10 Milers and More

No excuse. I was keeping the world entertained with about two posts per week and all of a sudden... nothing. I didn't write, I didn't call, I didn't text. I'm sorry. I missed you as much as you missed me, reader. Here's what I've been up to:

-Ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC. Killed it. Murdered it. Destroyed it. Made it go bye bye in a mere 1:08:53 or something. Whatever I did, I did it a lot faster than I expected. A little technique, a little DNA, and a lot of heart can make you do awesome things. Here's the proud picture of me and my mustache at the finish. I'm holding up 7 which represents the number of minutes it doesn't take me to run each mile in a 10 miler.

-Ran the Tarheel 10 Miler in Chapel Hill. When you take me off a totally flat course, it does take me more than 7 minutes to run each mile in a 10 miler. Finished in 1:10:45 or so. 45 seconds off a 7 minute pace. Way too many hills for a personal record that day. Finished 133 out of ~2700 people, pretty happy about it. 

-Hung up the gi for a while. Lost some interest in jiu jitsu for the time being. I saw a lot of improvement but I never got the blue belt I was shooting for. I still have a lot of time this year so I may take a weekend seminar later this year to see if I can boost my skill and get the promotion. It was very sad to go in and talk to the folks I roll with. I learned a lot with the Royce Gracie program.

-Amped up the gym review spreadsheets. I've been buried in Microsoft Excel for the past month figuring out exactly how raw data translates into 1-10 scores for evaluated gyms. Keeping an evaluation as objective as possible has not been easy but then nothing worth doing is... right? This is ongoing and painful. 

-Made a workout routine for my dear mother. Assessed what she can do and what she wants to do and set her up with the best workout plan anyone could come up with. She may eternally, unconditionally, totally love me... but she ain't gonna do these workouts. I've faced the truth, you've gotta get in the gym with people to train them.

-Doing some other things: It's almost time for summer lacrosse, golf, surfing, and a friend just lent me his skates so I'm going to see what kind of an ice-skater I am since I haven't worn blades in 18 years. 

Coming up on LSF: "Reconstructive dentistry and physical therapy" OR "The Bruins better make room on the 2012-2013 roster because there's a new sheriff in town."

Keep training,
LSF

UPDATE: If stopping is not important, NHL here I come. 

Rank Stinks

Close followers of this entertaining/educational/exercisical blog remember that its humble author set some goals in 2012, which included earning a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It's a realistic, obtainable goal that will take me out of the beginner phase of a new skill. Well today I realized that being a beginner is awesome. Having any kind of rank or experience is the worst.

When you're 2, not pooping your diapers is a great accomplishment. When you're 4, macaroni art is an amazing feat. When you're 18, getting drafted by the NBA will make Mom and Dad proud every time. When you're 28, keeping an entertaining/educational/exercisical blog is okay I guess. It's all relative. The more rank/experience, the higher the expectations.

Chick is a red belt, no shame young man.

As a white belt with two stripes, the bar is pretty low for me, which is awesome. I truly do not care if I tap out to a higher-ranking fighter. Zero shame whatsoever. 

The taps I DO get are great but in the long run. It's just like getting potty trained all over again:

"LOOK at youuuuu!! You got an arm bar just like a big boy! Who's a good fighter? Whoooo's a good fighter? You are! Yes you are!"

Regardless, I'm enjoying the learning curve. BJJ is fun and I'm settling down.

Keep training,

LSF

PS: Nothing used to get my dog, Molly, more pumped up than talking to her like that. It's probably how trainers talk to their fighters in the corner.

Don't be a Spaz on the Mat

It's a known fact in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) community that if you're going to roll with a white belt, you're going to get sweatier than you should.

Me in an "achieve the mount" drill

Noobs (like myself) take a few months to realize that the translation of jiu jitsu (the gentle art) is genuine. Despite the intensity of getting choked or breaking a locked joint, you're not expected to expend THAT much energy. In fact, I haven't seen our instructor, a purple belt, break a sweat even when rolling with dudes twice HER size. Meanwhile, I've drenched my and half the class's gis because I'm spazzing out on the mat.

This happens because the new guy is compensating for lack of knowledge with strength and speed. Like any skill, it takes a while to learn what's important and what's not. What limbs and grips are important to hold and which aren't.

Me in an "escape side mount" drill.

Check out a couple of videos. The first is a white belt and blue belt (FF to :40) . Notice all the pulling, pushing, lifting and squeezing. The second is a match between two black belts (check out the calmest take-down attempt at ~:15, what was that? attempted ankle lock?). Notice it's more about rolling, twisting, and holding.

The use of athletic compensation comes across as too aggressive. While different gyms have different cultures, everyone at my gym is just there to chill and learn some new moves. Struggling as if it's a life or death situation just makes you look like an a-hole, like Mr. Rooney when he messed with Mr. Peterson. You don't make friends by being a spaz.

Mo' chilla than a gorilla.

So that's my first goal on my way to becoming a blue belt. Just chillin'.



Keep training,
LSF





PS: To whom it may concern, does the word "gis" look like a dirty word? If it does, refer to a past article where this blog cleared up the pronunciation and get your head out of the gutter. Or don't. Funny mental images.

Why I Hate Gis

As I mentioned in "Jits", the traditional wear for Jiu Jitsu is the gi (guh-ee, gee, no "j" sound) I don't care for the gi mostly because it takes away from the purity of fighting- it levels the playing field between heavier, stronger fighters and lighter, weaker fighters. I'm not saying I want to strip down and grease up like a gladiator but you don't see MMA fighters wearing anything but gloves and shorts.

The gi levels the playing field. It's easier to grab and hold onto. Weaker fighters can gain limb control by grabbing sleeves or pant legs. And they can get easy chokes by grabbing collars. This works to the advantage of smaller guys like myself (5'8" 160) but doesn't help answer the question that we're all here to answer, "Who can kick whose butt?"


It gets messed up. It's not the simplest piece of clothing you own. The pants have a drawstring, no fly. If you have to pee in the middle of practice, it's a 5 minute endeavor. The top opens up like a blazer and is cinched off by a belt (white, blue, black etc.) that denotes your skill level. The sides of the top get all messed up and come out of the belt. The belt is 4-5 cm wide and is tied in a square knot and comes undone frequently. You probably spend a total of 5 minutes per practice just pulling down each side and re-tightening the belt. Not that appearance is important, but you don't want flaps and belts all over the place. How is your opponent supposed to choke you when your jacket isn't tucked into your belt? It's just bad form.

It's hot. Kevlar cotton is not thin. Crazy sweat. Absorptive at least.

One major advantage to the gi is that it is basically indestructible. Dudes weighing several hundred pounds grab, twist, and pull on it for hours without a tear. The textile developers who created the gi definitely know what's up. You may have spent $80 on that gi but you're not going to tear your favorite Hard Rock Orlando shirt or throwback UNC basketball shorts.

Another MAJOR advantage is that you look like Ryu from Street Fighter. I haven't cut the sleeves off or gotten red gloves yet but I have 11 months until the next Halloween. I will be shoryuken-ing and haduken-ing people left and right.

Keep training,
LSF

Jits

My Christmas lights are freshly strung up, I just made a grand return to the free-weight section of my gym, I have a beer in my Hofbrauhaus stein, and I'm hopped up on some major yogaphetamines. It is definitely time to get writing about the next great endeavor.

Drum roll please. It is a sport that needs no introduction. It is a sport and an art developed in the beautiful country of Brazil but derived from a predecessor in Japan. The most reliable encyclopedic website on the internet (and ever known to mankind) describes it as, "a martial art, a combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling, especially ground fighting." The scholarly article continues, "It teaches that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant by using leverage and proper technique- most notably by applying joint-locks and choke holds to defeat the other person."

That hobby/sport/fighting style/way of life is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, BJJ, JITS. The sport of grappling with other people that ends in one of two ways - tap out or pass out. No punching, no kicking, no biting, just good old fashioned strangling and joint breaking. Sounds wonderful. Why am I doing this?

Fine Grandpa we can go to Red Lobster at 4! Geeeez

Learning to fight increases safety: Although hand to hand combat has not been a totally relevant skill since the invention of the pointy stick, you've got a drop on bad guys if you ever find yourself in a mugging/a-hole situation. BJJ is not about seeing who can put whom on his back or get the throw, it's about putting someone in the hospital or making them quit.

Low(er) risk of injury than other styles: There will be days when I get home from the gym and feel like doodoo because I either pushed too hard or got my butt kicked over and over. But when compared to sports like MMA or Muay Thai kickboxing, BJJ is well controlled. Just tap and you're no longer at risk.

Cardio and resistance at the same time: Aside from kickbox sparring, I have never been more tired in my life than when I was fighting to keep my arm from getting broken off or my windpipe from getting closed shut. On the mat you are constantly totally occupied, mentally and physically... Like CrossFit if the kettlebells and barbell were trying to kill you.

Kicking butt is confidence: When you tap 50 times, you've got 50 mistakes to learn from and are a better person for it. When you make 50 people tap, you'll have some major mojo outside of the dojo.

Awesome gear: Nothing looks more studly than wearing a kimono with a colored belt that tells people how far you've progressed with your fighting style. NOT. I can't stand wearing a gi. I understand that the pure form of the sport demands it but chances are the fighters would look better in something other than geisha garb.


Anyway, I'm just dipping my toe to begin with. If it works out, I'll keep with it. Motivation, improvement, and injury avoidance will be key factors. You'll get updates.

Keep training,
LSF

PS: If you got all the way through that Ace Ventura 2 clip then BJJ is the sport for YOU. I know for a fact that there is no hold in the world that will make you tap out.