Bushido Notebook

In martial arts it can take 2-3 years just learning how to use your own body.  You spend the next 2 years perfecting imposing your techniques on the opponent.  Jiujitsu takes it a step further....spending the next 5+  years learning how to make the opponent fall into your techniques instead of you imposing your techniques on him.  Striking martial arts, such as taekwondo, it takes around 4 years to earn a black belt legitimately.  Much of this time is learning how to use your own body to deliver techniques on an opponent.  Learning to kick someone in the face, for example.  Now imagine from that point learning how to trick your opponent into falling their face into your kick.  That's jiujitsu.  It isn't enough to put someone into a choke or armbar.  Anyone can do that with little training.  Jiujitsu in part is learning how to trick your opponent into falling directly into your technique, without you having to forcefully impose your...

Last night I got beat down on the mats, again.  I am a purple belt and couldn't sweep 2 white belts, passing the guard of a blue belt, and surviving with two brown belts.  It isn't the first night that I have had a hard time lately either.  What in the world is wrong with me lately. I went home with my head low, thinking into the night and mentally reviewing each more, drill and roll with each partner.  I didn't have any excuses.  I mean, I should have made a bunch of them.  The white belts and blue belt all outweighed me by at least 30-50 pounds or more.  The two brown belts are the top non-black belts at the Academy.  On and on.  But there are always excuses and they all stink.  I have always been this size since starting jiujitsu and I am not getting any bigger, so nothing is new.  I just have to tighten things up and move on.  I remembered at some point during my sulking though that this isn't the fir...

I'd taken to learning techniques via video a few years ago. It is a great way to pass on techniques because as a student I can watch it as many times as I want and replicate the technique. The down side is that I don't have the instructor there to ask questions. Either way I thought it was good to go. Then I went to a seminar with Shaolin a few months ago. he was pretty point blank that he is against that type of learning. Maybe he is just old school or something. Lots of the "masters" are against that kind of training. But then again lots are for it. Just depends I guess. For me it is all about what you do with it. I think that some are against it because that means that students learn faster, therefore it makes them less important in the learning process, so why should a student pay them for what they can get cheep or free over the Internet and other sources? So then instructors institute minimum class hours in order to get promotions. Ok, well, makes sen...

There's been lots of controversy in the Brazilian jiujitsu community over Rorion Gracie and his sons' Gracie University, which enables people to learn and earn rank, primarily online. Many of the purest out there are outraged because of the far harder road they've had to take to get a belt. Here are some opinions of my own in posts to online communities about it: It's both and a great business strategy. But here's my thing: I practice both judo and GJJ.....which in my opinion is a subset of judo. Judo kata or GU simulated combat: What's the difference? I think there are many issues at play here, two of which are knowing the techniques for promotion and two, being able to apply them to an unwilling person. Up to blue belt I can understand just knowing the techniques, but beyond that in my opinion the point is to be able to apply them to an unwilling opponent. Another thing is that I don't get the 600 techniques that the Gracie Academy is talking about. I m...

I am admittedly a judo novice. Though I have practiced judo on and off for many years to supplement my self-defense training and more specifically my MCMAP and jiujitsu , I have only been a judo player for about a year, since I began preparing for and received my blue belt from Sensei Maurice Allan. I have noted, however, that within judo there are many styles, based on the backgrounds of the players involved and the teaching styles of their masters. Some of these styles include Greco -Roman and other types of wrestling, Sombo (a Russian derivation of judo), and Brazilian Jiujitsu ( BJJ ) (a Brazilian derivation of judo). Playing with other judoka I've noticed that BJJ players tend to be uncomfortable in the standing phase of the fight but very comfortable on the ground, particularly in the guard, though unfortunately sometimes to their own detriment. BJJ players tend to fall naturally into the guard when taken down and lose matches that way in judo tournaments. I...

In the previous Judo vs. Jiujitsu article I discussed some of the similarities and differences between Judo and Brazillian Jiujitsu (BJJ). I continue to ponder what makes them two separate, distinct arts, despite the similarities and history. What makes them different? In trying to discover this I thought about why it is that I study both and what it is that I enjoy and get out of them. I often see and growing distinction between BJJ and Gracie Jiujitsu, the Gracie brand of BJJ. Grand-Master Helio Gracie in particular distinguishes his jiujitsu as a means of self-defense and not a sport. BJJ has become more and more a sport, and more techniques are integrated regularly that have very little practicl self-defense applications, but are great for sport competition. I began the study of Gracie Jiujitsu for this reason, the emphasis on self-defense. I recall using, unsuccessfully, a sport jiuijtsu technique in training once, and promising myself to not go down that path again. S...

I received a black belt, in taekwondo, at the age of 17 after over 3 1/2 years of training, yet, I still had no confidence in my ability to defend myself, much less fight. I had some techniques and skill sets that gave me an advantage a few years later at the age of 20 when I joined the Marines and we practiced LINE training and had boxing matches. Yet, I still had little confidence in my ability to protect myself. I became a green belt Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor at 26 years old. A three week school, I began getting the first feelings of true confidence due to the rigorous training that went into learning how to fight. At 29 years old I was introduced to Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ). Within a few months I had far more confidence in myself than ever before up to that point. Years later again now at the age of 33 I have earned my brown belt in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). I have more confidence in myself now than ever before. As I look back I wonder to ymself wh...