Apache said:

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Why do I keep doing this sport???

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Because its Awesome & you abolutely, positively know that you can choke the Imperial Foxtrot out of the loudmouth dude at the wings place/bar/ball game or that dude in traffic that appears to need it....

Apache said:

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Why do I keep doing this sport???

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It's fun
I get to fight people AND shoot the ***t with those same people afterward
Aside from the injuries it is a good workout
I always look forward to going to train
I walk around in public with confidence I more than likely handle myself if things got ugly

"Imperial Foxtrot "
That's an interesting phrase. Can you explain the meaning.

I get that most people that train at a high level probably won't present themselves as the loud mouth at the bar or whatever but With as many people who take martial arts how are yall so confident you're not about to try and choke the imperial foxtrot out of a black belt or other better fighter?

lazuras_dc said:

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"Imperial Foxtrot "
That's an interesting phrase. Can you explain the meaning.

I get that most people that train at a high level probably won't present themselves as the loud mouth at the bar or whatever but With as many people who take martial arts how are yall so confident you're not about to try and choke the imperial foxtrot out of a black belt or other better fighter?

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As opposed to a Metric Foxtrot....which is a seperate unit of measurment.

Fair question. For me, it has zero to do with my fighting skills and everything to do with the fact that all my good friends are BJJ black belts, so I'm hoping if anything goes down they can protect me while I guard the beer. Plus, we're all in our 40's or 50's and are home by the time the loudmouths show up.

All kidding aside (I'm also a BJJ black belt), it has increased the odds I can handle someone, but doesn't guarantee anything. There are some skilled, young hotheads out there that I'd definitely avoid.

I definitelly stay out of most bars these days and away from beer fueled issues. Also, most of the people that I also hang around are either skilled, or mature enough to know how to act socially.

Having said that....I do enjoy live music and did have to put my hands on someone this year at a concert after a rodeo....he was extremely drunk and belligerent. Security (very incapable old guy in a uniform) came by and asked him to calm down & stop throwing beer at people.

I didn't do or say anything until he backed into me, litterally against my chest. Rear Naked Choke was applied and he was re-directed to the exit. None of the people that saw it said a word defending him, but I did leave shortly thereafter just in case. Closest thing I've been to a real fight since I worked for TDCJ.

So after 4+ weeks of physical therapy my right shoulder is not surprisingly still bad. It helped with range of motion but the pain when I try to push is still intense. I saw the orthopedist again on Tuesday and was hoping to just get another cortizone shot, but they said that could be a bad idea. Evidently those can actually weaken the area over time and not just reduce the inflammation. I'm going to see another one that was recommended by the guy who runs our gym that has done procedures on a number of the guys there but they can't see me until close to the end of January. If I proceed with surgery it's an orthroscopic procedure that would put me out of BJJ for a while. I didn't get the shot because they said if I did I would have to wait a minimum of 3 months if I'm considering the surgery.

In addition to the physical therapy I've been working out at home, walking with a weighted vest, some jogging, and lifting weights but only things that don't aggravate my shoulder. I'm missing rolling, even if I'm hobbled I think I'm going to go back because it's been negatively impacting my mental health and they can't see me for another 6 weeks. My labrum is already torn, I feel fairly confident I won't injure it more and I tend to stick with partners that respect my physical limitations. I haven't decided yet but I'm leaning toward going back.

Where are you located?

You could always try PRP or stem cell treatments. With my torn labrum my doctor told me I would need surgery no matter what even after either of those treatments. I know several people that had knee issues that it got better enough that they did not need surgery.

I can live with my torn labrum but I would never be able to roll again unless it got fixed. Figured I would get it fixed while I am still young so I am not that guy that needs help putting something up on the shelf when I am 70. Mine is over halfway torn and on its on the lower part which the doc says is going to be even more painful. He says 12-14 months before rolling again but its better than never.

Can highly recommend this place if you are anywhere near CS.

https://www.centexsportsmedicine.com/

I'm in the suburbs around St. Louis. My first orthopedist is out here at a bone and joint clinic, but the next guy I'm seeing is with Washington University.

Max Power said:

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I'm in the suburbs around St. Louis. My first orthopedist is out here at a bone and joint clinic, but the next guy I'm seeing is with Washington University.

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I didn't realize thats where you were. You ever roll with JW Wright or Kyle Watson?

Negative, I've only rolled at my home gym, Gracie Barra in Lake St Louis.

After watching my son do it for about 6months , I finally pulled the trigger and took my first class. And holy crap was that a workout. I got paired with a white belt with a few stripes and about 50lbs heavier than me. He did awesome taking it easy on me I think but boy was I suckin' air. Thought I was gunna puke towards the end of class. I was the only one not standing straight up for the last few minutes the instructor was talking and I don't think I heard a word he said lol. So I don't know if I just went too hard or what but holy cow I got my butt kicked.

Nice! Stick with it. Lots of fun!

You went too hard! That's what new white belts do. Don't worry about it, with time & reps you'll learn how to control your breathing, focus & energy levels.

I remember my arms hurting so bad after my first few classes I wanted to amputate them.

lazuras_dc said:

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After watching my son do it for about 6months , I finally pulled the trigger and took my first class. And holy crap was that a workout. I got paired with a white belt with a few stripes and about 50lbs heavier than me. He did awesome taking it easy on me I think but boy was I suckin' air. Thought I was gunna puke towards the end of class. I was the only one not standing straight up for the last few minutes the instructor was talking and I don't think I heard a word he said lol. So I don't know if I just went too hard or what but holy cow I got my butt kicked.

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Thats awesome! Keep showing up & welcome to it!

No pain or soreness today I was just gassed! Thought I was in pretty good shape lmao

Grappling shape is a little different and immediately perishable

I have done Ironmans and different kinds of workouts, nothing can prepare you for grappling shape when you are a white belt.

No kidding about the perishable comment haha. I've been off the mats for a while now, no real reason except for a bit of burnout, some injuries and a new interest (ultra distance trail running).

But I recently dropped in at an open mat at a nearby school just to check it out, and got to roll four 5-minute rounds with the school owner.....and it was rough. He took it easy on me, but I was gassed by the end of the first round. Everything after that was just me in survival mode and by the end of the training I grabbed a white belt out of the lost & found and said I'd found my 'new' belt.

I wasn't surprised at the outcome.....but it's been a long time since I suffered that much on the mats.

I have been doing BJJ for about 9 months now. I have always weight trained and done some cardio and been in very good shape. In recent years, I weight train, but not quite as much and most of my cardio has been replaced with high intensity stuff like assault bike and a sled. I actually feel like rolling is not an intense workout for me so I guess the other stuff has prepared me well.

All the extra stuff helps but time on the mat is the best way to get that grappling cardio built up.

I got a promotion at work and had several other things pop up, think I am going to have to postpone my surgery until later in 2025. Will try some different rehab methods to see if I can avoid surgery. Either way no BJJ for even longer

If you can still walk at the end of class, you're not training hard enough. Kidding….glad that you're enjoying training and that your sled/bike are helping with conditioning.

When I was training more regularly I had a circuit that was: 200m > Burpees > ropes > slam ball (repeat until barfing). It hurt, but made the rolls easier.

But these days, my run cardio is on-point but my BJJ cardio is gone.

Lately I have been having cramps (think Charlie horse) in my hamstring and foot arch. I workout 3-5/week with weights and drink a liquidity daily and plenty of water so it's no sedentary or electrolyte issue (also take magnesium and potassium daily). Have any of y'all dealt with this?

I get them in my toes sometimes during class. They aren't usually painful, but they do make me stop for a second. I don't have any explanation or solution.

I get them occasionally, but it's typically when I'm getting tired/exhausted. If you're staying hydrated and keeping your electrolytes where they need to be, it's probably that you're using too much force/strength and your muscles just aren't able to keep up.

Stretching/flexibility can help prevent cramping, but mostly it's just getting your body used to rolling and moderating your pace/effort.

It's a recent issue, 6 years into rolling. Might be because I do a powerlifting program for a while now and probably don't do enough hamstring curl type stuff. I lift at home so should probably incorporate hip thrusters. For the calf, should add in calf raises with a full range of motion. Now the foot, I have no clue what to do.

Ah, got it. Disregard my comment re strength/technique, you're definitely well past that stage of rolling....I knew that but had forgotten it when I replied.

Do you think maybe it's just the combination of lifting / BJJ putting strain/stress on the body and causing cramping?

I had a similar thing happen when I started running ultra-distance trail races a few years ago. Pushed my training miles up quite a bit and assumed that it would also result in my BJJ endurance being better. But the opposite tended to happen....all the running was making me 'hit the wall' faster in BJJ.

I was staying on top of my BJJ, taking supplements, stretching, etc....but the combined running/BJJ was too much for my calves (that's the only cramp I've ever had in running or BJJ).

2girlsdad said:

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It's a recent issue, 6 years into rolling. Might be because I do a powerlifting program for a while now and probably don't do enough hamstring curl type stuff. I lift at home so should probably incorporate hip thrusters. For the calf, should add in calf raises with a full range of motion. Now the foot, I have no clue what to do.

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This man does Jiu Jitsu and powerlifting.

Username checks out.

Anyone in the Austin area needing to roll:

Thursday Dec 26th, 321 Ben White. Gracie Humaita Open Mat 11am-1pm.


All are welcome.

Hah! Throw in that I started Muay Thai a couple months ago (and got a shiner from sparring last week) and own a few guns....goodluck to that boy that messes with one of my girls!

2girlsdad said:

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Hah! Throw in that I started Muay Thai a couple months ago (and got a shiner from sparring last week) and own a few guns....goodluck to that boy that messes with one of my girls!

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I love Muay Thai, I miss it. It's what I started my journey with but they gyms where I lived were closed during covid so I found a Jiu Jitsu gym that was open and thats how I started rolling.

I strongly believe that everyone one that does one, needs at least a basic foundation in the other. If you can strike with all 8 limbs and control someone on the ground, you're in pretty good shape if something goes south.

If you really have eight limbs then I don't wanna fight you anyways.