2015/10/11: Bad Practices, Ankle Problems, Plans Forward From Here, the Variables

Setbacks and/or plateaus are inevitable. I did not have a very good weekend in terms of practices or what I wanted to do. Friday was okay, I got to roll with Jordan again and that was cool and everything. But a lot of it is just that I'm expecting to be able to escape these armbars, but that's not going to happen right away.

I have only been training for one year. One year. That is not a lot of time. I should be happy for the progress I have made! Well, technically, I have been training on and off for five years, but let's count the total training time.

• 2010: July to early November, 4 months
• 2012: Late June to Early September, 2.5 months
• 2013: June to early August, 2 months
• 2014: June until present

Wait...really? So if you take all of the training time I've ever put in, I've been training for 2 years and half of a month. That is actually not a lot of time. And I've only been in Jiu-Jitsu for one year and 4 months. What do I expect from myself? I know I get frustrated when I am not meeting my short term goals, but I guess I just have to get back to the mat and keep trying. Also, I need to not panic so much when people are trying to armbar me. But eventually, I'll get good at it. Eventually.

I'd say I'm pretty decent for where I'm at; I just need to learn the rest of the positions, then I think I'll have a lot more fun stringing it all together. Maybe once I finish one revolution of the Master Cycle, I'll feel a lot better.

In the meantime, I'll just need to deal with it.

Saturday's workout wasn't that great; I didn't work any of my boxing combos. I think I'm too sporadic when it comes to things that I practice; I'll practice very hard for a week or two on a couple things and then just not practice at all. Part of it is because I practice so many contradictory things at the same time that it's very hard to get all of it into my head. A huge part of it was I didn't make a specific list of things that I wanted to practice.

One thing I DID want to practice, however, was the roundhouse kick. Which really, really, really hurt my bad ankle. Which leads me to conclude...that I need to start doing titanium ankles again. My landings feel weak.

Also I kind of want to play basketball, but that is just so much effort.

Anyway, I've decided to continue Kung Fu training, but to test it out and learn to apply it to guys at a Muay Thai/Boxing school. My power mechanics will be based on Kung Fu, but I'll use the Muay Thai guys are training dummies to learn how to make it work. I think this is the best, because I will have sparred against something that I know works for sure. I like the idea of softness overcoming hardness.

The goal for me is to learn distance, rhythm, timing, targeting, defense, mindgames, and all of that stuff by sparring a lot with people, and then learn to play my slower, tankier game using that knowledge when I get older.

So I've decided to make a list of variables for the stance, and if I haven't already, I'm going to update the list. I'm going to experiment with these and be comfortable with everything.

1. Width: The wider, the more stable and able to resist force, but the less mobile you are, and the less you can deliver force. More defensive. A thinner stance is more mobile and able to deliver force, but not very stable. Offensive.
2. Height: Low stances are typically wider, and are more stable, at the cost of mobility once again. HOWEVER, you are takedown-safe, and have takedown potential. Higher stances are typically smaller, but better for striking, though at great risk of being taken down.
3. Angle: A bladed stance is a smaller target, but you make it easier for your opponent to take your back. Also, you sacrifice power in the front hand for tremendous strength in the rear hand (and the same goes for the leg), and you sacrifice side-to-side stability. Good for situations where there are no roundhouse kicks. Also a lot of leg drive. A square stance (a perfectly square stance) is really bad in terms of front and back stability, but is very good for sprawling against someone who is going to take you down. If you take a slightly square stance (square shoulder, bladed legs), both hands have equal power, but you must turn your front knee in to protect the groin. Bigger target. So square stance more takedown safe, bladed stance more strike safe. A balance is key.
4. Weight distribution (foot): Weight on toes is great for mobility, but lacks very much power (unless you THROW your weight, which is risky but extremely powerful. So you must know when to commit and therefore be prepared for what could happen. Weight on heels is great for power, so like when we are throwing a finishing blow or resisting a push. We must be able to seamlessly transition between both. I like to favor flat feet, but there are times for everything.
5. Match/Mirror: Being able to switch stances at a moment's notice to take advantage of their unfamiliarity.
6. Weight distribution (legs): Weight on forward foot is very dangerous, but has the most attack potential for the hands or the rear leg (drop step roundhouse) unless it is a carving attack with the front foot (which is illegal in most sport organizations). Weight back is safer, and favors the front leg in terms of attack and/or interception. Weight evenly distributed is a great compromise. (The karate dudes are into that)
7. Hand Positioning: Centerline, Philly Shell, Standard Guard, Peekaboo, Muay Thai guard, the list goes on...all have their advantages and disadvantages. I prefer to keep my hands in the middle though, or maybe so a half and half guard with a bladed stance. Will play around.

That's all I can think of for now. I will probably append this list as time goes on.