I’ve had a lot of request regarding reaping in BJJ competitions. Whether it’s to avoid being called for reaping if you use Single Leg X or if you want to defend against someone reaping your leg.
In this video I show some basics on what reaping in BJJ looks like and keeping your knee safe, defending the reap and avoiding allowing your position to get you in trouble in an IBJJF BJJ tournament. I also touch on how the reap wasn’t always a thing with a quick “Back in the day” story from Old Man Chew. But seriously it wasn’t. As a White and Blue Belt I never heard of being called for reaping. However we would get called for Can Openers and Neck Cranks. Wrestlers used them all the time and they got banned. And the refs would call them super quick.
And I feel like the reap position is similar. It’s not that hard to defend but since we’ve defined it as “bad” we stop using it, many newer students don’t know how to defend it and it probably won’t be a thing in a few years as education grows. Hope the video is useful to you.
If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Screen-Shot-2020-01-09-at-3.51.01-PM.png5001068Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2020-01-09 15:50:362020-01-09 15:52:36Reaping In BJJ (Protect Your Knee & Avoid DQ in IBJJF)
Do you think you lack aggression in BJJ or do you think you have too much?
I ask this question because I get a lot of questions from people on both sides of the question. Some people who say they don’t know how to “turn it on” while others say they can’t “turn it off.”
And while there isn’t only 1 reason why this might be. I believe these questions stem in part from the fact that in today’s society the warrior in us is shamed and seen as bad. As far back as kids we’re told to “use our words” and adults try to stamp out any aggression in us instead of showing how it can be used in a healthy way.
Then as we get older if a man shows any aggression towards anything he’s a toxic asshole. If a woman does it, she’s a bitch.
The problem with extinguishing this aggressive energy is that we all have a warrior inside of us and sometimes we need it to protect us or stand up for ourselves. But if we don’t learn to access it in a healthy way it either gets snuffed out completely (think push over) or bursts out in the absolute wrong places (think road rage).
BJJ And Combat Sports Allow You To “Turn It On”
This is one of the most powerful things Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and combat sports, offers. Practicing gives you a chance to tap into your warrior energy, your aggressive side, in a healthy contained environment and learn how to use it consciously and bring it under your control.
For example, like in my most recent video that I just uploaded today you’ll notice that my aggression is low. (You can watch the video here)
Contrast this by watching how I compete in BJJ tournaments where I attack my opponent with my full intensity and focus. Yet, as soon as the match is over, I’m done, I turn it off. Because I’m in control of the energy it’s not in control of me.
When I was younger this wasn’t the case. I had high levels of aggression with not outlet for it and no means to control it. I had a temper, would jump into fits of anger and could not “turn it off” quickly like I can now.
Accepting And Controlling The Warrior In You
If you lack aggression, you might find that BJJ will slowly help you turn it on by accepting that the warrior in you is normal and not something to feel ashamed of or bottle up. You’ll also have a healthy place to experiment with it.
On the flip side if you’re too aggressive you’ll learn that an intelligent warrior who has purpose does not swing their weapon wildly with full force at everything in front of them. When we train or compete we will be bombarded with a myriad of emotions and feelings like fear, self-doubt, anger, frustration, etc. Some of these can lead to aggression, and if you’re like I was when I was younger (too aggressive), BJJ will give you a chance to become aware of the feelings and begin to have some control over them.
Hope this helps with anyone who has a question about aggression in BJJ.
Talk to you next time.
-Chewy
P.S. If you found this post useful join my Monday-Friday email newsletter and receive more helpful message like it plus I’ll include 2 free BJJ Ebooks. 1 on drilling and 1 on developing your own BJJ game plan. Use the box below.
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/181120_ADCCTrials2018_Chewy_72DPI_Web-294.jpg16532480Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2019-12-12 12:33:112020-01-09 15:37:47Do You Lack Aggression In BJJ Or Have Too Much?
Want a few tips on finishing the Triangle Choke in BJJ whether you’re a tall lanky person or a stocky thick legged person? Then this video should be helpful to you!
Recently my good friend, training partner and “little brother” Chad Hardy was in town teaching a seminar at my gym. And while he was here I wanted to do a video with him. And if you know anything about Chad, he’s got a killer triangle choke. And he’s got a ton of tricks on finishing it.
In this video we use our buddy Chris as the uke and Chad and I show different options to help you finish your Triangle Chokes. We show them from the vantage point of being a little shorter with thick legs. I’m not short by any stretch. But I’m also not blessed with long legs. I actually have a fairly long torso.
Then Chad comes in and shows how a tall lanky person in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu could finish the submission and gives a few easy to implement details.
If you’d like to see more of what Chad is up to, head on over to his channel at:
While we don’t go over any triangle choke setups, I think that anyone who gets into the Triangle position but is unable to finish will find some helpful tips in this video. They’re easy adjustments you can immediately throw into the mix.
If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/chad-chewy-.png9101510Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2019-07-23 16:59:502019-07-23 17:02:28Triangle Choke Tips with Chad Hardy and Chewy
If you know me, and you know the way I treat new BJJ White Belts as they begin training and rolling. Then you know I like to ease people into hard training and help them out.
That said, there are times when you need to put the smash on newer White Belts as they begin training. I’ll explain with a quick story!
White Belt Submits A Brown Belt
Years ago there was a woman who began training at my gym. She was tough and gritty! And very quickly she was winning competitions and doing well for herself.
During rolling in the gym. Many of us that were higher belts would take it easy on her. I mean, even though she’s winning tournaments, she was still one of the new White Belts. And anyone that has trained knows that there are levels to BJJ.
All of that seems on the up and up right? Well here’s where it went wrong.
One day she mentioned how she submitted one of our Brown Belts Tony. Tony was a skilled Brown Belt who I jokingly called the BJJ Encyclopedia because he was always cooking up some new moves he saw in an instructional or something. And he was a tough roll for me.
So if he wanted to shut things down during a roll. . . he could.
At first I thought she was joking. But after talking for a bit I realized she was dead serious. She truly believed she had submitted someone with 6-7 years more experienced than her.
Brown Belt Gave Her Contrast
I told Tony about what was said and told him to give her contrast so that she knew what reality was. He wasn’t angry or mean of course. But with the finesse that comes after years of training he submitted her several times during a roll.
Then he went back to playing down in skill and giving her room to work.
Doing this gave her contrast as to where her skill truly was and gave her a better view of reality.
BJJ White Belts Still Need Contrast
Many of us who started BJJ “back in the day” were immediately thrown to the meat grinder of full rolling.
I mean on my 1st day of BJJ I got put in Kneebars and was full rolling. Luckily I had some Wrestling experience to help me.
But now in many gyms these days, including mine, more experienced people try to help the new people along. We know the rough road that lies ahead and so we reach out and extend a hand to those just getting started on the path.
But the newer practitioners still need contrast. . .
New White Belts still need to know “Just how good or bad am I?”
And this is where I will roll closer to full speed with a student or allow them to come to some of the more advanced classes where they can then test themselves. It gives them a sense of realness and reminds them to the depth of skill that can be attained.
I know that for me early on, feeling how helpless I was during training was motivating! I thought, “If someone else had achieved this, then surely with a lot of work I could too!”
It also gives the new White Belts a sense of how you’re helping them.
I talk more about this subject in the video below which was based on a question about a New White Belt who I believe mistakenly thinks they legitimately submitted a Black Belt.
But I will just throw this out there.
If you’re one of the many BJJ White Belts in training. If you submit a Black belt. I can almost guarantee you that the Black Belt is taking it easy on you. They’re trying to help you along the way.
Don’t mistake their help for weakness or lack of skill.
-Chewy
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/maxresdefault.jpg7201280Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2019-07-16 08:16:402019-07-16 08:16:40Negative Effect of Higher Belts Not Smashing New BJJ White Belts
In this video I sit down and answer questions with Eli Knight and Jared Jessup. Both of which are Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Black belts under Royce Gracie.
I went down to 3 Rivers Martial Arts to train with Eli Knight and Jared for a little bit of training and to do some videos together. During the visit we filmed a few videos. One of them was a BJJ Black Belt Q&A video.
1. How do Black Belts get stripes? (We also touch on their Blue Bars on their Black Belts)
2. What can you take away from BJJ for Self Defense even if they don’t focus on Self-Defense techniques all the time?
3. Should you accept a 2nd place medal if there were only 2 people in the tournament division.
4. How do you know what to teach in your BJJ classes and how to divide people up?
I hope that you enjoy the video and gain some cool perspectives from these knowledgeable and highly skilled Black Belts.
Jared and Eli come from different backgrounds in the BJJ community than I do. So it was fun talking and hearing out the various perspectives that they had on BJJ training and jiujitsu as a whole.
If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2-black-belts.jpg7201280Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2018-09-05 13:11:582018-09-05 13:11:58What Are the Blue Bars on Their BJJ Black Belts? (Black Belt Q&A)
Are BJJ schools are doing it wrong ? Recently I received this question on Youtube from one of the viewers regarding an interview from the Joe Rogan podcast where Ben Askren commented about how BJJ gyms are not training in the most effective way possible.
Here is the snippet from the Joe Rogan Podcast with Ben Askren
During the interview he criticized Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training and BJJ schools where very little focused was placed on deliberate training or situational rolling.
Instead Bjj classes often start with just a few slowly practiced techniques. Followed up with rolling from whatever position. And in many cases the practitioners in the class never get a chance to even use the techniques that they were working on.
The 2nd question was about the necessity of BJJ Belts. Is our belt ranking system necessary?
BJJ Schools Training and Necessity of BJJ Belts
In this video I answer both questions based on my experiences and touch on how I think a lot of gyms don’t practice as best as they could. Meaning, the implementation of various forms of rolling to get more experience from positions or with techniques that are being practiced.
Now it doesn’t make it wrong or right! It’s just different. I also touch on why I think full open rolling is both useful and necessary for practitioners who are doing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for fun.
I also go over my thoughts on Brazilian Jiujitsu belts and the motivation that comes from them.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the video!
-Chewy
—————– Free Ebook
It can be hard to balance weight training and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. I know that for me, I struggled with it at a point in my life where I was doing Powerlifting and Strongman. I continued getting bigger and stronger and was chasing numbers in the weight room.
As I added extra bulk. My strength in the weight room increased. But my performance on the mats dropped significantly.
Then when I started focusing on BJJ more again, the weights in the gym went down. This was incredibly frustrating for me. Because as a competitive guy. I wanted it all! I wanted to be the biggest stronger person I could be plus be a bad ass on the mat.
And the only thing I was reward for my efforts was injuries and mediocre performance in both.
Balancing BJJ and Powerlifting
And in this video I talk about this in the hopes to assist our friend Peter who is a Powerlifter getting into Brazilian Jiujitsu.
He says that since training Jiujitsu he’s noticed that his lifts have dropped in their overall poundage. And if you’ve ever been involved in Powerlifting which places a hefty focus on pushing heavier and heavier weight. . . this isn’t the ideal situation.
His question he sent to me is two fold. . .
1. How do you balance BJJ training with Powerlifting?
2. Should he readjust his expectations for training?
I try to give some help to Peter from the perspective of someone who’s been much heavier and much stronger, who ultimately let go of that heavy weight to focus on BJJ more.
I also touch on the current program I follow for lifting in order to support my BJJ training. And hint around about some upcoming videos.
Let me also add this part in. You can still become very strong while training BJJ. No doubt about it. But you will not be an elite level lifter while you’re trying to be the best you can be on the mat. I go into this idea a bit more in the video.
Anyways, if you’re someone who’s really big into lifting who’s also pursuing BJJ. I hope this video is useful for you and your training on the mat and in the weight room.
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/overhead-press.jpg405232Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2018-07-19 09:05:572018-07-19 09:05:57BJJ Made My Lifts Weaker (Balancing BJJ and Powerlifting)
I Can’t Accept my BJJ Purple Belt Promotion (I’m Not Ready)
What do you do when you feel like you’re not ready for your BJJ promotion? When you feel like you’re just not good enough to uphold the rank properly.
This is the question I got from Matt who is a 50 year old Blue Belt and was recently informed that he would be up for his next BJJ belt promotion to Purple Belt.
Now, in most cases this would be a good thing. But as soon as Matt was informed about his potential promotion. He instantly began to have feelings of anxiety and doubt in himself and his abilities.
He says that he’s in pretty good shape. But being 50 years old is tough in BJJ. And he struggles rolling with the younger, stronger practitioners even if they’re less experienced. I’ll tell you from experience, this is even tough for me. I’m 33, not old by any means and I struggle with younger Black Belts. Even if I’m technically better. Youthful recovery and energy definitely plays a role!
In BJJ, And Everything, You’re Your Worst Critic
In this video I go through and share the idea of imposter syndrome. Where we feel like we’re faking it or that we aren’t good enough. I also share how at every single belt including my BJJ purple belt promotion I was promoted to I had the same feelings of inadequacy in relation to my Brazilian Jiu-jitsu abilities.
Jordan Peterson talks about this in his recent book that we are tyrants to ourselves. Someone else could make the same mistake as us. But since we made it, we’ve very hard and judgmental.
Nothing wrong with pushing yourself to be better. But at the same time there has to be a limit.
If you’re struggling with being your own worst critic or a downright awful person to yourself. Whether this is related to BJJ belt promotion. Then I hope the video helps!
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/joe-armento-bjj-belt-promotion.jpg960720Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2018-07-13 19:55:132018-07-13 19:55:13I Can't Accept my BJJ Belt Promotion (I'm Not Ready)
Frustrated Higher Belts Are Upset with This Tough BJJ Blue Belt
Being a BJJ Blue Belt who can submit Purples , Browns and higher belts in the gym and competitions is a great thing right? Yes but it does come with some potential issues.
Recently I got a message from a young Blue Belt who is struggling when he visits other BJJ gyms while traveling. This is because when he goes to other Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gyms he’s able to submit or outmaneuver many of the higher belts on the mat. Especially when in No Gi.
Again, this should be a good thing. But he finds that many of the people inside these gyms take offense to it. They will get angry at him for beating them. He’s tried playing catch and release, but they still get angry. In the worst case, he had a choke on someone and they didn’t tap. He felt terrible after he was forced to wake the person up after they went unconscious.
Now, this isn’t right, and people shouldn’t take it so harshly. But it is what it is. People say “Leave the Ego at the door” in BJJ all the time. But it’s not that easy. Everyone has an ego. It’s not about eliminating the ego but integrating into your life and not being overtaken by it.
So, when dealing with people’s egos and the pecking order of their BJJ gym. People have a tendency to get up in arms and upset at times.
I used to have a destructive controlling ego myself in my younger days. I’m better about this now. But I was guilty of this kind of stuff at one time in my life. So we can choose to point the finger if we want. But I don’t find that very helpful.
Get to Know Your New BJJ Training Partners
So, in this video, instead of condemning the people that our friend is rolling with. I try to give him some practical advice about feeling out the people he’s rolling with, before he kicks up the intensity. This is in the hopes of getting to know each other a little bit on the mats before he opens up. This way he doesn’t bruise egos and so people can become a bit more comfortable with him.
I share this by touching on two separate situations. 1 was with my poor mindset as a young BJJ Blue Belt. The second was how I approach going to gyms when I visit now.
Hopefully if you ever get into a situation like this in your own Brazilian Jiujitsu training this video will be helpful to you.
If you’d ever like to train with the team and I. Check out my gym Derby City MMA in Louisville,KY.
https://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/matt-triangle-chokes-me.jpeg13602048Chewyhttps://www.chewjitsu.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ChewJitsu-Logo.pngChewy2018-06-28 09:45:382018-06-28 09:45:38Frustrated Higher Belts Are Upset with This Tough BJJ Blue Belt
When you first start as a new BJJ White Belt, it can be overwhelming. There is so much going. It can be overwhelming and somewhat confusing about where to start.
I experienced this issue when I began training. And it is a question one of my new White Belts named Taylor recently asked me about. His question was essentially asking what to focus on as a new BJJ White Belt.
So in this video, I share several tips about how I personally went about the initial phase of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as a brand new White Belt with little to no submissions in my useable technique arsenal.
Tips for a Brand New BJJ White Belt
I share some tips for people who are more comfortable on the bottom playing form Full Guard and I share some options for people who are more comfortable playing from the top positions.
The general idea in this video is that if a brand new BJJ White Belt. Your goal should begin as just being able to control position as best you can and survive initially.
If you can control the basic positions (holding full guard, maintaining top position, etc) then overtime you’ll find that you’ll be able to mount some sort of offense attacks afterwards. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu has the old saying of “position before submission” and this is so true. If you can control the position consistently and reliably. You’ll be able to have more opportunities to attack or defend yourself effectively.
But in the beginning, if you don’t have the ability to maintain positions properly. You’ll be hard pressed to mount any submission attacks or offense techniques. So this should be one of your main focuses in the beginning of training. So if you are brand new, and you’re wondering what to focus on during rolling or Bjj training. This is a basic answer.
So for all the newcomers to BJJ, I hope this video is useful to you!
-Chewy
—————– Free Ebook
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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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