A notebook is an invaluable training tool for BJJ. Keeping track of your training sessions will direct them in such a way that they become focused and efficient. While there are many aspects of your training to include in your notes, some tend to yield better information than others and should be considered indispensable. One thing is for sure though, if you commit to maintaining a notebook you will eventually see the positive effects it can have on your progress and enjoyment of BJJ.
One result of taking notes is “directed training”. Directed training is simply training with a purpose. If you keep track of what doesn’t work in a sparring session you will certainly find holes that exist in your game. The first step to correcting a problem in your game is to find the problem. Once found, you can decide how best to work on that problem. Continue to use your notes as a method of tracking progress. When you are satisfied, move on to another problem.

Methods of tracking your progress will vary as your goals vary. However, you can always find a way of monitoring your development. Some examples include a rep chart, rating rounds, and tracking time spent doing a specific live drill. You can be as general or as specific as you like. Further, the tone of your notes can be indicative of your mental state which can be very informative.

Along with monitoring your progress, note taking can include dietary habits, sleep habits, and conditioning. Your notes should definitely include your class objectives (i.e. how you plan to use your open mat time during a given training session), goals, and notes on what worked/didn’t work during sparring. Keep track of your specific partners. This will show you who your priority training partners should be. You may take notes on the details of a technique that was taught in class; however, in order for this type of information to be truly helpful, it should be paired with immediate review and/or visualization of the position.

While the method and focus of note taking may vary, it is obvious that the information gained represents invaluable data that will allow you to become responsible for your training. Once you take responsibility for your development you can decide the path your training will take. The end effect will be faster progress and, perhaps, a greater appreciation for training BJJ.

The author:  Russ Helm, brown belt in BJJ and coach at Revolution BJJ

Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be categorized as “grappling” martial arts.  On a very simplistic level, it is possible to categorize martial arts into either grappling or striking arts, or some combination of both.  Judo and BJJ both focus far more heavily on close range combat- close enough to grab and throw or roll around with one’s opponent.

So… what’s the difference between these two martial arts?  What makes judo and BJJ so different, and how are the two arts similar?

Both arts have far more similarities than differences.  They both encompass taking the fight to the ground.  Both include pinning techniques and submissions from both the top and bottom.  The differences arise far more from the respective rules of the sports of each art.

Here are some key differences, largely based on what the sports dictate for each art.

The ways to win a match in judo are as follows:

• Throwing your opponent to his or her back, with force
• Pinning your opponent for a pre-set period of time (25 seconds = ippon, or complete victory in Japanese)
• Submission (armlock or choke)

There are also penalties and referee’s decisions, but the above three are typically stated as the goals in sport judo, in order of the frequency by which matches are won.

In sport BJJ, the ways to win are:

• Submission
• Points

Once again, there is the possibility of the referee deciding a winner, or a disqualification, but few competitors train to win in such a manner.  There are also “advantages” (tie-breakers) which often decide the winner in BJJ, but they are typically based on the previously listed criteria.

Just for fun, here’s a video of our judo instructor, Kevin Santi, throwing me around like a rag doll:

But if you can win by submission in judo, why not focus more energy on the ground game?  A typical judo club or program will focus about 75% on the feet (some far less than this).  Why?

The answer is simple, and once again dictated by the rules of the sport.  In judo, you have about 15 seconds on the ground to make something happen, or the match will restart on the feet.  Contrast this with sport BJJ, where the fight essentially begins on the ground.

In order to understand what is different about judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it is important to understand the differences in the sport applications.  If your main goal is to throw someone to the ground, you can bet that you’re going to spend the lion’s share of your training time developing a sophisticated, high percentage approach to doing just that.  On the other hand, if your main goal is the submission on the ground, it is reasonable to assume that most of one’s time and energy would be spent researching what happens on the ground.

This is precisely what has happened over the last century or so.  Sport judo has developed into an incredibly sophisticated, subtle, effective throwing art, with some relatively basic ground techniques.  Sport BJJ, on the other hand, has moved away from its sophisticated focus on the throws, in the interest on developing what happens on the ground.  As a result, we have two unique martial arts, with incredibly complex throws on the feet in judo, and equally complicated ground techniques in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

 

A lot of people have approached me about this particular finish, because I have taught a very similar technical series in both seminars and at my gym, Revolution BJJ.  The technique Frank Mir used is very similar to what I have shown at a series of three seminars I’ve taught on the Kimura both as a grip and a submission.

Now, before we go any further, if you haven’t seen the fight itself, check out Stephen Kesting and Ritchie Yip’s breakdown of the fight, shown below (even if you saw the fight, this is a really interesting breakdown of all the key points in the fight):

 

Now, a lot of people asked me if the technique Mir hit was the “Big Bird,” which is a straight armlock finish from the Kimura when the guy has your back. This was different, although you can get to this position when setting up the Big Bird.

Mir’s movement much more closely mimics “catching the trail arm”, which I have shown several times in my second Kimura seminar series. Mir then floats (reference: “floating pass”) back to the other side of Nogueira’s body, where he looks to finish the old-school Kimura (stepping over the head to finish by switching his hips, notably different from the north-south finish).

One other notable difference:  in the fight itself, Mir bases on his neck and shoulders, but in the video, Kesting does not.

For those who asked me, I hope this satisfies your curiosity.

Maybe you’re about to begin your journey through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, doing some research before you get started. Or maybe you’ve been training for years now, and just want to take a look at how accurate my list is. Either way, there’s something here for everyone.

These myths about BJJ, although very commonly held, are actually dangerous hindrances to your training and development. Get them out of the way right now!

Myth #1: “A purple belt should never tap to a blue belt.”
You can actually replace “blue” and “purple” with any two consecutive belt ranks in BJJ.  This myth is dangerous on several levels.  First, if you are a blue belt who believes you will never tap a purple belt, it hinders your own potential as a student.  Second, there are many variables that go into who taps whom on a given day.  The purple belt might be putting himself into a vulnerable position on purpose to work on escaping; the blue belt might be an athletic phenom.  Finally, and most importantly, the upper belts are not going to always treat every roll as though it was competition!  For further reading on this subject, check out  Five Ways to Get Better at BJJ.

Myth #2:  It shouldn’t take you longer than 2 years to get your blue belt.
Once again, this myth applies to all belt levels.  Anyone who tells you it shouldn’t take more than a certain amount of time in order to achieve the next belt level is missing a great deal of information in order to truly assess this.  There are much more athletic individuals who are able to train several times a week- and sometimes even multiple times in one day- who are obviously going to improve at a faster rate than, say, an individual who can commit 2 training sessions per week, with no previous athletic experience.  Again, I refer you to another very good article in case you haven’t already read it:  How Long Will it Take Me to Get My Blue Belt in BJJ?

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