FREE! First Week Training for new students | BJJ Gold Coast
Congratulations to SBJJ Head Coach Vicente for his Gold Medal win in the Open Weight Division and Bronze in the Heavy Weight Divison at the IBJJF Rome International Open.
Also congratulations for receiving his 2nd stripe from Orlando Neto at the Roger Gracie Academy in Vienna Austria.
There are various criteria when it comes to who deserves to be promoted and your coaches will be considering them all carefully to ensure you and your training partners move to the next level legitimately and with confidence.
Below we’ve listed 5 of the main things your coaches will be considering this year and what is expected of you and your Jiu Jitsu.
Dedication to your training is a very important thing that your coaches consider for grading.
Consistency and improvement are the two factors making up dedication. Simply turning up to class once a month, only to show up regularly in the week before grading day, just won’t cut it.
Your dedication proves your love of BJJ and your coaches will be well aware of whether you have it or not.
Skill level is an obvious factor in your coach’s decision.
You don’t have to be submitting everyone to show you’ve developed adequate skills for the next level. But you cannot expect to be promoted to a belt, like purple or brown, if you don’t have a grasp on the fundamental concepts.
Sometimes your level of skill is actually well above your competition performance or how well you rolled with your coaches.
Don’t let this get to you, be confident and have fun, because your coaches have been watching and they know just how good you are, even if you don’t.
Discipline is important and it relates to our earlier point of dedication.
Your coaches know who puts full effort into their drills and who pushes themselves to get better.
They also see who’s talking during the drills and who gives up when things don’t go their way.
Discipline is all about your mindset – so make sure you focus on positive self-talk in your head.
Every bit of work you do on the mat will improve your game…
… you can do this.
This point may not be as important as the others on our list, as your performance in competition doesn’t always reflect your true level of Jiu Jitsu.
Yet it is also true that strong and consistent competition performances are a good indication you’re ready for the next level.
If competition isn’t your thing, that’s ok too. As we mentioned before, your coaches will be looking at all areas of your Jiu Jitsu when considering you for promotion.
You don’t just earn your belt for yourself – you earn it as a representative of the sport and your academy.
How you present yourself to your training partners, other teams and in public plays a huge role in whether or not you get promoted.
Be humble, be willing to help and most of all show respect so that you, in turn, become respected.
It’s no secret that stretching after class is very important for improving flexibility, reducing the risk of injury and aiding recovery.
A good stretching routine is extremely beneficial, regardless of whether you’re new to training or you’re a veteran who’s as flexible as the Tin-Man from the Wizard of Oz.
Below you will find a very easy-to-perform after class stretching routine that will put you on the right path to a newer more flexible you…
…and the best part is, it’s so easy you can start it today!
Work in a Flow. To get the most out of your stretching, the positions below should be performed in succession: one after the other; much like a yoga flow.
Don’t over do it. There are no medals awarded to those with the most flexible legs, so it is important you don’t try too hard too soon.
Just go till you feel some resistance, while still feeling comfortable.
Usually, the biggest problem comes from looking around the room to see what everyone else is doing. Seeing someone achieve an extreme stretch could ignite your ego and you might try and out do them, but this won’t get you anywhere and may end up injuring you in the long run.
If it helps, close your eyes when you stretch and focus solely on your own progress.
Remember to breathe. If you find yourself holding your breath, during a stretch, your body will tense up causing you to fail in benefiting from the stretching process.
Being able to breathe deeply and comfortably will allow your body to relax and help you get further in the stretch over time.
First off, you should start this routine laying flat on your back, taking notice of any changes in your body since training: any tightness or soreness in any areas of the body. Begin by breathing deeply yet comfortably to set up the pace for the rest of the routine.
Pull your knees to your chest and support your lower back with your hands as you raise your legs in the air. As you achieve the inverted position, ensure you are supporting your weight on across your shoulders and your triceps, as seen in the image, so that no pressure is placed on your neck at all.
Slowly lower your knees towards your face so that they are now on each side of your face. Remember to support your weight on your shoulders and triceps, as seen in the image, to ensure your neck is safe, and only drop your knees as far as you feel comfortable.
Place one leg across the other so that you are in a modified triangle position. Place both hands on the outstretched leg and focus on your breathing in this position.
Maintaining the triangle position, bend the leg that was outstretched and place your palms together just under your knee, gently pulling it towards your chest.
Gently roll forward, taking a running man position with your legs. Gently lower your chest towards your front leg as you exhale.
Sit up now and bring your rear forward and curl it underneath you. Bring your top leg over your knee and place the soul of your foot on the floor. Pass your opposite arm over your top knee to achieve the twist. Remember to breathe deeply and maintain a nice tall posture in this position.
Extend on of your legs back behind you to move into a deep lunge, pushing your bent knee out to your side, flexing your glutes, as you feel the stretch in your hips.
Remember to breathe deeply.
Push your body up with your legs so that your rear knee is off the mat. If you find it difficult to maintain your balance, you can place your hands on the mat for added support.
Once you have finished the circuit, return to the first position and repeat on the other side.
For more stretches and tips to improve your BJJ, make sure you come by and try out one of our classes.
We have classes dedicated for all levels from kids to adults and serious athletes to those who just want to stay fit and have fun doing it.
Until next time,
See you on the mats!
OSS!
Are you worried your kids are spending too much time on their iPads, smartphones or in front of the computer? It’s safe to say you’re also worried about their health, posture and the life they’re missing out on in the outside world.
If you’re looking for an activity that is perfect for growing bodies, developing minds, with lessons to prepare your child for the future, then BJJ is just the thing you’re after.
You may think balance and coordination is something most of us are blessed with at birth; however, children who are physically active in sports like BJJ learn how to control gross motor skills (general movement) much more effectively than kids who are sedentary.
This is important for them as they navigate through life, as having greater control over their bodies can reduce the potential for injury; e.g. the instinct to put their hands out for protection if they fall from their bike.
It’s no surprise that martial arts can build confidence in children who may feel threatened by other kids, or who are bullied at school. However the development of gross motor skills, mentioned earlier, is also important for you child’s confidence.
Generally, children who haven’t yet developed a good level of coordination and balance may feel apprehensive about joining in on activities with other children, negatively affecting their self-esteem. However, this is a curable issue and participation in BJJ can go a long way in improving your child’s confidence.
BJJ also helps train your child’s executive function, a group of mental skills essential for their future:
As mentioned earlier, developing gross motor skills will go a long way in improving your child’s likelihood of participation in activities with other children.
Another way BJJ will help your child is through the interaction they gain with other children. While BJJ develops the individual, the art is practiced within a team and children learn that, even though at times they may compete with each other, they are still friends. This is important for emotional development and how they perceive relationships with others in the future.
Plus, developing friendships with other kids is something your child will cherish forever.
Besides the motor skills discussed earlier, BJJ is great for developing strong healthy bodies and reducing the risk of childhood obesity.
Health benefits may include:
One of the stand out benefits BJJ has over other martial arts for your child is the ability to learn from their actions with little risk of injury.
Kids learn what works and what doesn’t during class via their actions and the following consequences; e.g. they attempt a sweep, but fail because of reason X. In striking dominant martial arts, this lesson can result in a whole bunch of tears and bad times; however, in BJJ all your child need do is tap out and they can restart again happily with no risk of injury.
Learning about consequences is extremely important for your child’s future, as it is an executive function related to impulse control and the effect their actions will have on themselves and those around them.
This also teaches your child the ability to learn from their mistakes, as they can see what went wrong and what they need to do to fix it; a skill essential in their schooling and future adult lives.
The main reason your kid will love BJJ is the fact that it’s just good FUN. There’s nothing better for your child than an activity that develops their mental and physical bodies that they love and want to go to, day after day.
If you have any enquiries about our kids classes at either our Burleigh or Ormeau academies, feel free to contact us on 0451 011 584 or pop by to check out one of the classes. Everyone is welcome – and who knows, maybe you’ll want to join in too.
Learning how to apply the armbar from the mount will enable you to understand the basic mechanics and controls of one of BJJ’s most fundamental techniques.
In today’s article we provide you with a simple and easy to do step-by-step guide for applying this technique; teaching you the ins and outs of the position without having to rely excess hip movements or flexibility.
Step 1 – Begin in the mount position and secure a firm grip on your opponent’s elbow and collar on the side you have chosen to attack.
Step 2 – Apply pressure with your chest against the back of your opponent’s triceps, while slightly lifting their shoulder off the ground, to prevent them from freeing their arm as you switch your base to the one pictured to the right.
Step 3 – Now that your chest is controlling the back of the arm you want to attack, reach across and control to your opponent’s other arm to limit their potential for movement and escape.
Step 4 – Pass your leg over your opponents head. If you stand to pass your leg over, you will be releasing the pressure on your opponent’s body and give them an opportunity to escape – you don’t want that!
To pass your leg over efficiently, lean towards your opponent’s legs. This will help you get the space you need to pass your leg over their head, while applying more pressure to their body. Hint: You know it is working when you hear them go “Hnnnggggggg!”
Step 5 – It is important that you do not fall to your back just yet as you still need to adjust your grips. Ensure you maintain pressure on your opponent’s body with your weight and gain a solid control of their arm.
Step 6 – Most likely, your opponent will grip their own arm to stop you from finishing the armbar. One way to break this grip is to post on the ground with the arm closest to your opponent’s head and hug their arm tightly with the other.
Step 7 – Pass your leg closest to your opponent’s hips over his arms and apply pressure to his forearms/wrists. Once you have done this you will be able to pull their arm back and towards their head to break their grip.
To finish the armbar you need to be aware of two key ideas:
In other words…..
Wide knees = no good
Pinched knees = get the tap!
Jiu Jitsu is great for your health and extremely fun. However, it isn’t a one size fits all martial art and how well a technique works depends on how well you can adapt it to your body type as well as your opponent’s. To gain a deeper understanding of the art you should always train with a great team who will welcome you on the mats and be a positive influence on your journey towards your black belt.
Contact us today to find out more about our classes, coaches and curriculum. We would love to have you as part of the team.