Answers from a BJJ Black Belt

Jahred Dell

Q. Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in Jiujitsu?

A. I started Jiu Jitsu in 2012 while I was a university student. I was boxing for fitness at a local gym that was also a Gracie Humaita affiliate. While I was doing a particularly hard session one day, I looked over and saw a bunch of guys in their pajamas kind of just lying about (that's what I THOUGHT, but oh how wrong I was).

I recognized aspects of it from having done judo as a kid, so i gave it a go and became hooked. Shortly after that, I met Royler when he visited and was exposed to ADCC, No gi, Metamoris, Eddie Bravo and the by then I was already well and truly down the rabbit hole. 

Q. What advice would you give to your younger self starting your jiujitsu journey? What advice should they ignore?

A. Have fun. Even the worst, most grueling sessions have always been fun to me because I've always come away motivated to do better, embraced the competitive spirit or simply learned something cool or something new. 

Advice to ignore? "Belts matter", they don't. I've seen purple belts beat black belt world champions. If you're good, you're good regardless of the color of a piece of cloth that holds your gi closed. I was also told once that if I was serious about winning ADCC I needed to do PEDs... I ignored that advice, not because I don't want to win, but I value my health (and integrity) more than a medal. 

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. There are a lot of variables here. I train every day, some people train twice a day. With that volume of training, it's impossible to train at full intensity every session without injury, illness or burnout. 

From my experience training with members of teams like Atos and New Wave, you need to plan and be ready to vary your intensity. The rule of thirds comes to mind: 1 third drilling, 1 third situational, 1 third intense. It seems to be different for everyone, but finding a balance that works is crucial. 

Q. How often are you experimenting with new moves and positions vs working on existing and established techniques within your arsenal?

A. I'm always trying new things, that's one of my favourite things about the sport. When it comes closer to competition though I will be working on my A Game or refining my strategy and techniques I plan to use in the upcoming match or competition. 

Q. Do you have any advice on recovery/preservation for BJJ, or any practices you wish you implemented earlier?

A. Yoga and stretching helped me a lot when I was an immobile beginner. I regained a lot of mobility I had lost from living a crappy and unhealthy lifestyle. I religiously get massage from my therapist who helps iron out muscular issues. As a natural athlete I've found that CBD and Creatine have helped my body a heap. I've never taken PEDs so I can't and wouldn't recommend. 

Q. Do you use strategies or game plans for upcoming matches or competition? If so can you provide an example.

A. Absolutely. Especially in Single match superfights where I'll watch tape on my opponents and try to find weaknesses or openings to exploit. In a tournament, you can only do so much when a bracket can be random. Even then, it's still important to have a plan for your matches and be ready to go to your game on your terms. 

Q. Pre competition nerves is a thing a lot of people deal with. Do you have any advice/tips on how to deal with it this that you or your students implement?

The reality is that competition is stressful. If you're not nervous, you're not taking it seriously enough. 

A. The key is understanding that those nerves, emotions and thoughts are part of the process to be embraced. Growing up surfing, i learned that if you fight against a riptide, you will get tired and drown. But if you go with the tide, eventually you will find where it ebbs and you can get out alive. Competition nerves are the same, don't hold onto them, acknowledge them and move past them. Remember, courage is not about NOT feeling fear; it's about feeling the fear and doing it anyways.

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. It absolutely can be. I have a few people I work with to help me plan and work on my S&C in the lead up to competition. I've been weightlifting for a decade, but I still seek out professional knowledge and look for the best advice to calibrate my S&C to enhance my Jiu Jitsu. I'm usually doing 2 to 4 S&C sessions in a week on top of my jiu jitsu when it's time to build up for a comp. Outside of comp season I maybe do one or two as I still work full time.

Q. When preparing for a match/competition what does your training look like? (Eg 8 weeks out, training twice a day etc)

A. Usually 12 to 8 weeks out I'll up the S&C and start to work my game for the specific ruleset I'll be competing in. I train 6 times a week and will have 4 S&C sessions on top of that. Unlike the 'pros', I work full time as a high school teacher, so twice a day isn't viable for me currently. Owning my own home and being a productive member of society is a higher priority for me than being a world champion. I love competing and I still aspire to one day win ADCC, but I'm also a realist. I'm happy to see what I can achieve competitively before my window closes and also not being a broke bum trying to sell out 🤣

Q. What’s something you now know, that you wish you knew earlier in your Jiujitsu journey? (techniques, training methods, business advice)

A. Set training goals. I've wasted heaps of time on the mats with directionless training. Come into every session with something in mind that you want achieve in that session. That's helped me and many of my students fast track their learning. Being switched on mentally on the mats is crucial if you want to improve. This isn't a Crossfit class where you can just turn up and do the physical work, you have to turn up mentally too.