bjjnewberg http://bjjnewberg.com Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the Great NW Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:13:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Purposeful movement 2 http://bjjnewberg.com/guard/guard-top/purposeful-movement-2/ http://bjjnewberg.com/guard/guard-top/purposeful-movement-2/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:13:51 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=568

I’ve posted before on the importance of reaching the 10,000 hr mark in your chosen field, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is no different. This week we focused on a combination of three standing guard passes that all linked together. The focus was on those three passes and if your opponet does x then you do y.

The three different passes all started from controlling the opponets legs from his open guard. Controlling the ankles, stopping the De la Riva guard, controlling the lapel. Moving to an X pass, smash pass or S guard pass.

Take one position, look at your options (offense or defense), link three options together….then training the heck out of them.

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/guard/guard-top/purposeful-movement-2/feed/ 0 Promotion November ’11 http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/promotion-november-11/ http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/promotion-november-11/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:37:11 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=574 We had a great week in Newberg, promoting Roger Wolff to purple belt and Scott Bones to blue belt. Both guys have been working hard and putting in many hours on the mat.

Several others received stripes for their great efforts over the last six months.

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/promotion-november-11/feed/ 0 The Injury Cycle http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/the-injury-cycle/ http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/the-injury-cycle/#comments Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:36:24 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=565 I was talking to my business partner, training partner and good friend Dewey Nielsen the day after he injured his hip (training with me) and I remember thinking about the times I’ve been injured over the last 11 years.

As practitioners of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu we are all familiar with injuries, “physical setbacks”. I learned after my last major “physical set back” (heel fracture) that the emotional and mental journey can be more difficult than the physical.

Like other trauma whether it’s physical, emotional or mental we go through a cycle of grieving. Shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing and acceptance are all normal. I found out (through my day job as a F/F) and now as an older practitioner of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that this cycle is real and the more I understand about it the better I move through each of stages.

The goal is to keep training, there are many benefits in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but most people do not stay with it long enough to really find out the secrets of the sport. Hopefully understanding the grieving cycle will help keep us on the mat for a long time.

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/the-injury-cycle/feed/ 0 Purposeful Movement 1 http://bjjnewberg.com/bjj-drills-2/purposeful-movement-1/ http://bjjnewberg.com/bjj-drills-2/purposeful-movement-1/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:36:54 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=561 My mentor in the fire service, Ed Hartin always pushes his fire behavior instructors to achieve 10,000 hrs of purposeful movement. Studies have shown that 10,000 hrs is what’s needed to become a content expert in a given field of study.

How many black belts have put that much time into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu? If my math is correct spending 10 hrs on the mat each week equals 520 hrs a year. It would take over 19 years to reach 10,000 hrs at that pace if mat time was the only way to gain proficiency (and that’s a lot of time on the mat).

Does this mean that it should take a student 19 years to become a black belt? No it should not. The average is 10-12 years and that depends on several factors. I believe that a black belt will be at or near the 10,000 hrs range, it will not solely be mat time.

The BJJ practitioner will spend almost as many hours thinking, talking, writing and watching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As we all know BJJ is a chess match as much as it is a physical test.

Where are you on your journey to 10,000 hrs? Probably closer than you know. It all counts, every hour on the mat, every YouTube video watched, every discussion with training partners.

“Gentle pressure reletlessly applied”

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/bjj-drills-2/purposeful-movement-1/feed/ 0 It’s been awhile….. http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/its-been-a-while/ http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/its-been-a-while/#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:26:23 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=556 I’ve had some time to step back (been out of sight since April) and see things from a different angle. What I’ve noticed is the community and relationships that have been built at Impact JJ and Impact Performance Training are very strong.
After 11 years of trying to get a solid martial arts academy off the ground (years before joining Impact JJ), what I realize is that building the academy does not happen if you don’t build the family. The physical structure, the curriculum and the equipment are important, but none of that really matters if the people in the building (members and coaches) don’t have a desire to be there that is greater than learning a physical skill.
We are all missing something in our daily lives, and I believe that what’s missing is a strong connection to the people we associate with.
Please look for more posts……I think I have gotten my “prime mover” back!!!!

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/its-been-a-while/feed/ 0 Impact Performance Training http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/impact-performance-training/ http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/impact-performance-training/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:51:47 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=550 Here is the IPT commercial that our friends Michael Richeson and John Raven created.

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/impact-performance-training/feed/ 0 BJJ World Traveler http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/bjj-world-traveler/ http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/bjj-world-traveler/#comments Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:56:29 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=533 Christian Graugart was just in Sinapore and from his post it sounds like he had an amazing time. If you have not been following his adventures, please check out his on line diary at BJJ Globetrotter. It looks like he’s been in nine countries since starting his journey.

The plan is still to have him visit Impact JJ in early May. More information soon.

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/weekly-spotlight/bjj-world-traveler/feed/ 0 Week 4 Pan Am 2011 http://bjjnewberg.com/tournament-experience/pan-am-2011/week-4-pan-am-2011/ http://bjjnewberg.com/tournament-experience/pan-am-2011/week-4-pan-am-2011/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:35:34 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=483 Week 4 felt good physically, my strength and conditioning felt good and so did my Jiu Jitsu training. Mentally on the other hand it was again a little sluggish and I think the reason is because I’ve been doing the same training regiment for a month.

The good news is that week 5 starts all new (sort of). I’ll have new techniques/positions to work on for Jiu Jitsu and my strength and conditioning will be kicking it up a notch. Here is a link to my schedule if you have not seen it.

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/tournament-experience/pan-am-2011/week-4-pan-am-2011/feed/ 0 Week 3 Pan Am 2011 http://bjjnewberg.com/tournament-experience/pan-am-2011/week-3-pan-am-2011/ http://bjjnewberg.com/tournament-experience/pan-am-2011/week-3-pan-am-2011/#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2011 04:45:47 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=479 Week three was busy! My life outside of Jiu Jitsu kinda got in the way, even though I stayed on schedule (3 lifting days and 3 BJJ days) something’s fell to the way side.

So far the Pan Am 2011 project has been eye opening, like the LV open and Oregon open but in different ways. The gym has been busy, I’ve been recovering from some nagging injuries, changed my strength/conditioning program. My family life and day job have also pick up in intensity all of which has forced me to focus my Pan Am training and not deviate.

In other words I’m learning to formulate a plan with my team (my 12 week program for the Pan Am), take into consideration all of my outside influences, set a course of action………and STICK TO IT. I’m going to trust that the pre training planning will work and will stay the course.

I’ll let you know at the end of March if it was the correct choice.

]]> http://bjjnewberg.com/tournament-experience/pan-am-2011/week-3-pan-am-2011/feed/ 0 January week 4 class review http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/january-week-4-class-review/ http://bjjnewberg.com/my-thoughts-on-jiu-jitsu/january-week-4-class-review/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:22:25 +0000 Matt Leech http://bjjnewberg.com/?p=461 This Monday the 24th and Wednesday 26th in our BJJ 1 class we will warm up with our stand up grip fighting, pulling in tight circles working to off balancing our opponent. The technique for the BJJ 1 class will be more submissions from cross side, specifically the 180 arm bar and the near side shin slide arm bar.

On Tuesday the 25th and Thursday the 27th in our BJJ 2 class the warm up will be controlling the cross side, starting slow with low energy and picking up the pace as we warm up. The technique for the BJJ 2 class will be turtle top position specifically controlling the position and watching for transitions.

BJJ 1 warm ups for the last week of January are the same as it has been for all of January…..”Brilliant at the basics” of stand up grip fighting. All matches start standing and the competitor that gets the grips he or she wants usually gets the dominate position. Our coaches will show their favorite grips and the way they gain position because of proper grips. “Part of the stress of battle stems from its puzzling and capricious nature: battle drills help minimize the randomness of battle and give the solider familiar points of contact in an uncertain environment, like lighthouses in a stormy sea”.- Richard Holmes, Acts of War

BJJ 1 technique will again be submissions from cross side and like last week we will attack the far side, this time with the 180 arm bar. If the coach has time he may get into attacking the near side arm with the shin slide arm bar. The goal by the end of the week is to have multiple options for attacking the far side arm of your opponent.

Our BJJ 2 warm up will be controlling cross side, starting with good transitions from the top (no grrr-jitsu). Before we get really warm the movement should be light and focusing on controlling our partner’s four corners with all of our body parts. As we warm up our transitions will be much heavier, with more lock down positions (the coach will control the tempo and keep everyone on task). Remember the cross side bottom person’s job is to move and give energy that matches the top side person’s skill level (communicate with your buddy).

Our BJJ 2 technique will be maintaining the turtle top position and watching for transitions. The higher belts or solid wrestlers may be able to maintain the turtle top position for a short time, but eventually it moves into taking the back, cross side or a crazy scramble. Our coaches will give their favorite ways to control the turtle top and how they maintain a top position during a transition (getting the back, cross side top, knee on belly, etc).

Let’s have a good week of training after our solid performance this week end in the UCS!

“It takes us all to make the one”

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