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Wednesday Class–On the Mend

BJJ, Dyeing and Batik, Gi Reviews and Art, Health and Fitness, Training 1 Response »

Feb 022012

I made it to class last night and felt… okay. Last week, by the time Friday rolled around, I finally admitted to myself that I was getting worse, not better. I was planning on going to the doctor on Saturday if I didn’t feel better, but Friday morning, when I began coughing up a charming combination of phlegm and blood, I figured I’d probably better get some help.

Sure enough, I was diagnosed with pneumonia, given a stern look or two by the doctor, and a couple of prescriptions. By Friday evening, I was already feeling better.

Bing had some personal business to take care of, so we worked some basics. I showed a simple scissor sweep along with a couple of variations, including the elevator sweep. Nothing fancy, but we have several white belts, and I figure that you can’t get enough of the basics. I also talked a little about the “dead angle.”

My energy level remains very low and I’ve still got a cough, but I’m feeling so much better. I just feel like I’m dragging through the day, but I guess it takes a while to get over pneumonia. I’m just thankful that I’m on the mend and able to get to class, and I’m looking forward to Friday.

I was really pleased that Brandon was at class last night. I was able to give him his newly dyed gi and he really seemed pleased. In the second picture, I made the mistake of looking directly at it. While it’s not quite as bright as Bing’s Orange Crush, it’s pretty bright.

Also, after giving it a lot of thought, I’m going to offer my services if anyone is interested in having a gi dyed by me. While I think that the process of dying a gi is very accessible, I get there are people who want a unique color, but who aren’t interested in DIY.

The price is something that I gave a lot of thought to, and I’m going to charge $80 for a single colored gi. Considering the cost of materials, shipping and the time involved with hand dying each gi, one at a time, I think this is a very fair price.

I’m in the process of putting some actual policies together on a website so that everything is very clear. But the way I look at it, I’ll help you with information for free. I have made a lot of information available, and I encourage anyone who’s interested to give it a shot. But, I’m also available to do it for you, if you’d like to pay for the service. It’s something I enjoy, and I have done enough of them now that I’m confident that I can make your gi look really good. I’ll also be working on some hand dyed gi patches and shirts using batik. More to come on this in the near future.

I think I’ll be back at class Wednesday

BJJ, Health and Fitness, Training 1 Response »

Jan 302012

Will need to take it easy. While I’m definitely on the mend and the doctor says I’m fine to return to normal activities, I didn’t tell him that normal for me involves sparring. But he also advised me to listen to my body and don’t overdo things.

Yes. I went to the doctor. Probably about three days later than I should have, but I finally decided that my wife was right and I’m sick enough that I need some help getting better. The diagnosis is pneumonia, and the antibiotics are helping tremendously. I’m on day four of five right now, and my energy level is much improved. My head is clear and I can think again. It’s difficult to describe the feeling of… mushiness that I had, but I’m sure it’s something we’ve all felt at one time or another.

I’m a little concerned about the cough, still. The doctor said that the cough could persist for several weeks. Right now, I cough whenever I take a deep breath, so I suspect that when I do go back to class, I’ll need to stick to warm-ups and technique. Sparring will depend upon how I’m doing at that point, but if anything, it will be light.

I’m REALLY pumped to get back to class.

This is getting really old

Health and Fitness, Training, Video 2 Responses »

Jan 262012

I’m really excited to be training regularly again. I had been diligently making two classes per week and was looking to bump that up to a routing of three classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then the Snow Storm came, followed by the freezing rain and down went our power.

And now, after all of that, I have this really nasty cold. I started feeling bad on Sunday and by Monday morning, I gave up at work and went home to bed. Now, a few days later, I feel worse, if that’s possible. My head is pounding and I can’t stop coughing. I’m chugging Theraflu like it’s fruit punch, and I just can’t wait to feel better.

I’m going to give this through tomorrow, and if I don’t feel better by then, I’m going to go see what the doctor has to say.

In the meantime, I’m really enjoying all of the videos that everyone’s posting. Jason Scully has been killing YouTube with his terrific “8 minutes or less” videos. Here’s the latest:

There’s also this one I picked up on Facebook. It’s a compilation of some pretty damned spectacular takedowns from the Russian Nationals.

Enjoy and I’ll hopefully be feeling better and back on the mats soon.

Paleo Flowchart

Health and Fitness 2 Responses »

Jan 122012

Thought this was pretty awesome:

Phantom Jiu Jitsu, Consistent Training and Fat

BJJ, Health and Fitness, Training 6 Responses »

Jan 102012

Bing Crook opened up Phantom BJJ, his Foster BJJ affiliate school, in Maple Valley a few months ago and it’s been excellent training consistently again. As of right now, he only has two classes per week, but he’s working on adding a third, which would be AWESOME.

As it stands, technically, I’m starting to get my groove back… a little. I was pretty much out for an entire year, from October 2010 to October 2011. As I said, I didn’t exactly drop out completely, but I was extremely sporadic and as a result, I surely slipped somewhat in technique and definitely took several steps back with regards to conditioning.

The cold, hard truth is that I’m once again overweight. A year of beer and Pick Quick burgers (best in the area and, sorry guys, but better than In and Out) and I was a solid 210 lbs in October. The good news is that, while my cardio is still terrible and I’m making slow progress there, exercise and diet go hand in hand. What I mean is that when I’m active, I want to eat better because I want to be able to exercise more. It’s a positive cycle, and as of this morning, I weighed 201.5 lbs. I’m going to work hard over the next few months to get back to my relatively stable weight of 180 – 185 lbs. I felt good when I was there, and that’s where I need to be. I’m on track to lose a healthy 3 or so lbs per month, which is great.

James Foster came out to the school yesterday and trained with us. It was really good to see him, and I”m going to try and get down to Kent at least one day each week. I’d like to get back to training 3 or 4 days per week.

First class of the 2012

BJJ, Health and Fitness, Training 1 Response »

Jan 042012

Back to class this evening and man, Bingo really took it to us. Warmups included all kinds of torture. After 30 minutes of huffing and puffing and doing my best not to have a heart attack, we started stretching. Between my proud Norwegian heritage and my complete lack of cardio, I think I looked pretty overdone.

I’m not going to lie. When I started training in BJJ, I was in terrible shape and it’s a little daunting to be… not quite starting over, but pretty close. It took 3 months before I felt like I was going to make it. After 6 months, I’d lost quite a bit of weight and was starting to work on progressing. And that’s about where I’m at now. Realistically, I’m looking at 3 or 4 months before my conditioning will be back.

All of that said, there’s no doubt I’ll get there. I’m enjoying class and looking forward to training. The group that Bing’s putting together is a good one. The guys all have terrific attitudes and there’s no ego. Everyone’s there to learn, work hard and have fun.

I’m looking forward to next week, when Coach Foster will be coming out. Bing wasn’t sure if it would be Monday or Wednesday, but either way it’ll be good to see him again.

And the beat goes on….

BJJ, Health and Fitness, Writing 6 Responses »

Apr 292011

Got held up at work today, so I wasn’t able to make it to class. Still, looking forward to helping out tomorrow at a small, inter-school tournament. Hoping to get some work in reffing.

Saw this on the internet and think it’s great. Walter Reed VA Hospital has wounded soldiers training BJJ to help them reduce stress, build strength and regain dexterity after injuries, even to include loss of limb. Check it out.

Finally, on the Scriptfrenzy front, like Charlie Sheen, I have tiger’s blood in me and I am a WINNER! I got to 106 pages last night. I’m going to finish up the story tonight and then work on a revision. I have a couple of volunteers to give me some critique and I fully intend to take you up on it.

The Bat Dojo

BJJ, blogging, Community, Health and Fitness 3 Responses »

Jul 122010

Thanks to Georgette for pointing this guy’s blog out. It’s interesting and really, really funny.

Have you ever wondered how a jitsuka would do a benchpress?

What about craziness you can do with a 25 lb plate, a 10 lbs mini ball, a 14.5 lb kettle ball and, I kid you not, a 25 lb Cement Atlas ball? Add a wheelbarrow and a little dose of insanity.

What’s new?

BJJ, Community, Health and Fitness, promotion, Uncategorized 7 Responses »

Jun 222010

First thing’s first, congratulations to Charlee on her blue belt. She’s been training off and on for about 3 years, but has really kicked it into high gear lately and it shows.

And check out this video that Matt Hickney put together for Rick. Very cool:

BJJ training is moving right along. I’ve been training regularly again for a while, and that’s been terrific. Being physically able to go to class three or four times in a week is a downright luxury for me. My back is feeling pretty good, in no small part thanks to Dr. Sean’s attention. My cardio is getting better every class. I’m getting my butt kicked all over the place, but that’s okay by me.

I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s a period of time after every… episode with my back where I just don’t trust it. Have you guys all read the article that’s floated around periodically about the archetypes found in a gym? If not, take a few minutes to read them. It’s hilarious!

But at the same time, if you’re like me, you read those and think to yourself, "Okay… damn. I did that once. Crap. I’ve done that, too." We all have a blind spot. One of the hardest things to do is see ourselves as we’re seen by others. While BJJ is pretty hard on the ego, I don’t think anyone would like to see any of those negative stereotypes applied to themselves. And yet, they’re funny because we DO know those people. Now, I don’t know about you, but to me this suggests that there are a lot of us who embody, at least in part, these negative stereotypes, but don’t know it… don’t see it in our actions.

While I don’t spend too much time worrying about how I’m viewed, I think we would all like to be respected and well liked in our circles. More importantly, these archetypes highlight more than some common personalities. They highlight a lot of common excuses that we make. So, when I’m sparring, I spend a lot of time assessing my back and how I feel. Every time someone asks me how I am, I consider whether I want to tell them the truth, which is usually that it hurts to some degree or another, or to gloss it over. I’m concerned about developing a reputation for being the perpetually injured guy. I don’t want to be that guy.

Does anyone else struggle with a chronic injury or limitation in your training? I’m not talking about something that heals. I’m talking about nagging, persistent pain or limitation. A bad back? Pinched nerve? Maybe some kind of persistent joint issues or hip problems… the sort of thing that you don’t really ever come back from.

How do you handle it? Or if you know someone or train with someone, does their persistent limitation affect your view of them?

GB In School Tournament, Refereeing and Back to the Mats

BJJ, Health and Fitness 1 Response »

May 262010

Great jiu jitsu weekend. On Saturday, I got to try my hand at refereeing. It was… well, harder than I thought it would be. With a gimpy back, but a desire to participate in the sport and support the growing BJJ/Sub Grappling community in the Pacific NorthWest, I help Jeff of Liberty Events as much I can with his thrice annual tournaments. I’m beginning to realize that any opportunities to compete are going to be rare and unexpected, but I can contribute in other ways. Jeff is an awesome guy who loves the sport and I honestly believe that it’s the least I can do.

And it’s not like I don’t have a great time doing it. In the past, I’ve managed the mats for him, trying my best to make sure that things are running as well as possible. While that’s fun to do, I’ve always been interested in refereeing. So, thanks to Jeff B. and Rodrigo Lopes, the host of Gracie Barra Seattle’s in school tournament last Saturday, I was able to referee a ton of matches.

Once again, it’s harder than it looks. I have a new found respect for those guys, bad calls and all. By the end of the day, I was drained, in spite of the simplified IBJJF ruleset that Jeff uses (ie, no advantages/no penalty points). Refereeing is a mental workout, as you are focused on what the athletes are doing, tracking who’s doing what, watching not only for the obvious such as passing guard, but for the more subtle calls as well. For example, under Jeff’s rules, if someone pull guard before making physical contact, they’re ceding a takedown and it’s 2 points to the opponent. If they make contact and pull guard, no points. But if they pull guard, and the opponent is controlling the leg of the guy pulling guard, that can be a takedown. Confusing? I know!

Add to this being on the lookout for stalling, illegal grips, illegal techniques (white belts! No wristlocks for you!) and trying to decide whether or when to stop the action when the athletes get too close to the edge, and there’s just a lot going on.

So, needless to say, I had a terrific time. I made more than my share of mistakes, but this was the perfect environment for my first step into refereeing. The tournament was free for the athletes, no medals were being awarded and it was really just a chance for the Gracie Barra and Foster guys to get together and tune up. There were guys tuning up for the Mundials, some white belts were rolling for the first time against people from outside their school, and some were just getting some scored, reffed matches in against people they don’t roll with every day.

Some highlights from the tournament were a terrific fireman’s carry from Albert, a white belt in our school. It was BY FAR the best takedown of the day, executed perfectly. I also got to meet the author of Side Control, a BJJ blog written by a Gracie Barra Seattle purple belt. Also, seeing all of the kids (I think about twice as many as had been registered) and how Cindy Hales handled them was terrific. When she told them (paraphrasing) “Okay guys. Try not to cry. There’s gonna be some tears, I know. And it’s okay if it happens… but try not to.” That was really funny. She is so good with the kids, and it’s great fun to watch them roll.

My staph infection has healed well. I’m off the antibiotics and am largely healed up. I went back to class on Monday for the first time in weeks and felt pretty good. I got a lot of mat time and it felt good to work out again. When I say “largely healed up” I really just mean that the hole is filled up and I have skin where I should. The skin is new and I’m just being very cautious, so I’m keeping it covered at class until it’s totally invisible.

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