Nutrition for Jiu-Jitsu

Over the past several years I have made a reasonably in-depth examination of nutrition and its effect on my training., using my body and my jiu-jitsu as a case study. Recently, after several conversations with black-belt jiu-jitsu instructor Marc Walder, I began to take my nutrtion even more seriously. Below I will attempt to outline what I have experienced and discovered. I am not claiming it is absolute truth, only a truth that resonates with me. You do not have to believe anything I say. Research it for yourself.

Foods to Avoid

Sugar
According to many nutritional experts, sugar is one of the main causes of inflammation in the human body. It doesn't take much intelligence to realize that inflammation is a jiu-jitsokas' enemy. Hard training itself leads to inflammation which requires requires plenty of rest, so adding a dietary cause of inflammation is unwise. Note that sugar takes many, many forms. Check your food labels for the following, all of which are just forms of sugar: Glucose, Glucose Syrup, Fructose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Invert Sugar, Dextrose, Maltodextrin and Sucrose.

Excessive Quantities of Meat
Although I am almost completely vegetarian, I do believe that a small amount of meat has its place in a fighters' diet. Most westerners however, plan their diets around meat, chicken and fish. Meat is quite taxing on the stomach, requiring a lot of energy to digest. This is energy that could be used for training and recovery. Also, most meat available today is a far-cry from the food that our ancestors were eating. It is derived from animals that have been mistreated and injected with steroids and hormones, all of which indirectly enter the system of the consumer and can cause negative effects. If you eat meat, try to limit the amounts, and ensure it is of high quality, preferably organic and free-range.

Excessive Dairy Products
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need dairy products for calcium. This is a fallacy perpetuated by the dairy industry. Many studies have shown that the calcium in dairy products actually leeches calcium from the bones, causing them to become brittle. Evidence of this is the relatively low incidence of osteoporosis in nations with minimal dairy consumption. As a jiu-jitsu practitioner, the strength of your skeletal structure is paramount, so eating something that may weaken it is counter-productive. Dairy products are also extremely acid-forming in the body. An overly acidic body is prone to rapid muscular fatigue, which I am sure you will agree is not something you want during your jiu-jitsu career.

Large Meals
Rickson Gracie once said that the biggest workout your body does on a daily basis is digestion. It logical to assume that the larger the portion of food you consume, the greater the tax on your system. This is why we usually become sleepy after a big meal. The less food you have in your system, the more of your resources can be devoted to training.

Processed Food Products and Preservatives
The body is an organism which functions most efficiently on nutrients derived from food consumed in its natural state. Candy, soda, crackers, meal replacement bars, breakfast cereals and the like are not food, they are food products. They are very often devoid of nutritional value and do little to satisfy hunger or the requirements of the body. This is why you can eat 15 cookies in a row and still be hungry. It is wise to try and eat food that has undergone little or no processing. An apple is far superior to apple fruit roll-up. Freshly squeezed orange juice is better than the pasteurized, bottled version, and a whole orange is better yet. Avoid anything with chemical names on the label. These substances are toxic to the body and will hold you back as a fighter.


Foods to Enjoy

Fruit and Vegetables
Raw or lightly cooked fruit and vegetables are quickly and easily digested, provide large amount of energy, and contain high quantities of bio-available nutrients. The more raw, plant matter in your diet, the better you will feel, and the faster you will recover.

Nuts and Seeds
Raw, unsalted nuts provide an excellent source of protein. The most nutritious are Brazil nuts, almonds and walnuts. The least nutritious are peanuts and cashews. Be careful not to overdo it though, as excessive intake of nuts can make you feel sluggish.

Freshly Squeezed Juices
If you are going to drink anything besides water, try to make it freshly squeezed juice. The stuff you buy in a supermarket is not freshly squeezed juice. 99% of all boxed and bottled juice has been pasteurized at least once. This means it has been heated to a very high temperature, which destroys almost all of the vitamin and mineral content and renders it close to sugar-water in nutritional value. Also, once juice is squeezed it oxidizes very quickly, so it's best to consume it immediately. Invest in a juicer - a glass of fresh juice before a training session will provide energy and a glass afterwards will replenish it.

Fasting

Most of us eat too much and too often. Our systems are overburdened by all the food and chemicals we subject them to. Fasting gives the body a chance to divert its resources from digestion to healing. If you have the will power to make it through a 24 hour fast, you will be amazed at how good you will feel. If this is too much for you, see if you can skip a meal every now and again. The trade-off for a little hunger will be increased energy and clarity of mind, two things invaluable to a jiu-jitsoka.

In closing, it is not easy to eat a clean, wholesome diet in the modern world. Unhealthy and tasty food products are marketed to us at every turn. Yet the benefits of a a moderate amount of effort and discipline with regards to food far outweigh the sacrifices.

I sincerely hope this information helps you on your path. Please let me know about your experiences with nutrition and training. At a later stage I will publish an article about the role of supplements in jiu-jitsu. Also, after a long wait, the new Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood site will be going live near the end of the month. I hope you like it when it arrives.

The Flow Drill

The following article was written by the Alexis de Bretagne, a French brown belt who will be contributing to the Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood in the future.

Flow drill is in my opinion one of the best exercise to improve your jiu-jitsu. Many people talk about it but generally only a few of them know exactly what it is, how to do it and how to benefit from this exercise. Also it’s not as easy as it seems.

So what exactly is a flow drill ?

First we should take a look at the dictionary definitions of these two words so we can have a better idea. The dictionary description itself gives a good idea of the whole thing.

"Flow" :
- "move freely from place to place, to move freely from one place to another in large numbers or amounts in a steady unbroken stream."
- "move steadily and continuously in a current or stream"
- "motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)"
Another good way to describe "flow" in this context is also to refer to hip-hop music, “flow” is "a rappers ability to vocalize a rhythmic yet complex string rhymes that fit together in a logical and seamless manner".

"Drill" :
No real need to describe this one, a drill is an exercise. But once again if you look into dictionaries you found interesting variations.
- "military; training by repetition : a type of military training, particularly in marching maneuvers and weapons handling, that involves the constant repetition of a set pattern of movements or tasks.
education; repeated exercise : a sequence of tasks, exercises, or words repeated over and over until they can be performed faultlessly, as used in teaching military skills, languages, or basic arithmetic.
safety routine; a sequence of actions practiced repeatedly so that people know what to do in an emergency to ensure their safety"

So basically flow drill is way to roll in a relax manner and in a constant motion. No submission, not strength at all. Both partners need to focus on their own movements and on their partner’s movements. Try to keep moving all the time.

To start your training in flow drill you can do a ‘positional flow drill’. It means that you don’t even go for any submissions. You and your partner just move from one position to another, sweep, roll, shrimp, escape ... be creative. You will find yourself in positions you have never been before, you will discover new combinations, new transitions from one position to another.

Once you feel comfortable with that, you can add some submission attempts. But remember : just submission attempts, don’t make your partner tap. If you secure an armbar, let you partner escape, this is the key of this exercise.
Once you have reach a dominant position you have to establish your position just for a few seconds and then move to something else. If you partner tries an escape and is doing it well, let him do it, try to see how you can move to another position to counter his moves and reach another good position. Now if you set up an attack and your partner doesn’t begin to escape, go for it – perhaps your partner wants to work on his defense in that particular situation and see how he can defend. And off course it’s also an opportunity for you to see how he defends and how you can switch for another attack.

So like you see, it’s very important to have a good training partner that understand very well the flow drill principles. To make a good flow drill it’s 50/50, both partners have to play the game or it won’t work. When both do it well, they can benefit from each other, and even more, because as certain holistic theories say : “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (a.k.a. 1+1=3).

Flow drill is also a very good way to work on specific things (like focus on your breathing for example). Sometimes when sparring at the academy it’s hard to focus on want you want to do. A lot of us tend to be too much into the fight and we start losing our objective... So doing a flow drill could be the right opportunity to focus on something you specifically want to work on.

If not done already, read Nicolas’ articles on Jiujitsubrotherhood : “Coordinate movements and breathing”, “Control your breathing” and “Grapple from the core”. Flow drill is the perfect tool you need to practice these concepts, and then when you feel comfortable with them during the drill you can start applying them in a normal sparring situation.

Another advantage of this exercise is that you can do very long sessions, because if you do it well you are not using too much energy. It’s also adaptable to when you are back from an injury or just too tired to have a normal sparring session.

There are many different variantions on the flow drill you can do.

Here are two small videos to illustrate it, a gi flow drill and a no gi flow drill. It was few years ago when I asked my teacher to do a flow drill with me for the first time. That was our first flow drill ever. It’s not so good (sometimes too much strength and you will even see me tap, don’t do that...lol) but it can gives you an idea on what it looks like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eXs0Xue03w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl3MERM4oVI

The Journey & the Destination

I recently watched a film called "Peaceful Warrior", based on a book of the same name. One of the characters made a point which I felt could be related to Jiu-Jitsu. His message was "Life is a journey, not a destination."

As I approach the black belt and look back at my training over the years, I realize that so much of it was done with belts or "destinations" in mind.

I remember the day I received my purple belt. I had just returned from Brazil and I was hoping that Roger was going to award me the new grade. Sure enough, when he presented me with the new belt, I was happy and grateful. But after the initial exhilaration wore off, I found myself feeling hollow. It dawned on me that I had just spent 5 weeks in Brazil training with the sole focus of earning the purple belt, and that I had missed out on much of the richness of the experience because of that. I had not enjoyed the journey because I all I could think of was the destination.

I'm not saying it's not good to have goals. Belts provide great incentive for progress. But when they become your focus you may find yourself feeling cheated when you finally receive them. You may realize that instead of having enjoyed your years of training and dedication to the fullest, you were instead consumed with your desire for the next belt, victory or medal.

This analogy of the journey and the destination can be used in the context of sparring too. It's easy to focus on the outcome - the victory, loss or submission. But often this can come at the expense of being "in the moment" during the rest of the match, where a large portion of your growth takes place.

Many of my private students notice that their enjoyment of the art is greatly amplified when they learn to let go of the outcome and just enjoy all aspects of their training and sparring. Interestingly, this also leads to improvements in their games. When your focus becomes the present your learning ability is greatly enhanced.

Focus on the process, not the goal.

Site Improvements

To all those who have been reading the blog - many thanks for your support and feedback. I have been busy working on new posts which will soon be published. Also, the site will soon be moving to the address www.jiujitsubrotherhood.com. I will notify everyone when this change takes place.

In the meanwhile, I would like any opinions regarding the new logo (above) which I have had designed for the new site.

Hope to hear from you all soon.

Losing: An Ally in Disguise

This post was written by my brother, Jason Gregoriades. He runs the Gracie Barra South Africa academy in Cape Town and is a purple belt under Roger Gracie. He will be contributing more articles to the Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood in the future.

Losing is never easy. For some competitive athletes, it is a fate worse than death. To have given your best and still be found wanting, defeated by a superior competitor. Few things have the same potential to rock a person to their core; but in reality, losing is one of the most important experiences that we must all face at one time or another.

To better understand this lets address the following questions: Why is losing so difficult? Why is losing crucial to an athlete’s success? And how should we approach losing?

Why is losing so difficult?

The foremost reason why losing is so difficult is because when most of us compete (and train) we do so within our ego. This is a potentially dangerous condition in Jiu-Jitsu (or anything else we immerse ourselves in) if left unchecked. This is because is leads us to define ourselves through our victories and defeats.

The ego is a mental construct which is extremely fragile in nature, and once it feels threatened or is wounded, will defend itself with its own rationalization and behavior-regardless of whether it is in our own best interests or not.

When you lose while submerged within your ego, it becomes a direct attack on the ego itself. In an effort of self-preservation the ego will provide any possible rationalization as to why the loss occurred due to circumstances outside of its control; e.g. the referee was wrong, the competition wasn’t run properly, my neighbor kept me awake all night, etc. This is a technique used by the ego to withdraw itself from a potentially threatening situation and to distance itself from criticism (and ultimately responsibility).

In addition the ego will throw up an emotional firewall as an extra defensive mechanism. This acts as a protective casing but at the cost of our logic and our ability to reason. Emotion and intelligence are like oil and water - they just don’t mix. This further complicates the cognitive process and it becomes difficult to understand and analyze the loss, as your brain begins to manage bits of information while attempting to wrest back control from the ego. If the ego is particularly strong (or badly wounded) this inner tension and confusion will only fuel your emotional resistance further.

Why is losing crucial to an athlete’s success?

Losing in its simplest form is a feedback mechanism that will provide us with all the information that we need to become champions, in both Jiu-Jitsu and in life. Jiu-Jitsu and anything else in which we strive to excel is merely a trial and error exercise in the pursuit of our goals. When you experience losing, all that’s occurring is that a signal (or feedback) is being sent to you which explains how you have conducted yourself incorrectly in light of what it is you are trying to achieve.

Losing shows us what not to do and takes us one step closer towards achieving our goals, but only if we choose to learn from it and apply the lesson it endeavors to teach us. The potential pitfall is when someone loses within their ego and is unable to absorb the lesson because of the previously mentioned emotional firewall. This inhibits our learning and development, resulting in the valuable growth opportunities being lost.

Think of losing as a process which forces all of your impurities to the surface. In Jiu-Jitsu these impurities could be incorrect or imperfect technique, inadequate fitness, a weak mental approach etc. Losing provides us with a wealth of information and tells us what corrections we need to make in order to accomplish our goals.

How should we approach losing?

One of the most difficult but important revelations that we must accept is the need to identify and distance ourselves from our ego when dealing with losing. Objectivity is crucial and you have to be brutally honest with yourself and take responsibility for your actions. Don’t let your ego manipulate you into thinking that it wasn’t your fault and that there is nothing to learn or improve from in an experience where you “lose”.

Be direct with yourself and think back to your last losing experience; ask yourself, “What did I learn from that? Have I applied the lesson it tried to teach me, or did my ego manage to succeed in tricking me?”
This is no easy task as some people are so completely immersed in their egos throughout their daily lives that they may confuse their identity with the ego itself. Our ego is only one component of our individuality - a single facet that must not be mistaken for the whole.

However let it be said that the ego is a very important component and is essential for the combative aspect of jiu-jitsu. This is because it is the source of our competitive nature, providing us with the desire to gain superiority/dominance over others (the will to win).

So be patient as you strive to find the right balance within and don’t be too hard on yourself either, as you learn and grow through experience.

“An error only becomes a mistake when you refuse to correct it.”
Orlando A. Battista

Conclusion

Most of us live within our egos without control and are unable to withdraw back into ourselves at necessary times; this inhibits our learning ability and creates a very unpleasant sensation when losing.
Losing is an integral part of becoming a champion and essential to an athlete’s success. It is crucial that we learn to accept this inevitable occurrence and distance ourselves from our egos at the appropriate moment to achieve the potential benefits from losing.
The act of losing itself provides us with an infinite supply of personalized feedback. Strive to discover a healthy balance within yourself and understand that losing needs to be viewed objectively and with your own benefit in mind.

As long as the ego is calling the shots you will never manage to take responsibility for your actions and results, and will struggle to develop and grow as a balanced individual, whether it be in Jiu-Jitsu, sport or life.

Remember:

You never really lose if you never give up.

Understanding the Phenomenon

I am blessed to train with one of the finest expressions of jiu-jitsu walking the earth today, my master , Roger Gracie.

He has dominated all the major grappling and jiu-jitsu competitions for the last several years and recently he won the absolute division at the World Championships in Los Angeles.

During my travels most of the the jiu jitsu guys I meet want to know what it's like to train with Roger, so I thought perhaps the readers of this blog would too.

A Humbling Experience

I have trained all over the world with many top grapplers. Some could beat me and some could not, but they have all had to work hard and I always posed some sort of threat. Roger is the only person I have ever rolled with who has the ability to neutralize all my attacks and destroy my defenses almost at will. I have never sparred with anyone of his ability. The harder you try to beat him, the faster you tap out. And you tap out alot. From submissions you didn't even know existed. Hip cranks, Spine cranks, hamstring stretches (yes hamstring stretches!), it's a humbling experience indeed.

Because his attacks are so good, you are always defending and trying to regain position, so it's constantly an uphill struggle. You start in a neutral position (knees or standing) and then it just becomes progressively worse and worse and he methodically imposes his game plan upon you.

On the odd occasion that I have managed to put him in a bad position, it's only a few seconds before I begin to feel my leverage slip through my fingers like grains of sand through an hourglass. I have often found myself thinking "yes, I have good control!" only to then watch helplessly as he executes the perfect escape and takes the top position before submitting me.

So why is he so good? I believe the reasons are the following:

Physical Attributes

Roger is big and strong, there's no argument about it. At almost 6'5" and about 220 lbs he's unusually large for jiu-jitsu fighter. I remember a certain training session in which we were doing stand-up training. He had an underhook which I thought I was defending reasonably well. I was placing all my weight on it to neutralize his leverage. When he got bored he suddenly threw me literally across the mat using just that underhook. I have trained with 300 lb wrestlers who have not had that sort of power. This is one of the reasons he is such a dangerous fighter. He combines high levels of attributes with perfect technical knowledge. In the unlikely event that you match him technically in any area he simply over powers you.

Technique

His depth of technical knowledge is supreme. Roger doesn't need the couple of seconds to analyze a position before his next movement that an average fighter does. This is because he knows the perfect technical response to each position so well that it has become reflex. Also, he is always at least 2 moves ahead. His first attack is usually just used to set you up for the second and third.

When you watch him roll, you see a demonstration of perfect economy of motion. Sometimes, he will have 3 or 4 of us spar with him in turn, changing to a fresh partner every few minutes, so that he can push himself even though he is training with inferior opponents. The strange thing about Roger, is that as he becomes tired, his technique actually becomes better, not worse. I have a theory that this is due to his size. He has had to learn the most energy efficient way to move his massive frame around during long sparring and training sessions as he becomes progressively more and more fatigued. This to me is the essence of jiu-jitsu.


Balance & Weight Distribution

Roger is not super muscular and ripped like many other fighters, but when you roll with him, him he feels "dense". It's extremely difficult to move or lift him - it feels as if his weight is being sucked towards the ground. During our sparring sessions many times I have tapped through sheer discomfort from the smothering techniques he employs. If he chooses to, he makes any specific part of your body (usually your diaphragm) carry his entire 100 kilos of weight. I believe this is because he has a highly developed ability to relax and contract his different muscle groups at will and because he has exceptional pressure sensitivity.

His base is also phenomenal. My sweeps are by far the strongest part of my game, but during the four years I have been training with him, I have only managed to sweep Roger once. And that's because he wasn't paying attention. Usually you'll think you are about to sweep him - you might even elevate him for a second, but because of his incredible balance he effortlessly readjusts and nullifies your attempt to reverse him.

Will

His greatest weapon is his mind. When he trains he brings an intensity which is hard to describe. During his sparring sessions with Braulio Estima, an exceptional grappler and also a world champion, I have seen him in situations in which I was certain he was going to tap. But he never does. He just relaxes and looks for just that millimeter of space he requires to escape. When he's tired he always pushes himself even harder and calls for a fresh sparring partner. I believe that it is this mental strength and unwavering tenacity differentiate him from many other high-level jiu-jitsoka and have led to his massive success.

Until next time, train hard.

Elemental Jiu-Jitsu

According to Empedocles, a Greek philosopher and scientist who lived in Sicily in the fifth century B.C., all matter is comprised of four "roots" or elements, namely earth, air, fire and water. For the past several months I have had an interest in certain philosophies regarding these elements and, as with pretty much everything in my life, I have related this to jiu-jitsu.

A lot of people have only one setting when training and that is usually "full speed and power". In my own experience, I have found that experimenting with a variety of 'modes' while sparring improves the rate at which I learn. Below I have categorized and associated these modes with each of the four elements.

'Earth' Jiu-Jitsu

Earth Jiu-Jitsu is characterized by the qualities of rigidity and passivity.

Here I am using a combination of dominant grip positions and a high degree of isometric strength to minimize the movement of my opponent. The passivity refers to the fact that I am using as little extraneous movement and energy expenditure as possible. My goal is to allow absolutely no space whatsoever, except for my own escape attempts. I use techniques that I am already proficient at and try to refine and perfect them. There are no superfluous movements - every single motion I make is done with clear intention and purpose. Everything is done with progression in mind. I move from a tight control positions to tighter ones, or I incrementally put more and more weight on my opponent until he is completely immobilized and finally look for the finish. A good analogy is the turning of a screw - constant, continuous pressure.

I usually use this mode when I want to 'tighten up' areas of my game where I feel I am becoming sloppy or making too many mistakes. It's also good when I'm feeling a little tired as it is very energy efficient and involves a low-risk strategy.

'Water' Jiu-Jitsu

Water jiu-jitsu is characterized by the qualities of fluidity and flexibility.

In Jiu-Jitsu, the game is usually in one of two states - set positions or scrambles. A scramble refers to the rapid movements which take place between set pieces (e.g. guard or side mount) where each fighter is looking for positional dominance.

In the majority of academies most of the training focuses on set positions, to the detriment of scrambling ability. Being able to scramble effectively is vital because of the unpredictable nature of grappling. By having good scrambling skills, you are more likely to achieve a dominant position at the conclusion of these exchanges. I use the "Water Element" mode of rolling to help with this.

When I adopt this training method I follow just one rule: Never stop moving. Imagine yourself as a river or stream - there is no stagnation, it is in a state of constant flux.

I relax my grips - I am not trying to control my opponent, but instead attempting to move with him. I am trying to switch my mind off and just let my body react the movement of my training partner. Practicing like this improves timing and sensitivity. It greatly enhances your understanding of and ability to use momentum. It is possible to use this mode with someone who is resisting but it's far more effective to do it with a partner who is informed of the nature of the drill and is willing to try it him/herself. This works especially well with your eyes closed.


'Air' Jiu-Jitsu

Air Jiu-Jitsu is characterized by creativity and finesse.

Here I am attempting to make my jiu-jitsu as graceful and imaginative as possible. When in this mode I will try out new moves and techniques. Before every movement I make, I ask myself the question "do I know that this will work?" If the answer is "yes" then I abandon that course of action and try something different. I usually train in this mode when I'm sparring with someone a lot lighter or less technical than I am, but if I'm feeling adventurous I'll try it with bigger and better opponents. Whether they know it or not, higher level belts are usually using this element when they spar with lower level belts.

This is probably the most beneficial but unfortunately also the hardest of all the modes for a beginner to attempt. Novices usually do not have the confidence to try untested things or strong defensive foundations to fall back on. Also, as they has not yet learned to move properly, it will be very difficult to achieve the finesse required for air technique. Again, it all comes back to ego. You have to be prepared to lose position and make mistakes in order to progress.

'Fire' Jiu-Jitsu

Fire Jiu-Jitsu is characterized by competitive spirit and tenacity.

My goal when in this mode is not to learn, but to improve my will, fitness and timing. Here I imagine I am actually in a competitive situation. I am not trying to add anything new to my game, just using what I already know works for me. I am taking into consideration points and advantages as well as trying to keep an awareness of the clock. I usually use this mode of training when sparring with opponents on a similar or higher level than I am, especially in the last couple of months before a tournament.

This is the mode that 80 percent of all jiu-jitsu guys, much to their detriment, spend 80 percent of their sparring time in. Fighting like this is mentally and physically draining, and when done in excess can place undue strain on your central nervous system which may lead to over-training. It is quite difficult to learn new things in this mode, and this is the reason for slow progress of many jiu-jitsokas.

Which mode to use?

There are many factors that determine which modes I utilize at any given time, including amongst others, training partner, energy levels, injuries and competition schedule.

Remember that these different styles can be mixed and matched. For example, I might decide to play water technique on the top but use earth technique on the bottom, or visa versa. During a training session or even a single sparring match I may use one or all four of the elemental modes and I might mix them. For example, at the beginning of a match I might be in fire mode, but then switch to air mode if I realize that I can beat my opponent easily. Or I might fuse air and water modes to create a flowing, creative game. There are many useful and interesting combinations and permutations.

In the near future, I will be posting a video in which I demonstrate sparring in some of these modes. In the meantime, let me know your thoughts.

Coordinate Movement & Breathing

Your lungs are situated in close proximity to your spine, the largest and most complex joint system of your body. The volume of air in your lungs affects their size and consequently the flexibility and mobility of your spine. Here’s a simple test you can do yourself: Take a deep breath and hold it. Still holding your breath, bend forward and try to touch your toes. Now exhale and notice how much further your spine bends.

In general, any forward bending movement or movement in which your shoulders and hips move closer towards each other should be done upon exhalation. An example of this kind of movement would be the ‘snake’ or ‘shrimp’ escape. Conversely, any action that requires an arching of the spine or which increases the distance between the shoulders and the hips should be accompanied by an inhalation. A good example of this would be a bridging motion. The air in your lungs will set your spine and provide extra support to the bridge structure.

The 'snake' or 'shrimp' movement is a good example of where an exhalation should be employed.

The bridge movement is an example of a movement that should be performed with an inhalation.

Unfortunately, most of us have been conditioned to exhale when performing just about any strenuous movement, so it may seem awkward at first when retraining yourself to coordinate your breathing with your movement, but after a good deal of practice it will become second nature. Once you have achieved this, your grappling will become much more fluid and powerful and you will also expend less energy while rolling.

Control your Breathing

My first coach placed heavy emphasis on breathing during almost all the lessons of his that I attended. I took his advice to heart, and to this day breath-control forms the bedrock of my entire grappling game.

The pace of your breathing is closely linked to your mental state. The mind is at its clearest when breathing is calm and rhythmic. In contrast, it is very, very difficult to think clearly when your breathing is ragged and heavy. Holding of the breath is another habit which should be avoided. Man is the only mammal who unintentionally holds his breath – a tendency that causes unnecessary tension in the body and quickly results in acute fatigue.

An effective way of controlling your breathing is to use the rate of your opponent’s breathing to pace yours. When in a static grappling position (e.g. side mount), try to listen to your opponent’s breathing – if it is at a harder and faster pace than yours, chances are he is using a lot more energy than you, and subsequently he will tire more quickly. At the same time, if you are breathing harder and faster than your opponent, you will probably tire sooner than him. In this case, it is best to slow your breathing down. This will have two important effects. Firstly, it will calm your mind and allow you access to your techniques. Secondly, it will reduce the overall level of muscular tension in your body. This is important because excess tension prevents you from being able to move fluidly.

The more rhythmic your breathing the better. Try to avoid inhaling before having completed a full exhalation. Ideally, empty your lungs completely, and pausing for a second before taking a deep breath to the bottom of your lungs, allowing your abdomen and rib cage to expand. By doing this, you re-balance the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood and alleviate the "out of gas" feeling. Another efficient way of achieving this is by adopting percussive breathing, which involves normal inhalations followed by several short, sharp exhalations. These exhalations are the result of rhythmic diaphragmatic contractions. Many who have sparred with the great Rickson Gracie report having heard him make the ‘tss…tss….tss’ exhalations that are the hallmark of percussive breathing.

Something that I have been experimenting with as of late is hyperventilation. Before a match, you may want to try "over-breathing" for a minute or two - taking deep, large intakes of air and expelling them at a reasonably fast pace. This will hyper-oxygenate your blood and allow you to perform at your maximum capacity for a short while longer than usual. Please note that this is not for everyone. If you begin to feel light-headed at any time while attempting to hyperventilate stop immediately.

I will be discussing breathing more in future posts. I look forward to hearing from all of you. For those of you all over the world that have emailed me, I appreciate the feedback - I hope to meet each of you in person in the future.

True Beauty of Jiu-Jitsu #2

The body as an instrument

The the one thing that we all share during the human experience is our inhabitation of a physical body - it's with us for this entire journey. Some of our bodies are big, some are little, and some are stronger than others, but with few exceptions it's a pretty unified experience.

These bodies are such complex and powerful organisms and our physiques are capable of so much more than most people realize or utilize. The vast majority of the human race will never get to use their bodies to the extent that a jiu-jitsoka does.

About ten years ago a popular song named 'Sunscreen' was released. It offered various pieces of advice through its lyrics, one of which was "Enjoy your body, use it every way you can... it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own."

Extending the analogy, we could view jiu-jitsu is an extremely complex, evolving piece of diagnostic software which allows us to test and maintain these 'instruments'.

Movement & Heat = Life

In death our bodies become cold and stiff, whereas life is typified by movement and heat. Taking this into consideration, I believe jiu-jitsu to be one of the most important expressions and representations of life.

When we grapple we engage in a large portion of the range of physical actions and movements available to a human being. This includes but is not limited to jumping, pulling, lifting, twisting, bending, reaching, gripping, pushing, dragging, rolling and kicking. Not only is the range of actions varied, but they are almost always done in combination - we lift and twist or reach and drag etc. Movement is life. Jiu-jitsu is movement. Jiu-jitsu is life.

Those of us that roll know that nothing compares to the workout derived from an intense grappling match. The incredible combination of aerobic, anaerobic, isometric and plyometric exercise generates huge amounts of heat in all of our corporeal tissues. In the medical philosophies of many cultures, heat is a healing agent. It is said to promote regeneration, pliability and eradication of disease. Heat is life. Jiu-jitsu is heat. Jiu-jitsu is life.

There are numerous other benefits associated with the gentle art too. The skin is the human being's largest organ, and jiu-jitsu is an excellent method for keeping it healthy. The heavy perspiration experienced during grappling aids in the elimination of toxins and the friction from the kimono cleanses your skin by scrubbing away dead cells. Good health of the internal organs is also promoted. The constant multi-planar bending of the torso and pressure of your opponent's weight on your frame massages the intestines, liver, kidneys and spleen, and promotes circulation of clean blood to them. Also, because of the aerobic nature of longer sparring sessions, the heart and lungs are also kept in peak condition.

Testing the intrument

Grappling is a very effective method for discovering weakness and imbalances in your physical structure. It differs from most other forms of exercise because the experience is so unpredictable and dynamic. Because you are challenged from so many awkward positions, you are forced to perform movements which are foreign and difficult for your body.

During sparring we are presented the challenge of moving our bodies through space at unusual angles and through multiple planes. We also have to deal with the dynamic resistance offered by our opponent's constantly shifting mass. When strive to balance our own weight and simultaneously manouver that of our opponent we are involved in an activity that is uniquely challenging.

Vast quantities of both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers are recruited during jiu-jitsu. This muscular involvement is not limited to the larger, primary muscle groups, but includes all of the stabilizing structures as well. From the tips of the toes to the top of the head, almost every single muscle is constantly involved in the process. Jiu-jitsu quickly exposes weaknesses, which, if not dealt with, may lead to infirmity in old age, or at the very least hinder athletic performance in younger people.

During intense practices we employ our physical resources in a way that few other activities can come close to equaling. Admittedly, other physical pursuits may offer some or even all of the physical benefits of jiu-jitsu, but none can claim to do so to the same extent. So the next time you don't feel like training, remember that you have only one body, and that jiu-jitsu is one of the very best things you can do to maintain and condition it.

I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Life Lessons from Jiu-Jitsu # 1

I have had many excellent teachers in my life up until this point, but Jiu-Jitsu has been by far the greatest of them all. I am presented with new lessons each and every time I step on the mat. Some of these lessons I learned early, some only after many years of training, and with others I am still receiving my instruction.

Patience is a virtue

It doesn't take much to see that we are living in a world addicted to instant gratification. People want results immediately. This impulsive state of being is fundamentally incompatible with jiu-jitsu. The art has two ways of punishing those who are not mature enough to be patient.

Firstly, if a move is rushed it is much more likely to fail. If I become greedy for a submission I very often lose it. However, if I take my time and analyze the position - if I am patient enough to think before moving - the finish is far more likely to be successful.

Secondly, those that expect to acquire skills in a short space of time quickly become frustrated, and many even give up. Jiu-Jitsu is not something that can be rushed. True, their are ways to maximize the effectiveness of the learning process, but it still requires time. Very often our progress seems to plateau and it feels as if we are not improving. It takes patience to ride out these plateaus and wait for results to manifest.

I have learned through jiu-jitsu that patience is a virtue which improves almost all aspects of my life.

It's all about perception

When we are rolling, it's rare that we encounter a position or situation that has only a 'right' and 'wrong' response. Instead, there are usually 'ways' and 'better ways' of reacting. To me this offers an intelligent and efficient way of looking at the world.

Many years ago, while sparring with my first instructor, I found myself caught in a knee-bar. As I was about to tap, he asked me "Why don't you escape?".
"There's no way out of this!" I foolishly replied. He proceed to show me a simple movement which neutralized all of his leverage and allowed me to escape the lock. I had been, in his words, locked against my own perception. The escape had always been there - I just hadn't seen it before.

Similarly, when I was younger, there were many situations in my life where I was convinced that I had only one course of action available to me. By adapting what I have learned through jiu-jitsu, I have come to realize that there are always more than one or two possibilities. All it takes for us to be able to see these possibilities is an expansion of our perception.

Embrace change

So many people go through their lives resisting and avoiding change, much to their detriment.

The speed at which the world is changing can be intimidating. Just as the world is not the same place it was thirty years ago, so is jiu-jitsu not the same as it was during the time of Mitsuo Maeda and Gastao Gracie. Change is a catalyst for growth. Jiu-jitsu is a living thing like you and I, and all healthy living things grow.

If I keep attacking my sparring partners with the same submissions and set-ups they will soon learn to counter them and defeat me. Anything that stands still is soon overtaken. We need to adapt or we are unable to keep up with the dynamism of the art.

Jiu-jitsu has helped me recognize this need for constant change, and through this recognition allowed me to strive for continual transformation and progression in life.

Knowing when to yield

Bruce Lee said "Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind." This is a important characteristic of a jiu-jitsu practitioner and one of the most overlooked and important aspects of our art.

The literal translation of jiu-jitsu or ju-jitsu is "gentle or compliant technique".

Many forget this. Their standard recourse while fighting is to try and meet their opponent head on. This very often leads to defeat, especially if their opponent's strength in that particular area is greater. The more you try to resist an adversary's force the harder he will push against yours. Sometimes it's wiser to not resist his pressure, but instead to yield to it and then redirect it.

I believe that in life the same applies. Often people and situations may seem to overwhelm us. By thinking like a jiu-jitsuko, we can learn to determine when it is prudent to yield to these stresses and divert their force to our own ends.

What life lessons have you learned from the art? I look forward to hearing from you all.

Practice Without Using the Arms

Almost without exception, one of the most common mistakes novice grapplers make is that they try and move their opponent’s entire bodyweight with the strength of their arms. This is due to the fact that the hands and arms are some of the most dexterous and sensitive parts of the human anatomy, and we as human beings are simply accustomed to using them for almost all our day to day tasks, while are legs are usually solely employed for standing and walking.

Unfortunately, in grappling, using your arms exclusively is grossly inefficient. On average, the human leg is three times stronger than the human arm, and the trunk as a whole unit is stronger still. Therefore it is vital to learn to access this massive strength reserve. For a good grappler his legs and feet are as nimble as another set of arms and hands, and he employs them to push, pull, lift and pin his opponent.

An excellent way of teaching your body to ‘think’ with your legs and trunk instead of the arms is by sparring without using your arms.

If you are a gi grappler, slide both hands through the front of your belt grip each free end. If your chosen art is submission wrestling, simply cross your arms and grab each opposite shoulder. Remember that this will require an accommodating sparring partner. Initially he should not go 'flat out' when rolling with you in this manner. In the beginning his goal should be not to submit you but merely control your body. Once you have become more accustomed to it he should try to look for the finish.

At first, this will feel very awkward and you will have a tendency to cheat by reflexively reaching out with your hands. Bear with it, because as you gain coordination and sensitivity with your lower body your grappling will improve, especially certain aspects of your game i.e. open guard.

Later, when you reintroduce your arms, try to use the following analogy. Think of your arms as the rudder of a boat. They guide movement but do not provide power. Your legs, hips and lower back are the motor and propeller of the boat. They provide the drive. A classic example of this is the double-leg take down. You set your ‘rudder’ (arms) by grabbing behind your opponent’s legs and then the ‘motor’ (legs, trunk) provides the power by driving through and lifting the opponent.

This is not a hard and fast rule – there are several movements that use arm and shoulder strength almost exclusively (a key-lock from side-mount is an example but even this could be argued), but in general it holds true.

Practice With the Eyes Closed

Grappling with your eyes closed is an excellent method of gaining sensitivity, balance and timing. When you close your eyes, you lose the balance granted to you by the visual reference points you usually have. As a result, the organs in the inner ear responsible for the body’s equilibrium become more finely tuned and your sense of balance increases.

This in turn improves your kinesthetic awareness or ‘body sense’. Spatial awareness, the ability to know where your body is in space, is also massively enhanced. High levels of kinesthetic and spatial awareness are hallmarks of good athletes and are some of the most vital elements in to a well-rounded game.

Your skin contains millions of pressure receptors, and when your eyes are closed it becomes much easier to be aware of the input they are receiving. This will allow you to 'feel' your jiu-jitsu more - to become more sensitive to the subtle variances in the weight distribution of both yourself and your opponent.

When you are fighting from the top, the increased sensitivity will allow you to feel where the gaps are in your control positions and hold downs and when fighting from the bottom it will be possible for you to sense where your opponent is applying pressure and where he is off balance and susceptible to sweeps and bridges.

Because this pressure-sensory data is processed much more quickly than visual-sensory data, if you can teach your body to use it as your primary feedback mechanism while fighting, your reaction times will ultimately improve.

Yet another benefit of practicing in this manner is that when your eyes are closed you have a tendency to relax, which as explained elsewhere in this resource, is vital to your grappling progress.

The Pareto Principle

Vilfredo Pareto was a 16th century Italian economist who made several interesting discoveries which led to the formulation of his law, which states that in any endeavor, 80% of the result is derived from 20% of the effort.

Most of the grappling arts consist of hundreds upon hundreds of attacks, defenses and counters. However, during the practical applications of sparring and competition, only a small selection of these techniques are employed successfully and, more importantly, consistently. These are what grapplers are referring to when they speak of ‘high percentage’ and ‘low percentage’ moves.

Think back to the last grappling tournament you were at – more likely than not there was a very limited selection of finishing/scoring moves. These can be viewed as the ’20%’ which lead to the ‘80%’ of the result

Try to find the 20% which works for you and devote the bulk of your training resources to perfecting it. This does not mean that you should not use any of your training time to practice the fancier or lower percentage moves, just that the majority of your training should focus on the most commonly experienced positions and techniques.

A good example is the guard. It could be argued that fighting from the guard and passing the guard make up only 20% of the available and encountered positions in bjj, but if you watch most matches you will see that the amount of time combatants spend in the guard is much greater than that. Therefore it would be prudent to devote more of your resources to practicing your techniques from the guard than a lesser encountered position, e.g. north-south.

Note: this is especially important regarding defense - commit a large portion of your time learning to defend and counter the most common attacks in your grappling art.

Grapple from the Core

What is the core?

The core, for our purposes, refers to the muscular tissue surrounding the spine, situated deep within the body. These muscles have a stabilizing effect and their condition determines a persons' functional strength to a large degree.

Strong, economical movements are the result when the body’s central or ‘core’ muscles are engaged prior to physical action. This activation of your core is very important and ideally occurs reflexively before the recruitment of any other parts of the body.

The amount of force your arms and legs can produce is a function of your core strength. If you were to train your biceps muscle by performing dumbbell curls while neglecting to strengthen your core, the functional strength of your arm in a grappling situation would still be limited.

Ideally, all movement should initiate from the center and flow outward towards the extremities.

Activating the core

Although there are several muscle groups which make up the core, perhaps the one of which we have the most conscious control is the Transverse Abdominus, which is a band of muscular tissue in the lower abdominal area, around the waist. You can find more information about the transverse abdominus including detailed anatomical pictures on the web.

Many athletes have trained their Rectus Abdominus or ‘six-pack’ muscles, but fail to use their Transverse Abdominus. By drawing your navel in and slightly up towards your spine, you can effectively engage the Transverse Abdominus and consequently go a long way to engaging your core.

When you are grappling, before performing any large movement, activate your core. Then, as you perform the actual movement, try and imagine the muscular tension you are holding in the core traveling to the limbs being used for the movement. Initially it will be difficult to do this while sparring, after a while it will become reflex and the result will be increased balance and power during the application of techniques. In addition, with the advent of a strengthened core, the frequency of lower back and rib injuries will be greatly reduced.

Although black is controlling white by using the distal parts of his limbs, his power is all initiated from the 'core' muscles of the lower back and abdomen.

Important Tips for Beginners

During my journey into grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I have come across several principles and pieces of advice which have greatly accelerated my progress. I often find myself wondering just how much further ahead I would be today if I had known of them at the start of my training. It is for this reason that I try to ensure that the beginners I teach and my private clients are aware of them at the start of their grappling careers. The tips below are the ones I feel are most significant for the beginner.

Prepare your body for training

No matter what anybody tells you, you need a certain basal level of strength and fitness to get the most out of jiu-jitsu. You do not play sports to get fit - you get fit to play sports. The fitter you are, the more relaxed you will be during the sparring segment of your classes and therefore the more your mind will be able to absorb. A good level of cardiovascular fitness will speed up your recovery between sparring matches and between training sessions themselves. Resistance training and the increased muscle hypertrophy and joint strength it brings will go a long way in the prevention of jiu-jitsu related injuries.

Contrary to popular belief, an expensive gym membership and a bunch of machines and equipment are not a necessary requirement for getting fit. All you need is your own body, a small space and a degree of willpower. I will be including sample workouts in future posts to this blog.


Leave your ego at the door

Your ego can be a great (if not the greatest) hindrance to your progress as a grappler. As a beginner you will tap often. Nobody likes to submit in front of the other students and spectators at their academy. Acknowledge that it is your ego that causes this discomfort and then do everything you can to overcome it. Accept the fact that you will be dominated and beaten regularly during the initial stages of your training and embrace it as part of the process. The time will come when you are the one causing the others to submit, but before then you will need to pay your dues. But remember that you should not be doing jiu-jitsu to learn to dominate people and prove that you are the toughest guy around. You should be doing it to learn about yourself.

Try this as an exercise in gaining control of your ego: Make it your mission to be tapped fifteen times at your next class. Bizarrely, this will actually make you a better fighter. Firstly, because you will come to not fear tapping anymore, you will begin to relax alot more during your sparring. As we know, there is direct correlation between how relaxed you are and how quickly you will learn. Secondly, by letting opponents put you in compromising situations and submissions you will quickly become familiar with them. This familiarity will ensure that you are more composed and hence more likely to escape if and when you are faced with these situations during competition.

Focus on the basics.

When you begin training it may be overwhelming trying to memorize and incorporate all the techniques you are presented with into your game. There is something you must understand and that is that you do not need a thousand different moves to be good at jiu-jitsu. There are so many grapplers out there who can demonstrate hundreds and hundreds of techniques as well as the counters to them and even the re-counters to those. Most of these guys cannot put even a fraction of this technical knowledge into practice against a resisting and determined opponent. A technique only becomes a skill once you can use it successfully in a fight. As Bruce Lee said, "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." Replace 'kicks' with 'armlocks' or 'chokes' and the same holds true for grappling.

After 8 years of training I still find myself coming back to the most basic movements and techniques and trying to refine and tweak them to reflexive proficiency. As a beginner you should take a handful of simple things and work on them until they are part of you. Focus on the high percentage, fundamental moves such as the snake/shrimping motion and the bridge. This will ensure that you lay a solid foundation for your entire game.

Work on the things you find difficult.

After many years of training it will be more difficult to break bad habits and correct weakness you have developed. If you are intelligent, you will not allow the these negative tendencies to take hold when you start training.

Overspecialization breeds weakness. If you are a someone who loves to fight from the top and has no bottom game, sooner or later in class or competition you will meet someone who you cannot dominate from the top and your lack of ability on the bottom will cost you.

If something is difficult for you, make it your focus. For example, if you hate playing from the guard, make it your number one priority during training. Try to get your opponent into your guard whenever possible and work from there. If you are diligent and can accept that you will have your guard passed many times in the beginning (leave your ego at the door), soon your guard will become strong. This applies to all positions and techniques.

I hope you learned something. As always, I would very much like to hear from your own experiences.

How to get the most out of Competitions

I remember the first grappling competition I fought in - almost 8 years ago. The fear and anxiety almost completely consumed me.

Amazingly, despite a horrible performance, I managed to win one of my matches through brute strength and sheer will. What I noticed was that all the training I had done and all the techniques I had learned up until that point went out the window the moment the fight began. My fear, anxiety and anger had come between me and modest amount of technical knowledge I had acquired.

Over the years, although I have managed to gain some control over my emotions prior to competitions, and hence I have greater access to my techniques and skills, the fear and anxiety are always there - and they always will be. But my degree of control over them continues you grow, and they become more manageable. This only comes with experience however.

I always urge the beginners at our academy to enter upcoming competitions. The sense of achievement gained from competition cannot be overestimated. By my own estimation, 1 minute of competition is equivalent to approximately 30 to 40 mins of regular sparring/mat time with regard to the expansion of self-awareness it allows.

Below are some tips and insights that I have found to have helped me gain the most from my competition experiences:

You will never be 100% ready.

If you wait until you are 100% ready before competing, then you will never compete. You can always be fitter, more technical or more composed. Feeling follows action - not the other way around. It is never as hard as it is the first time. You will be nervous, you will will be scared and you will doubt yourself before your first competition. But I can promise you that you will grow more than you ever have during regular classes and lessons.

Allow for adequate rest beforehand.

The last week to ten days of before a competition should see you tapering down the scale and frequency of your training. Physically, your muscles, tendons, joints and ligaments will appreciate the break and will be fresh for the contest. Your central nervous system will also benefit - too much competitive training in the final days before an event and you will find that your reactions will be slower than usual and your game will be stagnant. In athletics there is a saying - "Do not leave your best performance on the practice track" and the same can be said for grappling.

Don't make excuses beforehand.

He who makes an excuse before a fight is going to need it. Don't be one of those guys who tells all his friends and teammates that he hasn't trained properly, is underweight or recovering from an injury. You are just trying to cover your bases should you lose. This is an unsporting and undignified practice. If you don't feel up to the standard of the event you are participating in but choose to compete anyway, then you must face the consequences.

Get to know the venue beforehand.

Although this is not always possible, if you can try to inspect the venue the day before the competition. This will greatly diminish your nervousness on the day because it will be a place you have become familiar with as opposed to something foreign and intimidating.

Conserve your energy.

On the day of the event your should be aiming to expend as little energy as possible. Try to remain off your feet. Most of the time you should be spent sitting, or even better, lying down. Try to avoid viewing the matches prior to yours, unless you are watching your potential opponents and formulating your strategy. Watching your teammates compete and screaming advice to them is almost as draining as competing itself.

Regulate your breathing.

Whether you notice it or not, the moment you enter the venue (and perhaps even before) your body begins its release of adrenalin. Although adrenalin has many benefits for the fighter one of the disadvantages is that it causes your breathing to become shallow. This robs your organs and tissues of much needed oxygen and hence leads to fatigue. By concentrating and ensuring your breathing is deep and rhythmic you not only negate this effect but also help still your mind and alleviate much of the pre-match anxiety.

Let go of the outcome.

Do not be focused solely on winning, nor afraid to lose. These are both outcomes. All fighters, even the greats, lose at some point. There is just too much of a random element in grappling / BJJ competition to allow anyone to achieve a 100% win rate. Try instead, to focus on the process. If you learn something from your competition experience, then win or lose, you have have gained. Some of my most important and enjoyable matches have been ones in which I have lost the fight, but gained valuable insight.

Be gracious in victory and defeat.

Never, I repeat, never make excuses for a loss. I have been guilty of this in the past and I will never allow it to happen again. When asked about the match always say "he beat me fair and square" regardless of whether or not you performed your best or you feel that the referee robbed you etc. By the same token, should you be fortunate enough to win, make sure you acknowledge your opponents' skill and heart.

I look forward to hearing your experiences and insights.

Jiu-Jitsu is Meditation

We are all consumed by a myriad of worries and responsibilities from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep. These include amongst other things our careers, relationships and finances. Sometimes these concerns even permeate our dreams.

But when we are on the mat sparring against a resisting opponent – our thoughts are focused on only one thing and that is the moment. Jiu-jitsu is a form of meditation. In my opinion, this is the reason for the massive global explosion in popularity that it has experienced over the past decade. People start training for the usual reasons e.g. self-defence, fitness etc. and soon become hooked. I believe we are all 'meditating' on the mat and most of us don't even know it. Perhaps our minds crave this release from our daily concerns and that is why we find training so enjoyable.

Just as there are many stages and levels of traditional meditation, so it is with 'mat-meditation'. Usually, we are focussed on which position we find ourselves in or the technique we are trying to execute. That is our 'moment'. However, it is at the higher levels it becomes far more interesting, as I recently found out.

A few days ago I was sparring with one of my instructors. At the beginning of the match, we started moving slowly and cautiously. I initiated an explosive movement and he countered with one of his own. Suddenly the tempo of the match began to rise. For the first few seconds I was running through my decision-trees and accessing my mental database of techniques, but soon the pace was so furious I could no longer do that. For a moment of time – I can't say how long it was, several seconds maybe – I experienced something which affected me profoundly. I can't say exactly what happened. My mind just seemed to switch off and my body just switched to auto pilot. I experienced an overwhelming sense of tranquility and peace – strange considering that (according to those observing at the edge of the mat) the aggressive and fast-paced movements continued for several seconds more.

The match ended and the mental 'stillness' was lost. I found myself completely drained – so much so that I had to leave the mat. For the next two days all I could think about was what had happened. I tried to put it into words for my flatmate and my girlfriend but I just couldn't articulate it. After much discussion with some friends and some research on the internet I feel that the closest word I can find to approximate the experience is 'Samadhi'.

From Wikipedia: Samadhi is a Hindu and Buddhist term that describes a non-dualistic state of consciousness in which the consciousness of the experiencing subject becomes one with the experienced object, and in which the mind becomes still (one-pointed or concentrated) though the person remains conscious.

Perhaps I will never touch that again. But all my training up until this point was worth it just for that one moment. And all my training from now on will be in anticipation of the next one.

I would be really interested to hear if any of you have had similar experiences during your grappling journey.

Train with and without the Gi

For several years now a debate has been raging within the grappling community over which style of groundfighting is better - no-gi or gi. To me the answer is "both" and "neither". The two are not diametrically opposed nor are they mutually exclusive. Many grapplers dogmatically limit themselves to training exclusively with or without the gi. This is a detrimental practice because they are denying themselves access to the benefits of the omitted style.

Personally, I began my training in the gi when I did judo from age of 8 to 15. Then at age 20 I began training no-gi submission grappling which I did exclusively for almost 5 years. When I moved to London and began to train with Roger Gracie 3 years ago, almost all my training became gi-based.

For me, my sub-grappling background accelerated my learning of the gi game. Also, these days, when I return to my no-gi training, I find that the pure kimono-based bjj training has massively improved that too.

A couple of years ago I wrote a short article on the subject outlining the benefits of training in each specific style. You can read it below:

Gi Advantages

• Improves upper body strength

The constant gripping of your opponent's sleeves, lapels and trousers greatly strengthens the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the hands, forearms, upper arms and back - all of which are used in both styles of grappling.

• Slows the game down

Because the kimono keeps you and your opponent relatively dry and creates friction it results in a slightly slower game than submission grappling. This removal of an amount of speed from the equation results in a more technical, methodical approach while fighting. This is good for those who are over-reliant on explosiveness and brute strength to effect their movements.

• Promotes better escapes

As the collar on your neck puts you in danger of strangulation from many angles, it promotes a greater overall defensive awareness. Also, escaping hold-downs and submissions when your opponent has tight grips on your gi is much more difficult than no-gi. It is much harder to pull a cloth-enveloped limb out of an arm or leglock by relying on speed and explosiveness, and so you are forced to use a more technical approach instead.

No-Gi Advantages

• Promotes better hold-downs and control positions

Learning to hold down a perspiring and slippery opponent is far more difficult than holding down someone who is wearing a gi. When you have learned to control an opponent who is not wearing a gi it will become easy to control someone who is.

• Increases the speed of the game

The reduced importance of the grips and reduced friction in the no-gi game means it almost always moves at a faster pace. Practicing at this higher speed improves reflexes and assists in the development of reactive, free-flowing movement which is crucial during positional scrambles.

So the question you have to ask is "do I want to limit myself?"

I look forward to hearing from you.

The True Beauty of Jiu-Jitsu #1

It's an expression of my individuality. I may have many fingerprints from my teachers all over my game, but at the end of the day it's MY jiu-jitsu - just as it's YOUR jiu-jitsu. We may all know how to do the basic armlock from guard - but each and every single one of us does it differently.

No matter how inexperienced, physically limited or old you are - there is a specific technique or movement that nobody does as well as you - you can move your body more efficiently in that direction or sequence than anybody else!

Human beings have the innate desire to create. So many of us today work boring, repetitive jobs that completely suppress our creativity. But on the mat we can awaken this creativity and merge it with our individuality. This is manifested in many ways - how we absorb what we are taught and adapt it to our physical abilities and body types and how we integrate new techniques into our existing game are just two examples. Making up moves 'on the spot' to get of certain positions or apply leverage is another.

Rickson Gracie is often quoted as saying that how we grapple reveals our personalities - something which I find truly fascinating. One example I can think of - at my academy there used to be a guy training who was super-charismatic and outgoing. Watching him spar was a direct reflection of this - the guy was always a bunch of big, wild movements - which totally mirrored his extroverted character. Conversely, one of the blue belts at the same gym is the quietest guy you'll ever meet. To watch him roll you can almost "see" the silence in his movements.

So the next time you are about to roll think of it as if you were about to play a piece of music or paint a picture - out of the six billion people on this planet there's no one else who can do it quite like you.