YEAR IN REVIEW

In terms of training-related stuff, I think 2007 has been pretty good to me.

I've started to explore and experiment more with my Jiu-Jitsu. I've been working on a pressure-style top game for smaller guys (not by choice, everyone is heavier than I am) which is a bit tricky but I still want to see where I can go with it.

I also feel like I've begun to get myself stuck in a rut. I started playing around with the Ezekiel choke early on in the year and I think I have a decent game based around that submission.

Unfortunately, I started using it too much, to what I believe was the detriment of other facets of my game. So now I tell myself to play more with other submissions.

After this year's Machado Australian BJJ Nationals, I was fortunate enough to meet Rigan Machado himself, as well as to go to Geelong for a class at John Will's place. That was pretty awesome.

Around that time I started keeping a notebook for BJJ and CMD stuff; thoughts, techniques and so on. It's really helped me, more than I could have imagined. It's helped me mentally process classes, techniques, drills...basically it's improved my game significantly.

I met Rigan again at the CMD retreat in Singapore, where he proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that he is so cool, it's insane. He hung out with everybody, he told us all the best stories (not just about BJJ) and he even asked if he could get a photo of himself with me (not that I was so special, he did that for everybody, so he could put together a slide show, which I took as further evidence of his complete and utter coolness)!

After the seminar he said to me: "My friend, you're doing really well. But, I want to see more movement from you. I want you to improve your chess game." I've been thinking about those words ever since and I came back from that seminar completely imspired to do just that.

My boxing took a while to get going but I think it's starting to move along on the right track. I started going to the CMD classes again in January, signing up to become a trainer in March. It took me forever to figure out what I was doing.

I was quite nervous about it, not being used to the nature of the class. I was always too stiff and tense when sparring. I was always eating shots to the face (thanks, Mike!) and wondering "how the hell did he do that?" I just didn't know what I was doing wrong.

At the CMD retreat, I got to attend one of the Gold sessions, in which Rodney King shared with us details of his "Fight Compass" (no, I'm not giving details about it). Without trying to sell it too much, it completely blew my mind wide open.

It was like in the cartoons, when the lightbulb isn't working so someone lights a match to reveal the room is packed with dynamite or nitroglycerine. Well, it was for me, at any rate.

I could literally feel new doors open for my game. I'm now much more confident; I have at least a fair idea of what I'm doing, I know it's what I'm good at and I know what I can try when it's not working.

Just in the last couple of days, I found a really good location for my future gym. I have a name for it pretty well set and I expect to get it under way this year at some point.

So yeah, 2008 is looking good, too.

***

My to-do list for early 2008:

My armbars are still in dire need of work.

I want to work on my bottom game for side control.

I should probably also really be thinking more about playing open guard.

I want to develop a game around the gogoplata from mount. Like, a real game, not just a gimmick.

I would also like to play more with the omoplata.

Edit: Gogoplata from MOUNT, not GUARD.