My Biggest Mistake as a BJJ Blue Belt

/in , , /by

In today’s Q&A video I got a question from a new Blue Belt who asked me what I would do differently when I was a BJJ Blue Belt. He asks because he wants to make the most of his time in Jiu-Jitsu and wanted to get some ideas from me.

 

So in this video I identify what I believe was my biggest mistake I made after I was promoted from White Belt to Blue. I’ll explain why I think this was my biggest mistake and my basic philosophy of the Blue Belt.

 

Now, you could use the ideas in the video regardless of belt rank. But I think it’s important for anyone who’s been promoted in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and has a higher level of skill than some of their peers.

 

Hopefully if you’re in a similar situation the video will be useful to you.

 

Thanks for watching the video.

-Chewy

—————–

Free Ebook: https://www.chewjitsu.net/focused-jiu-…​

 

Video Courses and Products: https://www.chewjitsu.net/products​

 

T shirts: https://www.chewjitsu.net/shop/​

 

http://www.Facebook.com/Chewjitsu​

 

http://www.instagram.com/Chewjitsu​

 

http://www.twitter.com/Chewjitsu​

 

Intro/Outtro Music : https://bknapp.bandcamp.com​

 

If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.

A powerful skill every BJJ player needs (it’s difficult to develop though)

/in , , , /by

A powerful skill every BJJ player should develop is. . .
​

Learning when to change your game vs your opponent’s.
​

You see, depending on the situation you might be better served to change your plan of action. I do this all the time.

​

For instance, against a larger superior wrestler I’ll pull half or butterfly guard.

​

If I’m in top position I have specific ways of passing guard depending on my opponent’s guard style.

​

And I can change these before a match or even mid roll if I need. This allows me to find the place of least resistance.

​

And bring my strongest weapons to their weakest area.

​

And while it’s a difficult skill to develop, I’ve found that having your own set of rules for BJJ helps make it easier.

​

Your rules become a type of template or scaffolding to build on.
​

For example, if I am faced with a good Half Guard player I will dominate their top arm and keep my hips back. Doing this denies them the under hook and the ability to underneath my hips.
​

With 1 simple grip fighting technique I’m able to stop their sweeps and keep them from getting underneath my legs for leg locks.

​

And this is just one of the many ideas I share in my Rules for BJJ: Vol. 1 series. Besides the top arm control in half guard there are 20+ concepts and strategies that can help you formulate your own rules.

​

Which you can get by rolling over to the link below.

​

​https://www.chewjitsutraining.com/rules1​

​

Now I say YOUR own rules because there is rarely 1 way of doing anything in Jiu-jitsu.

​

And while many of the rules I share are timeless. You may find your own tweaks or adjustments to them.

​

Either way, it pays in the long-term to be a thinking-for-yourself kind of person when it comes to BJJ.
​

So if you jump into the members area. Dig in, but think about how it would specifically work for YOUR game.
​

And whether you snag the course or not. As time goes on, be on the lookout for developing strategies vs specific styles and games.
​

-Chewy

​

P.S As a reminder. This product was originally created for my Chewjitsu Vault members but is on sale till this Sunday 2/14/21. After that it goes back into the Vault.

2 Useful Micro Adjustments To Catch & Finish Chokes in Back Mount

/in , , , , /by
In today’s BJJ technique video I show some small adjustments you can make using the collar to get more chokes from Back Mount. These small adjustments in BJJ are sometimes called things like micro adjustments or micro transitions. Which to me means that you have a big move happening (macro) and then you’re making smaller moves (micro) within that movement.

For example, in the video you saw me do the basic chair sit technique to Back Mount. Which is one of my favorite fundamental movements in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Within that large movement/transition I show a smaller hand grip change that you could consider a micro adjustment or transition.
The 2nd option is a simple collar feed which I use anytime I’ve got a good snag on collar but can’t quite get it to the finishing position.
Hopefully these small adjustments are useful to you with your ability to submit people from the back in Brazilian Jiujitsu.
-Chewy
—————–
Free Ebook: https://www.chewjitsu.net/focused-jiu-…​
Video Courses and Products: https://www.chewjitsu.net/products​
T shirts: https://www.chewjitsu.net/shop/​
http://www.Facebook.com/Chewjitsu​
http://www.instagram.com/Chewjitsu​
http://www.twitter.com/Chewjitsu​
Intro/Outtro Music : https://bknapp.bandcamp.com​
If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.

SHOW LESS

A white belt and his micro adjustments

/in /by

Has anything taken the BJJ world by storm quite like. . .
​

Micro Adjustments?

​

Don’t worry, I’m not here to dogpile on the young White Belt.
​

Although the memes did make me laugh and the young fella deserved a little ball bustin’. I mean if it was one of my guys I’d mess with him in a non-malicious way.
​

Anyways, I’m just thankful that social media wasn’t really around when I was a young White Belt. God knows what I would have posted.

​

I remember one time Jess and I found our old myspace page while having date night at our favorite sushi spot.
​

We both cringed looking at the awful pictures and stupid posts in the ghost town that is Myspace.
​

The sushi chef thought something was wrong with our fish, but I assured him it was my 22 year old self that caused the look of disgust. Not my california roll.

​

That said, there are micro adjustments or micro transitions if you wish to call them that.

​

Sometimes these simple grip changes, being mindful of a connection to a very specific part of someone’s body and other times it’s simply setting up a submission in transition.
​

Either way, if you’d like to learn some effective tweaks and adjustments for your game that you can easily implement the next time you train. . .
​

Then check out my Rules for BJJ Vol.1.

​

The series is a collection of over 20 fundamental strategies, principles and ideas that you can throw into the mix in your next training session.

​

Normally this is only available as an upsell. But after seeing the White Belt and his micro adjustments around the internet. I’m making it available until Sunday(2/14/21).
​

So, if you’d like the stuff I was just talking about, don’t reluctantly press the link below. Make the small adjustment necessary and click it before the sale ends.
​

​www.ChewjitsuTraining.com/Rules1​

​

And to wrap this one up.

​

To any of you who are new to BJJ. Remember don’t tap and talk. It’s bad form. If you’ve heard my walled garden analogy before. This kind of stuff destroys the “walls” around the space we test and expose ourselves.

​

Because if you know someone is going to talk about submitting you. The roll changes into something completely different than just a fun day of training.
​

And to anyone who tried to come down too hard on the guy. Cut him some slack. We all do some dumb stuff sometimes.
​

Talk to you tomorrow.

-Chewy

SF

Street fighter quit 15 minutes into 1st BJJ class

/in , , /by

Let me tell you a story about this one time a street fighter came in for one of our gi classes.

​

I asked him, “Have you ever trained before?”

​

The guy looked around side to side and said, “Well. . . not Jiu-jitsu.”

​

I could tell he wanted to say something more. So I asked, “Have you trained something else?”

​

The man in front of me looked down at his left hand then his right (which were balled up into two fists covered in poorly done tattoos). His eyes raised back up making direct contact with mine and his fists moved up to the middle of his chest and he told me,

​

“I’ve trained in the street with these hands.”

​

Now I’m a professional and so when he said this. I kept a big ole smile on my face and remained helpful.

​

But deep down. . . I was a mixture of amused and annoyed.

​

Anyways, I gave him a spare gi and paired him with one of my advanced guys to help him. I thought maybe I could convert him over to training instead of street fighting.

​

During the class we worked on some grip fighting and takedowns.

​

As I tell my guys. Control the grips and you control everything. So it’s a super important aspect of grappling.

​

In case you’re curious the grip fighting techniques I show in my classes are the same ones I show in my Get a Grip video series. If you want to get your grappling grippers on proven ways to break and control grips then press the link below.

​

​https://www.Chewjitsu.net/Grips​

Back to the story!

​

My conversion hopes were dashed after about 15 minutes into class when I look over to see him sitting on the bench taking off the spare gi and putting his shoes on.

​

When I asked if he was leaving he said, “Yeah, I’m not good at all this Gi fighting stuff. I need more skin on skin contact.”

​

That’s literally verbatim. Skin on skin contact. I’m not sure if he was coming on to me or if it was more of a desire to roll with his shirt off like MMA fighters do in their fights.

​

But either way, he left, and we all had a little chuckle from it. And hopefully the story made you crack a grin as well this morning.

​

Have an awesome weekend. Talk you Monday.

-Chewy

butterfly pass

Showing My BJJ Students How I Pass Butterfly Guard (After Class Q&A)

/in , , /by

Today’s video is a little different. It’s literally one of the end of class Q&A’s I do with my students. At the end of every class I bring everyone in to see if they have any questions. During the video you’ll see one student ask about passing Butterfly Guard while another student asks about Half Guard.

With the guard passing tip I explain why I prefer using the Double Under Pass even against the Butterfly Guard.

Hope you enjoy the video and get something useful for it.

-Chewy

—————–

Free Ebook: https://www.chewjitsu.net/focused-jiu-…​

Video Courses and Products: https://www.chewjitsu.net/products​

T shirts: https://www.chewjitsu.net/shop/​

http://www.Facebook.com/Chewjitsu​

http://www.instagram.com/Chewjitsu

​ http://www.twitter.com/Chewjitsu​

Intro/Outtro Music : https://bknapp.bandcamp.com​

If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.

The useful books I read (and reread) before bed

/in /by

One of my night time rituals is reading.
​

I tend to turn my phone off a couple of hours before bed and start my winding down process.

​

And reading is a big part of that.

​

In particular I like ending my day with some thought to help me move into the next day.

​
With that said, on the table next to my bed there are a pile of books like Meditations, The Enchiridion, Emerson’s essays, some of Thoreau’s work and so on.

​

Now I’ve read and reread all of these books and essays plenty of times.

​

But I find that every time I read them I see something new.

​

Now the ink had already stained the paper when I first read the book. But I either wasn’t ready for the information or was just in a different place in my life where the information didn’t stand out as much.

​

And this is honestly how BJJ instructionals, youtube videos and any informational courses are.

​

You can’t just go through them once. It’s not enough. You’ve got to go over them again and again.

​

Hell, it’s the same with techniques in my gym. I’ve had Purple Belts tell me how a technique I showed really stuck with them. . . even though I know I had been showing them the same technique since they were White Belts.
​

So whether you’re a loyal youtube follow, podcast listener or have purchased a course or two on my website at www.Chewjitsu.net/products

​

Don’t expect the information to work or make complete sense the 1st time through.

​

Be willing to put in a few viewing and studying reps. And be willing to come back to the information later on as you improve and progress.

​

I imagine it’ll be similar to the way I am with my reading and studying. You’ll see new things that were always there, but that you missed the 1st time around.

​

Just a few ideas to chew on for the day.
​

Talk to you tomorrow.

-Chewy

HIIT for bjj

Are HIIT Workouts Good for Building Cardio for BJJ ?

/in , /by
Are HIIT workouts good for building cardio for BJJ? That’s the basic question from out friend from Germany (who I will call Karl for the video). Karl is a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and wanting to build his cardio and is wanting to know if HIIT workouts are useful for doing this.
In this video I give my answer to this question based on my experience. But I will add a caveat to everything I say in the video. What I tell you in the video is my experience and opinion. Use it and put it together with your own experience. Because we are all different.
Getting back to the video. I share why I’m not the biggest fan of HIIT workouts during my normal flow of training and the only time I’ll actually add them in.
Oh and at the end I take you for a quick tour of the weight training area in my gym.
Hope the video is useful for you and your rolling.
Thanks for watching.
-Chewy
—————–
Free Ebook: https://www.chewjitsu.net/focused-jiu-…​
Video Courses and Products: https://www.chewjitsu.net/products​
T shirts: https://www.chewjitsu.net/shop/​
http://www.Facebook.com/Chewjitsu​
http://www.instagram.com/Chewjitsu​
http://www.twitter.com/Chewjitsu​
Intro/Outtro Music : https://bknapp.bandcamp.com​
If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.

Drilling this way helped me win no gi Pans 3 times

/in , , , /by

Well I’m back from sunny Costa Rica and enjoying the snowy Kentucky.

​

Figured we’d start the week off with a little Q&A from our friend Cole. Here’s his question.

==========

Hey chewy got a question for you. As a new white belt when you’re drilling would you recommend training both sides equally or do you think it’s better to learn a particular move on your strong side and then on your weaker side?

​
​

Thank you so much.

==========

Good question! And I think this one could have applications for higher belts as well.

​

Personally, having options from both sides has been one of the most useful changes that’s made my BJJ more effective over the years. In fact, all 3 of my No Gi Pans championship medals are, at least in part, a result of this.

​

Let’s jump into it.

​

When I first started training BJJ wayyy back in 2003 (before YouTube or Facebook) my coach told us all to train to 1 side only. To develop 1 side 100% rather than both sides and being 50/50.

​

And I followed this focus for years and developed techniques to my dominant side only.

​
It worked really well. . . until it didn’t.
​

Eventually I started struggling to pass and attack to my strong side. I also had a guy crush me in a match by forcing half guard to my weak side.
​

So I started dabbling with my non-dominant side, and after a couple of years it became my best side.

​

I’m right handed, as are most people.

​

This means most people have the same dominant side. In the gym they use techniques to the same side. This develops the sensitivity and muscle memory to 1 side.

​

By building up my weak side I was able to take advantage of other people’s weaknesses. I was attacking the side that most people didn’t.

​

And even if the technique didn’t work it would help set up my strong side attacks.

​

So here’s my advice.
​

Long term I’d encourage you to drill to both sides.

​

That said, in the beginning when you’re learning a technique I’d stick to 1 side first. Get the feel for the technique. This way when you switch to the other side you’ll be able to know what the technique should feel like.
​

Start with one side and once you are able to do the technique smoothly without much thought, then start drilling to the other side.

​

Hope that helps!

-Chewy

How to Balance Life and BJJ Training (Why I’m The Worst Person To Ask)

/in , /by

Today’s question is balancing life off the mats with our BJJ training on the mats. This can be a bit of a struggle as we all have busy lives that take away from our Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training. But, warning, instead of giving tips on how to maintain “perfect balance” in life and on the mats. Instead I share an idea of why being a bit unbalanced can be a good thing (if done right). This comes from the idea that balance isn’t how things get done.

Now keep in mind this comes from my own experience. So mileage may vary for you. But for me the information in this video has been incredibly helpful for being able to get things done and continue training for years. Even before I was a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu coach.

And I say that because like our techniques. What works for me may not work perfectly for you and you will probably have to adjust things a bit.

But if you’re struggling with BJJ and life balance then I hope this video is useful to you.

-Chewy

—————–

Free Ebook: https://www.chewjitsu.net/focused-jiu-…

Video Courses and Products: https://www.chewjitsu.net/products

T shirts: https://www.chewjitsu.net/shop/

http://www.Facebook.com/Chewjitsu

http://www.instagram.com/Chewjitsu

http://www.twitter.com/Chewjitsu

Intro/Outtro Music : https://bknapp.bandcamp.com

If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.