Purple Belts will Need IBJJF Membership Starting in 2018

Huh, well that’s something: according to White Belt BJJ, (and then I checked on the IBJJF website- not due to lack of trust, I just wanted to see where this was mentioned) purple belts will need to register with the IBJJF in order to compete in tournaments, starting in January of 2018.

I imagine as time goes on they will work their way down all the way to white belt. Check it out and if you are a purple belt who wants to compete in an IBJJF tournament, be sure to sign up for a membership!

‘Tis the Season of Slacking

It’s getting to that time of year: the mats are less packed as people make more and more excuses for why they aren’t showing up. Office parties, family gatherings, children’s Christmas plays- all valid reasons in a lot of ways, but what is one “meh, I have this thing and can’t go to class” can quickly turn into “dang, I haven’t been to a jiu jitsu class for an entire month” if you’re not careful.

I say all of this, knowing full well I’m heading to New Orleans later this week and will also be skipping class: try to do whatever you can to get into class when you can. Sure, it may just be one day for the entire week, but the effort will still keep you emotionally invested and motivated to attend class for when you do have time to make it in.

Just a few words of advice: have a great day everyone!

Seminar with Daniel Beleza

Hey everyone,

Last night we had a seminar at our academy with black belt Daniel Beleza– he’s won about a bajillion tournaments, and just seems like a pretty chill guy.

It was a lot about chokes (score!) and ways to get to them from mainly spider and closed guard- nothing wrong with that. He also did a lot of work from an inverted triangle position, which was unusual but an interesting and new way to look at things. It was also fun to see the numerous variations of submissions based on what your partner gives you. All the variations and the finer details may have gone over some of the lower belts’ heads and they would need to see it again to fully get it (I’m not even sure I picked up on all of the details he showed) but it was fun to at least see the progression of the different techniques and submissions, how one flowed into the other.

All in all a good night 🙂

Science! Gluten Sensitivity May Not Be Caused by Gluten

Huh, well this is pretty interesting: so for people that claim gluten sensitivity, it may not be actually the gluten that is making you feel terrible. Instead, this recent study suggests it may be a sugar chain called fructans that may gives people the bloated, awful feeling that they have been associating with gluten. The sugar chain is present in grains such as wheat, barley and rye, which is why if would make sense for people to feel better after they cut those grains out of their diet.

It’s a pretty neat article- check it out and have a great day everyone!

Article from Bloody Elbow Interviewing Royce Gracie

Hey everyone, Bloody Elbow has an article about Royce Gracie and his opinion on how BJJ & MMA have changed over the past 20 years (spoiler alert: not for the better, in his opinion).

Check it out and have a great day everyone!

Article on Why You Should Learn Jiu Jitsu

Preaching to the choir, I know.

But, if you have someone in your lift who is considering dipping their toes into the BJJ pool, Part Time Grappler has a nice article that lays out a number of benefits that come with learning jiu jitsu.

Check it out and have a great day everyone!

 

An Interesting (and Odd) Article about Someone Using Jiu Jitsu IRL

Well, this can be filed under the strange and unusual: apparently a shoplifter is suing Target because an employee knew jiu jitsu and “attacked” the thief. Or as the rest of us call it, trying to keep the shoplifter from running away. Granted, not everything is black and white- I totally get that, but the police report is well, interesting.

Check it out and come to your own conclusions, but I don’t think his lawsuit is going to fly.

Have a great day everyone!

Sometimes I Tell My Training Partners How to Beat My Techniques

Seems counter-intuitive, no? I find myself doing this with some of the lower belts: I literally tell them how to beat me, or how to defend against some technique I just happen to be doing particularly well with them.

I do this for two fairly simple reasons- first, it helps my partner as it gives them the ability to give me trouble and not just feel like they are getting repeatedly tapped by a black belt without rhyme or reason. Not that I don’t think our students are tough, but it’s sort of like being sick without having a diagnosis- it depressing because you aren’t really sure what’s going on, or when it will really end.

Second, it keeps me from being complacent in my techniques. If someone knows how to give me trouble in something I do successfully, I need to find an effective “out” and then different approach- either a different entrance for the same technique, or something different all together if the opportunity presents itself. It encourages creative thinking, experimenting, which also gives the lower rank more opportunities to work on whatever they are trying at the moment, because it’s forcing me out of my comfort zone.

I think by all means you should have an A game- a handful of positions, sweeps, submissions, etc. that you know like the back of your hand. But I don’t think it benefits anyone, yourself included, if there isn’t someone that’s trying to beat you- either through their own efforts, or if you tell a partner exactly what will give you trouble.

That’s all for now- have a great day everyone!

Science! Bones May Play A Role In Regulating Appetite And Metabolism

Whaaaaaat….

A recent study suggests that there is a hormone that effects bones, but also helps us metabolize sugar and fat.

Crazy! Check it out and have a great day everyone!