My grandmother

I am going to be a little self-indulgent here. Actually, that is redundant since the very act of having a blog is incredibly indulgent, but usually I try to pontificate about stuff that I think people might find interesting or useful. Today, I am going to be selfish. Most likely no one outside of my family will ever care to read this, but it is important to me.

My grandmother died on Tuesday. Her name was Dee Cope and she was 90. She lived an amazing life, full of activity and happiness, especially in her later years. She was also the perfect grandmother. And that is not a joke. Think of whatever in your head is the ideal grandmother, and I guarantee she fits it. Technically, she had one daughter, two grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. In actuality, she had five kids (4 that were her sister's), 12 grandkids, and a horde of great-grandchildren. She also never met someone who wasn't welcome to join her family, unless you regularly voted republican, and then she would make you wait about 5 minutes before she allowed you in.

It was very peaceful when she passed, for which I am grateful. And she went out on her terms, of course, because she could be bossy. I will miss her, but I can't forget her because she taught me so much, not the least of which was by example.

I could go on and on, talking about Dee Dee stories, but I will just end with this. Dee Cope was the best grandmother ever, and the world is a darker place without her. I love you, Dee Dee.

internet shopping

It is easy to get ripped off on the internet. Here are some places that I trust because I have shopped there a number of times.

Amazon - For me, the best arguement in favor of the internet. I love this place. I don't know what I would do without it's wishlist feature. I could probably do without the internet except for email and Amazon.

Budovideos - Probably the best one stop shop for martial art videos. If I look into buying a new DVD, I check here first.

Ringside - I have been buying stuff from them since 1987. I have never once had anything but top notch service. Pre-internet, it was the only place you could count on getting quality boxing equipment.

Jiujitsu Pro Gear - Run by some really good people. Friendly, and they actually care about the sports of MMA, BJJ, and submission wrestling.

Atama - Really great customer service. Between me, my daughter, and my son, I have bought A LOT of different gear from these guys. Not only has there never been a problem, but I can count on shipping to be less than a week if it is in stock.

BJJ Mart - Not a huge selection, but fantastic customer service and fast shipping.

Sambazon - Where I get my Acai fix when I am pretending to be brazilian. Good guys here.

Hand Held Items - My first place to check for IPOD stuff. Good prices, and good service (though I have not shopped here as long as the others on the list, I have had good luck so far).

Sportsman's Guide - the best place to start with camping, hunting, shooting, and military surplus. This is where I get my canvas bags to make sandbags for working out. A lot of hard to find stuff at sometimes great prices. Solid service too.

cool movies part deux

A continuation of my list of great movies that deserve a larger audience.


6) The Yakuza - maybe my favorite movie ever. It deals with honor, loyalty, courage, compassion, and has some kickass fight scenes to boot. Ken Takakura is the coolest actor ever.

7) The Wicked Priest series - a silly, fun, martial art oriented series from Japan that starred Tomisaburo Wakayama, the guy from the Lone Wolf and Cub movies. In this series, he plays a priest who likes worldly pleasures too much, but who has a good heart and will use his fighting skills to protect the innocent. The empty hand fight scenes have a different flavor than the normal kung fu movies, and are campy fun.

8) Brotherhood of the Wolf - A French martial art picture that blows away most fighting movies. Interesting characters, a unique story, terrific fight scenes, and some surprises during the movie. Don't miss this one.

9) The Wind and the Lion - The best Teddy Roosevelt movie. Brian Keith nails Roosevelt perfectly. And, surprisingly, Sean Connery is a great Bedouin chief (I know, it sounds like a joke, but trust me), and when he has his rifle and sword duel on horseback in the middle of the movie, you will thank me for recommending this flim. Also, there a lot of great lines that stick with you. "Mrs. Pedecaris, you are a lot of trouble!" - said in a weird mix of scottish brogue and arab accent!

10) Team America: World Police - an utterly brilliant satire of just about everything. I can never seriously watch a Matt Damon or Alec Baldwin film ever again. In 30 years, critics will be looking back at this movie as one of the greatest social/political comedies of all time, like Dr. Strangelove, I guarantee.

ovation for Megaton

This past weekend, my BJJ coach, Megaton Dias, was in Brazil competing in the International Masters tournament. On Saturday, he fought in the open division at 147lbs. He took silver! He beat 4 others, before losing in the finals. ALL of his opponents were around or above 200lbs. Then, on Sunday, in his own weight class, he took Gold. What he did has never been done i.e. taking 2nd in the open while also winning his own division at such a low weight. He is just an awesome competitor. I feel proud knowing he is my coach. Great job, Meg!

cool movies

Here is a list of some of my favorite movies that are not that well known. Are all great for different reasons and should be better recognized.

1) Hard Times - Probably my second favorite movie ever made. A terrific story about friendship, honor, and sacrifice. And it has the best non-asian fight scenes ever. Charles Bronson is a bad ass bare knuckle boxer.

2) Shogun's Shadow : IMHO, the greatest action movie ever. Pure adrenaline rush from start to finish. Sonny Chiba is a fantastic bad guy pursuing a magnificent seven type group across Japan. Truly mind blowing, over the top fight scenes. And main good guy Ken Ohta might have the coolest movie moves with a samurai sword ever!

3) Murder By Decree : A scary Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper film that probably has the best movie version of both Holmes and Watson. Watson especially is shown as a capable and brave companion, not a bumbling idiot. Very good fight scene between Holmes and the Ripper, and some really frightening moments. If a filmaker in the 70's had been smart, he would have done a Holmes series with Christopher Plummer as star.

4) Inframan : An early '70's Hong Kong kung fu rip off of Ultraman, that improves on the original. Really fun. Great to watch with your kids. If you can't enjoy this one, you have no heart.

5) The Odd, Angry Shot : A war movie from Australia that is really compelling. It is a "small" movie, not a big-budget Oliver Stone type movie, but it is a better Vietnam movie than anything the U.S. industry has produced. I saw it when I was in high school, and it has stuck with me.

closed guard triple attack

In my opinion, the most overlooked and under-utilized attack in gracie jiu-jitsu is the triple attack, that generally begins with the hip bump sweep, then follows up with a kimura and then a guillotine, all dependent on how your opponent reacts of course. This is, hands down, one of the best attacks you can possibly use, yet it is relatively uncommon. Here are the reasons I think this is so.

1) Not exploding into the move

2) hips not on opponent

3) not committing weight over opponent's shoulder

If all three of these principles are followed, you will see how your opponent can't help but be forced either into the sweep or have to really go hard to counter, making it easier to flow into either a kimura or the guillotine. But for some reason, most of the failures I see usually have one of these components. It must be that when people first learn it, they only see the parts they think are important, not neccasarily the parts that are important. And, later, when they fail to consistently succeed, they start looking for other attacks, rather than attempt to figure out where they are going wrong on the hip bump sweep. A great mistake. There is a reason this move is generally one of the first things taught.

I love this sequence. I use it all the time. Combined with a pressing overhook attack and constant attempts at armdrags makes your closed guard a really bad place for him to be.

I am also trying to play with the semi-rubber guard attack Dean Lister used against Sakara. I think this is a great tie into my other main closed guard attacks, but the triple attack is the backbone.

I really wished more people would try to work into their game. I think it provides a HUGE vital element.

self preservation/self defense

I sometimes wonder about the people out there that are so into "reality" self defense/combatives/survivalism. Not that I dispute there are valid reasons to want to train and prepare for certain things (Katrina showed everyone how valid some of their points are), but they seem to concentrate on a misguided hierarchy of importance. What I mean is, they seem to place a great deal of importance on firearms, knives, "tactical" gear (usually meaning cammies), having a store of military or camping food, etc....

Now, they MIGHT someday find themselves in a scenario requiring some or all of that. There is a slight statistical chance. So, being prepared is a good thing. BUT.....they are much more likely to be involved in one of the following scenarios: high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, auto accident, cancer, etc.... I can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are much more likely to be a victim of one of these things than a mugger, or a home invasion, or gestapo arrests, or an urban riot. How many of these people prepare for them? From what I have seen, the answer is very little.

Many of them are execessively overweight, do little or no physical activity, might not wear seat belts, probably eat the typical american diet (fast food, overly processed food, too much sugar, little fresh fruit and vegetable, soda), and most likely either don't regularly see a physician OR see one too much and take too many prescription drugs. So, if you truly are interested in self preservation, do the following:

1) Wear a seat belt everytime you get in a car - ask any firefighter/paramedic how many accidents they respond to where someone would have survived if they wore a seat belt. Tthe number is staggering.
2) If you are above 15% bodyfat, drop everything and lose weight. Diabetes is an epidemic that is somewhat ignored. People are paranoid about the vague possibility that the bird flu MIGHT mutate and jump spieces and MIGHT spread, but there is no might about diabetes. It is here and the fastest spreading type is largely preventable.
3)See your doctor and get the recommended tests when they are due...i.e. prostate check, colon cancer, breast cancer, blood pressure, cholestorol, heart stress test etc...
4) Replace as much processed food with fresh food as much as possible. Cut out sugar wherever you can. And learn where the sugar actually is (there are a ton of easily available books on this).
5) Have insurance - health, auto, homeowners or renters. AND make sure that it actually covers what is likely to happen. If you live in New Orleans, make sure it covers flood, if you live in Oklahoma, make sure it covers tornados (I am shocked at how many people try to cut corners here)

Do all these things first, and then, after they are settled, worry whether you have enough 5.56 ammo to repel rampaging gangs of post-apocalyptic zombies.

movies as a learning tool

I like movies. I always have. I like all kinds of movies. If they are good enough, I will probably have a couple of lines of dialogue that I can recite verbatim. Once, in a very great while, a movie can actually teach a life lesson.

One of those lessons I use regularly is a line from Batman Begins.

"we fall down so we can learn to get back up"

When I saw Batman with my 10 year old son, I thought it was a perfect way of trying to teach him something. So we talked about that line and what it means. Now, I was hoping for a quick attempt to impart some wisdom. Using superheroes works really well with my kid. To my surprise, the lesson in that form really took hold. Now, months and months later, if I ask my son why we fall down, he will almost immediately chime back with "so we can learn to get back up!". It's a cool thought that hopefully he will remember when he encounters a problem in his life, maybe even as an adult. I keep praying that is so.

See, it isn't a waste to watch comic book movies!

recommended reading 3

Here is the latest installment of my list of books I found entertaining, useful, or enlightening.

1) The Essential Guard - Kid Peligro & Rodrigo Medeiros : I think this is the best BJJ book yet written. Very clear, good detail, and the basics to formulate your own gameplan. The fact that it extensively covers replacing the guard is enough on its own to recommend it.

2) Jiu-jitsu Unleashed - Eddie Bravo : the second best BJJ book out. Has a unique feel to the book, yet is very easy to learn from and actually put into use.

3) The Relaxtion Response - Herbert Benson : Rodney King turned me onto this book. It is the first one I have ever seen that teaches "meditation" from a purely physical perspective that is easy to understand and implement. It has nothing to do with "enlightenment" or any meta-physical mumbo jumbo. It justs teaches you how to combat modern stress with a simple tool that might help ease problems such as high blood pressure. I don't know yet how well it works, as I have only been doing it for a couple of weeks. But it is easy to do. I figure it is worht a shot!

4) Freakonomics - Steven Levit : An interesting book that tries to explain many social issues through a different point of view. I don't agree with every conclusion (the author falls victim to something he critisizes others for; looking for a solution only from one area of expertise), but he still presents a lot of things that make you think. And that is a valuble thing.

5) Some Danger Involved - Will Thomas : a fiction thriller that is basically what if Sherlock Holmes knew martial arts. It is fun to kill a few hours with. The first book in an ongoing series.

Historical Parallels

I don't feel like turning my blog into a political rant. It's generally boring, and usually repetitous. However, I do want to point out something. Most people don't know much of history. Many commentators pontificate without any understanding of things that have happened in even the not too distant past. Take the current Iraq war for instance. Many things are said about it, both for it and against it, without any knowledge of similar situations that have happened. If you don't learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it.

Along that vein, I would like to suggest that anyone interested read the book "The Do-Or-Die Men". It is in paperback so it is cheap. Basically, it is the story of the WW2 battle of Guadalacanl from the perspective of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion. Throughout the book, as I was reading it, I kept being struck by so many similarities to the Iraq war. So much so, it is freaky. If you can, read it. I doubt very much if you will be disappointed. I think you will be just as shocked as I was.

staph infections

Part of the reason I have been occupied and not posting is I had a massive staph infection. It spread rapidly and knocked me on my a**. I had not ever encountered staph so I didn't realize what it was at first, which allowed it to fester and get really bad. I knew OF staph, but not ABOUT staph. Now I know and it is scary. First of all, it is potentially deadly, and it is more widespread that you realize. Check out the WebMD or the CDC for info. Here is a word of warning; if you have a pimple or red bump appear on your body, get to a doctor or urgent care. Trust me, you will be better off safe than sorry. Get informed ahead of time, and pay attention to your body. You will thank me later.

I'm back

Sorry for not posting for a while. Had a lot going on in my life. Way too much drama since March. But now it seems like everything is back on track (knock on wood). I intend to get back to regular posting.

stroke information

I think this is important information to have. It might save someone's life.


STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ - had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed an getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today) If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

made it

I made it through the month without ANY diet soda. It was hard. At times, the craving for diet coke was almost too much, but I did it. I was the master of my body. I might in the future drink diet soa on occasion, but, like a recovering alcoholic, I can never pretend I am "cured". Everyday will be a struggle, but I will succeed.

14 Days!

It has now been 14 days since any diet soda has passed through my lips, and yes, I am surviving. I am not sure how I am doing it, but other than a couple of really bad cravings, I have abstained.

I have heard that the 21st day is the important one. By that time, your body is supposed to have "forgotten" it wants a particular substance. I hope that is true.

Updates to follow.

jab in Crazy Monkey

this is something I posted on the STWA forum (www.mymalife.com) in response to someone asking about jabs in the CM system.


<< I've heard it many times that having a good jab is one of the most important skills to have in standup fighting. I've also heard that in order to do so, you have to be able to hit from many angles and start the jab from a variety of positions.

However, in the crazy monkey system, all punches should begin from the top of your head.

Isn't it then harder to develop a good jab, because it's a bit predictable that all your jabs will start from the top of your head? >>

Here is the problem with that. Starting your jab from ANY other place means you are leaving your head open. Period. If you have fantastic attributes or have been able to train boxing hours every day for years, you probably can pull it off, MOST of the time. However, at some point, someone else with greater attributes or more experience at boxing will nail you the instant your hand moves away from your head. With CM, defense (specifically, protecting the vulnerable points on the head) is the number one priority. Everything else is after.

So, yes, in a sense, it is harder to develop a jab because you are a little more predictable. BUT..... in actual practice it is a moot point. Because I am protecting my head at ALL TIMES, I have more actual freedom to punch because I know I am covered. I am not going to eat a power shot while I encroach on my opponent's territory. I can throw a commited jab, and not get knocked out. That gives me many, many more opportunities to throw that "predictable" jab. As soon as that happens, I can dictate what is happening in the fight, not my opponent. At that point, more and more targets open up. So I accomplish what a varied jab game does WITHOUT opening myself up needlessly.

Here is one of my favorite demos when I am coaching someone in CM for the first time. It is a good way to show them how well CM defense works, as well as how to be offensive out of it.

I tell them I am just going to jab to their head, nothing else. Their job is to punch me however they want. I make sure I throw a jab while keeping a tight cover with the other hand (as close to perfect CM as I can). Maybe 3 out of 5 times, I don't land the punch, but 5 out of 5 times I don't get hit! So, going easy I can be at 40% success offensively, but 100% success on defense. Then I let them do the same thing. The offenseive percentage drops a little (2 out of 10 times landing maybe), but they don't get hit. They immediately build confidence and they start to have a better "game".

stop the madness

I don't know what it is, but lately I have noticed something about a good number of famous people. There is some really bad plastic surgery out there. What would make an attractive person subject themselves to multiple surgeries? It never works. Yes, maybe one procedure might help, but anymore than one is a guaranteed trip to grossville. Joan Rivers looks like a ghoul. Bruce Jenner is really freaky. Need I say a word about Michael Jackson? I think Pamela Anderson looks like she is made of plastic. The really scary part is what some of these people are going to look like in a couple of years. The human body is not designed to go through what these people are putting themselves through. Eventually, the payment will come due for their faustian pact.

If you are contemplating ANY kind of plastic surgery, look first at a website called awfulplasticsurgery.com, THEN decide. Hopefully, you will decide the smart way.

joy

I went to a concert Thursday night. It was The Blasters. If you don't know them, they are a great classic roots rock band. It was terrifc concert, but what I noticed really got to me. For the ENTIRE 90 minute plus show, the lead singer Phil Alvin was the focal point. He did all the talking to the audience, he was the obvious music leader calling time and songs, and he sang every song. That must have been a pretty exhausting situation, but you know what I noticed? Not one time did Alvin fail to smile. He was beaming form start to finish. No matter how much he sweated and worked, he was obviously having the time of his life. Now, it was a good crowd, but nothing extraordinary. The band must be performing all the time, yet from watching Phil Alvin, you would think this was one of the greatest moments of his life. And his sheer joy in performing infected the crowd. EVERYBODY was rocking, and everybody left talking about what a great show it was. The other weird thing was there was no physical problems or arguements the entire night. The bouncers basically sat around rocking out with us. I think a lot of that had to do with Alvin projecting such sheer joy. I think it is hard to be in a foul mood when you are watching someone just enjoying themselves. So, I thought while driving home, what would happen if we all just tried to be a little joyful in our everyday lives? Maybe it would act like a contagious disease and spread. I am going to be doing my part in at least a little attempt to find out.

resolution update

Here is a quick update on the status of my NY's resolution to give up soda. Basically, I am still on track. I am down to two sodas a day. Next week I will drop that to one per day. It might be slow, but I think this is the only way I will get it to stick. The problem is, I realized that not only do I have a chemical addiction, I have an immensely hard to break habit of drinking diet soda, so I need to not only break the dependency, but the habituation as well. So that requires time.

As an aside, my wife is doing even better for her resolution to stop smoking. February is looking good!

truth is not pliable

So, there is this guy, James Frey, who wrote a memoir of his life. The book is about his drug and alcohol addictions and the criminal trouble they led to. Oprah has had him on her showed and praised the book for it's honesty. The trouble is, it isn't honest. SmokingGun.com has done an expose where most of his criminal stuff is made up. Instead of apologizing for lying, Frey went on Larry King and defended himself. Now, I don't really care about him, except for this asinine quote where he said that "only" 18 pages out of 432 pages were wrong, and that is "an appropriate ratio for a memoir". What??!??! It is okay to make crap up because it is your story? That is complete idiocy. A quick memeo to Frey. Dude, it is either fiction OR non-fiction, not both. Don't try to tell a truthful story that we should pay attention to, and then pack it with lies. It shoots ALL your credibility right in the foot. Either tell the truth, or tell a made up story. Trying to do both makes you a liar. Period.