Embracing the Grind

After a great sparring session at Rio Fighter. Looking forward
to Representing RF, Senki Kimonos, and Connection Rio in
my upcoming fight.

Closing out another relaxing Sunday afternoon here in Rio. The past few days have been rainy and cool, but today the sun finally decided to show back up. Nicole and I spent the day outdoors relaxing and reading in the CR garden area. I found an old hammock somebody had left here at CR and got it hung up between two trees in the yard. While she tanned and studied Portuguese, I gently rocked in the shade. After a grinding week of training it was a nice way to recover and get the mind (and body) set to start it all over again on Monday.

Sunday, a day to rest and relax.

Thinking about it, it is actually one of the best things about being here in Rio and training. With world class training that is extremely competitive it becomes even more important to recover in between sessions. Rio is a place where you can truly relax in between sessions, especially on the weekends where nobody is in a rush to do anything. This relaxed pace helps recharge the mind more than anything. Sitting there in the hammock today I didn't have a care in the world, all I did was lay back, look at the trees, and listen to the birds. At the end of the day you can't ask for anything better.

In wrestling there is a saying that gets used a lot, embrace the grind. Believe me in prepping for my fight nothing is more applicable than that. In fight camp you're the center of focus, teammates and coaches are there to push you and raise you to the highest possible level before your fight. The workload and volume increased greatly this week. In my morning striking trainings the number of rounds of mitt work and total volume have jumped up. Added to that, many of the rounds I hit pads I have on 2kg ankle weights on each leg. It feels like I am in mud, if I stop to think, I falter. So I very much have turn my mind off and instead react on an instinctual level. I've began to feel the slips, the counters, and the angle changes. Each training integrates a little bit more conceptually and my technique seems sharper.

Pad work with Dennis

After a shower, snack, and a quick coffee I am back at it again at Rio Fighters. I have been working on dominate grinding top control to create the openings I need to advance position and finish the fight. With the aggressive rolling style of many of the athletes there, if I make one mistake I can very easily find myself either swept or caught in a submission. Rolling against this style hasn't made me cautious or fearful to advance, but rather it has made me more alert and observant in positions. Because I may have such a short time to react I have to recognize an attack as soon as it begins and be prepared to stop or counter it. Part of the way I have been doing this is by embracing the gray areas of grappling, or rather scrambles. Rather than trying to avoid these areas I am working on them and using them to my advantage. I am using the scrambles to get ahead of their counters and remain on the offensive. If my opponent is reacting to everything I am doing then he isn't thinking about his offense. In down time (or rather lighter drill sessions in between training) I am working these positions either with a partner or alone. It's a constant practice in movement, changing angles, and recognizing opportunities to attack.

Hill sprints after training at Rio Fighters. Photo by M. Vieira

In finishing out this weeks blog I want to go back and cover something I mentioned above in greater detail---shutting off the mind. The mind can be a funny thing, at times it can build you up and at others it can tear you down. It's a great time when you wake up, the sun is shining, and your mind just tells you its a great day to train. But then on days when your tired, it's cold and rainy, and your mind tells you “I'd rather be sleeping” the struggle begins. A lot of times when things start to get rough this little voice starts speaking in the back of your head, telling you how tough things are, how you have worked hard enough, or how you can't do anymore. It's moments like that you need to turn your mind off and just power through. Why? Because the next time you reach that point (and you will) that voice will be smaller and you'll be stronger than you were the last time. Soon you'll be well past that point and then the voice will return and you have to shut it off yet again and continue on. Soon you will be on a level higher than you ever imagined. The last thing you want to do is get to that point, to hit the wall, and not continue on.

I know in my upcoming fight there will be challenges. But luckily, like I said above, I have coaches and teammates who are pushing me to new levels and most importantly teaching me to break through those walls.