Thoughts Of A Modern Day Caveman

Homeschool Children

2012-02-06T10:49:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder what a homeschool kid wears to class? Well, wonder no more!

Resistance Training

2012-02-02T12:59:00.001-08:00

Life is a challenge. The harder we try, the more success find us. However, with effort comes resistance. One of the things that they don't tell you in "School of Life 101" is that resistance is just as adaptable as we are. Lately my resistance is the clock. I can't seem to take the time required to succeed in all the different areas of life that are important to me. Consequently, the area's that don't receive the correct amount of attention suffer. The purpose of this post is to help me focus on the areas that are most critical to a caveman's sanity. Cameron once told me that the best thing to do when I am feeling overwhelmed is to make a list. Good advice, Son!

Husband:

Daddy:

Worker Dude:

Personal Endeavors:

There. Now that I have clearly illustrated to myself what area's are important, I do not feel so overwhelmed. Resistance will have to try harder next time.

How Cavechildren Bond

2012-01-12T22:20:00.000-08:00

Titus Makes My Year

2011-12-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

Last night Titus and I were discussing how big he was going to be when he grows up. Out of our three sons, Titus most desires to be the biggest. If you ask him how tall he is going to be he will confidently answer, "7 feet and 1 inch". Yesterday I asked him how big his muscles were going to be. I thought he would answer "As big as Ronnie Coleman" because Mr. Coleman made quiet an impression on Titus when we met him last year. But, that was not his answer. Instead he said, "as big as yours". I was a little taken aback. Titus always desires to be the big, strong, super hero. I asked, "Really Titus? How come?" To which he responded, "Well you know how our body's are the same? I want muscles just like yours because I like how they look on you." To say was beaming is a huge understatement.

Moore Family Photos

2011-10-10T09:55:00.000-07:00

Below are a couple pictures that make me smile really big. These capture the essence of who we are more than a photo studio ever could.

Rough Week

2011-08-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

It's been kind of a rough week.

Last weekend we brought home a new puppy. Max is adorable, and has all the making of a fantastic family dog. But as can be expected, there is a certain level of stress, work, and sleeplessness that accompanies a new puppy.

Monday morning I crashed my truck on the way to work. The Sheriffs Department didn't want to give me a ticket. The local PD didn't want to give me a ticket. When the Highway Patrol got there he refused to take his had off his gun, was very standoffish, and gave me a ticket. My kind wife didn't say anything, but I know having to pay a ticket effects both of us. Did I mention my truck is less than a month old? Or that it's a truck I have been dreaming of for a very, very long time?

Tuesday I learned it is going to cost $7300 to fix my truck. My State Farm Insurance rates will go up (not by much, and I really like State Farm, but it still hurts). The appraisers also warned me that if I filed a claim, the truck would have a tarnished history report and I may have trouble selling or trading it in the future. I am just concerned it will never be repaired to a picky caveman's standard.

Wednesday my leg workout was less than stellar. A little thing I know. But when you are counting on leg day to release the stress that accumulates during the week, it is a bit of a let down.

Thursday something else happened that I don't want to talk about. But it made me feel bad.

This morning (Friday) I realized I am out of coffee filters. No problem, I thought, I will just make a cup with my trusted Keurig when I get to work. My plan would have been flawless had my Kuerig not just eaten one my favorite K-cups, and filled itself with grounds. It's never done this before. I assume it was just feeling left out since every thing else around me seems to be behaving difficultly this week.

In hindsight, I suppose everything that has happened is still not as bad as being chased by a hungry dinosaur.

Will Explain Later

2011-07-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

The Scope That Wouldn't

2011-06-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

Went shooting last night. Did several exercises that I might post about in the future. One exercise was particularly interesting.
There are two strings of bullets on this target. Mine is the row on the right. To conduct this drill, I aimed at the black dot at the bottom of the target for every shot fired. Between rounds I would move my scope up 2 MOA, then shoot again, still aiming at the black dot at the bottom of the target. The horizontal lines measure exactly 2 MOA apart. As you can see, when I move my elevation turret 2 MOA, my POI doesn't move the same. My Nightforce does not have an adjustable zero stop. When I run it all the way down, I am 1.5 MOA high at 100. The black lines angled lines show which bullet holes belong to which desired POI. Very interesting indeed...

The next target is fairly self explanatory.
The lesson here is that it is measurably harder to shoot under the pressure of a time clock.

Having A Blogger Wife

2011-06-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

There is an article floating around the www where husbands answer questions about their blogger wives, and I wanted to participate. Below is my entry:

What are your thoughts about blogs + blogging?
I love blogging. It is the perfect platform for people to express themselves in today's modern / unique world. For women, blogging is the perfect way to share and receive all things "women". Blogs are "safe" from the worlds intrusions that are so prevalent on most of the web. And the ability so share what your soul looks like, to kindred spirits that you would not have otherwise ever been able to meet, is invaluable.

How many hours a day does your wife spend blogging?
On average, my wife blogs for between 30 minutes and an hour each day.

What do you do during this time?
When my wife blogs, I sit within arms reach and play guitar.

Any silly/crazy/funny stories or experiences related to blogging you'd like to share with the readers:
Sometimes the comments on my wife's blog brings me to tears. Does that count? The craziest things for me is finding my wife's pictures / ideas / writings all over the internet. On accident. Sometimes this can be frustrating because she is not always credited for what is hers. (She once had a very unique party copied, and I mean decorations, food, games, everything, and the author completely presented it all as her idea.) But overall, it is very flattering to see the life our family lives is put on a pedestal by others.

How do you feel being blogged about?
Being blogged about is surreal. Especially when dozens of people comment on how dreamy our family's life is.

What is one thing that annoys you most about having a blogger wife?
The thing that annoys me most about having a blogger wife is convincing my wife not to feel guilty about doing it. She is the most talented blogger on the internet, and she doesn't put the time into it that others do. If she could see what a valuable thing her blog is to thousands of other people, and dedicate herself to adding to that value, I think we would all be amazed at how many lives could be touched.

Obscure Goal

2011-06-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is what 86,000 profit for June 2011 looks like:

Update 6/12/11: 8 days in, 14 more to go. $31,815.14 down, $54,184.86 remaining. It's going to be a stretch to make it happen.

List Of Thirty Things

2011-05-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

30 things before I am 30... This notion was presented to me by the girl that writes this blog. She made a list of things she has done, a sort of reverse bucket list. What a cool idea, huh? I enjoyed the post so much that I decided I wanted to make a list too. However, my list is a bit different than her's. Here is my impromptu list of things I want to list in a list:

1. My wife is better than your wife, girlfriend, or dream-woman.

2. My kids are really cool people. Even at 7, 8, & 10, I admire them.

3. Grappling is my sport.

4. Getting older sucks not because I fear the future, but because I am leaving so much undone
in the past.

5. Love knows no boundaries except those you impose upon it.

6. I wish I was a better caveman (husband, daddy, friend, etc).

7. Relationships mean everything.

8. We really can't take it with us. But I still recommend striving to accomplish like we can.

9. Just because you sought first to understand, does not mean you will ever be understood.

10. I wish I could inspire others like Lisa does.

11. I wish I was as in tune to others as Kotah is. Wish I had his work ethic and confidence too.

12. I wish I was as amicable and positive as Titus. Wish I could hug others as well as he does
too.

13. I wish I was as morally conscience as Cameron. Wish I was as determined as he is too.

14. I want another tattoo. But wish I could get one with as much reckless abandon as a tattoo deserves.

15. Truck fever is a lifelong disease that apparently has no cure.

16. I have had every toy a man could dream of. Except a boat.

17. The idea of saving for retirement, doesn't come from the bible.

18. Physical ability means little in life.

19. Appreciating the changes in the trees on your morning commute means much in life.

20. Part of me wishes I had written down all the crazy things I did when I was a kid. The other
part of me really hopes nobody else wrote down any of the crazy things I did as a kid.

21. I wish I could hear God laugh.

22. All skills are perishable.

23. Technology amazes me.

24. Sometimes the people we admire most are very unhappy with their lives.

25. I wish I could grow hair.

26. It doesn't bother me that I am losing my eyesight.

27. I can't picture a single thing I would want to do without my wife within arms reach.

28. All great guitars are made in Japan.

29. I like being tall and I love my wife being small.

30. Before I am 30 I want to look in in the mirror and like what I see.

The Luckiest Primate

2011-04-18T12:15:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Lisa

2011-04-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

As I reflect on April 17th, 1982 and the meaning in carries, one thing jumps out at me. You know what we are celebrating today? We are celebrating the birth and life of someone truly inspirational. I can not think of anyone else who inspires more people than you do. The stirring you cause inside people is undeniable. People respond to being inspired in different ways. Some pull back because they are afraid to recognize shortfalls within themselves. Some don't make any changes at all but gain a sense of purpose they previously did not have. And many become better wives, mothers, teachers, husbands, friends, athletes, students, employees, employers, and most amazingly, people.

Sometimes we talk about what attracted a kid from the wrong side of the tracks to a girl who embodied the right side of the tracks. I can summarize it in three words: I was inspired. And you have never stopped inspiring me. Every good part of who I am, and every part of who I want to be, is inspired by you. That is why thousands of people visit Mooreminutes every day too. We are inspired. You show us beauty in places where we previously did not look. You encourage us to find joy in everything. And you teach us how to find purpose in living.

Inspiration is a moment in time that carries more positive value than any other moment. An inspired moment is worth more than a moment of accomplishment, a moment of relaxation, or a moment of peace. To be inspired is to truly feel alive. During these moments, we suddenly have purpose and value we do not have at any other time. Inspired moments are perhaps the most valuable moments of our lives. And for most people, inspired moments are the most rare. There are people who go through their life and are never inspired. But not me. Every moment I am with you, I am inspired. I believe with all of my heart, nobody else can inspire me as much as you do. You inspire our sons too. The depth they have as people, the love they have for life, is completely inspired by you. We are lucky people indeed.

Happy Birthday Lissy! Thank you for inspiring us.

Caveman Games

2011-04-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Cavemen are unique creatures. We view the world just a little different. For example, there have been times in my life when I failed to recognize the severity of a situation because I wasn't in immediate physical danger. It's taken me years to realize that just because it's not life threatening, does not mean it isn't serious. Coincidentally, it took me until I was in my mid twenties to see any real value in athletics, or personal physical goals. Such things seemed frivolous or trivial. After all, we don't die if we don't push ourselves to excel. The problem with such thinking is that we don't really live either. If we don't push to achieve new things, we just exist. And even rocks can do that.

Five years ago I wanted to become a more respectable caveman. One of the things I have always avoided is running. Running is hard. It takes more than a basic survival mentality to keep running when your lungs ask you to stop. I remember when I wanted to buy running shoes and my amazing cavewomen (wish I could see her face when she learns I called her that!) looked at me with bewilderment. She is the kind of person who has always pushed for excellence. But because she knows me so well, she knew that at that time, running shoes would probably never get used and would be a waste of capital.

Then I started to run. I ran a mile a couple times in primary school as a requirement. So when I ran my first mile as an adult, I thought I had really accomplished something. See, I had never run that far before unless I was being chased by a wooly mammoth or being forced by a teacher. I started asking other people who I knew were physically active if they could run a mile. Turns out most of them could. So naturally I wanted to know how fast they could run a mile. Turns out my time wasn't anything special. Have I ever mentioned that caveman are quietly ultra competitive?

Next came jiujitsu. All of a sudden, the small level of conditioning I had achieved on the treadmill had purpose. Now I needed to be able to push myself for at least 3, 5 minute rounds. Also about this time, I wondered what Uncle Sam required of a physically healthy young man. I found that if I could run 3 miles in 18:00 flat, I could ace the running portion of a special forces p/t test. If they can do it in combat boots, I was sure I could learn to do it in running shoes.

My cool wife learned to run using C25K. It worked so well for her, I decided it could help me too. It did. Fall of '08, I ran 3 miles in under 18:00. Unfortunately, by that time the bar had been moved. About a month before I was able to break the 18:00 barrier, I met a High School Senior who told me that if he wanted to walk on a state college track team, he would need to run a 5k in under 17:00. I didn't know exactly how far a 5k was, just that it was about 3 miles. My thought was, "if I can run 3 miles in under 17:00 min then I will have the conditioning of a college athlete." This was a novel concept for a caveman who had always tucked tail and retreated from the pursuit of physical achievement. At that point I decided I wanted to run 3 miles in under 17:00.

Life is busy. I work out diligently, not regularly. Until I started my fitness challenge 9 weeks ago, I have not been able to refocus on setting new physical records. But I didn't forget my goals. Last night I ran 3 miles in 16:58. That's all I really have to say about that. Cavemen can learn to run, but sharing our deepest emotions is still a nebulous undertaking.

Good salesman know the easiest way to avoid difficult parts of a conversation is to ask questions to which we already know the answers. For example, "have you ever arm wrestled?" I have. There have been times in my life where I made more money arm wrestling than I did at my second job. The following video is for my three mini caveman at home who always ask their daddy if he is stronger than random guy a, random guy b, a tiger, godzilla, a skyscraper, etc. Is it poor etiquette for me to hurriedly grab the cash pool at the end?

Change

2011-01-31T19:06:00.000-08:00

So I'm doing a bodybuilding challenge of sorts (actually it's a fitness transformation challenge for those of us less than perfect people). Really I had not thought of posting about it, but I need to shrink the images to upload them, and I am pretty sure if I post them here it does that for me automatically! Now for pictures of a caveman in a bathing suit:

Having A Blast

2011-01-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

This week marked the first time in a very long time that we went out shooting. And it just so happened it was on a Tuesday night (in years past we shot every Tuesday night). The last time we shot 100 yard groups was April 8th, 2010. At that time my treasured .300 WSM, aptly named Tuesday, was up for sale so I borrowed Kyle's rifle. Since then, I traded the rifle that was built to replace Tuesday for the very rifle I borrowed almost 9 months ago. Below is a picture of how it went:
My first target was shot with 123 Scenars & 38 grains of RL17. This target was shot with 140 Matchkings over Lapua Brass filled with 36 grains RL17. Kyle says the Scenars shoot a little better than the Sierra's but are much more expensive. I'm still undecided about what I would like to use.

Target 3 was my first target of the night. I was actually aiming for a different piece of paper. The last time anyone had this rifle out, they were hitting steel from 600 - 1200 yards. So we didn't have any idea where the zero would be. Turned out POI was 4.5 MOA high and 2.5 MOA left. For record keeping purposes, I want to note that after making my adjustments, I am totally bottomed out in elevation on my scope (pretty convenient really). Prior to leaving for the range, someone insisted I run a couple patches through the bore since the rifle had been sitting on the shelf for so long. Indeed, I have no idea when the last time this rifle was cleaned. So Kyle pushed a couple oil soaked patched through it. Now pay attention to my first shot of the night. It's the one with no copper residue on target 3. One of the reasons I quite cleaning my rifles is because it sku's my averages. I believe having oil in the bore added .170 to that group.

After target 3 was "in the books" and adjustments were made, the targets were shot in numerical order. It was a little frustrating having my adjustment calls come out so right because when you shoot the bulls eye, you lose your point of aim (POA). But I guess it looks cool. Overall this was a good nigh of shooting. I feel very comfortable behind my new rifle. This is the second complete set of groups I've shot with it, so I can start keeping an MOA average. Hopefully, I will get some good trigger time this year. My goal for this rifle is to average less than .400, long term. Here's where we are so far:

Date Shot: 1/25/11
Target Average: .505 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .484 MOA
Total Rounds Since Cleaning: n/a
Total Groups Fired: 11 (55 rounds)

Who A Caveman Looks Up To

2010-12-19T21:42:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been putting a lot of thought into, what makes people tick? Or, more accurately, what makes them great? In no particular order, here are 5 people that I look to when I envision greatness:

Aleksandr Karelin: A 6'4", 289 pound, Greco-Roman Wrestler. He was a four time Olympian, went undefeated in international competition for 13 years, is a PhD, and is highly active in politics. My favorite quote from Mr. Karelin (paraphrased of course) is, "I train every day of my life as they have never trained a day in theirs". (His response to criticism regarding his personal accomplishments). Aleksandr's words embody what it means to really work hard.

Abraham Lincoln: Did you know that President Lincoln was an accomplished wrestler? He was also a man of strong godly character and depth. There is not a singular quote from President Lincoln that stands out in my mind, but rather a metal measuring stick that I use when I wonder what a real man would do in any given circumstance. Regardless of what problems we encounter, Abraham showed me that strong men look to God for guidance.

Rickson Gracie: The most divisional character in all of martial arts and the alpha of the Gracie family. Rickson is not only a fantastic grappler, but a very high level yoga practitioner. Before stepping in the ring for what was the pinnacle of Vale Tudo tournaments in 1995, Rickson looked me right in the eye (I was watching on TV), and said, "I am feeling scared. It is normal to feel afraid. If you don't feel fear then you are stupid." Rickson taught me that weak men hide their weaknesses, while real men acknowledge them.

Chael Sonnen: Divisional MMA personality and UFC Middleweight contender, Chael is fun to listen to. He is in the pay per view business and nobody does that better. However, he is also a red-blooded American, and an example of what men should be today. When asked about growing up wrestling (Chael was an Olympic wrestling alternate) he stated, "I never looked forward to wrestling practice. Wrestling is hard, not fun. But good things don't come from having fun. They come from hard work and dedication." Again I paraphrased, but that statement says a lot.

Lisa Renee Miller Moore: Mother of three boys and my girl. Lisa is the least selfish person I have ever encountered, from any time period. There are often times when I start to feel slighted in life, and that's when I think of Lisa. Regardless of what she encounters, her feelings always seem to matter less to her than those of others. It takes incredible inner strength to push aside "I" feelings, even under normal circumstances. Lisa does it consistently, under even the worst circumstances. Lisa taught me to look beyond myself. And in doing so she also taught me what it means to really live.

Fabio Costa Seminar

2010-11-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had a chance to attend my first JiuJitsu seminar. The instructor was Carlos Gracie Blackbelt, Fabio Costa, and he was top notch. There were about 30 of us in the nogi class. Thankfully, 8th street has plenty of mat space so we were not at all crowded. The format looked like this:

1. Warm Up & Stretching

2. Clinch Work:
-leg trip (pull the arm in, force opponent to step in, hook the leg, step behind)
-leg trip (pull the arm in, hook the leg, step in front)
-ankle pick (circle towards the clinch hand, hook the near leg, step behind the far leg, ankle pick)
-leg trip (circle towards the clinch hand, trip them with my lead leg)
-leg sweep / throw (when sweep fails, pendulum kick leg through then back)

3. Groundwork:
-armbar escape (hitch hiker thumb, hand on ankle, push opponents legs towards my feet while rotating my body towards my head, ear to opponents thigh, clinch head, move into side control)
-armbar escape (hitch hiker thumb, trap opponents legs between mine, other leg behind my head, roll into side control
-armbar escape from top (clinch head, stack, bicep to hand, free hand to hamstring, shake arm free, tightly pass to side control)
-Sweep from guard (knees together, post up straight into armbar)

4. Extra Items I Learned:
-cup head in clinch, not neck
-stand up in clinch using my height to my advantage
-arm bar: the arm is easy, its the legs that are difficult to master
-do not cross feet in arm bar from the mount. foot curls head, other foot under the arm and pinch the knees together
-arm bar from guard, same side wrist control, opposite side hand goes on opponents tricep, same side foot goes on hip, opposite side leg goes across back.

5. Cool down

This was an outstanding seminar! I was fortunate to drill each of my techniques with Matt, a purple belt under Professor Costa. He understood the techniques well, and drills with an intensity that matches my own. Many of the extra things noted above I learned from him.

Professor Costa was very friendly and approachable. Before the class started he asked us to be proactive with our questions. I took that to heart and asked many more than many. He smiled with each question and never once failed to provide a sufficient answer, even going so far as to jump in and do things hands on with me or my partner, so I could see what he was trying to teach. I would attend one of his seminars again for sure. If his classes at Gracie Barra are as concise as his seminar, I can see how Gracie Barra can promote an effective martial arts system, in a franchise environment.

Professor Costa is also a proponent of the gi. He says it is the foundation for all grappling. This impresses me because he has a respectable MMA record, as well as no-gi and gi, grappling titles. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to roll with him; Which was probably for the better as I was having a hard time following the third guideline from a Cavemans Guide to Successful JiuJitsu class. I did however get a chance to watch Matt and Professor Fabio roll. Fabio approached the roll in a way that I have NEVER seen before. He immediately allowed Matt to go to side control. Throughout the 20-30 minutes that I watched them, he allowed Matt to move into dominant position after dominant position, and attempt as many submissions as Matt could find to try. It was obvious that Fabio never felt threatened and was very comfortable in all positions. I also think his approach builds a different mentality in the student. It allows them to think much more offensively, even though they are facing a superior opponent. This is opposite to the effect that smashing opponents in each roll has on them. In other words he never broke Matt's will. Others might have, and in turn inadvertently done their student a disservice.

I digress, the techniques I learned in this seminar were extremely applicable. The clinch work was mostly new for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was not converted to a die hard Gracie JiuJitsu follower. But I was convinced that training in a gi can do nothing except improve my nogi game.

The Last Emperor

2010-11-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

Fedor "seminaire" avec Jacare et Mousasi
Uploaded by chuteboxe57. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.

So many things happening here: First off, I loved what Fedor said about takedowns. American wrestling is effective, but exhausting. There is little economy of movement in a strong double leg. The method Fedor demonstrates maximizes his chances of success with minimal energy expelled. Also, a well executed throw puts the thrower in a very dominant position. A well executed double leg, puts the top man in the guard of his opponent. In terms of positional hierarchy, top full guard is barely better than neutral.

Secondly, Fedor's balance is inhuman. That was JACARE he was rag-dolling. I am a huge Jacare fan and I would never have believed anyone could toss him around like that.

Third is Fedor's size. Jacare is a typical middle weight. He probable walks around at 215 pounds. And he dwarfs Fedor. Yet Fedor dominates the biggest fighters in the sport 97% of the time he steps on the mat.

The fourth thing I noticed, and possibly the thing that impressed me most, was Fedor's footwork. He closes the distance faster than anyone in MMA and he does so with technical perfection. If there is a striker on the planet that would give Anderson Silva fits, it is Fedor Emelianenko.

Item five on my list, is Fedors unique punching style. It translates perfectly into his ground and pound. Every punch thrown is whipped out there in picturesque casting punch style. Casting punches are difficult to throw standing. They involve the hips and back like a strong hand, western boxing, jab. Then the Soviets added in the multiplier of a whip through shoulder, elbow and wrist movement. I could study Fedor throwing punches for hours, and hours, and still not be able to duplicate his technique.

To Gi Or Not To Gi

2010-10-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Tonight I attended JiuJitsu class #36. That is approximately a third of the classes that were available to me during that time. I suppose you could say I have been as diligent with JiuJitsu as I have my blog. I digress, I went tonight and that's what counts.

We had an open mat tonight which means instead of a formal lesson, we roll with different partners for 5 minute rounds, for the entire class period. If you've read my blog in the past you know that I learn more rolling then I ever do in a class. So it was a good night!

Here is what I learned at class #36: 1. My conditioning is better then I estimated it would be. 2. I am hard to submit and seldom give up a bad position. 3. Advancing to a superior position is a forced maneuver as opposed to an instinctive series of fluid movements. 4. Things I used to do in desperation (arm locks, for example) are now routine efforts that often end in failure. 5. I still hate being caught in scarf hold. 6. Even tall opponents complain about my long legs. 7. Choking people still feels awesome. 8. Letting my ego go still makes for a much better over all experience. 9. My fundamentals are weaker than they used to be and my bag of tricks I used to use to compensate is empty. 10. Did I mention my empty bag of tricks? 11. God put grappling in my life. Well, I didn't just learn that, but I was reminded of it.

Although I am discouraged about regression in my skills and missed opportunity to progress, I am cautiously optimistic about the future. Matt, one of the JiuJitsu coaches I often roll with, was recently promoted to purple belt at his home Gracie Baja school in Atlanta. It's strange how a piece of cloth can change my perception of someone's abilities. But it has. I guess it legitimizes his understanding of his art. I've long considered taking private lessons with Matt. My freaking amazing wife has even pushed hard to get me to do so. But tonight something in my heart prompted me to recommit. The picture in my mind is still a bit blurry in the detail department. But with perseverance and God willing, there might be a blue belt in my future.

That brings us to the title of my post. Belts in Gracie JiuJitsu are only awarded for gi practitioners. I know what I want my game to look like. It has little to do with the grips and nuances that the gi affords. But there is no doubt that rolling in a gi sharpens ones nogi abilities. They look funny, but so do rash guards. Ultimately my goal is to reach my full potential as a grappler. A grapplers skill is conventionally measured by his belt rank. There are other ways to obtain status, but competing that much is not in the cards for me. So I guess that's it. I want to train in a gi. When I get those details ironed out, I will let you know.

Lisa I Love You

2010-09-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

I love the mother you are to my sons

I love being lifelong companions
I love the example you are to me

I love being teammates

I love being best friends

I love having you as my lover

Lisa, you are my hero!

Things I Learned

2010-08-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

There is a common misconception, commonly perpetuated by modern media, that cavemen are stupid. The truth is we are not stupid; We just learn differently. Here are some of the things this caveman learned from recent ventures:

-Long hours don't kill you, they give you more time to succeed. Federal indoctrination centers teach young minds there are 40 hours in a work-week. Shame on them. Putting food on the table is an age old endeavor that takes as long as it takes. Government mandated balance is not balance at all, it's Socialism.

-Effort only counts for so much. No matter how hard we try at something, God is still in control. The universe and it's workings are very much a mystery to us mere mortals, and sometimes things don't go according to our plans regardless of how hard we push.

-Not everyone can be good at everything. You might be an athlete who excels at American Football. Doesn't mean you will do well at Rugby, no matter how similar the two sports appear. There are always lessons to learn and opportunities to find small successes. But big picture we are well served to play into our strengths and embrace our weaknesses . In other words, rejoice when we can do and admit when we can't. Cavemen should never except character flaws or shortcomings in skill-sets as "it's just the way it is". We should always be trying to better ourselves. But when it's time to move on, do it. Paradigm accounts for 95% of life's journey. The other 5% comes from those brief moments when we are being spiritually carried. I like to think of reality as something on the other side of a big wall. Our experiences in life put each of us in front of a window through that wall. If you don't like what you see, the most effective thing you can do is move to another window.

-There is no such thing as a "good deal" in the car business. No matter what price you pay or how much down payment you make, you will still be upside down / taking a big loss when you trade a vehicles. The only way to win is to buy and hold for a very long time. Sounds like the same advise your Broker gives, huh?

-Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. You never know where someone has been or where they might be going. This caveman strongly identifies with the title his job affords him. But the acquaintances I admired most rose above that. I met lower class people who carried themselves with dignity and upper class people who treated everyone with genuine kindness. In both cases these people treated everyone equally and smiled more than they frowned. In hindsight, I think the common thread was they didn't take themselves too seriously. Cavemen should never take themselves too seriously!

-When we stop adapting to our surroundings we become obsolete. Basic observation skills can prevent this. Look at what's going on around you, listed to people you admire, and never stop growing with what you find. Life is a journey and when we stop traveling, we are no longer living.

There are many small lessons I didn't mention. I suspect the deeper I get into my journey, the more I will appreciate where I have been. Hopefully the future brings as much happiness as the recent past.

The Age Of The Wrestler

2010-08-28T23:27:00.001-07:00

That's a wrap. I told my sons right before the fight started that Couture would whip Toney in less than 2 minutes. In reality it took just over 3. A point of interest for me was watching Randy secure the arm triangle from the mount yet fail to finish. I have blogged about struggling with exactly that. The hold he transitioned to is also something I have experimented with, and my results mirrored his. I will be researching the system Couture is employing on the ground and will keep you posted on my findings.

A few hours ago I said I was not excited to see Maynard or Florian fight for a title. Scratch that, I changed my mind. After watching Edgar tonight (more on that in a moment) and seeing Maynard dominate Florian, I am very excited to see that match-up. Gray's skill set is totally different than BJ Penn's and I believe he matches up well against Edgar.

Watching BJ Penn, a man I used to believe was the best fighter on the planet, get outclassed tonight, made me realize the sport is evolving right before my eyes. Before someone with excellent hands, footwork, and head movement, who also possessed a world class JiuJitsu game, seemed unbeatable. And I guess for a time he was. Enter the age of the wrestler. The ability to dictate where the fight took place, allowed Edgar to fight his fight. I picked BJ to win and was wrong. After tonight I have to believe Edgar wins that fight 9 out of 10 times. Not only did he take BJ down at will, he outworked him striking and did significant damage when he was in the top position. It will be interesting to see how he responds when he has Gray holding him down and pressuring him.

Diaz looked good tonight. I appreciated that he finished the fight with little time left in the 3rd round, when he had obviously won on the judges score cards. The choke he used to finish was interesting and I will be looking at it again later this week. I would love to see him fight Jon Fitch next.

Where did Joe Lauzon's performance come from? He wasn't even on my radar tonight. I can't remember the last time I saw somebody dominate like that. Wonder if he can do that again next time out?

Once again Demian Mia showed amazing heart in the octagon. He looked slightly winded as early as 4 minutes into round one. But he never quit pushing the action and consistently looked to finish. I am especially excited to see his wrestling improving. Not only is he a student of the game, he looks to be honor role material. I wish he was getting Bisping next!

Overall it was a great night of fights. The crowd was a little rough, but other than that, every single fight was exciting and I more excited for UFC 119 than I was before this one started.

UFC 118

2010-08-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

Long time since I've posted... I digress. It's fight night!

We get to see a high level boxer step into the cage for the first time. Boxing was my "first love" in combat sports. The first couple years I spent watching MMA I cheered for strikers. I used to say a good boxer would dominate any MMA fighter. But this is 2010 and I know different. Boxing is prettier than striking in MMA. The speed and grace shown in the ring isn't often seen in the octagon. So it's understandable why the uninitiated think boxing is superior. Tonight they get their chance to have their views, and the validity of their martial art, validated. James Toney is a very good boxer. His foot work is decent and his head movement outstanding. Because he has sound boxing fundamentals, he has big power in both hands. Personally I don't believe any of that will matter. Randy Couture is a crafty veteran with very well rounded skills. His grappling is top notch, his wrestling / clinch work world class, and his striking more than adequate. There is always the chance that Toney will catch an aging and slower Couture coming in and put him down; But I fully expect Couture to immediately set the pace, put Toney on his back, and have his way with him. Should be fun to watch! Couture in the 1st via brutalization.

BJ Penn will get his chance to show that his loss to Frankie Edgar was a fluke. This is BJ's fight to win or lose. Edgar showed us in their last contest that he can stand with Penn. What we didn't see what the "Prodigy's" legendary ground work. Hopefully that's what we see it tonight. I'll take Penn in the 3rd via TKO.

Demian Mia takes on Mario Miranda. I've know about Miranda since before his UFC debut and expect to see a strong showing from him. But Mia gained a fan with the heart and class he showed against Anderson Silva. He showed that his striking is improving and he doesn't cave under pressure. I hope to see Demian sub Miranda in the second.

Nate Diaz vs Marcus Davis is an outstanding match-up. Hats off the the UFC for making it happen. I have not followed Nate's career the way I have his brother Nick's. But if he has half as much talent as his brother he will pick Davis apart on the feet and sub him if it hits the mat. Then he will stand up and scream incoherently into the microphone about the 209. I'm taking Nate.

Kenny Florian vs Gray Maynard is an interesting contender's bout. Florian should take this one handily. His wrestling is strong, his striking top in the division, and his good JiuJitsu constantly improving. If Maynard wins, he will truly have earned his shot. The sad thing is I am not especially excited to see either face Penn should he win tonight. Florian via Decision.

Mike Pierce is the first fight of the night. I expect his fight to be shown after the main event. He is a talented fighter in what I believe is the most stacked weight class. He put up more of a fight against Jon Fitch than anyone other than GSP. I hope to see more of him in the future. Pierce over Alves via slick groundwork in the first.

Keeping Current

2010-07-26T12:39:00.001-07:00

Life is busy but I'm still here. I also just learned that passion and intensity are two different things. Here's to hoping they both get you to the same place.

Lifes Greatest Moments

2010-06-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

My brief posts lately are a result of a full schedule. Along with lots of tasks, appointments, opportunities, and responsibility's comes a lot of blessings. One of these days I'll get caught up... Then again I sort of hope not.

New Boom Stick

2010-06-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

I picked up my newest rifle yesterday. We spent the early morning hours getting acquainted. Kyle and started out close (250 yards) to zero it in. We then moved back incrementally to just over 1200 yards. We used a 10x12" gong for our target. This rifle is every bit the hammer I hoped it would be.

This Guy Fights Tomorrow Night

2010-06-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

The most highly regarded Heavyweight on the planet will face ADCC standout Fabricio Werdum tomorrow night. Fedor is the invincible man in MMA. Nobody seems to be able to figure him out. should make for an entertaining night anyway.

What The Inside Of My Head Looks Like

2010-06-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

And I am not complaining.

Post Fight Thoughts

2010-06-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

Great fights tonight! Here's the what this caveman saw:

First of all Crocop looked amazing. The difference was 100% mental. Fedor said awhile back something was broken inside the Croation striker. Judging by tonight's performance Mirko's done whatever it took to correct that. I was also impressed with his post fight interview. It's easy to see why he holds a position in parliament. He is charismatic and intelligent. He may never again hold a belt, but he will always be a world champion.

Secondly Chuck looked good. He was much quicker than I expected and mixed it up well. His wrestling is very under rated. I can't remember the last time I saw a better ankle pick. The thing that impressed me most was his chin. Granted he did get KO'd; But the shot that Franklin landed would have put anyone down. Prior to that, Chuck took several hard shots and kept coming. I think Chuck may still have a future in the sport. Maybe not a contender, but I he is still a bad matchup for the Randy Couture's and Matt Hamill's at 205.

Paulo Thiago is still a stud. But Martin Kampman is a much better fighter. I still question his chin, but his striking was top notch and his grappling way above what we normally see. Big win for him, I'm excited to see who they match him up against next.

Yvel looked tough. Not A level, but typical big strong Yvel. Except his ground game might be improving and he appears to have his temper under control. Despite the win I don't see a real future for Ben Rothwell in the UFC. Not enough cardio or skill. And his size means little at the top of the heaviest weight class.

Lastly Mac Danzig got screwed.

UFC 115

2010-06-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here's my picks for the fight this weekend:
-Franklin will KO a very ripped Ice Man

-CroCrop will surprise everyone and obliterate Barry

-Paulo Thiago is a stud and will submit Matin Kampman

-Gilbert Yvel will get mad at Rothwell and KO Steve Mazagatti (look it up if you don't know what I mean)

-David Loiseau KO's Miranda (hopefully)

Still Here

2010-06-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

I'm still here and life is busier than ever. Some really big things have happened that I wished I had blogged about. But I have found sometimes for me to move forward I have to not look back.

Titus' Thought Of The Morning

2010-05-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

"A cookie is better than meat!" -Said by my 6 year old this morning. Like father like son! :-)

Fight Night

2010-05-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

UFC 113 is just around the corner. The main event is a rematch between Machida and Shogun for the Light Heavyweight strap. Their first encounter was highly controversial. Like the judges, I had "The Dragon" winning it. This is a great matchup of styles! Machida Karate seemed invincible until Shogun's textbook Muay Thai showed us otherwise. Very interesting to see how each man approaches the do-over. Machida comes out ready 100% of the time. Shogun, not so much. I'm picking the champ.

The co-main event is a Welterweight contender fight between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley. Winner gets GSP. These two have done a great job hyping their fight. Hopefully Kos puts Daley on his back and chokes him unconscious. I think he will.

Kimbo Slice is on the card. I've always said, "I would fight him in a heartbeat". Instead Matt Mitrione is getting paid to knock him into a lower weight class. At least he makes for good TV.

Glad to see Patrick Cote back. At the time I would have denied it, but looking back it was his fight with Anderson Silva that showed us how human the champ is. Alan Belcher annoys me, even if he is talented. This fight is in Canada and Cote is a likable chap, so I'll go with him.

Disappointing to see Jason MacDonald on the under card. Always felt he was a tough guy in a very tough weight class. Hopefully he dominates and it makes the PPV broadcast.

Proverbs 4:23-4:27

2010-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

4:23 Above all else guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
4:24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay far away from corrupt speech.
4:25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
4:26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe.
4:27 Don't get sidetracked, keep your feet from following evil.

This passage always catches my heart. I love how God uses his word to speak directly to us.

Scott's F250

2010-04-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

28

2010-04-27T07:50:00.001-07:00

Last week my boys reminded me just how lucky I am! They each spent their own money to buy me gifts they knew I would love! As a grown kid, I spend time in the toy section even when the kids aren't with me. So these gifts were not only "sweet and cute" but very fun and practical for me!

(You can tell a girl took this picture because she got the people but not the toy!) This caveman has always been a die-hard Mopar fan. And Hot Wheels are the perfect way to own every car of my dreams. So Titus knew when he saw the Mopar label what he wanted to get me! The car is Mopar's current Formula D Charger. It's a perfect add for my collection. Have I ever mentioned Titus gives the best hugs?

Since the first time I picked one up, I've wanted to bounce a Skyball it as high as I possibly could. Until now the ceiling in the store has limited such attempts. No longer! Skyler and Kotah pitched in to get me one! I waited over a year to get my Skyball so this was a perfect gift!

Thank you God for my family. A better reason for living there is not. Please help me to be the best Husband and Daddy I can be. To really hear and connect with each one of them. To be stable, patient and a good example. To always encourage them in just the right ways, and to discourage them the right way too.

It's Her Birthday

2010-04-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Lisa!!! I love YOU!!!
Everyone needs something worth living for. For me, that something is a someone. That someone is my Wife. (That's her with Grandma Burgess & a very genuine smile!) Never has a man been as blessed in a marriage as I am. And today is that special girls birthday.

This is her this morning. Did I mention she was incredibly beautiful? Bet you can't guess how old she is!

Titus Wants To Know

2010-04-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Driving home from Texas Roadhouse the other night Titus asked me, "Daddy, do they cut the animals heads off and hang them on the wall, or do they push their bodies through the wall and just let the head stick out?". Perhaps you have to hear Titus' measured, little voice to fully appreciate this. Regardless it makes me smile every time I think about it.

Fight Night

2010-04-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Big fight this weekend! Titles in two different weight classes and a marquee fight fight in another.
Here's how I see it:

Demian Mia will wake up Sunday morning the Middleweight champion. We've seen what happens when Mia tries to kickbox; It's not pretty. But he's smart enough not to do that here. We'll see him closing the distance, executing a toss and submitting Anderson, in the 1st round. Anderson's a slow starter. If I was Mai's coach, that would be the game-plan.

In the scrap for theLightweight strap, Edgar won't quit like Sanchez did against Penn. Expect him to remain coherent throughout the fight. He'll use his wrestling and Gracie JiuJItsu to try and move this to the mat. What makes this bout exciting is BJ can dictate where he want's to win. If he want's it on the ground we'll see the sweep and submission. Otherwise he's got the reach and boxing skills to make this fight a carbon copy of the Sean Sherk fight. Penn over Edgar.

Middleweight legends square off in a match that could would have been just as exciting half a decade ago. Renzo Gracie is one of my idols. What I wouldn't give to train with him.... But Hughes is bigger, stronger, more athlete, and has sufficient submission defense. Renzo probably can't submit him. I give Renzo the nod in the striking department. He's not world class, but he's is much more fluid than Hughes. In fact, I would rate Matt's boxing as poor to very poor. Hughes can take Renzo down. Interesting match up IMO. Dennis Hallman has shown us twice that the way to beat Hughes is to jump on him quick and don't let off. If Renzo can press him hard enough during the 1st round he can win. Otherwise it's Hughes' fight. Noticed Kendall Grove is on this card. Hope he slips on the way to the octagon and breaks something serious. Guess you could say I don't care for him much.

On paper this card looks absolutely stacked. If it lives up to the hype it could easily be the fight of the year. Not to mention it's in Abu Dhabi which is right up at the top of places I wish I could see.

Another Target

2010-04-08T13:42:00.001-07:00

I am rifleless after selling my 300WSM, so last night I shot Kyle's 6.5x47L. Interestingly, my average over all 5 groups is almost exactly the same as it was with Tuesday. The smaller bullet holes do take away a little of the wow factor though. Another point of interest is that this rifle is totally zeroed for Kyle, yet POI for me was 1.5 MOR.

Date Shot: 4/7/10
Target Average: .463 MOA
Distance: 100 Yards
Rifle: Badger M2008 6.5x47L

Boy Genius

2010-04-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

See that excited boy? He might look just like another happy kid on his 9th birthday, but the reality is who you are looking at is a blond haired, blue eyed intellectual. We're not really sure where he gets it, but it's undeniably there. Yesterday Lisa and I were reminded of this when she asked him rhetorically if he too hated the wind. Skyler's immediate response was, "I have no ill will towards the wind." My heart smiles warmly just thinking about it. How exciting to see what God has planned for this young man!

UFC 111

2010-03-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

It's fight night! Here's how I see it:

Picking Mir over Carwin. Hopefully we see the same Mir that whooped Nogueira and smashed Cup-Cheick Congo. Carwin is a big strong guy, but Frank is faster with superior head movement. What I would really like to see from Frank is his response to Carwin on top of him. The lockdown does not appear to be a viable option when your opponent has KO power from the top.

GSP should easily handle Hardy. Either way GSP always delivers a fun fight to watch.

Mark Bocek is on this card. My radar picked him up late last year. His JiuJitsu is real... Unlike many of the "black belts" we see in MMA, Mark's roots are obviously from a deep BJJ perspective. I'm excited to see him fight and will be rooting for him.

.223 MOA

2010-03-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

We spent Wednesday night developing a load for the boys .243. This is the best of the 6 loads we tried. It's also the best group I've ever shot.

American Family Insurance

2010-03-25T10:12:00.001-07:00

There's a phrase that I repeat often to my wife: Only the facts. I use it when I am stating positives or negatives about something as a way to remove emotion and instill objectivity. Recently I had a personal experience with American Family Insurance. Let me tell you about it using only the facts.

March 13th - 14th: A tree fell on my company car that was parked in my driveway sometime during the night. Weather conditions were windy and rainy.

March 14th: Two calls to American Family Insurance yielded no help in moving the tree off the car. We ended up moving it ourselves.

March 15th: Approximately three phone calls and one trip to the local agents office resulted in no claim being filed. We were told a tree falling is an act of God and can not be covered by homeowners insurance.

March 16th: A concerned, responsible and very professional American Family employee contacted me through my blog regarding a negative comment I made in a blog post about the company. I responded to him via email.

March 17th: I received an incoming call letting me know that a claim was being filed on my behalf.

March 19th: An American Family Insurance Agent left two messages late in the afternoon asking me to contact them. I returned their call after Arizona business hours and left a message.

March 23rd: No contact from American Family. I left one message in the morning and one message in the afternoon asking my claims agent to call me. Received a call from the local agent asking for updates on the situation and offering assistance. I updated him and let him know I was waiting to hear from the claims representative.

March 24th: I left two messages and my local representative left one as well, asking the claims representative to call me. In the afternoon my local agent put me on a conference call so we could call the representative together. This time the agent answered the phone, stated she would review the claim and call me back "within a half our". 54 minutes later she called me and "interviewed me" regarding the claim. A short time later that representative called my employer (they are the owner of the damaged vehicle) and notified them that wind the tree over, it was an act of God and would not be covered by American Family Insurance.

The caveman in me is screaming to add an emotional paragraph here about my encounter with American Family Insurance and how it makes me feel. The modern day part of me knows that an evenly presented list of the facts will allow the reader freedom to draw their own conclusions & will solicit the most honest and constructive feedback. But I will allow myself this, State Farm insures everything else in my life and I am very, very grateful they do.

300WSM - Tuesday Update

2010-03-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

My rifle, the one I built with so much care and planning is gone. UPS tracking says she's halfway to her new home in Wyoming. I hope "Tuesday" shoots as well for the new owner as she did for me.

The whole project lasted right at a year. We sold off most of my collection in March '09 and I took delivery of my 300WSM on June 12th. Last time I shot her was Sunday, 3/21. That's 990 rounds in just over 9 months. As far as I know, I have the market cornered on 300 Winchester Short Magnum experience. And I would own another in a heartbeat. In a perfect world she would be still sitting in the corner of my bedroom where she belongs. However as with all change there is opportunity for positive outlook. Thanks to all the friends and family that supported me while I pursued precision shooting.

Good Bullets

2010-03-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

The two trips previous to my last shoot were scary. My groups where nowhere near what I've become accustomed to. After an learning that incorrect ammunition was to blame, I was anxious to redeem myself. We shot 100 yards so we would have a firm baseline for future shoots.

Date Shot: 3/3/10
Target Average: .439 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .630 MOA
Total Rounds Since Cleaning: 25
Total Rounds Fired: 964

Caveman JiuJitsu

2010-03-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight marks my 30th JiuJitsu class. It's been a great ride so far! Lately my thoughts are focused on the mount and it's purpose in nogi grappling. With a gi there are several finishing chokes from the position. In MMA it's an effective spot for delivering blows to a trapped opponent. But in submission wrestling, there are not a lot of options for ending a fight. Sure there are options for joint locks. However I'm not a believer in the effectiveness of a joint lock in a real world confrontation. In a real fight I want my opponent unconscious with no real damage done; That means a clean choke. I spent time over the last week watching Marcello from the mount. He seems to use it much like he uses every postion. As a way to get to the back. For fresh perspective I studied Roger Gracie from the mount. In a gi he will choke you out from there, no ifs about it. But without the gi he also uses it to transition to the back. Lastly I looked at Xande Riberio, who by the way looks like one of the nicest guys on the whole planet. Watching him really drove home the thoughts I've had rolling around upstairs. Work to the mount so I can get the choke when they expose their back.

Another thing I noticed during my studies was how half guard was used. A 10th Planet player will work to half guard and attack from there. The traditional greats seemed to view the position as nothing more than a transitional point to a better position. I didn't see one attempt to trap an opponent in half guard. If anything it was used opposite from how I was shown. In the 10th Planet system we eliminate space when on the bottom half guard position. Xande, Marcelo, and Roger all seemed to use core strength and positioning to thwart the top mans ability to eliminate space. In other words they created distance until a better position was available. This revelation was a breath of fresh air. Although I have calf crushing ability the Lockdown has always been an unnatural position for me.

Alright, enough theory. Objectives for tonight:
1. Advance, advance, advance.
2. Heavy, heavy, heavy.
3. Finish with a proper choke. No arm triangles tonight (Brabo & Darce exempt)

Timber!

2010-03-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about my house is the trees. There are four of them along the west property line. They provide privacy and shade that most newly built homes don't have. For me large trees provide a sense of strength and security, an inner peace, that few other things can. I often wonder about all the different time periods and things trees like mine must have survived. Then sometimes they don't. Here is what this caveman woke up to find yesterday:

Yep it missed the house completely. It it would have fallen a little more to the south it would have come right through Titus window! Instead it landed conveniently in the driveway. It's a good thing that car wasn't parked there huh!?... Or was it?

At a glance the car appeared relatively unscathed. The bodyshop disagrees to the tune of $4053.70.

After learning that American Family Insurance ~~is just barely above completely incompetent~~ is the poster child for company's that look for a way out, we moved the car out ourselves. Lisa, Kotah and I lifted the tree off while a very excited / nervous, 9 year old Skyler drove the car out. If nothing else he'll have a cool story about the first time he drove a car on his own! (He did very, very well I might add!).

The Rundown

2010-03-09T20:35:00.000-08:00

Can't believe this is this months first post! I was doing so well too... March has been a whirlwind. Here is what has transpired for this caveman:

My baby boy turned six. Happy 6th Birthday Son! Titus is a blessing unlike any other. I have never met another person like him. He's so full of life and color yet so chill at the same time. He can say more with no words than most will ever say with all of theirs. We have hit a bit of a rough patch lately; Sometimes cavemen can be stern and freshly turned 6 year olds can be unintentionally unruly. Perhaps it's time for some one on one father son time. In other news Titus is student of the week again! I am quit confident that he deserves it too. He is an exceptionally smart person with a quite calm demeanor. In other words he is a teachers dream student. Good job Titus! I love you very, very much! I am SO proud of you!

Kotah got 100% on his last spelling pre-test! It was a very difficult list, but he sailed right through it. He has rededicated himself to giving school his best efforts and I'm sure it is already paying off for him.

I didn't set hard and fast objectives for last weeks JiuJitsu class. Consequently it was less than fun. They tell me every class can't be the best one ever. That won't stop me from trying to make is so. We'll make next week better.

We have company! Josh, Jessica, Tavius and Jasmine have been with us for a couple days and are staying until the end of the week. I've never enjoyed having guests so much! Besides being a true man of entelechy, Josh pushes me physically to be better than I am now. Anyone who knows me well knows only the closest relationships in my life get priority over my physical goals. So Josh's friendship is especially rewarding. Jess is a very fun person and inspires me professionally. Another family member once described her work ethic as typical "Loukota-Miller". That's a huge compliment and in Jess' case it rings very true. Tavius is a two and a half foot tall bundle of personality; and I mean that in the best possible way. He makes everyone around him smile. A better cousin for my boys, there is not! Then there is Jasmine, the heartthrob. I have heard of little girls turning their daddy's soft. If being someone's daughter is a prerequisite to wrapping them around her finger then Jasmine has lots of parents. Several times this week I've found myself ambitiously trying to meet whatever whim she has at the moment just so I can get a smile or a hug. Just typing about her makes me smile :)

I haven't posted my most recent range report. We won't be shooting this week, so I'll post last week's results soon. I can tell you that having correct ammunition cured February's gremlins.

That brings us up to speed. March has been a great start to spring 2010. I'm looking forward to seeing what else God has in-store for my clan.

Caveman Grappling

2010-02-25T14:08:00.001-08:00

Caveman's guide to successful Jiu Jitsu class: Go in with specific goals. Focus on those goals until I am done rolling, then go home. Check ego at the door and ignore those who don't. Drill only the tools that are to be permanent pieces of my arsenal (a continuation of having goals for each session).

This weeks objectives:
1.) Practice escapes from the following positions during live rolling:
-establish the lockdown in half guard and work towards the dogfight
-shrimp escape to mount from side control
-hip bump escape and shrimp escape from mount

2.) Only finish with a choke from a dominant position. See last weeks post for a list of chokes.

3.) Be HEAVY in all positions.

Retracted!

2010-02-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

Shooting was a 300 Yard failure again last week. So much so that I have yet to measure the target. After an exhausting search for a cause (I'll spare you the boring details), I was ready to hang it up. Then when I quit looking a solution popped up out of nowhere! My bullet builder called and let me know there had been a mistake and the rounds I was shooting were not my normal load. My jug of H4831 had somehow gotten mixed with a jug of RL17! I should have questioned my sticky bolt a bit more but weather conditions vary so much at our range I didn't. Lesson learned.

I'll go ahead and post the target for the sake of record keeping. But I am going to omit it from my MOA average. I am also going to retract the last target since it was shot with the same rounds, bringing my average back to .635.
Target Average: .814 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .635 MOA
Total Rounds Since Cleaning: n/a
Total Rounds Fired: 939

My Wife

2010-02-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is my wife. Isn't she BEAUTIFUL!? I've got this picture as my desktop on my BlackBerry and I smile every time I see it! She and I were recently discussing the feeling that you have when you wake up next to your new spouse for the first time. It's like waking up from a dream only to find you weren't dreaming. I think she was surprised to find that I often still have the feeling. Some men have good wives and some even have great wives. But only I have the best wife. Perhaps you would have to know our story as intimately as I do to see that I am not exaggerating. Since you don't, you will have to take my word for it.

Chokes Shouldn't Hurt

2010-02-18T15:37:00.000-08:00

It's grappling time again. Here are my objectives for tonight.

1.) Work quickly and efficiently for the dominant position. Stay heavy!

2.) Finish with a proper choke (not a neck crank or face crush). Chokes that mean something to my arsenal include: arm triangle, leg triangle from the mount, darce from half guard, peruvian necktie from the turtle, rear naked choke.

3.) Try my new sweep from the bottom of the dogfight.

As a reminder to myself, here is a review of the caveman's guide to successful Jiu Jitsu class: Go in with specific goals. Focus on those goals until I am done rolling, then go home. Check ego at the door and ignore those who don't. Drill only the tools that are to be permanent pieces of my arsenal (a continuation of having goals for each session).

UFC 110

2010-02-17T16:14:00.001-08:00

UFC 110 is upon us. Here's how this caveman see's it:

-110 Nog over Valesquez: Hoping for a submission win!
-145 Wanderlei over Bisping: 1st death in the Octagon would be fine with me.
+200 Sotiropoulos over Stevenson: I like Stevenson, but I just read a cool interview with George so I'm going with him.
+130 Jardin over Bader: How can I not pick a guy that everyone says "looks just like me"?
-145 CroCrop over Rothwell: I can hope, can't I? Surprised he's the favorite actually.

There are some interesting fights on the under card too, but I'm going to withhold taking sides.

A Lucky Daddy

2010-02-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

Did you know I am the luckiest daddy in the world? Well I am! Last year for Fathers Day, my boys went out if their way to spoil me! Skyler made all kinds of UFC decorations and signs. We spent all day grappling with one another. Our matches included timed rounds, signs telling us what round it was and a spare son to carry the signs around! It was a perfect day for this blessed father. I was amazed at the thoughtfulness and detail that my boys put into it for me. As I was sitting here thinking about that perfect day I realized I missed a chance to blog about something I hold dear. In the future I won't make that mistake.

1 For 1 And 1 To Go

2010-02-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

We shot last night and it sucked. I'll measure the target and post it up when I get the stomach to do so. Kyle however managed to shoot the best target I've ever seen. His average was in the .370's! Nothing more to say about that except I need to try harder.

My 2010 workout regimen is moving along nicely. Last nights run was intense. And there is no sensation a caveman identifies with, or strives for more, than inner intensity externalized.

Those two things make me one for one this week. JiuJitsu tonight will determine if "I eat the bear or if the bear eats me". My objective for last week was to win and win decisively. (I wasn't being a bully, my girl asked me to do it for her). It was the best JiuJitsu night ever. Tonight's objective is to smother my opponent and advance until I get their back.

Here's my target as promised. First time since building my rifle, the lifetime average has gone up.

Target Average: .881 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .645 MOA
Total Rounds Since Cleaning: 334
Total Rounds Fired: 914

Half MOA

2010-02-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

Last night was a half MOA night. It's the first time at the three hundred yard line in 3 months. My target averaged within .0022 MOA of my last hundred yard target. Part of me is excited because my initial goal when I built my rifle was to shoot .5 MOA. Part of me is disappointed with how mundane .5 MOA is. In other words, now I've got what I wanted and I want so much more.

Areas I would like to improve include:

I need the largest group on the paper to be .500 or less. Not just my average.

Ability to make 1st round hits on MOA sized targets. For example, the first group I shot at the target shown is the one in box #3. I was actually aiming for the target in box #4. This was partly due to me not making corrections after the last time out. But as you can see from the rest of the targets, the groups are still not centered around the bulls eye, and at 300 yards I want them to be.

Able to spot my bullets point of impact. This can be done with my rifle but I'm not doing it. Although my groups are alright, not seeing my bullets hit the paper indicate I'm driving the rifle incorrectly.

Having a better understanding of how conditions effect my POI. I have theory's based on my log book, but they are not concrete enough to win a competition with.

In summary, I guess what I really want is to be able to go anywhere in the world, take my rifle out of the case and engage an MOA sized target with confidence. Then be on target, upon impact, to make follow up shots if necessary.

I digress. Here is my most recent target: Target #5 is a personal best at any distance.

Target Average: .4834
New Lifetime Average: .635
Total Rounds Since Cleaning: 309
Total Rounds Fired: 889

Srtikeforce: Miami

2010-01-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

There is a pretty good MMA event tonight. I won't be able to watch it as I have a date with my girl. I'll try and catch it tomorrow afternoon. Here are my thoughts / picks:

I have not seen Marius Zamorskis fight and typically I dont like to make a pick when I haven't seen both of the fighters involved. However, I'm going with Diaz on this one. If there were 5 fighters in the world that I would like to train with, he would be one of them.
Diaz via Submission round 1. -270

I'm taking Melvin Manhoef over Lawler. Robbie can take some punishment but the proven formula for beating the insane looking Dutchman is to use durability to survive long enough to submit him (ala Paulo Filho). Robbie will try to bang it out and end up seeing tweety birds. Manheof via KO round 1 -185

Bobby Lashley fighting Wes Simms only gives me more admiration towards Brock Lesnar for stepping right into real competition. If Lashley does not win this one he needs to consider a different sport. However if I was a betting man I would put money on Simms. Odds this lopsided don't come around very often.
Simms via Decision +675

Jay Heiron vs Joe Riggs is a highly touted event. But I don't remember the last time I saw Jay Heiron fight. I'm not taking sides in this one.

Hershel Walker vs Greg Nagy... Who knows? Who actually cares?

As for the women on the card. It's against my policy to watch fights involving females.

JiuJitsu Report

2010-01-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

Following the rules certainly made for a more enjoyable Thursday night. Some of the advanced guys in class have begun to pick apart my game. It seems my open guard leaves me susceptible to leg locks or heal hooks. I'll tighten it up and try again next week. I also have trouble maintaining the mount once I get there.

Prioritized items to work on next week:

1.) be heavier in all positions

2.) tighten up my open guard

3.) work to get the back from the mount

4.) finish only with the triangle or RNC

Caveman Wars

2010-01-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

I started Jiu-Jitsu again last week. I really did miss it. Didn't realize how much until I got back on the mat. My skills were dulled and arsenal greatly thinned, but what really amazed me was my absent cardio. Fortunately I own the piece of evil piece of equipment necessary to correct that.

The last 2 months were spent pondering my game and my future as a grappler. Here is what I decided: No system is 100% perfect for anybody. The best grapplers in the world have a game that is 6" wide and a mile deep. Not the other way around. From here on out I am going to dig my own path. I am going to learn techniques that I want to keep and drill them until I can literally do them in my sleep. I'm not going to write my system down like others before me have. But I am going to consciously throw out ideas that inhibit my game. And add new pieces cautiously.

Here is a review for myself of the rules for grappling: Go in with specific goals. Focus on those goals until I am done rolling, then go home. Check ego at the door and ignore those who don't. Drill only the tools that are to be permanent pieces of my arsenal (a continuation of having goals for each session)

Tonight I am going to work my triangle choke and being heavy / advancing my position until I get the back. I will only finish with a rear naked choke or the triangle.

Tuesday Night On Tuesday

2010-01-27T12:09:00.000-08:00

Over the several months, our Tuesday night shoots have migrated to Wednesday night. This week week was the first actual Tuesday in quite awhile. It was just Kyle and I so things moved quickly and efficiently. I am very ready to shoot something further than 100 yards. As soon as his Lapua is sorted out, expect to see 500 yard groups.

Target Average: .4855
New Lifetime Average: .644
Total Rounds Since Cleaning: 253
Total Rounds Fired: 833

Daylight!

2010-01-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

We finally shot in the daylight! Shooting started at 800 yards. I dialed 19.25 MOU to start. I was on in 2 then hit the target 3 more times. 4 out of 5 isn't bad. I would like to have been on in 1, but the chances of hitting anything 1st round at 800 are about 8%. Total MOU needed for 800: 18.0. Long distance steel was a welcome change from short distance groups.

After steel we moved back to 100 so some of the guys could work up loads. A couple rounds were fired balloons bouncing at unknown distances (I guessed 185 yards). Shooting a 17 pound rifle offhand was interesting. It turned out to be a very long shooting day. Lessons learned for the day: My cheekweld needs work and focus is everything.

Target Average: .5758
New Lifetime Average: .646 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 223
Total Rounds Fired: 803

Congratulations Kotah!!

2010-01-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

KotahBear is student of the week!! And he deserves it! Kotah is a very dedicated worker as well as very intelligent. If he works half as hard at school as he does around the house, the sky is the limit for him.

He recently entered a reading contest at school. I am amazed at how much he is reading! He is a few weeks into it (the contest is 12 weeks long) and he has already read 8 books!

Congratulations Son! We are all very proud of you!

Regular 100

2010-01-22T08:01:00.000-08:00

Shooting this week was uncomfortable an unfocused. MOre effort was put into target 4 and it showed. I'll try harder next week! Target 5 was a different rifle that we are developing a load for.

For the first time another shooter put 5 rounds down my rifle. So rounds 756-760 are not on this target. He shot a .750, but I am not going to count in in my average.

Point of interest is POI seems to have shifted .5 MOR. Density altitude was about 2000 feet higher (5604 vs 3688) & I attribute it to that. Target Average: .6132 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .657 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 185
Total Rounds Fired: 765

Upgraded!

2010-01-12T13:57:00.001-08:00

I traded two guitars for this one :D Consider it my latest distraction.

Range Report 2010

2010-01-07T12:52:00.001-08:00

I enjoyed my time out last night. We shot 100 yards at a density altitude of 3688. It occurred to me as I laid there looking through my scope that I used to shoot groups in broad daylight. I have learned to rely on the brightness of my sight picture to confirm proper head position. Wonder what I'll do when sunshine, instead of a spotlight, illuminates the target? Another area that I analyzed was hold pressure. I shoot free recoil well. But I know it's not the correct way to do it. For the last two groups I utilized a hard hold. Though unable to spot any impacts, reacquiring my target was much easier.

It's hard to explain to people why shooting is difficult. I often use this analogy: Precision shooting is a lot like golf. All golfers are required to do pretty much the same thing; Hit a ball with a club, with the intent of eventually putting it into the cup. The difference between a golfer who knows what he is doing and a professional, is a professional is able to swing the club the same way every time. Shooting is no different. It's about consistently positioning your head behind the gun so you know where it's actually pointed, pressing the trigger the same way every time, then driving the rifle properly through the recoil cycle. In short, it's repeatability of motion. He who is most undeviating wins.

This week I did a better job of "undeviating" than I ever have before. My previous 100 yard best was .409 MOA. Best ever was .316 MOA at 300 yards. For this caveman, shooting and BJJ are both like "yoga with a purpose". They are about working for inner focus then expressing it externally. Here is last night's expression:

Target Average: .4606 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .659 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 160
Total Rounds Fired: 740

Things That Make Noise

2010-01-06T22:38:00.000-08:00

This post is way overdue. It seems I've made a habit of doing that. Regardless there are two things I want to post about for the end of 2009.

The first is my newest hobby; Actually it's a life long hobby that I have just picked back up. I grew up around guitars. They were around me from my very earliest memories. My dad played guitar for a living. He would never teach me for fear I might try and do the same. Fortunately I was not forbidden to try it either. I guess you could say I've dabbled in it for 20+ years. Kyle and I recently decided to pursue playing seriously together. These pictures are of my Ibanez. It's part of their SZR series.

I'm blessed in many ways. It's safe to say playing the guitar is not one of them. It is the most challenging thing I have ever tried to do. When I watch Marcello Garcia roll I think, "Man, I would love to grapple with that guy and see how I do". When reading about the best shooters in the world I constantly wonder how I rank. When I watch almost anyone else play guitar I feel utterly foolish; Even juvenile. Thankfully I only play for me and my only audience is my ever supportive family.

Lastly is my final range report from 2009. Here is the story in a picture:

Yep, that's a +MOA group. It's embarrassing for my to look at yet alone post. But I shot it, it went in my log book, and showing only good groups is just plain wrong.

Target Average: .657 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .670 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 135
Total Round Count: 715

This was an especially cold night. Density Altitude at the firing line was 2851. That's down significantly from the 7000 that we averaged over the summer. The highest we've recorded at this spot is 8200. Ever wonder how elevation effects the flight path of a bullet? By this time next year, I'll have sufficient data to let you know! When I was shooting lighter bullets I would make adjustments for every 1000 ft change in D.A. This hasn't been necessary with the 220 grain MatchKings.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-21T17:28:00.000-08:00

3 Days until Christmas and I haven't posted even once. What a slacker, huh? I have excuses though...

December 5th: TUF 10 Finale. As I predicted Roy Nelson won and looked good doing so. Mark Bocek looked great in his win over Joe Brammer and will be on my radar from here on out. I also decided to postpone working out until after the holiday's.

December 6th: Kyle and I decide to learn to play guitar. Nobody told me it was going to be so addictive to that 3 to 4 hours a night would disappear for the rest of my life! Expect a future post about this.

December 9th: Western Colorado got so much snow that "Tuesday" shooting was impossible... So we played guitar instead. I also tried to reinstate a personal workout routine on this day.

December 10th: The worst Jiu Jitsu session in recent memory. Please don't miss understand; I'm grateful for the time I get in the gym. But I am instating the following rules so time spent in the future is meaningful. Go in with specific goals. Focus on those goals until I am done rolling, then go home. Check ego at the door and ignore those who don't. Drill only the tools that are to be permanent pieces of my arsenal (a continuation of having goals for each session).

December 11th: Someone I respect called me a whiner. I appreciate the honest criticism and have since made a conscious effort not to complain.

December 12th: UFC 107. It goes without saying that MMA events (especially UFC cards) are a big deal in my world. This one did not disappoint! BJ Penn annihilated Diego Sanchez and Mir beat Congo into a living death. DaMarques Johnson tapped Edgar Garcia in one of the best fights of all time. I had not heard of either fighter until this fight. I'll be keeping an eye on both going forward. Stopped working out again. I WILL start after the holiday's.

December 14th: At his request I took a co-worker's knife home and sharpened it. I put a good edge on it but tried not to go over board. Guitar addiction is now in full swing. Lisa had a short girls night away, so the boys and I hung out at Kyle's house.

December 15th: This is a big one! Today was the boys Christmas production at school! I absolutely love seeing each of them up there on stage. In other news the same friend and co-worker with the knife sliced his thumb wide open. Yet again I started a workout plan on this day.

December 16th: Shooting night. We shot 100 yard groups. Group #1 broke an MOA. That hasn't happened since July 21st. Target Average: .657 MOA (5 groups shot). Total Round Count: 715. Rounds Since Cleaned: 135. New Lifetime MOA Average: .670. I'll post the target before the end of the month.

December 17th: Quite Working out AGAIN! I didn't go to Jiu Jitsu either. We used this as a jam night instead. I'm going to return to Jiu Jitsu and working out after Christmas. I am not in the right place mentally to do either.

December 19th: Strikeforce had an MMA event. I still have not had a chance to see anything other than the Jacare, Matt Lindland fight. However it was everything I hoped it would be. When I'm wealthy I'll take Jiu Jitsu lessons from Jacare. I missed the rest of the card because I was playing guitar at Kyle's. By this point he had a whole music room fully furnished.

December 20th: Two sets of neighbors came over to visit today. It was fun getting to now the people that we share our piece of planet earth with.

I think that about covers it. Christmas will be here soon and I am anticipating it more than ever. I think about my boys faces and being with the rest of the family, and my heart literally smiles. I don't anticipate having a chance to post again until next week, so I'll say it now. Have a Merry Chrismas!

Good Kids

2009-12-04T15:43:00.001-08:00

Luke 1:17 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children...
Thank you God for my family. Your infinite wisdom is beyond my meager understanding. Please stay in my heart. I like how it feels.

Strategy: No Substitute For Execution

2009-12-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

Awhile back I posted about training a different style of JiuJitsu. I had the opportunity to do so this week, in addition to my regular 10th Planet class. My synopsis is that the grappler dictates his style's effectiveness. Not the other way around.

My current focus point is using positioning to eliminate space. There is a huge difference in how close practitioners, with different skill levels, can hold themselves to you. For example, I've faced 300 pound opponents who couldn't get anywhere near me. Monday night I rolled with a 160 pound guy that smothered me. Subsequently he was a lot harder to deal with.

Thursday night's 10th Planet class will remain my primary grappling function. I plan to attend Gracie JiuJitsu on Monday nights as time allows. I just hope they don't brainwash me into wearing gi!

Cold Shot

2009-12-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

Night time temperatures are down into the single digits here in Western Colorado. I'm enjoying the unique challenges that come with shooting in cold temperatures. Properly adjusting the scope has become critical. If parallax is wrong, my reticle can vanish suddenly and completely. I shot group "S" under such conditions. Along the same theme is shooter position; A wise member and accomplished marksman from Snipers Hide is repeatedly saying that the bullet will go where the rifle is pointed. I pondered this as I laid on the there shivering on the desert floor. "If point if impact is wrong it means you pointed / drove the rifle incorrectly." My primary focus during recent dry firing has been developing a strict mental checklist for shooting position. I utilized it last night and was very pleased with the mental clarity it brought to each shot. We limited shooting to 100 yards so travel time in the windshield-less UV was minimized.
Target Average: .533 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .679 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 25
Total Round Count: 690

Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-27T16:15:00.001-08:00

This is a bit of an extension from my last post, but I wanted to share it anyway. Kotah and I took an hour away from the rest of the family and the two of us went and shot. It was one of the best range trips ever! He is truly a fun person. I can't wait until the day when he out-shoots me. We took individual pictures of our targets (we shot one group each), but this picture says it all!

The Moore Boys .243

2009-11-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

The pictures pretty much some this one up. The boys now have their own rilfe. It's a youth model 700 SPS in .243. Kotah has talked about wanting one non stop for over a year. Their mother is justifiably nervous about the whole thing. But in true Lisa form she is supportive. Our first trip out consisted of Kyle, Skyler, Kotah & myself. Kyle instructed them, while I acted as range officer - spotter. I didn't anticipate being as nervous as I was. In the future I want to get more one on one time with each of them. They both shot well and seemed to enjoy themselves. It will be interesting to see if this is a hobby that sticks with them through time. As a daddy, I never want my boys to feel like them have to be something for me. They have SO much to offer as themselves! Regardless, these short guy trips are more fun than any I have been on.

Skyler's 5th shot 6 'o clock from the quarter. Target measured 4.147 MOA

This is Kotah's target. Target measured 2.725 MOA

300, The New 100

2009-11-19T16:07:00.000-08:00

300 yards is my new standard. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm not totally satisfied with my results, and I am looking forward to targets where half MOA is a big group. But I 'm learning. That .316 is a personal best for me at any distance. Target Average: .584 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .681 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 80
Total Round Count: 660

Different Paths, Same Destination

2009-11-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of weeks, I've been rolling with a Gracie Blue Belt. To say I enjoy it is an understatement! 10th Planet & Submissions 101 are what got me into submission fighting. And I intend to pursue 10th planet with caveman intensity. However my ultimate goal is to reach my full potential as a submission grappler. One of these days I'll do a post about grapplers from different disciplines that I really admire.

Now back to the topic at hand. There are two glaring differences in Gracie Jiu Jitsu & 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu. The first difference is pace. Although either can be done quickly, GJJ is much more methodical. It's like comparing a flash flood to a continuous stream. Both alter the landscape over which they flow. The second difference is positioning. GJJ is traditionally practiced in a gi... something I despise. That has not stopped Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters from dominating every no-gi tournament on the planet. Gracie Fighters will tell you that it's their foundation in the gi that teaches proper positioning and understanding of space.

Graice Jiu Jitsu's claim to fame is it allows a smaller, weaker opponent to defeat someone who is larger and stronger, using leverage. 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is based on the idea that no-gi grappling completely different than gi-based arts. So we cater towards no-gi competitions and MMA. Where I see a problem is that in both no-gi comps and MMA , opponents are seperated by weight. So while 10th Planet is very effective in both these arena's, it leaves much to be dersired when facing someone larger than yourself.

All this to say that I am thrilled to have a skilled Gracie guy to train with. Matt's passion for BJJ seems to match my own. In addition to my Thursday night class Matt offered to spend time on Sundays coaching me.

God, thank you for the passions you've put in my heart. Please use submission grappling in our relationship. I want it to be a way for me to grow closer to you. Genesis 32:24-32:30 When Jacob was alone a man came and grappled with him. They fought through the night until dawn. When the man saw that he could not win the match, he struck Jacob's hip, knocking it out of the socket. Then the man said, "let me go for it is dawn." But Jacob kept his hold and said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." "What is your name?" the man asked. He replied, "Jacob". "Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and with men an have won." "What is your name?" Jacob asked him. "Why do you ask?" the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob. Jacob named that place Penial, meaning face of God. For he said "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared."

Two Weeks of UFC

2009-11-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

The next 9 days bring 2 UFC events. UFC 105 looks on paper to be a weak card, so it will probably turn out to be a night of great fights. My picks for it are:
-Couture over Vera
-Swick over Hardy
-Kang over Bisping. I truly hope this fight ends Michael Bisping's career.

UFC 106 looks great on paper! Lets hope it lives up to it. I have never been a Tito fan, but he is a good fighter with a strong work ethic. Ring rust will not be a factor. Oh, and Baroni is back! See his second fight with the late Evan Tanner for the best pre-fight interview "eva".
-Tito over Forrest
-Koscheck over Rumble... Rumble won't make weight.
-Little Nog over Cane
-Hazelett over Parisyan *This is the fight I am anticipating most.
-Amir over Baroni

300 Yards

2009-11-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

This week we shot 300 yard groups. It was a less than pleasant experience for yours truly. It's the first trip out ever when I didn't improve my overall group average. Needless to say, we will be doing more more work at 300 yards.

Target Average: ..723 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .687 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 55
Total Round Count: 635

Playing Pushups

2009-11-09T18:24:00.001-08:00

Sundays are extra special at our house. It's my day off, so we all get to be together for more than just the hour before bed time. Our routine goes something like this: My loving wife makes sure the house is quiet so I get to sleep in. When I do roll out of bed all that's required is for me to stumble to the chair of my choosing, where I get my favorite meal of the day (American style breakfast), prepared by the same perfect woman. After breakfast the boys and I spend a couple hours hanging out together. Sometimes we wrestle, sometimes we do caveman things in the garage, Skyler and I do our daily devotional together, etc. It's my own little version of heaven on earth. When I finally start feeling like I should something productive, I like to include the boys in my pre-shower push-ups. A few Sundays back, things were moving along at the usual pace. I told the boys I needed to do some push-ups and get ready for the day. Skyler and Kotah eagerly started telling each other how many push-ups they thought they could do. Titus however turned and started meandering up the stairs. I called up to him, "Ti, are you going to workout with us?". He cooly looked over to me and replied, "No, I dont want to play pushups." Silly me, this whole time I thought I was teaching my sons the importance of a good exercise routine. Really it's just another fun game we play together. I hope Titus never loses that super positive outlook on life.

Workout #20 of 22

2009-11-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

I had a melt down on this one. I have yet to complete it. I've tried to power through it mentally with no success. We'll work through today with a positive attitude and see where it goes.

Proverbs 16:01
We can gather our thoughts, but the Lord gives the right anwser.

2100 & A Tuesday Night

2009-11-06T07:21:00.000-08:00

Shooting happened twice this week. On Sunday we stretched it out to 1000. The winds were mild but switchy and the D.A was literally falling by the minute. I was unable to put 5 shots together for groups. I made 4 hits on three groups and 3 hits once. I'm excited to try it again.

Rounds Since Cleaning: 205
Total Round Count: 580

Next we stretched Kyle's .375 Cheytac to 2100 yards. Shooting 2k was a major milestone; It's a goal we set over a year ago, and have worked hard to achieve. Kyle shot first and was on in three. Three rounds later he had four holes on our 18' x 24' piece of paper. I was up next. Round one was low., Kyle called my hit and I adjusted 3.5 mils up. Round two was a hit... And that was all the ammo that we had.

Tuesday night was 200 yard groups. This target shows my less than desired results. Group was was a fired using a clean bore. I am convinced that I used knowing it was a CCB shot, to beat myself mentally before I ever squeezed the trigger. Lesson 1 from this week: Make every shot count, clean bore shots dont' matter as much as we like to think. Group 2 measured .606. Kyle told me that I was rushing it so I slowed down for the next two. Lesson 2 from this week: slow down. That was a supposed to be a focus point for this range session. I'll make sure I do a better job of it next week. Group 5 (.688) I never did get comfortable behind the rifle & the last group I shot with no rear support. Like the first group, I used a random fact to validate not putting 100% into my shooting. Lesson 3 from this week is that my dope is off. I dialed MOU 1.75 prior to shooting and my POI was 1.0 high. One of these days I need to verify my hundred yard zero and the shoot several different yardages so I can have real- life data. Live and learn.

Target Average: .605 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .685 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 30
Total Round Count: 610

Range Report 10/28/09

2009-10-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

It was a cold night on the range. My biggest challenge lately is slowing down for good shots. Next week I will run through my mental check list twice before squeezing the trigger and try harder to maintain sight picture through the recoil cycle. Between now and then I'll make more time for dry firing. That .409 is a personal 100 yard best. Unfortunately, target 5 spoiled any satisfaction I would have found found in target 2.

Target Average: .544 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .692 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 185
Total Round Count: 560

The Real World

2009-10-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a world map for Skyler's birthday, when I ran across this. It's both thought provoking and fun. Another project I have going will require a world map and this is what I will be using!
"The Peters map was produced from a cartographic movement trying to understand the social-political implications of map design. The Peters Projection is concerned with preserving equal land mass area, rather then preserving shape when the sphere of the globe is distorted to a two dimensional plane. A conventional world map or projection preserves shape and distorts land mass representing, for example, Greenland as the same size as Africa, when Africa is 13 times larger. Source: Wikipedia"

-Credit this link for the find.

Range Report 10/21/09

2009-10-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

This week was 200 yard groups. All
bullets are 220 grain MatchKings.
Targets S, 1 and 3 are 55.3 grains H4831. Targets 2, 4 and 5 are 66.3. Both 2 and 4 are new personal bests. That stray round on target S was the first shot of the night. Too bad we don't get mulligans in precision shooting.

Target Average: .5068 MOA
New Lifetime Average: .708 MOA
Rounds Since Cleaning: 155
Total Round Count: 530

ADCC Denver Regional

2009-10-22T22:18:00.001-07:00

The first ADCC Denver Regional was scheduled for November 14th, 2009. This week I found out it's been canceled. Every day since I learned of this event, has been spent preparing for it. Not a single minute has gone by when I didn't focus on that Saturday morning. My personal training plan included physical preparation, diet, & perfecting specific technical skill sets. I have not cheated in any area, not one even once. Alas, God has other plans.

Now the question is, what next? Abu Dhabi Combat Club was and is a fundamental part of my identity as a submission fighter. I am determined to complete the physical training and diet I laid out. My plan going forward is to ease up mentally on the technical training that was integrated into my plan. I want to spend more time studying accomplished grapplers. Because I knew exactly what I wanted my game to look like going into the Denver competition, I've stayed away from anything that could distract me from that. Also, risk of injury is exponentially less consequential. So I am going to start stretching again, add in just a little strength training and incorporate a few "impact" exercises into my week. All in all I am disappointed but not defeated.

Proverbs 20:24 - How can we understand the road we travel? It is the lord who directs our steps.

Thank You KotahBear

2009-10-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

The key to happiness is a grateful spirit. Lissy taught me this valuable lesson. She is a pro at always finding something to be thankful for. I am not the only one she has taught this to. A few nights ago I arrived home from work and got a real life demonstration of how effective her teaching is.

The pictures in the card from the top down are:
-I love Chris with my age, 27.
-Next is Lisa and I with hearts because we are in love, standing next to a truck and some guns.
-Under that is me grappling with another guy. Notice my hair cut, I am the guy on the right.
-The bottom is me at work with a coworker.

Kotah spent a lot of time making this card for me. He is 7. That's right, my seven year old took the time to make his daddy a card, thanking him for working. Is there a father anywhere that is more blessed? He presented it to me with a short presentation in front of our family. I'm still smiling from it. In fact, it is sitting on my desk now. Every time I look at it, I am motivated to try harder!

The back cover has a picture of "my special girl" on it.

KotahBear is a very sweet person. His innate concern for the people around him could only have come from Lisa. He is going to make a wonderful husband and daddy someday. God, thank you for my son Dakotah. Please make him yours before mine, and guide him. He sees life in a very special way and with a very special energy, so please watch him extra close.

2 Human Hairs

2009-10-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, we made our regular trip to the range. As usual, Kyle loaded my ammunition, while I got the truck and trailer ready to go. I frequently don't buy enough of a given bullet. I say don't buy enough, because when I go to get more, they seem to always be out of everything I have tried in the past. This week we made the switch to 220 Grain Sierra MatchKings.

Kyle has mastered choosing the right amount of powder for my rifle, regardless of the bullet we use. Normally it's around 66 grains. Last night we arrived at our shooting spot & I asked Kyle how he loaded the 220's. He responded, "55.3 grains"... then immediately groaned and said, "Dang it! And I loaded 50 of them too!". He meant to use 65.3 grains. I have enough faith in Kyle to know that each of those rounds, although wrong, would be consistent. Now that I've shot them I'm dying to run them over a chronograph.

We took our time getting set up to shoot. When it's just the two of us things go very smoothly. We have a routine and work well as a team. I settled into my shooting position feeling very natural behind my gun. Judging from his target, Kyle must have been feeling comfortable too. Here is how it went:
Yep, there's three groups of less than .399 MOA on there. The whole target averaged .5075. I've never shot a single <.399 group. Let alone three on one target. This is mine. Anything less than .500 is the goal. I consider it a good day at the range to get even one. Overall average on this target, .4973. It was a good day indeed.

60 rounds of ammo were fired last night. Two different shooters with two different guns and two different calibers. Our groups averaged less than two hairs thickness, difference from each other. Kyle and I have enjoyed many days shooting together. Last night easily makes the top 3 list for best times ever.

Total round count for my .300WSM is 500 even. New MOA average is .793.

Happy Birthday Skyler!!

2009-10-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

October 12th, 2009 is the day that my oldest son Skyler turned 9. That cliche about time going so fast, well it's true! I vividly remember the first 48 hours of his life. In a way it was a new start for all of us. One that I am forever grateful for!

Skyler and I have a tradition on his birthday. He and I get the evening out to share a special meal together. Skyler likes to go to Red Lobster because, "it seems like a fancy place, where business people would go". As you can see in the pictures, Skyler was tailor-made for a life in the business world. His mind never ceases to come up with ideas for new businesses and critiques for existing ones.

Last night was one of the most fun nights I have ever had. The food was good and the fellowship perfect. Sometimes daddy's fear their children getting older. Its a sign of our own youth leaving us. With traditions like this, every new year gives me something to excitedly look forward to. Here is our little man at the restaurant:

We don't eat a lot of seafood at our house, so this is especially fun for Sky. He was most looking forward to the Lobster tail.

Does that look like a lot of food to you? Keep in mind, this boy is a little caveman!

Yep, he cleaned that whole plate! I would love to tell you all about our conversation, but that's between us!

Son, I am proud of you. I'm not sure how I ended up with such an amazing boy, but I did. Not only are you a very special youth, you are someone I truly consider a close friend. Your propensity for learning, as well as your wise-beyond-your-years insight, make for some of my most cherished conversations. Thank you for being you!!

4 Months / 470 Rounds

2009-10-13T21:51:00.000-07:00

The following targets represent the majority of 470 rounds worth of shooting. 2 rounds were customary firings that take place whenever we get a new gun. 7 rounds were dedicated to barrel brake in. 54 more were sent downrange at a steel gong. That leaves a "paper trail" of 407 rounds. I know some of them are backwards, and most warrant some explanation. But since cavemen are known to put things on the back burner until they fossilize, I thought I better just make do with what I had. Here is my progress in pictures, oldest to newest:

I believe accuracy is measure of how well a shooter and his rifle perform together. My running total as of this post was .833 MOA. This includes, load development, "fliers", etc, everything. My short term goal is to bring this average down to .75 or better by November 14th. That should put my total round count at around 705. Long term I want this rifle and I to be a 1/2 MOA combo. I'll keep you posted.

Shila

2009-10-08T16:00:00.000-07:00

We lost our puppy today. She literally died in my arms. Skyler was there to say goodbye. Kotah and Titus were at school. It's very hard. It hurts because I cared about her. It hurts worse watching my wife and sons hurt. Titus wanted "to see her teeth marks", so he got the chew toy we got for her when we first brought her home.

Kotah wants to see Shila's pictures. Here is where he is now.

Lisa's dear friend Brandi sent a poem about a rainbow that was over our house this morning.

And pathetic caveman just sits here, wondering why God allows hurt. I suppose its a human feeling that will be different when we get to heaven. Thank you Father for my family. I know your plan is not always obvious with my finite intellect. But I see your precious blessings every time I walk through the front door. Help me be a good daddy.

Observations

2009-10-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

I love my wife. It's amazing that with all the imperfect women in the world, I got the perfect one. Being married to a caveman is every bit as difficult as one would imagine. She does it day in and day out. Lissy, thank you for praising me when I need it most, showing me prodigious amounts of respect, even through times where none was earned, speaking to my heart in it's unique and often complicated language, and waking up next to me every morning. I am truly blessed.

Sometimes cavemen are exposed to single people that were not always so. This caveman has yet to meet one that is as happy after, as they were during. People that quit are plagued by a deep sadness that follows them for the rest of their lives. God, thanks for my life partner. Please help others to appreciate what you have given them.

Training Camp

2009-10-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Preparation for ADCC is going well. I've completed 6 of 23 cardio workouts. Workout 4 was particularly hard. Thankfully, with a nudging from my girl I completed it on the second try. I'm excited about little tweaks we've made in my diet. Nothing major, just cutting out more junk and limiting coffee intake to 3 cups a day. So far, the first 14 days have made a 4 pound difference. It wont surprise me if I weigh in a full 13 pounds lighter than the 88 Kilos I'm allowed.

Training is going well too. My personal Jiu Jitsu plan seems to be lining up well with my Thursday night class. My main technical concerns are getting caught in a guillotine choke, catching an opponent in my lockdown, and getting the fight to the mat. I'm working on proactively preventing the choke and applying the lockdown. Hopefully I can get my oldest son to roll with me a little more during the week. He is the best training partner ever. Getting the fight to the mat is a different animal. I have never worked take-downs. And I wont be working them between now and ADCC Denver, either. There is not enough time to become proficient at it, and the chance of injury is too great. Speaking of injuries, I am still resisting the urge to stretch. This is sad because I've spent every spare second since December '08 improving flexibility. I'm hoping I've got enough natural stretch to carry me through this one.

Things that are new for this week:

-The more proficient grappler I become the better Marcelo Garcia gets. That guy is just flat amazing. I'm rewatching some of his older stuff. I didn't know enough before to appreciate how talented he was. I imagine this trend will continue! This is worth mentioning because I learned a sweet new guard pass & got some new ideas for positioning from the aforementioned videos. I'm going to drill the positions this week and use the guard pass for the rest of my life.

-My cardio workouts get much harder this week. The worst part is I know my body can do it, but I'm not sure if my mind will. I'm readopting an old saying of my own: failure is not an option.

-With the ADCC finals behind us, I'm going forward with a new understanding of submission fighting. All the competitors worth mentioning seemed to have a firm grasp of how to eliminate space between them and their opponents. Personally, I feel we are about to enter a new era in grappling. Soon we'll see if I'm ready to be a part of it.

God, thank you for allowing submission grappling to be a part of my life. I know in my heart it was a gift from you to me. Help me to grow closer to you through it, and for it to be something we can enjoy together.

Your son, Chris

Submission Fighting World Championships

2009-09-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Today is the ADCC finals. It only happens once every two years, so for a grappler like myself, it's highly anticipated. I would go ahead and post my choices for winners in each weight class, but I am too excited to focus!

Update: I have yet to see most of the matches. However I've read everything I could find. Day one went exactly as expected. In my mind the winners were already set. Day two didn't go as planned. Here's how it all played out:

Abu Dhabi Combat Club, Denver Regionals

2009-09-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

On November 24th I'll be entering my first competition. I know that doesn't sound accurate, but for me it feels true. Some people grow up competing in all sorts of ways. While I am a very competitive person, I've always shied away from formal competition. The sad fact is I was scared to show people I was anything but the best, they thought I might be. Sure I played sports as a kid, but that was because I was supposed to and as I got older it offered a good social experience. For a kid that spent 6 grade levels grounded to his room, any excuse for a social experience was a good one! Knowing this stuff, perhaps you can see why this event is so important to me. For the first time in my life I am going to go out there and put it on the line for anyone, including myself, to see. So I'm doing it. November 14th I am going to compete at one of these .

I am confident in my skills. Although I have a lot to learn, I know enough to know that I can be a threat from each position. People with my experience level won't have an unequivocal advantage. I also know I'm strong. Guy's my weight won't have a distinct strength advantage. But like all cavemen (we're an imperfect race), I do have at least one glaring flaw. In a word, cardio. My body thinks feeling out of breath is bad. My amazing wife is able to mentally pull her body along even when her lungs scream for her to stop. Alas, not me. All my lungs have to do is politely hint they would like a break and I stop. But don't despair, I have a plan.

One of my favorite quotes for life comes from Chuck Liddell's pre-fight interview at UFC 57. As usual, I'm paraphrasing. Chuck said he didn't have anything to worry about. The work was all done. All he had to do on fight night was execute. I could write a book about the many ways this impacted me. I find myself thinking about it at least once a week. Bottom line is the outcome for most things is determined in the preparation stages. To prepare my cardio for my Abu Dahbi match I'll follow Mike Tyson's advice and "put the roadwork in". The plan I am using is called C25K. My best girl used it to prepare for a 5k last year and I was very impressed with the results. I have 7 weeks to train for my match, so I skipped ahead to week three. The program is clearly laid out here . Like everything I touch or do, I'm modifying it just a little. God willing, I'll go into the tournament in the best shape of my life & perform my very best. Win, lose or draw, that's all I can ask for.

One last thing. Want to know how cool my wife is? This gift was her response to my initial interest in Submission Grappling. Seriously, how much better could I have it? Thank you Lisa!!

Shooting From The Hip

2009-09-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

My wife recently challenged me to come up with a list of 10 favorite things with this blog post: here. I'm not supposed to think about it, just do it on the fly. Here they are:

Some of my favorite things:
-submission grappling
-The Office
-deep conversation
-making money
-the feeling of accomplishment that only comes from a hard days work
-sleeping for extended periods of time
-the sound of a pumped up V8... preferably a Mopar
-playing with my sons
-doing anything with my wife
-vacations... short ones, long ones, and any in between

Huh, that was fun! I encourage anyone to do the same thing. Thinking of 10 things you like is bound to improve on even a good mood. :)

-caveman

Moore Updates

2009-09-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy! Here's a few bullet points:

-School started. In itself this was not life changing, except that I get to see my three close friends so much less :( What is drastic is after a very short trial period, Lisa & I have decided to pull Skyler out of the private school they all attended last year, and homeschool him. This is interesting in many ways. I always wondered if we would homeschool KotahBear someday to ensure his success. But, Skyler is the epitome of a "wiz kid". He does everything perfectly and never gives anything less than his best efforts. Ironically this is why he will be taking classes in our dining room. Our family is not new to home-schooling. In fact, not only are we seasoned homeschoolers, we are a second generation homeschool family. Both my brilliant bride and my semi-genius brother-in-law received most of their education at home. Skyler, Kotah & Titus were homeschooled until last year. When we decided to send them to school we were very specific about what curriculum was acceptable. I am a huge fan of Abeka curriculum. This is what we used homeschooling and what the boys school uses for grades K4 - 2nd. The school changes to a more cost effective curriculum for the 3rd grade and up. My household manager and her supportive mother met with the school on several occasions to voice our concern about this. We wanted the boys to continue using Abeka. Eventually the faculty at the school was able to convince my determined gals that the new curriculum was also very good and should be a smooth and positive transition for Skyler. It wasn't. My bright eyed son seemed distressed from the 1st day. Something that you should know about Skyler is if he chooses to do so he will be the President of The United States. He will attend a quality university, and will pursue his education through at least the post graduate level. How do I know? Don't take my word for it, ask him! We let him to choose which path he wanted to follow. After some thought and prayer he said that it was important to him to use Abeka, but asked that we help him maintain friendships at school. We're hoping that he will be able to participate in the school's extra curricular activities. Especially the school plays. We should know early next week if he can or not. Please keep this in your prayers. I really want him to be able to do the school play for both him and I.

-UFC 103 is coming and UFC 102 is gone. Only 1 out of 7 fights went how I thought they would. Noguiera / Couture may well be the best fight I have ever seen. At the risk of being wrong in writing here is my picks for 103: On the maincard I'll take Franklin, Dos Santos, Koscheck and Edgar. On the undercard I'm picking Matyushenko. Also season 10 of TUF starts next week and I'm all geeked up to see it. 16 HUGE guys; I hope Rothwell runs away with it.

-Mooreminutes.com is getting "real"! Cruise on over to see what all the traffic is there for (and there is a TON of traffic). My Personal Decorator has found fresh inspiration and vigor. She is filling our home with new decor, furniture & love. Lisa's newest passion is doing projects. These projects are especially fun for me because I get participate in my baby's world by doing a few small guy things, like mounting the new shelf on the wall, or prepping a pegboard for customizing. And I love the joy my #1 favorite person is finding. I've said this before but there's few feelings that are greater than watching someone you care about choose to do something, then succeed at it.

-10th Planet JiuJitsu. Tonight was class 10. When rolling, I tried only looking for a triangle choke. This keeps me focused on technique over skill and prevents me from potentially injuring a fellow grappler (don't ask). I talked to the gym owner last week about doing 2 classes a week instead of one. I'm not ready to pay for it just yet. Although my wife is pushing me to do so... Seriously, I have the best wife in the whole world! But I digress. Tonight we learned a flow drill that uses Escape From Alcatraz, Guantanamo, Old School Sweep & Electric Chair Sweep. I'm starting to realize just how different my personal style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is. Story of my life eh? Not good or bad, just different. I think that's part of what draws me so strongly to submission grappling. It's a way to physically express myself that's free of ego or conventional boundary's. A little more on this in another bullet point...

-ADCC finals are this month. I am pumped. Watching them live is not an option, but following online is almost as good! They only happen once every two years so it's an extra big deal.

-Shooting is getting interesting too. In case I have never mentioned it I am an active lurker over at snipershide.com. It's an invaluable resource for practical precision shooters. I'm learning a lot and our weekly sessions at the range give me sufficient time to put things into practice. To date there's 404 rounds through my 300 WSM. One of these days I'll do a post about my progress. I've kept an accurate dope book as well as every target. At this rate, accuracy will start to fall off next April and the barrel will be completely shot out around the end of 2010. Then the plan is to move to a 6.5 x 47 Lapua. I'll keep yall updated.

-I made good money last month. The personal happiness level of a career salesman can be measured monthly in dollars and cents. Report cards come out on payday. Today I mentally recommitted to make September all it can be. Actually I have been extra-abundantly blessed in Septembers past and God willing, this one should be no different.

-November 14th. That date makes my stomach do summersaults. I'll be participating in my first submission grappling tournament. It's an ADCC Regional event in Denver. I think technically I can compete as a novice (that's the most rookie classification) as opposed to a beginner. When it's time to preregister I'll call and confirm. Although I am saying fewer words about this than the other bullet points I can tell you deep down this means a lot to me. More than I am even comfortable putting into words.

-Moore family fleet: I got my truck back! A special thanks to Kyle for jump-starting a long dormant project. It drives better now than it ever has! Again perhaps you'll see a post on this in the future. Oh and did I mention that we got a new family hot rod? Wow I really do need to post more! It's been a lot of work getting it all sorted out but I think it'll be done this month. We've been driving it for a few months now. I almost forgot what horsepower felt like.

I think that covers most of the big things. Told you life was busy lately! I hope that my next post comes sooner rather than later.

-caveman

10th Planet JJ Update

2009-08-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last night marked my 8th official BJJ class. Actually I've had 10. I attended one free Brazilian / Gracie Jiu Jitsu class around December 18th of 2008 & a trial 10th Planet class on June 4th 2009. I've been going to class consistently since July 2nd. So how's it going? It's challenging; And more rewarding than I could have imagined.

Some things I expected. My abilities far outrun my endurance. I rolled with a guy last night that I knew was going to present a challenge. It took a minute or two to tap him. I was feeling pretty high and mighty until I realized he wanted to go again... and again. Needless to say my performance lessened as his remained constant.

A few things surprised me. I'm naturally a flexible person. This year I've worked diligently to improve on my natural flexibility. My reward is knees that hurt. Sitting in the lotus position is out of the question. Realization #2 is strength matters and can rival skill. A really strong guy with two days experience can be a lot harder to deal with than a guy that has been rolling for a few years but maxes out at average strength. Because of this, I have a whole new level of respect for what Royce Gracie was able to do in the early UFC days.

I am intrigued by is how individualized each grapplers style is. My instructor is very methodical. Rolling with him is like grappling with a Boa Constrictor. The movements don't come fast or aggressively, they come slowly and purposefully, and there is nothing you can do to stop them. One of the guys I spar with moves like a rabbit being chased by a pack of wolves. Every single movement happens at light speed and full strength. Not frantic but certainly purposeful. Every single guy presents unique challenges. I've become familiar with the styles of the guys that I roll with often. New guys present fresh challenges. This is very interesting because when you know how a guy moves and responds, you can plan your attacks before you ever step foot on the mat. When grappling with someone new, being aware becomes the challenge. Planning an attack against them ahead of time seems to get me into trouble. Sometimes I wish I could compete against myself just to see what my style is!

Submission grappling has become my personal passion. I love it. Looking back I can see "combat" sports have always been my thing. But actively training in the 10th Planet system takes it to a whole new level. My personal situation only allows me to train once a week. But I look forward to that hour and a half on the mat, like most people look forward to their weekend. I catch myself dreaming of visiting renowned gyms on imaginary family vacations. I think daily about what it would be like to measure myself against other grapplers at an ADCC event. Right now I am along for the ride and enjoying every second of it.

Adam & Steve

2009-08-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

I've blogged before about my sons and the joy they bring to my wife and my lives. Often it's the little things that make everyday life worth living. Here's a few examples of that :

A few minuted ago I got a text from Lisa that said: So Kotah was telling a story this morning about "Adam and Steve".... Skyler had to correct him, "No Kotah, it's Adam and EVE!" I literally laughed out loud.

Last night our young family sat down for dinner together. I had just finished another 11 hour day, at a job that I am less than enthralled about. I asked Skyler to pray for our meal. "and Lord thank you for our momma who made this yummy food for us and our dad who works hard everyday to get us the money to pay for it". I could have gone back to work that very second, ready for another round.

As I wandered from the shower to the coffee pot this morning I was greeted by a sleepy, mop-head at the top of the stairs. I got a "good morning" in the sweetest little boys voice ever, a hug, and an eskimo kiss. When we finished praying for our day together I got a kiss on the cheek. None of the affection was solicited. It was all just Titus being himself. Is better way to start any day?

UFC 102

2009-08-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, here we go, UFC 102 is almost upon us. There are two fights on the card that I am excited about.

First, the main event is brilliant. Couture vs Nogueira pits two heavyweight legends against each other. I've seen Nog fight 3 times, each of which he won. He's tough... His hands are decent and is Jits solid. I've seen Couture fight several times and I am always impressed with his strategizing abilities. He reads opponents footage well, develops a game plan around them as an individual, then executes on fight night. I would make the argument that nobody in the business is a better strategist. I think the biggest difference in these two fighters is their chins. Nogueira gets rocked and falls onto his back. This gives him time to recover and many opponents chase him to the ground into his active & dangerous guard. Randy doesn't get rocked. He avoids it if at all possible. I see Randy pressing the action for the entire fight while using inside leg kicks and good head movement to avoid damage. I also think he's got intentions of finishing Nog on the ground via submission if the opportunity presents itself. And because he's Randy Couture, he already knows exactly what that opportunity and the finish look and feel like.

The other fight I am pumped to see is Nate Marquardt vs Demian Maia. This can go two ways. Either of which should leave Maia with his hand raised at the end. The first thing we may see a is grappling match. Maia will submit Marquardt if it goes this way. I could write 10,000 words about why, but we'll just leave it at that. We may also see a stand up war. Maia is anxious to showcase his never before seen striking skills and Nate may know the danger that is Maia's ground game. Marquardt trains with Greg Jackson's camp. While a great camp, they don't have elite level strikers. Maia is at Wanderlei Silva's camp in Las Vegas. Vegas is full of top level strikers and coaches. Advantage: Maia.

New Spin On An Old Cliche'

2009-07-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

Some people say life is short and that you could get hit by a bus at any moment and that you have to live each day like it's your last. Uh, no. Life is long. You're probably not gonna get hit by a bus. And you're gonna have to live with the choices you make for the next fifty years.
I heard this recently and it hit me hard. I'm an intense person. Every thought I have gets processed in my head like corn kernels between a mano and a matate. Two important points I am taking from this recycled cliche'. One, think HARD before making choices that have consequences. You will live with them. Two, life IS long. Think hard before settling with less than your very best. That too will follow you forever.