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Brazilian Jiu-jitsu questions from White Belts

December 3, 2014/3 Comments/in Beginners, BJJ /by Chewy

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu questions from white belts.

The following questions are from white belts at my gym. If you have any of these questions yourself I hope the post is helpful.

1. How do you learn a move or submission you’ve been obsessing over well enough so that you can use it during rolling?
Drill it! Maybe you learned it from an instructor at your gym or maybe it’s something you saw on the internet. Wherever you picked up the technique, if it’s something you want to really get the hang of, drill it. Especially in the beginning, new moves have a certain uncomfortable unwieldy quality. You feel awkward and slow to execute. To remove that, you need to drill. Start the drilling off as slow technique drilling where you focus on hitting everything spot on. Then as you feel better, speed up the drilling and eventually have your partner offer some light resistance. Some “sloppiness” is ok once you speed it up but keep it within reason. The idea is to remove the thinking involved. You want to be able to initiate the move without having to think when you’re rolling.

2. How do I not get so hung up on getting a colored belt or stripe?
Many BJJ practitioners get caught up, fixating on their belt or stripes. Don’t! Don’t chase belts or promotions. In most BJJ gyms you’re going to wait between 1.5-3 years between belts (depending on your training). That’s just too long of a goal to keep you motivated during the rough times where you get a little down on yourself. I did a post on this subject previously here. https://chewjitsu.net/2013/08/17/10-years-in-bjj-and-10-lessons-ive-learned-part-2/

3. How do I break plateaus or periods where I’m not getting better?

Hitting a standstill, or at least what feels like a stand still, with your Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is unavoidable. We all hit snags along the way. Often times they aren’t as bad as you might think. Many times you’re just comparing yourself to your peers who are learning similar material and rolling with the same partners, and likewise, making their own progress. So with everyone progressing it’s hard to realize that you’re improving.

If you are hitting a true plateau. They’re pretty easy to deal with. Most commonly you’ve gotten slightly complacent or continued to find yourself doing the same moves and techniques in the same positions. Without any change to help spark improvement you’re going to end up in a slow grind.

The solution? Find some new moves, techniques or positions and throw them into the mix. If the moves are in a new position or are completely foreign to you. Then expect to spend time drilling first. After the techniques are drilled to at least a basic level of comfort, start implementing them into your rolling. You’ll probably screw up a bunch and get out positioned or submitted along the way, but the scrambles and failures will help spark new improvements in your game. Gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet right?

4. How to stay focused on yourself rather than fall in the trap of worrying about others and their progress?
It happens to all of us at some point. We get fixated on how others around us are doing. Maybe someone is making faster improvements than us or maybe they were promoted before us. Whatever it is, it’s important not to fixate on others if it bothers you. The best way to deal with this is to simply start by realizing that you’re worried about someone else’s game rather than your own in an individual sport. Just like wrestling, we all exist on a team but in the end we are individuals. We roll as individuals and we compete as individuals. When you stop and think about how silly it is to be focused on others, its easy to stop thinking about it.

To keep your mind focused try setting goals for yourself. It might be a tournament, losing weight or hitting 3 armbars during the rolling portion of class. Just ask yourself what you’d like to get out of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and then work towards that. If you’re unsure how to get there, talk to your instructor.

5. What are the best moves to focus on as a white belt / newcomer?

Fundamentals.

6. How long should I wait before I compete?

Whenever you feel comfortable enough to get out there and give it a try. I honestly think the sooner the better. Many people who take on Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and have never wrestled or competed before build tournaments into something that they aren’t. They wait and wait. . . and wait for the perfect opportunity that never comes. I remember one of my guys that waited till he was a high-ranking blue belt before competing. After his matches he said, “I really wish I wouldn’t have waited so damn long to compete.” Remember, competitions are tough but it’s just rolling with people you don’t know in front of people.

7. Why do we start from the knees during rolling?

In my gym we start on the knees during some of the classes for a few reasons. One is to control space. I don’t have enough mat space to house 40 BJJ practitioners doing full rolls from the feet. Two is injuries. Early on I am trying to protect BJJ players from their spazzy selves. Keeping new students grounded helps ease them into the process early on and prevents injuries. In the meantime we can use wrestling and take down classes to teach them the basics of take downs and fundamental techniques like break falling and being in a proper stance. At my gym we do plenty of full rolling from the feet and take down work. In addition we do lots of situational rolling where we might start inside the guard or whatever position we are working on. That said, I do like having people start on the knees from time to time (especially when they are newer) to get them use to pulling someone into the guard or dealing with the scrambling that can happen when people are going for position. I know some people say that starting on the knees is useless and builds bad habits. But I think as long as you are learning how to perform take down and supplementing wrestling and/or judo into the training, it’ll be fine.

8. You’re a black belt and have had your own struggles. How have you dealt with your own trials in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu?

For me, once I started training, quitting was never an option. Just like all of us I had setbacks. Injuries, job and family intervening. . .girlfriends. But I always kept training. Unfortunately I have a hard time relating with people who take on BJJ as just another thing to do. For me it was life changing. But a few things that have helped when things were tough is this.

Ask yourself, “Do I want to be good at BJJ?” If the answer is yes, be prepared to train for a looooong time.
I give myself reminders. When I was a blue belt I wore a purple sweat band on my ankle to remind me that I needed to train hard to get my purple belt. As a brown belt I wrote, “you suck, get in the gym!”, as the greeting on my phone after I lost a match in a tournament. The greeting which would stare back at me every time I glanced at my phone helped me from being lazy.
Blocks along the road are going to come. When I was younger and something got in the way I would get really depressed, eat bad and sulk. Now I’ve grown to expect them and when they come I look for a way around them. Likewise you should expect them and be prepared to work around them. They may come in the form of injuries, jobs or something completely unexpected, but they are going to come. Try to work around them instead of having long layoffs. Consistency is important for BJJ.
Enjoy the time spent with your training partners and get to know them. The closer you are to them the better off you’ll be.
One of the most helpful things for me early on was my buddy Chris. We trained together and lived together. We would go to the gym, train and come home and drill on mats I bought for our room. Likewise, get a gym buddy or buddies. Build a relationship with someone in the gym where you can call them up to drill and train during open mats or use each other for support.
Drilling can of boring. I think of it like eating your broccoli. It’s good for you but you kind of want something else to eat. Drilling is good for your game but it’s always more fun to roll. I know much of my early success came from drilling. I would drill sequences over and over again and they became easier and easier to hit during rolling and competitions.

Just don’t quit. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is a weird thing. It works for everyone but no one’s path is the same. There isn’t a clear-cut route to success. There are things that you can do to improve. But everyone progresses differently. Just don’t quit. “Black belts are simply white belts that never gave up.” I know that quote gets overused a bit but it’s the truth. When I was a white belt I never thought I’d be a blue belt and a purple belt was absolutely out of the question. I eventually ended up receiving my black belt after 8 years. Do the same. Focus on the day-to-day. Enjoy the training, the health benefits and time spent with your buddies. Soak up as much knowledge as you can. Go compete. Immerse yourself in BJJ, don’t let quitting be an option.

As always,

Thanks for reading

-Chewy

BJJ parallels from the history (Battle of Waterloo)

November 5, 2014/in BJJ /by Chewy

So before you continue reading please know in advance that I am going to nerd out a little. If you’ve read the blog before or you’re one of my students, you know I’m a history geek. With that said, let’s get started.

Having presense of mind is something that I talk a lot about with my students. I explain in different ways but essentially when I say presense of mind, I’m talking about having the ability to remain calm and cool in tough situations. Think about your own personal experiences. Have you ever been stuck under someone’s mount or side control while you were tired and became frustrated? Maybe they were squeezing tight and pressing their shoulder into your face and you became even more frustrated. Following this frustration you start to make BJJ 101 mistakes like pushing on someone’s chest from the bottom of mount “bench press” style. Eventually you tired out and you became a sitting duck for whatever attacks your opponent decided to throw at you. Has that ever happened to you? If not, then my hats off to you because this is how I spent the first couple of years in BJJ. I was fine if things were going in my favor but when I got stuck in a tough spot I couldn’t get out of easily, I lacked the mental resolve to remain clear-headed and I became frustrated. In these scenarios my frames, good hand and body position, hip escapes and proper breathing quickly degraded into hyperventilation and sporadic pushing from side to side. Eventually after I had used up whatever reserve of energy I had left, I would lie down and accept my fate of being submitted. This reminds me of the Saulo Ribeiro quote, “If you think, you are late. If you are late, you use strength. If you use strength, you tire. And if you tire, you die.”

Now, if you were to ask me 10 seconds after this spastic effort to escape to explain the method with which I should escape a bad position. I would have shown you how to set up a good frame, use hip movement and body positioning to escape while using minimal strength. So then, the question has to be asked. Why did I break from what I knew was right and do things that I knew were wrong? The answer is simple. I broke mentally and lost my focus. I let frustration take root in my mind and get the best of me. On a side note, I believe being able to keep your head on in tough situations is one of the side benefits of BJJ training that translates well off the mat. You learn how to stay calm in bad situations, a skill that I have definitely benefitted from over the years outside of the gym.

Onto the parallel

The parallel I am going to draw came while reading Alessandro Barbero’s book The Battle which is a 460 page book detailing the battle of Waterloo bit by bit. After reading the book, there were numerous parallels that could be used for BJJ or combat sports. Then again, maybe the parallels only exist because it’s hard for me to turn off the section of my brain that thinks about BJJ, even when reading.

During the battle there came a point where Wellington’s infantry were formed in squares resisting against the French cavalry, which had just routed the British skirmishers and artillery from a sector of the battlefield. If you are unfamiliar with the way battles went down back in the Napoleonic era let me give you a quick crash course on some of the basics. Muskets weren’t very accurate. To make up for this lack of precision, commanders would make the infantry form tightly packed lines which would increase their chances of hitting the enemy by allowing more soldiers to fire at the same time at the same target. If infantry were in a line formation and were attacked by cavalry, their flanks would be wide open for the enemy to molest. So, to combat cavalry, infantry would form a hollowed out square formation. All the men would face outward while most typically the officers would be inside the square yelling commands and encouragements. This square would offer no flank for the enemy to take advantage of during the fight. However, the problem of course with the square was that while it left no flank for cavalry, it also did not offer enough concentrated firepower to pack a serious punch. While in squares they would have their bayonet’s fixed and pushed out to create a barrier of spearheads against any charging horses. Believe it or not, horses are incredibly reluctant to run headlong into a densely pack group of blades even if their rider would try and have them do so. You could probably start to draw comparisons to positional control of the battle field and positional control on the mats. When you’re able to control the position you limit your opponent’s options and can force them to make mistakes. But we can save that for another time.

The French cavalry units opposing the British Infantry at this point were most notably the cuirassiers and the elite division of the Imperial Guard known as chasseurs a cheval. During this time period the cavalry of the Grande Armée were some of the most famous in the world. In the book Barbero describes a risky psychological game that happens at this point.

“The French cuirassiers were assembled in plain view on the crest of the ridge, little more than a hundred yards away from the nearest squares, far enough that it would have been useless for the infantry to start shooting at them. When a squadron had chosen its objective and was ready to move, it set out at a walk, superior officers in front, their sabres unsheathed. If, at this point, the men in the square started to fidget a bit too much, the cuirassiers’ officers could risk accelerating the pace to a trot, which meant that the infantry had time to fire one volley only. Should that volley be fired badly – too soon or too high – the cavalry could pass to a gallop, and then the infantry soldiers, in all probability, would lose their nerve and clear off, and the inevitable result would be a massacre. However, if the infantry kept in place by the blows and curses of its officers and seargeants, remained steadfast and held its fire until the last possible moment, the cavalry would usually slow its pace, veer to the right or left before impact, and ride off in search of another target. In this case, the soldiers in the squares could shoot with impunity, and the cavalry would receive the full force of the infantry’s fire.”

Essentially if the men in the squares simply stayed in place and held their fire till the last second when they would have the best chance of hitting the cavalry, while some would die, the majority of them would remain alive. Eventually the cavalry would weaken against the defensive position and be forced to retire. However, if they were to lose their nerve and panic, shooting too early or leaving their position. Then themselves and their comrades would be opened up to attacks and would suffer a high number of casualties. It seems simple enough. Don’t fire your gun and stand or kneel in place with your musket and bayonet pushed out. But being faced with the world’s most renowned cavalry while men around you drop to shots from French tirailleurs and artillery is not an easy task. Reading some of the first-hand accounts listed in the book give you a feeling that the men on the British side stuck in these squares were a little freaked out because they knew who the French cavalry were. Similar to how you might feel when you see your opponent at a tournament decked out in patches from a really tough affiliation or maybe when you have a visitor drop by your gym and they have a higher belt than you. One officer of the Royal Engineers was quoted saying, “The first time a body of cuirassiers approached the square into which I had ridden, the men – all young soldiers – seemed to be alarmed. They fired high and with little effect, and in one the angles there was just as much hesitation as made me feel exceedingly uncomfortable.” As the charge came towards the squares a Private Morris of the seventy third was so intimated by the size of the men, their horses and the shining steel armor they wore that he thought, “We could not have the slightest chance with them.” Even senior officers had their worries. Major von Baring watched from a short distance as the cavalry advanced came crashing into the ranks of the squares and would go on to say, “I could see all this going on, and I’m not afraid to admit that my heart sank more than once.” You get the feeling that knowing that they were in the proper positioning on the field wasn’t all that comforting to the British and allied forces.

This, to me, is the moment where the men needed the mental resolve to rely on their training and stick to their guns. They had to resist panic and remain in position, even though this went against everything their bodies surely felt. This type of internal struggle can rear its ugly head when you’re tired or frustrated and you’re not in the most desirable spot on the mat. Your body might be pushing you to give up and quit because it’s stressed, and you need a clear head and determination to extinguish these thoughts and remain calm. You exhausting yourself trying to bench press out of mount or giving up your back in a desperate attempt to escape are the same as the men of these squares switching up in a line formation to attack and opening their flanks. The attack might work but more than likely it will lead to them exhausting their manpower in lopsided attempt. Even worse, turning your back is the same as these infantry panicking under the pressure of the cavalry and running away out of fear or frustration.

Wellington’s infantry squares remained in place, and as the conflict wore on Napoleon’s famed French cavalry were unable to break the ranks. The allied forces would go to retaliate and ultimately win the Battle of Waterloo. Should you find yourself stuck in an unfavorable position on the mat, keep your head on. Don’t allow yourself to give into stress or negative emotions brought on by frustration. They will only get you in trouble and leave you exposed. Take a deep breath and do you best to keep with sound technical fundamentals, as shown by your instructor, and make this disadvantage temporary. If done right, you’ll be able to escape or reverse the situation and with enough energy to mount your own attack.

Stuff my White Belts ask me: “What kind of gi should I buy?”

December 30, 2013/in Beginners, BJJ /by Chewy

Common question from a new white belt: “Chewy, what kind of gi should I buy?”

My answer: Early on I think the type of gi you wear matters very little. As a newcomer to BJJ you won’t be able to detect the small differences that exist between the different kimonos out there. You may notice a difference if you get a heavier gi opposed to a lighter one, but that’s about it.

My advice is to find a gi that you find visually appealing, is within your budget and is from a reputable source. Other than that, don’t pay too much attention to the extras.

Although single, summer, pearl weaves and any gi label “light” are going to be a little lighter and cooler, that doesn’t always mean better. I personally, prefer a heavier gi. Don’t be afraid to test it out and see which type you like best.

Pay attention to the sizing chart of that particular company as many gi companies have different sizing for their kimonos.

Before you buy, do a search on youtube or google for a review of the particular gi you intend to purchase and see what you can find. These reviews can be helpful about learning how much the gi shrinks up, fades, fits, etc.

In regards to colors, I personally feel that you should wear whichever gi color you like, but check with your gym. Some academies have rules against colors. Sometimes they even have stigmas around white belts wearing colors like black gis. This isn’t common but its something to keep in mind. In addition, if you plan to compete in IBJJF tournaments, you will be required to wear certain gi colors.

Fun Fact: Many gis are made in the same factories overseas and in some cases, Kimono companies simply copy another competitor’s design and rehash it as something for themselves. So don’t get too worked up about the special features on your new gi. Focus on finding something that you will be pumped about wearing when you step on the mat.

If you’re new to BJJ and had this question, I hope this blog helped you. If you still have any questions, consult your instructor or send me an email and I’d be happy to assist. 🙂

As always,

Thanks for reading!

—Chewy

10 years in BJJ and 10 lessons I’ve learned (Part 6)

November 27, 2013/in Uncategorized /by Chewy

(my typical poop face after winning)

“My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.” – Michael Jordan

“You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?” – Robert Louis Stevenson

“Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points.” – Knute Rockne

Drill your weak points and drill both sides- We all know how to drill to some degree. Drilling is a fundamental necessity to training, and it’s where we develop the movement and muscle memory required to execute a technique while rolling. Everyone that trains BJJ, drills in some manner from day one. But I ask you these questions?

1^st, Do you focus much of your attention on your weaknesses, or do you allow yourself to stick with the techniques and positions you’re comfortable with?

Here is the 2^nd question. Do you drill your techniques on both sides?

Often, the answer to both questions is no. I know I didn’t for a long time.

Before I share two personal experiences of my own, I am going to nerd out on you for a second so I apologize. I’m a huge history geek and I always draw mental parallels from what I see in history books to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. I know that sounds weird so let me explain one idea in particular. When I watch two BJJ players engage in a match it’s like watching two armies engage in pitched battle. That’s the kind of encounter where the opposing armies’ line up on two sides of an agreed upon location and the conflict takes on the appearance of a sort of human chess game. Each army has a line made up of a variety of troops which are trained and directed to perform differing tasks. This is similar to a chessboard with its pieces, which have varying movement abilities that accomplish different objectives on the board. For instance, during Napoleon’s time, his artillery would be used to blast an opening in a weak point of the enemy’s line and then cavalry would be rushed through to exploit the opening with their speed before the opposing side could reassemble to close the gap. This could often lead to a rout where soldiers flee in fear, casualties begin to mount up and any resemblance of order on the line is lost. Effectively awarding the victory or in our chess meets history analogy, the checkmate.

Enough with the nerding out! Where am I going with this?

Failing to drill your weaknesses or neglecting your dummy side, is, in my eyes like assembling an army for battle with glaring weaknesses in the line, waiting to be exploited by the other side. You’re chess board is set and you’re missing pieces.

What if you’re like I was as a blue and young purple belt? I was a sucker for the triangle and I was not putting in the necessary hard work to fix the issue.

What if you’re a brown belt like the one in the story below and have a phenomenal side accompanied with a terrible one, and your opponent engages you on your weak side?

Learn from the mistakes below and be sure to drill and focus on the parts of your game that are weak even if it’s not fun. Also, be sure not to neglect the side that doesn’t come naturally. . . you know. . . the dummy side.

Ignore the problem and it goes away, right?

Obviously I knew better, but for a while I was a real bonehead in relation to my BJJ. If you read the blog regularly you’ve probably read about my problematic relationship with triangle chokes during the days of my blue belt and early purple belt. I’ve always been a very “head-forward” style of passer, even during my time as a white belt. As the skills of my opponents progressed, my knack for getting caught in a triangle choke presented itself as a glaring problem in my game. In tournaments and in the gym I could pass most guards, but if you put a lanky, bendy, flexible bottom player in front of me I was probably going to get triangle choked. The real problem wasn’t so much that I was getting caught, but my lack of confronting the problem and doing the necessary drilling to eradicate the flaw. Instead, I was a bonehead as stated earlier, and like a stubborn bonehead, I ignored the issue and went on my way. Sometimes I would compete and not encounter a person with a solid triangle and I would win. Then there were other times where I would draw a tall lanky bottom player and. . . well you know. The triangle was my kryptonite.

Eventually my coach at the time, Colin, noticed the problem and he helped. . . forced me, to correct the issue. There was seriously a month where I was only allowed to drill triangle escape techniques during class. While everyone else was learning some cool new guard sweeps, my head was stuck between my buddy’s legs. Bummer. Even worse, once the rolling portion of class came around Colin made me start inside a locked triangle choke. If I escaped or if I was finished I would have to start back in the triangle. When we first started doing this I had to take frequent breaks because I would get frustrated or I running low on oxygen from being choked repeatedly. By the end of the month my understanding of how the triangle worked and my ability to stay calm and get out of a triangle choke sky rocketed. Subsequently, I have not been triangle choked in a competition since. I’ve been caught a few times thanks to my continuous head forward style. But it’s become more of a calculated risk rather than certain end on the mat, as I’m able to stay calm and take the necessary steps to escape.

Why didn’t I do this earlier? Well, I didn’t really know the escapes I needed at the time, but more importantly is because it wasn’t fun. That month was so helpful and changed my game and my outlook but it was incredibly uncomfortable. I had to choke down lots of pride and accept being choked out by just about everyone on the mat. I had to get out of my comfort zone. Big thanks to my coaches at the time. Colin for forcing me to get out of my comfort zone and start in the triangle and to Kyle for administering the triangle chokes.

“Oh that’s my dumb side”

Often I will watch techniques being drilled over and over again on one side then once the person moves to the other side they stumble a bit and remark, “oh that’s my dumb side”, and we aren’t talking about white belts either. I’m talking about seemingly advanced guys. . . purple, brown and even black belts in some cases. It is true that we will all inevitably have a side that is a little more developed than the other but we shouldn’t allow ourselves to have a side that is worthy of the title “dumb side.”

Brown belt to the right, white belt to the left.

A story that really illustrates the idea I am talking about comes from a few years ago. I was a brown belt at the time and another brown belt stopped in to train while he was visiting family in town. When we rolled I initially attacked with a pass to my left (his right). I remember having such a difficult time passing to that side, so I figured I’d switch it up. I transitioned and switch my attack from his right , to his left, and I passed with ease. We were doing a pass and defend drill so after the successful pass we restarted back to guard. I figured by the smoothness of the pass to the right side that I had worn him down a bit. So after we restarted I opened up my game with an attack to the left and again he stopped my pass attempts dead in their tracks, and just like last time, as soon as I switched my focus to the other side the pass came almost effortlessly.

After he and I were finished, I paired him up with one of my blue belts. I was curious to see if my passing was that good or if the guy really had a blatantly deficient side. Unfortunately for my own ego it was the latter. I watched as each one of my comparably skilled students would get halted by the guard work on his right side and then would switch and pass through the right side with less trouble.

The guy had no injuries at the time, as I asked him after class. He simply had an overly underdeveloped side of his game. So much so that one side felt like I was rolling with a brown belt and the other felt like a white belt. Granted this is not common, and most peoples b-side aren’t quite this deficient, the story gives you an idea of what can happen if we choose to completely ignore a direction in our game.

The take away ( simple but require discipline)

-Drill your techniques on both sides.

– In addition to drilling, do lots of situational rolling from the parts of your game that are the weakest. For example, escape or submit drills. Start in a bad position like bottom of mount and go until either you escape to another position or until they submit you. Restart after a successful escape or submission.

-When you do full rolls, especially against people you’re much better than, force yourself to use the weaker areas of your game. It will give them a chance to play a bit more and you a chance to help develop your weaker areas.

Below is a video I made showing 3 of the techniques and escapes I use personally to deal with triangle chokes. Again, I apologize as I am terrible in front of a camera but I hope the techniques are of some help to you. Click the picture below to watch.

Tackle and Grapple

November 23, 2013/3 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Chewy

Today was my first women’s only class and it was great. I have a terrific group of women at Derby City and I wanted to give them a chance to have the mats to themselves. In fact, as men came in early to get a little drilling in. I would yell “penis” and motion them over to the other matted section of our gym. We had joked around before the session about the “Tackle and Grapple” skit done by Key and Peele thought that our interpretation of it made for a great picture.

From a coaching standpoint it was really insightful to watch them roll against each other because they were able to open up and go full speed. From a coaching standpoint this was fantastic. I was able to see what areas of their game lacked and what mistakes they made when they were going against one another at 100% effort.

If you don’t already have a female only mat time at your gym and you have a decent following of women, I would highly recommend starting one.

Self Defense against Lawyers, Business Professionals and Hobos.

October 30, 2013/4 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Chewy

Last night was our 2nd annual suit rolling session. Once a year around Halloween we don suits that we bought at a Goodwill or any thrift store and . . . we roll. During this style of rolling it is important to submit your partner, but just as important is to rip their clothing. This is just a silly thing to do together and we had a blast. It is a lot of fun to see hard core competitors laughing till it hurt during a “rolling” session. If you ever want something stupid to do with your gym mates, try suit rolling, and if you do, please send me pictures! Enjoy the photos from the students and myself here at Derby City MMA in Louisville, KY! 😀

Before rolling

After rolling

I’ll leave you with a mustachioed version of myself. Enjoy

Mount Escape To X Guard

October 4, 2013/in BJJ, Defenses Escapes Counters, Sweeps, Videos /by Chewy

When I first started competing as a black belt I had this funny problem. I would go into the match flat, and it wasn’t till being swept to mount that I would “wake” up. In fact, my first 3 wins as a black belt in competition started with me 6 points in the hole after a sweep to the mount. Here’s a mount escape that I, unfortunately, got pretty good with.

10 years in BJJ and 10 lessons I’ve learned (Part 4)

September 20, 2013/in BJJ, Training /by Chewy

“The greatest wealth is health.” – Virgil

“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha

“Prevention is better than cure.” – Desiderius Erasmus

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” – Plato

Mobility – One thing that I’ve learned just within the past year that I wish I would have focused on more in the past is mobility. Most of us focus so much on how many hard rolls we get in a training session, how many reps we’ve performed of a particular technique or if our lifts are improving in the weight room. However many of us also fail to focus on mobility. I’m talking about keeping our joints, muscles, and our body’s movement patterns healthy. By no means am I pointing the finger at anyone because up until this last year I gave mobility little to no thought. Sure I would stretch a little here and there, but this is much different than old school stretching. Let me give you a brief explanation of how I stumbled upon the idea of focusing on mobility and how it’s improved my BJJ and at the end I’ll give you some takeaways and resources for your own use. Alternatively, you can skip my story telling and fast forward to the bottom to get the resources and links.

How I found out about mobility work

Well first off, I was never blessed with ample amounts of flexibility. My muscles have always been a bit tight and wound up and in the last couple of years I’ve also began to “feel” my body much more after hard training sessions. I wrongly attributed this to getting older. I mean I’m nearing 30 which seems to be that magical number that people fixate on when they talk about their body breaking down and becoming more injury prone.

So . . . about a year ago my friend, student, training partner and fellow coach here at the gym, Brent Weedman, turned me onto the idea. He started weight training with a very competent trainer here in Louisville and would rave about the results. What struck me as different was that he didn’t just tell me about his PR’s(personal record) in the gym but he also made it a point to share the improvements he was making in his mobility. When he first started talking about mobility improvements I was pretty ignorant to the idea but as he explained more, it made sense. Brent, like any other high level athlete, had experienced his fair share of wear and tear on his body provided to him by long hours of training and fights. Couple this with a lack of concentration on his body’s movement health and you have tight muscles and joints and poor range of motion. I remember Brent telling me that before he revamped his conditioning program he wasn’t sure how much longer his body could take the rigors of fighting professional. If you were to ask him now he would tell you he feels like a new man. He fights like one too. By using the different techniques he was learning from his conditioning coach he was able to rid himself of problems like tight shoulders, hips and back all while making great gains in strength and power.

I hold a great deal of respect for Brent so I began using a few different techniques he shared with me and started looking deeper into the whole mobility thing. When you type in “mobility” into an internet search or Youtube you will be bombarded with information from a guy named Kelly Starret or MobilityWOD, and for good reason. Kelly Starret is the leader of a mobility movement that is gaining momentum in the athletic world. He works most closely with the CrossFit community and uses his mobility techniques to keep athletes who are doing tons of volume healthy and in the gym instead of being sidelined due to injury. He is also helping tons of people, including myself; restore proper movement in their body. After watching videos and reading through some of his literature I found myself buying his book, Becoming a Supple Leopard which in my opinion is fantastic. The book literally goes through and shows the proper movement mechanics to many basic and advanced lifts. The book also goes through helping its readers identify what problems they may have based on some easy to follow tests. Then the best part! The last chunk of the book is loaded with tons of corrective exercises, stretches and techniques that will help you improve range of motion, get rid of tightness and help you alleviate pain you may be experiencing. I was also lucky enough to meet with a woman who was an FMS trainer as well as a physical therapy student and she helped me identify specific areas of my body I needed to focus my attention towards. After a month of solid effort and focus on improving the mobility of my rust bucket body I began to feel some noticeable differences.

Alright so let’s get to the part you are actually interested in hearing about, How it improved my BJJ and training.

1. My range of motion improved. My squats were getting deeper, I was able to maintain better thoracic extension when doing particular exercises, and my shoulders were moving smoother during overhead presses. I was also less sore after hard lifting sessions.

2. Tight areas that were chronically in pain began to feel much better. Most notably my hip flexors. I remember constantly struggling and having issues with them. Which as you can imagine hindered my ability to train or compete at 100%. In addition injuries have since become less common.

3. I was able to warm up quicker. As I’ve gotten older it seems like it takes longer and longer to get my body adequately warm for BJJ training and competitions. One of the most noticeable changes after the mobility work was how fast I was able to get my body loosened up and ready to compete. What used to be nearly a 20-25 minute ritual was now condensed into about 5-10 minutes. While this may not seem like a big deal to some. Being able to get warmed up quickly on the fly is a valuable. If you’re a competitor. I want you to think about an experience you may have had where you had a tournament match and were not properly warmed up. Either due to a screw up on the tournament coordinators end or your own. Competing without having your body revved up is not a good thing, so it’s nice to be able to get warmed up on the fly.

4. I could train harder and at higher volumes without being utterly destroyed the next day. Doing a heavy lifting workout, multiple hard rolling sessions and being active during my 4 hours of teaching classes a day can definitely take its toll. What a great feeling it is to be able to maintain that kind of training load and still feel physically able to do it again the next day. The mobility work enables me to keep up high volumes of training and still not “feel” it like I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I still get sore and fatigued but I don’t find my body being completely shot.

After reading above the takeaways for you, and why you should consider investing your energy towards mobility should be clear.

1. It will improve flexibility and range of motion

2. You can decrease frequency of injury. Yes injuries will still happen but you can still decrease the amount, especially those that would be a result of muscle tightness and imbalance.

3. You will be able to warm up faster for class or competitions.

4. It will improve rehabilitation after hard training and you can maintain a high level of training for a long duration of time.

If you’re interested in learning more check out http://www.mobilitywod.com/about/faq/ or go look up Kelly Starrett on Youtube. Checking out the supple leopard book that I mentioned earlier wouldn’t be a bad idea as well. Lastly, if you’re able, get in touch with a competent conditioning coach who knows about mobility. If this is not available then use what resources you can gather to help identify areas of your body that need help. Heck, it may not be that hard in some cases. I mean after all, you are probably aware that your shoulder range of motion sucks or that you can’t get into a deep squat to save your life.

Good luck on improving your body and your training! I hope it helps you preserve your body and helps reduce the damage caused by training.

As always, thanks for reading!

Chewy

Oh and be sure to check out the podcast on my other site at http://www.matwind.com

Sorry for being slow with posts and check out my podcast

September 18, 2013/in BJJ, Inspiration /by Chewy

So I received a lot of positive feedback from the last few posts I’ve done with the 10 years in BJJ series. I apologize for not having the next part in the series posted. I’ll have the next post up later this week. I’ve just been super busy with a little side project I’ve been doing. The side project is a podcast and I’ve been interviewing tons of black belts from all over. The purpose of the podcast is to interview different high level BJJ practitioners and draw inspiration, motivation and advice from their own experiences. I just released the first episode today and I chose one of my interviews with a black belt from the midwest. I did this for a few reasons. Mainly because he is a highly skilled black belt and the fact that he has personally faced a fair amount of adversity and did not have the ideal starting conditions. Even with these sorts of obstacles he has still managed to become a skilled black belt and is able to do BJJ full time. I knew James previous to this interview but even with that I personally learned about him as a person and a BJJ player. The interview gave me some perspectives on things and when you listen to it I hope it does the same for you and that it gives you something you can use for your own BJJ journey.

Check out the interview here: Interview with James Clingerman

Hope you enjoy listening to it and feel free to send feedback to Chewy@matwind.com

10 years in BJJ and 10 lessons I’ve learned (Part 3)

August 26, 2013/2 Comments/in Beginners, BJJ, Competition, Inspiration /by Chewy

“Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind – you could call it character in action.” – Vince Lombardi

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.” – Napoleon Bonaparte”

(I like to think to interpret this quote with “courage” replaced with “mental toughness.”)

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Fun video of Cary Kolat sharing a story of mental toughenss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjzVVT8JTeM

10. Mental Toughness- I often talk to my students about the pesky voices that will present themselves when they find them in bad positions, when they become tired, or when they are nervous. Do you know what I am talking about? Have you ever been exhausted and stuck under someone’s crushingly heavy top pressure, having a conversation inside your head about whether or not to give up the fight? I have. The situation reminds me of the old cartoons where you would see a devil and angel sitting on top of the character’s shoulders. Except instead of urging me to do something nefarious or kind, part of me says “keep fighting” and the other side says “He’s so heavy. Just give up position, its ok”. If you’ve never experienced these sort of thoughts, then you are tougher than most. Over the years of training I’ve been able to minimize and for the most part extinguish that voice that tells me I should give up. Early on it was very tough for me and required a lot of mental focus not to succumb to those mental suggestions caused by frustration and fatigue.

One of my favorite aspects of competitions or extremely competitive rolls is that they can definitely help bring out the best in us. They can also bring the worst out. If I may, I’d like to share a story of a tournament match I had years ago.

One very insightful competition match that I experienced came from the days when I was a blue belt. I had finished finals for school and came down to a tournament in Tennessee. I did not cut weight nor did I pay much attention to my weight. I had been busy with school, barely trained for the tournament and just figured, “what the hell, I’ll just compete.” I ended up winning my division fairly easily, but the real fun came in the open division. As luck would have it, I fell right at the weight cut off. The weight divisions were 193.9lbs and under and 194lbs and over. I weighed in at 194.5lbs. . . go figure.

My first match pitted me up against a bruiser wrestler. His name escapes me but I do remember that he weighed around 225lbs with a substantial amount of that being lean muscle. I also remember that he had wrestled in college for 4 years. I also recall being a bit intimidated by his much larger physique. Once our match began the first few minutes went very poorly for me. I was taken down several times and the point spread was up to 12-0 in his favor. Then he mounted me, and this is where things got interesting. See, this tournament had a skunk rule. Meaning if he was up 15 to my 0 then he would receive a technical win. The mount being a 4 point move, meant that he was 3 seconds away from securing the win and thus making me look like I didn’t belong on the mat with him.

This is a moment where I personally had this conversation with myself. I remember this moment vividly. I was so angry for letting him get so far ahead on points. He was strong and had used his wrestling to deny me my usual comfortable top game position. I was just frustrated. Somehow I dusted away the frustration and turned it into determination. I thought to myself “I can’t give up this easy! I need to at least make him work for his win.” Fun Fact, when I compete I am not always worried solely about winning. Yes, winning is high on the priority list, but win or lose I want it to be a good competitive match. Anyways, after having these thoughts rush through my head I manage to escape mount and rally back. Once I made it out of mount he never scored another takedown or a single point for that matter and I was able to rack up 10 points. With about a minute of the match left and the end closing, he shot in for the takedown, I sprawled and attempted a guillotine choke and pulled guard. The choke didn’t stick and my arm slipped off his sweaty neck. Then I attempted a kimura sweep. He stuffed the sweep but I caught a snag on his arm, transitioning to the kimura, I desperately tried to crank the arm to finish. This moment in the match was kind of neat because it was only a few seconds but I remember noticing everyone in the crowd around us, minus his teammates of course, cheering for me. I was the smaller BJJ guy trying to topple the larger wrestler. I also remember looking of my shoulder as I held onto the kimura lock. I could see his face getting redder by the second as he flexed his arm, keeping it stiff and denying me the finish. Lastly I remember looking at my arms shaking as they were fully flex and fatigued from the long match and a voice in my head encouraging me, “Come on!”.

Sadly I was not able to finish the lock and the bruiser wrestler had his hand raised in victory. I suppose the silver lining was that I wore him out during our match. Because in his next match he was finished in 30 seconds via armbar by a guy we all called Brazilian Mike. Strangely enough Brazilian Mike wasn’t from Brazil or Brazilian. If I was able to wear him down that much, in my mind, meant that it was a good match. The best part about this particular match was that it gave me a clear example of how powerful the mental side of things can be. After reflecting on this match, I realized how valuable it is to have the ability to deal with frustration and uncomfortable feelings while being under heavy physical and mental pressure.

There is an interesting feeling that happens during a tournament match or competitive roll in the gym. That feeling is when you feel someone’s body relax and give up, even if it is just for a second. Think back to your own experiences. Have you ever had a good roll with someone and were trying to secure a pass, sweep or submission, and eventually after a struggle you felt their defensive hand positioning and body positioning give way to your attempts? You may even know this sensation from being the one who mentally broke and allowed the person to pass, sweep or submit. During this match I was almost the one that mentally broke. I was fortunate enough to have the resolve to wipe away the defeatist mindset and come back strong in the match. This was a result of hard training and preparation.

The Take Away

After reading this I want you to think for a second. Have you ever let your own personal demon get the better of you during your training? Have you ever found yourself rolling in the gym or in a competition having a conversation inside your head contemplating giving up when things get a little tough? Have you ever been training and just got frustrated because you were in a tough spot and ended up making tons of mistakes as a result of your own frustration? Maybe you just find yourself not pushing through a little discomfort caused by fatigue and sitting out a round during training. If you do any of these things, like most of do, then I have a simple challenge for you. Push through it. Developing mental toughness is very much a personal thing. I can’t develop mental toughness for you and you can’t develop it for me. Your coaches and training partners can help assist, but ultimately, it is up to you to push yourself past your perceived limitations.

5 Tips

Simply be aware of your faults. Start by thinking about situations where you feel the most frustration of discomfort. After pinpointing them, prepare for it next time. Drill to correct mistakes and be ready to relax in those rough spots. It’s always easier to deal with something if you’re prepared.
Positional rolling. Let’s say that you have a horrible time escaping mount and it’s a position that causes you the most trouble. After you drill some escapes. Grab a partner with a good mount and perform escape or submit rounds from mount. Meaning, if you escape, restart in mount and if your partner submits you, restart in mount. This concentrated exposure will desensitize you to the position and allow you to become more calm and composed.
Learn to push yourself in training when you’re uncomfortable. When you become tired or fatigued and feel like you’ve reached your limit. Keep going! Train yourself to push through the mentally accepted limitations and learn to function even when you’re uncomfortable or tired.
Hard rolling. Going hard in the gym will help you develop the kind of grit you need to be assertive on the mat. It will also help you develop the resolve to continue fighting even when your opponent is coming at you strong.
Being in good shape helps. If you are preparing for a tournament it really helps to be in good physical condition. From my experience many times people mentally break because they get tired and fatigued.

*Note that training hard and pushing yourself past your limits is not necessary day to day, all year round. However, if you are experiencing hangups anywhere or are preparing for competitions, its definitely worth doing.

As always, thanks for reading!