BJJ Injury: Muscle Cramps

Last night saw me returning to the BJJ mat for the first time after the Christmas and NY Holiday period. While I wasn’t completely inactive (I ran and did 1hr yoga sessions 3 times a week) I didn’t do any grappling, rowing nor swimming (which I feel are the closest in energy demands) during the 3 weeks I was off and I planned on taking it nice and easy.

Well, we all know how that goes…

Half way thru the second hour (BJJ Advanced), I was working a Side Control Escape (Martyn’s focus for the week is Side Control) and I felt this quickly escalating pain in my left calf. I don’t know about you but I’d never had a calf cramp before. Not in BJJ or any other situation. I was a CCV - Calf Cramp Virgin!

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!

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 2 of 3 posts. I hope you enjoy it.

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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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:

1. Know exactly how to handle their own body weight
2. 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:

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

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

1. Yoga is, or at least can be, low impact. This means I can do lots and lots of Yoga without overtaxing my body.
2. Unlike Pilates, Yoga is very low-maintenance. All you need is a small space and off you go!
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 :) )
6. 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.
7. 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...

Training Tips: When Too Busy for BJJ / Grappling, Do Something!!

The whole idea with this blog is to give us Part Time Grapplers hope when time seems to get scarce. Lately, I have been completely swamped under with Uni assignments and exam preparations, not to mention work. This has meant that BJJ / Grappling has had to take a back seat and I have learnt that’s OK. But what-a-to-do?

Well, the best way to improve at BJJ / Grappling is to actually do it. Technique sessions, light rolling, competitive rolling…etc. AKA Mat-time!

But when you can’t get enough mat-time I find that following to be a golden rule:

Doing Something is Much Much Better than doing Nothing
Blaming never gets anyone anywhere good in a hurry.

As you may have read before, I have developed an interest in CrossFit. I have toyed with posting my daily workouts here but didn’t want it to become a chore, nor do I want this blog to turn into “Look-at-what-Liam-Can/Can’t-Do” but I think it would help those of us who think there aren’t enough hours in the day to see what I get up to and how I fit (or try to fit) everything together:

Average Weekday (this is only typical for when Uni takes over my life):

6.00 Wake up
7.30 At work, in one of our empty meeting rooms, coffee in one hand, Uni book in other hand
8.30 Time for Breakfast (On The Warrior Diet, this is 2 pieces of fruit, 1 pot of Yogurt and Water and tea.
8.45 At my desk, ready to start the day
12.30 Hit the gym at work to do WOD* (Workout Of the Day. Not my lingo!)
1.15 Showered and back at my desk
5.00 Leave home
7.00 Rested and (very well-) fed and ready to study some more
9.30 Time to call it a day. Spend some time with my wife.
10.00 – 10.30 In bed. Lala Land!
Lather, rinse and repeat Monday – Friday, with one session of BJJ / Grappling squashed in here or there. Intense periods like this seldom last for more than 3-4 weeks and can actually do your brain and body good by giving them a different feed.

Click on the envelope to the right and let me know what you all think

*Today’s WOD was:

1. Warm up
2. 1000 meter row on the Concept II (level 6, 3.51min)
3. KB Snatches (40 reps) (20/arm)
4. Pull-ups (Max reps) (14 reps)
5. Stretches

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