You have to look at the silver lining in things. My broken ankle has been a blessing of sorts. It gave me some much needed time for reflection.
Rich Zaydel’s Broken Ankle
What a week or so I have had….crazy how life works and how so many things can hit all at the same time. What do they say, bad things come in threes? So, in between teaching private lessons and helping at Cota’s martial arts, I roll with one of my best friends, TC, who has a couple years of mat time on me and 40 pounds. I have been doing jiu jitsu since 1993 on and off and steady since 2005. I have never had a broken bone other than a finger in my life. But, during one of our regular rolls last week with TC, I broke my ankle. It was loud like a crack of the whip.
Our cat of 13 plus years has not been home in a week. She is old, loyal and almost toothless. She has been extra lovey-dovey lately and feel she walked off into the sunset or has been eaten by a coyote which happens frequently where I live.
I have or had a boss who is a bully. I was taught to be humble through martial arts. Some people mistake that for weakness. I took some abuse because I wanted to learn so bad. But when I stood up to him because I expected him to keep his word or show me an ounce of respect, he was taken back. Bullies don’t like when they can’t intimidate you. Since then, he has been playing passive aggressive games. Admittedly I was doing horrible at the job. Part of it was the bully’s lack of support. He helped me just enough to be able to say he helped, but not enough to be effective. But, part of it was my fault. Most things I pick up pretty fast. But maybe this wasn’t for me. Maybe I found something I would never be good at and was wasting valuable time being stubborn. I had been there a year and was not generating an income. Sitting with my broken ankle, I had to admit I failed at this position.
At the end of the day, I put the blame on myself for my poor judgement. If you fail in life, it is nobody’s fault but your own. I think most of us are honest people, most of us, but I think sometimes its hard for us to be honest with ourselves and own our mistakes and learn from them. Good judgement is the result of experience and experience is the result of poor judgement.
I love playing open guard. One of my favorite positions is spider guard with a spiral/lasso hook. It is a lot of fun and there are a TON of attacks.
But before we get to the attacks, I just want to break down the basics of how to set it up from the closed guard. Hope this video helps you guys out.
Be sure to stay tuned for the next one in the spider guard with spiral/lasso hook series. I will go over a few subtle details based on this video like more detailed grip, how to defend this position if you are the guy on top and a couple other tips that will have you dominating your opponents in no time!
Hey all you Brazilian Jiu Jitsu bad asses! The RocknRoll BJJ website has just been updated! I am pretty proud of it since I designed it and programmed it myself!
Go check it out now! Let me know what you think! Happy training! Ossss!
Hey all! Just wanted to touch base here, its been a while and I apologize.
I got so busy with private lessons and teaching at a couple of different schools that trying to keep up with every thing like social media and blogs has been difficult. Besides having a passion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I also have a passion for real estate and marketing and have started a couple new ventures since my last blog entry. One of those being a Loan Officer under my own brand, SoCal Loan Man. The other is Hits the Spot Media which focuses on REALTOR marketing and lead generation. I also had reunion shows with my old band, Simplex, and was playing quite a few shows around the SoCal area. That said, I am starting to get caught back up and am able to make a little more time for teaching brazilian jiu jitsu private lessons and blogging.
In 2013, I am happy to say I finally received my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. I had a little drama at a school I was at and the instructor was hanging the black belt over my head as well as others who were due promised promotions. I had to make the decision to suck it up and leave the school and instructor who I will not even dignify with naming. Some people are black belts in jiu jitsu, but not black belts in fairness, loyalty and being decent human beings. Best decision I ever made. So, I had to wait an additional year to get my black belt from Master Joe Moreira who welcomed me back with open arms. For those of you who know, Joe was my first real instructor back in the 90’s. I started with Rickson Gracie and trained under him for a few months, but the drive to Los Angeles was too far. After only a couple months with Rickson, Master Pete Loncarevich suggested I try Master Joe Moreira and I have been with him or have trained under one of his black belts ever since.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Rich Zaydel and Master Joe Moriera!
Its been an amazing journey to this point. The funny thing is the more I learn jiu jitsu, the more I realize I still have a lifetime of learning to go. I am excited for the journey to continue and look forward to training and sharing what I have learned along the way with you all!
I have been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on and off for almost 20 years and somehow I finally was given the gift of cauliflower ear during my last training session. I actually didn’t even notice it until a couple days after when I went to shave my head. I happened to bump it and it felt puffy. I gently squeezed it and could feel it was full of fluid. It didn’t hurt at all.
How to Fix Cauliflower Ear – Thank you to Rich Zaydel famous ear model
I figured I would make an attempt to get rid of it. I didn’t want end up like one of those fighters that looks like he has used bubble gum attached to the side of his head for ears.
Before I share with you what worked for me, understand I am not a doctor, and, if you try my process you are doing so at your own risk!
You will need rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to sterilize your ear before and after the process and a new sealed 3cc syringe and a new sealed 23g x 1″ needle. A roll of gauze or something similar is also needed.
The How to Get Rid of Cauliflower Ear Tool Kit as Seen on TV
One of the guys at the gym I train at is a diabetic. I explained my situation and I was lucky enough to obtain a syringe and needle from him. I know this might not be an option for some of you, but if you ask around, you might get lucky like I did. Remember, always use a brand new sealed needle and syringe and never share needles. Don’t be an idiot!
It is important to insert the needle at the correct angle and depth. Don’t just stick it in the juiciest part and start sucking away at it. You won’t be successful removing all the fluid.
Get Rid of Cauliflower Ear – Placement and Angle of Needle
The angle above is how to inserted the needle. I actually laid the needle against my ear and then changed the angle just enough so that the tip of the needle stuck and then I pushed it in about 1/16 an 1/8 of an inch. I held the syringe in place with one hand then began to pull the plunger back. But I found that I couldn’t pull the plunger at all because the vacuum was too strong and I had not gone deep enough. I pushed it in a little further and pulled the plunger and this time I hit the mother-lode. It was just over two CCs of blood. I kept on pulling the plunger until I couldn’t get any more fluid. Think about the concept of sucking all the air out of a sandwich bag until it is completely flat. Then, I slowly pulled the needle out.
Be sure to wipe the ear with rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide after the process to keep your ear infection free.
I was told to wrap my ear against my head with gauze tightly to keep it flat as much as possible. I didn’t have any gauze, but I did have a bandana. I folded it up to about a 3″ wide and tied it tightly around my head making sure my ear had plenty of pressure on it. I slept on it. When I woke up it had gathered a little bit of fluid in it again. I repeated the whole process and walked around for a day with a bandana.
My ear looks good as new to this day and has not effected my ear modeling career a bit!
Be sure to avoid training for a couple weeks or more for the best results. Otherwise, you will have to repeat the process each time you train.
By the way, if you live in the Orange County California area, come by and train Brazilian jiu Jitsu with us at RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Personal Training!
Open Mat Saturdays at RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Orange County California. Tons of mat space, technical training partners, and great music.
We have a black and brown belt here every Saturday, plus a handful of high level players so you are guaranteed some fun technical rolls!
All who love to train jiu jitsu are welcome! All schools and belt levels are invited to come roll and share technique in a friendly environment.
We now have a FREE one hour group class before the open mats! We will go over techniques and work some drills.
Saturday’s class and the oen mat are FREE. We do this for the love of jiu jitsu! If you have always wanted to try jiu jitsu, this is a great place. If you are a seasoned player of the game, you will love it too, as we have brown and black belts here every weekend!
You must bring a clean gi and equipment to train.
The schedule:
Group Class: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Open Mat: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
I know some of you maybe getting this invite and don’t live in California. We have had a lot of visitors from out of town this summer, so don’t be shy if you are visiting Southern California to stop by and train with us.
It was awesome! We just had the IBJJF tournament on the weekend so we had a lot of friends in town. Through the magic of facebook, i met Marcel Oliveira on our RocknRoll BJJ page. Marcel is a purple belt under Alexandre Soca and is also the owner of GI Soap. Over the past year we had said hi here or there online, but we had never met as he trains in the Long Island, New York area and i train in Orange County, California.
Through one of my posts, he mentioned he and some of his teammates would be staying a few days after the tournament and wanted to train with different people. So we set up a time, a Monday evening in fact, and trained.
Great training with team Alexandre Soca’s students at RocknRoll BJJ!
From left to right, Mike Flores, Tom Devivo, Mike Gates, Marcel Oliveira, Rich Zaydel, TC, and John Vargas.
Tom, Marcel and John were from Team Soca and had amazing guards and great all around jiu jitsu. i was very impressed with their jiu jitsu. They invited us to come out and train anytime! The next time I am in New York, you can bet I will be visiting the Alexandre Soca school!
We were very honored to have them come by our humble studio.
Come train at the RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Open Mat Saturdays in Orange County.
High level technique, technical rolls, share techniques and good music of course.
All levels, schools and people who love to train jiu jitsu and share techniques. Train gi or no gi, its up to you and whoever wants to train with you. Training both is strongly encouraged, but its all for fun and the love of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the end of the day!
Orange County Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Private Lessons! Lowest Rates! Fun!
RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Private Lessons & Personal Training in Orange County, California! Lowest rates in OC!
RocknRoll BJJ & Fitness is dedicated to changing lives through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and fitness! Get one on one attention by an experienced Brazilian Jiu JItsu instructor and National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer and take your jiu jitsu to the next level and, or, reach your fitness goals fast! Lowest rates for BJJ Private Lessons and personal training in Orange County!
RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu programs and teachings adapt to your pace and ability making learning fun and safe! Whether its your first day trying jiu jitsu or you are a seasoned jiu jitsu player, I have a great program for you.
RocknRoll Fitness Programs for all ages, body types and fitness levels! You will have a customized fitness program for your body type and fitness goals. Don’t be shy. If you have let your self go and its been a while since you have been active, you have come to the right place. I am a patient and detailed trainer. If you are already fit, but are looking for strength training, plyometrics or just something more challenging, I have got some fun for you!
* Receive detailed, patient, instruction from an experienced & certified Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor and personal trainer!
* Learn amazing new Brazilian jiu jitsu techniques as taught to me by the pros!
* Choose what time is best for your busy schedule!
RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Fitness is run by Rich Zaydel a brown belt in brazilian jiu jitsu under Professor Marcelo Carvalho and is a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer. Rich has taught at the prestigious Chapman University Jiu Jitsu Club and is an assistant instructor at Global Jiu Jitsu under Professor Marcelo Carvalho.
Contact Rich now to schedule your lessons or personal training! Email me through this ad or visit the RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu website. http://www.rocknrollbjj.com
Guess What? Contrary to what the Gracie family would have you believe, they didn’t invent Brazilian Jiu Jitsu! And, if you take the time to research it, the Gracie’s were snobs and stingy with sharing jiu jitsu. History shows that they only taught to the rich or upper class. Some things never change.
Luis Franca was taught jiu jitsu by non other than Mitsuyo Maeda. Mitsuyo Maeda was an expert judoka with direct lineage to the founder of judo, Kanō Jigorō. Maeda, settled in Belem in 1917 and taught a small group of students, including Luis Franca and Carlos Gracie.
Oswaldo Fadda received his black belt under Luis Franca. Fadda taught jiu jitsu to the poor in Rio because, as usual, the Gracie tuition as too high. He taught in unorthodox locations free of charge to share the gentle art of jiu jitsu with the less privileged. The Gracies, in typical snobbish fashion, considered him an outcast.
Oswaldo Fadda Jiu Jitsu legend!
Fadda finally opened a school in 1950. He then challenged the Helio Gracie school with some of his students. The Gracies excepted the challenge and invited Fadda and his students to the Gracie Academy. Fadda’s students tapped out the Gracies and even put one of them to sleep. Much of Fadda’s students used foot locks to tap the Gracies who in sore loser spirit called the foot locks a ‘suburban technique.’ However, later Helio would say that it only takes on Fadda to prove that jiu jitsu is for everyone. Fadda is the only one known to have beaten Helio in a tournament.
Master Julio Cesar Pereira, leader of the Ground Fight Team has direct lineage to Oswaldo Fadda. Rodolfo Vieira is Master Pereira’s student. I always like to cheer for the underdog, don’t you?
Please take the time to read more about Oswaldo Fadda and learn more about how the Gracies didn’t invent brazilian jiu jitsu.
RocknRoll Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Fitness - RNR BJJ 