Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Seminars: Year One (Roy Dean) Extended Review
First up before beginning the review I would like to thank Roy Dean for his superior customer service and a very top notch BJJ instruction compilation.
It takes me a bit of time to digest things I see on video, so I will review this DVD section by section.
I will start with Roy Harris Seminar on the open guard. First I think a little background is in order: I had purchased other BJJ instructionals and found many of them lacking in the detail that I require to learn. Most of these tend to be “When he does this you do this..” and this approach does not work well for me since I pay attention to the details and the concept and once I master it then I implement and improvise. I discovered Roy Harris’ on Youtube and really liked the way he showed all the details of the techniques. So I purchased Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Over 40 and have really started to get really good results with it (Review will be coming soon).
When I saw the Roy Dean DVD and saw that Roy Harris teaches the open guard then I decided to buy it since my weakness is with the open guard and I wanted to shore that up. Also I saw his open guard seminar in Poland and that sealed the deal so I bought it and boy am I glad I did!
The following is an outline of the topics covered by Roy Harris in this Open Guard seminar at the Roy Dean Academy:
I. Pushes to defend against the pass
1. Hand on the jaw and neck
2. Hand cupping the bicep/tricep and pushing the elbow
3. Forearm in the arm pit (if you lose the hand on the jaw)
II. Pushes with the feet
1. Push bicep at the crook of the elbow
2. Push hip
3. Push the outside or inside of the knee (sweep)
III. Put the defensive pushes of hands and feet together
IV. Pushes with Knee/foreleg
1. Push the shoulder
2. Top of the chest
3. The hip
V. Grips- Offense
1. Sleeve (or wrist if no gi)
2. Sleeve and elbow (or tricep if no gi)
3. Grip the lapel at the clavicle
VI. Put the offensive pulls with the grips and pushes with the feet and knees together.
VII. Hooks
1. Inside the knee
2. Outside the knee
3. The hip
He then goes on to say that this is the extreme basics of his open guard game and make up 90% of his game in various combinations.
He also goes into some really interesting yet efficient defenses for common guard passes.
After watching this part of the DVD twice I was able to noticeably improve my reactions when I was playing open guard and I am sure that with more study and practice I will put it all together.
If this review sold you on buying Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Seminars: Year One you can purchase it direct from Roy Dean at http://www.roydeanacademy.com/dvds or at Budo Videos. If not yet then stay tuned since I will review the rest of this DVD as I go along.
Below is Roy Harris’ Open Guard Seminar in Poland
Links:
www.roydeanacademy.com
www.royharris.com
E-Journal of Jujutsu from Roy Dean
www.jujutsujournal.com
It takes me a bit of time to digest things I see on video, so I will review this DVD section by section.
I will start with Roy Harris Seminar on the open guard. First I think a little background is in order: I had purchased other BJJ instructionals and found many of them lacking in the detail that I require to learn. Most of these tend to be “When he does this you do this..” and this approach does not work well for me since I pay attention to the details and the concept and once I master it then I implement and improvise. I discovered Roy Harris’ on Youtube and really liked the way he showed all the details of the techniques. So I purchased Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Over 40 and have really started to get really good results with it (Review will be coming soon).
When I saw the Roy Dean DVD and saw that Roy Harris teaches the open guard then I decided to buy it since my weakness is with the open guard and I wanted to shore that up. Also I saw his open guard seminar in Poland and that sealed the deal so I bought it and boy am I glad I did!
The following is an outline of the topics covered by Roy Harris in this Open Guard seminar at the Roy Dean Academy:
I. Pushes to defend against the pass
1. Hand on the jaw and neck
2. Hand cupping the bicep/tricep and pushing the elbow
3. Forearm in the arm pit (if you lose the hand on the jaw)
II. Pushes with the feet
1. Push bicep at the crook of the elbow
2. Push hip
3. Push the outside or inside of the knee (sweep)
III. Put the defensive pushes of hands and feet together
IV. Pushes with Knee/foreleg
1. Push the shoulder
2. Top of the chest
3. The hip
V. Grips- Offense
1. Sleeve (or wrist if no gi)
2. Sleeve and elbow (or tricep if no gi)
3. Grip the lapel at the clavicle
VI. Put the offensive pulls with the grips and pushes with the feet and knees together.
VII. Hooks
1. Inside the knee
2. Outside the knee
3. The hip
He then goes on to say that this is the extreme basics of his open guard game and make up 90% of his game in various combinations.
He also goes into some really interesting yet efficient defenses for common guard passes.
After watching this part of the DVD twice I was able to noticeably improve my reactions when I was playing open guard and I am sure that with more study and practice I will put it all together.
If this review sold you on buying Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Seminars: Year One you can purchase it direct from Roy Dean at http://www.roydeanacademy.com/dvds or at Budo Videos. If not yet then stay tuned since I will review the rest of this DVD as I go along.
Below is Roy Harris’ Open Guard Seminar in Poland
Links:
www.roydeanacademy.com
www.royharris.com
E-Journal of Jujutsu from Roy Dean
www.jujutsujournal.com
Thursday, April 10, 2008
EVOLUTIONARY FITNESS
When you hear the terms Paleodiet and Evolutionary Fitness you may think, “Hey eat and workout like a caveman, right?” “I do Jiu-jitsu, so I already do that.” However if you are like most when you guzzle down that post-workout protein shake to insure optimal recovery and muscle mass you may be doing more harm than good according to Art DeVany, scientist/athlete and one of the leading proponents of Paleodiets and Evolutionary Fitness. Art believes that this post-workout ritual interferes with the release of growth hormone caused by intense exercise by creating a large spike of insulin which as many of you know, shuts off the release of GH. So you can be short-circuiting your attempts to recover but that is only the tip of the iceberg. You also can be setting yourself up for Type II diabetes from insulin receptor burnout.
Evolutionary Fitness coined by Art DeVany is a lifestyle that includes eating according to the tenets of the Paleodiet as well as specific exercise advice. This philosophy is based on the premises that we are genetically indistinguishable from humans from our distant past, however the difference is that the lifestyle and diet runs counter to the conditions our genes have adapted to. This modern lifestyle is a major contributing factor for disease conditions such as Syndrome X, heart disease, cancer and other “diseases of affluence.” By restoring the diet and exercise patterns of our hunter gatherer ancestors we can reclaim our health and lead fuller lives.
So what specifically is this Paleodiet thing anyway? According to Ray Audette, author of the classic, Neanderthin it is a natural diet in which you eat what is edible when you are naked with only a sharp stick. Very simply do not eat grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar and starches. Do eat meat, fish, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The aim of this diet is to consume what our bodies have evolved to eat as well as control blood sugar. A lot of people on this diet report a reversal in auto-immune issues as well as weight-loss and increased energy levels.
The Do’s:
• Workout intensely not much more than 3 times a week
• Lift weights for not much more than 25:00
• Workout hungry so you start with high GH levels
• Anaerobic work in the form of sprints or on a bike
• Wait 60-90 minutes between your workout and first meal to insure high GH levels
• Have fun and have variety
• Eat the Paleo way
The Don’t’s:
• Aerobic exercise
• Train to failure
• Eat right before or after your workout since the insulin spike curtails GH levels
• Avoid sugar, starches, and empty calories in your diet
My take is that this approach is a very valid one and I was following it many years ago. As you guessed I fell off the wagon and went back to the usual same ole same ole due to some personal problems. I ended up about 30lbs heavier and just recently I decided to revisit this approach. I have been doing it for over 2wks and have noticed that my waist has dropped a couple of inches and I have lost 10lbs.
I must say I differ slightly with some of the recommendations of the Evo. Fitness folks as well as some of the other online fitness gurus since I think aerobic exercise has value. They tout strawman arguments such as using marathoners as examples for oxidative stress and the difference in fat burning etc. for the reasons of doing anaerobic training (interval training and equivalents) vs. aerobic.
I argue that anaerobic (read glycolytic = sugar burning) creates even more oxidative stress and is more catabolic due to the cortisol produced. I can speak of this from experience from my days as a collegiate runner (1500-5,000M) in that at the beginning of the season after doing all aerobic (> 60% VO2 Max) with some strides for turnover and weight lifting I was physically stronger than at the end of the season when I was “fitter (faster)” however I was also physically weaker and on the verge of being sick. A majority of my training during this point of the season was at 80-110% VO2Max. Mark Sisson of the Evo. Fitness crowd stated that “Humans were just not designed to work for extended periods of time at 80-90% VO2max.” I wholeheartedly agree with him.
I think the 3 areas us Jiu-jitsu practitioners should focus on if following this approach in the order of importance would be of course practice, strength/explosive training (CP/ATP system not anaerobic), and aerobic running (relaxed varied paced). These strength/explosive training sessions should be done with full recovery (1:3-1:4) and build on the specific skills and fitness for Jiu-jitsu. Examples include but not limited to plyomentrics, heavy lifts, calisthenics, and short sprints can be employed.
One book that outlines this explosive strength approach and gives sample exercises, drills, and a program for Judo/Wrestling is the book/dvd set, Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness.
Enjoy…
Suggested Reading
Art DeVany’s Blog
Essay on Evolutionary Fitness by Art DeVany
Art DeVany interview with Charles Staley (audio link)
Mark Sisson’s Daily Apple
Training is no guarantee of health by Mark Sisson (www.slowtwitch.com)
PaleoDiet.com - The Paleolithic Diet Page
Performance Enhancer: Robb Wolf Interview from E-Journal of Jujutsu, Spring 2007 pp. 8-12
Evolutionary Fitness coined by Art DeVany is a lifestyle that includes eating according to the tenets of the Paleodiet as well as specific exercise advice. This philosophy is based on the premises that we are genetically indistinguishable from humans from our distant past, however the difference is that the lifestyle and diet runs counter to the conditions our genes have adapted to. This modern lifestyle is a major contributing factor for disease conditions such as Syndrome X, heart disease, cancer and other “diseases of affluence.” By restoring the diet and exercise patterns of our hunter gatherer ancestors we can reclaim our health and lead fuller lives.
So what specifically is this Paleodiet thing anyway? According to Ray Audette, author of the classic, Neanderthin it is a natural diet in which you eat what is edible when you are naked with only a sharp stick. Very simply do not eat grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar and starches. Do eat meat, fish, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. The aim of this diet is to consume what our bodies have evolved to eat as well as control blood sugar. A lot of people on this diet report a reversal in auto-immune issues as well as weight-loss and increased energy levels.
The Do’s:
• Workout intensely not much more than 3 times a week
• Lift weights for not much more than 25:00
• Workout hungry so you start with high GH levels
• Anaerobic work in the form of sprints or on a bike
• Wait 60-90 minutes between your workout and first meal to insure high GH levels
• Have fun and have variety
• Eat the Paleo way
The Don’t’s:
• Aerobic exercise
• Train to failure
• Eat right before or after your workout since the insulin spike curtails GH levels
• Avoid sugar, starches, and empty calories in your diet
My take is that this approach is a very valid one and I was following it many years ago. As you guessed I fell off the wagon and went back to the usual same ole same ole due to some personal problems. I ended up about 30lbs heavier and just recently I decided to revisit this approach. I have been doing it for over 2wks and have noticed that my waist has dropped a couple of inches and I have lost 10lbs.
I must say I differ slightly with some of the recommendations of the Evo. Fitness folks as well as some of the other online fitness gurus since I think aerobic exercise has value. They tout strawman arguments such as using marathoners as examples for oxidative stress and the difference in fat burning etc. for the reasons of doing anaerobic training (interval training and equivalents) vs. aerobic.
I argue that anaerobic (read glycolytic = sugar burning) creates even more oxidative stress and is more catabolic due to the cortisol produced. I can speak of this from experience from my days as a collegiate runner (1500-5,000M) in that at the beginning of the season after doing all aerobic (> 60% VO2 Max) with some strides for turnover and weight lifting I was physically stronger than at the end of the season when I was “fitter (faster)” however I was also physically weaker and on the verge of being sick. A majority of my training during this point of the season was at 80-110% VO2Max. Mark Sisson of the Evo. Fitness crowd stated that “Humans were just not designed to work for extended periods of time at 80-90% VO2max.” I wholeheartedly agree with him.
I think the 3 areas us Jiu-jitsu practitioners should focus on if following this approach in the order of importance would be of course practice, strength/explosive training (CP/ATP system not anaerobic), and aerobic running (relaxed varied paced). These strength/explosive training sessions should be done with full recovery (1:3-1:4) and build on the specific skills and fitness for Jiu-jitsu. Examples include but not limited to plyomentrics, heavy lifts, calisthenics, and short sprints can be employed.
One book that outlines this explosive strength approach and gives sample exercises, drills, and a program for Judo/Wrestling is the book/dvd set, Training for Speed, Agility, and Quickness.
Enjoy…
Suggested Reading
Art DeVany’s Blog
Essay on Evolutionary Fitness by Art DeVany
Art DeVany interview with Charles Staley (audio link)
Mark Sisson’s Daily Apple
Training is no guarantee of health by Mark Sisson (www.slowtwitch.com)
PaleoDiet.com - The Paleolithic Diet Page
Performance Enhancer: Robb Wolf Interview from E-Journal of Jujutsu, Spring 2007 pp. 8-12
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