Grappler’s Spotlight on US Combat Sports

 

I recently was contacted to be featured in the US Combat Sports “Grappler’s Spotlight.” I was happy to do it, and was asked what would I like to focus on for the interview. I decided to share my journey, particularly as it pertains to the difficulties of maintaining and progressing my training in such a geographically-challenging area of the country as the Midwest, especially at the time I began my training when there were few resources for Jiu-Jitsu instruction anywhere in the states, not to mention Kentucky! Here is a link to the article:

http://uscombatsports.com/index.php?option=com_flexicontent&view=items&cid=191&id=11248&Itemid=27

 

Knight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Hi Everyone,

I am posting this to direct you to my new website, KnightBJJ.com. I had this site created to serve better than a blog or facebook as a resource for more info about, among other things, how to schedule a seminar with me or communicate with me in other ways. I am interested in any feedback about the site you may have after visiting it, and hearing from you in general. Thanks for reading and I hope you like the site.

KnightBJJ.com

Faixa Preta

Since last posting anything I have been promoted to black belt. It has made me think about all those times I have searched out, either on the web or in person, other black belts to hear about their experience on this journey. Sometimes it was a pleasing find, hearing edifying words from respectable and eloquent documentarians on the trials and joys of their path to black belt. Other times I would find frustrating and annoyingly unappreciative individuals that acquired too cheaply and quickly their rank and have a superficial understanding of what I focus my energy and efforts on daily. But to each his own, and maturity comes with time in.

My path to reaching black belt (not that this is a destination by any means, because I am in this for life regardless of what hangs around my waist) is the product of 16 years of training. Sometimes difficult, sometimes taxing, all the time enlightening. Training for me has offered many things, most significant of which is a vehicle through which to understand the world. But what I want to share here is a belt-by-belt breakdown of my experience for reference to any BJJ pracitioners out there, so that they can look at it (mistakingly) thinking it may offer insight to what they can expect on their path. Did you catch that parenthetical “mistakingly?” Because every individual is so very different, each experience will be somewhat, if not dramatically, different from mine. But here it is anyway:

Blue Belt

The first belt after white in the system, for me was very dramatic. I already had a black belt in traditional jujitsu, so one might think getting my first rank wouldn’t be quite so significant. But the difference in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and anything else I had ever done had proven to me the amazing nature of this martial art, my home within the system, and effectiveness redoubled by Royce Gracie’s recent wins in the newly formed UFC at the time. This was in the late 1990′s and Helio Gracie would be the person to award me my blue belt, along with some of my training compatriots and best friends at the time, most of which would continue the journey with me for the next decade and a half.

Blue belt was exciting and eye-opening. The possibilities were endless and brand new techniques were all over the place, even as geographically-challenged as my friends and I were. We would drive all over the place when money would allow to see a BJJ teacher, whether he was black or brown or purple belt. Back then, purple belts were amazing to see, and very rare. We got to train under Royce several times at seminars before he eventually asked if we would be interested in becoming a Gracie Academy Training Association, since that is where he and Rorion were at the time together. And when a few years later, Royce began his own Network, we would be among the first of his affiliates.

Blue belt is truly the hardest belt to get rid of. You spend a great deal of time in this one. I did at least. Stripes were seldom, and many years went by in blue belt, with some years earning me a new stripe and others leaving me relegated to  my previous year’s rank. About 6 years I spent at this rank, but I was happy training and proud of every stitch of that belt. And it wasn’t as if anyone around me was passing me by, so I was content with training for training sake. Also, the geographical challenge and slow steady pace of my rank achievements led me to develop a deep understanding and appreciation for basics which I still impress upon my students to this day. Like Royce says, “If you don’t know the basics, you don’t know shit.” Blunt but accurate in so many ways.

Additionally, the chess game and all the metaphors were popping up constantly. Aside from the practicality and effectiveness of BJJ, the ability to see natural laws in action with substance and energy was springing up like a well inside me. This didn’t, and doesn’t necessarily for anyone, lead to tapping more guys out, but what it does for you in the long run on and off the mat is the most valuable resource you will ever acquire in training. Understanding something deeply gives you insight to the inner-workings of the universe I feel, and this is how jiu-jitsu spoke to me.

Purple Belt

Purple is a roller coaster. It was for me anyway. The early days as a purple belt came fast and furious and I realized soon why so many say it is one of the worst belts to have. At purple you don’t get an inch of slack from the brown and black belts as well as having blue belts after you to say they tapped a purple belt. I worked the hardest in this belt, and matured a lot.

The upside is that by the time most people hit purple, they have a firm foundation, and the creative juices really begin to flow. You begin to see possiblilities in each move, understand how to really transition more smoothly, and simply put, by this time you should start feeling more fluid. You may still get pulled into someone else’s game, and shaken a bit, but it is a gut check for your ego. I experienced a world of frustrations, and too many moments of pride; each of these emotional reactions were imaginary and fleeting in the grand scheme. Not many purples quit training, and it is because the innerworkings of jiu-jitsu start to reveal themselves and you see the art for what it truly is: infinite.

Brown

And then there is brown belt. Perhaps the best belt to have, as it carries nearly the prestige and respect as a black belt, with the other black belts giving you the pat on the back as a member into an elite club, and the lower ranks looking toward you as a sagacious veteran. These aspects are nice, but not nearly the main feature of this rank I enjoyed.

After a brief period of adjustment and relinquishment of that sturm and drang of the purple belt, I began to find a freedom at this point in my training. The flavor of this freedom was of the nature that allowed me to shuffle off the armor of ego and tension. The fear that comes with comparing oneself to one’s peers faded (not completely disappeared but faded), and I gave my self many new permissions. It is a wonderful feeling to give yourself permission. I’m talking about permission to make mistakes, to deviate from the prescriptive traditions of your teachers and predecessors, and permission to be great. Permission to feel afraid and not to buckle under the fear, and permission to appreciate your good points without being narcissistic. The effect this has on your training and practice and life in general is magical. With all transformative moments in life, it needs to be reigned in at times because it can be nothing short of an intoxicating feeling, and intoxicants can lead to wrecklessness. This may sound abstract or obscure, but when it happens maybe you will know what I mean.

Black Belt

I will take this moment to say that with every belt I got emotional. I cried when my partners and I got our blue belts that day from Helio, Rorion and Royce. I bawled when I got my purple, out of appreciation and exhaustion of Royce nearly killing me on the mat. I cried from the unexpected surprise of getting my brown belt from Royce. And black was no different except that maybe I cried a little harder. It was a rough year in many respects, and of course a long road to get to that day. And for it to be in such similar fashion as when my jiu-jitsu family and I all got our blue belts together, felt full circle.

I am not on the same path anymore. I have begun a new journey and the details of it reveal themselves to me each day. I am growing to be a better teacher and practitioner, and hopefully a better person through refinement of my art. I feel like this is the job of a black belt.

Humbled

I haven’t posted anything in a while on this blog. Mostly because I have been busy teaching every day, and today is no exception. I just finished a lesson with a 61-year-old Marine veteran. And I am truly humbled. Again!

The most exhausting thing about teaching and training to the degree I do isn’t the physical expenditure or even the mental – these are both extreme at times, but I can handle each much more than the emotional toll it takes on me. I try to give all I have emotionally to my students, and in the process I take on a lot of what they bring in with them emotionally, which is oftentimes a lot of negativity or pain in one form or another. To call it an honor to meet and train with and teach the people I get to is a gross understatement.

Whether it is my student with epilepsy who struggles daily in a battle with her own bodily control, or the autistic children who a few months ago could barely follow a 3-step verbal set of instructions, or the gentleman I just mentioned from this morning, I am humbled and privileged to see what real strength and fortitude is, when there are so many others in the world that fall victim to self-pity, whereas these folks who overcome so much. This veteran, who is twice my age with more holes in him from bullets than I care to mention, including in his head, arms, legs, abdomen, and all points in between, showed me the utmost respect upon meeting me. At his age and in his condition, to walk in the door and sign up is amazing to me! And it motivates me to be the best version of myself and to polish my understanding of the art so as to give him the best representation of what has affected my life so greatly. There is no doubt that what we do at Three Rivers Martial Arts is extraordinary and life-altering, but if ever there were question to it, it would quickly be extinguished by the evidence of our students’ accomplishments.

These are not things that they hand out trophies or medals for (though plenty of our students have those too), and these accomplishments are not things that are widely publicized (though Three Rivers has made quite a name for itself). Rather, the quiet achievements of the unsung champions of our academy scream a brilliant emotionally-charged primal scream that resonates through the universe and advances a shift in consciousness that is inextinguishable and unstoppable.

So today, like most days, I am humbled. I bow in completed deference to the wave I am riding, and I am proud and elated to even be associated with what is going on here! I will do my best today and pray it is received by as many as possible.

Peace.

Jiu-Jitsu Dream

I had the weirdest dream!

I dreamed that I along with some of my comrades from Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy were going to a seminar in Cleveland. Except Cleveland was in Tennessee for some reason, and for some other bizarre reason we were leaving in the middle of the night, around 2am. Like many of my dreams, it was storming, but this was an especially torrential downpour with thunder and lightning and very poor visibility on the trip to Cleveland…Tennessee.

We were going to see Royce Gracie, which is not unusual as he is our teacher, but the strange part is that he was also doing the seminar with Ryron Gracie, which because of a division  that happened some 10 years prior at the Gracie Academy seems very improbable that a joint seminar of these two individuals would ever take place. But, nothing completely unrealistic has happened thus far; only enough to prove to my subconscious that it was in fact a dream and not reality.

Then it got stranger. We show up to this seminar, and it is at an MMA school, but it is inside a shopping mall – like a store. It was such a vivid dream, in fact, that I can remember seeing a “DEB” store across the hall, and a video game store adjacent. Of the people attending the seminar, there was no discernible cohesive ranking structure. There were belts of every color and practitioners of every style – like a Van Damme movie or something. I began to realize at this point it was obviously a dream, as I began to hear R2D2 noises and saw Star Wars characters playing around in front of the video game store. To ensure that it was a dream, Royce finally walked in wearing a blue belt! What the hell?!

So the seminar went on, and Royce taught some techniques. Good information, but Ryron kept fading in and out of existence as happens with characters in dreams sometimes. Royce came over to me (with his blue belt on), and made a comment to me about my new Royce Gracie Network gi that I was wearing, which I had recently bought. Several others had the same gi, so I was unsure why he spoke only to me about mine until he asked why the stitching on mine was brown and not black like the others’. He then told me he was going to give me my black belt, but since it wouldn’t match my gi now I had to remain brown. Remember, dear reader, it was only a dream.

At the end of the seminar, Royce invited questions from the crowd, with off-the-wall responses from people like “Have you ever fought in a UFC?” and “Remember that time you caught that guy in an armlock” which would’ve been comical, had this not been a dream and been real-life. But the diatribe that followed was anything but comical, for dreams or reality or otherwise. Royce launches into a pontification about the recent generation of Gracies losing the way and spirit of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He goes on to completely contradict, almost verbatim, statements that Ryron and Rener Gracie had made about how the role of their generation was to disseminate the knowledge created and proven by prior generations. He said that the Gracie family members all had to fight and continue to prove the effectiveness of the art forever. This would’ve made a very uncomfortable and awkward situation, what with Ryron sitting right there, had this not been only a dream. Very awkward.

Craziness of the seminar over, we go eat our lunch inside a Panera bread restaurant, which was delicious, but apparently was being used for an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial that day. We discuss the awkwardness of the seminar and then hit the road to return home, where I can wake from my crazy dream at last. But the dream proved itself to continue as we stop for gas and the attendant informs us that the interstate is closed due to the flood. We go across the street to a hotel lobby and the most surreal image of the entire dream splashes across the screen of the lobby television: there, in living color, was a huge strip of rainbow-hued storm marking a perfect division between us (now in Manchester – not England, but still Tennessee) and our destination back home in Paducah. The way I knew this was still a dream, was by the perfect separation of us and home on the radar map, leaving both areas virtually untouched by the storm but forming a huge monstrous chasm between us. The whole country seemed to be divided in half diagonally.

So here I begin to see the symbolism: Home was Royce Gracie. He is where my jiu-jitsu has come from most my life, and the route from which I have learned the tradition of the art. Our current location symbolized, of course, the evolution of the practitioner, refined through conscious study of the art into not only a warrior, but one whose ambition was peace. We (in this dream) had taken a trip, and seen the pinnacle of what is possible to achieve from a full-circle study of the art. We began in peaceful conditions, road through the storm and into chaos, and came out on the other side, into an even more certain peace than which we had begun. This dream was epic and convoluted at times, but I see from having it that you truly never can go home again. I realized a while back the Zen aspect of jiu-jitsu, in the sense that it is like soap: first, you wash with the soap and then rinse the soap off. What then, is changed? I am. Not the soap. Not the jiu-jitsu.  Royce and Ryron may be two different generations, and the division in what they view their purpose is may be vast and unagreeable by both parties, but as long as I keep jiu-jitsu in my heart then my journey will continue through the use of the techniques. Sometimes the teacher is better off teaching the move, and the philosophy behind the move, and not the personal philosophy of himself.

I eventually woke from this dream, but not before the best and most revealing moment came to fruition. Standing in the hotel lobby with my dear friends, discussing the horrific images on the screen and what was to be our plan of action, we decide to let jiu-jitsu dictate what we would do next.

Jason: Jiu-jitsu says wait, and let the opponent exhaust some of his energy.

Eric: True. Can’t fight force with force.

Me: Yeah, but we can’t stay completely still. We are in the bad position, so jiu-jitsu says we make space.

We were all correct in our assessment of the situation, and it seemed at that time, and for much of the remainder of the dream, that we all symbolized different perspectives of the jiu-jitsu practitioner’s consciousness. That is the characters that appeared in the dream were there. Each type of energy and impulse and intellect was represented in this dream.

So visceral was this dream, and so impactful in its message to me, that I had wondered to this point was it possible that it had actually happened somehow? Was it indeed some somnambulism of mine, because it seemed as if anyone on the trip may have experienced it just as likely.

But today I woke up. In a haze, I rise from my bed, and head to my morning lesson, on my way out the door I grab my gi, complete with brown insignia stitching.

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Self Defense

Here we are having some fun in the academy. Jason Hawkins and I have been training together 16-17 years now.

Kids and Jiu-Jitsu: How Many Ways Can You Spell Jiu-Jitsu?!

As pleased as I was that the newspaper in town did an interview with me about Jiu-Jitsu, I was surprised to see the spelling that the writer chose to go with. Here is the article. Thanks to Michael de los Reyes for the interview and keeping pretty accurate with my answers (only paraphrasing mildly):

click to enlarge the article

So why “jujitsu” and not “jiu-jitsu?” Or why not one of the countless other ways of spelling it? And where did these permutations of the spelling come from? Here is a great explanation of it for those of you interested:

Modern understanding of the nuances of language translation has improved greatly since the first contact between English and Japanese speaking people. We now know that the accurate spelling of these characters are
Ju, and

Jutsu.
Not JIU and not JITSU.

That combination of kanji characters therefore makes the word: Jujutsu (jujutsu). That’s just a fact!

Now that we have clarified the spelling issue, we still have the problem of pronunciation. As I have said, there are variations in the sounds used in languages that often pose problems in trying to properly pronounce foreign words. Such is the case with the pronunciation of Jujutsu.

First, notice the macron (bar) over the “u” in “Ju”, indicating that it is not the typical English pronunciation of the vowel. Just as these symbols are used in a dictionary to clarify proper pronunciation, the macron is used here to indicate specifically how a native speaker of Japanese would pronounce the word for the particular kanji character.

In this case, the proper Japanese pronunciation is an elongated “u”, or more specifically, “u-u”, as if repeating the “u” a second time. You might say it is truly a “double-u” (w). Of course, it would make no sense to write it “Jw“, or even “Juu”, so it is written “J“, with the macron.

[Side Note: Based on its name, "double-u", and the shape of the character "w", one could logically assume that centuries ago, this "u-u" sound used in Japanese was the same exact pronunciation used for the English "w", but let's not get side-tracked.]

The closest approximation to the Japanese “u”, or “u-u”, would be the sound of the “oo”, as in “cool”. Unfortunately, many interpreted the “u” to be the same as the English pronunciation of a “long u”, resulting in a sound like the “u” in “unit”, making J rhyme with few, leading to jiu. (or it could be jew-jitsu, the Hebrew martial art.) but as we now know, that’s just wrong.

The second kanji character has been determined to have the spelling (and pronunciation) of “Jutsu”. Notice there is no macron over this “u”, so it does not carry the same sound as the “u” in “Ju”. As we have seen (or heard), the double “u” is longer than our “u”, but, the single “u” is actually shorter (that is, more abrupt) than ours. We would typically pronounce the “u” in a word like this as the “u” in “cut”, but this sound is much too gutteral for the correct Japanese pronunciation, and should be closer to the “u” in “put.” However, the short Japanese “u” is very abrupt, making it sound almost like an “i”, as in “hit”. That is where we got “Jitsu”.

That is an excerpt taken from AllJujitsu.com. Basically, the explanation of why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is spelled this way is due to the most common spelling of the word around the early 20th century. And why is it that I always capitalize each “J” in the word? Because it is that important to me. It is like capitalizing “God.”
Hope you enjoy the article.

Now go train!

Jiu-Jitsu Videos and More at Three Rivers YouTube Channel

This is an example of the videos posted at Three Rivers Martial Arts Academy YouTube channel. You can see me, Jason Hawkins, Jared Jessup, Brad Lynn, Derik Perry and all our other instructors and many students training, teaching and more. Check it out and come back to my blog often for updates.

Three Rivers YouTube Channel

Eddie Bravo and Marcelo Garcia Virtual Jiu-Jitsu

Happy Holidays to everyone!

It has been a while since I posted, so I would like to update you on some stuff:

Firstly, my first-ever Charity Workshop event went great! The generosity everyone showed by coming to it, training, and giving extraordinary amounts was heart-warming! We collected tons of food, clothes, toys and cash. The donations were distributed like this:

• Food went to Family Service Society

• Clothes went to The Salvation Army and Goodwill

• Toys also went to The Salvation Army and Goodwill

• Cash was evenly split between The American Red Cross and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

Thanks again to everyone who participated and donated!

Now, on to Jiu-Jitsu! I posted a little while back about the new 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu site, and the updates to that site have been great, so far. Technique-wise, it is one of my favorites to visit for cool new tricks. Here is the link to the site 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, and here is a video for a sample of the system Eddie professes:

An even more exciting site that has launched since last I posted anything is the brainchild endeavor of Marcelo Garcia and Josh Waitzkin. If you don’t know who Josh Waitzkin is, read about him! Talk about an amazing guy! You remember that movie “Searching for Bobby Fisher,” about that kid who was a chess prodigy? Josh is that kid, all grown up now, and has since become a chess world champion, Tai Chi push-hands world champion, and now a brown belt in BJJ under Marcelihno! He came up with the idea to make an interactive BJJ learning tool website based around Marcelo. Here is how they describe the site:

• Nightly access to Marcelo Garcia’s classes and sparring sessions in his brand new NYC Academy.

• Watch Marcelo teach, roll, and break down his BJJ philosophy just like you were in the school.

• A growing database of Beginner and Advanced techniques all categorized to allow for customized study based on your level and repertoire.

• An innovative navigational system, drawing technology from elite chess training, that will allow you to search for submissions, sweeps, escapes, transitions, competitive principles, all the while weaving back and forth between lessons and rolling footage.

• Watch Marcelo teach a technique you like—you are one click away from seeing all the examples of him applying that technique while rolling.

• Watch Marcelo slap in a crazy submission while sparring—one button and you can see him teach that lesson in class.

• If there is a technique you have seen in the rolling footage that is not taught in a lesson yet, send in a request and we will ask Marcelo to break it down.

Now, the site is a little pricey, in the range of $25 a month. I suspect it is worth it, but I can’t bring myself to pay that right now, because it is not where my head is in my training. But I do think it is pretty genius, so here is the link to the site MGinAction.com. And if you don’t know much about Marcelo…well, you are probably not reading a BJJ blog if you don’t know much about Marcelo…but anyway, he is multiple BJJ champion in Gi and No Gi Mundials, Abu Dhabi multiple champion, and probably owns any other highly-coveted BJJ title you can imagine. Here is a highlight video of him for your viewing pleasure, also followed by him vs Xande Ribeiro (whom is regarded by many to be the most technical BJJ competitor out there). I had to include the second one, because it is so beautiful that I thought I would cry…seriously:

Insane Marcelo Highlight:

Marcelo vs. Xande

Lastly, and something I will promote more in the near future but thought worth mentioning already, is the IQ Athletics website. My BFAM (brother from another mother) Jared Jessup has a business called IQ Athletics that deals in not only Jiu-Jitsu, but kettlebells, personal training, and other fitness/wellness endeavors. Jared is a brown belt under Royce Gracie, and an awesome Jiu-Jitsu man and teacher. His site is up here at  IQAthletics.com, and will be updated more soon. On it you will be able to find contact information for Jared, find out about his services, and see other resources as well.

Here’s looking forward to an exciting new year coming up, and I will tell you my resolution in the next post!

Peace!!!

Free Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Workshop!!!

Below you will see the poster for my upcoming, Free Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Workshop. It has all the information you need to find out how to attend. However, please read below the poster, as I have a couple thoughts to share with ya. Thanks.

Free Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Workshop!!!

I have been working on ways in which I, and my Three Rivers Martial Arts family, can give back to the community that has made us what we are. Beyond that, I have been trying to come up with as many ways, qualitatively and quantitatively, to give back to the community on a global scale. This is a simple and complicated task.

The easy part is doing: Give to charities, spread joy and kindness, harm no one, live the Golden Rule in everything you do.

The hard part is the direction and organization: How do you make compassion contagious? How exactly do you get others involved? I found what may be the most perfect answer at the most perfect time for me. I came across a TEDTalk (which are always awesome and you should check out by clicking here if you’ve never seen these before), by a woman named Karen Armstrong. She came up with an idea/initiative called The Charter for Compassion. I checked out her lecture, was blown away; checked out some videos on the topic, was amazed; and read the Charter on the site devoted to it, and was overwhelmed! This Charter has some meat to it. It is not an empty, vacuous set of ideas floating with no direction and saying “Hey guys, can you please be nice to each other if you get around to it?” No, rather, this is a mandate of sorts, it seems to me, stating that if we cannot spread compassion, and disseminate the true nature of what it means to be compassionate, then we are headed for misery and downfall.

I will explain another time what the hell Jiu-Jitsu has to do with Compassion, if you don’t already understand, but for now it is just simply my vehicle to promote awareness and get people involved with the charitable principles of compassionate awareness. Like Edmund Bourne said:

“Despite our differences, we are all in this together. No act of kindness or compassion goes unnoticed. To change the world, take compassionate action within your immediate sphere of influence. To change yourself, start by being still and making time just to listen.”

So it is in that vein, that I invite you all out to my workshop, where I will show you some of the best Jiu-Jitsu that I can, get you excited about learning such an incredible system, and hopefully (my greatest intention) create an atmosphere that breeds so much compassion that it is palpable. Bring what you can: food(canned, packaged, not highly-perishable), clothing, toys, and of course cash. Every bit of it will go to local charitable organizations and help out families and individuals in need.

If, you don’t have anything to give when you show up, I will not turn you away. You can participate in the workshop for the admission price of one promise. You must make me a promise that you will, on that day, affirm the Charter for Compassion on the charterforcompassion.org website, and also that you will do some compassionate, selfless, altruistic act of kindness. That is all. But you have to mean it.

Thank you, Dear Reader. Now, go do your practice!