This video was posted today on Roy Dean's website.  It's valuable just to watch him move.  He is very deliberate and very technical.  I am the uke in this video.  Man I need to work on my defense.  ;)

For the last several years I have trained with Roy Dean whenever our paths have crossed. Each time it leaves me enriched both technically and personally. A few weeks back I received a nondescript package in the mail from Roy. It contained his latest DVD, The Art of the Wristlock.

In training with Roy occassionally and in watching him instruct, I have realized a lot about who he is. If I may attempt to articulate some of what makes him unique, it is his philosophy of inclusion, a clarity of instruction and smoothness in execution. For these reasons he is not only a great bjj practitioner, but more importantly a high quality instructor.

This new set is focused on Wristlocks. If you come from bjj, you'll likely feel that wristlocks are a bit of a weird technique at this stage of our evolution. It reminds me of where footlocks were a few years back. There was a time when they were out of favor and they have made a more recent return to popularity. My guess is that with this dvd set, the wristlock is about to make a comeback as well.

I know personally, that if I was rolling and got caught in a wristlock, as it happened sometimes, I have mentally treated it as a partial loss, I mean, I didn’t get triangled right? The truth is that it was just my ignorance. Honestly, I thought there was only the gooseneck version of a wristlock that I hit by accident when I “ended up there”. After watching this dvd set I now appreciate the details of the wristlock and the timing required on the entries - because of that I think I will now respect them when they are applied.

The other interesting thing is that unlike most dvds, I left this changed. Let me explain. The great thing about Roy, and it comes through in spades in this set, is his inclusionary world view. As I sat and watched the seminars at schools more rooted in the traditional martial landscape, I thought about how Roy was doing a great job bringing them into the fold of brazilian jiu-jitsu. How he was slowly tugging them towards real effectiveness. As with any change it begins from a place of familiarity so wisely, Roy would show an aikido throw or movement and then bring it to the ground ending in what you would think of as a traditional bjj move like an armbar or kimura.

So while I sat smugly in my bjj mindset, watching the seminar participants be exposed to things like full resistance, I quickly realized that they were not alone in their journey and I was in for a wake up call. Roy proceeded to show the details of several wristlock techniques and then to my surprise, he showed their application on the ground. And I am not talking about one or two positions. He covers applications from the guard, to side control, to side mount, to back escapes, in clinch, from standing, from the knees, and on and on.

Quite honestly, I found myself thinking over and over again, “I gotta try that” or “I get there all the time and never noticed a wristlock was there” or “that will definitely work”. So it was a great experience since i was transformed as much or more than those coming from a background of something like Aikido. I guess if Roy was here I’d say “mission accomplished” - he'd probably just smile.

Now that said, although wristlocks are the focus, this is not a 100% wristlock set. In the seminars portion I picked up on a lot of details for what I would call more traditional bjj (gi and no gi). He went over some great footlock entries, technical finishes, triangle details, cross chokes, anaconda chokes and more. Tons of moves that are high percentage and many of which I forget about over time. So it was great from that perspective as well.

One last note is that this dvd also sheds some light on Roy’s personal philosophy. These are gems that you can ingrain in your thinking about the art broadly. Concepts like “push/pull” or timing, off balancing, leverage, angles, and more. You will also hear him talk a bit about pushing your own comfort zone, and the importance of conditioning. That is the beauty of dvds - you get to really feel like you are sitting down for lunch to chat with a real expert. Try getting Jordan to sit down with you for an hour to talk about his workout program.

So who is this for? Well there are lots and lots of bjj videos out there and I own many. Some are well done and others not. Some are too advanced for beginners and some are hashing over the basics we’ve all seen. The beauty of Roy’s work is that it is new ground to everyone - bjj and tma practitioners alike. I can personally say that all of the wristlock material on this set was new to me. That makes it a great value and a smart buy.  Video can be purchased from the Roy Dean Academy.

Thanks to Roy for sending it my way.

Paul

These are two great counters to the scissors sweep from Roy Dean, a BJJ Black Belt who teaches up in Bend, Oregon.  Roy has a varied background in traditional martial arts with black belts in Judo and Aikido as well as bjj.  This gives him a  broader perspective which is very rare in bjj circles, but I find his views to be a nice balance of old and new.

In the video, the first counter I remember feeling during the seminar and thinking how cool it was as he did it (I had never seen it before).  I am glad he posted this video or I would have forgotten forever.  The second technique  also sparked a memory since he hit it against me when we were rolling about 6 months ago.  I remember being suprised to find him on my side when I thought for sure I was going to hit the sweep.  Both great moves.

If you like Roy's stuff, check out his YouTube channel, or better yet, buy his videos.

A few weeks back I was training with Roy Dean.  At one point between techniques, he spoke to the group of seminar attendees and mentioned the topic of control.  His view was that you need to be comfortable with differing degrees of control.  In his words, he talked about going from 100% to 75% to 60% to 51% - and being ok with it.

I didn't think much about this comment at the time, but it obviously stuck with me.  As I rolled last night against one of our stronger players I established side control top.  As I began to work on killing the arms and setting up a submission, Roy's words were playing in my head.  I realized that the more I tried to simply control, or pin, my opponent, the less attacking options I had.  Of course, he could not get away, but who cares - the goal is submission, not holding position.  It also became obvious that the more I created openings for him or allowed a bit of movement, the more options presented themselves. 

This is different from flowing as you lose a position.  Of course, this is essential as well.  You can never fall in love with a particular position or submission attempt.  Things change and you must adapt, but what I think Roy is getting at is to actually open those positions up on your own, intentionally.  Open a door for them to walk through as you wait on the other side.  Next time you roll, try to imagine the options you have and how to make them appear.  An example might be in guard where you want a triangle so you go for the armbar first in order to hit the transition quickly.  Or perhaps you are in side control so you open some space for their near side arm to escape before you close the door and hit the bread cutter choke.  The ideas are limitless, but the concept remains the same.  Think of control as shades of gray and a pathway to finish the fight vs stalling the position. 

I think that opening yourself to this type of play is critical to connecting to the essence of jiu-jitsu.  Many people from Rickson to Saulo talk about going with what their opponent gives them.  Flowing from move to move, from position to position is the hallmark of a great player.  It is a much richer, yet more subtle game and one that I will be exploring this year. 

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 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!