Shake yourself from the dust and arise. Loose the bonds from your neck.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu involves getting intimately acquainted with other people's armpits, crotches, and questionable life choices. Here's how to keep your breath fresh, your gi clean, your nails short, and your training partners from avoiding you like the plague.
On Jiu-Jitsu, the snooze button, and refusing to go gently into that good night. Click here for the entire BJJ White Belt Survival Guide. The number one question you will be asked, either by yourself or by others, is why. Why do you train Brazilian jiu-jitsu? There are a lot of easier and less painful… Continue reading Why Train BJJ?
Your first BJJ class is confusing enough without accidentally breaking the unwritten rules. Learn the basics of gym and mat etiquette so you don't commit seppuku before your first roll.
Taking your first BJJ class? Here's what to expect, from meeting your training partners and learning mat etiquette to surviving your first roll.
New to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? The BJJ White Belt Survival Guide covers what beginners need to know about training, surviving class, and not being a spaz.
Screenshot from Rocky III, copyright Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and producer Irwin Winkler. All rights reserved. It's just a screenshot, guys. Think about the fight. There is no tomorrow. My biological father died last month. He made a lot of bad choices and left behind a complicated legacy that I'm trying to process. He had a "The… Continue reading There is no tomorrow
This morning, I was talking to a friend with a son who is a senior in high school. Like every senior, he’s weighing out his options: two-year versus four-year college, military, and future career. Like many seniors, he isn’t sure what to do. “He’s got time,” I said. “I’m just now doing what I want… Continue reading Advice To My Past Self
What is your favorite John Wayne movie? Mine is The Cowboys, potentially considered an odd choice because it is not a classic action western, and (spoilers!) the Duke dies in it. Unlike Rio Bravo or True Grit, instead of frequent gunfights its a coming of age tale where boys have to decide if they have… Continue reading Do You Have What It Takes?
I knew after two weeks of dating Amanda that I wanted to marry her. Not the casual “she seems nice" kind of wanting, but the all-consuming, no-turning-back certainty that changes everything. To be fair, I had already known her for 4-5 years at that point, and she is a really good cook (a key selling… Continue reading Jump All In: The Cold Water Won’t Kill You (But Hesitation Might)
I wish you would stop drinkingAnd be sober for a while;I wish you would stop huntingFor some stranger veteran's smile. I wish you could see yourselfAs you are when you've had too much;I wish you'd leave it on the shelfAnd tell yourself "Don't touch." I wish you'd choose Sam, Mom, or me,Instead of yourself for… Continue reading I Wish You Would
