Spend your time off the mat wisely: with your loved ones! See you in 2010.
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MERRY CRIMBO EVERYONE
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BJJ Tips: Using Strength to Fuel Technique
How embarrassing! Every weekday morning I go to a shop at the station to buy some cottage cheese or yoghurt before taking the train to work. I usually pay by card and use the self-service checkouts for speed and today was no different. Only today no matter how many times I pressed on that damn ENTER button it wouldn't take the payment. I called the dude who works there and he did the same thing only this time it worked!He then looked me up and down and said: "you have to press stronger, sir. "I couldn't restrain myself from laughing. I had a Grappling-Grasshopper moment at Sainsbury's!
Using strength had become such taboo that we sometimes refuse to use it in its rightful place: to fuel mechanically correct techniques. A perfectly executed triangle choke will still need that final squeeze to make it work. After you have blocked your partner's path and broken their posture, you will still need that final push to sweep them and of course, once you’ve scanned all your items, placed them in the collection area and put your visa card in the reader "you have to press stronger, sir."
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So what did YOU want for Xmas?
As Promised! Here is the latest list of Xmas wishes from the happy PTGs around the world. Many thanks for all your contributions and I hope Santa is reading. If he isn’t, feel free to pass this link to them. I have fetched the links to Amazon and a few shops that stock these products for you...Books:
Saulo’s Book Jiu-jitsu University
BJ Penn’s gi book: Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu: The Closed Guard (Book of Knowledge)
BJ Penn’s MMA book: Mixed Martial Arts: The Book of Knowledge
MG's X-Guard Book: X-guard: For Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, No Gi Grappling, and Mixed Martial Arts
Dave Camarillo's Judo-BJJ integration Book: Guerilla Jiu-jitsu: Revolutionizing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
The Grappler's Handbook: GI and No-GI Techniques: Mixed Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission Fighting by Jean Jacques Machado and Jay Zeballos!!!! This was a new one to me!
DVDs / Media:
The Gracie Academy Combatives DVDs:
http://www.gracieacademy.com/storeitem.asp?r=74960
Saulo’s Revolution DVDs:
The Gracie Academy Combatives DVDs:
http://www.gracieacademy.com/storeitem.asp?r=74960
Saulo’s Revolution DVDs:
These are the best investment I've ever made in BJJ / Grappling:
Series one:
Series two:
Saulo Ribeiro - Jiu-Jitsu Revolution Series 2, 6 Volume World Class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instruction For Sport Jiu-Jitsu and Tournament fighting
No Gi:
Magazines:
The best reviews are available here. There is no way I can top it.
Fight wear:
Evolution Fightwear: Evolution Fightwear long sleeve rash guard blue
Venum Fightwear:
Gi’s:
Atama, Adidas, Black Eagle, Faixa Rua, HCK, Koral, Vulkan
Fight wear:
Evolution Fightwear: Evolution Fightwear long sleeve rash guard blue
Venum Fightwear:
Gi’s:
Atama, Adidas, Black Eagle, Faixa Rua, HCK, Koral, Vulkan
Enjoy and I wish you all the luck!
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Drop me a line on parttimegrappler@ymail.com or explore some of the recommended past articles on the right...
Training Tips: Multi-dimensional Dialogues in BJJ / Grappling
People liken BJJ / Grappling to a lot of things and, with my current dabble in Buddhism in mind, I see it mostly as a form of dialogue. A physical conversation. But mark this subtle difference: I said dialogue, not argument.
The way I see it, my partner and I are not arguing different or opposing points. We couldn't be. The sweep and the guard pass are not two sides of the same coin. They both uphold the same fundamental priciples. The are one and the same. To paraphrase the Matrix: There is no coin!
Too far fetched? Lend me a minute. Imagine you are on top of your partner in scarf hold. You're holding on quite tight and they sense that so they bridge and roll you. Now you are under the reverse of exactly the same position. Now imagine that you are rolling in a zero gravity environment. That you are rolling in outer space. Do you see where I'm going with this? Under these circumstances top and bottom are useless or at least irrelevant references.
Now try the guard. Someone is in you closed guard. You are floating in this dark non-gravitational outer space we were talking about. If I postulated that in fact you are not holding someone in your guard but rather under your mount, could you prove me wrong? Of course not. It’s all the same.
So where am I going with this and how is it Relevant to the theme of this blog? Well what defines Part Time Grapplers? The time we dedicate to this beautiful sport of ours is a fraction of what the full timers do but we are greedy and what comparable results.
Here is a tip that will double your practice efficiency: Think of fundamentals outside the traditional gravity-based box. In other words, every time you drill a technique, concept or fundamental from the closed guard, also work it or at least think how it would work from the mount and vice versa. This is not completely strange to our thinking as we often emphasise high mount and high guard. Just relax your mind and you will see tonnes of other applications to this principle and watch your efficiency soar.
----Did You Like This Article?---
Drop me a line on parttimegrappler@ymail.com or explore some of the recommended past articles on the right...
The way I see it, my partner and I are not arguing different or opposing points. We couldn't be. The sweep and the guard pass are not two sides of the same coin. They both uphold the same fundamental priciples. The are one and the same. To paraphrase the Matrix: There is no coin!
Too far fetched? Lend me a minute. Imagine you are on top of your partner in scarf hold. You're holding on quite tight and they sense that so they bridge and roll you. Now you are under the reverse of exactly the same position. Now imagine that you are rolling in a zero gravity environment. That you are rolling in outer space. Do you see where I'm going with this? Under these circumstances top and bottom are useless or at least irrelevant references.
Now try the guard. Someone is in you closed guard. You are floating in this dark non-gravitational outer space we were talking about. If I postulated that in fact you are not holding someone in your guard but rather under your mount, could you prove me wrong? Of course not. It’s all the same.
So where am I going with this and how is it Relevant to the theme of this blog? Well what defines Part Time Grapplers? The time we dedicate to this beautiful sport of ours is a fraction of what the full timers do but we are greedy and what comparable results.
Here is a tip that will double your practice efficiency: Think of fundamentals outside the traditional gravity-based box. In other words, every time you drill a technique, concept or fundamental from the closed guard, also work it or at least think how it would work from the mount and vice versa. This is not completely strange to our thinking as we often emphasise high mount and high guard. Just relax your mind and you will see tonnes of other applications to this principle and watch your efficiency soar.
----Did You Like This Article?---
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BJJ Time Management Tips: You Must Always Do Something!
I found this gem of an article on The Cage Warrior forums. All the points are very much valid and you will do well in incorporating them into your practice.
Please feel free to drop me a line with what you think
(PS. Thanks for all the Xmas gift suggestions I have been receiving! I will be setting up that list before the end of this week.)
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Drop me a line on parttimegrappler@ymail.com or explore some of the recommended past articles on the right...
Relson, Renzo and Now Rener. But what about RYou?
Wow. There is so much talk about the different teaching methods of different BJJ / Grappling academies at the moment. Here's a quick up to date:
What strikes me the most from the online forums is how much people really want a prophet! Rener said this but Renzo said that and Relson said something else. Who cares? They live in California, New York and Hawaii respectively. You will never need to choose between their academies. If only we could be so lucky!
The matter of the fact remains that the level of detail in what the Gracie University has on offer is outstanding and it comes at very affordable prices. Further, they discuss the correct indicators for techniques, which is something I have only seen in private lessons and very occasionally in class. Within seconds of lesson 11, I realised why my Elevator Sweeps weren’t working anymore. My Triangle choke has never been better and it’s all thanks to the tips I got from lesson 10. Do I agree with their views on teaching and training? Maybe I do. Does it really matter? Absolutely not!
Stop looking for a prophet to answer the big WHY for you! That is your burden and yours only. You need to do it for you. In the mean time, these guys can show you a lot of the HOW and WHAT, from multiple angels!
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- The Gracie brothers Rener and Ryron release The Gracie University: an online source to what they refer to as Gracie Jiu Jitsu or GJJ. You can buy lessons for online viewing or on DVDs.
- Relson Gracie goes on the ever so awesome Fightworks Podcast and slays amongst other things today's competition rules, saying they have shifted the focus of Jiu Jitsu away from its original Raison D’Etre, which is real-fight survival and self-defence. Here is a link to that interview.
- Renzo Gracie comes on the FWPC the following week and in a very engaging Al Pacino style defends his point of view and mentions that a student of his visited California and had a less than warm welcome at the Gracie brothers' place. Here is a link to that fantastically emotional interview.
- Last week the Rener Gracie came on the FWPC and told the listeners his side. Here is a link to that interview.
What strikes me the most from the online forums is how much people really want a prophet! Rener said this but Renzo said that and Relson said something else. Who cares? They live in California, New York and Hawaii respectively. You will never need to choose between their academies. If only we could be so lucky!
The matter of the fact remains that the level of detail in what the Gracie University has on offer is outstanding and it comes at very affordable prices. Further, they discuss the correct indicators for techniques, which is something I have only seen in private lessons and very occasionally in class. Within seconds of lesson 11, I realised why my Elevator Sweeps weren’t working anymore. My Triangle choke has never been better and it’s all thanks to the tips I got from lesson 10. Do I agree with their views on teaching and training? Maybe I do. Does it really matter? Absolutely not!
Stop looking for a prophet to answer the big WHY for you! That is your burden and yours only. You need to do it for you. In the mean time, these guys can show you a lot of the HOW and WHAT, from multiple angels!
----Did You Like This Article?---
Drop me a line on parttimegrappler@ymail.com or explore some of the recommended past articles on the right...
Free the Mahi Mahi: BJJ as a vehicle for enlightenment
How do you view your training? Is it a sport to you? Is it an Art? Is it perhaps both? I think the vast majority of BJJ / Grappling players are in it for reasons past the very obvious self-defence aspects. To me it’s a life style, but not just in the sense of the sport (gi, no gi, MMA...etc.), the auxiliary exercises (conditioning, yoga...etc) or even the friends I have made along the way. As grateful as I am for all the above, to me, BJJ / Grappling is more still.
I can’t stop thinking about BJJ. It’s in everything I do and the principles of the art have come to colour everything I do, touch or read. For many years I have toyed with many philosophies. In the nineties it was Taoism and earlier this century (how cool is that saying!) I was really into Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. At the moment, Buddhism
is calling my name. Anyone who knows me will tell you, however, that I’m not really that hung up on the –ism itself. I strongly believe that someone could exemplify a principle perfectly without having ever heard of it. I'm into the ideas behind the -isms, not the trinkets.
I like to test ideas and BJJ / Grappling is my testing grounds. Let me give you a couple of examples: Marcelo Garcia talks about something that, to my ears, screams of Karma in his Fightworks Podcast interview. He talks about how he needs to test himself and better himself and how he sees sharing his knowledge with others as a way to do that.
I can’t stop thinking about BJJ. It’s in everything I do and the principles of the art have come to colour everything I do, touch or read. For many years I have toyed with many philosophies. In the nineties it was Taoism and earlier this century (how cool is that saying!) I was really into Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. At the moment, Buddhism
is calling my name. Anyone who knows me will tell you, however, that I’m not really that hung up on the –ism itself. I strongly believe that someone could exemplify a principle perfectly without having ever heard of it. I'm into the ideas behind the -isms, not the trinkets.I like to test ideas and BJJ / Grappling is my testing grounds. Let me give you a couple of examples: Marcelo Garcia talks about something that, to my ears, screams of Karma in his Fightworks Podcast interview. He talks about how he needs to test himself and better himself and how he sees sharing his knowledge with others as a way to do that.
At the same time, there is a lot of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism in BJJ / Grappling: An A is an A and it cannot be anything else at the same time. There is a right way to perform an armbar* and a wrong way.
How about the rest of you Part Time Grapplers out there? Do you see your BJJ / Grappling as a vehicle for personal development past the obvious physical side? I would love to hear your take on this.
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*Conceptually and fundamentally, not stylistically. Here is the best explanation I’ve seen of this idea.
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Drop me a line on parttimegrappler@ymail.com or explore some of the recommended past articles on the right...
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