Old Man Meniscus Tear - Getting Back To BJJ - Part 3 - First Yoga

I'm a big fan of Yoga. It really is a great way to do stretching that is just dynamic enough to keep your body warm and loose.  It has really great benefits for life and for BJJ.

The best way to practice is to find a good studio and do a small class.  You have to look to find the good ones, because, just like finding a legitimate BJJ gym, there are a lot of unqualified people selling crap out there.

If you don't want to look for that kind of place, or you just want to do some on your own, check out Yoga for BJJ.  This is run by Sebastian Brosche a black belt under Eduardo Rios.  Sebastian is an active competitor, and really knows what movements and poses are good for BJJ.  Being a long time Judo and BJJ practitioner, he knows exactly where we get injuries, and what hurts.  His system is highly recommended.

So, today I started back with Sebastian and went through the beginner videos 1 and 2.  My knee did better than I expected, but it just hurts like hell when I try to sit on my heels.  It is going to be a long recovery.

By the end of 20 minutes my hips and back felt good, and my knee was feeling better.  I have taken it much too easy these past few months, and I haven't done much stretching, or working out for that matter, at all.  My excuse was that I was letting my let heal, but there wasn't anything stopping me from stretching or doing upper body workouts.  So...  There's that. 

Pigeon position sucked.  It was really difficult.  I didn't try very hard, but there is a lot of pain there.  I'll have to keep working in to it slowly. 

Old Man Meniscus Tear - Getting Back To BJJ - Part 2 - The First Workout

I'm supposed to do light jogging as part of my recovery.  I have also been cleared for very light calisthenics.  Nothing that will twist or put pressure on the knee.  So, I laced up the running shoes and hit the road this morning. 
Pretty much the only thing I have been able to do lately has been pushups, so the cardio work of running was a welcome change.  It felt like I was getting back to some sort of training. 

However...  Being an old guy, the cardio goes quickly.  I've been out of commission for nearly 2 months and the light jogging was difficult.  I ran for about 10 minutes, and it wasn't easy. 
My knee didn't give me much trouble but it took a few minutes for the knee to warm up and to get my stride going.

Interestingly enough, it isn't the flex of my knee that is giving me the issues.  It is the extension.  I have about a -3 degree hyper-extension of my left knee.  My right knee isn't there yet, so the inability to extend my leg to the correct position changes my stride.  Makes it difficult to get a steady comfortable rhythm going.  After my knee loosened up it was a much easier run, but I didn't have much gas in the tank.

After the run, I did some stretching.  Trying to get my hamstrings back to where they were.  Difficult...  With no workouts and very little stretching, my flexibility has suffered.

This seems to be a running theme...  As I get older, it takes longer to heal, and fitness aspects seem to regress much quicker.  Like my cardio and my flexibility.  I'll need to make sure to stretch more often.  Perhaps start doing the Yoga for BJJ course...  If my knee can take it...

Old Man Meniscus Tear - Getting Back To BJJ - Part 1

Six weeks ago, on a Thursday, I was walking down the stairs in my house when I heard a POP in my right knee.  I couldn't straighten my leg.  It was painful and the knee felt "wrong."

My neighbor is an Orthopedic Surgeon, and I immediately called in the neighbor favor.  He cam over took a look and said it was most likely a bucket handle tear of my medial meniscus.  He called his nurse, and made me an appointment with one of his partners for the next day, Friday.

That doctor said pretty much the same thing, and that he wanted me to get an MRI, but he wanted to make sure he could get me in to surgery as soon as possible, so he scheduled me for surgery on Tuesday.  I got the MRI an hour later and three hours later the surgeon was calling with the confirmed diagnosis of a bucket handle tear of my medial meniscus.  Complicating maters, the meniscus was caught in the notch of the knee joint that that was what was preventing my knee from straightening out. 

Bright and early on Tuesday I was asleep and under his knife.  During surgery, he decided to do a repair of the meniscus rather than remove it completely.  An interesting choice, I am 44 years old.  Normally with a guy my age, they would just remove the meniscus.  But, the surgeon thought he could get a good repair.  Overall, it is better to repair than remove, but my chances of having it heal properly are not as good as a younger person.  If it doesn't heal correctly, I'd have to go back in to surgery and have it removed. 

Here we are 6 weeks out.  The surgeon is pleased with my healing and I'm doing well at PT.  I have regained 135 degrees of flexion, which is what a "normal" person normally has.  The problem is, I'm not a normal person.  I am a BJJ black belt. 

I had the therapist measure my left leg to give them a feel for what normal is for me.  I had 160 degrees of flexion in my left knee unassisted.  I have -3 degrees of hyper-extension.  These are the numbers that I need to get to.

I am trying to calmly go through PT, knowing that the hard work is ahead.  I have to wait until my meniscus is healed enough to start to begin the very painful very difficult work of sitting on my heels.  I'm not looking forward to it.

The key here is that I need to take it very slow.  I can't rush things.  It will be at least another 4 months before I can even think about going back on the mats, and likely a year before I can be rolling hard again.  Very difficult for me, because, as an aging grappler, I know my days on the mat are numbered. I have maybe 5 or 6 years of competent competitive rolling left.  After that, the young guys will start to blow through me, and my wins stop being improving a technique or getting that submission I have been working on, it will be simply surviving a match.

My mantra has always been "Let it heal."  Have to take my own advice....  But it is driving me insane.  I won't start sitting on my heels until the surgeon gives me the green light...  Hard to wait.

How to Ask for a Raise

You want more money.  You think you deserve more money.  There is ONLY one way you will get a significant raise out of your company.  You have to ask for it.  The worst they can say is no.  I have never ever heard of a company firing someone for asking for a raise.  You just have to have the intestinal fortitude to walk in your manager's door and ask for it.

How do you do that????  First, know that, if you are a good worker, your manager WANTS to give you a good raise.  It is difficult to find workers who are just satisfactory.  Someone who does their job well, is an amazing find and you want to keep them happy.  So, look your self in the face and ask some very introspective questions. 

• Am I a good worker, or do I just do the minimum it takes to get the job done?  
• When I complete a job is it just "good enough," or is it well done?
• Do others come to me for help, or do they come to me as a last resort?
• Am I a good supportive team member?  Do I aid others on my team, even if I am busy?

This helps set your mind for what is the next step.  If you can answer those questions truthfully, and the answers are "yes," you can move on to Phase II. 

Don't think about WHY you NEED the raise.  Hopefully, you have a good relationship with your manager.  Your manager, as your friend, DOES care about your financial wants and needs.  However, realize that, even if you report to the owner of the company, your manger needs to justify your increase in pay to the "company."  The "company" doesn't care about your personal financial wants and needs.  All the company cares about is money.  Even if you work at a touchy feely non-profit, the business cares about MONEY.  That's it.  That's all. 

So, when you make your case for a raise, you must make it in terms that the company will understand and appreciate.  You have to make the money case.  BUT, you need to make your case such that the company will want to spend more on you.  Your case needs to be about what you have done in the past, AND about what you will do in the future.  If you make your case about what you have done, the company rubs its hands together and says, "What a bargain I have!  I got the work of three people for the price of one!!"  Make your pitch too much about the future, and the company says "Let's see all of this pan out before we invest."

The best way to start is to write it all out.  Start first with the past.  Write out your major accomplishments and how they have benefited the company.  You have to use examples of measurable success, and how they have monetarily befitted the company.  Developed software that increased productivity by 50% and saved the company $1.2 million.  This sets your current value, and how the company has benefited from your work. 
Then put your goals for the next two years.  Again, they should be measurable and monetary.  This shows your future value.  This is the time to compare your duties to how much it would cost to replace you. 

Next, how much are you going to ask for?  Have a number in mind.  Just don't say "a raise."  Also, realize that the number you ask for may not be approved, but a lower number might.  So, always ask for a little bit more than you want.  But, don't shoot the moon.  If you want 10%, but ask for 50%, you are going to be disappointed.  Your number should be realistic enough that the company feels like it can make a counter offer.  It should not be so high that the company scoffs and just walks away. 
Do your research.  Take a look on job sites to see what the comparable in your experience and duties are.  Don't limit yourself to just your job title, look at your duties, and compare with other jobs that have similar duties. Mark this down in your pitch notes.  Also look at the cross duties your perform.  If you have duties that cross different disciplines, note how much it would cost to hire a dedicated person to perform those duties.

Now you are ready to ask.  Don't ambush your manager.  Set a time and a meeting.  Meet in a conference room.  Try not to meet somewhere that your manager has a perceived air of power over you.  Their office, or your office for instance. 

You don't need a power point, but make your case in a pointed, logical way.  Be prepared for counters and some defensiveness from your manager.  Your tone should be one of friendly negotiation.  Don't plead, or demand.  Demanding will put your manager in full on defensive mode, and, if you make it sound like an ultimatum, it will definitely hurt your chances for future raises or promotions.  Pleading makes you look weak.  This will hurt your chances for risky and important projects. 

This is a touchy subject for them as well, because, more often than not, they do not have the unilateral power to bless a pay raise.  They have talk to someone else. 
Speaking of talking to someone else, don't do it.  Your asking for a rise should be between you and your manger.  No one else.  Don't bring it up, don't discuss it with anyone at work.

Finally, be prepared if the answer is "no."   What are you going to do?  Think of alternatives.  In your research, try to find a job title that better describes what you are doing.  That way you can argue in the future that you title's comps are higher than what you are paid.
You could start looking for another job, and use your research in your salary negotiations.

Or, you could ask why the raise was rejected, and try to find out what you need to do to turn that answer to a yes next time.  Sometimes, the answer is budget considerations.  Sometimes, the company is preparing to do something and needs the resources elsewhere.  Sometimes, the reason is YOU.  Raises aren't given to adequate performers.  They are given to linchpin high performers.  If you aren't a linchpin, work hard to become one. 

Don't Mess Around. END THE THREAT

One of the guys at the gym got in to a street fight.  He was able to dominate the other guy, take his back and get him in to a rear naked choke.
Instead of choking the guy out, he just held him in this control position until the Police arrived.  However, the guy being choked gouged at his eyes, hit him, and even managed to smack him with a reverse headbutt that bloodied his nose.

So...  What should he have done?  First foremost and always, Your head must be kept tight against your opponent's neck.  This prevents the reverse headbutt and greatly reduces the force that they can throw in to a punch. 

Now to the point...  When you are in a street fight, end the threat.  Even if you completely dominate your opponent.  This isn't the gym.  If you catch a choke, CHOKE HIM OUT.  Don't talk to him.  End the threat.  You don't know if the guy is armed and is taking his time pulling out his weapon.  End the threat.

When you fight, you MUST match the brutality and savagery of your opponent.  Otherwise, you will lose.  And when you lose, you could lose your life.  It is the same concept when you carry a weapon.  If you carry it, you must be absolutely confident that you will use it if you have to.  There can be no hesitation. 

There are some things to consider, however...  If you get a joint lock, especially a leg lock, and you finish the technique, i.e. you break the joint, you better have a very good case for that person going to cause you great bodily harm.  For whatever reason, a jury will look at a broken nose, busted teeth, and other broken bones in the face caused by strikes MUCH differently than a broken elbow or dislocated shoulder. 
A destroyed knee needs as much justification as shooting someone. 

With that in mind.  If you feel like you are dominating, get to the back mount position.  Find the choke.  Choke him out.  If you must, move to mount and drop elbows.  Be careful with joint locks, but if they are there and the guy has the potential to do you real damage, break it, and call your lawyer.