Theme & Techniques: Kneeling Guard Break, Double Under Pass
Partner: Jess, Matt (New)
Mostly helped Jess and Matt on some minor details of the techniques. Mostly hand position and posture. Matt is a friend of Jess and used to coach wrestling.
Rolling: Guard, Free Rolling
Rolled With: Jess, Craig, Ryal, Matt
Felt good about my rolling today. Did a lot of hand fighting and pushed the pace to make up for yesterday. I helped Matt with some basics while we rolled.
Thoughts: Comfort Zone
I had a thought on the drive home about progress and getting over plateaus. What I've noticed during my journey from blue to purple (hopefully) is that I'll get to a comfort zone with my game and feel like I'm stagnating, then I'll find something to work on that is outside of my comfort zone. I'll research, drill, and troubleshoot the subject until I feel like I'm safe in my comfort zone again. Then I'll feel like I'm not learning anything new and search for the next thing.
Most of this year was about being more assertive and imposing my will. I've just started familiarizing myself with leg locks and related positions. Another aspect that has presented itself that I've seen others like Jerad doing is stringing techniques together. Often when I sweep or pass guard there will be a pause as I collect myself and decide what to do next. Occasionally though everything will come together and I'll escape, sweep, pass the guard, and attack a submission without a break in the action. Improving this will be my goal for this year.
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Friday, December 23, 2016
Saturday, December 17, 2016
December 17th 2016 - Open Mat
Open Mat
Rolled With: Henry, Mike, Patty, Craig, Nick, Mo
Game Plan: Deep Half and Z-Guard
It's been blizarding the last couple of days, but we still had a good group for open mat. Mostly because the tournament was cancelled that a few were planning to attend.
Henry: Great challenging roll like usual. We both had our moments of telling the other no when we went for one of our signature moves, like when he sees me setting up deep half or when he tried to guillotine me. I made a terrible mistake when I was in side control and he made a kimura grip. I thought I could take his back from there but I was wrong and ignored Mike telling me to step over his head.
Mike: We went over the kimura defense and I realized I should have known better. I had a really good moment where I felt like things came together. I escaped to deep half, waiter swept, passed and moved right to NS choke, but his neck always seems too small for me to finish here. He was able to catch me with a wrist lock.
Patty: He seems to be becoming a regular open mat partner. There is a lot of back and forth between us and he's competent at defending my deep half. We ended up stalemated and quit rolling out of exhaustion.
Craig: We talked a bit about dealing with low posture in the guard. We had a good roll, I've been trying to work on escaping side control as quickly as I can when I get there and was able to attempt a couple times here. One thing that he's good at that most aren't is stiff arming to avoid be passed.
Nick: Started out getting caught in his rubber guard with my arm locked in but I kept his foot between my legs. I got out somehow, I was able to get to a top position for a while and attack a bit. He eventually choked me from side control using his gi.
Mo: I played some Z guard with him and used it to help sweep. He had a few tricks up his sleeve too as he almost took my back. We discussed some of the lapel stuff after and Mike gave some advice with dealing with the crossface.
Thoughts:
I left open mat not feeling great about my progress. I don't know why though, I rolled relatively well. I wonder if the feeling will ever go away that I'm not as good as I should be? Probably not.
Rolled With: Henry, Mike, Patty, Craig, Nick, Mo
Game Plan: Deep Half and Z-Guard
It's been blizarding the last couple of days, but we still had a good group for open mat. Mostly because the tournament was cancelled that a few were planning to attend.
Henry: Great challenging roll like usual. We both had our moments of telling the other no when we went for one of our signature moves, like when he sees me setting up deep half or when he tried to guillotine me. I made a terrible mistake when I was in side control and he made a kimura grip. I thought I could take his back from there but I was wrong and ignored Mike telling me to step over his head.
Mike: We went over the kimura defense and I realized I should have known better. I had a really good moment where I felt like things came together. I escaped to deep half, waiter swept, passed and moved right to NS choke, but his neck always seems too small for me to finish here. He was able to catch me with a wrist lock.
Patty: He seems to be becoming a regular open mat partner. There is a lot of back and forth between us and he's competent at defending my deep half. We ended up stalemated and quit rolling out of exhaustion.
Craig: We talked a bit about dealing with low posture in the guard. We had a good roll, I've been trying to work on escaping side control as quickly as I can when I get there and was able to attempt a couple times here. One thing that he's good at that most aren't is stiff arming to avoid be passed.
Nick: Started out getting caught in his rubber guard with my arm locked in but I kept his foot between my legs. I got out somehow, I was able to get to a top position for a while and attack a bit. He eventually choked me from side control using his gi.
Mo: I played some Z guard with him and used it to help sweep. He had a few tricks up his sleeve too as he almost took my back. We discussed some of the lapel stuff after and Mike gave some advice with dealing with the crossface.
Thoughts:
I left open mat not feeling great about my progress. I don't know why though, I rolled relatively well. I wonder if the feeling will ever go away that I'm not as good as I should be? Probably not.
Friday, December 9, 2016
December 9th 2016 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: Double Leg, Mount Americana, Side Control Bread Cutter
Partner: Craig, Jess
Light class as I expected with the cold weather. Unfortunately Jess had to sit early because he tweaked his back.
We had a bit of a discussion about the bread cutter and Conan showed it one way and I showed it another. The major difference had to do with how deep of a grip that you take. Both work and can cause a tap so no worries just 2 different ways to do something.
Rolling: Free Rolling
Rolled With: Craig, Conan
Had some good rolls with Craig and he's continuing to show improvement with his passing and guard retention. On our last roll I played a little more defensively from the bottom and had a few points where I was able to recover from being in trouble but maybe wasn't the best technique at times like holding on to a straight leg butterfly hook for too long.
Conan and I have tough battles which often go his way. He has a way of getting on top and stripping away my defenses and making pressure along the way. It makes it important for me to get the upper hand early. I'm finding this to be a forced change to my game with trying to deal with him and Jerad.
Thoughts:
I felt a little more bold trying to pass Conan's guard and threw some torreando and x-passes in there. Mostly because I've been drilling x-pass lately. I felt like they were almost there but I still wasn't passing his guard. So what's missing? The techniques are sound and high percentage. From my understanding I'm doing the passes correctly, but I obviously could be doing something better. It very well could be details I'm overlooking or that I could be doing it faster or that I need to set it up differently. It all amounts to drilling more and not settling for lazy subpar techniques. It's part of the rabbit hole of BJJ being a lifelong pursuit.
Partner: Craig, Jess
Light class as I expected with the cold weather. Unfortunately Jess had to sit early because he tweaked his back.
We had a bit of a discussion about the bread cutter and Conan showed it one way and I showed it another. The major difference had to do with how deep of a grip that you take. Both work and can cause a tap so no worries just 2 different ways to do something.
Rolling: Free Rolling
Rolled With: Craig, Conan
Had some good rolls with Craig and he's continuing to show improvement with his passing and guard retention. On our last roll I played a little more defensively from the bottom and had a few points where I was able to recover from being in trouble but maybe wasn't the best technique at times like holding on to a straight leg butterfly hook for too long.
Conan and I have tough battles which often go his way. He has a way of getting on top and stripping away my defenses and making pressure along the way. It makes it important for me to get the upper hand early. I'm finding this to be a forced change to my game with trying to deal with him and Jerad.
Thoughts:
I felt a little more bold trying to pass Conan's guard and threw some torreando and x-passes in there. Mostly because I've been drilling x-pass lately. I felt like they were almost there but I still wasn't passing his guard. So what's missing? The techniques are sound and high percentage. From my understanding I'm doing the passes correctly, but I obviously could be doing something better. It very well could be details I'm overlooking or that I could be doing it faster or that I need to set it up differently. It all amounts to drilling more and not settling for lazy subpar techniques. It's part of the rabbit hole of BJJ being a lifelong pursuit.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
November 22nd 2016 - No Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: Half Guard Twist Sweep
Partner: Bhuvana
Twist sweep was a tough technique for me to learn. I remember several instances where Greg tried to teach it to me and I couldn't get the leg configuration down to complete it. I think it's finally starting to become a viable technique for me but I don't get into a situation to use it very often. It is a little different movement in that you have to close your elbow and clamp your knees together at the same time and push your butt and your knees to the side.
Rolling: Half Guard, Free Rolling
Rolled With: Bhuvana, Greg, Mike, Tim
I hit the twist sweep a couple times and got stuck there a few times. I think of my half guard as being pretty good but Greg is on a different level and I don't even know what he's doing differently than me. I had more success from the bottom than the top due to being able to get to deep half.
Fun roll with Mike. I have to work really hard to keep him in front of me, protect my feet, protect my neck, and try to initiate my own attacks. He consistently pays me compliments after our rolls, like today he said he couldn't prevent my granby from turtle.
Office Hours Partner: Bob, Tim
Did a couple tia toshis with Bob no gi and they felt pretty good. I've got to remember to lift the arm as I am doing the footwork to setup the throw.
Tim asked me about the hip switch pass and we went over some other half guard stuff.
Thoughts
An interesting thing that I've noticed is how compliments have affected my personal game. There have been several times when someone that I respect told me I was good at a technique or position. A seed was planted and I would start researching that thing and feel more confident using it while rolling. So be kind to a white belt and throw them a bone by paying them a compliment.
Partner: Bhuvana
Twist sweep was a tough technique for me to learn. I remember several instances where Greg tried to teach it to me and I couldn't get the leg configuration down to complete it. I think it's finally starting to become a viable technique for me but I don't get into a situation to use it very often. It is a little different movement in that you have to close your elbow and clamp your knees together at the same time and push your butt and your knees to the side.
Rolling: Half Guard, Free Rolling
Rolled With: Bhuvana, Greg, Mike, Tim
I hit the twist sweep a couple times and got stuck there a few times. I think of my half guard as being pretty good but Greg is on a different level and I don't even know what he's doing differently than me. I had more success from the bottom than the top due to being able to get to deep half.
Fun roll with Mike. I have to work really hard to keep him in front of me, protect my feet, protect my neck, and try to initiate my own attacks. He consistently pays me compliments after our rolls, like today he said he couldn't prevent my granby from turtle.
Office Hours Partner: Bob, Tim
Did a couple tia toshis with Bob no gi and they felt pretty good. I've got to remember to lift the arm as I am doing the footwork to setup the throw.
Tim asked me about the hip switch pass and we went over some other half guard stuff.
Thoughts
An interesting thing that I've noticed is how compliments have affected my personal game. There have been several times when someone that I respect told me I was good at a technique or position. A seed was planted and I would start researching that thing and feel more confident using it while rolling. So be kind to a white belt and throw them a bone by paying them a compliment.
Friday, November 11, 2016
November 11th 2016 - Gi All Levels
Theme & Techniques: Half Guard Stuff
Students: Morgan, Jess
As part of the warm-up I had them do a few of the partner exercises that I like. Standing guard break to situp, side control 180 rotations with and without arms, and using harness grips and butterfly hooks to kick them to the side and regain back mount.
Just the three of us this morning so we worked on some other half guard stuff per Morgan's request. I showed some stuff from Ryan Halls Deep Half DVD.
Rolling: Half Guard, Free Rolling
Had some great rolls round robin style and we each got a round on top and bottom with each other. I saw both of them successfully attempt the hip switch pass which has been one of my highest percentage half guard passes.
I free rolled with Morgan a few times after class and almost got caught in a triangle that he threw up. I showed him a defense for over/under pass as I used it a couple of times during the day.
Thoughts:
It's becoming more apparent to me that my game is relatively unique within our school. Not a lot of people attempt deep half guard, cross guard, attack from knee on belly, and do north/south choke. Greg and the purple belts have been helpful in me developing these positions and techniques but ultimately I've been in control of my progress and forming my game.
This is a major difference I've observed between BJJ and other martial arts that I've practiced in the past where it seemed like everyone stuck to a curriculum and wanted to look the same as the instructor. A lot of it has to do with being required to make things work for you in sparring. You're going to naturally gravitate to those techniques that work for you or solve problems that you have during the Jiu-Jitsu journey.
Of course the fundamentals that we learn in beginner class are the most important to understand and get down first, but I'd say after 2 or 3 times through the curriculum a student should start to form their own game. Don't wait for anyone to tell you what you need to work on.
Students: Morgan, Jess
As part of the warm-up I had them do a few of the partner exercises that I like. Standing guard break to situp, side control 180 rotations with and without arms, and using harness grips and butterfly hooks to kick them to the side and regain back mount.
Just the three of us this morning so we worked on some other half guard stuff per Morgan's request. I showed some stuff from Ryan Halls Deep Half DVD.
- Use the knee shield to to get an underhook.
- Knee shield twist sweep
- Knee shield twist sweep to arm drag
- Hip switch pass from the top
Rolling: Half Guard, Free Rolling
Had some great rolls round robin style and we each got a round on top and bottom with each other. I saw both of them successfully attempt the hip switch pass which has been one of my highest percentage half guard passes.
I free rolled with Morgan a few times after class and almost got caught in a triangle that he threw up. I showed him a defense for over/under pass as I used it a couple of times during the day.
Thoughts:
It's becoming more apparent to me that my game is relatively unique within our school. Not a lot of people attempt deep half guard, cross guard, attack from knee on belly, and do north/south choke. Greg and the purple belts have been helpful in me developing these positions and techniques but ultimately I've been in control of my progress and forming my game.
This is a major difference I've observed between BJJ and other martial arts that I've practiced in the past where it seemed like everyone stuck to a curriculum and wanted to look the same as the instructor. A lot of it has to do with being required to make things work for you in sparring. You're going to naturally gravitate to those techniques that work for you or solve problems that you have during the Jiu-Jitsu journey.
Of course the fundamentals that we learn in beginner class are the most important to understand and get down first, but I'd say after 2 or 3 times through the curriculum a student should start to form their own game. Don't wait for anyone to tell you what you need to work on.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Who Am I Supposed to Be? (Wondering Why Part 2)
I've been thinking about writing a post on this topic a lot lately. This post has taken a while to write and I hope all of my thoughts and feelings come through the way I intend them to. As many of you know before Jiu-Jitsu I was heavily involved with Hapkido. This will be a continuation and addressing some topics from the previous post: For those of you wondering why. Please read that for a little background.
I considered Hapkido as a defining characteristic of what is me. I have its Chinese characters tattooed on my chest. One of the reasons I joined the Marines was because my Hapkido instructor is a former Marine. I created instructional videos for YouTube and got quite a lot of good feedback. I remember thinking that I would practice and teach Hapkido for the rest of my life.
Looking back, I was delusional about my skill level. I honestly thought that I could kick ass if the shit hit the fan, but I had really not been challenging myself for a long time. I tried, I upped our amount of sparring in class, I practiced as much as I could, I visited other martial arts classes. Alas, ultimately I needed more advanced training partners and I needed to learn more.
I have come to the conclusion that in order to be good at a martial art, competition is the most important piece (not the only piece). In my opinion it's the only way to gain confidence in the techniques that you practice. This sparks several debates in the martial arts community concerning sport vs self defense and techniques that are unsafe for competition. I'm not trying to solve that debate here, but the more I delve into BJJ the more I think the "dirty" or "deadly" techniques are not worth practicing as much as safe reliable "sport" techniques. I put that in quotes because almost all of the sporting techniques can be devastating if taken to that level.
I've kept a little Hapkido/Ground Fighting going with a small group of people once a week. Slowly it has been stripped down to a groundfighting class. I have mentioned to my training partners that I don't feel confident in many of the Hapkido techniques anymore.
Probably the strangest thing is, I don't feel like I am as good at Hapkido as I am at Jiu-Jitsu. Putting my 20 years of Hapkido against my 2 years of Jiu-Jitsu should be a given that Hapkido would win. Sure there are aspects within Hapkido that I don't get in BJJ: Punching, Kicking, Weapons, dealing with self defense type scenarios, etc. The fact that it covered so much ground is one of the positive aspects I saw in Hapkido. I would also contend that it was one of it's biggest faults. You have to work really hard to be good at all of these things, and there is really only so much time per class that can be spent on a given topic. Although, I wouldn't be as good at BJJ if I had started with no martial arts experience. While it may not sound like it, we did train very hard. I just think the competition piece was missing.
The most difficult part about all of this is losing the relationship with my Hapkido instructor. Although, I'm bashing Hapkido here, it has been a positive part of my life. I felt more confident in myself after I started martial arts. I had a rough time in junior high school and I started to come out of my shell after martial arts training. I was interested in martial arts from a very young age, and once I was able to do it I poured my heart and soul into it. It was my personal activity that I felt like I was good at. It gave me the confidence to make it through Marine bootcamp, to work at detox and the county jail. I am my instructor's only Hapkido black belt and me quitting may result in his teachings not being passed on. I looked up to my instructor and respect him still. However, I have not had an authentic conversation with him since I started my BJJ training. This makes me very sad and has been hard to deal with. In a way it has also allowed me to move on.
My original idea when starting Jiu-Jitsu was to refine pieces of Hapkido through other martial arts. I'd train ground fighting for a little while and then bring it back. Maybe I'd find a good place to learn some weapon techniques, train more with Taekwondo or take up some boxing to round myself out. I'm loving the BJJ culture so much and have high hopes of someday attaining a black belt that I see the prospect of going back to Hapkido very slim.
I used to be so gung-ho about self defense. Which others have cautioned my neglect of. They lecture me about the drawbacks of BJJ being only on the ground and the lack of striking, and what if you have to fight 10 ninjas with glass, dirty needles, and lava on the floor. Yes it is true that we primarily fight each other on the ground and don't have good answers for fighting multiple people (really what martial art does?). But, against an untrained person I like to use the quote "The ground is my ocean. I am the shark and most people don't even know how to swim."
Self defense no longer concerns me. I'm having fun and love what I'm doing now. It's the equivalent of human chess. It challenges my mind and body. I have friends that I train with that are just as passionate as I am and we challenge ourselves and make each other better.
So, who am I supposed to be? A Hapkido guy that's dabbling in Jiu-Jitsu? A Jiu-Jitsu guy that used to do Hapkido? Do I need to remove this tattoo or add a new one? Am I forgetting my roots and being disrespectful to my former art and instructor? At the end of the day I have to do what feels right for me and I couldn't be more satisfied.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Recovery and Other Good News
I had hopes of staying up and watching the surgery take place. Unfortunately or fortunately the meds they put in my IV and the oxygen knocked me out pretty well through most of the procedure. I came to and the doc held up a quarter sized piece of my meniscus. The rest of the afternoon is a little fuzzy. I went home spent most of the weekend on the couch. I got around okay on crutches but did have some issues with stairs. On Sunday I started testing out how much weight I could put on my leg and quit the meds. I was able to stagger into work on Monday and I feel like it's been progressively getting better since then.
I went to my first physical therapy session today which was a little later than I was supposed to. The therapist (Claire) was impressed with my range of motion for just having surgery, while I thought it was one of my problems. Through some exercises and stretches she determined that my quad is not firing as well as it could be. We went through several exercises from just tensing the muscle to squats and some balancing. Probably the most difficult was when I had to walk over a step and then easing my heal down and kind of doing a one legged squat. I'm happy I went, as I was considering skipping it. I have 2 other appointments scheduled for Wednesday and Friday.
Finally Greg, Conan, and Jerad have announced that they are opening their Jiu-Jitsu school soon. I've been excited for this for a long time but unable to talk about it. The new school will be located around 40th and O st. I am hoping the grand opening will coincide with my recovery. I'm looking at it as a new beginning.
In light of this I visited Roseberry's dojo Thursday to return his key and I watched the end of class. As I watched them drill side control, I really wanted to get out there but obviously couldn't. It felt a little awkward there, like everyone was on edge. That just may be a false perception as I felt awkward there sitting next to Mr. Roseberry. I tried to thank him for allowing me to train at his school but I'm not sure if I got my message across. It may be the last time I set foot in that dojo for a long time.
I went to my first physical therapy session today which was a little later than I was supposed to. The therapist (Claire) was impressed with my range of motion for just having surgery, while I thought it was one of my problems. Through some exercises and stretches she determined that my quad is not firing as well as it could be. We went through several exercises from just tensing the muscle to squats and some balancing. Probably the most difficult was when I had to walk over a step and then easing my heal down and kind of doing a one legged squat. I'm happy I went, as I was considering skipping it. I have 2 other appointments scheduled for Wednesday and Friday.
Finally Greg, Conan, and Jerad have announced that they are opening their Jiu-Jitsu school soon. I've been excited for this for a long time but unable to talk about it. The new school will be located around 40th and O st. I am hoping the grand opening will coincide with my recovery. I'm looking at it as a new beginning.
In light of this I visited Roseberry's dojo Thursday to return his key and I watched the end of class. As I watched them drill side control, I really wanted to get out there but obviously couldn't. It felt a little awkward there, like everyone was on edge. That just may be a false perception as I felt awkward there sitting next to Mr. Roseberry. I tried to thank him for allowing me to train at his school but I'm not sure if I got my message across. It may be the last time I set foot in that dojo for a long time.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
August 22nd - Injury Report
A week has come an gone without partaking in Jiu-Jitsu. It's been a depressing turn of events as I've been playing more video games, sleeping in, and eating more junk food. I'm kind of looking at it as a break and that I should enjoy it, but I would enjoy getting back to Jiu-Jitsu so much more. Before my injuries I was getting up early and swimming or doing Jiu-Jitsu as well as attending Jiu-Jitsu classes 4-5 times a week. After I hurt my right knee I tried to keep it up, but that was a terrible idea. I didn't think that I would cause the same injury to my other leg.
What's worse is that I went to the Creed concert on Friday (which was awesome) and stood for 4 hours. Saturday I was pretty much worthless and couldn't get around the house without some kind of support. Thankfully my wife wasn't too mad at me, or at least didn't show it, and allowed me to stay in bed all day. I've been wearing a knee brace to work this whole week and using the elevator. Today the knee brace was bothering me a little so I took it off and I've felt a lot more mobile. There's still a long road to recovery but there is a little glimmer of hope there. My right knee has been doing a lot better, there is still some tightness and some loss of range of motion but no pain. There is still a possibility that I'll need surgery on both or either knee, which I would be willing to do assuming it's better for me in the long run.
To quell some of my Jiu-Jitsu desires I've ordered the book "Jiu-Jitsu University" by Saulo Ribeiro due to recommendations of my Jiu-Jitsu brethren. Too bad it won't get here for another 5 days. I'll probably make some type of book review once I've given it a thorough once over. I may purchase Andre Galvao's book, "Drill To Win" next as I like the concept of a book that gives you drills for an entire year. After thumbing through it at Barnes and Noble I picked up a few drills that I can do now while I'm injured.
What's worse is that I went to the Creed concert on Friday (which was awesome) and stood for 4 hours. Saturday I was pretty much worthless and couldn't get around the house without some kind of support. Thankfully my wife wasn't too mad at me, or at least didn't show it, and allowed me to stay in bed all day. I've been wearing a knee brace to work this whole week and using the elevator. Today the knee brace was bothering me a little so I took it off and I've felt a lot more mobile. There's still a long road to recovery but there is a little glimmer of hope there. My right knee has been doing a lot better, there is still some tightness and some loss of range of motion but no pain. There is still a possibility that I'll need surgery on both or either knee, which I would be willing to do assuming it's better for me in the long run.
To quell some of my Jiu-Jitsu desires I've ordered the book "Jiu-Jitsu University" by Saulo Ribeiro due to recommendations of my Jiu-Jitsu brethren. Too bad it won't get here for another 5 days. I'll probably make some type of book review once I've given it a thorough once over. I may purchase Andre Galvao's book, "Drill To Win" next as I like the concept of a book that gives you drills for an entire year. After thumbing through it at Barnes and Noble I picked up a few drills that I can do now while I'm injured.
Monday, June 4, 2012
June 3rd - Private Lesson & No-Gi (Watched Worlds)
Had a private lesson with Greg yesterday morning concerning the x-guard. It was a great session and I picked up quite a few things that I hadn't known. I especially like that most of the techniques that we worked on can be done from both gi and no-gi. I picked up a lot that I need to drill if I'm going to use it.
I came back an hour later for no-gi class. Kind of a small class at first. Ray taught us some of his deep half guard game. It was quite interesting and I feel that I gained some knowledge from the class. We started off with getting into the position then did a sweep and then some leg locks from there.
For open mat I rolled with Tate a couple of times. I wasn't feeling very spry yesterday and he dominated me more than usual. I was still able to play some of my guard game but I wasn't able to get up off the floor very much. I believe he got me with a darce and an armbar.
I rolled with Adam next and he destroyed me even more. We agreed that ankle locks were okay but I never came close to getting one on him. His knee on belly was killing me once again. He got me with an armbar and a toe hold.
After a quick shower and taking care of some stuff at home, I headed over to Mike's place to watch the IBJJF Worlds. It was actually more interesting and exciting than I thought it would be since I really don't know the names of most of the fighters. There was an awful lot of open guard de las rivas type stuff which was cool to see. There were even some flying armbars and some other fancy techniques. It's definitely an eye opener to see these guys roll at such a high level.
I came back an hour later for no-gi class. Kind of a small class at first. Ray taught us some of his deep half guard game. It was quite interesting and I feel that I gained some knowledge from the class. We started off with getting into the position then did a sweep and then some leg locks from there.
For open mat I rolled with Tate a couple of times. I wasn't feeling very spry yesterday and he dominated me more than usual. I was still able to play some of my guard game but I wasn't able to get up off the floor very much. I believe he got me with a darce and an armbar.
I rolled with Adam next and he destroyed me even more. We agreed that ankle locks were okay but I never came close to getting one on him. His knee on belly was killing me once again. He got me with an armbar and a toe hold.
After a quick shower and taking care of some stuff at home, I headed over to Mike's place to watch the IBJJF Worlds. It was actually more interesting and exciting than I thought it would be since I really don't know the names of most of the fighters. There was an awful lot of open guard de las rivas type stuff which was cool to see. There were even some flying armbars and some other fancy techniques. It's definitely an eye opener to see these guys roll at such a high level.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
For those of you wondering why
Ray reminded me a few months ago that I haven't really delved into
the reasons for no longer teaching Hapkido and starting Jiu-Jitsu on
this blog. I wanted to avoid any
perceived negativity to Hapkido and the people involved. I've also
been editing this post for a while trying to make sure it says what I
want it to say.
I've been asked by several people why I quit teaching and I even got a couple of calls from a Hapkido organization trying to recruit me and bring me back in. The truth is there isn't a single reason why I decided to stop teaching and start training in Jiu-Jitsu. There are many.
It mostly started because of my lack of a student base. For some reason after Christmas my class size shrank to 2 or less students per class. Last year about this time I thought I was finally becoming a successful teacher. I was maintaining classes of 6 or more students, I promoted a student to black belt and I had other students at various levels.
The 2nd factor was that I had to drive across town to get to class. I've lived with it for 5 or 6 years but it's been getting more difficult to do as my kids get older. Driving across town and having no students show up was a constant let down.
I had written a lengthy message to most of the martial artists that I respect and look up to. Asking for advice and voicing some of my concerns. I started off with the two points above and then the message turned into a rant about some of the other things I have problems with. Namely things like getting rid of belt ranks, not wearing doboks or gis, do I need to make students call me sir in class, do I need to teaching Korean terminology. Probably stuff that all traditional martial art's instructors think about from time to time. The discussion went on for a little while and I got different responses in favor of and against some of the things I asked about.
A lot of these questions draw from my desire to be true to what I believe. I don't want to teach something that I don't agree with or believe in. I really want to be honest with how I present Hapkido but I also wanted to be respectful of my teacher and the way he taught. I was in kind of a difficult place. I knew I could probably advertise more and build up my student base again. I could fix my website. I could change the way I teach and make it more self defense oriented, get rid of the things I didn't agree with. I thought I could make it work. I thought that these changes would make me happy.
Eventually I was overwhelmed with a feeling of hopelessness. I questioned if I was as skilled as I should be to teach Hapkido. While I had made some improvements to my curriculum and I felt successful in teaching my students I also felt like there were things about Hapkido that I didn't understand and I had no idea how I would reach that understanding. With Hapkido not being a popular martial art in this area and my instructor living in another state I didn't feel like I had a mentor or someone more knowledgeable than myself to turn to.
I had been visiting classes at Roseberry's on and off for several years. I was always amazed at how I could be easily submitted by guys with just a couple of years of experience. This is something I wanted to be able to do. The way that Conan could be relaxed and make little movements and I would fall all over myself into his trap.
I decided to take on a new journey of Jiu-Jitsu and so far I've gained quite a bit from this experience. I know I've improved, people that rolled with me before I started see some major differences in my game, even though I still get submitted on a regular basis in the dojo. Sure I wear a white belt and there have been quite a few blows to my ego. It was difficult going from being the instructor and most knowledgeable person in my class to being at the bottom of the totem pole. However, it helps drive me to get better. I'm excited to get out on the mat for each and every class. I can't wait to try a new concept or technique in open mat or when I make a break through and foil a move that I fell for so many times before.
There is a wealth of knowledge at our dojo, with many unique humble practitioners that have a drive to improve and the willingness to share and help other team members improve. It's a great atmosphere for learning and growth, and I'll be busting my ass there for a long time to come.
I've been asked by several people why I quit teaching and I even got a couple of calls from a Hapkido organization trying to recruit me and bring me back in. The truth is there isn't a single reason why I decided to stop teaching and start training in Jiu-Jitsu. There are many.
It mostly started because of my lack of a student base. For some reason after Christmas my class size shrank to 2 or less students per class. Last year about this time I thought I was finally becoming a successful teacher. I was maintaining classes of 6 or more students, I promoted a student to black belt and I had other students at various levels.
The 2nd factor was that I had to drive across town to get to class. I've lived with it for 5 or 6 years but it's been getting more difficult to do as my kids get older. Driving across town and having no students show up was a constant let down.
I had written a lengthy message to most of the martial artists that I respect and look up to. Asking for advice and voicing some of my concerns. I started off with the two points above and then the message turned into a rant about some of the other things I have problems with. Namely things like getting rid of belt ranks, not wearing doboks or gis, do I need to make students call me sir in class, do I need to teaching Korean terminology. Probably stuff that all traditional martial art's instructors think about from time to time. The discussion went on for a little while and I got different responses in favor of and against some of the things I asked about.
A lot of these questions draw from my desire to be true to what I believe. I don't want to teach something that I don't agree with or believe in. I really want to be honest with how I present Hapkido but I also wanted to be respectful of my teacher and the way he taught. I was in kind of a difficult place. I knew I could probably advertise more and build up my student base again. I could fix my website. I could change the way I teach and make it more self defense oriented, get rid of the things I didn't agree with. I thought I could make it work. I thought that these changes would make me happy.
Eventually I was overwhelmed with a feeling of hopelessness. I questioned if I was as skilled as I should be to teach Hapkido. While I had made some improvements to my curriculum and I felt successful in teaching my students I also felt like there were things about Hapkido that I didn't understand and I had no idea how I would reach that understanding. With Hapkido not being a popular martial art in this area and my instructor living in another state I didn't feel like I had a mentor or someone more knowledgeable than myself to turn to.
I had been visiting classes at Roseberry's on and off for several years. I was always amazed at how I could be easily submitted by guys with just a couple of years of experience. This is something I wanted to be able to do. The way that Conan could be relaxed and make little movements and I would fall all over myself into his trap.
I decided to take on a new journey of Jiu-Jitsu and so far I've gained quite a bit from this experience. I know I've improved, people that rolled with me before I started see some major differences in my game, even though I still get submitted on a regular basis in the dojo. Sure I wear a white belt and there have been quite a few blows to my ego. It was difficult going from being the instructor and most knowledgeable person in my class to being at the bottom of the totem pole. However, it helps drive me to get better. I'm excited to get out on the mat for each and every class. I can't wait to try a new concept or technique in open mat or when I make a break through and foil a move that I fell for so many times before.
There is a wealth of knowledge at our dojo, with many unique humble practitioners that have a drive to improve and the willingness to share and help other team members improve. It's a great atmosphere for learning and growth, and I'll be busting my ass there for a long time to come.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Trying and Failing is Better than Not Trying
I've been reading some Jiu-Jitsu internet forums lately. Focusing on advice for beginners covering topics like how to take care of your gi or how to get the most out of sparring. Something that is really starting to sink in, is that our open mat time is not supposed to be a competition. Meaning my focus should not be on winning or tapping the other guy out it should be more about experimentation and improving my Jiu-Jitsu or helping my partner improve. This has several implications.
I shouldn't just work from positions or on submissions that I'm good at. If all I did was work on the things that I already feel comfortable with my game will eventually plateau. The best advice I read was to always try to incorporate the techniques that we learned in class.
Ask for help. I already do this but what I read reaffirmed it. Whenever I get tapped or get swept by surprise I always ask what happened, what I could have done differently, how did you do that, etc.
Tap frequently. While it's good to know for competition how to stave off a tap and work for that reversal. It really isn't the best use of my time to defend an armbar to the death by gabble gripping my hands until my opponent wrenches out the technique. I can probably use my time a lot more wisely by tapping and starting over again.
Don't play it safe. This doesn't mean do dangerous moves like flying armbars and triangle slams. I'm talking about not trying submissions or techniques even though they may fail and I could end up in a worse position. For example there are times when a triangle choke presents itself from guard but there is always a danger that if I try it my partner will stack me and pass my guard. The alternative is I just stay in guard and wait for a safer more perfect opportunity at a technique that won't backfire. The problems with this strategy are plentiful. Obviously my inaction can give my partner a chance to work his game. Without attempting those techniques I won't figure out how to set them up better and minimize the chances of getting reversed. If I do get reversed I can work on my scramble and regaining position.
It is my goal to be a very active Jiu-Jitsu player. Always going for some type of submission and putting my opponent on the defensive so it makes it more difficult for him to impose his will.
I shouldn't just work from positions or on submissions that I'm good at. If all I did was work on the things that I already feel comfortable with my game will eventually plateau. The best advice I read was to always try to incorporate the techniques that we learned in class.
Ask for help. I already do this but what I read reaffirmed it. Whenever I get tapped or get swept by surprise I always ask what happened, what I could have done differently, how did you do that, etc.
Tap frequently. While it's good to know for competition how to stave off a tap and work for that reversal. It really isn't the best use of my time to defend an armbar to the death by gabble gripping my hands until my opponent wrenches out the technique. I can probably use my time a lot more wisely by tapping and starting over again.
Don't play it safe. This doesn't mean do dangerous moves like flying armbars and triangle slams. I'm talking about not trying submissions or techniques even though they may fail and I could end up in a worse position. For example there are times when a triangle choke presents itself from guard but there is always a danger that if I try it my partner will stack me and pass my guard. The alternative is I just stay in guard and wait for a safer more perfect opportunity at a technique that won't backfire. The problems with this strategy are plentiful. Obviously my inaction can give my partner a chance to work his game. Without attempting those techniques I won't figure out how to set them up better and minimize the chances of getting reversed. If I do get reversed I can work on my scramble and regaining position.
It is my goal to be a very active Jiu-Jitsu player. Always going for some type of submission and putting my opponent on the defensive so it makes it more difficult for him to impose his will.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)