Bushido Notebook

"All models are wrong; some models are useful"--George Edward Pelham Box Just like all pizza is not good pizza, the same holds true as jiujitsu: Not all jiujitsu is good jiujitsu. Even with the jiujitsu of the Gracie's, not all Gracie JiuJitsu is the same jiujitsu either. One Professor’s jiujitsu is not the same as another Professor's jiujitsu. One Professor may be a small man and emphasize technique and timing over power more than a Professor that developed as a very athletic, large player who may emphasize technique and timing less.  So having a black belt from one is not the same as having a black belt from another. I'm not saying that one is better than the other I am just saying that one style does not equate to the other. There’s no such thing as “the best” martial art.  Martial arts are the best for what they were developed for.  The martial arts of my Bushido are taekwondo (TKD), MCMAP (and subsequently (LINE), and judo/jiujitsu.  TKD known for its ki...

E·go ˈēɡō/ noun a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance. "a boost to my ego" self-esteem, self-importance, self-worth, self-respect, self-image, self-confidence "the defeat was a bruise to his ego" It's easy to say check it at the door, but like shrimping, it ain't easy. (“Shrimpin’ ain’t easy.”) Ego gets in the way of jiujiitsu in lots of ways.  One way is in feeling like you have to win, all the time.  When you are tapping someone out ego prevents you from developing weaker parts of your game because you are afraid to lose.  Ego also keeps your partners from developing their game because every roll becomes a competition and not training. Ego makes you want to defeat people you may not be able to due to size, skill level, age, or other factors.  You may mentally defeat yourself with negative feedback based on your own ego.  Ego can also make you feel like you deserve something you don't, such as belt promotion.  No one deser...

The wait between promotions can be nerve wracking when you know you’re close, in that you’ve put in the hours on the mat, the time in your current rank, and feel as though you are performing and demonstrating competence on the mats.  It could be a week, a month or a year...you just don’t know.  It’s up to the subjectivity of your professor.  A lot of old school professors don't give any clue, rhyme, or reason for their promotions.  The student has no way of gauging if or when they will earn their belt.  This is terrible for all types of reasons, but also good in some ways. One of the terrible reasons is the anxiety that builds up in the student who wants to have objective targets and goals for improvement and reward. The good of it is that it teaches someone to let go of that expectation and to play Jiujitsu for the sake of playing Jiujitsu, living in the moment versus pursuing a goal for the future. It also forces the student to have faith in their professor...

I'll say this up front: I am not a competitor. I practice jiujitsu for self-defense and for personal development. Leg attacks are not a big deal for me mainly because I don't compete. I rarely do them but I am as a brown belt in jiujitsu, only a one or two stripe white belt, so to speak, with leg attacks. I’ve started using straight ankle locks here and there, but I don’t dare to get into the game of knees just yet until I have learned to properly protect myself and protect my training partners. Dave has a very evolved leg methodology that I have to get some more perspective on, probably in private lessons. Inside, outside, high, and low. I’ll put some more notes to this, but it’s a hierarchy of what leg attacks have advantage of the other. Basically if the opponents spine is the center line, where your legs should be to protect yourself while attacking their legs, and what leg locks have tactical advantages over a potential counter leg attack...in other words ...

Kaizen is a Japanese word composed of two words “KAI” means change and “ZEN” means better. Put together it means change for the better or improvement. Kaizen is a quality management philosophy of making small improvements over time. It is the process of continuous improvement in small increments that make the process more efficient, effective, and controllable.  It is used in manufacturing by companies like Toyota in Japan.  I am adapting this concept to apply to jiujitsu.  Using continuous improvement practices through the course of a jiujitsu career you never stop improving on techniques.  Once you, for example, pass a belt test and move on to more challenging techniques and concepts you don’t just stop improving on the previous set.  The goal is to continuously improve on what you have already learned while continuing to take ownership of additional techniques and incorporating them into your own game, or style of jiujitsu play.  You improve and updat...