Tips For Being A BJJ Spaz And Dealing With A BJJ Spaz

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Tips For Being A BJJ Spaz And Dealing With A BJJ Spaz

White belt bjj spaz daysI saw this article floating around on Jiujitsu Times yesterday about a guy who rolled with a BJJ Spaz. You can check it out here https://www.jiujitsutimes.com/a-reader-question-i-hate-rolling-with-the-class-spaz/.
I wanted to write a blog post about this because as a converted white belt BJJ spaz. I know the frustration of being yelled at for being too rough or doing stupid stuff.
Over the years I’ve developed “gears” and can adjust my style to a small child or a super heavyweight bruiser in an open division.
But this wasn’t always the case.
 
When I first started I was the spazziest spaz ever. Seriously! My nickname Chewy came from that. Originally one of the higher belts called me a big dumb wookie and that turned into Chewbacca and then Chewy. But it was originally meant in the same way you would call someone a big dumb idiot. He said this because I fell into him and bumped into his face.
People would complain all the time at me for being reckless or being too rough on the mat. I hated upsetting everyone. They were my buddies after all and I felt terrible when I did something dumb. For some reason though, whenever it was time to roll, my switch flipped and I just went hard. This might have been partly a consequence from wrestling. I know wrestlers seem to struggle with slowing down a lot. I also think it was an effect of my low self esteem at the time. I didn’t want to lose.
It’s important to understand though, that when you roll with someone that is a little reckless with their movements. What you might call a spaz. They probably don’t mean to go so hard. Below are some tips for being the person who is rolling with the BJJ spaz and someone who is the spaz. Again the tips from being on both sides of the situation.

Here are a few tips to consider when rolling with a BJJ spaz

  • Understand that becoming more relax and less “spazzy” is a process that takes time. Just because you told your partner that he needs to chill out, doesn’t mean he will be able to. He can mentally be committed to relaxing and just training, but his body can have other ideas once you guys lock horns on the mat.
  • Keep them tight. When you give someone who is inexperienced or reckless with their movements too much space. They have a tendency to come crashing into you. Keeping them close will lessen that possibility.
  • If the person is super new. Do some situational rolling from the position you worked on during class. Many times when I rolled early on. Accidents happened because I didn’t know what to do, so I’d sling my body in one direction or the other to see what would happen. If they have a technique to focus on it will help eliminate the possibility of them doing something that might hurt you or them.
  • Use it as an opportunity to see how your BJJ skills work against someone who isn’t  engaging the same way as everyone else. It’s good practice.
  • If they do stuff that is dangerous (elbows, headbutts, knees, etc). Talk to them and bring it to their attention. Again, it won’t be an immediate fix but it will bring their screw ups to their attention and over time help improve the situation.
  • If the person is being overly aggressive (no tapping, cranking submissions too quick, etc) bring it to your instructors attention. There is a difference between being inexperienced and sort of clumsy with your movements, and being aggressive and almost angry. If you get the vibe for the latter. Speak to your coach
 

Here are a few tips if you are the BJJ spaz (These are things that helped me).

  • Focus on your techniques. While you do need to experiment with positions and techniques to learn. If you’re a inexperienced practitioner. Really focus on what you’ve been shown. It will act as guide and help you from injuring someone. Many times I see newer white belts doing really weird stuff like squeezing on someones neck or spinning around with their elbows flung out. I try to get these people to focus on what I, or other instructors, have shown them in the past.
  • Do a little soul searching. Figure out why you feel the need to go balls out to win every single time you roll. Mine was because I was insecure and felt like that if I lost a roll, my day was a failure. Stupid yes, but that’s what I thought. Yours might be different. Either way. Understand that your BJJ progress is not predicated on whether you win every roll during training.
  • Roll with someone smaller or someone that you can easily control or don’t care losing against. Rolling with a couple of kids we used to have in class helped me tap into a slower gear. I didn’t care about being tapped or anything. They were kids. This allowed me to be more relaxed with my movements and just goof off. It gave me a feel for how I could turn down the intensity but still move around.
  • Put yourself in uncomfortable positions and learn to relax and be comfortable in the uncomfortable. Learn to stay calm and not to freak out when you’re in an undesirable spot.
  • It’s not the world championships every time you roll. On most days of training. You’re there like everyone else to get better and develop as a team together. Training is about building each other up, sharpening each others skills and growing with one another. Not about tapping them out and standing over top of them in victory.
  • BREATHE!!! I see so many newer people get crazy on the mat when they’re rolling. Then they take a deep breath and they’re able to relax. If you feel like you’re getting frustrated, angry or whatever, take a deep inhale and push the air out of your body. This always helped me. In fact, it was one of the queues my coaches used during my matches all the time. I would get to a position holding my breathe and I would just be going nuts. Then he’s say, “breathe.” With the exhale, everything seemed to slow down a bit and I was able to think more clearly which helped me relax.
So take it easy on those spazzy people in the gym, we all make mistakes. Be careful for sure, but unless you get the vibe that they are angry or just being mean. They are probably inexperienced and aren’t completely aware of how they’re rolling. They might even actively be trying to chill out.
If you are the so-called “spaz” in your gym. Learn to tone down the way you roll. Use some of the tips above and keep working. More than likely, as your experience grows, so will your level of comfort on the mat. The more comfortable you become the more relax you will be when you’re tangled up with someone during a roll. But keep training because even a crazy white belt spaz who freaks out on everyone and gets yelled at. . . can be a smooth rolling black belt that people enjoy rolling with.
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– Chewy

10 BJJ Guard Passing Drills (Starting High And Working Low)

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10 BJJ Guard Passing Drills (Starting High And Working Low)

 

BJJ Guard Passing Drills For This Week

In this weeks BJJ drill series. I’m showing 10 BJJ guard passing drills and techniques. At the beginning of the drills I’m starting with standing passes. From there I’m having my opponent adjust to these passes and from there I’m working towards a more lower pressure passing game.
The whole point of this series is to develop the ability to mix your standing and low passes interchangeably. If you can attack your opponent from high to low, side to side. You’re going to be very tough to stop. Along with that, if you can initiate your attacks from standing quickly without letting them snag a grip, you’re in an even better situation.

Why this changing up idea is important is because every pass has a type of defense that is needed and they are not always defended in the same way. Using these BJJ guard passing drills. You’ll get better at changing up your angles and distance.  Your opponent will be forced on the defensive and have to constantly change their defensives up. This will make it more likely that they will make a mistake and you’ll have an opportunity to pass.

Chain Together Your Guard Passing

Also, I see many people who will guard pass in a singular sort of way. For instance, they do 1 pass. If it’s unsuccessful they back up and try another pass. If it’s unsuccessful they back up and do another pass. They don’t have a series or chain of movements to rely on.

Instead of doing this, you want to chain your passes together, like you would for any other position. Just like you have triangle to armbar to omaplata from the guard. Having a chained together series of techniques for passing will make your passing game that much more relentless and dangerous for the person on the bottom. The better you get with this, the more comfortable you’ll be in the pocket with your opponent’s guard.

I hope these 10 BJJ Guard Passing Drills (Starting High And Working Low) help!

If you have any requests on positions or techniques, let me know.

Thanks guys!
-Chewy

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Check out other drills here.

 

Surfing Is Like BJJ

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Surfing Is Like BJJ

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Have you ever thought about the addictive quality of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu? For some of us, BJJ just grabs us right from the beginning. You get on the mat and even though you’re getting tossed around and can’t seem to do the techniques perfectly, it’s fun!
During this surfing trip I thought about the addictive nature of surfing and how it relates to BJJ. If you’ve surfed before then you know that getting up on the board is fairly easy. Staying on the board and catching good waves is the tough part. At least thats how I see it.
I’m by no means a surfing expert but surfing is crazy addictive like BJJ. I remember the first time I ever stood up on the board. I was so pumped. So I kept paddling out, getting smashed by waves and exhausting my shoulders just to get another ride on the wave. Most of the time I would catch a wave get on the board for a minute and then find myself sailing into the water after I lost balance.
It’s kind of like when you’re doing BJJ early on. It’s not that difficult to get the general idea of whats going on with BJJ and being able to “almost hit a technique.” You’re close enough that you saw the opportunity for the technique but you just couldn’t make it stick. So you endure all the rigors that come with BJJ training, like being smashed, exhausting your body, etc, just to get another chance at hitting the technique. Just like you’ll find yourself swimming back out in the ocean for the waves in surfing.
If you’ve never surfed before, which I know is the case for many of my midwestern BJJ friends, then you really need to get on a board.
The trip has been awesome so far. Yesterday we did 2 BJJ training session and surfed in between. We’re getting ready for the morning BJJ session and then surfing.
Talk to you guys later!
-Chewy

BJJ In Costa Rica This Week

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BJJ In Costa Rica This Week

IMG_0304I’ll be doing BJJ in Costa Rica this coming week. I’m currently sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for my flight to Costa Rica. I left Louisville and it’s frosty 16 degree temperature this morning around 6am. I’ll be in the toasty climate of Costa Rica (which is currently at 79 degrees) before 1pm. Maybe I read too much history but technology is nuts! I can travel from the central United States and then arrive in Central America just in time for lunch.

One of my student’s, and Pan Am champ (might as well throw that out there right?), put this thing together and I’m looking forward to it. Essentially we will do BJJ in Costa Rica and surf. A vacation of sorts, but with plenty of activity for my hyper over-energetic body.

I have intentions of doing a short blog of vlog each day talking about whats going on during the trip.

Well, the flight is boarding. Talk to you next time in Costa Rica.

-Chewy

Escapes From Side Control

Avoid Bad Days In BJJ (Don’t Set Expectations)

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Avoid Bad Days In BJJ (Don’t Set Expectations)

 


Do you sometimes have bad days in BJJ? Of course you do. We all do. But could you be causing these bad days in BJJ unknowingly because of a bad mindset when you’re training? Even worse, could this same mindset be hindering your overall development?

We’ve had an influx of new students coming into the gym to train BJJ over the last few months, which is a good thing. But now they’re all getting to this point where they are getting good enough that they are having some success which is leading to a negative thought process.

Since they have broken the seal and realized that they can actually hit their techniques during rolling. Many of my newer students have begun to set expectations for themselves. You know, they submitted Bob last week so they now expect to always submit Bob.

But this is the wrong way to think and will lead to bad days in BJJ.

Just like the rest of us. When they first started training they were just happy to be on the mats. They were brand new and did not expect to be successful. But now, as they’ve become accustomed to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu they think that they are supposed to perform at a certain level every single time.

This mindset is dangerous.

Why It’s A Bad Idea To Set Expectations Every Time You Train

First off, you have to remember that your training partners in BJJ are working hard too and they will adjust with you. This is the beauty of having consistent training partners. You build one another up, together. Like the old saying, “iron sharpens iron.” Right?

Second, and most important in my opinion. You’re going to limit yourself because of fear. If you’re solely fixated on winning and/or beating your partner. Then you will be forced to play your “A” game all the time. This takes away the ability and openness to experiment with new positions and areas you’re unfamiliar with. This will limit your growth and hinder you’re ability to be the best BJJ practitioners that you can be. I know I struggled with this a ton until I was a purple belt. After relaxing and allowing myself to experiment more and use the gym as my lab. My game shot up like crazy.

So don’t make these mistakes that I did and that so many BJJ practitioners make.

Thanks guys!

-Chewy

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3 BJJ Books For Anyone (Beginners or Advanced)

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I did a post previously on my favorite BJJ books (you can check out the previous post HERE). Then recently I made a short video about 3 BJJ books thats I think would be great for beginners, and really any level. It’s similar to the post but I talk about a few extras.

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu books are a great supplement to training. They give you a chance to stay mentally engaged with training even when you’re not there. Which may or may not be a good thing depending on how your significant other takes to all this training stuff.  I’ll also say that I’ve personally used them a lot over the years.

I did this video because many of my newer students ask which BJJ books I like and which ones I would recommend to them. There are so many good BJJ books out there and I certainly don’t have them all. But the 3 I listed in this video I think contain evergreen content. Meaning that they are always solid information. They’re also three that I used a ton over the years. I have many other books that I didn’t list.

Along with telling you about the books in the video, I also focus on what I got from the BJJ books personally. I think this is more important than just reviewing the books themselves. Knowledge and information is great. But its the implementation of that knowledge which is important. So in the video I try to share a few details about how I used the information in these books.

If you have used one of the BJJ books in the video and got something out of it. Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts on it. I like hearing how other people interpreted the same information as I did.

If you have used some other BJJ books that you got a lot out of, leave a comment and tell me which ones worked the best for you.

Hope the video helps!
-Chewy

 

Also, check out my Instagram for daily drills and techniques.

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Guillotine Choke Defense Using Front Head Lock Counter From Wrestling

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Guillotine Choke Defense Using Front Head Lock Counter From Wrestling

 

Getting caught in a guillotine choke can be really frustrating. Me being a former wrestler, having a good guillotine choke defense was a must. One of the most frustrating things for me is getting caught while I’m going in for a takedown. This technique is one of the reasons why I don’t get caught very often. It’s simple but it allows so many options.

Luckily over the years I’ve had several training partners with really good guillotine chokes. Several of them set their guillotines up from the feet. Using a snap down style setup (similar to a front head lock). This had the benefit of forcing me to adjust and improve my defense against them.

 

 

Simple, But Effective, Guillotine Choke Defense Technique

In this video I show a guillotine choke defense that can be used. It’s very similar to a front headlock counter I learned years ago and has worked really well for me. I know the technique is incredibly simple and maybe seems like it’s not enough. But trust me. If you utilize the head up, stepping forward movement of this guillotine choke defense. People will have an incredibly hard time setting up their guillotine chokes from the feet on you. 

This standing defense is really good against people who try and snap your head down and go for the choke. But even the principle of getting two hands on 1 of theirs is going to be useful in almost any position that the chokes comes up.

With this guillotine choke defense video what I hoped to pass along was to continue moving and not freeze. Even if you decide to use a different technique for your goto guillotine choke defense. It’s so important to make sure that you don’t freeze up. Continue to adjust. I’ve seen so many younger guys get caught in a guillotine and just freeze up. You’ll see their hand getting ready to tap before the technique is full sunk in.

So give the technique a try, I hope it helps.

If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot them over to me.

Thanks!

Chewy

BJJ Games : Tag Team Rolling

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BJJ Games : Tag Team Rolling

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Do you play BJJ games at your gym? If not, maybe you think it’s kind of a pointless thing. While others who do might tell you about how fun they can be.

As a coach I’m always trying to come up with new drills, moments, situational rolling exercises, technique combinations, etc to keep the training new and exciting. I know that from personal experience. The worse thing that can happen with your training is if you become complacent and things take on too much a familiar routine and pattern. Shaking things up helps keep people sharp and helps keep my students, and myself, growing and improving.

 

So where do BJJ games come into the mix?

Well over the years I’ve come up with over a hundred different BJJ related games. Most of them I use with my kids on a  regular basis to trick the youngsters into learning good habits and technique. I bring them over from time to time with the adults too.

The adults can sometimes be a tough sell. It’s interesting though. I’ll watch a guy who is a big shot at some corporate business come into the gym during a game day. Sometime they’ll have a face that just screams, “I’m not doing this shit.”  Then, a few minutes later, I’ll see them even more engaged than everyone else. It’s fun.

BJJ games can also be a fun way to build the team atmosphere. I’ve been a head coach since 2009 and I’ll tell you that the more different things you do together as a team, the better. Whether it’s BJJ games, getting dinner after training, watching the fights together, etc. The more things you do together as a group the better the atmosphere in the gym will be.

Also, at their core, BJJ games should contain a transferrable value to regular training. In the case of the Tag Team rolling, it’s defense, body control and mat awareness. Defense because you have to defend against multiple people and different angles. Mat awareness and body control because you have to ensure that you are keeping the person where you want them. If they are able to position their body where they can tag, you’ll lose your opportunity to win.

Setup For Tag Team Rolling

  • You make lines on the mat. If you have zebra style mats then it should be a problem. If you have the big massed vinyl then you can use tape, jump rope, or use your imagination.
  • Divide people into teams. We typically keep teams in groups of 2-4. When you have more than that, people end up not getting any time on the mat.

Rules Of The Game (The Way We Do It)

  • To tag a partner you must make hand to hand contact.
  • Knees must remain behind the team line in order to tag.
  • After the tag, there will be a 5 second period that the opponent can be double teamed. Afterwards the person who was originally in must return behind the team line.
  • Scoring can be done a few different ways. You can give 1 point per submission and allow the person to stay in the game after a reset, or go till team elimination. In elimination mode you submit and then the person is out. Most often we will do a 10 minute period with 5 minute overtimes if no one is submitted.
  • We take out leg locks and certain twisting locks because people get caught up sometimes. But again, use your discretion.

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That’s about the jest of it.At my gym we typically play these games on days right before the holidays or during times where there are no competitions coming up. Sometimes we do it just to take a day off from hard gritty training.

So give BJJ games like the tag team rolling a try. It’s fun and has a value to training. You’ll be exhausted from defending and have a great time with your team.

 

-Chewy

Tips To Improve Your Kimura From Side Control With Straight Arm Lock

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Tips To Improve Your Kimura From Side Control With Straight Arm Lock

12034370_10153584212140907_5381847168925998198_o-2Since I was a white belt, one of my best submissions has been the kimura from side control. I’ve just had a knack for catching it. Maybe it’s the wrestler in me that feels comfortable in side control and maybe it’s the fact that I have short arms which makes the figure four lock of the kimura a strong position for me.

Either way, over the years of using the kimura I’ve definitely found some different tips and techniques that have made the submission more effective. In fact, it’s effective enough that I still routinely  use it successfully against Black Belts.

For me, the litmus test to whether or not a move is effective or not is if I can use it against an opponent of similar skill. There are always slick techniques that I can hit against less skilled people. But if I can hit it against a person of the same level, then that means it’s a solid move.

The kimura from side control definitely isn’t the prettiest technique out there and doesn’t have as many steps as a lot of techniques. But the simplicity and the detail of the few steps it does have is beautiful in a way. It’s such a simple technique. But that’s kind of the cool thing about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Even with a simple technique, if you take the time to refine it, it can become an unstoppable weapon.

I’ve included a match where I used the technique successfully in competition. If you would like to see what it looks like in action vs just shown as a technique then check out this video as well.

 

Below is the demonstration of the technique. In the video I demonstrate some simple tips to improve your kimura from side control. I also add in a straight arm lock attack that you can throw in when your opponent tries to straighten their arm out of the lock.

 

 

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Open For A Good Cause

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Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Open For A Good Cause

This past Sunday was an awesome example of the good side of the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu community.

I hosted an Open Mat and Toy Drive this past Sunday and the turn out was amazing. People involved with the Louisville Brazilian Jiu-jitsu scene came out to train and donate for a good cause.

I decided on a toy drive because of a personal experience I had as a kid. When I was a young kid my mother was getting over her addiction to alcohol and we had a few rough years as she struggled to get her life straightened out. One incident during this time period really stands out in my memory.

I remember it was the day before Christmas Eve and myself, mom and sisters were sitting in the living room watching t.v. I was sitting over by the christmas tree which was lit up by multi colored lights and garnished with too many fake ice cycles, compliments of my baby sister.

While watching a movie we got a knock at the door. When she opened the door I saw that it was one of the members of our church. They had known my mother’s struggle and were an integral part of helping her get everything together. The church was already involved with giving back to the community. Because they knew the situation we were in they had gathered up some of the items they planned to donate and gave them to us.

At first I saw food items which was cool, but it’s not really what you think about as a kid. Then. . .then I saw toys exchanging hands. As a kid who’s entire toy collection could fit into small white bucket, this was big stuff.

The member of our church came in, wished us a merry Christmas and then was on his way.

That memory of generosity will forever be burned into my memory.

With that, I wanted to help create some meaningful difference, like the one I had experienced, in some local child’s life. So I spoke to one of members of our Brazilian Jiu-jitsu program who’s involved in a number of charities and helpful organizations and asked if he knew one worth getting involved with. After speaking with him we settled on the Family Scholar House organization. You can read more about it at www.familyscholarhouse.com . It’s a very cool organization and their mission is a powerful one.

During the Open Mat yesterday we had over 75 people make contributions and we came away with 100+ toys and gifts that we can give away to kids who are not in the most fortunate circumstances. It was awesome and I hope that these gifts make a positive impact this year.

I’m posting this because Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is an amazing martial art in itself. But more amazing than just the art, and I say this all the time, is the community. Louisville Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has a great community and this kind of generous get together is just one example.

Thanks again, to everyone who came out to support the toy drive!

 

-Chewy