RhodyRaybo's blog

At BJJ this week I asked this really skilled guy that I absolutely love being beaten up by if he was coming to class the next day. He told me he couldn't Friday mornings because of his Thursday night men's group. I asked him what the group was about and he told me that it was a bunch of guys that rent a middle school gym every Thursday and just "beat the s*** out of each other". Stunned, I was going to ask him the details but I figured I would just ask one question, so I did. I asked him "is there ever any blood?". He responded "sometimes". I said ok, and ended the conversation. Bloody battles are not my thing and pretty much not the thing of anyone I've met on any of the wrestling sites. Nobody wants blood drawn. Sometimes guys get injured, but we try to do wrestling/boxing/grappling without injuring each other, even though it does happen from time to time. But this sounded like they attempt to injure each other. Well, that's his thing, not mine. But my mind was blown that a real life "Fight Club" is right in my own neck of the woods. Though I have no intention of ever joining such a group. Man to man grappling and BJJ class is just fine with me. Peace out gents.

I have wrestled in the last 8 years probably over 200 guys in most likely well over 1000 matches. This would include any grappling and rolling I've done at Systema and BJJ classes. There are several wrestlers that I have rolled with numerous times over the years who have influenced me in this pastime more than others. Those who have influenced me for the better include Rassle4fun, Wrestling Beast, Twisterman, Average Joe, DG Duffy, JRRugby53, Kevinj8664, and Jiminmaine. But I would say the one wrestler that I want to acknowledge as coming closest to being a mentor to me it is Pecs44. Some of you have probably seen the many wrestling matches we've recorded. They are genuine and not staged in the least. We never decide in advance who is going to win and who will lose. So, it's all real.

Anyway the reason I am addressing the issue of mentoring is the differences this past with my mentor and a match with a young wrestler, who is on this site but I will call "Mike", that I am mentoring. I began wrestling with Mike last November, He came to my house and admitted that he had very little wrestling experience to speak of. Our first match was at my house in the basement. I noticed right away that as we were rolling that he had the stamina and a good amount of strength, but I was able to bring him down without much trouble. Why was that you may ask? He could be taken down because he didn't really know much about moves. He told me he really wanted to learn because he enjoyed wrestling. He had the tools, he just needed to learn to use them. So I agreed to wrestle him in the future with the understanding that I would show him how to be more effective as we wrestled. Well, 7 months later, we've wrestled 7 or 8 times and I can say that with my helping him, he's improved dramatically. This past match was especially interesting because I tapped 4 times while he only tapped twice which brings me to the point of this blog.

The question is whether or not to tap in a situation. You see, "Mike" had gotten me in several holds where I was having extreme difficulty getting out of. But 3 out of 4 of those situations, I probably could have gotten out of. But seeing he is learning very well, using things I taught him, I would usually give myself about a minute of being stuck before I tap. But, also, this past week, I wrestled with Pecs44 as well. If Pecs had gotten me in any of those holds that Mike did, then I would have given every ounce of strength I had to get out of his hold then do my best to nail him back. I CANNOT let Pecs get the best of me. Has he ever taught me holds? Actually he hasn't. But what he has taught me is vital. Pecs always taught me not to waste my energy when it's not necessary. AND he always taught me to keep going. I can't tell you how many times he'd have me pinned then if I'm lying there enjoying his chest in my face, I would hear him tell me "come on Ray, do something! Get out of this!" He always pushed me to the next level. He taught me not to give up. This doesn't mean I never tap out with others. It does mean I always give it my all in a rough competitive match. Even recently at BJJ class, I was rolling with one of the instructors. While I couldn't submit him to save my life, he told me that he noticed that I don't give up. Well, I have Pecs to thank for that.

So now back to Mike. Do I apply the exact same standards to Mike that I do to Pecs? No, not yet anyway. While my first motive to wrestle Mike is because I enjoy brawling with this young man, I have a secondary motive as well. I agreed to share with him what I know about wrestling. If I had acted the same way I with Mike when Pecs nails me...I could have injured him. And as one wrestler once said to me..."we don't want to break our toys". Plus, I want to make him know what he's done right and encourage him further. When Pecs has me nailed, I just HAVE to give my all to take him down. It's what he wants and it's definitely what I want. There's different circumstances in tapping, you gotta consider your opponent and the circumstances. Being mentored and mentoring someone else are 2 different ballgames.

Pecs did mentor me in ways that are priceless and I just want to pay it forward if I can. Plus maybe I can someday say about Mike what Pecs44 said about me on several occasions. He has said "I've created a monster!". Hopefully I can say that about Mike. Oh and "Mike" if you're reading this and want to identify yourself, feel free. Peace out and God bless.

As a wrestler for the last 8 years, I have found myself wrestling men of various professions. I'm not sure how this happened, but I actually wrestled 4 different church organists! 2 of them I still frequently rumble with. There are several professionals that I find quite desirable to roll with because of how rugged they usually are, Contractors and mechanics, though I haven't wrestled a lot of either, the few times I have, they didn't disappoint. As a fan of the Food Network, I find chefs quite desirable to roll with, but that has only happened a couple times. Turned out, that out of the 3 chefs I have rolled with, 2 of them were tough as nails. The third one was fun to roll around with, but he wasn't much of a fighter. Last year at Thunderdome I wrestled a retired police officer (he knows who he is). I admitted to him that wrestling a police officer was something of a fantasy of mine. He admitted that he got told that alot. He was a nice guy and fun to roll around with.

But this past week, I realized as of this morning that I have not only rolled with, but OVERPOWERED 2 police officers! My head is still spinning from the thought. In my last blog I talked extensively about a "fight session" that was hosted by an officer at my church. He also belongs to the church. There was lots of exercise and a lot of intense "fighting" which was more like wrestling than anything else. Every single time I took on the officer, I pinned him! And, he was stuck until I freed him!!! I was like "are you KIDDING me????". Also, in the last couple weeks at BJJ class, which I just began in April, I got to roll with this big guy who's around 40 years old and has been taking it for about a year. Strangely enough, when we rolled last Tuesday morning before the end of class, he had to tap, and when the timer went off ending the roll, he was still on the bottom. I didn't realize until I saw him TODAY at class that He TOO is a police officer! My head is spinning at the thought, especially since this has been a desire I've had for a while, to wrestle a police officer. They are both VERY NICE guys, very pleasant, very friendly. I'm grateful for the experience and hope to roll with both of them again soon.

Hmmmm...pinning a police officer...not bad for a guy in his mid 50's who used to walk around in high school with a "kick me" sign on his back. Peace out.

Since I have begun wrestling I have found myself grappling in all sorts of settings. It has mostly been in either my home that I host in or someone else's home. This has included many basements, mancaves, living rooms, bedrooms, and even an outside deck. I've also wrestled in a couple private rings, one in a converted warehouse, one in an opponent's basement. In my college days I wrestled a few friends in various places because at that age, it was almost expected for us to do so. I've also done some wrestling under the banner of "grappling" in a self defense class that I took for a couple years, though we didn't grapple enough there, and more recently at a BJJ class I have been taking for the last couple months. Then there's the endless parade of hotel rooms that I've wrestled in. Most of the time, those are pretty decent. We all know what those are like. Anyway, last night I had a "grappling" or "fighting" experience (for some reason the term "wrestling was shunned) I had never had before, at least not in this setting. I "fought" AT MY CHURCH OF ALL PLACES.

Now getting into some sort of brawl at church actually is not new. There has been a young man at my church who is 2 years younger than my youngest son who thinks he can take me on. I've had no choice but to prove him wrong a few times. I've also rough-housed with several boys at my church. But this was nothing like that. A police officer who belongs to our fellowship requested use of the church to host "fight night" every other Tuesday evening. I had found out about it about a month ago and finally got the chance to attend last night's session. It was very structured and focused on first exercising then doing the fighting....so none of the liberties that we often take in our own private matches.... no stakes, no negotiating on gear, no making up your own rules. It was much like being at a dojo, except it was in the kindergarten Sunday school room at my church. The worst part for me was the long warmup drills. I found out that I am absolutely NOT a runner in any sense of the word. I pulled a hamstring attempting to do a sprint. (Sorry Rassle4fun and Pecs44) I also had a couple of muscle spams trying to do some of the other warmups. I guess at my age one needs to be careful.

Then after a period of time with these warmups, he let the "fighting" begin. He began with the 3 children that showed up. They went at one minute rounds with each other while him, myself, and the 2 teenage boys that showed up each stood at a corner of the mats where the kids were grappling and we lifted weights that were placed at the corners. After a minute the bell rang, we switched corners, the kids switched parters. After 4 rounds like that, it was the big guys' turn! I didn't go first but watched the first couple one minute rounds. I noticed how aggressively the officer and the teens wrestled. I had never wrestled any of them before, so I wasn't sure what I was in for, even after watching a couple rounds. Then came my turn to take on the officer in the middle. I was quite nervous, but we started. He always had us begin standing upright, whereas I always preferred starting on my knees, but I adapted. The struggle began with our hands around each others necks and taking swings at each other..(no headshots). When I saw I couldn't get him to the ground because he was so tall and gangly, I used my own strategy. I let him take me to the ground and then the tables immediately turned. Next thing I knew I had him pinned in similar pins that I regularly do to Twisterman and Kevinj8664. I was like "What the hell??? He's an officer!". But I made him submit. I couldn't believe it. Throughout the fighting we went back and forth in one minute rounds with each other, then the kids took over the mat again, then the big guys. While sparring with the officer and the 2 teenage boys, I was stunned to find myself constantly on top of them or having their heads caught in my grasps. I was just as surprised at how I fought as they probably were especially after they would take me down, then I spring to life and nail them. It was so sweet! While the kids were grappling, us older guys tried to coach them a little. The very last one minute round I did, I was spent, so I let the 18 year old I was fighting with have that one. Anyway, the officer asked me if I enjoyed it and if I would be back in 2 weeks. I said "absolutely". He told me that others have said the same thing, but have yet to return. I can understand what he's saying, but he doesn't know ME very well. I told him about taking BJJ and Systema. AND I told him about having a network of wrestling buddies. But whenever I reveal that so someone on the outside, I know they're not grasping what I'm saying. Oh well.

So now, of all places, I can add my church to places I've wrestled at. But wait, my former church affiliations, when I was in the young adults group, I wrestled with a few buddies every now and then, but that was before I was serious about it. It will be interesting to see what direction this bi-weekly session turns into. Hopefully others will join in and find out what joy this sport can bring. Peace out!

Those of you who know me know that I not only wrestle but have also been taking martial arts for the last couple years. The martial art I have been taking is a form of Russian self-defense called "Sytema". It does involve some aspects of wrestling and can very much be a good way to get your desire to "fight" out, though all too often, the drills can involve little or no wrestling-type of contact. So, it could be hit-or-miss in that aspect.

Well, recently I felt the need to move on from Systema. I still loved the concept and several of the guys who attended the class, but because of the way the class was being managed, I decided it would be best to see what else was out there. So I am writing this to those of you who may have been considering a martial arts class and let you know what I found in my search. And for those of you who merely view wrestling as foreplay, this blog may not be for you.

The first type of school I checked out was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) about 10 minutes from my house. The class was regimented with lining up by rank and bowing and rituals regarding folding your belt similar to what they would do at my son's karate class all those years I had to drive him there. The warm-ups were do-able and the students were very welcoming. But when the drills began, I was told to go drill with the only young girl there, everyone else was guys from their 20's to 40's. I was also made to stay with her while everyone else changed partners. To say I felt uncomfortable with this is an understatement. Had the instructor let me partner up with one of the guys there, I probably would have signed up that night, but I politely informed him that I would "let him know" if I was coming back.

I also checked out another BJJ class and signed up for a free class. It too was somewhat regimented, though because of the size it was more "uniform" than ritualized. I knew I was in trouble when the instructor told us to warm up by running! Running is something I absolutely HATE doing. They after running he screamed to start tumbling, and because I had been running the tumbling brought on a muscle spasm. I had to tell him that I should probably just sit and watch. One lesson to learn, avoid schools where the "warm-ups" completely take everything out of you. The manager told me that I didn't need to do all the warmups and I could go at my own pace. But I didn't like the thought of sticking out like that. So I continued looking.

I also just observed a self defense class that sounded interesting. So I showed up and observed the class. There was a female teacher teaching six students, 3 guys, 3 gals, all looked like they were under the age of 25. I knew immediately this wasn't for me.

My next inquiry was with a Wing Chun class. I wasn't sure what to expect but the teacher was very laid back and looked like a big tough guy. So that alone had me interested. But I soon learned Wing Chun is done entirely on your feet. It's all about swinging your arms. I liked the instructor and didn't mind the class, but I knew this wasn't what I wanted to commit to. Moving on....

Next I tried a Krav Maga class, which is an Israeli form of self defense. I purchased one of those 3 class deals for 19.99. I must admit, I was impressed. The warmups were intense, but doable. The self defense techniques were hit or miss for me, but was willing to inquire further. But what got me backing away from this place after the 3 classes were over was their method of nickel-and-diming you with their fees and purchasing their equipment. I told them I was hoping to try another BJJ class before I made my final decision.

This brings me to where I finally did sign up. I found a BJJ studio that has some warmups but nothing intense. The class was about 15 minutes from my work and had some early morning classes that I could take before work. Sweet! But the class itself is awesome! The instructor is very laid back and doesn't care about lineups or bowing or anything like that. Gi's are encouraged, but you can go buy whatever BJJ gi you want. I bought mine on Amazon for $40. And I tell you, it's mostly guys in the class. They are very friendly and very knowledgeable, and best of all THEY ARE A LOT OF FUN TO ROLL WITH in the drills. In the evening classes they even have "roll time" where you just grapple with different partners. How sweet is that? Also the monthly fee is somewhat lower than most of the other schools I looked at either on-line or in person. I knew after the first class that this one was what I was looking for.

So in summary, I strongly recommend BJJ as a martial art for those who can't wrestle too often because of lack of wrestlers in your area. For me it's a way to keep the grappling going without getting into too much trouble. I'm still wrestling the guys here, but keeping it at the guys I know will give me a good sweaty workout or that I am very comfortable with. When they can't rumble, then it's off to BJJ! Peace out everyone, and God bless!