Small Details

Well I managed Monday/Thursday last week and Monday this week and while my back is holding up well I am physically feeling it and really need to stick to that new year diet to get some weight off and some cardio up.

So my January 1st weight was 24st 8lb and hopefully over the months this will go down and down as I get fitter and stronger.

Anyway the point of this is around a class that I did with Gregg on Thursday and one with Chaz yesterday along with some conversations with John.

The classes have been focused around two relatively simple things, an arm bar and a sweep but have shown me that while the basics are still there the small details are what I have forgotten or have become blunted by 19 months away.

As Gregg put it “if you know an arm bar from mount you know one arm bar, if you know true and proper arm bar technique you know many many arm bars” and this is very true and what I am missing. I know what I need to do but at the moment am too slow or just not quite getting it and I was not sure why, basically it is down to fine details. Doing it all properly but not turning my hips right, or putting a foot on the floor rather than on their hip or a number of things.

The basics are there but the drilling that I have done over and over has left me a little bit and I am sort of running at that level where I almost have it and the instincts are already coming back but it is just behind a step.

All this really is to make the point that as boring as it might seem to drill the basics over and over if you don’t you will never ever get the helicopter arm bars or inverted guard. Build from a solid foundation and try driving a car first before you move to a flying car.

Dói, mas passa

Well I survived training which was in itself a thing of doubt and it was hard, even harder than I expected.

As ever the guys at the forge were brilliant and it was great to be back but when I was dying on my shield half way through the slow jog as part of the warm up I realised this might be a long and physically difficult night……….

………….and it was.

My fitness after so long away was just horrible and I struggled even when drilling but I got through it and after some light sparring with my good mates Gregg, Chris and Chaz everything held together and nothing popped, cracked or more importantly ruptured into my spinal column 🙂

I got home and after an hour sat in the chair I felt like I might not be able to get upstairs to bed as I ached, I then spent most of the night running in my sleep and aching, and mostly awake. But this is not much different to how it used to be and will get better as I put the hours back in and my body gets used to the knee/elbow in belly/sternum and the elbow in thigh among other fun things.

This morning I feel like I have fallen downstairs into a barrel of kendo sticks and rolled round for an hour but my back feels OK and that is the main thing.

So with all that in mind am I back or is it all too much for me, well I will be back again Thursday to do it all again as despite the aches pains and moans I loved being back. I still want to progress in this sport more than anything so what else can I do but keep pushing on smiling and aching all the way.

Guess who’s (broken) back

Well 2014 rolls around and I am making my second attempt at a come back, the first attempt was just over a year from my surgery to take a disc out of my back and chuck a new one in and was too soon I was too injured after every small effort at training to keep it up and setting myself back.

I am back walking properly no sign of the permanent limp they said I might have and bar a few issues left over from damage to my spinal nerves I am healed and well.

So once again I am back to BJJ which I have sorely missed and have always had it in my mind that I wanted to come back and one day earn my way through the belts. Who knows it could happen I just have to re dedicate myself and start the path again.

It has now been 19 months with no exercise bar a couple of hours and as such it is hard to see how I will do as I am less fit now than I have ever ever been but that will all come back with training and work.

Since have been away my mate Gregg is a brown belt with a stripe and James is a brown belt, well done to you both it is an immense achievement and something to be very very proud of.

Steve W is a black belt and that is fantastic and something that I genuinely aspire too and cannot say well done enough or how deserved it is.

If I have missed anyone it is because I haven’t been around and don’t know so my apologies.

Lets see how tonight goes and how I feel tomorrow I can’t wait but am also a bit apprehensive as another break down would really annoy me but I feel very positive towards it all.