How often do you train jiu jitsu? How often do you WANT to train? Examining the discrepancies

I am lucky to get to train jiu jitsu a lot. On average, I put in 1 long jiu jitsu training session, 6 days a week. But I think I am even luckier that I WANT to train as often as I do.

Meaning, I almost never drag myself to the mats when I don’t feel like it. Because I feel like training just about every day. To illustrate, enjoy this helpful diagram:

I should feel happy to have hit this sweet spot of training frequency bliss, right? Well, I'll let you in on a secret. There are people out there that train more than I do. And knowing this gives me anxiety.

Example: It’s New Year’s Day! There are 3 local open mats, occurring at different times. I attend one and feel good about myself for training on a holiday. Until my friends decide to go to ALL 3!! ::insert compulsive, guilt-ridden anxiety attack::

To put my feelings in perspective, I polled my Facebook friends about their training. I posted the following question:

“On average, how often do you train? Choose from the following: A) As often as I want. B) Less often than I want. C) More often than I want (I push myself to train when I don’t feel like it)."

Here’s what I found:

Of the folks who responded, only 21% reported training as often as they want. What do these folks have in common?  A love for training and an opportunity and desire to do so frequently. Here are some of their comments:

“I always feel like training.”
 
“My motivation is that I love it and that it’s the most fun thing in the world!”

 “Most of the time, I am able to get 2 a day in on weekdays and 1 a day on weekends.”

“@50 hrs of mat time per week. Love my life.”    (This inspired the below comment from his teammate, a category B-er).

I most often belong in this group. I have a lifestyle and family structure that make daily training an easy option. For me, having a flexible job, a spouse that trains, and no kids are big factors that enable me to train as often as I want, without sacrificing other priorities. 

But for a lot of folks, training that much is difficult. The largest group of respondents (68%) reported training less often than desired.  Work, kids, partners that don’t train, school, injuries, availability of training space and partners, and distance from the gym are the most frequent limiting factors.

Here are a few of the issues:

“Work, life, and jiu-jitsu balance.”

“Recovery…Training while still sore makes me slower, less precise, and injury prone. The last thing I want to do is drill that way.”

“School. I have to budget in training time and work around studying and hospital hours. Sometimes it's frustrating and I feel like I haven't progressed in months, but any training is better than no training at all!”

“I had disk surgery and it's hard to explain to people why I don't feel comfortable doing some techniques. I'm scared of being re-injured.”

While I mostly reside in blissful group A, I drop in on group B from time to time. I get motivated to ramp up my training before big tournaments. But when I add additional rolling sessions to my regimen, my joint health takes a toll. My knees, wrists, and elbows get grumpy without enough rest. While my muscles are still able to recover quickly from high impact sessions, my joints behave like petulant 2-yr-old assholes.

I'm stealing this meme from my above group B friend. But this captures exactly how I feel about my soon-to-be-35-yr-old-joints.

In the last group, 18% of respondents train more often than they want to. In other words, they push themselves to train even when they don’t feel like it. (If you are a smarty pants math geek who noticed that my percentages add up to more than 100%, please note that some people placed themselves into more than 1 category).

Here’s what drives people to train, even when they don’t wanna:

“I always feel better after having trained.”

“BJJ combats my PTSD...plus, I have the invite to so many training sessions with really, really good guys that I just can't say no.”

“There are plenty of times where coming home after a long day could very easily result in total couch implosion, but I drag my sorry ass to train b/c I know I will always be happier about it after the fact (even if the couch is using its full, tantalizing power).”

“What drives me to go even when I don't feel like it is just being in the routine and putting it on my weekly planner and knowing I'll probably be glad I went afterward.”

So, where does your training fit in? Are you able to train as often as you would like? Like me, do you ever feel anxiety when others train more than you do? Post comments below!

Women's self defense and rape prevention: 1975 vs. 2016

I eat lunch at a co-op a couple of times a week, where there is a book exchange shelf sponsored by the local library. There I stumbled upon this:

As you know, I think women's self defense is awesome. I took one look at the 70's pants and was immediately curious. How have the concepts of women's self defense changed over the past 40+ years?

I began reading with a look how far we've come attitude. And, yes, I do believe that the Western world is a better and safer place for women now than it was in 1975, when the book was written. The clothing on the cover is certainly dated. But I wondered - how far removed is the advice in the book from what we get today?

Women today have access to a lot of resources. There are plenty of legitimate sources of self defense to choose from, such as the Gracie Jiu Jitsu school where I train. But there is also plenty of outdated, bogus, victim-blaming, or just plain bad self defense advice still circulating.

So let's play a little game. For each of the pairs below, one is from the above 1975 book and one is from a source from the last 10 years. There is some sound advice mixed in with some not-so-sound advice. Can you tell which quote from each pair is from the modern era? The answer key is at the bottom.

1. On safety for single woman
A) "Single women should never place their full name on a mailbox - your first and middle initial may be used, not 'Miss,' 'Ms' or 'Mrs'."

B) "Single women, because they are often obligated only to care for themselves, are able to experience being frivolous and free. This is all part of being an independent female and should not be impaired by well-meaning friends and relatives who are so archaic as to believe that a woman without the company of a man should not venture out into the streets alone. The key to a single woman's safety is not a man but common sense."    

2. On taking responsibility for preventing rape 
A) "Police are constantly astounded by the stupidity of us women. They claim that the majority of attacks on women could by remedied by 'common sense'."
B) "Use the Buddy System! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from raping women, ask a trusted friend to accompany you at all times."

3. On studying self defense
A)  "Eliminating dangers at home, at work, on the street, and in your car, and recognizing and avoiding these dangers by running, talking and screaming are the first two strategies employed in women's self defense. The only time you will ever use the third strategy, fighting, is when your life or health is in danger."  
B)  "Practice self-defense. Knowing in advance how you would respond to a physical threat greatly increases your chances of escape. Anyone can learn self-defense and classes are often available free or at a low cost through schools and community context."

4. On dress and hairstyle
A) "The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets."
B) "When you go on a date, wear appropriate clothing. Wearing a super short skit with a man who you hardly know may be too inviting for him. A pantsuit is a wiser alternative."

5. On using bodily fluids as a weapon
A) "Tell your attacker that you have a disease or are menstruating. Vomiting or urinating may also convince the attacker to leave you alone."
B) "Pretending you are ill is a clever tactic toward diverting his interests. Developing menstrual cramps (which men don't really understand anyway!) and nausea should ward him off. If he's a persistent devil, you could even resort to simulating a coughing or vomiting spell." 

6. On using your teeth
A) "...if he picks you up and begins carrying you away, you could bite off his ear. Don't just nibble on it - he may get the wrong impression!"
B) "Without a doubt, using your teeth can be a formidable weapon, something a self-defense course or self-defense instructor may forget to include. Nothing wrong at all with traditional self-defense methods like punches, kicks, ground-defenses and such. Just don't forget that clawing, biting and piercing screams may be just as effective!"

7. On posting vacation plans
A) "There may be a better way to say 'Rob me, please' than posting something along the lines of: 'Count-down to Maui! Two days and Ritz Carlton, here we come!' on [a social networking site]. But it's hard to think of one."
B) "Don't announce that you are going away on the social page of the newspaper. This may undo all the careful precautions you have taken to fool potential burglars."

8. On dealing with flashers 
A) "Should you see an exhibitionist or a 'weenie wagger'...your wisest tactic is to ignore the man and call the police. Do not laugh at him or make demeaning comments - 'Sorry, sir, but I haven't time to deal with your shortcomings'."
B) "If confronted by a flasher, try to leave the situation as quickly and calmly as possible, without giving him the reaction he seeks. Keep moving - away. If you react, give him an exaggerated eye roll, give him an expression or snort of disgust, or call him a loser, then tell him you are calling 911. Then call 911 as soon as possible."

9. On hitchhiking
A) "Many experts believe that rape is increasing as a direct result of female hitchhikers."
B) "Hitchhiking can be a good way to improve your conversation skills. Often drivers pick up hikers to have some conversation on an otherwise long and lonely trip." 

10. On meeting men in bars
A) "A woman who goes to a bar, meets a man, and goes home with him to his apartment is putting herself in jeopardy. The man could rape, rob, and murder her  - all because of her carelessness." 
B) "Watch the bartender as he or she pours your drink. To be extra safe, drink wine instead of a cocktail. Mixed drinks take longer to make. You could be easily distracted and miss the bartender (who could be working with the predator) or someone else slipping something into your drink."

11. On changing your mind about sex
A) "It doesn’t matter if your partner thinks you meant yes, or if you’ve already started having sex – you have the right to change your mind about participating in sexual activity at any time. No one has the right to control your body but you."
B) "A woman who sexually excites a man and then stops him, claiming she's 'not that kind of girl' deserves to be raped and sometimes is."

12. On handling dangerous children
A) "If you are confronted by a group of small children who harass you verbally, simply ignore them. If that fails, try to talk to them in an authoritative manner to find out what they want. If you feel that you are really in danger, it is best to comply with their demands. If you cannot comply, flail your arms and legs and scream karate cries. Lead them to believe you are a black-belt wonderwoman."
B) I could not find a modern counterpoint to this piece of advice, but it was too priceless not to include. 

Here are the answers for the rest of the pairs. The quotes from the modern era are:
1. A: 2006 http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/mar/16safe.html 
2. B: 2013 http://canyourelate.org/2011/05/24/rape-prevention-tips/ 
3. B: 2015 http://well.wvu.edu/articles/tips_for_preventing_sexual_assault
4. A: 2013 http://www.examiner.com/article/rape-prevention-tips-every-woman-should-know  
5. A:  2013 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Department of Public Safely 
6. B: 2011 http://womensselfdefensetips.blogspot.com/2011/02/taking-bite-out-of-crime.html  
7. A: 2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/01/what-not-to-post-on-facebook_n_764338.html 
8. B: 2015 http://walking.about.com/od/medfirstaid/a/exhibitionists.htm 
9. B: 2016 http://wikitravel.org/en/Tips_for_hitchhiking 
10. B: 2013 http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/advice/a4364/safety-tips-every-woman-should-know/  
11. A: 2015 http://www.dallasrapecrisis.org/what-we-do/was-i-raped/   

Women's self defense concepts and attitudes have come a long way, but clearly there is room for improvement. Just remember, when in doubt, flail about, scream karate cries, and act like a black-belt wonderwoman.   

Toro BJJ's 12 days of Christmas workout

The Holidays can be a stressful time for all of us - visits with relatives, traffic at the mall, scrambling to pick up last minute gifts and - if you're a compulsive grappler like myself - cancelled jiu jitsu classes.

Now, hold your reindeer. It is still possible to get in some high quality, high rep drilling. Grab a partner and some mat space and give this 12 days of Christmas workout a try. 

It works like an ascending ladder. You start with 1 rep of move 1, then you do 2 reps of move 2+1 rep of move 1. Then you do 3+2+1, then 4+3+2+1 and so forth. The numbers correspond to the move you are drilling, but they also represent the number of reps. Your last round will be 12+11+10+9+8+7+6+5+4+3+2+1

Here is the workout (bonus points if you sing the song while you drill!).

Toro BJJ's 12 days of Christmas workout:

1. An omoplata for me

2. Standing sweeps

3. Take downs

4. Guard openers

5. Back escapes
6. Arms a draggin
7. Guards a passin
8. Foots a lockin

9. Legs a trianglin
10. Arms armbarrin
11. Sweeps from kneeling
12. Side mount escapes

 

I gave this workout a test grapple and it took an hour fifteen minutes for just one partner. If time is an issue, you can split legs of the ladder with your training parnter.

Other tips:

- go at a quick pace and stand in base each time you get up. By the end of the session, your legs will be toast

- pick and choose the techniques you want to work on. If you have a particular triangle setup that you want to incorporate into your game, maybe you choose that for each round of "legs a trianglin." Don't feel like you need 9 different setups

- For "guards a passin," have your partner set up different open guards. Then, you recognize and execute the appropriate passes

- To maximize the cardio benefit, commit the song to memory before you start or have a handy printout near by

Give the workout a try! 

**You may notice the extremely well dressed grappling dummies in the photos. My sponsor Toro BJJ has been very good to me this year.  Check out their awesome gear for your last minute shopping and support the company that supports me! Toro BJJ

 

Mansplaining: what it is, what it isn't, and how to not be THAT guy

Lately I have been thinking about the issue of mansplaining. What is that, you ask? Basically, it's an assumption of the incompetence of women, often in careers and subjects traditionally dominated by men, and the subsequent effort of men to "help" women by explaining to them what's going on.

Think about a woman who is well versed in car maintenance, has read her Consumer Reports, and knows exactly what she wants in her new car. But the salesman, instead of discussing performance specs like he does with his male customers, explains to her what horsepower means and then shows her where each of the nine cup holders are in the car. Without gauging her actual automotive knowledge, he gives her a sales pitch that is technically watered down from what he gives male customers. 

I was discussing mansplaining with some of the guys who I train with and they had never heard of the term. So I asked some other jiu jitsu women to help me explain it. Nikki-Lea Miller has a great, succinct answer:  "If he wouldn't explain it to a guy but feels the need to explain it to a woman, it's probably mansplaining."

Rachael Ayanami furthers the definition. "Mansplaining is NOT thoughtful, constructive criticism from a man who knows about whatever subject he is trying to educate a woman about. Mansplaining is men who are dismissive of women's thoughts and opinions simply because they're women. Mansplainers often think women don't know as much about a subject because they're women, even if the mansplainer knows nothing about the subject."

In my 5+ years of training, I've witnessed mansplaining now and again and have been on the receiving end of it once or twice. But it's not a pervasive problem at my school or the schools that I regularly visit. But it got me wondering - how big of a problem is it for jiu jitsu women as a whole? I polled some women who train to find out.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), the women polled reported more mansplaining in their professional lives than on the jiu jitsu mats. In fact, "bluebeltsplaining" may be a more pervasive problem in jiu jitsu than mansplaining. However, a few women shared some pretty annoying tales of the latter. I'll share a few here:   

"I have had white belts, NEW white belts to be precise, immediately jumping to coach me or remind me what's next, without me asking them first because for whatever reason I paused during a drill and they think I'm hesitating. Then we roll and I can see they're surprised and even getting frustrated by getting controlled or not being able to get a submission. They just assumed oh, she is woman, she doesn't know, she didn't get it, she needs 'help'." - Anonymous

"On a no gi night, a male white belt who had been doing BJJ for a few months talked me through each move we were drilling, never considering that I might know these things too, let alone that I might be more familiar. Then it was time to roll, before failing to arm bar me he said, 'Sorry I'm about to do this to you.' I escaped that stupid arm bar very easily. I've been doing jiu jitsu for three years and am a blue belt." -Amy Rose

"Another situation I have encountered is when guys (same rank) keep telling me how I should be doing a technique during open choice drilling, without even asking if I would care to learn another way to do it. So it is just them assuming I'm doing it wrong and never stopping to consider that I'm doing a variation more suitable to my game, strength, height/weight...or that they just haven't learned that technique or variation to begin with!" - Anonymous

Brown belt Liz Sussan sees mansplaining from an instructor's point of view. "It's the over-helpful guy, with the help directed toward women in class. As if women are in need of help in ways that men are not. In these cases, you don't see the 'helpful' man looking over and offering advice, tips, and teaching other men. You see them giving all of this 'help' to women. As if the women won't get it without the extra help or can't figure it out on their own. The women aren't seeking extra help, the 'helpful' guy assumes that his assistance is better than her mind. In the broader sense, men are left to struggle in BJJ while often women are given constant 'helpful' tips from the men around them, as if they don't get to experience the struggle too, or like it's not okay for them to struggle. As an instructor, I see huge value in the student having to expend mental energy to remember the steps while drilling or needing a few reps to get the movement correct...Women shouldn't be seen as people always in need of assistance or help. That extends outside of BJJ."

Liz's comments made me examine my own behavior. If I am honest with myself, I'll admit I'm much nicer to new women then I am to new guys at my gym. Often with brand new women, I try to flow with them and offer encouragement; with new men, I'm more likely to try to submit them right off the bat. What accounts for my own double standard? It may be that I remember how hard it is to be a new woman in jiu jitsu so I want to be as helpful and welcoming as possible. But by denying women their just due white belt struggle, I may be doing them a disservice.

Stephanie Fitz does not excuse mansplaining, but gives a possible explanation for its prevalence among new white belts - "I also think there is an odd mixture in BJJ of some white belt guy's assumption that women might know less about BJJ and also their fear - fear of physically hurting her, touching her in an inappropriate manner, loosing to her and being shamed. I think this type of fear makes lots of white belt guys' first few rolling sessions with women a bit awkward and also that the fear brings out the mansplaining as way of them trying to control that fear."

So how do you know if you fall within the category of the dreaded mansplainer? You might be a mansplainer if...

- you are male and duck partners of your own size, strength, and skill in order to "help" the new women
- you are male but have either attended, been denied entry to, or been kicked out of a women's open mat or a women's self defense class
- you are male and frequently ask women to roll and they say no. Women whom you have never rolled with also refuse to roll with you. (This doesn't necessarily mean you are a mansplainer. It might mean you are spazzy, creepy, or stinky. But mansplaining is one possibility).
- when a woman teaches class, you fill in extra details for her or demonstrate your own approach to the technique while she is teaching 
- you are male and you feel like there are women at your school who write blogs about you. (Haha! Kidding).


You probably are not mansplainer if...*
- you give equal value to your male and female training partners
- while drilling, you help your (male and female) training partners fill in details they may have missed from instruction. They do the same for you and there is mutual appreciation
- female training partners frequently want to roll with you. They tell visiting women that you are someone who is good to roll with
- after rolling, when your partner asks for feedback or asks how you got a certain move, you gladly provide insight. When the situation is reversed, they reciprocate. With your best partners, you might give feedback without being explicitly asked, but it is still well appreciated

*I am not trying to instill the fear of mansplaining into my awesome male training partners. You know you are awesome. I'm not talking about you.

Food for thought: Is there a female equivalent to mansplaining behavior? Is there an underlying assumption of the incompetence of men when it comes to child rearing and domestic duties?  To all the competent, thoroughly involved dads out there, have you ever felt "momsplained"  by moms (or others) who assume that you are clueless about how to run a house or raise a kid?

Watch this video and tell me what you think.

Jiu jitsu practioner dies 2 days after rear naked choke

A while back, I wrote a blog about the medical risks associated with being choked during jiu jitsu - Jiu jitsu and "the choking game" - so just how dangerous is it to be choked unconscious? The risk of developing a stroke after a jiu jitsu choke is very slight, but it is described here:

I asked Jason Goldsmith, a pharmacology Ph.D. who is finishing his MD and also runs a martial arts school. "Any strong choke (that can generate a tap), has roughly the same risk whether it makes someone go unconscious or not," he says. "The big risk is causing a stroke, from a cholesterol plaque being dislodged from your carotid artery and wedging itself in your brain." He refers to this as a caratoid embolism leading to an ischemic stroke. "This is a "normal" mechanism of stroke," he continues. "It occurs outside of grappling. With chokes there is some very small increase in risk of this occurring...as for going unconscious there is no added risk from that, unless someone holds the choke for 30+ seconds after they pass out. Then you worry about brain damage."

Unfortunately, this unlikely scenario has claimed the life of a jiu jitsu practitioner in Brazil. During jiu jitsu practice, Napoleon Jose Alves was choked with a rear naked choke and did not feel well subsequently. He went to the hospital, where he was sent away for not having a real emergency and was asked to come back another day. When he later returned to the hospital, it was found that he had suffered a stroke and he unfortunately died from complications of that stroke. Jiu Jitsu Times has an article about this sad course of events:  32 Years Old Jiu-Jitsu Practitioner In Brazil Dies 2 Days After A Choke

I can't help but wonder if the outcome would have been different if Alves' complaints were taken more seriously and if he had received prompt medical attention. The American Stroke Association has a saying: "Time lost is brain lost."  While our risk is small, jiu jitsu practitioners should be aware of the signs of stroke and should seek prompt, medical treatment if they recognize any of these in themselves or in their training partners.

First, look for the following:

Beyond F.A.S.T., The American Stroke Association lists the following signs of a stroke:

• "Sudden numbness or weakness of the leg, arm or face

• Sudden confusion or trouble understanding
   
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
   
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
   
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause"

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/


Napoleon Jose Alves did the right thing by seeking immediate medical attention, but unfortunately he did not receive the prompt care that he sought. Death due to stroke is very rare in the jiu jitsu community, but it is important that any signs of stroke be treated as a medical emergency. My thoughts are with Alves and his family during this time.

Training jiu jitsu with the drooling stare-bees, better known as ADHD: a survival guide

Growing up, I had what my family called "the drooling stare-bees." The name is pretty self-explanatory. I basically I zoned out and stared off in space a lot, oblivious to what was going on around me. (No, I didn't actually drool, except once when on a bus at Disney World).

Now, as an adult who works with kids with special needs,  I realize that what I had was likely a case of undiagnosed ADHD. When you think of ADHD, you probably picture a hyperactive boy, wired as if on a constant sugar rush. But here's the thing: Just as many girls have ADHD as boys do, but boys are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed. Why? Attention issues present in different, less obvious, and less disruptive ways in girls. I found a good overview of the issue with: Girls and ADHD: Are You Missing the Signs? Here's a quote:

“'ADHD doesn’t show up in the same ways in girls,' says Kathleen Nadeau, a clinical psychologist in Silver Spring, Maryland, and coauthor of Understanding Girls with AD/HD. For instance, girls are much less likely to display hyperactive or impulsive symptoms. Instead, they may just appear 'spacey,' unfocused, or inattentive." In other words, they are less disruptive in the classroom and find ways to compensate for their attention deficits, often times still performing well in school.

Unfortunately, I still suffer from the drooling stare-bees, even during a highly motivating activity like jiu jitsu. Attending for an hour long class is doable with moderate effort, but a three hour seminar? Forget about it. I had a major zone out moment at a recent seminar, after my mind had reached its capacity. When it came time to drill the technique I had spaced through, I had no idea what to do. Several people came over and tried to help me, but I just got more frustrated. I wasn't getting it. I finally gave up and hid in bathroom to escape until the next technique was taught.

Incidents like these don't happen to me that often, because I've developed some strategies to help me focus on jiu jitsu instruction. (I also have strategies in place for other attention related tasks, like finding my car in a mall parking lot). Give these a try if you too are a spacey grappler:

Take notes: just the act of note taking keeps me engaged in the subject matter. While the instructor is talking, writing keeps me actively involved, while my body is keeping still. I used to take notes during class, but now I mostly reserve it for longer seminars. I'm less likely to zone out when I take notes but if I do, at least I have a resource to consult later.

Ask questions: I try to digest information as it is presented and then ask myself "where might this break down?" and "how will I apply this in my game?" Breaking the move down focuses my attention on the technique. I try to ask questions because that too keeps me immersed in the subject matter. Some of my questions may seem dumb: if I thought about it enough, I could probably figure out the answer myself. But thinking critically and engaging with my instructor keeps my mind from wandering and keeps me attuned to the topic as it is presented.

Seek multi-sensory input: Sometimes I am the ranking person in class and am asked to be the instructor's uke. I can have a harder time attending when I am the uke because I am losing a major source of information - visual.  Since I am aware of my tendancy to drift, I am never shy about asking to see the move on someone else. In the end, receiving multi-sensory input (kinesthetic + visual) is better than receiving information from only one source. When I have the opportunity to both feel and see a technique, I experience input from multiple sources and am able to stay better engaged.

Do you ever have trouble attending to instruction? If so, what strategies do you use to stay engaged? Feel free to leave your own experiences and tips in the comments below. 

How to safely train heel hooks and other advanced techniques

There's a reason that certain techniques are reserved for advanced ranks in most competitions - these techniques are considered the most dangerous. Either because a) there is a shortened window for tapping before injury occurs or b) the effects of not tapping in time are more devastating than those of most techniques or c) both a and b.

Heel hooks, neck cranks, cervical locks, bicep/calf slicers, and flying scissor take downs all fall in the category of advanced (usually no gi) techniques.

While I learned a few of these techniques as a white belt (the heel hook is part of the fundamental curriculum at my school), it wasn't until recently, as a mid level purple belt, that I began rolling for these during training. Why? Well, safety is really important to me. I've been an athlete all my life and the threat of a possible game-changing injury is quite intimidating. Even more than I want to win, I want to train smartly so I can train for a long, long time.

But, these techniques are legal for me in the no gi division for local and regional tournaments and not training them was doing me no favors. To stay competitive, I had no choice but to begin to train techniques outside my comfort zone. Here's a guide on how I stayed safe and gradually grew more comfortable with advanced submissions:

Communicate with your training partners
I never assume that advanced techniques are on the table. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but I always ask my partner before rolling for advanced submissions. I also ask that we not crank on them. Yes, it gets tedious to have this conversation over and over again, but safety is worth this extra step.

Choose your training partners wisely
When I first began playing with advanced techniques, there were exactly 3 regular training partners whom I felt comfortable rolling for these with. These were 3 folks whom I felt very confident would not hurt me and also 3 folks whom I would have no qualms tapping quickly to because they tap me all the time anyway. However, these folks were also better than me, so I caught them with the advanced submissions I was working on approximately never.

They tapped me with these techniques quite a bit though and, eventually, I got better at defending them. I also got better at recognizing danger and knowing when to tap. And THIS made me feel comfortable expanding my repertoire of advanced technique training partners. Eventually I expanded my list to include folks whom I roll competitively with and folks whom I often tap.

Set an example in not being douchey
Are you someone who will go to sleep before tapping, even during a friendly roll? Do you throw some form of hissy fit when someone taps you who you think shouldn't? If so, you may want to rethink your interest in advanced submissions.

One of my training partners likened the heel hook to the knockout cross in striking. Namely, it's a game ending technique that, if you have it, will sometimes get you wins over more skillful practitioners. So if you lose your shit when getting tapped by a lower belt, maybe you shouldn't be playing around with heel hooks. Think about it - is it really worth an ACL tear?

Go slowly 
Like I said before, no cranking! Apply submissions slowly and ask your training partners to do the same. 

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap! 
This is a non-negotiable. Tap early and tap often. Otherwise enjoy not walking.


It's important to give advanced submissions the respect they deserve and to roll for them thoughtfully and with caution.  However, with proper communication and boundaries in place, training heel hooks doesn't have to be much more dangerous than training arm bars.

Hide your feet, friends.