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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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!
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.
With a lot of tournaments coming up soon, it’s been a lot of fun getting myself prepared and watching my teammates prepare for their tournaments. Tournament preparation creates a really cool environment when everyone is working hard towards a common goal.
The process of tournament preparation is so interesting to me. The way we peak at a certain time and try to capture ourselves in a most prepared moment is a skill I have not yet mastered. One element of preparation is mental. I think many people start to feel nervous about competition as we get closer to game day and everybody’s mental preparation seems to be a little different and unique. This nervous energy is a great force to be captured and channelled in a way that helps us prepare ourselves.
In general I think most people are nervous about results, the win or the loss. When thinking about the big picture tho, the result of the tournament is almost irrelevant. Everybody wants to win, including me but winning or losing the tournament isn’t what makes us grow as martial artists. When we lose, there are always big lessons to be learned. These lessons help us get better. However, where we really grow most is during the preparation. I think many people forget about this. That extra focus, drive, and determination that we have when getting ready to compete seems to be impossible to replicate in casual training. For me, the fear of not working harder than my opponents and the fear of losing makes me push myself harder when I know I have committed to a tournament.
I look forward to competing at my next tournament and am excited for all of my teammates as they prepare for different events. The overall experience of competition is difficult to compare with other things in life. The tough training leading up to game day, the nerves and excitement right before stepping out to compete, the fast paced battle on the mat, and the way I grow and get better from my experiences are all things that I love about Jiu Jitsu competition.
We had a chance to do a short Q&A with Kunk and reflect on his jiujitsu journey over the years. Kunk has been a “big” part of edh jiujitsu. Not only does he train regularly 2-3 sessions a week but also he has contributed to the peewee, kids, and jiujitsu classes as a volunteer coach. Kunk is an open book of grappling knowledge and finds every opportunity to share with his team what he knows and what he is developing in his game.
When & how did you get started:
I started doing Jiu Jitsu in 2010ish.
I began doing Jiu Jitsu because I loved wrestling in high school and college, but when I stopped I didn’t have a physical outlet I enjoyed, got out of shape and gained weight. After wrestling was over, I fell into the old man trap of eating and drinking whatever I wanted, with the mindset that I would just work it off at practice. I continued to work out but nowhere near enough to counteract some of the unhealthy habits and I ended up weighing over 330lbs.
One day a friend of mine told me he had started going to EDHBJJ. I had watched MMA and the UFC shows and always thought that Jiu Jitsu would be fun to try. So I got permission from my girlfriend/ now wife, to join my friend in a trial class. The first thing I noticed was how much hard work people were putting into learning Jiu Jitsu. A few classes into starting at EDHBJJ, I finally got to roll with Eliot. During this roll I had turtled, turned into him grabbing his inside leg and did a sit out. In wrestling I would have scored five points and possibly a pin. In Jiu Jistu, Eliot having a wealth of knowledge, took advantage of this position and did a crucifix choke. I was forced to tap. This was the first time I was submitted by anyone in the school and I instantly fell in love with Jiu Jitsu from that moment forward.
What are your goals?
My goals in Jiu Jitsu are to keep learning new ways to improve my technique, help people learn, be the best training partner I can be, and most importantly have fun.
What are some quotes or phrases you like?
– Winners never quit and quitters never win. – If it was easy everyone would do it. – Embrace the grind.
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.
