Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Diversity at its finest


Doctors, Auto Mechanics, Computer Programmers, Oil Drillers, Lawyers, Pipe Fitters, Sales People, Business Owners, Military Personal, Chefs, Men, Women, young, old, Jewish, Hispanics, Native Americans, Anglos, African Americans, Christian, Muslim, Catholic, Judaism, poor, middleclass, upper middleclass.

This is my Dojo, what a beautiful place it is.

All together for one common purpose, to learn the art and grow together as equals.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Good techniques executed on very handsome man ;-)

Being Enchanted by Side Control


It has been one year this month, that I have been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I remember the first day training at the gym. We did all these drills that made no sense to me. During sparing time I got mopped by everyone I was matched up against. I did go in with a little knowledge (not much); yea my bother and I were fans of UFC since UFC 3. My friend actually had the first two UFCs recorded on VHS(remember VHS?), and from that day we were hooked. We ordered all the other UFCs following until they temporarily ban them from pay-per-view. Anyway, we would record them and then afterward, watch them over and over again, practicing the moves that the little Brazilian, 170 pound guy in a white Gi would use to defeat dudes virtually twice his size-you know who he is. So I had that under my belt. Once, when I was in college I joined a local cage fighting gym for a couple of months. I was only permitted to train there twice a week, for I couldn't afford the full membership. So I had that under my belt as well. Then I go to this gym and see people wearing gis and different belt colors. I didn't know a blue belt from a purple, or what the belt levels were or what they meant. All I knew was a Black Belt was badass and a Brown Belt was close to badass. I went up against blues, whites with stripes and a purple. " Purple is a feminine color", I thought, " so this purple belt cant be that tough." Those are my vague memories of that day, but what stands out the clearest in my mind that day was being put in side control. I knew what the guard was, I new what mount was, but never knew what side control was. (It was called side mount on UFC, but I never really paid much attention to it, for from an outsiders perspective it looks like a weak control position.) Every belt color at the gym was putting me in it, and I couldn't get out of it to save my life. It wasn't the many submissions I was put in that intrigued me, but side control. From being put in that position over and over, no matter how strong I was when I joined that gym (I was bench pressing way more than any of my opponents I went up against weighed), I felt helpless. I knew this gym, and this new found art was something very special from that point on.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Cool Clip

What are you thinking?







When I wake I think...Jiu-Jitsu

When I shower I think...Jiu-Jitsu

When I brush my teeth I think...Jiu-Jitsu

When I drive to work I think...Jiu-Jitsu

When I work I think...Jiu-Jitsu

When I get off work I can't wait to go to Dojo to train...Jiu-Jitsu!

When I drive home I think... Jiu-jitsu

When I get home I get on my computer, I Youtube... Jiu-jitsu

When my wife talks to me about her day at work, I think...Jiu-Jitsu

When I blog, I blog... Jiu-Jitsu

When I'm done saying my bedtime prayers, I get into bed and think... Jiu-Jitsu

When I sleep I dream... Jiu-Jitsu

When I wake...it starts all over again