The Art of Frugality

You are up on points in a match...you pass your opponents guard for the third time racking up another 3 points. As you land in side control you very hastily (without your opponent even giving it to you) attempt an armbar. You watch in slow motion as your opponent escapes the armbar with ease, reverses you and before you know it you are being choked out...the score was 15 you 0 him. What in the fuck just happened?

My mom used to tell me growing up when I would spend my allowance that "that money burned a hole in your pocket!"...for those of you that don't understand this, it means that as soon as she gave me a little cash I spent it immediately, most of the time on nonsense. I never saved it for something bigger and better, nor did I care to think that far ahead. Usually the things I purchased were not of quality, but hey at least it was something, and something is better than nothing...right? Wrong! I see this same thing happen in jiu-jitsu all the time, only rather than actual currency its a position or submission that's burning a hole in your pocket.

Just like the moms in the grocery stores penny pinching, cutting coupons, and bargain hunting...as practitioners of the gentle art we should practice the same principle, I call this the "art of frugality".

Often times we get too excited when we are rolling and we hunt for submission after submission after submission. It is instinctual, and sometimes we can't help it...I know I sure as hell can't. In the animal kingdom it is called going for the kill, but if it is not timed correctly and executed with precision then the only thing that ends up happening is you blowing your load and your opponent wiping the sweat from his brow. I call these "phew" moments, because that's exactly what your opponent said in his head as he narrowly escaped a submission.

The goal as I said earlier is to practice the art of frugality. Do not be wasteful in your movements, and do not give your opponent anything for free. Be methodical in your rolling and wait till you find that bargain you were looking for. Majority of submissions come from successfully blocking and shutting down all your opponents reasonable options, until finally they do something terribly idiotic...then you move. Think about it, comments are welcome. Thanks for reading!

Less is more, when more is less

Jiu-Jitsu is tiring on the body, everyone and their mom who trains knows this...yet, as grapplers we seem to make it 100x harder on ourselves by pushing it to the limit every time we step foot in the gym. What many of us new to the game, and even some of the old schoolers don't realize is that if your body can't stand up to the day in and day out harsh routine that is jiu-jitsu, then your game is  good as dead.

The gym that I attend is very competition oriented, and although there are barely any meatheads there...we go hard. From the little 115lb girl in the pink gi to the 270lb ex-wrestler...that's just how we do it. But after a good class with specifics, nobody but a few have enough gas in them to roll more than 2 rounds (myself included). This is pretty standard at all the gyms I have attended.

So I started to think about what the problem could possibly be and I realized that its not that we train too much, its that we train too hard and never have the chance to recover. The true jiu-jitsu lifestyle does not exist for many Americans, so we end up with a sort of pseudo lifestyle that does not work well for the sport. The average guy/gal in the gym puts in a 40+ hour work week, goes straight to the gym and trains for two hours. Add in kids, weightlifting, wife/girlfriend, and other things and you can see why recovery is so difficult when you're rolling at 100% a few nights a week.

If you have this typical American life, then you should take what I am about to say very seriously "less is more, when more is less!" For some odd reason, this makes sense to me and if it doesn't to you then you will get the gist of it in a few. We all know that more mat time equals better technique right? We also know that jiu-jitsu is based on leverage, and not really strength and speed (although it helps) right? So why in the world do we continue to go in the gym and train at 100%, only to have to take days off because we are burned out????? Let go my ego.

Your goal in jiu-jitsu should be to get your technique solid and that's it. Not to go in the gym and destroy all humans for two hours and then sit at home for two days because your legs and arms feel like noodles and your neck is stuck at 45 degree angle. How will you get better doing that? The solution and best case is to train everyday at 70%. The keyword in there is everyday, because you will be able to do just that. Not only will your technique improve because you are on the mats everyday (remember 10,000 hours), but you are also giving your body a feasible load to recover from. Advice: Training hard does not mean going really fast and abandoning all technique.

The Gist: Training at a lower intensity, consistently will not only make you more resistant to burn outs and fatigue, but also improve your technique.

Don't forget to condition!
Thanks for reading

The Blurple Belt Dilemma

So maybe this won't be every blue/purple belts problem, but it sure as hell is mine....just a little warning before. Lately, I have been having a terrible time with prioritizing and organizing techniques (along with their little details) in my head. After asking a few people and listening to conversations on the subject, I decided to write about "OUR" struggles....the blurple belts, bka blue and purple belts. I find these belts to be the two that make or break a jiu-jitsu practitioner, the two belts where you have either huge gains or huge losses and I think it all boils down to how you organize, prioritize, and utilize the techniques you learn.

So why isn't this everyone's dilemma? Well it could be, but let me tell you why I personally don't think it is. At white belt, you are new to almost everything related to BJJ...concepts, techniques, positions pretty much all blow over your head. Your main goal is just to survive and live another day out on the mats. Your encyclopedia of moves remains limited because you lack the mat time needed to learn more. Now the two belts I know the least about, but this is what I observe. At brown and black belt I feel as though you have gained enough experience (mat time) to pretty much know the gist of many techniques. There are not many brown and black belts that have let me down as far as questions go for various techniques. They are a rolodex of information. They have seen it all, and have perfected their own individual filing system.

At blue and purple you can execute the basics, purple even more than blue...but the issue comes down to choosing which techniques are going to help your personal game, and which ones to use for future reference. At this stage in the belts, the blurple belts should be creating their own game to become a more complete practitioner...but what are you supposed to do with all the shiet you learn??? John Bernard Will a very famous black belt from the "Dirty Dozen", the first 12 non-brazilian black belts said that the first thing you have to do is organize the techniques in two categories, what you will use in your personal game and what you will use as a reference. This may sound obvious, but I can guarantee you that you are probably not thinking this way. To me JBW's strategy involves a little bit of analysis of one's game in order to figure out your strengths as a jitsplayer and where you want to go with your game. Once you do this, then organizing them based on position and preference should become easier.

After that, JBW says to prioritize the moves based on your strengths. If you like to submit from the guard then you should think about your favorite submissions and work from there making those moves sharper adding to them as you get better making your solid go-to into a powerful combination of attacks. I think this is a good time to add that you should be careful not to give in to the "cool factor" of new techniques, because not everything will work for you. New stuff should go in the reference file in your head, and saved for later unless it can be used in your arsenal and can be picked up rather quickly. Sticking to your "bread and butter"personal game will only make the introduction of those "cool" moves easier in the future. Carefully adding techniques over a period of time to your personal game seems to be the best way to not get flustered and frustrated. Thinking of 200 ways to sweep someone in spiderguard will only get you passed, so just stick to the few things you know and get skilled at those. Thanks for reading.

The better the pressure, the easier the finish...

One of the main concepts in Jiu-Jitsu is pressure. Pressure, in my opinion is one of the most effective ways to show superior technique, but can also show that a person has not yet grasped the fundamentals of the art. Jiu-Jitsu is based on controlling your opponent and eventually incapacitate him/her. This cannot be done without the right amount of pressure and positioning. Now when I talk about pressure I don't mean just plopping your fat ass on top of someone. There is a difference between pressure and just being plain ol' heavy from weight and burgers. Applying pressure the right way consists of nothing but technique, mainly because it involves proper angles and placement of your body. To back up that claim, think back to a time when you have rolled with a 170lb guy that made you feel as if you were thrown in a trash compactor, and at the same time think back to when you rolled with a 220lb guy that felt like a beach ball. It is all in the technique.

The great thing about pressure being a technical aspect rather than a physical one is the fact that anyone can apply it. Like in the example previously stated, sometimes the lightest guys feel the heaviest and it is a testament to the sport, anyone can do it! I got a good lesson in pressure from Prof. Carlos a few months back. He was watching me roll with a guy and he noticed that I kept bouncing from position to position never applying pressure and always missing submissions. He told me what he had noticed and suggested that I control my opponent to the point where he is so uncomfortable that he hands me submissions on a silver platter. This made so much sense to me because around that time I couldn't submit a corpse. So I began to work on applying the most amount of pressure I possibly could in each and every position that allowed it. The best compliment I have ever gotten after that day was "Geez man, how much do you weigh???". Lol.

Which brings me to my next point, the thing I love about pressure is that it affects your opponents mental state more than their physical (but in some cases it can affect both equally). It gives off the illusion that you weigh more than you really do, causing your opponent to question his own sanity. "This guy just told me he weighs 175, but he feels like he is 300lbs...am I going bananas?". Pressure gives a feeling of being trapped and helpless, and when we become trapped we begin to revert back to our primal instincts which usually involves flopping around and hoping we will get out. Have you ever thrown a sheet over a dog and held him? They go fuckin nuts!!! The same thing with humans, we go crazy because when good pressure is being applied and your opponent is settled...chances of escape is slim to none and therefore you go in "by any means necessary mode" to escape. I have had black belts ball me up so bad I felt like I was stuffed in a mason jar and thrown in a well. No matter what I tried to do, I was trapped. This is why they say position before submission, because good positioning almost always involves great pressure, and great pressure almost always will get you the finish. Do Work!

ACT

Many people have no idea where they are going, and usually end up somewhere they would not rather be. However, extraordinary people usually know where they are going from day one. Mainly because they live backwards. I know that sounds strange, but let me explain. They create a future for themselves, and live into it doing whatever is necessary to reach their goals. An exercise to help you do this is called ACT:

A-stands for accept your present state. Understand your weaknesses and strengths so that you can improve upon them over time.

C-stands for create your desired state. Close your eyes or sit quietly somewhere for awhile and see yourself exactly the way you want to be. Write down exactly what you see.

T-stands for take the steps to get there. Gather your strengths, weaknesses and dreams together and embark on the journey to your desired future. Set small goals to help you improve in places that need work, and stay in an environment that is conducive to your growth.

"Our lives are composed greatly of dreams, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together."

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."

Thanks for reading, Ciao!

Tweaks

Getting the snot beat out of you on the mats is not fun, but getting said snot beat out of you when you are playing your "game" is even worse. This is the point where I see most people giving up on what they know, due to the frustration of it not being perfect, to adopt something that seems easier but in the end will yield the same results stated earlier. For example, say you have a really good guard game, them Johnny Kimura comes in one day and is passing your guard like Nightcrawler from X-Men, then when he does it he kimuras both of your arms at the same time, while collar choking you with his teeth. You just can't win. He continues to do this all week long until you, fed up with the nonsense, switch to being a guard passer because he makes it look so easy. Bad idea. Now what doesn't make sense about this situation is that you have been perfecting your guard for the last 3 months, and invested about $500 in instructional DVDs, and now since that one guy (or even multiple guys) beat you, you give up on it all together. Never happened to you? Well it has for me, and I seriously tried to become a guard passer for about 3 weeks until I realized that I was being beaten because there were serious flaws in my game. It would have been easier to just run away and start fresh, but would my game improve that way?

Note: The reason I moved on was because I was told by a few higher belts that what I was doing was too advanced, and wouldn't work for me.

So I went back to the drawing board, and started pinpointing the areas that I was having a hard time with. See when you notice little defects, you have to disassemble your game and figure out when you make the most glaring mistakes. Sometimes if those mistakes are not huge, you can make little tweaks here and there. Maybe you just need to drop your hips in side control, or perhaps you abandon submissions too late causing your opponent to escape and get a dominant position, either way little tweaks can go a long way to improving your game. Most of the time it is all you need, while other times may take something extra like, a private with your professor or extra drilling. One thing you have to remember though is that neglecting to fix the problem and moving on to something else is not going to help. Being persistent even when it means getting beat up is the only way you will take your game to the next level. So grab that wrench and tighten up those positions folks!

In case you didn't get the Nightcrawler reference.

Unlocking your potential

Potential is a mystery to us. We often see it exhibited in others, but never seem to realize that we ourselves have it too. We walk on the mats daily and look at Johnny Kimura and say "Golly, I wish I had a kimura like that!", not realizing that we are capable of that same success and our personal potential is limitless. Most of us have dreams to accomplish what seems to be nearly impossible to us. Overwhelmed by the possibilities, we sabotage our own efforts by either not putting in the work or talking ourselves out of achieving our goals altogether. We all cannot be Roger Gracie or Johnny Kimura, but we can become the best version of ourselves through hard work and dedication. Now I don't profess to be a scholar on the subject, I'm just a white belt, but I have had success in unlocking my own potential on the mats with three simple words: Challenge, Risk, and Persistence.

Challenge
I went through a stage where I was scared to go against anyone higher than whitebelt. Then I started to realize that you can't get any better if you remain in your comfort zone. The key to reaching your potential is to push yourself beyond your limits. We can do this by consistently challenging ourselves and overcoming the barriers that hold us back. Once we overcome these barriers, we then understand that we are not as weak as we thought we were, and that epiphany alone is what causes us to reach a new level. Imagine if you are technically sound, but you are lacking in overall fitness. If you allow yourself to continue in that state, you are disconnecting yourself from what you truly want, which leads to acceptance and compromise. You may compromise your cardio, flexibility, strength, and explosiveness causing your game to lack in many areas, but accepting the challenge to eat right and work out may be exactly what you need to surpass your current limitations and unlock your full potential. "Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they are meant to help you discover what is possible."

Risk
As you begin to challenge yourself on the mats (example: rolling with higher belts) you will notice that you will get more and more opportunities to start taking risks. Avoiding risk is the number one way we inhibit our growth. The scariest thing ever to me was getting out of armbars, there are a few escapes from there and most of them consist of the possibility of getting your arm torn off if you attempt the escape, but in order for you to learn the escape...you have to take the risk. I see more people get tapped on the mats because of inaction, than I do from action, and it is all because they don't take risk. If you take the risk, sure you may get tapped, but at least you have something to work with for next time. "Go out on a limb, its where all the fruit are located."

Persistence
You can challenge yourself all day, and risk every limb on your body, but if you are not persistent in your efforts to reach your potential...you never will. A lack of persistence is what keeps people who have all the talent in the world from achieving success and reaching their goals. Persistence equals action, and action equals results. No matter how long it takes you to reach blue belt, if you remain persistent you will eventually get it. It is all about continuous effort, the minute you stop moving towards a goal is the same minute you convince yourself it is not worth it. "The most essential factor is persistence-the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by discouragement."

Do these three things and I promise you that you will start to unlock your true potential. thanks for reading. Ciao!

Magnet Jiu-Jitsu

As of late, jiu-jitsu has not been my number one priority, because I feel like I know enough general concepts, that I don't have to let it run my life...completely, lol. Yet, I can't help but have those nights where I cannot sleep because I have a multitude of ideas streaming through my head like Netflix. Sometimes I can no longer distinguish the difference between my ardor and obsession with BJJ, so I guess I won't try any longer. This morning's thought (that I must free from the asylum I call my mind) is magnet jiu-jitsu.

Over the last couple of weeks I have watched plenty of BJJ matches and noticed that a guy that "orbits" without remaining tight or establishing control first...never passes or maintains position (unless he is fast and athletic, but that only takes you so far). Now I know a lot of you may be wondering, what does he mean by orbit? Well, an orbiter is a guy that may be in contact with his opponent, but transitions very "loosely" and 9 times out of ten loses position. I see these guys chasing their opponent trying to pass looking very heliocentric, or trying to transition from position to position leaving enough space to rent out. This used to be me.

Now to help explain the concept that I had brewing in my mind, I am going to metaphorically use the magnet. Sure I could have used tape, glu-jitsu, or some other sticky material; but I like magnet, and you will see why in a minute. As we all know a magnet is an object that possesses the properties that allows it to attract to another object. What we also know about magnets, just by going to our refrigerator is that unlike glue and such, it can still move while in contact with the object. This movement is important in BJJ, because it you were glued to your opponent not only would it be messy but you wouldn't move.

Now unlike the orbiter, the magnet will not lose "close" contact with his opponent. The magnet will also ensure that every body part that is near his opponent remains tight, so tight that even the strongest (fastest or most flexible) of adversaries won't be able to relieve themselves of this force or pressure. When you are playing magnet jiu-jitsu your transitions from position to position can still be explosive, but the contact cannot change. For instance, if you are passing the guard your goal is to turn your opponent into a paraplegic (not literally, please). Due to your close proximity and overwhelmingly magnet-like tightness, your opponent is now dead in the water, and you can have your way with him. If you orbit with your arms all lose, with the base of a newborn calf...you will get swept or submitted.

As a magnet you use everything you can to stay close to your opponent. Has anyone ever used their head and shoulder to pin an arm you were trying to armbar? Magnet! Has anyone ever scooped both legs and flattened them out with your chest to pass? Maggggnneeeeeeeet! Almost every position in jiu-jitsu can be applied to this concept, yet we see so many people who can't apply the pressure from any position. Everything can be used, the more used the more effective you will be at it. Remember always stay tight and control your opponent...be that weirdo in the gym that seems like he's hugging everyone while rolling. It will work. Below is a perfect example of Magnet jiu-jitsu...Sebastian gives this guy 0 space.

BJJ in concepts

This picture pretty much explains it all. It also does a good job of conveying how I felt a couple of months ago. I was learning too much jiu-jitsu! I know some of you are saying, how on earth could you possibly learn too much jiu-jitsu...isn't that a good thing? At first I thought it was, I came to every class and tried to retain everything I saw.Despite my excellent memory, I still became overwhelmed. Eventually, I started to use a technique that would combat this problem and as a result I have watched my jiu-jitsu advance over a matter of weeks. Hell, it would even be safe to say that everyday I make drastic improvements, because of all the little adjustments I make are not based on one single technique.

Which brings me to the approach I have taken towards my jiu-jitsu that has not only helped me improve but saved me alot of time and effort. I think about jiu-jitsu in broad concepts. I started applying this technique first in math class. As you all don't know, lol, I am an idiot when it comes to math. Not only does it take me longer to understand things, but I have a hard time retaining the information. In my Algebra class at school I was doing bad in the beginning of the quarter, I was making 70's on tests and then couldn't remember the math just a week later. It was frustrating. I had to do something quick. The more I thought about the math, the more confused I got, because I was just trying to remember every chapter and every rule in the book.

Then one day it hit me, which this probably hits a 9th grade algebra student immediately, but not me. If you do not understand one concept in math, it will be hard for you to understand the harder material. I began to look back in the beginning chapters and really paid attention to the roots of Algebra...like terms, distributing, getting the variable by itself, etc etc. In a matter of a week my grades rose dramatically in homework assignments and tests. I was on to something. Immediately, I took my idea to the mats and began to figure out the roots of jiu-jitsu. I looked at sweep mechanics, the idea of a choke and arm locks, guard passing fundamentals, etc and instantly saw improvements in my rolls. I was taking the very basic techniques, and since I thought of them as broad concepts, was able to retain more moves without really knowing moves. Weird.

Think of it this way. In the beginning you learn basic arm bars from mount and closed guard, but I guarantee you there are 1,000 ways to get an armbar. Lately, I have been getting arm bars from the oddest places. The same goes for chokes, kimuras, sweeps, guard, leg locks, all positions and submissions pretty much. I see other white belts struggling in class just to get to a position they know, when I see 5 other things they could do to get there. Like my professor always tells me "There is always another way.". This is why jiu-jitsu always evolves because the elite think this way, they have to. There are specific moves that can be done in jiu-jitsu, but they will only get you so far. It is more important to learn the concept of something first, then you can be ready for anything.

"An arm only has to be bent a certain way, to get the tap. Where your body is really doesn't matter."

How to practice to get better and preventing plateus, Part 1

From my recent research and study I have come to the conclusion, that majority of jiu-jitsu practitioners do not practice correctly. Let me explain. The definition of practice is a systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency. The key word being systematic. Drilling is practice. Specifics is practice. Rolling could be practice, but most of the time is not! Now I know what you're saying...he has lost it, but keep reading.

The first thing we have to look at is, is our "practice" specifically designed to improve performance? Lets take a look at the class structure. Every day there is usually a fundamentals or advanced class specifically designed by the professor. During this segment of the class he/she presents a move, demonstrates it, then instructs the class to drill it. The keyword in the question is designed. The professor has designed this program, and when you are drilling the move he/she walks around and tells you what you are doing wrong. You cannot see yourself while rolling, the person you are rolling with cannot see you...and 9 times out of 10 nobody else can see you because they are also rolling.

The number 1 comment I receive after rolling with a higher belt is, you're moving really well. Rolling does not provide you with in depth analysis of your weaknesses especially at the lower levels. It is unrealistic to say that you can honestly make a clear assessment of your performance on a daily basis...and if you could, at this level you would not be able to design the best practice activity for that moment in your development.

Question: How many times have you been able to remember what you did wrong after a roll?

Practice is meant to stretch you beyond your current abilities and with the right tools and methods, development will steadily rise and go beyond what you thought was your peak. As obvious as that may sound, most of us do not practice this way...including me. We get on the mats after fundamentals class and we spar, using the same stale game...wondering why we haven't gotten any better. Remaining at the level of performance we reached months ago, and for some of you...years!

Deliberate practice first requires the individual to pin point his weakness, then work intently on them. This in our sport is called specifics. A good method to use before starting your specific training would be to draw three circles; labeling each comfort zone (middle), learning zone (outer), and panic zone (outer). In each circle write where you feel comfortable at, in the learning zone what you can improve, and in the panic zone where you feel the worst at. The learning zone is in your control...here you can put yourself in these positions and figure out ways to remove yourself from them. You should force yourself to stay in this zone continually till a light bulb goes of or you say Eureka! The comfort zone should be avoided completely, and the panic zone should be saved for privates or when your professor has time to work with you on these things.

When we practice, what is the number one thing we are trying to accomplish? Becoming proficient in BJJ, right? So in order to become proficient what do we have to do...rinse? No. Wash? No. Repeat? Yea man! But most of us really don't get exactly what repetition is, and it ends up wasting time and being highly ineffective. Take the example I used earlier. You drive your car everyday, up and down the highway...you zoom, you brake, you even hit corners hella fast just to scare your girlfriend. But does that mean you're ready to go qualify for the Indy 500? Hell no. Same thing applies to jiu-jitsu. Majority of the time when we do roll we are only working on what we normally do day in and day out. Very rarely are you repeating any technique at high volumes and very rarely are you focused on doing anything in particular other than rolling. Yes you are repeating this activity, but it is not the repetition you need in order to be successful.

The number one gripe I hear with new white belts and even some blues is that they aren't getting better. When I hear this I ask a few questions to help them figure out what the problem is. The questions I ask are; are you asking questions and are you asking people to watch your rolls or technique? If the answer is no, I say there lies your problem. There is a famous quote that says "practicing without feedback is like bowling through a curtain that hangs downs to knee level". You can work on technique all you like, but if you can't see the effects...you won't get any better. You can only rely on yourself for so long in jiu-jitsu. One day you will either get tired of sucking or you will open your mouth. The feedback from teachers and higher belts is just as important as repetition of technique. At some point in time you will need a sharp eye to help you identify the most minute detail in your technique. On some things you might be able to lift the curtain and see all the pins fall, but most of the time you will sit wondering why you never get a strike...and the answer is often times sitting right next to you.

What makes jiu-jitsu so fun is that we think the practice aspect of it is fun. Everyone looks at rolling and sparring as practice, but the way we do it makes it just plain ol' fun. Swimming is fun until you have to swim laps. Basketball is fun until you have to shoot 100 jump shots. Jiu-Jitsu is fun until you have to drill arm bars. See where I am going. Doing things we know how to do well is enjoyable. Practice is not inherently fun, it is doing the most painful and difficult task imaginable and repeating it over and over and over again...until it becomes fun. Then you move on. So a rule of thumb is, if you're having fun on the mats, you need to be doing something else.

Part 2 will be available after the Revolution this weekend....

ATS: Aggression, Technique, Strength, and the role they play

So I wanted to go over a little of what I noticed while at the tournament and expound on some new found philosophies I learned and thought of while down there. One of the great things about tournaments is that your mind is 100% on jiu-jitsu all the time, so you get plenty of time to think on technique and theory. One thing that I had to wrap my head around was aggression. I have this problem that I have always had since I could talk...speaking too early about a subject. The particular subject that I spoke to early on was whether or not it was a good thing to use aggression or not while in competition. Me and mighty mouse had this conversation, and I stated that aggression in competition hinders your technique and ability to think. Now to save myself from a little embarrassment, I only said this because of the negative connotation we as jiu-jitsu practitioners associate with the word aggressive. Also known as aggro, crazy, newbie behavior, or my personal favorite spaz. But upon watching the tournament I observed and documented that the most successful competitors from white belt to black, were the git r done aggressive types, and the docile ones usually lost their first match. Now with any observation you have to understand what you are observing, so let's start by defining exactly what it means to be aggressive.

Aggressive-Characterized by or tending toward unprovoked offensives, attacks, invasions, or the like; militantly forward or menacing. Making an all-out effort to win or succeed; competitive. Vigorously energetic, esp. in the use of initiative and forcefulness: an aggressive salesperson. Boldly assertive and forward; pushy.

By actually breaking down the word aggressive we see that there is nothing negative about it at all, in fact, when watching other competitive sports one can see that pushovers and pussy-footers do not succeed. So why is aggressive behavior looked down upon in jiu-jitsu? The answer lies in timing. We all know that when we are training in the gym we are normally operating on 7.5, but there are some who operate on 10 all the time. They are a bull and your gi is bright red!! When these people get a hold of you they let you have it every time, and maybe you walk away with a sore arm or a bump on the forehead. Fears of getting hurt or whatever start to sink in and all of a sudden you label that person as aggro (we all have done it). This to most people is the wrong time to be aggressive. They feel that the gym is a safe haven and that technique should only be practiced there. But, how can you be aggressive in competition if you never practice it in the gym? You can't. So therefore you have to practice control, hope you don't hurt anyone, and be aggressive...be, be aggressive!

Moving on. So we know now that in order to be a success you have to be aggressive in competition. This is proven because aggression is rewarded with advantage points, and those little puppies sometimes will win you the fight. This does not mean abandoning technique, but being technical in a very "aggressive manner". When you have strong technique, you are confident in your movements and you have practiced them so much that they are ingrained in your mind. Meaning you can turn it up anytime. You push the pace in a fight, get YOUR grips...YOUR take down...YOUR position...YOUR submission. Not the other way around! You also have to be able to react to your opponents attacks and counter it with something of your own. THIS CAN NOT BE DEVELOPED ANYWHERE ELSE, BUT THE CLASSROOM. Granted, you can't train at this level everyday, but you have to take it to that level every once in awhile!!!

Your opponent should be constantly overwhelmed with technique after technique, until eventually he breaks. This is why I believe wrestlers have a competitive advantage for the first couple of belts. They are already equipped with aggression, the type of aggression that keeps on going until the person breaks. They have a solid base, and a tight smashing game that does not yield to any obstacle. Remember aggression is not always about speed, but advancement without giving up. In war when they stormed the trenches, they did not turn back when one man was shot...they kept going till they arrived at the trench, then they went berserk.

Going to the US Open and talking to Sly today really opened my eyes to aggression and what it actually is, rather than what I hear from people who just aren't naturally aggressive. He was talking about how technique and aggression go hand in hand, and if you are low in one, it eventually catches up to the other. I did a series of graphs below to represent just exactly what I think that means.




Here at the fresh off the street white belt up to 4 stripe level, you know very little technique, in fact the graph is based on a white belt that knows a little. The technique can be anywhere between 10% and 20%, and strength would increase/decrease accordingly. Because of the limited technique, you have to use mainly aggression and strength. This is the time where you are at your most primal state because technique is out of the picture and you are just trying to pound your way through a boulder with no pick axe. What is good about this level is the aggression, and if it wasn't so taboo to be aggressive in majority of gyms, you would be already ahead of the pack. Instead, you get told to calm down and quit being such a spaz, or you hear through the grapevine that nobody wants to roll with you anymore. Be careful, but keep doing what you do!



At this level, mainly high level blues, purples, and browns I saw a lowering of aggression. I observed that they were a little more indecisive, which came off as timid that was not really seen at the white belt level. Most of them were playing it safe using a lot of guard and slow paced movements applying pressure when needed. The aggression went down, and some were even on turtle (lower than 35%). The good thing about this level is that strength lowered and technique went up, which allowed these belts to be a lot more energy efficient and effective. I noticed a lot of advanced guard, guard passes, and much more flowing fluid movement. Explosiveness was only used when it was absolutely necessary, sometimes not at all. But the one thing I noticed, just like with the white belts, the most aggro competitor won his matches. I think the lowered aggression has a lot to do with the amount of choices at your disposal as a colored belt. Yet, I can't help but wish that these guys put it on the line a little bit more.



Finally, at the black belt level things became more interesting. Aggression seemed to match technique, and strength was "rarely" used. It seemed like a white belt match all over again with more options and 90% more polish. These guys moved so fluidly it was like watching dolphins swim, lol. Every move had a purpose. One minute you have two guys staring each other down, the next you have a 5 minute long scramble of just counter after counter after counter. These are not two guys that look like they want to make out, these are two people that want their arm raised at the end of the fight. They fight like they have a reason to be fighting. You can see the years of hard work, dedication, and conditioning right there in those 10 minutes. Strength is useless when two people know how to do everything perfectly. Only thing that will save you is yourself. How you push the pace of the fight and your technique.

This should be what goes through everyone's head when they step on the mat either in the academy or in competition. Aggression matched with technique is what wins matches. Technique will not get you there if you have no heart and you are unwilling (or can't) put pressure on your opponent. Strength will not get you there if you have no technique or aggression to back it up. In closing, the theory of the day is aggression and technique must be closely matched in order to be successful in jiu-jitsu. Ciao!

*Note graphs are from an analysis of male competitors.

Your BJJ Catalog

I think I can speak for many white belts when I say that majority of us only come to class to spar afterward. In fact I think that many people, with the exception of newer white belts, only come for this very reason also. I have done about 60 or 70 classes so far in my BJJ life, and I can tell you that I only use about 0.5% of all the techniques that I have learned. The reason being is, there is no humanly way possible (unless you were the BJJ rainman) that you could remember all of that. Trying to process that much information, IMO, can lead to a really sloppy game. Here's an example: I'm sure many of you have been in a library, and I'm sure we all have asked for help once or twice. But never have I met a librarian that knew where every single book was located and could give you a basic summary of them all, along with a few memorable quotes. What I have seen is a librarian that knew the general vicinity of the book based on genre, and I bet she could tell you where her favorite books were located. You have to take that same approach to BJJ...you're not gonna learn every move, its impossible. You have to learn to catalog techniques and build your game off of what works for you. If you spent all your time trying to learn where every "book" is you would go nuts and probably quit jiu-jitsu. I think as white belts when we are first starting out, we can't expect to be well-rounded...what the fuck does that even mean as white belt??? We have to focus on the more manageable aspects of jiu-jitsu first and build from there. Learning to catalog techniques for later use (or no use) is important in this sport. Stay in one section of your library at a time, once you master one area...then move on to the next. I hope you guys enjoyed my rambling. Ciao!

Is BJJ instinctual?

For some, I believe it is. I mean how else can you explain the different calibers in the jiu-jitsu world? Mat time? I doubt it. In the wild when an animal is just a baby there are two things that contribute to their survival...instinct and learned behaviors. For example, the Proboscis Monkey is born a proficient swimmer, but must learn how to swim across a crocodile infested river for its survival (i'm guessing fast, lol). So now I guess you're wondering, why the hell is this guy talking about monkeys? I'll tell you. I think the same theory can be applied to jiu-jitsu. Physical tools aside, some people are just made for the sport. I'm not saying that person can come in any gym and submit a black belt, but that person will be able to grasp the game better than the average student. The rest is learned behaviors (the techniques) that will allow him to progress. Some one once told me that, "everyone can't be good at jiu-jitsu". I believe this to be true, just like everyone can't be good at basketball. This is not a bad thing, as everyone should be able to enjoy the sport, but it still doesn't change the fact that for some people it just comes naturally and others it doesn't. I don't know if I proved anything, but I just wanted to bring up the point because it could be an interesting conversation at your gym...ciao!

Are you developing a solid game?

As a white belt, you tend to look at things a little one-sided...even your own skill. So for awhile I was observing people while they roll and was wondering to myself, why hasn't so and so been promoted? I mean, they look like they could be a higher belt. As I began understanding the art a little more my eye changed, I started noticing that what I was seeing was a proficiency in one area, and a weakness in another...for example, a blue belt with high level submissions, but a guard game that was seriously lacking. I then realized why I thought the person was so much better, they had a one-sided game that they always defaulted too. This led to an immediate change in my game, because what I was noticing was "bad habits" and a slight "ego". Rather than resort to my comfy zone, I realized that I need to experiment and practice all facets of jiu jitsu even if I get passed and tapped every time. I feel that in order to properly represent my school and belt color, all my skills need to match my rank. I find that having this awareness of your skill initially is important if you ever want to evolve your jiu jitsu. Developing good solid habits, I believe, is the key to developing a good solid (balanced) Jiu-Jitsu game. Ciao!