Books

Should I Read 1 Book At A Time Or Multiple ?

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The other day I got a question from Alfonso about reading books. He says that he used to grind through 1 book at a time whereas now he’s starting to jump through multiple books. His book interest range from everything like history to self-help to nutrition and everything in between. He’s curious about how I go about reading books and send in his question.

In this video I share some information about how I go about reading books but also how I go about journaling. I also share how I bounce around from about 3 different books at a time and even share some books that you might be interested in.

This list of books or ideas on books isn’t exhaustive, it’s just a few of the ways I do things. Hopefully this video is useful to you in some way with your own reading / studying.

-Chewy

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

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Bjj Clock Chokes

Increase Finishing Power with Bjj Clock Chokes (Focus On 1st Grip)

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I got a question about different types of submissions that can be used from the Turtle position in BJJ. So in today’s video I show the tried and true Clock Choke. But as you’ll see in the video. I place a huge amount of importance on the 1st grip you acquire.

In this video I also clip in a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu match I had back in 2017 where I used this principle. I got the finishing grip very quickly and while my body was moving all over the place I was still able to finish the choke at the end.

I wanted to show this because a lot of times people fail to recognize the importance of getting strong grips early on. They think about the choke, the finish but forget that strong grips setup the finish.

Hope this video is helpful to you!
-Chewy

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push up

20 Minute At Home Workout w/ No Equipment Needed (Since I Can’t Train BJJ)

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Get the at-home workout guide at: https://www.chewjitsu.net/corona
In this at home workout we recorded I do 10 squats, 10 push ups, 10 burpees and 5 split squats to each leg. The workout took 20 minutes and required no extra equipment.

This is certainly no replacement for BJJ or solid weight lifting but if you just need a good sweat at home then give it a try.

Also included in the free at home guide is over 20 other workouts that you can throw into the mix along with some tips on dealing with a layoff from BJJ training.

Hope you and your family are healthy and safe. Stay strong and lets continue to make it through this thing together.
-Chewy

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Sacrifice Throw

My Modified Sacrifice Throw Saved Me At The Last Minute (No Gi BJJ Match In 2013)

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This match is from way back in 2013 at a time when I was still a young Black Belt. When watching the match you’ll see I struggled a ton early on to get my game going against a tough opponent.

This competition was at a team based competition in 2013 for the AGC. You’ll see in the match my opponent was a fellow Black belt and super quick Wrestler. He was able to score on me right out of the gate and dominate position for much of the match. Luckily I changed some things in my focus through the match that helped me secure the win. My sacrifice throw / butterfly guard pull that I used saved me in this one. And at the end of the match I was exhausted.

At the end if you listen closely you’ll hear me say “why does it take me 5 minutes to get my game going” and this was because I used to be a slow starter. This is in complete contrast to now where I typically start matches off very fast and aggressive.

You’ll also hear my training partners scream for submission. This is because we were doing a team tournament where submission wins were 3 points and point wins were 1 point for the team. So we really wanted the submission.

If you’d like to see more matches like this one with along with narrated breakdowns check out my Chewjitsu Vault at: www.Chewjitsu.net/Vault

This is where I focus on all sort of deeper techniques and lessons related to BJJ.

Hope you enjoyed the video!
Thanks for watching.

-Chewy

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Wrestling

BJJ Black Belt Struggling to Sweep 2X National Wrestling Champion

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This BJJ rolling session was from the last no gi class I had before the quarantine. During the rolling you’ll see me roll with Brandon who is a 2X NAIA college wrestling champ not to mention he’s an absolute powerhouse of a human being.

Another big bummer about this whole lock down thing is that I was looking forward to having Brandon in the gym more often since wrestling season was over. And you can see him starting to try to engage from off his back which is good. If he ever has time to stick with Brazilian Jiujitsu it’s going to be scary.

You can check out some more videos of Brandon’s on his channel at: https://www.youtube.com/user/brandon44999 or just search Brandon Reed wrestling.

When you watch us roll you’ll see us doing situational rolling. Top person works for a submission or pass and bottom person works for the sweep. I struggled with Brandon’s base and balance and even if I got a sweep he quickly recovered his position. Also, I had to quickly switch from full guard, butterfly guard and half guard to try and find a position to work from.

This is one of the most valuable reasons you should roll with wrestlers when you get the chance. They don’t engage in the way Brazilian Jiu-jitsu players do and so it’s a great test to see how your BJJ works against someone of a different grappling style.

My other roll was with Stephen who is a young MMA fighter who wrestled in high school. He’s super scrappy and I’m excited to see how he develops once we get back to training.

If you’re wondering at the end I tap because I was stuck in a rough neck crank and wasn’t getting out. My neck was already a little funny that day so I tapped. When you roll I’d encourage you to be intelligent and do the same.

Also if you’re stuck at home and need some help with exercise, workouts or tips for preparing your BJJ for when you return.

Visit: https://www.chewjitsu.net/time-off

And get my free at home training guide.

Hope you enjoyed the video and I hope you and your family are well!

Thanks for watching.
-Chewy

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focus for each belt

Philosophy and Expectations for White to Black Belt In BJJ

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In this clip I talk about my expectations and what each of the 5 belt in BJJ mean to me. I explain what I would encourage people to focus on as a White Belt, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt and Black Belt.

Keep in mind these are my ideas and philosophies on BJJ training and if belts didn’t exist you could replace them with certain periods of experience.

Hopefully the video is helpful for you and your won path in Brazilian Jiu-jtisu.

the full podcast is available on all podcast platforms or you can check it out at www.thechewjitsupodcast.com.

Thanks to our podcast sponsors:

Charlotte’s Web CBD. Head over to www.charlottesweb.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu to get 15% off of your total purchase.

Epic Roll BJJ. Check out www.epicrollbjj.com and use the promo code Chewjitsu to get 15% off of your total purchase.

-Chewy
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Grappling Dummies

Grappling Dummies Are Still A Waste (Even During Quarantine)

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I made a video about grappling dummies about 3 years ago where I said they were a waste of time and money. Well recently because of the quarantine and lockdown most of us are experience I’ve gotten a lot of comments on that video. Most of the comments are something to the effect that, “Are grappling dummies still a waste now that we can’t roll?”

Now while everyone has their own opinion on this think I absolutely stand by my stance. You can roll with that grappling dummy till you’re blue in the face your Brazilian Jiu-jitsu abilities are still going to get worse. Just how it is.

But I believe there are other areas you could focus on that would be far more useful. So in the video I list 4 other things you could focus on, besides a grappling dummy, that I think will help you when you get back to BJJ training in the future.

Those 4 things are:
– Diet
– Stretching and strengthening exercises
– Meditation
– Watching videos

Focusing on those 4 things would be far superior for preparing a person’s physical and mental abilities when it’s time to come back to training.

Now all of that said, if you really like your grappling dummy then rock it out. I’m replying back to comments and if you enjoy it then good for you.

But from my experience over 20 years I see very few people actually use their grappling dummy with any real consistency. And without consistency you shouldn’t expect results.

Thanks for watching the video.
-Chewy

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Red Mat

The Special Story Behind The Red Square On My Blue Mats

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There’s a story behind this red square of mats in my BJJ training area. ⁣Most people see this and think I ran out of money or didn’t order enough mats. ⁣⁣But that’s not it. ⁣⁣


You see, I grappled and rolled on those red mats for over 10 years. Much of who I am today was forged through the difficulties of BJJ and MMA training on those red mats. ⁣⁣

And I keep that little piece of red mat to remind me everything from, all the difficulties I experienced during my early years of BJJ training to the countless hours spent developing myself and our gym so that it would be something special to the students inside, to being so broke when I first started coaching full time that I couldn’t afford my own place and I either couch surfed or on plenty of nights those red mats became my bed. ⁣⁣
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I keep memories like these in my back pocket so I don’t forget them. ⁣⁣
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They give me contrast and remind me of how lucky I am and keep me grounded so I don’t ever think I’m too good to answer a simple question. Because I remember I struggled with those same questions. ⁣⁣
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Even when we get through this mess (which we will get through this). Keep these experiences in your back pocket. Remember them. So that when life returns to it’s comfortable norm you don’t fall back asleep and take everything for granted. ⁣⁣
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Instead stay awake for your life, remember that tomorrow isn’t guaranteed and that safety and security is an illusion. Be grateful and appreciate the beautiful moments you experience and the amazing people you meet because they won’t be there forever. They may not be there tomorrow. ⁣⁣
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Appreciate the hell out of them and that everyday you have a chance to enjoy existence. ⁣⁣
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Hope you guys are well out there. Stay strong, take care of your neighbors and take a moment to appreciate something small in your life today. ⁣⁣
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-Chewy

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workout tip

Instant Tweak to Make Exercises More Difficult (No Equipment Required)

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If you’re stuck at home doing workouts for any reason whether it’s a corona virus or just your garden variety injury then you can use the tips I share in this video to get more bang for your buck from the exercises you use. In addition, it’s a really solid tip to incorporate into your regular lifting. You can also use this tip with your BJJ solo drills.

It’s a very simple idea that I share in this video but it’s one that can make any simple exercises way more difficult.

That tip is simply do the reps slower and with control. Seems easy but when you slow a repetition down to 5, 10, or 15 seconds it becomes much more taxing on the muscles.

The beauty of doing this is that it increases time under tension, make the exercise more difficult and increase the mind body connection formed during the movement.

Hope this video is useful to you especially if you’re stuck at home unable to workout like normal.

-Chewy

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Tiger King Lessons

A BJJ lesson from Tiger King

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Hey all you cool grapplers and rollers it’s Chewy.

With all of this down time because of the quarantine I’ve found myself watching netflix with Jess a bit more than usual.

And the other day we watched that recent shit show of a documentary called Tiger King. And after watching it I can tell you that there are a lot of lessons to takeaway from that mess.

1 of them is the importance of thinking for yourself and practicing discernment.

Here’s what I mean.

The show is mostly about these 3 groups of exotic animal owners. Each with a cult like leader who has a devout following. Through the show it also shares details into the flaws and misgivings and possible abuses of each one of these leaders.

Then if you listen to these same people comment on the way the show portrayed them, they’ll tell you that much of the information was spun to fit a certain narrative.

The whole thing is full of lies, people misleading others and people using others in a way they didn’t intend to make a t.v show.

This is a reminder that you should practice discernment otherwise you get lad to believe or do things that may not be useful for you in the long run.

Many people DON’T do this though. They say, “well so and so said this” or “this works because so and so did it.” And so they think they HAVE to do it.

In short they don’t think for themselves. Don’t be that way.

Listen to the teachers you follow but always be willing to think for yourself and see how it works for YOU. This goes with techniques and ideas.

In BJJ I call this making your own “stew.” Taking the ideas and teachings from others, finding out what works for you and making your own mixture.

Even the things I teach, whether it’s ideas shared or techniques, be willing to see how they work for you. Again, I share because something has worked for me. But you’re different, they may work or they may not.

That’s for you to find out.

And just as a reminder so you don’t miss out!

From now until this Friday (April 3rd) if you invest in any of my courses at www.Chewjitsu.net/products I’ll gift you access to my Get a Grip series, and a special seminar recording from one of my events in Florida last year at no additional cost.

All you gotta do is snag whatever course strikes your fancy and then email me at Support@Chewjitsu.net with the subject line “Special Bonus” and we’ll send the extra goodies your way.

And whatever course you end up getting your hands on make sure to practice discernment. Study it, take in the information and once you get back to the gym (after all this quarantine stuff passes), see how it works for you.

It’s impossible for you to not get something from the courses. But I also don’t expect you to take everything as is. You’ll have to adjust a technique to your style or body type.

This is a must for any good martial artist as they create their own style or “art.”

Talk to you tomorrow.

-Chewy

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