Harbor BBQ record

Saturday was the day, the social highlight of the warm months: The Harbor BBQ!

We were lucky with the weather: less heat than the rest of the week, and after 10 minutes of rain (exactly during the photo), it was actually dry the whole afternoon.

With 60 participants, we had almost twice as many participants as last year. It was quite a challenge to get enough meat, drinks, bread, ice, and coals for everyone, but with the help of a few friendly volunteers, it worked out well and no one went home hungry.

Huge thanks for all the fun, and hopefully next year we will be with an even larger group.

Thanks to Melvin from MKVisualz for the photos!

5 tips for recovery after training

Jiu jitsu is an intense sport. It takes a while after a training session to get back into relaxation mode. A question we often receive is:
“How can I relax after a heavy training session?”

Here are 5 tips that can help you:

1. Breathing

Focus on your breathing after training. Find a spot for yourself and focus on your breathing for 5 minutes. There are various techniques for this, but box breathing (4s in, 4s hold, 4s out, 4s hold, repeat) and 7s in, 7s out are both good methods. You can ‘read ’Breathe’ by James Nestor if you want to learn more about this.

2. Stretching

You can combine breathing with some stretches. This not only makes you more flexible (and thus harder to pass), but also helps you relax.

3. Caffeine

Then a little trip back in time: make sure you don't take caffeine too late. It's tempting to grab a coffee just before training, but that's not very beneficial for your sleep. We recommend not taking caffeine after 2:00 PM. It might be a bit harder to get started, but once you're warmed up, you won't notice that you haven't had coffee.

4. Read a book

When you come home after training, it's easy to start doomscrolling on TikTok or putting on a series (B&B Vol Liefde seems to be very popular with our coaches and members). A better idea is to pick up a book. Less bright lights, fewer constant stimuli, and you might learn something.

5. No phone in the bedroom

In line with that: Don't take your phone to your bedroom. Leave it in your living room, or at least out of reach, charging. Phones constantly provide new stimuli, making them a big enemy of getting sleepy. Read your book, and you'll notice that your eyes will get heavy soon enough.