My first tournament

Today was my first tournament, the South Bay Open down at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The tournament itself was great, well-run with committed competitors and organizers alike. You could tell it was a tournament put on by practitioners rather than people looking to make a buck. I look forward to competing in it next year.

As for my performance, I was disappointed. I thought I was at a certain level, but within a tournament setting it was all for not. I lost both of my matches by submission, the first by a keylock and the second by an arm bar. I would have liked to have won a match in my first tournament, but at least that's a goal that I can train for that's a bit more attainable in the short term than a podium spot.

My first match, I was paired with a guy who easily outweighed me by 25 pounds (I weighed in at 175, so he was at least 190-200) and it showed. I was in the middle weight class (more on that later), which is between 167.5 and 181.5, which I thought was appropriate given my size. I was mistaken. He basically smothered me the entire time and simply weighed too much for me to effectively push him off or compete for position. As most of you know, I'm a pretty strong dude for my size, so you know that if I couldn't get him off of me he had a pretty good size advantage. At this point, I don't have enough finesse in my game to overcome that kind of a weight difference, especially against an equally or more skilled opponent. Needless to say, I was not in a good spot from the start, and never fully recovered during the match. I have a video of the match here:


The second match I was much more evenly paired up size wise (the guy was taller than me, but I didn't feel like he had a ton of size on me), but the guy basically outrolled me. I made a mistake trying to push him off, left and arm hanging for a split second too long, and he took it. I'm cool with that, he beat me fair and square, props to him. The video I have of that match isn't quite so clear, and it's from far away, but here it is anyway:


All in all, the tournament was a great learning experience for me. It was great to finally see the kind of fighters produced by other schools; the new competition certainly highlighted some holes in my game I didn't realize I had (given the fact that all my current training partners learned the same stuff I did). A few lessons to take away from it:
1: First and foremost, this was my first and last time in the middle weight division. I will be dropping down to light (167.5), which means I need to cut weight for my next tournament in August. Not ideal, but gives me a way better chance to succeed since it would put me at the top of the weight class rather than toward the bottom.
2: I really need to work on my stand up game. I had a hard time going for take downs, which has never been a problem for me in practice. I need to really evaluate exactly why that is.
3: The tournament setting is way more nerve wracking than I anticipated. I need to calm down and treat it like just another roll. I think I got too excited, lost my focus, and that caused me to make mistakes.
4: Don't compete if I have anything important to do that day. Almost didn't make physics tutoring today because I felt like I got mugged. Need to have a total day to devote to just getting back to life; while two rolls may not seem like a lot, consider these were less like practice rolls and more like all out, winner take all, death match rolls. Fighting for the integrity of your bones and continued consciousness is very taxing.

Finally, some shout outs. First, congrats to Ian on grabbing a podium spot. Also, congrats to Jose on 4th and to Khalil on winning his first match. Our school did well today considering we only sent four guys. More good things to come out of this group. Also, thanks to our professor, Rodrigo, for driving up for Irvine at 9am to coach us and to everyone who sent me support before and during. I truly appreciate you all reaching out to me.

And now, time to ice my foot and shoulder and hit the hay.

This week

Days till tournament: 7

This week was relatively light but yet I was still pretty busted up come the weekend. Amazing what a few bad nights of sleep can do to derail recovery. Here's how it all went down this week:

Tuesday: BJJ
Hit the advanced class and the rolling after. Pretty standard stuff, worked on a new throw in class. Nothing super spectacular about this one save for me getting completely flipped over the top of my partner's head instead of sideways like I was supposed to. Quite the surprise for me once I realized how exactly I was about to meet the ground.

Wednesday: Private BJJ and CrossFit
In the private session, we went over a variety of attacks from positions and otherwise just cleaned up/reviewed some general things worth rehashing as knowledge for the tournament. Of note, we got really into depth about the deep half guard, the open half guard, and how to really effectively break a closed guard. I am feeling a lot better about being on the bottom now, so I may start putting myself in that position rather than attack and fight for the top as I do now.

I went to CrossFit later on that night because the private lesson was more skill based than physical, so I was still fresh and ready to rock. The workout was a really cool Tabata, which is one of my favorite types of work outs. This one was programmed as a gym WOD, but it had all the stuff I try to throw in my original WODs for more BJJ specific stuff so I was happy. The workout was:
Tabata:
Balls Slams (30)
Ab Mat Sit Ups
Row (calories)
Ring Rows
DBL walking lunges(35)
Double Unders
I ended up with 403 total reps, which was in the top few finishers of the day. Overall, a solid conditioning workout.

Thursday: BJJ
For the second week in a row, I was forced to hit the rolling first then the fundamentals class. This fundamentals class was a bit more frustrating than the others I've done recently; my partner seemed careless at times and didn't seem to take much away from what I was trying to tell him about how to better execute the positions. I understand he is new, and that's just fine, but when one enters a learning environment one must be willing to learn. Sadly, I think he was looking for a knowledge hand out rather than truly trying to understand. I often am able to learn as much from training with new people as I am experienced people; the questions new people ask about positions force me to expand my knowledge and think outside the box, things that will ultimately make me better. Because this student was not inquisitive and felt like he was just going through the motions, I got very little out of training with him. This is a sad thing that I hope is just an aberration on his part. I'd hate to see him try to get deeper into this tough and demanding sport without the requisite desire to constantly improve.

As for the rest of the week, I took Friday and Saturday off. Sunday I will likely do the WOD I programmed for my Saturday CFMS class. I will post about it if I get around to doing it. Until next time!

Absolutely incredible and inspiring video

I'm not even going to ruin it with my own analysis. Just watch.

Cool Jon Jones video

Check this video out. My buddy Matt sent this my way, and it is definitely worth checking out. I knew Jon Jones was a beast in the octagon, but watching his preparation and what he fights for gives me a newfound respect for him. Enjoy!

The week in review

Days till tournament: 14

So the this week's training has been up and down in quality due to Tuesday's physics final, but luckily I managed to at least get the quantity I wanted. Four days in a row is not an ideal schedule for me (I prefer 5 days with mixed rest if I can get it), but since I went home for the holiday there wasn't much opportunity to do anything else. Here's how it all went down:
Monday: BJJ
Went to a fundamentals class. Since my mind on my physics test, I wasn't totally in the game and I got swept up and down the mat repeatedly. Not happy about it, but it gave me some motivation to push it for the rest of the week.
Tuesday: CrossFit
After taking care of my physics exam, I headed down to CFMS for my buddy Mark's last day coaching. He's off to be a big time Navy officer, so I wish him the best of luck on that. Being pissed off about Monday's mixed performance, I decided to do the programmed WOD instead of my own. I needed a bit of competition to really get me fired up and push me even further. The workout was run 2 laps (~1000m), do 30 muscle ups, and run another 2 laps. Managed a time of 16:26, second best of the day. Definitely happy about the result, especially considering the skill-intensiveness of the movement involved.
Wednesday: BJJ
Sadly, I was unable to do a private session this week so I went to the regular advanced class. Did pretty well, definitely seeing signs that I am improving. We did a lot of work from the mount position, which has been helpful. I have been really working on my arm bar from different positions lately, so getting some dedicated position training from the mount gave me some time to get that going. Long way to go till it's really solid, but I've been able to have success with it a few times recently so hopefully that trend continues.
Thursday: BJJ
Because I didn't get to GBMB by 6, I was unable to take the conditioning class in full. They had odd numbers so I hopped in on the last 20-25 minutes of it to even out the numbers. Proved to be an excellent warm up, which was a nice tangential benefit. I did 30 minutes of rolling and fundamentals class after. I like doing the fundamentals classes from time to time because it gives me a chance to share what I've learned with the newer members. While I am hardly even a baby in BJJ terms, it's nice to be able to help them get better by simply sharing the small number of lessons I've learned.

I hope to get in one more workout Sunday, then take Monday off for the holiday before hitting it hard again come Tuesday.

In other news, I got a new gi for competition (somehow, the idea of competing with my training gi that has my name written on the collar just doesn't sound appealing). I'm excited to wear a gi that doesn't vaguely smell like old sweat and isn't an ever darkening shade of pale yellow. Plus, I have to look fresh in the competition photos!

Until the next post, keep training hard everyone.

Great songs to get you going before a workout

Recently rediscovered these songs in my music library and they've been pumping me up all week. These are great songs before and during training sessions. Enjoy!

No One Gets Left Behind- Five Finger Death Punch


Warrior- Disturbed


Blood Brothers- Papa Roach

So much for a "light" week

Time till first tournament: 22 days

Strange how you can't tell how a week's training is going to develop until you get to the day of training. Even if you planned in advance for the week, wrote a schedule down and everything, it always seems to fall together in an unanticipated way. Guess it all really depends on how you feel at the time. I generally try to do what I can to push myself within the workout rather than try to accumulate successive days. This acts as a fail safe against overtraining while making the best use of the time I do have to train. So in this manner, I take each day and evaluate how fresh I am and what I could get out of a workout that day. Consistency is vital to success, but not at the expense of well-being. Since the earlier part of this week was light, I had much more energy left to hit it hard the rest of the week (with tangential benefits: stress relief and time off from physics studying).

Thursday night, I went to the competition class at GBMB, which was a solid hour and a half of fun times. I'm really trying to focus more on technique than strength during my rolling sessions, and the transition has not been easy, Though I can say that I have significantly more energy when I'm not wasting it throwing people around unnecessarily, I definitely have some holes in my game that I need to address as soon as possible. However, I am happy that these growing pains are happening within the confines of the school rather than in competition. As they say, "It is better to sweat in practice than bleed in battle."

Earlier tonight (Friday), I headed over to my old steady, CrossFit Mean Streets, for a little old fashioned punishment. Once again, I made my own workout. As I said a few posts ago, I am really becoming fond of the rower for cardio development (using it anaerobically in short sprint distances) and today's workout reflects that love. Sadly, my knee has been a bit stiff (more on that in a second), so I didn't quite get as much out of it as I wanted to. Such is life. Tonight's workout was:
Warm up
Dynamic warm up drills
500m row slow
WOD 1
3 rounds for time
1/3 mile run
10 KB swings (70#)

10 wall ball slams (30#)
10 sand bag front squats
Rest 15 min
WOD 2
250m row sprint (~1:35 pace)
50 side wall balls (20#, 25/side)
250m row sprint

As for my knee, it has been bothering me for a bit. Not painful, just stiff and doesn't feel right. I have had this issue for about the last two weeks. My guess is the constant pressure I put on my knees while grappling is causing an issue. Luckily, I go to a great PT/chiropractor who will hopefully take care of it today (Saturday) when I see him. For all those who need such services, Dr. Kleinbrodt is the man and does all kinds of magical things, such as ART, Graston, and chiropractic medicine. He is a sport oriented doctor, and helped me out a lot with a CrossFit related issue. He takes insurance too, which is a huge plus. Check him out at http://www.brentwoodspineandsport.com/

The rest of Saturday will be a rest day. Well... not really, since I will be studying all day. I guess it's body rest/mental work out. That will have to do. And now, to bed. Till the next post, everyone. Thanks for reading.

Light week so far

This week I haven't been hitting the heavy duty training classes because I have a physics final next week. Feels good to give my body a rest, though I am itching to get some tougher training in. After next Tuesday it's back to work.

In other news, my first tournament is July 17 in Carson at the South Bay Open. I'll be joined by a few of my GBMB training partners, so it should be good. Please come out and support us if you can.

Long week

My first week as an advanced student was a rough one. Went from one roll a week to three. Impressive how physically demanding it is, both in terms of simple endurance and pure physicality. I was wrecked after three straight days of rolling. It is clear to me now why BJJ athletes benefit from, but do not rely on, outside physical preparation. One can do all the physical prep in the world but there really is no replacement for just getting out there and doing it. As I have been prone to say, "Weights don't fight back." I think that basically characterizes the divide between pure physical training and martial arts training.

So I have spent the rest of the week recovering. On Thursday I did a recovery at the CrossFit gym. The workout consisted of wall ball throws and slams, a 2000m row at a slow (-2:20) pace, and a few minutes of jump rope. Definitely felt better after this, highly recommend the rower for recovery. Friday and Saturday were spent resting, relaxing, and otherwise getting prepared to wreck shop next week. Sunday will be more of the same, also going to check out the CrossFit Games Regionals. Monday, back to work and the whole thing starts all over again.

My first choke out

Tonight during class I was able to successfully apply the choke I learned yesterday during a sparring match. I applied it so well, in fact, that the guy was choked out almost immediately. Luckily no serious damage was done and he recovered shortly after, but I remain conflicted over the event. On one hand, this is largely what I have been training to do over the past 5 months: use chokes and holds to submit my opponents by either their own tap out or by their involuntary unconsciousness , whichever comes first. In this regard, it is exciting to know that I have developed this skill well enough to execute it in a full speed setting. But, on the other hand and much more importantly, one should always put the safety of training partners as the top priority. This is especially true in an art like BJJ where we are so up close, but the standard applies to all combat sports. So although I am excited that the choke worked as expected, this excitement is tempered by the fact that I wish it had happened in a way that allowed him the proper time to tap out.

This event prompted me to really think generally about the role training partners play in one's overall development and the need to really pay attention to the safety aspect of the whole thing. Unlike CrossFit, which is largely individual and thus intensity is modulated by only that individual's ability to perform, intensity during a roll is dictated largely by the most able person. One can have (and often does have) two people with vastly different abilities, endurance, and so on paired with each other in practice, which can be a potentially dangerous situation depending on the match up (ie. 50lb weight difference, etc.). In these circumstances, it becomes vital to pay attention to not only the character of your partner's strengths and weaknesses, but also the role these play in the safety of the match. In a tournament, feel free to take advantage of a guy who is winded or has holes in his game, as losing is his payment for a lack of preparation. However, in practice we are all trying to get better so there are many considerations that must be made aside from "I need to beat this guy." A total disregard for the safety of training partners can also become systemic, increasing one's own chance of being injured by that same process. I am lucky to be taught by a professor who preaches the value of safe training. But I know ultimately the responsibility lies with each of us so it must be made a priority on an individual basis. Overall, this is simply an important lesson to internalize and take home for whatever sport one plays: the safety of teammates during practice is as vital to one's development as anything else.

First advanced class: thoughts on my progress thus far

Today was my first advanced class, and it was very enlightening to say the least. I now understand how all the three stripes were beating me consistently before: the advanced curriculum is just that, more advanced. We learned some great judo stand up take downs, which should be useful in a tournament setting because of the standing start. From there, we learned a really nasty side mount collar choke. Pics will come tomorrow if I have a neck full of bruises. Finally, we did positional training from the side mount and I, as expected, got bounced around the gym. I really need to improve my side mount game; hopefully I can address this during one of my private sessions soon. Post class, we rolled for 30 minutes then called it a day.

As for my overall progression, I have seen a significant improvement over the past 5 months and tonight sealed that for me. While I will obviously continue to improve (and thus my individual performance tonight is ultimately meaningless), my first time in a totally advanced class gave me a good benchmark as to where exactly I stand versus some of the best our school has to offer. I think I stack up well already, and this gives me quite a bit of motivation to train even harder so that I am able make strides within that group. I am starting to figure out how to use my strength alongside technique instead of in lieu of it, which is a significant change for me. Still a lot of work to be done, but I see signs of positive progress that weren't so readily apparent only few days earlier. Very excited to see what the future holds.

Awesome Tim Kennedy video

If you don't know who Tim Kennedy is, he is a contender for the Strikeforce MMA middleweight championship and in his spare time is a US Army Green Beret. Notice how I said is a Green Beret: the guy is a pro MMA fighter and is still in the Army. Unreal.




Anyway, I had this video shared with me a while ago and it is truly inspirational. And also pay attention to how this dude trains, he has a motor like I've never seen. Enjoy!

The past week

To catch the blog up to the most logical starting point, I will begin when I earned my third stripe on June 7 and thus became eligible to be an advanced student. At that point, I had been training consistently for 5 months. Mind you, training time in BJJ terms is a lifetime and thus being in for 5 months is roughly akin to being a 5 month old baby. I am under the tutelage of Professor Rodrigo "Digo" Simoes at Gracie Barra Manhattan Beach in Manhattan Beach, CA. I also receive weekly private lessons from the assistant professor, Guilherme Cotliarenko.

During the week from then until today, I have trained four times. Three of those have been in BJJ, and one has been in CrossFit. At my current skill level, I feel that this training regimen will allow me to steadily get better while avoiding the pitfalls of overtraining and risking possible injury. I hope that as the summer progresses I can push that number to 5 training sessions a week, but my earlier attempts to do so were counterproductive.

Here was this week's schedule:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Fundamentals class
Wednesday: Private lesson working on double and single leg take down techniques
Thursday: Competition training class, which involves a full 1 hour conditioning class followed by a half hour of rolling. It's a pretty rough beat down but it definitely makes the other classes during the week seem easier.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: CrossFit workout of my own design done at my gym, CrossFit Mean Streets, on 2nd and Main in Downtown LA. The workout was:
Warm up
-250m row
-20 push ups
-250m row
-20 squats
-250m row
-20 sit ups
-250m row

WOD 1
3 rounds for time
- 5 man makers (35#DB)
-10 kettlebell swings (2 pood)
-1 lap (1/3 mi) with a heavy sandbag

WOD 2
Not for time
50 side wall ball throws (20#)
50 sledge hammer swings (16#)


Now, off to eat and do physics homework!

Justin

The beginning of my blog

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my new blog, which I created to chronicle my summer training journey and the road to my first tournament in August. I will be posting my daily training routines, what techniques I learned, lessons learned/inspirational stuff, and general updates. Hope you enjoy.

Justin

Location:Los Angeles, CA