Links
Oct
20
Transition, Position, Submission
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
The other day I was watching an old Abu Dhabi DVD with Jean Jacques Machado in it. The guy is flawless. It got me thinking about, what I think, the three keys to jiu-jitsu are: transition, position, and submission—in that order. You start standing or from any position; you transition to the ground; you get [...]
Oct
19
The Cobra and the Anaconda
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
. . . I like to choke people. I’d much rather choke someone than knock them out. I know there are people that feel the exact opposite of this, but to-each-his-own. I was talking to a student (Miles Vigil) at West Side about the difference between knocking someone out and choking someone out and I [...]
Oct
16
Jiu-Jitsu Daydreams
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Last night I was talking with a partner of mine about jiu-jitsu and how it basically is always there. It’s kind of like your invisible friend. Sometimes I’ll be in a meeting or my wife will be talking to me and I’m daydreaming, not about the things I used to daydream about like super powers [...]
Oct
15
Victory and the Cauliflower Ear
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
I’m a fan of the cauliflower ear. I don’t think they should be drained, but seeing as I have never had one; it’s quite possible that I would change my mind if I did. That being said, I think the cauliflower ear is a symbol; it’s a sign to other people that the wearer has [...]
Oct
14
People complain too much in jiu-jitsu. The art has grown so much that there are factions that have developed based on styles, what techniques should and shouldn’t be used, whether to go for points or submissions. There are all kinds of theories and ideologies when it comes to jiu-jitsu. The thing that bothers me is [...]
Oct
13
No Tattoos
Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment
I think my next tattoo will be a facial tattoo, like this one Some people don’t realize that I’m a teacher. Yes, I teach jiu-jitsu, but I also teach High School English—15 years. When I tell people I teach English they’re usually surprised and it’s probably because I’m a 300 lb. black man with tattoos [...]
Oct
13
The Ginga’ Ninja and the Grapple Sock
Filed Under Uncategorized | 4 Comments
While refereeing at The West Side vs. Foley’s tourney last Saturday, I witnessed the most hideous display of grappling foot wear that I have ever seen. They’re called grappling socks. They look like dress socks with built in toes and little rubber dots on the bottom for traction. I feel that these socks are an [...]
Oct
12
My school, West Side Academy, competed in “The Skull Tournament” this past weekend and we did very well–we won. The tournament is an idea I had a couple years ago to compete in a submission-grappling tournament against a MMA/jiu-jitsu school in our town owned by one of my good friends, Dave Foley. I had been [...]
Oct
9
The Lotus Society
Filed Under Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory, Philosophy, and Technique | Leave a Comment
There was a time in Japan when the samurai were out of favor and the martial arts as well as the sword were looked down upon. Thousands of years of martial knowledge as well as sword making were on the verge of being wiped out. The arts and the swords survived thanks to a small [...]
Oct
8
Hip-Tossing “Rivals” and Self-Control
Filed Under Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Theory, Philosophy, and Technique | 1 Comment
. . . A student of mine, who is training to be a firefighter and currently works as a bouncer in a local bar, has had a couple of run-ins with guys from a “rival” gym (I use the word “rival” only because that gym dislikes us, and we are indifferent towards them). My student [...]
