There are two main ways you can learn and improve your jiujitsu while being off the mat.

1. Visualization of jiujitsu
2. Watching jiujitsu

This post will focus on some ways to observe, study, and analyze jiu-jitsu. In general, there are several different ways of watching jiujitsu. You can watch jiujitsu competition, jiujitsu technique video, and recently there are new and innovative ways that bridge the gap between these two distinctly different types of jiujitsu study. (Some people have filmed themselves training with voice overs, some have clipped together jiujitsu movements by the same of different athletes with a technical breakdown inserted into the video) These are great tools to help you boost your ability in watching and observing because it allows you to LOOK for WHAT you are LOOKING for.

If you’re new to jiujitsu and/or new to watching jiujitsu competition start with the WHITE BELTS. (even if you are not a white belt any more, if you have few hours of jiujitsu study, you are most likely lacking in the “skill” of analyzing jiujitsu). Here is what you should look for in watching the competition:

• Patters in positions (What are the common positions you notice?)
• Patters in movement (What are the common attacks you notice?)

Watching the BEST of the BEST competing in the PINNACLE of the SPORT is a fun way to experience jiujitsu (especially LIVE and IN PERSON) There’s so much energy in the arena, I would encourage everyone to to and watch the world championships at some point in their jiujitsu journey. However, this might not be the best or most efficient way to learn and improve for YOU. Watching the best in action is fun and exciting, but sometimes won’t translate directly to you being able to execute what you saw for yourself. At the highest level, there are many more variables of strategy, rule bending, and athleticism.

Much like the practice of jiujitsu, where you train and incrementally learn and rank up in belt, there is a skill to learning how to watch, learn, observe, and analyze the game. The more engaged hours you spend watching jiujitsu competitions the better you become at interpreting the information for yourself and others to understand. So, don’t shy away from watching ALL LEVELS of jiujitsu competition. You might find yourself able to learn better from watching a blue or purple belt competition. In theory, their technique and attacks are a little more simple and less disguised. You may find the activity more enjoyable than watching a 10 minute black belt match with little to know action (don’t hesitate to fast forward). When the times comes, you should also rewind, and replay multiple times!

A good phrase to remember when competing for yourself and also when watching others compete: “The best athlete doesn’t always win the competition, the athlete who competes the best is the winner.” Observing who is competing the best on that day, observing who finds a way to win regardless of the odds is another fun part of watching competitions.

Getting Stronger Together

Eliot

As we continue to roll through 2021, taking on challenges and ambitiously working towards your goals, it’s important to stop and think about what you are avoiding.

What am I avoiding during my training?

• A bigger stronger person
• A new student with no technique
• A smaller person
• An experienced veteran who always wins
• A competitor
• My weak points

While the list goes on, it’s important to remember there are things that should be avoided in training.

• Bad hygiene
• High intensity without technique
• Rude behavior
• Illegal moves and holds

Today we’re talking about the first list, not the second, and the importance of addressing them with the skills and tools we have available. The more we work on addressing what we avoid, the BETTER we will get! It’s important so I’ll repeat that… The more we work on addressing what we avoid, the BETTER we will get! I use the pleural “we” because it usually involves you and your training partner problem solving and the ripple effect from that makes US ALL BETTER!

The first step is to think about and figure out WHAT you avoid (maybe both on and off the mat). This could be a conscious thing, it could be a subconscious thing. The next step is to think about WHY you avoid certain aspects of training.

ex: “I avoid warm ups because they are hard.” “I avoid people who roll hard because I don’t like to train hard.” “I don’t do leg locks because I have bad knees.”

Once you know WHAT and WHY, it would be good to think about the TOOLS and SKILLS you have available to work through or work with what you have been avoiding. Usually things involves the practice of COMMUNICATION (A constant practice and sometimes difficult thing but very useful and important).

Don’t hesitate to talk to a coach first. Your coach has experienced many things multiple times and might be better equipped with the tools and skills to address what’s being avoided.

In our mind, we might be thinking this isn’t going to be easy. We often avoid things because we know (or just think) something is going to be difficult. That’s why it’s important to consult with a coach or a training partner who has been around longer for help. They can guide you and hopefully show you how to better take on something you’ve been avoiding with ease.

In the process of learning jiujitsu and working towards your goals, it’s important to prioritize consistency. Consistency is the base of the pyramid when it comes to taking on big challenges, accomplishing an ambitious goal, and embracing a lifelong practice of health and wellness.

Coach Aaron coined a great phrase, “don’t let your intensity surpass your technical ability.” When talking about rolling on the mat. This has been a phrase we use to help students understand the importance of both technique and intensity. While this phrase may not seem related with consistency, it’s an important part of staying consistent on the mat.

Many times, students who only prioritize intensity lack consistency. Intensity can lead to injuries which result in time lost on the mat. Intensity can also lead to the student not able to recover enough to consistently make it to practice. Intensity is a part of the equation but consistency needs to be at the base in working towards a task.

Another way to look at it: If I were to assign you to write a 365 page book, in a day or a week… Many of us would probably fail from the overwhelming intensity it would take to complete. However, if we had an entire year to accomplish the project, writing 1-2 pages everyday, it would be difficult but doable. CONSISTENT action would allows us to finish the task with relative ease. A good way to flip what we are saying: BE INTENSE WITH YOUR CONSISTENCY NOT JUST YOUR INTENSITY.

Consistency might look different for different people. Where you are on the “map” will determine what your consistency looks like. If you eat 3 meals a day for 7 days a week, that’s a total of 21 meals. If you’re looking to eat healthy consistently, then it would be good to look at your total meals and see how many of them are good or bad. Maybe all of your meals are fast food takeouts. Then simply changing breakfast or dinner to home cooked meals might reflect a step in the right direction.

Things to remember when thinking about consistency:

• Focus on the process not the results
• Look at the big picture: 21 meals a week
• Define what consistency means or looks to you
• Be intense with your consistency not just your intensity.

Tanner (a white belt who often did the nogi and wrestling classes) was training at a nearby gym recently and suffered from a seizure. He was in a coma and sent to intensive care. Unfortunately, he passed away less than a week later. He was 25 years old.

On Tuesday, Oct 13th @ 5 pm Tanner’s parents are coming into Urban Sprawl, where Tanner was last training to talk about their son.

We don’t know what the gyms protocol is on social distancing, etc. Please be prepared to follow their guidelines.

Blue belt promotion for Kyle:
Kyle is a college student who has a part time job and still find the to train consistently.He is a scholar athlete. Pursuing a degree in nutritional sciences, he has ambitions to make an impact on people by educating them about food. Originally a skater, he found himself getting injured and turned to jiujitsu as activity. We’re excited to see him continue to progress as a student and an athlete!

Brown belt promotion in the hills
Matt has traveled the world working and experiencing jiujitsu. He came with a big tool belt of knowledge, happy to share what he knows and an open mind to learn. In training himself and mentoring others, he doesn’t hold anything back. Congratulations!

Blue belt promotion at EDH Jiu Jitsu!
Raina is a great example of perseverance and patience. Her enthusiasm to learn and grow, to try and fail, to support and share goes a long way! She was the last member of the family to start jiujitsu, but that hasn’t held her back. She’s a force to be reckoned with. We are very lucky to get to share the mat with her & Ryan!

Blue belt promotion at EDH Jiu Jitsu!
Raina is a great example of perseverance and patience. Her enthusiasm to learn and grow, to try and fail, to support and share goes a long way! She was the last member of the family to start jiujitsu, but that hasn’t held her back. She’s a force to be reckoned with. We are very lucky to get to share the mat with her & Ryan!

MOVING FORWARD:

I will be phasing out the forum and use our website blog, and the features of our new service company to communicate instead.FIRST, there has been some confusion by people about billing. All payments through ASF (our old billing company) were stopped on April 26th.

UPDATES TO EDHBJJ:

During this time, we have been doing a lot of REVAMPING! What does that mean?

• An Online Technique Archive
• Renewing class format & future training opportunities
• Partnering and Learning a New Service Company (for billing, team communication, etc)
• Learning how to incorporate technology to promote learning styles

We are taking this opportunity to reorganize so that students have the best opportunity to learn and get stronger together!In addition, we have our FIRST ONLINE PRODUCT, “Family Jiu Jitsu Online!” We have all 30 LIVE classes (from March-June) for free on our YouTube channel, and now have a 6 week program with edits for purchase! https://edhjiujitsu.com/family-jiu-jitsu-online/We also have a three part children’s book that we are currently working on with an illustrator to go with this program and our kid’s classes in the future! FUN!

CURRENT CLASS:

We are doing cohort classes. What does this mean?

• 10 to 13 person class limit
• Each cohort stays in that group

This class format is unique in that the technique is pre-assigned through video instruction (except kids classes). The expectation is that the adult students have viewed and studied the 3-5min video prior to coming to class. As a result, students are able to maximize their time moving and training during class. It’s hard to say how long we will continue to maintain a forced small cap on our class. The long term plan is to maintain a Monday-Thursday Cohort concept and have MEGA training sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

WE ARE HERE TO STAY:

If you’re not training right now and plan to come back, we will be ready to see you when that time comes. The best you can do is stay fit and continue to “practice” through video instruction and competition analysis. KEEP MOVING FORWARD

CONTACT:

Feel free to email us if you have questions or would like to join in on a class. edhbjj@gmail.com