Being in the moment. 

If I don’t have an AirPod in playing a podcast or the tv playing needlessly in the background, I’m really just resisting getting sucked into my phone. But when your under mount fighting for your life, that is all that you are focused on. There are no nagging thoughts or inconsequential distractions. 

This mindset is transferable from everything from making your pot of coffee in the morning to spending time with your family. Everything becomes more engaging and memorable, and when it’s over, you appreciate the moment, remember it, learn from it, and appreciate it. 

Far side arm bar from NEONBELLY is my second favorite arm bar! It isn’t hard to set up, even on experienced grapplers and looks fancy with a couple simple movements.

I think Spider-Man would like this armbar too; you have to stay attached while doing some fancy spinning. 

This week’s Mat Chat is very important! What communities do you belong to? What does that mean to you? What makes a team? What makes a team successful?…

Just in time for our next team competition… October 19th we are doing Tap Cancer Out Tournament. You can help people in need and have the opportunity to win a medal!

Follow this link to register! https://wecan.tapcancerout.org/team/600687

This week’s topic is near and dear to me: Rules!

We have rules for all sorts of reasons! Although it can be easy to think rules are burdensome, I think rules can make life easier. I have all sorts of rules I follow every day because they keep me happy and safe. For jiujitsu, I have all sorts of rules I made for myself both on and off the mat. My top 3 off the mats are: 1. Wash up before practice AND immediately after to keep me and my partners safe from infections. 2. Wash my uniform after each practice so it’s clean for the next one. 3. Show up to the academy with indoor shoes and trimmed nails. 

Do you have any jiujitsu rules your always follow???

What a crucial week for our kids curriculum! Last week we covered opening the guard sitting, and this week we work on the standing variation as well as my  second favorite sweep to counter it! 

For those of in intermediate class, we will get to train on the ultimate stand-up battle: the double leg versus the sprawl!

First I treat myself for shock and heat stroke…. Elevate the feet while I lay on and cover myself in ice packs. Then I drink a bunch of water and make sure to whine about how sore I am from training so hard to all my friends and family. It’s quite the process. 

This week’s fundamentals curriculum works real well with last week’s lesson. Last week we covered getting to and maintaining top control and attacking with the key lock. This week we will work on escaping from top control and the arm bar from mount.  Those students competing this weekend would benefit from practicing link the two submissions into a chain of attacks. After class, examine what is easier: maintaining top control or escaping top control?If you are competing and have any questions, make sure to ask!

Russell Usauskas as cool as the sub is, it’s really the sweep I go for! The setup is so different from the tripod and chair sweep we are all waiting for it’s easy to surprise your opponent, and if it doesn’t end in a sub, I’m in top control with an arm that is now mine. So simple if you can shoot your hips up AND pivot. 

How many more gis do I really need???

I ♥️ NEONBELLY

At first glance, this armbar technique seems more complex than from guard or mount, but with enough reps, I find it easier to get and a more assertive version too!