Tag Archives: martial arts

Adults Jiu Jitsu

Black Belt Promotion and Jiu Jitsu Seminar in El Dorado Hills, CA

EDH Jiu Jitsu Black Belt Promotion and Seminar took place on June, 30th celebrating Allan Scott’s black belt promotion. Allan is an avid competitor and practitioner, with an enthusiasm for health, fitness, family, travel, and a sweet tooth on a special occasion. Allan earns his black belt promotion after 10 years of dedicated practice to the martial art of jiujitsu. He started his journey in jiujitsu at the age of 49 and received his promotion shy of his 60th birthday.

Some of Allan’s accomplishments on the international competition include:

  • World Master Gold medalist (blue belt)
  • World Master Gold medalist (purple belt)
  • World Master Bronze medalist (brown belt)

Allan is proof that consistent practice and intentional training in understanding positions, movements, and strategy are the keys to a successful experience on the mat. We’re excited to see him continue to challenge himself in training and continue to mentor others on their journey.

Kids Jiu Jitsu

Coaching jiujitsu in the kids bjj class

Coaching Kids Class
Coaching kids can be very difficult in BJJ. It can be hard to tell where the line between “over coaching” and not helping enough is. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and here are some of my thoughts.

There should always be a head coach and there should not be confusion about who the head coach is. This means when the head coach is giving instructions to the group other coaches should not be doing any coaching/talking. If the class is practicing techniques that are “review” from a class recently then there should be minimal interference from coaches, this means the coaching should be mostly done vocally not physically. Kids learn Jiu Jitsu by moving so the more they are moving with their partner without interruption the better. Learning NEW techniques can be a little different though. Some kids, especially new kids may need physical help at first to move through a technique, but the sooner they are moving on their own with their partner the faster they will learn. Even if it isn’t perfect (it probably won’t be) we can try to make corrections with vocal coaching and the head coach can bring it in and show a technique again if necessary.

When kids are doing matches or “sparring” the coach’s job will shift to more of a referee’s role. A referee’s job is to ensure nobody gets hurt. That means there should be absolutely no physical coaching/interference during matches, that will not set them up for success if they decide to compete in Jiu Jitsu. There should be interference if there is a submission or dangerous position that may result in somebody getting hurt. The arm being straight on an arm bar or a head outside single leg come to mind as situations where the coach needs to stop the match. Vocal coaching is still beneficial.

I feel very lucky to have so many parents willing to step up and help make the class better. The more we can all be on the same page the better we can make the class which will make us all stronger as a team. 

Coach Danny

Uncategorized

Match Night at EDH Jiu Jitsu

Match Night
Last week at El Dorado Hills BJJ we did a match night for the PeeWee, Kids and Juniors classes. It was a lot of fun for the kids and coaches. The goal of this event was to get everybody some tournament-like experience in class and that goal was definitely achieved.

We split the class into different groups based on size and experience level. Each group had at least one coach/referee. Once everybody was set we started the clock and ran a round robin style mock tournament where everybody got at least two or three matches. It was fun watching the kids compete with each other and show good sportsmanship. The coaches got a lot of valuable feedback from the matches as well.

There was a lot of volunteer participation which was really cool to see. It can be intimidating playing the role of a ref so I’m glad people felt comfortable stepping up and taking part. We could not have done it without everybody’s help. I think we’ll be doing several of these match nights a year since it was so successful which I am excited for because I thought it was a lot of fun. 

Coach Danny

Camp

Jiu-Jitsu Kids camp in JUNE

June Jiu Jitsu Camp
I’m excited to announce that we will be hosting another Jiu Jitsu camp for the kids June 13th and 15th. This camp will be for ages seven and older. No Jiu Jitsu experience is needed to attend this camp, in fact I think it is a great first time Jiu Jitsu experience.
We will begin with an hour of Jiu Jitsu class where the kids will learn some basic techniques including takedowns, sweeps and guard passes. After the class we will make teams and start playing mat games. This is always a lot of fun. The kids will get to bond with their teammates and new friends while engaging in healthy competition. After the games are over we will have a snack and wind down with some board games.
I am expecting to get twenty campers signed up for this event and am excited to make it a fun and memorable experience for them. This will be the first No Gi camp that I have done so I am looking forward to making some teaching adjustments to the class section of camp and sharing some of my No Gi knowledge with the kids.

Coach Danny

Uncategorized

Growth Mindset Pt 1

Growth Mindset Pt 1
I am currently reading a book that a student at EDH BJJ gave to me as a gift. So far, this book has talked about the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. The book is written by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. who after decades of research discovered almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities.

What I have learned so far is that a fixed mindset is when people think of their qualities as an unchangeable part of who they are. A growth mindset is when people think of these same qualities as things that can be stretched and can improve. The book talks about the differences in behavior caused by these two mindsets for example; somebody with a fixed mindset won’t value effort because if they were smart things would be effortless. A person with a growth mindset values effort because that challenge is what makes them “smart”. The book also gives examples of the types of romantic partners each mindset seeks out. A fixed mindset person would seek out a romantic partner who basically worships them and loves everything about them unconditionally. A growth mindset person seeks out a partner who will challenge them and help them grow.

This book separates qualities by two types; Intellectual and Personal. It talks about being able to have a fixed mindset for one type of quality but a growth mindset for the other. For example; “I can become a better reader if I practice hard but I cannot speak in public because I am too introverted.” This would be an example of having a growth mindset about intellectual qualities but a fixed mindset about personal qualities. I like this book so far and will probably keep writing about it as I read more. 

Coach Danny

Tournaments

EDH Jiu-Jitsu competes in JJWL Golden State

  The Jiu Jitsu World League Golden State tournament was last weekend. Our school had eleven youth competitors and three adult competitors. Everybody performed well. 

    I started the day coaching some of the kid competitors. It was great to see many of them make huge improvements since their last tournaments. One of our students hit a couple of really nice hip bump sweeps, at a previous tournament he struggled to finish that technique. Another student, who lost by arm bar in her last tournament was put in the same attack but she was able to defend and even counter the attack with a guard pass! 

    I won four out of five of my matches earning a bronze medal. My first match went pretty well, I scored a takedown, passed the guard and was able to finish with a head and arm choke. My second match I lost by triangle choke which put me in the bracket fighting for third place. My third match was pretty close but I scored a takedown early and was able to win the scrambles caused by my opponents sweep attempts. My fourth match I got the takedown and was able to take the back with a knee on belly setup that has been a part of my game plan for a while now. My final match for third place was the most fun, I scored the takedown, there were some scrambles and some back and forth action but I eventually took the back and finished with a bow and arrow choke. 

    Overall the team looked great. It’s so inspiring to watch everybody improve and get stronger. I am excited to continue my preparation for the World Championships with the feedback from this outing.

Coach Danny

Camp

Kids camp in El Dorado Hills at EDHBJJ

Spring Jiu Jitsu Camp
Over the Spring break I got to do another 4 days of Jiu Jitsu Camp. We did an hour and fifteen minutes of Jiu Jitsu class which included learning and reviewing the single leg takedown, the fireman carry, offensive and defensive basics from side control, the staple gun guard pass, and the flower sweep. The group of kids who participated in camp had different levels of experience with Jiu Jitsu, for some of them Jiu Jitsu camp was their first Jiu Jitsu class. It was cool to watch the more experienced kids mentoring the newer kids.

After the jiujitsu lesson we played a variety of mat games, which the kids always love. We started off with making teams and picking team names. Hearing the team names that the kids come up with is always one of my favorite parts of camp. After everyone had their name picked we got started with relay races, sumo matches, tug a war, dodgeball, sharks and minnows and freeze tag. It’s always fun to watch the combination of competition and camaraderie in the room during these games.

Once we Finished up with the mat games everyone stepped off the mat to have a snack and wind down playing board games. I plan on doing a few more of these camps this year. The kids seem to have a lot of fun with them and I enjoy planning and doing them. 

Coach Danny

Uncategorized

JAPAN DAY JIUJITSU DEMO

We will be performing a jiu-jitsu demonstration at JAPAN DAY and need about 10 volunteers to perform at the event. ALL STUDENTS ARE WELCOME! It will be important to participate in the practice session on Friday, 4/22. PRACTICE:

  • FRIDAY, April 22nd –  5:30-6:00ish

Please bring Gi and NoGi. (you can decide what uniform you want to wear)If you don’t have a partner we will make partners and choreograph during this time. EVENT DETAILS: 

  • Website: CSUS JAPAN DAY. 
  • Date: Sunday April 24th
  • Meeting time: 12:30 Martial Arts booth
  • Demo time: 1:30pm
  • Location: Library Quad
  • Parking: Free 

DEMO EXAMPLES: (please watch) 

These are some examples you might enjoy watching with the family! 

Tournaments

ASSOCIATION: AJJ SYNDICATE WINS BIG at the JJWL Golden Cup III

TOURNAMENT RESULTS: 

A couple weekends ago the team went to JJWL (Jiu Jitsu World League) in Stockton to compete. Emberly from the peewee class made her tournament debut!

From the Kids class Dailan, George, and Drake made a strong appearance. George finished with bronze and Drake finished with silver. 

From the Adults, Jamie, Jarrod, Mike, Matt, Ted, Danny, Joe, – Purple belts Jamie won nogi silver and Jarrod won gold. – Blue belts Mike won bronze, Matt won silver and nogi gold, Danny won bronze, Ted won double gold.- White belt Joe won nogi silver.

Thank you to all the teammates and family in attendance! Tournaments are a great reminder to focus on the process and build from each experience. 

American Jiu Jitsu Syndicate:

The tournament was also an impressive showing of our organization: AJJ Syndicate. 
The team won the Adult and Master team competition and took third in the kids and juvenile team competition. Congrats! 

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