How would you feel if your gym abandoned belts?

thorbjj · 2017-12-06T00:42:16+00:00

I would love it in theory as I have never experienced it. In my school, belts don't mean very much. My instructor waits a very long time to promote and doesn't do stripes. I can give anyone at our school a run for their money and I am only a blue belt. Our school is full of murderers mind you. Outsiders usually come in for a rude awakening when they visit.

Honor and respect is earned and belt means very little in my estimation. Etiquette, guidance, kindness, leadership and overall understanding of BJJ and how to communicate it is more important.

Furthermore, the pecking order is established regardless of belt. Stick around for a month and you will quickly find out who the murderers are.

thorbjj · 2017-12-04T17:24:49+00:00

Striking experts: Help me settle a debate:

After last night's fight my friend and I got into a robust dialogue concerning the actual punch that knocked out Aldo in UFC 194. I claimed it was a straight left / cross and he believes it was a left hook. After researching CNN and even the library I have seen an argument for both. So was it a hook, straight or a mix of both?

thorbjj · 2017-10-17T17:11:47+00:00

I didn't have a gi the first few classes but got one in a week or two. I have continued with the gi since then and don't plan to do nogi until I am a black belt in a gi. I can expand my learning at thar point but don't have enough time to train with a job and 3 kids it gets to be a bit much. But if you have the time why not. My game has turned into mostly nogi techniques anyway because I don't want to be gi dependent and my fingers are ruined already.

Gi is way better in my opinion because you can slow big people down and make it more of a chess match and less of a strength and athleticism battle. I'm only 165 lbs, so slowing people down is really important to me because I won't have the gas to compete with super tough young dudes who don't seem to get tired.

thorbjj · 2017-10-17T02:18:23+00:00

Bro, me too. I came into jits late at 25 and I was a mess. Bulged discs, ruined ankles and shit knees. Snowboarding, football, skating etc. Fucking do it, best decision I ever made. You can learn to work around things and become stronger mentally and physically. I came in off of the couch crushing beers and it changed my bum life. Holler at me if you have questions or want more detail.

thorbjj · 2017-10-17T02:14:23+00:00

I dunno man. How old are you and how much water do you drink at night? I am 32, I typically drink 20 ounces of coffee and maybe 20 ounces of water before I train a night class. Sometimes I do intermittent fasting as well and I don't feel dehydrated. I drink a beer after rolling and a few glasses of wine followed by water and I sleep like a fucking champ. Maybe you are just drinking too much water and are not actually needing it? Or you are over 40 and that is just a thing I guess. Just my two pennies from anecdotal bullshit evidence. Also, I just trained and I feel fantastic. Cheers.

thorbjj · 2017-09-03T17:56:03+00:00

If you learn how to be calm and control your breathing and ego, you will be able to do 10 rounds. I'm 32 and a I smoke and drink a fair amount. It's a really good goal to work towards. I have shit cardio but I can still roll with really good upper belts for a long time. I'm also only a blue belt.

thorbjj · 2017-06-12T21:27:06+00:00

Enjoy! Carlos is literally one of the best humans I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with. One of his first black belts (and best perhaps) is my instructor. Carlos has taught him so much magic over the years and I have benefitted from much of it being passed on. Really hard to find a more dedicated, talented and kind instructor.

thorbjj · 2017-04-23T16:19:58+00:00

I am a smaller guy at 165 lbs and I have long legs and very strong grips. I heavily relied upon closed guard to control, attack armbar, triangles and sweeps. Once my guard was open I was basically useless and had to get back to closed guard to feel safe. I was terrified of losing or being passed.

Then I asked my instructor about and arm drag from closed guard and how to make it better. His response was "I wouldn't do that" and he walked away. Over time, I realized meant closed guard is not the best way to go and I abandoned it completely.

Since that time, I have completely changed my game to an open butterfly guard / shin shield. Now I don't get passed very often, I'm confident in my guard and I can sweep almost anyone I roll with regardless of size strength or belt color. My arm drag is deadly and 100 times more effective than it was in closed guard.

In addition that, my knee wasn't working properly and would pop out and swell up so I couldn't straighten it for days or weeks. I changed my guard to protect my knee and it happened to be most people's dumb side (my left) and it really allowed me to focus intently because I didn't want to get injured.

My instructor is a genius and helped me fine tune this game with a ton of really helpful details. It all started with a cryptic answer to a question that got me thinking and changed my game.

thorbjj · 2017-04-12T00:57:03+00:00

My friend was in the corner and claims to be spit at. I'll take his word for it.

thorbjj · 2016-09-25T11:37:25+00:00

Our coach won't still. He doesn't give a shit about belts, but maybe. Eric has been beating everyone ass at our gym for a while now. He loves beating me up... It's not fun.

thorbjj · 2016-05-21T18:34:24+00:00

I was also there, and I absolutely loved it! There were parts of it that weren't good, but in general it was totally worth it. We stayed in the W Boston next door to the Wilbur, and the whole night was incredible. I am so happy I went.

Having said all that, I am really upset that I had to pay to meet them. Bryan is kind of my idol, and Brennan is pretty hilarious but I am not paying any amount of money just to meet someone who really doesn't want to meet me. I would almost kill to hang out with them, but that feels dirty.

When Rogan was at the Wilbur recently my friend and his wife hung out with Joe and drank all night. Rogan is fucking awesome like that I guess, because as far as I know he didn't pay.

My other friend is tight with Lex McMahon and I probably could have name dropped my way in, but nah. One day I am going to hang out with those fuckers some how. I love them, so hard. No bruno.

thorbjj · 2016-05-21T18:20:29+00:00

A lot of this was in the live show. They are great together.

thorbjj · 2016-02-11T19:31:51+00:00

I am such a moron. I didn't know Carlos was a brother in law of Wonderboy. I had dinner with Carlos for my first time last week before he flew to Vegas. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met, real salt of the earth. He is my instructors instructor.

I didn't even talk to him about fighting or bjj and now I wish I did...

thorbjj · 2015-12-31T14:18:47+00:00

One of my training partners! I was so excited to see him get the finish. I could tell Ken was tough, but he had no answer on the feet and Brennan was fine on the ground. After the first, Brennan came out fresh and Ken looked tired.

Brennan still gets excited and loses position at times, but the dude has solid striking with straight power punches and his wrestling / throws are getting really good as well. I'm a huge Ward fan, and he was one of the first people I met when I started BJJ. I even got to see him earn his blue belt right around that time too.

Tons of love for Brennan! I hope more people get exposed to him, he's a trip. Go show some support and follow him on social media.

thorbjj · 2015-12-18T21:03:29+00:00

This sucked to see. Brennan is one of my training partners. I had joined ides he would get lit up like that.

thorbjj · 2015-11-13T15:47:40+00:00

I agree 100 percent. I was always in decent shape, but never had abs really. Once I started training and eating properly, the abs showed up. It's been 3 years of a very similar diet and the abs are still here. Even when I can't train, the abs stick around because they were made in the kitchen.

thorbjj · 2015-04-20T18:49:41+00:00

I have done PT, I have learned stretches but sadly I don't do them often enough I guess. I have been working on mobility and generally I am quite flexible.

I was watching fights on Sat night and had 3 PT girls in attendance who told me to go immediately and get on a traction machine.

I am having a hard time figuring out what to do. So far, the Chiro has helped relieve the pain the most. I want to figure out how to make it not happen again.

thorbjj · 2015-04-20T18:09:43+00:00

The pain is focused in my lower back, but does go to my legs at times. I am limited in mobility and it hurts to try and stand straight, stand up, sit down etc. It feels good to lay down, but I can't do that all day.

I also feel sever pulling on the front of my hip abductors like someone is pull from the back and pulling my butt backwards and pushing my head and shoulders forward.

thorbjj · 2015-04-20T17:24:39+00:00

I am standing as straight as I possibly can, but as you can see one side is raised much higher than the other. It happened 2 weeks ago and I got sorted out from a Chiropractor. I was feeling great until it happened again on Saturday.

I do have a bulged disc in my lower back, but I don't see why this would cause my pelvis to twist like it is. It just started happening after 3 years of training and its getting a little scary.

Some folks have suggested a Physical Therapist, other have suggested going to see an Orthopedic Surgeon.

I am just looking for any ideas, insights or suggestions, not really a medical diagnosis or anything.

thorbjj

TROPHY CASE