There and Back

A journey. A return. Probably tired.

Tag: BJJ blue belt

  • How to Be a Successful Lazy Grappler

    “Why do a takedown when you can pull guard?”

    – a lazy grappler

    As we were drilling a cool sweep in class recently, I think I heard my head instructor say to a couple of white belts, that sweeping is the fastest way to the mount. It got me thinking, maybe I’m doing this bjj thing wrong (wrong for my age and body type).

    I’ll be 39 this year. I’m in decent shape, don’t drink or smoke. And can recover fairly well. But I can’t keep up or out wrestle the younger people at my jiu jitsu gym. Ain’t gonna happen. No matter how much I try and finish a single or double leg takedown. Even a failed attempt at a single leg takedown, and I’m exhausted.

    Time for a new approach.

    The Lazy Man’s Guide to Grappling

    “If you’re going to get beat anyway then
    realize that this is an opportunity to take it easy”

    You know how they say, destroy your ego, well in the case of getting beat in a bjj round, if you’re going to lose a position or get submitted, take the L. Your ego won’t be hurt. Your ego will be so strong it doesn’t even care if your guard gets passed because you’ve survived and didn’t get hurt.

    “A grappling school is a learning
    environment and if you grapple long enough you will be able to hand
    out more whippings than there will be grapplers to accept them.”

    Our time will come, my fellow older blue belt. But that time won’t come if we get injured. And we’ll get injured if we keep rolling like an 18 year old college wrestler.

    “Once you have them clamped down then you can
    begin to rest and start thinking about what you want for dinner
    after practice. Depending upon experience they will be moving a
    little or a lot in order to break free, but it will be a lot less
    than you because you have established position. For them, not only
    have they not established a favorable position, they are operating
    from a deficit.”

    Position before submission. Don’t rush. Establish control before attacking. I constantly need to remind myself of those. If you go slow you can go fast (that sounds like some old school martial arts wisdom, it’s not mine I definitely heard it somewhere though).

    “To throw my grappling buddies off when I am
    on top, I sometimes act as if I am going after a choke or I will
    pull their gi out of their belt and pretend I am working on a new
    type of submission. In reality I am just buying time, as most
    people will try to defend by trying to remove my hand or keep me
    from tugging on their gi. I often have no idea what I am doing but
    I gain precious rest while pretending I possess awesome skills”

    There isn’t much time to rest and take it easy while grappling, so why not make time? I also often don’t really know what I want to do from any given position, either on top or bottom. “Fake it ‘til to make it” is a good strategy for the aspiring lazy grappler.

    “As a lazy grappler I don’t have the energy
    or motivation to spend two minutes trying to get you down. I need
    you down yesterday […]

    My mission is to, as quickly as possible, do one of the
    following: overwrap both of my opponent’s arms (one will suffice
    too), apply a bear hug or get a Greco Roman grip. Once I lock up an
    opponent I like to apply an inside or outside leg trip

    Bear hug and trip. That sounds low effort and low risk. I like the sound of that!

    If you want to last long, save energy, and stay cool calm and collected, while rolling jiu jitsu, I highly recommend becoming a lazy grappler.

    I’ve noticed some weird bjj training phenomena that has made my bjj game get better. Becoming a lazy grappler is one of them.

    Don’t take it too seriously, have fun, and don’t get injured. Don’t use too much energy, low-effort techniques are your friends, and move slow to prevent yourself from getting hurt.

    Now doesn’t that sound like a good plan for BJJ longevity!

    Check out The Lazy Man’s Guide to Grappling by Bakari Akil II PhD here https://www.amazon.ca/Lazy-Mans-Guide-Grappling-ebook/dp/B0045U9SA4

  • Gracie Barra GB3 Class

    The head instructor and gym owner said I was ready for the GB 3 class. He told me that after I rolled with him. He got me in a sweet arm bar and then somehow took my back with this technique called K guard.

    You know what, I think I’m ready for that class too. It will be filled with a bunch of big purple, brown, and black belts but I’m ready for the challenge.

    During my first year of doing JiuJitsu as a white belt I tried doing the GB 3 classes a few times, they were rough. Not only was the warm-up challenging, but the techniques they showed, usually involving the legs, are what I considered advanced and way over my head.

    If I get off work in time maybe I’ll go tonight.

    I expect to get absolutely smashed. Poor little blue belt.

  • Getting Bronze

    A few weeks ago, I got third place out of three competitors at a Grappling Industries round robin tournament in Toronto, Canada. There was supposed to be seven of us, but the other dropped out, didn’t show up, or got injured earlier in the day.

    The two other competitors and myself, each won one match and lost one match. But I think the medals were determined by how each of us won and lost. I think. I didn’t look into it.

    I was happy with how my matches went. I didn’t get injured so that’s a win in and of itself. My main goal was to win one match, and I achieved it. Anything that happened after was okay with me. I one my first match by refs decision and I lost my second match by guillotine. The video of my matches is below if you want to see me get submitted (the match I lost was only 25 seconds haha).

    This is my second time at a Grappling Industries match. The first time I went was wild, I did seven matches. You can read about that here -> 8 Match BJJ Competition Extravaganza AND Why Getting Your Ass Kicked is a Great Way to Test Yourself

    With all its nuttiness and organized chaos, it’s my favorite competition to go to. You get a good bang for your buck – $90 for at least 4 matches and up to 8 matches, good deal.

    Okay, that’s enough chatter. Below is a video of my two matches. First the loss, then the win.

    Enjoy.

  • Open Mat Reflections – Saturday October 21, 2023

    I got saved by the buzzer twice today at open mat. My partners had me, it was just a matter of me tapping. But in the allotted time which is five minutes, I survived. Barely.

    ___

    My head instructor asked me to spar today, black belt in JiuJitsu and black belt in judo, 60 years old, about 5’7, 180 pounds and built like a brick shed. I was a little nervous, but ready to roll.

    What can I say he’s a black belt and I’m a blue Belt. He made his 180 pounds feel like 230 pounds. He stuck to me like glue, and didn’t give me an inch. The only thing I can say is that I didn’t get submitted, thank goodness so that’s a win in my books but I’ll never know for sure if he was going easy on me. That’s okay because I think I put up some really good defense.

    ____

    I rolled with a gigantic blue belt with an accent, who doesn’t take it easy on anyone. It’s my own fault. I got smashed and smushed. Before rolling with him I told myself “don’t get underneath this guy” and sure enough I did and sure enough it hurt. I also saw him rolling with a new white belt and he had him in a head and arm triangle and it didn’t look like he was going easy on him. He’s got maybe 100 pounds on the kid. But he wasn’t completely mean because he was giving advice to the young white belt after.

    ____

    I also rolled with a tall purple belt who is strong. I don’t know if it’s just me, but he seems like he has something to prove or he’s just very competitive. Either way it’s always a tough role with him, but I put up some good defence and he was definitely trying to submit me hard but I survived. We both had a good laugh after. Until next time purple belt, until next time.

    ____

    Here’s some cool news, a fellow blue belt just got a bunch of new mats at their house and they want to start a fight club that’s not a fight club. A place where we can go and drill outside of our regular scheduled classes. They thought I would be a good addition to their extra mat time group, and I said I would love to join them. We’ll see if it actually happens, getting a bunch of people to coordinate and schedule time for it, could be challenging. You never know, maybe this will help us all get better faster, a bunch of blue belts and white belts teaching each other techniques. What could possibly go wrong?

    Here are some A.I. Generated Images from Adobe Firefly 2.0, using the prompt, “JiuJitsu practitioners, sending in a circle laughing all wearing blue belt around their waist”

  • Open Mat Reflections – Saturday September 16, 2023

    A brown belt was on the side of the mat and gave me a thumbs up after I rolled with a white belt. Felt good because I’m a bit intimidated by him because he’s so cool and Alpha.

    A fellow blue belt caught me in a Canto choke and I held out for too long before I tapped. My ego was hurt more. I almost got mad, like I wanted to retaliate. That is not a good thing. I didn’t. He proceeded to pass my guard like it was nothing. I must be doing something wrong, gotta figure out what it is. Or I could just bring a weapon next time and hide it in my Gi.

    I was hand fighting with another fellow blue belt and hurt my pinky. Had to tape it up. I never tape my fingers. Am I at that age already?

    It was a tough day at open mat. It was one of those training sessions where you think, “did I somehow get worse?” No, everyone else is getting better and harder.

    One thing that didn’t get worse was my recurring shoulder injury, thank goodness. But it has been bugging me for a few weeks now, and I’ve been training through it and it looks like it will not be fully healed before the competition in two weeks. I’d rather not have to pump myself full of Advil while I compete, I think I’ll just tough it out.

    Here are some photos from Adobe FireFly A.I. Text to Image generator.

    Prompt was, “Advil as if it were a cartoon”

  • Open Mat Reflections – Saturday September 9, 2023

    A young man, a fellow blue belt, said I would be deadly in my Nogi competition. That definitely put a pep in my step.

    I may or may not have accidentally cut a rolling partner of mine while rolling. He’s fine.

    To switch things up today, our head instructor divided the mat into weight classes. So we got a chance to have rolls against people who are around the same weight. I didn’t ask, but I think he did that because there’s a few competitions coming up and it may have been a way for people who are competing to get a feel of what they’re in for. After the head instructor left, I slid over to the other side so I could roll with heavier people because I like a challenge.

    I got caught and submitted in a guillotine by a purple belt and I got caught and submitted in a nasty rear naked choke. I think I lean in with my head too much sometimes. I’ve mentioned this before but it’s another bad habit, leaning in with my head, from my wrestling days.

    I rolled with a white belt. He was about 10 pounds heavier. He had good wrestling. It was a tough roll. If he keeps up with bjj, he’s gonna be hard to beat. Come to think of it, there aren’t many rolls these days that come easy, even if they are white belts.

  • Open Mat Reflections – Saturday September 2, 2023

    I submitted a blue belt I’ve never submitted before. I have a giant smile on my face as I write this. I now like the bow and arrow choke.

    _____

    I almost seriously injured my ankle when a bigger partner fell on it and I rolled my ankle. Thank goodness it just hurts and isn’t serious. I gotta be more careful. Hopefully it fully heals by the end of the month before my competition.

    _____

    I sparred well with a purple belt who is similar in weight as me. He is quiet and stoic and doesn’t talk much to me, but he said “good roll” after. Are we becoming best friends?

    _____

    “Oh you want to start standing?”

    That was the theme for today. Almost everyone I rolled with seemed surprised that I wanted to start standing. I always start standing, especially if my opponent starts on their butt in guard. My guard passing is getting much better as a result.

    _____

    I paid for a yearly subscription to FloSports (FloGrappling). I like all the live events I can watch, but the app itself could be better. I’ve being watching a bunch of the World Master IBJJF Championship, and I’ve been seeing some great guard passing.

    For example, I’ve noticed the pressure and intensity needed to be a great passer. Ronaldo Junior was a pleasure to watch. One technique I noticed was to get grips on your seated opponents pants near their feet, and hold them down while you pass, keep changing sides and the way you go and don’t stop moving. That’s what I did today at open mat and was successful most of the time.

    _____

    Overall, I felt like I was in the zone today. Cheers to a good rolling session. More of these please.

    See you on the mats.

    Here are some fun AI generated images from deepai.org – I used the prompt “Jiu Jitsu grappling wearing a Gi yelling”

  • How to Stand and Where to Put Your Hands in No Gi BJJ

    I love finding gems and free stuff on the internet. Especially if they help me with real life.

    After finding free BJJ instructionals online (hint: go to Bilibili(dot)com, which is a video sharing site from China, and search for “jiu jitsu”, you’re welcome), I came across this beauty: Wrestling for Jiu Jitsu: Complete 40-Part Series (Full BJJ Instructional).

    I downloaded it from a video-ripping site and was super pumped! But then while searching for the instructors name, found out that this wreslting for BJJ instrictional is actually already FREE on YOUTUBE.

    I started taking some notes, and I’ll share them with your today.

    Notes from Wrestling for Jiu Jitsu Instructional by Dom Anderson

    You want to have your…

    1. Head up
    2. Neck stiff
    3. Back Straight
    4. Legs bent
    5. Arms down by your feet or Arms on your opponent

    Head up and Neck Stiff

    The body goes where the head goes. If you keep your head up and neck stiff, even if your opponent does tie up with you, it wont really effect your movement.

    Back straight and Legs bent

    A lot of people like to go for shots. If your opponent goes for a shot they won’t be able to finish if your legs and posture are low. For your stance, keep your legs in a squared-up posture, or one leg slightly forward, the leg forward is the leg you’ll shoot with.

    Arms down by your feet or Arms on your opponent

    Keep your arms down by your knees as close as possible. Don’t put your arms above you or your elbows in and close to your chest.

    Where do I put my hands?

    In your stance, whichever leg you have slightly forward, reach across to your opponent with the opposite hand and put it on their shoulder. Right leg forward, left hand on their same side shoulder. They call this a “cross grip.” If your right leg is forward and you put your right hand on their shoulder, you open yourself up to being taken down and other attacks. So remember: whichever leg you lead with, do a cross grip with the other hand and place it on their shoulder.

    Your hand that isn’t on their shoulder, you can put it behind their head and tie up, or go for same side under-hook.

    Cross grip with Collar Tie up

    YES

    NO

    If you do a cross grip tie up and go ear-to-ear, you give your opponent an equal opportunity to control you. If you stay head-to-head with your opponent, you can follow them wherever they go.

    Instead of going ear-to-ear, stand firm with head-on-head, like this…

    The sequence goes…

    1. Cross grip
    2. Grab the back of their head
    3. Go head-to-head

    That’s all the notes I have at the moment. But I’ll be sure to share more of them when I go through the rest of the video. It was too good not to share right away!

    If you have any other tips for Stand-up or Hand fighting for BJJ, let us know.

    PS: I recently wrote a post called “Lex VS GSP and Why Reaching-in is a Bad Idea” and I shared GSP’s idea of getting closer to your opponent using your feet and not reaching in, like this…

    But the video by Dom Anderson uses a different approach with wrestling. Both seem like a good idea to try and learn and figure out which works. Unless I completely misunderstood GSP and I’m totally wrong, it could happen, I’m a blue belt and I’m still trying to parse through all this new info. It’s like I’m relearning all my old wrestling again for the first time.

    Anyways, see you on the mats.

  • Open Mat Reflections – Saturday August 19, 2023

    A two stripe white belt said I had the best role yet with him, again. I was on his back for four minutes. That’s got to be some kind of record for me.

    __________

    Another fellow blue belt and I fought hard. I had an arm triangle locked in for about 4 and a half minutes. My arm, the one around the back of his shoulders, was complete Jell-O at the end of the roll, it’s still sore. He didn’t tap. I’ll give him that he’s tough as nails.

    __________

    I barely survived against a two striped black belt. He caught me in a nasty triangle.

    I also barely survived against a few striped purple belt. He also caught me in a nasty triangle.

    _________

    Some younger guys were doing No Gi in the corner of the mat so I ripped off my gi top and asked if any of them wanted to dance.

    Here are some A.I. Generated Images created by Adobe Firefly using the prompt “Blue man in a Jiu Jitsu gi ripping his shirt open yelling”

  • Open Mat Reflections – Saturday August 12, 2023

    I realized something today at open mat: the more tired I am and exhausted I am the less I roll with technique. I roll sloppy and end up getting submitted.

    That’s what happened today at open mat. But let’s back it up a bit.

    I’m definitely getting better at holding positions. For example, staying on top or keeping my pressure on while pinning and not getting swept as much. Another example is I got in Mount on a higher striped blue belt and I don’t think I’ve ever got mount on him, so that’s a win for me.

    I also did some good takedowns during some nogi rolls today, but got caught in some guillotines on the way but kept wrestling and got the takedown. Keep the pressure on I guess.

    I also have been focusing on guard passing instead of guard pulling, this is what I did when I first started my bjj journey. Good to be back at it. Now that I think about it, almost everyone I rolled with today, started in guard while I started standing so at least I know I’ll get lots of practice with passing.

    Now remember what I was saying at the beginning, when I roll tired I roll sloppy, well my last roll of the day was like that. After some bad hand fighting by me, my partner got a good rear naked choke on me and I tapped. I was glad to be honest because I was exhausted. But this is good for me. This is good training for me because I got a competition coming up at the end of September and the more rolls I do the better I get and the better prepared I’ll be for that competition. That’s the plan anyway.