Today was deadlift day:
A. Box Jump - 3x3
B. Hang Power Clean - 125x5; 135x5; 155x5
C. Deadlift - 245x5; 285x5; 315x5
I’m planning on doing a few sets of sprints right outside my apartment before heading to BJJ tonight. The street right by me has a perfectly steep incline for sprinting. I’ll report on BJJ after class.
Drilled more guard passes tonight. We learned 12 total between Monday and tonight’s class, including three spider guard passes. I think I did my best job yet rolling tonight. I was able to more swiftly and fluidly recover guard when I got in trouble and was on the offensive from there. I even managed to pass my opponent’s guard, though to be fair my opponent was another new white belt. Still, I saw improvement.
Nice job. Keep at it. 
Thanks, Sentoguy!
Today was all Muay Thai. I fly through combos now. I’m amazed at my own punching speed while maintaining good technique now, as was the instructor tonight. We also worked middle kicks, and I did my best job on those yet. It was just one of those nights where everything was firing on all cylinders.
Had a great day at the gym and altogether:
A. Bench Press - 135x5; 155x5; 175x6
B. Pullup - 3x10
C1. Landmine Press - Bar+25x2x12
C2. Underhand Barbell Row - 135x12; 145x12
D1. DB Curl - 4x10
D2. Tricep Rope Pulldown - 4x10
I also got in bag work today. Worked 50 middle kicks and lead middle kicks as well as punch/elbow combos and defensive drills.
Also got to hang out with a very pretty girl today. Finally, I found out I’ll be assisting in research in one of the top cognitive neuroscience labs in the country starting next quarter. I know none of this is relevant to training, but all aspects of life have been pretty good today, and I thought I’d share.
Workout:
A. Box Jump - 3x3
B. Hang Power Clean - 130x3; 150x3; 165x3
C. Squat - 205x3; 245x3; 275x5
D. Core Circuit - 3 sets
I also worked in 50 kicks from each side and hit the heavy bag for a good ten minutes before going over BJJ with a friend for about 45 minutes. We rolled the last ten, and I got my first submission via a kimura that my friend rolled into. To be fair, he wasn’t going 100%. Still, even against his submaximal effort I would have never gotten into a dominant position, let alone gotten a submission just two weeks ago. It definitely felt like progress.
Workout today:
A1. Push Press - 100x3; 115x3; 125x3
A1. Pullup - 3x10
B. Pushups - BW+90lbsx3x12
C. Curl - 3x10
D. Skullcrusher - 3x10
I went back to the gym later to work on Muay Thai with a training partner. I visited my hometown this weekend and stayed an extra day today to visit one of my best friends, so I missed BJJ tonight. I’ll just have to make up for it later in the week!
Drilled/rolled with a couple friends this morning before heading back to LA. Then I had Muay Thai class tonight, which consisted of knee/kick drills and punch/defense combos. Fun stuff!
Just lifted weights today:
A. Snatch-Grip Clean Pull - 155x3; 175x3; 185x3
B. Deadlift - 255x3; 305x3; 335x3
C. Core Circuit - 3x8/exercise
BJJ at 7 AM is no joke. Had a blast, though. We worked five side(ish) control positions along with mounting and dismounting from said positions. Then we worked takedowns before rolling. It was mine and my buddy in the class’s first time starting from the standing position. Our instructor was pleased that we were tactically proficient, albeit a bit unnatural with our technique. The main thing is that we know what to do now. It’s just a matter of doing it in a quick and efficient matter, which will come with more instruction and more practice.
[quote]shallowseason wrote:
A. Push Press - 55x5; 70x5; 85x5
[/quote]
You can sure as hell do push ups, goddamn.
[quote]andypotent wrote:
[quote]shallowseason wrote:
A. Push Press - 55x5; 70x5; 85x5
[/quote]
You can sure as hell do push ups, goddamn.[/quote]
Haha, I wish I could say those are pushups. But by push press I mean just a barbell overhead press with an added leg drive.
Had Muay Thai tonight. Worked on defending body kicks and worked on defending whatever combos your partner decided to throw at you at random. It made me realize how little I know how to defend when I don’t know what’s coming. I was essentially just weathering each storm. I’m sure that’s just because I’m still pretty new at Muay Thai and that it’ll come with time, but finding holes in my game just makes me want to train more so that I can fix them!
Today’s weightlifting session:
A. Bench Press - 145x3; 165x3; 185x4
B. BW Pullup - 2x12
C. Half-Kneeling Landmine Press - Bar+25x8; Bar+30x8; Bar+35x8
D. Underhanded Barbell Row - 155x3x8
E1. Reverse Curl - 50x3x10
E2. Skullcrusher - 50x3x10
It’s open mat at my gym tonight, so I’ll be drilling BJJ as well. And that’s about it for my day in training.
Had BJJ this morning. Worked on mount escapes, guard passes, side control positions and a kimura from closed guard.
Also lifted weights later on, which went terribly. I missed on the hang clean at a weight I normally can do. Squats also felt heavy. I cut my workout short as a result. I just have to accept that my martial arts training takes precedence and that my progress in the weight room will inevitably slow down/stall. It probably doesn’t help that I’ve been eating under maintenance. Luckily, I only have five more pounds to lose before I start slowly gaining mass. Hopefully that’ll make a difference.
Lifted weights today:
A. Bench Press - 155x5; 175x3; 195x4
B. Overhead Press - 95x3x8
C1. Pullup - 2x12
C2. Triceps Rope Pulldown - 3x8
D. Bicep Curl - 3x8
[quote]shallowseason wrote:
Had Muay Thai tonight. Worked on defending body kicks and worked on defending whatever combos your partner decided to throw at you at random. It made me realize how little I know how to defend when I don’t know what’s coming. I was essentially just weathering each storm. I’m sure that’s just because I’m still pretty new at Muay Thai and that it’ll come with time, but finding holes in my game just makes me want to train more so that I can fix them![/quote]
It’s great that you want to find holes in your skill sets and improve them, that is indeed how you get really good.
That said, what this drill should also teach you is that you do not want to just stand still and try to block all incoming strikes from an opponent. The truth is that a good opponent who understands rhythm can poke holes in even the best defensive fighter’s defenses if he is allowed to just wail away. Being caught in that situation is really just about “weathering the storm” as it should only really occur when you are rocked and need to just remain conscious long enough to start hitting back, tie up your opponent or get clear out of range, or get cornered or caught off balance and again need to just survive long enough to improve your position or start hitting back.
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]shallowseason wrote:
Had Muay Thai tonight. Worked on defending body kicks and worked on defending whatever combos your partner decided to throw at you at random. It made me realize how little I know how to defend when I don’t know what’s coming. I was essentially just weathering each storm. I’m sure that’s just because I’m still pretty new at Muay Thai and that it’ll come with time, but finding holes in my game just makes me want to train more so that I can fix them![/quote]
It’s great that you want to find holes in your skill sets and improve them, that is indeed how you get really good.
That said, what this drill should also teach you is that you do not want to just stand still and try to block all incoming strikes from an opponent. The truth is that a good opponent who understands rhythm can poke holes in even the best defensive fighter’s defenses if he is allowed to just wail away. Being caught in that situation is really just about “weathering the storm” as it should only really occur when you are rocked and need to just remain conscious long enough to start hitting back, tie up your opponent or get clear out of range, or get cornered or caught off balance and again need to just survive long enough to improve your position or start hitting back.[/quote]
Correct me if I’m wrong, but based on what you said and what I’m learning in class, my impression is this:
You don’t want to get to the point where the other guy’s storming you, but if you do end up there you better know how to get out and act as quickly as possible. I’m guessing the best way to prevent yourself from having to passively defend is to actively defend.
Do I have the right idea?
Thanks!
Have two days to post about:
Yesterday I worked on Muay Thai kicks/counters.
Today was weightlifting and BJJ. First, lifting:
A. Box Jumps - 5x3
B. Hang Power Clean - 135x5; 155x3; 175x1
C. Deadlift - 285x5; 315x3; 355x3
D. Core Circuit - 2 sets of 10/exercise
Tonight at BJJ we learned how to switch from an Americana to an armbar by switching from the mount to technical mount. We also learned a couple chokes from the technical mount. The instructor had me roll against a blue belt near the end of class, and for the first time in that scenario I survived the entire round. He still dominated me, but it was a moral victory. I’ve just picked up a lot on how to protect the neck/arms and against the underhook now. Now I’m more excited for what I’ll be able to do when my technique in all the other areas improves.
[quote]shallowseason wrote:
[quote]Sentoguy wrote:
[quote]shallowseason wrote:
Had Muay Thai tonight. Worked on defending body kicks and worked on defending whatever combos your partner decided to throw at you at random. It made me realize how little I know how to defend when I don’t know what’s coming. I was essentially just weathering each storm. I’m sure that’s just because I’m still pretty new at Muay Thai and that it’ll come with time, but finding holes in my game just makes me want to train more so that I can fix them![/quote]
It’s great that you want to find holes in your skill sets and improve them, that is indeed how you get really good.
That said, what this drill should also teach you is that you do not want to just stand still and try to block all incoming strikes from an opponent. The truth is that a good opponent who understands rhythm can poke holes in even the best defensive fighter’s defenses if he is allowed to just wail away. Being caught in that situation is really just about “weathering the storm” as it should only really occur when you are rocked and need to just remain conscious long enough to start hitting back, tie up your opponent or get clear out of range, or get cornered or caught off balance and again need to just survive long enough to improve your position or start hitting back.[/quote]
Correct me if I’m wrong, but based on what you said and what I’m learning in class, my impression is this:
You don’t want to get to the point where the other guy’s storming you, but if you do end up there you better know how to get out and act as quickly as possible. I’m guessing the best way to prevent yourself from having to passively defend is to actively defend.
Do I have the right idea?
Thanks![/quote]
You basically have the right idea.
As far as the best way to prevent yourself from having to passively defend, in actuality the progression goes something like this (in order of preference):
Stay on the Attack- the old adage that “the best defense is a good offense” holds true. If you are constantly threatening your opponent with your own attacks and keeping him/her busy dealing with those, then there will be much less opportunity for your opponent to launch much of an offense against you.
Control Distance and alignment- As Miyagi say, “Daniel San, best defense no be there.” Even though Karate Kid had some pretty pathetic actual Martial Skills showcased from a realistic combative perspective, this statement is at least somewhat true. If yo can keep your opponent outside of the range they need to launch an effective offense, or keep yourself from being in their crosshairs (alignment) and only allow yourself to be in range when you are attacking, then again their offensive skills will be much less of a problem
Evasion- Evasive skills like slips, ducks, weaves, bobs, or anything that allows you to move the target out of harm’s way while maintaining your ability to freely use your tools (hands, elbows, forearms, knees, shins, feet, etc…) as offensive tools rather than tying them up as defensive tools.
Parries, cuffs, shoulder rolls, catches, pendulum blocks, essentially any type of defense using the arms, legs or body which immediately places you into a position from which you can counter immediately.
Shields and Covers. Although if performed correctly these can sometimes damage the opponent’s weapons as they make contact with your defense; they require the least amount of timing,line recognition, and precision and are the ideal form of defense if you get overwhelmed, ambushed, or just need to “weather a storm”; these defense skills also place you in a very passive position where you must first re-orient your weapons before you can use them offensively again.
That said, I often teach them in the opposite order (well, actually I teach offensive skills first) because if a person can learn to survive an ambush or a “swarming” style of attack, then learning all of the other skills will be easier and the fighter will be more confident in their ability to defend themselves should things go wrong.
Hop this helps.