xo-karate

I will not apply for an official Gracie garage. There is a small catch in the process. You can have a garage for one year and during that time you need to do you blue belt and apply to an instructors course. Instructors course is about 1600$ and in Torrence California. (So that would cost me an other 1600$) I'll go thru the lessons with some sparring partners as an extra curriculum for my regular bjj class.

ps1 - working thru Gracie combative is just opposite of a magic bullet. It's learning basics systematically. Looking for individual YouTube techniques is more like trying to find a magic bullet. ....but in a sense ps1 is right. I am looking to get better and I've tried different approaches and I know one correct answer - it's time and experience. I've done bjj for 8 months and I do understand that it's almost nothing... but wouldn't it be nice to get better faster:-)

I'd like to test a planned approach. Gracie has a curriculum. Just doing individual YouTube techniques is a puzzle. (I do follow many channels and get techniques, but I want to try a systematic approach for a while.)

My purity comes from my physical abilities - I train to be in shape. Martial arts or defense is just a fun set of rules to keep my training real. I don't think I will ever need to defend myself with force. I don't think I need to be in a competition anymore - so martial arts is purely for physical condition and maybe for same mental health.

6/23 gym Deadlift 90 kg (10 + 8 + 7) Seated Barbell Press Behind Neck 30 kg 3 x 10 Close Grip Bench Press 45 kg 3 x 10 Standing Barbell Curl 25kg 3 x 10 Seated Calf Raise (single leg) 35 kg 3 x 10

Ok - if some one has the 13 DVD's and don't need them, I could use them for a while ( a year). Just if it's collecting dust on the bookshelf.

6/21 golf 18 holes 6/22 golf 18 holes

"Offence is defence and defence is offence" - Judo slogan I've been trying out Roy Harris's defensive positions from DVD Bjj over 40. It works very well against white belts, but not against others. Instruction to me has been to be more relaxed and aggressive - to attack more. One instruction has been that don't think about the moves - just do them - grab an opportunity when you see it. To my question "how" do I see it - answer is roll more, you get it. (But rolling with out defense will end up with sore shoulders from armbars:-) Really - with Roy's defensive positions, I've been able to roll more, but ... Maybe I just need to learn attacks from defensive positions? Or attack first and be ready to pail out to an defensive position? Should I practice compilations of attacks or just learn to see opportunities. (My answer would be both - but what comes first? Where do I start?)

I've been playing around with different kinds of workouts for 40 years - and I don't have an opinion on what is right or wrong. It just seem to be very personal thing and with very different goals. One principle is "what you do - is what you get". If you do functional exercises, you get functional abilities. If you get tired, you get endurance. If you lift big loads, you get strength to those muscles ... and so on. Other principle is "adaptation happens during rest". If you don't rest and eat, your body can't adapt to the stress. So all is easy when you know what you want and need:-) Problem is that human body is a very complex machine and it's difficult to know how much core you need to make your movements happen... One last rule - if it works for you, do it - and when it stops working change it.

It's also ten times more useful, especially for really getting inside your body to figure out how things are working. It is much more difficult, though. Best, Chris I like to watch techniques from youtube and I also do a lot of workouts at home. I think it's almost impossible to learn martial arts just by your self. Minimum is a sparing partner and very good instructions - and still it's hard. I think that training at home should be combined with classes. Martial arts is reaction to other persons moves - heavy bag is not the same thing.

6/16 golf 18 holes 6/17 golf 18 holes 6/18 golf 9 holes + gym 60 minutes 6/19 golf 18 holes 6/20 gym 60 minutes + BJJ class 90 minutes

Returning from Lake Garda - Italy from a family holiday 6/15 am: gym 60 minutes - not very hard pm: bjj class 90 minutes

6/3 golf 18 holes (competition) Bjj class 90 min 6/4 golf 18 holes gym 60 min

6/2 Deadlift 3 x 10reps 80 kg Seated Barbell Press Behind Neck 3 x 10reps 20 kg Close Grip Bench Press 3 x 10reps 40kg Standing Barbell Curl 3 x 10reps 25 kg Seated Calf Raise single legs 3 x 10reps 15kg

Tallgeese is changing "family" and that is why it feels so hard. Maybe it's a consious idea that bjj clubs build a tribe or a family so that people will stay with the same instructor? Maybe it comes from history of sharing knowledge that is precious and it leave students in debt? The idea of social network - family is good. It will clue students and make them practise more, but there is no debt, if one pays for classes. Idea of changing instructors is essential for personal development! (Often also doing multible martial arts:-) Tallgeese - your a big man - you know how to make friends:-) I am sure that very one can understand your situation. If not, it's there loose.

6/1 9 holes golf 90 min BJJ class: closed guard and half guard

29/5 (back from Birmingham. Daughter was 8.th in bmx worlds cruisers women 17 - 29y. Looks like bmx is much tougher than bjj.) gym: Squat 3 x10rep 50kg Barbell Bench Press (legs up) 3 x10 reps 40 kg Bent Over Row 3 x10reps 40 kg Stiff Leg Deadlift 2 x15 reps 60 kg elevated sit ups 3 x 20 reps

Played a lot of golf 4 rounds in 4 days. 5/21 bjj drilling armbar - triangle for 1 hour Gym for 60 min. (Day A workout)

5/17 golf 18 holes:-) gym 60 min: Single leg split squat 4 x (6 + 6) Barbell parallel squat 4 x 4 -6 tempo 3 -2 -1 Plie Squat (Dumbell against back!) 4 x 6 reps Sled seated calf press 5 x 8 - 10 reps Dumbbell bent-over Row 3 x 10 - 12 Barbell Curl 3 x 10 -12 reps Shoulder routine circuit 3 rounds: Dumbbell alternating front raise 10 reps Dumbbell alternating lateral raise 10 reps "Saints halo" with dumbbells 10 reps CW and 10 reps CCW Dumbbell shoulder press 10 reps Dumbbell Upright row 10 reps Dumbbell rear lateral raise 10 reps

Just a comment on stretching. There is a lot of different kinds of stretching and PNF might be the most effective http://www.youtube.com/topic/9gEuZqlXDe4/pnf-stretching Might - but I think the most effective is to one you stick to. (Best would be to do all the different kinds of stretching at right time and right reason.) I have not been doing stretching enough - should get back to doing it:-)

Just got an email from Roy Harris:-) 5/15 60 minutes drilling armbar, triangle and pocket sweep from guard - some rolling but no success with drilled techniques.

At the moment I don't do much training at home - just some stretching and rotator cuff exercises. I have had periods when I train a lot at home. I've planned short sessions (15 minutes) of various exercises and link sessons 4 - 6 to a full workout ( 1h - 1,5 h) Other strategy is to use DVD's like P90X or insanity. I also liked doing different exercises with tapata timer. Training shoud be evaluated as whole (working days stress, martial arts classes, and other exercises). Very important guestion to ask your self is why do you train... at home.

5/14 bjj drilling 70 minutes - armbar, triangle, sweep and counters from closed guard gym 60 min Dumbbell Incline Bench Press 5 x 5 Tempo 1 - 4 - 1 Cable Rear Pulldown 4x 4 - 6 reps Cable Rear Delt Row 4 x 6 reps Sumo deatlift upright row compination 3 x 10 - 12 reps Barbell Step-up 3 x 8 + 8 reps Barbell alternating Side Split 3 x 8 + 8 Single leg bridge (Barbell) 3 x 10 + 10

Tallgeese, thanks for the videos 5/9 bjj class 90 min closed guard on top -> counters to attacks

5/8 Drilling bjj 60 min (armbar, triangle, sweep)