31 Aug 09

Today was a full day of training between strength training, core training and jiu jitsu. My Monday workout went great and I used a forearm strap to keep my elbow from hurting again.

Coach worked passing the guard tonight. First though, we spent 30 minutes position sparring. The drill went like this: he put the senior belts on the mat (on their back...which included me) to start. Everyone lined up on the wall and cycled through us on the mat. The drill was they had to pass our guard and we had to either sweep and take top or submit them from guard. I was on the mat sweeping and submitting for all thirty minutes....and I seemed to get nothing but big 'ol corn fed boys!?! When the drill was over I was completely soaked in my own sweat and utterly exhausted. Next, Coach worked the "pass of '09", which is what he calls the knee up same side smash pass with sit-out to side control. It is a great pass with lots of variations that can spawn off from it depending on what your partner does.

I was completely finished by the time we started rolling though. Tonight was nothing more than a mental endurance test for me because my body simply had nothing left to give. I rolled with Dev Kostal first we pretty much just moved me around where he wanted. Usually we have a good "give and take" roll, but not tonight. I just couldn't do it this time. Next I rolled with Chelle and worked half guard position...again, with not much success. Lastly I rolled with Sergio (blue belt friend) and we position sparred out of his guard since he didn't get much of a shot at it during class. It was a great class, but I just physically had to "tap out" work my mental fortitude at a point in the night due to utter exhaustion.

Another great day today. Tomorrow I'll be up at 6am for my run....good times :-p

End of the Week Review

Well, today ended a week of training for me. I know, I know....most people use Sunday as the beginning of the week, but with my cycle it ends here. I was able to hit every workout this week AND still get a private in with Coach. My body feels good and I'm ready to get back in the gym, on the mat and on the road starting tomorrow!

Today we had some good DT's training with TABMOC Monterey :) It was all ISR today and we'll be staying with nothing but ISR for the next month to work the fundamentals hard. Plus, our Marine (Devin) is graduating and moving away at the end of September and moving to Virginia so we need to give him all the ISR we can. He wants to hit a 101 course after he PCS'.

Today's workout:

4 point drill

4pt to dive disengagement

4pt to helmet (after partner throws a lazy hook)

4pt to escort position

4pt to escort position to wrist weave

Wrist weave to harness

We ended with a five minute drill were your partner picked a point (from the 4pt) to grab and you had to work the cycle: Arm drag, escort position, wrist weave, harness, dive, disengagement to weapons draw off the "X".

Great day of training...and an awesome week all together!

BJJ 26 Aug 09

Great class tonight. Coach went over sweeps from double hooks sitting guard. We covered the basic one arm over/one arm under roll back sweep into scarf hold, plus two variations. Variation 1 - opponent sits back so you arm drag and take back. Variation 2 - opponent takes solid posture with hands in so you lapel grip and technical stand (driving him into the mat at the same time) and then take back. Rolling went well tonight. I got two blue belts, a brand new white (young kid...I rolled just sweeps no subs with him and let him work anything) and coach. The Blue belts were good rolls and I worked the half guard stuff coach showed me earlier today. The real money for the night though came in open mat when I rolled with coach for 8 minutes...and almost died :) He fed me a lot of stuff (so he told me...and I could tell - ha!) that he apparently liked the way I took advantage of based on his comments after the roll. HOWEVER - he did make sure he CRUSHED me when I would get juuuuuuuuuuust close enough to a sub that he was done letting me have it...then BAM - Mike taps :)

Today was certainly on the top ten jiu jitsu days in my career. All I can say is - awesome :)

Coach Thomas pearl of wisdom from rolling with me on open mat - "When on the bottom get to the top....when on top stay on top."

Private with Coach Daniel

Its amazing what you'll learn from a world champion :) I know that sounds stupid but I can't help saying it. I have been completely frustrated with half guard for the last several months. Its not that I haven't been trying to learn it. I have tried to commit the SBGi Half Guard and Harness DVD to memory, taken notes after classes where coach has taught half guard and attempted the position in sparring......and gotten CRUSHED in my attempts.

So, I just went to the source today during a 1 hr private with Coach Thomas. I didn't simply want to learn how to "pass" half guard. I want to learn how to "feel" half guard and what good positions are on top and bottom. Then, the flood gates opened :) We worked only four passes, but that spawned correct positioning on the top and bottom, plus counters...top and bottom. It completely revolutionized the way I look at half guard. We looked at Tripod pass with under hook, Cross face pass (toe/heel pass blocking the hip), Negative half guard sit out pass, and double leg sprawl pass from top.

All of these positions had time spent working good hip position, good grips, timing, etc. At the end of the day the best lesson I learned from top side half guard was take your time and don't rush into trying to pin the bottom. Move and kill the hips first. For the bottom it was learn the top game and know how to feel where they're trying to go to pass. Then, work your sweeps for top :)

Daniel Thomas pearl of wisdom for half guard #1: "The more you can get when looking for cross face and under hook the better."

Daniel Thomas pearl of wisdom for half guard #2: "Half guard is half way to everything."

- Amen coach!

working out

Last week I got 3/4's of my workouts in. It was a good week all the way around. I was frustrated on the jiu jitsu, but that's just life :)

At the end of the week I re-organized my workout days so that I could shake the over training that was happening with constant brick days. Now my week looks like this:

Monday- Strength and core, Jiu Jitsu

Tuesday- Running

Wednesday - Strength and core, Jiu Jitsu

Thursday - Running

Friday - Strength and Core, Coaching DT's

Saturday - Bike or Run

Sunday - The day of Rest :)

It has made a HUGE difference on how I feel during BJJ at night. Monday was the first day in a long time that I've had energy to give it my all during rolling. It made all the difference in the world.

New Blog

Soooo.....I said I would get better about posting on my blog and then I just completely disappeared! BUT I have been training. Now the other site is being retarded and won't let me update so I've come here :)

Since April I have had some serious ups and downs in my training. The Big Sur Marathon was an amazing experience. I learned so much about myself in not only the training cycle, but during the 26.2 miles as well. It was the most physically exhausting and emotional event I've ever ran. However, after the run I swore off marathons forever! Of course, we know how long that lasted :) After about two weeks when all the soreness left my body I was back looking at other races. Besides, I'd already proved to myself that I could do it right? I couldn't very well stop there!

About a week after the marathon I was up at the Red Dragon Academy giving a "Stand-up, Clinch and Ground" seminar. It was a day and a half of intense training for the gang up there. Friday we covered blunt object defense for a two hour class. Saturday was a heavy ISR day with combatives laced in throughout the training. We ended with a "live" drill were each student had to work the techniques against a live, resisting opponent. What a great weekend!

Next was training for Jiu Jitsu. I set my sights on a fight at the Jiu Jitsu by the Sea Summer Invitational in Santa Cruz, CA at the end of May. I trained, had a plan, focused on muscle endurance and cardio, cut weight like a mad man and spent a lot of time mentally prepping myself for the day. When I got there after cutting 10 pounds over the previous month, and keeping it off, my body had had enough and I busted weight by 1.5lbs. Talk about an emotional let down. I felt I had leg myself down, my family down AND my coach down. Just like the marathon though, I learned a TON about myself during this time. I learned that I'm not that caught up in the competition community and vibe. I know that without competition that promotions will come slower than my peers....but I'm okay with that. I'm just happy for the ride :)

Strength, core and cardio workouts have been going good. I've slacked off running lately and done a lot of elliptical work instead. My training cycle for the Big Sur Half Marathon is coming up within a month so I'm enjoying the variety while I can. Soon it will be all asphalt and running shoes until the end of the year.

I also got to go to North Dakota and help my best friend Jim when he got married in May. He gave me the greatest honor of our friendship and asked me to be his best man. What a humbling experience it was.

The rest of the summer was filled with a month long break from Jiu Jitsu.

So in the end...yes I did work Strength, core and Cardio yesterday AND go to Jits. I was completely exhausted by the end of the night (after a sound beating by Coach Thomas) and collapsed into bed after a much needed shower!

Now, here I sit finally updating this. I have found that it was much easier to make excuses not to train when I'm not making it public and holding myself accountable. I hope to hear from those of you who follow this.

If you'd like to take a look at my older posts visit this site: www.sickmma.blog.com

Mike