Yesterday I attended Boulder Grappling Academy’s seminar featuring Relson Gracie. This was my first time meeting and learning from Relson. It was a great experience – I left feeling very excited about upcoming classes.

The school was packed and the event brought students from as far as Castle Rock, Colorado (which is about an hour and half from Boulder, depending on traffic). It’s great to see the attention it brought to the dojo.

The content of the seminar was interesting and pertinent. I learned new techniques and improved on some techniques I already knew. I enjoyed Relson’s teaching style – he added (often funny) comments and insights as he discussed details about techniques which are often overlooked or executed incorrectly.

In addition to learning techniques, one of my favorite parts of the experience was hearing Relson discuss some of the wider aspects and contexts of specific Jiu Jitsu techniques. It was insightful to hear his take on the effectiveness (and ineffectiveness) of some techniques gaining in popularity in the martial art.

I was also struck by Relson’s down-to-earth, friendly, and approachable personality. He is a living legend, on the same level as Muhammad Ali or Larry Bird, yet as friendly as approachable as your next door neighbor. It was obvious to me he was glad to be there, to teach, and to meet and talk with the students.

If Relson is holds a seminar near you I definitely recommend checking it out.

pic credit(s): http://relsongracie.com/gallery/view/id_6/field_/title_Relson-Gracie-Pose/

Twitter And Jiu Jitsu Kit

Some time ago I set up a Twitter account for this blog, @jiujitsukit, and I’m having a hard time finding a meaningful use for it. I don’t want it to merely be an RSS of the blog. I wanted to ask my readers: do you have ideas for what you’d like to see it used for?

Upcoming Product Reviews

I plan on reviewing two products soon: Atama Rip Stop Pants and a Kaizen Rash guard. I will not be reviewing my new Atama gi for reasons I’ll explain in the pants review.

Upcoming Redesign

Lastly, I am excited about a slight redesign I’ll be doing for Jiu Jitsu Kit. I am going to be emphasizing the Lijit search wijit for searching, rather than the search that comes with Wordpress, although it will still be available. Lijit gives more context to the search results; it is like blog search on steriods.  And in fairness to full disclosure, they are also my employer.

Yesterday I was forwarded this great video demonstrating Gracie Jiu Jitsu with Rickson and Royler Gracie. I don’t know the context of the video or where it is from, although the announcers reference Pride Fighting Championships. It demonstrates some Gracie self defense techniques followed by sparring.

I like this video for showing what clean, expert Jiu Jitsu looks like to novices and experienced practitioners alike.

Thanks Brad!

Tying a belt is something we all do as Jiu Jitsu folk; personally, I know it is something I could do better. While it is inevitable that your belt will come undone with enough time when rolling proper technique may help it keep tight a little longer.

Below are some of the more helpful or interesting videos I have found one how to tie a belt.

First, my overall favorite:

I love this second video. Very clear instruction and very helpful:

This is a good video with some good basic info. It could be zoomed in a little more but it still good to learn from.

Lastly, a video from the man himself, Relson Gracie. Since I am with a Relson Gracie affiliated school I couldn’t let this one slip by.

While Jiu Jitsu Kit is a Jiu Jitsu centered blog, I don’t think all my visitors will be familiar with the sport and martial art. That’s why I put together this post. It is a guide to acquaint those who don’t know what “rolling” is or what the term “gi” means. It is also meant to be passed to friends, family, girlfriends, boyfriends, wives and husbands who have no idea what Jiu Jitsu is about.

If you have ideas for updates or additions please let me know. I’ll update as corrections or suggestions roll in.

Jujutsu

Jiu Jitsu finds its roots in Jujutsu, a martial art which originates from Fuedal Japan, and means “art of softness.” Jujutsu evolved among Japan’s samurai and was a martial art to help a person survive when they have no weapons in combat. Judo evolved from Jujutsu.

Jiu Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – which I normally refer to as just “Jiu Jitsu” – evolved from Judo after Mitsuyo Maeda brought the sport and martial art to Brazil in 1914. “Jiu Jitsu” and “Jujutsu” can refer to the same thing (the Japanese martial art), but in the context of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and grappling, Jiu Jitsu is the body of techniques and knowledge, primarily originating from Brazil, that tend to focus more on grappling and ground fighting.

Ground Fighting

“Ground fighting” refers to fighting or hand-to-hand combat on the ground – unlike most other martial arts, which focus on stand up fighting. Jiu Jitsu, obviously, tends to focus on ground self-defense. Examples of martial arts that focus on stand-up fighting include Kung Fu, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido, and boxing.

Gi / Kimono

A “gi” or “kimono” (the term is often interchangable and referes to the same garment) is the traditional clothing people wear when practicing Jiu Jitsu, although some practictioners/schools do not use or wear gis. Judo and karate practitioners also wear gis but sometimes the cuts or measurements are different.

Belt

Many martial arts have belts. In Jiu Jitsu, belt rank may sometimes vary per school or tradition, but usually the belts are the following, in order from beginner to advanced: white, blue, purple, brown, black, black-red, and red. Red belts are exceptionally rare – last I heard there are only five red belts in the United States.

Professor

“Professor” in Portuguese means “teacher” is typically refers to a black belt instructor in most schools or traditions of Jiu Jitsu.

Rolling

Is “sparring” in Jiu Jitsu and may refer to an “educational” fighting session. “Rolling” can be “full speed”, but sometimes people roll at a slower pace to practice and focus on learning techniques.

Tapping

“Tapping” or “to tap” is the physical or verbal act of tapping your opponent when he or she has you in a hold or position that, if held, will break a limb, have you pass out if he or she holds it, or is extremely uncomfortable, and/or otherwise cannot be maintained. This communicates that the he or she has “won” the match or rolling session. Both the opponent or ground can be tapped. At my school, to verbally tap one says “tap” out loud.

Arm bar

Is a hold and advantageous position in Jiu Jitsu. In an arm bar, the person who is performing the arm bar is attempting to extend the elbow joint beyond 180 degrees. Obviously, if the hold is intensified, the elbow will break. A competitor wants to get an arm bar so his or her opponent will tap. There are many holds in Jiu Jitsu.

Leg bar

Is another hold and advantageous position in Jiu Jitsu. In an leg bar, the person who is performing the leg bar is attempting to extend the knee joint beyond 90 degrees. Obviously, if the hold is intensified, the knee will break. A competitor wants to get an leg bar so his or her opponent will tap.

MMA

Is “mixed martial arts” and although there might be no direct relationship between Jiu Jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, most competitors who compete in MMA will train in Jiu Jitsu to better equip themselves for dominating the ground portion of their bouts. Most MMA fights, when they go the ground, will see the application of Jiu Jitsu.

Wikipedia was consulted when writing this post.

Update (7/6/9): Edited belt entry. Thanks Caleb!

Update (8/30/9): Edited arm bar entry. Thanks Georgette!

pic credit(s): Via Flickr by San Diego Shooter at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathaninsandiego/2561704120/.

This Miscellania post has a theme – a “state of blog” sort of feel to it. It is also the first entry for July.

Jiu Jitsu Kit Continues To Grow

Jiu Jitsu Kit is growing -  and I have been a bit surprised by the amount of work it takes maintain this blog. I have more respect for publishers of content on the internet than I did before I started Jiu Jitsu Kit. It has been a great experience.

I have some interesting posts up my sleave and Jiu Jitsu Kit has finally  been approved by Google Adsense – which is great, because I hope that it will offset some of the costs of hosting the blog.

New Gi Soon, New Gi Review Soon

I am always pumped to write reviews on gear – especially gis, since it is often difficult find new, good gis that fit well. I will be grabbing a new gi or two soon, so keep your eyes peeled on upcoming reviews of them.

My gi reviews will be very detailed: it is my goal to close the gap for people between not knowing anything about a specific gi to being comfortable making an informed purchasing decision.

Comment System In The Works

I am considering adding a comment system, either Intense Debate or Disqus, to Jiu Jitsu Kit. Currently I am looking at Discus a little more seriously, but input and suggestions are always welcome.

I often visited Reddit.com, a site where readers “vote-up” links they like. Reddit often has interesting links and content and generally really enjoy it.

I was surprised today when I saw that a Judo-related animated gif was getting quite a few upvotes. Here it is – a throw by Gene Lebell:

img src=”http://jiujitsukit.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/35j9hmf.gif” alt=”Judo Trick” title=”Judo Trick” width=”294″ height=”219″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-847″ /

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The title of “trick” is a little odd – obviously it’s a throw. But the notion of “tricking” is pretty popular around the Internet. From Wikipedia:

Tricking (martial arts tricking) is the informal name of a relatively new underground alternative sport movement, combining martial arts, gymnastics, breakdancing and other activities to create an “aesthetic blend of flips, kicks, and twists.”

It has inspired entire sites to the topic such as Club540.

Call it a “trick” or a throw, it is still cool to see something like this get attention from a wider audience.

I plan on periodically posting miscellaneous updates, notes and observations. This is my first such entry.

Next Year I Am Going To The Jiu Jitsu World Championship

This week I had a discussion with a Jason – a Relson Gracie Colorado brown belt and the person who generously kept me updated how the academy was doing at this year’s Mundial – and it sounds like the Jiu Jitsu World Championships are a lot of fun. He mentioned he also learned quite a bit from watching the competition too – which makes sense, considering the level of talent competing.

So I decided next year I am am going. A crew from Relson Gracie Colorado goes every year. It is possible I may compete, too, depending on my progress and growth around the time leading up to the event.

MMA Competitors at Relson Gracie Colorado

Relson Gracie Colorado had an award ceremony this week where it was announced that some MMA competitors will be training at the facility. My impression is that they will be training mostly during the academy’s off hours,  although this may be inaccurate. They are both training for upcoming MMA fights.

I think its great to have this kind of talent around; I hope to gain insights and knowledge from them.

On Being “Injured”

Lastly, some venting. I recently crashed my bicycle, banging up my knee and shin, so I sat out a few days for my wounds to heal up to a point where I roll once again.

Talk about frustrating: it is one thing to be injured from an internal injury that would compel or require you not to roll – it is quite another when your injury is the result of a careless crash on your bike – and is literally “skin deep.”

pic credit(s): http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitaldanger/3526127854/