Essential Elements of BJJ

Hello blog readers and my fellow bloggers. It's another great day and I want to share with those who are not aware of specific elements involved with jiu jitsu. In past posts I granted my readers, mine and others' perceptions as to the benefits of practicing this martial art.

I think it only fair that next in my series of insights, I go over the positional hierarchy in the world of Brazilian jiu jitsu. Here is an example:

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Most of these positions are easy to comprehend by name, however, in my school we use the term knee-on-belly instead of kneeride. And as far as Turtle is concerned, think of being in the fetal position only instead of being on your side, you're on your legs and arms with your head tucked, kind of like a turtle.

I found this flow chart and have to admit, it's a great idea to develop a personalized flow chart. Here it is:

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Last thing, I want to note that this is said to be a flow chart made by BJJ's very own legendary Rickson Gracie.

Cross-Training vs. Academy Loyalty

Okay, I am sure everyone's familiar with sports team rivalries. Well with martial arts gyms it's not to different. Now I can't speak for areas that I don't frequent, so I'm not really generalizing here, just speaking from what I have seen. I'd also like to note that I have heard of where this does not apply.

There are two observations I would like to discuss in this post.

1. Healthy and unhealthy school rivalries
2. Instructor loyalty

Getting into martial arts for me was fairly unplanned and spontaneous. However, when I started it, it was with the attitude this is a positive thing and I couldn't imagine there being much negativity involved with it. Wasn't long before I encountered what turned into something of an unhealthy rival ideology.

Where you end up listening to a litany negative talk about people from other gyms or being boxed in to training with only certain people because it's consider something of a treason to cross-train elsewhere. Now if you're reading this and thinking "I don't know about training now," don't be hasty...

This is just my experience in Topeka in regard to the MMA community, I resorted to BJJ as a alternative to this. And with BJJ it is everyone is encouraged to visit other schools when travelling. You get that good competitive spirit but can shake hands and train with each other at the same time. That's what I call a healthy form of team rivalry with the option to cross-train.

Academy loyalty in my mind feels like something that shouldn't even need to be part of a discussion but, it is. In Brazil they have a term "Creonte," which refer's to a student who either is, or looked at as being disloyal to a particular school, particularly one with which the student had a long-standing relationship. This is different than cross-training just so we're clear.

I know of an individual who has received everyone of his belts up to his brown from a different instructor, and he didn't move around the country. This is just ridiculous in my opinion, see when you partake in an activity like jiu jitsu with others you develop an inevitable bond with these people and while there are exceptions, trading in instructors just isn't a good look.

Again, people travel, pay mat fees to train in affiliate or non-affiliate academies frequently, move away and have to train in new academies, and a few do the other not so respectable things. Just some food for thought, the good outweighs the bad and have a good day...

https://garryattheacademy.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/bjj.jpg?w=640

First timer anxiety... It's normal, don't let it stop you!

It's natural to be nervous about trying something of this nature for the first time. Someone may be unsure of what to expect from a variety of areas.

• Gym Setting 
• Practitioner Demeanor
• Personal Insecurity of capabilities
• CO-ED Training

There may be even more excuses someone could come up with that I haven't thought of, but these are a good example of circumstances that lead to a hesitation to start.

1. Gym Setting -- You probably won't find any two jiu jitsu schools exactly alike. But that is not such a problem, most schools will allow people to come and watch a class in session in order to get a sense how things work and what can be expected. From there it's all about how you feel about what you see. At this point you would ask questions and go from there.
2. Practitioner Demeanor -- So you may not get a chance to meet every student in the school when checking it out or even want to at first. But if this is a concern of yours then keep in mind that individuals with ego's and bad attitudes don't last long in jiu jitsu. The likelihood of having to deal with this is low, not impossible but very low.
3. Personal Insecurities of capabilities -- Let's get real with this one, pretty much everyone in the beginning has a lot of difficulty getting the movements down. It takes a certain kind of coordination that simply isn't all that natural. Then you have to deal with limitations of your body type. This is all okay and everyone has to or has dealt with it, once you accept this it is smooth sailing from there.
4. CO-ED Training -- This may be one of the more considered variables in contemporary training. Given the close quarter contact that is involved with this martial art. Men and women both initially have reservations in regard to training with each other. Men can be concerned with the size difference as are women and then there is the concern over hands on contact. Even so, everyone is there to train and there is nothing that indulges sexuality when it comes to defending chokes and joint locks :-) 

Well if anyone would like to add to this I would love to here some feedback in the comments. So long for now and let me leave you with this thought :-)

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Why BJJ?

Everyday I am able to approach heavy workloads, stressful time management issues, disagreements and perception differences with peers and authority figures, so much better, now that I have jiu jitsu in my life. In the fast paced world we live in, we, as a society, really look for the easy answer to difficulties. This can lead to impractical methods.

The analogy that comes to mind is the subordinate cubicle worker, who has been brought up to put entirely too much stock into what his or her superior thinks. This causes them to become misguided in the way of dealing with such situations. Thus leading into a fight-club type emotional discourse.

With jiu jitsu, one voluntarily puts themselves into some of the most uncomfortable scenarios that contemporary people can be in. Once someone has learned to be comfortable in such situations, the stresses of everyday life pales in comparison. It's much easier to shrug off the temperamental authority figure, the drunk person at the bar, or simply sit back take a deep breath and calmly deal with the deadline two hours away that you're not close to being ready for.

Here are some perspectives from renowned  practitioner's in the jiu jitsu community.

To do GI or not to do GI? That is the question...

Okay so one of the first things you have to think about when getting into jiu jitsu is the apparel. I initially got into jiu jitsu as supplemental training for part of my overall training in MMA. If you're mainly doing MMA then all you need at first is a pair of shorts and a t-shirt or rash-guard.

http://www.hayabusafightwear.co.uk/
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But if you would like to really learn some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you're eventually going to have to get yourself a GI otherwise known as a kimono.

What is that you might ask? Well here are a couple of examples

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http://cdn3.volusion.com
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GI's range anywhere from seventy to several hundred dollars. They come in all shapes and sizes, pretty much all jiu jitsu apparel companies provide sizing charts for the customer to look over and make sure they get the right one.

Moving on I want to discuss as you may have already guessed, there are two ways to do jiu jitsu. One is NOGI and the other is the traditional GI practice.

A lot of MMA fighters train primarily NOGI with just the rash-guard and shorts. The purpose for this is there is nothing to grab and manipulate your opponent with just like in the cage.

On the flip side of that, when you train with a GI you learn how to use the sleeves and collar to manipulate your opponent. This my friends is very practical for self-defense, in the event that a person attacks you they are not likely to be half-naked and you can treat their clothing in the same fashion you would a GI.

So I ask you again, to do GI or not to do GI?

Can I get some rank with that?

 Yes! There is a belt ranking system. For adults its: white, blue, purple, brown, and black. For kids its: white, grey, yellow, orange, green then, blue, purple, brown, and black. A kid is only eligible for blue and up at the age of 16. Also depending on who your instructor is there are 4 optional stripe promotions per belt

Because jiu jitsu is as complex of a martial art as you can get, it generally takes around a decade to get to black belt. Whereas karate hands out black belts in a fairly quick amount of time in comparison. I'd also like to note a huge difference between jiu jitsu and karate is that in jiu jitsu a minor is not eligible to receive a black belt, however, karate has a knack for sending kids out and about with one on a regular basis. I believe maturity is of major importance in deciding to hand someone a black belt given the symbolism. With that said Tae Kwon Doe and other striking martial arts should make some changes.

Here are some rank promotions in my jiu jitsu journey...

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BJJ What?!?!

First order of business is informing those who are unfamiliar with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It is an adapted modification of Japanese Judo taught to the son of a prominent Brazilian politician by a visiting Judo master in the early 20th century. More about the origins of BJJ are included in the video below, enjoy. 

Who am I and what can be expected from this blog?

Hello all, my name is Troy and I am an avid Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner that enjoys challenging myself intellectually and physically. A brief history of me, includes that as an adult I transitioned between meager dead-end jobs, and had no hobbies or interests that I was passionate about that encouraged a positive and fulfilling lifestyle. I found jiu jitsu at the age of 29 and would love nothing more than to have found it at a younger age. It is the people that I befriended through jiu jitsu that inspired me to further my education and seek out more fulfillment in life.
What I hope to achieve with this blog is simply to spread the word about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to those who are not aware of its existence. To give insight into the different reasons this martial art is profoundly useful in everyday life from my perspective. Anyone interested in a different form of exercise, self-defense, and tools necessary to handle the everyday stresses of life are the intended audience of this blog.

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