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

My Second Family

I am very thankful for my family at Grove City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy. I first joined the gym about a year ago, after attending sporadically as an outsider for a few months. By sharing time on the mats together, and by shedding blood, sweat, and tears together, we have truly become like a family. Jiu-jitsu has a way of bringing together people of all different lifestyles in a way that I have never seen before. I truly look forward to what the years have in store for me and my BJJ family.

Incredible Weekend!

I am extremely grateful for all the support I got for the Special Olympics Special Smiles event this past weekend. Dentists, dental students, residents, dental hygienists, lay people, and even some children came to help out for the event. I am especially thankful for the help from Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University.