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What can I say, never in my life has such a pandemic effect the whole jujitsu community, and the entire country! Our little group pushed as much as we could before logic settled in, and we as a whole just decided to wait it out and be safe. No group training for a few weeks. We hope it’s a few weeks and not months.

I had gotten a 10×10 mat setup (dollamur mats) during the holidays and had only been using them for solo drills. Now that our group has shut down training, well, I invited one of the guys to train with me in my garage. And it will most likely be just the two of us for a month or two.

Proffesor has been having to go out of town these past weeks and probably a few more in the next coming, I too had been going out and with some quilt had to decline a Friday or two when proffesor asked if anyone could cover the Friday evening class. Huge honor in my book.

This past Thursdays class proffesor mentioned to the class that if anybody could cover Fridays class then it would be a go to train for that day, I stayed quiet and left. Feeling somewhat obligated at the same time. Only I had planned to watch the Lakers & Milwaukee game! So by morning I just knew covering class was the right thing to do, so I sent proffesor a message saying I was available.

Was a little nervous about it, I haven’t taught a class since my Kali days, and teaching jujitsu is something I really have given a thought too this past decade. So in my head I thought maybe the KISS method would work.. Keep It Simple Stupid.

Small class, four white belts showed up to train. Two at first the other two would stagger in 15 minutes later, anyway the first two caught on quick to the armbar drill, the last two…were lost and had no clue how to swing their legs over the top of their partners head..I was dumbfounded. Something I could do in my sleep and these guys could not swing a leg up over to save their lives.

I meant to just focus on drills vs learning different techniques, its great but in my mind new techniques are useless if there’s no foundation. Watching white belts roll, I cringe sometimes.

So I kinda felt like whatever I was showing was met with some skepticism. So with half the class not feeling the drills I tried showing the three attacks every white belt should know… Arm bar, Uma Plata, to Triangle Combo… One responded isn’t that a Kimura? I was slowly growing frustrated. So the go to win strategy for a good class? “Ok it’s time to roll”!!

Turned out great that I did roll, with the heavier white belt too. I’ve had some difficulty rolling with stronger heavier guys, as at 5’ll and 200 pounds, it’s rare when that happens. And to my surprise, and I probably shouldn’t be, I did better than expected. For the first time I felt like I had control of most situations my rolling partner and I were in. Felt good. Felt like progress.

Finding a routine is important, because you can’t break one if you don’t have one.

I’m soon approaching the date of my return to jujitsu. It was sometime at the beginning of May 2019. And I haven’t stopped since. Maybe a week off here and there and the two weeks off because of the flu, but for the most part, I’ve been coming to class to train. So May will be somewhat emotional for me, a lots happened since.

Good class today, went over some variations of the baseball choke and one cool counter to it. Tha ks Bobby!

Recovery and overtraining. Your recovery is one of the elements that dictates how often you can train. Ideally, you want to find that sweet spot where you can keep training and have full recovery between sessions, while avoiding overtraining (physical or mental). A good rule of thumb is to start with a lower volume of sessions and increase from there gradually, until you find the sweet spot.

There are some days you can’t hide behind that nice colored belt…

Feels great meeting old training partners , and one walked in without me noticing during drills. Keuano (purple belt) sitting there and Proffesor pairs us for the first round of rolls. “Keuano”! Nearly hugged the guy. He’s a phenom, tall lanky solid build, the roll begins and he gives you nothing to go off of, super smooth and just almost feels like your rolling with water almost. So happy to see him today.

My first solid day of training today (recovery from the flu is officially done), got in early and did my warms ups. Wanted to get a nice little sweat going on before class started.

Proffesor covered armbar attacks from top mounted position. Four armbar variations. Three are counters to being pushed off, straight back, pushed above bottom players head, and pushed to the side. Fourth armbar is pushed from low top mounted position straight up. Some good stuff.

Now time for food and water!! Recovery is key. Tomorrow is another evening of training.

I’ve finally recovered enough from the flu to come back to some rolling, first visit back to the Python Pit (class) was a struggle and promising at the same time.

Gonna work on sharpening my mental attitude towards rolling with the heavier guys.

Found a few tips online and just remembered the ones professor shared from sessions prior to my layoff.

It’s totally different when someone’s trying to smash you, you are almost entirely in survival mode… No time to think, just react.. so creating some muscle memory is my goal these next months coming, a lot of work to do!

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I’ve been struggling with the idea of training in jujitsu. Or the best way to go about it. Let’s face it, or let me face it… I’m not ever gonna have this endless energy again, or am I? Let’s go with the idea for now that in my early to mid fifties, that this fountain of endless energy…does not exist. How do I approach my day to day training in Brazilian Jujitsu?

I have been struggling mentally and physically, with my jujitsu training strategy. The last group I trained with only rolled for two 5 minutes rounds on average, this new group, Python Jujitsu Academy, on average, does three 10 minute rounds… Sick. So yeah, gonna take my body some time to get use to this, and ANY layoffs. . your in a world of hurt on the return.

This Joe Rogan podcast shares an interesting approach, or thought process, in where intensity should probably be at in day to day training.

FLOW Training

My quick summary of the video is that if you train at a moderate pace, you could theoretically add 30% more training days into your schedule. This makes sense. If i have a big day, meaning an all out ADCC effort where I’m limping to my car at the end of class… I am done for that week. Meanwhile that smart trainer who is flow training…is there the rest of the week learning and getting his reps in.

A quick Google of flow training and I find this.. “Is winning every roll important to you? Do you treat each sparring session like a gold medal ADCC match? If so, you’re doing yourself a disservice and undoubtedly impeding your BJJ progress. When we prioritize winning over learning and having fun, we raise our stress levels and unwittingly trigger the fight or flight response described above. Conversely, when we stop worrying about losing rolls, we instantaneously reduce the amount of mental stress we experience in class. Remember, there is no winning or losing in the academy—only learning” –https://evolve-mma.com/blog/the-art-of-flow-learning-to-relax-in-brazilian-jiu-jitsu/

Have three belts on hand that I’ve decided to compare real quick.

My first choice in purchasing a belt was Vulkan. What I really like about the Vulkan is it’s longer than normal black bar. Think it’s 6 inches compared to the 5 inch bar on the other two. And this belt is really thin (but sturdy). With some use (break-in) I can see this never really coming undone during a roll. If the color was not so pastel I’d probably be done and happy with the purchase. My belt has a shade most women would prefer than men it’s “pretty”.

Went with Gameness next and was really impressed how thick the belt was, and that deep color, super rich. The belt looks nice around the waist. And wondering if the one I purchased is just a lemon . The reviews read that this thing is built like a tank and that it never comes off. Nothing could be farther from the truth with my purchase. As nice as the belt looks, it’s super stiff, unfolding it almost felt like unfolding a chair. And after a few weeks of use the stitching is already coming undone, especially at one of the corners of the black bar. I don’t think this belt would last 4 years let alone two.

The Deluxe Tatami BJJ Belt. Opening it and unraveling the belt, I can feel and see how premium this belt is. The suppleness of the belt is crazy. I’m thinking it will break in after just one roll. And the patch is an eye catcher. For such a thick belt I can’t believe how it just wraps around the waist so easily. And the color is deep, not as deep as the Gameness but way deeper than the Vulkan. And this belt feels like it will last me a lifetime. Winner.

As a white belt there can be some preconceptions of what jujitsu is and what training in jujitsu should be like. For me, UFC 1 had just come out and some dude named Royce Gracie had just redefined the Ultimate Martial Art.

I’m mindful of white belts today, because majority of the evening classes of late are white belts! They’ve reminded me of how important they are to jujitsu. So unpredictable, and so eager to make their mark. You have to be sharp with these guys, as today’s roll proved. I could not rest a minute during our rolling session this evening. Three 10 minute rounds, back to back… Love it! And you never know what your gonna get (kinda like a box of chocolates) rolling with the new ones, are they green, wrestling background, does he think this is MMA? Im more apprehensive with the White belts than I am with the Black!

If your new, and thinking of trying out jiu jitsu, you owe it to yourself to just do it. I’m gonna paraphrase something I read yesterday. The jiu jitsu journey is somewhat like climbing a tree. You will first climb with caution searching and looking for which branch to step on, which one to grab, and during that initial climb you might fall and hurt yourself. And you will wipe yourself off and begin the climb again, remembering which branch was weak, which one was strong, and your climbing will be faster and more efficient every a time you do it. So will your jiu jitsu journey be.