The Great Debate - NoGi vs Gi

In the proven tradition of such well thought out and timely debates as “ tastes great” vs “less filling” I bring you.. Gi vs NoGi.

Miller's timeless classic

Yes, it's true, I sent a friendly email to Steve asking him to give his thoughts on the merits of Gi training vs NoGi training. Just like poking a hornets nest or dropping a weight on someone's toe, this was bound to get interesting.

Hazmat recommends no poking here.

So, before you get too interested in Steve's “Ode to the Sweat Suit.. er Gi”, I'd like to share with you my thoughts on NoGi training and while I believe it is a very enjoyable and sound training method.

To begin, I was originally a Gi only player. In fact I trained with the Gi until I was awarded my Blue Belt. I enjoy rolling in the Gi, frankly because I had no other experiences to compare it with, all I knew was Gi, so that was all I practiced. Then, as luck would have it, a very well respected NoGi school opened up less than a mile away. This was destiny, I was clearly meant to experience NoGi training, in fact within one week of rolling NoGi I became a “convert” and sung the praises of this new fast, agile, explosive, and realistic game.

Alright, let's get down and dirty, Steve gave you his ten reasons, it's only fair that I should at least hold serve.

1. With the Gi your offense can be “less efficient” and still succeed.

Now, I say this out of experience, with the Gi, provided you have a sound and solid grip and position it's very difficult for your opponent to slip, slide, or otherwise spin out of your attack. Without the Gi, your submissions must be very tight, they must rely on pressure, position, and speed. There is very little room for error without the Gi, making many NoGi submission attacks difficult to defend.

2. The Gi can create a dependency on the “handles” most importantly the arms and wrists.

Why aren't all door handles this cool?

You don't have to become a proponent of the Rubber Guard system to understand how difficult much of the Gi guard passing and grip game becomes when you lose the sleeves and long pants. When you do not have such well established handles you are often forced to learn a game based on underhooks, overhooks, pressure, and position.

3. Quite simply, speed kills

Faster than a 56k Modem!

This is most true when dealing with small, fast players. Steve used Marcelo Garcia, an absolutely amazing player in his post, some I admire very much. However, watch him closely, his speed in the NoGi matches is remarkable, in fact many of the smaller players benefit greatly from the NoGi game as it accelerates the action and allows them to take advantage of their God given talents.

4. NoGi board shorts are practical and stylish.

Yep, it's true, while Gi players may get more patches, we get to wear our board shorts anywhere. In fact I've used NoGi board shorts at the beach, out in the yard, working out in the gym. You name it, NoGi board shorts allow you to “double your wardrobe” which in this economy is a must. Which leads to my next point.

5. Gi's can be super expensive

While can be argued that MMA styled board shorts aren't cheap, it's very easy to drop by a discount store and get inexpensive board shorts, try doing that with a Gi. No way, not going to happen. Besides if you roll often enough, you might need multiple Gi's, now the prices really start to add up. Oh yes, belt too, don't forget about the belt. What does the NoGi player need? A few old t-shirts and maybe an inexpensive rash guard, plus a handful of board shorts. I'd bet bottom dollar you'd be hard pressed to get into the Gi sport for less.

6. Realism

Sure, sure, you aren't going around fighting other people outside of the gym, in fact as a whitecollar bjj reader you are most likely working long hours and spending time out side of the gym with the family. You don't expect to really use your BJJ skills for self defense, but you hope you can if you need to. In all fairness, BJJ regardless of training clothes is a very realistically trained sport, you practice and spar at full (or just less than) speed frequently. The problem I see is that with the Gi you may begin to favor techniques that just don't transfer as well with the Gi off. For instance I was a big spider guard player in my Gi days. Early on in my NoGi sessions I found myself looking to setup my spider guard only to find that.. well no sleeves, and you can't play wrist control spider guard consistently, trust me, I tried. NoGi forces you to streamline you game and practice techniques that work regardless of your opponent's chosen apparel.

7. Save your hands

Years of Gi training..

Back in my Gi days I consistently worked the Gi based chokes (another thing that disappeared when I move to NoGi), however I also frequently suffered from busted up hands and fingers. The Gi is not a “forgiving” material, if you get your fingers caught in it during a roll you risk jambing them pretty bad. What's that? It's all part of the sport you say? True, maybe, but I prefer to keep the money makers in good shape, without functioning fingers and hands I can't get a whole lot of work accomplished, heck I doubt many people can.

8. It's not traditional? It's a new tradition!

Yes, yes, No Gi training is not traditional, but you know, all traditions had to start somewhere. At sometime someone was saying.. “Gi” no, we use a traditional “X” no Gi, not traditional. So you see, every tradition starts somewhere. Who knows, when my daughter is old enough perhaps they'll be talking about NoGi as traditional and rejecting whatever comes next.

9. It's fun

Yes, that's debatable, but to me training without the Gi is just plain fun, it's fast, it's free flowing, and it constantly keeps you guessing. It's like a chess game where the moves must keep up at a brisk pace, gets the mind going and blood flowing. All in all it's a great way to spend an evening.

10. It's different and worth a try

If you've never rolled NoGi before, give it a try, I think you'll find it opens you up, it forces you to think “outside the cloth” and gives you a fresh perspective on the game.

Now, with all of these being said, I have great respect for Gi players and the Gi game, in fact if it weren't for them there would be no BJJ and that would be a tremendous loss for me and my readers.

So, in closing, thanks Steve, it's been fun, anytime you want to roll NoGi down here in “The Swamp” I'm all for it.. what? What's that you say? Get my Gi and visit you in the “Arctic Tundra” hmm.. right.. gas is pretty high, have you seen the price of plane tickets.. besides wouldn't your family love a nice tropical vacation?

Come visit me, I promise it is NOT like this.

Train hard, with..or without the Gi!

-hz

If I could save time in a bottle...

First, the exciting news..

While it's a bit pre-mature to be saying this, Mrs. Hazmat and I are looking at the very high likelihood of Haz-baby number two!

Yes, yes, thank you for your congratulations, we are both very excited.

Now, it does raise an interesting question, is it possible to maintain your training and dedication while still being a great husband, father, and provider?

Whew.. no pressure. :)



Well, let's go over what I've learned during the last year with my daughter.

1. Find a school with lots of scheduling options.

This is so important it has to come first, if you don't have class options then you are going to be stuck missing a lot of mat time. I'm lucky, my gym is stocked with options so I'm in good shape... when I can make it.

2. Remind yourself that you AREN'T a professional athlete and your health is very important.

I like to train, I like to train hard, in fact, until my daughter was born I was willing to roll with almost anyone. Since then.. well, let's just say I'm much more  selective. Hey, it's simple, I must be a Dad, Husband, and Provider first, so going all out 100% with spaz-tastic people is just not an option. I've even gone so far as to simply refuse to roll with people I don't trust. I really don't care what they think anymore, it's a matter of personal health and safety, both of which are much more important than someone's bruised ego.

3. Carve out a little space.

Ok, here's where I have a distinct advantage, I own a second garage that doubles as my office and gym. Yes the floors are padded and I have enough room in there to roll, lift, or work. It's my oasis 15 feet off the starboard bow. Now not everyone is going to have an option like that, but I know plenty of guys that invest in some fold out mat and carve out some space in their garage. Whatever you have to do, find the space and you'll find that you can find the time to use it.

4. The wee hours

I find that there are times when "all the world's asleep" and I can often grab 30 minutes of time and get some one-on-one training with Harvey (Submission Master Dummy) taken care of. When are these times? O'Dark 30. Or, more often than not, very early in the morning or very late at night. No, you aren't going to have access to a buddy to train with, so these are going to be conditioning, lifting, or drills time, but if you found the space, this is when you find the time.

5. Find more friends

Now that you've got a mission, recruit more guys/girls from your gym. Find people that are in a similar situation and can meet up at odd times for Open Mat. If you are really lucky, look to get your spouses together. If that works you are in great shape, as the spouses can often "co-share" with the kids and it makes everything easier.

6. Have fun

Yes, enjoy yourself, no, you aren't going to excel faster than that college kid who spends every waking moment training, but you aren't in that phase of your life anymore. Enjoy the phase you are in, accept the ups and downs it offers, and have fun.

-hz

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Beginning the Week of Leg Locks with a Bang!

I just had the pleasure of watching Grapplearts.com Stephan Kesting's "High Percentage Leg Locks".

I've said this before, but it bears saying again, Kesting, much like his Jeet Kune Do brethren is an analytical master.

It's guys like Kesting that while I may never meet in person, let alone train with, take my game to a new level with each professionally produced instructional.

So, enough hero worship, let's get down to business.

Much like every DVD from Grapplearts.com the production quality is top notch, menus are clean and well laid out, content is organized and very easy to navigate, and the video is clearly filmed with professional grade equipment.

The content? Consider this a tour-de-force on Leg Locks broken down as follows:

Introduction and Principles

Just like it sounds, a very well laid out introduction to leg locks. Kesting outlines the mechanics, positions, mistakes, and even spells out some of the potential dangers inherent to Leg Locks (in particular Heel Hooks).

Interestingly, one of the knocks on Stephan is his often times monotone voice and methodical delivery, in this section he shows a bit of his humorous side while covering some very serious topics. It's clear to me he's become very comfortable teaching to the camera.

Lastly, Kesting covers a common argument in the submission grappling and BJJ world, Leg Locks vs Guard Passing. While I won't spoil the experience by filling you in on his opinion, I think he sums it up very well.

Anklelock and Heel Hook Entries

Very interesting section, most of the Anklelock and Heel Hook entries I've ever seen have come from Guard Passing, however, Kesting puts together a more varied collection of entries here, including Side Mount, Escape from Mount, and Standing Clinch. While I will mention it again later, this section truly matches up with the content in "Dynamic Kneebars" perfectly. You could build a very effective leg lock game by blending and using entries from both DVDs.

Anklelock and Heel Hook Counters

This section is full of counters and re-counters. Let's take the most basic Anklelock escape, the hip hop. Kesting breaks down the hip hop counter, then provides three nice re-counters to the hip hop. It's material like this that really makes the DVD shine. If you've ever watched some of the old school Roy Harris VHS BJJ tapes (Hint: BJJ 101 Vol 3 - Leg Locks is coming up next), you'll notice how Kesting continues Harris's tradition of teaching in lock flows. This is something I wish more instructors would do, while techniques are nice, watching them in semi-live flows is extremely valuable.

I recommend watching this section a few times, you'll appreciate it.

Bonus Section: ToeHolds

Wow! This is a bonus section? I'd guess it's practically 1/4 of the DVD! That's a lot of material for a bonus section, and frankly worth every "bonus" penny. The Toehold seems to be gaining momentum in last few years in submission grappling circles and Kesting breaks down the ToeHold mechanics, then gives you 11 Entries and 5 Counters. Most of the entries are based off the ever useful rolling Toehold. I can attest to effectiveness of the rolling style entry, I've personally won more than a few sparing matches with that submission.

Overall

After watching this DVD I felt an immense need to go straight out to the gym, grab Harvey (The Grappling Dummy) and get to work. Good thing Harv's knees, ankles, and legs are made of heavy padding!

So, we've officially started the "Week of Leg Locks" with a bang, Kesting's DVD is just that good, perhaps he'll offer a package deal and sell "High Percentage LegLocks" with "Dynamic Kneebars", the two go together like peanut butter and jelly.

With those two DVDs under your belt you'll have an impressive array of lower body submission options.

Next up, we'll dust off the VHS Player for an oldie but goodie..

Until then, Train Smart and learn some leg locks!

-hz

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Try something new.. Green Eggs & Ham Edition

First and foremost, sorry it's been a little while guys and girls, the last few weeks have been quite full with work, training, and holidays.

No excuses though, time to get back to it.

So, why am I calling this the "Green Eggs and Ham" Edition?

I'm betting Sam I Am's Jiu-Jitsu was stout.

Because it's all about trying new techniques.

I've noticed my game has gotten rather..stale lately. Sure there's a handful of guys I beat readily, on top of that there's a handful of guys that I can't beat to save my life. From what I could tell this monotony was going to continue until I figured out some way out.

Funny enough the solution came during a reading session with my daughter. We were sitting in her chair and reading her a favorite book, Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss. For those of you living under a rock, Green Eggs & Ham is a great little kids story about a young child, "Sam I am" trying to convince a friend to try Green Eggs and Ham. As the story goes "Sam I am" goes to extraordinary lengths to get his friend to try them, while I hate to spoil the ending for you but Sam's friend finally decides these Green Eggs and Ham are pretty darn good.

Wow, well that caption says it all.

So what does the mean for us?

Well if you haven't been hit by the obvious 2x4 of commentary here, let me spell it out for you.

1. Try new things, escapes, submissions, counters, etc.

2. Don't be afraid to lose, because it's going to happen when you try new things.

3. Repeat.

Now of course trying new things isn't smart when you are training for a tournament or a competition, but the rest of the time it's fair game.

Still need more help making this happen, let me give you a few more suggestions.

1. Start is a bad position, go ahead start giving up the back, or with your partner mounted, maybe bottom half guard (unless you are Eddie Bravo!).

2. Pick a new submission (Knee bar maybe? Toe hold? Head and arm Triangle?) and make it your goal to get one during the roll, even if you see something else, ignore it, go for you goal submission.

So go out, have fun, try something new, winning on the mats while training is pointless, learning, that's what matters.

-hz

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The magic of Muscle Memory

Over the weekend Mrs Hazmat reminded me why we are married.. she set the DVR to record a very interesting new show on Discovery Channel (My Favorite Channel) because she thought I'd like it.

The show is called "Human Body: Pushing the Limits". If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you do.

Human Body..Nifty computer animations..


The essential premise is as follows, the Human Body is amazing, it's capable of truly astonishing feats when pressed to the limits.

While the episode I watched covered the adrenal response that comes when the body senses immediate harm (great section on a true life story of a Police Officer escaping a fire storm!), it also covered something much more mundane but nevertheless very important to the white collar grappler..

Muscle Memory.

In the episode they talked about the process of muscle learning. While no, your muscles don't have memory as it were, the brain records the action and reaction of each movement, the subtle nuances of the action the resulted in the proper or desired outcome.

Essentially with each successful repetition the brain becomes more efficient, better able to achieve the same outcome with less "thinking" or cognitive processing.

So what does this mean for us?

Drills baby! Lots and lots of drills.

Again however the answer just results in more questions.

How do we get more drilling time without taking too much away from the family, work, etc?

Sure when I was younger and had 1/10th of the responsibilities I have now I could have trained as often as my body would allow, but those days are long gone.

So what have I found that gives me the opportunity to drill techniques early in the morning before the family wakes up or late in the evening after the baby is in bed?

Let me introduce you to "Harvey".

Submission Master Grappling Dummy AKA "Harvey"

Why do I call my Grappling Dummy Harvey?

Well for my older set of readers, old grandma Haz used to watch "Harvey", a 1950s film about a guy whose best friend is a 6ft tall invisible rabbit. When I was little I can remember watching the film with her. Harvey was the name of that "invisible rabbit". Somewhat fitting when you think about it..

"Harvey".. Takes a decent portrait.
For the more geeky readers...

Farscape lead character John Crighton and Scorpius (aka "Harvey")

The entertaining SciFi Channel show, Farscape, featured a character that existed as a figment in the mind of the lead.. his nickname? Harvey. As you'll see in the above picture, perhaps this Harvey and my new grappling dummy Harvey are distant cousins. :)

Anyway, all kidding aside I couldn't be more happy with this dummy. I'm going to put together short review on it soon, however in the meantime head over to Submission Master and check them out for yourself.

Also, check out "Human Body: Pushing the Limits" on Discovery, I think you'll enjoy it.

Until then, it's time to go knock out some reps.

-hz

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Training when you can't.. Enter Grappling Drills

Ok, I know I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but it's been crazy around here and frankly I was waiting for the traffic to build up a bit before I announced the exciting news at the bottom of this post.

It's a well documented fact, I'm a husband, father, and business owner, sometimes those three roles consume 100% of my "training time". What do I do? Well I try to schedule my day so I have an hour of gym time every morning, I want to use that time to work on my game, however I'm hard pressed to get a training partner interested in drilling and rolling in the pre-dawn hours. Answer?

Grappling Drills by Stephan Kesting

Yes, this DVD has been reviewed countless times on the web, so honestly there's precious little more I can add, however let me share with you a story from my teen years.

Back when I was a Senior in High School I felt like I was in pretty decent shape, I trained off and on, had moderate stamina and conditioning, so when a somewhat, we'll say, chubby friend of mine invited me to partake in a game of racquetball I jumped at the chance. Sadly, even though I knew he'd been playing for almost a year I figured my "athletic" prowess would let me win out handily.

The place of my first sports life lesson.

I could not have been more humiliated.

He had me running all over the court, up one side and down the other. His placement was impeccable, sure I could hit harder and run faster, but that meant very little when he kept me constantly off balance with his strokes and serves.

But..my lesson didn't end there.

Over the following weeks he continued to dominate me, try as I might I just couldn't seem to shake his precision game.

Then it happened.

He left on a summer vacation with his family, that meant I had 4 weeks to "prepare" for his return. The first step was an honest appraisal of my game, that meant reviewing the shots I made, and the shots I missed. The next step was a review of his game, what if anything was difficult for him? High backhand? Great, how do I exploit that..

Then, you know what I did? I drilled. Not just any drills, I went to the backboard and drilled the weaknesses of my game and his. I spent hours in the hot Florida sun, I drilled each morning until my shorts were soaked to the tips with sweat.

Four weeks went by quickly and my friend returned, and you know what?

He never won another match that summer.

What am I teaching here? The supreme importance of drills, and the ability to look at your game and admit your weaknesses.

It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.

Sun Tzu - Wikiquote

Sun Tzu.. How was his Racquetball game?

So take Sun Tzu's advice, look at your game honestly, look at your opponent's game, and find the drills you need.

Where are those drills? In your copy of Grappling Drills by Stephan Kesting.

Yep, you heard it right, read on to learn how to enter the contest for your own sealed in the box copy of Grappling Drills by Stephan Kesting.

Step 1 -> Post a comment on this or another post on WhiteCollarBJJ, be smart or creative, inane posts don't count.

Step 2 -> Send me an email at whitecollarbjj_at_gmail.com (_at_ = @) and tell me which post is yours, put "Grappling Drills DVD Contest" in the Subject so it's easy to identify.

Step 3 -> Cross your fingers! I'll randomly pick one winner Saturday March 15th. Once the winner has been selected I'll email them to get an address to send the DVD.

Good Luck, and start commenting!

-hz

PS - Past comments don't count, only comments posted between today and March 14th Midnight EST.

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WhiteCollarBJJ at Copa America 2008

Well, as promised, Chewy and I traveled to Lakeland, FL yesterday to take in Copa America.

No competing for me, my nasal cavities were still under blockade by the viral forces occupying my body.

Because no one expects a Nasal Blockade!

First impressions? I was quite surprised with the turn out, there must have been at bare minimum 70+ competitors there, with coaches, family, and friends it was a great showing.


Chewy and I were there on a mission, first and foremost one of our long time training partners was competing in the Flyweight division (and yes, for those of you interested, Hazmat himself walks around in the Flyweight division) and we were there to support him.

Also, while there we figured we'd check out the competition, sort of get a feel for whether we'd both like to compete in the next Copa America.

So, what did I learn?

One of the things my coach mentioned last week really hit home today. Watching most of the matches (Gi and No Gi), it truly is more often than not the most basic submissions that win the match.

Now don't get me wrong, there was some exotic stuff on display yesterday, I personally witnessed both a Gogoplata and a Flying Triangle. Sadly neither of them worked, however what did work?

- Triangle

Yes, the simple triangle, the "day two  Jiu-Jitsu" submission of choice certainly appeared by and large to be the submission with the greatest frequency of occurrence and percentage chance of success.

- Kimura

The simple bent arm lock made famous by Masahiko Kimura, was on display at Copa America yesterday. Yet again further driving home the point that simple submissions are quite effective in tournament play.


Thank you sir! May I have another!
- Guillotine and Rear Naked Choke

Lastly, as if we needed the reinforcement, head hunting continues to be a very effective fight ender (and does wonders for French Monarchy)

While different.. the theory is still strikingly similar.
So where does that leave us?

Well if Hazmat is going to man up and compete in one of these tournaments there's a few training modifications he's going to make.

1. Drill the heck out of the basics (and their defense!)

2. Make sure my SAID circuits are effective at developing top cardio conditioning.

3. Tighten up the meal plan based on JC's suggestions at the last Intocombat.com seminar.

Now, the real key will be making all of this fit into the otherwise hectic work a day life of a professional with a wife and child..

Well if it were easy they wouldn't call it life.

Compete Smart!

-hz

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Injury avoidance 101

The other day we talked about career ending injuries. If you haven't read that post yet, check it out here first.

Today or should I say tonight we are going to talk about a topic near and dear to my heart, injury avoidance.

It's quite simple really, here at WhiteCollarBJJ we understand you've got a life off the mats. Most of my readers are fellow white collar professionals, Moms, Dads, people that work the 8-6 and understand that limping from meeting to meeting just doesn't cut it.

Yes, it's impossible to prevent all injuries, unless you stop rolling all together, and since we both know that's not going to happen then we need to focus on some simple rules of thumb to avoid the preventable ones.

So, let's get started.

Rule 1

Never roll with someone until you've watched them roll with someone else.



I can't tell you how many times this simple rule has saved my bacon. it's quite simple, you don't know if you are dealing with a poor soul afflicted with "lethal spastic flailing" or if you've got an opponent who is "tap def", and either way it's in your best interest to know BEFORE you consider rolling with them.

Rule 2

Wear a mouth guard.


I only have to put one link here, just go ask "chewy" about wearing a mouth guard. Honestly, if you don't like the boil and bite then suck it up and go to the Dentist and have one custom made. I did that early on and absolutely love it. Be sure to request the mold when you are done, that way if you ever lose your guard you can have a new one made up quickly.

Rule 3

Wear a cup.



Unless it's not allowed (ie competition) Need I really say more?

Rule 4

If you have a tendency to get "the ear" then get some ear guards.
We all know how unpleasant Cauliflower Ear is, it's truly nasty, don't take my word on it though, check out the nice summary at "Why We Not Hit Hard".

Rule 5

Final Rule, get some simple wrestling knee pads, because you only get one set of knees.



This one is a hazmat signature, I've been wearing knee pads since back in the Gi days. Early on in my game I found I could "create weight" with knee on belly, but conversely that meant I was shooting my knees all over the place. End result? Lots of bruises on my knees. Thankfully switching to a pair of wrestling knee pads has greatly reduced this problem. Be sure to try a few sizes on though, as when you get to rolling they'll start sliding on you very quickly if they aren't sized properly.

Well that's about it in a nutshell. So I'll close with Mrs Hazmat's favorite quote..

"Have fun and don't get hurt!"

-hz

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Could you stop?

I wanted to share this with you all, take some time to think about what you would do in the same situation...

Last night as class was getting started an accomplished BJJ player I've grown to respect dropped in wearing street clothes. I've been watching this guy train for a while, he's clearly got exceptional talent and motivation, so I was surprised to see him in street clothes. However, he was obviously injured by the way he was carrying his shoulder.

Next thing I hear..

"It was a career ending injury, sorry coach, I'm done."

Yes, just like that, here's a guy who'd been rolling for years and after a freak shoulder separation (with considerable complications) his orthopedic had confirmed his worst fears. No more BJJ, no more MMA, no more "training".

Poor guy looked shell shocked and frankly I would be too.

The whole experience got me thinking, sure I get frustrated when I get dinged up, annoyed when I have to miss a training session, etc.

But how small and petty is that compared to being told you can never train again?

Yes, there are plenty of other things in this world that are far more important than this game.

But.. could you stop cold turkey?

Think about that and offer up a little to all those guys and girls that had to leave the mats forever.


Next time we'll talk about a few basic injury avoidance tactics I like to use.

-hz

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Commitment...?

Personal commitment, interaction dominated by obligations. These obligations may be mutual, or self-imposed, or explicitly stated, or may not. Distinction is often made between commitment as a member of an organisation (such as a sporting team, a religion, or as an employee). A personal commitment is a pledge or promise to ones' self for personal growth.

Commitment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Commitment? What the heck sort of blog is this? No, we aren't talking about this sort of commitment..






Nor are we talking about this sort of commitment.


No, we are talking about commitment to your game, or more directly, commitment to your submission.

Case in point, I was rolling yesterday morning with a good friend and training partner of over a year. He also happens to be the author of "Chew-Jitsu.com", great guy, and no I wasn't responsible for re-arranging his chompers. That dubious distinction lies with someone else.

Now, back to the matter at hand. Whenever "Chewy" and I roll it almost always gets aggressive, very aggressive. You see, we know each other's games so well it's hard not to get a bit "motivated" to get the submission. However the problem I'm finding lies not with the motivation, but with the second guessing or "lack of commitment".

You see, I told you we'd get around to this.

Many times during my roll with Chewy I saw something open up. Perhaps it was a nice arm bar or kneebar, or even a personal Hazmat favorite..the mounted triangle. Still, in those instances I found myself starting the submission..but then re-thinking my decision and backing off. Almost as if I thought he'd counter my submission and I should look for something else. End result.. no wins for Hazmat (this time..).

Afterwards he asked me, "Why didn't you sink that armbar, I'd swear you had it ready to go..".

You know what, I really didn't have an answer. All I could think of was my first BJJ Coach and his words to me..

"Believe in it! Believe in your game."

That's the commitment I'm talking about, next time you are setting up a submission and are having doubts.. just believe in it and give it a whirl. Worst case you lose and start over, best case.. well you just might start believing in yourself, and imagine where that would take your game.

Have Faith!

-hz

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It's all in the name...

Sometimes I think the bard said it best..

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

Name - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Romeo & Juliet)


What's in a name? One of the most fascinating trends I've noticed recently is the unique process by which submission grappling movements get their names.

I've got to say the most impressive producer of contemporary names has to be Eddie Bravo. I'll admit, at first when I flipped through his books I thought, "what the heck kind of names are these? T-Rex? Night of the Living Dead?  There's no way I'll remember these."

Interestingly enough, I did.

In fact I've found I remember most movements after I've been taught them if they have an evocative name. Something that works as a nice play on words, something that references a movie, a piece of music, famous figure, or even a prehistoric thunder lizard!


Sadly Bravo's "T-Rex" isn't nearly as cool, but is still a very effective name.


The analytical side of my mind continues to wonder why.

Why do simple evocative and often times exotic names seem to stick with us more than more traditional or analytical names?

Is it a facet of our generation? Are we so tuned in to contemporary culture that names that evoke cultural norms are more readily remembered and recalled?

Perhaps there's an academic out there studying the process of naming, memory, and recall.. I'd love to know why it works.

Until then however, try to come up with names for the movements you learn, make them meaningful to you.

Chances are you'll appreciate it next time you roll.

Time to go "T-Rex Up", later!

-hz

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No one expects the....Kneebar?

We interrupt this segment to talk about UFC 81, in particular The Kneebar.

You see, I like to think of Kneebar's like the classic Monty Python sketch..

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...

Because nobody expects the kneebar!

In particular Mir's setup was nice, simple, and quite effective. If you haven't seen it yet I recommend you do, it will really make you stop and think about the Kneebar and well executed leg locks in particular.


Frank Mir sets in for a tight Knee bar.

Myself, up until a few weeks/months ago all things leg lock oriented were foreign to me. Like most classic BJJ practitioners, I'd only heard of "heel hooks" as dreaded ultra dangerous submissions, something never to be used unless everyone involved knew the risks. In looking back on it that is a very sound argument, as a leg lock newbie who is a tad agressive can hurt themselves very easily when caught in a heel hook.

However the kneebar, that's a different animal.

Much like the arm bar there are numerous setups, it creates a slight pain response when it's being applied properly (makes knowing to tap easier), and as evidenced in UFC 81 it can be a fight finisher.

So how do you go about learning the knee bar? Frankly, there is only one truly well recognized and respected source of "kneebarology", Dynamic Kneebars from GrappleArts.com.

I know I've told you about Stephan's stuff before, but this is worth repeating, Plain and simple if you want to learn kneebars inside and out then you owe it yourself to watch this DVD.

Stephan breaks down the kneebar into manageable portions.

First he covers the basics of positioning, there are more than a few ways to get your body in position to apply the kneebar properly. We all know that the difference between a good submission and a weak one is more often than not body positioning. This is first section is key to getting it right when you are knee hunting.

Next he covers many different setups, from open guard, half guard, etc. In fact, the same exact setup Mir used on Lesnar is shown, and we know that one works.

Lastly he covers different flows and escapes, because quite frankly what sort of kneebar expert would you be if you constantly got stuck in other's kneebars? In addition for those exercise enthusiasts, he's got a few traditional lifts to build the lower back and squeezing power to make the kneebar work.

Over the last few weeks I've spent a good bit of time exploring the kneebar (Thanks to this DVD) and I think you might be well served to consider it as well because..

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquis... er Knee Bar!

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

-hz

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The Doctor(s) will see you now...Expert Advice

Yes, the constant struggle to improve your grappling game.

If you are anything like me it comes in spurts. There are weeks when you are on top of the world, and weeks when everyone has an answer to your offensive game plan.

During one of those "down weeks" I was doing a bit of Internet searching and found "The Grappler's Guide". As quoted on their website "Dedicated 100% to the improvement of your grappling performance"..

Hmm, tempting, but truth be told it looked to me to be yet another forum full of submission grapplers, except this one wanted $47 to get access to the "premium content".

$47 for a forum? Not sure I'm ready to commit my dollars, so I created a free account and started perusing the free materials. Not bad, looked like they had a pretty decent group of members, most importantly they seemed to have a nice contingent of black belt BJJ practitioners that posted quality responses to questions.

But was it really work $47 a year? I still wasn't sure, but I decided the $47 wasn't much different than the price of most BJJ instructionals so I made the jump and went "premium". In the end I got my money back out of the site within 30 days of signing up!

You see, The Grappler's Guide has very nice contests each month.

It just so happened that they were running a contest during my first month of membership for some MMA Gloves and shorts from Scientific Street Fighting, total value of the prizes was well above the $47 I paid for membership.

Guess what...



Hahah, yep, I won. So right there the membership paid for itself.

However that wasn't the end of the value I've received, frankly far from it.

I've come to treat the guide much like a group of valuable game coaches. If I get stuck on something, am looking for an option from a given position, or would just like commentary on my most recent sparring session, I go straight to the guide and make a post.

Chances are I'll get responses from 1-2 black belt instructors within 24hrs! Now that's some seriously valuable content, where else are you going to get multiple experienced coaches and teachers looking at your problems and providing solid recommendations?

Seriously, if you find somewhere else let me know.

In the mean time you can find old Hazmat posting away on The Grappler's Guide.

So, go ahead, sign up for a free account and make a post or two, I think you'll see the value.

"The doctors will see you now."

Whoops, got to go, time for my BJJ game checkup.

Until next time,

-hz

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Inspiration for the smaller guys

Whenever I'm sliding a bit in my game, feeling like it's difficult training against guys larger than me I fire up this video.

Marcelo Garcia vs Xande Ribiero ADCC 2005 Absolute 3rd Place Match

Quite simply, Marcelo is inspirational.

In re-watching this last night it got me really thinking about sweeps, making sweeps a larger part of my game, and developing a nice open guard game that leans toward reversals over submissions.

Enjoy!

-hz

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The Inner Game of Jiu-Jitsu?

The holidays couldn't have come at a better time this year. Work, family, business, and my Jiu-Jitsu game all could use some much needed perspective.

Now, since this is a BJJ blog, let's focus on my game for a minute.

Just before the holidays I was feeling quite frustrated. Ever since October my game has felt like it was in a tail spin. First my favorite instructor moved on to travel the world. Yes he and his wife packed up their belongings and headed off to see the world, amazing opportunity, we were all sad to see them go but tremendously happy for them. Want to read about their travels? Check them out at WanderingWhy.com.

Now, after he moved on a new BJJ school opened less than a mile from my home. At first it was like Christmas in October! I couldn't believe my luck, with gas prices climbing and time away from the family a precious commodity it was great fortune to have a new school so close by. I used my free week of classes and was quite impressed with the instructors, students, and "their game", however.. they are a No Gi school and I had just spent the last year plus training in a Gi.

Little did I know I was in for a crash course in grips.

First I had to kiss my Spider Guard away, and if you've seen the grip training posts, Spider guard was one of my more favorite positions, I've always felt like it gave me time to think and survey the situation, ahh well, all but gone now. Next I had to re-learn a good bit of my grip game, where do I grab when there's no collar, no sleeve, no lapel?

Needless to say I became very frustrated, instead relaxing and enjoying the learning process I would get uptight, tense, and rigid trying to find the right handle. I felt like I'd been busted back to newbie all over again and I just couldn't get over that idea.

So, now back to the holidays, I was sitting down at Old Man Hazmat's house enjoying a tall cup of green tea and thinking about my game. Perhaps I should get some more instructionals? Maybe a bunch of private lessons? Maybe I should go back to Gi? What if I just worked harder?

Then, out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of "The Inner Game of Tennis" on Old Man Haz's book shelf. He was a very avid and successful Tennis player in his day even won a couple of small collegiate tournaments, so I was intrigued to find this "self help" looking book on his shelf.



I took it down and started reading.. in short I was amazed at what I read. It was like this Tennis Pro had been sitting in the peanut gallery of my BJJ studio and was commenting on my every movement. Who knew Tennis players have so many of the same problems that BJJ players have?

I don't want to spoil the book for you, as it's very inexpensive and frankly your local library most likely has a copy you can read, but here's the gist of it.

You have two selfs, please think of these as Self 1 and Self 2 (or as I like to think of them.. Thing 1 and Thing 2).




Thing 1 is your mind, it's the part of you that says "Good job, nice sub, great escape, man you suck today, you couldn't kneebar a grappling dummy, way to overthink it boy-o". Essentially Thing 1 is trying to "help" you by making all those great constructive(destructive?) comments while you train. "Grip better, get lower in your cross side control, keep moving your hips, shrimp!".

Sadly, Thing 1 is not really helping at all, you see, Thing 2, he's your body and is plenty capable all on his own. Here's poor Thing 2, he just wants to be left alone, he wants to flow, to put on that arm bar or spin into knee mount, however the whole time he's got Thing 1 breathing down his neck, before you know it he's living up to Thing 1's expectations. So, Thing 1 thinks we've got a bad arm bar, so I guess we do I'll just do it poorly.

So what do we do? We need to help out poor old Thing 2, but we can't talk to him, he really doesn't understand words, but he does understand pictures and more importantly VIDEO. In order to really help out Thing 2, we need to get him access to lots of "non-instructional" video.

Now after reading and absorbing this I quickly ran to my DVD case (yes I had it with me, don't ask) and pulled out a favorite..101 Submissions Vol 1. It's a very slick fast paced video of 100+ submissions, no instruction, no details, just movements in real time (and slowed down).



So I queued up the DVD and started watching.. however I noticed I was immediately looking at the details (see his arm is there, you need your legs more like that, wow his bridge is spectacular) yes, Thing 1 was back in the drivers seat telling Thing 2 what to do. Sigh. Let's try this again.

So I jumped ahead a few chapters and started again, this time I tried to get Thing 1 occupied with the visuals (who is the sponsor? Nice rash guard, what tournament is this from?) and I let Thing 2 just enjoy the video.

End result? Well it's hard to say, this sort of thing is difficult to measure.. as Yogi Berra would say "90% of the game is mental, the other half is Physical".


Do I feel different? Yes, I feel like I'm enjoying things again, I'm not trying desperately to capture all the details nor am I letting Thing 1 run the show when I roll or drill. I'd say regardless of my outward successes (or failures) I'm having more fun now, and isn't that really what it's all about?

Thanks Thing 2.













-hz

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Grip Training with "The Sleeves!"

I am fond of saying there are three simple pillars to my game. Grip Strength, Flexibility, and Conditioning.

We've already talked a little about my Conditioning practices in a prior post, tonight we are going to talk about Grip Training, specifically my BJJ Gi related grip training.

Before I get started, let's look at what the Wikipedia has to say about types of Grip Strength.

• The crush grip is what is most commonly thought of as "grip". It involves a handshake-type grip, where the object being gripped rests firmly against the palm and all fingers. A strong crush grip is useful in bone-crushing handshakes or for breaking objects with pressure.
  
• In a pinch grip, the fingers are on one side of an object, and the thumb is on the other. Typically, an object lifted in a pinch grip does not touch the palm. This is generally considered a weaker grip position. The pinch grip is used when grabbing something like a weight plate or lifting a sheet of plywood by the top edge.
  
• A support grip typically involves holding something, such as the handle of a bucket, for a long time. This type of strength is epitomized by the "Farmer's walk", where the bucket is filled with sand or water, and carried over a long distance. A great deal of muscular endurance is necessary to have a good carrying grip.

Grip strength - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the BJJ Gi game grip is king, quite simply you can't submit what you can't hold. Crush and Support grip play a very important role in your success on the mat. It's not difficult to create non sport specific grip strength, a quick google search will reveal just less than 1/2 a million hits,
among them you'll find all manner of exercises, such as:

• Plate Pinch Lifts
• Wrist Curls
• Farmers Walk
• Etc,etc...
  

While good in their own right none of these exercises are sport specific to BJJ, quite simply, you need to build resistance gripping the Gi.

Now enter Grip Dominator Sleeves.

Essentially, Grip Dominator sleeves are Judo or Jiu-Jitsu Gi sleeves with high grade industrial strapping attached.

Last year, June in fact, I attended a Combat Training Seminar at The Institute of Human Performance. Since then, I've gotten to know JC Santana and his Grip Dominator sleeves and improved my BJJ game noticeably.




Intocombat.com Grip Dominator Sleeves (Image courtesy of Intocombat.com

Grip Dominator sleeves can be attached to damn near anything, Kettlebells, Bands, Barbells, Pull-Up Bars, Gymnastics Rings, etc.

Think you can do a few Pull-Ups? Try doing them with the sleeves and see how many you can do. Unless you have tremendous grip I'm guessing that number will be smaller than your traditional pull-ups.

I had been using the sleeves in all manner of functional and traditional exercises for a few months, and while my Gi grip strength improved I wanted more opportunities to drill specific movements. In my opinion, this is where the Grip Dominator sleeves really shine, with a limited amount of time each week set aside for BJJ classes and sparring, I needed something more to practice technique and improve specific movements. That's how I came about the inspiration to develop a few simple BJJ sport specific exercises with the Grip Dominator Sleeves.

I've put together a short video to show off the exercises I use the sleeves for on a weekly basis. The end results have been dramatic, my collar choke game has become much stronger, as has my open guard. In fact, many evenings after class I come home and try to develop new sleeve based drills for techniques I've learned. Some work, some don't, but in the end I couldn't be happier with my investment.

Click To Play

If you want Grip Dominator Sleeves, order them at www.intocombat.com. If they ask, tell them hazmat from WhiteCollarBJJ sent you.

Enjoy, Train Smart.

-hz

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Guest Blog Post - Traditional Herbs for MMA/BJJ

We were lucky enough to have a guest post by Josh of Plumdragon Herbs. As you'll recall, Josh helped me out last time I sustained some rather serious Grappling injuries. I've asked him to put together a very simple primer on eastern medicine alternatives to common BJJ and grappling sports injuries. Wow, did he deliver, so without further delay I give you..."Traditional Herbs for the Modern Fighter".

Traditional Herbs for the Modern Fighter

In modern day, martial artists engaging in intense training are aided by a myriad of advantages from the warriors of old. An entirely new era has evolved, whereby a trainer must be familiar enough with their athlete to recommend a customized regimen of supplements. However, while modern times have greatly enhanced supplements for the serious athlete or martial artist, they have almost entirely neglected the area of traumatology, and instead use cortisone shots, archaic ice treatment, and acts such as surgery to solve problems that unfortunately, can (and usually do) cause as much harm as good.

At first glance, herbalism seems an old and outdated form of therapy. But looking through the magnifying glass, we see that herbalism has grown and evolved over the centuries as well, and it is the job of each individual who works with herbs to do their part by continuing to research, verify, create, and most of all in todays world, dispel theories and ideas that are bogus.

WHOLE WHEAT OR WHITE?


Just as each type of food or drink you eat effects your body in a certain way, so do various herbs. If you eat too much greasy food, you may feel tired because of the wet heavy property of grease and fat; if you drink alcohol, you might feel a buzz due to the sweet invigorating properties of ethanol; and fortunately, if you apply certain herbs to an injury, it can help the healing process. There are a few different herbs and herbal recipes that can significantly aid the martial artist or athlete, both with injury prevention as well as healing injury at a drastically improved rate.

I often hear people exclaim, “But Josh! Why not just go to GNC and buy a bottle of each vitamin, mineral, etc and take a bunch of pills?” In America, we have a terribly unhealthy habit of taking our food products, separating it into the simplest parts, and putting it all back together in separate pieces. When we do this, we lose the synergy that the food we make produces as it grows; we lose all the thousands of supporting compounds; and the well-balanced diet that we’ve been evolving to live off of for millions of years is henceforth destroyed. Vitamin supplements are fantastic (especially if your diet sucks), but they will never beat a natural, well-balanced, non-processed diet. Fortunately, herbs fall into this category. So while kids prefer processed white bread, we adults know better!


OVERALL HEALTH


Your body operates and regenerates at its maximum potential when it has an abundance of the proper nutrients for the task. Just as high quality protein is necessary for muscle development, or glucosamine to maintain good joint health, there are a number of plants that house thousands of important ingredients for overall body health. “Tonic” formulas such as Dang Gui Four and Four Gentlemans Herbs offer a well-rounded battery of compounds necessary for peak performance.

Order Four Gentleman's Herbs @ Plumdragon Herbs

These simple recipes, usually made into teas and taken internally, are loaded with vitamins and anti-oxidants and tons of other good stuff that helps to keep your energy high throughout the year, and keep your body operating the way it was intended.

Traditionally, these recipes were only indulged on once every couple of months. This is a good time frame to go by. However, listening to your body is the best way to determine whether that time frame is correct or not. And if you feel you need a general energy boost but don’t have these around at the time, dont hesitate to take a small teaspoon of honey every other day. Honey is absolutely chock-full of good stuff, and aside from being a good energy tonic, its among the best healthiest substances on the planet!


STAY AWAY FROM ICE


Its so common today for people to ice an injury that you will get funny looks if you tell people its not a very good idea. People grew up with so much acceptance of ice that nobody ever took the time to question it and examine if it was really a good idea or not. Lets do so now. Ice has the following advantages:

• It is FREE.
• It lowers inflammation.
• It can help reduce pain.
  

However, ice is actually real bad news. Lets take a look at the disadvantages of using ice:

• Low Temperature: Ice causes the entire injury to become very cold. This causes fluids to become more viscous, causing sinew to not glide properly. Furthermore, in an injury, a priority is to move out waste such as blood, from the site of the injury. Icing causes all this waste to become hard and stagnant, drastically slowing the healing process.
• Lack of Blood Flow: Due to the low temperatures obtained, there is very little blood flow to the injury. Blood flow is the single most important aspect of healing an injury, to supply oxygen and important nutrients to cells so that they can perform their job.
• Future Problems: Repeated use of ice on a specific area over time can cause tightness and sensitivity later in life due to the severely stagnating nature of icing.
• Skin Damage: With over-icing, skin damage can result.

Those advocating ice will claim that ice is better than nothing. While this is probably not true, I wouldn’t leave you hanging without offering a far superior alternative to ice. Its not free, but almost…

San Huang San, or Three Yellow Powder, is a simple combination of three ground herbs that are mixed with water or oil and applied topically to a swollen injury. The herbs have a cooling nature which helps to reduce the swelling and inflammation, but they also have herbs which increase local blood circulation to help heal the injury. The result is night and day.

Order Three Yellow Powder @ Plumdragon Herbs


Anyone can make a basic version of Three Yellow Powder. All the herbs for a basic version can be obtained from PlumDragon Herbs for only about $1/ounce. We also sell 6 ounce bags of the herbs preweighed. This amount of herb will last you a very long time. The basic recipe:

* Rhubarb Root (Da Huang)
* Scutellaria (Huang Qin)
* Phellodendron Bark (Huang Bai)

Use equal parts of each herb. Mix ground herbs with water, green tea, egg whites, or a carrier oil. Use just enough liquid to turn the herbs into a thick paste. Apply to your injury as soon as possible. Cover with a small piece of saran wrap, and wrap loosely with an ace bandage or similar wrapping bandage. Leave in place for up to 2 hours. Remove and observe change in inflammation. Exclaim out loud, “Ill never use ice again!”


CUTS/LACERATION


The single most common injury in Mixed Martial Arts competition is bleeding. Wounds or cuts that bleed comprise over 50% of the injuries today. There is one simple herbal based formula that can stop cuts and lacerations from bleeding and has even been successfully tested in laboratory settings for its ability to stop internal bleeding. Yunnan Baiyao is a proprietary formula used to stop bleeding of all kinds.



Order Yunnan Baiyao @ Plumdragon Herbs

It is cheap, and it is markedly effective. This is a product that should be in every family’s home first aid kit, and at the side of the mats in every martial arts school in the world.

PlumDragon Herbs sells this product at just above cost because we feel its important to have, and hope that by offering the lowest price that we encourage others to buy it.


BRUISING


We don’t usually look at bruising as a big deal other than a bit of minimal pain; instead we generally shrug them off as a temporary battle mark. However, repeated bruising of an area on the body can lead to problems later on, as simple as muscle/joint tightness, or as serious as blood clots that break off and travel towards the heart.

Fortunately, there are many many different types of herbs that can be applied topically to remove the swelling and pain of minor and serious bruises, as well as drastically increase the natural healing rate of the body. We sell bruise liniments called “dit da jow” at PlumDragon that have herbs which help to stop bleeding, reduce inflammation, and increase the circulation in the area so that cells have a larger blood supply to repair damaged tissue. The result is a much quicker recovery.

Using these types of liniments are easy to apply and cost-effective for the consumer.


TENDON AND BONE


In the world of grappling, the more common injuries are not from blunt trauma, but come from the punishment on tendons and joints when training to bring your submissions to the tap countless times, or accidentally pulling something a bit too far when rolling or competing. There are a number of herbal combinations that are well researched for their ability to relax, heal, and strengthen sinew and bone, and fight off achy arthritic joint pain and stretched damaged tendons. Many of these herbs are the natural source of many of the medicines on the market, but the herbs exist in their natural synergistic state which allows them to be effective without causing side effects.

PlumDragon Herbs sells a couple of different recipes that are relevant to the grappler who puts daily strain on the joints, or who has an injury such as a strain or sprain. The JKD dit da jow has healing functionality for bruises but works much more deeply than a basic bruise liniment and for that reason is often used by grapplers who work on a good deal of submission work.

Order JKD Dit Da Jow @ Plumdragon Herbs

This particular liniment is used and endorsed by a number of martial artists and training facilities, including the Jeet Kune Do group in the Southern US, which has direct lineage with Dan Inosanto and Larry Hartsell; as such, approximately 1/2 of the curriculum of grappling on the mats.

Using products like this is part of the conditioning process and are often times referred to as “Training Liniments”. Just as a Thai boxer hits the bag to condition their shins and then applies Thai Oil (some serious MMA school however use dit da jow), the grappler should build a habit of applying liniment such as JKD jow to any tendons or joints that were especially stressed, directly after training sessions. This will allow these areas of the body to maintain a fantastic conditioning later in life and allow the grappler to push himself a bit farther in submissions without being forced to tap out. Of course, it will always be the other guy that has to tap out, right?

A popular item that is commonly used in tandem with JKD jow in grappling is the Flexibility Pack.


Order the Flexibility Pack @ Plumdragon Herbs

This simple recipe is used in Yoga circles to enhance flexibility and is composed of herbs that warm the joints, relax the tendons, and give a small increase in cardiovascular blood flow. When used in conjunction with a rigorous and CONSISTENT stretching routine, many people notice a significant improvement in flexibility over the course of 2-4 weeks.


FINAL THOUGHTS ON HERBS


There are a number of fantastical claims in the world today, and there is no shortage of this in the realm of martial arts, where it is perhaps the most prominent. With that in mind...

The herbal products above *will* help you with injuries and in your training. But they are not wonder cures. They promote the basic functions of the body just like any other training aid or supplement but in many ways are superior to many of the other products available today for injury; they are also much less expensive.

When you choose an herbal product, do so with an open but questioning and analytical mind. Also realize that there are limits and it is unrealistic to expect unnatural results. Most importantly, nobody can tell you what the effect of a given substance on your body is, better than you! So don’t be afraid to try something for your self and test the results for in your training. Try something at different times (before or after a workout, morning or night), use different application methods. Be creative and enjoy the experience of learning more about your body and the use of herbs to better your training!


Happy training to everyone in the New Year!


-Josh

http://www.PlumDragonHerbs.com

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