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Competition, visualization and a look into my day

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Today was a bruiser. I didn’t have any interviews for the podcast or private lessons and I am waiting for the hosting issues to get resolved before I can finish the work on the actual website. This freed up my day so I decided to take advantage of it and work hard!

When I weighed in this morning I was 207lbs which is good considering I had a pretty relaxed diet this weekend. I went on a camping trip this weekend and ate food that I normally don’t consume in great quantities like breads so honestly I expected my weight to be up a bit. This means I need to lose about 5lbs so that I will be 207lbs or under in the kimono. Whenever I am getting ready for an IBJJF style tournament, which has you weigh in right before your match, I aim to be a couple of pounds lighter than I need to be. This lets me enjoy a good breakfast on the day of competition. I am kind of a fat kid at heart and going without a sizable breakfast isn’t an option and when the day of competitions comes I want to focus on the match not having to lose a few extra pounds.

Here is what my day looked like. . .

11am-12:15pm: BJJ Takedowns. 10 minutes total of takedown rounds and then 15 minutes of rolling starting from the knees

12:30pm-1:30pm: Heavy deadlifts. Did work with 80% of my one rep max. Then some stretching.

 

7pm-8:10pm: More gi takedowns. Again 10 minutes total of takedown rounds and then 15 minutes of rolling from the knees.

8:15pm-8:50pm: Did the “Filthy Fifty” workout.  If you’ve never done the workout before it’s a lot of fun. Here’s what it is . . .

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

This work out is considered a chipper workout. Meaning it’s long and tough, and you have to simply chip away at it.

8:55pm-9:20pm: Live wrestling for takedowns. Going to wrestling straight after that workout was rough, but I did well and was happy I pushed through my fatigue.

 

I felt great today. The camping trip this weekend helped me clear my head a bit and I felt really refreshed on the mats today.  That being said, it was still rough and required a lot of focus.

Whenever I have rough days like this when I am leading up to a tournament I try to use visualization as a motivation.  When I am drilling my takedowns I am not taking down my partner, I am taking down an unnamed opponent in the competition. When my grip starts to fade during a heavy set of deadlifts I think about my opponent finishing their rep and clinch the bar tighter. When I am exhausted after a hard workout I think about my opponents training past discomfort and head back to the mats for wrestling.

This may sound silly but visualization is such a powerful technique that comes in handy when I am training for a competition and need an extra boost of motivation during hard sessions. Even if I am not preparing for a competition, if I have a goal I want to achieve, then visualization is something I use. During the hard work that is necessary to achieve any worthwhile goal (BJJ or otherwise) if I find my motivation waning, I start to visualize. Visualize overcoming the obstacles that stand in my way. Visualize how my hard work will aid in my road to attainment, and visualize the satisfaction of achieving my goal. No matter how tired I might be. When I think about these three things I get fired up to get after whatever it is I need to do.

I am tired so if this post came across as poorly thrown together I do apologize. I am a bit wipe so I am going to head to bed and get ready for another tough day tomorrow!

As always, thanks for reading.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send an email to chewjitsu@gmail.com

Balancing work and hard training leading up for competition.

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(That’s me on the right at my first tournament in 2003!)

 

 

It’s Monday and that means it’s a post about leading up to the competitions. I figured I would share what a typical Monday looks like for me and then talk about planning your days to get the most out of them.

Since starting the podcast, Monday, has become my lightest day of training and probably my busiest actual day of the week.  I’ll give an idea of what it looks like.

7-8:30AM: Wake up. I know this is going to sound silly but I’ve actually found that a side benefit of drinking lots of water is that I wake up to use the restroom earlier than the time my alarm clock is set. The benefit of this is that I don’t wake up to a nasty alarm clock sound and feel much better when I open my eyes.  During this time period I eat breakfast, goof around on the computer for a bit, maybe watch BJJ videos or something. If the weather is pleasant, which is has been, I’ll sit out on the deck and drink my morning cup of coffee and relax. This is my “holy hour”, a little chunk of time to just be alive without having to worry about anything and do whatever I want. If you currently don’t have a holy hour, you should find a little bit of time in your day to schedule one. Doing this does wonders for me personally.

8:30-9:40AM: Answer emails and social media messages I have, glance over my to-do list, review over the techniques I’m showing that day, and then work on any projects I might have going. I will usually head to the gym around 9:40am and get there at 10am.

10:00-10:45AM: Lifting or Metcon

10:45-12:30PM: Stretching followed by my morning class. Mondays are always takedown days. After class I will chat with everyone, get a couple extra rolls in or help students with questions they might have.

12:30-3:00PM: Protein shake with a snack followed by working on my podcast website. Then around 1:30 I start interviews for the show.

3:00-4:00PM: Lunch with a coffee/tea break then I pick up one of my students and bring him to the gym.

4:00-6:45PM: Blog and website stuff, customer service work for the gym.

6:45-9:30PM: A light warm up then BJJ class from 7-8 with wrestling starting at 8. Wrestling is always fun and I love the analogy of calling it “fighting without punches” because it is such a rough sport. If you’re gym offers wrestling you should definitely take advantage of that opportunity!

9:30-12:00ishAM: Head home to relax, eat a light dinner and finish any small work I might have. Then I try to always read for an hour before I head to bed. More often than not it’s something history or non fiction. I just finished a book called Mastery and another called The Last Lion.

 

Now I am not sharing the schedule because I am gloating about being busy or because I am trying to show you how much I train. Rather the reason is because everything I did today was scheduled. I’ve found that for me personally when I am well rested and relaxed I am in a much better state of mind about planning out what I should do with my time. However, if I am run down by a long day or consumed by work I need to get done. Having to make the conscious decision to train becomes more difficult and I tend to slack a little.

Routine and accountability to the rescue

Sitting down on a Sunday night and making out a schedule helps me get the things I need to get done. . . DONE! Now most people aren’t as fortunate as me to teach and train for a living, but mapping out a schedule still applies. I remember working 60 hours a week in IT and being exhausted after work. After leaving work following a 10+ hour day, training didn’t seem quite as attractive as normal. I’m sure you’ve felt this way before, right?

This is where the schedule comes into play! You must take the choice away from your weary self and place it into the hands of your well rested self. With a written schedule you don’t have to weigh the options of either exerting yourself in training or just taking it easy for the night after work. Instead you can look down and see what you planned for yourself and follow the guide.  Now there is something to be said about listening to your body, and if you are feeling absolutely terrible then maybe you should take a night off. But, have you ever skipped a work out only to get home and regret the choice, or have you ever went to the gym a little groggy only to leave pumped up about your training? I know I’ve personally done both.

 

The reason I put this “schedule talk” into this competition post is because getting ready for a competition can sometimes be tough, and it’s easy to get side tracked by life and skip a workout. The problem with this is, each day you skip a workout a day of preparation is lost, and when you’re getting yourself ready for a competition you have a fix amount of time to get ready. A wasted day of training is simply something you cannot afford.  By giving yourself a schedule to follow you make sure that you’re getting your training, work, and other responsibilities and obligations taken care of, as well as finding time for yourself. Plus, there is a bit of accountability.  It’s a little more difficult to skip out on things when you look down and see the goals you set for yourself staring back at you.

 

You may not experience the same problems I have and this may not be necessary for you. But if you are having issues training on some days, or find yourself slacking sometimes because of laziness. Then try giving yourself a schedule so that you make sure you get done, what it is, you want done. Make the schedule realistic and focused around the goals you have. If the goal is competition then it better consist of lots of hard training and drilling!

 

As always, thanks for reading, and if you have any questions or comments feel free to send them to chewjitsu@gmail.com

11 questions with “That Classy Broad”

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Hows the men to women ratio at your gym? I’m sure it’s similar to most gyms and significantly more men train. However I can say that right now, there are more women training Brazilian Jiu-jitsu at my gym than ever before and I think its fantastic! With all the new women in the gym I asked them if there is anything that they were particularly interested in regarding BJJ. Many of them shared the same desire to hear from high level females in the BJJ community. I decided to reach out to a few of the women I know and ask them some questions.

We will start with Katie’s responses first. First off big thanks to Katie at http://skirtonthemat.wordpress.com/ for her insights on what its like to be a woman in BJJ. The responses are genuine and detailed.  I hope you enjoy the question and answers listed below!

1.       Tell me about yourself (Name, rank, years training, your line of work, any other info you’d like to share)

Katie, brown belt, 7 years this August, marketing coordinator for a real estate company, writer of SkirtontheMat, bookworm, klutz, etc. I currently train at Maxercise Academy in Philadelphia.  http://www.maxercise.com/Home.html

2.       What got you started in training?

The simple answer to that is I was working at the front desk of the academy at the time, and it was suggested I try out the class. It wasn’t my first encounter with grappling or even jiu jitsu: I have an older brother who wrestled in highschool and college, so being unexpectedly put into a clinch wasn’t really that foreign of a concept. Additionally, I can be pretty clumsy-so falling to the ground is not a terribly foreign concept either. Also while in college I was a part of the school’s radio station, and became friends with some of my co-hosts who were big fans of MMA: we would get together at someone’s house and watch UFC (back when it was once every 3 months or so) or Pride fights. I was interested in it, but also back then I was a lot more shy and it took someone encouraging me to try the sport. I took my first class, and it actually wasn’t until I took a second and third class that I really started to get a hang of it and started to enjoy myself.

3.       Did you have any initial fears about training, if so how/when did you get over those?

Um, there was an initial anxiety, partially because everyone is naturally anxious in new situations. Additionally I think women are often encouraged to avoid full contact sports, which is really the biggest objection I hear when I talk to other women about trying jiu jitsu. Third, I had gained a lot of weight when I was in school which made me feel insecure. Not that I’ve ever been described as tiny, but the college lifestyle had definitely taken its toll. I would be partnered with someone to train, and especially in the beginning when you could obviously tell the weight discrepancy, and there were times I almost felt the need to apologize to my partner for being so…big. There’s no better way I can describe it. There were a variety of initial fears, including competition, which is completely natural: it’s not often you’re asked to get up in front of a bunch of people and try your hardest to choke someone or manipulate their joints in a way that could potentially injure them. But I find that facing those competition fears can lend to facing other anxieties, etc. in everyday life. You have already proven you can be anxious or scared of something, still “put your big girl pants on” and try your best, which I feel is an invaluable experience.

As what got me past anxiety about training, I think part of it had to do with the fact that I started to see results, belt changes, weight loss, a boost in confidence. For the most part the other students and instructors were patient and helpful, and it was pretty fun. I’m also goal oriented, and jiu jitsu became something I wanted to get better at, which kept me motivate to press on. Hooray for being stubborn and stuff. 🙂

4.       What drives you to continue training?

A variety of reasons: I love puzzle/problem solving, and each training session has the potential to present a puzzle that needs to be solved. Also, personally it’s a great way to relieve stress. We all worry and sometimes over-think a situation, over-analyze conversations throughout the day, and a good hard training session is a great way to see “the forest for the trees” again- a way to kind of reset your perspective. The community is also a big aspect for me as well: we are very fortunate to have a great team with people from all walks of life coming through the door and welcomed onto the mats. We train hard, respect and support one another, even if that means pushing a fellow student to help them reach their goal.

5.       What has been the biggest challenge of your BJJ career?

Ha, I have the same challenge as a lot of people- myself. Well, not me specifically. I think a lot of people, are hard on themselves and how well they do: in competition and sometimes even sparring.  While a lot of this sport is physical and muscle memory, there is a lot of thinking, and particularly believing in yourself and your technique, and there is a tendency to lose sight of that. We toil, day in and out on these myriad of minute details- put your hand here, place your foot there, make sure you have just the right angle, match after match during training sessions that I think it’s easy to get lost and not really see the big picture. We beat ourselves up over a submission we didn’t get, all the while completely ignoring the beautiful sweep that was executed in the very same match. It’s a bit funny, and frustrating at times.

6.       Are you a competitor, if so why do you compete?

Er, by technical definition, I guess I would say yes, I am a competitor: I train a lot, work out, diet, attend competitions and I enjoy competing in the fact that I feel accomplished win or lose if I step off the mat and really feel I put my skills to the test. I don’t really keep track of how many matches I have won, I’ve given most of my medals to the gym (I couldn’t even tell you which ones were mine), and instead I think about what I could have done better, and have even taken notes after a competition on things that I need to work on, using that opportunity to grow and advance as a jiu jitsu player (jiu jitsuka, whatever we’re calling ourselves these days).

 

7. Are there any resources or helpful tools that you use or would recommend to someone who trains?

Instructor, really would be my answer. I dabble here and there looking at Youtube videos, particularly if there is something I want to work on and I need to brush up on. There’s no one video channel I’m particularly attached to, though I like what I have seen so far from the BJJ Library. There are some cool things someone at an equal or higher rank will show that I’ll play around with to see if it will fit into my game, but the main thing is I’m a visual and kinesthetic learner: I have to see the technique being done to someone else, and then I need to do it myself to fully understand it. I am more concerned about what I learn during class or on the mats that I can drill, reference with a higher rank and drill again, rather than some crazy video I watched maybe once or twice.

 

8. Any funny story you’d like to share?

One of the fun things about traveling for competitions is there’s at least one good story, one memory you’ll take with you, regardless of winning or losing. We all went out together to this past year’s Pans: one of our blue belt guys competed, lost his first match, and came back to where we were sitting in the stadium to share with us,

“So, I went up to the acai stand the the guy was telling me how this stuff on top is good for memory, and this [topping] was great for athletes…I asked if he had anything for shame. He didn’t say anything.”

There are tons of moments you’ll gather throughout the years: if you have the time and means, one of the great things about jiu jitsu is the opportunity to travel for (usually for competition) to new places and meet new people, and you’ll have the opportunity to create a lifetime of memories.

 

9. Have you ever had to use your BJJ to protect yourself?

Fortunately, no. I am glad to know the self defense stuff and some judo, but also immensely glad that I have never had a need to use either: I am a big believer in being aware of your surroundings, and listening to your instinct when it’s telling you something’s not right.


10. How do you deal with training in a predominantly male sport?

When it comes to being a woman in jiu jitsu, there are some things that are great and then some elements that just suck. And, there are some decisions that are made when it comes to women, particularly divisions in tournaments where you think “who the hell thought that was a good idea?” And don’t even get me started about some of the gi choices. Yikes. Thankfully I think they stopped making the pink camouflage gi’s. Also, fortunately as the years go on and more women become involved in the sport, I think there will be less issues. There are some that will still persist however, particularly on a more local level. You’ll have men who enter an academy and doubt a woman’s ability due to their gender, there’s still a good chance when a woman will be the only female in a class- which being the token member of the opposite gender can be just as awkward the other way around. The sport in general has a high rate of attrition, and it’s extremely noticeable when it comes to women, which leads to a lot of competing against the same women in tournaments, even at national levels. We take these things in stride for the love of the sport. There is hope though: while our voice is still a small one in the jiu jitsu community, it is growing especially as more females become black belts.

 

11. Anything you’d like to share with females out there?

Um. nothing that I can think of- if anyone has a question for me I’ll be happy to answer; they can email me at thatclassybroad at gmail, go through you, whatever, but there’s nothing in particular that comes to mind.

As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to share any comments or thoughts in the section below or by email at chewjitsu@gmail.com .

Finding my reason, finding your reason to compete

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Competition is one of the most exciting experiences I think a person can have in BJJ. You test yourself against another human in a “full out” setting. You truly find out what you’re made of and sometimes push yourself to new limits that you didn’t realize you could reach.

Getting ready for a big competition can be tough though. The hard work that is involved with getting ready for a competition (if done right) can be exhausting both mentally and physically. There are days when you’re sore and tired. You still feel whooped from the night before and you just want to take a night off, but you find the motivation to train and continue to prepare.

Whenever I get ready for a big competition I have to find a “reason” for competing. Some reason that will help my focus and drive even on the rough days. Everyone’s reasons are different and you may have different goals for different tournaments. Don’t get me wrong I love training and train everyday regardless of a tournament, but left to my own devices, I would slack much more. I would roll relaxed and not develop the aggressive movements that are needed for tournaments. I wouldn’t drill quite as much, and in general I would just lack that desire that is needed to win matches against hungry competitors.

 

This is where that “reason” comes into play. Before I get ready for a competition (and when I used to fight in MMA) I ask myself, “why am I competing?” This seems simple right? I am competing to win, and win medals, right?

Wrong!

When I was younger I was only fixated on the medals. Now the medals are typically an auxiliary goal. Yes, I want to be the one wearing the gold medal and standing on the top of the podium, no doubt about it. But there are other things that push me in training during the weeks of tough training and dieting.

 

My reason for continuing to train hard and compete

I love movies where faced against tough odds, supported by everyone else around them, the hero overcomes and saves the day. When I was walking out of a movie this weekend I got hit by this light bulb moment. I realized that my most memorable wins in BJJ and MMA were always memorable, in large part, because of my students. Winnings matches at the Pans and seeing my students take screen caps of the match and knowing they were watching me have my hand raised, having  500+ Derby City (my gym) shirts staring back at me and cheering after an MMA fight, hearing a student convince me to compete even though I was jet lagged and sleep deprived.

The biggest motivator for me now, besides my own drive to test myself . . . is my students.

I am not sure if everyone in my position feels this way, but I feel obligated to step out there and compete for my students. I ask them to do it, so I feel that I should lead by example. Also, why would I stop competing now that I am a black belt? I feel like now is the true time to test myself.

 

One of the most amazing moments in my BJJ career was during a recent local tournament. The tournament had a round robin black belt division and there were around 100+ people from our gym. Either to compete themselves or to watch their friends and family compete.  When I was on the mat my students would cheer loudly and each time I landed a move or had my hand raised more cheers and slaps to the mat came from them.  I’m not going to lie; it felt like being a superhero for a moment. Superhero might seem like a silly comparison because I’m not flying around or fending off an alien assault to earth. However, I am setting the tone for many of my students and proving myself to be a worthy role model by putting myself through the same rigors that I ask of them. They’re cheering because I’m their instructor and they are proud of me and my wins, and this means everything to me. Now when I prepare for tournaments, the motivator is easy. When I am tired and have to push myself a little more, I just think about how great it feels to represent my gym colors victoriously for myself and also for my students.

Find your motivation!

I know that not all of you are in the position I am in, but my advice to you is to find something that motivates you. Remember, it doesn’t have to be just medals or titles. You sometimes have to dig a little deeper and find the motivation somewhere else. Before your next tournament prep begins, try and find something that motivates you. Having that deep motivator within you will help you slide your kimono on a little easier on those days when your body still aches from the night before, and this drive will make it easier to get yourself on to the top of the podium.

 

Thanks for reading guys!

As always if you have any questions or comments feel free to send them to chewjitsu@gmail.com

Lead up to competition series

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Hey everyone,

This will be a short post. Myself, my students / team / association are gearing up for a few tournaments that are coming up in the next couple of months.

 

We will be competing at some of the bigger events like the Atlanta Open, Miami Open, No Gi Pans and we also have some regional tournaments stuck in there as well. I am also involved in an invite tournament that is going to be filled with some tough competition. One of my early grappling heroes, Chris Moriarty will be competing in it which is exciting. Some other insanely tough guys like Vitor Oliveira and JT Torres, among others will be involved.

 

I thought it would be a fun idea to take people along with us. Every Monday, until these big competitions are over, we will be focusing on mine as well as my teams preparation leading up to these matches. I will be posting a video, text blog or image sharing our journey with you. I hope you enjoy following a long with us.

Tips For Recovering In BJJ!

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Here is a video of me showing a few pieces of equipment I use to help fight off my sore body after hard training sessions. Recovering in BJJ is important to keep training hard and making progress.

Something high level Wrestlers, Judoka and BJJ players do, that you may not be doing.

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BJJ is such a complex and technical grappling art, overflowing with techniques. Every move seems to have a variation . . . and every variation seems to have a variation. This complexity can be a double edge sword though.  The technical prowess of BJJ allows it to work for anyone. Big, small, short, tall, it doesn’t matter, if you train . . . you can become proficient at BJJ.  However, this can backfire when you try to acquire too much too quickly.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” and I think this has some relevance to BJJ as well. Many people get very distracted by “fun looking” techniques or techniques that seem to be in style at the time. They hop from technique to technique, position to position. Never mastering any particular area of the game and instead being mediocre across the board. You don’t want this!!

 

Coming from a wrestling background we were always taught that . . .

you don’t have to do much, you just have to do it better than everyone else.

I’ve heard similar phrases come from other wrestlers, judo players and high level BJJ practitioners. This is something I always stress with my guys when it comes time for competitions or when they are newer and trying to develop an “A” game.

Now there is nothing wrong with playing around with new techniques and positions. Nothing wrong at all, but you have to understand that when you do this you will be making yourself a bit vulnerable. When you work a new move or position you’re going to be a bit shaky with it at first and after drilling and attempting it during rolling sessions for a while you will gradually become adept with that move.  Right when this move is beginning to develop is where many people make the mistake of moving on to something new that doesn’t necessarily fit with what you were just working on.

You just spent all this time making this solid position or technique and now you’re going to move on???

My advice would be to continue with the position or the move. For example, if you were working butterfly guard. . . well. . . add another butterfly guard into your drilling list. Maybe you were working on kimuras. Well instead of moving on to a whole new submission, expand upon the kimura and learn additional setups or transitions from it.

This kind of chaining-things-together mindset can really help you develop areas of your game quickly.

So what is it that high level grapplers do that most average BJJ players do not?

They own a position, a technique, a movement. They master the ins and outs of their desire moves and become brutally efficient with them.

Go watch some judo highlights. You won’t have to watch long before you see a highlight showing a particular judoka executing the same throw over and over again using different setups against different opponents. Wrestlers are the same. Go do a Google search and put it “John Smith Single Leg.” The guy is synonymous with that damn move. When he wrestled, his opponents knew what he was going to do but they couldn’t stop him. He had drilled and worked his single legs to a level of ability that is awe inspiring. Imagine going to a high level competition and hitting everyone with the same move even after they knew what you were going to do. This happens in BJJ too! One easy example that comes to mind is Roger Gracie. Mount to cross collar choke. . . are you kidding me? Cross collar chokes? What seems to be such a basic and easily defended move becomes dangerous in the hands of a person who masters it and believes in his ability to execute it.

 

If you are already in possession of your A game then feel free to do as you please, but if you feel as though you lack a go-to area, may I share a piece of advice? Own something. Find a position or technique that you are decent at or wish to be proficient with. Then, drill drill drill and attempt it during your training. Make your name synonymous with whatever it is you want to be good with. Be the person that has the nasty half-guard that guys talk about in the locker room, or the person with crazy submissions that makes everyone feel uneasy during their roll. Then continue to build upon it and add to it.

I guess this post is similar to the last post, Training with a purpose, but I encourage you to remember, you are the architect for your BJJ. You’re instructor will supply you with the raw materials to build it, but ultimately it falls on you to better yourself and devise the blueprint for your BJJ game.

In short, try and get really good with a few things before you start introducing a bunch of new techniques to your repertoire.

 

What are you waiting for??? Take out a pen and write down a flow chart and start plotting out the direction you want to take your game! 😉

Training with a purpose

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Just finished another interview for the podcast project I have coming up. I’m having so much fun and learning so much about these awesome people. I hope everyone has as much fun listening to these podcast episodes as I’m having making them. The launch date for the podcast is September 1st, 2013 in case you’re interested. Even though the podcast is still a little over a month out, I figured I would take a minute and share 1 little chunk of advice that seems to keep coming up during these interviews, and its something I’ve blogged about before. The reoccurring tip that these black belts talk about when it comes to improving at BJJ is . . .

“to train with a purpose”

I know sometimes its fun to roll and not focus on anything, but If you feel like you’re not growing on the mat or that you are hitting a plateau. Then take some advice from some high level guys and train with a purpose! Give yourself a goal to achieve during your training session, try to hit a new move you’re working on or try and improve the weak areas of your game. If you’re a good bottom guy, try and work your top game. If you’re a good sweeper, try and submit from the bottom. You get the idea. Hitting those goals will build some positive momentum mentally and improve your game by focusing on improving in a particular area.

Hope everyone’s training goes well and I hope you hit whatever goals you set for yourself!

Ask a black belt a question, ANY question!

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Hey guys, I need your help!

I am getting ready to start a very cool project that will be launched in the near future. The project will involve asking many different black belts a group of questions in hopes that they can share their journey in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu as well as provide insight, inspiration and motivation for our own paths in the art.

What I would like from you is to take a second and think of some questions. The questions should be related to BJJ in some way. Each time I interview one of the black belts I will pick one of the questions I received from you guys. I’ll also give a shout out to the person who sent the question. 

 

With that said, please send your questions to  chewjitsu@gmail.com with the subject of the email as “Blackbelt Questions”.  Also, please include some basic info about yourself (Name, Location, belt level, gym that you train in) so that I can give a shout out to you.

 

Thanks for your help guys!

Make sure you get the most of your training

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Almost every week I have students that complain about lagging performance on the mat(its more common in summer). They say they felt overly fatigued and just zapped of energy during training. When a student comes to me complaining about lack of energy and just missing that umph that they normally possess, I always ask two questions.

The first question is “did you eat enough today?” Almost every time their reply comes back as something like “no, I missed lunch” or “no I didn’t eat much today.”

The second question is “how much water did you drink today?” Again their reply usually alludes to a lack of consumption.

Now these seem like simple things . . . eating food and drinking water, but I’ve seen plenty of higher level BJJ players step onto the mat without taking in adequate amounts of food and water. Heck, one of my high level blue belt competitors nearly passed out on the mat recently because of not having enough in his body. Now this doesn’t mean you should stuff your face with whatever sort of food you can find and gulp down a half gallon of water 30 minutes before you step on the mat. You’ll probably spend the rolling session of class mopping up your puke if you choose to do that. You have to be kind of “strategic” about these things. That’s the fun word for the day! Now I know strategic sounds like a funny word to use when you are relating it to your eating habits, but when you look at the definition it makes sense.

Strategic : “of great importance within an integrated whole or to a planned effect”

Think of your body during training as a high performance vehicle. The food that you put into your body is the fuel for this vehicle. Imagine putting garbage fuel or no fuel at all into a high performance car. . . it wouldn’t run very well or run at all. This holds true with your body. When you eat junk or nothing, you’ll perform in a way that reflects as such. With that said, we want to eat in a way that gives us the planned effect of having plenty of energy so that we are able to get the most out our training. I mean if you are going to spend time driving to the gym, paying your gym dues, buying a kimono, caring for your kimono, purchasing dvds, reading BJJ related books, spending countless hours watching videos online and making your significant other angry because you’re obsessed with BJJ. Then why would you allow your training sessions to be sub-par because of lazy / poor eating habits?

I am not going to dive too deep into diets and nutrition but I will share some of my my pre training favorites and my typical diet routine during an average weekday. My pre training favorites are sweet potatoes (personal favorite), oatmeal, smoothies, fruit and a protein shake.

I typically space my solid meals out at least about an hour and a half to two hours prior to training. A meal like this would be something like sweet potatoes, asparagus and chicken. Sweet potatoes are a fantastic source of complex carbs and it is an incredibly nutrient dense food. When I eat a sweet potato for lunch I almost always feel energized during my training sessions.

In the mornings I usually have oatmeal with some fruit and honey, which gives me energy for my morning training sessions. Oatmeal is easier on my stomach and digestion than the sweet potato meal listed about, but I still try and have the food eaten no later than an hour before training.

When I find myself running late in the mornings or get knocked off my schedule during the afternoon I make a smoothie (protein, fruit, honey, sometimes oats) ,again, no later than an hour before training.

Should my schedule get really off track, I will at least throw back a protein shake and a banana 30-45 minutes prior to training.

 

I also don’t take any pre workout supplements. I have in the past, but when I did I would find myself in the middle of a hard roll with what felt like a humming bird trying to escape from my chest. I usually just have a small cup of coffee or tea for a boost.

 

My eating schedule during the week is pretty structured. Because I train and teach a lot during the week I can’t really afford to have a big fat meal during the day. Bad food will make me lethargic and I’ll do a crappy job of teaching my students and training myself.  That being said I still have my share of ice cream and cheeseburgers. I follow the 80/20 rule most of the time, 80% good and 20% whatever. I love having a burger and a beer with the guys, or sometimes on Thursdays we will go to the Mexican restaurant across the street and have a cheat meal AFTER training.

 

Anyways, here’s what my average diet looks like during the week, it’s not for everyone but it keeps me energized during the day.  Just as a note, I have fixed AM and PM training sessions, but I will also do extra training, privates and gym work during the day that’s not listed. I say this because I don’t want anyone to get the impression that I’m eating and sleeping between training sessions. Believe me, I’m not. I get up at 7-8am and don’t leave the gym till 9:930pm.

-Morning: Eggs, oatmeal (plain no sugar), piece of fruit and honey to put into the oats and a cup of coffee or tea

AM Training if I lift (Teaching, rolling, and a lift)

-Lunch(right after training) Sweet potatoes, asparagus, chicken.

-Lunch 2: usually the same thing as my first lunch with a cup of tea or coffee.

PM Teaching and Training

-Post workout protein shake

-A light dinner: veggies and some sort of protein source

 

 

 

Recap:

  1. Eat enough food and drink enough water. Your body is a vehicle and it needs fuel.
  2. Make sure you’re eating the right foods. You will get out of your body what you put in.
  3. Structure your diet so that its part of a conscious effort to enhance your training, not just eating to eat.
  4. Enjoy the energy boost you will feel during training if you are not currently eating consciously.

 

Thank you for reading the post! I hope that you were able to take something away from it and that it might help you get the most out of your training sessions if your eating habits are a little suspect right now. Also, if you have any BJJ related questions that you might want help with, feel free to send them to me in an email at chewjitsu@gmail.com.

 

Keep training hard!

—Chewy