Jan 19th, 2020 my wife and I were promoted to black belt by Lucas Lepri, who many consider the greatest lightweight Jiu Jitsu fighter of all time. Today marks the one year anniversary of that day. To be promoted at the same time with my wife, in front of all our students, in front of everything that we’ve built seemed so surreal. It’s a beautiful memory that will last a lifetime for us. In some ways it felt like a second wedding. It was a very proud moment where 11 years of training came together with a major goal that was accomplished. 

Let me take you through what happened that day. Both Tammy and I really didn’t expect to be promoted.  To our surprise one of our best friends and student John Brattelli coordinated with Professor Lepri and came out with the black belts behind his back! Professor Lepri had pulled ol’ switcheroo so that we wouldn’t think we were getting promoted. Meanwhile John Brattelli made the hand off and had the...

 Mitch Chen 10-0 & Colin Scott debuts with Gold & Silver medal

Mitch Chen was on fire and dominated at the Grappling Industries tournament this past Saturday, Jan 9th, 2021.  He won 10 out of 10 fights finishing 7 opponents with submissions earning double gold medals. Mitch definitely has a bright future in Jiu Jitsu. 

Colin Scott debuts in his first competition after training only a month he showed that he has what it takes to be a champion over and over again. Colin has been taking his Jiu Jitsu training seriously since day 1 of training. Colin earned the silver medal in the gi division and the gold medal in the nogi.  This is a very strong first performance; great job Colin! 

For Jiu Jitsu classes and Boxing training visit doublephoenixjj.com 

Double Phoenix Jiu Jitsu student Jon Kim gives his story of how important Jiu Jitsu is in his life.  He speaks about his experience training at Double Phoenix. 

Jon is a two-time blue belt Masters World Champion and has been a student for about 3.5 years now.  Jon also has his son Nolan who trains at the school with him.  Jiu Jitsu and grappling is something that bonds them together. 

DOUBLE PHOENIX NAGA TOURNAMENT 12.19.20

NAGA TOURNAMENT EVENT LINK

Intro:

Double Phoenix Jiu Jitsu starts the day with two kids BJJ competitors. Like a small special ops team, Mitch Chen and Johnny “Lil Croc” Brattelli came in and cleaned house with 5 gold medals between them.  The Jiu Jitsu tournament was a NAGA in MD

MITCH AND JOHNNY'S TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHT ON YOUTUBE

Mitch Chen’s Fights 

We kick the day off with Mitch Chen. For someone that this is their second time competing in jiu jitsu, Mitch did extremely well. Mitch wins his first match in dominant fashion, Hitting throw bys, double legs and great passing.  Fight by fight throughout the day Mitch seemed to get better and better with more control of his technique and movement.  Seeing the mental and technical improvement was very cool to watch as a Coach. This kid is special and has a bright future. 

Johnny “Lil Croc’s” Fights

Next up is Johnny “Lil...

JIU JITSU NEAR ME

When searching for a Jiu Jitsu school or BJJ gym near you consider the following. 

1.    Are the instructors friendly and welcoming? Do the students welcome you into their group? Some schools can be a breeding ground for guys with a chip on their shoulder that want to only dominate and never want to look bad. This can be a recipe for disaster and injury.  Ideally, you want an environment that you can make mistakes and your teammates will help you learn from them.  Take a look around and see if people are smiling and having fun training. Do they look like they are standoffish and there only for themselves? Is the general vibe of the room about ego and dominating or is it about helping each other get better and improve themselves? Is the vibe about proving or improving?

2.      What is the technical level of the students and instructor? Can the instructor break techniques down in a simple way for students to easily...

Wrestling / Jiu Jitsu mental toughness

     Coach Tanner of Broad Run High School invited Coach Kyle of Double Phoenix Jiu Jitsu to come talk to their team about mental game, dealing with failure and perseverance. Coach Kyle has been coaching and teaching for 9 years.  He has many champions that he and his wife Tammy have developed. 

He talked about creating a more powerful meaning In your head for when you “fail”. For example when you experience “failure” in training instead of stacking disempowering meanings like “I’m losing, I’m messing up or making mistakes” focus on making the failure mean something else like “I’m good, I got this, I just need to make an adjustment.” 

He also touched upon negative mental cycles where negative thoughts tend to create more negative thoughts, which leads to poor performance. 

Several athletes in the room shared...

3 REASONS WHY JIU JITSU IS THE BEST IN A 1 ON 1 SELF DEFENSE SITUATION

1. A LARGE PORTION OF FIGHTS END UP ON THE GROUND OR IN A CLOSE CONTACT SITUATION AND IT’S TO YOUR ADVANTAGE TO BE GREAT ON THE GROUND. JIU JITSU DIRECTLY ADDRESSES SELF DEFENSE SITUATIONS ON THE GROUND.

1. BEING SUPER CLOSE REDUCES THE CHANCES OF GETTING KNOCKED OUT WITH A SIGNIFICANT STRIKE.  BJJ IS A MARTIAL ART THAT USES RANGE TO ITS ADVANTAGE.  THE JIU JITSU MARTIAL ARTIST KEEPS THE SELF DEFENSE SITUATION EITHER TOO FAR AWAY TO STRIKE OR TO CLOSE TO HAVE EFFECTIVE STRIKES.  WHEN BRAZILIAN JIU JITSU PRACTITIONERS ARE ON THE GROUND IN CONTROLLING POSITIONS THEY ARE VERY UNLIKELY TO BE KNOCKED OUT FROM A SIGNIFICANT BLOW BECAUSE THE OPPONENT CANNOT GENERATE ENOUGH POWER IN THEIR STRIKES LIKE THEY CAN FROM THE FEET. 

1. YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO JUST CONTROL AND SUBDUE THEM UNTIL THE AUTHORITIES GET THERE. LESS CHANCE THAT YOU GET SUED FROM SEVERE INJURY TO YOUR ATTACKER. JIU...