Jiu Jitsu is Boring

I have never personally felt that Jiu Jitsu was boring. Frustrating, difficult, and confusing at times but never boring. However, there are students out there that lose interest because they find the art doesn't capture their attention like it once did. 

I would posit that the reason for this boredom is because the student is having trouble seeing the forest from the trees. They can't see the end game (not that there really is an END but you know what I mean). They show up to class day after day and can't understand why they are doing arm bars, upas and shrimping drills for the 100th time (just wait until you do them 10 000 times). 

 "Oh, arm bar drill. Great."

We live in a time where instant gratification is the norm and the stamina for sticking to something past 6 months to a year is unfathomable to many. 

"What do you mean I can't get my black belt in 2 years?"

Boredom in Jiu Jitsu is based on the following factors:

The student hasn't set realistic goals for the long term

When you start Jiu Jitsu, you need to ask yourself "why am I taking it?"  Is it for exercise, self defense, competition, confidence building?  After that is done, you need to re-evaluate and possibly add new goals along the way. Belts in Jiu Jitsu an one way to motivate. They don't define the person wearing it and we all know that the same belt color,worn by two different people, may have drastically different skill sets between them. My point: If you don't have goals, boredom will set in quickly.

Make a plan. Have goals. Stick to them.

The student doesn't do live and active training 

 If your practice doesn't including resistance training (grappling or randori for stand up), all you are is a robot showing up to class. Practicing moves without applying them against someone who is trying to stop you is what makes Jiu Jitsu such a powerhouse of a martial art-real life application. So many martial arts are full of promises that the move(s), kata, or forms a student is learning will work in real life. But the instructor tells the student can't actually do them on a training partner because they'd 'maim' them.

Nothing makes you re-evaluate your art when you get the shit kicked out of you because you've never really practiced live training. So many martial artist are content of pulling the wool over their eyes either because they believe in the bullshit or they don't realize it is bullshit.

Their ego isn't able to accept that there will be a lot of tapping

Boredom sets in when some people lose. They fool themselves into thinking its boredom but really its their fragile ego unable to accept that there will be a lot of tapping in jiu jitsu. There will be many days where the student will not be able to do ANYTHING. They will literally feel like they are drowning on the mat.

You'll tap 10 000 times on your way to black belt-get used to it.





The TEACHER is boring 

 It isn't all the students fault that they get bored-the teacher also has a role in this. If a teacher doesn't change up the classes and inspire students, the students will quit. The instructor needs to have a solid foundation but also willing to learn new things to keep classes interesting. A teacher must inspire the students. They must push the students and make sure everyone breaks a sweat. The teacher can't drone on and on (you know, the one's that love to hear the sound of their voices) and not let students practice moves. The teacher must interact and MUST ROLL with everyone. 

The instructor can't be unapproachable and closed minded. You can be a black belt in Jiu Jitsu but an utterly shitty teacher because you haven't sharpened your teaching skill set. Teaching includes the ability to read a room, listen to students, push them when needed, and actually learn teaching skills to help keep the team together. 

A teacher must invest in themselves and strive to give the best classes EVERY class. Inspiration is infectious.

Jiu Jitsu is wonderfully dynamic, thought provoking, challenging, and rewarding. You'll have some bad days but your ability to stick through them will define you later. You'll never learn everything in the art (so there is no complaining you'll run out of things to do).

Boredom in Jiu Jitsu is something that is often not spoken of but its just a symptom of other factors. Identify those and go kick ass.

It's worth it. 

 

Black belt Roy Dean

No, You don't need to know every move in Jiu Jitsu

Its 2017 and with the click of a mouse, you can access You Tube and have millions of Jiu Jitsu videos at your finger tips. All you need to do is  enter your question in the search bar and you'll get a solution. Simple Right? Maybe not-in fact, maybe its information overload.

Every year I see new moves coming from Jiu Jitsu. Or I see old moves making a resurgence and taking our community by storm. People frantically want to learn counters to these moves as soon as they go viral and everyone is talking about them on facebook or reddit.

"You see that move so-and-so did? It was sick. Gotta learn how to defend against that now!"

Well, here is a thought-instead of learning every move out there, how about getting comfortable in your game and the basics. If you are an older guy like me, your passion for learning hasn't stopped but you realize that there is a finite amount of time available to learn 'everything'. So, we focus on developing a game-our game.

Let me explain: Let's say you are a basic guard player and passer. Let's say your x guard game is poor or doesn't exist. You never had the opportunity to learn it or it didn't fit your style for some reason. You are battling against an opponent that knows the x guard and he has you in it. Time slows down and look down to see your legs entangled by his and your sleeve and ankle grabbed.

A quick index through YOUR knowledge base reveals you don't know any specific escapes from this position. What you do know is the concept of base, movement and and leverage. These are the fundamentals in Jiu Jitsu that all must master. You can feel and see that your opponent is trying to upset your balance and kinetically you can feel the legs extending and your base being compromised. You aren't even sure what the follow up will be if you are swept but you know, like chess, a counter move must be devised. You actually can defend well if you know how the body works.

At higher levels its about the CONCEPTS of Jiu Jitsu and not the MOVES in Jiu Jitsu that are important.

When I find myself in a position or submission  that I am either 1)uncomfortable with or 2) unfamiliar with, I always work my way back to position that I do know. Do I have to know all the escapes from x guard for example? No. While it is advantageous to have a solution for every move in Jiu Jitsu, the reality is, you simply will not. That is why you eventually make your way back to a position you do know and then move forward from there.

It doesn't mean that you can't learn a counter to the x guard. It just means that you WILL get caught in something you've never seen before. You can't panic by thinking "I have no answer to this." Your mindset must be "how do I get to a position I do know and impose my game on my opponent?"

Our greatest teacher is when we lose-lose by getting swept or being submitted in practice or competition. We can add counters after we've been exposed to things but we aren't doomed to lose every time we do. Sun Tzu in the art of war states that you must make your enemy fight on your terms-not theirs. So, if you find yourself in deep waters, move back to the shallow end where you are comfortable and then swim out in your own lane.

Do we need Takedowns and Throws in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

Brazilain Jiu Jitsu’s relationship with takedowns and throws has changed over the last 50 years. Let me first say that I am an advocate for learning takedowns and throws in Jiu Jitsu but there are is a scenario which makes them a moot point and useless in my opinion.

Let me first tackle why takedowns and throws are important:

1)   Self Defense-universally we can agree that the majority of physical confrontation starts from a standing position. As such, learning to control, throw and avoid being taken down is super important for your self defense tool box. Takedowns and throws utilize both gravity and the hard ground as a weapon. This can render your opponent stunned, unconscious, or suffering from injuries that may stop the fight then and there. There are of course self defense situations where throwing is a moot point-this would    be situations where the fight has started from a downed position or perhaps being   attacked whist seated. But at any case, learning how send someone crashing to the ground MUST be learned by Jiu Jitsu practitioners.

 

2)   Point Oriented Tournaments-if you are fighting in a tournament that gives points for the takedown or throw, you have to learn this skill set. It not only gives you points but will hopefully land you in the top and dominate position to continue the fight. Many a matches are won a throw alone so, again, knowledge of the intricacies of this form is essential. 

3)   Understanding movement on the vertical plane- Takedowns and throws give you a more intimate knowledge of how to move on your feet. In also always you to understand what the Japanese call Kazushi, or balance point, in both you and your opponent. This helps you not get caught ‘flat footed’ and how to move around when being attacked (or attacking).

Now one thing about takedowns and throws, especially against a resisting opponent who knows how to counter is that it can be tremendously tiring.  I’ve seen many a grappling matches remain standing for minutes at a time only to go to the ground when one of the practitioners gasses out and simply gets caught because of the this exhaustion.

Which brings me to the area where the takedown and throw isn’t important in Jiu Jitsu.

The Submission Only Tournament

If you fighting in a Jiu Jitsu competition where it is submission only, that means there are no points for takedowns or any other ‘position’ for that matter. As such, you will see many modern day athletes simply drop to the groud, butt scoot, invert, or open guard their opponent. They forgo the stand up battle because it serves no advantage to them. These athletes are more than comfortable starting on the mat or even in what we would call traditionally inferior positions because they are used to it. They may be very good at sweeps and reversals from this position and get dominate position even though they start ‘down’ or under their opponent.

Many modern matches such as EBI will showcase these grappler that immediately go to ground and get busy because they don’t wish to spend time fighting for a position standing that they think they can get while grounded. They also want to conserve their energy for the fight on the ground rather than standing up for it.

Granted, there are the rare standing submissions that you will see in Submission only competitions that warrants being upright. These may include a jumping guillotine, flying arm bar or triangle or diving leg lock. I’d venture to say that while these are amazing, the percentage of hitting them on an equally trained opponent is very low. Therefore, using the ground as a leverage tool is usually the choice for these grapplers.

Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear it.

Keep on rolling.

The Jiu Jitsu Story Arc: A Black Belt's Perspective.

In a really 'good' TV series, there is an over arching theme commonly referred to as a 'story arc'. This  theme pervades the entire series regardless of individual stories and adventures that happen during its run on TV. As fate would have it, anything we put time and effort into has a 'stroy arc'.

What's Your story Arc?

You won't know it when you start. You may have a plan or a vision about your journey but your story arc is comprised of numerous  adventures that form an overall feeling in what you do. The arc is only revealed at the 'end' of the journey or each season. And REALLY good and complex stories may have numerous arcs attached to them.

White Belt Arc: Series 1-2

 In the beginning seasons of your adventure, you are introduced to the characters and their reason for being "here". The questions answered in these first couple years are: Who are you? What is your non-jiu jitsu background? Why did you start? What motivates you to train? Who is your instructor and school?

The episodes, while seemingly basic to a more experience audience, are extremely important and formative in your development. You encounter adversaries such as ego, fatigue, disappointment and frustration. You are also introduced to allies like family, leverage, wonderment, joy and confidence. By the end of this stage, the arc is shown how you've grown and stuck it out under extremely difficult circumstances. As you close in on blue belt and you've lost 40% of the people who started with you.

But, you made it and should be proud.
Arc: Against All Odds

Blue Belt Arc: Series 3-4

 If someone were to tune in to your show, they'd know the name of the main characters by now and get an understanding on how they work and interact with one another. At this stage, we see the development of heroes and villains. A few years into your adventure, we start to get a back story on what you do and what you are made of. There are a LOT of characters that die in this series as they are written off for various reasons. In fact, of the people that made it to this stage, only 30 % will survive to see Series 5 and beyond.

Because of other commitments, characters will quit or amicably fade away. Some will realize that the journey is really, really long and can't justify putting the time into it to see it to its completion. Some will become villains and betray their schools or make life decisions that will have them cast out.  The drama in this stage is weekly and always adding to sense of foreboding in the arc.

While there are wondrous and great adventures that happen- its this series that really forges a group together and shows YOU what you are made off.

Arc: Endurance against the Outside (inside) Enemy

Purple Belt Arc: Series 5-7
 This is where we see our favorite characters really move forward in their development. They are respected by the other characters and even the "NPC" (non player characters) in the show. They have shown grit and tenacity to get where they are. Their game is their own and their guidance is sought out by those junior to them.  They end up having numerous mini adventures outside the main arc which further adds to their development.

As a purple belt, you have gotten over the toughest stages so to speak and you know this is a marathon not a sprint. You buckle down and just keep showing up. As a purple belt, you are probably at your most tricky, using the latest and greatest weapons at your disposal. You are a sponge willing to soak up knowledge and learn quickly and are hard to kill off.

This series delves into the character of the purple belt and viewer really gets to see what makes them tick. Its a wonderful series and stage in the journey. Rarely, there will be a 2 part episode where a purple belt loses their way and the effects are felt among all the characters. Each character deals with it differently. The viewer relies on the main characters to keep everything grounded.

Arc: Intellectual, emotional and technical development

Brown Belt Arc: Series 8-10
If you've stuck with the series this long then you know what is involved in the journey. You've seen the best and worst in people. You know the inside jokes and the characters personalities. You've survived pretty much everything from injury to relationship problems to betrayal. But the one thing that won't change is your determination to succeed at the series goal-make it to black belt.

The enemies along the way are more sophisticated and manipulative at this stage. Old foes rear their heads and long dead problems come back to haunt you. Also, guest stars and old allies come to your aide. You may lose one major character in this series but its overall development is strong.

Arc: Advancement, sophistication and old foes and friends.

Black Belt Arc: Series 10+

You are 10+ years into your favorite show. The characters are close friends and steadfast. You look back at all the previous years and understand a greater importance. Loyalty and friendships forged are the real rewards here. You see a simplicity about Jiu Jitsu that wasn't there before. You are an old cowboy, space captain or king/queen that uses wisdom and patience along with cunning and guile to beat whatever comes your way.

The final episodes lead to promotion and and new positions. Some characters go off to start their own series and the rest, like the crew of the Star Trek Enterprise, ride off into the galaxy and continue what they have always done. Movies will be made of them and we gladly sit down and enjoy watching them again, realizing you've missed them, like a warm familiar blanket.

Over-All Arc:
The best way to be okay with the world is be okay with yourself. 
Be there for others. 
Be an example. 
BE YOU.