No UFC Heavyweight Champion has defended the belt more than twice! Winning is difficult, and when the competition is stout, repeated winning has an extra element of difficulty. The gravity of past success can be as hard an obstacle to overcome as winning the title, to begin with. Take a look into the mentality shifts
Fluidity And Speed In BJJ
The white belt watches the smoothness of the upper belts and sometimes feels that level of fluidity is out of reach. Anyone can move smoother and increase speed in BJJ. The clunkiness of newness can be overcome. Relaxation In BJJ Unlocks Speed In BJJ Speed kills and relaxation is the prerequisite to speed (read more
Breathing And Relaxation For Jiu Jitsu
Until a basic understanding of relaxation is achieved there will always be a limit on what the white belt can achieve. The first major project the white belt encounters in their Jiu Jitsu Journey is to master relaxation for Jiu Jitsu. The reminders to relax and breathe seem so easy to forget in the moment.
Jiu Jitsu Tactics (Heavy Is The Head That Wears The Crown (part 2))
Bouncing back and making changes after a strategic or technical loss in Jiu Jitsu is logical. Strategy and technique have a concrete feel to them with near-immediate feedback. Attitude and mentality are the most frustrating ways that I have lost matches. There is this hard to grasp quality about them. It seems like I can
Jiu Jitsu Strategy (Heavy Is The Head That Wears The Crown. (Pt. 1)
I have lost more tournaments than I have won. Lots. Most of the tournaments I have lost have been because of either my strategy, attitude, or mentality. I have repeatedly made strategic mistakes. The most common strategic mistake that I made was trying to approach a match holistically as if there was some honor in
Jiu Jitsu Self Image
When I was brand new I took cues from my training partners. Because of my slow initial growth, they felt that I was an easy roll and wasn’t going to be tapping anyone anytime soon. I accepted that. My Jiu Jitsu self-image was that I just wasn’t going to be very good at Jiu Jitsu.
Doing Versus Thinking In BJJ
In my mind, I finished the sweep and passed effortlessly to side control. I was going to win. But that isn’t what was ACTUALLY happening. That was my imagination separating from the realness of the moment. That was me projecting how I wanted things to go by playing a movie in my head that wasn’t
What To Do When You Are One Of The Best Grapplers On The Mat
Getting squished and overcoming adversity forged my improvement. When I was at the bottom of the heap I could see and feel all the ways I needed to improve. After years of being one of the worst grapplers on the mat, I finally became one of the upper belts. The way I focused on improving my
The Worst Grappler On The Mat
I don’t think I submitted any of my training partners for my first year of live rolling. My gym was very “sink or swim”, and I was sinking like a cannonball. Today I am one of the highest ranked belts at that same school. I realize now that being the worst grappler on the mat
Stop Trying So Hard To Be 100% Awesome
I don’t know where I got the idea that I should feel 100% awesome on tournament day. This false conviction seemed to branch off the myth that the other competitors weren’t nervous, that they felt READY and I should too. This type of “supposed to” caused me extensive grief. I end up spending significant time