Tiger King Lessons

A BJJ lesson from Tiger King

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

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

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

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

Here’s what I mean.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s for you to find out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Talk to you tomorrow.

-Chewy

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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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chewy

This valuable lesson stuck with me from White – Black Belt

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Back when I was a White Belt 17 years ago. . .

A time when we watched vhs tapes and walked 23 miles in the snow barefoot uphill just to get to BJJ practice.

I read an interview that deeply affected the way I practiced. . .

It was with Dean Lister who at the time was an American killing it in the ADCC. And in the interview he said something to the effect that he trained both gi and no gi but that he didn’t focus on many techniques that couldn’t be adapted from one to the other.

And that lesson stuck with me to this day.

Because I love both and I don’t want to be limited to one form of grappling over the other. And this is the reason why I can win a gi competition on Saturday and then win the no gi competition on Sunday.

I’m not limited to one or the other.

And all of the big names in grappling that I study closely are the same. They are able to put on the pajamas or spandex and win.

In contrast I have friends and have watched competitor’s who game falls apart if they’re put into a gi or have to take it off. They became too reliant on one type of BJJ.

Moral of the story, don’t ever become to reliant on only 1 type of BJJ.

That said some of the grips in the kimono can be tough to deal with if you don’t know how they work.

To give you a little boost to your understanding of grips I’ve prepared a sweet bonus for you.

From March 23, 2020 until April 3, 2020 if you invest into any of the courses on www.Chewjitsu.net/products (Video Courses & Products Tab) I’ll gift you my Get a Grip series which is all about dominating that grip fighting battle. I even show some tricky options to kill the posture-killing cross collar grip.

In addition I’m including a special set of videos from a Florida seminar where I taught 1 half gi and 1 half no gi techniques. If you study it closely this could be instructive to your understanding of adjustments in and no gi.

To claim the bonus, just grab whichever course gets your attention the most and then send an email to “support@chewjitsu.net” and we’ll hook you up.

Talk to you next time.
-Chewy

"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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Sneaky Ankle Lock

Sneaky Ankle Lock Finish When They Grab Your Gi to Defend

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Finishing a Straight Ankle Lock in the Gi can be tricky. The handles created by the lapels and grips can make it very hard to fully extend and finish the leg lock once you have a snag on the ankle itself. This is the BJJ technique question I got from our buddy Brian G.

I originally learned this Brazilian Jiujitsu technique with one of my students Jeff who hit me with it in training. In a similar situation I was preventing his extension with collar grips. Then once he switched his forearm down he was able to fully extend the foot down and finish the submission. And I’ve found the variation to be useful with my own Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training.

I assume if you’re watching the video you’ll understand the basics of how to get a straight ankle lock and how to get into a single leg X / ashi garami position.

So if you’re having trouble finishing the straight ankle in the gi because of the grips then I hope this video is useful to you!
-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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Wrist lock

Are Wrist Locks in BJJ Legit or a Dirty Cheater Technique?

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Are wrist locks a dirty submissions? Are they cheating? If you use them are you doing something wrong within the typical rules or culture of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu? This is the question I received from Kevin recently.

Kevin comes from a traditional martial arts background where he learned a lot of wrist locks and he wants to use them in his BJJ training. But he says his coach doesn’t allow White Belts to use them. In addition to that he says he gets the vibe that wrist locks are sort of looked down on in his gym. As if they are dirty in some way.

So he sent me a message to get his perspective which I share in the video.

The biggest issue with them, as I see it, isn’t that they are cheating, but that they are sneaky. Wrist locks in Brazilian Jiujitsu are sneaky submissions and I think thats why we laugh about them at times when we get caught with one. And I think it’s this “sneaky” nature about them that makes us call them “dirty” or say “prison rules”, but as I will explain in the video. It’s the same sneaky nature that makes them so valuable.

If you had a similar question to Kevin 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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Brown Belt Rob

240lbs Brown Belt Killing My Butterfly Guard With Acrobatic Passing (Chewjitsu Rolling)

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Today’s No Gi rolling video has a ton of great exchanges. Everything from Back Mount counters to leg locks to defending my guard against some big dudes! My favorite roll from this week’s rolling video is against my Brown Belt Rob who is 240lbs and moves like he is small guy at times and was shutting down my Butterfly Guard game with his hop overs and quick guard passing. It really is a fun exchange to watch.

I ended up bailing on the Butterfly and did a weird slide by to get around to the back. In case you’re wondering I finished the roll with a wrist lock.

Hope you guys enjoyed 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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Black belt

Gracie Jiu-jitsu Brown Belt Doesn’t Want A BJJ Black Belt

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Today’s Q&A question comes from our friend who is a Gracie Jiu-jitsu Brown Belt who recently had to move to a new area which doesn’t have a Gracie Jiu-jitsu gym. He said he started training at one of the local Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gyms and training is fine. That said, he says he wants to receive his Black Belt from his previous coach.

Now he’s curious as to my experience with a situation like this is where you have a new gym, new instructor but want a belt from your old coach.

In the video I talk about my ideas on the situation based upon experiences I’ve had as a coach with students who were still being promoted under other coaches and also with my own students who moved away and wanted to belted with me.

I also give some basic advice on how I would encourage our friend to proceed with the situation.

Hopefully if you’re in a similar situation this video is helpful.

Thanks for watching!
-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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Statue Of Liberty Grip

“Statue Of Liberty” Grip Makes Your Omaplata Easier to Finish

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Today’s BJJ technique video is a Oma Plata setup and finish in No Gi. With this technique I use Diamond Guard (you might have another name for it) to setup the submission.

You can watch this previous video I did to get more attacks from the position.

4 Effective Submissions for White Belts with a Weak Guard in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

I also share one of my favorite ways to control and break down the Oma Plata position in no gi which is the “Statue of Liberty.” It’s a simple queue of controlling the foot and extending it away from the persons body. This has helped me a ton with being able to keep the person from countering my Oma Plata attempt during Brazilian Jiujitsu competitions or rolling.

Lastly I encourage you if using the submission to be careful as it’s a Kimura with the legs and is attacking the shoulder. Be sure with your training partners to take it slow on the finish.

So if you’re looking for Oma Plata setups or finishes then I hope this video is useful to you and your training.

Thanks for watching!

-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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Caffeine

Caffeine Was Destroying Their Cardio During Rolling

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In today’s Q&A video I talk about using caffeine before competition matches. The question comes from our friend Joe who is getting ready for his 1st competition and wants to know if it’s a good idea.

First off, I preface this video with the fact that I’m a little more sensitive to caffeine than the average person. That said, I tend to steer people away from excess amounts of caffeine and towards lower amount. In my experience and that of my students I’ve seen it more beneficial to go low on the caffeine before hard rolling or competitions.

Especially for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu competitions where you’re already hyped up I tend to find too much caffeine is a negative thing.

Caffeine in low doses can also be helpful post workout to up speed up uptake of nutrients for recovery.

I also share what I use instead of big dumps of caffeine for energy at competitions.

So if you have any questions regarding caffeine before Brazilian Jiujitsu competitions or even training then I hope this video is useful for you.

Thanks for watching.
-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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