Cauliflower Ear

Movimento Lento Blog followers may have noticed, I haven't posted a Blog for a little while. This is mainly because I have been getting writers block but I have also been enjoying the sunshine and discovering the Great British sea side resort of Southsea, Portsmouth.

Today's Blog is a short blog on something referred to as the Perichondrial Hematoma better known as cauliflower ear. Now the likelihood is, is if you are regular BJJ practioner or martial artist you will have encountered the cauliflower ear. For those of you haven't, here is an article from the Washington Post, about Cauliflower ears in Wrestling.

Below some UFC stars give their thoughts on the bacon ear, I mean cauliflower ear



Here is James Thompson's ear exploding in a fight against Kimbo Slice



The best way to prevent cauliflower ear is to wear an ear guard. Although I don't wear an ear guard now I have tried many brands. I have found the Cliff Keen ear guard to be the best. I am particularly fascinated by one of the new Cliff Keen designs (here), it is suspiciously similar to another type of mask. I bet it doesn't take a genius to guess what Cliff gets up to in his spare time.

Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on the cauliflower ear.

Half Guard

Roberto Correa (Gordo) is credited with developing the position referred to as the half guard. He began using the half guard after a serious knee injury when he was still a purple belt. The half guard has developed over the years from a more defensive position to a more offensive one. However, opinions on the half guard remain divided. If you are from the 'guard smashing' camp you may say that it is half way to passing guard and that the position should be avoided where possible. On the other hand if you are from the 'guard player' camp one may argue that the position is an offensive position that can be used to set up numerous sweeps and submissions. Personally I enjoy playing the half guard but I don't like to hang out there for too long. Mainly, because I feel like that I am susceptible to chokes but, also I tend to struggle to keep on my side especially with heavier opponents when they are trying to flatten me out. So who are the best half guard players today?

Here are my favourites: Celso Vinicius, Marcelo Garcia, Jeff Glover, Cyborg, Lucas Leite, Robson Moura and the UK's very own Oli Geddes. I also think that Demian Maia, Andre Galvao, Minotauro and Wilson Reis have used the position effectively in MMA. Check them out. I have included two videos one of Lucas Leite and the other of Jeff Glover.

Lucas Leite shows some effective half guard skills in the US Open No-Gi final


Below, is a great Jeff Glover highlight put together by Naledge.



Further information on the half guard:

Stephan Kesting summarises the different types of half guard here.

Here are 17 tips for an Active Bottom Half Guard .

Movimento Lento's favourite Half Guard instructionals: Half Guard with Gordo, Jeff Glovers Deep Half Guard, Robson Moura Fusion 2, Rigan Machado Secrets of the Half Guard, Cyborg Guard Series, Vince Quituguas Lost Techniques of the Half Guard. Also, love or hate him Mr Eddie Bravo has an excellent half guard game well worth checking out his DVD. All the DVD's are available from Budovideos.

Competition: Manchester Open 2010

MANCHEST'AH OPEN 'MY TEAM PERSPECTIVE'

(To make this post a more enjoyable experience please feel free to scroll to the bottom and listen to the Stone Roses-Fools Gold whilst browsing).

I hate alarms I think they are a bad invention, one should wake up naturally, when our bodies are good and ready. As, I get older I find it increasingly harder to adjust to early mornings. Working on Brazilian time, I packed my bag with essentials (cold and flu tablets, a banana and a pack of salt and vinegar crisps) and headed over to the Sugden Sports Centre (the same venue as the Ground Control competition) in sunny Manchester; to spectate at the Manchester Open. The Manchester Open is a new competition on the circuit and is organised by Gus Oliviera of Grab and Pull.

Today I was fortunate enough to have chief Movimento Lento Blog co-reporter Jody "The Axeman" Paxman spectating with myself. Unfortunately the interviews the Axeman conducted may never see the light of day, mainly because I am technologically retarded and can't open the audio files. Luckily he was able to provide myself with a few photos. Also, the GB Halifax team was blessed to have fellow training partner and assistant coach, Darren Ward, on hand to perform pre-match massages (extras at added cost, or so I hear).

Rather than write and comment on all the matches I will comment on a few of the performances from my fellow team mates and friends.

In action from GB Halifax/Dewsbury (Victor Estima) we had (amongst others):


Adam Medlock UHW White


Phil Ounsley HW White


Marc Leigh LW Blue


Jamie Paxman MW Blue


and from Nova Vida we had (amongst others):


Daniel Thompson FW Blue


Roberto Barbiero LW Blue an 'oldie' competing with the 'young guns' in the Adult division


Hanif Rehman LW Masters White


It was Mr Medlock's first gi competition and he looked incredibly nervous. Which is not surprising since the rest of his division either looked like they had been released from their weekly weight watchers programme or a Russian prison. Unfortunately Adam lost his first bout by kimura but he managed to pull off a nice sweep. I am sure Adam will be back stronger next time now that he has burst his competition cherry.

Big Phil Ounsley put in a stellar performance for his first BJJ gi comp and managed to clinch the gold. It must of been the brand spanking new gi, that he received for fathers day. Maybe a new gi for every comp is a sure fire path to success.

Now everyone will be glad to hear that Marc Leigh (mentioned in my previous post) DID actually make weight this time. Looking like a angry chiwhawha with his Arlovski style mouthguard he proceeded to dominate his first round opponent. Marc demonstrated good solid Jiu-Jitsu skills. He managed to execute a beautiful omoplata sweep and a total of 3 'Roleta' style sweeps, with one being stopped only by the judges table. This earned him a points victory and entry into the next round. In Marc's second fight he was up against the eventual winner (and a seasoned blue belt). Mr Leigh showed excellent top game work and was shutting down his opponents half guard, until one mistake led to him being swept and finished with the subsequent cross choke submission. Unfortunately, Marc looked slightly 'gassed' in his final fight and eventually tapped out to an arm bar. I think he just wanted to get to the pub for a justly deserved real ale ;-).

At only 19 years of age Jamie Paxman (aka Andre) was the top performer of the day from the club romping his way to the middleweight gold. Andre has been attending Victor Estima's academy on a more regular basis and this was evident from his matches. Looking calm and collected like a young Roger Gracie he manged to pass the guard and enforce his game on two of his opponents, this earned him a place in the final. The final was a close run contest, with Jamie leaving it until the last ten seconds of the fight to secure the back mount with hooks and ultimately victory. It was good to see the hard work finally starting to pay off. He has come along way since the only technique he knew was the Saulo Ribeiro running escape. (I have included a picture of Jamie with his gold medal, top left of post)

Daniel Thompson (aka the Flying Ferret), not having much luck of late (sunburn, broken car) continued with this trend loosing his first fight. Dan was very close to pulling off the 'Glover' half guard sweep, if he had of managed this task the outcome may have been very different. With some more hard training I am sure we will see Dan and his Californian tan again in the near future (Please check out Dan's blog here.).

Talking to our co-reporter "the Axeman", Roberto Barbiero said that he felt confident going into his matches and that he was going to take the victory by pulling guard and "snapping peoples arms off". In his first match he nearly managed to do just that but his opponent, with great tenacity, managed to escape. Rob eventually stormed to victory with a overwhelming points win. In his second match up Rob got unlucky, getting caught with a sneaky loop choke from guard to the eventual winner. Roberto's day was topped off by a poor performance by Italy in the World Cup.

Hanif Rehman at 36 years young put on a valiant performance and secured a bronze medal. Surprisingly Mr Rehman did not not recite an inspirational quote and seemed a little disappointed that he had lost his bout. I am sure we will see him back in action again soon enough.

The young girls from Nova Vida (Tia and Davina) gave it their all and performed exceptionally well. I did not manage to catch their final fights but it was great to see the youngsters in action, definitely some future grappling talent right there.

Everyone put in a great performance whether they won, lost or drew and it was great to watch and have a large team for support. It made me feel guilty for not competing and wimping out with a cold. Next time frens I will compete fo'sure.

So there you have it a day out at the Manchester Open with Movimento Lento and Co. Lots of great matches and up and coming stars.

I am off to buy myself a years supply of acai.

Til' next time.



Note: It was good to see fellow competitors, friends and spectators from Nova Vida, GB Leeds and other clubs. It was also nice to see my friend Paddy Carmody there competing, I have to say there seems to be some talent coming from GB Brum.

GB Midlands: Victor Estima Invisible Jiu-Jitsu: Tips to Improve your Jiu-Jitsu

I always look forward to a Saturday, or anytime I get to train at GB Midlands for that matter. Not only are the facilities unbelievable and the tuition World Class, but (without kissing too much arse) Victor is is one of the most welcoming and friendly people I have met. In fact everyone who I have met there or had the pleasure to train with has been super friendly and helpful. I really think the academy is going to be a centre of excellence with people congregating from all over the Midlands and UK to share the 'gentle art'. I hear that British MMA stars such as Paul "Semtex" Daley and "Judo"Jimmy Wallhead have already paid a visit to the academy to train.

Since I started to train at the academy it has really got me to think more closely about my Jiu-Jitsu. Unfortunately I missed out on a lot of the basic techniques when I first started training so I am trying to relearn the basics and correct bad habits, the analogy I like to give is that of watching a movie. If you start at Part 5 but miss Parts 1-4 it is very hard to understand what is going on. The same can be true when learning Jiu-Jitsu and this is true in my instance.

Victor really epitomises invisible Jiu-Jitsu. What at first glance may may be passed off as a basic technique is in fact a well thought out procedure consisting of essential steps. Understanding 'why' you are performing these steps is of the up most importance. If you know 'why' you can apply this to other more complex techniques. Jiu-Jitsu works on the theory of leverage and balance. You want to get to positions and perform techniques with the least energy possible.

Training here really exposes your weaknesses. I always return from a lesson here with a direction and an area I need to improve. I like to think of it like a leaking beer barrel full of holes, with myself slowly trying to patch the leaks. I have already started to see improvements in my game and hope training here will continue to push my Jiu-Jitsu onto the next level.

Here are my top 5 tips to improve your Jiu-Jitsu (I am not claiming to be an authority on the subject)

1. Master the Basics

2. Understand why you are doing something (ask questions)

3. Expend as little energy as possible

4. Work on your weakest areas and correct bad habits ASAP

5. Enjoy!!!

Oh I nearly forgot one, train with Victor ;-)

I have included some pictures (courtesy of Mark Picton) of the academy, below, click through the picture for a larger image.

Facilities at the academy include a big plasma TV, a seating area showing fight DVDs, a seated spectator area, changing rooms with showers, 2 large matted areas (for now although there is more space for expansion), a shop where you can purchase Masaru gi's, rash guards and fight shorts; and a snack bar selling drinks, protein shakes and other nibbles.

Links:

Website
GB Midlands

GB Midlands on Facebook:
Gracie Barra Midlands Victor Estima Academy
Gracie Barra Midlands

*this post is dedicated to the Paxman brothers for their support and continual lifts to training in Mansfield ;-).

Lesson: GB Halifax: Back Escapes

In my blog I will have a regular(ish) "Lesson" feature where I shall be highlighting a technique(s) that I have been learning at the various academies I train at. This week is the turn of the GB Halifax academy. where we have been working on Back Escapes.

Anyone who has ever found another person on their back will know that it is not a nice position to be in. Well unless of course you are a bit kinky and are partial to a bit of that type of thing. Regardless, you never know when you may need to escape from this position. Therefore it is essential to have escapes in you arsenal. Below, Saulo Ribeiro, shows a way to escape the back position. This snippet was taken from his DVD entitled Jiu-Jitsu Revolution 1 available from World Martial Arts



And finally for your viewing pleasure, Andre Galvao and Paulo Procopio demonstrate some defense techniques for defending the rear naked choke at the Valente Academy in San Diego.



Try these and let me know how you get on.

Tabata

Recently with competitions on the horizon and a few 'fatties', 'smokers' and 'drinkers' among our ranks (you know who you are, nudge, nudge, wink, wink), we have been finishing the GB Halifax sessions with Tabatas. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tabatas let me explain.

Tabatas are a form of High-intensity interval training (HIIT) used to improve endurance performance. With HIIT, one performs a set exercise at maximum intensity for a given time period followed by a recovery of a set period, usually with a 2:1 work to recovery ratio.

The Tabata regime first formulated by Tabata et al consists of 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at 170% of VO2max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles) [1].

It is this particular regime that we adhere to in training although the masochists amongst us have been known to reduce the recovery time or increase cycles. Judging by the massive grin on Rich's face I am sure he gains some kind of sadistic thrill out of seeing us all in pain, I know I do (I jest). Speaking of pain it is quite strange how different types of exercise result in different types and levels of pain. Has anyone ever noticed this? I personally prefer Tabata burpees to press-ups with a plank. Anyone who has not done Tabatas should live a little dangerourously and give them a try (Please leave a comment and let me know how the experience went. In fact I would be interested to hear any opinions or thoughts you have). Bear in mind, the original study [1] conducted at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan used highly-trained endurance athletes in peak physical condition. So if you don't fall into this category (or are a big girls blouse) remember to listen to your body and ease into the Tabata slowly.

Here is the original Tabata Protocol:

5 minutes of warm-up

8 intervals of 20 seconds all-out intensity exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest

2 minutes cool-down

To finish the post I have included a picture of one of my team mates, Marc Leigh. In this picture he is receiving his prize 'pie' from Rich, for not making weight. Hopefully the Tabatas will have paid off and Marc will make weight this weekend at the Manchester Open. Good luck to everyone one who is competing. Smash it my frens!!!

[1] Tabata I, Nishimura K, Kouzaki M, et al. (1996). "Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max". Med Sci Sports Exerc 28 (10): 1327–30.

Training Introduction

I have had the privilege of training at a whole host of academies (albeit in some instances for only one session) both at home and abroad including Gordo's, Carlson Gracie Revolution, BJJ School, Gracie Barra (GB), Alliance UK, Asylum MMA, Caged Steel (and "off shots") and Nova-Vida to name but a few.

Currently the core of my training is at three main academies these are Nova Vida (Huddersfield), GB Halifax and GB Midlands. Nova-Vida and GB Halifax only run 2 sessions a week but luckily they are on alternative days. I try and venture over to GB Midlands once a week to get black belt tuition from Victor Estima and Bruno Alves, although sometimes I cannot make it because of the distance, times and my finances. Below, is an example of a typical weeks training. I usually use Sat or Sun as a rest day depending on how I feel.

Mon and Wed 7.30pm-9.30pm Nova Vida or 7.00pm-8.45 GB Midlands
Tues and Thurs 8.00pm-9.30pm GB Halifax
Fri 12pm-1pm or 7.00pm-8.45pm GB Midlands or local gym
Sat 1.45pm-3.30pm GB Midlands or Asylum MMA or local gym
Sun 10.00am GB Halifax open mat or local gym.
*In the future I would like to add more strength/conditioning and running to my training.

As you can see life can get rather confusing with training so rather than document every lesson and technique and bore you to tears I will highlight the occasional lesson and technique in my blog. Besides most of us know what a BJJ lesson entails and many schools follow a similar routine for example warm up, drills, techniques, specific sparring, free sparring and warm down.

Please keep posted for further blogs, for now I have included some photos of my local BJJ schools;

Here is a photo of the original GB Halifax team

Here is an older photo of the Nova-Vida team after we had moved into the new premises

Sibling Rivalry

The other night in a heated grapple my brother and myself came to 'fisty cuffs' and had to be separated from each other. This got me thinking about other brothers especially those who compete in Jiu-Jitsu (Diaz, Mendes, Vieira, Estima, Gracie, Ribeiro, Langhi, Carmody, Paxman) and I wondered if and to what extent this Sibling Rivalry exists. Personally I don't believe we are all vying for our mothers attention. But it makes me laugh to think that we all are. I would be interested to hear other peoples thoughts on the subject (please leave a comment on the post and share your thoughts). For now my brother and myself are not rolling together but we have agreed to drill techniques together.

Here are the Mendes Bros competing against each other at the 2010 World Pro BJJ Cup



And here are the Vieira brothers having an unprompted roll in Sweden.



Finally Renzo and Ryan going at it (this is the most accurate example of how a roll between my brother and myself goes)




And the answer is 'yes 'before anyone starts asking I am the best sibling ;-)

BALLS

Men like balls, they like to play with them, blow them up, kick them, throw them, hit them and do numerous other "things" with them. I am no exception.

Lately I have been using a large 'blow up' ball to exercise on. The ball I am referring to is the Swiss ball also know as the exercise ball, balance ball, birth ball, body ball, ball, fitness ball, gym ball, gymnastic ball, physio ball, pilates ball, Pezzi ball, sports ball, stability ball, Swedish ball, therapy ball, or yoga ball. For a more detailed description check here.

Many of the top Jiu-Jitsu athletes today are using them in training including Leo Vieira, Andre Galvao, and Abmar Barbosa.

Here; Galvao and Vieira demonstrate their skills on the Swiss ball. The footage below was taken from the Japanese Submission Spirits VM, available in the UK from Scramble Stuff.



As you can see the Swiss ball is a great 'fun' work out especially for Jiu-Jitsu. Since I have started to use it I have noticed an improvement in my balance, movement, coordination and weight distribution in the grapple.

A word of warning, the Swiss ball takes a while to get used to, so it is best to start off on a matted area under supervision. I nearly went through the glass coffee table in my old flat. I have also head 'bongoed' whilst trying to perform a 180 back flip at the academy.

Exercise balls retail from around £20 upwards and are available from most sports retailers, I have included a rough ball sizing chart for starting out.

Sizing guidelines for exercise:
Your Height: Ball Size
Under 5'2" (1.57m): 45cm ball
5'3"- 5'8" (1.60m-1.72m): 55 cm ball
5'9" - 6'2" (1.75m-1.88m): 65 cm ball
Above 6'3" (1.90m): 75 cm ball

Submission: Triangle

As part of my blog I will have a regular "Submission" feature where I will highlight some of my favourite submissions, with examples of them being pulled off in competition. Today's submission is the triangle.

Search the net and you will find many definitions of the submission, here is my favourite.

"Submission using the legs in the form of a triangle. A triangle choke (called Sankaku-Jime in Judo) is a type of figure-four chokehold which strangles the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle. The technique is a type of lateral vascular restraint that constricts the blood flow from the carotid arteries to the brain."

Well enough of the drivel, lets see the technique in action.

Below, GB Black Belt and highly decorated featherweight Jiu-Jitsu maestro Mario Reis shows us how the technique should be done. Pay close attention to the set up.



In the 2009 World BJJ cup Braulio Estima used the submission to choke out Marcelo Garcia, again pay close attention to the set up.



Finally, if you are still craving for an extra triangle fix, check out this Ryan Hall (aka Ry-angle") highlight



So there you have it the triangle, so good they named a vast area of ocean after it.

Visualisation

For those of you who know me you will know I like good conversation and that I have had some strange conversations in my time. The most notable of which have been with random drunks and psychiatric patients. I have even had entire conversations with inanimate objects, the one which sticks in my mind is the one I had with a vibrating caterpillar toy. Anyway, I digress.

Where we train there is a gentleman who lost his arm below the elbow. However he does not let this hinder him, he manages to do all the exercises, has super human strength and pushes everyone in training. Obviously he has had to adapt to overcome this adversity, over the weeks I have seen a big development in his high guard game and he has been using the remainder of his arm as a vicious choking tool.

Last night after training we were talking about this particular gentleman and admiring the way he had over come this adversity, when the subject of the conversation turned onto other people in similar situations and the power of mind. Below I highlight two athletes who have over come such adversity and then I finish the post with an example of the power of the mind.

One of the first persons who sprung to my mind was Og De Souza. Og is a professional skateboarder from Brazil who skateboards using only his hands. He was born with a condition which caused his legs to stop developing at a young age. Originally Og learned to skateboard as a way to get around, much like most people use a wheel chair. Here is a video of Og in action:



Next is Kyle Maynard. Kyle was born with congenital amputation of the forearms and lower legs. He is now a motivational speaker but has competed in many sports including wrestling and even MMA. Below is a short news article on Kyle.



People often talk about the power of the mind and whether the mind can influence the body or vice versa...I will spare my thoughts on the subject for now but here is a striking example of how the mind can influence the body. Tibetan Monks have shown that by mediating one can increase the body temperature. Here is a snippet from a documentary that was aired on the History channel.



One guy Deepak Chopra, reckoned that by ridding oneself of negative emotions and developing intuition by listening to signals from the body, health can be improved. According to Chopra, slowing down or reversing the aging of the mind through his methods can increase one's lifespan up to the age of 120 years. Who knows if this is true one thing I do know is that you always see old monks!!!

World of Movimento Lento - Shocker Jiu-Jitsu

So, here we begin with the journey into the world of 'Movimento Lento'. With a plethora of blogs available in the public domain, many of which bore me to tears, I decided to start my own. I will be covering a wide range of subjects and random musings that will be held together (vaguely) by a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu thread. The men in white coats may be coming for me, but at least it will make for an interesting read. My adventure into 'geek-dom' starts today. Hold on!!!