Chance Meeting….

It’s been 41 days since my last BJJ practice. Since that time I have not even performed a BJJ solo drill. And that’s bad since that is what my website was initially based on when I started it nearly 2 years ago.

Anyway, last weekend, my wife and I decided to head to the mall after a trip to the library. While walking through the food court, I saw Smiley (head instructor and owner where I train) and his family. We greeted each other and I immediately went into excuse mode, just like most of the college students that I teach when explaining an absence. Even though I legitimately can’t attend BJJ classes right now, I still felt guilty.

Smiley told me about a lot of new happenings at the facility and I can’t wait to go back. I know I may be rusty, BJJ wise, but I should be in good shape. Although I haven’t been able to make it to class I have lifted, stretched and performed cardio and anaerobic exercises for the past 60 days. It’s never the same as rolling but it also never hurts to do it.

Last Class and sometimes it may be better not to roll (22)

Last Thursday’s morning class was relatively small. Four of us were vets (including the instructor Ryan/purple belt) and there were three new people. As I have to arrive late because I teach in the morning, I caught the last half of drill which consisted of setting up an elbow lock from the guard.

The new guy I was drilling with packed up right after the drilling portion of class so I ended up rolling with two people who were in their first week. The woman I rolled with quit within 1 min and so did the guy. My clothes were fresh and I have no hygiene issues so that wasn’t the reason. The woman I rolled with seemed unsure of what to do so I just postured up in her guard and let her work from there. I tried to be encouraging but I think it may have been a little too intimidating.

The guy I rolled with said that he had tweaked his shoulder in the previous class. However, when we begin to roll he seemed to be exerting full strength. We were on our knees so I tried to guide him to his back. He resisted and ended on his hands and knees instead. I grabbed one of his arms and an ankle and flipped him onto his back (gently) and gained side control. After a few seconds he verbally tapped.

It has been a while since I have rolled with pure beginners. Usually the guys and women that I roll with have an athletic or wrestling background that helps them even if they don’t know what to do. Instead of rolling I probably should have just asked if they wanted to review something instead.

Well look who decided to show up!

I finally returned after a month layoff. That is the longest voluntary lay-off I’ve had since I began in 2004. I can’t explain it well, but I just lost motivation to train. I know people who follow the blog will probably say, “I’d probably lose motivation too if I had been slammed on my face and knocked out.” However, that wasn’t the reason. At least it wasn’t a conscious reason.

Even though I don’t teach during the summer and had ample time available, I found it harder and harder to go to BJJ class. On some occasions I began wrestling with my psyche the night before to cajole and convince myself I needed to go. So I just decided to wait until I returned to work.

When I arrived I stretched a bit and Joe invited me to join his group to work on the technique they were reviewing. The first technique was a side control escape which led to guard and the second was a side control escape which led to a reversal and sweep.

After this we rolled. I first rolled with Art. Art is another guy who trains 5 times a week and each time I roll with him his skill level has just about doubled. He played butterfly guard and has picked up the technique of disrupting your balance (when your on your knees) by using his foot to push your knee from under you. We rolled to a stalemate and traded positions back and forth, but once I was able to mount him by jumping over his butterfly guard from a kneeling position. He topped that by sending me airborne with some sort of bridge.

After that, Carlos (brown belt instructor), had us go through some competition rounds.

I was paired up with a guy who was a former wrestler and coach. He is not that tall (5′6 or 7) but he weighs 216 pounds. I baited him with my Judo stance, which is naturally upright, and when he went for the shot I sprawled and was able to jump on to his back. He was extremely hard to control and when I tried to sink in a rear naked choke I couldn’t because he doesn’t have a neck (that’s visible). I find a lot of the wrestling guys hard to choke this way. He powered his way out of my back control and he ended up in my guard. I was able to reverse him but when I landed on top he was breathing so hard I had to ask him if he was okay. He shook his head no and tapped out.

Finally, I rolled with Josh. I think Josh trains more MMA than BJJ and I also think he has a wrestling background. He is about 6ft, at least 215 and has a body builders build. I adopted my upright stance and Carlos told me I was “too high.” When Josh went for the shot I sprawled and was able to jump on his back. I couldn’t sink in my hooks because he shucked me off. I felt like a Professional Bull Rider on Versus. We both stood up and repeated the same scenario. After that I stayed on my knees and when he stood up I ankled picked him with one hand and pushed him down with the other. From there we went back and forth but he ended up outpointing me. He is very good at transitioning from side control to mount.

I was exhausted but it was an excellent roll and excellent class.

Knockouts in BJJ – What happens when you don’t protect your rolling buddies

I don’t even know what happened. I had to have other people tell me what they saw and then piece the story together.

It was about 7 of us. We jogged, stretched, performed some calisthenics and then I decided that I would demonstrate some take-downs. I showed the guys a double-overhook outside leg trip, a version of a bear hug inside-leg trip and finally a harai o-goshi which is a hip throw with a sweep. This is the throw where I ended up being thrown on my face.

The entire time I was cautioning the guys to go slow and take it easy. What troubles me now more than anything else is that the guy that threw me on my face told me that he had 7 years of Judo experience in Japan and that he wrestled for the University of Central Florida.

So how did I end up being thrown on my face?

At first I was going to make light of the situation but as I think about it I am tired of being injured by big guys with no sense of their own strength.  Since I was instructing I let him practice each throw two times and then I would check on the other guys. Before the second throw where I went unconscious for a second or two I thought about not letting him go a second time. I should have followed my instinct.

A couple of the guys in class said that I landed on my face or neck. Which to me, seems impossible with that throw.  I sat out for the majority of class and then I rolled with Joe and the big new guy that helped me go into the land of unconsciousness.

As Joe goes to class at least 5 times a week he continues to get better and it is getting harder and harder to grapple with him. We rolled for about 5 minutes and then I begged off as I was exhausted. In my roll with the new guy with 7 years of Judo and wrestling at UCF he was able to gain the top position and we spent most of the time in the half-guard, guard to mount game with him on top. In the last seconds of the round I swept him, obtained mount and tapped him out with a knuckle choke.

New Rule: I am not going to grapple with or act as a throwing dummy for some guys. Not at all.  It is not worth it!

Sometimes it’s the Simple Things….

Recently, I have been analyzing a lot of videos to learn more intricate techniques. However, watching this clip of Marcelo Garcia reminded me that often simple techniques is all it takes to be dominant in BJJ. 

At the 42 second mark of the video he captures his student in a rudimentary wrist lock. At 4 min and 58 seconds Garcia performs a basic step over guard pass. Both moves required timing, but I don’t think anyone would doubt that they could pull off the same technique with ease.

Working from Positions & a little bit of Boxing After BJJ (17)

I didn’t write up my last class, but that day Carlos had us work on the baseball bat choke and a couple of variations. I realized that the baseball choke is what Smiley has submitted me with a few times (and a random purple belt who came to class once). The subs were so quick and sometimes painful I couldn’t recognize what was being done. But it made perfect sense when I learned it in class. We’ve practiced another version of it before, but this time it was from side control.

Today we worked on sparring from different positions; guard, side control, being mounted and half guard. One minute rounds the entire time. Following that we grappled for 4 minute rounds at the end of class. I sparred for one round with a new guy, Daniel, and all I did was play the positional dominance game. He had good instinct and I predict he will do well if he comes back.

I was trying to take it easy today as I hurt my heel racing my nephew, Kenyon, last Friday. It’s ridiculous, a 35 year old racing an 11 yr old. I know. But, I didn’t hurt myself in our first race. After I beat him, he said, “I wasn’t expecting that,” and he wanted to race again. I out ran him again and then I pulled up lame. (On a side note my nieces and nephews are always surprised when they become teenagers or are getting close and then an adult beats them at something. I remember my father beat me in basketball, the one time we played, when I was 14 and he was 37,  No flair, he just dribbled and went for lay ups. I was dumbstruck!)

But anyway, I was trying to take it easy, but a couple of the guys began boxing/MMA after BJJ class. I could feel my body wanting to jump out there but my thoughts were holding me back. I took the plunge anyway and asked Ryan (purple belt instructor) if there were any boxing gloves I could use. I found some and then paired up with Carlos, who is a BJJ brown belt. As Ryan told us to “take it easy” and to “go light” I threw double jabs and straight rights at first. Then Carlos kicked me in the leg. He also had an overhand right that kept surprising me. I surprised myself as I threw a “karate kick” roundhouse at his head. A little later I threw a front kick and then tried a teak kick but he caught my leg and after a few seconds of me hopping around he swept my other leg. I scrambled for the top position but fell right into a triangle and had to tap. We started again and he rushed me just as the buzzer sounded. He didn’t “hear it” though and scooped me up and slammed me (as I heard him describe it ) on my back. Thus I am writing this with a very sore latissimus dorsi muscle on my right side.

Ahh, but it feels good!!!

Success as an Unconscious Process: Level 2 and Revisiting “Blink”

Bakari being thrown by instructor James Smiley

Quick Post.

In my Psychology of Success Blog I shared one of my Jiujitsu tales. Here’s the link: http://psychologyofsuccess.wordpress.com/2009/06/27/success-as-an-unconscious-process-level-2-and-revisiting-blink/

Thanks,

Bakari

Do Dreams Count?

Last night I had a dream that I was a purple belt. Which is odd because I haven’t been to class in a week. In the dream I had on a white gi (my real gi is blue) and I was tightening up my purple belt while talking to some new guys.

Also all of this was taking place in the middle of an MMA cage. What’s funny is that I had a dream that I was training BJJ the previous night.

Does dreaming count as training? 

I ask mostly in jest, but when I dream about BJJ I feel as if I am really doing it and I am fully conscious (in the dreams).  I once dreamt that I tapped out two random guys by RNC and an arm bar; another where I tapped out GSP with a rear naked choke; and where a guy demonstrated how I could tap out one of my instructors (won’t say which one). He tapped him out within seconds and I was amazed

For those who are long time readers of my blog you know I once had a dream that I was sleeping in a Japanese dojo and suddenly Dana White burst through the door. He told me that I was getting promoted to purple belt and I needed to hurry up and get dressed.  

Regardless, I have to go back and train in my reality soon. I have to admit though that last time I went it was so ridiculously hot. For the past two weeks we have been faced with 90 to 100 degree weather with ‘”feels like” ratings ranging from 103 to 115 degrees. I have been dealing with feelings of sluggishness but I’ll come around.

*I am a blue belt for those new to the blog.

Book Knowledge translated to Mat Knowledge

My efforts to record what I practice from books has borne fruit. I was able to tap 2 people (albeit new guys) today using new techniques. I have been working on the Closed Guard Overwrap and Overwrap to Back techniques from “Jiu-Jitsu University.” Today I was able to use both with a little variation during rolling.

While rolling with the first guy I was able to pull him into me while he was in my guard. I then realized that I could throw my left hand over his right shoulder and snake my right hand through his left armpit. I clamped them together (Overwrap) and then tried to use my right shoulder to bump his arm up so I could get my head out (Overwrap to Back). After I was able to get my head out I realized that I had a opportunity for a head and arm choke. I dropped my plans of hipping out and trying to take the back and instead locked in the choke from guard. 

Oh man it was locked on tight. I didn’t have to squeeze hard at all and I have never felt that much power in a choke. I could have written it off to chance but I was able to do the same thing to the second guy I rolled with. He tried to struggle a little after I locked it in but a little squeeze made him tap too.

I only performed 30 reps each of both of those techniques and am glad that I was able to use it so soon. I guess the position I ended up in while transitioning from one technique to the next provided the extra torque in the submissions.

As far as the drill portion of class, we worked on guard defense. It was a really good session as we worked on a sweep, shrimping out, a block to an attempt to throw the leg over the shoulder, etc. 

*The techniques I referred to are on pages 103-105 in the Purple belt section of “Jiu-Jitsu University.” 

Rumina Sato – This guy’s a Monster!

Rumina Sato is the guy  in the blue shorts and he is ‘eating up’ his competitors in this video. I posted another one of his videos earlier in my blog where he ripped through about 10 unsuspecting grapplers in a tournament. None lasted more than a minute. I don’t know if they knew who he was or not. There’s no sound in the second one, but the action speaks for itself!

Sorry about that,- last sentence.