As I said in my very first post, this space is a forum for me to use to keep everyone updated on everything that is going on with the academy as well as an exploration of my own personal journey in Jiu-jitsu. This entry will serve as both.
It has been almost four years ago that this little Jiu-jitsu academy in Denver, NC got its start. If I’m being honest, I was a little reluctant in the beginning to even pursue the idea. I was a fairly new brown belt at the time, and was very focused on my own training. When I was first approached about starting a Jiu-jitsu program at what was at the time a Tae Kwon Do academy, I rejected the idea. I didn’t want to take time away from my own training to teach, and I had so many other things going on that I couldn’t commit much time to the program. However, upon the request of Luis Togno (my instructor at the time), I reluctantly agreed to start an affiliate club on a part time basis. I was teaching classes one night per week, which was all the time that I could commit to at the time. After a chance meeting in a Wal-Mart parking lot, I became friends with Luke Amos, who was a Jiu-jitsu purple belt new to the area. We began training together some, & eventually, he began to help teach at the academy & we began running Jiu-jitsu classes for adults twice a week.
A lot has changed since then. My instructor tragically & unexpectedly passed away. As painful as it was, it led me to begin training regularly with my new instructor Steve Hall & the Fight to Win team. Changing teams wasn’t easy, but it has definitely led to major growth in my Jiu-jitsu. The academy became a Fight to Win affiliate & slowly continued to grow. I saw the opportunity to expand the program and did so. We added a kids program, and started to slowly add more classes. I started to realize the vision of turning this small part time operation into a full time Jiu-jitsu academy. In August, of 2013, I officially took over all of the business operations & became the sole owner. Then, on December 9, 2013, I finally achieved the goal of obtaining my black belt in Jiu-jitsu under Royce Gracie & Steve Hall. This was a major accomplishment for me personally and for the academy, as we became the first Jiu-jitsu academy in the Denver area with a black belt instructor at the helm. My vision for the academy was always to start small & grow slowly. As the team has grown, my passion for running the academy has grown along with it. I have been very excited to see where it has come in just a few short years.
Now, we have reached another major milestone. As I announced at our Spring Seminar this past weekend, we are moving to a new, bigger, & better location. Work is being done now to get the new spot ready, & I am hoping that we will be moved in & running classes there by the beginning of June. We will have more mat space so that we have room to grow as the team continues to expand. There will also be some schedule changes coming up as well so stay tuned for that. I am very excited about the new place & all the possibilities that it holds for the future of the academy.
And now, for some more big news that will have a major impact on me personally as well as on the team. One of the things that I have learned in my years of training is that you can't do a technique halfway & expect it to work. In order to properly execute a takedown, sweep, or submission, you have to go after it with 100% full commitment, and you must have confidence that it is going to succeed. If you hesitate because you don't believe in the move or are too worried about the consequences if it fails, you are almost guaranteed that it will. I feel that the same is true with running the academy. In order to make it succeed, I have to commit to it 100% & believe in its success. It is with this in mind that my family and I have made the decision that I will soon be stepping away from my full-time job as a law enforcement officer in order to teach Jiu-jitsu full-time. This is obviously a huge move for me personally, and while it is a little bit nerve-racking to make such a major change, it is more of a feeling of excitement than one of apprehension. I believe in myself & my team, and I truly see a huge potential for the future of the academy.
My plan is to be running the Jiu-jitsu school on a full-time basis by the time we move into the new facility. This will mean big things for the school, including more opportunities to train as we will now be adding daytime classes to the schedule.
I'm sure that there will be some growing pains along the way, but I am very excited for the future. I am completely committed to making this successful. I hope that all of my students & training partners are just as committed to continuing their growth and development in Jiu-jitsu. Together, we will all help to keep the team moving forward.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Sunday, March 2, 2014
There is an "I" in Team....and it's You!
One thing that's certain about practicing Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is that we're all in it together. One of the very unique aspects about our art that differentiates it from other sports & even many other martial arts is that you can't do it by yourself. Sure, there are certain drills that you can practice on your own, but most of what we do requires a partner. The beauty of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu training, and what separates it from many other martial arts, is the "aliveness" of the training-the fluid interaction between training partners during live sparring or "rolling". This is what helps us to develop the timing, sensitivity, and reaction that are essential for mastering the art. Therefore, it goes without saying that if you want to excel at Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, you must have good training partners.
There are basically three types of training partners that everyone needs in order to maximize their success. First & foremost, you need those who have more time on the mat, more experience, and more technical expertise than yourself. These are your resources for developing your Jiu-jitsu to a higher level. They push you in live sparring, showing you the weaknesses & holes in your game. They are the people that you look up to & try to mirror your game around. You feed on their experience to help your development. In sparring, these people can be a nightmare for you, especially when you're already tired. You know that you will likely spend most of your time sharpening your defenses as they are the proverbial hammer to your nail. You will probably tap a lot. But each time you tap, you will be learning. This person may be your instructor, or simply one of the upper belts in the class. In either case, don't avoid training with them. Seek them out & take advantage of them. They are an invaluable resource! This is even more important if you are one of the upper belts in the class. As you grow & get better, it becomes harder & harder to find those who really push you. Seek out those who are technically superior to you & grow from their experience!
Secondly, you need those training partners who are at your level. These are the people that you match up well with in sparring for good, back & forth matches. Sometimes you catch them, sometimes, they catch you. You both push each other forward. With this person, you have the freedom to open up your game a little more, always being aware however, that if you make a mistake or leave a big opening, you will probably pay for it! These are the training partners that help you to clean up your fundamental techniques & develop your "go-to" game.
Finally, you need those who are below your technical level. Often, these are the ones that are overlooked by the upper belts. Sometimes, the more experienced students will avoid the newer students or view training with them as a waste of their time. They may even develop the attitude that they are doing the person a favor by training with them. I believe that this is the wrong attitude. Even very experienced students can gain from training with those below their level. With this person, you have the freedom to experiment & "play" Jiu-jitsu. You don't worry too much about getting yourself into a bad spot, because your experience will help you to defend & get out of trouble if you make a mistake. So this is your chance to fine-tune newer techniques & practice those positions where you aren't as comfortable. Whenever I'm trying to learn a new technique, I always try to apply it in live situations on the lower belts first, then work my way up to sharpen the technique & timing.
The advantage of training in the academy is that typically, all of these types of training partners are readily available to you. In addition, at each level, there are people of various sizes and varying levels of physical attributes (strength, flexibility, endurance, etc.). Each of these adds a unique element to your training. So, the bottom line is this:
EVERYONE IN THE ACADEMY IS ESSENTIAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENTIRE TEAM!
The academy isn't defined simply by who the instructor is, or the physical structure of the building. More importantly, it is the interaction among the people who share the mat together on a regular basis & strive to learn from each other. It is the collective experiences of those who are training together & the shared relationships developed that is what makes the academy so special. So, whether you are the newest white belt, or the most experienced black belt, you are essential to the team. It is the newer students responsibility to take advantage of the upper belts experience. It is the upper belts responsibility to help develop these newer students into training partners that will push them in the future. So, the most important thing that you can do is to show up to train. Develop yourself & in turn help the entire team grow. See you on the mat!
There are basically three types of training partners that everyone needs in order to maximize their success. First & foremost, you need those who have more time on the mat, more experience, and more technical expertise than yourself. These are your resources for developing your Jiu-jitsu to a higher level. They push you in live sparring, showing you the weaknesses & holes in your game. They are the people that you look up to & try to mirror your game around. You feed on their experience to help your development. In sparring, these people can be a nightmare for you, especially when you're already tired. You know that you will likely spend most of your time sharpening your defenses as they are the proverbial hammer to your nail. You will probably tap a lot. But each time you tap, you will be learning. This person may be your instructor, or simply one of the upper belts in the class. In either case, don't avoid training with them. Seek them out & take advantage of them. They are an invaluable resource! This is even more important if you are one of the upper belts in the class. As you grow & get better, it becomes harder & harder to find those who really push you. Seek out those who are technically superior to you & grow from their experience!
Secondly, you need those training partners who are at your level. These are the people that you match up well with in sparring for good, back & forth matches. Sometimes you catch them, sometimes, they catch you. You both push each other forward. With this person, you have the freedom to open up your game a little more, always being aware however, that if you make a mistake or leave a big opening, you will probably pay for it! These are the training partners that help you to clean up your fundamental techniques & develop your "go-to" game.
Finally, you need those who are below your technical level. Often, these are the ones that are overlooked by the upper belts. Sometimes, the more experienced students will avoid the newer students or view training with them as a waste of their time. They may even develop the attitude that they are doing the person a favor by training with them. I believe that this is the wrong attitude. Even very experienced students can gain from training with those below their level. With this person, you have the freedom to experiment & "play" Jiu-jitsu. You don't worry too much about getting yourself into a bad spot, because your experience will help you to defend & get out of trouble if you make a mistake. So this is your chance to fine-tune newer techniques & practice those positions where you aren't as comfortable. Whenever I'm trying to learn a new technique, I always try to apply it in live situations on the lower belts first, then work my way up to sharpen the technique & timing.
The advantage of training in the academy is that typically, all of these types of training partners are readily available to you. In addition, at each level, there are people of various sizes and varying levels of physical attributes (strength, flexibility, endurance, etc.). Each of these adds a unique element to your training. So, the bottom line is this:
EVERYONE IN THE ACADEMY IS ESSENTIAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENTIRE TEAM!
The academy isn't defined simply by who the instructor is, or the physical structure of the building. More importantly, it is the interaction among the people who share the mat together on a regular basis & strive to learn from each other. It is the collective experiences of those who are training together & the shared relationships developed that is what makes the academy so special. So, whether you are the newest white belt, or the most experienced black belt, you are essential to the team. It is the newer students responsibility to take advantage of the upper belts experience. It is the upper belts responsibility to help develop these newer students into training partners that will push them in the future. So, the most important thing that you can do is to show up to train. Develop yourself & in turn help the entire team grow. See you on the mat!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)