Hi all, welcome to this week’s iteration of Dojo Discernments, where I share thoughts earned on the mats.

Resolutions

This year my resolution has been to do less.

Not to take on new projects, but to refine, hone, and recommit to what I’ve already committed myself to in years past.

That way of being has carried directly into how I see jiu-jitsu. I taught a seminar at Chino Hills last week, and it felt like this intention made everything clearer for the students.

By trying to do less, I’m learning so much more.

Cold Bore

“Cold bore” is a term we use in firearms training to describe taking the first shot of the day with a cold weapon.

No warm-up. No rehearsal. Just execution.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, that your highest standards should be achievable cold bore. No mental trickery, no need to hype yourself up. You wake up, and you can perform.

That only happens when the work has already been done.

You are ready to go. Get tired. Be ready. 

Shortcuts

They don’t work.

There’s no cutting the necessary work in half. Setbacks are inevitable, but once you accept the volume of work required to accomplish something meaningful, you suddenly get much closer to the goal.

Being tired is a necessary part of deep learning. That’s when the important lessons stick.

Too often I see students afraid to get tired, afraid to expose their weaknesses. That mentality caps their growth.

Get tired.
Sleep well.

Stay in the Pocket

If you want to learn how to throw people, you have to be willing to get thrown.

That’s where the maturation happens.

Learning to fall opens the door to throwing with confidence. The falls teach you the way.

Marina Grappling Club

Many of you know Doug Brown, a teacher at Marina High School and a truly exceptional human being.

Once again, he’s gone above and beyond. Doug stepped up and got a jiu-jitsu program approved and established at his school. They just finished their finals for the class.

To my knowledge, this is the first high-school jiu-jitsu class of its kind.

If you see him, congratulate him.

And if you don’t know him, you’re missing out.