Berimbolos, Whizzers, El Dorado and Whatnots: Things that keep Jory Malone up at night.
1.) Jory can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I wear many hats that don’t match my outfits but first and foremost I’d say I’m most recognized as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) coach and athlete. That’s my passion. It’s a right brain/left brain, health, art and obsessive lifestyle all rolled up in one, no pun intended. I’ve spent the better part of my life as a professional MMA and BJJ fighter with a shift to coaching over the last several years.
2.) Can you tell us about your various martial-art schools and any special projects that you have going on?
We have a lot going on. We operate two academies, Revolution Mixed Martial Arts, in central Arkansas where we train combat athletes and the Benton Panther High School wrestling team. We’re also the only Renegade X training facility in Arkansas. Outside of our work in Arkansas, we travel worldwide conducting seminars for combat athletes and competing. My long-term special project that ties into all of that which I’ve put a lot of time and energy into is developing a crowning sports model for BJJ with an in depth comprehensive developmental plan for BJJ athletes.
3.) How did you two get involved in martial-arts and do you see special ties to living a full life?
I became involved in martial arts many years ago while serving in the military. I believe martial arts to be one of the greatest vehicles for uplifting society, adding real quality to people’s lives and offering a tremendous array of transformational life changing benefits.
4.) What are your current thoughts on the Strength & Conditioning “arena” today? Any notable mistakes being made repeatedly or anything you just shake your head at? Specifically when it comes to martial arts or MMA training?
Well I’m still holding out hope I can develop my core by merely using an overpriced lawn chair or if it was as simple as the one size fits all “workout of the day”. However the money and time would probably be better spent on lotto tickets. As I alluded to earlier with my special project, there’s an absence of a professional sports or developmental model in combat sports excluding Olympic wrestling and judo. Some are overcoming the long standing delusion that you don’t need S & C as part of your training model but unfortunately this is resulting in a flood of unqualified coaches jumping into the field with their gimmicks and personal training certifications looking to make a quick name for themselves off champions of the sport. I recently witnessed one of the greatest grapplers in the world being coached through a series of skill specific techniques with an 80-pound X vest on. I couldn’t imagine how disruptive this was to the movement patterning of these skill specific techniques. In this case and most instances these new S & C coaches of combat athletes are doing more harm than good. I’m watching champion athletes who didn’t partake in a S & C work prior to enlisting one of these coaches go from winning on the world level to losing. It’s like watching Tiger Wood’s golf swing devolve over the last ten years. I could probably write a novel or something perhaps better defined as a long-form rant on the current flawed application of S & C in Combat Athletics.
5.) Who or what are your professional influences and personal influences you would like to mention?
There’s a list of things and people who I feel had a strong impression on the path that led me to where I presently find myself. Since my earliest memories, I had a passion for movement, the artistic and analytical side of it. To this day great ballet dancers and athletes awe me with their motion, expression and mechanics. Like dance you can become lost in the subconscious arte suave of BJJ. I liken it to playing a musical instrument at a masterful level where movement becomes an extension of or direct expression of the soul. The outside world sees it as a fight but we see a masterpiece. This passion I believe drew me to like-minded individuals who shared similar passions regardless of the sport they expressed it in. John Davies was one of the individuals who presented training as a means to an end purpose. Passion was a measure of a man and it reflected in the nature of how he conducted and carried himself in his training and the outcome it produced in his life and not merely some insignificant weight room numbers game. There’s something to training that’s intended to do more than just training, where the purpose is actually to enhance what you do on the road to mastery and doesn’t evolve around musculature or the “sport of training” (I say that because lately I’ve seen bad training marketed as a sport). What you do is something that begins with faith and has a far-reaching end result on life’s canvas. It leaves a little more of an impact on people than your “work out of the day” score. That is sport. I can’t really recall anybody’s workout that left a lasting impression on me but I can recall quite a few performances on the mats that will be forever consume the minds of many inspiring the next generation to rise up to the challenges they face. Some of those performances that inspired me were those by Robson Moura, who would become my BJJ coach. I often refer to him as the “Michael Angelo” of Jiu Jitsu because of his creativity on the mats, artful performances and dominance of the sport. I wanted to be like that when I grew up even though I was already grown up when I met him.
7.) Reading any good books right now or studying something that would surprise the readers?
What’s surprising is probably the amount of reading and research I do more so than what. I spend a great deal of time researching specialized knowledge of my field. I think that’s expected and not too surprising to people unless you’re one of those people who believe in the fallacy of talent over hard work. I’m pretty sure my daily consuming ritual of research and training meet the criteria of obsession but I’ve found that to be the common denominator along with having the right mentors in those who succeed.
8.) Any closing thoughts or words?
Yeah, there was a lot of talk of training, specifically for sport. But of most importance is what it does beyond the play of sport and that what you serve is something greater than your self.
Jorry, I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with my readers. Greatly appreciated!
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