MMA Stuff » jiu jitsu

Demian Maia on Counter Attacks

Jimmy — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:07:57 +0000

My twitter buddy @eraad showed me this guy. If you look at the related videos, he has a series of videos. I really like how he teaches and the counters shows. He has a series of DVDs called Science of Jiu Jitsu, which is a 6 DVD set for 150 bucks. Quite pricey, don’t know if I see myself picking it up but if you’re interested get it here.

Background on Demian Maia

Demian Maia is well known and respected in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling world and is now quickly rising the ranks of mixed martial arts due to his incredible skill set and technique. A 2007 ADDC 77 – 87KG weight division Champion as well as holding numerous world and grappling titles, Demian Maia is now one of the UFC’s hottest new stars. Demian teaches an incredibly evolving Jiu-Jitsu that’s beyond anything you’ve ever seen.

NAGA World Championship Adventure

Jimmy — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:35:48 +0000

A few months ago I decided I needed some grappling experience, so I signed up with the rest of my gym to compete at NAGA. I didn’t know what to expect. I just stuck to going to jiu jitsu class as much as I could, and rolling as frequently as possible.

The event was in Newark, NJ at Essex Community College in their sports gymnasium. It was a decent size gym, but for event like this they definitely needed a bigger venue. There had to be a thousand or so people, mostly being competitors. There were people from all around the world, from Venezuela to Toronto.

The way things were run went real smooth, but the volume of competitors made you wait for a long time. Basically, your division was called to a designated Mat (they were numbered). Then you give the ref a card that had your weight and division, then they create the brackets. Once your called up, and you get to work. You have to win by submission or points. Points are awarded for better positioning (mounting), take downs, and submission attempts. If you win, you go onto the bracket, but losers go home, unless you’re competing for 3rd place.

I ended up losing my first match, 2-8 which kind of sucks. I realized that I have to train harder because my competition is probably training harder. Competing is a real eye opener and not only that it tells you where you are training wise.

Relaxation Can Beat Fatigue

Jimmy — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:14:04 +0000

I’ve been sitting back and dissecting my game and realized a major flaw. For a few months now, I’ve been working on staying less tense during stand up and staying calm on the ground. It sounds really strange to keep yourself relaxed during a fight but the only person who can tire me the most is myself. I remember one night where I did just 3 minutes of mitt work, but I was completely drained afterwards. It was due to my tense fighting stance. I know for a fact I can do 5 rounds of mitt work at Camp Asia with no problem, so cardio wasn’t an issue. I’ve had this issue during boxing training also, a tense boxing guard.

In Jiu Jitsu if you’re too tense and not breathing, you’re as good as done if you can’t get a submission in a minute. I can’t stress enough the importance of keeping your hands up but keeping your muscles relaxed. A tense boxing guard will not protect you anymore than a relaxed guard. So breathe, keep your head clear and your muscles relaxed. Just remember, tense muscles require a lot of energy.

Some tips

Breathe, breathe, breathe. Practice training with your mouthpiece in.
Shadowbox and keep your muscles loose.
When punching, don’t tighten your fist until you connect with the punch
Get a good stretch routine before and after class.
Yoga will help you breathe and increase flexibility.

9 Lessons I’ve Learned From Jiu Jitsu So Far

Jimmy — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:09:13 +0000

Lesson 1: Jiu Jitsu can be overwhelming at first. Things didn’t start to come together until 6 months in. One day all the moves I’ve learned started to click together in my head.

Lesson 2: You can learn from everybody, whether it be a white belt, blue belt, or black belt. Every little piece of advice given to me is valuable. I’ll appreciate any advice from anyone.

Lesson 3: The aggressor and stronger guy doesn’t always win. I’ll be rolling with new guys that have a huge weight and power advantage and beat them with pure technique. My instructor said it the best, “Use Jiu Jitsu, not strength”

Lesson 4: One of the best advice I’ve received. “Breathe and flow like water.” Simple as that, I’ve learned that remaining calm and breathing can really help me. The more tense you are, the more tired you’ll get. Flow between Jiu Jitsu combinations, can’t get the triangle? Turn it into an arm bar.

Lesson 5: BJJ is nothing more than a game of chess. Sometimes I’ll give my opponent my arm because I know the armbar is coming and I can escape. I try my best to think one if not two steps ahead.

Lesson 6: Repetition, repetition, repetition. I’ve learned that doing a move twice will not allow me to master the technique. Arm bar and triangle drills helped me “flow like water.” Rolling often improved my Jiu Jitsu ten fold.

Lesson 7: There is no shame in tapping out. It’s better than being injured. I’ve seen guys not tap because of their ego and get hurt. Even when I get tapped out, I’ve learned something.

Lesson 8: One small mistake can turn a good position into a really bad one.

Lesson 9: Seeing a move on youtube and then trying it will most likely not work.