Counting Calories

So, I'm testing for blue belt in June of this year. It's been a long journey to this point, but in the grand scheme of things, it's really been such a short time.

Anyway, my coach called me over one Tuesday night after sparring and said "Step on this scale." The scale read 270. He said "I want it to read 250 for when you test in June. I think you can do it, if you try. I think that will give you the best chance of succeeding here."

He said some other very helpful things about watching what I eat, my future at the school and was generally helpful and complimentary.

So, I immediately came home and set up a spreadsheet to count my daily calorie intake, did research to figure out my target calories per day, my weight loss goals, etc. I've discovered a few things about myself and about calorie counting.

First, my meals are actually very reasonably made, with a fairly good selection of meats, vegetables and fiber. The only issue with my meals is that I eat too much and, when in a time crunch, I eat fast food....which really should just be called fat food. Second, I snack way too much, accounting for nearly half of my calorie intake a day. I'm watching my portions now and considering my choices a bit more I've also limited my snack consumption by forcing myself to drink more water and use those pathetic 90-100 calorie packets. It's actually odd, but they make me snack less, because I don't feel it's worth it sometimes to have to add 100 calories to my daily tracker, just to eat one of them.

I've also worked my way up to two kettle bell and body weight exercise/BJJ movement exercise sessions a week, so fill the void from Wednesday to the next Tuesday (my wait before getting to go back to a BJJ class).

While this is something I've never done before (consider what I eat), I can easily see that it is the most important part of weight loss. I've lost 6 pounds in a week from something as simple as paying attention to what I put in my mouth. I had always counted on exercise before, and when I hit a plateau, I would say "well, I can't exercise any more...I don't have the time." Eating right is something I can easily do. Especially considering that, as I reach my target weight, I can indulge on occasion, because I have my exercise regimen to keep me balanced.

I think this is the most significant step I've made towards competing next year in the Pan Ams. While I still plan on fighting in the absolute weight class, I'd like all my weight to be useful muscle mass and not fat. Now, I just have to get through Thanksgiving and Christmas....ugh.

Half guard, take II

So, I've diligently pulled half guard the majority of the time for a number of classes.

I still hate half guard, but I'm beginning to feel the common mistakes and I'm recognizing the common pass themes that people use. It's not actually that varied and if I avoid being cross-faced at all costs, I can usually make something happen.

I'm still new to it, so I'm taking a step by step approach.

1. Fight the cross face.

2. Get the under hook through a combination of shrimps, bridges and general annoyance.

This is where it tends to branch off. I can usually shoot low and start looking for the far side foot, but most people already know that sweep (thanks Matt). When they base out, I try to come to their back and then start rocking them, looking to either take the back or sweep them over my body. This is especially true if they "Wizzer" my underhook, because I can control their base.

If they are really pushing me down so that I can't come to my knees, I look to go deep half guard and start working to either an X-guard or Homer Simpson type sweep from there. See here for a break down on half guard by Aesopian.

If they try to switch their hips over me and start working the kimura game (to weaken my underhook), I start looking for the half butterfly hook and start trying to sweep them in the opposite direction.

Next, I need to start working on full butterfly guard reclamation and long distance half guard to X-guard or the standing in base sweep...I don't know what it's called.

So many of these things don't really have a name.

Half Guard

I'm slowly dissecting the Stephen Kesting half guard DVD. I've decided to do this based on the last tournament I was in. I won 4 of 6, and the two that I lost I really could have won. My problem was being stuck under half guard and I need to change that.

So, I'm watching video. I'm chasing people down to ask questions and most importantly, whenever I roll for the next two months, I'm either pulling half guard or fighting to get there somehow so that I can work it often. I'm going to also keep trying to work it against people my size so that I get really used to the weight of it.

I feel very good about this decision because it's about discipline for me. Sure, I could just go and work on fun things that I like. That would be a good thing too, because it keeps you interested, and I might do that half the time after about 4 weeks of working half guard. But forcing yourself to face your weaknesses, that seems to me to be the real first step in mastering something and it's usually something that I avoid doing in most things.

Anyway, I did a decent job of getting the underhook and framing to protect myself from the cross face. People still got it but I at least have a plan to get right of it.

I worked a couple of different sweeps from Kesting and really need to drill the foot hold sweep more. I have always had the far side deep half guard sweep in my arsenal, but that is too hard to really force. They need to give me the energy to do that. I also need to work on deep half guard entries from the underhook, so I can work the same start and then go into a various different games.

Best of the Best 16, March 12, 2011

I had a great competition. I won my division, Masters, which is great. I had two victories to get to the win, so that's good. After my two matches though, I was asked if I wanted to drop down to the younger group, to fill out the bracket. I felt good, so I gave it a shot.

I won 2 of 4 matches there and didn't give up a single point in all 6 of my matches....I lost by advantages.

I'm pretty proud of that showing. My guard never got passed, I was not taken down and I was never in any danger of being submitted at all.

What I did figure out is that I need to work on the entries to my throws and my bottom half guard game.

First, for my entries, they need to be deeper and more committed. During the match, being less committed feels safer, but you have to risk to get the reward of a nice, clean throw. I never fully committed and, as a result, lost some opportunities. In every match that I started from the top, I won easily. I have a solid top game, passes and control. I was less than 50/50 from the bottom.

Second, half guard. I have sweeps from there. I work them a lot. I need to work them with 270 lb men more often, because it's very different. I kept on my side fairly well for some of the time. I had some good movement and threateed some things, but in the end, I couldn't force a switch in position (I was tired, having already done plenty of matches).

As for my positives, I passed half guard very effectively using a Tackle Pass and Roger Gracie's pass to quarter guard posted by Trumpetdan.

Competition Jitters.

I don't really get jitters much anymore, but I do really start to focus on planning. Rather, I take what I've worked on for the last few months since my last competition and try to condense it into a new plan, taking into account things I've added and looking back on things that work for me, but I've perhaps set aside for a while.

It's a good way to remember lost, but vital techniques and to force yourself to consider all positions, even those you don't want to find yourself in.

To that end, I've basically drafted a game plan which has moves from every position that I might find myself in (for instance, close guard, open guard, under mount, etc.). They are not really ranked from favorite to least favorite, but rather, grouped based on which few seem to work well together.

Something though that I've been focusing on very recently is following Roger Gracie's methods on breaking and passing guard, passing half guard and passing butterfly guard. I like his methodology, because it makes sense to me. It's focused on lateral movement and pressure. I have a natural ability to apply pressure (I'm fat), so adding the lateral movement is a means to make use of my food given talent.

So, I've been following a purple belt's dissection of Roger's game. He can be found here on youtube and he posts a number of videos detailing Roger's approach to passing and ultimately getting to mount. It's a very well done video series. There are other lessons about using your own guard, how to finish from mount and other escapes. All are worth a view, but the one's I'm most focused on are the Passing lessons.

I really like the detail on how to stand, something I've always had a problem with during rolling. In my last two sparring sessions though, I've done nothing but stand in the guard to break it and I've only been swept once, and I specifically tried to cheat on a step in the lessons.

Thankfully, this is the exact sort of game that Ed (my instructor) plays, so he was able to give me specific adjustments that he uses to help his game work better for him. He was also able to analyze what I was doing while I was trying to follow the techniques, and he showed me where I was failing....namely in the lateral movement. You can't be centered on people while in their open guard, because you give them what they want.

Kettle bells and BJJ

So, I'm committing myself to go to a major tournament next year and my goal is to compete at the Pan Ams. This is a pretty big commitment for me and so I realize now that I need to do more than just train on gym days if I hope to feel good about my performance, win or lose.

So, I've decided to train on my own time, outside of BJJ/judo classes. I have tried this before with body weight exercises, weights, running, etc. It doesn't work and I've never really enjoyed it.

Here recently though, I've been influenced by two different resources of information. First, there have been numerous videos, emails and posts online about using kettle bell training specifically for MMA and BJJ. There is even a great video showing specific exercises and how they translate directly into BJJ and Judo. It almost seems that the Turkish Get Up exercise was specifically created for BJJ, it has so many applications.

I was also influenced by a friend that is a record setting amateur power lifter. His main praise is that kettle bell training builds functional strength through having to control weight in a way that you don't have to do when working with dumbbells and bars. It is also supposed to build explosive movement.

Well, what it's done for me is wear me out. I'm cooked from 15 minutes of kettle bells last night, which made my BJJ and judo training very difficult, but likely more productive.

I do a circuit, so that I get multiple muscles worked and a cardio effect by doing it quickly.

Kettle Bell workout

5 Turkish Get ups each side.

10 Kettle Bell Swings each side.

5 Front Squat Presses (not lunge, but a squat and then military press) each side.

10 Kettle Bell High swings to and pull into chest. (kazukshi).

5 Windmills (military press and hold, then bend to one side and touch toes) each side.

10 Kettle Bell Snatches each side.

20 pass through lunges (lunge and pass kettle bell through).

10 Kettle Bell Swings each side.

5 Turkish Get ups each side.

If anyone wants to come by some time and give it a try, please do. I'd be happy to walk you through my program.

Open guard....the enigma.

I had a great time rolling today and working on judo. We worked sacrifice throws, which I find very useful against people that like to push and shove from standing. I specifically enjoyed yoko garuma from a Russian two on one or just a clinch type position.

It really flows very naturally into knee on belly mount.

I stayed for sparring as well and I'm having an odd time of it. I either completely dominate or I am completely dominated. There isn't really any middle ground for me. I used to think it had something to do with my cardio, but I'm finding that that is not the case.

I also discovered that I have a very difficult time getting control of someone in open guard. If we start in closed guard and I release them to open, that's fine. But if we just start open....not so great. I need to work on some fast entries into an open guard set.

As for passing guard, I had some fun with a standing break today and tried the standing passes that I learned from Kris Williams down in Florida. I'm clearing legs and getting passed knees fairly well (against most people....so of the purple belts and higher blue belts still sweep me fairly regularly and I need to get a go to standing pass).

What I'm running into now is issues with people that know how to use their hands well (pushing the head, shoulder, shooting for an under hook, etc). I need to start thinking about getting passed that next level.