BJJ/Grappling Competition: Thoughts.

Why you should or shouldn't compete in BJJ/Grappling competitions.

     
     The idea of competitions to test your prowess in a real fight is ludicrous.  A real fight has so many variables.  So many things you can never imagine until you are in that given situation.  Is it night or day?  Inside or out?  A phone booth, a train or an open street?  Is it raining?  10 degrees and windy or 100 degrees and sweltering?  Is your 3 year old son present?  Is there 1 opponent or 4? Is there a weapon? Do you even know the answers to the previous 2 questions?  These questions, and about 100 more will make the fact that you are stepping on a mat to "grapple" someone else who has decided to also grapple is very far from testing if you can fight.  So, knowing that, you can move on to the idea that you are simply deciding to compete in a sport.  Similar to football or boxing or tennis.  Not NASCAR or chess.  I said sport.  And not Golf.  I didn't say elitist pastime that takes up way too much space in our country.  Sport.
    Now, knowing that you are simply competing in a sport, you can check your ego about how "badass" you are.  Hell, you aren't even really testing how good at BJJ you are.  You are competing under a given set of rules in a given weight class for a certain amount of time.  I can spout off at the mouth about how in BJJ as a fighting art you can strike.  You can 't butt scoot because the guy can use that moment to pick up that large metal bar and beat your legs with it.  You can slam someone who is triangling you.  Better yet, you can slam them on the edge of the curb.  You can gouge their eyes, bite, blah blah blah blah.  You get the idea.
    So why should you compete?  My personal number ONE reason is because it makes YOU a better person.  It forces you to look upon yourself as an outsider and see your faults.  Not only with a certain aspect of your game, but with your life.  Are you dedicated enough to train as you know you SHOULD leading up to the event?  Are you able to watch your diet and eat right? cut weight even?  Or are you still skipping classes because you want to drink the night before, sleep in, play video games, or take someone out on a date in hopes of something else getting you to the ground later?  It will make you see what you NEED to do to be successful, and then make you see if you take the short cut.  And I'll tell ya, A LOT of competitors don't train as hard as they should.  Often times, they take YEARS of not doing as well in competition before they decide to seriously train.  You might not make it public, but you yourself will know deep down what you're made of.
    Reason TWO would be the increase in your BJJ skill that inevitably takes place when you compete.  You will train harder, and with more focus, leading up to the event.  You will form strategies, as ALL sports require one.  The Cleveland Browns walk on that football field and play poorly every week as a result of a game plan.  I love my Browns, but people will often argue over had the game plan been different, would the Browns have won that particular game?  BJJ is no different.  Game plans will win or lose a match oftentimes.  In learning this fact, you will grasp how important something as overlooked as a takedown can become, and train that aspect harder.  In addition, you will inevitably find holes in your game that you will then concentrate on making better.  Competing will make you a better BJJ fighter in the long run.
     Reason THREE is because it is fun.  Pretty straight forward and simple.  There is an adrenaline rush that accompanies competition.  You and you alone can make the decision to step on that mat, and although your coaches and teammates help all the way up and through those matches, it is YOU who has to perform.  And on that ONE day, in that ONE place, YOU can be the best person in that building if the stars align.  Very few feelings rival that moment and the self respect that you will feel afterwards.
     And Lastly, I want to point out why the outcome doesn't really affect whether you were a winner that day.  I HATE people who say "winning or losing doesn't count, it's how you play the game." or "winning isn't why we are out here."  CRAP.  Winning is the MAIN reason you are out there.  They wouldn't bother having a ref if we weren't bothered with who wins.  Your whole goal on that mat that day is to EARN and TAKE the respect of every single other human being in that building.  If you lose, you want them to NEVER EVER want to have to face you in order to win a tournament again.  And if you WIN, you want them to be afraid you'll beat them even worse in the next tournament.  Now, with that said, you are on the mat.  Most people don't have what it takes to train BJJ or other similar grappling arts.  It's hard.  VERY VERY hard.  It isn't a self esteem builder purchased by wrapping a different color cloth around your waist every 3 months because you know a certain kata.  You bleed.  You sweat.  You often puke.  And you are almost always injured.  Out of those people who train the art, even LESS decide to step on the mat of a tournament and see how they're doing.  You are allowing other people who don't know you to judge what you hold dearest.  YOUR BJJ.  So, know that out of all the people who train BJJ in your state and surrounding areas, only 2,4,8,30,60 of them have decided to shut up and put it on the line.  And you are one of those people.  THAT is why you should hold your head high when you walk on and OFF that mat.  Because there is NO WAY when that match ends, that you are not a better BJJ player and person.  Period.     

MY THOUGHTS: "THE UNIVERSAL MISUNDERSTANDING." RYRON GRACIE'S PHILOSOPHY. 

I'm posting the link for the video, however seeing as I sometimes have the computer IQ of belly button lint, it may not work well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q25EzSDArkc&feature=em-uploademail

Ok.  First, my overall impression.  THAT WAS CRAP.

   Ok, Second, I love Ryron Gracie.  He is MUCH better at BJJ than I am.  And there are points to this 16 minute video to which I DO agree to some extent.  I will touch on those here in a second.  However first I have to tell you why I don't agree and actually think this is HORRIBLE advice.  
I will begin by stating the most annoying thing said.  "It should only take you 6 years to reach black belt!"  Ok, We are NOT trying to turn BJJ/GJJ into a Mcdojo where the quicker to black belt the better.  Almost everyone in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who is serious realizes how much dedication is necessary to reach black belt.  Heck, it took me 16 years!!!  I DO NOT want a black belt in 6 years.  Unless I'm the freak prodigy. 

   Now that THAT is out of the way, I'll move on to the meat of what was being discussed.  His main point is that people in Jiu-Jitsu need to stop trying to escape bad positions.  "We expect that the person on top needs to pass the guard. NO!  We expect the person mounted needs to escape the bottom.  NO!"
   I have actually mentioned this in class in the past as a TOOL to be used every so often to prepare for the correct mindset of your current situation.  So, here is one of the points I would AGREE with Ryron on.  IF you were preparing for a sub only/no points tournament, the mindset he discusses would make sense as the ONLY goal in this tournament is to not get subbed and sub your opponent.  Our Team actually LOVES this type of competition.  However, the only other time that this strategy makes sense to me is if your opponent is MUCH larger and better than you and you have to put him in the "oven and bake him" so to speak to wear him out.  In that situation, you simply survive until you CAN escape because he is now exhausted.  Otherwise, I do NOT agree with you Ryan, I'm sorry! 
   The REASON I started training BJJ was for realistic self defense!  I cannot in any way allow myself to believe that in a street altercation, that allowing myself to be sidemounted or mounted as long as my "opponent" is controlling me, to be a good strategy.  
     When I look at his reasoning, he states that people are more concerned about not being tapped out than with submitting their opponent themselves.   This is SO not my strategy, as I would rather lose because I was attempting to WIN a match rather than simply not tap.  It contradicts his later statement that you should WANT to be tapped out by your opponent in training, if you simply play defense and never give that person an opening to go for a sub by simply playing defense the whole time!!! 

   
   He also says that you should wait till your opponent stops his control in order to attack.  I don't know about you, but EVERY TOP black belt I trained with (and thus strove to be like) while coming up had super sick control EVEN WHILE they were getting the sub.  Marcello Garcia's pressure is SO tight that it is HORRIFYING to have him on your back, his control is insane, as is Roger Gracie's Mount.  They just get tighter and tighter until you have no choice but to escape as you'll be crushed!! And then you go to sleep.  It isn't a CHOICE.  The top guys crush you and FORCE you (while they use NO energy) to try to get out.  Mario Sperry had SUCH tight top cross body on me that when we rolled, all I DID was defend, but I was doing everything I could not to tap from his CONTROL.  At Team McLeod we often roll with no subs, no points, and simply the goal of making your opponent QUIT from insane pressure.  I was asked to write an article in Jiu-Jitsu Magazine (issue 3) about it.  I want my students to know that if they get mount, and can DOMINATE that position such that the person beneath has no will to live and would rather be at a Justin Beiber concert than in that position, that the person ON BOTTOM will be forced to move and thus give them something.
   Now we can also look at BJJ as a street fighting art rather than sport, and I can NEVER in good conscience tell a student to just hang out under some dude in mount until he gives you room to escape.  What if while he's just controlling you, his buddy is raping your wife??  What if while he's controlling you, he's simply biting your ear off or using the zipper on his jacket sleeve to gouge you in the eye?  He certainly isn't going for an armlock or leaning back to rain punches, but you DO NOT want to just wait there!  
   And shat should we say about the "not passing the guard" idea?  I agree with this if I am allowed to hit you.  But in a match, in training, why would I NOT want to pass?  Because he might tap me?  I thought the idea was to get SO dominant with your guard passing that your opponent could not sub you while doing so?  I consider it stalling if you are doing nothing while in a guys guard.  Don't you? 
   I train BJJ/ martial arts to avoid danger.  I train my BJJ to be as dominant as I can be and win on the street as quickly as I can so as to avoid other attackers.  If I am hanging out under you, there are only a few reasons for it.  I'm so much better than you that I'm bored and letting you work your stuff.  YOU are so much better than me, that escape is just exhausting me and I'm hoping you get tired or make a mistake.  I'm in a sub only tournament and I may have 4-1 hour long fights.  You are the size of a Chevy truck and I'm waiting for you to gas.  Or lastly, I've somehow managed to get to roll with Eve Torres and I just don't really WANT to get out.  Yep, sorry Ryron, that about covers them.
 
 

McLeod's Mat Therapy: The usefulness of adding strikes to your BJJ

McLeod's Mat Therapy: The usefulness of adding strikes to your BJJ: WHY should I train my striking/ take downs if I am a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter? You may ask your self this if you have ever attende...

The usefulness of adding strikes to your BJJ

WHY should I train my striking/ take downs if I am a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter?

You may ask your self this if you have ever attended one of my classes. 
Now, this is going to be my first attempt at a Blog, as someone suggested I may be somewhat good at it.  Now, it'd be a REAL STRETCH for me to run off at the mouth and babble for a while, so although hearing my own thoughts may be difficult for me, I'll give it a real shot for the betterment of everyone involved.
Now, back to the subject at hand.
I'll try the shock approach first.  Because, when it comes to fighting, there is a very large chance your BJJ sucks.
I have about 16 years in the sport at this point, and was honored to have earned MY black belt from black belts Jamel McCurry and Carlos Machado this past summer.  I have, as a result of this, become very opinionated and sort of a pain in the ass.  I think in Karate, when you attain black belt, you are obligated to gain a lot of weight and have a pouch that sticks out over said belt.  In BJJ, you become far too opinionated on the subject of everything grappling related.  For example, did you know that *ahem* Judo sucks, catch wrestling is fake, Pro MMA fighters have no real ground skill unless they're a BJJ black belt, wrestlers use nothing but strength, and Rickson Gracie has the ability to launch angels out of his butt? 
Anyhow, back to the subject.  I was serious when I said your BJJ is probably WAY better in your head than it is when tested 100%. 
I am also a 2nd degree black belt in Kenpo Karate.  I trained it for many many years from youth into adulthood.  A black belt in karate (or often other traditional styles) always has a small area in the back of their head (hidden by the absolute knowledge they can stop any takedown by a simple well placed knee or punch) where they truly wonder if what they've trained in could REALLY be used if attacked by a large, athletic man who wants to do nothing more than to tie you up in his Afflliction shirt and beat you senseless.
BJJ is heading down that road.  Early UFC showed how effective BJJ can be when used against other skilled practitioners of fighting arts, or street fighters, especially if they thought have no idea what a Triangle choke is.  In fact, regardless of many people's opinions, current Pro MMA fighters still must train BJJ at great lengths if they hope to be successful. 
HOWEVER, as a result of OTHER people's success, Many BJJ students and instructors have become much like the karate practitioners of old.  Unable to check their ego at the door and realize that they have to open their minds and train the way people trained back in decades past if they wish to be as successful as they want to be. 
Now, that said, by nature of the art, how it is trained (via rolling) and the lack of knowledge of the average person, BJJ is still in many people's opinions (mine included) the single most useful art out there.  A karate fighter, a Kung Fu artist, a Tae Kwon Do practitioner, an Akido man, and obviously your average hillbilly in a bar, etc...  they ALL likely lack the necessary training to stop even the most average of upper BJJ belt from taking the fight to the ground and finishing them. 
But now we take that SAME BJJ fighter and place them against another BJJ fighter, a wrestler who has boxed a long time, a karate fighter who has trained grappling witrh or without a gi for a while, etc etc etc...  we will see that BJJ fail miserably.  And Now a days, NOT THAT MANY BJJ schools want to address this.  They would rather focus on starting from the knees, and using a gi to do many newer Jiu Jitsu movements that will get them killed if tried in an MMA fight.  But they simply don't want to face that.  It would mean they aren't the same as the early BJJ fighters they loved so much.  It would mean they would be going through the same thing the karate students and instructors went through in 1994.  They would have to admit they need to change the way they train to be as effective as possible.
Let me ask you this:  How often do you attempt your BJJ movements with a partner who is trying to punch you?  Hard.  A lot.  While complimenting themselves on their technique (wait....that'd be me.) If you only do this every 2-3 months, you might want to rethink. 
Have you EVER attempted to pull off a berimbolo while someone has 16 ounce gloves on and is again, punching or dropping knees on your new 260$ gi?

Here is what you need to realize.  You have an unspoken agreement with your partner.  You WILL stay on the ground while grappling.  Your opponent has NO agreement with you in a fight.  I used to train with numerous upper belted BJJ fighters who I simply could stand up and walk out of their guard and make them stand up.  It would annoy the Hell out of them.
Along those same lines:  What good is your weapon/shotgun (BJJ) if it has no ammo (take downs)??????
If you can't get a fight to the mat, what good is it to you?
Let's ignore the "you can't fight multiple attackers on the ground" argument that many karate practitioners throw out at you, because let's be honest, they simply use this as another excuse.  If they can't successfully fight ONE guy who wants to tackle them, what makes them think they can stop 3 guys from doing the same and then kicking/curb stomping them?  They can't. Plus, they like the ninja turtles too much.  You get attacked by 3 or 4 guys?  You're losing.  Sorry. 

So add the striking folks.  If you don't try to get takedowns against people who want to hit you (hard, wear headgear), and then try to KEEP them their while they attempt to stand back up, how do you think you'll do it when they are trying to be nasty while doing the same thing? 
If you don't attempt to learn how much time you have to try to scissor sweep or armbar an opponent while they punch you with the free hand, how will you AVOID forming the bad habits associated with that??
I can go on.  But let us look forward 50 years.  What will stop BJJ from becoming a mcdojo? 
How you train now.
I leave you with the following idea.  Royce Gracie fought in the early UFC's and obviously dealt with strikes.
He became famous for "fighting off his back."  However, when did he end up there?
UFC 1: Shot for the takedown on EVERY one of his opponents to get the top position.
UFC2: Shot for the takedown on EVERYONE of his opponents and got it.
UFC 3: Shot for the takedown on Kimo and fought for it endlessly against someone 90 pounds heavier.
UFC4: FINALLY decided to pull guard on Keith Hackney after attempting the takedown, and was then shot on by Severn.
Take downs and striking is at the CORE of BJJ.  NOT simply going to a deep half guard for 4 years without ever seeing if your opponent can hammerfist you 33 times (There is my free mason homage) in the head.
Keep BJJ pure.  Keep it real.
This will NOT be checked for punctuation or spelling.  And yes, in the future these will be MUCH MUCH shorter. :)