Cooler than a polar bear's toenails.
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Cooler than a polar bear's toenails.
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PART ONE Some of the most interesting and impressive things in life are also some of the most complicated. We watch in awe as a pianist taps out a symphony with seemingly no effort, or a chess grandmaster creates intricate puzzles and traps for their opponent to solve. However, this complexity can be a double-edged sword. We tend to forget that that same pianist started out by playing Chopsticks and learning where to put their fingers. At one point, a grandmaster couldn't tell you how to set up the pieces on the board. This overwhelming feeling tends to stop us from learning new things and dull our enthusiasm once we're learning them. Now, in most cases, Brazilian jiu jitsu is no different. But I believe it can be. In this series, I plan on simplifying the sport so that anyone, from advanced practitioners to people who have never trained but are interested, can have a guide to reference. I'm not going to spend a lot of time going into detail about techniques here. Rather, I'll give you some ideas to play with. First of all, what is Brazilian jiu jitsu? Jiu jitsu is a way of movement, as well as a martial art and combat sport. It can be used for self-defense, or simply for fitness. It can be trained with or without the "gi" (karate-looking uniform). You see it if you turn on the TV to watch UFC: It's the part where someone chokes the other guy, or makes his limb bend the wrong way. Instead of revolving around punches and kicks, jiu jitsu focuses on grappling. The reason being is pretty simple: Jiu jitsu is based around efficiency. If I were to fight someone who outweighed me, trading punches with them would probably be a bad idea. My best bet would be to take them to the ground, where if I knew how to position myself, I could put them in a situation where they were unable to generate force. In sport jiu jitsu, (usually what people refer to), strikes are illegal. Because of this, practitioners can train hard with minimal injuries as compared to something like boxing, where constantly sparring hard is a recipe for disaster. This sparring is referred to as rolling. As opposed to drilling, where you practice techniques without resistance, rolling is done "live". During rolling, you can see how effective you are when someone is trying to stop you. In short, you won't see any pressure point knockouts or chi blasts in jiu jitsu... nor will you see punches or kicks. So then what do you do? Paraphrasing John Danaher, arguably the most successful jiu jitsu coach there is, jiu jitsu typically follows a four-step process, regardless of whether it's being used in a sport context or fighting/self-defense: 1. Take the fight to the ground. On the ground, the chances of someone doing something random to hurt you become significantly less. 2. Get past your opponent's legs. A trained jiu jitsu fighter can use them to attack you. Whether they're trained or not, people tend to kick upwards as well, which can be very damaging. 3. Get to pinning position, somewhere you can attack the guy and he can't attack you. We will touch more on this later. 4. Finish the fight with a submission hold. A submission? When most people think of jiu jitsu, they think of submission holds, and for good reason: they are the ultimate end goal of the sport. A submission is a technique that could cause harm to your opponent if they don't escape or submit (give up, surrender). Because of this, the first technique you should familiarize yourself with is the "tap"! By tapping two or more times on your partner/opponent, or verbally saying "Tap", you surrender, and your opponent releases their submission. In sport jiu jitsu it's illegal to attack individual fingers, eyes, mouth, or grab the windpipe or the groin. Depending on the competition, everything else is pretty much fair game: The upper body can be attacked with: - wristlocks (self-explanatory) - armbars (an elbow lock) - or moves such as kimura and omoplata (attacking the shoulder). Less commonly, the muscles can also be attacked (bicep slicer). In some cases, people will attack the spine (twister) or compress the ribs. The legs can be attacked with - ankle locks & toeholds (Which attack the ankles, not the toes, by the way) - kneebars - heel hooks (attacking the knee and/or ankle) as well as calf slicers and moves like "banana split" (attacking the hips and groin muscles). However, the kings of all submissions are chokes and strangles. Hypothetically, someone could allow their arm or leg to break and continue fighting. It's happened in combat sports more than once, and if you're using jiu jitsu in self-defense, someone who is high on drugs or adrenaline may not be stopped by a broken limb, or not feel it until later. This is not the case with a choke. Technically speaking, a choke cuts off someone's air supply, a strangle attacks the carotid arteries, cutting off blood flow to the brain. Most of the time, they're both colloquialized as chokes. Regardless of what you call them, no matter how big or tough someone is, if they're in a good choke they're going to sleep. There are many varieties of chokes utilizing the arms, legs, and sometimes the opponent's own jacket. Personally, I value the rear naked choke above all, "naked" referring to the fact that you don't have to grab cloth to apply the choke (not that the practitioners have to be naked). The reason I value the rear naked choke so much is simple. Done properly, it is the most straightforward and powerful way to submit someone; your two arms versus their neck, a battle you're very likely to win.
To perform the choke requires you being behind your opponent. While getting there can be difficult, the position comes with many advantages, which brings us to our next topic: Jiu jitsu is a game of positions. Just like in chess, where various pieces are assigned advantages and disadvantages, jiu jitsu revolves around positions and a constant struggle between a top player and a bottom player. All jiu jitsu matches begin in the standing position. Here, athletes look to advance position by either taking their opponent down and working from the top, or "pulling guard", essentially taking themselves down and working from the bottom. Why would anyone choose to do that, you ask? Good question. On the ground, positions generally fit into two categories: guards and pins. A guard refers to any time a bottom player puts their legs in between themselves and their opponent. From there, they can use their bodies to set up submissions, or to reverse their opponent and come up on top (known as a sweep). There are many different configurations of guards, and the technical battle between the top player trying to pass and the bottom player trying to sweep and submit can be very thrilling to see. Whether you passed your opponent's guard, or simply won a chaotic scramble, chances are you might find yourself with a pin. Unlike a guard, which is neutral by nature (hence the name) and can be used to either defend or attack, if you're on the receiving end of a pin, you're in danger. A pin is out of the way of your opponent's guard and is very offensive. Once you've pinned your opponent, your options to attack them open up significantly and they're given the burden of escaping and defending. There are five major pins in jiu jitsu: - Back mount/Back control (Four points under IBJJF rules) - Mount (4 pts) - Side control - Knee on belly (3 pts) - North-South While side control and north south don't score points under IBJJF rules, the action of passing an opponent's guard will score three points, and most of the time, a guard pass will end with a side control or north south. Out of these five main pins, mount and the back are more dominant than the others and are scored accordingly. The reason being is they offer the most opportunities for attack while preventing your opponent's attacks, with mount having you on your opponent's chest and the back having you behind your opponent, hidden from danger. In summary... "Jiu jitsu is pretty complicated," you might be thinking if you read this far in the post. Honestly, it is, but to me that's what makes it so appealing. In this sport, there's always room for improvement and learning. There won't be easy wins anywhere, but when the victories come, you can be sure you've earned them. The satisfaction of seeing yourself evolve as not only a grappler, but a person, is incomparable. At the risk of sounding cliched, it's a lifestyle, one where you learn to love the journey. Until next time, when I'll go into a little more detail about practicing and learning BJJ! - Rick
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(The following is a short story I had to write for a creative writing course.)
Against dead silence, one will notice the smallest noises. This became clear to the man as he sat on the floor, looking out the window at nothing but darkness. Only his reflection looked back, illuminated by the flickering light above him. Two distinct rhythms filled the room. A steady drum, and a steady buzzing. Beads of sweat lined his forehead as he stood up, pacing around. He had been doing this for days, in some form or another. His breathing intensified, and he screamed, an explosion of noise that seemed to remain within the room long after his voice gave out. Eventually, even that stopped. The pressure in his head was that of a million pounds as he checked the empty cabinets once more. He walked over to the console in front of him, slowly pressing every button. For a second, the submarine seemed to move towards the surface. But then the buzzing left the room, and with it, the light. The only sound that remained was his heartbeat. With time, he realized, that would start to fade too. He sat in the dark and waited. There are times that my body hates itself. On a deeper level than physical. As I sit in silence, going through the monotonous actions of work or simply existing, my entire cuerpo becomes locked in vicious combat. Just as a wolf will tear through a mangled leg caught in a trap, my psyche gnaws itself apart, fueled by the guise of it being all for the better.
I know how this feels when it happens. I've thought about what sets it off. While I haven't self-diagnosed myself out of respect, I've worked out my own solutions to these issues. But they persist. They will appear out of nowhere, too. When they do my stomach drops to the floor. My arms lose all feeling and my mind begins to run at a thousand miles per hour. I go into a hyper focused state and the trigger plays itself in my head until I can somehow work the feeling away. Then they are gone as quickly as they have come. Just now a faint siren catches my attention and I turn my head to see my bedroom window illuminated by the telltale lights of a passing ambulance. Someone somewhere has a much worse life now than I do. Someone whose story I may never know and I don't want to find out. Someone whose bad times are not limited to self destructive thoughts. For a second I am tempted to put my problems aside. And why shouldn't I? I should be grateful for what I have and allow my current disposition to be. A statement like this is often used by an unaware Good Samaritan. No doubt they mean well. In their mind one will hear this and be comforted. The problem is, I don't share their mind. At the gym this morning, I talked with a friend about people who naturally gravitate towards fight or flight in regards to stressful situations. When she called me out as a "flight" type, it led me to a lot of introspection. I don't consider myself a stranger to conflict in any form. Throughout my life I've been through times that have tested my abilities to act smoothly under pressure, whether the consequences were physical or emotional. In these times, I've acted accordingly and done what I had to. But while I wouldn't call myself passive by any means, I am not one to go head to head. Flight types are generally like this. Like anything else, it comes with its positives and negatives. I avoid conflict as much as I possibly can. I smile and let things be and carry on. But eventually I reach the point where I can't run anymore. The problems build up. The struggles endure, and if I want to end them I must dig my feet in and face them head on. Only once I begin to implement this can I become the best version of myself. There is a jungle in front of me. Right now, I've been walking around it. When I look into it, I dread the endless expanse that I see and the possible dangers that lie within. I could continue to walk around it and if I do so I may reach the other side eventually. I know this. Or I could build a road through it. I have literally no idea how to build a road. But I know a bit about what it entails. I know that it will require more people than just me. I'm aware of the effort that it will take and how much I must be willing to sacrifice to do so. These things scare me. What drives me to do it, however, is the knowledge that once my structure is completed, I will have so much more. The process of building myself up will have improved my life tenfold. Eventually, I will be able to show others my road and it will help them find their own. These things excite me. My search for balance continues. My path to the rest of my life is in the process of being built. Ironically, it will never fully be finished. But I will waste no time in getting started, for the farther I get, the more my journey will improve. rick The function of man is to live
not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. - Jack London, Credo For quite a while, I had felt trapped in a state of nothingness no matter what I did. My days ended as quickly as they began, filled with seemingly meaningless and repetitive tasks. It was almost as if nothing was real. Things only began to turn around when I put effort into experiencing life in its fullest and most raw form. With no expectations and no judgement, I took whatever moment I was living and made it an effort to just live it! Gone were the worries of the future and the past, as I allowed myself to be in the here and now. My memories became more vivid and my thoughts more clear. Best of all, I found myself able to truly be happy. In my mind, the moments replay themselves just as if I was reliving them. When I was looking into her eyes, I felt at home. My stress faded away with every breath of hers. As we sat, I took in every detail, the texture of her clothing, the softness of her voice, how her happiness carried into her movements, all of it pulling me closer and closer to her. In those few precious minutes, the ones that never last long enough, there was nothing in the world but us. Just her and I. Two people, and one heart. During that moment, I felt more alive than ever. More than anything, being able to enjoy experiences like that in all of their intensity is what makes me happy again. To put aside everything else and just be... it's a good first step. Of course, there will be up and downs, but through it all, I'm comforted by the ability to appreciate my world for what it is. Every night, I thank God for my blessings. I'm doing well. And just thinking about it fills me with hope to see where my life will go from here. If you haven't already made it a habit, I encourage you to take some time and focus on your surroundings. Allow yourself to recognize your emotions and the things you are given :) Just had to get all this off my chest. More jiu jitsu stuff coming soon. so yeah rick When one thinks of jiu jitsu hotspots around the world, Houston usually isn't the first that comes to mind. However, the city's grappling scene is seriously thriving, with events like Third Coast Grappling and Submission Hunter Pro hosting events all throughout the year. Hidden behind these big name promotions is the Combat Sports Coverage tournament... but it won't stay in the shadows for long. Founded by Thomas Galdenzi, a photographer and journalist passionate about martial arts, this tournament is looking to provide a stage where some of the best grapplers can shine in a truly unique, personal atmosphere. The gritty, bare bones tournament is held in a warehouse with only one huge mat and almost no rules. Fighters grapple with all eyes on them, hoping to secure the championship belt. I caught up with Galdenzi to find out more about this intriguing competition and the latest tournament, which will be taking place on October 3rd. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background in combat sports? Galdenzi: My name is Thomas Galdenzi, I used to be an amateur kickboxer/Muay Thai fighter back in like 2010-2014. I have like a 3-2 amateur record, both my losses were for state titles. I coached a little while for Champions MMA, UFC Gym, a bunch of others... I would just coach here and there. About a year ago is when I started Combat Sports Coverage, where I interview fighters, take pictures, cover MMA events. Now, we are starting to do grappling tournaments like the Combat Sports Coverage Grappling Invitational. This will be our third one, they're getting pretty big. Especially in the time of Covid, we're just trying to keep people busy and doing as much as we can. For the uninformed, how would you describe your tournaments? Galdenzi: Right now, we have a two part tournament. We have a white and blue belt tournament. For anyone under blue belt, you can come sign up for that just like you would do for a NAGA or anything like that. Ours are a lot smaller though. We try to get at least eight people in a bracket. If you get eight people in your bracket, you'll get a championship belt. If there are under eight, you'll only get medals. We have five weight classes for boys and three for girls currently. The reason we don't have many weight classes is to give people a lot of matches. It's double elimination, like a high school wrestling tournament. Our overtime is first to get a takedown... it's pretty cool. Our pro grappling tournaments are run a little different - they have money on the line. (The competitors) all pay $100 to enter our grappling tournaments. The winner will get the jackpot of $800 and the championship belt. I like to tell people that our tournaments are like a superfight. Even the white/blue belts undercard, we still treat them like they're in a superfight. We have one mat, all the lights, photography, everything! And, we keep the music going. We get a good amount of people. The last event, we had about 120 people and that was a smaller warehouse. This warehouse is three times that size - 6500 sq ft. and almost a thousand square feet of mats. I noticed that it's submission only and all subs (heel hooks included) are legal. Galdenzi: Well, my background is not in jiu jitsu, it's more kickboxing, Muay Thai, and wrestling. (I'm not refereeing these matches, a brown belt named Tony Fitz is). But that's why it's submission only, originally I didn't want to do all the points. I made long rounds, like ten minutes, so hopefully someone gets tapped out. Score points are too much extra work, I want to keep the action going. For the kids and the teens, no attacks above the waist. For the adults... anything goes! Some people like that, some people get scared, but I think that makes it exciting. You've had some really high level competitors in your events. Who can we expect to see on this card? Galdenzi: This time we have our former 170lb champion Noah Wyatt coming down to the 155lb division. We also have Fight to Win champion Andrew Tackett against a really tough guy, Jordan Plutin, in the first round. What's different about this time is that we have people flying in from all over Texas to compete. We have people from Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and even someone from Corpus Christi. We had a lot of guys drop out, but the ones we do have are very high level purple belts. Many of them have been on UFC Fight Pass, Submission Hunter Pro and other big stages. It's exciting to see how they compete - three matches in a day doesn't just test your skill, but also your cardio. Thomas Galdenzi with previous 170lb champion Noah Wyatt.
Personally, what are you excited to see at this tournament? Galdenzi: I'm just excited to see how it all goes. The first one I had, not that many people showed up, but I think I did a good job running it. The last event, way more people showed up than I planned. I was everywhere. I personally didn't like that - everyone still had a great time, but I was disappointed in myself. This time I have a lot of people helping me, it won't be a one man show. We have extra cameramen, extra refs, more security. But also, I just love watching these competitors. Especially the pro matches. Those guys are putting up their own money to compete, so when they fight, you can feel the intensity in the air. Where do you plan on taking this tournament in the future? Galdenzi: Man, hopefully we just keep growing and growing. Right now I just have one big warehouse that we do it out of, but Combat Sports Coverage has a lot of people in Florida. Maybe not the next event we do, but in 2021 I really want to do a Texas vs. Florida card and fly some of the best guys out to battle the Florida guys. I already have the venue, right on Daytona Beach in a prime location. I have the hotel covered already. Just like a wrestling dual meet, team vs. team. Finally, where do you see the sport of jiu jitsu in ten years? Galdenzi: Oh, man. I think jiu jitsu, even right now, is blooming. Everyone is putting on really big jiu jitsu shows. Like Submission Hunter Pro events, those are beautiful. If I was a competitor, shoot, I'd love to go compete on one of those. Eric (Garcia) puts on great shows. We're seeing all these smaller promotions start to do that too. People like me, we might not have the nicest show, but hey, the guys who win our tournaments are taking home money. I think the sport of jiu jitsu is going to be huge. Just like the UFC, hopefully people will be tuning in to watch jiu jitsu. Those interested in competing in the grappling tournament can sign up here. To watch the Combat Sports Coverage Grappling Invitational, you can buy a pay-per-view for only 99 cents on Facebook. Be sure to check out Combat Sports Coverage on Instagram and Facebook! "You can think thoughts in different languages that you can't even express in English." For my last post, I wrote about some methods you can use to improve your jiu-jitsu game. In doing so, I used the analogy that jiu jitsu was like learning a new language. Throughout the day, my mind came back to that. I realized that the two pursuits had much more in common than I expected, which led me into a study of both. A bit of background. I learned English as my first language and, as both my parents speak Spanish, I've achieved a level of fluency that could be described as "competent". When speaking Spanish, I still make grammar mistakes at times (or stumble over a word) but for the most part, I don't have to consciously translate what I want to say. I even dream in Spanish on occasion! I picked up jiu-jitsu before I started really learning wrestling, though I had learned bits of wrestling in BJJ and been to various wrestling camps. Over time, I also got to the point in jiu jitsu where, much like speaking Spanish, movements became second nature. It wasn't as much of a struggle as it was in the beginning, but of course, I'm nowhere near an expert, and still learning. During this quarantine, I made it a point to start learning Esperanto using various online courses and books. My dad had been interested in the language for quite some time and he can speak and understand it well. While attempting to wrap my head around this new language and all of its quirks, I've been thinking back to my time learning wrestling, and the similarities of introducing new fields of knowledge. What really blew my mind was the sentence that opened this blog post. The very idea that there are thoughts that I couldn't think in English was very unnerving! When I played with the idea, though, it made total sense. Languages are based on culture, vocabulary, and grammar. Changing any of those things would drastically influence a person's view on the world. This is known as Whorfianism or linguistic relativity. There are two versions of this theory: a "strong" version that says that language determines thought, and a "weak" version that says that language only influences thought. While the question of which version is correct is subject to debate among linguists, both versions agree that language has a strong effect on a person. Ayn Rand's book Anthem is a great example of this. In it, the characters have been stripped of their sense of individuality by society. As a result, they only refer to themselves with pronouns like "we", "us," and "they". At the end of the book, the protagonist, after leaving society, rediscovers the word "I", and with it, individuality. From Anthem: 'It was when I read the first of the books I found in my house that I saw the word “I.” And when I understood this word, the book fell from my hands, and I wept, I who had never known tears. I wept in deliverance and in pity for all mankind.' In Spanish, the words "tu" and "usted" both serve the purpose of acknowledging another person, much like "you" in English, but with regards to status. "Tu" is used when addressing someone of equal or lower status, while "usted" is used when talking to someone of higher status, like an elder, or a government official. Spanish also has gender applied to many of its words, something that English lacks. The Piraha tribe of the Amazon rainforest speaks a simple language with no words for numbers, colors, or letters. Their language also has no past tense. It's hypothesized that, because of this, they have no perception of time. When an event has passed for them, it would have effectively ceased to exist. After spending several years living with the tribe, linguist Dan Everett concluded that the Piraha could not learn the concept of numbers. This video from the Smithsonian Channel shows Dan Everett with the Piraha: (credits to the Smithsonian Channel) With a language like the Piraha's or the one Ayn Rand describes, you're severely limited in terms of self expression. To remove the boundaries placed upon you by your native language, you must go out of your way to learn others and expand your mind. Where languages are dictated by culture and grammar, the martial arts are built around various rulesets that determine what you can and can't do. Martial arts can be thought of as a conversation, as there's a lot of give and take as competitors trade moves back and forth. One must always have an answer for their opponent's question (they shoot, I sprawl. I sprawl, they peak out, etc.) In this way, techniques and positions can be compared to words in languages. Similar to there being concepts you can't think in other languages, there are positions and moves you simply can't achieve in other martial arts. Let's say your aim is to become the most well rounded grappler possible. You start by learning wrestling. With the aim of wrestling being to control an opponent, it focuses on takedowns, pins, and rides (control techniques). Wrestling's point system strongly favors aggression and rewards being good at taking someone to the mat, something jiu jitsu rules don't. Coming from a wrestling background, your knowledge of takedowns and pressure is much greater than a jiu jitsu player's. The rules of wrestling differentiate it from Brazilian jiu jitsu where there's no value given to back exposure whatsoever and the point is to submit the opponent. As a result of not being used to submission holds, wrestlers sometimes have a hard time transitioning to MMA or BJJ, and the other way around. Because of the lack of these techniques, wrestling can't be a complete grappling system by itself. You start training jiu jitsu to fill in the gaps. By combining these together, you quickly become very knowledgeable in both forms of grappling and are able to create your own unique style. Brazilian jiu jitsu is unique in that a lot of it's matwork revolves around using the guard. Being a position where you lay with your back on the mat and use your legs to control the opponent, the guard can only appear in rulesets where you aren't being pinned if you're using it. Without knowledge of this position you can't become a complete submission grappler, as knowing it opens up thousands of possibilities. But jiu jitsu isn't a complete system by itself, either, at least not at first. Since its creation, practicioners of the art have taken inspiration from other arts like wrestling and judo and modified techniques to work in various rulesets. Here's a good example from BJJ Scout of a wrestling technique working in wrestling, BJJ and even mixed martial arts (credits to the BJJ Scout YouTube channel) Languages are the same way, always evolving and taking words from other languages. Many of the English words you use in your everyday conversations are from different cultures, including some that you may not have realized, like "cookie" which doesn't actually come from "to cook" but instead the Dutch koek (cakes) So how can we use the comparison to learn more efficiently? The app Duolingo does a great job of teaching a language in a digestible format. Instead of teaching a language like a book would, which would be giving lists of words to memorize, Duolingo gives you full sentences. In this way, users aren't bored by endless practice of standalone words. Instead, they subconsciously begin to understand a language through practicing sentences which build upon each other. This is very similar to systems-based learning a la John Danaher or Lachlan Giles. Their instructionals provide not single moves but combinations, which are many times more helpful. By understanding how an opponent can counter a move, your understanding of the initial move deepens. Duolingo also uses spaced repetition. Lessons previously completed by a student can "break" after time, calling upon a student to go back and redo them. In this way, students are forced to remember past lessons. This has been proven to be an efficient form of memory training: when you learn with time intervals, things stick more. Applying spaced repetition to your jiu jitsu training is relatively easy. You can start off by keeping a journal of your classes (which is a great idea by itself) and writing down both the techniques you're learning in class, as well as the roadblocks you're having. Revisit this journal often. During open mats or after class, take the journal and use it to practice techniques that you maybe hadn't thought about in a while. You'll find yourself remembering techniques much more. As weird as it sounds, talking to yourself also helps. When learning a language, your goal is to eventually become fluent and not only be able to speak but also to think in the language. The martial arts are the same way. When you reach a certain level of competence in jiu jitsu, your reactions to an opponent's movements are instinctive rather than voluntary. But you have to be able to "think in jiu jitsu" first. I talked a lot about visualization in my last post and I'll talk about it again. When you're trying to understand a language, you should spend time during your day walking around making sentences in your head, eventually working up to imaginary conversations. It's an essential step on your road to fluency. Jiu jitsu is the same way; it can be very beneficial to imagine yourself rolling in your head or perhaps drilling techniques. Doing this allows your brain to make the connections between movement and subconscious thought. The excellent podcast Jiu Jitsu Mental Models refers to this as meditative drilling. Of course, be careful to use proper technique when visualizing (and proper grammar when talking to yourself) to prevent bad habits from forming. But of course, no pursuit of learning a language would be complete without hours upon hours of conversing and talking with a partner. No matter how many books you read and songs you listen to in the language, you won't achieve competence until you're comfortable talking and you can express yourself freely. Sparring in the martial arts serves the same purpose. When you enter a sparring session (or a conversation) anything can happen. You have to be prepared for whatever situation arises, and it can really highlight some of your weaknesses. To get the most out of it though, pay attention to what mistakes you're making. Videotape yourself so you can look back later from an outside perspective! Finally, we can look at concepts to boost our learning. I heard Ryan Hall say this in a podcast with Lex Fridman. Hall actually mentioned languages as well, saying that by focusing on grammar rules, you can learn languages easily. He says that once you know what the types of words are (verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc) and understand how to use them correctly, it makes everything a lot easier. In summary, Languages and jiu jitsu are both very complex, cerebral hobbies with many moving parts. By understanding how they work and breaking them down, as well as using deliberate study methods, you can elevate your learning to the next level. Above everything, keep it fun! Switch up how you learn, and always be improving. go get it done!!! - rick (This'll take several parts which aren't necessarily connected. Read them in any order you want, or not at all) In Brazilian jiu-jitsu, you'll hear that it's "the journey, not the destination", that matters. And for the most part, that's true. When the journey involves getting repeatedly choked, however, you start looking for ways to speed it up. That's where the pursuit of improvement comes in. Everyone has their own methods of improvement. A quick Google search for "how to get good at BJJ" yields 574 million results. Keenan Cornelius, Kit Dale, and Andre Galvao have all given their personal tips on the topic. Even though any of them would twist me into a pretzel, I needed a blog post, so I figured here are mine. Before anything else, you have to realize that jiu jitsu is a knowledge based sport. This is one of the reasons why people have such a hard time when they're just starting. Like learning a new language, they can only understand bits and pieces at once. The fix for this is visualization. You see, most people won't spend any time thinking about jiu jitsu other than when they are in class. By taking time during the day to visualize moves and play with positions in your mind, you can consciously begin to wrap your head around the bigger picture. This translates to what's called "fight IQ", which is when you can understand what's going on. Watching someone with high fight IQ grapple is a very enjoyable experience, as it looks like they can see the future. Every move is planned for, and their opponent seems to make mistakes and fall into traps. Spectators look on in awe as the grapplers decimate their opponents, who are left wondering "how did that happen?". Some good examples are the Mendes brothers. While passing guard, they skillfully float around their opponents, who are pretty much powerless to stop them. (credit to Mendes brothers) I really can't stress the importance of visualization enough. It's been proven by countless athletes and sports psychologists to be nearly as useful as actual practice. While not a substitute for training, it will help you outwork your opponents even when you're sick, injured, or can't get to the gym. Where it really shines, though, is when you're perfectly healthy and use it just to compliment your training. The second way to improve is goal-based training. Remember when I said that jiu jitsu is a knowledge based sport? While that's true, you can't try to focus on everything at once. Whenever you spar, you should do so with a goal - the more specific the better. Against a higher level opponent, you might focus on a stronger part of your game. When rolling with a lower level opponent, you could practice a technique that isn't as developed. Doing this also helps prevent burnout and discouragement. When I roll with black belts or other high level opponents, I look for the small victories, like opening closed guard or not being swept. I try to force them to play my game instead of blindly falling into theirs. If you don't have a plan like this, you're getting about the same benefits as getting into a garbage can and being pushed down a flight of stairs. It might build your toughness, but nothing else, and it's definitely not recommended. Focused training goes hand in hand with visualization. When you try to apply the moves that you've visualized, the live training will spotlight flaws in the technique and problems you might not have thought of. This is a good thing! By becoming aware of these issues, you can start looking for solutions to them. An overlooked way to progress is through unorthodox training. By this, I mean using games and other training methods to build skill. While normally thought of as being limited to kids classes. there's no reason why adults shouldn't be using training methods other than drilling and sparring. For one, they break up the monotony that can sometimes take over training. In a very Mr. Miyagi way, they can also help you learn skills while not even knowing it. A good way to think about games and unorthodox drills is that they are simply methods of indirect learning. They are innovative ways of training concepts instead of techniques. Walk into any wrestling mat room and you'll see some variation of the "toe touch" drill being played. The concept is simple: touch your opponent's foot with your hand. During wrestling practices, I always thought this drill was a waste of time. However, my opinion changed when I realized that it's an invaluable method of learning how to get in on your opponent's legs. Here you can see Iowa Hawkeye Brent Metcalf demonstrating the toe touch game (credit to FloSports and FloWrestling). Finally, the last method we'll talk about is maximizing productivity in training. This is pretty simple. During class, make an effort to be mentally present. Don't allow your mind to wander. Leave all your problems off the mat. There's a time for training and then there's a time for everything else. You're there to improve, so why is your mind wandering? I don't mean to take it so seriously that it becomes a drag; there's no quicker way to lose interest. But be conscious of your actions and make the most of your time. When drilling, strive for 100% perfect repetitions. When sparring, do so with the intent of improving. Don't cut corners by choosing a lower level partner when you could be going against the best. In the end, it all comes down to dedication, and how bad you want it. The only thing holding you back is how much you are willing to focus. Put your efforts towards progression and watch the results unfold! rick Recently my family and I took a road trip to Atlanta, Georgia for a business convention of theirs that takes place every other year. The main difference between this time and last time (something that came with maturity, I’m sure) was that now instead of mindlessly watching Netflix I decided to listen to the speakers and see what lessons I could take from them. Hopefully, I told myself, I would at least be able to apply a few of their principles into my own life.
As the waves of music came over me and the strobe lights shone in my face, I was enveloped in the herd mentality of motivation. I found myself standing in my seat, clapping and hollering. I have never recruited a person to this business. I have never taken the tests necessary to achieve the licenses that these people hold. I was as lost in the lingo of these agents as they would be if I tried to describe the berimbolo. But that didn’t stop the main message from being broadcasted to me and permanently imprinted in my brain, where it would replay itself over and over as I rode home and echo in my thoughts during pensive moments. It was one sentence that captivated me. ”The easiest way to keep a prisoner is to make them feel like they’re not trapped.” For me that summarizes most people. The desire to be great is too often suppressed by the lure of being average, of falling into the trap of what’s easy and, more than anything, what’s comfortable. It takes no effort to conform and allow yourself to be sucked into a life of “good enough” where you can never succeed nor fail. There is no pressure on you and in that way you have a sort of faux-happiness. That’s where your satisfaction ends, though. The fix to this is not easy. You’ll have to find your purpose. Break out of your comfort zone. Become obsessed. Mold yourself into the best version of yourself that you possibly can be. Only then, after pushing through the struggles that held you back, after rebuilding yourself from the bottom up, will you find true happiness. More than anything, the medals I’ve earned, whether through athletics or academics, are symbolical. I look up at them on the wall and I see not accolades and titles but the product of hard work. Every time I see them I am reminded of the countless hours spent training and studying. The visualization. The strength and conditioning sessions, the days I didn’t feel like working and did anyway. The feelings of winning and losing. Most importantly, the knowledge that there’s so much more left to achieve. I see how far I’ve come and I realize that my goals are possible. Through failure and success, I’ve never strayed from the path. I’ve gone through many a tough time both mentally and physically. I’ve hit plateaus and been outclassed and told by friends and family that I wouldn’t succeed, that my work was pointless and would not amount to anything. And that hurt, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. But there’s no way that I would let that stop me from continuing my journey. I couldn’t have done it by myself. I’ve been gifted with amazing teammates, coaches, girlfriend, and friends. They’ve helped me improve and kept me going. I am glad to say that I’m able to look to them to pull me out of hard times and give me positive examples to strive towards. At the end of the day though, where I am is up to me. It comes from my mindset and how much I’m willing to put into improvement. It comes from how much pain I can take and keep going. I’ve learned to push myself. Every night, I’m a little better than the last. It compounds. But it depends on me. And there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the same. With that I dare you - find what you want, and make it happen. You’ve got limited time on this earth, but we all have the power to drive ourselves to success. so yeah. rick Most of us are no strangers to conflict. Whether it be verbal, mental, emotional or even physical, there's a large chance that we have to deal with some in our lives on a daily basis. It's understood that this world we live in isn't anything close to fair or easy.
How you handle it, however, varies from person to person. You get some people who blow up at the world, criticizing others and never taking the blame. Others assume a cynical sense of humor, distancing themselves from their surroundings in a futile attempt to hide from their problems. It's easy to do either of those things. It takes no effort to put up a facade, to hide from conflict, to pretend it's not there. It's a little more difficult when you can't hide from it. You can't run. You can't do anything but face it head on, and you especially can't blame it on anyone but yourself. To me, that's what Brazilian jiu-jitsu is. Some people use it purely as sport, others as a social activity, and some as a means of self defense. I fit into all of those categories - I started it for its self defense benefits, the sport aspect keeps me motivated, and the social part builds up many of my friendships, but when you really get down to it, I view it as a form of self-improvement. On the mats, your grades don't matter. You're not focused on your family, your relationship, your popularity. One thing matters, and it is the task at hand. You're grappling with the person in front of you, and nothing more. Everything is irrelevant, except your opponent. Your anxiety is gone, your problems solved, if only for a moment. All that is on your mind is the goal of taking them down, of passing their guard, of taking their back, of submitting them. One thing at a time, and so it goes. Walking into the stadium, you look out at the mats laid out and the referees scrambling to put the brackets in order. Your music playing through your headphones, the emotion leaves your face. You become stone cold. You know what you have to do, and you're just waiting until they call you up. You're shaking a little as they call you up, but damned if you're going to let anyone see it. Under the eyes of everyone in the crowds, you're a different person. Nothing matters but the fight. You don't smile, you don't frown. There will be time for that after the match. And no matter the outcome, you know you can't make any excuses, because out there, in combat, it's all you. You take off your shoes, shake a bit of the energy out, and step on the mats. Look your opponent in the eyes. Slap hands. Bump fists. "Combat!" and it's on. rick ...happiness is but a state of peace. Of calm. Of knowing that you belong, that you're loved, you're accepted, more than anything, knowing you're where you want to be.
I sat down beside my friends and training partners and watched as my kickboxing coach sparred with a student. They stalked around the mat like tigers eying their prey, circling each other, baiting each other, watching for any sign of weakness to exploit. Tense but relaxed, the fighters fired devastating blows to each other with power I hadn't thought possible. Their strikes gave off long, resonating cracks like thunder as they hit their target, grimacing. But at the end, they shook hands and bowed, switching suddenly from trying to destroy one another to laughing and congratulating each other. They came to sit beside me and talk with me. These people were in full control of their emotions and knew exactly how to unleash, but more importantly, limit their power, and from being in their company, I was learning to be like them. The trees rushed by me and the wind kissed my face as I turned the throttle, traveling down the forest path. My bike hummed and purred, its engine turning and carrying me through the woods, alongside magnificent trees that towered above and over great fallen logs and through creeks. Controlling it came as naturally as speaking, switching gears but a reflex, managing the speed just as easy as breathing. There was nothing at the moment but the woods and us and what lay around. Without having to focus on the bike, I took a moment to appreciate the sheer vastness of the forest. I felt small compared to nature's looming greatness. But I felt like part of something bigger. Something special. And I am happy. |
how do you doI write for the people who read. enjoy! |