Welcome to the newest installment of White Collar Submission. This article is written through my point of view as a typical person who is attempting to learn how to fight in the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
This article combines the second half of Week 2 and Week 3 into one large article. Keep reading to keep updated with my progress with learning the Jiu-Jitsu fighting style.
Preparation: I’ll be honest, I worked out less during the end of the second week. My body was starting to feel better and I actually had the urge to go for a run, but I didn’t want to be sore while learning in class.
Arrival: Week 2.5 began with a different trainer and a whole new training style. It certainly wasn’t a bad thing as there were fewer people and more interaction between us and the trainers throughout the night. My muscles were starting to get used to the strain of Jiu-Jitsu style grappling and my stamina is starting to improve as well. I can feel that I am making progress and this is helping me to continue with the classes.
Drills: We skipped warm-up activities and started the class with the Kimura. This submission move will basically feel like you are trying to rip your opponent’s arm out of their shoulder. We learned how to apply body weight to keep your opponent on the ground as you apply the Kimura and how to force their hand to “paint” the floor as you twist. We practiced learning how to apply the Kimura and then how to escape. Similar to an arm-bar or Triangle, escaping the Kimura doesn’t require the use of brute force, it requires using your body weight to maneuver yourself away from the submission before your opponent can lock it up.
We attempted to use of our new moves at 30% (no standing) to apply some of our moves against each other. I felt confident with the Kimura as it doesn’t require any quick shifts with body weight and I was able to effectively use it on the floor. Then we took turns grappling in the guard position to see who could escape or submit the other person. This gave everyone a chance to work with everyone else, even if the weight different was 100+ pounds between the two grapplers. Even when I was up against someone who was almost twice my weight, I could see how effective Jiu-Jitsu could be…apparently my handicap was gone considering he knew Jiu-Jitsu and had a weight advantage. After these drills, we went up against the trainer who also had a pretty significant weight advantage up against my friend and I. We still learned what not to do when grappling and that helped us transition into the 3rd week.
After the Class: I was a little more beat up than normal. It was obvious that going up against those who are much bigger than me left my body hurting. I still felt better than I did earlier in the week and that was the only thing that mattered.
Week 3
Preparation: Similar to the end of Week 2, my preparation for the class was become easier. Throughout the week I would still eat well and exercise, but not as much as the first two weeks and prior to the class.
Arrival: We started to feel a little more normal about showing up to the classes as regulars by the 3rd week. We knew the drill once we arrived; get the shoes, socks, and ring off and get rid of the keys, wallet, and cell phone for the next hour and a half. Stretching is the normal for the first 5 to 10 minutes.
Drills: With the same trainer as Week 2.5, we skipped the warm-ups and jumped right into drills. The drill for the night was the Guillotine. As a French method of public execution, the Guillotine is not a fun way to go. In MMA, the Guillotine hurts. We learned how to apply a standing Guillotine which can be applied when facing your opponent. It’s an easy maneuver and can be quickly tightened around the neck, but it is also easy to escape if you catch it early enough. Once we learned how to apply and escape the Guillotine, we tested it out on each other. Getting choked out in a standing position is not fun at all.
Progression: Once we started our 30% grappling, we decided to heed the advice of the trainer and go slower so that we could make sense of what we were attempting to do. Squaring up against my friend allowed me to pause the action to determine what I was doing wrong. Luckily it was another small class and we had the help of an experienced wrestler to assist when we questioned what we were doing on the ground. We both wanted to understand sweeps and how to effective get out of the guard position and into the dominant position without giving up our back to the opponent. We learnd how to flip ourselves off of our backs and into a half-guard or full-mount position. From there we could use some of the earlier techniques to submit our opponent. For once, my friend and I felt like we made a lot of progression as grapplers. We were able to submit and make each other tap through the use of legitimate Jiu-Jitsu techniques. In the past it seemed that it was just a test of strength, but now it felt like a test of intelligence.
Group and One on One Instruction: It was obvious how much was learned when we had someone who was able to stop us and instruct us throughout the day. If a mistake was made, it could be immediately corrected. I thoroughly enjoyed the smaller classes even though it was somewhat embarrassing to not know exactly what to do at all times. I still knew that I was a beginner and the one on one instruction would be vital to my success in Jiu-Jitsu.
After the Class: I had never worked up this much of a sweat. I was soaked through my shirt and my shorts with sweat and my eyes burned. It was definitely a great cardio workout.
Conclusion: I can’t wait to get back up to the training center to learn more. I’m starting to feel more confident in my actions and I’m building decent strength through the warm-ups and the drills. Stay tuned for Week 4 of White Collar Submission!
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I do still love MMA and have...
