The MATS Academy

09/20/2026

One of the hardest things to learn in jiu-jitsu is when to stop trying so hard.

This month’s Book Club is The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey, a book that has very little to do with tennis and quite a lot to do with getting out of your own way.

Gallwey describes two selves.

Self 1 is the voice in your head:
Move your hand. Get the underhook. Don’t get swept. Why did you do that? You KNOW better than that.

Self 2 is the part that has actually spent hundreds or thousands of hours training.
It sees. It feels. It adjusts.

And occasionally Self 1 shuts up long enough to let it work.

That makes The Inner Game of Tennis a surprisingly good jiu-jitsu book.

Book Club: 2:00 PM
The Inner Game of Tennis

Open Mat: 3:00–4:30 PM

All ages + all levels
All affiliations welcome
Gi + no-gi
No mat fee

Come talk about learning at 2.

Then at 3, we’ll see if any of us can actually stop thinking long enough to do it.

09/13/2026

Apparently there’s a lot going on today.

The Sun is in Virgo.
The Moon, Mercury, and Venus are in Libra.
Four planets are retrograde.

Michelangelo started carving David on September 13, 1501.
Phineas Gage took an iron rod through his frontal lobe on September 13, 1848, and somehow lived.

We’re not entirely sure what any of this means for your jiu-jitsu, but it feels irresponsible not to train under these circumstances.

SUNDAY OPEN MAT
3:00–4:30 PM
All ages + all levels
All affiliations welcome

Gi + no-gi

No mat fee

Come work on something you’re good at, something you’re terrible at, or that increasingly elaborate sequence you’re convinced is about to start working.

Mercury is not retrograde, so unfortunately your terrible decisions in half guard are entirely your own.

See you at 3.

09/06/2026

Yep, it’s Labor Day weekend!

Yep, the academy is closed on Monday, but we’re rocking and rolling!

All ages, affiliations, and levels welcome.

09/01/2026

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Book Club

Our September meeting is Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 PM at The MATS.

This month, we are reading The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey.

Do not let the tennis part fool you.

Gallwey’s real subject is what happens between knowing what to do and actually being able to do it. He explores attention, judgment, self-consciousness, overthinking, trust, and the internal commentary that can interfere with performance.

That makes the connection to jiu-jitsu pretty immediate.
Anyone who has ever known exactly what they were “supposed” to do and still watched themselves make the same mistake during a round understands the problem.

This month we are asking:
How much of our difficulty comes from the task itself, and how much comes from the way we experience it?

Alongside The Inner Game of Tennis, we will also be reading David Foster Wallace’s This Is Water as a companion piece, giving us another way to think about attention, perception, and the stories running quietly in the background of everyday life.

We have put together a September Reading Compendium PDF with the primary reading, companion material, discussion themes, questions to consider while reading, and supplemental listening.

Join the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Book Club on Bookclubs.com through the link in our bio to get the September Reading Compendium and follow along with the club.

You do not need to train at The MATS. You do not need to play tennis. You do not need to finish every page before showing up.

Read what you can. Bring a passage, a question, an objection, or simply an idea you want to explore with other thoughtful people.

Sunday, September 20th at 2:00 PM
The MATS Jiu-Jitsu Academy
Adult Open Mat follows from 3:00 to 4:30 PM.

Join the Bookclubs page through the link in our bio, download the September Reading Compendium, and come join the conversation.

Join Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Book Club on Bookclubs. RSVP to meetings, communicate with your club, track books, vote in polls, and more!

08/30/2026

Book Club at 2:00 PM. Open Mat at 3:00 PM.

Today at The MATS, we’re discussing Josh Waitzkin’s The Art of Learning, then training from 3:00 to 4:30.

All affiliations and experience levels are welcome. Gi, no-gi, or both. No mat fee.

A good book, good rounds.

08/29/2026

Super stoked to be representing the Justin “J.Flo” Flores instructors affiliate network. Big thanks to Michael Swain and the DOLLAMUR team for the amazing customer experience!

08/24/2026

Week in Review # 2

What an incredible opportunity this week to recognize all of the hard work put in by all of the athletes, parents, and loved ones. Lot of love, and time goes into each and every milestone in the journey of the martial artist.

We also gathered to say “thank you” to Oscar Baires for all he has done for The MATS these past few years. He will be missed, but we’ll be prepared for his return!

Book Club is meeting next Sunday at 2:00pm. Josh Waitzkin “The Art of Learning” is this month’s read, pick it up and crush it - it’s fantastic!

08/23/2026

Come and train. It’ll probably be the best part of your week, or not. Either way you’ll probably get better at jiu-jitsu because you showed up.

08/17/2026

Some captured moments from the past week. Having fun, putting together new content for the team.

08/16/2026

SUNDAY.
3:00 PM.
OPEN MAT.
COME TRAIN.
BRING YOUR GI.
BRING YOUR NO-GI.
BRING BOTH IF YOU LIKE OPTIONS.
ALL AGES.
ALL LEVELS.
ALL AFFILIATIONS.
NO MAT FEE.
JUST GOOD ROUNDS, GOOD PEOPLE, AND WHATEVER WEIRD LITTLE PROBLEM YOU’VE BEEN TRYING TO SOLVE ALL WEEK.
SHOW UP.
ROLL AROUND.
FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.
THEN GO HOME HAPPY.
SEE YOU AT 3.