Jeff is really working to grow the tournaments, and this can be seen by the number of black and brown belts wh0 are competing.  In this tournament, we had 6 black belts competing round robin in three different weight classes.   My coach squared up against a guy whom I’m not familiar with.  My impression is that he’s a Judo black belt who may or may not hold rank in BJJ.  Not sure.  But it was pretty lopsided.  In the first of the two matches, James pulled him into guard, swept him with a butterfly sweep into side control, moved to mount and then caught him with a cross collar choke.  In the second match, James took him down with a fireman’s carry that he likes, into side control, moved to mount and then caught him with another lapel choke from mount (or ezekial.  I couldn’t really see the choke). 

Overall, our guys did really well and I’m really proud of the school.  I’m very proud of Elena.  It was clear that she was very nervous about the entire thing, but she went out there and did really well.  She won her first match, against a girl from our sister school, Combat Sports and Fitness run by Jeff Hougland.  Then she lost her second match, but I’m sure that she could have pulled it out.  I’m not the only one who thinks she really kicked butt.

Scott did well, as did Trey.   Scott is strong as an ox, and his takedowns did it for him on Saturday.  Trey is a guy who came to us having trained for about a year on the East Coast.  I left before his matches, but I guess he just owned his white belt division, by either tapping his guys quickly or winning on points by margins in the double digits.  He’s technical and extremely dynamic and a great addition to the school. 

Congrats also to Ethan, who pulled in third and second in his divisions.  Were it not for some weird officiating calls and his opponent in nogi getting a double-bye straight into the finals match, I think Ethan’s day would have gone much differently.  I’m not sure how Ethan won two matches to get to the finals and ended up fighting a guy who had no matches.  But, there ya go.   

My match wasn’t all that exciting… at least, not for me.  My opponent is a four stripe blue belt from down in Fife who trains at a Marcelo Alonso affiliate.  He’s also, I hear, the wrestling coach at Fife High School.  So, with that in mind, I pulled guard and was working a closed guard game for a while.  My first mistake was when he stood up.  I opened my guard (not a mistake) and allowed him to control my legs and pass (big mistake).  My second mistake was to roll to turtle, which I don’t do a lot of at class, worrying about giving up points, rather than working from side control to regain half guard, which I do ALL THE TIME at class.  So, I avoided giving him points for a pass, but then I was in turtle, where he was working to get his hooks in.  I defended for a while, but eventually, he took my back, flattened me out and ultimately got the RNC.  Hats off to him.  He was certainly better than me on Saturday.    But, that said, I didn’t feel like he was a lot stronger than me, nor did I feel completely outclassed.  I was also happy that it wasn’t nerves that got me, either.  I wasn’t nervous really all day long.  I had some butterflies, but nothing major. 

A while back, I identified half-guard as an area where I was really weak.  While I’m far from invincible in half-guard, I’m a lot more comfortable there than before, after pulling half guard in sparring for a few months.  I focused on a few techniques and work them over and over.   I’m certainly going to work on expanding my arsenal from half-guard, but I feel like I now have a fundamental competence from which to work.

In language, there’s active and passive vocabulary.  Active vocabulary words are those that we use all the time… the words that represent our written or oral voice.  Passive vocubulary are words that we know and understand, but don’t use or even think to use in speech.   Our passive vocabularies are much, much larger than our active vocabularies.  I know, on a cerebral level, a couple of things to do from turtle.  These techniques are part of my passive vocabulary.  What I need to do now is move them into my active BJJ vocabulary so that they’re there for me when I need them. 

With this in mind, my goals now are to really open up my guard game and to work from turtle.  Every sparring match, I’m going to start from turtle.   My goals will be to either reverse or regain guard, and of course, not get choked out.  Once there, to open up my guard and really work on just being more comfortable.

I’m really looking forward to the tournament on Saturday.  Of course, I’m going to do my best and will be disappointed if I lose.  But win or lose, I’m going to have a good time.  Tonight, though, I’m watching Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen with my kids.  So far, so good.  

Only other bit of news is that I’m trying out the Windows Live Writer software.  I picked up a 3 pack Windows 7 upgrade the other day.  I plan to upgrade my Apple iMac when they get bootcamp and Windows 7 to get along, and it was only a few dollars more for three licenses.  So, as a result, my little netbook got the upgrade, too.  This offiline blogger software is pretty slick.  It even uploads pictures to my ftp site.  Pretty cool. 

I worked hard at class yesterday. Bing took us through a pretty good warmup, and then got us right into sparring. We started the first half hour standing and then the second half hour from the ground.

I got my ass handed to me by both Josh and Bing, but feel pretty good about my other matches. I think I’ll be okay in the tournament if I just stay calm and work my game.

Tonight’s family night. I think the Transformer’s sequel came in Netflix yesterday, so we’ll watch that. Weigh ins are up in Tukwilla tomorrow evening and then Saturday is the Revolution Tournament.

Oh, and Saturday night, win or lose, I’m drinking a beer and a medium rare ribeye.

At the Eric Estrada Stage.

I want to thank you guys again for your continued support during my Mustaches vs Cancer campaign on behalf of the pediatric department at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.   So far, we’ve got $70 in and I can’t thank you enough for it.  Overall, the Mustaches vs Cancer campaign has raised over $22,000 for the kids at MSKCC. 

But we’re only halfway through the campaign.  My stache is growing and I’d really like to at least double the number of contributions in the second half.  They make it very easy to donate.  You can use PayPal or just give them a call.

In jiu jitsu news, I’m looking forward to Saturday.  I was 187 on the scale this morning.  I’ve been so busy, this post was actually started on Friday and I’m only now getting back to it.  Brown Belt Thad ran class that day and I picked up a couple of good tips that I don’t want to forget.  

The first is a simple one.  Just widening the knee out when you’re finishing the armbar from the top.  It’s a basic thing that I feel like I should have known, but… well, there you go.  I didn’t know it.  When I’m finishing an armbar, I’m so focused on heels back, knees tight and all of that, I’d never thought about whether I was actually giving my opponent space to counter.  So, when I’m moving to armbar from mount, I’m going to think about widening my outside knee out to pin his head and keep him from being able to turn in. 

The other tip was one of those things where it completely shifts how you move.  I’ve always been like an uncoordinated oaf when trying to transition to S Mount.  It’s been pathetic.  Thad told me to forget about the back leg and just concentrate on driving the front knee up and around so that it’s right behind my opponent’s head.  Focusing on the lead knee made a huge difference in how I moved around.  It felt a lot better, and the trailing leg seems to slide right into place, putting a lot of pressure on my opponent’s diaphragm. 

Sunday class was led by Bobi, who showed us a couple of defensive takedowns from a blocked single leg.  So, a person shoots for a single leg on me, my first step is to block him by framing the arm on the same side as the trapped leg to keep him from climbing that leg and getting the leverage he needs for his takedown.  From there, depending on his grips, I would have two options. 

The first, if he’s gripping in a way that I have space to take his arm, I would get a figure-four, kimura grip on the arm inside, take a little hop in to get my hips closer to his and then basically drop and do a backward roll while using the leverage from the kimura to take him with me.  Keeping the grip, I should end up in either mount or a position to finish the kimura (depending upon how the roll goes).   Bobi also shared a tip for finishing the kimura.  Where someone has grabbed his belt or pant leg to defend, you can bring the same side knee up and then use that as a fulcrum, levering your own forearm up so that it easily breaks his grip (if that makes any sense at all.)

The second take down is, from the same shallow single leg position (remember, I framed up and kept him lower on my leg), I’ll work to get his head on the outside where I can either chinstrap or get a lapel grip.  From here I’ll take a hop in so I can grab his leg behind the knee, or his gi pants at the knee if it’s gi.  The take down is, in one motion, driving my trapped leg back while using my grips to take him down.

I was wearing my cool green Gameness Pearl gi.  My back is feeling pretty good, and I’m just looking to have fun at class.  Today (Sunday), I’m going to head up to Seattle for a referee’s meeting at Ivan Salaverry’s gym.  Jeff B. likes to have all of the guys who are going to referee for him get together and go over the rules.  While I don’t referee, I do help Jeff manage the mats and such.  It’s also a chance to get some rolling in, as we run live matches so the refs can get some practice with immediate feedback from Jeff.

Back to last Friday, I had a couple of good sparring matches.  I got to roll with purple belt Bing, which is always an adventure.  He’s always doing something strange, whether it’s 93 guard or upside down guard or whatever.  You never know what you’re going to get from him.  But I pushed it a little, tried not to roll lazy and feel pretty good.

I did the same with brown belt, Thad.  As we started, he tried to get to half guard.  I tried to kneeslide over to side control, but got too high and ended up getting swept.  I ended up under side control, then as he moved to knee on belly,  I over-committed to a bridge and he got hold of an arm and was working for a kimura.  I defended that for a while, eventually managing to get to turtle and then roll back to guard.  As he passed to my half guard, I locked in a deep cross collar choke.

I didn’t finish it, but I’ve been thinking about why not.  First and easiest reason is, it’s Thad.  It’s going to be difficult to finish anyone with a gladiator name like Thadius!

It was one of those where you’re sitting there… and you KNOW it’s deep and you KNOW you’re one little detail from finishing.  I was focused on getting my leg through back to guard.   While I’m sure that had I been able to do that, it would have worked, in thinking about it I’m pretty sure I could have finished it from half-guard.   Had I concentrated less on pulling him in to me and more on doing a side crunch motion to tighten up the choke (if that makes any sense at all), I’m pretty sure it would have done the job.

In other news, check out my ex-white Gameness Pearl gi:

Gameness Pearl Dyed Green

And a close up:

Close up of the color and stiching

This gi turned out really well.   While there are still some variations in the color, it looks really good and looks like it came from the factory this color.  Because Gameness uses a synthetic thread, it doesn’t take the dye, making it look really cool.

Still working up to tie dye.

I got the gi in the mail and tried it on.  It’s not pre-shrunk and the only adornment are two patches on the sleeves: the US flag on one shoulder and the Brazilian flag on the other.  I received an A4, which is listed as fitting guys between 6′ and 6′4, 200 to 250 lbs.  Of course, at 5′10″ and ~185 lbs, I was swimming in it.  But after I washed it twice in hot water, it shrunk up nicely.

The Razorback Gold Weave Gi

My first impressions on opening up the package are pretty good.  The gi is pretty light and looks well made.  The pants are a little thinner than what you’ll find from a high end gi, but are reinforced at all the right spots.  The top is made from a sturdy, gold weave fabric.

Inside Seams of Gi

This gi, as you can see, is made from a three piece top.  While all of the seams look sturdy and are reinforced at all of the stress points, this does separate this gi from some of the more expensive models available.  Top tier BJJ kimonos are made from a single piece of fabric for comfort and durability.  Seams in the fabric can be a potential tearing point.  Also, a seam down the back can be uncomfortable if you’re working from the bottom in guard.  On the mat, I didn’t notice the seam at all.

The fit is roomy, cut with a little more space than some BJJ gis I’ve owned.  What I mean is, the sleeves are a little roomier, and the pants don’t have that tailored cut that some of the other brands sport.   On the spectrum of gis I’ve owned, this gi fits much like my Atama #7 and the Padilla and Sons gold weave gis.  Another one that comes to mind is the Gameness single weave gi.

Back of the Gi

Some Ratings:

Value:   5 out of 5.

This is a better than student grade gi.  In quality, it’s compares very favorably to an HCK single weave at $80 or the Gameness Single Weave at $78 in quality.  If you’re considering purchasing your first BJJ gi, a solid backup or an inexpensive replacement, I highly recommend this gi.  As of this review, Douglas is selling these gis for $65 each.  That’s a steal for a gold weave BJJ kimono.

Fit: 3.5 out of 5

The fit is baggier than I like.  I prefer to have a more tailored cut to my gis and feel like I’m swimming in this top.  The pants are also pretty baggy.  This is largely a matter of preference, though.  If you’re a bigger dude, or if you prefer something closer in fit to a Judo gi, this will be ideal for you.    I’ll qualify this by saying that I’ve only washed this gi three times and it’s not pre-shrunk, so I expect that it will shrink a bit more.

Provided you purchase a gi that fits you correctly, this one will have no problems meeting IBJJF specs for fit and construction.  Before you buy, I would recommend shooting an email to Douglas to find out from him what size he recommends.  I wash my gis in warm/hot water and machine dry them, so I expect a little more shrinkage than others might.

Durability:  3 out of 5

I’m giving this gi a 3 for durability, but this was a tough one and I honestly kept waffling between 2.5 and 3.

Pros:  All of the stress points are well reinforced and the stitching looks solid.  The gold weave fabric is nice and looks strong.

Cons:  The pants are a little thin and the jacket is constructed from three panels of fabric, resulting in seams along the middle and down the back.

While this gi clearly won’t last as long as a more expensive gi, it’s selling for $65.  Comparing it to others in the same “class” of gi (which are all more expensive), such as the Gameness Single Weave, I’d say this is as well made and the gold weave fabric is sturdier.   I wouldn’t be surprised if the jacket outlasts the pants.

Douglas, over at Razorback Jiu Jitsu, sent me a gi he’s had made. It’s a gold weave top, with very little added flair. The only decorations are two flag patches on the sleeves, one the US flag and the other side is the Brazilian flag.

This looks like a well made gi, a step up from the typical fare at this price point.  I’ll post pictures and more details later, but in the meantime, if you’re interested in getting more information, contact Douglas.

Mustaches vs Cancer is going well.  Thanks again to those of you sponsoring my stache to support the pediatric department at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.  But we have about 5 weeks to go and I’d like to raise a lot more money.  We’re at $50 right now and the campaign as a whole has raised over $11k for the charity.  So, please, if you have been considering making a donation,  I’d really appreciate your support regardless of amount.  They take donations by paypal, or you can call the cancer center directly if you’d prefer.

After warm-ups, we moved into some limited sparring. Guard passes, half guard passes and then mount. In the first two, there were no submissions; the idea was to pass from on top or sweep from on bottom. The mount drills opened up to submissions from top. It was here that the evening unraveled for me a little bit. I started off with purple belt Doug who passed my guard with ease. Then, pretty much everyone else did, too. Ugh. The rest of drills went no better. After class I wondered if I had taken a little of my frustration out on Frye, a white belt whom I like quite a bit. He was on the bottom in the mount drill and I caught him with the ezekial choke, which is something I’m working on from that position. I don’t think I was malicious and I know that I gave him a little room to work, but at the same time, that I’m thinking about it now is a pretty good sign that I was probably a bit of a jerk.

Sparring went no better. I got lots of matches in, but just didn’t seem to be able to do anything but defend. I had no real offense to speak of. Just a blah day, but we all have them. On the plus side, my back seems to be holding up well and I’m feeling pretty good, looking forward to Friday’s afternoon class.

All that said, there are some little details that I haven’t yet figured out.  First, does anyone have any blogroll tips?  On Blogger, it was relatively easy to tie the blogroll to my RSS subscriptions.  I love that.  Second, are there any plugins you guys think I can’t live without?  I’ve installed a few over the last few days, but I’m sure there are some that I need… I just don’t know it yet.

My back is feeling pretty good right now and better every day.  The birds are chirping.  The sun is… well, shining somewhere.  All in all, I’m feeling pretty good.  Now, in a few hours when the lithium wears off, I might be singing a different tune. 

Just… kidding about the lithium. 

I worked out with my bud, Elena, yesterday.  It’s really been helping me to get some mat time in outside of class.  Elena and I are pretty similar in that we’re both coming into BJJ later in our adult lives.  We’re also both visual learners.  It seems that most people who are naturals at BJJ are kinetic learners.   That is to say that they learn by doing.  I learn by watching.  I have to see something, to be able to recreate it in my mind before my body can figure it out.  Now, this isn’t to say that “hands on” is unimportant to me.  Rather, I get nothing out of the “hands on” UNLESS my brain has first wrapped itself around the technique.  I can do something 100 times, but if I don’t understand it, it gets flushed from the memory banks as soon as I’m done.  Elena is much the same way.  So, we go slow, working through techniques without any pressure to do them quickly.   It seems to help her, because I can answer many of her basic questions, filling in details that she’s forgotten about the fundamentals.  It really helps me because she’s at a point where I can focus on using as little strength as possible and really zero in on clean technique, particularly those techniques that are somewhat new to me. 

Mustaches vs Cancer is going well.  I want to thank again everyone who’s checked out the website, particularly those of you who have (or who intend to) sponsor my mustache by making a donation to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center pediatric department.

Was wiped out by the time I went a long round with Ethan, who’s guard is getting pretty scary.  Then I finished up with a good 10 or 12 minutes with a white belt who’s crosstraining in Judo.  Very cool, although I’m not sure quite what to make of him.  He’s a very nice guy, never complains and doesn’t talk much.  But he’s just so… passive.  Sure, I understand that BJJ isn’t about strength, but there’s a certain amount of… what?  Commitment?  Something… aggression?  I don’t know.  Just haven’t quite figured him out yet.

Update 2

On the mustache front, I’m five days behind the rest of the pack, but it’s starting to come in. With my red facial hair, it’s going to be a good week or so before my magnificent mustache begins looking totally awesome.

But in the meantime, I want to thank those of you who have taken a few minutes to check out the Mustaches vs Cancer website, as well as the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Please consider making a donation.  Paypal will show up right away on the site, but if you prefer, you can make a payment directly to the MSKCC.  If you do send decide to go directly to the Cancer Center, please let them know that your donation is for Mustaches vs Cancer and you’re sponsoring Stevebjj.