If you’ve watched high level no gi competitions that allow all leg locks over the past few years, you know that leglocks are all the rage right now. Leglocks have taken hold of the competitive grappling circuit becoming an extremely trendy over the past couple of years. What make leglocks so effective and why are […]

  There is nothing quite as demoralizing as being put in a bad position while on the ground and not being able to escape. Besides being physically exhausting, it also takes a toll on the mental portion of our game as well. How do we prepare ourselves for ending up in those bad spots? There […]

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, one of the most dynamic positions is the half guard. Misunderstood by those with little experience, and utilized greatly by those who know its power, having a great half guard is beneficial for top and bottom players. If you want to be successful in Jiu Jitsu, you must be able to […]

 

Very often we hear tell of this always within reach, but never actually attainable “grind”.  We are told to embrace it, we are told to savor it, and the best of us strive for it on a day to day basis.  The grind is important to sports in general, but holds a special place in one on one combat, including but not limited to grappling and jiu jitsu.

“The grind” refers to the inherent suffering and literal grind of training.  In grappling it literally refers to the sensation of the mat rubbing against you, your gi rubbing against you, and of course person’s pressure and intensity grinding on you.  The grind hurts.  The grind is uncomfortable.  And the reality is that the grind is what is required to really be able to say that you put hard work in.

The grind can mean different things to different people.  It can be reflected in how a person drills or in how they roll.  It can show up in who you choose as your training partners.  Here is a hint: if you want to embrace the grind, always seek someone out who gives you no quarter, someone who forces you to work.  If your training partner is too much better than you, you will not be able to really put in work on the right level, if they are not even close to as good as you, you will not really have a challenge.  For this reason, when it comes to “The grind” it may be best to choose people just above your skill level.

To take it a step further, who you train with is not as important as HOW you train.  If you sit out between rounds, you are not embracing the grind, if you show up late and leave early you are not embracing the grind.  However if you are present and working the entire training session you are on your way.  And it is not easy.  You have to push and motivate yourself on days that you do not feel like it.

Another crucial aspect of The Grind is your willingness to put it on the line should the opportunity present itself.  Competition is not necessary to excel in jiu jitsu, but short of using your jiu jitsu in a fight (MMA or street) it is very likely the best way to test and push yourself and really see how your jiu jitsu stacks up against that of others.  It also teaches you how you react to a level of stress that is unavailable to you in the comfort and confines of your gym.

There are three major aspects of being a successful grappler: technique, physical prowess (speed, flexibility and strength) and toughness.  If you are technical but very weak and weak minded/not tough, your technique will likely fail you.  Technique is a must for toughness and physical prowess to play a roll, but once your technique is up to par, toughness is the most important aspect.  And the only way to develop toughness is through the grind.

But how does “The Grind” develop toughness?  It is similar to a Muay Thai fighter conditioning their shins.  We gradually callous our minds to the point at which bad positions and situations do not evoke terror.  We become capable of maintaining our composure regardless of where we may wind up, and thus are able to mount intelligent defenses and even attacks from positions and situations that before would have left us clueless and ineffective.

The only way to really become excellent at jiu jitsu or grappling in general is the grind.  There are people who can make it all the way to black belt without ever truly embracing the grind, but those people will never make it to the podium, and those people are not really experiencing everything jiu jitsu has to offer.  The best way to know that you have experienced and embraced the grind is when everything else in life seems easy in comparison to your training sessions.  If you reach that level, you are embracing it and you will see benefits from it.

Check out this video in which Bernardo Faria talks about the work he has put in to reach his significant accomplishments.

https://youtu.be/wSWeZNPnyyg

Las Vegas is about to become the setting for one of the best IBJJF events of the year. On July 9th, some of the best BJJ black belt will descend on the city of sin to compete for a grand prize of $40,000! The IBJJF is starting to recognize the success of such organizations as […]

Anyone that follows the competitive grappling scene knows of the infamous “Danaher Death Squad” consisting of Eddie Cummings, Garry Tonon and Gordon Ryan lead by Renzo Gracie black belt, John Danaher. While you watch those three impressive black belts compete, you’ll notice what they do best…leg locks. But it is not just the locks themselves, […]

One of the most useful tools a jiu jitsu practitioner can develop is the ability to retain and recovery guard at will.  In the retention and recovery of guard, arises a certain innate security that one can always reset to a comfortable guard when needed. Perhaps the most important aspect of guard retention and recovery […]

Cross Training For BJJ… When it comes to grappling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the best choices for someone to choose. Offering so much, BJJ gives a very flexible and interesting view on how to grapple for competition and self defense. While BJJ offers a lot and gives many different strengths, there are weaknesses. […]

On July 17th, the seventh edition of the Eddie Bravo Invitational returns to the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California for another night of submission only action! Eddie Bravo has made this tournament for the featherweights this time around and will have some of the best featherweights in the world competing. Here is the full […]

From the first day that we start learning jiu jitsu, we are also taught that the ego is toxic.  We are taught to abandon our pride, and that we either win or we learn.  From the first day that we start learning jiu jitsu, we are misled to some degree.  The ego is crucial to […]

Rolling against bigger opponents in Jiu Jitsu can be a real eye opener, but absolutely essential. It doesn’t matter if it is rolling in class, or in an absolute division in a tournament. Sometimes people have unrealistic ideas on how good they are, until they run into someone that is bigger, taller and heavier than […]

One week ago, the jiu jitsu community was treated to the 2016 world championship in which some new champions were crowned, some old champions came back.  It was a remarkable event that showcased the very best that jiu jitsu has to offer… In the men’s divisions: Bruno Malfacine brought home his sixth IBJJF World title […]

There is one man who has dominated the lightweight division in the grand stages of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition. That man is Lucas Lepri. Lepri is a dynamic grappler who has absolutely taken control of his weight division in the last five years. This champion shows no sign of slowing down. Keep on reading to […]

What’s the most important skill set to develop as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner?  What separates people who know moves from people who know how to execute them?  There is one simple yet extremely difficult notion that determines the quality of a jiujiteiro and that notion is timing. This is best developed through live rolling and […]

In the world of gi Jiu Jitsu, there is one guard that works for a variety of different situations. That guard happens to be guarda aranha, known in English as spider guard. The always applicable spider guard works as both an offensive and defensive guard, and also works as a sweeping or submitting guard. This […]