Rolling In The Fog

My wife and I were recapping the last few classes one evening. Every now and then, we’ll get into pretty hearty conversations about Jiu-Jitsu, specifically what we’re feeling or thinking in regard to our own journeys. Recently, my wife had been complaining about feeling foggy headed. Her focus was off and she just wasn’t able to retain things. Even conversations we’d been having recently, she seems to have no recollection of.

She brought this up by asking if we could review the moves from this last week because she complained just about nothing stuck with her. But then she said something I found to be quite insightful. In the midst of her not being able to concentrate in class, she said she had been having some really good rolls lately. She talked about how she was instinctively doing things to defend, and just overall felt more fluid and flowy. She said she had been so foggy headed lately, that she couldn’t overthink her Jiu-Jitsu.

I thought that was interesting. That for someone who typically overthinks, it took being foggy headed in order to break out of that. I mean, I hope it breaks her out of it. I too fall victim of overthinking. I find myself stalling rather often, trying to think my way out of a situation. Sometimes it works. I can visualize the problem and solution, and then execute. Sometimes it doesn’t, the hesitation allows my opponent to get two steps ahead of me, rather than just the one. Now I have to play catch up, which typically leads to more thinking.

I began to think, how can we roll like we’re foggy headed, but with a clear and open state of mind?

How can we roll with less thinking? How to you develop the skill to roll instinctively?

I started considering some of the drills we were doing for a while at our academy. They were these flow drills. They were these situational drills, where instead of drilling one move, it would be a chain of them, with specific reactions from your partner. They would start in a position, go through various sweeps, escapes and transitions, including defended submission attempts, and would ultimately end the driller in a dominant position and submission.

So why do I bring these up? I thought they were great for beginners, including myself at the time, and even now, to learn how all these things we are learning go together. I think they also started to get you thinking instinctively, for a beginner. It created a “if… then…” reaction to certain things. For example, “if they stand up in my guard, then I will do the waiter sweep.”

Now, as we progress, this obviously cannot be the solution. You are not going to get very far if you only have one answer to a few problems, but it is something to build off of. It lays the foundation. So, as you advance and you can see how it all flows together better, your “if… then…” becomes “if… then my options are…” Again, for example, “if they stand up in my guard, then I can do the waiter sweep, enter into De la Riva, or transition to single leg X,” and we continue to build on that foundation.

What these drills also did was give you a progression. It gave you a route. I think what can happen to a lot of people is that they think and work so hard to do something, let’s say, pass someone’s guard, that once they finish the pass into side control, they now have a new problem to address. Working these flow drills, you have that same reaction as before. You already have a game plan going into side control. Again, it’s a foundation to build upon, but it’s already there.

Something I find myself doing is getting into a position, and then trying to dust off the rolodex of options I’ve been taught or seen over the years. I get caught up trying to recall something we did a year and a half ago and I haven’t touched since, especially if I end up I the position we are currently working on. There’s a good feeling in hitting the move of the day, but the problem is everyone is watching out for it.

Because of this, I started limiting my options. I set mini-goals or things I want to focus on. For the most part, I keep these pretty well. They may be things like only submitting from mount or back, do not play close guard, no other submissions until I get x-y-z, or find a Kimura for control or submission at least once per roll.

What I’ve noticed is that doing these small goals or focus points helps me to hone in my game. It helps me work on and figure out what works for me, what techniques I struggle with, and what my go-to moves are or should be. It also helps with my vision. Not the eyesight vision, but Jiu-Jitsu vision- being able to visualize what’s happening to progress through the roll. It helps me to see things that I couldn’t before (i.e. searching for a particular submission, sweep, or control point). I think it helps develop that see/feel and respond reaction rather than see/feel, process/think then act.

Hopefully thinking through this will help me… help us, to stop overthinking while rolling.

Thanks for reading.

The Value of a Good Roll

You know the feeling after you had a really good roll? I’m not necessarily talking about a roll where you are getting sub after sub. A good roll in my mind is typically a roll with someone of equal or higher rank and/or skill. You just have that feeling afterwards.

Sometimes I am concerned that the feeling is unwarranted. Sometimes I’m worried that I feel better at Jiu-Jitsu than I actually am. Even when I get a compliment from the person I rolled with, is it just them exchanging niceties after the timer beeps? A side note, I personally try not to give a blanket, “good roll,” if it was indeed not a good roll. If it’s not an issue I think needs to be addressed, I typically just stick with a, “thanks,” adding occasionally, “for the roll.” Or maybe a, “good work,” but I try to stay away from complimenting a roll if it was not worthy.

The other night I had one of these rolls. It was with a purple belt who promoted the same time as I did to blue. And after the roll, I had that good roll feeling. Not because I tapped a higher rank or even go the best of him at one point. It was just an overall good roll. There were technical control points, submission attempts, escapes, sweeps – it was over all a good roll.

I remember a while ago, about midway through my white belt, I hit a slump, or plateau. I felt like I was stagnant in my Jiu-Jitsu, and my rolls felt enervated. Now, I play a lazier game of Jiu-Jitsu than one may expect, but at this time it felt exceptionally sluggish. I showed up to day class one morning and it was nearly all blue belts or higher. I had some really tough, but good rolls. It was revitalizing. There was something about having a morning of good rolls that broke that plateau feeling. I remember feeling good after that class, but there was a noticeable difference in my next class. It seemed like the techniques being taught were clicking and I had another set of great rolls that evening.

I think a lot of it boils down to complacency. I think it is easy for folks to fall into this trap of training with the same people, rolling with the same group, and it all leads down this road to becoming complacent in our Jiu-Jitsu. I personally try my best to rotate who I work, drill and roll with. Now, I have my preferred partners for drilling during class, as we get good work done while learning the technique, and we all have the people we enjoy rolling for one reason or the other. I’m not saying to not play favorites, I’m just saying we, as Jiu-Jitsu practitioners need to be sure to diversify when it comes to training. It helps stay out of ruts and stay away from complacency.

Unfortunately, this formula isn’t the magic sauce for success. I have had those weeks where I felt like the slump was coming on, so I purposefully went out seeking those good rolls to snap me out of my funk. And whatever the case may be, I just ended up being a tack nail getting walloped by a sledge hammer. It didn’t help the slump. It was actually a bit discouraging. So use caution. Go into it with one of my life mantras: No expectations, no disappointments.

So back to the other night. We had this good roll. He didn’t give a generic response at the buzzer, there was a compliment and a mutual agreement about how fun the roll was. But the icing on the cake came shortly after we all left the mat. One of the brown belts caught up with me and complimented a particular part of the roll. Now, I am NOT one for public praise or acknowledgement. I mean, I was the guy who would schedule leave during promotion and award ceremonies to avoid having to be publicly acknowledged. I am not a praise seeker. I don’t actively reject praise like some people I know, but I am not out there trying to get everyone’s attention. But the fact that I had that good roll feeling combined with another senior guy complementing the Kimura I was using to sweep and control my partner confirmed the good roll feeling that I was having.

And honestly, of the three rolls that night, I didn’t have a bad one. And they were all good for different reasons, but the apex of the night was this particular roll.

But all this got me thinking. What makes a good roll?

Generically speaking. I know the good roll feeling rolls may be hard to describe, but what makes a good roll? After much deliberation on the topic, I think I’ve narrowed it down to two major factors.

1. Technique: A roll without techniques is, well, I’m not sure, but it ain’t fun. We all know when we’ve had a technical roll where or we’ve seen one where you can honestly think to yourself, “we were (or they were) doing Jiu-Jitsu.” Equally yoked technique is even better.

2. Movement: Sweeps, transitions, escapes. I know I’ve been stuck under the big guy’s side control for 4 out of the 5 minutes in a round, and I never chalk those up to being good rolls. Now, it doesn’t need to be constant movement, that’s exhausting, but a good roll should be much more than one guy pinning another. The movement should also be technical as well. Uncontrolled, aggressive movement gets you put in that spazzy category.

So, what is it for you? What makes a good roll? Let us know.

Thanks for reading.

7 Ass’es

I came across this quote from Helio Gracie, “Always assume that your opponent is going to be bigger, stronger and faster than you; so that you learn to rely on technique, timing and leverage rather than brute strength.” Reading it, I got to thinking about what he said and what I’ve read up on in regard to the history of Jiu-Jitsu. The beauty of Jiu-Jitsu is that it was designed for the little guy. It was an art the yielded to the strengths of your opponent and exploited their weaknesses.

On the mats, I always assume that my opponent is going to be more skilled than I. With the exception of maybe first year white belts with no prior experience, I always assume that my opponent’s technical skills will be greater than mine. This may not be the best school of thought, but for me, I know that I will have to not only use good technique, but also attempt to mask it and use bait to capitalize on my opponent’s reactions. Let me be clear, I do not go into a roll assuming that my opponent will “beat” me just that they are better than I.

But I don’t think Helio said this in reference to the Americanized Jiu-Jitsu academy/gym model. He was very likely referring to either street fights, vale tudo bouts or the Gracie Challenge. In these scenarios, you seldom had a say in who your opponent was. So, let’s break this down a bit.

Assumption #1: Your opponent will be bigger than you.

This can be extremely frustrating, even when the opponent is untrained. Add a little skill to that size and you are essentially doomed. I recently read somewhere, one of the Gracie’s has this rule of thumb about size and age. It was something like for every 20 pounds your trained opponent has on you, you can add a belt advantage. And I think that makes sense. I frequently roll with a few fellow blue belts who have 20 or 40 pounds on me, and it feels like I’m rolling a higher-level belt. Yes, some may be skill in different aspects of the game, but some has to be chalked up to size. I don’t avoid rolls with heavier class teammates (unless it’s back-to-back, then I’ll try to find some reprieve), but I know and understand that higher minds than my developed weight classes, and for good measure. But back to the untrained. There have been plenty of times that I have been partnered with the new big guy, and no, not every technique works, but there are techniques and leverage points that consistently do. And that’s part of the Jiu-Jitsu game, is knowing what will or won’t work on any given opponent.

Assumption #2: Your opponent will be stronger than you.

This is a relatively easy assumption for me. I have left my heavy lifting days far behind me. I still workout out, but I’m much more focused on bodyweight, or bodyweight plus a plate carrier, rather than power lifting and whatnot. So, I assume anyone who looks the part or I’ve seen frequent the weight room at the academy as stronger than me. If nothing else, I assumed the new guys are going to naturally try to use all the muscle they have in their early stages of Jiu-Jitsu. I was recently showing a friend some techniques in Jiu-Jitsu, kind of a 30,000-foot view of what Jiu-Jitsu is. His remark was that he liked that it didn’t take muscle, but more muscle memory to be successful in many of the techniques. And that’s what I like about Jiu-Jitsu too. After a class, I am seldom sore like I used to be after the gym. I may be beat or exhausted, but more of a prolonged smoke session from my military days rather than no longer being able to use my arms or walk down the stairs sore from my lifting days. Yes, strength is an asset in Jiu-Jitsu, but technique, leverage and timing can beat it out.

Assumption #3: Your opponent will be faster than you.

Going back to that Gracie rule of thumb from Assumption #1, he also said for every 10 years your junior, your opponent gets a hypothetical belt advantage on you. Here’s the thing. If you’ve been around a while, you’ve gotten stuck with a spazzy rolling partner. I typically focus on control and isolation, essentially slowing them down to a near stop. I don’t need to prove myself, I just need to protect myself from potential injury from them jolting about. Now, speed does not always equal spaz. Just the other night I was rolling with a more experienced dude, and he did not stop moving. It took everything I had to find a control point and slow him down. But not once did it feel spazzy. Not once was I worried about him jerking in a dangerous way. It was a great roll, and he was using his speed to his advantage. But to that point, I was able to use a technique to control, sweep and pin him for a moment. Technique did beat speed, and forced him to fight technique with technique.

So how do we overcome these three assumptions? Well, learning the art of Jiu-Jitsu empowers us with three assets according to this quote.

Asset #1: Technique

Technique is going to come with time. And depending on each individual, that time range varies. If you want to develop better technique, you need to drill with purpose. Get extra reps in when you can, and I think most importantly, try out the new moves in a live roll or positional sparring match. Don’t just revert to your same ol’ game.

Asset #2: Timing

Again, timing will come with, well, time. A lot of Jiu-Jitsu is based on feel. Not just feel, like finding their elbow without looking or knowing which ankle is crossed over which when you’re in their guard, but feel of when it’s time to throw a technique, when it’s time to bail, when it is time squeeze out that submission. I would say a lot of the timing is tied up in the feeling of Jiu-Jitsu. There is some technical timing, but most of it is going to rely on developing the feeling of Jiu-Jitsu.

Asset #3: Leverage

You know that friend I was talking about earlier? Leverage was one of the things that blew his mind. I can’t remember the exact technique we were reviewing, but at one point he asked a “what if…” and my response was non-verbal. I remember using my foot to lift his shin off the mat to the point where he had no base and I poked his shoulder and he flopped over onto his back. He just laughed. Now, a shin-lift-shoulder-poke technique would likely not work on the mats or in a real fight, but it was more of the principle that I can find leverage points to use in my favor.

There you have it. Helio says that we should learn to rely on these first three assets, technique, timing and leverage to develop our Jiu-Jitsu game. But he also says to use them over brute strength. I read that as strength is a fourth asset. But it’s last because in Jiu-Jitsu, the first three assets here win over strength. But I’m not delusional in thinking that there isn’t a time nor place for strength. But there’s no need to use it all the time. I was rolling with a newer white belt. He’s been there a while, but hasn’t quite earned his first stripe yet. After the roll I thought to myself, “How was it possible that he was flexing every muscle in his body for the entire 5 minutes, and we still have 3 rounds to go?” I mean, this guy was straining. You could tell he was zoned in on and only using that fourth asset, strength. And it wasn’t strategically applied strength, it was that brute strength Helio references. So right there, in that last sentence – strategically applied strength. That’s it.

Asset #4: Strategically Applied Strength.

See above.

Thanks for reading.

How Easily We Can Fall Away

So, a while back I wrote about finally getting my friend to try out Jiu-Jitsu. It was a story of persistent pursuit that led to him signing on at our academy. It was a great victory for expanding the cult… I mean… growing our tribe.

But here’s the problem. That was the point where I stopped being persistent. I’d check in on him, but our work schedules seemed to be opposite of each other for the next month or so. So, there was no in person accountability. There was one morning class he asked if I would be at, and unfortunately, that was the one morning class that I wouldn’t be at that week. I’m pretty sure he didn’t go.

And if you can’t tell, I’m not putting the blame on him. I’m taking ownership of the lapse in my persistence. I stopped pursuing him because I thought the race had been won. He signed on. He paid money. He had the bug. But he hadn’t developed the habit of going that leads to the discipline to continue. He had been motivated, but lacked the discipline necessary to keep on it.
But don’t get me wrong, if the roles were reversed, I’d be the one taking ownership of my lapse in attendance. I’d be looking at my excuses and thinking what a pitiful lump I was being. But the roles aren’t reversed. I’m still going on a regular basis, even when I don’t feel like it. I still show up to morning class after a 12-hour shift. I still go on the nights I’d rather sit at home and crack a beer or two. I’ve taken ownership of my Jiu-Jitsu journey.

It really got me thinking about just how easily we can fall away from the things in our life that are good for us. In this instant, it was his skipping a class or two. That is the worst thing you can do, especially at the beginning. Once you skip a class or two, it is a struggle to get back out there. It becomes a compounded excuse. It becomes a procrastination. You start to think to yourself, “I already missed two classes this week, I’ll start fresh next week.” But that proverbial “next week” never actually comes.

It can happen in our faith, too. I’ve seen a very similar situation. A couple, young in their faith journey, started attending church regularly. But there was one Sunday they opted to head to the beach instead. And then the excuses would pile on. “Well, we already missed the first message in this series, so we’ll catch it at the start of the next one.” And sooner or later the beach becomes the focus of their worship.

Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. There can be fruit from skipping out of corporate worship from time to time. But not to merely do worldly thing. There are times that a family may need to do church as an individual family unit, and that’s fine. It’s good. It’s biblical. But it’s equally good to be around a body of believers. To be involved with Christ’s bride, the Church.

But more so in our Jiu-Jitsu journey, it’s necessary to be around other Jiu-Jitsu people. Have you tried doing Jiu-Jitsu alone? It doesn’t quite hit the same, and I’d say it is impossible to grow and advance by yourself.
This may be a weird connection, but that’s what this blog is about, thinking on those weird connections and putting them down on (digitized) paper.

Anyways, what’s the lesson? What’s the takeaway?

Well, from where I’m standing, it all boils down to ownership. It all boils down to taking responsibility. Both of our own lives and of our duty to others. Here’s what I mean. By being persistent and getting my friend to dip his toe into the world of Jiu-Jitsu, I signed a non-verbal, non-written agreement with him. I had become his Jiu-Jitsu accountability partner. I was his Jiu-Jitsu sponsor. It was my unspoken duty to help him along in his journey, answer questions, work on the fundamentals, and most importantly, offer accountability. And I failed him.

So, it’s time to get back on that persistence wagon. It’s time to bombard him with Jiu-Jitsu memes and gifs and asking when the next class he’s going to is. Inviting him along, offering to drive, or telling him I’ll buy him ice cream… whatever it takes to get him to go consistently until he develops the habit of going. And once that habit is set, slowly ween him off and see if that habit is set enough for him to go on his own.

I know that Jiu-Jitsu is going to be good for him, I know he knows it is good for him. It’s just working on building his habits. Making it part of his life. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times- Jiu-Jitsu isn’t a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. That’s where he needs to get. He needs to get from it being something he does to Jiu-Jitsu being something that is part of his life.

Here’s my bottom line: Go to Church and go to Jiu-Jitsu. They’re good for you.

Thanks for reading.

Gi vs No Gi

If you’ve been around Jiu-Jitsu as long as it takes to say the name, then you’ve likely heard this argument. Gi or no gi. A constant struggle for a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner is deciding on what to focus on. Depending on schedules and your school, your options may be limited, and you may have to pick between the two. And while gi and no gi are two sides of the same coin, they couldn’t be more different. There’s arguments for both sides of the coin which I’ll provide a brief fly over and share my thoughts along the way.

The first thing I’ll tackle is the cost difference. There is a financial commitment to training in the gi. For training no gi, even if you go out and spend money on grappling shorts and a rash guard, if you quit three months down the road, that gear can be worn as regular athletic attire. There’s not much outside the Jiu-Jitsu world for a gi. Trust me, I’ve tried to convince my brother to let me wear one of my swankier gis at his wedding. It didn’t fly.

One of my personal favorite things about training in the gi is being able to control the pace. If need be, you can lock down some grips and give yourself a little time to breathe and think. Wearing the jacket and pants also slows down the matches from the friction they provide. All of this is especially helpful when you have a young, athletic go-getter. Some good gi grips can have them come screeching to a halt. Plus, all those grips are a great forearm workout. Wanna look like Popeye? Train gi grips.

But that’s not to say there aren’t good, fundamental grips to learn in no gi. Learning how to grip in no gi is a different animal. Typically you’ll be using your whole hand to grip entire parts of the body. Gripping the wrist, ankle, knee, elbow, neck, lat, etc. is different when there isn’t material to bite down on. No gi grips are a bit easier to break, so focusing on how to use the grip and the rest of your posture to better maintain the grip is a huge bonus, both in and out of the gi.

Where you can slow thing down in the gi, the pace in no gi is much faster. Due to the accelerated pace, you must be more technical and more aware of your body control. Move too fast or too slow and you may give up a position. No gi demands quick thinking and reaction based on feel as sometimes your reaction needs to be immediate and doesn’t allow that split second to think it through.

When training in the gi, you have to be aware of chokes. Lapel chokes are nearly always a threat, and can be set up and thrown at you in an instant. You learn to be aware of and protect your neck constantly. Many matches go by with intense grip battles simply for this reason. If you leave a deep lapel choke go unchecked for too long, you’ll likely end up in a world of hurt.

While lapel chokes haunt the gi game, no gi attacks are usually quicker and more direct. In the gi, you may recognize someone setting up a cross-collar, or other lapel choke, whereas in no gi some of those chokes and other submissions come on with such surprise because you honestly never see them coming. Because of this, I feel that positional advantages are more important in no gi.

Getting back to the gi, while standing up you may notice a gi match spends precious moments in a grip battle. The gi is there, why not use it. The gi allows for many great takedowns and throws and can work to slow down someone else’s attempt to take you down. On the other side of the coin, no gi helps to develop your wrestling. You must be able to shoot in or defend without the setup of gi grips and posture control.

Finally, I more closely relate training in the gi to self-defense. Typically, people are wearing clothes, and if you wear clothes in a fight with me, I will likely be going for grips to help me control the fight. Whether it is to slow down the pace, break down your posture or just simply control you, I’m going to grab onto whatever cloth there is.

As you can see much of the argument comes down to grips. I do love the grips in gi Jiu-Jitsu as it adds a dynamic element and allows for either practitioner to slow things down a bit. Then you have the no gi grips, which I do like having in my tool belt, but from where I’m standing, any grip you can do in no gi, you can do in the gi. It obviously does not work the other way around.

If anyone cares, I train both pretty equally. One thing I’ve noticed is that it seems that whenever I hit a slump in one my game gets better in the other. It’s almost like no gi is the plateau buster for gi and vice versa.

In the grand scheme of things, both gi and no gi benefit your game. If you ask me, I’d say to try both out, see what suites you, but I would not completely neglect one for the other.

Thanks for reading.

Why I Put My Kids in Jiu-Jitsu

After I separated from the military and we moved and such, my oldest kid was getting to the age where he was going to need something. I grew up doing martial arts in the form of Kenpo Karate, and I recalled all the benefits that came from those years of training as a kid. I first started my search with what I knew, American Kenpo. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much out there, and in the time that lapsed since I was last in the Karate circuit, a lot of that culture has either swung towards super traditional or super McDojo-y. I wasn’t liking what I was seeing, so I broadened my search for kid’s martial arts in my areas. After filtering through all the Taekwondo and other McDojo and cheesy, stuck in the 80’s looking joints, I landed on our academy.

I actually had read the reviews of a couple BJJ gyms in our areas, as I was exposed to a little Jiu-Jitsu in the military, so after scrolling through the broader search, I was leaning towards that option. I had it narrowed down to three or four options by the time I hit the reviews. One of the gyms my wife had contacted because she was interested in one of their programs, but they ended up giving her a bad first impression, so that one was crossed out. Between the two I was really deciding between there was one review on each that sealed the deal.

One gym had a review that they were very competition focused and that if your kid wasn’t on the competition team, they were pretty much neglected and used as grappling dummies. The other had a review that there was no emphasis on competing and that the coaches played no favorites. I was sold and we signed up for a trial class.

Now, I recall from my martial arts experience, that the biggest notable benefit for me as a kid was the discipline I learned from it. Between that and the obvious learning self-defense, I wasn’t completely quite aware of the benefits my son and daughter would glean from training Jiu-Jitsu. It’s evident now, and I’m glad we made the choice when we did.

I’ve shared my thoughts plenty on the self-discipline you can learn from training Jiu-Jitsu, and how that carries over into your everyday lives. The same goes for kids. The best part of training Jiu-Jitsu is that many of the benefits, such as self-disciple have tangible results almost immediately. Seeing my kids’ disciple grow and flourish was motivating for us as parents to keep them going as long as they wanted to.

Another nearly immediate benefit of Jiu-Jitsu is the learning self-defense. I remember getting into situations as a kid where talking was no longer working. I was backed into a corner and my opponent was intent on throwing blows. This fight ended with a swift roundhouse kick to his head. Likewise, my oldest already has used his Jiu-Jitsu in order to subdue a bully. A kid was picking on another, and the violence of the situation was escalating. It got to the point where my son distracted the bully, shot a double leg, mounted and pinned the bully to the ground until a teacher came and handled the situation. My son received no punishment (the school didn’t even bother to tell us he was in such a scuffle) for his actions. Not only had Jiu-Jitsu taught my son how to protect himself, but also how to protect others. For that, I am grateful.

With that ability to defend oneself, there comes a level of confidence. Now, this confidence has to be controlled but having that confidence is warranted. I for one don’t walk around thinking I can beat up anybody that crosses my path, but I do know I’m going to give 95% of those people a run for their money. I’m pretty sure my kids walk around with at least that mentality. I do however make sure to keep them in their place, because too much of that confidence could end up being hazardous.

Before my son started Jiu-Jitsu, I’ll be honest, he seemed like he was a little chunky, clunky and goofy in his own body. When we’d play sports in the yard, or just were running around at the park, there were plenty of times I thought how un-athletic he looked, even in comparison with kids his age. Something I didn’t quite understand from my limited exposure to Jiu-Jitsu was the level of body awareness you would develop. After watching my son grow up in Jiu-Jitsu, it was evident that he was growing in awareness of his body. The evidence was even there off the mats. When he was out playing, you could tell that he had a new athletic ability. He was moving better and looked just as awkward as any of the other kids out there playing.

Finally, there comes the benefit of strength. In all honesty, my biggest complaint of the kids program is that they seldom get on the kids to correct their form when it comes to warm up exercises. 99.9% of the kid’s pushups, squats and even some of their Jiu-Jitsu movements are straight trash. So I supplement that at home, and we’re working on growing physically stronger as a family. But there is a mental strength that develops through Jiu-Jitsu. I notice that the problem for kids is relating those skills to everyday life. They develop these profound skills of problem solving, being comfortable in uncomfortable positions, and working through and under pressure, but for some reason they can’t quite grasp how to apply those mental skills when they are faced with a difficult homework assignment or they goof up a task we’ve given them. Again, we, as parents try to supplement this at home, and relate problems they face on the mat to problems they face in everyday life. I hope we’ll soon see the reward from this benefit, but it’s definitely still in development.

My final thought would be that if you have kids and they aren’t training martial arts, I would highly encourage you to consider it. It’s a fun, safe and ultra-beneficial practice to teach your kids life skills that they will likely carry for decades to come. I know I have from training Kenpo decades ago, and I know I will carry forward lessons from my time in Jiu-Jitsu now.

Thanks for reading.

A List of People I Won’t Roll

If you were hoping to open this post and see a list of some Jiu-Jitsu celebrities, you are mistaken. Part of being anonymous is staying anonymous. So this isn’t necessarily a list of people I won’t roll, but more so a list of characteristics or generic personalities that I avoid and why. As a bonus, I’ll throw in rolls that are frustratingly fun that I won’t avoid.

Now, a quick caveat, or disclaimer, for this list. I’m not saying that I won’t roll any person that fits into one of the below categories. There are surely people in these categories that I will actively try to avoid, but will roll if that’s how the numbers fall. There are also some that prompted this post that I’ve decided I will not roll, regardless of the circumstances.

Typically, the ones I will avoid at all costs are someone in the listed category and are not-so-new white belts. What I mean is that they have been around long enough to have figured out what they are doing wrong, but either haven’t worked to rectify the situation, or they aren’t aware enough to realize that they’re the problem.

1. Middle-aged cross-fitters – I know a lot of people who are over the age of, let’s say 35, will probably complain about the fresh out of high school athlete because they are young, fast and, well.. athletic. And yes, it sucks to roll with these young bucks, but typically I can manage to get them into a controlled position, and I will just keep them there for the round. But for me, it’s what I call the middle-aged cross-fitters that really grind my gears. Here’s what I see as the problem of these guys (and maybe gals, in my experience, this category has all been men) is they’ve had success in one “sport” and now are trying to exert their dominance in another. They usually have what my high school gym teacher used to refer to as “old man strength” and have an unusually high level of stamina. But the problem is that they apply the same technique to Jiu-Jitsu as they apply in the cross-fit gym… none. They are all muscle, ego and TRT and no technique. I recently rolled with two of these guys. The first time, both felt the same, they were newer, muscled everything, were a bit spazzy, and not entirely too fun to roll. The more recent time I’ve rolled with each of them, one was much more technical (as much as he could be), less spazzy and actually an enjoyable roll. The other leaned into his middle-aged cross-fitter and I’m pretty sure he had every muscle in his body flexed or tensed for the entire 5-minute round. He wasted tons of time on trying to muscle crappy submissions, that despite his higher level of cross-fitness, I was able to easily defend. But he tried so hard on many crappy attempts, I ended up with multiple gi burns on my face and a bruised ear. He’ll be on the no-go list until he’s at least got a couple stripes. I’ll let the bigger guys put him in his place. Speaking of bigger guys…
2. Heavy weights/Ultra-Heavies that don’t understand their size – I’ve heard it said that the best litmus test for a blue belt is to be able to defend yourself against a bigger, untrained opponent. I think this makes sense, as I believe by that rank, you should be able to do at least that. But, from where I’m standing, there’s a difference between a bigger opponent, and a bigger opponent that I wouldn’t let within 5-7 meters of me. And we’re not talking about untrained opponents- in my experience, heavier trial class guys are typically hyperaware of their size. I’m talking about the experienced white belts and even some blue belts. From what I’ve seen of this categories, there are two huge problems. The first is the effect they have on you when you’re not even rolling with them. I’ve seen a few that just take up so much damn space on the mat while rolling. Now, this happens a lot when people start from standing, but it’s not even while these guys are standing, it’s while they are on the ground. Many in this category just lack a general spatial awareness, and I have had one too many near death experienced from almost being stomped on while they pass someone’s guard. The second issue is when they don’t take their size into consideration. I know that when I’m rolling with my kids, regardless of the amount of technique they use, I can beat them based on my strength and size difference. But these Jiu-Jitsu goliaths don’t necessarily see their matches in the same light. For some reason, they can’t see that their 100 pounds they have on me gives them a clear and distinct advantage. These are the guys that should be mastering the art of the flow roll, in that they need allow the space for their partner to work. Typically, I don’t avoid these guys at all costs, but they are the ones I won’t make eye contact with. I had a recent experience where I managed to get a top position, I was trying to transition by isolating an arm, and my opponent bench pressed me off of him, sat up, put me on the mat and laid into a side control. There was no bridge or frame that could get him off me. And that’s where we stayed until the timer went off.
3. Over eager hobbyists – The next two categories are similar, but not quite the same. The over eager hobbyists is the guy who only shows up to a few classes a month, but has this internal fire burning to prove that he’s worthy of the same stripes that the consistent guy that started with him has. Usually, he’s trying some crappy UFC moves, lacks technique, and is going for some crappy version of a move he saw once three months ago. These are type that prompted a post last year about the guys who watch moves on YouTube and base their whole game off of some highlight reel called “5 Best Submission is UFC.” A subtitle to this category could really be “Anyone who is trying to prove themselves.”
4. Submission hungry zero stripe white belts – The sub hungry white belt is the category that I think is most likely to be mixed with another, but can also stand on its own. The question I have for this category though is, why is it always an Americana? Is it because when you Google, “BJJ submissions,” Americana is the first one alphabetically? Actually, I just tried that Google search, and I had to dig to find the Americana. Even when clicking a few different “Submissions for beginners,” articles, Americana wasn’t very popular. And actually, refer to the second example of the middle-aged cross-fitters for an example of this. Whenever someone asks me what they should concentrate on at the beginning, I always say transitions and escapes. I didn’t even worry about submissions until the month leading up to my first competition. And even after that, I took a few months off from seeking out subs. As a white belt, I was concentrating on escapes and transitions. I knew successes would come from being able to move and escape. But someone out there must be telling new white belts to Americana everyone. If that’s you, please stop.
5. The stinky person – I think this one goes without saying, but no one wants to roll with the stinky guy (or gal). And I have smelled so many smells in my life. I’ve come across gis that smell like onions, cooking oil, cigarettes and just generic mustiness. Please, please, please, please wash your gear. Soak it in vinegar (or add vinegar to your wash cycles) or something. Gi and nogi stuff. For some reason, the scientists that designed any athletic apparel decided the best way for the consumer to have to buy more athletic apparel was for them to slowly absorb all the smells they encounter over their life span and do their best to never let it go. But there are ways to prolong the inevitable. Regularly washing your gear and using some sort of additive to your washing routine. Again, we just put a cup or so of vinegar into the wash. We then hang dry and air fluff in the dryer with a dryer ball with some essential oils on it. I’ve never had a complaint about my gear smelling. It’s a streak I plan on continuing.

As promised, a few rolls I’ll never turn down:

1. Heavy weights/Ultra-Heavies that can have fun – There’s specifically one that comes to mind, but I’m sure others exist. But these are the opposite of the aforementioned heavy/ultras. When I’ve rolled with these heavy pluses, I think I move and they move more than most other rolls. In the intro I mentioned that they were frustratingly fun. Here’s an example. We were rolling and I was able to break contact and get to my feet, he stayed in a seated open guard. When I re-engaged, I entered into a knee-cut, and it felt great. Like text book quality. He even complimented it just before he bench pressed me out of the position and tossed me to the side. The difference, he didn’t immediately try to flatten me like a pancake. He could have, but he didn’t. Instead, he offered just enough space for me to start working a leg in to reestablish guard. Again, these rolls can be extremely fun- frustrating most of the time, but fun.
2. The stinky guy, but in a good way – This is just a shout out to those guys and gals who manage to smell great. But not even so much in a freshly showered, or doused in body spray (which is not good, stop doing that) good smell. Much like the smelly people from above that have odd additional smells (onions, cooking oil, ect.) these people have the pleasant versions. Like something you’d find as a manly candle flavor. Smoky, bourbon-y, heck, I’d take fresh cut grass over onion or cooking oil. Again, this goes back to wash your gear, shower regularly, and don’t wear your gi top to your day job as a McDonald’s fry cook.

Who’s on your list? Let me know, I may have just missed them, or maybe I’ve never met them.

Thanks for reading.

Consistency

I was talking to a new guy this week. He’s within his first week of signing up and asked me some question in regards to balancing work, school, life and martial arts. A few nights later, I kind of realized how my consistency has swung back and forth throughout my journey, but at the same time, I never noticed, because I always have felt consistent.

Now, when I say that I have seasons where I am not consistently training, what I mean is that I get to train less than 4 times a week. An ultimate goal would be to consistently train 4 times a week, but with my work schedule as it is right now, that’s not attainable. As of writing this, I can train with absolute certainty twice a week, with options for at least a 3rd class. We also roll out the mats at home somewhere around once a week. But that plays part into my consistency without consistency concept.

Point one I supposed was mentioned above: I train (occasionally) at home. This is something I am working on making more consistent in of itself. But as of now, we’re looking at 3-4 at home training sessions a month. So that puts me somewhere around 9-16 training sessions a month, give or take. But, it’s one little step towards building consistency.

Those other 15-20 days that I don’t get to train physically, I guess you could say that I mentally train. We’ve all heard the quote or seen the motivational post about getting 1% better every day, and I tell people that all the time. But 1% is a really low number. To get 1% better at something, even something physical, like Jiu-Jitsu, doesn’t even have to involve any physicality. First thing that comes to mind, and I wrote about it in depth about a year ago, is my Jiu-Jitsu journal.

Now, many times, when I go to write in my Jits-Journal, I don’t get to do it immediately after class. Unless there was a detail I was dying to record (and if there’s something that pressing, I usually jot it down on my phone before leaving the gym), I usually don’t get around to putting the entry for the day until the following morning, sometimes longer. So just this small act, recalling and recording the techniques and other happenings of a class gets me thinking about and reviewing the things I just learnt the day before.

Next, staying on the journal topic, I occasionally go back and review what I wrote. Shocking, I know. There are really two ways I approach this. First is almost on a weekly basis, I go back and just read a few pages or entries chronologically. The other way I use this is when we are going over a technique in class, if I know we’ve covered it before, I’ll go track it down in my journal and review it. I typically do this after taking notes on the more recent occurrence, but I look back to see how it was taught, how it was perceived, and the difference in my take-aways. Not only does this help towards my 1% better every day, it helps me multiply that percentage when I’m on the mat, sometimes gleaning a better understanding of the system we’re in because I was able to recall information from the last time it was taught.

Another way I work towards that 1% is through instructional videos. Now, I would say there are a few different approaches and levels to this technique too. We’ll start small and work our way bigger. First would be social media clips – reels, shorts, stories, whatever it may be. Usually, these are the nitty gritty on how to do one very specific, sometimes much niched move. I typically will find one that interests me, save it, and kind of make it my extracurricular focus for some time. The next level would be to find a more in-depth instructional video, usually on YouTube. Typically, if I’m searching something out like this, it’s because I’m looking to expand my horizons on a topic being taught at my academy, or I’m trying to answer one of my own questions- you know, when you’re lying in bed, not sleeping because you can’t figure out how you could have escaped that one position… I enroll in a YouTube University class on that specific move. Final level is I have signed up for instructional programs, usually through a specific professor or coach. I pick a few topics and study those for some time to help supplement the material covered at our academy.

Another type of video I like to watch in pursuit of getting 1% better every day are competition videos. Obviously there is a difference of seeing a technique applied on a cooperating uki versus seeing it applied when there’s some hardware on the line. I especially like when a commentator breaks down the move step-by-step as seen in the competition.

Finally, the last thing I do, or at least can think of, is a sort of meditative rolling or drilling. This kind of calls back to the lying awake but usually with more purposeful intent. The meditative portion of this is where I think the difference is. When we’re lying there Monday-Morning-Quarterbacking one of our rolls, I like to think of that as more of an obsessive mental drilling. Whereas this meditative rolling and drilling is more of an academic practice rather than a self-critique. This happens to me a lot when we’re being taught a technique, that night or at some point, I will start thinking about the opposite side of the technique. Like if we’re working on a pass, my meditative drilling might be focused on what could I do to retain my guard during that pass. Doing this helps not only my defensive game in this example, but then also helps my passing game, as I’ll start to play what-if games from both sides of the technique.

I suppose the actual final thought on the subject would be this blog. Even though I don’t write about techniques or anything like that, it affords me the opportunity to sit and think through Jiu-Jitsu. Many times as I’m writing a post, I’m recalling a roll or a situation from class. Replaying those scenarios, whatever they may be, helps to get me to that 1% better every day.

Thanks for reading.

The Excuses We Make

I recently had the opportunity to expose an acquaintance to Jiu-Jitsu. Due to scheduling and the distance conflicts, he was unable to make it out to a class with me, but we did end up getting together and rolling out the mats at home.

As our afternoon went on, we were moving along in various topics. It was almost a Q&A session, where he obviously had an interest in the art, but didn’t really know where to start. He was extremely interested in the practical application of it, and overall it was a good time.

But he did mention something that got me thinking. At one point, he said to me and another friend in the garage that day, that before he got into this more seriously, he would have to figure out his neck and back issues. I didn’t dig in too much to the issue, whether it was just a general tightness or chronic pain, his issue didn’t change my response.

I’ve got a bad back, crap knees, tight shoulders and a constant pain in my neck that isn’t related to my kids. If anyone had an excuse to not train Jiu-Jitsu, it could easily be me. My body has been brutalized by my career path and choices. As Dr. Jones once said, “It’s not the years, honey. It’s the mileage.”

Maybe his ailments are legitimate. Maybe there is something serious holding him back. And I get that. After hurting my knee, I did not want to go back not at 100%. I also did not want to wait either. I had to find balance. Sometimes balance between our excuses and our execution is what we need.

For example, for the excuse about time: “I don’t have the time to train…” Maybe you need to start with a time audit. For a day or two, or if you are really motivated, for an entire week, audit your time in 15 minute increments. Every 15 minutes, take a note of what you did, what you’re doing, or what you’re about to start. You might see that there are 15 minutes here and there that pile up to an hour or two. You might find that there’s a habit you have that eats up way more time than you originally thought. You might not find an hour every day, but I bet you could find a few hours every week.

For those with fitness excuses it’s less about balance and more about pursuing those goals. I’ve had friends say they want to lose 10 pounds before training Jiu-Jitsu. Or that they are too fat or too scrawny. I always tell people to use Jiu-Jitsu to hit those goals. Starting to train Jiu-Jitsu helps to build a healthy habit. That will start to spread to other parts of your life. You’ll start to see opportunities to start healthy habits off the mats. Maybe you are on the scrawnier side. Once you are in the habit of training, maybe you’ll make the habit of showing up 30 minutes early to get a lift in. Or waking up 15 minutes early to knock out some push-ups and pull-ups. Maybe you notice despite training, you still feel bogged down, so maybe you take the time to evaluate your diet. As the discipline from training bleeds into other areas of your life, you will start hitting those goals faster.

So, what about those aches? What about the back and neck and knee pains that are holding us back from training? First, if you think it’s serious enough to prevent you from being physically active, go get it checked out. When I hear people say that they can’t train because of something like this, I often think to myself, sometimes even ask them, “Would that be your excuse for not defending your family?” Could you live with yourself saying, “I would have stepped in, if it weren’t for my back?”

Now, that may be a little extreme, but I think it’s wholly valid. So again, I’d say find out what’s wrong first. If you know that it’s likely just aches and pains from living in a largely sedative culture, then my next suggestion is to get out and try it. Much like lifting weights for the first time, you are likely going to not feel fantastic in the days following your first class. But as you train more, that goes away much like the muscle soreness does with lifting. For me, I found that a lot of the tightness in my back went away. I’m still not terribly flexible, but things that I could just not do when I first started, I don’t think twice about doing now. The movement, and likely the specific movements of Jiu-Jitsu, helped to loosen stuff up, strengthen muscles I didn’t even knew existed, and helped out with my cardiovascular health.

I’ve had a few people over the years ask me for weight loss or fitness advice, usually something like “what should I do to get started?” My answer was typically to simply get moving. A great way to move is Jiu-Jitsu.

So what is it? What’s on your list of excuses? What’s getting between you and your goals- whether they are Jiu-Jitsu goals or anything else?

Thanks for reading.

Flow Rolls

So I was doing some extra-curricular reading- kinda for school, kinda not. Anyways, I came across this guy, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Hailing from Hungary, he was a prisoner in WWII that because of all the trauma and grievous things he saw, he pursued an education in psychology and a career in the pursuit of happiness. He has become known as the “Father of Flow.”

You may already see why I chose to go down this rabbit hole.

I read this quote from Csikszentmihalyi:

“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . . The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile”

Believe it or not, he’s talking about the ‘flow state.’

See, I always understood that the word ‘flow’ had this soft, floaty, and smooth connotation to it. That flow rolls were to be light and almost in a constant motion. You know, flowy.

Another way I’ve heard the word used in the Jiu-Jitsu world is a flow as a practice. It kinda reminds me of the kadas and forms of my traditional martial arts days. But it was a flow from one position, through a series of events, to an ending point. A teaching/drilling tool to help us see how all these Jiu-Jitsu techniques we were learning can flow together.

And I like ‘em both.

But now, coming across Csikszentmihalyi’s definition of flow, I like it even more. According to Csikszentmihalyi there is much more to this thing called ‘flow.’

To achieve Csikszentmihalyi’s flow, one must be completely focused on the task at hand. I don’t know about you, but when I’m rolling I am rarely unfocused. Even if I’m having a more flighty day, when it’s time to roll, there’s usually not much else on my mind. Next, there must be a certain clarity in the goal(s), a reward in mind and immediate feedback. In a roll, even at an earlier beginner level you can set pretty clear goals. Don’t get stuck in a bottom position. Find a submission during this round. Finish with a specific submission. The goals can be specific or vague, but there can be a clear goal if you set it. The reward and feedback come at the timer or the tap of the hand. So far, all the elements of Csikszentmihalyi’s flow state are there in Jiu-Jitsu sparring.

The next element of flow is the transformation of time, or in other words time feels like it is speeding up and/or slowing down. I feel like I don’t need to say much. We’ve all had those rolls where the clock never seems to move. I’ve had rolls where we realized we’ve rolled for over 20 minutes. Transformation of time, check. The experience must also be intrinsically rewarding. Again, in other words the experience itself must be rewarding. If you’ve practiced Jiu-Jitsu longer than 15 seconds, then you’ve probably heard the quote about no losing, only learning in Jiu-Jitsu. So, win or lose, a roll is rewarding.

To experience flow, Csikszentmihalyi says you must experience effortlessness and ease. This reaches back to my first understanding of a flow roll. Where the roll just seems effortless and you are just… flowing. But what may seem like a dichotomy to the effortlessness and ease, there must be a balance between challenge and skill. Need I expand on how a roll is a balance of challenge and skill?

Finally, there must be a feeling of control. Now, sometimes a roll can feel a little out of control. I was actually recently rolling with a newer white belt, and boy, were they spazzy. It made me really focus on control. I remember at one point, we ended up where I was in a side control, but low on his hips. I remember thinking to myself, “Control the hips and wait to move.” So I did. I locked down his hips and he flailed around a bit. After a short while, he changed his tactic which opened up the opportunity for me to move up, controlling his chest and shoulders and ultimately his head which led to him panicking right into a submission. But it all started with gaining control in a chaotic circumstance.

Anyways, back to Csikszentmihalyi’s flow. I think now, after coming across his definition I may change how I approach or view the “flow roll.” Really focusing on those things Csikszentmihalyi describes flow as. Really, the two concepts that at first I thought didn’t sound like they worked with a Jiu-Jitsu flow were the balance between challenge and skill and the feeling of control, but honestly, why wouldn’t those be a focus in a flow roll?

Professor Jeanne Nakamura said this about flow:

“Inducing flow is about the balance between the level of skill and the size of the challenge at hand.”

So if you boil it down, flow is much more about balance than it is about motion or fluidity. It’s about balance between the task and the outside distractions. Between goals and rewards. Balance of time. Balancing effortlessness and ease with challenge and skill. The balance between chaos and control. But “balance rolls” sounds dumb. “Flow rolls” sounds much better.

I honestly have that feeling that I have stumbled across something that has nothing directly to do with Jiu-Jitsu that is going to end up improving my game in drastic ways. And I’m pretty excited for that.

Do you have any non-Jiu-Jitsu concepts or principles that you’ve applied to your Jiu-Jitsu game?

Let me know in the comments or on Instagram.

Thanks for reading.

Resources:

Mike Oppland, B. (2023, March 9). 8 traits of flow according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/#flow-types-characteristics