Calm_Batman

Kb I think it's a paid app. I got it so long ago lol but pretty sure there may be a lite version to try. Sweetpea my current bjj instructor is a guy named Jeff Robert. But he teaches over here in Ontario but lives as works in Detroit. I believe the affiliate school over there is called Warrior Way. We follow the gracie lineage. Helio gracie-caique Elias-Jeff Robert -me. Secondly I learned the disarming stuff when I was doing the full contact karate. I'm sure bjj has it's own techniques but I just haven't gotten to that level yet. The guys at warrior way seem like a great bunch. I got to learn some things by a couple of their black belts at our last seminar. Been slacking in posting here. Just been busy with work and Father's Day etc. Now back to the grind and looking forward to class tonight.

Hey thought I'd drop my two cents as an aspiring monk and martial artist. When studying isshrinryu karate we learned some knife defense and disarming as well as gun disarming. My sensei instructed some local police forces in these techniques so I know they're legit. BUT as others have said pretty much every MA has some version and from what I've seen they are all similar. Our instructor was also adamant about NOT using them when possible. The risk is too high especially if it's over a wallet and some plastic. What happens when u miss the technique because Ur stressed and the gun goes off and hits you or an innocent bystander or god forbid a loved one standing behind you. It's simply not worth it. We were show the techniques as part of the curriculum and as a no options left, this person will actually shoot me or someone if I don't act. Now as for advice on picking a place I'll pretty much echo what's been said. I did full contact karate for a while and while it was fun and the sensei was great, my time commitments with my family and their activities didn't line up with my training plus as I get older I tend to not want to get kicked or punched. I decided to try bjj and haven't looked back since. I checked out the local schools, watched a class and talked to the instructor who happens to be a Detroit police officer. That's badass right there lol he gave me a 10 day trial to try it out. Very cool. His interaction with the kids is great and he makes games for them that incorporate bjj skills. I find bjj to be very laid back because of the Brazilian influence (obviously) and I love that. There's no forms or katas and ranking is based on the instructors assessment of you and he promotes when he feels you have demonstrated the proper skills. He has earned our respect not because he demands bowing and whatnot but because he respects us and treats us as adults not just subordinate dollar bills. Anyways take any advice with a grain of salt! Good luck finding a school.

Thanks. I also hafta learn to pace because I escaped 3 zombie hordes but got caught on last two but I was exhausted lol

Ok so went for a run tonight and tried the Zombies, Run app. Pretty fun. I have to set my playlist up so I have music to listen to I between instructions. I did about 6k in a little over 30 min and the app is set to play out each mission for around 30min or you can choose an hour. Now I've only done one mission in the story but it should be interesting. So score one for my running quest.

Don't worry about the weight! It'll melt off with bjj lol. Had class last night. Pretty decent workout. Haven't exactly embraced the whole running thing yet. Been so busy this with kids soccer bjj and now prepping for a birthday party tomorrow. But maybe tonight if things calm down ill finally get to try the zombie running app

Side quest #1 COMPLETE! Holy cow I didn't expect to do that. So I got promoted and earned a second stripe last night after our jiujitsu seminar. When I posted the original quests I knew we were having a seminar and that some kids were gettig promoted but I wasn't really expecting it. Then my instructor posted a list of adult promotions beforehand and I wasn't in the list. No biggie, I figured I had 6 weeks to improve and maybe become eligible then. Sometimes we do promotions outside of seminars. But when I heard my name called it was like whoa! Awesome. I really think that my performance at the tournament combined with my work ethic in class pushed me ahead. Very happy this morning. Hope everyone enjoys their day today even if the weather sucks. (It's rainy here)

Be easy on the spelling mistakes. I wrote this on my phone and it's just too much of a pain to edit the finger slips. Maybe later tonight I will edit

So I just competed in my first jiujitsu tournament over the past weekend and as I'm reflect back on what I could've done better and on some of the mistakes I made I got to thinking. I've been doing jits for awhile but sometimes in the back of my mind I was never really sure how I would handle myself in an altercation or even if what I was learning and working on was on par with any other clubs. It always made me feel a little insecure. Now don't get me wrong, learning virtually any martial art will increase confidence and focus and teach you respect but I think on some level a lot of us often wonder how we stack up against others. It's great to say you have a brown belt in this or purple belt in that but until you've really thrown yourself against someone else that you don't know can you really be sure? Our tournaments are divided by belt, age and weight so you get a pretty good idea of how well you are doing because you are facing people that match you physically (more or less) and skill wise (more or less). Needless to say I was very nervous entering my first match without really a clue or gameplay about what was going to transpire. My opponent won his first match by submission and was up 13-0 at the time. So as I stepped on the mat I was feeling a little queasy. The ref calls go and here we go. After a little grip fighting he pulls me into his guard. He's trying these chokes over and over and I'm defending pretty well. I actually don't even realize I'm stuffing his attempts and nullifying his positions until a few minutes later I can hear his coach getting frustrated. Somethin sort of clicks.. *ding* hey I can do this, I belong here. This guy is trying his hardest to choke me unconscious but yet, somehow he can't. My brain just goes back to the skills I have been working on. Square the hips, pin the arm, posture up. I now can hear him getting tired, almost feel it in his body. His guard opens and I attempt a pass. Nope, stuffed. Ok so he's not that tired and you have to respect his game. He did submit his opponent. Suddenly time is called and the ref stands us up. I look at the score. 0-0. Wow, I am elated inside! He didn't score anything on me. The ref gives the match to him based on more attempted attacks but I don't even care. Ya I'm a little bummed but I totally shut his game down! We are not really a tournament fighting school but it's an amazing feeling to know that I hung in there with a guy and held my own. After a short break it's time for my next fight. This will determine 3rd place. I just saw this opponent win his last fight by armlock submission. But at this point my mental game is strong. I can feel I belong. I know my skills are good and I know what to do. The nerves have somewhat passed. Now it's just a feeling of energy running through me. The match starts and we lock up. I attempt a leg trip and miss. He goes to pull guard like my last opponent but I am ready this time. Whether it's just that I'm in the zone and saw it coming or I reacted faster I'm not sure. He misses and it am able to sweep around his legs into side control. I transition into full mount. Every synapse is firing. I can now see the submission opportunities. He tries to sweep me off a couple times but I am able to switch my stances around to block. Jiujitsu 101. Positional control. I settle him back down and am able to lock up an Americana arm lock. It's deep. I'm pulling on it but he won't tap. Ok no problem. I'm not wasting energy on this. I let it go and for a second I lose focus. He almost sweeps me and ends up half on my back. Ok, settle down. Think. Calm. He's not threatening anything and your weight is pinning him down. You are in control. When I'm ready I spin back into guard by sweeping him. The red calls time and we get up. I look at the score for the first time. 9-0. Holy crap! I just won 3rd place. I'm ecstatic. I know this has been a super long post but there is a point I promise and it's this. This one competiton, these 10 minutes of fighting, have boosted my confidence to an entire new level. More so than the last 3-4 months of training. More than learning the newest submission or sweep. I now KNOW I can compete and that I have the skills. Yes, there are big gaping holes in my game I saw after reviewing the tapes of my fights. But that doesn't take away from the fact that I now feel like I know what I'm doing. My takeaway message is this. I would encourage everyone who's involved in the MA to try and compete at least once in your discipline. The experience you will have will bring your game up a whole new level. It's like getting a power-up! Even if you don't win a medal or place, just putting yourself out there and attempting to test yourself will pay dividends. It takes a ton of courage to step in a cage, ring or on the mat and face not only another trained person but also your own fears and insecurities. But I guarantee that If you do, you will become a different person. A more confident person. If you don't win go back to the gym. Hit the areas you are weak in. Know in your mind you are leveling up your lower skills. It will take hard work and more time and a dedication to diet to make sure you are in the proper shape for a tournament but isn't that worth the knowledge and experience you will gain? Namaste

Escrima... That's the Filipino stick fighting no? Now I can't help you with finding material other than to say I have seen some videos on YouTube showing the first few basic attack combos you would learn and some drills. But I would also recommend seeing if there any clubs nearby to check out. I took a few classes (they were offered for free as part of the plan) and I did enjoy it a lot but you really need the partner to get the proper flow and it definitely helps to have an instructor show you what you're doing wrong lol I remember a few times i was trying a disarming technique but kept getting twisted up. Turns out I was starting with improper grip on the stick and I never even noticed. Good luck though!

Welcome. Are you using the tv version of the mountain as your inspiration. Lol. Check out a documentary called The Giants of Iceland on YouTube. Those boys are huge!

Good luck!

Love the name! I can definitely associate with the obsessing about things and working long hours. I work 54+ hours 7days a week with 3 kids. It's a constant struggle and takes way more effort but it can be done. Just take that first step. Just remember every drop in the bucket adds up and pretty soon your bucket is full. A journey of a thousand steps begins with the first one!

Looks totally doable! Good luck!

Ok so here's the update. We travelled to just outside Indianapolis from Ontario (across river from Detroit) and I ended up taking 3rd. This was my first competition so I'm very pleased with my result. I was a little nervous first match but held my own. My opponent didn't score on me after he scored 13points on his last opponent. My next match I was over my nerves and kinda in my head I knew I belonged here so I went out and took control right away. I had a submission locked in and the guy wouldn't tap and I let it go because I was wasting energy and also I didn't really want to bust his shoulder. I won 9-0. So tonight diet is off the rails lol I've been eating clean for over a month to cut some weight for this tournament but tomorrow things will get back on track.

Not sure if I am supposed to use this as my journal/log or if I need to start a log under the battle log section. But for now I'm going to log my stuff here. First off thanks for all the great replies and support! Had jits class last night, my last one before the tournament. We hit some basic self defense stuff and headlock/choke counters and takedowns. Stuff I can transfer into the matches tomorrow. Had a great sparring session, worked on stuff I was weak on and ended up nailing a couple submissions. Then before bed, well while in bed I tried a 2 minute relaxation medidation exercise. Focused on my breathing and thought about the things I am grateful for. It was hard at first. I kept wandering off but was able to keep bringing myself back to my breathing. I know this doesn't count yet towards the challenge but I need the practice lol.