Archive for February, 2012
Does MMA Help or Hinder Your BJJ?
This blog is based on my experience and methodology.
I started BJJ before MMA and got caught up in the all round skills needed to give the good guys a run. This made me work my guard, develop my top game and get attacks from both positions. Then I started training in MMA and found that certain positions meant a lot of pain and not much fun – AKA being on my back. Without knowing it from then I started working top control and attacks a lot more than working off my back. Going forward to today, and I may be wrong here, but my game is all about top control and keeping the other guy on his back. I use my wrestling skills to get people on their back and then use BJJ to keep them there and then attack their arms or go for a brabo ? that is my game in a nutshell.
So has training in MMA made my BJJ better? Here is the positive spin – as I avoid going to my back in MMA, as that is where I get punched, I have developed a good base which makes me hard to sweep and then if I do get swept I try to roll away so that they can?t control me after the sweep. This has given my BJJ focus and intent as I have an absolute goal. In fact recently I have noticed that even when I try to work my guard and someone stands and gives me a leg to grab I immediately grab it and go for a takedown and get top position. This methodology is so ingrained in to my brain it seems to be in entrenched in my BJJ game as well.
On the flip side, when rolling and I feel like playing guard (this is the usual situation against a mid level guy) I usually get them in my guard and attack, they defend and pass (due to the lack of my pure guard skills) and once they are in side control I escape and put them on their back then I find I try and get to mount so I can roll over and play the game again. This developed as I have a hell of a time getting back to guard from side control. I would love to be able to blame my size for this but sadly it is not the case. With this current mind set I have found myself using guard as a stall position, just like MMA, then I attack to get the sub or sweep. If that fails then they usually pass and I then switch to wrestling mode to get off my back. The down side is that I will give up positions in the process, as I back my wrestling to deal with the head to head or someone attacking my back when I am on all fours. This works most of the time but the when I am on my back against a good guy the only option for me is to get out and I have to have my defence going at 100% to get back to a place that I am happy.
So has BJJ hindered or helped my BJJ? I believe that all depends on how you look at my skills. In rolling I know how to keep to my strengths and avoid my weakness. Therein lies the problem – your biggest strength is your biggest weakness, which means if I am up against someone who is squirmy twisty guy that is like trying to control a piece of soap my plan B doesn?t get the practice it should to be effective.
In short MMA has helped focus and give my BJJ intent but has also given me tunnel vision and has left skills, that I would?ve worked without MMA, underdeveloped.
From what I have seen, for people with BJJ skill if they get some wrestling technique it seems to help them a lot. This is based on the theory that most people in BJJ learn the same things, with a slight twist on it. But at the end of the day an armbar is an armbar. When you add some wrestling in there it gives them a slightly bigger skill set with moves that BJJ guys haven?t had to deal with, which makes them effective. In New Zealand having any wrestling experience is going to put you ahead of the curve and give your BJJ game a boost.
Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
Good Trainer v Good Fighter
They are a great fighter, but does that mean that they will be a great coach? The short answer is no.
Have a think about the best trainers in the fight world: people like Cus D?Amato, Eddie Futch, Freddie Roach, Lou Duva, Greg Jackson, and Shawn Tompkins. They have all trained some of the best fighters on the planet but none of them really did anything in the sport themselves. This means that they know exactly what it takes, in terms of technique and strategy, to get to the top but they just missed a certain ingredient. This knowledge and love for the sport lead them to help other fighters in the gym and before you know it they have become a trainer (that is not the scenario for each of the names above).
Then you have the fighter who has a bucket load of talent, skill and heart but can?t make a fight plan to save themselves. These guys need the trainer in the corner to make the plan and adjust the plan as needed during the fight as the fighter cannot see it. Even the very clever fighters need help with this during a fight because as fatigue sets in thinking becomes very difficult.
How does this translate in to the fight gym? There is the guy that was a good fighter and now is helping the young guys out but what they don?t understand is not everyone is as dedicated as he was. In his day the fighter did all his fitness outside of the gym and turned up to every session raring to go. The fighter pushed to the limit on each session and was the last to leave on most nights. In short he got there through hard work and discipline, so when he is talking to the young fighters he assumes that they are all like him and he doesn?t need to worry about that side of the training. This leads to the fighter lacking in preparation as the fighter believed that everyone has the same drive as he did. You can?t blame the fighter for this as they just thought that everyone who wants to fight is willing to put ion the hard work and doesn?t need to be told ? sadly this is not the case.
The trainer is the guy that turns up and gives the fighters the session, someone who is a fighter cannot really train people ? there are exceptions to this ? as by nature a fighter has to focus on themselves and when you are training people you have to focus on everyone else so it becomes a contradiction. Therefore it is better to decide if you are either a fighter or a trainer. The trainer can focus on everyone else and make sure that they are doing all the right things, as they are not trying to get better at fighting themselves there is never any thought about themselves they are there to make all the fighters better.
It is good for a trainer to have a competed in their sport, although not necessary, so they know what it feels like. A trainer should never ask someone to do something that they would not be prepared to do themselves. The trainer has to be just as dedicated as the fighter, they should be at all the trainings and working as many rounds as the fighter and so on.
They are lots of examples of how a good player is not a good coach, Michael Jordan in Basketball was not a good coach but as a player unstoppable. In general most people become one or the other as there are very few examples, if any, of people who have got a world title in a fight sport and then trained a world champion. As they require contrasting skills you will usually succeed in one more than the other.
Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
People to Avoid in MMA
Here is a list of people to avoid when training MMA, and if you have trained for any length of time you will of come across them.
The UFC expert: The guy that knows everything, watches all the UFC events, and can tell you who won any fight ? thing is they have no talent or skill but will still tell you where you are going wrong, based on what they have seen on the UFC.
The training CV guy: You ask the new guy the ?have you trained before? question and they give you a look, with a slight smile, like they are hiding the winning lotto numbers. Then they proceed to tell you that they have trained in Kickboxing, karate, boxing, BJJ and have trained in America, Brazil and Europe. Turns out that they suck at all the styles that they have done, hence why they have done so many. This will not stop them giving you their CV before and after every session.
The Smart Guy: This guy will tell you the origins of each move and the percentage chance you have on landing it. Sadly the thing is they will also correct the instructor on any mistakes that they make, not so much on technique but if they mis-pronounce, mis-quote or get a date wrong.
The let?s go easy guy: The guy that will tell you that they have an injured shoulder so you should just take it easy, when what they really mean is that you go easy and they will try and rip your head off. Then if it doesn?t work they can always blame their sore shoulder if they lose.
The no tap guy: This guy is a direct relative of the training CV guy, they have done another style and are usually rather good at it, so they assume that they will be good at MMA. Turns out that they aren?t that good and they get their ass kicked. However they will not tap as they are too good for that, this leads the submission going on harder followed by a squeal (also known as the verbal tap) and then them complaining about you going too hard.
The little angry guy: This is the guy that is little and therefore believes that he can go hard on everyone bigger and they can?t go hard back, because they are bigger. If anyone ever beats them it is because they are bigger and stronger. They often complain that everyone goes hard on them and don?t realise their size.
The natural talent guy: This guy is a good guy and really likeable, however they have one big flaw and that is they pick stuff up so damn quick. They have been doing the sport for half the time as you and they are twice as good. When you ask how they get the move to work they answer ?I don?t know I just grab a leg and go?. Since they are a good dude it makes it difficult to dislike them – difficult but not impossible.
The I want to fight guy: They tell you that they want to fight, a fight comes up and then you don?t see them for 3 weeks. On their return they will tell you about their injury but will be keen for the next one, when they find that that is only weeks away they then have a wedding / event / concert/ family thing to go to ? and once again they are gutted.
This is only a sample of the people that you will come across on your MMA journey, chances are you already know some of them. Enjoy training with them as they do make each training eventful and some of them are great to practice your moves on.
Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
Do you Believe?
When training or competing do you think you could win? Do you think that your skills are good enough? Do you believe?
When you are in the heat of competition against a person that is giving you hard time do you start to think that you are going to lose and that this guy is better and there is nothing that you can do? Or are you the person that knows that even though they are being crushed under side control all you need is that split second for you to change positions and take the match?
There is a big difference between arrogance and confidence. Arrogance is belief in skills that you don?t have yet, where is confidence is knowing that you can trust your skills under pressure. In training I have been against guys who are think that they have the skills then once you stuff their first attempt then their confidence is gone and from that moment on you have them.
When you are on the receiving end of someone throwing a big combo, going for a big takedown or the submission more often than not you are close to being hit, taken down or being submitted. Even though the other person is close all they know is that have lost that battle and they lose confidence. If they only knew how close they were then they would get confidence from their attempt. The people who believe in their skills know that there moves are hard to stop so sooner or later they will get that success or use the fact that their opponent is focusing on something else to open up another possibility.
This belief is what wins that scramble, and the people that believe seem to have the luck. This does not mean that they are better they just believe that there moves will come off and are genuinely surprised when they don?t. If you hesitate on a takedown or submission then that moment has gone and you will miss it 99% of the time, when you believe there is no hesitation just opportunity to win. It becomes difficult that when you are against a top opponent who makes you work for the smallest improvement, but you must take that opportunity when it presents itself as it may be the only one you get.
To get anywhere in any combat sport you have believe that you can beat any of your potential opponents and anyone else unlucky enough to cross your path. Even if you are new to your sport you must be thinking it is only a matter of time before you are beating the top guys that you train with. Believe in your skills and that there is a way to beat everyone and it is only a matter of keeping to your strengths and avoiding the other areas.
Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor
Stuck in the Mud
Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Think about this quote for a second and ask yourself, does this quote apply to the way you train? Then you are either at or are about to plateau.
So you know what it?s called, so what can you do about it? Obviously the first part is note that you have actually reached the plateau, from there things need to change.
Yourself: The first and easiest thing to change is you. Generally you stall when you are working the same skill set over and over again making you a predictable opponent. When you are predictable you are easier to stop. The easiest away around this is work on new skills. This may mean that you will not be as effective as you are usually but will pay off in the long run. If you are wrestling and you are great with the single leg then work your take downs from the clinch. In BJJ if you are a dominant top player, aka a munter, then work the world of guard. In kickboxing if you have good punches then start using your legs to set those hands up.
Training Partners: Everyone has that person at training that they like to partner up with, you know their moves inside and out and you get along well. They are holding you back – the minute that you know what the other person is up to you need to train with someone else. Otherwise you only work the areas and defences to the moves that your training usually does, also when you are good friends you run the risk of talking a bit more than you should and wasting some valuable training time.
Environment: So you are the biggest baddest striker at your MMA club, if you stay in your environment you are obviously going to plateau with no one to push you. Instead of going through the motions at your gym go to your local boxing gym and jump in the ring. There you will be against guys that don?t need to worry about leg kicks, head kicks or takedowns so their foot work and movement is a lot different. As they move different it will give you a complete new puzzle to solve and at the very least light a little spark with your striking again.
Instructor: At your club your instructors and the other members know if you are good or not and you have made your reputation. When you go to another gym who don?t know you from a bar of soap all they see is someone that has done some training and will look at you with a different set of eyes and give you different things to think about. You may be the man at your gym but at another they see your skill and give you a new perspective on a technique or better yet a new technique. Best case scenario is that they strip you right back to basics and work the skills you haven?t even thought about for years as you had ?passed that stage?.
The bottom line is that if you don?t change what you are doing then your results will stay the same. I am not saying leave your club or stop training with your training partners, but for one session, one week what ever you can do just change something to get that spark back and makes you think ?what the hell am I doing?. You know exactly what I mean by this – remember the first three months of training all you thought about was how to get better, how to stop the takedowns, how to tap someone out and how to stop getting hit. Get back to that zone and get through that plateau.
Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor