The Academy

39 Ways To Not Be Like Everyone Else

Found this on Jason Ferruggia's Renegade Strength And Conditioning website. Thought it was worth sharing! Check it out.- Jay

39 Ways To Not Be Like Everyone Else

The problem with being like everyone else is that everyone else sucks.

My advice is not to do it…

How do you start your day each morning?

Do you angrily smash the alarm clock and roll out of bed exhausted, dreading another day doing what you hate?

Or do you spring up fresh and well rested because you went to sleep before 11pm like you know you should, and get excited to tackle another day doing what you love?

After hitting the bathroom do you stagger into the kitchen and get a pot of coffee brewing as fast as humanly possible?

Is that what it takes for you to wake up in the morning and actually feel alive?

If you eat, sleep and train properly the last thing you should ever need is caffeine to wake up.

What about your workout regimen?

Do you do focus on big compound lifts, advanced bodyweight exercises, strongman training and avoid machines and isolation movements like the plague?

Do you keep a detailed log book and track your progress week after week, year after year?

Do you stick with a program for longer than a week? It takes at least four to even have a clue what’s going and what’s working.

When it comes time for cardio do you hop on the elliptical or stair climber or do you go find a hill and sprint up it until your heart beat is visible through your hooded sweatshirt?

There’s always an easy way out. You can always live a life of mediocrity and unhappiness and do what everyone else does. Or you can choose to not be like everyone else. You can choose the road less traveled.

How do you do that?

Here are 39 ways that would be a good start.

1)    Eat only organic produce and organic, grass fed meat. Avoid any factory farmed meat like the plague and try your best to avoid conventionally grown produce when possible.

2)    Eliminate sugar from your diet completely. Fruit doesn’t count.

3)    Cut out all processed foods.

READ MORE......

Science= Change

I was teaching class last night and had the unenviable task of telling a student that the way they were doing a technique was not 100% correct. Now, that happens all the time. But, the reason that this one was tricky was because he was doing it EXACTLY like I had taught him a few years back.

Here's a riddle for you:

How can you do something EXACTLY like it was shown to you, and 2 years later, be told by that same person "That's not how we do it"?

It changed. It developed.

Look, nothing of value looks the same now, as it did a few years ago. Cars. Surgical technique. Christ, Frisbee making technology has probably been improved.

If you study something deeply...... you will find little adjustments. Little improvements. I know that every single time I teach, I learn. And I see the little adjustments. In positioning. In how I communicate the ideas to people. Drills, movements.... Whatever. But, every time I teach, I improve my teaching, and the art itself.

Don't worry. It's not like I change huge things. I couldn't if I want to!

The truth is what it is. This is a science. Airplanes have gone through SIGNIFICANT changes in the last 20 years...... BUT...... aerodynamics have not. We can play with placement of the wings on the body, but the teardrop shape of the wings don't change. No one has built a plane that looks like you're pushing an open umbrella! It wouldn't work. All science is the same. BJJ is no different. Although we make constant improvements.... they are changes that the untrained eye may not even see. I have changed a lot of things from the way I learned them. But most people would be hard pressed to notice them if we held them up side by side. There's a delicate balance. Find the improvements, without straying from the scientific essence of the art. 

My point is this:

When you are taking a class, and the instructor tells you to do it differently...... and you're SURE you're doing like you were told...... Don't stress. You're not stupid, or confused. They're not being mean, or rude. They haven't lost their mind.

They are trying to improve their teaching. And your performance!

Now, if you have a bad instructor, they'll make you feel stupid for noticing their "inconsistencies".

If you have a decent instructor, they'll admit they changed it.

If you're lucky, you'll have an instructor that is excited to show you how it's different, and why. They'll help you understand the change, and get you excited that you've found a better way!

Never hesitate to ask if a technique seems slightly different!

You're probably right!

And, I will love the opportunity to be a better instructor, and show you how and why!

Now, go train.

-Jay

Lipstick On A Pig

Here's another Sport/Art as a metaphor for life rant. Falling in love with the arts/sports that we do is a lot like being in a relationship.

At first, it's awesome. All fairy farts, and rainbows (as one of my mentors likes to say). It's easy to be here every day. It's easy to see progress. Hell, you can get 100% better from just watching this stuff while sitting down. You make improvements from daydreaming for gods sake. Its just like a new love interest. They are soooo funny. And beautiful. You could just look at them all day..... (sigh).

Yeah, well talk to me in 10 years.

Then, their stories aren't so damn funny. And if you did still feel like staring at them, they say "what the hell are you staring at..... did you take out the garbage?". That relationship is work. That pig needs lipstick.

And before you gals that don't know me well scream for me to be beaten, understand that in my relationship.... I am the one wearing the lipstick. So, settle down. 

Look, my point is not that long term relationships are lame. In fact it's exactly the opposite. My point is that for you to last in The Academy, you can't just "kinda like it". You have to be IN LOVE. Deeply. If what keeps you going is the new awesomeness....... Well, you'll last about as long as most relationships.

For you to realize all the beautiful things that can come from training (or a relationship), you have to learn to love the little things. The deep things. Not just the surface. It's fine to enjoy the "honeymoon" phase in your training. The huge leaps in progress. The "light-bulb" moments where things suddenly make sense. That's super cool. But after a while, they get less frequent. And smaller.

But, if you really love it. Deeply. That doesn't matter at all. Even the smallest things, few and far between, are better than just some "date".

If you're new to the game.... Find the subtle things. Cultivate your love, cause that's what will remain when this bitch ceases to be "cute".

If you've been training for a while and are kind of "bleh"..... Throw some lipstick in your gear bag, and get back in here!

Ok, that just sounded bad. But, you get the point.

-Jay

 

 

Oly Inspiration!

Just in case you're not fired up about the new Oly Lifting class yet- Jay

 

Ryan Hall: 50/50 Guard

Well, most of you know I hate the 50/50, or as I like to call it the "dueling inside heel hook, while getting punched in the face" Guard. That being said, Ryan Hall, a respected world class competitor, recently wrote an article espousing the benefits of it! And, even though I have my own opinions, he's got interesting points. We learn by discussing, so check out the article, discuss, and hopefully we will continue to learn and evolve our art. Check it out- Jay

The 50/50 Controversy
by Ryan Hall

As many of you are aware, 50/50 guard has come under fire recently from many in the Jiu-Jitsu community, in large part for its use in the Pan and Mundial tournaments as an attempted strategy to dethrone 4-time consecutive featherweight champion Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles. It has been hotly discussed and has as many detractors as it does proponents. Much of the discussion thus far has focused on whether it is “unfair” or simply a “stalling position” that should be banned.

In my mind, the 50/50 is no different than Roleta’s inverted guard or Gordo’s half guard. Both men revolutionized the positions associated with them not through closed-mindedness but rather through analysis, practice, and re-analysis that resulted in innovation. I believe that we are beginning to see this as many instructors and fighters have been releasing technique videos billed as “solutions” to the 50/50 guard. In everyone’s haste to find a way to do away with what they consider to be a problematic position, though, I believe that many are putting the cart before the horse.

Like any other legitimate position (mount, half guard, closed guard, x-guard, et al), there is no “magic bullet” that will defeat the 50/50. As one can notice from observing the back and forth between the Alliance and Atos teams, as soon as you develop one counter and use it a couple times, your training partners or opponents will develop a counter to your movement. The cycle is endless because all single moves or techniques are inherently vulnerable to a specific counter technique.

What allows Roger Gracie to be so dominant, almost never losing a position even against the most elite of competition? Is it a specific move that he knows which all others seemingly do not? I could be wrong, but I do not believe this to be the case. Instead, I think we can all agree that the true skill of Jiu-Jitsu is not in one move or series of moves, but rather in movement itself, the ability to understand balance, timing, base, and other fundamental skills that allow a fighter to protect him or herself while putting their opponent in danger.

But what happens when even the best are at times stymied by a new or unique position? Should our ire fall on the position or rather on ourselves for being temporarily unable to manage it? Some would call the 50/50 a gimmick, but I would contend that it is a testament to its validity that even the world’s greatest and most dominant lightweight BJJ player has experienced some difficulties in navigating it.

READ MORE.....

Oly Lifting= Not For The Soft Of Heart!

Catalyst Athletics, one of my favorite websites, recently put up an article about staying in love with the sport. Not only is it awesome.... But there are some really poignant parallels to BJJ. Check it out- Jay

“Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves—to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today.” - Unknown

Do you know what weightlifting is? It is the worst bitch you could ever encounter. It frustrates you, makes you cry on the inside, doesn’t take yes for an answer, and fucks all your shit up. Mentally and physically. Weightlifting continually tells you no. It pulls when you want to push and it pushes when you want to pull.

You wrap your fingers around that bar and the bar already wants to work against you. Weightlifting takes your insides and puts them right on the platform for all to see. You want to make that barbell your bitch, but really it is laughing at you; all the while you are victim to its demands. The barbell runs the show.

READ MORE.....

Sun Outside= Running

As soon as you see the sun out, you see people jogging. And I know most of our readers are athletes, so it stands to reason that most of our readers are indulging in a bit of running. So, if you're gonna do it, do it healthy. Here's a post from a while back, a great video on how to run with a more nautrual, less injurous style. Check It Out. -Jay

Featured Technique: 4 Step Snatch Complex

By now you know I think Olympic style lifting is super beneficial for athletics. It makes you strong, explosive, fast.. The problem is "how". This is the complex I teach peopl to get them started in Oly lifting.

This comlex, done with broomsticks, or empty bars is safe enough. But, you really want to get some coaching before you start throwing any weight around. Not only for your safety, but it's easier to learn a good habit than to break a bad one! -Jay

 

Student Question

I got a very common question from a student the other day about "how" they should be training with people. The big question in the beginning is always: how "hard" they should be training with people. Their scared to accidentally hurt someone. But, they also don't want to not "try" and get steamrolled. Plus, bigger people always feel weird when training with newer, or smaller people. This was my response. -Jay

As far as the training etiquette, it goes like this; if they're remotely close to your size and more skilled than you, you don't have to worry about hurting them. Not that you should try, but the theory is that you shouldn't be able to even if you were trying! With smaller people, it may be a different story. Their skill level may not be great enough yet for them to overcome the disparity in size. If they are tooling on you, feel free to go harder. If they are struggling to handle you, lighten up. It's like that with everyone though, not just advanced belts.
The thing in BJJ is this; you are your partners resistance. In weightlifting the weights are your resistance. If you lift a bar that's too light, you won't develop your strength. If you lift a bar that's too heavy you'll get hurt. You need the bar to be just heavy enough to be hard to lift, but possible. Well, in BJJ You are the resistance. You're the bar. If your partner just CANNOT move you, be lighter. Not so light that it's a joke. Don't patronize them! It should be almost out of their reach but not quite! If you're with a partner that can crush you..... Be the heaviest bar you can! They need it!
This isn't a purely selfless endeavor though. You aren't just their bar. They are yours! So if you get a heavy bar... you're working on power. If you get a light bar, you're working on form, or doing volume, or working on a new lift you're not good at yet, etc... It's the same in BJJ. If I go with people I barely survive; we brawl. I bring my A game. I give them no room! If I go with someone less challenging, that's when I'm working on my endurance, or my B and C games. Or, when I practice escaping bad positions by allowing them to happen first. Or, I work on advanced strategies. For example, how can I trick them into making a certain mistake? Or, can I find a way to switch from "this" technique to "that" technique. These are all things you can't work on when you're fighting to survive!
Each partner can be a valuable training experience, regardless of the traits they bring. And you have to become valuable to everyone you train with. Make sense?

 

Real Parkour!

Here's a great video to check out. It's about Parkour. Not Free Running. But, Parkour. There is a difference! Anyway, check this out. If it doesn't make you want to work on your Agility..... Something is wrong with you. -Jay