no-gi vs gi

A lot of discussion goes on regarding grappling with a Gi or without a Gi. There is a great deal of adamant opinions on both sides of the aisle and I don't think I will convince anyone of the superiority of one over the other. However, what I would like to do is try to get people to stop being so obsessed with the debate. Both methods work, both methods can help you accomplish your goals of being a better fighter, and both are valid. But what is most important is this; there is far more overlap between the two than there are differences.

I really get tired when everytime a new instructional comes out, someone will invariably ask "how much is no-gi?". Over and over again. The fact is; outside of throws, collar chokes, and spider guard; gi and no-gi is about 98% IDENTICAL! This isn't just my own opinion (as important as that is LOL), it is also the opinion of a friend of mine at my BJJ school. His name is Brad Peterson. He was an all-american wrestler in college, and has been doing BJJ for almost three years. If anyone should have a problem with gi, it should be him. I asked him his opinion. Basically, it was this. It takes a second to make the mental adjustment, so just train. I agree. There really is not a lot of difference, at least, not enough to make a big deal out of it. Case in point. I recently got a really good instructional set. Outside of the throws (which are strong judo takedowns) and maybe two submissions that use the skirt of the gi, everything on there can be done JUST AS WELL gi or no-gi, yet I know there are a ton of people who will never watch this set because it is "gi".

I think this mindset is far too limiting. And it goes both ways. There are just as many people who will never pay attention to a no-gi oriented set. Please don't let this be you. Learn from everything, and THINK about what you are watching. Now go put on that gi! Just kidding.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving. The turkey is in the oven, the house is clean, the yard looks good. There is nothing to do for a couple of hours until everybody starts arriving. So I will make a quick list of what I am thankful for.

My kids (best in the world), my wife (ditto), the rest of my family - even my in-laws LOL, BJJ, crazy monkey, savate, BJJ competitions, my close friends -Randy, Doug, Adam, Jerry, etc.., my training partners, Tetley's beer, manapua from Aloha Kitchen, curry from Curry House, green tea ice cream, route 44 diet coke from Sonic, cornbread stuffing (not whitebread!), Kiera Knightley, always learning something about myself everytime I get on the mat, the movies "Hard Times" and "Brotherhood of the Wolf", DVD's over video tape, satellite radio that has an entire channel devoted to alt-country, and really comfortable mattresses at the end of a hard day.

everybody's business

Here is a quick assignment for everyone to fill up the long holiday weekend. Why is it that so many people think they have a right to know everything they wish to know about someone else's private affairs? What possesses' their minds to make them get angry if they are not told all the sordid details of a given situation? This has come up recently involving some friends of mine who decided for their own reasons to do something, and a number of people who don't even know them are basically demanding to be informed of the reasoning. But, I also think about how celebrity gossip seems to literally pollute the TV, newspapers, and internet as well. Does anyone really gain anything in their lives by knowing how Jennifer Aniston deals with her divorce from Brad Pitt? I just don't get it. If anyone has any fun theories, e-mail them to me, and if they are helpful to understanding this, I will post them on the blog. Have a good and safe Thanksgiving!

Congrats Lloyd

Lloyd took 4th place at Grapplers Quest. One of his guys lost but competed against younger guys even though he could have fought in the eecutive division. And his other guy was messed up in registration, so he has to wait for next time.

Overall, a terrific day in my book. Afterall, the victory in competition is stepping on the mat. Everything else is incidental.

Big thumbs up to you Lloyd, and your guys!

the secret ingredient

I am fortunate to be able to train BJJ with some great people, both as instructors and as training partners. The more experience I get rolling with high level people, the deeper my perception of BJJ becomes. One of the things I am finally understanding is that, in my opinion, the most important attribute in BJJ is balance. I am talking about the ability to control your body and tell it what to do no matter what freaky position you find yourself in. After watching the ADCC 2005 tournament, that lesson is only clearer. Really, the difference I keep seeing between a winner and loser is very often who had the better balance. At that level, the technique is fairly even, as are most other physical attributes, but the person who has better balance tends to come out on top. Watch any of the matches from AD 2005 involving Marcelo Garcia, Jacare, Roger Gracie, or Kyra Gracie. They all have amazing balance.

I noticed it myself last year when I was preparing to go compete in Brazil. I trained with an athletic performance coach, and one of the things he had me do was different balance exercises with different pieces of equipment. The elevation of my game on the mat was even more noticeable to me than from losing weight or adding strength. Even better cardio took a backseat to what improved balance did for me.

There are many ways to improve your balance. They range from simple methods anyone can do immediately, to using expensive and complex pieces of equipment. Do searches on the web to find ideas for you, and DO IT! You will thank me later.

Good luck Lloyd

My friend Lloyd Martinez, who runs a really good MMA school in Albequerque, NM is going to Grappler's Quest in Las Vegas this weekend. He is competing along with a couple of his students. I just want to say good luck. I know he will do well.

recommended reading 2

Okay, here is the next installment of good books I think should be read. Since the last one of these I did was all escapist fiction, I will now go the exact opposite route.

Angry White Pyjamas by Robert Twigger : this is a really enjoyable book about a non-martial artist (he is actually an Oxford poet) who decides to finally improve his life while living in Japan by enrolling in a year long intensive aikido training course designed for the Tokyo Riot Police. Very entertaining, even if, like me, you are not into aikido.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford : I have always been fascinated by Genghis Khan and this is the first book that is able to really delve into his story because of the author's unprecedented access to rarely seen mongollian texts. It is a great book about one of the most important figures of history.

Training For Warriors by Matrin Rooney : a physical training book that is written expressly for combat athletes. Rooney knows his stuff. He is the athletic performance coach for the Renzo Gracie team. Easily absorbed information. It WILL improve your game.

Final Gifts:Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying by Maggi Callanan and Patricia Kelly: this book is written by two hospice nurses. They try to explain what dying people go through in order for the living to help and comfort them during the last days. It is an extremely moving book, especially for those of us who have lost someone close to illness or age.

cornerstones for a DVD instructional library

There are a ton of instructional DVD's and videos out there. And practically everyday something new is released. You can go crazy trying to make sure you are buying the right ones. Here is a quick guide to what I think should be the foundation of anyone's functional martial art library.

1) Rodney King :
Street Boxing 101, Clinch Boxing 101, Sparring 101 - All three of these are fantastic. Great material that is presented simply and clearly. The best base for your striking game.

2) Adam Singer / Rory Singer / Paul Sharp :
Clinchin ' 2 - Everything you need to have a solid clinch game. Anyone can jump right in and start training this material immediately.

3) Matt Thornton :
Funtional JKD (series 1) tape #3 the ground, Functional JKD (series 2) tape #1 top game, tape #2 escapes from bottom, tape #3 guard game - these four tapes are the perfect start to understanding Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Not only do they teach the "techniques" , but they also show the principles and training methods better than any other BJJ instructional on the market today.


4) Jerry Wetzel :
Red Zone 1 , Red Zone 2 - I have spent literally almost two decades doing weapons. I will categorically state right here that there is no better unarmed against the knife program than Jerry Wetzel's Red Zone. If you think you are doing self-defense and you don't have these instructionals, you are kidding yourself. And it works for anyone, regardless of skill level. Period.



So, here are the DVD's that I think are critical to building a dependable foundation for your personal expression of martial arts. This is not to say that there are not other great discs out there. There most definitely are. But, these are the ones that will make what you learn from other instructionals actually work and just these will give you years worth of training material. Check 'em out!

excuses, excuses

Sorry I have not updated this blog in awhile. I have been really busy at work, and I have been working on what I hope to be an article to be submitted to a major martial art publication. I think I have come up with a nice begining to it, so the rest of the article should flow smoothly. I will let everyone know.

an insight into Megaton

Here is a little anecdote that reveals a little bit about Megaton's ability and his mindset. It is very illustrative and pretty damn funny at the same time.

I had bought a DVD called Grapplebook. In it there is a section on Eddie Bravo doing the twister. It is not really a move I see using myself much, but I still liked it. Since the overall DVD was pretty good, I loaned it to Megaton. After he watched it, I asked him his thoughts on the twister. He didn't like it, since he thought it was a "sloppy" move, like a neck crank or heel hook, as opposed to a "finese" move like a choke or armbar. He said it worked, but it wasn't his kind of move to do much. So later that class, we were rolling. It was my turn to be on the sidelines (we had uneven numbers that day), so I was watching Megaton rolling. I blinked a couple of times because I could swear I saw him setting up the twister. I kept watching, and sure enough, he did it. I started pointing at him and said "what the hell are you doing?" He smiled until Dave tapped. I kept looking over at him through the rest of class even while I was rolling myself, and I saw him do the twister two or three more times to different people. I asked him after class what he was up to. He just basically said he wanted to see how the move worked. Since then, I have never seen him do it again.

So, he saw a move once on DVD, and immediately applied it in sparring against a number of different resisting opponents without any practice of the move. He did it just so he understood the move and knew his judgement of it was correct (too sloppy) and has never seen the need to go back to it. He is that good.

I hate him.

one step at a time

I really shouldn't be doing this post. My desk at work is covered in stuff I need to do, but I was thinking about the previous post, and how there is a secondary aspect to combatting having limited training time, and it is something I struggle with constantly. My experiences might help someone out there not repeat my mistakes.

This aspect I am talking about is focusing on one thing at a time, one day at a time. Unlike the early days of MMA, where good information was hard to find, nowadays we have info coming from everywhere; some of it good, some of it crap, and some of it pure gold. It is easy to see a new techinque in the latest issue of Grappling magazine, or on the internet. Or a new DVD is released featuring the current "best" fighter. Or a new book comes out showing the most innovative new moves. In a general sense, this is great. We no longer have to go to desperate lengths to improve our game. But sometimes it can be too much. For example, I am obsessed right now with improving my triangle and omomplata. Thanks to a suggestion from Adam Singer, I am working them from an overhook control from a closed guard. I am also working maniacally on the hip bump sweep. These two things work well together, so my training is heading in a defined direction. Now, this week in BJJ class, Megaton showed a couple of really cool sweeps from Koala guard. I liked them and practiced them. BUT, if I go out of my way to try to add them to my game right now along with my current focus, something will probably suffer. So I will concentrate on triangle-omomplata and come back later to these new sweeps.

Another example is my stand up focus. Right now I am working the jab and cross while stepping in and to my left, concentrating on landing with power and being tight with my structure and defense. That is the bulk of my hitting. A couple of my guys have needed some other stuff like working the overhand to help against a taller guy. Also, I am starting to see the body open up when I enter the way I am doing. BUT, I am still concentrating on just the jab-cross step in. I will probably do that for another few weeks, before any alterations.

To sum up. Decide on what part of your game you can work on and concentrate on it with like laser like intensity. If you learn some new stuff, put it on the back burner for a short time (a few weeks to a few months) and keep working on your plan. Do a regular mental review and update your plan when changes are needed. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS, on the short term specific and the long term general will take care of itself.

time for training

Most of us who train MA have limited time to actually work out. I was talking to a buddy who trains with me at Megaton's on Saturday. He has a new baby on the way (his first) and how he is worried about not making it to class for a few months as often as he has been. Pretty much everyone of us has had similar situations that have come up. The way I have tried to overcome this is what I call one-paper-a-day training.

The name comes from an analogy told to me by Tom Cruise of Progressive Fighting Systems (Paul Vunak's group). Tom talked about if you put one piece of paper on your desk per day, over a short time it didn't look like much. BUT, if you did that EVERYDAY for a year, you would have a big stack. So, the point is, if you don't have a lot of time, use a little time, but do it every chance you get. For example, in the morning, as you are geting ready for work, before you get in the shower, practice throwing jabs and crosses at the mirror. Work on perfect form. Do it for three minutes. Then repeat that everyday for as long as you can't work out longer in a regular extended workout. That is a very productive way to at least do something and in a relatively short amount of time you will see an improvement in your game, with a training schedule that anyone can probably implement.

Remember, unless you are a professional athlete, long term consistency is more important than short term "overtraining".

getting older sucks

I went to my pulmonary doctor today. It has been 22 months since my last checkup. Maybe not the smartest thing someone with asthma should do, but I hate going to the doctor (even though Dr. Gottfried is very smart, and a good guy). The results? My blood pressure is still a little high, and they have upped my Advair dosage. The good news is my PFT test that rates breathing ability has stayed essentially the same. That is pretty decent since eveyone's lung capacity diminishes with age. So, in essence, I have gained by not diminishing! A small thing yes, but you take your victories where you can get them.

congrats to Chris and Colten

Last Friday (Sept. 30th), two friends of mine stepped into the cage for the first time to test themselves. Both Chris Mitchell and Colten Smith have the guts to do what very few people have the guts for. While many people talk a good game, they actually did it.

Chris won his fight by ref stoppage at 2:19 of the first round. He dominated the stand up by using crazy monkey to defend and rocking his opponent with strong open palm strikes (amateur Arizona MMA rules prohibit closed fists to the face). He then went to the neck clinch and pounded the other guy with knees, including one that literally threw him across the cage. The doctor finally stopped it when the other guy was bleeding from a baseball sized lump on his eyebrow. He executed the game plan perfectly.

Colten lost a three round decision. He controlled the stand up part, but let the other guy drop his elevation a couple of times and get the takedown. He reversed out of every tough situation to the amazement and excitement of the crowd and was thinking tactically the entire time. The big problem was after the very hard fought first round, he was out of gas. The next two rounds he fought on sheer skill and heart, almost fininshing the fight with a guilloutine. I believe the difference to the judges was the three or so takedowns the other guy got. It was a terrific performance for his first time and a great learning experience. The next time he steps in the cage, his opponent better look out!

I helped coach both of them. I worked with them once or twice a week for about 6 weeks, but the two people most responsible were their regular coaches (and my training partners and friends) Mike Grandinetti and Lawrence Robinson, who run Attitude First Training Center. They did the bulk of the daily work to get the guys ready. I only had to stick my hand in every now and then. They both should get pats on the back for a great job as well.

Standing ovation to all four of them!

New American!

Just some quick congratulations to my BJJ coach, Megaton Dias. Last friday, he was sworn in as a U.S. citizen. I think it was more important to him than even the day Royler Gracie gave him his black belt.

He came to this country about 13 years ago with only a small ability in English, nobody that he knew here, and $450 in his pocket. With only his dedication, hard work, and integrity, he has become a succesful small businessman, husband, father, valuable member of the community, and an important mentor to many people. He has worked hard to become a citizen. He has definitely earned it and is a great example of the american dream.

This is cool, as well. All of us students at his academy have chipped in together and as a welcome to citizenship gift, we are sending he and his wife to Washington D.C. for a weekend vacation to see all the important sights. That was a cool idea, courtesy of senoir student and black belt Michael Sillyman.

other blogs to check out

Here are some good blogs to check out when you have time. All have really good info in them.

http://knifedefense.blogspot.com/
This is a blog written by my buddy Jerry Wetzel, who runs a gym in Bellflower, CA called the Centerline Gym. He is also the creator of the BEST unarmed counter-knife program EVER.

http://cmdefense.blogspot.com/
This is the blog written by my coach Rodney King. I have written in previous posts about his terrific CM striking system.

http://isrmatrix.blogspot.com/
This is written by Paul Sharp, a cop who is also a great MMA coach ( and wrestler) .

being non-judgemental

My biggest pet peeve is hypocrisy. I hate it. Say what you mean, and live it every day while understanding that we are all fallable human beings. Don't set yourself up as one thing while acting in opposite ways. One of the worst examples of hypocrisy I have noticed lately is the tendency of some people (I will not name names) who I hear on T.V. or read in newspapers or the internet have set themselves up as pundits who deride others for being judgemental. They take those of us to task who have an ethical guideline, saying we should not judge others until we walk a mile in someome else's shoes. That criticism is fine, they have that right. BUT, they generally spend an inordinate amount of time judging others on their judgement, while preaching the higher morality of non-judgement. Sorry, THAT is hypocritical and shows their own lack of personal evolution. Preach to someone else, thank you.

the worst day on the mat

Not much free time today, but I just wanted to leave this post for people to think about.

This past week was not a good one training wise. I hurt my knee a couple of weeks ago and it is still bothering me. My asthma has been really bad for a week or so as well, so I felt that I did not do very well at any of my training sessions, whether it was BJJ, MMA, or running/conditioning. I started to pout and think that maybe I should have skipped working out. Then I remembered a bumper sticker I saw years ago (about hunting or fishing or something like that) and transposed some words to reflect my experience. The bumper sticker went something like this: "The worst day on the mat beats the best day working". And it is true. No matter how bad your training goes, it is always a great and worthwhile experience.

Keep training, no matter what!

it's all hips baby

I was working with one of my training partners (Mike Grandinetti) on Saturday morning and something came up that I thought might help someone else out there. I will call this guard work for the fat guy with no hip or lower back flexibility.

I was trying to expalain to him how I went from having no guardwork ability at all (my butt was practically superglued to the mat as far as moblity goes) to having a decent game now. Since I had no game at this position, I was getting my guard passed all the time, so I found myself in half guard constantly. For survival sake, I tried to learn everything I could about 1/2 guard. There are three basics; near side underhook, far arm defend the crossface, and, most importantly, be on your side. Now, you never want to be on your back in full guard, but I couldn't stay there. However, with 1/2 guard, I found I could stay on my side almost all the time. When that happens, you will suddenly find yourself with a great deal of mobility. Formerly glued to the mat, I was now moving non-stop. I spent months and months working 1/2 guard, being fairly successful. The amzing thing though, was that went I was playing guard, I was much more mobile than before. My hips were all over the place and I was rarely lying with my back flat. That feel for movement I developed had a direct transfer to my full guard, as well as all of my bottom game. The reason is in BJJ, it is all hips. Period. If you don't have that, you will not have good jits. If you do have it, it transcends one area to aplly to all areas.

So, if there are any of you who had similar problems to me, give some dedicated 1/2 guard work a try. You might be pleasently surprised.

recommended reading 1

Alright. I need to lighten things up after yesterday's post. So I will do the first installment of my recommended books to check out.

What little free time I have that I don't spend with my wife and kids or training, I spend reading. And I read everything. I usually read 4 - 5 books concurrently. There is usually a history and/or a biography, a martial art or physical/mental training book, and one mindless fiction novel. I prefer non-fiction that can teach me something or inspire me, but sometimes an escapist adventure or humor book is just the right medicine. In that vein, my first recommendations are just that - escapist.

The John Rain series by Barry Eisler. There are four novels; Hard Rain, Rainfall, Rainstorm, and Killing Rain. All are terrific stories about Rain, who is a hitman with (sort of) an ethical code. They feature some great action, very interesting and different characters and plots, international intrigue, and even some humor. Eisler is a judo and BJJ practitioner who writes some of the best fight scenes in any book ever. And the character of Rain himself is a fairly unique creation. One of the enjoyable things about reading the series is that in each novel, Rain grows and changes. My favorite book is the second, Rainfall. I think that has the best overall story. But I am also partial to the last two because it features the character of Dox, who is a perfect foil for Rain. Their interaction provides some of the most engaging dialogue in the series.

Give them a try when you want to cut loose and not think too much for a couple of hours. You won't regret it.