Mixing sports: As much as I am an advocate of focused training, I am also a big believer in athletes participating in other sports outside of jiu jitsu and other combat sports. For example, sports that promote versatility and ease of movement, such as gymnastics, yoga, capoeira etc, can have great benefits for jiu jitsu practice. Strength sports such as Olympic and power lifting also have their own value, as do sports that develop overall fitness and coordination such as soccer and basketball (among many). This is particularly true for very young athletes. Over emphasis of just one sport often leads to muscular and postural imbalances that can cause problems in the future. Developing bodies do better, I believe, with a wide variety of sports challenges that work the full range of human movement/ability. There is always time for extreme specialization in the future. Here, eleven year old prodigy Mikey Wilson @funkygster works his jiu jitsu skills with Katya Leontyeva, with a focus on ude gatame arm locks and heel hooks for today, as part of his jiu jitsu program. Outside the jiu jitsu dojo, he also works equally hard on wrestling, capoeira, gymnastics and break dancing (in addition to his scholarly and artistic pursuits). This wide range of movement training, along with excellent mental focus, makes him unusually adept at picking up skills in jiu jitsu practice
