Kenneth Brown BJJ – Grappling Tips, Tricks and Instructionals

Lessons Learned When I Was a White Belt I

August 22, 2012

Recently, I’ve been thinking about some of my formative experiences when I was a white belt. So I decided to go back and try to highlight those experiences, and this will be my first attempt to do so here. The focus of this post will be on the lessons I learned competing as a white belt.

First White Belt Tournament

The first time I competed was not long after I started training #brazilian jiu-jitsu. In fact, it was only about three or four months after the day that I signed on the dotted line, so to speak.

The tournament was Mission Submission, and it was located out in Frostburg, MD. Obviously, that is no short drive from where I live, but the scenery was great. Anyway, I made it there safely and didn’t somehow swerve into one of the mountains I passed along the way. A miracle, indeed.

One of the benefits of Mission Submission being my first tournament is that there was a large support group there from the team. So it definitely helped to have that coaching on the sidelines. It also reduced some of nervousness that I probably felt. I forget….

So I stepped onto the mats for that first match. I had my hands up like I was fighting in thai boxing, and yes I got some jokes about that from the team later. Anyway….

I lost.

It went down like this. I tripped him, he fell back so I rushed him and we scrambled. He ended up in my closed guard on top. He shut me down from that position and eventually passed. it ended with me gassed from trying to escape unsuccessfully.

It was obviously disappointing, but I had the opportunity to compete for third in that division. So I went back, and it was another tough match. It was a grind and ended up tied so it went into overtime. Now I don’t remember as much about that match as I do about the first, but I was able to take the win in OT.

Right away that was a confidence boost, and I vowed right then and there that I wasn’t losing again on that day. I took another win in the white belt gi absolute then closed it out with teammates. All that remained was one more division.

I won my first match then I had a rematch with the same guy who beat me in that first division. I was in a good state of mind because I had been repeating a certain word to myself over and over again in my mind. So I went into that match determined to win, and that’s exactly what I did.

It wasn’t even close. I have no idea what the point total was, but I started off with a strong takedown, took his back and mounted him several times, swept him, and almost submitted him. The difference between the first and last match was like night and day.

Lessons Learned

What changed between that first and last match? Did I suddenly become more skillful? Or did I suddenly gain more hours of experience?

If you think about those questions then look at my experience when I was a white belt, the answer is clear. The only thing that changed was mindset. That’s the most important lesson that I took away from that tournament. It can be summed up in this sentence:

Mindset in some cases is more important than skillset.

A Little Bonus

Here’s a video of me competing as a white belt at another Mission Submission. It still amuses me every time I watch it. I could probably beat that guy in the blue gi without using my hands nowadays.

Small Circles: The Theory of Efficient Mastery

August 17, 2012

One of the recent books that I’ve read was Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning. In it, there was a section on small circles. It’s a simple theory. The focus is on mastering simple subsets of a discipline in order to make the rest less complex.

One example of how he applied that concept in his own life is found in the stories of his training sessions with his first coach. One thing that they used to focus on was the endgame of chess. They would play with only a minimal amount of pieces on the board in different configurations in order to reinforce the unique characteristics and advantages of each individual piece in Josh’s mind.

Now this concept was not new to me because I’ve heard it before in different forms, but it was great to hear again. Great concepts need to be reinforced so that they can be applied without hesitation.

Other Examples of the Small Circles Concept

The first time I learned about the concept of focusing on a subset of technique in order to aid in the process of mastery was when I bought Ryan Hall’s first instructional set on the Triangle. It came with a book that focuses on the concepts of the triangle and how Hall developed it while training at Team Lloyd Irvin.

One of the concepts that I remember from the book was area mastery, which is essentially the same as the small circles theory. The key difference is that the concept was being applied to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

Area mastery was all about focusing on the specific areas of BJJ in order to compete with individuals who had been training longer than you. The idea was that if you attained a high level of mastery in specific situations and were able to force a match into that situation, there would be a high probability of victory.

I was also exposed to the theory in the Book of Five Rings. There is a lesson in that book about how it is possible to learn by association. So in theory it is possible to speed up the process of mastering anything by mastering one thing first.

Another way to look at it is that once you master anything, whether it be a whole discipline or just subset, you can take the concepts you learned in that process and apply to other areas.

The Fine Line between Teaching and Learning

August 17, 2012

To be an effective teacher requires more than just the simple regurgitation of knowledge. You have to take what you’ve learned, process it, and then articulate it in a form that can be easily understood by your audience.

The challenge lies in the fact that the skill levels of your audience can vary significantly from day to day. So there is always a constant re-evaluation of what you’re going to cover and how you’re going to convey the material in the best manner possible.

Benefits of Teaching

What I’ve noticed is that teaching has some side benefits beyond its primary function of helping others achieve their goals. Here’s a short list:

It forces you to think about Jiu-jitsu more.
It reinforces concepts and movements in your own mind.
It gives you epiphanies in the form of new and unique possibilities in different situations.

Now I have no doubt that the list can be expanded far beyond that, but those three were the first that came to mind when I thought of my own experience.

I’ve been an assistant instructor at Evolve Academy for about two years, and I’ve also taught classes at Crazy 88 for the past eight months. During that time, I’ve never felt that my own personal development has suffered as a result of spending so many hours teaching when I could have been training myself.

There has been many a time when I’ve been in the process of teaching and out of nowhere I suddenly perceive a possibility in that instance which expands my knowledge base. I’ve picked up several little adjustments and attacks that I’ve never been taught just by associating concepts learned elsewhere to a given situation in the midst of teaching.

Also I’m always in the process of learning new material even techniques that I don’t plan to use myself, just in order to share those techniques with those who will use them. A recent example is that I learned a few tricks from a teammate at 88 just to help another teammate at Evolve who is working on developing a specific position.

In the process, I now have a firm grasp of those techniques as well because when I taught them they were reinforced in my own mind. In fact, anytime I teach any technique it gets driven deeper into my subconscious and becomes mine. I might not use it, but I will take the concept of why it works and apply it somewhere.

There can simply be no doubt that the best way to get is to give.

Some Say That No White Belt Should Watch This

August 10, 2012

With that headline, I guess it would be quite appropriate to tell you which instructional I’m talking right off the bat. The instructional is called Tornado Roll and Inverted Guard, and it was done by Chuck Anzalone. I watched it way back when I was a white belt.

Even given the fact that the topic matter isn’t likely to place high on anyone’s list for white belt basics, I learned some crucial lessons from the experience. It created the desire in me to learn how to granby roll but also gave me the tools to accomplish that goal in the form of some simple drills.

There was even a period of a few weeks where my main focus was those drills. That’s probably why I succeeded in attaining the ability to do the 180 granby smoothly. Also even now I still have the omoplata, triangle, and armbar series that I picked up from this instructional.

So now let’s go into the format of the instructional. There are four sections. I will add more detail to each section below. I also included some notes to show when the section starts and how the drills and techniques are numbered.

A Conversation with Chuck

This is a interview where Chuck answers questions about his background among other things. There are definitely some interesting parts. Some of the questions are:

How did you get started in BJJ?

What was your relationship with Carlson like?

Why did you want to do a video on this material?

Part One: Drills (16:29 1-12)

This section is all about developing the granby rolls, and it is filled with drills obviously. One great thing about the structure here is that there is a clear progression. The drills start off easy then steadily increase in difficulty as you get closer and closer to the actual roll and some of its applications.

Part Two: Applying the Tornado Roll to Familiar Positions (34:40 13-23)

This section has numerous techniques that incorporate the granby movement. I will list them.

Techniques

Finishing the Armbar using the Tornado Roll

Escaping North/South using the Tornado Roll

Escaping the Turtle Position using Tornado Roll

Using the Tornado Roll to Maintain Your Guard

Omoplata using the Tornado Roll

Recomposing the Omoplata using the Tornado Roll

Triangle Choke using the Tornado Roll

Controlling the Arm: Omoplata vs Triangle

Armbar using the Tornado Roll

Taking the Back using the Tornado Roll

Shoulder Lock from Half Guard using the Tornado Roll

Part Three: Inverted Guard (58:17 24-39)

Techniques

Details on using the Tornado Roll to Invert

Inverting from the Open Guard

Controlling the Inverted Guard Position

Omoplata from Inverted Guard

Triangle Choke from Inverted Guard

Armbar from Inverted Guard

Kneebar from Inverted Guard

Footlock from Inverted Guard

50/50 Heel Hook from Inverted Guard

Taking the Back from Inverted Guard

Counter for When Your Opponent Tries to Take Your Back

Taking the Back When Your Opponent Stays Low

Inverted Guard Sweep from Half Guard

Inverted Guard Sweep from Cross Guard

Sweep from Closed Inverted Guard

Kneebar from Closed Inverted Guard

Closing Comments

The last time I watched this instructional was when I was a white belt. My perspective has changed since then because I have far more knowledge to associate with the material, but the instructional stands the test of time.

Unfortunately, it is no longer available but some of the material can be found on Youtube at Chuck Anzalone’s page: Buffalo BJJ.

The Importance of Daily Rituals and How to Apply Them to BJJ

August 5, 2012

There are underlying concepts that hold the keys to success, and they aren’t only found in your chosen areas of interest. In this video that never once mentions Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, I heard several concepts that I could apply directly to my training. The one concept that stood out most of all for me is the importance of daily rituals.

Daily Rituals

Simply, the things you do every day have a profound effect on the achievement of your goals.

This is something that I’ve known because it’s been reinforced for me many times, but I gained new perspective on the concept from this video. I had been only thinking of the steps I take every day in a physical sense. For example, what kind of exercises I do every day, where and when I train, etc.

[easyazon_image add_to_cart=”default” align=”right” asin=”0307273601″ cloaking=”default” height=”160″ localization=”default” locale=”US” nofollow=”default” new_window=”default” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517lOS%2BzzmL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”bjjcanvas-20″ width=”108″]The Magic of Thinking Big[/easyazon_image]

You also have to put some continuous effort into reinforcing the belief in yourself that the achievement of your goals is not only possible but inevitable.

I found that idea especially interesting because I just read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and [easyazon_link asin=”0671646788″ locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”bjjcanvas-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]The Magic of Thinking Big[/easyazon_link] by David Schwartz. Both books spend a lot of time reinforcing the point that you must believe in success before you can achieve it.

How to Apply the Concept to Brazilian Jiu-jitsu

Just now, I spent some time visualizing goals that I want to achieve in the art. This is the first time that I have ever made a conscious effort to do so. Usually, it just happens.

Now what I am going to do is start making these goals definite, adding more texture and detail to them as I consistently spend a little time every day visualizing myself crossing the finish line.

It’s an experiment, but what can I lose? It’s clear that the scales just aren’t balanced at all. The potential reward far exceeds any risk.

The same is true for you.

Some Key Points in the Video

10:06 – One of the first points where daily rituals are brought into the discussion.
13:14 – A focus on how standards and goals can affect results.
14:24 – Common factors found in individuals who pursue their goals wholeheartedly.
17:39 – Visual outline of the process of achieving the results that you want.
22:04 – Exploring the question of how much does the mind affect performance.
24:07 – A little exercise to test the theory of mind over matter.
31:16 – Reinforcing the importance of daily rituals.

It’s all about your daily rituals