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7 methods to drilling and adding new techniques to your BJJ (Part 2)

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So I personally categorize drilling into two different types, active and passive. I consider practicing any sort of drilling where my partner offers no resistance as passive style drilling.  In my last post I talked about performing repetitions of a new move to get introduced to them. Now, let’s move on to our first method of active drilling which will help make new moves usable against resisting opponents.

Fear   

It can be hard to break a new move out into a full rolling session. Sometimes you don’t get into the proper positions to use it and sometimes personal fear can prevent you from using it. For example, if you are too worried about being trapped under a tough guy’s side mount after a pass, then using a new guard technique can be difficult mentally. You’ll be too worried about using the new technique for fear of having your guard passed and being squashed under the person’s top pressure.

 

Remove the fear with Situational Rolling

This is where we will get into Situational Rolling. Now I am sure you have done this before in class with your team mates, but I’ll explain my idea of it so that there isn’t any confusion.

I consider situational rolling to be where you put yourself into a position that you are working on and having clear ideas of what you plan to accomplish. Then roll somewhere between 50-100% and actively attempting to achieve your goal in the position. For instance if you are trying to add a new half guard sweep, then start in half guard. From there do pass/defend and sweep/submit. Meaning if you sweep from half guard then you restart back in the same position. Meanwhile your partner will try to defend against your attacks and try to pass your guard. If they pass, restart back into the half guard.

I know it has personally helped me a lot over the years. One example is that I used to be very susceptible to triangle chokes. To fix this I would passively drill triangle escapes and I would also drill prevention techniques to stop the triangle before it starts.  After the drilling I would do situational rolling. Starting in a loose triangle I would try to escape using the techniques I had been drilling and my partner would try to lock it up and finish me. If I escaped the triangle we would restart back in the same position. If my partner finished me then we would restart again.  This was brutal but it really paid off. Within a few weeks of doing this I was able to relax a bit in the bad situation of being caught in a triangle and I became much better at escaping the submission.

 Tip: When doing situational drilling, make the rounds short. Shorter rounds will make you and your partner push the pace and go after the techniques you are practicing.

So give it a try. The next time you are at an open mat or have some free mat time with a partner. Try and do some rounds of situational rolling from a position you are working on. Again the idea that I am trying to get you to think about in these posts is not just training hard, but training with focus and purpose, and situational rolling is a fantastic way of doing this.

I hope this post proves helpful to you. To recap I put a list of benefits below.

Thanks for reading!

 

Benefits of situational rolling

  • Will remove some of the mental anxiety from rolling in new and uncomfortable positions.
  • Helps build the sensitivity necessary for proper control of the position.
  • Works as a great continuation of your repetition drilling.
  • Can help build up weak areas of your game.

7 methods to drilling and adding new techniques to your BJJ (Part 1)

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So you are a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu practitioner and you are looking for some ways to nail down different techniques and movements. Well there is no secret to improving in BJJ, its hard work. However there are different methods of training deliberately and with a purpose, which can yield results more efficiently.  Now I am not saying that these are the only effective techniques to drilling and incorporating new moves into your arsenal but they are some that have helped me.

So lets get started!

Method 1 : Doing Reps

This is the most common form of adding a new technique to your repertoire and this is pretty much always the starting point for a new technique. Your teacher shows you something or you see a video and start performing reps of the new technique. Doing reps is a corner stone to training that cannot be ignored but keep in mind you need to perform massive amounts of reps before the technique is effective. So 20-30 during a class typically doesn’t cut it. Unless you’re very adept at the position already the move will be a bit shaky

During my private lessons when students want to implement a new game plan I track down the amount of reps we perform during our lessons and then I have them report back to me if they are executing the techniques successfully during rolling.  100-350 reps of a move will make that movement comfortable for drilling while 700-1000 seems to increase mat effectiveness during rolling and tournaments. Anything above that is only going to continue to build the speed and timing of the movement.  Don’t perform all these reps in one sitting. Instead do them in spurts over time, meanwhile attempting them during rolling sessions

  • Tips when adding techniques to your game.
  1. Drill new moves slowly so that you hit every important detail and don’t slop up the technique. Speed will come over time but every time you perform a sloppy rep your body is building bad muscle memory.
  2. Drill the new techniques in segments broken up over weeks. Squeeze out 40 reps after class or come to an open mat and warm up with a 100 reps with a partner before rolling.  Doing the techniques over a longer period of time will give the moves time to “simmer” and be absorbed by your body.
  3. Try to execute the new techniques during your rolls. This will only further enhance the learning process of the techniques.
  4. Always consult your instructor!

Learning to be a better instructor by being a beginner

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Being a beginner at something new can be pretty terrifying. I think many instructors and experienced BJJ players forget this. Many people in teaching positions of all sorts sometimes forget this. Nothing makes you feel quite as out of place as being in a room with people who “seem” to know what they are doing. Meanwhile you’re struggling to grasp the most basic movements or concept. The problem is that many experts are so disconnected with how it felt to be new on the mats that they cannot empathize with new comers.

I write this post because one thing that  really gets under my skin is a teacher who gets short with a new person because they don’t pick something up right off the bat. I’ve seen it happen plenty of times in situations over the years. I look at it like this. . . Here you have an excited man or woman who is so pumped up about training. They’ve done their research on the sport and can’t wait to learn the art. Then once they step on the mat, that enthusiasm is blasted by an assault of negativity by their instructor. Small expressions like sighs of disdain or word usage like “no, you’re doing it wrong” go a long way in derailing the positive momentum this prospective student walked in with.  This is unfortunate and robs the would-be practitioner of the amazing benefits of BJJ because of a poor instructor. Why on earth would you treat a person this way??? New or old, there is no excuse for this if you’re an instructor. Remember being a good instructor is not about the medals and accolades you’ve won, it’s about your ability to convey a message or ability to your students.

 

A light bulb went off

There was an experience that I had which made that cartoon light bulb to flicker on above my head. I went salsa dancing with my girlfriend (just dating at the time). Now, she had been dancing for months and months by this time and knew what she was doing. I on the other hand . . . well. . . this was my first time and I was never the most adventurous person on the dance floor to begin with. Honestly I was nervous about the whole situation. EVERYTHING! I mean I was even searching for a guide on the correct attire to wear when Salsa dancing! It’s miraculous that I even made it there for the class, but I was fueled by attraction to this new beautiful young woman I met so I threw my nervousness aside.

When I arrived at the dance club and started moving around in the class, I did fine. I picked up the beginner moves rather easily and I have some rhythm so I wasn’t a lost cause. The eye opening moment occurred when we were switching partners during the class. There ended up being an uneven number of men and women for the class and during one of the switches I was left partner-less. There I was . . . moving my body in an awkward fashion to the latin music. I kept trying to do the movements we were practicing as if I still had a partner. I felt like I was trying to dance with some imaginary woman who was not too thrilled to be my partner. It’s hard to express how strange and out of place I felt.  I must have given off some sort of warning signal like the red light that goes off in a submarine. Because after 20 seconds or so my girlfriend came rushing over to save. . . I mean dance with me. She calmly pushed aside my imaginary partner and we began dancing together.  I was back into the safe harbor of the known and the proverbial red alarm ceased. 

Now during that 20 second period of partner-less dancing is when the light bulb went off. I thought to myself, “this is how new people must feel when they come to BJJ class for the first time”. Awkward, nervous, unsure of what exactly they are doing, etc. Not that I was ever short with people when I taught but I realized how important it is to make a new student feel at ease and how important it is to be as understanding as possible. The experienced also caused me to get very protective over new comers who must feel the same way I felt when I was dancing with my imaginary woman during my salsa lesson.

I started quizzing some of my students about how they felt when they came to their first lesson. Many of them had similar feelings. Fear and anxiety but that it looked really fun and they wanted to learn. One of my students was so nervous in fact, that he couldn’t even walk through the doors of the gym for 6 months. He would drive by and want to stop in but was just too nervous to come in. He said once he came in he was so excited and everyone was so inviting and patient with him. Heck, I remember my first time on the mats and I was incredibly nervous as well.

So whether you’re an instructor or just a higher belt on the mats, help build a helpful and positive atmosphere in your gym. If you are on the mats and you see a fresh new face, try and help them feel comfortable. Remind them that it’s ok to mess things up at first, just as its ok for all of us to mess things up from time to time. Remember, experts in BJJ are simply beginners that never quit.

If you enjoyed reading this then please take these 5 things away from the post.

  • Being a good instructor is not about how many tournaments you’ve won.
  • Being the new guy/girl on the mat can be terribly awkward, do your best to curb that feeling by being genuine and inviting.
  • Introduce yourself to a new person and learn their name. The power of hearing someone call you by your name is powerful.
  • Be patient!
  • I’m not a good dancer.

Thanks for reading!

 

Video highlight of the training in Palma.

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This is a small highlight of the teaching and training while I was in Palma De Mallorca. I had the privileged of meeting and training with some great people.

Prepare for a BJJ Tournament

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So thinking about competing? That’s fantastic! I am a competitor and encourage everyone who does BJJ to at least try a tournament or two. If you’ve never competed before, it can seem like a pretty nerve rattling thing. I know that I was absolutely terrified before my first wrestling match in high school.  Then after that I was hooked on the thrill and the challenge of competing. Many of my students report the same nervous feelings before their matches and some of these guys are Pan Am and World champions. So don’t feel bad if you are a bit nervous leading up to your competition.

Being prepared is everything and being prepared removes a lot of the stress associated with a tournament. I have prepared a relatively short post about how to ready yourself for a tournament.  This post is primarily for tournament newcomers but if you have competed before I hope that you find something helpful. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Also depending on how much time you have leading up to the event your options can change a bit. For this post I am going to target people who are around 6-8 weeks out from their competition.

Choosing a tournament

So you’ve decided to compete soon.  Time to find a competition!

Things to consider when looking at competitions. . .

  • Your current weight and the weight you wish to compete. Will you be able to get to this weight in time for the tournament?
  • Are you in good shape now and are you able to be in proper condition when the tournament rolls around?
  • Check and make sure that there are no other plans or events for that same day. (I have a bad habit of deciding to do a tournament on a weekend I’ve already agreed to other engagements.)

Techniques and game plan

Next, what are the techniques you plan to use?  You need to come up with some sort of game plan for the tournament. In this game plan you will cover the techniques you plan to use in different situations. Keep it simple and cover the basics. You typically want to come up with a plan A and a plan B and outline your best escapes.

Remember also, that with 6-8 weeks or less to prepare, avoid adding in new sets of moves. Instead, stick to techniques that you are comfortable using and are able to execute well in training.

Below are the basics I would focus on when putting together your game plans. Essentially you want a plan for the top, a plan for the bottom and have your escapes ready to go. You can get more elaborate with it, but I would advise to keep things simple for newcomers.

Plan A = Your takedowns or person pulls guard on you, your guard breaks & passes, how you plan to get to a dominant position, the submission series you plan to use.

Plan B = You were taken down or pulled guard, how will you get to your preferred guard, your sweeping series, your submission series.

Misc = Outline all of your escapes and any other movements that aren’t covered above.

Leading up to the tournament

Your approach to the tournament is the MOST important part of your success come day of the competition. Every day that you waste or “take it easy” is one less day of preparation. Keep this in mind and stay focused.

Things to consider. . .

  • Are you close to weight, if not it’s time to diet and lose a few for the tournament.
  • Are there any gaps in your game plan or do you feel ill prepared in any aspect of your game? (i.e not having a proper mount escape or sweep to use).
  • DRILL! With a game plan in place be sure to drill reps of your game plan techniques every day you train. You want to put a good amount of your focus on things like guard passing, sweeps and submissions. After drilling a move just 500-1000 times you will notice a sharp increase in its effectiveness.
  • Don’t neglect your escapes and be sure to focus on any areas that you feel especially weak from.
  • Give yourself at least 2 days of rest prior to the tournament. Some flow rolling or drilling is fine but nothing heavy. You need to let your body heal up.
  • Consult your instructor with any questions or weaknesses you have.

Night before the competition

You want to make sure you have all your gear ready for tomorrow and relax.

Here are the things I would be sure to include. . .

  • Gi and/or no gi gear. Don’t forget your belt! (True story. I forgot my belt for my first black belt tournament)
  • Sweat pants or athletic pants and a hoodie to stay warm before and between matches.
  • Headphones and mp3 player . . .Walkman if you’re really old.
  • Snacks (fruits, protein shakes, or anything you can eat that doesn’t sit heavy on your stomach)
  • Water and Coconut water (coconut water is a great hydrator, way better sports drinks)
  • A camera if you have someone to take video and/or pictures

After your things are packed you need to get your mind off everything. To a first timer, someone still new to the tournament scene or someone with a big match. The night before can be filled with racing thoughts and anxiousness that keep you awake all night. Just remember you put the hard work in and are adequately prepared.  Also, keep in mind that it is just a competition and the main thing is to have fun and enjoy the experience. Life will go on regardless of how you do.

If you are still having trouble settling down then go do something to take your mind off the ordeal. Go see a movie, read, hang out with friends/family, etc. Just something that is not necessarily related to the tournament and will allow your mind to chill out so you can get a good sleep.

Day of the competition

It’s the competition day! First things first. . .  eat a good size / healthy breakfast. Make sure not to skip breakfast on this day, not that you ever should. Tournaments last all day so this may be your only full sized meal till after the tournament is over. Plus you will need the fuel for your matches.

Relax

Once you arrive at the venue just try and relax till it’s time to warm up. Headphones and music can help you relax by drowning out all the noise and allow you to think and focus on your match. Just be sure listen for your division to be called.

Visualize 

While you are waiting around be sure to think about your techniques and moves. Visualize the matches in your mind and see yourself hitting the techniques that you outlined in your game plan.  Be sure not to let your nerves bombard your psyche with negative thoughts like “what if my first match is against that super muscular guy I saw at weigh ins”, “I hurt my big toe last week and its still a little sore” , “I know lucky charms isn’t a healthy breakfast but it was in the kitchen and its all I had and and” . . . you get the idea. Erase the negative thoughts you might have stirring around in your head otherwise they can consume your thoughts. You’re here to put your skills on display. This depends on your ability to execute your moves, just focus on yourself and not your opponent so much. Unless you saw something he did and have a plan to use one of your techniques to beat him. (i.e you see a wrestler with great takedowns. You then plan to pull guard to deny him the takedown points and finish him with a triangle)

Warm up: Get Sweaty!

Once you’re within about 15-20 minutes from having your division called, it would be a good idea to get a warm up roll in with one of your gym mates. If you do not have a partner then simply do some calisthenics and movement drills till you get warm and loose.  You want to make sure you get a nice sweat going. YOU NEVER WANT TO HIT THE MAT COLD!!!!!!!!!!! . . . . wait for it YOU NEVER WANT TO HIT THE MAT COLD!!!!!!!!!!!  I know this is kind of overkill with the exclamation points but this is so important. I’ve had so many students perform poorly because they failed to warm up sufficiently.  Just think about trying to roll in the gym without a good warm up.

During the matches

This is the moment you have prepared for and it’s time to do what you trained to do. My last advice is to open up and “play your game”. This sounds so simple doesn’t it? Yet during the match when we fear losing a position or giving up points. We hold ourselves back and fail to execute our games properly. I know I have been guilty of this. Not opening up and going after my moves because I was too hesitant and gave my opponent too much respect.  You cannot be this way. Remember you trained incredibly hard for this and it’s all about you and your ability to execute your techniques on this person. Throw your hesitations aside and go after it. If it doesn’t work and you come up short when trying to execute, it’s far better than realizing you didn’t do anything you trained.Image

I wish you the best of luck on your tournament and remember  . . . it’s just a tournament! Have fun!

1 thing every BJJ instructor and BJJ practitioner should always remember

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So this weekend I had the pleasure of competing alongside my student and one of my coaches. We competed in Ohio at the American Grappling Challenge (formerly the Ohio Grappling Challenge) and we had a blast. We were in the main event which was 4 teams made up of 3 men each facing off with one another. Each team was composed of a mixture of purple, brown and black belts from some of the best schools in the region.  The experience was a lot of fun and me and my guys were fortunate enough to come home as the winning team.

The best moment during this team tournament for me was watching my 17 year old purple belt go out and go toe to toe with a skilled black belt. He played a great game and ended up winning on points in a convincing manner. This was such a cool moment for me. I have been training with this kid since he was 11 year old. The transformation has been amazing to watch over the years, but its been a lot of hard work too.

 

Now whats the 1 thing we should all remember whether we are an instructor or practitioner?

Be persistent!

 

If you are a good instructor then you know that you are working a never ending job. I mean you can never get your students “too good” and the same goes for yourself. I personally work more hours now than I did when I worked in a office. I do a lot of work after the gym is quiet and the students have gone home. My classes only equate to around 1/3 of my actual work time. The other 2/3 of it goes towards the countless task I choose to tackle on any given week.Its all worth it when you see one of your students achieve something awesome. To see the result of your labor come to fruition in front of your eyes. Nothing feels quite like having one of your students do something great and knowing that you had a hand in that achievement. You helped another human do something amazing.This makes all the hours of labor worth it. 

Persistence is important for any practitioner as well. The student I wrote about at the beginning of this post is Chad. The funny thing about Chad is that he had a terrible performance at the Gi Worlds last year. He had slacked in his training leading up to it and it showed. He was beaten in the first rd of a single elimination tournament and was sent home with nothing. Chad isn’t from some super affluent family either. All the fund raising and saving he had did leading up to that tournament amounted to nothing.  Now he could have been discouraged and gave up on winning a big title like the Pans or Worlds, but he didn’t. We had a talk about his lack of training and he quickly kicked things in gear and ended up winning both the No Gi Pans and Worlds just a few months later.

 

So remember, whether you are a instructor or just a practitioner. . . DON’T GIVE UP! This sport can be difficult sometimes. You hit walls and feel like you’re getting worse, things interfere with training, your students aren’t grasping the techniques like you want, whatever it may be. Just remember that everyone encounters the relatively same hurdles. The overcome these obstacles by pushing on and continuing, even when things get tough. If you desire something that is worth having in BJJ or in life. Be prepared to work for it and be prepared to hit some speed bumps along the way.

Just know that every time you put forth a strong effort towards your goal, you’re inching just a little closer to realizing it.

 

Now enjoy a funny photo of us in ridiculous rash guards we bought for the team tournament.Image

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Palma De Mallorca! (Part 3)

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Dealing with gym separation

After several days of being separated from my gym and my friends I would be lying if I said I didn’t missed everyone. Being a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu instructor means that being around my students and working out with them is what literally gets me out of bed in the morning. I find that among other things, one of the most amazing aspects about my job is all the fantastic people I get to interact with all day long. When I used to work in the corporate world there were always people that I disliked and couldn’t stand being around. The gym isn’t this way though. The atmosphere is so positive and I am happy and excited to be.

With this said, I was feeling a little glum while in Palma. I missed being in the mix with my guys. My poor girlfriend had to deal me with in this slightly grumpy state. Bless her heart for putting up with me. While I would send a Facebook message or email to keep in touch with everyone back home, I missed my second home. I have to say thanks to ABAMMA for helping me through this though, albeit inadvertently.  Their close knit and super positive gym atmosphere, mixed with the fact that they were so accommodating really helped me deal with my time away from my friends back home. In fact, the atmosphere is was very similar to what I feel back at my gym.

 

Second Day of Training

On the second day of training I got to meet Issac who is the head of the gym. Again, just like everyone else, he was all smiles. When I stepped out on the mat he was in street clothes and informed me that he was not going to train because he was injured. When we began with the technique Issac was able to translate my technical explanations very well. This was great because with Issac able to translate the students were able to pick up on all the little nuisances that I was explaining.

Eventually it reached that time of class, the time to roll. I started my rolling with Javi again and we had a great roll. During this training session I opened up and went after submissions. I stilled flowed a bit and allowed movement, but now I was hunting for different submissions I have been working on. Since the guys knew I wasn’t there to simply beat on them I figured I could open up a bit and have fun. I was able to catch a few wristlocks and armlocks from some funky positions which always causes a “son of a. . . .” sort of laugh following the tap. The rolling session was fantastic and the guys were tough and aggressive. I also can’t stress enough how similar the demeanor of the rolls were compared to back home. Roll hard and go after it, but with a smile on your face. This is the best way to train in my opinion. Enjoy the human chess game we are engaged in, but still making sure to push one another.

 

 

Not all Rolls are created equal

The only reason I bring up the aspect of hard rolling is because I have been to gyms where hard rolling was sort of frowned upon. The instructor at the time would explain how hard rolling causes you to miss the technical side and the true essence of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Now, I will agree that techniques can give way during a hard roll but this is a part of learning how to apply a technique properly. I mean what is the use of having a slick move if you cannot apply it?

 

 Can’t fight the urge

So . . . funny side story that will kind of reveal Issac’s true colors. At some point during the technique portion of class Issac slipped into his kimono. He said it was disrespectful to be in street clothes while we were on the mat teaching. I am not really a strict traditionalist but I understood what he meant. Then once the rolling started he reminded me again that he couldn’t roll. He cited a neck injury that he had sustained a week prior during a training session. Well, like any devoted BJJ player who has been bitten by the “bug” (as its commonly called) his good sense gave way to his urge to get on the mats with someone new. Obviously, resting his body and allowing it to heal would be the best thing for him. No sense in getting hurt just to get one roll in, right? Well that good sense is no match for a BJJ practitioners urge to train. Issac asked if I would roll as soon as I was done with Javi. I of course agreed to and we had a good flowing roll. I would move swiftly through positions that didn’t put much strain on his neck. Whenever we would hit a position that seems to put a bit of pressure on his neck I would ease up. The roll went well, we exchanged technique and his injury wasn’t furthered. A win win and this is a good example of when to use a lighter style of rolling.

I thought it was funny because I’ve been in Issac’s position many times before. You are pained with a nagging injury that’s not too bad to keep you off the mats but still prevents you from a full roll. Then a skilled guy from out of town drops in at your gym. I mean you can’t not roll. . . right? I am glad that I could get a little roll in with him while I was there.

 

Another funny story

So I met this Polish guy named Rafal during my second training session. We spoke after class a bit about training and random stuff, and somehow it came up about what he did for work. He shared that he worked at a rental place. Cars, bikes, etc . . . anything you need to rent while vacationing on the island. Well later that evening I just so happened to get an email telling me that my request for a rental car had been denied because the model I requested was unavailable. Well I guess this was fate’s way of rearing its head into the mix. I ended up messaging Rafal on Facebook and later that day I picked up a rental car that ended up being 1/3 of the price of the other places, so it worked out really well.  This was a huge, because we needed a rental car to get to Torrent de Mortitx which was one of the big highlights of the trip. We also went sight-seeing around the island. Big thanks to Rafal, and if you are ever in Palma check out Q-10 rentals. They have great prices and fantastic service.

 

 

Anyways, I must say that my expectations were exceeded while training at ABAMMA. The guys were beyond friendly. I was able to train about 4 times while I was there and I was very satisfied with the training. This helped me stay in relatively good shape while I was away on vacation and I am grateful for their kindness. I hope that I can train with them in the future sometime, I hear the summers in Palma are spectacular.  

 

So, this blog lacked any sort of clear defined structure and was a grouping of things relating to my experience training in Palma. I hope it wasn’t too hard to follow. Thanks for reading it and I’ll post a short video showing some of the training from the trip.

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Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Palma De Mallorca! (Part 2)

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Interesting fact about buying a Shoyoroll in Palma compared to the United States. It is crazy expensive, and I mean crazy expensive! A Shoyoroll kimono in America costs about 170ish US dollars after taxes and shipping. At the moment the current conversion rate for the Euro in Spain is around 1.4 to the U.S Dollar. This would translate the 170 dollars in to 238 Euros. Not to bad right?  Well unfortunately there are different shipping regulations and taxes here. After shipping costs and taxes the final cost of a Shoyoroll kimono shipped to Palma comes to be . . . *drum roll* . . . about 2000 Euros!!! I know, its crazy! Anyways . . .

 

Today I finished another training session at ABAMMA in Palma and the overall experience has been fantastic. The guys there are very friendly and have a close knit atmosphere.

First day on the mats in Spain

When I arrived the first day I was greeted by Javi which was who I had talked to over the internet the most. He gave me a big hug when I walked in and showed me around the gym.  Everyone was very respectful and friendly, each one making it a point to come up and shake my hand once I was on the mat.

Did the language barrier cause a problem when teaching techniques?

After the class began we did some normal warm up drills and then jumped into some technique. As I started to teach I was a bit nervous at first. I was thinking about the language barrier and I thought of the lack of communication I would have while showing the moves. Really though, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be. While I had worried that my inability to vocalize an accompaniment for the visual instruction would cause the students to miss out on valuable details. This turned out to be no problem because everyone was attentive, possessing proficient ability and the guys took hold of the movements very easily. I made sure move around the mat to manually make the necessary corrections once they were drilling the techniques. All in all, I believe it rather smoothly overall.

 Time to roll!

After the technique portion of class we began the rolling. Like I suspected, since there is a high ratio of competitors, everyone rolled very hard. Not hard in a “spaz” sort of way, but rather by putting forth a lot of effort into the rolls. I started the rolling session with Javi and then went with anyone that wanted go. During the first day of training I didn’t do any submissions. I did this because it was my goal to train and make friends while here, not to prove I’m the best and crush every person I rolled with. Instead, I would keep a fast pace and focus on a few specific movements during each roll and would release any submission I had secured. I guess you could think of it as a sort of “catch and release” style of rolling. I would give whoever I was rolling with an opening and then move from there, trying to execute my techniques. I do this with my students at home as well. This style of rolling offers a few benefits in that it allows me to get a lot “active drilling” on moves I am perfecting, it gives a great cardio workout because we keep moving continuously, and I get to help further the less experienced student by offering them opening and giving them opportunities to execute techniques . Once we reached the end of class steam was coming off my body and my gi was significantly heavier from soaking up the perspiration during the training.

A great first experience at a BJJ gym in another country. I will post more about the training here and wrap things up a bit. I also plan to post a little video up as well.

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Brazilian Jiu-jitsu in Palma De Mallorca! (Part 1)

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So, I am sitting inside the airport at Barcelona waiting for my last flight which will take me to Palma. This is my first time outside of the country and while I obviously knew that life existed outside of my “bubble”. I have never been to a place, where, I didn’t speak the language, wasn’t familiar with the customs and felt . . . not out of place, but rather, completely foreign. The experience is really interesting. I am finding it enjoyable to see what life outside of the “American Way” is like. Little subtleties make it interesting and new, while as a whole everything is essentially the same thing as back home.  For example . . . we drink coffee in the U.S and they drink coffee here as well. However, they call it café and its espresso. When we meet someone new in the states we introduce ourselves and make friendly gestures. They do the same here, but add in kisses to the sides of the face.

The main reason for my trip is to see my girlfriend, whom is teaching English in Palma. However, this blog is about BJJ and my experiences with it so I will focus on that, instead of my girlfriend or caffeine addiction abroad.

Training on my travels

I believe at some point I told my girlfriend that whenever I take trips or vacations I always like to get some training in, if possible. Being the super cool chick that she is, she contacted a local BJJ gym for me and helped me set everything up so that I could train while I am in Palma.  I spoke with Javi and Issac from ABAMMA over Facebook and they both seem really nice and enthusiastic about training, which is good. Another plus is that their gym is a competition gym and is currently preparing for the European Open which will be taking place next month. I say this is a plus because competition gyms are where I feel the most comfortable because I can train hard without offending someone and I can get a great workout. Another bonus is that they are allowing me to train for free! While I believe that letting a traveling black belt train for free is beneficial for the gym and should be common practice, sometimes it isn’t. Since they have been so gracious to open their gym doors and take the time to speak to me I offered to teach a class or two while I am in Palma, and they accepted. I will go over some of the tried-and-true tournament techniques and drilling that work so well for my guys back home. Hopefully the techniques will serve them well next month.

The language barrier

The teaching aspect will be fun and while they do speak some English I am sure there will be a bit of a language barrier. When I am teaching I will definitely have to focus on excellent visual demonstration of the technique to help make up for it. However, this is my first time teaching a group of people whose primary language is not English so who knows. Maybe the language barrier won’t pose much of a challenge as I presume.  One thing that is certain is that once rolling starts . . . the language barrier is gone. After we engage in a roll we will essentially be using the same language. Not our verbal language, but rather our body language, the expression of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. At this point, it doesn’t matter what we call the techniques or how we pronounce letters and words. All that matters is that we are fighting for guard passes, sweeps, dominant positions and an eventual submission. This isn’t something that is in need of understanding one another’s speech.

Anyways, my flight is about to board so I have to cut this off. I will post this on the blog later on once I get settled in Palma. I’ll post about the experience I have at ABAMMA.

A training weekend with an old friend

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A training weekend with an old friend

This weekend I was fortunate to train with my friend Tim Sledd at his gym in Bedford, In. Tim is a Atos black belt and is just one those really good guys you meet in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Anytime I am around him he just seems to spew out positive energy and encouragement. We first met one another in 2006 at a small tournament here in Louisville, Ky. He was actually my first match as a purple belt and I still remember how strong his grip felt the first time we locked up. When I pulled away to break the grip my gi gave before his grip did. I heard a ripping sound and looked down to see a tear in my lapel. After this we had a great match and have been friends since. Periodically we talk, and here and there we‘ve able to squeeze in a training session together. Although I have to admit, now that his gym is closer I will probably make the trip more often.

Jiu-jitsu in a small town

While my students and I were driving through Bedford we couldn’t help but notice that it is quite a small town. Not that there is anything wrong with this, but I find it awesome that nowadays you can find highly trained instructors even in rather small towns. Tim and I spoke about this and how it’s a far cry from the days when we began our Jiu-jitsu journey. Back when we started, if you would have told someone that there were going to be two accomplished black belts training in the area, well. . . it would have been a big event! Now you have two black belts meeting up with their students casually for a nice training session as if it was no big deal.

We eventually arrived at Tim’s gym which was situated in what I assume to be kind of the downtown district of the area. All the buildings were made of brick and had the “window store” style appearance from the outside. His gym was easy to spot as the Small Axe BJJ symbol was displayed on the gym door, oh and because the windows of the gym were fogged up from the activity inside. This is always a good sign in my book. Once inside I figured out why the windows were so foggy. . . it was a sauna inside! The heat belching out of the air vents combined with the heat of bodies in motion made for a nice muggy, steamy training session. He was a great host to me and my students and we all enjoyed the techniques he covered. I had never seen some of the details that he showed so I was sure to write them down in my BJJ journal. The rolling went really well and when it was time to step off the mat there were pools of sweat to remind us of the effort we had just put out.

After the training session when my students and I got a bite to eat, we all talked about the great experience we had. The rolling was good, Tim showed some very solid techniques, and we learned a lot from the training.

BJJ Guys

One of the things I love about Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, is the people you meet. I’ve met so many awesome human beings over the years. Some of them didn’t even speak much English which posed a problem for holding conversation, but that didn’t stop us from forming a bond through training.

Tim is no exception and he is a person whom I have a good deal of admiration for. He seems to have a good balance in his life which is something I don’t possess quite yet. He is able to balance training, running a gym, having a demanding job and being a devoted father and husband to his family. This is no easy task!

Stay humble

Not all BJJ practitioners have such an endearing reputation though. Some tend to have a negative attitude fueled by their disrespect to others or arrogance, and this creates a less than favorable presence around others.

Now, if you are a seasoned BJJ practitioner then you are already aware of the great relationships you build through this sport. If you are a new comer to this sport then you will see as you continue your journey, the life changing relationships you will make along the way. That is of course, If you stay humble and respectful. The sport would be incomplete if you removed the amazing bond between its participants. But the only way to foster this bond and these relationships is to stay humble and respectful. To be blunt, no one wants to train with or be around an arrogant dick who is full of himself and rubs it in people’s face when he taps them out. Remember there is way more to this sport than being the bad ass on the mat ripping people’s limbs off.

So stay humble and respectful, this way you can get the full benefit of the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu experience. Remember, its more than just tapping people out.

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