I’m going to make a bold assumption: You want to get better at BJJ. (I must be a mind reader.) Open mat can be a secret weapon in your training if you use it right. These tips will help make sure you do.

Eduardo has three rules for good jiu-jitsu:

1. Train hard.
2. Eat right.
3. Sleep well.

That’s it.

Been enjoying putting together exercises routines and running class warm-ups that are outside the standard running, push-ups, crunches and shrimping.

I really like ones that make me feel uncoordinated and off-balance at when I first try them. There’s probably some neurophysiology reasoning I could make up about the brain and body struggling to adapt to a new movement and how this develops reflexes and “body awareness” or whatever, but really they’re just fun.

Bonus points if the moves makes you look stupid. Get a room full of guys Indian leg wrestling or crab walking and you’ll put them in a more relaxed mood.

Videos after the jump.

This list is a tool I made to help keep myself motivated. It’s split into two parts: questions to ask yourself and things to try. Together they give you something to be thoughtful and introspective about and something to get out there and do. The idea is to turn to it each week (or when you’re in a slump) and see if it can’t help you improve.

Try this:

Pick out a random question and give it serious thought. Be objective and honest with yourself. Write down your answer if you need…

As I’ve said repeatedly, this journal is a reflection of my personal interests. If there hasn’t been much new material posted, it’s because I’m not working on new techniques. Rather, I’m returning to “old” stuff and working on it again, a process I started months ago.

I’ve also been working on aspects more fundamental than revisiting techniques: the training methods themselves. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how to train. I want to make the most out of the time I spend on the mats.

In a previous article, I talked…

Your dream has been realized: I’ve got a video camera.

And after fighting with cables and software, I now have the means and knowhow to edit and share movies.

One of the subscribers to my journal had emailed me some questions and I’d been offering advice. He asked if I could film any of it and I said I don’t have a camera. So he sent me one. Big thanks to Dale.

While I’ll get to shooting techniques soon, I wanted to shoot test footage first. I’d already been planning on keeping a…