Grappling and BJJ tips by Liam The Part-Time Grappler Wandi: recovery

Showing posts with label recovery. Show all posts

BJJ / Grappling / MMA tips: getting back into jiujitsu

What's the best way to get back into Jiujitsu?

Jiujitsu is an integral part of my life, but, as a part time grappler, there are times when I cannot train for a couple of weeks, or even more. Obviously if I can sneak in a session here or there I will but that's not always a possibility.

Some may have to take a shorter or longer break from training. This could be due to work, family, moving home or even an injury. Hopefully, these obstacles subside and we find our way back to the mat, but people are often too eager for their own good when getting back into training and it's not uncommon for them to burn out within the first month or so. I know this because I have been that person.

Here are 5 pieces of advice I've gathered over the years that I hope may be of value to you:

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Bjj / grappling/ MMA Tips: recover faster between sessions with these 4 tips

I recently read an online article on recovery between sessions and I thought it did an OK job of telling you what's important but still left much to the imagination with regards to immediate steps to take so here goes my version:

The best ways to recover faster between jiujitsu sessions:

1 – Stretch your muscles and decompress your spine

Have a post-session routine and stick to it. This doesn't need to be complicated nor take a long time. A good start is to do the following three stretches religiously after every session:

a. Downward dog: this will work your back chain (calves, hamstrings, spine...etc) for 1-2 minutes

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BJJ / Grappling Supplements: GLC2000 and BJJ update

A week ago, I mentioned that the hard jiu jitsu sessions we do at The Labs were leaving my muscles sore and some of my joints a little sore too. I also mentioned that I had, coincidently, just received my first tub of GLC2000 . GLC2000 is a market leader in high-end cartilage and joint formulae which I first saw in my first copy of Ultimate Grappling Magazine. I said I'd try to report on the results of the product as regularly as I can so here it goes.

First, to re-iterate, my main joint issues from martial arts (karate and BJJ / Grappling) are:

Sore fingers / knuckles
Sore neck
"Tired" shoulder / rotator cuff muscles - tender tendons
Achy ribs, near the false ribs (lower rib cage)
Sore knees
Sore toes and ball of foot

I put GLC2000 (which is 4 types of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfates combined) to the ultimate test this past week:

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BJJ / Grappling Supplements: GLC2000 Glucosamine + Chondroitin

Last night's advanced BJJ session at The Labs had something extra ordinary about it.

Without getting into too much detail, I can tell you that we worked really hard, but not to the point of breaking. We held and maintained a very high pace, but still managed to learn lots of jiu jitsu from the session.

In groups of three and against resistance, we drilled guard passing, sweeps, submissions, takedowns and takedown defence for two minute rounds, changing partner every time a point or a submission was scored. We did this for the full duration of the session and I am feeling it today! My muscles are sore and some of my joints are a little sore. I'm not broken, but I have been definitely been given a very thorough workout!

Coincidently, I received my first tub of GLC2000 yesterday. GLC2000 is a market leader in high-end Cartilage and joint formulae which I first saw in my first copy of Ultimate Grappling Magazine. We have all heard and read about joint supplements and whether they work or not but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding and I'm giving this one a try.

To give this Glucosamine / Chondroitin joint supplement the best review possible, I will be running a diary based on how I perceive the benefits of the product. My main joint issues from martial arts (karate and BJJ / Grappling) are:

Sore fingers / knuckles
Sore neck
"Tired" shoulder / rotator cuff muscles - tender tendons
Achy ribs, near the false ribs (lower rib cage)
Sore knees
Sore toes and ball of foot

Which pretty much covers everything haha but hey at least my elbows seem to be fine (touch wood!)

I will be updating the Part Time Grappler blog regularly with results of this experiment. (Sore) fingers crossed!

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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters

BJJ, Kettlebells, Aging & Recovery: Are you increasing your training volume too fast too soon? 5% is a sweet number.

BJJ / Grappling / MMA and Kettlebells go together nicely. One of my favourite exercises with KB is the swing, where I am currently swinging for reps of 20, active-resting 1 minute between cycles of swings.

I have been doing this twice a week, in-between, after or just before grappling / BJJ workouts, for a few weeks* and I am getting to feel comfortable with the pace and the workload and thought to myself it was time to up it a little so recently I increased to 25 reps, keeping the active rest period to 1 minute and as they say in research terms: all other factors remaining equal.

The good news: I got training soreness in my hamstrings and adductors (the muscles on the inside of your thighs) so my form must have been good as these are the right target muscles.

The bad news: I got tons of training soreness in my hamstrings and adductors!

Getting out of bed was a pain. A disproportional pain, I thought, compared to a simple increase of 5 reps. After all, what’s 5 reps?!

That’s when it hit me. I had increased my training load by 25% (5 is 25% of 20).

I had upped my workout volume by a quarter. No wonder my thighs were sore!

Next time I do swings I will bring the reps down to 21, which translates to a more manageable 5% increase.

Take the time now to review your training, or even better your other life components such as work, hobbies or expenses. Are you taking on too much in one go? Are you blinded by the numbers? Picking up 10lb on your existing 180lb body frame is more than 5% increase. Are your joints and ligaments 5% stronger to handle this load? That’s just a simple example to get you started.

*keep in mind that I can be lazy and miss a week here or there :)

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Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters

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BJJ / Grappling and other activities: Yoga, swimming, tuina-massage and personal training

I haven't trained any BJJ or grappling since my private session with my brother Sam last Friday (23rd December) and while I do admit that I miss it, the break has been great. I've had a chance to let my skin recover, my tummy to fill and my joints to rejuvinate. This whole rejuvination theme made me think of the array of things we can do to stay healthy. Grappling and BJJ take their toll on the body and mind so it's imortant to utilise the many activities that help us keep together. My favourite are BJJ / Grappling specific personal training, massage, Yoga and swimming.

The Labs BJJ is part of the amazing CFS BJJ team, an IBJJF accredited school, under black belt Mr David Onuma. The Labs BJJ is also part of Fighting Fit Manchester. Fighting Fit Manchester has many other facets related to martial arts, fitness and wellness that don't all fall under The Labs banner, all led by very passionate and highly qualified people. I took advantage of Fighting Fit having two such subject matter experts recently.

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BJJ / Grappling Tips: Importance of Recovery - Wise Words from Kyokushin Karate Instructor Shihan Cameron Quinn

"Don't get injured. Don't get a cold."

As soon as I heard the above words of advice uttered by Shihan Cameron Quinn, who in turn attributed them to Sosai Mas Oyama founder of Kyokushin Karate, my ears perked up!

One of my favourite podcasts to listen to is Martial Arts Weekly by Sensei Duval Hamilton. The show brings in a wide range of instructors and practitioners of Martial Arts (including BJJ) and, once you get over the hosts obvious dislike for MMA, is very entertaining and educating. As some of you know, Karate was my first love and I still see combat thru the eyes of a karateka. Recently, however, the defining lines between karate and jiu jitsu are slowly fading away but more on that in future blog posts.

The show I was listening to was from the 7th November 2010 and the guest was Shihan Cameron Quinn. Shihan Quinn has an esteemed background in Kyokushin Karate and was for many years the personal translator for the founder of the art, Sosai Mas Oyama. He spent several periods in Japan under Sosai's guidance and the above quote was something he remembered him giving as advice to trainees at the home academy (often referred to as the "Hombu")

While the advice is great, Shihan Quinn went on to explain why it was great!

1. Don't get injured:

Injury is the number one enemy of all martial artists. We all love the art that we practice, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Thai Boxing, Karate..e.tc. One thing that unites all practitioners is that they love practicing and enjoying getting better and learning more. We might differ in our approach, but our passion is the same.

While training smart will help save you time and energy, you STILL have to put in the hours on the mat to get better at BJJ (or Karate). Lots of hours. Some say 10,000 hours if you want to reach world class level! from this it is logical that our number one enemy as martial artists or athletes is injury. Sosai Oyama simply wanted his students to train safely so they could train more!

2. Don't get a cold:

At first glance, this struck me as odd. What a strange this to say to a Karate (or BJJ) practitioner! Shihan explained. Getting a cold is a sure sign of having over-trained, or at least getting run down by a combination of factors:

• -training
• -nutrition (food and supplements)
• -work
• -life responsibilities
• -being under unhealthy amounts of stress
• -bad / insuffecient sleep
• -substance abuse

and other causes. Initially, I thought this wouldn't be as relevant to us Part Time Grapplers as we - per definition - don't train as many hours but the more I look around me the more I realise that everything chips away at our recovery. Your body doesn't know, nor care, why it's tired or why it has been losing sleep or why the nutrition it's getting is very "on-the-run". Exercise, whether BJJ or running or swimming, places demands on our recovery ability (or recoverability) and so does staying up late with a baby or stressing over a work report (or nowadays - redundancy!). If you are not looking after your health (eating a balanced diet, drinking enough water, getting enough hours of quality sleep...etc.) then it will most definitely take longer to recover from the demands of an hour or two of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Karate, MMA or anything else. Getting a cold can be an indication that you are not looking after number one: You.

Sore muscles and recovery from BJJ / Grappling

I am in so much pain from all the Strength and Conditioning work we did at the CFS - BJJ team get together last Sunday (a full review to come) so I thought I would share some of the tips I have learnt over the years to help my muscles recover from hard work out that fill them with soreness and aches.
Of course while I did study anatomy, physiology and biochemistry at university, I am not a doctor nor a dietitian so these are simply my own tips and tricks. Speak to a qualified person to research your own.

This is by no means an extensive list either and there are many other ways to aid your recovery (massage, compression, sleep and medication to name a few). I look at these tips as my starter-kit.

Remember, when you are weakened, you are an easy target for bullies!

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BJJ / Grappling Nutrition: Recovery & Super Foods

As you may know, one of my all time favourite books is "Food for Fitness" by Anita Bean. Every time I feel my recovery from BJJ sessions is not where it should be I do two things:

1. I examine how much sleep I'm getting per night (and usually add an hour or more at the weekend)
2. I read Anita's awesome book and adjust my diet accordingly

One of my favourite chapters in "Food for Fitness" is the one about "15 Super Foods". In it Anita, as expected, lists 15 food groups she considers superior to others and then tells you not only why, but when and how to use them. I'll give you the top three here:

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BJJ Performance Secrets: Timing Your Nutrition.

For years I marvelled at how my perceived performance in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or any sport or martial art for that matter!) could vary from day to day and week to week. I read in countless nutrition books and articles by some heavy names how performance can indeed be cyclical, but this wasn't it. It wasn't just cyclical but rather...inconsistent! One day I'd be rolling with 5-6 powerful BJJ players (and probably get smashed too) but my energy level was tip top and another day I'd struggle to get even past the warm-up.

It is only recently I've more fully realised the influence the content (but more importantly "timing") of my diet plays on my BJJ performance:

1. Food has a stand-alone value (energy, building blocks, hydration...etc.) but also a secondary, chain-reaction effect on the body (carbs are energy, but they also release insulin and serotonin. Protein is building blocks but it also stabilizes blood sugar levels...etc.)
2. Meal size, proportion and timing has plays a vital role in my BJJ performance and energy levels.

Here are a quick couple of really awesome tips on how to use your nutrition to skyrocket your performance:

1. When you eat something, the sugar has to first go into your blood before it goes into your muscle cells. Give it some time and schedule those light meals throughout the day, keeping your BJJ / Grappling session in mind.

2. When sugar goes into the blood, it causes a release of insulin. The more sugar, the more insulin. Insulin’s primary job is to get that sugar out of the blood and into the cells. This means once it’s done, your blood sugar level will drop and even though your cells are saturated with the sugar they need, you will feel a little tired and sleepy. Keep that in mind when you are a little tired and hungry 10 minutes before the session and a Mars Bar seems like a good idea! Rather reach for some protein (my favourite is a handful of nuts of some lean cheese or meat)

3. The best time to have a small dose of pre-workout carbs is 1,5-2 hours before the session. This tip alone is worth gold. My favourite is Nature Valley Crunchy bars.

4. The best time for post work out recovery drink/snack is IMMEDIATELY after the work out. Not when you get home. Not after your shower, not even on the ride home. The first thing you should touch as you leave the mat should be your shaker! All you need is a little bit of protein and little bit of carbs and lots and lots of water. The ideal ratio is that found in a chocolate milk (my fave is Yazoo followed by lots of water)

5. If you happen to weigh yourself before and after the session (in dry clothes) you can register how much sweat you lost. Now over the coming 2-3 hours, I advise you to drink 1.5-2 times that amount (e.g. if you lost 1kg then drink 1.5-2 litres)

The first thing you should notice is that this all takes some preparation! Pack your training bag with your fruit, container of nuts, snack bar, your shaker (with a scoop of powder in it) and another bottle for water.

A Jiu Jitsu bag without the above is not the bag of a top performer and you are cutting yourself short.

If you liked those tips, I learned them all and more from Anita's book Food For Fitness. To order your copy of the book, click on the image on the book cover above.

Give these tips a try for 2-3 weeks and let me know about how you are feeling…and remember to share this article on your Facebook and (if you have it) Twitter accounts.

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Auxiliary Training and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / Grappling

It's important to treat it as that: auxiliary. If the intensity, duration or frequency of there sessions has a negative effect on your performance in BJJ / grappling / MMA then you have gone too far. All types of exercise exert stress on your body and dig a proportionate hole into your recovery reserves and you need to weigh off that against the potential benefit that auxiliary training will bring you.

Keeping the above in mind, there is also a hierarchy in building the attributes that you need for grappling and BJJ:

1. Mobility.
2. Endurance.
3. Strength.

You simply need enough mobility to be able to perform all the fundamentals of your art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Find a simple and reliable programme to increase your range of motion in your wrists, shoulders, neck, lower back, hips and ankles and stick to it. A Yoga vinyasa (chain) like the Sun Salutation is excellent. Notice I didn’t say flexibility! Flexibility is awesome and I stretch loads every single day, but I do it because I enjoy it. For a dynamic art like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (or any other martial art) you need to work on your joint mobility. Rotation work ala Pavel is the way forward.

Once happy with this basic level of flexibility it's time to work on your gas. Once again it's important to remember why you're doing this. This is nothing to do with your Lactic Acid Threshold. You're not aiming to become a long distance runner, or any kind of runner for that matter. Don't get overzealous and push past the lactic acid barrier. Keep the pace and intensity low and never allow these sessions to interfere with your ability to train your main sport and art. If anything, there sessions will help you move the blood around and flush any remaining lactic acid out of your grappling muscles, not generate some more!

Next on the agenda is strength. Once again, keep the goal in mind and don't train like a body builder or a power lifter. Focus instead on strengthening your back, core and legs and perhaps leave the holy bench press aside for a while. You want to be strong in the areas that end up carrying toe most tension and stress during grappling so you can stay healthy and grapple your whole life.

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PART 3: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work - But in BJJ / Grappling Terms!

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my favourite books is Anita Bean's "Food for Fitness". A cool section in the book is titled: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work and, inspired by the Fightworks Podcast interview with Mr Dave Camarillo where he urges the listeners to read from a wide range of topics and try to apply the knowledge to BJJ / Grappling, I decided to give you Anita's tips, but completely twisted to address BJJ / Grappling training rather than weight loss. As a bonus, I will put the original tip at the bottom.

As promised here is part 3 of 3 posts. I hope you enjoy it.

1. Drink water. I don't even want to joke about changing this one. The water break has both a very important physiological importance but also an important social value. It's a half-time get-together for you and your friends and if you ever can't get a technique/move/the energy and you don't want to feel alone, the water break is a great opportunity to exchange "I'm completely lost here too!" looks.

Original tip: Drink water.

2. Take a holistic approach to your art: I don't buy into the whole "Is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a sport, a self defence system or a martial art?" question. It's everything and that's how I treat it. I love everything about it. The gi, the rash-guard, the MMA, the headlock escapes...the lot!

I remember hearing Marcio Feitosa talk about this on a Fightworks Podcast a few months ago and I completely agree. Why restrict yourself when the art/sport/activity is so encompassing?

Original tip: Eat fruit instead of drinking juice.

3. Beware of scams and empty quick-fix promises: Why oh why would you want this complex art that takes long hours on the mat to master to be easier and quicker to master? It's the equaliser in fights against someone who is bigger, stronger and fitter. It's a joy to share with like-minded people for years and years. It's the next thing to magic! It...takes...time. Let it!

I'm joking (a little) We want it easier and simpler because we are rational beings and because the geography of BJJ / Grappling is different to that of standing, walking and sitting that we are so used to. We think we can solve the riddle, or at least buy the solution on EBay or Amazon (or steal it from YouTube!) and, naturally, that creates an opportunity for people to sell us more and more products, books and courses.

I'm not against books, DVDs or Internet based instruction. I frikkin' love it. I am, however, very selective and don't expect miracles. I expect what I learn in 30 minutes online to still take me hours on the mat to learn and internalize.

Original tip: Beware of "reduced fat" labels.

4. Don't go on EBay or Amazon when your ego is bruised: Nice lead from the previous point. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is an art of self development, but we are all guilty of self-Envelopment every now and again.

We are on the mat, we work hard and we get tapped and that's the reality of it. We take it personally sometimes though, especially if there is a question of differing belt colours. Damn them! How dare they! I need to learn how to counter that NOW!

If you go looking online for solutions, they will immediately materialize in the shape of books, DVDs and crystal balls and before you know it you will have a stack of them but no continuation and, chances are, you will still get tapped, just by a new sub!

Original tip: Don't go shopping when you're hungry.

5. Dedicate more time to positional transitions (escapes, sweeps and passes) and less to the cool submissions: Transitions open doors and teach habits. To me, that's the secret of Jiu Jitsu. The way I see a submission (triangle, armbar, footlock...etc.) is as a tighter and tighter position that can't really get any tighter. I have no doubt in my mind that the triangle choke was discovered by mistake when someone escaped mount to half guard, then to guard, then to high guard and then to triangle set up position (one arm in) and then suddenly, the frying pan got hot and someone passed out. Bingo. Focus on climbing the transitional chain and you'll get every submission along the way.

Original tip: Replace half your carbohydrates with veggies.

6. Spend some down time writing a game plan.

Beginning: You shake hands.
End: Someone taps.

Take sometime to fill in the different scenarios of what can happen in between and start working on assigning different solution ideas to the challenges along. Let me get you started:

They establish a good grip on you : break their grip
They pull guard : Hip in and posture up
They open their closed guard : go to combat base, get your grips on the pants and work for a bull-fighter pass (example)...etc.

Why not borrow a start-up flowchart from one of the greatest players: Rickson Gracie's flowchart part one and part two.

Original tip: Match every excuse to a solution.

7. Pack your gym bag the night before and have some spares: This is to avoid excuses to skip the session and to save time. When you get home after the session, don't just take your dirty stuff out of the gym bag. Replace it with clean kit straight away. Since I started doing that, I've not arrived without a rash guard / gi / belt / groin guard / athletic tape...etc. in 5 years.

Original tip: Carry healthy snacks.

8. Use BJJ / Grappling to revolutionise your whole life: I don't mean be a tool towards the rest of the world by telling everyone you meet "Oh I can't eat that / play that / drink that / wear that because a 2 strip blue belt you know!"

However, if starting BJJ / Grappling / MMA is the first move you've taken for your life into a healthy direction then why not compliment it with some early morning stretching, drinking less booze, spending some quality time with loved ones at the dinner table instead of eating in front of the TV...etc. Don't just do something healthy, allow yourself to become a healthier person.

Original tip: Stock up with healthy foods.

There you go ladies and gents. It's been a brain twister for me to transform the diet tips to BJJ / Grappling tips but it was great fun and made me put my own practice under the microscope. I know I can be guilty of, for example, number 4 in the list and I'm working on it. Being poorer helps!

Thanks Mr Recession for stopping me from googling "How to choke frikkin' Wrestler Freaks who pass my open guard!".

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PART 2: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work - But in BJJ / Grappling Terms!

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22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work - But in BJJ / Grappling Terms!

Let me start by saying that this is NOT a weight-loss post!

As some of you know, one of my favourite books is Anita Bean's "Food for Fitness". It's a great book that tells you what to eat to enhance performance. It centres around everyday items like bananas, porridge, coffee and eggs and while there are many other books that do that (believe me I've read many!) what's awesome about this one is that it addresses the questions of "how much" and "when" to eat! Just yesterday I used it to time the consumption of my cereal bar before my session and my recovery shake and meal and I had one of the best BJJ sessions ever!

But enough about the book - well, almost.

A cool section in the book is titled: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work and, inspired by the Fightworks Podcast interview with Mr Dave Camarillo where he urges the listeners to read from a wide range of topics and try to apply the knowledge to BJJ / Grappling, I decided to give you Anita's tips, but completely twisted to address BJJ / Grappling training rather than weight loss. As a bonus, I will put the original tip at the bottom.

Naturally, since the 22 is a lotta tips, I will break it up in 2-3 posts. I hope you enjoy it.

1. Do several, smaller sessions: The best way to learn anything really but especially something as demanding as BJJ / Grappling is to restrict your training to 1hr sessions and do a number of them. If you can, do several in a day. Naturally, they can't all be hard sparring. Personally, I do a dynamic yoga and stretching session in the morning before work (30-45 minutes), a light strength, core and balance session at lunch time (30-45 minutes) and 2 hr sessions on the mat 2-4 days per week. To me, it's all BJJ / Grappling.

Original tip: Eat several, smaller meals.

2. Limit your technique choices: Bruce Lee once said: You want to learn how to punch? Punch! If you want your triangles to get sharper, limit yourself to only using triangles for a month. Something amaxing will start to happen: You will start seeing triangles from angles you never thought about!

Original tip: Limit your food choices.

3. Center your practice around smaller areas the game: Dedicating a month or two to getting solid at mount and side control escapes will give your overall game and confidence a much bigger boost than trying to "get better at everything!" in that month or two.

Original tip: Practice portion control.

4. Don't ban fun techniques: There is nothing wrong with blending in crazy-ass flying techniques and funky shizzle into your overall roll. The flying armbar shouldn't be your only sub but it sure is fun to play around sometimes!

Original tip: Don't ban your favourite foods.

5. Don't skip breakfast. I don't want to change that one. If you have a suggestion please post a comment but I really like this one just the way it is.

6. Never, ever skip the warm-up phase. If you are like the absolute majority of BJJ / Grappling practitioners around the world, you are a Part-Time Grappler. You probably have a job or go to school = sit around for several hours per day. This means your basic physiology is on a different setting than that needed for rolling around with a resisting partner of similar weight. Your awareness is not there. Your eye-hand-foot-hip coordination is still sound asleep. Wake it all up with a nice progressive warm-up.

Original tip: Start with salad.

7. Pay attention to rest and recovery. I remember reading a blog post by Rosi Sexton about recovery (highly recommended read) that made me buy less recovery pills and shakes and sleep more and eat better!

Original tip: Sleep more.

Sorry for such a long post and I hope you liked these. Part two coming soon.

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Describing What You Do: BJJ / Grappling Commitments

If you are employed in a job you may have a job description (JD) explaining what you have to do. It may or may not be very precise and detailed. An example is if you are a recptionist your JD could be:

It is essentially a practical method to communicate a shared understanding between you and your boss about:

what your job is
what you're expected to achieve
where/how it relates to other jobs
the character traits and skill sets you are expected to foster and develop though your job.

How does this then relate to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu / Grappling?

Well think about your training. Think about the amount of time, energy and money you invest in your sessions both on and off the mat.

What if I suggested that a similar summary can be drafted between you and your coach / instructor / gym owner? How would you approach that?

Are you in an honest relationship? Are you expecting things that your BJJ / Grappliong academy has no intention of delivering? Are they forthcoming about that or are they pretending to be all-things-to-all-people? Maybe you aspire to be a fearsome competitor but your academy focuses on Self-Defence. Maybe you want to learn how use BJJ in amateur, pro-am or even Pro-MMA. Does your academy have the right classes for you?

Here is a quick example based on how I feel as a BJJ player / Grappler at the LABS - FIGHTING FIT MANCHESTER:

Main Job Tasks and Responsibilities

for every class I attend, show up early enough to be changed and ready on the mat exactly at start of the session
always adhere to general rules of conduct and exhibit exemplary hygiene (person, personal equipment and any equipment I use)
listen/watch/feel/train intently and with my best focus
assist others to do the same (minimise distractions and wise-ass jokes!)
direct any administrative queries to the gym owners (prices, gi purchase...etc.)
pay my fees in a timely fashion

Education and Experience

declare any conditions I may carry with me to the instructor (e.g. dodgy heart, blood pressure issues, skin infections...etc.)
suitable skills for the class attended (don't attend an advanced class on your 4th visit and complain the pace was too fast!)

Key Competencies

work on BJJ / Grappling related attributes (e.g. balance, weight management, flexability...etc.) in my own time
gain a basic understanding of both exercise nutrition and recovery

In short, I don't expect to work at weight management or flexibility at the BJJ / Grappling sessions. Neither do I expect the classes to be tailored around me and my needs. More importantly, I know my own needs and wants and suffer from no illusions between the two nor around them being my coaches' responsibility vs my own.

How do you view your relation with your academy and coaches? Also, how do you think they view you and their responsibilities towards you? Do the two match?

If they don't, WHATCHUGONNADO ABOUT IT?

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BJJ / Grappling and Weight Loss Training Tips

Above are my figures as of today, 2 days ahead of the Manchester Open.

Don’t get me wrong; I have not been loosing weight specifically for this event, but rather for the long-term health of my joints and internal systems. I don’t consider myself heavy, but I strongly believe that the less you weigh within healthy parameters the better. There is a lot of research to support that but I just think that it makes sense.

This all started on the 1st of January 2010. I weighed 89kg and felt that I was taking a long time to recover from the weekly BJJ / Grappling sessions. I researched recovery and and found out a lot about rest, protein, carbs, creatine…etc. But everywhere I looked, weight a healthy little was often looked more favourable upon than weighing a healthy lot. That, combined with the Warrior Diet that I’d been following for a few months then, lead me to make a few small changes in my life. I didn’t want to go on a short-term diet or exercise plan. I wanted to take it very slow. Unnoticeably slow. In fact, so slow that I wouldn’t even notice it and therefore not look forward to it finishing (which is the culprit of every short-term diet!)

So what did I do?

-I only ate food that tasted really well.
-I stopped eating crap
-Following the Warrior Diet, I ate fruit and veg thru-out the day* and one meal at night
-I drank lots of water, tea and coffee
-I consumed lots of smoothies. Always homemade.
-I consumed lots of fruit juices. Always, always homemade.
-I used my lunch period at work to burn 300 kcal. 5 times a week. Every week.
-Every time I went to the gym, I recorded my weight and my Body Fat% and kept it on an Excel spreadsheet – without judging it!

I noticed that I was getting results but, as I said above, I didn’t want to judge it. Apart from running a column for the actual figures, I also ran a separate one that gave me averages. So if on day one I had 14kg of fat and on day two I had 14.9, the average would be 14.95…and so on. I did this because my training in Statistics told me that while figures can lie short-term, averages seldom do in the long term. Also, it gave me great consolation around e.g. Valentine’s day when my body fat weight got stuck (or even went up!) by thankfully the average kept creeping down. It was more forgiving and reminded me that a day or two are not the end of the world!

With the gi, I weight about 84kg, which puts me in Medium Heavy (81-87kg). Oh well. It’s all fun and games.

Have a great weekend and if you’re attending the Manchester Open, come by and say hi.

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More on Yoga and BJJ / Grappling

At the request of fellow blogger and honorary Part Time Grappler Georgette Oden, here are some more thoughts on the Yoga-BJJ / Grappling connection.

Let me start by saying that Yoga will not make your BJJ / Grappling techniques better per se.

What it will do, is improve your body awareness and sensitivity. Please take the time to watch the following 6-minute video

The Alexis Brothers from the world famous Cirque Du Soleil

I saw the Alexis Brothers on a CDS dvd two years ago and again live when the show came to town and I could immediately see that what they were doing was not merely an act of extreme strength.

Don't get me wrong, they are very very strong but they more importantly:

Know exactly how to handle their own body weight
Know exactly how to handle each others body weight

And what is guard passing, indeed what is BJJ / Grappling, if not exactly these two points!
By putting your body into positions and angles that teach your hands, feet, knees, elbows, spine...etc. how to handle your weight you are half way there. The reasons I choose Yoga are:

The added benefit of breath control, Pranayama
The flexibility you gain in the muscles
The agility you gain in the joints

and a few, more personal reasons that fit in with the Part Time Grappler mentality:

Yoga is, or at least can be, low impact. This means I can do lots and lots of Yoga without overtaxing my body.
Unlike Pilates, Yoga is very low-maintenance. All you need is a small space and off you go!
You don't have to sweat when doing Yoga. You can definitely push yourself and get a cardio workout out of it, but I aim for approximately 19 sessions per month, and that would result in an impractical amount of laundry. I'm sure this just put a smile on your face but it is indeed a factor that you have to take into account. I do my 45min yoga sessions up to three times per day and never push so hard to break a sweat! I could, but that's not why I do it.
Yoga is old and well studied. There is an ocean of information on it online, in books, DVDs, YouTube and other sources. You can get all the basics with a few clicks.
Yoga is quite popular and well spread-out in the world, and hence finding a teacher for the odd technical session here or there is not difficult. Good luck finding a Ginastica Natural qualified instructor within a 20km radius (that's 12.4 US miles :) )
It's easier to sell Yoga to other family members. My wife would rather join me in a few stretches than in a jog or...God forbid...a BJJ / Grappling roll.
Weight distribution: The Holy Grail of Efficiency. Like the great Bruce Lee once said: You wanna learn how to punch? Punch! You wanna learn how to kick? Kick! I'd like to add: You wanna learn how to transfer your body weight from the right hand to the left foot when guard passing? Play around in Downward dog!

I intend to do more, fuller posts on Yoga-postures v BJJ / Grappling Positions soon. I'm just weary of the fact that I'm not an expert in either and don't want people to think that I'm claiming that. These are just my own ideas that I have played with and developed over time and bits and bobs I have stolen from my years in Karate and Taiji. Weight distribution and anchoring are my favourite areas of BJJ / Grappling (even more so than submissions).

My favourite complement to receive after a roll is: Man have you picked up weight recently? :) ----Did You Like This Article?--- Drop me a line on parttimegrappler@ymail.com or explore some of the recommended past articles on the right...

How Often Do You Train? BJJ Tips on The Part Time Approach

The picture above is off the monthly attendance sheets our work-gym posts up. It shows that yours truly did 19 sessions in the month of October. My focus for October was Yoga so that’s 19 x 45 min sessions of yoga (over 14hrs). This is on top of the usual 10-12 x 1.5 hr BJJ / Grappling sessions I get down per month (15-18hrs). That's 19-22 hrs per month where my body gets to experience gravity and motion in alternative ways. Doing a Yoga downward-dog not only stretches your muscles but also subjects your hands and feet to your entire body's weight in a way that will add leaps and bounds to your guard passing. More on the links between Yoga and BJJ / Grappling that in future articles.

This is the amount of time I can fit around full-time work, university assignments and having a wife and family. How do I manage? I plan and I never waste time. I get up at 6 everyday Monday-Friday and I'll on the yoga mat by 7.55 for my 1st session. I get my second session at lunch time most days and use the time between 5 and 7 (end of work and start of BJJ) to do some studying or reading.

Why am I telling you this? Because I'm sick and tired of hearing people making excuses. Yes it's getting really dark very early. Yes it's cold, miserable and rainy outside. Yes it takes some effort and planning to get to the gym/mat. But it's worth it.

I don't believe in sacrifices. I love the things that I do and don't care for the things I don't. I don't care who's on the X-factor and who isn't. I don't feel a light Yoga session is too much to ask of my body at 8 in the morning and neither does my body for that matter.

Look around you and examine your life and work situation. What can you be without and what can you use more efficiently? The Part Time Opportunities are there and plenty too if you look for them.

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Grappling / BJJ Food and Nutrition Tips

Whata to eata?!

I personally have been massively enjoying the The Warrior Diet
for the past few months but I never stop updating my knowledge. I recently discovered this fantastic resource of recipes. Feel free to download it for free. It's not mine but rather belongs to a Mr Billy Ho. Why not check it out. It will definitely enrich your library.

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