Martial Musings of a Master

8/2/2019 Martial Musings of a Master

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MartialMusings of

An MMA Master

A timeline of quips, tips, and anecdotes from over a

decade of martial pursuits

Justin Master Chim Garcia


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Thanks for checking out my Ebook!

What youll find here is an assortment of short stories, articles,

and notes Ive shard with my students over the last ten year at

my academy, The Jungle Gym, located in the Bronx, New York.

While not intended to be a formatted design for instruction or

espousing my views on martial arts, enjoy the often irregulargrouping of different ideas and approaches to both improving

your martial arts growth ANDyourgrowth through martial arts!

Osu! ~MC


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A Chance To Practice What I Preach!

What an experience it was to finally make it to the Abu Dhabi Combat Club WorldChampionships! First off, let me start by saying when I started practicing Jiu Jitsu a little over

four years ago, I dreamed of one day being good enough to grace the ADCC mats. I alwaysknew I would make it, and thats the truth. Arrogant you say? Not at all. What I felt was thatI loved Jiu Jitsu, and I knew it would be my life for better or worse. What I decided to dowas go for broke. I competed in everything I could. I trained everyday, rain or shine. I neverwanted to have an excuse for not making it. Ironically enough, it was an interview of a BJJfighter named Rodrigo Comprido Medeiros that made me believe I could do it. He said inthe interview that, I knew I wasnt the most physically gifted fighter in my school so I knewI had to train harder than everybody. I never wanted a reason for failing. I took thosewords to heart and never looked back. I won some, but lost even more. Sometimes, as a bluebelt, I would get tapped by a white belt. Sometimes Id catch purples, even browns. Eitherway, I always looked at it like Hey, I just got better. I never cared if I got my guard passed.

I never cared if I got caught by someone who I may have felt was less advanced than I was.Or my ego didnt care I should say. I just knew that I wanted to reach ABU DHABI. Mygoal was never dont get tapped when trying new techniques. It was never to be the bestNovice or Intermediate grappler inthe world. It was making it to the dance that keptme hungry.

See, I always preach humbleness to my students, to you folks. I always want you toface yourJiu Jitsu challenges with the hunger of a white belt. Its that hunger that makes youbetter. Its that hunger that eases the illusionary pain felt when you get caught in class, orwhen you lose a match at the next GQ. If you were to ask me, Coach, how could I neverget caught again? I would laugh and quickly reply," Easy, never roll again! It may soundfunny, but it couldnt be truer!

We are all going to have days when we get caught and want to throw our gi away, or

just want to stop rolling. We say things like, I need to just focus on techniques. or I dontwant to get sore because then I cant do my reps. I used to always use the example, If I puta gun to your head, youd roll for three hours straight! I know Im nuts, but the proof is inthe pudding, so to speak. I made it to Abu Dhabi! So remember, whenever you feel likeyoull never be any good, remind yourself of what you knew the first day you walked into theungle Gym. Remind yourself of what it was like those one, six, or twelve months ago when

you didnt even know what a triangle was, or how a choke worked. Now acknowledge whatyou know now. Finally, imagine where youll be 1, 6, or 12 months from now. Either way,itll remind you to stay hungry!


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A Love for Your Brothers

When I first started the Jungle Gym, it wasnt called the Jungle Gym at all. Itwas the Brazilian Jiujitsu program at the Shotokan Karate school next to my gym.See, I was a very successful BJJ blue belt who had an unquenchable thirst forcoaching. I wasnt an Abu Dhabi vet, nor was I even a BJJ purple belt, but all I knew

was that I wanted to share the art that changed my life with as many friends aspossible.

I came into teaching BJJ with intentions of changing it from its outdated andformal structure into something more intimate. I didnt want people who Id refer toas clients, making sure I did everything in my power to keep their dues current. I

wanted to change other peoples lives the way BJJ changed mine. It was for thesereasons that I didnt go by Sensei or Sifu, or any other title geared towardscreating an impenetrable hierarchy at the school. I went by Coach or simplyJustin because I wanted friends, partners, or even brothers, if you will. I was

so paranoid about thinking people would consider me in it for the money thatoften times I even made some bad business decisions for the sake of beinggenuine. Ive since learned how to keep the business up while keeping the integrityeven higher, but I developed something back then that stays with me to this day andIm asking you all to acknowledge and try to develop: A love for my brothers.

In my first Brazilian Jiujitsu school there was never an environment thatsupported those that needed it the most. You simply had those who were talentedand were hungry, those with not so much talent but were still hungry, and finallythose with little talent and not an ounce of hunger. The unfortunate thing was thatthere existed an imaginary line between the groups and rarely, if ever, did anyone

cross paths with those of another class. What wound up happening was that someguys got really good, some tried their hardest but couldnt get better, and those whojust decorated the mat for a couple of hours a week. Well, not at the Jungle Gym,people! Here we look after those that need our help. Here we ignite the fire in those

who need it. Here we never leave a man behind!What I only dreamed of not so long ago is finally coming to fruition. We, as a

family, have persevered through the most rigorous of training sessions. Weve shownup to tournament after tournament, leaving our hearts on the mats and adding to theentity known as the Jungle Gym, and its about time we recognize what the element isthat we have that is lacking in so many other schools, including my first school. No,its not the harness, nope, not the arm drag either. Its the thing that separates us

from many, and is what we will always have in abundance here at the Jungle Gym: ALove for Our Brothers!


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A Pound A Week

All too often, when it comes to getting in shape, people take thesprinters approach to what amounts to a marathon-type challenge. For some

reason, an unwanted condition that took years to develop is attacked with astrategy that will ultimately fizzle when motivation subsides. You see, people,every so often, amass this huge amount of determination and fail to assess its

value properly. Being motivated means being positive. With that positiveoutlook comes the necessity for continuous positive results. Thats where mostpeople falter: Establishing a plan that will produce consistent, positive results.

I can very easily say, Im going to drop 20 pounds this month, andthen follow up and do it! Now whats the problem, then? you ask? Simple.

Any strategy that attacks a long-term dilemma with an extreme vigor is doomed

to fail because when, or if, that goal is reached, what happens then? Do youcontinue to go ballistic with your routine? No, that would probably put you inthe hospital. After all, six months of losing 20 pounds each should leave you

weighing about the same as a nine year old, no? What about taking some timeoff, and then hitting it hard again in a month or so? Unfortunately it would begreat if our motivation had pause and play buttons, but we all know it was ourlack of consistent motivation that got us into this jam in the first place

What about just switching over to a more reasonable approach after thesprint I keep referring to? Again, the problem is people are creatures of habitand going 100 mph for a month leaves you in no frame of mind to just switch

to a reasonable lifestyle. Without the rigorous nature of your initial approach,youll be juicing jelly donuts in no time!

So what is the solution? Well, of course everybodys different, but thetitle of this article suggests what will probably be the best plan. Adopt a planthat allows you to consistently make incremental improvements in your lifestyleand health decisions. Acknowledge that youre human and its just not feasibleto think youre going to be a health nut overnight. Make it a habit to change oreliminate one bad habit a week. This way you sort of pace the motivationyoure starting with. You make it last. After all, losing a pound a week is 52POUNDS A YEAR!


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Anxiety

Ahh, the word that explains so many instances during those first few months of Jiujitsu,. Its

why we cant breathe. Its why we feel well never get out, or the guy off of us. Its one of the

reasons we choose to watch TV instead of coming to class. All in all, its something we need to

get under control.

See, when I first started BJJ I would freak out when I couldnt get someone off of me. I

would start questioning how I was going to die instead of how to get out! Therein lies the

problem. What we tell ourselves in these most dire of situations is often more important than

what we do!

Im a huge fan of self-talk and all its potential for positive change in ones life. I suggest

you, too, become a fan for the benefit of your jiujistu.

Try this next time you feel anxiety. First, identify that youre about to become irrational

because of the anxiety. Then, remind yourself that youre not only going to be alright, but that

youre probably going to get a little better because of these obstacles in your training! Lastly,

think the position through. What did you learn from that position? How can you try to make it

work right now. If you dont get it the first time, what did he do to stop it? And so on Believe

you have the tools to get out, and think of it more as a video game that youre trying to get

better at, not as a life or death situation!


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Are You Coachable?

With numerous tournaments in the coming months, I want to use thisopportunity to discuss one of the most valuable characteristics of a champion:

Being Coachable.Now there are many ways to describe what coachable is Maybe itslistening to your Coach when He/She tells you what to do. Maybe its nottalking during class. Shoot, maybe its screaming over, Coach, what do I donow!? during a competition! Well, all of these have some merit, but its adifferent characteristic that I feel serves a student well and makes themcoachable. Its realizing what the Coach is there for.

What I mean is, to use you, a student at the Jungle Gym, as an example,that you came to this school to learn how to do Jiu-Jitsu. Maybe it was with theend result of becoming a champion in mind. Or, more realistically, to learn how

to defend yourself. Whatever the reason, you came here. Now what I candeduce from this is simple. You needed a coach to teach you.

Now, in the beginning you knew nothing. The senior students playedwith you, you got frustrated, and the need and desire for the Coach's help wasreinforced. But after a while a funny thing began to happen. You startedlearning Jiu-Jitsu! The senior students have a hard time having their way withyou. You start dominating a few guys/girls with more regularity.

Overall, you start feeling better about your Jiu-Jitsu. Its at this pointthat students come to sort of a crossroad in their progress. Some choose tostay hungry. They know theyre far from where they one day wish to be, and

decide to look to their destination.Its the other type of student that is cause for the Coachs, My, concern.

Rather than look to their destination, they decide to choose a different outlook.They decide to protect their location. They feel theyve learned Jiu-Jitsu andsuddenly, the goal of their training becomes finding ways to not lose, asopposed to the find a way to win approach that filled their first Jiu -Jitsustages. It is these students that will falter . Its this group that will someday getstuck at blue, or purple, or maybe even brown! Never to realize their truepotential. Their true destination.

So, as a Coach, as YOUR Coach, I plead of you. Keep winning, keeptrying, and remember to turn at the sign that says Champion!!!


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Arrogant Amnesia

One of the things that I find most difficult to teach is not a technique at

all. Its the psychology behind jiujitsu that proves to be the most elusive skill

and one Im determined to pass on to everybody at the Jungle Gym. Having

competed in over thirty competitions so far, Ive seen and felt it all. There were

those days where I felt like a Mac Truck that was going to run all my opponents

over, but there were also those days where I knew I was going to lose.

Now, those truck days didnt always end in me getting the gold,

unfortunately. But, I can assure you, those psychic loss days were always

dead-on accurate! The one thing I noticed was that whenever I felt I was going

to lose, I ALWAYS did! Whenever I had the utmost confidence, however, I

always felt I gave 100%. And by 100%. I mean I was relaxed but hungry,giving my all with reckless abandon and I gotta tell ya; It made jiujitsu fun.

What I now suggest to you is a strategy to help you make this happen. A

strategy that will lead to better training and most certainly better and more

productive competition. I call it Arrogant Amnesia. See, arrogance is nothing

bad or negative, in and of itself. Its supreme confidence, sometimes even in

the face of logic! Its what champions are made of. Now by amnesia I mean

that each situation is different and needs to be addressed in a fresh way. Your

last performance means nothing. So give your wonderful confidence the benefit

of a fresh start!


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Birth of a Dynasty!

Well, with the demise of Team Groundhog and the need for usat the school to continue to fly a flag in the world of Jiu-Jitsu,

Submission Grappling, and Mixed Martial Arts, a new team has beenborn: The Jungle Gym. Its going to represent a new era in thesubmission arts and you can take pride in knowing that you are part of

the movement!In a nutshell, we in the martial arts world are consistently

beaten into a submission of compliance through the use of titles,hierarchies, and egos. This is where the notion of operating a gymcomes into play. Here at the Jungle Gym, we arent interested in whos

better. We will never promote the Natural Athlete. We wont care ifwe get caught a dozen times a day. Why? Because we will strive to

improve OURSELVES! Not everybody has the time, potential, money,pain threshold, focus, connections, flexibility, strength, attitude,

endurance, and desire to become a world champion (Yep. It takes allthat and more!). What we DO all have is the ability to improve

incrementally, consistently.What does that mean? It means we all can strive to be better

than we were yesterday. We can all realize a degree of achievement inthis art that is far passed our original expectations. We will not only beable to defend ourselves in an ever growingly hostile world, but we willlearn to snicker in the face of challenge. We will come to terms with

the chance of temporary failure, and release ourselves to the

inevitability of triumph!Egos are cancer! You had better rip them out of your person or

they will eat you alive! The premise is quite simple: Leave your ego

home and you will learn to flourish in this school. Hold on to yourcowardly ego, youve just established the ceiling that will forever

limit your Jiu-Jitsu.I, as a coach, as YOUR coach, promise to leave no one behind.

We are a family that will grow and improve together. You need yourteammates just as much as they need you, and I will help nurture the

hunger that will make us all champions! Remember, learn to keepyour light on green, because its in the refusal to stop trying thatleads us to the GOLD!!!

10/5/04


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Boome rang Training

In the relative short time of my jiujitsu training, often the situation

has arisen when I needed the assistance of a teammate on a particulardrill when I knew they wouldnt get as much of a benefit as I did. I

always found myself begging someone to pass my guard, or maintain

topside on me, simply because those were my weakspots. Rarely was

what I asked of them their choice on top priorities for their games. I

would always offer to reciprocate the extra help , but its hard getting

someone to get their motor going to not only work a little more to

help me, but then work even more still to then receive the favor in

return. It was a dilemma I soon realized had some of my teammatesrunning off the mat after rolling or even right after class. This is a

situation I seek to remedy here at the Jungle Gym. What I propose is

the concept of Boomerang Training.

All it entails is simply figuring out what you need to work on,

like escaping bottom side, or maintaining the mount, and then asking

a teammate to do some Boomerang Training. You would then

rotate reps of eachs given Boomerang Agenda. Maybe they

happen to be the same thing, maybe theyre completely unrelated.

The point is each of you will get valuable individualized drilling, all

the while helping make your team stronger. So do yourself a favor

and start setting up your Boomerang Training Agendas ASAP!!!!


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But I Dont Want The Gi!

Yes, I know. I know. You hate wearing the gi. You like the speed of no-gi. You know the gi has

nothing to do with the street. Who wears pajamas in the cage, right? WRONG.

Its amazing to me how so many students of BJJ fail to see how the roots of their own art

have evolved the sport at a rate never seen in the history of martial arts. When the Gracies

were choking fools out on the streets of Rio, no, they probably werent d oing it in their gis, but

their gi training didnt do them wrong either. Many of the top submission grapplers in the world

still religiously train in the gi, and espouse the benefits of doing so, but so many rank beginners

of the art know. Theyve figured it out, according to themselves. No-Gi is better for reality

they say. Well I firmly disagree.

The gi is what teaches you the battle of inches. It takes the attributes of its participants

and puts them away from the forefront of a match. Some of you cant handle that. It requires

patience. After all, why does he keep holding my clothes?, right? Well, Mr. Fordham and

Jerome, if you think that someone on the street isnt going to be grabbing at you and refusing

to give an inch because of the adrenalin pumping through his veins, youve got another thing

coming.

But, hey, some of you just dont have fun with the gi, and you know what, thats fine. It

really is. Obviously, dont even think of mentioning belt promotions, but its your Jiu Jistu,

Brutha. Enjoy yourself!


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Climb the Ladder Or Finish the Fight!

One of th e thin gs I, as a coach, pride myself on h ere at th e J u ngle

Gym is my success in getting beginners to move and trytechniques, while never burdening themselves with ego-ridden

stagnation. In English, my guys fight ! I dont at tr ibute t h is to

running a Gladiator School nor being a slave driver, but ra th er

to an analytical, sometimes scientific, approach to training and

learnin g. Wha t I ve designed with my Agenda Driven appr oach

to BJJ is basically give fighte rs (yes, if you didnt know, you are a

fighter!) two basic options at any moment while rolling/sparring:

Climb the Ladder or Finish the Fight! Climb the ladder refers toan improvemen t on t he position la dder (see Agenda Grid). At an y

given point you may find th at submission isnt an option . Its at

th at point th at improving position sh ould be your immediat e goal.

Obviously, finishing the fight is exactly that, getting the

submission. Ther e will be times when a su bmission pr esent s itself

and youll have a choice, do I go for the tap out or do I play more

conservatively and improve position? Well, for the most part the

situat ion will dicta te what s more appropria te . In t he fina ls of acompet ition, youre up by 2 points an d th eres 15 seconds left.

Maybe the flying t riangle youve been working on can wait ! But,

by the same t oken, youre in a back and fort h ma tch where time is

less of a concern, str etch h is ar m!

So, remem ber, th ere a re going t o be times wh en you need t o move

to a better position an d th ere a re times when you m ove to ta p, but,

no ma tt er wha ts happen ing, you always should be moving!


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Commitment, the Jiu Jitsu Lifestyle, and You

Well, Id imagine at this point youre all wondering what Im going to preach aboutnow. Unfortunately, I do feel a sermon coming on, so I apologize in advance! See, many of

us want to reap all the rewards that Jiu Jitsu has to offer. What rewards? Well, funny youshould ask, I just happen to want to cover some of them briefly.Self-defense, for one. Many of us were brought to the Jungle Gym with aspirations

of never getting your ass kicked again, and well, fo r some of you, youre well on your way.iu Jitsu certainly sways the odds in your favor during a confrontation and Im confident in

my ability to convey those skills to all of you.Fitness. Some of you have literally melted dozens of pounds off on the mats of the

ungle Gym. Others know that its just a matter of time. Whatever the case, Jiu Jitsu is oneof the most rigorous and physical activities one could do. The puddles on the mat after classwill attest to that!

Camaraderie. Everything in my life begins and ends with Jiu Jitsu. My career, mywife, my dreams, all begins with this sport of ours, this lifestyleof ours. Ive met the most

fascinating people in Jiu Jitsu. Ive been around the world competing and training. My lifesnetwork is a JiuJitsu network, and I wouldnt train it in for the world.

My point is there are infinite benefits to training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Ill spend my lifein pursuit of them, and what a fulfilling life it will be. Its a choice Ive made, and an easychoice it was. My question to you is: What role is Jiu Jitsu going to play in your life? See,there are those of us that are hooked from day one. We dream of Jiu Jitsu, we cringe at amissed day of training, and growing our Jiu Jitsu is usually on our mind 25 hours a day.Werea rare breed, but wed rather die than give up Jiu Jitsu. Most other people fall into thenext category: The Experimenters.

The experimenters are those who have a void that is initially filled by Jiu Jitsu. Theyhave fewer friends than they would like. They could stand to lose a couple of pounds. They

want to be able to hold their own in a scrap. Jiu Jitsu is their messiah at first. Its all abouttraining. They spend bank on BJJ accessories. They rack up a Jiu Jitsu video and instructionalcollection pretty quickly. They ride the wave of our sport to a point in their life where theyresatisfied. After some time, they could probably triangle an unsuspecting opponent.Theyve shed a few inches. And, maybe most importantly, theyve developed an extendedfamily thats gotten them through tough times, and whove equally needed help, too. Thisis where a sad thing happens. They QUIT!

Maybe its human nature. Maybe everybody is ultimately solely motivated by self-preservation. They just do for themselves. Its all too prevalent in Jiu Jitsu, and needs tostop. These people have passed on their void to the environment that nurtured them andhelped them to persist and reach their initial goals. They needed to lose a couple of pounds,

but ultimately left someone in the same situation with no shoulder to lean on. They wantedto perfect an armbar, but stranded the training partners that needed help of their own. Theycame looking for a family, but ultimately left a family looking for them.

Im a coach. Mylife is dedicated to holding the light to the path of my students. Thisgives me more joy than anything on this Earth. The problem is too often coaches need tomake sure someones walking the path. Jiu Jitsu will always be good to you. This transcendstheJungle Gym, techniques, competitions, etc. Just make sure youre good to Jiu Jitsu inreturn.


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Consistency

Its one of those sometimes elusive traits of a Jiu Jitsu fighter. It could be interpreted as a

plethora of things, but Ill deal with it as that which keeps your butt coming to class!

I have yet to meet a student who has nothing in his/her life other than Jiu Jitsu. No,

Ill venture to say that 100% of the people that train BJJ are always negotiating the

relationships between training and lifes other channels. I myself am having my first child,

running a business, and orchestrating a slew of projects on the side. In the midst of this, I

recently had to get ready for the ADCC Trials, and have to fight MMA in March. How on

Earth do we get it all done anddo our best when it comes to the mat or ring?

Id say being realistic is the best start. If you went to the store and tried to buy a

dollar soda for 15 cents, the cashier would laugh at you and youd know why. In Jiu Jitsu,

you must recognize that the progress you see is a direct resultof the training youve paid

for it. Those weeks you got five classes in are giving you five classes worth of progress, and

that week you couldnt make it? Lets just say you didnt get any better that week.

Now we all know that there are ways to maximize our training strategies, but the big

problem is when people place 5 times a week expectations on a once a week training

regimen. Its like trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents!


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Do You Have A Photographic Memory?

Well, chances are, the answer is a resounding No! I have some good news,

though, neither do I, and nor does anybody else Ive ever met in jiujitsu. So,

why do I ask? Its very simple: We are humans, not computers, and therefore

have always relied on some form of system to organize and store

information that is too great for us to memorize right off the bat. Do you

know the phone number of everyone of your friends and associates by heart?

Nah, you probably own a phone book. Would you ever try to explain your

favorite book to a friend, page by page, word for word. Nope, youd lend it to

them! So why then is it that most Jiujitsu students feel they can remember all

the techniques and concepts shown to them on their quests for better jiujitsu?

I havent the slightest idea because I, like many successful BJJ competitors andstudents, believe in the art of writing stuff down! Thats right, folks, when

you learn something new, whether it be an elaborate submission setup, or the

proper place to grab the lapel when trying a favorite technique, dont rely on an

admittedly inferior means of storing info... Get your self a pen and notebook

and write it down. How should you organize such a notebook? Well, ultimately,

the most comfortable format will be up to your own personal standards, but Ill

start you in the right direction: Make a list of all the positions we encounter in a

match/fight. You know, mount, top side, etc Then right down a list of

techniques you know from each position. This could grow into a section foreach position, with concepts and theories included. The next thing you know,

you can start to formulate the oh so important agenda from each position,

where you know what techniques you can try from each position, and you

avoid the disheartening stuck on stupid mode when rolling!

NOW BACK ON THE MAT!!!


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Dont step on the grasshoppers!In Kung FU, Blind Master Po gave Caine the nickname Grasshopper.

It was one of my favorite movies as a child and it teaches so many valuable

lessons. If you allow it to, that is. See, Caine, played by David Carradine, was a

pupil of Pos class at the legendary Shaolin Monastery. He showed little athletic

potential, but Po recognized what Caine could be with the proper guidance and

mentoring. It was through hard work that Caine became a Shaolin Master. The

Grasshopper had grown.

Well, you might ask, what the heck does this have to do with Jiu-Jitsu o

the Jungle Gym? It has everything to do with them! What so many of us fail to

realize when we learn JiuJitsu is that just as we are on our own path to discover

all the things our JiuJitsu can grow to be, so too, are the students around usstriving for discoveries of their own. Some are further down the road than we

are. But some are nothing more than Grasshoppers making their first steps

down their individual roads to achievement.

Im sure we can all remember the disenchanting, sometimes hopeless,

feeling that sometimes overcame us during those first few days and months.

Aww, Im never going to get better. Or, Man, how am I ever going to do

that? It was then that someone helped you out. Whether it was showing you a

detail that helped you perform a technique, or (contd on p2) maybe just a

motivating word after an otherwise dismal training day. The point is, when

times were tough, someone was there to help lift you up.

Well, let me ask you a question, whens the last time you helped

someone? Whens the last time you gave someone a pat on the back? Knowing

most of you as much as I do, Im willing to bet its no more than a class or two

ago that you lent a much needed hand to one of your brothers or sisters at the

ungle Gym. My goal with this writing is to identify your helps importance.

Many fail to realize that during a class, youre either helping to make the

class better or taking away from the class value. Its impo ssible to be aninvisible spectator in a class. Everyones affected by everyone. So, remember,

help your family out, and dont step on the grasshoppers!


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Fighter or Martial Artist?

When I first started to train Jiu Jitsu around four or so years ago, being agreat fighter was the pinnacle of studying a martial art. Having been through

many individual progressions and evolutions in the art, I can now tell you thatbeing a great fighter has a limited amount to do with the pinnacle of Brazilianiu Jitsu.

I often used to wonder how awesome it would be to be able to handleany attacker or opponent with superior Jiu Jitsu skills, and I still very muchbelieve this to be totally true. Whats changed is my definition of the wordHandle. When I first started, it represented the perfect armbar, or a slick andsneaky choke; But not anymore. I now define it as being above petty conflict.During those few occurrences recently where a problem was imminent, I wouldask myself, What am I going to do, break his arm? Put him in the hospital?Get arrested? Just because he thinks hes tough? He doesnt even know that Itrain Jiu Jitsu!

What would happen is that I painted the total picture in my mind, and Iwould come to the conclusion that I would be nothing more than a bully if Iwere to fight this person. I realized I didnt care if he thoughthe could beat meup. The fact was that he didnt, and I didnt get myself in trouble in the process.Nor did I compromise my integrity as aMartial Artist.

See, often at the Jungle Gym we talk about those three letters that willdestroy your Jiu Jitsu. E-G-O. Its the element of ones personality that

prevents them from the possibility of failure because it sways them away fromtrue obstacles; those obstacles, that when overcame, contribute to true progressin Jiu Jitsu. Ego makes us take on only those challenges that we can win. Ithelps us make excuses when we lose. Well. This directly translates to the pointof this article. Why fight on the street against somebody you know you couldbeat? Why use what youve worked so hard to develop on something sobeneath you? Anyone can swing at somebody else, never being concerned withthe consequences. I instead choose to handle them, avoiding conflict at allcosts. I usually smirk to myself when they walk away feeling like they just won atrophy, knowing that they are lucky they didnt run into a fighter, but a true

martial artist.


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Have Some Humble Pie!

Its that time of year when everyone starts following their diverse resolutions for the new year

and Ill take this opportunity to slip one in on you!

Assuming, of course, that if youre reading this you train at the Jungle Gym.Well, its

with great confidence, then, that Ill assume that this new year will be one of immense

improvement in your Jiu Jitsu. Youll be training hard and youll be noticing the increasing ease

with which youll be handling each new addition to our fam ily.

Its before this happens that Im taking the opportunity to request you remember your

roots. There was a time, whether here or elsewhere, that you began your grappling journey and

you knew nothing. You tried to grasp the concepts your more experienced teammates

exhibited with ease and they, in turn, tried their best to make your growth as comfortable as

possible. All of them, that is, except for those one or two guys that knew they could smash you,

and did as often as they could, only to make themselves feelbetter. You couldnt stand these

guys and, newsflash, neither could anyone else!

So its with a hopeful intention that I ask you to choose which teammate youll be to

your greener Jiu Jitsu brothers and sisters. Are you going to make yourself feel better by

showing off and bullying those who havent had the time in that you do, or are you going to

have yourself some good ole humble pie?


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19

How Far Can We Push You?

Ok, now what on earth is Coach talking about now? What does he mean we?Well, if this is what youre thinking, well, good. I want you to be anxious

to know what Im talking about, because this is going to be one of thosearticles thats going to require a great deal of interest in order to make adifference. See, we all know that the Jungle Gym is place built on the conceptof tough love. We all know that I want everything you have, then a littlemore. There have been days when you know you wouldve packed it in if it

werent for a suspicious look from me, or a tough love-driven commentfrom one of your teammates. This is the manifestation of what I had dreamedof when I first started the Jungle Gym, and I couldnt be prouder of the effortput forth by every one of you all. But now I want to open the door for the nextlevel. I think some of you are ready.

I started Jiu Jitsu with a fire I rarely saw in my peers, and my drive andhard work culminated in me being invited to Abu Dhabi, the most prestigiousno-gi grappling event in the world. Our Olympics, if you will. I didn't getthere by stopping when I was tired. I didnt get there by being a little sissy

when I got mat burn on my toes. I trained. Thats all. I didnt get discouragedwhen choked at a tournament. I didnt miss class to go to the beach. I trained.Thats all. I didnt take a week off until my elbows stopped hurting. I just wentto watch class if I couldnt move.

My dilemma now is I need to find a way to transfer that kind of drive to

my students. No, I dont think everyones going to be in AD any time soon.Shoot, you may not even care about reaching that level of competition. Buteach of you has the obligation, in my opinion, to reach something far more

valuable than Abu Dhabi; Your own potential.So I ask of you, what goes through your mind when I give you that

look when you tell me you cant go another round? Why do I ask so much ofyour efforts in class? Is it because I like being a slave driver? Is it because I likeseeing people throw up? Or maybe, just maybe, its my job to be your ownindividual mirror. Maybe I know you can go another round, maybe I knowyoull feel better about yourself if you push that little extra. Tell me, how far

can we push you?


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20

Ill Never Get it RightOr Will I?One of the feelings I remember most when I first started Jiu Jitsu is thinking,

Man, Im never going to get this stuff! Ill never be able to do those moves! It

was a very humbling experience but I think it was my competitive nature, if

anything, which got me over the hump, so to speak. I guess its a testament

to the powerful impression Jiu Jitsu makes on observers and beginners alike

that accounts for the feeling of novice hopelessness to which Im referring.

The bad thing about this is that it accounts for a lot of dropouts of those just

starting out, but the awesome thing is that its absolute nonsense. I have proof!

Brazilian jiu-jitsu was developed by a man, Helio Gracie, that couldnt

perform the more demanding techniques of traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu. In

other words, he was too small and too weak. His answer to this dilemma was toalter those techniques to some who is assumed to not have any of the favorable

athletic attributes. So, in other words, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is for the weak and

doofy! But wait, theres more.

In Brazil, the average time spent at each belt is around 2 years or so,

leaving the average time to acquire the black belt around 10 years! But thats

changing here in the states. The rate at which people are learning the art now is

sometimes a fraction of years past. Even I got my brown belt in a little over

three and a half years! Theres no more ridiculous time table on progress in this

art and it doesnt stop there.

The way the art is taught nowadays is improving by the week and

techniques of coaching have been brought from all different sports and

subjects to help make the road to Jiu Jitsu success a short one. The structure

and format of cutting edge schools (like the Jungle Gym) are much more

evolved than traditional schools and the progress of its students are what

schools of the past could only have dreamed for!

So, in conclusion, youve all heard me say this many times but Ill say it

again, hopefully more convincingly:The hardest part of Jiu Jitsu is showingup to class. Ive got it from there!


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21

Intensity

Descriptions often fall sort of adequately expressing its impressive power. No, INTENSITY needs

to be shown and, in turn, experienced. Often, when it comes to competitions, people confuse

what their perspective on competing should be with what intensity they should have

during competition. Now, some choose to compete even keeled, not trying to get themselves

to excited, while others choose to exhibit a lot more energy and want to psyche themselves

up.

I, for one, believe that competition makes us better and we need to always challenge ourselves,

regardless of whether we win or not. I truly believe that its the challenge itself that has value.

But do not confuse this with a poor mindset going into a match! Every time you get ready to

compete the thoughts its OK if I lose or I hope I do well should NEVER enter your mind.Thats the stuff you tell yourself before you leave your house that morning, or the weeks

leading up to the competition. If you try to tell yourself that on the mat, you believe you should

lose! Whenever you step on the mat to compete, there should be nothing but positive thoughts

in your mind. Imagine your son or brother was going to compete, would you say dont worry,

its ok to lose? Of course not! Well, you need to treat your self-talk the same way. Tell

yourself that youre ready, hungry, and youre going to beat this guy no matter what! That, my

friend, is being intense!


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22

It Doesnt Matter If I Win or Lose? Really?

Ya know, in all my years of competition, whether it be wrestling, football, basketball,

or, yes, even Jiu Jitsu, the only thing that was always on my mind was that there was no way

anyone could say I didnt give100%. Yeah, I know, corny as hell, but it couldnt possibly betruer.

Maybe I was raised this way, maybe I was blessed with great mentors when it came

to competition, or maybe it just made sense to me. Either way, Justin Garcia has never been

accused ofquitting. Ive never even thought of giving anything but 100% because, if you

think about it, the ONLY thing you can control is your effort! Now, dont get me wrong,

there were days when things just didnt go the way it was planned. There were days when I

was flat out disgusted with the way I performed, but thats just a competitor trying to be

competitive. Nothing more!

One of the things that Ive deduced over my years of competing and coaching is thatthe only reason one refuses to compete is the worst three letter word in the English

language: EGO. Yep. Thats it. And I absolutely believe in this 100%! See, in a world where

status is where its at, and being the best is everybodys dream, we sometimes lose sight of

reality. Theres always going to be someone better than us. Always. But, to keep things

positive, theres always going to be something we can do to make ourselves better. Maybe

its staying those last ten minutes to get a round or two more of rolling. Maybe its getting

your butt off the couch and forcing yourself to class. Maybe its putting the cake down! (Im

guilty myself!) But the point is, there is only so much we can control, and so many times in

competition its the things we have NO control over that decide the outcome!

Now some would say, So what youre saying is that we cant control who wins andloses? Absolutely not! What Im trying to convey is that the beauty of competition is its

ability to test you against yourself! How hard did I try? How much effort did I give? Those

are the things that should decide victory and failure.

One of my favorite things in my dealings with the kids is advising them what to do in

the case of Bullying. Im sure weve always heard, maybe even said, that the best way to

deal with a bully is to stand up to him, win or lose. Either way, we say, the bully will know

he cant pick on you without being stood up to. Well, my friends, you are the kid, and EGO

is bullying the hell out of you!


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23

The Jiu Jitsu Agenda Revisited

Its been m ont hs since some of you ha ve been in tr odu ced t o

the concept of the Agenda and the pitfalls of the dreaded stuck

on stupid mode. My question to you is, well, hows it going? See,

Im a hu ge fan of instr uction als, an even bigger fan of self

improvement programs, but there has always been one problem

with my inter actions with th ese th ings. I a lways seem t o just filter

out the things I deem useful, and discard the rest. The reason I

see this as a problem is that t he a pproach ma y find its way int o

my dealings with other things that may need a little more

adherence the whole program. Ironically enough, the agenda is

one su ch pr ogram !

I really want t o avoid the avera ge student here at th e J un gle

Gym just sort of listening to what I have to say, and then just

discar ding wha t t hey deem u nimport an t. Remember, youve all

ent ru sted m e with t he job of tea ching you jiujitsu an d subm ission

grappling. I cert ainly do not wa nt to offer a par tial pr oduct!

I understand that the setup of the agenda may be a little

ba ffling a t fir st , an d don t wor ry Im proba bly goin g to be crea t in g

a booklet t o do th at job for you , but I cant str ess enough to you to

benefits of organizing your techniques. No, more than simply

organizing your techniques, remember, the agenda will intensify,

solidify, an d enh an ce your jiujitsu !


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24

Lets Not Make A Bad Situation Worse!

Oh my god!!!! How do I get this guy off of me?!?!?! Ha-Ha, weve all

been there, and with varying degrees of success. You know, youve fought with

every ounce of skill and effort to stop this monster from passing your guard

and, BOOM, hes hugging your ribs like he wants them for dinner!

Now, some would say you should just relax and try to escape. Some

would suggest working on your guard. Some would say tap when youre about

to pee yourself. I would say none of the above!

One of the brilliant strategies my friend Lloyd Irving had suggested

once sums up what I figured out in my early white belt days the most. He

suggested that, when in a horrifying position, not to panic (duh!), but to repeat

a positive mantra if you will to keep you in a PRODUCTIVE frame ofmind. Im the best in the world at this position is what I believe he said, and

he couldnt be more right!

The problem with weak positions is that we lose sight of what we know.

Not only that, but we lose sight of logic itself! We start getting down on

ourselves on how were never going to get out, we cant breathe, were gonna

die!!!!!

Of course Im being humorous, but Im sure Im not too far off of

shared experiences, no? Well, unfortunately, sometimes we have to develop ougames from the inside out. We learn how to get our guards back first, then how

to make it harder to pass, then how to sweep. Etc The end result is a full

agenda from all positions, even the deadly ones! Give it a try!


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25

Lightbulb Moments

You all know the moment: Youve been trying to get a move for weeks, only to be frustrated by the

absence of that one detail that brings it together. That one little step that makes the difference between

your opponent tapping from you or laughing at you! Then, when youve forgotten about it, or even

when youre busy being frustrated from something else entirely...BAM! You hit the original move

flawlessly! You mentally let out a big Ohhhhhhhh and you realize the previous error of your ways.

Well, Jiu Jitsu is filled with these Lightbulb Moments and they should always be taken and

absorbed in the context of which theyre intended. Youll always find that a technique that is frustrating

you should be abandoned for a while. Get it off the plate of anger and into the bowl of patience. Let

your subconscious deal with it for a while and youll be surprised at how efficient your brain can be.

Never give up on a move. Give it over to your brains hidden workers and let the lightbulbmoments shine!


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26

Ma k e J iu J i t su Your Ow n !

In a ll my year s of pra cticing Bra zilian J iu J itsu Ive met p eople whove had BJ J all over th e

spectrum of priority in th eir lives. Everyone from the guy who want s to lose some weight , to

Royce Gracie whos been raised on the mat. The one t hing t ha t Ive foun d in comm on in

most of th e people Ive met is th eir a cceptan ce of th e role BJJ plays in th eir lives, an d th e

eagern ess to still rea p its ben efits.

J iu Jitsu is so mu ch more tha n simply a ma rtial art . Even calling it a lifest yle

seems la cking t o me. For me its a lways been t he wa y Ive discovered t he cha llenges to

improve my character and learn about myself. There were times that training allowed me

to escape stressful days (Can you say pregnant wife?), and there were also day s where Ive

used m y knowledge of BJ J to put a smile on someones face. There were t imes when th e

ma ts weren t so friendly, an d I ha d to realize tha t sometimes even if I tried my best, victory

was out of reach. Ive met some of my dea rest friend s, my wife included, through J iu Jitsu,

an d ha ve traveled all over the world becau se J iu J itsu is a pa rt of my life.

Now, obviously BJ J ma y be a little more importa nt t o some who ma kes a living with

it as I do, but my point, the bigger picture that is, is the art we've come to love does many

th ings for ma ny people. Be it a place to meet new people, the m ean s to push your self like n o

other aspe ct of your life does, or t o give you t he t ools for t he r ing, ma ke J iu J itsu your own,

an d use our J ungle Gym t o do it!


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Organ ize Your Chao s!

When I first star ted tr aining with weights I endu red th e same u seless

education as probably most of you. Well, maybe useless is a tad bit harsh,

bu t pret ty freakin g la me is abou t as soft as I get . You see, I sta r ted in theearly nineties and, back then, there was one thing on every gym rats

min dBODYBUILDING! Wha ts wrong with th at , you sa y? Quit e simply,

peop le star ted worrying abou t Traps, Abs , and bein g HUGE . Th e ba d

end of th at was th ey stopped worrying about Sta bility, Balance, Power.

Wha t Ive made my profession is the Debra inwa sh ing an d

Rebrainwa shin g of todays a th letes. This is th e first of man y inst allment s

on wha t I like to not-so-hu mbly call

The ChimChim Workout.

Now many people believe in many different philosophies, mostsomehow reaching a common bottom line, athletic performance. Imagine a

ten t in th e desertjust go with itwith m an y differen t direction from which

it could be rea ched. Doesnt m at ter how you get t her e, as long a s you do. A

different ap proach doesnt n ecessar ily a wr ong one, bu t, cha nce forbid, you

DO get wrong directions.youre dea d. So read wha t I ha ve to say with as

open a mind a s your brain wash ed one could mu ster , and, when youre done, I

dont wan t a ny messiah ta lk. I get em ba rr assed very easily.

In a nutshell, my goals in the weight room are simple; Stronger

Longer. That means I want to not only maintain the strength I have over agreater period of time, I also want to continuously increase the limit of that

strength. (contd on back) I dont care how ma ny abs I ha ve,

or h ow th in my skin is. If I ha ve to make weight, an d th at s th e only reason I

weigh myself, I ta ilor m y eatin g, not my liftin g.

What exercises are best? What machines? What rest period?

Well, the purpose of this article is to convey a ph ilosophy, not a particular

work out or regimen. Let me sta rt by saying th e only time I use ma chin es is to

either rehab an injured muscle movement (i.e.: Machine Military Press after

straining an AC joint with a tight Americana), or when the bodyweight/free

weight version of a movement is too advanced (i.e.: Lat pulldown machine for

a per son who can t do a pu ll-up). The reason for this is I WANT TO DO THE

WORK! Our muscles have two primary functions, stabilize weight, and then

move it. If we ha ve the m achine h old it for u s, why n ot just ha ve it do the set

for you also?! Our bodies are strongest when they can stabilize as much as

th ey can lift, so lets lift t ha t wa y.


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FIN

Martial Musings of a Master

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