Week in review

Wow, what a crazy week! Just when I thought I found a groove in language training it got heavier indeed. I didn't make a single jits class this week, but I hit every weight training day, every spin and cardio day and I trained karate while home to make up for my missed jits classes. Its certainly not my ideal week but training is training right!?! It looks like my training schedule for BJJ will have to be adjusted slightly while I'm at DLI. Instead of Monday's and Wednesdays its more than likely going to be Monday's and Fridays. I have to find a way balance training, school and time with the family, which is truly more important to me than training. The greatest blessing in my life is that my wife and kids really do understand my passion for training and support me no matter what. So in the end, what more could a guy ask for :)

Next weeks plan is to make both of my jits training days in addition to my other workouts! Alright, now its time to get off this computer, take Hunter to basketball, work arms at the gym afterwards, train karate with Tianna and then hit the "Blue and Gold" banquet tonight for cub scouts where Hunter is going to receive his Tiger Cub badge. I'm so proud of him! I'll post some pictures of my little warrior after the banquet.

OSU!

Don't knock it until you understand its purpose.

I heard an interesting conversation at Jiu Jitsu last night. We train at a gym where the owners are Tang Soo Do instructors. Both are really great people, committed martial artists (and instructors) and great stand up fighters - as well as being avid BJJ students. The students they produce, obviously, follow the same road :) Anyway, they have pictures up on the wall in a collage of their most recent black belt testing day. In several of them you can see a black belt breaking two bricks with a downward smash elbow. Well, one of our blue belts looked at it and said "see thats the problem with karate. You're not breaking both of those bricks, you're only breaking one. You can see that by the two pencils flying up from the bricks." Yep, your right. Physics says that the energy produced by the downward motion of your elbow at the point of impact on that top brick will be transfered directly to, and then through the second, because of the space created by the two small pencils sitting between the bricks. But thats not the point of the exercise....I promise you.

Having been a student of the martial arts for 25 years now I have had the opportunity to earn a 3rd degree black belt in karate, a 1st dan in Tae kwon do, a 1st in Hapkido, and an advanced instructors level in Krav Maga. Save for Krav (which involved 7 days of getting the sh#% kicked out of you for 8 hours a day) each time I tested for a black belt I have had to break something. For me, each time it was concrete. And, I am just as guilty of making my students smash through inanimate objects. This drill isn't about showing how physically tough you are by beating up trees and rocks. If a school uses it that way they are SO missing the point. Its simply about mastering your own fears and mental blocks.

During my first black belt test the breaking portion was the very last thing you did. This was after 2 1/2 hours of intense physical work running through every technique you've ever learned, but performing them full blast into body shields....and then full contact bare knuckle kumite against the blacks belts that showed up for my test (which for me was 30 minutes worth of non stop 2 minute rounds). Yep, it was that kind of school :) But I digress, by the time they laid out the concrete brick in front of me I could barely lift my arms to the soaking wet brown belt at my waist. The thought of hitting ANYTHING that solid scared the living crap out of me! But, part of what you learn over 7 years training there was to master your mind and fears. So, what did I do? I summoned every last bit of strength and courage I had and smashed through that slab with a downward straight punch knuckles first. And yes...it hurt like hell :)

So, what is my tirad about today? Simply this, before you go judging other martial arts for what you "think" they are doing, take the time to learn why the do it. Breaking in this context (like described above) is no different than running the gauntlet in my first jits school to earn your blue belt (or any other belt). Rolling with every damn person on the mat takes a lot of mental toughness after a full class of training.

A true warrior does not limit himself or herself to what they "think" they know is the best. They train for a variety of circumstances. I would never give up a day that I have studied karate or krav maga just like I wouldn't give up a day of studying jiu jitsu, shooting or physical fitness. I may not have the opportunity to pick my battle field. If your a jiu jitsu enthusiast just remember that you may not get the chance to go to the ground and choke someone out, just like a karate practitioner my not have the option to stand up and knock your teeth out. Why wouldn't you want to have options?

A samurai spent his life studying a multitude of disciplines...why wouldn't you?

What a great week!

This week was a little intense at DLI with 8 hours of school everyday and (no joke) a little over three hours of homework every night. I didn't make it to bjj on Wednesday because I had to buckle down and catch up a little, but I did make it both Monday and Friday (tonight). I also made every workout this week. This was the end of my fifth week of heavy lifting and I have to say I think I'm actually getting use to the routine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying its easy for me, but I do "get" how to lift this way. I certainly feel stronger than I did a month ago and I can see the gains in strength when looking at my log and comparing it to the previous weeks. Between strength training, spin and running my mat endurance is still there and I think spin is actually helping my mat endurance even more because of the interval training Chelle puts us through.

I didn't get beat up "to" bad tonight, except when I rolled with Coach...but hey, what can you expect when locking up with that guy! All in all it was a great week and I'm looking forward to getting in my last workout of the week tomorrow and taking a day of rest on Sunday....how appropriate right :)

Are you committed?

"Impossible is not a reason, it is simply a word used by the lazy to justify never trying"

What you call obsessed I simply call committed to my calling

Are you a warrior or is it a hobby?

I really like this question. It puts life in perspective. There is no shame in being either mind you, I just think you need to know which one you are. I have been both in my life. What is the difference in my mind you might ask? A hobbyist "goes" to or "does" karate, jiu jitsu, judo, etc a couple nights a week along with fitting in bowling or golf. It is exercise. It is social. It is belts and cool gi's long enough to "earn" what you want and move on. You do not think about it between classes, or if you do it is only to remind yourself that you "have" to go again on Tuesday.

A warrior lives his training, he does not "go to" it. It is part of his very blood, it is his breath. He understands that he cannot possibly think that he's learned it all. He knows there is more than "one way to fight" and spends his life to master stand-up, clinch, ground and weapons. Each with its own flow and vibe. He does not exchange it for an extra night of bowling or beers at the pub. You will never hear him say "mine is the best ever." He accepts no substitute in his life. He understand his responsibility to shepherd his calling and pass it on to the next committed generation. It has no end, no completion. It is life.

Choose your position, but do it with an informed heart and mind. There can be no "UFC couch champions" here. If it is not your calling, find one that is and commit. Life is a journey for the committed.

To Ki or not to Ki...that is the question.

I don't normally talk about such things but it has been a topic of conversation around my house several times this weekend. Why you might ask? My brother-in-law Alex came out to visit us while on business in Cali this week. I've known Alex since he was about 11. He's a great guy, superb athlete, avid martial artist and an extremely talented fighter. We talk about martial arts a lot because he's as hooked on training as I am. The difference between us is that he is where I was at 15 years ago with a traditional martial art. He is a 3rd Dan in Won Hop Loong Chuan, and he's good. There's no denying it. He can standup fight with the best of us and has extremely powerful and lethal kicks and punches. The place we part ways is his absolute stedfast belief in the power of Ki or Chi.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a debunker, but I am a practical scientific minded martial artist. I've heard the concept of Ki my entire career; which has only been 25 years so I certainly don't claim to be an expert, but I'm familiar with the concept. The problem I have with it is that you can't tell me that it has effects on your training that may just as easily have been cultivated by the 20-30 years of training you've been doing, i.e. stronger punches, better core balance, stronger stances, etc without showing me the science separating the two different cause and effects.

I think the body and mind are capable of performing feats that we can not comprehend at this time. I DO believe that there is an electric current that runs through all living things that, when trained over a life time, can produce significant power in strikes and kicks. BUT thats because you've spent your entire life teaching your muscles to lock into a certain position at a certain speed in a certain angle for the last 30 years. Of course your body will transmit the chemical and electric surges through the body quicker and transfer the kinetic energy to your opponent in a much more focused and lethal manner. I also think that you can train your mind over that same time period to become extremely focused, able to deal with pain and stress in a much more efficient manner than without the training. Again though, I don't think this is a mystic flowing energy circulating through channels in your body that someone can harness and throw in a ball at you. I call it mental and physical preparation for combat. I don't think a warrior from Sparta or a SEAL from the teams would talk to you in terms of Ki. They would attribute their abilities to years of preparations and training both their mind and body for their chosen profession. Martial artists are no different.

Again, I'm still "relatively" young :) 25 years does NOT make an expert. There could be something out there that I just can't see, do, perform or comprehend, but the science surrounding the myth just doesn't support the mystic outlook on it. I would have an easier time swallowing it if the community that espouses it would just leave the mysticism out, enter the 21st century and apply some practical physics and science to the argument. Then I think both sides of the argument could learn something. But thats just me.

Excuse me...could you help me pick up my shattered pride from the mat :)

All joking aside, we all have those days right? Please.....tell me that other people have these days too!!! :) So, I was reading "Brazilian Jiu Jitsu theory and Technique" and a couple good BJJ blogs over the last month prepping for the month of the guard and I ran across a good nugget (or so I thought it was at the time). Basically, and this is paraphrasing, you should put yourself in some bad positions that, if caught you're going to have to tap, and see how you handle it when trying NOT to tap. So, I do....and did. This month when I roll with blue's and higher I try to work my guard game, when I'm with white belts that are solid and I know have a good game, I work in their guard and try stuff I wouldn't normally try and you guessed it...sometimes I feel like a nut and sometimes I don't.

My theory is this, I hate being in the guard ALMOST as much as I hate someone being in top north/south on me. I have spent a lot of time trying to avoid being in the guard by pulling guard :) The problem here is that you WILL forget all the "no-no" things that keep you safe. SO, for instance, if your plan is to work in the guard you may be in some trouble. Now, we have fully arrived at tonight.

Win or loose on the mat I always learn something. Tonight, when pride was stripped away I learned I have to work in guard defense more. If I ever want to coach someday I'd better have some answers for questions that I posed to Coach tonight :) Between Coach and Rob I brought home several great nuggets to put into action this month when I work in someone's guard. So, once I collected the tiny shattered pieces of my manhood from the mat tonight I walked away a much richer person. What other sport will those with whom you do battle every week give you the keys to unlock their secrets to best them someday. You just don't find people like this very often.

Man I love jits :)

Month of the Guard!

Oh yeah, back to safey safe! Its been a LONG time since I went to the guard first. I've got a plan...go figure....for this month as well. I have two sweep that are money (sweep A and the shin on belly open guard sweep) and the ezekiel choke. I've worked grips and setups before on both so I know kind of where I want to go with this. What I've found over the last couple months is that no matter where I started, when the opportunity arises I end up taking my opponents back :) I'm completely okay with that though, back is a great place to be!

I started the "month of the guard" tonight in class and, like always, Coach has ESP and worked us with a sweep for sweep drill at the beginning. Next we positioned sparred from...you guessed...guard. What, seriously, is it my friggin' birthday today!?! At the end of class, before we sparred, Coach showed us a great options for a sweep when your scissor sweep fails. It basically involves switching your grips lower and coming up on your shoulder to kick up and sweep your opponent over.

Sparring was awesome. I rolled every match tonight and pulled some great opponents. I started with Billy S. who getting to dang good by the day! Dev K. and I started in my guard (which I RARELY ever get to with him by the way) and I was able to set up some great sweeps against a guy thats as strong as a friggin' gorilla! I had Sergio (who gave me a good fight and wouldn't let me sink anything from his back!) and one more white belt (who was strong as hell...whats the deal with these Grape Apes!?!).

It was a great night in jits and I had an awesome workout this morning. Can't wait for Wednesday!

End of the mount....for this month :)

Yes its true. The end of "month of the mount" has finally come. What a fantastic month it was and it brought some great lessons. You think you know the mount until you take a whole month to dissect how you get there and what you "think" you know to do when you're actually in the position.

1. There is a finite number of options the person on the bottom has to reverse you. Learn them, know them, love them. Once you become comfortable with them you can learn to anticipate it and set your counters.

2. Learn to feel the weight from the bottom. Not just the pressure from their hands, but from their hips as well.

3. Set your "three's" to flow one from the other. Anticipate their counters and roll them into your plan.

4. Transition when YOU want to do it. Make your plan YOUR plan, not theirs.

5. Pressure, pressure, PRESSURE!

It was an awesome month. Coach and my friends on the mat gave me hell everyday I stepped on it and it was what made me a better person. I asked them to give me no slack as soon as the matched started and thats exactly what I got. It was amazing. Now...on to new horizons!