The short answer is no – they are not. But I highly recommend them because they help a ton. A while ago I purchased some rash guards for no-gi classes at my dojo, and the difference is night and day in terms of comfort when rolling. There are two main reasons for this:

First, it helps reduce the number of bruises on the arms, even when worn under a gi. Many bruises I get are from pinches when someone is grabbing at my arms when wearing a gi. A rash guard can help reduce the occurrences of these types of bruises.

Second, it really does do what the title of the product says it does – reduce rashes. I notice rashes more when rolling no-gi, usually when the opponent’s skin or garments rubs against my skin. I’ve also experienced rashes from rubbing against the mat. A rash guard helps reduce this.

Some people may be hesitant to try rash guards because they seem to be primarily targeted for people who are extremely “ripped”. Look at this picture of Hayabusa’s rash guard, for example:

Most people don’t look like this. Even in Jiu Jitsu.

If you are hesitant to try rash guards because you don’t look like Arnold from the first two Terminator movies, I’d still encourage you try one because no one is going to be judging how you look – at any dojo, everyone is there to train. If you are still hesitant you could always wear a tee-shirt your rash guard.

If you decide to purchase a rash guard online remember to be aware of the online seller’s return policy. Sometimes they are less flexible with rash guards, which can be sort of annoying. I’m actually planning a blog post for on the topic in the future.

pic credit(s): mmawarehouse.com (per their terms and conditions) at http://www.mmawarehouse.com/Hayabusa-Haburi-Longsleeve-Rashguard-p/hay-1002.htm. Its original image URI is http://www.mmawarehouse.com/v/vspfiles/photos/hay-1002-2T.jpg.

One the more unique offerings I have seen for Jiu Jitsu practitioners are tie-dyed gis from Happy Kimonos.

Customers can send in their own gi to get tie-dyed – or they can purchase one from Happy Kimonos and they tie-dye it entirely to the customer’s liking. Every gi is a “custom” job.

In addition the “traditional” tie-dye look, they can also dye your gi to a solid color of your liking – essentially allowing you to choose any color you want because dyes can be blended to create new colors. You no longer need to be bound to white or blue – you can go with something like “emerald green” or “warm black”.

Check them out at happykimonos.com.

Thanks for sending me pictures, Chris!

pic credit(s): Christopher Lane, owner of Happy Kimonos. Used with permission.

The internet is filled with “martial art X” vs “martial art Y” videos. They are littered across sites like Youtube and Vimeo. This is unfortunate because a majority of these videos are inaccurate and/or misleading, independent of whichever martial art “wins” in the video. Some of the videos are fun to watch and insightful. But the rest are plain dumb.

This rant was inspired by this Aikido vs. “Jiu Jitsu” video. This video angered me a great deal.

Aikido has rich traditions and has some interesting insights – but it is obvious to me that the opponent in this video – the “Jiu Jitsu” participant – does not now know any Jiu Jitsu or even Judo, with the exception of break falling. The only “Jiu Jitsu”-esque element in this video is the participant is wearing a gi. It seems obvious to me the person wearing a gi probably practices Aikido because he seems to tumble like an Aikidoka – which as I understand is a learned Aikido skill.

If we stop there and relabel the video, fine. No harm done.

Instead, the video is titled “aikido vs jiu jitsu”. Instead, we have another video of a bogus “martial art vs martial art” comparison floating around the Internet. This is misleading and unfair to practitioners of both martial arts. And this video already has more than 3 million views.

I ask if anyone wants to produce videos like this – great – but do practitioners of all martial arts a favor and label it appropriately and be honest.

pic credit(s): http://www.flickr.com/photos/chanchan222/3324057492/

The Fightworks Podcast has put together an awesome recap video of the 2009 Brazillian Jiu Jitsu World Championship, sponsored BudoVideos.com:

Check it out at Youtube see watch it in delicious HD.

I often visited Reddit.com, a site where readers “vote-up” links they like. Reddit often has interesting links and content and generally really enjoy it.

I was surprised today when I saw that a Judo-related animated gif was getting quite a few upvotes. Here it is – a throw by Gene Lebell:

img src=”http://jiujitsukit.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/35j9hmf.gif” alt=”Judo Trick” title=”Judo Trick” width=”294″ height=”219″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-847″ /

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The title of “trick” is a little odd – obviously it’s a throw. But the notion of “tricking” is pretty popular around the Internet. From Wikipedia:

Tricking (martial arts tricking) is the informal name of a relatively new underground alternative sport movement, combining martial arts, gymnastics, breakdancing and other activities to create an “aesthetic blend of flips, kicks, and twists.”

It has inspired entire sites to the topic such as Club540.

Call it a “trick” or a throw, it is still cool to see something like this get attention from a wider audience.

I need my sleep. For one reason or another I have betrayed my body over and over again and  neglected to get enough sleep this week. Yesterday the reality of how sleep deprivation effects my performance in Jiu Jitsu become clear to me. Yesterday’s class was a good class – but it took considerable effort to get enough from it because I was so tired. Here is why.

First, it was hard to retain information and execute new techniques without extra concentration. The amount of time it took learn something was longer than normal. It was also easy to forget specific details – such as the position of a foot or a type of grip.

Second, being tired does things to your overall confidence – even if not on a conscious level. Break falls, for example, seemed hard to execute properly. I also had hesitations to be thrown. Not helpful, obviously, to learning and growing your technique – or your partner’s.

Third, being so tired made for poor decisions when rolling. In three consecutive roll sessions I tried to pull guard – but ended up defending side control. Being impatient and unwise made for a poor (and mostly painful) day in rolling.

Tomorrow is Saturday, thankfully – and when I wake up late tomorrow morning and finally well rested, I should  think about how I can get more sleep on a regular basis. If I don’t there is no guarantee I won’t make the same sleeping mistakes I made this week. Training in Jiu Jitsu – and many other things – is just too important to interfere with.

pic credit(s): http://www.flickr.com/photos/54288707@N00/94341457/

Sambo is an up-and-coming grappling-focused martial art with Russian roots.

Like Jiu Jitsu, Sambo has a lot of appeal and is experiencing impressive growth since its gain in popularity  in the US in the early 2000s. Wikipedia describes Sambo as a “modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system” and broadly categorizes it as a “grappling/mixed martial arts style” of self defense.

Because Sambo has a lot of appeal to students of Jiu Jitsu and other grappling-focused martial arts, I reached out to Stephen Koepfer, president of the American Sambo Association, to get up to speed with Sambo and how it compares with Jiu Jitsu.

Thanks to Steve for answering my questions.

I have attempted to give a general introduction to Sambo. Did I miss anything?

I would add that besides the basic facts of where, when, and why Sambo was created, Sambo is a pretty broad term. Like the word “Karate” which encompasses many different styles, the word “Sambo” covers a wide variety of flavors, styles, and approaches. Sambo does not mean simply one thing.

You may have five different Sambo clubs that go about things five different ways and practice five different approaches to training. Of course there are common denominators, but you may have a combat Sambo club which mainly focuses on practical application such as the military style. You may have a club that is purely sport oriented and only trains throwing and grappling. You may have a competitive combat Sambo club which focuses on MMA type of competition. There may also be combinations of these. To consider Sambo as one specific thing is misleading.

Common to most Sambo clubs, however (I have trained in all these variants), is the lack of formality and utilitarian approach to training. It is very different from the experience in most of most martial arts originating from Asia. You don’t see bowing, titles, ranks, and all that sort of thing. It is a much more casual environment where people simply come to bust their butts in training. It is much more akin to a wrestling club in that respect.

If a Jiu Jitsu student were to take up training at a typical Sambo academy, what are some things that may be most surprising to him or her?

I find that the lack of formality is one thing that sticks out to cross-over students. Some people feel really freed up by it. Others seem to need the rank structure and formality.

In terms of technique and training, it depends on the club. At our club, many BJJ folks comment on the aggressiveness and quickness of the game, different ways of using movement and body weight, and importantly, the different way to play the game because of differences in rules.

The throwing and leg lock game usually brings most BJJ guys in the door, but they are often surprised that we do chokes too and that Sambo is more than throws and leg locks. It is a real misrepresentation to say that Sambo does not include choking. But, again, if a club is purely sport Sambo oriented, they may focus less on chokes. However, just about every US club I know practices choking.

I think the approach to training often seems backwards to many BJJ guys that train with us. Sometimes they may be used to a “here’s a submission, now go roll and practice it” type of approach. We focus much more on movement before itemizing a list of submissions. We train submissions and situational sparring, of course, but the idea is that you have to move properly first. We focus very much on improvisation and flow; learning to identify openings for submissions improvisationally while rolling, not hunting for a particular submission when you are a noob. We don’t want people submission hunting and missing other opportunities that may be staring them in the face. The idea is that if you can’t move properly and sense how another person moves in your space, you will not nail any submissions.

It is a different story when you are advanced and have learned what your go-to submissions are. It is the advanced guys who can either nail a submission on you even when you know what they are going for, or be able to nail a submission from any position they happen to find themselves in. You have to be able to do both.

Jiu Jitsu grew from Judo, which obviously is about throwing your opponent to the ground. From there, Jiu Jitsu focuses on grappling and ground fighting. Does Sambo also have a common set of techniques or strategies for taking the opponent to the ground?

Well, I would say that we want to throw people right into a solid position. I always say that a throw is not complete until you have position on the mat (in sport circumstances). The worst thing to do is nail a sweet throw and lose the guy on the mat. Therefore, we always train throws in combination with follow-up positions.

In terms of techniques, I would say we have many similar throws to judo, but we also have more wrestling style takedowns. Our angles of attacks are also bit different.

Jiu Jitsu seems to benefit from interest MMA, where Jiu Jitsu is commonly discussed by commentators and trained-in by fighters. Do you see same thing happening for Sambo, or has it already begun?

Yes, for sure. But, I have to say that it irks me when I see commentators call every solid throw or sub “good Jiu Jitsu”…even if the fighter never trained Jiu Jitsu before. The term Jiu Jitsu has become synonomous for general grappling in my opinion. Most fans can’t tell the difference. This is starting to change, however, with guys like Fedor Emelianenko coming into common fan awareness. Some commentators who are more educated, like Bas Rutten for example, will note differences, but most just call all the grappling they see “Jiu Jitsu”.

What are some popular Sambo moves or techniques to search for online at places like Youtube or Vimeo to get a taste of what Sambo looks like? Do you recommend any online resources to learn more about Sambo or find places to train?

I would suggest the series of videos I filmed for expert village.

Basics:

http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/Sambo-beginner.htm

Advanced:

http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/advanced-Sambo.htm

Sambo combinations:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video-series/4424_Sambo-strikes.htm

For techniques, event, and training footage, you can also visit my youtube page: www.youtube.com/usSambo.

For info on Sambo, you can visit the American Sambo Association (ASA) forum at www.worldwidegrappling.com or the ASA website at www.usSambo.com.

Anything else?

Thanks for the opportunity to talk with you. I would add that I don’t think Sambo, or BJJ, or catch, or judo, etc., is better than the other. I really believe students need to find a coach and training method that works best for them. And of course, cross train. No system has everything, so get what you can get from wherever you can get it!

pic credit(s): Pictures are courtesy of Stephen Koepfer of the American Sambo Association.

A couple of weeks ago I was rolling with an instructor at Boulder Grappling Academy – which is always fun (and sometimes painful). This session ended when the instructor executed a baseball/baseball bat choke from knee on belly. I failed to block grips and he snagged a deep hold on my collar – and a second later I emitted a grunt as my collar quickly tightened around my neck. It was an incredibly effective choke.

This is the best video I found demonstrating the technique:

I look forward to learning and blocking this move in the future.

I plan on periodically posting miscellaneous updates, notes and observations. This is my first such entry.

Next Year I Am Going To The Jiu Jitsu World Championship

This week I had a discussion with a Jason – a Relson Gracie Colorado brown belt and the person who generously kept me updated how the academy was doing at this year’s Mundial – and it sounds like the Jiu Jitsu World Championships are a lot of fun. He mentioned he also learned quite a bit from watching the competition too – which makes sense, considering the level of talent competing.

So I decided next year I am am going. A crew from Relson Gracie Colorado goes every year. It is possible I may compete, too, depending on my progress and growth around the time leading up to the event.

MMA Competitors at Relson Gracie Colorado

Relson Gracie Colorado had an award ceremony this week where it was announced that some MMA competitors will be training at the facility. My impression is that they will be training mostly during the academy’s off hours,  although this may be inaccurate. They are both training for upcoming MMA fights.

I think its great to have this kind of talent around; I hope to gain insights and knowledge from them.

On Being “Injured”

Lastly, some venting. I recently crashed my bicycle, banging up my knee and shin, so I sat out a few days for my wounds to heal up to a point where I roll once again.

Talk about frustrating: it is one thing to be injured from an internal injury that would compel or require you not to roll – it is quite another when your injury is the result of a careless crash on your bike – and is literally “skin deep.”

pic credit(s): http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitaldanger/3526127854/

Sprawl is the creator of the first “loose” short for grappling and MMA – a fact they proudly share in their their company history. Sprawl takes pride in its products – and based on my experience with their V-Flex CS Standard Short – they have good reason to.

Sprawl explains the V-Flex series are

“constructed of a heavy duty stretch fabric and incorporate the super stretch double layered flex panel…[and] are the first MMA short to incorporate varying degrees of stretch for unparalleled comfort and function”

Below is my review of the Sprawl V-Flex CS Standard short.

Overview

I have no complaints regarding their fit, material, or reliability. I am pleased and recommend the Sprawl V-FLex CS to anyone looking for a good grappling short.

Materials

Like most shorts from Sprawl, the garment has a great, light feel to the touch. They are quick to dry – and while the tag says they are overwhelmingly polyester, they do not feel like “traditional” mesh workout shorts. Sweat evaporates almost instantly for me, and they even feel virtually dry when I take them out of the washer.

There are two main “regions” of material on the exterior of the short – which seems fairly standard for many shorts from Sprawl: an “exterior” region – which covers most of the short – and an “interior” region that lies between the thighs and groin. The exterior fabric has less stretch and shine compared to the interior material. I was initially skeptical that the external material had enough stretch to it – but after wearing them over and over, it was clear to me the material is just about perfect for the garment.

Fit

I have a size 32 waist – and a size 32 in this short fits me perfectly. The short also has a great closure system, featuring both velcro and a drawstring. Once I have these on I feel like they are not going to slide around, even in the most intense grappling session. The shorts look and feel good with or without a cup.

The length of the shorts are a good compromise between being long enough to look good and not impeding movement. I have never felt encumbered in my leg movements during grappling or stand-up fighting.

Reliability

These shorts have been my de-facto short for non-gi workout sessions and seem to take a beating well. There are some frayed threads in the stitching along the exterior of the legs but I suspect it is normal wear and tear. I don’t expect them to unravel anytime soon, either on the mat or in the washing machine.

Other Notes

Make sure to note the care instructions say not to tumble dry the garment -  if you are a person who is used to throwing everything in the dryer when doing laundry, recognize that these shorts should probably be hang-dried.

I am happy to answer any questions about these shorts or my experience with them in the comments of this post.

pic credit(s): First image is from http://www.sprawl.tv/Products/V-Flex-Series/V-Flex-CS-Standard-Black-Closed-Outseam.