10th planet birmingham newbie!

Hi everyone,

I joined the lions den this week! The thought of joining a MMA gym last week was a scary thought i assumed it would be full of bad asses and egos like you do in a regular gym, how wrong i was! i emailed Chris Garry with my concerns about joining he rang me and assured me it would be ok invited me to the gym to have a look around found out what i wanted to achieve and guided me . Chris is an awesome guy very respectable and genuine and the customer service level WOW! Im starting on 3 Jiu Jitsu classes +1 stength and conditioning class a week for atleast the first month .

Just abit of background about me , I was a regular gym goer about 2-3 years ago and eventually i fell off the wagon as i was without a gym partner and lost motivation , since i have joined different gyms but still no motivation so ive been on and off ! Of course i carried on eating like i was training 5 days a week and gained alot of weight by become dormant ( No longer a good look ) mma was my first choice then i started googling places near me and 10th planet came up perfect location . I was still unsure until i spoke to Chris and made my visit, as soon as i stepped in that dojo i could feel the positivity especially from the students all excited about the days lesson this took me back a little i was like WOW, i turned up straight after work in trousers and a shirt but i wanted to get involved there and then! LOL .

After the lesson we discussed what i wanted and what Elements could do for me , i signed up straight away went home so excited to start! I havent been this motivated since i first started working out as a teen and cant wait to see what the future holds.

Starting the gym i have realised how little i know about MMA and Jiu Jitsu and some of the phrases the guys use confuses me , Guards , passes , kimora , butterfly etc etc.. is there anything i can read to get an understanding of these terms or like a list of moves i dont know if it exists and writing this sounds silly , but your help will be much appreciated

Kind Regards
shamas khan

Welcome!! Best thing to do to learn the names is to just keep asking. No need writing down. Just ask as much and as often as possible. Repetition is how humans learn. Also here's what I found very helpful in my early days. When you eventually start rolling, you're going to freeze a lot, regardless of your position (dominant or not), try to relax, don't be afraid of getting submitted, we've all been there and still going through it, and keep asking, what do I do from here. Usually, you'll always find yourself in a particular position a lot, different positions for different people, ask what it's called, then youtube the hell out of it and find a strategy that makes sense to you. My coach calls me a youtube warrior cos I just never remember any of the moves in the syllabus, but I do remember the one I watch and pick interest in. Hope you enjoy your journey *winks

Good to have you on the team

thanks guys :)

Lookin forward to a roll brother!

Boy, are you in good hands buddy.

Welcome to the team.

haha cheers guys :)

Only just spotted this..

Thank you Sham a very welcome newcomer to 10th Planet Birmingham who has immediately got to work, not only on the mats, but by introducing loved ones to the academy right away too.

Good points made by Ladi who strikes on a very interesting side note I'd like to expand upon (aka thread highjack)..

When training it can be very resourceful to ask yourself questions.

During a roll might not sound like a very good time to start asking questions- "someone is trying to choke me out so I must act now!! There's no time to think, right!? Let alone ask questions...."

However, being able to remain conscious, present minded and in control enough to continually ask questions of youself is not only a very strong marker; it is a continual pursuit.

From what I have experienced there are generally 3 mentalities we may come across when it comes to a pursuit similar to jiu jitsu and combat sports;

1: The no hoper
As soon as it gets tough this guys tells himself he cannot do it. He berates himself. And what do you think happens in response? He fails. He is outwitted.
Very few of these types of personalities make it past the first 2-3 sessions of jiu jitsu for obvious reasons.

2: The I can
These guys can go far and have done. There are many examples of champions with this mentality; for it sure as hell beats the I can't mentality.. We all know outstanding guys who just push, push, push. There is no negativity, no 'I can't', no doubt, no fear, no questioning anything. Just a freight train heading full pelt at everything.

These types tend not to think at all if their perceived success leads them to stubbornly keep investing more and more into this mindless 'push, push, push, I konw I can' mentality.

It can be extremely effective up until a point. Yet with all being equal this mentaility is rendered utterly ineffective against the participant with the below mindset:


3: The Can I?
For those Brits reading this just think Bob The Builder.

Bob the Builder is an English childrens television show. Throughout his day Bob is faced with challenges. The moral of every story is that with the right amount of careful consideration and the ability to act in a timely fashion you can really make shit happen.

Bob never puts more pressure on himself or his friends than is beneficial to the cause, so remains in control at all times.

Personally I never suffered with the mindset of a quitter. In my first year of grappling no matter how hard I was sprawled on or how stuck I was under the bigger guy I would never give up. I had little idea of what to do, other than that mentally I was only getting stronger if I kept pushing, and pushed any doubts out of my mind.. So I never told myself I cannot once, instead I only told myself I can..

However, that pressure stunts your growth.
To constantly demand higher and higher and more and more of yourself will eventually create a glass ceiling which I have seen exceptionally talented athletes fail to overcome.

So next time you're stuck under that sprawl, or you struggle to free your hips and get them off the mat the two inch that is needed to retain the guard.. next time you're having those moments with yourself.. don't settle for I can, because 'I can' is blind and worse still, stupid.

Ask Can I? Illicit a response and observe what happens; something dramatically more powerful will come from asking yourself a question than forcing yourself, pressuring yourself, to perform beneath that glass ceiling.

Thank you Chris :) wow what a write up that made me seriously think about my attitude to training , definitely a better mind set to be in and I’m going to try the CAN I? This will be my third week I have already learnt so much I feel like I been there months! Mick and Chris are both excellent trainers and make things very easy to understand, if they see your doing something wrong they are straight on it to guide you and break the movement down. This is the main reason why I know so much in very little time, every class I go to flows from the last and I can’t bear to miss 1.

If your reading this you know I had virtually zero knowledge of this sport but its clicking together so smoothly I can’t explain how happy I feel with training and even beyond the gym! I’ve become a better person. My Gf has been happy with my attitude and says I’m always smiling and laughing when I get home. I guess I was tired of being the lazy overweight person I was. I’ve already lost 7lbs but my body feels different my clothes fit different my back isn’t hurting anymore either.

The guys I train with are all so friendly and inspirational I see the stuff they do and it make me determined to want to get more knowledge and skills, I also see how agile they are this effects my mind the most! Before 10th planet I would eat out of greed and eat way too much then end up slobbing it on the sofa as I was too stuffed to move. Now I eat very sensibly as I want to get into positions better and make my training easier and be a better training partner.
I’ve also invested in a bicycle and cycle in the mornings for 30-45 mins I am so determined at the moment. I am also looking to increase the amount of sessions I do from 3 to 4 a week and maybe take on a Muai Thai class in the coming few weeks just to get some additional cardio if nothing else.

We had a little challenge this week at the end of the session to try and get through the guard against more experienced members and I actually got through! I was very tired after but it made my week haha!

In my first week I struggled at warm up with rolling front/back now that’s also coming together I just need to figured how to roll onto my feet to continue the motion and not start stop! I try to be early to my classes so I can practice doing this which helps. If you have any advice on this please share 

I’m going to try and keep this blog going and hopefully inspire someone who is in a similar position to me. And hopefully keep me grounded and humble at the same time if not I’m sure a few kicks to the head will do the trick LOL.

Welcome