Accelerated Learning for the Grappling Arts

Accelerated Learning for the Grappling Arts By Dr. David Ripley DC

Copyright 2001

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1.

Introduction

Chapter 2.

Superlearning

Chapter 3.

Instinctive Response and the Myth Of Muscle Memory

Chapter 4.

Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing

Chapter 5.

Visualization

Chapter 6.

The Superlearning Exercise

Chapter 7.

Position Meditations and the creation of position triggers.

Chapter 8.

How To Use The Accelerated Learning Video Tapes

Chapter 9.

The Big Mistake

Chapter 10.

Using Accelerated Learning with other BJJ or grappling tapes.

Appendix

Names of Positions Recommended Reading (Mental Training)

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Chapter 1 “…The ultimate court of appeal is observation and experience, not authority” Huxley

Introduction The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Accelerated Learning Course was created in Nov 1999 by Robert Morales, a brown belt under Joe Moreira, and Dr. David Ripley DC a BJJ student and researcher in the field of accelerated learning. Robert has his own Brazilian Jiu Jitsu School in southern California. Using various accelerated learning methods we present the teaching of BJJ in such a way that the techniques are learned and developed into an instinctive response or a near instinctive response very quickly. An instinctive response is defined as an action or a reaction in which there is no conscious thought or intention to perform the action prior to its occurrence. It’s a completely subconscious instinctive response. A near instinctive response is a response that is preceded by a conscious decision to perform it or any one of a number of other options. The near instinctive response is really an instinctive response but the response is a decision tree or thought process rather that an immediate physical action. In our BJJ Home Study program we’ve incorporated a number of techniques that greatly accelerate the learning process. These accelerated learning methods enable one to accomplish in months what would have otherwise taken many years. The proficiency needed to achieve the various belt levels can be attained in a fraction of the time it takes when these methods aren’t used Our belt program is unique because by using Dr. Ripley's accelerated learning method, you learn the techniques much quicker than you normally would by training 2 or3 times a week. The techniques become ingrained in your sub-conscious and under "crisis" when sparring you are able to recall the proper move. By organizing our material by belt level the student can progress at an even quicker rate because he/she is not learning moves too complicated for their current skill level. I totally believe that there is no substitute for mat time. In this case, mat will be used to enhance you as a grappler, to develop FEEL if you will. Sensitivity is an important physical attribute that cannot be ignored. But most jiu-jitsu fighters are developing Jiu-jitsu submission skills and grappling skills at the same time and this is why progress is delayed. Now if you were learning jiu-jitsu submissions and sweeps and escapes etc. at home with Dr. Ripley’s method Class time will consist of becoming a better grappler developing sensitivity and the jiu-jitsu techniques will flow out naturally. I know it sounds to good to be true but it isn't. Belt promotions will be given to those who have used our method and DISPLAY the level of skill required for that belt level. By using our method you will progress much quicker than if you "just attend class" and wait for progress. It takes an average of 4 3

years to get the basics of jiu-jitsu to a level of understanding. We can cut that time down considerably.

Introduction to the Accelerated Learning Exercises The two accelerated learning techniques on the tapes that are performed after each technique is demonstrated by Robert Morales are Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing (RKS) and the Superlearning Exercise (SLX). The purpose of the RKS exercise is to quickly learn and memorize all of the details of a technique so that it can be performed from memory during your next mat session with your training partner. The purpose of the SLX (Superlearning Exercise) is to quickly develop the techniques to the point of being second nature. Both the RKS and the SLX exercises make use of a creative process called visualization. In order to speed up the creative process of visualization both of the exercises are performed while the student is in a superlearning state of mind and body. The superlearning state referred to is a relaxed meditative state. This meditative superlearning state is super-induced through the use of Deep Learning music. The Deep Learning music incorporates a technology known as the binaural beat. The binaural beat causes the brainwaves of the student to lock into the Theta brainwave frequency, which is an accelerated learning state. Later in this book the RKS and SLX exercises, visualization, the superlearning state and the binaural beat will be discussed in greater detail. Basically, the accelerated learning exercises allow the student time to think about each technique in a step-by-step methodical repetitious manner using the guided visualizations on the video tape while in a mental/physical state that facilitates rapid learning. Jiu jitsu and other grappling techniques can be learned and developed into an IR or NIR very quickly because they consist of sequences of movements that anyone can perform. They aren’t complex motor skills that take a lot of physical practice to perform correctly like for example the various Wing Chun techniques such as the centerline punch, the pak sao, the bong lop and so on. Learning those types of martial arts techniques takes much more physical practice.

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Chapter 2 “The true and lawful goal of the sciences is none other than this: that human life be endowed with new discoveries and powers.” Francis Bacon Novum Organum (1620)

Superlearning The purpose of this chapter is to present a brief overview of the history and development of the accelerated learning methods used by others and to explain the rationale behind its various aspects. Dr. Lozanov, a medical doctor and psychiatrist from Czechoslovakia learned about accelerated learning while studying yoga in India. While studying at various yoga teaching centers in India, he learned about their methods of developing a supermemory. They used accelerated learning methods to memorize sacred texts in case some catastrophic event should destroy all written records. Dr. Lozanov didn’t think that some parts of the yogic method of superlearning were suitable for general use in the West so he modified them slightly and developed his own method. He called his method suggestopedia and research with it showed that anyone could develop a supermemory and learn up to fifty times the normal rate. The three aspects of the Lozanov method that we will be concerned with in this course are. 1. The body is in a state of deep relaxation. 2. Information is presented to the mind in a rhythmic manner. 3. Background music with a beat of between 50 and 60 beats per second. This was used to induce a meditative state of relaxation.

Number 1 is equivalent to a yogic meditative state. The medtative state where the body is relaxed and the mind is free from physical distraction is also a superlearning state wherein one can quickly absorb large amounts of information. Research shows that the degree of relaxation is directly related to amount of material that can be absorbed during the superlearning session. The more relaxed one is the more effective the superlearning session is. 5

Presenting information to the mind in a rhythmic manner was another idea Dr. Lozanov brought back from India and is a significant part of his and our system. Research has shown that presenting information to the mind in a rhythmic manner greatly accelerates the learning process. In the Bulgarian schools the information was given during eight or ten second intervals and was read aloud by the teacher. Music is a very important element of superlearning. During the learning session background music is played that has a beat of between forty and sixty beats per minute. This helps to relax the body and slow down the somatic rhythms. When the body rhythms (brain waves and heart rate) are slowed down the mental faculties are sharper and more efficient, the mind is more alert and concentration is improved. Dr. Lozanov’s research shows that the best music to use is the slow largo movements from classical music. Dr. Lozanov founded the Institute of Suggestology in Bulgaria where the research into accelerated learning was carried on. Much of the original research was done in the area of language learning because it was easy to measure results. The rate of language learning using other methods of accelerated learning is 80 to 100 words per day. With their system learning 3000 words per day is common. Research groups were graduating from a three-year language course in three months. Because the accelerated learning claims made by Dr. Lozanov were hard to believe, he was attacked by other professionals and eventually investigated by the Bulgarian government. The commission from the Ministry of Education was so impressed with what they found that in 1966 they founded the Center for Suggestopedia at the Institute for Suggestology and by 1976 there were seventeen public schools in Bulgaria using Lozanov’s methods. These are schools where “Third graders did high school algebra, everyone covered two years of school in four months and children learned to read in a matter of days”. Dr. Lozanov’s method has been used extensively in The Soviet Union and other countries for years, but a concern for secrecy had prevented Westerners from learning the exact technique and how to apply it. It was this shroud of secrecy that had perpetuated a cloud of unknowing in the minds of Western researchers. Around 1975 Dr. Jane Bancroft from the University of Toronto discovered the secret by comparing some videotapes of the superlearning classes in Bulgaria. High-level Soviet defectors later confirmed her conclusions. Dr. Lozanov’s methods have been researched in the US since 1975 with results similar to those in Bulgaria and the Soviet Union. Dr. L Alfonso Caycedo, a medical doctor, developed a method of accelerated learning while a professor at the University of Madrid. His system was developed independently of Dr. Lozanov’s but was derived, like the Bulgarian method, from the Eastern teachings of yoga, which he had studied for many years. He called his method Sophrology, which means the study of the harmony of consciousness. The 6

Sophrology Memory System and the Sophrology Learning System have been widely used in Spain since the sixties. The techniques of Sophrology are similar to Suggestology with the exception that Sophrology doesn’t use background music to aid in relaxation. Dr. Raymond Abrezol, a dental surgeon in Lausanne Switzerland is well known for his work in applying Sophrology to the field of sports and his work with the Swiss Olympic team. He developed mental training programs that have helped countless individuals improve their performance in sports. Sophrology, a combination of yoga and autogenics, is now popular with coaches and athletes all over Europe in a wide variety of sports disciplines. Autogenics is the famous visualization technique that was developed by the German doctor and psychiatrist, Dr. Johannas H. Schultz, over 30 years ago. It has been used to significantly increase the performance of athletes all over the world since that time. Over 70% of the athletes in the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta have reportedly used some form of psycho-technology to boost their performance. It’s very popular in sports competition in Russia, Germany and other European countries. The basic idea of autogenics is that mental rehearsal, using visualization can significantly improve performance. Although we don’t hear about them on the nightly news, various methods of increasing one’s ability to quickly absorb and remember information and improve performance in many areas have been around for a long time. People all over the world are now experimenting with and experiencing the positive benefits of various methods of accelerated learning. We’ve briefly introduced a little of the history of some of the accelerated learning methods that have been developed and mentioned that two important aspects are the relaxed meditative state and a rhythmic presentation of information to the mind. In our program we no longer make use of classical music to induce a state of relaxation in the student but prefer to make use of a more highly advanced technology developed by Kelly Howell that incorporates the use of the binaural beat to super-induce the relaxed meditative accelerated learning state of mind also known as the Theta brain wave state.

Brain Sync Corporation “Kelly Howell, founder and president of Brain Sync Corporation, is internationally acclaimed for her pioneering work in mind expansion. She is author of over 60 bestselling audio programs, and the creator of Brain Sync's Brain Wave Audio Technology. For nearly two decades, Kelly has created programs for eminent scientists and medical professionals such as Harvard trained Neurosurgeon, Norman Shealy, MD, Ph.D. and the AMA's National Stop Smoking Campaign President, Edward Taub, M.D., to name a few. Her 20 years of research into spiritual practices and meditation, combined with her work with physicians and biofeedback therapists has allowed Brain Sync to develop and refine this extraordinary audio technology, that so many have come to rely on. 7

HARNESSING THE VISION In the midst of the first success, Kelly continued to research new developments in brain wave technology and began experimenting with brain wave altering techniques. She cofounded the Neuro-Technologies Research Institute in San Francisco with author and researcher Michael Hutchison. This non-profit organization was created to study the effects of a variety of brain machines and brain-wave altering devices. Working with physicians and scientists, it was determined that combinations of finely tuned frequencies could have spectacular effects on brain activity. The brain wave tape, "High Coherence", was released in 1987 and tested by independent Research groups. These scientific researchers found that the "High Coherence" formula allowed test subjects to experience profound levels of relaxation and actually expanded awareness associated with deep meditative states. Word of Kelly's results quickly spread among members of the scientific and medical community, who commissioned her to develop programs for sleep disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome and substance abuse. An entrepreneur in spirit, Kelly sensed that the time was right to focus on a broader destination for her brain wave tapes. In 1991 she forged ahead, forming Brain Sync Corporation to publish and market tapes nationally to bio-feedback therapists, researchers, psychotherapists and psychologists. The series quickly became popular, so Kelly expanded her horizons again, propelling Brain Sync programs into the mass market, where response from the general public has been phenomenal.” Precision Engineered Sound Waves Powerfully Focus Your Mind “Until recently, entering extraordinary states of heightened receptivity and peak performance have been predominantly attained by a disciplined few, practicing ancient techniques such as meditation, chanting, yoga and new re-vamped versions of the mystical traditions- such as progressive relaxation, auto-suggestion, hypnosis and biofeedback. The only problem is that these techniques take long periods of practice, discipline and often a leap of faith, to produce results. But now there is an easier pathway, a new technology that can guide us directly into those beneficial states of deep meditation and heightened receptivity - where we can leverage the powers of the mind-body connection to attain optimal mental and physical performance. This new path uses sound waves to carry its listeners into the higher frequencies of consciousness, where profound transformations take place. When pure, precise audio signals of different frequencies are delivered to the brain through stereo headphones, the two hemispheres of the brain function together to "hear" not the actual external sound signals, but a phantom third signal - a binaural beat. 8

Brain cells sympathetically resonate and vibrate in response to the binaural beat, in the same way a crystal goblet resonates and vibrates in response to a pure musical tone. Brain Sync tapes effortlessly guide brain activity into highly specific, organized, and coherent patterns that allow rapid access to remarkable states of expanded awareness. Brain Wave Technology was originally discovered in the early 1970's by Gerald Oster, a Biophysicist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. In his EEG research he discovered that when different vibrations, or sound frequencies are delivered to the brain separately through each ear (as with stereo headphones), the two hemispheres of the brain function together to "hear" not the external sound signals, but a third phantom signal - a binaural beat. For example, when a signal of 100 cycles per second enters one ear and 109 cycles per second enters the other ear simultaneously- the two hemispheres of the brain function together to "hear" not the actual external sound signals, but a phantom third signal - a binaural beat. In this example, the binaural beat would be a pulsation of 9 cycles per second - the exact mathematical difference between the two actual tones. Instead of hearing two different tones, you actually hear a rhythmic soothing pulsation beating at 9 cycles per second. It was then further discovered that binaural beat frequencies could drive or guide brain activity into a wide variety of specific brain states. Research results show that parts of the brain, and eventually large areas of the brain begin to resonate sympathetically to this "phantom" binaural beat, in what is known as the Frequency Following Response. In the example above the binaural beat is 9 cycles per second, which is in the relaxing range of brain wave activity called alpha. In addition to driving brain activity into highly specific brain states such as: Beta for peak concentration and cognition, Alpha for relaxation and visualization, Theta for meditation, learning and memory, and Delta for sleep and healing; the rhythmic pulsations of binaural beats balance right and left sides of the brain producing a remarkable state called hemispheric synchronization. Scientists noted that flashes of creative insight, euphoria, intensely focused concentration, deep calm and enhanced learning abilities accompanied this rare phenomenon. Brain Sync advances and refines a sophisticated sound recording technique called Harmonic Superimposition of binaural beat frequencies. Carefully tuned binaural beats are superimposed, layer upon layer causing different groups of neurons to fire at different frequencies. Recent scientific research indicates that combinations of different brain wave frequencies mark individual brain states ranging from sleep to creativity. The Brain Sync Harmonic Superimposition technique provides a number of highly specific binaural beat frequencies, and combines them simultaneously so that the binaural beats themselves create harmonic beat frequencies with the other binaural beats, to produce a highly specific brain state.

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The frequencies selected are very powerful "Window Frequencies" ranging from the low delta range, associated with sleep and healing, upward through theta, alpha and into the very high beta range associated with heightened alertness and cognition.” SCIENTIFICALLY RESEARCHED FREQUENCIES As the leader in Brain Wave Audio Technology, Brain Sync is the one most often recommended by physicians and psychologists throughout the world. We're proud that our technology clinically tested with a record breaking 95% success rate and is offered to patients at America's most prestigious cancer treatment hospitals, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Dana Farber. EEG studies conducted at Harvard Body Mind Medical School and UCLA have concluded that our exclusive Brain Wave Audio Technology prompts brain activity into extraordinary body-mind states. After almost 2 decades of clinical research, Brain Wave Audio Technology is revealing itself to be the one of the world's greatest breakthroughs in healing and mind expansion. CLINICALLY PROVEN METHOD First discovered by Biophysicist, Gerald Oster, at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, the technology sends pure and precisely tuned sound waves to the brain via stereo headphones (any Walkman-type headphones will do). The precision- engineered frequencies produce a phantom signal, called a binaural beat. Brain activity naturally slides into rhythm with the beat. Miraculously the brain's electrical activity becomes organized and coherent. Within minutes the sound frequencies create a training wheel effect, literally balancing the hemispheres and driving the electrical activity of the brain into extraordinary and powerful states that are normally unattainable. SYNCHRONIZE YOUR WHOLE BRAIN FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE A special feature of all Brain Sync programs is the use of Window Frequencies. Window Frequencies are extremely precise frequencies that resonate and impact directly on the body at a cellular level. As a result of our frequency selection, listeners report feeling their meditation on a physical level with rushes of positive energy coursing through the body and a flow of deep heartfelt emotions. MUSIC TO TRANSCEND WITH Our Precision-engineered window frequencies are harmonically layered within exquisitely beautiful music, creating oceanic tapestries that inspire deep trance states and heightened receptivity. Brain Sync music blends chant and ancient instruments with melodies based on Eastern Tantric traditions to open the flow of energy in the chakras. Carried on smooth, silky waves of sound you are transported to the Monasteries of Tibet, Secret Mystery Schools, Angelic realms and into primal worlds within the psyche. THE ULTIMATE PEAK PERFORMANCE BRAIN STATE Brain wave audio technology balances and amplifies the electrical activity in your brain into organized and coherent patterns. This effect, known as hemispheric synchronization, is the optimal state for peak performance. When the electrical activity in your brain is 10

synchronized you are able to focus attention and concentrate for long periods of time. Your thoughts are organized and flow in orderly sequence. Above all, you actually have more brainpower available to you. This translates into having greater clarity of thought, increased powers of concentration, creativity and perception. Hemispheric synchronization increases the overall electro-magnetic energy level in the brain exponentially. Consequently, the thoughts and images you hold within this amplified state have the greatest power to manifest in your life.”

Brain States “Studies have shown that the vibrations from rhythmic sounds have a profound effect on brain activity. In shamanic traditions, drums were used in periodic rhythm to transport the shaman into other realms of reality. The vibrations from this constant rhythm affected the brain in a very specific manner, allowing the shaman to journey out of his or her body. Brain pattern studies were recently conducted by researcher Melinda Maxfield into the (SSC) Shamanic State of Consciousness. She found that the steady rhythmic beat of the drum struck four and one half times per second was the key to transporting a shaman into the deepest part of his shamanic state of consciousness. It is no coincidence that 4.5 beats, or cycles per second corresponds to the trance like state of theta brain wave activity. In direct correlation, we see similar effects brought on by the constant and rhythmic drone of Tibetan Buddhist chants, which transport the monks and even other listeners into realms of blissful meditation. The gentle pulsating rhythms of Brain Sync tapes act in a similar fashion, yet because the frequencies are computer generated, they are precise, consistent and can be targeted to induce highly specific and desired brain states. Just as we can tune a radio to get a particular station, with Brain Sync technology we can tune our consciousness to dial-in a wide variety of brain states.

• • • •

Beta Alpha Theta Delta

Alertness, Concentration, Focus & Cognition Relaxation, Visualization, & Creativity Intuition, Memory, Meditation & Vivid Visual Imagery Deep Sleep, Healing & Detached Awareness

Like sound waves, the brain has its own set of vibrations it uses to communicate with itself and the rest of the body. EEG equipment distinguishes these waves by measuring the speed with which neurons fire in cycles per second. Beta waves range between 13-40 HZ. The beta state is associated with peak concentration, heightened alertness and visual acuity. Nobel Prize Winner, Sir Francis Crick and other scientists believe that the 40HZ beta frequency used on many Brain Sync tapes may be key to the act of cognition. Alpha waves range between 7-12 HZ. This is a place of deep relaxation, but not quite meditation. In Alpha, we begin to access the wealth of creativity that lies just below our conscious awareness it is the gateway, the entry point that leads into deeper states of 11

consciousness. Alpha is also the home of the window frequency known as the Schuman Resonance, which is the resonant frequency of the earth's electromagnetic field. Theta waves range between 4-7 HZ. Theta is one of the more elusive and extraordinary realms we can explore. It is also known as the twilight state which we normally only experience fleetingly as we rise up out of the depths of delta upon waking, or drifting off to sleep. In theta we are in a waking dream, vivid imagery flashes before the mind's eye and we are receptive to information beyond our normal conscious awareness. Theta has also been identified as the gateway to learning and memory. Theta meditation increases creativity, enhances learning, reduces stress and awakens intuition and other extrasensory perception skills. Delta waves range between 0-4 HZ. Delta is associated with deep sleep. In addition, certain frequencies in the delta range trigger the release of Growth Hormone beneficial for healing and regeneration. This is why sleep, deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing process.” 1

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Chapter 3 “The Golden Rule is to test everything in the light of reason and experience, no matter from whom it comes.” Mohandas Karamchand Mahatma Gandhi

Instinctive Response and The Myth of Muscle Memory Our course teaches an advanced and more fundamental technique for quickly creating an instinctive response. One of the meanings of the term muscle memory is synonymous with instinctive response. The term instinctive response became known as muscle memory because of the belief that physical repetition somehow causes the brain and nervous system to develop a memory of the action that was repeated over and over and responds somewhat automatically to whatever is to trigger the physical response. This naturally led to the belief that physical repetition is necessary to create an instinctive response. This appears to be a rational common sense explanation of the cause of the instinctive response. A closer examination of all of the factors involved will show that even though physical repetition can create an instinctive response and the neural patterns in the brain and nervous system necessary for its execution, it isn’t necessary for its creation. Muscle memory or the belief that physical repetition is necessary to create an instinctive response is a myth or false belief based on an incomplete understanding of all of the factors involved. An understanding of all of the factors allows one to create the instinctive response (IR) much quicker than can be accomplished by basing ones practices on the physical theory of causation. No effort will be made here to go into detailed arguments in order to persuade the student of the truth of the principles set forth. I’m going to explain in a simplified way instinctive response formation as I understand it and leave it to the student to do his own research if he wishes. The proof of the truth of this view of instinctive response creation lies in the fact the each student can prove it to himself and develop techniques to the point of being an instinctive response using the principles and exercises presented in this course. Principle Number 1

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All physical action is preceded by thought and it is the thought that precedes physical action and not the physical action itself that is the creative principle in the formation of an instinctive response.

Thoughts Most people have heard it said that thoughts are things but it isn’t generally understood exactly what kind of things thoughts are. For the purposes of this instruction we won’t be going deeply into those areas of Eastern metaphysics wherein the exact nature of thoughts becomes more fully understood. We are only interested in the difference between thoughts that have not and thoughts that have created an instinctive response. In the following paragraphs it isn’t assumed that the student is unfamiliar with all of the concepts presented. We are simply starting our argument at a point that everyone is familiar with, namely their own thoughts and proceeding into areas that all of our students may not have taken the time to fully consider. There is an Eastern metaphysical teaching that states that every thought we think, every emotional feeling we have, everything we do or say as well as everything that is perceived through the five senses is permanently recorded in what are called the akashic records. Modern psychology has a similar concept stating that they are recorded in what Thomas J. Hudson termed the Subjective Mind that later became known as the Subconscious Mind, which Sir William Crooks called the Subliminal Mind and is now called the Unconscious Mind, which is the preferred terminology at this time. I prefer to think of it as the Subconscious Mind. A thought can either be conscious, as it is at the time we are thinking about it or when we remember it or it can be subconscious as it is when we aren’t thinking of it or can’t recall it. In either case it is clear that thoughts have a permanent existence in the mind. This is proved by the fact that hypnosis has been used to help people remember things long forgotten. It isn’t easy to mentally grasp and understand the exact nature of a thought, as it exists in the mental world or rather on the mental plane of vibration. We simply assume that it exists in some form and refer to the form of that existence as being a ThoughtForm. This idea of thought-forms isn’t something new and has been written about extensively in yogic literature. Principle Number 2 The act of thinking creates Thought-Forms, which have a permanent existence in the subconscious mind. Principle Number 3 The act of thinking through a jui jitsu technique creates a Technique Thought-Form (TTF) that exists permanently in the subconscious mind and in the conscious mind when it is recalled. The next step is to gain an understanding of the best way to create the special type of Jiu Jitsu Technique Thought Form (TTF) that can initiate an instinctive response. As a first step we’ll examine the various possible relationships of the subconscious TTF to the 14

conscious mind. This is illustrated with the diagrams on the following page in Figures 1 through 4.

Technique Thought Forms

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These relationships are understood by all jiu jitsu students as they try to recall the next day, the techniques they learned in class the night before. The relationships are: 1. No relationship. You learned four techniques in class. You have a certain level of memory of three of them and you know you learned another one but you just can’t quite remember what it was. 2. A weak relationship. One of the techniques consisted of 4 steps. You remember 3 of the steps but can’t recall the other step. 3. A strong relationship. Another technique had three steps and you remember all of them and could perform the technique from memory. 4. A stronger Near Instinctive Response (NIR) relationship. One of the techniques had one step which is now functionally instinctive because if the trigger or opening were presented you could immediately execute the technique. These four types of relationships are represented with the diagrams on the next page. Figure 1 represents the relationship of number 1 above. It has three circles. The one on top represents the Conscious Mind. The one below it represents the Subconscious Mind. The smaller circle in the subconscious mind circle represents the technique thought form in the Subconscious mind. There is no line connecting it to a corresponding thought form in the conscious mind as in the other figures it because it can’t be remembered and since it can’t be remembered there is no energy connection to the conscious mind. Its light gray color represents a low charge density. I refer to a technique in this state of development as being a floater. The memory of the technique exists in the subconscious mind but there is no hope of it being remembered. Figure 2 represents relationship number 2 above. The lines connecting the smaller circles represent the energy connection between the thought forms in conscious and subconscious mind. There are four lines because the technique had four steps. One of the lines is a dotted line because that step couldn’t be remembered. The dotted line represents a very weak energy connection between the conscious and subconscious mind. The darker gray represents a higher charge density than the technique in figure 1.The future fate a technique at this stage of development is the same as the technique represented in Figure 1. Over time the three solid energy lines (due to lack of attention) will fade into weak dotted lines, which will eventually disappear altogether leaving no detectable trace in the conscious mind. This happens because if we can’t remember one or more steps of a technique there is a tendency not to want to think of it or think through it again. We think that it will come up again in class sometime and we will learn it at that time. Relationship number three as described above is represented by figure 3. It was a simple three-step technique that was easily memorized and could be performed slowly from memory. The three solid lines connecting the conscious and subconscious technique thought form circles represent a fairly strong energy connection between the conscious and subconscious mind. More conscious attention that was given to the technique because it is easy to review techniques that are easily remembered. A mistake that students often make at this point is to think that they know the technique so well that they don’t need to practice it or mentally review it. So they often find themselves in a sparring situation where they know they could use a certain technique but they just can’t quite remember how to do it. The fate of this technique could be that through lack of attention 16

the energy lines connecting the conscious and subconscious thought forms becomes weaker and weaker and within time finally disappear altogether. Its thought form then becomes another floater in the subconscious mind. Its fate could also be that its charge density increases and the energy lines become stronger over time through the attention one gives it when recalling it and eventually it reaches the instinctive level. This is the purpose of using.the Superlearning Exercise (SLX). Relationship number 4 is represented by figure 4. This was a simple one step technique. The example was having your opponent give you his back. This technique is so simple that it becomes functionally instinctive the moment you learn it. By functionally instinctive I mean that if your opponent gave you his back the perception of his back would immediately evoke the memory of what you should do. It doesn’t mean that you automatically and without thinking jump on his back. How many could forget to jump on their opponents back when presented with that opportunity? The energy line between the thought forms is wider which represents its strength. The simplicity of the one step technique made it convenient to mentally review and strengthen the energy connection to the conscious mind. The previous examples represented various degrees of memory connection of the subconscious Jiu Jitsu Thought-Form to conscious mind. This is the second component of an IR. The first component was the though-form itself (TTF). One of the requirements for the creation of an instinctive or near instinctive response is a high charge density and strong energy connection between the conscious and subconscious technique thought- forms. This is the second component of the anatomical makeup of an IR and is created by the conscious attention given to the technique. In order to make the creation of the instinctive response easily understood we’ve tried to convey the following ideas. • • • •

The act of thinking creates thought-forms. The act of thinking through a Jiu Jitsu technique creates a Jiu Jitsu Technique Thought-Form. These thought-forms exist eternally in the subconscious mind and temporarily in the conscious mind when they are recalled. Giving attention to the thought-form by recalling it charges it (with chi energy or life force) and creates a stronger and more enduring mental energy connection between the thought-form and the conscious mind which enables it to be quickly recalled when the trigger to that thought-form is perceived.

Up to this point we’ve covered only two of the five components that makeup the anatomy of the instinctive response. The first component was the Technique Thought-Form and the second was the charge density and energy connection to the conscious mind. Next we’ll cover the remaining three components.

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3. The 3rd anatomical component of the IR is the trigger or perception that triggers instant recall in the case of a near instinctive response or triggers an instant reaction in the case of an IR. The trigger can be visual, tactile or auditory or a combination of them. The trigger to an instinctive response is simply the perception of the situation in which you desire to apply the particular technique. The trigger is programmed into the Technique Thought-Form during the Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing exercise. This will be discussed more fully when we cover Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing (RKS). 4. The 4th anatomical component is the will of the thought-form or how you want or intend the Thought-Form to react to the perceived trigger. Do you want it to be an instinctive reaction or a near instinctive reaction? This is also programmed into the though-form simply by making that decision. 5.The 5th anatomical component is an energy connection to the central nervous system that makes it possible for an instantaneous physical reaction to occur when the trigger is perceived. This energy connection is created through a special type of visualization called visualization Type F that will be covered in the chapter on visualization. The five anatomical components of an instinctive response are represented in the diagram on the next page. On the following page is a diagram representing the two schools of thought or theories of instinctive response formation, the Physical Theory and the Mental Theory. The vertical oval on the left contains two other ovals that represent the two activities of technique performance. The one on top represents the recollection and mental review of the technique just prior to and during its performance and the lower oval represents the physical performance of the technique. The Mental Theory shown in the upper portion of the diagram represents the idea that the act of recollection and thinking through a technique and the subsequent thought-form creation is more fundamental to the creation of the instinctive response than the physical activity. The line going from the Thought-form circle on top to the Nervous System circle below represents the idea that if the correct type of visualization is used, neuromuscular patterns are developed and the result is the same as though the technique were practiced physically. The Physical Theory, which everyone who isn’t into mental training believes in, states that physical repetition creates neural patterns in the brain and nervous system and if repeated often enough will lead to the formation of an instinctive response.

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Chapter 4 21

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.” Albert Einstein Einstein, the Life and Times By Ronald W. Clark

Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing Learning Jiu Jitsu techniques with this system is a three-step process. 1.Watching the video demonstration of the technique. 2. Doing the Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing (RKS) exercise on the video to quickly learn the details of a technique. 3. Doing the Superlearning Exercise on the video to quickly review all of the techniques and begin to develop them to the point where their use becomes second nature. and then continuing to do the superlearning exercise using the video or a list on a daily basis until they become second nature. Before RKS is described in detail I’d like to give a brief description of what Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing is. On page 20 is an example of a Technique Notes form that was used to take notes on the American Lock form the cross side position. On the right under Technique description, a Keyword is listed for each of the steps. A keyword is a word or two that best describes and helps one recall the action of that particular step. I refer to all of the keywords of a technique as a keyword string. Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing is the use of rhythm and keywords to help one mentally sequence through a technique many times in succession. A rhythmic presentation of information accelerates learning and aids concentration. After reviewing the technique mentally a number of times you become very familiar with it and could easily perform it physically with a partner just as fast as you performed it mentally even though you had just learned it from a tape. This is the technique we use in our course to help the student quickly memorize all the detail of a technique. When the techniques learned using RKS are added to the daily Superlearning Exercise the techniques aren’t forgotten. On the contrary, you become more and more familiar with them and they 22

quickly become second nature. During your next sparring session you will be able to practice the techniques with your partner without having to struggle to remember them.

Naming Techniques The way I like to name the techniques is so that the name itself evokes the memory of the technique. The names that I make up have two parts. The first part is what the opponent does to cause you to use the technique and the other part is the goal of the technique. Here are a couple of examples: When I first learned the American Lock from the mount position I called it the Punch Defend Armlock. The opponent is defending against your punches to his face by putting his arms over his face and you apply the arm lock. The Straight Armlock from the Mount Top position I called the Chest Grab Armlock. Your opponent grabs or pushes your chest and you apply the Armlock. The main consideration is whether or not the name brings the technique to mind. When one is learning a lot of techniques in a short period of time, descriptive names are very helpful. This method of naming techniques is followed most but not all of the time on the tapes.

Inferior and Superior The medical terms inferior and superior can be used to describe positions of arms and legs in the cross side position. They are relative terms. The reference point is the top of the head. Inferior and superior are used to indicate whether an area of the body is closer to or farther away from the top of the head than another area of the body. For example, the belly button is inferior to the nose (which is another way of saying that it is farther away from the top of the head than the nose) but it is superior to the toes (closer to the top of the head than the toes). In the cross side position the reference point is the top of your and your opponents head. In the cross side position your inferior arm is the one that is farthest away from the top of your opponents head. His superior arm is the one closest to the top of your head and so on. Using these terms saves time when taking notes and eliminates the need to use the terms right and left (which are applicable from only one side) when describing limb positions in the cross side position.

Assigning Keywords A keyword or two is assigned to each step of the technique. On page 15 is an example of the Technique Notes form. The keyword for step number 1 is Knee and is located on the right side of the page. The keyword Knee is used to represent and to bring to mind the action of step 1. The Keyword Knee is a contraction of ‘Bring your inferior knee close to his hip’. Keywords are helpful in speeding up the learning process because one can mentally perform the action of the 23

step quicker than one can say it. One can use either one or two or more keywords to represent each step It’s important to begin the keyword string for each technique with a keyword for what your opponent is doing that causes you to initiate the technique because this is what triggers your use of the technique. What you are doing is creating a conditioned reflex that is initiated whenever the trigger or opening for the technique is perceived. In the Technique Notes on page 15 the opponent Keyword is S Shoulder. It means he put his arm on your Superior Shoulder.

Technique Notes POSITION:__Cross Side Top • Technique

Name:

American Lock

Opponents Position: Cross Side Bottom with his superior arm on your superior shoulder. D Keyword: S Shoulder Your Position: Cross Side Top position with your superior upper arm next to his head and your forearm under his shoulder. Your inferior arm is on the other side of his body near his hip. Your superior leg is straight and your inferior knee is close to his hip. Technique description: 1. Bring your inferior knee close to his hip.

Keyword:

Knee 2. Bring your inferior hand under his shoulder. Shoulder

Keyword:

3. Bring your superior knee forward.

Keyword:

4. Push his forearm down with your head,.

Keyword:

5. Grab his wrist with your superior hand.

Keyword:

Knee Push Wrist 6. Grab your wrist with your inferior hand. Wrist. 24

Keyword:

7. Drag his wrist along the floor.

Keyword:

Drag 8. Lift his elbow up with your inferior arm.. 9. Opponent taps out. Tap Tap

Keyword: Lift Keyword:

Doing the RKS Exercise After the video demonstration of the technique there is a page that shows the notes and Keywords for each step, which will remain there for from 15 to30 seconds. During that time you should relate the keywords to the action of the steps. When the notes page fades away into a picture of outer space the Deep Learning music will begin playing in the background and the RKS exercise will begin 5 seconds later. The keyword string of the technique will then be repeated 8 times. The keywords will be repeated at the rate of about one every two seconds. A background tone will indicate that the keyword string is starting over again. During the RKS exercise you should be in a relaxed reclining position with your eyes closed and with the lights down low. It would be helpful to be seated in a comfortable recliner so all you have to do is close your eyes when the RKS exercise begins. During the exercise let the spoken keywords guide your mind through the technique. This mental reviewing (seeing again) of the technique is called visualization. In order to develop a technique so that it becomes second nature it’s important to use the correct type of visualization. This will be covered in the next chapter. During the eight repetitions of the keyword string of each technique you will become more and more familiar with the technique and there will be a tendency during the two-second time period allotted for the keyword to jump ahead to the next step before the keyword for it is spoken. It’s best not to do that but instead continue to focus on the step you are on. This helps build up and strengthen that particular part of the technique thought-form (TTF).

25

Chapter 5

As a man thinketh so he is. Author Unknown

Visualization When you saw a technique being demonstrated on the TV or by your instructor demonstrating it in class, you perceived it being performed by two others or saw it as happening outside of oneself. If you practiced it in class with another you also felt and experienced the technique yourself. One type of visualization is analogous to the former and is a seeing type of visualization. The other way to visualize is analogous the latter and is a feeling type of visualization. The two types are: 1. One can mentally see two other people in your mind performing the technique the same way you saw it being demonstrated on the TV or in class. This is the type of visualization that shouldn’t be used during RKS or superlearning exercise. There is a tendency to visualize the technique in this way and needs to be guarded against. This is a seeing type of visualization, which I call visualization Type S (for Seeing). 26

2. You can mentally see and feel yourself performing the technique with someone else. This is a feeling type of visualization, which I call visualization Type F (for Feeling) and is the correct type, to use during the RKS visualization exercise.

In order to avoid confusion and further clarify what we mean by visualization we’d like to contrast it with the common conception of what visualization is. According to Webster’s dictionary visualization means “to form a mental picture of”. There are different degrees of visualization. One person who is gifted with the ability to visualize could look at an object, close his eyes and see it in his mind just as clearly as he sees it with his eyes open. Another non-gifted person (most of us fall into this category) might only be able to form a mental image that is dark, vague and mentally almost imperceptible or he may see nothing at all. That’s OK because to progress with our system one doesn’t need the ability to form clear vivid mental images. The dark, vague and imperceptible ones work just fine. Various books have been written about improving sports performance using mental imagery or visualization. An author might speak highly of a student who got excellent results using mental imagery and at the same time praise his ability to form clear mental images thereby suggesting a causal relationship and creating a false belief in the mind of the reader. This is the false belief that the ability to form clear mental images is necessary in order to get results using mental imagery. So they lead the reader to believe that in order to get results with visualization one needs to be able to visualize as well or nearly as well as the gifted person mentioned above. Usually in a later chapter of these books the author will describe visualization exercises that are supposed to and in fact do improve ones ability to visualize. They encourage the student to visualize or form a mental picture of a red circle or a blue square or a yellow triangle or some other geometric form or image as a form of visualization practice. This has a tendency to reinforce the false belief described earlier and leads one to believe that only after the student has performed the visualization exercises on a regular basis over a period of time will he be able to visualize properly and be able to use it to enhance their sports performance. Lucky for us this simply isn’t true (for who in our fast paced world has the time to sit around thinking about red circles, blue squares and yellow triangles) and is in fact another false belief. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone who has a memory is able to visualize well enough to obtain excellent results with the accelerated learning methods in this course. To make rapid progress with our accelerated learning method one doesn’t need the ability to form clear vivid mental images. The dark, vague and imperceptible ones work just fine. This has been proven by all of our students who are getting excellent results with our learning method. One might reasonably argue that since the importance of forming clear mental images is mentioned so often in so many books on visualization there must be something to it. All of the modern day practices relating to visualization have their roots in the Eastern metaphysical traditions of Yoga and other traditions of a similar nature. It is true that in 27

order to manifest the results of certain forms of mental labor quickly the ability to form clear and precise mental images is necessary. But the type of mental activity requiring that degree of precision is a special activity engaged in by experts in certain areas of advanced Yogic work and isn’t the province of the average person nor is it needed for success using our accelerated learning program. The kind of visualization needed to be successful with our program isn’t something you need to learn how to do. It’s something that everybody already does everyday. It isn’t any different than thinking through a technique that you just learned as you drive home after class. The only thing that needs to be changed (if you aren’t doing it the right way) is the perspective of your visualizations because most people think of things the same way they see them and use the wrong perspective when doing mental imagery. This perspective isn’t in itself wrong or bad, it’s just the wrong type to use with this method of learning. I referred to this at the beginning of this chapter as Visualization type S. In order to clarify the important aspects of visualization we’ll go through some imagery exercises and then analyze what we’ve done. Step 1. Close your eyes for about 20 seconds and focus your attention for five seconds on the top of your head, then focus for 5 seconds on your toes, then for 5 seconds on your right shoulder and lastly for 5 seconds on your left shoulder. Do this now then open your eyes and continue reading. You may have noticed that the eyes have a tendency to move toward the direction you are focusing your attention. Next, close your eyes and focus your attention on various places in the room around you. Do this now then continue reading.

Performing the previous exercises shows us that we have a sense of the space around us and can focus our mental attention on specific locations in that space. Next, close your eyes and focus your attention on your right hand and then without moving your physical arm think of placing the palm of your hand on the top of your head. Then think of there being someone in front of you about two feet away and think of taking your hand from the top of your head and reaching out and squeezing his or her nose. Do this now then continue reading.

This is exactly the process used to visualize the performance of a Jiu Jitsu technique. The process has the following components. 28

1. The focusing of the attention on the physical part of your body that you intend to move. 2. The intention to move it. 3. Having a sense of where in space you want to move it. 4. Having a sense of it being at the location where you want to move it.

As I did the exercise along with you, when I intended to move my imaginary hand to the top of my head I first focused my attention on my hand then felt it moving to the top of my head and finally I tried to feel it laying on my head but there was no mental image that I could see. It was just the thought and the sense of moving it there. When I reached out to squeeze her nose I first thought of her head as being at the proper spatial location then thought of my hand reaching out and squeezing her cold nose but there was no real mental image of her face in front of me. There was just the sense or intention that her head was at the proper spatial location in the black mental space in front of me and the intention of reaching out and squeezing her nose while attempting to form a mental of the whole thing. It would be nice if I could form a clear lifelike mental of my hand squeezing her nose but I can’t and it isn’t necessary. After you engage in this type of mental activity for a period of time you get the feeling that there is an energy body that is coincident with your physical body that can be moved with ones mind. The principle of first focusing your attention on the physical part of your body that you intend to move is an important one because it ensures that you are using visualization Type F. If you find yourself focusing on a part of an imaginary body that is outside of yourself (as though you are watching your instructor perform a technique with another student and are focused on him) then you are using visualization Type S and should change back to Type F. I notice that I often jump back and forth between the two types of visualization because there is a strong tendency to use Type S since that’s the primary way in which the external world is perceived. Now that we’ve learned how to visualize without necessarily mentally seeing anything and learned to think of the process as being a sequencing of mental intentions that are being guided by the sequencing of the keywords let’s move on to visualizing the performance of .the American Lock from the Cross Side Top position.. The next paragraph is an example of using visualization Type F. The keywords from the example on page 15 are in bold type.

29

When doing the RKS for the American Lock from the Cross Side Position you would hear the tape repeating the keyword string: SShoulder, Knee, Shoulder, Knee, Push, Wrist, Wrist, Drag, Lift, Tap Tap. 1. When you hear the Keyword S-Shoulder you would: Feel yourself lying cross side on your opponent and focus your attention on your physical shoulder as you think of his arm being there. You can also think of the pressure his arm is putting on your shoulder. You aren’t trying to create a mental picture of shoulder and arm in mental space. Your attention is on the shoulder of your physical body. This step is the cue or trigger that causes you to decide to execute the technique. 2. When you next hear the Keyword Knee, you would: Immediately shift your attention to your physical knee and think of it moving closer and touching his hip. You could also try to feel the pressure of your knee against his hip. You feel your inferior knee come a little closer and touch his hip (Knee). 3. When you hear the keyword Shoulder, you immediately: Shift your conscious attention to your physical hand as you feel and mentally see your hand leave the area of his hip and move under his shoulder (Shoulder). 4. When you next hear the keyword Knee, you would immediately: Shift your attention to your physical knee and think of it moving close to his head. You feel your superior knee come close to his head so you can put your weight forward. 5. When you next hear the keyword Push, you immediately: Shift your attention to your physical head and feel yourself pushing down on his forearm with your head (Push). 6. When you next hear the keyword Wrist, you would: Immediately focus your attention on your physical hand and feel yourself grabbing his wrist as it comes close to the floor (Wrist). 7. When you next hear the keyword Wrist you immediately: Shift your attention to your physical hand while at the same time you feel yourself grabbing your own wrist with your other hand (Wrist). 8. When you next hear the keyword drag you immediately: Shift your attention to his imaginary wrist as you hear his wrist dragging along the mat (drag). 30

9. When you hear the keyword lift you immediately: Shift your attention to your forearm as you feel and see your arm lift up on his elbow (Lift). 10. When you hear the keywords Tap Tap you immediately: Shift your attention to your physical ear as you imagine hearing him tap the mat. (Tap Tap). In this way you allow the spoken keywords to sequentially shift the focus of your attention as you sequence through the steps of a technique. The keyword sequence becomes a thought intention sequence. As you do this type of visualization your ability to form a mental image of your opponent will improve but it really doesn’t matter if it does or not and shouldn’t be thought of as a goal you need to strive toward. Just do the best you can with adding the sensory imagery. It isn’t any more important to actually feel anything than it is to have a clear visual image. The important thing is to have the intention of feeling it. A useful tip is that when you make contact with your opponent or the mat, exaggerate the contact pressure or the grip a little. For example, when you mentally grab your opponents wrist do it with the intention of grabbing it harder than you normally would or when you put your foot on the mat to snake out slap it on the mat rather than putting it there with the normal pressure. These exaggerations not only serve as memory aids but creates a minute muscular tension that helps to create a stronger connection between the thought form and the neuromuscular system which in turn speeds up the creation of the instinctive response. This is the type of visualization that is to be used along with Rhythmic Keyword Sequencing and also with the Superlearning Exercise (SLX) described in the next chapter. This is also the type of visualization used in autogenic training that was mentioned in chapter 2. Autogenics means self-genesis or self-creation. Self-creation is brought about through visualization, which is our creative faculty. This is why it is often referred to as creative visualization. You will be surprised at what a big difference just a little extra repetitious visualization can make. When you use creative visualization Type F to review the techniques you are actually creating motor-neuron pathways throughout the brain and neuromuscular system in the same way that occurs when the technique is practiced physically. When you use this type of visualization you are creating the 5th component in the anatomy of an IR. This doesn’t occur if you use visualization Type S and this is why it’s important to use Type F. When the technique visualizations are continued with the Superlearning Exercise the techniques become instinctive subconscious reactions to externally perceived stimuli. Each 31

technique then becomes a part of a greater subconscious automation that one is in the process creating that I call The Subconscious Jiu Jitsu You. It’s this Inner Jiu Jitsu You that springs forth during a fight when you relax and let it flow forth.

32

Chapter 6

He who faithfully performs the daily superlearning exercise will often hear the sound of one hand tapping. Anonymous

The Superlearning Exercise Forgetfulness is an interesting phenomenon. The memory of a technique itself is never lost or dissipated. It always remains in the subconscious mind, but the connection between it and the conscious mind appears to be an ever-fading phenomenon. If a technique isn’t used or reviewed periodically there is a tendency to forget it and it never makes the transition to an instinctive response. The superlearning exercise has a twofold purpose. The first is to provide an easy time efficient way of reviewing a technique so it isn’t forgotten. The second is to provide a means of repeating a technique long enough so it makes the transition into an instinctive response. The Superlearning Exercise is basically rapid mental review of the techniques while in a superlearning state of mind and body. The Superlearning Exercise is on the video-tape right after each technique RKS exercise. There is also a Daily Superlearning Exercise at the end of the tape, which covers all the techniques on the tape and is repeated three times. After each technique name is spoken there is a 10 or 20 second period of silence, during which you mentally review the technique using visualization Type F.. Each SKX reviews three techniques, the one just demonstrated and the two previous techniques. The SLX for the first technique on the first tape has only the first technique, which is repeated three times. The first technique on the other tapes also reviews the last two techniques on the previous tape. The SLX for the second technique on the first tape reviews the first and second techniques and has the following structure: 21212. For example, the SLX following the demonstration of the Thumb Choke (the second technique on the tape), which reviews the first and second techniques is: Tone Cross Choke 15 seconds of silence

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Tone Thumb Choke 15 seconds of silence Tone Cross Choke 15 seconds of silence Tone Thumb Choke 15 seconds of silence Tone Cross Choke 15 seconds of silence Three Tones

After the second technique the SLX follows the 3213213 format. The technique you are on is reviewed three times and the previous two techniques are each reviewed twice. For example, the SLX format of the third technique is 3213213 and for the fourth it is 4324324. The first technique has been dropped. Using this format each technique is reviewed seven times before it is dropped. At the end of the allotted time for the SLX for each technique is a tone that signals the start of another technique. When you hear the tone immediately stop what you are thinking about and focus on the next technique. The time allotted for each technique depends its complexity. Simple techniques are allotted 10 to 15 seconds. More complicated techniques are allotted up to 25 seconds. At the end of the SLX exercise there are three tones, which is a signal to open your eyes and watch the video demonstration of the next technique. After the RKS exercise there are two tones to signal the end of the RKS and the beginning of the SLX.

When first learning a technique it is reviewed daily with the SLX. Later they are moved to the weekly review list and then to the monthly review list. The techniques have become or have nearly become second nature before being transferred to the weekly list.. Later in the chapter we will discuss when to move the techniques to the weekly and monthly review list. The Superlearning Exercise has four important components.:

1. The use of Visualization Type F 2. Deep Learning music to induce a relaxed Theta state of mind

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3. A rhythmic presentation to the mind. 4. Repetition When used accelerated.

collectively

the

learning

process

is

greatly

enhanced

and

There are different levels of accelerated learning depending on which of the above components 2, 3 and 4 are being used in conjunction with your visualizations. Component number 1, visualization is the most important factor and the foundation of accelerated learning but the other components can vary depending upon the your external environment during visualization. Components 2, 3, and 4 are factors that influence the effectiveness that your visualizations have in building and charging the technique thought-form.

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Chapter 7

Position Meditations And the creation of Position Triggers

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The Deep Learning CD sent with the tape is to be used as background music during the position meditations. A position meditation is a mental review of all of the techniques from a particular position. There is no time limit during this exercise. You are just thinking about the techniques in relation to each other in an unhurried way. The position meditation is used to develop your strategy, How do you feel about each technique? Do you think it’s a great technique? Do you think it’s not so good and would probably not use it given the other options available? Prioritize them according to which one you would use first and second and so on and use this time to plan technique sequences or combinations. For example from what I call Cross Side Top Position 2 one could go to the Mount Top or do a Knee Ribs, Leg Switch American Lock or go to the Knee On Stomach, or go to Cross Side Top Position 1 etc. Think about the possible actions of your opponent and what you would do in each case. Position meditations create position thought-forms in the same way thinking about techniques creates technique thought-forms. Just like the perception of the opening to a technique triggers the technique thought-form and causes the immediate recall of how to perform a technique, the position you find yourself in triggers the position thought-form and caused the immediate downloading of your position strategy and everything you thought about during your position meditations. In this way you plan your strategies and more fully develop through decisions/intentions The Subconscious Jiu Jitsu You.

Chapter 8

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Using the Accelerated Learning Video Tapes

Each technique has four phases: 1. 2. 3. 4.

The technique description. The notes and keywords. The RKS exercise. The SLX exercise.

1. The technique description has four steps. • • • •

A step-by-step description of the technique with explanations A step-by-step description of the technique by the numbers without explanations. The technique demonstrated in full motion. The technique demonstrated in slow motion.

The slow motion is extra-slow slow motion so that the student can start to feel himself doing the technique along with the demonstration. 2. The technique notes are shown on the screen from 15 to 30 seconds. During this time the keywords are associated with the steps of the technique. If you need more time you may have to pause the VCR. When the notes start to fade away you should relax and close your eyes. The RKS exercise with the accompanying Deep Learning music will begin 5 seconds later. 3. The RKS exercise is repeated eight times. After each repetition there is a single tone to signal the beginning of another sequence of keywords. After the eighth repetition of the RKX exercise there will be two tones which signals the end of the RKS exercise and the beginning of the SLX exercise. Keep your eyes closed. The SLX exercise will begin in a few seconds. 4. Each SKX reviews three techniques, the one just demonstrated and the two previous techniques. This was mentioned in the chapter on the Superlearning Exercise and we’re repeating it here as a convenience for the student. The SLX for the first technique on the first tape has only the first technique, which is repeated three times. The first technique on the other tapes also reviews the last two techniques on the previous tape. The second technique on the first tape reviews the first and second techniques and has the following structure: 21212. After the second technique the SLX follows the 3213213 format. The technique you are on is reviewed three times and the previous two techniques are each reviewed twice. For example, the SLX format of the third technique is 3213213 and for the fourth it is 4324324. The first technique has been

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dropped. Using this format each technique is reviewed seven times before it is dropped. At the end of the allotted time for the SLX for each technique is a tone which signals the start of a another technique. It’s like this: tone 2 tone 1 tone 2 tone 1 tone 2. When you hear the tone immediately stop what you are thinking about and focus on the next technique. The time allotted for each technique depends its complexity. Simple techniques are allotted 10 to 15 seconds. More complicated techniques are allotted up to 25 seconds. At the end of the SLX exercise there are three tones, which is a signal to open your eyes and watch the video demonstration of the next technique. At the end of the tape is The Daily Superlearning Exercise, which covers all of the techniques in succession and is repeated three times. By the end of the tape you have mentally reviewed each technique 18 times. The Daily Superlearning Exercise, which takes ten minutes should be done twice a day for two weeks. At that time the technique will be second nature or very close to it. After the second week continue to do the SLX once a week as a self-test and to bring it to the full instinctive response state. Continue with the weekly SLX until the next belt level has been moved to the weekly SLX phase then continue with the Blue Belt SLX exercises once a month as a self test. As you continue with the SLX the time that it takes you to review a technique will get shorter and shorter. The first time you do the SLX for a it may take the entire 15 to 25 seconds that is allotted but after about a week you will be so familiar with it that it will take only 2 to 4 seconds to review it which is about the same time it would take to perform it physically. After you review the technique once during the SLX start to review it from the other side. You will eventually be able to review the technique from both the left and right sides within the time limit set for the SLX. After going through several tapes you may prefer to make your own SLX recordings so as to avoid having to go from one video tape to another to do the SLX’s on them. This can be done using an audio cassette recorder or better yet, a pocked digital MP3 audio recorder. The portability of the pocket recorder would allow you to do the SLX exercises anywhere while on the go. This could also be used to take verbal notes in BJJ classes you may be taking. Another program that can be downloaded free from the internet is called Musicmatch. It allows one to make MP3 recordings that can be stored on your hard drive (which could be downloaded to a portable MP3 audio recorder). It also has a play repeat function so the SLX sequence needs to be recorded only once. Another option for doing the SLX is to use the flashcard function of the Total Recall program described later in the book. During your next session with your training partner drill each technique from both sides 5 to 10 or however many times it takes to perform the technique smoothly and quickly. Note: In the technique notes on the tape “O” is an abbreviation for Opponent.

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Chapter 9

Don’t make the Big Mistake!

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An admonition from one who has made the Big Mistake more than once.

The Big Mistake I initially intended to cover The Big Mistake at the end of the last chapter but then it was thought best to place it all by itself, in its own chapter so as to frame it and emphasize its importance. The development of a technique to the point of being an instinctive response is more of a function of charge density of the thought-form than a function of a specific number of repetitions. The reason for this is that the charge level of the thought form has a decay rate. As the charge density increases, the decay rate decreases until it has reached the instinctive level. At this point the decay rate is zero. Recall time is an accurate indicator of thought-form density. An analogy to charging a thought-form to the point where its decay rate is zero would be trying to fill a bucket, that has a spigot at the bottom and a float shut off valve (as seen in the back of toilets) on top, with water. The spigot valve is open and releasing one gallon of water per minute. If more than one gallon of water per minute is added to the bucket it will eventually be filled up and the valve will shut the spigot off. How soon the bucket is filled depends on how much more than one gallon per minute is added. If less than a gallon a minute is added the amount released will eventually equal the amount added. When students forget their techniques they’re adding less than one gallon per minute of mental energy to their technique though-forms. The pictorial diagrams on the preceding page portray the progressive fruits of your mental labor. It does this by showing how the energy connection between the conscious mind and the subconscious mind is strengthened through mental repetition. The diagram in the upper left hand corner represents the energy connection between the TTF’s in the conscious and subconscious mind just after viewing the video but prior to doing the RKS exercise. The dotted energy lines indicate a very weak energy connection. At this point you can think through the technique but slowly and with considerable mental effort. You could also perform the technique with your partner but if it has a lot of steps you may not be able to until after you’ve done the RKS. The diagram in the upper right hand corner represents the intensity of the energy connection just after doing the RKS exercise. The solid lines indicate a stronger energy connection. At this point you can think through the technique fairly quickly and can easily perform the technique from memory. The diagram in the lower left hand corner represents the energy connection after doing the Superlearning Exercise (SLX) every day for a week. The thicker energy lines represent a much stronger energy connection. At this point you feel very comfortable with the technique and can perform it smoothly and effortlessly when presented with its trigger or opening. The diagram in the lower right hand corner represents the intensity of the energy connection after doing the SLX for two weeks. The thicker lines represent a very strong energy connection with a slow decay rate. At this point the technique is fairly instinctive and represents the strength of the connection when a NI-tec becomes an I-tec. Before a technique has reached

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that level if you stop doing the superlearning exercise the diagram can show how the energy connection can become progressively weaker over time by going through the diagrams in reverse order. The amazing thing is how few repetitions it actually takes to develop a technique to the instinctive level. The problem is that people don’t have a clear idea of what it takes to accomplish this and so they end up forgetting much of what they learn. It only takes a couple of weeks to develop a technique to the point where it is second nature if the superlearning exercise is done on a daily basis without fail. The big mistake is not being consistent with the superlearning exercise during the formative period of the thought form. The recommendations for the superlearning exercise are minimum requirements. If more time is put in the results will be quicker To illustrate the effect of making the big mistake we will contrast a weeks activity of two students, A and B, using the diagram on the next page. Student A performed the superlearning exercise everyday. Student B made the Big Mistake. The diagram is a graph depicting thought-form density of the techniques they are working on. The straight line shows how the density of student A’s thoughtforms steadily increased during the week. This is also shown in the top row of circles under the graph where the circles representing the density of the thought-forms become progressively darker. By the end of the first week his techniques are well on their way to reaching the instinctive level. The saw tooth line and the circles in the second row represent the thought-form density of student B’s techniques. He skipped the superlearning exercise at a fragile time when the decay rate is fairly high (the second day). In other words, he made the Big Mistake. On the third day when he resumed his exercise he could recall all of the details of the techniques but the recall time was the same as it was the day he started. That night during class he could even perform the techniques from memory. He thought he was doing pretty good and began to feel a little over-confident about how well he knew the techniques so guess what he did the next day. You’re right, he made the Big Mistake again and skipped the superlearning exercise. He is now in the habit of doing the exercise every other day. He did the superlearnng exercise the next day but made the Big Mistake again on day 6 and after he did the exercise again on day 7 he was at the same place he was on day 1. The moral of the story is that if you want to progress rapidly and get the most out this method of accelerated learning don’t be like student B.

Don’t Make The Big Mistake!

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Level 6

Level 5

Level 4

Level 3

Level 2

Level 1

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

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Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

How fast can one learn techniques using this method? It all depends on how much time you can devote to doing the SLX faithfully everyday for two weeks. The Daily SLX takes about ten minutes for each tape. If you wanted to finish one tape for two weeks before starting the another one, the time would be an hour and a half the first day watching the video and 10 minutes a day for two weeks. The other extreme is if you want to learn all 7 tapes of the blue belt course all at once and develop them to the point where they are second nature within two weeks it would take roughly nine hours to view the tapes and 7 times 10 or an hour and ten minutes a day doing the SLX. Instead of viewing all 7 tapes in one day you could go through two a day for three days and one the next but at that rate you would after four days have to spend an hour and ten minutes a day doing the SLX. So first determine how much time you can devote to the SLX every day and then go through only enough tapes to fill up that time. It is best to do the Superlearning Exercise when one is not tired and to restrict the time to 20 or 30 minutes max. Visualization is mentally fatiguing and one tends to get tired after 20 to 30 minutes but if you aren’t tired and want to keep going that’s fine. If you decide to devote more than 30 minutes a day to the SLX then one could also split it up in to two or more sessions. The techniques on the tape are repeated three times during the Daily Superlearning Exercise at the end of the tape. After three days of doing the full Daily Superlearning Exercise that repeats all the techniques three times one could then do only one third of the exercise which is one repetition of the techniques for the rest of the two weeks. This plan is for those who don’t have a lot of spare time. Using this plan one could do the Daily Superlearning Exercise for all the techniques in the Blue Belt course in a little over 20 minutes. . After doing the SLX for a group of techniques for two weeks then do the SLX for that group of techniques once a week for two weeks (while you’re doing the SLX for the next group every day) then continue do the SLX for that group once a month to keep in touch with them and make sure you aren’t starting to forget them. One could also quickly mentally review the techniques using the list of techniques at the end of this manual and the Total Recall computer program discussed later in this instruction manual.

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Chapter 10

Using Accelerated Learning with other BJJ or Grappling tapes.

Using our accelerated learning method to learn techniques from other martial arts tapes is almost as fast as having the accelerated learning exercises on the video tape. When the accelerated learning exercises are on the video tape one just watches the tape and mentally follows along with the exercises. When they aren’t on the tape, extra steps involving note-taking and voice recording and so on become necessary but with the use of a digital voice recorder and a computer this can be done fairly fast. At the beginning of chapter 8 it was mentioned that learning each technique has four phases. 1. 2. 3. 4.

The technique description. The notes and keywords. The RKS exercise. The SLX exercise.

Phase 1 is on the tape you will be learning from. Phases 2,3,and 4 are the phases that you will have to take a little extra time to do and will be described next.

Phase 2: Notes and Keywords Taking notes which involves giving the technique a name, breaking the technique down into sequential steps and assigning keywords to those steps was covered in chapter 4. You will have to do this for each technique in a notebook. It takes about 5 minutes.

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Phase 3: The RKS exercise On the video tape the RKS exercise involved listening to and participating in the guided RKS visualizations. For other tapes it is a two step process. 1. Recording the RKS exercise using the keywords derived from Phase 2. 2. Listening to the recording. Recording the RKS Exercise When I first developed and started using the RKS method I used a regular audio cassette tape and would record the keyword string for the RKS eight times. This was time consuming as it took a few minutes. Using a digital voice recorder speeds up the process a considerably. Recording a keyword string for a 10 step technique with a keyword spoken into the recorder every 1 second or less (when I first started I used a half a second or less as this is the speed I like) it takes 10 seconds to do the recording. When listening to the recording the repeat or continuous play function is used so one can listen to the keyword string as many times as one wishes. The ideal recorder would be a hand held digital recorder that has a repeat or continuous play function. Not all portable digital voice recorders have this function but all hand held portable MP3 digital audio players that have voice recording have it. A portable digital recorder would also be perfect for taking verbal technique notes in class. Portable MP3 players can be expensive. An alternative digital recorder that can be used is a computer program called MusicMatch. It can be downloaded for free from www.musicmatch.com. The only reason one would need to purchase the program is if one needs to record the audio in .wav format but since MP3 is a better format to record in because it takes up less hard disc space the free version is sufficient. Listening to the RKS Immediately after taking notes and assigning keywords to the steps record the keyword string using a digital recorder, set it to continuous play and let the keywords guide you as you visualize the technique. Let the continuous play repeat the keyword string for at least 8 repetitions. The RKS needs to be done only once for each technique as the 8 repetitions will ingrain the technique in your memory long enough for it to be added to the superlearing exercise.

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Phase 4: The Superlearning Exercise (SLX) The SLX has two parts with a different technique for each one. 1. The Tape SLX, which done as one is going through a tape and learning techniques. • The List Technique

2. The Daily Superlearning Exercise • •

The Digital Voice Recorder Technique The Total Recall Technique

The Tape SLX The most convenient way to do the SLK as one is going through a tape is to use the List Technique. On a different page in your notebook you write down a list of the names that you’ve given to the techniques you are learning from the tape. After doing the RKS for each technique you would use the list of techniques for reference and make use of the 3213213 format that was discussed in chapter 8. For example lets say that you are on the 3rd technique of the tape. After doing the RKS for the third technique you would do the SLX for that technique which is visualizing the technique without the help of the keywords. Next you would look at the previous technique on the list and visualize it, then you would look at technique on the list previous to that one and visualize it. For the Tape SLX (which is done immediately after doing the RKS for each technique) you are always visualizing the technique you are learning plus the two previously learned techniques. After that you would take notes on the next technique and so on.

The Daily Superlearning Exercise The Daily SLX has two parts: 1. Recording the SLX 2. Listening (or watching if you are using Total Recall) to the SLX The Daily SLX is the recording of the list of the techniques that you have learned going through the tape. For example lets say that today you learned 10 techniques. From the list of technique names that you created while going through the tape you read the names of the techniques while recording them with a 15 to 25 second gap between them. If you are using the Total Recall computer program (which is what I like to use) you would type the names into the computer program. To record 10 techniques would tale about 3 to 4 minutes. After recording using either the digital recorder or Total Recall you would then listen to the SLX and visualize the technique after you hear it from the digital recorder or see its name spoken or flashed on the computer screen with the Total Recall program. The SLX

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should be done once after the tape learning session (if you have time but if not that’s ok as long as you do it later that same day at least once but twice is better) and once more later that day and once or twice per day thereafter. In the beginning when you first start doing the superlearning exercise it will take about 15 to 20 seconds per technique. Listening to the SLX for 10 techniques takes about 3.5 minutes. If you learn 10 more techniques the next day they should be added to the SLX exercise. A computer program called Total Recall is very helpful for doing the superlearning exercises. The superlearning exercises on the video tape has a fixed time limit. When you become fast at visualizing the techniques you may want to speed up the time so as not to waste time. This is where the Total Recall program becomes useful. It has a flash card function with a variable time control. The variable time control enables one to progressively speed up the time per technique. I prefer it over a digital voice recorder because of its versatility and the fact that the flash time can be varied. For example I have the Joe Moreira techniques set up where I have a separate file for each of the different belt levels. To review the white belt techniques I open the white belt file in the flash mode and set the time to 10 sec per technique. All 48 white belt techniques can be reviewed in 8 minutes. When in the flash mode a tone sounds and the name of the technique shows on the screen. The Deep Learning music would be playing in the background from a separate sound system. When the tone sounds you would read the name of the technique on the screen then close your eyes and visualize the technique. When the tone sounds again you would open your eyes and read the name of the next technique and close your eyes and visualize it and so on. The more familiar you become with a list of techniques the faster you can set the flash time. With a flash time set for two seconds per technique you would be reviewing 30 techniques per minute or 1800 techniques per hour. After you have gone through a tape it is best to create other technique files and organize the techniques according to position. All the Guard bottom techniques would go in one file and so on. You could also have separate files for sports jiu jitsu and combat streetfighting jiu jitsu. The total recall program can be ordered from its creator at http://www.zoft.com, the phone number is 912-929-1570. It costs is $32.95 One might ask, Why not use the list technique with the daily SLX. The weakness of the list technique is that while using it it’s hard to overcome the tendency of the mind to wander. It works fine for the Tape SLX but it shouldn’t be used for the Daily SLX. Using the digital recorder or Total Recall program keeps the mind focused because one is working within time constraints and by using them one can get a lot of mental work done in a sort time. This method isn’t something that was just arbitrarily put together but is the result of trial, error and experimentation using hundreds of techniques over a considerable period of time ( a couple of years) so it works best when used as described.

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Summary Step by Step 1. Take notes from video tape and assign a keyword or two to each step of the technique. Takes about 5 minutes. 2. Record the keyword string with a one second (or less) pause between each keyword using a digital recorder. For a 10 step technique this will take about 10 seconds. 3. Put the recorder on repeat or continuous play and with the Deep Learning music (or other relaxing meditation type of music) playing on a CD player in the background, listen to the recorded keyword string and let it guide your visualization of the technique 8 times. This will take about a minute and a half. 4. From the list of techniques look at the name of the second previous technique to the one that you just learned and visualize it. When you are finished visualizing it look at the name of the previous technique to the one you just learned and visualize it. When you are finished look at the name of the technique that you just learned and visualize it. This takes about a minute. 5. Take notes on the next technique and repeat steps 1-4. 6. After your learning session is over go through the list and visualize each of the techniques that you learned that day one more time. Add the list of techniques to the daily supelearning exercise. Do the superlearning exercise once or twice later that day. The whole process as described above takes about 8 minutes per technique (steps 1-4). So using this method of learning one could learn 7 techniques per hour. As soon as is convenient practice the techniques with a training partner. Take note of anything new that you learned (such as slight variations in the application of the technique for different size opponents) and add that info to your visualizations during the Daily Superlearning exercise.

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Appendix Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Positions We name the positions a little differently than other schools and we do this to make it easier to think and talk about the positions. For example, traditionally the Guard Position is the position of a person with his back on the ground and who has the other position between his legs or in his guard. The position of the person on top doesn’t have a name and one would say that he is in his opponents guard or one could say he is in the In His Opponents Guard Position. To make the positions easier to think about we refer to the collective position of both of them as the Guard Position and say the person with his back on the floor is in the Guard Bottom Position and the person who is between his legs is in the Guard Top Position. Using this logic we have the following positions.

Mount Top Mount Bottom Side Mount Top Side Mount Bottom Cross Mount Top Cross Mount Bottom Guard Top Guard Bottom Open Guard Top Open Guard Bottom Knee on Stomach Top Knee on Stomach Bottom Back Top Back Bottom Inverted Back Top Inverted Back Bottom North-South Top North-South Bottom Turtle Top Turtle Bottom Standing Takedown

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Recommended Reading The Mental Edge by Richard Trubo Athletes Guide to Mental Training by Robert M. Nideffer In Pursuit of Excellence, How to Win in Sports and Life Through Mental Training By Terry Orlick

Reference: 1 Brain Sync Corporation.

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Blue Belt Tape 1 Techniques Mount Top 1. Cross Choke 2. Thumb Choke 3. Single Collar Choke 4. Forearm Choke 5. Double Knuckle Collar Choke 6. Straight Arm Lock snow25 7. American Lock 8. O Roll or Snake, Side Mount Choke 9. Side Mount Choke Arm Drop Shoulder Lock 10.Side Mount Choke To Straight AL

Back Top 1. Gi Choke 2. Lion Kill Choke

Blue Belt Tape 2 Techniques Guard Bottom 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Cross Choke Thumb Cross Choke Gillotine Triangle Hands hips winglock Armbar#1 Armbar #2 Arm Under Arm Gi Choke Guard Bottom to Back

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10.Hand Chest Shoulder Lock

Blue Belt Tape 3 Techniques Guard Bottom 1. Shin Sweep 2. Bump Sweep 3. Leg Sweep

Cross Side Top 4. American Lock

5. American Lock, O Arm Straighten, Elbow Lock 6. American Lock, O Arm Escape, Shoulder Lock 7. American Lock, O Grabs Belt, Straight Arm Lock 8. Arm Inferior Shoulder, Elbow Lock 9. Arm Inferior Shoulder Elbow Lock, O Bend Arm, Shoulder Lock 10.Arm Inferior Shoulder Elbow Lock, O Grab Belt, Straight Arm Lock 11. Cross Neck Choke

Blue Belt Tape 4 Techniques Guard Top 1 Leg on Shoulder Guard Pass 2. Leg on Shoulder Guard Pass Hip Block 3. Leg on Shoulder, O Snake to Leg Lift Arm 4. Leg on Shoulder, O Leg Shoulder

Mount Bottom 5. Upa Roll 6. Elbow Escape Page 53

Open Guard Bottom 7. Knee Hook Ankle Sweep 8. Knee Hook Ankle, O Push Knee 9. Double Ankle Grab Sweep 10. Overhead Sweep

Blue Belt Tape 5 Techniques Cross Side Bottom (CSB) 1. CSB Pos. 2 Snake to Guard 2. CSB Pos. 1 Snake to Guard 3. CSB Pos. 1 (or 2) Snake to Leg Grab

Open Guard Top 1. 2. 3. 4.

O Feet Stomach (OFS) Jump Back Guard Pass OFS Elbows In GP OFS O Grab Arm GP OFS O Push, Jump Back to Mount

Knee On Stomach (KOS) 1. KOS Cross Choke 2. KOS Cross Choke to Arm Bar 3. KOS, O Push Knee to Arm Bar

Blue Belt Tape 6 Techniques KOS Bottom 1. Ankle Trap Escape 2. Knee Push Escape

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North-South (NS)Top 1. NS Straight Armbar 2. NS Armbar to Winglock

NS Bottom 1. Scissors Leg Grab

Turtle Top 1. Clock Choke

Turtle Bottom 1. Arm Trap Roll

Inverted Back Bottom 1. Choke Escape

Blue Belt Tape 7 Techniques 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Hook Flip Neck, Back, Arm Flip Trip Flip Sit Flip Double Leg Takedown Single Leg Takedown Drills

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The picture of the mountain overlooking the lake at the beginning and ending of the tape can be thought of as being symbolic of the accelerated learning process and the development of the instinctive response. The water represents the subconscious mind. The reflection of the mountain in the water represents the subconscious jiu jitsu you that is built up in the subconscious mind through the visualization process. The mountain above the water represents the manifestation of the subconscious jiu jitsu you in action.

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