. A cool section in the book is titled: 22 Fat-Loss Tips That Work and, inspired by the Fightworks Podcast interview with Mr Dave Camarillo where he urges the listeners to read from a wide range of topics and try to apply the knowledge to BJJ / Grappling, I decided to give you Anita's tips, but completely twisted to address BJJ / Grappling training rather than weight loss. As a bonus, I will put the original tip at the bottom.As promised here is part 2 of 3 posts. I hope you enjoy it.
1. Fill every session with what's good for you (high reward : low risk activities)
Look at the attached diagram above. It divides activities along the reward vs risk spectrum. I urge you to fill your practice sessions (heck, your day even!) with high reward : low risk activities such as positional sparring and other pocket-drills
Original tip: Fill up with soup.
2. Switch off your chatterbox. The social value that training a sport brings is enormous. I get that. However, you gain more if you chat before and after the session or at least during water breaks rather than during the BJJ / Grappling drills / rounds.
Original tip: Switch off the TV.
3. Sometimes your shouldn't train even when you really want to! We all know those times: We have the will, the want and everything else but we are too tired/ill/injured. There simply are times when you shouldn't train. It's a high impact activity and you need to treat it as such and respect your body's needs.
Original tip: Distinguish between hunger and appetite.
4. Play music while you train. Rhythm is an amazing training tool. I remember struggling to learn a foot sweep back in my Karate training days and it didn't matter how many times I tried I just couldn't get my distance to work until I decided to close my eyes and listen to sensei's steps and it all clicked! I heard how he was sliding his back-foot a millisecond before the sweep. I could hear his foot slide and and the rhythm of his steps and that's what I was looking for. I strongly believe having a background rhythm helps you find these little things.
Original tip: Play music while you eat.
5. Don't eliminate anything from your overall game: While it's fine (and natural) to have favourite aspects of the game that you may periodically focus on (such as guard, half guard, passing...etc.) the keyword is "periodically". Always aim to make your overall game as wide and all-rounded as possible.
Original tip: Don't be "fat phobic".
6. Train slowly. Super-slowly even, at least every now and again. We all know this but for some reason we mistake "fast and rush" for "smooth and fluid". This is often evident during guard passing (especially bullfighter pass). Training slowly trains not just the technical details but actually helps your body learn how to calibrate your balance, sensitivity and energy conservation by learning when to tense what and when to relax it.
Original tip: Eat slowly.
7. Take a moment to clear your mind before the session: When we do things with less than 100% focus, we leave ourselves victims to overindulgence and haphazard carelessness. It's easy to indulge your emotions (fear, insecurity, anger, hesitation...etc.) when you let them come with you to the mat. I know I can remember days when I had had a rough day at work (a 1-2-1 with my manager to be exact!) followed by a traffic jam that when I finally got on the mat I took it personally when my techniques didn't work. How ridiculous is that? Naturally I blamed my partners, my instructor, Masahiko Kimura and everyone else.
Now I always make a point of using the train journey to the gym (or at least the 5 minutes it takes me to change into my gi) to focus internally and leave the distractions of the day behind. Touching the cold mat with my bare feet is almost a religious experience to me.
Original tip: Keep an eye on your alcohol consumption.
Once again, sorry for such a long post and I hope you liked these. Part three coming soon.
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4 comments:
My Weight Watchers facilitator told me it takes our bodies 5 times longer to metabolize alcohol then food. Personally, I prefer to work harder to burn off chocolate. I recently posted some similar tips, but not as extensive - http://family-mat-ters.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-dont-want-to-cut-weight.html
Wow that's excellent!
I am really enjoying these analogies between being health conscious with eating and training. The one about taking a break when you need to is right where I'm at. Great post!
@Allie Many thanks for the kind words. Health = Jiu Jitsu!
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