NeoGAF Martial Arts |OT| Should You Desire the Great Tranquility, Prepare to Sweat

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Sigh. I suck against spider guard so much.
 
Class was crazy yesterday. Full contact striking, then wrestling. I goofed. I was really dominating the wrestling portion of the class with other students so i paired up with my instructor. Thought i'd get cheeky and tried to take him down and lock him. I got him down and wrestled for position for about 5 minutes. Old bastard ended up pinning me at the end. And thats how i found out he had 3 years of private BJJ lessons :lol:. Definitely gonna look into it after i reach a certain level of proficency with xingyi. Ground fighting is so confusing when you're on your side.

I also have a huge ass bump on my head from slamming my head into the concrete with the takedown i used on him. lucky i have a lot of hair or id be quasimoto status right now.
 
Had another ground defense session, urgh. Nice to find that I had total control over the stuff we trained last time (getting out of chokes), but the ground just isn't a good place to be. The stress test this time involved trying to get off the ground from laying on my belly, with 5 dudes laying full weight on me. And then attack them. And then getting the hell out of various shitty situations on the ground. So yeah, urgh.

Also getting frustrated with the learning bits. During introduction we are supposed to go through the moves slowly and by way of steps, and it always screws up and I feel like a total barnaclehead. Once we hit fullspeed it clicks beautifully, though. Maybe it has something to do with Krav Maga being so deeply based on reflex?
 
All LA Boxings are turning into UFC gyms. Heh.
 
Pretty sure I have sprained ligaments in my lower back after some guy at the gym put me in a thai clinch, he outweighed me by 40 lbs. Going to be out for a while.
 
rinse82 said:
Pretty sure I have sprained ligaments in my lower back after some guy at the gym put me in a thai clinch, he outweighed me by 40 lbs. Going to be out for a while.
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Was he jerking on your back or back of skull?
 
Yesterday was all kicking. Generally my kicking isn't very good apart from a pretty solid roundhouse and front kick. Trying to work out the shitty snap kicking that i learned from TKD when i was a kid and replace it with heavier strikes powered by my hips and non-kicking foot. Also working on cutting down kick telegraphing in my upper body, my hands do have a tendency to sway when im pushing off. My side kick especially is crap, but my teacher taught me a couple good drills to combine the chambering and kicking. Ill have drill the shit out of them solo

My hips hurt like hell. Tired.
 
Great rolling today. It's always a good day when I don't get arm barred, triangled, or swept. I'm also getting proficient with my arm triangle.
 
Got grading tomorrow. I'm a little nervous but I should be fine.

Also, how do you guys deal with facial bruising? I copped a number of hits to the face today and have some nasty red welts on the right side of my face. Whenever this happens people I know freak out. Do you get in trouble for it? Does it bother people at your workplace?
 
Witchfinder General said:
Got grading tomorrow. I'm a little nervous but I should be fine.

Also, how do you guys deal with facial bruising? I copped a number of hits to the face today and have some nasty red welts on the right side of my face. Whenever this happens people I know freak out. Do you get in trouble for it? Does it bother people at your workplace?
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Cold compress ASAP after practice, dont apply for more than ten minutes. about 2 days after you get the bruise you can start washing your face with warm/hot water to clear blood away. I have also heard good things about warm water mixed with vinegar or witch hazel at that stage, but havent tried it.
 
Witchfinder General said:
Got grading tomorrow. I'm a little nervous but I should be fine.
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Do you grade in Krav Maga, or is this is a different thing you're training? There aren't really grades in our system, instead we do these "competency tests" which are basically 4-hour torture/evaluation sessions. Have on coming up in a couple of weeks, mildly terrified.
 
Eschaton said:
Cold compress ASAP after practice, dont apply for more than ten minutes. about 2 days after you get the bruise you can start washing your face with warm/hot water to clear blood away. I have also heard good things about warm water mixed with vinegar or witch hazel at that stage, but havent tried it.
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Thanks, I'll try that next time it happens... which in my case means in a couple of days. Being an in-fighter sure does mean you end up taking a tonne of punishment. Or maybe I just suck.

AltogetherAndrews said:
Do you grade in Krav Maga, or is this is a different thing you're training? There aren't really grades in our system, instead we do these "competency tests" which are basically 4-hour torture/evaluation sessions. Have on coming up in a couple of weeks, mildly terrified.
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Yes, we have a proper grading system. Here's an excerpt explaining it:

The grades themselves are broken in three main levels, with five sub levels

Practitioner 1-5

Graduate 1-5

Expert 1-5

To successfully pass a grading you will need to demonstrate both your technical ability, knowledge of the techniques associated with your level, and also demonstrate that you could effectively deal with these problems which are associated with your level in reality – to be able to perform these technique with good, controlled aggression at realistic speeds.

A grading can last between 90 minutes and several hours in length and if you ask anyone which has successfully graded before they will tell you that it is both a physical and a mental challenge.

In Krav Maga your grade is earned and not just given out and it’s not about looking pretty, we train for reality, we test for reality. So once you pass a grading take pride in your ability and have confidence in your skill level, you’ve earned it.
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For Practitioner levels you can expect to grade every six months or so if you've attending classes regularly. For graduate it is typically six months to a year between grading and Expert can take years to move up every level. Expert is the equivalent of a black belt.

I'm grading for P2 rank so as you can see I'm merely a beginner.
 
Ah, alright. We have three levels (not sure what they are named, but it goes basically student, advanced student, instructor), though I'm not sure if these competency tests have much to do with that. Based on what the instructor said, it's mostly an extended scenario thing to see what are current limitations are. Right now all levels train together, so it's becoming nicely intense.

As said, slightly terrifying considering that our torture sessions are already brutal... at 10 minutes. A few hours of that... I hurt already.
 
Witchfinder General said:
Thanks, I'll try that next time it happens... which in my case means in a couple of days. Being an in-fighter sure does mean you end up taking a tonne of punishment. Or maybe I just suck.
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If your face is getting cut up a lot i hear some vaseline before full contact will help protect your skin, at the very least.
 
Whelp, I passed. I'm now P2. Yay! It was pretty tiring but not as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe I'm getting fitter. I guess all that sparring toughens you up.
 
2MF said:
Thanks!



Is that Krav Maga? Congrats to you too, seems gaf is getting stronger ;)
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Yup, Krav. Stronger? I'm not so sure. I am however utterly covered in bruises (defensive bruises for the most part) and I resemble a murder victim. It's going to make that job interview on Wednesday rather interesting.
 
Witchfinder General said:
Yup, Krav. Stronger? I'm not so sure. I am however utterly covered in bruises (defensive bruises for the most part) and I resemble a murder victim. It's going to make that job interview on Wednesday rather interesting.
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I've found most interviewers have responded positively to having martial arts training. But I wasn't covered in bruises at the interview haha.
 
thirty said:
Yeah, saying you train in martial arts is far different then saying something like, "I'm a cage fighter."
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But, when I say I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, lots of people assume that's what I do.

New group of guys tonight. I don't understand why some guys can't be patient and let the newbies work/think their way out of positions instead of putting in submission clinics. Although this one guy was just diving into triangles all night.
 
ChiTownBuffalo said:
But, when I say I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, lots of people assume that's what I do.

New group of guys tonight. I don't understand why some guys can't be patient and let the newbies work/think their way out of positions instead of putting in submission clinics. Although this one guy was just diving into triangles all night.
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yeah, i don't mind that. those type of guys will get there's eventually. i have 2 at my gym like that, an older gentleman in his late 40's that seems to really enjoy dominating white belts like myself and another younger smaller guy that puts on clinics and cranks holds so you feel it the next day. guess what, they're both buddies too and they offer no help to new guys. never telling them what they did wrong, what they can improve on, nothing.

i ain't worried though, they're the minority in my gym. i will use the both of them as examples of what not to be during my progression. keep my ego checked, stay humble, and help others along the way.
 
Had my interview earlier. Wore a long-sleeved shirt to hide my bruises and as they didn't delve too deeply into our personal lives I didn't bring up my training. If I get the job I'll mention it then.

Oh, and if anyone's interested here's a video of one of my instructors when he was training in Israel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W1MjPnisuE

He's the bigger guy.
 
thirty said:
yeah, i don't mind that. those type of guys will get there's eventually. i have 2 at my gym like that, an older gentleman in his late 40's that seems to really enjoy dominating white belts like myself and another younger smaller guy that puts on clinics and cranks holds so you feel it the next day. guess what, they're both buddies too and they offer no help to new guys. never telling them what they did wrong, what they can improve on, nothing.

i ain't worried though, they're the minority in my gym. i will use the both of them as examples of what not to be during my progression. keep my ego checked, stay humble, and help others along the way.
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BJJ is a huge ego check.
 
thirty said:
yeah, i don't mind that. those type of guys will get there's eventually. i have 2 at my gym like that, an older gentleman in his late 40's that seems to really enjoy dominating white belts like myself and another younger smaller guy that puts on clinics and cranks holds so you feel it the next day. guess what, they're both buddies too and they offer no help to new guys. never telling them what they did wrong, what they can improve on, nothing.

i ain't worried though, they're the minority in my gym. i will use the both of them as examples of what not to be during my progression. keep my ego checked, stay humble, and help others along the way.
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Every gym has that haha. In my old boxing gym in the hood parts of town it was pretty much this: high school kids beating the shit out of each other, a couple dudes in their 20s training for amateur and pro MMA and boxing and like 5-10 old black and white dudes. These old dudes were straight up fat, no euphemisms needed. But they could beat everyone's asses except the pro/amateur guys and even then give them the occasional work, beat them, or knock them down. If they werent bitter, they were pretty helpful though. But they didnt have patience for the dudes who werent coming in at least 4 times a week, left them in the dust.

A couple of the Taiji dudes in their 50s I know still have extremely good hua or redirection force and fighting against them is like getting your individual strikes sucked away. They just have experience based sensitivity.
 
One of the benefits of training in an Israeli martial art is that I got to snack on delicious Sufganiyah Chanukah jam doughnuts after class. Which was nice because boy was today's class exhausting.
 
i was bored this past weekend and i decided id see what the marcello garcia site was like and try it out for a month since its only $25 a month. at first i just looked at it on my ipad and you could see 75 videos- the last 25 advanced classes, last 25 fundamentals and last 25 free rolling. i was like, well i guess thats ok, i wish you could see more though. then i looked at the site from my pc a few days later and you can see EVERYTHING on there! its over a thousand videos! if you are looking for some details on moves or something that you could work on or use for teaching purposes, i have to say i would recommend it. its at least worth trying out for a month to see if you think its worth subscribing to. you can find stuff out there to try a week for free- i think i used 'bjjweekly' or something like that as the promocode. i just searched on google.
 
Zampano said:
Yeah the humbling nature of being routinely crushed has had a profound impact on me as a human.

BTW what belt are you?
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Formal BJJ I'm just a white belt.

I should have gotten stripes this summer, but our school postponed promotions until after the IBJJF tournament here in Chicago, which is something I agreed with.

But I've been doing no-gi grappling for about 2 years. or so. Gi game is so different, and I like it alot more.
 
*bjj*

I farted on 2 people tonight who stacked me. Embarrassing, yet I prevented their guard pass and/or arm bar escape.

this happen to you guys?
 
thirty said:
*bjj*

I farted on 2 people tonight who stacked me. Embarrassing, yet I prevented their guard pass and/or arm bar escape.

this happen to you guys?
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Yeah. Farting happens. But I am paranoid about eating two hours before class.
 
Yeah its nature of the beast. Particularly when you have eaten fiber rich foods. oatmeal and stuff.



As for the ego thing, hehehe.



I found this on tumblr, you might like; http://manbeater.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/bjj-personalities-which-one-are-you/





Your ego has to get crushed. The stronger and bigger you are, the more crushed it usually gets. Tapping out to small women or old men, or anyone who looks weak and feeble. Not all the strength training in the world is going to save you. When a bow and arrow choke is in the box, it really yanks the spine if you don't tap.



"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Full contact sparring in BJJ certainly proves that, haha.
 
In yesterday's judo training we tried a really powerful ground lock which makes your body feel like it's breaking in 4 pieces. I think it's called Tate-Shiho-Hiza-Hishigi but I'm not sure, it could also have been a combination of that on the knees with something else on the upper body.

thirty said:
*bjj*

I farted on 2 people tonight who stacked me. Embarrassing, yet I prevented their guard pass and/or arm bar escape.

this happen to you guys?
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In our training it's rare a session without anyone farting (sometimes multiple times).
 
Been neglecting this thread like a bad child. Anyway, Shit's going well. I'm about 40-50% of the way through my school's curriculum. Dat daily practice.
 
Rat problem in the dojo :/ Haven't really got the new season started properly because of that. Sucks big time. On the other hand I just ordered tickets to Japan this september where I will live with a sensei and practice practice practice!
 
Back at training for almost one and a half month. it hurts. Fatigue. But its good.


When all your strength and stamina are gone, that's when you really see what your defense is made of. Shrimp motherfucker. shrimp out of hell!!



and about shrimping, this has helped me a lot; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irevNkyxYBA





edit; im still suffering from a poor arm, a bad foot and shin splints in both legs(running injury) so im out of the loop for competitions. but we have ten guys who are going to the europeans in Portugal in under a month! Its strange that even though BJJ is a not a team-sport the comradeship is so good due to the sparring, that you feel that if your teammates win, you also win, because you helped them become so good, and vice versa.
 
OK MA-GAF, the holidays are over, enough slacking off, let's get back at it.

what are your goals for the new year?

me, i'm going to work hard and get my blue belt in bjj and hope to enter my first tournament. also, my arthritic knees are feeling much better and i plan to get at least one hour of muay thai a week.
 
thirty said:
OK MA-GAF, the holidays are over, enough slacking off, let's get back at it.

what are your goals for the new year?

me, i'm going to work hard and get my blue belt in bjj and hope to enter my first tournament. also, my arthritic knees are feeling much better and i plan to get at least one hour of muay thai a week.
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My goal is to get better at gi, I've gotten so shitty with gi techniques because of how much I focus on doing no-gi work. I also want to add a signature move to my game that isn't a no-gi move. All my moves work 1000x time better in no-gi. Kneebars, d'arce chokes, guillotines, rear naked chokes. It's ridiculous.

Edit: I also hope to get my brown belt at the end of the year.
 
Oblivion said:
Do you guys have an opinion on silat? Is it practical in a street fight?
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Eh. I have seen like 2 guys who practice silat who can actually fight. Like more esoteric styles in this states and europe, you're probably more likely to find a lot of LARPing and silliness from a silat program than anything else. But as always id have to say it depends on the training method and teacher rather than the style.


as for 2013 martial arts goals: give me time. I'll come up with it.
 
Fellow BJJ guys, I need some feedback.

Professor came up to me and told me that he is thinking about promoting me to purple today. Is it weird that i got depressed? I am a blue belt with two stripes, but I have this old school mentality to BJJ.

I feel like I shouldn't get promoted unless I can start getting wins against other purple belts. Right now I can tap the blue belts of the same weight, some bigger blue belts, and all white belts regardless of weight. I can't win against purple. Some really good blue belt guys that practice 5 times a week still nail me pretty hard...so I would evaluate myself as better than average but I still have glaring holes in my game. I suck at chokes, I am only good at sweeps from spider, and I never use guillotines or arm triangles. Today in class I tapped a brown belt with 4 stripes who has been out of practice for a few months and then proceeded to get owned by my buddy who is a blue belt (who practices like every day).

Anyways, my response to the professor is that I feel like i don't deserve it. He told me that some guys, when they hit a wall, the belt helps them break it. He gave me examples of guys getting motivated and training very hard after getting a promotion. It makes sense to me, but getting a "pity promotion" is disheartening. I'd rather be a blue belt who taps purples than to be a purple belt who sucks ass...

thoughts, comments, etc? I'm pretty bummed about this.
 
A day 1 purple belt is just a good blue belt one day removed. You'll have opportunity to earn it in your own mind down the road.
 
EviLore said:
A day 1 purple belt is just a good blue belt one day removed. You'll have opportunity to earn it in your own mind down the road.
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Thank you for the kind words EviLore.

When I got my blue belt, it was one of the happiest days of my life. I really felt that I had earned it... I kept staring at it for days. Hearing this is just soul draining. Its like the professor admits that I suck so he is taking pity. Feels so hollow.
 
Hmmmm, goals for the year...

1. Improve my fighting. I'm considering joining a boxing gym to compliment all the boxing I do in Krav.

2. Get stronger, fitter. This should hopefully evolve naturally with my current training.
 
I understand, yeah. I don't think he meant it in so harsh a manner when he explained it, though. It sounds like he knows your mindset: you don't feel like you deserve the purple yet, and you're going to be pissed and ashamed every time a blue belt taps you. That probably will motivate you, and he feels you're ready in terms of mat time and right on the cusp in terms of skill level, with confidence that you'll grow into the new belt.
 
Goals for 2013:

Fitness/mechanics wise i really wanna work on my legs, keeping my tailbone and hips tucked during my strikes, as well as increasing my kick control+accuracy. Thinking about rigging up an impromptu set of hanging targets for that purpose. I also wanna finish learning the animal curriculum in my style. Seems pretty realistic for a year's worth of work.

edit: I'm happy I don't have to deal with rank right now. I imagine it can get annoying if its based on gauging perceptions fighting ability rather than strict technical requirements or curriculum of some sort.

EDIT2: also, i really wanna be able to pistol squat in reps.
 
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