Settling In

It’s been a quick two weeks since we first opened our doors, and we’re starting to settle into the routine that builds warriors. Quite a few students from the Auburn Blvd. location have been attending classes helping foster a vibrant BJJ energy. We’ve also had a number of new members joining our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu family. A tremendous Thank You goes out to all of you supporting our new location, and a hearty Welcome Aboard to everyone choosing to join our family!

As with any great endeavor, the recipe for building a warrior is simple. Frequent, consistent, and focused effort over time yields results. While it really is this simple to achieve success, it is not easy. It requires the commitment to show up to class regularly. and consistently. It requires effort, both mentally and physically, to learn and practice the skills. It requires sacrifice, as one must make the time to train. The rewards of all this,  however, so far outweigh the price, that one soon forgets, as the commitment, the effort, and the sacrifice all become part of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle.

And what are the rewards of all this time and effort? The list truly is limitless, but here’s a start.

1. Fitness. Training in BJJ will get you into phenomenal shape.
2. Toughness. Training in BJJ will make you mentally and physically stronger.
3. Self-Esteem. True self-esteem comes from actual success in accomplishing worthy, difficult goals. Every class taken, every technique learned, and every time you “roll,” win, lose, or draw, is a victory.
4. Self Defense. The fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the tenacity one acquires through regular, live “rolling” are powerful building blocks, both physically, and psychologically, to help pave the path deal with confrontation.
5. Confidence. Knowing you can handle the rigors of BJJ training reinforces the knowledge that you can handle just about anything.

Over the last two weeks, we introduced the children’s classes (Junior Jujiteiros) to the basics of shrimping, the defensive use of the guard position, and a few attacks from the closed guard. This week, we’ll be looking at some basic guard passing, the knee-on-stomach position, and some attacks from the mount. Many thanks to Sean McCandless for the tag-team effort.

“When outnumbered by kids, divide and conquer.” – Sun Tzu (I’m pretty sure)

While Cassio is visiting family in Brazil, a few of his amazing black belt instructors are covering his classes. They taught great classes last week, and have some good stuff in store for this week. Dan Goodwin will be working on the knee-slice pass on Monday, and Dan Martin will be sharing his omoplata sweep series on Wednesday and Friday nights. Mark Kamazaki is focusing on passing the spider guard in the 11:00 am class Tuesday and Thursday. The 6:00 am Level 1 classes are working on attacks from side control, while the evening classes are hitting the basic attacks from the closed guard.

If you’re interested in trying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, now is a great time. We’re currently running our Grand Opening Special. Feel free to call 771-0525 for more information, or stop in a few minutes before the appropriate class (class schedule) to start your free trial classes. We look forward to seeing you on the mats!