GPS - no, not GSP, I really mean GPS.

I just rode 30 minutes on my bike, and ran 1 mile using SmartRunner, a GPS tracking program that tracks speed, distance, time, etc. and even shows the exact map of where you ran. Its pretty cool in theory, but I don't know how long I can stomach carrying my phone with me on my runs.

The funny thing is, they have a few different sports you can track - hiking, walking, shopping (?), swimming, etc. I dont know why shopping is considered a sport, and I don't know how you can carry a phone on you while you swim. Whatever.

The point is, I noticed they had many options for non-sports, and sports you can't possibly track using a GPS device. Surprise, surprise, Jiu-jitsu was not an option.

This makes me realize how unpopular our sport is to the general public. While it is growing by leaps and bounds because of the popularity of MMA, it will never be a spectator sport. People who do not practice BJJ think it is boring to watch. Hell, I know some people who do train and they thought the 2010 Worlds were boring.

That is a shame. Unfortunately, not much can be done to change it. At least Fabricio Werdum showed us the guard is not dead in MMA. But we already knew that, didn't we?

Eww...

Yes. Those are my feet, and they are disgusting.

After plodding through a 25:55, 5K race Saturday, my feet ended up looking like some horrible flesh eating disease has overtaken them. I assure you this is not the case. They are blisters.

The lesson here is to run in running socks, and when buying new running shoes, make sure you run in them for a couple weeks before strapping them on for a race. Oh well, its not as painful as it looks, but the race sure was.

But I enjoyed it. Running is a passion of mine, not quite on the level with Jiu-Jitsu, but an important part of it. A year ago my cardio was super-shitty, and I could barely receive instruction while rolling due to my loud breathing. Now I can go forever without gassing, and its mainly due to running.

So if you aren't running to improve your BJJ, then you need to be. Go for some long slow distance once a week, and bust out some sprints, intervals, and something called 'fartleks' (not sure what they are, but it sounds funny) a few times a week.

Your Jiu-Jitsu will thank you for it.

Today Really is the Day.

Seriously.

Chuck vs Rich will be epic. Not only because Chuck looks beasty, but also because both of these guys desperately need a win to get back on track. Especially Chuck. If he loses tonight, expect to see him on next season's Celebrity Apprentice.

Also, one of my homeboys is making an effort to break his 3 fight losing streak today.

So a lot is on the line for a few people today. But not me. The only thing of importance to me is floating around on the lake until Jiu-Jitsu practice tonight, then giving my thumbs a good workout with the XBox until the prelims come on Spike.

I'm debating on whether or not to have some beers on the lake before practice. Ever rolled drunk? Not a good thing. It seems that someone always gets pissed off, and cranks a submission too hard. I'm not too worried about that, since everyone I roll with is much better than me, but I have been choked while drunk before and puked. Violently.

So, we shall see what happens tonight.

My predictions:

Chuck by KO or Rich by Decision (this one is a tossup)
My homey by Double Decker Pecker Wrecker Submission
Some beer on the lake, then getting blackballed when I puke all over my training partner tonight.

Ah, what a life I live.

D'oh!

So I just heard of the Homer Simpson Sweep, created by Jeff Glover. Not only is this the most awesome name for a martial arts technique ever, it seems very useful.

No, you don't get drunk at Moe's then binge on donuts while sweeping your kitchen. That sounds like fun, although I'm sure Marge would disapprove.

It goes like this:

From deep half guard, if your opponent has a solid base, pinch your knees together and walk your hips toward the front. When his knee gets straight, you quickly pop up to your knee like you have a single leg sweep, and put him on his back.

Jeff calls it the Homer Simpson sweep because of the way Homer falls on the ground and runs around in circles on his side. Someone said it should be called the Curly Sweep because he's doing the Curly shuffle, but I am going to say that Curly travelled forward in time and stole it from Homer. Because Homer is the man. Period.

Now for some beer & donuts.

Today is the day...

Actually its this weekend, but today is the day that leads to tomorrow, which inevitably leads to this weekend.

More on that in a moment.

I am a white belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and I have been training for close to a year now. I've been a fan of MMA since I first saw Royce Gracie choke Ken Shamrock out with his bath robe (that's what it looked like to me at the time). This was back when pulling guard was "dragging a guy to the ground between your legs".

My first rolling session was no-gi on a wooden floor, with no sense of what I was doing. Needless to say, my knees looked like black & blue pumpkins the next day. But I loved it.

So we got some mats, put in a few more no-gi sessions, until one day my uncle threw me a gi and tossed me around like a rag doll. That's when I really fell in love with BJJ. It opened up a whole new game for me, and now I am addicted to it like Kanye West is to being a jackass.

So, this weekend, I will spend a couple hours playing UFC Undisputed 2010, then I will spend my next three hours delving deep into my half-guard game, then its Liddel vs Franklin.

And I will be in heaven.