I have not written for a while. One I was getting some negative feedback from some people and I did not need the criticism and Two I really had nothing important to say.
Today I am writing with very Heavy Heart. Two weeks ago a BJJ Friend of mine Brian Kim passed away of a heart attack. I was not able to attend the funeral last week as I was at the Shot Show in Vegas and this has been consuming my thoughts and his family has been in my prayers. A few hours a go I found out that another Friend of mine has died. This time it was another Black Belt Don Charley from Las Vegas. He was a good guy to train with and never took it easy on me. He invited me to his home to train and I should have went last week while in Vegas but I told him next time and there will never be next time hear on earth.
Both of these men where black belts and both humored me. I remember doing stand up with Brian over at Brea Jiu Jitsu and when I shot and took him down he then went to work on my submitting me at least 5 times in the next 7 1/2 minutes. At Higher Ground it was the Same. He would come in all smiles and happy. Looked to be very care free and everyone was Happy when Brian showed up even though we all knew we were in for a beating. He always took care of business with a smile complimenting you on a good move while countering it with a submission of his own.
Don was closer to my age. One year older then me. I rolled with him a few times while in Vegas. He was always very specific when it came to BJJ etiquette and made sure we did not enter the mat unless we were invited by the Proffesor and that we shook hands and greeted all Black belts and higher belts before we proceeded with out workout. He was the only guy I ever rolled with that was older then me and smaller then me (slightly older and smaller) but could still work me over. Of course the skills he developed as a Black Belt made him so much better at Jiujitsu then me and I had no problems tapping when he ankle locked me or got me in another position when I thought I was going to get the advantage but ended up tapping.
My 3 year BJJ anniversary is Monday. It is hard to believe how two Gentlemen like this that I only met on a few occasions I saw Brian maybe 15 times and Don only 3-4 times would stir such emotion in me. I continue to Pray for both their families.
RIP Brian Kim
RIP Don Charley
Ninja Jiu Jitsu
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Monday, October 5, 2015
World Championships Post Dinner
Last night I had some BJJ Friends and their wives over. We decided weeks in advance that we would get together Sunday afternoon after Master World Championships because then none us were going to have to worry about cutting weight and we could indulge without fear of the scale the next day.
One of the guys who came over had a Son who should be on The Food Channel. He is 13 years old, and a very good BJJ practioner but also an excellent Chef. He made a Chinese Sea Food Soup that was incredible. (Tom Yum Soup)
One of the reasons we got together is to let our wives meet each other and also to give support to each other as sometimes all married men who do BJJ (unless your wife trains with you) can get the "Why are you going to BJJ so often?" line from wifey. We felt like if our wives could see we were not the only crazy ones that would be good for us. Also there is one guy we invited that trains like Crazy. He does 2 a days plus 2 private lessons a week. He spends over $500 a month on BJJ lessons and I thought that with him there we would all look like slackers by comparison and our wives would see that we were not the most hard core jiujiteors our there.
What started out as a good dinner and a show of how the guys that made more workout did better at Worlds turned into the end of a BJJ Wives Anonymous meeting where the Women just sat and discussed why their husbands could not do this or that because of a BJJ injury or because they were too tired. (This or that has to do with Chores around the house and running errands not other things that may or may not have popped into your mind. At the end of the day all was well. Some of the wives decided we were not so bad and they would let their husbands train more. All in all it was good fun and the wives all seemed to enjoy being together with other wives who have husbands that share the same passion. Also it seemed in the end when the dust had settled most of the Women were happy their husbands were doing BJJ and were willing to let them train as much as they could. They even suggested getting together next month and inviting a couple of wives (and husbands who train elsewhere) to come over and join the fun.
One of the guys who came over had a Son who should be on The Food Channel. He is 13 years old, and a very good BJJ practioner but also an excellent Chef. He made a Chinese Sea Food Soup that was incredible. (Tom Yum Soup)
One of the reasons we got together is to let our wives meet each other and also to give support to each other as sometimes all married men who do BJJ (unless your wife trains with you) can get the "Why are you going to BJJ so often?" line from wifey. We felt like if our wives could see we were not the only crazy ones that would be good for us. Also there is one guy we invited that trains like Crazy. He does 2 a days plus 2 private lessons a week. He spends over $500 a month on BJJ lessons and I thought that with him there we would all look like slackers by comparison and our wives would see that we were not the most hard core jiujiteors our there.
What started out as a good dinner and a show of how the guys that made more workout did better at Worlds turned into the end of a BJJ Wives Anonymous meeting where the Women just sat and discussed why their husbands could not do this or that because of a BJJ injury or because they were too tired. (This or that has to do with Chores around the house and running errands not other things that may or may not have popped into your mind. At the end of the day all was well. Some of the wives decided we were not so bad and they would let their husbands train more. All in all it was good fun and the wives all seemed to enjoy being together with other wives who have husbands that share the same passion. Also it seemed in the end when the dust had settled most of the Women were happy their husbands were doing BJJ and were willing to let them train as much as they could. They even suggested getting together next month and inviting a couple of wives (and husbands who train elsewhere) to come over and join the fun.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
BJJ Problems. Bad Fingers.
I have not written for a while but I have had lots of stuff to write about. Just busy so I thought I would save it for later.
I am getting ready for Master Worlds and for me that mostly means trying to avoid getting injured as the healing time takes way to long. I have had many team mates close to my age that start working harder for a big tournament and get busted up and end up not being able to perform like they wanted.
I think old guys need to understand that they cannot train like Young Guys no matter what the Professor or their own brain says. It just does not work out. I think that is the biggest struggle for older Jiu Jitsu players. Our minds are strong but our bodies just don't respond like we want them to.
One thing that I am getting used to is for the referee to ask me to take of my wedding ring. I cannot get the ring off. It has been on my finger for 31 years. In fact at the last tournament I went to I worked to get the ring off before I competed and was able to get it off the middle knuckle but the top knuckle has grown so much (thank you Spider Guard) that the ring was stuck between the middle and top knuckle on my hand. It took me another few minutes and some oil to get it back down to the correct spot on the finger. I guess I could label this under BJJ Problems.
Now I just put some tape over it so I don't have to worry about them stopping the match and asking me about it.
I am getting ready for Master Worlds and for me that mostly means trying to avoid getting injured as the healing time takes way to long. I have had many team mates close to my age that start working harder for a big tournament and get busted up and end up not being able to perform like they wanted.
I think old guys need to understand that they cannot train like Young Guys no matter what the Professor or their own brain says. It just does not work out. I think that is the biggest struggle for older Jiu Jitsu players. Our minds are strong but our bodies just don't respond like we want them to.
One thing that I am getting used to is for the referee to ask me to take of my wedding ring. I cannot get the ring off. It has been on my finger for 31 years. In fact at the last tournament I went to I worked to get the ring off before I competed and was able to get it off the middle knuckle but the top knuckle has grown so much (thank you Spider Guard) that the ring was stuck between the middle and top knuckle on my hand. It took me another few minutes and some oil to get it back down to the correct spot on the finger. I guess I could label this under BJJ Problems.
Now I just put some tape over it so I don't have to worry about them stopping the match and asking me about it.
Monday, August 3, 2015
I been involved in a lot of youth sports and BJJ Parents seem better then most.
Just to give you that don't know me well some background. I have had daughters on a swim team for the last 18 years. We just spent 5 days in blazing heat in the Inland Empire watching our youngest daughter swim. I saw many parents who were getting really worked when their child added time. They would pull them aside and berate them about their lack of hard work at practice and other problems with their strokes, not being tough enough etc. The parents were really agitated.
I was sitting with the Coaches when a swimmer from another team came up to his Coach and told him that his mother was going to buy him one of the new $400 swim suits. He asked the Coach which one would make him swim fastest. The Coach said if you want to get faster tell your mom to bring you to practice more often. It will save you the $400.
3 weeks ago I was at American Nationals BJJ tournament and as part of the UFC event they also had a high level youth wrestling tournament, 6 and under, 8 and under, 10 and under, etc in all weight classes These kids had come from all over the country and it seemed like it was most likely an invite only type of tournament because their were lots of individuals there but did not seem to be lots of full teams of wrestlers and coaches that traveled as a team. The problem this created is that the kids were coached mostly by the parents. They let the parents sit around the circle of the mat while their child/athlete competed. The behavior I saw from these parents was out of control. In swimming I see parents yell at their kids during the event all the time but the kids heads are under water and the swimmer rarely can hear a parent yelling. During the Wrestling Matches the parents were sometimes inches from their athletes face yelling at them not to be a quitter and getting very upset. I saw 3 times where they had to bring in an extra referee to stand between the Parents and the kids. Then when the match was over the parents went crazy. Now just to be fair it was a very intense environment, these kids were competing at a very high level. I saw 8 year olds doing suplexes on other wrestlers. I was very impressed with the skill set of the kids who attended this tournament and I would guess that most of them were state champions or region champions and none of them were used to getting beat. You could see it in almost every match. When one kid knew he was not as good as the kid he was going against the tears started to fall. The amount of intensity that was there was incredible. I think the kids were crying because they had a fear or disappointing their parents more then actually losing the match. I would really like to take some of these kids and see if they are qualifying for NCAA's in 8-12 years.
Then two weeks ago I was at the Kids World BJJ tournament. First the quality of the kids was great. The parents did not seem to be too over the top. Sure they were cheering and holding up signs but for the most part the parents accepted defeat easily and complimented their child on a job well done. Only once did I see a Parent get upset and that was because the kid started crying and ran to the edge of the mat and fell down crying uncontrollably. I am not sure if the parent was upset about the kid losing or the behavior afterward. The parents seemed to be much better.
My question is why? My short answer is that most parents in swimming and wrestling have an existing knowledge of the sport. They may have participated in it in the past and they think they have the ability to coach their kids. I think with BJJ it is so new to most parents they really don't understand it well enough to be obnoxious. Do you think there is validity to this or are BJJ Parents just more respectful then other Sport's parents?
I was sitting with the Coaches when a swimmer from another team came up to his Coach and told him that his mother was going to buy him one of the new $400 swim suits. He asked the Coach which one would make him swim fastest. The Coach said if you want to get faster tell your mom to bring you to practice more often. It will save you the $400.
3 weeks ago I was at American Nationals BJJ tournament and as part of the UFC event they also had a high level youth wrestling tournament, 6 and under, 8 and under, 10 and under, etc in all weight classes These kids had come from all over the country and it seemed like it was most likely an invite only type of tournament because their were lots of individuals there but did not seem to be lots of full teams of wrestlers and coaches that traveled as a team. The problem this created is that the kids were coached mostly by the parents. They let the parents sit around the circle of the mat while their child/athlete competed. The behavior I saw from these parents was out of control. In swimming I see parents yell at their kids during the event all the time but the kids heads are under water and the swimmer rarely can hear a parent yelling. During the Wrestling Matches the parents were sometimes inches from their athletes face yelling at them not to be a quitter and getting very upset. I saw 3 times where they had to bring in an extra referee to stand between the Parents and the kids. Then when the match was over the parents went crazy. Now just to be fair it was a very intense environment, these kids were competing at a very high level. I saw 8 year olds doing suplexes on other wrestlers. I was very impressed with the skill set of the kids who attended this tournament and I would guess that most of them were state champions or region champions and none of them were used to getting beat. You could see it in almost every match. When one kid knew he was not as good as the kid he was going against the tears started to fall. The amount of intensity that was there was incredible. I think the kids were crying because they had a fear or disappointing their parents more then actually losing the match. I would really like to take some of these kids and see if they are qualifying for NCAA's in 8-12 years.
Then two weeks ago I was at the Kids World BJJ tournament. First the quality of the kids was great. The parents did not seem to be too over the top. Sure they were cheering and holding up signs but for the most part the parents accepted defeat easily and complimented their child on a job well done. Only once did I see a Parent get upset and that was because the kid started crying and ran to the edge of the mat and fell down crying uncontrollably. I am not sure if the parent was upset about the kid losing or the behavior afterward. The parents seemed to be much better.
My question is why? My short answer is that most parents in swimming and wrestling have an existing knowledge of the sport. They may have participated in it in the past and they think they have the ability to coach their kids. I think with BJJ it is so new to most parents they really don't understand it well enough to be obnoxious. Do you think there is validity to this or are BJJ Parents just more respectful then other Sport's parents?
Monday, July 20, 2015
The Key to Longevity in BJJ is to tap quick
I have been fortunate to win a few tournaments. First of all let me tell you I'm not that good. I have been able to win because I compete in an Older Age Group (Masters 5) I have been able to catch some of my best competitors right after a match so they are already tired. I am pretty good at defending submissions and I know how to score points.
I talk with many of my fellow competitors and I have come to the conclusion that we are doing this for fun not to kill each other and no one wants to have to be carried off the mat. In fact most of the time we talk this is what we talk about. Now let me tell you that everyone goes hard and tries their best to win but in the long run most of us would rather lose with a quick tap then win and limp for a week because we were ahead on points and we were able to deal with the ankle lock the guy put on us.
We have heard many say that BJJ is like Chess. Move, counter move, staying one step ahead of your opponent, bait them into doing a move that will benefit you etc. I agree but one thing that Older Guys seem to get that younger guys don't is that when the other guy has done a move and has got you in the Submission Correctly the Older Guys just tap and say good job and aren't willing to break an arm to get out of a arm-bar or willing to risk an ankle injury because you wanted to fight off that ankle lock, Old guys know they have been beat and they tap, Recovery time takes too long for an old guy to warrant fighting off the nasty joint lock submissions.
I am not saying that young guys should tap earlier but I am saying that there is a reason we are old guys and can still train and compete. It is because we use discretion when it comes to knowing when we are beat. I think this is good counsel when it comes to extending your BJJ life,
I know it is sometimes hard for you young bucks to tap to an old guy a lower belt or a female but in the bigger picture just give them credit for pulling off the move correctly tap and move on, You will be better off for it in the long run,
For most of us it is a Hobby not a Job and sometimes we may weekend Warrior ourselves out of training,
I talk with many of my fellow competitors and I have come to the conclusion that we are doing this for fun not to kill each other and no one wants to have to be carried off the mat. In fact most of the time we talk this is what we talk about. Now let me tell you that everyone goes hard and tries their best to win but in the long run most of us would rather lose with a quick tap then win and limp for a week because we were ahead on points and we were able to deal with the ankle lock the guy put on us.
We have heard many say that BJJ is like Chess. Move, counter move, staying one step ahead of your opponent, bait them into doing a move that will benefit you etc. I agree but one thing that Older Guys seem to get that younger guys don't is that when the other guy has done a move and has got you in the Submission Correctly the Older Guys just tap and say good job and aren't willing to break an arm to get out of a arm-bar or willing to risk an ankle injury because you wanted to fight off that ankle lock, Old guys know they have been beat and they tap, Recovery time takes too long for an old guy to warrant fighting off the nasty joint lock submissions.
I am not saying that young guys should tap earlier but I am saying that there is a reason we are old guys and can still train and compete. It is because we use discretion when it comes to knowing when we are beat. I think this is good counsel when it comes to extending your BJJ life,
I know it is sometimes hard for you young bucks to tap to an old guy a lower belt or a female but in the bigger picture just give them credit for pulling off the move correctly tap and move on, You will be better off for it in the long run,
For most of us it is a Hobby not a Job and sometimes we may weekend Warrior ourselves out of training,
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
What is the benefit of competing in Jiu Jitsu Tournaments.
First let me say that I think it a huge benefit to all to compete. I have several very good friends that just don't want to compete. I understand the anxiety that comes with competing. I also understand the ego bruise that can result if you don't fare well in your competition. I also understand the pressure building up to the competition and how it may affect your personality and of course I understand the hated weight cutting that is also associated with competing so with all that going on with competitions you may ask why I think it is a benefit to compete so let me explain.
1. When you compete it makes you a little more dedicated to BJJ. It does not matter who dedicated you are if you are signed up for a competition you will be a little more motivated to make it to practice.
2. It is a good opportunity to see where you stand in comparison with others in your division, weight class and belt rank. If you think about it this is not like running etc where you have no chance to getting a medal because of some of the top notch people involved. Sure they still have age groups in other sports but have you ever been to a swim competition where they only have you compete against people your same size? Belt Rank is a little different because even though most other sports do not have belt rank they do have novice, beginner and expert divisions which can differentiate the athletes skill level.
3. It is good to practice the discipline it takes to make weight and get ready for a tournament. I had a tournament last weekend and because of some confusion on my side ended up with no one in my weight class. (It is a long story but I they sent me an email and I thought I had a match but didn't) I still feel I benefited by the preparation it took to get ready for the tournament. Just think about how hard you would study in school if you were never required to take a test. I think everyone in the gym benefits when some of the people compete.
Not just to give a simple way to deal with the above issues of competing.
Anxiety can be dealt with by just becoming more familiar with the competitions. I still get butterflies every time I compete but the more I compete the better I seem to be.
No one wants to be embarrassed in front of their family and peers. I can tell you all the team mates I have that have competed have received the utmost respect from everyone at the gym. Maybe a family member or friend might not understand the courage it takes to compete but that is okay. They have to understand that there is only one winner in your division and sometimes the other guy is just better. No big deal. That is just life. In fact as funny as it sounds losing actually helps in this instance because it lowers the expectations of your friends and family.
You can be a little edgy before a competition and add cutting weight into the mix and you can be a whole different personality. Last week I h
ad one daughter turn 22 the week before I had a daughter turn 29 and that sandwiched Father's Day. I had to limit myself on some of those dinners and desserts that I would usually partake of. I could not just sit around and snack with the family. I felt it made me irritable and not very fun to be around. I have to say that all of that was caused by me. I could have chosen to go at a weight I would not have to cut for and that would have made me much happier.
I think you should try to compete at least every 4 months. That would be 3 times a year. I think if you do you will see a noticeable difference in your progression. The difference does not really come from the few minutes on the mats during the competition but the hours in the gym preparing for the competition.
1. When you compete it makes you a little more dedicated to BJJ. It does not matter who dedicated you are if you are signed up for a competition you will be a little more motivated to make it to practice.
2. It is a good opportunity to see where you stand in comparison with others in your division, weight class and belt rank. If you think about it this is not like running etc where you have no chance to getting a medal because of some of the top notch people involved. Sure they still have age groups in other sports but have you ever been to a swim competition where they only have you compete against people your same size? Belt Rank is a little different because even though most other sports do not have belt rank they do have novice, beginner and expert divisions which can differentiate the athletes skill level.
3. It is good to practice the discipline it takes to make weight and get ready for a tournament. I had a tournament last weekend and because of some confusion on my side ended up with no one in my weight class. (It is a long story but I they sent me an email and I thought I had a match but didn't) I still feel I benefited by the preparation it took to get ready for the tournament. Just think about how hard you would study in school if you were never required to take a test. I think everyone in the gym benefits when some of the people compete.
Not just to give a simple way to deal with the above issues of competing.
Anxiety can be dealt with by just becoming more familiar with the competitions. I still get butterflies every time I compete but the more I compete the better I seem to be.
No one wants to be embarrassed in front of their family and peers. I can tell you all the team mates I have that have competed have received the utmost respect from everyone at the gym. Maybe a family member or friend might not understand the courage it takes to compete but that is okay. They have to understand that there is only one winner in your division and sometimes the other guy is just better. No big deal. That is just life. In fact as funny as it sounds losing actually helps in this instance because it lowers the expectations of your friends and family.
You can be a little edgy before a competition and add cutting weight into the mix and you can be a whole different personality. Last week I h
ad one daughter turn 22 the week before I had a daughter turn 29 and that sandwiched Father's Day. I had to limit myself on some of those dinners and desserts that I would usually partake of. I could not just sit around and snack with the family. I felt it made me irritable and not very fun to be around. I have to say that all of that was caused by me. I could have chosen to go at a weight I would not have to cut for and that would have made me much happier.
I think you should try to compete at least every 4 months. That would be 3 times a year. I think if you do you will see a noticeable difference in your progression. The difference does not really come from the few minutes on the mats during the competition but the hours in the gym preparing for the competition. Tuesday, June 23, 2015
BJJ has really increased my Social Circles.
I am not sure how the rest of you feel about this but I can tell you in the 2 1/2 years I have been doing BJJ my Social Circles have really increased.
It used to be I just new some people that I worked with or saw at Trade Shows or other work related functions, People from Church and people from our swim team and parents of swimmers that my daughters have competed and continue to compete with but now that I am doing BJJ I have 100's of new friends that I did not even know existed and these guys really are true friends with what seems to be no hidden agendas.
The beauty of this is that we all need each other to improve. You cannot be the guy that always wants to do the technique but never have the technique done on you. We all benefit by the other guy being there. I have trained on the East Coast, West Coast, Mid West, Rocky Mountains, and China and Hong Kong and it is the same at all places. People welcoming me with open arms regardless of my age, experience, or other factors that may cause me to be stereotyped in other sports. I find this as truly one of the best aspects of the BJJ Journey. I have been around a while and played Golf and Tennis in the past when I traveled. With Tennis you pretty much needed to show up to the Courts with a partner and if you got there without a partner it was only fun if you found someone who has a similar skill set to what you had. If they are too good and you couldn't even return their serve then it is not fun for you or for them. If you are a lot better then your opponent it is also boring for you and not fun for them. Golf is a little different as long as you can keep the ball in play and not slow down your foursome you can show up as a Single and still be okay but there is still not the camaraderie that you see in BJJ and if you get someone you are playing with that is super intense then it can ruin the whole round for the whole group and we are talking ruining 4-5 hours not just a 5-8 minute roll if you get stuck with an idiot.
A good example is the other day I was working out at Brea Jujitsu
. There was a new guy there. He was from Sweden. He had competed as an Adult Blue Belt at Worlds and was staying over to see Southern California. Dan being the good guy he is offered to let him stay at his gym. (He had several people stay at his gym leading up to Worlds and I was able to meet and roll with them and then he had a few stay afterwards and Simon was one of them. He did not have a car and was living on the mats at the Gym. After Saturday AM workout I was going to the Beach to drop off my daughter for a Swimming Birthday Party and asked him if he wanted a ride to the Beach. He said sure I took him to the Beach. I live very close to the gym so I asked him if he wanted to come over for Sunday Dinner if he was still around. He said yes. He came over and taught my wife some Swedish so she could talk to a Nephew she has in Stockholm and if was all good. He told us about his BJJ journey. He had left Sweden a few months ago went to England to train at Roger Gracie's place in England and then wen to Brazil for 3 months to train. He stopped by after worlds and that is where we met him. Then he took off later that day either heading North to Santa Barbara or South to San Diego. He knew Jujitsu and the people who practice it would take care of him while he was here. I'm not sure I would ever just take off hoping BJJ would take care of me for 6-8 months but I do feel a certain camaraderie at BJJ that I don't feel at other places.
OSS!
It used to be I just new some people that I worked with or saw at Trade Shows or other work related functions, People from Church and people from our swim team and parents of swimmers that my daughters have competed and continue to compete with but now that I am doing BJJ I have 100's of new friends that I did not even know existed and these guys really are true friends with what seems to be no hidden agendas.
The beauty of this is that we all need each other to improve. You cannot be the guy that always wants to do the technique but never have the technique done on you. We all benefit by the other guy being there. I have trained on the East Coast, West Coast, Mid West, Rocky Mountains, and China and Hong Kong and it is the same at all places. People welcoming me with open arms regardless of my age, experience, or other factors that may cause me to be stereotyped in other sports. I find this as truly one of the best aspects of the BJJ Journey. I have been around a while and played Golf and Tennis in the past when I traveled. With Tennis you pretty much needed to show up to the Courts with a partner and if you got there without a partner it was only fun if you found someone who has a similar skill set to what you had. If they are too good and you couldn't even return their serve then it is not fun for you or for them. If you are a lot better then your opponent it is also boring for you and not fun for them. Golf is a little different as long as you can keep the ball in play and not slow down your foursome you can show up as a Single and still be okay but there is still not the camaraderie that you see in BJJ and if you get someone you are playing with that is super intense then it can ruin the whole round for the whole group and we are talking ruining 4-5 hours not just a 5-8 minute roll if you get stuck with an idiot.
A good example is the other day I was working out at Brea Jujitsu
OSS!
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