Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
Discussions on improving your BJJ, navigating mat-politics and all aspects of the jiu jitsu lifestyle. Multiple weekly episodes for grapplers of any level. Hosted by JT and Joey - Australian jiu jitsu black belts, strength coaches, and creators of Bulletproof For BJJ App. Based out of Sydney, Australia
Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
The Best In The World vs BJJ Hobbyists
Do you ever wonder what it takes to be the best? Maybe it's extra hours on the mat. Maybe it's reframing your whole outlook on jiu jitsu. Maybe it's a new outlook on life. Luckily, our man JT had boots on the ground with some of jiu jitsu's top performers. Listen to his insights here...
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A good martial artist does not become tense, but ready. Essentially, at this point the fight is over, so you pretty much flow with the goal. Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? I'm ready. What separates the top performers from the average?
Speaker 1:I have just spent 12 days with some of the best grapplers in the world, witnessed firsthand the common traits across very different people and how they interact with each other, how they roll and also how they perform at the highest level, and I've got some insight. I've got the inside scoop on these folks and it was very interesting. Joe, I would imagine, like when I'm looking at the kind of elite dudes you were hanging out with and the elite dudes that are at that AIGA event, like it's the fucking best of the best, I can't help but imagine that there's got to be a level of competitiveness in the training room. There is, but I think which kind of ego's sort of part of that A little bit. Am I off? No, no, no, you're not off, you're not off. I think there is some. There is some like the closer the weight category, the more there's that. But also I was able to witness, you know, someone who's a heavyweight work with someone who's a featherweight and it'd still be a good exchange, right. But the thing is the personalities were all very different, like all completely different humans, but there was some commonalities between them as top level jujitsu competitors and professionals.
Speaker 1:Number one cab off the rank is attention to detail. These guys are absolutely looking at like I do this, but then I move my hip like this and they're all gathered around you know like they're very open to um, to the learning, but the attention to detail is is really interesting because they're all smart, they all know relative amounts about each other's games. And but then someone like Kaya. Kaya's like, oh, but when I'm here, I put my foot here like this and I do this. And they're like, okay, because I mean, kaya is like just the most flexible guy ever and so he can get into positions that no one really understands. Even top level guys are like what the fuck is he doing? But when he starts to break down why he's doing what he's doing, then they're like, oh, it makes a lot of sense, that's really cool. And you see, them absorb it. Or someone says, oh, when I'm here, I take a reverse grip because that enables me to move like this, like I'm not doing this because I want to stay here, like anyone would look at this reverse grip on the shin or the foot Like that's not strong. It's like, no, it's not strong here, but once I pass to the outside it's very strong. Yeah, right on, and you're like all it starts to make more sense. Some of the stuff seems counterintuitive because you just don't know why they're doing it, and then once they start to explain their process and where it puts them, you're like wow, makes a lot of sense. So the attention to detail was immaculate.
Speaker 1:I learned a lot just from sitting in on sessions, as much as I did get a chance to roll with a couple of the guys. It was also a bit selfish for me to want to roll, right, guys, anyone, anyone want to go? Anyone want to go with the least skilled guy in the room who's down to bang Injury machine? I just felt like the big white belt, like hi, everybody. Anyway, it was totally fun because, watching them work, you could see how they were learning from each other in real time and that is the thing about it.
Speaker 1:This is like the second thing which really made me appreciate how smart these guys are. They are very open and quick learners. Right, you show me something that's different to what I know. Straight away. They're just like shoo mad. I'll do that now. Yeah, straight away, there's no drilling. There's no, it was very anti-drilling.
Speaker 1:There was a lot of CLA ecological cats in the room. Yeah, like DeAndre is like a ecological Jesus. Yeah, he's there. If, if Greg Souders is, is, is CLA God, then DeAndre is Jesus Right on. He's around converting everyone, spreading the love. He's very like you can't help but love DeAndre.
Speaker 1:He's the nicest kid and his jiu-jitsu is fucking ridiculous. Yeah, he looks fucking really good. I've not actually watched a lot of him, but I saw his highlight against Dante and he looked like a savage. He's so strong, bro, I rolled him a couple of times. He just gets sick of it. If you're not doing what he wants, he just goes. Now I'm going to switch it on. Bam bam, bam, bam bam. You're like, oh fuck, you know like you just can't contain that guy. He goes super saiyan.
Speaker 1:Um, but what I saw was exchanges between Gianni and Deandre, and then, um, they were talking to Shakmanov, who's a Dagestani wrestler, and he was talking about details around his wrestling and then, even like Dan Manchild, was talking about some setups for leg locks and counters, and everybody, the synergy was insane. Yeah, right, like in one training session everybody learned something from each other. Yeah, and then the next training gets better and better. And everyone was like, hey man, if World War III pops off, we'll just set up the best jiu-jitsu club in Kazakhstan, because everybody's just here, like if we just got stuck here for a month and these guys just worked together, their respective jiu-jitsu levels would all go up. And so in that training environment, you know, these guys were obviously all coming, like they're not all mates right, like they obviously all coming, like they're not all mates right, like they're all coming from different places. So they became, I think they all knew each other, but over the process of the camp for ARGA, they, they became friends. Is there a coach or someone that is sort of providing a structure for all this to take place?
Speaker 1:What was quite interesting was that Jeremy Paul Skinner became master splinter. Jeremy, jeremy Paul splinter, because he's got the goatee now and he's Does he. Yeah, he's looking less cycled on. Oh, he's dropped back down. Yeah, he had to drop some weight for this comp, mind you, the food poisoning helped. But he took the role of the technical guy. Right, he was playing different games for different people, strategically, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of like everyone's games, because he breaks it down for Atomic Dojo Shout out Atomic Dojo. If you want to learn shit online, check out Atomic Dojo. He is very good with the details, even for guys who maybe are technically more accomplished than him. He's just so focused on that Everybody listens to him because obviously he has achieved plenty in his athletic career and but he's smart as fuck, so it was interesting to see him, uh, form that role.
Speaker 1:Um, but so, like you know, you guys show up to the training room. Is there someone that's like all right, guys, hey, we got you know a couple of hours. Here's what we're going to do. We're going to do, or is it just kind of like open mat? Okay, so people figure it out. So here's the deal. It was similar to an open mat, but a degree of structure. So this is the next point I wanted to make. They are very open communicators, these top guys. They tell you right, you and I were going to do hand fighting. I'm working on this. This is what I want you to do. So for the next five minutes, this is what we're doing.
Speaker 1:Now, some guys were just rolling and feeling each other out, but for the best part, they might go to like a 50, 50 position and be like right, this is what I want you to try and do and I'm going to work from here, right, so specific training Of sorts you might say a constraints-led approach, depending, very nice, yeah, so there were some games being played. It's completely different, joe, but what I found was really interesting about it was they weren't shy in giving feedback and telling each other this is what I need you to do, this is what I'm going to do. Yeah, and just being really open, and the communication was very clear. I mean, obviously there were times when guys were just rolling. They're like right, shake hands, let's fucking bang.
Speaker 1:There are other times when they were very direct about their objective and how the round should be conducted and I was like, oh wow, I didn't expect that. That was something which made me go. You know what? I think we could all benefit from being a little bit more. I mean, obviously they're world class and so it was very cooperative. So no one was going to be like, oh no, man, I don't want to do that Sounds shit. I don't want to do that. No, as if who's even heard of you anyway. Shut up, shut up, gianni gripu.
Speaker 1:But, uh, but that's, that's the thing about it, that when you see these behaviors amongst top tier athletes, like, oh, wow, like, okay, well, if they, if they run it like that, maybe you know, maybe that's really applicable. I mean, it is it, but there's really a level of um, there's, there's a lot in that, there's a lot of, there's a lot like, there's a level of confidence, and to be able to communicate with someone like that and train like that, yeah, cause, you know, you could say that to a group of like white to purple belts and everyone be like, well, I don't know what to work, I don't know what I want them to do. Yeah, you know what I mean. Like so it, you know, yeah, they're not fucking around. We've got a week, yeah, and then we have to bang with the best, so it's like we're down to business, yeah, and so it is very professional. And so, yeah, you're probably right in saying that it would be hard to ask somebody who's less experienced to deliver that level of confidence to a training partner. But I think it's also it's like the sex thing, you know. It's like what do you want? Just tell them what you want. Just put your thumb up my bum, yeah. But it's so hard to say that you know what I mean. Like, do I want this dude to stick his thumb up my bum right now? You know what I mean? Well, I mean, look, if you're trying to get an outcome, you've got to ask for a job. I mean there you go. I've said it to you. Now you know? Okay, all right. Well, as long as you're clean. I think the thing about it is this is that, ultimately, we all have limited time in jiu-jitsu, so it is good to have a think about before you roll what am I trying to get out of this? And you shouldn't shouldn't be afraid to say to your training partner hey man, is it cool if I ask, if I give you a little bit of direction and we play it a certain way? Yeah, and, and they can also place to get to. They can feel reciprocally like if they ask hey man, I just want to try and do this thing. Yeah, and that's that's really good, because it means both of you get a better outcome.
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Speaker 1:The fourth thing here is the knowledge of self. The conduct of each athlete was very different. Like a couple of sessions, certain guys didn't show up. They're like nah, man, I'm not going to that session, I'm chilling Because they don't want to do that one today. Nah, I'm going to go to the spa and get a massage. Okay, I'm not going. No, I'm doing this instead. All right, cool, like I think the good thing was a lot of. It was, uh, it was all. Choose your own adventure, even though you're trying to structure it as a team thing. We had a team bus, all of that.
Speaker 1:Like, for example, gianni wanted to do as many rounds as possible. He's like he's a kind of poor, harder essence guy, nice, he's like we got 12 rounds, I'm doing every round to me. I'm doing every round, let's'm doing every round, let's, let's, we're here, let's fucking go, go, go, go. That's his style, whereas it was interesting. Where's he from? Is he American? Yeah, yeah, so he trained, he. I think he was black belt under Marcello. He might have trained at Unity for a little while. He cross-trained a bit, which made him maybe not Marcelo's favorite guy, and now he has his own gym out in New Jersey and he's a little bit more of the CLA school.
Speaker 1:He's anti-drill now. Even though he was a young man he did a lot of drilling. Yeah right. So it's very interesting to see his evolution as he's now moved almost full-time into the no-gi. It's probably the same as how most young people start off quite left-leaning and then, as you get older, you move towards the right, maybe a little bit more conservative, maybe Not necessarily Start to amass a little bit of wealth. You know, capitalism's not that bad. Actually. I think free market's the way to go, maybe not, and sometimes it can go the other way. You start off ultra conservative and turn into a complete fucking hippie.
Speaker 1:But I think what's interesting for me is like, even looking at, say, chris Wojcik, he's very laid back, but when he rolls he rolls with great intensity, but he makes sure that when he's not rolling he's very efficient, he doesn't waste energy on anything, yeah, you know. Whereas DeAndre is like I want to walk up and down the mountain five times. Right, I want to walk up this mountain backwards. Now I want to do fucking jumping jacks. Like the guy has got so much energy and if he doesn't use it he feels like bad. Right, so he's. He's had Totally different approach, totally different guy, but each guy was able to show up to training, get what they needed and leave without having a negative impact on each other.
Speaker 1:Yep, which I think is important. So, understanding yourself and every sorry to cut you off, everyone was respectful of like so-and-so didn't show up today. No, no one gave a shit. Yeah, right, it was all good. Hey, man, whatever, like, everybody understands, you're you, you know how to operate. So, understands, you're you, you know how to operate. So you've got to sort yourself out. Yeah, you know what I mean and I.
Speaker 1:I think um, kenta was very interesting because kenta is like a bit of a phenom in terms of like, he's always late, he always like, he's like the kid running the school with the backpack open, one shoe on, like right, he's always got bed hair. Yeah, he's just, he's a, he's an anomaly, but he fucking, you can't fuck with that guy on the mat. Yeah, right, best balance, best passing, like it just. Everybody just talks about how you just can't do shit to Kenta. He, just, he's just, he's just this kind of, he's like a mogwai, he's like this soft, fluffy, nice thing. You spill some water on him, he turns into a fucking jujitsu gremlin. Ah, it's fucking. What is it gremlins? Yeah, yeah, yeah, because I love Kente, he's softest natured, most humble, really, but fuck, he's a beast on the mat. Yeah, unstoppable.
Speaker 1:Last thing is the willingness to suffer. The willingness to suffer is unparalleled amongst the top performers. The fact that these guys would just not eat, do whatever it takes to lose weight, do the training, put up with all the bullshit and not complain is unmatched. Right like. The willingness to suffer is is a is a grade above, and they say this about the best in business. They say this about dealing with uncertainty.
Speaker 1:Those who are willing to eat pain are the ones who tend to succeed long-term, because, ultimately, there's always problems. Ultimately, something always fucks up and these guys, they, just accept it. They're like, yep, it's what we do, and maybe that's a bit of a grim take on it, but what I witnessed was like Jeremy Skinner is like fucking food poisoning. You know, he's got liquids coming out both ends. The guy's like super low energy. He's still training. Wow, he's still training. He's still trying to cut weight. He's still trying to stay on diet.
Speaker 1:Like, even though different people had different problems during camp, everyone still did what it took. Yeah, everyone showed up, everyone cut weight, everyone made weight and everyone fucking performed on the day and no one fucking complained. There's plenty of banter and shit talk, like there's a lot of like making fun of each other and it was, it was all. It was a real good group of people, but what really stuck out to me is that these guys will just do whatever it takes and they don't complain. And that was, yeah, I expected a little bit more prima donna ism and it wasn't there. That's cool, which is fucking great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you just you never know with certain folks when they're um high level, would you imagine that not all of the teams had probably the same vibe that team aleone had. No, I would say that no team had the vibe. I think kasai was close. They're all mates, they're all pretty much brazilian and just like dancing and partying and, like you know, those brazilians like no, but those that any excuse to have a barbecue. No, that that group, particularly they they were having a good time. Yes, they look like they're having a good time and I think I mean that is one thing we know of Brazilians no, but they're good at having a good time. Team Açaí wasn't having a good time. Oh, no, you know what I mean. No, yeah, right, I think it's just that they are very good friends thing.
Speaker 1:With Team Alena, it was very different people, but because we got there, you know, 10 days early and we got spent time together and hung out, there was great camaraderie, yeah, and because everybody was so different, there wasn't a lot of crossover, but there was enough that everyone was cool and you got very different people being able to work together for an end goal, which really speaks for itself when, yeah, the team almost beat the Williams team and could have very variably beat Kasai. So you look at that, they're top three, and those high level professionals exhibiting all these different qualities were able to show up and do the thing on the day. That's cool, yeah.
Speaker 1:I learned a lot from it and it's definitely made me probably reconsider my own approach about just kind of how I conduct myself or how I think about jujitsu, because you don't as much as you can take your jujitsu seriously, you don't have to take yourself so seriously. If that makes sense, you can really care about jujitsu, but you can be very laid back about. You know who you think you are. You know they are. They are separate things and so not associating your personality too strongly with your skills allows you to probably be whoever you want to be and your jujitsu still to be very good. So I think that was a big unlock for me. I can listen to you, oh my God, because I'm a bit of a jerk and I'm. That was a big unlock for me. I can listen to you, oh my God, because I'm a bit of a jerk and I'm not that good at jujitsu, so I better start being nice to cunts. Well, I got to get better at jujitsu real quick. There it is, folks, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm.
