Drilling this way helped me win no gi Pans 3 times

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

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

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

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Thank you so much.

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

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

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Let’s jump into it.

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

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

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It worked really well. . . until it didn’t.
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Eventually I started struggling to pass and attack to my strong side. I also had a guy crush me in a match by forcing half guard to my weak side.
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So I started dabbling with my non-dominant side, and after a couple of years it became my best side.

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I’m right handed, as are most people.

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

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

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

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So here’s my advice.
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Long term I’d encourage you to drill to both sides.

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That said, in the beginning when you’re learning a technique I’d stick to 1 side first. Get the feel for the technique. This way when you switch to the other side you’ll be able to know what the technique should feel like.
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Start with one side and once you are able to do the technique smoothly without much thought, then start drilling to the other side.

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Hope that helps!

-Chewy

Harari quote

Why I don’t let students say “I suck” in training

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One of my favorite chapters inside a book is chapter 2 of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
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In this chapter he outlines the basic idea (that flows throughout the whole book) that one of the most powerful things human beings can do is. . .
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Tell fictional stories that create an imagined reality we all agree upon.

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In times of old these were things like myths, legends and the birthright of kings. Today, these are things such as corporations, the idea of nation states and citizens and even the worth of paper money (or numbers on a screen these days).

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All of which was created and exists in our minds via stories we agree on.

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Now these stories are in a constant flux, changing as new events happen and new pressures force them to adjust.

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But this idea that stories create an imagined reality, which if we agree on it exists a force on reality is a powerful idea for your life on and off the mats. ​
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I know this from personal experience.
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When I was younger I used to tell myself stories of who I was that were far smaller than the truth. (This is why I don’t allow students to say “I suck.” It’s a bad story that isn’t true.)

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I carried around a certain level of guilt, shame and feelings of being unworthy that weren’t based on reality, but my perception of reality and the stories I told myself.

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These days, it’s a completely different situation.
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Through the simple process of taking action in certain areas, exercising a little discipline and using things like affirmations the stories that float around in my noggin are much different.

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And these stories contribute to all the success I’ve had on and off the mat.
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Here’s a few takeaways from the Chewster about stories. . .

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  1. Stories are important. Since the stories you tell yourself become a kind of reality, they’re really really important. You should be aware of them and exercise control over them consciously.
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  2. Stories are completely changeable. Just like everything in life, change is the constant. They’re not set in stone and you should work to change the stories that have a negative impact on you.
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  3. If you want to change the stories. It’s not just something you do with just thoughts. Action is needed. It’s hard to keep up the story if you keep piling up evidence that proves otherwise.

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If you’d like to check out the book, below is a link to it on Amazon.

​https://amzn.to/3quwfrC​
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I could go on for a long time talking about this idea. But I think you catch my drift. Just an idea to chew on and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

-Chewy

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My small unathletic White Belt swept someone 80lbs heavier

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Want to know what makes me the happiest as a BJJ coach?
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Watching a student hit a new technique that I KNOW I taught him. It’s the best!

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And that happened yesterday, let me tell ya the story.

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I have this young kid we’ll call Reginald.

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Reginald started training with me in June after getting jumped. He’s not ultra athletic or anything but he’s dedicated and has grit.
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Well, yesterday Reginald was rolling with a newer White Belt who outweighed him by about 80lbs. During the roll he immediately shot in to half guard with the outside hook and hit the Foot Grab sweep. And during the 6 minute roll he hit the same sweep several times.

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I was pumped because we have been drilling half guard for the last 2 weeks and it was awesome to see him put the techniques into action. Against a much larger person no less.
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Although I’m not surprised since half guard is my go-to position against bigger people.
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And if you’d like to learn the exact style of half guard I use and teach my students then just press the link down below and I’ll teach you the ways of the Jiu-Jitsu Sweeper.
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​www.Chewjitsu.net/Sweeper

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One takeaway to end our little BJJ chat this morning is that I’ve also watched Reginald fail miserably at the same sweep.
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And maybe that’s what made it even better. Watching him fail, keep at it and then finally hit it. Because those are transcendent moments that carry over into everything else.
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I hope that no matter what you do on or off the mat you do the same.
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Hope you have an amazing weekend. Chat with you Monday.

-Chewy

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​Unsubscribe | Update your profile | 8021 Dixie Highway, Ste 102, Louisville, KY 40258

Failure email pic

I’m a big pile of steaming hot failures

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Was dabbling around on Instagram yesterday responded to a young guy.

 

He said,
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“Why do people get caught up on if they get tapped in practice lol that’s the point”
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Now it’s easy to wag the finger at someone who’s struggling with failure. But we all go through it at some point don’t we? I know I sure as hell did.

 

My response to this message was . . .

 

Because we are conditioned to believe that if we aren’t successful at something then it was a waste. 

 

But success is usually built upon a pile of failures.  

 

And this is an important lesson on and off the mats.

 

Now perhaps you have a better track record than the Chewster and success has just come effortlessly to you. But it didn’t for me.

 

I didn’t get serious about the business side of running a gym till the gym almost folded back in 2010. It was a nice smack in the face to wake me up.

 

My first videos on Youtube sucked and didn’t get watched.

 

On the mats I lost my first ever grappling match. Got smashed for years in high school wrestling and struggled early on in BJJ.

 

And each one of my best techniques was sharpened with 1 failure after another.

 

Like my highest percentage takedown. The arm drag to inside trip.

 

I started using the technique with a little success. Then people figured it out and it started failing.  I didn’t give up on it though. Instead, I kept adjusting and making mistakes till I developed a new setup that worked like crazy.

 

In fact, if I can get the particular wrist control I use I’ve only missed the takedown once in competition. Not bad if you ask me.

 

And if you’re a member of my Wrestling for BJJ course. I just added this stealthy “thumb up, thumb down” setup to the arm drag to inside trip inside the “Chewy’s Takedown System” section yesterday. So roll on over and check it out.

 

If you’re not currently a member and would like to get your grippers on the setup along with the other tried and true takedowns specifically for BJJ then press ze link below.

 

 

To wrap this one up today. Treat failure as a normal part of growth so you can learn from it and crack open the lessons to be had.

 

Just an idea to chew on.
-Chewy
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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Chewy

Free Guide For Time Off BJJ Training (At Home Training) & New Video Schedule

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Because I’m not training like normal I wanted to give you a heads up on the video schedule for the next week and until we’re back to training like normal.

While I’m not training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu like normal I’ll be posting videos Monday – Friday at 5pm EST. Hopefully this will help give you some additional entertainment and information while you’re stuck at home unable to get on the mats.

In addition I’ve prepared a course for my students that I’ll share with you. It’s some helpful ideas on at home workouts, dieting, journaling, breathing and other tips that I’ve found helpful during periods of not being able to train.

Click the link below to register and receive the free course, A Black Belt’s Guide To Dealing With A BJJ Layoff:
https://www.chewjitsu.net/time-off

And I also answer a question from Michael in the video about how I’m staying level headed. I share how I’m approaching this situation similar to how I did with MMA fights.

1. Realizing that much of the fear is the unknown.
2. Focusing on what I have control over.
3. Preparing for the worst possible thing that could happen so that I can be in a good spot later.

Hopefully if you’re experiencing issues the video is useful to you.

Talk to you soon!
-Chewy

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"A-HA" Moment

This BJJ White Belt had An “A-HA” Moment During Rolling

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I got a question about how to take techniques you’re learning and transfer them to rolling faster. And in this message I also got a second question about experiencing what I call “A-HA” moment during BJJ training. Because Anthony says he was rolling in his Brazilian Jiujitsu class and was so effective and he’s never felt that way before.

In the video I talk about a simple strategy to develop techniques faster and I also talk about the skill jumps that happen in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. These skill jumps are often unpredictable and can fluctuate from day to day.

If you have a similar question to Anthony then I hope this video is useful to you!

Thanks for watching the video.
-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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Should BJJ White Belts Drill Techniques to Both Sides?

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Should White Belts and newer BJJ practitioners practice and drill techniques to both sides? That’s the comment I’m replying to that came from one of the viewers the other day.

Here’s the original video: https://youtu.be/HDowUHDOdmE

 

In the video I talk about how I’ve been encouraging my BJJ students practice their rear chokes and submissions to their non-dominant side. For reasons as I’ll discuss in the video, it can be incredibly useful. I also encouraged someone watching the video to do the same thing.

 

But should you do this early on? Well my answer is sort of yes and no.

 

I think it’s good to learn a technique to some proficiency on 1 side first and then begin to use it on the other. When you watch the video you’ll see the distinction I make between just knowing a technique vs having learned it.

 

If this question was on your mind then I hope this video is useful!

 

Thanks for watching the video.
-Chewy

 

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Failures are a different type of growth (read and you’ll understand)

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I want you to think of a tree.

 

Imagine it’s root system dug deep into the earth, the trunk climbing to the sky, branches reaching out further and leaves to rest on the ends.

 

Got the image in your head? Ok good, save it because we’re going to use it in just a minute.

 

So in yesterday’s email I talked with you about a powerful tip. A simple idea that changed my game.

 

Just do techniques to the weak side. 

 

But I wanted to follow up on the idea with you today because as simple as that idea is, it was hard for me to implement years ago. As it will be for you if you try.

 

Know why?

 

We don’t like going down.

 

When I started doing techniques to my weak side I failed a lot and it was tempting just to go back and do them to the strong side where I knew I could be successful.

 

You see, when things are going well we expect them to always be or to get even better. We associate growth with UP and expect it to continue in a steady march.

 

But we hate the idea of things not going so well, of failure and mistakes which we associate with DOWN. We see any descent as a bad thing.

 

And I’m just as bad as anyone with this. Maybe another time I’ll share more about my past neuroticism with this. But for today I’ll share an idea that has been a game changer for me.

 

Going back to that tree. . . does a tree just grow up? No, right? The tree is growing up but it’s also growing down and around. If a tree never thickened at the trunk or grew it’s roots deeper, it could not support continued growth.

 

We aren’t so different. When you fail, make a mistake and get put in a descent. It’s not a terrible thing. It’s a chance for you to grow your roots and strengthen your foundation so that you can support growth in the future. And so if you decide to take on the challenge of doing techniques to your weak side (or any new endeavor off the mat).

 

Be ready for a descent and don’t see it as bad. View it in the way we spoke about today. A chance to grow in a different way.

 

Talk to you tomorrow.

-Chewy

 

P.S If you’re interested in going deeper with me in learning tips to benefit your technical, physical and mindset development. Then I invite you to join me inside The Chewjitsu Vault. It’s currently at a nice discounted rate, but only until this Friday.

(Click Here to Join)

 

 

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