2024 - 04 - 15

Sometimes you give what you can. Sometimes you tell the truth you can afford to tell. Sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes you knew, from the time you began, it never would be. Chalk up. Dig in. Get some blood on the barbell. Your demons will learn to swim if you drink and they’ll get stronger too if you bury them in the weightroom.

Summary:

I’ve been trying to use what I’ve learned and shuffle the (anticipated) difficulty of Free Fall Program sessions to accommodate unsual life circumstances. The moral of this chapter of the story seems to be coming to terms with, and maybe even savoring, that what you’ve given was all you have to give even if you now know it’s not, or perhaps knew at the beginning it wouldn’t be, enough.

Grappling has continued to explore inside and outside heel hooks, speicfically escapes this week in both class and open mat sessions.

Later in the week I could have squeezed in another trianing session as scheduled, but I ended up spending more time that I thought — perhaps because it’s what I needed — seeking connection and spending copious amounts of time with my people.

Sunday’s session was short and brutal, perfect to catch a good buzz and get back on track.

Contents:

• Monday: FFP-027 - Free Fall 1 / Power
• Tuesday: FFP-019 - DIY Capacity / O2 Mobilization
• Wednesday: NoGi BJJ / K-Guard and Backside 50/50
• Thursday: NoGi BJJ / Inside Heel Hook Escapes
• Friday: Rest and Reconciliation
• Saturday: NoGi BJJ / Heel Hook Escapes
• Sunday: FFP-020 - DFF / Recoverability

More charts for nerds, and session details and reflections below!

4/15/25: Power, Level 1

Intention:

Typically power needs protected with rest, however, implementing time restraints (and thereby intrasession recovery), forces you to be more conservative with loading which helps shield technical practice from the interference of “ego lifting.”

Warm Up:

Alt. EMOM/5
5 x snatch-grip dead lift
5 x snatch contact + pull
5 x snatch contact + muscle snatch
5 x drop snatch
5 x hang power snatch + overhead squat

Work:

EMOM/5
1 x 3-step deadlift + snatch pull

EMOM/5
1 x 3-step deadlift + power snatch

EMOM/5
1 x power snatch + overhead squat

EMOM/5
1 x 3-step deadlift + power snatch + overhead squat

2 x 5 each
*Your two worst snatch segments

Results:

Warm Up: 45 lb bar

Work:
First 3 EMOMs: 85 lbs
Last EMOM: 105 lbs
Drop Snatch (empty bar)
High-Pull and Scap-Retract (band)

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
The time limitation here served it’s purpose well, I didn’t get too carried away with loading. Additionally, this was the most solid and upright I’ve felt in the bottom position.

What didn’t work and why:
Now, the problem seems to be getting to the bottom dynamically without my hips “hitching.” (see below).

Plan for next time:
When watching a video of my lifts, I noticed that taking a wider grip (to accommodate my shoulders) makes it hard to keep the bar close in the second / third pull (waist-to-chest and body-under-bar). The segments I chose to work on were drop-snatches and snatch-grip behind-the-neck presses.

4/16/24: Capacity

Intention:

“Keep in mind what makes an energy system what it is, the limitation of the session will tell you whether or not you’ve succeeded. Capacity is defined by a limitation within the aerobic channel… choose movements that are not heavy like wall balls, burpees, and mix them with machines so that you can focus on effort and not skill.”

Warm Up:

10 min easy bike, right in to:
EMOM/10
step up and over x 5 (total)

Work:

AMRAP/20
Bike x 20 cals
Burpee x 10
Body Over Box x 5

Results:

Warm Up: 78 cal, 20” box
Work: 80 cals / 10 min, 24” box

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
The structure was right. Mostly a cardio burn, with a couple transitions to (barely) keep your sanity, but not much of a chance to catch your breath.

What didn’t work and why:
Maybe it was getting laid off this week (spoiler). Maybe I cooked my legs a bit too much yesterday — I did. I chugged 4 rounds in 10 minutes and fell off the bike. I felt like I was crying, but there weren’t any tears. I wanted to keep going, I was ready for the grind.

Plan for next time:
In more ways than one, I told the truth I could afford to tell and gave all of what I had to offer, even if it wasn’t enough.

As if there was ever any doubt…

4/17/24: Sport, Level 1

Intention:

Today’s class was a specialty of Kyle’s, K-Guard entries into Backside-50-50. Typically this is used for a heelhook finish, or a sweeping position. We did good job of positional training right in 50/50, then backing the entry off one step (to K-guard), then all the way back to closed guard.

Warm Up:

6 x 1 min “Hip Catch” game

Work:

~ 1 hour drilling

2 min attack / 2 min defend from:

• 2 rounds in 50/50
• 2 rounds in K-Guard
• 2 round in closed guard

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Having felt much overcooked yesterday, I elected to sit out the last round(s) of standing sparring today. I felt the itch for sure, but I also didn’t want to grind for the sake of grinding, and knew I have a hard fitness session coming up on Friday.

What didn’t work and why:
The K-guard entry is tough against good wrestlers if you’re not also attacking the upper body — which was the entire point of the class; though something I usually get away with ignoring.

Plan for next time:
Once I finish this block of teaching leg locks in my classes, I’m going to move towards back attacks, which will also include the arm-saddle position to add variety to my upper-lower body dilemmas.

4/18/24: Sport, Level 1

Intention:

Flow drill for inside heel hook escapes.

Warm Up:

CARs specific to hip, knee, and ankle mobility; relevant to “heel-slipping” and heel hook defense.

Work:

~ 15 min warm up, recap escape principles (first video below)
~ 1 hour drilling (second video below)
~ 15 min attack / escape from inside leg lock positions

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Having a chance to recap last week’s material as well as use it as a proxy for reviewing escape concepts worked really well for delving into new material (the inside rather than outside positions).

What didn’t work and why:
As I played with this some more (see Saturday’s training) the escapes I showed here are primarily from an older Eddie Cummings seminar and I’ve found they’re better for early escapes, while continuing to battle for top position (climbing on top of opponent’s hips) works better (ala Garry Tonon).

Plan for next time:
Now that we’ve covered escapes and positional control (pinning) we’re set up nicely for more scrimmages / positional sparring. We’ll also expand to entering these positions (leg entanglements) via heavy/light leg concepts and centerline exposure — eventually working all the way back to a standing position.

4/19/24: Rest & Reconciliation

Intention:

this wasn’t physical, it wasn’t mental, it was social … and emotional… it was all the things, it was about finding peace and an outpouring of support from friends and colleagues…

Warm Up:

5 - 6 “reps” of your favorite beer

Work:

~4 hours of community building

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
It turns out that investing in deep work, people, and communities matters. The outpouring of support I received from my professional network is truly humbling.

What didn’t work and why:
I wish that alcohol wasn’t the answer I’ve been leaning on. Not every day goes as planned. Not every stage of life goes how you expected, in fact, most don’t.

Plan for next time:
Keep moving forward.

4/20/24: Sport, Level 2

Intention:

Today I wanted to try and get a high volume of rounds in, no specific intensity, just getting lots of different looks. Secondary, I wanted to work some of the escapes I had been teaching, so I picked a few rounds for people to start in outside leg entanglements while I tried to escape or look for counters.

Warm Up:

none

Work:

~ 11 rounds total
3 rounds specifically working heel hook escapes

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
Really getting stuck in some deep heel hooks was a good look for my defense. I got caught a few times, but it allowed me to see and feel the difference between early and late defense options.

What didn’t work and why:
As mentioned above, the “flow” drill series I showed in class is a great “early” option, but left me at a bit of a dead end with someone that’s good at digging out my heel; e.g. keeping the grip.

Plan for next time:
I will bring this up in the upcoming Thursday class to show differences in the escapes before moving on to centerline exposure.

4/21/24: DFF (Recoverability), Level 2

Intention:

DFF stands for “dumpster fire Friday” which usually means a variety of energy systems are involved. “You can see what kind of person someone is by the way they train, and the way they approach a physical effort. The session today will hopefully show you the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Warm:

10 min easy Bike
Alt. EMOM
Clean Primer x 1
Jerk Primer x 3

Work:

Bike x BW in Calories
E3MOM, C&J x 1 @ BW
For Time

Support:

Breathing, 1 min each
1:1
1:1:1
1:1:1:1
1:1:1
1:1 (single nostril)
1:1 (other nostril)

Results:

Warm: 64 cal, 135 / 45 lbs.
Work: 15:36, 175 lbs.

Notes:

What worked well and what allowed it:
This one hit hard and fast. I felt like it was a sweet balance where you still have time to build a pump in your legs on the bike, and the load is heavy enough that it warrants respect. You could take the easy road and drag it out, or punch it and see where the chips fall.

What didn’t work and why:
Initially this was written as one C&J ever 2 minutes, but 1 minute into the effort I recalibrated. Technically this may have no been a true DFF and I may have let myself off the hook in that regard.

Plan for next time:
I wanted to breath heavy and challenge myself. I could probably have repeated this effort, but considering it took me 10 minutes or so to get back to my feet, my focus hadn’t been misplaced. Even if we’re honest, we can only tell ourselves the truth we can afford to tell.