Blog o’ the Jimmy

Volleyball knee pads for BJJ

My bony knees don’t enjoy stiff mats. Well, they are a bit temperamental when it comes to a lot of things nowadays.  When I studied Iaido, I was introduced to the benefits of volleyball knee pads  when kneeling or sitting Seiza on hardwood floors.

There are a number of knee pads out there, but to protect all angles your knees might experience I highly recommend volleyball pads, especially these Asics pads.  They’re even roomy enough to accommodate my knee sleeve.  You loose some range of motion, but that has just encouraged more stretching.

Monday was my first day back to class now that my neck felt functional again.  During my down time I decided to put some thought into how my BJJ instructor had suggested I approach my practice.

I now will refer to this new approach as my KISD principle, or, Keep It Simple, Dude.

Previously, I invested my BJJ time in reviewing as many moves as I possibly could.  The down side of this is that I never took the time to really get solid on anything.  And so, nothing I’ve been doing up to now has been effective more than 40% of the time.  Well, even that estimate I think is pushing it.

After the class prior to this one, in my frustration, I approached my instructor (some days I feel the title ‘Guru’ is more appropriate) and asked him ‘what the hell is wrong with me?’ .  His response was to take it one thing at a time and work up from there.

So Monday I went in with the intention of seriously focusing on getting out of cross body.  It didn’t matter what else I did, as long as if I got cross bodied I was going to really put my attention on it.  Days before class I reviewed escapes from cross body shown in Saulo Ribiero’s ‘Jiu Jitsu University’, and ran through them over and over in my head feeling for where I was not feeling right.  It felt that I wasn’t bridging enough, and thus not creating enough space to move my legs.

So, to make a long story short, here is my notebook entry after class;

‘IT WORKED!!!  That was the missing link!  Every time I got cross bodied I was able to transition out just by bridging more. ‘

I can’t wait to practice this more.  Hmm.. Now what am I gonna add next to my foundation?  Doesn’t matter, as long as I Keep It Simple, Dude.

Some serious introspection has come up this week in BJJ land for some of the bloggers that I follow regularly; Georgette Oden and West Side Mark are to name a few.  The following is something I wrote on the 29th of June regarding the previous night’s class.

Last night was humbling.  Well, more like a good kick in the ass. There was nothing unusual going on; no hidden technique revealed to all but myself.  My body felt like I was moving through molasses. I got caught in the same chokes that I always get caught in by the same guys.  I missed shots that were handed to me and that I was even told were being handed to me (thanks anyway Blake). I got tapped.  I got tapped over and over.  I even got tapped by the new white belt with a Kimura. Needless to say by the end I was a bit unhappy with myself.

So after class I chased Mark into his office and not so quietly asked, ‘Mark, what the hell is wrong with me???’.  I’m glad his response began with a laugh.  He explained (this is what I heard at least) that everyone hits a brick wall, and that the best thing to do is just take one thing and work that, whether it be trying to hold a position for a certain amount of time or maybe not allow myself to be caught in one. Maybe a trap, but nothing ridiculous. Take it one thing at a time and build up from there.

I received the following the next day:

The achievement of anything that you desire must be considered success, whether it is a trophy or money or relationships, or things. But if you will let your standard of success be your achievement of joy—everything else will fall easily into place. For in the finding of joy, you are finding vibrational alignment with the resources of the Universe.

— Abraham

Excerpted from “The Law of Attraction, The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham” #487

So often I get caught up in the idea of what I am supposed to be doing/being/experiencing that I forget why it is I am doing something in the first place.

This week has given me an ass kicking in the right direction. All my inner conflict has sparked new desires and ideas.  Since Monday night my head has been working on new ways to approach not only my BJJ practice but other things that I want accomplish.

I’m excited and charged again.

So here’s an update on the my Padilla & Sons Light Weight Gi.

It kicks ass.  With summer in full swing and training in a 2nd floor gym with no A/C I am very thankful for this Gi.  It wasn’t until now that I realized how nice this thing is.

Action Shot:

Padilla & Sons Light Weight Gi action shot

That’s me on the bottom.  Just a great, light weight Gi.  I’ve had it since March 2010 and no tears or frayed edges.  Gets washed after every class.

Last night I hit the Affiliate Open Mat at Park City BJJ with some fellow West Siders. Mike Diaz ( owner ) was there, joined by a black and purple belt from either there or from Unified BJJ whose names I’ve forgotten due to my adrenaline induced short term memory loss. I think I can say for the West Side crew that it kicked ass!

I definitely plan on attending again in the near future. Thanks Mike!

Wore my VX2s at class for the first time tonight.  Didn’t get hardly any crap from anyone which actually really surprised me.  Killer J seems to get a lot about his.  It’s how I heard about them actually.  If everyone wouldn’t have been talking about them I don’t know if I would have noticed.  Maybe nobody gave me crap because I’ll talk ‘em to death?  Dunno.

Anyway, here is how it went:

• Feet got really sweaty, but didn’t notice it until I took them off.  This was no big deal for me though; I wear a neoprene knee brace and volleyball knee pads under my Gi so a little extra perspiration is no biggie
• Insane traction.  Very noticeable.  Helped me a lot during take down practice tonight.  When positioning for throws I was not able to rotate on the ball of my foot very easily though.
• My ankles felt a bit of strain.  Not sure why. I don’t know if these were the cause of this or I started out tweaking them.
• Between some of the toes on my right foot it felt like I was wearing flip flops.  The material felt like it was biting in.  I didn’t take the time to make any adjustments which could have alleviated this.
• Most importantly, no road rash.  Feet look the same as when I started class tonight.  I really like that.

Threw em in the wash with my Gi tonight on cold. GrappleSock is very clear that these need only cold washing and no dryer action. Next class I’ll make some adjustments if I feel anything uncomfortable and see how it goes.  So far I like ‘em.

My pair of GrappleSock VX2s showed up yesterday. Shipping was free and they  got here quick. Here are my first impressions:

1. Light weight and comfortable
2. Takes a minute to put them on the first time if you’ve got messed up toes
3. Grip like rock climbing shoes
4. Can’t really tell you’re wearing anything after you put them on
5. Feet sweat slightly from the neoprene, but not like wearing wet socks.  I used to windsurf in wet socks all the time and even with all the water they’d feel a little funky now and then.

Picture time

The reason I purchased a pair of these was because I’d like to not get Ring Worm or any other funky infections/parasites while training.  I rarely if ever leave class without at least some rug burn,  and I don’t like rolling with anyone that has open sores on their feet. So, I can’t in good conscience expect someone else to put up with mine.

What I noticed right off the bat was how grippy these things are.  They grip better on my floor than a pair of sneakers.  Hardwood is different than wrestling/BJJ mats; yes, I understand this.  I’m guessing it’ll be similar.  The grip is not from the little bead looking things,  but from some kind of non-slip treatment they’ve sprayed on the bottom of the socks.

Anyway, I’m happy with my purchase so far.  Being Father’s Day I’m gonna skip class, so Monday or Tuesday I’ll give em a shot.

Why is it that guys who are so much lighter than me are so freak’n tough?

For reference, as of this morning I’m 201.3 lbs.

I’m not talking about those with more experience. That is a given why they are so good. BJJ gives one the means and those that stick with it find the way.

Case in point:

What is puzzling me is that whenever I get someone on top of me that is either close to my weight or more, I get gassed out super quick or thrown around like a rag doll.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot????

There was a new kid in class tonight. When I say ‘kid’, I’m meaning 10-12 ish. When we went to roll I thought ‘hey, I’ll start with him first and let him work some moves he learned tonight’. I’m guessing he’s 60 lbs soaking wet. We started from the knees, and I told him that we’re just going to try and take the other guy off balance. He took me down first try.

So I think okay, kid knows what he’s doing, I’ll step it up a bit. Yes, I could have used my weight to my advantage, but I feel that is a cheap shot. My goal is always first and foremost technique. He worked his butt off and did an excellent job of moving around. Got me in some decent head locks too that I unfortunately had to muscle out of. Turned out he wrestled for a year previous so that explained a lot but still, why is it he can keep going like that??

Even when someone heavier than me isn’t using their weight to their advantage, like when I’m in their mount or they have side control on me, I seem to move as if stuck in molasses. You know, like those dreams where you’re fighting like hell but can’t seem to move. Mark has worked with us on breathing, and I’m definitely starting to use it and it shows. I’m lasting longer and longer. I think I’ll work from on my back more. Otherwise, I’m gonna be screwed come tournament time.

I recently saw from Georgette Oden’s blog links to vids about the Tozi Pass

I gave this a try last night. We were practicing from position. I almost pulled it off first try! Frigg’n rocked!

Here is what I attempted: