Some good training rules to follow

1. Execute your movements with speed, relaxation and technique, never try for power. As far as speed is concerned, smooth=fast

2. You don't have to always see the opening for a specific move. Just throw you technique smoothly and quick and often the opening comes in the middle of your combo.

3. After your done attacking, move away to either side. Your even better to stand your ground than backing straight up.

4. When you think your using your hips enough, use them twice as much. 

5. If you get into trouble, place both hands on your chest, palms up and shrimp, shrimp, shrimp. 

6. When defending submissions, try not to tense your body. Simply relax your body. This is easier said then done.

7. Keep you hands off the mat at all times.

8. Mix up your attacks, try to be as unpredictable as you can with your combinations.

9. Pace yourself.  Use your defensive and offensive techniques instead of just attacking the entire time.

10. Focus on keeping yourself in a good balanced position before attacking, while attacking, and after your attack. This is very important!

11. Never give up. Taking a bit of a beating in the beginning is all part of the learning process. Stick with it and you will slowly become more like a hammer instead of the nail.

TIPS ON BECOMING A MORE PRODUCTIVE BJJ PRACTITIONER

#1- Be a good partner and don’t resist during repping. By acting like a “grappling dummy”, you give your partner a chance to get comfortable with the movements against a non-resisting opponent. If you resist and try to “disprove” the technique you are doing nothing but retarding the learning process, for both of you.

#2- Relax and Breathe! In through your nose, out through your mouth. Make sure you learn to control your breathing and stay relaxed. Tensed up muscles use oxygen. Without oxygen you can’t breathe. Without breath… you die. Plain and simple. Relax, use your energy in calculated spurts and you will do fine. Stay tense & go 100% at all times and you will likely gas out followed by a tap out.

#3- Leave your ego at the door. Ego does nothing but hinder your learning process. Class is not competition. There is no score being kept and no trophy at the end of the night. Use your mat time to perfect your skill set and don’t worry about who tapped who. Just remember, the more you tap, the more you learn.

#4- Go with the flow and flow with the go! Think of BJJ like water. What does water do? It finds the path of least resistance, right? So if there’s a large wall in front of water, it doesn’t try to smash it down, rather it finds the walls’ weaknesses and exploits it. Water will try to go around, over, under or through a weak spot, rather than trying to smash the wall down. If there’s a crack in the wall the water will seep through. BJJ teaches you to look at your opponents the same way. Find their weaknesses and exploit them.

#5- Repetition is the key. Think about learning a technique as making a down payment on it and every rep you do is another payment. You must make A LOT of payments on any given technique to actually “own” it. Though sparring is usually considered the “fun” part of the class, constant repetition is the key to ingraining the movements into your muscle memory. If you really want to stop having to think about what to do and start just reacting, you will need to spend the time repping the movements. Take advantage of the time given to get as many reps as you can in.


#6- COME TO CLASS!!!!!!!1

Turn Your Open Mat into a BJJ Laboratory

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Aesopian


I’m going to make a bold assumption: You want to get better at BJJ. (I must be a mind reader.) Open mat can be a secret weapon in your training if you use it right. These tips will help make sure you do.


Go in with a purpose

What makes open mat good is also what makes it bad: you can do whatever you want. Without someone running class, it’s all too easy to waste time, goof off or simply not know what to do. Go in prepared giving yourself a goal.

Examples:

– Improve move X.
– Improve my escapes.
– Improve my conditioning.
– Try out this new guard.
– Review my basics.


Try picking a topic—a certain position, submission, guard or even concept—and set your mind on exploring and learning it in depth. It’s easier to stay focused when you know what you’re focusing on.


It’s time to experiment

Now is your chance to put that encyclopedic knowledge of every BJJ instructional to use. Is there a move that’s been making waves in competition that you want to learn? You could bring a laptop or iPhone to watch instructionals then drill them.

Forget this piece of advice if it doesn’t line up with your goals. Sometimes drilling those same basics you’ve known forever is the right thing to do (at least it’s never wrong.)


Don’t get technique overload

Just because you’re free to do whatever you want doesn’t mean you should pull out every technique you’ve ever Youtubed. Get two experienced guys on the mat and it can quickly turn into technique show and tell (“Hey, check this out!” “That reminds me of this…” “You gotta see how I do it…”) Keep your goals in mind and don’t get too far off track (unless it’s really something worth checking out.)


Put in the reps

Once you’ve figured out what you want to work on, start drilling. Then keep drilling. Discipline yourself to put in a healthy number of repetitions. No skimping on your reps because you don’t have an instructor keeping his hawk eyes on you. I’m sorry if this is boring but it’s good for you.


Find the right training partner

Who you train with can make or break an open mat. If they aren’t as motivated as you, it’s a pain to force them to drill when all they want to do is talk and spar a bit. You’re better off with a white belt that has a good worth ethic and is eager to learn than a lazy purple belt that doesn’t really feel like breaking a sweat. Finding the right person to team up with can give you a serious boost and make grappling R&D really fun and rewarding.


Do live drills

Take whatever you working on and make up live drills AKA isolation sparring for it. This is an fantastic training method that a lot of people overlook. Your drills can be as simple as starting from a specific position over and over again to running a series of situational exercises that increase in complexity as they go. (Message me on Facebook if you want some example drills.)


Take sparring seriously

Nothing bugs me more than two guys rolling for 1 minute before someone taps then spending 2 minutes talking about it. Save the discussion for later. Quick bits of advice or showing someone how to stop a move they’ve got caught in a couple times is OK. But you’re there to spar. Now is a good chance to push your endurance and forget time limits and go until you are absolutely dead.


Film your sparring

If you’ve got a camera and a tripod (or a willing third person), try getting your sparring sessions on video and watching them afterward. You’ll often be surprised by the things you do (and don’t do) that you never realized.

Want more tips? Add me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/giosp/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Posted in Headline, How To Study Jiu-Jitsu, Training Methods | Tagged bjj | 2 Comments
Add me on Facebook and Twitter
Posted on November 30, 2009 by Aesopian
I’ve been posting to Facebook and Twitter lately when I have stuff that’s not worth a whole blog post but it’s still worth sharing. You can follow me here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aesopian-BJJ/203323882237

Twitter: http://twitter.com/aesopianbjj

Message me anywhere and I’ll get back to you!

How much can you learn? Part 1 - Your style

How much could you retain in high school? A class period worth? A weeks worth? How much until it basically turns into a "blah, blah" noise coming from the teacher.

In BJJ training, you have hundreds of moves. These moves have a set-up from an average of 5 different top positions and a dozen different bottom positions. For each one of these, there is a counter, and a counter to the counter.

There are gi grips with the lapel and skirt. There are no-gi grips like a monkey grip or shell hand, gable grips, underhooks, and whizzers.

So in your class, how much time do you spend on technical aspects of the game, and how many techniques do you learn in a class time?

Class time in BJJ is a chance to learn a technique or series that is pertinent to the level of learning that you have reached. Your techniques need to be carefully planned out as to where you go in your game and greatly depend on the teaching and grappling style of your teacher.

Example: I am a top game player and rely greatly on my ability to hold side mount and north south. I use this to tire an opponent enough to make any transitions to mount or the back, as fluid and dominant as possible. When I am on the bottom, I rely heavily on using guard to slow pace and set up a sweep, or I use the half guard to control and get back to a neutral position. My top finishers are mostly chokes, cranks, and kimura/key locks. As for the bottom game finishers, I use a ton of leg locks and use the a triangle/armbar/omoplata series and get the best option.

What does this mean to you? That while you may need to know all the moves in BJJ, it does not mean you have to use all the moves. Find what works best for you and start developing a game from day 1. By the time you have spent a year or so, you will find that the moves you learn during class can be beneficial to you in 2 ways.

1. You develope a new skill to add to your game, this gives you another option of reversal or finishing an opponent.

2. (and this is important) You can now add knowledge of how this can be used in someone else's game.

So pay attention to everything in class, even if you do not believe that it is something that works for you....because chances are it may work for your opponent.

To Be Continued......

Next time you get a cramp or "arent feeling it" -

Police rally support for injured bomb tech, family



Midland Police Sgt. Brian Rackow, commander of EOD, examines the small package initially thought to be a pipe bomb placed in a light pole base outside Academy Sports Jan. 8 this year. Rackow was injured Thursday during an accidental explosion at a police training center. File photo by Tim Fischer 1-8-10


Related: Family fund started for injured MPD bomb tech
Related: GPS game causes bomb scare
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Midland police say they will work to surround Sgt. Brian Rackow and his family with support as he recovers from injuries he sustained while dismantling an explosive device Thursday.

“One way or another, they’ll be taken care of,” MPD Training Division Lt. Bernie Kraft said. “We’re going to make sure the family is taken care of.”

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Rackow was injured just after 11 a.m. Thursday when he was removing aluminum casing from an explosive in preparation for a future training activity, Kraft said. He remained in critical but stable condition late Thursday at University Medical Center in Lubbock, officials said.

At the time of the incident, Rackow was working alone in a shop building at the MPD Training Field, located southeast of Midland at 4500 Farm-to-Market Road 307, MPD Deputy Chief J.R. Smith said.

Rackow sustained injuries to the face, chest, arms and legs and was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital via ambulance immediately following the incident, Smith said. Kraft said at the scene Rackow may have lost his left hand and sustained injuries to his left arm.

Rackow was transferred to a hospital Lubbock during the afternoon for further treatment, Smith said.

“We’re all one big family; so anytime someone gets hurt, our heart goes out to them,” Smith said, speaking at a press conference at the police department.

Midland Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Fritz Niggeler said fortunately an ambulance and paramedics were nearby at the time of the explosion and were able to provide prompt care at the scene and later in the ambulance. Kraft added four officers who were going through training at the field also offered emergency medical care when the incident occurred.

They responded after hearing a loud noise, he said. Officers were unsure whether Rackow was wearing protective gear at the time of the incident.

By removing aluminum casing from the explosive, Kraft said, Rackow was ensuring there would be no shrapnel when officers later got rid of the device and with other oil field explosives they’ve collected.

After Rackow arrived at Midland Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, several MPD officers gathered at the hospital and lined the entrance to the ER as they waited for news on their colleague.

Around 12:30 p.m. an officer arrived at the hospital with Rackow’s wife and two children, who were eventually brought into the waiting room where they were surrounded by family, friends and both on- and off-duty MPD officers.

Through tears, Rackow’s wife asked those present simply to pray for her husband.

She and the couple’s children accompanied Rackow to Lubbock on Thursday, Smith said.

Rackow, who has been with the department for 13 years, serves as a bomb technician as well as a sergeant on the night shift patrol. The three-person bomb unit is part of a regional response group that responds to bomb threats and possible explosive devices that are reported to the department.

The group trains twice each month, Kraft said. Rackow also has attended classes at a federal training center in Georgia, Smith said.

“He’s in a high risk position with what he was doing,” Smith said. “He loved doing it.”

ATF officials from Lubbock arrived just after 3 p.m. Thursday to conduct an investigation, Kraft said. He said their investigation would be tedious and likely include forensic work to determine how and in what direction the explosive went off. ATF is a law enforcement group within the United States Department of Justice that protects citizens from violent crimes, the trafficking of firearms and acts of arson and bombings, according to its website.

MPD also will conduct an internal investigation, as is standard procedure when an officer is injured, Smith said.

Kraft said the last officer injured at the training field was Smith, who was shot in the leg several years ago during firearms training.

Smith said workman’s compensation will cover medical expenses for Rackow.

An account called the Brian Rackow Benefit has been set up at Community National Bank by the Midland Municipal Police Officer Association to cover other expenses the family incurs.

———

Kathleen Thurber can be reached at kthurber@mrt.com.

About Sgt. Brian Rackow:

- Night shift supervisor

- Head of bomb squad unit

- Joined the MPD in 1997

- He’s previously served as an instructor for MPD as well as the Permian Basin Law Enforcement Academy covering topics from defensive tactics, firearms, patrol procedures, explosive recognition, suicide bomber and LvIED response and resolution

- Rackow has a wife and two children

To donate:

Brian Rackow Benefit - Midland Municipal Police Officer Association

An account has been set up at Community National Bank, 685-8400. Donations can be made at any branch. Visit, https://www.cnbtx.net/locations.aspx for location sites.

Repeat Post, but seems relevant to my students

When I first got into BJJ, it was all about the submissions. Sweeps and escapes were something cool that were only necessary to know, if you ever got caught in a bad spot. If you had never been put in a bad situation, you didn't really want to spend the time preparing for it when until after it had happened.

A great majority of the time was spent scouring the internet and images in books for new submissions and the "how-to" videos on Youtube or in the newest issue of Grappling Magazine (now known as Ultimate MMA Magazine).

Forget about learning hook sweeps, or how to better control from knee on belly. Lets learn how to do the triangle to omoplata with modified toe-hold!!

Since I have gotten older, and hopefully a lot wiser, I have learned that one of the most beneficial tools to your game (second to escapes/defense), is positional control. This has become my most preached lesson, and my greatest asset in grappling practice/matches/police scenarios/and practical application in the street.

The problem with this is easily evident in the opinion of some grappling enthusiasts, who, when watching a video of someone doing this on Youtube (I am namely referring to a match of myself against a much larger - 6'6 320 lb BJJ blue belt), the critic went on an on about me not capitalizing on my dominant position. His argument was that if you are in dominant position, you are not actually winning and demonstrating real BJJ skill unless you submit the person.

COME ON PEOPLE!!

Lets not forget that if you are on top of someone in side mount or mount, moving to north south or knee on belly, you are winning! Gracie Jiu-Jitsu teaches us in its basic philosophies that you must first gain dominance to be effective. From that point, your goal should be to maintain that dominant position and not let the person get on top of you. The trade of in some cases are usually the BJJ practitioner in top position giving up his dominant position in favor of a failed arm-bar or another "forced" submission, in which the bottom man has now reversed you for a better position.

Remember these main points next time you are rolling:
- Position over submission
- Use your positioning and top game to exhaust the opponent
- Let him dictate the submission i.e. don't force the submission, instead, let him work himself into a bad spot and capitalize on his mistake

Incorporate this into a drill by getting with your partner and have him work from a bad position for 1 round, and do the top 2-3 defensive counters. At each counter, change position in a "slow roll" manner. If he can sweep you or get up, then you must be on the bottom for 10 minutes. If you get where you can maintain top control during transitions and position changes, then have your opponent on bottom start to give you "submission indicators". These can be as simple as putting the arm up that gives away an arm-bar, or turning belly down to give up the back. This should help foster good reactions to these movements, which are signs that you must be able to key-off on to capitalize on the mistake of the opponent.

Please leave comments and questions. Especially if you are having a hard time identifying the "cues" that your opponent is giving that signal when to attack the submission.



-Keep on The Path

Skill Building - Back to Basics

At this point in training, today, right now, get back to basics! Whether you are a brown belt world champion, or you are a brand new grappler with 2 months experience, get back to basics.

It is so easy to get sucked into the lure of wanting to learn alot of new cool "tricks". There are literally hundreds of submissions out there to learn, but only a few basic positions. Learn those few basic positions and the principals for being successful at them now!

- Learn to prevent your guard from getting passed or replacing guard
- Get your posture better when in the guard or passing
- Improve your base to feel as dominant as possible in mount/side/north-south/back
- Improve your control and timing

To do all this, all it takes are some basic skill building exercises.

- Guard pass drill. Get a partner to get in guard and try to pass. Break down his posture, shrimp and adjust your guard to prevent his passes.

- Get in guard and improve your posture by sitting back straight, head up, torso alignment should be straight up and down with your weight over your hips, NOT I FRONT OF YOUR KNEES, with your legs apart in comfortable base. Use pressure and slow control to pass. Make it uncomfortable for your partner, so that letting you pass is a better option for him than having you stay in guard.

- Get in side mount and practice moving around from side to knee on belley, to mount, then knee on belly on the other side, then side, then north south, and back to original side. Do this by maintaining constant closeness and good body alignment. Keep weight on your partner and always block his hips and head as you move around i this circle for several reps. Be sure they check your base at the beginning of each position.

- Timing requires a partner that knows at least as much as you for whatever moves you are going to be working. Get in mount and have your partner check your base so you can get that cue to adjust hooks and control, then he should do the "bench press" to cue and armbar, or he should feed him arm across your chest to show giving up the back and you take that cue to take the back and get the RNC. these types of exercises will improve timing and recognizing threats and openings.

MMA article from Big 2 News featureing Brad and Paul

http://prod.permianbasin360.com/search-fulltext?&nxd_id=66626

An event known as Shark Fights is taking place in Odessa this weekend, and the hand-to-hand combat is sure to draw a crowd. But before stepping into the cage, one of the fighters sat down with Big 2 to explain how his fighting technique has been picked up by our local law enforcement.

Mixed martial arts, or MMA, is a full contact combat sport that involves a wide variety of fighting techniques. It's become a popular past-time for many people. Some just watch it. Others actually practice it. So, in order to stay ahead of the game, Midland police have been working with a professional fighter whose helped them incorporate mixed martial arts into their training.

"If I'm writing a report next to a suspect, I don't know if he's going to be aggressive. If I'm not looking away and he eventually attacks...I stop...short elbow," Paul Buentello, a professional MMA fighter, said Friday while demonstrating his techniques.

He's been fighting for nearly 13 years, and this weekend he'll take on the undefeated Bryan Humes as part of Shark Fights main event. This UFC legend is no stranger to the area though. Buentello's worked closely with Midland police for years.

"I met Paul at a show in Carlsbad six years ago and really hit it off. He's real approachable," Brad Barnes, a Midland police officer, said.

Barnes quickly realized that Buentello's unique fighting style could translate to law enforcement, so he pitched an idea.

"When we don't have the ability to pull a gun or use a baton or use pepper spray...when we're just standing close to people, the things that you're good at will work for this job," Barnes said.

"There's a lot of little tricks of the trade...how to fight, how to close the distance, how to keep somebody away, and I jumped right on this horse because Brad's a good friend of mine," Buentello said.

Known as “The Headhunter” in the world of cage fighting, Buentello began to train Midland police officers...teaching them how to be prepared for any kind of attack.
"On a nightly basis we're putting people in handcuffs, whether it's just to detain them or to take them to jail. And people don't like being put in handcuffs, and they're going to fight you for it. I would say on an average shift...you're going to have to do some type of defensive tactics or stop some type of resistance," Barnes said.

"I've been doing it now for 13 years in a cage, actually getting paid to do these techniques. And if I can show an officer just a few little things things to remember, a little muscle memory on defending themselves and stopping an aggressive person. And they can go home at night...I feel a lot better about that," Buentello said.

For more about the event this weekend, check out www.SharkFights.com. And for more about Buentello, head to his website...www.PaulBuentello.com.

FIGHTER PROFILE - JASON SAMPSON

Local fighter profile: Jason Sampson By Andrew Plante


Jason Sampson is an up-and-coming fighter in the local MMA scene. He recently won his first professional fight at SWC 9 in dominating fashion. He's back in action at SWC 10 on Jan. 16, facing Josh Montoya.


Not unlike many MMA fighters, he is driven because of life experiences. His mother left him and his two brothers when Jason was 7. Since then, stepdad Greg Kimbrell has been his sole parental figure. "I consider him my dad," Sampson said. "He's been pushing me and supporting me. ... He's a blessing and inspiration in my life."


Sampson was a self-confessed troubled kid, getting in trouble for fighting in school and experimenting with drugs. He has two brothers in jail because of their involvement with crystal meth. He uses all of these experiences to maintain his focus on becoming a better person in life and a better fighter in the cage.


He began wrestling at the age of 11 as a way to stay out of trouble. He quickly found out that he was pretty talented -- even winning a Pan Am title in 2006 -- and the sport could keep him on the right path if he stuck with it.


In addition to Kimbrell's support, Sampson has numerous friends and family who are helping him to succeed, including girlfriend Monica Mendoza -- who he says "has been pushing me and encouraging me all the way" -- and grandmother Jackie Kimbrell, who "has always been there for me as both a grandmother and a mother." He is dedicating his fight to Mendoza's daughter, Victoria, who turns 14 the day of his next fight.


Coach Allen Mohler from Mohler Jiu-Jitsu probably has been the biggest influence to Sampson's MMA path.


"Coach Mohler has given me a second chance at life by letting me teach at his gym," Sampson said. "He saw things in me and allowed me to have a career. I was going down the wrong path, but Coach Mohler saw good qualities in me -- like my wrestling skills, my heart and my teaching ability -- and gave me a shot. I am the person I am because of Coach Mohler."


Sampson's ultimate goal is to make it into the WEC. Whether or not he gets to that level, Jason has a very good attitude about his life.


"I've bounced back from drug use and a troubled childhood and now have an opportunity to follow my dream," Sampson said. "Not many people get to do what they enjoy every day. I'm lucky to be able to do that."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have started to manage Jason and had the chance to have a sit-down with him and William Campuzano, as well as Jason's girlfriend (and the one who keeps him together!), Monica.

Jason is an extremely outgoing individual and has alot of drive to succeed. He looks at a goal, tackles it to the best of his ability and immediately sets another goal. His determination and work ethic have already made him a success, no matter how far he goes. His next fight is tentatively scheduled for May, with a title fight looming in the last week of June.

Guest blog- Confidence in grappling

 **If you're on Facebook please become a fan of The Grapplers Guide as most new videos and content will be posted there first. Right now there are lots of performance articles, grappling game plans, tips, and videos on that page. Prizes will also be given away. Also please subscribe to our YouTube page**

Confidence in Grappling
Author: Jason Scully

"Kill the snake of doubt in your soul, crush the worms of fear in your heart, and mountains will move out of your way" ~ Kate Seredy

Yesterday I was rolling with one of my students in class who has about 3 years experience and when we were rolling I noticed something, and I realized that this is actually an issue with many grapplers out there. As we were rolling I was paying attention to his movements and his facial expressions and it was clear that he was missing something very important. What was he missing? He was missing his confidence. That's right, it was his confidence that he was missing.
There's so many times when I train with someone and they don't seem confident at all in what they're doing. Even if they know a ton of techniques they hold themselves back because they don't trust themselves that they'll execute those techniques properly.

When you're in practice you should never have to worry about if something is going to work, or if your opponent is going to counter your attack. You should just go for it with 100% confidence that you are going to make something happen. That no matter what, even if your opponent counters your movements you should have 100% confidence in yourself that you can counter right back.

You see many times it's not the moves you know that makes the difference it's the trust in yourself that makes a difference. There is so many people who can execute moves perfectly when drilling, but when it comes down to performing them in a live situation they either freeze up, don't remember them, or they don't have confidence in what they know.

Have you ever rolled with someone more experienced then you and you were weary of coming forward and you had a technique or plan that you wanted to execute but you weren't sure if it was going to work? You ended up taking a second to think about what might happen and by the time you're done thinking your partner or opponent has already made his move, because they were more confident then you were. That's what can make the difference of being steps ahead of your opponent or not.

The person who is 2, 3, and even 4 steps ahead of their opponent is the same person who is completely confident in their abilities and their techniques. They don't care if they know what's going to happen or not, because regardless their going to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. There is no waiting, pausing, or thinking about what might happen they just go and take that chance knowing that no matter what they trust in themselves that they will be the ones to come out on top every time.

Even if what you tried didn't work you still believed in yourself and you now know what would have happened because you went for it instead of just sitting back and not taking any chances at all and not even knowing.

This is also a very common when you roll with someone who is much more experienced then you or a much higher rank then you. Let's say a blue belt in BJJ pairs up with a brown belt. Many times that blue belt is already thinking of ways that the brown belt can beat him before they even started rolling. They beat themselves before the match even started. They never gave themselves a chance and counted themselves out right from the beginning instead of starting with their head high and their confidence in full affect.

When you are confident in yourself regardless of your technical ability you will:

Think clearer.
React faster.
Feel better about yourself.
Breath better.
Be less conscious.
Make things happen.
Be steps ahead of those who aren't as confident.
Attack better.
Defend better.
Trust that you can deal with any situation in the moment.

As your techniques and strategies get better and better and you mix that in with being confident in yourself you will be much more successful in your rolling sessions.

Before we finish up, I just want to clarify what being confident is not. Being confident IS NOT:

Being cocky or over confident - just because your confident doesn't mean you should be cocky. Confidence will help you improve your overall game, but it's not the only thing that will make you the best. Being lazy - being confident doesn't mean you are lazy and you shouldn't work hard. Being arrogant - A person can be confident in themselves without being arrogant and boastful. Show your confidence with respect and work to help others be confident in their grappling as well. Don't under mind your partners and look down on those less experienced or even less confident then you may be. Comparing yourself to others - Don't compare your confidence to others, and your abilities to others. Just be confident in what you know and your potential and you'll be well on your way to a successful and most importantly FUN grappling experience. Having an Ego - One can be confident and not have an ego. Always trust in what you do and regardless of what happens whether it is a positive or negative, be humble in your experience and see every opportunity as a learning experience.
To sum things up: The point is to trust yourself and what you know. Trust that even if you don't know how to do something that you will one day. If you don't have confidence in yourself, then you don't trust yourself. If you don't trust yourself, then who can you trust?

"Experience tells you what do to do, confidence allows you to do it" ~ Stan Smith

Thanks for reading!
Jason
 

ARE YOU POWERFUL?

Guest Blog: Caleb - Phalanx BJJ

Evolution

My name is Caleb and I first met and trained with Brad about 3 years ago. When I first started I really had no idea how to do any escapes, sweeps or submissions. I'd seen them on youtube and in the UFC, but my first day of class when someone asked me if I wanted to roll I had no clue what to do. I remember grabbing onto his neck and squeezing with everything I had dying to make someone tap out my first try, but to my surprise I squeezed and squeezed and nothing happened, he eventually got out and he WAS able to squeeze my neck properly and force me to tap out which was especially confusing because I outweighed the guy by at least 60lbs.

After that day I started learning some techniques but I wasn't able to pull them off yet. I knew the moves, but there was a lot more I didn't know about control, pressure, balance, leverage, and counters to the counters of the techniques I'm trying to implement. Even though I've become much better than I was before, those are the same things I have to work on now, because when I learn a new lesson and get better at a certain technique I end up in a different place and have to learn the concepts and techniques from there. That's what I love about grappling, I learn the same lessons every day of training in a new and fresh way. It fascinates me to see how my grappling game evolves in a short amount of time. I have days where I feel great and days when I am frustrated and just can't seem to do anything right, but I look at the bad days as one down and one less to have. I feel that to be REALLY good at something like grappling or fighting, you have to try and fail many times, I always say you have to take at least 10,000 ass beatings to be great and after I take one I say it's just one less I have to take.

Today I told Brad at lunch that I needed some help on a half guard sweep and it's actually a position I used to feel good about when I trained with smaller guys, but against Brad or Paul (Buentello) it was obvious I was missing something. Having to go back and look at the small details of a position is an example of that evolution I find exciting about training. I started with nothing, learned that sweep, was able to get it on some guys. Now I have to learn how to do it to someone who knows the defense, and once I've done that I have to prepare for the next position or a different opponent, but before that even, I have to learn minor details while still learning the basic fundamentals, and fail several times before I can get it to work.

I have a perfect example from another situation today. I usually pull guard when Brad and I start from the knees. He's bigger and stronger and is best on top where he can make any control position painful, so I figure I will benefit most from having to deal with the skills he's best at so when I fight someone my size and experience level I am confident that even if I am in bad positions they won't be able to crush me like he does. Anyway, I did do some guard pulling, but later on he either pulled guard or gave me position so I could work more control from the top which is something I have been sucking at. I was trying new things in side mount and I was making mistakes, he would get back to half guard, sweep and pass. The past several weeks I've been trying to force a lot of action and movement and never relax in bad positions, and I tweaked some things and got a couple arm in guillotines, so when I've gotten in top half recently I've gotten over excited about the guillotine and had bad results. I'm at a point in the evolution with this technique now where I need to focus on the details and apply the common concepts of grappling. I wasn't cinching up tight enough and my transitions are sloppy, leave a lot of space, and are off balanced.

Every time I went for the choke Brad was using an underhook and an arm between my legs to roll me over his opposite hip, and I had finally failed in that position enough to learn how it felt when he was getting ready for it. I continued going for my guillotine and I paid closer attention to the details I needed to correct. I felt better, I felt like I was playing a tighter game and was going to stop the sweep and get the choke. He went for the sweep, it was close but I balanced myself just enough to keep from going over...right before he immediately went the other way and came out the back door.

I still got swept, I still got tapped, but if I fail and try again enough times I won't get swept or tapped by the same things. That's part of the evolution of the game and that's why I love it.

New Forum to check out

My good friend, Brian Long, has just started a new forum for serious BJJ players. This forum is the perfect plae to get help and give feedack on BJJ techniques, and the mental aspect of the game.

For anyone interested in getting on a forum and getting real assistance from Black Belts and pro's, as well as just some great BJJ players, then go log on and register to :

www.jiujitsuunderground.com

William Campuzano (phalanx management fighter) WEC 135 lb fighter highlights

At the end of 2009, I was approached by William Campuzano, a fighter out of Dallas Texas, trained by Alan Mohler and George Prevalsky, and I was asked if I could be of assistance in his career. Will had some problems with people seeing all that he is capable of and wanting a piece of the action, and had some bad decisions made on his behalf, one of which cost him a spot in the WEC.

When William contacted me, I made a bold claim that I would have him in the WEC in a few months if I was to manage him. This is not a testament to my skills as a manager, but to Will's skills as a fighter. And after picking up a golden opportunity to fight on the main card in San Antonio against top 10 fighter, Damacio Page, Will was in the WEC!

His first fight didnt go as planned, as Damacio Page is a fighter that demands an entire camp to prepare, and Will had just over 2 weeks. As a game fighter, Campuzano stepped up to the plate. It was a short fight with Damacio ending it in a RNC, but for a brief flash, before he took Will down, the whole world had a chance to see Will stand in the pocket and unleash some dazzling strikes.

A few short months later, William put on Fight of the Night in a win over Coty "Ox" Wheeler. William is now training for his next challenge in the WEC and hopes to start picking up sponsors and to have more people take notice to what the MMA fans of Texas have been aware of for years!

For the Love of the Game....

I have been reading "A Fighter's Mind" by Sam Sheridan (see also A Fighter's Heart). In this particular book, Sheridan examines the inner workings of the mental aspect of training and fighting. He is searching for a "silver bullet" or ultimate edge for fighters that can be used to guarantee that they have the mental edge in combat.

The book contains interviews and with famous trainers such as Freddie Roach, Greg Jackson, and Ricardo Liborio, as well as interviews with some of the best fighters in the game. When it comes to the BJJ aspect, they chose one of the most acclaimed grapplers in the world in Marcelo Garcia.

Marcelo Garcia, if you have never seen or heard an interview with him or seen seminar footage, is one of the most approachable and friendliest guys in the sport. Aside from just seeming like a good guy, he is a terror on the mat. He has wins his division practically every time he competes in the Mundials and Abu Dhabi, and then gos out and usually places top 3 in Absolute in every tournament he competes in.

When asked the ever important question as to why he is so successful, Marcelo gives a rare and extremely refreshing answer; because he LOVES BJJ so much.

There is no "pro athlete" complex about it, he simply loves the game and devotes all his time thinking about it and wanting to improve out of pure desire to be involved in something that he has true passion for.

This became apparent to me yesterday.

I am the head Defensive Tactics instructor for the Permian Basin Regional Police Academy. Part of my main curriculum is Gracie Combatives and basic ground fighting. I love teaching this course and getting the students to a point where they can begin to "free-roll" and spar with each other.

Recently though, the students that come through the academy seem to lack "it". What is "it"? Well to me, in this instance, "it" is desire to compete. A desire to get physical and have a little bit of healthy aggression and physical challenge with another human being. There are students who do have this, and they are a breath of fresh air, as they are becoming few and far between.

This recent group has had a rash of "injuries" and some valid staph infections spreading due to lacking a sense of urgency to get in the shower (we even provide Defense Soap!). So due to the sickly ones in the group, I had the chance to get the rest of the group for 2 hours yesterday. For 2 hours we drilled some grappling guard flows, and then rolled with each other.

For the first time in a while, I actually had fun doing this class. I always like to teach, but what was different? Finally, for the first time in this whole academy, with this group, we all had fun training. There was no whining, not griping, just 12 people grappling and asking questions and wanting to improve. It was a great environment to be a part of.

So if you feel stagnant in training or like something is just a little stale, find some people that actually have real love for the game. Get away from the people who go because they wanna be cool, but don't want to work hard. Separate yourself from the people who come around because they have to, or they are just there because it is expected. Find a group, even just one other person, who has a genuine desire to improve, and you will see a a return in this investment.

Pressure Guard Passing and Postural Deviation : by Michael Jen

This article was emailed to me by Michael Jen from http://www.jenbjj.com/

Most Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners have heard the term "posture" most commonly used to refer to defensive positions when in an opponents closed guard or on the bottom of a pin or the mount. What must be understood is that posture really means the alignment of the body at every moment of every position. Therefore, postural alignment holds the key to not only understanding how to achieve maximum biomechanical strength, stability, and efficiency, but also how to take those qualities away from your opponent.

In order to understand this we need to first examine the ideal posture that serves as the original blueprint for the design of the human body in the standing position. From the front view, this consists of the center of the ankle, kne, hip, and shoulder joints being vertically aligned. In addition, the center of those 4 load joints on one side of the body should be horizontally aligned with the same joints on the opposite side of the body. Also, from the front view, the head and spine should be aligned with the center of the body. From the side view, the center of the ankle, knee, hip, and shoulder joint, in addition to ear, should be vertically aligned. This alignment should be the same when viewing the left and right side of the body.

If you were to draw a line from one joint to the joint that is either vertically above or below it and also the joint that is horizontally on the other side of it, those lines would form a 90-degree angle. If you examine the vertical alignment of the joints from the front and side view, in addition to the alignment of the spine from the front or back view, you will see that it is at a 90-degree angle to the Earth. So, if you look at the structural blue print for human posture, you will notice that it is based upon 90-degree angles.

When the alignment of the body begins to lose its 90-degree angles, what is created are known as postural deviations. The greater the number of deviations that occur and the farther from 90-degrees the angles, the weaker and the more structurally unstable the body becomes.

One of the most destructive postural deviations on the body is counter-rotation. Counter-rotation is when on side of the hips is rotated forward while at the same time, the opposite side of the torso is rotated forward. The more the upper and lower body are twisting in opposite directions, the weaker the body becomes. To comprehend how destructive counter-rotation is to the body, imagine doing a squat using a barbell loaded up with alot of weight with the upper and lower body severely twisted in opposite directions. It would be very clear that the greater the counter-rotation, the less weight it would take to make everything come crashing down.

For this exact reason, the application of counter rotation is an essential component to passing the guard with pressure. When an opponent is playing guard, he has the ability to use all his limbs against you at once. Power comes from the shoulders and hips working in unison. By applying counter rotation tot your opponents body, you are essentially severing the connection between those two sources of power. Once this disconnection occurs, all aspects of your opponents body weaken and it makes it that much easier to pass, and much more difficult to counter. Look at the guard passes that use pressure and see how the application of counter-rotation is an absolutely essential component.

2/23 Tournament Training Workout #2

12 KB Swings each arm

12 lat pulldowns

2 min on stair climber

12 KB Swings each arm

12 lat pulldowns

2 min on stairclimber

12 seated rows

10 explosive bar "punches" each arm

2 min on stairclimber

8 DB lateral raise each arm

10 upright rows

10 mph sprint on treadmill (400 m)

8 DB lateral raise each arm

10 upright rows

7.5 mph run (400 m)

This one wasnt too bad, just a constant push pull movement circuit. Stretching at the end was all dynamic stretches for triangles and sit-outs.

2/22 TOURNAMENT TRAINING WORKOUT #1

10 MINUTES STRETCHING

ON CABLE MACHINE - USE ROPE HANDLE FOR O GOSHI (LARGE HIP THROW) X 8 REPS EACH SIDE
30 LB KETTLEBELL SINGLE ARM SNATCH X 10 REPS EACH ARM
400 METER RUN

STRAIGHT LEG DEADLIFT X 10
EXPLOSIVE PUNCH ON BAR WITH 45 LB PLATE (PUSH FROM CHEST; BOTTOM OF BAR IS SET IN ANOTHER PLATE) X 8 REPS EACH ARM
400 METER RUN

25 SWISS BALL CRUNCHES
10 SWISS BALL SQUATS AGAINST THE WALL
400 METER RUN

REPEAT 2 MORE TIMES

This was a hard one. I tried to maintain between 6.5 and 9 mph on the treadmill. This was a good one to get back in shape and get ready for spring/summer submission tournaments.

Patience

Today I had a rolling session with two of my BJJ students, Mollie Porter and Caleb Hudson. They are both white belts, but Caleb is literally a week away from his blue. They both just worked out of basic positions and primarily focused on re-gaining the half guard and working to a sweep.

Mollie was under Caleb after regaining half guard from the side mount. She lowered her head in and tucked into his legs while shooting her bottom arm under the legs to grab the hips. When she did this, she worked up some momentum and tried to roll over for the sweep (diaper grab as I call it). When it did not work, although she used the right technique, Mollie became very agitated and said that she cant seem to do something as we are coaching her through it.

This is a very common problem for most everyone who has ever rolled. The key to making a move work, outside of correct technique, is just repitition.

Do you have a particular move that you know would get a sweep, submission, or better control, but when you do it, it doesnt seem to work?

DONT GIVE UP ON THE MOVE!

Caleb had an insightful remark today in which he said, "did you get a Kimura the first time you ever tried it? Probly not, but you didnt just throw it out."

This is a basic philosophy for BJJ that will benefit any practitioner. You need a drill or positional scenario to do that move over and over until it feels comfortable....and then do it about 100 more times!

A good example of this from both top and bottom perspective is:

You are in top side mount position and move to twister side control. You are keeping the hips blocked with your outside arm and keeping a frame on the opponents arm with your elbow in the armpit. With him struggling, slowly sneak in a north/south choke (monson choke) to submit.

If you force this move, you will not only lose the submission, but you have a great potential to get rolled to your back and he will then gain side mount without any resistance.

Bottom man:

Slow steady shrimping movements and protect the outside arm. If it takes fifty small moves to shrimp and sit-up to reverse the position, then so be it.

Dont be afraid to be caught in a bad spot. Work through your position in as much time as you need. If it takes 10 minutes to get out, then next time, try to get out in 9, then 8, and so on.

- Keep on the Path

Position over submission

When I first got into BJJ, it was all about the submissions. Sweeps and escapes were something cool that were only necessary to know, if you ever got caught in a bad spot. If you had never been put in a bad situation, you didn't really want to spend the time preparing for it when until after it had happened.

A great majority of the time was spent scouring the internet and images in books for new submissions and the "how-to" videos on Youtube or in the newest issue of Grappling Magazine (now known as Ultimate MMA Magazine).

Forget about learning hook sweeps, or how to better control from knee on belly. Lets learn how to do the triangle to omoplata with modified toe-hold!!

Since I have gotten older, and hopefully a lot wiser, I have learned that one of the most beneficial tools to your game (second to escapes/defense), is positional control. This has become my most preached lesson, and my greatest asset in grappling practice/matches/police scenarios/and practical application in the street.

The problem with this is easily evident in the opinion of some grappling enthusiasts, who, when watching a video of someone doing this on Youtube (I am namely referring to a match of myself against a much larger - 6'6 320 lb BJJ blue belt), the critic went on an on about me not capitalizing on my dominant position. His argument was that if you are in dominant position, you are not actually winning and demonstrating real BJJ skill unless you submit the person.

COME ON PEOPLE!!

Lets not forget that if you are on top of someone in side mount or mount, moving to north south or knee on belly, you are winning! Gracie Jiu-Jitsu teaches us in its basic philosophies that you must first gain dominance to be effective. From that point, your goal should be to maintain that dominant position and not let the person get on top of you. The trade of in some cases are usually the BJJ practitioner in top position giving up his dominant position in favor of a failed arm-bar or another "forced" submission, in which the bottom man has now reversed you for a better position.

Remember these main points next time you are rolling:
- Position over submission
- Use your positioning and top game to exhaust the opponent
- Let him dictate the submission i.e. don't force the submission, instead, let him work himself into a bad spot and capitalize on his mistake

Incorporate this into a drill by getting with your partner and have him work from a bad position for 1 round, and do the top 2-3 defensive counters. At each counter, change position in a "slow roll" manner. If he can sweep you or get up, then you must be on the bottom for 10 minutes. If you get where you can maintain top control during transitions and position changes, then have your opponent on bottom start to give you "submission indicators". These can be as simple as putting the arm up that gives away an arm-bar, or turning belly down to give up the back. This should help foster good reactions to these movements, which are signs that you must be able to key-off on to capitalize on the mistake of the opponent.

Please leave comments and questions. Especially if you are having a hard time identifying the "cues" that your opponent is giving that signal when to attack the submission.



-Keep on The Path