Combining BJJ with Kettlebells

I am alternating BJJ training with Kettlebell training for the next six weeks. I am going to see how this works out in the next six weeks. I want to this if this significantly increases my cardio.

More Conditioning for Big Men

This workout came from http://www.jasoncbrown.tv/ which I think is a good work out for big men.

Anthony performed 6 x 3 minute rounds of:
30 seconds of Power Ropes
Dumbbell Snatches- 30 seconds right/30 seconds left
Jumping Lunges- 30 seconds
Plate Lifts-30 seconds right/30 seconds left

Here is and example of MMA Conditioning that Mike Mahler recommends.

Sample Kettlebell Training Program For MMA

http://www.mikemahler.com/

Monday And Thursday (Circuit Training for strength endurance)
Double Kettlebell Clean and Push Press 10 reps
Double Kettlebell Squat Shrug 10 reps
Guard Attack 10 reps each side
Alternating Renegade Row 10 reps each side
Full Body Attack or Full Body Defense 10 reps

Fedor Emelianenko – Big Man BJJ or Something Else?

Fedor Emelianenko is a big man but is he doing jiu jitsu? Some will say he is a practitioner of Sambo (russian style submission wrestling). Others will say he is an mma guy who knocks people out.

Here are some facts about Fedor. He fights between 230 lb and 240 lb which definitely makes him big man. He has 30 wins (knockout 7, submission 16, decision 7). Did you catch that middle stat? 16 wins by submission. If you win over 50 percent of your fights by submission you are a Submission Master.

Fedor Emelianenko is an excellent example of Big Man Jiu Jitsu.

Aikido Black Belt or Bjj Blue Belt

I have been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) for 3 years and 4 months. I am a BJJ blue belt with one stripe. If I had been training for the same time period in Aikido I could have been a black belt (maybe even second degree). The bad news is BJJ is a difficult art to do day in and day out without becoming discouraged. The good news is it works extremely well. I am comfortable on the ground and in the stand up. Even If I were a black belt in Aikido I know I would have been thinking about my weak ground game.

Conditioning for the Big Man

I’ve heard alot about conditioning for bjj (which seems impossible except for actually rolling). Some have suggested the tabata protocol (intense interval training proven to increase anaerobic and aerobic capacity) but this is brutal and an unkind type of training. Others have suggested running (long steady state training) but although this is good for the lungs it is not so kind to the knees and lower back. So what is the solution to bjj conditioning for big men. I don’t know but I am open to any reasonable suggestions.

While I wait for suggestions I am going to combine kettle training (2x week) with GXP training (2x week- a modified less harsh version of tabata).

Gearing up for a no gi tournament

I am getting ready a gi tournament. I haven’t been to one in a while and like everyone else I would like to get a gold while submitting all my opponents. I am trying to create a training game plan for a tournament in two weeks which will incorporate cardio training and skill training.  I plan to work on submissions from the top and takedowns.

Plateaus and More Plateaus….

I think I have reached a plateau after two and a half years of training. I don’t consider it to be a real plateau because I do see myself improving but just not as fast as when I started.

I am going to emplooy these five strategies to break throught my plateau.

1. I am going to keep a journal of the bjj techniques that I learn in class
2. I am going to look for the hidden combinations when I learn a technique
3. Increase my cardio by doing Kettle bell training (simple but effective)
4. Increase my plyometric strength (simple but effective)
5. Do mental bjj (think about the moves when I am not doing them)

 

This is Going to Take Some Time….

I started BJJ in January 2006 which means that I have been doing it over two years. I am a much improved grappler than when I started but I sometimes still get caught in moves employed by wrestlers. I still encounter submissions  (mostly from television) that I am viewing for the first time (e.g. The Peruvian necktie). I still don’t fully understand the setups for the omo plata. I still learn moves from whites belts and I still wish that I was just a little better.

I still get excited waiting for BJJ to start and I still am so glad I started but to get as good as I want to be is going to take some time.

Brothers in Arms

People who practice Bjj are unique in adulthood. Most grown men do not like to roll around in white or blue pajamas in an indoor tropical environment we call the gym or the club. If we can keep it up for a few years we become better and we note our skill differences year to year. When we do progress to the next belt the only people who truly appreciate it are our fellow brothers in arms on the mat.

Testing, Rolling and Impressing the Masters

In our club the head instructors for our association are Saulo and Xande Ribeiro. Both gentlemen come to Toronto quite often to impart knowledge and connect with students. We are taught daily by a Jorge Britto, an amazing Black Belt.

This week Xande Ribeiro, Mundial World Champion, is visiting the club for grading. Everyone is trying to impress Xande with their ability to submit.

This is a mistake.

We should be trying to impress Xande with our ability to persevere and our ability to adapt. I rolled with a guy yesterday and his main attribute was his ability to use his strength on moves that require very little strength. If you add strength to a movethat is levereage based you are not doing jiu jitsu you are now wrestling.

The end result was this guy was still submitted by a head and arm choke and when he tapped this is what he said. ” I only tapped because I am really tired”. To all the people that I roll with in the future; when I tapped it is because I am about to pass out or because I see no way out of the submission.