All posts by edhjiujitsu

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

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

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

JJWL Tournament Champions

This weekend was the JJWL Stockton tournament. The American Jiu Jitsu Syndicate team finished with a few team trophies. In the youth gi division the team finished in 2nd place, a few points shy of 1st. In the adult and masters gi division the team finished in 1st place by a margin over 150 points. Congratulations!

From EDH BJJ there were 11 youth competitors, Ryder, Dailan, George, Drake, Marco, Jack F, Jack J, Colin, Hunter, Ella, and Emma. There were also 3 adult and master competitors, Danny, Joe, and Johnathan. Each competitor made improvements from match to match, showing a great display of ability to learn and improve their instincts. It’s very exciting to see competitors get out there and compete. The lessons learned in the short minutes of competition are incredibly valuable.

As the opportunity to compete grows it’s important to keep a few things in mind. Tournament experiences are a multi part process of training and preparation, the tournament performance, and the post tournament review and reflection. We can’t stress enough the importance of coaches and competitors connecting the dots and making the most of their competition experience through reflection.

EDH Jiu-Jitsu

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

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! 

Jr bjj belt promotion

Gray-White Promotion:

Congratulations to James for earning his Gray-Belt. James is a quiet leader who is an excellent role model to his peers. He is respectful, well mannered, and gracious. After months of hard work and consistent dedication he has become a good, well rounded practitioner. Good job, James!

Make progress not excuses

“Make progress not excuses”

Our jiujitsu program at edh bjj has a few components of training at is off the mat. One component involves building an elite mindset through discussion and reflection. Here is a response from a student named Shayne.

I believe that this quote is straightforward in its primary message but it also has different messages that many people will take different understandings from. For one, there is the obvious of, you cannot progress if you continue to fall back on your weaknesses and attribute your failure as part of who you are. Anyone can be good at anything, so long as they try hard enough is really what this quote is going for, but I also believe that this quote means that you have to combat the moral dilemma that everyone has inside of themselves. Everyone doubts themselves, everyone feels like giving up sometimes, but the only way to grow not just in jiu Jitsu, but in every aspect of life is to force yourself to do what’s hard, and to pursue your dreams and goals relentlessly.

Thank you Shayne for sharing your thoughts with us!

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!