I was having a conversation today that I thought I would share and elaborate on. We were discussing how to win the battle of the double guard pull. So the goal would be to sweep to an advantageous position or get up and pass. The dilemma the person had was that they felt every time they got up, they got swept. That’s life, when you forge a path or leave your comfort zone, you’re going to fall sometimes, possibly a lot. Eventually you’ll build the necessary skills so that you don’t fall as much, just like learning to walk. Then one day, you’re doing something that people wish they could do with that skill eg: skateboarding, basketball, foot sweeps and flying triangles. In all things BJJ or otherwise getting back up is a fundamental element of the learning process.

Most gyms have a person or a few people that are in charge of keeping the balance of the gym. Oftentimes, they get a bad reputation, which kinda makes sense, but is also slightly undeserved. Most likely they were chosen for the role they fill, and to do it well they’ve developed a style that is not as friendly. If you couldn’t tell, I have been given this role before. There are pluses and minuses to being and having an enforcer. There is also a difference between an enforcer and a mat bully. A mat bully just thrashes people, an enforcer is given cues as to who gets the green light. Enforcers roll hard, but still help you improve your BJJ. I understand that from an outside perspective the enforcer concept seems brutish, but they’re necessary. Thank your gym’s enforcer, you might get something out of it.

I like submissions. I think as a BJJ person you should like submissions, but some people seem to think there’s such a thing as submissions that are more honorable or superior. That seems counterintuitive to a martial art built on self defense principles. If you’re trying to hurt me and I hurt you first, does it matter how I did that? I don’t think so. Even if you train sport BJJ, at some point you should have a working knowledge of the skills to break and defend all parts of the body. The use of some submissions should be limited until you have the correct body awareness, but limiting the available techniques at your disposal only weakens Jiu Jitsu.

Jiu Jitsu hurts. If you do it long enough you’re probably in constant pain. So something you have to get good at is figuring out what your body needs. How much sleep you get, what you eat, and what you’re doing outside of training are important factors in longevity for your BJJ career. There are also many recovery practices used by professional athletes that you can now access, whether it’s cryotherapy, CBD, float tanks, massage, or many others, taking care of yourself is important even in the tough guy world of martial arts.

We all want to do the fancy moves, we all want to be Keenan Cornelius coming up with whole systems unique to us. However, innovation starts with a clear understanding of the structure of how something works. Revolutionary people in any field begin with a strong foundation in the basic principles of its operation before turning it on its head. Just like Picasso and Pollock were classically trained artists, but forged an outlying path Danaher and Cornelius began with fundamentally sound BJJ and expanded the scope of possibility. There is a lot of room for development in sport BJJ, but that development is only progress when it is built on a solid foundation.

A huge benefit of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is that you’re always growing. It consistently pushes you out of your comfort zone and leads you to really unexpected places. My advice is to take the opportunities BJJ presents to you. Go to open mats, apply for super fights, enter tournaments, and get beat up as much as you can. I haven’t seen negative effects of too much BJJ yet, and I’ve done it half my life.

It’s a debate in Jiu Jitsu whether there should be a structured warmup in class that includes calisthenics. I believe that in a beginner or fundamentals class, a calisthenic warmup is necessary. I came up in a school of 30-45 minute calisthenic warmups, and while I understand and appreciate it, most people are coming to class to learn martial arts. Outside of a basics class, warmups come from running through positions, but for people new to BJJ doing something to loosen the body, strengthening the core and neck, and working line drills of basic Jiu-Jitsu movements are important. It is important to differentiate the needs of your students, and if you’re assembling the warm up to meet your fitness needs, maybe give your students the option of joining in on conditioning after class... that’s what I do.

Anybody can do BJJ, I firmly believe that is true. Everyone is physically capable, but do you want to? There’s a saying that if you have been training longer than a year and you don’t wake up in pain, you’ve probably died. To get good, you’re going to need to show up when you’re body says no. You’re going to have to show up to get smashed until you don’t anymore. That’s where mental toughness comes in. Whether you develop toughness through training or you start out mentally strong, it makes an impact on your BJJ success.

For me BJJ was the place I grew up. I struggled with a lot of mental health issues before I started and did significant damage to my relationship with my family. So where I learned to be social, and be a decent person was on the mat. Being a black belt doesn’t make you a good person or an expert on anything other than your chosen martial art. I do believe that a good martial arts school is run by good people. If you don’t feel respected, or you feel uncomfortable, you have the right to move on. I believe Jiu Jitsu can be more than just working out and beating people up, because it is for me. It’s more to a lot of people and when you step on the mat with kids or impressionable adults I think it’s good to keep that in mind.