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Dojo Life

There are numerous reasons to train in jujitsu. Some, like self-defense and fitness, are obvious. Others, like gaining mental toughness and camaraderie, are more subtle. One that new student Michael (nickname to be determined) and I were recently discussing is that, without fail, you will find yourself laughing, at least once, during the course of a class. It might just be at your own foibles but often it's something said during the training or related rolls. Examples from the past couple classes:

Mega Chris (immediately after being choked out by Sempai Ryan): I could feel myself being put to sleep. 

Myself: Sempai Ambien.

Sensei (while demoing a one-handed kesa hold as Sempai Ryan worked to escape): He's pretty scooty. 

Myself to Michael (while rolling with Michael): Position before submission. And don't keep banging your head against the wall. 

Sensei to Michael (after Michael caught one in the mouth): How are your teeth? Are they loose or just bleeding?

Myself to Special Ed (as he 'attacked' me with a club as we practiced Club - Osoto Gari): You're attacking me with a club - not handing me a candle.

Special Ed: I've never attacked anyone with a club before.

Sensei to myself (after the first roll we've had in a long time due to his knee surgery): The good news for you is that my stamina is still not there. The bad news for you is that my knee feels fine.

I'd call that last quote a forewarning. 

It was very nice to be back in the dojo on Thursday and Saturday after missing a couple classes due to a schedule conflict and the flu. The classes were well-attended and the training was a nice variety of group instruction, working with new students, practicing the high charts and getting in some rolls. As I went with Osoto Gary today, I knew that technique and experience are definitely king. On a level playing field in these areas, I assume that Osoto Gary would overwhelm me with his size and strength. Having about a year longer in the dojo currently gives me enough of an advantage (although that lessens with each week) to manage him most times. It's a testament to the technique that this is possible. 

On Thursday, I got viciously choked out by Mega Chris (on a clock choke) but held my own the next time around. Today, I rolled with Sensei for a long while before he put me away with a heel hook. Joel and I traded tapouts. I caught him on basically a mount/tatsumaki and he answered with a kesa/kesa garami.

Looking forward to the UFC tonight. Maybe Nate Diaz will submit Clay Guida. That would make my night. 

Helio Gracie Dead At 95

Flujitsu

This season's version of flu nastiness has kicked my butt for a couple days and will keep me out of the dojo tonight. So here are some assorted jujitsu-related thoughts:

Affliction: Dan Lauzon knows jujitsu and Bobby Green knows kicks to the groin. Result: Lauzon by RNC. Babalu knows serious jujitsu and Sokoudjou knows judo. Result: Babalu by d'arce choke. Josh Barnett knows grappling and Gilbert Yvel knows kick boxing. Result: Barnett by tapout due to strikes. 

WEC: Danillo Villefort knows judo and jujitsu while Mike Campbell knows striking. Result: Villefort almost get a knee bar, tosses Campbell and finishes him with unanswered strikes from the back. Jamie Varner knows striking and Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone knows jujitsu. Result: Varner via controversial stoppage. 

Those were the jujitsu-oriented fights that I saw this past weekend. There's a good chance to see some submissions during this weekend's UFC with the likes of B.J. Penn, Lyoto Machida, Nate Diaz, Thiago Tavares and Matt Arroyo on the card. 

Some links of interest:

• How I feel when rolling with Sempai Kenny
• Location for 2009 Kobukai Bash 
• Barack is a martial artist 
• What is the best martial art for police officers? 
• Lightning Ju-Jitsu!
• What Army rank would a BJJ belt equal?   

Jujitsu Ramblings

It's been a few days since I've updated this blog as life zooms along in all directions. I've been able to get to three classes a week which has actually contributed to the difficulty of finding the time and energy to sit down and compose something. The classes continue to be pretty well attended despite the harsh winter and the crew always provides an entertainment value that can't be matched by television fare. Here are some recent happenings and thoughts about class:

• Purple foot: Mikey Boy is a newer student. Another big dude who has the potential to be a real terror once his training catches up with his size. I'm not sure if Mikey Boy will stick as an official nickname. I'm considering it a working title based on the 'Tommy Boy'-like mark he picked up on his face a couple weeks ago. This week his injury is a banged up foot which is multi-colored with purple being the most prominent. He's gimped into class and done a nice job of gritting his teeth and doing everything he possibly can. He's been concerned that going outside to stick his foot in the snow to deaden the pain might be considered less than gutty. I advised him that it was quite the opposite. Coming to class and working through the nagging injuries was considered admirable. Purple foot? Hmmm? Maybe Barney would be a good nickname.
• The return of Special Ed: This new white belt student is back from what sounded like the most excruciatingly painful kidney stone ordeal. He had really significant struggles with his stamina in early classes but is ebbing toward fitness. Sempai Jake did advise him in the last class in Tom Hanks-esque fashion that, "There's no getting tired in jujitsu!".
• Judgment: During a recent class, Sensei had the blue belts, including myself, working through parts of the charts from white to blue. It was the first time in a long while that I felt like we were being judged on our progress. It was a good refresher and a reminder that we need to be sharp at all the levels while learning the newer techniques.
• LCL tear: I've been wearing protective knee braces to class the past few months after my left knee took a bashing while taking a landing on a harai goshi. I've been tempted to take them off since they're bulky and slow me down - and I'm not cat-like to begin with. I've decided to bear with them after hearing about Caleb (of TheFightworksPodcast.com) tearing his LCL while warming up for class. I know the braces are no guarantee but I sense they've given me some small level of protection (and I'll happily take that).
• Affliction and WEC: Big fights on tonight with the Fedor/Arlovski battle the big test. Fedor has an invincible aura in the MMA world and it's exciting to watch a phenom in their prime. That said, I'm going to be cheering for the Pit Bull.It will be interesting to see how the former UFC champion fares against Fedor.
• The other things: I've felt very humbled in watching some recent jujitsu video of myself and in training with my blue belt partners, Joelbow and Big Dave. I'm about as far from dynamic as a 'jujitsu player' can get. The film of me was actual speed but it appeared that it might have been slow motion. The other night, I was practicing a sumi geashi on Big Dave and, as I was upcoming over to land in mount, he caught my legs in his hands and just threw me right back over to the mat. Later in class, Big Dave was performing a sukui nage on Joelbow and tossing him away towards his back. This version of sukui nage can have a  tough landing made even worse by how high and far Big Dave can toss you. Joel was actually rotating his body in the air and landing on his feet. So these are my primary training partners. The huge and very strong Big Dave and the ultra-athletic Joelbow. I'm not going to be able to 'out athlete' these guys to keep pace with them in training. I'm going to have to be more devoted to class, train extra on my witness and concentrate on knowing the techniques.We'll see.
• Birthday buddies: BJJ legend Rickson Gracie just turned 50 as I will soon. His reputed competition record is 400-0. I probably haven't even been to 400 jujitsu classes yet. We couldn't be further apart in ability, reputation and accomplishments but I did take some heart in hearing about the fact that our ages were so close. I understand that he still trains and even dominates BBJ champions of this era during their sessions. I guess there's life in jujitsu after 50.
• Life is like a box of chocolates: At Tuesday's class, Sensei led the warm-ups and put us through a session of yoga. On Thursday, Mega Chris led class and the set of exercises included doing a sort of hand-stand against the wall and then moving your hands along to move across the dojo. One never know what one might see inside that place.

No class for me today as I have basketball coaching to do. I'll hope to be watching the fights tonight and to see a nice judo throw or jujitsu submission.

Bartitsu

Ishin Ryu Ju-Jitsu Black Belt

Winter Jujutsu

It's that time of year where we trudge across the ice and snow to the dojo door and leave our boots at the entrance. The kerosene heater takes the worst bite out of the frigid air but the mats and my muscles are a little stiffer. The warm-ups are as much for warming up the air inside the dojo as they are to loosen us up for class. There was a smallish class on Tuesday which means I got lots of focused instructions and lots of reps.  

Sempai Jake/Jujutsu: Sensei asked Sempai Jake to work me through the Jujutsu section of the blue belt chart. I can sense that Joelbow and I need to begin getting these down. During the summer the dojo was focused on belt test preparation and, in the aftermath of the tests,  there was almost a ebb in the energy level. Some new guys began to join, Sensei had knee surgery, summer vacations ended and work ramped up and the buzz in the energy in the dojo needed to rebuild with the tests complete. Now with the annual bash past and the new year started, it's time to settle in and do the work. The jujutsu portion of the chart has ten techniques. Some came relatively easy last night while others were a struggle. Surprisingly, my Front Hug - Harai Goshi worked decently. In contrast, I needed lots of step-by-step, remedial instruction on the Soto Makikomi. I was rolled through on this like a Sumi Geashi and ending up landing on Sempai Jake's head. It's not a great idea to land repeatedly on a black belt's head. That's more than just bad karma.

Special Ed/Ura Nage & Osoto Gari: After working through the ten jujutsu techniques with Sempai Jake, I was switched over to work on a couple white belt throws with our newest student, Special Ed. He's very new, very raw and coming off kidney stone surgery. I feel for him as his rolls look pain full, his fitness makes it a struggle to get up and down and the techniques are both perplexing and a strain. It does remind me of how trying my first classes were and how far along I've been able to come since then. We worked through Ura Nage and he did okay aside from having me land on him about half the time. The Osoto Gari seemed better for him although he was, not surprisingly, looking to muscle it too much. He hung in there through both of these and gave me some hope that he's going to be okay. 

Joelbow/Newaza: I rolled with Joelbow and tested quite a few things. We stopped from time to time to try out some variations we'd seen along the way. Joelbow is very athletic but I was doing a decent job getting some submission chances and keeping him off me when underneath. What I wasn't doing was controlling him and I was having to work hard to keep a knee in and my hips north and south with his. During a break in the action, I suggested to Joelbow a strategy for beating me more easily. I told him that I didn't think it was to his advantage to work slowly to get in a grip battle with me. I told him that I thought his advantage over me his athleticism and the speed of his transitions. I felt it would be to his advantage to keep things flowing because it played to his strengths and I wouldn't be able to keep up. He then went out and caught me with pretty much that exact strategy. I wasn't sure if it was stupid to give him that insight but it seemed like I should. Now it will force me to improve and create an approach to pull him into my game. 

Chris Moriarty

Yoko Tomoe Nage

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