Dear Legion,
In this fifth letter, we are introducing a new column called AJJ Culture Shock where I will be breaking down some core principles contributing to our healthy vibes. In this edition the topic will be the #1 rule for jiujitsu sparring etiquette. It should help you navigate this common etiquette consideration.
In the previous edition I wrote about the IBJJF Worlds Masters tournament, which was held in Vegas. We will list everyone who lost and did not get a medal to teach them a lesson. Haha, just kidding, obviously we’ll mention those who secured some hardware + the new name on top of our attendance charts. .
We looked at post-training stretches in the previous edition, in this one, we’re looking at the undisputed #1 recovery tool that makes stretches and even PEDs look negligible in comparison.
You can also expect to learn about the black belt promotion for one of our deadliest competitors.
Lastly, you will not believe who is teaching a seminar.
Legion Culture Shock: Rules for Selecting Training Partners
This new column covering culture and etiquette questions is inspired by a suggestion from Coach Andris during our staff meeting this week.
American jiu-jitsu culture is unique, and something that has been developing at Legion over the last five years. We’re not big on rules and restrictions, but this next guideline has served us incredibly well:
Feel free to ask anyone to roll, and feel free to decline anyone.
It’s easy to feel pressured into rolling with people you don’t necessarily need to be training with. For example, if you’re a 135-pound, 48-year-old hobbyist, 3-stripe white belt, you might not need to roll with a 270-pound, 23-year-old fresh but aggressive white belt. If size isn’t a factor, it might simply be that someone isn’t your cup of tea. You don’t have to say yes to every roll.
Our beginner course cohorts might not know this, but many BJJ gyms have various rules when it comes to sparring. A common one is: “Don’t ask higher belts to roll” (sometimes applying to black belts specifically).
For the most part, our coaches view rolling with you as a fun part of their job and a way to track your progress. However, if a higher belt is rolling with a specific purpose—such as competition training—there should be no hard feelings if they decline a roll.
Of course, there are exceptions, with competition training being the primary one. Throughout my career, I’ve moved countries several times just to be pushed and tested. If you have medals and trophies in mind, there are few things more important than being challenged and exposed to the next level of jiu-jitsu.
There’s also something to be said for challenging yourself as a hobbyist with trusted training partners who are bigger or more skilled than you. It helps you test your jiu-jitsu against various types of opponents and makes you a better fighter.
To summarize, don’t be shy about asking people to roll, and don’t take it personally if they say no. There’s probably a good reason for it, and an explanation isn’t always owed.
Most Classes Attended In The Past Month
Speaking of congratulations… there is a new attendance king in town and his name is Kieran Wilde.
He wrangled the throne from the attendance GOAT Jason Bunch, who still sits on top of the all time attendance list, for now.
The Undisputed, Undefeated #1 Tip for Faster Jiu-Jitsu Recovery
Since I know a lot of us are in the same boat, I want to share a cooldown routine that I started doing (again) recently. I used to do a good bit of yoga at some point, so I’m just taking 4 stretches and doing them for 1-2 minutes per side. Depending on how much time I have. Here are the stretches:
In LTTL IV, I shared four stretches to help with post-training recovery and soreness. Since we all want to recover quickly, I thought I’d write about the recovery tool that everyone already uses—one that makes those stretches seem marginal in comparison: sleep.
You might be thinking, “Miha, aren’t you just a jiu-jitsu guy? Shouldn’t you stay in your lane and write about armbars or something? Maybe putting people to sleep with a triangle choke?”
First of all, that’s hurtful.
Second, while I’m no Andrew Huberman, I’ve been obsessing over sleep for years, particularly during times when I was training multiple times per day. I’ve read tons of books and listened to as many experts as I could to optimize it.
Nowadays, I sleep on an EightSleep mattress with a $100 eye mask (this one if you’re curious), mouth tape (don’t buy branded mouth tape, just cut kinesio tape), earplugs, and, just to not sleep too well, Zooka – my chihuahua. But all these bells and whistles aren’t necessary. What I want to share are some tips that will make a huge difference if your sleep isn’t great right now. Disclaimer: Some of this stuff may not work if you have kids.
- Try to make your bedroom as dark, quiet, and cold as possible.You’ve probably heard that blue light is bad before sleep. It’s true—our eyes have receptors that prompt us to wake up when blue light (like the sunrise) is present. Removing screens and lights from your bedroom will do wonders; to go to the next level, you either need great window shades or an eye mask. The quiet part is self-explanatory. Temperature is another huge factor; 65–68 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for sleep.
- Maintain a consistent sleep and wake schedule.Unless your job requires night shifts, getting your circadian rhythm figured out will work wonders. In fact, it’s possible to wake up without an alarm once you establish a good routine. Ideally, you should wake up at the same time even on weekends.
- Don’t eat right before bed and chill out a littleOne of the worst ideas for sleep would be to eat a whole pizza while watching “Top 100 most brutal car crashes” on YouTube before going straight to bed.Stretching, foam rolling, or meditating with some dim lights would be a much better idea to get the parasympathetic nervous system activated before a continuous period of recharging sleep.Hopefully these quick & simple tips work for you, especially as transforming sleep can transform your whole life.
Some resources for better sleep:
Matthew Walker, Why we sleep: https://a.co/d/aZEGiEj
Free podcast series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OBCwiPPfEU&list=PLPNW_gerXa4OoypUEgZI7uouI12WZrxeS
If you find science podcasts boring, just listen to them before sleep, they’ll put you out.
The Newest Legion Black Belt Is A True Warrior
Bobby Winther is the newest addition to our black belt roster and the above title is no superlative. Bobby serves in the Navy as the SEAL Combatives instructor, while also training and competing as a pro MMA fighter.
He joined the morning no-gi classes about two years ago and is universally regarded as one of the nicest and toughest guys in that group.
He’s also one hell of a competitor, making deep runs in the ADCC Trials and winning ADCC Opens, while picking up wins over some black belt veterans. Congratulations!
Promotion picture w/ Bobby between Sloan and Breylor:
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