Last week, Coach Tim and I talked about how to train off the mat in non-physical ways. It was a pretty timely topic for me; as soon as we posted it, my work/life balance was nearly impossible to maintain and I missed class for 10 days. Fortunately, even though I wasn't able to make class, I was able to set aside time to go through my training journals, my favorite BJJ blogs, and talk BJJ shop with my training partner for life (my husband). I consciously set aside time each day to think about my game, visualize the issues I'd been having, and how to address them.
When I was finally able to make it to the gym on Saturday morning, I had the best class that I have had in a long time. I'm not gauging "best" by submissions, passes, or sweeps that I got (though there were more of those than usual). I'm gauging it by how I moved, how I felt my mind and body connecting, and how many times I had to check myself during a position and correct posture/form/technique. All week long, I had reminded myself to keep my toes on the mat and move slow and smooth instead of quick and dirty, and when it came time to roll, it was a lot easier to remember those things.
If you don't think you have time to focus on your mental game, Coach Tim and I challenge you to use the time it takes to get to the academy and return home to visualize. Use the time in the car headed to the academy to think about the things from the last class you need to remember, and the drive home to process the class you just had. Coach Tim believes that the longer we can extend the tail ends of our training, the less "down time" we actually have between training sessions, and the more productive our overall training will be.
This week, I asked Coach Tim to talk about what sort of exercises I can do off the mat to improve my strength and technique on the mat. In particular, I'm becoming a little obsessed with identifying the main movements in BJJ and how to work those muscles outside the gym and get stronger.
Coach Tim's Advice:
There are seven major movement patterns that humans utilize: Squat, Lunge, Push, Pull, Bend (Hinge at the hip as you would during a deadlift), Twist, and Gait (walking pattern). It is useful to break down the movements in your sport into the movement patterns being utilized; for example, throwing a baseball would be a lunge, followed by a twist, finalized with a push.
Improving movement patterns and techniques in BJJ requires making sure you know how to properly execute these seven movement patterns in a strength & conditioning environment. Then we start to break down our BJJ movements into these movement patterns and start tightening up the mechanics of each pattern and smoothing out the transitions between each pattern.
One of the interesting parts of BJJ is that it relies on many permutations of these combined movement patterns - the tricky part is you often execute these movements with your back braced against the floor (instead of your feet braced against the floor) or you are pushing/pulling/etc. from angles that are foreign to us.
To examine this principal, we'll look at playing guard. The most important movement pattern for playing guard is the leg press (squat) and being able to re-align your hip so that you can press your opponent with one or both legs at any time (this is the mechanism at play whenever someone talks about being able to "control the distance" from the guard). The main way we do this in BJJ is with the hip-escape: your opponent was in front of you and you could leg press them at will (control the distance and keep your guard safe), as they approach a 90-degree angle to your current position (wherein their spine would be perpendicular to yours), your ability to leg press is diminished. The closer your opponent is to you, the harder it is to simply turn along the floor and get that leg press back in front of you, so we use the hip escape to press against the floor, scoot the pelvis back and then use this newly-found space between you and your opponent to bring at least your heel in between you and the fixed-point your partner is trying to place on you, and voila! You just performed a leg-press that allowed you to prevent the guard pass.
The Take Away:
When you find yourself struggling with a technique, break it down into the movement patterns necessary for the technique, and train exercises off the mat that emphasize those movements. Leg presses, deadlifts, and core work are critical movements for BJJ -- and a healthy body!
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Wednesdays with Coach Tim: Training Outside Class
Time on the mat sparring and drilling is important, but it isn't the only way to train. Often times life throws me injuries, illnesses, crazy work schedules, or family emergencies that keep me from being able to get to class on time consistently. I've asked Coach Tim for suggestions on what I can do to train off the mat.
Coach Tim's Advice:
On a practical note, it is easiest for me as an instructor to assist students with developing outside of class study and/or drilling routines. Since I can answer e-mails, recommend videos, etc. when I'm not trying to be 100% focused on a class full of students, those few students who do e-mail me often get an answer more extensive than I think they anticipated. (You should see what Veronica edits out of these posts!) On top of that, any student that actively takes their learning into their own hands will always receive more attention from me because these students tend to share information with others very well - this is a way of creating "nodes" in the class room that students can look to for advice if I happen to be working a with a group when a question arises.
Take Notes on Techniques Taught in Class:
Taking notes is a great practice. Simply writing things will help improve retention and recall. For those that do take notes, often the struggle is that these notes are rarely reviewed.
If you do not currently take notes, you must make note-taking a habit and regular part of your training. Start slowly; don't try and write every step to a technique, instead just try and write down all the techniques and movements you practiced that day. Write down one thing that worked well for you and one thing that did not work well. Slowly add in details to these overall ideas, then start adding the individual steps that apply to the individual techniques. Soon enough, you will have your own way of taking notes specifically for grappling.
If you currently take notes, but find that you rarely review them, my advice is to work on reviewing these notes and incorporating the movements you have logged into your game. Here is what I do: anytime there is a particular technique or detail I want to incorporate, I write it down on a small post-it note (to limit how much I can ramble) and then stick that note to the edge of my computer screen. By spending a few minutes a day unintentionally looking at this post-it note, I slowly start to remember the movement during drilling and sparring. Once the movement is an inseparable part of my game, I will take the post-it note down and replace it with another; the first note gets copied into my notebook, which serves as an archive.
This is what all those notes end up looking like:
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Websites / Books / Etc:
There are a number of useful books and websites committed to deciphering Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Saulo Ribeiro's Jiu Jitsu University is a great book for all levels, although Saulo's emphasis on defense might not appeal to more impatient students. I always advise learning to attack first, then defend, since learning to defend already places you at a disadvantage (something beginners have an ample supply of) and knowing what dangers you face is a great primer for thwarting them.
In recent years, the number of useful Jiu Jitsu websites / YouTube channels available has exploded. Marcelo Garcia in Action (mginaction.com) and the Mendes Brothers Online Training (artofjiujitsu.com) are the two websites I have found most useful. BJJ Scout, Bishop BJJ, BJJ Hacks, and our very own Robot BJJ are some of the more useful YouTube channels out there.
Whatever combination of books and websites you choose to utilize for off-the-mat study, keep this in mind: It is important to do what high-level competitors do, not do what high-level competitors SAY.
Even the best practitioners in the world (at any sport) will, at times, unintentionally teach their techniques differently than the way they actually perform them when it's show time. A classic example from outside BJJ: Tennis instructors have often taught to "turn the hand over" as they make contact with the ball, in an attempt to give a favorable spin to the tennis ball. However, through the use of high-speed cameras it has been shown that these same players actually turn their hand over much later than was thought, usually after they hit the ball!
Veronica's Side Note: I like to watch high level BJJ competitions and tutorials with the sound off-- at least until I have an understanding of what I am looking at. If I'm not listening to a commentator or instructor, I have no choice but to pay close visual attention and play the technique over and over again. I listen with the sound at least once at the end, just in case there is a discussion of pressure or leverage that I may not be able to fully grasp with just visuals.
The Take Away:
Even if you can't make it to the academy for class, you can brush up on technique by reading, watching videos, and going over your notes from class. It is the very rare student of any discipline who needs no outside study to improve. BJJ is no exception.
Coach Tim's Advice:
On a practical note, it is easiest for me as an instructor to assist students with developing outside of class study and/or drilling routines. Since I can answer e-mails, recommend videos, etc. when I'm not trying to be 100% focused on a class full of students, those few students who do e-mail me often get an answer more extensive than I think they anticipated. (You should see what Veronica edits out of these posts!) On top of that, any student that actively takes their learning into their own hands will always receive more attention from me because these students tend to share information with others very well - this is a way of creating "nodes" in the class room that students can look to for advice if I happen to be working a with a group when a question arises.
Take Notes on Techniques Taught in Class:
Taking notes is a great practice. Simply writing things will help improve retention and recall. For those that do take notes, often the struggle is that these notes are rarely reviewed.
If you do not currently take notes, you must make note-taking a habit and regular part of your training. Start slowly; don't try and write every step to a technique, instead just try and write down all the techniques and movements you practiced that day. Write down one thing that worked well for you and one thing that did not work well. Slowly add in details to these overall ideas, then start adding the individual steps that apply to the individual techniques. Soon enough, you will have your own way of taking notes specifically for grappling.
If you currently take notes, but find that you rarely review them, my advice is to work on reviewing these notes and incorporating the movements you have logged into your game. Here is what I do: anytime there is a particular technique or detail I want to incorporate, I write it down on a small post-it note (to limit how much I can ramble) and then stick that note to the edge of my computer screen. By spending a few minutes a day unintentionally looking at this post-it note, I slowly start to remember the movement during drilling and sparring. Once the movement is an inseparable part of my game, I will take the post-it note down and replace it with another; the first note gets copied into my notebook, which serves as an archive.
This is what all those notes end up looking like:
Websites / Books / Etc:
There are a number of useful books and websites committed to deciphering Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Saulo Ribeiro's Jiu Jitsu University is a great book for all levels, although Saulo's emphasis on defense might not appeal to more impatient students. I always advise learning to attack first, then defend, since learning to defend already places you at a disadvantage (something beginners have an ample supply of) and knowing what dangers you face is a great primer for thwarting them.
In recent years, the number of useful Jiu Jitsu websites / YouTube channels available has exploded. Marcelo Garcia in Action (mginaction.com) and the Mendes Brothers Online Training (artofjiujitsu.com) are the two websites I have found most useful. BJJ Scout, Bishop BJJ, BJJ Hacks, and our very own Robot BJJ are some of the more useful YouTube channels out there.
Whatever combination of books and websites you choose to utilize for off-the-mat study, keep this in mind: It is important to do what high-level competitors do, not do what high-level competitors SAY.
Even the best practitioners in the world (at any sport) will, at times, unintentionally teach their techniques differently than the way they actually perform them when it's show time. A classic example from outside BJJ: Tennis instructors have often taught to "turn the hand over" as they make contact with the ball, in an attempt to give a favorable spin to the tennis ball. However, through the use of high-speed cameras it has been shown that these same players actually turn their hand over much later than was thought, usually after they hit the ball!
Veronica's Side Note: I like to watch high level BJJ competitions and tutorials with the sound off-- at least until I have an understanding of what I am looking at. If I'm not listening to a commentator or instructor, I have no choice but to pay close visual attention and play the technique over and over again. I listen with the sound at least once at the end, just in case there is a discussion of pressure or leverage that I may not be able to fully grasp with just visuals.
The Take Away:
Even if you can't make it to the academy for class, you can brush up on technique by reading, watching videos, and going over your notes from class. It is the very rare student of any discipline who needs no outside study to improve. BJJ is no exception.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The People You Roll With
This post from Gracie Chatswood in Australia about "The Guys You Roll With" has been making the rounds in the women's BJJ forums. The post outlines 6 kinds of guys that women in BJJ encounter on a regular basis.
The post is meant to be funny, and to acknowledge the issues women in BJJ deal with at some point. I'm the first one to laugh at a joke, but this post stuck with me after I read it because it wasn't comprehensive. The post forgot a few categories of the guys I have encountered on the mat. And so, I amend the list:
(7) The Motivator: This guy is so excited to have women joining the academy, he goes out of his way to help. He's always finding a way to compliment your technique and point out what you've improved on. This guy has zero ego, and is genuinely excited when a smaller training partner catches him.
(8) The Big Brother/Father Figure: This guy watches very carefully to make sure that the guys you are rolling with aren't accidentally dangerous. If a particularly spazzy white belt wants to roll with you, this guy will be sure to take a moment to give you a pointer on how to beat the spazz. He makes sure to check in on you off the mat, notices when you aren't in class, and and gives you pointers on things to read outside class, where to buy a great gi, and tells you the stories about when he was starting out and how often he wanted to quit.
(9) The Class Clown: This guy is epically fun to roll with. He's trying new things, letting you try new things, with zero ego about whether or not it works. When he gets caught, he cracks a joke or compliments you while he's being tapped out.
I'm happy to report that my training partners at Robot fall in the above categories -- rather than the categories Gracie Chatswood came up with. Sure, in three years of rolling I've come into contact with some guys who had issues, but they are the exception -- not the rule.
The Gracie Chatswood post also started me thinking about the different women I've rolled with at Robot, at SoCal Women's Open Mats, and competitions:
(1) The Diva: Ah, The Diva. I started out as The Diva. I had something to prove, but I didn't even know what it was. I took every single tap personally. I was convinced no one wanted to roll with me because I was a girl (not because I was terrible at the sport -- which was probably the case). The Diva is so certain no one wants a girl on the mat, she becomes hyper-feminine; her gis are pink, purple, sparkly confections that give her traditional Brazilian coaches heartburn. Fortunately, The Diva doesn't stick around for long. Eventually she becomes comfortable in her own skin, confident of her skills, and happy to help new students get up to speed. Be kind to her, because you were her.
(2) The Athlete: This woman has played sports her entire life. She lifts. She does Cross Fit. She was a cross-country runner/pole vaulter/cheerleader/gymnast in college. She wants to roll with the guys more than the girls, because the guys are the real challenge. And she wants to roll hard. She rolls with injuries because that's what athletes do, bitches!
(3) The Damsel in Distress: This woman seems to have forgotten she's signed up for a combat sport. She gets "injured" nearly every class, and there are almost always tears involved. She thinks everyone goes "too hard" on her, but refuses to acknowledge that it is because she is rolling like she's in the finals at the Pyramid. Everyone is surprised she keeps showing up to class, but she does, and she grows on you. Magically, one day, she turns into one of the most vicious creatures on the mat.
(4) The Legacy: This woman has been doing martial arts since she was old enough to tie a belt. Her father or older brother got her into the sport, and she also cross-trains in Judo. She is 13, she weighs 90 pounds, but when she rolls with you it's like she generates a gravity field that makes her weigh 300 pounds. She knows all the rules without having to give them much thought, and when you ask her what it means to be in someone's guard, she looks at you like you may be brain damaged. She is your inspiration.
(5) The Veteran: She's been there, done that. She's been the only woman on the mat, she's seen women come and go, and she stays because she loves to roll. She encourages other women to train, to stick it out, but she knows that if they don't love the game, there's nothing she can do. She's had shoulder injuries, knee injuries, wrist injuries, back injuries...but if she stays away from the mat for more than a week, she feels like a part of her soul is missing. She dreams about BJJ and wakes up with a RNC hold on her body pillow.
The post is meant to be funny, and to acknowledge the issues women in BJJ deal with at some point. I'm the first one to laugh at a joke, but this post stuck with me after I read it because it wasn't comprehensive. The post forgot a few categories of the guys I have encountered on the mat. And so, I amend the list:
(7) The Motivator: This guy is so excited to have women joining the academy, he goes out of his way to help. He's always finding a way to compliment your technique and point out what you've improved on. This guy has zero ego, and is genuinely excited when a smaller training partner catches him.
(8) The Big Brother/Father Figure: This guy watches very carefully to make sure that the guys you are rolling with aren't accidentally dangerous. If a particularly spazzy white belt wants to roll with you, this guy will be sure to take a moment to give you a pointer on how to beat the spazz. He makes sure to check in on you off the mat, notices when you aren't in class, and and gives you pointers on things to read outside class, where to buy a great gi, and tells you the stories about when he was starting out and how often he wanted to quit.
(9) The Class Clown: This guy is epically fun to roll with. He's trying new things, letting you try new things, with zero ego about whether or not it works. When he gets caught, he cracks a joke or compliments you while he's being tapped out.
I'm happy to report that my training partners at Robot fall in the above categories -- rather than the categories Gracie Chatswood came up with. Sure, in three years of rolling I've come into contact with some guys who had issues, but they are the exception -- not the rule.
The Gracie Chatswood post also started me thinking about the different women I've rolled with at Robot, at SoCal Women's Open Mats, and competitions:
(1) The Diva: Ah, The Diva. I started out as The Diva. I had something to prove, but I didn't even know what it was. I took every single tap personally. I was convinced no one wanted to roll with me because I was a girl (not because I was terrible at the sport -- which was probably the case). The Diva is so certain no one wants a girl on the mat, she becomes hyper-feminine; her gis are pink, purple, sparkly confections that give her traditional Brazilian coaches heartburn. Fortunately, The Diva doesn't stick around for long. Eventually she becomes comfortable in her own skin, confident of her skills, and happy to help new students get up to speed. Be kind to her, because you were her.
(2) The Athlete: This woman has played sports her entire life. She lifts. She does Cross Fit. She was a cross-country runner/pole vaulter/cheerleader/gymnast in college. She wants to roll with the guys more than the girls, because the guys are the real challenge. And she wants to roll hard. She rolls with injuries because that's what athletes do, bitches!
(3) The Damsel in Distress: This woman seems to have forgotten she's signed up for a combat sport. She gets "injured" nearly every class, and there are almost always tears involved. She thinks everyone goes "too hard" on her, but refuses to acknowledge that it is because she is rolling like she's in the finals at the Pyramid. Everyone is surprised she keeps showing up to class, but she does, and she grows on you. Magically, one day, she turns into one of the most vicious creatures on the mat.
(4) The Legacy: This woman has been doing martial arts since she was old enough to tie a belt. Her father or older brother got her into the sport, and she also cross-trains in Judo. She is 13, she weighs 90 pounds, but when she rolls with you it's like she generates a gravity field that makes her weigh 300 pounds. She knows all the rules without having to give them much thought, and when you ask her what it means to be in someone's guard, she looks at you like you may be brain damaged. She is your inspiration.
(5) The Veteran: She's been there, done that. She's been the only woman on the mat, she's seen women come and go, and she stays because she loves to roll. She encourages other women to train, to stick it out, but she knows that if they don't love the game, there's nothing she can do. She's had shoulder injuries, knee injuries, wrist injuries, back injuries...but if she stays away from the mat for more than a week, she feels like a part of her soul is missing. She dreams about BJJ and wakes up with a RNC hold on her body pillow.
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