Happy Friday! Reflection Edition

Happy Friday everyone! 

I mentioned something about this last night in the gym after training, but I wanted to mention it here as well. 

Think about your past couple of training sessions: what went well, what didn’t, what could have gone better-regardless of whether or not it was successful or not. Think, reflect, and think about ways to improve. There’s always room to improve, to move forward and do better. 

Just some food for thought: have a great weekend everyone! 

Video on Choking Someone With a Hoodie

Not that I’m going to stop wearing hoodies any time in the near future (particularly in the office- I practically live in a hoodie between November and May), but thanks to this video I will be more mindful of potentially being choked with it.

Although if someone is trying to choke me in the middle of the workplace, I think we have bigger problems at hand.

Anyway, here’s a video about choking someone with their hoodie. Enjoy!

 

Single and Double Leg Takedowns: Ow.

Maybe I’m just a wimp, but we’ve been practicing single and double leg takedowns in class lately, and I keep smashing my ear into my partner’s hip bone. Which offers some insight on how wrestlers get cauliflower ear so quickly- but man, it hurts.

Does this happen to anyone else? And are you just as stubborn as I am and just keep smashing your ear anyway? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

Xande Seminar Last Night

Last night was a seminar with Xande Ribeiro- it was a good time: we drilled some basics, did a little fancy stuff, sat down for a Q&A, celebrated our Coach’s birthday and threw the crap out of him, and one of our guys was promoted to Black Belt. Congratulations, Shawn!

How was your evening? Let me know- otherwise, have a great day everyone!

 

 

Xande Seminar Tonight!

Tonight our academy is in for a treat: Alexandre “Xande” Ribeiro is holding a seminar in at our school.

Hooray!

I’ll let you know how it goes. Have a great day everyone!

Happy Friday! Impending Snow Edition

Happy Friday everyone! We’re about to get a heck ton of snow, so I’m going to go stock up on the essentials for being snowed in: eggs, milk, bread.

Because everyone loves eating french toast on a snow day.

Have a great weekend everyone! And people in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region of the US, stay safe!

Jiu Jitsu and Feeling Overwhelmed

Again, this is one of those “BJJ and everyday life” moments overlap- I think often in our jiu jitsu, in our every day lives, we’re hit with a barrage of information, expectations, demands, requests, and it can seem overwhelming at times. It’s like rolling and seeing all the things that you can do in a situation, and feeling a need or obligation to do all of them.

In these moments I find it best to take a second, ground yourself, refocus and then move forward. No one can do everything at once: it’s simply impossible. unless you find a way to spontaneously clone yourself, in which please teach me your secret. Some things you can complete right now, and there are just some things that are going to have to wait until next time. That’s really it: you need to make a decision and then stick with it. And you have to be ok with that fact. It’s frustrating at times, I know, but it’s equally frustrating to be overwhelmed by everything and not doing anything. It”s better to pick a course, for better or worse, than to just stand still, paralyzed by indecision. That’s my personal thought on the matter, anyway.

Just some thoughts for the morning: relax, breathe deep, and move forward. And have a great day everyone!

 

 

Article All About That Cauliflower Ear

Hey Everyone,

BJJ Heroes has an article on cauliflower ear, what causes it, how to treat it, lasting effects and some suggestions on how to prevent it.

Check it out, let me know if there is anything you would like to add, otherwise, have a great day everyone!

BJJ and Connecting with Others

So, in my non-jiu jitsu life I’m reviewing resumes for a position to work under me in my department (I’m heading a department: scary, I know).

Anyway, I read a resume that was so awful that it made me  annoyed, then angry, and then made me think about why I was so annoyed with it. It wasn’t poorly written- quite the contrary, the person had a mastery of the English language. Which was sort of the problem. This person decided to attempt to flaunt and show off every single word they could possibly come up with and put it into one document. Instead of awe-inspiring, it was off-putting and borderline nonsensical.

How the heck does this relate to jiu jitsu? Bear with me, there is a bit of a connection: it’s like when someone tries to teach fancy techniques in a beginner class. Sure it looks cool, but it’s borderline nonsensical. Instead of making people feel included and inspired, it can be confusing and off-putting for a lot of people. The idea when teaching is to pass off knowledge from one (presumably higher ranked) practitioner to another (presumably lower ranked) student- in order to do that, the person should feel included in the conversation, otherwise there is a chance the student will become closed off and defensive even if they are perfectly capable of learning the fancier technique.

People in a class should feel included, not saying that you can’t throw in some fancy things once in a while but too much of a focus on those kinds of things I feel will eventually do more harm than good. Yes, it’s great to have these skills, but you also need to consider your audience when speaking, writing, or teaching jiu jitsu, and ensure that everyone is on the same page. That’s the point of communication, right? To share in an idea? How are you doing that if you are deliberately attempting to go over people’s heads?

Just some thoughts for the morning- have a great day everyone!

 

Interesting Article Regarding What Areas to Focus on at Each BJJ Belt

Hey guys,

Sharp Defense has an interesting article about the progression of each belt, what each rank should focus on, and also what coaches should focus on when dealing with a person at each rank.

Check it out and let me know what you think- otherwise, have a great day everyone!