🥋 More BJJ Beef Than A Butcher Shop

QUESTION TIME

What Keeps You Up At 2 am?

If you’ve been digging around in the BJJ corner of the internet long enough, you’ve likely come across some motivational poster spouting something along the lines of “leave your ego at the door; it’s just you vs you.”

So wise. So wholesome. But not entirely true.

BJJ isn’t a solo sport. It cannot just be You vs You - by its very nature, it demands some level of competition with your peers. I mean, we literally wrap and display our rank and level around our waist (or colour our shirts in for you Gi-free folks) so we can all see where everyone sits … compared to everyone else.

Now look, I know I’m being dramatic here (it’s why you read, right?), and the You vs You poster delivers a good message that rings true on many levels. But for argument’s sake, BJJ is much more than You vs You… it’s realistically You vs Your Friends, and sometimes, if you’re up for it - it’s You vs A Stranger At A Competition 🔥 

Competing in BJJ is a great way to put your skills to the test outside the comfort zone of your own gym. It’s a chance to see how your game goes under pressure - but it’s not for everyone and not the only way to level up.

So, this week, we want to know if you’re a keen BJJ competitor? Or are you not so interested in that side of the sport? 📝

This week’s big question ⬇️

The last poll’s results:

Last time we asked you - “Have You Hit The BJJ Plateau?”

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🤠 Oh yeh. I've been there - this ain't my first rodeo.

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 😎 No plateau yet. I'm always keen for the next class.

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💨 I've actually already quit (noooooo...)

Survey says … if you feel like your BJJ has stalled and it’s a bit of a struggle to keep at it right now - you’re definitely not alone.

Most of us here have gone through (and are maybe going through) a rough patch where the love for the game has dipped a bit, but as you’ll see from the poll - none of us have quit! 🔥

A few of you say that you have always been flying high and frothing hard with no plateau in sight - and now, thanks to some great reader responses below, if you do hit a wall - there is some sage advice from those who have been there before 👌

WHATS HAPPENING?

This Weeks Tap’s ✋, Nap’s 🥱 & Snap’s

We hear you. Time is money 💰 - you want your BJJ news, but you’ve got sh*t to do 📝 … those training partners won’t tap themselves. Let’s get it 👇

1.) GORDON HAS FOUND HIS MOJO AGAIN 🕺: … and is back in full troll mode, picking fights online wherever he can find them.

After an uncharacteristically quiet spell, which included thanking his past opponents and leaving his haters to their own devices, he seems to have found a second wind and is well and truly back to his old inflammatory self.

All in the space of an hour or so on the Jake Shields podcast last week, he called Mikey Muscumeci ‘a little rat that talks 💩’ , outed Craig as a loser and called Nicky Rod a disrespectful coward.

Sheesh. He’s back, baby! He’s also reignited the beef with the world’s scariest white belt, Pat Downey, claiming he’s ready to set up a match and that he’s got the skills needed to outwrestle him (according to the right ruleset, that is) 🤼 → more here.

2.) JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS ALL OVER 🙅‍♂️: … Craig and Mo fire up their keyboards as well and get right back to the beef that made this year's CJI vs ADCC build-up so damn spicy! 🌶️

The catalyst for this round is Mo Jassim's resignation (or firing, depending on who you believe) as ADCC's head organizer. Craig and his legion of internet fans wasted no time in putting Mo to the flames, with this little clip serving as the temperature check on the whole situation.

Craig is the undisputed BJJ trolling champion at this point, however, Mo didn’t let this one slide and has called Craig out for a boxing match to settle the score once and for all. Please Combat Sports Father Christmas - make this happen 🙏 → more here.

 3.) THE AIGA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE IS AWESOME 🔥: … and the USA qualifier for 2024 goes live this week! The AIGA Champions League is a team-based grappling tournament that builds over many months and has produced some epic jiu-jitsu matches over the last few years.

Following on from the European and Brazilian qualifier events earlier this year that were super entertaining, albeit a bit one-sided, the USA qualifier promises to be much more competitive. 

This qualifier is filled with ADCC veterans and straight-up BJJ killers - with teams entered from 10th Planet, CheckMat, Fight Sports, Team Finishers, Legion Jiu-Jitsu & Team Vanguard.

This is a super tough one to call, but if I were a betting man, I’d probably be a lot poorer. I’d also put my money on Team Vanguard. You? 💰 → more here.

The Quick Hitters ⚾️

• This has to be one of the most important leglock instructionals in BJJ history🦵 

• ADCC 2024 Official Awards have landed 🥇

• The WNO 25 line-up is looking gooood! 👀

• Kade’s next MMA match is locked in locked in 🔐

• But you won’t see Nicky Rod in MMA 🚫

BY BULLETPROOF FOR BJJ

The Weekly Fix

In the last edition, the Bulletproof Boiz gave us a great strength routine that helps our balance and puts our top passing game on another level 📈

This week, we look at a sweet little burner that not only increases our strength but also lifts our heart rate so we can bolt on some cardio gainz 😮‍💨

A SIMPLE Kettlebell Complex To Improve Your BJJ Fitness!:

We all know cardio is hardio. And we get enough of it when we are floundering for air underneath a heavy side control, right? No. Wrong!

Improving your cardio off the mats goes a long way towards helping your BJJ performance and, frankly, making it more enjoyable. Rolling is a lot more fun when you don’t feel like you’re drowning. 🌊 

And getting your cardio in doesn’t mean you need to be out pounding the pavement for hours on end or swimming the English Channel.

You can get it done without sacrificing your strength work or even leaving your own home - all you need is a kettlebell and some top-quality instruction ☝️

If you’re digging The Weekly Fix - sign up for your 7-day free trial with Bulletproof For BJJ and take the app for a spin! 👇

WHAT’S SO FUNNY?

The Meme Open Mat:

Looks like you sleep pretty easy with 1 milly in the bank huh?👇…

tapnapandsnap

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LET’S GET TECHNICAL

The Good Option:

Do you know who’s good to listen to when it comes to what actually works on the mats? The 2024 2x ADCC World Champion Adele Fornarino - that’s who! 🏆

After dominating both the women’s 55kg division and the absolute category like no one has ever before, we’d be damn fools not to pay attention when she drops a knowledge bomb 💣.

And mumma didn’t raise no fool, which is why this week, our Good Option has Adele showing how to recover from a knee shield smash and turn it into a powerful butterfly-style sweep.

Bonus points to the uke for effortlessly rockin’ the slick wristwatch, shades and socks on the mat 😎 Grab a cuppa ☕️ and notepad 📝 👇

The Not-So-Good Option:

Our Not-So-Good Option this week belongs to the silly gentleman who, by all accounts, thought it was a good idea to follow and attack a random guy on the street.

Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for everyone else, the guy he picked to try and harass was Chris Bower - a 3rd degree black belt and certified Jiu-Jitsu weapon.

Chris hits a smooth chair sit, takes his back and gifts him a nice little nap before the police turn up and haul him off. All in a day's work, hey? 🤦👇

YOU WIN, WE WIN!

Sharing Is Caring 🫵

Hey! - this is your chance to do a damn good deed and help us out while also scoring yourself some sweet sweet rewards for doing so! Win-Win baby!

All we ask for is that you share our newsletter with some of the other BJJ savages in your circle - we will even give you heaps of cool stuff to say thanks! ⬇️