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:
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:
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.
For those of you out there that have children and access to cable television you’ve probably at some point come across the Nick Jr. show Yo Gabba Gabba! . For quite a while I couldn’t figure out how this show gatheres up some of Hollywood’s top celebrities for guests ie. Jack Black, Elija Wood, etc. After doing some research I discovered that this show is the creation of the Aqua Bats front man Scott Schultz. Surprise, surprise. That would explain the connections.
Anyway, while watching a re-run of the Colbert Report to catch a performance by Devo doing a tune from their latest album, I recognized their front man Mark Allen Mothersbaugh. It took a minute before I realized where from. Mark has a short bit on Yo Gabba Gabba! called ‘Mark’s Magic Pictures‘ where he shows kids how to draw simple pictures that come to life upon completion.
I’m not a real Devo fan. I haven’t listened to much of their music really. But I dig em. It just trips me out that the guy who I thought to be a spacey burnout is one of the driving forces behind this group of intellectuals. Once again it is best I not judge a book by it’s cover.
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.
Saturday I decided I’d go for a quick jog before date night with the Love of My Life.
Oh, on a side note, Get Him to the Greek is the funniest movie I’ve seen in a Loooooooooong time!!!!!
Anyway I decided I’d do a route I hadn’t done in about 4 years. I’ve only been doing some light running lately, about 1.5 miles at the most. So I go out do a 3 mile route not expecting anything other than to just have a good time. Previously on this route I’ve had to stop and walk at some points, or at least have a serious cool down. This time I ran the whole thing, didn’t get winded on the uphills, and felt totally charged when finished.
The difference was I did it because I wanted to and I enjoyed it. Before, I was doing it because I felt I had to and just suffered.
An interview I saw of Jamie Foxx on Oprah kinda sums this up. He talked about success, and that the path to success was not to focus on money, but to focus on what you enjoyed. Do that, and then the money comes.
I’m gonna do this from now on. BJJ, geek stuff, or anything. I know this works because I totally love my day job, and because of this I keep getting more and more opportunities to do what I like to do. And I’m constantly surrounded by cool people.
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:
What would I do differently with my life if I had it to do all over again? Would I make the same choices? Would I try and become someone completely different?
No. I definitely wouldn’t. Yeah, there are things that I would rather have not done. Yes, there are things I should have done differently. But it’s taken everything to be where I am now. And where I am right now ain’t too bad.