Tag Archives: el dorado hills

Tournaments

Some reflections about competition and my overall experiences

 I plan on competing as much as possible in 2022. Competition is one of my favorite parts of Jiu Jitsu. I love the feeling of stepping on the tournament mat to challenge myself against another competitor. I think the benefits of competing are huge. The lessons I’ve learned at tournaments have been so much more meaningful to me than anything I’ve learned in the practice room. It feels like the true test of where my Jiu Jitsu is at.

I did my first Jiu Jitsu tournament in my first 6 months of training. It was such a fun and intense experience I could not wait to do it again. I remember feeling so nervous as I waited for my bracket to start. My anxiety peaked when me and the rest of my bracket were standing by the mat waiting for our names to be called but once my first match started my nerves dissapeared and I was full of excitement. I lost my first two matches (it was a double elimination tournament) and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to do another one so that I could do better. Six months later I did another tournament and got silver. I think the dissapointment of losing those first two matches made me improve much faster than I would have if I never competed, it made practice so much more important to me because now I was working towards a specific goal. I just wanted to win a match.

I think everybody who trains should experience competition at least once. It’s such a fun and rewarding experience. It is also stressful and a little bit scary but that is part of what makes it so special. I’m very excited to test myself on those mats again this year and excited to watch my teammates do the same. 

Coach Danny

Kids Jiu Jitsu

jiujitsu class for age 4,5,6

PeeWee class at EDH Jiu Jitsu
When I first started coaching I was very intimidated by the peewee class. It seemed like it was going to be so difficult to get a group of four to six year olds to listen and move as a team. That’s because I didn’t understand the goal and expectation of that class.

The goal of that class is that they have fun, exercise, and learn something  new. The expectation of that class is that they are present, not perfect.
When I first started coaching I was a helper in the peewee and kid class. Pee wee jiujitsu felt especially overwhelming to me. The class has a fast pace and kids at that age have much shorter attention spans than the kids jiujitsu class.

When I started leading the peewee class it felt like a huge step up in responsibility. Once I learned the formula and understood the goals and expectation that class became very fun for me to teach. Watching kids at a young age progress every week and learning basic Jiu Jitsu positions while having a fun time feels very rewarding.


In the peewee class we want them learning basic Jiu Jitsu positions and basic movements. We teach these positions by playing games with the coach and with the students paired up, playing games with each other. The games involve significant elements of jiujitsu and are competitions where students work together or against a team mate for the win. With this method we check all of the boxes for that class; they’re having fun, they are learning, and they are getting a work out.


My expectation as a coach isn’t for the student to be perfect. If we expected four to six year olds to behave perfectly in class that would be an unreasonable expectation. We just want them to be present (and mentally checked in) while in class so they can learn and improve.

Something we talk to the kids a lot about is focus. The more they practice focus the easier it is for them to stay present. At the beginning of class we take deep breaths and talk about using our eyes, ears, and body as tools to help us focus. The deep breath is a really helpful tool to help them refocus. Another thing we talk about is hustle. To have hustle they have to be present, if they have good hustle, that means they are moving with focus. I really love seeing all of the students progress every week with their jiujitsu knowledge, their ability to focus, and their hustle. 

Coach Danny

Uncategorized

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

Kids Jiu Jitsu

Back to School: We emphasize communication

Jr Jiu Jitsu Class (age 10-16) We believe jiujitsu is a means of teaching communication. Not just with our bodies but with our words. A way to express who we are and what we are thinking as well as what we are feeling.

We emphasize the idea of communication starting with talking about greetings. How do you say “hello.” Every good interaction is easier when we start with a good greeting.

As students finish up their summer and head back to school, we stress the importance of good greetings in building friendships and good interactions at school.

Adults Jiu Jitsu

Submission Pro Tour Sacramento Victory for Josh

Congratulation to Josh on his victory at the Submission Pro Tour event in Sacramento this last weekend. Josh spent a great deal of time preparing for this event, even with work and his volunteer activities he takes part in to serve the community.

The submission pro tour is an event that started in the sacramento area with the slogan technique or technicality. The event has served as an exciting ground for local bjj practitioners to compete under the submission only rule set with an EBI style overtime to settle the victory. Josh won in overtime when he defended the attack from the back and submitted his opponent with an armbar. Congrats

Kids Jiu Jitsu

EDH Jiu Jitsu Belt Promotion in Teens Martial Arts Class

Slater from our Jr bjj class (age 10-16) moved from Hawaii to The Hills and brought a wave  of enthusiasm to our dojo. He is an avid competitor, teacher, and loves to make jokes. He is great with the younger students, helping them learn and better understand jiujitsu.

This summer, he grew in many was and has embraced the idea of training not only to train but to improve himself to be the best he can be. Congrats!

Adults Jiu Jitsu, Kids Jiu Jitsu

Belt Promotion at Martial Arts Academy EDH Jiu Jitsu

Congratulations to Julian today on his promotion. Julian is as humble as they come and is just a very pleasant person to be on the mats with. He has truly used learning Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to help himself focus and pay attention better. We’re so very proud of him. Keep up the good work!

In learning and teaching jiujitsu we believe in the idea of getting stronger together. This is the idea that people are mutual dependent to work together and improve. One person’s weakness is our weakness and it is our responsibility to help them learn how to overcome that weakness. In the martial art of Judo, an olympic sport originating from Japan, there is a phrase “ji-ta kyo-ei” this is very similar. This idea is that people develop themselves along with others. An idea that people nourish themselves by nourishing others at the same time. It’s a beautiful concept that has been stressed and emphasized in the martial art of Judo for over a century.

We at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu look to do the same with the phrase “Getting Stronger Together.” Julian’s promotion is an accomplishment of not just him and the coach, but the entire team who has contributed to helping him realize his potential both on and off the mat.

Adults Jiu Jitsu

New Martial Arts Dojo in El Dorado Hills

Come visit our new Brazilian jiu jitsu and Self Defense Dojo in El Dorado Hills. Our martial arts school in el dorado hills is an inclusive school for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners of brazilian jiujitsu.

We offer classes in the Gi and NoGi for kids as young as age 4 and have students in their teens, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. Our inclusivity allows for a training environment for men and women to train and better one another on and off the mat.

In addition to the art of brazilian jiu jitsu as a martial art, we focus on the competitive sport element of jiujitsu. As a sport jiujitsu is one of the most practical way to practice self defense under extreme stress and pressure. There is no other way to replicate self defense training like jiujitsu and maintain a safe training environment where people can come back and train again the next day or even twice, maybe three times in one day. This type of training is both technical, mental, and physical. Although beginners are gradually introduced to the concept of training with high intensity, they will eventually learn how to control their breathing, their mind, and use technique in combination with whatever strength they possess.

Our new location is in the business park in El Dorado Hills:

4669 Golden Foothill Parkway #208 El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Drop in for a trial lesson and learn the art of brazilian jiujitsu.