A Jiu-Jitsu Poem... Or any other art really.

Jiu-Jitsu is an art, a physical art form, much like Yoga or Dance. These art forms all have something in common beyond their physical similarities. There’s an emotional level, a deep level of appreciation and frustration, of like and dislike. Even disdain. I have felt that on many drives home from the dojo.

This poem by Victoria Erickson is really about her relationship with Yoga. But we can steal it and make modifications for our own moving and martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu.

Sometimes I think about playing around with the words and coming up with something original and all my own, but this is too perfect.

You can check out her book here: Edge of Wonder.

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A few years ago I wrote an article about the process of training to get the trash out. You can check that out here:

Jiu-Jitsu and the Art of Churning.

A 10 Minute Kettlebell & Bodyweight Workout for BJJ

The russian kettlebell may be the ultimate "Becoming Bamboo" tool for jiu-jitsu players.

It's effective because it is simple. And so is this quick 10 minute kettlebell and bodyweight workout.

I explain everything in the video so please be sure to watch completely to get the details but here are a few quick tips:

  • Start a new round of 10 kettlebell swings and 10 sit-throughs or sit-outs every minute on the minute for 10 minutes.

  • The faster you work the more you rest. Stay active during the rest.

  • You can pick any kettlebell swing variation. The choice is all yours. But remember, some kettlebell swings are slower/quicker than others. You may be able to perform 2-arm kettlebell swings quicker than the hand-to-hand swings that I use in the video.

  • You can progress this workout a few ways...once 10 & 10 become too easy pick a heavier kettlebell or up your repetitions. You could also add some complexity to one of those skills like throwing a high-bridge into the sit-through. Make sense?

Please let me know how it goes.

Gracias!

Fast Yoga Flow for BJJ (Basic Flow)

I use the term "Fast Yoga" to describe simple bodyweight movement flows that I incorporate into my daily training. Often times these are my pre- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu warm-ups but I also like to do some fast yoga flows before other non-BJJ related training like barbell or kettlebell work. 

You could also use these flows as a pick-me-up during the day to improve mobility, brain and blood flow or just to improve your mood. 

The flow below is a basic flow consisting of a full squat, a sit-through or sit-out and standing up in base. 

Here are just a few quick tips:

  • Feel free to hang out in any one of those positions as long as you like. There is no right or wrong here actually...do whatever is resonating with your own body at that particular time.

  • Feel free to sway and swagger gently from side to side. Check your stability and base. Play with active and non-active shoulders. Play with the position of your palm and gently pry open your hips with your elbows.

  • For more conditioning add some speed and quickness to your flow. Jump into your sit-through and add a jump into the technical stand-up.

  • You can set a timer or work for repetitions...both options work quite well.

  • Finally, you can combine this flow with other training tools and methods. For example, doing some jump-rope work prior to this flow would be great.

Please try it out and let me know how it goes...have a question ? Let me know.

Obrigado!

What is Motor Creativity? This is.

“Exploration “Play Rules.” These rules are as follows:
(1) you shall investigate the unfamiliar until it has become familiar; (2) you shall impose a rhythmic repetition on the familiar; (3) you shall vary this repetition in as many ways as possible; (4) you shall select the most satisfying of these variations and develop these at the expense of others; (5) you shall combine and recombine variations with one another; and (6) you shall do this all for its own sake, as an end in itself.”
— Desmond Morris, The Naked Ape (1967)

The “correct” way to perform a skill is frequently abandoned by top performers.

I am a teacher. A physical education teacher, a movement and martial arts teacher. And I define teaching as the cause of learning. This may happen simply because the student is ready; or it may come from a cue that was given by me or another student. Or it may have come from the environment or a constraint placed on the learner.

But most likely, it came from the practical physical experience and the sensation and assessment of what is effective by the actual performer.

I’d like to share two videos with you below. The first video is a during a friendly competition during a football game. Please notice how the “winner throws the football incorrecty. And she wins $100,000 because of it.

This second video is dear to my heart as a father that has a baseball pitcher that tends to throw more side-arm than overhead. I simply watch as coaches try to correct his form and actually make his throwing worse off.

Now, instead of being “corrected,” these movers should be applauded for solving these movement riddles in a way that was most effective and satisfying for their own individual expression.

The three books below were required reading in Human Movement Studies at Temple U. If you’re interested in skill, its development and practice design I highly recommend you check them out. I’ll link to them here as well.

Motor Learning & Performance

Dynamics of Skill Acquisition

Movement Discovery

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The Language of Movement

Because movement is a language and language is alive, there are no strict mechanics by which it may be understood. We come to know movement and play in much of the same way we come to know a person. A person made it, created it, expressed it. And like that person we know it in different degrees, in different contexts, tasks and environments. To come to know movement, play and creativity more and more completely. To feel these elements change as we change. The transformations of creativity and play are organic, in the same way as we are.

The Art, Science and Craft of Teaching Movement

Physical education, teaching movement is a craft. It is also an art and a science.

Great physical education cannot be accomplished by following some exact recipe. There are a few guide-books and instruction manuals for being a great physical educator and teacher but they often fail once presented with real-world students.

There is no secret formula or codified list of best practices that will guarantee the movement success of your students.

The craft of teaching movement is often quite messy. And it should be. It’s can also be confusing. And it should be.

You doubt your skills. You get frustrated. You get discouraged. And the process or improvement is super slow.

You (we) make a ton of mistakes and yet…that is the beauty of human movement and teaching.

You literally get to explore like a child again. Discovering and touching new environments for the first time in many moons. You get t experiment like a scientist and design like an engineer. You get to compose like a musician and create like an artist.

There’s honestly no point or place that you need to arrive to…As a Physical Creative you will always be exploring, you will always be designing and innovating. That’s what makes this movement journey so beautiful and rewarding.

Simplicity & Creativity

““Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.””
— Charles Mingus

Simplicity and Creativity can be hard to describe. They can be a choice, a feeling, a longing, perhaps a guiding-light. You could even think of them as a spirit, because you can tell pretty quickly when you’re in a place that values simplicity and creativity.

These two qualities work very well together and support one another beautifully. Often times people are led to believe that their physical practice needs to be complicated or complex to be creative. This is simply not true. Just take a look at children playing.

They know nothing of the body. They don’t search out complexity. They search out expression and joy and novelty.

Just understand that simplicity and creativity are more than goals - they are skills. Simplicity is a skill. Creativity is a skill. And to use their full power we need to practice them.

Cultivate a simple physical practice and your creativity is sure to flourish.

This is a fine example of making your life more simple to deep your practice: Be Boring.

The Creative Act of Subtraction

When we think of Creativity, art or craft we often think of creating something, producing something, adding something.

But that’s because we have a very limited idea or concept of what Creativity actually is. We label this form of creativity incorrectly.

If we take a moment to study other artistic fields we see that subtraction is an essential part of the creative process. In writing-craft we call this editing. In gardening-craft we call this pruning. In music and film we also call the art of subtraction “editing.”

We even use the word “Outtakes” to describe the discarded material.

And the crazy thing is, we actually feel just as good by performing these creative acts as we do in the production of something.

Let’s study other fields for a moment. Think about a garbage man or a cleaning lady or an exterminator. They literally make things beautiful by what they take away. Isn’t that incredible? We can see everything through the eyes of an artist if we study deep enough.

One more example if you don’t mind. I was recently doing some wood work and the craftsman that was helping me pointed out that you get the best stain or paint application by subtracting, by sanding and stripping away the unwanted material. Thank you master Craftsman, I truly appreciate your insights.

So my question to you is…what can you strip away to bring about the beauty of your physical practice or martial art?