Small Axe Jiu Jitsu

New Web Site

2009-02-03T17:31:00.003-05:00

http://www.smallaxebjj.com

I have a new website! Check it out! I will be transfering all stuff from here to there and posting all my essays and threads over there too!

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Grappling,

Tim

MMA and BJJ.... Symbiotic?

2009-01-30T00:15:00.001-05:00

Ari Bolden, of www.submissions101.com recently asked me to comment on my perspective of the relationship between MMA and BJJ. He asked me if MMA will make BJJ obsolete? He also wanted me to address differences between MMA grappling and BJJ. This post will try to address these issues as well as set an argument for the vitality of BJJ, if not the need for serious Mixed Martial Artists to train both gi and no-gi.

Will MMA make BJJ obsolete? My quick answer is no (so long as the rules allow for combat to continue on the ground for more than sixty seconds). Now, it must be noted that when I refer to BJJ, I am referring to the entire artform, not just its sport component. BJJ is a martial art that has three branches (sport-gi, sport- no-gi, and self-defense). Many traditionalists would argue that there is a fourth component, MMA. I believe that MMA is so much of a hybrid that it is not accurate to call it BJJ. However, it is fair to say that MMA is dependent upon BJJ.

While it is possible for a MMA fighter to do well while only being versed in a standing art, wrestling, judo, sambo, or ninjitsu, if the fighter has not spent significant time working on jiu jitsu, his/her reign will be short lived. MMA requires an athelete to be versed and competent in Bruce Lee's 4 ranges of fighting (Kicking, Punching, Clinch, and grappling).

Another reason MMA will not make BJJ obsolete is that MMA and its training will not be (and is not) appealing to the masses. While many men and women may enjoy watching a great cage fight, I have witnessed first hand 'tough guys' cower under a short 5 minute boxing spar session during an MMA training class. BJJ on the other hand, offers a philosophy of defense that encourages the minimization of strikes, the coordinated closing of the distance, the fast and effective takedown, and application of a submission technique that makes an adversary choose the conclusion of the confrontation. There is a philosophical de-valuation of exchanging blows, maximizing harm to your adversary, and 'going the distance'. Thus, the average Joe can train an effective theory without haveing to be hit repeatedly in a night.

I actually think that BJJ (at least in the US) has grown significantly because of MMA. Students wanting to learn MMA often hear of their favorite fighters' abilities in BJJ so they check out the schools. This increases the student base and athleticism of he student body and thus makes the training better too.

What are the differences between MMA grappling and BJJ? First, BJJ has eliminated strikes in 'competition' so 'sport-techniques' have arisen that can leave a fighter vulnerable to strikes. Take for example many of the half-guard techniques. While there are viable sweeps and reversals from half-guard, many fine jiu-jitsu fighters have found themselves on the receiving end of a wrestler's elbow because of over confidence in this inferior fighting position. Conversely, MMA grappling has developed such that striking from within the guard is now a viable option. In sport BJJ, passing the guard is the method of advancing and proving dominance when one finds himself in the guard. Effective MMA grappling requires awareness of the core BJJ positions, transitions and submission.

TO GI OR TO NO-GI... THE VERY CONTROVERSIAL DEBATE:

Even among jiu jitsu practitioners, there is a debate about the quantity of gi training that should be undertaken, especially for those who focus on entering MMA. For clear and convincing arguments against gi training, look no farther than Eddie Bravo's texts and forum posts by one of his top instructors Brandon Quick. Since they make their points so well, I will not summarize but rather offer my counter points.

First, running backs, sprinters, and swimmers add elements of clothing (e.g. parachutes for the running backs and sprinters) to increase their 'drag' and add friction. This develops their speed and ability to perform against external pressures. The gi offers the same advantages to a no-gi grappler as well as an MMA fighter. If your training partner has hundreds of handles to control you with, your escapes will have to be that much more technical, your movements that much more precise, and your strategies that much better planned in order to pull them off. When the gi is shed, your mind, body, and technique will feel the relief of a sprinter without a parachute, or an olympic swimmer shaved to the skin.

Next, I have yet to see too many abu dhabi champions who has not spent significant time in the gi. Even Eddie Bravo became a black belt in gi jiu jitsu. Can MMA grappling be mastered without training in the gi... YES, but my GUESS is that it will take significantly longer and be less efficient than if the person train a balanced grappling regimen of gi and no-gi.

So, for the potential or current MMA fighters who are reading this, MMA grappling has developed away from the principles of BJJ, but require a knowledge of fundamental positions, transitions and submissions of BJJ. I also argue that training in the gi (in moderation) can benefit the MMA fighter by developing more refined movement and attacks.

Why BJJ (A comparison to other grappling arts)

2009-01-28T10:23:00.001-05:00

Why BJJ? This is a common question the answer to which depends on the desires of the person asking it. For the purpose of this post the question is being asked by someone interested in devoting his/her time to an effective martial art that has both sport and self-defense (combat) application. It will also be assumed that the person asking the question has boiled their interest down to 'grappling-arts' rather than the plethora of all arts or striking arts.

There are countless styles of grappling. Boiled down to their essence though the grappling arts can be divided into the following divisions: wrestling, sambo, judo, jiu jitsu. This article will postulate an argument for jiu jitsu. All of these arts have value, are fun, and can be supplemented by the others, but the question was 'why jiu jitsu'?

What does Jiu Jitsu offer the others don't? Brazilian Jiu Jitsu offers the fewest restrictions among the group of grappling arts. Very few moves are concidered 'illegal' and are prohibited. Therefore, if you want the broadest arsenal of grappling techniques (from takedowns to submissions) then BJJ is art. Wrestling has subsets that offer fantastic takedowns and takedown defenses (Greco-Roman, Freestyle, Folk-Style) but they prohibit 'potentially dangerous' positions (i.e. submissions). Judo offers comprehensive takedowns, a number of submissions, but its rules make illegal certain techniques and discourage extended ground fighting. Sambo, like Judo, has great takedowns and submissions, but ground-play has been limited with an intermediary willing to step in and re-start the participants.

Jiu Jitsu allows all the takedowns of wrestling, Judo, Sambo and allows all of their submissions. Jiu Jitsu will allow the participants to continue the contest until a winner is determined by the contestants (except in a timed event). So, from a standpoint of how many weapons do you want?... Jiu Jitsu gives you the most and the platform from which to apply the weapons.

Each of the grappling arts has been used throughout history as a combat system. Reading Jigoro Kano's Kodokan Judo, one can quickly see that his intent was to keep Judo a functional combat system, but when reading Neil Ohlenkamp's Judo Unleashed it becomes apparant that the sportification of Judo caused it to lose much of its practical combat efficiency because instruction became sport focused. Likewise, wrestling in its various permutations became so burdened with rules that while it created monsters as men, save for pins and ground and pound, wrestling had little to offer as an effective combat system.

Another benefit of BJJ over the other arts is that it has traditionally not been strictly tied to formalities. By this I mean in wrestling, judo, and sambo the uniforms are formalized. In BJJ a uniform is often worn, but taking the uniform off and training no-gi is common and competition has been created to encourage development of each of the techniques against opponents wearing less than sturdy kimonos. This is not to say that Judoka, and Sambo guys cannot compete well no-gi, nor is it to say that a great wrestler cannot put a gi on and tear through BJJ tournament, it is just that a Jiu Jitsu practitioner will most likely have spent considerable time in both a uniform and without one.

All of these differences sets BJJ apart in my opinion as a martial art. What if my adversary is shirtless? What if I am wearing a bulky winter coat? What if we end up on the ground and no one is there to stop the action? BJJ has the training and the answer to all of these grappling questions. Judo struggles with the first question, wrestling struggles with the second question and all three of the other grappling arts struggles with the last question.

I began wrestling when I was in the second grade. I continued throughout my high school career. When I transitioned to BJJ I quickly learned (though it took longer to break) that the explosive, frantic movements that allowed me to be successful as a wrestler caused me to gas out, or placed me in significant trouble when I went against weaker less athletic jiu jitsu guys.

Early on, I had a negative opinion of Judo because even as a blue belt in BJJ I was able to tap Judo black belts with relative ease (after they tossed me of course). As time has passed, my affinity for Judo has increased and when a good Judo guy who has supplemented his Judo to (let's say) purple belt jiu jitsu level, he/she is a force to be dealt with. So, it should come as no surprise that in the recent past I have sought judo instruction to keep my grappling game strong.

A last point that I will emphasize is the culture surrounding jiu jitsu. It has become axiomatic that BJJ is a lifestyle. From the obligatory hang loose fingerwave in pictures, to referring to everyone (including one's instructor) as "bro" BJJ is a very relaxed environment. As such, in large part, bowing is out, as is devout reverence of the instructor.

So, to summarize, a person looking for the most effective grappling art, with the fewest rules and restrictions that has the most combat effectiveness should choose BJJ. However, that is not to say they should forgo training wrestling, Judo, or Sambo!

Happy Grappling!

Tim

A Perspective on BJJ Belts

2009-01-27T14:28:00.001-05:00

I have thought alot about the belts and what they mean when it comes to BJJ. There are many different metaphors and analogies that can be utilized to help one understand that progressing through the ranks is difficult and takes significant time, but to keep perspective on why, I like to use the analogy of the modern American educational process. I thought through this in 2004, but never put it in writing.

The modern American educational system allows for someone to graduate high school with a rudimentary knowledge base. No certain skill need be mastered, nor is there a requirement of ability to teach or even adequately explain "why" things are the way they are.

Next, comes undergraduate college and bachelor's degrees. Here, significant time is spent learning theories explaining 'why' and developing a more detailed knowledge base. Through the use of essay exams and comprehensive exams, by the end of undergraduate studies, analytical thinking has been further nurtured and a moderate degree of expertise in the fundamentals and working ability to apply knowledge to practice is expected.

From there, a few pass through to a Master's program. Here, intense time is spent on theory, variations, honing the ability to teach/explain/understand nuance. A Master's degree is specific to a field and the student will be highly knowledgeable in his/her course of study.

After the Master's, a few move on to the Doctoral program. At this point the students are working on a complete mastery as well as developing their own contribution to the field. There are varying values and practical functions with Doctoral degrees, but universally they are held as the respected by their peer group, capable of explaining and understanding the nuance details of their field as well as a comprehensive knowledge of how the field fits into the larger world view.

BJJ belts can be similar to the above. A blue belt can be equated with a high school diploma, a purple belt might equal an undergraduate degree, a brown belt a master's degree and a black belt a doctorate degree.

A blue belt is expected to have an ability to know the basics. Basic positions, submissions, transitions and principles should be known. Much as a highschool graduate is expected to be able to differentiate between algebra, chemistry, literature, so too should a blue belt be able to differentiate between mount, knee on belly, and guard. Just as a highschool graduate is expected to have a knowledge of both world and national history, a blue belt should at a minimum know the origins of BJJ (i.e. the JJJ->Judo->Brazil path). While I hold my students to a much higher standard than this, over the past 10 years, the aforementioned adequately describes the majority of students I have seen move from white belt to blue belt.

Just as a highschool education is near compulsory, a blue belt is growing more common and under quality instruction nearly compulsory for anyone willing to dedicate 18 to 24 months to consistent and dedicated training. A college education though is far from compulsory. The percentage of people who have graduated from highschool who go on to graduate from college is low. These facts bare true for the transition from blue belt to purple belt too.

A purple belt in BJJ is considered advanced and in some regions even elite. Not only will a purple belt have a working knowledge of basic positions, transitions, and submissions, the purple belt is able to apply the fundamentals in flowing fashion because of his/her more developed understanding of the principles behind the techniques. I have yet to meet a purple belt who could not thoroughly explain 'why' a certain sweep works or 'how' to make an armlock tighter. A purple belt is beginning to really analyze the fine details and hone their areas of interest within the broader picture of BJJ.

Professor Caique told me on the day of my purple belt promotion that I knew enough technique to be a black belt, but improving on strategy, tightness, and timing would be necessary for advancement to the next levels. So, not much should 'surprise' a purple belt as far as 'new techniques' or principles are concerned, even though the purple belt may not be able to apply every technique in the appropriate situation.

To me, a purple belt IS a STUDENT! A purple belt is exploring, reading, watching videos, asking complex questions, and working on understanding, not just blindly following. The purple belt is invested, not only in progressing through belts, but most importantly in getting better. I have often seen white belts who only want to achieve a colored piece of cloth around their waist. They get the blue and within days they are asking about a purple belt. Somewhere around the middle point of blue belt, that inquiry ceases. To become a purple belt, years pass, whining loses value, with personal development and improvement accompanied by flowing performance being the replacement of belt color focus.

A purple belt who wants to continue will undergo a process of refinement. I have found observed that purple belts (while being able to execute fundamentals) will explore non-traditional positions and lower percentage of success attacks in order to find their validity and to increase their bag of tricks. Through this exploration they pass into the next level, brown belt.

The brown belt is committed, invested, and looking toward complete mastery. They have seen the periphery of the sport and are able to discuss/explain/ and demonstrate such, but the eye is most focused on eliminating what works least in their game and improving what works best. Much like a passing from a master's program to a doctoral program, the brown belt is reducing to minutia the 'truths' surrounding their game. They are pushing the boundaries of these truths to test them and through experimentation and elimination they are truly identifying their game, in effect, their jiu jitsu.

The black belt is the culmination of all the foregoing. Time has been spent, details learned, relearned, explained, and questions asked and answered. As with the doctorate degree, perfection of knowledge is on going, but a black belt will be able to teach, teach well, perform, perform well, apply, apply well, and will be recognized and supported by a peer group of equally accomplished individuals.

The value of a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is not $15.00. It is the network of people who come together behind a promoting instructor to say that an individual has attained a level of knowledge and ability to warrant distinction. The beauty of a BJJ black belt is that no one has yet to walk in, demand, and earn one. There is a distillation process (much like academia) that is undertaken.

So, if you have undertaken the journey of becoming a Jiu Jitsu practitioner, know that it is more than a check the box or fill in the bubble exam. It is most likely it will be more than learning an essay exam formula. Being a BJJ black belt will involve formulating a dissertation (an individualized explanation of the area of study sufficiently demonstrating mastery).

Get to studying and happy grappling!

Tim

P.s. for great viewpoints on this same topic, make sure to check out www.aliveness101.comand/or google Roy Harris' belt requirements. These have been great insights to me.

The "Chong Pass"

2008-12-21T22:56:00.002-05:00

When the Cheech doesn't work, think Chong! This guard pass from the Chill Dawg works very well.

The "Cheech Escape"

2008-12-21T22:52:00.003-05:00

Dealing with the Chill Dawg can be this easy! Watch this Video for a great foot lock attack when your opponent uses this specific Rubber Guard Attack.

Counting the Rubber Guard! Defeating Mission Control

2008-12-21T22:47:00.003-05:00

Here is a video I shot with Josh Britt. We cover how to address the Mission Control from a Rubber Guard strategy. I hope you enjoy!

Jamaica '08 Training Pics

2008-11-16T12:54:00.017-05:00

SMALL AXE JIU JITSU TRAINING PICS

(MAY AND SEPTEMBER '08)

(Beautiful North Shore of Jamica)

(Placid waters, clear sky, and warm breezes make for good training)

(This is the view from Chris' Home!)

(During our private/semi-private classes, this was our view!)

(In May, I worked some top dominance details for Chris and Terry T-Bone)

(Chris and I training during a private class)

(Kimura attack)

(Terry observes the training)

(Semi-private class drew in observers)

(Watch out for up-kicks!)

(Dan Wiggins, Tim Sledd, Chris McDonald, and Cleon)

(Tim Sledd, Chris McDonald, Dan Wiggins... shortly before Scotchy's)

(Sifu Dwayne Gail, Chris, Tim, and Dan after a full seminar)

(Chris clowning but showing he was ready to be the champ!)

(Chris and Tim)

( Chris and Dan. Chris was a gracious host for Dan on each trip and even put me up for the September visit!)

(Chris is growing more and more comfortable with the ground game!)

2008 was a great year for building the relationships of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu in America with the team growing in Jamaica. There is only more and better things to come from this! Keep your eyes open

-Tim

TESTIMONIALS

2008-11-12T21:45:00.005-05:00

TESTIMONIALS

"Tim Sledd is one of the most dedicated students that I have. He is a
loyal Caique Jiu Jitsu representative and an instructor who pays
attention to the details and to the principles of Jiu Jitsu. I highly
recommend Tim Sledd's classes to anyone who wants to learn Jiu
Jitsu."

-Professor Carlos “Caique” Elias

http://www.caiquejiujitsu.com

“I have done MMA for 3 years now. I started working with Tim Sledd
(Small Axe BJJ) just over a year ago. Tim tightened up all my
techniques (positioning, pressure, submissions) and gave me new ones
to suit my game. Tim’s coaching has now become the most
important part of my training. Whenever I have a fight coming up I
call Tim Sledd. Small Axe BJJ is where it is at!!!”

-Chris McDonald, Caribbean MMA Champion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmZahX4398Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoYK0jsqZCw

Great Americana Setup!

2008-11-12T20:18:00.000-05:00

Head and Arm Triangle

2008-11-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

Reverse Armbar from Cross Side

2008-11-12T20:14:00.000-05:00

Brown Belt Michigan Open '07

2008-11-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

Jiu Jitsu in Jamaica Seminar

2008-11-12T20:11:00.002-05:00

Hoosier Open Brown Belts

2008-11-12T20:09:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately I lost, but Abram catches a nice footlock at the end.

How to Defend the Low Single (no-gi)

2008-11-12T20:07:00.002-05:00

MMA Guard Pass (no-gi)

2008-11-12T20:06:00.001-05:00

How To Escape the Triangle Choke

2008-11-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

How To Escape the Head Arm Triangle

2008-11-12T20:02:00.000-05:00

Small Axe Blue Belt Dan Wiggins In Action

2008-11-12T19:59:00.003-05:00

This video is of Dan Wiggins competing in at the Michigan Open '08. Fun match to watch with a great ending!

Wiggins competes, McDonald Fights, and a Couple More Techniques for you

2008-10-26T13:59:00.004-04:00

Check Out These Techniques:

Here is Wiggins in Action

Chris McDonald Wins Carribean MMA Championship

I am very proud of both of these guys! They are just examples he many good competitors on my team and affiliated with Team Caique.

Home Gym/grappling room nearly done

2008-09-23T22:18:00.005-04:00

Grappling Gym at Home Nears Completion!!!!

The progress on the home gym has been fantastic. We have lights, we have walls, we have mats and they have been tested! Check out the pics below to see more.

(Walls up and ready for the mats!)

(Mat floor laid. 1.5 inche mats with a single piece of vinyl covering them)

(4 foot high mat walls make for a safe and fun rolling space!)

So, let the lessons begin! I need some paint, logos and pictures and the room will be complete.

Small Axe Home Gym in the Works

2008-08-31T09:13:00.005-04:00

Well this summer has been a slow summer for competition and blogging, but my training has continued and my family and I moved to a new home. One of the reasons for the move and definitely a benefit of the move is that the property has a great pole barn that can be turned into a mat-room/dojo/ gym!

Well that process has begun! On August 30th, 2008 several of my students, and my brother-in-law Scott descended on my farm house and we spent a full day adding walls, insulating them and running electricity. We were not able to complete the whole thing in a single day, but what a great start.

REASONS FOR MY HOME GYM
1. It will provide easy supplemental training for me and my training partners without the concern of interfering with other classes or functions.
2. It gives me an opportunity to train more, better, and less expensively.
3. It will give me the opportunity to film techniques for my students.

Small Axe will continue to function its full opporation in Martinsville! Additionally, a University Club at Depauw is in the works! This is a very exciting opportunity to ensure quality BJJ training to a wide variety of students. There will be more on this in a later post!

So, tomorrow the wall board goes up! September 13th, the mats go in and from then on the training is ON!

Stay tuned for pictures, vids and more.

Dealing with Larger Training Partners

2008-07-24T00:00:00.002-04:00

I have been asked several times recently, "How can I deal with a heavier training partner?" This is an important question. One of the underlying principles of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is that a smaller person (who has better technique) can overcome a larger adversary. The key to succeeding against a larger opponent is to employ an effective strategy, at the appropriate time, with an awareness to the necessary tightness needed for the technique.

My students hear me talk about STRATEGY, TIGHTNESS, AND TIMING, all the the time. It is the base of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu. I cover it in my Pedagogy and Philosophy in Chapter Two. Below is Chapter two for your review. After the chapter, I will discuss some options to employ as your strategies.

CHAPTER TWO
SHARP AND READY

The Big Tree will not fear the dull axe, nor will it fear the axe that has been tucked away in cabinet. Rather, the axe must be sharp and ready. To be such in jiu-jitsu, one must have four things. First, one must have a mastery of the fundamental positions. Next, one must be able to organize those moves into an actionable strategy. Then, one’s timing must be right. Finally, the tightness of the technique must be right.

Fundamentals:

In Chapter 4 I discuss what are the Minimal Objective Requirements for Blue Belt in the Small Axe system. These are what I feel are the core building blocks of BJJ. They are focused on the fundamental positions in BJJ (i.e. the guard, mount, back mount, cross-side, knee on belly, and the reverse of each position). The techniques listed are those that I feel once mastered, provide the framework for adding any additional technique.

The fundamental positions and core techniques are easily linked and drilled. For the newer students it is recommended that you drill the sequences taught in class beginning with little to no resistance, then incrementally increase the resistance until you are practicing the techniques live. For the advanced or advancing student, it is important when you train with the less skilled that you take that opportunity to practice limiting yourself to specific sequences, even if that means foregoing an open technique. This will help you learn to build strategies.

Strategy:

Strategy is critical to success. Seldom in anything we do in life will ‘winging it’ really provide us with meaningful, repeatable success. Like the song says, “Playing smart but then not being clever…” Some people have coined the creation of strategy in BJJ ‘gameplanning,’ but I think quality strategy is a little different. For example, I might make a game plan to go out and as soon as my opponent and I slap hands, I will grab his collar and look to dump him. Such a specific strategy could end quickly if the opponent instead shoots for my legs right off the bat. My game plan is thrown off. However, if I have a general strategy to come out and work to take the fight to the ground in such a manner as to end me in the top position, I can work several game plans into that scenario, one of which might include the possibility of the guy shooting in on me.

So, if I want to get a raise at work, I can just wing it and ask for one, or I can employ a strategy of finding the most successful route for me to get that raise. Jiu Jitsu is the same. Some students will learn that they fare far better when they eliminate takedowns by pulling guard. Others will find they are good at throws. Neither is better than the other, both are good Jiu Jitsu, but the students must explore the potential strategies to find what works best for them.

Timing:

Likewise if I want a raise at work, asking for it when the company is in the middle of layoffs may not be a wise idea. Why? The timing is wrong. In BJJ, when employing one’s strategy it is important to recognize the correct timing to do so. Learning the elements of each move makes them seem segmented, but in reality they are fluid motions. This is also the critical element of timing. When someone is keeping his elbow tight to his body and between his body and my leg, it is not the right time to swing around for the mounted armlock. He will surely escape that submission because the defense was in place.

Timing of techniques comes from repetition. Timing of attacks comes from lots of sparring. Timing of defense comes from failing and being submitted. Hearkening back to the earlier discussion about leaving your EGO off of the mat, your timing will be weaker if you are too concerned about getting tapped.

Tightness:

Sticking with the raise at work analogy, if I want a raise at work, it is unlikely the CEO will give me a raise if he has no idea who I am or why I deserve a raise. So, just walking up to him and asking for a raise will not end in the result I desire. However, if I prepare a sharp resume, dress nicely, get recommendations from my immediate supervisor, the likelihood that the CEO will consider improving my pay is increased. This is like ‘tightness’ in BJJ. When moving from cross-side to mount by way of the hip switch method to mount, I might have come up the most appropriate strategy (i.e. get mounted) at the perfect time (i.e. opponent is tired and flattened on his back), but if I use predictable or sloppy technique, I may fail due to minimal resistance of my opponent.

I have come to find that there is no better feeling than when an opponent says, “I knew exactly what you were going to do; I just could not stop it.” That means your tightness was perfect. Such tightness comes from understanding the details of the techniques, the ‘whys’ of certain movements, shifts of weight, and progression of attacks.

You will hear me say it again and again in class. We want to be like boa constrictors when we attack. How does a boa kill its prey? It latches on to it; then it begins to squeeze; then it subtly increases the pressure of the squeeze to correspond to the exhales of its prey thereby never letting the prey take in as full of a breath as it just exhaled. Eventually, the prey suffocates. When we are mounting our attacks we should move aggressively for the position we desire. Once achieved, we should work to eliminate all escapes and counters possible. Finally we should employ our final attack and submission.

Conversely, when we are on defense, we should work to escape in the opposite fashion. Our first objective should be to prevent the aggressor from getting the position he desires. If we fail at that, our next objective is to achieve an escape, counter, or prevention sequence which leaves no other option except for the aggressor to abandon his desired position thus giving us the opportunity to escape or mount a counter attack.

Conclusion:

To be sharp and ready the students must be well versed in the fundamental positions, transitions, and submission of the Small Axe system. More than mere knowledge though will be the ability to employ effective strategies at the right time with the appropriate degree of tightness.

DEALING WITH THE BIG BOYS: EXAMPLES OF STRATEGIES AND POINTERS

Regarding having trouble with bigger classmates, I always take the approach that they are going to have to play to my terms. I am a top fighter, so with large tough guys, I won't pull guard and start from the bottom. Instead, I will work for the top and practice smashing them. If you find yourself in bad positions with the big guys, remember their weight cannot be everywhere at once!

Take cross side for example, if they are crushing your chest with theirs, their legs will be light... Grab their pant legs and lift while moving your hips and legs to re-guard! If they're sitting back on their ankles, put both hands on their head and push as you shrimp away. Alternate between these two until you catch a hole.

I have found that a key thing to rolling with larger partners is to try and be as rounded and ball like as possible! (See Roy Dean's explanation of this on Youtube) Don't let them stretch you out and smash you but instead make them work to open you up, in so doing they will create space.

Regarding how to address the larger, stronger partner who uses strength versus technique to escape: One way to address this is to use tight defense, let them wear themselves out, and then look for the hole to capitalize on. (Helio's method)

Another thing to do is to make a mental note of when they use muscle, then review the roll with them afterward and ask them, "If I weighed what you do and was as strong as you, do you think you would have been able to pull that off? How about you try using this technical escape instead." They will respect that you are teaching them despite their 'dominance' and hopefully they will see the flaws in their jiu jitsu.

Communication is the key. Identify the exact moment or position that you are suffering failure at. Communicate to your partner that you want to explore this position and construct remedies. A good training partner will gladly do this.

Good luck and have fun...

Tim

Chapter 1 of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu

2008-07-08T23:48:00.006-04:00

For those who have taken the time to read my pedagogy and philosophy link, you will recognize the following as the first chapter of that section. I was reviewing it and found it to be withstanding the tests of time. I hope you enjoy and are furthered by it!

CHAPTER ONE:
PRIDE COMETH BEFORE A FALL
“Why boasteth thyself, o evil men? Playing smart but then not being clever. I say you’re working inequity to achieve vanity. But the goodness of Jah Jah idureth for iver. So if you are the Big Tree, we are the small axe, sharp and ready.”
-Small Axe by Bob Marley and The Wailers

I have come to find that in Jiu-Jitsu, it is easy to believe that the color of your uniform, the patch on the back, or the brand of your rash guard will make you feared by opponents. Also, with the adaptation of techniques, students often desire to know the latest and greatest techniques, even if they have not mastered the core fundamental techniques. I came to know this because I was guilty of it.

I too, have been guilty of belt envy. This is the admiration, aspiration, and all consuming desire to obtain the next piece of colored cloth to cover my waist. One must be cautious not to let his or her vanity consume the practice of jiu jitsu! If one becomes too focused on belt color, then failure is close. Professor Caique has a poster in his academy that says, “A black belt is a white belt who never quit.” I had heard this before, but at a time in my life when I was thinking that blue belt was my final resting place, I saw this poster, thought about what Caique was saying by having it up in his academy (a place where there are few posters, flare, or pictures). It sunk in. I was not going to quit. Neither are you!

Forget about the belts. They will come faster and in due time if you are focused more on learning than on progressing. Throwing away vanity is difficult in a materialistic society, but in the practice of Jiu-Jitsu, it is necessary.

Next, it is of dire importance that my students understand that the core fundamentals I have chosen have been instilled in me as the basis for developing a personal Jiu-Jitsu that is effective and practical. It is more important that you be able to escape a mount, submit an opponent from cross-side, pass the guard, or perform an effective sweep, than it is to have the latest and greatest brand of gi or rash guard. I want my students confident that they can enter a competition, defend a real life attack, or at a minimum teach a technique wearing the simplest of outfits. Patches, medals, brands, and other material attractions mean nothing in this martial art/sport and that is why I love it! It is you and me, and our skills, not our money and good looks that will determine who is going to end victorious.

The belt promotion process is a long haul. It will feel nearly like a lifetime. Part of that purpose is to determine loyalty, not only to an instructor, but to the martial art. There will be flavors of the day that will tempt you away from BJJ. Belts come easier in other art forms, so those gratified by cloth will leave for other styles. BJJ requires extreme time and emotional commitment. It is often said that a blue belt is at an experiential equivalent to a black belt in many of the traditional martial arts (hereinafter TMA). I want this to be true of my Small Axe Jiu-Jiteiro. Blue belts better be able to run a class, bring up white belts, and understand the philosophy of BJJ thoroughly.

Summary: If you are worrying about the next belt promotion, you are wasting energy that could be used on improving. To restate my ladder metaphor again; progressing through BJJ is like climbing the ladder to a high dive. The steps upward are narrow and defined (i.e. you are progressing to the next belt level with your peer group and the measurement is more or less uniform). However, once you plunge into the pool of Black Belt, there are no narrow steps, just a deep pool in which one must learn to swim, tread, sink, or float (i.e. the black belt level encompasses a broad spectrum of ability). Thus, worrying about the time it takes it go from white to blue, or blue to purple will seem very insignificant and will seem like wasted energy when you reach black belt and are finding your place in the pool.

I hope this chapter spurs thought.

Tim

Training Ruts and Dealing with Losses

2008-06-20T23:39:00.009-04:00

(2008 Small Axe Hoosier Open Competitors with their Hardware)

Small Axe Jiu Jitsu is all about the "positive vibrations!" I try to keep classes light-hearted and make sure that students are encouraged to have fun, recognize their strengths, address their weaknesses, and encourage others. I begin by saying that because the topic of discussion here is kind of a downer BUT if one is aware of training ruts and if one realizes that losses are opportunities, then one can minimize suffering and maximize the positive. I have gone through many training ruts, varying in length, but to date each has ended.

Training Ruts:
If you are not from the midwest, then the term 'rut' might be foreign to you. A rut is a low, trench-like path that out is difficult to escape. Often, when one is traveling in a rut, it feels as though the rut is controlling the direction of your progress. (e.g. if a 4-wheeler is going through a field and his tire gets stuck in a rut caused by a tractor, it can make steering difficult.)
Training Ruts are periods of perceived stagnation in your progression or development in jiu jitsu. They are often indicated by inability to perform basic techniques with the same ease on lesser classmates, decreased successfullness of defenses, mental blocks, frustration, and physical exhaustion.

Causes of training ruts:

My guess to the causes of training ruts is based solely on my experiences with them. Here is my list of causes of training ruts:
1. Your strategy has become apparent. (Your classmates are picking up on your cues of movement, your tells of attack, and therefore they are employing alternative strategies)
2. You have drank the 'flashy koolaid'! (Someone or something has convinced you that there is an easy way to do this... as such you are trying an 'easy way' and it isn't working)
3. You are over-training. (Jiu jitsu training occurs in class, after class, and every moment of the day you think about it. Make sure to take some healthy time away... you have the rest of your life to have fun with this)
4. Your classmates have hit the curve. (I have come to realize that there are interesting curves in jiu jitsu knowledge... they tend to indicate readiness for belt promotion. Take for example a student on whom you could hit a basic hip switch method to mount time in and time out, but now anytime you make any attempt to mount you are re-guarded, or worse reversed... that white belt is hitting the curve of linking the techniques to their practical purpose. Or, let's say you training with a blue belt who has always been good at armbar from the guard, but this time he sweeps you with arm-inside sweep and immediately is setting up s-mount armlocks... that blue belt is chaining moves together in productive sequences. That does not happen overnight, but once the switch is flipped, the upward curve is sharp.

List of ways to get out of the rut:

1. Identify why you are in a rut. The reason leads to the solution
2. If it is mental or physical exhaustion... take a very brief break. Enjoy a night away from class.
3. If is because you are drinking magic potion 'easy-way' crap... quit! Focus on the fundamentals... they work.
4. If it is because your strategy has become apparent... determine how they are defending or countering and prepare your attack to their defense or counter... work to stay steps ahead of them.
5. If it is because your classmates have hit a curve... be patient if you are training right your curve will come. Refocus your attention on the core basics and making sure you are sharp there too.
I hope these suggestions help with dealing with training ruts.

Dealing with losing!

I have only heard of one guy who claims to have never lost a competitive BJJ match... Rickson Gracie. Putting him aside, all others have lost. It comes with the nature of the game. There are so many variables that any confluence of a few in the direction opposite of your favor is likely to result in a loss. Here is the vid of my latest loss (as of 6/14/08):

One of the keys regarding losing is making the experience positive. What happened? Were you out-classed, surprised, caught dumb in the moment, under conditioned, or did you lose due to a bad ref call? Regardless of the answer to these, there are lessons to be learned that will better your training and performance in the future. Use a loss to do the following:

1. Evaluate your strategy. (Are you over doing it or under doing it. A flying gogo plata might theoretically be cool, but I have yet to see it as a viable strategy)
2. Identify your weaknesses. Nothing is better than failing to pass the guard to tell you that part of your game needs work. Likewise, if you got caught twice in an armbar from the guard evaluate why and address that mistake.
3. Use a loss as a call to train harder and smarter for the next tournament. If you did no win, the event was 'no joke'.

4. Make sure competition is fun for you. If competition ceases to be fun... stop. Remember that for the most of us, BJJ is a hobby, despite the passion we feel for it. Wanting to excel is admirable, but few who despise what they are doing ever excel.

Training Ruts and Losing are natural parts of training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Patience and relaxation are integral parts of a successful bjj strategy, use losses and ruts as opportunities to practice patience. Feel free to ask me how to work through your unique and individual situation. That is what I am your instructor/coach for... to help make you the best you can be.

Jamaica Training Highlights, Pics, and Video

2008-05-04T08:10:00.009-04:00

JAMAICA HIGHLIGHTS AND VIDEO

Day 4:
Friday night's class was fantastic. Sifu Dwain hosted us and at least one other local martial arts school with an emphasis on Kung Fu showed up. I began class with some basic warm ups and standing up in base. Then I took the students through a demonstration of the basic positions of bjj (mount, side-mount, knee-on-belly, guard, back-mount).

From there, I led the class through arm-bar from the guard. Given the emphasis on translating BJJ through the lense of Kung Fu, I showed the move from and as a defense to an adversary choking the student. After demonstrating the technique, many of the students took to the movements well. One of the students took me to task on my philosophy of wanting to fight from the top but then showing a submission from the bottom...

This led me to show the arm-inside-sweep from the guard. It is a natural progression from an attempted arm-bar, failed arm-bar, or just an implemented strategy to fight from the top. Dan said to me (which confirmed my observation) that he was impressed by how well the class caught on to this sweep. Nearly all of the students were making the sweeps fluid and establishing the mount well.

From there we went on to:
Americana from the mount and its potential defenses and pitfalls.

I ended class by discussing the sport point system and demonstrating a sparring session with Dan and then a no-gi match with Chris. Once class had concluded, Sifu Dwain lined his students up and they ended class in the traditional kung fu manner. It was special.

Over all the this trip to Jamaica was a great experience. I was able to make some great connections for spreading BJJ. More importantly I was able to get to know Chris better, expose Dan to Jamaica, and brainstorm some additional ways to continue this adventure.

Day 3:
Wednesday night class was more like it! When I got to Chris' place, he and Dan were ready to go, but several of the people who had said they would show up had obligations that prevented then from coming. We still had Dan, Chris, Terry, and Stephan. However, the allure of BJJ drew a crowd. Several men stood and watched the class and by the end they were participating.

I taught Kimura triple threat from the guard (Kimura/Sit-up sweep/guillotine) with an emphasis on the MMA applications. We then reviewed some of the guard passes from Saturday. I took questions from the guys watching and let them practice some basic self-defense techniques to determine their effectiveness. They were excited and wanted to know when class was being held again.

I rolled several sessions with Chris, Dan, and Terry, and we finally got Stephan to come out of his shell for a roll. He put the hurts on me ;)

A common request from people here is that the police and security NEED to be trained in this form of martial art. Stories of the police with no confidence are very common and somewhat disconcerting.

Day 2:
Monday was supposed to be a lunchtime training session with a couple of guys, but it ended up being a semi-private lesson for Dan with Chris and Terry stopping by to observe. Needless to say, the workout was great. We again were blessed with spectacular weather, hot and humid, but a sea breeze that quickly blew our sweat away.

Dan and I worked some front headlock attacks (Anaconda and Brabo) then we rolled, worked some various mount escapes and sparred at length. I spent my time focusing on an armdrag to the back series and half-guard to x-guard attacks from underneath. Dan was obviously working his guillotine chokes from the various positions... he had me close a couple of times... gurgling yet able to squirm away with all the sweat.

Chris and Terry are great guys and their questions regarding positions and attacks leads me to believe they are serious about learning the ground game better. Terry will be in San Francisco for 10 weeks where he plans to get some training in at Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu and various other MMA clubs.

More to come!

Day 1:
Dan and I made it to Jamaica on Friday afternoon and my wife girls and I settled in to our hotel. Chris (the guy with whom Dan is staying) drove up and the three of us drove to Chris' apartment. He is blessed with a spectacular view of the ocean.

On Saturday my daughters woke us up early with excitement of spending the day in the pool. We quickly ate breakfast then swam, swam, swam.

After lunch I drove to Chris' apartment where I met with Chris, Dan, Terry and Stephan for some semi-private training. We trained on an old stage overlooking the ocean, Magnificent! It was a no-gi session and we covered: 1. Stack pass, 2. Can-opener pass, 3. Defense to can-opener to armbar 4. Stratta-Pass 5. Introduction to S-mount.

We rolled hard and the heat zapped us! I drove back just in time to have a three year old command me to swim with her some more... Stay tuned.

Small Axe Jiu Jitsu Jamaica Trip #2

2008-04-28T15:53:00.002-04:00

Stay tuned for details, photos, video and reports of my second trip to teach BJJ in Jamaica.

On this trip, one of my students from Indiana will be going to assist and train as well. He will get to stay with one of the students and train with him at his leisure.

I am very excited and hope that this teaching trip will be as fruitful as the last.

--Tim

FAQs

2008-03-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

QUESTIONS FROM THE NEW STUDENT

One of my new students wanted to interview me for his English Class. He submitted the following questions. I enjoyed answering the questions and hope they provide some insight to others wondering the same things. These questions were answered on 3/18/08.

1. What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
2. What got you into BJJ?
3. How long have you done BJJ?
4. What other career have you done?
5. What belt are you at right now?
6. Do you compete in tournaments?
7. How long have you been a part of Gentry family?
8. What does it take to be a part of BJJ?
9. What other martial arts do you know?
10. What kind of environment does Gentry provide?
11. What’s the difference from BJJ and folk wrestling?
12. Who was your instructor?
13. What’s your favorite sport?
14. Would you consider BJJ a sport?
15. Have you ever tapped out, and if so then to whom?

1. What is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that focuses primarily on self defense and ground fighting. It stems from ancient Japanese Jiu Jitsu but was translated by a frail young Brazilian named Helio Gracie. He re-organized the techniques so that size and
strength would matter less than good technique.

2. What got you into BJJ?

I undertook the practice of BJJ because I have always been a grappler. I enjoyed wrestling in school and with the advent of the UFCs in the early '90s, I began to see how there was more to wrestling than just pinning someone... I could make them surrender. I decided to give it a try in '96, but there were no qualified instructors in my area, so I did Shoot Fighting which is a blend of Kickboxing, Judo and Japanese Jiu Jitsu. When I started at Indiana University, I met Greg Lucas who taught BJJ and I took classes with him.

3. How long have you done BJJ?

I began training in BJJ officially in '98. I was promoted to blue belt by Professor Caique and Royce Gracie in '00; then to purple belt in '05 by Professor Caique; then to brown belt in '08 by Professor Caique.

4. What other career have you done?

I am currently a Judge. I have done criminal defense and family law in the past and had a private practice for three years before moving to the bench. In October, I will be the Chief Deputy Prosecutor.

5. What belt are you at right now?

I am a brown belt

6. Do you compete in tournaments?

Yes. I try to do at least 4 or 5 tournaments each year. As I get older and as my skill division gets tougher, and as my focus turns more to teaching it grows harder to prepare myself appropriately for competition.

7. How long have you been a part of Gentry family?

I started teaching BJJ at Gentry Martial Arts in May of '05.

8. What does it take to be a part of BJJ?

I am not sure I understand what you are asking here, but I would say that there are several components to those who are willing to invest themselves in BJJ. First, the person cannot be afraid of physical contact. BJJ is a hands on martial art. Secondly, the person must be able to leave their EGO off the mat. BJJ is a martial art style in which you begin losing 100% of the time then gradually it will become 85% of time, then after a long period of time, your success percentage will exceed your loss percentage, but it take years. Therefore, people focused on winning will grow discouraged and quit.

9. What other martial arts do you know?

I have no 'degrees' to speak of in any other martial art. I have studied Hapkido and Judo along with Kickboxing, but BJJ is my martial art.

10. What kind of environment does Gentry provide?

Gentry provides an environment where we seek to give quality instruction in the core techniques of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in a safe yet challenging manner. Many of the students have commented that they feel like the BJJ class is a second family for them. I hope that is true.

11. What’s the difference from BJJ and folk wrestling?

Folkstyle wrestling is a sport where the goal is to place one's opponent's shoulders on the mat. There are many rules and strength and speed are important qualities. BJJ is a martial art (though there is a sport application) in which one combatant seeks to do as little damage as possible to the other combatant but at the same time secure the submission of the other. In the sport, pinning an opponent means nothing. Instead, the objective is to apply a joint-lock or choke to the opponent causing them to give up or go to sleep.

12. Who was your instructor?

My primary instructor is Carlos "Caique" Elias. He lives in California and comes to Indiana a few times a year. I try to go to his school in California at least twice a year.

Greg Lucas is my coach. He lives in Bedford, Indiana and is responsible for my more day to day training and instruction.

13. What’s your favorite sport?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

14. Would you consider BJJ a sport?

BJJ is many things. It is a martial art, it is a sport, it is philosophy of life. When I teach, I try to teach the most versatile techniques (i.e. those that will work in a self-defense situation, those that will work in a sport match, and those that can be analogized to a life situation).

15. Have you ever tapped out, and if so then to whom?

Yes! As I said before, in this style, you start out losing 100% of the time. I have been tapped out by too many people to name. After a certain amount of time practicing BJJ, you grow not to put any significance on who tapped who when. It is more important to learn
from each tap to make yourself better.

2008-03-18T21:12:00.004-04:00

The Training Guide, Philosophy, and Pedagogy

Of Tim Sledd

SMALL AXE JIU-JITSU

By Tim Sledd

Introduction:

The history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is well documented. Roughly, a Japanese martial art (Jujitsu) was developed into a safer sport (Judo), students of which desired to resurrect the viability of Jujitsu. The rebirth of Jujitsu traveled the world, but through a man named Maeda, it settled in Brazil. In Brazil, the Gracie Family studied Jujitsu. The frailest of the family, Helio, tweaked and refined the techniques so that the size of one’s adversary would matter little if the student was able to apply the appropriate technique with right leverage. Helio’s work gave birth to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Jiu-Jitsu is an organic activity. Certain techniques dry up and fall away while others are born from the creative vision of new practitioners. Old techniques, once abandoned, often find themselves being reborn with new potency. Because of the vast number of techniques, strategies, and body types, Jiu Jitsu is highly personal. This article is to explain my philosophy, my pedagogy, and my inspiration of Jiu Jitsu. I hope you find my words, concepts, and suggestions useful and always remember, when you fall seven times you must get up eight.

My Grappling History:

My earliest memories are of being a three year old. I remember my father “wrasslin” me on the couch. It amounted to him laying there, preventing my escape and him begging my mother to help him because, “I cannot smell the TV!” All the while, I would be squirming and whimpering. Dad was not a wrestler or martial artist, so I doubt it was by design, but these skirmishes conditioned me to become comfortable in positions where I could not escape.

In second grade, in the early spring, Delphi’s local AAU Freestyle Wrestling Club had a call-out. I remember begging dad to let me join. Practices were held in a local middle school gym, organized by the Ralston family. Countless single leg, double leg takedown shots. Lots of ‘coaches’ were around yelling, “sit-out, stand up, switch.” My clearest memory is of a local tornado warning and the entire gym packing into the men’s bathroom to duck and cover.

One Saturday, the United States Marines put on a wrestling clinic and tournament in Monticello, Indiana. It was an exciting day for me to get to see actual soldiers and spend the morning wrestling. After lunch was a different story. The tournament was intimidating. I had never been in any formal competition and for the first time ever, I was going to be wrestling for real, not just playing grab ass. There was no external pressure placed on me, my parents did not care whether I won or lost; my coaches were not concerned either. When I lost, it was after I failed to complete a single leg takedown, got cross-faced to my back and pinned in very short order. I cried. Dad drove me to Dairy Queen (a super rare treat growing up), and I did not compete for 5 years.

For the next several years, my best friend, Adam VanMatre competed and did very well in AAU. He and I would have exhausting matches in our living rooms, to the chagrin of our parents. I refused to lose to him, despite the fact he was significantly bigger than I was. It was Adam and his brother Ryan who encouraged me to try out for the 7^th grade wrestling team.

Once in high school, it became quickly apparent that I was not going to be built right for basketball. I also did not care much for the football coaching staff, so any interest in football faded quickly. Wrestling remained my passion. I wanted to be a four-year letterman. My freshman year I wrestled the 112 pound weight class. My sophomore year, after a huge growth spurt, I dropped from 142 pounds to the 119 weight class. My junior year I fell into 142 and during my senior year I wrestled at 145, each year I would have to cut significant amounts of weight to secure my spot on the varsity.

The decision to wrestle was critical to my development as a man, an athlete, a Christian, and ultimately a martial artist. Wrestling gave me self-confidence. I had always been the smart/nice kid, but I never got the playground respect I wanted. My association with various members of the wrestling team, its practices, and my thickening physique gave others a new found respect for me and I liked it. To counteract this new found swelling EGO, wrestling gave me plenty of opportunities to taste defeat and realize my weaknesses.

Coach Bobby Floyd taught me how to dig in and train harder than anyone, go longer than anyone, and believe in myself. You see, Coach Floyd was only about 120 pounds, soaking wet. Yet he could take anyone on the team whether it be the 275 pound red headed beast Derrick German, or the 185 pound state qualifier Craig Ralston. His style was fashioned after the legendary Dan Gable. Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning, followed up with drilling the fundamentals over and over was a daily practice. It was not uncommon to see someone puke. Regardless, Bobby led by example. He would run the sprints with us, do the drills with us, and show up to morning practices with us. Bobby is responsible for encouraging me to be an athlete.

Wrestling taught me a lot about my faith as well. In some faiths, fasting is a requirement. I know why. When you starve yourself, despair looms large. People deal with despair differently, some quit, some cheat, some dig in and trudge forward. The group that chooses to do the latter must find the strength. The hungry are tuned into their body, the aches, the gurgling, the fatigue; the hungry are listening. When I listened, I prayed, for strength, for success, and for the struggle to be worth it. My mother provided me with blatant as well as subtle spiritual guidance through my weight cutting. Being in-tune with myself while spending so much time alone (while running) gave me a great respect for the power of prayer and ultimately my ability to overcome great obstacles.

Once my senior season had ended, I wanted to do something else to stay active. My former teammate Ryan VanMatre had gotten into this thing called Shoot-fighting, he had turned his brother Adam on to the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Adam and I watched as this skinny guy would beat everyone he went against, and often without hitting them. The guy we were watching was Royce Gracie. Ryan assured me that Shoot-fighting was like the UFC, so I went with him to his class at Hartwich Martial Arts Academy in Lafayette, Indiana. Walt Hartwich was a Dan Inasanto student, so he had developed a hybrid style of martial art called HAMA RYU JUTSU. It blended muy thai kickboxing with judo and implemented a fair amount of ground fighting. I loved it. I would go home with gi burns on my forehead, black eyes, sore elbows, and always exhausted. Royce Gracie and Gracie Jiu Jitsu continued to dominate the Ultimate Fighting Championships, so I focused my attention on what Walt could teach me on the ground. I was under Walt’s tutelage until I left for Indiana University in August of 1996.

My freshman year of college I undertook the practice of Hapkido. By May of 1997, I realized that particular style was not for me. There were too many ‘what ifs’ that the instructors would not address. During my sophomore year, I partied, studied, and worked and got away from the discipline of wrestling and martial arts. On a fluke, while searching the course listing book to schedule my fall semester ’98, I stumbled across Beginner Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! Of course I signed up. Little did I know that I would be officially beginning a journey that has not ended to this date.

Meeting Greg Lucas:

The first day of Beginner Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was exciting. I had shown up early, put on my gi (a karate gi) and I was the first to arrive in the gymnastics room of the HYPER (the field house of Indiana University). I peaked in the room and saw a man sitting with his legs stretched far apart. He was wearing a thick gi and blue belt. I saw a yin yang tattoo on his ankle. “This is obviously an older student,” I thought to myself. I bowed and walked in.

“What’s up man? This is BJJ, we aren’t very formal. You don’t have to bow for this class,” is what the guy told me. I walked over and introduced myself to him and he told me his name was Greg Lucas. I remember asking him if he was the instructor to which he responded in the affirmative. I asked who his instructor was and he told me Royce Gracie. Immediately I was dumbfounded, hungry for details.

Greg was frustrating to me. He had an answer for every attack I mounted. He was relaxed for 95% of the time, and then suddenly would explode into a submission. I watched closely how he moved, when he relaxed, and ultimately how he taught. Our classes were always structured around flow drills. (e.g. guard pass hip switch method to mountuparepeat). Once every one was warmed up, he would teach the finer details of one or two techniques. After the class had practiced for a bit, then we would spar; aka Roll.

The two classes a week were not good enough for me. I needed more. Fortunately, Greg had lots of suggestions. He suggested I travel 25 miles to Bedford, Indiana to his formal academy. He also suggested I show up early to class with my MMA gloves. Greg was training for a cage fight called Extreme Challenge. Between Bedford, my scheduled class, and the pre-class rouchambeauxs, my passion for BJJ took a deep root.

Greg took notice of my skills and encouraged me to enter his BJJ tournament late that fall. My wife, best friend, and my wife’s best friend all sat in attendance. I won my weight division and a huge trophy, but lost to a blue belt in the open class after the guy pulled my gi over my head hockey style and threw a tight arm bar from the guard. After the tournament Greg invited me to be his Assistant Instructor for the beginner class the next semester, as well as take the intermediate class. I accepted.

Trip to Torrance and Meeting Professor Caique:

From the tournament in ’98 until March of 2000, my instruction had been limited to Greg Lucas and his various blue belts in Bedford. They always spoke of the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California as if it was some sort of Mecca. For spring break my senior year, my wife and I decided to travel to L.A. to see her sister. I packed my gi and made the trek to meet the sources of my athletic passion.

Angie went with me to the Torrance academy. When we walked in, we were greeted by an apparel line ranging from gi to t-shirt or duffle bag. To the left was a lady sitting at the receptionist desk. I introduced myself and asked where to go to change out for class. As she was responding, I saw three guys walk out of what was small matted room for teaching privates. I knew one of the for sure, it was Royce Gracie. One of the other two was obviously the student because he had on a blue belt, but the third guy wore a black belt and the other features of a Brazilian (or a Gracie, I thought).

The receptionist spoke in Portuguese to the three. The black belt I did not know came over to me. He told me he was expecting me because Greg Lucas had called him. He introduced himself as “Caique.” He showed Angie where she could sit and watch, and then he showed me to the locker room. It was a massive locker room stocked with towels and nice showers. After I had suited up, Professor Caique took me into a room that was completely matted except it had a row of windows for spectators to watch through. A man, approximately 35 years old, joined us, and that was all the students that showed to this hour’s class.

The first class ran about 55 minutes, and then Caique hustled us up some stairs to a vast mat space. There were brown belts, purple belts, a sea of blue belts, and about six other white belts all stretching. Royce and Caique came into the room and we began an intense warm up. After about twenty minutes of calisthenics, Caique demonstrated arm-inside sweep and arm-inside arm bar. We switched partners about three or four times before situational sparring began.

After 3 or 4 six minute sparring sessions, Royce called a stop to the class. I will never forget what happened next. While we all stood in a line facing the two instructors, Caique looked my direction and said, “Chim, come here.” I thought he was going to demonstrate a mistake I had made, instead, he grabbed my belt and said, “Take this off, you are a blue belt.” The then pulled out a blue belt from within his jacket. The entire class clapped, then we sparred some more and I did not score a point on anyone!

Upon my return to IU, I learned what it means to have a target on your back. All the students wanted to test their mettle against the new blue belt. I spent the last part of my senior semester learning not to give an inch against the lower ranks because I would never hear the end of it.

The Year in Minnesota with Bison Grappling:

After I graduated, my wife and I moved to Minneapolis for her to work at Target Corporate and for me to go to Law School. The summer months were spent loathing where we lived and practicing Yoga because there were no Jiu-Jitsu schools close by. Once school started, I decided to teach a few of the other law students. I had three or four students who trained once a week for maybe a month or two, but the pressure of school made our training after that more sporadic. The gymnastics coach, who often watched our training sessions told me about a small ‘grappling club’ called Bison Grappling. Come to find out, it was two miles from my house, was free, and trained in the evening.

Bison Grappling Club was a mish mash of Judoka, wrestlers, Karate guys, and lay people. No one cared what belt anyone claimed to be, just how well you fought. By fight I mean grappled, kicked, punched and squeezed. It was rough and the techniques they used were a bit hack, but I tried to teach what I could and get as much exercise as I could. In April of 2001, we hosted a tournament called ‘Charity Brawl.’ It was a round robin format tournament with gi and no gi divisions as well as catch-wrestling divisions. I took first in the advanced gi division, fourth of six in the no-gi division, and first in the catch-wrestling division. Grappling was a nice distraction from my distain for the Twin Cities.

The Dark 18 Months:

Upon the completion of my final exams, my wife and I moved to Indianapolis. I did very little exercising of any sort for about 18 months; I did stay in touch with the Jiu Jitsu world through internet forums and lots of videos. The only Jiu-Jitsu I got to train was when my drunk buddies would attempt to best me (especially one army soldier friend of mine), but each of them only tried it once.

In the fall of 2002, I built a matted floor in my Garage in Angie and my new house. I had aspirations of building some training partners in Franklin, Indiana, but no one ever came through on my training offers. I made contact with Greg Lucas after nearly a year of unreturned phone calls. He invited me to come down and train. In January of 2003, I began making weekly trips to Bedford, from Franklin on Friday nights to get mat time.

The New Beginning:

I came to find out that Caique had left his affiliation with the Gracie family, but most of the satellite affiliates including Greg Lucas and Greg Eldred had followed Professor Caique. Eldred hosted a Caique seminar in late January 2003. I remember walking down the stairs to a basement full of mats under an insurance business in Westfield, Indiana. No one knew me, except Caique. He walked over to me and said, “Hello my friend, did you come to train? Where you from?” Then he put two and two together and said, “Oh, it has been a couple of years! Great to see you!”

The seminar was great. I worked with as many different partners as possible, learned some great technique, but by chance, Caique covered the same techniques he had covered when I was in L.A. and I had committed them to memory and taught them over and over, so I felt I knew them well. I adjusted several of my partners’ positions to make them better. Professor Caique must have liked what he saw because there were only three promotions that afternoon, Chris Kiedel, Kim Jackson, and me, to my first stripe on my blue belt. My chest puffed with pride when I went to Greg Lucas’ school the next week, but he and Chris Hayre quickly wiped the smile away with thorough beatings.

I cannot remember when, but Greg Lucas took a job as a firefighter with Bloomington Fire Department and decided he would be unable to instruct the IU classes in the fall of 2003. He told me about it and asked if I would be able to do so. It worked out perfectly! I graduated from law school, had been accepted to IU’s graduate program in Criminal Justice, so I would be on Bloomington’s campus every day.

From Fall of 2003 to the spring of 2006, I taught BJJ at Indiana University. Along with this I helped instruct the extracurricular BJJ club. These experiences were invaluable to me. First, I got to meet and train with guys who helped form my BJJ game and philosophy. Kedar Bhat was the other instructor and he and I had different ideas on how classes should be run, but most importantly, we utilized extremely different strategies in waging our war on the mat. Kedar was very smooth, relaxed, and a guard fighter skilled in sweeps, chokes and armlocks. I tend to be a top fighter, aggressively seeking a takedown to end up on top. I, especially early on, was not smooth, but rather explosive and my pressure was constant.

Kedar and I worked to build a strong club recognizing that our differences were really strengths and clear proof that BJJ offers a solution for any body type or temperament. Naturally, some students would gravitate to beautiful and mysterious game while others would adopt my submission hunting relentless approach. What became obvious was that the students who mixed and matched our styles to create their own became good quickly and progressed rapidly.

My time teaching in tandem with Kedar taught me to analyze everyone’s game for its strengths. Training with Shawn Williams, Don Cunnanan, James Clingerman, Pedro Elias (Caique’s Son) among others has given me the opportunity to practice, adapt and learn how to make myself better. Small Axe Jiu Jitsu is as much the product of my training partners and friends as it is my brainchild.

Instructing at IU gave me the chance to emulate my instructors, my training partners and it gave me a beautiful laboratory for experimenting with techniques. By the spring of 2005, I was established as a competitor, had honed my techniques, and now became confident that instructing BJJ would be something I would do forever.

Gentry Martial Arts:

In February 2005, Brandon Sieg approached me about starting up a BJJ program at his school in Martinsville, Indiana. I was excited about the idea because this would give me a chance to create Jiu-jiteiro that were 100% my creation. I jumped at the opportunity and shortly after my promotion to purple belt, I began with a raw crew of eager students. The path started very slowly, working the most basic fundamentals, building flow drills, but eventually I was having fun and challenging sparring sessions with the students. My pedagogy was working.

Driving back from Minnesota in the wee hours of morning, I was listening to Bob Marley sing “Small Axe.” Its words fit my philosophy spectacularly and so I began teach toward the goals of making the Gentry students ‘sharp and ready.’

Jamaica:

Chemistry is an interesting thing. People often say that they have good chemistry with other people, whatever that means. For me though, I have a love and passion for Jamaica and her people that I can explain in no other way than to say ‘we have good chemistry.’ I feel spiritually centered when I am there, as if I am on sacred ground. The beauty of the land and the plight of the people provide me with a critical insight into my personal sufferings and how peace, faith, hope and love come not from material things, but rather from above.

In 2007, I researched the presence of grappling arts on the island and was discouraged to find that there was not even a surviving judo school. I was able to make contact with a Mr. Dwain Gayle who runs a successful Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do school. I offered to teach on my next visit at no cost. After months of discussion, I traveled to Jamaica’s north shore to teach in Montego Bay.

My actual first experience teaching BJJ in Jamaica was not in the school that I was destined for, but rather on the beach of the resort where my family and I were staying. Several of the staff members had discovered that I was not just there to vacation, but rather was going to be offering lessons in a martial art. I ended up leading 5 impromptu lessons on the beach. We covered mostly self-defense techniques from the feet and most of the observers and participants seemed to like it, some were skeptical though.

My first trip to Montego Bay with Sifu Gayle was a fantastic experience because all the students were polite, receptive, and eager to learn some ground fighting. The bunch was eclectic. There were irish construction and road builders, Jamaican Karate masters, and young acrobatic kung fu champs. A few days after that first class, I returned to nearly triple the students. The second group was far more challenging in every aspect. They were less polite, more skeptical, and less eager to buy into the effectiveness of BJJ.

By the end of the 3 hour class, I had managed to win at least the respect of the student body. I believe that it will take years of practice and teaching there before all minds will be convinced. In a way that makes me happy. I have good cause to return.

The food, the music, the spirits and the people combine to form a home away from home for me. This is why I will always seek to spread my passion for Jiu-Jitsu to Jamaica. It is also why I am bringing Jamaica to my Jiu-Jitsu students. For it is through the language of Reggae I have come to get a new perspective of my personal style of Jiu Jitsu.

CHAPTER ONE:

PRIDE COMETH BEFORE A FALL

“Why boasteth thyself, o evil men? Playing smart but then not being clever. I say you’re working inequity to achieve vanity. But the goodness of Jah Jah idureth for iver. So if you are the Big Tree, we are the small axe, sharp and ready.”

-Small Axe by Bob Marley and The Wailers

CHAPTER TWO

SHARP AND READY

Fundmentals:

In Chapter 4 I discuss Minimal Objective Requirements for Blue Belt in the Small Axe system. These are what I feel are the core building blocks of BJJ. They are focused on the fundamental positions in BJJ (i.e. the guard, mount, back mount, cross-side, knee on belly, and the reverse of each position). The techniques listed are those that I feel once mastered, provide the framework for adding the any additional technique.

Strategy:

Timing:

Timing of techniques comes from repetition. Timing of attacks comes from lots of sparring. Timing of defense comes from failing and being submitted. Harkening back to the earlier discussion about leaving your EGO off of the mat, your timing will be weaker if you are too concerned about getting tapped.

Tightness:

Conclusion:

CHAPTER THREE

BAD HABITS

“And whosoever digeth a pit, shall fall in it, bury in it.”

-Small Axe

Whether you are a natural athlete, or a clumsy computer geek who has taken to BJJ, there are certain bad habits you will inevitably bring to your training, practice, and competition. In my opinion overcoming these bad habits is as important as working the fundamentals and mastering strategy, timing, and tightness. Why? Mistakes are what we as martial artists learn to capitalize on. Bad habits are mistakes.

Wrestler habits:

BJJ tends to draw ex-wrestlers, including me. So it is because of personal experience that I start with these bad habits.

First, wrestlers tend to think constant explosions and intense pressure will work. This bad habit comes because of the need in wrestling to score as many points as possible or pin your opponent in two minute periods. In that circumstance with those options of victory, there is no time to relax. While pressure and explosions are important and valuable in BJJ, they have to come at the right time and cannot come at the expense of your endurance.

The constant explosions pose the problem of creating space, forming openings, and shifting balance. If an aware jiu jitsu practitioner is able to be aware of the space, he might escape the fierce grappler. If the same practitioner sees an opening (e.g. space between the elbow and body) that opening can be utilized to isolate an arm and attack. The shifting of balance is very dangerous because the arsenal of sweeps that even a beginner jiu-jiteiro might possess can capitalize and reverse the position. The discussion of how attacking like a boa constrictor was discussed in Chapter 2.

Second, wrestlers use loose elbows. If submissions are not allowed and the objective is to ‘pin’ one’s opponent to the mat, pressuring downward with the arms away from the body is perfectly fine and the heaviest way to achieve that goal. Likewise, if there is no danger of armlocks, doing a dead-weight bench press of a mounted adversary is logical and effective. This is the experience of raw wrestlers.

Loose elbows (i.e. arms posted away from the body) are fodder for submissions. When there is space between one’s body and his elbow, isolating his arm is very easy. Once I isolate the arm, then I can choose to employ the strength of my back, my legs, my torso or any combination of those to overwhelm the relative strength of just the opponent’s arm.

Not only do loose elbows provide ample opportunity for submissions, you can rest assured that if the wrestler is posting weight on his arm which is extended away from his body he is offering multiple points of balance. Rather than being a single unit sitting squarely on one heavy point of balance, the wrestler will divide his weight and balance along the several points. At first and against less experienced grapplers, this can be frustrating because an attack of any single point will not merit the sweep or transition desired because the wrestler will simply adjust to the other points. However, if two or more of the points are locked and the remaining point is attacked, that point will be significantly easier to move, unbalance, and sweep than if it were the single point. (e.g. you may find a wrestler in your guard posting heavily on both of your bicepts. He thus has three points of balance, each hand and his center. He has transferred his weight among the three points and if you control the arms, then scissor sweeping him off his center will be easier than if he was maintaining a quality guard posture in which his elbows are in tight, he is keeping his head up so that his weight is over a single point of balance which can easily be adjusted forward or backward to counter the sweep attempt of the guard player.)

Third, wrestlers and Judoka trust the turtle position. This is the position where the grappler is face down but up on either his hand and knees or his elbow and knees. Wrestlers enjoy this position because their back is a long way from the mat and they can quickly sit-out, standup or switch. This is so because submissions and strikes are not allowed. Judoka enjoy turtle position because in sport judo, if the aggressor cannot open the bottom guy up or submit him in a very short time, they will restart the players on their feet.

It is axiomatic in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, self-defense, and mixed martial arts that showing your opponent your back leaves you very susceptible to attack and injury. When one is in the turtle position, the brain stem is exposed and susceptible to attack, the kidneys are left undefended and the spine is exposed. This is at a minimum. It does not take a jiu jiteiro very much training to learn that attacking the neck with chokes is very easy against a turtle-ing opponent.

Even if the bottom fighter is able to prevent the neck attacks from the turtle position, the jiu-jiteiro will secure back mount by inserting his legs as hooks. From here, the bottom man can be turned, flattened, or attacked with multiple attacks until the fight is over.

Other bad habits:

Muscling: Quality Jiu Jitsu should take very little strength. The techniques I teach and the philosophy I employ will allow you to catch submissions, perform sweeps, and defend yourself against opponents of all shapes and sizes. Muscling only works against someone weaker or lighter than you.

To overcome this bad habit, it take a good training partner who is willing to immediately point out when you are using muscle to play jiu jitsu. Then it takes concentration not to react the way you did when you chose to use muscle.

Tunnel Vision: Now I must be careful when explaining what I mean by this because I often give advice to grappler to focus on one or two techniques to make those techniques work in all situation regardless of the opponent’s resistance… that is not what I mean by ‘tunnel vision’.

Tunnel vision is when in an open sparring situation you miss the forest for the single tree. You are thinking one option will be the best submission, but you are missing other submissions that are readily available, or even worse, in focusing on the submission, you open yourself up to a submission or lose your position.

Comparison: This mistake has less to do with form than it does substance. I think comparison is probably the main reason most people will not continue jiu jitsu after a year of practice. Comparison is when a person measures their progress against the instructors, other students, and people from other teams. If one measures himself against his instructor, especially when the instructor has spent 8,9,10 to 30 years practicing the art, one can become discouraged and feel achieving a high level will take too much time or be beyond their reach.

If one measures himself against other students in the class or from other teams, it can work both ways meaning one can gain a false sense of worth if that student can tap the others, but knows less and cannot teach the moves well. Conversely, one might become discouraged if a less knowledgeable, but more athletic student catches him in a submission.

The only comparison of value in jiu jitsu is a comparison of yourself now versus where you were at a given point in the past. Do you know more about the moves now? Can you execute techniques today that before you could not? Are you better able to explain techniques to the newer students and do you feel more comfortable leading a drill than you did?

A good example of comparison from my own experience would be Buddy Mitchell. He has trained jiu jitsu 1/3 the amount of time that I have. Despite this, he and I have some very competitive matches. The reasons this is so are the facts that he is significantly bigger and stronger than I am, he is a natural athlete and I am not, he is focused on getting better and has had a lot of personal instruction by not only me, but also others who are better than I am. Regardless, I know more than he does, so I have a duty to teach him what I know, train with him and make him better. That will in turn make me better and our team stronger.

Fast tracking: Like anything that takes hard work, there will be people out there who offer snake oil solutions to a speedy finish. I call buying into these schemes, ‘fast tracking’. Some people seek to make millions of dollars by claiming to hold the secret to obtaining a BJJ Black Belt in 3 years. Others will sell dvd after dvd showing their secrets or demonstrations of techniques. While instructional videos and sports psychology programs are helpful, it is best to check with your instructor before you spend hundreds of dollars on a potential bottle of BJJ snake oil.

It is important to remember that the key to improving quickly in BJJ is to focus on the fundamentals, get as much mat time as possible, and focus on learning how to improve your strategy, tightness, and timing.

Conclusion:

Watch out for the pits you might be digging. Simple ‘natural’ reactions can lead to dramatic failure in sparring. Also, different temptations (muscling, comparing, and fast tracking) will delay your progression, so work to avoid or minimize these habits.

CHAPTER FOUR

MINIMUM BLUE BELT REQUIREMENTS AND WHY

There is a common analogy that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a language. Each technique is a word and to speak the language in fluent form, one must first master the words and then be able to put the words together into phrases, sentences, and paragraphs. A good match often feels like an intense conversation.

White belt is the time of learning the vocabulary. Not only are you going to be exposed to all the positions, what it takes to maintain and escape the positions, transition between them, and their relative benefits and detriments, you are going to need to know the fundamental high percentage submissions in each position.

White belt is the time to focus on understanding the fundamentals in the same way you understand a spoken language. It is imperative that not only do you work on ‘pronouncing’ the techniques correctly (meaning execute them perfectly), but also begin to understand how the words work or don’t work in sequences (phrases) together.

I expect my students who want to progress through the jiu jitsu ranks to be diligent with his or her attendance. One cannot reasonably expect to truly grasp the building blocks of this martial art with spotty attendance. This is true because just like any language, if you do not practice and keep it fresh in your mind, your retention will be minimal. It is critical that you spend the time on the mat training, listening, learning and inquiring.

The skill you acquire will become evident when you are able to answer the ‘whys’ of techniques. What I mean by this is there are technical details to every move (e.g. when applying Americana from cross-side it is important to keep your elbow tight against your opponent’s head; a common question regarding Americana is ‘why is it that the guy can escape my attack by bringing his arm under me?’… answer… you are not isolating the arm appropriately by keeping your elbow tightly to his head).

Often I pose a question to the class to see if the students are grasping the concepts. I want the students to think for themselves, to be able to problem solve different grappling problems without having to be spoon fed the solutions. Most importantly though I am working to build a logical link between the way the techniques are taught and body movements necessary to effectuate the necessary outcome of the technique.

The transition between belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is both a subjective and objective venture. Different instructors expect different characteristics of students ready for promotion to blue belt. In an attempt to provide an objective goal for my students, I have come up with a minimal list of techniques my students MUST know and be able to perform and teach before I will even consider putting them before Professor Caique for promotion analysis. The list is broken down by position. This is essentially a small vocabulary list, but in my experience, these are the moves from which the more advanced strategies are developed. Not only will these techniques be essential to techniques later in your training, but these are the techniques that carry Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a martial art, a self-defense form and the most viable fighting art known to man.

CHAPTER 5

CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL AXE JIU JITIERO

What is a Small Axe Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt?

There are certain qualities that I require my students seek to exude beyond and in addition to the technical expertise and understanding of the philosophy as explained above. Patience, humility, sportsmanship, open mindedness, and loyalty are the key qualities and characteristics that will define you as meeting my standards.

Starting Small Axe Jiu Jitsu has given me the opportunity to see if my perceptions of the value and qualities of blue belt are truly attainable or are unrealistic. Of first, and most, importance to me was to stay true to the teachings of Professor Caique and to make sure that my standards exceed his. Professor Caique has been a wonderful resource of what constitutes "roots jiu jitsu" the core fundamental techniques that make a person's jiu jitsu practical and effective. Another objective element of Professor Caique' approach to blue belt promotion, is attendance and temporal scope (time in service). Professor Caique believes that a motivated student should be approaching blue belt at some point between one and two years within service **if attendance and focus are consistent.***

Such a belief is a daunting challenge to a young instructor bent on mirroring the quality of instructor as his own (i.e. Professor Caique). So, first and foremost, I want my students who are up for promotion to blue belt to be ready by Caique's standards. Secondly, I want them to KNOW they have earned the belt and are ready to develop into the belt. If I expect them to feel comfortable and ready for the promotion, I must feel comfortable too.

In measuring what I value in a blue belt I came up with three broad criteria; technical knowledge, leadership/teaching ability, and sparring ability. Some schools will promote students if they excel at any one of the aforementioned qualities. Not me and not Small Axe Jiu Jitsu. My blue belts MUST satisfy each of the three categories.

Technical knowledge:

One of the central premises of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu is a focus on the fundamental positions, transitions, and submissions of classic Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as taught by Professor Caique. Therefore, I have prepared a list, a list of the minimum techniques, I expect the students to KNOW, in a detailed manner. This means, I expect the student to be able to perform the essential details of technique in a repeatable fashion without prompting.

The students will have been exposed to far more than is on the minimal list, but the techniques on the minimal list serves as the building blocks for the more complex or flashy technques. What is universal about the techniques that must be mastered is that they are techniques that are proven. They work from white belt to black belt.

Leadership/Teaching Ability:

I believe that teaching at an "academy" means more than just developing performers. It means creating teachers. It is because of this that my instruction is very detail oriented, and that I allow students to question everything. I want my students to think for themselves. Learning to solve jiu jitsu problems is the key to teaching bjj to newer students.

The cream will rise to the top. Teaching ability or desire to teach is important, but I want my blue belts to be leaders. My blue belts should be able to lead the warm up, take the reins if I am sick/gone/ or dealing with administrative issues (without being asked).

I asked Professor Caique to watch Mike Dodge for blue belt promotion. He promoted Mike and this was deserved. Mike is a leader and a teacher. He (without being asked) will summon the newer student when asked to pick partners. He pays attention to the essential details and communicates them accurately to the students.

Sparring ability:

Of course performance against resistance is a factor in knowing if someone is ready for blue belt. This does not mean that the student must tap every white belt, nor does it mean that the student must be resistant to being tapped by every white belt. What I want to see is skilled grappling without the basic mistakes that lead to failure. I do not require any of my students to compete. Many choose to compete (it is fun), but it is not forced, nor is it a requirment for promotion.

In the song, "Small Axe", there is a verse that says, "And whosoever digeth a pit, shall fall in it, bury in it." When I spar with students approaching blue belt level, I expect them to make minor mistakes, but I expect them recognize the mistakes, and work to avoid making the same mistakes twice.

Conclusion:

There is no conclusion. This philosophy should be and I hope will be as organic as BJJ it itself. I drafted this to answer a question that I see on forums all the time (e.g. "How do I know when I am close to blue belt?"). In my school, you will know you are getting close when you know the minimal techniques, can teach them, are sparring effectively, but most importantly, are taking up the roll as a leader in class.

Promotions and Pics '08

2008-02-23T23:53:00.008-05:00

Hoosier Open Competitors

2008 Hoosie Open Small Axe Competitors L to R: Walter, Bryan Neal (1st Place), Justin (Second Place), Tim Sledd (Third Place), Doug Bailey, Dan Wiggins, Mike (Third Place), Lain Stocke (Second Place), Tyler Stocke (1st Place)

February 2008 Promotions!!!

Today, 2/23/08 was a great day for Small Axe Jiu Jitsu!

Today, Professor Caique promoted 4 guys to blue belt. Dan Wiggins, Josh Britt, Jeremiah Deckard, and David Yoshida made the leap out of their white belts and into the scary realm of Faixa Azul (blue belt). Each of these guys has trained hard, focused on the criteria, proven leadership ability, and deserved this for several months. I am very proud of them and it brings me great joy to see them wearing the blue belt.

(Dan Wiggins = Blue Belt!)

(Jeremiah Deckard = Blue Belt!)

(David "High-speed" Yoshida = Blue Belt!)

(Josh Britt = Blue Belt!)

My purple belt days are behind me now too! I was promoted to Brown Belt (faixa marrom). I was explaining to someone the other day that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu belt ranking and progression is similar to climbing a ladder to a diving board. White to blue, blue to purple, and purple to brown are steps up the ladder. Once you are a brown belt you are standing on the diving board. It is probably the most fun place because your skills are sharp but the expectations are not that of a black belt. However, a brown belt must be in true preparation because once he leaves the board, he jumps into a pool of black belts. The pool will have not only this new born black, but master black belts... exciting but the measuring stick changes from one of a few peers to the truly elite.

So, I take one step off the ladder and onto the board. I promise myself that I will enjoy this belt, savor the process of developing into a BJJ teacher, practitioner and competitor worthy of attaining the ability and permission to dive from this platform. I can comfortably say that I have some years of tough work ahead of me before that is a real possiblity, and as I sit here writing this, it is safe to say I am fine with that!

Even though I am color blind, I had to make sure it was brown!

Professor Caique, Me, Greg Lucas

I was going to try and thank those responsible for helping me attain this belt promotion. Then I realized that it was '98 when I first put on a Jiu Jitsu uniform and every roll has counted. So rather than list and miss all those people, I will just say thanks. Those that invested sweat, blood, beatings, and time in and on me will know who they are and the gratitude I have for their help.

-Tim

Training Family Revisited

2008-01-10T06:53:00.002-05:00

In 2004 I set out to explain who my training family consisted of. It was one of my first blog posts ever. Shortly after that blog post, my real family grew... and grew, and I had not revisited that post until very early this morning. Nostalgia set in as I recalled my position in jiu jitsu life, pre-kids, pre-purple belt humility and really pre-Small Axe.

Many of the characters are still in play. Some have moved on (which is the nature of running a club at a University as I was in 2004). There certainly have been additions, and so I felt a revisit to this concept of 'training family' would be helpful, especially for those students who want to improve and progress efficiently.

For a detailed background of what I mean by 'Training Family', please read my post from 2004. In summary though, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tends to bond its participants together. Nothing is more humbling than defeat or recognition of ignorance. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu provides its practitioners with plenty of opportunities for both. Thus, those that stick with the art tend to be willing to weather significant storms, guide others through the same, and share in the feelings of victory. Sounds to me like some of the characteristics of a good family.

So, using the analogy of family for purposes of describing one's jiu jitsu partners and instructors, I think it is important to evaluate the 'functionality' of the family. Is your family one that puts the fun in dysfunction? Or, rather, is your family a rooted in tradition, bound for success model family. It is likely that mine and yours fall someplace in between... why? Most people like to watch Jerry Springer but also admire those that seem destined to greatness.

Since 2004, my training family has grown, spread out, and my role has increased in significance. While at IU, I viewed my students as younger brothers (because they were getting instruction from multiple instructors), I was just an older brother imparting what wisdom I could. Today, I am attempting to forge my style of BJJ, create my own students, and develop the jiu jitsu philosophy of Small Axe; all of which places me in a more fatherly role to my current students.

Father figures:

With that said, I still have Professor Caique as a Grandfatherly figure in my training family. He provides direct answers, critique, support, and direction all from a distance. He does not concern himself with my day to day matters, but rather my goals for tomorrow, next week, next month and next year.

Greg Lucas still holds the position of 'father' in my jiu jitsu training family. He is my closest instructor, monitors most closely my training, teaching, and needs. Greg has cultivated my desire to teach and encouraged my creation of my own program and philosophy of jiu jitsu.

Uncles:

There are others that I turn to for guidance, encouragement, instruction, and humbling but fall short of being my coach or instructor. I consider them 'uncles' in the family. James Clingerman, Don Cunnanan, and Pedro Elias are three such characters. Pedro is Professor Caique's son. On my journeys to California to train, Pedro has been willing to observe my practice and polish many of the rough spots in my game.

I met James through my training family brother Mat Stratta (see below). James is a huge Jiu Jitsu Force in Indiana. He runs great tournaments and produces stud grapplers. He is a wealth of knowledge and has corrected my mental mistakes with his advice. James also lets me come to his school to be humbled by his beatings.

(James Clingerman, Jack McVicker, Tim Sledd)

(Tim Sledd and Don Cunannan)

I met Don Cunannan on my first trip to WV to see my Brother and Sister-in-law. We trained together on each of my trips out there and Don gave me a fresh style to play against. He is a medical doctor, so he and I both share an interest in the academic undertaking BJJ can be.

Brothers:

Brothers are your training partners. These are folks you roll with day in and day out, or who are your contemporaries that you share a bond with. Many of my brothers were met in my IU days, but have moved on and spread out. Some have come into the family in the recent past. I consider my students brothers... even if I am in a Fatherly role.

Mat Stratta: Define 'quality human' and you have characterized this man. He is a world traveler, intelligent, and caring guy. His jiu jitsu is very smooth and coordinated. He is a fun roll for sure!

(Tim Sledd, Mat Stratta)

Buddy Mitchell: In 2006 I began training with Buddy during my lunch breaks at work. Buddy is a great student and training partner. He is listens and absorbs the techniques quickly. At just over 200lbs, Buddy is a mountain to move. I am grateful to have him train with.

(Buddy Mitchell, Professor Caique, Tim Sledd)

Kedar Bhat: Kedar and I spent several years co-running the IU BJJ Club. We handed the reigns off to Paul Hogan as we both moved into our professional careers. Kedar is a great example of how BJJ can work for the non-aggressive, self-described non-athlete. While I think Kedar is a tough guy, he will tell you he is not athletic. His jiu jitsu is fundamental, tough, and resistant to a muscling wrestler like me :)

Paul Hogan: The same thing I wrote about Paul in 2004 is true today. The additions I need to make is that he has grown into fine leader. Paul is mega smart and his jiu jitsu mirrors his ability to think outside box.

(Tim Sledd, Paul Hogan, Kedar Bhat)

Brandon Sieg: In 2005, Brandon Sieg, a master in several martial arts, opened his academy to my instruction of BJJ. He is a wealth of information about the instruction of martial arts, the motivation of the students and team building. He also has good jiu jitsu

(Evan Mannwieler, Mike Dodge, Ben Johnson are brothers that are being mentioned because they offer great support, ideas, teaching help and are sounding boards for my rants. )

Unmentioned family members: There are many. If your name is not here, that does not mean you are not a valuable family member. I have intentionally left some off and I am sure unintentionally missed others. Regardless, the goal of this post is for you to critically think about your training family and work to build one of your own.

What is a Small Axe Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt?

2008-01-02T21:08:00.002-05:00

Since my days of instructing at Indiana University, I have seen nearly 25 people go on from raw green beginners to attain the promotion to blue belt (largely under the instruction of other blue belts). While I was at IU though, the standards and measurement were determined and shared between several instructors. I always took a reserved, conservative, approach to recommending any particular grappler to blue belt. The reason for this is the esteem I once held for the blue belt and my belief that in order to hold the blue belt with legitimacy and honor, one must possess certain qualities.

Starting Small Axe Jiu Jitsu has given me the opportunity to see if my perceptions of the value and qualities of blue belt are truly attainable or are unrealistic. Of first, and most, importance to me was to stay true to the teachings of Professor Caique and to make sure that my standards exceed his. Professor Caique has been a wonderful resource of what constitutes "roots jiu jitsu" the core fundamental techniques that make a person's jiu jitsu practical and effective. Another objective element of Professor Caique' approach to blue belt promotion, is attendance and temporal scope (time in service). Professor Caique believes that a motivated student should be approaching blue belt at some point between one and two years within service **if attendance and focus are consistent.***

Such a belief is a daunting challenge to a young instructor bent on mirroring the quality of instructor as his own (i.e. Professor Caique). So, first and foremost, I want my students who are up for promotion to blue belt to be ready by Caique's standards. Secondly, I want them to KNOW they have earned the belt and are ready to develop into the belt. If I expect them to feel comfortable and ready for the promotion, I must feel comfortable too.

In measuring what I value in a blue belt I came up with three broad criteria; technical knowledge, leadership/teaching ability, and sparring ability. Some schools will promote students if they excel at any one of the aforementioned qualities. Not me and not Small Axe Jiu Jitsu. My blue belts MUST satisfy each of the three categories.

Technical knowledge:

One of the central premises of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu is a focus on the fundamental positions, transitions, and submissions of classic Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as taught by Professor Caique. Therefore, I have prepared a list, a list of the minimum techniques, I expect the students to KNOW, in a detailed manner. This means, I expect the student to be able to perform the essential details of technique in a repeatable fashion without prompting.

The students will have been exposed to far more than is on the minimal list, but the techniques on the minimal list serves as the building blocks for the more complex or flashy technques. What is universal about the techniques that must be mastered is that they are techniques that are proven. They work from white belt to black belt.

Leadership/Teaching Ability:

I believe that teaching at an "academy" means more than just developing performers. It means creating teachers. It is because of this that my instruction is very detail oriented, and that I allow students to question everything. I want my students to think for themselves. Learning to solve jiu jitsu problems is the key to teaching bjj to newer students.

The cream will rise to the top. Teaching ability or desire to teach is important, but I want my blue belts to be leaders. My blue belts should be able to lead the warm up, take the reigns if I am sick/gone/ or dealing with administrative issues (without being asked).

I asked Professor Caique to watch Mike Dodge for blue belt promotion. He promoted Mike and this was deserved. Mike is a leader and a teacher. He (without being asked) will summon the newer student when asked to pick partners. He pays attention to the essential details and communicates them accurately to the students.

Sparring ability:

Of course performance against resistance is a factor in knowing if someone is ready for blue belt. This does not mean that the student must tap every white belt, nor does it mean that the student must be resistant to being tapped by every white belt. What I want to see is skilled grappling without the basic mistakes that lead to failure. I do not require any of my students to compete. Many choose to compete (it is fun), but it is not forced, nor is it a requirment for promotion.

In the song, "Small Axe", there is a verse that says, "And whosoever digeth a pit, shall fall in it, bury in it." When I spar with students approaching blue belt level, I expect them to make minor mistakes, but I expect them recognize the mistakes, and work to avoid making the same mistakes twice.

Conclusion: There is no conclusion. This article should be and I hope will be as organic as BJJ it itself. I drafted this post to answer a question that I see on forums all the time (e.g. "How do I know when I am close to blue belt?"). In my school, you will know you are getting close when you know the minimal techniques, can teach them, are sparring effectively, but most importantly, are taking up the roll as a leader in class.

Small Axe Jiu Jitsu Fall Class '07 Pics

2008-01-01T16:13:00.001-05:00

2007 was a great year for the growth of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu at Gentry Martial Arts. Below is some of the group after a fun class of training. Fortunately for us, we are getting some younger guys in here that are eager to learn... this means more fun to come.

(Front Row: Lane Stocke, Colin Dodge, Joe Wiggins, Jeremiah Deckard, Mike Dodge, Jared. Back Row: Brandon Sieg, Yoshida, Matt Engle, Bill Ward, Doug Bailey, Dan Wiggins, Josh Britt, Vince (DPU), ??, ??(DPU), Tim Sledd.

EGO Fall '07 Competitors (Front: Tim Sledd, Lane 'Short-Bus' Stocke, David 'High-Speed' Yoshida, Brandon Sieg, Back: Doug Bailey, Josh Britt, Dan Wiggins, Mike Dodge, Bill Ward)

MICHIGAN OPEN PICS:

Standing Pass attempt (Tim Sledd On Top)

Working the Open Guard

(Lain Stocke 1st place! between Tim Sledd and Professor Caique)

The Birth of Small Axe Jiu Jitsu

2007-12-08T11:50:00.004-05:00

Triangle Choke Escapes:

Head Arm Triangle Escapes:

Dan Competes and gets a tap at the Michigan Open '08:

A couple No-Gi Vids for Chris McDonald in Jamaica

Video of My Hoosier Open Match

Video of My Michigan Open Match (I was still a purple belt but fought up in the brown belt division)

2007 was an interesting year in my jiu jitsu life. First, I spent considerable time pontificating over my philosophy of jiu jitsu. I have for sometime felt the lyric of Small Axe (a song by Bob Marley and the Wailers) fit my perception of what a strong founation in BJJ needed. Well, I finally committed to honing this analogy. Small Axe Jiu Jitsu was born.

Technique: (Americana from Modified Cross-Side)

Along with this birth was my maiden voyage to Jamaica to share Jiu Jitsu with the great island. Sifu Dwayne Gail generously hosted me at his kung fu school where I taught two days of class. The students were eager and hungry for knowledge. I planted seeds I plan to nurture for years to come.

Video Technique 2: (Reverse Arm Bar from Modified Cross-Side)

I was able to teach a private lesson to a Rastafarian wood carver on a secluded beach (I am sure this memory will flash before my eyes at the end of my life voyage).

Video Technique 3: (Head-arm triangle)

2007 was not such a great year for me regarding competitions. Well, let me explain; it was a great year for my students, but for me personally, my performances were lack luster. I can give dozens of reasons and excuses, but what matters is that my goal of remaining an active competitor remains in tact.

Thanks to God for a great 2007.

2007-12-08T11:23:00.004-05:00

Grappling Resume

Tim Sledd

tsledd@gmail.com

Competition History:

Brown Belt

2008 Hoosier Open Brown Belt Open 3rd Place (Tied with Brandon Fracassi)
2007 Michigan Open Brown Belt Open 1st Place (still a purple belt)

Purple Belt

2007 Extreme Grappling Open Fall Purple Belt Middle Weight
2007 Extreme Grappling Open Fall Expert Master's Open No-gi 3rd Place
2007 Extreme Grappling Open Purple Belt Light Weight
2007 Extreme Grappling Open Expert No-gi
2006 Michigan Open (Adult Middleweight Purple Belt) 2^nd Place
2006 Hoosier Open (Adult Middleweight Purple Belt)
2006 Bluegrass Open Purple Belt Heavy Weight 2^nd Place
2006 Bluegrass Open Purple Belt Absolute division 2^nd Place
2005 C3 Fighter (December) Purple Belt Lightweight 3^rd Place
2005 C3 Fighter (December) Advance No-Gi Lightweight 1^st Place
2005 C3 Fighter (December) Advanced No-Gi Absolute 2^nd Place
2005 Extreme Grappling Open Purple Belt Middle Weight 2^nd Place
2005 Music City Grappling Championship Purple Belt 1^st Place
2005 Music City Grappling Championship Purple/Brown Open 3^rd Place
2005 Hoosier Open (Adult Middleweight Purple Belt)
2005 C3 Fighter (Adult Middleweight Purple Belt) 3^rd Place
2005 C3 Fighter (Adult Open Weight Purple Belt) 2^nd Place

Blue Belt

2004 Indiana State BJJ Championships 1^st Place.
2004 Extreme Grappling Open, 2^nd Place.
2004 Hoosier Open (Adult Middleweight Blue Belt) 1^st Place.
2003 Indiana State BJJ Championships
2001 Charity Brawl (170lb Advanced Jiu-Jitsu division) 1^st Place.
2001 Charity Brawl (170lb Submission Grappling) 4^th Place.
2001 Charity Brawl (Open Catch Wrestling) 1^st Place.

White Belt

1998 Lucas Martial Arts Jiu Jitsu Tournament (170lb Int.) 1^st Place.

Promotions:

Blue Belt: March, 2000 by Professor Caique.
Blue Belt 1^st Stripe: February, 2003 by Professor Caique.
Blue Belt 2^nd Stripe: November, 2003 by Professor Caique.
Blue Belt 3^rd Stripe: March, 2004 by Professor Caique.
Blue Belt 4^th Stripe: July, 2004 by Professor Caique.
Purple Belt: April, 2005. by Professor Caique.
Purple Belt 1^st Stripe: November, 2005 by Professor Caique.
Purple Belt 2^nd Stripe: November, 2006 by Professor Caique.
Purple Belt 3^rd Stripe: February, 2007 by Professor Caique.
Purple Belt 4th Stripe: September, 2007 by Professor Caique.
Brown Belt: February, 2008 by Professor Caique.
Brown Belt 1st Stripe: October, 2008 by Professor Caique.

Coaches:

Greg Lucas (Black Belt, Team Caique).
Chris Hayre (Purple Belt, Team Caique).

Positions Held:.

Instructor:

Gentry Martial Arts: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, May 2005-present. 15-25 Students
Lucas Martial Arts Academy: Assistant Instructor
Indiana University: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Club, 2003-2005. 30-45 Students

Indiana University: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a course 2003-2005. 15-25 students per class.

Team Caique Martinsville

2006-03-27T14:50:00.000-05:00

On May 13th, 2006 the school at which I have been teaching BJJ for nearly a year will become an official Team Caique Training Associaion.

This means alot to me. I have been a student of BJJ since '98 and have been teaching it to others since '03. One of my goals has been to have my own school, to build it from the ground up. This dream is being fulfilled.

I have a strong group of students who love the game and who are developing very well. Caique was proud of the turnout at the last seminar, and without hesitation gave me the go ahead to form the association.

My goals for Team Caique Martinsville are:

Build a group of strong, fundmental BJJ practitioners. Students with a strong base in the fundamentals.
Next I want to continue to compete each year, increasing in the quality of the competitions I enter. For example, this year will be regional competitions again, but next year I want to add the Pan Ams and the year after that the Mundials.
I want to continue to progress through the rankings in a steady but legitmate manner. Of course the goal is Black Belt, but that is just the beginning of a whole new journey.

check us out at http://www.gentrymartialarts.com

Instructing at Gentry Martial Arts

2005-06-18T17:32:00.000-05:00

Beginning in May, I started teaching an introductory course in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Gentry Martial Arts in Martinsville. The students there are exciting and eager to learn. I have a feeling good things will come from this group.

Tim Sledd (Purple Belt)

Team Caique

IUBJJ Club Instructor

GMA Beginner BJJ Instructor

A brief discussion of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2004-07-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

An explanation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:>(as posted on my web page two days ago)
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (hereinafter BJJ) is a martial art that focuses on minimizing the damage done to combatants. Striking of any sort is de-emphasized due to the potential for self-injury as well as the likelihood that the party absorbing the strike will be injured. You may be asking, how can BJJ ever expect to work against a 'real life' angry person who wants to knock your head off? Answer: we carefully measure the distance between our attacker and ourselves. Then we move in to clinch or take-down the attacker to take away the space necessary to employ an effective striking attack.

Once the clich has occurred, or a take down has happened, the object of BJJ is to gain a dominant position on the attacker so as to either 1. convince them to calm down and cease their attack, 2. employ a BJJ attack such as a joint lock or choke, or 3. utilize short range strikes to overcome the opponent.

BJJ is also a sport. Competitors start on their feet and seek to defeat their opponent by gaining a submission (opponent taps the body of the competitor signaling desire to stop the match) or by points which are awarded for positional dominance. Matches vary in length based on skill level, ranging from 5-10 minutes with no breaks.

BJJ is unique in that its moves do not require great strength or speed. (Unlike striking styles, wrestling, or judo). Instead, the more advanced fighters win using a mastery of leverage, baiting, and techniques that emphasize the weakness inherent with the human body. Submission holds focus on the weak joints of the human body, chokes focus on the easy availabilitly of blood sources to the brain to be impeded, and sweeps take advantage of the awkward centers of balance in different positions. Through a mastery of these concepts employed in various techniques, a very small BJJ student can quickly render unconscious or incapable of fighting, a much larger, stronger, and tougher attacker.

Many find the allure of BJJ to be the complex mental components necessary to excel. It has been called 'human chess.' When two fighters are at the same skill level, the one who will win the match will be the one who is thinking more moves ahead of the adversary. Unlike wrestling where a match is ended based on body positioning (i.e. the opponent's back is flattened to the mat), in BJJ you must cause you opponent to submit... they must signal defeat. This can be quite a feat!

Tim 7/11/04

Impending Ella Delia

2004-06-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

Ella delia...

She is in there and "ripe." I keep telling people that the 9th month proves that "a watched pot never boils."

I want to meet her, see her, hold her, and love her. She is going to change my life! Tick, Tock...

If she knew the attention she is getting even before she has arrived I am sure she would smile. There is love and support walking her around. But she is cooking and waiting until her moment.

Delia, or Ella, or Ella Delia is still future tense. But for how long?

Tim

Training Families

2004-06-16T15:00:00.001-05:00

YOUR training family

Posted by Tim on Monday, 17 May 2004, at 11:07 p.m.

Today I was reading an article by Royler Gracie (one of the legends of BJJ). He reiterated the importance of forming a quality training family within your jiu-jitsu club.

Let me explain how I view MY "training family":

Grandpa Caique: Offers the soundest jiu-jitsu wisdom though he is not physically present all the time.

Greg Lucas: Is like a father figure when it comes to jiu-jitsu. This guy has laid the smack down on me many times and punks me anytime I get cocky!

Chris Hayre: Also a father figure with more patience for my questions than Greg (plus he lets me think I "earn" positions on him :))

Kedar: Definitely an older brother(though years younger in age and pounds lighter in weight). Here is a guy who can throw new riddles my way that make me think. We battle hard, have different approaches to the game, but I have MAD respect for the man! Kedar may be the first relevant member of your jiu-jitsu family... he may be your father figure... if so, damn you are lucky! This guy is stellar.

John Hill: Spiritual mentor who helps me keep reality in focus.

Matt Stratta: When it comes to a jiu-jitsu family, this guy is my close brother. He is silky smooth with his technique and has a steele trap mind for the details. In the perfect world, he would be watching every class I teach to remind me to show the one technique I slipped on.

Jeremiah Ashe: I have mad love and respect for this brother. He has helped my game significantly. Laid the beatings down repeatedly, and has the humbleness and control over his ego that we should all aspire to mimic.

Steve Corenflos: Another brother that I feel a strong sense of loyalty toward. At 135lbs, this guy is a tough MF'er! His game is going to get tough the more he trains. Oh, yeah, watch out, this guy is going to Lucas for training! That extra effort will reap him significant rewards!

Paul Hogan: I was ducking you bro! Hogan tough as nails. I am happy to have him in my training family. He has legitimately tapped me freqently. He makes me play my game tightly, and even then it is not enough. At 19 or 20 whichever it may be, he is a force to be reckoned with. I promise that I will reckon that force every chance I get because I get better each time.

Jim VanAtta: New member to the family, but valued nontheless. Jim is strong, wirery, and has great mental prowess when it comes to jiu-jitsu. I enjoy teaching him the moves because his follow up questions force me to rethink the game.

I could stop here and be a very fortunate jiu jitsu student! But to stop here would be to leave out some other very valuable members that I call upon to help me train.

Little brothers include: Will Buck, Ryan Kloman, Andrea Robertson (yep a brother), Lobato, Joe Sunderhaus, Ben Markley, Rebecca Remilard (another yep a brother), Julie Kedzie (though many of you have seen her whip my ass with gloves on!).

I know I have forgotten others, but I trained with Lucas tonight which means I took a beating an my mind is not all there. I apologize.

What I want you to do is find a familial makeup that works for you. Some of you will need to have more brother's than fathers, some of you will be comfortable having many fathers and few brothers. (Gender's can be flipped for the women!)

We are very fortunate to have a jiu-jitsu club that is large and inexpensive. Make the most of it!

Tim

P.S. DTM

Preparing for Battle

2004-06-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

Preparing for Battle

Posted by Tim on Wednesday, 2 June 2004, at 10:21 a.m.

Currently our club is in preparation for an upcoming tournament. Of course not all of the members of the club are going to compete.

We don't require it! Nor do we expect it!

The strength of our club is the fact that even those who are not going to be competing show up to practice to push those who will be competing. It has been awesome to see the turn out to club practices and the efforts put out by all.

Some of the guys are going to compete to gain exposure and experience and have a good time. This is an important opportunity that competing in practice does not give. Approaching a tournament with this mind set allows one to compete without being concerned about being in PERFECT condition, or feeling superior. One can go with the flow and meet great grapplers, watch awesome matches, and become inspired to work a new aspect of their game.

Others in the club are looking to continue their tournament improvements. Their objective is to confront a rival, place a little higher, or simply survive the first or second round. I emphasize to these participants that conditioning and mat time are crucial.

Finally, there are some in our club that are going to compete to Win. This is the toughest challenge! In order not to be "bs-ing" one's self, the competitor must train like a champion. They must train not only their body but their mind. There must be no question that when you step on the mat you are SURE you are going to win!

If you are not interested in competing, don't feel lost or left out. Come help us train! I promise that you will learn some valuable practical concepts by being around. Our competition team will be eternally grateful as well.

So, the date is set, June 26th. The divisions are relative mysteries, so focus on making yourself as prepared to wage the battle you want to wage at the tournament, whether it is just to get some mat time, improve your finish, or take the trophy!

Train Hard and I will see you at club.

Tim