tallgeese

Within reason, we're actually okay with a bit of horse-play. Really, as long as it's not disruptive during class we're pretty laid back about it. The rule of thumb is common sense, don't get anyone hurt, and don't interrupt everyone else's efforts to learn. But, we're a slightly more laid back community that even a lot of jits schools. Some razzing or off topic antics during warm ups is routine. But not too far out. It's an odd relationship that we have with this topic but it seems to work for us. The point, to my thinking, is that there is a different line for each club. What would be unacceptable in one is at a line in another, might be perfectly acceptable in a third. What's important is that someone mentors in the new people to understand what the line is.

Cool! Let me know how it's going as you use it. Let me know if you have questions.

Alright, 2016 here we come: 1) Let's get year two in the books for the school. We successfully got year 1 under our belts, now we want to expand and continue the success. 2) Maintain current training level in my disciplines. Particularly BJJ and PTK (including training with higher skilled guys in PTK). I just don't have the time do more. But I don't want to do less. 3) 2-3 major PTK seminars/ workshops. Here's where I can make some time this year and do better then next year. My other side job is far more organized now that this time last year. This should help deconflict just a bit. 4) One competition. There, I'm putting it out there. I've competed at least once at every rank in BJJ (far more at almost every belt) time to step into the deep water at black. 5) At least two training sessions with the old kempo crew. I just did it far to long to lose touch. There, it's on paper, big and small so I guess I'd better get to work!

Great time to bring it up! 1) Met! Shockingly, we're still here, still growing, and still keeping a happy, learning academy. Man, has it been work, but we're going strong as our first year in business winds down! Major win! 2) Met. With number one going well, number two fell into line without any problem. 3-4 days of jits per week. 2 classes of PTK, and 1 of Muay Thai per week. Pretty well rounded and the most I've worked in a long time as far expanding beyond just BJJ. 3) This is where I faltered. I didn't get near 1/ month. However, I did get in quarterly privates with high level guys in PTK so I moved forward, just not as much as I would have liked. That said, with the first two points going so well it's not surprising in retrospect. With running a training group at least I got to drill what I had! 4) Half way there. I got to one major event, an intensive training camp covering the Seguides in PTK. That was it. Not two. I tried, but time just wouldn't have it. Man, am I glad I didn't try to line of a tourney in there! Not bad. Not bad at all.

Extra PTK session and Attacking from guard all week in jits! With the extra MA time, I haven't gotten in any weights or road work. But I'm actually good with that!

Welcome to KF! Great to have you!

Yes. Yes I am So, yes. I watch Die Hard every year. Followed at some point by Lethal Weapon. The only other one that I do every year is A Christmas Story. As often as it runs it's impossible not to...and I'm fine with that. If i get the choice I aways go for Christmas Vacation as well.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Congratulations! Well done!

With some time off, I've managed to get in some extra PTK work in addition to my ongoing BJJ practice. Broke into the FMA short spear a touch and went to the city to train with my PTK coach and drill doble weapons yesterday.

It's very common and you see it in a lot of schools. This is one of those things that always made it hard for me to get behind the kata methodology. There's this perennial argument in traditional circles as to wether bunkai is a process you should self discover for or a set of specific applications. Both sides have strong lineages in favor of their argument and solid arguments. For me, the forms on the Filipino side of the house are easier to understand. Here's the form. Here's what the cuts are and what the movements mean. There is no guessing. You learn the pattern. The pattern means X. No interoperation, no guessing, no sorting it out. Now, apply the very same tactics in flow by adding the rules of timing, distance, etc. It's a much more systematized approach to forms. Please note, I'm not saying it's bad. Just that the convoluted learning process just does not fit my needs. I get grief often now for doing FMA forms from my trad friends given my stance on kata over the years. I come back with the the methodology in which it's taught. If you can find that school, or if your school gets you there at a certain point, then you're far better off IF that's a way you like to learn.

Welcome aboard KF!

Great question. From my vantage, the things that matter the most are a) being able to meet the student where they are for what they are there for. This can be critical to making them learn anything at all. Talking to someone there for a workout and socialization about ripping a guy apart with mindset on every single rep will ensure that they don't learn anything and that they will leave. b) having a deep enough understanding of the art to break down each technique or tactic for the individual based on what they are physically capable of doing. Making sure that each and every individual can get thru the requisite steps, even if they have to do it with adjustments. Not easy stuff, but the ability to communicate these things will make you an effective instructor in addition to martial artist.

This week was all about stopping and escaping from side control. In our recap, we talk about two concepts, pressure and angles. The same things we talked about last week while passing the guard, and how they related to escaping negative positions at the earliest stage possible. Take a look: Who else uses similar tactics from the bottom? Is there any particular pass or side control variation that is particularly problematic for other members of the community? Can you use this concept in that situation? What other preventative measures do members take?

12/8 2 mile run. Hard half mile. Upper body and circuits.

https://www.facebook.com/alphabjj/ Here's a link to ours. We use it EXTENSIVELY for just about everything. As Lupin is saying the best thing about it is that it gives prospects your vibe, or the feel of your school if you're active with it. We do all of the standard. Contact info, updates, events, offers, etc. We also put up photos of just about every class. Not posed ones as such, but organic ones of people rolling and working. Everyone gets tagged and we see them get downloaded and used in profiles, etc all the time. It's really effective at spreading the work and making friends of friends want to get involved. We also m make use of the event function regularly. You can check out several of our past ones. This is great, no cost advertising and a great way to get people in the door. Additionally, we try to use the photo album function for each event. This too gets a lot of attention. We link our videos from our you tube channel to the page each week and put other outside videos and memes up of interest. It give the membership a place to check out goings on and give outside individuals a look at our day to day operations. We've got a ton of good feedback from it.

Last week: Passing guard work via pressure. Slowing building back to my bodyweight route after an elbow injury. 12/5: 35 min free roll. 12/7 1.75 mile run Bodyweight route back in service! Drilled defeating side control from the pass. PTK: Unarmed work followed by knife tracking drills.

Last week we focused on using pressure to defeat the open guard. As part of this we drilled specific technique, and as another part we focused on building the concepts that will transcend technique and are key to many passes. Let's look at the technique and the concepts that drive it: With that in mind, what other concepts to grapplers here adhere to? How do you drill them? How are you building and defeating connection in the open guard?

This happens to everyone, in every art, multiple times in a career. It can be burn out (although at twice a week probably not), a chance in interest (doesn't sound like the case as you've presented), or you're just bored a bit with the whole thing. The last, believe it or not, might be the case. I've been there, in every single art I've ever studied at one point or another. Here's been my strategy. Take a couple of weeks off. I mean off. No going to the club, no training at home, no bag work, no nothing. We are engaged in a physical endeavor with no off season. Get one occasionally. Once you've taken a couple of weeks. Go back to the grind. Embrace it. Understand that this is a marathon and at some point you're just going to have to power thru. Now, on the up side, if you've taken a couple weeks off this is way easier. Look at some aspects of the art you haven't before. Play something different during free sparring session. Experiment with a new tool. If this is still not working, consider cross training in something else. Maybe you're just not in love with your current art any more. Play some weapons, get on the ground, box, go work with a TKD guy, whatever floats your fancy. It will either reinvigorate you or make you decide to change schools. Either is fine as long as you're still training. So, take a few weeks and look at why you want to train. Make sure what you want is what you're getting. Go back and grind. Embrace it. Try playing new tools during free sessions, and if all this has failed- cross train. On a limited basis first but consider moving arts if you like something else better. If you don't like what you're doing, you'll end up leaving the arts all together. Find something you will stay with for a life time. Good luck and keep us posted.

I've always been far more reliable in sparring arenas that kata. This was true when I was active in Kempo based arts and now that I do Kali as well. My flow skills, while driven by form, are on a higher level than the forms themselves. It can come down to mindset, athletic ability, movement preference, and learning style.

Right, probably this or a variation thereof: It's certainly a great sweep. One that only relies on a single hook and body weight to initiative motion. Very strong sweep. This week's version is designed for both hooks and really works out of an established open guard. This gets build a lot in no gi when the bottom person in half guard creates space and gets north. Both hooks come easily to this position at that point and it's one of my favorite escapes from bottom half guard. Gi or no gi matters very little in either. As always, grips on gis can can change the dynamics of the situation, but the hips and primary movers are the same.

Me too. Even though I'm in pretty good shape for my age, I'm still in my 40s now. It's easy to get caught up in the play for athleticism. But being able to build technical, connection-based transitions is a better long term solution to most all problems. I try to never engage in a scramble. I try to always build connection and effect his base and motion so I can move under control to my next control point. It's far less energy and far more likely to be successful for me. Easy to say, harder to do Even for me and I've been at this a while.

Congrats!

11/25 Drilled guard passing via pressure. Open mat 11/26 Thanksgiving Open Mat. Lots of great rolls with high ranking guys from our school as well as others.

Last week, we really focused using the mobility of various open guards to drive bottom offense. To do that, one must have options that legitimately threaten the top player. In our recap, we look at a variation of the butterfly sweep that isolates the top players hips and utilizes double under hooks to attack base. Check it out: What other variations do members here use? What trade offs are you willing to make between the stability of closed guard vs. the mobility of open guard?