Don't Wear Your Gi to the Bar: And Other Jiu-Jitsu Life Lessons

Seriously, read this book!Oh, Amazon wants me to use more words than that...ok, here goes.I am currently a poor blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who has felt some apprehension over the seemingly inevitable and apparently looming test for his purple belt. I often say (especially to frustrated white belts) that white belts get frustrated and blue belts get depressed (I'm more than a little concerned what happens when you progress to purple and beyond, but moving on) and I have been a pretty sad panda for quite a while. After reading this book I realized how much this process is universal across all practitioners and seeing that has brought me back to a better mentality when I'm training on the mat.This is also the first book in a long while that made me laugh out loud (generating more than a few questioning glances from my wonderful one stripe white belt wife) and the sections that I shared with my teammates and instructors got chuckles too. Mostly I wish this book had been given to me with my Gi as a white belt, as it would have helped smooth the road (a bit at least) and given me some perspective on how training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will impact your life for the better but also generate challenges, especially with dealing with those who don't share your passion.If you train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu get this book. If you are thinking about it, get this book (and start training!). If you have someone in your life who trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu get this book, read it yourself and then give it to them (they will appreciate the humor in this book and you will gain some insight into their choice to spend time in that padded room doing strange and seemingly uncomfortable things while sporting their latest limited edition pajamas.

I hate to be overly critical; my pro-creative biases may have added a star.I started training 6 months ago and fall squarely into the category of the rabid, hungry, white belt masses, devouring YouTube and written material. There is little humor + bjj material out there in print form, although instagram is awash in hilarious insider memes.I was looking forward to this book and was quickly let down, slightly. There's so much potential here, as the field is rife with strange, ridiculous, non-sensical, hilarious topics, but the ball is quickly dropped due to a couple of factors.A lack of cohesion and flow in the stories leads to the feeling that one is reading a printed blog. I prefer reading my blogs online, if that means saving a crisp 20.It's riddled with misspelled words, incomplete sentences where words must have been deleted, strange transitions where paragraphs may have been cut and pasted together. Much of the book is how your significant other only tolerates your passion. It doesn't seem they budgeted for editors, so perhaps their significant others just went through the motions of proofreading the book. No big, but annoying to me; why pay?Misogyny so ingrained I'm sure it seems innocuous to them, but it seems antediluvian to the extreme. Relatively harmless but makes the book feel already dated.The content is relatable, and there were some parts to the book that put a smile on my face. Most of it is drivel. Extra star for good effort, I know it takes a lot to put yourself out there and I don't want to drag down the average but there are some glaring concerns.

This book is a must have for any BJJ practitioners. Absolutely hilarious in the stories the author tells but still has a lot of truth in the situations you find yourself in from time to time. Meant to be a lighthearted look in the BJJ community and does a fantastic job of that. The author is also correct in I want to give this book to everyone so they understand some of the things that go through my head but I know they still won't.

I absolutely love this book!!! Five stars!!! I can almost hear the authors, Marshal and Daryl, talk. I recommend this book both to beginners and veterans in BJJ, and even to non-jiu jiteiros. I am a girl and I am BJJ white belt. I enjoy BJJ as a sport and an art. I laughed a lot while reading this book. From Aikido Office Guy, Coffee Douche, to the Body-Builder Boyfriend, real life non-jiu jiteiros that we face everyday. Truly, wisdom on and off the mat.

when i first got this book i just needed something to read in my spear time and figured what the hell. after the first chapter i was hooked just like being on the mats. great book for anyone that practices bjj as most of the situations that occur non bjj practitioners wouldn't understand.

In the beginning of "Don't Wear your Gi...", Carper and Cozza describe this book perfectly. They write, "It's like a friendly roll: part serious, part experimental, and part humor." Yeah, that pretty much sums up the reading experience of this book. As a 1 1/2 year white belt, I still have a lot to learn. However, I found this book very relatable. When I started BJJ, I was absolutely a "Means-Well White Belt". Ha! Overall, this book is a fun time. Would recommend it to any jiujiteiro!

This book was hilarious and an amazing read for the modern day grappler. Each section of the book either brought a smile, chuckle, or a strong agreement to the way that some things are within this art of BJJ. Marshal and Darryl hit the nail on the head with this one! I look forward to future material!

Having trained in BJJ for several years myself, I have actually encountered many of the scenarios laid out in this hilarious, tongue in cheek manual - but fortunately never Rec Spec Guy. He makes me uncomfortable.All in all, a super cheesy (in the awesome kind of way) look at some pretty serious questions told by hilarious characters that actually come to pretty useful conclusions. Highly recommended for anyone who trains in BJJ, martial arts or who likes to laugh.

The title just about sums it up really. This book was really fun. A short, enjoyable read that provides the reader with concepts on BJJ in relation to everyday life, and tells the short stories in a fun light hearted way. Not meant to be taken too seriously, this book is a great read for any white belt, higher ranks may have heard every comparison made in it's pages before, but will still likely enjoy the read.All in all an enjoyable read. Easy to pick up and put down. Kudos to the authors.

I previously read Marshals book about his travels and picked this up after.For anyone into BJJ its a real funny read just wish it was longer!