A few months ago I talked a friend of mine into starting jiu-jitsu. Brand new white belt. Good attitude. Some kickboxing experience, zero but scooting knowledge lol Whenever we rolled, I made a deliberate choice about how I approached those rounds with him. I didn’t try to “win the round.” I lost most scrambles because of how deliberate I was moving. (Basically how I tell all coaches to roll with new people) Instead, I rolled slowly and methodically. I’d work my way through the positions step by step. I would usually let him get to a dominant position and begin to attack... the id would Escape. Reverse or sweep. Pass the guard. Stabilise. Climb to mount. And then eventually finish with either a rear naked choke or (but my main priority) a head-and-arm triangle from mount. AKA; how jiu jitsu should look when rolling with and untrained person. Not because it’s the only thing I can do, but because when you’re rolling with someone new, consistency teaches far more than variety. I recorded a one of our rounds and did a voiceover here https://youtu.be/5dcaXQUH9uM (no subs in this because submissions are to distracting for people in the first stages of JJ learning) Recently he messaged me from another country. He had his first roll at a new academy. He told me he hit his first submission in a live round, you guessed it, a clean head-and-arm triangle. He was absolutely buzzing but not as much as i was, if you have tried to teach a head arm triangle to somebody for the first time you will know what I mean. For him it wasn’t just a submission. It was proof that the training was working. Proof that he was working towards his goals. A lot of the most important things in jiu-jitsu can’t be fully explained in a class. You can show a technique 10 times and make sure they know EXACTLY what you mean... even have them drilling it to perfection... But the small details ... the pressure the timing the patience the way your weight moves through the position, those things are felt, not just taught. (one of the benefits of CLA games but i digress)

just uploaded a new video where I take a look at a Gracie Barra gym in San Diego and do a quick breakdown of their Instagram and website. My aim it’s to show a few small things that can create friction when someone new first finds your gym online. A lot of gym owners focus heavily on: - techniques - classes - competition results - showing the head coach as the best in the world Basically forgetting how they felt when they first started... And when a complete beginner lands on your page they’re usually asking themselves very simple questions: - Is this place for someone like me? - What do I actually do next? - Is this gym welcoming or intimidating? - Why should I choose this academy instead of another one nearby? In the video I walk through a couple of small improvements that can make a big difference when it comes to: - first impressions - beginner clarity - and converting curiosity into someone actually walking through the door... how many ideal clients have visited our site but never come into our gym? If you run a gym, help with marketing, or are just curious about how people experience a martial arts academy for the first time, I think you’ll find it interesting. I’d also be curious to hear your thoughts: - What was the first thing that made you decide to try a gym? - Was it something online, or something someone told you?

see a lot of people get confused (and a bit discouraged) around belts and what they’re “supposed” to mean in Jiu-Jitsu. It usually shows up like this: Someone’s been training a long time. They’re a bit older, maybe a bit smaller. They’ve earned a purple belt (or higher). Then they go to a competition, an open mat, or train somewhere new… and they get absolutely worked by a blue belt. And the thought creeps in: “Maybe I’m not as good as I thought.” and "i dont deserve this belt" I want to clear this up, because most of the confusion comes from mixing two completely different systems and expecting them to mean the same thing. Belts and competition are not the same thing. A belt is your progression inside the martial art, as determined by your coach ... the person who sees: - how long you’ve trained - how you train - how you learn - how you apply technique - how you conduct yourself on and off the mat - how you’ve grown over time A belt is contextual and completely SUBJECTIVE. It’s personal. It’s long-term. It’s not a promise that you will beat everyone below you in every possible scenario. Now compare that to competition. Competition is a snapshot. A moment in time. Under a specific rule set. With specific incentives. Age, weight, athleticism, risk tolerance, rule optimisation, and preparation all matter massively here. And yet… we try to use belts as the sorting mechanism for competition. That’s where things break down. If it were up to me… Competition would have three divisions only: - Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced That’s it. Based primarily on time in the sport, not belt colour. Because someone can: - be a blue belt with 8 years of hard competition training - be a purple belt who trains 2–3x a week, avoids injury, and plays a long game - be 22 years old or 42 years old - be explosive or methodical - be optimised for competition or optimised for longevity Trying to pretend those people are “equal” because of belt colour is where the confusion lives.

For its fishing ability