Here’s a collection of good videos that focus on drills that can be done for the knee on belly position.
A few cover the same material, but it is good to look at things from different perspective sometimes.
Jason Scully incorporates the knee on belly position in a transitional drill. One thing that is really great about his videos is that he has a high degree of focus on concepts, and this is another example of that.
Details about each step of the transition are given. So it really help you to understand conceptually what you have to do to perform the drill correctly.
The key lesson in the video though is that idea that you should chain techniques together when you drill. The benefit you attain when you do that exceed what is possible when you only train techniques in isolation.
In this video, Jeremy Arel focuses on the key details of the side-to-side knee on belly switch.
Oh, and he uses some interesting terminology.
Ryron Gracie presents the same side-to-side knee on belly switch in a different way. Instead of focusing on a lot of verbal explanation, he focuses on the physical demonstration.
Also there is a moment at the beginning when he demonstrates the transition from mount to knee on belly.
Once again, Jeremy created a video that focuses on knee on belly transitions. This time, he merges the transitions from mount to knee on belly and the side-to-side switch into a flow drill.
Here’s another perspective on the knee on belly side-to-side transition drill by Brian McLaughlin. The great thing about seeing the same drill demonstrated by different people is that they all have different methods of highlighting what’s important.
This is another knee on belly side-to-side drill, but this time a different movement is utilized.
It’s time to believe that you are in the process of becoming great. The key word there is process because every day there is the opportunity to move forward or backward.
No other option exists.
If you have the mindset that nothing stays the same and everything is always changing, it becomes easier to not think of yourself in static terms. Of course, that raises the question of why thinking in static terms is not beneficial.
When you take the result of any situation and use it to define who you are, you are in fact limiting your potential.
Another way to think of this is to imagine traveling a far distance to compete at a tournament then losing every match. If you think you are a loser as a result, you will be.
How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.
Now what about the other side of the coin? How can there be a problem when you think of yourself as great or as a winner when you go out there and win matches or choke someone who you thought was really good?
There is a story in the The Art of Learning about a kid who built up an incredible winning streak at chess. His family and friends heaped so much praise on him about his brilliance and skill that the streak became his claim to fame.
As a result, he never wanted to challenge himself and only played against people he known he could beat. He simply did not want to risk shattering the image.
Thus, his potential was limited because he thought of himself in static terms. I could easily see him crumbling if there ever came a day when he lost.
How you think when you win determines the limits of your potential.
All of that goes back to the focus on the process. If your mindset is: win or lose, I will learn from this experience and be better tomorrow, it is hard to be deterred by small events.
It’s all about the long view.
Embrace the process.
[important]All of this may be familiar to you. Perhaps it’s not. Either way, consider it a reinforcement of the idea that the journey is more important than the destination. Simply stay in the process and don’t let small events deter you. You’ll be surprised at how far you can go.[/important]
I recently read the The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin, and in it there is a section about learning approaches and how they differ. Two categories were established:
The entity learning approach.
The incremental learning approach.
In the entity learning process, individuals determined their ability to learn or perform based on their perception of who they are. An example would be the belief that some positions or submissions are a waste of time for you because you are x, y, or z. That thought process places an artificial limit on what is possible.
If you tend to view things that way, it is really difficult to reach your full potential. Nothing is set in stone though. The entity method of thought is a learned behavior. All you have to do is break the connection between success/failure and your ingrained attributes.
Now the incremental learning process can be summed up simply. It is the belief that even difficult material can be mastered with a step-by-step approach. Another way to look at it is that if it can be done, you can do it if you put in the effort.
This doesn’t mean that if you put in an hour’s worth of effort you’ll master anything though. It means that you have to put in consistent effort over time. In short, you have to commit yourself to the process and the incremental growth that comes as a result.
Also understand this: It’s entirely possible to have an incremental learning approach when it comes to math and then be all entity when it comes to writing. Learning approaches are situational, and they are dictated by our core beliefs about our potential.
Applying the Theory of Learning Approaches to BJJ
Have you ever heard someone say that they will never be good at triangles because they have short legs? That’s a clear example of entity thinking. In that instance, an individual is taking something that cannot be changed about themselves and using that as the primary determinant for what they can or cannot do.
I have a personal example as well. During my early years of training, I avoided some techniques that either required or were improved by full flexion of the knee. My knees were really bad, and I couldn’t sit on my heels comfortably.
What I realized is that I could do two things to improve that situation. The first is to alter the techniques so that they worked for me, and the second is to work on addressing the physical limitation. Now I’m really close to full flexion because I’m figuring out the muscle imbalances and addressing them.
So in that instance, there was a shift from entity-based thought to incremental thought related to a specific situation. Even in the first example, such a shift is possible since there are steps that can be taken to make the triangle work with short legs.
The lesson from these examples is that we can adapt to overcome any challenge, so it is always possible to improve and learn.
I’ve recently had the opportunity to start building a partnership with Soldierfit. It’s a company that is focused on helping people achieve their fitness and weight loss goals, and I am very proud to represent it since there is no doubt that they do good work.
Just saying that they do good work isn’t enough though eh. So instead, I will highlight some significant ways that the company has benefited others from different perspectives.
Gym Owners
Around two years ago, Danny Farrar started training at Evolve Academy. He is the founder of Soldierfit, and that was my first exposure to the company. Over time, he built up a relationship with my coach, Mike Moses. That relationship blossomed into a partnership.
Shortly thereafter, Soldierfit were given some time slots to run their program at Evolve Academy. They brought in an influx of individuals who were focused on getting in shape and exposed them to the possibility of learning a martial art.
It’s interesting that there has been noticeable crossover from Soldierfit to some Evolve programs without much significant effort to make that choice appealing. It has mostly come as a result of exposing more people to the environment and letting them see the possibilities of what can be achieved.
Soldierfit Troops
Motivation
Soldierfit has built up a tradition of calling members of their program Troops. It reinforces that theme of working towards a high level of fitness similar to an elite soldier.
There are other ways as well where the company incorporates that theme in their program and in their marketing strategy. It’s clear to me though that there is a reason behind the rhyme, and it is not superficial.
In fact, I see it as one of the ways that the company has benefited its members indirectly on the motivation side of things. I say that because they have created a tangible link between the theme of being soldier fit and the idea that we are in this together.
The link has been established in various ways. One is that they have consistently offered numerous and significant referral deals. This has not only resulted in increasing their client base but more importantly it has led to the creation of networks of relationships within the program.
So you have members who encourage each other to come do the workout, push each other during the workout, and congratulate each other after all the hard work has been done.
Then there are the extracurricular activities, so to speak, like Assault Runs, Paint Ball games, Tough Mudder, etc. The company creates opportunities for its members to participate as a group in physically demanding but enjoyable activities which work to create and strengthen bonds between members.
On one level, you have that indirect motivation. Then there is also the actual direct motivation of instructors pushing you during the workout to push past the limits you place on yourself.
Now let’s move on to some of the other unique benefits that Soldierfit offers its customers.
Class Flexibility
Soldierfit has been growing as a company consistently, and as they have grown they’ve expanded where and when they offer classes. So their clients have a good deal of flexibility not only in the location where they train but also when during the day that they will train.
In fact, I recently heard that they were offering about 400 classes a month, but that may have changed since then.
Personal Attention
In addition to the actual bootcamp workouts, they offer the option of one-on-one training with any instructor of your choice. So if you feel like personal attention would help you better achieve your fitness goals, there is that option.
Me, Myself, and I
Last year, when I was gearing up to go to Abu Dhabi to compete, I did a few training sessions with Danny. They weren’t easy, but they definitely contributed to my continuous and endless process of improving.
Also sometimes, I jump in on the Soldierfit workouts when I’m at Evolve, and it has never been the same workout. Every time I’ve done it, it’s been different and it’s never been easy. So I’ve always felt that I’ve benefited from the experience afterward.
Check out their siteand go in for a free trial if you live anywhere close to a location. You won’t regret it.
I’ve had this set for awhile now but it wasn’t until recently that I actually sat down and watched it all. I wish I had done so earlier since there is a lot of great technique on it.
The instructional is split into four parts, which include takedowns, guard passes, submissions, and sweeps. Some of the techniques are even demonstrated in competition or against some resistance. Also here and there, Jacare focuses on why he uses certain grips rather than others.
One thing is note is that Jacare does the explanation in Portuguese, while a voice-over is done over that in English. it is still easy to understand what’s being explained though
For me, the most interesting things were the grips he was using in multiple positions and how smooth his weight distribution was throughout the movements. Altogether, it’s great material to study.
