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Blue Belt Week 70, April 19, 2013

April 19, 2013 by Jason

I’m a bit delusional about my abilities. However, I keep having a reoccurring thought, ” Extreme training will give extreme results.” I think that statement is generally true. Not sure where I heard that.

Here’s the rundown. I went to fundamentals class on Monday. It was good to review the move, throw back from the guard. It is when the opponent, while in your guard, decides to stand up. When they do this, unhook the legs, hips on the floor, grab their ankles, and push then down with the knees. I think that would be useful in a fight. We then worked on a sleeve choke.

On Tuesday, I went to advanced grappling taught by Professor Pedro. I would say that doing a Kimora and an Americana is slowly becoming a habit. We learned a new arm bar, new to me, from the side mount. I had a good partner and extra help from Black belt, so I think it will be remembered.

This weekend was a seminar with Rickson Gracie at headquarters. Regretfully, I wasn’t able to attend. That reminds me to rewatch the documentary movie featuring Rickson “, Choked.” Every student of BBJ should watch it. The documentary was on YouTube the last time I checked. Bbj cult film.

Longevity. High Dosages of Omega Three Fish Oil. I am basically experimenting on myself. I would like for my mind to be more stable, hopefully repaired. I have been reading the healing power of the brain if it has the right materials, omega 3, fish oil. So, I increased my dosage from 1 gram to 10 grams a day. Since I started, I feel better mentally.

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Blue Belt Week 69, April 12, 2013

April 12, 2013 by Jason

Tuesday grappling class went well. We worked on submissions. Professor Pedro showed us the Clock choke, a.ka. the baseball bat choke.

On Wednesday, aside from Jiu Jitsu, I went to a mixed intermediate advanced yoga class. We did some advanced back bend which I wasn’t ready to do. I setup wrong. Just like in Jiu Jitsu I need to communicate better that I was not ready for this. Etc.

Come Thursday, full body shutdown. Last week, I bought a new mattress and I haven’t slept well. My back was sore but in my middle back. REALIZATION, I’m pushing myself to much. Go go go. never stop mentality. I’m not honoring my body, it needs to rest, no working out or hard labor at least one or two days during the week. I spent the day on my back feeling run down. Ice. hot pad. inversion table. I was looking forward today but tired and slightly injured could result in nothing productive.

Self development. A few months ago, I became aware that I constantly complain about other people. Non stop. My mind was over run by negativity all the time. So, I read a few articles and listened to a few videos on how to stop complaining. Nothing fully addressed the problem. So, I took this info and created a mantra, a kind of mental program to reprogram my mind. I know that may sound werid. This is what you do. When you first wake up, Say the following 108 times or the first time you get in your car. While reciting the mantra, think about the people you find fault with. This is the mantra: ” I will not find fault with others. Instead I will focus on solutions and gratitude.” I have the idea that after saying this mantra once a day for three weeks, it will become a habit.

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Blue Belt Week 68, April 2, 2013. Fear Can Stop Your Development

April 6, 2013 by Jason

It has been along time since I sparred. I had avoided sparring because of injury and an over competitiveness, actually, a fear of losing. I had played a bad game. What mattered was that I was in the game. I had my butt kicked by a teen, apparently he trained at the dojo through the kid program, a South Beach bouncer, an ex division one college wrestler, and another ex division three college wrestler. I had been arm barred six times and choked a few times. I’m obviously doing something wrong and repeatedly. My goal was to survive, not to take this serious, this was a game, and I was taking it easy by conserving energy. I was getting mounted and my opponent would get up in my arm pits at least four times. There were two arm bars where they sat on my chest. I kept trying to pass the guard without breaking the guard legs. That didn’t work at all. I was getting pinned and smoothered. I tried not to panic and remained calm. When it was over, I wasn’t injured and my ego was less competitive so I would call this a good day.

I did the advanced class before sparring. We did reflex striking defense drills. Professor Gui explained ” It is a miss conception that Jiu Jitsu is only grappling. Stay far. Use the side kick. Hopefully with your back to a wall.” I know going to the floor in a bar sometimes there is broken glass on the floor, and concrete is definitely not my first choice. I lucked out and partner with a judo black belt whose a brown belt in jiu jitsu. Also, he had some boxing skills. We worked on striking defense, something I needed to work on and a throw. We did some unscheduled randori. I was thrown left, right, and center. We both wanted to do some judo. I liked working out with opponents that have skills. That will make my skill level develop quickly. The combination of this class and sparring, I felt that I’m beginning to really learn how to fight, not that I need to learn.
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Blue Belt Week 67, March 28, 2013 Using Body Weight

March 31, 2013 by Jason

For this month, the most important lesson I learned from the advanced grappling class was to use your own body weight to pin your opponent. I learned that when I wrestled in high school, but, could have done it more. Professor Pedro wanted this drilled into our minds. He called it, melting on to your opponent.

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Blue Belt Week 66, March 22, 2013

March 22, 2013 by Jason

Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Politeness, Honesty, Honor, and Loyalty

Rectitude, Courage, Benevolence, Politeness, Honesty, Honor, and Loyalty

Do you know the Seven Principles Of A True Warrior? The seven principles are on a wall at headquarters.  I almost have them memorized word for word.  With some discipline, I found an easy method to memorize them.   Here is how:  Learn one sentence at a time by saying the word and repeating the definition 108 times out loud. For example, say out loud, “Rectitude: Doing what is right without regard to the consequences.”  The next day, ” Courage: Inner strength to resist opposition.” 108 times. The next day, ” Benevolence: Disposition to do good.” 108 times. “Politeness/Propriety: Proper consideration and courtesy to others.” The next day,  ” Honesty/sincerity: Genuine integrity in character and action.”  ” Honor: profound respect and ethical conduct.” Finally,” Loyalty: faithful in allegiance.”  By the end of the week, you will have memorized the seven principles word for word.   Once, learned try to say the principles once a week to keep it fresh in the mind.  This is something I don’t want to forget.  Jiu Jitsu is away to leave behind the old bad you, and create a new good better you; well, that is what I want my training to be. 

October was the last time I attended an Advance class. Half the class were brown belts.  I felt like the waterboy. I kept quiet while they chatted before class. They have known each other for years. I made the mistake of pairing up with a fellow blue belt who was trying to learn the lesson for the first time.  In the fundamental’s class, I know what is going on but in the advance class, I am the waterboy.  I was struggling to learn a spinning armbar from the guard.  Next advance class, I will try to pair up with a brown belt.   There are a lot of lessons to be learned in Advanced.  Wow, another mountain to climb.  This was lesson 33.  I know that jiu jitsu is mostly experience and very little book learning; however,  I need a notebook.

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Blue Belt Week 65, March 15, 2012.

March 16, 2013 by Jason

In our life, a lot of present time goes un noticed. I’m trying to live in the moment. Right now. Not the past. Not the future. There is little benefit in dwelling in past memories. There is little benefit in worrying about the future. The eteneral present which is really the only time there is.

As we lined up to bow to our professor on Friday’s fundamental class, I was the highest ranking belt, a first time experience. However, a little later, a purple belt and a brown belt showed up late. I didn’t feel conformtable being the one being looked up too, not yet. I thought to myself of my very first class which was a distant memory and here I am now. For me, the joy of the journey isn’t the final destination, black belt, but the journey to it.

Longevity. I am now taking vitamin D3. I was shocked to read that 100 million Americans, out of 300, are vitamin d deficient. A chronic low level could lead to cancer. Your body needs direct sunlight to make it. So, if you don’t get out in the sun very often, you should get tested. You body needs vitamin D for skeleton and muscle health. You need a blood test to know the actual level.

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Blue Belt Week 64, March 8, 2013

March 10, 2013 by Jason

I had a great class on Tuesday, the advanced grappling. We worked on a pin and a technique to maintain it. I am feeling confident I could keep the Russian strongman pinned with the technique we just learned, unless he out smarted me. It is a fact that Russian’s are great fans of chess which jiu jitsu is similar. I have to depend on technique. Professor Pedro is going to teach the nine pins in the coming weeks which is something I knew about when I was a kid, they didnt teach everything at onetime, but wanted to learn but didn’t. So, I am looking forward to the coming weeks. That was the only class I could make because of the flu. I got it from my kids.

Anti aging stuff. I wouldn’t recommend Flex-a-min double strength, glucosamine. I’m now trying Kirkland Glucosamine HCI 1500mg with MSM 1500mg, 375 tablets, 2 times a day. This has 3x MSM than flexamin and it was 3 tablets a day. Side note, Costco, besides selling cheapest gas in the area, they have great supplements at low prices.

I started taking two baby aspirin, Kirkland, 162 mg, at bed time. There are some risks which you should consult a doctor before starting this.

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Blue Belt Week 63, March 1, 2013 Workout With A Heavy Weight Pro Wrestler

March 5, 2013 by Jason

Have you ever seen a strong man competition? Why would a strong man want to learn Gracie Jiu Jitsu? Well, on Friday, I partnered up in the fundamental class with a Ukrainian strong man, well; that was what it felt like. I estimated he was over 275 lbs and thin, 6-5, a miss match of more than 100 pounds.   He had wrestled in Russia and had some judo experience.  During the review, he did a hip throw where I felt like I was being launched to the ceiling.  After that review,  I was trying to do a bear hug from the front but he put me in a guillotine choke.  I didn’t explain what I was doing very well.  Because of the grip, I knew I was too late for defense 1 so I went to guillotine defense 2.  Fail.  I couldn’t get my fingers in between his forearms.  I started tapping.  Then we moved on to another series of moves, he practiced passing the guard but not any move I had seen. I had him in the guard.  He slightly lifted me and chopped my thighs, stacked me, then chest to chest.  With more than 275 lbs on my chest, I was firmly glued to the floor.  Right then and there, I knew he had wrestling experience.  He did a side mount, to a full mount, and into a stealth arm bar, gg gitani.  I was impressed for someone so large how well he executed the moves.   From there, he wanted to work on Kimuras from the side mount.  That was when he started messing with me. It reminded me when I was in high school where the coach would make the heavy weight wrestlers practice with the light weights.  The heavy weight wrestlers loved to torture the light weights.  He did a Kimura but pretended he couldn’t feel my tapping or hear me. I thought my arm was going to snap so I started shouting right in front of the instructors as they laughed. He stopped but I was fully panicked.  Review ended and we moved onto the lesson plan.

We learned a few moves.  A two finger and thumb collar choke from behind.  My choke hand wasn’t a problem but bring his arm behind his head to rest my back hand on his neck was a problem.  It wouldn’t have been easy.  It was better for my free hand to grab the other side of the gi.  If you don’t, the opponent could turn into you while doing the choke and get free on top of you.   Also, we learned a standing foot lock.  He had trouble getting his biceps around the leg over the foot; however, his grab of the leg didn’t matter because I believe he could break someones leg without having the proper technique.

Over all, it was a good experience.

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Blue Belt Week 62, February 22, 2013

February 25, 2013 by Jason

Due to shoulder problems, I have to make some changes to my training schedule.  Sometimes I forget, or want to forget, that I am 44 years old and not 24. Without any doubt, it is very important to be warmed up before sparring. If not, I shouldnt do it. For the next two weeks, I want to take fundamental classes only. For now, I will stay away from sparring and throwing until I am healthy.

I added vitamin c and saint John’s wort to my daily pill schedule. Also, I learned how to prepare green tea the right way. The way I prepared green tea before was barely drinkable and I wasnt getting the benefit.

I had to cool it down on the weight lifting. It is frustrating to move forward then to get set back.

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Blue Belt Week 61, February 15, 2013. Third Stripe

February 11, 2013 by Jason

This week I earned my third stripe which put me in a good mood. I hadn’t been in a while. I’m getting closer to purple belt.

In the advanced grappling class, my practice partner was a purple belt from Russian. After that class, I had to sit out a few days of training because of a knee sprain and sore shoulder. I hope he left there in the same condition. For the record, I don’t like training like that where I get injured, or I injure someone needlessly. I will avoid working out with him.

I added two new supplements, Dhea 50mg a day, coQ10, and started drinking matcha green tea.

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