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A long list of reasons why people train BJJ

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Back in April I put up a post about why we train BJJ and I got a lot of positive feedback from the post. The idea popped in my head a couple of days ago to do a simple post on my Facebook and just ask a couple of questions, and see what kind of responses I received. What I love most about the responses are that they come from average people. I find it interesting to get responses from the people who make up the majority of practitioners in our sport. Hearing about world champs who have all day to train is great, but I also like hearing about people who’s lives don’t simply revolve around BJJ. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy the responses.

The questions were. . .

  1. Why did you start training?
  2. Why do you continue to train?

The answers were really interesting and I figured some of them could serve as for others. I’ve removed the names of the posters but they consist of every rank from white to black belt, young and old, male and female.

Here are the answers I received. . .

1. I wanted to be able to defend myself.

2. I continue because it helps me improve as a human.

1.I was tired of getting in trouble and partying,

2.I want to stay fit and compete and addicted to the life style..

1. I sold my motorcycle and needed something to do.
2. I want to excel and teach others.

1. I wanted to stay in shape and be able to compete if I choose to.
2. It’s something after next year my whole family will be doing. It gives us all something we do together.

1. Wrestling was over and I still wanted to continue wrestling.
2. To see if I can be as good as everyone thinks I can be/ I’m a competitor I love knowing there is someone better than me out there pushing me to do better

. . . . Oh and to prove doctors wrong that I would never be able to train again , let alone compete after having kidney failure ..that should a been my first answer

1. My husband wanted me to try it
2. “Light bulb” moments, making new friends, constant challenge (mental and physical)

1. Lots of friends did it. So I wanted to share the excitement.
2. The friendships I’ve made while doing it.
3. I needed to be humbled!!!

1.To loose weight after my dr. Told me I couldn’t do it. I knew a conventional gym would be a waste of money.
2. I love to compete and would like to fight mma one day.

1. Kids are mean if you’re a fat ethnic kid with a funny name.
2. Gotta look good for my wife and I still have a funny name.

1) I wanted to learn how to choke people
2) I like choking people

1) it started out as a joke to my dad that I wanted to try jiu jitsu
2) after my first practice I loved it

1. My best friend invited me to watch him compete in a summer tournament. BJJ was the coolest thing I had ever seen and I said “I want to do THAT.”
2. I stopped about a year and a half ago, after training for three and a half years, because of time constraints and laziness. But I will be back someday! After I finish undergrad hopefully.

1. To learn how to defend myself with my friend, and to have common ground with my son
2. I continue to learn new things and challenge myself at new/different levels!

1.) I always liked watching jiu-jitsu, wanted to give it a whirl.
2.). Exercise, camaraderie, and just the drive to be better than the day before.

Therapy, fight, and compete

1. I started BJJ because I saw a highlight video of one of my future teammates arm barring people and I wanted to be able to do that!

2. I have gotten more back from BJJ than I will ever be able to put in! I have made incredible friends, found a place where truth rules (the mats never lie) and a place that I am at peace. But I continue to strive to reach my goal of being a black belt competitor that can give the best fits on any given day. Long but fun road!!

1) I got bored with lifting weights and needed a change.

2) I like the science behind the art

1) A friend (who trained BJJ) and I were working at the Lexington Athletic Club together and he thought I might like it for the self-defense/combat aspects. He was right.
2) I had never encountered something so humbling. Refused to quit until I got good at it. I still have a LONG way to go.

1. A couple of dudes I thought were cool did it.

2. Half of my friends are people I met at Derby City, getting beat up a few nights a week is great for stress relief

1. Found out I had no idea how to defend myself, so I wanted to learn.
2. It is both mentally and physically challenging. Nothing can compare to it. If you have done jiu-jitsu and didn’t become addicted to it, you are just crazy.

1. I was looking for the best martial art for my son. I started so we could do something together (I still miss those days of dominating the kids classes).
2. I still train because of fitness, competition, friends and I’m too stubborn to quite. Black Belt or bust (hopefully black belt happens first).

1.) Because I was getting bullied and I wanted to learn how to fight back
2.) I found a love for the sport and wanted to get better at it

1.After wrestling so just wanted to wrestle and watched a lot of the UFC
2.Its a way of life for me now

1 Mr. Kazushi Sakuraba
2 because it is challenging.

1.Curiosity around jiu jitsu, and my competitive nature.

2.It is addictively fun/competitive, you will meet the greatest people, and the most important reason now i think is to dedicate myself to the art so for enjoyment and so that i may help others grow and find joy through bjj the same way that I have!

1. I saw Bloodsport, Above the Law, and Fists of Fury when I was around 5 and and wanted to be a martial arts master one day lol. I did Kung Fu before MMA got big and came to Derby city because of my friend who trained there and said I wouldn’t ever go.

2. To push myself, defend myself, stay healthy, relieve stress, something to be proud of, to have continuous goals to meet, and its just fun.

1. to stay active and have goals to push towards at all times

2 to stay competitive and become a better martial artist

1) my dad taught me that men train their fitness and can fight even if they choose not to

2) it became the framework of my life and worldview. Now I feel like the day I stop trying to improve is the day I start accepting decay.

1. I was always a little weakling kid always afraid to standup to the bully!

2. Today i continue because the art and the competition has become one with me… oh, and it makes me look like i’m 28 as opposed to 36!!

1) I started cause I wrestled in high school and love competing. And Jiu jitsu is closest sport to wrestling.
2) I love this sport and love ppl I’m training with. First when I started I thought ppl here would be mean, douchebags but I was surprised how friendly they all were its like brotherhood there and how my instructor doesn’t mind to take some time and show u if u don’t get it from first time.

1. I started bjj to challenge myself and to do a different workout.

2. My ultimate goal is to achieve my black belt, however when that goal is met I will just be a white belt that never quit. Also my training partners are family, you don’t quit on family.

1. I started training BJJ bcuz i never did BJJ it was new mix martial art to me. Now that ive been practicing i LOVE it.

2. I would like to contiune alot more training to compete and fight in MMA. I feel that my heart tells me this is ur new chapter of ur life. I know it takes alot of work to be on top. But ill leave it to my two if im good enough to fight.

7 methods to drilling and adding new techniques to your BJJ (Part 6)

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I wrote previously about restrictive rolling with a partner of lesser skill. Now let’s look at restrictive rolling with a partner or similar or higher skill. It’s essentially the same thing. . . only better. Again, all this really means is rolling with a definite goal against someone who is as good or better than you by restricting yourself to a select group of techniques and positions you wish to improve upon.

Seems pretty simple right? It is. . . sort of.

In theory, taking techniques that you aren’t incredibly familiar with and trying them out during rolling is simple. Rolling this way is rather easy with people that you out match. You can try and go for a move and if you expose yourself you can simply recover and control the situation again. However, against a person of similar skill, if you make a mistake they may submit or out position you. Combine the competitive nature of BJJ and the competitive nature of most people, and the thought of “losing” can hinder someone from opening up.  But taking risks, getting out of your comfort zone and opening up are all things that you need to do in order to improve your game, so forget about “losing” when rolling this way.  

Now, you don’t have to tell your partner you are working on anything in particular. Just roll with them and try to go after the techniques and positions that you are focusing on. This will be a bit stressful on your body since you will be against an opponent who is better equipped to deal with whatever you’re working on. Often, when using a new set of techniques you will find yourself having to muscle through it, or because of unfamiliarity, you will be more exhausted than usual. This is caused by both your body’s lack of efficiency with the movements and the stress brought on by engaging with a skilled opponent.  Because you cannot consider a move fully implemented until you can perform it under high pressure situations, the sooner you start attempting new moves against higher level guys, the better.   

Rolling this way will also have the side benefit of creating scrambles and at times leaving you in a less desirable position. By doing this you will be forced to become better at scrambling which is important (ever roll with a good wrestler?), and it will push you to work out of bad positions, effectively improving your defensive abilities. Just be sure to figure out the mistakes or weakness of the move that allowed you to end up in those positions and correct them.

Finally, if you should use the techniques against a higher belt level and they successfully defend or counter them. Don’t be afraid to ask them what they did or what you could have done.  Don’t ask them in the middle of the roll or anything, but grab them after class and just ask about what happened during the roll and if there is anything you might be able to improve upon. I have yet to meet a BJJ practitioner / instructor unwilling to share a tip here and there.

Again, what I am writing about isn’t some sort of secret way to get better. The idea is simple and effective, but implementation can be difficult because you will be forced out of your comfort zone. That being said, the sooner you lose the fear and experiment, the sooner your game will grow.

 

Benefits of Restrictive Rolling with people of similar skill

  • Helps improve your defensive techniques and scrambling ability since you may lose positioning while trying to perform the newer techniques.
  • Gives you more exposure on the techniques you’re perfecting in a live setting.
  • Helps you find new ways to get the same techniques or positions.
  • If you are going against someone of a higher level they may be able to give you helpful tips on what you’re working on.
  • Breaks training plateaus by giving you clear goals to achieve
  • Hitting a newly added move on a person who’s game you respect is a huge confidence booster.

7 methods to drilling and adding new techniques to your BJJ (Part 4)

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Alright, now that the Pans are over and I am ready to continue on in this series. In this post we will talk about training with a less skilled partner and how to make the most of it in regards to further developing our technique. When rolling with a person who is less skilled than you, what should you do? Should you beat them mercilessly over and over again or play around with different techniques you’re improving? Well. . . both. There is always going to be a need for the people under you to feel the pressure and to be pushed by a more experienced BJJ player. This helps shed light on weaknesses in their game that you are able to exploit. During hard competition training sessions where the environment has to be tough to prepare someone for a match this is also helpful.  However, it is also beneficial to work on specific techniques and in essence use your less experienced partners as active drilling partners. This is the style of training we will focus on for this post since this series is about developing new techniques for your game. We will call this Restrictive Rolling.  Again I will stress, I am not writing about anything that is ground breaking. Instead this series is just reminding you of ways that you can train deliberately and with a purpose.

Restrictive rolling against lesser skilled training partners

When trying to develop techniques and build them up, every bit of exposure with the moves and position is huge. Each successful or failed use of a technique inches you closer to mastering it.  With this in mind I find it valuable to use people that I exceed in experience as active drilling partners, a sort of testing ground for new techniques.

I’ll explain what I mean. 

I am a black belt and if I roll with . . . let’s say. . . a blue belt. I can certainly put the “brakes” on their movements and grind them with pressure till I submit them. Over and over and over again. Now like I said previously, this is sometimes necessary but certainly not always. I find it mutually beneficial when I work towards very specific movements and techniques and at the same time giving my partner a chance to attempt something. For example, if I am working on getting to back mount. I will fight furiously to find a way to my partners back. I will avoid finishing them in any other position even if the opportunity is there to get to the back. Once I get to the back I will let them escape so that I can find a way to regain the back position again. This allows for my lower belted training partner chances to attack and practice their escapes. Another example is I will let my partner pass my guard and get to a dominant position. I will make them fight for it but eventually (as long as their technique is good) I will let them pass my guard. Once they have secured a good position I will them work my way out of it. These are just two examples but obviously you can do with this almost any situation or technique.

 

The difference of restrictive rolling opposed to situational rolling which we talked about earlier, is that you do this during full rolls where everything is fair game. This has the potential to make it more difficult to get to the desired positions and use the techniques. Since during a full roll, your partner may not give you the necessary openings you need for your techniques. While this is more difficult it has the ability to make you better at finding your way to the positions. Essentially as the name implies, you are restricting yourself to a very specific group of techniques or positions regardless of what your opponent does.  

 

Benefits of Restrictive Rolling with people less skilled than yourself

  • Allows the lower belt to work with techniques as well, rather than getting smashed the whole time.
  • Gives you more exposure on the techniques you’re perfecting in a live setting.
  • Since your partner is less skilled than yourself, it allows you to mentally relax in unfamiliar positions you’re working on.
  • Helps you find new ways to get the same techniques or positions.
  • If you are a higher belt or in an instructing position, it allows you to see possible weaknesses the lower belt has. Which you can give them advice on.

 

So the next time you are rolling with someone whom you know you can beat. Give them a break and help yourself improve. Throw your “A game” and ego to the side for a bit and try and play with techniques that you are either not as experienced with or still perfecting. The partners will appreciate the ability to work on things and you will gain valuable experience with the moves you’re implementing into your game.

7 methods to drilling and adding new techniques to your BJJ (Part 3)

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Back to passive drilling!

So now that you have been doing reps of your techniques and you’ve also been doing some situational rolling you have probably become much more comfortable with the position and techniques you are trying to use. Along with being more comfortable you have also probably hit some snags during training. When I say snags I mean that you’ve experienced someone countering or defending your techniques.  Maybe you go for a pass and your opponent brings his legs in to counter, or maybe you go for a triangle and the person shoots their head and body up to deny you the lock. Whatever it is, these situations can prove aggravating and unless you address them your techniques will be somewhat ineffective.

A solution

Once you encounter problems and the moves stop working by themselves, its time to move onto chain drilling. Wrestlers would be familiar with this as chain wrestling. This is where you do repetitions, much as we talked about in part 1, but instead of drilling them as standalone movements you will combine them with other techniques. Thus creating a sequence that will prepare you for possible obstacles you may face when executing your moves.

Here’s how to do it

  • Take a move that you are using but are having some problems with. (i.e a counter, defenses, etc)  
  • Next consult with your instructor or research a solution to your problem.
  • Once you have the technique you need to combat the issue you’re having, drill it just like you would any other move. Just perform it as part of a sequence with the other techniques.

This is pretty much just a modified version of part 1. I consider the first post to be about introducing a move into your repertoire. This post is more about refining the techniques or adding to them after you’ve used them. Lets face it, you have to use a technique before you can be sure about the kind of problems you will run into.  Consider this type of drilling as the next stage of a moves progression.

 

Benefits to chain drilling

  • Further develops the techniques you are trying to build up.  
  • Develops solutions to problems you are having during live training.
  • Allows you to combine multiple movements for a dynamic BJJ game.

Thanks for reading!

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.

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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How Bloodsport shaped my BJJ journey (yeah I know. . . Bloodsport)

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The Martial Arts Movie Factor and rather amusing analogy

So before you start reading this post I want you to think back to all the different martial arts movies you may have watched over the course of your life. My favorite martial arts movie when I was a kid was Bloodsport. That movie probably had more impact on me than any other movie I’ve ever watched. I remember being so impressed with the martial arts skills of Jean Claude Van Damme and I would ohh and awe at the sight of Bolo Yeung’s massive physique.  Now when you are thinking about your martial art movie, I want you to think about the training montage that it inevitably had at some point.  The main character of the film more than likely had been beaten or wronged earlier in the movie and at the time their skills were not sufficient to tackle the obstacle. After this is when the montage typically started. The wronged martial artist then goes into training with a feverous pace, pushing their body and mind to the breaking point. Once the adequate skills were acquired they go to accomplish their goal and make themselves and their teacher proud. In the case of Bloodsport, Jean Claude Van Damme trains with his instructor in seclusion. When the montage begins he is beaten up and thrown all over the place. Over the course of the few minutes (accompanied by music from Stan Bush. . .hell yea) you see Jean Claude progress and he begins to slowly get the better of his teacher. Eventually he exceeds the skills of his master and is ready to take on anything that stands in front him. Whether it be a 80s arcade game or an evil muscle bound martial artist in the Kumite.

The Headhunter Mentality

Throughout my time in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu I have always sought to better myself and push my body and my skill to their limits. An effect of this ambition is that I became a sort of head hunter when I would rolled. I wanted to beat higher belts and my instructors, and I wanted to attack them all out in order to prove that I could push them.  Even if I couldn’t submit them I might be able to pass their guard or get a close sweep. When I was a white belt I would roll with a purple or brown belt with the same “I want to win” mindset. While I knew my attempts would be futile, if I could just make them adjust or scramble then in my mind, I had won. I believed that if I could catch them off balance or execute a move on them then I was progressing.  Just like in the martial art movie montages.

Passing the mentality on to my students

Recently I was asked from a few of my less experienced students if it was ok to go after the higher ranking belts when rolling. After reading the previous paragraph you should know my answer was yes.  I feel like the atmosphere of everyone pushing one another to new levels is the best.  Another student asked if he visited another gym if it was ok to roll hard with their students just like he does with his training partners at our gym. I told him that as long as everyone was in agreement that it would be a full on roll, then sure.  I personally would encourage students from other gyms who are visiting to go after my students and try to beat them so that they could learn from one another.

Recently I was told by one of my students who switched to our gym from another; that his old gym frowned upon hard rolling. I thought this to be silly and irrational. Then I have also recently seen an influx of talk recently about flowing more than hard training. When I read things denouncing the benefits of hard rolling I couldn’t help but sit back and shake my head.  I mean there is a time and a place for flowing and lighter rolling, like when you are injured, working a new position, drilling, rolling with newer students, etc.  Even when I roll easier with less experienced students I expect them to attack me with their full effort.  Flow rolling can never teach the practical application of a technique like hard rolling, or teach a student how to deal with the natural stresses that a physical engagement brings.

What is hard rolling in my opinion?

When I say “hard rolling”, understand I don’t mean being a spaz or recklessly aggressive. Instead I mean pushing yourself and your partner with the full brunt of your technique fueled by your body’s athletic threshold in relation to grappling. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is about technique first and foremost, and then the body enters the equation.

Is this mentality correct?

With all this said, I’m an open minded person and believe we can always improve, so I began to do a little introspection and see if my mentality was negative or disrespectful.  I thought pretty hard about this, talked to several of my students at all levels, and consulted my instructors as well as read interviews with successful BJJ practitioners.  The questions I was trying to answer for myself were. . .

1. Is the mentality of my training disrespectful?

2. Is this style of training productive and conducive to growth and skill?

3. Are my students happy?

4. Am I happy with what I have helped create?

Below are my answers and the thought process that went into them.

  • Is the mentality of my training disrespectful?

No, it is not disrespectful to train very hard and attempt to best your training partners and opponents. In the end this is a one on one sport and while we do belong to teams and affiliations, its all about personal growth.  How can you expect to push yourself and your friends if you never open up? I also looked around at my students after a hard training session where everyone had tried their best to submit one another and everyone is smiling, laughing and happy.  I also thought about my own journey. Did I ever attempt to beat my friends and training partners out of ill feelings or disrespect? Not even close, in fact it was the direct opposite! I respected their games so much that I felt forced to go hard and use my best techniques in order to best theirs.  Honestly I would find it disrespectful or out of place if the person did not roll hard with me, assuming this was that kind of training we engaged in at the time.  I was also always trying to show my instructors that I was a good student and that I was getting better, just like in the martial arts movies!

  • Is this style of training productive and conducive to growth and skill?

I believe the answer is an easy yes. By pushing one another we continually sharpen our skills and grow together. The old phrase “iron sharpens iron” would not be out of place to help explain my theory. We are also a competition school and have to continually test our game against other gyms and we consistently do very well.  Next , I read through interviews of well-respected and highly decorated BJJ players to see what they may have said on the subject of hard training. All the interviews revealed that they thought hard training was not an option but rather a necessity for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to be effective and to learn how to apply it properly.  Lastly, training hard doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with your game. Mistakes and losing are necessary parts of growth and by having your techniques beaten you can see what sort of flaws are in your game.  Experimenting with new moves and techniques essentially allows you to plug holes in your game or to expose gaps that you may have not even noticed!

  • Are my students happy?

As stated earlier after hard training sessions my students all have smiles on their faces. Granted they are breathing heavily and pools of sweat lay at their feet, but they are all happy that they pushed themselves and their partners that day. Sure sometimes they will have ups and downs which are a common occurrence. Maybe a lower belt caught them in a submission or maybe they were just off that day or perhaps they’re hitting a plateau.  All this doesn’t matter because all in all the experience is positive. Also my competitors and fighters are happy with the results of their hard training when they return with medals, belts, prize money, bragging rights, etc.  My non competitors are happy with the weight loss, improvement of themselves and being a part of a successful team which they helped create.  Many of my students will train at other gyms from time to time, whether because of travel or because of curiosity. They always return very happy with the results and are excited to tell me how their styled fair against others. I would safely say that yes my students are happy.

  • Am I happy with what I have helped create?

I am incredibly happy with the gym and with my students. Our gym has produced champions and medalists in the Worlds, Pans, numerous IBJJF tournaments, Grapplers Quest, N.A.G.A, E.G.O, O.G.C, and the list goes on. Along with these impressive competition results we have help people of all walks of life achieve weight loss and fitness goals. More than this though, is the community we’ve built. When I see the brotherhood and unity between my students I can’t help but be ecstatic about the atmosphere we have created. A bond built with blood and sweat.

 Conclusion

After going through this and trying to examine the situation at all angles I have decided that for myself and my students that we will continue to train hard, push each other all in the confines of mutual respect and brotherhood for the betterment of ourselves. While some instructors may not agree or choose to take this approach I feel that it is the best way to train and the best way to build proper effectiveness in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Also, I believe my job as a BJJ teacher is to make my students better than I am. When I eventually have one my students submit me when I am giving them my all then I have achieved, in my eyes, one of the ultimate accomplishments as an instructor. The only way this accomplishment is possible is through hard training and pushing one another. My student has to become like Jean Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport (or the main character of any martial arts movie) and go after his instructor with their full effort.

P.S. Sorry for the silly movie analogy, but I figured it would be a good way to relate to all the martial arts geeks out there.

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