Blog o' the Jimmy

Just thought this was cool, so thought I’d post -

We got working this sweep today during open mat.  I’m mostly posting this video as a reminder to myself.  I found a number of good demos on YouTube, but I like the drill that is incorporated into this making the sweep a progression from when you can’t get an attempted spinning arm bar.

I’m a bit hard pressed to say something about this book that hasn’t been said already.  Jiu-Jitsu on the Brain gives a candid glimpse into the life of someone who has chosen the study of a martial “art” as a path of personal evolution.

For those new to  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, think of this book as an introduction to what you might be in for, what to look for, and what to even possibly avoid.  To those who are familiar with this world, you might find this to be like a ‘Chicken Soup for the Jiu-Jitsu Soul’.

I highly recommend this book.  It is currently available on Amazon as a Kindle e-Book.

Canvas drawstrings on BJJ pants are crap.  I’ve had problems with tightening the string up enough ever since I got my Koral Gi.  It usually takes 30min of rolling before I’ve sweated in them enough that the material becomes flexible and I can get them tight.  My Padilla and Sons Gi came with a nylon drawstring that has enough flex to keep my pants up right from the start.  So, finally getting fed up with this I went and bought 10′ of 5/16″ thick nylon rope to replace my canvas drawstring -

pants with new drawstring

nylon drawstring

I came across this video the other day that talked about developing a personal BJJ system.  I’ve been into BJJ on and off for over two years now.  Each time I’ve come back to it I get to feeling a bit overwhelmed.  There are hundreds of techniques out there, 88 of which are required knowledge for advancing in the Pedro Sauer system from white to blue belt.  But I keep questioning which are the best to learn.  I’ve asked my instructor about this before, and his response was to start with one technique and build up from there.  I don’t know why it’s taken this long for his advice to sink in, but after I found this I think it finally did -

Here is the link do get a copy of the Grapplers Guide - http://grapplersguide.com/

There is a guy that trains at West Side that has proven this already.  His arsenal contains a total of 5 techniques.  Seriously, only 5, but he taps people out constantly.  He’s practiced these so much that he doesn’t even think about them anymore.  Knowing the sweet spot within these, he knows when everything is in perfect alignment to move.

This is what I’m going to do now.  When presented with new techniques, I’m only going really focus on what comes easiest first, and drill the piss out of it until it becomes second nature.  I’ll move on after that.

Construction is almost complete on Bruce the grappling dummy.  I’m calling him Bruce because of something I read about a situation the actor Bruce Campbell had on the set of his show The Adventure of Brisco County Jr.

Anyway – I bought 2 yrds of 2″ thick memory foam from a craft store to wrap up the torso, upper arms, and to surround the knee and elbow joints to help hold some child roller blade pads on.

wrap up in progress

The hands were another concern.  By folding the wire back in on itself and tucking it into the PCV tube I was able to make some flippers sans fingers that are about the same size of the palm of my hand.

left over wire

I did the same thing with the feet, but I didn’t have as much wire to work with there, so the feet are pretty much useless.  I’m not working heel hooks or anything right now, so I’m just going to leave them as is.  So this is what I’ve ended up with:

All Bruce, no head - yet

I’ll have something for a head here shortly.  After practicing some moves I realized he is going to need a lot more weight, so I’m not sure how I’m going to do that yet.  All in all I think this has been a good idea.

Okay, so made some more headway today on my grappling dummy -

Using the suggestions from http://mattwilsonmd.blogspot.com/2008/11/lamont-you-big-dummy.html I added hinges to the knees and elbows -

 
I also took the hip width down to about 1/4 what I had it as previously, and then looped the cable as you can see to create some tension in the hips.  Just trying out the dummy’s guard with the previous setup was waaaay too wide -

I’m really glad I’m using the cable that I am for the arms and legs. It really seemed to simplify  connecting everything together.  The elbows and knees have a good amount of tension, but not enough to make things difficult.

The torso padding is a queen sized blanket.  It didn’t amount to much obviously once the ‘handyman’s secret weapon’ was applied.  I still will add some padding to the arms, torso, butt, and legs.  I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do for hands, feet, and a head.  I want the ankles and wrists to have some movement, but not be too detailed like with fingers of toes.

My reasoning for building a grappling dummy is simple;  I need more time to practice techniques on a partner that is only available for practicing techniques.

I train at a great place with a bunch of  technically minded people.  But more often than not, even on open mat days, most everyone wants to roll in order to practice their technique and my opportunities for mat time are limited. I am learning of course, but it feels at times that I’m only developing scattered bits of techniques.  I don’t expect a rock solid understanding of a technique from using a grappling dummy, human feedback is critical, but I do expect a much stronger foundation I’ll be able to tweak when I do get mat/class time.

My goal is to drill 1 to 3 techniques a week, 3 to 5 times a week, for 30 min or more.

To simplify things, I could just purchase a Submission Master or some other grappling dummy online.  My buddy Jason over at Jiu Jitsu Map got a Submission Master and really digs it.  But for me the price is a limiting factor.  I also want to be able to vary the weight and modify it’s height and width in the torso.

Here are the sites/links that I’ve used for reference -

http://www.thelivingexample.com/eljefe.html

http://mattwilsonmd.blogspot.com/2008/11/lamont-you-big-dummy.html

http://wtfe.net/dummy/

http://justinsrefuge.com/2009/09/28/how-to-build-a-grappling-dumm/

http://www.medfordtools.com/dummy/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxFNPNiGK40

And here is a picture of the beginning of my dummy -

My building materials so far have been simple -

• 2 10′ length of 3/4″ PVC pipe I’ve cut down based on my own body measurements. Yup, I got long legs.  If you’ve got a hack saw or even better a mechanical cutting device you’ll save a lot of money buying the long PVC lengths and cutting them down vs. precut lengths.  I like the way PVC holds the shape and feels more like actual bone.
• One PVC T section for the pelvis area and one 4 way intersection for the arm, neck, upper body connection.
• 2 lengths of 1/4″ electrical cable; one 7′ for the arms, one 9′ for the legs.
• Foam insulation thingys for covering the arms and legs
• 3 rolls cheap duct tape for finishing, and one roll packaging tape to get everything started
• I’ve spent $50 and some change so far. I don’t have a head yet.

Last night was for me my official return to BJJ and WestSide.  Since I’ve been absent a number of things have changed in my life.  But the biggest change I saw after last night was in myself.  I’ve spent a lot of time, since quitting in March, directing my thoughts more toward the journey and not so much the goal.  Granted, I do have dreams of how I’d like my future to be, but I’m spending less time focusing on the long term and instead enjoying more the short term.  I’m learning how to be more in the moment.

I still task myself with quite a bit.  But I’m not freaking out if I miss one or two or more things on my list that day (ie. studying French, mastering a new programming language, exercising, working on my motorcycle rebuild, etc.).  It also makes for a happier home because I’m also easier to be around and I’m enjoying and appreciating time with my family.

So as for class last night I can honestly say that I loved every minuet of it.  And I’m doing it because I enjoy it, and not because I feel that I’m missing out on something if I don’t.