Nathan

Nathan is one of our new Blue Belts, having received his promotion a mere 3 months ago.

When he then joined our advanced class, we were about halfway through the Back Mount chapter. We then progressed through the entire Leg Lock section, and have just done a couple of lessons within the Standing curriculum.

His only formal experience with Mount, Side-Mount, or Guard was in the very limited White Belt curriculum. The beginners class doesn't cover Half-Guard at all, so for him anything in there was totally unknown.

When a new person moves up to the advanced class, they are totally unprepared to handle the activity known as rolling.

Let's say it's rolling time, and their more experienced partner lets them get a dominant position, perhaps Mount, from which the newby launches one of the several attacks he learned as a White Belt to handle an untrained attacker.

His attack will not work, no-way, no-how, no-chance, unless their partner lets it. They can also escape from under his Mount position, and submit him at will.

So, as I mentioned earlier, in class Nathan has learned a bit of Back Mount, lots of Leg Lock stuff, and a tiny bit of Standing technique. He should still be totally useless at rolling, a babe-in-the-woods, deer-in-the-headlights, and easy meat. That is not the case.

He has improved more in three months than any Blue Belt we've ever had.

It hasn't attained this by being one of those annoyingly gifted athletes. If anything, Jiu-Jitsu is more difficult for him than for most people. It does not seem to come naturally for him.

He is very intelligent, but that only takes you so far in rolling.

What he has done to get so good is to adopt a deliberate campaign of out-of-class improvement.

We have a couple of times each week when the gym is open for students to use to work on what they choose. Nathan is always there, but he's not looking for a chance to work alone, or with White Belts. He makes himself available for more experienced students to use as a human dummy.

I use him that way a lot, as do other people when they have something to work on. I don't think Nathan ever finds himself at open-mat without a partner.

As he usually doesn't know how to correctly do what his partner requires, they have to give him a mini-lesson showing him the movements, and teaching him what the person in his position is trying to achieve. He then works his side of the technique with gusto. Almost universally, his partner later tries to pay Nathan back by teaching some move that his current formal training hasn't yet reached.

Today, I was working with Koko, and Nathan was with a Purple Belt named Cosme. After about an hour, they ended up just rolling. Koko and I took a minute and just watched. Nathan was doing remarkably well. When I was watching, he had Cosme in Side-Mount, and then ended up in Cosme's Guard.

He didn't look half-bad, which is remarkable considering that he has not attended even a single advanced class that has covered either position. Everything he can do from those positions is stuff that he arranged to learn from other students. He didn't do it by asking for help, but by instead making himself useful, and receiving private mini-lessons in exchange.

He's also getting the stuff now that experienced rollers think is the most important, but a lot gets left out.

When the group lessons reach material that Nathan hasn't been formally instructed in, he'll learn all the stuff that his friends haven't included. His knowledge gaps will get filled in. A lot of technique will already be old hat for him, meaning he can concentrate on the stuff we've he hasn't picked up.

Our best three-month Blue Belt roller, ever.

It's all about the cups

I like nature, and the palaces of Europe, but I also appreciate the majesty of a soaring railroad trestle bridge, or a giant ship.

One of my favourite places in all the world is Disneyland.

It is a brilliant work of art. It is one that evolves slowly, as fans would rebel en mass if any damage were to be done to some beloved corner of the park. However, it cannot sit static, either. They want big crowds and the dollars they bring in, and aged attractions can't attract them.

Actually, I don't use Disney terminology correctly. Disneyland is the name they give to the part of the park that has existed since the 1950s. To me, it also refers to the newer section that they call California Adventure where the parking lot used to be, and even to the shopping area in between.

“So what is the big deal? It's just a place with a bunch of rides,” says you.

You just don't know. Every molecule of architecture, every site-line, every texture, and every tint and shade is deliberate.

Everything.

Even at places that try to copy them, it isn't the same.

For example; they post the wait time at the entrance to every ride. These notice are constantly updated and accurate. If anything, they slightly over-estimate the wait time, rather than underplaying it.

That way, you arrive at a ride, see a posted wait time of 20 minutes, and then can reliably decide if the wait is worth it. However, that is an intellectual decision, and people don't reliably do things like that. Let's say you arrive, see the sign that says 20 minutes, and decide you want to wait and experience the ride.

Then you see all the people lined up ahead of you. Let's say it's a thousand people, all patiently waiting. No way would anybody get into that line, even with a sign that promises only a 20 minute wait. The ride might easily accommodate 3000 people per hour, but that's not what your animal brain will think.

Therefore, they arrange it so that you only see a tiny portion of the line, which then vanishes into the building, or around some corner. Get around the corner, and you see another small portion of the line that weaves someplace else. You never stay in any of these areas very long, as the line keeps briskly rolling forward. The wait areas are attractive, often with built-in entertainment.

The lines deceive you into experiencing the ride after the 20 minute wait that you were happily willing to commit to. After a ride or two, you get to trust what the signs say. 10 minutes means 10 minutes, or just maybe less, as do notices that say 45 minutes, or an hour.

They also have systems in place that let you skip long waits at many lines. They work a little like reservations. Busy rides have things called, “fast passes.” They give you a time to return and move to almost the head of the line, leaving perhaps a 10 minute wait. What these do is to get you out walking around enjoying the parks rather than standing in line. It isn't a profit deal, as these “fast passes” are available to everybody in the park equally.

Universal Studios has copied the idea, but everybody doesn't get to do it. Only guests with especially expensive passes do.

Sometimes we've arrived in Disneyland during a particularly crowded day. In 2014, we were in LA for two months, and purchased annual passports. We never felt we had to force ourselves into ridiculously long lines just to get our monies worth. If it were too busy, we'd just walk around enjoying the street entertainment and parades, grab a bite to eat, and maybe do a ride or two that we picked up “fast passes” for.

So they've figured out a way for people to see lots of rides without waiting in such long lines.

So what do you see as you are out, and strolling about.

There are vistas, and forced perspective, all designed to make the area more pleasant to be in. The place is packed with hidden gems. I dare you to go to Disneyland, walk one full loop inside the park, and then head over to California Adventure and do one loop there (loop is a relative term), and come away without having run into a dozen Disney characters, several live musical performances, and maybe even a live street show or parade.

And the staff. People who work there, want to work there. They are bubblier than Starbucks staff ever are. They all seem to be the sort that if they weren't working at Disneyland, they'd be there walking around as guests. They love it and want you to love it, too.

The only thing that gets on my nerves in this magical zone are the crowds. Even on relatively quiet days there will be huge masses of people. They are everywhere. On a quiet day, the ride waits are short, and they never run out of “fast passes,” and you can find food with minimal waits, but there will still be people everywhere; lots of them.

I find this tiring in and of itself, even though the crowds are a testament to how well Disney is handling everything.

I consider Disneyland a success, even in comparison to other theme parks. None of the others match the attention to detail, or staff enthusiasm. They all have a much more corporate (Universal Studios) feel, or amateurish presentation (Knotts Berry Farm). For example; at Universal, they think they are copying Disney's line wait philosophy. The lines aren't visible outside, but the waiting areas inside are just large warehouse kinda places. I'm sure somebody in some office said, “we're not wasting money on improving the waiting line areas. If they want to wait, fine, but if they don't, who cares. We've already got their entrance money” At Disney you get the feeling that they want you to wait, and not be discouraged by how the line appears, so that you will experience the ride, because then you'd have more fun.

It even extends to shopping philosophy, of all things. All through the parks there are zillions of places to buy stuff. It is all Disney stuff, sold by Disney employees, in Disney stores. I find it fascinating that it isn't the same stuff in all the shops.

Of, course, some of it is, but not all.

There is a hat with ears kind of like a Mickey Mouse hat, but that celebrates an obscure character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. They are incredibly distinctive, and stand out in every crowd. They are only available in one small shop inside California Adventure, and not in Disneyland at all. You can't get them anywhere in Disneyworld in Florida. If you want them, you have to go to that one wee shop. The good news is, as every store is operated by Disney, and the staff are highly trained and motivated, if you ask about the hat with the funny long ears in any of the shops, they will tell you exactly what they are and where to get them. Shoppers love stuff like that.

Another example is that while browsing in one of the shops in California Adventure, I found a really wonderful extra-huge Disney coffee cup. Although there must literally be about 50 places that you can buy Disney mugs within the parks, those particular cups only exist in that one store. I loved my mug so much, that I decided one wasn't enough (for when it's in the dishwasher).

I returned a year later, searching for another. Problem was, that the shop itself is huge, and I couldn't remember exactly where the cups were. Therefore, I asked a staff member (not like in a real store where staff hides from customers, and knows nothing anyhow), who lead me right to them. The colour had changed since the previous year, and she told me all I wanted to know about them. I now have a lovely contrasting pair of these mugs.

I'm not upset that we'll soon be visiting Disneyland again. Not upset at all.

Stupid Virus

I seem to have a cold.

Now, don't get me wrong. It's no big deal, and I don't mind at all when I come down with a case of the sniffles.

Except right now.

I have a big-ass Jiu-Jitsu exam coming up very soon. I have been training like a lunatic, trying to get myself as ready as possible.

If it were a solo sport, I'd just keep on training. If it were a sport where training partners are at a distance, like golf, I'd keep training. However, it is neither a solo, nor a long-range activity. Partners are held close, well within germ range.

Therefore, I didn't attend tonight's classes. It helps that the material that the advanced were working on was all weapon defence. My test will not have any weapons, so if I have to miss anything, this is the stuff to skip.

I'm hoping that it I don't have a real virus. Training tomorrow and the day after are still on my schedule. It is all self-directed mat time. I'll be there, and will warn any potential partners, and let them decide to avoid me or not. I need to be on the mat, working.

Not a real worry. The few mat sessions that my virus might cost me won't make a difference, even if I can't train at all for a whole week. My test is going to evaluate all 230 weeks of my training to date.

I still don't want a cold right now.

What is Jiu Jitsu

What is the purpose of Jiu-Jitsu?

Is it a hobby, or a sport, or self-defence?

Self defence? The chance that I'll ever face a threat is pretty small. I live in a place with a very low crime rate, and don't engage in any high-risk behaviours, like frequenting bars or having druggie friends. Even if I do ever face such a situation, surely my 30 years of Karate and the 5 years I've already put into Jiu-Jitsu has me as ready as I can be. Anything I do from now on would only be polishing. Therefore, I cannot be doing Jiu-Jitsu to protect myself.

Sport? There are a lot of people who think Jiu-Jitsu is all about sport, but they're wrong. If you think I'm wrong, go watch a Judo tournament, and then one for Jiu-Jitsu. Every official at the Judo tournament has faced significant training, not just in Judo, but in their role as tournament officials. They are formally dressed, in matching shirts, ties, and jackets. The rules are clear, and consistent, and understood by every participant. In a Jiu-Jitsu tournament, officials are assigned at whim, many of whom have little or no understanding of the rules or procedures.

But perhaps I'm being harsh. Maybe Jiu-Jitsu is just a new sport that hasn't sorted everything out yet.

I don't think so. Think about real sports; baseball, basketball, or hockey. Why do people join them? They sign up to play the game involved. New people do not sign up in Jiu-Jitsu because of tournaments. They probably don't even know such things exist when they first start. They sign up because a friend says it's fun, or they want to learn to fight, or they think it's a good way to get in shape.

So maybe it isn't a sport, but a hobby. Why do people do anything? Why do they do Yoga? They usually have two reasons for doing any activity. It is either fun, or good for them, or both.

If somebody enjoys Yoga, they get both. If you enjoy fishing, that's great, and you get fish. But how does Jiu-Jitsu work like this.

It is a heck of a workout, and can be incredibly fun. For many people it isn't, but that's true of everything. I found Yoga boring to the point of tears, but millions love it. Even more than the workout, Jiu-Jitsu is also a mental game.

You have to solve mental puzzles that change constantly. How do you advance your position, or get a submission, while defending without interruption, and controlling your partner? There is an incredible amount to learn.

My father-in-law loved crossword puzzles. Evidence shows that they help you keep sharp as you age.

As a White Belt, you learn that the mount position rules, and that you can employ twisting arm control, or apply an American armlock, or a straight armlock. The mount is considered the ultimate position. Then, as a new Blue Belt, you learn to counter twisting arm control, and Americana arm-locks, and straight arm-locks. The only submissions added for that position are collar chokes, but so are the defences for them. From being the best position, mount becomes toothless. If you were all about the mount, you have to evolve. Tell me that doing this won't keep you sharp.

I have learned about 200-250 techniques. They used to say that you would learn 600 by the time you hit Black Belt, but I think that's a serous underestimation. Things are constantly being added, and I'd bet that there are more like 1000. Even then, you'd only be a Black Belt. There are still tons of things that Black Belts still learn.

And you get to wear snazzy outfits.

Purple Purpose Path

I was recently wondering what the future holds for a new Purple Belt in the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu universe.

Luckily, they make a lot of information available online to make it possible to make some inferences.

There are currently 106 people world-wide who hold the base rank of Purple Belt. In the level above that, or Purple-Belt-Stripe-One, there are only 23.

As the difference between the two only requires that a student train for 8 months or so, and to maintain regular attendance, that would tend to imply that a great many people stop training soon after getting their shiny new belt.

Above that, there are only 4 people who hold Purple-Belt-Stripe-Two, 3 with Purple-Belt-Stripe-Three, and 3 with Purple-Belt-Stripe-Four.

So only 22% survive their first 8 months after getting Purple, and of those only 18% make it though the 8 months after that. Taken together, that means that less than 4% continue for more than a year and a half.

Once that bloodbath period is over, the three ranks above hold 4, 3, and 3 individuals repectively. That seems remarkably stable. Very remarkable, considering the dropout rate that preceeds it.

Two of those 106 Blue-Belts-with-no-stripes live and train here. They are both got their belts 3 months ago. They are still in the danger zone.

Our instructor, Shawn Phillips, is a Purple-Belt-Stripe-One. He is also in the danger zone, but much farther along. He's about due for promotion, which would put him into a statistically safer rank.

Should I pass my upcoming test, I'll be at the absolute beginning of the danger zone.

Doesn't really matter, though. There is similar danger zone for new Black Belts in most other martial arts, and a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt represents the same kind of accomplishment. I sailed though my post-Black Belt period in Karate unscathed as others fell by the wayside. I had no understanding at all as to why others lost focus and faded away.

My Jiu-Jitsu long-term goals have already been chosen and set in stone. The only way I will stop training anywhere in the near future is if I suffer a really, really nasty injury. Best keep my defensive shields up.

It looks as if Helen and I have set a bit of a winter holiday trend. Two years ago we did a once-in-a-lifetime two month training trip to Los Angeles. Last year, we spent a month in Arizona with good friends hiding from the depths of winter. On our way there, we did two weeks in LA for me to train. This year, we're again doing two weeks for me in LA, and another month in Arizona.

There is a good chance we'll continue the Arizona thing for a few more years. If so, I can reasonably expect to train for a few weeks each time in Los Angeles.

Several weeks every year training with the elite teachers, at the elite academy.

Of course, most of my training at home will be with my own teacher, Shawn Phillips. He too, is a fabulous instructor. I've trained with over a dozen Jiu-Jitsu instructors, and a hundred Karate Sensei, and he is truly top drawer.

For about a year he'll be living mostly in Mexico and our school is in the hands of our other two Purple Belts. There is nothing at all wrong with them as teachers, and they are holding down the fort valiantly. I have no reason to quit with them in charge, and certainly even less when Shawn gets back.

So my future looks like a first-rate school at home, with a couple of weeks with the style's heads in Los Angeles every year.

When in LA, I'll be learning all sorts of material, from basic to fancy-pants stuff.

At home, we are on the Gracie University curriculum. So far we have BBS1, BBS2, and about half of BBS3. We cycle through the lot in a bit under a year and a half, and add in new stuff as it is released. They release the new stuff slower than we cycle through, which all means that there will be long stretches where I am learning nothing “new” during our regular training.

Sounds great to me. I live for strong basics and tons of review. Anytime I run out of new stuff, I like to revisit things. For me, the curriculum pacing looks just about perfect.

The right school, and teachers, and curriculum. Got it all.

Eight Months

It's hard planning in a vacuum.

For most Gracie Jiu-Jitsu promotions it's easy. Each time a stripe is worked towards, a student is supposed to train for at least 8 months, and to have attended 100 specific classes, or more. Easy peezy.

For the big move up to a new belt there is a test which needs to be done by the Gracies in person, which means a big trip to Los Angeles.

When do you do such a thing? They refuse to assign a time or class attendance rule. They say one should do it when you feel ready. What the heck does that mean?

Anyhow, two of our Blue Belts earned their 4^th and final stripes in the middle of summer. Both asked for and successfully performed Purple Belt exams three months later.

I decided to use that as the standard to shoot for. I received my 4^th Blue Belt stripe in October, and will be in Los Angeles four months later. I've been doing loads of extra training in preparation for a Purple Belt exam during that visit.

Figured that would be reasonable.

Just recently, my instructor tried to set it up. Strangely, although there has never been an announcement of an 8-month rule such as exists for stripes, his online access was locked out. It seems there is an 8-month lockout there as well. He has had to contact HQ directly to sort things out.

Does this mean they want there to be an 8-month rule, or not? Am I bucking some kind of unspoken, implied direction? Am I going off to test when only halfway prepared?

If we lived just down the street, it would not be an issue. Being so far away, and with visiting being so difficult and expensive, it's a problem. If they were neighbours, and said, “we'd rather you waited for 8 months instead of 4,” I'd just pop over 4 months later. For me, going to Los Angeles happens when the weather around home gets crappy, wet, and cold. That means I only go there in January, February, or March, and that it also all gets planned very far in advance.

So that means that if 4 months should be considered too short, I can't do in 8 months at all. It would be a full year later, so 16 months in total.

Oh, well. The die is cast.

I think the actual exam will be pretty reasonable. Cosme did his with Rener Gracie in LA in October. He says it consisted of a regular class, followed by sparring where he was told who to roll with. It was a few Purple and Brown Belts, and then Rener rolled with him a bit. That was it.

Classes are about an hour, and are not intensive. Rolling can be much more demanding, but sparring time is only half an hour. I should be able to survive all of that easily.

There was nothing like, “demonstrate all three variants of scissor sweep.” It was all rolling; not winning, mind you, but rolling. They say they want to see a candidate being comfortable in all positions, and I assume, using sufficiently sophisticated technique, performed sufficiently well.

My instructor has requested a test date in the middle of my two-week visit. I like that, as I'll be nervous until it is all over. His way has me able to relax and really enjoy half of my training sessions.

I don't find stress conducive to good learning.

Rener's Grandad

I love hearing how Rener Gracie talks about his grandfather's later years in Jiu-Jitsu.

His grandfather, of course, was the creator of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Helio Gracie. He was still on the mat well into his 90s.

He says that his Grandfather wasn't able to go around submitting athletic people, who were only a quarter of his age. He would still roll, and would be later express his delight in keeping the youngster from submitting him. With childlike delight, he would say things like, “See that young Purple Belt over there. He couldn't submit me.”

I think that's great.

That's kind of who I have to try and be.

Physically, when rolling with the young folks, it's like they are Spider Man, and I am a regular Joe.

I end up on the bottom most of the time. This means I am usually on the defensive. Being on the bottom, and defending, against somebody with a young person's strength, speed, and cardio is a distinct disadvantage, unless I have a significantly higher-level of skill.

At our school, we have basically people with two levels of technical knowledge and training in our advanced class. Against the newer students, I have no problem. I can dominate them from the bottom, and can escape pretty much at will.

Against those with around my level of training, this doesn't work. They have all that speed, strength, and cardio, and we know the same stuff.

Therefore, I have to cheat.

The technical material our experienced advanced students are all trained in is called BBS1, and BBS2. There is a level above called BBS3, which had only been partially released, and which we are not yet learning in our group classes.

I am doing all I can to teach myself that material.

Last time we were in Los Angeles, I cheated another way. I had 4 private lessons with Gracie Headquarters Instructor, Jordan Collins. We spent every second of that time working on stuff to use against physically-dominant opponents.

I review this material frequently.

I am certainly not Helio Gracie, the genius who created our form of Jiu-Jitsu, held the rank of 10^th Degree Black Belt, and who rolled well into his 90s.

I am only a lowly Blue Belt, who is able to roll competitively with my peers, while in my 60^th year of life.

In The City

I've never really understood people who don't like visiting big cities. I can see not wanting to live in one all the time, but to not like being in one at all?

We'll be in LA soon, for two glorious weeks.

In all, we will have 17 day where we are there in any shape or form. Two don't really count for much, city-wise, as one is our day of arrival, and another is when we leave.

So that leaves 15 days to use for fun.

Best that I can figure, I will be committed all day to Jiu-Jitsu training for 7. There is always a pretty hefty break in the afternoon of several hours. That's enough for walking at the beach, or something like a mall, but not for any major holidaying.

That leaves 8 for something significant. It might shrink a bit, as I do have a big Jiu-Jitsu test that isn't scheduled yet, or something else might pop up, but it looks like 8.

Hollywood is fun, as is going to Universal Studios, or the Queen Mary, or the La Brea Tar Pits, or going out-of-town. No shortage of choices.

And, of course, Disneyland.

To me, 8 days just doesn't seem to be enough.

We also really like going out to eat. That doesn't take anything like a full day to do.

On most days my breakfast will be coffee, a bit of yogurt, and maybe fruit. I can't train when the belly is loaded up, so my first significant eating will be after the mid-day class, which ends between 12:30 and 1:30pm.

I'm usually famished by then, so we hit someplace for lunch. For about half the time that has to be my one big meal of the entire day. Luckily, American restaurant portion sizes work just great for a wee Canadian lad who can only pack it in once a day.

On the days when I don't have evening training, things can be more normal. Breakfast will be the same, maybe a sushi lunch, and a sit-down supper.

I don't have to worry about over eating. My average of 137 minutes of training a day means that I burn 3337 calories a day, not counting any Disney walking.

That means that if all I ate were Big Macs (without cheese, as I hate the stuff), I could eat 7 per day, and still be short 117 calories. (two big macs for breakfast, two for lunch, two more at supper, and one as a snack) That's a lot of Big Macs.

Put another way, I could have 60 pieces of Nigiri sushi, or 152 cups of coffee with sugar.

Or perhaps a mix; 3 Big Macs, 30 pieces of sushi, and a mere 13 cups of sweet coffee.

If forced to make a prediction, I'd say I'm going to lose a bit of weight, and have a lot of fun, and do a lot of training.

Tasers

Helen and I like to travel, and over the years we've spent a lot of time away from home.

It was always kind of weird. We'd get a neighbour to keep an eye on things, but it always felt like our home was very vulnerable. A house sitting empty seems to be just asking to get broken into.

Then the internet came along, and it became super important to never mention online when you were going to be away. You never knew who would be paying attention.

We don't have to worry about any of that anymore. Whenever we are going to be gone, we have a lovely couple who jump at the chance to house sit. Their own place is very cute, but tiny, and they don't have cable TV, or Netflix, or wifi.

I never mention their names online, as that might just make their place vulnerable.

If anything, our home is safer with them around than it is with us. I will be heartbroken if this situation ever changes.

There are technological solutions for this sort of thing. Manufacturers produce a zillion types of intelligent camera devices that can scan a home constantly. Perhaps it is possible to hook them up to high-powered lasers or tasers to vanquish intruders.

In any case, we currently have a human option that is a win for everybody involved.

LA in 2016

I am about to start my third pilgrimage to the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Los Angeles.

The first time was for 8 weeks, the second for 2, and this time will also be for 2 weeks.

They try hard to make it an inviting place, but there it is also intimidating.

For the first trip, I literally had no idea what to expect. It turned out fine, and everything was properly done, and painless for the student. They have a front desk to handle any issues or explanations, scrupulously clean change rooms and showers, and a huge training area, as well as several small, private-lesson chambers. The classes all run precisely by the clock,

I went all in, attending all 13 advanced classes every week. This was perhaps too much, especially for so long. By the end, I was pretty much exhausted, both physically and mentally. It was a good tired.

Last year, I wanted to add in a few private lessons, and so decided to dial back on the group sessions a bit. I went to 10 group classes and 2 private lessons per week. That was a much better pace. It adds up to 12, but the private lessons are not demanding in the same way. In terms of exhaustion, it was the right way to go.

It also worked well as to injury, and working on things that I wanted to. As the noon and the evening classes were always about the same on any given day, I would attend the first, and then decide if I would return for the later session.

One day they almost killed me with a bunch of lifting-type of throws. I did not return for a repeat at the evening class. I would have been wrecked. On another day, they did a very mma-oriented bunch of wall/cage fighting. I didn't double-down on that one either. I also prefer training in gi, rather than nogi. If there weren't any classes I rejected due to safety or material, I would give the evening nogi training a miss.

I'd judge that 10 classes done that way was about half as demanding as I'd experienced the year before by training all 13.

This year, my goal is to continue a 10-class-per-week pace.

The only monkey wrench is that I will be doing a big belt exam somewhere in there. I have requested that it happen as late as possible during my visit, to give me the largest amount of training, but don't mind when it gets booked. It will crank up my tension level until it is complete.

Means?

So what will it mean if I pass my upcoming Purple Belt exam in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Other than putting away my dear, old Blue Belt, I mean.

The good news is that these exams only come up every fifth promotion, so I won't have to be doing another anytime soon.

The belts start out nice and pristine when new. With the next four promotions, stripes are added on. No tests in any of that.

The minimum requirements are an 8-month training period, during which 100 appropriate classes must be attended. My wife and I travel quite a bit, so for me to make my attendance requirements I'll probably take an average of more like 10 months per level.

That all means that I can roll along making uninterrupted rank progress until 2019.

That might be as high as I ever get. I'll be 63 by then. That is still plenty young if one just wants to learn, and to roll a bit. If one wishes to really drill this stuff in, it is incredibly ancient.

For an old Purple Belt training with the Gracies in LA, they just decide when he's good enough, and then promote him up to Brown. It might take a long time, but he'll get there.

For an outlander like me, the system is quite different. A guy like me has to get through all his Purple Belt Stripes, and then book an exam in LA, and manage to pass it on test day. I don't know if I'll be up for the intensity of training required.

Then it would all start again for the road to Black Belt.

Might just settle in at Purple.

Failing my upcoming exam would suck. My next opportunity would be a full year later, making any higher aspirations just that much less likely.

Yes, Purple sounds good.

Girl Fights

I really like it when the UFC gets things right.

The recent defeat of the dominant female bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, is an example of this.

She was not beaten by a lucky shot, but was totally dominated for the entire 5 minutes and 59 seconds that the fight lasted. At that point, she suffered a crushing knockout.

At first, the UFC did its usual short-sighted schtick. They were all about an immediate rematch.

It turns out that Ronda received a medical suspension due to the nature of her loss, and the earliest that a do-over could occur would have been July. Then it came out that the damage to Ronda was so bad that even July would have been too soon. It took a while for the UFC to come to terms with this.

None of this even takes into account that to have a chance of winning a rematch, Ronda would have to seriously change up her game. That would take time.

So for a while it looked like the elite of the women's premier division were going to be sitting it out for maybe a year. Holly Holm, the new champion was already politely suggesting another earlier match.

I guess their gut reaction was, “why risk a huge-money fight by letting Holly put-it-on-the-line for a smaller payout?”

This makes sense, but not if you figure out the options.

Holly wanted to fight Miesha Tate; the best fighter below the Holly Holm/Ronda Rousey championship cream. It would draw a moderate amount of money for both the fighters and the UFC.

If Holly wins, it would pump up interest in the Holly/Ronda rematch even more, increasing the gate significantly. Net result; a decent payday for Miesha and Holly, and an even more humongous one for Holly and Ronda.

If Miesha wins, the compelling future fight is still Holly/Ronda. The rematch should still go ahead even if Miesha beats Holly, as that one isn't really about titles at all. It's about the best female fighter of all time trying to regain her glory. The cool thing about this option is that no matter who wins the eventual Holly/Ronda rematch, the winner of that match-up would have a huge money fight lined up to take on Miesha for the title. Net result; a decent payday for Miesha and Holly, and a huge on for Holly and Ronda, and another big one for the winner of that fight, and for Miesha.

Keep in mind that when I say that the woman will be making more money this way, it also means that the UFC will as well.

Car Chat

My wife and I currently have two wonderful cars that precisely fit our needs.

The newer is the one that I drive. It is a comically-small car, called a Scion IQ. It has a slightly offset seating arrangement that makes it impractical for more than three persons. There are two back seats, but the one behind the driver has no leg space at all. I kid could squeeze in, but not for a long ride.

This doesn't matter, as the back seats were folded away the day we got the car home, and they haven't been out since. I've only ever had one passenger.

It is my zip around car, and the one I take on the half-hour drive to Jiu-Jitsu. It has plenty of room for that kind of thing, and is ridiculously economical on gas.

It is currently 4 years old.

The one Helen drives is normal-sized. It is a Toyota Prius. It is even more economical than my tiny Scion.

It's the one we use for grocery runs, and Helen regularly hauls around tons of musical instruments and friends.

It is 8 years old.

Helen likes to run cars until they die of old age. I prefer getting rid of them at the ten-year mark, before they become big-ticket-repair prone, and might let you down at an inopportune moment.

This means we will need to think about replacing the Prius in 2 years.

There is really not much question as to what kind of car we'll get. We both love our current Prius so much, that it will be a Prius again. The question is, what size of Prius.

Toyota currently makes the standard model, a slightly-larger one, and a littler one as well.

We've looked at them all, and neither of us thinks we need the large model. That narrows the field to 2 choices.

We really like our full-sized model. We often travel with it pretty much fully packed. The standard has 21.6 cubic feet of cargo room, as opposed to 17.1 cubic feet in the small model. The price difference is $26000 against $22000.

This all means that unless things change radically in the next couple of years, our 2018 new car will be a Prius, standard-sized.

The Scion won't be up for replacement until 4 years after that, in 2022.

That's really far enough away that predictions are much harder to make.

I would guess that we'll be looking closely at a small-model Prius, but electric cars are popping out all over.

By 2022, it may be possible to get some sort of vehicle that functions well in a self-driving fashion, or at least has features that lean that way; lane assist, radar cruise control, and who knows what else.

I find it funny that a lot of people dread the arrival of self-driving cars. For me, they can't get here soon enough.

Hate Tests

My big exam to earn a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Purple Belt is coming up in about a month.

All of my peers seem to think it's an exciting event; “Oh, boy. You get to go test for your Purple Belt!”

I think they're nuts.

Having spent decades in martial arts, I think I have a more realistic understanding of what is involved. The test will be demanding in itself, and there is a very strong possibility of failure.

In Karate, there were always people who fell short at every exam. The average failure rate was about 25%. Often, it was people who were clearly ready, but who underperformed on test day.

Many of my friends around here have also got experience with another martial art; Hapkido.

I have been training at our school for well over four years. About three times a year, the Hapkido class goes through testing. In all that time, every single student has passed every single exam. This is true not only in the colour belt ranks, but also for the Black Belts.

When they think “exam,” they consider it an event, where one demonstrates what they know, and are rewarded with promotion. Failure doesn't cross their minds.

When they think about Jiu-Jitsu exams, they realize that although failure is possible, it is only a theoretical kind of thing; not real.

So off I go next month to test. While I love training with the Gracies, I am certainly NOT looking forward to the exam.

I don't know where the standard lies, so I can't even guess at my odds of success.

Failure means doing the test over again at a future date. For me, it would be a full year before a possible return to LA for a second attempt. That would be rough.

Success means gaining the right to wear a snazzy Purple-coloured belt.

Jargon-Jitsu

I'm not a big fan of jargon. That's the stuff that certain professions or groups use instead of ordinary English.

Sometimes, there is no way around creating and using an activity-specific vocabulary, but often it works against clarity.

Let me give you a Jiu-Jitsu example.

Let's say the instructors want some of us to act in a certain way for a particular drill. Let's say they want us to be an untrained attacker, and to do so with low intensity.

Do they say, “attack as if you are an untrained person, and do so with low intensity?” Don't be silly.

They have made codes for the different kinds of attackers, and for the different intensities. With this in mind, you'd think they'd say, “be a level-one attacker, and do so with level one intensity.”

They don't, because they can't. Even in a class that consists of mostly long-time students, there are always new people around, and visitors.

So that everybody can understand, they always have to say, “be a level-one attacker. A level-one attacker is an untrained opponent. Attack with level-one intensity. Level-one intensity is a low intensity attack.”

Does it seem that using number codes for types of attackers and for levels of intensity makes sense? It doesn't to me.

It is also confusing. They use numbers for far too many things, that always need explanation every time they are used.

They also use numbers from one-to-ten regarding how hard punches hit. They then always describe how the number scale works. Why not just call punches, “light enough to not matter,” or “dangerous?”

Could we have a level-one attacker, with level-three intensity, throwing level-five and above punches?

If we did, it would be immediately followed by a paragraph long explanation of what a level-one attacker is, and what level-three intensity is, and what level-five punches are.