Masafumi Matsumoto In the previous post, I shared my answer to someone who just had his 3rd BJJ session and was asking a question in a BJJ Facebook group.Let me do something similar again.This time, the question I found was the following: Any tips to help I’m a three stripe blue belt and have hit a plateau …
I saw this post in a BJJ Facebook group:“Hi everyone. Did my 3rd class tonight, hate being the new guy and hate not knowing what I’m doing. I’m super impatient!! Anyone have any tips, any videos they recommend etc?”The original poster received many comments. They are not necessarily wrong or bad pieces of advice, but …
People often compare BJJ with chess.The accuracy of this comparison is up for debate, but BJJ does involve problem-solving.When you roll against someone, you and the other player are creating problems for each other.Your aim is to create a set of problems your opponent struggles to solve.At the same time, you want to make sure …
Stoicism can give you a helpful framework for your thoughts & actions.It helps you narrow down what to focus on so you won’t have to worry about things you don’t need to worry about.The basic idea behind Stoicism is simple.There are things you can control. And there are things you cannot control.So, focus on what …
As I wrote in my previous post, I trained at PSLPB in São Paulo between Feb and early July in 2016, and my biggest lesson comes down to one phrase:Don’t stop.This email is about why implementing this piece of advice can improve your game… as it helped with my game.I’m all for being precise when …
I trained at the PSLPB headquarters in São Paulo, Brazil, from Feb to the beginning of July in 2016.PSLPB is the team that the world-class BJJ players like Leandro Lo, the Miyao brothers, Tiago Barros, Hiago George, Thalison Soares, and Diego Pato represent/ed.When I was there, Lo had already left the team, and the Miyao …
It’s not what you say that matters…… but it’s what you do that matters.The same goes for a certain BJJ expression we’ve all heard before.“Let’s roll light.”You thought it really was going to be a light roll…… until the other person started “losing” and then going harder.So I get it that people tend to be …
Some BJJ news caught my attention.Here’s the headline of the Jits Magazine article I read:“IBJJF Refuse To Recognise Enson Inoue As A Black Belt”Enson Inoue is a legendary veteran MMA fighter from Hawaii.He has Japanese roots and spent many years living in Japan as well.Also, he’s one of the pioneers of BJJ in Japan. People …
A while ago, I got asked about wrestlers coming into BJJ/grappling. What should they do? If you’ve read my past emails, you might be able to guess what I’m going to say in the following. Most BJJ players suck at takedowns and takedown defenses. So you may be able to take them down pretty easily. …
Your determination matters a lot.In the previous post, I talked about how it’s essential…1) to decide that you will keep your guard and2) not to give up your guard too quickly.And I hinted that there’s a bit more to this mental side of the game.Here’s another mental command you should program into yourself:Prevention over recovery.Again, …