deep grip, or break posture, and fish that overhook in there upon controlling posture.
Sweep from there. get overhook/collar, escape hips to that side, get near side butterfly, use free arm to prevent his arm from basing. lift near butterfly hook and follow to top or side control.
Choke from there. "", "", get grip w/ free hand on free hand side (behind neck), loop arm around and finish choke.
Junior and I worked on 'slow rolling'. We would try to gently use technique to get a dominant position, get in position to finish, then relent the position and allow the other person to work to a dominant position. I think it went well. Douglas went with us, and this is how he rolls nearly every time with us, except he always wins :) . It's so nice to have the chance to think. I was able to pull off some sweeps and setups that I probably wouldn't have been able to realize I had otherwise. I wasn't totally wasted after training either, which is nice. It seems to go in cycles, I'll feel like I'm dead after some training, and other times, I could go home and jog. Not sure why. Might have to do with diet or sleep. I'll continue to pay attention to this.
Wednesday: MT
Did a standard workout, then had the orange sash ceremony. Manu was pissing off the pro fighters because he made them wait for our ceremony to conclude before training them. I see their point, but we keep the lights on and doors open. The pros bring prestige, I guess. But meh...
Thursday: BJJ
Worked entering inverted guard: cross sleeve grip, underhook free hand on near thigh, now you're upside down under opponent, get spider hook on same side as sleeve control. grab other sleeve and get spider hook there as well, off balance and upset opponents guard.
triangle from inverted guard - once in I.G., get both feet on one of the biceps. rotate head towards side of feet, lift off one of those feet, and shoot for a triangle.
sweep from spider guard (sort of?) - from spider guard, put shin across chest (knee out), keep other spider hook, as opponent passes, get underhook on knee out side, pull weight onto you, angle is super important. don't drive towards your feet, but across the body or over the shoulder.
Sunday - 4 miles w/ dogs.
BJJ:
Worked moved from the overhook/opposite collar hold.
To get position, either control sleeve w/ same side arm, swim opposite arm under, while 'combing your head' w/ that sleeve and get deep grip, or break posture, and fish that overhook in there upon controlling posture.
Sweep from there. get overhook/collar, escape hips to that side, get near side butterfly, use free arm to prevent his arm from basing. lift near butterfly hook and follow to top or side control.
Choke from there. "", "", get grip w/ free hand on free hand side (behind neck), loop arm around and finish choke.
Junior and I worked on 'slow rolling'. We would try to gently use technique to get a dominant position, get in position to finish, then relent the position and allow the other person to work to a dominant position. I think it went well. Douglas went with us, and this is how he rolls nearly every time with us, except he always wins :) . It's so nice to have the chance to think. I was able to pull off some sweeps and setups that I probably wouldn't have been able to realize I had otherwise. I wasn't totally wasted after training either, which is nice. It seems to go in cycles, I'll feel like I'm dead after some training, and other times, I could go home and jog. Not sure why. Might have to do with diet or sleep. I'll continue to pay attention to this.
Wednesday: MT
Did a standard workout, then had the orange sash ceremony. Manu was pissing off the pro fighters because he made them wait for our ceremony to conclude before training them. I see their point, but we keep the lights on and doors open. The pros bring prestige, I guess. But meh...
Thursday: BJJ
Worked entering inverted guard: cross sleeve grip, underhook free hand on near thigh, now you're upside down under opponent, get spider hook on same side as sleeve control. grab other sleeve and get spider hook there as well, off balance and upset opponents guard.
triangle from inverted guard - once in I.G., get both feet on one of the biceps. rotate head towards side of feet, lift off one of those feet, and shoot for a triangle.
sweep from spider guard (sort of?) - from spider guard, put shin across chest (knee out), keep other spider hook, as opponent passes, get underhook on knee out side, pull weight onto you, angle is super important. don't drive towards your feet, but across the body or over the shoulder.
Sunday - 4 miles w/ dogs.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Looking like a skinny guy
I have spent the majority of my adult life wanting to look "big". I grew up watching my dad lift weights, watching "Pumping Iron" over and over, and deciding that I wanted to be big and strong. I followed this path from 16 until I was about 21. I lifted hard (albeit bodybuilding lifts, and not strength lifts), ate a lot, and grew like a developing body should. I was, at my heaviest, about 230 lbs, with probably average-high body fat (my guess is 17-20%). I had big biceps and broad shoulders. But I always felt like it wasn't big enough. In retrospect, it was like I was chasing an imaginary goal that kept moving the closer I got. With my shirt off, I felt fat (I was). I figured if I did enough dips and squats, I would either lose the belly, or get so muscular that maybe no one would notice my belly. Needless to say, that never seemed to work or make me feel fulfilled. I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin. I realize that lots of people have this issue during puberty and early adulthood, but I feel I was hanging out in this zero-confidence, self-conscious zone that wasn't healthy for me.
Then I went into my dark ages. I assumed I was a goner, and didn't want to waste time lifting. I figured it was a waste of hours. So I did the other thing I like doing... eating. The lack of working out allowed me to atrophy, and the surplus of food let me maintain my weight! Yipee! Now I was fat and weak. But if I'm fair to myself, I had bigger fish to fry, like surviving.
Fast forward to early 2010. A chain of internet events occurs that primes my pump for greatness. I've written about those before, so I won't rehash. Let's summarize it and say I had a massive shift in outlook and was able to shed a good amount of fitness and health bro-science I had internalized in my previous life. I met some people (MikeD. and the rest of my training group being primary among them), who took a liking to me, supported me, and challenged me to do new and uncomfortable things.
Fast forward to today. I weigh 180 lbs. With a shirt on, I look like a skinny guy. Granted, my legs are still pretty big. I think that's genetic, and maybe because I used to like to squat. But I look smaller. However, with my shirt off, I look better. Dare I say good?
My mom summed it up best. She told me, "Honey, I think this is how you are supposed to look". I agree with her.
Then I went into my dark ages. I assumed I was a goner, and didn't want to waste time lifting. I figured it was a waste of hours. So I did the other thing I like doing... eating. The lack of working out allowed me to atrophy, and the surplus of food let me maintain my weight! Yipee! Now I was fat and weak. But if I'm fair to myself, I had bigger fish to fry, like surviving.
Fast forward to early 2010. A chain of internet events occurs that primes my pump for greatness. I've written about those before, so I won't rehash. Let's summarize it and say I had a massive shift in outlook and was able to shed a good amount of fitness and health bro-science I had internalized in my previous life. I met some people (MikeD. and the rest of my training group being primary among them), who took a liking to me, supported me, and challenged me to do new and uncomfortable things.
Fast forward to today. I weigh 180 lbs. With a shirt on, I look like a skinny guy. Granted, my legs are still pretty big. I think that's genetic, and maybe because I used to like to squat. But I look smaller. However, with my shirt off, I look better. Dare I say good?
My mom summed it up best. She told me, "Honey, I think this is how you are supposed to look". I agree with her.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Improving aspects of my game...
...within the standard structure of a martial arts class.
I've been on this martial arts kick (see what I did there?) for about 14 months at this point. This is not including the few weeks I did TKD when I was 10. The MT or BJJ classes are roughly structured as follows:
I've been on this martial arts kick (see what I did there?) for about 14 months at this point. This is not including the few weeks I did TKD when I was 10. The MT or BJJ classes are roughly structured as follows:
- Warm up, get heart rate up
- Short Stretch
- Drill (or combos on bag/mitts/pads)
- Sparring
I'll talk about BJJ first. It occurs to me that there are many ways that classes are conducted. Douglas Lima runs a (as I've been told) traditional class. That is, when it's time to train, we generally start neutral and just go at each other. This was FRUSTRATING as a new white belt, and still can feel very frustrating now. The decision tree for making things work and having to feel the position and react as things happen is obviously critical for mastery. However, for a beginner it is a recipe for getting frustrated and confounded by options. When Douglas was in Brazil training, Raphael trained us. We did a lot of positional sparring. I feel like my game improved in a very compressed time frame. The decision tree was forced down to a branch, with fewer decisions, and so I felt like I could concentrate on the game from those positions. I feel like I had an accelerated learning curve during this time.
When we do just train, I will try to make my mind up on what I want to work on that day (has been guard retention and positional control recently) and if I find myself in that position, I'll do my best to achieve my goal.
In Muay Thai, we don't do ANY 'positional sparring'. We never do a day of say 'jab only' or 'body shots only'. So if I'm going with someone who I am either better than, or on par with, I'll try to pick a move to work on. It might be body shots, inside leg kicks, entering the clinch, or whatever. It's just about getting reps, just like in jits.
I recently have really wanted to increase the number of punches in my combos, body shots, and work on defense and getting out of the pocket when I'm getting pushed on.
I think it's a good way to break out of the loosely structured sparring and get repetitions in new technique.
Just found this from Paul S. on TPI " There are 3 stages to experiential learning via Aliveness. 1) Intro stage. This takes about 5 minutes. The technique is introduced by the numbers, so to speak. This is as dead as we want to be but minimal time is spent here. 2) Isolation. This is drill phase. We drill the technique against progressive resistance using drills specifically designed to optimize the technique. 3) Integration. We integrate the technique into our overall game and work it against a fully resisting opponent."
Keeping myself in step 2 for as many reps as I can during step 3 is what I'm trying to do.
When we do just train, I will try to make my mind up on what I want to work on that day (has been guard retention and positional control recently) and if I find myself in that position, I'll do my best to achieve my goal.
In Muay Thai, we don't do ANY 'positional sparring'. We never do a day of say 'jab only' or 'body shots only'. So if I'm going with someone who I am either better than, or on par with, I'll try to pick a move to work on. It might be body shots, inside leg kicks, entering the clinch, or whatever. It's just about getting reps, just like in jits.
I recently have really wanted to increase the number of punches in my combos, body shots, and work on defense and getting out of the pocket when I'm getting pushed on.
I think it's a good way to break out of the loosely structured sparring and get repetitions in new technique.
Just found this from Paul S. on TPI " There are 3 stages to experiential learning via Aliveness. 1) Intro stage. This takes about 5 minutes. The technique is introduced by the numbers, so to speak. This is as dead as we want to be but minimal time is spent here. 2) Isolation. This is drill phase. We drill the technique against progressive resistance using drills specifically designed to optimize the technique. 3) Integration. We integrate the technique into our overall game and work it against a fully resisting opponent."
Keeping myself in step 2 for as many reps as I can during step 3 is what I'm trying to do.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Week of March 12
Monday - MT - Orange Sash drill mania
Worked punches 1-9 jab, cross, hook, right up, left up, right body, left body, right straight to body, overhand right
mitt combos 1-4
1,2,1,2, slip, 2, sweep w/ left leg, 2x left knees
1,2,1,2, slip, step left, 3, right chop, 2x right knees
1,2,1,2,slip,4,3,2, switch, 2 left knees
1,2,1,2,slip,slap,5,2,3, 2 rt knees
clinch drills
off balance, use neck tie side (say right side neck tie). step left leg past his right leg, simultaneously step rt leg back and away, while tugging neck tie down and back
BJJ:
Stuffing the scissor sweep - underhook and apply pressure seatbelt leg (same side arm). Upon stuffing that top leg, cut far knee between and pass to side control
scissor from 1/2 - get outside leg as seatbelt, get inside leg out to push same side knee, or chop to sweep.
sweep from spider guard - get grip on rt arm, encircle rt leg, get tight hook w/ rt leg, control. get underhook w/ opposite grip. pull weight on top of you, use arm hook to sweep into knee on belly or side or whatever.
Wednesday -
2 mile run
MT - drilled orange sash.
mitt combos repeated
drills -
block w/ left leg, step out and sweep w/ right leg. then reverse
block w/ left leg, step THROUGH and knee w/ right leg, and reverse.
Pad combos for Orange -
1, 2, switch, 2x left kicks, check and step through, 2x right knees
1, 2,3, 2x rt kicks, check and step through, 2x left knees
BJJ:
Guard passes -
Pin hips to mat, knee in but, sink weight and rotate hips away, pop open guard, immediately get butt-knee up to prevent closing of guard and triangles.
pass 1 kneeling - use elevated knee to slice an angle across either hip, end up in 1/2 or side. be sure to put opposite side hadn down on mat for base. go for over under to secure posn.
pass 1 standing - get one leg standing up between open guard, control pants, as slide knee through, plant opposite hand on ground or underhook arm, secure position.
pass 2 kneeling - use elevated knee, swim BOTH hands under legs, suck hips up and off mat, pick a side and grab opposite lapel. sprawl, stacking and smashing leg, slide around, secure side.
My rolls Thursday felt really good. I had a successful collar choke, arm bar, and triangle against different opponents. I got caught in a weird triangle off of a failed arm bar. Jr. continues to be a super fast and aggressive top player. His closed guard is silly strong, and when he gets on top, I have a lot of trouble getting him off. I only succeed maybe 10% of the time in escaping his side control/North South. Usually ends in a mount or something equally unpleasant.
Sunday: 2 miles w/ dogs. Planned another 2 miles w/ Sarah.
Worked punches 1-9 jab, cross, hook, right up, left up, right body, left body, right straight to body, overhand right
mitt combos 1-4
1,2,1,2, slip, 2, sweep w/ left leg, 2x left knees
1,2,1,2, slip, step left, 3, right chop, 2x right knees
1,2,1,2,slip,4,3,2, switch, 2 left knees
1,2,1,2,slip,slap,5,2,3, 2 rt knees
clinch drills
off balance, use neck tie side (say right side neck tie). step left leg past his right leg, simultaneously step rt leg back and away, while tugging neck tie down and back
BJJ:
Stuffing the scissor sweep - underhook and apply pressure seatbelt leg (same side arm). Upon stuffing that top leg, cut far knee between and pass to side control
scissor from 1/2 - get outside leg as seatbelt, get inside leg out to push same side knee, or chop to sweep.
sweep from spider guard - get grip on rt arm, encircle rt leg, get tight hook w/ rt leg, control. get underhook w/ opposite grip. pull weight on top of you, use arm hook to sweep into knee on belly or side or whatever.
Wednesday -
2 mile run
MT - drilled orange sash.
mitt combos repeated
drills -
block w/ left leg, step out and sweep w/ right leg. then reverse
block w/ left leg, step THROUGH and knee w/ right leg, and reverse.
Pad combos for Orange -
1, 2, switch, 2x left kicks, check and step through, 2x right knees
1, 2,3, 2x rt kicks, check and step through, 2x left knees
BJJ:
Guard passes -
Pin hips to mat, knee in but, sink weight and rotate hips away, pop open guard, immediately get butt-knee up to prevent closing of guard and triangles.
pass 1 kneeling - use elevated knee to slice an angle across either hip, end up in 1/2 or side. be sure to put opposite side hadn down on mat for base. go for over under to secure posn.
pass 1 standing - get one leg standing up between open guard, control pants, as slide knee through, plant opposite hand on ground or underhook arm, secure position.
pass 2 kneeling - use elevated knee, swim BOTH hands under legs, suck hips up and off mat, pick a side and grab opposite lapel. sprawl, stacking and smashing leg, slide around, secure side.
My rolls Thursday felt really good. I had a successful collar choke, arm bar, and triangle against different opponents. I got caught in a weird triangle off of a failed arm bar. Jr. continues to be a super fast and aggressive top player. His closed guard is silly strong, and when he gets on top, I have a lot of trouble getting him off. I only succeed maybe 10% of the time in escaping his side control/North South. Usually ends in a mount or something equally unpleasant.
Sunday: 2 miles w/ dogs. Planned another 2 miles w/ Sarah.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Week of March 7
Monday - Roadwork. 3.4 miles w/ dogs. 1 mile of that was with wife. I'm proud that she wanted to go for a run. I was surprised that she ( a sedentary person) was able to keep the pace she did.
Tuesday - BJJ
Sitting guard-
deep underhook, grab belt, get butt to that side, that side ear to his chest. Opposite side leg pushes on knee cap, control that side arm. Use near hook to lift at same time, end up in mount, or maybe side if you miss it.
deep underhook, belt, butt on that side, same as above. Get near hook out, arch underhook up and away, scoot out the back door, take back.
To pass someones sitting guard, post leg that is far from his body. use that posted leg's arm to reach across and grab his close hook, step around, spin him using pants grab. go knee on belly or side control.
A fast pass that's similar is just to get same grips, and hop back while spinning him right round baby right round, like a record baby.
Clay said he was going to train with us. He's probably near a purple belt, so it's great to be able to train with him. The fact that I'm able to rub elbows with guys of this caliber is something I won't forget.
Wednesday - MT
Orange Sash stuff. We're testing for orange sashes in 2 weeks. I hope we drill the clinch requirements, since that's what I don't know well.
Sparring went well. I went with the new TKD guy who started taking MT. He likes to do the goofy stance switch crap, mixed with short, fast, but sneaky kicks. He has no real control over his power, and tends to kick hard. I returned the favor, and punished him for doing his TKD stuff by repeatedly punching his nose with stiff jabs. Felt pretty good. I just stayed tight, and tried to smother him and punch.
Thursday - 1.2 mile run at lunch w/ Jake
Friday - 3.2 miles w/ dogs
BJJ - drilled seated back mount
escape - protect neck, try to get hips on ground on the side of his underhook (not overhook, makes chokes easier), get inside arm tucked, and start to spin in his guard, getting whatever you can.
arm bar from back mount - using underhook arm, grab that wrist. pass other arm over head, drive that elbow across face, switch grip, get kimura grip on underhooked arm side, use elbow pressure and top leg to get bottom leg out, escaping and passing it over the head for the arm bar.
Control from back mount - using underhook arm, grab 2 on 1 that wrist, drive down and pin that arm under that side leg. Easy access for a RNC. Good position.
Transition to arm triangle - using seatbelt, if guy starts moving to an escape towards underhook arm, shoot top overhooked arm deeeeeeep and change grip, switch hips and you're in position for an arm triangle on the side.
Have to have at least one arm on top to finish choke. I need to relearn bow and arrow choke. I did a lot of surviving today, but at least I didn't tap to the pressure. Set up and nearly completed the arm bar from back 2x today. Took back a few times, got a good RNC position, gave up/let it go. Got to roll with Douglas, and I actually escaped side mount and snatched a single leg. It was quickly punished, but Douglas told me it was a solid escape and good job. Times like that make it worthwhile. I really like nogi. I need to get out to train with Sean at his house, or go take an afternoon class at his gym.
Tuesday - BJJ
Sitting guard-
deep underhook, grab belt, get butt to that side, that side ear to his chest. Opposite side leg pushes on knee cap, control that side arm. Use near hook to lift at same time, end up in mount, or maybe side if you miss it.
deep underhook, belt, butt on that side, same as above. Get near hook out, arch underhook up and away, scoot out the back door, take back.
To pass someones sitting guard, post leg that is far from his body. use that posted leg's arm to reach across and grab his close hook, step around, spin him using pants grab. go knee on belly or side control.
A fast pass that's similar is just to get same grips, and hop back while spinning him right round baby right round, like a record baby.
Clay said he was going to train with us. He's probably near a purple belt, so it's great to be able to train with him. The fact that I'm able to rub elbows with guys of this caliber is something I won't forget.
Wednesday - MT
Orange Sash stuff. We're testing for orange sashes in 2 weeks. I hope we drill the clinch requirements, since that's what I don't know well.
Sparring went well. I went with the new TKD guy who started taking MT. He likes to do the goofy stance switch crap, mixed with short, fast, but sneaky kicks. He has no real control over his power, and tends to kick hard. I returned the favor, and punished him for doing his TKD stuff by repeatedly punching his nose with stiff jabs. Felt pretty good. I just stayed tight, and tried to smother him and punch.
Thursday - 1.2 mile run at lunch w/ Jake
Friday - 3.2 miles w/ dogs
BJJ - drilled seated back mount
escape - protect neck, try to get hips on ground on the side of his underhook (not overhook, makes chokes easier), get inside arm tucked, and start to spin in his guard, getting whatever you can.
arm bar from back mount - using underhook arm, grab that wrist. pass other arm over head, drive that elbow across face, switch grip, get kimura grip on underhooked arm side, use elbow pressure and top leg to get bottom leg out, escaping and passing it over the head for the arm bar.
Control from back mount - using underhook arm, grab 2 on 1 that wrist, drive down and pin that arm under that side leg. Easy access for a RNC. Good position.
Transition to arm triangle - using seatbelt, if guy starts moving to an escape towards underhook arm, shoot top overhooked arm deeeeeeep and change grip, switch hips and you're in position for an arm triangle on the side.
Have to have at least one arm on top to finish choke. I need to relearn bow and arrow choke. I did a lot of surviving today, but at least I didn't tap to the pressure. Set up and nearly completed the arm bar from back 2x today. Took back a few times, got a good RNC position, gave up/let it go. Got to roll with Douglas, and I actually escaped side mount and snatched a single leg. It was quickly punished, but Douglas told me it was a solid escape and good job. Times like that make it worthwhile. I really like nogi. I need to get out to train with Sean at his house, or go take an afternoon class at his gym.
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