Erik Paulson is an amazing person and martial artist. He was training with Rorion in 1986, a World Shooto Champion, Jeet Kune Do Instructor under Dan Inosanto, and Rigan Machado Black Belt. He is an mma coach for Josh Barnett and Brock Lesnar.
For anyone who has been in Jiu-Jitsu for more than a few years, you have encountered big egos and politics. He’s been around for a long time and Erik tells some interesting stories here.
Genki Sudo is a really unique competitor. The thing that everyone notices is that he isn’t afraid to fly! What I really appreciate is that he doesn’t hesitate. He makes a 100% commitment to whatever technique he is doing, whether its a flying triangle, a lateral drop, or an ankle lock.
If your technique lacks confidence and commitment, watch a lot of Genki Sudo.
By the way, I found this youtube video of Genki Sudo on a blog I just found, www.bjjtips.com.
For those of you who don’t know, there is a tradition in some bjj schools where students that get their next belt will get whipped in the back by all the other students.
I’m not a fan of this tradition and I we don’t do it at my school. The pain starts at about :50 seconds.
The only thing I like about this tradition is that you’re denying the comfort of the body. I think our modern life puts so much emphasis on comfort and convenience that when we occasionally choose the tough and painful decision, it reduces our slavery to our moods and physical comfort.
Continue reading The Gauntlet / Belt Whipping Ceremony →
Students often ask me what is the best conditioning for bjj. My first answer: bjj! You will continue to develop technique as well as your conditioning, whereas if you went jogging, there is no technical benefit.
Doing more bjj isn’t always possible. You may not be able to make it to the school to train or you may be injured. You can run, but you won’t be moving the way you need to in bjj. You can lift weights (which I recommend), but you will never use those movements to escape of attack when you’re on the ground. Continue reading What is Ginastica Natural? →
In Abu Dhabi children in grade school are learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from black belts. From www.emiratesjiujitsu.com, Abu Dhabi is expanding their program:
“Children aged nine to 11 will be taught jiu jitsu in their physical education classes in 42 government schools this year. Eighty-one coaches have been brought in from Brazil to serve as instructors.
They have several purposes in doing this.
“The competitive element is important, but is balanced by sportsmanship and fair play,” said spokesman Carlos Santos, the head coach of the Emirates Jiu Jitsu Team and the man behind the school program. “One of the main things that students learn is to respect their opponents and to win and lose graciously. These virtues will make students better and productive citizens of the future.
“In the long term, we want to identify talented students who will be groomed to become national and international champions. We are already planning to set up venues in each education zone and to run classes out of school hours for talented students.”
“In five years time I hope to have jiu jitsu in every school in Abu Dhabi,” Mr Santos said. “We want to create a world champion UAE national team and the best way is to start teaching children when they are young.”
“The main plan for the future is for Abu Dhabi to become the capital of jiu jitsu for the world,” Mr Santos said. “We want all the players of the world to come to Abu Dhabi to play jiu jitsu and improve jiu jitsu. If you don’t have competition from players from across the world, you won’t have a successful national team. You need both.
“Eventually we plan to have world headquarters in Abu Dhabi and create a university of jiu jitsu.”
What would your life be like if you had started BJJ as a grade schooler?
This is a Gracie Magazine post with some good advice, some bad advice (my opinion), and some hilarious advice.
My favorites are #’s 29, 33. 43, 61, and 81. Enjoy 
Feel free to comment below your favorites.
http://www.graciemag.com/en/2010/08/100-things-you-should-do-before-reaching-black-belt/
If I had to choose one type of training, it would be rolling with a black belt. And it is a specific kind of rolling. Continue reading What’s The Best Type Of BJJ Training? Part 2 →
If you could create the optimum training experience, what would it be like? Would you roll all the time? How much of the time would you spend repping techniques?
I will list several different training methods and list their benefits and weaknesses:
Continue reading What’s The Best Type Of BJJ Training? →
I have noticed over several years of teaching that some students progress faster than others. This can be a blessing or a curse… some of the students that progress very fast get used to the exhilaration of learning fast and inevitable, the learning curve slows down. When this happens, they often lose interest and stop training.
Continue reading How To Keep Improving Your BJJ →
