2018 Martial Arts Year in Review

2018 was my third full year practicing martial arts, since my return in January 2016. About a year ago I posted my 2017 Martial Arts Year in Review, reporting some statistics on my training and how I spent that time.

Krav Maga

In 2018 I began my third year of training at First Defense Krav Maga in Herndon, VA. I started the year as a P4.

Prior to my P5 test in March, I participated in 29 formal Krav Maga classes. (I had trained 58 hours since my P4 test.)

Between my P5 test and my G1 test in December, I participated in 91 Krav Maga classes.

After my G1 test and through the end of December, I participated in 3 Krav Maga classes.

That is a total of roughly 123 hours of regular Krav Maga classes, down from 130 in 2017 and 144 in 2016.

In addition to regular classes, in July I attended a seminar with Master Eyal Yanilov on countering active shooters.

That is a total of roughly 3 hours of special events, down from 93 in 2017 and 73 in 2016. Combined with my formal classes, I spent 126 hours training Krav Maga in 2018, down from 223 in 2017 and 217 in 2016.

I removed myself from the Krav Maga instructor's program in late 2017 and I did not teach any classes in 2018.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

I continued studying Jiu-Jitsu in 2018 but stopped training mid-year due to changes at work and in my ability to study and prepare for tests in two different systems. I spent 35 hours in formal classes plus 15 hours in weekend test preparation workshops and 1 hour in a private class.

I also trained outside of formal classes.

In February I spent 3 hours with Rigan Machido at his seminar in Woodbridge, VA.

In February I also spent 2 hours with Relson Gracie at his seminar in Leesburg, VA.

In May I spent 1 1/2 hours at the Pedro Sauer spring camp in Herndon, VA.

In June I spent 2 hours with Ryron Gracie at his seminar in Leesburg, VA.

Adding these 8 1/2 hours to my 51 class hours, I spent just under 60 hours as a student in Jiu-Jitsu in 2018, half of the 120 I spent in 2017.

I did not test for my blue belt in 2018. That was one of my goals at the beginning the of the year, but I abandoned it mid-year.

Other Martial Arts

I did not train any other arts in 2018. In 2017 I spent 16 hours in other arts.

Other Training

In September 2017 I began practicing Yoga at East Meets West Yoga Center. I continued in 2018, attending 24 hours of practice. In 2017, I attended 14 hours of yoga.

Summary

Adding up all of the time I spent in formal training in 2018, the total was approximately 210 hours, down from 463 hours in 2017 (376 hours without instruction), and 300 hours in 2016.

Only looking at training hours, about 60% involved Krav Maga (the same as 2017) and 29% involved Jiu-Jitsu (32% in 2017). The last 11% involved yoga.

Looking Forward

I am considering a visit to a nearby Jiu-Jitsu school to see if that fits with my current schedule, interests, and physical condition. Looking back briefly, I can see that I missed chunks of training time due to various injuries. I am not sure how much I can commit to training outside of Krav Maga, which I consider my core art at the moment.

At some point I may have to shift more time to yoga, as that activity has the least negative impact on my joints. I do not want to sacrifice the cardio exercise I get with KMG, however.

I am not sure about my testing plan for KMG this year. If I do test, I think it will only be for G2, no earlier than June and possibly as late as December. Now that I have passed G1, I have met my KMG rank goal.

How did you spend your training time in 2018? Stay informed of new blog posts by following me on Twitter @martialvitality.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nothing But the Best for My Stuff

Image
If you've heard anything about Krav Maga, you've probably heard about the need for groin protection. This Simpson's video , starting at the 45 second point, makes that requirement abundantly clear! When I started training in Krav Maga six months ago, I realized I needed to upgrade my personal protection. I had relied on my old hockey cup and strap when practicing other martial arts. For Krav Maga I decided to do some research, buy some gear, test it live, and let you know my findings! The first product I bought was the Shock Doctor Core Compression Short with Bio-Flex Cup . At the time of writing, the Web site shows this product for $29.99. Using compression shorts was a new experience for me, but I quickly adjusted. This product relies on a pouch positioned inside the shorts to hold the cup in place. While this system seemed to be an upgrade from the simple cup and strap I wore under my hockey equipment, I didn't stay with it. The cup was not comfortable and it did not...
Read more

Passing My BJJ Blue Belt Test

Image
It's been a while since I blogged, incidentally about returning to Jiu-Jitsu  in January, but I have good news -- today I passed the test for my blue belt. I began studying at Professor Pedro Sauer's headquarters school in January 2017. I began mostly with the Gracie Combatives system, then switched to the Pedro Sauer fundamentals classes by the end of the year. In May of 2018 I essentially stopped training BJJ to focus on my Krav Maga studies, finishing with my G1 grading in December 2018 . With G1 accomplished, I switched attention back to BJJ and resumed training in January 2019. Not all BJJ schools require testing to advance in rank. Prof Pedro Sauer believes that tests are an opportunity to demonstrate required skills. The core of the blue belt test is a set of over 80 techniques that must be successfully demonstrated on your training partner, one after the other as the instructor calls them out. The test also includes positioning rolling (i.e., start with your partner in ...
Read more

Retiring from Martial Arts, For Now at Least

Image
  I've decided to retire from martial arts, for now at least. I started this social media presence in January 2016 , so the seven year journey is now concluded. I took my last BJJ class in March 2020 , as Covid-19 was first surging in the US. I injured my back in that session, and my left arm and shoulder had been bothering me for months. I figured some time off might help anyway. In April 2021, after getting my first two vaccinations, I had another round of shoulder surgery . The rotator cuff fix combined with a bicep repair was worse than my previous three shoulder surgeries. It took about a year to return to a relatively pain-free life, even with diligent physical therapy and care. I originally had a goal of staying with BJJ for the long haul in order to earn a black belt. Given that it took me  2 1/2 years to pass my blue belt test , I had many years ahead of me, even before Covid hit.  I think of earning my blue belt as one of the five toughest physical challenges I...
Read more