Earned My Blue Belt!

Last night I was awarded my Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by Thales Blaso, a 2nd Degree Black Belt under Luiz Claudio. While I am very proud to have earned this and left the White Belt behind, I truly feel I am just beginning this process. There is so much I still don't KNOW how to do. So many techniques elude me, and I am not reacting to opponents quickly enough to always take the lead in sparring. During the drills last night I left myself open to attack a number of times. I was taken down over and over by upper-belts, and I mismanaged my energy levels. My situational awareness was really spotty, especially as I began to fatigue. I have to keep in mind that it's just the BEGINNING. By earning this Blue Belt I've been able to prove to myself that I can indeed remember techniques. That I can survive sparring. That I do have the willingness to step out onto the mats. First, I was lucky to have Infusion MMA prepare me for almost two years. Master Instructor Brandon Tracy really "knocked the burs off" me as I transformed from an overweight, untrained ape. Now he and Thales are helping me "file off the edges." How fortunate I am to be able to train in as pure, old school Gracie BJJ as can be found up here in the icy North? Rickson Gracie>Luiz Claudio>Thales Blaso> and then there's me learning as a 4th generation of this lineage! My goal is to be a sharp Black Belt.

#bjj #bjj4life #brazilianjiujitsu #jiujitsulifestyle #jiujitsu #graciejiujitsu #martialarts #grappling #bjjlife #jiujitsulife #fitness #bluebeltproblems #bluebelt #gym #fighttraining #Selfdefense #bjjtraining #martialartslife #fitnessjourney #artesuave #oss #mma #graciejj #bjjmadison #bjjwisconsin #riseup #riseupmartialarts #infusionmma

Emptying the Tank

As I write this having just come home from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under @thalesblaso I'm having a difficult time summing up my experience. It wasn't a large class tonight, only seven of us, but it had a great range of skilled martial artists. From a beginner all the way to experienced, well trained fighters. I think the drills tonight were the most unique I've experienced. We worked on transitions from a "stand up" fight, with one person being the striker and the other attempting to take it to the ground. Each drill built on the other, adding a new element. By the end we'd transitioned from one person trying to touch the other's head while that person attempted to block and close in for a take-down, to things like the "dominate" person could only use one hand, or had to keep their eyes closed. By the end of the night I was completely, 100% spent. The last drill I kept my eyes closed the whole time so I wouldn't have to think about whether or not I was supposed to and just tried to stay in a safe position and not get tapped out. It looks like it's going to be an interesting training rotation for the next three months. Hopefully my body won't break down. I think I will start looking into how to train my endurance so I can keep up with all these tough, young dudes... I'm too old for this stuff...

#bjj #bjj4life #brazilianjiujitsu #jiujitsulifestyle #jiujitsu #graciejiujitsu #martialarts #grappling #bjjlife #jiujitsulife #fitness #bluebeltproblems #bluebelt #gym #fighttraining #Selfdefense #bjjtraining #martialartslife #fitnessjourney #artesuave #oss #mma #graciejj #bjjmadison #bjjwisconsin #riseup #riseupmartialarts

Prairie Moraine County Park

On my way to train @mmawisconsin I dropped into Prairie Moraine Park and took a short hike along the Ice Age National Scenic trail. It wasn't a long hike as I only had about 15 minutes. Plus, the subzero arctic air was kind of rough on the hands...

#wisconsin #wisconsinlife #midwest #travelwi #travelwisconsin #prairiemoraine #prairiemorainepark #hiking #hikingtrail #midwestliving #prairie #prairieland #naturalarea #natural #oaksavannah #grassland #midwestmoment #themidwestival #discoverwisconsin #conquer_wi #IceAgeTrail #Iceage #midwestisbest #veronawi #onwisconsin #goplayoutside #greatnorthcollective #wildernessculture #letsgosomewhere #keepitwild

Here There Be Dragons

Norwegian styled dragons adorn the Military Ridge Bike Trail Depot in Mount Horeb.

From the DNR website, "The 40-mile Military Ridge State Trail, in Iowa and Dane counties, connects Dodgeville and Madison by way of an 1855 military route between Verona and Dodgeville. The trail runs along the southern borders of Governor Dodge and Blue Mound state parks passing by agricultural lands, woods, wetlands and prairies. There are several observation platforms adjacent to the trail for viewing wildlife and other natural features. In Ridgeway, the trail passes by a historic railroad depot."

#midwestisbest #midwestliving #wi #travelwi #discoverwisconsin #wisconsin #wisco #onwisconsin #madisonwi #madisonwisconsin #wisconsinphotographer #travelwisconsin #driftlessarea #mounthoreb #moho #militaryridgetrail #mrt #biketrail #rails2trails #norwegian #norwegiandragon #dragon #nordicdragon #nordic #traindepot #danecounty #viking #vikingdragon #bikepath #bikingadventures #bicycling

Pine Relic Portrait

Today was the last day of my family's "stay-cation." While the kid spent time at her Oma's, who recently moved to town, my wife & I went for a "ramble" up & down nearby valleys on the edge of the Driftless Area. After taking about an hour to cover the distance it normally only takes twenty minutes to cover we found ourselves at Love Creek Fishery/Hunting Area. There we found a fun place to explore, we'll just have to pay attention to the hunting seasons. We'd not want to catch any errant buckshot...

#canon #life_portraits #wisconsin #wildernessculture #folkvibe #folkcreative #areyouawake #wisconsinlife #discoverwisconsin #madisonwisconsin #madsionwi #Love #LoveCreek #driftless #driftlessarea #travelwisconsin #DNR #Fisheries #fishery #trout #troutstream #huntinggrounds #Ridgeway #ridgewaywi #iowacounty #ef14mmf28L #ef14mm #5dmrkIII #hike #hiking

Moen Creek - Beaver Dam

I took a stroll along Moen Creek in Stewart Lake. There appears to be a partial beaver dam on the little stream. It was an ideal location for an awesome beaver pond but it would have totally flooded over the only road. You can see where it was taken down along the waterway before it became too deep. What's still there is impressive. The engineered it with a really big tree with an extensive root system to be the dam's keystone. I also found some areas of the park I've not seen yet.

Skogtroll Lair Perhaps?

As I explore part of Stewart Lake I'd only driven past I spotted what appears to be a possible lair. A forest troll's perhaps? I can just feel those moss rimmed eyes peeking at me from behind fingers textured like old roots...