My Jiu-Jitsu Journey

It is often said, "Life is a journey, not a destination." The same can be said of anything that one dedicates their life to.

Sometimes I am asked, "How long have you trained Brazilian Jiu-Jistu?" Because it is a simple answer I say about a decade. But honestly my journey in began in 1999 when I met John Castillo. Prior to our meeting I had trained a little Judo and a little Muay Thai. I have always been interested in the martial arts, but nothing traditional like Karate or Tae Kwon Do. Growing up in the midwest limits the choices of study for exotic martial arts. Usually the schools lacked the commercial viability to stay open very long.

It had been a few years since the first UFC and I was out of high school, had a 3rd shift job, and was looking for a hobby. One of my friends had a younger brother who had just started training BJJ. The mysticism of the Royce Gracie beating up guys 40-50 pounds heavier than himself intrigued me. I enjoyed Judo the short time I got to train in it was a natural transition.

I started training with John. His martial arts background was extensive and he was a blue belt in BJJ but more importantly he was the only guy in town who taught jits. His gym was a nice space in an older strip mall. He shared mat space with some Escrima and Akido guys. It was exactly what I was looking for.
My first BJJ memory is training with guys far more athletic than myself that concluded with being on a receiving end of a flying armbar. Much like college, my first attempt at studying BJJ was wrought with financial difficulties and I had to suspend training for a while.

After a wild period or my 4-year "semester off," that included a year of professional wrestling, I returned to the mats. Thanks to a friend who was interested in trying jiu-jitsu I realized how much I missed BJJ. And since 2004, I have been training consistently. No more excuses.

Along the way, I have cross-trained in Muay Thai with Andy Zerger, trained with Eric Payne for MMA fights, and most recently met Andre "Tim" Monteiro in 2009. Andre is a great instructor, my mentor in BJJ and business, and a good friend. He is what I strive to become as an instructor.

Why give this long personal history? Because I feel it is important for my students to know. This is a hard road. It is not simply the hobby I was looking for, it is a lifestyle. If it were easy, I would have been a black belt in 6 simple lessons. But it is not this. I have trained in nice places, bad places, on dirty mats, warehouses, and in garages. I have trained through two bad knees, cauliflowered ears, a dislocated rib, separated shoulders, broken toes, countless sprains, and a permanently strained neck. But these are small things to the experience. Because regardless of the situation, I still trained. When jiu-jitsu became the priority, the excuses stopped, and I still found a way to train.

I want to offer students new to training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu some advice:

1. Jiu-Jitsu will be here. If you have to take some time to tend to your family, or your responsibilities, it is okay. Any instructor who says otherwise is not very good. Some may even try to accommodate your situation if they can. When jiu-jitsu becomes a priority, you will find a way. I am fortunate to have a wife that understands my commitment to BJJ. But I also know plenty of guys who have been successful balancing training/fighting with a wife, work, and kids.

2. Commit to the long, slow road. You must decide early on, what you want from jiu-jitsu? Is it self-defense, sport, exercise, hobby, knowledge, etc.? There are so many individual goals. If it is simply for the black belt then you should understand that many quit after earning their blue belt, even less make it to their purple belt. So if the black belt is the ultimate goal, commit to the long slow road, and enjoy the journey.

3. You are not alone! Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has exploded in popularity since I started. There is a planet of grapplers out there with very similar but very different stories. Each of our journeys is different but the camaraderie among grapplers is amazing and we are there to support each other in pursuit of growing the art. Oss!

Developing Good Executive Function in Children

Executive Function Development
Proper executive function development is important to a Childs: positive behaviors, good health, school achievement, and their ability to successfully work with people and groups. Executive function consists of working memory, mental flexibility, task switching, verbal reasoning, and self-control. We are not born with these abilities it is something that must be fostered by parents and adults involved in your Childs life (teachers, family members, coaches). The ability to gather information, while filtering distractions, and switching gears, is paramount to good development.
There are some critical factors in developing a strong foundation. Many of these things you probably already do: good relationship development and activities that engage them where they live, enabling them to learn and play. The development of healthy relationship starts in the home and extends to teachers, friends, medical professionals and others. Engaging your child in activities reduces stress, fosters social connection and creates open ended creative play. The incorporation of vigorous physical exercise into daily activities, such as a martial arts class, has been shown to positively influence stress levels, social skills, and brain development. As a child begins to develop skills the complexity of the skill should be increased in a step by step manner. Each child is different so you have to find the zone where there is challenge without frustration. This has to be followed with repetition of the skills. Look for an activity that your child will enjoy and that allows for development of these skills. Most sports activities cultivate the ideas represented here: baseball, soccer, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, etc. The key is finding something they enjoy forcing them into the activity will not foster a memorable experience for you and them.

Myofascial Release Techniques

Myofascial release is used to treat trigger points, muscles that are painful, characterized by taut bands or where the tissue has become thick and knotted, that can occur due to developing a poor kinetic chain, injury, or overuse.

You have fascia all over your body. It is a specialized connective tissue that surrounds the muscles, bones, and joints giving supports and protection. There are superficial, deep, and subserous layers as well as 3 types: dense connective tissue, ligaments, and tendons. The dense connective tissue extends from the tip of your head down to your last little piggy in one continuous piece. People generally don't think about there fascia, but it does a lot, transmitting mechanical tension (caused by muscle activity).

Self myofascial release is relatively easy and have been shown to reduce pain and increase Range of Motion (ROM). Spend 1-2 min per area and unsure your abdominal muscles stay tight to protect the spine.

Adductor:

1. Extend the thigh and place foam roll in the groin region with body face down.
2. Be careful when rolling in the adductor origins of the pelvis
3. If you find a tender spot, stop rolling and hold on that spot 45sec or until pain is reduced.













Hamstring:
1. Place roller under legs with hips unsupported
2. Feet can be crossed if you want to do one leg at a time.
3. Roll from knee toward posterior hip
4. If you find a tender spot, stop rolling and hold on that spot 45sec or until pain is reduced













Quadriceps
1. Body is face Down with foam roller underneath legs
2. Make sure you keep your core tight to protect your back
3. Roll from pelvic bone to knee, make sure you get the outside thigh good
4. If you find a tender spot, stop rolling and hold on that spot 45sec or until pain is reduced

Iliotibial Band
1. Lie on your side with the foam roll positioned below hip bone.
2. Raise the bottom leg, this can be painful so do this move sparingly
3. Roll from the hip joint down to the knee, you should be hitting the outside of the leg when your rolling.
4. If you find a tender spot, stop rolling and hold on that spot 45sec or until pain is reduced








Upper Back
1. Hug your chest or place your hands behind hour head (like a sit up). This will open up your shoulder blades
2. Raise your hips till they are unsupported.
3. Roll mid back ensuring that your head remains supported.
4. If you find a tender spot, stop rolling and hold on that spot 45sec or until pain is reduced.

31 Days of Christmas Submissions: Day 3

Loop Choke:

Position 1: This choke is initiated from front headlock off of a scramble or snap down. While your opponent turtles, use right arm to over-hook your opponent's arm and have the left hand grab the opponent's chin. Keeping your chest to the the back of your opponent's head will help control your opponent. Use the right arm, over-hooking your opponent's arm, to open up their lapel. The left hand, across the neck, inserts deeply into the collar to grip the lapel.

Position 2: As you pull the person down the left arm that is holding on to the collar should "loop" around the head. This will put you in a headlock position. Your over-hooked right arm then slides palm-up behind the head as you roll to the side of the over-hook. Shoot your arm deeply behind the head as you walk around. (It is similar to if you were standing with you arms crossed across your body. Reach deeply toward your other biceps.)