Links
Feb
9
Finish (Day 100)
Filed Under BJJ Notes: The Book | Leave a Comment
You’ll find that the word finish takes on new meaning in jiu-jitsu. It still means the “final part,” or “conclusion” as a noun, but to us, it is all verb, it’s all action, and decisiveness. Finish. Finish your conditioning, finish your training, finish your opponent. You’ve started something: a match in a tournament, the process [...]
Feb
8
Egomaniacs Straight from the Dojo and into your School (Day 99)
Filed Under BJJ Notes: The Book | 4 Comments
During one of your classes you may have an egomaniac walk into your academy who wants to test jiu-jitsu. It’s usually an older dude with a ponytail, he’ll be brusque and rude. He will talk about his own style and how it’s superior to jiu-jitsu (these are the guys who have never watched a UFC, [...]
Feb
7
You should be dogmatic when it comes to learning the basics of jiu-jitsu, but there will come a time when you need to be reckless. Sometimes creation comes from recklessness–from breaking the rules. This is how children play, and learn, and grow, at times they are reckless. Children have no concern for the rules and [...]
Feb
6
Boxing is boring. It didn’t used to be, but it is now, at least watching it is. Football is frivolous–there isn’t even any choking in it (I played division one football, and coached high school football for ten years.) Before jiu-jitsu you may be an avid sports fan, and some people are still huge fans [...]
Feb
5
You may meet the greatest jiu-jitsu practitioner of all time, a virtuoso on the mat, a red belt with magical skills, but you must always remember that although those guys or girls may deserve your respect, they are just people. You may want to emulate your professor, master or grand master, but stop at admiration. [...]
Feb
4
A Hand Shake and a Hug (Day 95)
Filed Under BJJ Notes: The Book | 1 Comment
. . . A hand shake and a hug, this is how you’ll end your class (at least the handshake, sometimes the hug). This is the way we end, face to face with a grip and a smile, by acknowledging everyone in class, by recognizing them and appreciating them. This is the way we build [...]
Feb
3
Body Mechanics (Day 94)
Filed Under BJJ Notes: The Book | 1 Comment
Sometimes we take the mechanism we call our body for granted. We don’t appreciate how subconscious and automatic are movements are, how wonderfully intuitive we are when it comes to motion. We take that for granted until we’re injured, and then the subconcious flow of our bodies becomes very apparent–very obvious. You never notice how [...]
Feb
2
Your Gi will not be Dry in Time for Class (Day 93)
Filed Under BJJ Notes: The Book | Leave a Comment
You will undoubtedly go to many classes with a wet gi (or at least a damp one), especially in the beginning of your jiu-jitsu training. The gi is a conundrum when it comes to the length of time it takes to dry. You may think your gi will be dry in time for class, but [...]
Feb
1
When you join your jiu-jitsu school you’ve become a part of something bigger than yourself. That’s important to remember. That’s something to be happy about. You are no longer a lone wolf, a ronin samurai, master-less and roaming the countryside. You are now a part of a group, and I would suspect a tight one. [...]
Jan
31
There is a groove that runs from your top lip up to your nose, it’s called your philtrum, and behind it lies a tube of nerves that if rubbed (say with a finger, back and forth) hurts like hell. If someone is rubbing your philtrum, say from the back, it’s almost impossible to keep your [...]
