Tag Archives: Training
Road Maps
Occasionally I listen to students of arts such as Tae Kwon Do or Kempo and am struck by comments such as “for my next belt I have to learn 3 new kata and 7 new self-defense techniques.” It strikes me … Continue reading
Lineage
Hang around in martial arts circles long enough and the subject of lineage will inevitably come up. It’s not always explicitly spelled out, but the traditional concept goes something like this: Once upon a time, there was a brilliant, badass … Continue reading
Keep Going
Our friends over at the Valhalla Academy have a tradition known as “birthday rounds.” On their birthday, a student gets to spend the entire class grappling non-stop with fresh partners rotated in regularly to keep the pressure on. Even though … Continue reading
An Experiment in Progress
Periodically I get jealous of the guys who are really, really good at jiu-jitsu and I vow to try to catch up somehow. Perhaps I can take my lunch break to attend the noon classes or start being more consistent … Continue reading
Steal My Technique
Being a great martial artist or a great fighter doesn’t make you a great teacher or a great coach, and vice-versa. The ability to demonstrate flawless skills in a fight is different from the ability to communicate those skills to … Continue reading
Matt Smith seminar
There’s almost nothing I enjoy doing on a weekend more than attending martial arts seminars. So it was that yesterday I braved blowing snow and treacherous roads driving to Valhalla Academy for a 4-hour BJJ seminar with guest instructor Matt … Continue reading
High-Percentage vs Low-Percentage
No technique works every time. Every technique works some of the time. When you gather a sufficient number of martial artists online, you will inevitably generate arguments over which techniques really work or do not work. Frequently this gets framed … Continue reading
Why train?
In the martial arts, we have a tendency to valorize long-term dedication to training. It is true that getting really good at the martial arts (or anything else) takes a lot of time and hard work. I’ve been studying the … Continue reading
Sparring options
Sparring, rolling, randori – whatever you want to call it, it’s a lynchpin of BJJ training. No matter how many repetitions you perform of a technique, you haven’t mastered it until you can execute it in a free-form setting against … Continue reading
Regressing, Stagnating, or Progressing?
I came across an interesting blog post the other day where the author talks about the risk of regressing in one’s jiu-jitsu skills despite regular practice. Probably lots of us have felt at one time or another like we are … Continue reading
BJJ Contemplations 