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Archive for April, 2012

Blue Belt Week 20, April 27, 2012

Posted in Jiu Jitsu, tagged , , , , on April 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This week during randori, throwing sparring, I had a hard time moving around my opponent.  Getting the opponent to move is a precurser to a good throw.  I need to get clear in my mind where to move my opponent, and to be prepared for the right throw. I will start training, focusing, more on trying to control the movement.

Probably just a dream goal, I wouldn’t mind putting on 10 lbs of muscle.  This would require weight lifting. In conjunction with the weight lifting I would take a muscle supplement. I found a product that claims to help rebuild muscle tissue lost from aging, ensure with revigor. It is sold at cvs and walgrens. When I can’t win with technique, I like the power side. I used to have great curl strength about 12 years ago.

I’m looking for a meditation instructor or a group. I wasn’t impressed with what I found locally, south Florida. I admit that I didn’t put a lot of effort into my search. I may try something via skype.

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Blue Belt Week 19, April 20, 2012

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The morning after lesson 8, guillotine defense no. 1, I had a bruise on my left elbow. How? I was thrown four times to my left side. Apparently, I was late on the break fall slap. My elbow struck the ground first. My error was not practising my left side fall enough. Also, I had the same problem when I was put in a standing head lock from my left side and I had to defend against the punch with my left hand. As a blue belt, we need to practise being attacked from the left as much as from the right side.

Something important I learned on the blue belt journey. To stay fit for Jiu Jitsu training; especially, if your older like me,  you need to train within logical limits.  If you are injuried in a fundamental class, why push your body’s limit and go to a sparring class the next day?, the same with throwing class? If your back is injuried, why risk getting thrown?  It is okay to wait a few days. Heal up so that you can keep coming back. 

Since I created my 2012 jiu jitsu goals back in January, I have changed my blue belt training goals. I attend all the fundamental classes; however,  I am only attending one class a week of either
throwing or sparring. Throwing and sparring in the same week is a lot of wear and tear on the body to do both.  Sometimes I don’t know my body state until the next morning. Second, I am avoiding advanced class to focus on fundamentals class, at least until the Helio Gracie Tournament in October. My goal is to make it to the second round. If I make my goal, I will start taking advance classes regularly.

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Blue Belt Week 18, April 13, 2012 Mata Leon

Posted in Jiu Jitsu, tagged , , , , , on April 13, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Mata Leon. In Portuguese and Spanish, it means lion kill.  This is a very powerful choke.   I don’t know the japanese word for it.   The Mata Leon is when you get your arm in a vice grip around the throat and squeeze until unconsciousness.  The other arm blocks the opponent from escaping.   How romantic.   During this weeks fundamental class while relearning this move, Lesson 6, I had a flashback.   When I was a kid, Norm Miller,  http://www.judoinc.com/main/ji/Judo7.htm, invited another Judo club to our dojo for an in-house tournament.   This was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1978.   In the tournament, I defeated my opponent with the mata leon.   I wasn’t able to win with a throw.   The referee stopped the match.  The other kid was holding his throat and crying.  I felt bad about the crying.  They gave me a trophy.

A week later, at school, St. Mary’s, Elm Grove, Wisconsin, I had told someone about my judo win.  On the playground, my friends were asking me to try the mata leon out on them.  “Please..please..try it out on me,” they asked me.  I totally didn’t want to do it.   After a lot of nagging by this kid named, Danny Lipscome,  I gave in.  I put the choke on him.   He turned red, started choking, tears came running down his face.  I let him go.  He ran off as soon as I let him go.     A few minutes later, two nuns marched from across the parking lot and stopped right in front of me.  They were not pleased.  ” To the Office. Right Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  one screamed at me.   They wanted to expel me.   My mother was a teacher at St. Mary’s.  I told them I would NEVER do that again.   I was let off with a very stern warning.

 

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Blue Belt Week 17, April 6, 2012

Posted in Jiu Jitsu, tagged on April 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

On Friday, I paired up with a 6-5 and 290 lb guy in the fundamentals class. Remember I’m 6 ft and 168lbs. It was the same person from last week. Actually, this is a good experience. Until last week, I was always matched up with someone of similar size. Today, I asked him his actual height and weight instead of my bad guess from last week. During the previous lesson review, we practiced the sucker punch defense from the fundamental lesson 10. Essentially, you block the sucker punch, it then goes into a hip throw. I was able to lift him off the floor with my hip throw. I didn’t do the complete throw. He started yelling because its not very often a 290 pound man is lift off the floor.

We also practiced the sucker punch defense from the standing head lock, lesson 3. I could barely reach around his body to grab his punching arm. These size problems would occur if I fought someone of his size in the street.

Let’s face it. If someone is going to bully you, he’s going to be big, strong, or a trained fighter, not likely someone your own size.

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