Red Hawk Essentials #73
Belonging In There, Jiu-Jitsu For Older Folks, Streetfighters
Belonging In There
Sometimes you see fighters, even at the highest levels, saying they don’t feel like they don’t belong where they are.
I’ve personally never dealt with this. Every fight I’ve ever been in, I thought I was gonna win. Maybe my very first fight at 18 years old, I felt it a little bit.
I do remember thinking, “Holy shit this kid is fucking huge. What am I doing?”
I did come up with friends in fighting who did go through this.
Usually, if you’re not doing all the right things you will feel that way. If you’re skipping the hard workouts and cardio, you’ll know deep down that you didn’t do everything you could’ve done.
But also being raised by a super insecure parent affects this.
I’ve had friends who were raised by super insecure parents and that rubbed off on them. One of my buddies was constantly thinking that he wasn’t at a pro level.
But he was definitely a pro. He was very, very skilled.
I’ve seen parents that always shits on people doing good things. Every time someone does something good, they have something negative to say.
A negative insecure parent can really fuck you up. But the good news is that you can rewire your brain.
A meditation practice is key. Learn how to notice those negative thoughts before you react to them. And just let them go and pass through you.
Trust your training and training partners. Know that you worked fucking hard to be there and you deserve to be there. You’ve gone through hell in camp and now you just have to fight one guy.
Lastly, focus on learning to be present. Don’t worry about the past or worrying about winning.
Just be where your feet are and be in the present.
Easier said than done, but with practice you’ll get over it.
Jiu-Jitsu For Older Folks
If you’re a little bit older and you’re looking to start in jiu-jitsu, here are some tips for you before you get started.
Gi is less intensive than No-Gi. In No-Gi, there are a lot of wrestling scrambles and it’s harder to slow your opponent down. When you’re wearing a Gi, you can grab onto things like the lapel and collar and really slow things down.
Make sure you communicate to your professor or instructor your goals. Unless you’re trying to compete, a lot of older folks just want something active to do, have fun, and get in shape. Tell that to your coach.
For the older guys at my gym, I make sure to take care of them. I don’t pair them up with young spazzy athletes.
And make sure to tap early, especially to joint locks. There’s no shame in tapping. Don’t sit there and try to fight out of heel hooks, arm bars, kimuras, etc. Just tap.
Afterward, you can think about what you could’ve done beforehand to not get locked up in that submission.
If you get joints stretched out and fucked up, now you’re out for 3-5 months. There’s always next practice to get better. So just tap easy.
Stay safe against spazzes. There are always spazzes at every gym. Usually, they are newer white belts. These are younger guys who don’t know how to roll properly yet, so all they have is their strength and scrappiness.
Don’t freak out and match their pace. Just focus on protecting yourself and defending.
Also, train when you feel good. Listen to your body. If you’re feeling broken down and sore, don’t train.
You can get mental reps in. You can still show up and watch or study some videos at home. Stay hydrated, eat well, and get some lighter movements in.
Be careful with heavy lifts too. I’d recommend focusing on physical therapy lifts. You don’t need to jack 315 on your back for squats or deadlift 400. Just focus on maintaining the muscle around your joints.
Right now, I’m doing the most boring lifts. I’m not pushing the pace. I’m just lifting to keep my joints healthy so I can roll. I’m not trying to break down my body, get half-ass rolls in, and then get hurt.
Thorne
Supplements can be good to help you train longer.
A bunch of UFC fighters use Thorne as part of their daily health routine.
Thorne is third-party tested for the best quality ingredients so you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.
I personally use magnesium before sleep, fish oils, amino acids when I’m training hard, and their VeganPro complex protein.
If you’re in the market for some good supplements, Thorne is the brand I trust. You can feel safe and good about what you’re putting into your body with Thorne.
Use the link below and Throne will hook you up with an additional 15% discount on your order.
Streetfighters
It’s a good lesson to get your ass whooped. I’ve gotten my ass whooped so many times and it’s just been good for me.
I’ve been in gyms for 16 years. There’s always guys that come in and talk shit and want to fight right away.
Most of the time, these guys are slower and mentally challenged. Anyone smart is not going into the gym, wanting to spar with coaches.
Back when I lived in Montana, I was running practices at a gym called the Dog Pound. The owner of the gym also ran a festival and I worked security there one time.
During that time, there was this big drunk dude who started harassing us, acting like a bully.
He looked at my two other fighter buddies and said, “I know you two are fighters. But you, the redhead, you’re just a fucking wannabe. I can tell!”
I probably should’ve whooped his ass there on the spot. But I didn’t, I held back even when he was talking shit.
But as fate would have it, this same guy literally came into the gym the next week. Of course, he was looking to fight.
I was running the practice that day. And I told everyone, “Alright boys, we’re sparring today.” Set the timer for a 10 minute round and it was time to teach this idiot a lesson.
I beat his body down, made him gas, and tortured him while he was turtled up. I put my knees on his back and just smacked his face.
It was my turn to talk shit. “I know you remember me. Now you can fuck me up. This is your time to fuck me up.”
I didn’t hurt him. Usually, if you’re going against someone really good, they’ll take care of you while teaching you a lesson. Unless you’re Joe Riggs, Joe will beat your face in.
More recently, a guy came into the Red Hawk Academy looking to spar on his first day. He was a big dude and looked like a defensive lineman.
I don’t let new guys spar on their first day. But then I saw him coaching my guys and I said alright.
You can spar Dillon. Dillon’s a big 185er.
And you can probably guess what happened. Dillon tuned him up. Bounced some knuckles off his head, gave him a little cut, and made him tired.
Some people watch fighting and think they can do it because they think they’re tough. Alright, let’s see.
3 minutes in, their heart rates get up to 200. Their eyes are wide open and they’re breathing heavily through their mouth.
In the end, they leave with a good lesson. At least I think so. Sean doesn’t really like it when I do this.
But it’s good to know that there are people out there that can fuck you up really easily. And they don’t have to act tough.
Even when I’m streaming and there’s a hater that comes in the chat, I try to see who it is.
I just play into their ego to try to get their Instagram. “Hey man, I bet you’re really tough. What’s your IG?”
The last guy that did this was some little dork who’s a 3-5 amateur. Coming into the chat and talking shit.
The point is, you’ll never see anyone successful and a badass actually hating and talking down to you.
Quick Hits From This Week
Red Hawk Recap Ep. 140
Caffeine Health Benefits (By Dan Garner)
Coffee is the number one antioxidant in the US diet. Pretty crazy. Synthetic caffeine by itself has a bunch of health benefits, but coffee is a health powerhouse. Sip that cup of joe boys and girls.
Joe and Tim’s Transition From Fighter to Coach
When I first stopped fighting, I had a hard time. Where do I channel all of this energy? Joe dealt with the same thing. I’m trying to get Joe to come to some jiu-jitsu classes just to have fun and not for the purpose of beating himself up.
How to Be Happier and More Successful
Getting off the hedonic treadmill. Meaning do more things to give back to others rather than for self-fulfillment.
TimboSugarShow Ep. 286
SUGA GETS ARRESTED STORY
Sug got swatted during a stream. They showed up with guns out. Handcuffed Sean and stuffed him in the back of a car. Sug used this moment for meditation. Pretty crazy.
Suga Sean FIGHTING IN SPHERE
Nothing is confirmed yet. Don’t worry you boys will know before anyone else. Sug is pushing for it and I think there’s a good chance for it to happen.
LIFE ADVICE FROM TIMBO & SUGA
From a thread on Twitter. Forget trying to be famous and try to get rich first. The more relaxed you are, the better you are. Be weird as hell.
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That ends it for this week’s Red Hawk Essentials.
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Luv ya, talk next week.
Tim
Gold!
Good read. thanks