Monday, March 15, 2010

NAGA, Colorado

I traveled to Arvada, Colorado for the NAGA tournament on March 13th. We drove out on the 12th, and I weighed in at 7:40 p.m. after nine hours of driving. I was accompanied by my coach, Rob Handley, and my teammates, Jeff Nielsen, Denver Merrifield-Nirva, and Chelsea Kilpack. I made my weight class, and was able to sign up as a Middle-Weight (170- 179.9 lbs.) To get an idea of how I compared in an out-of-state, national competition, I opted to enter in against people with my experience level in the Blue Belt Gi, and Intermediate No-Gi (2-5 year) Divisions. This tournament followed standard IBJJF rules in the Gi Division, and was governed by a time limit and point system. As for the No-Gi they, like most clubs, had some of their own rule variations to keep things interesting.

My first division was the Middle-Weight, No-Gi. I had two matches in this division, my first match was against a really cool guy named Stephen Richardson from Infinite MMA, in Loveland Colorado. He fought hard the whole round, and was really hard to handle. I managed to finish the fight with a RNC with about ten seconds remaining in the round.
My second match was won on points against an awesome competitor named David Borron, from 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in Omaha Nebraska . This match consisted of a lot of great back and forth, and really tested my ability to stay calm and keep defending. He had some tricky set ups to sweeps, and submissions that I really liked, and my knee is still sore from his submission attempts. No-Gi Jiu Jitsu is the specialty of the 1oth Planet System, and their competitors are know for very unorthodox, flexible, highly effective No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. In the end I was able to pull off the win, with a 6-2 point victory, and took the 1st place title and gold medal.

My second Division, was Blue Belt Gi, and I was set to rematch with Stephen Richardson. He gave me another good fight, and when he left his arm hanging on the bottom in the cross body position, I pull off another submission, this time a Kimora, taking another 1st place title and gold medal. I have a lot of respect for Stephen and his hard-work, he put up a great fight. Due to the lack of participants in my bracket, I was moved up to the Blue Belt, Light Heavy Weight Gi Division after my second win.

In the first Light Heavy Weight match, again I was set up again to face the man from Little Rock CO, Stephen Richardson. After his solid arm lock attempt, I passed his guard to cross body, and once again I caught his arm hanging above my head, and submitted him for a third time, with a Kimora. This match gave me another chance at a gold medal in the finals.

During my final match, my coach Professor Robert Handley, advised me to be patient, and let my opponent burn out a bit. I faced John Sterling, out of Easton BJJ Colorado, earlier we had a chance to watch his first match. He was very athletic, seemed to have good control, and a very strong base. The match started, and we had some back and forth from the feet, each of us unwilling to give up top position. I got lazy, and gave up a disappointing take-down, and tried to make him work hard to control the top position. After pacing 2 minutes of the allotted 5 minute round, it was time to move.
I moved my hips, forcing a scramble, and got to my feet, I saw John attempt to take a deep breath, and he started backing away to gain his composure; at this point I pushed the pace determined not to give him air, and successfully threw him with an inside leg sweep, at which point he attempted to defend the takedown and inadvertently injured his right knee.
The execution of the throw was clean, and so the referee and judges did not penalize or disqualify me for it, but unfortunately, the end result was an injury; and a verbal submission/ forfeit to end the final match.
Thankfully, my opponent was able to walk off of the mat with the help of a medic and the referee. I'm grateful that John was not seriously injured, we talked a bit after the match and he seemed to be a really cool guy. He said he planned to compete in the Pan American Championships in April, so I wish him a speedy recovery, and I hope to see him there.
After the finals, I managed to clinch my third and final division, and take home a third Gold Medal. This tournament now brings my BJJ competitive record to 37 wins and 5 losses.

The tournament was very well organized and started right on time. I was very impressed with the set-up, and I can't wait to do another one of their events. Next up, the Pan American Championships in Irvine, CA on April 8, 9, 10, and 11th.

**I would like to thank my coach and teammates and friends for all their incredible support. I am very pleased that I was able to represent Absolute MMA, and Behring Jiu Jitsu the best I could; this sport centers greatly on the concepts of respect and gratitude, and I am very happy to be surrounded by a team and competitors, that hold themselves to such high standards for both virtues.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pre-Tournament Training and Diet

Training

Preparing for a tournament is the culmination of all of my previous training. After months of spending four to five nights a week drilling and rolling at Absolute MMA, I start training twice a day, 5 - 6 days a week (about two to four weeks before a tournament.) This training schedule helps me to get into peak shape for the upcoming fights. It is really important that I pay close attention to my body during this time to avoid over-exertion and injury. Walking into a match knowing that I am as prepared as I possibly could be gives me confidence, and sometimes I'm convinced that's the difference between taking home the gold, or a pat on the back. Here's a general overview of what training two-a-days looks like:

7:00-8:30 a.m.- After eating, I do some light cardio, like Running, Jumping Rope or Yoga depending on the day. I finish with an abdominal workout, and a good cool down stretch.

10:00 a.m.- noon- Training at Absolute MMA. Sometimes my instructor, Rob Handley and I do AKC Kettlebell workouts to start the day. Other days, we start with warm-ups that consist of various rolls, break-falls, and stretches. Once we've warmed up, drilling usually ensues for about a half hour, to forty-five minutes. After drilling, it's fight time. Mouth guards go in, and we roll for as many rounds as necessary. Usually 5- 5 minute rounds, with a 1 minute break. But we sometimes do as much as 10- 3's, or he'll mix it up with 10- 2's, which is a more intense "sprinting style" cardio burn. We usually finish with enough time to work in calisthenic exercises and serious cardio conditioning. I always follow up with a post workout stretch. I always leave with a body that is a few pounds lighter, and a sweat soaked gi that is a few pounds heavier.

6-9:00 p.m.- After working during the day, I return back to Absolute the evening classes. Depending on the night, I will stick with strictly Jiu Jitsu, or I will work in a Muay Thai class as well, after Gi Jiu-Jitsu Class. On the nights when I train strictly Jiu Jitsu, the night is very similar to the morning for training. The night Gi Class is different in the sense that there are many more people to work with. The night class is packed full with strong mid-weight wrestlers, light weight technical wizards, brutal heavy weight tanks, and all around killers that help smash you into peak fighting condition. I will roll with anyone and everyone who is willing, from brand new white belts, up to our world class black belt instructors Pedro Sierra, and of course, when he's feeling frisky Big Rob.
The Muay Thai classes add another level of conditioning with high-intensity anaerobic rounds that consist of knees, elbows, kicks, and punches. I will on occasion spar with my extremely talented teammates, giving them a chance to get even with me for the previous Gi class, by turning me into there punching bag for a few rounds. I also try to do conditioning for both the Jiu Jitsu, and the Thai boxing class. By the end of the night I can hardly move to stretch out my bruised limbs.

Diet
Anyone that knows me knows that I have a love of ice cream and Oreo's that is unsurpassed, and that makes dieting somewhat difficult. I don't have any very strict criteria that I stick to, because I find that crash dieting can be more stressful on your body than eating junk. If you're stressed about what you're eating all day, it can have a huge effect on your end results, and it makes it difficult to maintain the diet as a lifestyle rather than a quick tune up. I have lost over 60 lbs. since I started at Absolute, through mostly hard work and dieting, but I have yet to achieve my life long goal of a six pack. Usually I get close, and those beautiful black cream filled cookies start calling my name pretty loud, at they are just to good to resist... Haha.

For the most part, I prefer to eat "clean." I try to stick to an easy rule of thumb, "Eat things that grow, or anything that eat things that grow". Easy on sauces, flavors, and additives. Instead, use things like lemon, limes, mustard, oranges, and natural flavors like Basil, or other herbs to spice up boring meals. The cleaner the better. For example, if it has label, and the ingredients are more than five items long, and don't include words a 5th grader can read... DON"T EAT IT.
For breakfast, I love a few slices of whole wheat bread with some honey butter, and a glass of orange juice. I eat as early as possible to get my system up and running, then get ready for the day.
Throughout the day I eat a lot of canned chicken, and albacore tuna for protein. I will eat them straight out of the can with a little mustard for flavor, or with some brown rice or Thai rice noodles. During lunch, eat carbohydrates sparingly. If you're on the run, and have to eat out, places like Rumbi's for their brown rice bowls, or Subway, (wheat bread, minus the cheese and mayo,) are good clean options.
Chicken and rice with some steamed or grilled vegetables, are my main staples for dinner, and I'm a sucker for homemade Thai Curry.
On Sundays I cut myself some slack, and have some cookies and ice cream, or home made brownies after dinner, so I can keep my sanity!

Staying hydrated is crucial, and I'm always lugging around a gallon of water. I carry my gallon around stores, to appointments, in the car, at the office, EVERYWHERE! If you get used to carrying your jug like a purse it will remind you to take a sip here and there, and it will be empty by mid-day. If you leave it at home, or at your work, you'll forget, and slip up.
Hydration is crucial to maintaining two-a-day workouts, and my performance and recovery depend heavily on how much water I consume. Also, people commonly mistake dehydration for hunger, and that's a mistake that I can't afford before weigh-ins.

If I'm concerned about making my weight class I will switch to a liquid diet of protein shakes two days (approx.) before a weigh-in. Though some people can cut ten or more pounds the day before a fight, I prefer to be at least three to five pounds away from my goal weight class during a fight camp. I've found out the hard way that cutting weight is as much an art, as it is a science, so its not something to fool around with, without the watchful eye, and direction of a professional.
In my opinion, having to choose between being dehydrated, cramped, physically and mentally stressed out the day before a fight, versus fighting people that are ten to twenty pounds heavier than me is NO CONTEST. Give me the strength, endurance, and peace of mind, and I'll let my opponent sweat himself dry in a sauna to skip down a class, any day of the week.

I hope this (not so brief) run down of training/ diet methods can help on you on the road to meeting your performance and physical fitness goals. I love Jiu-Jitsu, and MMA, and I encourage anyone and everyone to give it a try. It really has changed my life, and I don't know where I would be without it. Well, maybe not, I'd probably still be that fat guy, channel surfing and eating Oreo's on the couch...

Well, thats about it, thanks for reading, this stuff really works for me, and over the past three years, I've tried to learn this stuff training with the amazing professionals at Absolute MMA. Rob, Camrann, and Pedro, have kept a close eye on everything I do, and been there every step of the way, to consult, and advise me before I try anything. But I need to make clear that in no way shape or form do I claim to be one of those professionals. I would recommend talking or training with them to anyone, but at the very least consult a professional before starting any kind of diet or exercise program.

But by far the best thing I've learned from the boys at Absolute is, there is no secret recipe, pill, or exercise, that will totally shed the weight and get the performance results you want. The only elements you need are hard work, commitment, and most of all, FUN...

Sunday, March 7, 2010