Zen Jiu Jitsu: The 30 Day Program to Improve Your Jiu Jitsu Game 1000% (Volume 1)

I bought the kindle version. Yes there are grammatical errors, but the intent is crystal clear. Like the author when he came upon this approach, I am a blue going on purple belt that had lost his way, and considered throwing in the towel after 2 NAGA Hawaii golds and a bronze in the Pacific. I just couldn't tell if I was getting better (he talks about people who win tournaments but are off the path to a black belt). As a high blue belt, you have many pieces of the puzzle put together (moves and series), but then need to connect them into a larger picture, map, or game. I am told as you move up in rank, the picture becomes bigger, but still more pieces need to be added, and it never gets easier. The process can be frustrating when the pieces just don't seem to fit right, and many of us have seen that blue or purple belt who walks off the mat in the middle of practice and doesn't come back for months (or ever). This book offers a better method to put the pieces together, and I definitely feel like I can move forward again. Regarding the dummy and the training log which are keys to this method. I like the use of the training dummy and have been using one for 2 years. I did not feel it was a plug for the submission master. That dummy just happens to be one of the best for the reasons he talks about in the book (I happen to have the ring to cage dummy I bought filled on amazon, which I think is just as good). The use of the training log is an old tip that I never implemented, but he convinced me, and I feel like in 2 weeks it is already paying off. I didn't buy his training log, I stumbled on an unrelated site bjjtrainingjournal dot com which has an absolutely fantastic free iPhone app for this purpose.It's so cheap as a kindle book, if you're considering it,buy it.

This book is not a short cut to jits greatness(because there are no shortcuts). However, Staark does provide you with a blueprint for greatly improving your game. IF you were to follow the advice given in this book, there is no doubt in my mind you would see an immense improvement in your game. The problem is that most people will not commit to improving their game. I would guess that most people who dislike this book fall into that category of uncommitted jiu jitsueiro's. You can't get somewhere better by doing the same things you have always done. You must take new actions and have a new attitude. This book can point you in the right direction. I gave this book 4 stars because of the poor editing and because of the poor math. On about page 40, Staark goes through a discussion about getting to 10,000 hours of practice. His math is WAY off. If one practiced 3 hours per week it would take that person 64 years to reach 10,000 hours of practice, not 10 years as Staark claims.( 3 hours x 52weeks= 156 hours per YEAR, 10,000 hours / 156 hours per year = 64 years ) Practicing for 6 hours per week would take over 32 years, not 4.5 years as Staark claims. I only bring this up because it is germane to the discussion about how long mastery takes to achieve. It takes a much larger commitment than he talks about in this section.

After first finding out about Zen JiuJitsu, I hesitated for a few days before buying it, or even downloading the free sample. Frankly, I've blown a lot of money on supplemental materials for BJJ that are all collecting dust on a bookshelf or drawer somewhere. Finally I ended up reading through the sample. When I came to the end of it, I clicked the "buy now" link without pausing. From only reading the sample, I figured out three things:1) The author doesn't just give lists of techniques to learn. It is more of a discussion about our mindset and strategy for approaching training. "Philosophy" if you will. In the age of the Interent, finding random techniques to practice is a piece of cake. What we need to figure out is how to choose the techniques we NEED.2) The author's writing echoed my own thinking about BJJ and learning in general.3) It clearly represented a fresh perspective.I've been learning BJJ for a few years now and have spent big money on various DVD sets and books, and hours upon hours watching YouTube videos. The vast majority of these books, even the 'bibles' of the BJJ world seem to focus exclusively on cramming as many techniques as possible into your head (although they may differ on WHICH techniques or the finer points of certain ones).The problem is, I have never learned well this way. Trying to learn German and Spanish at various points in my life by studying flashcards for hours on end proved to be as fruitless as it was tedious. And yet, now I am nearly fluent in Korean, one of the hardest languages in the world for native English speakers to learn. I've done it through directed, systematic, study and a LOT of immersion. And I've had fun doing it.Zen JiuJitsu advocates a similar approach with learning BJJ. You may not go to the gym every day of the week, but the book provides you with a study plan (and the ability to customize it) to make the most of the days you can't make it in. He shows you how to use this time systematically (regardless of your level and individual strengths/weaknesses) so you're not whittling it away on YouTube pointlessly trying to memorise details of random techniques. As such, you won't have to join any additional gyms or buy extra equipment. You'll create a custom study plan that you'll need to spend a little bit of time (he recommends an hour) with every day. That's it, just a little a day. That's how you can really make progress towards reaching the threshold of 10,000 hours of practice required to achieve mastery.I really think that anyone, at any level of the game, any fitness level, and any age can benefit from the methods recommended in the book. It doesn't just prescribe a certain progression. Rather, it teaches you to look at your own skills, create your own improvement plan, and, finally, implement it to see serious leaps in your game.

I picked up Zen Jiu Jitsu while I was recovering from a back injury. I was unable to grapple for a few months and I was pining for some Jiu Jitsu. Having already watched every wahzoo technique on youtube twice I decided to read what others had to say about Jiu Jitsu. This book was great. It is not a book of techniques. Well it is not specifially teaching grappling techniques. Rather it contains many insights and strategies to improve your mental approach to an often difficult and sometimes grueling sport. Jiu Jitsu can be very fulfilling, but it can also be frustrating. If you want some new ways to examine your game, and some strategies to get over a plateau in your skill set, Zen Jiu Jitsu is what you are looking for. I've read it twice now. I will probably read it ten times. Maybe more. I like to refresh my mind with the Zen Jiu Jitsu strategies from time to time.

Gostei. Bons conselhos iniciais. (Mas não segui o método de 30 dias...).

Sehr gut

Anyone who does Jiu jitsu needs this book. It is unlike anything else and the missing piece of the puzzle. If you want to compete or just accelerate your game then this book shows you how. The author is obviously someone with an incredible amount of knowledge and experience in the sport. Every aspect of development is considered and what is delivered is a concise and easy to read volume on how to progress in the game both mentally and physically. It is not another technique book, it is the book that shows you how to prepare and approach techniques with a strategy that works. Highly recommended.

Unless you can afford private classes, regular classes won't allow you to focus on your own game. This book helped me take further charge of my own learning, and really sharpened my focus in my training. I've recommended this book to many of my teammates as well.

Very interesting read, insightful ideas about training and midset