10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu

I want to say for the record that I am an unapologetic Gracie jiu-Jitsu Gi practitioner. I love the gi and will never abandon it. I know that many of you hate the very mention of the words “10th Planet” and the name “Eddie Bravo.” My personal goal in Jiu-Jitsu is to get better technique and I will study Judo, Wrestling, Sambo and yes, even the dreaded 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in order to do it. I am unapologetic of this as well.

When I think of Eddie Bravo I think of a quote from Fredrick Nietzche, “Every Profound Spirit Needs a Mask.” Eddie Bravo’s mask is that of the Rock and Roll Messiah that has come to free us from the confines of the gi. I personally think of him as someone who has helped me to explore my gi game better.

Eddie Bravo hasn’t done himself any favors by alienating the gi practitioners in our sport but if you get past the rhetoric and the moves that require great flexibility you can find a lot of gems that will make your game better, especially since it appears to me that gi pants make a very positive impact on getting friction for many moves. Perfect for gi Jiu-Jitsu!

I am not a big fan of Eddie Bravo as a “Jiu-Jitsu Messiah.” but I am a fan of him as a very solid Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and innovator. If you ignore 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu then you are doing a disservice to yourself. So just grab one of his books and a flashlight, go hide in your closet and read it. You don’t even have to tell anyone.

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The Language of Jiu-Jitsu

I was going to blog on the Language of Jiu-Jitsu but why blog when my friend Roy Dean can tell you about it. Roy's website is www.roydeanacademy.com



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How Many Days a Week Should you Train?

This question gets asked frequently by many students. I try and break it down to my students depending on what goals they have.

If they are a casual jiu-jitsu practitioner then I always suggest two to three times a week. If they are crazy about Jiu-Jitsu then I suggest three to four times a week and If they are trying for world competition domination then I say 5 to 6 times a week. This doesn’t always mean that you should roll in EVERY class although you have no choice in some schools, but in our school I never force anyone or make them feel bad if they don’t want to roll that night. I’m in the minority.

I suggest that if you only come once a week then you should quit Jiu-Jitsu because you are only going to get left in the dust by everyone else and you will forget what you have learned from the week before. I know there are exceptions to this but really..why waste your time? It’s called Goal Setting. You should try it. Jiu-Jitsu should be a life style not something you freakin dabble in.

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Self Defense Techniques in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Pedro Sauer

Here is my Professor, Pedro Sauer (www.pedrosauer.com) explaining why Self Defense Techniques are important in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He also talks about his vision of what a black belt should be. I really like this video! I will only leave this up for a week or two and then I will be taking it down. Share it with others.





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To Stripe or Not To Stripe in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

I have been to and trained at a lot of BJJ schools and I have noticed that in some Jiu-Jitsu schools they don’t give stripes on student belts. I had trained at the Las Vegas Combat for a couple years when I lived in Las Vegas and they didn’t give stripes to students either.   They even laughed when the mention of stripes came up.

I want to say that not striping students can be a great moral wrecker and a lousy way to keep the  students of your school.  I will even go one step further and say that in BJJ we need to have MORE belts. I know that in a few schools they are starting to implement the green belt right before blue.  I think this is a great idea.  I think we also need to have an advanced blue belt, advanced purple belt and an advanced brown belt thrown in the mix.  This will keep our students motivated.  It’s a mighty long haul from blue to purple and this is where most of the students quit in BJJ.  Why not help them stay motivated?   

If you say “No Way” to the new belt idea then I suggest we get back to our roots and we keep just two belts..the white and black belt.  You can stay a white belt for ten years.  Who needs motivation?


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Fear

I think one of the most difficult things for a human being to do is admit that they have fear in a given situation or for an upcoming event.  American Male Culture seems to act like the absence of fear is a good thing and it makes one a tough person.  I think of MMA  most when I think of this.  The fighters never act scared but I assure you, they are pissing their pants.

I subscribe to the theory that if you don’t have fear, trepidation or concern in certain situations then something is wrong with YOU.  Fear is vital for human survival.  It is a positive thing and is nothing more than our bodies telling us that it is concerned about what is about to happen and we need to pay some serious attention.  It’s like a child screaming.  If a person ignores the child then the child will typically yell even louder bugging us to death.  But if they first acknowledge the child screaming, then one can typically take action and get it to calm down after a short time. The child just wants attention and so does a person’s brain. 

I have been frightened, scared, hesitant, anxious and concerned a multitude of times. I have grappled hundreds and hundreds of people;   I have spoken in front of thousands of people giving seminars and speeches.  I was also a cop having to take people into custody.  I know what fear is!  

The way I handle fear is to simply admit that I’m scared. I admit it quietly and just like the screaming kid, my brain gets the message and my hesitation will subside.  What else can my brain do?  I admitted it.  How can someone keep arguing with me if I admit what they are saying is right?   I also change my word pattern.  I don’t say “Scared, “I change the word to “Excited.”  Works like a charm.  Give it a try…Just admit the fear, change the word around and surprisingly the fear subsides letting you be the hero.

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How Many Gi's Should You Own?

I know a lot of my students own at least Six  BJJ Gis (Uniforms) .  They are always buying the latest and coolest gi they can find.  To be honest I like it.  I think being fashionable in Jiu-Jitsu is ok.  I personally have around nine gis of my own and lately I have been buying more but for the longest time I owned only three. 

I would suggest that a student own a minimum of three Gis.  That way he can always rotate and wash them so that the gi remain clean.   Owning only one gi will make your gi old and dirty real real fast.   Do yourself a favor and make the investment in a number of gis.

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