Sun 73 / 20 / Last session of 2023

 Taps: 0. Total: 20. 

End year with 73 sessions. Last year was: 32. 

More than doubled my sessions from 2022. Hope i can keep this up. Or change up with other gym visits. 

Two other BBs working on Open Passes, no grips.

1. Left hand on knee, right hand on hip, Head into the chest/under chin or hip

2. Move to the right, as you push the knee that way / wiper clear the from inside to out. 

Forgot about this old school pass. lov it. 

Trying:

• Lasso Sweep / 
• Half Passes
• Shin to shin lift to SLX sweep / YT
• Armbar from Side w bicep trap

Sun 72 / 20 Xmas Eve roll

Taps: 6. Total: 20.

Xmas Eve roll. 

Try to get to Dominant position, mainly Passes and Sweeps. Then try to maintain, and cook em, then Submit. 

With women, smaller lower belts ... Catch and Release. Don't smash. Try to flow roll. 

BB Jack ... Lasso Sweep tip -- get deep, get my feet on his back. more power, leverage on the basic Lasso Sweep, w/ off foot comes across hip around 7 o clock. 

Working on: / most from Half Guard

• John Wayne Sweep
• Bear Trap / Ham Sando
• Capizzi Leg Trap

from Side Control top

• Capizzi Lock 
• Tainan Armbar

others

• Shoulder Crunch
• Choi Bar
• RDLR / Kiss of Dragon

Sun 71 / 14

Taps: 5. Total: 14.

Bhasar Tip 1: Bottom N/S -- grip hips, bait arm, push to escape. 

Tip 2: Drill KoB-Rev KoB/ shoulder, around the world. 

Speaking of Bhasar, for a Brown he's very technical n a total Bjj nerd. i can him poring over instructionals all week. and he's one of the nicest Bullies, always smashing me. reminds me very much of Purp Ira, who i haven't seen a quite awhile. 

Sun 70 / 9

Taps: 1. Total: 9. 

Got kicked off mats early for comp training class run by BB Uday. Got me fired up and motivated watching his class. He's such a drill sarg, almost had me jumping into the warm ups and then running out to a competition. Almost. 

Keep working:

• Penn Half Pass
• Penn/Joslin HQ Leg Weave Pass
• RDLR - total fails on the entry so far. 

Go back review:

• Gift wrap Armbar / TeachMe Grapp

Since my speech about taps and with the BB promo, got a big target on my back. Looks like a BB is more attractive scalp than brown. Like beating a higher rated chess player. 

Got up my game. 

Thu Nooner 69 / 8 n Life as BB

Taps: 3. Total: 8.

First tap to lower belt / Blue, that scrappy young guy, maybe competes, maybe has wrestling background. Glad i got that out of the way. 

Also all the other established BBs seeking me out to roll. Guess they figure they don't have to hold anything back now that i'm same color belt. ha ha. n they get to tap a BB. 

Also, the custom of calling BBs "professor." Weird to hear people calling me that. 

Purp woman asked if it felt any different. I said, "no." Feels the same as before. 

Start sketchbook of techs. maybe might stick in my head better if i sketch it, along with taking notes. 

Review

• Side Mount ESC without getting Bow n Arrow choked. (akins)
• Back ESC / (akins)
• RDLR
• 1/2 Pass / Penn
• 1/2 Pass / Joslin version of Penn

Sun 68 / 1st day as Black belt , and the instruction manual/ 5

Reset the tap counter

Taps: 5. Total: 5. 

Course Tim got in first with 3 -- all toeholds. 

work on:

• RDLR
• Passing / sousa, wiltse
• 
  

something they don't tell you: with the Belt, there is no instruction manual included. so you have to figure it out for yourself the main question:

What kind of Black Belt do I want to be?

By the Numbers

•  5887 taps
• 56, one month from 57 years old
• 13 years
• 2 Cauliflower ears
• 1 shoulder surgery

Belts - Lineage Matters

 Got my White to Brown from Chris Lisciando. 

His lineage:

• Gastao Gracie Jr > Carlos Gracie Jr -> Machado Bros > Renato Magno > Chris Lisciandro

Black Belt from Prof. Alberto Crane

• Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr > Helio Gracie > Carlos Gracie Jr > Vinicius Magalhaes > Alberto Crane 

5887 - it happened / DEC 2, 2023 -- BLACK BELT

For 13 years, i've been ducking the promotion ceremony, but Prof Crane says be there Sat, 1:30pm, bring a white gi.  How could i say no?

Starts 1:40pm. There's about 150-175 people on the mat, another 40 peeps of friends and family watching on the sidelines. 

There now schools in four locations, but most were from Burbank and Pasadena.

Starts with Green belt (the kids' Black belt) and there's four of those. 

There are 37 Black Belts standing on stage with Prof. Crane. Five female BBs. 

Then a ton of Blue belt promotions. 

2:15pm - Purple belt promotions. 

Old guy blue who kills me every time gets promoted to Purp and i learn his name (Milosz) for the first time. 

2:30pm - starts the Brown belt promos. 

Reminds me of the Oscars. Very long. Call their name, take their old belt off, tie the new belt on, shake hands, etc. Multipied by each promotion. 

2:40pm - the Blacks. BBs get to give a speech. There were 10 of us new ones. 

I'm telling myself, "don't get emotional, don't cry." Then i think about Jerry McGuire movie and he cried. Stay classy, stay dignified. 

There were a few new BBs who did cry. I did give a speech based on "5887 taps", and now the counter is reset to "0."

Three current BBs got a stripe. 

Group pictures with all the BBs, then a group pic with everyone. 

Ended at 4pm. 

I could have shown up at 2:30pm. Wonder if the newly promoted Blue, purps stayed to the end, or if they left early like Evie's Garri Dance Recitals. Leave when your kid is done. 

Are all BBs required to attend, whether they are getting promoted or not? Saw BB Shark Mike there. He didn't get promoted, as did not most of the BBs there. 

And i sat next to the Brown belt who gave me his extra Brown belt bc he was sick of seeing my old Killer Bee Brown that had faded to gray and was fooling all the people into thinking i was a White belt. 

And I have FOUR brown belts, including one he gave me and that i'm been wearing for the last couple of years.

I wanted to ask him, "Do you want your belt back?"

He didn't get promoted. He didn't say much to me. Same for Shark Mike. Oh well. Lots of others did, who i barely knew. So i'm good. 

What i forgot to say:

• Chase skills, not belts
• Chase good people and experiences, not belts
• Tapping is not a bad thing; it's feedback, info loop; embrace it, listen to what it's trying to teach you.
• Chase basics plus flashy, fun techs.
• I've never turned down a request for a roll, esp from lower belts (unless i was injured or had to be somewhere)
• Don't compare yourself to others; only compare to your former self. 
• i was worried there would be a written test for Black Belt