How does teaching improve a persons Jiu-Jitsu, and should teaching be a requirement for promotion to black belt? 

I believe teaching, especially the fundamentals, has greatly enhanced my Jiu-Jitsu. Teaching forces me not only to present the technique, but to demonstrate it in a way that I would want to learn it myself. It makes me focus on the subtleties, the simplicity, and the key components that make a technique work. 

By teaching and repeating those techniques over and over, they become ingrained. The technique stops being something I memorized and becomes something I truly understand-something that becomes part of me. 

That said, I don’t believe teaching is for everyone, nor do I think it should be a requirement for earning a black belt. There are many outstanding practitioners who may not have the desire or aptitude to teach. However, I do believe that spending some time teaching can only help a persons development and deepen their understanding of Jiu-Jitsu. 

How do you balance BJJ training with everything else in life:  work, family, recovery? Has your approach changed over the years? 

For me, I use to have more time to train.  With my son getting older and sports taking a much larger time commitment, it has eaten up training time.  For me, I supplement the missed training time with off the mat study once or twice a week for a short time.  It keeps your mind actively thinking about BJJ and gives me something to focus on when I get back on the mats.  

So Jiu Jitsu feels like it’s pretty main stream now a days with a lot of famous people joining the ranks. 

Who is someone famous that you would like to roll with? 

While not possible due to his untimely death I’d love for the chance to roll with Anthony Bordain. How cool would it be to hang out getting some rounds in  and then go out and grab dinner?! 

Hey everyone, what concept helped your guard retention to improve the fastest?

What’s the best advice a coach or training partner ever gave you?

It could be technical, mental, or something about training that stuck with you over the years.

Maybe it changed how you roll. Maybe it changed how you think about Jiu Jitsu altogether.

Share it below and if you remember who said it, give them a shoutout.

If you could never get caught in a particular submission ever again what would it be? 

I'd pick the arm triangle. Getting caught in them was a long time problem.                                     

Here’s a little imagination and mental planning. You’re at open mat, and you’re going against your mat nemesis (whomever that is, name them if you’d like), and the round goes exactly how you planned it. You hit a takedown, control and then get the submission. What is the takedown that you used? 

What is an obstacle you had to overcome in order to improve your jiu jitsu?

What’s up everyone in BJJ land. I’ve been thinking and that can be dangerous but in all seriousness. I was wondering. Do you isolate techniques, and perfect them individually or do you work on the what ifs? And then do you drill them, connecting them into a system? What’s worked best for your game?

I know for myself. When I started it was one move. But watching the upper belts destroy me consistently there had to be a trick. Right? A system…

 But what it turned out for me was journaling, recording myself, and asking them questions all this helped. But it wasn’t everything. 

So I took my fav submission and worked backwards and forwards till I uncovered all the strengths and weaknesses. Putting myself in the most vulnerable positions and not so vulnerable.

Eventually or organically it all fit together into a flow. But that was one position and there are so many out there to make our own. 

What’s something that has been a struggle to deal with in life that Jiu Jitsu has taught you to be better at when applying it outside of Jiu Jitsu?

For me, I’ve always struggled with asking for help to avoid disappointment or allowing my pride and/or ego to prevent me asking. Very interested to hear other perspectives. I find it impossible to progress in Jiu Jitsu without needing and wanting the help of others. 

Life lesson: Asking for or needing help is not a sign of weakness but one of strength to display vulnerability and the willingness to be better.