Daily assignments - mental training

I have a heavy work session coming next 6 weeks. I will be doing 2 morning sessions of self defense (includes grappling), 2 - 3 bjj rolling sessions and 2 - 3 gym sessions a week. BUT to really learn the pressure passing session I'll try to do a daily mental training session of 30 minutes or more.

I've done my mandra words and make short versions of instruction videos to speed up watching. Todays mental session is completed as I checked the finnish versions of pressure passing. It's painfully clear that knowing the moves is not enough, but timing and correct application and selecting suitable technique is the key. Mental is good, but rolling is "king".

So today is Monday. Let's see if I can keep up the process for whole week:-)

83.6 Drilling pressure passing

Plan is to be twice as good in one month. ( and ten times better in 12 months).

I don't know how to measure development, but criteria might be to master Lovato Jr's Pressure passing system.

Today I drilled x-pass, bullfighter pass and butt flop pass for 1hour and 45 minutes. System has about 12 different passes and I did 3 today. I'm not mastering them, but I know the basic steps. 

We developed some drills to fight for head quarter position. 

Next idea is that bottom person fights for Duarte's omoplata setup and top person for Lovato's HQ.

Instructions in Finnish
http://youtu.be/cpviUywMH74
http://youtu.be/g71UH18Vx_g
http://youtu.be/PMUmwpu88H4

How to make a learning plan to compete?

I've been training BJJ for two years. I don't know much, and lot of my ideas come from sensei Youtube, which is a dangerous compilation (New in BJJ and learning from internet:-). I do have a long history in martial arts and MSc in Physical Education so all is not hear say.

I'm still working on my approach. Some corner stones could be:
1) researching my own game - building on my current skills and techniques and adjusting it to work better
2) micro drilling - drilling the critical moves
3) grip fighting and combinations from there
4) learning routes or combinations... sequences
5) forcing my game and reacting to reactions... taking my game in my own control

1. Research my own game. I need to build some kind  of game and make notes and videotape my rolling. "Drill, Roll and Repeat" is one receipt for learning. I think I'll start to plan sequences from a popular position to submission - like open guard - headquard - x-pass - side control - bread cutter/armbar.

I need to drill it and test it against different partners ... make notes and develop it better.

Second line of drilling could be combinations from bad spots like: under a side control - Lovato JR pass - closed guard -> over arm straighten armbar or getting back - Ezekiel choke..

One year development plan - and competitions?

I've been careful about competitions in BJJ. Worried that old man will get hurt or something. At the moment I'm thinking about one year program to build me a competition game.

How to do it? I don't know but... what you do is what you get... and to learn to compete, you have to roll like in competitions?

What do I want to win? White belt Finnish champ?... at age of 56? Or maybe to get in to masters 6 division in some place... Where ever they have so many not so young grapplers competing...

Relaxed under attack

I've been working on my defence so that I feel save against partners half on my age... 20 somethings:-) Ryron showed me that it's possible.

83,8 - New grandchild:-)

I did not get to grappler today, but watch a lot of videos. Also my daughter had a girl. Baby born on Sunday is happy:-)

84 - stretch to get stronger

Very important. After your gym workout do a good stretching routine. Various studies show that two months of stretching can boost your your strength from 5 to 30 % compared to not stretching. I take a protein shake after training and effect is 1-2%. Yesterday I started to include stretching. After I do legs, I stretch lower body. Then upper body workout and stretching. I don't want to leave all the stretching to the end, I'll skip it:-)

83.3 - flat on belly guard:-)

This was new to me. In BJJ partners don't stay flat on belly and I did not have tools to attack. Here is an answer.... one of many from sensei Youtube.

I need setups:-)

I need situations where I understand what is happening. I need to take control of positions and also find setups for techniques. ...and drill them a lot. I like Saulo's teaching. Techniques are something that I think I can manage - not too acrobatic:-)

to Judo practise today

I've been planning to go to judo for a while. Today I don't have an excuse for skipping practise. Intimited, but I'll bite the bullet and go. Rumour says that they like to show to BJJ guys that Judo is effective...I hope they respect my age and white belt...

84,4 - time for intermitten fasting:-)

Idea in diet is to eat proteins every day, but cut on carbohydrate on days when I DON'T  go to gym.

Functional movements or basic movement skills for BJJ needs to be figured out. Maybe skills could be something like:
1) moving ... under a heavy load (partner) .. how to create space?
2) balancing over a moving partner
3) rolling - (under load and ukemis?)
4) preventing partners movements - blocking, gripping...
5) Escaping or freeing from blocks etc.
6) combining multiple skills

84,1 - Start with "why"

Yesterday I did two training sessions. In the morning I did a 3 km jog and a heavy bag and a stretching session and at afternoon I did a almost 2 hour bjj session to drill the techniques from Pedro's seminar.

Two very interesting ideas about BJJ. First is just to have one answer or go to technique from every position. That's for starters. It's faster to react, when you have just one alternative. I think this is a very good strategy for me. Next step would be to select more "positions" - kind of more "if" about your rolling partner like if he grips your leg or puts weight on left and so on...

Second very important issue is to start with "why". I found a very nice explanation of countering a single leg over pass, where "why" is explained clearly.

Golf tournament today

Very likely it's going to be the last of the season... Weather is perfect.

I did some bjj in the morning and after golf I have my gym.
Video under has one important point - order of switching hands or controls!
If you miss it, you'll be smashed.

Did my morning exercises

I ran 4 km and did some heavy bag and stretching.

Today's big inside is "It's difficult to think with other persons brain". I've been looking for online instructions, but I'm full of technical videos - I just can get interested in different techniques any more. I want something that works:-)

To make a technique work, you need to own it. Have your own setup and know what your partner will do to pass, escape, counter or what ever.

So I'll start looking for step to get in to my setup positions. (Well, I 'm not sure what the actual setups or techniques will be, but I'll start with some kind of leg control... the one that Pedro showed us. It's a lot like Lovato Jr's leg smash in pressure passing.)

Pedro Duarte Rio Rolling Camp was here:-)

It's time to start to blog again. I've asked people about how to learn and teach grappling - Did not ask Pedro. I think his idea would be to learn to control your partner and learn just some passes, escapes and submissions. Not too many, but learn them well. I hope to connect the idea of natural movement or functional movement patters to learning BJJ. I don't know how, but it's an idea:-)

Probably I'll be writing about this in IMAS after I've written about stretching, mobility, agility and martial arts... and maybe how to learn an ukemi.

81 - On hold for a while

Everything is fine, but a little busy. My weight is getting to acceptable numbers and next week is control with inBody measurements. (I feel like some muscle has grown - maybe 1 - 2 kilos, but not 3 and half to upper body and not to legs like the plan was.) I'm busy writing an article about balance to IMAS IQ and also an article to a book Fighting: Intellectualising Combat Sports by Keith Gilbert. My articles is "Martial Arts protects from fall down accidents". To not to stress myself, I'll but this blog on hold for a while. I'll probably continue blogging here in Autumn. Now I'll enjoy golf and bjj/karate training and some gym. I'll blog in Finnish at kuntokamppailu.blogspot.fi My training programs might go to a new website "kuntosaliharjoittelu.fi" also in Finnish. Site will open next monday.

81,1 - can't change a headlight bulb

I feel dump. I could not change a bulb on my car. I bought a new screwdriver and toke headlight off but could not get the bulb out. So I'll concentrate on golf and bjj:-)

81,7 - drilling closed guard

Golf competition was OK. First nine holes was under my own par but second half was more like early season golf:-) Today theme at our mixfit session is closed guard: breaking posture and sweeps and for the uke, it's opening closed guard and passing. (Maybe not so much passing - we'll see how long we like to drill.) In gym session I'll do some deep squats - like 3 x 5 with 50kg and some kettlebell movements for core.

82 - writing an article

Not much to report - writing. Tomorrow is a golf competition - hope it's a sunny day.

82,6 - first golf competition

Summer has started. I did my first competition in golf yesterday. Nothing much more to report on that:-) Today is mixfit and granddaughters dance class performance. And I bought flight tickets to New Zealand to watch our daughters BMX racing in world championships in July. Maybe I have an opportunity to see Wushu in Shanghai. We have one day between flights.