PICKING UP THE PIECES AND MOVING FORWARD

It has been a long time since I posted - six months. I never did get around to finishing off the stuff from the Brazil trip. I'll get the photos up some day.

But re-reading this blog I realized a few things.

1) I've already forgotten - or at least neglected to use - a lot of what I learned in Brazil. I cannot imgine all the techniques I have completely forgotten since I started training.

2) This blog is a great way to keep track of things and remind myself of techniques, lessons learned and my thoughts and feelings about jiu jitsu.

If the anyone is reading this, please bear with me. I'm going to turn this blog into my own personal BJJ journal. Maybe there will be a few things other people can learn from. Who knows...

WHERE I AM AT

This firs post is just intended as a brutal assessment of my current skills and attributes. This is the foundation I hope to build upon.

As of this date, I've had my blue belt a little more than a year. I've been competing a little - just local tournaments. I figure that competition won't be a huge part of my BJJ career - but I believe it's important for keeping things sharp.

In the last 14 months I've had 11 matches. I've won 9. My two losses were to smaller purple belts in absolute. I've been submitted once. Not much, I know.

If you want to know what kind of player I am all you need to know is that I've pulled guard in 9 of these matches. If I was being brutal, I'd describe my style as slow and boring - and I'm okay with that. I pull guard, look to submit first, then sweep. If I sweep I am as likely to maintain position and ride it out as I am to finish it. I am not a great finisher from top.

Greatest current strengths: closed guard, taking the back, mount.

Greatest current weaknesses: open guards, passing, escapes.

Biggest influences: Shane Rice, Roger Gracie.

What I'm working on now: Tomorrow night, I'm heading into the gym with my laptop and reviewing every technique i learned in Brazil. hopefully, this will set the standard for how I use this blog.

Current training regime: I'm an old man with a busy job, a wife, a kid and another on the way. I train jiu jitsu twice/week in the summer. I try to do yoga 2X week (this is basically injury rehab and prevention,) and run once a week for 5km or more. In the fall I will resume MMA training in addition to everything else on this schedule.

Other jiu jitsu work: I continue my involvement with the good people at www.draculinobjjtraining.com Check it out! I also have a few other irons in the fire...

There it is. Fast and dirty. I don't want to spend a lot of time getting flowery with my language. This is all about getting back to work.

To close, this is the kind of BJJ player I want to be. I know everyone has seen this video of Roger, but it is worth watching over and over and over...