11 Solo BJJ Drills W/ Stability Ball (Guard Passing And Hips)

Snapchat: Chewjitsu

Focused Jiu-jitsu – BJJ Drilling And Training Ebook

A Tip To Breaking Mental Barriers In BJJ (I Was A Dickhead Blue Belt)

May 18, 2016/in Beginners, BJJ, Tips, Videos /by Chewy

A Tip To Breaking Mental Barriers In BJJ (I Was A Dickhead Blue Belt)

In this video I share a story about a crazy match when I was a dickhead blue belt (I’m ashamed to say) that pushed me mentally. I also give a tip to help you with your own training and abilities on the mat. How to break mental barriers in BJJ

I share this story because I get asked a lot about how to improve cardio for BJJ. But I don’t believe you can really know your true capacity until you’ve been past the point where your body says, “i’m done.” As I’ll share in this video, you have to get to that point and keep pressing beyond. Going beyond those mental barriers in BJJ will let you know what you can really do.

I believe I heard a Navy Seal say that even after you feel like you’re done and your mind is saying “no more.” That you still have an additional 40% left inside you. Granted I don’t know how you quantify 40% but the idea is that unless you break through your mental barriers you won’t know what you’re truly capable of.

Thanks
-Chewy

Snapchat: Chewjitsu

BJJ Speed Drilling Session For Cardio

April 29, 2016/in BJJ, Guard Passes, Training, Videos /by Chewy

BJJ Speed Drilling Session For Cardio

I received a message from one of the people that watches my videos. He said that he loves the BJJ speed drilling videos but doesn’t get much of a workout from it.

So I had one of our BJJ speed drilling sessions filmed to give you guys an idea of what one of our BJJ speed drilling sessions looks like.

The scheme of the BJJ speed drilling in this video was 2 rounds of 5 movements drilled at 30 seconds a piece with no rest until all 5 movements are completed.

Then we bumped the duration to 45 seconds and then to a minute.

By the end of the BJJ drilling session, as you’ll see in the video, we’re huffing and puffing and tired.

Again this is a speed drilling session so the focus isn’t on the most perfect technique. The focus is boosting cardio and using the movements quickly.

Just like when you’re rolling, techniques will be a little sloppier. When you’re doing the techniques and movements at a super fast pace, some “sloppiness” will happen. But this is important because adding stress to the movements will allow you to deal with the stress of trying to execute a technique during a roll, better.

So don’t beat yourself up if you stumble a bit on the movements. I know that when my students first get exposed to this type of stuff they feel a little frustrated because they either have to slow down or they fumble with the movements a bit.

TO do this yourself. Just pick some moves or techniques that you like and drill them fast. The less complex the move the better for speed drilling. If you have a more complex movement you can break down the move down into different segments. You can also combine several chains of techniques together and extend the duration of the drilling time.

I hope the video helps give you some ideas.

-Chewy

——————-

Beating A Purple Belt When I Was A White Belt (Accept Losing)

April 20, 2016/in BJJ, Competition, Tips, Videos /by Chewy

Beating A Purple Belt When I Was A White Belt (Accept Losing)

Have you ever competed and felt afraid of losing because you didn’t want to let people down? Instead of being focused on what you can do and how you can win. You were afraid of losing and just wanted to win. I know I’ve felt that way a lot over the years, and it’s been the cause for some of my worst performances.

Have you ever felt this way?

I know I have to tell my students to get this idea out of their head. They’ll come up to me and tell me, “I don’t want to let you down Chewy.”

I get it, I really do, because I’ve been in the position they are and I still catch myself doing it from time to time. I feel the desire to proudly represent our colors well. To win, not just for myself, but for us. . . for the team!

But many people let the fear of failure or the fear of letting someone down get the better of them when they step on the mat. I know that most of us feel a sense of duty to represent our gym a certain way.

That sense of responsibility can make someone super nervous and can cause a lot of hesitation when it’s time to compete.

Accept Losing

In my opinion, you have to accept losing as an option. It’s there and it’s possibility. Just like warriors of times past would meditate about the possibility of death on the battlefield in order to lose the fear of it. You have to accept losing is going to happen at some point. Acceptance with that possibility will allow you to be more focused on winning instead of trying not to lose.

I Beat A Purple Belt And Lost As A Black Belt

In this video I share two stories. 1 came from my days as a White Belt. As a white belt I was able to beat a purple belt in a big tournament. The purple belt was no slouch either and had more than 5 years experience on me.

The other from one of my early matches as a Black Belt where I let the fear of letting others down prevent me from showing my best self on the mat.

I know that some of my best days as a competitor came from the times where I had accepted the chance of losing and instead of being afraid of it, just decided to focus on what I can do.

If you struggle with these types of feelings. I hope the video helps!

Thanks!
-Chewy

——————-

Bjj Drills For Side Control Movement (On The Mats With Chewy)

April 14, 2016/2 Comments/in BJJ, Training, Videos /by Chewy

Bjj Drills For Side Control Movement (On The Mats With Chewy)

In this BJJ drills video I teach some fun side control movements. I’ve done a previous video showing these BJJ drills. In this video I take you along with me and a small group and go over the drills and give a little more of an explanation.

Side control can be an amazing position if you know how to use it. But often times I hear people say they can’t hold side control. This usually stems from a lack of counters to their opponent’s defense.

That’s Where These BJJ Drills For Side Control Come Into Play

In the video we cover the:
– Hop Over
– Hip Switch To Kesa Gatame and Reverse Kesa Gatame
– Identify the sweet spot for pressure
– Surfboard Switch
– Shin Cutter

Each one of these techniques is a great adjust to common defenses from someone on the bottom. They can also be used for great movement drills.

During this particular class we used them to warm up before we got into the more in depth techniques in our X Guard and 1 X system.

The reason I love these drills so much is that if you can move around your opponent’s defense it’s so much easier to fight them. For instance with the Hop Over. If my partner commits fully to defend on one side, if I am able to Hop Over. I can then make my way to his undefended side.

Also, by getting around the person’s defense with these BJJ drills we are more likely to have a stronger side control position.

As always,

I hope these BJJ Drills help you and your game. If you work them, I’m sure you’ll get a boost to your Side Control position.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below.

Thanks!
-Chewy

P.S Sorry about the clanging weights and music from the Crossfit side in the background!

——————-

7 BJJ Solo Drills To Build Better Hip Movement

April 11, 2016/in BJJ, Tips, Training, Videos /by Chewy

7 BJJ Solo Drills To Build Better Hip Movement

Do you need more BJJ Solo Drills in your training?

Recently, I sent a message out to my email list asking people what type of drills and techniques they would like to see in future videos. 1 request that kept popping up over and over again was solo drills for BJJ. So I gathered up some of the BJJ solo drills I use from time to time to share them with you guys.

In this video I show 7 BJJ solo drills to build better hip movement

BJJ Solo Drills Video

I honestly don’t do a ton of BJJ solo drills. I have a gym full of people who are ready and willing to drill all the time. It’s honestly pretty rare not to see someone drilling before or after a class. We have a lot of people who come in mid day just to drill and do situational rolling. It’s kind of hard not to drill in the gym as much as I talk about it.

But I do have some BJJ solo drills I do from time to time. They work well as warm ups and they’re pretty good exercise in their own right.

You’ve probably heard that Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is all about hips. It’s not far off either. Good hip movement is so important for nearly every position in BJJ. With that said, I figured going over some solo drills that would build hip movement would be useful for anyone at any level. Your hips can never be too good.

So I hope you guys enjoy the video of these BJJ solo drills and find them useful. If you have any questions, shoot me message.

and if you’d like to see more stuff, check out my social media links. There is all kinds of randomness on my Instagram and other social media accounts.

-Chewy

Leaving Your BJJ Gym And Jealous Instructor

March 30, 2016/in BJJ, Tips, Videos /by Chewy

Leaving Your BJJ Gym And Jealous Instructor

Leaving your BJJ gym can be one of the toughest things ever. I share two quick stories to hopefully give some insight in case you are thinking about leaving your BJJ gym.

Changing BJJ gyms can feel more like a divorce than going to a new gym. You’ve made memories, attachments and relationships. So it’s not like changing from one globo gym to another. Weights and equipment is one thing. But these people are friends and like and extended family.

But inevitably it happens that people decide that they need to change gyms. Often, as I’ve experienced, it’s because of the instructor.

Watch the video and hear the 2 stories I share about leaving and changing gyms.

Thanks, and I hope the video helps!
-Chewy

BJJ Back Mount Drills (Submissions And Red Necks)

March 29, 2016/in BJJ, Submissions, Videos /by Chewy

BJJ Back Mount Drills (Submissions And Red Necks)

Having counters to someone’s back mount escape puts you a step ahead of them on the Jiu-jitsu chess match, and will save you the headache of losing one of the most dominant positions in BJJ!

Having back mount in BJJ and then losing it is frustrating. You had the person right where you wanted them, and then they got away.

In this video I share some BJJ drills from the back mount position. These are some really simple drills designed to build muscle memory for the grips, hip and body movement and can be used for a warm up. I’ve also pieced together submissions from the drills.

Most of the drills in the video are focused around how to deal with a person who is escaping on the side of your choking arm. I see a lot of people who will just give up once a person starts to escape. There are a lot of techniques that can be used in the transition after someone escapes.

You might be saying,”Chewy, but wouldn’t we rather just hold them in back mount and not let them escape?”

Well of course, but how does that work for you?

Against a good opponent with a decent back defense, it can be difficult to hold. So having some options to reclaim the back mount or to adjust to their escapes is helpful. Eventually after maintaining the back mount and stopping the persons escapes your opponent will accept the position and that’s when we go to work.

In addition to back mount retention drills. I’ve included a few submission drills that are super basic bread and butter movements.

As always I hope you enjoy the video and I hope it gives something to look forward to working on the mats.

-Chewy

BJJ Training As You Get Older And Reps Vs Time

March 20, 2016/in BJJ, Tips, Videos /by Chewy

BJJ Training As You Get Older And Reps Vs Time

There are so many ways to approach BJJ training. But the way that you approach BJJ training as you get older changes. The ability to recover just isn’t the same between a 21 year old and a 31 or 41 year old. Because of this, as you grow older you are forced to find more efficient and effective ways to improve. Rather than just beating your body to a pulp with rolling every single day. It doesn’t mean you can’t train hard. It just means that you have to be a little more conscious of what you’re doing.

In this video I talk about BJJ training as you get older and cover some of the questions I’ve been asked about the drilling videos I’ve been doing. I also talk about how you could set up a drilling session. This is a good thing to go over since most people’s idea of drilling is doing a few reps of a technique and then rolling. As I’ll talk about. Taking 1 move and doing it over and over and over again to reach hundreds and thousands of reps can be really valuable for your game.

I’m Not That Old

Let me stress that I am not old. I just turned 31, which is not old. But in the world of BJJ and training. My body has a lot of mileage on it. I’ve been training grappling non stop since I was 13.

With that said I’ve definitely had to change my approach to training compared to when I was younger. Which has honestly been a blessing. My movement is better, my techniques are more crisp and I get more out of my training by being more purposeful and thoughtful to what I am doing.

This video is a little different than my other ones. It’s literally me just wondering around on one of my morning walks.

-Chewy

Bjj Drills To Improve Cardio And Speed For Guard Passing

March 15, 2016/in BJJ, Guard Passes, Training, Videos /by Chewy

Bjj Drills To Improve Cardio And Speed For Guard Passing

Want to have more speed and cardio on the mat? Want to build your gas tank for BJJ without having to do a ton of extra cardio (like running) off the mats? The BJJ drills in this video can be a great way to help.

Things like running, sprints, etc. They’re fine when you’re in the mood. But when it becomes a regimented thing. It’s a chore.

That’s where these drills come in!

In my opinion, guard passing can be one of the more exhausting aspects of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Especially if you are a guard passer who uses a lot of movement. These BJJ drills, when done as prescribed below, can help provide a big boost to the gas tank when it’s time to roll.

Be A Big Guy But Move Like A Little Guy

I’m a bigger guy. Around 210lbs. But I always get the compliment that I move like a person much smaller and people are surprised that I don’t get tired. I have the pressure that they expect but I have way more speed and movement than they counted on.

I was also asked by a friend recently who is also a big guy, “How can I move faster even though I’m a big guy.”

I didn’t always move like I do now. The way that I developed my speed and movement is from drilling. Drilling a lot and drilling fast. I taught my body to move faster than it was comfortable doing.

Train Your Body To Move Faster

Think of it this way. If you move and drill slow all the time. You’re teaching your body to go slow. When it comes time to roll, you’re probably going to be unable to use the techniques at a fast pace.

Whereas, if you were to drill techniques at a faster pace. It’s likely you’ll be able to use them during a fast moving situation like rolling.

Here’s A Way To Use The BJJ Drills

Going back to this guard passing drills video. Try using this scheme to help build your speed, cardio and movement.

* Take 5 of the drills listed in the video, or some you might know already.

*Drill them each for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Switching drill to drill with no rest.

*At the end of the 2.5-5 minutes. Switch top to bottom with your partner.

*Repeat this passing drills sequence for 2-3 sets.

Using these drills is a great way to warm up before training with beneficial movements. It’s also a great way to blow the lungs out after rolling. Trying to maintain a fast pace after you’re already tired from rolling is brutal. But it can be great for things like building cardio before competitions.

If you’ve never done drilling in this style before. Stick to 30 seconds per drill first.

Hope you guys enjoy the movements and the idea listed in the video!

-Chewy