ps1

How are things going in the new academy?

I understand what you're saying. You're talking more in the same sense that Bruce Lee spoke. Take what works for you and move on. If you like elements x and y from karate and elements z and q from kung fu then that's what you should use. However, you have to be careful. Otherwise, you get people teaching stuff like this: So it's not to say "no style" rather, your style. The moves that work best for you are the moves you should use.

All the karate dojo I visited and trained in had matted floors. Most had 3/4" puzzle mats. The larger schools had Tatami Style zebra mats or swain mats. When studying chuan fa we only had a sand as a floor. Every year we'd bring more in. It was about 2 feet of sand. Made balance very difficult. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. At my jiu-jitsu school we have 2 5/8" of mats. I wanted it to be as safe for throws as possible.

You will be trained in a "use of force ladder." This will tell you exactly what level of force you can use and when you can use it. Don't try to reinvent the wheel or go into this thinking that you know what you're talking about. You may be educated, but you don't "know" what you can and can not do. Worry about which techniques to train once you've graduated the academy and are actually a LEO. Good luck!

The shoulder should follow the trunk, which follows the hips, which follows the knees and feet...all of which are kinetically linked to the ground. It may all feel simultaneous (or very close to simultaneous); but no matter what you do, your power is derived from the ground. If you were levitating and threw a punch or kick, the only power generated would be a result of the speed at which you threw it and the mass of your leg. Your overall body mass would be irrelevant because, without the Earth to push off of, you couldn't get your body behind the strike. With the geeky stuff out of the way...here's how I like to use my shoulder: My shoulder follows my hips as that's the proper kinetic link. I rotate my arm like a boxer so the shoulder blocks my chin making a counter strike less effective.

I believe, to a point, it's both. It's obvious to me that a person with natural athletic gifts and an indomitable spirit will have an increased likely hood of success in whatever it is they do. The system is important in so much as the skill sets it will impart on the student. If the martial art has poor skill sets, athletic ability can only go so far. Further, if that art's skill sets are better used by one body frame over another, the student may suffer if they are not built for the system. If it depends on strength or mass and the student is small and weak, it may be a poor fit. So to blame the system is not always fair. To blame the athlete is not always fair. It's really about pairing the right person to the right system.

Respectfully, where did you get the idea that a gi is underwear? It's actually a very modern invention which, like the belt system, was developed by Jigoro Kano for uses in Judo. Everyone else just followed suit. It's not and never was underwear.

When I moved from my home area to a new town, over an hour away from my instructor, I decided to just open a school of my own. I affiliated under my instructor and keep ties that way. It's worked out pretty well. It cost me about 1400 for mats and a small amount for rent. I have enough students to pay rent and have just a little extra. That said, everyone else in the area, IMO, was not very good. For one, I was the same or higher rank than most of them. They just weren't high quality schools IMO. If I had found a school I felt was high quality, I may have considered switching.

Nice article. I always point out to my students that the ability to punch and kick effectively should not be overlooked. However, I liken the skill to a gun that may or may not shoot or a Knife that may or may not cut. That is to say, it may be effective or it may not. In the military we would have called such a weapon system ineffective and useless. What would be the point of carrying an M-16 that might shoot someone when I pulled the trigger, but also might not?! Physics, however, do not change. And BJJ focuses on the science of biomechanics. It always works. The only way to beat it...is to learn it. Nice article, thanks for sharing.

It's kinda gross isn't it? I don't know about everyone else, but we get very sweaty and my gi basically becomes like a wet washcloth full of my and other people's sweat. I take a clean gi to class, change into it and train, change back out of it to go somewhere else. Not many people go to a gym, work out hard, then go hang out in the supermarket drenched in sweaty gym clothes. It's just weird.

Last night I had my instructor to my school for a small seminar. At the end of the night we were promoting some of my students when my instructor turns to me and puts the third and fourth stripes on my belt. He then goes on to tell everyone I will be testing for my black belt in February. It seems unreal that it's even possible for this to happen. It's been almost 9 years since I removed my black belt from my waist (Shotokan, Aiki-Jujitsu, and Chuan Fa) and decided I would not wear them again until I had earned it in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. I'm almost at that goal. My next goal will be to work on growing my school, which is far easier to do as a BJJ Black Belt than a Brown Belt. Now to develop a 3 to 5 step plan on how to do this.

The Brazilian Jiu-jitsu Belt system is White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black On average it takes about 1.5yrs to go from white to blue, 2 to 3 years to go from blue to purple, 2 to 3 years to go from purple to brown, and 1.5 to 2 years from brown to black. Generally, 8 to 12 years from White to Black. These numbers can vary drastically from one school or association to the next. This is called a person with no jiu-jitsu experience.

I agree. I have a young lady who helps me with my kid's class. It's not a big class, I just like to always have a back up to teach if something goes wrong and I can't be there. She's been training with me for over a year now. So the other day I ordered her a new gi (I know she needed one but is in college and doesn't have the money). It's expensive for her and a write off for me. So I got it for her. She was super appreciative!

Learn to sprawl to avoid the shot. Learn to frame the neck and step back into a zenkutsu dachi to avoid a clinch. Being skilled at those two things will serve you very well against average takedown artists. The simple fact is you WILL get taken down against above average and elite takedown artists at will unless you take the time to train grappling arts. If you're only concerned with takedowns, take wrestling. Judo rules do not allow leg attacks as primary moves anymore and will give you very little skill in stopping a wrestler (which is a hugely popular sport in the US. )

This is likely because your sensei has skill and character and all the other things that actually matter. In my BJJ school, I provide a white gi to all my new students. I don't allow them to wear another color until blue belt. The reason is I want them focused on attaining skill and knowledge over looks and fashion. One of my biggest pet peeves is to see someone wearing a fire orange or banana yellow gi and totally stink in regards to skill. In the case of your sensei, I presume he spent many a years in a white gi getting his butt kicked by everyone above him. But he continued training when others did not, he persevered and earned the right to chose what he wears.

Never "bail" on a move as in completely stop attacking. Simply stop doing one move in order to transition to the next. Many times you can continue transitioning back and forth between just two moves. Eventually the guy realizes he's nothing but a "pinball" trapped in a never ending loop and loses the will to continue. That's how you beat any intermediate or advanced guy; you must first dominate their desire to win, then their body is easy to defeat.

Sadly, this is often the outcome of sport grapplers. MMA is a sport that is very different than sport BJJ. Because of the various systems of grappling, it doesn't always port well to the cage. This has happened to more than a few high quality grapplers.

Good for you for asking the question. It would be easy to say it's the opponent's job. In a tournament or competition (especially if money is on the line) I would agree 100%. However, it's important to remember the academy environment is just a laboratory. Injuring a partner will do 2 things: 1...it will ensure you have one less person to train with and 2...it will give you a bad rep around the school. Having a bad rep would ensure you have even fewer partners to train with. Here's how I handle the situation: Beginner I (white belt with 1 to 6 months of training)....doesn't know he's in bad shape...I let go and just continue the roll. Afterward I demonstrate and teach him the techniques so he recognizes it later. Beginner II (white belt with more than 6 months of training)...recognizes trouble but won't submit...I start to release the move and allow him to escape slowly, then move to the next technique and get the submission. I'll make sure to point out the danger of refusing to tap and importance of letting the ego go in order to improve. Intermediate I (blue belt level)...Tries to work a defense with poor timing....I counter the defense and move on to the next in the series. Instruct in proper timing after the roll. Intermediate I (blue belt level)...Taps too much (yes it happens)...After they tap I instruct on the escape and when to use it. I encourage them to attempt to escape when working with people they trust won't hurt them. Intermediate II (purple belts)...knows the trouble and has decent timing...With this level of practitioner I have to decide what to do before I go to the sub. Either I'm going to get it, or I'm giving them a chance to escape. This is because if the opportunity to escape arises, they WILL escape without help. Most of the time this is who I work various series of techniques against, catching them three to five moves down the line. Advanced I (brown belts)...I am a mid level brown belt. We usually just go. We're smart enough to know when we're beaten and I've never been hurt while rolling a brown or black belt. We understand what each other are doing and prefer to just continue the flow anyway. When it comes to chokes...put em to sleep. Not really a big deal in the long run.

This makes sense. I guess true belt levels are only known on the mat. I thought there had to be some standard for all the competitions, for what would stop a blue belt from putting on a white belt to compete? The biggest reason is integrity. Equally important is the fact that grapplers are about the challenge and love bragging rights. We have a saying, "On the mat the truth will out!" No one brags about winning against white belts. If anything, people are more likely to grapple up than down.

Do wrestling Judo and BJJ. That's an amazing combination of grappling arts. You'll be a beast at competitions. Good luck!

That's Jiu-Jitsu. My instructor has been training for 17 years. When he asks Pedro about making something better or a situation that's giving him problems, it always ends up being a very minor adjustment that makes a very big difference. Such a crazy awesome thing jiu-jitsu is.

Lulz... Thought there may be some standard measure, since competition seems to be the rule more than the exception. Actually, competition is not the standard measure in most bjj schools as competition makes up only 30% of the art. On top of that, if competition was the rule, there would be very few people ever promoted as there's only one winner of a division. It can play into decisions, but is not necessary. That said, there are schools that focus totally on competiton. But to call them BJJ is a little deceptive, in my opinion.

Congrats!!! BTW: White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black Now you know the rank system. When you get it and how you get it differ drastically from one school to the next. On average, between 8 and 12 years to black belt.

Honestly don't see why any title is necessary. I have my students call me Bill. Have for years. And I still, somehow, am respected. Perhaps because respect is earned...not bestowed in a title.

Do it. It can only make you better. I usually do two to three comps per year. It's fun.