I had to shower...I stank!!

Phew, so practice today was about an hour and a half, then I stayed late of course, to get some extra work in. We did our usual warm up followed by 7 8:45 sec rounds......was rough. Tiring in all truth, but got to roll with some great people, and jiu jitsu practitioners. My fingers are beat up from spider guard/grips. Worked alot on that and on guard recovery, which I am becoming particularly good at. I like it :D Ah well, Im tired, caught a few people, others I just chased, and played off my back alot today. need to start armbaring the other side...need to put a ton of reps in for that hip movement. Ah well, peace friends.

I'm slacking hardcore

Alright guys , this will be a brief summary of the last 2 practices. Thanksgiving is upon us...or was lol. And it was a good thanksgiving. I didnt really get to enjoy it to the max, because I was too focused on making sure I wasnt stuffing my face, or drinking  alot. Btw...I realllllly want a beer....a TON of beer. But since I am being good....Tuesday night practice was good, my left elbow started really bothering me. I armbar'd myself a week or so ago, and it is really starting to act up. Rest is key though, when I take a day off, it starts feeling pretty good again. Nothing super notable Tuesday night in practice. Worked on more attacks from the back (gi). A repeat of earlier in the week, but practice makes perfect. You can never have too many repetitions put in. On Wednesday morning I went to the gym and was not afraid to shoot at all. I swear working with Renny has been my saving grace.  I contribute almost all of my takedown  success to him. :D :D I took down a black belt and a brown belt.....although I didnt maintain the advantageous position long...I still succeeded in taking them down. 2 points!!! :D  Ah well guys, practice tomorrow. While others are getting good Christmas deals, I am getting....my workout on. I will post AS SOON AS I get home. BEFORE SHOWERING!!!!! ZOMG.

Some good stuff.

So class wont be held as much as usual this week, but I should still manage to squeeze in some good training. Had some good rolls today. In class we worked on a really good set up for crucifix/bow and arrow choke. It was not bad at all. Had some great rolls today. Was rolling all over someone....then they told me it was their 5th day....I lightened up!! Lol. Oops. Think all my rolls besides that one was with blue belts. I held my own fine, and was chasing them around :D Let go of one sub cuz I had it, but didnt want to hurt da "non tapping folk". So overall it was a great day. At the competition class we drilled grip fighting as well as some really great subs from half guard/side control. (both on bottom). It also helped me clear up a misconception with kimura's that I had previously had. It should add a certain....deadly dynamic to my top game :D We will see tomorrow. Ah well, post after tomorrows class as usual :D Night

The results are in......ADCC !!!

Again....a day late....was sooo tired yesterday night guys. I always just CRASH hard after a tourney. I think it is all the adrenaline, plus the dump. Helps for a bit, but that dump is a killer. Started out the morning not being able to poop, and as usually had the nervous craps as it got closer to match time. This happens without fail. keep in mind I have done 6 or 7 tourneys so far. Oh well, I ended up taking 1st in my division. Me and Anthony swept the division again. 1st and 2nd place. He was hurt so we didnt roll for final match, usually we rock paper scissors for 1st/2nd, but he got the 1st last time and i took the 2nd. So we flipped it. I won 2 matches by submission. My 3rd one , I did the absolute division, Open weight classes, and open skill level as well. I held on against a 4 stripe purple belt for 6 and a half minutes. Didnt find out how high ranked he was till after I got tapped via rear naked choke. I did really well though. i was proud of myself. Very good matches. Verrrry proud of myself. WIll put some videos up very soon!!! Promise!

(pics are cake, gonna have to work on vids upload. Will have 1 by the weekend though, promise)

My serious face....

The real me :P 

 

 

Day Late, Training Great!!

Sorry that this is a day late guys. I wont do this again, or will at least try my best not to. We worked on the same techniques that we worked on earlier in the week and got a really good sweat on. Caught a 4 striped purple today with an ankle lock. I dont consider it too legit because we werent rolling hard. Had some really great knee on belly positions, just exhausting a few guys. I'm ready for Sat!!! This isnt really detailed, but I had a great time as always. Today I weigh in. Had a big lunch and still will be perfect for weigh in!!

Review.

Alright guys, today in regular class it was basically a review of what we went over on Monday night. Meaning I got more repetitions in , more time to drill , and more muscle memory. So all is well on that note. Had a few good rolls. Rolled with "that guy" again, he was actually a different person today. Was almost like MPD or something...he was nice, didnt try to hurt me at all. Was cool for a change. I ended up rolling with a really big guy, it was his first day. We rolled twice! I was just letting him work, he was so big I couldnt close my guard at all, like...not even close. So in light of my tournament on Sat...I went easy today on my body...cuz Imma expect maximum performance on Sat. I'm excited :D Oh sorry....the new guy...I think he signed up or is going to very soon. He is overweight and jitz will do him the world!! I hope he joins, I was super nice :D . He tried to go hard at first, but after about 2 minutes of that , he was tired ! I didnt feel right trying to sub him, so I just worked on sweeping him from guard. Nothing "real" just him messing up his own base and me pointing it out! During competition class, warmed up again with Mr. Renny ...he is such a beast, I'm so glad I have been able to work with him on takedowns. I enjoy them. Imma be shooting a bunch at the tournament on sat. I plan on ripping through a few, if I take them down hard enough maybe I can sub before they figure out what the hell just happened. I'm by no means a jerk on the mat, nor do I go hard with training partners...BUT tournaments are different. Everyone is going 100 percent using a ton of strength "Blowing their Wad" pointlessly. My goal is to rip apart my 1st few opponents and have some time to relax between matches. Turns out my matches are only gonna be 6 min long with 3 min no points! ( first 3) that is okay with me. I was kinda looking forward to the 10 min matches, but I will get there eventually. Patience. Oh, so I worked the Old School sweep, thought I might as well add it in to my half guard game. And we worked on breaking the guard. I never really get put in full guard much, so I found that my full guard escapes are weak. So I worked a few , then worked a few triangle escapes just in case. My half guard game is where I find myself the most comfortable in all truth. I love to sweep from there. Ah well, holes to fill, holes to fill. I will let you guys  know how it goes this sat. Today was my last day training until after the tourney! I've been working hard, and it will show this weekend. RAWRRRRR. Oh, and words for thought....I know I am "just a whitebelt" and many of you might be...Why work on guard breaks , why work on half guard....! To you I say...what is  a blue or purple belt who can't get out of a guard....what is a brown belt or black who can't get off their back from half.....Imo, basics can NEVER do you wrong.

Takedowns Takedowns ...Takedowns?

Today, practice was awesome. I almost fell asleep on the way to class, I was just soooo tired, dont really understand why. Maybe cuz I only slept 8 hours. That has to be it, and I didnt even carbs before class. ....dumb me now that I think about it. So today in regular class we went over some cool sweeps from guard, I like this, I think they will really compliment my game today. I had a few good rolls, not many though. Out of 4....2 were good/okay. the other 2 were lamme. Had a guy lay and pray on me, and he is much stronger than I am....was SUPER annoying, I couldnt get him off me for the love of God. But who cares, will help my game in the long run I guess. I had my forearm in his throat, but I didnt apply the kind of pressure I wanted to. Ah well, I gotta get MEAN GRRRRRRRRR....but not with my teammates! Ah well, the real fun was when we started competition class. We worked on takedowns....as the post says, and working out of the front headlock position and the body lock. Was simply awesome. I took an area I sucked at, and made it something I am comfortable with. It was really an eye opener. It helps that my partner has been wrestling since he was 12....he REALLY hooked me up with some awesome tips.  I will share a few....1. Make sure to set up your takedown (bait them in or distract) 2. Make sure  your knee doesnt hit the ground too far from your opponent. 3. Drive through your opponent. 4. Don't look at the feet. Most I already knew, but the first one, I was really underestimating the power of a good setup! I'm much more comfortable shooting now, than I have ever been. Can't wait to shoot in tourneys!! Ah well, that is it for the day guys. I compete this weekend so that means no class tomorrow....gonna get some rest in....BUT I will be hitting the gym one last time on Wednesday, should leave me hungry for Jitz by Friday. RAWR.

And I thought it was open mat today.... :D

Today was supposed to be open mat, but as it turns out, Mr. Soto was there today. He is a brown belt that leads class sometimes when Mr. Alvarez is not there. We started out with some really good cardio. I thought it was gonna be easy, cuz I heard a rumor that he doesnt like cardio...Oh how I was wrong. Warm up was a hint rough, had some decent rolls today, but for the most part got rolled up like the white belt I am. I was in positions, knew the escapes, but did not execute.....I was just tired. No disrespect to the people who rolled me up, but I'm gonna be honest, the rested "Stingray" vs the non rested one....two completely different people when it comes to the mat. I stayed up last night playing COD Black Ops.....BAH. Never again will I let a damn video game (no matter how new or exciting) compromise my Jiu Jitsu. ....NEVER again. My state of body and mind ARE Jiu jitsu, so I must treat them accordingly and get the rest I need. Rest/Food are part of the tools I need before I even step on the mat. Ah well guys, sorry I was slacking on my posts. All caught up now. Oh and btw, the note taking is going awesome. I think at some point, I might start adding some of the stuff on here....not much though...if you want the full version...COME TRAIN WITH ME :P I'll make you a copy :D  Oh well, tomorrow/today since it is so late....lol is my day off (Sunday) then back to the mat on Monday. GAME TIME NEXT WEEKEND. ADCC BABY!!!! Need that sleep all week! Ah well, baby shower tomorrow, bed time now!

Spider Guard seminar!!!

Alright guys, sorry that this information is a day old....I was so tired after the seminar. Okay, so the low down...I did a Spider guard seminar with Orlando Waugh. A pretty big guy, if I had to guess 260 6.3-6.4 THAT IS MYYYY GUESS. Not sure if he is 2nd or 3rd degree, I found an old picture though , none were taken, was a small seminar. Buttt, I googled up a pic :P    It is at the bottom. We learned about 4 or so solid sweeps/ setups  as well as flowing between De La Hiva and Spider. I also learned from Mr. Vasquez (a purple at our gym) to not focus on the technique so much as the concept of the technique. It is good to learn moves, especially starting out, but if you can truly grasp the concept of it all, then you can apply it to other moves, in other situations. Mr . Waugh made a point to explain the "engine" or what really "drives" each move into completion. It was really nice. I started taking notes on all the moves that I  am learning, and also breaking them down. I have a long way to go!! On another note: Mr. Waugh can do the splits!!!! YUP. Not like kinda, but entire legs on mat, was pretty cool, and he moves like a  ninja!! Very humble, very respectful, the embodiment of what a martial artist should be. Ah well, gonna take everything I learned and apply apply apply it in class!! I will not give up on it, no matter how much it hurts my fingers!!!!

Mr. Orlando Waugh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I MADE IT!!

Didnt think I was going to make it to competition class tonight, but I DID!! Yay for people not wanting to talk at work! Makes things go by so much faster. Anyways....as I come in today "that one training partner" that I always post about.....was walking out pissed saying "Everyone is a damn puzzy" I was laughing so hard (in my head of course)...then I talked to one of my buddies and he said that "that guy" couldnt find someone who wanted to roll with him, because he has earned a reputation for trying to hurt your training partners. ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR TRAINING PARTNERS, and yourself of course. During competition class we worked a little of the half guard game, which I have really been focusing on. AND we worked on control and finishing when you end up in head and arm after a sprawl. I was paired up with a former wrestler...but that aside I outweigh him by about 30 pounds....and he ROLLED ALL OVER ME. I got my azz handed to me like no other....I was just steamrolled. It was humbling and nice. I dont like getting tapped left and right, but it shows me the holes in my game! After class had a real talk with Mr. Alvarez about the gym,ect. Went really well, was nice to get to know him a bit better. Now I feel like I have more of a relationship with him. Kinda cool. Have a seminar tomorrow that I am going to ....gonna be from 9-7. Mr. Orlando Waugh. He is running a spider guard seminar. I will be taking notes through the entire thing. MUST TAKE NOTES. Mr. Alvarez pulled out about 10 notebooks filled 2 the brim with notes.(technique, who he rolled with , ect) very detailed.  Nice to get some hints when I am this early in the game :D Imma be a BEAST!!!

Hookaflip!!!

First of all, I was tired to start the class.....sad story.....but I munched on some Smart Start, and drank a bunch of water, so that helped me through most of it. Had some really good rolls, I GOT TAPPED THRICETODAY :D ZOMG. It was awesome. I got caught in a sleeve choke(rolled with a blue I usually dont get a chance to) it was so cool. I got the Hook flip from half on him, and he just sinched it in more, was quite humbling. Makes sure that I will keep a watch on those. And the other was....during the competition class...Mr. Alvarez :D No shame there. I learn alot everytime I get tapped out. We worked on hook flips from half guard today.....Mr. Alvarez asked what we wanted to work on...and someone mentioned me and my damn hookflips. DANGIT....Ah well, when you can hit something and people know it is coming all that much sweeter!! Also, got tapped by that one training partner, he was getting super aggressive again YAY....and...to top it all off, he tweaked my shoulder. I am always nice, but I really dont see any reason at all to try and go all out 100 percent with your training partners. So if you are THAT guy, who goes all out and tries to just "win" against your teammates....YOU SIR, Are your own worse enemy. On top of that you are limiting your growth. People like me , who dont enjoy your attempts to hurt , won't help you, and won't want to see you succeed. Just an FYI. Oh sorry , didnt even tell you about  my roll with Mr. Alvarez today. He took it to me, I recovered guard quite a few times, and even got a KOB and short lived mount....then he passed and it was downhill from there. I decided to turtle instead of side control being put on me...anddddddd he finished me with a wonderful choke!! Think it was a version of Anaconda

Competition Class tonight!!

Well, could only make it to competition class tonight, was better than nothing. I forgot my no-gi shirt and had to borrow one. So I'm thinking a large would fit....I put it on...it is SUPER tight, but hopefully no one really notices....Mr. Alvarez noticed, and said "Showing off the muscles today eh?" It was really funny, I was embarrassed a little. Well in class today we drilled positions. I worked alot of half guard today, top/bottom. My game is really progressing. I rolled with a purple belt, Angel...he is amazing and is a big fan of the hook flips. I myself happen to have picked up on these, and LOVE them. I've started working them into all aspects of my game. Got passed a few times, passed a few times, ect. Was a good roll, I was nice and fresh....he wasnt :D. I'll take that advantage. Also got a really good roll in with Mr. Alvarez, got a couple good sweeps...but my Lord...he rolls at such a crazy pace, I have no idea how he keeps it. I keep up with him for awhile, but after 6 min or so I am just panting....he makes you work at his pace or get submitted. Shortly after he got to side mount, the sub was sunk. North South choke , and we were done!! On the way home I realized just how dehydrated I was, stopped and got some ghetto version of Gatorade because it was like 60 cent cheaper.... Ah well guys, full class tomorrow and competition class. My arm hurts and I didnt even get put in an armbar...sure feels like it! Ah well thx for reading guys, will be in touch tomorrow!! ADCC HERE I COME!!

Quick note!

Alright guys, just a short and sweet one here. Tonight since I work late I will only be able to make it to the competition class!! :*( But I will still let you guys know how it goes. Usually the competition class is trained in with gi, BUT with ADCC coming up (This ADCC tourney is no-gi only) we will start training in no gi until after the competition is over.  Also , not all white belts compete as much as  I do. I have competed in 5 tournaments so far in my short jiu jitsu career, and placed in 3 /5....and each time I place I have taken 1st. The problem i was having with not placing was being gassed. Rest is super important and diet is as well. I dont have the diet down yet, but I sleep 9-10 hours every night for 2-3 nights leading up to my tournaments. It makes the world of difference. Also I'm gonna start combating my pre-match nerves by listening to IPOD right up until my matches. Sorry this was alot more than I wanted to put up here. Also, going to the gym( the weight lifting gym)...but not to lift weights hehe. Gonna go roll around on the few mats that they have. I look like an idiot but it helps me with balance and flow drills!!!