MMA Training Hub II

Training
184

[quote]Exitus wrote:
Need HELP:

I use defrancos ws4sb 3-days per week without DE lower.

My problem is the max effort lower day:

A max deadlift
B db reverse lunge 3sets 10reps
C hamstring/pc excercise

my problem is after the max deadlifts I’m not able to do any of the mentioned hamstring/pc excercises because of my lower back.

I have only a powerrack at home, so I can’t do GHR, rev. hypers etc…

I want to stay with the deadlift as my max excercise because I love it and it helps me a lot in getting stronger for MMA.[/quote]

I’m not sure if I understand your question, but your lower back really shouldn’t be hurting after DLs. Maybe check up on your form.

185

[quote]Long.And.Skinny wrote:
I managed to get my GF to skip a couple of college classes so I would have time to go to the gym today (my hobbies are much much more important than her future :slight_smile: soooooooooo

Day 2!
I arrived early, so I could sign up for the classes. I took care of that, got dressed, and watched some pre-class sparring. Than the instructor suggested I roll with his nephew, apparently a fairly high belt, but again, a bit on the portly side (euphemism!). We started rolling, and I found myself more or less kicking his butt. He would pull guard and go for a guillotine, but I would either push his leg down and pass to half, or to side control. Again, I found it fairly easy to get into mount, but like last class I had trouble finishing. I know I got one sub on him, but I forget what it was, although im fairly certain it was an armbar. I felt prettttttttty cool. He probably had 50 lbs on me.

Class started the same, warmed up, did some pad work, than got into technique. We started with a throw (he told us the Japanese name, but it escapes me at the moment, sorry) which I quickly got very comfortable with. It was an overhook, than we’de step through on the side we had the overhook on, than sweep the legs. My partener, a very rather bulky guy, was having less luck.

Next we did some overhook and underhook stuff from our back, get the over or under, push the head away, get your hips away and put the leg on the side of the hook high on his back.

He didn’t show any finishes for it, but it was not a long stretch to armbar from the position. Next we did some over-complex move where we were in side control with his elbow blocking our legs, than we’de hip heist, get past the elbow, lift him up, and swing all the way around for an arm bar. I worked it slow many times, but never really got a solid feel for it. I’ll work on it more later.

Part two: Randori!!!
I started with a smaller mexican guy, who was probably the first guy ive seen there at my weight. After more or less dominating him on top (passing guard rather quick, getting mount, pausing and waiting because I dont know how to finish from mount, you guys know the story) so I decided to pull guard and work from there. He was not able to pass my guard, and I was controlling his head well (something I did little to none of in my first class) and felt like I did good. I didn’t get any submissions off my back, but I did sweep him on one occasion.

Next I rolled with, from what I can tell, is the best guy in the class. He was the same guy I rolled with second in my first class, and he is a VERY nice guy and was willing to work and show me a lot of stuff. I took DJpuppychow’s, or whatever his name is, advice and every time he caught me in a submission (very often) I would have him show me what it was, how he got it, and how he would counter it. By the end of our rolling session, I was doing much better. Again, I started with my top game, and than twards the end was pulling guard. If I keep my guard closed, he had trouble passing it, but if I opened up and went for a sub, he was able to pass. I tried not to stay conservative, and went for subs anyway.

Next I rolled with the instructor. Hes slow, but is big, and knows what hes doing. However, he got a little on my nerves, as instead of showing me what I was doing wrong, he’d rather bitch about how im too young and energetic to roll with him (he cant be more than 45). Sigh sigh, oh well. On one occasion, I was able to take his back, but was unable to finish.

That was it for the class (they are only an hour long) but I stayed after and worked with the second guy I worked with again (I forget hisss name, sorry braw, you’re a cool guy, im just bad with names :slight_smile: I asked him to show me some basic finishes from the mount, for obvious reasons, and he showed me an armbar, and he showed me controlling the arm, putting it under ma belly, or if its high putting it under his chin, laying on it, than working for an arm triangle. I am looking forward to using them.

Then we rolled again. This time I did much better. He caught me in a couple of stupid subs, and showed me very easy ways to get out of them. I would pull guard and was able to hold him there, and went for a kimura. I was kinda close, but than he got my other arm behind my back, and I was unable to do much. On our last go, I pulled guard, and looked for an omoplata. This is something I would like to bring up. I know its an advanced move, but right now it fells VERY comfortable for me. If he fends it off right away, no problem, I can usually get back into guard.

If I get the leg up high or over his head, and he rolls over, I am able to get to side control. However, on this particular go, I was able to get it over his head, and had it in pretty deep. I could tell he was losing oxygen, i figured he would tap, but i guess he really didnt want me to sub him, so he got out. He kept my other leg down, so I couldnt get leverage with it, but I was still VERY happy that I was so close to submitting the best guy in the class. I’m going to keep going for the omoplata, and see where it takes me. I can see it as a setup for other submissions, sweeps, or the omo itself. I understand the argument against somebody as new as me using it, but im goniug to stick with whats working and whats feeling comfortable.

Afterwards I talked to him for a while, and found out he used to go the the Judo Dojo that my really good friend used to go to (was a national champion, PAN AM, now is in chicago at a very renowned dojo there) and that was cool. It was funny, because the guy commented on how good said friend’s uchi matta was, and thats the only judo move i know, and i learned it from my friend. This is for sure the guy ill be sticking with at classes, hes very nice, is very knowledable, and doesnt have the ego. One last thing I would like to mention, is that after only one day, my cardio was SIGNIFICANTLY better. I was only really tired on one occasion, and that wasnt because I was gonig slow and not pushing myself.

TL;DR I beat the devil in a fiddle-off, and as a reward I got a lifetime supply of Jujubes (best candy)[/quote]

Since you’re pretty comfortable on top, always start on your back, and just try to submit from the bottom. I think you’ll get the most out of your classes that way. Work on your weaknesses.

186

Using your weight as leverage is good technique. You don’t want to just lay on people, but if you can use your weight to move people around, and control them you’re on the right track. Also, by learning to use your weight properly, you can adjust the amount of weight on the person. Being heavy is an art in itself. We do a drill where the person on top starts in side control with his arms behind his back and the bottom person can do anything. The goal is to keep the bottom person down with your weight. It’s possible but ridiculously hard, and all you have to do is be heavy!

187

So guys, I’m just wondering, how hard do you go with people their first few times rolling/ sparing? Does gender play a factor? Have you noticed any trends?

188

Depends… if it’s a guy and he’s my size, I roll pretty hard. I won’t put the submission on really hard, but I will work him over to get him into position. If I’m rolling with a girl, I’ll give her enough resistance to make her work, but won’t muscle her around too badly.

When it comes to throws and takedowns, it’s about the same. I take it a little easier on girls/smaller guys/new people. But I’ll really throw someone hard if they’ve been around for a while and can handle it.

I don’t want to scare any new people off or hurt anyone. However, last week we were working defense for hip throws and I threw a girl pretty hard. I thought I was backed off pretty hard… only threw her at about 50%, but the class said I showed her no love and threw her pretty hard. But she’s been around a while and took a good breakfall and was fine.

189

[quote]Exitus wrote:
Need HELP:

I use defrancos ws4sb 3-days per week without DE lower.

My problem is the max effort lower day:

A max deadlift
B db reverse lunge 3sets 10reps
C hamstring/pc excercise

my problem is after the max deadlifts I’m not able to do any of the mentioned hamstring/pc excercises because of my lower back.

I have only a powerrack at home, so I can’t do GHR, rev. hypers etc…

I want to stay with the deadlift as my max excercise because I love it and it helps me a lot in getting stronger for MMA.[/quote]

You got to get a little creative-
all you youngins need to sniff around a little more :slight_smile:
use a Bosu or a pad or even a rolled up towel.

stick your feet under your rack somehow, set a bar on the lowest pins, build your kneeling height up if you must

leave some reps or weight in the tank if you cant do much after a ME effort
or take a longer break- even after puking I can ALWAYS do some accessory work,
and its accessory work- it can be mild or lower intensity/weight.

190

[quote]pch2 wrote:
So guys, I’m just wondering, how hard do you go with people their first few times rolling/ sparing? Does gender play a factor? Have you noticed any trends?
[/quote]

If it’s truly someone’s first time, or first few times, I go easy on them unless & until they seem ready for more - when they start to lose the deer in the headlights look.

Ideally I do what my instructors (& more accomplished training partners) do for me, which is to go just a little harder than their comfort level. It gives them something to strive for without overwhelming them.

And while I may get slammed for this, I do take it easier on the female noobs. They are almost always extremely skittish about the physical intimacy of what we do. If the coach has us start in guard I practically have to pry their legs open to get in there, so I tend to go more slowly. If I had a guy who behaved the same way (& I have) I’d do the same for him, but it seems to be more of a female issue.

191

Tonight: taught 2 classes, then took a level 2/3 class. We worked combos to the mitts, front kicks to a vertical target, & defense against same kick.

192

OK have decided to jump on this thread and bore people with my input.

First day back training after a week off with a stomach infection. First day squatting after a month off with an adductor tear (I know, I am a wreck.)

Currently working on a protocol based on a Waterbury article. 3 days per week full body. The aim of the working sets is to complete a certain amount of reps with good form. When the bar speed slows, you stop, rest and then start another set until you hit the required number. Today the target number of reps was 20. (the other days are a 10 for heavy work and a 50 for endurance.)

Took my Ipod to the gym for the first time in ages and a bit of Iron Maiden really got me pumped up so all my lifts felt pretty good given that I have been on my death bed for a week. Actually, that is a lie, my Incline Bench Press pretty much sucked. Picked a weight I should have been able to hit 6 reps on for the first work set and only got 4 :frowning:

Adductor felt pretty good for a set of box squats (even though the weight was pretty light.) Felt really good to be back squatting (is it sad that I get withdrawal symptoms from squats and deadlifts?)

Back to BJJ and MMA class tomorrow, I will probably be teaching as the other instructors are competing at the Nationals in a couple of weeks and will want to be training.

193

[quote]pch2 wrote:
So guys, I’m just wondering, how hard do you go with people their first few times rolling/ sparing? Does gender play a factor? Have you noticed any trends?
[/quote]

I actually have a regular disagreement on this with the other guys I train with. Their attitude is smash someone the first time and see if they come back. This is their way of ensuring that people learn the power of the art.

My attitude is to use the minimum effort that I can to control sweep and submit the person. Typically I will use butterfly guard as this is a great way of turning an uncultured attack into a sweep. My thinking is that I want them to see that Jiujitsu works because of the technique, not because of my attributes. At the end of the session when they are lieing on the floor gasping for breath I can jump up, not even breathing hard and move onto the next thing. I find this to be a really powerful demonstrating.

That said, if someone is being a dick I will flatten them then tell them why. (you can’t do it the other way round otherwise they think you are looking for a cop out.)

At the end of someones first demo class (which is free of charge) they will normally spar with me or one of the other instructors. We don’t give them any rules other than no striking. If they go for an illegal technique, we defend it, submit them then tell them that it is illegal and why at the end of the sparring session. I have found this to be a really useful approach. It is also a great training method for me, I am sparring with a person that has no training so their reactions are totally different to a trained guy.

194

[quote]pch2 wrote:
So guys, I’m just wondering, how hard do you go with people their first few times rolling/ sparing? Does gender play a factor? Have you noticed any trends?
[/quote]

Depends on the person. If the person isn’t being a spaz and trying to be Mr. Tough Guy and pull off moves he doesn’t yet know, then I would go a little easier on him and work my fundamentals, like trying to keep him in my guard for an entire round or trying rubber guard or butterfly guard and seeing how effective I can be with those techniques. If the guy is being a spaz then I wouldn’t let up and would look for subs quick.

As for females, it honestly depends on them. When I was taking BJJ we had some that had no qualms about mixing it up and so therefore, no slack was given. But, if the female seemed uncomfortable, I’d lighten things up.

195

I haven’t read everything yet, but this caught my eye. It’s ridiculous how this works isn’t it?

I’ve been rolling with a lot of brand new guys and they do the strangest things. I always think, huh no normal BJJ person would do that, what are you doing. But then, if BJJ is the thing to do whilst ground fighting, there shouldn’t be anything they do that can’t be dealt with. It really makes you think about the reasons behind the motions so you can adapt them to new situations.

196

[quote]pch2 wrote:
tmoney1 wrote:I think I am more focused on getting my technique down and not using my weight as leverage.

Using your weight as leverage is good technique. You don’t want to just lay on people, but if you can use your weight to move people around, and control them you’re on the right track. Also, by learning to use your weight properly, you can adjust the amount of weight on the person. Being heavy is an art in itself. We do a drill where the person on top starts in side control with his arms behind his back and the bottom person can do anything. The goal is to keep the bottom person down with your weight. It’s possible but ridiculously hard, and all you have to do is be heavy! [/quote]

preciate the feedback pch2. As for your question, since I am just starting, and I am the biggest guy in the class, I get to roll with the biggest and most experienced wrestler, which is great because I am learning a lot from him and he’s really patient with me. We’ll work through the drills. He’ll do the drill first, then I’ll do it for practice, then he’ll use more resistance as to simulate a real situation.

I don’t get to roll with the girls, usually the smaller guys and the instructors roll with them.

197

[quote]pch2 wrote:
Cockney Blue wrote: I am sparring with a person that has no training so their reactions are totally different to a trained guy.

I haven’t read everything yet, but this caught my eye. It’s ridiculous how this works isn’t it?

I’ve been rolling with a lot of brand new guys and they do the strangest things. I always think, huh no normal BJJ person would do that, what are you doing. But then, if BJJ is the thing to do whilst ground fighting, there shouldn’t be anything they do that can’t be dealt with. It really makes you think about the reasons behind the motions so you can adapt them to new situations. [/quote]

The normal newbie move is the grab and squeeze. Or the choke attempt from inside the guard.

I talked with Mauricio Motta Gomes about this a couple of years back. He said he loves watching totally new guys spar because they do totally unexpected things. He has actually worked out new techniques from watching total newbies. Really made me think about the fact that you can learn something from anyone.

198

[quote]pch2 wrote:
So guys, I’m just wondering, how hard do you go with people their first few times rolling/ sparing? Does gender play a factor? Have you noticed any trends?
[/quote]

My first ever bjj(or grappling class) was last night. I’m a male and the entire class was male.

However they didn’t COMPLETELY own me, but I’m pretty damn sure they didn’t take it easy either.

199

How much do you pay for your class or gym fees? I’m looking into gyms around Houston but most of them seem to be at least 100 per month.

200

[quote]JGerman wrote:
How much do you pay for your class or gym fees? I’m looking into gyms around Houston but most of them seem to be at least 100 per month. [/quote]

$85 a month for 3 classes a week.

201

[quote]JGerman wrote:
How much do you pay for your class or gym fees? I’m looking into gyms around Houston but most of them seem to be at least 100 per month. [/quote]

$85 a month for 6 classes a week.

202

[quote]pch2 wrote:
JGerman wrote:
How much do you pay for your class or gym fees? I’m looking into gyms around Houston but most of them seem to be at least 100 per month.

$85 a month for 6 classes a week.[/quote]

Nothing for as often as I like :slight_smile: Students pay about $40 per month for unlimited training. Not sure what the fees will be when we open our new training facility.

203

110$ a month. 4-5 classes a day M-TH, 2 on Friday, 1 on Saturday.

Thinking about changing gyms due to my work schedule (all the classes at my current school start at 6:30pm or earlier, but many times I work throughout the day until 7). The other one is 80$ a month for 5 classes a week.