BJJ and Personal Boundaries

Posted on December 29, 2014 by myackulic

Enforcing personal boundaries can be difficult to do, especially if you’re really empathetic. If you’re prone to giving any situation the benefit of the doubt and insist on demonstrating basic decency at every turn then enforcing your personal boundaries may prove to be a bit difficult. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a about contact sports where grappling and holding on to your opponent is the main part of the learning process.

This doesn’t mean that you should be unhelpful during training sessions! It means that sometimes there are things that you need to do to let others know where to draw the line. Sympathy and optimistic human behaviors are not always mutually exclusive. There are three things you need to keep in mind to ensure that you enforce personal boundaries in your BJJ gym class.

1: Take Your Time Before You Act

If you have been asked by someone to do something and it doesn’t sit right with you then don’t agree or disagree at that moment. Take your time even if you don’t know how you feel about it. If the person doesn’t sit right with you then you don’t have to agree do what they say. If you say ‘no’ and the person keeps insisting then inform your coach to take viable action.

There are times when someone after class might come up to you and ask whether you could finance their classes because they don’t have the funds anymore. Don’t over-explain or anything, just say that you will consider what he/she said for a day or two. This will give you time to think it through as you won’t feel influenced or pressured.

2: Learn to Say ‘NO!’

It is understandable to give in to someone pestering you and influencing your empathetic side. You give in, thinking that if you help him/her this once then perhaps they will leave you alone. However that turns out to be false as now you are constantly being nagged by that very person for help. You wonder if it would have been better if you had just kept on saying ‘no!’

In fact, it would have been better if you had kept on saying no! The word ‘no!’ is a complete sentence and anyone who refuses to respect your decision is only trying to assert their control over you and the situation. To put it simply, anyone who refuses to take a ‘no’ is the very person who needs to be required to do so.

3: Let Yourself Change Your Mind

Even the most alert person can be caught off-guard and end up agreeing to something that you actually would never agree to. You need to let yourself have second thoughts. It is the worse feeling to think that you are stuck with something, making you feel even more violated. You need to let yourself change your mind.

If a fellow BJJ practitioner asks you to do something out of the blue and you agreed to do that at the moment then remember that all it takes is one sentence to reverse that regretful decision. Repetition is your friend, as stated in the previous point; learn to say ‘no’ repeatedly.

Learn 5 Self Defense Moves you can do today

At Arashi Do Martial Arts in Edmonton, we help our members evolve both athletically and ethically. We ensure that personal boundaries are respected and no one oversteps their limits.

Come down to Arashi Do Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.

All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!

Metabolic Training and BJJ

Posted on May 26, 2014 by myackulic

It’s no secret that BJJ is one of the most intensive full body work outs around today. It’s results can not be disputed and can have have rapid and dramatic improvements on anyones body at each extreme of the spectrum. I can build the scrawny nerd physique into chiselled statuesque glory, and help the overweight loose weight and become toned without fad diets where you can only have chewing gum. BJJ will have an effect across all the sports you’re involved in, and the other sports will effect your BJJ. Here we highlight ways in which BJJ can improve your metabolic training, and your metabolic training can influence your BJJ skills on the mat.

GAINS…

Rolling and grappling definitely causes you to feel the burn, it maxes out your fitness in terms of strength, endurance and cardio. So what exercises are going to help you last longer in a BJJ roll? Should you be benching 4 times your body weight in a desperate push to improve? Well the answer to that is no.

BJJ is designed to allow technique to outsmart raw strength and power, so huge amounts of lifting like a meathead is not going to do anyone any favours. Weight training to lesser levels can have awesome improvements on your training though. Think logically, there are weight classes in BJJ rolls, so lifting anything above your own body weight is going to non beneficial, as that’s roughly the weight of an opponent you’ll be facing.

The most common mistake is isolating the muscles that you are going to be training. If you only train biceps, you’ll only be strong where you biceps are the driving force. Train full body because BJJ is full body! You don’t want to be that guy who can bench 100kg but can’t do a pull up. Overtraining certain muscles is also going to make you look ridiculous, with golf ball biceps or a stacked upper body and Johnny Bravo legs. No, not cool, ridiculous.

For all round improvement, work a circuit in the gym. Run through bench pressing, military and dead-lifts and most importantly squats! Everyone neglects leg day, but leg day is the one. Whats the point in having all that power if your legs cant propel you forward! No body likes chicken legs. Get real.

Trim Around the Edges…

For the BJJ student looking to shed excess fat and trim down, you’ll notice fairly extortionate drops in weight from when you start training. Your limiting factor is likely going to be cardio at this point. This isn’t to say start running 10k a day, sure that would improve your cardio, but only in one scenario. BJJ is intense, and uses all parts of you body in a roll. You want to be looking into taking up CrossFit.

CrossFit is taking the sporting world by storm, combining numerous exercise in an exercise length that is remarkably close to the duration of your average BJJ roll. The lifts involved in CrossFit are all kinetically linked to the ground, making them the ideal supplement to your BJJ training.

Eat Clean, Get Lean, Stay Mean…

Diet is a major aspect of sporting success. By eating clean, you’ll see the fat stay off and your energy levels stay up, letting you fight harder and for longer. Taking a load of supplements is in now way as good as eating well, with natural ingredients to gain lean muscle. By eating clean you can leave the roid-rage behind and grow your body proportionately, giving you a physique and fitness level you just don’t get anywhere else.

Come down to Arashi Do Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.

All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL! As well as our 30 minute Fast Fitness program for FREE!

Building Self-Confidence Through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Posted on January 27, 2014 by myackulic

Self confidence can come through a number of different channels, one of which is discovering you are actually born with it. The truth is though, everybody is actually born with a plethora of positive traits, in their purest forms, one of which is self confidence indeed. The only thing which would deter anyone from displaying that self confidence is if it was stifled by the interactions they have with the environment around them, particularly other people they come into contact with.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is one of the best ways through which to restore any dormant self confidence, in anyone who has lost it, since everybody simply has a deep reserve of self confidence in them, amongst other positive traits that could have been stifled along with that self confidence.

In fact, building self-confidence through BJJ is one of the best ways through which to tap into that natural reserve of positive attributes which simply need reawakening, which is why a lot of budding combative artists choose to take up Jiu Jitsu for a number of reasons, one of which is indeed rediscovering their dormant self confidence.

In all likelihood, there was a recent or past incident which prompts the budding martial artist to have the kind of introspection that has them saying enough is enough, but they naturally do no know which is indeed the best method through which to regain or build the kind of self confidence that would have a positive influence on the overall or immediate quality of their lives.

But what is it exactly which makes Brazilian Jiu Jitsu one of the best self confidence builders?

It’s quite simple really — or at least in concept but it can prove to be very effective in practice as well.

BJJ is one of the most effective means through which one can defend themselves or hold they own very well in combat, as is discovered by those who take up Jiu Jitsu as their combative art of choice.

The participant need not necessarily be the very best mixed martial artist in their circle of competitors and compatriots — all they really need is the basic fundamentals which make them competitive enough to defend themselves successfully or at least compete at a reasonable level.

This breeds a kind of power which can be tapped into at anytime when the need arises, and in this way building self-confidence through BJJ proves to be one of the most effective ways to do so.

Although it has been mentioned that one need not necessarily be the very best mixed martial artists to successfully build their self confidence through BJJ, the very nature of practicing BJJ will require them to apply themselves in such a way that they become competitive and effective enough to acquire a set of skills that instills self confidence, in that they will naturally believe in their new-found abilities and lose the fear.

The self confidence spills over into different areas of the livelihood, subsequently, since the new-found ability to overcome nervous situations breeds even more confidence in other areas of one’s life.

Come down to Arashi Do North Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.

All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!

Fighting Tips, Part 2

Posted on January 17, 2014 by myackulic

When it comes to applying technique, there are two sets of BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU fighters: pattern fighters and adaptive fighters. A fighter who has a pattern will usually learn techniques, use them well, and transition with them well. Some BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU fighters are great at this, but an adaptive fighter is one who may not just know the patterns but can adjust and adapt to the situation at hand.

I understand it is always great to have a coach for support and technical guidance. But I think being an independent, adaptive BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU fighter is of utmost importance and it is truly what leads you to understanding your game. Your coach is just there to help you along but should not always hold your hand.

Let’s look at it like birds. When a bird leaves its nest it has to spread its wings and fly on its own; it will be hard for another bird to simply carry it. You want to fly on your own. When it is your time to spread your wings, you should spread them your way. And when you are in mid-flight you may need to adjust your speed, distance, and height. If you are hurt or have a broken wing, you may have to adjust your path to survive. If your game is intelligent and you are a calm fighter, you will find the right movement. If your positions are not working and you run out of movements, you have to use what you do know to create something useful to advance your game.

You can also take a look at Russian wrestler Buvasaer Saitiev. He is a not a big, quick, or particularly strong athlete. He is a just an exceptionally technical athlete. He has competed in four Olympics and is a nine time World Champion (including three Olympic gold medals). I think this says something for his longevity and the type of athlete he is. He is a cerebral wrestler. He uses his mind and understanding of his technique to adapt and win. He is certainly tough in many ways, but what makes him so special is his wrestling skill coupled with his adaptive tendencies. He is present in his matches; when something difficult or complex happens against him, he reacts quickly and creates countering methods on the spot that turn into his offense.

When you tap someone during sparring, do not brag about the tap or tell your friends who you tapped. Often, this person wasn’t going 150% against you anyway because sparring in the gym is not a competition, so bragging that you ‘beat’ a guy who was going easy on you makes you look foolish and puts you in line to get a rude awakening later on. And don’t keep score every time you roll, people will get annoyed at this type of behavior—just have fun.

Come down to Arashi Do and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14. All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL! What are you waiting for?

Call or text us at 780-220-5425 or email us at myackulic@ArashiDo.com

Does the Gi Really Help?

Posted on October 7, 2013 by myackulic

With the popularity of events like the UFC, it’s really easy to get wrapped up in the idea of not only training No-Gi Submission Wrestling, but avoiding training with the GI since you may want to compete in No Gi or MMA competition. Well I have 5 great reasons to training with the Gi, even if you will never plan on competing in a Gi tournament.

It Slows Down Your Partner – The Gi is a great training tool. It helps us slow movements down so we can see what is happening…WHILE IT HAPPENS. This is super important for Beginners and when learning new moves. It gives you time to understand what is happening and adapt while you get a better “Feel” for the situation.
Your Escapes Get Better – When training with a Gi there are many places your partner can grab, there is more friction, his transitions are tighter etc. The Gi forces your movements to be more refined (accuracy, timing, angles), as escaping is much more difficult. However, once you have mastered the escapes, there is NO WAY he can hold you down in without the Gi. Sweat increases movement and lack of better grips allow for more freedom and range of motion.
More Brain, Less Attributes – With Gi grappling, there is more focus on timing and pressure. That is important. Your window of opportunity with the Gi on lasts much longer, giving you time to answer your partners attack or defense. In No Gi you need to react much faster, if you are too late to react it forces you to rely on your attributes (Speed, Strength, Flexibility, mobility etc.). By eliminating your attributes until they are absolutely necessary you will be able to develop the technical side of BJJ. Invest in a game that you can play for the next 40 years, not just while you are in your prime.
You’ll Develop a Choke Proof Neck – Most No Gi guys tend to not want to wear the Gi because they fear the chokes (and the lack of movement). Although you will get choked alot, and I mean ALOT, more with the Gi, it does condition your neck, just like strikers condition their shins and fists. Also, it is much easier to get choked with a Gi because the size of the Gi itself is small. This builds awareness of your neck so it is not exposed whether you train Gi or No Gi that day.
It Encourages Creativity – There are so many ways you can use your Gi, your opponent’s Gi, Belts, Grips etc. The possibilities seem endless. New positions, transitions and submissions are being discovered and rediscovered all the time. Wearing the Gi encourages you to think outside the box and explore what is out there.

There you have it guys, 5 simple reasons why you should be rocking the GI. Plus, you have so much more space to deck it out with patches when you get those sponsors knocking at your door. A couple other side benefits: hygiene, looks cool, and one day you could be a Black Belt.