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Check out new video for June 2007 right here. Reality TV at it’s finest- we record what is and then set it to music. Several people have noted the difference in student movement, comparing a few months back to the present day. The evolution is clear!
From the article “Technique Clinic: Finishing the Triangle” in the next E-Journal of Jujutsu.
I just got a call from the blogging police. I’ve been in violation of quality updates for quite some time now. Wimping out with pictures and embedded YouTube links over quality written words was the charge. Gentle readers, let me assure you, it’s just the season. The creative fields were fertile when I started this blog, and the last few weeks I’ve let the fields lay fallow, so I might make a bountiful comeback.
It’s really the same as training. You start off disciplined, motivated, and determined to not miss a class. Later, once the novelty has worn off, and life has assisted you in getting out of your training groove, it can be hard to slip back in line. If you’re prepping for a tournament, you’re mentally and physically peaking, and it’s almost impossible to maintain that degree of sharpness at all times. There needs to be an off season to truly perform at your best.
I’m just starting to get a sense of how the peaks and valleys of enthusiasm extend through all areas of life: career, recreation, and relationships. I’ve noticed in myself food cycle preferences, hair style preferences, and cyclical exercise fanaticism, to name just a few areas.
Right now, my mind is on the next EJJ. The content is fantastic, definitely the best issue yet, with a heavy emphasis on female martial artists and BJJ practitioners. Over the past several weeks, I’ve been in more of a visual thought process: scoring and editing Jimmy’s purple belt exam; putting together a 30 second commercial to run on the Ultimate Fighter Finale, and plotting an online show for roydean.tv. Oh, did I say that out loud?
A variety of black belts have made contributions for an instructional DVD to benefit the family of IFL rising star Jeremy Williams, and here is mine. Jeremy was Chris Brennan’s first black belt, owner of Apex Jiu Jitsu, and was 2 and 0 in the IFL, coming out of retirement from MMA. We were coming up through the ranks at the same time in Southern California, and you can even see Jeremy reffing some of my matches at the Westside Submission Championship, particularly in my match with the wrestler that I was forced to flying triangle.
Rick Ellis looking studly and positioning himself for a kneebar with Nathan. Happy Birthday Rick! I also created a new gallery with pictures from the night of Anthony’s blue belt presentation. Check it out.
You can also order prints directly, with a much better selection than what I’ve posted, right here. You can then turn your favorite photo into a puzzle, mug, or mousepad, all of which are critical to advancement in BJJ!
Click here to see the high quality version of how it all went down.
Praise for the Jimmy’s performance is coming in from all over. You can to the BJJ forum at MMA.tv to see some of the comments. It’s also been reposted at various forums around the net. Hard work pays off!
Sometimes, when I’m contemplating what to blog about, I seek counsel from wiser martial artists than myself. Of course, ninja advice applies to all areas of my life. And I’m better off for it!
I made a recent modification to the schedule and will no longer be teaching classes on Thursday nights in Redmond. Instead, a new basics class will be held at the Bend location at the regular time of 8:15.
The basics class will include ukemi, mount escapes, sidemount escapes, and headlock escapes. These are the fundamental requirements that must be known for blue belt, and will make more intermediate classes (such as Monday nights) more fun once a foundation is established. I look forward to seeing you on the mat!
Big thanks to Mr. Harris, Richard North, and the members of South Bay Jiu Jitsu Club for making the journey to Bend. The seminar was a great success: I taught for an hour and a half on reversing position from sidemount, taking the back, and some of my favorite guard attacks. Mr. Harris gave the students a more conceptual and drill oriented lesson on open guard control, and options for dealing with vulnerable positions.
The entire seminar was filmed, including Jimmy’s DaSilva’s purple belt test. Jimmy, and his uke Nathan, performed a very tight, very fluid demonstration of what the purple belt requires, including basic techniques, combinations, and a lengthy rolling session (with 2 blue belts, and 2 black belts). Everyone watching was inspired, and realized just how deep this art actually is. Belts are earned here. But you really wouldn’t want it any other way. We celebrated at Staccato’s that evening.
Sunday I was able to roll with all the Southern California visitors, while Mr. Harris golfed at Pronghorn, and later, the SBJJC crew went rafting on the Deschutes river. I hope that this trip was enticing enough to bring them back next year, and perhaps make this an annual event.
As I watched this video last night, I kept thinking, “Man, this guy is good.” Then I noticed the Harris International Shirt on his training partner. Then I looked at his name and recognized Bjorn Friedrich, one of Mr. Harris’ German Grappling Instructors, and a fierce purple belt. Many of Mr. Harris’ international instructors I have never met in person, but you can recognize the skills.
I updated the photo galleries to include both the ADCC/New York Trip and the Big Sur Drive after the KoKoDo Jujutsu seminar in Monterey. Enjoy!
Put together another video update from the Saturday class. People are flowing nicely, especially Jimmy DaSilva, who’s prepping for his upcoming purple belt test. I played a bit too. Check it out here for the full color version.
Here’s a response I put up on the popular site, JiuJitsu Gear.com, for a post where I described the E-Journal of Jujutsu:
Aikido tends to get a bad rap, and I can’t say it’s totally unfounded. In fact, one of the reasons I’ve spent the last 10 years studying BJJ so thoroughly was in reaction to much of the Aikido I’d been exposed to. I wasn’t sure if it was the techniques that were faulty, or I just didn’t train enough. Now, in hindsight, I realized that the training method wasn’t robust enough for what I wanted to do with it (i.e. put it into action against resisting opponents).
Years later, with a much broader technical exposure, I’m more open to assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each art without judgement. After all, each is a form of jujutsu. BJJ is a descendent of Judo, which came from jujutsu (Kito Ryu, among others). Aikido is a modern and modified form of Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu. Sometimes arts get stronger over time, evolving and adapting. Sometimes they get watered down. Each art is evolving as we speak. It is undeniable and inevitable.
Some recent exposures to older jujutsu forms has opened my eyes recently (these would probably be described as Aikido by the casual onlooker). One of my good friends came to train BJJ with me for a month from Switzerland. He taught me a style known as Nihon Jujutsu. It specializes in finger locks, and is used by some of the German police force. It is EXTREMELY effective, regardless of size, and has been put to use against high level boxers, wrestlers, streetfighters, and other martial artists. One interesting aspect is that they never reach for the fingers- they let the fingers come to them, based on natural human reactions (i.e. the officer begins to claw your face, then the hands and fingers rise naturally to protect yourself. You can’t help it, and they know it). The German master that taught him recently passed away, but never shied away from a challenge, or a test, and offered quite a few himself, leading to a less than desirable reputation in the European martial arts community. One of his favorite sayings was “There’s no use talking about it. Let’s test it out.”
Which is exactly what we do in BJJ. We work it, we test it out. Aliveness through and through. And when things are alive, you have to have other avenues to accomplish your aim if the first one you try gets blocked. You need more than one guard pass, more than one submission. This extends to all arts, Aikido, jujutsu, BJJ, or whatever. It is more about how each individual trains, and the level of resistance they are comfortable working with on a daily basis. The technical syllabus of an art is rarely at fault- it is generally the training methods that are lacking (slow or limp single attacks, lack of adaptation for body styles, etc.)
Real jiu jitsu is about adaption. There are times when a wristlock is more appropriate than an omoplata. Flow with the go. Use just enough energy to accomplish your mission. Then move on. There’s no use arguing with people who lack the experiences that shaped your viewpoint. After all, we’re all just giving our version of the truth. And if you’re comfortable with yours, that should be enough.
