The Mungry Soldier

http://i.imgur.com/YxNVm7Q.jpg

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:17:44 -0400

http://i.imgur.com/YxNVm7Q.jpg:

http://i.imgur.com/YxNVm7Q.jpg

This is why you teach pressure and control from mount.

from Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/bjj/comments/1cx779/my_niece_making_the_boys_cry_at_naga/)

Reminders out of Nowhere

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:22:45 -0400

For a while I struggled through my training and sluggishly crawled into training. I had amounted great momentum earlier this year and had hoped to compete. But instead, I made too many excuses and shifted my mental energy elsewhere.

So after a competition that I skipped, I stopped drilling moves from Andre Galvao’s book and my enthusiasm for BJJ dropped when my mind shifted towards priorities towards other relationships: moving out, career, people.

The shopping cart gets full before you realize all you needed were your veggies, meat, and eggs.

I rolled with a training partner today who was significantly a larger level than I was. He had great experience and his advise wasn’t one to be ignored.

Quite simply I needed to ATTACK, SIEZE OPPORTUNITIES and TAKE RISKS TO FINISH STRONG.

At least that’s what my brain is processing at the moment. Our roll was playful but he certainly waited for me to finish my armbars, chokes, and sweeps. For a while the act of “rolling lightly and playfully” has it’s drawbacks. Of course it makes BJJ fun and it makes me train longer as much as I can, but this made me neglect my size and strength for a fluid, quick, and tricky game. Nothing wrong with both but with a thinking roll I’ve gotten used to leaving windows for my opponent to figure out their position. This led to me sitting too long in my choke and arm bar attempts. Meanwhile other people at my level take the opportunity to finish strong the moment they take those grips.

Like all lessons on the mat this translates to the lessons off the mat. QUIT LOLLYGAGGING AND GET IT DONE.

I hate footlocks. But I like Ciao Terra. That said I also hate...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 02:36:43 -0400

I hate footlocks. But I like Ciao Terra.

That said I also hate white belts lobbing hail mary submissions like these along with neck cranks and wrist locks. I love a crafty move here and there but not from someone who’s trying something they barely drilled and saw online.

Today I figured out a defense and counter to this. It’s ends with a quick and nasty armbar. I’m drilling it a dozen times just in case. I might just add a wrist lock to the bloody thing.

End of rant.

Red vs. Black. Paquet vs Vieira. Experience. This is why most of...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:44:08 -0400

Red vs. Black. Paquet vs Vieira. Experience. This is why most of us won’t be switching to lawn bowling in our golden years.

Keenan Cornelius. No deep thoughts. Just pure focus. “I...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 03:01:32 -0400

Keenan Cornelius. No deep thoughts. Just pure focus.

“I don’t think about anything…I just let my instinct take over.”

In my lifetime of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training I’m pretty...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 01:10:50 -0500

In my lifetime of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training I’m pretty sure I will catch this man getting his red belt. A pioneer that takes the game to the next level, the level that shows that BJJ is for everyone. I would love and perhaps someday, do what I can to contribute to the notion that almost everyone of any body type can roll on the mat. Sure most of us aren’t cut out for competition but again Kyle proves that wrong by competing not only in Wresting and BJJ tournaments, but also trying out MMA.

I hope this sport teaches people that what they think they might not have, might exist on the mats. OSSSSSS

Harlem Shake. AT A GRACIE BARRA. Too funny. There I thought I...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 02:08:58 -0500

Harlem Shake. AT A GRACIE BARRA. Too funny. There I thought I could try and get one going for GB Calgary, haha

The most adorable under 6 kids competing in Red Deer.

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:18:32 -0500

The most adorable under 6 kids competing in Red Deer.

Another post on Vice documentaries. Label me a hipster. An...

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 04:39:00 -0500

Another post on Vice documentaries. Label me a hipster. An omoplata-transition-to-armbar hipster. This time is a two parter on a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school in Jordan. Part 2 brings an amazing story about Jordan’s first female BJJ champ.

The gritty approach and style Vice compliments the HD quality of their documentaries. I’m seeing more and more of hi-def BJJ films shot and I could spend hours watching them on YouTube and hours reposting on this Blog. A lot of thanks goes to every warrior off the mat that works hard to bring this lifestyle worldwide.

side note: I really really want to get an HD camera now…

Vice Doc: Underground MMA in CUBA. I’m excited to see...

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:29:32 -0500

Vice Doc: Underground MMA in CUBA.

I’m excited to see what Vice will bring to Fightland. The promo vid alone showed a lot of shots with Vice visiting various MMA gyms. A lot of Bones Jones.

I can only imagine Vice linking up with some top BJJ gyms. Vice documentaries in Brazil? Catch Wrestling? Amateur? Ahbu Dhabi? The list goes on…

2012: BJJ Journey A white stripe promotion is a perfect way to...

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 03:14:29 -0500

2012: BJJ Journey

A white stripe promotion is a perfect way to wrap up my first full year of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. When this year began I was coming off with three stripes on my white belt. I started the year with only one competition under my belt and ended up doing it three times. I always told myself that showing up already means my game will improve but learned that preparation is the most important aspect. The effort I put into preparation reflected on my performance, ergo those beers and candy bars can really drag a guy down the podium. In 2013 I’m hoping to improve my results better and hopefully reach a few 1st place medals.

This year wraps up with a new interesting goal, to make myself a better teacher and advocate for the game. This means effectively communicating ideas and taking away the things the limit me like doubt, pride, and dependance on outcomes. A good friend told me that teaching was a great way to grow and looking back I see our Prof as a great example: he strives to teach his best techniques with no secrets held back in order to see us improve and develop them through our own training.

When I received my blue belt in June I realized how much this hobby has elevated into a passion. How much of the lessons I learned on the mat affected the principles I use to guide my day-to-day living. Looking back, I could go on and on but now it seems that thought and talk should take the next step towards action. In 2013, I don’t expect to reach the next belt level but I’m certainly going to make every minute on the mat count to make sure I feel my growth not only in my skill on the mat, but see the growth in myself as a person.

Diffuse. Evade. Attack. Ever since I started training, it has...

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 03:13:41 -0500

Diffuse. Evade. Attack.

Ever since I started training, it has always come accross my mind how my training can apply on the streets. Gracie Breakdown assess the strategy of self-defense and taking on multiple opponents Most people don’t realize the importance of diffusing a situation. Effective conflict resolution occurs when conflict doesn’t occur at all.

Great video from GracieBreakdown as always

Children and bullying and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. (taken from...

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 02:03:56 -0500

Children and bullying and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

(taken from Reddit)

purposefulmusings: trianglejake: “Pedro Valente: The white bar...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 03:32:44 -0500

purposefulmusings:

trianglejake:

“Pedro Valente: The white bar is the first level of the black belt. After teaching for a couple of years with the white bar, the coach can be awarded the red bar based on his teaching skills. Most academies stopped awarding the white bar, but Royce Gracie and the Valente Brothers still preserve the original system. So people wearing the white bar are almost surely legit black belts directly under the HG lineage.”

Old school. Machados don’t do white bars :)

I got all LIFE to do this.

Finally, a video that doesn’t address specific techniques,...

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:43:51 -0500

Finally, a video that doesn’t address specific techniques, but rather explores the movements involved with maintaining position. Stephan Kesting and Emily Kwok gave me a few things to work on next time on the mat. Yes I know Marcelo would have a plethora of videos on butterfly, unfortunately I don’t have access to MGinaction.com :(

I always tell frustrated white belts that when they start playing guard, the first thing they want to work on is re-guarding. Gain confidence that you’ll be playing guard, then you’ll be less anxious in trying out sweeps and submissions. Stephan Kesting and Emily Kwok gave me a few things to work on next time on the mat.

Back Attack!

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 13:10:20 -0500

After a week off, I indulged myself in vacation and treated myself to epicurean delights while I was in Vancouver. But that was a vacation and this break helped me heal a few sore spots on my body like my knee and ankle.

But of course no training means going through what my friend termed as “food depression”, haha. It’s true, constantly eating over your daily caloric intake makes you feel sluggish, which is your body’s way of communicating “enough! Time for jiu-jitsu!”.

So the point of this post is my thoughts on a proper way of weaning back into training, at least from my personal experience. A simple method is to take it lightly and have a week of light weight training, light sparring, or simply attending techniques class. But after having seen the recent Gracie Breakdown on Ryron vs. Galvao and after having revisited my Jiu-jitsu university book (by Saulo Ribeiro), I figured that coming back from a long lay-off or one where I ate half of the ocean is to train like a white belt.

Well I should clarify this. I should train like a white belt who’s trained past the pain stages and found their learning stride. This usually happens a few months after newbies sign up, burned themselves out on the mats, and have been tapped out several times, until they realize this fundamental progression in Jiu-Jitsu:

Survive-Defend-Escape-Position-Control-Submission.

My learning mindset as a white belt accelerated when I eliminated the expectations of winning on the mat. I accepted that I was going to get tapped out, dominated, and have my guard passed given that nearly everyone in the school was at a higher level than I was. This gave me the simple and fun task of trying to survive. The first chapter in Saulo’s book taught me a lot in survival positions.

Personally, I found that it’s a great way of easing back into training especially during sparring. Of course someone can oblige you with a light roll, but when all you have are guys eager to give a good smashing, why not let them have at it? Seems crazy, but if your game is built on the concept of being efficient (as the Ryron and Rener pointed out) the process of defending isn’t as taxing as the process of defending and attacking. In offense the importance of dominance is maintaining control and creating opportunities while in defense the importance of survival is keeping a lot of doors closed (not giving any opportunities) and keeping a calm state.

So for the next week I’m going to have some fun being a thorn on everyone’s side by simply working on my survival positions. I might even throw a few escapes here and there.

“To conquer millions in a battle is less than to conquer...

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 14:34:08 -0500

“To conquer millions in a battle is less than to conquer oneself. A self conqueror is the supreme victor.”

Blue Belt Competition: Discovering the actual victories to...

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:03:18 -0400

Blue Belt Competition: Discovering the actual victories to discover your potential

A few days ago I jumped into my first competition since my BLUE BELT promotion in June. I knew I would be competing at an intermediate level and would be facing tougher opponents so I began making small preparations over the summer: jogging, weightlifting, cardio, and the odd Jiu-jitsu challenges

But it wasn’t until August that I decided that I didn’t like competing in the 186-205 division so I dieted to get below 170. In honesty, I knew I could have lost more weight then but given my lifestyle, this was the best I could do and it was better than going in the opposite direction. When I broke into 179 it was October and I began to doubt the possibility of making weight because no matter how much I counted calories, my weight remained the same.

So within two weeks, my training partners at Gracie Barra Calgary encouraged me to try weight cutting. It wasn’t easy but it was possible for me to meet that 9-10 pounds to go under 170. So after doing the research I had two very useful sources: Stephen Kesting’s article http://www.grapplearts.com/Blog/2012/03/how-to-cut-and-make-weight/?c=150&a=4147 and my training partner Randy Chung’s blog journal outlining his weight cutting routine for his fight http://www.randychungmma.blogspot.ca/2012/09/hk-27-aftermath-things-only-experience.html

The water loading days was fun. I ate a lot more salty snacks and the trips to the washroom gave me more breaks, not to mention having to explain myself to people. It’s funny how many people think they’re nutritionists or doctors and try to dissuade you. But during my weight cutting phase, the world was almost turned off on me. I was bent on getting as much water as I can out of my body and cutting as much as my body could allow without feeling any pain. I started off the sweat marathon by a hot yoga session, followed by treadmill sauna suit runs and 5 minute steam room sittings. On Thursday I was 175 pounds and when I weighed in Friday afternoon, I was at 167.

So after a night of refusing alchohol and bouncing back by eating moderately every hour or two, I felt pretty good the next morning and was ready for my competition.

I placed 3^rd in both divisions. I won a match by armbar but like last tournaments, it was my losses that gave me what I needed to work on the most. I learned that I can’t be too confident with my strengths and allow stagnant growth. I always took pride in my knee-cut guard passing but when I faced an opponent with a tough guard, I got frustrated and forgot what I needed to do to pass. It was a close match too and all I had to do to even out the score was pass, sidemount and mount. Screw those points.

I lost another match by submission. Thinking back I could have worked through the hold but was afraid of risking injury from the choke/crank. Still I think about the escapes I could have had.

Overall it was a great tournament and aside from competing I got a lot out of the positive environment. I got a chance to corner a few kids in their matches and realized how engaging it was so I began to corner my training partners in their matches. Everyone did well and I may not be strong in my competitive mindset, but my abundant mindset celebrates everyone’s achievements.

HAHAHA I’d probably buy a Gracie Goblet

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 01:46:04 -0400

HAHAHA I’d probably buy a Gracie Goblet

bjjgeek: lol HAHA Oh Hodger

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:49:12 -0400

bjjgeek:

lol

HAHA Oh Hodger