Three Rules for Good Jiu-Jitsu

**Aesopian** · Posted On: 10/08/2008 11:22pm

Three Rules for Good Jiu-Jitsu

Eduardo has three rules for good jiu-jitsu:

Train hard.
Eat right.
Sleep well.

That’s it.

Let’s assume you have quality instruction already. (If you don’t, you’ve got other issues). You can fuss over the details: what and how to study, gi or no-gi, drilling versus sparring, top game or bottom first, basic versus advanced and so on into infinity. But whatever combination of those you choose, you can’t get away from needing to put in serious, focused time on the mat and racking up training hours. That’s a no-brainer, yet people still miss it while searching for the secret easy path to success.

Diet is always important but especially when you’re an athlete (and that’s what you’ve become if you’re training hard). Nutrition is well researched and there’s a wealth of information out there. I’ll leave it to you to find what’s right for your body.

The importance of sleep is easy to overlook (which is why I asked if you’re getting enough). Your body needs time to rest and recover after working out. But there’s also a mental aspect that you may not be aware of but that scientists are learning more about. The superb radio program Radiolab (iTunes) did a show on sleep that you should listen to. It explains the topic better than I can. Scientific American Mind also has good articles and podcasts on sleep and its effects on learning:

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**Knave** · Posted On: 10/09/2008 12:28am

Greetings.

IMO alot of the nutrition information from that link reeks of vegetarian/hippie propaganda. If it's necessary I can gather up some studies proving wrong the bits of pseudoscience about fasting, sugar, meat, "toxic chemicals," etc. or really something from just about every section there. IMO his intentions are good but alot of the information is just so off base (or at least so vague) that it nearly ruins the point of promoting healthy living.

**TheRuss** · Posted On: 10/09/2008 12:34am

Originally Posted by Knave

IMO alot of the nutrition information from that link reeks of vegetarian/hippie propaganda.

Hmm...

*clicks*

Yeah, there's a lot wrong with this. Not just the aforementioned biases, either. I don't think the guy who wrote it actually knows much about nutrition.

Aside from that, though, sweet post.

**Aesopian** · Posted On: 10/09/2008 12:36am

Yeah, I'm gonna pull that from the post. There's better info out there. Knave, you should put together that info and post it on his blog.

**Knave** · Posted On: 10/10/2008 12:59am

Greetings.

I asked a guy from another forum who knows more about it than I do to give some input. A few points he made:

Two things to note:

1.) "...only a truth that resonates with me" doesn't make sense. Something is either true or it is not.

2.) Foods to avoid are listed as "Excessive Quantities of ___________". By definition, excessive quantities of anything are bad; otherwise, they wouldn't be "excessive".

Meat "requiring a lot of energy to digest" would mean a greater thermic effect, which entails an increase in metabolic rates. This is not a bad thing if it were true, but the fact is that meats are far more digestible than certain vegetable proteins, the likes of which are only partly usable for fuel.

"Beef is highly digestible- in fact, 97% of beef is digestible, in comparison to 89% of flour and 65% of most vegetables. However, many people equate digestibility with the length of time a food remains in the stomach. Beef and other protein foods remain in the stomach longer than fruits and vegetables- and consequently provide a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time."

http://www.utahbeef.org/myths.htm

As for dairy products: any foods high in protein will withdraw calcium from bones to regulate the pH in the blood. That's an evening-out effect - not a bad thing. The compensation is the protein and Vitamin D maintaining proper acid-alkaline balances in the body.

He goes on to say, "Raw, unsalted nuts provide an excellent source of protein", when high-protein foods raise acidity levels, which contradicts his point about dairy products.

Also, advocating against eating big because of performance issues and then condoning a fast doesn't seem to cohere. You're not going to be in an athletic state after fasting, something that lasts much longer than the time it would take to digest a satiating meal.

Even though the utahbeef link is decent as far as citing their sources, I'd like to dig up something that comes off as having less of a bias. I may have some time over the weekend to get some more links or to pester the guy for more links. Actually I told him to come here and give some input, but he says he has an old expired BS account and something about not being able to activate it and not wanting to make a new email just to start a new account etc. I don't know.

A minor note to add to his comments: The nutritional information given in the blog says to avoid sugars like fructose and glucose (which are both found in large quantities in fruit) and yet advocates eating alot of fruit.

**TheRuss** · Posted On: 10/10/2008 10:45am

You may find something of value in this thread.

Also, "in large quantities in fruit" is relative - USDA NND says a large apple (09003, edible portion 223g) has 4.62g sucrose, 5.42g glucose, and 13.16g fructose.

That's not really very much at all, at least not relative to the weight of the apple or the fiber content (5.4g).

**Knave** · Posted On: 10/10/2008 10:22pm

Greetings.

Right, but compared to its total calories (and thus energy) it's substantial IMO compared to the total calories of foods he doesn't suggest such as meat and carbs.