Mason Fowler - Ledgend, One of the lads, Multiple time World Champion.
Q. Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in Jiujitsu?
A. I’ve been a huge fan of the ufc for as long as I can remember. When I was 18, I started training in MMA with hopes of becoming a UFC champion. At 23, I decided it wasn’t smart to get punched in the head every day. I decided to change paths and stick to only training and specializing in grappling. And I haven’t stopped ever since
Q. What advice would you give to your younger self starting your jiujitsu journey? What advice should they ignore?
A. I would have told myself to seek out high level training earlier on. I was training in Fresno at lower level schools before I moved to San Jose to train with caio terra. It worked out for me but I do believe I could have progressed faster if I would have made the move sooner. Ignore people that shame you for wanted to branch out. There’s no such thing as a creonte. Train wherever you believe with be best for your own personal journey.
Q. In your experience, what Intensity of training is best for learning? And how is this achieved? I.e. what proportion is drilling, sparring " light", And intense sparring across a session /week
A. Totally depends on your goals. If you are an older grappler you shouldn’t push yourself to train super hard everyday. If your goal is to become a black belt world champion you are definitely going to need to train a lot harder and more frequently.
Q. How often are you experimenting with new moves and positions vs working on existing and established techniques within your arsenal?
A. When I am not in a training camp is when I try to add new techniques into my game. When I’m training for competitions, that’s when I stick to what i know
Q. Do you have any advice on recovery/preservation for BJJ, or any practices you wish you implemented earlier?
A. Definitely cleaning up my diet and adding the right supplements was a game changer. Also adding cold plunges can be a big help.
Q. Do you use strategies or game plans for upcoming matches or competition? If so can you provide an example
A. Every match will be a different preparation. For example, when I competing against Pedro marihno I knew it would be a stand up war. So I focused on wrestling almost every day
Q. Pre competition nerves is a thing allot of people deal with. Do you have any advice/tips on how to deal with it this that you or your students implement?
A. The best thing to do is just accept it and realize that it will never go away. If you aren’t nervous it’s actually a bad thing. The nerves will keep you sharp.
Q. Strength and conditioning can be the deciding factor in a match with opponents of equal technical skill, do you do any Strength & conditioning? Can you give any insight as to what that looks like?
A. I follow a strength and conditioning program written by my coach Jake benson. An easy concept to follow is: focus on building strength in between tournaments, and focus more on the cardio as the match gets closer
When preparing for a match/competition what does your competition prep look like? (Eg 8 weeks out, training twice a day etc)
Lately I’ve been grappling 6x a week. And S&C 4/5 times a week. I’ll do that almost year round. Obviously getting closer to comp the sessions get much more intense.
Q. What’s something you now know, that you wish you knew earlier in your Jiujitsu journey? (techniques, training methods, business advice)
A. I wish I knew to just enjoy the journey. Don’t think about your next tournament, or promotion. Just enjoy every day that you can train!!
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