Could you stop?

I wanted to share this with you all, take some time to think about what you would do in the same situation...

Last night as class was getting started an accomplished BJJ player I've grown to respect dropped in wearing street clothes. I've been watching this guy train for a while, he's clearly got exceptional talent and motivation, so I was surprised to see him in street clothes. However, he was obviously injured by the way he was carrying his shoulder.

Next thing I hear..

"It was a career ending injury, sorry coach, I'm done."

Yes, just like that, here's a guy who'd been rolling for years and after a freak shoulder separation (with considerable complications) his orthopedic had confirmed his worst fears. No more BJJ, no more MMA, no more "training".

Poor guy looked shell shocked and frankly I would be too.

The whole experience got me thinking, sure I get frustrated when I get dinged up, annoyed when I have to miss a training session, etc.

But how small and petty is that compared to being told you can never train again?

Yes, there are plenty of other things in this world that are far more important than this game.

But.. could you stop cold turkey?

Think about that and offer up a little to all those guys and girls that had to leave the mats forever.


Next time we'll talk about a few basic injury avoidance tactics I like to use.

-hz

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Emergency Valentines Day Gift Guide

It's February 13th, one day before Valentines day.

Quick, do you know what you are giving your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend?

Yes, most WhiteCollarBJJ readers are married, so we know the importance of getting this day right, but it doesn't mean we actually get it right.

So, let's start off with the basics for my time starved readers.

1. Buy a card, preferably one that is actually addressed to your intended Recipient. Grandma Haz still talks about the "Happy Valentines to my favorite Aunt" card that she received from a well meaning family member who shall remain nameless.


2. Be smart with the flowers, if you know your wife/girlfriend loves flowers, more isn't always best. Trust me when I tell you that while she'll appreciate the dozen roses, you wallet won't and it won't get the effect your looking for. Instead look for something different, something more specific to her. Want a sneak peek at the Hazmat buying plan? Get an Orchid. Much like the afore mentioned "Spanish Inquisition", no one expects the Orchid.

Orchids, simple but effective.

3. Take a night off of training. Yes, I know, "but it's training!", that's the magic, showing how much you appreciate her by taking a night off will pay dividends.

Now, for those of you who don't mind dropping a hint, here's a few great gift ideas FOR the grapplers in your life (here's to hoping Mrs Hazmat reads this!)

1. Gift cards say more than flowers ever could. Quick, go to BudoVideos.com and get a gift card for your Valentine. Quite simply it says, "I love you and don't mind that you like to watch fight footage and instructionals, in fact, I encourage it!"

hint..hint..

2. Are they Internet savvy? If you are reading this there's a good chance your significant other is an avid WhiteCollarBJJ reader, making them a very astute Internet user. This makes a premium account at GrapplersGuide.com a simple and fast gift that is sure to pay dividends later. Just don't be mad if they stay up late doing research!

3. Let them take in training on another night this week. Yes, I know they gave up training for you on Valentines day, which makes them smart and thoughtful, but you can return the favor by letting them train on a day normally reserved for family time. It's simple, but will be appreciated.

Well, there's precious time left, so send this to your significant other, and stop wasting time you've got a card to get!

Good Luck!

-hz

Training with Concept Maps

Back in my college days I learned that often the difference between whether I excelled at a course or struggled with it was how well I took notes.

In college or any schooling for that matter, note taking is very simple since by and large the concepts are easily contained on paper.

However, Submission grappling/BJJ doesn't lend well to note taking, a fact I learned over the last year.

When I first started training, like every other newbie, I began to copy down notes in a small journal after my classes in the evening after class, and just like every other newbie I wasn't very consistent with this process. Some nights the notes were hap hazard and unintelligible, other nights they simply weren't there as I crashed long before I could get them down on paper.

More importantly, even after I got them down on paper they didn't always make sense the next day/week/month when I went back to review them. I found that the core concepts and if/then situational learning just didn't translate on paper.

Lucky for me we don't need paper any more, not when we have free software!



Cmap Tools is an amazing piece of free software that you can use to create Concept Maps.

Concept mapping is a technique for visualizing the relationships among different concepts. A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts. Concepts are connected with labelled arrows, in a downward-branching hierarchical structure. The relationship between concepts is articulated in linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to".

Concept map - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just to give you a hint at what you can do with a well designed concept map, check out the simple one I developed from "Mastering the Rubber Guard, Half Guard Game".


So download CMap Tools and have some fun, who knows perhaps you'll actually take some notes that make sense to you a few days, weeks, or even months later.

Good Luck and Happy Note Taking!

-hz

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Commitment...?

Personal commitment, interaction dominated by obligations. These obligations may be mutual, or self-imposed, or explicitly stated, or may not. Distinction is often made between commitment as a member of an organisation (such as a sporting team, a religion, or as an employee). A personal commitment is a pledge or promise to ones' self for personal growth.

Commitment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Commitment? What the heck sort of blog is this? No, we aren't talking about this sort of commitment..






Nor are we talking about this sort of commitment.


No, we are talking about commitment to your game, or more directly, commitment to your submission.

Case in point, I was rolling yesterday morning with a good friend and training partner of over a year. He also happens to be the author of "Chew-Jitsu.com", great guy, and no I wasn't responsible for re-arranging his chompers. That dubious distinction lies with someone else.

Now, back to the matter at hand. Whenever "Chewy" and I roll it almost always gets aggressive, very aggressive. You see, we know each other's games so well it's hard not to get a bit "motivated" to get the submission. However the problem I'm finding lies not with the motivation, but with the second guessing or "lack of commitment".

You see, I told you we'd get around to this.

Many times during my roll with Chewy I saw something open up. Perhaps it was a nice arm bar or kneebar, or even a personal Hazmat favorite..the mounted triangle. Still, in those instances I found myself starting the submission..but then re-thinking my decision and backing off. Almost as if I thought he'd counter my submission and I should look for something else. End result.. no wins for Hazmat (this time..).

Afterwards he asked me, "Why didn't you sink that armbar, I'd swear you had it ready to go..".

You know what, I really didn't have an answer. All I could think of was my first BJJ Coach and his words to me..

"Believe in it! Believe in your game."

That's the commitment I'm talking about, next time you are setting up a submission and are having doubts.. just believe in it and give it a whirl. Worst case you lose and start over, best case.. well you just might start believing in yourself, and imagine where that would take your game.

Have Faith!

-hz

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