tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68853290303929940262024-03-21T20:25:21.542+00:00The LowdownAn alternative look at all the news, rumours and happenings from the past month, in the world of Mixed Martial Arts....as well as regular articles and features looking at everything MMA...with MMA columnist, writer and all round great guy Juvenile....Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-78911951233065890342010-04-08T17:54:00.005+01:002010-04-08T22:38:05.418+01:00March: Floating bones, the Amish and James Cagney MMA pioneer circa 1946<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">March was a welcome return to some hectic MMA scheduling. The calender was jam packed with various promotions holding a number of mouth-watering match-ups. My Sky Plus box had a very busy month and I was having to delete my back-log of pre-recorded 'House' episodes to cope with the demand.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">If events were not to be found on T.V then I was on the internet at work covertly hunting down highlights and fight reports and then hiding them in downsized windows. It was glorious, a very welcome and healthy dose of fistic medicine.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I have to say I have grown to love the UFC <i>Primetime</i> specials. The BJ Penn – GSP one was great, but they really stepped it up for the Hardy-GSP fight. You can call them 'cheesy' or 'contrived' but I think they are awesome. The guy that does the voice-overs is gold “In a quiet corner of the snowy Montreal inner-city hides the Tri-Star gym, home to UFC welter-weight champion...”. It is pure theatre and very entertaining.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I loved the bit in part one when Dan Hardy was packing his bags to leave for America. As he got to the elevator the camera switched to a straight on shot and he took off his hood, revealing the trademark Mohawk and then smirked. It is classic Dan Hardy and a truly masterful dramatic climax.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I think these <i>Primetime</i> shows play into the childhood nostalgia and excitement of the Karate Kid and Rocky films. Who doesn't love a good training montage? The build up, the alternative training methods of each camp, the war of words. It just draws you in and gets you pumped. I have to say I think scripting the character of Matt Serra into the drama was plot-line genius. They way they built it up was priceless. Dan Hardy on the phone to an unknown trainer with 'inside information' on GSP. I know it was absolutely ridiculous, but I indulged it. <i>It </i>was completely unnecessary training wise for Hardy, but it made for great viewing. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">March was the backdrop to some particularly viscous beat-downs. This was no better demonstarted than in the one handed to Brandon Vera by Jon Jones at UFC on Versus. It is liking watching Tekken when he fights. He utilized those marvel comic-esque elbows to devastating effect. His elbow-centric ground and pound is one of the very few instances in MMA where I actually feel the desire to look away. He broke Vera's face! Vera is now scheduled to <span class="apple-style-span">undergo facial surgery to correct a dislocated cheekbone. His manager Matt Stansell expanded -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <i>“It broke his cheekbone in three places and it’s sort of floating right now. (The bone) is kind of laying on the muscle of the right eye, which is preventing Brandon from looking to his right, and it’s pushing his eyeball forward.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It's sort of floating?....So it could turn up in his arm-pit? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Last month I mentioned the cut received by Anthony Perosh at UFC 110 at the hands of Mirko Cro Cop. One of my readers suggested I was exaggerating by metaphorically referring to it as being 'the size of the Grand Canyon'. Upon seeing the cut inflicted by Joseph Benavidez on Miguel Torres at WEC 47 I am inclined to agree that my assessment of Perosh's cut was a little overboard. Torres cut made Peroshs look like a slight crack in the pavement. Torres required 20 stitches. The dude looks like he just stepped out of a scene from the Texas Chainsaw massacre.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6G5jzvTNKSr-evGNoBYxjd001RksrXOFA0WXSUJjPn9QK4JcDrEHFjAsYwRVZExu4kQ3du9cjLq692wSXueepLQt0w1SAPVY5CjwyZ21kkoVzMZrwBJd6DJpM1cRN9YboZqbra9oM4U/s1600/torres+blodd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6G5jzvTNKSr-evGNoBYxjd001RksrXOFA0WXSUJjPn9QK4JcDrEHFjAsYwRVZExu4kQ3du9cjLq692wSXueepLQt0w1SAPVY5CjwyZ21kkoVzMZrwBJd6DJpM1cRN9YboZqbra9oM4U/s320/torres+blodd.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Continuing along the line of beat-downs and gore, Palhares was banned for 90 days for his particularly nasty heel hook on <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tomasz Drwa</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">l</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span>We were given a plethora of replays in real time and slo-mo to conclude what we already knew...he held on way too long. I understand the argument that he wanted to make sure the referee had seen the tap, examples abound of how prematurely releasing a submission can hurt a fighter’s chances. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Palhares trainer Bustamante was on the receiving end of a missed 'tap' in his bout with Matt Lindland in </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2002 . Lindland appeared to tap to an armbar but told referee “Big” John McCarthy that he didn’t and got a restart.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Is that justification enough for the extra-time Palhares seemed to hold on for, even after the referee had clearly observed the submission?</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Another factor is the role of adrenaline in a fight. Is the 'power' of adrenaline an adequate excuse for effectively sending a fellow pro to the operating table?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It reminded me of the Razak Al-Hussan versuses </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Steve CantwelI at UFC Fight Night 16. If you did not see the fight, Cantwell basically bent Al-Hussan’s arm in a very obscene and unnatural direction. The referee had to stop the match because Al-Hussan had not tapped and his arm was basically hanging off. Cantwell then proceeded to celebrate by shouting down the T.V camera “I always wanted to do that”. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This is different from the Palhares incident. Technically Cantwell did nothing wrong, he was just following the submission to it's inevitable conclusion. I think what I am trying to highlight is the mind-set of fighters in relation to injuring each other and the sports growth. To be fair in the heat of the moment we can all say and do stupid things (Brock Lesnar...anyone?) and I think Cantwell later apologised for his comments as did Palhares for his actions. However, the reality is that holding onto that submission and public comments like Cantwells do nothing to push the sport forward in terms of challenging the wider public's mis-conceptions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">You just have to mention 'cage-fighting' (most people do not recognise the term MMA) to an everyday person and they instantly grimace, followed by a predictable tirade of comments that clearly demonstrate they have no idea about the rules (they don't think there are any) or culture. I saw an interesting discussion on this on the CageWarriors forum after an article on MMA in <i>The Guardian s</i>tirred up a lot of reaction from the readers . <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Maybe MMA is just not for the masses and we need to accept that. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has recently been banned from German TV because in part to 'strikes to a downed opponent'. Are the rule changes and sensitivities within the sport to brutal fights and sensationalist comments (Frank Mir *cough*) examples of a violent combat sport that is being domesticated and tamed in order for a maximised business opportunity? Would the 'real fans' want knees to a downed opponent reinstated, as well as 12 to 6 elbows, at the expense of worldwide recognition of the sport? Maybe this sport is just not for everyone?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Let's be honest Hardy survived against GSP at UFC 111. When are fighters (and fans) going to stop treating a five-round survival with GSP as some kind of moral victory? Sure, Hardy showed guts and determination, but he did not seize the opportunity. For a minute let's stop criticising the champion. He has a belt and a career to protect, he is not a pop-star who's primary job is to entertain us. He is an athlete who's primary concern is to win. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Hardy as the challenger was the one with nothing to lose, yet when given the rare opportunity to throw his hands he seemed cautious and hesitant. Did he just want the notoriety of survival? I think Hardy will go away train aspects of his game and return a more formidable challenger . Lets just hope he comes back and fights like he has got nothing to lose and everything to gain.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> I really enjoyed Pellegrino vs. Camoes at UC 111. It was great to see some world class grappling in the octagon, carrying on from where Sotiropoulos left off at UFC 111. Camoes had a few submission attempts in the first round, threatening with a standing rear-naked choke, a triangle and an omoplate, all which Pellegrino defended well. It was BJJ 101. However, Kurt Pellegrino earned a $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after he stopped his fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a second-round rear-naked choke.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“I want to beat you at everything I can beat you in” Frank Mir<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Vintage school-yard Mir. Does that sentence even make sense?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">However, MMA is one contest Mir cannot beat Carwin in. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Coloradan picked up a $65,000 bonus for “Knockout of the Night” after he put on hold Mir's psychotic march towards Brock Lesnarr with short powerful uppercuts against the cage at 3:48 into the first round at UFC 111. Carwin is legitimate....a scary legitimate monster. The </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Carwin vs Lesnar ring showdown didn’t quite have the sparks Dana White was probably hoping for. Lesnar uttered some lame manufactured trash talk about Carwins belt being 'make-believe' that he probably rehearsed in the car mirror on the way to the venue.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I was gutted about the Alves – Fitch fight. I was looking forward to seeing how Alves had evolved. Fitch instead administered one of his trademark shut-outs. He was conservative and consistent. A bit like the Amish. Actually Jon Fitch looked like an Amish man in the octagon....no?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJaCOt35tn0ivnJFEGMAdSoxsaOztOv_yVJGI-JF5Vx-TxXGvvYKnVTC7lPGPz3uHb4c6GbX_SOqFRlI7pTMj5r5vih0X53AsTzmdHipd-irgDvdPyPaDNKyRWsUG1QjZ_jFLpyA0dEo/s1600/fitch+-+amish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJaCOt35tn0ivnJFEGMAdSoxsaOztOv_yVJGI-JF5Vx-TxXGvvYKnVTC7lPGPz3uHb4c6GbX_SOqFRlI7pTMj5r5vih0X53AsTzmdHipd-irgDvdPyPaDNKyRWsUG1QjZ_jFLpyA0dEo/s320/fitch+-+amish.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It will be interesting to find out how the whole AKA gyms bro-mances will play out. Will these guys eventually fight each other? W</span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">hite recently suggested that Fitch should fight Koscheck next. When Fitch was asked if he was open to fighting his team mate for the No. 1 spot, he quickly said no. Dana White quipped back "I guess he doesn't want the title shot that badly”. It will be interesting to see how the whole welterweight division plays out this year. Particularly if BJ moves up into the mix. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Clayton McKinney from TUF 11 did not seem to have the same problem when he fought his friend to get into the TUF house. He spread his nose across his face. The first episode was good in terms of fights, the middleweight division could definitely do with a burst of new life. Not sure there were any potential world beaters in the mix.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">So things I liked last month...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Kenny Florians jab<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Junior Dos Santos knockout<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">These T-Shirts....Tom Lawlor and Jens Pulver<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga23D_T7ladeh5gAMk0gJ4fCEbqvHwodT_M5xhkTzMVt_galmWw8pnk8qFnCQPq6RX9Di11Teyzkx8TJ_EyfIRZw6LeThyeAZR7zNx3xDC9UIq-gwDsLa7MzUkDVZQtVjDQGM4Xbk63tE/s1600/jens+pulver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga23D_T7ladeh5gAMk0gJ4fCEbqvHwodT_M5xhkTzMVt_galmWw8pnk8qFnCQPq6RX9Di11Teyzkx8TJ_EyfIRZw6LeThyeAZR7zNx3xDC9UIq-gwDsLa7MzUkDVZQtVjDQGM4Xbk63tE/s320/jens+pulver.jpg" /></span></a></div><br />
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</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">_ Grappling in the octagon</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">UFC Primetime<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Big Country's self-deprecation<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt;">-<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And this.....James Cagney doing MMA in 1945. Please watch right to the end for his sloppy arm-bar and repeated jabs to the throat</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Century Gothic', sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Later....<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">Juvenile</span></span></span></span></span></div>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-10506658217565715002010-03-02T00:28:00.002+00:002010-03-02T00:30:29.031+00:00Deep cuts, death threats and getting naked.Last month really set the scene for some serious trash talking . The amateur dramatics of January seemed to have spilt over into February, whipping the world of pro-mma into a state pantomime. A whole number of sub-plots and storylines with their various villains, heroes and jesters cropped up to provide us the fans with both entertainment and embarrassment in equal measure. The Celebrity merry-go-round continued to turn. Will Dana White take the mainstream bait of former MLB player Jose Canseco's relentless self-promotion? If he does it sends out a message to the world that all it takes to be a pro MMA fighter is a twitter account, the gift of the gab and some semblance of fading athleticism. At least Kimbo had a whole backlog of YouTube beat downs to put forward as a reliable testament to his potential and...eh....skills.<br />
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It certainly looks like Strikeforce are entertaining the idea, as a picture of Canseco eating dinner with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was circulated on the internet. Maybe this is what MMA needs in order to help it adjust and become part of the mainstreams collective consciousness. A few cheap celebrity lays? These instances (Toney, Canseco, DMX etc etc) feel like MMA is acting like a desperate actress who is sleeping with directors in order to get a part in a blockbuster. Just believe in your sport and the appeal of your dedicated pro's and the exposure and growth will follow.<br />
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Frank Mir wants to 'kill' Brock Lesnar and make him the first official death in the octagon....wow. You make it so hard for us to warm to you Frank. Last month Lesnar accused you of being a stalker and I think this proves his point. This is truly stalker-ish type talk. I would not be surprised if he has a slightly over-sized voodoo doll of Lesnar in his glove compartment that he regularly pokes with his car keys. This whole Lesnar- Mir feud reminds me of the mind games played between Kevin Keegan and Alex Ferguson back in the tile race of 1995. Kevin Keegan famously lost it on Sky One and screamed 'I'd love it if we beat them' and well...they didn't. The mentally superior Alex Ferguson got in his head and made Keegan implode right in front of our very eyes. The same thing is happening with Mir. He is mentally playing into Lesnar's hands, angry fighter's often cripple themselves. Were his comments really that bad? To the outsider it probably reinforced their already negative pre-conceptions about MMA. To the informed and engaged fan it's just Frank Mir getting himself a little worked up.<br />
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Where did Chael Sonnen come from? It feels like he just popped up, defeated Nate Marquardt, trash talked and then got a title shot. He has certainly given Dan Hardy a run for his money in terms of self-promotion. He denounced Anderson Silva as 'over rated', branded Mark Coleman a 'bum' and derided Strikeforce for providing inferior opposition. It will come as no surprise then that Sonnen is also pursuing a career in politics. Hence he has mastered the art of spin. He did,however, put on a solid display of wrestling and managed to smother the dangerous offence of Marquardt. It was a solid performance. However, in the end it turns out he will not be fighting Silva next. He has not been cleared by doctors to begin sparring until early March due to the injuries he incurred from the Marquardt fight. Step up Demian Maia and his slightly improved but entirely inferior striking. I love Maia's grappling and he better love it too against Silva.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Chuck Liddel was recently involved in a random, yet hilarious YouTube viral of him working out naked in his gym with his girlfriend. Apparently it is a covert method to promote his sponsorship with Reebok. Chuck continues to be the guy that does the things we all want to do, but have neither the fame nor the sheer brazenness to carry out. The internet continues to be a source of mma amusement, with another chapter ubfolding in the photoshop wars on the UG forum between Josh Koshcek and Paul Daley. First Koshcek threatens to 'put his foot down Daley's throat' and then Daley rebuttals with the following...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcp1ZIXCIMO33Ou-IHftXL-LAVYon3lmrzjFU4HvzyKi7OOiCHqr1xfMexY4LPtrAYy7KRKCOuTPq1jQR0GePwItubKfINKMGF5eGQgKd-TVANbtBFnSaAOYPh08Wx_f3QGiO17Dlh2Uk/s1600-h/photoshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcp1ZIXCIMO33Ou-IHftXL-LAVYon3lmrzjFU4HvzyKi7OOiCHqr1xfMexY4LPtrAYy7KRKCOuTPq1jQR0GePwItubKfINKMGF5eGQgKd-TVANbtBFnSaAOYPh08Wx_f3QGiO17Dlh2Uk/s320/photoshop.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Vesquez vs. Nogeuria was a fight that seemed to best symbolise the changing of the guard in the heavier weight divisions of the UFC. After a two-punch combination, he forced the stoppage with a five-punch medley on the ground at 2:20 into the opening round. Vesquez is a legitimate contender, the doubters have been silenced. Lets not be too quick to right off Nogueria. Randy Couture continues to silence his critics and has shown an ability to evolve. Nogueria possesses a similar kind of passion and fighter intelligence. If he can honestly re-evaluate his skill-set and put in place the necessary adjustments he will continue to be a a worthy competitor in the octagon. The heavyweight division in the UFC has really turned a corner.<br />
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George Sotiropoulos and Joe Stevenson were awarded matching $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses at UFC 110 after their three-round battle ended in a unanimous decision victory for the Australian. Sotiropoulos, 32, showcased his well rounded skills particularly his black belt Jiu-Jitsu. I particularly enjoyed this fight. It was refreshing to witness a great display of world class grappling between these two fighters and see Sotiropoulos begin to fulfil his early potential. The Australian press had a bit of a field day with the blood bath that took place in the octagon. Anthony Perosh recieved a cut the size of the grand canyon which led to a doctors stoppage verses Mirko Cro Cop. Soszynski defeated Bonnar via TKO (cut) at 1:04 of round 3, which was caused by a controversial but seemingly accidental head-butt. It's a combat sport...people get hurt.<br />
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On a completely different note I recently attended a UK MMA event. I was generally impressed by the production of the event. However, one fighter 'no showed' for a title fight because he got into a fight on the way to the event. Some people in the crowd seemed to think that was 'well hard' and somehow worthy of our respect and admiration. I thought it was pathetic and disrespectful. This was a title fight. I don't want to be entirely negative about UK MMA, I genuinely enjoyed the evening, but this kind of unprofessional behaviour is just unacceptable. <br />
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The month of March is stacked with great fights. Jon Jones vs Brandon Vera, should be a great match up of styles. I am also looking forward to seeing the continued development of Junior Dos Santos when he takes on Gabriel Gonzaga. Strikeforce Light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi is expected to appear against Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the CBS network televised event. Mir vs Carwin will conclude another chapter in the heavyweight saga. Then there is our very own Dan Hardy taking on Georges 'Rush' St.Pierre. <br />
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Lets hope for more drama in the octagon than out of it this March.<br />
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JuvenileJuvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-77203239183583248252010-02-02T22:19:00.001+00:002010-02-02T22:21:41.035+00:00The Lowdown: January 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6egOf8wRIyWqh9UgGUlfoGuqiUlzH2aoKbfUi3AUomp-87wZrCuoCRAL2FaU8ofyR9NOdvLGhKv7HA3Vffc0w_BKpbDfdxANWoOInHA9OZdWaNG0oWFkMwrBoUJ4gGP8Q0Thg46W66v4/s1600-h/aoki_hirota+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6egOf8wRIyWqh9UgGUlfoGuqiUlzH2aoKbfUi3AUomp-87wZrCuoCRAL2FaU8ofyR9NOdvLGhKv7HA3Vffc0w_BKpbDfdxANWoOInHA9OZdWaNG0oWFkMwrBoUJ4gGP8Q0Thg46W66v4/s320/aoki_hirota+edit.jpg" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the end of 2009 MMA was practically on the operating table bleeding out. It seemed every major MMA promotion was being hit with injuries and ailments with fight cards all over the world receiving CPR and emergency rescue surgery. This was no better evidenced than at the ‘cursed’ UFC 108, which had over 8 fighters sidelined due to injury. The UFC’s first show of 2010 originally had some mouth watering match-ups, Silva-Belfort, Carwin-Lesnar etc. Whilst the eventual fight card was not quite as blistering as the one initially proposed it was good to see the UFC still manage to put together a somewhat competitive event, more on that later.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 started with a bang or a ‘snap’ shall we say. On New Years Eve Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki seized the arm of Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota with an esoteric hammerlock. He broke it and then followed it up with a middle finger to his opponent, his corner and the audience… oh the teenage angst of it all. I think this was Aoki’s way of saying to America ‘I’m a marketable badass, come get me”. Any publicity is good publicity as they say. It seems to have worked as Strikeforce are courting his signature and it looks likely we will be seeing him fight in the U.S this year. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Speaking of middle fingers we found out this month that Brock Lesnar is officially back. As frank and confrontational as ever, he cussed Canada’s healthcare system where he was initially treated, as being like a ‘Third world country’. He then proceeded to call Frank Mir a ‘stalker’. "I don't think I beat him as bad as I could," said Lesnar. "For me to get my hands on that stalker again ... Frank Mir has made it a mission of his life [to get a rematch]. It's been a while since I've had a stalker but we'll take care of that." (ESPN Radio 1100) …brilliant.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then there’s former multi-division world boxing champion James Toney, MMA’s latest sideshow. After UFC 108 there were reports of him busting down Dana Whites door and declaring himself a ‘commodity’. He was quoted as saying "I ain't going to allow none of them boys to lay on me like a lil' fag, you know what I'm saying?" Yes Toney, we hear what you are saying. The question is do you hear what you are saying? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Kimbo Slice, Herschel Walker, DMX (yes, I said DMX) are all commodities flirting with MMA. The very fact that former pro-American footballer Herschel Walker’s fight was scheduled for the weekend of the pro-bowl says it all. These ‘personalities’ draw in the casual punter and make the fast buck. Celebrity fighters are an inevitable side-effect of the growing popularity and success of MMA. In ten years time I imagine this will not even be a possibility. The sport will have inevitably progressed so much that wannabe celebrities will be so out of their depth that entering the cage will result in death. Real life celebrity death-match, now that does sound entertaining.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Promotions were busy at the start of the New Year signing up free agents and exciting new talent. Bantamweight prospect and the U.K’s very own Brad Pickett signed a five-fight-contract with WEC. He opened his WEC account by submitting Kyle Dietz in style with a Peruvian Necktie at WEC 45. Jimmy Wallhead has finally landed a much deserved multi-fight contract with a prominent promotion by signing for Bellator FC. The 36 month contract allows Wallhead to compete in the lucrative Bellator FC tournaments as well as compete in other single bouts and, with the clearance of Bellator officials, fight for other promotions in the off-season. These fighters’s are bolstering the U.K’s already growing presence in the international MMA scene. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jimmy Wallhead is just one of a number of quality signings made by Bellator FC so far in 2010. The new year saw them signing 2008 Olympian Ben Askren, Arizona Combat Sports standout Jacob McClintock, Judoka Ferrid Kheder and Sengoku veteran Dan Hornbuckle. The UFC have signed have signed Takanori Gomi, once regarded as the best light-weight in the world and Strikforce clinched the controversial signature of Dan Henderson.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>So far January has treated us to some great fights, as well as a number of great future bouts being announced. WEC continues to ambitiously fly the flag of the lighter divisions and is really growing in popularity. Ben Henderson unified the 155-pound title by submitting reigning champion Jamie Varner with a guillotine choke in the third round at WEC 46. The same event saw the ever popular Urijah Faber return to the cage with a victory over Raphael Assuncao via rear-naked choke in the 3rd round. This sets up a mouth watering fight with 2009’s break through sensation Jose Aldo.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">UFC 108 saw a return to his wrestling base for Rashad Evans. He managed to dictate the fight against a dangerous Thiago Silva and grind out the decision. Hopefully we will see Rashad fighting Mr.T soon. In the same event we saw Paul Daley knock out Dustin “McLovin” Hazelett. This has to be my candidate for knock out of the month. As a consequence of the knock out Hazelett suffered from a right orbital blow-out and nasal fractures. This reiterates just how hard Daley punches. Daley not only picked up the win, he also got the ‘knock out of the night’ bonus which made losing 10% of his fight purse for missing weight of little consequence. I know this might be predictable but the Cole Miller submission on Dan Lauzon is also my submission of the month. Not only was it a sweet inverted triangle, but he also slapped on a kimura at the same time. Wikipedia amusingly call it a ‘modified Kimura’. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Strikeforce offered up a somewhat gimmick riddled fight card right at the end of the month. However, the Diaz – Zaromskis fight delivered a blistering TKO victory for Nick Diaz. I had sweaty palms right until the end. In true Diaz brother fashion he called out GSP in the post-fight press conference... you got to love this guy. The afore mentioned Herschel Walker delivered a less than embarrassing debut and at least has shown himself to be a student of the sport. And what happened to the masterful Melvin Manhoef... he hacked away at Robbie Lawler’s legs like a frenzied lumberjack for three minutes and then...BOOM! He got felled by a vicious right hand from Lawler to the jaw. Lawler limped away victorious, while Manhoef got carted away unconscious to the hospital.... ah the beautiful unpredictability of MMA. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos eventually TKO’d crafty opponent Marloes Coenen in the third round. Recently Rashad Evans commented on ESPN’s MMA LIVE that he cannot see any woman handling her strength in the women’s divisions. He suggested she sign up for the WEC and fight Urijah Faber, equal rights an all that...Scott Coker, make it happen.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">January has also provided its fans with some great banter and amusing behaviour. Alex Reid has really been flying the flag for U.K MMA on Big Brother....pity he never attempted a triangle on Dane Bowers. It would be too easy to rip him apart from the comfort of my keyboard, so I’ll just say he seems a somewhat confused and misunderstood guy. Paul Daley’s post-fight comment that Josh Koshcek looks like a ‘fraggle’ sparked another Photoshop frenzy not seen since the Hardy-Davis fiasco. You need to get online and see the creative genius this has sparked. One of my personal favourites is of Paul Daley as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. There has also been amusing talk on the web of ‘tag team MMA’ one day in the future. That is a ridiculous, but priceless idea. I spent a whole afternoon making up teams in my head. I think the pairing of Tom Lawlor and Dustin Hazelett could be this generations ‘Bushwhackers’.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BKJsHBzkbxtZ7J_FTc7QeqNxFi4L_pljBdwUiNVM-T9Fp4wLrWWLZMhlRLxllm1UrlRAdLTkWz-pPWxRQnXWQk5ZxVj6yjyhNcQGQA5qGor2U3QNEbezkPF388SAfzEwIf0WfSxH2VE/s1600-h/modern+day+bushwhackers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BKJsHBzkbxtZ7J_FTc7QeqNxFi4L_pljBdwUiNVM-T9Fp4wLrWWLZMhlRLxllm1UrlRAdLTkWz-pPWxRQnXWQk5ZxVj6yjyhNcQGQA5qGor2U3QNEbezkPF388SAfzEwIf0WfSxH2VE/s320/modern+day+bushwhackers.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45vPSWGYN1H8u96ruUxln8aV22IQgq8wV1N5siak-UNj052igTlEZo6cz-URUSUKxIClKUfF9DqtrA_bvnVjlRoAQGew1b9CkV-4VDHOM2J1x8Olql5P9VY51Ca5LxmAMY7IrsEnowkw/s1600-h/180px-Bushwhackers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi45vPSWGYN1H8u96ruUxln8aV22IQgq8wV1N5siak-UNj052igTlEZo6cz-URUSUKxIClKUfF9DqtrA_bvnVjlRoAQGew1b9CkV-4VDHOM2J1x8Olql5P9VY51Ca5LxmAMY7IrsEnowkw/s320/180px-Bushwhackers.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>It has been a great start to the year and it looks like it is going to be another explosive year for MMA. The cards being put together by various promotions as well as the locations (Abu Dahbi, Austrailia etc) are all looking very exciting. Silva-Belfort, Hardy-St Pierre, Faber-Aldo, Rampage-Rashad, Shields-Henderson, Emialenko-Werdum . We also have the new season of TUF ‘Liddel- Ortiz’ to look forward too. Ortiz has already publicly ‘outed’ Liddel as a recovering alcoholic. Whether his accusations are true or not, it promises to be a scandalous season.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Roll on February and the rest of 2010….<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Juvenile</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</span></span></div>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-43261391425986817492010-02-01T00:32:00.000+00:002010-02-01T00:32:35.143+00:00The Way: Fighting and spirituality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePKZaRp9lLE857WzbduEB6VP-84b10rA1xxNhqEC08Wo23elskjgntcCeA0JUED1DNzpQ2casrgvS3fmQ7tBeBRCcQNCFgFCrFaP-RySkCQgWL5MG5lWRmgMOEE59nIEiauKGyqQl6ZI/s1600-h/lyoto.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePKZaRp9lLE857WzbduEB6VP-84b10rA1xxNhqEC08Wo23elskjgntcCeA0JUED1DNzpQ2casrgvS3fmQ7tBeBRCcQNCFgFCrFaP-RySkCQgWL5MG5lWRmgMOEE59nIEiauKGyqQl6ZI/s320/lyoto.png" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We are all too familiar with the timeless image of the wise martial arts master. He seems to be completely at peace with himself, his foes and the world. Nothing can surprise, overwhelm or intimidate him. Pain is merely a state of mind and the only person who can truly defeat him, is himself. This is the picture we conjure up when we when we think of what a ‘spiritual’ warrior looks like (being of south-east Asian origin and having a long moustache helps too). It seems that in relation to fighting, this kind of thinking or outlook is now confined to the pages of ancient myths or the films of Ang Lee. However, the dimension of the spiritual has always been deeply woven into the fabric of the martial arts. It might be said that a martial artist who does not acknowledge the spiritual aspect of fighting is not truly a martial artist. Budō is the Japanese term used to describe the martial arts. If we break down the words meaning we see that Budō is a compound of the root bu, meaning war or martial; and dō, meaning path or way. So put simply it means ‘the way of war’. The concept of following a ‘way’ is not about adhering rigidly to a set of rules and techniques, but is instead about becoming a disciple of an art, allowing it to inform you in body, mind and spirit. This means that the martial art permeates into our lifestyles. In influences our mind-set, how we treat others and how we make our decisions and choices.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">MMA in many ways has moved away from the ritualism and ceremony of the traditional martial arts. As we have ‘mixed’ the martial arts into a fast growing sport, we seem to have strained out the spiritual aspect of what it means to be a fighter. The underlying sentiment is that all that spiritual ‘mumbo-jumbo’ is just for people that like to make shapes in the air and breathe a lot.</div><a name='more'></a><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Perhaps we are just a product of our generation? Our senses are relentlessly being bombarded by website pop-ups, i-phones apps and billboards that are constantly vying for our attention and eagerly waiting to fill us up with useless knowledge. We are constantly being filled up, but how shallow are our depths? The move into professional sport has certainly created unfamiliarity with the spiritual aspect of a fighter. If we look at the two main terms used to describe our wonderful sport, ‘Cage Fighting’ and ‘Mixed Martial Arts’. I think there is a distinct disparity between these terms. Fighter’s like Kenny Florian see it as an ‘art’ or a ‘way’ and view themselves as ‘mixed martial artists’. Other fighters see themselves as guys that like to fight in a cage, they want to ‘bank cheques and break necks’, they are ‘cage fighters’. I guess it really depends on your personal disposition, which term you prefer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It seems that a large demographic of the modern breed of mixed martial artists are in it just for the pay day. They have no time or desire to’ find themselves’ or fight their inner-demons. They are too busy dismantling ground and pound dummies with their face disfiguring elbows or giving the finger to dissenting fans. This kind of outlook might well be epitomised best in fighter’s like Brock Lesnor. I mean I could be totally wrong. Brock Lesnor may well be a closet Zen Buddhist who burns incense and privately attributes his mighty hammer fists as a gift from Zeus. Who am I to judge? Another fighter seemingly in a similar vein is the UFC gravy train and king of the internet beat’em ups, Kimbo Slice. I simply could not imagine him saying a few prayers or meditating in his bedroom before heading out to the backyard to lay the concrete smack down on some overweight white dude with a mullet. However, in the recent series of TUF Kimbo Slice showed the world another side of himself. He once again reminded us all that none of us are fit to be both judge and jury over another man. In a to-camera reflection he talked about his real 'enemy' being 'the inner-me'. This was not only a clever play on words but an unexpected, poetic and spiritual self-reflection. Whilst this was a surprising admission from Kimbo, he is not alone in his spiritual quest. Many other fighters’ openly address the spiritual aspect of being a fighter in both their fight preparation and daily lives. Fighters like the previously mentioned Kenny Florian, current UFC Light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and the more eccentric admissions of Diego Sanchez.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">The term spiritual is hard to define. The dictionary entry for the word contains no less than twelve different definitions. This aptly demonstrates the mystery and fluidity of the word. A simple definition would be that it is that which is not physical or material. So when a fighter is looking to develop and nurture the spiritual aspect of them self they are often meaning their mental and emotional state. However, the concept of the spiritual goes even deeper than mind and emotions and extends to the foundation of ones identity and essence. Spirituality is derived from the Latin word spiritus, which means "breath of life." Many people see spirituality as a basis and purpose for living their life, it defines how they express themselves and forms the basis upon which they view life and interpret meaning. In the case of a fighter it helps them focus and prepare, to address their weaknesses and face both victory and defeat with equal reflection and respect.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">You will hear a lot of fighter’s saying in pre-fight interviews that they are fully prepared in body, mind and spirit. This defines three layers to a human being and suggests that these layers need to be in harmony with each other in order to produce a healthy human being and a well rounded and complete mixed martial artist. Naturally people will be more inclined due to personality, upbringing and inclination to work on one area rather than the other. First let’s break down the three areas:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Body:</span> Physical attributes and abilities</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mind:</span> Reason, decision making and intellect</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Spirit:</span> Core identity, essence, purpose and belief</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Each respective area influences how effectively the other one works. Some fighters have great physical and athletic attributes or ‘body’, but they lack the intelligence and decision making or ‘mind’ under pressure to capitalise on their physical superiority. It might be that they do not even particularly enjoy that aspect of the sport or feel naturally inclined to train it. This is why intelligent and experienced coaches are brought in to motivate them and develop game plans to increase a fighters understanding of strategy, mechanics and counters. Similarly a fighter might be highly intelligent and technical, but their physical ‘body’ is just not up to the riggers of pro-MMA. This is why conditioning and strength coaches are brought into to bring their body up to speed with their mind. On a spiritual level the fighter may have addressed his ego, doubts and weaknesses and be at peace with himself, the fight and his opponent. However, if he has not trained in the other two areas, that peace is going to come to a very violent end.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It is almost as if the Spirit or spiritual aspect of the fighter weaves everything together. It deals with who the fighter is as a person. I think it is naive to think we can completely separate who we are as people from who we are as fighters. Fighting is too close a reflection and metaphor for life to be something we can simply compartmentalise. “Spirituality is the basis for life; the way you move expresses who you are, how self disciplined and how strong a person you are. Life is the greatest fight. All those things such as children, education, women, death, illness, war, hatred, anger- all of these things are with us every single day of our lives. Most people tend to run away from these things only to be confronted with them again when they open their eyes”. (Les Allen, MMA Fighter). Some see the spiritual journey of a fighter, particularly those from eastern religions/philosophies as an internal battle with self. Overcoming that voice inside us that tells us to quit in the midst of struggle or have a prideful reaction to defeat. That is our ego, and a fighter must strive to confront it and constantly challenge it in order to grow in humility and evolve. If they can come to terms with who they are and the world they find themselves in, then they can be a more content and effective person and fighter.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Essentially it is about identity and finding peace with who you are. This is why many fighter’s meditate and embrace solitude, it creates a space for them to reflect and identify things they need to let go of or actively embrace. I think this is what Kimbo Slice was trying to express when he said he was fighting with the ‘inner-me’. He has had to deal with the media circus that has surrounded him his entire career. Self-inflicted or not this must wear on a man and make him question his validity and who he is. It is as if his time in the TUF house is making him confront the realities of his personality and of his skill set. As he comes to terms with both he will surely become a stronger man and fighter.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">If we again look at the literal meaning of the word ‘spiritual’ we see that it is derived from the Latin word spiritus, meaning "breath of life." Whilst some people see spirituality as purely an interaction with self, some see it not only as this, but more significantly as an interaction with God or a higher force. They would consider the truest form of spirituality to be interaction with the one who breathed the ‘breath of life’. Often at the end of fights we see fighter’s thanking God or specifically Jesus, for their victories. Sometimes this is interpreted by fight fans as these fighters’s claiming God helped them directly to win the fight. In some senses they are, however, I do not think they mean that God told them to throw that punch at that very moment or sink that particular choke, like they are God’s little UFC puppets that he manipulates for the satisfaction of his wrath. I think the majority of fighters who openly proclaim a faith in a particular higher being or God see the role God plays as simply being a fountain from which they can draw peace, faith and a firm foundation upon which to build their identity. They still have to train hard, be gifted and outclass their opponent. They just identify a void within themselves that they believe cannot be filled no matter how much they search ‘within’. They need to trust in something that is greater than and ‘outside’ themselves. Prayer, reflecting on scripture and other religious rituals are perceived by onlookers as a fighter ‘doing religion’. However, for the ‘religious’ fighter these exercises are not meant to be the focus; they are merely meant to act as the bridge to the focus which is God.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">There is a famous quote that say’s “In the ring, the truth will out”. In the case of MMA it is “In the cage, the truth will out”. What I think this quote means is that when we fight we expose a deep dimension of who we are. We leave ourselves open to scrutiny and disappointment; we make ourselves uniquely vulnerable. When you stand across the cage from an unknown opponent, someone you've never seen before, someone you have never sparred against. You have to confront your self-doubt, control your nerves, recollect what you have been drilling and learning and implement your game plan all at once. In those dying seconds when all the strength has left you, what will you draw upon to pull you across the finish line? Perhaps it is all just about mental strength and physical preparation, body and mind. Maybe all this discussion of the spiritual has no place within the dog-eat-dog world of MMA or the even modern world for that matter. Good riddance to the archaic philosophies of the traditional martial arts and all this talk of spiritual ‘ways’! Like they say, if the suit fits, wear it and if it doesn’t…well don’t. Just remember the cage, like life, is a deeply unforgiving place and if you are not prepared body, mind and… spirit? The truth will out.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">By K.G McGlade</span></div>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-78658149256826458782010-02-01T00:28:00.000+00:002010-02-01T00:28:27.638+00:00Internet forums, Guy Ritchie, Street fights, Carlson Gracie: Simon Hayes, BJJ Black Belt<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432934888616770834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR9wrhOOZwzqlUCjPUs7FkJi0n86L-1rTsIhFXbKKfd5vhOwfAQJHk2cQ-3FUNO_k7giPnw4g4aMH3d8w2KKcBlzkNQ5HxNwE9Kw6m7oSg3M-UOwFss1gYsLkyRiUsQTPHBRyetUf4I8o/s320/simon+hayes.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 297px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 274px;" /><br />
The sound of a raw powerful car engine shakes the frail plaster walls of the Carlson Gracie Boiler Room gym in West London. Someone changing into a crisp white gi casually says "Oh that'll be Simon". When you first meet Simon Hayes you cannot help but see the corresponding metaphor to his personality. His presence in a room is instantly felt, either by a friendly “OOOOSSS!” or a barked command from the dressing room at some fighter who is not giving a hundred percent out on the mats. Simply put, Simon is a man’s man. Physically he is of average height with a strong compact frame and a face that tells a hundred stories. Friendly but fierce, poetic but pugnacious, once you peer beneath his rough exterior you find he is a man littered with paradoxes. As you speak to him you realise why he is so highly regarded by his contemporaries. He bursts with energy and enthusiasm and it’s contagious. He had me wanting to turn off the tape, get changed and head for the mats as soon as we began talking. What is obvious from the outset, however, is that Simon is a man on a journey, a journey of self-improvement and discovery. This is characterised by a deep desire to grab hold of all life has to offer him, complimented by the ability to respond to failure and success with equal measure. I wanted to find out how his journey into martial arts began. What had driven a young boy from South West London to become a black belt in two martial arts, a brown belt in another, win the European BJJ Championships, compete in amateur MMA and pioneer one of the most successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teams in the U.K?<br />
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Intrigued by the Japanese and Chinese cultures Simon like many children, was captivated by the martial arts. TV programmes like ‘The Water Margin’ and ‘Monkey’ initially sparked his interest and exemplified the warrior spirit which still resonates deeply with him today. Scared that the desire to learn how to kick and punch people would turn their 7 year old son into a delinquent, they met him halfway and sent him to the seemingly more ‘self-defence’ orientated Judo. It was here in a small church hall in south west London under the tutelage of the legendary Judoka Syd Hoare (8th Dan Judo Black belt), who Simon describes as “The most aggressive Judo teacher this country has ever known” and a “Monster on the mat” that he had his first introduction to the martial arts. He jokingly reflects that “Little did my parents know that when they thought I was going to learn a beautiful ‘self-defence’ martial art I was actually being taken into the lion’s den and being shown hardcore judo”. This was the type of atmosphere that a young Simon Hayes thrived on. Ever the competitor, be it in his career, martial arts or BMX biking (which he used to compete in and still enjoys) Simon has always been marked by a desire to succeed. “Anything I take part in, I want to win”. This is a trait etched deeply into his mentality. He also found that growing up in west London in tough schools where arguments were sorted out with fists, learning aggressive judo was going to have its merits. <br />
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As we continue to talk Simon identifies a common thread running throughout his martial arts career. “I was lucky I ended up at Syd Hoare’s Judo club. You will find the common thread throughout my journey into martial arts, even though I didn’t know it at the time, is that I have been lucky to have fantastic instructors in every martial art I have studied. I thought you could be taught judo by one guy and it would be the same as the next guy. It just so happened that I ended up being in the right place at the right time.” After a number of years out from martial arts, Simon decided to re-visit them at around twenty years old. This was due in part to a street fight he got caught up in where he was trying to defend some friends who were being harassed outside a pub. He found himself getting into a one-on-one fight that resulted in him sustaining a broken nose and ankle. “I actually broke my ankle kicking him. I had no formal training in kickboxing and he was a big guy and my judo wasn’t working. I woke up the next morning with my foot in plaster and a broken nose and I decided if I was going to fight people I might as well learn how to do it properly”. I am deeply impressed by Simon’s openness and realness. It is in such moments as this that we realise the uncomfortable reality of our own fallibility. It is through these experiences and particularly in how we respond to them that truly define a fighter and a man. <br />
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“So I searched the papers and all I could find was a martial art called taekwondo. People rubbish taekwondo now, but I was very lucky in that the club I went to was run by a guy called Kwok Wan who was the British Olympic team coach at the Seoul Olympics. He became a real mentor to me and what I learned from him was respect, honour and how to be a true martial artist and the basics of discipline, competing and making weight”. It was in this phase of Simon’s journey that he began to see martial arts as more than just a hobby, but as a way of life. Having previously focused his energies on the temporal pleasures of late eighties hedonism and with the injuries sustained in the street fight, Simon decided it was time for a change. The sense of etiquette, discipline and honour within the martial arts were not only very attractive to him at this point in his journey but a way in which he could envisage living the rest of his life. <br />
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BMX biking, Judo, Taekwondo and a successful career as a movie sound recordist are not disciplines that are instantly synonymous with Simon Hayes, but they are part of his journey towards his defining martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is a colourful path that intertwines, career, friendship and destiny that led him to find BJJ and fall in love with this particular martial art. “I met Guy Ritchie when I was 21 years old, he was an aspiring director and I had chosen my career as a sound recordist. We recognised each other from growing up in the same area of London. Many years later when I was 27, Guy approached me and asked me to come and work on his first feature length film ‘Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels’. That was in 1997 and the UFC had been on the screens for about two or three years and there was a lot of testosterone on the set with me, Guy Ritchie, Jason Statham, Jason Fleming and Vinnie Jones. We talked a lot about UFC. Guy was a third Dan in Shotokan Karate and Jason Statham was a kick boxer. Guy was really keen to find somewhere to train BJJ in London, which never materialised. Later we met again on the set of ‘Snatch’ and decided to train Judo at the Budokwai, which had sessions that focussed on ground grappling.” However, it was not until 2001 when Simon was invited out to Malta to work on another film with Guy Ritchie that he had his first real introduction to BJJ. <br />
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If you are an avid follower of BJJ forums you may well have come across Simon’s notorious forum thread “Stories from abroad”. It is as gripping as a 24 box set. From the threads over 14,000 views it is obvious that to some it has become some kind of literary crack. I think what has made it so popular is that Simon is not only a very gifted storyteller, but that the stories he tells are of a man describing a life well lived. They are a colourful and engaging set of tales that chronicle Simon’s martial art exploits while he travels the world with his career in the film industry. Many people have suggested they should be collated and organised into a book, which upon reading them does not sound like a bad idea. Simon again reflects upon this trip to Malta and his first introduction to an art form that would become his defining martial art. “When Guy met me the first thing he said to me was ‘I am doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and it is the absolute best martial art in the world, you have to start training with us now’ I wasn’t that up for it initially as I did not want to get injured while working and I was happy with how my Taekwondo was going. Guy responded by saying “Listen you soft f*cker, you need to start doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with us now”. Simon was not aware that Guy had packed with the films set a bunch of training mats and had brought with him ex-Us marine Todd Fox, a purple belt (now black) under Rodrigo Varge (a black belt under Rickson Gracie). He had also sent out for some Judo suits to start training immediately. Yet to be convinced, Guy Ritchie pitted Simons Taekwondo against Todd Foxes BJJ in some light sparring. “Todd was a missile, a nasty Jiu-Jitsu killing machine”. After five single leg takedowns, followed by mounted position, Simon was ready to start training BJJ for ten weeks twice a day every day.<br />
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Simon came back to London a different person and found himself once again at the Budokwai, one of the very few places in the U.K where you could train BJJ. He began training under Chen Moraes, a mysterious and controversial figure within the history of British BJJ, in an atmosphere he describes as “mad”. “If you walked into a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club in those days you were either going to come across a hardcore martial artist who had multiple black belts in other martial arts, or a boxer who had seen the UFC or a crazy eastern European doorman who had fled his country and was hungry for a fight. There were very few sane people in there”. Again it was an atmosphere Simon thrived on, not unlike the one he had experienced in Malta. The variety of opponents and the sense of competition was exactly what he was looking for and only served to deepen his love for BJJ. It was also the place where he began a key relationship with Wilson Junior, a purple belt at the time. “I can remember facing him in a fight. I literally ran across the room at him, with my head down going for some rubbish double leg takedown. I remember my head hitting him in the stomach and compressing the vertebrate in my neck and me thinking, that was like running into a brick wall”. Wilson mercifully spared Simon and gently took him to the floor and submitted a “Simon Hayes filled with bad intentions”. There was an instant connection and respect between the two and five months later, after Chen Moraes left for Spain, a group of committed fighters started a club in a disused nightclub in Earls Court, training under Wilson Junior.<br />
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This was the birth of Carlson Gracie Team London. Later the team moved to Royal Oak and cleared out a space below a youth hostel, which many students who were present at the time describe as a health and safety nightmare. Someone commented on the internet that the Carlson Gracie team were training in a boiler room. Simon reflects “You are right it’s a boiler room. It’s hot, it’s sweaty and that’s where we fight. From that moment on it was known as the boiler room”. Wilson Junior, Simon Hayes and Dickie Martin eventually became the bedrock of the Carlson Gracie London Team and oversaw its eventual move to its present location in Hammersmith, West London. When the team first moved onto the new premises it poetically had a huge boiler in the middle of it which had to be removed. It seemed only right to keep the boiler room name, and the present dojo now goes under the name ‘The New boiler Room’. “Anyone that’s come to the new boiler room that saw the old boiler room knows that it is exactly the same, just bigger. It’s got the same spirit. One thing the Carlson Gracie team has always had in abundance is that when you walk in our dojo, you know it’s a dojo. It’s a place where men fight each other.”<br />
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A strong emphasis in Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is that it is not focussed solely on sports Jiu-Jitsu, but also on Vale Tudo. This is reflected in the various different classes available at the New Boiler Room. As well as BJJ they offer classes in no-gi grappling, Muay Thai, Judo and various one off seminars in different fight systems. I asked Simon his feelings on MMA and the role that traditional martial arts play within its evolution. “MMA is taking the best of various martial arts, for your body type, your mentality and your fighting spirit and putting them together into a mix that suits you, to enable you to become the best fighter possible. MMA is not being a jack of all trades and a master of none. A good MMA fighter is at an elite level in each martial art he chooses to train in and to be an elite MMA fighter you need three martial arts, ideally but not exclusively: BJJ, Muay Thai and Wrestling.” As someone who has trained in various martial arts his entire life Simon considers it vital that an upcoming MMA fighter has a strong base in a particular martial art and then surrounds themselves with excellent instructors in their other disciplines. “Carlson Gracie London has always had its doors open to MMA fighters. With Carlson Gracie it was always about the MMA, he had a deep love affair with Vale Tudo and we intend to carry that on.”<br />
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As the interview draws to a close we discuss the mentality required to be a successful fighter. The conversation turns to the idea of ‘gameness’, which translates as having the spirit and the will to fight to the end and overcome adversity. The Carlson Gracie emblem is of two bulldogs facing off against each other and it finds its history and context in Brazilian dog fighting. In dog fighting, the most prized asset of a dog is not its strength or guile but its ‘gameness’. It’s ability to keep fighting and never quit, no matter what. “You need to be able to stand your ground, to know that when the going gets tough you are not going to give up. It’s not something you can train for, it’s either in you or it’s not. I can tell very quickly when someone walks into a jiu-jitsu club whether they have got it or not. It’s not essential to learn jiu-jitsu, anyone can and it will be very helpful to them. However, in those last moments, when they are getting choked and they are scared, are they going to fight their way out or are they going tap - that determines gameness.” <br />
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From my time spent with Simon Hayes and when I have had the opportunity to observe him sparring you can tell he has gameness in abundance. You get the sense that he expects nothing short of the best from himself and refuses to slip into complacency or mediocrity. He is the type of man that would bring the same focus and determination to completing a hundred sprawls as he would to putting the food on his kid’s table. I ask him what the future holds for himself and Carlson Gracie Team London “I just want to support Wilson Junior in running as authentic a BJJ club as possible and to continue to grow as a fighter and teacher. In terms of the Carlson Gracie Team as a force, man, we want to go to competitions and smash people. We want to smash every single person who gets in our way. When you get on a matt and see someone from Carlson Gracie opposite you, you need to understand one thing: That person wants to smash you.” That seems like the most fitting note upon which to finish our interview. Unfortunately there is no time to throw on our gi’s and have a roll, as the Boiler room is closing up. I am not sure whether I am sad or relieved. One thing I definitely am is motivated and inspired.<br />
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Carlson Gracie Team London<br />
56 Glentham Road, London, SW13 9JJ <br />
http://www.carlsongracieteam.org.uk/<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">By K.G Mc Glade</span>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-73269976763734187672010-02-01T00:27:00.000+00:002010-02-01T00:27:58.704+00:00The Submission: A dying art?<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432932528969928114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSXQqSyC-QUI_FEdmt4Zy_Ue5EtZJzz8F1mxgeTFTiRwGBhNvjRFByn_GdMku24qe8nCkGX0qw5DfCJ9byw0aE2BnizvXhyphenhyphennYTuz_IoY-5f8xPxk_rQWZCdozjGXEW-qA67SX304yVe8/s320/submission-+dustin+hazelett.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 214px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /><br />
If you are a keen follower of the UFC you may have noticed in the last few main events the lack of fights won by submission. The statistical truth is actually more startling. In the last four fight cards, only one fight was finished by submission (Alan Belcher, UFC 93). Granted the UFC is not the final word on the state of the ever evolving world of MMA, but as the bastion of professional MMA worldwide is there a cause for concern? Or is this merely just one of those passing oddities and business will return to usual in the upcoming events? How would MMA suffer from a decline in the art of the submission? These are important questions to ask, particularly as the sport continues to find its feet in the mainstream market. Perhaps the art of submission is suffering from the lure of “Fight of the Night‟ bonuses and an emphasis placed upon fighters to “stand and bang‟. This appeals to a wider and less MMA savvy audience and quickly raises a fighter’s profile and fan base. Referees also seem somewhat quicker these days to make fighters break the clinch or stand up due to “inactivity‟, responding perhaps to the booing from a particular demographic of spectators, or pressure from the executives upstairs to keep it “entertaining”? <br />
<a name='more'></a>Has all this contributed to us regularly seeing world-class wrestlers and Jiu-Jitsu black belts choosing to stand up and exchange with kick boxing and Muay-Thai specialists, often to their detriment? I mean don’t get me wrong everyone loves a good knock-out, it’s an art in itself. However, is the emphasis being placed upon the glamour of striking starving contemporary MMA of one of its quintessential and truly cerebral elements: the art of the submission?<br />
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It has been said that MMA is the closest thing you can get to being in a real fight. This is what sets MMA apart from all other combat sports. Whilst the fighter’s safety is always paramount, essentially two warriors enter an enclosed cage with little protection and one warrior exits. This harks back to the old Samurai Jiu-Jitsu matches where there was a principle of “sudden death‟ designed to simulate the reality of battle. Although fights often had a time limit, they could be brought to an early end by one of the fighters by delivering a devastating throw, lock or choke, a “sudden death‟. This would mirror a situation which in real combat would prove fatal to the loser. It was this thinking that formed the concept of the submission. It was described by the Samurai as a kind of “symbolic death‟, a “one strike and you’re out‟. In real combat a mistake could be fatal and this needed to translate into competition. The symbolic death also symbolised a death of the ego. The word submission means to "lower, reduce or yield". These are words that fighters find very hard to digest. The “tap‟ not only says “my arm is about to break... please stop‟, it more profoundly says “I have been out smarted, out fought and now I honourably withdraw‟. You join any no-gi grappling or BJJ class as a beginner and the first advice you will be given is tap early. This goes against your every fighting instinct not to quit. However, it not only humbles and educates you; it allows you to withdraw with dignity and to fight another day (and to go to work the next morning). It was the technical execution of submissions that initially caught the world’s imagination in the early UFC tournaments. Seeing the smallest member of the Gracie family, a gi-clad Royce, submitting beasts with arm-bars and rear-naked chokes changed people’s perception of what it meant to be a fighter. <br />
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The art of the submission has evolved organically, having grown and developed within many differing fight systems. New submissions or variations on old techniques have come about instinctively in the climate of a fight, such as the ‘Kimura’, or in the gym in exchanges between students or masters. It was in a training session between Rolls Gracie and Bob Anderson, who has coached MMA wrestling behemoths Dan Henderson and Randy Couture, that popular MMA submission the “Americana” was born. Anderson was showing Rolls what he would do to get an arm bar when an opponent was rolled up in a ball. He did what they call in wrestling a “turkey bar”. This variation came to be better known as the “Americana”. Submissions have become a way in which fighters or fights themselves have become inscribed upon the pages of history. If we look at MMA today a number of chokes and locks continue to be synonymous with particular fighters. The D’Arce choke (also known as the Brabo choke) derives its name from Joe D'Arce, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie. Although not the inventor of the choke, D'Arce performed this choke often and with great success in many Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling tournaments. Frank Mir submitted veteran Pete Williams (who had never been submitted before) with a shoulder lock in only 0:46 in the first round at UFC 73. The shoulder lock was set up from the open guard and has since been named “The Mir Lock”. We can see how the art of the submission has played a key role in the constantly evolving world of MMA. To watch a fighter debilitate an opponent from his back is truly a great sight. To witness a fighter slice through an opponent’s guard and seamlessly transition to a submission is a technically beautiful thing to watch. <br />
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Returning to my initial question: has the emphasis or pressure being placed upon wrestlers and Jiu-Jitsu black belts to “stand and bang”, been to their detriment and that of the submissions game in general? I think the reality is that as MMA continues to evolve, a good ground game alone is not enough. You need good stand up to live in the cage and if you don’t have it, it will be detrimental. Jorge Gurgel, BJJ Black belt, chose to slug it out on his feet for the majority of his fights in the UFC. Despite winning “fight of the night” honours in UFC 73, he was released by the organisation after a two fight losing streak. Gurgel is quoted as saying “… everybody asks me, 'Why don't you do jiu-jitsu? You'd be in the top of the guys in the weight class if you would do jiu-jitsu.' But I always get caught up in not being boring”. Contrast this with the exploits of Anderson Silva another BJJ black belt. Like Gurgel, we rarely get to see the extent of his ground game. However, the difference between these two fighter’s success is that Silva has ‘world-class’ boxing and Muay Thai at his disposal. <br />
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Muay Thai, if mastered, has proved to be the most devastating and entertaining striking system in MMA and a must have in any pro fighter’s arsenal. With new audiences to MMA often already accustomed to boxing, the influx of Muay Thai has made the mainstream crossover to MMA smoother. I mean ‘throw in’ a few elbows and some flying knees (Muay Thai is much more technical than this) and you’ve got instant mainstream appeal. To many it’s like ‘Bloodsport’, but in real life. However, the prospect of watching men roll on the ground vying for the dominate position and working for submissions is unfamiliar and unappealing to a wider audience. Perhaps submissions and the ground game in general are becoming victims of their own technical complexity. Also with the stand up game becoming increasingly prolific, are fighters thinking the ground is best avoided if the business can be done on the feet?<br />
If we look at the styles of fighter’s Chuck Liddel and Thiago Alves, both are great strikers who have awesome takedown defence. This enables them to implement a game plan of keeping fights standing and making it difficult for ground based fighters with inferior striking to live with them. We are also seeing this emphasis upon striking infiltrate the evolvement of wrestlers within MMA. Wrestlers often already possess other-worldly strength in the clinch, terrifying cardio and the ability to take opponents down at will enabling them to dictate fights. Many wrestlers are currently showing a tendency towards striking rather than submissions or the ground and pound popularised by Ortiz and Couture. In the fight between Gray Maynard v Jim Miller at UFC 96, Maynard controlled the fight standing. He used strength and size to overpower Miller and used takedowns to score points at the end of the round or when in trouble and ground out the win. He didn’t finish Miller but used cardio as a factor and his athletic wrestling pedigree to grind out the decision. Both fighters were wrestlers, but interestingly Maynard chose to keep it standing throughout. Wrestling pedigree and excellent striking is proving to be a very formidable combination.<br />
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Where does this leave the submission game in MMA? Is the obvious need for strong striking in contemporary MMA starving the sport of the art of the submission? Maybe the situation is not as dire as we think. If we scour the weight divisions of various organisations the world over, we find a wealth of exciting submission tacticians both young and old. These fighters are bringing a much needed injection of life, executing dynamic and exciting submissions. In the UFC 22 year-old Welterweight Dustin Hazelett has been creating a buzz with his technical and slickly executed submissions, along with peers Joe Lauzon and Nate Diaz. Demian Maia continues to make his assault on the middleweight division, with four of his five fights in the UFC earning him the submission of the night. Many would like to see how Anderson Silva would deal with his Jiu-Jitsu if the fight went to the floor. Japanese fighter Shinya Aoki, in his often ridiculous choice of tights, is notorious for his ability to execute breathtaking submissions. Aoki demonstrates a difference culturally in the way he goes for submissions from the Brazilians. The Brazilian way is generally slow, steady and inexorable, while the Japanese style is about catching your opponent off guard and snatching the submission. This style has earned Aoki has earned him the nickname "Tobikan Judan," meaning "master of flying submissions”. <br />
<br />
In reflection, perhaps the future is not all that bleak. The submissions game has been continually evolving as the sport continues to make great strides. As MMA grows as a sports industry hopefully the understanding and knowledge of its audience in relation to submissions will increase. Nevertheless, the majority may remain ignorant until it really goes mainstream, which is where the sport is inevitably heading. Remember this is a very technical and highly skilled professional sport, and this is displayed equally in the stand up and submissions game. The two extreme means of defeat: the ‘tap’ and the ‘K.O’ are what separate MMA from all the other pretenders. It could be argued that the “flying submissions‟ of Shinya Aoki are as exciting as a Rampage left hook. However, I do not think this is the point. The very essence of MMA is the emphasis on the “mixed‟. It’s about variety, about taking the best of every discipline and fusing them together to produce the most complete fighters in the world. This has been aptly demonstrated in the very well rounded or “mixed‟ game of Georges St Pierre. The reality is that the sports future champions will be the warriors that can kick you in the head, control you in the clinch, and take you down or arm-bar you just as easily. Perhaps the most technical and beautifully executed submission will never attract the same hype and fan base as a Chuck Liddel knockout or a Cro Cop kick to the chops. However, there are no doubts the submission plays an integral part in the cage, it is one of the reasons true fans love MMA and the sport would not be the same without them. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">By: K.G McGlade</span>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-13910462290485239602010-02-01T00:22:00.001+00:002010-02-01T00:22:18.179+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 10... the final chapter<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432927689485438450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgjkDQwAVNS4HlFECdOHCg7RY8MuUfziyA3pOmILfvQ38xuVOsB7s52jcvtQTfhvKOVeYDteP_aDSB5pQ-SbHLnTGB1bOGN3uN5UmSGhLjB_dADIBhgIjxmijtUACDnnvhmmIovnpSEo/s320/laymans-x.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Fade to blue...</span><br />
<br />
On the tube ride to training the other day I slipped into a daydream. I imagined myself walking to my gym on a typical cold, dark, damp winter evening. As I continue to walk I become aware of some sinister movement in the shadows being cast on the pavement by the street lights. All of a sudden I am surrounded by a band of street thugs who viciously set upon me. I fight hard, taking a few of them out, but eventually I am overpowered and left beaten and robbed in the desolate street (I agree it is strange I get beaten up in a daydream of my own making, I am not sure what this says about my self-esteem).<br />
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I stagger to my gym, clothes ripped and bleeding, burst through the doors and slump on the dojo floor. My gym brethren pick me up, set me on the dressing room bench and begin exclaiming: 'Who did this to you!? Who did this to you?' After being administered a few sips of life giving water I manage to say between laboured breaths "A gang....a gang..." and weakly point in the vague direction from whence I came.<br />
My instructors call everyone out from the mats and command them to organise themselves into belt rank, highest grades on the front-line. The whole army then march onto the streets bare foot and gi-clad in search of my assailants. I must be avenged. An insult to one of us is an insult to us all. We turn onto the street where the gang are lurking. They are laughing, joking and taking stock of their booty. I manage to weakly utter "that’s... them".<br />
<br />
My team swarm on them like a crashing wave of white. It is like a scene from Kill Bill or The Warriors. Men scream from the cracks of arm-bars, are put to sleep from triangles and debilitated by judo throws to the unforgiving concrete. Inspired and moved by their warrior spirit I regain my second wind and grab one of my attackers by the sleeves of his shell suit and bewitch him with my spider-guard. I sweep him and then reign down ferocious elbows from the pit of Hades.<br />
<br />
When the dust settles it is like a post battle scene from Saving Private Ryan. Our enemies lay strewn on the concrete moaning in pain. Those that are able, limp away, beaten and dejected into the abyss of the evening darkness. We all stand together in our bloodstained gi's victorious and united; a band of brothers.<br />
So that was my daydream on the way to training the other week. I do have a penchant for the dramatic.<br />
<br />
There is something in most men that desires camaraderie. It's why we enjoy having 'boy's nights out' and playing sport together. It's why we meet online and form teams to play 'Call of Duty' on X-Box live. There is something deep within us that craves that sense of unity, friendship and shared purpose.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it is wired into our genetics? Early man had to hunt for his food. It was the sole responsibility of the men to provide the food for the community. The only way this could be successfully achieved was if the men worked together. They had to have each others' backs out in the wild and understand each others' strengths and weaknesses in order to work effectively as a pack. If they didn't then they would die and consequently so would their people.<br />
<br />
Modern culture does not demand this kind of inter-dependence or struggle in order to survive. We have Tesco and credit cards. We drive in separate cars, shop online, interact via facebook and hide in our i-pods. Our culture has enabled us to become so self-contained that we find ourselves yearning to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We want to join up with other men and fight for something. We want to recapture the honour and adventure of a bygone age that has been robbed by and tamed by our domesticated culture.<br />
<br />
After a year of training I approached the dojo both excited and anxious. It was grading day. I had been mulling over the progression of my Jiu-Jitsu for the last few days with this day in mind. Was I worthy of a blue belt? Was I even being considered? I had been trying to heed the advice of the wise and just concentrate on my Jiu-Jitsu and not worry about belts. "A belt is just for holding up your gi". I get this, but it feels great to achieve. To know you have come so far, to be able put a stake in the ground. <br />
<br />
When I entered the dojo I had never seen it so packed, over a 100 guys at least. All gathered together under a common passion, all from different backgrounds, cultures and religions; Postmen, surgeons, musicians, business men, students, unemployed, firemen. No social hierarchy when in the dojo, all friends and brothers alike. People who have encouraged me, humbled me, inspired me, broken me, challenged me, tested me and taught me. It had been on honour to journey with them over the past year. Going to competitions together, talking about jiu-jitsu and life in the pub and developing healthy positive sparring rivalries.<br />
<br />
Jiu-Jitsu has not only improved me physically, it has also improved my character, my ability to relate to and understand other people and perhaps, more poignantly, to understand and know myself. My ego has taken an almighty beating this past year. My self-perception has been rocked to its core with a stiff dose of reality that only being caught in a clock choke can bring. As clichéd as it might sound, fighting really is a metaphor for life. The discipline, resolve and passion required to keep coming back when you feel void of anything to give is definitely something you can translate into life outside the dojo.<br />
<br />
My name gets calle out to go into the centre, in front of everyone, and square off against an opponent. One of the instructors then says "whoever wins, will get their blue belt". I take a deep breath, and think 'this belt is mine'. I fight my heart out. Not with winning in mind, but just promising I will give the best account of myself.<br />
<br />
After initially sweeping my opponent I managed to rack up 10 points and get the win. It felt better than any competition victory. I had earned this, my instructors felt I was worthy of carrying the flag of their team. As they wrapped the belt around my waist I have rarely been filled with such pride. I have been decent at most sports in my life, but this was the first time I felt like I had really applied myself and achieved something tangible and significant. As I looked around the gym and received the applause and congratulations of my team-mates I knew this was something special, something beyond the humdrum predictability of materialism and social climbing. This belt symbolised a journey with myself and with other people.<br />
<br />
A journey that was not finished but was merely just beginning.<br />
<br />
<b>By Juvenile</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-34419411738879008632010-02-01T00:22:00.000+00:002010-02-01T00:22:00.449+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 9<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432926738460495650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFsVfikfgBXQeXOwKBZpDY2tqEpYl_6pd11IqhPUjFMTmTRM-j9-VGtRCpUZyEg9JTjLL5pFQSXy-RTLY-Q71ZGQ25p6r1iJRB4XlHVDd9hnk0Su58MGQbWf2r_PEJzIjoQLr6T1wUEk/s320/laymans-bjj-9.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The learning curve</span><br />
<br />
What makes a winner? My friends and I were discussing this one night in the pub after training. We concluded that you just seem to get those people that are born winners. It feels like in some way it was pre-determined by God or the stars that they would be brilliant at a given sport, and that is that. Then there are the rest of us (the majority), who fit into the average to good, but not brilliant category. We are all just trudging along looking for a spark or distinguishing moment in the long and over crowded road of sporting mediocrity. I have always been pretty decent at most sports. I was not necessarily picked first in the playground, but I was never made to do the demoralising walk of shame upon being picked last. Thankfully that is one childhood scar, among many, I do not bear.<br />
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At school I always admired those sportsmen who were consistently brilliant and always won. Those guys that fearlessly went into bat first at cricket and face the fast bowlers that played for the ‘county’ and would knock out a casual '50 not out'. They just seemed unfazed by anyone or any occasion.<br />
<br />
Then there is the world of professional sports, men and women paid to perform and expected to excel. Look at Tiger Woods, that dude is a machine. Golf is not exactly my cup of tea, but mentally and technically it's a very tough and complex sport. However, Tiger Woods continues to dominate. Even after a serious knee surgery he came back and made his contemporaries look like weekend hobbyists. Usain Bolt is another of the winning breed. It is like he just rolls out of bed and breaks records at will. Then moonwalks over the finishing line and rubs our mediocre noses in it.<br />
<br />
The apparent effortlessness of their brilliance is, however, deceiving. Whilst they are obviously born with a deep well of natural gifting, they work and train hard. Tiger Woods has hit millions of practice balls since he was a toddler and could hold a club. Usain Bolt has lifted thousands of weights and put in hours of training and strict dieting. They have taken their raw talent and honed it into brilliance. They have made themselves the best through hard work and dedication.<br />
<br />
Sociologist and author Malcom Gladwell has come up with a theory that in order to reach "genius-level" in a specific discipline, you need to put in 10,000 hours of work. Be it in sport, arts or academia. Rebecca Adlington, the 19-year-old swimmer who won two gold medals at the Beijing Games, has put in an estimated 8,840 hours of training since the age of 12. According to this theory, that would make me a genius at Streets of Rage 2 on the Sega Mega Drive between 1993 and 1995 (a golden era).<br />
<br />
What is the cost of sporting genius? 10,000 hours of your short life? I am not really after genius level; I just want to excel, win fights and medal at tournaments. I also have a job to go to, a marriage to work at, friendships to preserve and DVD box-sets to finish. Can I have my cake and eat it? In the last year I believe my jiu-jitsu has been developing steadily. I am certainly finding my feet, earning stripes, expanding my repertoire of skills and beginning to cause blue belts a few problems from time to time. I have performed decently at tournaments, but certainly not to the best of my ability. Yet I still lack that edge, unable to close that margin between good and great.<br />
<br />
I feel like the David Ginola of white belt jiu-jitsu. Other than the long flowing Pantene hair, I have some natural flair, good athleticism and dashing good looks. Similarly to David Ginola, I am inconsistent at times and never quite win any trophies. Ginola will be forever remembered for his sublime flashes of skill, but he never quite reached the heady heights of success of, say, a Roy Keane. My gym is full of Roy Keanes and Tony Adams’; enforcers who make me look like a BJJ fairy.<br />
<br />
I have always gravitated towards the more temperamental and extravagant competitors in most sports. The consistently brilliant individual sportsmen tend to come across as fairly dry individuals. Stephen Hendry, Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Jonny Wilkinson, Pete Sampras. I am sure they are all great guys, but I cannot imagine them being a bundle of laughs if you got landed beside them on a long haul flight.<br />
<br />
Does sporting success come at the price of your personality? I mean there are exceptions to every rule, Mohammad Ali looks like he would have been good craic and he was the man. Andre Agassi perhaps one of the greatest players of our generation stated in his recent auto-biography that he came to hate tennis. It was like he became a slave to his gifting. It is crazy how something you love can quickly become something you resent. Maybe I am wired to want to be good at everything I do and this can sometimes inhibit my enjoyment.<br />
<br />
I think if we are completely honest with ourselves, we gravitate towards the things we are naturally good at. Very subtly, however, the balance of enjoyment and the need for success becomes blurred. We can find ourselves doing something religiously, but no longer really enjoying it. Our worth becomes wrapped up in what we are ‘achieving’ and who we have ‘tapped’, rather than in what we have learned and the enjoyment that simply comes from engaging in the ‘art’.<br />
<br />
I recently competed in a tournament. I was really motivated to do well. I had been training for close to a year and believed I could win or, at least, place high. As the competition approached I began to heavily feel the pressure I was placing upon myself to succeed. I knew I had the skills and drive to do well but, like the next man, you begin to envisage the worst. Imagining silly mistakes or losing your first fight. There is no pressure quite like the mental pressure you place upon yourself. I think this is summed up well in the words of UFC fighter Forrest Griffin.<br />
<br />
"That fear for me is always there. It's a scary feeling. You're alone in a cage and everybody's watching and the fear really comes from knowing that I owe this to myself. I've done this much work and this is the thing I want. It's that fear that the thing you want most in your life is within your grasp and it's up to you to take it."<br />
<br />
I walked away from the tournament having won 4 fights and lost 2. I fought hard and learned a lot, but ultimately I walked away empty handed. I felt like I had not ‘taken it’. Why had I not just grabbed it and made victory mine? In the moment you cannot be objective. All you feel is disappointment and regret. The reality was my fitness was not up to par and I simply had not trained hard enough.<br />
<br />
Now, weeks later, I can see with better clarity what I have learned from that experience and acknowledge what I lacked. I spent 2 minutes trying to escape from a triangle in one of my competition losses. When I did escape, time was up and I lost the fight on points. A few nights ago I found myself in a similar position in sparring and I smashed that triangle like it had called my mother a slag.<br />
<br />
Failure is an obstacle on the road to success. There is definitely something in that 10,000 hour theory. The reality is you need to give more in order to achieve more. Natural ability, whilst necessary, can only take you so far. I can reflect and analyse all I want, but nothing can beat solid mat time. When I am training regularly and hard, I feel great and I fight with intelligence, stamina and strength.<br />
<br />
I did an internet search on David Ginola, one website described him as a ‘stylish maverick’. I’d be happy with that title, as long as I am enjoying my jiu-jitsu, always learning, training hard and bringing the best me to the mat every time I roll.<br />
<br />
<b>By Juvenile</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-6681428253367268182010-02-01T00:21:00.001+00:002010-02-01T00:21:39.004+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 8<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432925751581793970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2t-6jh_JlNqEW87BOSvf_nryjSoxyHnCUV-Dp_NX28anKUawEgh1VXsj9gIQM0mun3VGBm2WluKtzIaFeLPFfBsxom55F3FcEc3hk1EjANuXiW0Ma7jg0V8MuU98Xaz-4GkibUSYyFCI/s320/laymans-bjj-8.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The enemy camp.</span><br />
<br />
The gym I have been training at is the only BJJ gym I have ever been too. I basically walked in off the street and just started training. I had watched a lot of MMA and wanted to armbar and triangle people. I knew nothing of BJJ lineage and family specific styles. I had my first lesson at this gym and I have stayed there ever since.<br />
<br />
The only other gyms I have seen the inside of have been those featured in the many thousand YouTube tutorials. These clips are like small windows into the worlds of other gyms. They have different instructors and styles, and other men and women just like me congregating each week in their respective part of the world to engage in the intricacies of ‘the gentle way’.<br />
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So, how my club does things is basically all I know. How we train, the emphasis on different positions, how we spar and the general vibe of the gym. It's my BJJ home so to speak. I have been brought up under the tutelage of the black belts there. I have most likely inherited aspects of their mind-set, style and values. My Jiu-Jitsu probably speaks their language. I am a young adolescent (metaphorically speaking) white belt who has rarely strayed far from home and I like my home. It’s familiar, respected and tough.<br />
<br />
It was only until I really caught the Jiu-Jitsu bug and became fully immersed in its world that I began to realise a good gym is hard to find. I have heard numerous horror stories of "McDojos" that apparently teach "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" and are really just fraudulent shysters with questionable credentials trying to make a quick buck off of the back of the UFC. No camaraderie or sense of team, no respectable black belt lineage and, above all else, no love or honour towards the art of BJJ.<br />
<br />
It does not take long for BJJ and your gym to become a part of your everyday life. Training becomes both a joy and a downright necessity. You need your hit of mat time or else you start getting twitchy and unstable. My job requires that I travel a lot and so I have to be away from training quite often. This has become progressively more frustrating the longer I have been training. It upsets my rhythm and hinders my progress. So I decided that on my next trip away with work I would visit and train at another gym. I would pack my gi, leave my home and venture out into the big bad world of BJJ.<br />
<br />
My first port of call was internet research. Oh, the wealth of knowledge at my very fingertips. "Google...sweet, sweet Google!" I began researching the various different schools and gyms in the city I was going to be working in, looking at their instructors’ accolades, reading team histories and examining class schedules. <br />
<br />
It was like I was putting together a dossier on an assassination target. I was meticulous. I also had to bear in mind practical details like the cost of classes and the length of time it would take me to get there from where I would be staying. I presented these findings to my instructors. They quickly narrowed it down to one school. I should have just asked them in the first place.<br />
<br />
They also advised me not to wear my gi, as it had my team’s patches on it. They said this might be interpreted as me being 'provocative' and 'disrespectful' to the visiting club. I had visions of a Celtic fan walking into a Rangers bar in the heart of Belfast...'nuff said.<br />
<br />
So I needed a neutral gi, covert and anonymous. However, I did not have the funds to fork out for a new one. I asked around my club to see if anyone had a spare gi knocking around that I could borrow. One of my instructors disappeared into the gym’s store room (a mysterious room that no one dare enter). He came back and presented me with a peculiar looking gi jacket. It was a faded, off white with frayed edges, huge collars and short Judoka sleeves. It was as if he had gone into the store room/Tardis and travelled back in time and stolen it right off the back of Maeda himself.<br />
<br />
It was enormous. Like the school blazer your mum buys you when you first start high school so you can grow into it and she can get her money’s worth. It was like trying on medieval chain mail. I slumped under its sheer mass, burdened by the mantle of its history. It was then as if my instructor became King Arthur himself when he challenged me with the task of preserving this garment's rich legacy. "I was never choked in this gi as a white belt." Come on! All I wanted to do was borrow a gi and now I am being burdened with preserving a martial arts legacy.<br />
<br />
I felt like I was preparing for an undercover operation. I was waiting for the specifics of my mission, a list of dos and don’ts and the things to look out for before I landed in the enemies’ camp. This was sadly dispelled when my instructors told me to introduce myself to the dojo's instructors upon arrival, tell them where I was from and to send their regards. This quashed my childish fantasies of a covert Navy Seal infiltration and reconnaissance mission. Sometimes you just have to let dreams go.<br />
<br />
I decided to bring a friend from the local area with me to my first session. He was a complete beginner and I figured he would act as an acceptable human sacrifice to appease the more bloodthirsty BJJ players of this foreign land. As I approached the gym (under the dark of night) I saw a number of predatory roid monkeys striding out from the entrance and stalking the car park. Big massive men all cranked up on 'Mountain Dew' with disturbing looks in their eyes; time bombs. I could hear the twisted echoes of what I can only describe as Polish Euro happy hardcore being blasted out from a bass heavy sound system inside the building. It was the type of music that would be a fitting score for a massacre scene in a zombie movie. <br />
<br />
Thankfully this was not the destination. It was just the weights gym above the dojo.<br />
The dojo was bright, clean, spacious and well equipped. The staff were friendly and the teaching solid. I thought I'd ease myself in and so I attended a basics class first. I was nervous about sparring. Firstly because I wanted to hold it down and represent myself and my club well and secondly because I didn't know what to expect.<br />
I have heard certain clubs have different approaches to sparring. I didn't want to come across like an overzealous nob and then alienate myself for the rest of the week. Surprisingly, there was no sparring at the end of the session. I was pretty disappointed. I was really up for it and for me it does not feel like a proper workout unless you get a good scrap. It was a bit anti-climatic.<br />
<br />
The next day I was working in a local high school (I do workshops in schools). During one of my breaks I was showing one of my colleagues the mechanics of a judo throw I had been working on. Unknowingly I was being watched from a distance by a suspicious looking dinner lady, smoking a fag outside the canteen. I caught her eye and she shouted over “You’ll bollocks your leg if you do it like that”.<br />
<br />
I’m sorry, but has Karo Parisyan quit MMA and assumed the identity of a middle-aged dinner lady?<br />
<br />
It turns out her partner is an MMA fighter and she has a mild, slightly disturbing obsession with Michael Bisping. So we talked up a storm and she tells me a teacher at the school trains in BJJ. It turns out it was the teacher who had been hosting me all week and the gym I had trained at the night before was his gym.<br />
<br />
So I went back with him for the remaining sessions of the week and I had found a sparring partner. I attended some advanced classes, experienced a few different instructors and picked up some sweet techniques. I also managed to get some sparring in with the other guys there. Let’s just say I kept the gi's mythical legend intact.<br />
<br />
If you are planning on visiting another club, you must find this gi and harness its magic.<br />
<br />
<b>By Juvenile</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-24851389205095308662010-02-01T00:21:00.000+00:002010-02-01T00:21:19.263+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 7<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432925045230135522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1oihHHCOfPu4wGgcbtYsBT2wscCihfKIUIbArnhkjhIfyWa1kb-DnbRyAPgtN4-IOhyphenhyphenxx2ZGH8nN8OxI9oZisTaS13hiScltLzp6T-E9cZc_4wriRFWk3DDN26cK8orNSP-WcPQW_Fo/s320/laymans-bjj-7.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Wasteman</span><br />
<br />
I entered the gym with the skip of victory in my step. I was still high from a victorious game of 5-a-side football earlier that day. I was ready to execute the same cut throat finishing from guard as I had in front of goal. I had only been back a week and a half since my prolonged summer absence and had eased myself back into training with a couple of tentative daytime sessions.<br />
<br />
I felt ready for an intense Monday night of training, a good warm-up, techniques and tough sparring. However, by the end of the warm-up I was beginning to think I may have bitten off a little more than I could chew. My 5-a-side victory was fast becoming a nostalgic distant memory and the often cruel reality of BJJ cardio was rushing into the present to crush my will and put my suspect conditioning into perspective. It was going to be a long, long night.<br />
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I survived the warm-up and techniques but in the back of mind I knew that sparring was where I'd get my comeuppance.<br />
<br />
My first roll was with a big brute of a man. He was a fairly new beginner, however, that is not always the sign you are going to get an easy roll. Beginner enthusiasm can be very exhausting, all 15 stone of it. I was throwing up unsuccessful arm bar attempts all over the place. My fatigue was quickly translating into my technique. He was as strong as an ox and just laid on me like a fat sheikh on a cheap rug.<br />
<br />
I tried to relax and wait for my moment. I needed to get all Royler Gracie on him. Trust in the maxim that 'good technique reigns supreme'. My opportunity came and I swept the Sasquatch cleanly to mount. Running with the momentum of the sweep, I went straight for a collar baseball choke and cranked it on with all my might... he tapped. I was ready to drive the flag of Northern Ireland into his gi to commemorate that I had reached the summit of this man-mountain and conquered it.<br />
<br />
My next opponent was a young guy who I have developed an unspoken, yet healthy, competitive rivalry with. He has good jiu-jitsu and is more in my weight range. It was like going from sparring 'The Thing' to Spiderman. We had a great scramble. I must have mounted him and had side control twice, but I was lacking the killer instinct and this guy has got escapes. He managed to get my back and lock on a collar choke. I held on and then conceded defeat and tapped.<br />
<br />
What was wrong with me? It was not that I had got tapped, that happens, my ego can handle that and this guy has got skills. I think what was nagging at me is that I was lacking 'gameness' or ‘desire’. My fitness was not great, but I was letting it break me down mentally. It is rare I get the feeling 'I don't want to be here anymore' during training. Perhaps this is one of those rites of passage plateaus in a fighter’s journey? Or maybe I just need to man up and stop being such a poetic Nancy boy?<br />
<br />
So by this point I was truly exhausted. It’s that decrepit feeling of weakness, where in that moment it seems feasible that your sister might be able to hold you down. The type of exhaustion that makes you dread who you are going to be drawn to spar with next.<br />
<br />
When the instructor picked my partner, I’ll admit, a small part of me died inside. Not because he was huge or anything, but because he was a solid blue belt that is a relentless competitor. Normally the kind of challenge I rise to. However, in this instance I was broke before we even started and I knew he would have no mercy.<br />
<br />
He molested me for eight minutes… the longest and most gruelling eight minutess of my short BJJ life. It was the type of roll that has you waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night with your wife telling you ‘It was just a bad dream’. He was on fire and I just capitulated. I spent the whole time practising escapes and being held down like an ADHD kid whose dad has decided "it's time for a nap".<br />
<br />
When time was up, I apologised profusely to my opponent for being such a 'wasteman' and thanked him for handing me my ass. I then left the mats (where I left my dignity) and slumped on a punch bag come bench at the side.<br />
<br />
One of my fellow white belt brethren asked me if I was alright. I must have looked like a kid who'd asked Santa for a Super Nintendo for Christmas and instead got a Commodore 64....gutted. I felt like a quitter. I know it's just jiu-jitsu but try telling someone who loves jiu-jitsu that it's "just jiu-jitsu". It is not going to run. I have lofty competition ambitions and plans for future gold medals. This felt like a real stumbling block. I also knew when I got home my wife would routinely ask me how training went and I'd have to tell her the truth; thus leaving her to quietly question if I was the right choice of "seed" to grant her a son of potency and pancratic brawn.<br />
<br />
I know I should draw upon the wisdom of budo spirituality and see this as a battle with myself (my real opponent), as just another twist on the road towards a more complete and attune me. I get that, but I think the only thing that is going help me right now is getting back to the gym and smashing some unassuming opponent....oh how my ego thirsts.<br />
<br />
The samurais of a bygone era would be appalled. I am an animal, a wounded animal and it's going to get all Quentin Tararntino next time I spar.<br />
<br />
<b>By Juvenile</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-22376204566096780082010-02-01T00:20:00.001+00:002010-02-01T00:20:59.107+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 6<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432924409242316610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBU65_qtVBWNJGqcrQawZyduRcn2Y9nHOWtJSmUsewF5ePBBT0R5AlYLkqyIQLQzIw0AAhyphenhyphenypZz2d0VbZhy78l5ks5BImEEVWRbidxXV_URDu-BWLb-bfjwZTN44JMixxjw1uR9wpoSbk/s320/laymans-bjj-6.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Withdrawal symptoms</span><br />
<br />
It is no coincidence that a two month absence of my Layman's Journey has coincided with a roughly two month enforced break from training. My job (in music) requires that I travel and in the summer months it is generally for extended periods.<br />
I will be honest; it has been a tough two months. Surfing the web in shady internet cafes looking for uploads of missed UFC cards that have slipped through the nets of the copyright police. Waiting for twenty minutes while Marcelo Garcia tutorials are "buffering" on my Blackberry, then being on the receiving end of strange looks as I mime out grips for a particular sweep whilst sipping on a latte in Starbucks. To the passer-by I'm just another 'crazy' playing his own personal game of charades.<br />
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I'm like that guy who always wants to talk endlessly about his new girlfriend. Particularly when it's a long distance relationship... talking is all he has. Always checking his e-mail; looking for any way to insert her into the conversation, wondering what's happening while he is away. Will things have changed when he gets back? It's all a bit borderline obsessive.<br />
<br />
I mean, I don't know how I did it but I managed to fit BJJ into a conversation about politics the other day. It was an incredibly tenuous analogy on how, with the right system in place, the weak can overcome the strong... True, but desperate. It has just been so long since I have been to training, surrounded by guys that share the same love.<br />
<br />
It doesn't help either that my work colleagues have no interest in meeting this new woman in my life. I have trouble getting them to talk about it, never mind the possibility of having a roll.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I think they fear me. When we used to go on the road rough housing was commonplace. Now that they know I am training BJJ they have become reluctant to engage in any kind of physical rumpus.<br />
<br />
They have a great ole time asking how my "gay-jitsu" is coming along, as well as the hilarious quips about "rolling around on the ground with other men". Truly a funny, funny set of guys. However, when it comes down to it they know I'm a flying arm-bar waiting to happen.<br />
<br />
I was hanging out in an artist's green room at a music festival; there were other people there too. It was a fairly relaxed environment: tea, coffee, biscuits, whispered chat. One of my friends, a cocky young reprobate, starts joking around with me, saying how he could take me out.<br />
<br />
So, I baited him into headlocking me; I wanted to try out a guillotine escape I had mentally drilled in Costa Coffee earlier that day. So after a bit of a tussle, I manage to successfully escape his headlock. I then, like a knee-jerk reaction, pull an aggressive guard... what ?!? I take him to the floor, sweep him and pass to mount.<br />
All of a sudden I sense a deathly silence in the room. I look up beaming with the pride of a seasoned white belt and everyone in the room is staring at me... mounted on my buddy. People with open mouths, coffee cups paused in mid-air halfway to mouths, a single muffled cough, the sound of a distant train. I sheepishly apologise, dismount my friend and exit the room.<br />
<br />
I have a problem. I need to get back to the mats.<br />
<br />
<b>By Juvenile</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-19325135850528982572010-02-01T00:20:00.000+00:002010-02-01T00:20:31.837+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 5<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432923321580190898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoyY5VwWYSZpCVaL02B4jhCLU6xiV9sn_Y7yVL3V-wF__E_W_20uPL2hDfV_4XwOOoFVD7Qap5zlioksi5gTEZ4XafmvQriYyvGaHaoB8YGqXBgxxkOjC2C4uP80DXnxKFse0KnZH7RU/s320/laymans-bjj-5.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">The gentle way...?</span><br />
<br />
Anthropologists have suggested that early man, over time, has had to overcome their physical disadvantages to beast. He is weaker, smaller, slower and without the natural weaponry like fangs and claws.<br />
<br />
For most of history man was the prey and animal the predator. However, over centuries man has used his superior intelligence and ingenuity to become the ultimate predator on earth. It seems that despite this, however, deep down, fear is still hardwired into us. The fear that we are prey and not predators, that we are weak and not strong.<br />
<br />
All the ‘rites of passage’ we conjure up for teenage boys so that they can become ‘men’, are to enable them to overcome this fear. It is basically saying 'you are no longer the protected or the prey; you are the protector and the predator'. My friend recently gave his son a knife for his 18th birthday. I don’t think he gave it to him with the intention that his son would begin wielding it on the mean streets of London, but on some level it was symbolic of him saying to his son; you are ready to fight, to be a protector, to go out on your own.<br />
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Fighting is such a dramatic event, full of the unexpected, where you learn a lot about yourself very quickly. This is what makes it so compelling. When you fight you put everything on the line, you expose yourself and leave yourself open to failure and criticism. It’s easier to remain cynical, ironic and detached. However, there is nothing quite like the adrenaline rush of throwing yourself into the ring, of the sensation “kill or be killed”. It’s what our distant ancestors must have felt as they stood before a lion with just a spear and a net... you got to dig deep.<br />
<br />
I found myself in a kill or be killed (ok, that's a little dramatic) situation in my second competition. I was in the second round, even more nervous than I had been in my first competition. I think one of my coaches nailed it on the head when he said you feel more nervous in your second competition than in your first because you start placing expectations upon yourself.<br />
<br />
Well, we took grips and began fighting for the takedown. I am beginning to learn that you can quickly tell how good an opponent is going to be simply by the feel of their grips. This guy’s grips were strong and assertive. I decided to pull guard as I have begun feeling comfortable and more confident with my guard game...if it is in fact even a 'game' yet. He foiled my numerous sweep attempts and managed to stand up with me still wrapped around his waist.<br />
<br />
I always find this a peculiar and visually comical position to be in. You find yourself suspended in mid air clinging to a grown man for dear life, pondering your options. Do I quickly drop down to my feet and try a sneaky takedown? Do I hold on and hope he tires and takes me back down to the mat? Or, do I fall to the mat and instigate my very average beginner’s open/spider guard? Oh... the options are endless.<br />
<br />
I sense this guy is good, if I risk letting him pass my guard it is likely I will be chasing the victory for the rest of the fight. I have to kill or be killed. Is there a way I can submit him from the position I now affectionately refer to as "air guard"? Then I instinctively react like Jason Bourne, like I had been trained for this moment my whole life. I grab his right sleeve and throw my left leg over his head in one swift airborne movement. I lock in the armbar from “air-guard”, lean back and await the tap.<br />
<br />
The guy is not tapping. The arm is 180 degrees, it's horizontal. I am applying pressure and he is not tapping. I apply a bit more pressure and listen out for sounds of pain from my opponent to indicate that my armbar is legitimate. He still doesn't tap. Then out of the concentrated silence I hear a sickening "CRUNCH!” I had done something very bad to this guys arm. He then screams "TAP! TAP! TAP!" and I instantly let go of his arm.<br />
<br />
The guy is laying on the ground writhing in agony, tears coming down his face. I didn't know how to react. I certainly did not celebrate. I mean I was happy to have won, but I derived no pleasure from seeing this guy in such pain. It was actually quite awkward.<br />
<br />
Do I see if he is ok? Do I leave the mat?<br />
<br />
Seriously hurting another grown man is unchartered territory for me. I looked to my coaches for some guidance as to how to most respectfully respond. They told me to kneel on the mat and wait. My opponent was helped off the mat and led to the paramedics, I was declared the winner.<br />
<br />
My fellow team members congratulated me and told me I was a deadly weapon, a monster, which under any other circumstances would have made me feel like the man. However, I kind of felt like a villain. I mean, I had proper mashed this guys arm up, he was a wreck. My coach told me that this was the reality of combat sports. This is not tennis, this is fighting and, even with sporting rules in place, there are always risks and casualties.<br />
<br />
I think the vital thing here though was the guy would not tap. If you have even the smallest experience in BJJ you know that once your arm is fully extended in an armbar, it is pretty much over (unless you are the Ultimate Warrior...then it’s never over). It was basically my opponents own pride that injured him. In no way did I crank it on fast; I just put steady pressure on it, alerting him it was on.<br />
I went up to him afterwards when the dust had settled to see how he was. His arm was tied up in a makeshift sling using his belt, and he was still in some serious discomfort. He absolved me of any blame and told me he should have tapped. He was quite a young guy and obviously hungry to do well, but he had learned the hard way.<br />
I remember when I tapped too late to an armbar slapped on me by a ferocious blue belt in sparring, it hurt for days. I dreaded to think how this guy was going to feel over the forthcoming weeks. The reality is you enter into an unspoken contract with your opponent, and agree that you will fight each other under the agreed terms of that contract. This is what keeps you both safe.<br />
<br />
The “tap” is one of the key terms in that contract. The “tap” not only says “my arm is about to break... please stop”, it more profoundly says “I have been outsmarted; outfought and now I honourably withdraw”. It not only humbles and educates you; it allows you to withdraw with dignity and live to fight another day (and to go to work the next morning). If you break the terms of the contract in a combat sport, you are going to find yourself in serious trouble.<br />
<br />
“Tap or snap” is the very tasteful phrase I have heard banded around, particularly after the fight between Razak Al-Hussan and Steve CantwelI at UFC Fight Night 16. If you did not see the fight, Cantwell basically bent Al-Hussan’s arm in a very obscene and unnatural direction. The referee had to stop the match because Al-Hussan had not tapped and his arm was basically hanging off. Cantwell then proceeded to celebrate by shouting down the T.V camera “I always wanted to do that”.<br />
<br />
I remember thinking 'what an absolute moron... both of them'. What a great job they were both doing in throwing the sport of MMA back into the dark ages.<br />
<br />
To be fair in the heat of the moment and with adrenaline pumping, we can all say and do stupid things and I think Cantwell later apologised for his comments. And in Al-Hussan’s case an honest desire to win had driven him to ridiculous lengths, lengths that were detrimental to his health and maybe even to his career. It could be argued that Cantwell’s bloodthirst and Al-Hussans refusal to quit is what makes them real warriors. I would argue in this case it made them foolish and short-sighted.<br />
You are not going to push your sport to the highest professional level by alienating the people that are already suspicious of it by making public meathead comments and you are not going to put food on your family’s table with a limp arm. This is probably now my love of Jiu-Jitsu speaking, but I much prefer the approach Demian Maia takes. He has publicly stated that he would like to win as many of his fights in MMA as possible, without seriously hurting any of his opponents. I think these are the words of a true and masterful warrior and they optimize the art of “the gentle way”.<br />
<br />
Word spread of my “incident”. My wife began enthusiastically telling all our friends "how I broke some guy's arm". "I didn't break it, I dislocated it"... It didn't matter. This only served to ruin my 'nice guy' image and deepen my unconverted brethren's suspicion of my new found passion and lessen the chances of me convincing any of them to watch a UFC card with me.<br />
<br />
When I returned to the gym after the competition I had unknowingly earned myself a new nickname. I think nicknames are great. There is one kid in my gym with loads of talent his nickname is "Rolls Gracie"... after the great prodigy himself. I mean that's cool. As for me, I walk into the changing room and someone shouts "How's it going arm-breaker!”<br />
<br />
<b>By Juvenile</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-88866243680073196552010-02-01T00:19:00.001+00:002010-02-01T00:19:43.244+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 4<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432922235741860738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdZw8IshjcQmxFyfpohI6ZxgM268gmHKHsPZYJth_QNYL80lgui3rkYIR9hZpoxLD2VMlqTL_XbcfY08wqj2VxXXE6GpDgCnzHXU0mW_Mgb0A54XrwOXdDtEivLPTA2E32aTJOf-b42j0/s320/laymans-bjj-4.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">In the ring, the truth will out.</span><br />
<br />
It's 6am on a Tuesday morning and I am jogging. I hate jogging; it bores the crap out of me. However, what I hate more than jogging is losing a jiu-jitsu fight because I have run out of breath. That feeling of knowing what to do, but not having the energy to do it is infuriating. It’s a terrible reason to lose; it is like you have completely betrayed yourself.<br />
<br />
I have my first tournament in five days. This is why I am running, I will not betray myself. The fear of failure will drive a man to great lengths.<br />
<br />
As I run I think about my last sparring session. I think about game plans and I hum the Rocky theme tune under my breath. It sometimes helps me to get through a jog by pretending I am acting in the movie of my own life and this is the sports montage. The bit where they show the lead character (in this case me) training for his climatic moment and managing to fit five years of technique and training into a two minute clip set to motivational music. By the end of it he is ready; there is no more that can be passed onto him. Maybe this is just the actor in me coming out, but whatever it takes to get those miles done and get back to that hot shower.<br />
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I guess I am taking this quite seriously. I have been drinking green tea obsessively. There is no chance my body has any oxidants left in it, no chance whatsoever. I have taken on my wife’s vegetarian diet; I have made my peace with God… I am ready.<br />
On the morning of the competition I wake up with my stomach flipping. This is nothing new; it's been flipping all week. I ceremonially packed my kit bag the night before as the panic of not being able to find my white belt or gum shield in a state of morning delirium would be too much for my fragile nerves to handle.<br />
<br />
My cup of tea went down a treat, but toast, cereal or anything in the ‘solids’ was a chore. I also had the first of many visits to come that day to the porcelain throne. I kissed my sleeping wife goodbye, as she muttered a sleepy good luck and a command to text her after the first fight.<br />
<br />
As I rode the early morning tube to meet the rest of the team outside the club I began to mull over my expectations for the day. I concluded as it was my first comp, I just did not want to lose my first fight. I wanted at least one win.<br />
Firstly, because going for ‘the experience ‘is just not enough for me. I know if I lose my first fight it will haunt me for the next couple of weeks as I replay it over and over in my minds eye during a particularly dry period at work. I do not need that kind of mental aggravation.<br />
<br />
Secondly, it cost me £25.00 to enter this competition and I want to get my money’s worth. I didn’t pay that kind of money to travel all the way to a comp, roll with some dude for 5mins and get beaten on points. Instead I had loftier vision’s of Daniel Day-Lewis’ character in the movie “The Last of The Mohicans”, where he pinned the scalps of his victims to his native dress as trophies of war. I wanted at least one scalp to pin to my gi (and to text home to tell my wife about).<br />
<br />
When we arrived at the leisure centre I immediately got changed as the white belt categories are the first of the day and I would be weighing in soon. I didn’t have to worry too much about my weight in the lead up to the competition or at the weigh-in itself. I have the metabolism of a 10 year-old, my weight rarely fluctuates. Apparently that all changes at thirty, I guess I’ll have to wait and see.<br />
It felt good to get changed; it gave me something to do. I did not like the thought of waiting around and becoming a slave to my over active imagination. I did a bit of light sparring with some of the guys to warm-up and ease my nerves. I would do my suicidal 50-sprawl pre-fight gas-out later.<br />
<br />
The toilets at a competition quickly turn into an open sewer as hordes of grown men of various shapes and sizes go to have their alone time and exorcise their pre-fight "nerves dump", sometimes in the vain attempt to make weight. I decided to find a different toilet altogether as my gag reflex could not handle the stench hanging in the air from this communal dumping ground. I found one tucked away at the other side of the leisure centre, it was duck fresh. I took a cubicle and tried to gather my thoughts. I dreamt up a few game plans and told myself "I will not lose my first fight".<br />
<br />
The moment arrives; I hear my name and the name of my opponent announced over the P.A. I had been hovering around the scheduling table like a gnat for the last forty minutes, trying to find out when I was up. Well here it is. The anticipated moment had arrived.<br />
<br />
I eyed up my opponent as we approached the mat, he had that "I am gonna get my ass kicked" look on his face. I’d seen it a number of times in sparring in the faces of newer white belts at my club and it strangely filled me with confidence. However, I suddenly become all too aware that I was most likely sending out the exact same vibe. So I attempted to cast a menacing look across my face. This probably looked more like I was trying to work out a particularly difficult algebra equation in my head, than the twisted masochistic look I was going for.<br />
<br />
The mental part of fighting is such a fascinating thing. Sun Tzu, who wrote The Art of War’ one of the oldest and most successful books on military strategy in the world said the following “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”. I think this quote is dealing both with a fighter’s pre-fight mind-set and their practical preparation. Often we get the practical preparation part nailed, we train hard and regularly, we know our stuff. However, when it comes to self-confidence and the mental side of fighting, we struggle. I definitely think you can defeat yourself even before you get onto the mat. I know I have done this a number of times in the past in various sports.<br />
I really admire supremely confident competitors. Chris Moriarty, a black belt under Jacare, is well known for his laid back persona in competitions. Often he jokes with the referee and smiles at his opponents before his fights. I think maybe it’s all just a question of how good an actor you are.<br />
<br />
I guess all this is what entering competitions is all about. Getting a real sense of where you are at. "In the ring the truth will out". When you stand across the mat from an unknown opponent, someone you've never seen before, someone you have never sparred against. You have to confront your self-doubt, control your nerves and adrenalin and recollect what you have been drilling and learning over the past months all at once. It feels like pretty high stakes putting your credibility on the line. Pride is definitely the most valuable currency. It is a bittersweet feeling.<br />
So here I am facing my first ever competitive opponent. I actually feel like I have no strength, like I could not grip a tea spoon never mind an opponent’s gi. The fight begins and all my pre-fight philosophies and self-analysing goes out the window. My fighter instinct kicks in, my adrenalin becomes my friend and I just want to smash this guy....in the nicest possible way of course.<br />
<br />
There is no real take down, just an awkward fall of sorts. Neither of us scores. He manages to pull me into his guard, his legs slam shut, but I don't mind, it gives me something to focus all my energy on. I set to work and eventually pass to his half guard and score some points. I am completely unaware of this at the time. I am just thinking pass him and tap him. He regains full guard, but I pass to his half guard again. I then pass to side control, I just keep working, never letting up. I think I have secured side control, but he shrimps, slips a leg in and gets half guard again... Frig, usually I lock down side control. I pass him again to side control, what next?<br />
<br />
I am eager to finish him. My mind becomes void of submission attempts, so I lock down his gi and try to plan my next attack. My coach shouts "30 seconds, you are way ahead on points"... I am? … I hear my opponents coach shouting “don’t worry; he's got nothing from here"... It grates me; I want the tap even more now.<br />
<br />
Then suddenly in a flash it's over. I have won. I then realise my multiple guard passes were racking up the points. That wasn't my game plan, but I had stayed active, been the aggressor and won...and it felt good. As I walked away from the fight, I realised I was shaking. My adrenalin was going through the roof. I didn't look like a winner; I looked like a crack addict in the throws of cold turkey. I have now come to realise that this is my "thing". After every competitive fight I get the post-fight adrenalin shakes. Which I try to fight off like Jack Bauer trying to convince everyone he is “fine”, after he has been exposed to some radioactive canister.<br />
My second fight was against a stocky, bearded, eastern European dude, with a scar on his lip…no joke… He fitted every bad guy, hired muscle stereotype you can think up.<br />
It is surprising what a win will do for your confidence. I was hungry for him, it was me verses the henchman. Justice must get served.<br />
<br />
He gripped me up and I felt like a helpless disobedient child being grabbed by the scruff of the neck by their parent for "wandering away". He took me down; I pulled him into my guard. I set straight to work, fighting for grips, going for his collars, shifting my hips and varying my attacks. Then I saw the opportunity. He tried to break my guard by reaching back with his hand to break my feet apart. I threw my hips up and locked in a triangle. I wrapped it up fast, and squeezed my legs like I was giving birth. He held on, for what felt like an eternity, but eventually tapped just as I was about to blow a hernia. This was what I really wanted, a definitive submission victory.<br />
<br />
My opponent and I ended up chatting in broken English afterwards. He was actually a very friendly guy; nothing like the pre-fight stereotypical judgements I had lumbered him with... certainly not a drug lord from the eastern European underworld. I proceeded to the semi-final which I eventually lost on points. It was a scrappy low point scoring fight, but the better and more experienced guy won. I was disappointed, but happy at how far I had got in my first competition. Hopefully I will get another crack at him down the line.<br />
<br />
On the drive home, I had that feeling of contented exhaustion. I was pleased with my showing, my defeat nagged at me a bit, but I knew there would be other completions. I was going home a proud warrior with two scalps pinned to my gi.<br />
<br />
<b>By K.G McGlade</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-73865047114064616402010-02-01T00:19:00.000+00:002010-02-01T00:19:20.157+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 3<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432921325625916530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB4ts8GopgaioN41fuCx0OmLPjnXYAglAo5NeU7GmT5ZJkIL44rJRaMzLVa7Zupz7-TPHkIOFzT_X60Sj6x7ShcW1fHvnDq2LZZPiVnLgYDOeSaRQsX4PsVqavEk8edpftQ7uVziYASaA/s320/laymans-bjj-3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Submitting My Ego</span><br />
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It’s Tuesday afternoon and I have the day off work, so I am heading to the gym to train at the new daytime class. There is something about training during the day; it makes you feel more committed and hardcore. Like in some way you are living the life of a professional athlete and all the guys that go to the evening classes are a pack of part-timers. It’s a fleeting thought that is soon sobered up by my part-timer cardio and the familiar faces of my fellow white belts upon arrival. We go through the now accustomed structure of the class, warming up, techniques, drilling and then sparring.<br />
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Sparring, for many, is the most enjoyable part of the class and that’s basically because you get to fight, and let’s be honest that’s what we are all here to do. However, the beauty of sparring is not mindlessly smashing whoever is in front of you, as appealing as that might sound. The exciting and enriching thing about sparring is that it is like learning to speak lots of different languages. In each opponent you face, you encounter Jiu-Jitsu spoken with a different accent, with its own phrasing and subtle nuances. Some languages are flowing, expressive and colourful. Others are stern, rigid and staccato.<br />
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When rolling with an opponent you can do one of two things: You can learn another person’s language, interpret it and then use that knowledge to attempt to submit them. Or you can force your opponent to speak your dialect and overwhelm them with your large vocabulary; basically you give them a thorough beat down. To be honest both styles are useful and there is a time and a place for both approaches on the mat.<br />
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In this particular session of sparring I found myself faced with the black belt instructor. We began rolling and I sensed he was giving me an opportunity to express myself, to speak my language. He was beginning to see how vast my vocabulary was and recognise the technicality of my grammar. At one point I think I might be ‘making’ him speak my language. Then out of nowhere he launches a diatribe of what I can only describe as Third Reich German. He stacks my guard, rams his forearm into my throat and presses down with the force of twenty men. I tap, thankful again for life’s little gifts, like breathing. He then hands me ‘A beginner’s guide to speaking Jiu-Jitsu’ phrasebook and sends me on my way.<br />
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But school is not out, my next opponent is a guy whose nickname is ‘The Animal’....Come on! This dude is short and stocky and is known to train like a pro-athlete in his spare time (he is always eating energy foods). It was like being handed from Hitler to Stalin. I have two options, I can play it safe, be conservative and survive or I can go at him like a spider monkey. With the spirit of that particular primate on my side, I decide to go for it.<br />
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This guy is tough with a ridiculously strong base, but I utilise my athleticism and agility and keep moving my hips. I manage to pull him from my half-guard back into my full guard. To be honest from there it’s all just a blur of scrambles and reactive movements. Some how I found myself on his back with the Black belt who is now watching screaming “GET YOUR HOOKS IN, GET YOUR HOOKS”….oh yea, hooks….wow, I’m getting my hooks in!….I am on the animals back, with my hooks in!… I came within a hair’s breadth of getting a collar choke, but he rode it out and eventually submitted me.<br />
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Afterwards I was exhausted, I had given that fight everything I’d got. It was one of the most intense rolls I had had to date and I’d done ok. To my surprise at the end of the class the black belt awarded me with the first stripe for my white belt. He said I had displayed good technique and the ability to apply it in a fight. I felt like the don. I was no longer at the bottom of the heap. I had progressed and it felt good.<br />
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The next week at training before the class started we were lining up as is customary in front of the instructor in belt order. I was told to move up the line ahead of my non-stripped white belt contemporaries. The instructor then told the other white belts that they should be trying to smash me, so that was nice. Later in sparring, I was killing it, really pulling off some sweet submissions. I then noticed there was a new guy there, a visitor…an intruder. He was a white belt too, but he obviously had some previous experience. I felt the need to defend the legitimacy of my stripe and honour the name of my gym.<br />
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When we eventually met face to face, I was ready for him. Sparring began and I gave up my back quickly and cheaply and we stayed in a fight for grips for 5mins. The clock beeped and I was royally peeved off. How could this happen? I was angry and disappointed with myself. I thought “we must fight again! … I must avenge the shame I have brought upon my dojo!” I regrettably went over to the instructor, fuelled by my damaged and blind ego, and asked if I could roll again with this intruder. He declined and said only if the guy came back the next week. I honestly sounded like a 13 year old boy who had just been beaten in table tennis at youth club and wanted an on the spot re-match.<br />
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Granted I am only in the very early stages of my fledgling Jiu-jitsu career, but I am finding out very quickly that jiu-jitsu is all about highs and lows. Sometimes I leave the gym elated and enthused, pleased with my game and its growth. Other times I leave the gym dejected left to mull over and replay my mistakes in the quiet of my own thoughts on the tube ride home. "How did he catch me with that?" or "I am so much better than that dude". These are just some of the thoughts swirling around my head after a particularly challenging session.<br />
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I think I have come to realise that my ego is pretty sensitive and susceptible to feeling sorry for it’s self. To be honest, I do not think it has suffered such a severe bashing in recent years. I think as adults we tend to protect our egos from challenge and the risk of damage. I think the modern man (generally speaking) is kind of like Clint Eastwood's character in the movie Gran Torino. He has this sweet vintage sports car and all he does is wash and polish it. He never takes it out for a drive. He is not willing to risk it getting damaged in order to experience and enjoy its speed and power. Maybe he has even become intimidated by it, not sure whether he can now handle its raw horse power.<br />
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I think my ego has been hidden away in the garage for too long. I have been polishing it, proud of it, but I have not really been testing it. Now that it's out and being driven it's getting dented all over the place. Big monster trucks in sweaty white gi's keeping bashing into the side of it making the engine sputter to a halt.<br />
I have been exposed; the fighter I am in my head is not the fighter that goes out onto the mat. I am faced with two options: I can go back to the safety of vicariously living through “beat'em up” video games and after watching world class fighters on YouTube get defeated vacuously declare "They had no heart" or "They should have kept it standing". Or I can face up to my shortcomings and mistakes, allow them to educate me, train hard and become a badass. It’s a bit like the guitar hero phenomenon. You can stay in your room and play a game that is vaguely musical or you can go buy a real guitar, learn it, start a band and get some gigs.<br />
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Spectating and mimicry are fine, but they are not for me.... I want the real thing.<br />
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<b>By K.G McGlade</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-28837808524003734962010-02-01T00:08:00.001+00:002010-02-01T00:08:44.571+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Part 2<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432920193638529106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi778HudSjR9jl64BZWw8OzMbt64J0MXZfpYIieTqNAjNTELOELf40Qctx4MpKnr09OzuZyHCVrHukJaIX3b_pYd1ezh2Av2aMAcqJlS_dgTfrp_aohOJ1SwJanff23RA-3C7EWDMScPUw/s320/laymans-bjj-2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 186px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 246px;" /><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Obsessive Compulsive</span><br />
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I think men have a natural propensity to get obsessed with their interests.<br />
There are no half measures when it comes to getting quizzed up and equipped for your chosen activity. I can be fairly frugal when I need to be, but when it comes to sports gear I want the best and will fork out whatever it takes. I mean, there was no chance you would have caught me wearing Gola’s back in the nineties before they became ironically cool.<br />
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After just a few BJJ lessons I was thoroughly hooked. I needed equipping and bought my own gi straight away. This was essential. I could no longer roll around in a pool of another mans sweat. Also it feels quite ceremonial to have your very own garments of war. Every time I take out my gi I feel like Tom Cruise in the Last Samurai preparing for a final showdown with my life long adversary, possibly never to return to my people. Soon a rash guard, mouth guard and shorts followed, and then anything else I could convince myself I needed.<br />
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The real obsession for me though is not buying stuff, but knowing stuff. I would find myself fastidiously researching the history of BJJ and buying books on Amazon that paid homage to the pioneers of my new found art. I have lost hours of my life on Wikipedia and Google that I can never get back, watching fights from yesteryear and eating up copious amounts of random information.<br />
Surprisingly I do lead a normal life and like the everyday man have to work for a living.<br />
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I can currently only train 2 or 3 times max a week, but it’s never enough, my white belt is still embarrassingly Daz white. So what I lack in actual mat time and reps I attempt to make up for in developing my Greg Jackson-esq cerebral game plan. This manifests itself in sneaking onto youtube during work hours to watch instructional videos on how to escape side control; which I have been spending a remarkable amount of time trapped in recently.<br />
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I also find myself lying in bed at night (in the dark) mapping out mental set-ups for submissions and then unconsciously acting them out against an imaginary opponent, my wife laying next to me thinking I’m having a terrible nightmare about putting the Blair-witch in an arm bar.<br />
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To be honest she is the one suffering from my obsession the most.<br />
One night I could not resist turning the ‘hug-part’ of our ritual good night ‘kiss and hug’ into an Ezekiel choke (this is where you use the sleeve of you gi to choke your opponent, in this instance my dressing gown). My wife was extremely irritated at me for allowing my thoughts while hugging her to stray from love and affection to ‘how can I effectively apply this bad boy submission?’ I passionately defended my actions by exclaiming she never tapped. I think I was missing the point. It just becomes so all consuming.<br />
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You walk around everyday life with this hidden secret and find yourself on the tube journey to work eyeing up fellow passengers planning how you would take each one of them out if they switched on you.<br />
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When you do get the rare opportunity to share your neck cranking pastime with people it is met with either intrigue and suspicion or the office funny guy doing the Karate Kid crane move....’Really?’. It’s more than often the mere mention of that golden three letter acronym ‘UFC’ that unlocks peoples understanding or, on the other hand, their utter disapproval. Consequently you then spend the next ten minutes appeasing people’s curiosity or defending your participation in a martial art that associates itself with such ‘brutality’.<br />
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I guess in some senses this has led me to view the doorway of my gym like a portal from the world of the banal and politically correct to a world of excitement, rawness and unpredictability. It’s a world where you are given a licence to be aggressive, to unleash your competitive edge, to test your strength and guile without the fear of ‘hurting someone’s feelings’.<br />
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One minute you are swiping your oyster card and avoiding eye contact with all humanity, the next minute you are going toe to toe, eye to eye, with some dude that wants to choke you out. Seriously, Wednesday nights have never been so exhilarating.<br />
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<b>By K.G McGlade</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6885329030392994026.post-83094896777724701102010-02-01T00:02:00.007+00:002010-02-01T00:07:34.042+00:00A layman's journey into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:Part 1<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432918948412090546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi58B8nNQqtmyXcN9YwzzEGeWZpYEJjy9NpVC-paFYf5xUtM0eaiRub7isGs1H0uGYmntTvYJP_HWEMfVmWRG0pfevbpEhCNVKRfeSvFa-LjNoHzmoZMY_cAwnVBKmf4RhQPT_mUBkJ6M/s320/laymans-bjj-1.jpg" style="float: left; height: 186px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 246px;" /><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">In the beginning...</span><br />
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It’s a rainy Monday night and I am making my way across London to attend my first BJJ class. I am feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time and now I’m about to do it. I really don’t know quite what to expect. My knowledge of the art is limited to the MMA musings of Joe Rogan and the arm-bar I enthusiastically, yet regrettably attempted to put on my wife. However, I found when watching MMA fights I was naturally drawn to matches that ended up on the mat. The chess-like exchanges of limbs hypnotised me. So when searching for a class on the Internet I decided, with great wisdom and profound insight, to go for the one that was closest.<br />
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The gym was tucked away inconspicuously in a residential area of the city. I hesitantly pushed open the door, feeling bizarrely like a trespasser. The stairway up to the gym was lined with ornate trophies, medals and pictures from various eras of seemingly mythical men engaging in unarmed combat. It felt like I had stumbled upon an illegal organisation or secret fraternity.<br />
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After a reassuringly warm welcome from the gi-clad receptionist, I went in search of the changing room, unaware I was standing in it. You change where you pay and you shower at home. Across the gyms? sea of mats was a weights area that looked like the equipment would fetch a hefty auction price on “What’s in your attic?? The gym smelt of sweat and damp. It felt gritty, it felt raw, and it was a health and safety nightmare. I loved it.<br />
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I pulled on a sweat soaked gi from a previous session. It felt and smelt like it had been worn by a 300lb man with dysfunctional sweat glands. I said hello to a few of the more approachable faces, using the standard barely moving male head nod. However, I sensed this was not the time for hobnobbing: we were adorned in suits of war and our training was about to commence. I decided my need for social acceptance could wait. After a quick basic warm-up, techniques were taught by a colossally sized Brazilian Black belt, who decided to use me as his guinea pig to demonstrate classic side control.<br />
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Here I was made to feel like a helpless 10-year-old boy trapped and squirming under his gargantuan frame. This was a very humbling and distressing experience. Rarely do grown men willingly allow themselves to be put in positions where they feel powerless and not in control. I needed to rationalise this in my head, in order to justify my masculinity. “Of course he can hold me down, he is a Black belt for goodness sake, and it’s all technique. Anyway, I could probably beat him in a running race”. This made me feel better. Time flew by as I lost myself in this endless stream of new knowledge and techniques, I was absorbed. The class moved seamlessly from techniques to sparring. I was sure this was where I would get off the bus or be forced to become a spectator... not so.<br />
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My first partner was a giant middle-aged man wearing a Purple belt, and I picked up in small talk that he had a strong Judo background. He set me the „simple? challenge of passing his guard. I basically spent 5 minutes convulsing back and forward in his cobra-like guard. I was relieved when he eventually had the mercy to release me from the claustrophobia of his tree trunk legs. I was subsequently rag dolled by a small Italian who had effortless technique and moved like a cheetah. He did, however, compliment me on my „intensity? and gave me a few basic pointers. This boosted my flailing confidence. Finally I went on to face my last and most intense showdown of the evening: the shaven headed Polish juggernaut. The encounter began as is customary, on our knees. I informed him I was “new? hoping this would strike a chord with his compassionate side and in some way garner me some leeway. He barely acknowledged my petition, never breaking his compassionless cold stare. The clock started and I immediately felt his iron pincer-like fingers seize my gi, I knew this was not going to be just a sparring session; the favours were over, this was going to be a war.<br />
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He immediately pulled me into his guard with relative ease. However, something in me began to switch. His ferocity and aggression seemed to spur me into action. I began to recall the guard pass taught to me in the early part of session and set upon prising his legs apart and working for side control. I began breaking him down and maintaining my posture; I passed his legs and locked him in „my? side control. I maintained a face of rigid concentration, trying to hide my joy at executing my first guard pass, but inside I was dancing.<br />
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I sensed his frustration at being held down by a “newbie?, every second that passed with him trapped in my side control was chipping away at his frail ego. In an act of desperation he inadvertently gave me his back and I pounced on it like a man possessed. All I could think was “Rear-naked choke! Rear-naked choke!? such was the complexity and myriad of submissions in my arsenal. I set upon slapping it on him, telegraphing my intentions with ridiculously exaggerated and overly enthusiastic movements. A fight for his neck ensued; however, my arms were beginning to gas and my stamina beginning to splutter. In the throws of my novice grappling, I somehow found my dominate position reduced to holding him in my very loose half guard. By this stage I was hanging on for dear life, and then I heard those sweet words „Time?. I had made it, I had survived…. I was borderline dangerous.<br />
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On the walk to the station afterwards I was a physical wreck. My hands were powerless, struggling to maintain a grip on my lightweight back pack and I was wheezing like an old man with a 20-a-day habit. However, I was no longer an armchair critic. I was a fellow competitor, I was a warrior and it felt great. I talked about MMA and BJJ with a purple belt from Scotland as I walked. He described how he had once used his BJJ to defend himself when caught up in a street fight in Glasgow. I noticed he had cauliflower ear, something I considered a hugely unfortunate and grotesque side affect of competitive BJJ... But mysteriously, in that moment, I wanted one too.<br />
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<b>By K.G McGlade</b>Juvenilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06775002312017016779noreply@blogger.com0