As someone who is still very much at the beginning of his BJJ journey, I am in the process of finding my game. Like all sports, there are sets of fundamentals that we all have to learn and then we can begin to apply them in the way that works for us best. As I mentioned in a previous post, the kneeling pass from the closed guard is just not one that works for me, perhaps due to my body type, perhaps due to not having some details quite right, but a standing guard pass works quite nicely (if I could only figure out what to do with the legs after that!)
After about seven months of training I am starting to find my game a bit. I don't particularly care for taking the back, for instance, I don't feel as in control as other members of the team and I prefer to threaten a back take when I am really looking for an opportunity to get to the mount, a position I find much more comfortable and safe, largely due my feeling happier using my body weight and long legs to wrap around my opponent, allowing me to roll with and ride with his/her movements. I also know that there are some submissions that I have not really got the hang of yet - the armbar from closed guard is one that I rarely get as I struggle to throw my legs across the face fast enough. However, the triangle choke is one that I have been practising quite a lot recently, and one that, again with my long and fairly heavy legs I find works very nicely for me, especially now that I feel more comfortable with the movements and am not rushing so much when I go for it. Previously, I would be trying to do everything at once - control the arm, find the diamond, angle my body off and log the figure-four, all at the same time, a patent impossibility. Now I can be a bit more relaxed about things and this has lead me to having a little bit more success.
However, I still don't think I have really found my actual BJJ style, more often going for something of a mishmash of positions and movements. I am fairly simplistic in my rolling, following the same basic patterns - passing the legs, side control and then trying to transition to mount. When this fails, I rarely have a backup plan and end up simply reacting to others' movements, something which is rarely a good thing in any combat sport as it is generally not a great idea to be fighting someone else's fight. Being taken out of your gameplan and into someone else's is frustrating and often tiring. The lack of control and necessity of thinking on the spot all the time is not conducive to succeeding in any sport, let alone one in which the slightest mistake can mean a literal loss of breath or a joint!
Recently at Leverage (the Academy about which this blog is a badly disguised running advertisement!), we had a great session which reviewed a no-gi seminar some of the members had attended. We moved through an armbar from the mount to a spinning escape when stacked, eventually finishing that with a back-take. I am not Grandmaster Flash, break dancing is not my thing and my attempts to go inverted bring a tear to the eye of many (in fact, I once actually blinded myself trying to go inverted when the end of my belt fell into my eyeball, it didn't stop tearing up for days and I kept it a close secret for fear that my life would not be worth living at the gym!) However, I practised the move, just like I practise all such moves as I know that at the moment I don't have the flexibility or smoothness on the ground to be able to achieve it, but one day it may well be a part of my game. I even managed to pull it off a few times and got a nod from the coach.
I think this is the important thing. At the moment, my game is very straight forward, relying largely on strength and weight to execute my gameplan. My transitions are not particularly slick and my submissions are not going to be winning me any UFC bonuses just yet but I am always watching other people with my body type as well as those with different bodies because I am conscious that my game is evolving and I want it to continue to evolve. As I mentioned, I have recently had some success with triangle chokes and I want to push them to being a real weapon for me. To do this, I have to get into guard and play guard more efficiently. My guard game is not great at the moment and it is time for me to start working on this, the same way as I worked on my side control a few months ago.
This is a reason that I love BJJ so much. I often talk about boxing being simpler, which it is due to a more limited moveset (although I am not disparaging boxing as being easy, quite the opposite), but I know that as I find my way through BJJ, I will have years and years of techniques and movements to play with, use or reject and I can keep my game changing and moving, to the point that I may be able to develop several different styles. Even when I find my style, I will still keep trying the more esoteric moves just in case one day I can put them into my game and become more complete. 'A complete fighter' is one of the highest complements I can think of and, after many years of practice, one day I hope to earn that accolade, for BJJ at least.
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Sunday, 22 January 2012
To gi, or not to gi?
'To gi, or not to gi,
That is the question,
Whether I should put on my pyjamas against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take up a rashguard, and by opposing end them,'
- William 'de Escritor' Shakespeare.
Again, anything written on this blog is entirely my opinion and I would genuinely love to hear comments, both in agreement or, especially, in disagreement.
Training at Leverage places a pretty high emphasis on training with the gi - out of a possible 7 training sessions, there are only two that are no-gi, and even then, there is a gi session first. I have to say, I love the gi and I love rolling with a gi. For some reason, it just feels more 'jiu jitsu' than no-gi.
Which is not to say that I don't enjoy no-gi, I do, but I seem to have a real love/hate relationship with it. Sometimes I have great rolls without a gi - feeling better, stronger and more slick than with it, but sometimes I am absolutely appalling, like it's my first time even stepping into the gym. This is a lack of consistency I don't seem to find when rolling in my pyjamas and I'm sure something that is largely due to a lack of training no-gi.
Speaking as someone who came to BJJ through a love of MMA, rolling no-gi scratches an itch to be more like an MMA fighter, my trial session was obviously without a gi and I was almost disappointed when I had to put one on for my first real class. When I break someone's posture through underhooks and controlling the back of the neck, in my mind's eye I am just like Nick Diaz, or GSP, I imagine I even look as professional and slick as they do (my mind's eye is very forgiving!), and I love the ease of movement and speed that comes with the no-gi game. However, in my humble opinion, no-gi makes me a bit lazy and more likely to muscle my way through techniques, rather than actually apply my learning, and this is why I love the gi.
There is no doubt in my mind that the gi slows things down and forces me to be more technical. The slippery nature of rolling in a rashguard and shorts means that I am more likely to slip out of holds, something that is just not possible with the grips afforded by the jacket and trousers ensemble. I have to consider the best way to break grips or find the proper hip movements to escape a position. In the same way, I have to plan my movements more carefully to gain positions. Without the gi, I find myself more likely to try to power out and, with my opponent less able to get the same level of controlling grips, I think it is easier to do so.
For beginners like myself, I think that this slower, more technical aspect to the game gives a greater depth of technical knowledge and understanding of BJJ due to its unforgiving nature - it ensures that the student approaches BJJ from a more technical standpoint, rather than allowing 'cheap' escapes from the beginning. Of course, my complaints about no-gi are not really complaints, they are simply a lack of understanding and training without a gi - I'm just not as used to it yet.
Ultimately, gi and no-gi are peas from a pod to a large extent and I certainly do love my no-gi sessions, both from a 'fun' aspect (and from a wannabe MMA fighter poseur level), as well as the feeling of improving in an almost new sport. I love trying new techniques and trying to see what transfers across to gi and vice versa. I love the speed and hectic feel of a good no-gi roll, but, at the end of the day, if I was forced to choose gi or no-gi for the rest of my life, you would have to prise my gi from my cold, dead body. I hope people will be in here to vehemently defend no-gi and I will probably agree with the majority of their points, I love no-gi, just not as much as gi. Gi BJJ feels like serious business, no-gi for me is still something I do more for a palate-cleanser, or for 'fun'!
That is the question,
Whether I should put on my pyjamas against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take up a rashguard, and by opposing end them,'
- William 'de Escritor' Shakespeare.
Again, anything written on this blog is entirely my opinion and I would genuinely love to hear comments, both in agreement or, especially, in disagreement.
Training at Leverage places a pretty high emphasis on training with the gi - out of a possible 7 training sessions, there are only two that are no-gi, and even then, there is a gi session first. I have to say, I love the gi and I love rolling with a gi. For some reason, it just feels more 'jiu jitsu' than no-gi.
Which is not to say that I don't enjoy no-gi, I do, but I seem to have a real love/hate relationship with it. Sometimes I have great rolls without a gi - feeling better, stronger and more slick than with it, but sometimes I am absolutely appalling, like it's my first time even stepping into the gym. This is a lack of consistency I don't seem to find when rolling in my pyjamas and I'm sure something that is largely due to a lack of training no-gi.
Speaking as someone who came to BJJ through a love of MMA, rolling no-gi scratches an itch to be more like an MMA fighter, my trial session was obviously without a gi and I was almost disappointed when I had to put one on for my first real class. When I break someone's posture through underhooks and controlling the back of the neck, in my mind's eye I am just like Nick Diaz, or GSP, I imagine I even look as professional and slick as they do (my mind's eye is very forgiving!), and I love the ease of movement and speed that comes with the no-gi game. However, in my humble opinion, no-gi makes me a bit lazy and more likely to muscle my way through techniques, rather than actually apply my learning, and this is why I love the gi.
There is no doubt in my mind that the gi slows things down and forces me to be more technical. The slippery nature of rolling in a rashguard and shorts means that I am more likely to slip out of holds, something that is just not possible with the grips afforded by the jacket and trousers ensemble. I have to consider the best way to break grips or find the proper hip movements to escape a position. In the same way, I have to plan my movements more carefully to gain positions. Without the gi, I find myself more likely to try to power out and, with my opponent less able to get the same level of controlling grips, I think it is easier to do so.
For beginners like myself, I think that this slower, more technical aspect to the game gives a greater depth of technical knowledge and understanding of BJJ due to its unforgiving nature - it ensures that the student approaches BJJ from a more technical standpoint, rather than allowing 'cheap' escapes from the beginning. Of course, my complaints about no-gi are not really complaints, they are simply a lack of understanding and training without a gi - I'm just not as used to it yet.
Ultimately, gi and no-gi are peas from a pod to a large extent and I certainly do love my no-gi sessions, both from a 'fun' aspect (and from a wannabe MMA fighter poseur level), as well as the feeling of improving in an almost new sport. I love trying new techniques and trying to see what transfers across to gi and vice versa. I love the speed and hectic feel of a good no-gi roll, but, at the end of the day, if I was forced to choose gi or no-gi for the rest of my life, you would have to prise my gi from my cold, dead body. I hope people will be in here to vehemently defend no-gi and I will probably agree with the majority of their points, I love no-gi, just not as much as gi. Gi BJJ feels like serious business, no-gi for me is still something I do more for a palate-cleanser, or for 'fun'!
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Stick with it!
When I was starting out in my BJJ training I found myself getting very frustrated when rolling, and I have spoken to some other people who say they have felt the same. As I touched on a bit in my previous post about self-defence, I believe this is largely due to the unintuitive nature of BJJ.
When we first code the act of fighting in our bodies at a young age, we mainly throw punches and occasionally kicks or, my favourite as a child, knees to the testicles. Because of this, most people are able to instinctively punch or kick in pressure situations. Most people starting out in boxing have an idea how to hit already and require only refinement (sometimes significant) in terms of technique and movement.
However, I think it is safe to say that not many people spend their childhood in playgrounds fighting off their backs and, whilst we can all sidestep and move on our feet (even if it is not the pretty footwork of a professional boxer), it can be a very long step to being comfortable moving around smoothly on the floor. One day, I hope to get better at it! Indeed, for people without any judo or wrestling experience, putting on a gi, heading to the mats and lying down to learn to fight takes them right out of their comfort zone, it certainly did for me.
I would hazard that most people that take up BJJ are not thinking about the possibility of one day being really good at stepping round somebody's legs and then getting into side control. Most people are probably looking to get really good at making someone tap, however, one obviously does not come without the other and this can be a real source of frustration, again, it certainly was for me.
This becomes doubly apparent when we start rolling for the first time. I remember at least the first three or four months largely consisting of lying on the floor, stretched out, whilst someone danced around on top of me for a while before mercifully ending it. I had learned some fancy submissions, but the chances of actually using any of them seemed to not even be zero as I had not yet learned the magic codeword that can make someone tap when whispered in their ear. The unintuitive nature of the sport made positional awareness a nightmare. As a result, I grew more and more irritated with the whole situation. I often considered giving it up and going back to boxing or muay thai, something I at least knew I was able to have two-way sparring sessions in.
However, I stuck to it, more because I was enjoying how fit it was making me feel rather than because I had any hope of actually getting better at it and I was fortunate enough to have two training partners in particular that really took a lot of time with me rolling, both forming a sort of yin/yang together, one putting me in bad positions and making me recognise them and try to, at first, escape them, then begin to avoid them, and one who would always take a passive role and allow me to move around and try things, increasing my awareness and ability to move on the ground. (I won't name names for fear of embarrassment but I would also like to stress that each and every person I have worked with at Leverage has done wonders for my game, from the whitest of whitebelts, to the blackest of black and I hope everyone will understand that.)
After a while, slowly but surely, things started coming together. Whereas previously I was wondering if maybe I had missed classes where we were being taught the 'real' basics, I soon came to the realisation that the necessary movements can't really be taught, they have to be learned and the only way to achieve this is through mat time. Anyone at Leverage will be familiar with a certain person's catchphrase, 'there is no magic in jiujitsu,' and again, I have to agree with that. The only magic is in how sweat and fatigue can be transformed into ability, a sort of modern alchemy.
While I would not yet consider myself to be anyway approaching expertise on the ground, I do feel that I am becoming slightly less incompetent, which is a milestone in itself, and this is because of the work I have tried to put in, as well as the support from my coaches and training partners. However, I do take pride in the fact that I hung in there and am seeing results. I hope I am not the 'horizontal heavy bag' that I used to be and can actually give people a bit of a run for their money at times.
Therefore, to anyone just starting out and finding it all tough going, I would say stick with it! The more you do it, the more it will work. There is no quick fix, there is no one lesson that your coaches can give you to magically improve your roll - it's just hard work, mat time and taking your bruises. Every time I roll I hope to learn something new from a training partner, no matter his/her skill level and I hope you will do the same.
When we first code the act of fighting in our bodies at a young age, we mainly throw punches and occasionally kicks or, my favourite as a child, knees to the testicles. Because of this, most people are able to instinctively punch or kick in pressure situations. Most people starting out in boxing have an idea how to hit already and require only refinement (sometimes significant) in terms of technique and movement.
However, I think it is safe to say that not many people spend their childhood in playgrounds fighting off their backs and, whilst we can all sidestep and move on our feet (even if it is not the pretty footwork of a professional boxer), it can be a very long step to being comfortable moving around smoothly on the floor. One day, I hope to get better at it! Indeed, for people without any judo or wrestling experience, putting on a gi, heading to the mats and lying down to learn to fight takes them right out of their comfort zone, it certainly did for me.
I would hazard that most people that take up BJJ are not thinking about the possibility of one day being really good at stepping round somebody's legs and then getting into side control. Most people are probably looking to get really good at making someone tap, however, one obviously does not come without the other and this can be a real source of frustration, again, it certainly was for me.
This becomes doubly apparent when we start rolling for the first time. I remember at least the first three or four months largely consisting of lying on the floor, stretched out, whilst someone danced around on top of me for a while before mercifully ending it. I had learned some fancy submissions, but the chances of actually using any of them seemed to not even be zero as I had not yet learned the magic codeword that can make someone tap when whispered in their ear. The unintuitive nature of the sport made positional awareness a nightmare. As a result, I grew more and more irritated with the whole situation. I often considered giving it up and going back to boxing or muay thai, something I at least knew I was able to have two-way sparring sessions in.
However, I stuck to it, more because I was enjoying how fit it was making me feel rather than because I had any hope of actually getting better at it and I was fortunate enough to have two training partners in particular that really took a lot of time with me rolling, both forming a sort of yin/yang together, one putting me in bad positions and making me recognise them and try to, at first, escape them, then begin to avoid them, and one who would always take a passive role and allow me to move around and try things, increasing my awareness and ability to move on the ground. (I won't name names for fear of embarrassment but I would also like to stress that each and every person I have worked with at Leverage has done wonders for my game, from the whitest of whitebelts, to the blackest of black and I hope everyone will understand that.)
After a while, slowly but surely, things started coming together. Whereas previously I was wondering if maybe I had missed classes where we were being taught the 'real' basics, I soon came to the realisation that the necessary movements can't really be taught, they have to be learned and the only way to achieve this is through mat time. Anyone at Leverage will be familiar with a certain person's catchphrase, 'there is no magic in jiujitsu,' and again, I have to agree with that. The only magic is in how sweat and fatigue can be transformed into ability, a sort of modern alchemy.
While I would not yet consider myself to be anyway approaching expertise on the ground, I do feel that I am becoming slightly less incompetent, which is a milestone in itself, and this is because of the work I have tried to put in, as well as the support from my coaches and training partners. However, I do take pride in the fact that I hung in there and am seeing results. I hope I am not the 'horizontal heavy bag' that I used to be and can actually give people a bit of a run for their money at times.
Therefore, to anyone just starting out and finding it all tough going, I would say stick with it! The more you do it, the more it will work. There is no quick fix, there is no one lesson that your coaches can give you to magically improve your roll - it's just hard work, mat time and taking your bruises. Every time I roll I hope to learn something new from a training partner, no matter his/her skill level and I hope you will do the same.
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
BJJ and Self-defence
These seem to be coming fairly thick and fast at the moment - probably because I'm not actually training at the moment (I am aware of the irony of writing about BJJ without actually doing it!), but if you've read this far, I hope you'll hang in there until the pace slows a bit! Take heart, probably not such a long one this time!
Growing up in and around London, I have seen more than my fair share of fights and even had to participate in a few of them as well (not usually very successfully!). From training in striking arts as well I would generally not recommend them overly as methods of self-defence. In any stand-up striking battle, whether in the ring or on the streets there is a real likelihood of taking damage. This link (http://blog.fightmetric.com/2011/10/diaz-vs-penn-official-ufc-statistics.html) shows the Compustrike tally for the Nick Diaz vs BJ Penn fight. BJ Penn came out of that fight looking like he'd had a minor disagreement with King Kong and then insulted Godzilla on his way home.
However, despite the fight being what I think all witnesses agreed was a pretty one-sided beating handed out by Diaz, Penn still managed to land 88 punches on Nick Diaz - count'em, 88! Whilst this is still half the number that Diaz was happy to provide him with, I think we can agree that to anyone caught defending themselves on the street or in a bar, they would like to avoid as much damage as possible - one rarely sees two boxers going at it and being willing to take one to give one. There is also the aspect that if one of those strikes had been a touch harder and better placed, Nick Diaz and BJ Penn would have swapped places on the winner's podium - something that would spell total disaster in our imaginary street scenario. To further bear this out, here is Jones vs Machida - Machida was dominated, but in the first round actually managed to land the same number of strikes - going blow for blow with Jones. http://hosteddb.fightmetric.com/fights/index/3678
Whilst I am not suggesting that Muay Thai, boxing, karate, Wing Chun or many other striking arts would not come in handy in a self-defence situation, I hope I have properly explained my point - that standing and striking with someone carries with it a level of unacceptable risk. I do completely agree with the standpoint that the increased fitness, awareness and, indeed, ability that comes with training in one of these arts can definitely help one out and certainly the heightened confidence is something that can help one become less of a victim simply due to one's bearing, however, I think there is a way to further even the odds.
Oddly enough, this being a blog about BJJ, I am going to propose BJJ as a great art to start thinking about in terms of a way to protect yourself. First and foremost, it has the 'surprise' factor. When you take down your assailant and then move into position to control, there are unlikely to be too many people that have the training to recognise what is happening. When you then start wrapping your arms around their throat or bending limbs in impossible directions, it's hard to imagine too many people having the skills to resist. This is unlikely getting in a standup fight, where anyone can throw some sort of punch by simply extending a fist and putting it in your face - maybe not scientific, and it's unlikely to impress Floyd Mayweather Jr., but it may well be enough to impress you.
Simply put, BJJ is counter-intuitive to most and rudimentary training should go a long way towards confounding and beating someone with no training, even with just positional awareness rather than showing off by transitioning from a flying armbar to a triangle to an omoplata! However, if you are unlucky enough to get attacked by a BJJ player with more skill than you, particularly a black belt - tap and see if they let go - otherwise, to quote Aaron Goh, 'resistance is futile'!
Apart from the drunken barfight situation, there is, I believe, an even better argument for women in particular to take up the art, or at least get some training in it. Simply put, women are sometimes in danger of assaults far more objectionable than simply getting punched and I genuinely think that BJJ is the perfect art to help them defend themselves. First things first, the BJJ guard position is the rape position. We lie on our backs with someone between our legs, which is exactly where a would-be rapist is looking to put his victim. For many women, this may well be the moment of panic - on her back with someone already halfway towards his goal and the additional stress of the close proximity of his body.
For a BJJ player though, this is where the nastiness begins, not for the attacker, but for the 'victim'. Almost every beginner starts learning BJJ from the closed guard as it allows for maximum control of the opponent and gives a wide range of submission and sweep options - in other words, the attempted rapist would be in the 'victim's' world now. Getting used to the proximity of another human in a stressful situation is also a massive advantage. BJJ can teach women not to panic in this situation and instead relax and prepare to not just defend, but go on the offensive. Heaven help anyone foolish enough to try something like this on the girls we have training at Leverage Combat Academy - because certainly no-one else would.
Wristlocks, leglocks and all manner of nastiness can also help with assaults a step down from rape - how can someone snatch your purse with a broken wrist? Same for men - just let him grab your shirt or wallet from a tight guillotine! And for pity's sake, if you have to defend yourself, defend yourself with PRIDE FC rules - stomps, soccer kicks and knees to a downed opponent!
Apologies - this HAS gone on for a while - I hope you've stuck with it and I hope that anybody reading this will chime in in the comments section. It really means a lot to see the pageviews going up so thank you for your support so far. As always, if there is something you disagree with then post it too - the more you disagree with it the better - I'm always very interested in opposing views. Thank you again for reading!
Growing up in and around London, I have seen more than my fair share of fights and even had to participate in a few of them as well (not usually very successfully!). From training in striking arts as well I would generally not recommend them overly as methods of self-defence. In any stand-up striking battle, whether in the ring or on the streets there is a real likelihood of taking damage. This link (http://blog.fightmetric.com/2011/10/diaz-vs-penn-official-ufc-statistics.html) shows the Compustrike tally for the Nick Diaz vs BJ Penn fight. BJ Penn came out of that fight looking like he'd had a minor disagreement with King Kong and then insulted Godzilla on his way home.
However, despite the fight being what I think all witnesses agreed was a pretty one-sided beating handed out by Diaz, Penn still managed to land 88 punches on Nick Diaz - count'em, 88! Whilst this is still half the number that Diaz was happy to provide him with, I think we can agree that to anyone caught defending themselves on the street or in a bar, they would like to avoid as much damage as possible - one rarely sees two boxers going at it and being willing to take one to give one. There is also the aspect that if one of those strikes had been a touch harder and better placed, Nick Diaz and BJ Penn would have swapped places on the winner's podium - something that would spell total disaster in our imaginary street scenario. To further bear this out, here is Jones vs Machida - Machida was dominated, but in the first round actually managed to land the same number of strikes - going blow for blow with Jones. http://hosteddb.fightmetric.com/fights/index/3678
Whilst I am not suggesting that Muay Thai, boxing, karate, Wing Chun or many other striking arts would not come in handy in a self-defence situation, I hope I have properly explained my point - that standing and striking with someone carries with it a level of unacceptable risk. I do completely agree with the standpoint that the increased fitness, awareness and, indeed, ability that comes with training in one of these arts can definitely help one out and certainly the heightened confidence is something that can help one become less of a victim simply due to one's bearing, however, I think there is a way to further even the odds.
Oddly enough, this being a blog about BJJ, I am going to propose BJJ as a great art to start thinking about in terms of a way to protect yourself. First and foremost, it has the 'surprise' factor. When you take down your assailant and then move into position to control, there are unlikely to be too many people that have the training to recognise what is happening. When you then start wrapping your arms around their throat or bending limbs in impossible directions, it's hard to imagine too many people having the skills to resist. This is unlikely getting in a standup fight, where anyone can throw some sort of punch by simply extending a fist and putting it in your face - maybe not scientific, and it's unlikely to impress Floyd Mayweather Jr., but it may well be enough to impress you.
Simply put, BJJ is counter-intuitive to most and rudimentary training should go a long way towards confounding and beating someone with no training, even with just positional awareness rather than showing off by transitioning from a flying armbar to a triangle to an omoplata! However, if you are unlucky enough to get attacked by a BJJ player with more skill than you, particularly a black belt - tap and see if they let go - otherwise, to quote Aaron Goh, 'resistance is futile'!
Apart from the drunken barfight situation, there is, I believe, an even better argument for women in particular to take up the art, or at least get some training in it. Simply put, women are sometimes in danger of assaults far more objectionable than simply getting punched and I genuinely think that BJJ is the perfect art to help them defend themselves. First things first, the BJJ guard position is the rape position. We lie on our backs with someone between our legs, which is exactly where a would-be rapist is looking to put his victim. For many women, this may well be the moment of panic - on her back with someone already halfway towards his goal and the additional stress of the close proximity of his body.
For a BJJ player though, this is where the nastiness begins, not for the attacker, but for the 'victim'. Almost every beginner starts learning BJJ from the closed guard as it allows for maximum control of the opponent and gives a wide range of submission and sweep options - in other words, the attempted rapist would be in the 'victim's' world now. Getting used to the proximity of another human in a stressful situation is also a massive advantage. BJJ can teach women not to panic in this situation and instead relax and prepare to not just defend, but go on the offensive. Heaven help anyone foolish enough to try something like this on the girls we have training at Leverage Combat Academy - because certainly no-one else would.
Wristlocks, leglocks and all manner of nastiness can also help with assaults a step down from rape - how can someone snatch your purse with a broken wrist? Same for men - just let him grab your shirt or wallet from a tight guillotine! And for pity's sake, if you have to defend yourself, defend yourself with PRIDE FC rules - stomps, soccer kicks and knees to a downed opponent!
Apologies - this HAS gone on for a while - I hope you've stuck with it and I hope that anybody reading this will chime in in the comments section. It really means a lot to see the pageviews going up so thank you for your support so far. As always, if there is something you disagree with then post it too - the more you disagree with it the better - I'm always very interested in opposing views. Thank you again for reading!
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
On sparring....
I would like to take a little bit of time in this next post to talk about sparring and its relevance to martial arts training, especially BJJ. In a number of TMAs (traditional martial arts), there are techniques which are flashy, impressive and ultimately.....useless. Unfortunately Taekwondo is an art which is often brought up in this context. Whilst these techniques look amazing, when it comes down to an actual fight situation they may be more likely to put you in trouble, rather than get you out of it.
So-called 'Modern Martial Arts' (boxing, kickboxing/Muay Thai and BJJ) rarely suffer from this problem due to the high frequency of sparring. Students are encouraged to get in the ring or on the mats and to test the techniques they learn. With my still limited amount of BJJ training, I can't emphasize enough how this is helping me to shape my game.
One of the most basic closed guard passes I have been shown involves moving on your knees, twisting your hips and forcing your opponent to let go. It is a nice, simple guard pass with one problem. I have never been able to achieve it in rolling (BJJ sparring, check the glossary!). No matter how I swivel, how I move my knees, I remain firmly wedged between my opponent's legs. It is frustrating and a source of amusement to me - I used to consider in someone's guard to be basically the end of my roll - I was just waiting to be tapped.
Now, without regular sparring, I would never have known this, I would never have realised that this doesn't work for me and that I would be forced to look for other guard passes (I have had some success with a standing guard pass). I have to stress though, that the first pass works very well for most others, something that again they have proved to themselves through regular sparring. It's a very simple secret, sparring works. It allows you to test your techniques, find out if they work for you and even start working on new techniques that don't work for you yet, as well as try out dumb stuff that would get you killed in a live environment - what's the worst that can happen? At some point, I will definitely work on the kneeling guard pass again, as (once again) constant rolling has proved to me that I need a backup plan.
Sparring is particularly effective and useful in BJJ. Recently, I put some ideas on this in a post on Facebook and I hope that you won't mind if I reiterate a few of them here. Muay Thai and boxing also place a large emphasis on sparring, but due to the aggressive and concussive nature of the sports it is hard to spar 'hard' regularly, which means that to an extent some of the constant growth that comes with intensive sparring is lost. Any boxer will tell you that constantly going hard day after day takes its toll. It is also unusual (outside of Chute Boxe!) to see many people sparring at 100%, due to the high risk of injuries and loss of training time that can come with kayos and other boxing-related injuries. Sparring in striking arts can also be intimidating to beginners - I spend a long time gun-shy after getting my jaw almost broken in my first sparring session (it still clicks to this day!)
My experience with BJJ has been a lot gentler, even after sparring harder and more consistently than I ever did in boxing. BJJ is, I believe, one of the few arts where one can actually spar at close to 100% and do so day in and day out with comparatively little risk. Whilst accidents can, and do, happen, there is a lot less risk in being caught in an armbar from a training partner than there is in being caught with a right hook on the button. As long as you tap in time and your partner lets go, you should be ready to touch hands and get back into it as long as your cardio holds out.
I think this also holds true with partners who are trying to smash you. Whilst one of our gymmates found himself on the wrong end of an illegal move and was definitely the worse for wear, I think he would probably have found things a lot tougher if he'd been sparring boxing or MMA with someone going full out. The safety inherent in BJJ is something that I feel he can be very happy about.
Sparring is good for martial arts and really helps you develop a style and a feel for what works for you and what doesn't. In a martial art as complicated as BJJ it is crucial and something I look forward to during each and every class. I feel safe, pushed, frustrated and elated, often within moments of each other. So, when a higher belt asks you if you want to roll - get stuck in. You're in safe hands and, if you don't do it, you risk limiting your progress in the sport.
Pair up, on your knees, touch hands, let's roll!!!
So-called 'Modern Martial Arts' (boxing, kickboxing/Muay Thai and BJJ) rarely suffer from this problem due to the high frequency of sparring. Students are encouraged to get in the ring or on the mats and to test the techniques they learn. With my still limited amount of BJJ training, I can't emphasize enough how this is helping me to shape my game.
One of the most basic closed guard passes I have been shown involves moving on your knees, twisting your hips and forcing your opponent to let go. It is a nice, simple guard pass with one problem. I have never been able to achieve it in rolling (BJJ sparring, check the glossary!). No matter how I swivel, how I move my knees, I remain firmly wedged between my opponent's legs. It is frustrating and a source of amusement to me - I used to consider in someone's guard to be basically the end of my roll - I was just waiting to be tapped.
Now, without regular sparring, I would never have known this, I would never have realised that this doesn't work for me and that I would be forced to look for other guard passes (I have had some success with a standing guard pass). I have to stress though, that the first pass works very well for most others, something that again they have proved to themselves through regular sparring. It's a very simple secret, sparring works. It allows you to test your techniques, find out if they work for you and even start working on new techniques that don't work for you yet, as well as try out dumb stuff that would get you killed in a live environment - what's the worst that can happen? At some point, I will definitely work on the kneeling guard pass again, as (once again) constant rolling has proved to me that I need a backup plan.
Sparring is particularly effective and useful in BJJ. Recently, I put some ideas on this in a post on Facebook and I hope that you won't mind if I reiterate a few of them here. Muay Thai and boxing also place a large emphasis on sparring, but due to the aggressive and concussive nature of the sports it is hard to spar 'hard' regularly, which means that to an extent some of the constant growth that comes with intensive sparring is lost. Any boxer will tell you that constantly going hard day after day takes its toll. It is also unusual (outside of Chute Boxe!) to see many people sparring at 100%, due to the high risk of injuries and loss of training time that can come with kayos and other boxing-related injuries. Sparring in striking arts can also be intimidating to beginners - I spend a long time gun-shy after getting my jaw almost broken in my first sparring session (it still clicks to this day!)
My experience with BJJ has been a lot gentler, even after sparring harder and more consistently than I ever did in boxing. BJJ is, I believe, one of the few arts where one can actually spar at close to 100% and do so day in and day out with comparatively little risk. Whilst accidents can, and do, happen, there is a lot less risk in being caught in an armbar from a training partner than there is in being caught with a right hook on the button. As long as you tap in time and your partner lets go, you should be ready to touch hands and get back into it as long as your cardio holds out.
I think this also holds true with partners who are trying to smash you. Whilst one of our gymmates found himself on the wrong end of an illegal move and was definitely the worse for wear, I think he would probably have found things a lot tougher if he'd been sparring boxing or MMA with someone going full out. The safety inherent in BJJ is something that I feel he can be very happy about.
Sparring is good for martial arts and really helps you develop a style and a feel for what works for you and what doesn't. In a martial art as complicated as BJJ it is crucial and something I look forward to during each and every class. I feel safe, pushed, frustrated and elated, often within moments of each other. So, when a higher belt asks you if you want to roll - get stuck in. You're in safe hands and, if you don't do it, you risk limiting your progress in the sport.
Pair up, on your knees, touch hands, let's roll!!!
Monday, 16 January 2012
Why I train.
First of all, thank you to anyone that read the first post and has come back for more - the support I have received so far means a great deal and really makes me want to keep this up - obrigado!!
This blog will not address techniques particularly as I doubt I have anything to really add that you can't find better said somewhere on the internet or, at your local, friendly BJJ gym (get off the couch and get over there!). Instead, I will just talk about what comes to mind when I think about BJJ - I hope this will be interesting to at least a couple of people!
Recently, in a conversation with someone at the gym, he was equating life to jiu jitsu - something he does a lot - trouble at work? It's like BJJ. Trouble with your relationship? It's like BJJ. Meteor hit the earth? It's like BJJ! I THINK HE'S RIGHT!! However, I don't think it's just limited to BJJ, but actually to all combat sports with live sparring. I say live sparring rather than point sparring for a reason, which I will explain below.
There are a number of obvious reasons to take up a sport - health and fitness, scratching the competitive urge, hanging out with like-minded people, etc. etc. However, why take up a combat sport like boxing or BJJ, one where you can get seriously hurt if you're not careful? For me, there are a number of reasons, like testing my limits and training against other people to see just how good I am on my own, without a team to take credit for wins or blame for losses, but I also think there is more to it than that.
To start with, I would like to talk about what I mean by 'live' sparring. In sports such as BJJ and boxing, sparring is conducted under as realistic conditions as possible, which means no stopping when a punch is landed, like in point-sparring sports such as karate. This is crucial when considering how combat sports can apply to life. In life, just like in BJJ (the sport this blog centres on), there is no giving up when times get hard. Whether you are struggling desperately to protect an arm, or facing the end of a relationship, you are under pressure and having to deal with it and the pressure. Pressure is a big part of what I think about when I think of live sparring, learning to keep your composure when leather is flying at your face or when someone is sitting on top of or behind you trying to choke you or rip off an arm and this can transfer into doing the same when your life takes a turn for the worse. Being cool under fire is one definite life skill that martial arts can teach us - how to get your ass kicked and still keep going!
Hard work pays off is another crucial lesson. Every time I tap in BJJ or get dominated during a roll I have to rethink my strategy, go back to the drawing board and train harder. Sometimes it's a little correction, like hiding my arm better during a triangle choke, sometimes it's a lot bigger, like not allowing someone to get side control but every time I have to think again and use that to inspire my training. Only by working at BJJ can you get better at it and I believe it's the same in life. Work, relationships, even play are things that we have to work at to get better at and, with each setback we have to think about what we're doing and make sure we work and train harder to get through it.
Martial arts can not only teach us how to lose and not give up, they can also teach us how to win. When your next defeat can literally be a minute away it's hard to over-savour our victories. We learn to enjoy them but not be 'bad winners' and let them go to our heads too much. Enjoy the ride up, it can be a long way to fall - similarly though, we learn we can turn things around in a heartbeat, so sometimes the losses don't sting too much either.
The final lesson I want to talk about (and thanks for making it this far, if you did!) is that sometimes no matter what you do, it doesn't come right. Talking about competition, Prof. Marcos once said that the best feeling is to come home with a medal in your pocket, but that coming home without one, knowing you did every possible thing you could to win is still not as painful as it could be. In life as well, we can sometimes do everything right and still not come away with the result we want. We can know though, that if we worked hard and prepared hard and it didn't come off right that time then we have no-one to blame, we just weren't good enough on the night - not a great feeling, but we can still try and take satisfaction in the contest itself - a lesson that I really think can transfer to life. We all want to be Anderson Silva, standing in the Octagon with Dana White wrapping the belt around our waists. Sometimes though, we're Chael Sonnen, who did everything right in the fight, but got caught at the last minute. BJJ especially can prepare us for this.
This blog will not address techniques particularly as I doubt I have anything to really add that you can't find better said somewhere on the internet or, at your local, friendly BJJ gym (get off the couch and get over there!). Instead, I will just talk about what comes to mind when I think about BJJ - I hope this will be interesting to at least a couple of people!
Recently, in a conversation with someone at the gym, he was equating life to jiu jitsu - something he does a lot - trouble at work? It's like BJJ. Trouble with your relationship? It's like BJJ. Meteor hit the earth? It's like BJJ! I THINK HE'S RIGHT!! However, I don't think it's just limited to BJJ, but actually to all combat sports with live sparring. I say live sparring rather than point sparring for a reason, which I will explain below.
There are a number of obvious reasons to take up a sport - health and fitness, scratching the competitive urge, hanging out with like-minded people, etc. etc. However, why take up a combat sport like boxing or BJJ, one where you can get seriously hurt if you're not careful? For me, there are a number of reasons, like testing my limits and training against other people to see just how good I am on my own, without a team to take credit for wins or blame for losses, but I also think there is more to it than that.
To start with, I would like to talk about what I mean by 'live' sparring. In sports such as BJJ and boxing, sparring is conducted under as realistic conditions as possible, which means no stopping when a punch is landed, like in point-sparring sports such as karate. This is crucial when considering how combat sports can apply to life. In life, just like in BJJ (the sport this blog centres on), there is no giving up when times get hard. Whether you are struggling desperately to protect an arm, or facing the end of a relationship, you are under pressure and having to deal with it and the pressure. Pressure is a big part of what I think about when I think of live sparring, learning to keep your composure when leather is flying at your face or when someone is sitting on top of or behind you trying to choke you or rip off an arm and this can transfer into doing the same when your life takes a turn for the worse. Being cool under fire is one definite life skill that martial arts can teach us - how to get your ass kicked and still keep going!
Hard work pays off is another crucial lesson. Every time I tap in BJJ or get dominated during a roll I have to rethink my strategy, go back to the drawing board and train harder. Sometimes it's a little correction, like hiding my arm better during a triangle choke, sometimes it's a lot bigger, like not allowing someone to get side control but every time I have to think again and use that to inspire my training. Only by working at BJJ can you get better at it and I believe it's the same in life. Work, relationships, even play are things that we have to work at to get better at and, with each setback we have to think about what we're doing and make sure we work and train harder to get through it.
Martial arts can not only teach us how to lose and not give up, they can also teach us how to win. When your next defeat can literally be a minute away it's hard to over-savour our victories. We learn to enjoy them but not be 'bad winners' and let them go to our heads too much. Enjoy the ride up, it can be a long way to fall - similarly though, we learn we can turn things around in a heartbeat, so sometimes the losses don't sting too much either.
The final lesson I want to talk about (and thanks for making it this far, if you did!) is that sometimes no matter what you do, it doesn't come right. Talking about competition, Prof. Marcos once said that the best feeling is to come home with a medal in your pocket, but that coming home without one, knowing you did every possible thing you could to win is still not as painful as it could be. In life as well, we can sometimes do everything right and still not come away with the result we want. We can know though, that if we worked hard and prepared hard and it didn't come off right that time then we have no-one to blame, we just weren't good enough on the night - not a great feeling, but we can still try and take satisfaction in the contest itself - a lesson that I really think can transfer to life. We all want to be Anderson Silva, standing in the Octagon with Dana White wrapping the belt around our waists. Sometimes though, we're Chael Sonnen, who did everything right in the fight, but got caught at the last minute. BJJ especially can prepare us for this.
Sunday, 15 January 2012
A follow-up to the introduction!
Apparently I'm not ready to go to bed yet so I thought I would just add a little more to this that may help people out with the terminology a bit. Here's slideyfoot's glossary of BJJ which seems like a start to me...
http://www.slideyfoot.com/2007/03/brazilian-jiu-jitsu-glossary.html
Here's the Leverage Combat Academy website (if you want to learn techniques and have fun, this is the place to go)
http://www.escobarbjj.com
MMA ASIA's blog
http://www.mma-in-asia.com
Like her on Facebook as well please - she really knows what she's talking abbout and her blog is good reading!
Su Ling's BJJ blog - also a student under Prof. Escobar, although far more advanced, technical and cute than me! A must read for women thinking about BJJ.
http://cupcakearmbar.tumblr.com/
And, just because he's also a MEBJJer, you should read 'It's a Malaysian Life' because if you don't the writer will armbar you, or at the very least humiliate you into the ground with witty repartee!
http://durianbelacan.blogspot.com/
Goodnight all!
http://www.slideyfoot.com/2007/03/brazilian-jiu-jitsu-glossary.html
Here's the Leverage Combat Academy website (if you want to learn techniques and have fun, this is the place to go)
http://www.escobarbjj.com
MMA ASIA's blog
http://www.mma-in-asia.com
Like her on Facebook as well please - she really knows what she's talking abbout and her blog is good reading!
Su Ling's BJJ blog - also a student under Prof. Escobar, although far more advanced, technical and cute than me! A must read for women thinking about BJJ.
http://cupcakearmbar.tumblr.com/
And, just because he's also a MEBJJer, you should read 'It's a Malaysian Life' because if you don't the writer will armbar you, or at the very least humiliate you into the ground with witty repartee!
http://durianbelacan.blogspot.com/
Goodnight all!
First Entry and Musings on BJJ
So, first post and hopefully this will be something I keep up!! It's probably a good idea to talk about this blog and what I hope to achieve from it. First things first, my name is John and I have been training BJJ at Leverage Combat Academy (http://www.facebook.com/leverage.combat.academy ) since June 2011. I have trained in various martial arts, but this is the first martial art I have trained in that has inspired me to the extent that I feel I would like to share my experience with other people. Exactly why this is I hope will become more and more apparent as I (hopefully) continue to update this blog and I hope you will stay with me as I keep going on this journey!
Like many people, I started BJJ after growing more and more interested in MMA and becoming more and more intrigued by the ground game, something that, as a striker, I always considered a bit dull and, even worse, oriented towards strength rather than technique, something that training at Leverage has shown to be completely ridiculous!
In September 2010 I moved from England to Malaysia and left my previous boxing and Muay Thai oriented gym to a place where I couldn't really find a place that clicked. As an English teacher, I realised as well that I couldn't really come into work anymore with the bruises on the face or devote the time to training to fight that I had been able to before. I was therefore getting fat, lazy and looking for another martial art to train in to keep sharp and, more importantly, fit! A quick google search and I was on my way to a trial session at Leverage.
Leverage's professor, Marcos Escobar is a previous ADCC winner and he is more than ably assisted by the lovely Aaron Goh. As any other fighters can understand, moving into a new art can be daunting - how can you go from competence to incompetence and keep your dignity? In this respect, the trial session with Mr. Goh was an absolute dream to an avid MMA fan. We moved from a sweep from the butterfly guard, to an armbar (the PRIDE FC fan in me had a minor orgasm) to a RNC, all in about 1/2 hour. I came away from the session sweaty, exhilarated and absolutely wanting more.
Fast forward to the following Tuesday. Due to an eye injury, Aaron was not able to teach the basics class, instead lending me a gi and throwing me into the all-levels class. To say the least, I was terrified, especially when the man himself, Prof. Marcos Escobar came towards me to ask if I had ever done any wrestling, judo or jiu-jitsu before. I managed to stammer 'no' and felt like apologising immediately, but he instantly took me to one side to teach me hip escapes so that I could take part in the class. All through the session he was definitely keeping an eye on me and, with Aaron's encouragement I really enjoyed what little I was able to do before I nearly threw up with exhaustion - grappling cardio is NOT striking cardio! Again, both were extremely understanding and encouraging, showing a level of care that I have never seen in a martial arts class before.
At 12.00 at night, I returned home, again sweaty, exhausted and definitely wanting more! This was how I got hooked on the sport and have come back night after night to be choked, hyper-extended (thanks Su Ling!), admonished and supported through everything. It was also the start of meeting some of the best friends I have ever had and beginning to hang with a new family indeed. My new family of course including Sonia and Fatemeh Namdarian, without whose love and support I would never have come this far in Malaysia, let alone in life over the last year and a half...
It's late, and I'm ready for bed and to tell the story of the last 7 months would take more characters than the Lord of the Rings, but suffice to say that with Leverage, the last 7 months have been a total blast. It's a bit odd perhaps to be picking up this blog in the middle of things, but I hope that gives anyone listening an idea of my start in the sport. From now, I will begin ramblings and thoughts on the sport in general!
Thanks for sticking with me so far and I hope you'll stay around for a bit more!
Nice to meet you, my name is John!
In September 2010 I moved from England to Malaysia and left my previous boxing and Muay Thai oriented gym to a place where I couldn't really find a place that clicked. As an English teacher, I realised as well that I couldn't really come into work anymore with the bruises on the face or devote the time to training to fight that I had been able to before. I was therefore getting fat, lazy and looking for another martial art to train in to keep sharp and, more importantly, fit! A quick google search and I was on my way to a trial session at Leverage.
Leverage's professor, Marcos Escobar is a previous ADCC winner and he is more than ably assisted by the lovely Aaron Goh. As any other fighters can understand, moving into a new art can be daunting - how can you go from competence to incompetence and keep your dignity? In this respect, the trial session with Mr. Goh was an absolute dream to an avid MMA fan. We moved from a sweep from the butterfly guard, to an armbar (the PRIDE FC fan in me had a minor orgasm) to a RNC, all in about 1/2 hour. I came away from the session sweaty, exhilarated and absolutely wanting more.
Fast forward to the following Tuesday. Due to an eye injury, Aaron was not able to teach the basics class, instead lending me a gi and throwing me into the all-levels class. To say the least, I was terrified, especially when the man himself, Prof. Marcos Escobar came towards me to ask if I had ever done any wrestling, judo or jiu-jitsu before. I managed to stammer 'no' and felt like apologising immediately, but he instantly took me to one side to teach me hip escapes so that I could take part in the class. All through the session he was definitely keeping an eye on me and, with Aaron's encouragement I really enjoyed what little I was able to do before I nearly threw up with exhaustion - grappling cardio is NOT striking cardio! Again, both were extremely understanding and encouraging, showing a level of care that I have never seen in a martial arts class before.
At 12.00 at night, I returned home, again sweaty, exhausted and definitely wanting more! This was how I got hooked on the sport and have come back night after night to be choked, hyper-extended (thanks Su Ling!), admonished and supported through everything. It was also the start of meeting some of the best friends I have ever had and beginning to hang with a new family indeed. My new family of course including Sonia and Fatemeh Namdarian, without whose love and support I would never have come this far in Malaysia, let alone in life over the last year and a half...
It's late, and I'm ready for bed and to tell the story of the last 7 months would take more characters than the Lord of the Rings, but suffice to say that with Leverage, the last 7 months have been a total blast. It's a bit odd perhaps to be picking up this blog in the middle of things, but I hope that gives anyone listening an idea of my start in the sport. From now, I will begin ramblings and thoughts on the sport in general!
Thanks for sticking with me so far and I hope you'll stay around for a bit more!
Nice to meet you, my name is John!
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