Month: September 2018

Can I get better while training only 2x a week?

~ drdos

I can definitively say "Yes" but with a caveat. I'm only at the BJJ gym about 2-3x a week for 2-3hrs each time. But I do BJJ related training (movement, mobility, strength, flexibility) on most of my off days. It's probably not optimal compared to training with partners and a coach, but it sure enhanced my progression to add independent BJJ related training and education.

Recently, my off day training consists of something like this:

  1. A short (0.5-1mi) run/jog for initial warmup and light conditioning.

  2. Kettlebell workout (swings, single hand swings, Turkish gettup with isometric holds for shoulder stabilization and health)

  3. Yoga/gymnastics pushups (modified vinyasa for isometric strength, core and shoulder health), a few active hangs on rings maybe some pullups, and planking on rings.

  4. BJJ solo drills if I have room (I have floor mats at home usually), this will usually something general like bridging, hip escapes, and shrimping or specific movent drills, like combinations of sit outs of various kinds, shoulder rolls, crawls, etc etc depending on available space, if I'm adjusting to injuries, and if I want to consistently be working on particular types of moves.

  5. Stretches, yoga/gymnastics pancake stretching, good form dove stretch for hips, shoulder stretches, wrist stretches, neck stretches, kneeling and lean/layback, hamstrings (basically posterior and anterior chain around hips), kneeling ankle and toe stretch, either back twists or cobra stretching.

Depending on adjustments, this takes usually 30-90m, usually around 40-45 I think. When I'm being good, then I'll have particular movement exercises/drills in mind that I'll consistently keep in to improve a particular set of techniques or healthy movements I'd like to develop to avoid injuries.

I'm hoping soon I'll have some time to put together a better description of what I do on my solo training days and share it here.

When I was a white and new blue belt, many of the biggest advances I made followed from solo drilling some of the movements we'd use commonly in class. Shrimping, different kinds of shrimping, technical getup, butterfly arm drags, etc etc things that our coach would include in the drilling or warmup part of the class. It helped my overall competency and helped me make substantial progress.

Depression and anxiety

~ drdos

I've dealt with what could probably be called mild undiagnosed depression and anxiety at times. BJJ is about the best thing I've found to fight it, along with the support of my loving wife and family. I never skip a class because I'm feeling depressed or anxious. Or even a tournament, if I've had one on set my calendar, despite crushingly wanting not to go. The main reason being that I've almost always felt MUCH better after. The only exceptions were when I only felt a bit better or at least neutral but more tired in a good way. Those were most likely times where my sleep and or caffeine intake were way out of wack. On my off days I try to also get in at least a little exercise. Something is always better than nothing.

Frame your mind around some activity, any activity, being a success, especially compared to none. Even if it's just a 5-10min neighborhood walk. Maybe when you get back, you feel you might as well swing a kettlebell a few times. Maybe then you can do a few shrimps and bridges. Maybe now you can do some more or not. Now you are all sweaty. You might as well do some stretches, you know your body at least will feel better... And so it goes, chip chip away, little by little, it all adds up.

From what I've heard and read from medical literature, physical activity, even just 20min a day, can work wonders on these phyc issues and help with longevity and cognitive function, even better than drugs for many people. And it only has positive side effects (as long as you remember to warm up and tap early 😉

Keep it Simple, Private Free Podcasting

~ drdos ~ Leave a comment

This isn't about making a secure podcast, and it's not about making a popular big podcast. It's about making a simple private but non-secure podcast for free. This is what I did when deciding to read a book for my wife because, inexplicably to me, she really loves my voice.  This is not meant to be an idiot proof guide but hopefully if you have some rudimentary programming or scripting skills you'll find it helpful.  If you don't, then feel free to hack away or make your life more carefree and go with lipsyn.com

I chose to use free Dropbox and to do the rest myself "manually".  The steps are:

  1. Record what you want to post and export to mp3 format (see other post if I get around to it).
  2. Create an RSS file to describe your podcast in a way podcast players understand.
  3. Put all your podcasting related files in a publicly shared Dropbox folder, audio files, rss (xml) file, and image files.
  4. Access the the rss file from a podcast app.

Lets get to it.

Setup

  • Have ready your recorded files.  Assume it's called "episode1.mp3".
  • Create a square 1400x14000 pixel image file for your podcast called "mypodcast.jpg"
  • Create an "index.html" file for your podcast, it can be as simple as
<html>
This is my podcast
</html>

Create your RSS file

Create a text file named "mypodcast.rss" and edit it.

This is a XML file so you may be familiar with the formatting from other xml files or other files with a similar format.

Enter the following text in the file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0">
<channel>
  <!-- Basic info on the Podcast-->
  <title>The Title Of My Podcast</title>
  <link>the_path_to_index.html</link>
  <lastBuildDate>Fri, 14 Sep 2018 00:10:00 -0500</lastBuildDate>
  <language>en-US</language>
  <itunes:author>My Name</itunes:author>
  <itunes:summary>Summary description of my podcast</itunes:summary>
  <description>Description of my podcast</description>
  <itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
  <itunes:keywords>keywords for my podcast</itunes:keywords>
  <itunes:owner>
    <itunes:name>My Name</itunes:name>
    <itunes:email>sigthorsson@gmail.com</itunes:email>
  </itunes:owner>
  <itunes:category text="Arts"/>
  <itunes:image href="path_to_mypodcast.jpg"" />
  <copyright>Copyright 2018</copyright>
  <webMaster>myemail@gmail.com (my name)</webMaster>
  <atom:link href="path_to_mypodcast.rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/>
<item>
  [Stuff described in the next step]
<\item>
</channel>
</rss>

So far, except for the file paths, everything else above is fairly self explanatory where you can put in your own descriptions and information.  Make those substitutions.

Next replace the item field as follows:

<item>
  <!-- Each item: update the title, pubDate, link=guid=enclosure url (lenght=number of bytes), subtitle, summary, duration -->
  <!-- Episode comment, doesn't appear anywhere -->
<title>My episode 1 title </title>
<pubDate>Sat, 14 Apr 2018 00:30:00 EST</pubDate>
<link>path_to_episode1.mp3</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">path_to_episode1.mp3</guid>
<description> Description of my episode 1 </description>
<itunes:author>My name </itunes:author>
<itunes:subtitle>Subtitle of my episode </itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:summary>Summary description of my episode</itunes:summary>
<itunes:keywords>Reading</itunes:keywords>
<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
<itunes:duration>00:41:51</itunes:duration>
<enclosure url="path_to_episode1.mp3" length="20107307" type="audio/mpeg"/>
</item>

Look at you episode1.mp3 file, find the duration of the file and the size of the file (in bytes).  On a Mac you can get both those pieces of information by right clicking the file and selecting "Get info".   Fill in the following

  • The <itunes:duration> field in units of "hours:minutes:seconds"
  • The length="..." as the size of the file in bytes, don't use ","s or "."s, just a string of digits.

This is enough for now, we'll get back to it once we've uploaded the files.

Upload to Dropbox

Create or log in to your Dropbox account.

For ease, you can install the Dropbox sync app and use a synced folder on your computer  for all your podcast files (.mp3 files, .html, and .rss)

  • Upload your episode1.mp3, mypodcast.rss, mypodcast.jpg and mypodcast.html files into a Dropbox folder.
  • Share the Dropbox folder and make it viewable by anyone (mouse over the folder, click the share button and select the option).
  • Go into the folder.
  • Mouse over each file, click the share button, click create a link.
  • Copy each link name, it will have a format something like this:
    • https://www.dropbox.com/s/p67vykeok9fo3fq/episode1.mp3?dl=0
  • Create raw links by change substituting "/s/" with "/s/raw/" and removing the "?dl=0", example:
    • https://www.dropbox.com/s/raw/p67vykeok9fo3fq/episode1.mp3

Add Links To The RSS File

Take all the shared links you recorded in the previous step and update the mypodcast.rss file.  Replace all the "path_to_..." files with the appropriate Dropbox raw links.

Make sure the mypodcast.rss file in Dropbox is synced with the mypodcast.rss file you just edited.

Accessing Your Podcast

Go to your favorite Podcast app, like Overcast, and use the raw link you created earlier for mypodcast.rss and add it as a podcast feed.

Done!

Your podcast should now be working and coming up on your Podcast app with the icon image for your podcast and your one episode listed with it's title showing.

Adding More Podcast Episodes And Additional Notes

To add more episodes simply do the following:

  • Record a new audio file, "episode2.mp3"
  • Upload the file to Dropbox and create a raw link as before.
  • Create the text for an <item> for episode2 as described before for episode1, updating the path, title, duration, and length for the file.
  • Add the text below the <\item> for the previous episode.
  • Don't forget to set the correct (or desired) date and time for the episode
  • Update the <lastBuildDate> to the current date time (this should trigger the Podcast app to actually check the rest of the rss file and show you the new episode).
  • Make sure the .rss file is synced.

 

Mouth guard?

~ drdos

After catching a random knee to the chin and chipping a tooth as a white belt, I always wear a mouth guard. With the right choice of guard, it's low cost and low inconvenience that nearly eliminates the risk of a potentially high cost accident.

I highly recommend SISU, especially the second generation (nextgen), the thinner one is fine for BJJ but too little for striking.

Pros:

  • ⁠Good protection, never had a problem with them.
  • ⁠Very minimal, easy to breathe and speak through.
  • ⁠Because I can speak well through them, then I don’t have to take them out ever on the mats (no nasty drops)
  • ⁠Fit well (see below)
  • ⁠Easy to refit many many times if having difficulties (up to 20x iirc)

Cons:

  • ⁠Bit more pricy than shockdocs etc.
  • ⁠Can be tricky to fit (see below)
  • ⁠Gen 1 could develope sharp/abrasive edges.

Fitting tips:

Don’t use scalding water, just hot enough. After the time allotted to make the guard moldable, use a mirror to make sure you are centering the guard well. Gently suck on the guard and use your tongue to hold and mold it in place, don’t bite on it, just gently squeeze your teeth together. It’s easy to suck too hard and make it too tight. It will shrink slightly as it cools to body/room temp. After a couple of attempts, you’ll probably get it very close to a good fit but a bit on the tight side. Use your hand and teeth to leverage it and bend the sides (or just the front) slightly. This process has yielded a great fit for me at least.

Big man flexibility

~ drdos

Early in BJJ I noticed the benefits of flexibility for safety and to expand my game. The most helpful advice I received was to be patient with my body when it comes to flexibility. As a bigger person, you are probably used to working on strengthening where you can see significant progress in say 14-30d. Unless you have freak genetics, think about flexibility on about a 120d schedule when setting comparable modest goals or expectations. Be patient. Tendons etc take longer to grow/heal than muscles, that's just nature. And make sure you aren't doing things to/through pain, just mild discomfort, keep your joints safe.

Secondly, because of your goals to improve and expand your BJJ game, make sure you don't just work on extending your flexibility (ability to contort your body further) but also extending mobility (ability to move your body over a larger range). The two don't always go hand in hand.

There are plenty of YouTube videos I've found and instructionals (if you care then I can give some links from my collection). Yoga can be a great source but they don't always include the mobility with the flexibility so I suggest being picky or making sure to mix things up. Try to find instructionals that give you stages and progressions so you don't stagnate.

I'm a bigger guy. Despite being very flexible in some ways (e.g. for high kicks), I had uncomfortable limitations when it came to shoulder and hip flexibility. Over many months I gradually became quite flexible in my hips (went from not liking to cross my legs even to being able to comfortably do a half lotus and am working on a bit more) and my shoulders are now flexible enough to ensure that my training partners need good technique to finish arm/shoulder locks.

One last important specific tip I found helpful. When doing the dove hip stretch or half lotus type hip opening stretches, engage your foot (ancle at 90deg or less). It helps to keep your knees safe. In the dove stretch, if your knee tends to hurt, it's because the stretch isn't coming on correctly, it should be in the hip not the knee. Prop yourself up, try to hold good posture, one leg extends back, and make sure the bent leg is perpendicular to your body with the foot engaged before lowering down. You won't be able to go down as far but your knee will thank you.

Rib injuries

~ drdos

Most of us have been there.

Short of it is that you just need to rest it and you have to stay away from training (free rolling at least) for probably a few weeks. Once you can breathe deep and move around a bit without pain then you can move on.

Once I got there, I would drill without too much trouble but modify or skip if I had any pain. I'd free roll with people I trusted but two things were different from usual. I'd tap early from just discomfort on the ribs if I felt stuck. I'd move and give up positions if I felt discomfort. Oddly enough this would sometimes give me good opportunities for improving my position or going for submissions, because I'd be doing "the wrong thing" which friends found unexpected from my skill level and it would probably momentarily confuse them. So even if I was technically letting them flatten me out, giving then mount or back, it would kinda catch them by surprise and I'd be able to work out of a bad situation better than you'd expect lol.

Wearing the skin off your fingers?

~ drdos

Let go and regrip. Get fast at it, develope that skill, look into good YouTube instructors that emphasize grip fighting (Stephan Kesting has this with Emily Kwok, Chewy at chewjitsu has some good stuff too iirc, and probably lots of others). You can also work on the toughness of your fingers and grips but there is no hurry for that. Some of that will be trained but some may just be generic and you will have to adapt your game if you want to sustain your training.

It doesn't hurt to learn about how to tape your fingers (I believe it's covered in the FAQ for this sub) but I don't think that's the problem you are having. Taping is usually used more to support the joints than to protect the skin of your fingers.

Competition day

~ drdos

Take it one match at a time, don't try to win the whole thing, just try to focus on winning your current opponent.

Breathe, remember you are ok right now and you have trained and you are ready. Breathe and be well.

Keep with your normal eating routine, nothing unusual. Unless you were cutting weight, focus on rehydrating (water and electrolytes, e.g. Pedialyte, eat your normal food or bars you are familiar with).

You will dictate the pace of the match you are going into. You will play into your game. You will not let them into their game. You will go for it. Get your grips, don't let them get theirs, go for your takedown or your pull. If your technique fails, thats ok. You dictated when the action took place and when it started, which means you will be first to react even if they stuffed your takedown/guard pull. You know when the action happens, you are ahead of the game.

Blisters on toes

~ drdos

Few of things I'd recommend.

  1. ⁠Pay very close attention to your instructors feet/toes when he/she is demonstrating a technique. The particular application of your feet can help both with effectiveness and safety for your toes.

  2. ⁠When blisters break, Neosporin or similar, band-aid, then tape on top of that. When taping, don't wrap around multiple times. Rip off multiple strips of tape and layer them. Create support structures with tape if you like. For example, a layer or two around the toe, then a v shape (or like those memorial ribbons) wrap around the toe and down along the top and bottom of the foot, a couple of those, then a couple of layers around the foot to anchor the v strips from earlier.

  3. ⁠Get a anti-fungal foot spray and follow the therapy instructions (iirc it's at least a couple of weeks of daily or 2x day application). Don't forget your flip-flops or shoes you use around the mats.

  4. ⁠Use a nice foot lotion at least on occasion to keep the skin supple if you tend to get dry skin.

  5. ⁠Once it's well healed and if you don't have a skin problem, tip 1 will most likely help cure your problem in the future.

Shoulder maintenance?

~ drdos

I've struggled with the same problem a good while ago (training for over 4y now in my 40s).

I'd reccomedations looking into the Athlean-X YouTube channel, it's got kind of a duchy body builder vibe to it at times (which I'm not) but it's run by an athlete trainer and physical therapist who is excellent and has helped me very much.

Here are some of my top reccomedations:

  1. Warm up before BJJ and preferably before most of the mobility exercises/stretches you do.

  2. ⁠Hanging, passive (just activating grips, relax the rest) feet relaxed touching the floor behind you. I now do this every morning, worked wonders for shoulders and back.

  3. ⁠Put your back against a wall, arms our, fingers pointing up. Drag the thumb side of your hand or back of your hand up and down the wall, down from shoulder level and up as high as you can, trying to trace a straight line such that your elbow is bent 90deg along the path. There is a video on this on the Athlean-X channel.

  4. ⁠The chicken wing shoulder stretch. This one feels super effective but my results have not always been great.

  5. ⁠Use a bar (like a broom handle for example), grab a wide grip and use it to stretch, moving arms up and down, in front and behind your back. I'm sure there are good videos on this too.

  6. ⁠Sit on the floor with slightly bent legs in front of you. Place your palms down behind you with straight arms and rotating your shoulders out. Work on scooting your butt forward while keeping your back as straight as you can (your arms are gonna be further and further behind you giving you a stretch.

  7. ⁠Look into the book "becoming a Supple Leopard", it has some excellent stuff on posture and mobility.

I have no affiliation with either of the reccomended sources I mention, they are just among the things that have helped me with similar issues.

Oh and Yoga of course (see my post on yoga for BJJ).