Paulo Miyao's hands

[dimmyfinster]

This is what I'm talking about. This guy needs to take a few weeks off, work on building up his hands/forearms and his feet/ankles instead of relying on tape to hold his joints together.

Lolwut?

"This guy" is Olympic silver medalist Travis Stevens

 

[Human Bass]

One more reason i prefer no-gi.

 

[MaxMMA]

Lolwut?

"This guy" is Olympic silver medalist Travis Stevens

Ok, Johnny Hendricks was a UFC champion, but wasn't knowledgeable enough about nutrition to not eat Whataburger during a championship fight camp. Nor was Kabib knowledge enough to not be munching on french fries 1 week before he was supposed to step on the scale for a championship fight.

Just because this guy is at the highest level of his sport doesn't mean he is doing everything as efficiently as possible, or even doing certain things correctly.

There are thousands of high level grapplers encompassing a dozen+ grappling arts across the globe, including MMA athletes that use their hands for grip fighting/grappling and punching.

A lot of those guys have been doing it for decades and they don't go through $6000 dollars of tape just to keep their joints together the way Travis Stevens does.

 

[QingTian]

IMO most of that looks like the calluses you get from gi grips ... it’s not a joint thing, it’s the pads you get on the back of your fingers where they grind against the gi.

Pretty sure it's the joints...they enlarge with repeated spraining. I saw one Judo sensei's hands where each of his knuckles were double the size of a normal person's. They looked like Harry Potter wands... and yes he was a wizard.

 

[Zankou]

Pretty sure it's the joints...they enlarge with repeated spraining. I saw one Judo sensei's hands where each of his knuckles were double the size of a normal person's. They looked like Harry Potter wands... and yes he was a wizard.

It could be, and I have a few enlarged toe and finger joints myself due to ligament damage healing as a permanently puffed joint. But the pictures appear to show regular puffs right above each knuckle joint, which is more consistent with the heavy callouses you get on the back of your knuckles when you use an assload of gi grips in BJJ. See how they look almost like circular ‘pads’ right above the knuckle? And how it is the same joint on each finger? That’s how the callouses look when you play a ridiculous amount of spider guard or other grip-intensive guard.

Ligament damage enlargement tends to be much more random, and it doesn’t just go on the back of the knuckles. Mine all primarily puff out to the sides, for example, not upwards.

 

[yetanother]

Without instagram filters you can see the callouses. Gripping wet gis hurts your skin.

 

[vcmmafan]

My 72 year old grandfather has very similar hands

 

[QingTian]

It could be, and I have a few enlarged toe and finger joints myself due to ligament damage healing as a permanently puffed joint. But the pictures appear to show regular puffs right above each knuckle joint, which is more consistent with the heavy callouses you get on the back of your knuckles when you use an assload of gi grips in BJJ. See how they look almost like circular ‘pads’ right above the knuckle? And how it is the same joint on each finger? That’s how the callouses look when you play a ridiculous amount of spider guard or other grip-intensive guard.

Ligament damage enlargement tends to be much more random, and it doesn’t just go on the back of the knuckles. Mine all primarily puff out to the sides, for example, not upwards.

I see your point about the direction and maybe it's the case, but the joints are red/inflamed and the skin not all that rough. A callus should be pale (dead skin) and there is no need to layer that much skin over a certain amount as the layers below are protected.

 

[rmongler]

I think the real story here is how many of the most successful high level gi players have gigantic disproportionate catcher's mits for hands.

 

[jr jr]

Ok, Johnny Hendricks was a UFC champion, but wasn't knowledgeable enough about nutrition to not eat Whataburger during a championship fight camp. Nor was Kabib knowledge enough to not be munching on french fries 1 week before he was supposed to step on the scale for a championship fight.

Just because this guy is at the highest level of his sport doesn't mean he is doing everything as efficiently as possible, or even doing certain things correctly.

There are thousands of high level grapplers encompassing a dozen+ grappling arts across the globe, including MMA athletes that use their hands for grip fighting/grappling and punching.

A lot of those guys have been doing it for decades and they don't go through $6000 dollars of tape just to keep their joints together the way Travis Stevens does.

One big difference....
It is located in Colorado Springs, The US Olympic Training Center.

 

[DatCutman]

I think the real story here is how many of the most successful high level gi players have gigantic disproportionate catcher's mits for hands.

An interesting point. I'd like to invert the conclusion though, and propose I found the man to dominate the nogi world.

 

[MaxMMA]

One big difference....
It is located in Colorado Springs, The US Olympic Training Center.

Regardless, I've never heard of anyone going through 6k worth of tape a year. That's absurd.
This guy's body might not be as bad as he thinks and tape is his "security blanket." If he actually requires that much tape just to step onto the mat then he needs to take a break from judo and work on total body conditioning or step away from competition all together.

Also as a side note, I have no idea how things work in the Olympic training center, but in most gyms you have what the coaches are telling the athletes to do, and then you have what the athletes actually do, which isn't always the same thing.

 

[HunterAcosta]

Regardless, I've never heard of anyone going through 6k worth of tape a year. That's absurd.
This guy's body might not be as bad as he thinks and tape is his "security blanket." If he actually requires that much tape just to step onto the mat then he needs to take a break from judo and work on total body conditioning or step away from competition all together.

Also as a side note, I have no idea how things work in the Olympic training center, but in most gyms you have what the coaches are telling the athletes to do, and then you have what the athletes actually do, which isn't always the same thing.

No disrespect man , but I’m sure that an Olympic silver medalist in a sport like judo which is vey grip intensive and has long comperitive history , has thoroughly analyzed “ grip and forearm strength “ conditioning . You’re not reinventing the wheel . And Olympic Training Center?! You act like it’s s McDojo. Trust me ..they are up on modem training and recovery . Maybe being a silver medalist in freaking JUDO requires you to sacrifice parts of your body ?? Don’t you think ? He’s at the highest level you can reach . I know , I know ..cause you haven’t heard of dudes spending thousands on tape , means he’s been doing it all wrong , amirite?

 

[Quebec Nick]

One more reason i prefer no-gi.

Yeah, finger and hands injuries aren't taken seriously. Most people can work trough the pain and they don't change how they train.

Everyone who trains regularly will have injuries and change their training or style according to it. I have neck issues, so I don't put myself in positions where I can get stacked. I would love to invert or do triangles form the the guard, but I also love to be able to sleep at night.

But some gi people rely so much on their grips, everything they do rely on those controls even if they hurt themselves every training. They are also very stubborn and fight every grip break as if it was a life or death matter.

I'm one of the few that doesn't complain about my hands and it's because I do half of my training in no gi, I release my grips when I see that the other guy is using the right grip breaks and I use very few sleeve grips.

 

[MaxMMA]

No disrespect man , but I’m sure that an Olympic silver medalist in a sport like judo which is vey grip intensive and has long comperitive history , has thoroughly analyzed “ grip and forearm strength “ conditioning . You’re not reinventing the wheel . And Olympic Training Center?! You act like it’s s McDojo. Trust me ..they are up on modem training and recovery . Maybe being a silver medalist in freaking JUDO requires you to sacrifice parts of your body ?? Don’t you think ? He’s at the highest level you can reach . I know , I know ..cause you haven’t heard of dudes spending thousands on tape , means he’s been doing it all wrong , amirite?

Of course you have to sacrifice your body, you have to sacrifice your body to be competitive in regional grappling matches, much less the Olympics.

But as I've already given examples just because an athlete has ascended to the highest levels of the sport doesn't mean they are doing everything as effeciently as possible.

And again, I've never said that the Olympic training center isn't up on the latest and greatest training information. What I said is in all the gyms I've trained in, there are what the coaches tell the athletes to do, and then there are the things the athletes ACTUALLY do.

Just because this individual has access to the best information and best coaching doesn't mean he is doing everything according to those guidelines.

Tape should be used post injury, or on joints that are giving you problems until you compete, then rest and rehab. Using tape everyday allows your joints to become reliant on the tape, instead of your muscles for support, in turn weakening your muscles. This is almost common sense.

I'm pretty sure this individual didn't just wake up one day and start using $6000 worth of tape a year. He probably sprained an ankle, taped it up, and then kept adding layers and layers of tape because his muscles where never allowed to be conditioned back to joint supporting strength again.

This dude is going to be taping himself into a body cast before it's all said and done. I've trained with lots of professional athletes, and I've never heard of any of them going through $6000 of tape a year. This individual has a problem.

 

[QingTian]

Using tape everyday allows your joints to become reliant on the tape, instead of your muscles for support, in turn weakening your muscles. This is almost common sense.

Pretty sure the point of the tape isn't to substitute the muscles but rather to prevent further injury. Plus if you have sprained ligaments there is nothing your muscles will do to prevent further injury.

As an aside, I once saw a chiro who was telling me my back was out of alignment because of my weak muscles. I just looked at her as she parroted what she learned and then showed me exercises fit for old people. I just said to her, "look at me am I short in muscles?" I've grappled for two decades, pretty sure it's an injury and not lack of muscle strength.

 

[MaxMMA]

Pretty sure the point of the tape isn't to substitute the muscles but rather to prevent further injury. Plus if you have sprained ligaments there is nothing your muscles will do to prevent further injury.

As an aside, I once saw a chiro who was telling me my back was out of alignment because of my weak muscles. I just looked at her as she parroted what she learned, and then showed me exercises fit for old people. I said, "look at me am I short in muscles?" I've grappled for two decades, pretty sure it's an injury and not lack of muscle strength.

Sure enough, I hear what your saying. But just because you're yoked doesn't mean certain muscles or muscle groups weakness could be the cause of your pain/alignment.

What type of exercises did she recommend? I've never been to a chiro myself but from my understanding, people are calling their legitimacy into question these days.

 

[QingTian]

Sure enough, I hear what your saying. But just because you're yoked doesn't mean certain muscles or muscle groups weakness could be the cause of your pain/alignment.

What type of exercises did she recommend? I've never been to a chiro myself but from my understanding, people are calling their legitimacy into question these days.

The cause was an injury, and maybe it misaligns in one direction because one side is stronger. That's different from a blanket statement of weak muscles, and different from what is preventing the injury from healing.

I don't remember the exact motions but the amount of resistance the exercises could give were a joke. Sort of like, twist here, hold here, etc.

The old chiro at that place retired....she was fantastic. I don't mean to call out all chiros.

 

[winterbike]

I think the real story here is how many of the most successful high level gi players have gigantic disproportionate catcher's mits for hands.

It seems hand size is correlated to grip strength (not that many studies, but still), so it makes sense.

 

[xMTDx]

I’m at just a little over 10 years of hobbyist level bjj 99% of the time in the gi. There are days I can barely make a fist. Other hobbyists at my gym don’t have too bad of arthritis but yeah, everyone with 10 years of gi jiu jitsu has pretty bad arthritis. The guys who train 7 to 8+ sessions a week and compete regularly, are even worse off. Almost all of them have to tape up their fingers to roll. I don’t really know how much pain they are in though because they rarely complain, unlike myself and other hobbyists lol.

13 years of training at a casual pace with a lot of no gi and my knees and neck are the worst. They sound like bubble wrap most days.