Sorry I have been kind of out of the loop. A LOT has been going on. I have been quite busy with work, school, and personal life. I wanted to post an update here, though. The school has closed, but Frank has moved the program. We are now based, temporarily, at the Melissa Berry School of Dance. The room we are training in is kind of small, is on a second floor with a window looking out on a parking lot and mirrors along both walls (it's a dance studio after all), and, is a funny shade of pink. But, it is good to be back in the game. The new school is called Ronin Muay Thai/Grappling. The plan is, hopefully within a couple of months we will be in our own space again. For now, this is an okay stop-gap.
Last night, we went over a couple of basic collar chokes and then rolled lightly. I rolled with this new guy, Paul. He is another pretty big guy (240ish) but I was able to hang with him
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Last night
Was a good class. Frank seemed pretty hopeful that something good will happen in term of moving the program to another facility. I am hoping it happens. He went over the Kimura from guard:
and the Omoplata from guard:
Rolled a bit with Frank. Managed to avoid a few sweep attempts and a couple of armbar attempts. He kept catching me in all manner of chokes, though. He got me in a gi collar choke and I tried to work my way out of it, but the room started to get swimmy and I decided tapping out was probably a good idea.
Tony and I then another semi-epic roll. We went about 7-8 minutes. I was never able to get in a really advantageous position, but I managed to keep him from getting into one by just keeping moving and trying to keep him from using his size and strength. I escaped a guillotine choke attempt and an Americana attempt. He finally caught me with a short armbar and got the tap. But, again, I feel like my technique is improving dramatically.
I am going to concentrate on going to the gym, keeping my cardio up and working on upper body and core strength. Hoping this is not the end of the road for me with BJJ. I feel like I am at the point of having the first tiny glimmers of competence. We shall see.
Roll on.
and the Omoplata from guard:
Rolled a bit with Frank. Managed to avoid a few sweep attempts and a couple of armbar attempts. He kept catching me in all manner of chokes, though. He got me in a gi collar choke and I tried to work my way out of it, but the room started to get swimmy and I decided tapping out was probably a good idea.
Tony and I then another semi-epic roll. We went about 7-8 minutes. I was never able to get in a really advantageous position, but I managed to keep him from getting into one by just keeping moving and trying to keep him from using his size and strength. I escaped a guillotine choke attempt and an Americana attempt. He finally caught me with a short armbar and got the tap. But, again, I feel like my technique is improving dramatically.
I am going to concentrate on going to the gym, keeping my cardio up and working on upper body and core strength. Hoping this is not the end of the road for me with BJJ. I feel like I am at the point of having the first tiny glimmers of competence. We shall see.
Roll on.
Monday, February 9, 2009
BUMP IN THE ROAD
I haven't posted much lately. I've been kind of busy with school and such. Also just got a bit of bad(?) news. Frank called just a few minutes ago and the school is shutting down as of March 1st. The problem is, Chris, the owner, is stopping paying Frank effective immediately. So, tonight is the last adult class. Frank is more or less coming by to say goodbye. He told me he is trying to work out something with another gym locally to start a BJJ program, but it remains to be seen whether it will happen. I am hoping this is just a small bump in the road in my progress in the art. Due to family and life obligations, a much longer drive would not be feasible to do on a regular basis. I am hopeful and interested to see what the next chapter of the saga brings.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
UFC 94 and meeting Raven
Well, my UFC 94 picks were, shall we say, spotty at best!
The Guida/Diaz fight was a pleasant surprise. I was ever so glad to finally see that cocky little punk get shut up. Clay Guida surprised me and, honestly, dominated Nate Diaz. I was pleased with the outcome, although it was not my pick. 0-1 in picks.
Parisyan/Kim was, honestly, a bit boring. Split deciion by Parysian, although, honestly, I think Kim actually won that fight. 1-1 in picks.
Bonnar/Jones was a shocker. This Jones kid has a future ahead of him. Was very surprised at the outcome. 1-2 in picks.
Machida/Silva was a good one. I was not expecting it to end up knockout however. 2-2 in picks.
Penn/GSP was a bitter disappointment. After all of the hype and after all of Penn calling GSP a quitter, what does BJ do? He lets his corner crew basically throw in the towel for him, not answering the bell for round 5. GSP was passing his guard at will also. Penn needs to really re-evaluate a lot of things in my opinion.
Something else about myself...I am kind of a geek. Or at least, I have some geeky interests. I went to the Atlanta Comic Book Convention this afternoon and while I was down there, I attended an autograph session with Scott Levy, who is perhaps better known as the ECW/WCW/WWE/TNA wrestler Raven. Had a brief conversation with him and found him to be a very nice, cordial guy. I was mentioning to him that he was and is probably the best "promo guy" in the business. Unlike a lot of wrestlers, when cutting a promo, he would rarely raise his voice. He also would not rant and rave. His above-average intelligence and vocabulary were his primary weapons in his promos. He was just a sinister presence who could send shivers down your spine for his portrayal of a sociopath. Two great examples of Raven promos are below:
Below is a cellphone pic capturing my meeting with Scott "Raven" Levy.
The Guida/Diaz fight was a pleasant surprise. I was ever so glad to finally see that cocky little punk get shut up. Clay Guida surprised me and, honestly, dominated Nate Diaz. I was pleased with the outcome, although it was not my pick. 0-1 in picks.
Parisyan/Kim was, honestly, a bit boring. Split deciion by Parysian, although, honestly, I think Kim actually won that fight. 1-1 in picks.
Bonnar/Jones was a shocker. This Jones kid has a future ahead of him. Was very surprised at the outcome. 1-2 in picks.
Machida/Silva was a good one. I was not expecting it to end up knockout however. 2-2 in picks.
Penn/GSP was a bitter disappointment. After all of the hype and after all of Penn calling GSP a quitter, what does BJ do? He lets his corner crew basically throw in the towel for him, not answering the bell for round 5. GSP was passing his guard at will also. Penn needs to really re-evaluate a lot of things in my opinion.
Something else about myself...I am kind of a geek. Or at least, I have some geeky interests. I went to the Atlanta Comic Book Convention this afternoon and while I was down there, I attended an autograph session with Scott Levy, who is perhaps better known as the ECW/WCW/WWE/TNA wrestler Raven. Had a brief conversation with him and found him to be a very nice, cordial guy. I was mentioning to him that he was and is probably the best "promo guy" in the business. Unlike a lot of wrestlers, when cutting a promo, he would rarely raise his voice. He also would not rant and rave. His above-average intelligence and vocabulary were his primary weapons in his promos. He was just a sinister presence who could send shivers down your spine for his portrayal of a sociopath. Two great examples of Raven promos are below:
Below is a cellphone pic capturing my meeting with Scott "Raven" Levy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
