Courtney vs. The Drills

[courtneyc]

I started taking bjj and kickboxing classes about 3 months ago and love it. But I realized recently that my initial growth will slow rapidly if I don't start training outside of class. That's where drills come into play! I'm setting up a space in my home this week to run through striking, footwork, and foundational bjj movements on a regular basis. 

 

I'm also trying to regain my focus when it comes to my writing. Currently, a lot of time gets wasted each day doing "research", i.e. searching the internet until something shiny comes along to distract me. So I'll be implementing the pomodoro technique (25 minutes on task followed by 5 minute breaks) to stay on task. My breaks need to be computer-free time, so some stretching, simple bodyweight movements, or trips downstairs for more tea are all fair game.

 

Last, but certainly not the least challenging, is giving better care to my diet. Historically, tracking calories is obnoxious to me. I'm going to switch things up a little an give myself a daily protein goal that increases as the challenge progresses. I'll start it at 60g for the first two weeks and add 20g to the daily goal every two weeks. So week 3 & 4 will be 80g and week 5 & 6 will be 100g. My hope is that trying to reach a certain number, instead of trying to stay under a caloric one, will be the positive mindset shift I've been missing.

 

To summarize:

 

Challenge Goals

• BJJ Drills x 2 per week
• Kickboxing Drills x 2 per week
• Pomodoro Writing Sessions w/ Breaks away from the computer x 15 per week
• Meet Daily Protein Goal (starting at 60g)

But wait, there's more!

 

Side Quest - Rescue the short story from certain doom!

 

I have several promising short stories that are hanging out in the doldrums while I work on my novel. To claim victory over the side quest I must pick one of these stories and get it submission worthy by the end of the challenge. 

 

So, I think that's everything. I plan to assign points/grading at some point, but really that feels like more than I can handle this evening. Any suggestions for a not-elaborate method of counting are welcome!

[Kishi]

Well, as for counting this stuff, have you considered just marking off whenever you do the things? It's not exactly the games-iest way to do the thing, but it is simple. Feels more like an MMO quest, I've found.

[Spear Warrior]

I started taking bjj and kickboxing classes about 3 months ago and love it. But I realized recently that my initial growth will slow rapidly if I don't start training outside of class.

As an instructor I love it when my students realize that! For some it takes years (youths and kids mostly), some do it quicker. Rarely as fast as 3 months into training, but I guess life experience add some decisiveness.

['BoutThatActionBoss]

Awesome post! I am also new to BJJ and am realizing that I need to train at home a bit to catch up and drill the foundations of it. 

 

The Pomodoro Technique is a great way to stay focused on things. I do this at work all the time at work with great success. Although with my phone, not a kitchen timer. My colleagues would throw me out a window if they were always going off. 

 

Good luck with the nutrition stuff! That's hard for me too, so finding some method of healthy eating, whether it is adding or subtracting or whatever, is a good thing. 

 

GO GET IT! 

[courtneyc]

As an instructor I love it when my students realize that! For some it takes years (youths and kids mostly), some do it quicker. Rarely as fast as 3 months into training, but I guess life experience add some decisiveness.

 

I would love to take full credit for this, but my kickboxing instructor pointed it out to me last week. I'll still take credit for actually doing it though! 

[Spear Warrior]

We (instructors) try to tell students to practice more at home, all the time. The student is the one who must listen, understand and do.

[courtneyc]

Day 1

 

Off to a good start so far! I got 3 pomodoro writing sessions in this morning and hit my protein goal at lunch time. Lunch was salmon with rice and steamed vegetables. I'm going to hold off on drills for today. The last few days have involved a lot of heavy lifting, and my back is a little sore. I'd rather take a rest day, and be ready for back to back classes tomorrow night. 

['BoutThatActionBoss]

Day 1

 

Off to a good start so far! I got 3 pomodoro writing sessions in this morning and hit my protein goal at lunch time. Lunch was salmon with rice and steamed vegetables. I'm going to hold off on drills for today. The last few days have involved a lot of heavy lifting, and my back is a little sore. I'd rather take a rest day, and be ready for back to back classes tomorrow night. 

 

Sounds like a great start to the challenge for you! Glad to hear that the pomodoro sessions worked well for you as well. 

 

Take care of the sore back and then get after it. Nice job! 

[JediJem]

Ah, the perils of 'research'... I know them well. I've also used that technique before but I never manage to keep it up in the long run. Will be watching to see how it works for you!

Sent from my HTC One mini using Tapatalk

[Kishi]

I've heard of the Pomodoro technique before. Have you heard about the Word Crawls that happen during this time of year as well?

[courtneyc]

Day 2

 

Well, it was mostly a success. I met my protein goal, got in 3 pomodoro's, and went to most of my bjj class. But...then I hurt my ankle towards the end of class and had to cut out early (also skipping kickboxing). There was some sort of a pop during a sprawling drill that resulted in bruising and swelling. I'm hoping that in a day or two I'll be up for more fighting action, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

 

 

I've heard of the Pomodoro technique before. Have you heard about the Word Crawls that happen during this time of year as well?

 

I'm not familiar with Word Crawls. What are those?

[Kishi]

Day 2

 

I'm not familiar with Word Crawls. What are those?

 

They're things like this. Choose your own adventure, but with writing.

['BoutThatActionBoss]

Did you ever end up doing BJJ drills at home? I think I need to do this but I am not sure how. I learn something in class, then I almost immediately forget it. And I am someone who has to drill stuff to really get it down in almost any field. I am not really a natural at anything. 

[courtneyc]

Did you ever end up doing BJJ drills at home? I think I need to do this but I am not sure how. I learn something in class, then I almost immediately forget it. And I am someone who has to drill stuff to really get it down in almost any field. I am not really a natural at anything. 

 

I didn't do any drills yesterday, because I had back to back class last night...of course the drills aren't that intensive so maybe I should stop procrastinating. I too have difficulty remembering what I learned from class to class. Or if I do remember the move, I struggle to remember the name. I keep thinking I really need to buy a good book or subscribe to my instructor's video series that reviews the moves, but it all sounds like more money towards my already expensive hobby.

 

What I plan on drilling for this particular challenge are the movements from this video. 

[courtneyc]

Weekly Goals:

 

Pomodoro Writing Sessions: 10/15

BJJ Drills: 0/2

Kickboxing Drills: 0/2

Protein: 4/7

 

The week is going well as far as (most) of my goals stand. I'm hitting my protein goal with some minor adjustments to how I approach each meal and pleasantly surprised at how satisfied I feel throughout the day. The first couple days it felt strange to not feel like I could eat at any moment. I would still want to eat though, because emotions, boredom, yummy things are yummy, etc....it's been weird. I guess I didn't realize just how much I use food to deal with life. So now my stomach feels more level, but mentally/emotionally I feel off.

 

Ugh...stupid brain. 

 

Anyway, the writing sessions are working well. I'm getting focused earlier in the day, doing more 'just because' writing, which is good since approaching the second draft of my novel feels like trying to cuddle a tub of electric eels. Normally, I would just eat donuts until I figured out what I was doing, but there's the whole protein/appetite thing. (Of course I have eaten a couple donuts. Did you know donuts have protein?)

 

Drills have yet to happen, but there's still plenty of time for them. I'll give bjj and kickboxing a try depending on how the ankle holds up. Walking-wise it is fine. I'm just not sure how it will handle lots of multidirectional motion.

 

That's the midweek report. Now, I must return to my eel cuddling.

[Kishi]

Well, here's the cool thing about addressing the physical aspect of your food-as-coping mechanism - you have stumbled on a physical feedback loop that you can directly control with your diet. You will adjust in time, and the advantages you gain as a result are worth the cost of a little pain now.

 

Mmm. Donuts. Which reminds me...

 

Good luck with that ankle. That's a hard one to fix, and I don't really know how to address it beyond compression and elevation and ice and such. Stuff that the ankles aren't exactly in position to get a lot of, really. :-/ Good luck!

[sarakingdom]

Ankles!  One of my favorite injury subjects.  Okay.  I feel there are two stages, dealing with the active injury, and rehabbing the ankle.  Excessive icing for the first couple of days, whatever anti-inflammatory stuff you've got.  This is the RICE phase, but ice does miracles if you use a lot of it.  Then, once it seems fairly solid with the walking, my rec is hiking.  I started doing that as ankle rehab, to give it a slow, gentle workout on uneven terrain and build up strength at weird angles.  It's not exciting.  I'm so tired of trees and dirt.  But it does seem to be good for my ankle.  You want hills and uneven ground, things where your ankle is working to stabilize you under unpredictable conditions.  If you can hike every day for a week without problems, you're probably good to go on most things.

[courtneyc]

Mmm. Donuts. Which reminds me...

 

Are we pretending things are donuts that aren't actually donuts now? Apple slices cut to look like donuts...bell pepper rings...maybe a bike tire dusted with vanilla protein powder.

 

I apologize for the rant. I blame my protein-crazed brain.

[courtneyc]

Weekly Goals:

 

Pomodoro Writing Sessions: 11/15

BJJ Drills: 0/2

Kickboxing Drills: 1/2

Protein: 4/7

 

 

My ankle is in pretty good shape after icing and anti-inflammatories. I went to back to back classes last night fully prepared to stop the moment my ankle complained, but the moment never came. I did take things at about 70% my normal level and check ahead on the amount of footwork planned for each class. My non-medical opinion of what happened Tuesday is that I burst a blood vessel in my foot, which would explain the sudden pain, moderate swelling, and immediate discoloration, without longer term mobility issues. 

 

Since I was feeling good today I did my first round of kickboxing drills at home. I thought it might be a little weird practicing by myself when I'm used to the group component, but I thoroughly enjoyed cranking the music and practicing on my own a bit. One issue that requires immediate attention is the way my interlocking mats slip around on the wood floors. Weighing them down with the couch only sort of worked...this might require a trip to the hardware store.

 

On the "music cranking" front, I'm sorely lacking in high bpm tunes. Any recommendations for my playlist?

[Kishi]

I personally think that the Trance station on Pandora is pretty good. Anything by Armin Van Buuren, Above and Beyond... Tiesto's pretty good, too, but I haven't got the chance yet to listen to his new stuff.

 

Glad everything's good with the ankle! Awesome. That is good news. And the BJJ didn't aggravate it. Very good.

[courtneyc]

Week 1

 

Pomodoro Writing Sessions: 14/15

BJJ Drills: 0/2

Kickboxing Drills: 1/2

Protein: 6/7

 

Despite not hitting all of my goals for the week, I'm pleased with how this challenge is starting. I slogged through some stuff that was emotionally and mentally draining with the eating and my writing, so I'm not going to be shitty with myself over the drills falling short. Of course this week the drills will be high on the priority list. 

['BoutThatActionBoss]

Don't be shitty with yourself! And it's only week one, we are really building toward greatness with this challenge! 

 

Nice job with the working out at home. I really have to start doing that. I have all hardwood floors though and do BJJ so I don't know exactly how to do that BUT thanks for the BJJ vid! These are all good things to work on. My friend also gave me a book with some stuff in it. 

 

I can't help with any bpm tunes for you, I mostly listen to really heavy stuff (Slipknot, Metallica, etc etc) when working out. Or podcasts. Back when I used to play basketball semi-seriously, I used to get too jazzed up for games so I had to listen to calming meditative music up until game time. Otherwise I would be spazzing out and throwing the ball out of bounds when the game started. 

 

ANYWAY...you got this!

[courtneyc]

Nice job with the working out at home. I really have to start doing that. I have all hardwood floors though and do BJJ so I don't know exactly how to do that BUT thanks for the BJJ vid! These are all good things to work on. My friend also gave me a book with some stuff in it. 

 

I have hardwood floors too...I broke down and ordered some interlocking tiles specifically for MMA. Practicing rolling or any sort of falls/drops on the wood sounds painful. 

['BoutThatActionBoss]

That's way cool! Any recommendations for that? How much did you get and for how much space? Are they a pain to lay out then pick up? 

 

Sorry for all the questions yooooo

[courtneyc]

That's way cool! Any recommendations for that? How much did you get and for how much space? Are they a pain to lay out then pick up? 

 

Sorry for all the questions yooooo

 

I bought these in a 16 pack to make an 8' x 8' square. I leave them where they are, because I have an extra room in my rental. (Some people have guests rooms, I have a fighting room.) If you're looking for something you can lay out and pick up easily, you might consider the trifold gymnastics mats. Those are only 2 or 3 feet wide, so you'd probably need to buy two and work out a way to velcro them together.