Everywhere there is Jiu-Jitsu, there is talk about injuries.
In Canada, the discussion will centre around doctor visits, and their advice; physiotherapy treatments and the like.
In the States, it is much more likely to involve fringe stuff, and "this guy I know," and far less around actual medicine. One year, when my neck got a bit hobbled up, I was advised to visit "this guy," who can work wonders with cupping. If you don't know, cupping is a damaging, painful, and useless procedure that was debunked and discarded by western medicine back in the early 1800s.
Just the other day at the Pedro Sauer seminar, before class there was a guy before sitting upright in a chair with his gi pulled down off one shoulder. Another guy was was having a look, and my brain said "physiotherapist," or just possibly, "chiropractor."
Nope. The guy started squeezing the patient's shoulder with one hand like a massage, while he kept his other hand far from the patient and rapidly wiggled and snapped his fingers. Was he drawing in energy from the universe, or shaking away bad voodoo? No idea, but it was clearly some form of hokum. Nobody paid it the slightest attention.
When I badly hurt my hand a few years ago, and later my knee, I went promptly to a doctor. It would never have occurred to me that a bit of cupping or a weird one-handed magical massage would be the answer. I don't think anybody I regularly train with at home would disagree.
I don't know what causes this difference between our two countries. Is it the cost of health care, or a some kind of distrust? Is it something to do with national character, or belief systems? Is it even a wide-spread phenomenon in the USA, or have I just stumbled on a few random instances?
It would be interesting to find some empirical data about attitudes regarding this kind of thing.
I am a 68 year old retired teacher living on the west coast of Canada. I spent over 30 years as a student of Karate until my knees stopped liking it. My current passionate activity is Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, which I've been at for about 13 years.
Thursday 16 March 2017
Tuesday 14 March 2017
Little Ponds
Here in Arizona I have run in to a few interesting personalities here in Arizona.
Let me first set the stage. I wear a Purple Belt with a cute little stripe on it. In our flavour of Jiu-Jitsu, that takes a minimum of about 4.5 years to earn, and in my case I have trained for a year more than that.
Three times this week I've run into other students who want to teach me something. It wasn't a case of, "let's learn this together," but rather, "I know this thing and I'm going to teach it to you."
One was a guy with an absolutely brand-new Brown Belt. A partner and I were rolling near him, and my buddy tried an omaplata. It was pretty good, but not tight, so I worked one of the official omaplata counters halfheartedly to make the move more difficult for him, but not impossible.
The new and highly-enthusiastic Brown Belt hurried over to show me this other, much better move that was his absolute favourite. I listened politely as he explained and then demonstrated a technique that is one of the official omaplata defences, that anybody who was doing the move that I was performing would also certainly know. Oh, well; it was his first day as a Brown Belt.
Also worked with a partner who also wanted to teach me lots of things, and to give me tons of little tips. He was a Blue Belt, with a stripe or two, meaning he has trained about 2 years less than me. It wasn't that he was spotting errors in what I was doing, but rather showing me extra techniques that had nothing to do with the lesson material that we were supposed to be working on. Interestingly, I already knew every one of the items he was so eager to bestow upon me. Why would a Blue Belt assume that he knows more than a Purple Belt? Does he do this with Brown Belts also, and with Black Belts.
He kept doing it through the entire lesson portion of the class.
When free-rolling time came, I expressed my displeasure by pressing him a bit more than I normally would. He didn't seem to like getting flipped and swept, and so pushed back with vigour, and strength. We had been warned that this would be an abnormally long, 14-minute roll. I kept pushing, but paced myself accordingly. Before the time was out, my partner was exhausted, and actually stopped moving altogether. I asked if he was OK, and he said that he was, but he still didn't move a muscle. I sank a few practice submissions on him, much like I would on a grappling dummy, and then the buzzer sounded. Never had a partner give up so completely during a role.
We were told to grab another partner for another go, but my friend said he had to get back to work, and left to get changed.
I had another Blue Belt training partner do much the same thing a couple of days earlier. He kept trying to play instructor on me, and he was an even lower rank than the other guy was. His Blue Belt didn't have any stripes at all. Granted, he seemed more knowledgeable than his belt implied. I'd say he should have a stripe or two, but he didn't.
In LA, this just doesn't happen. There are plenty of times when a student with a lower rank than me clearly knows the technique we're working on better than I do. When this happens, I solicit his or her knowledge, and they are always happy to help. However, they don't assume that they should be the teacher of somebody higher ranked without first being asked.
Maybe in these small-pond schools these guys are kind of a big deal, even though of low rank. When somebody new shows up on their turf, they think they still are.
It would be like having a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt drop by at our little academy up in Canada, and me trying to teach them stuff that any Brown Belt should already be expected to know.
That would be nuts.
Let me first set the stage. I wear a Purple Belt with a cute little stripe on it. In our flavour of Jiu-Jitsu, that takes a minimum of about 4.5 years to earn, and in my case I have trained for a year more than that.
Three times this week I've run into other students who want to teach me something. It wasn't a case of, "let's learn this together," but rather, "I know this thing and I'm going to teach it to you."
One was a guy with an absolutely brand-new Brown Belt. A partner and I were rolling near him, and my buddy tried an omaplata. It was pretty good, but not tight, so I worked one of the official omaplata counters halfheartedly to make the move more difficult for him, but not impossible.
The new and highly-enthusiastic Brown Belt hurried over to show me this other, much better move that was his absolute favourite. I listened politely as he explained and then demonstrated a technique that is one of the official omaplata defences, that anybody who was doing the move that I was performing would also certainly know. Oh, well; it was his first day as a Brown Belt.
Also worked with a partner who also wanted to teach me lots of things, and to give me tons of little tips. He was a Blue Belt, with a stripe or two, meaning he has trained about 2 years less than me. It wasn't that he was spotting errors in what I was doing, but rather showing me extra techniques that had nothing to do with the lesson material that we were supposed to be working on. Interestingly, I already knew every one of the items he was so eager to bestow upon me. Why would a Blue Belt assume that he knows more than a Purple Belt? Does he do this with Brown Belts also, and with Black Belts.
He kept doing it through the entire lesson portion of the class.
When free-rolling time came, I expressed my displeasure by pressing him a bit more than I normally would. He didn't seem to like getting flipped and swept, and so pushed back with vigour, and strength. We had been warned that this would be an abnormally long, 14-minute roll. I kept pushing, but paced myself accordingly. Before the time was out, my partner was exhausted, and actually stopped moving altogether. I asked if he was OK, and he said that he was, but he still didn't move a muscle. I sank a few practice submissions on him, much like I would on a grappling dummy, and then the buzzer sounded. Never had a partner give up so completely during a role.
We were told to grab another partner for another go, but my friend said he had to get back to work, and left to get changed.
I had another Blue Belt training partner do much the same thing a couple of days earlier. He kept trying to play instructor on me, and he was an even lower rank than the other guy was. His Blue Belt didn't have any stripes at all. Granted, he seemed more knowledgeable than his belt implied. I'd say he should have a stripe or two, but he didn't.
In LA, this just doesn't happen. There are plenty of times when a student with a lower rank than me clearly knows the technique we're working on better than I do. When this happens, I solicit his or her knowledge, and they are always happy to help. However, they don't assume that they should be the teacher of somebody higher ranked without first being asked.
Maybe in these small-pond schools these guys are kind of a big deal, even though of low rank. When somebody new shows up on their turf, they think they still are.
It would be like having a Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt drop by at our little academy up in Canada, and me trying to teach them stuff that any Brown Belt should already be expected to know.
That would be nuts.
Womens' Wear
Back home on the west coast of Canada, I rarely think about what the female Jiu-Jitsu people are wearing. That is because it is pretty much exactly what the male folks wear, and worn in exactly the same way.
In LA, for my last 3 yearly visits the situation was pretty much exactly the same as at home.
The only noticeable difference is that both at home and in LA the women were classier than the guys in one particular aspect.
Gi pants these days are almost all low-rise, which means that a lot of underpants get shown off to the world, at least by the guys. Absolutely all of the women either wear higher-rise style pants, or wear a rashguard that is tucked in properly to cover things when the gi jacket gets out of whack, which it always does.
I have seen hundreds of mens' underpants displayed on the mat, but never, ever those of any woman, until this year.
In LA 2017, a large percentage of the women are wearing the low-risers, and without having a rashguard tucked in. The result; underpants on display.
With the men, this has meant bright colours, and sometimes a print, and often a manufacturer's name in big letters. With the women it was mostly solid black, but on one occasion that sticks in my mind it was a print of little bunnies.
In Arizona, I haven't noticed this trend, as until this year I there have never been any women on the mat to train with. This year there are lots.
I haven't noticed the underpants thing, but they have a very distinctive style of wearing their Jiu-Jitsu uniforms that I've not run into anywhere before.
Gi jackets tend to gape open at the neck, sometimes to the waist. Men don't seem to worry about this, but always straighten things up when the opportunity occurs. Women, in my experience, have always been more concerned about the gap displayed, and take even more care about avoiding it.
The Arizona ladies do not. They have embraced the gap. Most wear smaller jacket sizes so that their uniform is never fully closed. Most do not wear normal full-coverage rashguards underneath. They wear girlie-style tshirts that display a hint of cleavage. They also do nothing about closing things up when their jacket is gaping, unlike the men.
I find this all very weird.
In LA, for my last 3 yearly visits the situation was pretty much exactly the same as at home.
The only noticeable difference is that both at home and in LA the women were classier than the guys in one particular aspect.
Gi pants these days are almost all low-rise, which means that a lot of underpants get shown off to the world, at least by the guys. Absolutely all of the women either wear higher-rise style pants, or wear a rashguard that is tucked in properly to cover things when the gi jacket gets out of whack, which it always does.
I have seen hundreds of mens' underpants displayed on the mat, but never, ever those of any woman, until this year.
In LA 2017, a large percentage of the women are wearing the low-risers, and without having a rashguard tucked in. The result; underpants on display.
With the men, this has meant bright colours, and sometimes a print, and often a manufacturer's name in big letters. With the women it was mostly solid black, but on one occasion that sticks in my mind it was a print of little bunnies.
In Arizona, I haven't noticed this trend, as until this year I there have never been any women on the mat to train with. This year there are lots.
I haven't noticed the underpants thing, but they have a very distinctive style of wearing their Jiu-Jitsu uniforms that I've not run into anywhere before.
Gi jackets tend to gape open at the neck, sometimes to the waist. Men don't seem to worry about this, but always straighten things up when the opportunity occurs. Women, in my experience, have always been more concerned about the gap displayed, and take even more care about avoiding it.
The Arizona ladies do not. They have embraced the gap. Most wear smaller jacket sizes so that their uniform is never fully closed. Most do not wear normal full-coverage rashguards underneath. They wear girlie-style tshirts that display a hint of cleavage. They also do nothing about closing things up when their jacket is gaping, unlike the men.
I find this all very weird.
Wednesday 8 March 2017
Invisible Star
Had a bit of treat this year at the Gracie Academy.
I just happened to be picking up my attendance card at the front desk as a couple was signing up for their very first Jiu-Jitsu lesson ever.
Later, they were all suited up and out by the mat waiting for the beginner class to start. They seemed quite impressed by everything, but it was about to get a whole lot cooler.
Normally this class is run by one of the less senior instructors.
Today, it was a Gracie, and not just any Gracie; it was Rener.
He introduced himself to them, and chatted a little before class. Then it began.
The students all lined up, and as always he directed them regarding the review and warmup, and set everybody to work. The new couple were rounded up and received a ten-minute private lesson with a smiling and personable Rener Gracie.
Then, the class really got going, and the new folks joined everyone else in the line.
What would this be like to somebody not in Jiu-Jitsu?
Imagine showing up to swim at the nearby pool, and the guy who shows you how to work the lockers is Michael Phelps, or you sign up for a college science course, and the guy who helps you figure out which one to take is some dude in a wheelchair with an electronic voice.
It is also as if you didn't recognize the helpful guy at the pool, or Hawking, or Rener Gracie for who they are. The new Jiu-Jitsu couple didn't.
I just happened to be picking up my attendance card at the front desk as a couple was signing up for their very first Jiu-Jitsu lesson ever.
Later, they were all suited up and out by the mat waiting for the beginner class to start. They seemed quite impressed by everything, but it was about to get a whole lot cooler.
Normally this class is run by one of the less senior instructors.
Today, it was a Gracie, and not just any Gracie; it was Rener.
He introduced himself to them, and chatted a little before class. Then it began.
The students all lined up, and as always he directed them regarding the review and warmup, and set everybody to work. The new couple were rounded up and received a ten-minute private lesson with a smiling and personable Rener Gracie.
Then, the class really got going, and the new folks joined everyone else in the line.
What would this be like to somebody not in Jiu-Jitsu?
Imagine showing up to swim at the nearby pool, and the guy who shows you how to work the lockers is Michael Phelps, or you sign up for a college science course, and the guy who helps you figure out which one to take is some dude in a wheelchair with an electronic voice.
It is also as if you didn't recognize the helpful guy at the pool, or Hawking, or Rener Gracie for who they are. The new Jiu-Jitsu couple didn't.
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