Sickness, Mouthguards, inspiration...

Well my training this week has been put on hold this week because of some dental/tooth problems.  I finally got in to the dentist today so hopefully the problems and pain will not dominate my life anymore.

The lesson I've take from the past few days:

INVEST IN A DECENT MOUTH GUARD.  I'm not sure what caused the complications - if I bit on something and cracked my tooth or if it was Jiu Jitsu related (it would not be the first time).  Either way I do need to invest in a mouth guard.  Dentist work is expensive (thank god for a job that has coverage) and I do not want to have to keep going back to fix things that were fixed.  For the time being I'm going to go grab a double (covering your upper and bottom teeth) mouth guard from Wal-mart (the boil and bite kind).

I also started catching a fever/cold on Monday which has made the past few days even that much more unbearable at work.  I feel like I've run 10 miles by noon each day.  I'm still feeling very weak and sore from the fever but I think I've managed to avoid a full blown fever (you know the kind that leave you unable to leave your bed and if you do leave your bed you're pretty much useless).

Well on to more important things.  I'm planning on hitting the mats tomorrow (Friday) for an open mat.  My goal is to do my version of a drill/workout that I learned at Ryan Hall's academy last summer.  Said workout/drill is called Marathon Roll - which consists of 10 back to back rolling sessions with different partners of 5 minutes, with 1 minute rest and no quitting once you've started.  You'll read about if I end up doing it.  Either way my tooth/mouth should not be hurting me much and my fever/cold seems to be on the down slide.  Thus, I should be okay to do some training.

As I've gotten older I've learned that when I'm sick and or injured that I need to take the time off to rest and heal.  If I don't then it usually leads to just getting worse and worse.  I've also taken a closer look at my nutrition and have tried to eat better - lean meats, protein powder, vitamins, fruits, vegetables, etc.  I'll be the first to admit that I'm by no means Mr. Clean Eating but compared to even a year ago I'm eating a lot better.  I've looked into fuelling and recovery before and after workout/training.   All in all I'm still experimenting with everything.

In short I've been trying to eat better, recover better (sleep, pre and post workout), stretch, Hot/Cold showers (look it up), vitamins, breathing (you'd be surprised how much learning to breath properly helps you physically and mentally).  Most importantly just letting go of the things and people that pull me down, hurt me, and basically don't bring anything positive into my life.

On my last post  (link below) - I just want to add that I've noticed that the North/South Choke is a slower choke.  By this I mean is not an instant choke like say the Guillotine or Rear Naked Choke.  Once you've gotten the position and choke in place it feels like a gradual tightening then BAM! It's too late and you'll nap if you don't tap.  Where as the RNC or Guillotine you feel the pressure immediately and if you don't tap right away you be asleep.  I've noticed that the North/South traps the opponent but he (me) can feel the gradual tightening but there is time to tap (which is not always the case with RNC and Guillotines).  It does reach a point (from my limited time playing with the technique) where you DO feel that point of no return and THINGS do start to fade.  Anyhow, watch the videos I posted, buy Marcelo's book or subscribe to MGA (Marcelo Garcia in Action). and be patient.  It is a great technique to add to your arsenal from side control.

Last Blog - with North/South stuff

If you're familiar with competition Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then you'll no doubt know who Rodolfo Vieira is - basically he is the competitor who has taken the the Gi world by storm.  And is a serious challenger to Roger Gracie's dominance of the past few years.  I came across this little documentary last week.  It is a three part series in to Rodolfo's regime and what it takes to be a World Champion in Jiu Jitsu (or anything for that matter). If I do make it Rio this summer I would love to take a day or two from my Gordo Jiu Jitsu family and train at GFT and perhaps meet and train with Rodolfo???  Anyhow, if you're needing inspiration watch the videos and take in some lessons from someone who has dedicated everything to the thing he loves doing.

Part 1:



Part 2:




Part 3:




So that is my little update for this Blog.  In case you're stuck in a rut or lacking inspiration (even after viewing the above videos) I'll plug this story again.  The 78 yr old man who recently received his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

78 yr old BB - Gracie Mag Story

Till next time . . .

. . . Life, Love, and Jiu Jitsu

A.