So I got hit by Glandular Fever about a week back, and I've only just started to recover.

 - I should probably watch who I kiss a little more closely. Yikes (I'm kidding, of course, I'm a wholly respectable gent. This probably would have come from someone spitting in my food. Or dribbling on me. Yeah.)

One thing I've hated through this last week is being unable to exercise. Believe me, I've been trying to be Superman and keep running and working out (at home, no gym for me), but it just hasn't worked.

I've rested, and I don't want to rest any more. This really sucks!

It's nice to reflect though, and see just how my habits have changed in the last year or so - it's amazing to see the change from sedentary uni bum to someone who regularly works out and is actually in a healthy shape. Forgive me for bragging, but I'm proud of who I'm starting to become. Also, I started BJJ during that health kick (now that I've mentioned that, this post is finally on topic, phew).

Back to bed, and recovering into (hopefully) badass shape as soon as possible.

Peace,
- George


Shameless promotion time:
Check out YoloBJJ's online store! They've got some great stuff! Just click on the pics below.

Australia: It's my home, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
While Australia isn't known for it's BJJ or MMA scene, mainly due to our small population and massive distance from the rest of the world, there's actually an enormous amount going on.

With Ronda Rousey scheduled to fight Holly Holm at UFC 193 here in November, it's time to learn why Australia is great for a bit of BJJ tourism.

Sydney has just been named the world's friendliest city, and is home to most of the major teams, as well as quite a few independent gyms. You'll also find large BJJ scenes in the other metropolitan areas around the country, and in many a regional town (come drop into Armidale - we've got great pubs too!).

In terms of competitions, there are also a lot of opportunities: namely the Pan Pacific Champs in October, which are always a huge event.

If you do decide to visit though, keep in mind that the wildlife hates you and wants to kill you - yes, absolutely every animal is out to get you. Might be good to cure any arachnophobia, too:


Don't roll with the wildlife though, they've got that covered themselves:

I know the drop bears koalas aren't very technical grapplers, but they make up for it with heart.

Hope to see you down under soon - it's warm, sunny, friendly, and a great place to learn BJJ (though not quite SoCal or Brazil, I'll admit).
- George

Hey guys! I've been out the last week or so due to uni commitments, so I don't have all that much informative to give y'all.

Given that this blog has attracted much more attention than I thought it would, I've decided to start a facebook page:



This'll be a much more informal place for me to post thoughts, feelings, experiences, and whatever crap I come up with that isn't substantial enough to warrant a blog post.

Please like!

Also, I'm unveiling a little logo as well, just to amp up the decor a little:

I like a drink. Hell, I'm Australian, I'll chug ten beers for no reason at all (there's a celebration somewhere, right?). However, starting to train a bit more seriously means I have two hobbies that don't mix - BJJ and alcohol aren't good buddies, it would seem.

Short Term effects of alcohol consumption.
When drinking, you shouldn't train. That's fairly simple - while intoxicated your mind and body are severely impaired. You'll fail to learn anything at all, and you are likely to end up doing something foolish. When I say the short term effects, I mean the day after, not whilst still intoxicated.
Last night one of the guys at the gym was gassed out, tired, overly sweaty, and just not having a good day. His reason? A binge-drinking bender over the weekend. He was simply unable to perform at his normal level due to the alcohol he had consumed.
Alcohol is also carbohydrate-heavy (and if you're drinking something princessy, sugar-heavy), meaning that it's not the greatest for your diet. If you're thinking about using it as a diuretic to cut water out of your system (I've heard of it happening!), think again - a slight increase in sodium intake will lead to the same result.

Long Term effects of alcohol consumption.
In the long term, well after you've actually had a drink, excessive alcohol consumption will have made significant changes to almost every aspect of your body. The most noticeable differences for someone training BJJ or MMA, however, are in your brain. Heavy drinkers suffer from slower reaction times and sluggishness, something we definitely don't want out on the mats.
Alcohol will also affect your ability to recover after training, especially after injury, and will significantly hamper your body's ability to take in energy and proteins.

My Experience with alcohol and training.

My drink of choice, a Glenlivet 12.

Before I stepped on the mats, I liked to run, Before I got to college, I didn't drink very much. When the two collided it didn't work out. For a while I averaged 6-8 beers a night, and the changes in my body were staggering. I developed a 'spare tyre' of fat around my midsection, had an appalling sleep cycle, my skin was gross and oily, and I couldn't run to save my life.

This all happened in just three months - I went from being insanely fit to a mildly pudgy guy with no cardio whatsoever. My diet was good, my exercise was good; the only factor that changed was the significant increase in alcohol consumption.

Since deciding I wasn't OK with this, I've cut back my alcohol consumption drastically. I no longer drink most beverages, opting only for an occasional, slowly-sipped Glenlivet 12 on the rocks. The changes I saw have been reversed, and I can roll for hours on end without gassing out. It's also helped my wallet, woo!


So, can you drink alcohol and still train properly? Not really. Sure, you can drink occasionally, but any significant intake will undoubtedly harm you training.
Alcohol ruins your cardio and messes with your brain. We're training to be smart, quick, enduring fighters, right? Avoiding alcohol gives us a great headstart.

Stirred or shaken - to hell with all your hard work (that's sarcasm, guys).
- George

BJJ classes aren't cheap, especially for a uni student like myself, This fact, as well as a lack of free time, mean that I can't train everyday. So, I really want to maximise my learning potential whilst in class - and this is something that everyone should strive to achieve.

To start, here is the format of my classes, which has been common across most places I've been:

• Warm-up.
• Instructor demonstrates a technique.
• Drill technique with a partner.
• Instructor demonstrates another, related technique (e.g. variation/counter).
• Drill technique again.
• Instructor demonstrates another, related technique.
• Drill technique.
• Live rolling for the remainder of the session (generally about half an hour).

My coach likes to demonstrate three techniques, max, as this is about as much as people tend to remember. However, he'll also demonstrate any variations that address issues countered in drilling, or if people ask questions.

This format is great, but I found myself forgetting most of the stuff shown down the track. So, in order to learn better and get the most out of the class, I have (and have been given) a few suggestions.

1. Ask Questions.

This might just be an Australian habit, but most people in my gym don't like to ask questions (with a few exceptions). If you have any difficulties with the technique, or are missing particular intricacies, why wouldn't you ask for assistance? You're not getting the most out of your session if you don't.

2. Write things down.
Keeping a notepad is a good idea - as your instructor demonstrates a technique, scribble down some of the key points about it. This'll help you focus, as well as allow you to recall the technique a lot easier. Most people won't judge you for taking a vested interest in learning the gentle art, and your coach might be impressed - it shows dedication and a willingness to learn.

3. Practice techniques when live rolling.
When live rolling at the end of class, your goal is to put into practice what you have learnt previously. Primarily, you should be focusing on what you have just been taught. However, it is also important to practice techniques learnt previously in order to enhance your memory of them. I like to focus on the techniques of the last three weeks, as this is the time gap where I might be prone to forgetfulness.

4. Stop, discuss and continue.
When rolling with someone more experienced with you, it is a fantastic idea to discuss what went wrong (and what went well) after each roll, as they will usually be more than happy to teach a little - in my gym, the more experienced guys are fantastic at helping you learn. From their point of view, teaching is a fantastic way of improving their conceptual knowledge, and describing a technique forces you to truly understand it. That being sad, don't be the white belt professor, and don't stop rolls unnecessarily - I only start discussion when I've been submitted, for example.

5. Start where you're uncomfortable.

Source: LearnBJJ.blogspot.com

A great way to address a deficit in your game is to start a live roll in a position where you are uncomfortable or significant gaps in your game are evident. I found it a great learning experience to start a heap of rolls with my opponent mounting me, forcing me to learn to escape and enhancing that aspect of my game.

Keep in mind that when in class your goal is to learn, not win. The result doesn't matter when you're training, what matters is that you've improved your skills or enhanced your understanding. That is how you get the most out of a BJJ class.

News time:

Today was the end of a week-long break (due to study commitments), and I was rather pleased with how it went - I'm feeling a significant improvement from the last month or so, and am enjoying building my game.

I've also started mindmapping out of class, using this as a tool to remember techniques and link situations and techniques together, and this has been really helpful thus far (despite the sparsity of my game). I might have to write about this later, just to show how you can use different mindmap setups and techniques to enhance your theory.

Good nutrition = good health. It's simple, common-sense stuff. Eating well maximises the results you'll see when training, for both cardio and building strength.

So, what are some easy ways to eat better, without buying a book written by a shit-peddling quasi-nutritionist? I'm no nutritionist either, but I've outlined some handy ways to make your diet work.

1. Eliminating or Reducing Sugar

Source: lailasblog.com

Fat is not the enemy, as marketers would have us believe - it's sugar. In our modern society, we over-consume sugar to a ridiculous amount, particularly when we partake in soft drinks.
I noticed a massive difference in the amount of belly fat I had stored (and the ease at which I burned it off) when simply eliminating soft drinks from my diet. Not that eliminating sugar is easy - too often I experienced cravings for it, requiring good self-discipline and motivation in order to not succumb to my vicious sweet tooth.

2. Avoid Obviously Harmful Habits
Drinking, smoking and drug use are harmful to your brain and your body. Eliminating these habits will lead to better results. That being said, the average person among us appreciates a good social life; simply cutting back a small amount of your weekly alcohol intake is a great step to better health.
I'm a non-smoker, and vehemently against the habit. Smoking nullifies most people's cardio, meaning it's not your friend when it comes time to roll. Treat your body well, it's the only one you'll ever have (barring amazing breakthroughs in medical science, of course).

3. Homecooked Meals > Processed Crap
Cook your own food. It might be generally more expensive than a McDouble or a frozen lasagne, but you'll know exactly what goes in there. Cooking is therapeutic, and a good skill to have (especially for someone who's single and looking to impress!). There ain't no frozen pizzas in the wilderness, my friends. Learn to cook good, wholesome food - plus, it'll taste better!

4. Eat More Fruit and Veg

Most people don't eat enough fruit and veg - two and five is still a great guide to how much you should be taking in. Fruit and veg is relatively cheap compared to processed confectionery, and can still pack that sweet punch you're craving. Swapping chocolate bars for celery or carrot sticks also allows you to snack more often, so it's pretty much a win-win.
You can get most of your daily intake of necessary vitamins and minerals from vegetables, as well as macronutrients like protein. Forget eating slabs of meat for protein - vegetables like beans and spinach are packed with the stuff. That being said, I like meat, and don't plan on subbing it out entirely any time soon.

5. Monitoring what You Eat
This last one is tough - keeping track of your food takes dedication and a little more nutritional insight than a lot of people possess. Be the better person, show a bit of discipline, monitor your food. You'll see trends in how you eat and snack, and just thinking about what is actually going into your body does wonders for your diet, allowing you to go beyond factors like taste and satiety when choosing meals. Choosing comfort over effort will always hurt your training. Comfort is for weak people who don't truly want to achieve their goals. Ugh.

Fads can Piss Off. People experience results on these things generally because it changes simple elements of their diet, such as introducing more fruit and veg and cutting back on candy. The paleo diet is an example of this - don't be ridiculous for a diet, just eat well-rounded, balanced meals.

That's my simplest points! I might upload a meal plan in future, or a little more dietary insight. Perhaps even a bit more on how BJJ is changing my body, day by day.


Anyway, onto news:

I've had a week's break thanks to uni holidays, but I'll be back into it tonight. This means I'll have a lot more to post about for you guys!

This blog has received a lot more publicity than I'd anticipated, nearly tripling its pageviews in the last three days. This is enormously exciting for me, and I'm hoping to see it grow even further - I've received a couple of email suggestions about content, and would like to hear even more!

Y'all are great.
- George