Attribute Specific Training

Time is something we wish we had more of. I believe the same is true of money, women and beer, but that is a story reserved for a day when my wife isn't reading this. I'm only joking (seriously, honey). No matter how hard you train, time seems to go by like a rocket strapped to a cheetah.

So how do you take advantage of the precious moments you have? Attribute specific training. Yes, running and lifting weights are important, and no, reruns of Married With Children are not (ok, maybe they are, but you get the point). We tend to complain that we don't have enough time to do what we want, but then we sit on our ass watching our dog lick his balls (oh, I'm the only one? Nevermind...)

I have broken down what I believe are the six main attributes of a Level 10 Jiu-Jitsu Character (nerd reference, bite me). They are:

EXPLOSIVENESS
AGILITY
FLEXIBILITY
TECHNIQUE
CARDIO
MENTALITY

On a scale of 1-5, where do you rank yourself in each of the categories?

EXPLOSIVENESS ___
AGILITY ___
FLEXIBILITY ___
TECHNIQUE ___
CARDIO ___
MENTALITY ___

Where were you the weakest? Start there. Let's pretend you have a workout planned with 15 minutes dedicated to each of the attributes. In fact, better yet, don't pretend, fucking do it. Maybe you will do splits for 15 minutes, then work guard passes with the family dog, followed by explosively flipping the coffee table end over end until you are nimbly skipping your way to the divorce lawyer after your wife sees what you did to the house.

Or maybe you can think of some better exercises that don't result in losing half of everything you own. The point is, if your flexibility is lacking, spend more time stretching, and less time lifting tractor tires. If you are feeling winded recently, forgo your benchpress, and jog up Mount Olympus to kick Zeus' ass.

I want to point out one very important attribute that most people neglect to train: mental toughness. Yes, it is something that you are constantly dealing with while training other attributes, but I believe it should be trained seperately as well. Meditation, books, and positive thoughts all play their role in developing your mental strength.

Keep all of these attributes at the center of your training, and it wont be long before you are slaying dragons, and dethroning kings.

Breaking Down Your Game

Remember the VCR? You know, that antiquated slab of black plastic tucked away in your closet beside the golf clubs that your wife begged you not to buy? It's a piece of junk now, but at one time it was the coolest thing since Miles Davis' sliced bread. The only use it has anymore is boring inlaws with videos of your better days, and watching a ragged copy of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", wishing you were as cool as that dude.

The technology it represents is very useful, however. Especially to those who like to break down every facet of their Jiu-Jitsu game. Enter YouTube: the website that brought you the ability to view people pranking each other by creating new ways to damage their friend's testicles. That's not what I use it for though. I primarily watch videos regarding socially constructive things like how to survive a zombie attack.

It does have an even better use than watching funny Old Spice commercials. Lately, I have been taping my rolling sessions, and uploading them to a private YouTube channel, then giving access to my training partners so we can review/comment on each others game as well as our own. Note, I said private because I have no desire for me getting my ass kicked to be at the world's fingertips.

This is something I highly recommend doing. Video taping your sessions is by itself a great training tool, but once you place that video at the center of your crew, and begin methodically picking it apart, the options for growth are endless. I have yet to see the full benefits of this, but I know the potential is there for it to take my Jiu-Jitsu to the next level.

Then, I really will be as cool as Ferris Bueller.

Avoiding Mental Mistakes

Mental fatique is much worse than physical fatique. You can push through your body breaking down, but when your mind betrays you, weird things begin to happen. You make mistakes that you normally wouldn't, as in sticking your neck out to have it guillotined like a peasant in the renaissance.

One thing I have found helpful is to envision the worst thing in the world that can happen to you. Then stop being a pussy and realize this isn't that bad. After you've been through some hardcore shit, you realize getting choked unconscious isn't that big of a deal compared to having a bag full of scorpions tied around your head while being submerged in hydrochloric acid. In fact, if your Ambien hasn't been working lately, this could be your only chance for a few moments of deep sleep.

Injuries in Jiu-Jitsu do suck. Getting tapped to an armbar doesn't, however, not tapping to an armbar really sucks. Especially if your opponent introduces the back of your hand to your scapula. I tend to focus on the positive aspects, and don't really worry about injuries. Of course, it pays to take preventive measures. In training:

-Tap right before the joint is extended completely (with experience you will get better at knowing when you are actually finished, and cannot possibly escape).
-When your opponent raises his hand to tap, let go.
-Don't be a spaz.
-Don't jerk on (or off) your opponent.

Just a few ideas to keep safe. I usually hold out for a while on chokes, but I don't play around with joint locks. I need my limbs to do constructive things like play video games, drink beer and Google the meaning of life. All at the same time.

Mental fatigue can create injuries though. So when you are getting sloppy, remember to breath and relax, or your limbs could end up looking like this guy. Sometimes its hard to do this in the midst of getting choked out, as the blood supply to your brain is being limited. I don't really have any advice for that, other than don't get choked out. I never said I was an expert.

Kaboom!

I've never been a very explosive guy. My wife would probably disagree, after I eat beans and drink Acai berry juice, then trap her in my Dutch oven. I don't know why they call it that. I seriously doubt the Dutch cook their food by trapping hot farts in blankets, but they might. Ask Bas Rutten.

What I mean is that I'm not particularly powerful and quick. Years of LSD have turned my fast-twitch muscles into turtles. I'm not referring to the drug, if I was I would mention how that has turned my brain into scrambled eggs like the commercials from the 90s. Remember that? Also, I don't see how Fabio couldn't really believe it was not butter, it was clearly an imitation.

LSD (long, slow distance) has its place in BJJ, but it should not be used as a primary tool. For the past few weeks, I have been neglecting my anaerobic conditioning, and putting in 10-15 miles of LSD a week. Not a whole lot, I know. But when this is coupled with no explosive conditioning, you begin to feel slow when you roll.

Instead of 3 miles, I am now running 1. Instead of 5, I am running 3. Instead of standard weight training, I am busting this out.

Good stuff, and harder than it looks.

I recommend one good long run a week, but any more than that will make you like me: only explosive after bean burritos.