Trying to channel my inner Mikey after ADCC
So, ADCC rolls around, and like everyone else, I’m glued to the screen watching Mikey Musumeci do his thing. It’s like watching a magician, seriously. You see the moves, but you don’t really see them, you know? Pure wizardry.
And then, you get that itch. That, ‘Hey, maybe I can try a tiny piece of that!’ thought. Dangerous, I know. So, this past week, I told myself, “Right, I’m gonna dedicate some serious mat time to understanding just one of Mikey’s setups from his ADCC run.” Not even the full submission, just a setup. Ambitious, huh?
First, the “study” phase. This wasn’t just rewatching highlights. Oh no. I got the footage, slowed it down to like 0.25x speed. Paused it every other second. Probably looked like a crazy person staring at my screen. I was looking for the grips, the hip movement, the timing. All those little invisible details. You think you see it at full speed, but you really, really don’t.
Then came the “let’s try this” phase. Found a willing (sort of) training partner. “Okay,” I said, “just let me try this entry he does for the leg lock. From that weird open guard thingy.” The first few tries? Absolute disaster. I either got my guard passed immediately, or I ended up in some tangled mess that looked nothing like what Mikey does. My partner was just looking at me like, “You good, bro?”
- Felt like my limbs were made of concrete.
- My hip escapes were more like hip…flops.
- And the coordination? Let’s just say I’m not naturally a contortionist.
Here’s the kicker, the part they don’t show on the highlight reels. After about an hour of this, sweating, getting frustrated, I finally, finally managed to get one tiny part of the entry kind of right. Just the initial leg weave and hip scoop. And it felt… okay. Not amazing, not Mikey-level, but like, “Oh, that’s how that bit works.” It was a tiny win, but man, it felt huge after all that struggle.
But here’s the thing, and this is what really hit me. We see these guys like Mikey, and they make it look so effortless, so smooth. And you think, with enough practice, you can get there. And maybe you can, with years and years of obsessive, dedicated, full-time training. But for us regular folks, trying to pinch a bit of that magic? It’s a whole different ball game. It’s mostly falling over, looking silly, and occasionally, if you’re lucky, having a tiny lightbulb go off.
I remember when I first started BJJ, years ago. I saw some dude hit a flying armbar in a competition. Looked awesome. So, next open mat, I thought, “I’m gonna try that!” Big mistake. I mean, huge. Ended up basically face-planting, almost knocked myself out. My coach just walked over, didn’t even laugh (bless him), and just said, “Maybe start with the basics, yeah?” That lesson kind of stuck with me.
So, yeah, my “Mikey Musumeci ADCC practice” was humbling. It was a reminder of the insane level these guys are at. But it was also kind of fun, in a masochistic BJJ way. Will I be hitting Mikey-style leg entanglements anytime soon? Absolutely not. Will I keep trying to dissect and learn? Yeah, probably. Because even a tiny piece of understanding feels like progress.
Just gotta remember not to try any flying stuff without a crash mat. And maybe a helmet.
