Tag Archives: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

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Disciplien & motivation

Something I have struggled a lot with and seen others struggle with is finding a way to feel motivated, especially to do things that I don’t enjoy. Even though it does seem easier to get things done when I feel motivated it doesn’t actually change anything about the activity. If I need to clean my house I am still going to do all of the same chores whether I feel like doing them or not.

Same with Jiu Jitsu, whether or not i feel motivated to go to practice is not going to change what takes place at that practice. Motivation seems like something out of my control. It’s nice when it is there but it does not stay forever.

However, when people have discipline they will get things done with or without feeling motivated. Discipline is a skill that we can practice where as motivation is a feeling that we experience. Developing a routine and sticking to it whether it’s with diet, exercise, learning are all opportunities to practice discipline. Anytime hanging out at home and watching Netflix or playing video games sounds better than going to the gym for training, I have an opportunity to practice discipline. This means being disciplined is totally in my control and that no matter how bad I am at it, I can improve with practice.
Personally, I find it much easier to be very disciplined in things that I enjoy and areas where I feel motivated. I find that it takes much more effort and focus to practice being disciplined when it comes to things I don’t enjoy.

I know if and when I put in that focus and effort and practice being disciplined, the payout is always worth it. I used to really dislike weight lifting and strength training in general. I would never do it because i just did not feel motivated to lift weights. About a year ago I decided to just put it into my routine twice a week. Every Tuesday and Thursday I would show up and do the workout whether I felt like it or not until it became a habit. Now it’s one of my favorite parts of my routine.

Another thing I have always struggled to find motivation for is cleaning. For a long time I would neglect my chores because…. well, who wants to clean, right? Somebody I shared this with suggested that I plan to do my cleaning at specific times of the day and week, and make it a routine. So I made a commitment with myself and set up a weekly cleaning schedule. At first this was very difficult for me and felt like it took forever. Now that I have been doing it for a few years it is just a habit. Even with things I don’t enjoy much, I know if I practice being disciplined with those activities for long enough, they will become easier and easier and sometimes even enjoyable. If I depend on motivation to reach my goals, I will never get there. If I practice discipline to work towards my goals, almost anything is within reach. 

Coach Danny

Tournaments

The Ruckus in the Hills in house tournament at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was a pretty awesome experience for me. It was my first time Refereeing a tournament. I got to watch a lot of kids that I teach compete, many of them for their first time. Seeing everybody come together for such an event and feeling the sense of community was very special.
I had a lot of fun being one of the referees. It’s a pretty difficult and very important job at Jiu Jitsu tournaments. The responsibility of keeping the athletes safe felt like a daunting task. Having that up close view of each match made it very rewarding. In my preparation for refereeing the tournament I reviewed the IBJJF rules which i thought I already knew pretty well. Something that I learned was the rule on stalling is a lot more objective than I thought it was based on my experience competing and watching competition. They even have video examples of what should be called and time limits for their stalling rule. I thought that was really interesting.
The competitors all fought really hard which was awesome to see. Everybody also showed really good sportsmanship. It was cool to see people compete hard with their teammates while still being good teammates and friends. Watching the kids deal with the nerves of competition and then conquering that fear by stepping on the mat and doing their best was one of the highlights of the day for me.
The overall experience of the tournament was really positive for me. It was cool seeing everybody hanging out, chatting and enjoying the matches. I think the feeling in the room was a really good example of the strong, family friendly culture of EDH BJJ.

Coach Danny

Adults Jiu Jitsu, Uncategorized

EDH BJJ Blue belt promotion: Dave

Blue belt promotion 🛡柔🥋柔🛡

Congrats to Dave on his blue belt promotion! Dave has embraced the jiujitsu lifestyle and taken a full approach to living strong in diet, training, and life on and off the mat.

Dave has challenged himself on the mat with tournaments, asking questions, video study and is also working on a community service drive, collecting supplies for the Sacramento Children’s Home.

In the last few months Dave has really dove deep to better understanding different positions by asking questions and studying in small group sessions. We are excited to see Dave move up to new challenges as a blue belt on the mat and serve his community in his works off the mat! Congrats!

Adults Jiu Jitsu

IBJJF SF Open Results & Reflection from EDH BJJ & Self Defense

On February 25th we took a small team down to compete at the San Francisco Open. The event was held at the historic Kezar pavilion. Driving into the city on clear Sunday morning, I felt a mixed sense of nervousness for the competition and nostalgia from living there over two decades ago.

I was the first one from our team to compete, and I was pretty nervous. It was my first tournament at Black Belt and my first match was against a former training partner of mine. I was happy to pull guard cleanly and have to opportunity to play my game. As I was pummeling for grips he pressed my guard and kept me on my back. I was getting passed and I bridged and came on top… well sort of. He locked a triangle and did my best to defend it and he was able to secure a nice wrist-lock. It was a hard first lesson at Black Belt, but you have to start somewhere.

After my match, I walked down Height Street and placed this experience in the context of my life. Even when you lose, there is a special place in your past as a person that put it all out there.

The tournament was a great learning opportunity for everyone. There were people competing for the first time in their jiu jitsu journey, and others for the first time in 2018, after the holidays. One of our students Brad made his competition debut at the IBJJF SF Open this weekend and he documented his experience on his blog on linkedin. “How competing in a combat sport taught me more about how to improve myself and help others do the same.” Give his article a read and let him know what you think!

Tournament Results:

Blue Belt:

  • Jamie – Bronze
  • Jarrod – Silver (in his first competition at Blue Belt)

White Belt:

  • Ryan – Silver
  • Brad – Silver (First Competition)

by Coach Aaron

Photography By Aiza Tengan

Adults Jiu Jitsu, Tournaments

Professional Jiu Jitsu Competitors in Reno, NV


On the last weekend of January, Tanner Ford and Eliot Kelly made their presence felt on the stage of Fight to Win Pro 60 in Reno, Nevada. This was an exciting night for the two competitors where over $30,000 were paid to the many competitors of the night. Tanner made his Submission only debut on the fight to win card and won via heel hook. He had a dominant performance and was able to execute to precision what he had been training. We are excited to see him again on the stage!

Eliot wasn’t as successful as Tanner in his match. Eliot lost a unanimous referee decision. Needless to say he made an effort to put on a show of takedowns and hand fighting looking to gain advantage starting from the feet.

We are excited to have been a part of another Fight to Win pro card in the Nevada area! This was an exciting opportunity to compete and perform on a professional stage in the art of submission grappling. We look forward to seeing these competitors in action again on the fight to win stage!

Adults Jiu Jitsu

Belt Promotion: Jarrod moves up to Blue

Jarrod is the first generation with our new white belt curriculum to move up in belts. This has been a long process that has been in effect for a little over a year and a half. It’s been very beneficial in giving the beginners a sense of direction and task oriented learning opportunities in addition to the lessons they experience through their rolling and situational drilling.

Jarrod brings an analytical game to the mat to train and understand the technique and concepts behind martial arts efficiency.  Coming from a background in pharmacology, he is very scientific in his approach to analyzing and understanding his game. His enthusiasm to improve and challenge himself exists in him going to competitions, training at 6am, 11am and the evening classes, and in thee process of him getting comfortable on the mat he has gotten his family involved in training! In December Jarrod led a community sock drive, collecting over a thousand pairs of socks for the homeless. He brought an awareness for a need that the community might overlook. We appreciate his attention to detail in noticing where different needs exist in our community and finding ways to fill them!

We appreciate Jarrod’s enthusiasm to train and improve. It is contagious as he mentors the newer students on the mat, encouraging them to challenge themselves. Congrats Jarrod!

Kids Jiu Jitsu

New Jiu-Jitsu Class for ages 4 to 6 in El Dorado Hills

We are starting a new section for our Pee Wee aged (age 4-6) Jiu Jitsu class. The class is on Tuesday and Saturday and therefore, it’s titled TS PeeWee Jiu Jitsu. We are open for enrollment and look forward to new trials starting on their fun jiu jitsu adventure.

In the class we focus on learning through fun and play and make special care to emphasize collaboration, teamwork, and learning through social play. Our curriculum is set with an understanding that consistent training of 2 times a week will lead to technical improvement but more importantly, an improvement in their ability to learn how to learn.

BJJ demo in Folsom with peewee student and Dad

Parent participation is not mandatory, but we welcome parents who are interested in coaching to join us on the mat. All we ask is that you wear proper uniform attire and are willing to work with all of the students in the class.

Adults Jiu Jitsu

Blue Belt Promotion in El Dorado Hills: Javen

Blue Belt Promotion
🛡柔🛡
January 2018

Javen has been training for six years and he is finally eligible to be promoted in the “adult” belt system since this is the year he turns 16. His passion for martial arts  has been pivotal in his growth and maturity on and off the mat. He is a role model for students in the peewee, kids, and juniors jiu jitsu classes. He is patient, kind, and takes time to listen. He has such an impression on some of the students that they even follow his nogi style of wearing a rash guard with gi pants. Javen is looked up to by the students he coaches as well as the parents who notice him in action.
Javen has embraced learning both skills of training and implementing jiujitsu as well as the art of teaching and leading. In addition to jiu-jitsu, he excels in his academics at Oak Ridge high school and pursues his passion in music and the language arts in his spare time.

El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Self Defense is lucky to have such an outstanding individual! Congratulations Javen!

Adults Jiu Jitsu, Kids Jiu Jitsu

New Classes & New Schedule at El Dorado Hills Jiu Jitsu

EDH Jiu Jitsu is adding two new classes during the weekly training cycle in 2018! We welcome students with a curiosity to learn and understand the grappling arts of jiu jitsu, wrestling, judo and the like. Our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu martial arts program is a one of a kind in El Dorado Hills, with  age appropriate curriculums for toddlers, kids, teens, and adults. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to start with a FIVE day FIVE dollar trial!

TS Pee Wee Jiu Jitsu Class (age 4-6)

The PeeWee Jiu-Jitsu Class is a class for toddlers to learn through fun, work with different coaches, socialize with their peers, and develop skills that will help them off the mat. The new class is on Tuesday at 3:30pm and Saturday at 9:10am.

MW Adult Basics Jiu Jitsu (age 17+)

The Adult Basics class is a perfect class for adults that are beginning jiu jitsu or looking to get back into jiu jitsu but need a little time to get the body back in shape before training in the advanced class. Our jiujitsu program makes an emphasis in learning and drilling the technical positions and movements before participating in any uncontrolled sparring situations. This allows the student to build a skill set of moves and develop an understanding of what is possible on the mat. Once these skills are acquired, the adult student is welcome to engage in different sparring situations.

We have students with successful weight loss testimonies, students who have found ways to deal with stress, and others who finally found a life long hobby. All are welcome to start with our five day five dollar trial!

 

Adults Jiu Jitsu, Tournaments

Bronze to EDH from IBJJF NoGi World Championships

Eliot, Marshall, Vin, Tanner

EDH Jiu Jitsu had 2 competitors compete in the most prestigious NoGi IBJJF tournament this year in Anaheim, CA. The IBJJF NoGi World Championships. Eliot Kelly and Tanner Ford made their preparation for the competition this weekend. Eliot finished in third place on the podium with a bronze medal and Tanner, coming back after a year sabbatical from an injury, finished with one win and one loss.

The tournament was a great learning experience for both competitors as they made their way through the tough bracket at the world championships. “The best of the best compete in this tournament. It’s a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck that takes you to the next round and to the top of the podium.” Visiting black belt from Rhode Island and IBJJF NoGi Pan American medalist, Vin Canabarro, was also on the mat at EDH in the week of competition. “It was great to have Vinny in town. In his first year as black belt he’s made a name for himself on the east coast. It’s only a matter of time before he is all over the world.” Vinny fought through the tournament with one win and one loss as well.

Eliot and Diego in the open class

Eliot Kelly competed in the open class as well as the weight category. Having finished with a silver medal in 2012 at the super heavy wt division, Eliot had high aspirations to finish at the top of the podium in his category and double medal in the open class division. He fell short in the open class to Diego from Ze Radiola Team 2-0 0-3. “I came to win and didn’t, but I did get some task goals accomplished that I’ve been working on only in the last few weeks. I just need to keep working on them.”

Joao Assis, Lucas Barbosa, Aaron Johnson, Eliot Kelly, Super Heavey Wt. IBJJF NoGi World

Eliot fought his way to the semi finals of the tournament, but was stopped by Lucas Barbosa, the eventual weight and open weight champion of the tournament.