tallgeese

In primarily in BJJ. By decree that means about half my wardrobe is school tees of one kind or another.

Congrats!

But there were rules. For instance it could only be one on one, you couldn't have friends help you out. No weapons were allowed. There were also rules against biting and eye gouging. There is always rules of some sort. No martial art worth studying would include "get my buddies to help me whip this guy". The point of the fights was to show how effective each fighter was. Not to destroy other people. The Gracies never had anyone help their fighter out. It is true that no weapons were allowed except your hands. But it was the same weapons your opponent had. You were equally armed. The rules against biting and eye gouging didn't come along until later. But people rarely did it because even instinctively, they understood Bas Ruttens now famous saying: "Never escalate the level of violence in a fight you are losing." I actually think this is one of the best arts out there. Back up counts. Now, I get it's outside the context of the thread. Understood. But never underestimate the force multiple a buddy or two bring to an encounter. Even the simple fact of divided attention that must occur on the part of the individual wanting to hurt you is a nice leg up.

Still, no. Styles are not created equal because they don’t all teach the same Thing. Even among those that do (judo and bjj) with the emphasis on different things, the outcome and skill sets are like night and day- so YES what style you train in absolutely DOES matter. The Gracie’s challenged people to fights. No rules no muss- 2 guys go st it until one can’t continue, just like real life would otherwise be. The kickboxers who turned the fights down did so because they knew they’d most likely lose. It wasn’t that they wanted different rules- they wanted no rules. Most weren’t prepared for that. This is absolutely true. Your outcome will depend on how well you've matched what you do to the environment you'll be working in. A good fundamental SD school that does BJJ will work great for a cop trying to control and arrest a bad guy. It may be susceptible at higher levels of competition in BJJ due to a lack of time on advanced guard work and leg attacks...even within styles there are focuses. Certainly the practitioner matters. Mindset factors in. But matching skill to environment is critical. That's why what you train matters.

Yes. You totally should. And as instructors and coaches we should try to help them do so. We have the knowledge of, in many cases, 20-30 years of experience, good and bad, in learning these arts. Maybe we've even put them to use either in competition, reality, or both. Those are huge points that let us cut through the theory we gained from the last generation. We are the new conduit for advances in adult learning theory and the science of human performance that our coach's simply didn't have access to yet. These are massive advantages. If we're doing our jobs right our students SHOULD be better than us. If they are not, they haven't failed, we have.

Congrats, Patrick! Such a milestone! This site truly is one of the best sites for martial arts discourse on line! The civility here is unmatched in just about any other format. Thanks for holding it to that standard!

Good points all around. I'm certainly in the bring a gun and friends with guns category. That said, this mandates difficult training too. I have yet to see a CCW course that actually prepared students to fight. As with any other martial art, this demands a stair-stepped progression to build workable skills and confidence. This takes time. It's not a short cut, just a more useful answer to this particular threat. Now, as to the knife as a while we really, as martial artists overall, need to rethink what we classify as "success" when it comes to knife defense. All too often we consider this as not being stabbed or cut. Numbers would suggest that this is unrealistic. A better definition would be not being dead or incapacitated to the point your going to lay there and bleed out slowly. Can I arrest the attack to gain an exit? To draw my firearm? To make strategic use of space? All far better goals. Escalation is the key when we deal with weapons, but we need to make time and space for this to occur AND be proficient with whatever our go to is or at least have an understanding of escape and making use of what's at hand. We will not suddenly become experts at this under stress. As with all things, the key is practice and stress inoculation. This means more realistic training methods AND a redefinition of success.

I'm very careful about making these statements. Size and strength are a real thing, and they matter. May the seconds technique was fine, but the differences were too insurmountable, maybe they are fine with the technique but the first was simply better at a give set of tactics. There's a hundred reasons.

I think both exist for sure, but student/ coach incompatibility is a real thing. Sometimes it's just a matter of teacher style v. learner style that makes life easier or harder. Often it's a disconnect on goals. In these situations it can be as simple as finding another instructor in the same art. There certainly are people who shouldn't be teaching, but I think that personalities, learning styles, and goals are more frequent.

Lots of people have made great points.... committed to improvement, some effort at applying it to a fight, being in the moment during training and not just phoning it in. All valid points. I do think there is a time commitment as well. I'm not an "x years" guy. But hours matter. Someone can train 10 years and train once a week for an hour. That shows a certain level of commitment (not a bad one, just a fact- life happens) but the fighter that trains 4 days a week for the same two hours each session will be better far quicker. That's literally 1:8. If your competing or realistically preparing to deal with an attack that might happen tomorrow, the more hours of reps that one conducts is critical. Hours on the mat matters when we discuss a "serious" practitioner.

BBs are always welcome to stop by and check us out. Visiting BBs are treated according to their rank. Now if they are looking to train full time it's a different discussion. A BJJ BB is what it is. They come in as is. Ranking in any other system isn't the same, so they go to the white belt. But again, visitors aren't held to this standard. I roll with all the visitors that come in. If they aren't ranked in BJJ I want to give them an idea of etiquette. If they are it's important for me for them to know I'm not ducking them or trying to bury them. It's just a roll. I want to set the tone. I've had guys that have stopped (ranked to BB in BJJ) by that can beat me, and guys I can beat, and a vast number of them that we go to draw. What I want them to know is I'm not concerned with it. It's worked out well to date.

Awesome news!

Congrats!

I think it's a complete grasp of the system. Martial arts is too broad a term. Your system. The one (ones) you train in. Can you completely state, perform, and discuss the whys of the curriculum? Can you compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of tactic and technique selection? Lastly, can you teach it? If you can do all those at a depth of understanding beyond the ability of most practitioners then you're in the category. Ranking is subjective, a grasp of all of the above is not. For example. If I compare my total understanding of a system at black belt I have a far more comprehensive understanding of BJJ at BB than in the kempo system I studied. If feel that at purple belt in BJJ I has the same systemic level of understanding in jiu jitsu as I did at BB in kempo. This is not a cut. Just a difference in how things are constructed. By 2nd Dan I feel as I did at BB in jiu jitsu. So, it's subjective. Look at the depth of understanding. That's the key.

Happy Birthday! Enjoy!

I LOVED this movie!!!!! Aside from not hearing the iconic line "Avengers Assemble!" that I've been begging for, it was just fantastic. I'd agree on that point. Strange saw the single path to a win. It's got to go together. I was actually really happy with all the all the Order. They were just as terrifying as Thanos.

TJ's has a valid point. That said, if you're wanting to attend a camp then this is a good one. It's headlined by Roy Dean who is just a stellar jiu jitsu player out of the Roy Harris affiliation who is a great guy as well. It will be fun time in a great environment with some quality guys.

We work the most in the social media content. It free at a base level, and very affordable to push more directed advertising. It's worked very well for us. Competition kind of dovetails into that. It's largely an internal marketing structure anyway, so people already aware of you, following you, or attending only really care. Bu highlighting it within our social media marketing efforts we kill two birds with one stone. I'm not certain with the second part of the post. I think it's probably regional, we haven't seen that trend near me, but that doesn't mean that's not a thing.

Congrats!

This is where we all need to be at. Yes, train till its game over or you determine that your path has changed. It will enrich your life, it will help keep you as fit as you can be at a given age. But, understand that physical capability limits exist for all of us at a given age and commitment level. Things don't work the same and certainly take more time to recover. Trying to roll at 45 line I did at 30 would sideline me quick, for extended time. Adjust, adapt. Keep training. Again, be smart.

I'm with the "be human" group. We get wrapped up in what makes a better player for any art. Physical attributes help in any physical endeavor. But the ability to get on the mat over and over again is the only true defining feature. To get into other develop is to delve into the competitive side of the art, which is a valid outlet, but far different from why a bulk of practitioners practice. You'll develop the attributes you need at a base level by doing it.

I agree with you on this. I find that that technique driven books are largely irrelevant now as streaming video is so much more useful for a physical, technique driven activity. That said, you're also correct about some content still being useful. Things that are historical, mindset driven, perhaps strategy or conceptual are still more than important. Living the Martial Way, Fighter's Heart, etc all excel with information and should be on the bookshelf of every artist.

Happy Birthday! Enjoy!

I think the premise is flawed. EBI and FTW are not "most". The IBJJF and it's clones are the dominate force in competitions to date. The pass is still awarded 3 points and I have yet to roll with anyone of rank who is not a monster when in comes to the guard pass or who has bad pressure. Of course there are better and worse but that's wildly different than a lack of. That’s a fair statement. Did I mention I tend to think in extremes? My statement still stands in regards to black belts below middleweight. You’re A bigger guy, I’d really hope any black belt middle or above has good pressure, but many light guys simply give way too much space. There are a few exceptions but they’re exactly that. My justification? Watching no gi comps and most especially mma where. Passing as a whole tends to be most successful with gi and least for mma with no gi being middle ground.. I was actually including little guys in this as well. Buy the time you get awarded a brown or black belt you should feel heavy regardless based on weight distribution alone. I don't know any who don't.

It's a pretty laid back environment. Most are very open to what new students bring to the table. The biggest thing to keep in mind is to just embrace the different training methodology.