vids of me wresslin

[vikingpower]

this was from november 05 ... i was pretty raw back then, i had no concept of energy conservation, takedowns, maintaining position and ended up paying the price for it big time when i got to my third match and a freestyle wrestler schooled me

my first match i won so fast the camera man didnt catch it (guillitine)

the second one, i was so hell bent on getting a tapout i didnt relize how far ahead i was in points and (although i eventually got a choke with my patented jimmy grip) i gassed myself in the process ... had i costed i would have had a much better chance at winning my 3rd match and getting a medal as opposed to 7th(out of 32):

my 3rd match, i lost by 1 point and could have argued that they restarded me in side as opposed to guard but i dont think it would have changed the outcome, i got outclassed by someone who haf a much better concept of positioning than me at the time:

also the last guy winked at me before our match and it gave me a little more motivation so i wasnt as tired for the first halh, but also made me very angry so i tried to cross face him when i should have gone for the choke right away

all in all i was happy with my performance and i took it as a learning experience ... do not waste your energy

ps ignore the comments from my idiot cousin, he doesnt realize you can tap a shoulder from a keylock and a kimura

[smoothasf]

dude you postioning and transitions arent your weakness, its your abilty to finish! christ i watched you let go of endless chokes and arm locks, wear your apponent down do not let go of your hold, as we used to say when i trained, "hug it like you love it"

[vikingpower]

thats true, i knew the submissions but i did not have a good idea of how i should properly finish them ... but keep in mind i was worn down myself and finishing was therefore very difficult .. although i still tapped 2/3 of em

[Petrucci]

you where training for how much time at these fights???
and also, is this some kind of free-style grappling tournament???

man, i didnt read all your post, so i was watching the fight and when you got that 'mata leao' i pushed the video bar foward because i thought 'theres no way in hell he will get out of that' and suddenly the guy is on the top of you i was like WTF!

also as you said, in the first fight there could be more takedowns but since you won it there is not a problem...

good fights!

[lilwoday09smb]

not bad you need to work on some pummeling to gain position and def finish your take downs you pause between your shot and take down . work your hips a lil more. im guessing your new to the sport. either way glad to see you are actually competeing and not just wearing a tap out shirt. look good bro

[thewickedtruth]

I was really impressed myself. Theyr'e right though. you're lacking in finishing power or commitment to anything in particular. Your transitions and positioning are awesome imho. HOWEVER you need to learn some dirty work. Inside pressure points when theyr'e laying and praying, forearms on the throat , nose, or behind the ear/side of the head. Pain creates diversion. I do it dirty myself and it helps. Especially when you're having a hard time wiht someone who's either faster or stronger.

[Bluto]

is it possible, that vp's huge "member" is somewhat of a problem, when he is using his hips?

[vikingpower]

with the exception of bluto you all raise very good points

- this tournament was after i had been rolling for about a year once a week with no instruction(though my training partner is very accomplished in canadian bjj circles, he never showed me shit cause he wanted to see if his game applied well to someone who didnt move likea bjj guy) before the tournament i had about a month and a half of instruction under omar salvosa

- since then i really focused on improving my base/balance/finishing with something other than a choke ... but i stil have a lot of work i need to do on pummeling/being "dirty" ... i also learned to let my bodyweight/leverage do the work for me so i dont get tired nearly as fast

- i acutally teach (beginners level) bjj to a handful of guys at venice in toronto, if anyone wants to learn lemme know, the guys i have shown have been tapping peole with more experience so im not that bad as an instructor ... keep in mind that video is a year and a half old and my skill set has improved substantially ... though it has a long way to go, i will post my next tournament at some point

cheers

[OneManGang]

Bragging without bragging rights...