April 22, 2025

(Ep 8) Competition Conversations Part 2 (Mikes Q1 Comps)

(Ep 8) Competition Conversations Part 2 (Mikes Q1 Comps)
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(Ep 8) Competition Conversations Part 2 (Mikes Q1 Comps)
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On this episode, we highlight the ups and downs of competition. Mike shares his experience with a super fight at Copa Elite 4 and participation in the Virginia Open for IBJJF. We reflect on returning to competition after a long hiatus, knocking off the rust, overcoming unexpected illnesses and injuries, the benefits of confidence, and the idea of growing from a loss.

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WEBVTT

00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:05.137
Welcome back to Fighters Drinking Coffee. It's episode eight.

00:00:05.357 --> 00:00:10.657
Where we last left off, we were talking about Scott's recent competition in Chicago.

00:00:10.777 --> 00:00:14.677
So I figured we kind of touched on it a little bit at the end of last one.

00:00:14.777 --> 00:00:18.797
I figured we'd go ahead and talk about my recent competition this year.

00:00:18.977 --> 00:00:25.377
I had the super fight with Copa Elite, and then I also had the Virginia Open for IBJJF.

00:00:26.397 --> 00:00:30.857
My outcomes weren't quite as glamorous but

00:00:30.857 --> 00:00:36.617
you know i i actually was pretty proud of the performances you know so i figured

00:00:36.617 --> 00:00:39.977
we'd go ahead and touch on that and kind of talk about a little bit of like

00:00:39.977 --> 00:00:44.737
circumstances leading up to it we touched on some of it but you know we'll kind

00:00:44.737 --> 00:00:48.877
of get into that kind of talk about some of the similar topics but also kind of get into,

00:00:49.397 --> 00:00:52.577
a little bit of like the losing because there's always

00:00:52.577 --> 00:00:55.677
lessons right yeah so like takeaway what kind

00:00:55.677 --> 00:00:58.757
of the takeaway is kind of the lead-ups so which one do you want to start with

00:00:58.757 --> 00:01:01.957
man well yeah so we'll just start at the beginning of the year right so we'll

00:01:01.957 --> 00:01:06.257
start with copa elite so you know i had a super fight this is my first super

00:01:06.257 --> 00:01:10.357
fight uh since getting back into competition it was definitely something on

00:01:10.357 --> 00:01:14.297
like the radar for this year so you know exiting last year,

00:01:14.977 --> 00:01:18.397
so last year started competing again after a pretty long hiatus.

00:01:20.877 --> 00:01:23.777
Probably seven years off the competition i

00:01:23.777 --> 00:01:26.997
think sounds right yeah no it was six last

00:01:26.997 --> 00:01:29.677
year six years right so it was

00:01:29.677 --> 00:01:33.597
about six years off of competition so i figured but coming

00:01:33.597 --> 00:01:36.257
back into it i was feeling good after last year i

00:01:36.257 --> 00:01:39.417
got a gold medal at ibjjf last year at an

00:01:39.417 --> 00:01:42.577
open but regardless it's a it's a gold medal yeah

00:01:42.577 --> 00:01:45.577
dude but so you know i was feeling good it's kind

00:01:45.577 --> 00:01:48.917
of back and back in my groove so i wanted to you

00:01:48.917 --> 00:01:51.657
know for this year i was like all right i'm gonna compete more i'm gonna do

00:01:51.657 --> 00:01:54.977
more ivjjfs i want to do a super fight got

00:01:54.977 --> 00:01:58.217
the super fight out of the way pretty early but so signed up

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with copa elite for those of you guys in the area actually

00:02:01.177 --> 00:02:04.317
outside because you can watch it on pay-per-view i definitely recommend

00:02:04.317 --> 00:02:07.017
checking out checking those out because it was a

00:02:07.017 --> 00:02:10.057
very well produced event it's an awesome event demitri

00:02:10.057 --> 00:02:13.757
does a good job demitri does a really good job they the matchmaking

00:02:13.757 --> 00:02:16.557
was great you know they actually it was it

00:02:16.557 --> 00:02:19.597
was very good matchups everything was pretty it was great and

00:02:19.597 --> 00:02:26.577
so experience-wise awesome can I ask you a question yes just like since yeah

00:02:26.577 --> 00:02:31.057
I suspect this plays a role too and like part of what you're gonna say man what

00:02:31.057 --> 00:02:34.757
do you think like since the last time you competed six years ago when you were

00:02:34.757 --> 00:02:38.957
you know fairly active or whatever what is has there any what's changed.

00:02:40.027 --> 00:02:42.987
Training-wise or otherwise between now and then that might factor into

00:02:42.987 --> 00:02:45.787
how you like approach it differently so i mean i think

00:02:45.787 --> 00:02:50.067
there's well one i'm you know older so

00:02:50.067 --> 00:02:53.427
like i definitely you know i have a slightly different i mean

00:02:53.427 --> 00:02:56.607
back when i was last competing or when

00:02:56.607 --> 00:02:59.867
i before i took the hiatus i mean

00:02:59.867 --> 00:03:03.347
there was definitely i mean i was one i was training full-time

00:03:03.347 --> 00:03:06.047
so i mean that's a pretty big difference in and

00:03:06.047 --> 00:03:08.907
of itself i mean because i was you know i was

00:03:08.907 --> 00:03:11.587
training two to three times a day six days

00:03:11.587 --> 00:03:15.447
a week so i mean that is a pretty big difference i

00:03:15.447 --> 00:03:19.927
mean i'm training now with which i guess doesn't make too big of a difference

00:03:19.927 --> 00:03:24.187
but now i'm training with mostly people that are also masters competitors so

00:03:24.187 --> 00:03:29.267
you know that definitely you know and i do compete in the masters division now

00:03:29.267 --> 00:03:33.387
so like there's a slightly slight difference and those guys are awesome.

00:03:34.147 --> 00:03:36.767
Bunch of tough guys that wake up at four in the

00:03:36.767 --> 00:03:40.467
morning they're real looks at what guys in

00:03:40.467 --> 00:03:43.407
your age group in your division are gonna gonna look like too yeah

00:03:43.407 --> 00:03:46.247
it's it's it's applicable yeah it's it's you

00:03:46.247 --> 00:03:49.147
know it's not i'm not out i'm not training with a bunch of you know 20 year

00:03:49.147 --> 00:03:52.127
olds so that helps well yeah you know there's that's

00:03:52.127 --> 00:03:54.867
good too but i understand what you're saying i'm getting i'm getting

00:03:54.867 --> 00:03:57.527
more that's what your division looks like these are the guys who you're

00:03:57.527 --> 00:04:00.327
gonna be competing against yeah there's like a specificity to it that's

00:04:00.327 --> 00:04:03.467
valuable i mean another day i'm no longer

00:04:03.467 --> 00:04:06.487
have which good and bad

00:04:06.487 --> 00:04:09.667
this isn't really a bad thing i basically get resistance

00:04:09.667 --> 00:04:12.427
training because i'm the only person under i'm the smallest

00:04:12.427 --> 00:04:15.127
person in the room yeah i get that and so you know

00:04:15.127 --> 00:04:18.407
like before we it was a lot of small guys back

00:04:18.407 --> 00:04:21.487
when we were training at nova you know

00:04:21.487 --> 00:04:24.247
it was a lot of people aren't like kind of around our

00:04:24.247 --> 00:04:27.107
size and so like we weren't there wasn't a huge

00:04:27.107 --> 00:04:30.667
size discrepancy i think the closest person now is not too

00:04:30.667 --> 00:04:33.827
much bigger but like it goes me someone about

00:04:33.827 --> 00:04:37.047
like 165 to 170

00:04:37.047 --> 00:04:41.007
and then it just jumps up into like you're you know jumps up pretty high after

00:04:41.007 --> 00:04:45.587
that 200 plus you start getting the yeah some guys big bodies some 185 or some

00:04:45.587 --> 00:04:50.027
200 so like you know the size discrepancy but that's not really a huge still

00:04:50.027 --> 00:04:52.667
training but i know what you mean yeah yeah but you know it does kind of change

00:04:52.667 --> 00:04:55.087
up the way you have to train but yeah i I mean,

00:04:55.247 --> 00:04:57.587
like now I happen to be a little more like –.

00:04:58.473 --> 00:05:01.253
I have to be more intentional with like how i

00:05:01.253 --> 00:05:03.973
approach it because i have to basically create my

00:05:03.973 --> 00:05:06.653
camp we're not like it's not like the old days

00:05:06.653 --> 00:05:10.373
where like everyone's always kind of we were a little more a little more just

00:05:10.373 --> 00:05:14.413
like competition focused all the time back when we used to train right like

00:05:14.413 --> 00:05:18.433
at nova like we were kind of always mindful of it but we were also competing

00:05:18.433 --> 00:05:23.853
way more frequently so you know it's just slightly different and like priorities

00:05:23.853 --> 00:05:25.253
are a little bit different so.

00:05:25.813 --> 00:05:28.333
Like, you know, I can't just train all the time.

00:05:28.433 --> 00:05:35.413
So, but I mean, other than that, like not a whole lot, I'm now getting back

00:05:35.413 --> 00:05:37.853
into kind of like the extra training.

00:05:37.893 --> 00:05:41.453
Like, you know, I also am working with the CM. I now also had that strength

00:05:41.453 --> 00:05:46.233
coach getting back with like, and this is part of that is something I didn't have before.

00:05:46.293 --> 00:05:49.473
Like I did always have the strength coach, you know, train with Kamal and all that.

00:05:49.613 --> 00:05:56.493
Like I had someone leading my extra workouts for me, but I didn't always have

00:05:56.493 --> 00:05:59.393
someone like kind of helping on like the nutrition and weight cut side.

00:05:59.493 --> 00:06:02.633
I was taking that on myself. And so like, now I don't have to worry about that.

00:06:02.753 --> 00:06:07.193
It's like right now I've been feeling way better about that than I did in the past.

00:06:07.253 --> 00:06:10.813
Cause in the past it was just like, it was all on you. It was all on me. Yeah.

00:06:11.033 --> 00:06:13.893
So taking that load off now I can just focus on

00:06:13.893 --> 00:06:16.673
actually doing the training and i just have

00:06:16.673 --> 00:06:19.853
like all right this is what i'm gonna eat today this is what i'm eat today so it

00:06:19.853 --> 00:06:23.413
helps that helps a lot too so like my next

00:06:23.413 --> 00:06:26.313
one's up in july and so i i have a very like i'm feeling

00:06:26.313 --> 00:06:29.093
like all i have to do is focus on competing in

00:06:29.093 --> 00:06:32.473
july so you know extra support

00:06:32.473 --> 00:06:36.013
all of that but also like the

00:06:36.013 --> 00:06:38.893
competitions are way better now i

00:06:38.893 --> 00:06:41.753
think like i think there there's more people it's

00:06:41.753 --> 00:06:44.633
what better run than it used to be there definitely

00:06:44.633 --> 00:06:48.093
was a little bit of like and not to you know put

00:06:48.093 --> 00:06:50.853
down six years ago that they

00:06:50.853 --> 00:06:55.493
were doing a good job but like now there's definitely more people in the pool

00:06:55.493 --> 00:06:58.533
they can be more professional they're not having to like squeeze a bunch of

00:06:58.533 --> 00:07:03.353
people together and yeah so the skill level and from my observation the skill

00:07:03.353 --> 00:07:08.793
level is a lot higher in these tournaments there's more people and that probably means these.

00:07:09.713 --> 00:07:12.553
Competitive or these competition leagues or whatever you want to call them

00:07:12.553 --> 00:07:15.213
these companies basically they have to provide a

00:07:15.213 --> 00:07:18.533
better product yeah they have to compete more because there's like any

00:07:18.533 --> 00:07:21.813
given month like in our area you've got

00:07:21.813 --> 00:07:26.153
options man you've got like two to five some months where you can pick which

00:07:26.153 --> 00:07:30.593
one's better and like dude i i will i mean i won't do it today but like i'm

00:07:30.593 --> 00:07:33.553
fine shitting on some of those divisions man some of them piss me off like how

00:07:33.553 --> 00:07:37.833
unprofessional they still are dude anyways oh i just don't want to i don't want

00:07:37.833 --> 00:07:40.093
to shit on them for things six years ago, I guess. Yeah.

00:07:40.613 --> 00:07:43.593
Statue of limitations. Yeah. Yeah. That's fine. But, but dude,

00:07:43.913 --> 00:07:46.333
to that point, like they just have to do a good job, man, which is like,

00:07:46.373 --> 00:07:48.873
you know why we shouted out Dimitri, like he does his Copa events,

00:07:49.113 --> 00:07:53.433
his, his tournaments and his super fights are very, he puts a lot of focus on quality. Yeah.

00:07:54.071 --> 00:07:57.191
Which attracts better, better athletes. Yeah. And it means you're,

00:07:57.191 --> 00:07:58.211
you're getting your money's worth.

00:07:58.371 --> 00:08:02.751
It's just, it, it points the, the, the world of competition is way better now than it was six.

00:08:03.311 --> 00:08:06.891
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. But you know, get back to kind of the, the Copa event.

00:08:07.051 --> 00:08:14.151
So like we talked about it a little bit, but so morning of, uh,

00:08:14.151 --> 00:08:16.111
well let's go a little bit further back.

00:08:16.111 --> 00:08:19.971
So like two weeks before I was probably two,

00:08:20.331 --> 00:08:23.411
yeah, two weeks before the event, I was definitely like

00:08:23.411 --> 00:08:27.351
in the right spot training wise i was like mentally

00:08:27.351 --> 00:08:30.271
i was i was in killer mode i was feeling great

00:08:30.271 --> 00:08:33.271
and then that like weekend i got

00:08:33.271 --> 00:08:36.411
hit with like the flu and so i got

00:08:36.411 --> 00:08:39.291
like just kind of bumped down and then the first day

00:08:39.291 --> 00:08:42.631
i was feeling good which i believe was the

00:08:42.631 --> 00:08:45.911
week before so this was the so i

00:08:45.911 --> 00:08:49.091
guess he got hit with the flu yeah so

00:08:49.091 --> 00:08:52.351
two weeks before the event and so i

00:08:52.351 --> 00:08:55.211
lost half a week of training to the flu got back had

00:08:55.211 --> 00:08:58.751
my first day back training and then that day i like

00:08:58.751 --> 00:09:01.571
got my finger cotton machine severed damn

00:09:01.571 --> 00:09:04.291
and actually find did you lose any weight when you had the flu too like were

00:09:04.291 --> 00:09:07.831
you like so i feel like when people get yeah i don't eat as much sometimes like

00:09:07.831 --> 00:09:10.951
vomit dude if you feel that bad i don't know luckily i didn't have that i wasn't

00:09:10.951 --> 00:09:14.991
vomiting but like yeah i mean i couldn't eat as much i was like you know feeling

00:09:14.991 --> 00:09:20.371
skinny guy ill you know but then i severed like uh i definitely i mean i cut

00:09:20.371 --> 00:09:22.711
it open but i definitely like sever you can see it here.

00:09:22.811 --> 00:09:26.991
You guys can't because we don't have video, but you can see it's balled up here. Nice.

00:09:27.131 --> 00:09:30.931
So it's one of either a tendon or a ligament in my finger actually got severed

00:09:30.931 --> 00:09:32.331
when I got it cut. Oh, fuck.

00:09:32.831 --> 00:09:36.771
He's got like a bubble on his knuckle, guys. He looks like one of those orcs from.

00:09:39.111 --> 00:09:41.351
The... Specifically, there's this orc in...

00:09:42.197 --> 00:09:45.057
The lord of the rings the last one what's the last one

00:09:45.057 --> 00:09:47.977
called whatever return of the king that one yeah

00:09:47.977 --> 00:09:51.257
it has like all these bubbles on his shit that's your hand bro yeah but

00:09:51.257 --> 00:09:54.377
so i you know i got a nice gash in my pinky which luckily

00:09:54.377 --> 00:09:57.677
pinky not super important but but

00:09:57.677 --> 00:10:00.617
so i so i also was losing i lost like the rest

00:10:00.617 --> 00:10:03.397
of the week to that and then this is

00:10:03.397 --> 00:10:06.477
like basically like semi it's overlapping

00:10:06.477 --> 00:10:09.157
with week of right yeah so the week before but then we're getting

00:10:09.157 --> 00:10:12.597
into like the week in the tournament yes i cut it on the wednesday the

00:10:12.597 --> 00:10:15.377
week before copa elite and then

00:10:15.377 --> 00:10:18.137
i got the stitches out the wednesday of the week

00:10:18.137 --> 00:10:21.017
of copa elite and so had it closed up

00:10:21.017 --> 00:10:24.177
though or was it still kind of no it was still it was it

00:10:24.177 --> 00:10:27.697
was still bleeding at copa elite fuck so i

00:10:27.697 --> 00:10:30.357
because i just went in they said seven to ten

00:10:30.357 --> 00:10:33.477
days it's like cool i'm going in on day seven i'm having my sutures removed

00:10:33.477 --> 00:10:36.897
they were it was not closed two to

00:10:36.897 --> 00:10:39.877
three of them popped in he had already fallen out

00:10:39.877 --> 00:10:42.757
so you know i was like just take him out we'll we'll make

00:10:42.757 --> 00:10:47.037
it work we'll tape we'll wrap into some gauze we'll tape the fingers and it'll

00:10:47.037 --> 00:10:51.017
be fun but so yeah i mean i lost a little bit of time at the end which definitely

00:10:51.017 --> 00:10:55.237
like and i'm not making excuses here just is just kind of to get into like the

00:10:55.237 --> 00:11:00.177
mental aspect of this like that definitely took me out of like.

00:11:00.994 --> 00:11:07.254
Two weeks before I was, I was right where I needed to be like two weeks before.

00:11:07.554 --> 00:11:12.614
And then all it takes is like that little bit of time to like one,

00:11:12.774 --> 00:11:16.054
you know, a little wrench can throw you off of like the mental pathway.

00:11:16.334 --> 00:11:20.974
Well, a hundred percent. And like, dude, it's, it's, you're definitely not making an excuse.

00:11:21.314 --> 00:11:27.054
However, like it's, it's not irrelevant that, and this is something like that you,

00:11:27.214 --> 00:11:29.874
I mean, as an athlete or like, even as a coach, like it's just like for for

00:11:29.874 --> 00:11:35.794
competition that lasts like 10 to 14 days a lot of times it's just keeping someone

00:11:35.794 --> 00:11:40.574
healthy and not getting him injured so like because this kind of shit happens it sucks,

00:11:41.454 --> 00:11:47.714
and it can it how could it not have an impact on on the event itself like it does so it's like.

00:11:49.034 --> 00:11:52.914
Totally worth pointing out that like you're doing all the right shit and then

00:11:52.914 --> 00:11:55.334
like two things you have no control

00:11:55.334 --> 00:11:59.494
over well and steal some of your your gains and and to like kind of,

00:12:00.394 --> 00:12:06.954
tie this a little bit too the injury happened like right after like we finalized

00:12:06.954 --> 00:12:11.894
the matchup like that we finalized the matchup like on sunday finger you mean

00:12:11.894 --> 00:12:16.734
yeah the finger so like i was like i'm not pulling out uh yeah you wanted it

00:12:16.734 --> 00:12:19.094
i wanted i wanted the match like Like, you know,

00:12:20.134 --> 00:12:27.074
so like definitely like I was like, I'm not pulling out over a stupid cut on my pinky.

00:12:27.174 --> 00:12:35.474
But, you know, you lose those out of the last 14 days. I lost roughly eight of them.

00:12:35.654 --> 00:12:40.974
I couldn't start training again until like the Thursday before the match.

00:12:41.154 --> 00:12:46.334
So like I had Thursday, Friday, Super Fight was on Saturday.

00:12:46.434 --> 00:12:47.614
So the event was on Saturday. Yeah.

00:12:48.598 --> 00:12:52.298
But second, I got those stitches out, got them out on the Wednesday,

00:12:53.178 --> 00:12:58.258
made plans with the James shout out to him for cornering me.

00:12:58.678 --> 00:13:03.798
But so I made, we made plans on the Thursday for, so doc was going to come in,

00:13:03.938 --> 00:13:05.498
you know, Hey, we're going to go and train.

00:13:06.358 --> 00:13:10.038
So got in there, got good, got a good training session in. I was like,

00:13:10.098 --> 00:13:11.498
all right, cool. Cardio is fine.

00:13:12.758 --> 00:13:16.878
Had to think, you know, had to basically go and build a plan around like,

00:13:17.058 --> 00:13:20.438
all right, how how do I not worry about this finger?

00:13:20.918 --> 00:13:25.418
And so I had, we had to kind of build that confidence back up that like,

00:13:26.018 --> 00:13:27.218
dude, you don't need to worry about this.

00:13:27.358 --> 00:13:31.158
It's fine. So like, you know, it changes up. It basically, we had to go from,

00:13:31.558 --> 00:13:37.618
we had been, I'd been training for this from kind of hit it right after Thanksgiving

00:13:37.618 --> 00:13:40.258
is when I really started like camping for it.

00:13:40.318 --> 00:13:43.538
Cause we knew, we knew we were going to have a match.

00:13:43.778 --> 00:13:46.218
We didn't know who it was going to be against until two weeks before,

00:13:46.338 --> 00:13:47.438
but Hey, there's gonna be a match.

00:13:47.798 --> 00:13:49.878
This is what we're going to do. Who cares who it is?

00:13:50.798 --> 00:13:55.078
And then, you know, in those last 14 days after two weeks, two months,

00:13:55.598 --> 00:14:00.298
two and a half months, you know, you have to rebuild that plan because now there's

00:14:00.298 --> 00:14:01.578
something. Oh, you're changing the plan.

00:14:01.718 --> 00:14:04.538
Yeah. Well, because your body has been impacted. Yeah.

00:14:04.798 --> 00:14:07.118
And this case, you're kind of like, all right, now I have to call like an audible

00:14:07.118 --> 00:14:09.138
at the very last minute to do something different.

00:14:09.698 --> 00:14:12.318
Because like you said, you're like, all right, my right hand is.

00:14:13.058 --> 00:14:16.678
And by the way, people, you use your hands a lot in jujitsu.

00:14:16.678 --> 00:14:19.878
Too so like it that yeah it

00:14:19.878 --> 00:14:23.598
impacts things yeah you're so like you're the

00:14:23.598 --> 00:14:26.558
whole hand fighting method has to change because now like i

00:14:26.558 --> 00:14:29.518
don't want someone grabbing that those fingers right because like that's

00:14:29.518 --> 00:14:32.198
gonna tear open it's gonna hurt and or you know it's

00:14:32.198 --> 00:14:35.038
gonna open it up blood time all you know who knows

00:14:35.038 --> 00:14:38.338
they might stop it if it's bad enough i don't know but so

00:14:38.338 --> 00:14:41.318
you know we had to basically with two days left

00:14:41.318 --> 00:14:44.678
rebuild a game plan and but

00:14:44.678 --> 00:14:47.438
going into it saturday with the exception of just

00:14:47.438 --> 00:14:50.458
those like kind of jitters about like just the

00:14:50.458 --> 00:14:53.298
weight get in saturday get that

00:14:53.298 --> 00:14:56.618
like just kind of hanging out at the venue you

00:14:56.618 --> 00:15:00.318
know getting settled in you know you get your rules meeting kind

00:15:00.318 --> 00:15:03.578
of get your lay of the land walk around a little bit it's feeling

00:15:03.578 --> 00:15:06.858
awesome once we got to the venue awesome feeling

00:15:06.858 --> 00:15:10.018
great got my warm-up in got great sweat

00:15:10.018 --> 00:15:12.918
going and i was locked in ready to go

00:15:12.918 --> 00:15:15.898
and which i

00:15:15.898 --> 00:15:18.958
should learn this by now that like we're not

00:15:18.958 --> 00:15:23.438
wrestling when we go out like that's not for i need to figure this out at this

00:15:23.438 --> 00:15:29.018
point that like and i once we get through both both events i have i have a lot

00:15:29.018 --> 00:15:33.018
of take a summary i have a lot of takeaways but you know like i definitely need

00:15:33.018 --> 00:15:36.778
to figure out like people are pulling guard that's a thing people do Yeah, they do that.

00:15:36.878 --> 00:15:40.718
Despite that I have a strong moral obligation not to.

00:15:41.578 --> 00:15:45.978
But that's a me thing. But so, like, you know, we get out there immediately.

00:15:46.218 --> 00:15:48.298
Like, we tie up. Immediately they pull guard.

00:15:49.418 --> 00:15:53.118
And just picked them up. That was the game.

00:15:53.438 --> 00:15:58.478
That's my game plan when people pull guard is stand up.

00:15:59.118 --> 00:16:01.978
You know, whether that means picking them up or just standing up in the guard

00:16:01.978 --> 00:16:05.778
right to work the break. That was something from last year that I figured out.

00:16:06.658 --> 00:16:12.198
So that has become a big part of my game because of that's how I won my match

00:16:12.198 --> 00:16:16.078
the year before at IBJJF. So that's how I won the gold medal.

00:16:16.598 --> 00:16:21.758
But so picked them up. i'm literally just walking around the mat carrying this

00:16:21.758 --> 00:16:26.398
guy around and this is kind of where the,

00:16:27.078 --> 00:16:32.778
i started this is after that turn is where i kind of figured out this is where

00:16:32.778 --> 00:16:36.578
the learning moments come in for me because i'm walking around the mat i'm looking

00:16:36.578 --> 00:16:40.838
at the ref i'm kind of trying to figure out like he's doing a good job of holding

00:16:40.838 --> 00:16:44.898
on he's strong legs guys holding on tight But he's just holding on.

00:16:45.618 --> 00:16:48.858
You should have slammed him. Looking at, I wish you could. They don't let you do that.

00:16:49.358 --> 00:16:53.178
That's not the rules for Cope. It's relevant. It's not a legal move.

00:16:53.378 --> 00:16:56.918
It's relevant for a number of reasons. But whatever. Some other time.

00:16:57.338 --> 00:17:00.778
But so. But you chose not to slam him because you didn't want him to get disqualified. Yeah.

00:17:01.078 --> 00:17:03.418
Reasonable. I think that's the way to go about it. Reasonable.

00:17:03.578 --> 00:17:08.618
But, you know, I'm kind of looking because I carried him around for about a minute.

00:17:09.538 --> 00:17:12.478
So you deadlifted this guy. I just picked him up. And you're like holding him

00:17:12.478 --> 00:17:14.378
up. And he's holding on to you. And you're like, all right. I mean,

00:17:14.478 --> 00:17:16.598
I was literally arms outstretched.

00:17:16.758 --> 00:17:21.778
He's holding like your rib cage. He's got one overhook and he's like holding

00:17:21.778 --> 00:17:25.238
on, you know, he's got like a seatbelt around. Got it.

00:17:25.398 --> 00:17:30.398
And so like I was literally just, I could put both arms out and walk around the mat with my arms out.

00:17:30.778 --> 00:17:33.518
Spin around. Yeah. But so I'm waiting for...

00:17:34.294 --> 00:17:37.294
And, you know, credit to him, he was very strong. Okay. To be able to hold on

00:17:37.294 --> 00:17:38.014
like that. He wanted that.

00:17:38.174 --> 00:17:40.294
He wanted to keep me there. He's like, I'll stand up with you right here all

00:17:40.294 --> 00:17:42.954
day. He's holding on to you for dear life. You know, I'm looking at the ref,

00:17:43.114 --> 00:17:48.734
and I'm not really, it didn't seem like the ref was concerned about,

00:17:48.734 --> 00:17:52.934
like, how long this guy, like, I was just carrying this guy. He will allow it.

00:17:53.094 --> 00:17:56.334
So I was like, okay, I'm not going to get the stall. He's not going to get a

00:17:56.334 --> 00:17:58.374
stalling call. I'm not getting a stalling call.

00:17:58.734 --> 00:18:01.954
But, you know, I feel like if I'm carrying someone around, I shouldn't get a stalling call.

00:18:02.154 --> 00:18:04.934
But so, you know, nothing's going, and I'm like, all right, i need

00:18:04.934 --> 00:18:10.774
to do something and so i carry him back to the center of the mat and i put him

00:18:10.774 --> 00:18:15.714
down should have slammed him but all right but he's cute uh but so you know

00:18:15.714 --> 00:18:20.194
i put him back down and try to start working and then just kind of in the sequence

00:18:20.194 --> 00:18:22.474
i end up getting caught in a triangle.

00:18:23.014 --> 00:18:26.394
And submit it like that was and so you

00:18:26.394 --> 00:18:29.454
know that was that was the game there and so coming off

00:18:29.454 --> 00:18:32.934
of that we're like all right let's let's hardwire

00:18:32.934 --> 00:18:35.834
let's hardwire in triangle defense that's gonna

00:18:35.834 --> 00:18:38.574
be that's the takeaway from today hardwire in

00:18:38.574 --> 00:18:43.254
the triangle defense everything else fine like we need to build that in so fast

00:18:43.254 --> 00:18:49.014
forward you know we go through that's done take like a week off of like worrying

00:18:49.014 --> 00:18:54.914
about competition but then you know a month later i guess that would be was

00:18:54.914 --> 00:18:57.614
i guess A little over a month. It was a month and a half.

00:18:58.054 --> 00:19:03.534
It was March 1st or 2nd or whatever. Maybe the first couple days of March was in Virginia Open. Yeah.

00:19:03.774 --> 00:19:07.494
March 3rd or something. Yeah. So it was, it might have been 14th.

00:19:07.794 --> 00:19:09.454
Well, Copa, I think it was the 12th.

00:19:09.774 --> 00:19:12.894
I don't know. Whatever it was. Copa was early February. Early,

00:19:13.054 --> 00:19:16.394
maybe slightly mid. And then you're right. Yeah. It was like three weeks later.

00:19:16.614 --> 00:19:18.794
It was like three. Yeah. It was like three weeks to a month later.

00:19:18.814 --> 00:19:23.174
I remember, I just remember that date because that was when Copa,

00:19:23.294 --> 00:19:27.294
Virginia, like the tournament was going to be the same day as IBJJ.

00:19:27.494 --> 00:19:36.574
And then Dimitri moved it. They, like, announced the Virginia Open for the spring, like...

00:19:37.382 --> 00:19:40.342
Right the week of like the week after the copa elite

00:19:40.342 --> 00:19:43.062
event i think it was something like that or it was sprung on

00:19:43.062 --> 00:19:45.842
quick it's it messed up a lot of people's plans but yeah it was

00:19:45.842 --> 00:19:48.582
it was like right before copa elite they had announced it

00:19:48.582 --> 00:19:51.982
so like i was a point you didn't really have a big there's not like a major layoff

00:19:51.982 --> 00:19:54.842
between the two no so like you know which was both good

00:19:54.842 --> 00:19:57.822
but also like it was a little long of a like

00:19:57.822 --> 00:20:00.922
of being like just in competition like

00:20:00.922 --> 00:20:03.742
straight through like coming off a camp for a super

00:20:03.742 --> 00:20:06.962
fight and then not really getting like some

00:20:06.962 --> 00:20:10.142
rest especially having been sick and injured like

00:20:10.142 --> 00:20:13.042
right there so it definitely definitely got

00:20:13.042 --> 00:20:17.602
your hand cut off they had to tie your fucking finger back on yeah but it i

00:20:17.602 --> 00:20:21.262
still like luckily you know that means the conditioning was still solid like

00:20:21.262 --> 00:20:24.722
everything you know still in the competition mindset but like coming off it

00:20:24.722 --> 00:20:27.322
is like all right maybe i should have only done one of these like i needed a

00:20:27.322 --> 00:20:30.262
little bit more time, but, but it was good.

00:20:30.342 --> 00:20:34.202
Cause like I had all of that fresh in my mind and I did both gi and no gi.

00:20:34.322 --> 00:20:41.002
So I did two days, but so got into the event, you know, everything's feeling good.

00:20:41.122 --> 00:20:44.102
I'm running around coaching everyone all day, which is fine.

00:20:44.262 --> 00:20:46.222
That was good. Kept my heart rate up, kept me moving.

00:20:46.842 --> 00:20:50.462
I got good warmups in cause I would warm the guys up. So like I was staying

00:20:50.462 --> 00:20:53.882
moving. I was getting my, my heart rate up. All of that was good.

00:20:54.842 --> 00:20:57.722
Weight was good. I didn't have to worry about that because I just I basically

00:20:57.722 --> 00:21:02.542
just stayed on weight I had like a quick balloon after the mat after like that

00:21:02.542 --> 00:21:04.222
week of because I was like fucking i'm eating,

00:21:04.922 --> 00:21:11.482
But like, you know ballooned up came back down landed right I think I was like 146 147.

00:21:11.702 --> 00:21:15.022
So not too low. I was aiming for you know 149 is the top of the division.

00:21:15.422 --> 00:21:19.042
So I want to be a little bit heavier, but It was better than the year before.

00:21:19.202 --> 00:21:23.502
I think I was like 145, right? So did a better job of like weight management

00:21:23.502 --> 00:21:27.742
and all of that, but yeah, still would want to be heavier, but yeah,

00:21:27.802 --> 00:21:31.342
I mean, it was, you know, kind of had an idea of who was going. I had the second seed.

00:21:31.882 --> 00:21:35.942
So I was seated in the middle. So I'd like a mid seed. So I had a first round

00:21:35.942 --> 00:21:39.822
by bracket was pretty dang big for key.

00:21:41.322 --> 00:21:45.982
And I was, I had the number two seed. This is the guy actually ended up winning

00:21:45.982 --> 00:21:47.622
the whole tournament. But so like.

00:21:48.491 --> 00:21:51.471
Got out there kind of knew all right he's probably gonna pull guard

00:21:51.471 --> 00:21:54.631
so we get out and like this time

00:21:54.631 --> 00:21:57.531
i was like all right i'm not gonna immediately go to

00:21:57.531 --> 00:22:00.611
like near like zone one

00:22:00.611 --> 00:22:03.591
tie up like ear to ear or like you know ear

00:22:03.591 --> 00:22:06.791
to ear we're not we're not gonna call our tie to begin we're gonna go with

00:22:06.791 --> 00:22:09.431
like a post out and so you know we started out we

00:22:09.431 --> 00:22:12.311
posted out and two guys he pulled from the

00:22:12.311 --> 00:22:15.231
long from like that long guard and actually like did a

00:22:15.231 --> 00:22:18.031
good job of getting in i was able to stop like him

00:22:18.031 --> 00:22:20.911
from getting underneath or anything like that like you were talking about but

00:22:20.911 --> 00:22:23.611
like got in i was able to close it in and

00:22:23.611 --> 00:22:26.471
immediately stand up i this wasn't picking him

00:22:26.471 --> 00:22:29.531
up but like he came in and i was immediately popping up

00:22:29.531 --> 00:22:33.871
and so like you know game plan's working exactly like we like i've been working

00:22:33.871 --> 00:22:38.251
for when people pull guard which is all right they pull guard we're popping

00:22:38.251 --> 00:22:44.411
straight up we're getting up that's that's that is it's plan a it's 101 so So

00:22:44.411 --> 00:22:46.831
going in, pop up, pop up, pop up.

00:22:46.951 --> 00:22:50.871
And so like each time we'd pop up, you know, begin a passing sequence.

00:22:50.871 --> 00:22:53.771
And we had a pretty good, I don't know how long it was because I wasn't paying

00:22:53.771 --> 00:22:56.971
attention to the clock, but like good, you know, we were having a really,

00:22:57.051 --> 00:23:01.591
it was a really good, like fast paced working match, like back and forth.

00:23:01.711 --> 00:23:05.011
You know, I'd begin to pass, he'd go to work something, you know,

00:23:05.051 --> 00:23:08.551
he'd, I'd attack, he'd attack, I'd attack, he'd attack, you know,

00:23:08.591 --> 00:23:10.611
he'd throw up a triangle, I'd immediately break through it.

00:23:10.611 --> 00:23:15.351
And so like we were having a really, you know, back and forth match near submission

00:23:15.351 --> 00:23:20.611
or, you know, strong submission attempt near pass, good submission attempt near pass.

00:23:20.791 --> 00:23:24.551
And so we were kind of working this, like, we had this back and forth going.

00:23:24.771 --> 00:23:30.951
But then he catches this, he throws the triangle on, I immediately stuff the triangle.

00:23:31.571 --> 00:23:33.851
Okay. So you got back into the thing you had done last time,

00:23:33.931 --> 00:23:37.751
but your adjustment worked. Yeah. The adjustments work like stuffing the triangle.

00:23:37.931 --> 00:23:39.171
So like immediately like, all right,

00:23:40.353 --> 00:23:43.453
learning from the loss was like a very like you're demonstrating

00:23:43.453 --> 00:23:48.253
to yourself yeah hey we learned something yeah the game plan is working we've

00:23:48.253 --> 00:23:52.953
we've adjusted for the mistakes like i know i leave that out because it's just

00:23:52.953 --> 00:23:55.993
the way you know the way that i position myself for my passes i know i kind

00:23:55.993 --> 00:24:00.713
of leave that exposure that yeah it's it is an opening in my game and i know

00:24:00.713 --> 00:24:02.353
this so like, Hey, let's just use it.

00:24:03.193 --> 00:24:07.513
And so we were in this triangle.

00:24:07.853 --> 00:24:14.173
I had his leg pinned, but he grabs the wrist and starts going for kind of like

00:24:14.173 --> 00:24:16.833
a mirror lock type thing, but I'm not having any shoulder pressure.

00:24:17.853 --> 00:24:21.073
And so I'm like, all right, let's chill here. I've got the triangle blocked.

00:24:21.193 --> 00:24:22.373
I'm not worried about that.

00:24:22.733 --> 00:24:26.753
And then I'm like, shoulder's fine. Not worried about that. Let's just try to

00:24:26.753 --> 00:24:29.333
like keep inching so I can break through this leg.

00:24:29.473 --> 00:24:32.653
I'm like, he can have the arm. if he focuses too much on that i'll get through

00:24:32.653 --> 00:24:37.153
the leg i'll circle around and you know i'll get my pass and then my elbow just

00:24:37.153 --> 00:24:41.853
went boom and like the ref stopped it like as i went to tap.

00:24:42.373 --> 00:24:45.473
So which same ref i've had for every ibjf

00:24:45.473 --> 00:24:48.273
match but so you know that was

00:24:48.273 --> 00:24:52.293
that was day one so like you know feeling good

00:24:52.293 --> 00:24:55.673
car you know conditioning was good i could feel him like

00:24:55.673 --> 00:24:58.753
starting to breathe heavy under like under my

00:24:58.753 --> 00:25:01.593
attempts and my you know my forward pressure and all of that

00:25:01.593 --> 00:25:04.493
but then you know sometimes things give out

00:25:04.493 --> 00:25:07.213
and so I had to I had to tap out and you

00:25:07.213 --> 00:25:09.893
know it happens and so you know

00:25:09.893 --> 00:25:12.573
coming off the mat I wasn't I was like you know I

00:25:12.573 --> 00:25:15.593
think it was just I think it was just kind of a pop I think everything's probably

00:25:15.593 --> 00:25:19.553
fine and then that evening it's

00:25:19.553 --> 00:25:22.293
I started to kind of like feel it sore started getting

00:25:22.293 --> 00:25:24.953
a little little achy and I'm like all right well you know

00:25:24.953 --> 00:25:27.733
what I have a for sunday for no

00:25:27.733 --> 00:25:31.353
gi i have a buy straight to the finals like i'll just

00:25:31.353 --> 00:25:36.653
dog i'll just do it like worst case i go out there it doesn't want to cooperate

00:25:36.653 --> 00:25:42.233
and i'll just you know i'll just see what happens yep so you know sunday comes

00:25:42.233 --> 00:25:48.033
around i'm like the last person to compete from the team and.

00:25:49.176 --> 00:25:52.556
Ended up you know in the bullpen i'm waiting i'd warmed

00:25:52.556 --> 00:25:55.476
up earlier and i was a little skeptical of

00:25:55.476 --> 00:25:58.176
like the stability of it but i was like you know like i

00:25:58.176 --> 00:26:01.276
think i can work around it you know we worked around the finger i

00:26:01.276 --> 00:26:04.696
think i can work around the elbow and go

00:26:04.696 --> 00:26:08.016
out and had a the guy

00:26:08.016 --> 00:26:10.696
was going against was that was a wrestler so i was like all right

00:26:10.696 --> 00:26:14.116
cool we're gonna get to do a little of the stand-up work he shoots in i sprawl

00:26:14.116 --> 00:26:16.996
on it stuff the first takedown but in the

00:26:16.996 --> 00:26:21.296
sequence of like the of defending

00:26:21.296 --> 00:26:28.316
that takedown and like sprawling out and like going to go behind my elbow popped

00:26:28.316 --> 00:26:33.116
like two or three more times and i was like and just like i started to lose

00:26:33.116 --> 00:26:38.576
like feeling in it and so like it started to hurt and and i was like i don't know.

00:26:39.336 --> 00:26:42.676
Yeah i couldn't i just couldn't like apply pressure

00:26:42.676 --> 00:26:45.916
with that arm and the way that i decided to go was

00:26:45.916 --> 00:26:48.536
to the right so i had to keep pressure with the

00:26:48.536 --> 00:26:51.436
arm on his head i'm with my left arm which is

00:26:51.436 --> 00:26:54.696
now not working which is now like inoperable it's

00:26:54.696 --> 00:26:57.516
not working properly down one arm so yeah it was

00:26:57.516 --> 00:27:00.536
so you know we i i

00:27:00.536 --> 00:27:03.176
just kind of go to spin behind and then i just kind of push him out of

00:27:03.176 --> 00:27:06.176
bounds and so that we get reset to the center and then

00:27:06.176 --> 00:27:09.656
on the second attempt he shoots to the to

00:27:09.656 --> 00:27:12.676
my left side and i just i i couldn't

00:27:12.676 --> 00:27:15.476
i couldn't block i i could feel like

00:27:15.476 --> 00:27:18.316
i got i got like one more pop but it wasn't too bad but like

00:27:18.316 --> 00:27:21.436
now we're at like four pops in about in in the

00:27:21.436 --> 00:27:24.216
same day but so like he he shot in i

00:27:24.216 --> 00:27:27.436
just i couldn't i couldn't defend and like it was a good shot like

00:27:27.436 --> 00:27:31.876
dude so the dude wrestled at ithaca and he was actually a pretty cool dude got

00:27:31.876 --> 00:27:38.496
to talk with them afterwards but like you know he shot in and like i went down

00:27:38.496 --> 00:27:42.096
went to like a knee shield half guard and like i went to frame with that left

00:27:42.096 --> 00:27:44.496
arm and like i just couldn't frame so i was just like.

00:27:45.236 --> 00:27:47.976
Let's just let's just see how he

00:27:47.976 --> 00:27:50.936
ends up choking me with the anaconda to that side and

00:27:50.936 --> 00:27:53.656
i was like you know what it's this is this is wasn't meant to

00:27:53.656 --> 00:27:56.676
be today i was like maybe i maybe was a little dumb to compete today

00:27:56.676 --> 00:27:59.776
yeah i mean like you know and worked

00:27:59.776 --> 00:28:03.196
out by the finals you know get that consolation silver

00:28:03.196 --> 00:28:07.016
so not too bad but you

00:28:07.016 --> 00:28:09.716
know it's you I guess you get rewarded for how you get

00:28:09.716 --> 00:28:12.856
rewarded for having earned you showed up right but yeah

00:28:12.856 --> 00:28:15.556
so like that was so far this year I

00:28:15.556 --> 00:28:18.176
have more scheduled but you know

00:28:18.176 --> 00:28:21.056
and I didn't I felt

00:28:21.056 --> 00:28:23.896
you know I shouldn't have probably shouldn't have gone

00:28:23.896 --> 00:28:30.696
out on Sunday and competed but like overall like going from getting triangled

00:28:30.696 --> 00:28:36.756
in February to then not to then like being able to defend and beat that and

00:28:36.756 --> 00:28:41.016
I felt way better in March than I did in January you know I had a little more

00:28:41.016 --> 00:28:43.756
of the alignments and but like.

00:28:44.693 --> 00:28:47.453
Remembering what it's like to lose and like

00:28:47.453 --> 00:28:50.853
in that setting especially when like you

00:28:50.853 --> 00:28:55.113
felt good and ready and like not in

00:28:55.113 --> 00:28:58.573
at the virginia open like i mentally

00:28:58.573 --> 00:29:01.593
was like great not nervous wasn't

00:29:01.593 --> 00:29:04.673
nervous before my wife might disagree i

00:29:04.673 --> 00:29:07.933
guess she's she says i act weird before tournaments

00:29:07.933 --> 00:29:11.073
but that's just i think that's just locking in but i

00:29:11.073 --> 00:29:13.953
bet you did the appropriate amount of anxiety right like

00:29:13.953 --> 00:29:16.793
that anxiety management but so you know like

00:29:16.793 --> 00:29:19.553
i felt good i felt like everything was where

00:29:19.553 --> 00:29:22.413
it needed to be i wouldn't say not well i'd

00:29:22.413 --> 00:29:25.393
say not nervous i wouldn't say i wasn't there wasn't i wasn't

00:29:25.393 --> 00:29:28.853
anxious but you know the it was i.

00:29:28.853 --> 00:29:32.233
Felt like everything was appropriately harnessed right

00:29:32.233 --> 00:29:35.153
like the anxiety was where it needed to be

00:29:35.153 --> 00:29:38.373
i was and you know i was i felt good

00:29:38.373 --> 00:29:41.433
about everything going into it it got

00:29:41.433 --> 00:29:44.253
dialed in it felt like it felt like it

00:29:44.253 --> 00:29:46.953
did six years before right like back when i

00:29:46.953 --> 00:29:50.373
was competing more at that high frequency and like

00:29:50.373 --> 00:29:53.233
i was back in that mode i was back to

00:29:53.233 --> 00:29:57.493
it and so like i it felt it felt right comfortable you

00:29:57.493 --> 00:30:00.353
know kind of getting back to where it was when

00:30:00.353 --> 00:30:04.173
I was competing all the time and I

00:30:04.173 --> 00:30:07.753
wasn't upset that I lost because I

00:30:07.753 --> 00:30:10.853
wasn't not proud of the

00:30:10.853 --> 00:30:14.233
what I put out there I guess like the exception

00:30:14.233 --> 00:30:17.713
of like I probably shouldn't have competed on Sunday but like

00:30:17.713 --> 00:30:20.993
I wasn't I wasn't upset with

00:30:20.993 --> 00:30:23.773
my performance I think it's probably the best way to

00:30:23.773 --> 00:30:26.413
put it like i i went out and i.

00:30:26.413 --> 00:30:29.813
Put it out there and that's both both

00:30:29.813 --> 00:30:32.813
both competitions and like

00:30:32.813 --> 00:30:36.453
i think there's something to that watching other

00:30:36.453 --> 00:30:41.273
people that compete and watching other people like when other people lose right.

00:30:41.273 --> 00:30:47.273
Like you can tell the difference between the guys that do it a lot they compete

00:30:47.273 --> 00:30:52.853
a lot and you can even see it at like the super high levels right Like when

00:30:52.853 --> 00:30:56.093
you see the guys at like ADCC and CGI,

00:30:56.173 --> 00:30:58.473
like they're not, they might be,

00:30:58.813 --> 00:31:04.993
you know, they're upset that they lost, but like they, it doesn't destroy them.

00:31:05.133 --> 00:31:07.173
Right. Like you don't see those guys like.

00:31:08.297 --> 00:31:12.057
For the most part, they're not like throwing a fit when they lose.

00:31:12.197 --> 00:31:18.437
They're not, they don't, they aren't like broken down by it because they know

00:31:18.437 --> 00:31:19.477
what they're capable of.

00:31:19.577 --> 00:31:21.977
And like, if you're going to compete at a high level, you have to have a certain

00:31:21.977 --> 00:31:24.457
amount of like, it's almost cockiness.

00:31:24.497 --> 00:31:25.937
It's a confidence thing, but

00:31:25.937 --> 00:31:28.597
like, you have to have a certain amount of belief in yourself to do it.

00:31:28.897 --> 00:31:32.557
And like, I think I've got that back. And like, that felt good.

00:31:32.557 --> 00:31:36.737
I knew when I, I knew afterwards, like, you know what, you went out there and

00:31:36.737 --> 00:31:38.897
you perform better this time than you did last time.

00:31:39.457 --> 00:31:43.137
And so it was mentally good.

00:31:44.197 --> 00:31:49.037
So, you know, I, I had really good takeaways. I figured out some holes in my game.

00:31:49.257 --> 00:31:53.737
I knew, all right, let's, let's get stronger. So these things don't break.

00:31:54.197 --> 00:31:59.797
Let's, let's get, let's get the diet right so that we're not light on competition day.

00:31:59.997 --> 00:32:02.597
Like cardio is fine. We don't need to worry about cardio.

00:32:02.897 --> 00:32:05.817
Let's focus on strength. let's focus on reinforcing those

00:32:05.817 --> 00:32:08.577
joints as asim said a couple episodes ago let's armor

00:32:08.577 --> 00:32:11.217
up right so what else do

00:32:11.217 --> 00:32:13.897
you want to do differently those are big by the way yeah those are

00:32:13.897 --> 00:32:17.717
those are huge for like between now and in july

00:32:17.717 --> 00:32:20.537
when you do your next virginia open and you've

00:32:20.537 --> 00:32:23.697
already taken the the the you've taken steps on

00:32:23.697 --> 00:32:26.997
that so that's that's gonna have an impact but

00:32:26.997 --> 00:32:30.317
what else like what else you want to do differently i think i

00:32:30.317 --> 00:32:33.797
think there's definitely some i think

00:32:33.797 --> 00:32:38.037
there's some ways i can alter how i approach like

00:32:38.037 --> 00:32:42.717
camp like you know like a training camp for and it's not really like a training

00:32:42.717 --> 00:32:47.057
camp like i think there's ways that like i can approach those those final like

00:32:47.057 --> 00:32:53.697
training sessions a little more like smartly like that last like couple weeks

00:32:53.697 --> 00:32:55.637
like Like, I think there's definitely, like.

00:32:56.457 --> 00:33:00.477
Some prevention, like, prevention and control things that I should be doing.

00:33:00.737 --> 00:33:04.297
Are you speaking to, like, staying, like, going hard but protecting the body? Yeah. Yeah.

00:33:04.477 --> 00:33:07.317
I'm picking up what you're putting down. But then also, like,

00:33:07.457 --> 00:33:11.877
there's, so, you know, training hard, protecting the body.

00:33:12.077 --> 00:33:16.457
But, like, I actually sat down with my coach for, you know, jiu-jitsu.

00:33:16.857 --> 00:33:22.657
And we, I sat down with him and I was like, hey, man, like, what should I be

00:33:22.657 --> 00:33:26.197
focusing on? Like, what do I, what am, what am I doing?

00:33:26.637 --> 00:33:29.997
And like, I kind of had like an idea in my head, but I wanted to get it from the outside.

00:33:30.177 --> 00:33:35.717
Right. Like, what is something that I'm doing that like is. Is.

00:33:36.258 --> 00:33:39.098
Making this harder for myself and like one of

00:33:39.098 --> 00:33:41.878
those things and like internally i was like i feel like

00:33:41.878 --> 00:33:45.438
i want to like i try to i try to make something happen like

00:33:45.438 --> 00:33:48.298
i want to put on like the show right like i want to

00:33:48.298 --> 00:33:51.238
like with copa i was like i wanted to keep the

00:33:51.238 --> 00:33:54.038
show going i it wasn't it was less about like

00:33:54.038 --> 00:33:56.758
oh i'll just carry around and you know maybe i'll win because i'm carrying

00:33:56.758 --> 00:33:59.658
around for but for five minutes right it was

00:33:59.658 --> 00:34:02.598
you know we're here to put on a show you're under the lights like

00:34:02.598 --> 00:34:05.298
there's you have a crowd like you have

00:34:05.298 --> 00:34:07.938
crowd noise you have people like you know you pick them

00:34:07.938 --> 00:34:10.578
up people are kind of laughing when you walk up to the edge of

00:34:10.578 --> 00:34:13.738
the stage and you like you know throw in you know you can hear people

00:34:13.738 --> 00:34:16.438
cheering and you can also hear the crickets right you

00:34:16.438 --> 00:34:19.938
can hear when it gets quiet and when things get quiet and

00:34:19.938 --> 00:34:22.798
this might just you know this is a internal thing right you

00:34:22.798 --> 00:34:25.918
feel like at least for me i feel like

00:34:25.918 --> 00:34:28.598
something needs to happen and so when that silence hits it's

00:34:28.598 --> 00:34:31.478
like all right we need to go even if i

00:34:31.478 --> 00:34:34.598
may probably don't from just like a competition standpoint

00:34:34.598 --> 00:34:37.418
right like i'm probably i'm not the person right now

00:34:37.418 --> 00:34:40.518
that needs to do something maybe but so

00:34:40.518 --> 00:34:43.898
that was something i kind of knew is like oh like i

00:34:43.898 --> 00:34:48.598
might have an urgency i have an urgency that is purely.

00:34:48.598 --> 00:34:51.478
Internally motivated that might not be an

00:34:51.478 --> 00:34:54.658
urgency that's required right like in some

00:34:54.658 --> 00:34:57.378
instances and like yeah there's times when you have to keep

00:34:57.378 --> 00:35:00.518
moving and you have to keep pushing because there is

00:35:00.518 --> 00:35:06.378
no clear person on top but like when you have another four minutes left on the

00:35:06.378 --> 00:35:10.938
match maybe we don't need to push the push the envelope yet right you have to

00:35:10.938 --> 00:35:14.298
rush you know you don't have to rush and make a mistake because you've got time

00:35:14.298 --> 00:35:18.278
exactly but i do like the showmanship thing that's why i was saying you should

00:35:18.278 --> 00:35:19.578
have smashed that dude We threw him off the edge.

00:35:19.878 --> 00:35:24.058
Maybe he was like, Dimitri would not like this, but maybe we can convince him

00:35:24.058 --> 00:35:28.578
to do like Royal Rumble type rules where like if you throw them off the mat, you win, dude.

00:35:28.978 --> 00:35:32.258
Because in Royal Rumble, if you slip them over the ropes, they're out.

00:35:32.898 --> 00:35:36.358
Maybe I just carry them down the stairs. You know, but for what it's worth,

00:35:36.458 --> 00:35:40.078
and it sounds like this is a good thing, I mean, it sounds like just maybe some tactical decisions.

00:35:41.300 --> 00:35:44.840
Because like strategically, dude, like I think putting on a show is a good thing.

00:35:45.140 --> 00:35:48.560
And I know Dimitri values that, but you can, you can do both, right?

00:35:48.640 --> 00:35:53.220
You can do both in an exciting, cool way that still gets you winning matches.

00:35:53.540 --> 00:35:56.560
Yeah. But I, so I understand what you're saying, but I do think that impulse

00:35:56.560 --> 00:35:58.580
to be like, yo, we're make, let's make some shit happen, man.

00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:02.860
People paid to be here, man. They're there for those who don't know who are listening.

00:36:02.920 --> 00:36:06.080
Like a super fight is basically like, it's like you have, there's one fight

00:36:06.080 --> 00:36:08.620
at a time on a mat surrounded by a crowd.

00:36:08.620 --> 00:36:12.020
So they're watching you specifically. whereas at tournaments under the lights

00:36:12.020 --> 00:36:15.960
under the lights it's recorded it's on camera it is a show,

00:36:16.420 --> 00:36:19.360
it's a show and there is like an entertainment aspect

00:36:19.360 --> 00:36:22.900
to it like that's a good thing dude is what I'm saying tournaments are a little

00:36:22.900 --> 00:36:25.420
different tournaments it's like going to like I don't know it's like going to

00:36:25.420 --> 00:36:29.840
a swim meet or something yeah if there's like people are like it's there's half

00:36:29.840 --> 00:36:32.880
the crowd is like a shit ton of like competitors people running around there's

00:36:32.880 --> 00:36:36.880
usually like five or six at least matches going at the same time so people are

00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:39.040
watching you there's still that showmanship with like a super fight,

00:36:39.600 --> 00:36:42.560
it's it is a show where people bought tickets

00:36:42.560 --> 00:36:46.340
to watch it yeah but so like the the combined

00:36:46.340 --> 00:36:48.980
takeaway and this was from like you know

00:36:48.980 --> 00:36:55.960
from my coach was hey let's be less committal and more intentional and and like

00:36:55.960 --> 00:37:00.020
i've started doing that more in my training and like it actually especially

00:37:00.020 --> 00:37:05.320
like i have a pretty active game i tried like i don't i'm not sedentary when

00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:08.340
i'm in top position like i continue to keep moving.

00:37:09.240 --> 00:37:14.820
I'm relatively aggressive, you know, looking for, looking for things,

00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.780
but like he said, let's be less committal and more intentional.

00:37:20.020 --> 00:37:24.620
And, you know, like you don't have to hold onto that one thing and that doesn't

00:37:24.620 --> 00:37:25.740
have to be the thing you do.

00:37:26.020 --> 00:37:29.180
Like let's, we can grab it and we can be intentional. Like we're going to go

00:37:29.180 --> 00:37:31.200
for this, but if that's not.

00:37:32.190 --> 00:37:35.210
If it's not there, you don't have to stay on it. If something else might show

00:37:35.210 --> 00:37:39.030
up, you can take that other thing. And so I started doing that.

00:37:39.370 --> 00:37:44.370
And honestly, it's been great. I've been feeling more things open up.

00:37:44.550 --> 00:37:49.750
And it's been opening my game up. And I've also been working more guard.

00:37:49.970 --> 00:37:52.350
Even though I don't really plan to be there, but I've been working more guard

00:37:52.350 --> 00:37:54.230
just to kind of have more options.

00:37:55.170 --> 00:37:59.910
But yeah, that less committal, more intentional thing has really been...

00:37:59.910 --> 00:38:03.170
That's been like what i've been using to guide it recently and like it's been

00:38:03.170 --> 00:38:08.330
opening up a lot of stuff because like i'm not you don't lose positions you're

00:38:08.330 --> 00:38:10.130
you know like i'm staying,

00:38:10.830 --> 00:38:13.990
staying working in like the within the realm

00:38:13.990 --> 00:38:16.810
and like i can go from like oh let's grab the kimura but then

00:38:16.810 --> 00:38:19.690
we can also have this option this armbar over here

00:38:19.690 --> 00:38:22.570
and then oh you know there's the back here's the here's the choke

00:38:22.570 --> 00:38:25.610
and like it's creating more of like a flowing

00:38:25.610 --> 00:38:28.370
game and so like that's been that's been kind of

00:38:28.370 --> 00:38:32.170
the focus going into it but yeah i mean so like you

00:38:32.170 --> 00:38:35.450
know big it was good like losing was

00:38:35.450 --> 00:38:40.410
good in this instance because it it's elevated a lot for me and like you know

00:38:40.410 --> 00:38:45.410
we've picked up we've found holes we've closed them too like we know this is

00:38:45.410 --> 00:38:48.790
we know that this is an issue let's go ahead and close up that triangle let's

00:38:48.790 --> 00:38:52.870
go ahead and you know we know you leave it i know I leave it out there,

00:38:53.110 --> 00:38:57.390
like leave the, leave the triangle available when I go to do certain breaks and passes.

00:38:57.670 --> 00:39:00.530
So like, let's, maybe we can turn that into a bait.

00:39:00.690 --> 00:39:04.470
Like maybe we can use these things. So like, it's definitely,

00:39:04.570 --> 00:39:08.270
it's definitely was like constructive.

00:39:09.090 --> 00:39:14.630
And, you know, we now I've got this framework, we're adding in things with coaching

00:39:14.630 --> 00:39:17.110
with the seam, you know, the nutrition control,

00:39:17.370 --> 00:39:20.470
trying to build on a little weight so that we can get to the top of the

00:39:20.470 --> 00:39:24.770
weight division and so like you know that should that should make things going

00:39:24.770 --> 00:39:29.630
in july i'm you know the goal is to be a whole different basically a whole different

00:39:29.630 --> 00:39:33.970
competitor come in with a new game plan well not too different of a game plan

00:39:33.970 --> 00:39:38.290
but you know executed in a more proficient way yeah coming in with like a slightly

00:39:38.290 --> 00:39:39.890
different coming in as an enhanced,

00:39:40.770 --> 00:39:46.050
athlete mike 2.0 i guess it's 3.0 at this point something like that yeah we'll see,

00:39:46.790 --> 00:39:50.730
but you know so like just trying to create this way that I can you know one

00:39:50.730 --> 00:39:55.290
get a little more longevity less injuries but also change that game up to where

00:39:55.290 --> 00:40:01.390
we're fixing some of like the issues and so yeah I mean you know it's it's good stuff.

00:40:02.537 --> 00:40:05.917
It is good stuff. So, yeah. You have anything to add?

00:40:05.997 --> 00:40:08.157
The only thing I'd say, like, dude, like, you made a comment about,

00:40:08.177 --> 00:40:11.297
like, dudes at those high-level tournaments.

00:40:11.897 --> 00:40:15.477
The thing I think the – who don't get crushed by losses, it's kind of – it's

00:40:15.477 --> 00:40:16.417
a lot of what we're talking about here.

00:40:16.517 --> 00:40:19.757
Like, the people who are super active at that level, they always have,

00:40:19.817 --> 00:40:25.657
like, another event, another thing in front of them that they're looking to

00:40:25.657 --> 00:40:28.297
– you know, there's always, like, a next step.

00:40:28.297 --> 00:40:31.137
It's like there any a loss or a wins like a step

00:40:31.137 --> 00:40:34.697
in a on a path towards like the

00:40:34.697 --> 00:40:37.957
next accomplishment so it gives you like this big picture

00:40:37.957 --> 00:40:41.097
perspective that then allows you to take

00:40:41.097 --> 00:40:44.517
something like that and then make it productive because you know there's always

00:40:44.517 --> 00:40:48.337
another fight you have to go to where you're going to either get the opportunity

00:40:48.337 --> 00:40:52.877
for redemption or like to learn another thing if you lose so there's always

00:40:52.877 --> 00:40:57.497
like i guarantee you those guys don't like losing but the way they handle it

00:40:57.497 --> 00:41:00.477
in a productive way because there's really no other way to do it.

00:41:00.857 --> 00:41:04.337
If a loss is going to derail you, you're not going to make it very far in this sport.

00:41:06.337 --> 00:41:12.897
And moreover, win or lose, you're not done at that point unless you're retiring.

00:41:13.737 --> 00:41:17.297
Yeah. Unless you're completely like, this is it. I'm going to retire.

00:41:17.417 --> 00:41:21.617
This needs to be my best jiu-jitsu match ever or I'm going to forever live with regret.

00:41:22.077 --> 00:41:26.197
I guess with those guys, they have another thing. like they're ADCC champions

00:41:26.197 --> 00:41:29.337
like or whatever ADCC yeah they have like two more years they're gonna be,

00:41:30.615 --> 00:41:33.995
I know what I'm going to do. I know what I need to do when I get back here in two years.

00:41:34.155 --> 00:41:37.115
Right. Like, or they'll have a super fight or they'll have Pan Am's is coming

00:41:37.115 --> 00:41:39.295
up in like two months or they have worlds. It's like, they just,

00:41:39.375 --> 00:41:40.855
they know that I go, I got the next thing.

00:41:41.095 --> 00:41:43.455
And like, I'm not done. This is my, my last. It's not my first,

00:41:43.535 --> 00:41:45.335
not my last. I'm going to keep going.

00:41:46.235 --> 00:41:49.755
And you just, yeah. If you, I think you, you make it about that.

00:41:49.875 --> 00:41:52.555
Like it just becomes, honestly, like the best thing is it's like a job. It's business.

00:41:52.735 --> 00:41:54.775
Yeah. You have good days, you have bad days in the office, man.

00:42:00.615 --> 00:42:03.575
But like you just make it productive yeah that's all

00:42:03.575 --> 00:42:06.575
find a way to come back from it give come back stronger

00:42:06.575 --> 00:42:09.415
you know do better next time right yeah exactly

00:42:09.415 --> 00:42:12.375
but and that's in the next time is the word there yeah like

00:42:12.375 --> 00:42:15.375
where are you gonna quit after this big fucking deal

00:42:15.375 --> 00:42:18.295
like if the answer is yes i'm like all right cool then you're done yeah if

00:42:18.295 --> 00:42:20.935
but which and like whatever kicks you out of the sport then i

00:42:20.935 --> 00:42:23.915
guess it's not this that's what i was saying yeah seriously like it's like this

00:42:23.915 --> 00:42:26.975
you you're gonna move on to the next one and it

00:42:26.975 --> 00:42:29.995
just you know all of the the exercise of

00:42:29.995 --> 00:42:34.675
doing all this it's obviously very good for your development is as a jutsu athlete

00:42:34.675 --> 00:42:38.015
but you know in other aspects of your life so there's like an exercise in that

00:42:38.015 --> 00:42:45.635
like an accountability that you feel do you really feel that you you must adhere

00:42:45.635 --> 00:42:48.035
to because you're like yo everyone just saw me get,

00:42:48.535 --> 00:42:51.655
triangled or whatever big in like big fucking deal but at the same time like

00:42:51.655 --> 00:42:55.475
yo i don't want that to be the last thing that i ever do i'm going to address

00:42:55.475 --> 00:42:58.535
it i'm gonna work on it so next time we're not going to get triangled.

00:42:58.635 --> 00:43:01.395
Well, that's just like, it's just like, it's, I mean, dude, I'll tell you this,

00:43:01.475 --> 00:43:04.815
man, I know a lot of people who don't take accountability for a lot of shit in their life.

00:43:05.055 --> 00:43:08.955
And like, you know, they're not the type of people I want to be around typically.

00:43:09.115 --> 00:43:12.095
So it's like the people who do this and make a habit out of that,

00:43:12.235 --> 00:43:15.895
like the likelihood that they're going to maybe do that in other aspects of their life.

00:43:16.608 --> 00:43:19.548
Enhances everything they do like okay cool that's like a dude

00:43:19.548 --> 00:43:22.328
or that's a lady like who is got their shit together like

00:43:22.328 --> 00:43:25.648
that's that's that is cool that's heroic yeah that's

00:43:25.648 --> 00:43:28.668
the hero's journey and the people who like cry and bitch and

00:43:28.668 --> 00:43:31.548
moan about like shit and complain and the victims like fuck that

00:43:31.548 --> 00:43:35.168
dude so so in

00:43:35.168 --> 00:43:38.968
conclusion in conclusion yeah so like you know hopefully you

00:43:38.968 --> 00:43:41.828
guys also can gather some stuff from my

00:43:41.828 --> 00:43:44.528
you know my recent two losses like hopefully you

00:43:44.528 --> 00:43:47.588
know that for those you who are competing maybe you

00:43:47.588 --> 00:43:51.108
had some you've also had some losses recently and like

00:43:51.108 --> 00:43:53.868
maybe me talking about it can help you through that i don't

00:43:53.868 --> 00:43:58.528
know helps me to talk about it but yeah so you know fires drinking coffee guys

00:43:58.528 --> 00:44:03.028
thanks for listening so we'll go ahead and wrap for today just a reminder we're

00:44:03.028 --> 00:44:07.468
gonna have the join the discord we'll have that in the show notes you know get

00:44:07.468 --> 00:44:11.388
us on find us on socials i'll start adding that to the show notes it's in the show

00:44:11.408 --> 00:44:14.568
and then you know like subscribe

00:44:14.568 --> 00:44:17.808
follow subscribe give us a five-star review five-star

00:44:17.808 --> 00:44:21.208
review tell us you hate us i don't care but hit

00:44:21.208 --> 00:44:25.548
five stars it helps us on the algorithm so that'll help get us to more people

00:44:25.548 --> 00:44:30.368
help more people find us and hopefully they enjoy the show and it helps them

00:44:30.368 --> 00:44:36.948
as well so yeah watch that coffee watch that jaco good video oh yeah anytime

00:44:36.948 --> 00:44:39.048
like you if something bad happen to you, good.

00:44:39.168 --> 00:44:43.328
Yeah, if you feel salty about some shit in life, whether it's jiu-jitsu or not.

00:44:43.388 --> 00:44:46.688
If you're letting jiu-jitsu ruin your life, you'll take a step back.

00:44:46.808 --> 00:44:50.368
Yeah, it's not that serious. Not that big of a deal. It's fun, though.

00:44:50.568 --> 00:44:55.828
Yeah, rules. No, it is, but it isn't. It's cool, but also just cool it down

00:44:55.828 --> 00:44:57.308
a little bit. It's not the end of the world.

00:44:57.428 --> 00:45:03.648
It's meant to be a good thing. You can't let it have a... If your mood is...

00:45:05.228 --> 00:45:10.148
Your mood and your mental well-being is... fluctuates completely based upon

00:45:10.148 --> 00:45:12.628
some things like this. You gotta get a little perspective.

00:45:12.948 --> 00:45:15.548
It's a good opportunity that you even get to do this stuff.

00:45:16.468 --> 00:45:19.348
Okay. The end. The end. Bye.