That Really Cool Move I Learned Last Week But Can't Remember Now

"He has forgotten more techniques than most of us will ever know in our lifetime!" I have heard this said about some of the masters of BJJ before. What a great compliment to pay somebody; I hope people could say this about me someday. Of course, what this saying implies is that the practitioner knows a great deal about BJJ.

As a 'young' blue belt (experience, not age-wise), you could say this statement about me in reference to some people -- those who come to a few classes and never come back. But as time go on, and I spend more and more hours on the mats, I am no longer the new guy in the gym. People come in who are bigger and stronger than I, and I am able to control them because I have learned technique. So now occasionally (only occasionally!) you could say that I have forgotten more BJJ techniques than somebody presently knows. As time goes on, and I leave more sweat, blood, and tears on the mat, I hope that this statement will become more and more true.

What originally got me thinking about this subject is the fact that I have gone to many seminars, many of them two to four hours in length, and I remember very little of what I was taught in the seminars. Of course, one reason is that I have not drilled the techniques enough. I give up on some techniques too easily. But I think the main reason is the sheer abundance of the material. Usually when I go to a seminar, I learn many techniques, but there will be one or two things that really change my game, and I am okay with that.

There are so many techniques that I will never learn them all, but I can think of one simple thing to improve in this area: taking notes. Whether it is a four hour seminar or 30 minutes of instruction in class, it is very easy to jot a few things down to jog my memory. Of course it would be better to be described as a walking encyclopedia of jiu jitsu techniques, but that comes slowly. I think that writing techniques down would be one of the means to that end. I have been told by instructors before that I should be writing things down, but I have just never done it. I also have friends who tell me that they should be journaling their BJJ techniques, but I don't see anybody doing it consistently.

So when you see me scribbling during class, that is what I am doing. I will check back in and present my findings, whether I notice a change right away, or whether it is something that takes place over months or years

A Great Opportunity

I found myself very frustrated this past weekend as I returned from my vacation. My return flight was scheduled to arrive in Columbus at 9:15 pm on Friday night, and I had plans to go to Six Flags the very next morning with my childhood friend, Jonathan Perkins. This is something we do every year, but this time I had scheduled things a little too tight, because I was held up in Customs and did not make it in to Columbus until the next day. Rather than rush our time at King's Island, we decided to reschedule.

Since I was not going to make it to my fun day with Jonathan, I decided to snag one of the last spots at the Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu, hosted by Ohio Combat Sports Academy. I was familiar with Cyborg from BJJ magazine articles and countless posts on the internet, and I was excited to have a session with him in person. There was a good turnout to the seminar despite it's rather steep admission price, and the training was solid. Although I have already forgotten many of the things I was shown, I am confident that I learned several things that will be game-changing for me (and perhaps Dave Freetage will re-teach me some of the things I have forgotten over the next several months).

Perhaps greater than the techniques themselves, Cyborg gave an address to the attendees. Painting a picture with quite colorful language and vivid stories, the professor preached a literal BJJ sermon. He talked at length about growing up and training without a BJJ teacher, his faith in God, and the current state of BJJ. He emphasized that people should respect the more graduated members of the team not because they have a higher rank, but because they have earned respect. Ultimately, according to the master, BJJ is not about the techniques you do, but rather how you do them, and even more importantly, who you are. I think that Cyborg achieved his goal; he shared some techniques with us, but he also did a great job of sharing who he is.

A Bad Ending to a Great Week

Well, the week of jiu jitsu ended on a sour note. Class tonight was led by Delvin Reyes, who is an excellent purple belt, and we worked on an escape from mount, and then a transition into the technical stand from guard (from earlier this week), followed by a very tight arm bar. This was followed by a session of "king of the hill", but it was stopped short in the very first round by an accidental knee to the face of a Canadian gym member who will probably require stitches. I am very grateful to Tomas "Papo" Sone and all of the guys at Jiu Jitsu de la Costa for allowing me to come and train this week. It's definitely a bittersweet time to leave these men and women that I have spent hours on the mats with. Even though we are separated by many language and cultural barriers, I truly feel that jiu jitsu is a bond that transcends all these barriers. This week, I feel as if I have been among family.

Kite Surfing

Today I took an hour intro to kite surfing with my wife, Beth. Unfortunately, the intro did not involve any surfing, rather it focused on the kiting. These kites are huge, many six to seven meters long, but the practice kites are only 1.5 meters long. Even the small practice kite is good for teaching us the principles used control the kite, and the practice kite can still pull quite a bit of force. It is not quite enough to pull you down off your feet, but it can definitely destabilize you and require you some effort to stay on your feet.

My kite surfing instructor told me the same command that I frequently here in Brazilian jiu-jitsu: Relax! Controlling a kite can involve heavy, sudden forces if they are performed correctly, but most of the time controlling a kite really depends on finesse, or more fine movements. I see the same principle in BJJ: Technique rules! Yes, sometimes we can force something, or "muscle" through a position, but the same movement will be more effective (and less exhausting) if we use the correct technique and apply the forces correctly. I look forward to a few more days of kite surfing, and I will take this advice to heart while I am here, but I also hope to carry this lesson with me back to Ohio: Relax, relax, relax!

Pushing Myself

I went to the gym this morning for a quick 4th of July strength & conditioning session. One of the components of the training today was the push press. We don 't do push presses very often in our gym, but I find them very beneficial. The push press is essentially a shoulder press with a little cheat from the legs. The push press is a good exercise in it's own right, but it is not as effective in isolating the shoulders as a strict press. I find the biggest benefit of the push press to be psychological, however. Because I am using the legs, I am able to push more weight overhead. Mentally I feel more prepared when I go back to doing strict presses, because I am accustomed to seeing heavier weight go overhead.<Br><Br>I believe that this same principle applies to other areas of my life as well. When I push myself to do hard things - things I would not normally be able to do - then I am able to do more hard things. This is a simple principle, but there is a simple beauty to this truth. As my coach, Dave Clancy, has told me, "You can do more than you think."

Grappling Takedown Development and Dental Treatment

Photo Credit: Dave Freetage

As as grappler, takedowns are a very important skill. Another important related skill is takedown defense. Takedowns are critical because this is often the point at which one individual begins to dominate the fight. When I take someone down, this often becomes the pivotal point at which I begin to control my opponent. I have been focusing on my takedown technique for several months now, but this is still a set of skills where I am in deep need of further development. A successful takedown can often expend an extreme amount of energy, especially when one's opponent is skilled at takedown defense. At first glance, takedowns may appear to be simple or easy, but one does not become truly skilled at takedowns until s/he spends hours upon hours practicing thousands of takedowns.

I have found this principle to be true in many aspects of my life. There are professional skill sets that may appear to be easy from a distance, but actually require countless hours to perform successfully, skillfully, and effectively. Such skills are extremely important, require tremendous expenditure of energy, and are worth every bit of effort that is invested into them. One example from my life is the placement of a simple tooth-colored composite restoration (filling) on a child or adult with an intellectual or developmental disability. There are many variables that come into effect during the course of treatment, and many things have to be done well at one time in order to be successful. When all of the elements are performed correctly in synchrony, the result is an effective procedure with a satisfied and relieved patient/parent.

I Have Discovered a Secret for a Happy Life

I have discovered one of the big secrets for a happy life, and I consider myself very fortunate. I have found myself in a profession that I care about deeply, and I believe that this is one of the major keys to happiness. Indeed I have known people very close to me who have spent years in jobs that they do not like. In fact, most people I know that have "jobs" find them to be drudgery. Only when one finds alignment between his passion, his vocation, and his skills does he truly find enjoyment in his work. All three of these are essential components