Grappling Tips Newsletter

One of the worst organized MMA shows I ever saw was a small local show, back in 1996. Before I talk about that particular show though, I have to set the stage: UFC 9 had just happened. That UFC was 'special' because at the last minute the rules had been changed to ban punches with the closed fist to the face (more on the event and the backstory here).

Some of the fighters in that UFC ignored the no closed fist rule and merrily punched their opponents in the face (incurring minor financial fines along the road to victory). Other fighters apparently took that rule seriously and only slapped their opponents. Almost of the fans, myself include, were confused by what was going on.

So now let's get back to that particularly putrid local MMA show.

A friend of mine was coaching one of the fighters, so I was privy to the pre-fight rules meeting. I was interested to see what they would allow at these fights. This was before the athletic commissions got involved in regulating MMA so every event had a different set of rules governing the legality of headbutts, elbow strikes, knees on the ground, wearing of gloves, closed fist punching, etc.

Are you ready for the rules meeting? It was one sentence long: "OK, like it's total UFC rules".

That's it.

After that, the fights themselves were a gong show. Some guys were doing Pancrase-style open hand slapping. Other people were throwing repeat headbutts into their opponent's faces and trying to punch them in the balls. The referee, the same guy who had delivered the oh-so-concise rules meeting, seemed completely out of his depth as he tried to manage the mayhem.

The climax of the show occurred when one fighter knocked down his opponent near the ring ropes. He then grabbed the bottom rope, stood up and stepped on the neck of his opponent. With the full weight of his body and the tension of the bottom rope pressing down on his opponent's neck and pinning him there he started stomping his victim on the head.

And the ref did - nothing. He was useless anyhow, but this tactic so stunned him that he stood there and watched.

Finally the victim's corner stormed into the ring and bull rushed the aggressor off of their fighter. A near riot broke out, and eventually, after much yelling in about 3 different languages, the stomper was disqualified and the stompee, somewhat worse for wear, was declared the winner.

Of course this entire schmozzle was almost entirely the referee's fault (who was also the organizer and promoter, by the way). If I had been a politician, and this had been my introduction to MMA, I would have knelt down and made a vow that my life's mission would be the eradication of this brutal bloodsport. Not amateur MMA's proudest moment...

So what does that have to do with us today? MMA is much more regulated and standardized now, but jiu-jitsu and submission grappling tournaments still use widely varying rules. Some allow suplexing throws, others do not. Some allow certain leglocks, others do not. Some award points when you use the turtle position to reverse an opponent, others do not. Some allow neck cranks, others do not.

Even if you never compete, it's still worth clarifying the rules when you're about to spar with someone you've never rolled with before. If you're operating under the assumption that heel hooks are forbidden, but it's the bread and butter move at that other guy's home club, then things could go badly in a hurry. No matter whether you compete or not, make bloody clear that you know what the ground rules are; your ACLs will thank you for it.

Labels: Injuries, MMA

I trained with Denis Kang for the first five or six years of his MMA career. At some point during that time he became very, very difficult to sweep. Partially this was due to his increasing technical knowledge, but it was also more than that. He started refusing to accept getting swept, and would keep on scrambling and fighting the sweep from its initiation to its very end. Even when I managed to complete the first 90% of a sweep on him I could usually never finish the last 10%: at the very last instant he would bounce, twitch, roll and scramble, ending up back on his feet again.

Needless to say, this was VERY frustrating.

Refusing to concede a sweep has a lot of advantages. In MMA the bottom position is almost always a bad place to be, because your opponent can use gravity and land some very heavy blows. In BJJ and submission wrestling getting swept costs you points which could lose you the match.

Some grapplers, however, give up too easily when fighting a sweep. Often this is particularly noticeable for grapplers who love the guard position: they are almost relieved to be swept because it means that they can retreat to their comfort zone and start working their own guard game. Probably their jiu-jitsu would improve faster if they tried to keep the top position and worked on their guard passing skills.

Some people might argue that high-speed scrambling uses up too much energy, but think of it this way: if you do get swept and pinned then how much energy are you going to have to use to escape to a neutral position? It's probably a lot better to use some energy up front and prevent the sweep from getting finalized, rather than ending up in a bad position and having to settle in for a long, hard, and defensive fight.

Scrambling out of sweeps can be taught and trained. What you need is a training partner who will sweep you at 50% to 70% of regular speed, and then takes his time finalizing the sweep by coming to the top position rather slowly. He has to give you the time to scramble and get your legs back underneath you, rather than jumping on top of you and squishing you flat. It can be difficult to find someone who is willing to help you this way, but the results of this sort of training can be very valuable.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: I don't want to end on a downer, but I have to point out that refusing the concede the sweep is not without its own dangers. If you're trying to stop a very high-energy sweep, or if your opponent is heavy (or heavier than you), then the consequences of posting an arm out could include a sprained wrist, a hyperextended elbow or even a broken bone in the arm. The basic rule here is that it is OK to scramble but it is NOT OK to post on the ground with a straight arm. Better to concede the sweep than end up with your arm in a cast for six weeks!

Not having your arm straight and posted on the mat was also discussed in this previous tip: www.grapplearts.com/2008/02/simplest-way-to-avoid-injury.htm

Finally, some people take the principle we're discussing a step further and apply it to their standup wrestling, which is to say that they refuse to concede the takedown even after all their technical counters have failed. This approach is valid and has won a lot of matches, but the danger level of doing this is very high. I know several people who have broken their arms or dislocated their shoulders posting on their hands while fighting a throw, and every decent size Judo tournament features multiple visits from ambulance crews to pick up and cart off yet another Judoka who was doing all sorts of silly things while trying not to get thrown. Do it if you want to, but consider yourself officially warned!

Labels: Injuries, MMA, the guard

Acquiring new skill sets and polishing your existing skills is the very essence of training. When everything is working properly and you're surfing up the learning curve it is an exhilarating process. The learning curve isn't always smooth, however, and sometimes you run into things called slumps and plateaus. These two phenomena have some similarities, but are different.

In a slump your skills and performance deteriorate. Suddenly you have no gas, no coordination, and are always a step behind in sparring. Those sparring partners you usually dominate start dominating you, tapping you out with ease.

Oftentimes there is an obvious reason for the slump (at least in retrospect). Maybe it was because you were overtrained, or fighting off a cold, or emotionally drained from work, or sleeping badly, or not training enough. In any case, you usually figure it out and your learning curve starts to go head in the right direction again. Most slumps are fairly short, on the scale of days to a few weeks. It's very frustrating while it's happening, but at least it's over quickly.

A plateau, on the other hand, happens when you stop making progress and get stuck at the same skill and performance level for a long time. You might be training just as hard as you always have, but you're just not getting any better.

Plateaus usually last longer than slumps, especially as you become more skilled. Plateaus typically last one to several months, and sometimes as long as half a year. To make matters worse, during this time your highly inconsiderate training partners insist on continuing to make progress, widening the gulf and leaving you in the dust.

Plateaus are usually more demoralizing than slumps. Anyone can handle having a bad day or two, but training hard and not seeing any obvious benefits or improvements from training is hard on the ego and can make anyone question themselves.

The underlying cause for skill plateaus is hard to diagnose, and definitely harder than figuring out why someone is in a slump. Furthermore, without knowing the cause for a plateau it's hard to prescribe a cure, so often one is just left with a shotgun approach to solving the problem. Sometimes people have some success in ending a plateau by changing their techniques, training regimen, diet or the amount of sleep they get, but the fact of the matter is that most people's skills improve in little steps, not in a smooth line. You work and you work and you work and then, all of a sudden, BAM! Your game jumps up one or two levels overnight!

My advice for dealing with plateaus: maybe try shaking things up in your training or conditioning routine, but mainly try not to get too discouraged and remember that everyone goes through this at some point. Definitely hang in there: everyone gets better eventually!

Labels: Injuries, overtraining, the mental aspect

The stiff arm on the Heisman Trophy is an iconic posture in football, and it is used by players in every single game. In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, however, the stiff arm has a bit of a bad rap. One of the first lessons a grappler learns is to NOT push the chest with straight arms when trapped in the mount. This piece of wisdom is reinforced by training partners endlessly applying effortless armbars until the lesson is learned.

But there are many times and places to use the stiff arm correctly...

One good example is in guard pass prevention. I've written before about the importance of pushing the head to prevent the guard pass. If you manage to lock your arm straight when you do this it is much more efficient than using a bent arm: you can push your opponent further away AND it leaves you with more energy to think about what to do next.

Another example comes from offensive guard work. If you've seen my Butterfly and X Guard DVD then you know that transitioning from butterfly guard to X guard is one of my favorite techniques. This technique requires a stiff arm push to the ribs in order to keep your opponent's weight off of you. The most common error I observe when people try to do this technique is that they try to push with a bent arm, which usually just isn't strong enough to do the trick.

A final example is the backwards somersault mount escape. In this technique you bridge to get your opponent's weight forward, put your hands in his armpits, keep your arms straight and do a backwards somersault to escape the mount. If your arms are bent you just won't be able to pull off this escape.

A straight arm can hold much more weight than a bent arm, because the bones, not the muscles, are doing the work. Consider weightlifting: a person can usually hold (or 'lock out') at least a hundred pounds more than they can actually bench press. If the arm is bent then the triceps muscle has to actively work to push the weight away, and gets tired much more quickly.

Keep in mind that when you stiff arm your opponent in the middle of his chest you might be giving him the positioning and energy he needs to apply a quick armbar on you. On those occasions when I do stiff arm someone in the chest I am on ultra-high alert for the armbar. If you want to avoid the armbar danger, restrict your stiff arming to the head, hips or side of the ribcage.

Finally I need to say a few things about injury prevention. Intentionally stiff arming an opponent is very different from just sitting around on the mat with your arm locked out. It's also very different from putting your arm out straight to stop being thrown, which is a recipe for breaking your arm and/or dislocating your elbow. The general rule in jiu-jitsu is that you DON"T fully straighten your arms, and what I discussed today is an exception to that (very good) rule. Go ahead and stiff arm people, just be conscious about what you are doing and use it judiciously.

Labels: Injuries

We've added a lot of information on the care and feeding of cauliflower ears, a relatively common grappling injury. Read the whole article, Cauliflower Ears in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, here.

Labels: Injuries

Quick: what's the most important meal of the day?

If you said "breakfast" then you're wrong, at least if you're a hard-training combat athlete. According to Martin Rooney, author of 'Training For Warriors, the Team Renzo Gracie Workout', the two most important meals of the day are your pre and post-workout meals. Furthermore, Mr. Rooney isn't alone in this belief: there is research on sports as diverse as endurance running and weightlifting showing very significant effects of preworkout, and especially postworkout, nutrition.

Getting some extra liquid, carbohydrates and protein into your body shortly BEFORE a workout allows you to train harder, longer, and minimizes muscle damage and compromise to your immune system during your workout.

Eating (or drinking) within 45 minutes AFTER exercise actually helps heal your body, builds new muscle, and replenishes your body's energy stores so that you'll feel fresh for your next workout. Lack of proper postworkout nutrition is a huge contributing factor in overtraining. If you often feel like a stumbling zombie for 24 hours after intense training then the first thing you should try is making sure that you get good nutrition into your body soon after the training stops. If you're doing multiple workouts in a day then then postworkout nutrition is often the only thing between you and total system breakdown.

It is important that your post-workout meal be consumed soon after your workout (within 45 minutes). After training your body experiences an 'anabolic window', during which the cells of your body are especially able to absorb and use nutrients. This window starts to close soon after you stop training, so it is better to get something into your belly fast rather than waiting and having the perfect meal two hours later.

OK, so what should these meals look like? Most people agree that the pre and post workout 'meals' should be in liquid form, both to provide you with liquid to replace lost sweat and to speed absorption of the nutrients. Basically we're talking about an athlete's version of the bodybuilder's shake.

THE PREWORKOUT MEAL (c. 10 minutes before exercise)
This is a chance to get some liquid, fuel (sugar and carbohydrates) and electrolytes into your body before your workout, giving it something to burn up and sweat out. The addition of a small amount of protein helps limit muscle breakdown. A typical preworkout meal might consist of:

• 12 oz of water
• 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose and/or maltodextrin)
• 5 to 10 grams of protein (e.g. whey protein)
• electrolytes (mostly sodium, potassium and magnesium)
  

THE POSTWORKOUT MEAL (within 45 minutes of finishing exercise)
This feeding gets nutrients into your body at a time when it needs them most and also when it is most receptive to them (the 'anabolic window' window again). A typical postworkout meal might look like this:

• Lots of water
• 20 to 30 grams protein
• 80 to 100 grams carbohydrate
• electrolytes (e.g. sodium, potassium, magnesium)
  

These formulations have a lot of carbohydrates, and that's not random or accidental. Many athletes are so fixated on protein that they overlook carbohydrates, but carbs help replenish your body's energy supplies AND have stimulate your body to build more muscle. If I had to choose between a postworkout meal consisting either of carbs or protein I'd go with the carbohydrates every time (but obviously having a mix of protein and carbohydrate is the best).

You can buy powdered shake mixes that purport to give you the exact right mixture of these ingredients, typically with the addition of some secret or proprietary compounds (exotics like black mamba venom, or fancy chemical names like 2,3-diethyl-dichloro-cancer-some-day). While these mixtures are convenient they are also very expensive.

A cheaper alternative is to buy bulk powdered sportsdrink (Gatorade, Powerade, etc), maltodextrin (an easily absorbed carbohydrate) and protein powder (whey, hemp, egg, etc.). Play mad scientist, mixing up different concoctions using water or diluted fruit juice as a base until you find a mixture with flavor and consistency that you like. Feel free to experiment: for example I eventually discovered that my body reacts quite badly to whey protein and now use a variety of other proteins instead.

I can't say that I follow these guidelines religiously, but the bottom line is to try and get something into your belly immediately before and immediately after exercise. If all you can get your hands on is a small bottle of Powerade or Gatorade then that is still way better than having nothing at all. Please note that I've skipped over a lot of chemistry and physiology in this article: if you want to know more about this topic check out just about any sports nutrition book ('Nutrient Timing' by Ivy and Portman is one of my favorites).

Train hard, recover smart!

Labels: conditioning, Injuries, overtraining

I recently had a great discussion with Dan and Caleb from TheFightwork's Podcast about the role of leglocks in Brazilian jiu- jitsu. We discussed a lot of things leglock, including how to train them safely, how to use them to help augment your guard passing game, and how their role has changed and evolved within the sport. Check the interview out on the site or download it to your iPod.

Labels: Injuries, leglocks

Stephan's note: todays's tip is brought to you a guest columnist, my friend Don Whitefield (www.jiujitsulife.com). Not only does he offer good advice for older BJJ players, but if young punks were to adopt some of the advice I guarantee they'd get better faster..

I don't consider myself old at age fourty-two, but I know that my Jiu-Jitsu game differs a lot from the game of an eighteen year old. Anyone over thirty is considered either a Master or Senior in BJJ competition, and it is important for these students to understand the special rules that apply to them in order to make it to their black belt and beyond.

1. Rule: Roll Smart

Even if you feel like it don't take the young spaz by the horns and get tossed around. Give them a little space to protect yourself, even if it means giving up position. Another good strategy is to stay on the top for a while or keep them in your guard (if you can) and tire them out to equalize the playing field a bit.

The most important advice is to avoid unusual positions unless you are positive that you can trust your training partner to look out for you. Often injuries occur when senior students get into unfamiliar position and they and/or their partner make a wrong move in the heat of battle resulting in injury. You have to be able to completely rely on your partner before you can open up your game.

2. Rule: Protect your body

I see teens and kids in my BJJ classes sometimes bend their joints at angles that make me shiver, but after the initial squeal they usually are back on the mat within five minutes. Their tendons and bones are flexible, but we loose this luxury as we age. The problem is that this occurs slowly and unnoticed and we sometimes spar as if we were still teenagers.

We become only aware of our age when we have (painfully) gone beyond the flexibility of our body. Since our recovery time is a lot longer than five minutes try to follow this simple rule we have in my academy: "Tap today, train tomorrow". It reminds you to tap early even if you are not in a submission but just get caught awkwardly.

3. Rule: Recover smartly

It is sad that as teenagers we got away with 4 hours of sleep, eating only fried foods and sugary carbonated drinks. As you get older these sins will catch up with you, so change these habits if you still live that way. As a senior jiu-jitsu fighter you should get lots of sleep, water, protein, fruits, veggies and supplements; these will help you stay in the game (or get back into it if you get injured).

Be smart and recognize when you are injured: take the week off than have the injury turn chronic. Stretch every day to maintain your body's flexibility. It protects you while you roll and helps you to overcome injuries much faster. Once you return to the mats don't hesitate to point out your injury to your training partner so he can look out for you if necessary. Get medical advice early on if you get an unfamiliar injury, read up on it and educate yourself regarding recovery and prevention of these injuries.

Lastly, use your maturity and your ability to keep your cool as an advantage to prevent injuries, recover from them and protect yourself from future injuries. There is one good thing about not being a teenager anymore: You got a lot smarter since.

Labels: Injuries

We've been discussing injuries a lot recently, and it seems to have hit a chord with the Grapplearts readership. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I wanted to discuss one more thing before we leave this topic.

One of the most dangerous times in a martial artist's career is AFTER a serious injury, especially if it involves a lengthy break from training. Far too often I've seen a hard-training competitor get injured and start to gain weight, sometimes a lot of weight. I've known fighters who originally fought at 185 shoot up to almost 250 pounds. Some of them eventually get back to pre-injury bodyweight, but it's always a long and tough road. Others never competed again: they blamed the injury of course, but I think that the specter of getting back in shape had more to do with their decision than they would like to admit.

Of course not all hard-training martial artists are going to react to injury in this way, but it is fairly common. In some ways, the more serious the martial artist is about his training, the more likely it is that this weight gain is going to happen.

Maybe this weight gain is because hard training requires a lot of calories, and injury stops the training but not the daily caloric intake. Maybe it's because fighters have to stay within 10 to 20 pounds of fighting weight and react to their injury layoff by saying "screw it, KFC and cold beer here I come" . Or maybe it is that many martial artists rely on regular hard training to stay on an even keel emotionally, and when they suddenly can't train they become depressed and thus prone to weight gain or loss.

If you do have a major injury, keeping an eye on your bodyweight and doing whatever you can to maintain some level of physical conditioning is definitely a good idea. Doing something, anything, will help keep you in shape and make your return to the mats a lot easier.

In addition your physical well-being, keep an eye on your state of mind post injury. I am NOT a psychologist, and I DON'T know what all the answers are, but just because you used to win all the local tournaments doesn't mean that you're invulnerable psychologically. Do whatever it takes to keep your mindset as positive as possible while you heal from your injury. A more full discussion of fighters and depression was published by Fighter's Only Magazine.

Labels: Injuries

Several years ago I found myself waiting for a Jean Jacques Machado seminar to start: I was sitting on the mat, watching people train, and chatting with a friend . Jean Jacques, the jiu-jitsu superstar, strolled over to us and told me something that I think about almost every time I train. What was this nugget of wisdom? He corrected my sitting technique!

You see, I'd been sitting and propping my weight up with my arm which was posted on the mat behind me. My arm was straight and my elbow locked out. Jean Jacques told me never to sit like that on the jiu-jitsu mat. He pointed out that if someone behind me, absorbed in their sparring, rolled onto my arm then my elbow would be shattered. BJJ is such a casual martial art that sitting sprawled out on the mat seems like a 'normal' thing to do, but it's not the right thing to do and it's not the safe thing to do. Keep your arms where you can see them, and not locked out

This may seem like a minor detail to get hung up on, but the readership of this newsletter is huge. If I share this tip here then someone, somewhere in the world, will avoid a severely damaging arm injury. One less injury is a good thing, justifying the inclusion of this story in my newsletter.

Labels: Injuries

Several tips ago I gave some advice to a reader who had suffered a rather terrible string of orthopedic injuries while training in MMA . I also opened up the conversation to other readers of this newsletter and invited comments on several martial arts forums. Thanks to everyone who wrote in, and here is what they had to say:

• "I have realized I was getting injured when I was was gassing. With better cardio, I stayed more out of trouble."
• "Nutrition plays a huge role in injury prevention. Bones and ligaments, like muscles, need fuel to regenerate. Fish oil helps for inflammation (I use Carlson's fish oil.)"
• "Being fat is an invitation for an injury. Your body isn't as balanced, and you're carrying around more weight than you should."
• "The biggest thing to prevent injuries and especially reoccuring injuries is to understand what cause them, meaning the ANGLES your body is in, and where the PRESSURE is being applied to you and don't let it get in that position again even if you have to tap for no apparent reason. I have stopped sparring matches on many occasions and my partner was like "what happened?", I just tell them the situation and let them have to closest position with them being in advantage and restart. I have never had someone complain about me doing that."
• "Find a sports medicine doctor not a primary care...makes a world of difference!!!"
• "Warm up properly. Nearly every injury I've received in judo has been from going hard early in the session before I'm warm and loosened up."
• "I find (as a 60 year old fighter) that my injuries come from rolling with guys that weigh 50, 75 100 or more pounds heavier than me.... At my age i would like to work with more guys in my weight class. It would be easier and i would develop quicker if i could just work with someone in my weight class."
• "Sometimes it is important to turn it up a notch and escalate your sparring. Recently I sparred with some MMA guys who outweighed me and all went 110% in their sparring. When I took it easy I found myself in potentially dangerous situations (e.g. stacked on the back of my neck), but when I went all out and got to the top position I was alright for the rest of the match. It's important to be aware of your training partners' tendencies, but it's also really important to know yourself too.
• "There's a big difference between being 25 and being 37 or 40. I am now going to a traditional BJJ class that focuses on technique. That's what I need to do to improve. Rolling with a bunch of testosterone junkies isn't going to make me better. My goals are to (1) not get hurt, (2) have fun, and (3) improve my BJJ. In that order, since they all depend on #1."
  

Labels: Injuries, overtraining, training

Q: "I'm in my forties and and started MMA training a few years ago. Since then I have had many injuries including a shattered elbow, a torn knee, separations in both shoulders, and many, many more minor injuries. A sane person would stop training MMA, but i just can't give it up. I try to minimize injuries by warming up and stretching and doing some light weight training, but even now, just rolling with other guys, I get injured. Is it possible that my body just isn't cut out for this stuff? What should I do?"

A: It sounds like you have had a very bad string of injuries. There is definitely a problem, but without knowing you personally it is really, really hard to diagnose what is going on. This rate of injury is NOT normal, even for most MMA clubs. In addition to the pain of injury and the consequences for your body down the road, being injured all the time really cuts into your training and prevents you from reaching your full potential.

An obvious possibility is that you are training at a club full of very aggressive people, for whom every sparring session is a battle to the death. An alternative possibility is that it is YOU who is going way too hard in sparring, refusing to tap, etc. Either way, a simple way to diagnose whether you are in a hyperaggressive environment is to think about the other MMA and grappling clubs in your town: if you think that they are all way too mellow and laid back then it could actually be indicating that YOU are in the dysfunctional and counterproductive training environment.

You might be overtrained which could also lead to more injuries. Many people misunderstand overtraining - "but I'm not training that hard" they say. Overtraining isn't just about training too hard, it's also about under-recovering. You can overtrain doing only moderate amounts of training if your diet, sleep or stress management is inadequate. All this becomes even more important as you age - you just can't neglect your recovery the way that the average 20 year old punk can.

Finally consider that you are training in MMA, and that injury rates in MMA tend to be higher than in submission grappling (which in turn are higher than in BJJ). It's not always true, but as a rule MMA tends to attract younger, testosterone-fueled, ego-driven competitive types, and they can often make very dangerous training partners. In addition, MMA is a no-gi sport and that means that you have a faster, more explosive pace in sparring. By contrast, the gi in BJJ slows things down and makes it more of a mental game with strong aerobic and muscular endurance challenges without as strong a focus on explosiveness.

That being said, I'll share some ideas of where to go from here. Not all these suggestions necessarily apply in your case, and only you can figure which are relevant to your situation.

1. Make a mental commitment to tap out early and often when caught in bad positions.
2. Ask yourself it your training partners are concerned about your physical well being; are they trying to preserve their training partners?
3. Visit other clubs and try a class: maybe you've just taken up with a bunch of psychopaths at your current school. I'm not telling you to change schools, but the experience of training at another school (or even just watching a class there) can be quite informative.
4. Try BJJ with the gi, rather than MMA. You may find that the challenge of BJJ satisfies the same needs as your current MMA training but that the slower, more technical pace leads to less injuries. There are a lot of old, torn up Judo players in Japan who can't do much standing Judo anymore but still tear things up in newaza (ground grappling).
5. Find a sane, laidback training partner and do most of your sparring with him
6. Do more technique drilling and less sparring
7. Find out about overtraining and try to figure out if your rest and nutrition is providing the recovery you need.
   

Good luck with your situation - I really hope that you figure it out!

Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com

Labels: Injuries, overtraining, training

Physical attributes are things like balance, neck strength, limb length, explosiveness, leg flexibility, and percent body fat. Your physical attributes are the foundation of what you can do with your body, and are influenced by genetics, training, age and injuries

Some instructors teach as if everyone, regardless of age, build and flexibility, can use the same techniques. Well I'm here to tell you it's not true: physical attributes do strongly affect which techniques you'll be able to use against a struggling opponent. How your body is put together is an important factor to consider when you build your game.

The rest of this article will take a look at some concrete examples of how physical attributes aid, or hinder, the performance of specific techniques.

• Explosiveness and endurance are prerequisites for a 'mobility' game. If you don't have these attributes then you're still left with the option of a slow crushing 'positional' game.
• Different throws require different attributes. Great balance is critical for some throws like Uchi Mata, but others like Seionage require explosiveness. Timing is great to have for most throws, but some throws like footsweeps just won't work without it.
• People who regularly apply successful collar chokes tend to have killer grip strength (which can be improved by exercise)
• Standing guard passes require more balance and leg strength than do kneeling guard passes
• Longer legs are great for applying triangle chokes, and short-legged grapplers definitely need to make some adjustments in order to finish this submission
• Leg length is important for some, but not all, footlocks. The most leg-length-dependent footlock is probably the straight ankle lock (but Andre Arlovski proved me wrong by ankle locking giant Tim Sylvia in the Octagon). Leg length is a bit of an asset for heel hooks, but less so than for the ankle lock. On the other hand, leg length doesn't have much to do with successfully executing most kneebars, hip locks and calf cranks
• If you want to master the rubber guard (example shown here) then flexibility is very important; at a minimum you probably need to be able to put one foot behind your head and touch both knees to the ground when doing the 'butterfly' stretch.
• Strong arms can make some submissions more effective, including most guillotines, the Brabo choke, and the Kimura. Arm strength isn't as important for performing the armbar, but it is very helpful when it comes to defending the armbar.
• Leg length amplifies the effectiveness of the spider guard, but is relatively unimportant when it comes to using the half guard and X Guard
  

Keep in mind that every grappler who has ever set foot on a mat has had one or more 'weaker' attributes. You can compensate for weak attributes in several ways.

First of all, many attributes can be changed: flexibility, strength, endurance, speed, and balance can all be improved with training and conditioning.

Secondly, you can build your 'A game' around your strong attributes and figure out how to avoid depending on your weaker attributes.

Third, there may be technical answers to your problems. Talk to your instructor, ask your training partners and look on the internet for ideas. For examples of how the internet can help I'll point you towards three threads discussing adaptations to help short legged people develop effective triangle chokes: thread 1, thread 2 and thread 3.

In closing, let me emphasize that you should still spend some time learning and practicing techniques that aren't well suited for your body. Doing this will tighten up your defense: by practicing techniques, even ones that don't fit your body, you sensitize your spider sense to tingle when people are getting ready to try those technique on you. Also keep in mind that you may end up teaching some day, and you want to have techniques to show people who are physically dissimilar from yourself.

Labels: conditioning, Injuries, physical attributes, techniques, training

A few weeks ago I was doing some standing pummeling; both my partner and I were fighting to get underhook positions in the clinch (some things you can do from an underhook). On my way to class I'd thought up a new way to get the underhook and now I wanted to try it out on someone in the flesh. As we were tussling back and forth I tried my new technique and felt a slight 'pop' in my shoulder followed by some sharp pain.

At first I was confused, since we weren't going particularly hard and my opponent hadn't cranked me or used a dirty trick. As I rubbed my sore shoulder I figured out what had happened: my new method for inserting the underhook involved turning my body to the left and reaching my right arm out to the right. My arm was cocked out to the side of my body like a hitchhiker on the side of the highway, instead of being in front of my body (like holding a mirror up to my face). This sideways arm position took my shoulder close to the limits of its flexibility where it needed only a very small amount of clockwise rotation to get tweaked.

I then realized that I should have known all this already from my whitewater canoeing and kayaking days. Informed paddlers are usually quite conscious to keep their arms inside the so-called paddler's box, which Bruce Lessels defines as "...an imaginary box in front of your chest. The sides of the box are the planes that hold your arms. The front of the box if your fingertips. The back of the box is your chest, and the box moves as your rotate your torso left or right."

Paddlers use this concept because it helps keep their strokes efficient, and also because it helps keep their shoulders safe from being dislocated, which is unfortunately a fairly common in the whitewater paddling community (see the fifth point).

If you are a grappler you won't always be able to keep your arms in this imaginary box. Arm and body positions in grappling are a lot more variable than in kayaking, and also there are people actively trying to force your arm into a compromised position. You should be aware, however, that your arms are strongest, and your shoulders the safest, when your arms are in this imaginary box, and try to keep your arms within the box whenever you can. Think of the common shoulder locks like americanas, Kimuras and omo platas - they all rely on forcing the arm out to the side of the body, out of the relative safety of the box.

Should your arms drift from the box (or be forced from the box) and your shoulder get injured, paddlers also have a lot of good information on shoulder rehabilitation (see this previous tip for more info). My shoulder feels 100% again, so I don't have to use this information this time, but it's nice to know that it's there if I need it.

Labels: Injuries, techniques

If you are a longtime reader of this newsletter you know that I think very highly of running as a conditioning method. Long runs, sprints, hill runs - as you can see from the following articles I think that they are all great.

• My Default Cardio Workout
  
• All Else Being Equal, Work On Your Endurance
• There Can Be Only One: Running vs. Swimming
• A HIIT of LSD
• Some Sample Anaerobic Routines
  

What you might not know is that I used to have a love-hate relationship with running, and I had a long list of excuses to prevent me from just doing it.

Excuse #1: "I'm not fast". I used this excuse up until I graduated from high school. If you sent me around a track with a bunch of my peers I usually ended up towards the rear of the pack. What I didn't realize at the time is that your relative speed is completely, utterly beside the point if your primary goal is martial arts conditioning. What matters is getting your heart rate high, your lungs burning and your legs fatigued. Even though I don't possess enough fast twitch muscle to ever come close to a 4 minute mile, any running I do will improve my cardio and that will improve my performance on the mats.

Excuse #2: "It hurts too much". In my late teens, inspired by Bruce Lee's ardent advocacy of cardiovascular training, I decided to give running a second try. I didn't like it this time either. My lungs hurt, my legs hurt, and when my knees started to ache after a few weeks of regular running I decided that I just wasn't built for running. "I don't want to blow out my knees", I thought, and my running program ground to a halt.

In retrospect I probably tried to go too far too fast - had I started with a walk-run program and been properly fitted for running shoes to compensate for tendency of my feet to pronate (roll inward) then I probably would have been able to continue pain-free.

Excuse #3: "It's boring". Ten years later, in my late twenties, I suddenly had two very good reasons to start running again. Firstly I had just started this intense new activity called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and it was obvious that better cardio would equal better BJJ sparring and competition performance. Secondly I had set my sights on becoming a full-time firefighter, and just about every department I was applying to had some sort of timed run, 1.5 miles in less than 12 minutes typically being the minimum requirement, but added points being awarded for faster times.

This time when I started running again I was equipped with more knowledge and professionally dispensed running shoes. My problem wasn't pain, but rather boredom, especially on runs longer than 15 or 20 minutes. I tried to compensate for this by listening to music on my shockproof Walkman (this was pre-iPod) and by running in scenic locations. As I persevered for month after month, driven by the goal of becoming a firefighter, a curious transformation occurred: the boredom started to fade away and really started enjoying my runs. I'm not exactly sure how or why this change occurred - perhaps it had to do with my cardiovascular system becoming conditioned enough so that my mind could focus on things other than pain and discomfort - but it was a very welcome change nonetheless. Although I still sought out scenic running trails I no longer needed (or wanted) music very often - I began to appreciate the sound of my breathing and the slap of my shoes on the dirt.

Excuse #4: "I'm injured". In 2001 I sustained a serious foot injury while doing Judo. At first I thought my running career was over. Several surgeries later I was back on the trails, gratefully plodding away.

One year later a severe case of ITB (Iliotibial band) syndrome, resulting in severe pain on the outside of my knee, stopped my comeback dead in its tracks. This time the solution was going to orthotics, custom footbeds to correct your foot's rolling and twisting on the ground. These were 'silver bullet' solutions - my ITB pain went away the day I put them into my shoes and returned only when I took them out.

A note about orthotics: these devices DO work for a lot of people, alleviating foot, knee and back pain while running or walking. You could try an over-the-counter insert first: two popular brands are Sole and Superfeet inserts, available at most running shoe stores. If the generic inserts don't work and you want to upgrade to custom orthotics I strongly recommend that you go to a qualified podiatrist to get them: orthotics are dispensed by lots of doctors, massage therapists, chiropractors and running shoe stores, but only podiatrists spend 100% of their time dealing with feet, and the depth of understanding they bring to the table isn't matched by anyone else. Be prepared though - custom orthotics are EXPENSIVE! Be prepared to pay $300 to $500 for your first set.

Labels: conditioning, Injuries, the mental aspect

Q: You've previously discussed dangerous submissions. Do you think that the twister spine lock is a dangerous submission? How dangerous is the twister compared to other submissions, say something like a toehold.

Stephan's note: Just in case readers aren't familiar with these techniques you can see the twister used by Eddie Bravo many times here and the toehold taught by Chris Leben here.

A: The quick answer is that both submissions (the toehold and the twister) are dangerous.

If you were to collect injury statistics, you would probably find that more people have been hurt by toeholds than by the twister, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the twister is safer. The twister is a great submission - I use it myself whenever I get the chance - but it hasn't really hit the grappling mainstream yet. As such it is less commonly used and it's not surprising that injuries from this submission are still fairly rare.

The thing to remember about a twister is that it is a spine lock, just like other neck cranks, and that the spine, particularly the cervical spine which is targeted by this lock, is a delicate and unforgiving-once-injured body part.

One significant difference between the two techniques is the level of control necessary to apply the submission. The twister requires the victim to be pretty much immobilized and controlled, whereas the toehold can be applied with widely varying amounts of control (depending on the exact entry).

A common toehold injury scenario goes like this: one person applies a toehold on another person, but refrains from cranking it on because he knows that it can be a dangerous submission. The guy caught in the toehold decides to spin out - which is one of the correct counters - but spins in the wrong direction. Before the first person can let go something in the second person's leg goes snap, crackle, pop, and the toehold has claimed another victim.

When caught in the twister, on the other hand, it's very hard for your opponent to move this spastically. People still have egos, and it is very common for people to try and tough their way through a neck crank, only tapping after injury occurs.

I speak from personal and collective experience - neck injuries are no joke! I know a number of grapplers who have had their competitive careers cut short by neck injuries, and others who have quit the sport altogether. Severe neck injuries (or a series of less severe ones) can lead to herniated cervical disks, osteoarthritis, spondylosis, spondylitis, spondylolysis and many other nasty multi-syllabic conditions.

I use both submissions, but I treat them both with a lot of respect. If a person starts thrashing or refusing to tap I try to let go and move on to something else before they injure themselves and deprive me of a training partner.

Labels: Injuries, leglocks

I've received lots of feedback about a previous tip discussing how some methods of neck conditioning can be problematical for some people.

Grapplearts newsletter reader Kevin shared his favorite method of neck training with us:

"A neck exercise I use (because I have the same issue with compressiing my neck) is to use a swiss ball. Place the 45cm ball on a wall at ear height - this should be done in correct spinal alignment so that when you press into the ball your neck goes to neutral alignment. Then force against the back using the front, side, back, and side of your head, and then inward rotation. This is done 30sec each for a static hold. You can then build up. Use the Paul Chek (CHEK Institute) golf biomechanics manual for a reference. Proper neck alignment and stabilization is crucial for all athletic performance."

Another reader, Dylan, talked about his own neck training apparatus:

"One thing i do for my neck is to tie my belt in a loose loop (just like it goes around my waist) through the handles of an elastic exercise cable. I then place the loop around my forehead and do front back and side to side movements. This seems to work well for me."

'Matt' commented that

"In regards to neck harnesses, one of the best pieces of equipment I've ever bought is Lifeline USA's neck harness. Because it uses elastic resistance instead of weight plates, you're able to change the angle of the resistance much more easily, plus there's no momentum. I actually recall seeing footage of Rickson Gracie training with something much similar (although also much more crude...basically just rubber tube attached to a pole with some tape around it)."

ALSO: several readers enquired about where to get neck harnesses that you can load with weight plates or dumbells. They are available at various places online, but if I was to get a new one I would check out the neck harness at Hatashita.com.

Labels: conditioning, Injuries

Neck bridging is an exercise that is unique to the grappling arts. It is also controversial.

Broadly speaking, there are two main ways of bridging: the backwards neck bridge (as in the picture) or a forwards neck bridge (where you are belly-down to the mat). Most grapplers who bridge do both forward and backward bridging.

First the pro of bridging: it is a great way to strengthen the neck in sport specific positions. If you grapple you are eventually going to end up using your head to post on the mat or to push your opponent. You will also occasionally have your head introduced to the mat with velocity and force by your opponent. Either way, if your neck is strong and conditioned to bearing your weight, then you will be less likely to get injured when your head is bearing the entire weight of your body.

The major con of neck bridging is that some people's necks can't take it - my own included. My neck is strong enough to do at least one hundred front and back bridges, BUT if I do more than about 20 of either type I'm guaranteed a neck-ache that will last for days and require several trips to the chiropractor. Something about the compressive force on the vertebrae makes my neck very unhappy, and the resultant discomfort makes the benefits of bridging not worth it. I'm not alone here either - while there are some people who claim that bridging actually cured their neck problems I think the reverse (bridging causing problems) is much more common.

So given that a strong neck is important to prevent injuries, resist submissions, manipulate opponents, and make your clinch more effective, what are your options if you don't want to bridge? Here are just a few:

1. Lie flat on your back and lift your head off the ground a bit. Now repeatedly and reasonably rapidly move your head up and down, bringing your chin towards your chest and then away again. Start with a set of 20 or 30. You can add a bit of resistance to your forehead by pushing on your forehead with your fingers.
2. Lie on your back on an exercise bench, your head off the end of the bench. Now place a folded towel on your forehead and hold a 25, 35 or 45 lb plate on top of that with both hands. Now bob your head up and down just as in the previous exercise, but for fewer repetetitions.
3. Lie flat as in the first exercise, but now turn your head from side to side, looking towards one shoulder then the other. Start with 10 repetitions (10 times to the right, 10 times to the left). I like alternating this exercise with the first one in this list.
4. Neck harnesses, available at various wrestling and boxing suppliers, can be used to strengthen the erector muscles at the back of the neck. Think about resisting someone pulling your head down in a Thai clinch and you'll get a pretty good idea of what exercising with a neck harness feels like. Even though using a harness does compress the neck vertebrae somewhat, I find that it doesn't bother my neck if I don't overdo the weight or repetition.
   

The above list is only the tip of the iceberg: there are many other exercises and pieces of equipment that can be used to strengthen the neck. In general I would caution against extreme measures as the neck isn't really a body part you want to take to failure very often!

Labels: Injuries

There's one at almost every club. The guy who can't lose. The guy who always goes 100%. The guy who applies every submission with speed and power. The guy who fights as if his life depends on it. One sure indicator that someone is a grappling berserker is that he is always injuring his training partners and/or himself.

A favorite trick of a berserker is to say something like "I'm feeling tired (or sick, or injured) today, let's just go 50% and flow". Usually it takes less than 10 seconds of sparring for them to go into turbocharged berserker mode. Now you've got to make a decision to get crushed or to play his game and match his intensity.

There's nothing wrong with hard-fought, high intensity rolling, especially if you have competitive aspirations. Making EVERY sparring match a battle to the death, however, is suboptimal for several reasons:

First of all, the chances of injury increase, both for you and your opponents.

Secondly, since everything is tense, tight and explosive it limits the development of that elusive attribute 'flow'.

Thirdly, it limits your pool of training partners. People will start avoiding you on the mats, either because they don't want to get injured or simply because they aren't in the mood for an all-out dogfight.

Finally, it can stop you from becoming well rounded, because if winning every sparring match is the only thing that counts then you probably won't willingly put yourself into bad situations or positions you need to improve at.

If you have a berserker at your club I'm not saying that you shouldn't spar with him; in fact they can be very useful training partners depending on what aspect of your game you are working on. The main thing is that you have to know what you are getting into and be prepared for a battle every single time. Don't get sucked into starting out light and easy and then, without warning, having the intensity escalated on you.

Labels: Injuries, the mental aspect, training

The easy answer to how one should train dangerous submissions is "slowly, gently, and with control". Everybody knows this already, though, and people still get hurt, so obviously more explanation is required.

Below are some solutions used by different schools to solve the problem. None of them are perfect, but they should provide some food for thought.

-Use With Caution-

Many schools simply tell you to "be careful" when you are using dangerous submissions. What this means exactly is rarely clear in advance, but the implication is that you should moderate how hard and fast you apply your submission, which is certainly better than the applying them full force.

For this approach to work students need to be well informed about which submissions are dangerous. It's not always obvious how damaging certain submissions can be.

Ego is the enemy in this training method: ego makes you apply dangerous submissions a little too fast, or makes you tap out a little too slow when you're caught in them yourself. If there is someone in your club who just can't handle losing or tapping out then this is NOT the method of choice.

Finally, keep in mind that the level of force you might consider to be safe could be quite different from what the class spaz thinks is safe, so pick your sparring partners carefully if you are playing under these rules.

-The Complete Ban-

Another valid approach is to just to ban dangerous submissions - many clubs, for example, forbid heel hooks and neck cranks outright. This approach requires the instructor to make the ground rules clear to all new students and visitors so that there are no misunderstandings.

The problem with this approach is that you really only learn to be aware of, and defend, submissions when you are attacked with them in sparring. If you're never attacked with wristlocks, for example, then your ability to defend wristlocks will be weak. This is a particular problem if you're a competitor: if you want to compete successfully then the competition rules must be reflected in your sparring.

-The Rank-Dependent Ban-

Some schools ban certain submissions for students below a given rank or belt level. For example, you might have to be at least a purple belts to attack with, or be attacked by, neck cranks.

This approach assumes that higher ranks have greater control, awareness and discipline, which, for the most part, is true. The other assumption is that the higher belts are better able to recognize when they are caught in a dangerous submission and tap out earlier. A beginner doesn't differentiate between tapping to a triangle choke and a toehold, but the consequences of refusing to tap are very different: one results in unconsciousness, the other in torn ligaments, muscles and broken bones.

-Catch and Release-

Another approach is to use the 'catch and release' method when attacking with dangerous submissions. Here you apply the technique but don't finalize it - no pressure is actually applied against the joint. As soon as you have the submission positioned you let go and continue with your sparring.

The problem with this approach is that it could result in an argument that goes like this:

"I got you"
"No you didn't, I would have escaped"
"Yes I did get you - I was blocking your counter"
"Whatever, but my dad is still stronger than your dad"

I guess we're lucky that everyone we train with is a LOT more emotionally mature than this...

-10 Second Rule-

A variation of the catch and release method used by some schools is to have a '10 second rule', which means that holding a submission position for 10 seconds (but not actually applying it) is considered to be a successful attack. You might end up putting your opponent into a heel hook but not applying any pressure against the joint. For the next 10 seconds your opponent tries to get out while you use your arms and legs to prevent and block his escape attempts.

This method does require some emotional maturity, because initially you are going to 'tap' less people when you train like this - 10 seconds is a long time for people to work their way out of a submission. You also have to be on the lookout for somebody inadvertently cranking the the submission on tighter while they are wildly twisting around, trying to escape.

This method can actually IMPROVE your submissions, because you will learn how to control an opponent and counter his escape attempts, rather than relying on speed to obtain a quick tapout. This way of applying a submission is basically what Jean-Jacques Machado did to me the one time we ever sparred.

-The Bottom Line-

Regardless of the rules and restrictions placed around certain submissions, it all comes down to preserving your training partners. The ethic of applying submissions carefully comes from the top down. If the instructor and senior students at a school take the time to explain the dangers of certain submissions to everyone then they've just help make the training environment a whole lot safer.

It is critical that everybody is on the same page. I'd rather be sparring under anything-goes rules than be in a scenario where my opponent and I have differing assumptions about which submissions are legal. I remember one sparring session where I spun to attack my opponent's feet, secured a toehold and then stopped (basically I was using a 10 second rule). Instead of trying a technical escape my opponent applied his own vicious toehold with all his strength. I screamed in pain, yelling out "Why the hell did you do that?", "I had to", he replied, "it was the only way I could get out". Our differing assumptions resulted in my injury.

In closing, remember that, no fool-proof system of dealing with dangerous submissions is proof against a sufficiently talented fool. Even if your school bans a certain lock DON'T get complacent about it, or leave yourself vulnerable to it, or refuse to tap to it. Maybe it will be a newbie who just doesn't know, maybe it will be a visitor who just doesn't care, or maybe it will be your friend who just applied it by accident, but dangerous submissions DO get used at every school. Protect yourself at all times, and remember that protecting yourself includes tapping out early and often, whether the submission is 'legal' in your school or not.

Labels: Injuries, leglocks

Not all submissions are created equal: some cause pain, some put you to sleep, and some do a lot of damage. Today I want to talk about the latter category, those submissions most likely to send you to the orthopedic surgeon. Knowing which locks are dangerous is important for at least two reasons: first, you need to know which submissions to tap out early to if you are caught in one yourself, and second, it helps you preserve your training partners.

Many dangerous submissions have a narrow margin between the onset of pain and the onset of damage. When you get caught in a straight armbar (which is a relatively safe submission) you initially feel pain, then more pain, then a whole lot of pain and then something goes 'pop' in your arm; in other words you have lots of warning to tap out before major damage occurs. For a Kimura, on the other hand, the situation is a bit different: pain and damage come much closer together, and the margin for error is smaller. An even more extreme example is the heel hook, where you sometimes get damage BEFORE the onset of pain, especially if the recipient is all hyped up on adrenaline. It goes something like this: the lock is applied, something goes 'pop', and then the pain starts.

So which submissions are dangerous exactly?

As I mentioned above, the Kimura isn't the safest armlock in the world, but other arm manipulations have an even higher injury rate. The two worst offenders are bicep slicers (aka bicep compression locks) and wristlocks.

Among the leglocks, anytime there is rotation or twisting to apply the lock it becomes a lot more dangerous. Twisting leglocks include heel hooks, reverse heel hooks, toeholds and steering wheel footlocks: all are very effective and efficient submissions, but they have destroyed the ligaments in many grappler's feet, ankles and knees.

When it comes to attacking the neck, most chokes and strangles are relatively safe given that you release the technique the moment the person taps out or loses consciousness. There is a slight tendancy for chokes, which attack the windpipe rather than the side of the neck, to cause bruising in the throat if applied vigorously. Neck cranks, however, are in an entirely different category. If you are not very careful and/or if they don't tap out, a neck crank can very easily damage the ligaments, muscles, nerves and/or joints of the neck. This can end someone's jiu-jitsu career, not to mention making pain-free life a distant memory.

The above is NOT an exhaustive list of all dangerous submissions, but it's a good start. I just wanted to highlight the submissions that, in my experience, have the highest percent-injury rates. Also (and this should be obvious) you can severely damage an opponent with just about any lock if you apply it irresponsibly, so don't go crazy with your armbars and ankle locks just because I consider them safer than neck cranks!

Next time I'll address how to train these dangerous submissions in a realistic way without crippling everybody in your club.

Labels: Injuries, leglocks

Concussions are an ever-present possibility in grappling, especially if you do a lot of takedowns or striking. This article on post-concussion syndrome is well worth a quick read just in case you, or someone you know, suffers from headaches, dizziness and trouble concentrating after a blow to the head.

Labels: Injuries, MMA

Q: How can I still train if I have an injured hand, wrist, arm or shoulder?

A: One great drill to do (whether you are injured or not) is the 'Two Legs, One Arm Drill". Start with a partner. Both you and your partner grab your own belts (or waistband of your shorts) with one hand, effectively taking one arm out of play. Now you start with one person in the open guard trying to pass: he can stand or kneel as he wishes. The other person defends using one arm, both legs and hip movement; if he can pull off a sweep, so much the better! If one person passes the guard both people stop, go back into the guard, and start again.

I have used this drill while injured on a number of occasions, and every time the leg agility and open guard defense have improved noticeably. The hard part is not letting go of your belt while scrambling, but this is critical to the drill.

In addition to this drill, I would suggest that you do whatever you can on the conditioning front. Can you still run? Go on the stairmaster? Weight train your legs and core? It will all pay off when your injury heals and you are ready to go 100% on the mats again.

Labels: Injuries, training

Most instructors, motivators and 'experts' will tell you to train, train, train. Today I am going to tell you the exact opposite: there are some days when you shouldn't go within a hundred yards of a mat. The trick is figuring out which days those are.

Let me start with silly story time: a few years ago I got invited to a sparring session with a couple professional MMA fighters (don't ask me their names - I won't tell). I had had a really crappy night's sleep, but accepted the invitation anyhow. During my trip the gym, however, I had this feeling of doom: it wasn't nervousness per se, I was just not happy about the upcoming sparring session and was sure that something was going to go wrong.

As we were lacing up the MMA gloves I mentioned that I wasn't really well rested and that I had a premonition that I was going to get injured. Both fighters laughed and told me they'd been out partying the night before so they had probably had less sleep than I.

The sparring went OK at first: I was getting hit a lot, but sort of holding my own. In the fifth round my opponent tried to kick me: I caught his leg and charged forward, knocking him down. I followed him down to the ground in order to stabilize the position, and planted my nose directly on his knee: CRACK!

As the blood trickled out of my broken nose and down my face I told myself: "I knew I was going to get injured!"

As it turns out, the broken nose was actually the LESSER of two injuries. A few minutes later I went to the washroom and was surprised to see the toilet bowl turn red: at some point I had gotten punched, kicked or kneed so hard in the kidneys that I was actually peeing blood. Lovely!

Since that day there have been several times when I was about to go to training but didn't because I had the same feeling. On these days my unconscious mind took stock of my physical and mental condition, the training environment and my likely training partners and came to the conclusion that training was not the right thing to do. I'll never be able to prove that taking a break on those days prevented disaster - perhaps I could have trained and been perfectly OK. On the other hand, if I can avoid an unnecessary injury then I will get more, not less, mat time in the long run.

Learn to recognize and respect your spider sense telling you that something isn't right.

Labels: Injuries, the mental aspect

I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas (or Happy Chanukah, etc) and a Happy New Year. I'd like to thank you for your support in 2006 and hope that 2007 has good things in store for you, your family and your friends. May you have an injury-free and breakthrough-filled year of training.

Sincerely
Stephan Kesting
www.grapplearts.com

Labels: Injuries

Q: "What are the true dangers of neck cranks?"

A: It is funny how many clubs ban leg locks but allow neck cranks. Necks are under a lot of stress in grappling, even under 'normal' conditions: throw in a couple of uncontrolled neck cranks and you are looking at herniated disks, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis and a whole host of other painful degenerative conditions.

A lot of things can go wrong with a neck crank. First the person applying it can be just plain malicious. Or uncontrolled. Or he can slip. Or the person caught in it might not tap early enough. I'm not saying ban them outright (although you could make a strong case for doing just that), but treat these submissions very carefully: they can easily end someone's grappling career.

Part of what makes neck cranks dangerous is that nobody ever taps when they are just lightly applied. It's always like this: say you're caught in a neck crank - it only hurts a little bit - you suffer through the pain, hoping to find a way out - your partner applies it harder - you resist - your partner applies it harder still - you finally tap out. Subsequently, surprise surprise, you find out that your neck is injured!

If you tear ligaments in your knee, your ACL for example, you can get it fixed with surgery. It is a painful procedure with a long recovery time, but it can be done. If someone slams a neck crank onto you, however, your surgical options are much more scary.

Until the day when surgeons routinely do full neck replacement surgeries (don't hold your breath) APPLY THOSE NECK CRANKS LIGHTLY, TAP EARLY AND DON'T BE A HERO. If you can't do these things then don't play with neck cranks at all.

Labels: Injuries

Injuries suck. They hurt, they take a long time to heal, and most importantly, they prevent you from training. Knowing how to train around injuries is an important part of getting better at any sport, and this is especially true in grappling.

In the past I have often used tape, braces and other gear to protect minor injuries and stop them from turning into major ones (as discussed here, for example).

Major injuries are more tricky, because your number one priority should be not to make that injury worse. However, often there is still some limited training you can do. For hand, arm and shoulder injuries, for example, you can tuck that arm into your belt (or grab your waistband) and work your open guard using just your legs and one arm. If your opponent passes your guard then STOP, let your opponent go back into your guard, and then start again. I have done this exercise safely with a cast on a fractured arm, and when that cast came off I found that I had really improved my open guard game.

As you may know, I recently injured my neck. A pinched nerve root at the base of the cervical spine has resulted in weakness and numbness down my left arm. A neurologist tells me that these injuries typically take 3 to 6 months to heal. Furthermore I'm not supposed to do any grappling nor lift any heavy weights until it heals.

Now being stubborn and foolish I'm going to partially ignore my doctors. I intend to continue grappling until this heals, albeit with several important caveats:

1. I'm only going to do light rolling
2. I'm only going to roll with people who have good physical (and emotional) control.
3. I'm going to avoid any and all positions or techniques that put strain on my neck
4. It's going to be ridiculously easy to tap me out: just grab my head or neck and I'm going to tap right away
   

I also intend to do a lot of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning during my recovery, since running on flats, hills and stairs doesn't seem to irritate the injury at this point. I'm going to do some light weights, just to maintain some muscle tone in my upper body, but definitely nothing heavy or extreme. Finally I have used this injury as an excuse to buy a couple of jiu-jitsu books and DVDs that I've been wanting to look at for a while now.

When I heal up I'll still be in the grappling mindset, have great cardio, and be ready to go!

Labels: Injuries, training

Grapplers are a tough bunch, and generally tend to ignore injuries unless broken bones are actually protruding from a wound. I want to temper this tendency by using the Grapplearts pulpit to discuss a very serious category of orthopedic injury: strains and sprains of the lowly foot.

About 5 years ago in Judo I tried to take down a large opponent and got caught in an awkward position. There was an audible 'pop' and I collapsed in pain, holding my foot; it felt like someone had driven a spike right through it. Regular X-Rays at the local ER didn't show anything, and over several days the pain gradually decreased, all of which seemed like good news.

An extensive google search got me worried though: it seemed that there were certain types of foot injuries that were often misdiagnosed and went through a brief period of 'improvement' before getting much, much worse. There were references to fusing bones and foot amputation. Therefore, despite the assurances of the ER doctors, I pulled some strings to see my sports medicine doctor, and things started to happen.

Within the hour I had new X-Rays, weight-bearing X-Rays this time. Later that day I was in the office of a foot surgeon. One week later I was in the operating theatre and under the knife. 9 weeks later I returned to work and (light) training.

It turned out that I had suffered something called a Lisfranc injury, where certain important ligaments are torn. The foot looks and feels OK at first, but every time that foot bears weight it pancakes out to the side, there being no ligaments to hold it together. Things that shouldn't rub or move end up rubbing and moving, and before long a crippling form of arthritis sets in. Caught early - one to two weeks after injury - the prognosis is good. Untreated this injury rarely ever heals well.

So the take-home message is that if your foot ever goes 'pop' you have no choice: go see a specialist. All foot injuries are serious until proven otherwise, and most serious foot injuries are also time sensitive: early diagnosis and treatment might just save your grappling career. Hell, it might save your walking career!

Labels: Injuries, leglocks

While I'm referring readers to interesting articles, let me also direct you to another piece which analyzes injuries and injury rate in MMA competition. It seems to confirm a suspicion I have long held that MMA competition is pretty dangerous when it comes to injuries, although your chance of dying is quite small.

Labels: Injuries

My newsletter last week about grappling with an aging body generated a fair bit of feedback. Some respondents thanked me for the article (you're welcome). Others called me a candy-ass and that I should work harder and complain less (they were joking, I think). A few shared their own experiences and lessons learned, and I think it worthwhile to share these insights with the Grapplearts readership. In particular I encourage 'younger' readers (ie under 35) to pay attention to this stuff: first of all Father Time will catch up with you too, and secondly, most of this advice will make you a better grappler regardless of how old you are.

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Martin W. shares 6 secrets he uses to remain competitive in his fourties:

1. I fight differently than I used to. New guys waste a lot of energy. I can get someone in my guard quickly and they will expend far more energy trying to pass than I will keeping them in.
2. I am extremely cautious in allowing myself to get in a compromised position and having to work extra hard to get out. I will scramble hard to prevent someone from getting side control or mount. I fight really hard during the scramble, then lower my rpm's at different points in the fight.
3. I close my eyes a lot when I fight. There are many times during a 6 minute sparring session where I am extremely relaxed and keeping my eyes closed makes me very relaxed. It is something I just shut off and on. During a fast, short and tough scramble for position, I am 110% going hard with my eyes open. But when we are tied up, and we are both fighting for minute, tiny advantages my eyes are closed. I fight kind of on and off the whole time. It is also unnerving to an opponent. They don't know if you are tired, or playing possum, or on drugs. :)
4. My strategy is different. I have found that a lot of guys work hard to get the mount, then they don't really know what to do once they get there. Or they can't keep it very well, or their armbar attempts are lousy. Sometimes I won't worry that much about an aggressive guy fight for the mount. He fights like the mount is the ultimate goal. I let him get it, then reverse him. The guy works really hard to get the mount and uses all hisenergy.
5. You are right about sleep. It is crucial. I try not to overtrain. I try to train 3 times a week, jog and lift a little once or twice a week and take off once or twice a week according to how I feel.
6. Stretching. I stretch every morning and every night. Many times during the day also when I am working on the computer. I find that stretching the legs and hips are the most beneficial. I am constantly working to try and do the splits, some days are really close, then other days, not so close. It's funny, all animals naturally stretch, but a lot of people don't. It helps circulation, flexibility, makes wrestling easier, and can really help prevent injury.

That's it. That's my two cents.

-Martin Walker

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Eric G. talks about preventing joint problems:

I am 43 years old and have been involved in martial arts for over 21 years - the past 10 in BJJ. I have developed arthritis in my right hip due to injuries that I didn't take care of, and until recently I sparred hard every training session (3x a week). I have lost a great deal of flexibility and comfort in my right hip, so, I am re-learning BJJ with a handicap. The hip problem not only effects my injured hip but my other hip and back. Putting my socks on in the morning is a challenge now. It's not something I wish on anyone.

I did karate for ten years which involved a lot of leg work, so, my muscles around my hip stayed strong. My only workout for the past several years has been BJJ (and I have been stuck in desk job) and I use to think that BJJ was a great workout, but it has some problems on maintaining overall muscle development. I am learning this the hard way.

For hip therapy, I am seeing a chiropractor once a week for PT and a doctor every three weeks for Prolotherapy. As result of the therapy, I have come to realize that I have allowed some muscles to atrophy to the point that the joints have become loose which in turn allowed the hip joint injury which lead to the arthritic problems.

Some things I would recommend to all martial art practitioners, of any age, to ward off joint problems are:

1. Warm up and stretch lightly before each practice or exercise session.
2. Do some kind of strength training that keeps all the muscles strongalong with your training.
3. Do a complete and thorough stretch immediately following practice or exercise.
4. Don't overtrain.
5. If it hurts, don't work it out and seek the advice of a trainedhealth professional.

To the young guys, I say injuries are cumulative, so, don't let being young lull you into thinking you won't have problems later if you injure something now. The neglect you show today will haunt you tomorrow.

Eric G.

Labels: Injuries

The following question was submitted by a subscriber of the Grapplearts newsletter.

Q: What are your views on the 'aging grappler' who tries to keep rolling into his thirties and forties? What are some limitations and injuries to watch out for?

A: As an 'aging grappler' myself (at thirty seven years old) this is a topic near to my heart. I have found that I can work out just as hard as when I was young, but that it takes longer to recover from a tough workout. Recovery is heavily affected by hormones, and an older grappler just doesn't have as high levels of testosterone, growth hormone and other hormonal factors to recover as fast as some twenty-year-old punk.

So what is a thirty, forty or fifty-something grappler to do? As I prepare to rattle off some suggestions I am reminded of the old joke which goes: "take my advice, I'm not using it". If I followed my own advice rigorously then I'd be in bed right now preparing for tomorrow's training session rather than typing this newsletter...

1 - Don't train hard every class, especially if you are training often. If each sparring session is a battle to the death then you won't recover in time for your next class. If you are always compounding incomplete recovery with more incomplete recovery, then overtraining, injury and illness become certainties, not possibilities.

2 - Pay attention to recovery, especially after harder training sessions. One reason that pro fighters and other young whelps can train so much is that they usually have the luxury of sleeping in, as well as taking naps during the day. This added sleep is a surefire way to recovering faster from workouts.

Now I realize that people with full time jobs and/or family obligations are unlikely to be able to sleep 9+ hours a night, and take naps whenever they are tired. At the very least try to get somewhere around 8 hours of sleep when you are training hard.

Pre and post exercise nutrition is also a huge factor in muscle recovery. A sportsdrink right before you work out, and a protein-carb drink immediately afterwards, willhelp you recover faster.

3 - Accept that you are in it for the long haul, and that there will be good days and bad days, hard days and easy days. The performance of older athletes isn't determined by how hard they train on a given day, but rather by the cumulative results of years of training.

4 - Consider doing some weight training once or twice a week, IF you can do it without overtraining. Careful weightlifting can help prevent injuries by strengthening muscles, ligaments and bones, and less injuries mean faster improvement on the mat.

5 - Take inspiration from the athletes who have performed at incredibly high levels at age 40+. Randy Couture is an obvious example, becoming the UFC's Light-Heavyweight Champion at age 40. Fred Hatfield was the first man to squat a mind-boggling 1000 pounds, and he did it at fourty-five years of age!

6 - Remember that strength and endurance are finite, but that there is no end to technique. High levels of technique CAN overcome youthful energy and enthusiasm, so ask questions, analyze deeply and study hard.

Labels: Injuries