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Transcript

Welcome And Voicemail Invite

SPEAKER_04 0:00

Welcome to the QA episode. This is Bulletproof of BJJ. And if you've got a question you want to ask us, please go to the website and post the question, Bulletproof of BJJ.com, hit the podcast page and record us a voicemail because you probably got questions about the journey that you're on, about jujitsu, about the politics in your gym, about your strength training, any of that stuff. And there's other people out there that would benefit from us having a conversation about it. So go and record a question. Uh we got a few in the bank here, and we've actually been getting a uh quite a good um posting of questions lately. I wanted to mention to folks, we will get to it. We don't always get to it, depending on how many we get at a given time. We might not get to it for a month or so, but we will get to it. So keep them coming. First one in here is coming from James. Oh James. Strong name.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

This is uh in regards to you slamming. Years ago in judo, I believe in the 60s and 70s, if someone had a Juju Gitami or a straight arm lock, and you lifted them above your shoulders, it was a win. So it was actually used as a way that someone would actually let go. So if you had it locked on, you were struggling. I think that's the difference that's being missed. It would be kind of neat though in um jujutsu competitions if they left them up, you know, above the shoulders, it's a win. It would stop a lot of the slamming and other stuff.

SPEAKER_04 1:21

Hey. That's an interesting point. So that so James is referencing an episode where we're talking about slamming. Slamming, yeah. You know, should it be a thing? You know, when is it not? Blah, blah, blah. Um, that's actually quite fascinating, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 1:33

I yeah, I yeah, I I think so. It's great historical reference, right? But I I remember a particular match at Worlds where someone had a locked-in triangle and the person stood up. It was one of the heavyweights, you know, it could have been, I can't remember who it was, but they stood them up and they walked out of the ring so it would get reset. But they actually got, I think they got disqualified for that.

SPEAKER_04 1:58

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

And they lost the match as a result. But it's it was a way of avoiding the submission. Yeah, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. I mean, look, if you I reckon James is probably a strong guy. James is like, Do you know the amount of times I have lifted someone up?

SPEAKER_04 2:12

I tell you, I tell you what, I do think that the flip side of that scenario is a little bit ridiculous. The flip side of that scenario being we're in this jujitsu, we're in a we're we're in a competition match right now. You lock me up in a triangle, I pick you up to slam you, but then I realize I'm not allowed to slam. So then I have to place you back down and then and then proceed to tap. Right? Like I do, I do think in a way, in, and and of course it's a sport, right? It's not combat. Because it's ADCC, but it still is somewhat, it is still is somewhat combative, right? And so I'm like, the fact that the person who's in the submission isn't allowed to use that get out, it's like, no, no, you have to use only the only these certain methods of escape. Yeah, look, I look, I don't think that's actually rule, it's rule sets. It is, and that's fine, right? We all agree to it, but I actually think that would be cool where it's like, look, if you like if they said that, if you are in guard and you put someone in a sub and they pick you up to slam you and they lift you above their shoulders, you have to let go of the submission. You have to let go of the sub. I actually think that's pretty cool because then it means all right, well, if I'm locking on a triangle, I gotta I got well, I gotta catch a leg. Yeah, yeah. I gotta stop you from standing up. All right, and that's like imperative, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:32

Yeah, and I actually see that as being closer to the real thing. Ooh, yeah. I mean, I think it's it's an interesting take. Um yeah, it's it's definitely from a safety perspective, it's great. But who doesn't love a fucking power ball?

SPEAKER_04 3:49

I mean, I yeah, in the in the elite comps, I think fucking slam away, son. Right. I'm talking more just for like amateurs, yeah, and and yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

No, no, no. I think it's it's a really good take, man. I think that's thanks for bringing that up. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 4:00

But you know, it is also a tough one that you're you'd have to trust the athlete, the athlete that's like, well, once you pick them up and get them above the shoulder, you have to not slam. Yeah, you could some people would be like, you know, like it'd just be so hard to sometimes not just do that. Or just get really tired. Accidentally fall down. I mean, that's always sorry, ref, I was tired. You just fell.

Training Discipline With Limited Mat Time

SPEAKER_03 4:19

You need a really strong ref to like spot you down.

SPEAKER_04 4:22

Uh, next question coming in from Chad.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Hey fellas, this is Chad from uh New Jersey. Um interested in knowing some advice from you guys on how to be disciplined in your practice time on the mats. Um I can make make it to the gym about one and a half times a week, sometimes at two, sometimes at one, just because of current uh life situations got two kids under three. Um so I'm interested in knowing how I should be breaking up my practice realistically. I get in there and I just want to go full force uh and compete. Really, it's a format exercise for me at times. And so how do I stay disciplined and and practice certain things?

SPEAKER_03 5:16

Okay, Chad has a practice, huh? Yeah. It's a good way to think about it. I think it's like anything to do with discipline. It's you know, discipline. I actually have I've kind of eliminated that uh from my general uh thinking about human behavior. It's habit. Like at the end of the day, discipline and habit is the same thing. So if you have the habit to just go nuts, go 100% and just go, you know, kind of balls to a wall, then that's what you're gonna do every time. But if you could think about training maybe a little bit more like a meal that potentially dessert is at the end, you know, if you thought of yourself, if you treated yourself like a maybe more like a child, as you have young children, right? You've got to bribe them a little bit. You're like, look, if you eat the, if you eat this, you can have the thing, or if you be good, that it'll take you for ice cream. You you can kind of play these games with yourself in terms of you're like, right, I am gonna work on the thing that I suck at and I'm gonna do the drill or play the game, but then I will allow myself to roll a certain amount at the end. You know, obviously you only have so much time, but I don't think that just going nuts for the whole session is necessarily the way for you to get better, even though that might feel good. Like you say, it's a form of exercise, right? So you're trying to get the endorphins, you're trying to get this great feeling that jujitsu gives you. But the other thing that jujitsu can do is it can break your heart when you suck, and the person who you train with all the time is getting better than you and you're not getting better, right? So at the end of the day, learning is key as much as the physical expression is great. I would encourage you to do the harder thing first. This is what I do in my day-to-day life. Like, I don't want to do a thing, I try to put it at the front because once it's done, then the pressure's off, as opposed to putting the hard thing at the end, whatever that might be. And then you can kind of provided the class structure permits it, you know, roll how you want to roll. What do you what do you think about that, Joe?

SPEAKER_04 7:14

Yeah, yeah, I I I rate that. I think um I think there's two sides to it. You could like take that thing of like be a little bit more structured in the training and um, you know, have an idea of what you want to work on and make sure you put some kind of intentionality into the session. But I also think that maybe just doing what you're doing for a like maybe you should take the pressure off yourself and the fact because you're only getting in there one and a half times a week on average. Yeah, it's tough. So you're just sort of getting by on the skin of your teeth right now. And I think that that might be okay. You've got a couple young kids, it's a battle. Just getting in there and being at the gym and seeing the gang and fucking training is awesome. That's maybe it's this for a year or two, and then maybe fucking, you know, then your kids will be five, and then they're really gonna calm down, then they're then they're chill as fuck, you know.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

Not at all.

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SPEAKER_04 8:08

No, but you know, you gotta take them a swimming lesson, but it changes, right? And so, and so it won't always be this way. So, you know, um, because that's also that whole side of being very structured about it. You could see that as one of the luxuries that comes with being able to train a lot. So, you know, there's a couple of ideas there to run with. Yeah, I'd be interested to hear what works well for you, Chad. Give it a try. Chad, my favorite Chad character was fucking Van Dam Double Impact. Oh is it Chad and Alex? Pretty sure. Psych me out here. Fucking double impact was good. So good. This episode is brought to you by the makers of the greatest electrolyte in the game, Stody. We've been partnered with these guys for some time. And the reason that we love Sody is that they have a potent electrolyte product, which is exactly what you need for a sport like jujitsu, where you sweat a bunch. When you sweat on the mats, you lose electrolytes. And this is why supplementing with them is an absolute game changer for recovery and performance. And check it out, you can actually go for the single serving packs, which are great. I pump one of these after every training session, or you can get the tub. And the beauty of the tub is that less plastics, but also you can moderate how much you have. So if you just want to have a smaller dose, like you're having it in the morning first thing when you wake up, you can go for a half dose. Or if you want to have a little top-up at night or something like that, you can choose how much per scoop. You can get 15% off SODI now when you go to their website. SODI, that's sodoui.com.au, and you use the code Bulletproof15 to get 15% off. Go there now and enhance your performance and recovery. Third question, Ben.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

Joey JT, my name is Ben. I am a longtime listener, first time caller. Uh my question is I just moved to Italy and so I had to change gyms from where I initially started training. I am a bluebelt, and um I was wondering if you guys had any advice for people who are uh adjusting to a new gym environment from maybe where they started. How can I feel more comfortable in this new space, not really knowing anyone, going into a place where even though I do speak Italian, kind of adjusting to maybe the vocabulary of how things are done and kind of navigating the culture of a new space? Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 10:41

Well, first piece of advice is I've been reading a book on the fucking origin of the Sicilian mafia. And brother, don't go to fucking Colleon in Sicily, all right? That's my first piece of advice. Just fuck, it's a war zone, mate. You don't want to get wrapped up in that. But let's get to the real heart of the question.

SPEAKER_03 10:57

Don't don't start an olive oil business. Let's just say that much.

SPEAKER_04 11:00

Actually, I really want to go to Sicily after reading this book. It sounds fucking sick. I don't think they don't usually don't take out tourists, right? Like usually, yeah, it's just other paisanos that get a cop it just jumping in the slide.

SPEAKER_03 11:14

The worst. Uh okay, I'm gonna say two things here. One, obviously, you've changed countries, so that's big deal. That's that's its own adjustment, right? The social aspect, and two, you've changed jujitsu gyms.

SPEAKER_04 11:27

I love Chad was from Jersey, and then fucking Ben's just like taking it another degree. I'm I'm actually going to the motherland. There it is, Joyzy Jiu Jitsu.

SPEAKER_03 11:38

Uh no, as somebody who I I always struggled to fit in socially. So, what I would do is I would study the people who I felt were doing it really well, whether they were the funny person or the popular person, whatever it might be, I'd be like, what are they doing? So I would analyze the hell out of that and then for myself be like, okay, how can I be a bit more like them? I think you can look in any relationship or any environment where there's people who there's power dynamics, right? There's the favorite, there's the good-looking one who everybody secretly envies or very publicly envies or loves. You know, there's the there's the phenom, there's always these different archetypes and people in a gym. But I think you need allies. So I think definitely make a friend that will always help you because then you've got someone else looking out for you and they can give you some tips. And then the second thing is be very um if you can, and it's not always the way, try to form a relationship with the coach. Like make let them know that you really care about jujitsu and you're really trying to do your best to be a part of the place. I think as soon as you show that, the coach is going to be much more forgiving for any social indiscretions. You know, you show you got a good heart and you show you care about the thing that's important. So I think get an ally and then also just you know show your good character to the coach if you can.

SPEAKER_04 13:04

Yeah, um making friends, man. That's fucking it's all about that, I reckon. Like, you know, in agreement with what you said. Uh I remember when I trained at the Carlson Gracie Academy in Rio. It was it was and I I think I was in Rio for, I don't know, five weeks or something. And that academy became my home base. I competed once, once, yeah, under that, under that academy, and you know, trained there every day, sort of five days a week for you know, whatever, like four weeks kind of thing. Um, and I I can remember Carlson Gracie tattoo with the the two bulldogs running at each other. It's a fucking sick logo, though, isn't it? It's great. Um but I I can remember distinctly, like, you know, it was very confrontational when I first got there. People were suspicious of me. Um the other sort of I was a blue belt at the time, other blue belts were really fucking like standoff is fucking guy. Yeah, it was just another gringo on the mats, you know. And and I and the coach was putting me in situations he wanted to test me a bit, so he put me in some situations and they'd have a laugh or whatever. Yeah, covered you in chicken blood. Yeah, yeah. Um let's test this guy. But so, but then I remember we competed, did the competition, and then we and then I went out and got hammered with a bunch of the guys and we had a sick night. Great. And then we're just fucking homies after, you know, and it it totally changed it, totally changed the vibe with the with those guys. Um and I think that it's just you know, like one thing that we're not aware of, especially when you live in a place where a lot of tourists visit. So like Sydney, a lot of tourists come through. They do. Um Italy, gonna have a lot of tourists, right? Depending on where you are, yeah. Like in Rio, a lot of tourists, Copacabana.

SPEAKER_03 14:57

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 14:58

When you train at a gym that's in a tourist dense area, it's very transient. A lot of people come and go. So the locals tend not to make relationships very easily with because it's because like you're gonna be here for maybe one, maybe you're just here today and then never see you again, or maybe here a couple weeks. It's like not worth investing any time in. So I think that there's that little barrier to get past, which I mean, even if you're only there for a short while, it's um people don't we don't make friendships based on what's the duration of this friendship gonna be. So sometimes it's just about like going that extra little bit of distance to befriend someone, going out for a coffee after training or whatever. Yeah. Um, slice of pizza, break bread, yeah, right? Yeah. Um, but especially if you're like if you've established, like if you're living there, if you've moved to this town, then it's like let people know of that and like, hey, you know, like fucking get in, get in with someone, get a must it. Yeah, like I think that'll really change the thing because yeah, people are mindful of that. Um, but also it's like everyone's busy, right? And everyone's just showing up to training and we just lean into our clicks. And if there's someone there that they that they probably think maybe they think you don't speak Italian or that whatever, it's just gonna be a little bit of hard work to then maybe that means they don't talk to you. But you can just fucking short circuit that whole thing by like, hey man, what's going on? Let's fucking let's grab a fucking breadstick, what's going on?

SPEAKER_03 16:19

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It takes it takes a bit of courage. Actually, there's a there's a little, there's a technique, it's a oh, who was it? Famous America, Lincoln, I believe. I think they call it the Lincoln effect. It's a it's a kind of trick of psychology where you would think that to make friends with people you would do favors for them, but actually the trick is to get them to do a favor for you because even it just it could just be something small. The trick of the psychology is they have to um retrospectively reason to themselves why they did something for you, and it's because they like you, even if they don't actually like you. And he did this to uh Lincoln did this to kind of trick one of his political rivals to because he had a favorite book, and so Lincoln said, Oh, I would like to borrow that favorite book of yours because I am interested in this thing you care about. The guy's like, Oh, I don't know about that. He's like, No, man, I'd like and so the guy's like lent him the book, and as a result, he was actually able to kind of turn him around. So I it sounds strange, but it is actually very effective that if you're trying to make friends with somebody, ask them for a small favor, and this will actually uh get him a bit closer. Fucking how about that? Just a thought trick of the psychology there.

SPEAKER_04 17:35

Um, I got a bonus question today from me.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

I wanted to fucking I wanted to I said to fucking doing it I'm recording it live here on the how many questions?

Atos Allegations And Expert Request

SPEAKER_04 17:45

Three questions. Bring up the website. No, no, no. I want to it was just it was I wanted to add a thing. Um I want to talk about the fucking Atos situation. I want to just address that for our listeners. Oh, okay. Because if you're anywhere on the internet about this fucking everywhere, this the this fucking empire of an academy is crumbling. Oh, everyone's leaving this. Um Andre Galval has been accused of some shocking allegations in regards to sexual abuse of minors uh as well as you know, non-minors, like just total fucking binfire, the whole thing seems to have been handled very badly. Coaches left, whole shit, right? Sparked a lot of uh a lot of discussion in the game, a lot of a bit of a me too moment for jujitsu, right, where a lot of women are sharing their experiences of abuse. And the reason I wanted to JT and I spoke about it a couple weeks, a few weeks ago, once this when it sort of first blew up. And what we arrived at was like, what can we say about this that is not gonna just sound generic and like exactly like anyone else that's half decent as a human is gonna say, which is we condemn this kind of behavior, it's fucked up, jujitsu has a problem, women need to be respected. 100%. You know, like and what can we do, right? So um we we don't we don't we don't just want to jump on that bandwagon. We want to speak with someone who actually has like uh like knowledge of these structures and of this topic. We want to talk to someone who is maybe a specialist in the area of sexual abuse who knows the jujitsu world and is is in this universe of ours. Um so if you are that person or you know someone, can you put us in touch? Because we'd love to have them on the podcast. We'd love to have a really constructive conversation about it because we of course feel this thing of like it's awful. Uh, and all women in jujitsu are affected by this. And um, we want to do whatever we can to try and make it so this isn't a fucking thing that you know women have to deal with anymore in this in this game of ours. Totally. Um, so yeah, if you've got someone or if you know someone, please put us in touch. That'll be sick.

SPEAKER_03 19:51

You can reach out to us on Instagram or you can email me, jt at bulletproof forbidjay.com. Uh, we'd love to have the conversation because we want to have a constructive, helpful discourse about this because you know it's can't can't go on the way it is.

Listener Shoutouts And Closing

SPEAKER_04 20:10

Yep. Um, guys, thank you for the questions today. I think it might have been three from three US. Uh Italy. Well, he wasn't Italian. No. No, he I don't think he was Italian. It sounded like he might be coming from the US, right? Possibly. I don't know, but yeah. Fucking US still out there. He's doing great. Where's the rest? Where are the Euros? Yeah, where are the fucking South Americans? You know what I'd fucking love? Where's my spouses? I would fucking love a question in Portuguese. That would be super fun. And then we gotta try and decipher it.

SPEAKER_03 20:38

That could be embarrassing.

SPEAKER_04 20:39

Guys, just if you do that, just keep it fucking like element, like keep it like grade one garden type language, right?

SPEAKER_03 20:46

So do we just have to trade off our terrible Portuguese to work out what's going on, or are we gonna Google translate?

SPEAKER_04 20:52

Well, I think we should we should make a commitment to try and just figure it out between the two of us. That'd be fucking sick. But anyway, keen to hear from all of you guys. Go to pull it proof at bjj.com, hit the podcast page, and record us a voicemail. We'll get you on an upcoming episode. Love you guys. Salute