Getting Game

My jiu-jitsu instructors constantly talked about developing your game when I was just starting out. Pretty much, what they meant was developing your own style of jiu-jitsu that works for you. Some prefer the top position to control their opponents. Some prefer the bottom and playing from their guard. Some prefer closed guard, some prefer open guard. But eventually something will “click” and you'll naturally evolve a style. You'll develop game. At least that what I've heard.

Ever since I became a blue belt I've been wondering what my game is. Honestly, I don't know yet. I don't really think I have one. It hasn't really clicked yet. There are a few positions I prefer and some that I'd like to be better at but I'm not entirely sure what really works for me overall. What's that fallback technique I can go to that puts me in a comfort zone? Still figuring it out. And it got me wondering: is game really something you can figure out and create, or does it just evolve on its own?

When I first began rolling I was really excited to learn the triangle choke. It was my favorite submission move to watch in MMA and UFC fights. There's something about fighting from you back and using your legs to apply a choke that appealed to me.

I learned the triangle and was surprised at how many steps there are to apply the technique. It took a lot of practice to get it down. Even more practice to do it without speaking the steps to myself. Eventually it became fluid and it was the first submission I ever caught somebody in. It's still my favorite submission to this day.

I focused on getting good at the triangle. I went for it a lot during resistance training (sort of a controlled sparring session). It was a choice to work hard at the triangle and it got me wondering if I could dictate how my game evolves by choosing which techniques and positions to work on. It was time to start trying new things and selecting how I wanted to roll.

Top position holds a lot of advantages, I thought. Your weight is on your opponent tiring them out and gravity is on your side if you attack a submission. I wanted to get good at it. Yeah...that hasn't worked so well. I really like the far-side armbar from side-control. It looks slick when you spin over your opponent and attack the arm. However, for as many times I've attempted it I can still count the successful submissions on one hand. It just doesn't work for me (don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up on the technique it just hasn't worked out yet...yet!). The technique I had selected to incorporate into my game wasn't working out.

Two examples that conflict with the idea that I could shape my own game. I want to be good at the triangle and the far-side armbar. I chose to practice those techniques more than others. Triangle works well, armbar does not. So now what? Can I still shape my game or do I have to fall into it? Do I just keep trying different techniques until I find the ones that flow?

It felt like I was back at square one but I kept on thinking about it and I'm starting to lean towards the idea that game naturally evolves. Take the triangle for example. My legs are good for that. They have a little length and they have a little strength so of course triangles were going to work well for me. It just so happened that it was also my favorite submission. The top game hasn't clicked for me yet but I'm comfortable fighting off my back. I think that sort of matches my personality. The top position is perceived as a dominant position, which ties into being a more aggressive position. I don't really have an aggressive personality. I'm more on the passive, I think, so it makes sense that I prefer fighting off my back and working from the guard given the premise and perception that top position relates to aggression. It seems that the positions and techniques I'm comfortable with and better at fit me.

Now this doesn't mean I'm only going to train guard techniques and endlessly go for triangles. Ideally, I'd like to have my comfort zones that I can go to but I'd also like to perform well from every position whether it be top or bottom. It just means that although I'm a blue belt, I'm only getting started. Now is when I need to explore different techniques, refine the fundamentals, and continue developing my game - whatever it may evolve to.

Hike: Moanalua Valley to Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven – Nov 2011

Today a group of friends and I hiked from Moanalua Valley up the mountain ridge to the Stairway to Heaven, came down the stairs and ended in Haiku. We started at 10:30am and finished at around 4pm. It was a long hike with a few bonus features. Here come the highlights!

The hike started out easy with a trek into Moanalua Valley along an old road. Then the rain came. A gentle shower that eased up. It was nice, it was refreshing but the clouds were just getting started. Next thing I knew it was pouring. So much that I started to get concerned about flash flooding and how the hiking trail on the mountain would look. But no matter, we continued along the road dodging mud puddles as best we could and made it to the mountain trail. Time to start the climb!



The path was easy to navigate and the rain let up as we started up the ridge. But then the wind came. It was cold and it was gusty. I couldn't decide if I preferred being soaked by the rain or chilled by the wind. Regardless, we pressed on.



Marlon, Jen, Ronny, David (aka Waimea), Kalani, David (me), Ernest, Kelli



The ridge climb got pretty steep at times. There were ropes at a few areas of the trail to assist with the more sketchy parts. I was thankful for those. We climbed higher and higher and the trail got narrower and narrower. Before long we were hiking on the ridge with sheer drops on both sides. If you fell to the right you'd break a leg or something for sure. If you fell left, certain death. Not to mention the rain and wind continued to take turns soaking us and blasting us. It was like the elements were having fun with us.

Now, a challenging hike will always have moments of pure misery. I experienced a few of those today when I was drenched, my jacket was completely soaked, I was cold, muddy, and the wind was knocking me around. But the challenge always comes with a sight you would never want to miss.

At the upper region of the ridge the rain stopped and the wind died down. To our right we could see some clouds moving over the valley and the mist cascading from the sky to the lush valley floor. The mist came down gracefully, spiraling and coalescing like a dance. It looked like streamers gently falling through the air with more and more streamers joining the dance until there was an entire curtain of mist waving in front of us.

It was quite a show nature put on for us. And nature let us know when the show was over by turning the rain back on. The ridge climb continued.

We got closer and closer to the top, which always seemed to be only 5 minutes away, and the wind really picked up. It looked really cool to be in the clouds and watch them rush up the side of the valley right at you and then spill over onto the other side of the ridge. At times the wind gust with such force that it knocked me off balance and I had to squat to anchor myself down. It was all good though, I just rested while I waited for the gusts to die down then kept on going.

We finally reached the top of the ridge and the trail leveled off. The wind and rain let up and it seemed like it would be easy going...yeah, that wasn't the case though. This part of the hike I label mud slide. Things got dirty. Our feet sunk into mud pools up to the ankle. I was glad my shoes stayed on my feet. We reached a tricky section where the trail sloped down but the ground was slicked over with mud. Traction did not look promising. Kalani took the lead and showed the technique to slide down in a squatted position. Pretty much, squat down and use controlled pressure on your feet to slide down and steer. Yeah...it didn't work out so well for me.

Up to that point I had been able to keep the mud off of me except for my feet and lower legs. I didn't really want to get completely mudded up. I tried to crouch and use the length of my legs to find areas where my feet had some grip. That didn't work at all. I slipped and slid on my rump and side a few feet. Mud was all over my right leg and backside so I figured screw it and I slid all the way down. I tried to slide sideways on my feet, left leg leading in a sort of sprawled out side-lunge. Then the mud just took me and as the trail curved my lead leg got ahead of me enough to make the rest of me roll over and I went the rest of the way on my stomach. All I could hear once I rolled was Waimea laughing his lungs out. I gotta say, it was a fun slide but had to be hilarious to see. Hopefully Kalani got it on video and I can get a hold of it and post on my Facebook page (I just checked and Kalani did catch it on video, check it out here).

After the slide, a few more mud pools, and slippery areas - one which I actually lost my balance completely and fell to my hind quarters – we reached the Stairway to Heaven. We took a break to eat a bit (kudos to Ronny for the beef jerky) and rest. Then it was time to descend the stairs.

The stairs were pretty sturdy. I was still careful with my footing because the weather had dampened things. It was a steady descent. The air grew warmer as we left the clouds and got closer to the ground. The view of Kaneohe materialized when we broke through the clouds, very nice view indeed! Near the bottom I heard a commotion up ahead. I saw Kalani reaching for something off the side of the stairway with his camera pole and then his bag rolled away. He set it down on the stairs while he reached for whatever it was he was going for and the wind took it. The bag rolled down the stairs, through the railing, off the side of the ridge, and fell into the valley below. Huge bummer but better a bag than a person, I thought.

We reached the bottom of the stairs, it was about 4pm, and Kalani wanted to search for his bag. Given the overcast weather, I figured we had 1½ hours of daylight left, 2 hours at best. It was time to get to work. This was the bonus adventure. The others stayed back while Kalani, Waimea, Ronny, and I went into the valley in search of the fallen pack.

The attitude got serious and our caution increased. We blazed our own trail through loose rock, trees, and dirt until we reached the area where the bag fell. No sign of it. Perhaps a little further in we'd find it. The ridge walls on both sides were near vertical so we used the tree roots as ropes and branches as ladders to climb through. It reminded me my younger days in California when my friends and I would blaze our own trails in the mountains. It was fun yet serious because one slip could lead to serious injury. I made sure I had a firm handhold and tested my footing before putting my weight down. Slowed things down a bit, but caution was paramount.

It wasn't long until Kalani found his bag. He got it down and we carefully made our way back to the Stairway to Heaven where the others were waiting. It was a short trek out of Haiku Valley into the neighborhood of Waipao where some of our cars were parked. Some went straight home while the rest of us went back to Moanalua Valley Park (thanks to Waimea for the ride). By the time we got back to the park the sun had set and the sky was dark. We washed off as best we could at the park and ate some cupcakes in celebration of Kalani's birthday - happy birthday dude!

Definitely a good hike. The rain and wind pushed the challenge. Emotions went from misery to victory and at the end the day was ours.

back: Ernest, Kelli, Marlon, David (aka Whitepinapple/me), Jen
front: David (aka Waimea), Kalani, Ronny