Answers from a BJJ Black Belt

Felipe Grez

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

A. My name is Felipe Grez and I started Jiu Jitsu at 19 years old in 1998 after watching UFC2 on vhs video tape. At the time I was a competitive black belt in Tae kwon do, who also trained kickboxing and muay thai. I was so intrigued by what I saw and wanted to learn more and become more complete as a martial artist.

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

A. I would definitely recommend that you visit a couple of schools and find one in which the vibe feels good to you, that you can talk openly with the instructor about what you want from the art, any concerns you may have and how you can best set yourself up for success. In addition to this, I would recommend that you stress safety first and foremost! Tap early, tap often and try to learn from your mistakes, what led to each of them and how you can avoid making the same mistakes again. Practise survival and defence first, learn how to protect yourself and stay safe when training. Be comfortable enough to say no to a roll if you have any concern whatsoever. Ignore the advice of train with everyone, and do whatever the instructor says. Especially when you are new to the art!

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. Start slowly, move precisely and control your body through movement, range of motion and how you place your weight. Flow rolling and specific training is a great way to develop foundational movement skills. After you get a feel for rolling, learn to think fast and move purposefully and with control. As long as you can continue to move purposefully and with control you can roll harder, faster and more competitively a couple of times a week, but always be conscious of remaining technical. Roll to learn, not to win and you will get better faster, and win a lot more anyway! As you advance, never neglect defence and escapes from bad positions and submissions. There is no set proportion for how you should train as everyone is different and you need to find what works best for you. That being said, there should be a good blend of drilling, specific training and rolling. Aim for training twice a week when you first start and work up to 3-4 sessions a week as you get better, particularly if you want to compete. But don't put any unnecessary pressure on yourself. Training once a week, or fortnight is better than not training at all!

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

A. I think it is really important to focus on foundational movement skills of the art and really deep dive into those positions. That being said, I believe the 80/20 rule is great for training too! 80% focus on fundamentals, 20% experimentation. That will keep you learning, having fun and your training fresh!

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

A. Tap early, tap often and don't train with anyone whom you feel is unsafe! This is a good start to preserve your body and minimise the risk of injury. In addition to this, a little strength training and mobility training goes a long way towards keeping your body healthy, strong and free from injury. Prioritise sleep, hydration and good nutrition as much as possible. These are the most important principles upon which recovery is built upon. I like to supplement that with cold showers, occasional massages and cold therapy too.

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

A. Strategies yes, as in what are you trying to achieve, how do you want the match to unfold if it works out as planned. Tactics for what do you do if something goes wrong? How do you get back into your game and regain control of the match? Game plan as in a flow chart of the key techniques that you are good at from each position and all the pathways that you have that you can use to draw your opponent into one of your strong positions where you have the greatest chance of executing your best techniques increasing your chances of winning. In addition to this lots of specific training sessions such as first points rolls, down 2  points with 1 min timer on to score and or submit from behind, guard pull to instant attack, grip and go takedown drills etc.

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. Mimic competition environment (live matches, audiences, coaching in each athlete's corner etc) in training to desensitise students to the nerves and competition atmosphere. Breathwork and visualisation to calm and focus your mind on what you are going to do. This helps students to learn to control the controllables. Finally realise that competition isn't everything, all you can do is the best you can with what you have and if you leave it all on the mat, you will learn a lot regardless of the outcome.

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 do a mix of weight training, kettlebells and bodyweight training a couple of times a week. The focus is on balancing opposing muscle groups, staying healthy, balanced and avoiding injuries. Personally my focus is longevity and staying on the mat for the next 25 years! I do a lot of walking as a gentle low impact cardio, and almost daily mobility training, even if it is just 5-10mins whenever I have a little free time. Sometimes a couple of minutes at a time throughout the day in what I like to call "movement snacks".

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

A. Ideally 8 weeks out, increased training intensity by adding simulated competition rounds at least once a week in addition to regular training (more sessions for higher ranked and more experienced students and competitors). Less experimentation and more game planned focused specific training and regular rolls.

Prioritise recovery, increase hours of sleep, add naps where possible, tighten up nutrition and increase hydration. Daily visualisation exercises and breathwork.

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

A. There are lots of ways to be right in Jiu Jitsu! And sometime what is right for one person isn't necessarily right for another or everyone. Learn how to control your own body through space as well as your opponent's. Control is the most important skill in Jiu Jitsu and there are lots of different ways to control someone be it through weight, restricting movement, funneling their decisions, dominating grips, negating grips, finding leverage through angles and improving positions, varying the tempo of movements while rolling etc. 

Ultimately everyone does Jiu Jitsu for their own reason and you want to find an academy that allows you to get what you want out of the art regardless of what that is (obviously as long as it doesn't negatively affect others). 

Learn how to practise and apply the principles of Jiu Jitsu to become both more efficient and effective! All training should include a heavy focus on safety! Be a great team mate, support your team mates, help them learn, improve and have fun on the mat so you all get better. Remember you are in it for the long run... Learn, have fun and stay safe!