I’m gonna take a different opinion on this. Pad work helps both the person striking, and the pad holder. Assuming both are orthodox, the strikers jab (left straight), connects with the pad holders left pad, which is his jab hand. So as much as the striker punches his jab, the holder holds out his jab. So on and so forth. Jab, cross, hook will be the same hands and motion for both striking and pad holding… if that makes sense. 

Also, developing good habits is key. The pad holder should not be holding the pads outside of the center line. It’s teaching bad form. The pad holder should be meeting the striker right down the middle and not to the sides of the body/head. 

Connection (Tightness):

The ability to "soak up" the space between you and your opponent, maintaining a close and controlled connection to limit their movement and create opportunities for submissions

When I’m on the mat with the student, I try to make them laugh. When doing a single technique that they can’t figure out, I’ll grab there hands and move everything in place to guide them thru the technique, but I also try to make them smile and associate it with a good mood. “Oh, look at her being a big bully… get her!” (In a joking way obviously) Then I’ll help them with the technique and be like “yeah, in your face”. Then I’ll tell the partner that it’s their turn and now the first person is the bully. Always gets a smile. lol 

Unlike you sophisticated gents, I’ve read none. Lol

Be proud of yourself! Whether you are competing for the first time, or a seasoned competitor, you have to be proud of yourself, win or lose. Be a warrior on the mat, a teammate when you are off the mat, and a student back at the academy. 

I’ll piggy back off both Russ and Pete… I absolutely hate working out. Opposite my better half who works out religiously. lol. Jiu jitsu fills that gap for me. I look at jiu jitsu as a life skill that keeps me both confident and humble at the same time, entertained, and wanting more. 

My last 2 submission losses in competition were from being kimura’d in north/south. It is definitely something I struggle with. 

For little kids jiu jitsu, I would really stress to master this technique and try to get a feel for the timing. There isn’t many sweeps taught for the little kids when on bottom with someone in your guard. Unless opening the guard to sweep or attack, this is one of the only sweeps from a closed guard. 

For kids striking, specifically teens, keep coming back! It can seem repetitive sometimes with striking because there are only a handful of different types of strikes out there to learn. But when you can link them together into combinations and feel the dance and flow with it, it becomes so much fun.