There and Back

A journey. A return. Probably tired.

  • How I Became a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

    As the story goes, most people don’t do jiujitsu, and people who do end up joining, don’t make it to blue belt. And then once they do make it to blue belt, end up quitting. Why is that? Why do most white belts quit before they get their blue belt or quit when they get their blue belt?

    Maybe they quit because they couldn’t stick to a schedule. Maybe they quit because they couldn’t embrace the suck. And maybe they quit because their interest in the sport faded away.

    This post is for people who are white belts in Jiu Jitsu and want to know what it takes to get your blue belt. This post is for people who are hobbyists, people who have multiple jobs, families and people to take care of, and that have other hobbies, other than a BJJ.

    Last week I was promoted to a blue belt by a Gracie Barra jiujitsu academy here in my city. You can read more about my initial reaction to that here -> http://downculture.com/2023/04/06/getting-your-blue-belt-in-brazilian-jiu-jitsu/

    This is how I became a blue belt in Brazilian jujitsu as a hobbyist…

    ◦ Attendance

    ◦ “Embracing the Suck”

    ◦ Interest

    People have been doing jiujitsu for hundreds of years and there’s so many tips and tricks and hacks and advice you can find online.

    The following is my perspective that worked for me. Maybe it’ll work for you.

    Attendance

    Early morning, walking the dogs, then packing your lunch and then heading out the door for work. You worked for a while, get home, and have to walk the dogs again, then shower then pack your gym bag and head to BJJ class. Pulling into the parking lot you barely make it before jiujitsu class starts, you’re out of breath before the warm-up has even begun. Add onto that the fact that you get body slammed, choked and limbs hyper-extended every week. I feel like you and I have a busy life.

    I’ve found that the best way to mentally stay with jiujitsu is to pick a schedule and stick with it. Sometimes you won’t be able to go, but do your best. I have three part-time jobs and two dogs to take care of, and a wife to spend time with, if I can make time, so can you.

    For example, when I first started jiujitsu, I was going 6 to 7 hours a week. For me that was too much and ultimately unsustainable. There were weeks where I went twice, there’s weeks when I couldn’t go at all or chose not to, life happens and you have to just figure it out but eventually my attendance levelled out to 3 to 4 hours a week. At the gym I go to, attendance is very important since we sign-in every time we show up.

    Every gym is different but training as much as your schedule allows will ensure you’re learning as much as you can and that you will eventually get promoted.

    “Embracing the Suck”

    Someone else’s sweat dripping in your mouth while they’re on top of you putting you into the mat with their 200 pounds and you’re barely able to breathe and your joints hurt.

    “Embrace the Suck.” I’ve heard that quote many times over the course of my life and I think it comes from the school of Navy SEALs. The idea is that whatever you’re doing especially training, is going to suck. I think it means you’re going to get hurt and won’t want to do it but that the people who persevere and push through it, or embrace how much it sucks, are the ones who come out on top.

    For example, as a white belt, my main focus and theme of my journey was (and still is) survival. I feel it’s still a focus of mine, even as a new blue belt. As a white belt, there where many times I wanted to quit because I got my ass kicked so much in front of a bunch of people. But what I eventually realized is that that’s just part of the game. Every white belt gets their ass kicked and I’m sure as you climb your way up through the belt ranks you also get your ass kicked in various different ways.

    If you keep yourself healthy, mentally, and physically, if you have other hobbies outside of jiujutsu and don’t make it part of your whole identity, or take it way too seriously, and create realistic expectations for yourself as a white belt, then embracing the suck, will be easier. But it will still suck.

    Interest

    I lost count how many people I’ve seen come and go since starting jiujitsu over a year and a half ago. I’ll never know for sure why the people that are no longer there ended up quitting. But I bet a bunch of them quit because their interest in the sport slowly faded away, especially if they thought they weren’t getting any better, or they couldn’t take all the beatings, or they didn’t get promoted when they thought they should.

    As I’ve said before, life gets in the way, or other more important commitments take over your life, and that’s OK, nobody should be shamed for rearranging their priorities in their life however they see fit. But for those who stick with jiujitsu, you can tell that they’re passionate about it. They watch jiujitsu matches on video, they read about jiujitsu, they talk about jiujitsu, and they try to get their friends and family to join jiujitsu. If you can keep your interest, even when you’re getting your ass kicked, the chances of you getting promoted to your blue belt and beyond are much higher than the average white belt.

    Creating a schedule and sticking with it, embracing the suck and showing up even when you continually get your ass kicked, while at the same time remaining interested and passionate about the sport, all will help you get to your blue belt (and probably beyond) quicker than you think.

    Latest Posts…

  • Getting My Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

    I had a big dumb smile on my face on the ride home after practice. Then I thought to myself “wait a minute, now you have to compete in the blue belt division oh sh*t.”

    There was something in the air that night at the JiuJitsu gym. I noticed I was successfully sweeping more. I noticed that the partner that usually submits me didn’t submit me at all, and the blue belt that usually kicks my ass, I was on his back for almost 2 minutes. I thought to myself “wow I think you’re actually getting better” and wouldn’t you know it, I got my blue belt last night. I thanked my head instructor as he tied the belt around my waist, and he said “don’t thank me thank yourself you did all the work.”

    Getting my blue bell tonight was a surprise. While I was rolling with my partner, he looked over, and he saw one of the assistant blue belts, who helps out at the front counter, put a pile of blue belts, on the edge of the mat. “gonna be a bunch of promotions tonight I guess.” he says. I thought ‘no way too soon, me?’ I didn’t think I’d be getting my blue belt at least until the end of this year, boy was I wrong. And I’m glad I was.

    When the first person got their blue belt tonight, our instructor goes , “do you know what this means, nothing!” he and all of us laughed together because we knew he was joking, but there’s also some truth in that. Not much changes when you get a belt. Keep doing what you’re doing and eventually you’ll get better and eventually you’ll be promoted. Simple as that. But there’s nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself because we all earned our stripes and belts last night because we showed up and we tried our best. It’s cliché but it’s true.

    If you’re a white belt who’s thinking of quitting, keep at it. All those cuts and bruises and mat burns will be worth it. And don’t quit when you get your blue belt. Yeah sure life happens, but don’t give up.

    I try and show up to the bjj gym 3-4 hours a week, and the fitness gym 3 hours a week. This works for me and my schedule. It took around a year and a half to get my blue belt. Not to shabby, well done, D.

    I actually feel like a blue belt. This is where the fun really begins, and I can actually start doing jiu jitsu for real.

    Good luck to you white belts out there, I was one up until less than 24 hours ago. Keep surviving and that blue belt beauty will come. Hang in there.

  • How to Sign Up for a Free Trial Jiu Jitsu Class AND What to Expect on Your First Day at a BJJ Gym

    After reading my last blog post, I have successfully convinced you, with my incredible hypnotic powers of persuasion, to join a free trial jiu jitsu class. Now you want to see what all the fuss is about. You want to know why everyone is having so much fun without you. Don’t worry, I got you.

    Here is how you sign up for a free trial jiu jitsu class…

    1. Go to Google Search and type in, “Jiu Jitsu in (your city)“
    2. Search the list of academies that come up in the results. Just pick any of them to start.
    3. Go to the webpage or Facebook page of the bjj academy. Read the posts, look at the pictures. See if it looks like a place you might enjoy going to. (If they do not have a webpage or Facebook page, try a different academy).
    4. Locate the ‘Contact’ page or section on their website or Facebook.
    5. FB Message, Email, or Call the academy and ask if they have free trial bjj classes. Say “Hi, my name is (your name) and I am interested in trying out a free trial bjj class. Do you have any coming up soon?” If they say “Yes” then get the time and date of the next free trial class and say, “Thanks! I’ll see you there.” and hang up. Nice and short and sweet. Same goes for a Facebook DM or Email.
    6. Go to the free trial BJJ class!

    Items you will need for the free trial Jiu Jitsu class…

    1. Active wear. Shorts and a t-shirt. It’s okay that you don’t have a Gi since it’s your first class. You may even have signed up for a No Gi class which would be great because most people wear similar attire like shorts and a tee (instead of a tee they call it a Rash Guard, it’s like a compression shirt for sports).
    2. Gym bag. Inside your gym bag should be a change of clothes, a water bottle, and flip flops/sandals. The flip flops/sandals are for when you are not on the mat and walking around the academy. It’s not a good idea to walk around when off the mats in bare feet as you could get bacteria on your feet and then bring it on the mat with you. You will take your flip flops/sandals off before going on to the mat.
    3. A good attitude! You made it all the way to the mat, you’re almost there.

    You have your tee and shorts on and you just took off your flip flops/sandals and walked on to the mat. Now what? I’ve only been to one BJJ gym since joining a year and a half ago. But from what I’ve heard, they are basically the same.

    Here’s what to expect at your first bjj class…

    1. As a brand new participant, you may notice people lining up against the wall. They are lining up in their respective belt ranks. Higher belts at one end, all the way down to the no-stripe white belts. It goes, Brown, Purple, Blue, White. I’ve never seen a black belt line up, even ones that were visiting our gym, not sure why but for the most part, the line up will be by rank. Since you don’t have a belt yet, you will go at the very end last spot. The gym might have a loner Gi with belt (I would recommend politely declining to wear the loner as I bet you’d feel more comfy in your own clothes), but you will still be at the very end of the line. Don’t let this dissuade you, it’s just the beginning. We’ve all been there.
    2. The head instructor will be standing in front of everyone in the middle of the mats. They will say their spiel, like welcoming everyone there and say what techniques everyone will be working on that day. Then everyone bows to the head instructor. Note: not every gym is as strict or by the book with how they incorporate the intricacies of addressing one another or doing everything by the book. But when in doubt, just call the head instructor “coach” and be polite and follow everyone else’s lead. If the head instructor demands that you call them “professor”, that is potentially a sign of a cult and I would not go back there.
    3. After you and everyone bows or after the head instructor says their spiel, now it’s time for a warm-up. In the gym I go to, which is a Gracie Barra (it’s quite chill, for example we don’t have to bow before going on or coming off the mats, people do bow but we aren’t required) for our warms-ups we run back and forth across the mats, jogging forwards, backwards, sideways, knees up, kicking legs back, then sliding on our butts back and forth, maybe some rolling forward and back wards but not always. It depends on your gym but if you can make it through the warm-ups, the rest of the class is a breeze.
    4. After warm-up, is some simple stretching. Usually focused on the body parts that you will be using most that day.
    5. After the stretching, the head instructor will demonstrate on an Uke, the techniques you will be learning that day. Everyone stands or sits or kneels and watches.
    6. Here comes the fun part: finding a partner. I get it, this can be hard for some people. But don’t think about it too much. Just look around for someone that is roughly the same weight as you, lock eyes with them and say, “You want to partner up?” In my experience 10/10 times the person will say Yes. Just go for it!
    7. Now the fun really begins! Now you will be working on the techniques on your partner. You’ll take turns trying the moves on each other.

    Tips for surviving your first day at a BJJ class…

    1. Have fun.
    2. Be polite.
    3. Talk to people. If you want, you can tell people this is your first class and your excited but nervous. That’s okay.
    4. Respect the Tap. There are a few ways you or your partner can tell each other that you submit to their technique because it is staring to hurt you. You can tap them a few times with one of your hands, you can stomp with your feet on the mat if your hands aren’t available, or you can verbally say the word “Tap” and they will let go. If your partner does any of those, you let go of them immediately. So you can both continue practicing the techniques safely.
    5. Ask questions. If you have a question, ask! Let your partner know you are new and ask if you are “doing it right.”
    6. Don’t give advice. Yes, you may have watched tons of MMA and you used to wrestled back in the day. But this isn’t the time to show off. By all means, if you remember what the head instructor said, word for word, when they were showing the technique, then go ahead. But I would always defer to telling your partner to ask the head instructor or a higher belt.
    7. Survive. Even if it’s your first day, it might be a class that has live rolling/sparring. Remember, you’re basically fighting a stranger. If it’s your first time it’s going to feel weird. Your body will go into Fight Or Flight mode. Your breathing will become erratic and you will panic. THIS IS NORMAL. Just stay with it, remember the little bit of training you have, and respect the tap and tap early and tap often. Try not to think of tapping as quitting or losing, think of it as a restart, you get to restart and try the techniques again.

    All these lists are a general guide to your first day at a BJJ class. It’ll probably be a bit different, but for the most part, it will have most of the elements from the lists above in one way or another.

    I think it’s great that you have decided to try a free trial jiu jitsu class and you should be proud of yourself, most people don’t do this!

    Also let me know how it goes, I’d love to hear about it!

  • I will convince you to go to a free trial jiu jitsu class

    Imagine yourself, walking around with confidence, your chest sticking out, your shoulders back, your head high, your stride strong. As you walk by other people, they notice the smirk on your face, a tiny grin that suggests you know something they don’t, an inside joke or a secret that they wish they knew. The people you walk by wish they had what you have, they wish they knew what you know.

    Imagine being part of a secret society or furtive fellowship, where you have created a better version of yourself and learned how to protect yourself if you ever needed to, by participating in fun physical activity that has put you in the best shape of your life. Your family and friends will ask “What’s your secret? And, can I join?!”

    Of course they can. So you go the BJJ gym together and discover what you’re all truly made of…by choking a complete stranger!

    Look, we all have fear and doubt and uncertainty. Fear of getting hurt. Doubting ourselves about what we can do. And uncertain if you’d ever be good at a martial art. Guess what, almost everyone that has ever joined a martial art started that way! Nobody was born a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. But those that have achieved that prestigious belt, started right where you are, at the free trail jiu jitsu class.

    So what are you waiting for? It’s free! Join a free trial jiu jitsu class now in your city and let me know how it goes! But I already know how it will go, you’re going to love it!

  • 8 Match BJJ Competition Extravaganza AND Why Getting Your Ass Kicked is a Great Way to Test Yourself

    Ever since I competed in that eight match extravaganza (it was actually seven, but I’ll get into that later), I’ve been wanting to write about it but for some reason, I haven’t had the urge to write it. Wanting to write about it and not being able to find the words, sucks. Since re-purposing this blog into a JiuJitsu only blog, it has turned into one massive project of figuring out why I do jiujitsu in the first place. Let’s try and figure that out together.

    “I’ll be fine. It’s just the fear of the unknown that stands in my way.”

    I read that quote on a poster in the office at work. It’s a great quote to help someone reframe their in-action to do something hard. And most things in life that we could be afraid of, our worrying about it, is usually worse than the outcome. This is a fact of life that I have to constantly remind myself of.

    Perhaps, for me, competing in jiujitsu, or even showing up to my BJJ Academy and training each week, is one giant test. I’m testing myself, but for what? Are aliens going to come down and invade earth but the only way we can stop them is through jiujitsu? Probably not (but one can dream). So why do I need to test myself with jiujitsu?

    There were lots of other things I could’ve been doing on a Saturday morning, like sleeping in, reading a book, hanging out with my wife, eating, or really any activity that doesn’t involve me fighting a bunch of 20 something year olds. But for some reason I thought it was a good idea to sign up to a round robin tournament and do four matches in the gi and four matches in no gi.

    And you know what, it was a good idea. I ended up winning my very first match in Brazilian jiujitsu by points, 6 to 4. The feeling, of having your hand raised, looking at the score, and having your family and friends share that moment with you, is a wonderful feeling and I hope one day you can experience that. My wife was there with me the whole day, supporting me, and worrying about me, she’s family and she’s a friend. It was great to share it with her.

    My wife also made a good observation, my opponents had coaches to tell them what to do. I had no coach and had to figure out what to do on the fly by myself. However my wife was a great manger and yelled encouraging words as I fought. She was a great cheerleader and driver. She is a great person to have in my corner, in bjj and in life. She made another astute observation, I’m more mobile than most 37 year olds. Most 37 years olds aren’t competing and fighting against 20 something year olds in bjj. That’s true. That made me feel good about myself. Sometimes I forget how much I have improved and how much work I do. We need to step back sometimes and be proud of what we’ve done.

    So how did the other seven matches go? Arm bar, triangle, refs decision, ankle lock, D’Arce choke, and rear naked choke. Those are the techniques that I submitted to. And I won another match by, what’s called, a walk-over. A walk-over means that the person forfeited for some reason (they didn’t show up on time), however I did fight that guy later in no gi, he got me in a D’Arce choke, which was just as nasty as the others. Side note: my left elbow still hurts from an arm bar, going on over two weeks now.

    Would I do this again? Nope. I’m not as spry as I used to be. I would have to dedicate all my free time to training in the fitness gym and bjj gym, which I sort of do now but it’s not a strict schedule. I was out paced, out weighed, and older than my opponents by 10, sometimes 15 more years. Not sure I have it in me to compete at that level. I’ll stick to Mater 1 division (30 year old +) and try to make weight for 155 instead of 170.

    I’m what they call a hobbyist, someone who does bjj for a hobby. But I wanted to test myself and see what it was like to do eight matches. Now I know what my skill level is at for competitions, my record is currently is 2-8. 2 wins (one by points, one by walk-over) and 8 losses (by points and subs).

    Doing hard things tests you. If you survive (spoiler alert, you will) then you’re almost guaranteed to come out of the struggle a better version of yourself. This eight match extravaganza was one of the hardest things I’ve done phsycially. I’m glad I did it. Now it’s time to continue recovering, keep showing up to practice, and make sure I’m ready for my next competition, whenever that may be.

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  • Walking the Dogs, Nostalgia, and Risking Permanent Injuries for Glory

    It’s around noon eastern standard time here in southern Ontario Canada. It’s 2°C, cloudy, with a chance of drizzle. Currently, I’m out walking our two dogs and using speech-to-text and talking into the Notes app on my iPhone. And in less than 24 hours I will be fighting a bunch of 20 something year olds in a round robin tournament in Toronto. I’m not nervous. Yet. I’ve been to two JiuJitsu competitions in my life last year and I didn’t get nervous until I stepped on the mat. And it was the same when I used to wrestle in high school all those years ago.

    I’ve trained on the JiuJitsu mat and in the fitness gym these last few weeks, and I’m ready as I can be. I often times think about why I would even do such a thing, sign up to a competition and potentially get a permanent injury from young men full of energy and in their prime. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out. I have three jobs, a wife, and two dogs to take care of. Why would I risk permanent injury and jeopardize all of those things in my life. I like training jiujitsu and I like telling people I train jiujitsu. It’s one of the many hats that I wear. I wear a tutor hat. I wear a cooks hat. I wear a support workers hat and I wear a jujitsu hat. Out of all the hats I wear the jiujitsu one is still a mystery.

    When I told people I was fighting in eight matches, they all had the same look, wide-eyed and surprised, and all of them said in different ways. “wow that’s a lot good luck,” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I think I’m trying to re-create the feelings and good vibes I experienced from wrestling tournaments from back in the day, I’m trying to relive the old days, and a nostalgic feeling I get from training for and driving to and walking around and competing at the tournaments.

    I just hope it’s worth the risk of potentially permanent injury. My hand is getting really cold and I need to pick up the dog mess in the grass. I’ll let you know how the competition goes.

  • Getting My Fourth Stripe on My White Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

    You’ve come a long way since walking into the gym and signing up for a jujitsu membership.

    Just walking through the doors and deciding that this is something you want to dedicate your time to, is a feat unto itself.

    A reminder that most people don’t do jujitsu, most people who do join end up leaving for various reasons, and most people who stay for a bit end up quitting at blue belt. At least that’s what they say.

    Just over a week ago I got my fourth stripe on my white belt in Brazilian jujitsu. It means a lot more than the other three stripes.

    This fourth stripe I actually feel like I’ve earned it and deserve it. That’s not to say I don’t trust my head instructors judgment, when giving out stripes. I think it has more to do with my lack of self-confidence from when I first started my martial arts journey.

    Who knows how long I’ll have my fourth stripe for before I get the coveted blue belt. Then the fun can really start.

    How many stripes do you have on your white belt? If you are a higher belt, do you remember what it was like having four stripes on your white belt?

    Here are some observations about being a four stripe white belt:

    Survival

    I’ve had enough white belts and blue belts and the rare purple belt tell me I have good defence.

    That’s a wonderful compliment at this stage in my game. That being said, I almost never go for or attempt a submission finish.

    The only technique I try for is a head and arm choke from side control or mount.

    It works less than fifty percent of the time. I’ll take it, that’s pretty good for me.

    Escapes

    With survival usually comes escaping. At least that’s what I’ve experienced. Or you’re saved by the buzzer, which is a white belts best friend.

    At this stage in my game as a four stripe white belt, escaping from someone taking my back is getting easier. It’s not easy though.

    But it’s now not impossible. Escaping from side control is still challenging and I haven’t found my favourite way of escaping that, in no gi it’s a bit easier for some reason. I think because we’re sweatier.

    I still get caught in arm bars and triangles. From white belt to higher belts. I must be doing something wrong.

    I think that I tend to put my hands out when passing and lean over too much, what can I say I love putting the pressure on when I pass.

    It’s the wrestler in me I guess. Gotta keep them arms in.

    Mindset

    Why keep showing up in the first place?

    I like to say I have a white belt mindset. Always eager to learn, being a newbie in an ever growing and evolving martial art.

    I bet even higher belts still have that mindset. There were times I really struggled with wanting to keep showing up.

    But after I got my third stripe I knew I was on the right track. After getting my fourth stripe I can see the blue belt in my sights.

    I still have a long way to go to get there but I am not stopping. Not now when I’m so close.

    What do I think blue belt is like?

    I feel like being a white belt in bjj is the tutorial in a video game. And the real game hasn’t even started yet until blue belt.

    My defence will still be a work in progress but it will be harder for whites and blues to submit me. It will happen but not as much. The higher belts will still destroy me, of course.

    At blue belt that’s when I will get my attacking and escaping game going. With a tight defence I can feel comfortable and confident in attempting attack techniques and submissions. Maybe something OTHER than a head and arm choke.

    What do YOU think it will be like when YOU get your blue belt?

  • My Jiu Jitsu Game: A Breakdown Analysis by a Black Belt

    A BJJ black belt by the name of Matt, was nice enough to reach out to me with an idea. Matt is working on a BJJ idea where he offers people a chance to submit footage of a competition match or a rolling session, and a black belt (him) reviews it, and returns the footage with commentary. I said that’s cool and we exchanged emails.

    The following is a summary of his analysis…

    Analysis – Strategy

    Since my match was mostly stand-up, that is, my opponent and I were stuck jostling instead of attacking for most of the match, Matt starts off by giving me some strategy ideas for takedowns. For example, ankle picks and collar drags are relatively safe from back exposure to your opponent. And if he can’t get his best takedowns in under a minute, he looks for a chance to pull guard into specific sweeps he likes. An if those don’t work than maintaining a good open or closed guard. A lot of the match was stalemating in stand-up with grips, with not a lot of grip breaking. For example, I had more wrestling grips like undercooks and collar ties. Matt suggests that I get comfotable with collar grips at the collar bone, as they have pretty much the same control as a collar tie.

    Analysis – Crossing My Feet

    In the match, I had a bad habit of moving laterally with my opposite foot. And as a result put myself in the position of potentially being tripped as my legs where momentary crossed (as you see in the picture below, I’m moving to the left but using my right foot first). Lucky my opponent didn’t notice.

    Analysis – Hip Toss

    Since I sort of froze up and forgot a years worth of my jiu jitsu, some of my old wreslting habits kicked in. I tried to do a hip toss but was too far away. Matt said ‘spacing’ is important for executing a hip toss correctly, I needed more hip-to-hip connection. I used to get them no problem in wrestling but with the gi grips, my opponent wasn’t going anywhere. I was just too far away and he had tight grips on my arms and collar. He also mentioned that hip tossing in BJJ is high risk, as you’re basically exposing your back to your opponent. Also there is no extra points for amplitude for takedowns in BJJ, if there is a dramatic high flying toss, it gets the same number of points, two, as an ankle pick.

    Notice the gap
    I’m off balance and risk being tossed backwards.
    Too much space for a hip toss
    Again I could have been tossed backwards because I have too much space and don’t have good balance here

    Analysis – Grip Breaking

    Matt suggests that I need to have a goal of practicing and playing with different grips while at the BJJ gym, and to figure out what grips work best for me. For example, the same side sleeve grip or cross side sleeve grip, and “When you break these grips, try and break them in a way where you keep that grip. Let’s say that I’m ripping your hand off my lapel, well to do that I have to grab you, right?. When I grab your sleeve, I’m going to break the grip and keep the sleeve, and look to work from there…use that grip that you got, and go with it.”

    Analysis – Posture

    Have you ever seen competition photos on Facebook or other social media from events like Grappling Industries, NAGA, or IBJJF? Matt noticed that most people, all levels, have stand-up posture like my opponent and I do in the photo below. Our weight is out in front of our feet, hips are far back, great for someone who loves ankle picks and the snap-down. Matt says it’s a common posture in BJJ and more people should be taking advantage of their opponents poor posture.

    Here I try a Head and Arm toss but missed and it went to the ground with my opponent on top of me

    Analysis – On the Ground

    There wasn’t much ground play in this match. But after my failed head and arm toss, my opponent gets on top on me and I recover in a quarter guard (which I didn’t even know was a type of guard ha). I should have tried with all my might and turned into my opponent. Matt points out that I can’t recover guard while I’m facing away from my opponent. I need to plant my feet and turn back into him.

    Conclusion

    Thanks to Matt the black belt for taking the time to do a breakdown analysis of my current BJJ game.

    Basically, I cross my feet too much and try high risk tosses but have too much space and I’m off balance. An even better opponent would have crushed me. I ended up losing the match in points. I’ve done two comps, two matches, and still haven’t scored points. Lucky I signed up for my third comp and will look to do better! That’s the plan anyway.

  • Signed up for another Jiu Jitsu tournament for January 2023

    I signed up for a No Gi AND Gi competition. Round Robin. I’ve never done a No Gi Comp but why the heck not. This will be my third competition ever. I’m currently 0-2 in competing in bjj. I have a good feeling about this next one.

    I have to make sure I don’t psych myself out either. Looking at the brackets everyday is not a good idea. Fear can keep people from competing. Fear of embarrassment can keep people from even joining or trying Jiu Jitsu.

    Why the heck am I going to train for a martial arts competition at the age of 37? Why would I put my body and mind through that? Am I trying to prove something to myself? Not sure. But I know I want to have fun. And BJJ is fun.

    I’m going to train on the mats AND in the gym. I need to be lifting more weights this next seven weeks since I will be in a heavier weight division, 170lbs, I’m currently 160lbs.

    I now have a focus and motivation for going to the fitness gym. For years I haven’t been able to make weight-lifting a habit. Hopefully now that I have a goal of actually being competitive this time around it’ll motivate me to keep going to the gym at LEAST three times a week.

    I got to say I’m excited about this next competition. I feel my wrestling skills will be more prominent in No Gi since there is no material to grip when hand-fighting and for my stand-up. But when I’m in someone’s closed guard in No Gi, like what the heck do I even grab? In training I sort of grab on to my opponents arms or wrists and try to post on them, is that correct? I’m need to look in to that. No Gi is like a different martial art than Gi.

    Anyways, have you tried a free trial jiu jitsu class yet? Try it out!

    Fun in Adobe Illustrator…

  • How to Get Better at BJJ if You Can’t Train

    This week I won’t be going to jiu jitsu class because of a cold. Rest and recovery is what I need. And lots of hot Aguapanela with ginger (a Latin American home remedy for when you are sick, and it’s tasty).

    Since starting BJJ over a year ago, I’ve had to take weeks off, here and there, after getting sick or getting injured. When that first happened, I felt bad that I was missing time on the mats. I thought I would get worse and fall behind my teammates. But after missing a week here and there, more and more, when I came back to class I noticed something: I didn’t get worse,, I got better. How the heck did that happen?

    Well it turns out, that watching BJJ competitions, Youtube and social media videos on jiu jitsu techniques, and basically thinking about rolling all the time, actually helps with our mind-body connection.

    Kinaesthetic Motor Imagery

    Thinking about jiu jitsu all the time makes you better at jiu jitsu.

    “Motor imagery (MI) is the cognitive ability that allows an individual to perform and experience motor actions in the mind, without actually executing such actions through the activation of muscles (Moran et al., 2012). MI thus enables one to practice movements without needing to physically perform them.”

    K. Richard Ridderinkhof, Marcel Brass

    Thinking about jiu jitsu all the time makes you better at jiu jitsu, especially if you can’t train.

    “MI may be particularly useful in
    conditions where practical limitations constrain physical training, such as biomechanical rigidity, limited physical strength, pain, fatigue, risk of injury, limited access to equipment, etcetera.”

    K. Richard Ridderinkhof, Marcel Brass

    But you need to pair the visualization with doing the hard work, showing up to class and learning, failing, and applying what you’ve learned. Motor imagery also makes you more competitive.

    “MI has been shown to facilitate the learning and acquisition of motor skills, as well as the maintenance and retention of previously acquired skills (Cooper, 1985). The frequency of MI use increases with competitive level (Hall et al., 1990), [and] differentiates professional players from amateurs (Lotze and Halsband, 2006),”

    K. Richard Ridderinkhof, Marcel Brass

    “Although MI is typically employed to complement physical training, even studies in which MI replaced physical practice altogether have found significant performance improvements in such events as golf putting, trampoline routines, and platform diving (Grouios, 1992; Isaac, 1992).”

    K. Richard Ridderinkhof, Marcel Brass

    First Person and Third Person Imagery

    Imagining or watching yourself or imagining others and watching other people.

    “Mental imagery can be experienced from one of two ‘viewpoints’: a first-person perspective (1PP) or a third-person perspective (3PP). Using 3PP, the individual imagines the motor action from the position of a virtual onlooker, watching herself perform, as if on a home video. Using 1PP, by contrast, the individual imagines performing the action not only as if looking through her own eyes, but typically also as if sensing her own motions.”

    K. Richard Ridderinkhof, Marcel Brass

    First person imagery is when you imagine yourself performing the moves, through your eyes. For example, you may replay a sparring session when the heavyweight new white belt who is also a black belt in judo, kosoto-gari’s you straight to your back and is now on top of you in side control.

    Third person imagery is when you imagine the move being performed by other people, you are an onlooker. Or you are watching a video of someone performing the moves. For example, you watch yourself competing in the video your wife took from the sideline of you and the other white belt grip fighting for four minutes without any action and getting penalties for delaying.

    Don’t feel bad for missing BJJ practice. Getting sick or getting hurt happens to all of us. Missing time is part of the game. Just don’t forget about it, think about it often, and you’ll come back even better.

    See you out on the mats!

    SOURCE: How Kinesthetic Motor Imagery works: A predictive-processing theory of visualization in sports and motor expertise