Kids in BJJ and/or MMA

There has been a lot of controversy of late about allowing kids to train in mixed martial arts or any of its components (brazilian jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing, etc). Many parents and organizations cry "child abuse!" at parents that allow their children to train, claiming that the sport is just too violent. These sorts of claims just show that, although the sport has made great strides in moving into the "mainstream", there is still a lot of ignorance and misunderstanding of the true nature of MMA.

The early days of the UFC probably contributed to the myths of MMA. At that time, the fights had no real rules, no time limits, and the referees were basically in the cage to start and end the fights. Many of the early UFC fights were extremely brutal. After Dana White and the Fertittas bought the UFC in 2001, rules were established and they set about working to legitimize MMA as an actual sport, not some gladiatorial bloodbath. The MMA fighter of today is a highly skilled, highly conditioned athlete, who must be well-versed in kickboxing, boxing, brazilian jiu-jitsu, and wrestling, just to survive in the cage or ring. Strategies and techniques are routinely employed in these fights, so there is definitely a cerebral element to it as well.

I don't train in full-blown MMA myself. I train strictly in BJJ. The reason being that, especially at my age, i really don't care to get hit. I would rather just grapple. I have a background as a wrestler so this seemed like a logical progression. I definitely want to get Zach started with BJJ and wrestling at an early age. I think those sports will help out a lot with coordination, self-confidence, and quick thinking in a fluid environment. I would not be in favor of adding striking until he is older, however. If he wants to eventually add the striking elements and study MMA, I will be happy to let him do so. That will be his decision, however.

Is the study of MMA among children abusive? Absolutely not. If a parent is forcing a child who does not wish to do so to study a striking art, then yes, that may at least border on abuse. But if the child is enthusiastic and enjoys the art, then more power to them.

Thoughts on Geocaching and Fitness

Another of my multitude of interests/passions is the sport of geocaching. For those of you who don't know, it is a sport involving the use of GPS technology to locate hidden containers. The containers are sometimes hiding in plain sight (which can be a challenge as you try to find them without drawing too much attention to yourself and giving away the existence of the cache to outsiders who may then potentially destroy or otherwise ruin the cache) or are often hidden in more remote areas (such as woods in parks, etc). There are over 1 million caches located in various places around the world. There are even some caches that require specialized equipment to retrieve (rappelling gear, caving gear, SCUBA, etc). The game is really about the thrill of the chase more than anything else. The containers, if they have anything in them at all, typically have trinkets in them that will appeal more to small children than anyone else. So, for the most part, you find the cache, sign the logbook to prove you were there, and move on to the next one, logging your finds on geocaching.com, which keeps your totals and various other statistics. The game has taken me to many very cool little places that I would never have known existed if I weren't playing. This is another activity I am very excited to do with Zach when he gets to an appropriate age.

On the fitness front, I am continuing with BJJ twice a week and am trying to incorporate some other things into my regimen such as P90X, Insanity, and Kettlebells. I am in my early 40s now and am determined to make this next decade the most fit of my life. I want to be as healthy a husband and father as I can be. The hard part is carving out the time to do something each day. It is so easy to find other things to do. I have BJJ tonight, but tomorrow night my plan is to do a workout of some sort. I will keep you posted.

The Dilemma of Mike Portnoy

I was reading today about the dilemma that Mike Portnoy finds himself in. Portnoy, for those of you who don't know, is probably one of the most highly regarded drummers in rock music today. He was a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. On December 28, 2009, the band Avenged Sevenfold lost their drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan to a drug overdose. Sullivan had long idolized Portnoy and he was asked by the band to come into the studio with them to record the album they had been ready to start on. Portnoy did so and was then asked to go on tour with them to support the album. Portnoy took a hiatus from Dream Theater and went on tour with Avenged Sevenfold.
Not entirely sure what went on during that tour or if any promises or overtures or such were made, but in September 2010, Mike Portnoy made the announcement that, after 25 years with the band, he was leaving Dream Theater. The real shocker came in mid-December, 2010 when Avenged Sevenfold makes the sudden announcement that the band would no longer be working with Mike Portnoy.
Shortly thereafter, Mike Portnoy reached out to Dream Theater about rejoining and was summarily rejected by the band via their attorney. So, it appears that Mike Portnoy finds himself on the outside looking in on both ventures.
There is a lesson to be learned here. Maybe more than one lesson. 1)Dance with what brought you. 2) If promises or overtures are made, get that stuff in writing!

BJJ Class 1/22/2011

Had another good class this past Saturday. Worked on techniques and escapes from the mount. Jose is now a newly-minted blue belt, so congratulations to him. Hope to have my blue by end of the year. Hopefully by the time Zach is old enough to begin martial arts, I will be a purple belt. In a short time, training has made such a difference in my life I am excited to share that with my son.

We reviewed the traditional armbar from the mount:


I worked with Jose' on this and got something I never fully understood cleared up-the hand placement. I had never understood how hand placement would impact which arm you were attacking. Jose' explained it in a way I had never seen and I understand now that it is whichever hand is closer to your partner's face is the direction you will spin to. Very cool.

That night I watched the UFC FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS show on Spike. Was sorry to see Mike Brown and Mike "The Joker" Guymon lose their fights as it leaves both of them definitely on the bubble in terms of their futures with the UFC. Matt Mitrione continued to roll along with another brutal knockout. Cody McKenzie's Guillotine Express got derailed as he got choked unconscious by Yves Edwards. Melvin Guillard knocked out Evan Dunham in a real shocker. Guillard looks the best he has ever looked and could be in the lightweight title mix with another win or two.

BJJ Class: 01/20/2011

I am so excited for Zach to be old enough to begin martial arts training. That is something that has become such an important part of my life I am excited to share the journey with my son. Had a great BJJ class last night. Steve taught and Scott, Diana, Evan, and I were in attendance. We reviewed techniques from the back mount.

The Rear Naked Choke:
That is a technique that I am very familiar with but there are still nuances that can stand refinement. I applied it on all three other students. Scott has a very large neck so I had the most difficulty with him and was tending to get the trachea more than the carotids. I had the easiest time getting it placed right with Diana.

Collar Choke from Rear Mount:

This is a technique that I am familiar with as well. Again, applied it on all three students. Again, due to neck size, Scott is the most difficult to choke.


The Single Wing Choke:
This was an attack I was not familiar with. I liked it though. It gives another collar choke option from rear mount. Again, I had the easiest time with Diana

Armbar from Back Mount:

This was an attack that I am somewhat familiar with but it is a very awkward transition for me at this point. Something I will keep in my arsenal, but probably not a "go-to" move from the back for me, at least for now.

Did resistance training with Diana, playing guard and guard passing. Pulled guard first. Kept her in my guard and pulled off a scissor sweep and a kimura/back sweep. Threatened triangle choke and armbar to keep her guessing. When she pulled guard, I pulled off a knee-over pass to both sides, a single-under pass, and a double-under pass. When doing the single-under pass, I really concentrated on staying tight with the pass and stacking. Ended up teaching her the scissor sweep.

Did resistance training with Evan, again playing guard. It was pretty much a stand-off. We are pretty evenly matched size and strength-wise. I pulled off a scissor sweep when pulling guard. He tries to muscle his way out of situations rather than using technique or finesse.

A really good class, all in all.

Welcome To My World!

I'm Matt, and this is my blog. I have attempted to be a consistent blogger in the past with varying levels of success. I tend to start off strong and then slowly fade as other things get in the way. My wife Julia is a much more diligent and successful blogger than I am, but this is my attempt to get better and stick with it. I have a lot of varied interests, including reading, writing, dogs, fitness, technology, politics/world affairs, ice hockey, cooking (particularly grilling and smoking), hiking/geocaching, fire/rescue, and mixed martial arts. All of these topics (and more) are likely to come up in this blog at various times.

I have two additional interests, however, that are passions. The convergence of them has created the title of this blog. I am an enthusiastic student of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (thus the grappling portion of the title), and I am about to embark upon the most life-changing adventure of my life. Yes, fatherhood is on the immediate horizon!

Julia and I are in the late stages of adopting a boy from China. We are estimating we will be traveling to China to pick him up around May. He is 17 months old and, according to all reports he is very healthy and very much on track developmentally. He is presently living in an orphanage in Beijing and his orphanage name is Yu Jian Dong (which apparently roughly translates to "Winter 2009" which is when he was found), but we are going to name him Zachary Clark Miller. A picture of our son Zach is below:



Needless to say, we are very happy and very excited to finally be parents. Our preparation and travel to China will all be chronicled in this blog as well as our family blog, which can be viewed here