11 am Sun BJJ, May 10/15

Not gonna lie… 11 am is for selfish reasons… I get to do a good cardio and lift session in without being rushed lol… just got a summer membership at the local Thunder Bay Complex… Empty squat racks, benches, and other push pull equipment I will never use… however the rowing, little track above the swimming pool, swimming pool and day care make it convenient for our little family to get a small work out in together…

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Still working on the wife to do BJJ… no dice.! yet! hah!!

Got to the gym around 8:30 am… boom!

Lifting: (5 sets, 12 reps)

  1. Squats, 135 lbs, 9:30 to 9:36 am
  2. Bench Press, 135 lbs, 9:44 to 10:05 am
  3. Vanity Crunches, 5 sets of 100 Reps, 9:44 to 10:05 am

Conditioning: (Stationary Rowing, L 6)

  1. 500 m, 2:14 min,
  2. 500 m, 2:15 min
  3. 500 m, 2:13 min

Big up to the 11 am’rs this Sunday morning… Morgy, Hassan, Scotty, Brittany, Katrina, Ugo, and Big Red for showing up for the grinder…

Class Warm-up:

A few laps jogging, 1 lap lunges, 1 lap bear crawls forwards then backwards 

1. Forward shoulder rolls, alternating shoulders, 1 x across mat
2. Reverse shoulder rolls, alternating shoulders, 1 x across mat
3. Side shoulder rolls, 1 x across mat left side & 1 x across mat right side
4. Forward butt scoots, 1 x across mat
5. Reverse butt scoots, 1 x across mat
6. Backwards shrimping, 2 x across mat
8. Forward shrimping, 2 x across mat
9. Backwards break fall to technical stand, 2 x across mat
10. Forward break falls to technical stand, 2 x across mat

A quick clip below…

Class Drilling: (4 mins each)

1. 4 mins, alternating, single leg takedown

2. 4 mins, alternating, duck under’s sacrifice takedown

3. 4 mins, alternating, drop seoi nage takedown

A quick clip below…

Technique:

1. Wing Choke/Strangle, discussed way’s to create angles on how to apply the strangle to the arteries to avoid a compliance as when applied to the wind pipe. We also discussed the different grips that may or may not be associated with the choke during the application. 

Rolling: (5 min rounds, 45 sec) 

  1. Scotty
  2. Morgy
  3. Sat out
  4. Hassan

Ugo, brought up an issue regarding the side control and how he has issues getting out of it. We discussed how being in side control was the death. We showed a few preventative measures techniques to avoid side control.

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See you sometime hopefully this week!

Oss!

Sat 2pm, May 9/15 BJJ

EH just show up… there is always someone who will help push you… if you ain’t tapping you ain’t training with the right people…!

Myself, new girl… Bonnie? Marco, Morgy, Hassan were on site to get some training in on SAT…

Marco ran the warm up with a few stationary things…

(I will be stealing a few of these exercises BTW lol…)

Quick clip below of us warming up…

We then worked on some positional drilling… with the passing and re-guarding drills. Everyone went with everyone for 4 minutes each alternating positions!!

Quick clip below of us drilling…

Technique:

  1. Single leg x-guard entry from sit-up guard with lapel grip, hook sweep variation, to straight foot lock.
  2. Single leg x-guard entry from sit-up guard with lapel grip, to sickle or tomahawk sweep variation, to straight foot lock.

Quick clip below of us working tech…

Rolling: (5 min rounds, 45 sec breaks)

  1. Marco
  2. Hassan
  3. Bonnie
  4. Morgan
  5. Marco

Quick clip below of us rolling…

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Oss!

Fri Open MAT, May 8/15

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Another quick lift session in the books! 

Lifting: (5 sets, 12 reps ) 

  1. Squats, 135 lbs,
  2. Bench Press, 135 lbs,
  3. Crunches, 100 Reps,

Conditioning: (Stationary Rowing)

  1. 1986 m, 10 min, Level 6
  2. 1945 m, 10 min, Level 6

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Not too may guys out tonight… the weather looked fantastic. The Frencher, Hassan, Alex the bear, Big Red, and Scotty too hotty were on site to get some rolling in…

Rolling: (5 mins Round )

1. Scotty too hotty, 1.5 rounds

2. The Frencher, 1.5 rounds

3. Big Red, 1.5 rounds

Oss!!

Sat May 2nd 2015 SubmissionHunt Minneapolis

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Łukasz Jan Aria HolsatherMorgan FrazerT-son Inthisone DCody Puls, & Brittney Franz above…

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Silver Last weekend on May 2nd… not proud, but hey, I’ll take it. Definitely not my best performance, with 4 to 5 hours on average of sleep and a bum knee.

Compete no matter what! Its all about the experience. Performing under pressure, adversity will excel your game exponentially… compete no matter what! All it is, is just like practice at the end of the day… ‪#‎BJJ4LIFE‬!

First time competing without my contacts in BTW… YES…

-9 ASTIGMATISM, its a blur… I’m blind as a bat… 

Adversity and comfort zone went straight out the window lol… heck no warm up!

 I will for sure celebrate that I was able to put on some kind of a fight, even though I got kimura’d near the end of the round…

T-son Inthisone D, Master’s Purple, 150 to 175 lbs, GI, Silver

Proud of my homie’s though… stepped OTM and gave it all they got!! Oss

Morgan Frazer, Men’s Blue Belt, 150 to 159 lbs, GI & Nogi, Double Gold

Łukasz Jan, Men’s White Belt, 225 lbs, GI, Silver

Cody Puls, Mens White Belt, 170 to 179 lbs, Nogi Only, Double Gold

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Took off at roughly 8am to pick up Łukasz Jan aka “the amazing Albino Rhino” to head off to Minneapolis on Friday… weighed in at home early in the morning at 166 lbs… I believed I had registered in Masters, 159 to 169 lbs… not exactly sure why I was listed as an adult.  One of the questions I had once we were at the venue to weigh in the night before the tournament. For some reason its always been a psychological thing to make weight… weird eh, unwanted stress. Reality is, I walk around at 162 lbs… 169 lbs shouldn’t be an issue. Right lol… WRONG…

Last year around this time… I competed in the 2014 Ontario Open 168 lbs, GI was Saturday, Nogi Sunday. This is one of the biggest and well organised tournaments in Canada… truth!! After the GI portion was finished on Saturday, I went out and a had a huge bowl of PHO to celebrate the great battle I survived… great idea its only soup, water… hah. Forgot about the salt… thank god I got to the venue early on Sunday, checked my weight 177 WTF… had nothing but shorts and a rash guard. That god for Amanda, now living in the UK… she lent me her sweaters and jogging pants. Yep. I spent 3 hours jogging to sweat it out… lets just say I was spent. Got RNC’d by a fellow who didn’t even compete with us the day before… right lol oh well lesson learned? Walked away with a bronze in Nogi.

Rewind… to 2013 Minneapolis Submission Hunt… I believe I dropped weight down to 143 lbs to be safe and make weight as registered for a 139 to149 lbs division Masters Blue Belt. We spent a few hours in a sauna. You got it, no one in my division lol. They moved me up… my opponent was bigger then me, most definitely. Thank god the weigh in was the night before… so I do have some energy lol. That match was tough, almost controversial with the point spread. Oh well, live and learn… don’t leave it to just points and work on securing the submission. Hindsight, my advice to others is always harness first, was not taken by myself… ouch… however, walked alway with a silver in GI and bronze in Absolute GI…

Rewind… to 2013 Sudbury Open… you got it 142 lbs lol… they moved me up a few weight classes and with the adults. The killers. Young gunners that train multiple times a day. Walked away with a bronze… being 35 at the time, being on the road working 70 hour weeks. Right lol training once a week. I may look young… my recouping time tells a different story lol! Oh well it is what it is… at least I went in and left it all on the tatami. Again nothing wrong with a bronze especially if I gave it all I got!

Fast forward back to Friday… once we checked into Motel 6. Great motel, basic amenities, going through mad renovations, cheap ($61 per day), but man did we ever have ridiculous issues regarding the high-speed wireless lol $4.99 per day per person damn lol get that shit sorted out. Anywho, once sorted out we drove out to Target. Yes in the US, Target is still around lol… for those of you Canadian who read this. Went there to pick up a digital scale. I was soo paranoid about my weight, on Thursday night, I went out and bought a sauna suit. Yes, a sauna suit, in case the 2014 Ontario Open situation occurred again… I did not in any case need to burn myself out before a competition lol. 4 hours damn. No way in hell this time. I was prepared with a sauna suit lol… anywho, I weighed myself with the Albino Rhino as my officiate… boom 165 lol and with 3 hours to go… at 5:30 pm went to the liquor store to purchase a nice bottle of scotch and some beer…
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6 hour drive is draining!

Arrived to the venue at roughly 6 pm… Cody Puls and Brittney Franz was there at the same time… No Morgan Frazer… Guess he missed the memo lol. I Weighed in, 162lbs baby lol, asked about why I was in the adult division and they switched me to the Masters division… weird my rage is from 150 to 175? quite the variance eh? hahaha I’m thinking to myself… must be to have more guys in the weight and age division. Oh well life goes on… got back to the hotel…

My boy Łukasz Jan weighed in at 225 lbs lol… BOOM!!

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Hit up a random Chinese buffet, stuffed myself with a tonne of seafood, veggies, and an assortment of other things. Got back to the hotel and rested for the remaining of the night with some beers.

9:30 pm… I get a message from my boy Morgan Frazer… saying, “dude I missed registration, and its its closed.” Oh boy I was steamed lol.  I told him to go there early apologize, say that you missed it due to the drive from Thunder Bay. Luckily Morgan Frazer with other guys behind him…

They let him in because the girl at the desk was from Sudbury so she knows the drive and the distance, wouldn’t be fair lol… Oh lucky Morgan Frazer… hahahah drive all that way to hang out at the hotel… hahahaha. They didn’t let anyone else register!

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I was baiting with a guard pull, guess he had scene it and done that. A real seasoned competitor. He really capitalized on a mistake I did. I shouldn’t have hesitated and committed to my game. Good for him.

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My opponent played a real tight defensive game standing… hmmm wrestling base. He wouldn’t open up. Maybe I just couldn’t see it lol… my eyes are both -9. Blind lol… blurry like a mofo.

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Man look at that size difference hahaha… someone asked me if that was the absolute division… hahha NOPE!

Back to the match… Not trying to take away from my opponent, he was a great competitor and he was a better man then me this day… I know, I could have performed better… been more relaxed and played my game… with not being able to warm up, not being able to put my contacts on… yes blind as a bat, in complete rush in the matter of fact. Which I never train contact-less.

I was registered in the Absolute division, no one to compete against this time oh well REMATCH!!… lets just say I was the only one lol no dice!

However, after this event, I know now anything can happen. You must be prepared for anything… lesson. Train without my contacts, train for the inevitable… continue on course with my weight training and conditioning. Train hard, train smart, and avoid injuries… I am 37, 40 is not too far down the road, for this older smaller purple belt with a goal and dream… A Thunder Bay future BJJ black belt earned. To be the best person I ever will be as compared to now and in the past. Always evolving, growing…

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No one ever remembers your losses, only your wins…

But, this is my journey, my story, the truth, BJJ…

Similarly to life ups and downs, gotta take the good with the bad…

You just have to flow with it, no pun, intended lol.

I want to be my children’s real life BJJ Supa Hero TRUTH!

Improve, adapt, and overcome!

We all fall down, the Hero’s get right back up!

More lifting, BJJ, drilling, and conditioning lol…

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See you soon OTM…

Oss!

Watch “Rear naked choke details with Black Belt Jack Taufer” on YouTube

I like… very nice with some subtle details!!

Published on May 7, 2015

Dave Kama black belt, Jack Taufer shows some valuable details when going for the Rear naked Choke.

To help Jack Taufer’s nephew, please donate via paypal to jacktaufer@hotmail.com

Wed May 6th BJJ

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Yep… went to Jitz… Arrived at round 6:00 pm.

Awesome!! got some rolling in for Open Mat.

Rolling: (5 min rounds)

  1. Steve, 3 rounds
  2. Micheal Maronese, 1 round

Class Warm Up:

Matt Thorburn ran the warm up with stationary shrimping, forward shrimping, break falls, technical stands, arches, and quite a few neck exercises.

Class Technique:

1. Self Defense, collar grip/rape choke break to a standing or take down arm bar using your armpit as a fulcrum.

2. Closed Guard, lapel, cross collar choke, with an arm-bar option. Quick clip below found on Youtube with no armbar. If you can see the arm, its right there…

Published on Apr 5, 2012

Gracie Barra World Class Instructor Victor Estima chokes his opponent with a cross choke using his opponents Lapel from the closed guard position at the 2012 IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championships

Class Rolling: (5 min rounds)

  1. Hassan Hashmi, 1 round
  2. Justin Sillman, 1 round

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Oss!

From a jiu-jitsu class to the RiverDogs, a recap of Bourdain’s Charleston tour | Eat | Charleston City Paper

BJJ and Food?

Congrats to Anthony, 4 stripes… damn that other dude needs to wash the belt… ewww. lol

http://m.charlestoncitypaper.com/Eat/archives/2015/04/24/from-a-jiu-jitsu-class-to-the-riverdogs-a-recap-of-bourdains-charleston-tour

Watch “Marcus Almeida Buchecha x Alex Trans – Final Absoluto Black Belt Abu Dhabi 2015” on YouTube

This week has been a break from BJJ… due to trying not to get injured prior to the Competition this weekend… in the US!

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Gotta keep the mind sharp somehow… mediation, stretching, trying to get lots of sleep, good diet… (hardly with the baby lol) and YouTube BJJ matches!!

Will give ya’ll an update with the results and video of matches Oss!

In the mean time check out this cool clip of Marcus Almeida Buchecha x Alex Trans
Final Absoluto Black Belt Abu Dhabi 2015
Published on Apr 25, 2015 on Youtube below…

Oss!

Sun Morning BJJ

If your reading this… just a reminder that Sunday mornings will be moved to 11:00 am, from now on… Sunday May 3rd 2015 class is cancelled due to myself, Morgan Frazer, Łukasz Jan and maybe a few others being out of town for a competition!!

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 Conditioning: (Stationary Rowing)

  1. 3:00 mins, 590 m, Level 6
  2. 3:00 mins, 640 m, Level 6
  3. 3:00 mins, 661 m, Level 6

Beautiful day out today… wasn’t expecting anyone out to train… However, Gary, Jared showed up early… Colin and then Ugo showed up about 10 mins into the warm-up… I made them do 100 push–ups… lol Joke

 Class Warm-up: (2 laps jogging, 1 lap lunges)

1. Standing Forward shoulder rolls, alternating shoulders, 2 x across mat
2. Reverse shoulder rolls, alternating shoulders, 2 x across mat
3. Side shoulder rolls, 1 x across mat left side & 1 x across mat right side
4. Forward butt scoots, 2 x across mat
5. Reverse butt scoots, 2 x across mat
6. Backwards shrimping, 2 x across mat
8. Forward shrimping, 2 x across mat
9. Backwards break fall to technical stand, 2 x across mat
10. Forward break falls to technical stand, 2 x across mat
11. Sit-outs, 2 x across mat
12. Reverse shoulder roll from standing to full extension, 1x across mat

Quick Clip Below…

 Class Takedown Drilling:

1. 4 mins, alternation, stationary single leg takedown
2. 4 mins, alternating, duck unders sacrifice takedown
3. 4 mins, alternating, drop seoi nage throw
4. 4 mins, alternating, modified judo hip throw
5. 4 mins, alternating, standard foot on hip, guard pull

 Quick Clip Below…

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Technique:

1. Wing Choke/Strangle
2. Sliding Collar Choke/Strangle

Quick Clips Below…

 

Quicker Clip Below…

Rolling:

The boys went a few rounds… quick clip below… I was out due to my knee.

 

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Oss!!