Committed if Convenient?

Hi Friends,

I’m noticing a disturbing trend amongst our society these days that has spilled over into the BJJ arena. It seems the “Fast food” mentality that has been developing over many years in America has, for some BJJ practitioners, overlapped and crept into many of their training regimens. This idea of entitlement to train only if convenient for one’s self will only hinder progress and progression in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (or any other aspect of life for that matter). To provide some perspective I’m going to tell you a little story about my BJJ journey, in a time when Jiu-Jitsu was sparse in the US at best, let alone in the state of Washington.

After a business trip to Texas with my father which served as my first introduction to BJJ (also my first time meeting my close friend and mentor Allen Mohler), I returned home and immediately began researching training options locally. At the time, there was one school in the state with a Brazilian, black belt instructor. At that time the main BJJ hub for Brazilians to go teach in the US was California (still partially holds true today), mostly in part to the sun and beaches! So, it seems fate was on my side at the time, since the odds of being blessed with a Brazilian instructor, let alone a black belt, here in our very rainy state were minimal at best.

I was so committed to the art that the thought of a 40 minute drive to the gym, and another 40 minute drive back home didn’t make even me flinch. I can honestly tell you that the thought of switching to another school didn’t even cross my mind over the several years I trained at that location. Unfortunately, after a couple changes in ownership as well as several changes of instructors, the school shut down. There was a lull in training, many months of getting together in random garages with my buddies and trying to stay sharp on what I had learned up to that point. 

Fast forward a few months and a Ralph Gracie affiliate school opened up in Burien. I jumped at the opportunity to train again and took up a 2 hour round trip to resume my training again. At that time I was training BJJ four days a week and lifting weights the other three (ah to be in my early 20’s again). Shortly after beginning my training in Burien, and after many years of frustrating dating experiences, I met my beautiful wife Amy. So, I then added the following to my routine (did I mention I was working two jobs at the time?):

• Get up at 5am to open Emerald City Smoothie in Burien by 7am
• Work at ESC until noon and then commute over an hour to Lakewood
• Work at Pierce College in Lakewood from 1-5pm.
• Wait at Pierce College for Amy to get out of her classes at 7pm.
• Go to Amy’s house to have diner, watch movies, and hangout until 2am
• Rinse and repeat 5 days a week

During all of the aforementioned activities I still maintained my training schedule and eventually earned my purple belt in BJJ. So, I’m guessing by now you guys are hopefully able to understand why you get a tilted head, raised eyebrow, or scoff from me when I hear how tough it is to make it to class at such and such time, how far it is for you, etc.

The point I’m trying to make is that if you are truly committed to something you will find a way to make it work! However, if you are only going to be committed when it is convenient to do so, you are guaranteeing that you will fail. Believe me when I tell you, I could have come up with many great excuses if I had wanted to waste my effort on it. To progress and improve at BJJ you need to be consistent, part of being consistent is being committed to improving. Even if you are only able to train one day a week, if you do so consistently, you will see steady progress. You can’t take an all or nothing approach to your training “Well, I can only make it in a couple of times this week, so I’m going to just wait and not come in until next week when I can train more”.

In closing, I realize that everyone has other commitments outside of BJJ, including but not limited to, family, work, etc. With that said, I also know that all of us are able to MAKE time for the things we want to do. If you are truly serious about your training and love the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, find your resolve and MAKE time to train. See you on the mats!

Sincerely,

Coach James Foster

Website: www.fosterbjj.com

Personal page: www.facebook.com/teamfoster

Fan page: www.facebook.com/fosterjiujitsu

A friend in need!

Team,

I’m writing this because a close friend of mine is facing a very trying time in his life right now. My friend’s name is John Munn and he’s the owner of a wonderful local comic book shop called Comic Book Ink. Comic book shop, why is coach writing us about a comic book shop you say? Well my friends, the majority of you probably don’t know this but your coach is a pretty big “nerd”! I’ve been involved in drawing and collecting comic books since a very young age and continue to do so to this day. That isn’t the extent of my nerdiness, but as much as I’m willing to share at the moment :) Anyways, back to the topic! John is facing the threat of having to shut his business down after many years (since October of 2002) of providing wonderful service to the local community. The doors to Comic book Ink will shut if they can’t pay off their remaining debt of $4,500 (down from $110,000 as of August 1^st, 2010) to Diamond Distributing by August 22^nd, 2011. For those of you who don’t know who Diamond is, they are the ones that the comic shops have to order all of the new comics from each week. That only scratches the surface of what’s going on, so after you read this email please take a minute to read the information at these links as well: http://www.indiegogo.com/Help-save-Comic-Book-Ink and also check out the Comic Book Ink website at www.comicbookink.com

I’ve been friends with John since 2002 and can honestly tell you he’s one of the most selfless and caring people you will ever meet. He has made many sacrifices in his personal life to try to keep the shop running over the years, so that the “nerds” like me have a great place with a family atmosphere to get our weekly comic book fix at. I consider John and the employees at Comic Book Ink to be more of an extended family than acquaintances, just as I feel the same about my family at FBJJ. John has been very supportive of me as a fellow small business owner since I first started teaching BJJ many years ago. He always remained positive and encouraged me to pursue my goal of running my own school one day. I would not be sending this email or asking for your help if this wasn’t an issue that is very close to my heart. John deserves much success in life, because let’s face it, truly selfless, caring, and honest individuals as himself are becoming more of a rarity these days. He has a family (wife and two sons) to take care of and it would be truly devastating if he were to lose his main source of income. As if all of this were not stressful enough, on August 10^th John’s father lost his fight with a deadly disease and passed away, leaving John and his brothers to settle his affairs and put the life he left behind into order.

If there is any way that you could make any contribution to help John keeps his doors open I would be thankful from the bottom of my heart. Furthermore, I will donate a 1 hour private lesson ($120 value) for every contribution that is made through: http://www.indiegogo.com/Help-save-Comic-Book-Ink  All you have to do to receive your private lesson is bring me a copy of your contribution receipt and we will get the lesson scheduled. No contribution is too small in my opinion, everything helps! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email or shoot me a call/text. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this, oh, and please keep the whole “nerd” thing between us :)

Sincerely,

"Coach" James Foster

Owner and Head Instructor

FBJJ Enterprises, LLC | Foster Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Phone: 253-208-3270

Email: coach@fbjjonline.com

Website: www.fosterbjj.com

The day has finally come!

Friends,

One of my students has broken into the big leagues and will be fighting at UFC 132 this coming weekend! His name is Jeff Hougland and he runs my affiliate school in Enumclaw, WA called Combat Sport & Fitness. Jeff is on an impressive 8 fight win streak and definitely earned his shot in the big show! Checkout the article from when the news broke at mmaweekly.com

This weekend will mark a couple of "firsts" for me. First off, I've never been to Las Vegas so I'm interested to see if it's all it's been cracked up to be :) Secondly, this will be my first time cornering a fight at the UFC. I'm incredibly excited and can't wait for Jeff to show the world what he can do! For those interested, you should be able to watch Jeff's fight on the streaming prelim fights that will be showing on the UFC's facebook page. Make sure to tune in and thanks for all of your support! OSS....

Coach Foster

www.fosterbjj.com

New class schedule: Effective Friday, July 1st.

Here is our new class schedule which will start this Friday:

MONDAY10:30am-11:30am BJJ 101
5:00-6:00pm Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (ages 7 & up)
6:00-7:30pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
7:30-8:30pm BJJ 101

TUESDAY10:30am-12:00pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
5:00-5:30pm Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (ages 4-6)
5:30-7:00pm Submission Grappling (No Gi)
7:00-8:30pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

WEDNESDAY10:30am-12:00pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
5:00-6:00pm Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (ages 7 & up)
6:00-7:30pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
7:30-8:30pm Intermediate-Advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Blue Belt and above only)

THURSDAY10:30am-12:00pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
5:00-5:30pm Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (ages 4-6)
5:30-6:30pm Competition team training
5:30-6:30pm Women's Jiu-Jitsu and Self Defense
6:30-7:30pm Basic Striking

FRIDAY10:30am-12:00pm Submission Grappling (No Gi)
5:30-7:00pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
7:00-8:00pm BJJ 101
7:00-8:00pm Adult Open Mat

SATURDAY10:30am-12:00pm Submission Grappling (No Gi)
12:00-12:30pm Adult Open Mat
12:30-1:30pm Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (ages 7 & up)
1:30-3:00pm MMA Basic Training (Mixed Martial Arts) No Gi

SUNDAY10:30am-12:00pm Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
12:00-1:30pm BJJ Drills and Fundamentals
1:30-2:30pm Competition team training
2:30-3:30pm BJJ 101
2:30-3:30pm Adult Open Mat

*The Competition Team Classes are only open to active competitors. For more information, view the class descriptions below.

FBJJ and CSF (Lotus Club Jiu-Jitsu) competition accomplishments so far.

Team Gi
Champions for
The Revolution 03.13.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 153 points

Team
Combined Overall Champions
for
The Revolution 03.13.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 200 points

Team No-Gi Champions for
The Revolution 07.17.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 77 points

Team
Combined Overall Champions
for
The Revolution 07.17.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 200 points
&
16 – 1st Place winners

Adult Team Gi Champions for
The Revolution 11.13.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 100 points

Adult Team Combined Overall Champions for
The Revolution 11.13.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 130 points

Youth/Junior Team Gi Champions for

The Revolution 11.13.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 73 points

Youth/Junior Team Combined Overall Champions for
The Revolution 11.13.10

LOTUS CLUB
with 106 points

Adult/Master Team Gi Champions for

The Revolution 03.12.11

LOTUS CLUB

With 84 points

Side control escape variation: Using the shoulder walk

Here are some key details to help you build the knowledge you need to escape side control/cross body position!

Interesting way to think about the guard position. *F-Bomb warning*

There are some good concepts in this video about how you should perceive the guard position in order to not become complacent when you are there:

*Warning this video does contain many usages of the "F-Bomb"*

Coach Foster

www.fosterbjj.com

My favorite keylock/american setup!

Hey Guys,

I just thought I would share this video with you. I've had success with this on people of all belt levels, sizes, etc. Enjoy!

A friend of the team!

I wanted to give a quick shout out to a friend of the team, the Jiu-Jitsu nomad, Dev. We have had the fortune of having Dev stop by our facility a couple of times now during his travels and he fit in like he'd been part of the team for years. He maintains an awesome blog at Devbjj.blogspot.com where you can keep track of his training adventures across the globe. Dev is currently traveling across South America and made a stop in Rio De Janeiro Brazil to compete at the Master/Senior World Championships. I'm proud to announce that he took Gold in his division and Bronze in the Absolute division! Checkout the picture below and also checkout Dev's blog for the videos of his matches. Congrats Dev, hope to see you soon!

Coach Foster

www.fosterbjj.com

Mind games: Increasing your mental potential.

Hello All,

In my last post I talked about how important the mental side of training is. It's often the last variable we look to when planning our training regimen and I would argue it's one of the most important. Below I'm going to discuss some mental tools you can use to help get the most out of your training and competition.

Goal setting

Goals are a great way for you to mentally focus and give your training purpose. It's important to note that your goals should always be realistic and as specific as possible. It is also equally important that you set short and long term goals, with the short term goals leading up to your ultimate long term goal. Even if you don't fully attain your long term goal you are guaranteed to learn a lot and grow along the way.

Lastly, a word of caution when it comes to Jiu-Jitsu related goals. Avoid setting goals that solely focus on attaining a certain rank. Why, you ask? The goal should be to learn and improve yourself, if the rank follows, it's frosting on the cake. If too much of your focus is on rank you will lose sight of what's important (improving yourself) and develop an unhealthy obsession with a colored strip of cotton. I've listed an example of realistic goal setting below:

• Short term goal: Improve takedowns
• Short term goal: Improve escapes
• Short term goal: Improve guard
• Long term goal: Compete in local tournament

I would suggest that you limit yourself to no more then 3 short term goals leading to your long term goal to avoid confusion and splitting your focus too much. Also remember that these goals should be measured after months of training, not days or weeks. If you try to assess your goals too often you are going to become frustrated and impatient with your progress.

Closing thoughts

In closing, I'd like to share with you something that I read a long time ago that profoundly affected the way I look at competition and the mental game. Here's a quote from Randy "The Natural" Couture" which I've had to paraphrase since I can't find the original "Leading up to a fight, I ask myself, if I lose this fight is it going to be the worst thing that's ever happened in my life?". Randy went on to say that the answer is always no, and that it helps put things into perspective going into a match. In psychology that is referred to as "Giving yourself permission to lose" and it's a tool that is used to help relieve some of the stress and pressure we put on ourselves leading up to "competition".

Remember, there is no substitute for consistency and training often. See you on the mats!

Coach Foster

www.fosterbjj.com

Post tournament thoughts.

First off, everyone who stepped out onto the mats yesterday did a great job. Regardless of winning or losing valuable experience was gained, strengths and weaknesses were exposed, and the warrior spirit was strong in the air. There were many notable performances, so many that I'm hesitant to list those that come to mind for worry of forgetting many that were just as impressive. As for medals, the day yesterday is a blur for me (I was there from 9am until just before 8pm coaching) but here are some that I'm able to recall in no particular order:

• Ethan (Gold) and Trey (Silver) closing out their blue belt division.
• Nick (Gold) and Josh G. (Silver) closing out their white belt division.
• Trevin (Silver) purple belt division
• Muscle Matt (Gold) white belt division.
• Ethan (Gold) No Gi division.
• Jacob (Gold) and Jaray (Gold) in their kid's divisions

Every time that I coach or compete in a tournament I'm reminded of how important the mental and physical side of training is for competition. This applies to everyone who competes, not just those from my team. If you sit back and observe the matches you will notice a few common things happen that can severely impact a competitor. I've listed them with descriptions below in order of which I feel are most important from top to bottom (yes the order may shock you):

Lack of mental conditioning

You can be the best competitor in the world but if you are lacking the mental component of your game you are not going to reach 100% of your potential. Mental training is equally important, if not more important then physical training. If you possess all of the technique and conditioning in the world, yet you are unable to push your way through what you consider to be a disadvantageous situation, you are going to have trouble performing the way you would like to. If you feel that you are having trouble in this area I would highly recommend you look into many of the great books that are available to supplement mental training.

Lack of physical conditioning

You can possess the best technique and mental attributes in the world, but if you become fatigued to the point that your body cannot react anymore all of that is going to go out the window. You may be telling your body to move, but if you do not have the physical conditioning to allow your body to move, it's not going to happen. It's important to remember that we must push ourselves physically during every training session as well as supplement the conditioning we receive in class.

Lack of technique

You may possess a great mental and physical game, but when faced with someone equally as conditioned with better technique, your gifts will not be enough to overcome your opponents superior or more refined technique. Technique isn't just the amount of moves you know, it's how you apply them. Someone with solid fundamentals, great conditioning (both mental and physical), and the ability to link everything together will more times then not overcome someone who knows many techniques to a limited extent, and lacks in any of the other aforementioned areas. Remember, consistent training in the fundamentals or "basics" is the key!

In the coming weeks I will be looking into these areas and giving some tips and advice on ways to improve on them. Until then, keep training consistently!

Coach Foster

www.fosterbjj.com

 

Think fast, or don't think at all?

Today during class I gathered all of my competitors together as I always do the week of a tournament and had them work through their game plans with a partner. This is basically a simulated match in which they start standing, just as you would in a tournament. Your partner provides minimal resistance and allows you to walk through what you would do in any given position or situation in a match.

It was shortly after the drill started when the first question arose "Coach, how do I do this move?" to which I replied "If you're having to think about how to do it, it will already be too late in a real match". After my response I could sense a little confusion so I explained that you should only try moves that you know during a tournament, it's not a time to try things that you don't know or haven't had much practice with in training or live rolling. All of this ties into the importance of repetition, whether during drilling of technique, or perfecting a specific technique during live rolling.

Repetition is the only way you will develop your technique to the point that a specific movement can be recalled without thinking. That's why I believe it's especially important for beginners to focus on a specific long term goal. That goal is to know and be able to apply one technique from each situation that may arise in a sparring session or match. The only way that will ever happen is with dedication, repetition, and patience! Beginners, set a goal to not move on to a new technique until the other technique has been perfected. Stick to basics, defense, counters, all of the fundamentals that make Jiu-Jitsu work.

Achieving that level of technical prowess doesn't come easy, in fact, I would go as far as to say that it may take you all the way through your journey from white to brown belt to hone your skills to that point. That's the beauty of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it's (or at least it should be) a never ending pursuit of knowledge while trying to perfect yourself as an individual within the art. Be humble and train consistently, there is no substitute for hard work and dedication my friends!

Coach Foster

www.fosterbjj.com

Inspirational!

Today was a very important day for me as a instructor and business owner. My professor Giva Santana flew in from California to spend the rest of the week with me properly breaking in my new facility. On Saturday we will hold our official grand opening and get to train and mingle with friends past, present, and future.

Training, simply put, was AWESOME today. Giva never ceases to amaze me with his attention to detail and tricky setups. He tricks you into thinking you are making the right choice and then instantly capitalizes on your reaction. I can honestly tell you that after nearly 14 years of training in BJJ Giva always adds something to my game.

It means a lot to me to be able to share this time with Giva, as well as to share Giva with my team. He has been an inspiration to me for all of the years that I've known him. If I become half of the BJJ practitioner/instructor he is I will be happy. On top of that, you will never meet a more honest, pure, and honorable individual in your life. I'm very proud to call him my professor and even more proud to call him my friend for so many years!

Wow, nearly three years!

Wow,

It's been nearly three years since my last post on here! Lots of noteable things have happened since my last post. Here is a list that covers just a few of the major ones:

11/8/08 Won team Gi trophy at The Revolution

3/13/10 Won team Gi trophy and Overall team trophy at The Revolution

4/10/10 Rick Geist takes gold in his division and the open weight divison at the Pan Am

4/10/10 Jeff Bourgeois takes silver in his division at the Pan Am

There are many more great things that I'm sure slipped my mind, but those are the ones that currently stand out. We just launched our re-designed website at www.fosterbjj.com last night. Also, we will be moving into our new LARGER facility in June!

Now that this blog is linked to the website I plan on trying to keep up on regular updates, so please bug me if I don't!

Coach

12/3/07 Lesson Plan

This week we're looking at a few different sweeps and counter from the Butterfly Guard. The beautiful thing about this position is that it works well for both Gi and No Gi Jiu-Jitsu.

Techniques/Drills:

• Butterfly Sweep
• Butterfly Sweep Re-Counter

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Coach

11/26/07

Tick tock,

It's clock choke time!

Techniques/Drills:

• Clock choke setup 1
• Clock choke setup 2

Enjoy!

11/19/07 Lesson Plan

This week we're looking at different ways to keep your opponent from gaining full side control. One of the main determining factors in this situation is not letting your opponent control your head. There are other key elements to look at as well, which I will be covering in great detail.

Techniques/Drills

• Hand Guard Control of Far Arm
• Hand Guard Control and Nearside Hip Control Counter
• Hand Guard Control and Making Space with the Top Leg

Enjoy!

Coach

11/13/07 Lesson Plan

Wow,

Have I been slacking off! I appologize for not making the time to post on here since back when the new facility opened in July. I will be back to regularly posting on here starting now! This week we're working on defeating what I call the "Wrestler Posture". This is when someone is in your closed guard, leaned over at the waist resting their head on your sternum, usually with either biceps control or with their forearms clamped tight to your hips. Any of you who have been in this situation know what a pain it can be to counter. So, without further delay....

Techniques/Drills:

• Bridge to feet on hips control
• Head push to feet on hips control
• Underhook to feet on hips control
• Triangle from hip control

Takedowns Class:

• Modified fireman's carry from overhook

Enjoy!

Coach

7/2/07 Lesson Plan

Sorry for putting this up so late, things have been nuts with the new school opening and all!

Techniques/Drills

Takedowns:

• Russian Arm drag to roll through throw

Jiu-Jitsu Gi:

• Half guard leg hug reversal
• Half guard leg hug reversal followup

No Gi:

• Modified X-Guard reversal

Coach

6/18/07 Lesson Plan

So,

Now that the news about our new facility has come to light, you guys probably know why I've been so late posting the techniques on here!

Techniques/Drills:

Gi:

• Half Guard sweep to top control

No Gi:

• Half Guard sweep to top control

Enjoy!

Coach