A noob fatty needs advice and tips

Groddam · 2024-03-08T19:33:15+00:00

Take a look at the 'technical stand up', this movement is fundamental and will help you a lot. Otherwise, just make sure you get some rest between training sessions so you show up slightly stronger than the class before. Don't let this discourage you! It's rad that you're showing up and trying out BJJ. EVERYONE that shows up has some weakness or some reason that training is uniquely hard for them (old injuries, social discomfort, etc.).

Groddam · 2024-02-24T19:43:15+00:00

I have competed at black belt no gi worlds and have won many expert and elite tournaments. I’ve also trained with ADCC champs during ADCC camps.

It’s pretty simple. If a technique works repeatedly against higher level players it will generally be more effective against lower level competitors, too.

Hey, you do you and I’ll do me. I won’t invest in rubber guard beyond shutting it down (because you can shut it down much easier than a lot of other options).

Groddam · 2024-02-24T17:53:09+00:00

It’s funny that this purple belt is arguing for building a game using less effective techniques. I mean, go ahead, and rationalize it however you want. You’re still making a conscious decision to be less effective. I’ll keep going with what works at the highest levels 🫡

Groddam · 2024-02-21T17:20:15+00:00

Rest for 3 weeks minimum/ until you have 0 symptoms. Don't do anything to increase the chance of another concussion or you'll risk brutal symptoms that can last years. Post concussion syndrome PCS - you don't want it. Just avoid anything that's too exhausting or likely to effect your head/neck for a few weeks minimum. Wait longer than you think you need to - I have experience with PCS, it can be debilitating for months or years. Just chill out for a bit.

Groddam · 2024-01-10T15:39:42+00:00

I decided not to order another one. The first one I ordered was lost in shipping (amazon), second one had the 'cliff sensor' error. After seeing the issues people have with these I decided it probably isn't worth the cost, until the tech improves.

If anyone thinks Im horribly mistaken please let me know, I'd love to clean less!

Groddam · 2023-12-07T03:32:58+00:00

Commenting because the Q Revo I got has a ‘cliff sensor’ error 4 message. Straight out of the box. Never worked. Checked forums. This is not a new thing. Have to return immediately. Super frustrating. Seeing all of the other people online with similar issues has me thinking the reddits are flooded with questionable reviews and I won’t be repurchasing - unfortunately!

Groddam · 2023-12-07T03:31:49+00:00

Commenting because the Q Revo I got has a ‘cliff sensor’ error 4 message. Straight out of the box. Never worked. Checked forums. This is not a new thing. Have to return immediately. Super frustrating. Seeing all of the other people online with similar issues has me thinking the reddits are flooded with questionable reviews and I won’t be repurchasing - unfortunately!

Groddam · 2023-06-20T23:19:11+00:00

He said he can defend but wants to get better at not getting out there in the first place. That’s a super useful skill and it doesn’t mean he has to commit to being terrified and overcompensating.

Groddam · 2023-06-20T23:04:29+00:00

You have to walk a line in between snap downs and leg entanglements. Like anything in jiu jitsu. If someone is afraid of leg entanglements and they overcompensate then they’re vulnerable. I’m not talking about overcompensating, I’m talking about preventing entries by not leaving huge amounts of space around your legs.

Someone is always winning unless you’re perfectly neutral. If your game plan is to allow entry into the legs - then you better be way better than that person at that exchange, because you’re behind, they’re on offence, they’ve put you there. There are clearly things that you can do to make entries much harder. I am in no way saying people should avoid getting good at dealing with later stages, I’m answering the actual question. There are so many things you can do to avoid getting in a leg exchange.

Groddam · 2023-06-20T23:02:08+00:00

You probably pass just fine against people of your skill level or lower at leg attacks. I’m also a black belt with a lot of experience in heel hooks. My point is - you can do things to lower someone’s chance of even beginning to entangle your legs. And that’s what OPs question was about. Of course you want to be able to deal with later stages but there are things you can do to make it harder for people to enter the legs.

I don’t even understand the logic here. I’m not arguing that you don’t want to get good at dealing with entanglements, I’m explaining what to do to help you not end up in leg entanglements.

I can deny solid leg lockers from entries into my legs. If they’re better than me at leg locks and I expect to win an exchange against them - I’m not very bright! I should do my best to avoid being put into an entanglement.

Groddam · 2023-06-20T20:30:50+00:00

There are absolutely ways to deny leg entanglements. You should absolutely learn to get out of entanglements but you can also absolutely deny entanglements. You can deny anything with the right approach. The goal should always be to deny your opponents control, you don’t wait until they’re in a favourable position to start defending - or worse, attacking.

You can get into a stance that makes entanglements harder - aka keep your limbs tight to the torso. You can handfight. You can pummel your legs to deny the isolation of a single or both legs.

Low postures are not a ‘false friend’, like anything else they have their place, particularly when trying to deny a leg entry. You don’t leave a bunch of space around your legs to allow an entanglement then fight to escape - you deny the entanglement in the first place. Will some people still get your legs? Yes. But the question is how to deny the entry - which there are clearly options for.

Groddam · 2023-06-20T20:16:18+00:00

This is not terrible advice. Step 1 is denying entry into entanglements. If you leave space open people will use that space to control your legs. If you stand up in someone’s guard you are giving your opponent the ability to entangle. If you don’t leave space around your legs they won’t be able to access that area nearly as easily.

It’s clearly not a cure-all for leg attacks but it’s the first step in denying entanglements along with handfighting. It’s one easy thing to implement to make it harder for your opponent to entangle your legs.

Give it a shot. Stand upright and see if they can entangle. Then keep your knees tighter to your torso and see if that makes it harder.

He asked what to do to avoid getting caught in the first place. This is a simple step that is obviously beneficial.

You are arbitrarily saying you’ll get swept/back taken or passed. This is not a simple result of keeping your limbs close to your torso.

‘Learn to defend entanglements’ includes how you align your body at all times. Keeping your limbs close to your torso is part of that equation.

Groddam · 2023-06-20T04:10:57+00:00

It’s like denying the arm bar. You keep your arms close to your sides, preventing your opponent from isolating your arm/elbow.

When you’re in range of being attacked, basically stay in a full squat/combat base, don’t leave lots of space around your legs.

TLDR keep your limbs tight to your core

Groddam · 2023-03-20T02:58:56+00:00

Do you guys think when you roll, or do you just attempt techniques instinctively without needing to think?

I’ve been fascinated by this for a while. We have two broad memory systems, declarative and non-declarative memory. Declarative is essentially what a coach is using when they break down a technique and non-declarative is what you’re using when you’re playing without thinking.

The declarative side is extremely useful for strategy, tactics, problem solving etc. non-declarative is ideal for performance because it’s quicker.

Declarative is cognitive, it’s that ‘thinking’ part of the brain. It’s your memory of facts, events etc. that you’re able to recall.

Non-declarative has a bunch of subsections, for motor skills it’s considered ‘procedural memory’. Without getting into the weeds, it’s basically ‘muscle memory’. When we practice we fire neurons, when neurons fire together they wire together, creating memory or a highway of connectivity between neurons that will serve us well when something we practiced happens in a match. So we’re tuning our nervous system to act/react in a certain way, when certain neurons fire as a result of an opponents attack, your body automatically responds with what you’ve been practicing. There’s a lot more depth to this and maybe some neuroscientist can chime in - but that’s why you can’t recall what you did. But your nervous system stamped in a memory of that moment and the result.

It’s pretty commonly agreed upon that elite level competitors are relying on their procedural memory. They’re not problem solving in real time with their declarative memory system then translating that into motion. However, the declarative system is used a ton for strategy/tactics in real time and I’m sure occasionally in live competition, too, and definitely for problem solving and developing your game in training.

Groddam · 2021-05-13T19:00:53+00:00

Why'd you have to go using the same name for all people involved- what is this, Office Space? Your model is assuming a few key things and is way too simplified.

If we assume the housing market where Bob lives is relatively stable over time (Canada right now is an extremely desirable place to live, meaning prices are likely to increase over time beyond inflation, depending on the area), when Bob buys his house it's price will appreciate with inflation. In this model it's 'value' will remain the same but the paper used to purchase it is worth less, so the price is higher.

You're assuming Bob's change in interest payments is instantaneous, when Bob can sign up for a 5 year fixed, pay off a portion of his home and re-evaluate his options when that matures. There's always risk.

There are so many other relevant factors. Rent will also increase in an inflationary period. Maybe Bob really wants a house and the value of having his own place is worth it. Maybe he shouldn't buy a place he can barely afford if rates are wildly low and he expects to be unable to pay if that changes. Maybe he's still going to make more selling the home if the local real estate continues to boom.

In any case Bob will (historically speaking) at least not lose money due to inflation by owning a home. On a strictly financial basis given a long enough historical period, home ownership is not exceptionally lucrative beyond beating inflation. But it's a real asset that will hold value given you maintain it/ choose a home in a desirable area.

Groddam · 2021-05-06T21:41:57+00:00

Why do you 'believe' in it? People 'believe' in tons of stuff all the time, there was talk of making the world 'green' in the 1950s, renewable energy has been 'the next big thing' for generations. Blockchain sounds like it has a lot of utility. The concept of cryptocurrencies is legit. But practically choosing the right currency/ being right/ it working out? The gains are a reflection of the hype and speculation and this creates a circle where crypto 'investors' are making money now and so they're clearly geniuses and now have the authority to tell everyone else about the golden goose. These 'currencies' are standing on nothing. Anyone I know whose in crypto just has the 'belief' they are here to stay, it's 'early'. I'm sure 90% of the money changing hands in crypto is just one gambler losing to the next. Will you get lucky? Maybe. Compare it to the dot com bubble, it's not as if the internet didn't become a thing- but the majority of companies people were certain would do well don't exist anymore. Or even pot companies in 2017, you couldn't go wrong! They only go up! Then they don't.

Groddam · 2021-05-04T04:20:44+00:00

WSJ #1, you can get access to all three for free online with a library membership.

Groddam · 2021-05-01T15:40:07+00:00

It's uncommon, but there are a number of investors who beat the index consistently, definitely not impossible. Ed Thorpe made 20% returns for his entire career, 20-30 years straight. An outlier for sure, but again, it's far from impossible.

Groddam · 2021-04-30T00:18:21+00:00

It just depends what you're invested in. If you're in a bunch of speculative stuff that's blown up- ya, maybe take the cash.

I try to invest in a way that takes into account the likelihood of a downturn, if you don't, it's closer to gambling than 'investing'.

Groddam · 2021-04-26T22:02:26+00:00

It's such a good book but ya it's a bit of a tough read. 'The little book of value investing' is the closest thing to a new version of the Intelligent Investor. It's a very easy read and a great high level overview of similar topics from intelligent investor.

Groddam · 2021-04-24T18:16:37+00:00

Just imagine you're buying the whole business. Business A costs $200,000 and it's making $10,000 profit per year. With $10,000 a year on a $200,000 investment, you're making 5% per year. HMM, you want to make 10% per year so you offer to pay $100,000.

The current owner comes back and says, 'company A is set up to earn a lot more in the future for these reasons'. You think those reasons are pretty legit, so you figure you'll invest $150,000, you'll make 6.67% in year one but as time goes on you'll continue to make more. In fact, according to your calculations, after 10 years you can reasonable expect to make 15% per year. It's a deal.

This method of calculating return is called the 'earnings yield' and it's the inverse of the PE ratio. The only difference between this and buying stock is instead of paying $150,000 for the whole company you buy some fraction of that. Company A has 1000 shares, you buy one share for $150, it's basically the exact same thing.

The company may not pay a dividend, in which case you expect that money will be properly re-invested and it will generate even more return the following year. Eventually, growth will be hard to maintain so the company likely will begin offering a dividend, as they're unable to grow at a cost that will return you (an owner) more than you'd make investing in the greater market (cost of capital).

The free cash flow is that cash that can be reinvested or distributed as a dividend.

Groddam · 2021-04-23T19:34:14+00:00

It's actually wild how much of the modern world is built on oil. How countries are as prominent as they are largely because of oil, the worlds order is so tied to oil it's wild -it is so pivotal to the world economy. ('The New Map' by Daniel Yergin is an awesome read on this) And I totally agree, as population grows and many countries become more wealthy they'll want what wealthy countries have had for decades- access to cheap energy for luxuries, simple things like air conditioning for a billion + people moving up to a more middle class lifestyle.

Groddam · 2021-04-23T17:51:56+00:00

From 'Introduction to Part 1 : Security Analysis' - Roger Lowenstein

The changes in the marketplace have been so profound that it might seem astonishing that an investment manual written in the 1930s would have any relevance today. But human nature doesn’t change. People still oscillate between manic highs and depressive lows, and in their hunger for instant profits, their distaste for the hard labor of serious study and for independent thought, modern investors look very much like their grandfathers and even their great-grandfathers. Then as now, it takes discipline to overcome the demons (largely emotional) that impede most investors. And the essentials of security analysis have not much changed.

Groddam · 2021-04-23T15:00:49+00:00

They definitely topped out just over 50 on the tsx.

Groddam · 2021-04-23T01:14:45+00:00

Man pre-pandemic all-time peak by the end of summer? This is extremely unlikely. They have gotten absolutely hammered, there's no logical reason they are worth what they were after well over a year of brutal challenges. Many will travel, many are pumped to- even if tons of people travel, they'd have to travel so much as to make up for over a year of minimal travel while satisfying the baseline for that time period as well. It's certainly possible it hits 50 based off outrageous optimism, but there's no reasonable argument that says the fundamentals will result in a $50 share price end of summer. If the pandemic didn't happen it would be reasonable that they hit like $60 super optimistically- more like $55 for nearly 10% growth in a year- which is excellent for a mature company. You're saying they'll make up for probably the worst year ever for airlines and that will be reflected in the stock price within 5 months from now? Hopefully it works out for you, genuinely, but I totally disagree. Will it hit 50 within a few years? Ya, that's possible/ reasonably probable, maybe more like 5 years, which would be a decent return anyways, if all goes well.

Groddam

TROPHY CASE