The last few weeks have been great.  Life has been full of many activities, most of them not related to BJJ.  Sometimes I can lose myself in jits and it tends to overtake my life.  I am sure all of you have had the same experience where every waking moment, and most of your dreams revolve around this sport we love.  However, recently my head hasn't been in the game and rather than fight it and force myself to "work" at it, I have let it go.  Hanging out with the kids, reading, swimming, biking, trying new restaurants, watching the olympics, politics, and more.  It is great to get a little reminder of just how insignificant this art is in the grand scheme of things. 

Of course, I still train 3x a week - it's just less serious for now.  I am in the ebb, and I know the tide of bjj obsession will flow back in soon.  So I am trying to enjoy the calm before the storm.  It's a natural process if I let it be.

That said, I trained Sunday with Dave and had a great lesson on side control and some fun rolling.  Of course we covered the usual fundamentals of the position like body and hand position, but we went into a more advanced game based on grips.  It was great to get some insight into what higher level players do on the mat to force movement and change the position up.  More and more I see that Dave's game is based a lot on the idea of push-pull.  Forcing a reaction and then using that reaction to your benefit.

It was also yet another example to prove that in bjj there is no black and white.  I think this dynamic reality is what makes it so tough on people new to the art and even tougher for people looking to advance to the higher ranks.  You cannot simply remember a few principles and be "good".  Once you get beyond keeping your elbows tight, what then?  It's a lot of timing, sensitivity and movement.  It has to be learned through patience and sweat on the mat.

As a quick example of this duality, look at side control.  I originally heard of two types of top games, smashing and floating, from Matt Thornton.  In hearing that, I assumed you either played one or the other.  Of course, everyone has to learn both, but my thought was you apply the floating game when you play against a bigger opponent and the smashing game when you want to dominate.  I certainly think this is one way to look at it, but it can be blurred.  You can move between them as needed.  If you want more movement, which typically equals more attacking options, then play a floating game, but you can always move back to a smashing game at anytime - and visa versa.  There is no set formula, no hard rule.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out   ;).

photo by San Diego Shooter.

Over the past several years, Roy Dean and I have kept in touch whenever our paths may cross.  Recently, he was in the bay area for a seminar in Morgan Hill - obviously I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to train.

We met up at Seibukan Dojo Jujutsu, a facility owned by a woman I have come to know only as “Margarita”.  She has always been open and kind to me and seems the type who is constantly pushing the limits of what she can do.  Inspiring.

As usual, we began with a bit of rolling.  I have recently started to use a bit more energy in my rolling.  For several years now I have worked a game trying to use zero attributes.  As of late I tend to use a bit more, but I try to keep it from the perspective of being “early”.  What this means is that I won’t power out of subs or bad positions, but I will work a bit harder in scrambles or use more energy early in positional battles, rather than falling back into a bad position.  I think this has made my guard retention much better.

After a few minutes or rolling, we paused and Roy began to provide some focused guidance on where I should be working my game.  He immediately picked up on my hesitation in passing.  This was great since I feel it is the weakest part of my game.  Obviously, that showed.  He also game some sound advice on fundamental side control escapes from the typical bjj hand position as well as kesa gatame.  After a bit more rolling he again paused to discuss a bit on knee pressure both from the guard bottom and from half-guard top.    All little nuggets that will find a home in my game.

What I found was that as the day went on, much of what I heard was like the universe whispering reminders to me.  Some things were new to me and others were areas I had been aware of, but never focused on.  In BJJ there is so much you can spend time on, sometimes what you need is to just be pointed in a certain direction.

The most interesting take away from the day was in noticing how the feedback on my game has changed over time.  You’ll find that when you are new to the game you’ll get the standard advice.  If you ask about mount escapes, you’ll be told a few sequences of moves like the upa and the elbow escape.  As you progress, you veer off from the straight and narrow and will begin to hear less structured paths and more hints, tips, and general directions.  I find my conversations now are less and less about moves and more and more about pressures, postures, grips and transitions.  I imagine over time that both how I think about the game and the advice I receive from those beyond me in skill, will evolve evermore towards the abstract.  Leaving me to chart my own course.

Roy will be back next month for a 3 day seminar in Morgan Hill.  If you can make it, drop my and get to know Mr. Dean.

Until next time...

 

I just returned from a week long trip to LA.  I had the pleasure of meeting up with Shawn Williams for a night to train.  If you don’t know Shawn, he is one of the nicest guys in the sport and no doubt one of the most technical.  A Renzo Gracie black belt for some time, he shared with me the secrets of the “Williams Guard”.  It’s a modified Rubber Guard that doesn’t require the same level of flexibility.  Personally I love new concepts like this and it works equally well gi and no-gi.

If you are ever in the area, do yourself a favor and look him up for privates or a group class.

I have been very fortunate over the years to have found a number of people who share the same passion as I - brazilian jiu-jitsu.  It makes these encounters even more special when you find someone who is talented, compassionate, and willing to share their experiences.  I count among these, Matt Thornton, Chris Haueter, Dave Camarillo, Paul Schreiner, Garth Taylor, and now, Roy Dean.

We met in Monterey, CA.  About an hour and forty minute drive for me, but well worth the trip.  After brief introductions, we began our training.  I didn’t bring any specific problem areas to work, but instead opted to roll to let Roy get a feel for my game and its shortcomings.  The roll was technical, fluid, and he definitely let me have a lot of play.  I can only imagine how tough he’d be when he locks his game down.

After about 15 minutes, we started to work on details like leg position when going for guard sweeps, some specifics on baiting the triangle, and even spent some time working on armbar and kimura variations.  In each position he provided some small details that I can immediately add to my game.  As I progress along this journey, it is the seemingly invisible that makes all the difference, so I appreciate the detail.  

After a quick lunch at the airport, we returned to the dojo when Roy was to teach a 2hr seminar to the local crowd - as for me, I was filming.  The content ranged from footlocks to standard armlocks, to triangle combinations.  Towards the end Roy even spent some time on the anaconda and D’arce chokes (looks like a good class for Wednesday!!).  I was first shown these by Jeff Glover in Vegas, but had already forgot the details.  Ironically, Roy picked up these choke techniques from Jeff as well, via the Paragon Secrets DVD.

The seminar highlighted a few things for me:
The participants, without exception, were all great training partners to each other.  They were respectful and attentive.  I find that in bjj there is typically an atmosphere of complete informality.  While freeing, I think a balance should be struck.  I do not think that the traditional model is right mind you - it’s too rigid.  My personal preference is towards the unstructured, but I was impressed by how the students addressed Roy (and me, undeservedly as Sensei) and how they hurried back to form a line after each technique.  Excellent students, eager to learn and appreciative of what was offered.

It’s so easy to forget where you have been.  As I watched this group of newbies to bjj, I was reminded how foreign everything is when you begin.  Things that seem so obvious and natural now once were not at all.  The fundamentals are your core, but they are not easy to implement at the start - especially in an alive environment.

Branch out - I find that in bjj circles, students develop (oddly) a single dimension.  Most have abandoned traditional martial arts because they “don’t work in the street”.  While that may be true, and perhaps something like an Aikido may not suit your style, get into some wrestling, judo, muay thai, boxing, etc.  There are other arts that are as functional as bjj that we should spend some time with.  Personally, I think clinch work is my next area of focus as I continue this journey

I really want to thank Roy for letting me be a part of that day and that experience.  If you have the opportunity to train with Roy - jump on it.  If you aren’t in the area, he has a dvd that you should pick up, with more on the way.

Have a great day on the mat!

UPDATE: Roy posted the video from the entire seminar.  Great stuff! 

I just returned from Las Vegas where I had the pleasure of training with Jeff Glover, one of the top ranked grapplers in the world today.  He currently teaches at Marc Laimon’s Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu academy.  

Since I have been training no-gi recently, I asked him to cover some fundamental attacks from the mount and side control without a gi.  I had found in practice that I would get there often, but lack any serious threat without the gi to grab hold of.  Jeff was very friendly and open with all his skills.  He showed me some beautiful arm triangles and traditional triangles that I should have known, but clearly did not.  He even demonstrated how getting the arm across on a triangle is unnecessary and how to capitalize on it.  His game is fast and deadly.  I am always in awe when I roll with guys of his caliber, much like Crosley Gracie, David Camarillo, Matt Thornton...I could go on but in every case you feel like you are in a straight-jacket....

In the end, I always find it hard to really apply what you learn in a private or a seminar since there is just so much information, but what I gained was a real appreciation for the choking game.  In no-gi armlocks are tougher to get, so you rely more on chokes.  I have sorely neglected this aspect and Jeff showed me time and time again how much I needed this (ouch!).  

So I begin the path towards proficiency at a few basic chokes using any means necessary (books, tapes, etc).  In the end, it is just nice to meet another friendly face in the bjj circuit who is not only amazingly skilled, but friendly to boot.  It reminds me of the time I trained with Marcio Feitosa, but that's another story....