A brief discussion of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

An explanation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:>(as posted on my web page two days ago)
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (hereinafter BJJ) is a martial art that focuses on minimizing the damage done to combatants. Striking of any sort is de-emphasized due to the potential for self-injury as well as the likelihood that the party absorbing the strike will be injured. You may be asking, how can BJJ ever expect to work against a 'real life' angry person who wants to knock your head off? Answer: we carefully measure the distance between our attacker and ourselves. Then we move in to clinch or take-down the attacker to take away the space necessary to employ an effective striking attack.

Once the clich has occurred, or a take down has happened, the object of BJJ is to gain a dominant position on the attacker so as to either 1. convince them to calm down and cease their attack, 2. employ a BJJ attack such as a joint lock or choke, or 3. utilize short range strikes to overcome the opponent.

BJJ is also a sport. Competitors start on their feet and seek to defeat their opponent by gaining a submission (opponent taps the body of the competitor signaling desire to stop the match) or by points which are awarded for positional dominance. Matches vary in length based on skill level, ranging from 5-10 minutes with no breaks.

BJJ is unique in that its moves do not require great strength or speed. (Unlike striking styles, wrestling, or judo). Instead, the more advanced fighters win using a mastery of leverage, baiting, and techniques that emphasize the weakness inherent with the human body. Submission holds focus on the weak joints of the human body, chokes focus on the easy availabilitly of blood sources to the brain to be impeded, and sweeps take advantage of the awkward centers of balance in different positions. Through a mastery of these concepts employed in various techniques, a very small BJJ student can quickly render unconscious or incapable of fighting, a much larger, stronger, and tougher attacker.

Many find the allure of BJJ to be the complex mental components necessary to excel. It has been called 'human chess.' When two fighters are at the same skill level, the one who will win the match will be the one who is thinking more moves ahead of the adversary. Unlike wrestling where a match is ended based on body positioning (i.e. the opponent's back is flattened to the mat), in BJJ you must cause you opponent to submit... they must signal defeat. This can be quite a feat!

Tim 7/11/04

Impending Ella Delia

Ella delia...

She is in there and "ripe." I keep telling people that the 9th month proves that "a watched pot never boils."

I want to meet her, see her, hold her, and love her. She is going to change my life! Tick, Tock...

If she knew the attention she is getting even before she has arrived I am sure she would smile. There is love and support walking her around. But she is cooking and waiting until her moment.

Delia, or Ella, or Ella Delia is still future tense. But for how long?

Tim

Training Families

YOUR training family

Posted by Tim on Monday, 17 May 2004, at 11:07 p.m.

Today I was reading an article by Royler Gracie (one of the legends of BJJ). He reiterated the importance of forming a quality training family within your jiu-jitsu club.

Let me explain how I view MY "training family":

Grandpa Caique: Offers the soundest jiu-jitsu wisdom though he is not physically present all the time.

Greg Lucas: Is like a father figure when it comes to jiu-jitsu. This guy has laid the smack down on me many times and punks me anytime I get cocky!

Chris Hayre: Also a father figure with more patience for my questions than Greg (plus he lets me think I "earn" positions on him :))

Kedar: Definitely an older brother(though years younger in age and pounds lighter in weight). Here is a guy who can throw new riddles my way that make me think. We battle hard, have different approaches to the game, but I have MAD respect for the man! Kedar may be the first relevant member of your jiu-jitsu family... he may be your father figure... if so, damn you are lucky! This guy is stellar.

John Hill: Spiritual mentor who helps me keep reality in focus.

Matt Stratta: When it comes to a jiu-jitsu family, this guy is my close brother. He is silky smooth with his technique and has a steele trap mind for the details. In the perfect world, he would be watching every class I teach to remind me to show the one technique I slipped on.

Jeremiah Ashe: I have mad love and respect for this brother. He has helped my game significantly. Laid the beatings down repeatedly, and has the humbleness and control over his ego that we should all aspire to mimic.

Steve Corenflos: Another brother that I feel a strong sense of loyalty toward. At 135lbs, this guy is a tough MF'er! His game is going to get tough the more he trains. Oh, yeah, watch out, this guy is going to Lucas for training! That extra effort will reap him significant rewards!

Paul Hogan: I was ducking you bro! Hogan tough as nails. I am happy to have him in my training family. He has legitimately tapped me freqently. He makes me play my game tightly, and even then it is not enough. At 19 or 20 whichever it may be, he is a force to be reckoned with. I promise that I will reckon that force every chance I get because I get better each time.

Jim VanAtta: New member to the family, but valued nontheless. Jim is strong, wirery, and has great mental prowess when it comes to jiu-jitsu. I enjoy teaching him the moves because his follow up questions force me to rethink the game.

I could stop here and be a very fortunate jiu jitsu student! But to stop here would be to leave out some other very valuable members that I call upon to help me train.

Little brothers include: Will Buck, Ryan Kloman, Andrea Robertson (yep a brother), Lobato, Joe Sunderhaus, Ben Markley, Rebecca Remilard (another yep a brother), Julie Kedzie (though many of you have seen her whip my ass with gloves on!).

I know I have forgotten others, but I trained with Lucas tonight which means I took a beating an my mind is not all there. I apologize.

What I want you to do is find a familial makeup that works for you. Some of you will need to have more brother's than fathers, some of you will be comfortable having many fathers and few brothers. (Gender's can be flipped for the women!)

We are very fortunate to have a jiu-jitsu club that is large and inexpensive. Make the most of it!

Tim

P.S. DTM

Preparing for Battle

Preparing for Battle

Posted by Tim on Wednesday, 2 June 2004, at 10:21 a.m.

Currently our club is in preparation for an upcoming tournament. Of course not all of the members of the club are going to compete.

We don't require it! Nor do we expect it!

The strength of our club is the fact that even those who are not going to be competing show up to practice to push those who will be competing. It has been awesome to see the turn out to club practices and the efforts put out by all.

Some of the guys are going to compete to gain exposure and experience and have a good time. This is an important opportunity that competing in practice does not give. Approaching a tournament with this mind set allows one to compete without being concerned about being in PERFECT condition, or feeling superior. One can go with the flow and meet great grapplers, watch awesome matches, and become inspired to work a new aspect of their game.

Others in the club are looking to continue their tournament improvements. Their objective is to confront a rival, place a little higher, or simply survive the first or second round. I emphasize to these participants that conditioning and mat time are crucial.

Finally, there are some in our club that are going to compete to Win. This is the toughest challenge! In order not to be "bs-ing" one's self, the competitor must train like a champion. They must train not only their body but their mind. There must be no question that when you step on the mat you are SURE you are going to win!

If you are not interested in competing, don't feel lost or left out. Come help us train! I promise that you will learn some valuable practical concepts by being around. Our competition team will be eternally grateful as well.

So, the date is set, June 26th. The divisions are relative mysteries, so focus on making yourself as prepared to wage the battle you want to wage at the tournament, whether it is just to get some mat time, improve your finish, or take the trophy!

Train Hard and I will see you at club.

Tim