A training weekend with an old friend

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A training weekend with an old friend

This weekend I was fortunate to train with my friend Tim Sledd at his gym in Bedford, In. Tim is a Atos black belt and is just one those really good guys you meet in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Anytime I am around him he just seems to spew out positive energy and encouragement. We first met one another in 2006 at a small tournament here in Louisville, Ky. He was actually my first match as a purple belt and I still remember how strong his grip felt the first time we locked up. When I pulled away to break the grip my gi gave before his grip did. I heard a ripping sound and looked down to see a tear in my lapel. After this we had a great match and have been friends since. Periodically we talk, and here and there we‘ve able to squeeze in a training session together. Although I have to admit, now that his gym is closer I will probably make the trip more often.

Jiu-jitsu in a small town

While my students and I were driving through Bedford we couldn’t help but notice that it is quite a small town. Not that there is anything wrong with this, but I find it awesome that nowadays you can find highly trained instructors even in rather small towns. Tim and I spoke about this and how it’s a far cry from the days when we began our Jiu-jitsu journey. Back when we started, if you would have told someone that there were going to be two accomplished black belts training in the area, well. . . it would have been a big event! Now you have two black belts meeting up with their students casually for a nice training session as if it was no big deal.

We eventually arrived at Tim’s gym which was situated in what I assume to be kind of the downtown district of the area. All the buildings were made of brick and had the “window store” style appearance from the outside. His gym was easy to spot as the Small Axe BJJ symbol was displayed on the gym door, oh and because the windows of the gym were fogged up from the activity inside. This is always a good sign in my book. Once inside I figured out why the windows were so foggy. . . it was a sauna inside! The heat belching out of the air vents combined with the heat of bodies in motion made for a nice muggy, steamy training session. He was a great host to me and my students and we all enjoyed the techniques he covered. I had never seen some of the details that he showed so I was sure to write them down in my BJJ journal. The rolling went really well and when it was time to step off the mat there were pools of sweat to remind us of the effort we had just put out.

After the training session when my students and I got a bite to eat, we all talked about the great experience we had. The rolling was good, Tim showed some very solid techniques, and we learned a lot from the training.

BJJ Guys

One of the things I love about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, is the people you meet. I’ve met so many awesome human beings over the years. Some of them didn’t even speak much English which posed a problem for holding conversation, but that didn’t stop us from forming a bond through training.

Tim is no exception and he is a person whom I have a good deal of admiration for. He seems to have a good balance in his life which is something I don’t possess quite yet. He is able to balance training, running a gym, having a demanding job and being a devoted father and husband to his family. This is no easy task!

Stay humble

Not all BJJ practitioners have such an endearing reputation though. Some tend to have a negative attitude fueled by their disrespect to others or arrogance, and this creates a less than favorable presence around others.

Now, if you are a seasoned BJJ practitioner then you are already aware of the great relationships you build through this sport. If you are a new comer to this sport then you will see as you continue your journey, the life changing relationships you will make along the way. That is of course, If you stay humble and respectful. The sport would be incomplete if you removed the amazing bond between its participants. But the only way to foster this bond and these relationships is to stay humble and respectful. To be blunt, no one wants to train with or be around an arrogant dick who is full of himself and rubs it in people’s face when he taps them out. Remember there is way more to this sport than being the bad ass on the mat ripping people’s limbs off.

So stay humble and respectful, this way you can get the full benefit of the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu experience. Remember, its more than just tapping people out.

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How Bloodsport shaped my BJJ journey (yeah I know. . . Bloodsport)

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The Martial Arts Movie Factor and rather amusing analogy

So before you start reading this post I want you to think back to all the different martial arts movies you may have watched over the course of your life. My favorite martial arts movie when I was a kid was Bloodsport. That movie probably had more impact on me than any other movie I’ve ever watched. I remember being so impressed with the martial arts skills of Jean Claude Van Damme and I would ohh and awe at the sight of Bolo Yeung’s massive physique.  Now when you are thinking about your martial art movie, I want you to think about the training montage that it inevitably had at some point.  The main character of the film more than likely had been beaten or wronged earlier in the movie and at the time their skills were not sufficient to tackle the obstacle. After this is when the montage typically started. The wronged martial artist then goes into training with a feverous pace, pushing their body and mind to the breaking point. Once the adequate skills were acquired they go to accomplish their goal and make themselves and their teacher proud. In the case of Bloodsport, Jean Claude Van Damme trains with his instructor in seclusion. When the montage begins he is beaten up and thrown all over the place. Over the course of the few minutes (accompanied by music from Stan Bush. . .hell yea) you see Jean Claude progress and he begins to slowly get the better of his teacher. Eventually he exceeds the skills of his master and is ready to take on anything that stands in front him. Whether it be a 80s arcade game or an evil muscle bound martial artist in the Kumite.

The Headhunter Mentality

Throughout my time in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu I have always sought to better myself and push my body and my skill to their limits. An effect of this ambition is that I became a sort of head hunter when I would rolled. I wanted to beat higher belts and my instructors, and I wanted to attack them all out in order to prove that I could push them.  Even if I couldn’t submit them I might be able to pass their guard or get a close sweep. When I was a white belt I would roll with a purple or brown belt with the same “I want to win” mindset. While I knew my attempts would be futile, if I could just make them adjust or scramble then in my mind, I had won. I believed that if I could catch them off balance or execute a move on them then I was progressing.  Just like in the martial art movie montages.

Passing the mentality on to my students

Recently I was asked from a few of my less experienced students if it was ok to go after the higher ranking belts when rolling. After reading the previous paragraph you should know my answer was yes.  I feel like the atmosphere of everyone pushing one another to new levels is the best.  Another student asked if he visited another gym if it was ok to roll hard with their students just like he does with his training partners at our gym. I told him that as long as everyone was in agreement that it would be a full on roll, then sure.  I personally would encourage students from other gyms who are visiting to go after my students and try to beat them so that they could learn from one another.

Recently I was told by one of my students who switched to our gym from another; that his old gym frowned upon hard rolling. I thought this to be silly and irrational. Then I have also recently seen an influx of talk recently about flowing more than hard training. When I read things denouncing the benefits of hard rolling I couldn’t help but sit back and shake my head.  I mean there is a time and a place for flowing and lighter rolling, like when you are injured, working a new position, drilling, rolling with newer students, etc.  Even when I roll easier with less experienced students I expect them to attack me with their full effort.  Flow rolling can never teach the practical application of a technique like hard rolling, or teach a student how to deal with the natural stresses that a physical engagement brings.

What is hard rolling in my opinion?

When I say “hard rolling”, understand I don’t mean being a spaz or recklessly aggressive. Instead I mean pushing yourself and your partner with the full brunt of your technique fueled by your body’s athletic threshold in relation to grappling. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is about technique first and foremost, and then the body enters the equation.

Is this mentality correct?

With all this said, I’m an open minded person and believe we can always improve, so I began to do a little introspection and see if my mentality was negative or disrespectful.  I thought pretty hard about this, talked to several of my students at all levels, and consulted my instructors as well as read interviews with successful BJJ practitioners.  The questions I was trying to answer for myself were. . .

1. Is the mentality of my training disrespectful?

2. Is this style of training productive and conducive to growth and skill?

3. Are my students happy?

4. Am I happy with what I have helped create?

Below are my answers and the thought process that went into them.

  • Is the mentality of my training disrespectful?

No, it is not disrespectful to train very hard and attempt to best your training partners and opponents. In the end this is a one on one sport and while we do belong to teams and affiliations, its all about personal growth.  How can you expect to push yourself and your friends if you never open up? I also looked around at my students after a hard training session where everyone had tried their best to submit one another and everyone is smiling, laughing and happy.  I also thought about my own journey. Did I ever attempt to beat my friends and training partners out of ill feelings or disrespect? Not even close, in fact it was the direct opposite! I respected their games so much that I felt forced to go hard and use my best techniques in order to best theirs.  Honestly I would find it disrespectful or out of place if the person did not roll hard with me, assuming this was that kind of training we engaged in at the time.  I was also always trying to show my instructors that I was a good student and that I was getting better, just like in the martial arts movies!

  • Is this style of training productive and conducive to growth and skill?

I believe the answer is an easy yes. By pushing one another we continually sharpen our skills and grow together. The old phrase “iron sharpens iron” would not be out of place to help explain my theory. We are also a competition school and have to continually test our game against other gyms and we consistently do very well.  Next , I read through interviews of well-respected and highly decorated BJJ players to see what they may have said on the subject of hard training. All the interviews revealed that they thought hard training was not an option but rather a necessity for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to be effective and to learn how to apply it properly.  Lastly, training hard doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with your game. Mistakes and losing are necessary parts of growth and by having your techniques beaten you can see what sort of flaws are in your game.  Experimenting with new moves and techniques essentially allows you to plug holes in your game or to expose gaps that you may have not even noticed!

  • Are my students happy?

As stated earlier after hard training sessions my students all have smiles on their faces. Granted they are breathing heavily and pools of sweat lay at their feet, but they are all happy that they pushed themselves and their partners that day. Sure sometimes they will have ups and downs which are a common occurrence. Maybe a lower belt caught them in a submission or maybe they were just off that day or perhaps they’re hitting a plateau.  All this doesn’t matter because all in all the experience is positive. Also my competitors and fighters are happy with the results of their hard training when they return with medals, belts, prize money, bragging rights, etc.  My non competitors are happy with the weight loss, improvement of themselves and being a part of a successful team which they helped create.  Many of my students will train at other gyms from time to time, whether because of travel or because of curiosity. They always return very happy with the results and are excited to tell me how their styled fair against others. I would safely say that yes my students are happy.

  • Am I happy with what I have helped create?

I am incredibly happy with the gym and with my students. Our gym has produced champions and medalists in the Worlds, Pans, numerous IBJJF tournaments, Grapplers Quest, N.A.G.A, E.G.O, O.G.C, and the list goes on. Along with these impressive competition results we have help people of all walks of life achieve weight loss and fitness goals. More than this though, is the community we’ve built. When I see the brotherhood and unity between my students I can’t help but be ecstatic about the atmosphere we have created. A bond built with blood and sweat.

 Conclusion

After going through this and trying to examine the situation at all angles I have decided that for myself and my students that we will continue to train hard, push each other all in the confines of mutual respect and brotherhood for the betterment of ourselves. While some instructors may not agree or choose to take this approach I feel that it is the best way to train and the best way to build proper effectiveness in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Also, I believe my job as a BJJ teacher is to make my students better than I am. When I eventually have one my students submit me when I am giving them my all then I have achieved, in my eyes, one of the ultimate accomplishments as an instructor. The only way this accomplishment is possible is through hard training and pushing one another. My student has to become like Jean Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport (or the main character of any martial arts movie) and go after his instructor with their full effort.

P.S. Sorry for the silly movie analogy, but I figured it would be a good way to relate to all the martial arts geeks out there.

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Open Guard Sweep with Mustache

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If you’re watching this open guard sweep video and thinking to yourself, “man, this guy looks like an idiot”, then you are a well adjusted human being. After No-shave November I decided to have some fun with the guys at the gym and dress up like. . . well like I am in the video. The goofy mustache got some serious laughs so it was worth it.

Now while I may look like a mega turd bag, the sweep is legit and myself and several of my students have used it in tournaments and rolling session.

Enjoy!

Don’t let sinusitis take you off the mats

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Don’t let sinusitis take you off the mats

Yep, it’s that time of year again, and no I’m not talking about the holiday season. I’m talking about the weather changing and getting sick season. Different illnesses seem to plague would be mat rats and leave them side lined frustratingly from training. One of the most common ailments that hit the guys here in Louisville and in the Ohio Valley is sinus issues.  I feel like every year between November and December our class size shrinks temporarily due to people getting deep chest coughs, congestion, sinus pressure headaches, etc.

Below is a recipe that I stumbled upon a little over a week ago. When I found the recipe I was experiencing a pressure headache and I was coughing up green and yellow junk! I looked online for natural treatments and found this. Now I am not going to say it will cure everything instantly or that it will work for everyone. What I will say is that after only drinking this concoction once, I was instantly relieved of my pressure headache. Then the following morning I found that my phlegm went from thick green to thin and clear and that deep pressure in my chest was gone. I still had a bit of congestion but I didn’t feel sick and it was no longer affecting my training. I’ve continued to drink this mixture once a day over the last week and I definitely feel much better. I’ve also given this recipe to a few of my students and it helped them out.

Anyways, if your being affected with sinusitis then give it a try!

Ok, enough talking here is the recipe. . .

Tomato Tea

2 cups of tomato / veggie juice (v8 or anything like that)

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 Lemon

Cayenne Pepper

How to make it

*Crush the cloves of garlic.

*Put the 2 cups of tomato juice into a saucepan.

*Slice the lemon and squeeze the juice into the saucepan.

*Add as much cayenne pepper to the mix as you can tolerate. . . the more the better.

*Throw in the crushed garlic.

*Heat everything up in the sauce pan till it gets close to a boil, and then pour it into a big cup or mug.

*Drink the mixture slowly being sure to let each gulp sort of sit on your tongue for a second before swallowing.

Also. . .

While researching natural treatments to the sinus related stuff I also came across the use of apple cider vinegar to help thin the mucus. When your mucus is thin it makes it easier for your body to cough it up and get it out of your system before it sits and becomes infected. I ended up taking a teaspoon a day along with the tomato tea. If you do end up buying some apple cider vinegar, be sure that it has the “mother” in it.  This can be determined by looking at the bottom of the bottle. When you look, you should see a sort of sediment lying on the bottom that moves once you shake the bottle.

Lastly

If you are not already doing so, make sure you are drinking lots and lots of water!

Hope this helps someone who is currently feeling a little crummy! It’s cheap, natural and effective.

Why I got started in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

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What got me started in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu?

In my last blog post I talked about how my students and I took a moment after training to share our reasons for taking on this sport. Well, while I was talking with my girlfriend she asked why I didn’t share my story about how I got started. I thought about it and figured it would be fun to share what actually got me started in BJJ.  Now before I can jump into Brazilian Jiu-jitsu I have to start with why I got into high school wrestling which would eventually lead into BJJ.

I was a chubby kid who got beat up

So all of this grappling and athletic stuff was sparked by an event that happened when I was in 7th grade. While it had a profoundly negative effect on my life at first, I am glad it happened because without it I am not sure if I would have been drawn to wrestling.

While walking home one day from school I was followed and eventually jumped by 3 teenagers ranging between the ages of 16-18, I was 12. They punched me in the nose and struck me with a bat which hit my arm. During the attack I suffered a broken nose and a fracture in one of the bones that runs through my forearms. I had no idea who they were or why they chose me, but the event had a huge impact on my life. First off I began to gain a considerable amount of weight because I was afraid to do simple things like go outside and walk or ride a bike. When I would go outside I couldn’t help but feel like everyone was a potential attacker. I also grew scared of confrontation because I was terrified of being attacked like that again. When I younger I had gotten into plenty of young boyhood scraps and had stood up to my bullies. This event was different though and it had absolutely drained my confidence. 

Beginning High School and starting wrestling

In high school I looked at all the upper classmen who were wrestled and played football. They all seemed strong, muscular and tough which is what I wanted to be. I loathed being fat and afraid and wanted desperately to join in on the sports. Unfortunately my confidence was lacking and I found myself too afraid to sign up because I figured I wouldn’t be good enough. One day one of the coaches asked me to come to try outs and that’s pretty much where I began my high school athletic career. I started first with football and then wrestling. When I started in high school athletics I was around 230lbs and 5’9.

I fell in love with wrestling and I was so mad at myself for waiting so long to start.  I loved everything from the grueling practices that would make the walls sweat to the brotherhood that formed with my teammates. I was also thrilled about the effect it was having on my physical appearance. After only a few weeks I had lost 15lbs and felt amazing.  My first wrestling match gave me my first nickname which was “Tugboat”. When I pinned my opponent in the 2nd period I came off the mat wheezing so hard from exhaustion that it made an almost blow horn like sound, and my coach dubbed me Tugboat.  I would go on to have a moderate amount of success wrestling as a sophomore and junior.

My Senior Year

Toward the end of my Jr season in wrestling my coaches and teammates told me I should drop to 189lbs, and that I would be a beast at that lower class. After the season was over I started hitting the weight room really hard. I had always enjoyed lifting ever since my friend’s father introduced it to me when I was younger as a way to help build some confidence. Once my summer break started I began researching how to eat properly and how to exercise with the equipment I owned. I spent the summer mornings going for runs, in the afternoon I would lift or do wrestling drills. The runs took a lot of will power because I was really nervous about being out and around by myself. I ate rice, chicken, veggies, oatmeal, eggs and choked down protein shakes for the entire summer. One of the things I remember really well was running with my mp3 player and listening to the Foo Fighters. I kept envisioning myself walking off the mat after winnings regionals with a gold medal dangling from my neck.

When I returned to school to start my senior year I was about 5’11 and weighed about 200lbs. All of my classmates were amazed at how I looked and I have to admit, the positive attention was a welcomed change to the negativity I was used to.

That year I wrestled well, winning or placing in every tournament I went to and I became incredibly confident in the process. One added benefit was that I found out my newly developed wrestling takedowns were great against would be bullies.

Regionals

Regionals rolled around as it always does and I was seeded well going into it. I ended up winning my first match easily. Then a terrible thing happened . . . as one of my teammates was close to winning a close match I quickly stood up to my feet to cheer. I had been sitting indian style and when I stood I felt a rip in my knee. My leg locked out and was giving a weird pain that is hard to describe. I kicked my leg forward and felt a pop followed by a quick shooting pain. Slowly the pain subsided but my leg was very stiff and beginning to swell and to make matters worse my teammate lost that match.

I ended up wrestling two more matches and winning regionals, and by the end of the night my leg was swelling and walking was a becoming difficult. None of that matter though, I had accomplished what I had set out to do and I was very satisfied. I had won regionals and successfully improved the musculature of my body. I had went from 230lbs at the beginning of my wrestling journey to eventually wrestle at the 189lbs weight class my senior year.

I was not fortunate enough to repeat the same success at state. A bum knee and ultra-prepared opponents don’t mix well. I ended up losing my last match at state to an opponent I had already beaten three times that year.

When I actually started BJJ

In May of 2003 while I was wrapping up my last year of high school and I had originally planned to join the military but was not allowed to because the United States was now at war. My mother told me she was not losing her only son and would not allow me to enlist. That meant I was now going to be attending college and get an education. The university I was planned to join did not have a wrestling program which was kind of depressing. I really wanted to continue to do something; I wasn’t ready to simply hang it up.

 I had always liked the UFC and was becoming really interested in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. BJJ seemed to mix with wrestling very well and in many ways, looked a lot like wrestling. I eventually began to look up different BJJ gyms that were in the area. I guess I should specify that an actual BJJ gym was either scare or non-existent at the time, and that all of my BJJ training from 2003-2006 would take place in various rooms inside weight lifting gyms. I wanted to compete just like I had done in wrestling, so I contacted an instructor who said he was competition oriented. His name was Mike Yanez and he would become my instructor from May 2003 till July of 2007. Accompanied by my two best friends (who also wrestled) I attended my first class. We went over attacks from side mount and scarfhold. Mike Yanez called them the “triple threat” series and I was during the class at the techniques. I instantly fell in love with the sport much in the same way that I had instantly taken to wrestling. I competed within two weeks of beginning my training and won a silver medal. After that first tournament I was hooked and have never looked back since.

Things to take away from this blog

  1. If you’ve never tried BJJ then you should. . . right now. .  yes right now!
  2. Life has a way of kicking the crap out of you. Sometimes figuratively and sometimes literally! Don’t let your losses define you and instead use the failures and setbacks as a catalyst for further improvement. Failures are merely the seeds of success.
  3. Desire is an amazing force and if you really want something and have the desire inside of you, then go after whatever it is you want.

 

Lastly I hope this post illustrates why I am such a fanatic about the positive aspects of BJJ and grappling, and why I believe what I am doing is more than merely teaching a martial art. The sport of wrestling and BJJ changed my life and took a terrified overweight youth and turned him into a confident man. I hope that I am able to make the same positive impact on my students and friends that my various coaches made on me.

Special thanks go to my BJJ and Wrestling coaches :

Coach Robert Vinegar

Coach Kenny Barnes

Coach Marshall Pomeroy

Instructor Mike Yanez

Professor Colin Cannon

Professor Tommy Wales

Professor Kyle Cannon

Professor Renato Tavares

 

Here is the picture of my first match in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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BJJ . . .a vehicle for positive change

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-Making a difference

Since I started teaching full time in 2010 I have been able to help build up a large BJJ program. Our gym can boast 50+ students in a class, Pan-Am and World championship titles and one of the most amazing atmospheres I’ve ever experienced in a gym. We train incredibly hard and are incredibly supportive of one another day in and day out. With this positive atmosphere and hard training we have also been able to do something just as important as winning titles and recognition, and that is making a positive difference in people’s lives.

–A very cool moment as an instructor 

So the reason I decided to write this post is because at the end of our training tonight I had everyone circle up and share their story and why they started training. Each person answered the question about how they had stumbled upon the sport and they also began to share how the sport and the people they met had changed their lives. I didn’t ask them to do this but it just came out of each of them. They shared stories of how they lost weight, met new friends, became good at something, built confidence, stopped using drugs/alcohol and the list goes on. This was an incredibly uplifting moment, and the feeling to know that I get to be a part of that positive change was amazing! The whole time we were congratulating each other on our accomplishments and applauding one another, it was really awesome.

-Kids too!

I used to hate teaching kids. . . then as my kids got proficient at BJJ I was content with teaching them. I mean I loved the kids (partially because I am big one myself) but teaching them stressed me out. Then two things happened that completely flopped that feeling around. One day a student of mine who had been picked on in school came into the gym with a black eye. He was walking toward me with his mother leading the way and I started to think back to a few days before when I had told him a strategy for dealing with bullies. I was really nervous and just feared that maybe he had been hurt or perhaps his mother was mad at me for encouraging her son to fight in the necessary situation. I failed to see that he and his mother were both smiling from ear to ear. All I could see was the big bruise that seemed to swallow his eye whole. Once they were close enough they both hugged me and told him a story about how he stood up to his bully. His mother was so proud of him and my student felt liberated from the fear of the bully. Just for the record, the bully never messed with him again.

Then one day I had a student who had been on the larger side when he initially joined and had lost a considerable amount of weight, as well as getting very good at BJJ. Well, this student came up and hugged me after class was over. I asked him why he hugged me and he told me, “Thanks Mr Chewy for making me good at jiu-jitsu because I’ve never been good at anything before.” This moment really touched me.  These two moments happened very close to one another and made me realize the weight of what I was doing with the children. I wasn’t simply teaching a martial art to them, I was empowering these kids with confidence both physical and mental. I was building their physical fitness and improving their health. I was preparing them for an unfortunate reality of bullies and aggressive kids. Most importantly I was making a difference. This gave a new sense of purpose to my teaching and made me really love teaching kids BJJ.

–A most fortunate side effect

When I day dreamed about teaching/coaching BJJ I would often think about building champions and a tough competition school. I was able to help facilitate that with the help of my amazing students and its only getting better. What I was also able to do in the process is help make a positive impact in the lives of so many adults and children and I am so happy about that. However, it was a slight accident. I mean I am by nature a “glass is half full” kind of guy and I think that positivity rubbed off on my students, but I never really realized the impact I would have on others. Again this only possible because of a combined effort of myself and my amazing students.

-Side note to all higher belts

If you are a ranking belt in your gym and aren’t already doing so. . . be POSITIVE!! Lift up the lower belts and help make an incredible atmosphere for yourself and everyone that comes to your gym every single day you step foot onto the mats.Image

Another wrist lock for BJJ

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Wrist lock from butterfly guard

Wrist lock!!!

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Wrist lock from the top of half guard.

Failure, the price of ambition/in , , , /by

Failure strikes again. . .

I can’t breathe, and I begin to feel my consciousness slip. My opponents’ legs are locked tightly around my neck like a vice, and my arm is sticking through the lock dangling.  My body feels frozen in place, petrified that I am in a submission and that I am about to lose a match or pass out. I try to think of how to counter this attack as my opponent grips the back of my head to apply more pressure on the lock. My peripheral vision fades and blackness is beginning to close in to the center of my view.  My mind is clouded by a state of panic. I begin to slap the legs that are wrapped around my neck and shoulder to signal surrender, and the lock is released. I slump back to my butt then quickly fall to my back staring up at the ceiling lights. With a deep breath my vision is restored, my body calms and I begin to grasp what just happened. Out of the corner of my eye I see my opponent standing with his hands raised above his head in victory walking the mats while his team cheers. Then the feeling of losing sets in and I realize that I’ve been bested and I am the defeated grappler. I stand and walk towards the referee who then grabs both of our wrists and raises my opponents arm.  We shake hands and walk off the mat . . . head hung low knowing that I put myself into this position, and that this failure is simply the price of ambition.

Rough times as a purple belt

Failure is the price of ambition . . . what an interesting thing to think about. In order to succeed we must fail at some point? Seems kind of contradictory to what we might think, doesn’t it? However, this is the truth! In order to succeed we must fail. Whether this occurs in the gym during our training sessions or in tournaments and competition, it is a vital for progress. The story you just read was a description of a match I had years ago. I was being triangle choked in a purple belt tournament, and this would be the first of many losses I had as a purple belt. During my time as a purple belt I found my dedication to this sport tested but the failures that came worked as a catalyst for improvement and learning.

I clearly state I had no idea what to do, yet I was a purple belt? How can this be, surely a purple belt would have some idea as to what to do? My years spent as a purple belt were rough at times. I had been a constant competitor as a white and blue belt and I quickly climbed to my purple belt which was given to me by my instructor in just around 2 years. 2 years to purple belt, pretty good progress right? Well maybe not as much as you would think. With the new rank I had very mediocre results at first. I would win some tournaments after hard fought battles only to go to another tournament where I would be outclassed by a much more skilled opponent.  My game was very narrow and efficient and if you played into it I would win, but if you made me play a different game I was typically ill equipped for it. I ended up moving to another gym because my current instructor was not dedicated to helping me grow and get to the level I know I needed to get to. When I came to the gym that I would come to call home my new instructors Colin and Kyle Cannon instantly picked apart my weakness.

What was my biggest weakness you might ask?

Well, it was the reluctance to try new things, the fear to fail. I had been so competition oriented with my training even in the gym that it caused me never to open up. Even with lower belts my old instructor taught me not to give them an inch and continually grapple just to win.  This caused me to have a very narrow style that could be exploited easily if someone was to engage with me in a way I wasn’t prepared for.  I would see this happen numerous times as a purple belt. Skilled opponents would use techniques that I was unable to combat at the time. My new instructors made me try and explore positions that I was absolutely terrible from, and in the beginning I struggled a great deal! I was finding it tough being one of the “top” guys in the gym and getting my guard passed by a white belt as I clumsily fumbled with my de la riva or half guard. This continued for about 7 long and at times exhausting months and then it was as if a light bulb had been turned on. Suddenly I found myself was able to work proficiently from what were once my worst positions, and I was soon able to apply this newly developed group of techniques to high level guys in the gym and in tournaments. This came as a result of constant drilling and rolling from these positions that were lacking.

I cannot stress how amazing this felt.  I had finally emerged out of this long rebuilding phase of my Brazilian Jiu-jitsu journey, a time which was filled with a lot frustration.

Explore and open your game

The idea of this blog post is to understand that failure is a necessary part to progress. If you are not losing and aren’t being beaten then how do you know your weak points or where you need to improve? Even if you are a high ranking belt at a gym you can still play positions you are weak from to make yourself better.  My problem was that I never allowed to play with any position that wasn’t my “bread and butter” and this hindered my growth. I was stuck in the same old moves and techniques and my skills never grew to combat the new problems and evolving jiu-jitsu of the higher level of competition and skill I was now facing.

Now we must never accept failure as inevitable but simply as a possible consequence of us expanding our games and testing new techniques. You should never walk onto the mat with the mindset that you are going to lose but be prepared to make the adjustments if you do.  Think of an inventor or scientist. They rarely discover what they are looking for right off the bat, but with persistence and a bit of trial and error they will find what they are looking for.

3 important things to learn

So I know I did a lot of rambling in this blog, but here are the ideas I would like for you to take away from it.

  1. Don’t be afraid of failure and embrace new challenges and obstacles.
  2. Take every defeat in stride and dissect it to find the reason you lost so that you can correct them. Whether in the gym or competition.
  3. Be persistent, even when things get tough.

Btw here is a cool quote a friend sent me when I talked to him about this subject of failure relating to BJJ.  .  .

“I am not judged by the number of times I fail but by the number of times I succeed, the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion with the number of times I fail and keep trying.”

 

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Metamoris

/in /by

 

 

 

Metamoris

I was very excited about this event and my excitement was not disappointed.  The event had a few hiccups and at times there were lulls between matches, and I wish they would have had another color commentator to back up Rener during the matches. Other than that it was a great event and exciting to see grappling showcased in this way.

 

*Disclaimer. All of the grapplers on this card are amazing jiujitsu athletes and I have nothing but respect for them and their accomplishments. These reviews are simply my interpretation as a fan of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Caio Terra vs Jeff Glover (Winner: Caio Terra by Armbar)

This was one of the matches listed that I was sure would be full of exciting grappling action. Instead I felt it was a little boring and failed to show either fighters’ true potential. Their first match against each other was a back and forth tussle that kept me on the edge of my seat. The match that took place last night resembled something like a flow roll at the gym. I feel Caio Terra pushed the pace a bit and Jeff played a very defensive and relaxed game( letting Caio pass his guard and attack submissions), eventually being submitted.  I am not sure what exactly happened but this match was not the same exciting demonstration of competition that their first encounter was and I was disappointed.

 

Kayron Gracie vs Rafael Lovato Jr. (Winner: Rafael Lovato Jr. by Kimura)

This match was fantastic. Once the fighters were given the go ahead to commence the match they went right after it. Both guys attacked the whole time. Kayron went after Lovato and tried to pass his guard for a very long time. He had some good attempts but was unable to and seemed to slow down a lot after this point. Lovato took over and showed some nice skills eventually submitting Kayron with a kimura from north south. Great match from two great competitors.

 

Kron Gracie vs Otavio Souza (Winner: Kron by Armbar)

This was one of the matches I was deeply excited about. You have Kron who is an incredibly active and very submission oriented competitor, then you put him up against Otavio who is an ultra aggressive grappler with a reputation of being freakishly strong. The match definitely didn’t disappoint. Both grapplers went after each other with Otavio working from top for a good portion of the match. The match was back and forth with each grappler fighting intensely for grip control. The submission came towards the end of the 20 minute duration with Kron catching an armbar on an exhausted Otavio.

 

Dean Lister vs Xande Ribeiro (Draw)

Xande definitely adjusted his game for Dean showing why he is still a top competitor and answered the questions I had about his leg lock susceptibility.  He went against the reigning ADCC champion who is known for being a leg lock wizard and neutralized his game. Xande kept his hips back and stopped Dean from getting under him which denied Dean a lot of his typical set ups. He had Dean in some bad spots at times, most notably an armlock that seemed to be close to breaking Dean’s arm, but somehow Dean fought out of it and attempted to rally back at the end with a few leg lock attacks but it was just not enough and the match ended in a draw.

 

Andre Galvao vs Ryron Gracie  (Draw)

This match started of with the two guys locking up and Ryron attempting a foot trip which had Andre off balance for a second. Soon after Andre got a takedown follow by a guard pass and from this point on he controlled the match for the better part of twenty minutes. Ryron defended the submissions very well but was unable to mount any substantial offense. After the match there was a lot of frustration from Andre who used poor word choice to articulate his frustration. Ryron after the match talked about defensive style of BJJ and mentioned self defense.  Here is my interpretation of these two things and I mean no disrespect to either grappler. Andre controlled the match from top to bottom and was frustrated by an opponent who would not engage in a way that would leave exposures for submissions. When two grapplers are going after one another and trying to finish each other (which was the idea of the tournament) openings come. Ryron is no slouch but trying to submit a skilled black belt who is staying balled up and has no intention of trying to best his opponent, is hard. Ryron talked about defensive jiu-jitsu and self defense and I agree that his defense was superb and he did a good job of not getting submitted. However, this was not a self defense scenario and your objective was not to defend but to submit. If this had been a scenario of self defense Andre would have been in a great position to punch and elbow from top.  I don’t feel you can say your defensive jiu-jitsu was the best because you didn’t get submitted because in reality if you had someone get passed your legs into side mount or mount you would be in trouble. You can spin the match however you wish, but it was a draw with Andre being the competitor who was in the most dominant positions most often. Mad respect still goes out to Ryron for hanging in there against one of the best in our sport.

Roger Gracie Vs Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida (Draw)

This match was the main event and it was a good match. Roger who later revealed he had been battling with a bad infection for weeks seemed a bit tired in the match. Buchecha displayed a lot of guile during their match. Almost hitting a sweep from inverted guard and a close toe hold attempt, but the best action came at the closing minutes of the match with Buchecha executing a slick berimbolo sweep and jumping onto Roger catching an armbar. Roger struggled but made it out of the lock. Roger was still very good in the match and was able to pass and sweep, he just was not the normal dominant Roger we are used to. I am really interested to see what happens after this match. Was this match signifying a sort of changing of the guard? Will Roger come back to grappling with a renewed sense of drive?

 

Over all it was a great event for grappling and I hope you guys were able to watch it and enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing it again!