Gracie Barra Mansfield | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Tag: Gracie Jiu Jitsu Mansfield

  • 10 Ways to Accelerate Your Jiu Jitsu Game

    Image via Gracie Magazine
    Image via Gracie Magazine

    At Gracie Barra Mansfield, we bring you the best Jiu Jitsu training in the DFW area. But Gracie was not always a thing in these parts. I recall training in traditional Japanese Jiu Jitsu back in the early 90s. No one had ever heard of Jiu Jitsu. Texas was firmly Tae Kwon Do country.

    Then the Gracie family brought us into a new era for martial arts with the UFC.

    Who were these little guys from Brazil who were just laying waste to competitors? Year after year, the Gracie family decimated the competition and it became clear fairly quickly that if a fighter did not cross-train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, that fighter didn’t stand much of a chance in the octagon. If the fight went to the ground—and against a Gracie it ALWAYS went to the ground—then it was GAME OVER.

    Since the Gracies took the world by storm, Jiu Jitsu has become a far more common sport which we love to see because we believe in Jiu Jitsu for everyone. Jiu Jitsu studios abound. As we like to say in Texas, “You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one.” I have no idea who came up with this saying or why anyone would want to swing a deceased feline…but Texans do all kinds of weird things.

    Case in point.

    Looks legit.
    Looks legit.

    Suffice to say that while Jiu Jitsu studios might be common, I can tell you from experience that there is nothing quite like going to the source.

    I began my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training at another dojo, but after training there a year, I felt I needed something more. When I took a trial class at Gracie Barra Mansfield? No comparison.
    Screen Shot 2016-01-23 at 2.27.56 PM

    Now that I’ve been in Jiu Jitsu long enough I’ve found my goals have shifted from, “OH DEAR GOD JUST STAY ALIVE!” to thinking more strategically. For those who spend any amount of time in Jiu Jitsu, you will find that there will be periods of plateau, where you just don’t seem to be improving no matter what you do.

    I used to think that was just being a white belt. But, now that I am a blue belt, there are days I feel I might actually know what I am doing and then…*screeching brakes*

    Thing is, we are often our own worst enemies. Thus today, I’d like to share with you some tips from the masters over at Gracie Magazine to help you always be improving your Jiu Jitsu game.

    ***

    You’ve been training for a while now and despite all your efforts, you don’t seem to be improving a lot on the mats.

    So, we decided to compile 10 valuable pieces of advice to get you back on tracks and have your game improving by the day.

    1. Be Curious

    Speak up when you have a doubt and you need your Professor or instructor to explain it. Many times, the devil is on the details and a quick explanation is all you need to have that technique clarified.

    2. Keep a Notebook

    Write down what you learned every week and then revise. Find your weakness and the ways to overcome them. Don’t trust in your memory alone, specially if you are a beginner.

    3. Have a Game Plan

    When you are a beginner and it’s time to spar, don’t just ad lib as you go. Have a plan and aim for your specific targets with specific techniques. Leave improvisations for further ahead in your learning process.

    4. Know Your Limits

    Don’t mix toughness with stupidity. If you are injured, don’t make it worse by training before it’s healed. If you are caught, tap and live to train another day.

    READ the rest of the article at Gracie Magazine…

    Thanks for stopping by the blog and hope you enjoy the tips. Please join us for a free trial. I did it a year ago and it was the best decision I ever made. If a 41 year old mom can have fun and find new life with Jiu Jitsu, you can too!

    See you on the mats!

    Dojo Diva

  • Gracie Goes BACK TO SCHOOL! Three Tips to Stop Bullying

    The BJJ "Brothers"
    The BJJ “Brothers”

    Ah, BACK TO SCHOOL! At Gracie Barra Mansfield, we strive to support families and this means helping bully proof your kids. As an author and on-line personality, I can say that bullying never goes away. It seems that young bullies often simply grow up to become adult bullies. Though nothing will ever make bullies completely disappear, there are things we can do to minimize the damage they can do.

    Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is wonderful for helping our kids learn how to handle bullies, but Jiu Jitsu goes beyond simple self-defense. Martial arts practitioners might be prepared for a fight, but that in no way means we ever WANT a fight.

    Today we are going to talk about three simple ways Jiu Jitsu helps kids with bullying.

    Peace In The Plan

    We talked about this earlier in the year. As a society, we drill for EVERYTHING. We have fire drills and flood drills. Tornado drills. Hurricane drills. We make a plan for what to do if separated at the mall. What to do if Mom forgets to pick us up from school. Heck, our family even has a plan for the Zombie Apocalypse.

    But how many people plan (mentally prepare) for being verbally or physically assaulted?

    Often, just wargaming a potential crisis can help tremendously. If it didn’t, flight attendants would simply wait until the plane was falling out of the sky to bother telling us that our seat cushions can also be used as a flotation device.

    When you or your child trains in Jiu Jitsu, you are mentally preparing to be victorious and not a victim. Your child is practicing being in a bad spot and coming out unscathed (in a healthy environment).

    Body Language

    How do you feel when you deal with a person who refuses to make eye contact?

    What about a person who keeps looking at a phone and tapping her foot when you are trying to ask a question?

    How do you feel about people who smile genuinely when they see you?

    Most communication is nonverbal. Body language is a HUGE deal. School can be hard on kids, especially at the beginning of a school year. Are the old friends going to still be friends? Will there be a place she can fit in? Maybe the school is completely new and is a frightening and unfamiliar world.

    Jiu Jitsu instills a quiet confidence in those who practice the art. Confidence is nonverbal and it does affect how others treat us. Predators (bullies) are not looking for the kid who has a strong self image. They are sniffing out the insecure because the confident kid will just tell them to go pound sand. Bullying, manipulation and intimidation don’t work very well on the kid who has a strong sense of self.

    Having a TRIBE

    This strong sense of self can and does come from practicing a martial art, but it also comes from being part of a TRIBE. Bullies look for insecure loners because insecure loners lack a system of support. They lack peers who can be there for emotional support.

    Think of wildlife documentaries. The pack of hyenas (great parallel for bullies) isn’t looking to take on an entire pride of lions. They are looking for the sick, old or lost gazelle who wandered too far away from the herd.

    Bullies are cowards and the best thing we can do to bully-proof our kids is to add them to the Gracie Tribe. They can then learn to practice and live excellence and feel safe knowing they are part of something stronger than themselves. Maybe they don’t fit in at school, but they will always have their Jiu Jitsu brothers and sisters 😉 .

    Jiu Jitsu also helps train our kids to be world changers. The only way to get rid of bullying is to train kids to have excellent character. Don’t BE a bully and if you SEE bullying? Make a difference. Protect those weaker and stand up for what is right.

    We hope that you will come by and bring your kids. We offer an entire anti-bullying curriculum and look forward to making you part of our tribe!