The Usefulness of Flexibility in the Open Guard
I recently wrote a post about dealing with size differences when grappling. One thing I forgot to mention is that flexibility, especially in the hip and inner thighs, is another way to combat an opponent with greater size and strength. I find it particularly useful when I’m in the open guard.
People who are bigger and stronger often aren’t as flexible and this can be a way to prevent such opponents from passing your guard without using as much strength. That’s why I tend to favour open guards when grappling, no matter who my opponent is. I simply keep my legs loose and active and use my speed and flexibility to stop my opponent as he or she tries to power through my guard. A closed guard, on the other hand, tends to utilize more strength when keeping your opponent within your guard or preventing him or her from passing.
Here is a video of me using my flexibility against an opponent who is 25 lbs heavier than me (please excuse the fogginess, it was a steamy day in the dojo when we filmed this):
Flexibility doesn’t come easily for everyone, but you can always improve it with a regular stretching regime. If you’re serious about improving your flexibility, you shouldn’t just be doing it at the dojo. Here is a good video that demonstrates various ways of doing the butterfly and other related stretches for increasing hip/ inner thigh flexibility and leg rotation:
Another stretch I like for stretching these muscles is the pigeon pose from yoga. I find it provides more leverage for increasing the stretch even further. You can see it here in this yoga video:
Even if you’re not planning to use flexibility as a cornerstone of your ground game, it’s a good idea to work on it to increase your range of motion, which helps to improve your overall ground game. This is true whether you’re training the ground for competition or self-defense. Check out my new book When the Fight Goes to the Ground: Jiu-jitsu Strategies & Tactics for Self-Defense for more information on my approach to ground defense.
Dealing with Size Differences When Grappling
My students come in all shapes and sizes. I have one tiny student who isn’t much bigger than an 11-year-old, despite being a fully grown adult. I also have a few very large students who are significantly taller, weigh quite a bit more, and are much stronger to boot. When we grapple, however, we all end up working together, using all different sizes of partners. Being a smaller person myself (5’4″, 130lbs), people often ask how I am able to make up for it when grappling with bigger, stronger people. Here’s how…
Develop Superior Technique
When your technique is spot-on, you use less strength and energy to shift your body or apply locks and submissions. If you’re going to grapple with people who are bigger and stronger than you, you should strive to make your technique superior to theirs. This is what helps me get the better of my bigger opponents.
Be Faster
Being smaller usually means you can develop your speed more easily since you don’t have as much body weight to drag around. When you can shift your body more quickly, it’s easier to prevent larger opponents from using their weight against you by staying in or shifting between optimal positions. You can also use your speed to slip into submissions and get them locked down before they can use their strength to get out of them.
Use Strength Wisely
When you do get a submission locked down, don’t fool around. Use your strength at these key times to ensure submission. If you were fast enough to get your submission locked down, your opponent is less able to rely on technique to get out. In which case, you can bet your opponent will try to use his or her strength to stop your submission, and, because he’s bigger and stronger than you, you can justify using a bit of strength to solidify your submission attempt with less risk of injuring your opponent. That being said, be careful when using strength to apply joint locks. If you use it too explosively, your opponent may not have the chance to tap out before you cause them injury.
End It Quickly
If your opponent is bigger and stronger than you, time is not on your side. The longer it takes you to end the match, the more likely you’ll eventually tire out trying to manipulate your opponent’s bigger, stronger body, especially if he has decent technique. And once you’re tired out, it’s very easy for them to get a submission in. Your goal in dealing with a larger, stronger opponent should be to try and end the match as quickly as possible, before your body gets tired and you’re less able to defend yourself.
Go forth, Davids and take on your Goliaths! Here’s a little inspiration for you to take with you. The fight between Fedor Emelianenko (6’0″, 235lbs) and Hong-Man Choi (7’2″, 330lbs). You can guess who wins…
How to Do an Ice Bath
In a recent post, I discussed 5 ways of treating muscle soreness. One of them suggested ice baths as a valid way of not only treating, but preventing muscle soreness from workouts. Jenny, one of my students who is a doctor, the one who hasn’t faltered in her attemts to get me onto the ice bath regime, read my blog post and sent me a few methods for doing ice baths. I’ll post them here.
This one comes from an article from Runner’s World:
“First you have to get ready. Prepare your post work out recovery smoothie, protein drink or recovery bar, set it next to the bath. Collect reading material.“Overcome pain” would be a good choice, the latest edition of “Runner’s World” or “The Ultimate Fighter” works too. Undress. Put on a woolly hat, woolly scarf and mitts. Step into the empty bath. Turn on the taps for a lukewarm flow of water and sit. Once there is an inch of lukewarm water covering the bottom of the bath, turn off the hot tap and just let the cold water fill up the remainder of the bath to cover the legs completely, higher if you also did a hard abdominal muscle work out or arm training. Screech, shiver and curse a few times. The cold water is usually cold enough, but for the masochist reader, you can add ice cubes once the body is covered. Make sure you keep your hands dry. Wait two minutes. The shivering usually stops and you can reach over, grab the food and book, sit back, relax and enjoy for 15 minutes. Dream of future glory. No sane competitor will be doing this: You are the champion.”
And here is the method that Jenny uses herself from an article written by physical therapist and runner Nikki Kimball:
“Over the years, I’ve discovered tricks to make the ice bath experience more tolerable. First, I fill my tub with two to three bags of crushed ice. Then I add cold water to a height that will cover me nearly to my waist when I sit in the tub. Before getting in, I put on a down jacket and a hat and neoprene booties, make myself a cup of hot tea, and collect some entertaining reading material to help the next 15 to 20 minutes pass quickly.
Though scientific research exists to support the use of ice baths to promote recovery, no exact protocol has been proven better than others. In general, water temperatures should be between 50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and immersion time should ranges from 10 to 20 minutes. Among top runners, I see ice bath techniques that vary within and on either side of these ranges. My favorite method is the post-race soak in a cold river or lake with fellow competitors.”
Or if you’re like me, you might have to get a friend to assist you and use the method as applied in torture sessions by certain military dictatorships as depicted in the following image:
5 Ways of Treating Muscle Soreness
Sometimes when I do intense sessions of grappling, throwing or breakfalls, I’ll wake up the next day or two days later with sore, aching muscles due to the strain of the training. Here are a few treatments for muscle soreness that can help.
1. Gentle exercise. Medical research suggests that you shouldn’t completely avoid exercise when dealing with muscle soreness. It’s quite the opposite. You should instead do light exercise that keeps the affected muscle(s) in motion. Blood circulation helps clear up the lactic acid build up that causes muscle soreness.
2. Ibuprofen (aka – Advil). While Ibuprofen doesn’t speed up muscle recovery, medical studies suggest that it does decrease the pain in the meantime.
3. Baths. A hot bath won’t cure muscle soreness, but it does help to take the edge off. I find it helps to throw in a cup of Epsom salts, which is said to help reduce muscle stiffness. According to a student of mine who is a doctor and avid fitness enthusiast, cold baths are a great way of preventing the soreness before it sets in. She says that if you can stand to immerse yourself in ice cold water for 5 minutes soon after you do an intense work-out it can do wonders for muscle soreness prevention. I’ve used cold water immersion for treating joint injuries, but I just can’t bring myself to fully immerse my body in ice water.
4. Stretching/ Yoga. They say that stretching doesn’t really do anything for reducing muscle soreness, but many people find that it helps make them feel better. There are some studies that the regular practice of yoga does help prevent muscle soreness. I find that yoga helps me, but only when I do it regularly.
5. Proper warm-ups. Medical studies suggest that properly warming up helps reduce post work-out muscle soreness. Experts suggest that you should do 3-5 minutes of exercise that gets your heart beating faster, like skipping, running, or gentle shadowboxing. This can take longer though if you’re training in a cold environment. Once you’re warm, it’s also a good idea to do some dynamic stretching, using movements that are similar the ones you’ll be doing in your work-out. These kinds of stretches should be done with steady, controlled movements, not explosive ones, which can injure muscles.
Increasing Your Cardio Workout When Skipping
When you start skipping as a cardio workout, at first even a few short minutes can seem hard to do. But then as you become more coordinated and your fitness improves, you can go for longer without feeling as much strain. After a while longer, you start finding it difficult to get your heart rate up enough to work your cardio. When you reach this stage, the answer is to start doing double-skips.
Double-skipping is done by jumping once, but rotating your skipping rope around your body twice before your feet touch the ground. If you can keep your legs straight and pike your body, you can get a bit of an ab workout while doing it. Here’s a video of me doing double-skips:
It takes a bit of practice, but once you get the technique and timing down, you’ll notice that it greatly intensifies your skipping workout. So if you ever feel like you need to increase your heart rate more while you’re skipping, you can throw in a few double-skips. Even after 3-4 you can start to feel your heart working faster.
Myself, I like to do 30 seconds straight of double-skipping at the end of each 5-min round of skipping. I find it’s a great way of working my overload capacity, which can be pretty important for competition fighting, whether it’s boxing or MMA.
Memory Work for Belt Tests
I have a few students who are testing for yellow belt this weekend. As always, the students have to memorize certain aspects of the curriculum and this sometimes stresses them out. They worry about forgetting what to do on a test while under pressure. I recently found a useful article about how to memorize for different learning styles, the advice from which I’ll combine in this blog post with techniques I’ve used or recommended from my own experience.
There are 3 types of learners: auditory, visual, and tactile/ kinesthetic. I’ll break down my advice into these 3 categories.
For Auditory Learners
Look for patterns within the curriculum you’re studying. In our style, similar attacks are associated with a particular takedown or throw. Once you’ve broken down the associations, categorize them on a page, writing down descriptions of each in your own words. It’s important to write them in your own words as you’ll have a stronger connection with them if you do. When doing memory work, read the attack or technique out loud, then go through the motions of the defense, for real or just in your head, while talking yourself (out loud so you can hear it) through each motion. If you’re having trouble remembering, consult your notes.
For Visual Learners
Follow the same process of categorization described above. Once you have everything grouped together accordingly on paper, colour-code the information with highlighters or coloured pens. When doing memory work, read the attack or technique, noting its assigned colour, then visualize yourself going through the technique in your head. An even better option is to go through the motions in front of a mirror so you can see yourself doing it.
For Tactile/ Kinesthetic Learners
If you’re this type of learner, it’s not a bad idea to go through the same process of categorization as the auditory and visual learners, but ultimately, you’ll learn best by actually doing the techniques, practicing them over and over. If you’re this type of learner, make the most of open training times. Don’t spend too much time talking about the techniques as this takes away valuable practice time, which is necessary for you to ingrain things into your memory. If you want to practice at home without a partner, physically go through your techniques, imagining the partner is there.
Everyone has a different style of learning. Some people use a combination of 2 or more of the different styles. If you can identify which learning style you are, you’ll be able to help yourself learn faster. Or as an instructor, if you can identify the different learning styles of your students, you’ll be able to help them better on the mats when you’re working through something with them. Personally, when I demonstrate techniques, I try to use all 3 in combination so as to have the broadest reach. I show the technique while explaining it, but I try not to take too long doing so, so that that tactile/kinesthetic learners have as much time as possible to practice.
The Unbreakable Umbrella – A Review
I was checking out various videos on YouTube of people using a cane for self-defense one day and I came across some product videos for the unbreakable umbrella. Watching their videos on YouTube, it does appear to be unbreakable. But it is possible to fake these things.
I contacted the company asking them about their product, telling them a little about who I am and what I do, and they offered to send me one of their umbrellas on the house provided that I review it on my blog. I gleefully accepted.
The umbrella, on first glance, looks just like any other cane umbrella. This explains why it is possible for people to bring it on an airplane without creating a stir. You can’t even bring a cane on an aircraft nowadays without being able to prove that you need it.
It is noticeably heavier than the average cane umbrella, but it makes up for it by being ultra-sturdy. It’s made of ABS, a man-made composite material, not that that means anything to the average person. I decided to take it in to my dojo and test it out. I didn’t have a watermelon to split open like on the YouTube vid, but I ran a couple of the other tests. Here’s the vid:
It is suitable for use in self-defense techniques in place of a cane. The wide hook handle allows you to easily hook someone around the neck or legs. And as long as you keep the nylon wrapped up, it makes for an effective striking weapon. The only trouble in paradise is the cost. It’s carries a hefty price tag: $179.95 US. But this may be worthwhile for self-defense enthusiasts who would like to be able to use an umbrella to defend themselves should the need arise. With the fall starting here in Vancouver, I can expect to be carrying my unbreakable umbrella with me right up until the end of next spring, so I’m very happy to own one.
How to Deal with Belt Test Jitters
I have a student who is testing for his purple belt test today. He has a tendency to get very nervous about belt tests, even though he is well-prepared (I wouldn’t let him or anyone test for a belt if they weren’t.) Here are my suggestions to students of what to do in the last 48 hours before a belt test.
1. Hydrate. Sometimes when people are nervous they forget to do some of the basic things they need for their body to be ready for the rigors of a belt test. Students should ensure they properly hydrate in the days leading up to a test. Here is a blog post I wrote about hydration for more info. This is especially important if it’s a senior belt test, which can last 2+ hours. Also, avoid overindulging in caffeinated and alcoholic drinks, which dehydrate the body.
2. Fuel your body. Eat healthily to give your body the fuel it needs to last you through your test. The night before, have a meal that’s high in carbohydrates, like pasta. The morning of your test (but not closer than 1.5 hours before your test), have a solid breakfast. If it’s a longer test, you may be testing right through your lunch, so you want to make it will last. That being said, don’t stuff yourself either as you don’t want to be bloated during your test.
3. Get a good night sleep. If you’re especially nervous, you might have a hard time with this one, but do your best to get a good 8-hour rest the night before a test.
4. Visualize. The day before a test, some people want get in some extra training. What I suggest, however, is to avoid training the day before or the day of a belt test. If you’re especially nervous, your focus will likely be off and you may find yourself forgetting things, even things you know well. This will have the opposite affect on your confidence and make you feel like you’re not ready even when you are. If you don’t know your stuff by the day before your test, you’re not going to make it right with cram training. If you’re going to do any training at all, do visualization training. Go through each technique and simply imagine yourself doing it. If you can visualize yourself doing something, you can usually do it in reality.
5. Distract your mind. If you’re nervous the day before a test, treat yourself to a distraction that you enjoy to take your mind of it. Read a good book. Watch your favourite martial arts movies. Cook yourself a nice meal. Whatever you enjoy most. It’s hard to stay nervous when you’re having a good time.
6. Warm up properly. Sometimes people get so nervous they forget to warm up well for their test. Show up to your test at least 30 minutes before your start time and warm up. I like skipping best for solo warm-ups. Once you’re warm, take your joints through their range of motions to lubricate them and do some dynamic stretching for the muscles you’ll be using throughout your test. It would really suck if you got an injury during a test simply because you didn’t warm up properly and had to postpone it to a later date.
The moment your test begins, keep breathing and try to stay relaxed. You know your stuff (if you have a good instructor, you wouldn’t have been asked to test otherwise) just let it pour out of you.
Book Review: Fighting Science
I was recently recommended a book called Fighting Science
Fighting Science
In her book, Sprague gives a solid overview of strategic concepts that allow you to exploit your opponent’s weaknesses and maximize your strengths. She provides a detailed look at how things like momentum, rotational speed, friction, direction, impulse, and conservation of energy can work for or against you. (more…)
Kiai: What It’s For & How to Do It
The kiai is used on our dojo fairly regularly. We use it during breakfalls, in Jiu-jitsu circles, during tests, etc. Students are often confused about how to do a kiai so hopefully this blog will clarify things a bit.
The concept of the kiai goes back to ancient Japan. Samurai warriors were renowned for their powerful kiai in battle – a startling battle cry that was reputed to paralyze opponents with fear. A warrior who could release a powerful kiai would rarely be viewed as weak or fatigued by his opponents.
The Purpose of Kiai
The purpose of the kiai is three-fold:
1. To focus your mental and physical energy. (More details about this in The Benefits of Kiai for Sharpening Focus & Form for Breakfalls.)
2. To startle your attacker/ opponent
3. To draw attention to your need for help (in a self-defense situation)
When you learn to kiai properly the additional focus that it gives you helps reinforce your technique. You also learn not flinch and freeze at sudden loud noises, making it easier for you to quickly assess the source of the noise, whether it poses a threat and whether any response is required.
Meaning of Kiai
The word kiai is made up of the Kanji characters “ki,” meaning energy or spirit, and “ai,” meaning unification. Many East Asian people believe a force flows through all things, known as “ki” in Japanese and chi (or qi) in Chinese. Kiai is taken to mean “the harmonizing of ki” or “unification of spirit.”
How to Do a Kiai
The sounds martial arts students make when sounding a kiai are varied, including “Hai-ee,” “Huusss” and many variations. The exact sound of the yell varies from person to person. I encourage my students to experiment to find the best sound for them. When I teach women’s self-defense classes, I teach them to vocalize using a word that helps bring attention to their need for help, like “Nooo!” or “Stop!”. Whatever sound you use, it should emanate from your hara (your lower abdominal area), not your throat.
As for timing, the kiai should be sounded:
1. At the moment of impact of a technique, whether it be a block or an attack
2. When you are taking a blow to the abdomen
3. Anytime you want to accentuate an action you are performing
When I’m training, I don’t necessarily limit my use of kiai to the appointed times. Oftentimes, when I get in the zone with techniques I’m very familiar with, I find my kiai just comes out as naturally as breathing.
We're proud to announce that Lori O'Connell Sensei's new book, When the Fight Goes to the Ground: Jiu-jitsu Strategies & Tactics for Self-Defense, published through international martial arts publisher Tuttle Publishing, is now available in major book stores and online. More about it & where to buy it.