Make sure your gi pants work properly

Frantic posted this on the Underground and the video is too funny to pass up.

This video should help you if you've ever had the string in your gi pants get pulled out.

Remember to maintain control of the brother.

Post-Seminar Checklist

by Mike

This article is a companion to Seminar Checklist.

* Do your notes make sense? 

You did take notes, didn't you? Depending on your familiarity with the material, taking notes can be either simple or trying to describe something entirely new to you. With time, you'll figure out a shorthand system that works for you, but for most people, the closer you get to the end of the seminar (especially if it's a multi-day seminar), the less sense your notes tend to make. 

If you can't make heads or tails of them (or just can't read a word somewhere inside) go to the next item:

* Do you have any questions? 

This should actually go into the "Just before the seminar's over checklist" but...you're paying the presenter for their expertise and they're accepting your  money in order to teach you. To make sure you get your money's worth, make sure you get any areas of confusion cleared up. Most seminars that I've been to will have a Q&A session at the very end where you can get the finer points of the techniques ironed out. If you have any questions, be sure to speak up so you don't end up with some new moves that you can't use because you forgot a step in the middle. 

Also, don't be an idiot and write in your notes, "not sure about this, remember to ask Robson" and then forget what technique that question went with. Not saying that I've done that because I forgot my notebook and ended up writing a day's notes on the back of random scratch paper then lost the scratch paper....

* Do you have someone you can compare notes with?

I've yet to meet someone who can take perfect notes. But I have met groups of three or four that can go over even the most complex lockflows and work them out with a high degree of accuracy. Make sure you find someone to help you. Guaranteed that even if you don't have questions at the end of the seminar, you will a week later when you review your notes. 

* Have you set up a time to review and practice the material?

This is completely unscientific, but I like to tell people that you'll remember some stuff if you pay attention to the seminar and practice the techniques diligently. You'll remember 10x more if you take [good] notes. You'll remember 100x more if you take notes and review them. You'll actually assimilate the material if you take good notes, review them and practice the techniques. 

* Do you have all your gear? 

You'd be surprised what people leave behind. Be careful that you leave with everything you came with, especially if the seminar is at a faraway school. 

* Did you thank the instructor (and the host)?

It's only good manners. 

* Did you have fun? 

If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right.

Photo from Degerberg Academy

BJJ for Wrestlers, Part I

by Mike

Flipper's series on Beginning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu got some more interesting comments. 

This time we got a question that asked: 

Well, im 15, and have wanted to do BJJ for a long time since I watch UFC 1 about 5 years ago. finally saved up and felt it was time to start. hopefully gonna start soon. conditioning was what I was worrying about. I did wrestling for 2 years. Is the conditioning similar to wrestling? Also how well will the wrestling transition to BJJ?

Interesting question and I think that there's an article hiding in the answer....

The short version goes something like this:

The conditioning will be similar but not the same. BJJ can be fast or slow, technique or strength (but hopefully more technique than strength!), etc. Especially in a gi game, you'll need to temper the all-out explosiveness for a more patient gripping game (where you can expect to roll for 1/2 hour rather than 3 two-minute periods). Just remember to be patient and take advantage of openings when they present themselves and you'll be well on your way to getting through the first couple classes without gassing.

But keep in mind that gis get very hot very fast, be prepared to deal with this aspect of things.

To be sure, conditioning will turn out to be the least of your worries as a new student. You'll pick it up as you go along, just like all the other tips and techniques that find out any time you start studying something new. I've found that the thing people have the hardest time with after starting BJJ is not boring their friends by talking about nothing else. 

As for the transition, one of the wonderful things about BJJ is the variety of styles that can work within it - there's a 'big guy' game a 'little guy' game, an 'athletic' game, an 'acrobatic' game and so on. You'll be able to build a game that fits you and what you do best. If you're a better wrestler than your classmates, you'll probably develop a much stronger top game than they have. Nothing wrong with that as long as you remember to train the other parts of the art as well.

Most likely, the biggest difference will be that being on your back is not necessarily a bad thing in BJJ. New wrestlers often go to great lengths to not go to their back and end up in bad positions because of it.

But you'll figure that out soon enough. Good luck and have fun!

Anyone got any other comments for our friend?

How to clean your mouthguard

by Mike, with an assist from Doc Dill

Since you already know how to properly fit a mouthguard, you've presumably been wearing it when appropriate (both for sparring and to make workouts more difficult), you've probably gotten some good use out of the thing (while maintaining good mouthguard etiquette). Now all that's left is to figure out what to do when it gunks up on you.

And gunk up it will, even if you take good care of it - but here's some guidelines to taking care of this most important piece of equipment:

1. Wash your mouthguard after use
   
2. Put it away in something clean - NOT the bottom of your bag
   
3. When you get home, take it out and let it dry
   
4. If it starts to get disgusting, let it sit in Listerine for ten minutes or so, take it out, scrub it with a toothbrush and wash it. Be careful, because you're gonna be tasting the Listerine for a few days afterwards. Air dry and get ready to use it again.

Some people prefer to eschew the Listerine and go straight for toothpaste or some of that fizzy denture cleaner. Your choice.

This should take care of 99% of your mouthguard problems. If you run into something that this won't help...you either need to get creative or just get a new mouthguard.

Let us know if you have any tricks in the comments.

CC-licensed photo by nycgeoff.

First Aid For Fighters: Returning to Training After a Torn Labrum

Over in an older article (Stupid Shoulder Injury), Mark asks the following: 

Doc Dill,

I suffered a bad fall while training for jujitsu and had to have surgery for a torn labrum.

I've sense been thru about a year's worth of physical therapy training and my shoulder doesn't always feel like it used to but at least it's not slipping out anymore.

I'd like to get back into grappling but I'd like to do so safely. Do you think a shoulder support product while grappling could help?

[...]

Thanks,
Mark

Doc Dill responds:

Well Mark, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but no external support will protect your shoulder well enough for me to tell you to return to grappling. Torn labrums are career enders for most sports that involve throwing or forceful arm movements like boxing or wrestling. I think you can train and drill but go live and I betcha you'll f*** it up again. That being said when you return to grappling you need to do something to limit the "At risk" position. that would be the position of arm out at horizontal with hand up, like when you hand signal a right turn in a vehicle.

Good luck and consider embroidery as your new hobby.
Doc Dill

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There is some discussion in the original post, so comments have been disabled here. If you want to comment, please go to the original post.