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<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="2486">
	<title><![CDATA[twenty seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Trevor taught class today and I could tell the difference between he and Derek. Derek teaches more transition, and Trevor teaches more repitition.

Anyways here's what we covered:
Bjj:
Arm bar = 50 reps
Kimura reps
Then we worked a simple sweep from failing either and went live.
I was able to beat all three people I went against, which was fun.

Muay Thai:
We worked the punches, knees, and kicks with reps.]]></body>
	<date>02-06-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2480">
	<title><![CDATA[twenty six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Class was great. 
BJJ:
We worked armbar, guillotine, triangle choke, and Kimura from the guard. At the end we did 1 minute live sessions with the guy on top not doing anything except keeping good position. Then at the end we did 2 3 minutes rounds with anything goes. A very good class. 

Muay Thai:
We worked on form "on line". Then we worked the clench moves again. We worked our elbows and knees, and then we worked hand combos afterward.

Very good class.

After class John and I stayed a little while and worked a tiny bit of no contact drill sparring. It was fun like usual.]]></body>
	<date>02-01-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2475">
	<title><![CDATA[twenty five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[BJJ:
Todays class was great, but I knew I had missed a lot of gi training when we started delahiva and the moves and I was lost.
Heres what we went over:

delahiva
get to back
broom sweep
heel hook

sitting guard:
sweep 1
sweep 2

defense to delahiva
kneebar

defense to knee bar from delahiva
get to back or arm bar

backsweep

It was a great class and I felt bad for leaving 30 minutes early. We started our live training and I left. I had to spend some time with my woman and son today. :) Wish I could have more time in a day. ]]></body>
	<date>01-31-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2473">
	<title><![CDATA[twenty four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I keep skipping journal entries, but I will continue to make it here. 

BJJ:
Today we covered a lot of things quickly, but most of it was review for me.

Full Guard Pass:
Jump up, push hips in
Jump up and push hips in, if it fails reach around and push over head.
Push hand down, lift up, pull hand under, grab and lift them by their head
Jump up, shift, and fall back into heel hook
Jump up, place knee in tail bone and sit down and push on hips

From bottom, grab ankles and push forward with knees.

Muay Thai:
We worked the hell out of the clench. Knees, elbows, pulling, pusing, hammer lock, guillotine, etc. It was a great night.

In all honesty, tonight was the best night I have gone so far. I've had fun every single day, but today was really fun. I am starting to feel comfortable with things, and I believe the more comfortable I feel, the more I will enjoy it all.

Thanks Derek for a great class.

* On another note, my partner is leaving in April. I'm a bit nervous about that. He's a good partner and friend. I am a little afraid that I won't enjoy it as much with some lame partner. Dont get me wrong, there arent many lame asses in there, but its clique-ish enough that I would be out of the loop of good partners and be stuck with some guy that's not going to help develop my ground game.

Now this is the way it works before I get some bad comments. If you have a person that has a crappy guard and you train with them over and over and over. Well then you get used to passing a crappy guard. Now, you get to someone that has a good guard and you aren't going to be able to pass it because you have trained with some weak ass. I know this sounds bad, but it's 100% true. You need realism and to train with someone that is good, not mediocre. 

I will have to find someone else that is decent damnt.

Farewell

]]></body>
	<date>01-30-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2467">
	<title><![CDATA[Rigan Machado Seminar]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I went to the Rigan Machado seminar today and here's what we wwent over:

5 Passes of the guard.

Spider guard
grab pants, push down, press shoulder into hips and pass over

Spider Guard
grab pants, push down, press shoulder into hips, when they turn into you, pass to their back

Spider guard
Grab ankles, press down, and overhook the legs and grab hands underneath butt. Press to the side and pass to side control.

Spider Guard
grab ankles, press down, overhook legs and grab hands underneath butt. Now do a hip reverse (one way, than the next)

Butterfly guard
press knees down pass to back or hip reverse and go to front.

Butterfly sweep 1
Sweep into mount

Sweep and they base with leg and we grab leg and push into side control

Sweep and they base with leg and we grab leg and attempt to push they go forward, we stand up and sweep

Sweep and they base with leg and we grab leg and attempt to push, they are far away, so we base down and get to their back.

When someone gets our back, and they place one leg inside ours, we grab and roll into knee bar]]></body>
	<date>01-28-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2446">
	<title><![CDATA[John Petrie]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today was a three hour class. We went over the following:
Takedowns: Ankle Shoot
Shoulder Throw
Hip Throw
Monkey Flip

Nikkyo
Kote Gaeshi

Guillotine
Guillotine escape

Mount:
Arm Bar
Key Lock
Triangle
Basic Choke

Escapes:
Tuck, Slap and roll
Bridge over
Fish Out
Fish and Sweep

After that we worked on takedowns in "live" action
Then we went "live" from knees

Ryan did very well. There were some things I think he could have improved on, but no one's perfect. When John got his back he did not post his hand for defense on his throat. When he got the half guard he forgot to push his head to Johns stomach. Other than that he did great.
He's improved so much over six months. He mentioned something about staying a yellow belt. Sorry Ryan, I choose when you get promoted. I don't give belts to people that don't deserve it. I give belts to people that earn and deserve it. I will promote you when you're ready to be promoted. Dont forget that when you get Orange, you test for yellow and orange. When you get green you test for yellow, orange, and green. We never stop training on the basics. By the time you get to Black, you will have nearly perfected the basics. I also teach the advanced techniques earlier so that you will perfect those by the time youre a black belt too. HEHEHE Just trust me.

John showed us some things that I liked. He has a great wrestling skill that makes him a good ground fighter.]]></body>
	<date>01-19-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2445">
	<title><![CDATA[twenty/twenty one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I did attend class twice without writing down any of the things we did. It was all review, so nothing new anyways.

We did go over the clench though in Muay Thai and the different moves you could do. There was a move that he taught us called stuff. I cant name it because Derek would be mad, so I'll just call it that and have to remember.

Oh we went over knee in the hole too.]]></body>
	<date>01-19-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2409">
	<title><![CDATA[Nineteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[BJJ:
Today we did a quick overview of spider guard and how to get out of it. We also did the review of transitioning into the sitting guard.

From the sitting guard we learned a few positions that I have never seen before. 

DeLaHiva
DelaHiva is achieved when you have sitting guard and the person puts their leg in your guard. You sit the the left angle and hook with right foot in the crease behind the knee or on top of the knee. The left leg is what really makes it the Hiva which is when you pull in from the outside and hook with your foot on the inside pointing up. Grab their leg with your hand and grab their sleeve with your other hand.

The X Guard which has three positions. All of these are achieved from sitting guard where the person is standing with their leg in front of you. Sit back and sideways to get hook inside. The lkeft leg is going to go inside and around into heel hook. Inside and up, or inside and down for sweep. It's hard to explain but I can do them and that's all that matters. See yah next time. Got to see my son before he goes to bed.]]></body>
	<date>01-05-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2406">
	<title><![CDATA[Adaptation]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Todays class went well. 
I decided to go over the Orange Belt techniques with Ryan today. We covered throws 6-10 and only did a couple on each side. His throws are good and he almost has them memorized. I feel a few more lessons and he will be good on throws already.

We also worked on all of the series techniques. Ikkyo, Nikkyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo, and Gokyo. We went over these numerous times so that he could get a good feel and understanding of these. We did however, spend most of our time on Ikkyo.

After that I explained to him how I would be grabbing him for escapes for the test and he would have to get out of them using things he learned (ie the series techniques, throws, and any other various techniques that I teach). I went over a couple of them with him to begin with to show him what I was looking for. I showed him a couple striking techniques as well from the double lapel grab. Then we worked sticky hands with grips and continued this exercise for awhile.

I went over the basic rules of point sparring, but got sidetracked with things again.
Basic rules of point sparring:
You get one point for a controlled strike to the chest, stomach, or head. (I will add in thigh kicks as well)
After each point is given, you back up and start over.
Full contact Kumite is different.

We moved on to groundfighting afterward and covered the half-guard. I showed him both bottom and top positions.

Top:
If you are on top you want to get underhook and push them away to flatten out. If they are flat, you want to angle on their hips and pass over your knee, or get your leg out by pressing with hands. Keep your body very tight to them so you can feel their movement.

Bottom:
You can sweep either way, just make sure you grab their hand so they can not base out.
You can get to their back by fishing out andup. If they leave their hand out, grab their wrist and press your head in their upper tricept to push them down.
You can also grab under their leg and grab their arm and sweep. This leave you open for a pass to the mount more easily.

We went briefly over the defense to the guillotine as well. I want to make sure I cover the move since so many people lose to that rediculous move.

We went live from those positions and he did well. I heard him say that he could not do the move because my arm was in the way.

I tried to explain things to Ryan so he could understand more clearly.

Ground fighting is like chess. I make a move, sometimes sacrifice, to get what I want to accomplish. 

I then explained it like this, "If a person has their hands up to block, I have to do things to get that hand out of my way to strike. I have to learn how to adapt to their style of fighting. I do moves to get them to move the hand, so I can strike their face. The same is with groundfighting. There is no textbook that can teach a person how to read an opponent or beat them. This has to be trained. You can "know" every submission in the book, but that does not mean you do them to a "live" opponent. 

This is why we train. This is why competing is so great. This is why I love being able to go against as many people as I can. Each time, I learn a little more about how to adapt and overcome. I learn how to win against non-textbook movements. This is why Judo and BJJ are so great. 

The main lesson for the day was adapting. This is what you will learn everyday you train with me. :)

Take care, bye bye then. ]]></body>
	<date>01-04-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2402">
	<title><![CDATA[Skipped]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I skipped today. I miss my family and I wanted to spend time with them. I feel guilty at times, but I feel that no matter what. 
]]></body>
	<date>01-03-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2400">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Eighteen and life and counting, eighteen and life to go..... Sorry, remembering the old days.

Todays class was again phenomenal. We actually worked a lot of basics today.

Guard: 
The basics for both positions.
We worked the arm bar from bottom, the guillotine from bottom, and we worked a simple pass from the top. No brain surgery here, but it's always nice to concentrate on the basics. Working the basics of any sport is a "must". Even in football, you work the basics each year, wrestling, etc etc etc. We worked hand positions, posture, and to "feel".

We went live at the end and I got to work with Felicia. She's got some good skill. It's weird working with a girl and I feel I do not try as hard, but I force myself to because she wont benefit from me being a wuss to her. She's also good enough to get out of everything I can put on her, so no worries there.

Muay Thai:
We worked on the basic strikes on one another. Jab, Cross, Hook, Cut Kick, Powerhouse kick. It was fun and at the end we did drill sparring. I didn't do too bad, but I have a ways to go. I haven't sparred for a long time. I only remember getting mad when someone is winning and I want to fight them. It's my downfall, but I guess I need that sort of drive to do what I want to do. But out of respect for the training hall, myself, and my instructors I must follow the rules. If I want to spar I can go spar on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I did not work out today. I feel like a bum. I missed working out. At least I got to train twice today though. 

I was thinking on the way home how I can not wait to start Jujitsu for Christ. I thought about changing it and trying to get set up in a gym, but I feel I would help the community more by doing JJfC. I will ask for donations though. My goal afterall is to make this a business.

]]></body>
	<date>01-02-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2399">
	<title><![CDATA[Teacing how to spar]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[It is hard for me to teach how to spar. I have progessed to the point where going back makes me feel vulnerable.

Todays class I concentrated an hour to sparring. I taught Baylen how to close the distance and to faint, as well as fake. I taught him what moves to do to create confusion in the other persons brain.

We started to spar and he got too close and I took him down. It was habit, and I could not stop myself. I felt so vulnerable when he was close that I took him down. I should not have, but I did.

I then went in to ground fighting and I covered guard, spider guard, and standing up. He did very well on all of it. I went over the same things I went over with Ryan in last class. If you want to look that up it's my last entry I believe.

Okay I am out of here.

Good job Baylen.
I will be testing him for Orange Belt soon. I will wait until after the certificates arrive. I also want the next class to be 100% Orange Belt techniques. I haven't worked much on them in the last few months, so I am going to have to spend some serious time developing this in Baylen. I know this means that he will have to wait about a month more, but there is no hurry is there Baylen? I didnt think so. hahah]]></body>
	<date>01-02-2006</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2394">
	<title><![CDATA[Todays Ground Game Class]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today was a very good day for Ryan. He was able to learn a lot. I think he is starting to get out of "vulnerable baby" mode and into crawling. We are now at the first step of progression in his ground game.

Here are the things we covered.

Guard:
We workedon the two different positions to be in if you are "in" someone's guard. 
1) You want to keep your hands in good position, one on chest, one on hip and you want to posture up. Do not look down at your opponent with your head, look with eyes only. Why? Because I said- and because if you look down with your head you are ruining your position which leaves you open for things.
2) We went over the down position. Elbows close to the hips and forearms on the outside of the body, head on the chest for control, and knees forward trying to pinch the knees and elbows together. Not the best of the two, but not bad if they are taking you down.

If you are the person with the guard you want to post up grab their neck, and pull them down to you. If they are away, this leaves you with no submissions.

We also worked on a few passes to the guard. 
1) Elbow in the pressure point, then pull the leg over the head and into side control
* Defense to this is to pull them down to you so they can not do it, or to transition into spider guard like we talked about. Grab sleeves and transition into spider and stand up.
2) Reach behind your back to get the leg and pull over head. Remember to hip out when you bring it over or you will get caught in arm bar.
* Defense is to obviously grab them and pull them to the same side their reaching back with. Once they are down you have Kimura or Oma Plata (the fancy one we worked on).
3) Knee in butt and post out the leg or go 45' with other knee and then open the guard. 
* Defense is to move on the opposite side that the leg is up. Move and create enough space to grab spider guard.

Spider Guard:
We worked on the spider guard and where the legs have to be placed in order to have a good spider guard. Remember we can work on hips, forearms, and legs in order to create space and get up... or you can sweep them. If they are good at the defense, better just to get up and be neutral.

We worked on passing the spider guard too.
1) You grab their Gi where the knees are and push to the ground, push everything to the right and try for their back and rear naked choke. You have to block them from turning both ways. Block with left hand, come in, get underhook and push left arm through their neck, once there take your time and create a good choke. You could also get side control or knee on stomach too. Either way works and is better in a fight and in competition.
2) You grab knees and then get rid of grips. You have to sometimes fight their grips and then grab their ankles. Fake one way and throw their legs to one side and pass and get to knee on stomach. Great move!! This one is the easiest for me, but all work.

Ryan had questions about the mount and what he could do from there.
I showed him the arm bar, the triangle, the single lapel choke, the double lapel choke, the forearm chokes, key lock, kimura and the straight arm bar crush. 

I also showed him one way to get out of the half-guard from the top. I attempted to show him a fancy one that I learned the other day in class, but for some reason I could not do it. No worries. Sometimes even I forget things. :P

We ended with some "live" action at the end. He's getting a lot better. Like I said above, he is crawling now. I can't wait until he can run.

The bad thing about one on one teaching is that people get used to "my" way and they learn how to capitilize on my weaknesses. It's better to have a bunch of people or even a few that are totoally different so that a person develops their game, not just a way of beating me. I am glad that I am learning still, otherwise I would not change, making it even easier for them

Hopefully, I can learn as fast as I teach, so that they will not be able to exploit me too soon. Everyone that I have taught ends up beating me by the time they are green belts. It is the nature of this ground game. You learn your opponents weakness and then exploit. They get better because you've found a weakness, and then you find a new one  etc etc. This goes back and forth which makes the learning process good, but when you have 25 people going at it, you learn to find those weaknesses during a match which makes you even better.

Hopefully we can get more multiple student classes in the future. I cant wait to open up a dojo. 

Something happened today that I thought was funny too. Ryan says, "I am going to tackle you."

I didn't really think much of it and I thought he was being sarcastic, but low and behold he comes at me trying to tackle me. Luckily I reacted or I would have looked like a moron. hahaha Thanks for the laugh Ryan.

He also gave me some more CDs by Elder Brian on the Amazing Facts seminars. I'm not sure if any of you have heard this guy, but man I tell you what- he has inspired me to see with a clear and open mind and research things more in depth on my own. 

I know Ryan had once made a comment to me about money and this martial arts. Ryan you have helped me become closer to God, what better thing is there than that. It is I that owe you. Gods gift lasts forever, mine only a short time on this Earth. Thanks again.

I am out of here. I need to work out, shower, and get ready for Hades -- oops I mean work.

See yah

Edit: I did chest, biscepts, and stomach]]></body>
	<date>12-30-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2393">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventeen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today's class was once again great. Derek did some review and then we went live.

We started with spider guard and then we covered the different positions that the feet can be in to be a spider guard. The feet can be on the lges, hips, or forearms. You are to grip their Gi sleeves with your hands.

We learned two ways to break the spider guard. First we must break grips, which can be done by leaning a bit forward and grabbing your own chest Gi and bringing it back, or two spin around their ankle and then up.
Breaking Spider Guard 
1) Break Grips, release right grip, and grab the leg on the opposite side. Keep your left grip on their sleeve, then open up your arms and pop hips, come around and do knee on stomach. Make sure you keep grips on the arm to prevent them from stopping you.
2) Break Grips, and grab ankles. Fake right and fake left and come to knee on stomach.

We worked on sitting guard again too. We went over the basics and how to move and how to sweep. We worked getting to our feet, and we worked from transitioning from one to the next. We worked three basic ways to beat the sitting guard.
1) step in middle and get underhook, grab their other arm and bring knee over their body.
* To beat this you have to put your left hook in and sweep back. Make sure you grab their other leg when going.
2) Step in Middle and grab sleeve and pull hard to your body. Drive down with right shoulder and roll bringing your leg over and into Oma Plata.
*To beat this, take your right leg and bring it under their heel and step up and push your body into them above their knee
3) Step in Middle and grab under Gi far into their Gi. Then try to move across their body. If they let you, then take their back. If they block you, with their arm, then grab underneath their arm and into your own Gi. Then roll over and choke them out. 
*To beat this, use the knee lock again.

We went live at the end and I wanted to concentrate on using the things we learned instead of doing my own thing. I was able to use a lot of the techniques. I actually got a sweep off and I heard Derek in the background, "I saw that, great job. Good sweep." I wasn't really sure if he was talking to me, but he came over and said "Good job on the sweep."

He also saw me charging in on my opponent and he told me to be careful.

Some of this stuff is common sense, but unless you're told you don't "get it". Im glad I am where I am. Maybe I can "get" a lot more than I expected.  

Edit: I did Legs, Shoulders and Stomach]]></body>
	<date>12-29-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2389">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Yes, sixteen. I got a good schedule this week so I get to go four times which is why I have mutiple posts per day. I teach this Friday with Ryan and Baylen definitely, but hopefully Kyle comes as well.

Todays class was phenomenal. You know I am starting to really love BJJ. I liked ground fighting from my experiences and each person I have ever gone against I usually win, but Derek is so methodical that I know he is going to clean my game up so much. I have some serious bad habits that leave me open for so many things. I know I could smash the average Joe on the street, but I would rather be able to smash most Jui-Jitsu players and then I know my game would be great. I feel I am in the spot to learn how to do that. The Lions Den, in all of my years of training offers the most complete training. I have searched for someone like Mitter Sensei, and I have found the spot. I am glad to be here.

Brazilian Jui-Jitsu/Submission Wrestling:
Today we went over the correct positions from guard, both defensively and offensively. Some basics; if you are the one in the guard you want to obviously post up and keep good posture to eliminate most of the submissions. If you like to play from the ground, that is fine, keep your elbows on the outside of their body and close to their hips to control their hip movement. You also want to control their upper body with your head. Keeping your head on them will keep them from coming up.

Now we worked a couple passes of the guard. 
1) When someone gets you in the guard you want to keep your hands on their hips, then you want to place your knee in the middle of their butt and bring your other leg outward to an angle. At this time you use your elbow to open up their guard.

* To defend from this you have to come up, shift your weight over their knee and then grab the full guard again. You can always keep them down as well by lifting up and grabbing their neck. They can not do this if you keep them close to you.

2) You can also keep good posture and reach back and bring your hand/forearm through their leg and rip upward. Now you are going to pass this around your head, but you have to push out with your hips in order to be safe.

* To defend from this you must shift your hips to the side they are grabbing on, then lift and grab their neck and pull them down to your level. Then you have perfect position for Oma plata.

We also learned the arm bar from a person that is on top of you in low position. You want to get a little distance by pushing them up with your hips, then bringing their arm across your body. Once the arm is across your body you bring their head in close again to trap it. Now you push their head with your elbow and pass your leg over their head. 
*you have to make sure you get a 90' angle from them, so moving is key in making this effective. You also must make sure not to tie your feet up. This arm bar is best from legs apart, if they stand up, then you grab  your feet together and spread knees to get best position.
*If they get their arm out you have triangle choke with other arm and you just have to shift hips to other side.

We also worked shifting into spider, and from spider into sitting guard, and then into butterfly. If a person is going to pass your guard, it's best to get another position than to give them the mount.

Muay Thai:
We worked working the distance and coming in to a fight in the ring. We practiced working angles and trying to attack with speed and power.
I was able to score a few good kicks on John, and he was able to score some good ones on me. I like this because it helps me bring my years of training in the ring. I have no clue how to ring fight, I know how to bar fight and how to win a street fight. This is going to help me with someone that is 100% ready for me, which is good.

We did drill sparring and it was really fun. 

Once again I had an awesome day, and that's what it's all about.

I want to fight in the Octagon before I get too old, but you know, Im having so much fun that it wouldnt matter if I did or not. Ill just keep training hard until I am asked if I want to fight.

At the end of class we did 1-10 progressive (1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4 ...) kicks on each side and when I started I noticed the four people stop and look at me. I was kicking the crap out of the bag. Of course by the time I finished I was kicking like a sissy girl, but oh well.

Okay, this is me saying good afternoon, good evening and goodnight.
]]></body>
	<date>12-28-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2386">
	<title><![CDATA[Relaxing?]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I noticed today that I don't fight as much against my opponents anymore. I try to relax so much that I lose a lot of ability to get out of certain movements in Submission Wrestling class. I feel like I just go with the flow and try to capatilize on their mistakes instead of forcing them to move where I want them, or to take their balance.

I know in Aikido I was the opposite. I still had my Jujitsu training prior to Aikido and I forced everything and took balance instead of manipulating energy. 

I felt this was a strong focus in Aikido, at least for me it was.

I am starting my third month now in BJJ and Submission Wrestling and I am still just as relaxed as I was when I learned how to relax in Aikido.

I feel it hinders me at times and I try to force and take things like I used to, but something inside of me makes me want to relax now. 

It's like I can never get it right. In Aikido I couldn't relax for the longest time, and now I can't stop relaxing.

My instructor says, "Don't just wait, be aggressive!"

I think, "I just spent years learning how to be passive, and now I have to go back to how I was."

I think I may have done these in the wrong order. I should have gone to BJJ first, and ended with Aikido.

I will be back at Aikido, I just want to learn how to tighten my groundwork and stand up fighting too.

Muay Thai and BJJ offer the best of everything.... Of course I am training in a MMA studio, so that is the focus.

Okay Im out of here]]></body>
	<date>12-27-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2385">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Todays class was again awesome. I learned so much once again, Ill go over as much as I remember.

We worked the guard and how to posture up and stuff the arm bar, triangle, and any other move. We learned how to post up and keep posted (by bringing our arm tight to us). Then we learned how to get the angle with our feet (left back, right forward, hips turned) then we push the leg off of us and pass.

Then we worked when the legs go to the hips. We are to grab a hold of the pants, pull down, and put everything to the right. Pass on the left and keep body positioning on them.

Then we learned to release grips and to move to ankles and fake left, then throw right and pass to knee on stomach.

Then we released grips, grabbed with our left hand, our right hand grabs their ankle and we move open them up and pass on knee on stomach.

Then we worked the sitting guard, and how to stay with them and keep distance or ma ai.

The best position for the top guy is to place his foot in between your legs, and underhook with right arm, then pass knee over. They can defend by hooking and sweeping. 

If they hook we can go to Hawaiian Choke and roll forward.

If they stay and sweep, roll into oma plata.

I went over oma plata. I went over the top half guard roll into kimura. 

I hate it, so much stuff that I can not remember.....................

I will keep taking notes, but it's so dang hard to keep track of all the moves. I love it. The one thing I love about learning something new, is that I can not learn it all in one day. It makes me know that I am learning something.

Hahah I remember one:
We also did an escape from half-guard today. When youre on top you want to get underhook with left arm and position on their hips (hip to hip). Place right armclose and tight inside your body, elbow to knee. Then you are going to raise left knee and cross over body and push out the other leg with your free leg and out of half-guard. Whabam]]></body>
	<date>12-27-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2383">
	<title><![CDATA[Fourteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Submission Wrestling/BJJ:
Todays class was very informative. I do not think I will have the ability to remember everything, but I will try to remember as much as possible. BJJ ran into Muay Thai and actually went all the way until 9:00pm. We did BJJ from 6:30-9:00pm. Do you know how much infor we covered? A ton. It was great.

Here goes:
We worked spider guard. Spider Guard is where you control the persons wrists and you use your feet on their hips. We first forked on getting from closed guard, to spider, and then to butterfly. Just to get a feel of what was going on and how we could transition. Now since we went from closed guard to spider Derek said it would be good to learn a few moves from this position.

First sweep was to trap with our left arm, place our left foot on their knee, and to place our right foot in hook position. Then turn to the left in order to do the sweep. This one was fairly easy.

Now next sweep was if that one fails,  for whatever reason we place our left leg in their biscept and push 90'while spinningto grab their leg with our right arm. We have to make sure we are close together with our knees, and then we make sure our right knee is on their belt line. Then we push them back.

We learned another whizzer move. We get overhook in spider or butterfly, This whizzer we are going to grab our right thigh and then drive our hips into them and drive the whizzer down.

We worked butterfly guard and the same sweeps. Then he taught us the passes for butterfly guard and spider guard. They are the same except with spider we have to push their leg underneath our thigh so we can do the same type of passes. Pass one.= Drive our hips left, then right and pass leg. Pass 2= Get high and drive our left knee to the right while driving hips. Put in underhooks on both arms and drive them flat. Then bring knee high up, and into mount with other knee.

from Spider Guard we also worked triangle. We also worked Kimura if the triangle fails, and then we also worked arm bar in the same position. Arm bar was done like triangle, but we moved the arm on the opposite side of the body figure four style.

We worked on arm drag again and we did some drills to get better tat this. We had the sweep from last time, and we covered that today again, but differently. He showed us how to get the persons back right away, or to wait and get it later.

This is all I remember for now. If I think of any more, which I know there was, I will come back and type it out. Darnt!!!!]]></body>
	<date>12-26-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2380">
	<title><![CDATA[2005?]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Francs blog made me think about 2005 a lot.

I started teaching again this year. I have been at it for about 9 months now. My students are all yellow belts and they have come a long way.

I started training for MMA with the Lions Den. I came here a couple years ago to check it out. I chose to do Aikido instead. Of course, I would not be where I am today if I had made any other decision. I believe that it all happened for a reason. Aikido taught me great things, and I wouldn't be here making a blog about it if it didn't.

Back on track- I have only had 13 classes so far and I am loving it. I lost a BJJ competition by two points, but I will be back, lesson learned...

My son was born this year, and what better than that?

I have started doing research on the cost of certain locations to actually open up a dojo. I want to do all the research before I make a decision, but I am starting to look.

Once I get all day shifts, I am going to open a school at a local gym, church, or otherwise. Then once I get some students, it's off to start a business.

This year what else? Nothing much.. My son was the tip of the iceburg. You cant top that one :P Unless you had twin boys.

You know one thing we do not have is a darn YMCA or youth center here. We have nothing for children here. This dumb town is so concerned with tourism, they forget about the children. Welcome to Coeur d'Alene where we care more about plane rides over the lake than we do the kids of the person that's flying the plane. Hello Idaho!.

]]></body>
	<date>12-22-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2378">
	<title><![CDATA[Lucky Number Thirteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Brazilian Jui-Jitsu/Submission Wrestling:
We covered Butterfly Guard once again. We drilled the first sweep, which was to our left, while grabbing their arm. We worked Sweep #2 when someone is to base and we grab underhook and go the opposite direction. *Hips are key*
We drilled this a lot and I got semi-comfortable with it.

Then we worked on the defense when someone gets us in Butterfly Guard. We are to tri-pod post. (legs up, weight on their hips and tight in).
Once here we are to push hips (right down) putting weight on the opponent, then switch hips and pass their leg with hand. Make sure we pass the bguard and place that knee right in there. I had a problem bouncing. I need to work on keeping my weight on them the entire time.

We also worked on the defense of the sweep. When someone sweeps us, we tri-pod again putting our weight on their shoulder and at the same time we switch our hips and bring our knee up to their head. Then we slip our other knee up near their head, and pass into mount. Very nice defense to the sweep here. I want to work on this over and over and over.

Muay Thai:
We worked on cardio today.
4 rounds of 2 minutes

Then we did drill sparring. It was again, fun as always.]]></body>
	<date>12-21-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2371">
	<title><![CDATA[Twelve]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I feel like I'm doing the countdown to X-Mas. Too bad I do not celebrate X-Mas. :P

So class was good today. We covered a lot of information. I will try and recite it all here so I can remember later.

BJJ/Submission Wrestling:
Butterfly Guard

Positioning-
We went over which position to be in, up obviously and not on your back. Then we covered how to get to that position if the person was driving in. We are to place our hand in his throat, push back and follow up (we also drive our feet toward them to help drive them back). Now if the person is still driving and it does not affect them, then we still use our hand in their throat, and we shrimp out and then up.

*Note: Through all sweeps, we keep whizzer with right arm
Sweep 1-
Sweep one was the same as last week. We trap their right arm, lay to our left side bringing them with us. Drive our right leg (at their knee) and bridge up (tri-pod) and over into mount or scarf hold.
Sweep 2-
If we fail at trianlge our leg gets caught and they base nicely down, then we can not pass, so what we do is we pull out our left leg and wait for the drive. Once they drive, we trap their right arm with our leg, and then sweep to our left.
Sweep 3- 
If we want to, we can also keep whizzer, but get underhook of their right arm, then sweep to our right. We must shift our hips to our right side and push out far. Hips are the most important portion of the sweeps. Without good hips, you can not sweep.
Sweep 4-
This time we grab the persons right wrist and bring the hand between our legs. We grab with our right arm under their arm pit, our left hand controls their wrist to keep it there. Then we place our head into their shoulder in order to trap that arm completely. Now we fall to our right side and then we get their back, and it's game over.
Sweep 5-
This time we are going to drive their head down with whizzer, and get the guillotine. Once we have guillotine with left arm, then we will drive and bridge to our right side and hip out and then base into mount with guillotine hold.
Triangle-
If the person gives us room to pass our leg, or if they do not we move their right arm out of the way and pass our left leg over. We have to make sure their left arm is up with our head or the choke will not work. Once our left leg is up we grab the ankle and move into best position, and figure four around their head. If their arm is back, we hip up and move the arm to good position. Then we place left arm around knee, right arm around head and conpress all of it, while lifting hips.
If caught-
If your leg gets caught or they keep control of it. This is where you jump to Sweep 2 above.

Muay Thai:
We worked feeling our opponent out.
Left Push Kick
Right Push Kick
Left Jab
Left Cut kick
Footwork

Then we worked our right cross, right thai kick after we have felt them out. We did two point sparring at the end. It was fun. ]]></body>
	<date>12-19-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2368">
	<title><![CDATA[Ryan Walker now yellow belt]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Class was amazing today. We did our normal warm ups and then throws. We spent a little time on throws, but not too much.

Then I went to an elbow combo. Right elbow, left elbow, and then a mt knee.

Afterward we worked on Randori using the hip throw (koshi nage/Ogoshi Nage). It was neat to see them trying to do this throw over and over. I switched it to Ippon Seoi Nage (Shoulder Throw) and then let them continue. I could tell they were all tired so I let them take a short water break, then we started on groundfighting.

We worked butterfly guard, getting up, sweep 1, sweep 2, and half guard sweep 1, and getting to the back. Then I covered how to defend against the butterfly guard. We went live from that position switching partners each time. It was neat to see.

Then at the end we went live to submission. I went with Kyle because I knew he had to leave. I wanted to make sure he had to work at it. He did and I didn't give him anything. I ended up submitting him in arm bar fashion. I remembered his little submission last time, so I tried a little harder this time than last.

Then I Kyle and Baylen go at it a few times. Ryan seemed to try harder than ever so I knew it was time for him to get promoted.

After class I tested Ryan with Baylens help. We covered the first five throws over and over, then getting out of mount and guard over and over. Ryan had to use the restroom to throw up, and then we continued. We did kicks, escapes, and I went over blocks and parries with him. Since day 1 I have concentrated on ground and wrist techniques because this is where he lacks. So he wasnt sure which punches and blocks I wanted, but he knows them. I wasnt really worried about them with Ryan.

He displayed very good technique and heart today, something I will remember for a time to come.

Great job Ryan]]></body>
	<date>12-18-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2367">
	<title><![CDATA[Skipped Once again]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Okay, so now this seems to be habitual.

I hurt my back at work a couple days ago and it hasn't healed fully. I know this sounds very wuss like, but I honestly could barely get out of bed. I felt like an old man.

I went to the chiropractor and he said that I had at least severely sprained my tendons in my back. To be sure he took X-Rays and I haven't been over them with him yet. I assume he was right, but who knows. He did say that it would not change the treatment unless it was destroyed disks, which would then lead to surgery.

Okay, so I have been taking Fish Oil with Glucosamine Chondritin, and doing all these weird stretches, and going to treatment everyday. I will admit that the shocking machine and the roller make my back feel like a million bucks, but it costs about that too.

The last time I hurt my back it took me about ten days to recover. I was hoping this would speed it up so I could be back to normal. I am not, so basically I have wasted money seeing this guy? Who knows? It seems to have helped, but I really would never know unless I could reverse time and wait it out.

I am hoping tomorrow I will wake ud and a miracle will happen and I will be just fine. I doubt it, but we shall see.

So through all of this junk, I had to skip one more class. I feel like a bum. I only pay $75 a month for training, but when you miss it, you feel like you're just paying for nothing.

Oh well, we shall see. I will hopefully be back to normal once again soon, and back at it.

I have a class scheduled with three of the students tomorrow, so we shall see what happens then. I honestly can not wait. I've been waiting to get them all there so we can do Randori. I think this will be fun, but we shall see.]]></body>
	<date>12-17-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2362">
	<title><![CDATA[Ready]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I feel Ryan is ready for yellow belt.

I did a test test today just to see if he knew the techniques. I had him do them all and he was just fine. I did not have him show me the kicks, only because he knows them and I know he knows them.

I asked him to class on Sunday and he and Kyle will be there. I will test Ryan then and he has no clue, or at least I think he has no clue.

His groundwork is improving but he still seems to give up as soon as he doesn't know what to do. What he needs to do is not give up, and get out of the positions.

A few more months and they will be starting their submission Jujitsu which is going to show them all that the ground is the place that is easiest to score a win.

My back was killing me today and it was hard for me to demonstrate anything, but I made due. Although it hurt like a mother, I made due.
I went to the doctor yesterday and he said I sprained ligaments, tendons, and disks in my back. I was a little angry because I did it at work. I train all the time and this little POS case of product made me hurt more than all the hours of Ukemi Waza. grrrr

So I will probably not go to MT or BJJ tonight. I have another appt at 4:45pm tonight for the back. It sucks, but I have to do it.

Anyways, I am out of here. Good luck to you Ryan. I wish you the best on Sunday.]]></body>
	<date>12-16-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2351">
	<title><![CDATA[Family First]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I skipped BJJ last night. :o
It wasn't hard to do though. I spent an entire weekend with my family. It was nice to see them. I guess spending too much time in training, work, school, or anything other than them makes me feel guilty after time. Afterall what means more to me? My family of course. I have to be able to spend time with them or our relationship will deteriorate, and I do not want that.
You figure on early shifts I wake up, go to work, go to train, then spend an hour with my family and it's bed time. 

On late shifts, I wake up, train or work out, spend an hour with them, and off to work, come home to sleep.

On days off I usually wake up work out, my woman goes to work, then when she gets home I go train, come home and bed time soon after.

Is it enough time? I know if I was independently wealthy I would definitely just spend time with them and train, but be it as it may, I am pretty much the opposite. I am pretty poor. I live paycheck after next, to paycheck after next (which means it's worse than paycheck to paycheck because Im always behind). If I had my way one of us would stay at home with our son at least.

It's a sad world. I wish it was the way it was in the past. Work the famr, tend to animals, and prepare for winters ahead. Of course this would be even better if we lived in a small village in Japan. :)

I have been thinking about this a lot, and I may end up trying it. I want to go to Thailand and teach English. I know it's a huge step and I wouldn't jump into it, but I'd like to.

Sorry I got off the subject. I free write!

I do need to spend more time with them, afterall my son will only be small so long. I would have to end up singing that old song later in life. "And the cats in the cradle and the silverspoon, little boy blue and the man on the moon."

My son is my life, and means more to me than any martial art. But if I can maintain both, I will continue to do that.
]]></body>
	<date>12-14-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2347">
	<title><![CDATA[Lost 1]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Well, I lost the tournament. Yeah that's right, I lost. I did not tap, but I did lose by two points.

Considering I have only had two months of BJJ training I do not feel so bad. After talking to a lot of the competitors I found out that many of them have trained for 8 years and are still at white belt. Now I see why BJJ always seems tougher. It's not that they are better, it's only that they have trained four times longer than the normal person. hahaha

I had a panic attack when the ref said go. I got tunnel vision, and I felt I was just reacting instead of thinking. Now this is good because I have trained long enough to react, however, I wish I could have used my brain to win the match. I need to compete more so that I can overcome this weird feeling. I havent felt that feeling since the first time I fought in real life. I used to fight all the time just to make sure that I could make that feeling go away. I think if I compete more then I wont feel that crap again. Its like all my training went out the window. Oh well, until next time, I will train more and more.

I also did not make weight by 1 lb. Yes, this meant I was at the bottom of the barrel. Damnt! I better make it next time.]]></body>
	<date>12-11-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2340">
	<title><![CDATA[Eleven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[If you wonder why I keep track it's because I like to remember what I have done in class. This way I can look back and see what I did in the past a remember everything. I recognize a word with memory of movement. This is why Kenpo has names for it's techniques like "Seven Swords, Raining Claw, etc.
Eleventh Class: 
Submission Wrestling
Today we covered the half-guard and how to get to the persons back. When we get to the persons side, they will more than likely wizard us. We can "limp arm" out of it and go back to back control, or we can half limp grab the persons wrist and swim under and bridge them until it becomes a sweep.
We practiced this for awhile and for some reason I couldn't put this together. Mind you, I don't need to do everything right in order to win. It's like highschool wrestling. A person can become good at four moves and be unstoppable if they are great at these moves.
We went live from half-guard, live from butterfly guard,, and then class was over. I have been dehydrating so I was totally worn out. I drank a half gallon of water in one drink it seemed. I knew I had to because Muay Thai would kill me if I didn't get something to quench this thirst I have.
Muay Thai:
We worked shadow boxing then we worked elbows.
Elbows are my favorite next to knees.
He showed us how to open up, protect, and execute a right elbow. It seems most of the time I wanted to plow through it, but I have to realize that I need to pop back so I can be ready to take a blow too.
Then we switched into right elbow, to left elbow. Then to right elbow, left elbow, right knee.
We also worked some combos which Ill add to the combo entry.
Then we worked cardio.
Cardio wasn't as hard for me today. I don't think I pushed it. My shins were still hurting from the last time I trained and it hurt to kick even the soft bag. So I dogged it because Im a wuss. Afterward I told my partner that I am never taking that bag again. It's too easy to dog it.

After class I asked Derek if I could use Lions Den name in the BJJ tournament and he said no. He seemed reluctant and that's fine. It's his school and I will not disrespect him. He's a good teacher and he does things for a reason. I guess this means I'll have to go independent and win. I am sure once I win he will see things differently. Now if I lose, then hahahah to me, I suck and he was right.
]]></body>
	<date>12-07-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2329">
	<title><![CDATA[Tracing my art- becoming better]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[As an instructor I can teach certain movements and submissions. I can teach certain pins and certain takedowns. I can teach reversals and teach how to get out of every move. I can teach how to defend and offend from anywhere. I can not teach how to feel that energy, this has to be trained and learned by each individual. Through vigorous training, one can develop a sensitivity to this energy. To feel your opponents energy is the lesson everyday, once you learn to feel this energy manipulation is simple.

It's one of the things I loved about Aikido. It gave me a different feel and look to what I do as a Martial Artist. I am not a Jujitsuka, an Aikidoka, a Judoka, I am a Budoka. I am a Martial Artist, a person that fights like me. A person that has developed his own style of fighting through years of practice. I did not make up my own art and call it Devondo, I call it Jujitsu. Why? Because I have taken my arts and combined them together. Other arts have taken away from my art and called it whatever they do.

Karate, Judo, Aikido, BJJ, etc etc. All of the Japanese arts stem from Jujitsu in one form or another. Where did Jujitsu come from? China, yup that's right. I can trace my lineage back to Shaolin Gung-Fu, then to Eagle Claw, etc down the line to Jujitsu.

Now what I tried to do was take the first art in which I fell in love, Kajukenbo (Karate, Judo/Jujitsu, Kenpo, Chinese Boxing or Gung-Fu). I tried to take each art to see if Kajukenbo left out anything I would like to use. I took Isshin Ryu Karate, Goju Ryu, Shotokan, then I took Gung-Fu, Judo, Jujitsu, and Kenpo. Now along my journey I fell in love with Jujitsu and changed my idea. I realized that Kajukenbo had many things I no longer would use, and I chose to stick with Jujitsu. Then I took the arts that came from Jujitsu. Aikido, BJJ etc. Now I feel I have a greater understanding of not only Kajukenbo, but Jujitsu. I have taken my art and traced it, and I have taken arts that could show me how to improve my martial arts.

Why Aikdio? Aikido has taken moves and throws from Jujitsu and perfected them. They have practiced on a fourth of my art and made it better. Why Judo? Same thing. A fourth of my art and made it better, etc. BJJ? Why because it has developed better groundfighting than any other. 

I have tried to become the best at every aspect of my art, by using other arts and using the years of experience that others have gone through and passed on.

I have recently begun my journey through Thai Boxing and I want to now specialize in doing the same research and study with Muay Thai. This means a trip to Thailand- woohoo.
]]></body>
	<date>12-02-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2325">
	<title><![CDATA[Number ten]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[BJJ:
Today we worked the butterfly guard. I am starting to see why we have been drilling this the last few classes. I can also see that coming to every class makes things more effective.

We went over the basic drills in butterfly guard, then learned the following:
snake in, corkscrew, then get to their back
snake in, corkscrew, then sweep by placing hand/hip in pocket
fail to sweep, back to knees and single leg takedown

After learning this we went live. I went against this kid who was like 6'4" and probably 200lbs. He wasn't too hard, but I didn't try my hardest. I wanted to feel him out. He wasn't bad. After time, the instructor asked the "Fighters" to prepare for thei class and he left.

I then went to this other guy and asked him to roll around. He had some skill and I had to try a little harder with him. He seemed to have Judo experience, but I could be wrong. I beat him several times, but I am not sure if he had the stamina to keep up, and I feel maybe this is why he was losing and being sloppy enough to let me get in easily. His name was Ron, and I am sure he has a lot of skill, he just needs to work stamina.

I still haven't had any competition, but I haven't had a chance to compete against all of the people. I can see a lot of people there that have some great skill, but they seem to have their partners that they like to roll around with. Maybe someday I'll have a chance to see what they have.]]></body>
	<date>12-01-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2322">
	<title><![CDATA[Class number Nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Ninth class and Trevor was back from Vegas. He looked totally fine, etc.

If you dont know who Trevor Prangley is, refer to past Aikiblogs to find out.

BJJ: 
We went over butterful guard again. We basically went over the sweeps, choke/sweep, reverse sweep, and how to get out of the butterfly guard.
We ended up going live at the end and it was interesting to say the least. Its not a position I am comfortable in yet, but I will work on it more and more until I feel comfortable with it.

Muay Thai:
We went over training on kicks again. We did so many reps of the kicks that I actually felt my shin bleeding on the inside. Sounds funny I know, but when I got home I iced it down and it hurt to touch them. Now dont get me wrong, I know this is a process in which my leg will develop scar tissue and I will no longer feel any pain. But I cant wait for that day because wow, Im a wuss. Hurts like a mother.
We did about 1000 reps today, only 9000 more before I feel comfortable doing the kick, hahah.]]></body>
	<date>11-30-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2317">
	<title><![CDATA[Eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Eighth class today at the Lions Den. Although I have only gone 8 times, I have been there one month already. Weird.

Class was great, but it has been two weeks since my last class here at Lions Den. Thanksgiving and UFC combined gave me a couple weeks off.

Before I go into what I learned I will have to say that two weeks is a lot. I was right back to side aches and cramps and I was winded fairly shortly into the Muay Thai class. I hate taking time off, but what can we do?

Submission Wresatling/BJJ:
Today we covered the butterful guard. We went over how to get into it, and what not to do while in it. Then we partered up and practiced pushign the person upright while we kept butterfuly guard and came up with them.

We went over underhooks and overhooks from this position. I liked overhooks better, but that's my style of fighting.

We coverd the "wizard" and how to push the opponents face to the side and to come up with a choke, then sweep them to the side. We went over the sweep without a choke, and when a person bases what to do.

If a person bases on the sweep, you shift your weight and leg to the other side and sweep them from the opposite direction.

Then we put them altogether and went from butterfly to sweep, to choke with the person fighting us. "Live"

I personally did not like the butterfly, but it wasn't a bad place to be by any means. I did like the sweep into scarf hold though.

Muay Thai:
We spent some time fine tuning our Muay Thai kick on both sides. He taught us how to put the most power we can in the kick. He demonstrated and it was amazing. This guy has some powerful kicks. I tried to emulate it, and even with all my years of martial arts I could not get the same power.

He came over to me and actually helped me with my position. As I kicked he pushed my shoulders down and rotated them. Then he told me to lean back and put my hips into it. It felt very awkward and I felt there was no power in it, but my partner said it was way more powerful. I am so used to kicking at the object and connecting, that going through my target has never been my goal.

This is going to be the hardest technique for me to learn, but I will continue to strive to perfect this kick. This kick is going to be my bread and butter in stand up, and I WILL learn it even if it takes 10,000 reps a day to do it.

__________________________________________________________

I've also sighned up for free sparring and Gi training now. I have open access to everything in there. Now if I can just get my work schedule to all day shifts I will be stylin'. Some day I am sure I will have the shifts to make it happen. For now I will go when I can. I do get to do Gi training this Thursday. I have that tournament on the 10th and I do not want to get caught short.  ]]></body>
	<date>11-29-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2310">
	<title><![CDATA[The emptiness]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today all of my students were scheduled, and all of them did not show up.

Baylen called me last night and told me that he could not make it. He said he was scheduled for work.

Kyle said that he wasn't sure if his father would let him.

Ryan asked me if there was enough room for four people.

So I wake up at my normal hour and I start cleaning the kitchen. When I am done I look at the time and it is 15 minutes past when people should have arrived. I waited for a tiny bit longer and then I decided to work out on my own.

I worked out in the garage for a very short moment and I worked out chest, biscepts, and stomach.
I did the following sets:
Incline Bench - 165 lbs - 3 sets of 8
Regular Bench - 165 lbs - 3 sets of 8
Decline Bench - 165 lbs - 3 sets of 8
Straight Bar Curl - 95 lbs - 5 sets of 8
Dumbell Curl - 25 lbs - 5 sets of 25
25 Regular sit ups
25 Rocky Sit ups 
3 sets of 10 (4 count) Flutter Kicks
50 reps of the wheel

Now usually I would run 2 1/2 miles as well, however, I have to work. This is my normal routine when I do not have students. When I do have students I try to accomplish both, but sometimes fail.

Even though I worked out I still felt an emptiness. I do not feel the same when I do not train. Without one day of training I will survive and get over it, but I hate it. I feel like too much time is wasted when doing nothing and watching TV or just vegging out.

I have a BJJ tournament on the 10th of December so I need to get as much stamina training as I can. This is my first tourny and I am very, very nervous. I have been training for years and only competed against people I know. I have usually been the best out of the groups I train with, but this is different. I am going to compete against people that could be great. I am going to compete against people that have competed before. It gives me butterflies just thinking about it.

I have been in fight after fight, altercation after altercation. These happened so fast, that this is different. I have time to think about it, I have time to get nervous. Now, competing with friends was a different story because I didnt care if I won or lost. It was all a learning experience. This time I care, I want to win.

I feel I have something to prove.

I will definately let you know how it goes. Hopefully the rules allow Aikido style series techniques. Its fun to get Yonkyo on people on the ground. They have no idea what you are doing, they only know it hurts and makes them move. 

 ]]></body>
	<date>11-27-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2308">
	<title><![CDATA[I was beat]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Yes, this morning was a great class. Kyle Madsen beat me with a heel hook.

Now do not get me wrong. I did beat him about 10,000 times before he beat me, but he got me none the less.

What does this mean? This means I have to start trying harder with Kyle. Usually I can reverse out of everything they put me in, but not this time. This means he is getting good skill. This means I actually have to step up my game and not let him get close to those moves. 

Now remember, as an instructor for someone lower than you, you have to give them things, you have to feed them submissions, you can't reverse and fight out of all of them or they will not learn. You slowly try more and more and then one day, they actually do beat you, and you must give less and less until you are going full out defense/offense.

Now since I have been doing this forever, I know I could beat Kyle in a matter of 2 seconds. Does this mean I should do this every time? No, he won't learn anything. I have to act like I am on his level or just a bit above. 

So beware Kyle, because now I must step it up a little, and you too must step it up in order to beat me.

Take care Kyle, and great job in class today.
]]></body>
	<date>11-26-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2304">
	<title><![CDATA[Is ma-ai controllable?]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Now footwork means more than just tenkan, idimi, rolling back, and moving forward. It means controlling the other person to make them step where you want them to step.

If you can push them to move a certain direction with only using footwork, then you have taken control of the footwork game. Of course this goes back and forth in most fights or competitions. Now, to learn how to do this, you must learn the basic steps for sparring. Then you must learn how to do them freely without thinking. Then you must learn how to do them to control your opponents walk. Then you must learn how to do all of the above, defend, attack, and close the distance.

Now to me, this all falls under ma-ai. Mai-ai is the distance between two opponents. The differences and knowing how far you are in danger of a kick, throw, strike, etc.

So now, you must learn how to control ma-ai. Knowing ma-ai is great, but learning to control that means much more.

Today we worked on controlling ma-ai. I had Baylen receive combos 1-4 while I controlled his footwork. I noticed that he is decent when there is no attack, and pauses when an attack comes at him. This just means that he needs to continue free movement even when an attack comes in. He will get better, and he is not bad. I also did not tell him what I was looking for? Why? Because I must not put the pressure of footwork into the mix at first, even though it IS the basic root of fighting. I must let him concentrate on blocking first and when he is comfortable with that, I will mention ma-ai, and then we will go from there.

He is getting better, but he lacks one thing; confidence. He thinks he is not good on his feet, which means he therefore is not good on his feet. Confidence means a lot. It makes you more aggressive, it makes you unafraid to control the fight. He will gain confidence in time, this is what I am here for too. I will make him confident.

I wish Kyle had more time with me. They both have a lot of heart and training together, would bring out the best in both of them.

Well I am off once again.

It seems like I am always writing in my journal, but I have been training every single day for quite awhile now. I am loving it.]]></body>
	<date>11-22-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2302">
	<title><![CDATA[Crawl, Walk, Run]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[What does crawl, walk, run mean?
It means you must learn in succession. You have to crawl before you walk, and you have to walk before you run.

You can not teach someone to take balance, do a technique, have perfect footwork, harmonize, use Chi (Ki), transition techniques, and to be aware in one session.

You must break these things down and teach a small portion of them daily until one day the student can put them together. Now you train them in progression so that the training can change so that they can put this together.

Now this is what makes an official class difficult. In a private setting I can teach someone in progression easily, but what happens when you have a diverse setting. How do you make it interesting and how do you progress your students in a class where someone knows nothing, and others know everything.

To be honest there is no happy medium. You are going to have to train the middle group so that no one is left out.

I guess this is why I love teaching private lessons. I teach for free mind you and I am not money oriented. I want to train people to fight. If you want to learn how to fight and defend yourself, I am your man. I will teach you throws, joint locks, kicks, punches, blocks, footwork, Aikido techniques, Muay Thai, groundfighting, breakfalls, etc etc etc. 

I will teach you each in progression. I will teach you how to get into a position in such a methodical way that if you get into that position, you will win.

I will teach you how to kick and be able to do combos that will make sure you can land the ones you want. I will teach you how to punch and how to combo so that you can destroy your opponent. I will teach you to have pride, I will develop your stamina, I will teach you to respect, I will teach you how to harmonize and I will teach you how to destroy.

I will teach you all of these things and if you have a poor attitude, I will send you away because teaching a ill tempered student that will not let go of that is not worth it to me. I love humble students, that seek to be better than me.

I am free writing by the way......



Class went well by the way. Baylen did great and is progressing well in stand-up fighting. When we were grappling I pointed things out to him. I wasnt trying to be condescending, I was trying to make him learn. He will be better than me, I will make sure of it. So I will start pointing out his mistakes so that he knows where he fails. 

EVERYONE makes mistakes. Some people notice them, some people do not. I notice them all. My job is to make him notice them all. 

When I make a mistake, I know I have and I fight my way out of it.

This is how I will train Baylen to be.

Some day he will be a great martial artist.

Great job Baylen.]]></body>
	<date>11-21-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2300">
	<title><![CDATA[Kyle Madsen Yellow Belt]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Great class today. I did not tell Kyle a thing, but after regular class he was really worn out and then began his testing.

I tested him for yellow belt after he was worn out and exhausted from a 15 minute live grappling spell with Baylen. It was perfect.

He needed to work on his hook kicks, and the rest is coming together nicely. He has come a long way from day one. 

Regular class included basics, first ten throws, combos 1-4, one and two step sparring, and ground fighting. I covered three ways of passing the guard, the defense to someone passing the guard, and a few submissions that follow passing the guard.. Then I had them go live from certain positions. I was impressed with Kyles heart. He doesnt give up. Even if he has no clue of what he's doing, he wings it and tries. He puts a full effort and that's what I like to see. Of course Baylen did well, but I just can't help routing for the under dog to get lucky. When Baylen started I used to show him moves to beat Kyle, and now I am going to have to show Kyle moves to beat Baylen. 

It's fun to me to see the competitive edge in all of my students. ]]></body>
	<date>11-20-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2299">
	<title><![CDATA[UFC my Instructor]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[One of my instructors was on tv tonight. I wasnt able to watch it because I had to work tonight, but my girl hopefully taped it for me. She hasnt returned from my dads for me to find out.

Anyways, Trevor Prangley is one of my instructors here at the Lions Den and he was suppoed to fight Jeremy Horn. Now, Jeremy Horn is a very seasoned fighter, former UFC champ, etc etc. He has like 100 fights under his gloves. I know Trevor trained hard for this fight, and I hope that he comes up on top. It would be a neat thing to see.

Now, what's weird is I was thinking, "My other instructor was on National Geographic". His name is Chris Mitter and he was on television with George Dillman and they were proving that pressure point fighting works to the world on National Geographic.

I didnt get to see that either because we dont get that channel, but supposedly real scientists came into play and actually got knocked out using pressure points.

"No, this does not mean I can do this." I have very little study under Hanshi Dillman and I have been able to study Kyusho for about a year. Had I put my time into this study, I am sure I would be able to by now, however, I have studied more fighting arts to this day.

*** Later I watched the fight. I was a little upset with the decision. They gave the fight to Jeremy Horn, I couldnt believe it. I scored round 1 = Trevor, Round 2 = Jeremy, Round 3 = Trevor

Now in BJJ I would have given this fight to Jeremy Horn. He had dominant position more so than Trevor, but this is UFC. UFC there are no position rules, it who is the aggressor and who attempts and succeeds more. Now Trevor stayed in Jeremy's guard and pounded and attempted to pound him. In BJJ since Trevor did not pass the guard, he would not have been given points, however, he was punching Jeremy like crazy.

I know Jeremy has 100+ fights under him, but I could care less about that. Trevor deserved the win or at minimum a draw.

Now it wasn't just me. Both fighters were shocked, the crowd was pissed, and I am sure fans at home saw it. To put it bluntly, the crowd was so pissed about the decision they "booed" the decision. Now that is even more proof that the call was total bullshit.]]></body>
	<date>11-19-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2298">
	<title><![CDATA[Class]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[It seems I have a lot of teaching time this week. I have to admit I love it.

It was Baylen today. Kyle called me and left a message, but I do not have LD so I could not call him back. So he missed out on class today. I cant say I blame him, why would he want to drive all this way to "see" if we were doing class. Oh well.

We covered throws 9 and 10. I changed them to Ura Nage (Single leg throw behind yourself) and Sukui Nage. After review of Sukui Nage, I decided to change it to a single leg throw. The throw was very effective and I can not wait to use it in training. So now we have our 30 throws again. Baylen knows almost all of them now. I think he needs to learn about 4 of them still, but that's not bad. That leaves the rest of training to practicing them and not so much showing them in slow motion.

After the throws we covered Ikkyo-Gokyo for review of orange belt. Then we covered all the kicks and some Muay Thai combos. I went over the theory behind the MT combos too. I think Baylen "thinks" he is no good in stand-up, but he is. There is more to stand up than being quick. I can smack someone all day long, but if they hit me with a sledge hammer, Im going to fall before they do. If he can develop speed and power he will be great in stand-up. I will concentrate more on stand-up each class that I get him solo.

Now ground fighting he is pretty darn good. I wanted to see if I could beat him quickly once today and I did. I went 100% offensively and got him fast. It's okay though. It doesn't mean he's not good, it just means I caught him off guard. He's getting good. I forsee that he will be beating me around green belt even if we go full speed. The glorious thing about fighting is that if you train with someone that is good, you become better. I know many people do not realize this. And.... this goes for fighting arts, not the grab your wrist techniques. I mean things like Jujitsu, Judo, BJJ, MT etc. When you train for real and you are getting kicked or submitted, you learn to adapt and over come and learn new ways of winning. It is what I love about Jui-Jitsu. Think about it, you have to beat most of your peers and beat a superior in order to get promoted. Hard isnt it? Yes, but this means everyone that is at their level, is great at what they do.

Beats Karate where you memorize some kata and whabamm you're a black belt. You don't have to prove yourself against anyone (not usually anyways). I know some arts do require it, but not all.

Now I must say once again, this does not include Aikido. You get good at Aikido techniques from practicing them and for me, using them in ground fighting has made me a better ground fighter, and made me realize that the techniques can be used in every aspect of fighting. For me, my Aikido techniques have become more adaptable for combat because I get to use them in my way of fighting as well as competition. But we all know most Aikidoka hate the idea of competition. But I will be the first to say, "It makes you better."

Okay, Im off once again. ]]></body>
	<date>11-19-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2296">
	<title><![CDATA[Class]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Todays class went well. 

We started with the basics. Footwork, disengagements, etc.

We moved on to review Shiho Nage from the time before, then moved on to the throws.

We did the first five throws; tenchi nage, Osoto Gari, Ogoshi Nage, Ippon Seoi Nage, and Yoko Shiho Nagare.

Then we went over some blocking technique. I basically had them check kicks, and block punches. One person did the striking and the other did the blocking. This gives them a chance to try to hit their opponent, but allows the person blocking to concentrate on blocking and checking. They both did well.

We then covered ground fighting. I went over the scarf hold and how to get into the position safely. Once they got that we moved into, how to get a submission (arm bar). Then after showing the arm bar I displayed what things could go wrong, and showed them how to capitalize on how to reverse the reversals.

After that I had them go at it live. They both did very well. Baylen still seems to overpower Ryan. At the end I decided to get in there so Baylen could have some competition. 

I didnt try with Baylen, but I feel like I will soon be trying because he is getting a lot better. He squirms when he needs to and stays away from disaster, which makes me have to work a little bit to beat him now.

I actually had to get out of certain positions quickly and with force because he was going to get me. 

I know it's only a matter of time that he will beat me, and that's fine. When he does start beating me I am going to have to up my game quite a bit. It will be great.

We ended up going at it for ten minutes and he gave up from exhaustion. Someday he will last for 30 minutes. :D

Until next time guys.]]></body>
	<date>11-18-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2285">
	<title><![CDATA[Todays Class]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[It has been a week since I taught Jujitsu. I took a week off because of a time issue. I was covering my boss and his vacation, so I did not have a minute to spare.

I had a class with Ryan today and he is progressing well. I went over a few moves that he could use against Baylen. I told him that if implemented correctly, he could beat Baylen with these moves. On Friday I will let them go "live" and see if he can do it.

Ryan is ready for his yellow belt. I want to give him a few more lessons and concentrate on the yellow belt technqiues, or at least review of them. We also covered Shiho Nage and a few different applications of this.


]]></body>
	<date>11-16-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2282">
	<title><![CDATA[Seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Lucky number seven.

Today we went over a neat little technique from side control. It was nothing too new, just a review, but then a neat little way of getting an inside leg hook underneath your opponent was shown making it a fun exercise because I had never seen this particular way of doing it. Very methodical again.

We also got to train with Trevor Prangley who is going to fight Jeremy Horn this weekend in UFC. Me and John were talking about it and we both think Trveor has what it takes to win. I told John I was going to ask Trevor to send me a "shout out" when he gets interviewed after winning. I didn't even ask. :D

It was still kind of sureal to see the guy that's going to be fighting the former champion of UFC this weekend. 

Muay Thai was great too. We didn't go over anything new, but we did the combos over and over and over in round style. I thought I developed asthma somewhere along the way. I could hardly breath and my chest felt like it was collapsing. It actually hurt that bad. Maybe Im just an old guy out of shape. I will get into shape though. When I do, it's on like Donkey Kong. let me in the ring.

Oh yeah we did do 2, 3, 2. Ill ad that to the combos entry.]]></body>
	<date>11-14-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2271">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixth]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[BJJ: We went over knee on stomach and how to transition to each side and different variations. It was interesting to see Sensei Derek Cleveland transition back and forth and around and to see how smoothly he could do this. As an instructor I am very judgmental about other instructors. I watch them with grueling eyes to see if they know what they are talking about. I will admit in his game, he is very good at what he does. He is methodical and teaches so that a beginner could learr, but still that a long time ground fighter is not bored. I have found a person that has very good technical skill.

Muay Thai: Muay Thai today was set up for the fighters. We did sets like "rounds" of a UFC fight. We worked combos 1-4 the first 3 minutes, the second three minutes we worked on combos 1-4 in whichever order our partner called it out, then the third three minutes we worked on whatever combos our partner called. (jab, jab, hook etc etc)

I noticed that my kicks are getting pretty darn powerful. I love that Muay Thai has a focus on one kick. Yes, this means that someone could just watch for this one kick, but in all honesty, the combos are set up so nicely that you wouldn't know what hit you. It's weird to me to have a "set" way of doing punches where I am so used to flowing and doing whatever comes natural. This is definately a winner in my book. Not only am I learning a good way to distract and take my opponent, but I am developing speed and power behind these blows making them so powerful that if I was to hit someone, it would knock them out. I will continue to do my best and then ask Derek if I can fight.

I asked about Gi training and Sensei Derek recommends it. If I had the time I would do it, but I just do not. DARNT]]></body>
	<date>11-09-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2260">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifth]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Yup, fifth class down and many to go. 

We worked with Thai Pads and concentrated on power and speed. No new combos, but we worked the heck out of the ones I know.

It was a great class. At the end of class we did 20 minutes of cardio bag training again. I was able to hang without a side ache or feeling of throwing up. I didnt have much power though, so I will work on the stamina until I can keep my power the entire time, then I will be ready to start fighting.

On another note today we practiced on defending ourselves when we are in someones guard. Hips in, head up, back straight, hand on stomach other hand supporting and elbow on inside leg.

Step up on the same side the strong hand is placed, spin and do ankle hook.]]></body>
	<date>11-07-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2255">
	<title><![CDATA[Progression]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have learned a better way to teach ground fighting.

I usually teach stand up fighting in progression. Meaning that I usually teach a single leg takedown. Then I'll teach how to defend it (guillotine), then I teach how to defend the defense (guillotine).

Usually with ground fighting I do not teach progression, but I have started to. I have been teaching side control for the past few lessons and how to defend from it and how to offend from it. So both parties get a good lessons from it. Then at the end of class I let them go at it from that position and I see if they can put it all together.

Today Kyle did a very good job. When he would mess up I could hear him make sounds, "Ohhrrrr!" I knew why he was making the sounds and he would correct his mistake the second time while going live. 

I believe this way is going to make his ground fighting game get even better, and even though we have been learning so fast, the basics can never be left out. So this is going to make everyones fighting improve.

I also taught Kyle some stand up fighting and different combos and how to enter and take advantage of different types of fighters. I think the stand up clicked in him today and he appreciates it more.

I did not go over any small circle or Aikido techniques which makes me feel bad. I keep ;eaving that out and I need to do at least one a day. It's just hard when there's so much to cover.

We did go over some throws though, which makes me feel better.

Is he ready for yellow belt? Yeah, he is. I was going to test him today, but he has missed a lot of class lately, so I am going to wait. Also Baylen did not show up, so I couldn't have him try and beat Baylen to make sure he was ready. I am hoping todays class taught him enough to get a submission out of Baylen, we shall see.

]]></body>
	<date>11-06-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2252">
	<title><![CDATA[Training]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So I am feeling like I am losing closeness with my woman even more lately. Why because i train so much now. I realize that no matter what, she would schedule around my work, so she'd be at work anyways if I hadnt planned on training, but it still makes me feel bad. I love her so much that this training isnt worth losing her over. I have to talk to her to ask her how she feels about it honestly. 

Now that the mushy stuff is out of the way. I taught Ryan some stand-up fighting today, then we spent an hour on the ground. It still seems foreign to him, but that's okay, I know he will catch on one day, and it will all just sort of hit him and he'll be good. 

I am going to test him for Yellow Belt. He is ready, and I will test him. Kyle is also being tested on Sunday. If I can get them both here more often, I am sure they will both progress very well.

]]></body>
	<date>11-03-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2245">
	<title><![CDATA[Fourth]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Fourth class and all is going well. 

We worked the normal combos, then we worked on feeling our opponent out.

Jab, jab, cross.

While doing the above combo, we are watching our opponent.
We can tell a lot about how they react. If they shuffle backward running from us, we can do this combo a few times and then at the end, add a powerhouse right kick while angling out to about 30'.

If they clench up and hide, then we can use the Muay Thai grab, knee with right knee, and then swing their head to our right. If the opponent leaves face open, powerhouse kick to the face, if they do not, powerhouse kick to the legs.

So far Muay Thai is the best stand up I have been a part of. I can definately tell why UFC fighters study this style.

I can't wait to get better.]]></body>
	<date>11-02-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2239">
	<title><![CDATA[Muay Thai Combos]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Combo 1:
Jab
left perpulsion with right powerhouse

Combo 2:
(a)
Jab
Cross
Right perpulsion with left powerhouse <ending> back

(b)
Jab
Cross
Right perpulsion with left powerhouse <ending> back with cross

(c)
Jab 
Cross
Right Perpulsion with left powerhouse <ending> with forward cross

Combo 3:
Jab
Cross
Hook
Left perpulsion with right powerhouse

Combo 4:
(a)
Jab
Cross
Hook
Cross
Right perpulsion with left powerhouse <ending> back

(b)
Jab
Cross
Hook
Cross
Right perpulsion with left powerhouse <ending> back with cross

(c)
Jab
Cross
Hook
Cross
Right perpulsion with left powerhouse <ending> with froward cross

1=Jab
2=Cross
3=Hook
4=Upper Cut

Misc. Combos
2,3,2
Cross, Hook, Cross
1,1,2
Jab, Jab, Cross
1,2,1
Jab, Cross, Jab
4,3
Upper Cut, Hook

R.Elbow, L.Elbow, R.Knee

* I will keep this updated and put each combo I learn here so I can come back to remember if I forget.]]></body>
	<date>11-01-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2237">
	<title><![CDATA[Third]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Third day of Muay Thai and I learned a new combo.

I have noticed that the stances are very much different than most styles I have taken. I understand Muay Thai ways more than other arts though. The stances keep their shoulders inline with their hips at all times. You shuffle to move, but never crossing your legs or taking huge steps to get yourself off balance.

I am loving the stamina/cardio it provides. We did bag training at the end and I got s side ache by the time we were done.

We started with one-two-three combo.We did one punch, two punches, three punches, then back up and return and repeat. We did this 10 times.

Then we did two-10 training. In this we did two p[unches back up, four punches back up, etc all the way to ten, then back down again.

Then two kicks, sprawl, two punches (set 1) and did this ten times on each leg.

Then we did one more where we did 1-10 succession kicks. 1, 1-2, 1-3, etc with each leg up to ten kicks.

By the time I was done I was drenched in sweat. 

What's the purpose? Our focus is speed and power. So the focus is to develop speed, power, and stamina. It took us 14 minutes to complete this drill but it felt like a lifetime. I love it. I can only hope that this training will all lead me to the Octagon. I definately need more stamina building. 

BTW- I was slightly sick today. I still have a little remnance of my cold, (which is why I skipped Fridays class).

Muay Thai is so practical, which is why I love it. 

Take care and keep on the road of knowledge.

I am going to make an entry of the Muay Thai combos so I can keep them in memory.]]></body>
	<date>11-01-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2236">
	<title><![CDATA[Training]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Baylen did very well today. We worked a little with the Bokken today and he seemed to get it pretty fast.

We worked on Series techniques as well. He needs to flow a little better, but he's right on track on where he should be. He learns fast. It's funny to think about how far he has come since day one.

I can put money on Baylen when it comes to beating another yellow belt of another style. He could beat them with ease. Now I am not talking about a sparring match, I'm talking a full out no holds barred match like UFC.

I dont sense him wanting to be an Orange Belt badly which is good. He should just take his time and relax and learn it as it's given him. I want to make sure that when he's an orange belt, he can beat every orange belt out there.

I need to focus more on stand up with him, so I have introduced the Muay Thai combos to him. I know I am no expert in this, but when it comes to a NHB fight, it will help him win.

I want Ryan to get promoted, but he still seems to be lacking on the groundfighting portion. I need to practice the drills for guard and mount more with him and show him other drills to give him a small arsenal to defend himself.

I think Ryan will have better stand up and Baylen will dominate ground. If Kyle ever comes back I am sure Kyle will be in the middle on ground and the low spectrum in stand up. Now this means absolutely nothing. What means everything is if they can utilize their strengths to gain advantages.

all in all a good day of training.

If I dont see you, good training, fighting, and stamina building 
]]></body>
	<date>10-31-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2225">
	<title><![CDATA[Groundfighting]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today I taught them some basic drills from side control. I taught them how to keep their opponents hand from gaining bonus head control. I taught them how to manipulate into the guard, I taught them how to turn and pick up for a single leg takedown. Then I taught a knee bar from both positions.

We went in progression and both Baylen and Ryan seemed to catch on very well. I feel as if these is not enough time to concentrate on all aspects. I could spend a few hours on groundfighting alone, or any aspect for that matter. (Judo throws, takedowns, groundfighting, small circle techniques, series, kicking, punching, etc etc)

I have to cover all aspects and I try to cover them all, but it never seems to be enough.

I will do the best I can and learn each and every day that I teach how to become a better teacher.

Good luck and never stop training!!]]></body>
	<date>10-27-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2223">
	<title><![CDATA[Second day]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have to keep a track of the days I train in Muay Thai. 

I have memorized combo 1, 2 (a), 2 (b), 2 (c), and 3. I feel I am catching on quickly. Now just because i know the combos, doesn't mean I have learned how to put maximum power behind the kicks or punches, but I'm working on it.

It's a difficult task to learn something totally different. I have always taken martial arts in which strikes were focused to certain areas. Now Im learning how to put power into my punches and elbows and destroy my opponent with power. 

I think learning how to use my Ki in projecting this energy through my opponent will help. I will work on that as well as the basic technique.

Best class I've taken in a long time.]]></body>
	<date>10-27-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2214">
	<title><![CDATA[First..]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Everyone seems to have their firsts. Well today I had my first in a new studio.

The Lions Den in Coeur D'Alene offers a wide array of the fighting arts. I decided to take the submission grappling and Muay Thai. They have Brazillian Jui-Jitsu as well and boxing and kickboxing, but I took the things I thought I could develop more into my own Jujitsu.

I had a class today and it killed me. I am out of shape. I teach already three days a week and now I am going to learn three as well. I guess my classes are easy because these made me have a side ache and muschle spasms and the whole works. I loved it.

I cant wait til Wednesday. ]]></body>
	<date>10-24-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2199">
	<title><![CDATA[Class]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Todays class went very well. It started with the basics, then we went through the first ten throws. After the throws I had them compete to see who could score more throws on who. It was pretty darn even.

Then we switched to a kicking exercise to teach ma-ai and entering. Its a very good exercise. They both did well on this. I'd like to see better footwork, but that will come in time.

After that we worked on ground fighting to submission. Both of them are showing improvements.

Then we went to escrima. Block check and counter over and over. 

Then blocking exercise.

Its a lot to cover in one class, but its all necessary to becoem a proficient fighter. 

Ryan handed me four more CDs. I listened to one already and it was awesome as usual. 

]]></body>
	<date>10-20-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2179">
	<title><![CDATA[Spiritual gift]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So we had another great class. We worked on Gokyo and arm bars from standing and on the ground. He seemed to catch on really fast. At first he had a hard time with the hammer lock or standing kimura, but he got it after time.

He seems to be frustrated on the ground. Why? because Ryan is used to being taught something and then doing it with perfection. Ground Fighting is the type of fighting that is not natural for some, but others it is. My job as an instructor is to make it natural. Once he gets used to being on the ground and starts to see that the things we do standing can be done on the ground, he will be just fine.

I look forward to seeing him develop as a great fighter. I am sure he will do very well in all aspects of this art.

He brought me a Concordance today. Talk about kind. I felt awkward receiving it because I ask for nothing. I train him for a reason. I do not choose just anyone to teach on a personal level. I have chosen three people that are humble, intelligent, mature, and willing to trust me.

I did however appreciate the gift. It was awesome. He's already taught me more than I have taught him. He has given me knowledge that is worth more by far. It's not he who owes me, it's I that owes him. 

I willinglyg accepted this awesome gift and I will do my best to put it to good use.

I feel bad for not having read all of EG Whites book, but over time I will read it all. 

I look forward to teaching this man more of what I know, even though it can not be used for the after life.

Well, to all a happy day. Here I come work. ]]></body>
	<date>10-12-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2177">
	<title><![CDATA[Ultimate Fighter]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So I have been watching this reality show and I am loving it. I have been training since I was 10 and I am now 30. I figured I was too old to fight in competition anymore, but after watching some of these guys go at it, I now know I could get back into it.

I have decided to join the local gym that offers, BJJ, Muay Thai, Submission wrestling, Kickboxing, boxing, and freestyle fighting. They have fights very often and they are a growing spectacle here in Idaho and E Washington. 

I am going to talk to the instructor there and probably start training in Muay Thai and submission wrestling next week sometime.

Now, I have extensive ground experience and I have studied a mix of martial arts all of my life. I am good and I have yet to lose in Sport Jujitsu. I am undefeated.

I have however noticed that my stand up fighting doesn't flow as well as my ground fighting. So I have decided to take Muay Thai to gain as much as I can on my feet.

Even with all of my years experience on my feet in Karate nothing compares to Muay Thai on your feet. I believe Jujitsu and Muay Thai are the best combination for an all around great fighter. Both of these styles you can actually compete and practice against someone that is definately going to intend on hurting you and vice versa. I can't wait.

I am going to train my heart out this entire year and then I am going to submit an application to the Ultimate Fighter. 

I will continue teaching and train at least 6 days a week for the entire year. I hope I have enough discipline to make it happen. 

I do have a son now though, which I HAVE to think about. He is my true world, and if I do not complete this goal because of my priorities, then so be it. Family first.

]]></body>
	<date>10-12-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2151">
	<title><![CDATA[Baylen and "the series"]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So todays class was an intro to the orange belt requirements. I explained that for Orange Belt his techniques are going to ahve to get way better. To me Orange Belt is the hardest Belt to achieve. You have Yellow, and know a few things, but aren't very good at them, whereas, Orange you had better be pretty decent at all the techniques. His kicks and punches need to be worked on extensively. He has some issues with his left side, which we all have issues. We just have to work through them. I will not hold him back, but I will command excellence in technique this belt promotion.

I went over the ten Judo style throws left and right. Then we covered Ikkyo, Nikkyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo, and Gokyo. Now I have been showing him these techniques throughout the entire time, however, I have not presented them in order this way.

We first covered Ikkyo and to be honest, you can spend an entire class working on any "one" of these techniques. I went with about ten reps on each side and then we switched in order, in the same fashion.

He was able to create pain to the point he needed, but his footwork was off. I understand that footwork is key to technique and it will come naturally after time, however, I must correct him, or it will never change.

I look forward to seeing him grow as a martial artist.

I presented him his yellow belt today, and his certificate.

This is my first certificate through the PCMA. I must say they were speedy, supportive, and the certificate was very nicely done. I look forward to promoting the PCMA and the AARKJ in my time of teaching.

I have another class Thursday with Ryan, and I am thinking we will go over a lot of throws and groundfighting. I think this is where we need to practice with him. I will touch basis with him on block, check, and counter once again as well. 

In this art it is so hard to teach. We have so much that is possible and I do not want to develop one area more than the others. I want an even total package martial artist that can teach traditionally or coach UFC fighters. I let them decide.]]></body>
	<date>10-04-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2131">
	<title><![CDATA[Shin Shin Jujitsu]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[What is Shin Shin Jujitsu?

It's an eclectic art that encompasses throws, kicks, punches, groundfighting, etc etc etc.

What is it really? It's an art that focuses on combat and survival. We practice hard, we practice as real as can be, and we practice on using Ki.

We have all the Aikido throws and Series techniques (Ikkyo-Gokkyo), we have a ton of Kodokan Judo throws, we have all the kicks and punches from Karate and Kung-Fu, we have all the wrestling take downs, we have the groundfighting from BJJ, we have defense and disarming of weapons, we have offense with escrima, bokken, and knives. We have knees and elbows from Muay Thai. We box, we compete in Judo and Sport Jujitsu, we kickbox, we do it all. You name it, we pretty much have it. 

I have sought out arts that encompass everything, and I have yet to find one.

When I moved here I had to take Aikido, Judo, and BJJ in order to keep practicing my art. Three arts I had to take, just to get a glimpse of the art I once learned. What does this mean? 

Now, most people say this about their art, and most people stand by it.
I honestly do not think there's a comparable art. Does this mean no one can learn anything else? Noooo. I believe the road to discovery is as long as you want it to be, which means there's always something you can learn from someone. When I took Aikido I learned a lot. I learned to focus more so than force. I learned a lot from Aikido. When I took Judo and BJJ I learned that having competition invloved makes your students able to use these techniques for real and train for real (with minimal rules).

Now my Jujitsu has improven because of the arts I have taken afterward. Now all I can do is continue the path to discoery and make myself an even better martial artist.

Now, why is it, even though I have a well rounded art that I need to cross train? Because you can never stop learning and becoming better at martial arts. A lot of people, even here on these boards get so caught up in one art, they lose something so great that the rest of the arts have to offer. If you focus on one thing, you are going to lose out on the rest.

]]></body>
	<date>09-29-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2130">
	<title><![CDATA[Ryan Walker's Epiphany]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So todays class was amazing.

I asked Ryan if I could record the class and he said he had no problems with it.

We went over Yonkyo and Nikkyo, then combined them, and worked on transitional flow.

We started with Yonkyo and it was his first time doing it. It took about ten minutes and then he got it, and he got it good. He utilized the pressure point on the arm so well that I'm sure I will have bruises tomorrow.

After working Yonkyo for awhile we then worked Nikkyo. I showed him how to do Nikkyo and put someone on the ground and then submit them.

Then I discussed transitional flow and I explained what the purpose of this lesson was. I showed him that I could manipulate him to go where ever I wanted and end in submission on the ground or up on his feet.

I then let him work on combining Nikkyo and Yonkyo. Nikkyo down, Yonkyo up, then Yonkyo down with sword cut into submission.

It was a normal class, but today Ryan  told me that he is starting to see the connection to the techniques. I remember seeing the techniques for the first time. I dont mean seeing what they were, but actually "seeing" the entire connection. It was an eye opener; an epiphany.

I am so happy he has finally had the epiphany that will lead to him improving his martial arts more so than ever. This guy has experience and he has knowledge already, but to hear those words from his mouth made me proud.

We also talked about how Baylen has made his yellow belt already. Yes, It took Baylen two months to get his yellow belt. Our club minimum is three months, but I believe is a student has the knowledge, then you promote him. He has the skill and knowledge for a yellow belt.
I do not hold my students back, nor do I push promotions. Will he be ready for Orange Belt in three months, I have no clue. I only know he needs a lot of work to be an Orange Belt and it's my job to get him there as a teacher.

Until next time.... this is the only Idaho Shin Shin Jujitsu instructor sighing off.]]></body>
	<date>09-29-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2125">
	<title><![CDATA[Yellow Belt for Baylen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So I called my student the other day and told him to come over this morning for his test.

He got 2 hours of sleep the night before and did very well. He had all the requirements down. He missed a few minor details like stomp kick and backfist for strikes. He also missed one of the footwork techniques we do in the beginning of class.

His kicks needed some work, but for a yellow belt, he has the skill necessary to start sparring. I really want to concentrate on the kicks and punches to make them beautiful. To me kicks and punches are an art in their own. We make them look beautiful so that the appearance is something to desire. If you can do this, then your punches and kicks will be easy to use because you have prefected them. It's like good footwork. If you have it, then it shows. So we will practice that more and more.

He did very well on the escapes from mount and guard. I actually put a little effort into keeping him there and he was able to get out of them. Not too bad.

I told him the things he needed to work on, and hopefully he realizes that orange belt means tightening those basic skills even more and adding some more techniques.

Well good job Baylen, and good luck in the future.]]></body>
	<date>09-28-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2108">
	<title><![CDATA[Brother Joel Natario]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[ WARNING This journal entry has little to do with Martial Arts

I was running this morning and thinking about my highschool days. I was so rediculous. I used to fight everyone that crossed my path if they thought they could take me. Why? I do not know. I was raised a fighter. I was raised in an environment where my unlce (only 5 years older) would fight me for practice. He would tell his friends to fight me as well just to "make me tough". I was also taught martial arts, which didn't make it any better for the other people.

To me fighting was the answer to prove something. What something was I had no real clue.

I learned later in life that I was only proving my inadequacy to end confrontation with a verbal argument. I had no clue how to communicate except with my fists.

I passed this legacy to my brother who I feel I helped raise. I wanted him to be tough like my father before me wanted. I was such a moron. I treated him hard because I wanted him to be "hard".

Now years later I wonder why I don't have a relationship with him. It's because he is still hard. Maybe not fighting wise, but hard to feelings. I assume he has none for me, and that's fine. There's nothing I can do to change this. I have tried multiple times to get a hold of this man and rekindle a relationship, but it's impossible. He cares nothing for me.

I wonder at times if he has children, if he thinks of me, if he knows that I am sorry for setting a bad example for him. Through all my years of martial arts and the Lord, the one thing I finally learned is that each decision we make effects the rest of our lives.

I live in guilt for the things I have done in the past because I have opened my heart to other things than just fighting. I have grown inside more so than physically. 

I have also changed my way of teaching. I used to focus on the fighting aspects and teach people techniques and how to develop Ki. Now I also try to use my influence to help people be better people as a whole.

This is weird to some, but instructors are more than just teachers of martial arts, they are mentors changing and shaping the way people live on a daily basis. We are role models and people that are looked up to by the community if we have given back. This is a huge responsibility and we owe it to help shape our world to be better, not just tough.

Anyways, Ill jump off my sopa box, I have some running to do. :P

Until we meet again]]></body>
	<date>09-20-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2104">
	<title><![CDATA[Supplemental training]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have decided to actually train physically again.

For a period of time I was concentrating on the inner growth more so than physical. I think I have lost power and speed. I have gained better technique and feel for my opponent, but I've lost the raw power and speed behind my training. I have one year to prepare for my next dan test. It's important to me. With our belt system you have to be able to beat a person of the rank you want to be. This can be competitive and physically challenging.

Ive started working on hand speed training, bag training, running, and weight lifting again. I will continue to develop my inner growth, but I am not going to lose sight on my physical strength and speed training, or I will end up like an old man. I want to be in the middle. Strong enough to fight a Tiger and smart enough to fight a Dragon.

We shall see what happens.


Wish me luck]]></body>
	<date>09-18-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2097">
	<title><![CDATA[Luck has it]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So todays class went well. I actually taped the class for my instructor to see what Ive been doing.

We did our normal warm ups. Footwork, Ukemi Waza, disengagements, and punches and kicks.

Afterward we did a coupld combos, Seven Swords technique from Kenpo, first five throws, Kote Gaeshi, Yonkyo Nage, Sankyo Nage and ground fighting.

Everything went really well. Afterward I pushed stop and it said "Tape End". I thought, "Oh no!"

I rewind a little bit and then push play and it has the end of the punches and then "whammy" it cuts off.

Oh great!

Looks like Ill have to tape next class but only tape the meat of the lesson. I forgot those tapes only have a 30 minute range. 30 minutes isn't much of a two hour class. HAHAHA

Oh well, so he'll have to wait a bit longer for a tape.

* On another note. Baylen is doing very well. He's very close to yellow belt. He says he wants to test, but doesnt want the certificate... There's no reason though to test him unless he wants the whole "shabam".

I think Ill test him once Im a part of the PCMA. This way the promotion fee isnt much. Just a belt price and a small fee for the certificate.

Now, once he hits green belt level, he has to test and pay the fees. I want to get those nice certificates from Eri Takase. They are very costly though. So he will have to pay for that one. 

Yes my students are given two certificates and awarded two belts. One in Shin Shin Jujitsu and one in Take Ryu Shin Shin Jujitsu. What's the difference? Well one is under the PCMA with Jack Albritten and Larry Brooks, and the other is under Chris Mitter and George Dillman. For our art, you can't get any better than both of those. So I don't want to sell my students short by not getting them both promotions.

Well, I'm off again to live the dream. Take care now, bye bye then.]]></body>
	<date>09-14-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2095">
	<title><![CDATA[PCMA Organization]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Finally I have been invited to the PCMA by Larry Brooks.

About a year ago I inquired about the PCMA. I ended up sticking with another organization.

I e-mailed the PCMA the other day and Master Larry Brooks e-mailed me back and told me what I needed to do to become a charter school under the PCMA.

This is great. It means I dont have to start my own organization. It means I can look forward to yearly clinics, it means I have the support of the Masters of my art, it means I will be a student of these Masters and try to improve my skills even further.

I will stay with AARKJ because my instructor Master Chris Mitter has shown me so many things in life and in the arts. I will always truly be his in Budo. I will continue to grow from him as well. He has just been so busy lately with television shootings (for martial arts), learning from Master Jay in SSJ, and teaching his own classes. I understand how busy he must be. 

I look forward though to what will become of the future. I look forward to seeing what the PCMA can offer me as far as instruction. These guys have been around for much longer than I could imagine. I cant wait to learn some things from them.

Anyways, I have a class tomorrow morning. I am going to go over Kote Gaeshi and Yonkyo. This will be nothing new to them, but it will be great practice.

I think they have made it to the point where they know a lot of techniques. Now they just have to learn transitional flow and how to take balance away from someone, how to feed something and then attack. I like to call it chess. So many people get on this "new technique" kick, when in reality it is more than that. It is learning how to read the partner, feed the partner, and take advantage of  ma ai, and to learn how to adpat to reversals.

Well if I dont talk to you soon. Good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight. ]]></body>
	<date>09-14-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2084">
	<title><![CDATA[Class and Organization discussion]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Todays class went well. We did the normal on everything and the grand technique today was Juji Nage. We did Juji Nage from a rear choke, two hands on one hand, and a double wrist grab. We then covered Yonkyo and did this from several options as well.

I also discussed my ideas with Baylen today about making an organization. I have a name, a patch, and the basic premis of what I want the organization to add to the martial community. I have many ideas to make a martial organization work. The main reason Ive been contemplating this is because I see many martial artists that have no home, no real way of getting prmoted past a certain level because they have continued teaching while their Sensei has retired or died. Becoming a part of an organization would make sure that the students you have can thrive for their entire career.

With Aikido you have your Ki Society, AKIKAI etc etc. With Jujitsu we have a bunch of organizations that want to charge an arm and a leg and want you to fly here or there to test for your belt. Well to be honest, that's a pain in the butt. I know I have the skill, and I honestly cant afford to fly everywhere to get under a group that will more than likely not support me anyways (at least not the way I want to be supported).

So instead of getting under some hokey org, I think I may just run with my own and actually support those under it so they can do well with support.

What kind of support? Promotions, rank certificates for your students, charter certificates for your school, yearly clinics, a web site and forum to keep in contact, a patch to wear and be proud of, a minimum fee to cover certificates and no other fees. 

What? A non-profit organization that does something? Unheard of!

Well these are my ideas. I have the entire rank spectrum laid out and what the responsibilities will be.

1 President or overseer
6 Council Members

One representative from each art (Aikido, Jujitsu, Karate, Gung-Fu, etc etc).

Instructors and their students
 ]]></body>
	<date>09-09-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2082">
	<title><![CDATA[Shiho Nage]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I thought about the many ways that Shiho Nage can be applied and decided that we would work on Shiho Nage.

At first I showed them from a double handshake turning into Shiho Nage and throwing.

From there we went from a wrist grab then making the same movements of Shiho Nage.

Then we went from a push to Shiho Nage.

Then a lapel grab to Shiho Nage.

Then we did the throw like I was taught Kote Gaeshi in Aikido.

You circle or tenkan around guiding the wrist and then when you turn back into it, you guide the hand upwards and Shiho Nage can be done.

It took pretty much the entire class to do the different versions of the throw.

I noticed that, for me personally, on my left side on this throw I felt a little awkward. I havent felt that in years, but I did with this throw. I decided that I will practice this throw to the left over and over and over until they are equal in comfort. I forgot what it felt like to feel uncomfortable and I hate it. I feel as if instructors should be perfect, but if this were possible, we'd be called by another name. 

]]></body>
	<date>09-08-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2080">
	<title><![CDATA[The Calm]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I am a manager in retail, anyways, Im working in my store a couple nights ago and I am singing this song. I guess the song sounded similar to "ariba ariba andoley, andoley". 

Anyways, I am singing and all of a sudden some guy out of nowhere comes up to me throws his hand cart down and says, "Say it again mother fucker and see what happens!" 

I wasnt sure if he was talking to me, so I look both ways, and stand up, "Excuse me?"

He says, "Say it again, and see what happens!"

I respond, "Are you talking about the song Im singing?" At this time I notice this potent smell emitting from his person that smells of a strong alcoholic beverage.

He says, "Dont play stupid with me. You offended every hispanic in here."

I respond, "My son is half hispanic, and if I offended you, I apologize, but I was singing a song."

He states, "I said, say it again mother fucker." 

Then he moves his right hand slowly as if about to swing. I slowly move in position and give him one small target of my face. I do this so that if he swings, I know exactly where it's going to go and I can respond and subdue this drunk idiot. Then I figure this isn't worth the effort of breath.

I say, "You know I'm tired of the accusation and I'm not going to put up with this, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave my store."

He says sarcastically, "Oh this is your store?"

I pull on my name tag and then look at his face trying to put the letters M   A  N   A  G  E  R together.

He looks around at rhe crowd he's brought and walks away.

Now, the reason I name this the calm is because at any point I could have made this a physical altercation. He was waiting for me to respond to him in a forceful manner. Had I, I am sure I would have had to take this guy down. Knowing that I could handle myself made me not enter the fight or flight stage though. Having that confidence allows us not to enter the "NO TURNING BACK" stage.

When I was a kid, there would have been no way this guy would've said more than "mother fucker" to me. That would have called his doom.

A part of me wished I could go back and kick the crap out of this guys, just because I hate people like that. But another part of me knows that it wouldn't have been worth it.

Had I kicked this guy all over like I could have, I would've I'm sure caused many customers to stop shopping there, made a possibility of date line showing up, and making the headlines bringing the company down as a whole. In all honesty, letting go of a little pride was better.
]]></body>
	<date>09-07-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2071">
	<title><![CDATA[Growing]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[This last week has been fast paced for me. SO fast paced that I haven't had time to even write in the journal.

We had class on Sunday. It was a great class. I taught them Kote Gaeshi, and I started them in the "real fighting" training.

I have been trying to find a way to make these techniques effective and I am growing with each class. I see things differently and how I can make them totally effective in combat. I guess the way I teach is "martial" more so than "art". I feel most teachers bring on a sense of security to their students, but forget about the martial concept.

I have started training my students in "my" way. I can only say that because I have yet to find an instructor that teaches like me. 

I separate elements and bring them together.

The basics are the techniques. We have the many, many tehcniques to teach. This is the first portion.

Now we have to teach our students have to use those tehcniques against a fighting opponent. Not necessarily sparring, but against an opponent that is defending and also going to be offensive. What I do is I have my students compete. For ground fighting I may have them compete for position, then start over, and go again, and again, and again. I will teach them how to get into the position, how to get out of the position, and how to defend themselves so the person can not get into the position. Then I have them practice, then compete to see what they can do. This is the first portion.

Now I teach them a take down, and a few throws. These are the ways they can get their opponent to the ground. I will teach them how to reverse, and how to defend, and then I have them practice all of the above. Then they compete to see who can throw, or take down the other person first like wrestling without the pin.

Then I teach them an "arrest" or series technique and how to reverse it etc etc. Then they do sticky hands and try to get one another on the ground. 

Now at the end of class we compete in an entire spectrum. Meaning anything goes. You can take the techniques I have taught prior and today and see who can beat who until submission. Once someone wins, you get back up and start over. If there's more than two students, I have them do king of the ring style fighting. I join in sometimes to tire out the winner, and I allow the student to continue to compete.

Now this is how I teach my beginners.. I have not added in kicks and punches yet in our competition only because I don't have the safety gear yet to do so. Once I can afford the gear, we will add kicks and punches, and continue the same style of training. Then at the end of class my students will compete.

* Now during these lessons, I also teach the combative way. I teach them that in a real situation where death is a possibility, you could (add in certain technique). This way, they have the knowledge to be combat wise, and not just competitive wise. 

Now each lesson that takes place makes me feel more like a coach than a Sensei. I guess i feel like by changing things, I have become more of an instructor that is thinking about "real" situations and what I wish I had to make me become ready for real combat.

Of course, I have viewed some Japanese style training, and from what I have seen, they are rather "real" in comparison to Americans. So maybe Americans have just taken the "art" and made it such, instead of realizing that we are training people to defend themselves mentally and physically.

Now I know once I start an offical studio I will have to change some things if I want to thrive. I may have to only teach Judo for children or teach them Karate/Judo mixture. Children should not be taught the things I am teaching.

My classes are growing though. I started with one, now I have five. Not too bad for just being word of mouth.

I hope to make this a success, and maybe the hard training, is what will make me fail, but taking away anything from this, makes me feel bad for not preparing my students for real situations. From my experience what we lack as trainers is realism, and I am trying to create that.]]></body>
	<date>09-02-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2036">
	<title><![CDATA[playful randori]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So I had some practice today against 4 young teenagers (my soon to be step-brothers). There were four younger kids ranging from 12-16 and they said they would take me down.

So it started.

They ran in on me in swarms of two and I threw them with Sankyo, Younkyo, Shiho Nage, Irimi Nage, and other various Judo throws.

It was fun because these kids were relentless. They just kept coming back more and more. There were no rules except that I would not punch or kick, or hurt them much.

I forgot how much energy teenagers have, but they just kept coming in over and over an over for about an hour.

After that we all swam for about an hour, then back at it again. This went on three or four times in the eight hour period at the lake. It was honestly a lot of fun.

I did get to respond to attacks even if they were from children.

It may not have been real training, but it was definately fun to mess around outside of the dojo setting and just be a big kid.

The greatest thing, was that no one got hurt. We were able to have a great time without anyone really getting hurt. Of course they were not able to get me down either.

Im awaiting my students arrival so I can teach him some things today. But thats a different story.
]]></body>
	<date>08-17-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2028">
	<title><![CDATA[Padawan]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Todays class was phenomenal. I went over all the series techniques, some disengagements from wrist grabs, and ground fighting.

While ground fighting, I noticed that it was easy to get him in the Guillotine. I then taught him how to get out of it. We went over the standing guillotine and the grappling version. 

In all honestly it was the first time I have done the technique. I was grappling with someone last week and he got me in the move and I didn't have a clue how to get out. I looked it up on the internet and found how to get out of it. We practiced the technique and then went back to grappling.

It was fun. I realized that I need to teach him more ground fighting so that he can become calm on the ground. He tried really hard, which is a great trait, however, skill will be the victor over strength and agility any day on the ground.

So our next class will be specifically ground fighting and how to do moves, and reverse them. 

The reason I titled this as "Padawan" was because I have made conotations that this student was created from "miticlorines". He learns so fast. I brought some people in today just to see how quickly he learns.  

I taught him Yonkyo today and it was his first time learning this technique. After I taught him the basic move and taught him the pressure point that goes along with the move. He instantly got it, and was able to create so much pain that I went to the ground with ease.

After teaching him, I let him try it on someone that was watching and he didn't get the pressure point at first, but was able to get it after the second try which was amazing to me.

A lot of people put an emphasis on being amazed at the masters of Aikido, I think it's more amazing to see a new student able to learn from your teachings.

My goal is to teach people so well, that they learn it almost overnight. Of course you can't teach transitional flow or the feeling of energy overnight, but you can teach the techniques that will lead to them being amazing students once they learn to feel their opponents energy.

He is my Padawan, my student, and I believe that someday, if he continues his learning, he could become a Jedi Master with the ability to pass on knowledge to others and share the force.

That sounds funny after reading it back, but in all honesty, we are like the Jedi. We hold a code of conduct, we have kun, we attain the ability to feel energy that flows around us (Ki or Chi). We are in a sense, non fictional Jedi.


]]></body>
	<date>08-12-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="2009">
	<title><![CDATA[Ryan Walker]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So I introduced a new person to Jujitsu. I assume everything went well. I went through the basics and he has a good base which made it easy to teach him.

I taught him the three throws, Kote Gaeshi, and some basics of ground fighting.

I showed him the first five series techniques just as demonstration, but no practice. I wanted him to see the things he would be learning soon enough.

It was a good training, and I hope that he learned some things.

So afterward we discussed God for a few hours. I teach him Jujitsu, he teaches me about Godly things. It's more than I could ever ask for. I feel as if I am the lucky one here though.

The Bible has always defined me, but I am ignorant to all of it. The more he teaches me, the more I will change.

Anyways, great day...

]]></body>
	<date>08-06-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1996">
	<title><![CDATA[Concepts over looked]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Im not sure if others teach this method, but I do.

In training martial arts a teacher is supposed to teach in succession. Meaning, we teach in steps.

If my end result is to teach Irimi Nage, I would start off with footwork with a parry. So on and so on until the actual Irimi Nage was completed, then practive the entire movement in one technique.

I do the same with the entire fighting concpet. Sticky hands/feet is a way to combine footwork, with wrist locks, series techniques, and throws. The concpet behind this is to see an opening and take it to conduct a technique, however, you actually have an opponent that is trying to reverse or defend so its makes the technique harder to accomplish, yet it gives the people conducting this execrice a way of feeling what a real life opponent feels like. The reason is is called sticky hands is because in order to properly fight an opponent you want to have contact with their hands and know where their feet are at all times. We arent premonitionists that rely on seeing the future. So instead we feel our opponents. I try to keep contact with the wrists, and watch the feet so I can sweep, hook, or just know when the opponent is off balance so I can take advantage of this. In Chinese it is called Chi Sao as far as I know. I could be wrong.

Before this can be taught you teach transitional flow. Transitional flow is when you teach how to move from one technique to another. Finger lock, into Sankyo, Sankyo into arm bar, into hammerlock, into Kotegaeshi, etc etc. They all flow in succession. If you fail in one technique or the person fights out of it, then you have another technique to go to. When I teach a technique, I also teach what to do when you fail or the person fights out of it in one way or more. This gives your student a way to "see" that if something doesn't work, they have options. When I came into martial arts, this wasn't taught, so if I failed in showing someone a teachnique, they laughed and said it was "hogwash". I learned that there's always something that works, from things that fail.

So I have taught my student transitional flow, and now we are working on sticky hands.

Today, he did an excellent job. We even intermixed grappling and Judo throws into the sticky hands training. 

At the end I explained that after time, the Judo, kicks, punches, sparring, series techniques, and grappling will all come into play and we will full contact spar with submission.

I think at first he was reluctant and did not see the vision of my training and how I wanted to teach in steps. I believe he has seen the light after todays training. He now sees how this training will improve his overall performance.

I look forward to the day he can beat me. When a student of mine is able to beat me, then I have done my job as a teacher. Many teachers believe that they must remain the best so they hold back teachings, and leave the best for themselves. I believe that my students must beat me, or I have failed in what I am doing.


]]></body>
	<date>08-01-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1983">
	<title><![CDATA[Camping]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[My woman and I had planned on going camping this weekend. The other day though, we discussed it and I thought we were not going.

Well I wake up this morning and she asks me, "Are you ready to go camping?"

Instant stress accumulates my body and my blood starts to flow. I love being sporadic and I love doing things, but I HATE not being prepared. Where's the tent, wheres the sleeping bags, wheres the cooler, wheres the ice, wheres the fishing poles, wheres the food, who's cooking, whos all going, etc etc etc. I hate being "that guy".

"That guy" is the guy that never prepares so he's always borrowing things so he can barely survive out there. We are going with her entire family, so its not about just our immediate family. Its everyone there to witness this ordeal.

Okay, so now the stress is gone. What about working out? What about practicing martial arts. This is four days. Four days without my fix of my habits I am going to die out there.

These are the things I think to talk myself out of going, but in the end I will go to make her happy. I will enjoy myself. Why do I stress myself out?

I will train on simple movements and make my own kata while im there.
]]></body>
	<date>07-22-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1970">
	<title><![CDATA[Selective controversy]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today someone at work asked me to start teacing them martial arts. His name was Steve and he's asked me to teach him. He has 6 months before he goes into the Navy. I told him I didnt want a 6 month student and that I wanted to teach people long term. He was offended, but I cant help the way I feel.

Someone once told me that a student appears before his teacher when the time is right. I cant agree with that statement. The way these McDojos have tried to make a pretty penny on the arts has made the system way different from the past. People can find a teacher without an application process. They can start learning a martial art without ever having actually talked to the instructor to see if they're right for them.

I have always sought out good teachers when Ive wanted to learn martial arts. I call or e-mail the instructor and ask tons of questions:
1) What organizations are you a part of?
2) What Dan rank are you and when did you receive this?
3) What is the lineage of your style all the way to you?
4) How can I contact your instructor?
5) Is your style homegrown? If so who is the Grandmaster of this style and what styles make up this art?
6) How do your daily calsses ran?
7) Are there contracts?
8) What promotion system do you run?
9) What type of promotions Time based, skill based, class based?
10) etc etc etc

Now, I ask a lot more questions than that, those are just off the top of my head. I ask the same from my students.

1) Why do you want to learn?
2) How long do you plan to study?
3) Will you be taking other arts?
4) What is your past in the arts?
5) What is your goal with martial arts?
6) etc etc etc

I want as much selectivity in my students as I do my teacher.

Why is it that people have gone away from this??? ****Money****

It's all about the hardcore green dollar. 

I think people have gone away from the real reason we love the art, and ruined it for the american dollar. Dont get me wrong. I think its great that we can make money doing something we love. I just think it's become a little too rampant to the point where we arent selective about who we teach or who teaches us. 

We have these McDojos that are promoting black belts in two years. Two years of private lessons I can remotely understand (if the student has prior experience) , but not two years of a regular class from a beginner.

Ive seen black belts in other styles promoted to black belt in a new style in a months period. (Made me walk out of that school by the way).

Earn your black belt from our 4 video tape series!!!

What is that about? 

Sorry about the tangents. Just free writing. I just see sooo much garbage that it's hard to sort through to find the jewels.

My Kajukenbo instructor taught at a small rec center in the middle of nowhere. 

My Jujitsu instructor taught out of his garage.

My Aikido instructor was teaching from a small $600 a month place.

Etc etc. I cant say I havent been wrong. I learned Tae Kwon Do from a McDojo that made me sigh a contract at age 14. 

I took Isshin Ryu Karate and saw that black belt from Gojo Ryu get promoted in a month to Black Belt. You can justify this all you want, but it's not right.]]></body>
	<date>07-17-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1968">
	<title><![CDATA[Lessons]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So we ended up with a short class of 2 hours. We did the basics, and then worked on kaiten nage, juji nage, gokyo, guillotine and some submission grappling.

I added a kempo technique of black, check and counter and noticed that he had some serious work to do. I may start him off with some arnis next time to get him used to hand eye coordination.

All in all it was a good class and he shows improvement on a class basis.

I am going camping next week, so I may try to do some early am classes with him this coming week.

Its so nice not having a schedule to work around. I can just mention a day and time and he says yes or no. So far all yes.]]></body>
	<date>07-16-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1963">
	<title><![CDATA[Awakening]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[In my years of learning Martial Arts I never realized how many techniques I really knew. I've started doing private lessons with a youngster named Kyle madsen.

This kid has no experience what so ever. I am here to mold him and give him his basis in martial arts. Its a heavy load.

I think about things while Im teaching him and I think about martial concepts and how these things would really be put to use on the streets or in combat when necessary.

I think about our classes prior to having them. I think about what I want to teach him and I put things in a mental syllabus for the next day.

Tonight I just couldn't sleep. I sat up in bed thinking about Kaiten Nage and how it can be used when someone is trying to tackle you. I thought about a wrestling technique where you push your opponent to the ground and raise your legs and swing around to their back side, I think about the Guillotine and how it can be used in conjunction with placing your opponent in the guard by jumping on them. All of thse moves just for a tackle.

I get so excited about teaching these techniques that I just cant sleep. My adrenaline pumps and I cant wait to see Kyle learn the moves.

I live for teaching. I think I put too much into my students at times and I hope I dont scare them away with theory and the amount of things I teach. But I look at it like when i was a student. A teacher couldnt teach me fast enough. I could learn a kata overnight, I would learn a new move and mentally practice it at school, find friends to do it on, teach others just so Id have a chance to do the move again, and even when I got older I would do the same things, but at work and at home.

I once told someone that I had been taking martial arts all my life and he said, "Yes, Im a black belt in Karate, its one of the best hobbies Ive ever had."

I was offended. He said "Hobby". This isnt a hobby for me, its a way of life. Thats like calling my religion a hobby. Not to compare the two, but martial arts and religion define who I am.
]]></body>
	<date>07-15-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1942">
	<title><![CDATA[Training]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today Kyle (my student) and I practiced for three hours. We went over so many things. I wasnt sure if he would want to keep training so I threw a lot out there. I covered all kicks, punches, blocks, parries, first 3 throws, grappling, breakfalls, posture, stances, movement excercises. I covered a lot of everything in the time period.

I noticed that when you teach one person you can teach them more techniques than if you had a large class. However, the downfall is that one technique isnt practiced 100+ times with switching partners. The next class I have with him I am just going to do breakfalls, rolls, one wrist escape, one headlock escape, and Kote Gaeshi. I think thats a lot in itself to teach someone, but I want to practice these over and over until he feels comfortable with them.

This guy is a natural too. He says hes only trained in Judo when he was very young, and he quit shortly after joining. He learns fast, and so I dont want to hold him back. Hes already humble.

The only problem I have seen is when I do a technique on him he leads instead of moving when it hurts. I like to make sure the technique hurts or really works because on the street, people arent going to lead into the techniques, they are going to fight with you. But Im sure with time, this will change. ]]></body>
	<date>07-07-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1882">
	<title><![CDATA[Too much time off]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So I took a long time off. I recently had a baby and I worked more than ever to save up for this glorious event. 

Well, Im back to training again. I am teaching Jujitsu in my garage and everything is going great. Im planning on getting my guys close to green belt and having my instructor fly in to test them all. I think it would be great to see him and Im sure he has a lot of moves to show me. He has a deeper, greater knowledge than me, which makes me feel like a bad instructor. But I suppose those that came before us should always make us feel this way.

He has been studying with George Dillman now for years and he's got these pressure point knock outs down, whereas I am more of the "Ill take you down and submit you" type artist. I am great at what I do, but what I know could never compare to what I dont know. :)

Anyways, the road to discovery is always open so I will gather as much as I can in my personal journey to information.]]></body>
	<date>06-10-2005</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="1005">
	<title><![CDATA[Soreness]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So it's been a week. after last weeks Judo practice, I was sore, I mean sore. I havent been that sore since my first day of Jujitsu. I couldnt believe it. I felt so out of shape. Oh well, no pain no gain. I know thats chiche, but its so true.

So I had my Judo practice last week and we only worked on ground skills. It made me feel right at home. It was funny because it was my first day and one of the younger black belts teamed up with me. She asked me if I had any skills, and I told her a little. As soon as we started, I beat her very quickly. The next few people I beat very quickly as well. There was however, a black belt that I couldnt beat. He was about 290lbs and he had skill. He beat me by pinning me. I couldnt move. That was crazy! Im not used to the pinning thing, so I felt fine just sitting there. I guess I have to retrain to get out of certain situations in which I have become accustomed to.

I personally love Judo. I talked to my Aikido instructor and told him I would stop by this week after Judo. I know next month Ill be doing both. Ill do Judo, then go straight to Aikido. This is why I had to take a month off. I had to condition and prepare for this.

My schedule has changed a bit now. I wake up, do Judo, go to Aikido, then come home and lift weights, then go to work for 8 hours.

It's a cycle I tell yah. I figure it's only two days a week, why complain.

Once I start doing Kenpo Ill be busier. I guess I want to fill my days with training. two days a week is not enough for me.

Well, thats the end of this day. Kind of boring, but I figured it was time to come talk to myself again. :D ]]></body>
	<date>09-20-2004</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="968">
	<title><![CDATA[Missed Judo today]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I am feeling pressure from home. I live with my girlfriend and she constantly hourds me about time with her, I mean constantly.

I work at nights and I train right before I go to work.

Anyways- I have been off for three days because of the holiday and she pressures me to sleep (asleep) with her. Honestly, sleeping with her turns my schedule around so much that I am extra tired and can not do much ever.

I falter and end up sleeping with her. Well, I wake up and it's an hour past my Judo training. 

She is a priority to me, but when its unnecessary- why does she bother me. Okay okay- she lvoes me- thats great. I love her too. But honestly, just let me have my schedule. See me when you can, love me, and let me train!!!

I can't miss anymore training. It's making me go insane. I will end up resenting her for it. Ive talked to her about it, and she says, "I dont make you do anything, you choose what you do, not me." Thats great, but she pressures me to make the decisions I make.

I guess I just need to really have a heart to heart with her and ask her if "I" am what she really wants. Cause with me, comes martial arts. Its just the way it has to be. ]]></body>
	<date>09-08-2004</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="964">
	<title><![CDATA[E-mail from Sensei]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I got an e-mail from my Aikido instructor today. He sounded a little disappointed that I was leaving for a month, and said he would hopefully see me in October.

I feel bad, but it was needed. I always find myself at a crossroads with arts. It's either stay for the long haul, or leave. I guess I always feel this about 6-12 months into it.

The arts I have stayed, I always get at least Shodan in, but the arts I leave I never regret. I guess Im feeling a choice coming on.

I love the practice of Aikido, and I love learning certain things in Aikido. I guess the only thing I do not like is the fact that I am not learning any techniques. I guess after doing Jujitsu so long, I wouldn't learn any techniques, but when taking Jujitsu, I constantly learned new techniques, new throws, or something. It kept me interested.

It's the problem of learning too fast I think. I can be shown a technique and I will practice it at home with my woman, or with other students, and I will try variances, or from different grabs etc etc etc. So I try to make each technique my own..

I guess in other arts, you are rewarded with learning fast, and practicing at home. But in Aikido, there are no rewards. There are no promotions for "knowing the techniques". There is only self-growth.

I guess I feel like "what's the point?" I have instructor status in another art, and I already teach. Why do I need to start over and remain a white belt for over half a year when I have been practicing most of these techniques for years.

Maybe this is the self-growth process. Maybe the patience is what I need. Maybe I need to be humbled?

I honestly do not know what would be best for me as a martial artist. In my 20 years of training, only Sifu Davies and Sensei Mitter have seemed to promote people based on technique and not time. These instructors were both 5th Dan and above. So what's the deal with this Shodan instructor not promoting me?

Is it because he's not allowed to promote people to blackbelt? Is it because he knows his students cant go anywhere (as far as rank) after a certain level? Does he have issues with me?

I guess I'll never really know. I'll be forced to make the decision in the future..

Maybe I'll talk to him about my concerns.. But will I leave a bad impression.. But honestly, according to the syllabus, I have everything except the Jo and Bokken. Yeah, everything to 1st Kyu except those two things..

Oh well....  ]]></body>
	<date>09-07-2004</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="954">
	<title><![CDATA[Taking a month off of Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Well I decided today to take September off from Aikido.

I know, it killed me to do. Here's the issue. I am taking my next test for Jujitsu soon. I really need help in throwing techniques. Well I just joined a Judo club, and we practice Mondays and Wednesdays. I know I am not in shape, nor would I be able to take both the Aikido and Judo in the beginning.

So I took what I needed to take for advancement (Judo). 

I told my Aikido instructor that I would be back next month (which I will).

It killed me to make this decision, but I have to for the advancement of skills in myself.

I love Aikido and most of what it has to offer, but it can not help me in the Jujitsu type throws.

Well- this was my decision. I will go back so it's not like forever. I mean c'mon..

One thing that has annoyed me about Aikido though was the lack of promotion. No offense, but Ive been taking Japanese Martial Arts for 20 years. Aikido has a lot of the same techniques as Jujitsu. But for some reason I remain at a beginner level. 

I know, I know. People always say, "Promotions dont mean anything!" If you are concerned with promotions, then you aren't ready for one. etc etc blah blah blah.

Usually the people that took 10 years to get Shodan, pass that on to their students, even if their students are 200% better than they themselves were. 

I guess my theory of rank=skill is total BS. By the time I get my Shodan in Aikido, Ill be a 5th Dan in Jujitsu. Kind of crazy. I guess I look at things in terms of even Yoshin Ryu Jujitsu.

At the level you are, you should be doing your level of techniques fairly well, two levels underneath your level you should be doing the techniques like an instructor would. Not as good as your instructor, but as an instructor.

I guess Im ranting off the subject, but hey, it's my journal I can do that...

So now my schedule will be Mondays and Wednesdays = Judo
Thursdays and Saturdays= teaching Jujitsu

and after this month I will be back to Aikido on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Thats 6 days of training...

And on Sunday I shall rest.

Woohoo. Next month will be when I really start getting good.

Ill fly to Arizona and see my Jujitsu instructor and impress him (hopefully) after a year of that same schedule.

Weird... All I want to do is show my Jujitsu instructor that I have taken what he taught me and improved on it.. The things we go through for our instructors. If he's impressed, Ill be as happy as ever.

Funny even after 20 years, I am the biggest student ever, and I always will be. 

I dont think Ill ever stop learning. It just keeps going and going and going. ]]></body>
	<date>09-01-2004</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="941">
	<title><![CDATA[Jujitsu for Christ]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have completed my proposal to Real Life Ministries. I hope to soon be teaching once a week at the local church. This church is amazing, it brings in about 3000+ people from all over this area.

I sent an e-mail letting the OUtdoors and Rec guy know I would be willing to teach them Martial Arts.

He sent me an e-mail letting me know he was interested and to com visit him. 

I went over there, and he tells me I have to include a bible type discussion. I freaked... I know a lot about martial arts, but I dont know much about the Bible. I know enough, but not ENOUGH to teach it.

He tells me God provides us with all we need to know, etc.

I took a week to think about it. I am going forward with it. I decided to do it. I added some scripture memorization to each belt level, bought a devotional book to discuss and read in class. Im pretty sure this will work out.

I have seen Karate for Christ succeed, why cant I do this? I can, I know I can. 

I understand a lot of Easter mysticism scares Christians away from Karate, however, even in Aikido, one can not say where Ki comes from. I have never been told Ki comes from the Wiccan priestess, Buddha, Mother Earth, Zeus, etc etc. So the teachings of Ki do not need to include some Eastern religional belief.

Anyways- that's my day today. See yah Monday after AIkido. ]]></body>
	<date>08-28-2004</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="938">
	<title><![CDATA[Skipped Training]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I honestly didnt feel like going. Ive been slacking on Aikido lately. Ive been researching this Judo dojo and it's looking more bright to me.

I guess I feel I have taken what I can. I cant learn anymore, I can only improve my skills. But I can do that at home.

I like the instructor and the people, thats the only reason I want to go at all. ]]></body>
	<date>08-28-2004</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="930">
	<title><![CDATA[Kick Sparring?]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Today in class we did a nice technique. I always seem to power through techniques. I guess I make them happen instead of allowing them to happen. Oh well Ill learn.

I was noticing that Kirk (another student) has really great skill. He's only a yellow belt, and has been training for like 2 years. Im amazed that he's that low in rank. I think hes to a point that he doesnt care because hes learning. The guys got some patience.

Anyways- after doing this technique, we did kick sparring. Ive never heard of it. One person throws kicks at another, while he/she is to block those kicks.

It honestly seemed very awkward to me. No guidance, just block them. Well, I dont block kicks in Jujitsu, I either move, or I enter and take them down. It's what Ive been taught. How can I take away something I am great at, and do this junk that feels awkward? 

Its no my school so I try to do what Im supposed to, but I suck at it. This makes me feel ashamed. Here I am, an instructor of Jujitsu, and I cant do what this instructor wants me to.

In my old class I was the "best" in sparring. I beat my instructor time and time again. But now Im being told to learn another way... grrrr.. makes me mad. ]]></body>
	<date>08-26-2004</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="926">
	<title><![CDATA[Sparring in Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[We have sparred before in class, and I was told the point was to control and get out of the situation.

So class was about to be over and the instructor calls up the highest ranking student. They start sparring, not real sparring, but a form of it. The instructor is hitting at the student, and the student is blocking as many of the strikes as he can.

This goes on and it comes to my turn.

The instructor starts to throw strikes at me, and Im blocking some, and missing others. It feels weird to leave out my biggest defense, which is offense, but whatever, "Ill go along with it."

I start seeing openings for Judo throws. Although this class is Aikido, I am tempted to go in. I enter, and do not throw. I do this a few times, just to see if I could and I could, which makes me feel good. But is this what he is looking for? I dont really know.

I start to do sticky hands (Chi Sao) from lessons learned years ago in Kajukenbo. While doing sticky hands I feel an opening for a shoulder lock and I take it. I feel him fighting it, and Im not sure if I should do it, or not. I do, and the instructor goes down.

I feel embarassed because Im not really sure what the point of this is. I understand learning how to block, but Im not taught to block and take punches. Im taught to find Suki to attach and ma ai for safe distancing. What is it he wants? I want to charge and do a single leg take down and start grappling because this is where I am comfortable, but I know that cant be the lesson for this is Aikido not Jujitsu.

I guess I am confused, and lost. Im not learning how to use my techniques, unless I am allowed to do them, which I dont think I am. So is blocking the main point to this?

Oh well, I guess Ill wait until I get further advice, until then, Ill just enter to the point where I know I could do my throw, or move, and then play his game.
Tue 24 ]]></body>
	<date>08-25-2004</date>
</blogEntry>


</blogEntries>