training 29/08/09

Pretty much rolled for the whole session as we are getting ready for the Bristol open.

Did round robins with Raphy and andy for about 20 mins solid. Then had the pleasure of rolling with two white belts at or above the 100 kilo mark was totally knackered after for another 30 mins.

I have been developing a closed guard attack to the back by passing the opponents gi under their arm pit and working my way to the back. I worked on Raphy till I got his back but re wriggled out and tapped me for my troubles (twice).

No new techniques just trying to work my game.

My back has been a bit sore this week after the exerctions of last weeks training. But it is still an improvment on what it was like a month or so ago.

not many at training today. We did a closed guard attack sequence. If you can get your opponents arm accros his body you set up to attack the arm bar. if he postures up work the same side lapel out and wrap his arm. He will not like this and posture up, then feed the lapel round the front of his neck and hit the sweep to mount and finish. If his steps his leg up to retain his balance. under hook his ankle pull his leg straight lay accross his. leg for the sweep to mount.

As a side note the only real defense is to cross your other arm over to his collar as if you were attempting a choke and free the arm. Easier said then done.

Training 1/8/09

Today we tidied up the brabo gi choke from half gward top. Also a rather nasty choke called the nutcracker.

Had 4x 6 min rolls. pain level at the end 6 out of 10

I have, over the last 3 or 4 months been looking at Cobrinha style of BJJ and trying to incorporate elements into my own game. His style I feel has a lot in common with Roleta's and it is an area the I am most comfortable with.I would call it defensive counter attacking. Basically you let them try and pass and wait for them to set up an attack for you. Unfortunately due to issues in my last post I think it may be time to move away from this for a while!

To minimise impact on my neck whenever possible I will always try and be on top. My top game needs to develop and things have moved forward. So bring on the lanky blanket.

The dreaded "I" word

I have not posted for quite a while.I read somewhere that the biggest reason for people giving up BJJ whilst at purple belt is through injury. I hope that I am not going to fall into this category.

I have been struggling with a neck problem over the last few months, well since the end of February to be precise. I have had a mri and been to see a radiologist. and it turns out to be a problem with wear and tear changes to my neck.Clinically called cervical spondylosis. This has caused bone to grow from my vertebra and create a protrusion abutting the left roots in the canal at C7 Ti. This in turn causes a lot of discomfort and pain in the shoulder, arm and a numb hand.

Treatments seem to be to firstly leave it as 79% of people eventually improve as the body adapts, but this can take years as apposed to weeks or months. You can take loads of drugs to keep the pain at bay, which is what I am currently doing.
Your second option is to have steroid injections in your nerve or an epidural. This again is to mask the pain until the body does it's magic. (the whole reason am in this situation is because my body was doing it's so called magic)
Finally you do have the option of surgery.This appears to be a two edged sword. On the plus side it can alleviate the problem on the negative side it can not help at all, in fact from researching post operative outlooks many people end up in a worse state than when they started ! There is a minimal risk of paralysis, but this seems extremely rare.

The long and the short of it is that I am not training much at the moment. I am trying to go a least once a week, but can only roll for a little time before the pain gets the better of me.

The main problem is all the peripheral training, hillsprints, running etc.I feel my cardio deteriorating, I know when I get over this I will have a lot of work to get back.

My aims are to try and get a referral to a specialist to see if surgery may be an option. If the protrusion is fairly localised and they consider it to have a 75% or above chance of success then I may consider this route. There is multilevel disease, but the only element affecting me is the protrusion at C7 T1.

If this is not an option then bring on the steroid addiction. On the down side to this excessive use of steroids can actually speed up the degenerative sides of the problem.

I am trying to get a referral next week I will post when I know.

in class took it easy today to see how back held out . The pass by trapping the leg with the gi seemed to have potential. as it worked on Andy but we were only rolling 50% but i will keep it up and see how it pans out. rolled with Kevin and as usual got triangled whilst trying to pass, but escaped from it which i am pleased about as if, and it's a big if, you can escape from a triangle. It gives you more confidence.

Guard Passing. As I mentioned before guard passing is not a strong part of my game. I maybe need to look at the whole concept to try and develop a system of passing that works for me. When people try and defend the pass, they either use their top leg to shrimp away or pass it over you to replace so it would make sense to try and disable the top leg before attempting the pass. I am going to look at ways of using the Gi to immobilise the top leg. It should work in theory. Also if you have the lapel trapping the leg it would prevent the guy on the bottom from stretching out and creating space

I have tried and continue to attempt the thigh trap pass but it is not a high percentage pass for me at the moment, also the knee through is good but i have to be tighter to my opponent, as soon as I try and rush it it goes to pot.

Training on Saturday. Raphael caught me with a choke whilst I was passing and arm bar from somewhere. He passed using double underhooks and kept really tight so stopping me opening his elbow, should have used my feet on his hips to open a little space.

When someone stands to pass must remember to set up the omoplata sweep straight after the closed guard sweep fails. This does depend on how he is standing, if I have the angle should go for Victors sweep/armbar*.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7q0wH0NJ9s

Don't like the judo scarf hold, got there somehow, thought I had the bent arm bar but should have gone to underhook far arm, nearly gave up my back.

Ok here go's. This is just notes on my training. It anyone bumps into this I am a Gracie Barra purple belt under Braulio Estima and wanted to be able to refer back to my training, and keep a log of my aims. I am kind of at the point where dealing with specific techniques as such is not really what I am after now, it is now integrating all the info in my head into a continuous flow of motion and also adding elements to my game that are not well rounded at the moment.

My BJJ is split into four sections.

1. My competition A game.
2. My rolling with people I don't know game.
3. My rolling and with people I train with regularly.
4. stuff I think will fit into my game.

The general idea is to move techniques up this list, Also there are areas that are weak that need to be addressed. The problem is you can work on one area exclusively to improve it, but other parts of your game will suffer. It's a bit like spinning plates you get one going really well then two fall off.

So right now, my passing is weak with not enough pressure being applied in the right places. I do get caught caught with chokes whilst passing. I have to start trying to think about the sweep more whilst playing open guard and not just defending the pass. I still hit a brick wall when I am in front of my opponent when he is turtled.