Show Up Consistently

One of the most critical aspects of beginning BJJ is simply showing up. Consistency is key. No matter how motivated you feel at the start, there will be days when you might feel tired or unmotivated. On these days, remind yourself that the simple act of showing up is a victory in itself. Aim to train at least twice a week. This regularity will help you build a solid foundation and keep you moving forward.

Control What You Can

In BJJ, as in life, there are things you can control and things you cannot. As a beginner, focus on what you can control:Attendance: Commit to your training schedule. Make it a non-negotiable part of your week.Effort: Put in your best effort every time you step on the mat. It’s not about being the best; it’s about doing your best.Attitude: Maintain a positive and open-minded attitude. Every class is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Start Slow and Build Up

It’s tempting to dive in headfirst and try to train as much as possible. However, starting slow and gradually building up your training frequency and intensity is crucial. Overtraining can lead to burnout and injuries. Instead, focus on:

* Pacing Yourself: Begin with a manageable training schedule and increase it gradually as your body adapts.

* Recovery: Allow your body to rest and recover. This includes getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and listening to your body’s signals

Professor Juan Pablo Garcia is on a mission to bring the positive impact of Jiu-Jitsu to as many people as possible. Photo: Reproduction

Embrace the Learning Process

Progress in BJJ is not always linear. Some days, you will feel like you’ve made significant strides, while other days might be more challenging. Embrace this learning process. Understand that every class, whether good or bad, contributes to your overall growth. Celebrate small victories and learn from setbacks.

Develop a Routine

Creating a routine can help you build discipline and make training a habit. Here are some tips:

* Set Specific Goals: Having clear, achievable goals can keep you motivated. Whether it’s mastering a particular technique or improving your fitness, set targets to work towards.

* Prepare Your Gear: Keep your training gear ready to go. This reduces the chances of skipping a class because you’re unprepared.

* Track Your Progress: Maintain a training journal to document what you’ve learned, your strengths, and areas for improvement. This can be a powerful tool for self-reflection and growth.

Find a Support System

Having a support system can make a significant difference in your BJJ journey. This can be:

* Training Partners: Build connections with your training partners. They can offer encouragement, share tips, and make training more enjoyable.

* Instructors: Don’t hesitate to ask your instructors for advice and feedback. They can provide valuable insights and help you improve faster.

Building discipline and making progress in BJJ takes time. Stay patient and persistent. Remember that every black belt was once a white belt who never gave up. Trust the process, keep showing up, and you will see improvements over time.

Starting BJJ is an exciting adventure that requires dedication and discipline. By focusing on showing up consistently, controlling what you can, starting slow, embracing the learning process, developing a routine, finding a support system, and staying patient, you can build a strong foundation for success in BJJ. Keep at it, and you’ll find that not only will your skills improve, but you’ll also develop a resilient mindset that will benefit you both on and off the mat.

Looking forward to sharing the mats with you sometime!

* Juan Pablo Garcia is head instructor at EDJ School of Jiu-Jitsu. Learn more about him at WWW.EDJASSOCIATION.com.

While packing and planning for any trip can be a feat, accurately preparing for a trip that involves training or competing may differ your plans.

For those who are embarking on journeys, make sure you follow all of these tips from Oliver Geddes, a black belt under Roger Gracie and traveling connoisseur.

No stranger to traveling for Jiu-Jitsu related endeavors, Oliver rounded out a 60 day trip in the summer of 2012 where he went from his hometown of London, England to Toronto, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, Montreal, Los Angeles, Atlanta and finally, New York. He trained at academies, competed at competitions and garnered good ol’ Jiu-Jitsu hospitality allowing him to better budget his adventure.

Whether you are competing, visiting many academies or just managing a get-away from the family to train once during your vacation, you can learn from these tips and perhaps they will inspire you to plan a thorough training tour of your own:

Packing. You don’t need to bring as many clothes as you think you do. Since you’re going to be washing gis everywhere you go, don’t pack heavy. Your back will thank you for it.

Whether you are a white-belt just starting out in 2018 or have been practicing BJJ for many years now, it doesn’t matter. We all should read these 10 tips in order to get the most out of our BJJ training and make sure we’re up to speed in the future.

1. Trust and be trustworthy.

NEVER hold a sub past the tap-out. When in doubt as to whether your training partner has tapped, let go—better safe than sorry. By striving to be a more reliable training partner and trust your teammates and coaches, the environment becomes a safer and more pleasant place in which to learn. If you’re not having fun, none of it makes any sense. BJJ is something you carry with you for the rest of your life. Each stage should be great; after all, the art is the most wonderful addiction you could possibly have.

2. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is done in a gi.

As much as no-gi is a sport in its own right, make sure to have a good understanding of the techniques in classical BJJ before venturing into no-gi. It’s easier to adapt your gi techniques to no-gi than the other way around.

3. Don’t ask black-belts to roll.

You can train with black-belts, but make sure you’re invited. This tip is kind of old-fashioned and is often resented by recently promoted students. What happens is that the higher-ranked feel like they are being challenged when a lower-belt fighter asks them to roll. You have to realize that they know who is available just by the way the person looks at them. Look at them humbly and make it clear you’re available—if they want to, they’ll invite you. And take my word: it’s always more rewarding to roll when you’ve been invited than when you do the inviting.

4. Find the best instructor for you.

Students are often discouraged when their start in jiu-jitsu is less than ideal, so it would behoove the beginner to do some research before committing to a class, making sure the instructor they pick enjoys what they do and is kindly to all students, not just their best ones. If after starting classes you get the feeling the instructors aren’t paying you enough attention, don’t accept that as being normal—it isn’t. A much better alternative to quitting is to switch to a gym where you feel welcome.

5. Have faith.

Believe in the techniques. As frustrating as it may be at first, try your best to defend by using the techniques already in your repertory. If you feel like you’ve run out of options, have a word with your instructor; they’ll be glad to get input on your needs.

6. Communicate.

One of the coolest things about jiu-jitsu is the exchange of ideas on how to perform a technique. Feel free to ask the more experienced students questions. Ask what you could have done to foil an attack or pull off that submission you were so close to getting. They’ve surely been through those situations before and can clue you in on all the ins and outs. Higher-ranked students tend to enjoy being appreciated and get a kick out of being able to help.

7. Do your homework.

It’s frustrating to a teacher when they do their best to teach a new move or concept, and then a short while later a student has already forgotten it. Doing lots of repetitions is essential, even if you feel a particular technique doesn’t fit your style. Keep in mind that as a beginner, you don’t have a set style yet, so what seems useless to you today may turn out to be your greatest asset tomorrow. Besides doing repetitions, take a few minutes each day to go over the techniques in your head.

8. Tap out.

Nobody wants to see a student intentionally tap out, but good students aren’t afraid to take chances or put themselves in positions of disadvantage. If you do tap, so be it; let it serve as a lesson. During moments of real danger, your chances of prevailing are all the greater when you’re accustomed to such harrowing situations.

9. Try new things.

There’s no point in sparring like you’re fighting in a championship final the whole time. Sure, there are times when you should go hard, but let your coach be the judge of when that should be. Generally speaking, I recommend always trying new things, putting the move of the day to practice. The more diversified your game is, the better the tools you’ll have at your disposal in the future.

10. Self-defense is of the essence.

There are plenty of teachers out there who are oblivious to the importance of teaching even basic self-defense techniques—some for lack of familiarity, others because they feel they moves are outdated. Down the road, self-defense techniques will provide you with an understanding of moves you so far haven’t a clue about. Not to mention that they’re fun. Keep in mind that each of the current techniques, even the tournament-level techniques, in some way or another originated from the basics. Knowing and understanding the basics is like a lesson in history, and will keep you from making basic mistakes.

Tanque corrects his students: to Tanquinho’s brother, losing one’s fears means evolving. Graciemag archives

When was the last time you did something for the first time? If you have never experienced the unmatched feeling of putting on a gi and learning how to beat someone 50kg heavier, or even if you stopped training for fear of hurting your hands, this is the first fear you must jettison. Believe it: the benefits of BJJ outweigh the risks a thousand to one.

But perhaps that’s not even the worst fear in the life of a BJJ student.

To Soul Fighters teacher Bruno “Tanque” Mendes, a brother of world champion Augusto Tanquinho, the fear to raise one’s finger and ask questions can be a mighty enemy to a white-belt or a blue-belt.

“BJJ is always in constant evolution,” Bruno says. “And the best way to stay up to date is to study, learn, ask and seek out new information, either at your gym or at good seminars in your town.”

“I think the student must always be asking, and must never be afraid to ask — at the gym or at a seminar at another school,” he adds. “You just have to do it politely, at the right time. If the teacher, for example, opens the opportunity for questions and answers, then go ahead and satisfy your curiosity. Don’t think that your question is silly. You can bet there’s someone else in the class with the same question on their mind. If the class or seminar ends with no time for questions, then approach the teacher and see whether they would mind answering your questions.”

This tip is good also regarding positions that are a bit different from what was shown by the instructor. “If you like executing the position taught in a different way,” Tanque advises, “then get the teacher and ask about details. The truth is that every good teacher likes being asked about that which they are sharing. The exchange of information is important in BJJ, whether you are a black-belt or a white-belt.”

If you are a black-belt, it might be worth trying to take the work home with you. “I also recommend asking the teacher whether they mind you taping some positions,” Tanque says. “In the case of a reply in the negative, ask whether you can write it down in a notebook. Having a record of what was presented and discussed — and not just the technical movements, but mainly the concepts — will help you in the following weeks when you go to the gym to work on the positions learned.”

Do you have any fears at the gym? Share it in the safe space below.

13 Reasons Why: the show deals with bullying and young people’s difficulty communicating.

Don’t worry about spoilers from the show, if you’re watching.

As he comes back from school, the character Clay Jensen gets a package with 13 cassette tapes containing the voice of a classmate explaining why she chose to take her own life. The 17-year-old boy goes on to listen to all of it to find out how he contributed to the tragedy. That’s the synopsis of Jay Asher’s 2009 best-seller 13 Reasons Why, recently adapted into a Netflix show.

In the series, the spectator takes blow after blow as they go over how the character Hannah Baker faces serious problems like sexual violence, bullying and prejudice, unable to signal to parents, school board or friends that she is depressed, about to do something drastic. Those who watched season one and practice BJJ may have noticed how the martial art might have helped with some of the episodes experienced by Hanna. Here are 13 benefits BJJ has to offer teenagers.

1. Healthy friendships – The story mentions the difficulty the characters have in making new friends when they change schools. At the BJJ gym, training partners become siblings for life, sharing interests and healthy habits.

2. Communication – Shyness and trouble exposing one’s feelings are nothing new for teenagers. BJJ helps the young person gain confidence and lose their fears — including the fear to communicate with relatives.

3. Lust for life – Constant learning and overcoming challenges in each session make a young person excited for tomorrow. BJJ teaches that there is nothing like a day after the other, and that life is a succession of good days and bad days.

4. Beneficial habits – Practicing BJJ regularly forces the person to eat right, sleep well and be physically well. Thus they tend to do away with bad habits like going to bed late, overeating and doing stupid stuff in general.

5. Respect – Those who train learn how to treat classmates well and respect teachers, and they begin to notice that those with more experience always have something to teach.

6. Advice – Thanks to sharing the school with instructors and older classmates, the teenager acquires older, more experienced friends who are always ready to provide good advice or tell what they have been through.

7. Interaction with parents – Trouble speaking to parents, shown throughout the show, is minimized by BJJ. Especially when kids and parents train together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JebwYGn5Z3E&feature=youtu.be

8. More fun – School life can be oppressively dull. BJJ offers hours of plenty of adrenaline and emotion, including wins against heavier opponents.

9. Self-confidence – Those who train quickly lose weight, feel good about themselves, and stop caring about being harassed by annoying kids at school.

10. Facing problems – BJJ teaches us not to let problems build up. Did something pop up — say, a hand bothering you on your collar? You must deal with it now or be submitted. In BJJ, as in life, sometimes you can’t just let it be.

11. Rape prevention – In the first few lessons, any girl or boy will learn the benefits of the guard and legwork to get rid of aggressors.

12. Less alcohol – In school life, it’s common for young people to want to break the ice at parties with alcohol or even heavier drugs. Through BJJ we learn we don’t need to get high to make friends — we build solid, lasting friendships on the mat.

13. No more bullying – As put by Rener Gracie, knowing BJJ amounts not to using fire against fire, but rather water against fire. One need not fight bullies at school to impose oneself. Just a conversation carried with a firm stare, or even just a T-shirt that reads “jiu-jitsu,” may suffice.

Day 1 of the 2016 European championship

The 2016 European championship opened this wednesday, Jan. 20, at the state-of-the-art Pavilhão Multiusos de Odivelas.

White belts and blue belts took to the 10 mats to display their skills and passion for Jiu-Jitsu.

As the newcomers gave their all, Professors like Braulio and Victor Estima, Roger Gracie, among others, coached from the black belt area.

Day 1 spammed for over 10 hours of Jiu-Jitsu before lights out.

Day 2 kicks off at 9AM (Lisbon time) this Thursday.

It will feature the remainder of the adult blue belt divisions and the purple belt division, including the male and female open classes for both belt colors.

For more info, go to ibjjf.org.

Coverage brought to you by Gameness.

Here is a quick photo gallery of day 1.

Whether you are a white-belt just starting out in 2015 or have been practicing BJJ for many years now, it doesn’t matter. We all should read these 10 tips in order to get the most out of our BJJ training and make sure we’re up to speed in the future.

1. Trust and be trustworthy.

NEVER hold a sub past the tap-out. When in doubt as to whether your training partner has tapped, let go—better safe than sorry. By striving to be a more reliable training partner and trust your teammates and coaches, the environment becomes a safer and more pleasant place in which to learn. If you’re not having fun, none of it makes any sense. BJJ is something you carry with you for the rest of your life. Each stage should be great; after all, the art is the most wonderful addiction you could possibly have.

2. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is done in a gi.

As much as no-gi is a sport in its own right, make sure to have a good understanding of the techniques in classical BJJ before venturing into no-gi. It’s easier to adapt your gi techniques to no-gi than the other way around.

3. Don’t ask black-belts to roll.

You can train with black-belts, but make sure you’re invited. This tip is kind of old-fashioned and is often resented by recently promoted students. What happens is that the higher-ranked feel like they are being challenged when a lower-belt fighter asks them to roll. You have to realize that they know who is available just by the way the person looks at them. Look at them humbly and make it clear you’re available—if they want to, they’ll invite you. And take my word: it’s always more rewarding to roll when you’ve been invited than when you do the inviting.

4. Find the best instructor for you.

Students are often discouraged when their start in jiu-jitsu is less than ideal, so it would behoove the beginner to do some research before committing to a class, making sure the instructor they pick enjoys what they do and is kindly to all students, not just their best ones. If after starting classes you get the feeling the instructors aren’t paying you enough attention, don’t accept that as being normal—it isn’t. A much better alternative to quitting is to switch to a gym where you feel welcome.

5. Have faith.

Believe in the techniques. As frustrating as it may be at first, try your best to defend by using the techniques already in your repertory. If you feel like you’ve run out of options, have a word with your instructor; they’ll be glad to get input on your needs.

6. Communicate.

One of the coolest things about jiu-jitsu is the exchange of ideas on how to perform a technique. Feel free to ask the more experienced students questions. Ask what you could have done to foil an attack or pull off that submission you were so close to getting. They’ve surely been through those situations before and can clue you in on all the ins and outs. Higher-ranked students tend to enjoy being appreciated and get a kick out of being able to help.

7. Do your homework.

It’s frustrating to a teacher when they do their best to teach a new move or concept, and then a short while later a student has already forgotten it. Doing lots of repetitions is essential, even if you feel a particular technique doesn’t fit your style. Keep in mind that as a beginner, you don’t have a set style yet, so what seems useless to you today may turn out to be your greatest asset tomorrow. Besides doing repetitions, take a few minutes each day to go over the techniques in your head.

8. Tap out.

Nobody wants to see a student intentionally tap out, but good students aren’t afraid to take chances or put themselves in positions of disadvantage. If you do tap, so be it; let it serve as a lesson. During moments of real danger, your chances of prevailing are all the greater when you’re accustomed to such harrowing situations.

9. Try new things.

There’s no point in sparring like you’re fighting in a championship final the whole time. Sure, there are times when you should go hard, but let your coach be the judge of when that should be. Generally speaking, I recommend always trying new things, putting the move of the day to practice. The more diversified your game is, the better the tools you’ll have at your disposal in the future.

10. Self-defense is of the essence.

There are plenty of teachers out there who are oblivious to the importance of teaching even basic self-defense techniques—some for lack of familiarity, others because they feel they moves are outdated. Down the road, self-defense techniques will provide you with an understanding of moves you so far haven’t a clue about. Not to mention that they’re fun. Keep in mind that each of the current techniques, even the tournament-level techniques, in some way or another originated from the basics. Knowing and understanding the basics is like a lesson in history, and will keep you from making basic mistakes.

To help us keep making quality content in English, support us here.

Spencer Stone, the American Airman who alongside three other men stopped a gunman in a high-speed train between Holland and France last month had this to say about his experience.

“I 100 percent believe that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu saved my life at that moment,” Stone told Air Force Times on Wednesday. “Every move I used on him was very, very basic — you can learn in five minutes. If we had a course like that in the Air Force for people to learn basic moves, it could help anyone in a situation like that.”

Stone, who was injured during the struggle with the alleged terrorist, is a white belt and trains at the base he is stationed at the Azores archipelago, in Portugal.

Watch the video with Spencer’s interview.

For the current white belts, learning what others go through may alleviate the growing pains involved with starting out on your Jiu-Jitsu Journey.

In this documentary, a white belt named Chirag Dave from Toronto prepares for an upcoming tournament. Check out how he trains and how he fares at the competition:

Anderson Silva passing guard. Photo: Gustavo Aragao

We unearthed five videos on how to traverse your opponent’s guard, be you a gentle-art worker or a white belt trainee.

Keep in mind that you should maintain your posture and always keep your elbows tucked in, as we are taught in the videos.

1. L-base in Jiu-Jitsu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j89IjztdIF8

2. Cross grip for pass

3. Topside pressure in Jiu-Jitsu

4. Swing foot around to “hop fence” and pass guard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-ysbkWQxF8

5. Control the enemy knee

Step two: Have someone discretely hand you a ring as you roll with her

Step three: Catch her in a triangle choke.

Step four: Show her ring/ask for her hand in marriage

Optional: Let go of triangle choke.