There is a limit to what a coach can do for you. A good coach can make an enormous difference in your development. They can teach you techniques that might take you years to discover on your own. They can explain concepts, demonstrate movements, identify mistakes, give you feedback and design training that puts you in the situations you need to experience. Good coaching can make learning faster and more productive. But there is one thing a coach can't do. They can't give you

In my last article, I talked about the difference between training BJJ and practicing BJJ. You can spend years on the mat, attend hundreds of classes, and roll thousands of rounds without getting nearly as much better as you could have. That isn't because rolling isn't valuable. It absolutely is. The problem is that simply doing more BJJ doesn't necessarily mean you're deliberately working to improve your BJJ. So if simply training isn't enough, what does deliberate practice

You can train BJJ for years without getting significantly better at BJJ. That probably sounds strange. After all, if you spend years on the mat, drilling techniques and rolling with your teammates, shouldn't you automatically improve? Not necessarily. There's a difference between training BJJ and practicing BJJ. Most people start the same way. You learn some basic techniques, practice them with a partner, and eventually start using them during live rolling. Over time, things

Combat sports are hard. That seems obvious, but whenever someone talks about training intelligently, managing intensity, or taking recovery seriously, there is always someone who hears, "So we're supposed to take it easy now?" No. If you want to get better at MMA or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you have to work. You're going to get tired, sore, frustrated, and occasionally get your ass kicked by someone better than you. There will be difficult rounds where quitting or slowing down wo

When I was wrestling, one of my coaches used to say that you needed three different kinds of training partners in the practice room. You needed the person you could beat frequently. You needed the person you could beat about half the time. And finally, you needed the person who could beat you frequently. I've thought about that a lot over the years, and I think it's one of the simplest explanations of what a good training environment should look like. Most people understand t

One of the things I think people get wrong about training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is how closely they watch their progress. They want to know if they're getting better. Which is understandable. You're spending time, money and effort on this, so of course you want to see a return. The problem is that people often look for that return immediately. Did I do better today than I did last class? Did I submit somebody? Did I escape more? Did I get smashed less? Did that technique finall

If you're thinking about starting martial arts at BLAST MMA, one of the first questions you'll probably have is: Should I train MMA or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Both are great ways to train. Both will challenge you. And both will teach you skills that you can continue developing for years. But they're also very different training experiences. At BLAST, we've found that the people who gravitate toward MMA and the people who gravitate toward BJJ are often looking for different thing

There are a lot of good Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools. Most have good instructors, good training partners, and plenty of techniques to teach. So what makes BLAST MMA different? For us, it comes down to how we approach learning Jiu-Jitsu. We don't think the best way to learn BJJ is to show up three times a week and learn three random techniques. That's how you end up knowing a lot of techniques but not really knowing what to do when someone actually resists you. Instead, we buil

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has become one of the most popular martial arts in the world—and for good reason. It’s practical, engaging, and deeply rewarding both physically and mentally. But one of the most common questions adults ask before stepping onto the mat is: “Am I too old to start BJJ?” The short answer is no. In fact, adults often make some of the best beginners in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Whether you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s, or beyond, it’s never too late to begin your

A lot of people approach sparring like it's a fight. You try to win. You try to make the other guy tap. You try to land more shots, take less damage, and prove that you're better than the person standing in front of you. And I understand why. Sparring is supposed to be competitive. That's part of what makes it fun. But if your goal every time you spar is to win, you're probably holding yourself back. The goal of sparring isn't to win. The goal of sparring is to get better. Th