BJJ Mat Times
BJJ Mat Times…we talk about Jiu Jitsu!!! Check us out!
BJJ Mat Times
59: Michael Jackula
From the wrestling mats to Jiu-Jitsu, our latest guest, Michael Jackula, shares how he came to train at North Coast Jiu Jitsu. Michael's wrestling background offers a glimpse into how his wrestler background has enhanced his jiu-jitsu performance.
We also dive into the framework of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, Michael explains the connection between various MCMAP training and how that technique is progressed into a fighting sequence.
Thanks for joining us in the conversation, and we hope to see you on the mats!!!
we're here today talking to Michael Jackula. I got it right, I think, absolutely, absolutely, because we call you other things when we're training so so, um, dude, hey, just just like, just to get this kicked off too, I would tell you straight up, like hey, you know, congrats on the blue belt like dude that's super awesome, super stoked to see you get it.
:Man, I will tell you this when we are rolling, you and I, and we're out there on the mats although we have a bit of a gap in jujitsu time I'm sitting there going like man. Okay, I know he's got good cardio, he's got good stamina, he knows some moves. I got to watch myself because if not, I'm going to get caught. I'm going to get caught by this guy randomly, you know. And then okay, I better pull guard because if not, he's going to double leg me right into the ground. So, and you pick stuff up quick too. So I'm like, all right, all right, I got to figure this out, I got to figure this out, I got to figure this out. So I'm always very cautious when we initially start rolling, because I'm like one is, I know, like if we push the pace, I'm not going to be able to keep up with your stamina and your cardio on that.
:So I'm always like, okay, take a break. Okay, cool, take a break, take a break.
:Catch, my breath catch my breath.
:It's a good time. So, dude, how did you get started in grappling like jujitsu, like how did you get started?
:Honestly, thinking back now it all started. I think I was like third grade maybe something like that. I was younger, I was like six years old, and we always told my buddy he wrestled like his, got him into wrestling and he was kind of telling us about it and he was like, oh, you should and. And my dad and I was like I don't know. You know, like they're like I don't know. But then we like tried it out and it was just like it was awesome, we loved it. So we just wrestled, my brother and I, we wrestled all the way up to high school from like six years old and it was good. We had plenty of coaches. We like we won lots of tournaments. You know we've lost lots of tournaments. You know we traveled a lot. I think high school was a different breed, though, because I think freshman year I'm wrestling, I I'm going to wrestle Spencer Lee, the number one kid in the world, and my next guy is supposed to go to South Carolina State. Obviously, I'm not beating those guys, because my thing was I didn't really know who they were. But my coach he used to wrestle at Clarion and he's a phenomenal, phenomenal guy.
:I just had that issue when I was, I think, in high school. Um, basically I would just I got nervous, like I practiced really good but like kind of stepping on the mat. I think I was like too much to lose and it was like a lot of pressure. I didn't have that as a kid, but I think it just kind of clicked when I got older and so I struggled a little bit in high school, like I didn't do bad, but I didn't do as good as I could have done. And then I just kind of you know, in the Marine Corps we scrap all the time, all the time. And I think I was going through a rough patch in my life and I met Justin at Newcom and him and I I was talking to him about, like you know, rolling scrapping. So he's like, hey, man, I actually go to North Coast down the street, it's pretty awesome like you should come in. I'm like yeah, yeah, we'll see. And then we talked about it a few more times. I was like you know, I'm going to come check it out. And I think it was a year and a half ago maybe. I went for like two classes and I was like I told Jake when I first met him like I'm going to compete. Like you know, I want to compete, so like I'll be back, but I'm about to deploy in like two weeks. He's like, you know, cool, you know he's probably like, yeah, he's not coming back, you know. But you know I'm like a big man of my words.
:So you know, I went, went out to Australia because I thought that I'd be able to do like Sambo and stuff, but due to the, the laws we have with them and due to insurance, we couldn't kind of roll with them. But I had a buddy that is a purple belt under Gracie headquarters, so I would just kind of scrap with him and he kind of taught me like a little bit of things, just really small things, but nothing. Like you know, we just kind of scrapped and I would like mostly wrestle and they do jiu-jitsu, and it kind of worked. I just didn't really know how to finish anything. So then we got back and it was like I think, like just didn't really know how to finish anything.
:So then we got back and I was like I think like a week, not even a week before, like when I got back, I was like I'm gonna go to North Coast. Like before I went I was like I'm gonna just do no gi. Because I wrestled. I was like I'm just gonna do no gi. But then I was like out there I was like I'm getting a gi, like this is pretty dope, like the gi is awesome. So you know, I started doing gi and I was like I'm you know what, in like two weeks, I think two weeks after I started I was like I'm just gonna sign up to compete. So within the first month of me competing I mean um rolling I was like I'm gonna compete, compete. So I sent up for world league, went down there. I was like you know, I just mostly wrestled. I was like if I can just take everyone down and score, I should be fine. And then it worked.
:I started rolling through people, which was pretty cool, um, because the difference thing between wrestling and jujitsu is like wrestling. You could be wrestling for 20 years or you could be wrestling for two, it doesn't matter. And jujitsu is like wrestling. You could be wrestling for 20 years or you could be wrestling for two, it doesn't matter. But jujitsu is nice because you know you're going, say, a white belt. Their knowledge is only so much. So it kind of gave me more confidence in that sense. Um, but I went down there. I ended up coming on top and got a gold medal and that was pretty cool. And Jake was pretty excited and I was, like competing is awesome, like I'm gonna do this again. So you know, like I think, like two months later I was like I'm gonna sign up for another one.
:But I ended up getting hurt. I ended up getting a pulmonary contusion in my lung. Um, someone landed knee down on my rib cage and it like pressed and just bruised my whole lung. So I was I was supposed to be out for like a month, but it was like a few days and I was like I'm gonna, I'm just gonna suffer. And it was funny, cause Jake's like are you sure you should be here, like I don't think you should be here. You know, like, be careful, be careful, know me, I'm, I'm rolling around, I'm like I don't care, like, and so I just kept, just kept rolling and kept rolling and then I ended up.
:I think I went to world league, uh, down in San Diego for finals, ended up, I don't know. I think I came out too too soft and I think I won my first one. Um kind of came out sloppy. On my second one, standing, I didn't think he was going to try to take me down and you know cause most of them don't got caught my issues I always get caught in a rear naked because of wrestling and my chin is always up, so I got caught in that, which.
:I was like okay, whatever, I'm not leaving this place without a medal you know, like I was like there's no way, you know, like, so I fought back, ended up taking third, which wasn't bad, so that was cool. And then, um, then I think a month later, a month and a half later, I was like you know, I'm gonna do another one, and um, but it was up in LA this time and I think it was the same time Tap Out Cancer was. But I ended up doing World League and Anaheim because I wanted some different looks from people up north, because generally in San Diego it's generally the same people. So I went up there and it wasn't bad. Um, we ended up, I think I was supposed to have like a six or seven man bracket and only a few people showed up, which was like okay, cool.
:And then, um, I I got slipped in a uh, rear naked again and I think it was because turtle like we, we were scrambling and it was good. And then they reset us and then, when they reset you and they get the hooks, it was like I popped up my chin to turn cinch in the rear naked and got me, there it is but I got a pretty gnarly arm bar so so that was pretty cool.
:But at least you know I ended up getting second, which wasn't bad. So I've had some pretty good luck in the last few tournaments. But you know that could go downhill anytime.
:Well, I mean, it's like when you compete right, generally speaking, at least in my opinion, generally speaking at White Belt it's, you know, you may get some people who had wrestled before, but generally speaking you're all kind of within the same world of training and jujitsu. But at Blue Belt, that's where I think things get kind of odd at times. Odd at times, and and why. It's like so you have the blue belt who's been training for six months, or who's been training and been a blue belt for six months, and then you have the blue belt who's been training and a blue belt for five years yep and that's the one belt where I see these spectrums of of of ability and it's like, okay, you just don't know.
:it's one of the ones where where I sit back and go like, yeah, this guy could be training for a year, this guy could be training for five years, I don't know. And then you have a lot of people who train for three or four years at blue belt, or training for you between white belt and blue belt. Leave, come back and they, they, and although their stamina or cardio may not be there, they still have all this knowledge and they end up in that blue belt rank for, you know, four or five years. So when you hit, hit that rank. I think in competition things can get different oh with that I I always I felt like purple belt.
:Everybody was kind of similar brown belt. I don't know a lot. You have only done one competition is brown belt. So, uh, hopefully, hopefully in july or august I'll be ready to go again we'll see we'll see like a dude. But competition for me, like you're like hey man, I want to compete, I want to compete.
:I'm like I want to compete but no, I don't yeah, because dude, I, you know how you're saying like, like, like wrestling in high school, you get like the the nerves or the the just the performance on the mat. Well, that's how I am now. Yep, like with, with competition I. I get up there and I'm like oh man, here we go, here we go. And then it feels like the weight of the world is on me oh man, I'm gonna let the team down.
:Oh man, I'm gonna yeah, I'm gonna, you know, get stuck in something that I can't get out of and get tapped and be on the highlight reel or um, I'm gonna gas out and just get destroyed. Actually, that's my main one gassing out. I don't like that. That happens to me like a lot a lot of gassing out.
:So, um, just trying to overcome that, and I think that's the hardest part to overcome about competition. But, dude, I'm so glad when it's over that last match is done I'm like oh, I'm glad, yeah, that's good, uh, but um, I will still continue to compete though oh yeah, I like to compete.
:It is fun and I always laugh because I remember jake said one time he's like I. He said it was a joke, but it I kind of took it more serious.
:But he's like, if you think you're good, like, go out and compete and you'll see how good you actually are you know and like yes, he was like kind of like laughing joke about it, but I like take it serious because I'm like no, like he's, he's honest, like he's true, like that's, that's 100 honesty, because everyone you know you can walk around, say anywhere and be like you know I'm the best you know, but you're not the same.
:Like say, brown belts, the same weight, and you don't know their stuff. So like say you and I train all the time like we're gonna pick up on things we do. So like that's why I really like thinking competing is cool because you get different looks of people that don't know your style and then you have to kind of it's like a game of chess.
:It really is yeah, and you don't. They don't know your style, you don't know their style. You often don't know what to expect and so you go in and you do what you know and then hopefully what you know works also like you get to figure out, sometimes like guys like to pull guard like okay, now you got to figure out if you're, if you're half guard defense or your guard is better than their passing. Yep and good luck, because gravity's on their side, you know. But there's some really good guys.
:That are some really good guard players well, yeah, yeah, I remember that because I think that was my last tournament. The dude said to me the one that I got rear naked, choked he's like dude I I saw you take that dude down. He's like I gotta pull guard on you I was like I was like man, that's like my kryptonite right there pull that guard man um, so, so I you know I had heard you dabbled in the dark arts of wrestling, but I wasn't.
:I wasn't aware of how extensive that was. So that that's a lot of years of wrestling, yeah, and I mean you did every year. Was it just like a regular thing in your life, like hey, every year we're wrestling at school, we're wrestling at school. Was it just at school? Was it outside of school?
:yeah, it was. It was mostly just school. So pennsylvania is huge in wrestling so like if you look at texas and stuff and you look at like their football teams, like they do it season round, that's how it is in wrestling up there. So we're, we're wrestling from, we'll even wrestle from the fall all the way to the spring and then, if you want, if you're not playing spring sports, you can wrestle in the summer. They do stuff like that. I was huge into baseball. Wrestling was just kind of like a a second thing, but it was fun, like getting out there kind of, you know, hurting people good times, man.
:So you wrestled, you transitioned into jiu-jitsu. Like you wrestled, you went in the marine corps. You've you got away from a lot of that like I guess, traditional um, uh, controlled wrestling environment, probably doing some uncontrolled stuff with with the marine corps, yeah. And then you come into jiu-jitsu, you start training with us. You're doing some tournaments, um so so with jiu-jitsu, like I know you're. You've got some things going on. We'll talk a little bit more about the marine corps and stuff here in a bit, but like you got some things going on. So so where do you see your training going now?
:like I want to, I want to keep training. I it's like a, it's a journey, for sure it's not, it's not a sprint, it's definitely a marathon run. You know so like um, you see people like say like jaco, for instincts, you know he's talked about how he used to deploy and stuff, but you know he was say a blue belt for like almost what eight years and which is like it's okay you know, that's what I'm talking about right there.
:Yeah, that eight-year blue belt, yeah, that's crazy anyway yeah, so, like you mean, I mean I can always practice jujitsu in the marine corps because even if we're deployed, we still like to fight. Um, but actually being stationary at one gym, I'm going to try to train as much as I can, but I don't know what I'm going to do, because you know, sometimes if you transition every three years or every year, you're not going to be well known at the gym. So you might be a okay, because you could be. I'd rather be a good blue belt than a fast tracks purple belt that, like, is getting crushed by blue belts. You know what I'm saying. So, like, I'm cool with the journey. Um, it's definitely going to be a process and hopefully someday I'll get my black belt. We'll see. Um, maybe, maybe dabble around just if I retire in the Marine Corps or if I retire somewhere else. Maybe open up a little gym would be cool.
:Use all your wrestling experience and training, as well as jujitsu training to start your own thing, yeah, so okay.
:So since, since you're in the Marine Corps now, right, and you're traveling there, so what about like McMap instructors? What about the Marine Corps martial? Right and you're traveling there? So what about like McMap instructors? What about the Marine Corps martial arts program? Is there possibilities of like hey, trying to do something? Like you loved wrestling, right, you definitely seem to love jujitsu, so is there a possibility to transition like something to like McMap instruction? I say that so funky McMap, yeah, so is there a possibility of that?
:So I am a McMap instructor, okay.
:Well, before we get into the McMap instructors actually here, okay, what grades of McMap instruction are there?
:You got your web belt, which you'll. You immediately get your TAM belt in boot camp, dude, and then you get your gray, green, brown and then black, so it's a. Basically they have over at um quantico. They have the mcmap center right and I I'm drawing a blank with the name right now, but they have people that specialize. They have like professional fighters.
:They take different techniques, they call them techniques and stuff in the Marine Corps, but they'll take, say like a straight ankle lock or take a.
:There's like throws, there's like the little trip that Jake likes to do. You know, all those things are in McMap but people gaffe it off because they don't understand. But I think once I started doing jujitsu I understand that like it's, it's a baseline for you learning how to fight. So like yes, if you just want to learn one technique and you just practice that one technique and you just try to do that, no, you're not going to be like a good fighter. But if you take these and you put them in a sequence of different moves, right, because they teach you how to like straight punch, which is super important because there's a lot of people that don't know how to like punch, or like hook or you know uppercut stuff like that. So if you take all these difference, because they take it from like judo, they take things from jiu-jitsu, wrestling, everything like that, and people don't understand that those things could actually be very beneficial if they put in a sequence of events.
:They just don't look at it in the bigger picture, they just look at in the small picture of they're getting slayed in pt and they're just learning a few techniques and they have to test out, right, but I think it's super beneficial so with the and with the belts, so you get your tan belt and boot camp and then it progresses from there. At what belt level can you start doing instruction, like at the platoon level?
:so basically, um, you have to go through an MAI course which is to be an instructor, like a McMap instructor. You have to test out, there's tests for each belt. Say there's 20 techniques you have to learn and complete just to get your belt. But if you're an instructor you cannot. You can only get like one wrong compared to like the rest of the marine corps. They can get like five wrong or something like that.
:So like, say, I have to say I get my black belt, I have to do, say, 20 sustainments, so you have to do five from each previous belt and you can't get any of those wrong. And then you have to do all black belts moves. So like that's a whole separate course, the mai course, and then you get your tab. And then every time you belt up so say you're like a, a green belt, right, I think it's, I think it's green belt you can get, you can get your tab, you can go to the maa course. So you, if you get your brown belt, um, you have to do you test out for your brown belt. But if you want the instructor tab because you went through the course, you have to make sure that you're still meeting the requirements of only getting say like one wrong to like, pass that, so your standard is a lot higher and do they give tabs so you can get.
:You can tab out, basically at your second, the second belt, you get so you only tab out, you only.
:You get a tab for completing mai. Um, you can go to mait course, which is you train mais, so you'll get a red tab. You get a tan tab for mai, a red tab for mait, and then there's multiple red tabs on top of that and and how do you get involved in that?
:is that like a selection process, or is it? Is it like the, the, the, the battalion fills a billet and puts you in that spot, or how's that work?
:I'd say it's like kind of like a collateral um bill kind of thing, like you do it on the side, so like you can run them. Mai make map courses in the morning for PT for, say, like a month and a half. Of course will be so, but the battalion has so many MAIs they have one like MAIT that are supposed to make MAIs, but yeah, that's pretty cool.
:I mean it's pretty cool that like it's. It's cool to think, because I came from line training. You know sweep, stomp, you know punch, all that stuff and and and uh it the the transition to mcmap was happening as I was getting out. So it's interesting to see and I remember it was a big thing because a bunch of us had, uh, our belts that we had. We had like, uh, these parachute type material belts that we could just boom, pull and lock, yep, and we use those and they're like, yeah, you can't wear those anymore like and like when.
:Because they were green, so they're like no. No, according to the new belt system, you weren't going to be able to wear those. I was like, well, this kind of sucks because I don't want to wear a web belt yeah, you know, those things are terrible, I know, you know, but, um, okay, so that that's interesting.
:On the mcmap, so do you think that that's something you could possibly do in the future, because you're you're an m, m, m, m, c, m, m, a I so, yeah, I'm already an instructor, yeah, but I might get my red tab like mait to make mais.
:Um, I might do that probably later down the road. Um, just kind of like a check in the box, you know, and just do more giving back to the marine corps.
:That'd be awesome yeah, because like, and so now do you get to do your own instruction, now where you come in and you say, hey, squad, platoon, we're going to go out and do this type of uh, mcmap stuff today yeah, I can absolutely do that um I.
:Which is cool about being an mai is like you're actually kind of licensed to the marine corps that you can have them like fight with pugil six. You can have them box, you can have them um ground fight, because technically you're not supposed to be ground fighting unless you have like an mai. So like those people, I can have them fight pretty much whenever I want. I just, you know, grab like a corpsman or something you know, write an orm yeah and you're like, hey, oh, you have a disagreement.
:Cool, am I mai?
:yeah, am I mait? Yeah, exactly yeah that's.
:That's good. I guess it's better than taking people up to the pit, like what used to happen when.
:We were in.
:It was the pit. Everybody would go up there and that's where everybody would settle their differences and all that stuff. But it was like it wasn't as cool as now you can still do that.
:You just need an MAI.
:It's sanctioned. Now it has rules. We have rules. Now it's sanctioned so. It has. It has rules, we have rules. Now it's sanctioned. You know so, uh, you, so you've been in what? 10 years, 12 years, 18.
:No, no, I'm a. I think I'm coming up close to six Dang.
:So six years, yeah, and then uh, yeah, and then uh on the second enlistment, right, yeah, yeah, yeah and uh. So so you know we're getting together talking, because I know you're going to be transitioning to a different place here, soon.
:So we thought we'd get together and have this conversation. You know, to to account in the historical documents, to account the historical documents, for you know people, uh, that have come to the gym and and uh, and trained with us. So so now I mean, what's your next role? What are you? What are you going to? What's, what's the plan with this next move?
:so I'm giving, I'm giving back to the marine corps. You know you got to do a b billet, so recruiter is really not my style. So I'm going to go be a drill instructor on the East Coast, which is cool Train Marines, we'll make Marines. It really is what you do. But I think that my whole like being a drill instructor was because I want to go back to the fleet afterwards and try to be an amy, which is a di for um guys at tbs and ocs, so you can be like college students the eyes. But you have to be a di first and maybe, if I stay in, I'll probably try to go like first sergeant, sergeant, major route.
:that's the goal, you know you think the the b B bill probably helps with that.
:Yes, because for first sergeants and sergeant majors it's a good compliment. If you're a DI, it complements it very well with, say, formations, the different kind of putting things together like ceremonies, stuff, like that.
:Yeah, and I think that can get challenging with all of the. It's challenging because there's a lot, there's a lot of formalities, there's a lot of specific movements. The flag goes this way, you move it this way, everybody turns this way at this time, and being the coordinator of all that chaos is probably pretty challenging. And to make sure you do it right, because not many people well, I mean, when we look at percentages, wise, not many people are actually the ones who do that and most people who critique those ceremony events couldn't do it. But everybody knows when you made a mistake. Oh, yeah, yeah, but being the orchestrator of that chaos is very challenging.
:I did it from the level of a corporal in formations and I can tell you, man, I remember the first time calling cadence, walking a platoon, and I was like so nervous yeah, it's just so nervous just like, okay, I'm gonna keep everybody in step. Am I gonna call the right flanks at the right time? Am I gonna call the right movements? And like, like right flanks at the right time, I'm going to call the right movements and like, like, very, very, not stressful, but like get that, like, oh, that anxiety still not as bad as getting on the mats at a competition, but you know, all right. So Mic map instruction, going out to be a drill instructor, you got. You have some plans, some future plans, possibly for after drill instruction. Where does that take you now? What are you going to do the next few weeks? Going to get in, get some some time before you do it, when do you, when do you actually like, start? When do you have to check in? Like a week, a couple weeks from now?
:I check in next week next week, nice. Well, this week, I guess this coming week and how long is the program? So the actual school is three months, and then your time on the drill instructor, like on the depot, is three years and east coast.
:Did you originally graduate from the east coast? Yeah, yeah, is that. Why? Is that why you chose to go back to the east coast? Or was it not a choice at all?
:no, it definitely was a choice, um I just you know giving back, you know going home, going home.
:Yeah, I was West coast, yeah, I was California the whole time. So um went from basically here in San Diego, went over to Fort Leonard wood, missouri to do the training school out there and then came back here with at camp Pendleton. Was home, stationed here, uh, the entire time, but uh, you know, did other little things randomly.
:So as you stationed here the entire time but, you know, did other little things randomly. So, as you do in the Marine Corps, you do other little things from time to time. Cool, Okay, back into grappling, as as coming in being a wrestler, what do you think were like some of the bigger challenges for you overcome when facing somebody, especially, like in the competition piece? You're coming in with a more wrestling background. What things threw you off guard when going against an opponent or a competitor, or even in training with somebody who is purely jujitsu?
:so my thing was I knew that. So I looked up how the points worked right. So I was like I know that if this dude wants to stand, I'm very confident like standing up. So like at least worst comes to worst, I can take him down. Like they say in wrestling cut him, let him back up, take him down, maybe try to win by points. But I was just like I'm just gonna go for it, like I know it's not gonna be, like like I can get them to the ground. So once that happens I just gotta trust what like you guys taught me in the last, say, three weeks, you know when my first tournament. But yeah, I just had to like kind of trust, um myself and trust what I know and just know that like my cardio is good enough to just try to win by points. So like I just, if I can do the basic, like go to mount, go to side control, go to mount and you know, maybe go like knee on belly or go to get back, I can just win by points.
:I was like I don't even care about submitting anyone. If I can win by points, that'd be perfect. If I get a submission, I wasn't even planning on. It's like if someone gave me a submission I think like the first tournament I was like in mount and the dude like put his hands up and I was like, well, he just gave it to me. So I'm an arm bar, you know, but I wasn't looking for anything like that, I just knew that what's cool about jiu-jitsu is like, say, you take him down and then you go side control and go to mount like you're already up almost like nine zero. So it's like, if I can, I think the one guy I was like up 18 to zero, I was like I'm just gonna keep scoring, just keep scoring and just like within the last minute maybe chill in their guard or chill a little bit. I would chill in like mount position, just to kind of like regain that stamina. But yeah, I would just try to kind of like outwork people so so with the work, okay.
:So I've thought about this on occasion especially with us being such close proximity to camp pendleton, so we get a lot of Marines that come in. Yeah Right, and I remember when I was in the Marine Corps dude, we trained a lot. Like like I mean cardio training did a lot of, a lot of running, a lot of I don't know if you want to call them like like a lot, a lot of hit work right.
:Like bur, a lot of hit work, right like burpees freaking, uh, mountain climbers, just like I mean they're just destroying us, just stamina work, and I feel like I felt like like back then that contributed a lot to my ability to be able to like go, go, go, go constantly. And it seems like to me you may even have a two-fold one here, like you wrestled for a long time, which I mean that's just a grind like brutal, like go, go, go, go. And then you go into the Marine Corps where you have the opportunity to train as part of your like work.
:Yep, and then you get to do jujitsu too. So how do you feel like that that all plays a role. Do you feel like the like you're able to recover enough from the Marine Corps training to be effective with jujitsu? Or it's just like, oh, it's just adding another piece on and I'm further breaking down? How do you feel like that whole ability to be able to get that extra training in works for you?
:Well, I think the Marine Corps, you know, like you, you could drink a fifth of liquor right.
:And then the next you, you gotta be up in four hours and you'll do it. Or like, say, you're running a pft, you're about to run three miles, you smoke a cigarette and you're like, all right, I'm gonna go run this right. Like, like, you develop that capability. So like I just think that like me normally working out, um, just on a daily basis, I stopped kind of working out like lifting weights because I'm going to the depot. So I've been running a lot more and doing like hundreds and stuff like that, pull-ups, stuff like that. But I think people don't understand that jiu-jitsu. Like, if you put it, if I try to put the pressure on a lot, I actually get better too, because it's like a burnout for me.
:And like after a week I just realized like you know, it's, it's held me on other places, like running stuff like that. So, like, as long as you're not like playing it super safe, some of like there's time and place to, like you know, go slow or like flow. But if you're you're doing live rounds with like I know, nick, I'll roll with him, but I'll like to put it on him, so I'll like put the pressure on and then I get a workout out of it.
:Are you talking about nick the neck?
:uh, yeah okay, let's just make it sure, yeah so like, yeah, he's a buddy of mine, so like I like to put the pressure on him and he likes it too, so like I get a cardio workout out of that. Obviously, you can't do that to everyone, but I'm going to take advantage of those opportunities that I can Like. You know, josh? Josh, he's an animal right, oh yeah.
:So like I'm going to try to put the pressure on standing because he's very good, so like I can put that pressure on with him and I'll get a lot of cardio out of it.
:And dude Hoda Jeez. Yeah, love it, hate it. It's all good, okay. Depot training right. You're talking about like more running, more, you know, put pushups or more pull-ups, uh, hundreds. Do they give you like a program to get ready for the depot?
:no, I think it's more of once. You've been in for a little bit, you kind of understand, like certain courses you're like I should probably be able to run pretty fast or I should probably be able to do like a lot of pull-ups and stuff like that, just not working out, because it's usually the guys that are like heavy lifters that struggle the most. So like I'll shrink down. I think I was like I'd say, like 180 when I left australia and then, with jujitsu and running and stuff, I like went down to like 155, 160, just because my high metabolism. But like I'm okay with shrinking down during this season. So just because of what I have to do in my workload, so I have to shrink down, which is okay, you know.
:But so so what would you see is like the ideal preparation for this oh you, you're gonna want to run a lot because you're there, you're gonna be running around screaming at everyone. You can't prep for that, really. But if you could prep yourself the most with running and you don't even have to be the fastest individual, but if you're okay with running, say, six, eight miles, you know 12 miles and you're okay and you're comfortable, like you can add the screaming later. You can't really prep for that. You're not going to run around down the street, scream and run into a house, you know so like.
:Hey, actually out here, maybe you can get away with that dude. I mean, maybe people think that's normal but I like to do just.
:you know, I'm not. My core has always been naturally pretty strong, so I don't really worry about sit-ups and things like planks, just because if you run a lot your core naturally gets stronger too. But pull-ups and stuff definitely, because pull-ups is one of those things that, like you, can't just get on a bar. If you're strong and do pull-ups, I see pull-ups as like if you do them every day, you naturally just get better a bar. If you're strong and do pull-ups, I see pull-ups as like if you do them every day, you naturally just get better at them yeah and uh, it's like yeah, I, I agree with that.
:Yeah, I, I agree. I remember the most I ever did was 27, 27 dead hangs, now maybe 2.7. I haven't done them in a long time, but every once in a while I'll get some wild bug up. You see where it's taped up in there, the T-bar up there, and I'll start trying to do pull-ups, but it's a little more difficult than it used to be. Maybe I should add that into my morning regimen. Like okay, I'm going to do. Like okay, I got the push-ups and I got the squats, maybe I should add some maybe that's what I'll add.
:I'll add some pull-ups into there, like every day, like try to max pull-ups, like two sets of max pull-ups, and then just continue on to see if I can get stronger and stronger at that, because like that's how I got better at push-ups. Because just every morning I get up like all right, dude, gotta hit 50 this morning. Yep, five tens, whatever, five tens, 225s, whatever, don't matter, just get to 50 absolutely. And I'm like okay, gotta do 100 air squats this morning get up do 100 air squats.
:And the air squats piece was because when we were standing like prepping for those takedowns, dude, my legs used to burn, like, and I had my legs to be burning. I'm like, dude, I gotta do something about this. So I started doing like those air squats yeah, high, high volume air squats and it helped out a lot and then trying to do those static stands and those wall sits and stuff. Wall sits yeah, dude the stuff we do for jujitsu I know, yeah, that's it.
:yeah, and you can even like throw a a belt on and throw like a weight and that's like you just make it a little harder. Maybe start with a 10, 25, 45. I think at one point I was doing like two 45s. Maybe I'd only do like 10, but it was better than I was doing before.
:So, as you get ready to transition over to the East coast and work on the drill instructor phase and go through that and you're training here for a little while longer, um, like dude, I'll just say like hey, before we wrap this whole thing up and and and you know, clear it out, this is like uh, uh, what. What do you have to say? What do you have to add?
:Um, honestly, just a huge like. Um, honestly, just a huge like, I think thanks to you guys because, um, the development of like jujitsu and the community over there, of like a person like you guys developed, I'd say, me a lot, you know, and just taught me a lot. I probably came in there like shit, like too fast, you know, which I understand, but you guys developed me a lot and I see you guys develop other people and then you guys have like such a tight group and you guys like are very welcoming, which is awesome, like I think, like I've been to other gyms and rolls, other people and I think North Coast by far stands apart Like just everyone's super friendly and I even see like the females they have like a tight group and like Jesse and them are like very welcoming for them, cause I know a lot of the times it's harder for females to like come in, cause it's like you know, all this testosterone in here, you know.
:So I think you guys just do such a great job and jake's very lucky to have like all you guys I think, uh, I think we're lucky to have the environment to be able to have that kind of school and everybody feel that way when they come in. Because I love training, love meeting everybody and everybody's having like the good experience of getting down, getting down with it. It yeah so much fun. I will tell you this, dude like for me, you're always welcome back to come train like with with us. Wherever I can't speak for the gym you know Jake and the gym or anything like that but I know I've enjoyed training from you, I've training with you, I've enjoyed learning from you. You, your takedowns, your setups, like they're awesome. I I love watching it. Like I'm sitting there going like, okay, that's, I don't wrestle, I'm not a wrestler you know, I don't know what that stuff is.
:I'm sitting here watching freaking mike over here and get down with it. I'm like I'm gonna watch this, I'm gonna learn something learn something about my footwork, learn something about my hip position, my body stance on this and so, and that's like like I said at the beginning too, like that's why I was always like, when I'm rolling with him, like gotta be on my guard.
:This dude will catch me you know, um, so anyway, just you've been awesome, been fun to train with for the last. However long year it's been or dude, it seems like yesterday. Yeah, it really does like, but it's been great, it's been fun. And thanks for going out there and representing the school at the competitions. Bro, putting it together, you're doing what you do out there, getting down with it, love it. So, yeah, we appreciate it, man, and you've been a fun training partner. I look forward to seeing you again.
:Of course I'll be back.
:All right.