Day 73

I've not been rolling or posting recently, interestingly you would imagine that I could handle doing at least one of them, but when I don't roll I don't write. Luckily for you, or just for me I had a gentle roll today. Very gentle, my arm is still hurting. I'm always injured.
I had a technical roll today, and a very gentle, one armed roll, very enjoyable. I've been thinking about things that took me a long time to figure out as a white belt (and a blue belt).

1. Open guard is better than closed guard
2. Half guard is better than full guard
3. If someone passes your guard go to turtle, then immediately sit through back into guard.... but then watch out for him inserting a hook as you go to turtle.... And roll really quickly, don't let him get control from the back. Hmmmm endless possibilities.

Probably those 3 would change next week if you asked me again, that's the great thing about Jiu-Jitsu, it's constantly evolving and two people, even if they start at the same time, attend the same classes, are the same weight, have the same athletic ability and both wear POWER BALANCE BANDS, they will develop different games.

Time for another product review. Product reviews are particular favourites of mine. I can assure you that I am not sponsored or in any way affiliated with any sort of merchandising, as I'm quite simply not good enough. So you can trust that I will give you a 100% honest and unbiased opinion about a product.
Sadly for any product I do review, I only like to review them if I can make fun of them, but no press (or blog posting) is bad press?

Introducing XTFCs ANGER™

Do people keep guillotining you?

Does that heavier guy keep passing your guard and mounting you like a little pussy?

Do you have real trouble not getting punched in the face?

Does an unbelievably talented and athletic young African American keep spinning-back-elbowing you in the face from the clinch, even though you yourself are a legend in your own right, all this live on pay-per-view? 

Then you need help my friend.... Don't get mad, get ANGER™!

(this product will not enhance your ability only your ability to train angrily)

I've taken the liberty of using my vast German linguistic skills to translate the website information about this incredible new product. Yes I have just used google translate, but only because I'm lazy (initiative) and that was the quickest way. I of course new that the German word for L-Carnitin was in fact... L-Carnitin. It is probably appropriate to interject here with the information that XTFC is a German company.
The benefits of ANGER™ are as follows:

• Muscle protection during training, by the special BCAA & Glutamin Combination that has already been proven in the XTFC Recuperation product
• Energy for the workout - with high-quality carbohydrates
• Support the provision of energy from fat reserves by L-carnitine
• better nutrient supply to the muscles and nutrient uptake by L-arginine, L-tyrosine and taurine
• Improve endurance by beta alanine
• Gives you the necessary boost for the training

So there you have it folks. I don't know about all the chemistry behind it, but I just see taurine and know that it's basically red bull for fighters. Now before I launch into my short but sweet review of this product, I will explain the circumstances by which I came by this product (to reassure readers that I was no way bribed to review this product) and initial thoughts I had before carrying out my scientific testing.

XTFC were kind enough to sponsor the Hamburg open and provide a lot of great prizes, none of which I got my hands on, although I was eyeing up the Açaí flavoured protein powder which I would definitely give a very favourable review to, if they sent me 5 tubs with which to carry out my scientific testing. But they also were giving each competitor a free bottle (as pictured) with ANGER™ in it for us to try. The calm, gentle art BJJ side of me was wondering why on earth anyone would want to get angry whilst training, or even during a fight, as I'm sure the best fighters are never the angry fighters, controlled aggression yes, but anger? Well, mine is not to question marketing decisions, only to try free products that I can get my hands on.


I added the water, and my first comments would have to be that it didn't look very appealing.

I know what you're thinking... It is Harry Potter in German.

The foam was wrong, foam/scum I wasn't sure, and the red, was just too red to ever even pretend it was natural, even in a dark night club. However, as all people who've ever taken supplements will testify to, this kind of thing is very common, so I ploughed on in the name of science and just drank it at my own risk.
And then I knew. I knew why it was called ANGER™. It made me incredibly ANGRY. I wasn't just annoyed, I was ANGRY, I was so ANGRY. How on earth could anything taste so bad? I mean there is supplement bad and then there is this bad. The flavour was cherry, but after one sip I got the mental image of regurgitated cherries, dried, crushed up and served to unsuspecting BJJ bloggers at tournaments. Inevitably gagging was to follow, but I drank it all. I would say that the lack of mixer/mesh thing in the bottle didn't facilitate the absorption of the powder, giving me lumps (little bits of regurgitated dried cherry) of powder sliding down my throat every so often, which didn't help.
But the important question is... did it work?
Well apart from my ANGER™ at having drunk such a concoction, I wasn't noticeably angrier. I did win my first fight very dominantly and I felt quite energetic going into my second fight, which I lost. And then in the third fight I had my arm almost snapped off at the elbow by kimura (I'm basically a Gracie now), I didn't lose energy at any point but I don't think these claim of muscle protection can be taken reliably any more.
Overall as you've probably guessed, I have no view on the benefits of this product, I probably wouldn't use it again just because of the taste, and I didn't use it long enough to be able to say if it had a discernible affect on my energy levels.


I hope you enjoyed the review, please don't take it seriously. Unless your name is Shogun Rua, then order 20 cases of ANGER™.