Move of the Week

      I haven't been keeping my 'BJJournal' like I said I would, oops.  (but not that surprising).  And haven't been studying books (also not that shocking).. although, We are awaiting the arrival of a special book, any day now.  Gary spent $89 on a copy of Helio Gracie's master book, because it only had one printing. There's so much to learn, so much to study, so much to practice... it's difficult to focus on one thing at a time.  At the school we're at now, they teach anywhere from 4-8 different moves every night; it makes my head spin, and after a while, it's quite challenging to pay attention.  Going to Jiu-Jitsu feels like going to school.  It's hard to pay attention for so long, and Everything is a test; an opportunity to succeed or fail.  A learning opportunity, of course... I tell my students that a quiz is just a learning opportunity... but they certainly don't feel the same way.  I understand.  It stings just a little to get beat up no matter what. 

     This week, I have had a few more moments when I've felt things coming together, and where I've been remembering some long-lost moves.  Really, I guess it's the process of my brain recognizing a position I'm in, and searching the filing cabinet for what to do.  (and by filing cabinet.. i mean that my brain is probably more like a box that just gets papers shoved into it at random)  A friend posted this video on facebook because it's hilarious, but it is also very good basic Jiu-Jitsu.  I subscribed to Kurt Osiander's 'Move of the Week,' so I am committing to a way to focus.  My commitment to myself and my jiu-jitsu practice is to keep watching each week's video 2-3 days throughout the week. 

Here's the video:
Kurt Osiander move of the week - escape from side control

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l9tP2gRuOo&feature=youtu.be&ytsession=oAHY4nQ7vt_WRmgrfWRChgRpw630ywZRceHq9mJ1YEyT_V28XeCaU5UogiWUAvJiuTnFCUyOgmCfgem_PkT2OeCmDbOOYqvaArzoVEJ17NV6ar8gMsjT9L_rR_k_LXwz_5CHNR1dXH0x5SfKPBIKPBeN9Agj-YCnUcYEYh4dygBCM_C9jw_HtIqa3dGIZgjX0MTA34o0iZ4tM_J5gaVnCW1xP6N_AsnarRMJ1-z6f23a2VdljsWEeD1lnI2xZHzTMi14YCszGL4h9Pgww3u-z44OKX_WGCB6SIJ2p-R8c04

Upper Belts

      Our school hosted a seminar; a guy who trained with our instructors and got his black belt from Royce Gracie.  This was my second seminar.  My first was with De la Riva and I had no idea how special it was... since it was maybe my second month of training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  At the De la Riva seminar, I trained with Gary and a couple of other purple belts.  I wasn't really seeing the connections, so mostly I just did what the person I was training with explained to me. 
      At this seminar, I trained with a black belt (mostly because we were the two partner-less people after everyone else paired up).  I still have the 'awe factor,' but as I meet more black belts, the interaction feels more comfortable.  I switched partners for one move that was harder with a height difference, and didn't know until the car ride home that I was with the master instructor of our school  (we're at a satellite).  I don't think i did/said anything embarrassing  :-)  
      From the very beginning, I've been so spoiled, getting to train with upper belts.  I try not to impose too much on their training time, but I think this is one of the reasons that I have stuck with it.  They have a general heir of calmness and sincerity that I truly appreciate and aspire toward.   Especially at this bjjym, I am noticing that many of the white belts don't have that same spirit of respect and artfulness.  Everything seems like a threat and a reason to prove themselves... instead of self-betterment and an outlook on life.  One theory -  the people who stick with it are the ones who have that attitude of a long personal journey.  I don't know if it's something that you can grow into, or if some folks who just come to "fight" and to "win" against others quit after a while.  In general, I am fascinated by what may motivate different people to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu... and to stay with it.
      I asked my instructor this question one day.  He said that, when he was a kid, he was smaller, and play fighting with friends, others' size and strength brought great advantage.  Someone showed him a Japanese Jiu-Jitsu move or two, and he liked that he could find an angle to lessen their advantage.  He stuck with it because he is generally a pretty hyper personality, and the days he trains Jiu-Jitsu, he notices a greater sense of calm and self-control.       
      What brought you to the mat?  and what keeps you here?  

A Thousand Words?

It’s bound to happen… the pressure cooker explodes.  “I am SO sick of getting beat up!,” but the real question is, what am I going to do about it?  My only solution - I really need to write things down. 

When I am rolling, I still regress to the few moves and few elements of a technique that I am most comfortable with.   My memory fails me, and my progress moves like the continental drift.  Every 100 years professionals can see some evidence of it’s existence.  I still find many situations where I can’t really tell what’s happening around me, on top of me (in front of me and behind me I usually get), and Gary makes sure to let me know that until I stop panicking, I am always going to be just a couple of seconds too late.  I am my own roadblock.  A big part of my BJJ journey, though, is learning to be in control of myself; my body, my mind and my emotions.  In relationships, even, how easy is it to get frustrated, mad, feel like giving the silent treatment?  The more difficult route is to stay calm and use “I-Statements.”  Ha.  I have degrees in communication and psychology… but knowing and doing are two very different things.  The easy route is to give in, but that is usually not the correct  or beneficial path. 

So here I am, at a point where there is no other way but to put in the hard work.  I sat down one day and thought that I was just going to write down everything I know so far.  Not a Chance!  It took an hour to write down one escape that takes one minute and thirty seconds to explain in a youtube video.   If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many for a video? 

iNtuition

My MBTI tells the truth in identifying that I prefer to come up with novel solutions to any problem.  I don't read instruction manuals.  I don’t generally watch youtube videos about the way to tie a bow on a gift to look flawless.  I find fun in ‘winging it’ and figuring things out along the way.  I guess it feels like more of an accomplishment.  It also, however, comes with a warning label that says, "may cause increased levels of needless frustration and possibility of chronic lateness."  You can gather that ‘efficiency’ is not my first thought (nor the compulsion for perfection, at any cost). 

HOWEVER… Jiu-Jitsu is teaching me that looking at how others have figured things out before IS quite useful.  The creative process isn't terribly helpful or ‘fun’ when stuck in someone’s side control struggling to breath right at that moment.  Yep, I think I'll look in the book and be glad to have Rodrigo show me just how to hook the person’s arm so I'm less likely to get flattened and choked out  :-) 

K'NEX

I was good with Lincoln Logs and Tangrams and Brain Teasers, so I guess BJJ is just another puzzle with 10,000 tiny adjustable pieces.  I'm starting to see the connecting links. 

When I first started working out with Gary, I was finding muscles I never thought of as significant (ummm.. because my body now hurt.. everywhere!  clean and presses made my body say, ‘yep, that’s different’), but seeing the body as a hamstring here, bicep there, I learned was a simplification that overlooks how the power comes from the connector muscles.  In Jiu-Jitsu practice, the fundamental escapes and submissions don't do much good, if one can't figure out the ways of getting to these points.  Grip breaks, weight shifts, body positioning are becoming very important in my Jiu-Jitsu arena.  Lately, I've been working on not getting pushed over.  (yes, it is embarrassing even to say out loud) In the moment I was thinking, wait, what just happened??  And then it would happen again the next time I rolled with that person.  And again.  I felt ridiculous, that it seemed so simple and put me in such a pathetic position for the majority of the next 240 seconds or so.  Until I went and just asked her what she was doing.  (yes, a she.  These two women have become a part of my thrice-weekly ass-beating sessions.  Me on the receiving end, of course.)

A lot of folks at this school start one knee up, one knee down, so it is forcing me to not just think about holding my base, but how to shift my weight, strategically move my body toward, away, to the side..even to actually sit down (turns out that little pinwheel sit isn’t just for stretching haha).    There is no fundamental move that says step 1, step 2, step 3.  Now squeeze, choke, game over.  If it were that easy, I wouldn’t still feel like a beginner after a year. 

Ideally, we find the flow:  they push, you pull.  They pull close, you create space.  Our old coach used to say, “they play rock, you play water.  They play water.  You play rock.”  The philosophy sounds great, but it’s going to take a lot longer until one day the pieces fall into place for me.  Believing in that moment is keeping me going.  I see the picture on the puzzle box, but my game still looks like odd splashes of color. 

"Why have a women-only seminar?"

This is a post from another blog that I wanted to pass along.  My comments below. 


http://georgetteoden.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-have-women-only-seminar.html

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I grew up with older brothers, so this is the type of BJJ interaction that I have found most comfortable. It is actually the women; stronger, aggressive, white belt women, who I fear most. But if there was an upper belt female who was supportive and wanted to help me... I think that would be awesome! I have never been to a women-only seminar, or been taught by a woman, so I can't say for sure, but I really feel that the female empowerment aspect is important. Generally speaking, it is women who know what it is like to feel vulnerable, ignored, pushed aside, belittled, trivialized, condescended toward, taken advantage of and/or disrespected on a regular basis. These are aspects of gender that may not directly occur on the mat, but that may be coming onto the mat with someone. I tried out a gym that had a huge locker room with showers for men... and literally a closet for women. There are lots of ways to say women don't belong, this isn't really for you. I shopped around for a bicycle for over a year, and nothing felt quite right. It wasn't until I found a line of Giant bikes that are made for women, by women, that riding a bike was actually comfortable. For BJJ, I bought one of the very few Gi's designed for women and it made a HUGE difference. I have a BreakPoint and it's great. Next, I want to buy a Fenom Gi because I like their organizational mission. This is also something that I only learned about through the female blogging community. Thanks, Ladies. I guess, overall, my hunch is that the women who come to the mat and stick around are the ones who have already had enough positive experiences with men in their lives to work through any uncomfortable or frightening feelings.  I think that the mat is an excellent experience for younger girls (and boys) to learn about respect and to internalize the confidence for life.  

B-E-A-GG-R-E-SS-IVE

When I was 8 years old at camp, I won 'sportsman of the year' and didn't really know what it meant. I later realized that I seem 'sportsman-like' because I didn't care enough to win or lose, and I am a generally supportive and caring person.

BJJ technique has always been stressed to me, of course, because I will not be forcing anything in a fight. But I am now being coached a bit on aggression. If I use my 100 pounds just right in one spot, and find my timing and power... I may get somewhere dominant. Sounds like the stars aligning, ay.

Being easy going is great, but in BJJ and in pursuing life's goals, a little 'go getter' is necessary. The fight is within.