Blue Belt

*Wow! Haven't posted in here for over a year....yikes

On August 25th I was promoted to blue belt. I was pretty stoked and it was a great feeling.

I've been doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for almost 3 years now. Now the usual time frame for someone to get to blue belt is an estimate of 1-2 years and sometimes a lot faster if the student is more dedicated. But for me, in my 1st year I was on and off a lot due to breaking my wrist at my very 1st BJJ tournament, splitting my head open twice on 2 different occasions, and other injuries...LOL

I honestly never really cared about achieving the blue belt level or didn't really focus on belt colors when I first started. Reaching ranks and colors was never my goal....and it still isn't....I initially joined BJJ because my brother did it, so I tried it out and fell in love with the sport, plus for self defense. But as you progress in the sport, you start to understand rankings and belt colors. It's like a mark of your skill set and a recognition from your instructors on how far you've progressed and learned. So I learned to accept it and it really is a great achievement for myself or for anyone who is involved in this sport and who wants to get to the next level.

I have lots to learn still and much to improve on. I also want to thank my gym Green Bay Jiu Jitsu, Greg, Troy, Scott 360 and my Team Domination team members.

Missing BJJ

Today is May 19th 2011. I haven't rolled for about 3 weeks now and I feel miserable...

1. I injured my elbow and 2. I had to slow down on BJJ, due to, trying to taper and peak on time for the Cellcom Full Marathon. Now my legs are shot and I hope they heal fast!

I need to ROLL...

"Brazilian Jui Jitsu is my crack and the mats are my pipe..."

funny, I just made that up...HAHA (since I sound like a crackhead feening for a habit)

360 BJJ Arrival

TGIF!!!!...I'm so bored at work and read so many articles and blogs so far, that I feel tired *yawn*

So this Monday, 4/11/11, I took off 2 hours early from work and headed down to Milwaukee with some of the Green Bay Jiu Jitsu guys. It was actually a really good turnout, as 14 of us were able to head down and train with Scott Huston and his 360 BJJ guys. Wow, the drive seemed so much longer then usual and I've traveled down to Milwaukee multiple times before.

We finally arrived at 360 BJJ and was greeted by Scott. Everyone of the GBJJ guys were stoked and we all agreed that it felt like our first day in class all over again. Mainly due to the new atmosphere, new training environment and meeting the Milwaukee guys. 360 BJJ is a lot bigger then I thought it was. We didn't have a chance to warm up or stretch, just got changed into our gis and started drilling techniques. Scott was very very detailed and precise with his explanations of techniques. We drilled for about 45 minutes or so, then went into full on rolling. Rolling was fun, except I didn't get much of a chance to roll with everyone there. I rolled with Scotts blue belt, Gotto, as we started off slow, feeling each other out and both of us never going 100%, just flow with the go. I did really good against Scotts blue belt, but got caught in an armbar, he torqued it so far that my arm literally started hurting after and still hurts today. Then again, my dumb ass didn't tap and tried to fight out of it, so it's really my own fault. LOL

Next, I rolled with the assistant instructor Tom, who's a brown belt. I got mopped all over the floor by him and he wasn't even trying. It was really fun though! I sat out the rest of the night, due to my arm hurting, just observing the other guys roll and I must say, the 360 BJJ guys are very very technical and very good! They are very efficient with their spider guards.

Rolling went on for like 2 hours and it was well worth the drive on a Monday night!

The Inner Game of Jiu Jitsu

I was browsing on Blogger and stumbled upon this one blog written by Sam Y., that really caught my attention titled, "The Inner Game of Jiu Jitsu". Everything on the blog can apply to the game of BJJ and even life. It's not an instructional BJJ blog, which he states right away, and it makes his blog very different and unique. He talks about...basically what the title means, everything conceptual and in depth of the Inner Game of Jiu Jitsu.


It's one very very great and insightful blog and I love reading it! So I just had to follow it.
  

http://innerbjj.blogspot.com/

Dilemma

I really want to be as active and productive as I can this year and compete in as much BJJ tournaments as I can, if I feel I'm ready at least. I still train 3-4 days a week and feel I still have momentum from my last tournament, so that's why I haven't slowed down yet. Now, there's a couple more tournaments coming up. There's a tournament in Milwaukee, Combat Corner VII on April 16th and NAGA Chicago on April 30th. I was planning on competing and would love to do both that month, but I came to a conclusion....and it really is a bummer.

I made my final decision and will not compete in any of those BJJ tournaments. I have the Green Bay Cellcom 2011 marathon coming up and running 26.2 miles is really gonna make me take some time off of training BJJ, which will make me sad. I have to juggle work and I have to log in at least 4-5 miles a day, with more increase mileage as the weeks progress, with 1 - 2 days of rest. It's really gonna take a toll on my knees and body, which will suck! But the marathon to me, will mean more then those BJJ tournaments.

Scott Huston 360 BJJ

So a couple of weeks ago, Scott came up to introduce himself to our gym and explain our new alliance with 360 and Brasa. He really is a nice, super cool guy and can't wait to train under him and with him. He talked a lot about how he started his BJJ journey, training in Milwaukee with Matamoros, how Brasa was started and his own personal goal to become a Pan Ams Champion and the best that he can be. He explained why he changed gyms and made a transition to train under Comprido, due to his goal to pursue championships in BJJ and I clearly understand why. His goal at his school is solely based on BJJ only and bringing the best out of his students. That! I can appreciate because I want to become the best that I can and excel as far as I can in this sport.

Class was great and watching Scott roll with the other guys was really something else. His game and techniques are sooo smooth and amazing. You could tell Scott wasn't there to school anyone and make them look bad,....but was just working techniques, sweeps and position.

                                 1st place in 2009 and 2010 at the Pan Ams!

Good news!

So my gym, Green Bay Jui Jitsu is expanding and will soon be affiliated with Scott Huston, who owns and operates 360 BJJ/Brasa in Milwaukee, WI. To me, this is great news because like I mentioned earlier in one of my post. I think Scott Huston is one of the top and best BJJ players in WI. It's going to be great having an affiliation with 360 Brasa. From what I heard, Scott will be coming up to Green Bay at least 2X a month to instruct classes and teach. It'll be great having someone of his caliber teaching. At least I'm happy and stoked for this change.

Website: http://360-bjj.com/


 Some fo Scott Hustons accomplishments are:
- 2x Pan American Champion, winning gold in his category over the past two years (09’ and 10’)
- 4x North American Grappling Association (NAGA) Champion, and Arnold Gracie BJJ Classic Champion.
- Scott was voted 2008 “Grappler of Year” and is currently the #1 ranked grappler in Wisconsin.

Scott is currently a brown belt under Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros, who is one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts in the world.




                                          Comprido, Me and Scott Huston