“I once asked Roger Gracie, the best jiu-jitsu fighter on the planet, what
made him so good. After thinking about it for a while, he replied: ‘I built my
game off a solid defense. I first made it almost impossible for anybody to tap
me out.’”
Daniel Mower of www.ArcanumBJJ.com

“You can’t be common because the common man goes nowhere. You have got to be
uncommon.” Herb Brooks, 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Coach – Olympic Champions

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four 
sharpening the axe."
Abraham Lincoln

"Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay for success, it
enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure, and the
temporary failures."
Vince Lombardi 

"Hold on with a bulldog grip, and chew and choke as much as
possible."
Abraham Lincoln 

 "My style is that when I get into the ring, I never assume that I will win
before I actually do. The only thing I am confident in is myself. I think to
assume that you are going to win before the fight even begins is an insult to
your opponent. I've always thought so and I always will."
Fedor Emelianenko

"Forget about winning or losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your
opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your
flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his
life! Do not be concerned with you escaping safely - lay your life before
him!"
Bruce Lee

"We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. Yet it, sometimes
seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own
talents as well"
Bruce Lee

"It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner,
when you're number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you're
not a winner."
Vince Lombardi

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
John Wooden

"If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"
John Wooden

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths.
When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." 
Arnold Schwarzenegger

BJJ Black Belt Brandon Ruiz on Goal Setting for Jiu-Jitsu
 by Caleb on January 19, 2011
 (Article Originally posted on The Fight Works Podcast)

by Daniel Mower
 
Goals have only been marginally successful for me in the past. I always saw them as
a list of wishes…nice things to aim for that could possibly happen if I was lucky
and didn’t get distracted.
 
The notion that goals can help you improve your
Brazilian jiu-jitsu sounds cool. But goals, like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, work based
on principles and techniques. Until you understand the techniques, setting goals
is just that…wishful thinking that will end in failure. 

Brandon Ruiz is what I would call a “black belt goal setter.” I was
introduced to Brandon through my coach, Dave Johnson. Both are BJJ black belts
under the Machado flag in Utah. Despite family and work requiring much of his
time, Brandon has been a very successful competitor, particularly in no-gi,
winning numerous tournaments (most recently at Pancrase and NAGA in 2010). He
attributes that success in competition to setting and reaching goals.

Continue Reading Here!

Honesty and Integrity

You may be asking what do honesty and integrity have to do with grappling, or
any other activity for that matter? 

Well at the heart of it they are two of the most important principles of
success in life and in athletics. In life when you purchase a product you expect
to pay the required price. You expect that you must pay for an item before you
can take it out of the store. Your level of integrity dictates whether you will
pay for the item, or if you will just walk off and steal it.

 When you ask an honest question you expect an honest answer. When you drive
down the road you expect that the other drivers will have the integrity to obey
the traffic laws. You expect that when you compete the other competitors will
follow the rules for safety and scoring that have been established and that you
agree to when you sign the entry waiver.

Honesty and Integrity are everywhere. Without these values there would be no
chance for much of anything in society. 

How does this more directly apply to you as an athlete? 

Honesty:
You must be honest with yourself and what your true goals are and
why you are pursuing them. You may be holding yourself back by hiding behind
situations and circumstances. You may be telling yourself little lies that you
aren’t able to do something because of family or because of work. You may be
making excuses to avoid putting in an honest effort physically. You may be
making excuses to avoid facing the reality of the pressures and stresses that
competition places on you. You may be hiding behind lack of coaching or
experience.

The honest athlete will learn to discern the truth from the errors, the
misconceptions and the lies both big and small that get made to excuse ourselves
from loss and disappointment. The honest athlete stares the reality of potential
loss and the opportunity of winning in the face and knows exactly which side
they are moving toward.

Integrity:
Integrity s when you come to grips with the need to be
completely honest with yourself and your level of commitment, desire and effort.
The athlete with integrity holds their self to a higher standard, one that
recognizes an excuse but makes the effort anyway. The athlete with integrity
gives forth their best effort and then builds upon it. The athlete with
integrity takes responsibility for their actions both on and off the mat. 

Honesty leads to better workouts and better insights into flaws and strengths
in technique and strategy. It is the beginning of development; it is the
beginning of understanding. Integrity is the inner strength to hold oneself to
their commitment to improve. Developing these two virtues in your life and in
your grappling game will lead you to greater and greater success.


   

The Greatest Wrestling Shoe Ever Made

The Adidas Combat Speed 3 is the Greatest Wrestling and Grappling Shoe Ever Made period!

If that is not enough here is why I absolutely love this classic shoe! First off it is one of the lightest shoes I’ve ever worn. It is very breathable, dries quickly and always feels comfortable. The sole is a ‘split sole’ design which gives traction to the main contact points of the foot/shoe when on the mat. The rest of the sole is a suede-like leather that wears well and allows for natural foot movement.

I remember back in the day that this particular model was the most popular shoe around. They used to come in some crazy neon blues with pink and neon yellow. They were pretty gaudy but everyone that wore them loved them. Today they come in black with red/white trim or white with black/red trim. I prefer the modern color scheme a lot better but with today’s pink-is-ok-for-guys fashion I’m honestly surprised they haven’t brought back the older more daring colors.

As soon as I saw that this shoe was available in 2010 I immediately bought 3 pairs! Needless to say they have been on my feet every time I have stepped on a mat since then, including when I won my FILA World title in 2011. One drawback, and this is common with today’s wrestling shoes across the board, is the actual life span of the shoe is relatively short. My soles were pretty worn going to the world championships and I had a blow out in the first match. I was not happy. I had thought about bringing a second pair but improvised with some athletic tape which held what was left of the sole together.

I had worn this pair for over a year, which again is pretty good by today’s standards. I’ve heard stories of other models of Adidas and Asics both blowing out much sooner. Part of the issue has more to do with companies needing to make more money from shoe sales. I had a great pair of Asics Tiger’s back in high school and that shoe would literally not wear out. The only real reason I bought a new pair for my senior year was because I wanted a new look. But unfortunately the decreased durability had already begun and that ‘new’ pair only lasted about 6 months.

For today’s price point the Adidas Combat Speed 3 is an incredible deal! Comparable models from Asics and Nike are 2-3 times as expensive! The Combat Speeds I purchased were through Suplay.com and ran just under $50! Now that is a deal! I haven’t found anything remotely as cost or quality effective as the Adidas Combat Speed 3.

If you’re a wrestler or even a grappler who wants to save his toes then this is THE most functional and affordable wrestling shoe that you’ll ever wear!

Goals are Important, So are Deadlines
By
Justin Ruiz, Greco Roman Wrestling 6 x National Champion & World Medalist

“If you’re bored with life – you don’t get up every morning with a burning
desire to do things – you don’t have enough goals.” – Lou Holtz
 
One thing that I like to share with people, especially at wrestling clinics, is that
goals are important. They give us direction, they give us clarity, and they also
help to provide motivation to continue working even when things get difficult or
don’t seem to be going your way. With a clear goal, you can look at it and be
reminded of why you are working so hard, or why you should be working harder.
However, I think one of the best parts of a good specific goal is that it gives
you a deadline to get something done.

Read the complete article here!

www.uscamps.net
Some Do’s and Don’ts to Inspire Young Wrestlers
By
Steve Fraser, Greco Roman Wrestling National Team Coach and Olympic Gold Medalist

This article is meant to be a humble, thought-provoking message to all of the
fine coaches and parents that support our young grapplers throughout our
country. Your leadership and wonderful efforts - in inspiring and coaching our
youth - is vital to our sports future. I commend you for your dedication!

How do we avoid burning our young wrestlers out? How do we inspire kids to
love the sport so they continue to wrestle in their teens and beyond? Do we want
them to learn good sportsmanship, good discipline, good work ethic, and gain
good physical strength and coordination? Do we want to teach them how to
overcome adversity and how to be persistent? Do we want to build great
character?

I have compiled a few Do’s and Don’ts that we all need to consider when
working with these young kids. Let's start with athletes 12 years old and
younger.

The Do's:
Create a fun environment in the practice room and in the
competitions. Having fun should be the most important priority. Focus on
enjoying the act of wrestling is very important.

Having a small (or no) focus on winning/losing is good. Kids will do this
enough without any of our help.

Focus and excitement should be placed on successful execution of
techniques and wrestling movements. 
 
In practice, focus should be on following the coach’s plan and
activities. Focus on good listening and discipline skills are
important.
 
Wrestling “type” games that help teach movement,
balance, and the very basic technical skills will keep it fun. Inspire kids to
learn and enjoy themselves.

Teaching a good work ethic and tough - but fun - physical activity will help
a youngster to develop their conditioning, health and coordination.

Win or lose, let’s hug our child/wrestlers lots and always.


The Don'ts:
Don't get emotional as parent or coach regarding winning and
losing. Kids will sense our emotion for sure.

Don't think that if kids don't win ‘now’ (at 12 years old and younger) that
they are learning to accept losing. This is false! Matt Lindland, Olympic and
World silver medalist, states; “Without properly teaching kids how to win AND
lose at this young age we are doing them an injustice. In the real world we have
to deal with both.” 

Don't push young wrestlers to think winning is the main focus. Yes, winning
is good and fun but it's not all about the wins and losses. “I was the worst
wrestler on my club team when I was young. However, wrestling with all the
better kids helped me to get better myself”; says Lindland.

Don't get mad at a child/wrestler for losing or not executing moves properly.
Most of the time a young child's physiology and motor skill development
determines what that child can and cannot master at that particular age in their
life. As they grow older, their coordination and motor skills will naturally
develop. 

Don't cut weight! Please understand that losing weight to wrestle at a lower
weight class does not help a wrestler win. Learning the skills and strengthening
the body and mind is what helps them to win. The fact is cutting weight will
kill (in many cases) a young wrestler’s attitude about this great sport of ours.
Wrestling requires enough hard work at learning the skills and conditioning the
body without the added torture of not eating after the tough workouts. It is no
fun to cut weight! Remember the main goal of the young wrestler should be to
have fun and enjoy the act of wrestling. 

Don't get mad at officials, or yell at them and other coaches/wrestlers.
Accept the results and all the bad calls (or perceived bad calls) that the
referees make. Teach good sportsmanship by setting a good example.   
 
Don't be a “coach” when we need to be “father/mother”. Kids need their mom
and dad more than anything!

Don't think short term. Think about how we will teach our child/wrestler to
love the sport so they will wrestle as teens and beyond. This is where the true
value of the sport of wrestling will build their character. 

Don't take our child/wrestlers match (especially losses) personal. Don't
think our wrestler’s performance is an indication of how tough 'WE' are.
Remember it’s about growth and development. Young kids need to learn from defeat
as much as victory.
 
In summary: If we are too focused on
winning/losing at this young age we are risking a lot. Basic skills, games and
fun should be the emphasis. It takes a strong parent/coach to fight the common
urge to get emotional about our children/wrestler’s performance and result.
Remember kids all develop their coordination skills, physiology and anatomy as
their maturity allows. Most wrestling techniques and movements will not even be
possible to master at this young age. Not to mention the mental development at
this age varies tremendously. Many of the young national champions at this age
never even wrestle past the age of 12. Why is this? And let’s keep in mind that
a national champion at age 7 means absolutely nothing in the big picture. 

“There is a habit among great musicians, especially the great
ones, that is overlooked: collaboration.” I read this in an article in the March
2012 edition of Success magazine entitled Slowhand’s Success Secret by Mike
Zimmerman. The article talks about Eric Clapton and his amazing success. It also
focuses primarily on Clapton’s amazing amount of collaboration with other top
artists. 

What does this have to do with Grappling? In my experience,
everything. In the beginning you will typically learn from one coach or one
instructor. As a beginning grappler it is much better to learn from one source
and one system. It helps keep things simple.

As you progress you will undoubtedly have new questions, some of
which your original instructor may not be able to solve. Enter collaboration. At
some point in your grappling career you will have to ask tough questions that
only other high level grapplers can help you solve. 

Training with other quality grapplers and asking better questions
is the key to growth. This is not to be confused with training against high
quality grapplers for competition; there is a time and place for that. The most
beneficial route is to pick their brains for insights and tips that will help
your game. 

I’ve been very fortunate to become friends and train with several
high level grapplers, each of which has their own specific style, philosophy and
way of doing things. I’ve learned something from Sheldon Marr, Jeff Kunze, Ricky
Lundell, Jeff Monson, Jeremy Horn, Dave Johnson, Gerald Harris, Ica Medina, Mike
Colby, Rigan Machado, Rulon Gardner, Justin Ruiz, Steve Fraser, JJ Johnson,
Momir Petkovic, Mark Schultz and a host of others over the years. Training with
and learning from these incredible athletes and coaches has given me a greater
insight into the grappling arts. 

To finish up with a little more from the article: 

“Creativity is generally considered a solo gig, and our instincts
tell us to hoard talent for our own benefit. Instead, seek out more and more
collaborations. This works in any office, in any business. Start with
willingness, enthusiasm and an open mind. Talk to co-workers who complement
your talent. Kick around ideas. Encourage excellence. Share top billing. You
may produce something incredible-and become the person everyone wants to work
with.”


 

Training Blind 
When I was wrestling in college, my coach was Mark
Schultz, NCAA, Freestyle Wrestling World and Olympic Champion.  He would
often train with his eyes closed. That allowed him to have a greater sense of
feel and he was able to rely on his other senses more than his vision.

I tried this myself in Grappling training and it worked really well.  What I
liked most about it was it allowed me to use my other senses, especially feel
and balance.  When you can’t see where you’re going, or see what you’re
doing, your sense of position and your sense of feel become much more
heightened.  I think when you do this, it allows you to feel where your
openings are.  It allows you to feel where your opponent’s openings
are. 

I like this best for Grappling; it also works well for
Wrestling.  However, it’s not good in a Takedown situation where both
wrestlers are on their feet.  Training “blind” works best when you’re on
the mat; working Top and Bottom positions; working Guard positions; working
Submission positions.  It makes you slow down because you can’t see what
you’re doing.  By slowing down, you allow yourself to develop your
positioning and get a better understanding of openings. 

I like training with my eyes closed because it allows me to have a good sense of
balance.   If I feel like I’m going over, I feel it more because it
becomes the dominant sense.
Keeping your eyes closed allows you to develop
better balance. You’ll be able to feel where your opponent has tight grip and
loose grip. You can hone in on which grip is the real threat.

A good example of this is when you’re defending a Rear Naked Choke; it’s really easy to fight
against the wrong arm.  The arm that’s the real threat is the one that is
closest to your neck, not the one underneath your arm.  And a lot of times
people will defend the wrong arm because it’s the closest or they just don’t see
the right one but when you can’t see what’s going on you’ll be able to feel
really quickly which arm is the most important to defend against. 

This will help you with your Grappling and Submission Wrestling technique. By
training with your eyes closed, you’ll be able to have a better sense of feel
and balance and you’ll be able to improve in your training much faster.