There and Back

A journey. A return. Probably tired.

Month: February 2024

  • Weird BJJ Training Phenomena

    Here are some interesting phenomena that I’ve discovered during my time on the mats…

    Not going to JiuJitsu makes you better at JiuJitsu

    Have you ever noticed that when you take a break from JiuJitsu and then come back, you’re actually better?

    That’s happened to me enough times that I think I’ve discovered a new way to get better at jujutsu.

    It seems counter intuitive. And I’m not suggesting that not going to class all the time will make you better than if you went to as many classes as you could. But sometimes when I’m away from the mats for a week or two, I’ll come back to an open mat and actually roll really well. I can’t explain it but it happens.

    Maybe that has to do with my expectations. Maybe my brain uses that time to digest the technical aspects and catch up to my body. Maybe there’s a bunch of other variables involved like the time of day, how my opponents are feeling etc.

    But it’s definitely a thing.

    Someone else noticed this as well:

    Read more about this here:

    https://downculture.com/2022/11/30/motor-imagery-and-visualization-in-jiu-jitsu-or-how-to-get-better-at-bjj-if-you-cant-train

    Being “lazy” at JiuJitsu makes you better at JiuJitsu

    I use the word “lazy” loosely here. It’s more energy efficient than lazy. But lazy is the way I think about it. Lazy and comfy and relaxed. Not doing too much or more than you need to do.

    Why do a takedown when you can pull guard? I’ve noticed all the black belts at my gym rarely do takedowns. Most of them are older than me, so maybe that’s just a way they are mitigating injuries. But I believe it’s also because: using the least amount of energy in bjj is a black belt level skill that you and I should try.

    Not caring about JiuJitsu makes you better at JiuJitsu

    So what if your opponent taps you in class? You get to restart.

    So what if you lose a match at a competition? You can always sign up for another one.

    I don’t mind giving up positions as long as I’m safe. But I don’t care if I give them up. When I won a match at the last comp I went to, my mindset was, “I don’t care if I win but it would be nice.” It helped calm my nerves a bit. I didn’t put a ton of pressure on myself so I had a clearer mind going into the match. It worked out for me.

    So basically, if you take anything from this post it should be:

    ⁃ don’t go to class too much

    ⁃ if you do, be lazy

    ⁃ and don’t care how you do when you’re there

    But seriously, sometimes these work! It’s okay if you need to take time off training, you’re not going to lose all your knowledge. And you don’t have to go ham every class and go all out, you can chill and relax. And don’t put too much pressure on yourself and instead focus on having fun.

    That’s why we joined in the first place, right?

    I do these sometimes and it actually makes me better.

    How about you, have you noticed this in your BJJ training?

  • Gracie Barra GB3 Class: PART 2

    I did in fact get off work early and made it to GB1 Fundamentals and then the GB3 class.

    We learned K guard tonight. Then k guard to the matrix back take. Now that is some advanced leg entanglements.

    And as I said, I got smashed. Thought I pulled a muscle in my hand. But when I got home and showed my soon-to-be-nurse wife, she said it’s just a bruise. I’m lucky then.

    I’d definitely do another GB3 class.

  • Gracie Barra GB3 Class

    The head instructor and gym owner said I was ready for the GB 3 class. He told me that after I rolled with him. He got me in a sweet arm bar and then somehow took my back with this technique called K guard.

    You know what, I think I’m ready for that class too. It will be filled with a bunch of big purple, brown, and black belts but I’m ready for the challenge.

    During my first year of doing JiuJitsu as a white belt I tried doing the GB 3 classes a few times, they were rough. Not only was the warm-up challenging, but the techniques they showed, usually involving the legs, are what I considered advanced and way over my head.

    If I get off work in time maybe I’ll go tonight.

    I expect to get absolutely smashed. Poor little blue belt.

  • Judo Without the Gi

    Been watching a bunch of Judo highlight clips, amazing martial art. It got me thinking, could there be No Gi Judo?

    Turns out there is. I did a but of digging (google search) and found these:
    – “Why isn’t there any no-gi Judo?” from Reddit
    – Freestyle Judo “Freestyle Judo uses a numerical point scoring system for both throwing and ground fighting.”

    And of course, people chimed in on Twitter/X:


    “yes but its pretty comparable to greco roman & freestyle wrestling”


    “there are a couple gyms like that in SoCal and a couple in austin texas. John Danaher does this with New Wave Jujitsu and the B-Team copied this and opened their own gym. Justin Flores does this at Keenan Cornelius’ gym in San Diego.”


    “Karo Parisyan had some beautiful MMA judo.”

    “Greco-Roman with submissions would be pretty cool“

    “Yes. It’s called wrestling”

    “I was thinking this the other day but the more I was going over rules it turned into BJJ with no pulling guard and less submissions lol”

    “They need mixed grappling arts, man.”

    I would say, Greco Roman Wrestling is quite similar, due to the no leg attacks rule. But it would be cool to see a Judo rules No Gi (meaning rash guards) match with Ippons. I’d watch that.

    Would you watch a No Gi Judo rules match?

  • Getting Bronze

    A few weeks ago, I got third place out of three competitors at a Grappling Industries round robin tournament in Toronto, Canada. There was supposed to be seven of us, but the other dropped out, didn’t show up, or got injured earlier in the day.

    The two other competitors and myself, each won one match and lost one match. But I think the medals were determined by how each of us won and lost. I think. I didn’t look into it.

    I was happy with how my matches went. I didn’t get injured so that’s a win in and of itself. My main goal was to win one match, and I achieved it. Anything that happened after was okay with me. I one my first match by refs decision and I lost my second match by guillotine. The video of my matches is below if you want to see me get submitted (the match I lost was only 25 seconds haha).

    This is my second time at a Grappling Industries match. The first time I went was wild, I did seven matches. You can read about that here -> 8 Match BJJ Competition Extravaganza AND Why Getting Your Ass Kicked is a Great Way to Test Yourself

    With all its nuttiness and organized chaos, it’s my favorite competition to go to. You get a good bang for your buck – $90 for at least 4 matches and up to 8 matches, good deal.

    Okay, that’s enough chatter. Below is a video of my two matches. First the loss, then the win.

    Enjoy.