Fighter — top_cat

Back in the day, there weren't very many companies catering to the jiu jitsu community. Sizes and designs were limited, and if you didn't fit in it or didn't like it... well, tough cookie.

Fast forward to today! The jiu jitsu industry is virtually flooded with "jiu jitsu brands" creating fight gear and apparel. Some are fantastic... others not so much. We wanted to take a moment to highlight a brand that we think is the bee's knees: Choke Republic. 

Choke Republic has been around for a few years, but in the last year or two we've seen them really ramp up their game. 

Entirely a clothing company - sorry guys, no gis... yet? - Choke Republic has been producing some exciting tees and snapbacks since day one. Remember the Yoda tee, featuring "Jiu Jitsu Player You Are" in the shape of everyone's favorite diminutive Jedi?

We believed in the brand early and started selling their tees at major IBJJF tournaments, but the brand only just blew up after they signed on some of the sport's biggest athletes - such as Leandro Lo and Andre Galvao - to rep their gear.

Now, Choke Republic boasts over 35 different, and totally awesome, active designs. Not only is each series they launch better than the last, but they also have options for women and kids, too! Which we think is really cool because they're often an after-thought for most brands.

Our favorite part? Their slogan: "One Jiu Jitsu, on the mat, indivisible, with chokes and submissions for all." 

Train on. Oss.                                                                                           

So maybe you've watched enough UFC fights - or maybe you gave in to your cousin/friend/coworker/grandma's relentless pestering -  and you've finally signed up at your local jiu jitsu academy. Welcome to a whole new world, complete with its own cultural norms...

Here are several of the most basic rules of etiquette to keep you from looking like the newbie that you are: 

No Shoes on the Mat

This is at the top of the list for a reason. Think about it: you walk around all day, stepping on God-knows-what, so the bottom of your shoes are disgusting ecosystems of bacteria. Now, because of the nature of jiu jitsu, being a grappling-based martial art, you're going to be spending a lot of time on the floor, with other parts of your body - including your FACE - pressed against the mat. And because you're active and sweating, your pores are open, as well. You might as well be cuddling with a dumpster. Likewise, when you step off the mat - to get a drink of water or, especially, if you go to the restroom - put your shoes back on to avoid bringing anything funky back on to the mat via the bare soles of your feet. 

Always Respect the Upper-Belts

Jiu jitsu isn't karate. It takes a long time to transition from belt to belt (unless you go to some McDojo academy where belts are handed out for good attendance and behavior... or a fat wallet). So if someone is sporting a higher belt than you, know that they've served their time on the mat, are full of insight and knowledge, and deserve your respect. Yes, even if they look like they might be the same age as your son or daughter. How that respect manifests can vary from academy to academy, but it typically consists of: bowing and greeting the professor when you enter, letting the higher-belt request you as a training partner (as opposed to the other way around), and moving when a higher-belt and his/her partner are rolling too close to you. 

Keep Yourself and Your Gi Clean

In jiu jitsu, you get really close to your training partners. I'm not talking about emotionally close - although that happens, too - but physically close. You will find yourself in some really intimate positions with your training partner, which, in any other context, might be a little awkward to explain to your significant other. As such, it is really important to be as clean as possible when you step on the mat. It's a respect thing. You might not mind the smell of your own personal body odor, but if you are assaulting your partner's olfactories with stench of unwashed body or funky gi, that's not cool. 

Leave the Drama Off the Mat

For nearly every practitioner of the gentle art, the jiu jitsu academy is his or her personal sanctuary. It's the one - and for some, only - place to escape from the stress and drama of regular everyday life. For that hour or two that you're on the mat, you don't have to do or think about anything else except learning, training, and becoming better at jiu jitsu. Don't ruin the vibe for your teammates by bringing your work/relationship drama onto the mat. That includes "taking it out" on your training partners when you've had a crummy day. 

Don't Hit on the Ladies (Or Men)

Your jiu jitsu academy is not like some meat-market self-service weight gym. For the most part, the women you encounter in the jiu jitsu academy are there to train. It's not appropriate to waste their time on the mat trying to ask them out on a date. I emphasize not hitting on the ladies only because jiu jitsu is still a male-dominated sport. But the reverse - or any other combination - applies, too. Yeah, we're human, so it's only natural that sparks might fly, but if you're going to try to ignite them, do so off the mat and preferably outside the academy entirely. 

These are just some of the most basic rules of etiquette, according to us. Click here to find a great list of more specific rules that generally apply to any jiu jitsu academy you might find yourself in. 

Train on. Oss.

Regardless of the sport, competing is probably one of the most stressful activities a person can do. In a competition, you're putting your training to the test, you're pitting your skillset against another opponent or opponents, and you're often battling your own demons in the process. 

Especially in a jiu jitsu competition, your mental state of mind is probably the most important variable that you can control. Yes, you CAN "control" it, at least to some degree. Here's how: 

Know Your Competition Mindset

Sports psychologist Jim Taylor has identified three different pre-competition mindsets used by the best athletes in the world: aggressive, calm, and clear. You might be familiar with the "aggressive" one, especially on the jiu jitsu mat; a big, muscle-bound dude jumping up and down and slapping his own face to "amp" himself up. Of course that's on the extreme side of an aggressive mindset, but if that works for you, cool. If you like to chill out in a corner, listening to soothing music, then you're more on the "calm" side. Or maybe you like to take your mind completely off your upcoming match... then you prefer a "clear" mindset. 

Train Your Brain, Too

Just as you train your body, you need to train your brain as well. Yeah, jiu jitsu training does a marvelous job of doing both at the same time, but just as I've argued in previous blog posts, you should also seek outside resources. With the brain, you're looking to optimize your cognitive efficiency - basically, trying to improve the time it takes for your brain to assess an action and direct a reaction. Surprise, surprise... computer games are great for this, as they help to "improve pattern recognition, high-speed decision making and focus." This will allow you to make those split second decisions that put you a step ahead of your opponent. 

Develop Positive Mental Qualities

Slightly different from the "mindset" described above, it's important for you also to actively develop certain mental qualities that will keep your mind from sabotaging you leading up to, and during, your match. These qualities, according to Breaking Muscle, are:

• Persistence - endure to the end, no matter the setbacks
• Positive realism - make the best of a bad situation or challenge, and know where your limits are
• Humility - don't under or over-estimate your abilities
• Vulnerability - accept making mistakes, and learn from them
• No regrets - don't focus on what you did or didn't do in the past, focus on the now, and your future goals

Recondition Your Idea of Competing

You've probably heard this a million times, but your biggest opponent is yourself. You have no influence on your opponent, and as much as you might be able to study his/her game, odds are it won't play out exactly as you've imagined. So the best thing to do is essentially "forget your competition" and just focus on what you CAN control. If you're a top player, work on your takedowns and throws, your passes, your submissions, etc. If you're a bottom player, work on your guard pulls, your sweeps, your submissions, etc. If you worry about reacting to your opponent, you'll be a step behind him/her. Impose your game first.

Of course, no single way to prepare for a competition is "the best way". What might work for someone else, might not work for you, and vice versa. The only way to know for sure what yours is, is through experience... and the only way to obtain that experience is to get out there and just do it. 

Train on. Oss.

 Jiu jitsu is a lifestyle... and it comes with all the bells and whistles that come with it: a community of like-minded people, central meeting places (the academy), events, places to shop, brands that cater to your interests... and news sources. 

Even in today's day and age, you can still get your news from somewhere besides Facebook. Where, you ask? Check it out: 

Jiu Jitsu Magazine 

Founded seven years, ago, Jiu Jitsu Magazine basically did for the jiu jitsu community what Surfer did for the surfing community: bring high-level news and lifestyle content to your front door and the magazine rack. Not just a monthly print publication anymore, they also have a regularly-updated online site, and an app, too! And because they're based in sunny Southern California, they have easy access to ALL of the jiu jitsu greats - both based here and passing through - so they're never short on great content. 

FloGrappling

Since Austin-based FloSports entered the jiu jitsu scene, they've pretty much dominated the sports-based coverage at the major jiu jitsu promotions (think IBJJF, UAEJJF, F2W Pro, ADCC, etc). Dominated... and taken to the next level. Not only do they publish quality news and feature articles and technique videos, but they also provide live mat-side feeds, they have commentators covering the hot matches, they post ESPN-style match predictions and podcast-style commentary, they get on-the-spot interviews, create awesome highlight videos... and they do all of this on the daily. 

Gracie Mag

The oldest - and "original" - jiu jitsu publication, Gracie Mag has been doing this a long time. If you do jiu jitsu - sport or otherwise - and you've never seen or heard of Gracie Mag... you're living under a rock. Both print and online, they hit all of the standard media needs: news and feature articles, technique videos, interviews, technique videos, diet and training tips and tricks, etc. Originating in Brazil, they're also the only publication on this list that's bilingual, so you and your Brazilian mat brother can enjoy the same article. Sometimes their English translations are a bit off, but don't let that stop you from getting your read on.

Jiu Jitsu Style

Jiu Jitsu Style is like Jiu Jitsu Magazine's trendy European cousin. Printed on heavy, high-quality paper, with impeccable photography and deliciously long feature articles, you might find it hard to bring yourself to read it, lest you break the binding before you carefully arrange it on the coffee table in your chic downtown flat. Although the print version is definitely the highlight, they also post a lot of content and videos (not available in the print version, for obvious reasons) on their website. Polaris fan? They've got that event covered beautifully. 

Jiu Jitsu Times

Entirely online, Jiu Jitsu Times posts a much broader range of jiu jitsu-related content than the publications mentioned above. Yeah, they do sports and community news, interviews, and technique videos too, but they also dive into the MMA scene, publish results from a lot more promotions than Flo does, get commentary from jiu jitsu legends on controversial topics, post "as seen on Facebook" street jits videos, and pepper in some fun topics (What's the most "jiu-jitsu-y" animal? Let's just say the chameleon made the list).  

BJJ Eastern Europe

Like Jiu Jitsu Times, BJJ Eastern Europe (or more commonly known as "BJJEE") is also entirely online, and like the others provides great jiu jitsu industry news, interviews, technique videos, gear reviews, tips and tricks, etc. But where BJJEE has really made a name for itself is in being the first to tackle any new and juicy gossip running the jiu jitsu rumor mill. Want to know who the latest "fake blackbelt" is? Or what about which jiu jitsu fighter is hating on who via social media? BJJEE has got you, man. 

This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but these are the major ones. Whatever your media taste is, odds are there's a online or print jiu jitsu publication out there catering to it. 

Read... and roll... on. Oss.