Brazilian jiu jitsu or Krav Maga

[GAP]

Oh yeah, break them down, hip bump/kimura when they try to get away is my *game.* That and triangles, which if course means I need to work more on my armbar from guard to set up the triangle...

The bad habit I tend to fall into is "Well, I tried the hip bump/kimura thing once. This time I'll do an arm drag to back take/pendulum sweep!" Instead of, you know, just doing the darn hip bump again and again until I get it (or they stop it, depending on my opponent).

I feel decent about my closed guard game in that sense, as I have at least 2 solid grooves worn. But then I get on top and it's all a grab bag with no connection. My immediate goal is to just pick *something* to be *my* gameplan from other positions and make myself stick to it, regardless of what cool new technique we learned today.

You can also arm drag then faint taking the back into a triangle or bait a triangle off of a deep collar choke when the hand goes up to defend trap the other arm to the ground or push it towards his back/butt.

Work a shitload of chin-ups and sit-ups if you can when not at BJJ, not sure of your strength training outside of it.

[ford.304]

You can also arm drag then faint taking the back into a triangle or bait a triangle off of a deep collar choke when the hand goes up to defend trap the other arm to the ground or push it towards his back/butt.

Work a shitload of chin-ups and sit-ups if you can when not at BJJ, not sure of your strength training outside of it.

My strength training has fallen off a bit. I was lifting consistently for about two years before I started BJJ, intermittently when I could only train 2-3 times a week, and then kind of dropped off entirely once I started doing BJJ daily. I was up to solid intermediate strength standards on the Big 3, although my chin ups have always lagged behind. Only place I feel weaker than my training partners is grip strength, but every time I try to train that I end up setting off tendonitis :P I'd be so much stronger if my stupid tendons and ligaments would cooperate! ;-) I need to get back into it. My squat rack has turned into a gi drying rack -- the ultimate shame :-(

[GAP]

My strength training has fallen off a bit. I was lifting consistently for about two years before I started BJJ, intermittently when I could only train 2-3 times a week, and then kind of dropped off entirely once I started doing BJJ daily. I was up to solid intermediate strength standards on the Big 3, although my chin ups have always lagged behind. Only place I feel weaker than my training partners is grip strength, but every time I try to train that I end up setting off tendonitis :P I'd be so much stronger if my stupid tendons and ligaments would cooperate! ;-) I need to get back into it. My squat rack has turned into a gi drying rack -- the ultimate shame :-(

Gi drying rack is better than curl rack.

If lifting will prevent you from training BJJ see if you can buy a few feet length of thick rope. Knot it around the pull up bar of a power rack or a tree or something else above your head. Grab it like you would a Gi and do pull ups daily like that. You'll be ape grip strong in no time with consistency.

[ford.304]

Been thinking about doing that. My other thought is a rice bucket, since that's supposed to work extension as well. A rope over the rafters in my garage *would* solve the "too tall for my squat rack chin up bar"problem I have ;-)

[Cecil Burch]

I've just meant that I've heard of some schools (admittedly, most through reading to much internet) where you have to win/place in a tournament to get your next belt. My schedule just doesn't work for that -- morning practice every day I can make, all day weekends I can't. I don't mean to knock competition/competition oriented schools at all.

Does that happen? Sure. In maybe literally 1 in 500 schools. Not something to really think or talk about.

[ford.304]

Does that happen? Sure. In maybe literally 1 in 500 schools. Not something to really think or talk about.

Well, that's good to know ;-) What I get for trusting the internet...

[Cecil Burch]

Gi drying rack is better than curl rack.

If lifting will prevent you from training BJJ see if you can buy a few feet length of thick rope. Knot it around the pull up bar of a power rack or a tree or something else above your head. Grab it like you would a Gi and do pull ups daily like that. You'll be ape grip strong in no time with consistency.

Be extremely careful with doing supplemental work like that. If you already have a heavy BJJ workload, plus the rest of your life that you deal with, adding heavy grip work can lead to problems. We are already working our grips so much in BJJ constantly, that then we do outside grip work, our hands never have time to recuperate.

I was a fanatic abotu grip strength and I was doing a lot of it. I had the Ironmind grippers in my car so I could do reps while driving. I had worked up to closing the #2 Captains of Crush and was soooooo close to closing the #3, until suddenly I started losing strength and I was at the point the #1 was tough. And my hands just HURT. Badly, 24/7. Forget about BJJ grips - it was almost non-existent. I dropped all the supplemental grip stuff, added a bunch of rehab work, and focused on working the grip within the confines of regular class training. In a couple of months, the pain stopped and my strength level got back to a decent level. Since then I get all my grip work in class, or in normal weight work (heavy deadlifts, cleans, snatches, etc).

[Cecil Burch]

Well, that's good to know ;-) What I get for trusting the internet...

Something to keep in mind is that even in the most competition focused schools, no more than 30-40% of the gym competes. EVER. So if an instructor only promotes with competition wins, he will have a turnover rate like a McDonalds during the lunch rush and will be out of business in no time.

[ford.304]

Be extremely careful with doing supplemental work like that. If you already have a heavy BJJ workload, plus the rest of your life that you deal with, adding heavy grip work can lead to problems. We are already working our grips so much in BJJ constantly, that then we do outside grip work, our hands never have time to recuperate.

I was a fanatic abotu grip strength and I was doing a lot of it. I had the Ironmind grippers in my car so I could do reps while driving. I had worked up to closing the #2 Captains of Crush and was soooooo close to closing the #3, until suddenly I started losing strength and I was at the point the #1 was tough. And my hands just HURT. Badly, 24/7. Forget about BJJ grips - it was almost non-existent. I dropped all the supplemental grip stuff, added a bunch of rehab work, and focused on working the grip within the confines of regular class training. In a couple of months, the pain stopped and my strength level got back to a decent level. Since then I get all my grip work in class, or in normal weight work (heavy deadlifts, cleans, snatches, etc).

The big thing I've read is that a lot of guys do too much crush work and not enough extension, and so get awful tendonitis. My own experience has matched that I had to start dead lifting with straps or my elbows would hurt for days.

Man funky rubber band exercises later, and I'm feeling pretty good. We do no-gi two days out of five, so that helps cut down on the wear and tear, too. When I pick up a barbell again I'm going to try to make sure I pre-emptively hit grip extension work even if I don't add any grip-specific stuff, just since I seem predisposed to those kinds of problems.

[GAP]

Something to keep in mind is that even in the most competition focused schools, no more than 30-40% of the gym competes. EVER. So if an instructor only promotes with competition wins, he will have a turnover rate like a McDonalds during the lunch rush and will be out of business in no time.

Good points, I suppose it does depend on the individual and how they deal with the physical stress.

After a few years of gi training I found myself doing deadlifts, rope pull-ups and CoC grippers simultaneously.

I remember my fingers killing though when I first started in the gi.

My knees on the other hand.. heavy doses of squats, running on pavement and wrestling were the recipe for years. Eventually the pot boils over.