Injuries

It has been a while since I last updated because I have been feeling demotivated with training. My elbows are slowly improving but they are still bothering me enough that I cannot grip a gi. I have been trying to work on my guard but as my game is very reliant on controlling the gi, I have been feeling very frustrated and despondent. I have also stopped Judo and weights completely which upsets me as I enjoy doing both.

A few weeks ago I realised I needed to pull myself together and stop feeling sorry for myself: I should stop yearning for the things I could not do and start finding ways to train that do not aggravate my injuries. Instead of Judo class on Mondays I am now attending no-gi class. My no-gi experience is fairly limited compared to my overall BJJ training history. I have ocassionally dabbled with it in the past but I did not like it very much because I felt like I was drowning in the sea with nothing to hold onto. Now that I have more BJJ experience I am finding I enjoy no-gi. It is forcing me to be quicker and tighter in the way I control and apply positions. I think in the long run I may even find that no-gi grappling suits me more than BJJ in the gi.

In gi class I am developing my guard to become less reliant on the gi: Instead of pulling on the sleeves and lapels to control I am now pushing and blocking my partner's head, shoulders and hips to escape my hips and create space. It is forcing me to use my arms less and use my hips and legs more which can only be a good thing in the long run. I always enjoyed attacking with gi chokes but now I am unable to grip to apply them I am relying more heavily on joint locks and trying to see them from all positions.

At first, I saw my injury as a handicap: It was a limiting factor that prevented me from playing my usual BJJ game. Now I see my injury as an opportunity for me to learn other ways of using my body. By shifting my focus from my short-term setbacks to my middle- and long-term development, I have rekindled my enthusiasm for BJJ. Although it may be difficult to see it at the time, sometimes injury can be a blessing.

Half Guard: Getting Deep

My half guard has come on in leaps and bounds! It used to be one of my worst positions; if someone passed to my half guard I would suffer. I ended up flattened out with someone's shoulder pressing into my face. It was only a matter of time before I was passed.

These past six months or so I've been experimenting more with the X-guard and this has made me feel comfortable getting right underneath my opponent's centre of gravity. I've tried to apply this knowledge to the half guard. Now when someone passes to my half guard I don't let them control my head and neck, I stay on my side and I immediately go straight to the deep half guard. As well as feeling safe from the pass or submissions I also feel offensive from this position. I'm finding that I can consistently sweep people from the half guard now (something I've struggled with before).

Deep half guard seems to suit my body type as I tend to be smaller and more compact than the people I roll with and compete against so it's relatively easy for me to get into this position. I feel like this development has really opened up my game and I'm looking forward to trying more sweeps from the deep half guard.

Insist!

My blue belt was defined by the word 'insist'. One of the most important things I learnt as a blue belt was that I had to always insist on positions, believe in them and execute them with a 'full heart'. If I'm going for a pass, keep pressuring until I've established it; if I'm going for a choke keep holding until my opponent taps. Never stop until the position has been conquered.

I was reminded of this recently while training Judo. We were told that during randori we need to go to throws with the intention of completing them. The way we spar in randori should be the way we will fight in competition: The body 'remembers' the throws and will perform them the same way in competition as in training. Once again, I was convinced of the importance of insisting: My stand up is nowhere near as good as my ground game and I find I hestitate when I'm going for a takedown, stopping halfway through the entry to a throw as if I don't believe in it and then turning out again. This has translated itself to be a problem for me at the last few competitions I've taken part in.

I am convinced that I should be able to integrate my judo training into my BJJ game, having seen other Jiu-Jitsu fighters implement Judo throws to great effect. While I'm still relatively inexperienced, I believe that a large part of the problem I have had using my Judo in BJJ competitions is psychological. My resolution for Judo, as it was for BJJ, is to insist; to believe in myself and never stop until I've put my opponent down.