JiuJitsuNation

Blade 96 I feel that I can relate to your background. Training gave me back my confidence and giving what was given to me through teaching others gave me back my sense of self worth. I think the martial arts can be the first step in a direction that mends what was broken. Once you start down that path pay attention. Take in as much of what is happening around you as you can. Use your past to change your future and with the experience you have reach out to others. That connection you find with other people could be a great source of happiness.

MasterPain if there was a like button I would CLICK!

The goals were set and were implied. That goes without saying. Goal setting was not the point of the post.

I have accomplished many things that I originally had never set out to do. Or did I? For example this is not to be taken in the sense of did I accomplish things. I did. The real question was did my heart have those goals set all the while. I suppose it's up to the reader to interpret. I don't believe either CONTROLS the other but rather they influence each other. One more than the other at times.

http://clifffonseca.blogspot.com/2011/09/dont-go-around-chasing-your-dreams.html

I took a knee to the head while someone was attempting pass my guard. They tried to jump through knee first i guess. I heard a loud church bell then woke up with everyone standing around me. Concussion, took me out of training for 4 months.

What the video doesn't show is the sportsmanship displayed after each match by going over and showing respect to the other coach. that same attitude is displayed by many athletes in sports while they are ON. And they are usually very respectful when off. Some of my kids do this as well. I call it getting into the head of your opponent. It is written about in the Art of War. As long as when the match is over they show respect to there opponent and his/her coach then it was used properly. This is an intense sport and an intense attitude is one often seen. That little guy is a shark.

I'd like to hear various thoughts on this. I think the statement hits pretty close to home. Fighting really isn't anything I want to be a part of on the street. Too many variable, and too many things can go wrong, especially for something triggering pride or ego. It absolutely should be a last resort. Thoughts and opinions? I think this goes back to the natural order of things B. In the wild, animals go through all types of theatrics in an attempt to discourage a fight. The fact is, a physical conflict often means death for them. So they will exhaust all options before going head on. Sometimes they get into short scuffles over females and territory before one decides they can't win and walks away. This is not exclusive to the animal kingdom. I feel that if you are having to de-escalate the situation, you have already made too many mistakes. I feel everything starts with the way you carry and present yourself to the world. I had a friend for many years, who has more than 20 years martial arts experience. He was forever getting into something with someone. Always in some verbal confrontation. He would blame it on the type of people he was "running into". He simply never could see how he brought it on himself. He was always looking, judging and in defense mode himself. And even though he may have never said anything to begin the confrontation, he never understood that it was his own physiology that invited trouble. Over half of communication is physiology. It breaks down basically like this: Only 7 percent of communication is what is actually coming out of your mouth. 38 percent is tonality and 55 percent is body language. What is your body language saying to the rest of the world? Is it a deterrent or big red neon sign that says pick me pick me. Knuckle heads want an easy target.

This is awesome! How's that for a highlight in your twilight!

assuming of course you are talking about a REAL hummer and not the one sold baring it's name. Lincoln has the largest cabin, hummer has zero space and cadillac has more giddy up.

There should be lots of transportation as it won't be stealing. Dead battery take one from another car. Out of gas syphon! You could just keep taking cars but i would prefer awd/4wd luxury suv. Blood wipes off leather seats easier. Cadillac and Lincoln are like tanks. However the Range Rover will perform.

People are gonna go where they are comfortable and where they find the company around them agreeable, over all else. The majority anyway. It generally has little to do with style.

I would of course second that!

Most of my training partners have always been smaller than me. I have always gotten just as much out of training with skilled light weights as I have my own weight class. The reason being is that the smaller fighters are always the most technical as they have no strength or size holding them back. My goal has always been to be 220 and fight like i'm 155. I do however feel you on the fact that when people don't show up it puts a damper on the mood. More people creates more energy in the room and more tends to get done. I get my training done in the mornings and it's usually with 2 or 3 people other than myself.

I did this with many a technique in the beginning because I had poor hip movement, only to pick those same techniques up later and be effective with them. Good stuff

Rhadi Ferguson won't let the people he personally trains wear an ipod or anything. He says you need to be self motivated because music won't be there to motivate you when you need it. He feels this is true in all aspects of being successful. I tend to agree.

This is a good point. "Jiu Jitsu is perfect, it is people that make mistakes." Rickson Gracie

Excellent post! I hate using long quotes, but in this case I wanted to extend on Bushido_man96's post. I hope not to offend sir. I will go back to the cultural emphasis and direction that Western warfare and martial training has taken over the course of the last 1000 years+. While the martial culture of the West may not be well documented and preserved as that of Eastern cultures. This is primarily due to cultural forces and the outlook taken by the war fighters who lived within them. While tradition is alluring, in some fashion, to most people who have taken up martial pursuits the pieces of tradition that are valued can vary greatly. Western martial traditions have tended to value the ceremony of martial life more than techniques, weapons or formations. In Eastern cultures the techniques and materials of warfare were held in much higher regard. Eastern culture values tradition, adherence to a structured form much more highly than Western cultures have tended to. Western martial tradition has valued effectiveness, the results, more than traditions. Massed musket fire replaced the bow and crossbow, the pike and polearms. Massed cavalry charges fell away when the cost and time involved in training a mounted warrior was out stripped by training and equipping formations on foot became a better way to fight the battle, and when training the same elite mounted warrior to fight afoot made him more effective through flexibility. The Western tradition is to abandon what has been for what works better to meet the need of now. While there may not be an over abundance of written sources of martial tradition, the physical evidence of weapon and armor evolution seems to support this. Eastern traditions of war had tended, until the late 19th Century, to force warfare to conform to the mode of fighting that tradition said was best. My readings of history places within the Western paradigm of martial arts a high importance on questioning and evolution of training. The thought process to ask questions and to toss away that which doesn't work, without thought to tradition, has less to do with modern society than what is often thought. At least in this context. So the idea of questioning what works, what is effective, is long and storied in Western martial practice. It's not new in the least. Jarring as it may be to those steeped in Eastern methodologies and tradition, it's been around since Plato debated the use and utility of training a man to fight not in formation, but as single men fighting other single men.

Building block techniques should be drilled as part of warm ups. If you are doing foundation techniques the whole class and told you'll understand in time or it will strengthen the REAL stuff later, then you may run out of money or patience before getting to that point. Many a school keep folks busy doing endless amounts of non applicable movements. I agree with Bushido.... and webster: adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result.

I know a guy in Maryland that has a DJ play while the advanced classes train. A DJ!!!

During the kids class the radio plays very low in the back ground. For adult classes however I crank it up. Everything from Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying, Sky Eats Airplane, Killswitch Engage to Lil Wayne Etc.

both

Compete in the 2011 Pan Ams and worlds gi and no gi, along with possibly the international in chicago and the Masters and Seniors championship.

There is only one fight I could refer to since I began training in BJJ ten years ago, as the other incidents I would categorize as self defense. This was a fight in my opinion because I started it. A few years back I went out with some friends for my birthday. The end of the night came and I was sitting in the passenger seat of my black Lincoln Navigator which was parked at the entrance of the club we had been in. I was sitting in the truck because i was waiting on my roommate to drive me home. Everyone was there were several people sitting in and standing around my truck talking when this guy walked to the front of my truck, stopped and started to writing something on the hood of my truck. I looked around and asked if anyone saw what I just saw to which I got no response as they were preoccupied(females). I got out of the truck and followed him back in walked up to him and put my arm around his waist from the side like I knew him. I asked him if he saw who was messing with that Navigator parked out front. I didn't even listen as he put arm around my shoulders(which gave me the under hook) I threw him with Harai Goshi and came crashing down on top of him. At that point I had 3 bouncers jump on top of me, with one applying a rear naked. My first thought was GET UP! I also realized the person choking me doesn't know what he's doing. So I forced my way up and as soon as I got to my feet I threw the guy on my neck with the classic Gracie hip throw standing choke defense. WHAM! The other two guys were on my left and right contradicting each others efforts( as is common with novice). I turned to my left and shoved that guy over a knee wall( bout waist high) and I was expecting the third bouncer to be on me but as I turned he was just standing there looking at me. At this point I hear one of my friends(training partner) yelling "Don't touch him! Your aggravating him!" Which was comical to me. I now have this big circle around me with plenty of space. I'm well known in this place and the first bouncer I threw comes from a rival school(nowhere near the experience level) so everyone is aware of everyone before this even starts. So now all my friends are in there explaining that they will take me outside and that no one should touch me. I was also saying I would leave as long as no one touched me. Now the manager comes up and says"Cliff will you walk outside with me?" To which I hang my head and say yes, as these guys are always very good to me and my company. We go outside we have a little heart to heart, i'm driven home and go to bed while hoping I don't throw up. Not my greatest moment I know, but it is still a cool story.

I've never really put much thought into eliminating vehicles from my budget. It sounds like you have way more information on the subject than most would know there is to consider. Your point of view seems unique and I'd like to hear more as it seems you are just scratching the surface. I've been shoulders deep in a windshield twice in my life. Once on the passenger side and once driving. Behind the wheel was worse. Even though the glass is made so you don't receive major cuts, they are still picking glass out of your face and head. People make choices everyday with little regard to consequences. Some play sports that cripple will them and make no complaints ever. Some people smoke their entire lives and make no complaints when they find out they have developed cancer. Now whether or not they actually fear what comes or not is only known to them, they seem to at least live in peace with themselves and the world around them. I don't give much thought to where the oil comes from, how many degrees hotter the planet is this year or whether or not the people we are calling terrorists are actually terrorists. Let another country occupy the united states and see if we don't shoot them in the face on a daily basis. Our perceptions and ideas are forever being influenced by greater powers. Someone wants us to follow them... always.