Inverted Gear Blog
Tag: Jiu-Jitsu Advice
Why I Am Better Than You
In his newest article, Marshal writes about why his jiu-jitsu is better than yours (and what you can do to improve).
Dad-Level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
My life has gone through a lot of changes in the last few months, becoming a dad being the biggest one. Looking back at the amount of hours I have spent on the mat this year, it is a fraction of years prior. I have been averaging two BJJ sessions a week when I used to train more in a week than I now do in a month. Somehow, though, I feel I am in the best shape I have been in a long time. So here is what has been working for me: More no-gi training with no-gi specialists after years of heavy gi training Cardio work on a rower, ski erg, and bike erg Ongoing mobility training and exercises...
The White Belt Struggle: How to Push Through It
Are you struggling as a white belt? The good news is you’re not alone and you’re not unique in your challenges. In this article, I’m going to lay out many of the struggles white belts experience, including ones that get less mention, like social anxieties, and how to overcome them. Some relief can come from simply knowing that you’re not alone in your experiences, what you’re feeling is not even unusual, and that many people -- including the black belts you now look up to -- went through many of the same problems. Common Issues for New Students: Knots in your stomach and anxiety before class. To be honest, for my first six months as a white belt, as it...
My White Belt Wonder Years
Marshal recounts his awkward years as a white belt, putting the journey toward proficiency in perspective.
Breaking Down Techniques: Reverse Engineering in BJJ
Being able to reverse engineer a technique gives you deeper understanding of it and helps you develop counters. Matt explains how to adopt this critical mindset in his latest blog post.
Earn Your Black Belt from YouTube in 5 Easy Steps
In this week’s panda blog, Marshal provides a guide for going deep on your own self-instruction and why doing so is good for you and your team.
Fight the Funk: Health and Hygiene for BJJ
Staying clean and healthy is fundamental to a good training experience. This guide will make sure you don't miss mat time due to stinky gear or itchy rashes.
Drilling with Chaos
In this blog post, Marshal talks about how gradually introducing chaos into your drilling can help you bridge the gap between practicing a move on an unresisting partner and applying it during a live roll.
The Fundamental Principles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Matt goes back to basic basics in this week's blog post about the bedrock concepts of BJJ. This is a must-read for new white belts.
Find a Reality-Check Friend: How to Avoid the Trap of Believing Our Own Hype
There is a scene in the underrated film Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping in which beleaguered former boy bander and current solo star Conner4Real starts to question the motives of the people around him. He worries he is surrounded by yes-men, and to find out whom he can truly trust, he constructs a delicious little test. (Note there are some NSFW language and situations in this clip.) He learns his childhood friend Owen is the only person around him whom he can trust to tell him the truth. Everyone else is just guessing what he wants to hear so they can stay in his good graces and keep their spot on the gravy train. The Conner4Real dynamic happens everywhere,...