20 Tips to Enhance Your Play

8/6/2019 20 Tips to Enhance Your Play

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20 tips to enhance your play

If you only read and keep the teachings presented here, youre not going anywhere with yourground techniques. The following advices useful in tournaments with gi, grappling, MMA andfor the athletes personal evolution ought to be studied between trainings. On this case, ourlittle script here can change everything you had been doing wrong or simply didnt know

existed. Aiming at bringing you a large and carefully wrought guide (whether you are or not abeginner), we have asked the main masters of the sport: what would you like to have foundout earlier? Whats behind the gold medals and amazing titles? What are the shortcuts? Whatare the secrets? Each Jiu-Jitsu exponent brought their own delicacy to this feast. Enjoy,therefore, this manual if you wish to evolve. In Jiu-Jitsu, life everything.

1. Exercise your ears

The first rule to perfect your Jiu-Jitsu is to never be deaf to other peoples knowledge, saysRenzo Gracie. Its common to see guys who deem themselves professors decline a newteaching, ignoring a pupil who shows something new. To grow better you must understandhow people think and how they got to that position. Even if its not perfect, its up to you toenhance it. A clear example was a coup with which Gracie surprised Canadian fighter Carlos

Newton in the Pride Bushido 1: I nearly submitted him on the foot lock, in a position a white-belt had taught me. Starting from the tip I perfected and developed the leg attack, from theknee lock to the foot lock. To Renzo, it doesnt matter whether the student is a blue-, white-belt, or someone whos never fought: the moment they show you something, shut your mouthand pay attention. Even if the move is not efficient, the concept might help your play. Whenyou dont allow yourself to accept any other form of knowledge, you become a limitedprofessor, he teaches.

2. Always believe in the move

If you follow Rodrigo Minotauros MMA bouts, you can probably figure out his tip to make yourJiu-Jitsu better. A combative athlete, always with a surprising coup at hand, he shoots: Fightto get a grip on your opponent. How do you do that? Well, the Brazilian Top Team star

suggests that every fighter ignores the clock and the points during the combats. This measuremay result in defeats in the beginning, but on the long run itll leave the fighter light andloose (Nogueiras definition). There is nothing better than fighting naturally and pressure-free, he says. The secret is to believe Hes got to believe, adds Wallid Ismail. CarlsonGracies black-belts advice is based on three elements: stamina, attitude and will to win. Atthe time of the position or the fight, the main thing is to believe. To make the move work,youve got to believe it will work. And it doesnt matter whos on the other side, because therelies the difference between winner and loser. The winner is never intimidated. He may evenfear, but he must have something greater inside the attitude.

3. Practice an outdoor sport

Soccer, jogging, outdoor work out theres always a healthy activity waiting for the athlete

who takes off the gi after hours of grappling in the academy. One can then dive into acommonplace sport (surf, for instance, is practised by nine in every ten fighters) or eveninvent their own distraction. This strategy keeps the body in shape without making the fighterstressed from the training routine. Every physical activity, not only Jiu-Jitsu, is useful forworking out heart and mind, leading the guy to thinking that, instead of smoking a joint orusing drugs, he can dedicate his time to exercise, says Royler Gracie, who has since 1999

been climbing the Rock of Gavea, at Rio de Janeiro: Its a workout similar to the Macacos Hilltrail at Teresopolis, which I would cross with Rickson when he was preparing for MMA fights,he recollects.


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4. Repeat the moves over and over

Leaders of victorious academies in Jiu-Jitsu and MMA, Andre Pederneiras (Nova Uniao) andSylvio Behring (Winner-Behring) dont fear being repetitive when they assure that the motto isto persist and persist and then persist some more when it comes to position-training.Definitely the key is the positions. In judo, the athlete makes 1,000 takedowns on every

session. Its sad to see that in the Jiu-Jitsu milieu people think its a waste of time. We repeatthe basic positions in the warm up about 5 times before every practice, says Pederneiras.Master Sylvio corroborates: Every title we conquered in the last years with Mario Reis andFabricio Werdum were due to this philosophy: repeating the basics and go through a trainingfight under supervision, which is the sparring game. One of the athletes executes every typeof attack, arm, triangle, and the other tries to defend from the blitz, says Marcelo Behringsbrother, who demands 90 seconds or a series of 100 repetitions after training. Thus theathlete reaches exhaustion and lets the movement flow naturally. After all, as professor JeanJacques Machado puts it, its better to repeat a position a thousand times, working on it for amonth, than learning one a day.The phenomenon Nino Elvis Schembri also agrees on the tip: More and more I convincemyself that one should pay attention to the positions, from the white all the way to the black

belt. The main thing in Jiu-Jitsu, a sport in which, I believe, the most technical player gets theadvantage, is to repeat the positions. Everybody does that in boxing, judo, but in Jiu-Jitsu the

guys are a little lazy. Including me. To Nino, its reasonable to reserve the beginning of thepractice to repeating 50 positions for each side, thrice a week. And dont even think of givingup, he smiles.

5. Set goals

In the nineties, when he was among the best competitors in Jiu-Jitsu, Ze Mario Sperry had anotebook where he would right the goals to be reached in training, in a given period. Theblack-belt used to rip the leaves and leave them on all corners of his house. Id go to thebathroom to shave and would find a note glued to the mirror: If you want to be a champion,youve got one week to do this or train that, he recalls. Sperry explains that setting goalshelps in the evaluation and control of what is being produced in the training. The ideal is thatthe fighter define what he wants. Afterwards, find ways to get there, reckoning the time

necessary to reach it. For an example, the black-belt recollects the time he set the goal ofgetting a perfect physical condition. To achieve it, he designed a series that focused on severalexercises, such as squatting, weight lifting and running-sprints. By keeping my heart-beataccelerated with this workout, I made progress until I conditioned my body to the rhythm ofthe combats. This note pursuit enabled the BTT master to keep focus on his careersobjectives, being sure what he had to improve in a near future.Black-belt Vitor Shaolin warns his students about this up to this day: You must set up yourtraining in such a way that you define what are the two most important competitions for youto be in that year. No matter how much you try it, you can never be 100% in alltournaments, he guarantees. Then you must establish the rules: I want to be well in theBrazilian and World championships. And prepare to place well only in these tournaments, notminding whatever you win or lose in the rest of the competitions. The body is not a machineand cannot remain on a level 8 or 9 all the time, be it in Jiu-Jitsu or MMA, which is theTriathlon of fighting, the Shooto champion concludes.

6. Be dynamic

To Amaury Bitetti, Jiu-Jitsu is like chess: you only move a piece thinking of the next move.The two-time world open champion in 96-97 says an attacking position during the fight mustalways be connected to other future positions whose objective is the submission or just tofollow the comparison the check-mate. In order to achieve that, Amaury advises that theattack-trainings should be made in a logical progression. For instance: a takedown leads to aguard-pass, which in its turn leads us to a mount, which leads to a choke. The combinations


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are infinite; what matters is that your game be not static. Just as in the whiskeyadvertisement: keep walking. Turn your Jiu-Jitsu into a motor gear.

7. You are an athlete, not a weight-lifter

Two-time world open champion 02-03, Marcio Pe de Pano strives to convince the athletes of

the fact that they dont need to look for a superathletes body at any cost. To the black-belt,the secret lies, above all, in training to ally technique and good conditioning. If you train Jiu-Jitsu, you ought to work out, but not make a monstrous physical preparation, he comments.If you fight MMA or wrestling, you might need such a body. In Jiu-Jitsu, physical preparationis not all: one must work to become a technical and conditional athlete. Therefore, dont gotry anything silly.

8. Strengthen your grip

The first attitude necessary to follow this hint by Vitor Shaolin is: tighten that rope well! Afterall, the principle behind this task is to use a thick rope tied to the academys ceiling in order tostrengthen the fighters grip on the opponents gi. An important detail is that this exercise isgood to another very important muscle for the athlete: the abdomen.

As Shaolin demonstrates, there are three ways of climbing, each of which improves a specificgroup of moves. In the first exercise (picture A), the athlete uses short grips to get to the top,which helps in the chokes executed with the hands near and the arms bent. As he shows, theclimb can be made with the hand reversed (picture B). In the following task (picture C) hegoes upwards with wider grips, ideal to strengthen a pull from the ground with a hip escape(bottom picture) or any position that demands a strong grip with the arms stretched. Thedetail is to keep the legs always elevated, which toughens the abs. You go up, stop for a fewseconds with the legs stretched, and then descend in the same fashion, explains the NovaUniao professor. The wider grip is the hardest, so I do it only once a day, five times a week.The other one, easier, I repeat ten times a week, twice on one day, thrice on the next, thentwice Always after training, when the arms are more tired.

9. Strive to be complete

What good is it to get an A+ in guard-passing but flunk attack-from-the-back? To stand out inJiu-Jitsu, the fighter cant excel at one or two moves. He must play in the eleven, as we say infootball. Black-belt Saulo Ribeiro teaches a simple way of reaching versatility: Many peopledespises the warm-up before practising. Well, dedicate the first 15 minutes in the academy todoing the basic: escape from the back, from the mount, and side-mount. In the next 15,practise submission from the back, the mount and the side-mount. Do this every day in yourJiu-Jitsu career. It may be boring, but itll make you complete. No matter what belt. I am ablack-belt and still discipline myself into doing it till today. Oh, I nearly missed it. Practise judo


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at least twice a week. Knowing how to fight standing is also fundamental. That it my formulafor becoming complete.

10. Posture is everything

By training Jiu-Jitsu frequently, three or four times a week, our physical preparation specialist

Martin Rooneys attention was caught by a simple, though essential, tip. It was somethingthat changed the way I looked at workout itself: whether on the mat or with the dumb-bells,always pay attention to your posture. That is the most important, both if you are trying pass aguard or lifting tremendous weight. Without the adequate posture you dont spare moves, youworsen the strikes execution and augment the health hazards or loss hazards. In case thereader suspects on Martin for the fact that he isnt a great BJJ star, remember that is one ofthe aspects Rickson Gracie stresses the most while training. So, straight neck, lined-upshoulders, firm back and off you go.

11. Learn from defeat

Many fighters absorb but negativity from losses. They get depressed, blame God and theworld for the result and, sometimes, deem their careers finished. Leonardo Vieira does theexact opposite. He uses the defeats (preferably in practices, of course) to reflect on what hecan do better. Im convinced that everybody who submits all of their opponents in thetrainings is actually learning nothing, says Leo. Like the child, who only learns how to walk bystumbling, its by tapping that the Jiu-Jitsu practitioner improves their art. Therefore, theBrasa black-belt advises that the masters mix athletes of different graduations in thetrainings. Thus the fights arent too even, leaving room for adversities. Martin Rooney agrees:The athlete who reacts with bad feelings to the defeats isnt learning the incredible lessonsthat have been taught him, and that would make his chances of losing again much smaller.


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Theres no such thing as winning and losing, but only winning and learning, says Renzos andRicardo Cachorraos trainer. Only you can your reaction and spirits to grow as an athlete. Ibelieve the person that has been submitted the most is the toughest to beat. Thats what atough guy is made of. Thats of a black-belt is made of, he summarizes. Leo Vieira calls theattention to the fact that the losses out of the mats are just as fundamental to form achampion, above all in what concerns character. When there was a dissidence at the firstformation of the Alliance team and I was alone in Sao Paulo, I went through one of the most

difficult moments of my life. However, I became a much stronger person and learned a lotabout life. I wouldnt be here today if I hadnt gone through that, he evaluates.

12. Look for the best version of the move for you

Master Osvaldo Alves says that up until the nineteen-seventies one only gave and armbar-in-guard by uncrossing and wide-opening the legs. I realized this coup was vulnerable, for itenabled the opponent to flee and pass the guard easily. So I invented the climbing-armbar,recalls the red-and-black-belt. As you can see on the image, this armlock version makes it alot harder for the adversary to escape. The thing is to not lock the opponents arm, buthis/her shoulder, clears up the master, who uses his own calf against the sparrings shoulder,stopping him from getting up. Summarizing: if you dont get along with a certain move, try toperfect it, adapt it to your physical and technical traits, always searching new versions for it.

Thats what makes Jiu-Jitsu evolve continuously.

13. The best strategy is the attack

I always try to attack. While Im on the offensive, my opponent can think of nothing butdefending, that is, Im protected, Marcelo Garcia teaches. As an example, the Alliance black-

belt recalls the time when he didnt know to keep an open guard. He would cross the legs onthe opponents back and pray for the time to elapse. I was afraid of attacking, he evaluates.After noticing the deficiency Marcelo started uncrossing the feet and practising sweeps. Herealised that, if he went right onto the adversary, hed run a much smaller risk of being

submitted than if he played defending, applying but rare counter-strikes. Garcia also realisedthat, by being the first to attack, he would make his opponents abandon their former plan. Ifhe prolonged the blitz, Marcelo also prolonged this untouchable state. But there are thosewho say that repeated attacks tend to tire the athlete. What really tires is to hold the fightback the whole time, Marcelo argues. Notwithstanding, the black-belt gives some advice on


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physical preparation for those who agree that the best defense is the attack: Climbing stairsand ramps is the best option for an amazing guard, he reveals.

14. Dont forget to enhance your defense

Despite liking the attacking strategy suggested by Marcelo Garcia, Rillion Gracie stresses the

importance of training submission-escapes (remembering that the other guy may attack first).Look at Roger Gracies performances in the last World Championship. He suffered fulminatingattacks right in the beginning of the battles but was able to defend like a master to thencounter-attack, Rillion recalls. The Gracie Leblon Master says that, while practising defense,the competitor learns exactly what the opponent feels like in situations of adversity. Learningdefense improves the attack. I f the lion knows how the prey can escape, itll capture it in amuch more precise way, he ponders. To practise defense in Jiu-Jitsu, Rillion advises thereader into forgetting s/he is strong. Exercise your patience. Use the weight and the force ofthe levers, he explains. Start practising defense as soon as possible, to awake just as soonthe survival instinct in your fighters soul.

15. Stretch!

Ever since he was a kid, Antonio Schembri has been used to stretching daily. And he nevercomplained, unlike his opponents, whom, in time and practice, he began to submit in the mostvaried ways. Im very flexible, so I always take a strong session before and after training.Some people are stiffer, they dont like it, but stretching is essential, especially the bottomhalf, legs, spine and lumbar, says the Chute Boxe athlete. According to Elvis, stretching isvital even for improving the guard. What I realize in competitions, even black-belts, is thateverybody gets along well on top, but not everyone can keep a good guard. So besidesstretching, which improves the de-passing, the athlete must set up a schedule and programhimself and persist in training every single variation, butterfly guard, closed guard, with insidehooks You cant let the guy cross the knee line, or else youll have to pull something out ofyour ass to stop the guy from passing, Schembri teaches.

16. Develop self-knowledge

According to Fabio Gurgel, competition-Jiu-Jitsu is so leveled nowadays that the small detailscan make the difference in the fights result. Considering that you, fearless reader, havealready looked after the technique and physical preparation, the Alliance general calls theattention to a detail that can turn you into a giant of the mats: self-knowledge. I advise mystudents to talk to themselves. Self-evaluation makes the athlete know himself better, findingout his true virtues and weaknesses. He starts being conscious of his own instincts, developsself-confidence and doesnt chiken out. Thus the athlete can design an ideal fighting plan,Gurgel analyses, and then describes the state of mind with which one should enter the ring:The fighters self-knowledge must turn the battler into something pleasant. The Jiu-Jitsupractitioner must have fun in the championships. That way, it all becomes easy.

17. Simulate hindrances and escapes

Back at Carlsons academy, I always trained with partners who would attack me full-on Thatswhats bad about training in an academy where everybody wants to fight for real: you dontget used to the opponent that hinders the fighting in the competitions, Ricardo de la Rivapoints out, stressing the hard time he had developing his game against Japanese fighter YukiNakai in September 2004.His hint, accordingly, is to simulate fights where the opponentneither tries to pass nor to submit; to fight against a technical sparring or one who runsaway. Marcelo Garcia also has a hint for those hard situations: stretching and breathing. Thefighter has got to know how to stretch and move all of his members, besides breathing


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properly, for the time when he is on the bottom, being smashed and smothered by theadversary, says the middle-weight world champion. In order to learn how to get out of thetough situations, Garcia indicates: the good thing is to practise guard with heavier mates.

18. Try!

Jean Jacques Machado likes to awake his students creativity. The master organizes labsessions during the trainings in the academy where he teaches in Los Angeles. On thesemoments he shows the classroom a move, asks the students to study it and to present adefense a week later. There are many ways to get to a goal. I like my pupils to use theircreativity and find out new ways to get there, he evaluates. In other words, Jean doesntmake his apprentices move repeaters. By disseminating experimentalism in his lessons, theblack-bellt gives birth to classrooms full of creative and innovating athletes. Leo Vieira likesJacques methodology, but presents another way of making the students open minded: Lookat the kids fighting. Notice how theyre always laughing and jumping around. Thats how I liketo fight. Children invent, use unexpected moves that, if adapted to adult Jiu-Jitsu, can befruitful. Teaching kids is a great source of knowledge to me.

19. Regularity, always

Also to 1999 ADCC champion Jean Machado, theres nothing more important than regularity.Not vanishing from the academy is, therefore, essential for the athletes evolution s/he mustavoid substituting wasted weeks with overtraining periods. Nearly every one of the gi-superstars knows that by heart, as Pe de Pano Illustrates: The secret is regularity: trainingover and over and over. Twice a day if possible. As I began late, I would make it up by goingto the academy in the afternoon and at night. According to him, training regularly leads toevolving and injury-avoiding. For the fact that you keep training, the body gets used to theeffort you make. It was after I began resuming and quitting that I began to have injuriesoften, he completes. A partisan to that idea, Vitor Shaolin exemplifies: Besides trainingoften, you must divide the trainings, understand that there is a little something called resting.So if in the afternoon the practice is slower, take the chance to rest. If your body doesnt reactall that well in the morning but you know that in the morning the training is profitable, wakeup earlier to get your body prepared. Practise more heavily at night, but dont let it go on tilltoo late, for you might go to bed tense, thinking of training and end up not resting at all.

20. Respect and reflect

Respect and dedication are utterly necessary to Ricardo de la Riva. The idea is to arrive withan open mind and to practise with pleasure, and not to simply want to win in the training. Youmust respect, above all, not only the dojo and the professor, but also your practice-mate,after all you need him/her, says the master. According to Martin Rooney, the salutation canafford great benefits that sometimes can go by unnoticed. In all sports, athletes create ritualsthat push the negative energy away. However, I realise that many Jiu-Jitsu beginners ignorethat fact, maybe for seeing martial arts as just a way of defending, a game of win or lose, hesays. Martin refers to the simple and traditional act of bowing. Associated for centuries tomartial arts, the act should not be seen as only a demonstration of respect or a sign that thefight has begun. As the American trainer explains, the time to bow is a great opportunity toconcentrate. The bow is the moment when the practice begins, so any negative thought orattitude must be left aside or out of the academy. A salutation at the end of the practiceenables the athlete to go back to his normal life, he says. Develop, therefore, a strongmental connection so that your mind is activated by the bow in the beginning. Just as in anysport, if your head is not ready to practise, its impossible to learn anything, Rooneyconcludes.

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20 Tips to Enhance Your Play