Every man for himself?

Most people will admit that they start jiu-jitsu out of self-interest (they need to lose weight, want to protect themselves, find something new to do). This is not a bad thing, as most of us walk in the gym with no technical know how and lack solid relationships with our teammates. However, as time goes on the gym begins to sort itself out and you start to see individuals who are skilled, but have no interest in helping their fellow teammates.

In my time on the mats, I have realized that jiu-jitsu is a collective effort, and that the responsibility to raise the technical level of the gym is not just up to the instructor, but up to everyone with even an inkling of knowledge. Now this can somehow be hindered by egotistical individuals who feel as if you need to be training for 30 yrs to be able to teach someone, but that is another post. In my opinion, everyone has something to give in the gym, and just handing out ass whippings for free every day/night does not count.

If you really think about it, nobody is in the gym trying to get worse at jiu-jitsu. We all want to be technically solid, or else we would not be training. Yet, what most people don't realize is that iron sharpens iron (not really, but you get it). A lot of us complain about how our gyms are this and that, but we are the main reason why. It is impossible to get better at jiu-jitsu without the help of someone else and how you interact with your training partners can ultimately determine your skill level in the end.

I have seen good guys/gals who have the potential to be world champions, but their selfishness and inability to help others keeps them from developing and growing. It's simple: The more you give, the better you will get because everyone around you will benefit. You may be able to get away with the "every man for himself" attitude for a little bit, but eventually it will come back to bite you.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

Thanks for reading, 

Jei 

http://www.facebook.com/JourneyBJJ

Abandoned.

After several months of drilling, you are finally ready to unleash the pain on your fellow rollers. You come to school smiling because you know you have a money sweep that is going to finally have everyone asking, "do you teach privates?" You're in the changing room tying your belt extra tight, making sure your gi is crisp. You can barely sit through class, biting your nails and picking at your toes...waiting for your professor to finally say its time for sparring.

Finally, class ends and you are paired with your nemesis, Charlie Chokem, the sick purple belt that kills you all the time. Game time. You slap hands, get to your move...then WHAM! Charlie down. This happens for a whole month and you are on cloud nine. You have managed to sweep everyone and their mama, and you even got a few submissions off of it to. Can't tell you nuttin.

Few months later...not only is Charlie countering your guard, but so is everyone within a 10 mile radius. Frustrated and heartbroken, you do what many of us do when the fish ain't biting, you pack up the rods and tackle...and leave.

This is a huge mistake that we all have made at least once in our jiu-jitsu lifetime. Rather than adapt and figure out new ways to counter the counters, we just up and give up; abandoning a possible money move, for something new. Back to the drawing board.

Let's take a deeper look into that by using one example from Lloyd Irvin.

In one of Lloyd's old email newsletters he stated that one day while hanging out at his instructors house he had the privilege to watch some old competition footage. In the videos he recognized some top level competitors at the time, not only by their faces but also their games. The only thing though, the tapes were old, so old that most of top level guys were blue belts still. After watching about 20 or so of these tapes Lloyd came to the conclusion that these guys had the same games as blue belts that they have at black belt.These were not just natural jiu-jitsu savants, magically coming up with moves on the spot; they had been developing their games ever since they were snot nosed rascals.

So what does this have to do with us?

A lot. Allowing yourself to abandon a technique that has been proven, and moving on to the next move is MURDER! You are literally killing your game and in 6 yrs, you will pay heavily for it when you realize that you are a jack of all trades, master of none.

Why is a blue belt who has only been training for two years telling you this? 

Because for some of us, like me, there is still hope. That sweep you stopped using two weeks ago...the one you shelved in the back of your mind, get it back out and start experimenting and making it better. Patience is a virtue. Good things come to those who wait. He that can have patience, can have what he will. Patience and fortitude can conquer all things. See where I am going?

There is a reason why you chose that sweep or position, because it works for you. Just because it does not work in school, does not mean it won't work in a tournament or on someone who doesn't know you from Adam. Take the time to develop your bread and butter, don't let ego get in the way of your growth! Lloyd said to let the move take you to black belt level, in that time period who knows how much you can do! Your dinky little de la riva hook, could blossom into the new Reverse Pterodactyl guard...

Bruce Lee once said "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but the man that has practiced one kick 10,000 times" Truer words have never been spoken. Jei, out.

Ask A Champ: Jonathan Thomas

The Stats

Age: 25

Belt: Brown

Weight class: Feather

Length of training time: 8 Years

From: St. Louis

Nicknames: Macarrao (macaroni in Portuguese)

Affiliation: Alliance

Sponsors:   Ground Control Fight Gear, Gorilla StrengthResistance Bands

2011

IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Champion Brown Belt Feather

IBJJF Mundials Champion Brown Belt Feather

2009

IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Champion Purple Belt Feather

IBJJF World Championships Champion Purple Belt Feather

2007

IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Champion Blue Belt Feather

Journey Jiu-Jitsu: At what age did you start training Jiu-Jitsu? 

Jon Thomas: 17.

JJJ: Initially, how did your family and friends react to you training? Do they support you? 

JT: My family was cool with me starting jiu-jitsu.  They were less excited when I decided to quit my job to move to Atlanta and train full time.  Now that I am doing well with seminars and privates I think they see it more as a possible real profession when I open a gym one day.

JJJ: How did you first take to training? Explain some of the initial highs or lows you had? 

JT: I started in St. Louis with Rodrigo Vaghi, I trained there from 2004 until 2008, I learned all my basics and a lot of what I have accomplished today is from my time training there.  The strong basics I developed there laid a very strong foundation for me to build the rest of my game on.  

JJJ: Why did you make the switch?

JT: Once I had decided that I wanted to do jiu-jitsu full time and eventually compete at black belt one day, I started watching a lot of competition videos and saw a lot of the top level competitors using spider guard, x guard, etc and more advanced positions. I decided that I needed to have more exposure to some of the top level competitors who play these kinds of positions.  I found out Cobrinha and Jacare were in Atlanta, so I moved there. I saved up money for a year so I could train full time for 8 months and prepare for the 2009 Pans and Worlds, which I eventually went on to close out with Michel Langhi.

JJJ: How has Jiu-Jitsu changed you as a person?

JT: It has definitely changed me tremendously, when I started I was kind of a shy math nerd; I never exercised and all I did was play video games, (laughs).  After I started doing jiu-jitsu the crowd I was hanging around lead me to start going out more and making tons of friends, and now I am probably one of the most outgoing people you will ever meet.  I feel like I am very in tune now with what makes me have a happy life; diet, exercise, good friends, relationships, and goals.  You have to have balance.

JJJ: What do you feel is your strongest position and favorite submission? What have you struggled with? 

JT: Definitely the strongest trait in my game is my re-positioning.  A lot of people are concerned with their offense and want to work all the new fancy moves, but if you don’t have good re-positioning in your guard then none of that will matter.  When you compete and you have 4 or 5 matches at some point someone is going to get past your legs and try to finish a pass if you don’t have good re-positioning then you will give up the pass and you can’t afford that.  I would say my passing has always been weaker than my guard game since I spend most of my time developing my guard.  Guard is so important if you don’t come from a strong wrestling background, you can have the best top game in the world but if you can’t sweep the guy or get a take down then you will never get there.

JJJ: How did you improve your repositioning?

JT: Side control escapes. Developing a very good side control escape is one of the best ways to develop your re-positioning.

If you are very good at escaping side control then it is hard for someone to put you there in the first place.

JJJ: What positions are you working on now?

JT: I have been working a lot on my passing in general. I feel like my passing has come a long way in the past year. I really look forward to showing off my guard passing at this year’s Pans and Mundials.

JJJ: When did you first compete? Were you one of those guys that won at every belt level or did you go through a “suck” period? Looking back, do you ever cringe at the thought of your older competitions?

JT: I took to competition fairly well.

JJJ: A lot of people say that schools matter when it comes to competing. Do you think that it matters what school you attend, and why?  

JT: I came from a smaller gym in St. Louis. I won the Pan Ams at blue belt before I moved to Alliance.  I think if you train very smart you can become a world champion level athlete up to the brown belt level training anywhere.  I think it is easier if you train at a top gym.  However if you are trying to be a black belt world champion I do think you will eventually need to train with other top level athletes.  You need feedback that you can only get from sparring with world class competitors everyday.

JJJ: You hear a lot of elite fighters speaking about training 3-4 times a day, eating clean, and avoiding many other vices. How true is this for you? 

JT: You definitely need to train a lot that is for sure.  I hear a lot of people talk about training 4 times a day, I think this can be misleading.  When you train there are two things you are trying to develop physical attributes and technical attributes.  When you are trying to increase fitness levels such as strength, explosiveness, muscle endurance, or cardio you have to be intelligent about how you train.  When you work out your are breaking your muscles down, and the most important  thing for progress is allowing them to recover.  If you go to the gym and kill your body all day everyday then you sacrifice strength gains and can make your body worse off.  You have to train a reasonable amount while still allowing time for recovery and progress physically.  However some people who are very gifted or use performance enhancers can still make gains while training like this but they are the exception, not the rule.

Training technique is a different story.  You can train technically as much as you want there is no physical limit on that.  I train 3-4 times a day, but that means I do strength training once, sparring at the gym once, another session where I do light technical training to develop technique, and one more session where I do Positional Sparring  and drills to solidify stuff into my game.  So yes I train 4 times a day, but I am not killing my body all day everyday.  

JJJ: I have been hearing a lot about this thing called drilling and positional sparring. A lot of top guys live by it, and attribute most of their competition success to it. What is your take on drilling, and what is your preferred method?

JT: I have a slightly different view on drilling from a lot of people.  I prefer positional sparring over drilling.  The problem I see with drills is that people learn a move and start drilling it hundreds of times, the problem is that they have never used it in sparring so they don't really understand how the move works when someone is resisting.  When someone drills something 100 times and one detail is off they are strengthening bad technique.  The first time they try it while sparring they realize it is completely different from how they imagined the move to work.

The reason people drill is because they are trying to improve their pattern recognition.  Pattern recognition is your mind/body’s ability to respond to an action with out thought, automatically.  I prefer positional sparring to develop pattern recognition over drills.  

When I am learning a new move i will drill it 2 or 3 times to make sure i have the general idea of the technique.  The next thing I do is I tell my partner to resist the technique as hard as he can when I try to use it.  Usually the move wont work after this, then we will discuss what happened and keep tweaking the move until all the details are correct and it works.  After I can perform the move with resistance then I will start drilling it.  The other time I like to do drills is when I get closer to a tournament I will start drilling all the moves that are already in my game to keep them sharp and make sure they are fresh in my arsenal.

JJJ: How do you think the 10k hour rule relates to jiu-jitsu? Do you really put in time on this level?

JT: I definitely put in a lot of time, but I see some flaws with the 10k hour rule.  If you don’t train smart then 10k hours can be as useful as someone else training 4k hours.  You have to train smart, that is the most under valued aspect of training.  If I am doing intelligent positional training in specific positions I can learn in 10 hours of training what would take someone else literally a year sometimes.  

JJJ: Endurance is important in competition. What conditioning advice would you give to the up and coming world champion?

JT: I only recently started focusing on physical training and strength training before that all I did was train jiu-jitsu a lot.  I would say at the top level being very strong is important, but for the average white/blue/purple belt coming up strength isn’t as important.  The most important thing for the average white, blue, purple belts coming up is grip endurance, cardio, and good technique.

JJJ: One thing that makes jiu-jitsu unique from a lot of other sports is extreme effort takes you a long way and physical attributes seem to not matter so much. Do you agree with this, and just how hard did you work to get where you are today? 

JT: I agree hard work is incredibly important, but so is smart work.  Someone can kill themselves training all day every day, but if they go into competition and gets put in a new position and they have no idea what to do, then they are in serious trouble.  I would say its hard work done smart.

I worked very hard, but my work ethic is different than a lot of other people.  There has been many times I missed class to watch competition footage and positional spar at a friends house.  I think this kind of training is important it keeps you engaged and sometimes you learn an unbelievable amount.

JJJ: There is little monetary reward for competitors in BJJ, what keeps you motivated to keep going day after day?

JT: One day I am going to open a gym, so I know there will be some monetary reward at the end.  Right now I make my living with privates and seminars.  My main driving passion is my jiu-jitsu right now, I love growing my game and I love seeing things come together.  I want to be able to compete with the top guys in the world and win.  I want to make a game so technical and smooth that it inspires people to improve their own game.  I look at jiu-jitsu like an art, my game is my music or my sculpture and I am trying to perfect it into something that I am proud of and people would want to learn.

JJJ: A lot of times in Jiu-Jitsu, you never get any pure BJJ guys, especially those that are winning! Have you trained any other martial arts or sports, and if so how have they helped you?

JT: I actually started in Judo, although I never use any Judo when I compete, lol.  I think one thing I gained from Judo was my guard actually.  In Judo you can lose by pin, so a lot of my training in Judo I focused on escaping pins or side control.  I think in the beginning this laid the framework for my repositioning to become what it is now.

JJJ: Do you think it is imperative for anyone serious about training BJJ to compete?

JT: I would suggest anyone who does jiu-jitsu to compete at least once.  If you have never had to perform while having an adrenaline rush, it is a completely different experience and I think is beneficial for both street situations and in the gym.  I think it also helps build confidence in people.

JJJ: What do you feel is the most important attribute to take with you into a competition?

JT: Being calm is very important for me, I don’t go for the whole kill your enemy mindset stuff.  I really just go out there and I act like its a match in the gym with a friend.  I tell my self if I lose its no big deal its just a competition it doesn’t change how good I actually am, anyone can slip up during a match.  This mindset always takes pressure off me, of course I still try to win but I just try not to make it everything.

JJJ: One of the biggest things in competition is energy efficiency/conservation. You seem to make every move count. How does one train to be more minimal in their movements?

JT: I see a lot of people worried last second about some sort of strategy or some new move they need to beat the guy.  When competition day comes your game is what it is, the way you train and spar in the gym is how you will do in competition.  I would say the main thing to have confidence when you compete is to believe in your own skill and technique.  If you train properly and you are the most technical guy in the division it will show when you compete.  

JJJ: What made you start competing in the first place? How much of a priority is it in your life?

JT: My original instructor pushed me to go compete and I just did what he said because he was my instructor.  After I won my first competition I just kept going.  I remember one of the guys at my gym Joe Modica said “Jon you could be a world champion one day, I’m not saying you will, but you have the potential.”  For some reason that stuck in my head and I just kept believing that and trained hard to try to meet my true potential.

JJJ: Would you say you were obsessed with jiu-jitsu in the beginning?

JT: Yes, I would watch competition video all the time.  I still do to this day.  If you don’t watch a lot of competition video you need to, it is one of the most important things you can do to help you game. You learn moves by watching, but also your mind just seems to start understanding jiu-jitsu in general.  If you really want to get good at jiu-jitsu then you have to be passionate about it, you can’t just leave it at the gym.

JJJ: What matches have been significant in your career? Which ones did you learn the most from?

JT: I would say winning the Pan Ams at blue belt, it was the first big competition I ever won.  It gave me a lot of confidence and helped me make the decision to keep pursuing my passion.

JJJ: What are you thinking the moment before you step on the mat in your first match and your finals match?

A lot of times I just clear my mind and think about nothing all the way until the match starts.  A lot of guys I think stress out to much about what they are going to do and over analyze things, you are as good as you are you can’t change anything 5 hours before the match so stop over analyzing it.

JT: Sometimes during the finals or a significant match at Worlds or Pans I will try to take in the moment look at all the spectators and everything I see and kind of appreciate the moment.  I think big moments like that are rare and I like to really take them in, sometimes the most stressful things you do are also the best moments in your life.

JJJ: I watched a few matches of yours where at one point you were talking to your coaches about an advantage, and also actively listening to their suggestions. How did you develop such a calm demeanor? Was there a time when you were a shivering mess before competition?

JT: My first competition ever was a Judo competition when I was 14 or 15, the day I was suppose to compete I faked being sick to get out of it.  I remember feeling guilty after ducking out of the tournament so the next tournament I had a chance to do I did it.  I lost my first match by throw and my opponent scored the throw of the day award (laughs).  Then i did my first jiu-jitsu competition, my goal was don’t get submitted, I ended up submitting everyone I fought in 6 matches.  Once I started believing in my technique and re-positioning in general, it took a lot of the fear away.  If you train smarter and harder than all of your opponents you shouldn’t have a lot to worry about.

JJJ: For lack of better words, your guard game is bananas! When did you first realize you were a guard player? 

JT: I guess I realized my guard was good after I won the Pans at blue belt.  I didn’t really know how I would do with guys from top gyms until that tournament.  After that tournament I realized even a lot of top competitors had a hard time passing my guard that when I really started getting a lot of confidence.

JJJ: If you only could tell a student how to improve their guard and guard passing in two sentences, what would you say?

JT: Re-positioning is the most important thing for your guard period.  it doesn’t matter how good your spider, de la riva, closed, etc is someone will do something crazy and get around your legs at some point, and if you don’t have good re-positioning then they will pass.

Understand guard first, once you understand your guard it is a lot easier to start learning to pass.

JJJ: What formula would you give to anyone wanting to place at a major competition?

JT: You have to develop a very smart training schedule.  You can’t just go to the gym during normal class and expect your game to magically come together you have to put thought into it.  You need all these things in your schedule; Positional Sparring, Watching Videos (Competition Footage), Take notes after you spar to analyze, time at gym for regular sparring with different guys, and training trips if you can afford it.

JJJ: A new year has started, meaning a new year of grappling competition will commence. What are your goals for this year and what tournaments do you plan to compete in?

JT: My main goal is to start bridging the gap between me and the top level guys.  I am going to compete in Pans and Worlds again this year, but my real main goal is getting my skill level up to where it needs to be.  I really want to evolve my game and keep taking it to the next level.

JJJ: Alliance has continued to be a force to be reckoned with year after year. What do you think makes Alliance so successful?

JT: Jacare is so passionate about jiu-jitsu it rubs off on everyone.  He is still at every class, most people lose passion for things, but even after decades of training and leading Alliance he is just as passionate as the first day he started.

The group of people we train with every day is so high level it pushes everyone to evolve to keep their self competitive.

JJJ: You have some of the best instructors in the world today. What have you taken from the likes of legendary teachers like Jacare, Fabio, and Cobrinha? How do you incorporate their teachings into your daily life and training routine?

JT: Its great having these guys around because they have seen it all before.  When ever you are having a hard time taking your game to the next level it’s good to have people with so much experience give you insight from their own experience or any of the other great competitors that have come out of Alliance in the past.

JJJ: With the advent of more and more Americans on the podium at white-brown, how long do you think it will take before Americans start winning at the black belt level at the majors? 

JT: I think you will start to see it happen more and more, but we still have a long way to go.  The guys in Brazil are always one step a head we are always playing catch up on the techniques they are working.  With a lot of top guys coming to the States like Cobrinha, Marcelo Garcia, Michael Langhi, or Lucas Lepri we will probably start seeing higher level Americans.

JJJ: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

JT: Owning  my own jiu-jitsu gym, still training and trying to improve my jiu-jitsu and evolve.  I also would like to be able to take more time to enjoy other things like rock climbing, traveling, just relaxing with friends and family really.  I train so much now I don’t have time for other things that are also very important.

 JJJ: Who is your biggest inspiration?

JT: I don’t have one person in particular, but  I am inspired by people who pursue their own goals and follow their passion.  I like it when people have the courage to do what they believe in whether or not anyone else agrees with them.  

JJJ: What do you do for fun besides train?

JT: Rockclimbing, Chess, Video Games( Skyrim, Age of Empires 2 The Conquerors, Black Ops Zombies)

JJJ: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

JT: I guess teleporting could come in handy.  Fast travel and easy to rob banks.

JJJ: Top 5 places you want to visit in the world!?

JT: UK, Japan, Hong Kong, Spain, Brazil

A little birdie...

So lately I have been doing a lot of drilling and positional sparring. In the process of all this training, I have realized that in order for these techniques to work...the smallest details have to be perfect! Sadly, they are the first thing that go out the window when I am sparring.

Why is this?

Most of us train quite a bit during the week, and in any given training session we may learn 3-4 techniques. Included with those techniques are minute concepts and details, that if not perfected result in sloppy execution, as mentioned earlier.You see it all the time, as if we think the technique will eventually present itself once we hit the higher belts. Unfortunately, it won't. Which is why we must remain diligent on perfecting our technique.

But how do we remember it all though, Jei?

Good question! After constantly being frustrated day in and day out, I had to find a solution. I'm a very silly guy, so I started to imagine a little bird on my shoulder constantly whispering in my ear. If the image of a little bird sitting on your shoulder while rolling, doesn't at least make you smirk...you need a hug. I keep this little imaginary birdie on my shoulder at all times. His only job is to tell me to do whatever goal I set for myself that day/week.

This prevents me from going to the gym in zombie mode, and making the same mistakes day in and day out. One thing that I think most newer practitioners don't realize is, that if you are not drilling, your muscle memory is going to come from how you roll. If you roll like a spaz, not paying attention to the placement of your grips, hips, etc...you will find yourself in a world of hurt later on.

It is important to have at least one concept of the day or week every time we make it to the gym. If you are a little more advanced, maybe you can have multiple, but my birdie can only handle one thing now. For instance, this week I am going to try to work on breaking grips, last week it was remaining calm when people are overly aggressive and just moving on to another position (I realized in competition I was holding on to people like my life depended on it and I was wearing myself out). Trust me it has helped.

Sometimes you may find that your goal is the same every week for a month, it doesn't matter, as long as you are making the adjustments and improving your game. If you don't like the bird idea, wear a rubber band. If you have a good memory, maybe you don't need anything. Just find that one detail, and stick with it. Eventually it will become second nature, and then on to the next! Thanks for reading!

5 Phases of Drilling

Today folks I will be sharing the knowledge that I have gained over the last few months regarding drilling. Drilling is something that all black belt world champions say that people do not do enough, yet so many people think they are. The 6-7 reps you knock out during class is not drilling, no matter how you look at it. Let me stop before I get on my soapbox, because this post is simply meant to be informative, and not preachy. I will be breaking down drilling into phases, but first we should understand exactly what drilling is before we get to that point.

So what is drilling?

When we look at a drill and what purpose it serves, we see that it is a tool or piece of machinery that, by way of repetitious movement, digs deep into something (whether it is a hole in the ground or a wall) until it reaches its intended target. In our little jiu-jitsu world, drilling would be the act of studying a move, digging deep to the roots, until you reach the target (which is proficiency).

Now that we got that out of the way, let me simply tell you in a couple of sentences why drilling is so important. Going to class is cool because over time, about 7-10yrs, you eventually accumulate enough knowledge to say that you actually know a little sum'n sum'n. This is perfect for the guy who doesn't have time to sit down and develop his game. For the casual trainer, the holes in your game will eventually be roads that you just don't travel down, but your game will still be decent. If you have a hard time getting triangles, you would just simply avoid doing them. For the driller...all roads, paths, trails, and routes are open, and it takes half the time...just 100x more effort.

Now the nitty gritty! This is by no means the be all and end all method of drilling, and some of you may have another way (please share), but this is just a helpful guide to those of you that are lost like I was a few months ago. One thing I realized after asking questions and watching video, was that the process of drilling is very difficult and complex.This is the number one reason why nobody drills. It is also the number one reason why it takes your game to a whole new level, because it gets the mind thinking and creating. Sure we could be mindless robots and just drill what our instructor shows, but where is the fun in that? So I took all of these complex ideas and simplified them into 5 phases, which I appropriately named the 5 phases of drilling, here they go:

Phase One: Discovery
Isn't it amazing when you're rolling in class and your body does something cool and you end up on your opponents back? It may not be a new concept to the BJJ world, but it is too you. This is the discovery part and it can apply to just about anytime you learn something new, whether it be from your instructor, the Marcelo Garcia blue belt visiting your town, or a seminar. It is important during this time you go over the move, write it down, or even videotape it to make sure you don't lose it. You will see why later.

Phase Two: Brainstorm
This is the phase where you study the move and just think! During this time you may want to research by watching videos of competitions or instructionals to get a better grasp of the position and everyrthing that is available. You also may want to take a private with your instructor or pull him/her aside after class and discuss this move with them in grave detail to see what he/she has to say. The goal of the brainstorming process is getting the details (this means figuring out possible counters, escapes, grips, submissions, etc). You need to make sure all your ducks are lined up, or it could be detrimental to your drilling later on.

Phase Three: Trial
Phase three is important because this is the point in your drilling when you can figure out if the position works, whether or not you have to go back to phase two, or if the move doesn't fit you and needs to be dropped altogether. Sometimes you figure a few of these out while brainstorming, but I'm stubborn and need to try everything out myself. Often times we get paired with people smaller than us or a much lower level, this is the perfect opportunity to try out your position to insure every detail is correct and that it is ready to be drilled. You will probably be going back and forth between phase two and three.

Phase Four: Slow/Fast Repetition

“Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.”-Norman Vincent Peale

 This is the phase where all of your studying comes together and you can now break your move down into several different sections and begin to drill each and every section slowly until you get the flow. Once you think you have it, maybe after 1000x you can move on to drilling it at a faster pace, usually until you are exhausted. I personally like to do 2-5 minute rounds of back and forth drilling. If you can find someone who will be a dummy for an hour or two, JACKPOT! This helps to build the one thing that we all hear about in jiu-jitsu, and that is muscle memory. Without it, you will only hit your move on new guys and even then you will probably be surprised. Minimal talking during this phase.

Phase Five: Positional Sparring

This is actually where you will spend a lot of time perfecting your move and building muscle memory. It would definitely be a bad thing to go from phase three or four right into a competition...you need to drill with a resisting partner so that you build your timing and can polish up some of those minor details. With a willing partner this is where you call the shots and can direct them to posture this way, defend that way, move over here,etc etc. Make sure also that they are going somewhere around 50-70% intensity...then eventually once you get it down, raise it up. One thing my professor said to do was during live training/sparring get extra reps in by repeating a position over and over. If you know you can pass someone's guard like butter, then try out your new guard pass for however many minutes the rounds are. This is an excellent way to kill two birds with one stone.

Here are some little tips to help you along the way:

1. Play music while drilling. Classical and Jazz are best.
2. Bring a timer.
3. Find someone close to your size to drill with.
4. Don't worry about number of reps, take your time.
5. Try to pick one position per session. It is ok to couple things that flow into each other.
6. Don't talk, do.
7. Always refer back to your instructor if you have issues.
8. Utilize white belts. They are always eager to see what the cool higher belt is developing.
9. Drilling takes time, but if you only have 15 minutes a day...its better than nothing!
10. Work on your cardio. Huffing and puffing while drilling is so 1998.
11. Important! Advanced moves will take you longer to become proficient at, spend your time drilling basics. Basics eventually become advanced.
12. Drilling is about effort and hard work. Don't sit around drinking tea with your pinky out, talking about being the first to create the reverse berimbolo octopus guard. Get in the gym and drill!!!

Grow your game

I recently had a discussion with a world champ the other day that went a little something like this:

WC: How long you been training?

Me: Almost two years. Trying to get to the level where I can win some majors.

WC: Absolutely you can. Just have to train intelligently. Lots of positional training. Most guys just go to the gym and only practice what instructor shows you. You really have to to take it upon your self to grow your game.

Those three words sat with me something serious, as I had this conversation a little over a week ago. Often times, we know exactly what to do in order to excel at something, but yet we are absolute idiots when it comes to applying it to that something we are currently doing. EUREKA!

We read biographies and interviews, watch documentaries, and even hang out with extraordinary/successful people on a daily basis. Yet we still walk around clueless, albeit having the answers at our fingertips, about how to improve ourselves in life, relationships, business, and in my case, jiu-jitsu. I hear people complain on a daily basis about how they can't do this, and how this opportunity isn't available for them...bull. The reason I am saying this is because just about a month ago...I was that guy!!!! Until I had this conversation, I was always moping about blaming everyone for my suckage. Hell I was even blaming mother nature on the reason why I couldn't get in great shape (I live in the PNW). Damn, now that's taking complaining to a whole new level.

Often times we talk about our school, instructor, training partners, and family being the reason why we aren't on the podium. Yet in reality, we are the reason. You can't blame your instructor if you're not drilling or studying what he teaches you. You can't blame your "garbage" training partners if Joe Armbar can armbar you just by looking at you still. And you can't blame your three yr old for the reason why you still eat a box of cookies and watch TV after training.

Just like World Champ said, "take it upon yourself to grow your game!"

This means doing everything in your power to improve yourself, despite the setbacks. Sure you may have issues, sure everything may not go your way, but there is always something you can do to improve a certain aspect of your game. If one thing comes up short, make sure you pick up the slack in another area. If you can't drill or attend class, run sprints in your neighborhood park to improve your cardio. There is nothing that a little effort cannot fix. Remember these things.

1. Drilling will increase your game exponentially.
2. Your instructor knows more than you think he does. So ask questions.
3. Classes keep the doors of your school open. They are not a blueprint for success. At best, they will allow you to embarrass your friends.
4. You can always be doing something to improve your game. Watch video, instructionals, working out, eating healthy, drilling, etc.
5. Compete in even the smallest tournaments. Sure it isn't the Worlds, but its better than nothing.
6. Don't turn down opportunities to train.
7. If you really cared, you would make a way. Jus sayin.

"Everyday you are either moving closer or further away from your goal. Make it count."-Lloyd Irvin

Mat Fear

Face it, some people are just going to have your number at the gym. There will always be that one guy you roll with who just cleans your clock. After training he will usually spray the mats with the cleaning solution, and use your mangled body to mop up the mess. That's how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Aside from being the thorn in your side, this guy is usually super friendly so you can't hate him and he almost always has not been training much longer than you. One thing that I have observed and experienced in this particular situation is that we tend to develop a little mat fear when this happens to us on a regular basis.

What do I mean by mat fear?

Mat fear is when you are fearful of rolling with someone who you think is better than you. Symptoms of mat fear are: avoiding the days your nemesis comes in the gym, always making sure you look like you're doing something when that person walks on the mat (my favorite, picking at my toes), cruising the parking lot looking for that person's car, always wanting to roll light with said person, and friendly talking before the roll ("be nice to me, you're so good man"). Jokes aside, this is a very serious issue and can really hinder how you perform in class and in the competition ring.

Mat fear does a couple of things to our psyche. It can cause one to question their skill level and abilities, wreak havoc on their mental toughness, and the number one thing...prevent that person from thinking, meaning making the necessary adjustments to their game that could skyrocket them out of their "mono-plateau" (I know I am making up words, but I can do that!) and dissipate the fear.

The mental aspect of this problem affects you at a time where you need to be mentally solid, either at a competition or in the streets. In the local tournament circuit, you are bound to meet guys that have beaten you before multiple times and I know it sucks, but if you allow that fear to creep inside your head, well, you already lost. Not only are you questioning your own talents, but you are letting what happened yesterday affect your today...which I learned in this sport is NEVER good to allow. Believe in your hard work on the mats, and let your moil and toil do the talking.

How do we get better at jiu-jitsu? We have to disassemble our game, and what better time to do this than after a good ol' fashioned beating! That's what most of us don't understand, and in order to benefit from getting your ass kicked you have to look at it from this angle and this angle only. You won't believe how long it took me to figure this out, so listen up. Here it goes:

The guy/girl handing out ass whippings to you like a Jehovah Witness handing out pamphlets (no offense), is capitalizing on an obvious weakness of yours and usually utilizing a strength of his/hers.

Once you realize this, you will start to evolve. It is important that we have people like this in the gym and I will explain why. Jiu-jitsu is a sport of a million techniques, and as you develop and progress in the sport it is imperative that you do not remain stagnant. If you do so, you will have 6-7 of these mat monsters to worry about, and you will probably end up quitting or getting your belt through the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu's online academy. You probably don't want that. So we must adapt and respond to the stimulus.

This adaptation is one of the biggest game boosters, and to me is the reason why we advance up the ranks. Because we all know, once you get past one mat monster, there will be another lurking around the corner...and then its back to the drawing board. Use these opportunities (butt beatings) as a learning experience and a chance to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. When I was stuck in these little ruts, I found that sometimes all I needed to do was switch from a exclusively guard heavy game to a top game. Or maybe I have to go in a different direction when turtling because the other way exposed my back. Think of it this way, if you were beating everyone in the gym you would think you had a perfect jiu-jitsu game...only to find out later at the BBQ that you're not the hot shot you thought you were. Not saying you should actively go searching for beatings, but when they do come...cherish them.

Avoiding and dealing with mat fear sometimes involves careful self-examination. Sometimes the issue can be completely ego based or a intrinsic fear or anxiety that you didn't even know you had. Maybe you don't like sweaty people or you're claustrophobic? Maybe you don't want to show weakness so rather than say, "hey man, you're going to rough I can't handle you at 100%", you get your face crushed...while simultaneously deepening your fear. Either way, there are a number of different steps you can take to alleviate and even prevent mat fear.

1. Put away your ego. Know when to tap, speak up, and/or stop.
2. Check with your psychiatrist. You might have moderate to severe anxiety (like me) or some other issue.
3. Ask questions. The mat monster probably knows exactly what you are doing wrong. If you don't want to ask him, talk to your professor.
4. Know your skill level. If the mat monster is a brown belt, and you are a white belt............I shouldn't even have to say anything. Roll hard with your own level, leave the higher belts for questions and flow rolls.
5. Make adjustments. If you notice the mat monster passing to your left, taking your back, or knee barring your left leg only. Figure out a way to adjust so that it doesn't happen. Best when paired with #3.

I hope I shined some light on a dark corner for some of you. I dealt with this problem for the longest time, and even threw a fit in class one day because a few higher belts were actually coaching my mat monster (gives me the shivers just thinking about it). Don't let it get that far, going home frustrated is the worse thing that can happen in this sport, because you only end up bringing it to class the next day. Remember, when someone is better than you they will always bring out the best in you because you know you have to either adapt, raise the intensity, or both! I hope you enjoyed the read and as always, Happy Training!

Think About It: Total body awareness

I have been meaning to write a blog post on this subject for awhile now, but every time I sat in front of my computer, nothing ever came about. Except for today. I guess just like all things in life, sometimes alls we need is a little inspiration. Now I am not a huge fan of football, in fact, I have not watched a single game all season and don't plan on it (watch my daily views plummet now). But today's highlight provided me with the example I needed to get my point across. As you can see in the video, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jerome Simpson displays some amazing athleticism and coordination by doing a somersault over his defender for the touchdown.

What does this have to do with jiu-jitsu Jei? A lot.

See the thing that allowed Mr. Jerome to do this somersault was not only his athleticism, but also his awareness of what his body is capable of. Trust me, if this cat didn't know he could do a somersault (at that height in full stride and with a 220lb man-beast coming at him) he would not have tried. He was confident in his abilities, and did not think he would fail. This can be easily paralleled to jiu-jitsu and how we move in our own games.

Usually at the blue belt level and higher, rolling can at times seem slowed down. When you are in the moment, you see multiple paths to get to a certain destination...maybe it is a pass, a submission, or to a more dominant position. In that moment, those precious seconds, you have to decide which path is the one you are most capable of traveling on. Jerome Simpson could have juked, spun, or dodged his way into the endzone, but he didn't. He chose to somersault, because that was in his arsenal...his endless bag of tricks. What if you had the body mechanics and maneauvers to choose and successfully complete any move you wanted? You would probably be unstoppable. Sadly, a lot of us are not equipped yet with these mechanics, and instead of having options we end up forcing something that is not necessarily the correct thing to do.

I have done research on a lot of black belts in jiu-jitsu (this means I just went to BJJ Heroes), and I found out that a lot of them have a background in capoeira. This particular martial art not only gives them this total body awareness, but it all allows them to come into BJJ with no inhibitions. Many of us here in America grew up playing basketball or baseball, and are not used to the mechanics of jiu-jitsu and have to learn them. I know guys that are purple belts and can't do a cart wheel or forward roll properly. In fact, these are the things that most of us forget about completely and never implement into our drilling, warmup, and training routine. For instance, a lot of passes involve switching your hips or doing what is called a baseball slide. If you did not become competent in these two particular movements...how many guard passes are you missing out on? How many times will you force yourself into "tunnel vision" in any given roll?

It is imperative that we have total body awareness in jiu-jitsu. Who knows what situation you will find yourself in one day. Knowing that you can successfully complete what your mind knows it needs to do to advance your position will help to open your game up; allowing you to find a whole new side to your jiu-jitsu filled with mind boggling discoveries. Happy training.

Think About It: Energy Efficient

I recently heard a conversation between two black belts that had me up all night. It went a little something like this.

Black Belt 1: When I was training with my good friend -------------- (its a black belt world champion), about 2-3 months before a major tournament, I would see him roll close to twenty times in one night.

Black Belt 2: Oh yeah, well its easy to roll twenty times in one night when you're always winning.

(everyone laughs)

Although this was just a casual conversation, it allowed me to see that a jiu-jitsu player's biggest weapon is not his/her encyclopedia of techniques, but his/her ability to conserve energy by limiting their movements and executing proper technique. To be honest, nobody should even be doing crazy guards and cartwheel passes, because those aren't as efficient as the simple techniques.

Go in any gym and just watch each belt level spar starting from white to black. I guarantee you 9 times out of 10 you will notice the higher belts will have far more energy than the lower belts, even if they just ate an Outlaw burger before class and smoked 30 cigarettes. Its all due to a higer efficiency rating, with black belts being at the top.

How many times have you seen a guy rolling with someone with a good open guard and they immediately start by holding their arms so tight to their side that they have a vein popping out their head? Meanwhile, you look over at the black belt and he's passing guard like he passes gas, easy...second nature...didn't even break a sweat. Or how about when you roll with a black belt and you feel like you are in quicksand, and he is on the phone talking to his wife.......sigh.

How can I get to the point where I can talk on the phone while rolling?

Of course the first answer that pops in anyone's head is mat time, but let's dig a little deeper. As humans, our bodies (blame it on our bodies) tend to want to always cheat a little bit in any given task. Carry a shitload of bags up a few flight of stairs and I guarantee you will stop a hundred times to figure out a way to make it easier or less strenuous . We do the same thing in jiu-jitsu, not knowing that with enough practice and drilling of a particular technique, our bodies will eventually become naturally efficient at it. Instead as mentioned earlier, we do some weird shiet (maybe because we are freaking out or spazzing) that seems easier at first but really it is expending way more energy than we think. Before you know it, you are laying in a pool of your own sweat watching the steam blow of your head.

Here are some tips to improve your efficiency:

1. Drilling makes things like efficiency develop faster: When you roll, believe it or not, you are fighting for your life...especially in this sport. So it is really hard, unless you have been training a long time, to do techniques correctly. The muscle memory isn't all the way there. Getting a move into your muscle memory helps cease all unnecessary movement. So drill.

2. Staying calm and controlling your breathing: I rolled with a white belt the other day who had the veins popping out his head and everything. The fool wasn't even breathing let alone moving. This is the number one way to burn energy fast, and once your juice runs out you forget jiu jitsu and go into survival mode. This is why you see even the most experienced competitors die in the ring within the first minute. Don't let this happen to you. Stay loose and breath.

3. Conditioning: Jiu-jitsu is great exercise, but just showing up to class and rolling 2-3x a week won't get you the conditioning that you need. Supplement your BJJ with high intensity circuit training or something like it. Remember, the more gas you have in the tank, the farther you can drive. Nobody likes that guy that can only go for 2 minutes before he coughs up a lung.

4. Paying attention in class and ask questions: How else will you know how to do that sweep that doesn't involve the little kick you somehow added to it? By actively listening in class and asking questions on how to do a move correctly. It is imperative that we learn how to do moves correctly, or else drilling is pointless. If you are trying to emulate what Professor Charlie is doing, but it takes you 8 minutes and takes him 8 seconds...ask him what he is doing that you are not. Simple.

5. Train: Mat time will eventually fix everything. 10,000 hours.

I still spaz out like a dog under a blanket at times too, it is natural, especially when you have no idea what you are doing in a certain position. Hopefully, these little tips and hints will help someone out there or at least encourage them to think a little more about why they are not as efficient as they can be and what they can do to fix it. Thanks for reading.

The secret formula: Getting the most out of training

Brazilian jiu-jitsu seperates itself from other martial arts because of the seemingly endless number of techniques and variations involved in it. Perhaps this is why 90% of the people who practice the art are drawn to it in the first place. Other fighting styles seem to be based more on the speed, power and timing built up over time on a handful of techniques, while you could literally spend 3 yrs or more learning just the variations of an armbar. What does that say about jiu-jitsu? That it is really hard for the average joe to get good at it, at least in a short amount of time. The trick is getting on the mats as much as possible, and making the most out of those hours.

In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell mentions the 10,000 hour rule, which is the amount of time it takes to become an expert at a given task. Of course this can be somewhat applied to jiu-jitsu, because most instructors will tell you that it takes roughly 10 yrs to become a black belt (give or take a few). Now this general rule of thumb has been tested many many times in jiu-jitsu, as many world champions have received their black belt in shorter times. Yet, one has to call timeout on this to do a little researching to really see what the deal is.

Everyone knows Caio Terra. He is a Mundial gi and no-gi champion, Pan Am champion, and more. He has a sick half guard DVD out, and is very outspoken. He also received his black belt in 3 yrs. You hear a lot of people talk about natural talent, and I am sure Caio has heard that word many times before, but if you look at his story you would realize that not much of Caio's success was attributed to natural ability, except maybe his drive, most of it seemed to be built around his work ethic and love for the sport (eventually).

After his successful finish at worlds in 2004, Caio decided to turn his home into a sparring gym, with mats and everything. The whole shabang. You can only imagine the hours spent here...training, experimenting, and sweating. What it took was for Caio to take some initiative, and take control of his own training.  Caio probably didn't reach his 10,000 hours on those mats, but I am sure he was close.

Now lets revisit the 10,000 hour rule keeping Caio and the black belt rule in mind. Suppose you wanted to reach this very lofty goal in 10 yrs, it would mean you need to train about 3 hours a day, 21 hours a week, 83 hours a month. I have heard stories of sleeping at the gym, training till 1am, and even 4x a day training sessions. If you think what you are doing right now is the right thing, read that last sentence 10,000 times.

You need practice. Not just any type of practice. This would mean 3 hours a day of deliberate and focus driven practice. What the heck is deliberate practice?

1. Deliberate practice pretty much follows the mantra of "no pain, no gain". It is a focus like no other. Just going to class and listening to your instructor while drilling the moves 3-4 times is not deliberate.

2. It is designed to improve performance beyond its levels. Your instructor is there to give you a guideline and details. You need to take those and run with them. Time is not everything, you have to be constantly pushing yourself everyday on the mats.

3. Deliberate practice and breaks/time off aren't compatible. If you are constantly taking breaks to go on vacation, lick your wounds, hang out with the girlfriend your technique is going to collect dust. Deliberate practice must be constant, strict, and vigorous.

4. Feedback is a must. You haven't put in the time, therefore you know not what you are doing. Ask questions, get answers from your instructor or coach. Deliberate practice is useless if you are doing things wrong for x amount of hours.

5. Repetiton is the key. If you are not drilling 2 hours out of the 3 hours you are training per day, then you have no reason to ask why you aren't getting better. Deliberate practice is best utilized when you are repeating the techniques over and over. 50 reps each side is a good number to start with. Situational drilling is also a must.

6. Setting goals. If you don't know where you are going, how will you know what to practice. Setting goals is essential in order to get the most out of your practice.

7. Examine yourself daily. Keep a journal on exactly what you did that day. How many reps you completed, who beat you and why, what seemed difficult, etc etc...everything.

Majority of people I see in jiu-jitsu, including myself, have no idea what they are doing when they go in the gym. If you want to become good at something eventually you are going to have to sit down and figure out how you are going to get there. The path is not always clear, sometimes you have to take a lawnmower and a weed eater to that sucker to figure out where to go! The fundamental way to get better at jiu-jitsu is obviously mat time, but it goes beyond just sparring and going to class. You have to know a few things about yourself and the sport, and although I have not been in the game for no more than a year and some change...I have thought a lot about jiu-jitsu and I have realized that there is no SECRET FORMULA. You have to take training into your hands, go through a trial and error phase and don't just talk about it, but be about it. That means you don't necessarily have to be at Lloyd Irvin's or Alliance (champions come from everywhere) it just means you have to make the best out of your situation by training hard and training smart.

A few things come to mind when figuring out how to get better at jiu-jitsu and again this is only my opinion. Doing these things will help you squeeze as much juice out of your lemon (school/instructor) as possible.

1. Ask questions and listen. It really amazes me when I hear people complain to me about how they are not good at jiu-jitsu or how they continue to get caught in something, yet I see them leave every night right after class when there are 30 purple, brown, and black belts still on the mats twiddling their thumbs. You pay 100+ dollars to basically workout if you are not asking questions, that is expensive my friend, and to be honest...not worth it. Utilize your resources and time spent on the mats to the fullest. There are so many details in jiu-jitsu that it is impossible to even know 0.0001% of them if you are a white or blue belt. And every time you do something wrong, you are creating bad habits.

2. Journals and flow charts. You learn something new everyday in jiu-jitsu, yet you probably never write it down. Why? All the pros keep journals and flow charts because in order to get somewhere you have to know where you are going, right? Start keeping track of the techniques you learn and mapping out your own game.

3. Drill. Nuff said.

Start your 10,000 hours of deliberate practice today!

I hope you got something out of this post. If I missed something, or you want to comment please do so. Before I go always remember, all answers lie in training. The more you train, the more things you will discover. Thanks for reading.

Vegetables before dessert!

We have probably all heard at one time or another from our parents to eat your vegetables first, then dessert. This is a common way to reward children on doing something pertinent to their growth and development. Most children do not like this, and often try to find ways to get around eating them. When we look at it from a kid's point of view though, it's not really hard to understand. Vegetables, no matter how you cook them are not really all that tasty. Yet, a donut could be left under a sofa cushion for 4 months and still taste delicious. The facts: A kid isn't worried about diabetes or heart attacks when they are 40, they just want what is good.

This same concept can be applied to jiu-jitsu when talking about drilling. Nobody wants to do it, and will often find ways to avoid it (show up to class late, turn drilling time into a sparring match). I know I am not lying when I say that majority of people come to training everyday just to spar. Don't kid yourself naysayer, be real.

It's an epidemic, just like the little fat kids running around these days who don't eat their vegetables. People need to drill, and if you don't, you shouldn't be surprised why you have not been improving in jiu-jitsu all these years. Drilling, just like eating your vegetables, is crucial to your development in BJJ and will often times deliver faster results in a shorter amount of time than just sparring. If you don't think I am telling the truth ask all the medalist in major competitions.

We all hear the word muscle memory thrown around a lot, but looking at the state the average gym is in, it is obvious nobody has gotten it yet. I have probably only been asked to drill a handful of times, but everyone always asks to roll. Let me tell you what rolling does for your bjj when you don't couple it with drilling.......nothing. It makes you hesitant, sloppy, and you eventually develop bad habits. Most of the time I see people rolling with no direction, they get something kinda cool and can never duplicate it again. What's the point in that? Aren't you trying to improve your game?

The benefits of drilling are endless, and can save you a lot of heartache when you reach the higher belts. People who get this concept early, excel! I don't need an extra paragraph for you to know that. So do yourself a favor and eat your veggies before dessert. Thirty minutes to an hour of drilling a night before sparring will go a long way in helping you develop a more technical and confident game. Thanks for reading. Shout out to Georgette for inspiring this post!

Explore BJJ

Imagine BJJ as a unexplored galaxy and you are a brand new scientist out on your very first expedition. It will take you more than a decade to travel across this vast space, and you are equipped with some of the best technology and surrounded by some of the best in the field. You are given free reign to travel where you please and explore every nook and cranny and leave no stone unturned. The question I want to ask today is, will you waste your time on one planet that you think is really cool looking and has some pretty neat aliens on it? Or, will you try to explore as much as possible to have a complete understanding of the galaxy as a whole?


Where are you going Jei? Well let me tell you...


Lately, especially after this last tournament defeat, I have been contemplating a lot about "my game" and it has driven me to embark on this journey that hopefully will birth a new and improved me (meanwhile, maybe I can write on the subject and help a few people out as well). The journey starts with going back and looking at how I initially started the journey in the first place. I am still a baby blue belt, sometimes I feel like a fetus...not even a recognizable BJJ practitioner! Yet, I have started on this path of prematurely developing a game without even gaining a basic understanding of BJJ as a whole.
Specializing is not a bad thing, hell at the top levels of jiu-jitsu you see guys who specialize in specific positions all the time! But those guys are black belts, and one thing we can't do as lower level belts (white and blue) is fall into the trap of thinking we are capable of doing that. since most of us lack the mat time. I don't know how many times I have told myself I am a open guard player, and that I don't like passing guard and playing closed guard, so I don't (don't think I'm letting you off the hook either reader, lol). I have also seen many people forsake a certain aspect of jiu-jitsu, to focus primarily on one or two things. As we develop in the art, we should be mindful that the longer we allow for a certain aspect of jiu-jitsu to be uncharted territory, the longer it will take to fix because it has developed into a habit. 


I had a pretty high ranking guy say to me one day, "I feel like I should still be a purple belt, because all these blues and purples are taking my back and choking me out!" Now how long do you think it is going to take this poor fella to correct the issue, compared to someone who hasn't developed the habit yet of giving up his back and just does it out of inexperience? Don't answer that. Eventually your flaws will come out, and you don't want to be a black or brown belt going back to square one, figuring out why you get your back taken 10x a night. 


Pause for a little introspection: This is why my "game" doesn't translate well to competition, because there are people from "other planets" out there, and I decided to stay on the one that I was most comfortable with. Not only am I not use to responding to other positions, submissions, etc. I am not training efficiently and using my mat time wisely. If you go in the gym and do the same thing all the time, you will probably win matches...but never consistently win tournaments.
 
Experimentation, exploration and trial and error is the only way to get a complete look and comprehension of the BJJ Galaxy as a whole. Asking questions from more experienced grapplers and doing what the pros do also expands your knowledge of maybe the darkest corners of jiu-jitsu. The best advice I can give myself and all you other noobs out there is to explore all areas of jiu-jitsu and don't settle in a place where you feel comfortable. Thanks for reading!

Hard work makes a fearless heart

My last tournament I competed in I was literally shitting bricks. I walked in the venue at least a pound overweight and weighed in at 190 with the gi, lol. I tried to keep a calm demeanor, but inside I felt a fear that I have experienced only a few times in my life...and usually it involved some sort snarling animal running behind me or a bully getting ready to pound my face in. My first match I went in the ring so scared that I literally told myself I wanted this to be over as soon as possible...I was choked unconscious within a minute. The next two matches I did fairly well in, but that was not good enough for me, it is my nature to analyze...and I desperately needed to know why my skill in the gym and in my mind does not translate in tournaments. 

So I asked a few close friends, and they all gave me the same answer, that it was all mental. 

No Shit.

So I realized that only I know me, and therefore I was the only one who could figure it out. I needed to take my own advice, because it had to be something deeper! I began to think of my childhood and attending church every Sunday, and I remembered a little word called faith that gave people the utmost confidence that there life was going to turn out well. The preacher said that with faith a man could move mountains. But how does this apply to jiu-jitsu? 

When you step onto the mats to compete you have to believe you can win, that is number one. Till this day I still feel inadequate, and I feel like I am never good enough. I have no faith in myself (that is changing). And if you don't believe in yourself, who else will?

As I began to take this concept along with the knowledge of my shortcomings further I looked to current world champions for inspiration and ideas...and what I found that many of them have that I lack is a work ethic like no other. That was the key.

Hard work makes a fearless heart.

Why is it that a world champion is a champion in the first place? Because when he walks out to meet his opponent he believes deep down inside that this man has not worked harder than him and therefore does not deserve to continue. He is fearless, confident in his ability, and knows that the hours that he put on the mat will not be in vain.

My work ethic is good for the gym. If I want to be a gym hero, I should continue to train as I do...just enough to scrape by. However, if I want to be great than I should exceed my limits, train like a mad person, and want to win more than I want to breath so that when tournament day comes I will fear no man...because I know I will be capable of destruction. It's time I stop being a sugar bear. 

"Sometimes you only get one chance to be great at something, don't let fear stifle you!"

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!