If you are like me, you get your guard passed all the time in class.  Watch the above video to see some amazing guard retention against one of the best in the world, Robson Moura!  I have a LONG way to go...

Paul

One of the hardest things about learning bjj is that there are no clear cut answers. 2+2 does not equal 4. In most cases, 2+ 2 = "it depends". This is the beauty of our art, but also the challenge. Its depth is endless.  It is a lifelong pursuit.

This perspective of "it depends" can be understood at various levels. Let's think about the most obvious first, a single move. This came up last weekend at Dave's instructor certification where we talked about the scissor sweep. Our focus for the discussion was the collar grip. We looked at the advantages and disadvantages of same side or cross side collar grips. In summary, if you grip same side, you have more control over the opponent's body from bottom and after the sweep if you sprawl. If you grip cross grip, you have an opportunity for chokes but give up a bit on control.  Dave uses same side.  Damian Maia uses a cross grip. So which is correct?  It depends.  There are no right or wrong answers.  If jiu-jitsu was a color it would be grey.

I find the lack of right or wrong is also true when looking more broadly at the art.

• When should I bring my "a" game? 
• Should I do private lessons?
• How many days a week should I train?
• Do I need flexibility?
• and on and on and on

It seems there are no simple answers. Jiu-jitsu is intensly personal.

See you on the mat!

Paul

Like most people addicted to bjj, I have a ton of material to learn from.  Stacks of dvds, a shelf of books and this is not to mention the mountain of YouTube videos out there.  After a while it becomes obvious to most players that you just cannot absorb it all.  Watching an hour of techniques typically means retaining nearly nothing.  I think this concept equally well to classes or seminars where too much information is provided.  I find this particularly interesting since an instructor must find a balance between providing "value" in the eyes of the student(customer) and doing what is ultimately best for them, even if they don't know it at the time.  But let's get back to all the sources of good bjj information...

So what is one to do?  I have talked to people who ignore the materials out there and just go to class.  I have seen others who watch every video and read every book.  I can't say that I have found one method inherently better than the other, and I can only speak to what I have been doing, and what seems to be working for me.  As you might expect, it is a bit of a hybrid.

I firmly believe there is a ton of value in hearing other people teach moves.  I usually find the most value in hearing different explanations for moves and positions I already know.  For example, a few weeks ago I wanted to focus a bit on mount, so I watched Demian Maia's Series 2 Mount DVD.  There was very little that I had not seen on it, but that is ok, the small details were fantastic.  I got to hear one of the best in the world share his reasoned perspective on the mount position for about an hour.  If you are a basketball fan, when was the last time you got to sit down with Michael Jordan for an hour to talk about his approach to splitting a defense.  What a great sport we picked!!

Now I also keep in mind that I do attend a few classes every week.  I don't control those topics, but I like to have some commonality with what I am thinking about.  I guess my theory is that I would to better to spend a few weeks on one position than to jump around.  With that in mind, I try to use other materials like books and dvds to supplement our class focus.  It doesn't work as well the other way around.

Here is what I did last week.  Dave was going over the kimura grip to the cross-body armlock - in fact he proclaimed this month "armlock month".  We worked the kimura grip from side control top and I got pretty excited to make it a stronger part of my game.  That night, I remembered I had an old video of Chris Brennan that focused on the kimura.  So I pulled it out of my closet and gave it a watch.   The video was only about 30 minutes or so, but I made even better use of my time by just skipping over moves I knew would not apply to me.  In this case, I skipped the standing kimuras and even skipped a few moves where he rolled to the finish by sacrificing top position.  I skipped standing since I wanted to focus on ground and I skipped the others since I fundamentally never want to lose top to go for a finish - just something I am trying to personally emphasize.

The great thing is that I picked up some really cool variations on using the kimura grip from positions like side control bottom and the back.   Some were new and some I had forgotten - however, it fit my goal perfectly - to make the kimura a part of my game from everywhere.  In fact, one of the best things I saw was how he finished the kimura after starting from a side control far side underhook armlock.  Since it fit with my personal rule of keeping top, it opened my eyes to a new finishing position - a target to aim for.  I ended up trying to get there from a few other spots and found a nice variation that is working for me.

Lastly, I got together with my training partners on Friday and we worked the kimura and cross body armlock in drills and rolling.  It was great.  We all shared what was working for us and where we had issues.  We talked about transitions we used, and what Dave had told each of us personally during the weeks classes.  I shared some of Chris Brennan's ideas and even a few from Demian's from the mount dvd a week before.  We all walked away with a richer understanding of the position and I think followed Dave's rule of "train with everyone" in a pretty innovative way.

A fun week on the mats to be sure and a model I will work to replicate going forward.

See you on the mat!

Paul

I saw this closed guard armlock via Roy Dean's excellent post about his adventures at the Mundials this year.  Very cool armlock I didn't want to forget.  Enjoy!

We all train for our own reasons.  Some for the love of it, some the camraderie, some the self-defense - whatever your varied reasons, we can all agree that staying healthy is paramount.  The importance of our health has been brought to the fore with all the news about MRSA and flesh eating disease.  Very, very scary stuff.  Personally, I never, ever want to get anything like that.  I can promise you that if it did happen, I'd have my bjj card revoked for life from my family.   As much as I love bjj, life is too short.

So what do I do?  I take care of myself and my training partners.  Here is how:

1. Eat Right - I follow a pretty strict diet most of the time that limits processed sugars.  It is a known fact that sugar lowers immune response.  This is my first line of defense most of the time.  Hey, I gotta have my ice cream!

2. Shower - I shower after every class.  No exceptions. 

3. Do Laundry - I wash my gi after every class.  I also wear a clean, fresh gi to every class.  I never, ever wear a used, wet gi.  If you don't have more than one gi, buy one.  It's a small investment if you are serious about the sport.  Plus look at all the cool new patches you can buy!

4. Treat Open Cuts and Scrapes - If I see open scrapes or cuts, as often happens training, I treat them immediately after my shower with an antibacterial gel.  I like StaphAseptic.  It smells good and I only use a little bit on open cuts and scrapes, so a little tube of the MRSA kiling gel goes a long way.  I have had the small size for about a year with no end in sight.

5. Wear Headgear - Ok, this one is a break from the microbiological fears, but I had to put it on here.  I really like my ears.  To take care of my only set, I use the Cliff Keen F5.  Never slips off - just awesome.

6. Wash the Mats - If you own a school make sure you wash the mats daily.  If you are a student, ask if your school is doing it.  If they are running a school, charging students, they should be all over this.  If for some weird reason they refuse, offer to help out with the cleaning.  No sense getting sick over something easy.

7. Roll with Control - I have seen lots of people get way, way too aggressive resulting in injuries.  Typically they hurt themselves against better players.  If they roll with lower belts, they hurt the other guy.  It is a bad vibe for a school, bad for retention, and slows learning.  Take it a little easier on the mat and you'll be protecting everyone.

See you on the mat!

Paul