BJJ LifeStyle

So true...

2012-02-03T21:09:00.001-08:00

I just found a new compilation of Marcelo Garcia Highlights... Check it out

2012-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

Confidence: Too much or to little you are screwed

2012-01-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

Confidence is a psychological factor that can be either a positive if you have the right amount or a negative if you have too much or too little. Confidence has affected me in both ways.

Too Much:
Last year I went to California to compete in the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Pan American tournament. I had spent many months preparing and felt ready. Half way through my first and final match of the single elimination tournament the referee stopped the action, as I had accidentally pulled the guys pants loose, and I lost my concentration. The match was lopsided; I was destroying my opponent and could see exasperation in his eyes. In that split second I stopped thinking about what I had to do to win, and started thinking wow this is easier than I thought, I felt invincible, I wondered what my next opponents would be like. I hardly noticed that the match had started again. I lost ground, I didn’t care it would be easy to gain it back. I lost more, I still didn’t care. He started attacking a choke, I thought he actually thinks he is going to win, he is just delaying the inevitable, then I realized he really was choking me and so I did what I thought I needed to do to escape. But I didn’t know what choke he had set up because I wasn’t paying attention; it was really tight now I was getting light headed. I had to make a guess, I exploded to my feet. Wrong guess, I went numb, my eyesight faded, then I opened my eyes and I was twitching looking up at the ref. I had passed out and I felt sick to my stomach because it was my arrogance that gave my opponent the match, not his skill.

Too Little:
In my very first competition I didn't have enough confidence I was so nervous I didn't sleep all night. I was tired and shaking from adrenaline, I couldn't think straight and felt like vomiting as I walked out on the mat. My only goal was not to embarrass myself which I thought I was about to do. I had never done anything like this before, I suddenly became terrified that I would injure myself, the next thought was of course I would because my opponent was going to try to force me to quit. I started out great, within 5 seconds I had the best position possible but then I relaxed and suddenly the adrenaline disappeared. I was completely exhausted, I felt like if I closed my eyes I would fall asleep, my muscles started cramping. It was everything I could do to barely cling on to my lead until time ran out. After the match my body was reeling I couldn't recover and I am pretty sure I lost the rest of the matches I had that day.

The right amount:
There are also times when the right about of confidence will help you immensely. I have gone to tournaments where I had enough confidence whereas I was not nervous and did not have to worry about an adrenaline dump, but not so much that I wasn’t focused. My mind was fast, sharp, decisive, and instinctually correct. The only thoughts going on were how do I improve the situation and win. This state is incredible I don’t feel as if or fear that I will lose, but recognize that it is a possibility. I can visualize things before they happen and execute. This is what I always strive for, the goal is that as I develop I can zero in on what puts me in this zone so that I can recreate it at will.

Saw this today today, thought it was pretty funny...

2012-01-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

Back from the Injury... Kind of?

2012-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

I trained this once this week and did two classes, infinitely more times than I trained or went to class last week or the ten prior to that. It was amazing on one hand and frustrating on the other. I had such a good time moving around, and getting back in the swing of things. I could do almost everything I was doing before except for rolling over to finish the arm bar upside down. I somehow lost that muscle memory, but with a little work I am sure it will be back in no time. Not to worried about that. After training and class my knee got stiff, but I relaxed, waited for it to loosen up, then went back at it. The frustrating part came this morning. I was at the Fargo Body Shop and started a nasty nasty workout called Hidalgo and my knee started hurting. Not the bad one either. The left MCL now had twinges of bad pain through various spots in the range of motion. Steph ruled out overcompensation as the cause of injury saying if it were the case it would be my LCL bothering me. We concluded that since I hadn't run in probably half a year, and I ran 1 mile yesterday and two miles today and while I was running today my hip flexers got extremely tight that this might be causing the problem. I aborted the workout and went home, anxious, upset, and frustrated. Luckily however we were right, I stretched and loosened up and the pain was gone. My mood: back to happy and looking forward to the training adventures ahead of me! Can't wait! No the only question that remains in my mind is, "Can I make the Pan?"

New years resolution...

2012-01-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

It seems like everyone makes new years resolutions, historically I haven't made any. This year I am going to break that tradition, albeit a few days late. My resolution is to resume chronicling my journey through BJJ. For those of you who don't know in Oct. I partially tore my MCL and was out for 10 weeks and 1 day. This Monday I tried the instructional portion of the advanced jiu jitsu class. It was terrifying and elating at the same time. Physically I was ok, some things move inside my knee that probably shouldn't be moving; I hope they're just scar tissue that will soon dissolve! But the knee doesn't hurt and a majority of the stability is back. Mentally it was rough, I hesitate when it is time to drive off of my leg or pivot on the foot of the injured leg. Tuesday I did a five minute round with Jin because she is calm and collected while training, light, and good at jiu jitsu. It went well, just one moment of quick fear, I still couldn't get my heal to my butt. This morning I did 30 min of bottom guard and then 30 min of top guard with Darren. I was nervous as he weighs about 50 lbs. more than Jin but it went even better! My heal went to my butt without issue and I feel strong. Plus all the mental training seems to have paid off. There were a couple spots where my body didn't respond instinctively but that will come back fast; technically though I found that I have improved greatly. I was recognizing and executing in positions I was struggling with when I got hurt! Now I just have to keep competing out of my head, take it slow. Maybe I will ban myself from competitiveness until this summer or something like that. All I have to say is, it feels great to be back!!!

How to workout

2011-12-31T20:40:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this website is to provide users with information on how to workout, achieve their goals, and MOST importantly to maintain what they worked so hard to achieve.

[caption id="attachment_54" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Is this what you signed up for?"][/caption]

This idea came to me while on Christmas vacation at my parents. I went with them to their local "Mega Gym" to get my workout in, and in an ad on a huge white marker board sign they wrote, "Did you know? Only 5% of people keep weight off long term! Set up your nutrition coaching today!" The sign was completely appalling, it says after you pay us a lot to achieve your goals here, we will watch 95% of you fail and do nothing about it unless you pay us a lot more ($75/hour at this gym to be exact and that's just the nutrition coaching double that if you want a trainer too!) will we show you how to do it correctly. Maybe this is the norm but it shouldn't be since a gym or fitness center, such as the one I am talking about, will sell you a gym membership using your expectation of getting a certain result. They should then also show you how to succeed or at least tell you the statistics upfront, shouldn't they? This is what I aim to do.

Have you ever walked into the gym and then asked yourself, "What should I do today?" Goal setting is the key to starting off on the right foot. Before you even get to the gym you really need to ask yourself this question: What are my goals? You need to answer this very specifically if you want to know how to workout correctly. The first mistake people make when entering the gym is going straight to the workout without a goal other than to be there, unfortunately, it instantly pushes you toward the all to common gym cycle of doing all that work for no gain in the end. Your goal can be as simple as I want to look better, I want better general fitness, I want to be healthier, I want to be more athletic, I want to feel better physically or mentally, etc. Though simple sounding, the processes behind these goals are not simple and you will need to understand them to be successful. They can also be very specific such as focusing on a single sport or activity you want to excel at. But in this case you aren't there to do the sport, you are there to make yourself better at it. So keep in mind, bodybuilding and power lifting are sports and are in the sports fitness category, you don't go to the gym and body build or power lift you go there to get better at them. The point is decide why you are working out, then discover how to workout.

If you asking yourself how to workout, you need ask someone or find a credible information source, preferably they are one and the same. This is another common area of misstep for the average gym goer. More than likely you should not be asking your buddy who is a "gym rat" what you should be doing to workout. Only do this if he is educated in the matter and/or proven that he can achieve and sustain the same goal you have. More than likely your friend who works out a lot has different goals than you i.e. your goal is sustained weight loss and your friends is to get stronger, and it is something that needs acknowledging because in this scenario their advice would not help you even if it is correct. Lets say for the sake of the argument though you and your buddy have the same goals, now you need to do a little digging. What is the theory and method behind their workouts; how does it work physiologically. If they can't tell you, its a red flag, look somewhere else. Ask them how they decided what workouts to do, if they say they just make stuff up, don't really have a plan, they just do what they feel like, or they do the same workouts day to day or week to week, its another red flag, go elsewhere. If they get injured frequently, red flag. If you workout with them and they aren't actively helping you to correct form and explain why to you, again red flag. You get the drift.

If you ask someone and they can give you educated answers, different workouts every day, the workouts don't repeat for months, and they can show you the theory behind creating your own workouts then this is the person you want helping you. You need variation in working out to help you stay interested in the beginning but it goes deeper than that. You need variation to work out your muscle groups differently so that you don't develop muscle imbalances. If you decide to hire a trainer, don't just let someone train you because they are certified or a "personal trainer" which can be anything. Look up their certifications as well as question them. ASCM is usually a good sign, as it requires a four year degree to get but does not automatically mean someone is good. How many people graduate college without learning anything? A lot right. Some certifications only take a weekend course to achieve so the don't much weight without some other evidence backing them up. So make sure you are happy with how your trainer represents themselves. That being said, some of the best people to seek advice from are not trainers, as mentioned earlier, if you find or know someone who has achieved and sustained your workout goal then its highly probably that they can help you get there too! Don't be afraid to ask! Knowledgeable people are generally willing to share their knowledge because someone shared it with them. In my opinion you will get your best advice from someone who is living what you want to achieve, trainer or not, certifications or not. To sum it all up look for someone who has some sort of proof they know how to workout in a way that can help you accomplish your goal and don't forget about nutrition, whatever your goals understanding it will help you achieve them.

How To Workout

When will our team be competing?

2011-08-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

If you were wondering the IBJJF has now released the schedule for the Las Vegas International Open. Our team members will be competing at these times:

Weights
9am - Doug @ 194.5 and Lucas @ 154
115pm - Dave @ 207.5
150pm - George @ 207.5 Darren @ 167.5

Open Class
4pm - Doug, Lucas
520pm - Dave, Darren
610pm - George

Ebbs and Flows

2011-08-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight my mind is preoccupied with the ups and downs of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu full time. Before I continue I just want to note that the downs are not "bad times," they are all good times. What I mean is I am plateaued and not learning at the rate I normally do, or I feel like my timing is off etc. When I reach this stage I am always raking my mind, looking for ways to break through it. But, like anything in life the answer is something obvious and simple, also something I cringe at. The cure is to take couple days or three off. This is something that I think many of the friends I have met training and competing over the previous few years can relate to. We are addicted to training BJJ and it is a painful thing to take a day off not to mention three. So how do I do it, decide when it is break time? Well, I do the wrong thing, I wait till my body feels like it is on the verge of shutting down, and it seems like every move I make on the mat is going to injure me. At this point my fear of not training for a month or more due to injury overcomes the mental anguish of not training for a few days. I know this is probably the worst way to go about it, so that is why I decided to reach out to my fellow BJJ addicts for help. I have admitted I have a problem and am now asking for assistance... Lol sounds so bad. Anyways how do you guys and gals decide when you need to take a break? Let me know, please!!!

Las Vegas International Open

2011-08-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

We have a team of five people going to compete in the upcoming IBJJF tournament. George Andersch, David Tofte, Darren Coombs, Douglas Cuomo, and Lucas Wertman will all be flying down to Las Vegas next week and staying in a awesome 7 bedroom mansion complete with its own pool and hot tub. Its time to test all that hard work and dedication to training and learning on the line in an highly respected international tournament circuit. The best part of putting together a team to compete at a tournament like this is realizing the dedication of the people behind the scenes! The team here is much larger than just 5 people of course, there are currently about 140 people from all walks of life that are part of the BJJ team, and they are the people that make the team great, and soon many more will be joining the competition team! Stay tuned for results soon after the August 13th tournament!

It's Time!!!

2011-05-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

*Disclaimer - this is going to be written in a hurry so forgive bad syntax, grammar, and grammer. Thanks

As I sit here waiting for James to show up at the Academy, to ride with Audrina and I to Champlain Park for the Submission Hunt Grappling tournament, I started thinking about how much joining FargoBJJ has changed my life and where I would be if I had chosen to do something else at that pivotal moment in my life. This Academy has had such a positive and profound effect on my life that I am grateful to the instructors and fellow students! I have much improved self confidence, a positive outlook on life, and I for the first time ever I fell like I am following the right path in life. It is such a great feeling! I find it amazing that I am about to go compete in a grappling competition; if I had imagined this two and a half years ago before I started training, I would have laughed at the thought as lunacy and well I am getting a little off subject so... The good feeling I was talking about previously is deeper than just the positive impact in my life but the positive changes I see in others as well. To be a part of someone else's effort to find a better life for themselves is incredible! So students, and non-students alike come in a make a difference in your life, make a difference in someone else's life, be a part of the family here!!! Its time to make a difference.

Submission Hunt!!!

2011-05-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

This Saturday several students from Fargo's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy, FargoBJJ, are headed to the cities to compete in the Submission hunt. In addition to the several adult students going to compete there are at least 5 kids planning on making the trip to compete in the kids divisions! Stay tuned for results!!!

Back at it, with a PanAm 2011 recap

2011-04-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has been a while since I wrote about life at FargoBJJ, and it is time to start up again. First, what I have been up to: the last weekend in March Jacob and I flew to LA to compete in the PanAms. Well I am getting a little ahead of myself. First the two of us trained for the PanAms, we train year round but a few months out we focused our training specifically for the PanAmerican tournament. Jake and I worked our conditioning at 701 Crossfit in Fargo and MaxTrain in Moorhead respectively. For competition training we got together with some of FargoBJJ's best who are interested in the hard training and competing and trained as hard as we could, and put ourselves in all the situations we thought we might experience during the tournament. We were still maintaining our typical class regimen too, and to top it off we had to cut back on our diets so that we could make weight! The IBJJF tournaments require you to weigh in with your gi on, immediately before you compete, so we wanted to come in walking around at weight instead of cutting before hand. I competed first, and I did great controlling the stand up, passing easily and dominating top position working for submissions... for a while :( Part way through the match the referee stopped it to adjust my opponents pants and I lost concentration. I started thinking of all sorts of things other than the task at hand and when the match restarted, although I was in dominate position, it slowly slid downhill from there. I was choked out and learned a valuable lesson. That no matter the situation it is necessary to constantly stay vigilant, focused on the task at hand. Now, Jacob was competing soon I had to recompose myself and be a good teammate and coach. This was the most difficult thing I have accomplished yet in my BJJ career. I was mad at myself, and down, really really down! For a period of time that seemed like an eternity I had to keep telling myself that it wasn't my time anymore and I needed to do everything I could to help my teammate win. It was hard but shortly thereafter I put the loss out of my mind and was helping Jake. This was his first tournament, and one so big for a first is amazing. We spent some time talking about adrenaline and how it affects the body and what to be prepared for. Then talked game plan and what ifs. When it came time for the match I could tell that Jake had a serious adrenaline dump, he was slow and lethargic, definitely not his typical explosive style. He got in a really bad spot right away but managed to survive, and started to recover! Now he was on point and making good decisions, he started improving his positions, he swept and got on top and started passing with control, but alas this was only a five min. match. Time was up and the competition ended with Jake on top of half guard and a gassed opponent stalling out in desperate exhaustion. Way to go, Jake, stepping it up big for your first tournament, and way to go overcoming huge adversity, and way to go ending it well! It was a great preformance!!!

FargoBJJ Society!

2011-03-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Recently I have had a run of things if life that could have gotten me down, and I wanted to talked a little bit about how I made it through them. For starters, I was planning on opening a athletic performance training franchise in Wahpeton, ND with a friend of mine. We worked on it for about a year and in January I moved to Wahpeton thinking that we would open our doors by the end of February. It didn't happen, and we were now talking of opening in June or July, and I had at that point run out of money. I wasn't going to be able to do anything, not even by gas to commute to Fargo to train at FargoBJJ. This was potential devastation to me as the academy has become such a huge part of my life, I live for it! I had to do something and I resolved to talk to Joe my business partner and tell him I needed to pull out of the venture and find work. I didn't know how it was going to go over. Joe was a good friend, and training partner from FargoBJJ. When I told him, I was scared a valued friendship was going to end, but on the contrary he was supportive, and offered to give me all the money I had invested back. How generous of him! I accepted half of it, his generosity allowed me to pay my bills, survive for another month, and start to get back on my feet. I was able to commute to Fargo, which in turn allowed me to get a job. Not just any job either, my dream job, and a highly coveted one too! George and Sarah hired me to be the first paid employee of FargoBJJ. Another amazing gesture from another great friend made through the academy! Things were going great, I was feeling like I was on the right path of life and my troubles were coming to an end, the only thing that was taking its toll on me was the 500-600$ a month I spent on commuting to Fargo almost everyday through January and February. But no fear, FargoBJJ again proves that they take care of their own. This time it was Tim and Michelle that stepped up. They had an extra room in their house and said I could stay there until I was able to find someone to take over the lease I had on the apartment in Wahpeton, FOR FREE too! How generous, how many families do you know would welcome you into there house? I know a few and have met almost all of them through FargoBJJ. Now things were going really well, and I was finally was back to positive cash flow and feeling good! :) But disaster was lurking just around the corner, and at an icy intersection in West Fargo a car making a right turn at a red light didn't see me, I hit them hard totaling my car. I haven't had a car for a bit now and am finally picking up a new vehicle this afternoon, so how have I been getting around. Tim and Michelle didn't hesitate to offer me rides in the morning so I could get to the academy for work, Sarah let me take her SUV to Wahpeton so I could retrieve my car title and was able to receive my insurance settlement asap, George gave me a ride across Fargo/West Fargo that took 45 minutes out of his busy day, and Cole another FargoBJJ patron yet to be mentioned, loaned me a car so I could drive to Alexandria to test drive a vehicle I found a good deal on. Then didn't care in the slightest that I got it stuck an my girlfriends and said I could return it the next morning. Well the test drive went well and I am going back to Alexandria to pick it up today, and you may ask how I am getting there? Well Brian a good friend of mine, who I came in contact with through FargoBJJ, is going to pick me up at noon and make the 200 mile round trip to help me out. Such generosity! I am so overwhelmed to realize that I have such great friends, and I met them all at the same place too! No wonder this academy means so much to me. The atmosphere and society that is developing here is incredible and so positive, just to much to give justice with all the praises that are available through language. Join George and Sarah's academy was the single best decision I even made in my entire life. I want to thank them and all of my teammates here for being the people that they are! Thank You truly from the bottom of my heart!

Great Training Today

2011-03-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

I was just sitting at the computer working, needing a break but pushing through, then all of the sudden who comes strolling in? The entire Grand Junction Crew Lucas, Colton, Ben, and Chris all of them ready to do some training! :D I did 5, 5 minute rounds with these guys and it was an awesome break to the day, and they kept training for another hour until 330pm. It looked like a lot of fun but, I will be doing class and competition team training tonight. Competition team training... PanAms I a taking your gold :)

Hilarity ensues from DraculinoTeamTx!!!

2011-03-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

Provoking a Giant - Part 2 : Ball Grabbers

Noon classes are growing!!!

2011-03-01T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today was the largest Noon class yet. I just taught fundamentals BJJ and there was 12 people! :) What a great break from the work day it was too! Its crappy outside and work is work, stress builds up as we all wish for the warmth of the sun. Well its not here so should we let it get to us? We all know the answer to the question but do we do anything about it? Maybe, maybe not... but the people at FargoBJJ sure have their lifestyle priorities in order. Coming to class, escaping the back, and getting a good sweat going. A nice break from work, refresh the mind and body then head back to work feeling good because you did something positive and good for your soul. I think this is the key to a happy life, you have to do something positive everyday to feel good, and I wish I could impart this to everyone, everyday but alas that is impossible. But if you are interested in feeling good then come to FargoBJJ and check out class at noon.

Gracies breakdown UFC 127- these guys are the best!

2011-03-01T11:56:00.001-08:00

The way you learn makes a difference!

2011-02-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

I have been training with a few newer students during the daytime, one in particular has come in from another school. We have had several people join from this school, people with previous experience, that have been training for a bit and the response has always been the same. They are shocked at what they learn here with us and the methods we use to teach. Yesterday I trained with the guy I was referring to above and after drilling and talking about the positions we were in for about 30 min, he just looked at me and said he was blown away by how much he was learning at FargoBJJ after only a few classes. He follow this up by saying he couldn't believe he trained at this other school for as long as he did without covering the stuff we were doing as it seemed really basic. And it was really basic, all things that are covered in our fundamentals program which just goes to show you the importance of the method and environment in which you learn. Coming from the line of excellent instructors that George and Sarah come from, we are truly lucky to have all there experience and methods brought to us! We are also lucky to be able to learn in the environment that they created here. A relaxed comfortable environment :) An environment in which you have a chance to learn without getting roughed up, where everyone is encouraging and helpful. This is what makes a great academy. This is why FargoBJJ is great!

Fundamentals Class is the Place to Be

2011-02-21T10:34:00.001-08:00

The title of this article sums it up, when you want to learn something you start with the basics. This holds true to life not just Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and as you advance in life or BJJ you always go back to the basics. Einstein started with 1+1=2 not E=MC^2 and do you think he never played with simple addition again after he realized how much energy was contained in an object? Last week in the Fundamentals program at FargoBJJ we learned different escapes from the mount and the same thing happened to me that happens to me every time this class comes around. I realize that instead of working on x, y,or z move that what I should be working on is bridging. My bridge is weak, my bridge form is sloppy I lead with my chest instead of my hips, and no time is this more glaring than when I try to buck and roll people! And when I look back my BJJ game reflects this too, I would be so much better if I could fix this thing, and its a huge thing! When I introduce people to BJJ at the academy the first thing I tell them is that the single most important attribute in BJJ is the ability to move your hips. So it is embarrassing that I haven't been working on my hips, everyone says work on the basics if you want to be good, I say that, but do I. Not often enough! So what should I do about this? I need to practice my bridge. Where is the best place to practice this? In fundamentals class where my partner is giving me minimal resistance and I have the time to realize my mistakes and attention I need to correct my mistakes. If I were to just come in and train I would be less apt to concentrate on the little details as things would be moving much faster. So when its time to improve the game, you should look to fundamentals class and we will be killing it in no time :)

The Importance of Training with the Big Man

2011-02-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a full day of teaching and training for me. I woke up in the morning to this schedule: 10am Chiropractor, Noon teaching Fundamentals B Day, which was a great class by the way! 1pm Intro, 2pm another intro, 6pm open mat, 630pm KickBoxing, 730pm Masters Class. Now this is a long day with some running around and a very late lunch, it would be easy and understandable to not want to do something to wear you out before it even started. I had the opportunity to train with Matt at 11am before I started teaching; now Matt at 230 is 40lbs heavier than me, extremely flexible, very technical, and does not have the typical "big guy movement" but is very fluid. All my goals on the other hand need this training to accomplish, not only do I love competing but I love competing in the open weight and absolute divisions of tournaments too! Most bigger guys are slower and if they are bulky with muscle tire much much faster than me, but I do have a hard time dealing with their strength and sometimes get stuck and over powered. I need to confront this problem now as it only is going to get harder in the future. So I asked Matt if he wanted to train in the am Tuesdays and Thursdays 11am before I teach. And so it starts and Matt asks me what I wanted to work on. I chose the position opposite the one Matt's A-game revolves around. I need to get smashed and find a way out. So bottom of half guard it was... and I suffered... A LOT! I got tapped every couple of minutes over and over again, and the one or two times I got on top Okay Okay just the one time I got on top, I swept and passed then stopped and went back to bottom. Why? Because a champion doesn't take the easy route he studies, works hard, and evolves. A champion is always looking for the next challenge to overcome. A champion does not stop trying, and I want to be a champion so I must follow this path. Its a hard path to start and and even harder path to follow but if you can find a way to make it fun, your rewards will be incredible. I had fun training with Matt yesterday and will again on Tuesday, I am sure of it. And you know what, what do you think I will feel win I step out on the mat to compete next time, when I face a weaker, less skilled opponent than my training partner? I will feel relaxed, I will feel comfort, I will feel my hard work pay off, I will feel victory, I will feel happy!

So Train with those who are better than you, those who smash you, Train with the Big Man and you will feel it too!

Midday Training with Kris F

2011-02-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

Today while I was sitting at work, I had this sudden urge to do some drilling. At first I just kept working but the desire was persistent. I just knew that if I trained something good would happen, something really good. So I made a few calls, put up a desperate plea on my facebook page and thankfully Kris F. was nearby and responded. First we worked breaking down strong posture in the guard, and where to go from the particular technique that we were using. Where did we go... to the back! Everything I have been training, drilling, and even thinking about involves going to the back. It was awesome, and it is really paying off! Next we worked on setting up the arm triangle from anywhere we could think of, and what to do if we couldn't finish from there. I bet you can guess where we went if we didn't finish; yeah that is right, we went to the BACK. Ask me any BJJ question, from now on, my answer will be go to the back LOL! Then as Kris headed out Joe came in and me and Joe picked right up working on taking the back from the arm triangle position. What a great attack, I am putting together an entire series from finish to start so stay tuned for more, but if you want to learn it come on in!!!

Watch the Gracies Break down Fedor vs Silva?

2011-02-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

Want to know what Antonio Bigfoot Silva did right and what Fedor Emelianenko did wrong?

Great Friends & Great Times

2011-02-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my girlfriend, Audrina, and I had dinner with Bill and Stephanie, some friends from FargoBJJ. The food was great: Baked Salmon, and Salad with Fruit and Nuts. After dinner the four of us competed in a dance competition using XBOX kinect was was an awesome awesome fantastic time, it also got me thinking. How many times have I hung out with people from the gym? How many weekends were filled with fun times, how many friends have I made there?

In addition to be a great place to train, FargoBJJ also provides a great social atmosphere, as it is filled with some of the best people I know. I moved to Fargo, not knowing anyone that lived here, to go to paramedic school at FMAmbulance. With school and clinicals taking up almost all my time and wearing me out I knew I needed something to balance my life with physical activity and socializing. I already had a membership at the YMCA but lifting weights all by yourself is boring and not satisfying my social needs. I had driven by FargoBJJ almost every day since moving to Fargo, and one day decided to stop in. I knew almost nothing about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu other than the fact it was grappling. I figured I would get a workout in, and maybe make some friends, and if nothing else try something new... a little much needed adventure in my life. Well now its almost two and a half years later and almost every friend I have in Fargo is somehow tied to FargoBJJ. What great people to have in my life. I am so blessed!

Thank you for everything FargoBJJ Family :)

BJJ Rules the Night

2011-02-13T11:35:00.000-08:00