How to use karate skills in grappling

I've done karate my whole life and I was very lost when starting BJJ. It looked like a totally different beast. Now after 6 years of training I am seeing some use for my karate techniques. It opens a new ideas. I will be studing how to use karate in grappling.

First chapter is going to be takedowns - that's how the match starts :-)

I'll try to publish it mid March? Or atleast some ideas about it....

Just a skeleton rolling

Live rolling is the king – that’s why we try so hard to learn our moves. It’s not easy. Often classes start with a warm up, a new technique, some drilling and then rolling – rolling might start from a position that opens possibilities to use the move taught just a few minutes a go. This was the way it was done at the club where I started and in most seminars I have attended. The challenge is that we hardly remember the technique, and the opponent knows what we are trying to do.

“Take what your opponent is giving you!” says Rafael Lovato Jr. Yeah, right. What does it mean? For the most parts it means that move / execute when your opponent is trying to better their position. Taking what the opponent gives means, we need to know where we want to be, not so much which technique we are going to do. 

There are different ways to drill and roll. I like to think that the first step is just learning the move without resistance. Just be a grappling dummy and let your friend move you or react as you have been told to. No games. The second phase is drilling. Your opponent can increase resistance and find new answers. It’s still drilling or positional sparring for learning and the goal is to get to know your opponent’s responses. The final step is free rolling.  The goal is to use your technique against a resisting opponent when they can do all the moves they know. You’d think it’s easy after drilling it so much, but no. If you are lucky, you can pull a technique once during a roll. (SBGi calls this I-method http://aliveness101.blogspot.fi/)

Kyle Sloan, a judoka, pointed out that rolling slowly helps you find new opportunities. You need to experiment and register opponent’s reactions. After you know your move is working, don’t do the same move over and over again. It’s time to find something new to play with. That’s how we learn more. https://youtu.be/kyeDij715Lc?t=37m45s

“See your opponent as a skeleton”. “Watch a movie.” says Pedro Sauer. One advice is to look at your opponent just as a skeleton. Not a monster wearing a black belt and 20 kilos extra muscle – it’s just a skeleton. When you are learning opponent’s moves, your mindset can be like watching a movie. Just be curious. If you’re late, tap and start to watch another episode. There is no losing in bjj – only a lucky submission now and then, and a lot of learning. When you tap, it means that your friend has done a good job.

Private forum for development

I will start a private site for developing a sparring and rolling system.
It will be private so that I can use more freely vids and instructionals.

Or I'll use Grapplers guide's blog, which is also not public, but might give some feedback on ideas.

Just letting you know that it might be slow here for a while...

Short and simple

I've been thinking about future open mat system. Students might not know how to spar or roll - not in an alive way or not by using progressive resistance.

I think I need to collect some very simple concepts to get rolling and sparring alive straight from the beginning. "Keep it playful"? Yes in a sense that tapping is not bad. It's about learning and learning opponents reactions.

So 27 Feb, 2017 I need to have an idea on how to progressively develop sparring and rolling so that every one has fun and can develop better physical condition...

Easy :-)

10000 repetitions?

We all know Bruce Lee's quate that he does not fear a person who drills 1000 moves, but a person who trains one technique 1000 times and also that research states that to master a technique you need 10 000 hours of training.

So it's important to drill, but what to drill! What is the key feature one has to nail down to be successful. It's harmful to drill 10000 hours something you don't need.

Some ideas how to find out is to figure put what is the problem in your game and start fixing problems. Can't start standing up...do something and see the holes in your game or reactions in opponents moves. Start doing microdrills and positional rolling to learn.

Starting a cross open mat for all martial arts

My idea is to start managing an open mat session every weekday from 2 pm to 4 pm.
I'll try to get judo, boxing wrestling, han mo do, taikwondo, karate, kempo...and what ever martial artist is interested to join.

watched a webinar and planned next year

I watched Lovato Jr's webinar and in my mind I'm comparing his approach to Stephen Whittiers Pillar approach. Something is similar, but Lovato has much more defind grips.

I feel like at the moment that I just need to work on my A game - and have fun. Very much drill and roll my own moves and not learn new. If a boxer works all his life on few techniques, what makes me think that I could handle hundreds or even more?

I'm going for more simple - more tighter and same basic positions all the time.

Next year. I've started to plan it, but rolling partners are little open. Might need to visit local gym to get more rolling sessions. It's a little challenge but nothing that can't be smoothened with money. I'm not the most wanted visitor, but it only means I get a notch more real rolling experience :-)

I'm also thinking of doing karate and aikido to complement my boxing, BJJ and weight training.