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To Win or Learn? Competing Commitments
By Emily Kwok
All students oscillate between being the hammer and the nail. Idealistically, we aim to be the hammer any time we choose against anyone we choose, but few ever arrive in that place without strain.
When we are the nail, it often feels like we are desperately fighting to survive, which makes it difficult to […]
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Am I even having fun?
By Shane McCarthy
My wife finds herself asking this question ever since she started training: Am I having fun in Jiu Jitsu? Joy. Happiness. Fun. They all describe the endorphins that flood your nervous system when something pleases your brain. Midway through a set of burpees in a gross, humid, 90-something-degree warehouse, with your muscles screaming […]
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Paying Attention to Pain
Paying Attention to Pain
By: Joe HannanI fell off of my partner’s back instead of rolling. The drop seoi nage didn’t proceed as planned, with my 175 pounds falling at the rate of gravity and my shoulder absorbing the impact. I could feel the ball-and-socket joint were my bicep plugs into my shoulder slide inward and […]
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Jiu Jitsu’s Worst Enemy
Jiu Jitsu’s Worst Enemy
By: Joe HannanThere is something out there that has claimed the careers of more promising grapplers than anything else. It will sideline some longer than a torn ligament. Maybe worse, it will keep others locked in the same patterns, never to develop even though they’re always training.
Lucky for us, that force has […]
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12 Rules For White Belt Life
12 RULES FOR WHITE BELT LIFE
An Antidote For BJJ Chaos
By: Joe Hannan
Most grapplers with some experience likely have their own set of rules for survival as a white belt. These are mine, codified on the receiving end of the shoulder of justice and other less-than-desirable positions. May they serve you well.1. Admit You Know Nothing. Anyone looking […]
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What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Compete
What To Expect When You’re Expecting to Compete
By: Joe HannanCompetition is a an experience every grappler should have. It crystallizes the form and function of BJJ as a martial art more than any number of rolls or lessons ever could. Perhaps just as important, if not more so, is preparation for competition.
I write this from […]
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Redefining a Good Roll
Redefining a Good Roll
By: Joe HannanI am a spaz — an uncoordinated tangled jumble of lanky limbs that don’t listen to my brain. They have a knack for finding soft, vulnerable places on my training partners, even though my brain does all it can to prevent it. It’s pretty easy to pick me out of […]
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Getting Comfortable With Discomfort
Getting Comfortable with Discomfort
By: Joe HannanIt’s enough to make some panic: the first time a much larger partner has you in mount, their chest driving into your face. You cock your head to the side and gasp for air like you’re doing your 12th lap in an olympic pool. You can’t maintain your cool. You […]
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You Will Alienate Some
You will alienate some.
By: Joe Hannan
Your dedication might alienate those closest to you. Some people will never appreciate Jiu Jitsu. They’re probably not reading this post. But should someone close to you need convincing that your newfound practice is worthwhile, this entry is a good place to start.
Family, friends and significant others, for the most part, […]
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Countering BJJ Frustration with Stoicism
Countering BJJ Frustration with Stoicism.
Bye: Joe HannanI let my sweaty head fall with a thud against the ocean blue mats that lined the walls of Performance Jiu Jitsu. I don’t remember the roll, but I’m sure it had been savage and swift, with multiple tapouts and lots of flailing around. I might have even let […]
