More Titans.

So, you may or may not of realised that I haven't posted anything all week. This is basicly due to nothing of any interest occurring and me not wanting to bore people/ cant be arsed to write. A quick update of the last week: Ive been doing lots of conditioning focusing mainly on power and power endurance, making up for a bit of physicality I lost while only doing BJJ in NY. Has to be done but leaves a poor man feeling quite sore most the time. Around that ive been getting plenty of sparring in with guys at Mill Hill, treatment on my knee and a massage here and there for my aching back. Come down with a bit of a cold the past week, which often happens to me around comp time as your immune system drops when training intensity increases (or im just really unlucky all the time). Im over it now, and keep reminding myself that its very lucky I got it now and not next week.

So today my coach Nick Brooks had managed to sort out some sparring for me. So with a very early start (8.30!!!) I went down to the Roger Gracie Academy in Ladbroke Grove and await for my lift. He arrives, of course, on "Brazilian time" where the clock run just a bit slower ;). Roger Gracie was bringing me to Birmingham with him while he help Braulio train for the ADCC. Also in the car was RGA brown belt Juniao and Rogers cousin Kyra Gracie, who is of course over for the ADCC's. We head down to b'ham, we get lost, which turns out to be my fault as I suggested one area on the satnav over another (I did say "Dont take my word for it" though!!!). Eventually we get there and amazingly were not even the last ones there. The session that was meant to start at 12 ends up starting around 2 hahaha. As everyone gets changed and jumps on the mat, im taken back by the line up. I thought there were some pretty good names in the sessions in New York but this bested all of them. Roger Gracie, Braulio Estima. Victor Estima, Lucio Lagarto, Kyra Gracie, Pablo Popvitch, Roberto Cybrog. Unbelievable, on the mat were a large portion of the top 10 grapplers in the world! So training begins, pretty much everyone there was fighting this weekend at the ADCC so not an all out session, more of grab a partner and roll, like an open mat. First off was rolling with Kyra, obviously shes significantly lighter than me, we just had a light roll to warm up but it was nice rolling with such a legend and someone who had been a black belt since I was a blue belt. I sat down to rest a bit and got called over by the man himself, current under 77kg ADCC champ, moving up to 88kg now, Pablo Popovitch. The first thing I ask him is "How the hell did you ever weigh the same as me". The guy looks like a freckin' super hero, seriously massive. I roll with Popovitch for most of the session, incredibly strong and with a not stop relentless attacking game. Very much a wrestlers sort of game (which is one of his strongest bases), the never stopping domination. But we had a good roll. Seeing as he is the current champ of my division it was nice to see, and more importantly feel, what the level is like. After sparring is over everyone spends a while drilling and sharing techniques, just to be on the mat watching the number of world champions there training together was awesome. Kyra ask me to help her do a bit of technique drilling, then Pablo asked to use me to practice some wrestling. Popovitches wrestling is insane, I would not like to stand with anyone with the sort of movement, power and speed he posses (did anyone say jumpguard ?). Finally im used as a dummy while Pablo helps Kyra with her takedowns. And after having Pablos extremely square chin pressed in my leg repetitively it seems slightly more tender than before. After training its off for the customary post training Nandos, where I realise I really need to learn Portuguese, as I sit there throughout the meal as the only English guy; not understanding a word of whats going on.

After the meal its the drive back to RGA, drive from RGA to Mill Hill to do my last little conditioning workout before the comp, consisting of plenty of burpees, Kettle bell swings and pull ups. Then its home eat and bed. Up tomorrow early for last real BJJ session.

Ape Out.