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Why do we train BJJ? (Why do you train BJJ?)

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If you are reading this then I have a question to ask you, but first I want you to think about something for a minute.  I want you to think about . . . how many injuries you’ve sustained as a result of training, the money you’ve spent on gis, training gear and gym dues and the amount of time you’ve spent in the gym.

Now here’s the question.

Why do you train?

Why do you put your body in harm’s way and risk injury, spend your time and money and exhaust yourself on the mats day in and day out, week after week, month after month, year after year?

Do you have an answer? Surprisingly this is a question that until recently I hadn’t really put much thought towards. I’ve always trained because it makes me happy, because I enjoy the people I am around, because when I roll I don’t think about anything other than my jiu-jitsu, it keeps me in shape. .. I could go on for a while. The reason I began to think about this question was because I wanted to figure out why some students stay and why others don’t find BJJ as captivating as others. I still don’t have a definite answer as to why someone quits BJJ but I was able to ask many of my students and friends why they come into the gym consistently to train.  After taking in the answers I was given, I compiled them into five general categories.

Below I list the category with an idea to my student’s and friend’s responses followed by my view on it.  

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Community – Many of the students raved about the gym and how amazing the atmosphere is, and how it’s one of the big reasons they continue to train.

My view on it – The people that seem to become entrenched into Brazilian Jiu-jitsu are a special breed.  Most (certainly not all) seem to be amazingly friendly people. If the gym is done right and the instructor is in the right state of mind. A Brazilian Jiu-jitsu gym has the potential to be this amazing environment for friendship, brotherhood, support and a generally uplifting atmosphere.

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Challenge / Competition – Students in one way or another shared how the thrill of competition and challenge was a reason they trained.

My view on it – I feel like challenge is the zest of life. Challenge and adversity keeps us on our toes, keeps us from becoming complacent, keeps us searching for a better way to do things and helps push us into the unknown which can help bring us to new heights of accomplishment. In a life of mortgages, wives, family duties and full time jobs which can seem to run almost on auto pilot at times, BJJ gives someone the chance to have the thrill of facing and overcoming an obstacle.

 

Stress reliever – Students unanimously said that the stress relief from BJJ is amazing. More than one person described the gym as their “sanctuary”.

My view of it – When you step through the doors of your gym, all the stress you had stays outside. If you’re significant other ticked you off earlier, your boss came down on you or whatever problem you have. None of this matters anymore. Nor does your profession or career. Whether that be a lawyer, construction worker, burger flipper, accountant . . . none of this matters. All that matters is your training, how you perform during the drills, how well you execute your moves, how you roll.  You can rid yourself of the stressors of life through the physical and mental exertion required for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Then afterward, you can leave and relaxed and ready to face any stressful situations that may come your way.

 

Learning new techniques – Many of the people I talked to said that another reason was that they enjoyed learning new techniques and moves.

My view on it – Another factor that keeps many students coming, I believe, is the continuation of learning. You can never know everything. There is always someone coming out with something new to play around with, or you find a new variation of a move while training in the gym. The ability to continue learning, growing and being curious are always present in BJJ.

 

 

Health – Many of the students reported considerable weight loss and also a change in their overall diet because of training.

My view on it – I’ve had numerous students and friends lose anywhere from 15lbs – 100+lbs simply from adding BJJ training to their life. Then it seems to have an incentivizing effect. They began to eat healthier and exercise more to improve their performance on the mat. Practicing BJJ gives someone a purpose/reason to be healthier. I mean let’s face it, many people would do well if they simply cut out fast food from their diet and exercise a little, but they don’t. Some people don’t have it in them to be healthy simply for the sake of being healthy. BJJ gives them a reason and can act as a catalyst for improvement of someone’s eating habits and overall health.

 

Fun Video

Check out this video that I watched on the reason that Humans play games. Based on the classification of the video, BJJ is a game. The guy has some other really awesome videos that are worth checking out.  

http://youtu.be/e5jDspIC4hY

 

Thanks for reading and if you’ve never asked yourself the question, “Why do I train?”, then you should and see why aspects of training are most important to you.

Fun Saturday at the N.A.G.A

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This weekend was a lot of fun. I had a small group of guys go down last minute to the NAGA near Nashville. This was the first tournament experience for 3 of my young white belts, and they did a fantastic job. Two of them took double medals home and the other came up a little short in the 3rd and 4th place finals, losing by two points. One of my blue belts also competed and did very well. He had some tough competition in the no gi but snagged a medal for his efforts. Unfortunately he couldn’t compete in the gi because of a popped ankle and jacked up finger he sustained in his semifinals match.

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I always have fun on tournament trips and this was no exception. Tournaments always remind me that BJJ is not just about martial arts, getting a fun colored belt or winning competitions. BJJ is also about the brotherhood and community that comes with the sport. The friendships that are made and the amazing people involved in the sport, because without them it just wouldn’t be worth doing.

As always, thanks for reading. Oh and excuse my hair in these pictures. . . it was a long day of coaching.  😀

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!

 

Chewjitsu at Bellator

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Last weekend I had the privilege of cornering my good friend Brent Weedman for his fight in Bellator.  He did a fantastic job utilizing his stand up and ground arsenal. He pulled out a unanimous decision against a very tough fighter. Brent is an incredible guy and it was a great opportunity to help contribute to his success. The links are below!
 
 
http://www.spike.com/video-clips/b6g0x4/bellator-weedman-vs-zaromskis-act-1
http://www.spike.com/video-clips/usmr10/bellator-weedman-vs-zaromskis-act-2
http://www.spike.com/video-clips/5tbsq5/bellator-weedman-vs-zaromskis-act-3

Video highlight of the training in Palma.

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

Prepare for a BJJ Tournament

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

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

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

Choosing a tournament

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

Things to consider when looking at competitions. . .

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

Techniques and game plan

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

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

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

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

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

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

Leading up to the tournament

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

Things to consider. . .

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

Night before the competition

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

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

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

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

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

Day of the competition

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

Relax

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

Visualize 

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

Warm up: Get Sweaty!

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

During the matches

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

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