Life is a balancing act, and most of us have multiple priorities. We have to juggle BJJ with work, family life, relaxation time, etc. A couple of days away from training never killed anybody. In fact, we're usually refreshed and eager to get back at 'er when we return! But sometimes the breaks are longer than a couple of days. Life intervenes, and before you know it weeks, or even months have … [Read more...]
Inspiration
Jessica Cox, The Armless Pilot Who Flies Planes with Her Feet
Jessica Cox was born without arms but she didn't let that stop her from becoming the first woman to get her pilot's license using her feet to fly the plane. And she has a couple of black belts as well. Check out this episode; I'm sure you'll come away super-inspired and ready to smash your own limits! You can listen to the conversation below in the Youtube video player, or as episode 282 of … [Read more...]
Torn ACL Info for BJJ / MMA / Judo / Grapplers FAQ (ver 1.2)
Stephan's Note: Most of the following FAQ was first published on the mma.tv forum by 'The Stewed Owl.' I thought it was so valuable that I contacted the author and asked him if I could republish it on Grapplearts. He kindly agreed, so here it is! But first, here are my own thoughts on training with knee injuries (including ACL tears) in … [Read more...]
Don’t Be Afraid of Admitting that You Don’t Know Everything
This is rant was brewing inside me for a long time, and I'm sure it'll upset some people and ruffle some feathers. Oh well, can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs, so I'll get over it... I did the rant in video form, and the full name of that video is "Don't Bullshit Your Students About Knowing Everything!" which pretty much sums it up! The humility to admit that you don’t know … [Read more...]
Blood, Sweat and… Sparta!!!
This may sound a bit weird coming from a guy who runs a grappling site, but I want you to ask yourself a question: why on earth are you spending hours and hours rolling around on the ground with men wearing spandex and/or pajamas? Really… I mean it’s not the easiest of activities. And it’s sweaty and sometimes it’s even painful… Obviously there are self defense benefits to training, but if … [Read more...]
10 Key Techniques and Tactics of Marcelo Garcia
Marcelo Garcia is probably the most dominant jiu-jitsu athlete of the last 15 years. When he was competing he owned both the gi and the no gi divisions (4 x ADCC champion, 5 x Mundial World Champion). As if that wasn't enough, his amazing performances in the absolute division against giants like Ricco Rodriguez have ensured his place in grappling history. It’s always a good idea to … [Read more...]
47 Favourite Martial Arts Quotes for Inspiration
I love pithy quotes: in just a few short words they can encapsulate an entire strategy, philosophy, or approach to life. That's why more than 10 years ago I published a short article with some of my favourite martial arts quotes. Well, I've come across a lot more great quotes in the last decade! I typically share the new quotations I discover on my Twitter and/or Instagram accounts, but for … [Read more...]
How to Survive a Training Layoff
If you've trained BJJ for any length of time then you've probably come to the conclusion that mastering this art is more of a marathon than a short sprint. And you're right! There's a LOT to learn and a LOT to get good at in this sport. That's why a black belt takes so bloody long! … [Read more...]
The Danger of All-Or-Nothing Thinking…
In life it's funny what ends up making a lasting impression on you. An offhand comment can stick with you for years and years, and have an effect way beyond anything the original person intended. There's a phrase like that that pops up in my mind often when I'm thinking about BJJ. But it originated in a very different place. In fact this comment got stuck in my brain more than 20 years ago … [Read more...]
Why Talent is Way Overrated
So I'm touring Casa Loma recently, the famous castle in downtown Toronto and the largest private residence ever constructed in Canada. Just the usual touristic wandering of the halls, climbing the turrets, and exploring the never-ending parade of lavishly decorated rooms. All of a sudden I heard something beautiful drifting through the marble and hardwood hallways. … [Read more...]
So You Want to Train in Brazil? Part 2 of 2
An Article by Mark Mullen Back in 2009, I wrote a brief article about my first trip to train BJJ in Rio de Janeiro. That first article generated a decent amount of comments and so, 4 years later after another trip to Brazil, here’s Part 2! On my most recent trip I stayed for 2 months. … [Read more...]
Inspiring!
I saw something amazing in the pool where I was hanging out after a workout today. First I noticed that there was a group of about 7 men jumping off the highest part of the diving tower, again and again. This wasn't a dinky little diving board 1 meter off the water. They were throwing themselves off the 5 meter board, which is high enough to make anyone's heart go pitter-pat. … [Read more...]
The Real Secret to Mastering a Skill
New Year's eve is just around the corner, making this the traditional time for drawing up plans, making resolutions, and setting your goals for the upcoming year. "This year I'm gonna do this… I'm gonna stop doing that…" Goal setting is super important and I'm all for it. I hope that you have your goals for the year clearly written out and displayed in a prominent place. But the problem is … [Read more...]
My Digital Reading List, May 23, 2013
I always say that this jiu-jitsu stuff is a marathon, not a sprint. Partially this is because it takes time to remodel your body so that it can do the things you want it to do. It's also because you need to find and incorporate hundreds of little tricks, tweaks and techniques that work with your body and your ever-evolving style on the mats. … [Read more...]
BJJ Lessons from a Sushi Master
I just watched a really cool documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi (available on Netflix, iTunes, etc.). This 2011 film paints a fascinating portrait of Jiro Ono, an 85 year old master chef who's been making sushi for 75 years. Jiro - the protagonist - is a single-minded perfectionist workaholic who hates national holidays because they keep him away from his obsession, which is working on … [Read more...]
What Champion Bodybuilder Kai Greene Can Teach You About BJJ
An old training partner sent me a short email yesterday. Here's what it said: "I know you have a paucity of spare time - but this video of pro bodybuilder Kai Greene is GREAT! His plain speaking talk about self discipline and mastering fundamentals to achieve excellence is probably the best I have heard. I think you will enjoy this." … [Read more...]
The Mind of a Champion – How Sports Psychology applies to Grappling
Several years ago I was discussing the sports psychology and Jiu-jitsu with a friend. We were debating what makes grapplers like Rickson Gracie truly great – what is it that sets him apart from the rest of us? Obviously he is fairly strong, fairly quick and fairly flexible, but ask anyone who has rolled with him and they ALL say that there is more to it than those physical traits. I believe it was … [Read more...]
Tips for training when training partners are hard to find
Maybe you travel a lot. Maybe you live in a really small town. Maybe the club you used to train at closed down. Maybe it’s just too far to go to train regularly. In any case, training partners or good training environments are sometimes hard to find. So what do you do? Here are some tips and ideas I have used to keep my grappling skills alive even when I’m hundreds of miles away from a skilled … [Read more...]
So You Want To Train BJJ in Brazil? Part 1 of 2
An Article by Mark Mullen Introduction As I lay gasping on the cold pavement of the Trans Canada Highway, the 18 wheeler that had just plowed me over belching diesel exhaust into my face, my life essence slipping into the next plain of existence, my last thoughts were "Shit!! I never made it to Rio de Janeiro!" … [Read more...]
Top Ten List Concluded: Why We Grapple…
We sweat, strain, get injured and spend money in order to roll around on the ground with men wearing pajamas. (Or worse: men wearing spandex…) So why do we do it? What's behind this bizarre fascination with grappling? … [Read more...]