Something high level Wrestlers, Judoka and BJJ players do, that you may not be doing.

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BJJ is such a complex and technical grappling art, overflowing with techniques. Every move seems to have a variation . . . and every variation seems to have a variation. This complexity can be a double edge sword though.  The technical prowess of BJJ allows it to work for anyone. Big, small, short, tall, it doesn’t matter, if you train . . . you can become proficient at BJJ.  However, this can backfire when you try to acquire too much too quickly.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” and I think this has some relevance to BJJ as well. Many people get very distracted by “fun looking” techniques or techniques that seem to be in style at the time. They hop from technique to technique, position to position. Never mastering any particular area of the game and instead being mediocre across the board. You don’t want this!!

 

Coming from a wrestling background we were always taught that . . .

you don’t have to do much, you just have to do it better than everyone else.

I’ve heard similar phrases come from other wrestlers, judo players and high level BJJ practitioners. This is something I always stress with my guys when it comes time for competitions or when they are newer and trying to develop an “A” game.

Now there is nothing wrong with playing around with new techniques and positions. Nothing wrong at all, but you have to understand that when you do this you will be making yourself a bit vulnerable. When you work a new move or position you’re going to be a bit shaky with it at first and after drilling and attempting it during rolling sessions for a while you will gradually become adept with that move.  Right when this move is beginning to develop is where many people make the mistake of moving on to something new that doesn’t necessarily fit with what you were just working on.

You just spent all this time making this solid position or technique and now you’re going to move on???

My advice would be to continue with the position or the move. For example, if you were working butterfly guard. . . well. . . add another butterfly guard into your drilling list. Maybe you were working on kimuras. Well instead of moving on to a whole new submission, expand upon the kimura and learn additional setups or transitions from it.

This kind of chaining-things-together mindset can really help you develop areas of your game quickly.

So what is it that high level grapplers do that most average BJJ players do not?

They own a position, a technique, a movement. They master the ins and outs of their desire moves and become brutally efficient with them.

Go watch some judo highlights. You won’t have to watch long before you see a highlight showing a particular judoka executing the same throw over and over again using different setups against different opponents. Wrestlers are the same. Go do a Google search and put it “John Smith Single Leg.” The guy is synonymous with that damn move. When he wrestled, his opponents knew what he was going to do but they couldn’t stop him. He had drilled and worked his single legs to a level of ability that is awe inspiring. Imagine going to a high level competition and hitting everyone with the same move even after they knew what you were going to do. This happens in BJJ too! One easy example that comes to mind is Roger Gracie. Mount to cross collar choke. . . are you kidding me? Cross collar chokes? What seems to be such a basic and easily defended move becomes dangerous in the hands of a person who masters it and believes in his ability to execute it.

 

If you are already in possession of your A game then feel free to do as you please, but if you feel as though you lack a go-to area, may I share a piece of advice? Own something. Find a position or technique that you are decent at or wish to be proficient with. Then, drill drill drill and attempt it during your training. Make your name synonymous with whatever it is you want to be good with. Be the person that has the nasty half-guard that guys talk about in the locker room, or the person with crazy submissions that makes everyone feel uneasy during their roll. Then continue to build upon it and add to it.

I guess this post is similar to the last post, Training with a purpose, but I encourage you to remember, you are the architect for your BJJ. You’re instructor will supply you with the raw materials to build it, but ultimately it falls on you to better yourself and devise the blueprint for your BJJ game.

In short, try and get really good with a few things before you start introducing a bunch of new techniques to your repertoire.

 

What are you waiting for??? Take out a pen and write down a flow chart and start plotting out the direction you want to take your game! 😉

Training with a purpose

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Just finished another interview for the podcast project I have coming up. I’m having so much fun and learning so much about these awesome people. I hope everyone has as much fun listening to these podcast episodes as I’m having making them. The launch date for the podcast is September 1st, 2013 in case you’re interested. Even though the podcast is still a little over a month out, I figured I would take a minute and share 1 little chunk of advice that seems to keep coming up during these interviews, and its something I’ve blogged about before. The reoccurring tip that these black belts talk about when it comes to improving at BJJ is . . .

“to train with a purpose”

I know sometimes its fun to roll and not focus on anything, but If you feel like you’re not growing on the mat or that you are hitting a plateau. Then take some advice from some high level guys and train with a purpose! Give yourself a goal to achieve during your training session, try to hit a new move you’re working on or try and improve the weak areas of your game. If you’re a good bottom guy, try and work your top game. If you’re a good sweeper, try and submit from the bottom. You get the idea. Hitting those goals will build some positive momentum mentally and improve your game by focusing on improving in a particular area.

Hope everyone’s training goes well and I hope you hit whatever goals you set for yourself!

Ask a black belt a question, ANY question!

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Hey guys, I need your help!

I am getting ready to start a very cool project that will be launched in the near future. The project will involve asking many different black belts a group of questions in hopes that they can share their journey in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as well as provide insight, inspiration and motivation for our own paths in the art.

What I would like from you is to take a second and think of some questions. The questions should be related to BJJ in some way. Each time I interview one of the black belts I will pick one of the questions I received from you guys. I’ll also give a shout out to the person who sent the question. 

 

With that said, please send your questions to  chewjitsu@gmail.com with the subject of the email as “Blackbelt Questions”.  Also, please include some basic info about yourself (Name, Location, belt level, gym that you train in) so that I can give a shout out to you.

 

Thanks for your help guys!

Make sure you get the most of your training

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Almost every week I have students that complain about lagging performance on the mat(its more common in summer). They say they felt overly fatigued and just zapped of energy during training. When a student comes to me complaining about lack of energy and just missing that umph that they normally possess, I always ask two questions.

The first question is “did you eat enough today?” Almost every time their reply comes back as something like “no, I missed lunch” or “no I didn’t eat much today.”

The second question is “how much water did you drink today?” Again their reply usually alludes to a lack of consumption.

Now these seem like simple things . . . eating food and drinking water, but I’ve seen plenty of higher level BJJ players step onto the mat without taking in adequate amounts of food and water. Heck, one of my high level blue belt competitors nearly passed out on the mat recently because of not having enough in his body. Now this doesn’t mean you should stuff your face with whatever sort of food you can find and gulp down a half gallon of water 30 minutes before you step on the mat. You’ll probably spend the rolling session of class mopping up your puke if you choose to do that. You have to be kind of “strategic” about these things. That’s the fun word for the day! Now I know strategic sounds like a funny word to use when you are relating it to your eating habits, but when you look at the definition it makes sense.

Strategic : “of great importance within an integrated whole or to a planned effect”

Think of your body during training as a high performance vehicle. The food that you put into your body is the fuel for this vehicle. Imagine putting garbage fuel or no fuel at all into a high performance car. . . it wouldn’t run very well or run at all. This holds true with your body. When you eat junk or nothing, you’ll perform in a way that reflects as such. With that said, we want to eat in a way that gives us the planned effect of having plenty of energy so that we are able to get the most out our training. I mean if you are going to spend time driving to the gym, paying your gym dues, buying a kimono, caring for your kimono, purchasing dvds, reading BJJ related books, spending countless hours watching videos online and making your significant other angry because you’re obsessed with BJJ. Then why would you allow your training sessions to be sub-par because of lazy / poor eating habits?

I am not going to dive too deep into diets and nutrition but I will share some of my my pre training favorites and my typical diet routine during an average weekday. My pre training favorites are sweet potatoes (personal favorite), oatmeal, smoothies, fruit and a protein shake.

I typically space my solid meals out at least about an hour and a half to two hours prior to training. A meal like this would be something like sweet potatoes, asparagus and chicken. Sweet potatoes are a fantastic source of complex carbs and it is an incredibly nutrient dense food. When I eat a sweet potato for lunch I almost always feel energized during my training sessions.

In the mornings I usually have oatmeal with some fruit and honey, which gives me energy for my morning training sessions. Oatmeal is easier on my stomach and digestion than the sweet potato meal listed about, but I still try and have the food eaten no later than an hour before training.

When I find myself running late in the mornings or get knocked off my schedule during the afternoon I make a smoothie (protein, fruit, honey, sometimes oats) ,again, no later than an hour before training.

Should my schedule get really off track, I will at least throw back a protein shake and a banana 30-45 minutes prior to training.

 

I also don’t take any pre workout supplements. I have in the past, but when I did I would find myself in the middle of a hard roll with what felt like a humming bird trying to escape from my chest. I usually just have a small cup of coffee or tea for a boost.

 

My eating schedule during the week is pretty structured. Because I train and teach a lot during the week I can’t really afford to have a big fat meal during the day. Bad food will make me lethargic and I’ll do a crappy job of teaching my students and training myself.  That being said I still have my share of ice cream and cheeseburgers. I follow the 80/20 rule most of the time, 80% good and 20% whatever. I love having a burger and a beer with the guys, or sometimes on Thursdays we will go to the Mexican restaurant across the street and have a cheat meal AFTER training.

 

Anyways, here’s what my average diet looks like during the week, it’s not for everyone but it keeps me energized during the day.  Just as a note, I have fixed AM and PM training sessions, but I will also do extra training, privates and gym work during the day that’s not listed. I say this because I don’t want anyone to get the impression that I’m eating and sleeping between training sessions. Believe me, I’m not. I get up at 7-8am and don’t leave the gym till 9:930pm.

-Morning: Eggs, oatmeal (plain no sugar), piece of fruit and honey to put into the oats and a cup of coffee or tea

AM Training if I lift (Teaching, rolling, and a lift)

-Lunch(right after training) Sweet potatoes, asparagus, chicken.

-Lunch 2: usually the same thing as my first lunch with a cup of tea or coffee.

PM Teaching and Training

-Post workout protein shake

-A light dinner: veggies and some sort of protein source

 

 

 

Recap:

  1. Eat enough food and drink enough water. Your body is a vehicle and it needs fuel.
  2. Make sure you’re eating the right foods. You will get out of your body what you put in.
  3. Structure your diet so that its part of a conscious effort to enhance your training, not just eating to eat.
  4. Enjoy the energy boost you will feel during training if you are not currently eating consciously.

 

Thank you for reading the post! I hope that you were able to take something away from it and that it might help you get the most out of your training sessions if your eating habits are a little suspect right now. Also, if you have any BJJ related questions that you might want help with, feel free to send them to me in an email at chewjitsu@gmail.com.

 

Keep training hard!

—Chewy

A long list of reasons why people train BJJ

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Back in April I put up a post about why we train BJJ and I got a lot of positive feedback from the post. The idea popped in my head a couple of days ago to do a simple post on my Facebook and just ask a couple of questions, and see what kind of responses I received. What I love most about the responses are that they come from average people. I find it interesting to get responses from the people who make up the majority of practitioners in our sport. Hearing about world champs who have all day to train is great, but I also like hearing about people who’s lives don’t simply revolve around BJJ. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy the responses.

The questions were. . .

  1. Why did you start training?
  2. Why do you continue to train?

The answers were really interesting and I figured some of them could serve as for others. I’ve removed the names of the posters but they consist of every rank from white to black belt, young and old, male and female.

Here are the answers I received. . .

1. I wanted to be able to defend myself.

2. I continue because it helps me improve as a human.

1.I was tired of getting in trouble and partying,

2.I want to stay fit and compete and addicted to the life style..

1. I sold my motorcycle and needed something to do.
2. I want to excel and teach others.

1. I wanted to stay in shape and be able to compete if I choose to.
2. It’s something after next year my whole family will be doing. It gives us all something we do together.

1. Wrestling was over and I still wanted to continue wrestling.
2. To see if I can be as good as everyone thinks I can be/ I’m a competitor I love knowing there is someone better than me out there pushing me to do better

. . . . Oh and to prove doctors wrong that I would never be able to train again , let alone compete after having kidney failure ..that should a been my first answer

1. My husband wanted me to try it
2. “Light bulb” moments, making new friends, constant challenge (mental and physical)

1. Lots of friends did it. So I wanted to share the excitement.
2. The friendships I’ve made while doing it.
3. I needed to be humbled!!!

1.To loose weight after my dr. Told me I couldn’t do it. I knew a conventional gym would be a waste of money.
2. I love to compete and would like to fight mma one day.

1. Kids are mean if you’re a fat ethnic kid with a funny name.
2. Gotta look good for my wife and I still have a funny name.

1) I wanted to learn how to choke people
2) I like choking people

1) it started out as a joke to my dad that I wanted to try jiu jitsu
2) after my first practice I loved it

1. My best friend invited me to watch him compete in a summer tournament. BJJ was the coolest thing I had ever seen and I said “I want to do THAT.”
2. I stopped about a year and a half ago, after training for three and a half years, because of time constraints and laziness. But I will be back someday! After I finish undergrad hopefully.

1. To learn how to defend myself with my friend, and to have common ground with my son
2. I continue to learn new things and challenge myself at new/different levels!

1.) I always liked watching jiu-jitsu, wanted to give it a whirl.
2.). Exercise, camaraderie, and just the drive to be better than the day before.

Therapy, fight, and compete

1. I started BJJ because I saw a highlight video of one of my future teammates arm barring people and I wanted to be able to do that!

2. I have gotten more back from BJJ than I will ever be able to put in! I have made incredible friends, found a place where truth rules (the mats never lie) and a place that I am at peace. But I continue to strive to reach my goal of being a black belt competitor that can give the best fits on any given day. Long but fun road!!

1) I got bored with lifting weights and needed a change.

2) I like the science behind the art

1) A friend (who trained BJJ) and I were working at the Lexington Athletic Club together and he thought I might like it for the self-defense/combat aspects. He was right.
2) I had never encountered something so humbling. Refused to quit until I got good at it. I still have a LONG way to go.

1. A couple of dudes I thought were cool did it.

2. Half of my friends are people I met at Derby City, getting beat up a few nights a week is great for stress relief

1. Found out I had no idea how to defend myself, so I wanted to learn.
2. It is both mentally and physically challenging. Nothing can compare to it. If you have done jiu-jitsu and didn’t become addicted to it, you are just crazy.

1. I was looking for the best martial art for my son. I started so we could do something together (I still miss those days of dominating the kids classes).
2. I still train because of fitness, competition, friends and I’m too stubborn to quite. Black Belt or bust (hopefully black belt happens first).

1.) Because I was getting bullied and I wanted to learn how to fight back
2.) I found a love for the sport and wanted to get better at it

1.After wrestling so just wanted to wrestle and watched a lot of the UFC
2.Its a way of life for me now

1 Mr. Kazushi Sakuraba
2 because it is challenging.

1.Curiosity around jiu jitsu, and my competitive nature.

2.It is addictively fun/competitive, you will meet the greatest people, and the most important reason now i think is to dedicate myself to the art so for enjoyment and so that i may help others grow and find joy through bjj the same way that I have!

1. I saw Bloodsport, Above the Law, and Fists of Fury when I was around 5 and and wanted to be a martial arts master one day lol. I did Kung Fu before MMA got big and came to Derby city because of my friend who trained there and said I wouldn’t ever go.

2. To push myself, defend myself, stay healthy, relieve stress, something to be proud of, to have continuous goals to meet, and its just fun.

1. to stay active and have goals to push towards at all times

2 to stay competitive and become a better martial artist

1) my dad taught me that men train their fitness and can fight even if they choose not to

2) it became the framework of my life and worldview. Now I feel like the day I stop trying to improve is the day I start accepting decay.

1. I was always a little weakling kid always afraid to standup to the bully!

2. Today i continue because the art and the competition has become one with me… oh, and it makes me look like i’m 28 as opposed to 36!!

1) I started cause I wrestled in high school and love competing. And Jiu jitsu is closest sport to wrestling.
2) I love this sport and love ppl I’m training with. First when I started I thought ppl here would be mean, douchebags but I was surprised how friendly they all were its like brotherhood there and how my instructor doesn’t mind to take some time and show u if u don’t get it from first time.

1. I started bjj to challenge myself and to do a different workout.

2. My ultimate goal is to achieve my black belt, however when that goal is met I will just be a white belt that never quit. Also my training partners are family, you don’t quit on family.

1. I started training BJJ bcuz i never did BJJ it was new mix martial art to me. Now that ive been practicing i LOVE it.

2. I would like to contiune alot more training to compete and fight in MMA. I feel that my heart tells me this is ur new chapter of ur life. I know it takes alot of work to be on top. But ill leave it to my two if im good enough to fight.

You gotta check this out

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I was talking with a couple of my training partners tonight after training and they mentioned BJJ Scout’s videos. I went home and wow! The videos are fantastic. I have done this sort of thing for myself as BJJ homework, but these videos are already done and there for anyone to take advantage of. Just thought I would share!

Thanks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbkKiWIHZvg

This video for instance goes over De La Riva counters and is definitely worth a look if you are encountering a tough de la riva game.

7 methods to drilling and adding new techniques to your BJJ (Part 6)

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I wrote previously about restrictive rolling with a partner of lesser skill. Now let’s look at restrictive rolling with a partner or similar or higher skill. It’s essentially the same thing. . . only better. Again, all this really means is rolling with a definite goal against someone who is as good or better than you by restricting yourself to a select group of techniques and positions you wish to improve upon.

Seems pretty simple right? It is. . . sort of.

In theory, taking techniques that you aren’t incredibly familiar with and trying them out during rolling is simple. Rolling this way is rather easy with people that you out match. You can try and go for a move and if you expose yourself you can simply recover and control the situation again. However, against a person of similar skill, if you make a mistake they may submit or out position you. Combine the competitive nature of BJJ and the competitive nature of most people, and the thought of “losing” can hinder someone from opening up.  But taking risks, getting out of your comfort zone and opening up are all things that you need to do in order to improve your game, so forget about “losing” when rolling this way.  

Now, you don’t have to tell your partner you are working on anything in particular. Just roll with them and try to go after the techniques and positions that you are focusing on. This will be a bit stressful on your body since you will be against an opponent who is better equipped to deal with whatever you’re working on. Often, when using a new set of techniques you will find yourself having to muscle through it, or because of unfamiliarity, you will be more exhausted than usual. This is caused by both your body’s lack of efficiency with the movements and the stress brought on by engaging with a skilled opponent.  Because you cannot consider a move fully implemented until you can perform it under high pressure situations, the sooner you start attempting new moves against higher level guys, the better.   

Rolling this way will also have the side benefit of creating scrambles and at times leaving you in a less desirable position. By doing this you will be forced to become better at scrambling which is important (ever roll with a good wrestler?), and it will push you to work out of bad positions, effectively improving your defensive abilities. Just be sure to figure out the mistakes or weakness of the move that allowed you to end up in those positions and correct them.

Finally, if you should use the techniques against a higher belt level and they successfully defend or counter them. Don’t be afraid to ask them what they did or what you could have done.  Don’t ask them in the middle of the roll or anything, but grab them after class and just ask about what happened during the roll and if there is anything you might be able to improve upon. I have yet to meet a BJJ practitioner / instructor unwilling to share a tip here and there.

Again, what I am writing about isn’t some sort of secret way to get better. The idea is simple and effective, but implementation can be difficult because you will be forced out of your comfort zone. That being said, the sooner you lose the fear and experiment, the sooner your game will grow.

 

Benefits of Restrictive Rolling with people of similar skill

  • Helps improve your defensive techniques and scrambling ability since you may lose positioning while trying to perform the newer techniques.
  • Gives you more exposure on the techniques you’re perfecting in a live setting.
  • Helps you find new ways to get the same techniques or positions.
  • If you are going against someone of a higher level they may be able to give you helpful tips on what you’re working on.
  • Breaks training plateaus by giving you clear goals to achieve
  • Hitting a newly added move on a person who’s game you respect is a huge confidence booster.

Why do we train BJJ? (Why do you train BJJ?)

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If you are reading this then I have a question to ask you, but first I want you to think about something for a minute.  I want you to think about . . . how many injuries you’ve sustained as a result of training, the money you’ve spent on gis, training gear and gym dues and the amount of time you’ve spent in the gym.

Now here’s the question.

Why do you train?

Why do you put your body in harm’s way and risk injury, spend your time and money and exhaust yourself on the mats day in and day out, week after week, month after month, year after year?

Do you have an answer? Surprisingly this is a question that until recently I hadn’t really put much thought towards. I’ve always trained because it makes me happy, because I enjoy the people I am around, because when I roll I don’t think about anything other than my jiu-jitsu, it keeps me in shape. .. I could go on for a while. The reason I began to think about this question was because I wanted to figure out why some students stay and why others don’t find BJJ as captivating as others. I still don’t have a definite answer as to why someone quits BJJ but I was able to ask many of my students and friends why they come into the gym consistently to train.  After taking in the answers I was given, I compiled them into five general categories.

Below I list the category with an idea to my student’s and friend’s responses followed by my view on it.  

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Community – Many of the students raved about the gym and how amazing the atmosphere is, and how it’s one of the big reasons they continue to train.

My view on it – The people that seem to become entrenched into Brazilian Jiu-jitsu are a special breed.  Most (certainly not all) seem to be amazingly friendly people. If the gym is done right and the instructor is in the right state of mind. A Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gym has the potential to be this amazing environment for friendship, brotherhood, support and a generally uplifting atmosphere.

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Challenge / Competition – Students in one way or another shared how the thrill of competition and challenge was a reason they trained.

My view on it – I feel like challenge is the zest of life. Challenge and adversity keeps us on our toes, keeps us from becoming complacent, keeps us searching for a better way to do things and helps push us into the unknown which can help bring us to new heights of accomplishment. In a life of mortgages, wives, family duties and full time jobs which can seem to run almost on auto pilot at times, BJJ gives someone the chance to have the thrill of facing and overcoming an obstacle.

 

Stress reliever – Students unanimously said that the stress relief from BJJ is amazing. More than one person described the gym as their “sanctuary”.

My view of it – When you step through the doors of your gym, all the stress you had stays outside. If you’re significant other ticked you off earlier, your boss came down on you or whatever problem you have. None of this matters anymore. Nor does your profession or career. Whether that be a lawyer, construction worker, burger flipper, accountant . . . none of this matters. All that matters is your training, how you perform during the drills, how well you execute your moves, how you roll.  You can rid yourself of the stressors of life through the physical and mental exertion required for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Then afterward, you can leave and relaxed and ready to face any stressful situations that may come your way.

 

Learning new techniques – Many of the people I talked to said that another reason was that they enjoyed learning new techniques and moves.

My view on it – Another factor that keeps many students coming, I believe, is the continuation of learning. You can never know everything. There is always someone coming out with something new to play around with, or you find a new variation of a move while training in the gym. The ability to continue learning, growing and being curious are always present in BJJ.

 

 

Health – Many of the students reported considerable weight loss and also a change in their overall diet because of training.

My view on it – I’ve had numerous students and friends lose anywhere from 15lbs – 100+lbs simply from adding BJJ training to their life. Then it seems to have an incentivizing effect. They began to eat healthier and exercise more to improve their performance on the mat. Practicing BJJ gives someone a purpose/reason to be healthier. I mean let’s face it, many people would do well if they simply cut out fast food from their diet and exercise a little, but they don’t. Some people don’t have it in them to be healthy simply for the sake of being healthy. BJJ gives them a reason and can act as a catalyst for improvement of someone’s eating habits and overall health.

 

Fun Video

Check out this video that I watched on the reason that Humans play games. Based on the classification of the video, BJJ is a game. The guy has some other really awesome videos that are worth checking out.  

http://youtu.be/e5jDspIC4hY

 

Thanks for reading and if you’ve never asked yourself the question, “Why do I train?”, then you should and see why aspects of training are most important to you.

Fun Saturday at the N.A.G.A

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This weekend was a lot of fun. I had a small group of guys go down last minute to the NAGA near Nashville. This was the first tournament experience for 3 of my young white belts, and they did a fantastic job. Two of them took double medals home and the other came up a little short in the 3rd and 4th place finals, losing by two points. One of my blue belts also competed and did very well. He had some tough competition in the no gi but snagged a medal for his efforts. Unfortunately he couldn’t compete in the gi because of a popped ankle and jacked up finger he sustained in his semifinals match.

ImageImageImage

I always have fun on tournament trips and this was no exception. Tournaments always remind me that BJJ is not just about martial arts, getting a fun colored belt or winning competitions. BJJ is also about the brotherhood and community that comes with the sport. The friendships that are made and the amazing people involved in the sport, because without them it just wouldn’t be worth doing.

As always, thanks for reading. Oh and excuse my hair in these pictures. . . it was a long day of coaching.  😀

7 methods to drilling and adding new techniques to your BJJ (Part 5)

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One of the more “nerdy” things I do for my BJJ is keep a regular training journal.  I know plenty of people who keep a journal for seminars and special training sessions but I know very few who keep one consistently. I believe though, that keeping a training journal on at least a semi regular basis is an excellent way to add focus to training, resolve problems I’m having, track progress, and getting the most out of my competition experiences.

I’m sure people have lots of different methods for keeping a training journal, so I’ll explain how I use a my bjj journal.

 

Tracking the amount of reps I am performing of a particular move

I suppose I am possibly a little obsessive with record keeping in regards to BJJ, but I like keeping track of how many reps of a move I perform leading up to a tournament or when I am developing a technique. When looking back at some of my older journals I can see a clear correlation with a lack of repping out moves and being frustrated with my lack of timing in a tournament or during training. Knowing this, tracking the reps helps keep me on track.

 

Reflections on tournaments

Every tournament has its ups and down and I like to keep track of those. Right after my last match of a tournament I typically sit down with my phone or notebook and write down notes about what went well or what went wrong.  Then when I get home I can sift through the notes and figure out how I can improve. I also do this with my students when they compete.

 

Documenting problems I’m having

When I run into a common problem during training or tournament I write it down so that I can look at it later and figure out how to fix it.

 

Writing down new techniques I learn

When I learn something new I don’t want to forget it! Think about how many times your instructor has shown a cool move that you forget by the next week or even next class! I write down new techniques so that I can remind myself how to do them later.

 

Setting goals for myself

My goals vary. They can be anything from “hit move X five times during rolling” to “drill move X one hundred times” to “do 1 hour of actual rolling today”. You get the idea.  Giving myself goals helps keep me focused, and holds me accountable and it feels good accomplishing something that I set out to do.

 

When using a BJJ journal keep it short and sweet. There is no need to keep track of every little detail about training. Also, you don’t want to get too “Dear Journal” with it and ramble on about random thoughts and emotions concerning your life. Keep it focused on and geared towards certain aspects of your training so that it doesn’t become too cumbersome and difficult to keep up with.

Also, one fun thing (at least I think its fun) about doing this is that you can look back years later and see what sort of problems you faced. I personally have different BJJ journals going all the way to my days as a white belt in 2003 and. . . wow. . . it’s interesting to read. Maybe I should post some of my 2003 white belt journal entries on here?

Anyways, I know keeping a BJJ journal isn’t for everyone, but it can be a great tool should you decide to use it.   

Thanks for reading!

(A pic of an old training journal of mine from 2008. Certainly not the oldest but it does have some nice water stains to it.)

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