I’m already on that plane, work becomes more and more meaningless as I count down the days (16) with the promise of warm weather and a wealth of grappling clubs to explore. The list is ever growing with places to train in Australasia and I have been trying to calculate being in L.A. again for the mundials which I honestly don’t see happening but I can think of worse things.
One thing is for sure, it will be sad to leave Factory if only temporarily, as the club has gone from strength to strength in vibe and level. It will be great to get back though and see everyone’s improvements and hopefully share some wealth from training in a different culture.
I’m in for somewhat of a treat however as in the build up to my departure I’m going to compete and after that its the annual Combat Base Interclub which should see me get a good smashing so I will train harder down under.
Im ditching the idea of using my new black Gi to patch up as a record of places trained. Im going to use my old superfly as its more of a blank canvas.
When I train at each club I was thinking of having a little quota to meet before I get the patch and claim to have trained there. What would people say to a minimum of 5 sessions at any one gym to be worthy of a patch? That way I would hope to get some tuition and have rolled with a good number of people. Obviously I’m going to train more if I can, I just don’t want to train somewhere once for the sake of a patch.
My plan for this year, new Gi clad was to travel the world in the hope of a good times and culture.
Slightly off the beat its not going to be a full round the world trip but Im deffinately going around the world to Australia. The new Gi is going to be a great way to token this adventure by picking up some patches in exchange for some shed cotton and a few rips.
So starting in Sydney from March 10th will be a new chapter of travels and the blog. I just hope that being on the other side of the globe will do wonders for my bottom game.
Its time to get back on the blog wagon. Once again my commitment to doing anything has slipped in recent weeks.
Never fear, I have some new tec and some new ideas for this year so stay tuned. The following is a basic film about James Nardone doing some MMA a while back. Something I have been meaning to make for a while. Enjoy.
I haven’t been posting for over a month and my training has been sporadic at best which has been rubbish. Its a busy time of year though so I gues this is a contributing factor.
Thanks to popular request I will be reviewing my new Isami Gi (Pictured above) in the coming days. I have got some big plans for this Gi which will hopefully occupy most of next year. Its coming travelling with me.
On the mat revelations can be like an acid flash back and are quite possibly the coolest thing about Jiu Jits.
Sometimes its about hitting the nerve whilst others it can be a mental fixation. Tonight I went through my I pod mood shuffle in my head as I was rolling trying to gauge the pace of the roll until I hit the tempo that worked.
It paid dividends and made me recap everything I picked up in America as I was rolling… that’s the flashback part. I ended up implementing about 10 or so techniques that have never been a major part of my game and to good effect.
So the penny drops and I figure I have put way to much pressure on myself to compete and not enjoyed my Jiu Jitsu as a result.
I will probably compete again. I’m just gonna wait for one of those shao-lin “it is time” moments before I do so.
This week… the weirdest thing was how not training has effected me in the smallest yet most noticeable ways.
I found myself at one point laying in bed, and where there were normally happy thoughts of flying armbars I was caught up thinking about work.
For the most part I have felt super chilled out (which is odd considering my job) and perhaps more chilled out than usual. However my body has been telling me differently.
On checking my blood pressure after feeling like my heart was beating more than it usually does, I found that the systolic pressure was higher by around 10. This might not seem a lot but I have felt like excess energy is trying to escape out of my body. I even had the urge to do boxing of some sort which is out of character for me so I didnt act on it.
Anyway… in talking with a friend she recommended that regular check ups for athletes is the norm and was surprised when I told her I dont get check ups (I dont really think of myself as an athlete).
My diagnosis is lack of Jiu Jitsu and lack of anything really. A short sharp shock from training, competing and swiftly to injury (and takeing something doug gave me for it) has knocked me off the tempo. So tonight its time to pick up the sticks where I left off and hit the drum.
On another note I just got ahold of my new Gi, an early X mas present from mother superior which got lost in transit.
Real of Reals
This is my second Isami Gi, they have somewhat of a cult following at Factory and cult is always good. This was magnified moments earlier when on the phone to a brown belt from Renzo’s who had never heard of Isami…
Its snug as a bug, I will be sure to review it here when I have been choked the fuck out in it tonight at training.
Following on from a recent shoulder injury its time to take some time out on the run up to Christmas. Its a bit of a shame but I’m sure it will benefit my progress.
I always find that when takeing time out i come back with a new approach. A bit like when you sleep your can solve problems. Its time to let the subconscious train.
It about time too, I had a couple of competitions recently (No Gi) which I didnt fare too well in. The first one i got submitted in less than a minute by armbar and the second I gassed way too early.
I think I put too much pressure on myself to do well in the first and got really pissed off with myself for doing so bad. Then the second I felt I over trained the day before.
The ref is the guy who beat me at UMA Absolute
Ahh well, I’m also going to give the comps a rest for a while. I competed at a weight class higher than i should have done too. Weighing in at 66kg and fighting under 73.
Anyhow thats enough grovelling. I still got something out of both competitions and this break will give me a chance to work on some upcoming Artofjits projects including the first anniversary of the blog.
We all have attributes, I have good balance for example. But thinking a little deeper I have started to realise that ambition is an attribute.
James got his purple belt this week at the gym. And rightly so. I have first hand witnessed his desire to get better on each individual part of his game on a weekly basis. Combine that with going the extra mile to get further tuition and then making it count in competition has led him to this moment.
One way to think about it is like a game of top trumps.
This is by no means accurate as a representation of my game. Just a concept for the blog. However when thinking about what would make up experience points I have to think what goes into it.
So for ambition im thinking about how I have gone from strength to strength. In year one of my training it was very off and on, much like the first time I tried bjj at 16 which lasted about 3 weeks. I was more interested in girls.
In year 4 (currently) I am dedicated to training consistently, have a blog about jiu jitsu, am thinking about it more and more, have set up my loft gym and in general the longer I train the more I see myself dedicating myself in new ways.
To reach 100 ambition would be doing something like training full-time and entering every single competition. It’s not impossible but then again its just an analogy.
Today I decided its time to keep a training diary. I have always learned by osmosis, apart from experimenting with stuff for this blog. Today however saw me pilfer a blank excercise book from an uncredited source and begin jotting down, in as understandable fashion as possible what I did last night at the gym.
But first, my good friend and training partner James Nardone got his purple belt at training last night from Darren and Helen Currie. Congratulations to him and you can see more at www.factorybjj.com.
Tonight however,I just finished working with Mo of Bear BJJ blogging fame on what was a spurr of the moment grand opening for the loft.
It felt really good to be up there and working techniques and isolation. The space is just right for two people and the mats although thin do a grand job. Its still not as asthetically pleasing as I intend it to be but its functional. So for now anyone I know can come and work extra grappling with me. I think il open it up for privates when im a bit better at jiu jitsu
I had hoped on publishing a little series called something like “coat hanger” guard but the bubble has finally burst. My sneaky moves have officially been branded illegal by a 4th degree black belt… nevermind. So I’ll run through it quickly which will let me put it to bed….
Im underneath north south looking to get a grip on the back of the collar
Feeding the scruff of the collar and in rubber guard fashion I bring my foot towards the collar.
I place my foot inside resting the collar on the outer bridge to get "Hanger guard"
I came across this idea from playing the same principle in peoples belts (also illegal) when they have mount. I can only think the reason it is illegal is because of the pressure it can put on the knee. I have never had any problems but if you do try it please take care. It’s funny to see the look on peoples faces when they are apparently lifted off when you are underneath.
In this quick stills video Adam demonstrates the triangle and omoplata from the “hanger” on Mo.
I will leave you to figure out sweeps and more subs (which are plentiful) just dont forget its illegal in competition. Enjoy.
How annoying, you can get some crazy positions and angles
