tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33591275970066696132024-02-20T10:22:57.441-06:00Checkmate BJJCheckmate BJJ highlights the calm, methodical nature of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Every move has 20 different counters/reversals/sweeps, and we must be wary of all of them. It is our job as students of BJJ to manipulate the bodies and minds of our opponents -- to trap them with no option of escape... Checkmate.Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-80399914611903410802010-02-13T01:36:00.000-06:002010-02-13T01:36:59.884-06:00Time Off / Creating a PlanI decided to take an extended leave of absence from training. By extended, I mean about 5-7 days. It doesn't seem like a long time, but for someone who goes 4-5 days a week/2 hours a day; it seems like a lifetime. I had gotten to the point of absolute exhaustion leading up to my last tournament, and having reached my first major goal in jiu jitsu (win a competition match) drained a lot of emotion out of me.<br />
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I don't want jiu jitsu to feel like a job. I have so much fun going to practice everyday, and meeting new people while I train/compete. I need to find a way to keep a competitive spark while maintaining my love for the art of jiu jitsu. After reaching my first major milestone, I felt like I had nothing else to work toward, because I hadn't defined my future goals. As a result, I've decided to create a new long-term plan that consists of major milestones along my journey to blue belt. This plan consists of many points that deal with both the competitive and fun aspects of the sport. Here are a few tidbits from what I've been planning.<br />
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1. Attain the rank of blue belt in BJJ<br />
-- This one is fairly obvious. Most people's number one goal in martial arts is to keep reaching for the next rank. I am currently a third rank white belt (about 7 months training), but I don't feel like my skill level is anywhere near the level of our blue belts. Especially when you look at people like our blue belt Julian Vega. That guy is a freaking prodigy. Also, since I'm being considered for our competition team, our black belts have already discussed with me about "being held to a higher standard." I got a lot of work to do before I can legitimately call myself a blue belt.<br />
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2. Win a medal at a regional competition<br />
-- This is a logical progression from my first major goal. I think that I was about 5th place in the last tournament. I want to be top 3 next time. That means working on my strength and cardio, and eventually cutting weight down to 169 (20 lbs ughhhhh).<br />
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3. Bring my family to a tournament<br />
-- I'd love to have my wife and sons watch me roll sometime. Win or lose, it would be a lot of fun.<br />
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4. Make a personal "position" plan<br />
-- I have started to record myself rolling, so I can pick apart different pieces of my game. I hope to develop a good plan of action to develop in areas that are my biggest weaknesses. Escaping side control and the mount are definitely two things I'll be starting on first.<br />
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Those are only a few of several things that I've set as goals. While it is good to maintain good professional goals within the discipline, I think that (for me) it is necessary that I also focus on having fun. I don't want to risk burning myself out.<br />
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I'll save that for getting my purple belt :)Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-18616973856518714582010-02-08T22:41:00.000-06:002010-02-08T22:41:33.803-06:00The First Day of Practice After a TournamentThe first day back from a comp is always hit or miss with me. Our school is closed on Sundays, leaving me with a day to contemplate my mistakes/triumphs from the previous tournament. I'll often times work on some things in my living room that I want to bring to practice with me on the following Monday. This past Sunday, I worked on the running escape from side/back control. It seems that I always find myself in this position when people pass my guard, and I really wanted to work on at least getting back to half-guard from the position. (hit it twice tonight!)<br />
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Going into practice tonight, I was really excited to tell our black belts about the tournament, and how I managed to squeak out a win. I also wanted to roll with the guys who stayed in Baytown this weekend to attend a seminar with Elite MMA's Hai Nguyen. They had a lot of great things to show me too. A lot of what they worked on started in butterfly guard (something I'm completely deficient in). So it was great to learn tons of new stuff to work on.<br />
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I did both regular and advance BJJ classes tonight, and I managed to do pretty well. I did get tapped out quite a bit, but my focus was on trying to use my legs more in controlling their body. I think that I was moderately successful, even drawing a few compliments from fellow classmates. I gassed pretty quickly about halfway through advance class though. It sucks, because that is the class that our black belts watch closest to gauge our progress. Oh well. The next belt test I get invited to will probably be for my blue belt, and I'm nowhere near that level of skill yet. So I have tons of time to practice and build my stamina.<br />
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I'm super excited about the IBJJF tournament coming to Houston. We needed a world-class tournament to come down here, and now it provides us with a great chance to prepare our guys for Pan Ams later in the year.<br />
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That's it for now, but check back soon for another review. This one is for the Jaco compression short/cup combo.Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-43118703937495993402010-02-06T22:10:00.000-06:002010-02-06T22:10:46.240-06:00FINALLY!!I finally got my first win today at the Fight to Win tournament in Austin. It was a long time coming. I finally have this weight off my shoulders. Won a close match 2-0. It was kinda funny, because I have no recollection of the first half of the match. NO IDEA how I actually got two points, but I remember being dog tired with about a minute left. At that point I had the guys leg stuck in half guard, and I decided that I should focus on not letting him pass into mount for 4 points. So I spent the next minute blocking his knee with one forearm and protecting my neck with the other arm. I ended up being in 5th place overall I think, but I'm really not sure. Fight to Win tournaments are so freaking unorganized.<br />
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My two coaches at the event, Robert Yamashita and Julian Vega both did well too. I think Robert got a silver in his gi tourney, and Julian placed first in both gi and no gi. No one even challenged him the entire tournament. I really appreciate their support and advice. It had a lot to do with me actually squeaking out a win today. :)<br />
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I felt bad for some of the kids and teens though. My friend Joe (14-yr old white belt) actually tapped a kid out, but the ref didn't call the match, and he ended up losing on points. Our other 14-year-old fighter, Brooks, got pitted against an orange belt in both Gi and No-Gi. F2W was so worried about rushing the kids divisions through that they didn't even create a novice and advance brackets. They just threw everyone in the same brackets and said "fuck it". It is kinda insulting actually. (Even worse, they didn't DQ one kid for ankle locking someone, but turned around and DQed a different kid 10 minutes later for the same thing.)<br />
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Ever since F2W has been doing joint BJJ/MMA shows, the BJJ aspect has been pretty much an afterthought. It seems that they only host the tournaments to get people to show up to their lackluster MMA events. It was a piss poor event, but I still had fun. After the lackluster NAGAs and this, I really can't wait for the IBJJF to come to Houston in March, so they can show these guys what a real tournament looks like.Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-6697268654835447932010-02-04T02:11:00.000-06:002010-02-04T02:11:24.238-06:00Review: Shoyoroll Batch #6 Blue Superlight Gi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2p6NZ5g5VI/AAAAAAAAABI/vlF90T8CfPA/s1600-h/20148_275340752667_805012667_3256772_6982931_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2p6NZ5g5VI/AAAAAAAAABI/vlF90T8CfPA/s320/20148_275340752667_805012667_3256772_6982931_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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After 3 months of waiting, I finally got my new Shoyoroll gi in the mail. I've never owned this brand before, but I knew that all of their batches end up looking amazing. However, does Shoyoroll fall into the "style over substance" trap that many kimono manufactures have fallen into lately? After a week of rolling in this bad boy, I believe that I have made my decision.<br />
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Hit the jump for details.<br />
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First of all, let me just say that SYR isn't kidding when they call this gi a "superlite". As an owner of multiple kimonos, this thing feels more like a karate gi than anything used for BJJ. That doesn't mean that the structural integrity is compromised though. This thing is rugged for how light it is.<br />
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The top is a one piece back that is cut, and it features a nifty pocket on the inside of the skirt. They say it is an "ipod" pocket, but I'll most likely be using it for my ID when I'm competing. The pants are the greatest gi pants I own by far. The six-loop drawstring system keeps your pants up effectively, and the ripstock enforced kneepads and crotch lining are awesome.<br />
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Shoyoroll has been very good about taking constructive criticism to heart, and improving upon their gis with every batch. Some of the most frequent complaints with the older batches were the thin lapels and the fraying drawstrings. Both issues have been addressed with this batch, and I'm loving how thick these lapels are. They are really hard for my teammates to catch a good grip with them. <br />
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Most kimonos aren't perfect though, and this one is no exception. I really only have two major complaints with the batch 6:<br />
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<b>1) The Cut</b><br />
The cut on this gi is pretty odd. The cut feels like it is cut for someone with broad shoulders, but the pants feel like they are cut for a skinny-short guy. The first thing that I thought when I put the gi on was "Man they cut this thing for a gorilla!" After a few washings, however, it has fit (mostly) to my liking. It sucks that I really had to abuse this thing in the washing machine to get it to fit though. It really took some of the structural integrity out of the gi.<br />
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<b>2) The "Fashion"</b><br />
Shoyoroll has always stood out in a crowd by making fantastic looking products.<b> </b>However, it seems like a lot of additions really detract from the comfort and usability of their product. They use custom taping EVERYWHERE on this thing. It looks great, but the taping behind the neck is just too scratchy. It feels like a piece of plastic sewed on with dental floss. You absolutely have to wear a rashguard while rolling in this thing, or take a blade to the taping to get it off of sensitive areas. They also put taping along the inside of the sleeve cup. I can't help but think that it would help people with their sleeve grips when they get a hold of it. With that being said, I will be taking all of the inside taping out for comfort purposes.<br />
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<b>Concluion</b><br />
Despite a few areas that need to be addressed, I believe that the new Shoyoroll batch 6's are some of the greatest gis on the market today.<b> </b>They are comfortable (despite the taping), and extremely light. This would make for a great comp gi or just a "summer-weave' type practice gi. For the price, I would certainly choose it over a comparable Keiko or Atama. I would even say that it is about on par with the Koral if it had the comfort level straight out of the box. Overall, these things look and feel great. I get tons of compliments at the gym, and it definitely lets me stand out in a crowd.<br />
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B+ ("A" without the taping)Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-69374894567817314192010-02-02T13:02:00.000-06:002010-02-02T13:02:32.494-06:00Practice 2.1.10I had a busy day at Elite yesterday. I did a half-hour private lesson with Jordan, Gojo Ryu Karate class (with my son Jack), and BJJ class.<br />
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I had wanted to get in one more lesson with Jordan before the tournament this weekend, because my escapes are really lacking. However, when I told him that, he insisted on refining my existing game rather than confusing my body with new ideas right before a competition. It ended up being a great idea. We just slow-rolled for a half-hour while he pointed out small things that I could do to get me ready for the tournament.<br />
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It's kinda funny that I wrote the previous post explaining my lack of competition spirit/attitude, because it ended up being the biggest thing he pointed out about my game. He said that the technicality is all there, but I needed to flip the switch when I step on the mat. He also noticed that my matches come much later in the day. He suggested that after I weigh in to either leave the venue for a bit, or to sit underneath the bleachers while I wait for my weight class. He told me that just watching BJJ can wear you out mentally and physically. (something I tested when I got home from practice last night) Sure enough, after watching an hour of jiu jitsu competition videos, I found myself exhausted from dissecting the matches. I'll definitely be taking it easy at this next tournament<br />
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The group BJJ class was fun too. We reviewed passing the closed guard today. This is by far the worst part of my jiu jitsu game. As a 190 pounder, I oftentimes find myself on the mat against someone who has a massive upper body. While I acknowledge that technique will triumph strength 95 percent of the time, when someone has technique AND strength, it definitely puts me at a disadvantage. All of my weight is in my legs and stomach. My legs certainly help me when I have someone in closed guard, but they don't really help in my attempts to break someone else's. My weak arms often put me in very precarious positions from inside the closed guard, and I oftentimes get swept.<br />
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Regardless, I need to work on building some upper body strength if I plan on competing in these upper weight classes. Does anyone know a way to turn stomach fat into arm muscles? Alchemy? Voodoo?<br />
I'll take any help that I can get.Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-77239047987560618582010-02-02T12:26:00.004-06:002010-02-02T13:05:26.746-06:00A Quick Note About My Gym<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2ht9XkwXrI/AAAAAAAAABA/jw7fd52M954/s1600-h/home_on_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2ht9XkwXrI/AAAAAAAAABA/jw7fd52M954/s320/home_on_01.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I've been training at Elite MMA in Baytown, TX (DIRTY DIRTY) for about a half year now, and I really can't say enough great things about the guys and girls who train there. When I first walked in the door, they really made me feel welcome to train with them. We have two world-class instructors in Jordan Rivas (Silver Medalist 2007 Pan Ams) and Frost Murphy (Multiple accolades, including over 50 bjj wins). We also have our main gym on the other side of Houston that is run by Jordan and Frost's instructor, three-time world champion Eric Williams. I really couldn't have asked for a better pedigree in a BJJ school here in Houston.<br />
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Hit the jump for some videos of my coaches in action.<br />
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Frost Murphy vs Krom Gracie (a loss for Frost, but one of his most impressive matches)<br />
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<a href="http://www.tapoutlive.com/media/719/Kron_Gracie_vs_Frost_Murphy/">I had to link it because the resolution was too large for the blog.</a><br />
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Jordan Rivas vs Chris Westfall (Jordan is in blue)<br />
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I just wanted to show a quick bit of appreciation for everything those guys have done for me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.elite-martial-arts.com/">Elite MA (MMA)</a>Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-73044779103049822062010-02-01T09:28:00.004-06:002010-02-01T09:33:01.066-06:00Laments of a Terribad Competitor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2byUKomoUI/AAAAAAAAAAU/BMUaG0gUmjA/s1600-h/defeat.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2byUKomoUI/AAAAAAAAAAU/BMUaG0gUmjA/s320/defeat.gif" /></a></div><br />
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Yes.. I said "terribad". That is an amalgamation of "terrible" AND "bad" that somehow makes the resulting word far worse than either of the words alone. Unfortunately, I have found that this is what best describes my performance in jiu jitsu tournaments.<br />
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As a third-stripe white belt, I've had privilege/misfortune of participating in about 5 tournaments. While I can certainly see a progression in my skill from my first tournament to my most current, I've still managed to lose all six matches that I've taken place in. Aside from one disputable match, I definitely got outmatched by my opponents.<br />
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After my last loss at one of our local NAGA tournaments, I decided to take an assessment of my performance in tournament situations. After a couple weeks of self-reflection, I have come up with a small list of things that I can work on to improve my chances in the future.<br />
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<b>1.</b> <b>Wrong Mindset</b><br />
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One of my biggest problems with tournaments is that I have a lot of fun at them. That may sound confusing, but let me explain. I think that I'm having so much fun leading up to my matches that I don't know how to switch into<i> competitor</i> mode. I've slowly been able to curb my desire to turn tournaments into social functions, but as a former bartender/salesman/teacher, I find it really hard to not want to talk to everyone.<br />
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<b>2. Fear vs Anxiety</b> <br />
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Fear is a naturally occurring response to a perceived threat. I don't really mind fear in the tournament setting, because I know that the "perceived threat" is very minimal in actuality. I wouldn't say that I thrive of the feeling of fear (like <a href="http://devbjj.blogspot.com/">some guys</a> =P ), but it certainly doesn't bother me before a match.<br />
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Anxiety, on the other hand, can occur without stimulus, and can absolutely cripple someone's mental function. Anxiety problems run in my family, and sporadic attacks have affected my performance on more than one occasion. While there are medications for anxiety, they oftentimes impair your cognitive functions. This is extremely detrimental to a jiu jitsu fighter.<br />
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<b>3. I Started Competing Before I Was Ready</b><br />
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I participated in my first tournament approximately 5 months into my training. Only one of those months was actually focused on technique, rather than weight-loss. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have entered a tournament until a couple of months ago. My last two matches were easily winnable, but I made costly mistakes that cost me in the end. Compare this to my first four matches, where all I did was get smashed, and you can probably see where I'm coming from.<br />
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With that being said, I think that I'm more prepared to fight in a tournament now more than ever. I've been focusing on grip fighting, takedowns, and controlling the mount. I was completely clueless about most of these things until I started taking private lessons. If I can match my new-found technique with a new "competitor" mentality, I believe that I have a great chance at doing well in my next tournament.<br />
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<b> </b>Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359127597006669613.post-40651360793207525412010-02-01T07:21:00.002-06:002010-02-01T07:24:05.430-06:00I have terrible blog names!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2a-KTMkyrI/AAAAAAAAAAM/7StoCu6BiZU/s1600-h/Chess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_N385CBNfUrA/S2a-KTMkyrI/AAAAAAAAAAM/7StoCu6BiZU/s320/Chess.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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I know it's cliché and somewhat pretentious to name a BJJ blog <i>Checkmate.</i>... especially as a white belt. However, as a <b>sport</b> jiu jitsu competitor, I don't view BJJ as a means of survival or as a compliment to my striking capabilities. I approach jiu jitsu like I would any other game sitting in my living room closet.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I've never been one of those hyper-motivated people that can run 20 miles a day or bench press 800 pounds. In fact, I don't run or lift weights at all (<i>more on that later</i>). My biggest issue with any exercise is that I need to be mentally engaged as well as physically challenged. Interestingly enough, it took me 26 years to realize that mental engagement was what I was looking for.<br />
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As a teenager, I had studied Judo and a bastardized American form of Karate, but traditional sports (football/soccer/baseball) always took precedence. I don't really know why either. I never really liked any of the "school-type" sports, but I guess they usually offered more of a social outlet than attending Judo/Karate classes with an assortment of 6-year-olds and geriatric. However, by the time I started my senior year in high school, I was completely jaded . <br />
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After years of being physically inactive, my amazing metabolism finally gave up on me. I had ballooned 70 pounds since graduating college, and I needed an interesting way to keep me active. Down here in Houston, Texas, there aren't many ways to stay fit. It's usually far too hot for a Yankee like me to do anything outside, and most of the gyms down here are filled with women who make you feel like a serial rapist for casually glancing at them. So I decided to start searching for some martial arts classes in the area that offered a good workout.<br />
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I stumbled onto an advertisement for a local gym while looking up reviews on various search engines. They offered an assortment of things including: kickboxing, JKD, judo, cario, and BJJ. The breadth of their cirriculum (and a really nice intro offer) convinced me to check it out. At first I was doing the cardio classes, because I thought it would help me drop some weight. Soon after, however, I found that BJJ was one of the most physically demanding things that I had ever tried.<br />
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Four months and 40 pounds later, I was extremely satisfied with my progression in weight-loss. The best part was that BJJ didn't feel like a chore to me like other sports had in the past. I was actually having fun and feeling great!<br />
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That is when I decided to start taking jiu jitsu seriously. Despite my ridiculous lack of physical ability, I was excited to be in a one-on-one battle of wits with other people. It was very similar to when I used to play chess in college. Counters, sweeps, reversals, and attacks had all become pieces I could use in my game. All in the name of eliminating all options of escape for my opponent.<br />
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Checkmate.Conorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15091356465710244184noreply@blogger.com1