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Coaching better & competing better: the process is the same

Something teaching and competing have in common is they both force me to identify and improve my weaknesses in a way that casual training does not. I have learned from competing in Jiu Jitsu that if I neglect improving my weak spots then I will get beat there every single time when it counts. For example, I probably lost 5 matches by guillotine before I started spending significant time on the mat trying to figure out why.

What I’ve learned from teaching kids is they need to learn certain positions and techniques whether those things are part of my game or not. If I only taught them techniques that I like to do I would be failing them as a coach. For the last few weeks I have been teaching spider guard in the kids class. It has been really cool to see the kids learning and using the guard and also seeing where they are struggling with. Their struggle gives me the feedback I need to see where I need to improve my knowledge of the position. As a result, I use a lot of my own training time to drill whatever I am currently teaching the kids. Doing so helps me identify details I need to point out in class. The process has also been helping my own Jiu Jitsu a lot because I get to practice it on my own, explain it to a class and watch them practice the movement.

This process has been one of my favorite parts of teaching. I really enjoy studying Jiu Jitsu with a certain goal or purpose. It would be really easy to stay in my comfort zone and only practice positions and techniques that I like if I didn’t have to teach. Teaching gives me a feeling of urgency to learn more and improve faster, similar to getting ready for tournaments gives me a feeling of urgency to be in the best shape I can be and sharpen my gameplan.

As a result, I am contstantly analyzing a position or set of moves that I probably would not spend much time on. Spider guard is a really good example of one of those positions. I don’t really play spider guard and am not very good at it, but I’ve been forcing myself to use it and figure out the best way to teach it to kids. The results of following through with this process have been pretty amazing. Not only are the kids getting the hang of the movements and position but also my ability to sweep from spider and pass spider have improved significantly in just a short period of time.

Coach Danny

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Volunteering as an MMA inspector

On saturday night I volunteered as a fight inspector for CSAC at a local MMA event. The duty of the inspectors is to enforce state regulations and make sure that athletes are not cheating. I was amazed at how many details there were to be mindful of.

The first thing they had me do was inspect the cage and make sure that it was safe to compete inside of, also making sure that the stairs going into the cage were stable and that the tables surrounding the cage were the proper height. I then learned the evacuation route and walked through it with the medics making sure that there was enough space to safely evacuate an injured athlete. While the athletes were preparing for their fights in the locker room I learned how to do “bag checks”, inspect hand wraps, and drug test the athletes.

As I watched my mentor do a bag check I was amazed at how thorough the process was. He asked to see the fighters shorts, cup, mouth pieces, nails and asked the cutman to see all of the medicines he would be using to treat cuts. As the fights began all of the inspectors were assigned fighters to shadow. When that fighter went out to compete the inspector went with them, sat in their corner during the fight and went in the cage with their corner in between rounds. During the fight the inspector has to make sure that the coaches behave appropriately (no standing, putting fingers inside cage, no taunting or disrespecting other fighter) and in between rounds the inspector watches the fighter and corner interact making sure that the fighter is responsive while not blocking the doctors view of the fighter. If the fight ends in a knockout or some kind of injury it is the inspectors job to make sure nobody touches the hurt athlete before the doctor. If the inspector is shadowing the athlete who won they have to make sure that athlete does not jump around the hurt athlete or do anything that could further injure them.

Overall I thought the job was pretty fun. I learned a lot and enjoyed working at the event even though it was stressful at times. It felt very strange having that much authority at an event like that, especially since I was just a volunteer. It’s really fascinating for me to see all of the behind the scene stuff in a sport that I have been a fan of for a long time.

Coach Danny

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Kids Jiu-Jitsu belt promotion at EDH

Gray White Belt Promotion tonight!

Colin doesn’t need to say much because he actions speak for themselves. He brings a focused spirit to class to learn and improve. In doing so, the people around him follow. This is leadership.

Colin shares the mat with his father and older brother at The Hills, and motivate one another to train. It’s great to see them all on the mat at once on occasions!

Kids Jiu Jitsu

Gray-white belt promotion

Gray-white belt promotion at edh jiujitsu

Ethan and Noah are brothers who started training together. They show up to training and are quick to say hello and greet their coaches. They bring an “I can” attitude to training, looking for reasons to persevere and challenge themselves with their teammates. Noah is younger and he will jump right in to mix it up with anyone. Ethan is older and he is full of positive inspiration, mentoring the newer students on the mat.
Congratulations

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

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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

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enrollment at edh bjj

We’re excited to open our classes for FULL ENROLLMENT.

To enroll please email us: edhbjj@gmail.com

Depending on the class, you will be placed on a waitlist. We have chosen not to open enroll at this time. Instead, we are gradually adding students into class. This will help us maintain the integrity of our training environment and not overwhelm the coaches with many new students joining all at once.

Please specify what type of classes you are looking to enroll in:

Pee Wee (age 4-6)

Kids (age 7-10)

Juniors (age 11-15)

Adult (age 15+)

In addition to group classes, we also offer 1on1 and small group training, personal performance programs, and jiujitsu parties for team building and birthday!

We thank you for your patience and support!

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Mat Mind: Shin-Gi-Tai A Martial Arts philosophy

心技体 read in Japanese shin-gi-tai, is a martial arts philosophy often seen in calligraphy on the walls of martial arts dojos. This philosophy is based on an interconnected idea that a practice in each singular area contributes to polishing the other areas of yourself.

Shin, 心 means heart. When the heart is full, the body is forged further and your skills are polished

Gi, 技 means technique. When you polish your skills, the heart grows full and the body is forged stronger.

Tai, 体 means body. When the body is forged fully, the heart becomes full and steady while your skills dyed into the self.

While this is one simple explanation, the philosophy of shin-gi-tai is quite multi dimensional and this explanation alone shouldn’t be an end to understanding but rather the beginning to a more complete understanding of your self.

I would challenge all martial artists to intermittently check in to the idea of shin-gi-tai in your journey and practice of martial arts. In fact, many other skills or activities like calligraphy, flower arrangement, and ceramics have also referred to shin-gi-tai as a component of developing the in the art.

Check in to the idea of shin-gi-tai and see how it does or doesn’t relate to your practice. How has your understanding of the philosophy changed or been reinforced?

Eliot