Working on Weaknesses

Post wrestling and nogi at the CR house. Thanks to Senki Kimonos
for the new shorts!

It is officially summer here in Rio! While there has been a bit of rain lately, the sun has been out everyday and the temperature here has been high. Most of the house I has been enjoying the warm weather by heading to the beach, hiking, or swimming in the pool. We even have a few people who started to take up surfing while they are here in Rio (something I wouldn't mind trying again). Last weekend we had the CR end of the year BBQ, which was a great time. There was belly stretching amounts of steak, sausages, cheese on a stick, and much more. You would think that it would have given us our fill of the Brazilian churrasco but a few days later a group of us lighted up the BBQ and cooked---just goes to show you can never have to much grilled food.

Just a small amount of the food from the CR BBQ.
Photo by vitophotography.com

With regards to training I took it a bit easier. While in Gramado I banged up my shoulder a bit (and decided to train through it), so I opted to spend the week focusing on correcting issues with my technique and focusing on little details. One issue that I really started to address is my flexibility (or lack there of). I have never been extremely flexible, but I used to frequently do yoga and stretch after my workouts so it was never really an issue. Unfortunately though I have gotten away from it, and really started to notice just how inflexible I have become. While in Gramado I got some good stretching drills from Maurico Babuu, a former K-1 kickboxing coach, for kicking. I have combined those with stretches and BJJ specific drills to make a “corrective” workout to help make me more flexible. It's been humbling, but I have already began to notice some results. The biggest area has been with my hip movement. With my hips feeling looser I have been able to switch in transitions and maintain a more constant pressure from top. I had two guys comment this week on how crushing/smothering I felt from top so I must be taking a step in the right direction.

Talking shop before some nogi work.

I also spent a good deal of this week working to develop and improve my guard game. I have had a bit of trouble trying to find a game that really fits well with my aggressive style and more importantly I can carry over to nogi and MMA. I have a ton a respect for more sport specific techniques and positions but they just don't carry over. I am not saying I refuse to train them or acknowledge their value, it's just that at this time my focus isn't on learning the latest and greatest techniques in BJJ. Rather I started working a couple basic series from closed guard, half-guard, and reversal or escaping side control. With some experimenting and a lot of reps I think I have finally found a good fit for my style.

I also explored a few new ways I can incorporate my wrestling for BJJ. While teaching my wrestling class at CR, I trouble shot a few positions that guys wanted to work from. At first some of the positions I didn't have an immediate answer for so I started to play around and experiment. Soon my creative juices were flowing and I started to see new ways that I integrate wrestling for BJJ. We explored options from halfguard, open guard and various other positions. I was seriously smiling with excitement. After the training we rolled some nogi and I felt more inspired than have in a while. I was trying new things and snapping into attacks faster. I can't wait to start the week of training and experiment more.

Back stage at WOCS 32, with Rogerio Nogueira.

While I may not have gotten in much training, what I did get was some enlightenment on how to move forward with my training. It was nice to be able to relax a bit and enjoy Rio during the week. While not training I have spent time swimming, exploring, and longboarding. It was good for the body and the mind. I think being able to chill helped me to make some of the technical discoveries that I made this past week. I am excited to see what this next week brings and what new discoveries both on and off the mat I will make.