Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
Discussions on improving your BJJ, navigating mat-politics and all aspects of the jiu jitsu lifestyle. Multiple weekly episodes for grapplers of any level. Hosted by JT and Joey - Australian jiu jitsu black belts, strength coaches, and creators of Bulletproof For BJJ App. Based out of Sydney, Australia
Bulletproof For BJJ Podcast
Are You Setting Yourself Up For BJJ Success?
If you were going to cut a tree down, what would be your tool of choice -- Chainsaw or axe? This is an episode about preparation. Are you putting in the preparation before training? Or are you just hacking away exerting as much effort as possible. While working hard is great, being the most prepared and working EFFICIENTLY is better.
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A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Essentially, at this point the fight is over, so you pretty much flow with the goal. Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power?
Speaker 2:I'm ready.
Speaker 1:Preparing for BJJ, are you using a chainsaw or are you using an axe? We're going to talk about how your preparation is making your job easier or damn harder, and we don't realize this. Because, look, you know, we know the saying if all you've got is a hammer, everything is a nail. We're going to extend this analogy If you've only got an ax, that's the only way you know how to cut down a tree right.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know, let's be honest, an ax nicely sharpened blade, not a terrible tool, for, you know, dispatching wood axe, nicely sharpened blade, not a terrible tool for for, uh, you know, dispatching wood, no, but when you see someone with a fucking chainsaw, brother dude, it's, it's immaculate.
Speaker 2:It fucking pales in comparison to a well-oiled chainsaw, fresh batteries, oh my god, topped up with diesel, however you like to run it however, you want to just be destroying the environment.
Speaker 1:Fucking. We condone it. We're australian, uh no, but think this. The reason why I brought this up is there was a great analogy is the. A quote has been misappropriated many times. I said if you've been given, you know, a certain amount of time four hours to cut down a tree. And this person said well, if you give me four hours, I'll spend three hours sharpening my axe. Abraham lincoln said abraham lincoln.
Speaker 2:Well, that's, that's the attribution give me four hours to chop down a tree and. I'll spend the first three sharpening the axe. Exactly right the founding forefather of the great nation. That's it right. And so Shout out to the US.
Speaker 1:I actually don't know if he ever spent much time cutting down trees.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it probably wasn't him that said that.
Speaker 1:But the analogy sticks right, and I'm talking about the jujitsu class being your tree. That's your job. Okay, that's the thing you're trying to get done, or it could be a workout. Chop all these cunts down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, chop them. And so that's the thing. Kani Basami, on every motherfucker in the room.
Speaker 1:We've all got the job to do. Now, if you're 21 years old and you're fucking full of energy and whatever you got an axe you you actually want to cut down trees with a, with an axe. You're like this is a workout. I love this shit, yeah, but if you're 35 and a bit, broken.
Speaker 1:You're like I still got this tree to cut down. Yeah, fucking, give me a chainsaw, mate like. And really this is dependent on preparation. Now the the axe and stay with the analogy. Joe knows that I'm going a bit far left with the analogy, but the axe is really a lack of preparation. That's just something you got right. But if you Wow, what's wrong with the axe? For example, you can just keep using the axe, but it's going to blunt over time.
Speaker 1:True of the chainsaw too, but it is not a technological development, it is a lack of preparation. It's a manual tool. Yeah, and you can do things that way. I'm not saying that that is wrong. But there is a better way, my friends being better prepared, whether that be hydrated, brought your kit, did your stretches, did your lifts, did everything right. So you show up to class better prepared. You are the chainsaw, you are the axe. Now we know plenty of people out there. They're a blunt sledgehammer trying to cut down a tree. You're just running your head against the wall. That's not the most effective way to cut down a tree.
Speaker 2:You probably fuck up the tree a little bit, you do? You do some damage to the timber. Getting down is going to be hard. Did you actually do?
Speaker 1:the job. Yeah, and here's the thing actually do the job. And here's the thing. I actually noticed this more recently with my parents. My parents are getting older. They need more help doing shit. They're pretty capable, but they're not as strong, they're not as robust, and so therefore, they need more technology to do the same shit. And what we know about jujitsu is, when you do get older and you get further along in the journey, you need to do more of a warmup. Just to be normal, you got to do way more work just to hold the standard. Yeah, when you're younger, you just get away with shit, right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you're younger, if you encounter an obstacle, you just go harder.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and that's really what the axe represents is a lack of preparation, but maximum energy. But if you improve your preparation whether we consider the tree to be a workout, a meeting your class at jujitsu when you are better prepared, you're bringing the chainsaw. Now, obviously, a chainsaw it could have a blunt blade, an unoiled blade. You might be low on battery or low on petrol, right, so there's also some preparation that goes along with or low on petrol, right, so there's also some preparation that goes along with maintaining you being a chainsaw, or using a chainsaw, so to speak. But that person who's prepared gets through the job so much easier. It's largely a more efficient tool, it's less energy, and that's what I'm trying to lead to here that for folks out there who maybe don't have the physical bandwidth or youth, it's much better for you to be cutting down a tree with a chainsaw than an axe. Can you, can you elaborate? Can you go with this analogy with me, joe?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I'm right there.
Speaker 1:You're in the pocket.
Speaker 2:You know I'm, um, you know one could make the argument that, uh, you know an axe is, is a great tool and that if you keep the blade sharp and you keep the handle, you know oiled and it's, you know it's going to do, it's going to be a very efficient axe, an effective axe. But it's kind of like when you hear the stories of like I don't know, like Christopher Columbus and the fucking Spaniards or whatever, and they bring in rifles to you know fire against the, you know the Mayans or whatever. I don't even know if it was the minds, but the people of peru at the time.
Speaker 2:You know, forgive me for not being up on it, but you know one, historical inaccuracies may vary. One army's got firearms, gunpowder and bullets and the other arms got like spears, and you know and axes and arrows, yeah and it's just like it's a fucking huge efficiency increase if you got a gun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know in that scenario. And so, yeah, like I get it, I did this, we did this right, like whole 20s and early 30s just went hard, yeah, and it's just like, just go harder. And like the obstacle comes like, ie, someone defends the thing you're trying to do or someone's giving you a hard time, well, go harder, go harder, go harder. And uh, and it does work for a certain period of time, but if you keep trying to that, you do invariably end up getting wrecked.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Whatever that is, whether you just start fucking losing all the time, or your game doesn't work, or you get injured, or you're not having a good time, whatever. So yes, looking for the upgrade in efficiency is kind of a necessity at that certain point.
Speaker 1:Adapting yeah, it is. And so, look, the reason why I wanted to bring this analogy is because Joe here loves a bit of woodwork. He loves that craftsmanship. I really do, and you know I'm actually a huge fan too. You know I haven't done anything recently, but woodwork was my favorite subject in high school actually and, much to my father's credit, he taught me a bunch about making joints and all this stuff by hand, not necessarily using a machine, but using a chisel and all these things. Don't get me wrong, there is a skill and an art to creating a dovetail joint with a chisel. There is a skill to maintaining a tool in a really nice way. But when you've got no fucking time, when you haven't got, if that's not your sole purpose in life to be a carpenter or an artisan, you don't live in Okinawa and you're just trying to build like these nails.
Speaker 2:You'd be following those Japanese Instagram carpentry guys. Yeah, without the nails and the special locking systems and shit.
Speaker 1:It's incredible, right? And so it might take you 10 years to build a house when you haven't got 10 years and you've got to fucking just fix the door and feed the kids and walk the dog, and you got to do that shit. You need the right tool for the job, appropriate to where you're at, and that's what we're talking about. We're talking about busy people with busy lives who are trying to get it done. So if you think that you've got a number of trees that you need to chop down in your week, let's save you some time, let's save you some effort, let's get you prepared so that you've got the chainsaw approach, not the kind of axe approach.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think on this I'll indulge myself in the analogy with you please, please um, the like bandwidth, right, the the thing that you you have when you're younger is that you have a lot of bandwidth for training and shit, because you don't really have a lot going on no responsibility.
Speaker 2:Maybe maybe you're really busy at university or maybe you're working and that's kind of busy. You have a bunch of girlfriends, yeah, right, you've got to date a bunch, but you don't you know, and you only realize this once you go. You're like whoa, I actually had a lot of sort of time and energy on my hands, and so when you're a bit older, you have less bandwidth for this shit. It's about, then, being more selective about where you allocate the bandwidth, right, and so, in that way, you could. You could, if we go like, uh, christopher nolan, uh, inception level, on this analogy, right, deeper.
Speaker 2:So let's say that you uh wielding a chisel and a chainsaw right throughout the week for various tasks, yeah, and let's say that the chisel represents the precision and the accuracy and the, the artisanality of jujitsu. Yes, right, it's this passion of yours, this thing that you love. Sure, um, you love the fucking technical aspect of it, the little details. No, grip, you know, invert the hand, thumb in elbow tight, like you're like, ah, that's what I needed to hear. Um, and that's the chisel work. Sure, now you can't use the chisel for everything. No, you got to use the chainsaw for all the other bullshit. Right tool for the right job, so that it allows you to enjoy the chisel for that thing that you love, true, right.
Speaker 2:And so if you're showing up like you know what I mean Like if you're showing up trying to be that fucking hyper, fucking, you know, perfectionist on on everything, you're not going to fucking succeed on any of it yeah so there is also this, this balancing act of like um uh, accepting and adopting efficiency where it, where it is appropriate and where it doesn't matter as much to you, so that you can have the precision and the beauty and the accuracy for the things that really matter you're trying to get stronger for jujitsu and you're not sure how We've got the thing for you.
Speaker 1:It's the Bulletproof for BJJ app. Now, the cool thing about the app is we update the programs. That's right, and we've got some new programs dropping real soon and we want to get you in there. The great thing is, you get a 14-day free trial so you can get in there, play around, have a feel, and here's the deal. If you don't like it, we have 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Get on the free trial, go to the App Store or the Play Store, download the app, take the 14-day free trial and we will see you in there. And look, I don't disagree in any way. I would just go like an adjacency to that to say that the chainsaw represents effectiveness, right? So it's not that you have to use a chainsaw.
Speaker 1:I know, I know, I know you just wanted to bring in a woodworking analogy. It's fine, I accept. But yeah, look, we're looking at you being effective. It doesn't matter young or old, it doesn't matter where you are in the game You're a new white belt or you're a seasoned black belt If you can do the same job in less time, with less effort, I believe that that is the way to go. And really, when we look at what success represents, it's different for everyone. It is preparation meets opportunity. Your class, your workout, that meeting, whatever it is, that consultation, that's the opportunity. How well prepared you are really dictates the success of the outcome.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so we really want to make sure that, whatever you decide to do, you'll bring in your best prep so that you can just fucking get the most out of it, and that's what we're trying to do.
Speaker 2:So just quickly, can you um on that uh chainsaw equaling efficiency. What are efficiency slash effectiveness? What are the things that we can control within our own week that represent that? Like, what are the things that are going to help me to be the chainsaw within our own week that represent that?
Speaker 1:Like what are the things that are going to help me to be the chainsaw? So definitely it does. This is where most people will just stay with the ax because it's what they know, which is they don't have to make any time Like. The biggest thing about preparation is it does cost you a bit of time, but it gets you a better outcome, whether that's me spending an extra half an hour writing my notes for this podcast, or it's me filling up my drink bottle, pre-putting my soda in there and putting my fucking bag together the night before, like my fucking mom told me to do, because my mom was sick of like fucking get me ready for school and me just like sleeping. She would make me get my clothes out the night before. She'd make me pack my bag because she didn't want to have to fucking deal with that at seven in the morning. But that takes a bit of time. So, even though this seems like it's a false economy, you not taking 15 minutes to be more prepared the day before will cost you less good results the next day. So, in the name of a saving time, we get less good results.
Speaker 1:Preparation looks like taking a little bit of extra time, whether it be to do a workout, drink some more water, bring the drink bottle. It can represent itself in a lot of different ways, but even if you think about yourself, joe and this is where I think we can wrap it up nicely, like, if you're going hunting right, because it's oh, speak to me, he's just fucking beating his chest on this one it's a lot of prep because you're out in the wild and I'm not someone who's been hunting other than watching like a ton of like Cameron Haynes videos. You know, just basically there with the big guy, I am Basically I know what it is. There's so much preparation to make it successful because the opportunity is fleeting right to be able to catch a thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so I guess, whatever you're trying to do and enjoy because I don't think any of us really enjoy sucking at a thing and that's kind of inevitable but bringing that prep maximizes the opportunity for the good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. And and I think we all feel that, like when you're well prepped for training and you get there and you weren't hustling cause you were running 10 minutes late and you know you're hydrated and you and you ate some shit a couple of hours ago and you're feeling good and all that, you're like you appreciate that. And it and it and it shows in the effectiveness of your performance in that session. Yeah, and you can feel good about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like it's, it's, it's almost like a self-esteem thing, in the same way when you make the right choice on your diet, or when you when you go to bed early when you go to bed early, yeah, you're like you don't have that.
Speaker 2:Like when you go to bed late, you wake up and you're like I'm a fucking idiot. Why am I doing? I'm fucking idiot why did I? You know, and then you do it again, and you do it again.
Speaker 1:Oh God big booty Latinas got me again.
Speaker 2:Why am I stuck? We are following the same Instagram account. We are.
Speaker 1:But that's the thing, right, like cause in the, in the, in the immediate moment it's like oh, this is more enjoyable. We don't think about that delayed satisfaction element and without getting boring about it, it's just simply when you've had those moments where you felt really good. If you can look back on it, preparation is usually an integral part of that and you can feel good that you did the right thing by yourself and this creates a real positive spiral for better preparation and better results. I love it. There it is, fam. Thank you.
