Well since last weekend the pain in my feet (torn up by the mats) and my shoulder have been horrible to say the least. I'm finding out there is nothing worse then destroying the musceles aorund your shoulder. Why you may ask... Well the shoulder is a stable instable semi socket joint with lots of moving parts, ligaments and muscles all working together to make the joint move in all the strange ways the human arm can move.
I'm still not sure the position of my arm when I fell but from what I remember my left arm was bent (in toweard my chest) elevated above my head slightly, I fell on it and it snapped/popped three to four times. I know it hurt like hell but the adrenaline fomr the grappling match helped subdue my nervouse system and I finished the match but probably should have stopped right there after feeling the pain set in.
So I haven't hit the mats all week and can't stand it!!!!! I'm heading to class tonight to watch the technique lesson and catch up with the guys. Injuries SUCK!!! I'll tell you right now do whatever you can to avoid them at all costs. This is one of the worst injuries I've ever suffered and I can't stand not being able to move the way I want and train the way I want.
Well I'll be posting more once I find out what's up with my left shoulder. I'm hoping the info I find out there can be posted here to help future grapplers who find themselves with similar injuries.
Painkillers and anti-inflammatories are me best friend today. I'm looking forward to my visit with my Orthopedic surgeon to see what I can do about rehad, surgery or healing of my painful shoulder.
More to come soon, stay tuned.
KK
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
6th American International BJJ Tournament Update
That's one more my personal history books...
This past Saturday brought the much anticipated American International. I was told by other competitors this is a great tournament that is run pretty well for the most part. As expected the turn out of competitors was thick but the overall management was sufficient but it seemed the time pressures to vacate Long Beach City College’s basketball courts by 5pm was a little to close for comfort. Much of the day was a bit uncoordinated overall and last minute matches took place as the very mats were being ran out the door.
So here’s how my matches went. Oh ya this was my first No Gi tournament and I was excited to finally get out of my Gi and get loose on the mat. I competed in both Gi and No Gi divisions.
In my Gi weight division the folks at OTM decided to open my usual 160 to 173 weight division to 160-180 weights. CRAPPY idea in my opinion. It was obvious once our group was called Executive (usually referred as Masters normally men aged 30 to 39 roughly) Men, White Belt 160-180 I was on the low end of the weight class at 160. I weighed in at 169.2 Friday before the tournament. The other guys in my division had height and weight advantage on me in a big way, at higher levels I’m sure this matters far less than when dealing with less experienced white belts but to me it seemed a poor choice on the part of the management of the tournament to allow such a large weight discrepancy in a low level division like this.
My first match was interesting but I was pointed out 16-2 I think. The other guy had noticeably more training then I but I handled his attack well for a novice. I figure I’ve spent most of my time defending at this point and I think I managed well being a less trained competitor. My cardio training held up well but I needed to focus a lot more on basics as well as my own attack instead of defending.
I was focused on getting the takedown in this tournament like my last couple and I did manage to score points in this match thanks to a good take down. The rest of my game needs work but it’s to be expected at this level of course.
This tournament was double elimination so even though I lost on points in my first match I had a chance at the losers bracket and I did wind up fighting for the bronze metal after all.
This was my final Gi fight for the day and I went in focused on giving up as few points as possible, getting take downs and earning the bronze at least. The competitor I faced felt like he had roughly the same amount of training I had 5 months or so but he was taller and a bit thicker. I shot in and shot in but he was able to post an although I put 110% into sucking up the single I snatched easily time and time again I couldn’t seem to find the angle to get both legs gathered up and dumped. After reviewing my general performance in my minds eye and discussing it with some of my teammates I learned I was probably not driving straight up during my takedown. Lesson learned, you need to focus on elevation straight up instead of shooting in and linearly through your opponent. “Think elevation and not shooting through.” You figured as a competitive freestyle wrestler I would have done this instinctively but it’s been a long time since my last camp or competition so there it is. Back to the basics as always.
So on with the match… We burned through six minutes of regular time and also the first two-minute overtime plus extra time (the ref didn’t restart us after two minutes he merely stated we had now entered our second two minute sudden death overtime). When the dust cleared well over two minutes (my coash figured we had gone a fulle 12 miutes before the fight ended) the ref gave the other a guy a takedown which is funny because my opponent never shot in and he ended up in my half guard with me on my side. In my mind this was no takedown but the match had to end sometime. I lost this one 2-0. Bummed but I still had No Gi to go so I was focused on winning a medal there no matter what. I’ll be focusing on my ground attack, takedowns and bottom/top control as well. I’ve got lots of holes to plug up in my Gi game plan before next season.
So No Gi took forever to reach us old guys but at around 4:30 they finally called my division, Executives, Men, 160-169, Novice. Most of the guys I spoke with have told me guys hang around the Novice divisions for a while even after there first year of training, it sounded like this was typical in most of the divisions. Either way I was stoked to get on the mat without a Gi and go to work. I figured my freestyle training and basic knowledge of no Gi BJJ would hang in there.
My first match was against a guy who only had one prior No Gi experience, he was taller and looked to be a slightly thicker than me; but overall we seemed fairly closely matched. My overall goals were to obtain the takedown, gain superior position and work to submission or full mount within 6 minutes.
I shot pretty quickly after sizing up his foot pattern a bit. I got the take down but he had a pretty good guard and it took me sometime to maneuver around it. I believe (without reviewing my fight tape), I escaped his guard originally and he staye don his back with legs defending me, I faded right and jumped over his right knee to side mount. Once I saw the refs hand go up for my points I focused on maintaining top control, managing my opponents ability to sweep and attempting knee on stomach or full mount. At one point I got the knee on the stomach (1 to 2 seconds only) but he shrimped to the side and I had to adjust back down to side mount. I didn’t stall and the match continued to finish at 5-0. I was satisfied but wanted to earn more points if possible in the next match.
At this point in my tournament I learned why some competitors tape up the tops of their feet and in rare cases wear wrestling shoes (yes, one of the guys in my Gi division in fact wore a pair with his Gi). My left and right tops of feet were raw and torn up, it looked like I had dropped hot grease all over the tops of my feet and the blisters had been pulled off (STING). It was gross but I knew it was just going to get worse in my next fight so oh well.
After a ten minute rest and a killer purple belt match cleared our mat I was back at it in the gold medal round with a guy named Will. He did well against his first competitor and I figured we would have a good time in our match, it didn’t disappoint. My focus remained to obtain the takedown and accumulate points. As it turned out Will had the same game plan. He ended up shooting very quickly into the match and he wound up in my guard and I had a pretty deep guillotine choke on him. My right wrist was hung up in the lower part of his chin (he had a braided goatee that may have saved him from a deeper choke). I spent a good minute squeezing the crap out of Will and working the hell out of the choke. He later told me he thought his jaw was going to snap and I almost had him submitted but as luck would have it he finally found a way to get my elbow over his head and he came out of it with a huge labored breath.
This is when I found out just what a rookie I was. I established a right arm (his right) under hook and maintained head control pretty well the entire time Will was in my guard. He was being told to posture up and he was trying hard to keep my hips low, establish his knee in my spine and also elbow pressure inside my thighs.
At one point I had excellent control of his right arm and Ming (a guy I train with over at Dave Hopkins KFSS Riverside – open mat No Gi workouts) yelled KEY LOCK Ken. Which I later learned meant the same thing as Kamura (sorry for spelling this wrong I’m sure – it means two on one, two hand on one to be specific) his right arm behind him. This was a major failure point in my game, I realized I had not prepared sufficiently to submit from the guard and even though I knew I had advantage, position and sufficient control and movement of my guard I could not for the life of me figure out how to get the job done. So we ended our first and second overtimes tied at 0-0. In sudden death I made yet another careless error and turned away from Will after falling hard to my left shoulder and popping/tearing a few small muscles somewhere in my left shoulder (not a match stopper but I knew I screwed something up). He ended up getting his hooks in and earning his four points for the back. It was a good fight and he definitely earned his points. But again I was dejected at not performing at the level I knew I could have given better technical preparation on my part.
I took silver in my first No Gi competition. I was happy to have earned a medal but still left with a feeling I was prepared to do better given better focus on my overall game plan and attack/submission strategies. But hey what’s a five month old white belt suppose to do.
I should mention this now as well. For the first three months of my training I trained independently under a few good teachers but not an actual BJJ school. Mitch over at Dave Hopkins was a huge help in my No Gi preparation (sorry Mitch for not getting the gold when you know I could have), Master Jeff Frater (United Fighting Systems) he was a great help/coach overall in my Gi game plan and also lots of No Gi rolling around as well and of course Master Lari Beebe who offers 37+ years of grappling experience and probably more martial arts training than any human on the planet. Master Lari holds black belts in seven martial arts and has belts in Judo, Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
My team affiliation only took place a month and half ago, when I officially signed up with John Munoz and his kick ass Team USA BJJ in Norco, CA (www.teamusabjj.com). John is a Brazilian trained BJJ Black Belt and golden gloves boxer. His focus on winning, core cardio and technical BJJ training have allowed his tournament team to place extremely well year after year in all of their tournaments. I’ve now had two tournament experiences under John Munoz and love going to work with our team each week. You couldn’t ask for a better coach or better guys to train with. Their focus on winning is intense.
Well that’s number three tournament for me thus far in 2006 as a newbie to BJJ. I’ve got to head to the doctor tomorrow and find out just how bad my shoulder really is. It feels solid for the most part but I have a couple of range of motion spots that need a good looking at. We shall see.
I’m going to sit out for Grappler’s Quest (Las Vegas) this year, I promised my wife I would focus on family and fun instead of the next tournament for the holidays but I’ll be in Las Vegas in 2007 for sure.
I’ll be posting more after my next tournament in early 2007 of course. Stay tuned for more info then.
Train Hard and Win!
KK
This past Saturday brought the much anticipated American International. I was told by other competitors this is a great tournament that is run pretty well for the most part. As expected the turn out of competitors was thick but the overall management was sufficient but it seemed the time pressures to vacate Long Beach City College’s basketball courts by 5pm was a little to close for comfort. Much of the day was a bit uncoordinated overall and last minute matches took place as the very mats were being ran out the door.
So here’s how my matches went. Oh ya this was my first No Gi tournament and I was excited to finally get out of my Gi and get loose on the mat. I competed in both Gi and No Gi divisions.
In my Gi weight division the folks at OTM decided to open my usual 160 to 173 weight division to 160-180 weights. CRAPPY idea in my opinion. It was obvious once our group was called Executive (usually referred as Masters normally men aged 30 to 39 roughly) Men, White Belt 160-180 I was on the low end of the weight class at 160. I weighed in at 169.2 Friday before the tournament. The other guys in my division had height and weight advantage on me in a big way, at higher levels I’m sure this matters far less than when dealing with less experienced white belts but to me it seemed a poor choice on the part of the management of the tournament to allow such a large weight discrepancy in a low level division like this.
My first match was interesting but I was pointed out 16-2 I think. The other guy had noticeably more training then I but I handled his attack well for a novice. I figure I’ve spent most of my time defending at this point and I think I managed well being a less trained competitor. My cardio training held up well but I needed to focus a lot more on basics as well as my own attack instead of defending.
I was focused on getting the takedown in this tournament like my last couple and I did manage to score points in this match thanks to a good take down. The rest of my game needs work but it’s to be expected at this level of course.
This tournament was double elimination so even though I lost on points in my first match I had a chance at the losers bracket and I did wind up fighting for the bronze metal after all.
This was my final Gi fight for the day and I went in focused on giving up as few points as possible, getting take downs and earning the bronze at least. The competitor I faced felt like he had roughly the same amount of training I had 5 months or so but he was taller and a bit thicker. I shot in and shot in but he was able to post an although I put 110% into sucking up the single I snatched easily time and time again I couldn’t seem to find the angle to get both legs gathered up and dumped. After reviewing my general performance in my minds eye and discussing it with some of my teammates I learned I was probably not driving straight up during my takedown. Lesson learned, you need to focus on elevation straight up instead of shooting in and linearly through your opponent. “Think elevation and not shooting through.” You figured as a competitive freestyle wrestler I would have done this instinctively but it’s been a long time since my last camp or competition so there it is. Back to the basics as always.
So on with the match… We burned through six minutes of regular time and also the first two-minute overtime plus extra time (the ref didn’t restart us after two minutes he merely stated we had now entered our second two minute sudden death overtime). When the dust cleared well over two minutes (my coash figured we had gone a fulle 12 miutes before the fight ended) the ref gave the other a guy a takedown which is funny because my opponent never shot in and he ended up in my half guard with me on my side. In my mind this was no takedown but the match had to end sometime. I lost this one 2-0. Bummed but I still had No Gi to go so I was focused on winning a medal there no matter what. I’ll be focusing on my ground attack, takedowns and bottom/top control as well. I’ve got lots of holes to plug up in my Gi game plan before next season.
So No Gi took forever to reach us old guys but at around 4:30 they finally called my division, Executives, Men, 160-169, Novice. Most of the guys I spoke with have told me guys hang around the Novice divisions for a while even after there first year of training, it sounded like this was typical in most of the divisions. Either way I was stoked to get on the mat without a Gi and go to work. I figured my freestyle training and basic knowledge of no Gi BJJ would hang in there.
My first match was against a guy who only had one prior No Gi experience, he was taller and looked to be a slightly thicker than me; but overall we seemed fairly closely matched. My overall goals were to obtain the takedown, gain superior position and work to submission or full mount within 6 minutes.
I shot pretty quickly after sizing up his foot pattern a bit. I got the take down but he had a pretty good guard and it took me sometime to maneuver around it. I believe (without reviewing my fight tape), I escaped his guard originally and he staye don his back with legs defending me, I faded right and jumped over his right knee to side mount. Once I saw the refs hand go up for my points I focused on maintaining top control, managing my opponents ability to sweep and attempting knee on stomach or full mount. At one point I got the knee on the stomach (1 to 2 seconds only) but he shrimped to the side and I had to adjust back down to side mount. I didn’t stall and the match continued to finish at 5-0. I was satisfied but wanted to earn more points if possible in the next match.
At this point in my tournament I learned why some competitors tape up the tops of their feet and in rare cases wear wrestling shoes (yes, one of the guys in my Gi division in fact wore a pair with his Gi). My left and right tops of feet were raw and torn up, it looked like I had dropped hot grease all over the tops of my feet and the blisters had been pulled off (STING). It was gross but I knew it was just going to get worse in my next fight so oh well.
After a ten minute rest and a killer purple belt match cleared our mat I was back at it in the gold medal round with a guy named Will. He did well against his first competitor and I figured we would have a good time in our match, it didn’t disappoint. My focus remained to obtain the takedown and accumulate points. As it turned out Will had the same game plan. He ended up shooting very quickly into the match and he wound up in my guard and I had a pretty deep guillotine choke on him. My right wrist was hung up in the lower part of his chin (he had a braided goatee that may have saved him from a deeper choke). I spent a good minute squeezing the crap out of Will and working the hell out of the choke. He later told me he thought his jaw was going to snap and I almost had him submitted but as luck would have it he finally found a way to get my elbow over his head and he came out of it with a huge labored breath.
This is when I found out just what a rookie I was. I established a right arm (his right) under hook and maintained head control pretty well the entire time Will was in my guard. He was being told to posture up and he was trying hard to keep my hips low, establish his knee in my spine and also elbow pressure inside my thighs.
At one point I had excellent control of his right arm and Ming (a guy I train with over at Dave Hopkins KFSS Riverside – open mat No Gi workouts) yelled KEY LOCK Ken. Which I later learned meant the same thing as Kamura (sorry for spelling this wrong I’m sure – it means two on one, two hand on one to be specific) his right arm behind him. This was a major failure point in my game, I realized I had not prepared sufficiently to submit from the guard and even though I knew I had advantage, position and sufficient control and movement of my guard I could not for the life of me figure out how to get the job done. So we ended our first and second overtimes tied at 0-0. In sudden death I made yet another careless error and turned away from Will after falling hard to my left shoulder and popping/tearing a few small muscles somewhere in my left shoulder (not a match stopper but I knew I screwed something up). He ended up getting his hooks in and earning his four points for the back. It was a good fight and he definitely earned his points. But again I was dejected at not performing at the level I knew I could have given better technical preparation on my part.
I took silver in my first No Gi competition. I was happy to have earned a medal but still left with a feeling I was prepared to do better given better focus on my overall game plan and attack/submission strategies. But hey what’s a five month old white belt suppose to do.
I should mention this now as well. For the first three months of my training I trained independently under a few good teachers but not an actual BJJ school. Mitch over at Dave Hopkins was a huge help in my No Gi preparation (sorry Mitch for not getting the gold when you know I could have), Master Jeff Frater (United Fighting Systems) he was a great help/coach overall in my Gi game plan and also lots of No Gi rolling around as well and of course Master Lari Beebe who offers 37+ years of grappling experience and probably more martial arts training than any human on the planet. Master Lari holds black belts in seven martial arts and has belts in Judo, Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
My team affiliation only took place a month and half ago, when I officially signed up with John Munoz and his kick ass Team USA BJJ in Norco, CA (www.teamusabjj.com). John is a Brazilian trained BJJ Black Belt and golden gloves boxer. His focus on winning, core cardio and technical BJJ training have allowed his tournament team to place extremely well year after year in all of their tournaments. I’ve now had two tournament experiences under John Munoz and love going to work with our team each week. You couldn’t ask for a better coach or better guys to train with. Their focus on winning is intense.
Well that’s number three tournament for me thus far in 2006 as a newbie to BJJ. I’ve got to head to the doctor tomorrow and find out just how bad my shoulder really is. It feels solid for the most part but I have a couple of range of motion spots that need a good looking at. We shall see.
I’m going to sit out for Grappler’s Quest (Las Vegas) this year, I promised my wife I would focus on family and fun instead of the next tournament for the holidays but I’ll be in Las Vegas in 2007 for sure.
I’ll be posting more after my next tournament in early 2007 of course. Stay tuned for more info then.
Train Hard and Win!
KK
Monday, November 06, 2006
Update on California Classic in San Bernardino
So this weekend I headed out to San Bernardino High School for the California Classic hosted by Rommel Dunbar. I made weight easliy at 170 even on Friday so I was hydrated and trim for this tournament just what I wanted to be.
After an endless wait (they actually passed my division by) we finally took the mat at sunset. did I mention my family had arrived that day at 9am to watch??? What a LONG DAY it was...
We had a smaller group of five competitors which is common at the Master's level we were Master's White Belt 16-173. My training buddy John was alos in my bracket so our goal was to have Team USA BJJ finish 1st/2nd in this division. John handled his first match with ease. He put on a point clinic for us and won his match something like 12 to 2.
Next I was up; I had drawn a longer trained white belt I believe named Taylor, he had three to four stripes already and looked to be thin and well trained. I held a single minded goal for this match, get the take down and win the match. I knew I would have my hands full on the ground but I had been focusing hard on my take downs and didn't want to start this match up behind. I figured I had to beat this guy for chance at a medal so this match was all or nothing for me.
From the initial clinch I felt this guy wanted an outside sweep but he maintained a solid stance and didn't give me any elbow control. I worked hard to get him off balance but he had definately spent time on his feet (probably grappling at an early age) and didn't want to leave his feet or give up an easy take down. The great news was he didn't want to pull guard eighter. After what seemed liked an eternity on our feet I decided to give up on my dreams of a leg sweep; I disengaged his hold on my belt and left lapel and instantly shot a double leg take down. After a bit of adjustment I finished the take down successfully to take the 2 points. I ended up side mount but I think I moved to quickly and he flipped turtle on me and I went to set my hooks and take his back. He succsessfully dumped my to my right hip and eventually I put him in half guard where I held for a few seconds and ended the match. I won on points and that is exactly what I wanted/needed to have happen.
After a long wait John and I took the mat for the gold medal round. since this was exactly what we wanted to have happen we both we happy with the situation. I was focused on preventing a submission, getting a take down and working to earn points. So was JOHN! What the dust settled John had won 9 to 2. He did a great job of maintaining control and working for points throughout our match. But as a three stripe white belt with plenty of experience you figure the guy should do well.
It was a good day... I very long day but a good day. I would recommend this tournament to every child grappler out there. They had age ranges form two years old and up, that's right we watched a two year old defeat a four year old in the four year old division. It was cute as heck. I couldn't belive they actually found/made a wonderful blue gi for the little guy.
That's it for now.
After an endless wait (they actually passed my division by) we finally took the mat at sunset. did I mention my family had arrived that day at 9am to watch??? What a LONG DAY it was...
We had a smaller group of five competitors which is common at the Master's level we were Master's White Belt 16-173. My training buddy John was alos in my bracket so our goal was to have Team USA BJJ finish 1st/2nd in this division. John handled his first match with ease. He put on a point clinic for us and won his match something like 12 to 2.
Next I was up; I had drawn a longer trained white belt I believe named Taylor, he had three to four stripes already and looked to be thin and well trained. I held a single minded goal for this match, get the take down and win the match. I knew I would have my hands full on the ground but I had been focusing hard on my take downs and didn't want to start this match up behind. I figured I had to beat this guy for chance at a medal so this match was all or nothing for me.
From the initial clinch I felt this guy wanted an outside sweep but he maintained a solid stance and didn't give me any elbow control. I worked hard to get him off balance but he had definately spent time on his feet (probably grappling at an early age) and didn't want to leave his feet or give up an easy take down. The great news was he didn't want to pull guard eighter. After what seemed liked an eternity on our feet I decided to give up on my dreams of a leg sweep; I disengaged his hold on my belt and left lapel and instantly shot a double leg take down. After a bit of adjustment I finished the take down successfully to take the 2 points. I ended up side mount but I think I moved to quickly and he flipped turtle on me and I went to set my hooks and take his back. He succsessfully dumped my to my right hip and eventually I put him in half guard where I held for a few seconds and ended the match. I won on points and that is exactly what I wanted/needed to have happen.
After a long wait John and I took the mat for the gold medal round. since this was exactly what we wanted to have happen we both we happy with the situation. I was focused on preventing a submission, getting a take down and working to earn points. So was JOHN! What the dust settled John had won 9 to 2. He did a great job of maintaining control and working for points throughout our match. But as a three stripe white belt with plenty of experience you figure the guy should do well.
It was a good day... I very long day but a good day. I would recommend this tournament to every child grappler out there. They had age ranges form two years old and up, that's right we watched a two year old defeat a four year old in the four year old division. It was cute as heck. I couldn't belive they actually found/made a wonderful blue gi for the little guy.
That's it for now.
WHY THIS BLOG!?
You may ask yourself why did a guy like me start a blog on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu??? Well I'll tell you.
I've been an athlete pretty much my entire life. I was never a state champ or gold medal winner just a kid and now a man who loves competition, enjoys being fit and needs a healthy outlet for stress and the issues of life. I've trained formally in swimming, water polo, freestyle wrestling, Collegiate Rowing (Orange Coast College 88-90), running (Marathon), Trathlon (Olympic distance mostly) and martial asrts (Kung Fu San Soo Black Belt and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu White Belt).
I was inspired to blog about my recent experiences because BJJ has changed my life... It all started this past Summer; I was on a personal high after receiving my much anticpated Black Belt in Kung Fu San Soo from Master Kurt Bellman (Kurt Bellman's Riverside Kung Fu San Soo). For anyone who knows KFSS the first point you are taught is KFSS is NOT a SPORT. You can't take what we learn and put into the context and confining rules of a tournament or poitn fighting event. The art is dynamic, powerful and potentially deadly. It's perfect for self defens ein life and death situations however and that's why I fell in love with KFSS early in my life and have never strayed away from it. I still have the first lessons and forms I was given by Master Ward way back in 1991.
I had initially found KFSS in college and trained under Master Bob Ward for about a year and a half or so at Racauetball World (located on first Street in Santa Ana, CA). I stopped training once Bob was called out of state on business long term. I took up full time training (four to five days per week) once again in Riverside thanks to Master Ron Gatewood who pointed me toward's Kurt's gym for the focused training I was looking for in KFSS. I spent the next two and half years focused and determined to earn my black belt and continue on with my training for as long as it took for me to acheive my Master's degree in KFSS.
At this time in my life I felt I had learned a lot about myself and my art, I was confident in my abilities, but I didn't feel like an athlete. I've always maintained a solid regimen of running, weights and diet but I didn't feel like I was really in shape. I couldn't get rid of my dreaded love handles. But I knew there was a way to get into incredible shape if i was willing to pay the price.
During my KFSS training I had been exposed to various forms of grappling and submission training thanks to the very talented Master Lari Beebe (Lari has over three decades of grappling experience and he has earned high degrees earned in seven martial arts). Master Lari wet my appetite for grappling arts again and I knew I wanted to get back to it in the worst way.
After receiving my black belt I went on a expidition to locate training partners and coaches who could show me more about submission grappling, but I still maintain my KFSS training at least three times per week and I teach Master Kurt's children's class on Mon and Wed (it's a ton of fun and i love teaching this fantastic art).
But the mat was calling me and I had to listen. All it took was one afternoon (Father's Day 2006) for me to get the bug BAD! I spent three hours that day with Master Jeff Frater and Kyle Olsen, Black Belt. Theese guys are self proclaimed technique whores who have spent years perfecting the craft of submission grappling. They both have had many tournament experiences and plenty of cage experience as well. Kyle is a Val Tudo World Lightweight Champion, King of The Cage verteran and Cage of Fire Veteran as well and both Jeff and Kyle have numerous victories in the cage and on the mat. I knew I was in for a good taste of what submission grappling was all about that day; and I wasn't disappointed.
As expected I gas'ed out pretty quick with Jeff and Kyle but I caught the bug. I thought to myself that day I WANT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF CARDIO and TRAINING. No matter what it took I was bound and detemrined to get it.
It took me 90 days to tranform my life and body. I shedded a mind blowing 44 lbs (215 down to 171) in ninety days and I now spend six days a week building my cardio base and training for my grappling and KFSS training. Thanks to Master Lari, Master Jeff and Kyle they opended my mind to submission grappling and I wanted to know everything. I searched far and wide to find more guys who were willing to roll around and show me more moves. I got the bug bad, real bad. I have to thank Master David Hopkins and his guys, Mitch, Dale, Ming and all the fantastic grapplers and KFSS students they have at the Hokins school. I spent more than a few Saturday's getting beat around my Mitch and the guys and I love visiting there any chance I get to this day.
Sooner than Jeff had expected I signed up for the 5th American National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament. I knew next to nothing about BJJ but I knew I loved it and I wanted to challenge myself. I knew I wouldn't progress without a high minded goal, so there it was. You can read my other posts to figure out what happened to me in my first tournament but it went pretty well. I had fun, made weight and walked away with a Silver Medal around my neck. Not bad for a guy who started training nintey days before.
I'm hoping that my posts will push other 30 somethings (I'm 37 at the time of this post and i the best shape of my life, just ask my wife) into submission grappling or any martial art for the physical and pyshological benefits that are found from challenging oneself. You may not want to compete but man I'll tell you the training will make you a new man or woman.
So here I am carving out my little place to share my story online. I hope you enjoy.
Write me anytime if you have questions about martial arts training, running a class or school or simply want to chat about BJJ or any grappling stuff. I love to train and I'm an avid reader and student of the submission grappling game as well as plenty of stand up as well.
Formal Salute,
Kenneth Knapp
Team USA BJJ
John Munoz Instructor/Owner
Norco, CA
I've been an athlete pretty much my entire life. I was never a state champ or gold medal winner just a kid and now a man who loves competition, enjoys being fit and needs a healthy outlet for stress and the issues of life. I've trained formally in swimming, water polo, freestyle wrestling, Collegiate Rowing (Orange Coast College 88-90), running (Marathon), Trathlon (Olympic distance mostly) and martial asrts (Kung Fu San Soo Black Belt and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu White Belt).
I was inspired to blog about my recent experiences because BJJ has changed my life... It all started this past Summer; I was on a personal high after receiving my much anticpated Black Belt in Kung Fu San Soo from Master Kurt Bellman (Kurt Bellman's Riverside Kung Fu San Soo). For anyone who knows KFSS the first point you are taught is KFSS is NOT a SPORT. You can't take what we learn and put into the context and confining rules of a tournament or poitn fighting event. The art is dynamic, powerful and potentially deadly. It's perfect for self defens ein life and death situations however and that's why I fell in love with KFSS early in my life and have never strayed away from it. I still have the first lessons and forms I was given by Master Ward way back in 1991.
I had initially found KFSS in college and trained under Master Bob Ward for about a year and a half or so at Racauetball World (located on first Street in Santa Ana, CA). I stopped training once Bob was called out of state on business long term. I took up full time training (four to five days per week) once again in Riverside thanks to Master Ron Gatewood who pointed me toward's Kurt's gym for the focused training I was looking for in KFSS. I spent the next two and half years focused and determined to earn my black belt and continue on with my training for as long as it took for me to acheive my Master's degree in KFSS.
At this time in my life I felt I had learned a lot about myself and my art, I was confident in my abilities, but I didn't feel like an athlete. I've always maintained a solid regimen of running, weights and diet but I didn't feel like I was really in shape. I couldn't get rid of my dreaded love handles. But I knew there was a way to get into incredible shape if i was willing to pay the price.
During my KFSS training I had been exposed to various forms of grappling and submission training thanks to the very talented Master Lari Beebe (Lari has over three decades of grappling experience and he has earned high degrees earned in seven martial arts). Master Lari wet my appetite for grappling arts again and I knew I wanted to get back to it in the worst way.
After receiving my black belt I went on a expidition to locate training partners and coaches who could show me more about submission grappling, but I still maintain my KFSS training at least three times per week and I teach Master Kurt's children's class on Mon and Wed (it's a ton of fun and i love teaching this fantastic art).
But the mat was calling me and I had to listen. All it took was one afternoon (Father's Day 2006) for me to get the bug BAD! I spent three hours that day with Master Jeff Frater and Kyle Olsen, Black Belt. Theese guys are self proclaimed technique whores who have spent years perfecting the craft of submission grappling. They both have had many tournament experiences and plenty of cage experience as well. Kyle is a Val Tudo World Lightweight Champion, King of The Cage verteran and Cage of Fire Veteran as well and both Jeff and Kyle have numerous victories in the cage and on the mat. I knew I was in for a good taste of what submission grappling was all about that day; and I wasn't disappointed.
As expected I gas'ed out pretty quick with Jeff and Kyle but I caught the bug. I thought to myself that day I WANT TO HAVE THAT KIND OF CARDIO and TRAINING. No matter what it took I was bound and detemrined to get it.
It took me 90 days to tranform my life and body. I shedded a mind blowing 44 lbs (215 down to 171) in ninety days and I now spend six days a week building my cardio base and training for my grappling and KFSS training. Thanks to Master Lari, Master Jeff and Kyle they opended my mind to submission grappling and I wanted to know everything. I searched far and wide to find more guys who were willing to roll around and show me more moves. I got the bug bad, real bad. I have to thank Master David Hopkins and his guys, Mitch, Dale, Ming and all the fantastic grapplers and KFSS students they have at the Hokins school. I spent more than a few Saturday's getting beat around my Mitch and the guys and I love visiting there any chance I get to this day.
Sooner than Jeff had expected I signed up for the 5th American National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament. I knew next to nothing about BJJ but I knew I loved it and I wanted to challenge myself. I knew I wouldn't progress without a high minded goal, so there it was. You can read my other posts to figure out what happened to me in my first tournament but it went pretty well. I had fun, made weight and walked away with a Silver Medal around my neck. Not bad for a guy who started training nintey days before.
I'm hoping that my posts will push other 30 somethings (I'm 37 at the time of this post and i the best shape of my life, just ask my wife) into submission grappling or any martial art for the physical and pyshological benefits that are found from challenging oneself. You may not want to compete but man I'll tell you the training will make you a new man or woman.
So here I am carving out my little place to share my story online. I hope you enjoy.
Write me anytime if you have questions about martial arts training, running a class or school or simply want to chat about BJJ or any grappling stuff. I love to train and I'm an avid reader and student of the submission grappling game as well as plenty of stand up as well.
Formal Salute,
Kenneth Knapp
Team USA BJJ
John Munoz Instructor/Owner
Norco, CA
Here are a few random shots before and after my first tournament. The guy in the picture with me is none other than Mike Fowler (Lloyd Irvin Black Belt). The man travels the glode winning and teaching. He's a great guy and an extremely talented grappler. Thanks for the picture Mike! These were shots form the 5th American National (Torrance, CA).
My First Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament the 5th American National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament - GREAT EVENT!!!
My First Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament the 5th American National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament - GREAT EVENT!!!
In July of this year I finally earned my Black Belt in Kung Fu San Soo. After hitting this wonderful milestone in my martial arts career I felt I needed to challenge myself more physically. On Father's Day 2006 I went to workout for the first time with Jeff Frater and his team United Fighting Systems in Rancho Cucamonga to focus spefically on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu technique. After that first day of rolling around I realized that I was way out of shape and I was in grave need of a major physical tune up. On that day my mental attitude flipped a switch. And so began my quest to learn the wonderful art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.In a little over ninety days I had melted off 43 lbs and build a rock solid cardio foundation. I can now run six plus miles easily (five to six days per week), jump rope for 30 minutes straight and I’m finally able to complete seven or more sets of pull ups, which I hadn’t been able to do easily in over fifteen years. I am back in shape and getting better with every workout.
So after just three months of training I figured baptism by fire was as good as any way to figure out what BJJ tournaments were all about. My coach Jeff Frater agreed that it would be a good test of my rudimentary skills so off I went to sign up for the 5th American National Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament in Torrance.
It wasn’t easy getting my 215 lbs body down under 175 lbs to hit my weight class of 181 lbs with Gi on. Here’s the details on the weigh in requirements and they are tough:
“The system will be the same used in the Mundial in Brazil and the last Pan American, the athlete will check the weight after the official call for his first fight, minutes before he steps on the mat, the competitor can check the weight only once, if the competitor doesn't make it, he will be imediatelly disqualified. Make sure you're in the correct weight division, if the competitor doesn't make the weight, no changes will be accepted in the brackets, and there will be no refund on the fee.
All athletes must check weight with the gi on. From: http://www.usjjf.com/”
On the day of the event I weighed 177.8 with my running shoes and Gi on. I made it!!! I have to say I really hate celery and grapefruit after the last ninety days though. ;-)))
So real drama started when after waiting for almost two hours I finally heard my name called over the PA system. I hustled to the competitor section and flashed my ID at the check-in official. I also got a look at my competition for the first time. It was obvious from the first look my competition was in for a tough fight as he has about a ten inch height disadvantage on me. I’m note sure but I think he might have been under 5 foot tall and in much need of hard cardio training. The real shame though was when he hit the scale he weighed in at 182.5. The officials let him weigh three times but he never cracked 182. My coach asked if they would allow him to fight an expedition match with me simply to allow us an opportunity to test our skills but they DQ’ed him on the spot and would not allow him to touch the mat. It was a win for me but a bummer just the same.
So I had to go sit and wait some more to find out who my next match would be. In the meantime I got to watch my main competition Geoff Mcgann, Beverly Hills JJ Club. He’s a great guy and hardworking white belt who is one week away from obtaining his Blue Belt. It was obvious from watching his match that he was a grappler early in life and had a strong foundation. He was quick and exploded into takedowns and had a very low base on the mat.
So after a nice long wait I finally took the floor with Geoff. We squared off on the mat and almost immediately setup Gi control. He went with a lapel grab, elbow and played with wrist gi control a bit as well, I think he was looking for a sweep for the most part or perhaps a grapevine, but I wasn’t having it. I maintained my usual gi control options but Geoff was good at avoiding my favorite happy place holds so I opted for other hooks that give ample control while standing. We went down once off the mat and came back to center and after a couple of minutes dancing I finally pulled guard on him and we hit the mat. He tried elbows and knee tactics to escape and I defended nicely. He began to build after a minute or two and I threw him into a triangle choke. My major rookie mistake was not hanging on his head so he did what any seasoned vet would do and he walked around my head and popped out to a side mount (2 points). We had moved a bit so we were stopped by the referee and moved to center mat where we reestablished our position with about ten seconds left. I had my hands where I wanted them but time ran out before I could reverse on him so that was that.
The most amazing part of our match was I barely felt the physical side of the match. I had the cardio and I felt fantastic through out. The time simply flew by. So I have a few things to work on and will focus on my mistakes in this match. Overall I had a great tournament experience thanks to great competition and great coaching.
I’d like to thank Master Jeff Frater, United Fighting Systems, Master Lari Beebe and all the fantastic guys at Master Dave Hopkins, especially Mitch, Ming, Sylvio, Danny and Master Dave of course for all the great training and personal attention. I could have never faced off with a guy like Geoff with confidence if you all hadn’t shown me so much great technique. And of course I could have never made weight if you all didn’t make me earn every minute on the mat. I can’t wait for my next event.
I’ll post more later stay tuned.
Best Regards,
Kenneth Knapp
Kurt Bellman’s Riverside Kung Fu San Soo &
United Fighting Systems
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