Improvements in Striking, Drilling Hard, and Adaptations From Wrestling to BJJ/MMA

Another week has come and gone here in Rio, and with it has come another week of memories that will last a lifetime. As I get closer and closer to hitting the one year mark in Rio, I can't help but reflect on all the great experiences (both on and off the mat) that I have had. It's an exciting time to be in Brazil and who knows what great adventures lay ahead.

After Muay Thai and boxing in Rocinha.

Week in Training

It was a busy week for me personally, but I still made time to get in a ton of quality sessions. As a result of the recent string of successful fights by the MMA team I am working with, the team has grown which means more great athletes to train with. For wrestling we worked chain wrestling heavily. The theory behind chain wrestling is simple yet crucial to the art of taking someone down. Many times ones initial takedown may be defended, so it is crucial to be able to switch to a different attack as soon as possible. The more effortlessly you are able to change from one attack to another (and sometimes to yet another) the higher the likelihood that you will be able to finish the takedown. We worked these chain series both in the middle of the cage, using different leg attacks, and also against the cage. For cage work we chained together pummeling and cage reversals into leg attacks with various finishes.

Dennis and I finishing up a drill session.

I really feel like I have started step up my striking game (not to say I still don't take some punishment). Every striking session starts off with 15-20 minutes of pure footwork drills. When I first started working with the coaches I felt awkward and not used to the movement styles. But lately I've started to move more fluidly and stay relaxed. With the added confidence in my movement I have noticed two big differences: 1. A large improvement in my defense 2. Opening up of my striking game.

For the first time I am starting to defend kicks and slip punches with head movement. While it's still a work in progress it is really nice to not eat every single punch or leg kick thrown at me. With the improvement in defense and relaxing in movement, I've noticed more openings to strike. I am working in more body shots and leg kicks with my combos; which is keeping my sparring partners guessing more and more importantly helping me to land clean strikes.

With the busy week I didn't get a chance to make it to Nova Uniao for BJJ, but that doesn't mean I didn't get some great jiujitsu work in. On Tuesday Dennis and I drilled on the CR mats for close to two hours, working different submission series and positions. After a training session with Dennis I always feel a little bit more confident in my game and enlightened about BJJ. Throughout the week I got in several more drill sessions with the guys at the house, repping out techniques, and doing movement drills. While I didn't getting in to any formal classes it was nice to sit and work on a few things I wanted/needed to work to solidify my game.

Carlos shadow boxing in the CR Garden.
Photo by http://www.vitophotography.com/

For the last couple of weeks I have been training closely with Carlos Moyano who is here from Columbia. As I have said before Carlos is an accomplished striker, who has an impressive 12-0 (all stoppages) in MMA. Though there is a bit of a language barrier we are working through it and have gotten some great training in. One of the biggest things he has had to say on training here in Brazil is the high caliber of training partners. He has commented several times on how he has never had a more complete group of fighters to train with than here in Rio. The high level of training here has already allowed Carlos to improve his game to a higher level. He has caught on to the wrestling defense that he has been shown and has begun to use that to keep sparring sessions on the feet where he feels most comfortable. This past week we spent time working on ground-and-pound defense and offense, as well as throwing on the kimono to improve our BJJ skills. He is strong, explosive, hardworking, and smart. On the path that he is on Carlos will be an even greater force to be reckoned with. I am glad to have him here as a training partner.

To finish up this weeks blog I would like to included a few important ways I adapt my wrestling for BJJ/MMA. This is a question I get a lot and while most wrestling carries over well, there are some important changes to technique and concepts.

1. Head positioning is key. In wrestling the way you position your head on takedowns is important, but for BJJ/MMA it may be even more so. With a large number of chokes in BJJ and knees and strikes in MMA, head position is key. When shooting in for a takedown it is important to keep your chin tucked and your head up, you never want to go in high chinned or looking away. On the finish it is important to change the angle by looking up and across your opponents back to help avoid dangerous chokes like the guillotine.

2. Different Set-ups. While in nogi grappling most all wrestling set-ups carry over, in the kimono and for MMA there are some adaptations needed. For BJJ the biggest difference is gripping the gi. While the gi can slow the pace down there are some advantages as well. Most times when showing gi takedowns I will use my grips to hit snap downs and pull-bys using my strong grip on my opponent lapel to pull him out of position so I can attack. For MMA I teach/use various striking combos (or defensive work) to set up my takedowns. 

3. Finishing across the body. This is important in wrestling, BJJ, and MMA. When finishing a takedown such as a double leg it is important to finish across your opponents body, with your head on one side and your legs and hips on the other. Learning to finish takedowns in this manner will help you to completely bypass the guard directly into side control. Working to finish this way will also help to avoid quick submissions such as the guillotine or darce.

Rock In Rio, UFC 165 in House BBQ, and Raising the Bar in Training

I am sitting down to write this weeks blog after a great afternoon of floating in the pool and enjoying a cold Bohemia. Sundays in Rio are typically an extremely relaxed affair. The house is usually quiet with people out at the beach, napping, or just relaxing after a long week of training. It makes for a great time to sit outside, enjoy the sun and reflect on the week's training.

Nicole and I at Rock In Rio.

Week in Training

I hit it hard in all aspects of training this week. In wrestling the biggest thing I have been working on this week was being explosive and shooting through my opponent. A lot of times when going for a takedown a person will just close the distance and shoot into their opponent. While this might work if the guy doesn't have good defense, it will be far more difficult to finish against better competition. Your objective should be to shoot and drive through your opponent allowing you to drive him off his feet and send him crashing to the mat more easily.

Photo by Vito Photography.  http://vitophotography.wordpress.com/

With BJJ I trained and drilled hard this week. I have been reping out guard passes several times a week on the mats here at the house, and it's beginning to pay off. My grips and guard passing techniques are feeling much better. However, the biggest way the drilling has been paying off is that it has really helped me to open my game up. Instead of stopping and thinking about what I want to do, I am feeling more how my opponent is moving and able to confidently/quickly move to attack. While I still am getting it handed to me by the higher belts I feel like I am making them work and react to my offense more. With a number of BJJ competitions coming up I am excited to be feeling so good in my rolling.

The biggest area I was able capitalize on was explosive takedowns and increased confidence in my BJJ in MMA sparring this past Saturday. A couple of guys are training for upcoming fights in Russia, so the sparring was as intense as ever. I was able to use my strikes to close the distance and work takedowns, and from there use ground and pound to advance position. Several times I found my self defending submissions but I was able to remain calm and work my way out of them. I managed to work some BJJ offense of my own and attempted several submissions including a finish with an arm triangle choke. Though I left with some bruises, I felt great, like I really took my game another step higher.

Rock In Rio

As I said in the first part of the blog Sunday's are typically a pretty lazy and relaxing day. Last Sunday was the exception. Nicole had purchased tickets from a student of hers to the Rock In Rio music festival. Every couple of years year in September RIR brings in some of the biggest musical artists from around the world in to play over the course of two weekends. The venue was by far the nicest (and biggest) concert venue I have been to. The RIR area consisted of three stages, rock street- a strip of vendors with small bands playing all day, a techno dance area, and much more. The main stage line up for last Sunday was Jessie J (Nicole’s favorite singer), Alicia Keys, and Justin Timberlake. Though it might not have been my ideal line up, it was a great time. Justin Timberlake put on one of the best concerts I have been to, and I would recommend that if you are a fan of his go and see him. The night ended with a great fireworks display that lit up the night sky.

Big BBQ for UFC 165 at the House

Just a small portion of the food.

This past Saturday we put on a huge BBQ here at CR for UFC 165. Everyone chipped in and we grilled KILOS of meat, yeah that's right kilos of meat. Throughout the night while we watched the fights live on Channel Combate we had food coming off the grill. Thin Flank steaks and thick tender cuts of picanha with a garlic Cilantro dipping sauce, chicken and spicy pork sausage, grilled blocks of cheese on sticks, steak and veggie kebobs, and spicy marinated chicken breast. To top it all off we had fresh made pasta salad. It was enough for everyone eat until they were full (and then some), and with the total bill divided amongst us came out to around 15R a person. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night-- watching great fights, with good friends, eating great food.

Sun, Sparring and a House Full of Competitors

Photo by bjjpix.com

The season is changing here in Rio. The weather in the city is moving away from the cooler winter temperatures towards the hot summer climate. This past week we have had almost no clouds in the sky and temperatures in the 30's all week. The great weather has been perfect for heading to the beach to enjoy a fresh agua de coco or hanging out around the pool in between training sessions. With the return of the hot weather has also brought the return of another famous past time here at Connection Rio---pool surfing. I will never get tired of watching people trying to ride the surf board from one side of the pool to the other...about 95% of the time they fail miserably. Currently we also have a large number of active competitors in the house, so the house mats have been almost in constant use, with guys either sharing techniques, drilling, or rolling live.

Week in training

Training with Kit Dale. Photo by bjjpix.com

I went into this week wanting to hit it hard, and I did. The week started off with some hard wrestling on Monday, in which we worked a lot of defense and countering takedowns. With a string of successes utilizing wrestling in both grappling and MMA the guys have really been focusing on greater improvement with takedowns and defense. The level of the wrestling has been picking up over the last few months and as the Brazilians improve it forces me to adapt and improve as well. On Thursday's wrestling session we kept it short and sweet for an intense drill session with everyone working hard pushing the pace as hard as we could without losing technique. With all the work timing on my setups and chain wrestling is starting to feel sharp again and I am becoming more confident in my takedown work.

This confidence has carried over on the mat for BJJ as well. I made it in to Nova Uniao several times this past week for more awesome training. I have been opening up my game, attempting more techniques and not being afraid to try something new. For instance, there is a really nice submission I learned from Leo Santos from top half that I have been drilling a lot. While its not difficult technically it is a much different style of attack than I normally go for. While rolling I saw an opening and went for the submission; the guy I was rolling against defended the choke but as he did he opened himself up for the pass and cross side armbar. As I am adding these “new tools to the tool box” it is opening up my ability to go for my normal attacks.

In striking the biggest area of improvement has been staying relaxed. 

After Striking training in Rocinha.

My recent work training in Rocinha has been paying off. The footwork drills and technical sparring has helped me stay calm and get a good flow to my style. With my muay thai I actually started to check kicks and use a mix of punches and kicks. I even managed to land a superman punch (something that if you have seen my striking I never do). My coaches have all been commenting on my improvements. I think at this point we can upgrade my kicks from bad to not good.... and trust me, that is an improvement.

On Saturday I returned to full MMA sparring for the first time since I hurt my ankle in mid-June. For my first session back I didn't take the easy route. First I sparred with Carlos, a new arrival from Columbia. Carlos is considered one of the top fighters in Columbia, currently 12-0 professionally in MMA (and most of those by KO). He is solid on the ground but where he shines in on the feet. I have never sparred against someone who moved and mixed their strikes like him. He is constantly changing angles and directions only stopping to unleash lightning fast shots. I managed to stay calm and keep my defenses up to avoid the worst of it (narrowly), and I finally was able to pin him against the cage and take him down in the last 45 seconds to work from ground and pound. Talking with him after I learned his boxing coach used to be one of Muhammad Ali's regular sparring partners, which explains the way he moves. Next I sparred against Pequeno and we traded shots back and forth. I was able to use an overhand right to set up a single leg. He defended so I switched to the double lifted and finished, but as soon as we hit the mat he shot back up to his feet and continued on. For the last round I sparred with Milton Viera. I was able to work some nice body shots and get in on some nice shots against the cage, but he pretty well handled the round. This includes a perfectly timed head kick, which if I hadn't had my hands up I would have been taking a nice nap. The shot fired me up though and I finished the round working some dirty boxing against the cage. It was a great first day back to sparring and I am already looking forward to getting in more good work next week.

Nicole and I at Rock in Rio this past Sunday.

Bitetti Combat, Copa Podio, and Twerking with Kit Dale

Nicole and I at Bitetti Combat 17. Photo by Bitetti Combat MMA 

It's been an extremely busy week down here in Rio and I am finally getting a chance to sit down and write a quick recap of all that is happening in the Cidade Maravilhoso.

Kit Dale and Poitr Hallman in the House

This past week we have had some pretty big names in the BJJ and MMA world staying at the house.

Flow rolling with Kit Dale. Photo by bjjpix.com

First Kit Dale, the Aussie grappler known for both his grappling and his sense of humor stayed at CR for the final prep for the Copa Podio Middleweight Grand Prix. While here Kit was more than willing to hop on the mats here in the house and work techniques and concepts with everyone. I had the opportunity to hop on the mat and get some flow rolling in with him. His smooth transitions and cutting edge techniques were simply amazing. There were times (many in fact) that I thought I was improving my position only to fall into a trap he had set up. Like I said above not only is Kit a great grappler, he is pretty hilarious. He was constantly cracking jokes and making us all laugh. Included in this was a photo shoot in which he had a group of us doing thai chi and twerking.

Twerking with Kit Dale. Photo by bjjpix.com

We also had UFC fighter Piotr Hallman stay here for a couple of days fresh off his come from behind victory at UFC Fight Night in Belo Horizonte. While he was only here for a couple of days, he was a really nice guy and went all over the city with people from the house. Just goes to show you never know who you will meet here at CR.

Bitetti Combat

The coaches and fighters at Bitetti Combat 17.

On Friday night Nicole and I headed into Botafogo to watch a few of my teamates compete in Bitetti Combat 17. Both my teamates Reyzinho and Daniel won decisively by TKO. Both guys showed an impressive mix of techniques, mixing in strikes with takedowns and counters and unloading some viscous shots from all positions. In preparation fro Reyzinhos fight I went back stage into the warm up area to run him through the wrestling part of his warm up. We briefly covered several key positions for his fight and worked to keep him warm. After his blitzing TKO in the second round the crowd went wild. It was great to see the guys use the techniques I showed to help them attain victories. It shows me the work I am doing is making a real difference in their fights.

Copa Podio

On Sunday 12 of us hopped a bus to Tijuca to watch the Copa Podio. As a testament to what a great guy he is, Kit gave the guys tickets to get into the show. The matches were great; in my opinion the most exciting Copa Podio yet. It started of with an exciting omaplata choke finish from Clark Gracie in a submission only match. The Grand Prix itself was also great; the matches featured high caliber athletes with many different styles. This provided us with some incredibly interesting match ups. Some of the highlights from the grand Prix were Travis Stevens amazing judo throw of Felipe Pena and Felipe's many impressive finishes throughout the matches. Top it of with an impressive win from Leandro Lo in a nogi match up and you had one exciting night!

Some of the CR guys at the Copa Podio. Photo by bjjpix.com

Yan Cabral Leo Santos Seminar

The blue and white belts who were in attendance
of the Leo Santos Yan Cabral Seminar. Photo by Hywel Tegue.

While most people are getting things organized for their looming 9-5 workweek, I am anxiously awaiting the coming week in training. The non training part of my week was fun. CR HQ now has the Combate channel, Brazil's 24 hour martial arts tv station--perfect for relaxing at the house and watching this past weeks UFC events. In addition to that, Nicole and I attended a large going away BBQ for a friend on a nearby island in Rio. While its always nice to relax I am chomping at the bit to get back into the gym and work to improve my game.

Week in Training

Wrestling and striking training went well this week. I am going to be training my stand up in Rocinha more, working hard with my boxing and muay thai coaches. My movement is feeling better I just need to let my hands (and knees, elbows, and kicks) go. While doing footwork drills, I was working sprawling back my inside leg, followed by quick knees on the heavy bags. With one of my coaches urging me to pick up the pace and power I quickly threw a hard knee, only to feel my other leg slip out from underneath me. Next thing I knew I was flat on my back on the cement floor. Not sure what hurt worse, my elbow/forearm from the break-fall or my pride. Either way my coaches got a good laugh.

I spent a lot of this week in the kimono working my ground game. In addition to Dennis' class I also made it into Nova Uniao several times. As always the technique and rolling was great. One aspect I like is that that at NU they work takedown techniques a lot more than most gyms I have been to in Rio. A lot of places will just drill entries into takedowns or throws very lazily as part of the warm up; at NU they will actually show and work defense and offense from the feet and sometimes include short, live situational goes from standing. Now that my face is a bit more recognized there I have been getting more and more helpful tips from the higher belts. In fact, after a good roll with one of the black belts (by which I mean I got smashed technically, but held my own), he asked me if I wanted to roll again a few minutes later. Of course I said yes, and he again continued to smash me technically, but offered up a lot of good pointers on where to move and grips.

Fresh fruit from the local farmers market, perfect for the BJJ lifestyle.

Being choked by Dennis for one of the many
CR Youtube Videos. Check them out!

As I said last week, one thing I have to work on is not stopping in certain positions and allowing a shift in the momentum between my opponent and I. This week I tried to keep that in mind as much as possible while rolling Just being aware of the situations and times I stop has already helped. Being conscious of my stopping allowed me to either keep my movement up or react more quickly if I did stop in a position. Working on not stopping has helped to push me to always improve on good positioning and not accepting being put in a bad position. While the problem of stopping is a more conceptual and mental adjustment, this past week I learned a glaring hole in my game technically—my sweeps. Or more appropriately my lack there of. While drilling sweeps to finishes in Dennis' Class I realized how limited my sweep game is, and that what I have feels clunky and not overly sound. I think this hole in my game probably developed for two reasons: 1. I prefer a top game 2. If I am in guard I will work to submit or create a scramble that will allow me to escape or reverse to the back or a takedown. While I have a lot of success with this strategy, in order to advance to the level I want to be I need to add them to my guard game. Besides if I have a greater knowledge of sweeps, I'll have a greater understanding of how to stop them when I am on top.

Yan Cabral and Leo Santos Seminar

This past Saturday a few of the guys from the house and I attended a seminar hosted by Nova Uniao MMA and BJJ standouts Yan Cabral and Leo Santos. Both men have been recently signed by the UFC and Santos won the most recent Ultimate Fighter Brazil. While they have transitioned into MMA, both originated in training BJJ; Santos being famous for the flying armbar finish of GSP in ADCC, and Cabral is one of the featured fighters in the upcoming Copa Podio.

Laurino and I with Yan Cabral. Photo by Hywel Tegue.

The seminar was phenomenal and packed with BJJ practitioners of all belt levels, and was broken into two hour long parts with Cabral and Santos each taking an hour to show technique. Santos showed a lot of top game attacks, while Cabral showed a mixture of guard work and submissions from top. Sometimes people can get overloaded with way to much technique, but at the seminar it really wasn't the case. We were given ample time to rep each move and then afterwards the mats were free for us to practice what we had learned. I took away 2-3 things I really liked---a standing butterfly guard pass, a submission from top half, and a small concept of hand positioning from back pack position. Everything they showed was great, but I really felt like those things were moves that compliment my game.

Now, one of the great things was that in the U.S. a seminar like that would have cost well over a $100 USD, but here in Rio the birthplace of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu it cost $50 R, which at current rates is about $20 USD. Just another advantage of living in Rio.