tallgeese

3/10 60 min open mat. Drilled some rounds with eyes closed for feel. Worked specifically on double under awareness and passing an elongated spider guard. Rest of the rolls just played and had a good time.

3/9 45 min free roll. Minimal breaks.

Work is like that It's an eight hour interruption in the rest of my day and a total distraction to my training.

Thanks guys

That's kind of my thoughts on the matter. The freedom to experiment and made drills live that dispensing with the ritual gives you really streamlines learning.

Its a bit like mathematics. as long as you can add, subtract, multiply and divide do you really need Calculus etc OSU!! Sorry, I'm just not catching the analogy. Which is which in the comparison. But then again, I've never been a math guy

Sweet! That desire is more important than any record. Congrats on his season despite his injury set back.

I don't think we're disagreeing a whole lot. I just tend to put less faith in the potential of these tactics, not that I disagree with their usage. However, goals aside, I think mma has taught us a lot about fight prep. We can all talk about how we don't want to fight. But it's not always a simple as putting a tactic out there that may or may not be effective and escaping. For instance, I work in law enforcement. Striking and leaving isn't an option. Winning a fight and controlling a bad guy is what I have to do. So, I train to fight and win by pressing that conflict towards conclusion. It's a matter an analyzing needs. On a side note, it's also important to address your point of different goals. In mma, fighters are conditioned to utilize those breaks given them when an illegal tactic is used. It's part of game planning. The eye gouge or groin strike, ect hurts of course and may be potentially damaging, but these fighters stop because they are expected to and can. Street level conflict does in fact set a different mindset. One where fighters can indeed continue based on the need and adrenaline. We've seen how chemical agents can and do alter pain compliance and pain reception in attackers. Heavy drug/ alcohol use on the part of an attacker can render some of these tactics less than effective. What will always remain effective is positional dominance and control of the other individual thru application of leverage.

3/7 60 min of free roll, a few rounds of ground n pound work. Finished with knife defense. Thanks to Groinstrike for hanging out and training for a couple of days while up this way on other matters.

And I have no problems with those tactics taught as self defense. My problem is the proponents of those tactics that sell them as the be-all, end all of combative arts. They are a tool, like any other. They do not render grappling, or any other tactic for that matter, as invalid. Nor are they a solution to countering grappling or any other tactic. They work, or don't work based on the skill of the user AND the intangibles of real combat which are too numerous to list. Which you make reference too. I just think that, as a whole, trad arts have grabbed onto those tactics as a way to end just about any fight with a grappler or mma trained fighter and it's simply not true.

Hey all, came across this video: It showcases a training roll between Eddie Bravo and Marcello Garcia. It's pretty awesome, without straying into the controversy of Eddie at all, just to see how advanced Marcello's game is against other well-know black belts. His relaxation and flow are incredible and there are a few passes in there that are just magical without any apparent effort at all. It's worth the long viewing time if you're into jits at all.

3/6 60 min sparring session of various permutations with Groinstrike.

3/5 Drilled low line single leg. Coutner to step out to the takedown. Moved on to drilling cross guard to triangle. Shoulder lock and armbar variants onto triangle position. 25 min free roll. Work on material from tournament breakdown.

Kuma has good advice. Perhaps explain your background and ask him what he thinks might benefit you the most given your experience. Good luck, let us know how it goes.

I really hear you about takedowns. Always been my weakest section as well. Alot of good guys do well pulling guard. As far as being surprised by something...I get that too. I always feel like I learn a months worth of information in just one tournament match. Win or lose, I learn so much. The beauty of being surprised is that it only ever happens once. Next time, you'll know about it and will have an answer. I was hit with a baseball bat choke while passing the guard once...once. It will never happen again. lol. Good luck and congrats again. That is so true, about how much you feel like you learn when competing. It's also such a true observation about getting caught one. I will be working on that exact thing next week Thanks again.

I kind of agree with the consensus here, forming some sort of barrier is better than trying to fight two circling opponents. It's obviously easier said than done. For that reason, I really like to tie up with one. Preferably after a barrage of blows. If I clinch with a stunned attacker, I can control him and move him to between me and bad guy number two. While I'm doing this, a good clinch lets me keep hitting him and lets me know where he's at at all times. This way I don't get ambushed by trying to punch and kick from a distance on both. Let's remember, that while a useful drill, it's a drill. In reality you'll beat and run, or completely destroy the first and move to the second. Here, we're artificially developing an environment to work on skill. The one in the middle is supposed to get beat up a little. It does not mean he's ineffective, it means he is in a negative position drill and it's part of game. As part of that drill progression, I'd also suggest giving various weapon upgrades to various individuals in the group. Espicially the one in the middle. Escalating weapons is a prime idea to get to when we look at being outnumbered. Being able to deploy a weapon under stress, whatever street-level weapons a systems trains in, is really important in situations like these. It's a good time to practice it.

Yeah, the take down will always be my weakest game aspect. Largely because I don't like working it all that much. The gi slows down my singles and doubles which I like the most. I should work it more; however, it's way better now than it used to be when the start of each of my matches was jumping guard. That said, I should have taken the opportunity to jump several times after my initial efforts at the take down. He gave me plenty of good chances to do so and I should have capitalized and gone to the strongest aspect of my game. Honestly, I really don't like doing judo. Like, at all. And can't see myself ever spending too much time getting proficient. It's a limitation I'll probably have to learn to live with and adapt around more. I really hear what you're saying about the posture. Quite frankly, I haven't had very many people lock on to my sleeves when I'm working the double under like that. It's just not a feel I get a lot. So, when I hit it, that counter surprised me a bit. Then, as I'm moving to my over/ under, I can't do it due to the grips he has. Really threw me. Learning experience all around. That new feel is one of the best reasons I give everyone to go and compete regardless of outcome. We all get so used to our circles of people we train with that we can inbreed without knowing it. Going out every so often to compete helps break us out of that mind set.

Just back from the 2012 IBJJF Winter Open here in Chicago today. Great day for me and the team. For my first outing at purple, I was pretty happy with the outcome. I fought two bouts, one win and one loss that resulted in a 2nd place finish. Here you go, the win: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxat-ub9cZ8 And then the loss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRXGn8uZVMM While, of course, I'd have like to win the second match, I'm still happy with the outcome. I really thought I had a good thing going on the second match and was switching back and forth between a double under pass and over under. He gets me with a no-arm triangle that is actually out on my jaw. Despite not being perfect in placement, rather than drink my food thru a straw, I needed to tap. I'll lean to be less complacent next time around about less than perfect placement. However, hats off to both guys as they were both excellent competitors.

3/3 Tournament today. Two matches and lots of match breakdown. Silver medal in my division.

3/2 am: light technique work. Went over guard passing posture and breaking of said posture. Lastly review on deep half. Notes over game plan for tomorrow. pm: light, and I mean light, roll. Worked game plan stuff, minimal resistance.

3/1 Drilled pull to spider guard. Arm bar in transition. Rounds of guard passing via hip check. 45 min free roll. 2, 6 min rounds live takedown. The rest from position.

Maybe I just don't get what you're saying, which is not unexpected over a long distance typing conversation. But there are plenty of striking arts that, while can't be trained daily at 100% are not theoretical to a large degree. MMA being, for me, a prime example. The hands are padded minimally, and we can see what good striking will do in competition. This is in stark contrast to the eye gouges and such that everyone says will work to fend of an attacker, but we never really see repeatable, live examples of. That's all.

It's a staple position in BJJ. There is a sub from here, but more importantly it's a great set up for multiple attacks depending on the energy that your partner gives you.

Sure, I don't think that debunks the idea at all. In fact, I'd say it supports it pretty well. BJJ is good that way in that you've rolled, a big chunk of your training, live. I was referring to MMA simply because live contests produce known results, even with the discounted attacks that I refereed to. We know how minimally protected striking works full out, we know how easy it is to get taken down and how important takedown defense and positional dominance is because all those things have been tested live. Grappling arts have a major advantage in how they can be trained, which is I think Renzo's point in the first place.

oops, continuing... So, now you've lit up whatever gun you intend to be you're home defense weapon. I'm assuming you've taken the time to learn to use it, manipulate it, and shoot it. One area that gets overlooked often is retaining it. Houses come with all sorts of nooks and crannies, and (in our not-so good scenario) an invader already in your home when you start getting to your gun. It's important to note that he might try to take it from you. Yes, shooting him off is a good idea and the first one I'd go with. What if you miss (yes, it happens even from nearly point blank range) or the round fails to stop him (if we're talking handguns this is entirely possible)? It's highly likely based on firearms function that it will malfunction after the first round in this situation. You'd better have a good idea on how to keep the weapons, clear it, and get it back into the fight. Think about storage and access as well. How will you get there. I have kids. I can't leave a gun on the end table anymore. So, I have a plan to access the safe under duress. You need to practice these things. Plus a back up to get there. I keep a knife next to the bed with the idea of cutting my way to the gun cabinet. If things are too hairy too fast, there's a larger blade there as well. Both are secondary. I want a gun in my hand. Once you have said gun, dissecting the layout of your place is important as well. Where are the natural choke points at? Where can you control your immediate area from safety? My wife knows to stay in the bedroom. She has a phone next to the bed from which to call 911 if needed. That way I don't have to get there thru a sea of SWAT ninjas. Be aware of where other areas are in your home you can't shoot into. I know I have to clear the door to my bedroom before I engage. Why, because before breaking that door to the hall, my kids bedroom is the berm. No good. If I have to shoot prior to breaking that corner I know I have to either engage differently or drop and shoot from the floor. Here's a good training point. Shoot from unusual positions. They happen. From close proximity this increases the angle of fire to keep the kids rooms safe. I know, it's a lot of what if's that are progressively worse. That's the idea of good contingency planning. Consider too, not clearing your entire home if you really think someone is out there. One man, moving in the dark into an area held by the bad guy can lead to disaster. There will ALWAYS be a blind corner. Think about establishing a choke point and holding with all your family behind you if you can. This may or may not be possible, but is worth considering. Lastly, establish a pattern of communication for your wife to communicate with the police if they are en route. The need to know where you are, that you're armed, and that you have a bad guy at gun point. You also need to do whatever they tell you to once they are there. Don't worry about getting hand cuffed. It's normal. Thank about it. If you're a cop, you walk into a dark room there are two guys one with a gun and no idea who is who. Everyone gets put on the floor and cuffed. It will all work out, just don't get jammed up for failing to understand this. Hope the rambling thoughts here were along the lines of what you were looking for.