Inverted Gear Blog
Tag: Jiu-Jitsu Advice
How to: Tie Your BJJ Belt (Now with the Power of GIFs!)
Who knew belt tying was such a hot button topic? I shot this picture for 10 Things to Stop Doing at BJJ (A Picture Guide): And boy was I surprised by the rage it drew. "If belt rank doesn't matter, it shouldn't matter how you tie it! As long as it stays tied, who cares how you do it!? So what if I'm a purple belt who never learned to tie my belt!" Belts only cover two inches of your ass and [insert all the usual cliches about belt rank not mattering] but I still felt people out there could benefit from being shown two ways to tie the belt, one quick and easy, and the other deluxe way for special occasions. The...
Make the Right Turns Right-er-er-er
Building a game plan is like building your own Mario Kart track. This makes sense to Marshal so read his blog post to hear him explain.
Don't Sabotage Yourself
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a tough sport, both physically and mentally, and it’s hard enough without working against yourself. Here are four ways I see jiu-jiteiros self-sabotage: Psyching yourself out As a beginner, you are humbled on a daily basis. As a defense mechanic, it is common to develop a self-deprecating attitude and assume you were going to fail anyway. This may take the sting out of it, but it also becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. This negative attitude comes out in ways like telling higher belts things like “oh man, time for a beating” when you’re squaring up to spar. Speaking as a higher belt, I hate hearing these defeatist comments. Don’t let your opponent beat you before you’ve even fought....
How to Eliminate Politics: Focus on Doing Good
Could more opportunities to do good with jiu-jitsu bust-up the strength of BJJ politics?
Let 'Em Feel
“Cheer up.”“It’s okay.”“It could be worse.”“Don’t feel bad.”Have you ever heard any of the above after you lost a match, had trouble nailing a technique sequence, or got injured? I have no doubt that the person who said it to you was trying to be supportive, and I have certainly said similar things to others, but more recently I have tried to become more precise with my language and to recognize the message I am actually sending when I say certain things. Possibly as a result of my life coach training and the courses I am taking toward a masters’ degree in mental health counseling, I have become increasingly deliberate about not telling anyone what to do; in both coaching...
The Greatest Jiu-Jiteiros You’ve Never Heard Of
In his new blog post, Marshal writes about the unsung heroes of the sport and how a lot of growth comes from behind the scenes.
Your Guide to the Best of the Inverted Gear Blog
We may not be able to solve all your problems, but odds are good we have your BJJ ones covered.
Promises to Keep
In his new blog, Marshal writes how a small note to himself got him through hard training times and why he's coming back to that practice today.
The Illusion of the Super Athlete Upper Belt
Chris Henriques was a purple belt when I was a white belt. A tattoo artist and professional fighter, Chris was tough-looking in that he had tattoos up his scalp and a fight record to match, but he had a Hawaiian smile and a friendly melody to his speech. A regular at many of the noon classes I attended, he often had the patience to be my partner and the kindness to answer my questions before and after training. Chris was nice to me, but spider guard was not.For an entire month we drilled spider guard, starting class with the same set of fundamental spider guard movements and drills. The hardest movement drill—a sort of forward shrimping where you alternate extending...