P-jerseys log

[p-jersey]

Thank you JensenS.

So recently I have started going to practice at Easton Bjj on sundays. One of my coaches goes there to roll so he invited me.

My gym is a bit more geared towards mma, but easton is probably the best bjj school in the state. They have a ton of blackbelts one of them being eliot marshall. Its good to go in and roll with some high level guys, one of the guys i got to roll with for awhile was a blackbelt who won pan ams. Its good to get some different looks and face some guys who are really technical.

I have grapplers coming up in just over a week so rolling with some high level guys should really benefit me.

[p-jersey]

I won grapplers quest. It was a lot of fun being there as the fan expo was going on, i competed friday and then hung out at the expo all saturday.

I dont compete again until august so i get some time to really focus on my technique. My sub defense is strong but i need to work at breaking the opponents full guard, once i get in side control i feel really good and can really work my offense but i struggle at times to break guard particularly against guys with long legs.

The next tourny is bjj and judo im going to do both. A couple of guys in my gym are judo brown belts so i will work with them to get prepared. i also want to start working on my wrestling more. I went against a few wrestlers at grapplers quest and i felt real rusty with my leg attacks basically forcing shots. I need to get my timing back.

[p-jersey]

am also doing updates on my training at http://twitter.com/pjersey. I will also be posting the latest mma news as well as fight vids that i think are worth checking out.

Been easing my way back into training. Last week i took monday off then i did randori on tuesday. Wednesday did the kickboxing class then the mma class. Thursday did the advanced bjj class then sparred. On friday i did the boxing class then worked on my wrestling for a little bit. I really want to start drilling my wrestling more need to get my timing back.

[p-jersey]

The last couple of months i have added in a lot of focus on striking while at the same time still grappling nearly every day.

The striking has been coming along very slowly but i am seeing the progression. i started sparring right away and i dont mind being thrown into the fire. There is a big difference between hitting mitts and trying to hit a moving target that is punching back. I am still focusing on all the details like keeping my hands up when i throw, keeping my chin tucked, circling out after a punch or kick, and keeping more of an upright posture. I have some really good coaches as well as some good partners who exploit my weaknesses but in a way that lets me see what im doing wrong rather than just beating up on me.

At first i was thinking about trying for a kickboxing match in november, but i dont want to rush it and i have a lot of grappling tournaments in the fall. Right now id like to look towards a january kickboxing fight.

As for the grappling things have been going well. I have continued to spend a lot of time working on my top game as i think i can get there against most opponents. My side control has gotten really good, i feel really tight on top and am successful and controlling position even against high belts. I still have trouble passing guard but i am trying to tie that back to my wrestling by working on takedonws that take me into side control or at the very least in half guard. I feel very comfortable in half guard and can pass pretty easy from there and in mma can use gnp effectively.

I still work off my back but more so working on how to escape either to sweep or get back to my feet. With my body type and the fact that i am a strong wrestler i see it counter productive to stay in full guard and look for submissions. Of course i will still learn them so that if i am ever stuck in guard against a wrestler and he leaves himself exposed i can take advantage but it is not my primary objective.

I have quite a busy schedule in the fall. i have a bjj and judo tournanment on august 29th, then i have the us jiu jitsu no gi championships in september, the grappling world team trials in october, a grapplers quest comp, and if i can find some sponsorship to help with the cost the no gi world championships in november. I would also like to enter into some wrestling tournaments, most likely some local opens and ideally midlands.

I have been slowly working on my wrestling. In bjj they always make us start from our knees. I realized this was makign me develop bad habits. Being on my knees prevents me from level changing so i am forced to shoot with my head down and back bent ovr. I stopped shooting and have begun working with some wrestlers in the gym on my takedowns.

One kid wrestled for Northern Colorado so once there season starts we are gonnna start attending some of their practices. Also there is a great wrestling club in boulder that our fighters go to that i will start attending in september. It has some notch guys who go in occasionally including jesse jantzen, ben cherrington and some high level judokas. Hopefully I will get a chance to roll with those guys as it will really elevate my wrestling.

I dont want to ever forget that wrestling is my strength and by remembering that i will continue to work to keep it sharp.