BJJ and Personal Boundaries

Posted on December 29, 2014 by myackulic

Enforcing personal boundaries can be difficult to do, especially if you’re really empathetic. If you’re prone to giving any situation the benefit of the doubt and insist on demonstrating basic decency at every turn then enforcing your personal boundaries may prove to be a bit difficult. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a about contact sports where grappling and holding on to your opponent is the main part of the learning process.

This doesn’t mean that you should be unhelpful during training sessions! It means that sometimes there are things that you need to do to let others know where to draw the line. Sympathy and optimistic human behaviors are not always mutually exclusive. There are three things you need to keep in mind to ensure that you enforce personal boundaries in your BJJ gym class.

1: Take Your Time Before You Act

If you have been asked by someone to do something and it doesn’t sit right with you then don’t agree or disagree at that moment. Take your time even if you don’t know how you feel about it. If the person doesn’t sit right with you then you don’t have to agree do what they say. If you say ‘no’ and the person keeps insisting then inform your coach to take viable action.

There are times when someone after class might come up to you and ask whether you could finance their classes because they don’t have the funds anymore. Don’t over-explain or anything, just say that you will consider what he/she said for a day or two. This will give you time to think it through as you won’t feel influenced or pressured.

2: Learn to Say ‘NO!’

It is understandable to give in to someone pestering you and influencing your empathetic side. You give in, thinking that if you help him/her this once then perhaps they will leave you alone. However that turns out to be false as now you are constantly being nagged by that very person for help. You wonder if it would have been better if you had just kept on saying ‘no!’

In fact, it would have been better if you had kept on saying no! The word ‘no!’ is a complete sentence and anyone who refuses to respect your decision is only trying to assert their control over you and the situation. To put it simply, anyone who refuses to take a ‘no’ is the very person who needs to be required to do so.

3: Let Yourself Change Your Mind

Even the most alert person can be caught off-guard and end up agreeing to something that you actually would never agree to. You need to let yourself have second thoughts. It is the worse feeling to think that you are stuck with something, making you feel even more violated. You need to let yourself change your mind.

If a fellow BJJ practitioner asks you to do something out of the blue and you agreed to do that at the moment then remember that all it takes is one sentence to reverse that regretful decision. Repetition is your friend, as stated in the previous point; learn to say ‘no’ repeatedly.

Learn 5 Self Defense Moves you can do today

At Arashi Do Martial Arts in Edmonton, we help our members evolve both athletically and ethically. We ensure that personal boundaries are respected and no one oversteps their limits.

Come down to Arashi Do Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.

All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!

Difference between BJJ and Judo

Posted on December 22, 2014 by myackulic

There are many people who think that Judo and Jiu-jitsu is the same thing. This is not the case because these are two different types of martial arts. They may look the same and even sound the same to an average person but they must not be confused with one another. Let’s look at these two martial arts and understand their differences.

Historical Differences

Jiu-Jitsu

Jiu-Jitsu is considered one of the oldest martial arts dating back to the times of the samurai. It was developed by these great warriors during the feudal period of Japan to give the samurai the ability to fight without weapons.

Judo

The patriarch of Judo is considered to be Kano Jigoro. A small man, weak and frail, he was always picked on by those larger than him. He tried to find himself a Jiu-jitsu master at the age of 17 but had difficulty finding one. He eventually found Fukuda Hachinosuke to train him but Fukuda died after a year of training Jigoro. Later Jigoro found Iso Masatomo.

After 22 years of training, Jigoro took students of his own and began creating different moves that are still practiced by Judo practitioners today. Jigoro realized that Jiu-jitsu was a dying martial art in Japan and he could evolve it into something that would be more appealing to the masses. He named the martial art, Judo.

Combat Differences

Jiu-Jitsu

Those practicing this style were actually meant to use weapons. This style was meant to enhance the fighting skills of the samurai with few weapons so he is able to stand a chance against an armed opponent. There were even samurai who went a step further and took on their opponents without unsheathing their swords. Such was the confidence these warriors had in this art.

As Jiu-Jitsu evolved, it became less and less dependent on weapons. The art incorporated throwing, striking, restraining, evading and escaping. The techniques involved joint locking the opponent in order to disable them and prevent them from causing any harm to the defender. This was useful during the battlefield for the samurais as they would utilize the Jiu-jitsu chokes to render their rivals unconscious. These gave them enough time to either escape or kill their enemy.

If the fight goes to the ground then a Jiu-jitsu practitioner can use their skills to easily and quickly strangle their opponent with a variety of chokeholds. During a competition this may lead the opponent to submit while if used in a street fight it can make the rival unconscious.

Judo

With Judo, Jigoro wanted to make it more practical and focused on throwing the opponents to the ground by using off-balancing techniques. He developed it to be used for successful defending from any attacker.

Even though a Judo syllabus does not consist of strikes, its practitioners are taught to defend themselves from such. They are taught to deflect the attacks and use them to their own advantage.

Conclusion

When it comes to these two martial arts, Jiu-jitsu is the father of judo. Anyone who is well trained in Jiu-jitsu can easily teach Judo lessons as most of the techniques used in Judo have been derived from Jiu-jitsu. Visit us at Arashi Do Martial Arts in Edmonton and learn the ways of the ancient samurai warriors, the way of Jiu-jitsu!

Come down to Arashi Do Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.

All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!

BJJ for Self Defense, Confidence, Discipline & Peace of Mind

Posted on December 15, 2014 by myackulic

Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is becoming an increasingly popular Martial Art. With its ‘technique over strength’ training program, people want to learn the ways of BJJ for self defense, confidence, discipline and peace of mind. Let’s look at how BJJ can help instill these things in you to better yourself.

Self Defense

BJJ is all about technique over strength. How you can beat an opponent who is much larger and stronger than you is where BJJ excels. If there is anyone trying to snatch something from you or giving you a hard time by constantly shoving you then your BJJ lessons will help you defend yourself against such miscreants. BJJ teaches a realistic way of self-defense; if anyone gets a hold of your clothes or grips you from behind, you will know how to free yourself and topple that person to the ground into submission.

Confidence

The biggest benefit of BJJ training is that it boosts your self confidence. Unlike other martial arts, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu sessions let you practice against fellow class mates in every session, supervised by the instructor. Your will learn how to deal with real life fight situations. You will learn to wrestle to clinch your opponent and escape from different types of holds and grips. This realistic way of combat approach gives you the self confidence you need for real world situations. The knowledge of techniques that allow you to defend yourself is something that will raise your self esteem.

Discipline

Discipline is a major part of all martial arts and BJJ is no exception. You will listen and learn from your instructors and do as they ask. You will learn to discipline yourself to follow their command and however they teach you BJJ techniques, that is exactly how you have to follow them. Discipline is also about knowing your opponent. You will learn to respect your opponent and not look down on them. Isn’t that the reason why you joined BJJ in the first place, to not be looked down upon? You will learn to think of others as your equals.

Peace of Mind

BJJ provides a workout that is not only good for fitness but also gives you a peace of mind. With today’s worrisome and depressing lifestyle, BJJ is the perfect way for you to give yourself a workout that soothes the mind. Focus is a major part of BJJ and when you learn to focus your energies in the right way, you will be truly at peace with yourself.

If these are the things you want in yourself then do not hesitate to call or visit us at Arashi Do Martial Arts in Edmonton. Having confidence, peace of mind, self defense techniques and discipline are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of BJJ. If you want to learn more about the benefits of BJJ then call us now or visit us!

Come down to Arashi Do Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.

All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!

How Good Can I Get After 3 Months of BJJ?

Posted on December 8, 2014 by myackulic

So you’ve grown tired of your chicken-elbow biceps and little chicken legs and are looking for a new challenge. BJJ has the potential to transform you into a Greek God but you’re unsure how long it will take for you to move from complete embarrassment to fairly decent. Well, as with any martial art or any sport, getting really good takes time, but you’ll be surprised how much you can learn in a short space of time.

In terms of progressing up the pecking order in winning competitive matches and moving up the belt rack, there wont be much visible progress. However, in terms of the impact 3 months of training can have on your physical fitness, technique, understanding and overall endurance you can come on leaps and bounds.

The early stages of anyones BJJ career focusing on grasping a good understanding of basic guards, escapes and techniques. Enough to defend yourself on the street but not enough to challenge a more advanced grade in a throw down rolling session in class. By the end of three months you’ll be thinking Kanye is a time traveller from the future and wrote harder, better, faster, stronger specifically about your BJJ career.

The start of your training will focus on how to defend and escape when in a grapple, as well as enough painful arm bars and gag inducing chokes to keep any attacker away and leave you feeling pumped and confident in many situations. No doubt you will also experience how good getting your arse handed to you in a roll feels, you’ll have the rolling buzz and a new found motivation to improve and get fitter. You can establish a basis on which to build, and rapid progression and improvement is not unheard of. To someone untrained in BJJ you’ll be able to comprehensively out do them, so by all means take the opportunity to embarrass your friends when they are being a little too cocky.

It’s important to remember that where BJJ may look a little rough around the edges, it’s an art that takes decades to perfect. The IBJJF state that a student should spend 2 years at white belt level, so as mentioned, in three months your wont be changing your belt. The three months will inspire you though, giving a target to aim for and igniting a desire that you did not know you had within you. You could say that BJJ is more than just a sport, is a lifestyle choice, and a choice that you will not regret making.

In summary, you’re not going to be as huge as Arnie or a ninja like Bruce Lee in just three months of training. You will notice improvements in overall fitness, strength and desire to succeed. The most appropriate word do describe what three months can give is transformation, both physical and mental. Just think what another 3 months will bring…

Come down to Arashi Do Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.

All those and you get a 30 DAY FREE TRIAL!

Children’s BJJ For Better Health Habits

Posted on December 1, 2014 by myackulic

BJJ Kids in Edmonton

With general lifestyle habits deteriorating over time, the associated health detriments will no doubt keep very close to that trend, with a lot more lifestyle diseases being reported and suffered today and the really sad part is that all of this can be avoided with the simple act of taking things back to the basics of healthy living.

One need not necessarily become a full-on health nut — all it takes is a simple adjustment of lifestyle habits which could account for better health, but at the same time are probably very hard to change since they become an embedded part of modern day living.

The real cause for concern surrounding this is of course the mere fact that what starts out as a simple, once-off oversight on a health and lifestyle issue, gradually becomes a habit which eventually grows into a deeply-enshrined part of how we live our lives and the real danger is that bad health and lifestyle habits can have children born into them since the potency of these gets stronger generationally.

When a child is born into bad eating, health and lifestyle habits, they see absolutely nothing wrong with them and will continue to develop the legacy until those issues go right down to genetic levels, by which time it is very hard to change and nearly impossible to say the least.

Children’s BJJ for better health habits can be one of the many ways through which to counteract the detrimental effects of bad lifestyle habits, since Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) will ensure kids are exposed to high enough levels of activity to negate all the negative effects of an unhealthy lifestyle, or certainly go a long way in correcting some of the major advocates.

Children’s BJJ for better health habits is extremely effective because of one simple thing and that is the fact that kids who participate in a combative art form like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu do not feel as if they are engaging in somewhat of an exercise which requires a lot of them. — they do not feel as if they are obliged to do it but rather do it because they enjoy it, which is a win-win situation for all parties involved since the kids benefit in a number of different ways, many of which they do not even know.

If a child’s body gets accustomed to eating junk food everyday, with the absence of adequate exercise while they sit in front of the screen, playing video games all day, getting them involved in something like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu may be a mission at first, but once they have tasted the joy of being in an organized structure where they can interact with a number of other people, the exercise will most likely prove to be favorable to them and they will want more.

Children’s bodies love stimulation and the effects of that are directly felt by the kids, both mentally and physically, after which time the practice of something like BJJ becomes an essential part of their lives — something which they look forward to and do with a level of determination that will almost certainly fight against the detrimental lifestyle issues that could otherwise become a serious problem.

Now is a great time to start BJJ for your Child with our brand new Saturday classes. Email us at myackulic@arashido.com for more info.

Come down to Arashi Do Edmonton and try out one of our great Brazilian programs like Fundamental BJJ, Women’s Only BJJ or Children’s BJJ for ages 4-7 and 8-14.