New Friday Content: Kinda True Jiu-Jitsu News
May 1, 2009
I figured it was time to add a little fun to the site, so I will be making a bigger effort to include an occasional humor piece on TheFightWorksPodcast.com. As such, we’ll have a new category of posting here called Kinda True Jiu-Jitsu News that I expect will show up on Fridays for a stretch here on the site (or until I get too busy, bla bla bla).
Although I hope it will be pretty obvious, it bears mentioning that the items posted in this category are in fact not true at all, and may as well be called “Untrue Jiu-Jitsu News”, but Kinda True Jiu-Jitsu News has a nicer cadence to it.
So that’s that. You’ve been warned! Don’t take these pieces too seriously. If they result in a quick chuckle on a Friday, then it’s mission accomplished. 
The Gi-Smell Pull Up
February 28, 2009
As anyone who trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu knows, it is very hard to be away from the mats. Due to the bad knee injury I sustained last month, I have been unable to train jiu-jitsu for about 6 weeks, which is torture! So as you can imagine I am dying to do anything that reminds me of training again.
In a desperate attempt to recreate any of the sensations one gets when rolling, I decided I could throw my gi over the top of a jungle gym at a nearby park, lay under it, and grab the arms of the gi to pull myself off the ground. That way it feels as if I am pulling on a jiu-jitsu training partner, and I get to work my grips and some back muscles too.
The perversely gratifying side effect of this exercise is that when you’ve pulled yourself as high as possible, your face is right inside the gi, and it now smells like you’re back on the mats! (Yes, I do always wash my gi after training but there’s always just a little of gi smell that never seems to come out.)
Here’s an advanced technique for this exercise: turn your gi inside out before hanging it over the top of the jungle gym. The rust on the jungle gym tends to smudge onto your gi, leaving suspicious-looking dark brown stains that would take too long to explain to someone you’re about to roll with!
I don’t know if I will come up with any other ground-breaking exercise techniques for the injured jiu-jitsu person, but if I do, I will post them here. In the meantime, count yourself lucky that you are not injured and that you do not look like a weirdo in the park!
Goodbye, Old Friend
October 30, 2008
Professor Marcus Nevel, me, and my Old Friend in 2002 at Gracie Humaita in Rio.
How could I have known that I would meet you during my visit to train jiu-jitsu in Rio? It seems one cannot predict when someone as special as you comes into one’s life: a loyal companion who would experience all my highs and lows, my injuries and victories for the following five years.
We met back in 2002 during on my first trip to Rio de Janeiro. Breno brought FightWorks Podcast cohost Dan and I to his friend Malibu’s Rags FightShop and the minute I took you from the rack and tried you on in the fitting room, I sensed we would be together quite a long time.
Sure, the patch on the back of you was silly. The image of an Incredible Hulk wearing a gi and BJJ black belt while breaking out of prison was ridiculous. But no one is perfect, and hey, it’s the little quirks about us that make us special.
And when I brought you back to the United States, I knew no one else would be wearing anything like you. You were unique.
I have seen photos online where folks are standing next to a closet full of hanging gis. I’ve never been able to make lots of shallow acquaintances like that. No, cultivating a few serious relationships like ours has always fit me. Yes, I know I have that Atama I’ve used as my backup gi. But you know you have always been my favorite.
I knew nothing lasts forever. But I tried to avoid the inevitable. I took precautions to keep you safe and healthy!
Despite the flack I caught for insisting on air-drying you, I never subjected you to the dryer!
Alas, as they say, “time waits for no gi”. There were signs your end was on the horizon. With really no fabric covering your collar at all anymore, the rigid material underneath was exposed as if you’d been held up to a power sander.
And two weeks ago a bullet-sized hole appeared in the end of your right sleeve after training with the very tough folks at Relson Gracie Austin. In denial, I pretended it was not there.
For a larger, sadder view of my Old Friend, click here.
And last week, the death blow: a gaping six inch slit appeared in your right shoulder when an enormous black belt was crushing me during open mat.
So it’s time, Old Friend. Being too attached to say goodbye for good, I will probably put you away in the back of some closet somewhere, where you’ll stay until my fiancee comes across you and throws you out when I’m not around sometime. It’s probably better that way.
If any of you out there have recommendations on gi jackets, let me know in the comments below! (For when I am able to move on! Too soon now! *sob* *sob* )
My BJJ Valentine
February 14, 2008
Roses are red,
violets are blue,
I’m lucky to have a girl
who puts up with my jiu-jitsu
The FightWorks Podcast headquarters
our small apartment be
yet you still tolerate my insistence
on air drying my just-washed gi
I ponder new moves
whether I’m awake or asleep
As boring as that makes me,
you never say a peep
My body is never
fully injury free
but you still indulge my requests
for nurturing pity
A Roger, Xande, or Jacare
I’ll prob’ly never be,
but you win the absolute division
of my heart’s Mundial tourney
BJJ Makes the Proverbial Trip to the Dentist More Survivable
October 2, 2007
Do you ever find yourself thinking about the ways that Brazilian jiu-jitsu helps you? I mean outside of knowing how to break an attacker’s limbs or choke them unconscious. A lot could be written about the benefits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. You know, things like an increase in self-confidence, the socialization, not to mention what it does for one’s physical fitness.
Patience is something I think BJJ forces one to learn. It’s not something that comes easily to a white belt, and blue belts are beginning to understand it, but there are multiple ways patience is a part of BJJ. One must be patient when looking for submissions. You can’t get upset when the attack you’re trying to perform does not come easy. Some of your opponents know more than you, may be really good at countering whatever attack you’re throwing at them, or they may just physically have capabilities in the strength or flexibility department that are enough to foil your efforts.
Patience is also required as you advance in belt rankings. It’s pretty well known that achieving one’s black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu takes most normal people between nine and ten years. (Even the prodigies and those who are lucky enough to study and BJJ train full-time for a living usually take between four and five years.) You can’t get upset when your goal isn’t immediately met in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Instant gratification is not really what it’s about.
Another benefit of Brazilian jiu-jitsu I’ve found that comes with time is that it allows you to remain calm under situations that are, when you step back and look at them, pretty dangerous! “Is that choke that my opponent is laying on me really enough to make me tap?” “Am I really ready to tap to this guy’s armbar? Does he really have it, or am I just nervous?” These are decisions we make every time we roll with someone who is better than us. Now keep in mind that I am not advocating trying to “tough out” submission holds that you’ll encounter. The default answer to the above questions should be “yes”, as safety comes first and you must have the policy that it’s better to be safe than sorry, as you can get seriously injured in BJJ if you don’t tap when you should (humility is another benefit you get from BJJ, but that’s a story for another day). But that ability to remain calm under physical duress is something that comes with training Brazilian jiu-jitsu for sure.
So, what makes me decide to write about this is that I recently went to the dentist after putting it off for a while. (Not smart.) It turns out that I needed some work done which included some drilling. Hey, not good news, but I better get it over with while I’m there, right? So as the dentist begins work, there were definitely times when I said to myself, “Oh $*%#&! Christ it feels like that drill is about to sever my jaw! Oh jesuschristinheaven she nailed that nerve.” (And I’m not even religious.) But then some instincts from jiu-jitsu kicked in, and I stopped and asked myself if the pain I was experiencing was really enough to make me react. “Do I tell her to stop? Do I freak out?” No, it was not really that bad. I could really handle it. And here’s where another BJJ benefit kicked in: I told myself “It’ll be over soon. Just chill. Go think about rolling around on the mats or something. Just relax and when it’s over it’s over.” I didn’t hear a voice from on high telling me to “flow with the go” (which would’ve been cool in retrospect) but I kept my composure.
So, thank you BJJ. Not only was I able to make my dentist’s life easier, BJJ helped me survive the serious discomfort I’d earned myself. I don’t know if it’s a compelling enough story to include in a BJJ school’s marketing material, but maybe it’ll help you next time you find out that brushing alone is not enough to keep your teeth in pristine shape!
Top Seven Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament Pet Peeves
May 24, 2007
Megaton Diaz (l) against Jeff Glover (r) in competition in 2006
As Brazilian jiu-jitsu and grappling become more popular in the United States, it’s almost always tourney season these days. You can visit iCompete.org, and chances are that you’ll be able to find a tourney on its way that’s not too far from where you are. I thought I’d post a list of frustrations that are often voiced by grapplers who compete here as a conversation starter. They’re not listed in any particular order, and aren’t meant to reference any one organizer, referee, or tattooed dudes in a black gi who were complete knuckleheads in Columbus. So, I present to you…
The Top Seven Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament Pet Peeves
- Insufficient Bathroom Facilities
It’s not easy finding facilities to hold a tournament that meet all of an organizer’s needs. Things like location, space for mats, rental cost, and others weigh higher than how many stalls are present in the bathrooms. But it is a bummer for competitors and attendees when you attend and there’s a line of a dozen anxious guys holding out for access to the one stall and one urinal that’s available inside a tiny bathroom.Easily improved?
I doubt it will become a top factor in deciding on arrangements for tournament organizers. But here’s hoping. - Biased Refereeing
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but whether or not points were scored is generally pretty black or white. Over time a lot of effort has been put into sharpening rules that are enforceable and just. But it seems that sometimes folks can’t catch a break when the ref has loyalties to one fighter or his camp. One high profile example would be Mike Fowler‘s experience at the Mundials, where it was later admitted by the CBJJ that his opponent, Daniel Moraes, should’ve been disqualified for a slam by referee Luis “Kabelinho” Henrique. This is an extreme case but sometimes you see fights that go out of bounds started standing to save a competitor who found themselves in a bad spot.Easily improved?
In the end this comes down to the individual referee. I doubt eliminating all bias is possible, as to some extent it’s human nature. But in the future as there are more highly experienced and qualified referees to be found, perhaps tourney organizers can be more selective in who they use. - Schedule changes
For some tourneys, the likelihood of maintaining a grip on the schedule is like trying to pull off that armbar on a crafty, sweaty opponent in no-gi: sometimes no matter what you do, it’s gonna get away from you. Sometimes they juggle the times different divisions were supposed to start (“What, you didn’t hear that we changed blue belts from 3pm to 11am?”), or sometimes the whole event doesn’t even start till hours after the stated first match was supposed to begin. And how many times have you heard, “Your division will begin in 20 minutes”, which means, “Your division could begin in 20 minutes, or six hours”. This sort of thing is a serious buzzkill and can ruin one’s interest in competition as a whole.Easily improved?
Totally. We’ve seen tournaments make major strides in this department over the years. Unfortunately the reputation of days when such shenanigans were common still lingers and sometimes competitors will show up late on purpose thinking they’ve got plenty of time before they hit the mats, only to find out that they have missed their division. But, that’s the learning curve. - Opponents whose entire self image is derived from being a tough ultimate grappling champion
Seriously, what’s with all the aggression? Don’t you hate it when you get out on the mat and your opponent is staring you down like you just ran his mother over with a construction vehicle, all the while hopping from one foot to the other? Everybody gets a little anxious during competition but try some coping skills, friend! These are often the same guys who shout something that sounds like one would if they’d just conquered Mt. Everest if they win. If there was a submission involved, hopefully your arm/leg isn’t popped because they just couldn’t restrain themselves. Alternately, if they lose or are disqualified, they throw a fit, often directed at the referee, and refuse to shake your hand as they exit the mat.Easily improved?
Instructors who know their students’ tendencies have the best opportunity to work on tuning down the aggression and/or anxiety of their students. While it’s important to be amped and ready to go for a match, after a certain point it becomes maladaptive, just like test anxiety. That being said, there will always be a bad apple in every bunch. - People Walking Barefoot in the Bathrooms, Then Competing
If you’ve been to any BJJ or grappling tournament you know how nasty the facilities can become in a matter of hours. With the anxiety that comes with competing in combat sports, many grapplers find themselves needing to relieve themselves more than normally. This high usage can turn the floors into a very unpleasant place quickly. I’ll spare you the details but no human skin has a place being in contact with those surfaces. Yet inevitably, you notice barefoot guys in their gis heading in for quick break, not only walking all over that disgusting floor, but then heading right back onto the mats. Foul, foul, foul.Easily improved? Yes! Please! Buy a pair of cheap flip flops (Havaianas, anyone?) and make them a part of your gym gear that goes in your bag! And use them!
- Small Divisions
Don’t you hate it when you’ve trained really hard for a tournament and come the day of the tourney you find out that your division has less competitors than Alaska has happy Brazilians? This is usually not an issue when you’re a white belt or blue belt and the divisions can have dozens. But if you belong to the long tail of grappling competitors out there, that is, you’re either really a big or small person, or female, or an advanced belt, or some crazy mix of the above, you can show up and have just a couple of people who showed up for you to go against!Easily improved? Not a whole lot that can be done. In some cases you may get lucky and the organizer may combine divisions. - Huge Divisions
Don’t you hate it when you’ve trained really hard for a tournament and come the day of the tourney you find out that your division has more entrants than in the Boston marathon? I know, I know, just a moment ago I was complaining about too few competitors. Goldilocks was on to something though when she expressed her distaste for extremes. For my money, I’d like to be able to have three or four matches before my day’s over. Beyond that is when I stop having fun. Perhaps because my grip is so shot I couldn’t hold a pencil anymore, much less an opponent’s gi lapel.Easily improved? You can graduate to a higher belt, and this should be less of a problem, unless you’re at the Pan-Ams. No matter where you are competing though, you can always attempt a nasty heelhook on someone if you’re looking for an early way to end your day of competition.
What do you think? Do you guys have any things that really bother you about a tournament? Post them in the comments section on this post if you’ve got ‘em!
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