Life and BJJ

This weekend brought out a side of me I had not seen of my self since my deployment to Iraq in 2005-2006. I was very upset with someone this weekend. I am usually very happy go lucky, ” im going to be a world champ if it breaks me” kind of attitude, I feel like I am always on top of the world thanks to the glory and greatness that is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I allowed someone to influence me in a way where I wasn’t looking ahead at my goals. I feel like I let someone bring me way down. Abu Dhabi Pro Gi trials are right there, two weeks away.

What I’m saying is one of my most oldest relationships ended, and I’m not talking about a women, I am talking about a best friend. This has shaken me to the core, I’m not sad, I am angry, that I let it come to this. That I wasn’t a better enough person to stop things from getting to a point where its almost irreparable. I feel betrayed. I can’t say this won’t happen again, but I feel this important enough to document to understand why things will happen the way they will happen as my BJJ season kicks off with the Abu Dhabi Trials nearing. This is my journal and I acknowledge that I let myself be taken astray, I will be stronger because of this.

“When you crumple up a paper it can’t be perfect again”

On another note. It’s almost time to go and fight. I have been waiting for this for a long time! 

Jan

24

2011

1 note

Comments

Becoming a Giant killer…

David vs Goliath. Overcoming in jiu-jitsu what seems impossible or just really hard to do. Beating the guys that weigh 230lbs and above, the extreme aboves! We have all probably seen one or several accounts of the the David vs Goliath match ups at local BJJ tournaments. And they’re always a spectacle.  Everyone wants to see David SLAY Goliath everytime. And why not? Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was made for the smaller weaker people. I think this is partly why the Absolutes of tournaments are so compelling.

So what does this mean to me. Well if you have been following my blog you will remember  I competed

at the World Pro Trials in Florida this winter. While I won my division, I went to compete in the Absolute  won my first 2 matches and lost to a very guy big guy. I was overwhelmed by his sheer size, I remember being steam rolled, and I did not like that one bit. He literally grabbed me pushed me back, until I fell on my butt into half guard. Real quick, half guard is not a good place to be in with a man over 240 on top.

I came away from this tournament with a sour taste in my mouth. Not because I had lost, but because of how I lost, my desire to be great and become a World Champion not only in my division but in the Absolutes had made me absolutely crazy about beating the HUGE guy in the division.

Over the past few months I have been tweaking my game to beat these guys. And to do that I have been watching of course regular sized guys vs big guys. My favorites are

I get to see what works and what doesnt work. The trend that I see the most is that the little guys play a different game then what they would against a smaller opponent. Like you can see Tarsis do a drop seio nagi in the video but you never see him do that against anyone else. Not to say that the drop seio isnt one of the single greatest throws in judo, but Tarsis plays a little different. 

And I have noticed that about my self and my progreess vs big guys. I play different. Passing changes, Playing guard changes, being mounted is probably not good, getting side mount is different. The way you escape bad positions will significantly improve if you can escape big guys, why because everything you go there is pressure or a stomach overlapping your leg. Everything changes. I want to be the absolute champion everywhere I go. And in order to do that you gotta beat the big guys, have great technical ability, and be in tremendous shape. These are all things I am figuring out and as the new season of grappling approaches, I will be ready to take on Goliath with a good performance unlike the last time.And this is not to say that these big guys arent good, theyre just as good if not better, but they also have an attribute based advantage on us, sort of like the guy in your school who is flexible, had long legs, or is stupid strong and he is never in the gym and is always eating fast food like this kid Jamestown in our gym. These guys are a challenge for me! Ossssssss

Act as if it were impossible to fail. - Dorthy Broude

Jul

26

2010

1 note

Comments

CUDDLE FUDDLE customized by Paulo Canabarro