BJJ Archives - Page 32 of 42

Getting Stuck In The Middle With BJJ

November 23, 2015/in Beginners, BJJ, Inspiration /by Chewy

Getting Stuck In The Middle With BJJ

I recently read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. One of the chapters he wrote immediately made me think of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The idea he lays out is simple but powerful. See if you see the parallel to BJJ.

“The first part happens fast. You throw yourself into the narrative, and you’re finally out in the water; the shore is pushing off behind you and the trees are getting smaller. The distant shore doesn’t seem so far, and you can feel the resolution coming, the feeling of getting out of your boat and walking the distant beach. You think the thing is going to happen fast, that you’ll paddle for a bit and arrive on the other side by lunch. But the truth is, it isn’t going to be over soon. The reward you get from a story is always less than you thought it would be, and the work is harder than you imagined. The point of a story is never about the ending, remember. It’s about your character getting molded in the hard work of the middle.

At some point the shore behind you stops getting smaller, and you paddle and wonder why the same strokes that used to move you now only rock the boat.”

“The shore you left is just as distant, and there is no going back; there is only the decision to paddle in place or stop, slide out of the hatch, and sink into the sea.”

“I think this is when most people give up on their stories… they get into the middle and discover it was harder than they thought. They can’t see the distant shore anymore, and they wonder if their paddling is moving them forward. None of the trees behind them are getting smaller and none of the trees ahead are getting bigger.”

“they go looking for an easier story.”

“It’s like this with every crossing, and with nearly every story too. You paddle until you no longer believe you can go any farther. And then suddenly, well after you thought it would happen, the other shore starts to grow, and it grows fast. The trees get taller and you can make out the crags in the cliffs, and then the shore reaches out to you, to welcome you home, almost pulling your boat onto the sand.”

Have you’ve ever experienced the “middle” with your BJJ training? The point where you are training hard but feel like you’re just not getting any better. If so, I imagine the chunks of the book I have quoted above probably speak to you.

Getting Out Of the Middle In BJJ

Unfortunately, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu doesn’t follow a linear progression, it’s not a video game where you rack up a reliable number of experience points and skill gain. So while I can’t offer a surefire way to escape the dreaded middle. I can offer some tips that have worked for me personally, for the students I’ve coached in BJJ, and may help you.

Mix Things Up

I think people hit plateaus most often because of complacency. They get stuck in the same patterns using the same moves with the same mindset over and over again. In order to spark new progress in your game and grow in new areas, sometimes you have to mix it up and get out of your comfort zone.

Change the way you roll – I have personally experienced no better way to dig myself out of a rut than focusing on different areas of my game. Assess yourself, be honest, and think of areas you could work on improving. This often involves you getting out of your comfort zone. If you are a sweeper from the bottom, try being more submission oriented. If you are a wrestler with a great passing game, pull guard. Maybe you have a weak guillotine and you’d like to make it better, limit yourself to that one submission when you roll. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea. Experiment with different areas of your game that aren’t you’re bread and butter.

Go to a seminar and attempt to learn new techniques – I’m not always the biggest fan of BJJ seminars because I feel like I get mentally assaulted with so much information that I cannot retain anything. But I will say that I’ve also been to several seminars that have been game changers. Even if you’re only able to walk away from a seminar with just 1 BJJ technique that you can use well, its worth the money. To better retain the information. Right after the seminar, while the techniques are still fresh in your mind. Record yourself with a partner going over the techniques. This works way better than a note book!

BJJ Videos for motivation – One thing I’ve always done, and continue to do whenever I get stuck in a mental rut is to use videos for motivation. Highlight videos and documentary types are my favorites. I remember the first time I watched the Renzo Gracie documentary Legacy as a brown belt (if you haven’t watched it, it’s a must see). Immediately after it was over, I was so pumped up that I called up a few buddies and we had an impromptu training session.

Compete – Some people don’t like BJJ competitions, I get it. But as a coach I’ve seen so many people make giant leaps in their game either before or after a competition. This is one of the reasons wrestlers are such good grapplers. They’re forced into competition over and over again, there is no choice. The idea of competition looming over someone often leads them to train harder and after a tournament they typically have a better insight into their game with plenty of things to improve.

Drill – If you find yourself being unable to pull the trigger with your techniques or you’re just a second too slow. If you’re not already doing so, start drilling your techniques. I mean really drilling them. Knock out at least a few hundred reps every week. This will get rid of that hesitation. Drilling your techniques is sharpening your weapon before battle. The sharper the weapon, the smoother the cut.

Take time off from BJJ – If you’re starting to get frustrated on the mats. Try taking a week off from BJJ with the intention of coming back the next week. So rest, relax but make sure to keep your diet in check. I personally like hiking and camping when I take time off from Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Along with the time away from the mats, being in nature seems to have a restorative effect on me mentally and physically. Sometimes a small break from the mats has a way of renewing your appreciation for being in the gym and allows you to decompress and come back mentally fresh.

Last Piece Of Advice For A Tough Problem

The last tip is simple and something that you’ve probably heard before.

Don’t stop. Even when you don’t feel like you’re making progress in your BJJ training, and a lot of times this will be the case. You are. If you’re stuck in the middle at a current point in your BJJ training. It’s ok, we all get there sometimes. Have the presence of mind to recognize this and, sticking with the snippet from the book, keep paddling. Because I promise sometimes right when you feel like you’re at your worst is when you have the next jump in your game.

Remember, it’s not a race to the finish. You don’t finish Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

‘

Have you ever experienced being in the middle with your training? If so, what was it like and how did you deal with it?

As always, thanks for reading.

Chewy

BJJ Self Defense Shenanigans (80s Miami Vice Style)

October 28, 2015/in BJJ, Funny /by Chewy

Last night was our annual suit rolling training session at the gym. We do it once a year around Halloween and it’s one of the more ridiculous things we take part in at the gym. We train hard so it’s a nice silly break from the tough training.

One of the things that came from this year’s suit rolling was a BJJ self defense video. Well I guess it may not really be a BJJ self defense video. More like a cheesy 80s self defense video with some sweet miami vice suit style action.

For those that know me, they know I try to offset the hard training with fun and light hearted events.

Anyways, we all got a laugh from it. Check it out and if you like it and get a laugh, share it.

Thanks!
Chewy

Getting Started In Bjj As A Wrestler : 4 Tips To Make A Smooth Transition

October 6, 2015/in Beginners, BJJ /by Chewy

Getting Started In Bjj As A Wrestler : 4 Tips To Make A Smooth Transition

As I’ve seen from my own experience and my years as a coach. Wrestlers (even high level) have some common snags that they get hung up on when getting started in BJJ. On the flip side, they have some common advantages to their non wrestling counterparts.

This is something I’m very familiar with because I got into Bjj straight out out of wrestling and I’ve also coached many wrestlers. In fact I want to say I started training BJJ around 3-4 weeks after the state wrestling tournament.

If you liked wrestling you’ll probably love grappling and BJJ. It’s fun and brings back that competitive element former wrestlers often miss afterwards. It is an adjustment though. Below are some tips and advice I would give, and have given, to wrestlers deciding to start Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training.

Its Ok To Be On Your Back

The most obvious is you’ll have to change your mentality about being on your back. From wrestling you’re programmed not to let your back touch the mat. You’ll most likely instinctively spring up to go belly down during your initial BJJ rolling. Even worse, you might even be like I was and look down on the idea of fighting from your back.

To tell you a story from my own experience. Initially, I got into BJJ to learn top submissions. I didn’t want to be a wimpy guard guy, or as I called them, bottom feeders. My idea was that if I was put on my back I would just push the person away and just stand up. However it’s not that easy and, overtime, I lost my resistance.

The turning point for me was at a Pablo Popovitch seminar where he showed some cool butterfly guard sweeps. I couldn’t use them at the time but I liked the mobility and movement of the position. It looked dynamic and exciting, rather than the somewhat static full guard. This opened me up to embracing the idea of being offensive from bottom positions.

Not only will having a good bottom game give you an effective “Plan B” in case you end up on your back (Even if you’re some freak wrestler, you’ll probably be swept to your back at some point). But having a better knowledge of what’s going on the bottom will make you be more effective on top!

When I was a white belt. There was a period of about 3 months where my coach made me start from full guard during rolling. I hated it at first. But after a while my sweeps and submissions got better and it became enjoyable. It also gave me a new area that I could work from. Once I was able to use my full game again I found that my guard passing ability and submission defense from top had shot way up. Whenever the person would grip something, I knew instantly what they were going for and could adjust. This made my guard passing and submissions far more effective than they previously were.

Lastly on the subject of fighting from your back. This is Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, not wrestling. Being a well rounded grappler with a deep knowledge is the goal, not simply winning competitions or rolls in the gym. You can still hold true to your gritty, competitive, heavy top pressure roots from wrestling. But if you don’t want to learn how to grapple from your back. Consider a different sport.

Learn To Slow Down

Slow down. Wrestling is a 6-7 minute sprint whereas BJJ is more of a series of bursts with the match times varying. Wrestling follows a go go go rhythm. While Bjj takes on a go, slow down, go, slow down type of flow.

One of the big reasons for this burst style of movement, in my opinion, has to do with the grips. As a wrestler, you know that you can’t use certain holding grips. They are banned. BJJ has no such rules, and people will lock onto your body or your gi in an effort to slow you down and jockey for position. Some BJJ matches will grind to a stand still because of these grips and positioning.

I see many wrestlers, as I did, struggle with this initially. I remember I would get stuck in a position and my wrestling coach’s voice was still stuck in my head screaming, “Go!” In BJJ and grappling though, you can’t simply explode out of every position. Often when you get tangled up with someone in BJJ, if you try and just get out of or jump away from the position. You pay for it.

So be prepared to slow down and think when you get bogged down in someone grips, guard or some other position.

Watch For Armbars and Triangle Chokes

Being a wrestler you’ll be able to snag a takedown. You’ll also get a reputation for that in your gym of being a wrestler. This means you’ll find yourself in guard often. Due to head and arm placement, pure wrestlers have a knack for getting caught in triangle chokes and submitted with armbars from inside the guard. Getting familiar with triangle choke and armbar escapes and defenses from the top of full guard will help you avoid this.

Get Versed With Side Control And North South

Getting started in BJJ as a wrestler, side control and north south are going to feel like home. You’re essentially in pinning position and you’ll have the sensitivity necessary to adjust when the person tries to escape. This is something you won’t have from a lot of other positions because most of them will be somewhat foreign to your body.

If you’re like I was when I first started you’ll favor keylocks, kimuras and armbars from side control and north south.

I’m not sure if it’s true but one of my original coaches told me the reason the keylock is also called the “americana” is because American wrestlers would favor it so much. Also, true story, I’ve seen D1 wrestlers submit black belts from side control using keylocks because they were just so damn physical. So it’s not something to scoff at, and it’s important to remember that having a good wrestler in side control can be a miserable experience.

With all that side, if you’re a wrestler, learn submissions from side control and north south. They’ll be a good starting point for you.

I hope these tips help you with your new journey as you’re getting started in BJJ and grappling! They come from a wrestler who made the adjustment to BJJ but still feels heavily influenced by wrestling.

Please comment or share if any of this was useful or informative to you.

As always, thanks for reading!

-Chewy

Get Better Feedback From BJJ Training. Other Sports Do it, So Should You

September 24, 2015/4 Comments/in Beginners, BJJ, Training /by Chewy

Get Better Feedback From BJJ Training. Other Sports Do it, So Should You

Whats up guys,

I wanted to take a moment and share a quick tip with you. It’s a pretty simple way to get additional feedback from your training. It may be something you’re already doing. But if you’re not, it’s definitely something you should consider starting.

Have you ever seen the Olympic Lifters or Crossfitters using their phones to record themselves during big lifts? No. . . I’m not talking about the random teenager in the gym recording a video of his bicep curls to post on Instagram. I’m talking about recording complex movements that require constant adjusting and refinement. Recording themselves doing the movements allows the lifter to pinpoint problems in the lift. It’s not just lifters. Really, almost any major sports team or athletic coach records religiously to get a good view as to whats going on with their athletes. If you played American football then you probably remember video days where you would sit with your team and watch tape.

It’s a smart thing to do and is something I believe more people doing BJJ should do. We know it’s important to watch our competition matches and it can be just as helpful to watch certain parts of our training.

What You Feel Is Often Wrong

Tournaments are often the only time many of us record ourselves doing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu or have a chance to watch ourselves grapple. One of the benefits of watching a match from a tournament is that we have the ability to watch ourselves objectively. This provides a ton of feedback and a clear view into our game. It’s kind of funny because a lot of times, especially early on in our training, what we felt we did or what we thought we did looked a lot different than what we actually ended up doing.

I remember during one of my last white belt tournaments. I got behind a guy and did a sort of belly to back suplex. It’s worth noting that when I was a white belt my favorite thing was to get a big slam. So I was all jazzed up when I was retelling the match to people right after. I described me lifting this guy up over my head and slamming him into the mat. When I went back to watch the match later on I was sad to see that I only got the guys feet 5-6 inches off the ground. And the slam was more of a toss to the side. Going back to it, I wasn’t lying. I really thought I had a hell of a slam on that guy, it felt like I did during the match.

After watching the match on video I was able to make some adjustments on my body positioning when I executed the throw. 3 months later I hit a much bigger and “prettier” throw at a tournament. Being able to watch the video gave me a chance to see exactly what I was doing and how I could improve. If it wasn’t for the video. I would have thought my execution of the throw was perfect and would have just hummed along to the next tournament.

Recreate What You Can’t Remember

Besides bringing us back down to reality. Competitions often expose us to certain positions and situations that we aren’t comfortable or familiar with. A lot of times when we get back in the gym we try and remember and recreate what happened for training purposes. It’s tough though. Trying to remember some funky position you got into during an adrenaline filled match is difficult. During a match you’re mind isn’t in the best state to remember every little detail.

This happens all the time in the gym after training too. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a student come to me and ask for advice. When forced to recreate the position they were asking about, they’re a bit unsure. This makes it really tough for me to figure out exactly what was happening and give them useful advice.

A video shows us exactly what we are doing it, what our opponent is doing and makes it much easier to troubleshoot the situation. Likewise, a video is much easier for an instructor or coach to look over and hand out valuable advice.

Start Recording More Often

We shouldn’t wait for tournaments to roll around to record ourselves. Most of us have smart phones or a small sized camera we can use to set up and record. If you’re worried about damaging your phone. Try using a tripod and putting it off the mat and attempt to snag a little real estate on the edge of the mat when its time to roll.

When To Record

I don’t think it’s necessary to record every single time we roll. If you want to, I suppose thats fine but I believe the best times would be either during speed or active drilling sessions and competitive rolling. Basically, situations that involve us pushing ourselves, which might lead to mistakes. I make a distinction with competitive rolling because that is when someone is going to us in bad situation and where our mistakes are often much more apparent.

If you guys have read the Ebook I put out or some of my other blogs on drilling. Then you know what I mean by speed and active drilling.

It’s Way Better Than A Training Journal For Feedback

If you’re really crazy about it(like I am), you can keep an external hard drive and log your training and techniques into it. This would completely blow away any sort of traditional training journal. I have tons of training, competition and even just random bullshitting with the guys going back to 2009. It’s fun to be able to look back that far and watch yourself and the techniques you were using.

For all you guys that hate reading I’ll break it down into easy bullet points.

Tip: Get into a habit of recording yourself in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Especially when you’re drilling fast or with resistance, and during tough rolls.

Benefits To Recording Yourself

Gives you a unbiased look at what you are actually doing on the mat, rather than what you “feel” you are doing.
Helps you develop a better link with your body and it’s movements. Meaning, the way you feel and what you think you are doing will match up more accurately to what you are actually doing.
Can help you recreate funky positions you end up in so that you can work to counter them or bring it to a coach to work on a solution.
You’ll find all sorts of little things you’re doing wrong and it really helps bring some of your deficiencies to the surface. Likewise it will also show you what you’re doing very well.

Half Guard Sweep And Back Take (Chewjitsu Open Mat)

September 23, 2015/in BJJ, Sweeps, Videos /by Chewy

Half Guard Sweep And Back Take

Half guard is by far one of my favorite positions. Recently we were going over a series from Half Guard. This video is a little different than the usual technique videos. This one was recorded during my classes while I was teaching my students.

In the video I show:

An entry into the particular half guard we were using from a basic knee shield position
A counter to a person who is using the over hook to keep you pinned down
If the person tries to maintain space, a reverse kimura position (I showed this move in this video previously)

I’ve used this type of half guard effectively since I was a purple belt. I’ve used it in competition, in training and I even used it in MMA before.

Hope the techniques help, if you have any questions, leave a comment or shoot me an email.

-Chewy

4 Tips To Deal With BJJ Tournament Anxiety (video)

September 17, 2015/in Beginners, BJJ, Competition, Tips, Videos /by Chewy

4 Tips To Deal With BJJ Tournament Anxiety (video)

I had a post a while ago talking about how to deal with BJJ tournament anxiety. I know it’s something that many people find difficult dealing with (here’s the original blog ).

BJJ tournament anxiety is something everyone deals with in their own way. Even the best competitors get nervous before matches. As I’ll talk about in the video. The nerves are a necessary evil. They give you that edge to your performance and make you rise to a new level on the mats during the competition. It’s all about how we channel these feelings and use them to our advantage. In the video I’ll give you 4 tips. Accepting the nerves, focusing on yourself, using music to calm yourself and then bring your energy up when needed and using mock tournaments or new training partners to spur nervousness. These are just 4 ways that I’ve been able to deal with it both in BJJ competitions and MMA. Ultimately you’ll have to find the ways that work best for you personally.

I hope the tips help you in any of your future competitions. Also, consult your instructor to see some of the tips they have on dealing with the nerves before a BJJ tournament.

-Chewy

Fake Black Belts : Should We Get Angry?

September 16, 2015/in BJJ /by Chewy

Fake Black Belts : Should We Get Angry?

This whole fake black belt (and now red belt) nonsense is becoming almost comical. It’s so common that I almost feel like I need to reference the stories on Snopes to see if they’re legit. Sadly they are legitimate stories about not so legitimate people.

But should we get so angry?

One of my friend’s (who is not a BJJ practitioner) asked why the BJJ community gets so angry about fake black belts and people who lie about their promotions. This lead me to really think about why I was angry and whether or not I should get angry.

Besides just being blatantly dishonest there are 4 main reasons my mind falls on when I justify my anger or frustration with these situations.

1. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has always been promoted as a REAL martial art that values effective application. Whereas other martial arts have hidden behind mysticism, too-deadly-to-use techniques and brainwashing of students. These fake black belts aren’t REAL, and having them go unchecked bring us a little closer to the mcdojo martial arts that we’ve always distanced ourselves from.

2. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is hard. All of us who have been in the grind for years take pride in the difficulty. We cherish it because not everyone can handle the training. If you’re a real black belt, you’ve probably worked your butt off to achieve that symbol of mastery that wraps around your waist. To see some faker who didn’t go through the same journey is infuriating and down right insulting to your achievement.

3. There is something very criminal about someone making money or whatever they’re getting out of being a faker off the aspirations of others. People are coming to them to learn Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, MMA, self-defense etc and instead they’re getting something else. Many of these people may have potential. But they will be unable to realize it because they aren’t at a real BJJ gym. By the time they understand that they’re in an fraud of a program it can be hard to leave because of loyalty and friendships they’ve made.

These fakers are robbing people of their potential to protect themselves or compete. It’s criminal and dangerous.

4.People like this have no business leading others. As a real black belt or red belt you are more than likely in a position of influence inside your gym. Many of the students follow your lead and many of the younger students probably look up to you. From your years of training you probably have tons of knowledge and insight to pass down to them.

Now think of a fake black belt or red belt. They are probably in the same position of authority. The only difference is that their value system is obviously fucked up. Instead of chasing mental and physical development through the challenges that BJJ has to offer, with the belts being more of a consequence rather than the end goal. These people are chasing a false and imagined skill.

People with these values have no business being a leader to others.

To answer my own question and the one stated in the headline of this post. Yes, we should get angry.

Self Regulation Is Important

This self regulation dynamic of BJJ is important because while it certainly won’t catch all the liars. It does catch many of the fakers and no doubt acts as a deterrent for any other would be scam artists.

I’ve personally called out a fake black belt in my hometown. He was doing a radio commercial advertising as a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt. I wasn’t even a black belt at the time, I was a brown.

This same black belt was teaching people MMA training. When some of these guys fought they were beaten pretty badly. One of which ended up having to have surgery from the injuries sustained. I can’t help feel that this wouldn’t have happened had they been under the tutelage of a real instructor.

I think it’s very important that we continue to point out these fake black belts and bring them to the attention of as many people as possible.

If we are able to bring their false claims to people’s attention we can stop would be students from being sucked into a dishonest program.

Don’t Chase Belts

I’ve said this before, “I’d rather be a white belt with black belt technique than a black belt with white belt technique.”

One of the black belts at the gym said it well, “ I don’t chase belts, I chase techniques.”

To The Newer Guys On The Mat

If you’re someone who is new to BJJ, make sure you’re not a belt chaser. If you’re chasing belts then you’re missing the big picture. You’re missing the development of friendships and brotherhood. The development of skills and techniques. The strengthening of your inner resolve through hard training. I could go on.

BJJ is like a never-ending set of stairs. Each belt, promotion and success represent another step, but you ultimately never reach the top.

To The High Ranking Belts

As a BJJ practitioner you have a duty to help continue to uphold the Real essence of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. You may have not asked for this but it is your responsibility now. We as Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioners must continue to press on and keep true to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and make sure that the fakers and scam artists are brought to the attention of the community. This will protect any would-be students from falling into a fake program and it will help us from completely diving into the land of the McDojo.

If you have any thoughts on the matter, leave a comment or shoot me a message.

As always, thanks for reading!

-Chewy

Lapel Choke Defense From Back (A Simple Grip Break)

September 3, 2015/in BJJ, Defenses Escapes Counters, Videos /by Chewy

Lapel Choke Defense From Back (A Simple Grip Break)

Some of you are going to watch this video and say, I know that move. Others might see it and think, “eh that’s too easy.”

But either way, this is grip break technique that is stupid simple and works incredibly well when used as a lapel choke defense. We never intend for someone to have our back in BJJ but it happens.

Likewise, we never intend to let our opponent have a tight lapel grip, but it happens.

When it does happen you have to have a solid defense and an ability to break grips.

One of the toughest parts about removing a lapel choke grip from back mount is that we cannot generate much power. So, instead we have to make the grip weaker once we attempt to break it.

One of the ways I do this is by wedging my fingers into the person’s grip. This creates space and makes it easier to remove the lapel grip. I do this from several positions. Essentially whenever you’re fighting the person’s grips if you can make space in their hand somehow you can weaken their grip. I have several variations for basic armbars too.

Anyways, here’s the video. If you have any questions. Let me know if the lapel choke defense techniques help you.

Chewy

Eliminating Anxiety And Self Doubt In Brazilian Jiu-jitsu : A Mental Tip

August 25, 2015/1 Comment/in Beginners, BJJ /by Chewy

I feel like confidence (or a lack of) and anxiety can be issues for all of us sometimes. Whether it’s working on a new position or a weak one, or maybe moving up to a new belt level in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. There are times when we can struggle with anxiety and negative thinking. This happens to all of us! After reading through this blog post I hope to arm you with a training tip that you can use deal with this kind of stuff.

It’s a bit different than the typical technique or training advice. It’s more concerned with your mentality and harnessing the way you reinforce yourself.

Reinforcement Affects Performance

Several years ago Stephanie L. Stolz of the Missouri Western State University did an experiment. The experiment was to determine how confidence and positive reinforcement affected performance. (you can read about the study here http://www.webclearinghouse.net/volume/2/STOLZ-TheImporta.php )

The findings showed that positive reinforcement increases overall confidence and confidence increases performance. One reason she theorized was that a higher level of confidence acts like a buffer against various anxieties associated with whatever we are doing.

What she also found was that negative reinforcement had an effect on performance as well. As you might expect, it decreased performance. It seems sorta like common sense to me, but let me explain how you can have a direct effect on your game by simply reinforcing yourself.

Control Your Inner Dialogue

Whether its is in a competition or in the gym. We have this voice in our head. A sort of inner dialogue. I know you’re familiar with this voice. It’s the voice that talks to you during the roll (and life). It tells you to keep fighting, pull harder on the grips, go for it. It’s also the same “voice” that talks to you and tells you that the guy on top feels super heavy or says “dammit,” when you get your guard passed.

For better or for worse, this inner dialogue is constantly going, and what it says to you is greatly dependent on your overall confidence and mental state at the time. When you lack confidence you are more prone to being negative, whereas if you feel like you are in a good place, you’ll be more likely to remain positive.

Useful advice I give to my students concerning this is attempting to harness that inner dialogue. If you are controlling your thoughts and the way you’re perceiving the situation. You control your mentality and the way you approach the situation.

Two Questions

Have you ever been in the gym and your instructor sticks you in one of your worst positions and you start to get negative thoughts or start second guessing yourself?

Now these negative thoughts about how bad your guard or side control are, could all be relatively true. But if you get fixated and repeat this kind of stuff in your head, it’s going to take root and facilitate a negative outlook on the techniques and positions you’re trying to use. Think about it. If you keep telling yourself how bad you are at something. You’re mentally reinforcing this negative outlook, and it’s hard to physically improve your game if you mind isn’t on board.

Let me ask you one more question. Have you ever been on the mats and saw the perfect opportunity but were unable to execute because you felt some sort of worry or anxiety?

This is a clear sign of lack of confidence. When you are more confident on the mat you will go for the techniques and worry about what to do if it goes wrong, after. We all have apprehensions and have to remain calculated on the mat. But going back to the study. If you have the confidence to act as a buffer against anxiety then it will be easier for you to take chances and go after the brief openings that pop up during a roll. Yes you might mess up along the way but those failures will lead to success eventually.

Fake It Before You Make It

Now coming to the “Fake it before you make it” idea. If you’ve ever heard researchers talk about confidence. You may have heard about something that equates to fake it before you make it. Essentially what scientists have learned, and it makes perfect sense, is that when we go about things with confidence mentally, even if we aren’t completely confident. Our bodies will attempt to follow suit. They’ve even found that the way you walk around and posture can have an impact on your hormone levels and overall feeling of confidence. (check out this Ted talk about it http://blog.ted.com/10-examples-of-how-power-posing-can-work-to-boost-your-confidence/ )

Meaning confidence is largely based on your perception and the way you go about things. If you attempt something in an unconfident way and reinforce yourself with negative thoughts your body will follow and you’re results will line up accordingly.

But if you step onto the mat and say to yourself, “I’m going to sweep someone today.” Even if you’re sweeps aren’t the best. By simply adjusting your mentality on the situation, your chances of success go up. By telling yourself that you are going to do something and going about it confidently you’re sort of reprogramming yourself. Your body will in turn start searching for a way to make it happen. This will facilitate a full fledge commitment to something rather than a half-hearted attempt.

An “A-HA” Moment As A Brown Belt

An example of this in my own training came with my old training partner Kyle Cannon. Kyle was one of my best training partners in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for a long time. When I first started training with him, he routinely just beat me like I stole something. I remember getting anxious and nervous when he would come over and pick me to roll.

It was already determined in my mind that Kyle was going to beat me. Our rolls took a predictable pattern. I would keep it competitive but he would eventually take over and thrash me.

One of the “a-ha” moments I had was when I realized how different my mindset was when I was getting ready to roll with him, opposed to rolling with other people, even other black belts (I was a brown belt at the time). When I was rolling with other people, even people that I knew were technically better than I was, I still had confidence in what I was doing. But when I was going with Kyle I was already defeated before we even slapped hands and pounded knuckles.

The “a-ha” moment for me was eliminating the negative thoughts in my own head when it was our turn to roll. I did this by visualizing myself using the techniques successfully whenever I felt like I was getting overly nervous or anxious. What was so surprising was that when I did this I felt less anxiety and was more relaxed during the roll. Still aggressive but not nervous. Now, I didn’t start beating Kyle or anything like that. But overtime I felt that by changing my mindset going into the roll allowed me to play my game more effectively. It made it possible for me to take more chances when I saw opportunities open up. Which in turn made the rolls more competitive and led to me improving.

This focus on my techniques and positive reinforcement has help me deal with the pre competition anxiety I used to deal with. It’s made competing so much easier and fun.

I’m A Black Belt And I Still Do This

I still use this idea of harnessing my inner dialogue for my everyday training. For instance when I’m trying to hit new techniques or really focusing on a particular area of my game. I reassure myself that I’m going to hit the techniques or be successful from the positions.

Almost always, the outcome from this mental reassurance or deliberate focus makes a huge difference. By mentally committing myself, I physically commit. Instead of just defaulting to saying that I’m not good with the move or position, or whatever excuse I could make up. By doing this I extinguish a lot of the negative talk I would normally have in my mind.

When you commit to something mentally you burn the proverbial bridge behind you and force yourself to figure out how to make it happen. This is true of BJJ and of life.

If you step on the mat believing you can do something and go after it, you’d be surprised what you can do. If you step on the mat defeated mentally and convinced you’re not going to be successful , then you’re probably not. Changing your mindset takes time and continually reassurance.

Here’s The Take Away

When you’re getting ready to step on the mat or maybe even right in the middle of a roll. If you catch yourself getting into that negative sort of, “I’m not good at this” mindset. Reverse it by telling yourself you can and you will. Drown out the negative dialogue by simply directing your full focus on the technique you plan to use. You’ll be surprised at the difference this makes.

As I said, the difference isn’t necessarily immediate. But remaining confident and focused, you help free yourself of anxiety and increase your ability to improve by being able to take hold of the opportunities that present themselves. When your mind is full of thoughts and images of you successfully using the techniques. It’s much harder for your mind to take a negative slide.

So the next time you step on the mat or before a competition. If you feel your mind going towards the negative. Catch yourself and reinforce it with positive inner dialogue and visualizing the techniques you plan to use. It can be as simple as just telling yourself that you’re going to hit the move you’re attempting.

If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message.

As always, thanks for reading!

Chewy

Buchecha and Braulio Estima: Dealing With BJJ Tournament Anxiety

July 30, 2015/in Beginners, BJJ, Inspiration /by Chewy

Do you have any jitters before a match? Do you get nervous or second guess yourself? Do you deal with BJJ tournament anxiety every time you compete?

You’re not alone.

Even the guys at the highest levels have jitters and negative thoughts before they compete. But one of the marks of a seasoned competitor is having the presence of mind to counter these negative feelings.

During the video Buchecha and Braulio touch on several important ideas of how to deal with BJJ tournament anxiety.

Thinking about all the work you’ve put in to be here.
Visualizing and thinking about what YOU are going to do rather than focusing on your opponent.
Going over the strategy you intend to use during the match.
Nervousness and the anxiety before a match is necessary and is simply your body preparing for the match.

Check out the video if nerves are something you deal with or if you would just like to hear the highest level of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu touch on pre tournament anxiety.