H u rt s S o G o o d ! W h e n I s Pa i n G o o d o r Ba d ?
WANTS TO CHALLENGE YOU! can you resist? josh hinger and the hingertine!
Cover 57.indd 1
When Good Carbs Go Bad Busting Through Plateaus What To Do The Week Before Your Match 2017 Grappler’s Gift Guide Building Power For Jiu-Jitsu
Nov/Dec 2017 Issue 57
RICKSON GRACIE
PLUS
11/6/17 1:11 PM
TRAIN
FOR LIFE. NEW AIR PRO - LIGHTWEIGHT, COMFORTABLE, COMPETITION READY! www.gameness.com Gameness Spread_v2.indd 2
11/7/17 11:22 PM
MARCOS TINOCO
www.facebook.com/GamenessFightwear @GamenessFightCo @Gameness_Sports Gameness Spread_v2.indd 3
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contents Life
006 E d i to r i a l You Get What You Give
I SS U E 57 N OV E MB E R / D EC E MB E R 2 017
046 T h e L if e
080 Technique
Black Belt Q & A
Cris Cyborg - The Triple
072 cove r f e ature
fuel
Rickson Gracie is Challanging You!
008 W e i g hi n g I n
024 Grub
088 how-to
New Gear and News
Guide To Carbs
Promote in Jiu-Jitsu
018 p ro m ot i o n s
028 Supplements
092 Buye rs Guide
Belts and Stripes
Importance of Suplement Timing
Holiday Gift Guide
022 By T he n u mbe rs
094 Ge ar l ab
Gordon Ryan, Can He
Hayabusa Lightweight Gi
Be Stopped?
Fuji Sports Grappler Pack
body 100 Gains
Setting Goals
skills
Building Power for Jiu-Jitsu
Good Pain Vs Bad Pain
038 D o ’ s a n d d on ’ts
052 T ech n ique
Josh Hinger - The Hingertine
114 success
072 cove r f e ature
Dillon Hinojosa
032 W hi t e B e lt Ch ron icles White Belt’s Guide To
Dealing with Plateaus
038 How To Competition Week
108 Medic
Rickson Gracie and the Need for Self Defense
Meet The Experts J e r e m y Reid M.S.ED, CSCS, CISSN
W il l safford
James Lawson
Ricardo Castaneda
Jeremy is a nutritionist
Certified Strength and
is a US Marine Corps
is a brown belt and
and strength coach who
Conditioning Coach
veteran, jiu-jitsu black
holds a master of arts in
Christoph e r Ingstad PT, DPT, OCS, MTC, ATC, FAAOMPT
works with MMA and
who trains under Andre
belt under Rodrigo
Psychology. He is also
is a purple belt under
jiu-jitsu champions. He
Galvao in San Diego,
Teixeira who loves to
the head instructor of
Rafael Dallinha. He is a
obtained his master’s
CA. Will specializes
travel and teach jiu-jitsu
Gracie Barra Lakeway
Physical Therapist and
degree in exercise
in mobility training,
to anyone who will
in Austin, Texas. Find
Certified Athletic Trainer at
physiology from Baylor
injury prevention, and
listen. He’d love to keep
him on social media @
Level4 Physical Therapy
University. He is a
kettlebell strength and
in touch with you. You
ricardopezaobjj and his
& Performance, Inc.
brown belt under Robert
conditioning. For more
can stay in touch with
website at Jiujitology.
dr.ingstad@level4pt.com
Drysdale.
info, visit his website at
him at: IG: @TwistUUp
com for more.
ironwillathletics.com.
and his website at thewarriorsclub.com
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ON THE COVER Look for us online: @jiujitsumag
052
080
100 Contents 57.indd 2
technique: T h e H in gert in e
Rickson Gracie - Martial
72 Artist
Photo: Mike Velez
Josh has something to show you
technique: Cris Cyborg The Triple Bump
gains: Buid lin g Pow er f or Jiu-jitsu Everyone is power hungry
RICKSON GRACIE WANTS TO CHALLENGE YOU!
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editorial YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE
T
EDITORIAL STA FF EDITOR & PUBLISHER.............................................. Mike Velez ASSISTANT EDITOR................................................. Jim Lawson MANAGING EDITOR................................................Areum Kim CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS................................... Will Sanford, MacKenzie Arrington, Eran Galperin, Jeremy Reid, Arlo Gagestein, Jim Lawson, Heather Raftery, Ricardo Casteneda, Contributing copy editor - Amy Lindsay
THE TERM “YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE” CAN MEAN A LOT OF THINGS. WHEN YOU READ IT IN THE CONTEXT OF JIU-JITSU, THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MY MIND IS ON THE MATS. You want to achieve (get) your goals, well, you’ve got to “give” your training the attention and importance
ART & PHOTOGR A P H Y ART DIRECTOR................................................. Dave Palacios
that it deserves. When I came up with the title for this month’s editorial, I had an entirely different
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS.............Jason Boulanger,
example in mind. Let me explain: a lot of people have this panacea in their heads that jiu-jitsu
John Cooper, Kenny Jewel, Patrick Flores,
shouldn’t lose talented athletes to other sports like MMA. They want to believe jiu-jitsu should
Mike Calimbas, Alberto Marchetti, Ric Ricard
be a spectator’s sport to rival anything else we might see on television. They believe that the professional jiu-jitsu athletes should earn a living that supports their training, competition, and
PRODUCTION & ADV E RT IS ING
affords them a comfortable lifestyle. There are successful examples in of the areas that I’ve
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR................................ Paula Fountain
mentioned. We’ve seen some star athletes make the switch to MMA only to find that their best
ADVERTISING SALES........................Mike Velez, Jim Lawson
chance at riches remain within jiu-jitsu. FloGrappling and UFC Fight Pass taking on grappling
CIRCULATION MANAGER..................................Chris Reardon
events like EBI and Polaris has definitely raised the level of awareness for jiu-jitsu and grappling on a larger stage. And larger companies that don’t solely rely on jiu-jitsu for their financial
Address change & S UB S
performance have begun sponsoring some of the better known athletes allowing them to focus
Phone: 1.877.834.3552 ext. 221
their attention on jiu-jitsu. All of these factors are helping jiu-jitsu inch towards the promise land
Web: jiujitsumag.com
where our wildest dreams live. However, there’s one more giant piece to the puzzle in my eyes. Think of jiu-jitsu as a country. When we spend money within our borders it’s a good thing. In theory, those “neighbors” will spend back into our country and everyone’s happy. Our “neighbors” are those companies that contribute back to jiu-jitsu, sponsoring athletes, sponsoring events, supporting charities that help kids and those in need through jiu-jitsu, advertising in jiu-jitsu magazines (shameless I know, I’ve been called worse), and all the other ways jiu-jitsu is supported. Of course, we want tourists (those companies that don’t rely on jiu-jitsu) to visit our beautiful country. But what we don’t want are companies that pull resources away from our community but
ADVERTISING & SALE S INFO AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST, CONTACT: Jiu-Jitsu Magazine PO Box 2405 Chino Hills, CA 91709 ph: 1.877.834.3552 ext. 221 fax: 909.591.1251
don’t give back. What comes to mind are those businesses that we’ve only heard of on Facebook, keyword searches, and on Amazon. I love the free market as much as the next guy, and despite my analogy that seems to promote isolationism, I’m not trying to make any sort of political statement outside of context of our jiu-jitsu community. When we decide to spend dollars with these
NATIONAL/INTERNAT IO NA L NEWSSTAND DISTR IB UT ION The Curtis Circulation Company
companies that don’t give back to the sport on some level, we’re slowing down the progress that we’d all like to see. If you’d like to see jiu-jitsu thrive and grow at an even more rapid pace, the next time you make a purchasing decision, think twice about spending those hard earned dollars with a company that doesn’t sponsor athletes, or sponsors your favorite event, or even runs ads in your favorite magazine ;). If you don’t agree with me that’s fine too. The choice is yours.
Jiu-Jitsu Magazine (ISSN 2157-6173) is a publication of Recon Media Inc. Phone: 877.834.3552; Fax: 909.517.1601 email: subs@jiujitsumag.com. Subscription rates are $29.99 for 6 issues (1 year), $39.99 per year Canada, and $59.99 per year for foreign airmail. All rights reserved, The entire contents are copyright 2017 Recon Media Inc, and may not be reproduced in any manner in whole or in part without written permission from the
Now that I’m off my political soapbox, it’s back to business. I’m super excited to have Rickson Gracie in this issue. Rickson discusses what he believes is something that’s seriously lacking these days in our favorite martial art and how he and his organization the JJGF intends to change that. Plus all the other great stuff you’ve come to expect in the world’s leading jiu-jitsu publication.
publisher. The views and the opinions of the writers and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Recon Media Inc., the Publisher, or the editorial staff. The Publisher assumes no responsibilities for advertising claims, errors, and omissions. Some of the techniques described in this magazine can be dangerous. Always practice safe procedures and use common sense. Recon Media
Keep Rolling,
Mike Velez Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Inc., and the Publisher can not be held responsible from any injuries or damage caused by these techniques. Perform at your own risk. Jiu-Jitsu Magazine (ISSN2157-6173) is published bi-monthly by Recon Media Inc., 3857 Schaefer Avenue # D, Chino, CA 91710. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to iu-Jitsu Magazine, PO Box 2405, Chino hill, CA 91709
MikeV@jiujitsumag.com
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TRAIN FOR LIFE
JoĂŁo Gabriel Rocha www.gameness.com Joao Gameness.indd 1
www.facebook.com/GamenessFightwear @GamenessFightCo @Gameness_Sports 11/15/16 9:40 PM
weighing in
THE JOKE’S ON YOU! When you think comics and jiu-jitsu the first brand that should come to mind is Fusion Fight Gear. To continue that trend comes the officially licensed Joker BJJ Gi based on the classic 1988 DC Comics graphic novel, “Batman The Killing Joke”, illustrated by Brian Bolland. The illustration on the interior of this limited edition gi was taken right from the comic as the Joker emerges from a chemical waste bath. The jacket is made of 520 GSM pearl weave cotton; a great balance between lightweight and competition ready. The pants are made of 280 GSM double twill cotton so they’re incredibly comfortable yet durable. The interior lining is made to wick sweat away from your body and provide comfort while rolling. The Joker BJJ Gi is limited to just 300 pieces, each is individually numbered and comes
in this collectible Batman Killing Joke Gi bag. It wouldn’t be the Joker without a surprise so, at random, 10 of the 300 gis will have a limited edition “Golden” label on the inside and will be redeemable for a “secret” surprise. The Joker BJJ Gi is available for $159.99 at the Fusion FG website. FUSIONFIGHTGEAR.COM
Chess Anyone? We got wind of this a few months back but were sworn to secrecy; it’s the new Chess Weave from CTRL Industries. The new weave is woven in a way that provides a unique looking weave that’s also extremely functional and durable. The first gi made of the Chess Weave was the Bishop, that sold out in hours. CTRL will be releasing new gis with the unique weave soon including dualcolor versions. CTRLINDUSTRIES.COM
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009
Get A Grip, Save A Life The term “referred pain” is such a very interesting concept. Referred pain is pain felt in a part of the body other than its actual source. It’s always mind blowing to learn how one area of the body can hurt, and then realize that the source of that pain is nowhere near the area in pain. A recent study identified a potential link between grip strength and mortality rates. Now, this may not be as overt as identifying pains from any kind of injury, but this study can help assess and identify potential risks to your health and longevity. The study was conducted by an international team of researchers headed by Dr. Darryl Leong, an assistant professor of cardiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Leong’s study group consisted of 140,000 people between the ages of 40- to 70-years-old and was conducted over a four year period. In that period 3,000 test subjects had passed away. Using a dynamometer to measure a person’s grip strength, the research team was able to observe how grip
News 57_v2.indd 2
strength measurements may be a more accurate indicator of predicting mortality than physical activity. Not only that, but grip strength also outperformed systolic blood pressure as a risk indicator of death.
doing exercises to improve our grip strength, not only will our jiu-jitsu improve, but there’s a good chance our lifespan will as well. Once again jiu-jitsu presents itself with another offering in the realm of our health and longevity.
When all of the data was compared against some major, yet far too common health ailments, measuring grip strength was as good as measuring blood pressure when it came to predicting heart attacks, heart failures and strokes. Dr. Leong goes on to add, “We think that [grip strength] reflects the sum of all of the healthy or unhealthy behaviors that you’ve engaged in throughout the course of your life even.” Although there are many factors that are involved in assessing overall health (the study also found that grip strength plays an unlikely role in regards to cancer, respiratory illness, diabetes, etc.), it is still unclear whether working to improve your grip strength will directly resolve any ailments. However, considering this finding, it is promising to know that when we are drilling, and
11/8/17 1:26 AM
weighing in Cruising In My 6.0! The Iceman only had a 5.0, Tatami rocking a 6.0 with their new Estilo 6.0 gi. The Estilo series has been running strong for six years. This latest version is the result of countless hours of rolling and testing with Tatami’s team of black belts including JT Torres, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, Robson Moura and others. The cut’s been refined to include a unique “Y” shaped jacket vent along the base for better fit and movement. The jacket is cut from 550 GSM pearl weave cotton while the pants are made of 12oz canvas. Sublimated neck lining helps for comfort inside while the cuffs and base of the jacket are lined with soft woven tape. The new Estilo 6.0 is available in seven different color combinations, and each style
is available in twelve different cuts! So basically there’s one for every taste and size. The new gi is available now at the Tatami website for $159.99. Be the Bomb in this new 50/50 Bomber Jacket from Tatami. The outer shell is made from a mix of lightweight pearl weave with twill cotton with a red polyester lining inside. Perfect to wear anywhere! No word yet on price or availability. Tatamifightwear.com
Ralek Vs The World Recently Ralek Gracie took to Instagram and posted a Metamoris Challenge match featuring himself against AJ Agazarm. It’s a long story if you’re not familiar, it involved Ralek failing to pay AJ for a match, AJ kidnapping the Metamoris Instagram account, and AJ sharing a Metamoris stream on Facebook Live; drama in the purest sense. Well Ralek made the announcement for a November 26 match without consulting AJ. It looks like that’s not going to happen since his latest post calls for a November 26th match against himself and Gordon Ryan in Torrance. Although the list is probably long of those wanting to choke out Ralek, only time will see who gets a shot. Metamoris.com
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weighing in LUCKY 13 FOR GARRY A clean shaven Garry Tonon came away victorious retaining his lightweight EBI title at EBI 13. His final match was against Vagner Rocha. He won with an inside heel hook, providing him with his fourth finish of the night. Just a month prior Rocha defeated Tonon at the ADCC in Finland. At the same event Richie “Boogeyman” Martinez became the first ever welterweight Combat Jiu Jitsu. Combat Jiu Jitsu allows for open handed strikes and is affectionately known as “slapjitsu” to many. Since being broadcast now on UFC Fight Pass, EBI events are happening more frequently. The next one up is the Absolutes taking place December 3rd. This is definitely one you won’t want to miss. Photos: Blanca Marisa Garcia for EBI Ebiofficial.com
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weighing in The Air Apparent First came the Air from Gameness, now comes the Air Pro, and Pro it is. This gi is super light and made with a seamless 350 GSM combo weave fabric that’s not only lightweight but extremely durable. It’s ideal for making weight when every ounce counts or training every day when you want light and effortless movement. The branding on the gi is simple and clean, with reinforcement stitching wherever necessary. The EVA foam collar is wrapped with rip stop material for quick drying. Speaking of rip stop, the pants are made of military grade 10oz cotton-poly blend rip stop material with a technical rope draw cord and a 4 loop system to help keep them in place. The new Air Pro is available in sizes A0 to A6 and available in white, black and blue. gameness.com
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GOOD
015
In our last issue we told you about the recent merger of Jocko Industries and Origina Maine, well the first fruits of that new relationship are coming together. Looks like a Jocko gi is in the works. There’s no doubt that this new gi will be 100% American made with American cotton woven from “Loom State” American Pearl weave. It’s a performance blended textile Origin’s worked on with the IBJJF. Acording to Origin it performs amazingly with moisture wicking properties and dries as you are rolling. It will be available in white or black with a sublimation inside the collar. The first 400 units will come with a free signed Discipline Equals Freedom book. Check Origin’s website for more details and availability. originmaine.com
MAKE ANY TIME OPEN MAT TIME. SAVE WITH ONLINE HOME MAT SPECIALS ezflexmats.com 877-939-3539
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Official mat Sponsor of
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Academy directory Nine Nine Jiu-Jitsu
Valko Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
4425 Convoy St Ste 210 San Diego, CA 92111 858-987-0257 • ninenine99.com Gi and No-Gi, Kids, Adults
820 N Orleans Chicago, IL 60610 773-556-8155 • valkobjj.com BJJ, Judo, Boxing, No-Gi
Ralph Gracie Jiu jitsu Chino Hills
Helix BJJ
14151 Pipeline Ave Chino, CA 91710 909-614-1307 • ralphgraciechinohills.com Gi and No-Gi, Kids, Adults
2020 Westside Ct, Ste D Snellville, GA 30078 404-455-2589 • facebook.com/helixbjj BJJ, Martial Arts
Missoula BJJ and Muay Thai
Fight Sports Miami
2301 Palmer Street Unit 12 Missoula, MT 59801 406-686-6255 • missoulabrazilianjiujitsu.yolasite.com Gi and No-Gi, Kids, Adults, Muay Thai
2220 Northeast 2nd Ave Miami, FL 33137 786-290-6875 • miamibjjcenter.com BJJ, No-Gi, MMA, Muay Thai, Judo, Wrestling
Bakersfield BJJ
Renzo Gracie Academy
4308 Resnik Ct #203 Bakersfield, CA 93313 661-345-2906 • mattbakerbjj.com Gi and No-Gi, Kids, Adults, MMA, Kickboxing
224 W 30th St New York, NY 10001 212-279-6724• renzogracie.com BJJ, Submission Grappling, Kids Jitsu, Muay Thai
HIGHER GROUND BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU
GD JIu-JItsu Academy
19267 Colima Rd Ste I Rowland Heights, CA 91748 (626) 667-4082 • hgbjj.com Adult and Children’s Gi and No-Gi
1848 E. University Dr. #108, Tempe, AZ 85281 480-968-6303 • gdjiujitsu.com Adult Gi and No-Gi, Kids BJJ
Brooklyn Martial Arts
Team Rhino Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
289 Livingston St, 2nd & 3rd Floors Brooklyn, NY 11217 718-403-9026 • brooklynmartialarts.com BJJ, Fitness Kickboxing, Kids Martial Arts, MMA
68 E. Fairview Ave. Meridian, Idaho 83642 208-846-9119 • idahoujj.com Adult and Children’s Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
GET YOUR ACADEMY IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF POTENTIAL STUDENTS AND VISITORS EVERY MONTH! EMAIL US: FEEDBACK@JIUJITSUMAG. COM FOR DETAILS!
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TRAINING BUSY School: Watson Martial Arts | Location: St. Louis, MO Busy but never too busy to be consistent. All of these guys have been training for a few years and they all make time to train consistently despite very busy schedules. Danny Gilmore is a business analyst.
in med school. Ryan competes a lot and rarely loses.
Graeme Smith is a father and works at St. Louis University.
Sumanth Bhimireddy is an entrepreneur who has founded multiple businesses and manages the social media of a few others.
Talk about a busy schedule! Great job gentlemen.
Ryan Rees is in the Navy and currently
Multiple Threats Identified School: Daniel Beleza BJJ Location: York, PA Two members from SAS Team have been awarded new belts by Professor Daniel Beleza. Christian Hoffman was promoted to purple belt and Manny Salcedo was promoted as well to black belt. They are both active competitors, so stay on the look-out! Congratulations gentlemen.
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Another Lab Creation School: The MMA Lab Location: Glendale, AZ The MMA Lab Professor has created another purple belt in Mike Grandinetti. Grandinetti is 48 years old and still going strong! Huge congratulations to the both of you.
Receiveth and Giveth School: Team Mannon BJJ Location: Blacksburg, VA While receiving his third degree, Professor Mannon dealt out a couple degrees of his own. Justin Chong received his 2nd degree, and Andrew Culhane received his 1st degree from Professor Tim Mannon. Professor Mannon is certainly prepared to give as good as he receives. Great work gentlemen.
Getting the Third Degree! School: Team Mannon BJJ Location: Blacksburg, VA Usually, getting the third degree is not a good thing and more than likely means that something went wrong. Especially if it’s Renzo Gracie applying the third degree. But not in this case. Tim Mannon received his third degree on his black belt, and even better… It was from Master Renzo Gracie himself! I know… Jiu-jitsu can be confusing! Congratulations Tim! Keep up the good work.
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More Than Blue Skies For This “Pilot” School: Atos Jiu-Jitsu Location: Hamilton Ontario, Canada Congratulations to Dan “Pilot” DeGeit for his promotion to blue belt by Professor PJ O’Sullivan. May this first belt promotion be the gateway to a few more on your jiu-jitsu journey.
Six New Blues School: Buckhead Jiu-Jitsu Location: Buckhead, GA Professor Sam Joseph is at it again, steadily cranking out a new crop of belts. Six of them to be exact. So we will congratulate Jan Gonzales, Amy Newcomb, Joe Vo, Ben Le and Mike Viray! All were promoted to blue belt. Great work to all of you!
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THIS IS MY LIFE THIS IS MY WHEY
RENZO GRACIE AND RILION GRACIE PHOTO BY @RAYSANTANA
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by the numbers TOTAL MATCHES OBSERVED TOTAL MINUTES OBSERVED MATCHES WON BY SUBMISSION MATCHES WON BY POINTS OPPONENT WON MATCH TOTAL MATCHES WON
GORDON RYAN 95%
20 184.6 16 03 01 19 OF RYAN'S MATCHES ENDED IN VICTORY
WORDS: TYLER BISHOP
Founder, BishopBjj.com BJJ Black Belt & Instructor at Gracie Humaita HQ
abstract: All matches observed of Gordon Ryan used in this small sample occurred at major jiu-jitsu events in the years 20162017. Only techniques, occurrences, and outcomes that were recorded are displayed in the data below (i.e. if no butterfly sweeps occurred, there will not be a representation of that in the sample data charts). Matches were selected at random. This is a limited sample – but given the number of matches in this time period – it is well above the percentage necessary to create a scientifically validated trend sampling.
50%
OF BACK TAKES HAPPENED IN TRANSITION
ByTheNumbers - Gordon Ryan.indd 1
the context:
the study:
Gordon Ryan is one of the top
In this study, we observed 20 of his
submission grapplers in the world. His
matches – selected at random – in the
rise to stardom is unprecedented in
time span of 2016 and 2017. The sample
the sport. Still a relatively new black
outlines just how active and dominant
belt, Ryan has reached the pinnacle of
Ryan has been during these last few
no-gi success and can be considered
years. Furthermore, we found the study
a trailblazer for new movements,
to be slightly different from past athlete
formats, and styles within the sport
profiles as Ryan has largely competed
of submission grappling. Ryan is a
in formats that often observe no time
flagship member of the well-know
limit or points. For this reason, we had
“Danaher Death Squad” and has ADCC,
to remove our tracking of “first to score”
Eddie Bravo Invitational, and various
and other metrics associated with
other super fight titles to his name.
standard jiu-jitsu tournament formats.
66%
SECURED SUBMISSION WITHIN REGULATION IN 80% OF MATCHES
OF SWEEPS CAME WHILE THREATENING A SUBMISSION
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023
the breakdown: Gordon Ryan has become one of the premier figures in submission grappling. He has dominated and helped pioneer the submission-only format of tournaments and exhibitions over the last few years. In the 20 matches we observed, he only tasted defeat once. What’s more, 16 of his 19 victories came by way of submission (84%) during the regulated time period. This is one of the highest submission percentages we’ve ever studied. With a high submission percentage, one might expect to find Ryan as an aggressive submission hunter in his matches throwing caution to the wind. What we observed is slightly different. Ryan is very patient in matches and very technically sound. More methodical than careless. Ryan often employed a traditional Butterfly Guard to set up his sweeps and leglocks. In fact, 50% of all of his sweeps originated from the Butterfly Guard. Additionally, 66% of his sweeps occurred as a result of threatening his opponent with a sweep (largely leglocks and armlocks). While Ryan secured more sweeps than he did guard passes in our study, we did observe him passing the guard more than what his reputation might suggest. When he did pass, 57% of the time he
initiated the pass from a standing position. However, due to his preferred grappling format, guard passing did not seem to be a highly pursued part of his game. More commonly, we saw Ryan using elements of the game, like guard passing, to set up his submissions. 50% of his back takes happened in a guard passing transition, and 19% of his overall submissions took place in a scramble or transition while on top. This is the part of the game where Ryan seems to really thrive; the sole exception being the one loss he experienced inside the study. Ryan almost always wins when he creates chaos within the match. He is very calculated through the match and saves his explosive or aggressive movements for these opportune moments. While Ryan has a tremendous reputation for leglocks, only 25% of his submissions within the study were leglocks. Approximately 75% of those leglocks were heel hook variations. The most common submission we saw Ryan capture in the study was the rear naked choke. It accounted
SWEEPS (POSITION)
PASSES (TYPE)
50/50.....................................................................................1
KNEE OVER/KNEE THROUGH PASS...................................3
HALF GUARD........................................................................1 X-GUARD (SINGLE & TRADITIONAL)...................................3
BUTTERFLY............................................................................6 SIT-UP GUARD......................................................................1
SWEEPS (TYPE)
LEGLOCK USED TO SWEEP.................................................6 X-GUARD...............................................................................2
HOOK SWEEPS....................................................................2 ARMLOCK USED TO SWEEP................................................2
TOTAL SWEEPS......................................................................12
PASSES (POSITION)
LEG DRAG..............................................................................1 REVERSE SITTING HALF GUARD PASS...............................1 UNDER THE LEGS PASS PASS.............................................1 KNEE UP, FROM HALF GUARD TO MOUNT......................1 TOTAL PASSES.......................................................................7
TAKING THE BACK
SIDE CONTROL.....................................................................2 FROM PASSING THE GUARD..............................................5 TURTLE...................................................................................2 MOUNT.................................................................................1
TOTAL BACK-TAKES...............................................................10
ON KNEES.............................................................................2
SUBMISSIONS (POSITION)
STANDING.............................................................................4
POSITIONAL TRANSITION....................................................3
HALF-GUARD........................................................................1
ByTheNumbers - Gordon Ryan.indd 2
BACK......................................................................................7
for 38% of his overall submissions. One might think that this large number of back submissions happened due to the positional advantage that the overtime format many sub-only tournaments utilize. However, we did not track these as submissions in the study. All of the rear naked chokes Ryan secured in this study happened in regulation. Surprisingly, triangle submission variations also accounted for approximately 25% of the submissions Ryan secured in the study. This prevalence of the triangle is a bit surprising considering Ryan is so well known for leglocks; yet in the study, he had just as many triangle submissions as he did leglocks. Ultimately, Ryan has been as successful as any athlete we’ve studied. Additionally, he’s been extremely active during this time period as well, giving us a lot of data to review. Ryan has quickly positioned himself as the top sub-only grappler on the scene today. His dominance in this format is unprecedented, and he is unlikely to be challenged soon. Coming off his recent ADCC title, it will be exciting to see how he elects to challenge himself in the future, especially if that involves the gi.
50/50 OR LEG REAP.............................................................4 SIDE CONTROL.....................................................................1 STANDING.............................................................................1
SUBMISSIONS (TYPE)
CHOKE FROM BACK............................................................6 HEELHOOK...........................................................................3 KNEEBAR..............................................................................1
KIMURA................................................................................1 GUILLOTINE...........................................................................1
TRIANGLE VARIATION..........................................................4
TOTAL SUBS...........................................................................16
SUMMARY SUCCESSES: BACK TAKING, CHOKES FROM BACK AVOIDED: MOUNT ATTACKS, DE LA RIVA GUARD TOP TECHNIQUE: CHOKES FROM BACK
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UNDERSTANDING CARBS
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WORDS: JON DAVIDSON
NEARLY EVERYONE HAS HEARD THE PROCLAMATION THAT CARBOHYDRATES ARE TABOO FOR ANYONE STRIVING FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND OPTIMAL FITNESS. MANY INDIVIDUALS HAVE TAKEN THIS STATEMENT SERIOUSLY AS THEY OBSESSIVELY KICK CARBOHYDRATES TO THE CURB AND LOAD UP ON PROTEINS INSTEAD. Some carbohydrates, or carbs, should be shunned from
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your nutrition plan especially if you want to take your grappling seriously. Others, however, are essential for good health. Find out why a diet that is devoid of carbs can be harmful, and learn to identify good carbs and bad carbs so that you can make healthier choices to make weight and still have the energy to compete against the toughest opponent.
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Know Your Macros Macronutrients, or macros, are the components of nutrition that provide your body with the calories that it needs to function. The three macronutrients that should be included with every meal include:
Carbohydrates provide the energy to get through your training and your workday, and they also provide the energy needed for your body’s metabolic functions. If you do not take in a sufficient proportion of carbs in your diet, your body will be forced to utilize its own fat or protein stores as an energy source instead, neither of which is a healthy scenario that you will be able to sustain for the remainder of your natural life. In addition to providing energy, carbs provide the following great benefits as well:
carbs that you should purge from your plate and ignore in the grocery store. Examples of simple carbs include:
BAKED GOODS AND PASTA • PROCESSED CEREALS • SUGARY PRODUCTS, SUCH AS CANDY •
THE DIETARY FIBER THAT IS FOUND IN MANY COMPLEX CARB SOURCES AIDS IN DIGESTION. •
THE SOLUBLE FIBER THAT IS FOUND IN SOME CARBS IMPROVES CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH BY LOWERING YOUR BAD CHOLESTEROL AND RAISING YOUR GOOD CHOLESTEROL. •
CARBOHYDRATES • PROTEINS • FATS •
Many of the foods that are categorized into these macronutrients provide vitamins and minerals, which are micronutrients. Many foods also provide more than one macronutrient. For example, beans provide carbohydrates as well as protein. This offers some flexibility in your daily meal planning if you are keeping score of macro exchanges taken in.
Eat to roll
The primary role of carbs is to supply your body with energy. The term “carb-loading” applies to the concept of fueling up on carbs before an event that requires your full strength and endurance. Runners will often carb-load before a race.
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If your primary concern is that eating carbs will make you fat, you are only partly correct. When you consume a diet that is too high in carbs, the excess in your body that does not get expended as energy ends up being stored as fat. However, not all carbs are created equal, and choosing the right carbs as part of your nutrition plan can actually help you to lose weight.
Axe the Bad Carbs
All carbs are organic compounds. There are two types of carbs, and they are referred to as simple carbs and complex carbs. Simple carbs are made up of short molecular chains, which means that they require little processing in your body. Such sugars as glucose, fructose, and lactose that come from these simple carbs, therefore, quickly end up circulating through your bloodstream, resulting in blood sugar spikes. Simple carbs, like sugar, offer little to no nutritional value. Think of bad carbs as empty carbs that offer the same amount of nutrition that empty calories provide. These are the
Simple carbs have little substance and will increase your weight because they do not satiate. Instead of joining the no-carb cult, simply opt to eat no simple carbs. Including complex carbs with your meals instead of simple carbs will help fill you up and help you maintain an ideal weight.
Add the Good Carbs
Complex carbs are made up of longer molecular chains, which means that they must be broken down more extensively to provide glucose to your bloodstream. This means that the infusion of glucose occurs more slowly, which prevents blood sugar spikes and provides energy for a longer
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period of time. There are varying levels of complex carbs, some of which are acceptable alternatives to keep your meals varied, while others belong to the upper echelon of the carbohydrate hierarchy. Complex carbs also help to reduce inflammation, support digestion, and help on the mats because they improve replenishment of muscle glycogen stores. For the healthiest nutrition, try to stick with these top tier choices for most of your carb consumption:
SWEET POTATOES AND RELATED TUBERS • LENTILS AND LEGUMES (BEST COOKED IN A PRESSURE COOKER) • CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES (BROCCOLI, BRUSSEL SPROUTS, KALE) • BERRIES AND IN-SEASON FRUITS • MILLET, BUCKWHEAT, AND AMARANTH • OATS • RICE • LEAFY GREEN VEGETABLES •
Many people do not realize that vegetables provide carbs, and in addition to carbs, vegetables also provide crucial vitamins and minerals that your body also requires. The same can be said of some other whole foods that have been erroneously relegated to the bad carb corner.
serving of fresh fruit daily as part of your nutritionally balanced diet. Be sure to eat fruit that’s in-season where you live. Imported fruit often contain high-levels of lectins that can cause you to retain weight while increasing inflammation.
Two carb sources that are often blacklisted by individuals who are trying to lose weight are fruit and potatoes (not sweet potatoes). Fruit and potatoes are not bad carbs. Potatoes are higher in starch content than some of the aforementioned whole grains, and so they rank higher on the glycemic index, and fruit contains fructose, which is a natural sugar. However, potatoes and
Everyone’s different. Your body
How Many Carbs Falsely Vilified Carbs Should You Be Eating? composition, your goals, your genetics should all be taken into account. If you’re not training regularly either at the gym or on the mats, you probably want to reduce carb intake to less than 50 grams per day. This means you should limit your carb intake to only the most fibrous low-carb vegetables, such as leafy greens, a serving of nuts, beans, or berries might also be a good idea.
fruit also contain a modest amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that your body needs. This means that, unlike the bad carbs, they lend plenty of nutritional value to your meals. The real threat that these foods pose comes from the way that they are served. A controlled portion of potato is not going to make you fat. The butter, cheese or sour cream that is often heaped onto them is the culprit. Find other ways to enjoy potatoes, such as roasting them with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of spices or herbs. Enjoy one controlled
If you’re training jiu-jitsu regularly, or pretty active off the mats, feel free to bump that carb intake up to 100 grams on training days. On days like this you can add a couple servings of the higher carb foods on the list of complex carbs above. If you’re training like a beast, feel free to eat as many healthy complex carbs as you’d like. Some nutritionists recommended 3 grams per kilogram of body weight or more a day for some athletes.
In the End Don’t fear carbs. They belong on your plate and in your body just as proteins and healthy fats do. By being a smart shopper, a conscious cook, and an educated eater, you can win the war on carbs. Exile the enemy carbs that will not do your body good and fuel up with the friendly carbs that will keep you on the mats training with the energy and stamina you need.
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supplements
ALL ABOUT THE TIMING
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WORDS: MIKE VELEZ
LIKE SO MANY THINGS IN LIFE, AND JIU-JITSU, TIMING IS EVERYTHING. IN LIFE IT COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, GAIN AND LOSS. On the mats, a perfectly timed or ill timed technique can be the difference between gold and unconsciousness. When it comes to timing one area of particular importance for jiu-jitsu athletes, it should be when to take and not to take certain supplements. For the most part, missed timing when to take a supplement won’t have any negative effects,
although there are exceptions, missed timing will rob you of the added benefit you might have seen with proper timing. There are many factors that contribute to proper supplement timing: digestion, exertion, sleep, and recovery needs all influence when your body is best suited to receive a supplement and get the most out of its benefits.
Morning
Unless you’re working the graveyard shift, mornings are the end of your sleep cycle which means your body’s been in a resting and fasting state for the last six to eight hours. Unless you’re practicing intermittent fasting, you’ll want to get protein into your body to help with last night’s training session. Some whey protein in the form of a shake or BCAAs are great first thing in the morning, which will stop your body from breaking down muscle. A multivitamin in the morning is a great idea. Specifically vitamin C and B are beneficial in the morning. Iron is especially beneficial on an empty stomach, however, don’t take it with your morning coffee; the caffeine and tannins in the coffee can affect absorption. Vitamin E goes well with breakfast since it’s best absorbed when dietary fats are present.
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Lunch Time
It’s never a bad time to take fish oil; however, lunchtime is a perfect time to get some of those essential Omega-3’s. In the past we’ve written about Coenzyme Q10 and its benefits for grapplers. CoQ10 can have a negative impact on sleep, so the best time to take it is about lunch time. It’s also best absorbed when dietary fats are present. Zinc goes well with lunch since it shouldn’t be taken on an empty stomach but avoid taking it at the same time with calcium or iron. Iodine is a supplement we haven’t talked about before, but it’s an element that’s naturally found in a number of the foods we eat. It helps to provide support to our normal functions. It’s also been shown to help increase energy levels that makes it perfect for a midday boost.
Dinner Time
If you’ve got a busy training schedule, it’s important to make sure your body’s getting all the micro and macro nutrients it needs for proper performance and recovery. Whether you’re taking an additional multivitamin or specific nutrients dinner time, is a good time to take vitamin D. Like many vitamins, it’s fat soluble which means it can be stored in the body as needed. It’s best absorbed into the body when dietary fats are present. Vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone that’s produced when we’re exposed to sunlight; however, many people are deficient. Vitamin D helps to maintain bone strength, muscle mass, and helps us to absorb calcium. Vitamin C is another one that’s good around dinner time. It’s water soluble so your body doesn’t store it. A little vitamin C early evening helps with the immune system. Now’s also a good time to take another dose of fish oil!
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Bed Time
Last month we mentioned ZMA as a great recovery supplement for any athletes, especially jiu-jitsu folks like us. ZMA contains zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6. Magnesium helps with bone strength, and it also has a calming effect on the nervous system and muscles which makes it a great sleep aid. If you’ve been training hard, which I know you have, before bed is a great time to have some casein protein. A protein shake rich in casein protein will help fuel your recovery over the long slumber since casein is a slow digesting protein. It’s been awhile since we’ve touched on probiotics. There are definite health benefits to taking probiotics. A healthy microbiome is essential for overall health as well as high-performance on the mats. Probiotics are best taken on an empty stomach to minimise interaction with your stomach’s digestive enzymes. Before bed is the perfect time for them.
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BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING Now, those are some guidelines to follow when it comes to your meal schedule and routine. Our training schedules also have a big influence on the optimal time to get the most out of your supplements. Before training, it’s about having enough fuel so that you can put in the work to see the gains, whether it’s technique on the mats of building strength and endurance or from moving iron around. It’s important to have both
carbohydrates and protein prior to an intense workout. Whey protein is the first choice for pre-workouts because it releases quickly into your system. BCAAs are also a good idea for preworkout to fuel the workout but also to help fight fatigue. Beta-Alanine is another amino acid that’s great for pre-workout. It will help improve your training by increasing muscle carnosine concentration- carnosine helps to
reduce acid and free radicals in your muscles while you’re working out. This helps endurance and fatigue. After workouts, the sooner you can get vital nutrients into your system, the more optimal the effects of supplementation. Your post workout mix will look a lot like our pre-workout: whey, BCAAs, and beta-alanine should all be included plus casein and quality carbohydrates.
Supplemental Pointers Take supplements as suggested with water. Avoid taking them with drinks containing caffeine or tanninsthese compounds can interfere with absorption. Don’t take probiotics with hot water or any hot beverage- the heat can kill the live microorganisms. Don’t double up on suggested servings if you miss a dose, just wait until next time. Keep supplements in a cool, dry, dark place. Don’t remove an internal packaging material designed to help keep them fresh.
Always check with your physician when taking supplements with prescribed medications to make sure there are no interactions or complications. Play it safe and stick to recommended dosages.
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WHITE BELT CHRONICLES
A WHITE BELTS GUIDE TO
SETTING GOALS WORDS: RICARDO CASTANEDA
AS A WHITE BELT, IT IS HARD ENOUGH TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LEARNING OR WHERE YOU SHOULD BE GOING. ON THE JIU-JITSU MAP, POINT A IS CONFUSING ENOUGH, AND MOST OF THE TIME A BRAND NEW JIU-JITSU PRACTITIONER HAS ZERO IDEA WHERE TO FIND POINT B. As a white belt, you should be focusing on defending yourself. The biggest goal for any beginner is to survive and keep on surviving until you are actually able to consistently remove yourself from bad positions and put yourself in better ones. This must be achieved with the use of effective technique and minimal strength. This is where you will find that Point B on the map: self-defense and survival, effectively and efficiently. How do you get there though? In the past I’ve written extensively on how to set goals. Goal setting can be tricky especially if you are unaware of what you should even be doing in the first place. If you lack direction, you can find yourself heading the wrong way for a long period of time. Goals can help keep you on track but they must be done right. This will serve as your guide to set goals properly so you can get to that next level.
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Do Not Focus on Outcomes or Performance
One of the biggest challenges to goal setting in jiu-jitsu is that there is a lack of measurable outcomes. In other words, how can you quantify your progress? How many times you tap your partner or counting how many times you tap is unreliable. White belts focus too much on how many times they tap or lose and how many times they tap or beat others. This is detrimental to your long-term progress because the outcome of each individual training session is a poor measuring stick. Because there are myriad factors that could explain performance, you should shift your focus towards the process and not the outcome.
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Do Not Rely on Goals: Rely on the Process Setting goals is great but because progress is immeasurable, you may never truly know how good you are doing. Because you cannot quantify most things in jiu-jitsu, you are going to have to create systems in order to get ahead. In other words, instead of saying “I will get my blue belt in one year”, you should develop a plan to optimize your learning by showing up to class consistently and investing in private lessons once a month. Even if you do not reach your goal, you can rest assured that you have already put yourself ahead of most of your peers. The training process and not the outcome is what will keep you moving forward.
A White Belt’s Two Biggest Goals
1. Focus on getting out of bad positions
This will be one of the hardest parts of your learning curve as a white belt, but the quicker you get it over with, the more proficient you will be and the better your long-term game will develop. As a white belt, your number one goal is going to be to learn how to defend yourself and escape bad positions. Actively putting yourself in bad positions and practicing escapes will proactively and dramatically increase your proficiency in defending yourself. From your defense, your offense will develop. If you can handle the beatings, do yourself a favor and start working out of those bad spots now.
2. Develop a consistent training plan that you can stick to Consistency is going to be the most important aspect of training for you going forward. Whether your goal is to be a world champion, lose some weight, or just have a hobby to get you out of the house, you are going to need a consistent training plan to accomplish your short and longterm goals. Come up with a training plan that will allow you to make class but do not overshoot. Attempting to train 20 hours a week is great, albeit too ambitious for the average practitioner. Training less than the hours you shoot for can be discouraging. The opposite, training more than the hours you shoot for helps with your overall attitude and consistency.
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Two Goals Not to Have
1. Counting Submissions
2. Beating your Training partners
Do not focus on submissions yet. Submissions are en vogue, especially right now, but do not focus your goals on how many submissions you can get or how many times you get submitted. This is a recipe for disaster. There are too many factors involved with the submission process to rely on this as an adequate metric for your progress.
Much like counting submissions, this is another goal you should not have. Your training partners are your teammates. Setting goals to beat them can create unnecessary tension and release a lot of maladaptive emotions. You should never endeavor to beat your training partners but rather, focus on making each training session a positive experience for you and your partner.
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We hope he’s still training, but to protect the innocent we had to disguise.
Beware of the Blue Belt Goal Every white belt has at least dreamed about getting their black belts someday. First though, you must receive your blue belt. Your blue belt is going to be your first big step in the never-ending jiu-jitsu journey. The road is long and hard but if you stick with it, you will receive your blue belt in no time. The biggest factors in receiving your blue belt is going to be how you are defending yourself with minimal effort, being consistent, and having a good attitude. Your instructor is not counting how many times you tap others or how often you are getting the best of your training partners. Your instructor is more likely paying attention to
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effective and efficient use of technique and how consistently you are showing up for class. If you do set your goal on receiving your blue belt, remember to focus on the process and not the outcome. If your goal is to receive your blue belt in a year, it might be an ambitious goal but there are ways you can maximize your learning curve. Invest your resources in your knowledge and your training and be consistent in your practice. Even if you do not receive your belt, you will still have put in much more work than your peers, and you will be a better practitioner for it.
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do’s and don’ts
OVERCOMING PLATEAUS
BY RICARDO CASTANEDA
A typical learning curve is characterized by a slow start, rapid acceleration, and finally, the dreaded plateau. At first, most people have difficulty learning a new skill because many of the initial concepts are foreign. In jiu-jitsu, this is akin to learning the names of positions and techniques as well as some of the mechanisms behind their action. As you begin to internalize the many different positions and some of the philosophy behind them, you will be ready for the middle phase of your learning curve where you will experience rapid growth. The middle part of the learning curve is always the best because it is where you are picking things up at a rapid clip. Unfortunately, this growth is not sustainable and your skill development will eventually flatten out. This stage is usually called the plateau.
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In jiu-jitsu, the plateau can be a practitioner’s biggest challenge. Understanding plateaus and why they occur are an important part of building your resilience and breaking through these barriers in order to ensure you stay the course. During the plateau, your progress will feel like it’s stalling out because it moves slowly. Plateaus, if not handled properly, can lead to frustration, burnout, and even cause some people to quit because they are no longer making the progress they desire. This is unfortunate because there are ways around plateaus, and by circumventing the area you are struggling with, you will ensure much greater overall progress and vastly improve your development on the mats. Here are some do’s and don’ts for dealing with your next plateau.
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DO
Ask for Your Instructor’s Feedback
Try New Things
When we hit a plateau, there is a point where our learning has slowed down and there is not much more we can do by ourselves. Soliciting your instructor’s feedback can be a great resource to find other avenues to accelerate your learning again. Perhaps you are missing a key detail in the positions you have worked. That tiny detail can result in another rapid learning phase. Keep in mind that your instructors have been where you are and likely have experienced many more of these periods where their learning leveled out. They have been through many of their own plateaus and will have some amazing guidance for you as you break through your own.
If ever there was a time to try new techniques or improve different positions, this is it. Your plateau happens because your learning of a particular skill begins to level out. You can keep the learning sharp if you take on new techniques and attempt to master new positions. Timing this for when you are beginning your plateau can keep your development moving continuously which will keep you from feeling like you are not learning anything. This is the time to get out of your comfort zone and work on new ideas instead of crashing headfirst into the area you are leveling off at.
Rest
There are many reasons why we can fail to overcome plateaus. Sometimes, the frustration we experience from stalling out in our development can lead to stress and psychological burnout. Wearing down our mental capacities can hinder our problem solving skills which will leave us much less equipped to handle these periods of slower progress. Taking a day or two to rest your mind and body can often help give you the reset you need to approach your struggles anew.
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Be Hard on Yourself
When you hit a plateau, your attitude must stay positive. It is easy to develop a negative attitude when things seem like they are at a standstill. What one must understand is that though the progress has stalled out and is moving much more slowly, the fact remains that just by showing up, you are still making progress. Being too self-critical when you cannot see your own progress is a detriment to your development, and you will need to be kinder to yourself when you are experiencing these periods of slow progress. In jiu-jitsu, these times will be many, and you must move through them effectively.
Assume It Will Be Your Last If this is your first plateau, congratulations. It likely means that you have excelled to a point in a certain area where your progress has slowed down and you are ready for the next big challenge. Keep in mind that this will not be your last plateau. You will experience them from time to time and you will continue to break past them if you are diligent enough to keep putting in the work. Be smart about how you approach your plateaus and you can use the skills here to overcome the next one.
Quit Whatever you do, do not quit! Your plateau is not a good reason to end your practice. The great thing about reaching a plateau is that it is a good indicator that you have come a long way from where you started. Before you think about quitting, consider trying new things and getting some rest. Approach the issues you are having from new perspectives. Plateaus are not limited to your daily training but rather also occur in your day to day life. The same practices that help you overcome those plateaus are applicable here. We all have our ups and downs in this journey and quitting is rarely the answer.
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” – Vince Lombardi
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how-to
COMPETITION What to work on WEEK! the week before
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WORDS: RICARDO CASTANEDA
COMPETING IN JIU-JITSU IS A DAUNTING TASK. EVEN AS A SEASONED COMPETITOR, PREPARING FOR COMPETITION IS CHALLENGING AND IT CAN BE MUCH MORE INTENSE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS LITTLE EXPERIENCE UNDER THEIR BELT. Preparing for a competition should not be done overnight; you should allow yourself about four to five weeks to adequately prepare. Four to five weeks is optimal because beginning a camp too early can lead to injury or burnout and beginning too late may not leave you enough time to polish your strengths and fix some weaknesses. However you decide to prepare, be sure you make a plan and stick with it. When you start early enough, preparation is fairly
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straightforward: work on your strengths, fix your weaknesses, clean up your diet, make sure you are on weight, meditate and visualize, and avoid injury. There are many things that you should work on in the weeks leading to competition so that the week before is smooth sailing. Most people, however, are unsure of how to proceed during that final week. Some will scramble to make final adjustments, some will desperately train hard to work on their cardio, others will starve themselves because they are still 20lbs overweight. The final week before your competition should be calm and the hard work should have already been done. Here is a guide on how to optimize the week before your tournament.
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The Week Before your Competition
Again, the time to make significant physical improvements has now passed. During the final week of competition preparation, your biggest priorities should change immensely. You should have made sure your weight was manageable, if not on point, your strengths and strategy honed in, and your weaknesses fortified. You should have already been preparing yourself mentally, and hopefully, you have not been injured in the process of hard training leading up to this final week. This week is crucial because you will have to fight the urge to train hard and if you have been dieting well, you will want to eat poorly. Discipline is key.
Weight Management
â?–â?– If you must shed some water weight prior to weigh-in, a sauna suit like this one from Fuji can come in very handy.
Your first priority during this week should be your weight. This should go without saying, but it is alarming how many competitors have such a weak handle on their weight leading up to the weigh-in. This should also go without saying, but you should also know WHEN your weigh-in is scheduled. Is your weigh-in right before your match? If so, do not try to cut (read: dehydrate). If your weigh-in is scheduled the day before and you plan on dehydrating yourself to make weight, make sure you have already started preparing for this because it will be grueling. Your weight is most important because more often than not, missing your weight requirement will result in immediate disqualification. You will rarely have a chance to make it up. What good is all the preparation if you are disqualified without even stepping foot into the mat area? Furthermore, if your weight is unmanageable, you will be distracted from the task at hand which is winning a competition. You will be anxiously focused instead on how to lose that last pound that never seems to come off.
Avoid Injury
Diet
After your weight is taken care of, do your best to avoid injury or recover from any injuries you may have sustained. I always suggest to my students that they will not become much better in the week leading up to the competition, so it is best to train lightly and use the last two to three days before your match to enjoy some rest, recovery, and mental preparation. After weeks of hard training, your body may be sore and it could use a little tender love and care so that it performs at 100% on your competition day. Do not try and train hard; hard training will exacerbate any minor injuries you are dealing with and will increase the chances of getting injured. Train lightly with people you trust and take a few days off to recover completely.
You are what you eat. Furthermore, if you eat poorly, you will perform poorly. There are some outliers in the world that can eat poorly and still perform superbly but do not assume you belong in this category. Be mindful of your diet in the week leading up to competition because in addition to a proper diet and its effects on weight management, what you eat will decide how your system gets fueled. This is not the time for cheat meals and it is definitely not the time to be drinking. Be disciplined, clean up your diet, and fuel the machine. Eat clean foods, drink plenty of water, and if your diet allows, load up on complex carbohydrates in the last couple of days. Stay disciplined; you will be back to inhaling cheeseburgers and pizza before you know it.
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Mental preparation Although I strongly suggest taking a step back from physical preparation, I also strongly advocate boosting your mental preparation. Take time during this week (especially if you have not already begun doing so) to meditate and visualize the competition. Picture what the venue will look like, how you will feel, how your matches will go, and the delicious meal you are going to have afterward. Take the time to prepare your mind because the emotions you will experience during your camp will be intense. Managing your emotional response to competition will make a vast difference in whether you will be able to make sound decisions in the heat of the moment versus choking from the pressure.
Familiarize yourself with the Rules ❖❖ Visualization of your match, including thoughts of dealing with adversity will go a long way come competition time.
❖❖ Imagine that first meal after getting gold.
Avoid Learning New Techniques If you have been adequately preparing for your competition, you should already have a strategy planned and should have already been working on areas of strength and weakness. Some of the pre-competition anxiety will lead you in search of new techniques for all of the hypothetical situations that could possibly occur. I encourage you to avoid learning new things right before your match. Adding new information can hinder your mind from executing efficiently in the heat of the moment. For example, instead of working your tried and true guard passes, your brain could be searching for a technique you found while immersed in a YouTube black hole rendering you ineffective. The time for learning and practicing new techniques is over; stick to what you know and what you are comfortable with and improvise along the way.
Many different federations and organizations have different rule sets. Most are somewhat similar but each has its own idiosyncrasies that will make it unique. While, for example, some promotions allow purple belts to use kneebars, the IBJJF will disqualify you for attempting a kneebar at the purple belt level. Politics aside, if you are choosing to enter a competition, be familiar with its rule set and abide by them. They are in place for a reason and you do not want to get disqualified for something easily avoidable.
FINAL NOTES
Competition is a great part of jiu-jitsu. I recommend that everyone competes in a jiu-jitsu tournament at least once in their tenure. It is a great way to test your skills against people of similar age, weight, and rank. Furthermore, the learning experience is unparalleled. If you have competed several times, you probably have a routine that works for you. If you are brand new to competing, this will serve as a guide to help you get through that last week where you should be stepping back from your training and getting mentally focused as you dial in your weight. These suggestions are of course merely suggestions and every competitor has their own way of doing things. My ultimate advice is find a routine that works for you and stick with it but never be afraid to modify along the way.
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BLACK BELT Q&A I’m a 3-stripe white belt. I’m a big guy, 6’2 250 lbs, and I have a small blue belt teammate that’s constantly being a jerk. When he has me in a better position, he does little things to make me miserable. I’m fighting every urge not to just smash the hell out of him the next time I’m on top. What do I do?
ALTHOUGH MOMENTS/TRAINING PARTNERS LIKE THIS CAN BE FRUSTRATING, I TEND TO APPROACH THESE SITUATIONS AS OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE HONEST ASSESSMENTS AND ADJUSTMENTS THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR JIU-JITSU. NOW WE MAY NEVER TRULY KNOW THE INTENT OF OUR TRAINING PARTNER, BUT AS LONG AS NO ONE IS PUT INTO ANY ADDITIONAL DANGER OUTSIDE OF THE NORMAL RISK OF EVERYDAY TRAINING SESSIONS, THEIR
We have this one guy at my academy that STINKS. I’m not sure if he doesn’t wash his gi, or what. It’s not just his gi, he has really, really bad BO. It’s so bad I don’t want to roll with him. How do I handle this? Ask A Black Belt.indd 1
INTENT SHOULDN’T BE A FACTOR. Instead, keep focus on the series of movements that lead up to those moments and begin to build up a better system to recognize those combination of movements and ultimately avoid or even use your partner’s tendencies against him. An approach like this is one of the many reasons why this art is so great. Our theories and techniques are constantly tested against a wide range of circumstances (i.e. body types, weight, personalities, etc). Once
you’re able to crack that code, then feel free to offer a little “payback” in the form of a smashing technique. It will now be on your training partner to figure out a counter to your movements, and thus the old adage comes into effect “steel sharpens steel”. However, be sure to keep a healthy balance of the Ryron Gracie philosophy between “keeping it real” and “keeping it playful”.
Oof. That can be a tricky one. You don’t want to offend anyone; however, NO ONE likes to roll with the stinky person. The reality of this subject matter is that there really is no easy way around this issue other than being honest and direct with the culprit. Now, don’t take that as a green light to rail on this person. I would suggest being as discreet as possible. One way to begin the dialog is to ask how they wash their gi. I know that I struggled with stinky gis myself, even though I washed it after every training session and tried many things to get the stink out, such as soaking it overnight, washing it multiple times, etc. It wasn’t until I asked a training partner for his recommendation, he suggested that I
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try distilled white vinegar. Adding just a little vinegar to my wash helped for a while but eventually the smell came back. Later, I found out about Absolute laundry detergent (manufactured by the same people that produce this magazine). Absolute is actually made specifically for gis and not only does it kill more bacteria than the vinegar method, it doesn’t leave that hint of vinegar smell in my clothing (yes, I also use Absolute on my regular clothes as well). Now the other part of this conversation would be to begin a discussion about dietary choices and hygiene methods. These can factor into the overall issue. Although everyone needs to eat, it may not be the best idea to have that garlic and onion pizza for lunch on training days, and as for a hygiene protocol, it can only help discussing the merits of good hygiene and how it can avoid infections and overall training experience. Another approach may be to have the instructor address the class as a whole, as to not single out anyone in particular and remind everyone of the importance and courtesies of good hygiene. Good luck with that conversation and let us know how it goes.
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How important is drilling? My school has a new instructor and her classes are literally 30 minutes of drilling in an hour long class. I feel like this is stuff I could be doing on my own. I don’t enjoy her classes. Should I just try to avoid her or maybe change schools?
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That guy looks familiar. Maybe we’ll see more of him in a future issue.
The importance of drilling can not be emphasised enough. Drilling shouldn’t be approached in the manner of boring, mindless repetition, but instead as somewhat of a workout in itself. You are shaping and molding movement patterns so that when the time arises, you can slap on a movement instinctively, rather than having to hesitate for a moment to think about it. It also makes a difference to have
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a like minded partner who can give you feedback on your movements and let you know if those holds that you’re applying are effective (and not to mention make the time spent drilling more enjoyable) . However, I will concede that there is a balance that needs to be achieved between drilling and sparring. Who doesn’t enjoy sparring? As for not enjoying the instructor’s classes, I would offer
to have a talk with the instructor about additional opportunities to roll outside of the regular class schedule. Ultimately, you are the one paying your hard earned money for a service. Once you feel that your needs are not being met, I am all for shopping around to another academy that addresses your concerns. No one ever wants to be an unhappy training partner or be around unhappy training partners.
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I’ve been training jiu-jitsu for around 6 months now and have been able to pull off a few submissions on some of my training partners, and feel I’m getting the hang of these moves and am able to string a few of them together to set up submissions. But, when going against some of the more experienced practitioners, I’m having a hard time catching them with the same series of moves. How can I develop the reflexes to finish off more submissions? First off, I would like to acknowledge the fact that you are already able to string together moves at this stage of your training. It shows that you understand the value of a bigger picture of looking beyond the move in front of you. However, a common mistake that I see amongst newer practitioners is that just because they know a few moves from a certain
position, they tend to rush into the next transition after only a brief attempt at the first one. I would suggest that instead of being in such a rush to go to the next position/move, allow your first move to set in and stay calm and strong in your dominant position. I find that staying calm in a dominant position is the key for a successful submission or transition to
whatever it is you’re going for. Staying solid and calm in your position will allow you to better assess what your opponent is attempting. This is vital because, once you feel and understand how your opponent is reacting, that is the moment you can make the best adjustments to get you the results you want.
I am looking to compete in my first BJJ tournament and want to be as prepared as possible. I don’t lift weights right now. I just train at my academy. Should I begin a weight training program? This actually tends to be a common discussion with people who are testing the waters of competitive jiujitsu. While I don’t necessarily feel that you need to go out and get a gym membership at your nearest fitness club, I do firmly believe that supplemental training of any kind outside of just drilling and sparring is key to put yourself in the best position to execute to your highest ability. There are a few successful competitors out there that strictly stick to jiu-jitsu as their prep for competition, but they are very rare and are the exceptions. The outliers. Whatever you decide on, just be sure to get your rest and train hard, and be sensible in your training. Because if you get injured, then you won’t be able to do either for a while. And that would really be a bummer.
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JOSH HINGER PLAYING WITH THE HINGERTINE
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WORDS: WILL SAFFORD | PHOTOS: WILL SAFFORD & MIKE VELEZ
Raw Data Powered by BJJ Heros Lineage: M. Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Reyson Gracie > Osvaldo Alves > L. Dagmar > André Galvão > Josh Hinger
Main Achievements: ❖❖ IBJJF World No-Gi Champion (2016) ❖❖ IBJJF American No-Gi Nationals Champion (2014**) ❖❖ IBJJF Seattle International Open Champion (2017/2015) ❖❖ IBJJF Austin International Open Champion (2017) ❖❖ ACBJJ 7 MW Grand Prix No-Gi Champion (2017) ❖❖ Gracie Worlds Champion (2015) ❖❖ IBJJF Chicago Spring International Open Champion (2017**/2016**) ❖❖ IBJJF Chicago Spring No-Gi International Open Champion (2017*) ❖❖ IBJJF Chicago Summer International Open Champion (2016) ❖❖ IBJJF Chicago Summer No-Gi International Open Champion (2016**) ❖❖ IBJJF World Masters Championship Runner-up (2017
AS ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST VETERAN MEMBERS OF THE ATOS COMPETITION Master 1) TEAM, JOSH HINGER HAS EARNED THE RESPECT OF HIS TEAMMATES AND OPPONENTS ❖❖ EBI Runner-up (2015) THROUGH YEARS OF GRIT AND HARD WORK. HE MAY NOT HAVE HAD THE SAME ❖❖ IBJJF San Francisco International Open Runner-up (2015) SUDDEN RISE TO GLORY MANY OF HIS YOUNGER TEAMMATES HAVE, BUT THE ❖❖ IBJJF Seattle International Open Runner-up (2017*) 35-YEAR-OLD GRAPPLER HAS CERTAINLY EARNED HIS PLACE AMONGST THE BEST IN ❖❖ IBJJF American Nationals 3rd Place (2014) THE WORLD. Last year, Hinger won his first No-Gi World Championship and has been ❖❖ IBJJF Seattle International Open 3rd Place (2015 on the warpath ever since, finishing his matches in 2017 with over an 80% submission absolute) rate. ❖❖ ADCC US West Coast Trials 3rd Place (2017) * ABSOLUTE Although Hinger is recognized more for his accomplishments in submission grappling ** WEIGHT AND ABSOLUTE and no-gi, he actually prefers to train in the gi. His grappling journey began at 14 with high school wrestling, losing every single match his first year. He never gave up, FAVORITE POSITION/TECHNIQUE: Guillotine, however, and went on to win the California State Wrestling Championship as a senior. Gogoplata Today, he finds the gi more satisfying due to its more strategic nature, various gripping WEIGHT DIVISION: Peso Medio (Middle opportunities, and ability to innovate. Weight) – 181lbs/82kg TEAM/ASSOCIATION: Atos Hinger is known for having a dominant top game, preferring to pass and attack with unyielding pressure, but is confident on his back and unafraid to pull guard when he needs to. His signature move, the Hingertine, a variation of the merciless guillotine submission, has won him countless matches and medals and the respect of black belts worldwide. Today, he shows us the secrets of his Hingertine and a few creative ways to finish the submission when your opponent has savvy escapes and counters. The Hingertine is a versatile submission that can be used in the gi or without, from the top position or bottom position, and within the MMA ring or on the jiu-jitsu mat.
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OPENING THE CLOSED GUARD
Hinger avoids being in the Closed Guard at all costs and believes it’s the worst place to be when you’re on top. Sometimes, however, it’s inevitable to find yourself in the Closed Guard and needing to get out. This guard break puts a lot of pressure on your opponent’s back, and he will eventually be forced to open his legs to relieve the pressure. Step 1 Starting in his opponent’s Closed Guard, Hinger makes a grip on one of his opponent’s sleeves to control his hand. His other hand makes a grip at the biceps to block his opponent’s ability for control. There are certainly other gripping options; however, these are his favorite for this guard break.
Step 2 Hinger then steps up his leg on the side with the sleeve grip so his opponent can’t reach for his leg followed by the other leg to stand up.
Step 3 He then starts walking his legs backward underneath his opponent’s legs. He wants them directly under the glutes and hamstrings and uses a pigeon toe stance for base, keeping his knees close together.
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Looks like something from Cirque du Soleil.
Step 4 Hinger then squats down and puts all of his weight onto his heels. If your weight is too far forward, your opponent can pull you back into Closed Guard. When done correctly, this will put a lot of pressure on his lower back.
Step 5 From this position, lean back into your opponent’s ankles to open his guard. Usually, this is enough to open the guard; however, if it isn’t, you can move your hands to your opponent’s waist and push yourself back with your arms.
Step 6 Once the guard is open, Hinger steps one leg back and stands up with a strong base, ready to pass.
To fully understand any of the following moves you must understand how the Hingertine is different from the traditional guillotine. It’s all about Hinger’s unique grip placement. Usually athletes will try to get a deep grip around their opponent’s neck and use the forearm and wrist to get the choke. Hinger prefers a shallow grip and uses the back of his thumb, where the knuckle is, to force the tap.
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HINGERTINE GRIP Step 1 Hinger slides his hand down the side of his opponent’s neck and makes a grip around his chin. He wants a shallow grip with only his four fingers on the other side of the chin, not in front. He wants the back of his thumb knuckle on his opponent’s throat where the jugular is.
Step 2 Then, to prevent his opponent from peeling the chin grip off, he reaches his other arm over his opponent’s arm and underneath the armpit to connect his hands. He simply covers his chin grip hand with his other hand to protect his fingers.
Step 3 To finish the Hingertine, Josh puts his chest and upper body on the back of his opponent’s head and upper back to prevent the head from popping free. Then he drives his elbow inward and down toward his own hip. He then finally curls his wrists upward into the throat to get the finish.
, ,
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HINGERTINE AGAINST DE LA RIVA GUARD
Usually when Josh breaks the Closed Guard and goes to his feet, his opponent will switch to a De La Riva Guard. From here, he can set up the pass and the Hingertine at the same time.
Step 1 To set up the pass, Hinger must disable the De La Riva guard to prevent his opponent from attacking sweeps and submission. He does this by first pushing down on both legs and stepping his non-hooked leg back.
Step 2 Then he pushes the other leg at his hip down and between his legs. He steps forward and squats down to trap the leg, pinching it between his legs all while being careful not to allow his opponent to regain the De La Riva hook.
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Speaking of De La Riva, just wait for next month.
Step 3 Once in this position, with his base low and his opponent’s guard broken down, Hinger feels comfortable and ready to pass. He first reaches for his opponent’s collar and maintains the other hand on his opponent’s hooking leg to prevent him from regaining a guard. Then he stands up and pulls his opponent up to a sitting position.
Step 4 From here, Hinger starts to set up the Hingertine. With the hand NOT gripping the collar, he reaches around his opponent’s neck and grabs his chin. Hinger puts pressure with his shoulder on the back of his opponent’s neck.
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Step 5 Then he releases the collar with the other hand and reaches under his opponent’s armpit to connect his hands securing the Hingertine.
Step 6 Next, Hinger drives his knee on the side with the grip on the chin over his opponent’s shin and rolls to his side. From here his opponent will usually come to the top. Hinger sits back and throws a leg over his opponent’s back to prevent him from rolling to escape.
Step 7 There is a precise order Hinger uses with the Hingertine grip to get the tap. First, he pulls his opponent’s head up into his own armpit while curling his upper body onto the back of his opponent’s neck. Then, he pinches his elbow inward, down toward his hip. Finally, he curls up on his hands, aiming to drive his thumb knuckle into his opponent’s throat.
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DIVING HINGERTINE
Sometimes when Josh attempts to sit his opponent up in De La Riva, the opponent will resist and want to keep his back on the floor. When this happens, Hinger goes for the Diving Hingertine. He shows three variations based on how his opponent reacts to his diving guard pass and submission attempt. In the first variation, his opponent turns to the side Hinger prefers, which is the most natural reaction. Step 1 Hinger has broken out of the Closed Guard and his opponent has set up De La Riva. He then goes through Steps 1 and 2 from the move above.
Step 2 Hinger first breaks the grip on his collar by using both hands and pushing it forward while he pulls his body back slightly. He then stuffs his opponent’s arm to his stomach so he can’t re-grip.
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For most of these techniques being a little acrobatic will go a long way.
Step 3 Next, using his free hand, he reaches across his opponent’s face and around the back of his head. Hinger’s goal is to make the Hingertine grip on the chin; however, he must roll over his opponent to reach all the way around his head. This is where he starts the dive.
Step 4 He continues to roll over his shoulder. Most opponents will try to trap your legs with their own when he makes the dive. Hinger prefers this because it allows him time to make better grips.
Step 5 From here, Hinger will release the grip on the wrist and switch to behind his opponent’s triceps. This grip will block his opponent from rolling in toward Hinger’s face and force him to turn outward, the way he prefers. While making this grip change, Hinger also kicks his opponent’s leg off of his own so he can complete the forward roll.
Reverse
Step 6 Now, Hinger will push on the triceps, trying to push his opponent’s arm and face together, which will force him to turn bellydown. Hinger maintains the grip on the chin and comes up to his elbow.
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Step 7 As his opponent is turning to his knees, Hinger lifts up on the arm with the tricep grip and reaches underneath the armpit to connect his hands in the Hingertine.
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“To ge the tap”, that always sounds great!
Step 8 To finish the move, Hinger slides his bottom knee underneath his opponent’s belly and throws his top leg over the back. Then, using the same sequence as the Hingertine above, he pulls up on the head into his armpit, pinches his elbow in toward his body, and curls up with his hands on the neck to get the tap.
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DIVING HINGERTINE VARIATION 1
Josh has set up the Diving Hingertine just as he did above, however this time when he kicks his legs free in Step 5, his opponent decides to turn hard into him instead of away. When your opponent has this reaction, you can still finish him with the Hingertine. Step 1
Hinger has set up the grip around the chin and kicked his legs free by going through Steps 1 through 5 in the Diving Hingertine. Now his opponent has turned hard into him to escape. Hinger must turn with him, coming up to his knees in order to save the submission.
Step 2 Next, Hinger pulls up on his opponent’s arm and sits his legs through coming to his butt, all while maintaining the grip around the chin.
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Step 3 Once he’s made it here, he reaches over his opponent’s arm to grab his own hand for the Hingertine and slides his bottom knee under the belly.
Step 4 To finish, Hinger throws his top leg over his opponent’s back and uses the same sequence from earlier to apply the Hingertine. He pulls up on the head, pinches down with his elbow, and curls his hands up for the tap.
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DIVING HINGERTINE VARIATION 2
Sometimes when you dive for the Hingertine your opponent won’t turn either way to escape. He might be savvy to the submission and choose rather to stay on his back and fight your grips. When this is the case, you can roll back into the mount and finish the choke from there. Step 1
Hinger has made the dive over his opponent and has the grip on the chin and back of the triceps using the same steps as above. His opponent has decided not to turn either way but to remain on his back and pry at the chin grip. Hinger quickly rerolls back over his shoulder by kicking his legs up and over his head coming to Full Mount.
Step 2 Next, he lets go of the triceps and make a post with that hand in front of him on the mat. Then, without moving his arm, he releases the grip on the chin and flattens his hand against his opponent’s chest.
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You’ll definitely want to drill this one a few times before going for it in competition.
Step 3 Then, Hinger flattens his body against his hand so that his partner can’t grab for it. Ideally he wants to slide his hand right up against his partner’s throat then put pressure on it with his own chest so it’s hidden.
Step 4 To get the finish, Hinger puts his nose to the mat, being sure not to arch backward, which is most people’s instinct. Then he uses his hand on the mat to drive himself toward his opponent’s head. When he has pushed his opponent as much as possible to the side, he simply rolls his shoulder backward to lift the head and get the choke.
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Cover Feature - Rickson.indd 1
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THE RICKSON GRACIE CHALLENGE
Do you consider yourself a martial artist?
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WORDS AND INTERVIEW: MIKE VELEZ
WHEN I WAS A KID, THERE WAS A POPULAR AD CAMPAIGN FOR A WALL STREET BROKERAGE FIRM CALLED E.F. HUTTON. The ads would go something like this: two people would be talking, usually in a crowded or busy location with lots of noise all around. One guy says to the other, “Well my broker’s EF Hutton and he says…” Then a quick hush would go over the room, even the birds would stop chirping. Everyone in the room crowded in to hear what was coming next. Then the commercial would continue, “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.” Jiu-jitsu is filled with many people that command respect when they have something to say. However, the list is very short when it comes to those on the level of Rickson Gracie. When Rickson talks, I want to listen. And I believe you should too. Rickson has seen it all. Rickson grew up learning jiu-jitsu from his father Grandmaster Helio Gracie probably before he could walk, training alongside his brothers. After receiving his black belt from his father, Rickson went onto put Gracie Jiu-Jitsu on display around the world. For decades he competed in Vale-Tudo, grappling, and challenge matches around the world. Rickson is regarded by many as being the greatest jiu-jitsu fighter of all time. If you read our previous cover feature on Rickson back in September of 2014, you’d know that Rickson is a true martial artist. Much of his life is centered in jiu-jitsu and jiu-jitsu helps to center his life. Rickson’s opinions on sport jiu-jitsu and the lack of selfdefense knowledge makes for very clickable click-bait on social media but there’s a lot of depth to that opinion. Jiu-jitsu originated out of necessity for survival, to be a force multiplier for a smaller and weaker person to handle a larger or stronger opponent, but not strictly on the mats but in real life situations. If you’ve been practicing jiu-jitsu long enough you’ll recognize that those “real
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life situations” aren’t just physical altercations but in so many areas of life that the tenets of jiu-jitsu come into play. Being a true practitioner of jiu-jitsu, a martial artist if you will, means being wellrounded in all aspects of jiu-jitsu. It’s application in the “sport” as well as in self-defense and in daily life. There is no better resource in all three realms than Rickson Gracie. We had the pleasure of meeting with Rickson recently on the set while he filmed the first of five video modules for the Jiu Jitsu Global Federation, which he is the president of. The recordings will be part of a curriculum known as SELF.DEFENSE.UNIT. The program will represent all of the self-defense techniques taught by the Gracie family over the years. Each technique will be explained for proper execution, including the elements that are known as Rickson’s “invisible” jiu-jitsu. In addition to the techniques themselves, Rickson will explain how a professor should teach these techniques and the proper sequence in which they should be taught so that the student gets a gradual understanding of an overall self-defense system that will become second nature even under the most traumatic and adrenalin filled situations. Rickson is of the opinion, and we are too, that what’s taught in most jiu-jitsu academies is very sport focused and lacks many of the self-defense aspects rooted in jiu-jitsu’s inception. We might be masters of the berimbolo, but what happens when someone’s trying to punch, kick, or body slam you? SELF.DEFENSE.UNIT is intended to give jiu-jitsu instructors around the world a curriculum they can follow to bring much of the missing self-defense aspects back into the modern jiu-jitsu being taught today.
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“Once somebody becomes comfortable with those concepts and elements, he becomes a better person.”
For this article, we sat down with Rickson to find out more about the new program as well as to ask him questions on jiu-jitsu and life philosophies. Rickson was also gracious enough to share with us a simple takedown technique. Something he rarely does with the public. You talk about the invisible elements of jiu-jitsu and their benefit to us, can you tell me more about them. Those concepts are: Leverage, to replace power. Strategy, to suppress the emotional aspects of it. Emotional Control is also great so that one knows how to breathe and be in control and rational, not emotional. That’s a very important tool for you to succeed. Weight distribution, everything is about weight distribution. The shift of weight distribution that you do in your practice is the same shift that you have to do in order for you to create more leverage or more elements for you to win in a discussion or an argument. So you’re looking for better base for better weight distribution in life. So as you get exposed daily to these concepts which allows you to develop your timing, which is another concept, to develop your strategy, develop your emotional control, develop your weight distribution, develop your leverage. Those concepts will put you in a very high level of integrating the full potential of your body in the matters that you are
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trying to resolve. So jiu-jitsu exposes you to a situation which is not common in a competition, like a slap in the face, or a hair pull, a grab to the throat or whatever. Those situations will bring elements for you to understand that you have much more than power, and your personal elements to resolve [an issue]. You have techniques, you have weight distribution and leverage. You have all these concepts that will help you not only to resolve the problems on the mat but also in resolving matters in life completely different than a person who trains in just sport jiu-jitsu or sport judo or boxing, kickboxing, which can all be very tough, but they’re not aware of the potential of the brain to be victorious under unpredictable conditions. Once somebody becomes comfortable with those concepts and elements, he becomes a better person. Different than an athlete, where he has a sport [to show that] he’s a great athlete. But sometimes, this athlete is very good, but only under circumstances of rules of engagement. Making him a player, not a fighter. He
depends on the time. He depends on the weight. He depends on the environment and so on. The idea of bringing solutions to the student, solutions of the unpredictable that have nothing to do with the sport of grappling. It has to do with convenient ways with leverage, with concepts that bring a lot of intelligence, a lot of techniques, a lot of situations to replace power, speed, and athleticism. So in order for this to be accurate and effective, jiu-jitsu has to return to the concepts of self defense that can be used by fighters, like I used all my life and that can be used by average Joes. Because the modern warrior of today is not a warrior with a glove or with a sword or with a gun. He is a warrior with a pencil, he is a warrior who is a judge, policeman, fireman, nurse, or a doctor. Those are the modern warriors who have to represent some kind of victory in their own fields. All of those elements of conquering, no matter if it’s an objective or an opponent, the more elements that are relevant for martial arts that are put in place, the better you will be in your results to overcome everything.
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For more iformation on SDU go to JJGF.com
What can someone expect from SELF. DEFENSE.UNIT? Is it more for the people that have no experience, or is it for the people that have some jiu-jitsu experience? It’s for both. For the people who are trying jiu-jitsu for the first time seeing it and applying it and starting to understand that jiu-jitsu is gentle and as you drill you become more effective, and realize that that drilling is not a fight, it’s just a drill, and so you become very comfortable at a very early age in your training. This is also great for instructors who don’t have this background and start teaching jiu-jitsu from the ground perspective and the kimono perspective, from the competition perspective, which is a plus, but not the core of our information. The guys who are coming in from Brazil to represent jiu-jitsu in the first generation, came here to fight any style. And because we established ourselves and people started to believe and eliminate denial of what we can do, we became bigger and now just do sport jiu-jitsu. So now we’ve forgotten our essence which is self-defense.
Will there be future units where you will be in street clothes? Yes. The clothes, basically, don’t matter. It’s just a part of attire. It’s just a uniform. But all the movements for training in the SELF.DEFENSE. UNIT can be done with or without gi because our movements of aggression, our chokes, punches, grabs, headlocks, grabs from the back can be done regardless. It’s not really about rules or uniforms.
Is there going to be a curriculum just for women or just for children? Yes. The idea, in a progressive way will be, first, inform the public/community of the self-defense movements. Second, will be creating a certification for instructors that want to be certified in self-defense. Third, showing the curriculum for classes, which now, I don’t teach how to teach. The JJGF official curriculum for classes will come after. It will have class number one as a particular set of moves with warm ups and the whole processes of three fundamental curriculums. First [curriculum] six months, the second, six months, the third, another six months of training and defined classes. After this curriculum, which is the official JJGF self-defense curriculum, we’re going to create a program just for kids to bring in all of this information in a recreational manner in which kids will appreciate. We will bring in another part of this information specifically for an empowerment program for women which is a bit more gentle and places a focus on distance and a lot of useful information for women to help keep them safe without being a fighter. The next phase will be for law enforcement which places a focus on weapons
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retention and arrest and control, and then we will have a curriculum for MMA which is specifically jiu-jitsu for MMA which will be a bit different from competitive jiu-jitsu or self-defense. So to your original question, yes, but everything in the first module is applicable to both men and women.
How soon will the first module be ready for release? The first module will be available in February of 2018 in a partnership with Gallerr. From there on, we will continue to escalate and present more new things and producing more [content]. I feel like that it’s not about the personality of the instructor or the idea of teaching jiu-jitsu. A lot of instructors have excellent personalities, they all love jiu-jitsu passionately, and they all want to pass along jiu-jitsu. But because of a lack of information, there is a feeling of frustration because of a general feeling that of every ten students that come in, eight are likely to leave within the first six months of instruction. So we need to have better student retention, to create a better business
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for instructors, a better presence. We don’t want students that will soon leave, chances are, they’ll never come back, in turn, losing the chance to learn something that will be very impactful in their lives. So we have to redo and reinvent the product that we are offering to grow our audience and clients and make a bigger service in the process without alienating the competitors, athlete, and the competition aspect of the art. Encouraging academies to have a defined competitive representation. But the core of the jj academy has to be family. We have to support the community to make better doctors, better lawyers, policemen. To help the community as a whole.
Professional Production
Watching the production take place was pretty impressive. Multiple camera angles, some pretty high-tech looking gear and a black belt of cinematic arts behind it all. Marcelo Galvao is an award winning director, responsible for seven feature films and is also a jiu-jitsu black belt. In fact, he’s the director and creator of a new Netflix Original about to debut called The Killer, a western set in Brazil. The videos being produced for SELF.DEFENSE.UNIT will surely be second to none with so much creative experience and jiu-jitsu knowledge on both side of the camera.
Thank you so much for the time, Rickson. We’re anxious to see the finished product; it sounds like it can do a lot of good for a lot of people. Thank you my friend, it’s really great that you’re helping us spread the word.
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DEFENSE TO OVER THE ARMS REAR ATTACK Step 1 Rickson’s attacker approaches him from behind and puts him in a bear hug. Rickson’s first reaction is to tighten up his arms, clenching his fists while bringing them to his sides. At the same time he drops his level and widens his stance slightly to get a solid base.
Step 2 Next, Rickson pivots on his right foot bringing his left leg around and behind his attacker. At the same time he again plants his feet so that his base is solid.
Reverse
Step 3 As he plants his foot behind, he brings his hands to the fabric of his attacker’s pant legs and lifts his attacker with a grip of the pants and his own hip. Because Rickson is connected to his attacker at the hip, he needs very little strength to do so.
Reverse
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That’s the face that many have seen just before going to sleep, or getting armbared.
Step 4 Once his attacker is up on his hip, Rickson throws him over and behind. From there his attacker is on the ground. Rickson can then subdue his attack or decide to leave if he’s in danger. (Of course we’re talking about Rickson here, so he probably continues and armbars his attacker for good measure.)
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Technique
SHE’S BACK!
THE TRIPLE BUMP WITH CYBORG
B
PHOTOS: JASON BOULANGER | WORDS: JIM LAWSON
Born Cristiane Justino Venâncio, she is better known as Cris Cyborg, or just “Cyborg”. That is the name that she has found most of her fame with and for good reason. Cristiane’s fighting style is every bit how you would imagine a Cyberdyne Systems’ Cybernetic Organism Model 101 to fight in real life (kind of geeked out at that opportunity to reference her nickname), leaving a trail of fallen foes in her wake. Outside of her first two MMA matches, Cyborg has dispatched every single challenger inside the scheduled distance of an MMA match. In doing so, she has won every major MMA organization’s championship belt and recently captured the long elusive (for one reason or another) UFC Championship strap. Because of Cyborg’s ability to render opponent’s unconscious in spectacular fashion via punches and kicks, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that her grappling acumen is just as lethal. Having
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earned a bronze in the highly competitive ADCC World Championships back in 2009, she also won her division as a purple belt at the IBJJF World Championships in 2011 and 2012. After that, Andre Galvao awarded her brown belt to her, which has essentially put the world on notice: taking her down to the ground is not exactly a path to safety, but in reality, it’s more than likely just an alternate path of destruction. However, she’s not always in “terminator mode”. In fact, she was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to show us some really effective methods of escaping the wrong end of side control and counter with an offering of calculated aggression. Your mission: protect Sarah Connor and learn these escapes.
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TRIPLE BUMP/ TRIPLE OPTION SIDE CONTROL ESCAPE Step 1 Cyborg’s opponent has her in side control, using underhooks underneath her head and left arm.
Step 2 Cyborg initiates the escape by quickly bumping her up to create space so that she can rotate her left arm to create a frame with her forearm underneath her opponent’s neck.
Step 3 Once Cyborg establishes her frame, she hip bumps again, bringing her right hand to her forehead, creating another frame against her opponent’s body.
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Step 4 From here, Cyborg bumps a third time, shooting her left elbow underneath her opponent’s right arm, establishing her own underhook
Note: A common mistake is to directly swim your hand underneath your opponent. Be sure to not use your hand to position underneath your opponent’s arm. This flares your elbow out wide and allows too much space for your opponent to recover and counter by pummelling under your elbow and reestablishing their position.
Step 5 With the underhook in place, Cyborg uses it to lift herself up, planting her right elbow on the mat.
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Step 6 Continuing the lift, Cyborg replaces the position of her right elbow with her hand, completely lifting her hips off of the mat and connecting the top of her head to the side of her opponent’s head.
Step 7 Cyborg now swings her bottom leg out and wide to establish a solid base. From here Cyborg has many options.
Option 1:
She may execute a tactical get up.
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Option2:
Continue from her knees with a “knee tap” by placing her right hand on the outside of her opponent’s left knee, driving forward, pushing her head into her opponent’s head, knocking him off balance and completing a reversal.
Option 3: Step 1 As Cyborg executes a tactical get up, she gets to her feet. However, instead of completely standing up, Cyborg uses her right hand that’s already on the mat as a post and shoots her right leg over her opponent’s shoulder.
Step 2 Using her left arm, Cyborg grabs her own shin and falls to her back, making the necessary adjustments to finish the triangle choke.
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T E C H N I Q U E T H AT N E V E R R EQ U I R E S ST E N GT H
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how-to
GET A BELT PROMOTION
I
BY CHRIS BUMGARNER
IT WAS MANY YEARS AGO, BUT I STILL REMEMBER THE MOMENT WELL. I ENTERED THE ACADEMY FOR THE EVENING CLASS. The school was contained within the confines of a fitness club. I walked past the harassment of the health club’s front desk worker and into the large aerobics room. Blue folding mats transformed the room with its mirrored walls and hardwood floor into a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu academy. Sitting on some extra mats by the entrance was my instructor. His normal smile and handshake was replaced with a head nod and a stern look. Did it have something to do with me?
he yells at me to train with another tough and skilled opponent. I now knew I must have done something wrong, but what did I do?
When it was time to roll, I went to find a partner and my instructor yelled “you roll with him” pointing to another student. This was not unusual but after this roll again, he yelled “you roll with him” and pointed to another student. Now I start to notice a theme. The theme? Killers who are mauling me. Which as a white belt mauling me wasn’t hard, but this was murder. Each round
Since then jiu-jitsu has changed. Now many schools have curriculums, belt requirements, and belt tests. This brings up the question should Brazilian Jiu-jitsu have belt requirements? Should there be standards and tests, or should belts be solely determined by the instructor? Let’s explore the pros and cons of each.
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Than he yells, “Switch! You roll with me”. The beautiful beating begins. It was an interplay between smoothness and pressure with an occasional headlock and slap thrown in. After the beating, the instructor has everyone line up. I stand there beaten, dehydrated, and confused. The instructor calls me out front. He removes my white belt and announces that I am now a blue belt. He and the class congratulate me. Later that week I drive to a karate store and buy my blue belt.
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Instructor’s Choice Some schools have no written requirements. There is no guide other than the feedback from your instructor. This is often referred to as the old school way. Schools operating on this system use other students, or competitions as the measuring stick in which to evaluate progress. How you get the belt is by being able to hang with, or beat, students of that belt color. To have a system with no clear objectives requires an attentive instructor. This teacher should give you feedback and advice in order
to mold your skill level to each belt. The instructor must be paying close attention to your rolls. They should take into consideration the student’s age, size, and physical limitations.
Pros This is a way to build toughness and character of spirit. It takes strong will for someone to begin a journey that has no clear end. This way of promotion also builds a strong bond between teacher and student. Instruction in this type of system can be much more personalized, as the student’s skill and ability on the
mat while rolling is what matters most.
Cons The cons are unfortunately many. To make this type of studentteacher relationship work at a large academy is extremely difficult. With no set requirements, frustration over promotions can become commonplace. Allegations of favoritism and selling belts can take root. For many schools these will only be allegations, but for some it will become the truth. In a school, or an association, without formal standards, these things become possible.
Time and Technique Requirements Not all instructors leave promotions up to their intuition. Many associations have chosen to move away from the loose structure of old to more formal standards. These schools often use minimum attendance as the marker to determine if a student is ready for the next belt or belt test. The standardized time in grade model often results in a belt test. A belt test in jiu-jitsu can represent many different things. It can be a way to make sure each student moves to their next rank with specific technical knowledge deemed appropriate for that belt. Belt tests can also be a test of one’s perseverance and ability to handle pressure. A belt test can push a student to their limits.
Pro Having written standards first of all acknowledges that, in fact, there is
a standard. Having a structured belt standard is the only way for a large association to insure a standard of quality amongst all of its schools. This style of belt promotion gives the student goals in which they must meet and sets a clear path for them to follow. This can help alleviate the lost feeling many students experience, using training time as the primary measuring stick awards those students who train the most while removing factors such as age, size, and limitations. Most importantly, it takes away any sense of favoritism in the process of belt promotions. It prevents allegations of promotions based on friendship or the selling of belts.
Cons Proponents of instructor choice often make a couple strong arguments against using attendance and tests as the
measuring stick. Having the same clear goals for everyone can be seen as killing the individualistic nature of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. There is also a sentimental attachment to the frustration caused by not having clear goals. This frustration itself can be looked upon as being a personal test. Within associations with attendance driven curriculums, some students complain that it takes too long to get a belt. In reference to belt tests, people often see these as the equivalent to jiu-jitsu kata. Kata, which is practiced in many traditional martial arts, is believed by many to be useless in the development of real fighting skill. Most organizations use the test as a way to ensure a student can display correct technique. However, some schools have developed tests which appear very much like a kata.
❖❖ Attendance can be tracked using an old fashion attendance card, or on software platforms like mybjj.cloud.
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Which Is Better?
How do you quantify which is better? Would you rather be the instructor who must decide how to deal with a white belt wrestler who is killing everyone but only knows two submissions? Or is it better to deal with the blue belt who has won the past five tournaments but is 300 classes away from purple? The choice of which system is right for the school is based on the instructor and association. It is also beneficial for a prospective student to know how promotions are decided before choosing a school. This way they can judge what is right for them. Regardless of promotion style, everyone’s belt should be respected as representative of their dedication to the art.
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How Master Sauer Does It
Pedro Sauer is an 8th degree Red and Black Belt. A pioneer of Gracie Jiu-jitsu in America, Sauer is also the first Brazilian Jiu-jitsu instructor to formulate a system of class tracking and technical requirements for promotion. I was recently able to talk with Master Sauer on how and why he developed this system.
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No matter how you’ve earned your current rank - congratulations; you’ve earned it!
Were you the first to start tracking classes? Yes, I was. I started because I am a numbers guy. I used to be a stockbroker. When I was training in Brazil I would keep track of all my hours of training and when Helio would award me my belts. When I began teaching here in America I realized jiu-jitsu was different. In Brazil people train all day. In America people work and only train a few days a week. I realized there needed to be a way to differentiate between the guy who trained all day and the guy who trained a few days
a week. It would not be fair to treat these people equal. This way it is fair.
How did you come up with the number of hours between belts? Helio would award a blue belt after 40 hours of private lessons. In America we taught group classes. So I thought I should double the amount of classes which is 80. Then I thought to make the minimum number 100 classes to get a blue belt. For the other belts I looked at the number of classes I had taken between being awarded belts. I found that the number was around 500 classes between
each belt. So I made the minimum requirement to move between belts that number.
You are known for making the first belt test with your 88 techniques. Where did this come from? These came from the techniques that Helio would make me do every day before I was allowed to train. I would train every day, and every day I would practice these techniques. These were important to Grand Master Helio. He told me he wanted every blue belt to be able to defend themselves. These techniques allow someone to do that.
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11/8/17 3:24 AM
feature
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11/8/17 12:32 AM
Gear Lab
h aya b u s a
LIGHTWEIGHT JIU-JITSU GI
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hayabusafight.com
IT’S ODD GETTING MY HANDS ON A HAYABUSA GI THAT WASN’T NAMED AFTER SOME ANCIENT JAPANESE WARRIOR OR HAS SOME OTHER SIGNIFICANT MEANING. THE ESSENTIALLY NAMED “LIGHTWEIGHT JIU-JITSU GI” FROM HAYABUSA IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU’D EXPECT, A LIGHTWEIGHT JIU-JITSU GI. But even that name doesn’t do it justice.
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The Jacket
The centerpiece of any gi
combination is the jacket. This is where comfort, features and
on the front. The sleeve cuffs are lined with soft nylon tape.
The Pants
everything else comes into
The pants are equally
play. The Lightweight’s jacket
impressive in their simplicity
is made from 420 GSM pearl
and quality. The pants are cut
weave cotton, it’s lightweight to
from an 8 oz rip stop cotton-
the touch, yet also feels pretty
polyester blend. Four wide belt
sturdy when wearing it. The
loops help keep the paracord
jacket features reinforced stress
drawstring in place. Like the
points where you’d expect
jacket, the seams are all triple
them in the armpits and seam
stitched and reinforcement
slits. The seams are also triple
material can be found in all the
stitched. The EVA foam collar is
critical areas as well as near the
wrapped with rip stop material,
knees. Once again branding is
firm, yet pliable. The patch work
minimal, with narrow patches
is simple; two thin Hayabusa
along the thighs and a single
branded patches sewn over the
logo near the right shin. Soft
shoulders, one across the back
nylon tape is found on the inside
and one more embroidered logo
of the pant cuffs.
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Gear Lab
a d
Fit and Feel
b
The Lightweight gi comes prewashed and preshrunk, everyone says that but this gi was right on with very little shrink. Before and after washing the A2 jacket fit me perfectly. I’m 5’8 and 205 with
c
a fairly wide upper body. However, the pants were a bit snug. After about a dozen washes the gi felt fully broken in, and despite the pants being a little tighter than I like, the fit was not bad. I really like this gray that my test model came in. Along with the gray shown, the Lightweight comes in black, white and blue. Hayabusa doesn’t have a big offering on sizes, A1 to A4 will have to do. A
e
measurement chart is available on the Hayabusa website.
f
A 65”
WEIGHT:
B 32.5”
Pants: 1lb
C 24.5” D 6.25”
Jacket: 2lbs 2oz
E 21”
Together: 3lbs 2oz
F 38” G 8.5”
AFTER 3 WASHES AT 70º F
BRAND NEW (A3)
Measurements A 64.75” B 32” C 24.25” D 6” E 20” F 37.25” G 8.5”
g
Rolling In It The first thing I noticed rolling in the Lightweight gi is just that, it’s lightweight, but not “thin” as some of the lighter gis tend to
grip of my collar or sleeve, I wasn’t worried
Highlight & Specs
that I was going to hear a “rip” anytime soon.
❖❖ Outstanding Price
There were a few times rolling that I would
❖❖ Very Lightweight
have liked to have had a little more room in
❖❖ High Quality Construction and
be. I never felt like I was giving up anything in the way of durability. If someone had a solid
the pants, but that was overshadowed by how nicely the jacket fit. Sleeve and collar
Materials ❖❖ Limited Size Options
testing there were no signs of premature
Verdict
wear or tear. The gi dries quickly and has a
Exceptional value for a high-
soft feel to it. Also, I noticed that there was
quality lightweight gi.
very little stretch especially when my sleeves
PERFORMANCE
were soaked with sweat.
VALUE
length was perfect for my tastes. Throughout
CONCLUSION
QUALITY OVERALL
When I was given the Lightweight Gi to test I didn’t bother to do much research before I started rolling with it. It wasn’t until I sat down to write this article that I realized the price, $99.99. I was thinking at least $130$140 based on the quality, the fit and feel and features on this gi. If you are looking for a lightweight gi that’s durable enough as a daily trainer or competition gi I can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t want this one. It filled all my wants and needs in a gi of this type. Great job Hayabusa!
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gear lab Fuji Sports
GRAPPLE PACK Fujisports.com
WHAT TO TRANSPORT YOUR JIU-JITSU GIS AND GEAR IN IS A SERIOUS DILEMMA. YOU COULD GO THE CHEAP ROUTE AND THROW ALL YOUR GEAR IN A BIG TRASH BAG, BUT NOBODY WANTS THAT. You could commingle your gear with the backpack that you might use to carry your laptop and other items in, but who wants to get their sweaty gear in with all that other stuff after a hard training session? Nobody. Instead, we’re constantly in the market for the “perfect” gear bag. One that’s big enough to hold all of our gear and necessary items, yet not too big that we feel like we’re headed to the airport every time we’re on our way to class. The people at Fuji Sports train jiu-jitsu constantly, and that fact shows in their latest creation, the Grapple Pack.
What It Is These days it’s common for some companies to find an allpurpose backpack somewhere and throw a tag on it and call it a jiu-jitsu specific product. That couldn’t be further from what Fuji’s done with the Grapple Pack. It was designed from a clean sheet of paper to be a specific use it. It’s a backpack with a handle at the top. Being a backpack, most zipper openings go horizontally across the top of the pack. This can sometimes be a tight fit when you’re trying to stuff a large gi through that small opening. For that reason, the Grapple Pack has the zipper opening vertically, closed at the top, open at the bottom. All of the zippers have red nylon tabs attached for easy operation. The red contrasts nicely with the black ballistic nylon that the bag is made of. Along the vertical opening is reflectant gray material that helps keep you safe if you’re out at night
The inside of the bag has a
Pack is available on Fuji’s
bright green interior lining.
website for $49.
This helps to make items stand out if you’re digging around
Using It
searching for something in
Before writing this review I
less than ideal lighting. Along
lived with the Grapple Pack
the sides and back are three
as my daily training backpack
zippered pockets along with
for almost a month. So far
two easy access pockets.
it’s shown ZERO signs of
The easy access are not
premature wear. The quality
zippered and are perfect for
is first class. The size seems
water bottles, or things of that
just right. I can jam a full size
nature. Inside the zippered
A3 gi along with rashguards
pockets is again the bright
and a couple belts into the
green lining along with even
main compartment with no
more pockets! The zippered pocket along the back is
to fold my gis, I can snuggly fit two gis in there with no
padded and has
problem. Sometimes I do take
a padded sleeve
my laptop to class, the padded
that’s perfect
pocket came in handy a couple
for a laptop or
of times. Later on I got into the
other electronic devices. Along
Overall, I really like the Grapple Pack, I can see this being my go-to bag for some time to come. It’s the perfect size, designed with a grappler’s needs in mind, made of quality materials, and priced right at less than $50. If you’re in the market for a new bag, or want an upgrade from whatever you’re currently using, definitely check out the Grapple Pack. Guard should be on your list.
guard and belt in the right side pocket, with my water bottle
additional compartment for
and Kill Cliff on the left side. I
your dirty gear such as shoes,
did manage to stuff an entire
sandals or sweaty stuff.
gi with sweaty rashguard into the bottom storage
The Gapple pack uses two
compartment, it was a tight fit,
adjustable straps, again with
but that day I had some clean
the reflective tape, to sling
gear that I wanted to keep
itself onto your back. The pack
separate from my stinky gi. My
measures 20” tall, 14” wide,
only complaint is the lack of ventilation. If the bag is zipped up and maybe it stays in the
and can be packed to extend
Conclusion
routine of keeping my mouth
the bottom is an
out to a 12” depth. The Grapple
Gear Lab - Grapple Pack.indd 1
problem, or if I take the time
car on a hot day a little too long, the resulting odor might tap you out.
highlights & specs: ❖❖Just right size ❖❖Quality construction ❖❖Great price ❖❖Lots of pockets!
Verdict Great versatile backpack for all your grappling gear.
PERFORMANCE VALUE OVERALL
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DEVELOPING POWER FOR JIU-JITSU
J
WORDS: WILL SAFFORD
JIU-JITSU IS A MARTIAL ART THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON TECHNIQUE OVER STRENGTH. THERE ARE CERTAIN TIMES, HOWEVER, WHEN STRENGTH AND SPEED ARE NEEDED TO EXECUTE AN ATTACK OR ESCAPE A BAD POSITION. The use of strength and speed together is otherwise known as power. The best competitors in our sport are explosive, dynamic, and fast. These are all synonyms for power, which is why developing this quality should be a priority in your off-the-mat training.
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Power can be considered even more important in no-ni jiujitsu, which by nature is faster and more dynamic, much like wrestling. Wrestlers are known for their powerful takedowns and transitions, which is a lot of the reason why they’re hard to handle on the jiu-jitsu mat. Takedowns, throws, sweeps, and scrambles are all examples of times when technique combined with power will result in a higher success rate. So, if you want to become a more powerful and dominant force on the mat, add the following exercises to your workouts.
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What Is Power?
But first, let’s understand exactly what power is. Broken down to its elements, power equals force multiplied by velocity (power = force x velocity). Force in the strength and conditioning world is synonymous with strength. For example, how much force you can produce to move a barbell would indicate your strength. Velocity relates to speed or how quickly you can change position. So power is the measurement of how much force you can generate in the shortest amount of time. Once we understand the elements of power, we can manipulate them to increase power. In other words, if we increase strength, we increase power. If we increase speed, we increase power. If we increase both strength and speed, we increase power.
POWER = FORCE X VELOCITY
Programming Power Training Understanding what element of power you’re already good at can help when it comes to programming your training. If you’re already relatively strong, then you’d be better served training the speed side of the equation to improve power. If you’re fast, increase your strength. This is somewhat apparent on the mats. The smaller, fast guys typically need strength work. The bigger, slower heavyweights need to work on their speed. Power training is typically performed at the beginning of a workout, when an athlete is fresh and can put the most effort into their training therefore generating the most force and speed. As combat athletes, however, we often need
to generate power late into a match or after several rounds. So varying when you train power in your workout is acceptable. Heavy strength work should always be done toward the beginning of the session, however. So, if you’re trying to increase the strength element of the power equation, get your heavy lifting done first.
to develop the requisite strength and technique to sustain such loads. If you’ve never lifted for strength, stick to five reps for five sets and estimate your one rep max. You should have a rep or two left in the tank after you complete a set. Use the Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, and Bent Over Row for your main strength moves.
For heavy strength training, keep your reps at five and below. Your loads should be above 75% of your one rep max and sets kept at five or less. True power training is best accomplished in the one to three rep range with loads at 85% and above. However, this should be reserved for advanced lifters who have accumulated enough time under the bar
Speed training is best accomplished with lighter loads that allow for sustained bouts of maximal force output. Reps between six and ten for two to four sets performed either at the beginning, middle, or end of your workout. Equipment like medicine balls, kettlebells, and your own bodyweight are the best tools for developing the speed element of power.
What about the Olympic Lifts? The Clean, Jerk, Snatch, and their variations are excellent exercises for developing power, however they take a long time to master. With Brazilian Jiu-jitsu being such a dynamic sport, the risk of injury is already prevalent while we train. It’s not worth the risk or time requirement needed for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete to master the Olympic lifts. There are many alternatives available that are safe and easy to learn that will develop exactly the kind of power the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete needs. Unless you already have experience with Olympic lifts, and a good coach to monitor your technique, stick with the following options.
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EXERCISES FOR POWER
Dumbbell and Kettlebell Exercises Dumbbell Snatch
The Dumbbell Snatch is an excellent alternative to the Olympic lifts that develops tremendous hip and leg power without the mobility or technical demands of the Barbell Snatch. Start standing with a light to moderately heavy dumbbell between your feet which are shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and hinge at the hips to lower yourself down, maintaining a flat back and straight arm. Aggressively drive through the floor to propel the dumbbell straight up the front of your body, extending your knees and hips. Drive up onto the balls of your feet, shrugging the dumbbell up until it reaches around waist height. Then bend your elbow, driving it high to pull the weight up your torso as if zipping up a coat. When the dumbbell reaches around eye level, rebend your knees to drop under the weight, catching it above your head with a straight arm and stable shoulder.
Kettlebell Thruster
The Kettlebell Thruster also develops amazing leg and core power without the mobility demands of the Barbell Thruster. You can also perform the KB Thruster one-sided to enhance core stability and mimic the instability of jiu-jitsu training. Start with one or two kettlebells in the front rack position. While maintaining a tight core, lower into a deep squat, keeping your chest up while driving your knees outward. Once you reach the bottom, aggressively drive down into the ground to propel yourself and the weight upward. Use the momentum you generate with your legs to drive the kettlebells overhead, locking out your arms at the top. The Thruster should be one smooth movement from bottom to top. There is no break between the Squat and Press.
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Kettlebell Swing
The Kettlebell Swing is the grandfather of the kettlebell moves. Its simplicity allows all training levels to reap the power building benefits it forges in the hips and glutes. Start with a heavy kettlebell a foot or two in front of your feet shoulder width apart. Push your hips back, hinging at the waist as if you were doing a deadlift. You should feel a good stretch in your hamstrings. Hike the kettlebell between your legs as if hiking a football, then violently snap your hips forward to propel the kettlebell to shoulder height. Allow the kettlebell to naturally fall back between your legs and repeat, keeping your arms straight yet relaxed throughout the entire sequence.
Medicine Ball Exercises Medicine Ball Scoop Toss
Medicine Ball exercises are great for building power because they allow us to focus 100% on the concentric part of the move. We don’t have to worry about receiving the weight or the eccentric phase of the movement. Start standing perpendicular to a wall about five feet away. Holding a medicine ball at your waist, twist your body away from the wall to build momentum. Then rotate your torso and hips toward the wall as you underhand scoop the ball forcefully toward the wall. Allow your feet to pivot and turn throughout the backward and forward parts of the movement. Use your core strength and power to drive the ball as hard as possible at the wall.
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Medicine Ball Slam
The Medicine Ball Slam is essentially the same movement pattern as the Dumbbell Snatch; however, you focus on the downward phase of the movement as opposed to the upward. Place a Medicine Ball between your feet which are shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and hinge at the hips to lower yourself down to grab the ball. Drive the ball up overhead by extending your legs and hips and coming up onto your toes. At the top of the movement your arms should be straight not bent. Explosively drive your body downward toward the ground, slamming the ball as hard as possible into the floor. When you drive downward, maintain a flat back, bend your knees, and squeeze your core as hard as possible.
Plyometrics Plyometrics are a popular way to increase power by making use of the stretch-shortening cycle of the muscles. This is a term used to describe the process of stretching a muscle before quickly contracting it to lead to tremendous strength and power gains. These are typically done with bodyweight and can drastically tax the central nervous system, so don’t overuse plyometrics.
Broad Jump
The Broad Jump is used to develop explosive hips and legs and challenges how far an athlete can jump from a stationary position. Start in a standing position and load up your legs and hips by bending your knees and pushing your hips backward. Use your arms to create momentum by driving them down by your sides. Once you reach the bottom of your descent, explode forward using your legs and hips like springs to propel you as far as possible. Use bent knees to absorb the force of the ground as you land. You should not hear your feet clunk to the ground upon landing but rather aim for a soft, quiet landing.
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Power is useless without control.
Plyo Skaters
Sometimes called Heidens, Plyo Skaters are an exercise used to develop power in the frontal plane or side-to-side. Jiu-jitsu occurs in all planes of motion so it’s important to train accordingly. Start by taking an athletic stance with knees bent and back flat. If moving laterally to the left, drive off of your right foot. Jump as far as possible to the left and land softly on your left foot. Your right leg will kick behind your left, which creates the “skater” position. You can use your arms for momentum and touch one hand to the ground near your landing foot each rep.
Sample Program
This is a sample program for an intermediate lifter who has experience with the main lifts and a solid base of metabolic conditioning. You can lower reps, sets, loads, and rounds to your fitness level. It’s important to rest a minimum of one, preferably two, day(s) between workouts as power training heavily taxes the central nervous system.
Day 1 Back Squat
4 sets of 5 reps @ 75%
4 sets of 3 reps @ 85%
Power Finisher:
Bench Press
8 Medicine Ball Slam 5 Broad Jumps x5 rounds
4 sets of 3 reps @ 85%
Plyo Push-Ups Plyo Push-ups, also called Explosive Push-ups, develop explosive upper body pressing power.
Assume a push-up position with hands under shoulders and core tight. Lower down into the bottom of a pushup then explode upward as high as possible off of the ground. Think of driving the ground away from you while maintaining a rigid torso and core. Land with bent elbows to absorb the force of the ground and keep your elbows tight to your body throughout the entire set. You can also do these from your knees to drive yourself higher if they’re too difficult.
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Bent Over Row
Medicine Ball Scoop Toss 3 sets of 10 reps per side
Day 3
Power Finisher:
Deadlift
10 Plyo Skaters 10 Kettlebell Swings x5 Rounds
4 sets of 3 reps at 85%
Plyo Push-Ups
Day 2
Power Intervals:
Dumbbell Snatch 5 sets of 5 per side @ Moderately Heavy Weight
4 sets of 8 reps
15 seconds of work : 45 seconds of rest
Kettlebell Thrusters X5 rounds
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medic
PAIN… THE GOOD AND THE BAD!
A
WORDS: CHRISTOPHER INGSTAD, PT, DPT, OCS, MTC, ATC, FAAOMPT
Pain is a daily occurrence in some form or fashion all over the world. Have you ever heard this saying?
“There’s good pain and there’s bad pain.” Medic - Pain.indd 1
AS A PHYSICAL THERAPY SPECIALIST, I SEE PEOPLE WHO HAVE PAIN, WHICH MAKES THEM UNABLE TO DO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL FOR THEM. I SEE JIU-JITSU FIGHTERS WHO HAVE BEEN HURT CONTINUE TO TRAIN THROUGH THE PAIN AND INEVITABLY IT GETS WORSE, REQUIRING THEM TO LATER SEEK LONGER DURATION PROFESSIONAL HELP. And why you might ask? This is because there are different types of pain experiences, and we are always hopeful that it will just go away. If you ignore it, it can get worse and do so with vengeance. Pain is also an individual experience. So, no one can feel your pain, which can make it challenging for you to sometimes personally manage. Is that pain “good” or “bad”? This article will discuss the types of pain experiences commonly seen in sports regarding jiu-jitsu.
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Mechanism of Pain Before we discuss the different types of pain, it is important to understand how pain is created. Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. That is a powerful definition! It starts with a stimulus somewhere in your body. If the stimulus is strong enough to invoke an action potential (electrical impulse) in your nervous system, that impulse is then sent to your spinal cord, up to your brain, which then gets interpreted. The brain then has to decide if this stimulus is going to be read as “DANGER” or “IGNORE” it. This information is constantly fed to your brain, and it is also constantly filtering the impulses every second of every day. If you are sitting reading this article, your butt may be telling you to move around because your butt tissues are being compressed from sitting. This stimulus you will either ignore, or you will shift around to avoid more intense “pain.”
Personal Experience of Pain Your brain has a “pain map” that is created from your own life’s experiences. This makes everyone’s map unique. This map can be related to any one of the following: physical, psychological or emotional pain. If you are having physical pain (let’s say elbow pain from an armbar) and then experience emotional / psychological pain at the same time (missing the podium because of that armbar you saw coming but didn’t react fast enough), then the pain can be magnified. This will, in turn, leave an imprint on your brain, so if you ever experience similar circumstances in the future, the pain may actually
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be worse than the previous time because the pain previously wasn’t bad enough the first time around. Let me give you another example: if you have played sports growing up, your tolerance to pain may be higher than others who didn’t. Why you ask? This is because you have been knocked around, pushed and pulled in every direction, likely experiencing some form of pain (both good and bad). And realizing that the little bumps and knocks did not kill you or threaten your life, your tolerance or sensitivity to this pain is better than others who may not have experienced it.
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Actual vs. Potential Tissue Damage
What does this mean? It means the mind is very powerful… You don’t even need to physically experience pain to be able to feel pain (which is in your brain). The thought of having pain can actually cause you to feel pain. Let’s explain this further. Have you ever seen someone get hit in the groin or punched in the face? Both of these situations will cause an experience that is nothing short of pain free. Both of them hurt! Did you ever watch this happen and you started jumping around, maybe even held that part of your body, knowing how bad that hurt? Now you experience that pit in your stomach from either situation even though you didn’t get actually get hit. But maybe you know that situation. It still hurts!
Good Pain
It hurts so good… When we say good pain, we mean pain that we know our brains interpret as not being dangerous. That’s why we say it’s good, but this is left to your own personal interpretation. Muscle pain – This is the pain that can occur from either stretching or using your muscles. You may experience this after you push the limits of your muscular system. Whether it is after a hard jiu-jitsu training session, strength training session, or stretching session, you likely know this pain. It’s the most common type of good pain we experience. This can happen while training and up to several days following, especially if you are ramping things up. Initially, this pain is due to fatigue in the muscles and then the pain felt in the subsequent days is from a buildup of lactic acid in your muscles. This is totally normal when you increase either the intensity or frequency of your training. This pain or soreness is known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). The muscles have been broken down microscopically and then have had to rebuild themselves, making those muscles stronger. This pain usually takes 2-3 days to subside. This type of muscle pain can also be experienced following a really good deep tissue massage or stretching session, as the health professional breaks down restrictions and increases the mobility of your stiff tissues. Maybe you have foam rolled yourself and thought that really didn’t feel good, but yet you still did it. And you may also experience DOMS afterwards (as described previously). So be prepared. Most importantly, this pain is very short-lived.
Joint stiffness – This type of pain isn’t necessarily pain, but something that you may experience if you have been training really hard for an event. Some will describe this as soreness, but often this goes away with activity. The key to this type is stay mobile. This is where stretching, walking, or light activity is extremely helpful.
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But then again some people like the pain, they pay extra for it.
Bad Pain
Bad pain is described as a type of pain that either takes a long time to recover from or indicates a more severe injury. Your brain has interpreted this pain as “DANGEROUS.” of your knee. This can stretch the ligament out, giving you the sense of movement or instability as you do activities.
Referred pain – This type of pain occurs in response to an actual problem going on somewhere else. A common example in jiu-jitsu is having pain that shoots down your arm, but the source is the nerves coming from your neck. Maybe you got stacked on top and felt something initially into your neck and then sometime later felt it go into your arm/hand.
Chronic pain – This type of pain occurs
Muscle pain – This type of pain can be bad too. It usually comes from either a forceful muscle contraction or elongation. This causes tearing of the muscle fibers and is often heard by the individual. This pain is usually described as being sharp. Following this type of injury, there is pain into the muscle belly (center portion) that hurts to contract or lengthen. If the damage is severe enough, you can feel a gap in the muscle.
stress on it. When you add stress to the tendon, the pain will likely increase. This type of pain can take a long time to heal if you wait too long to take care of it.
Tendon pain – This type of pain is usually described as achy, but does get sharp when the tendon/muscle complex is stressed by contraction or lengthening. This is commonly known as tendinopathy. This pain is tender over the tendon and feels better when you don’t put too much
Ligament pain – This type of pain is usually described as sharp when there is stress placed onto the ligament. As an example, if you play De La Riva guard, your outside hook leg is vulnerable to LCL (lateral collateral ligament) damage if your opponent pushes down on the inside part
from initially sustaining an injury, and then failing to allow the healing to complete. According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Health in 2012, it was estimated that nearly 23.5 million Americans suffer from chronic pain (daily pain for >3 months). This accounts for about 10% of the population. If you continue to train when you have an injury, you risk constantly re-damaging the injury site, which delays your ability to fully return. As hard as it is for some to put a halt on training, it can be detrimental to your recovery. This makes the injury worse and impacts your long-term prognosis. These types of injuries need to be followed up by a healthcare professional such as a medical doctor, physical therapy specialist, or chiropractor who understands these injuries well. They need to be familiar with the proper management strategies for these types of injuries.
When to Seek Professional HelP As a general rule of thumb, if any pain lasts longer than 7-10 days, there is a really good chance you need it be looked at by a professional. Why? If you do not get it looked at carefully, your body will do amazing things to compensate for what is going on. This will alter the way you function, from walking to sitting to training. These compensations will lead to bigger problems down the road, so we always say early intervention is the best intervention. Remember that your brain has a map, and longer you deviate from the course on that map, the longer the recovery can be. This is where a team of health professionals in your corner are an asset to give you longevity in the sport of jiu-jitsu or anything else you participate in.
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GENERAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES OF INJURIES / PAIN
1.
CONTROL THE PAIN AND INFLAMMATION – THIS USUALLY TAKES 2-3 DAYS. Training should be halted here or significantly modified until these are under control. This can be achieved simply by applying ice to the area. Inflammation control is important because it creates muscle inhibition (makes muscles harder to function appropriately). Although inflammation is a necessary role for the body to heal correctly, excessive amounts are thought to prolong the recovery time. So, early intervention is the best intervention here! Apply ice to the injured area for 15-20 minutes only. Any longer than that and you risk making the inflammation worse. If the injury is severe enough, using a sling or brace may be necessary for a short time to remove additional stresses to the injured area thus reducing the pain and inflammation.
INCREASE YOUR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE – THIS IS THE LONGEST PHASE (6-8 WEEKS AND SOMETIMES EVEN LONGER) AND NOW TRAINING CAN START HERE… BUT STILL BE CAREFUL WITH WHO YOU TRAIN WITH. The injured area needs to function appropriately to provide muscular stability and control. If there is still inflammation, this can inhibit muscles from working, and then they must be retrained. ❖❖ To progress in strength Strengthening is the most important increase the amount of band part here and can be achieved by resistance or weight gradually. progressing the resistance bands and weights to improve strength and endurance. Remember, never sacrifice QUALITY of movement for quantity. We often will recommend repeated movements for time rather than a number of reps. This way the focus is on the quality.
2.
4.
RESTORE RANGE OF MOTION AND INCREASE MUSCLE ACTIVATION – THIS USUALLY TAKES 1-2 WEEKS. Training should still be halted or significantly modified here. You need to go to class to support your training partners and watch carefully. You can still learn! Range of motion can be achieved by simple range of motion movements. You do want to work within your comfort zone and go slow! Don’t cause more pain. As your range of motion improves, then train the new range by using a light hand weight or light resistance band to perform the same motions.
3.
INCREASE YOUR FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE – THIS PHASE AND PHASE 3 BLEND TOGETHER NOW UP TO 3 MONTHS. At this point, you should be feeling great and have already been back to rolling and training. The light is at the end of the tunnel, but you are not quite there yet! This stage is the longest and the easiest for people to stop because they are feeling much better. You need to continue to address overall strength with complex movement activities, like plyometrics and yoga. A delay in treatment often leads to extended healing times and lost time with training and rolling. Improper management of your injury will increase your risk of future injury. Finding a specialist to tend to your injury is very important in the long run. The specialist will be able to work with you and guide you toward the best outcome to match your goals.
Conclusion
When it comes to pain, it is part of our everyday lives. Everyone has varying levels of pain tolerance, which you can divide into “good” and “bad” pain. Realizing that pain is a signal or warning system to the brain, which it filters as dangerous or something that can handled, some people have the ability to sink into higher level of thinking to block the pain well after the actual injury happened. We see this in jiu-jitsu quite frequently in tournaments when the stakes are on the line. The bottom line is this: understand pain and that it isn’t always bad. And if the pain persists, seek out help to get you back on the right track, so you can return to what is meaningful for you.
For more information check out: Level4 Physio-Wellness - P e rfo rm a nc e
Stay healthy and see you on the mats!!!
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dr.ingstad@level4pt.com
11/6/17 3:39 PM
H u rt s S o G o o d ! W h e n I s Pa i n G o o d o r Ba d ?
RICKSON GRACIE
PLUS When Good Carbs Go Bad Busting Through Plateaus What To Do The Week Before Your Match 2017 Grappler’s Gift Guide Building Power For Jiu-Jitsu
Nov/Dec 2017 Issue 57
WANT S TO CHAL LENGE YOU!
can you resist? josh hinger and the hingertine!
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success
Powered By:
dillon
HINOJOSA
before
after
DILLON HINOJOSA IS A 17 YEAR OLD SENIOR AT LAKE WORTH HIGH SCHOOL IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS. AS OF LAST SUMMER, HE HAS LOST 100 LBS IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS BY EATING RIGHT AND TRAINING JIU-JITSU AT GENESIS JIU JITSU. Jiu-jitsu, along with proper diet and hard work, has literally changed his life. Carrying around an extra 100lbs is no fun at any age, especially in high school. Dillon is one of the most dedicated, hard working, and respectful teenagers you will ever meet. His will and determination to change his condition through jiu-jitsu speaks to this fact. Let’s find out more about Dillon and his amazing transformation.
AGE: 17 | HEIGHT: 5ft 7in STARTING WEIGHT: 260 lbs CURRENT WEIGHT: 160 lbs HOMETOWN: Ft. Worth Texas HOME SCHOOL: Genesis Jiu Jitsu INSTRUCTORS: Eric Lincoln and Albert Hughes BELT RANK: Blue
How did you discover jiu-jitsu? I started watching Pride and UFC VHS tapes with my dad when I was four (at least that’s the earliest I can remember). I always liked when the fighters would take it to the ground.
What motivates you to train? When I see improvements in my game. Even though I’m young, I always want to be able to keep up with the best in competition and daily training at my academy.
in the beginning. I saw it as an opportunity for me to show everyone that I can push through and be successful. I also popped a rib during training, but that was just a regular injury to overcome, although it took a long time to heal.
What’s been the best benefit from the changes you’ve made? My endurance has improved dramatically, and I don’t feel winded or tired during rolls. Also, it’s improved my confidence and self-esteem tremendously.
What advice would you give to someone else looking to make the same sort of change? If I can do this then everyone else can make a change. It’s hard and takes dedication but just push through the hard parts and keep your eye on the goal. You can do it.
before
What else do you do for physical fitness? I really enjoy weightlifting and running. The two both seem to help my jiu-jitsu when it comes to my strength and my endurance.
How have you changed your diet? When I first started training jiu-jitsu, I cut out sweets and drank nothing but water. My diet consisted of a lot of eggs, rice, chicken, spinach, and oatmeal. Now that I’m at my goal weight, it’s more about maintaining my weight, feeling good, and keeping my energy levels up.
What’s been the biggest challenge so far? I hate saying it, but I had a lot of doubters
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after
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