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Thursday, May 7, 2009

So Close...Yet So Far Away...


Weight: 224.8

Sometimes when you ask for things you get them, although they may not be exactly as you wished or thought they would be. Like with this weight thing, I am now weighing what I'd like, though I hate that my body fat is about 8 or 9% now, whereas before it was about 5...Problem is, I was/am fortunate enough to be traveling to Brazil for the Brasileiros(Brazilian National BJJ Championships - Said to be the toughest tournament in terms of competition level...even above the Mundials in some respects)....And with me going, I need to be about 216 to ensure that I make weight(221 with the GI on)...That said, I can't seem to just drop weight like I used to nor can I stop my hunger...Training myself to take in approx 7500 calories per day has gottenit to the point where evenif I do not eat much at all, I do not lose the 1-3 lbs nightly as I used to....Oh well, I guess it's off to the sauna for me. Or sumn...I dunno, but I DAMN sure ain't going up to the Pessadissimo(above 221) category as I'm not trying to wrestle with 300 lb and up monsters who also have great technique!
Then my issues with sweep defense, half/X -guard passing, and weight distribution were worked on today. Had a private with Marcus and saw that even though my technical ability is moving ahead, my movement with intent, my knowledge of transitions of weight, and my (for lack of a better term) meanness need work. The subtle differences between where I am and where I want to be were magnified when I tried to put into effect the things I was showed in a "live" environment with him. That said, I sat and took some extensive notes(stopped on the highway on the way back to work to do it as I'd forgotten to do so right afterward)...In those notes and in the way he reinforces the lessons taught really got me to be able to move to the right positions and be able to better deal with the problems i have and hopefully I can assimilate them correctly... Breaking my thought process on my forcing my (in my own mind) best pass(variations on the knee slide) was the best thing out of it in addition to places to place my feet/arms to place my weight heavily upon my partner....Also did some work on my attack chains...Normally, when I attack, I think in 3s...I have three attacks based off whatever setup/control I have...That said, in the last year or so the first attack is about 90%, if I get to the second attack it's usually 95% and I really haven't had to go to the third...Working today made me understand the persistence in passing as well as in having thought go out the window and chaining attacks relentlessly as at the level I am and want to be one day, that is what it will take to get the finish. All in all it really was a good private as all of them with Marcus are but today stood out b/c I could actually act on them once I received the information. Now it is time to drill, as there is one bad habit of mine I have to break absolutely...well...two...one is my arms are still WAY too far out even and especially when passing, but definitely when defending the pass, and when I break guard and move to pass on either side, but especially when the knee is to the same side, I must retain the hook instead of driving the leg all the way across...Worked on some what ifs for there that I feel really comfortable with though...
MY school is picking up though very slowly. I have had a few people come through classes to visit and hope to have left a good impression on them. I have a good mix of very new people, along with some intermediate guys and some veterans. I hope to get some new folks in and therein lies my problem. I am not marketing as effectively nor as persistently as I should. And I am not really pressing people to join when they come. This is mostly because I wish to be fair and want people to WANT to be there, but also I understand that if I do not sign up people to a point I am at least carrying 20 or so students within a little while, then it will be a much harder road to go. All that said, the people who are there come regularly, and they listen. The grind is really killing me though. Between day job, driving, picking up my daughter and especially Tues/Thurs where I have to leave the first class and drive 30 min to teach the second with no room for delay and then drive home 30 min, it is really tough. Add to it, I have been working out early mornings, during lunch hours, and attempting to roll in every class, and I am feeling broken down, but on top of it, it seems that I am losing my competitive edge when rolling as I don't wish to smash everyone I roll with which is precisely what I should be doing in my rolls getting ready for Brasilerios/Mundials/Old-Man Mundials which are all coming up soon...Not meaning I should be mean, but much more effective, much more tight, much more quickly dispatching opponents even if I have to do it the whole round...Just dunno what to do...Just hoping one of them doesn't have to go...
Need to mention I have two of my students, Cory and Trevor, who have been with me for 4 or 5mos who will be doing their first tournament ever at the Dallas NAGA this weekend. I know they've worked hard and look forward to them doing a great job!
Anyways, the health sucks...Can't walk or run for more than ten min without my back locking up so it looks as if I need to get another procedure...But then..if I was totally healthy, it wouldn't be me right? lol
Tired of writing for now, but will be back throughout the next few weeks pretty regularly....I fight on...


Thought For The Day: What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!" - Conan the Barbarian
I need to get back to that thought process on the mat.

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