Jiu Jitsu Musings

-New old gi. I lived in a town with no BJJ academy in 1997 and was basically learning from a guy who had the first Renzo VHS tapes. It was soo addicting I bought judo mats and left them at the gym in college so I could train. Training back then was just basically sparring with someone who knew more than me. Well with AOL really being the main way I was on the internet then, that is where I searched for a proper gi, to emulate what I saw my only real JJ example, Royce, wearing. So after much internet searching, not very fun back then to find JJ stuff in the US, I settled on Krugans Tribal gi in A1. It was 150 dollars back then! Wow, I felt like I was theeee coolest guy around. A gi with patches. Wow.

But then things in life happened and I stopped training at all in 2001. Finally of course now I am back at it and have gone through a few gi's in the past two years. I just "killed" my Gameness gi by leaving it soaked with sweat on something that was red. The result was a splotchy pink gi. NO GOOD!

Hop on the internet again and what do I find? Krugans still in the business and I can get the same gi now for only 120 dollars! Nice. Ordered up an A2 as I weigh 139lbs versus the 125lbs I weighed when I started. (Size A2 also allows me more freedom in washing and drying it)

So here I am, having started my training anew and wearing the same gi from the first time.

-Creonte. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has politics. And drama. The term "creonte" is a Brazilian word that basically means "traitor". Where I train has had it's own version of drama with this lately. I could probably write 2,000 words on this subject but I will try to keep it brief. Read this, with a thick skin, if you want to know moreLink


Where I train, if you have been there a long time and if that is where you earned your black belt(bb) at, upon earning your black belt as a reward for your dedication and loyalty you are allowed to train for free. This is a blessing for everyone. Hopefully the black belt stays to help train the people coming up and hopefully their wallet enjoys the respite, as training is basically $130 a month. Figure a black belt takes 9 years to get and that is a $14,040 investment!

So if you are a bb at one place where you have been forever, now training for free, and you got to another place and pay for training....well, I don't think anyone should be surprised when feelings are hurt and "things happen."

Unless you have trained or been in the military or something you don't understand how the years of sweating, bleeding and training together really makes you feel like family. Or in a gang. And families and gangs have their expectations of behavior when you've been in them a while.

Right or wrong as they may be. Or old fashioned or whatever, if you break them don't be surprised at what happens.

-Advancement. I have been a blue belt for a year now, with no stripes. This shouldn't bother me but it does. I beat people in the Pan Ams who had stripes and I took second in my division, no stripes. I am there at least twice a week unless I am hurt always working hard and with a good attitude, no stripes. People who I roll with that are heavier than me, with stripes we always come to a draw, no stripes. I don't know what I am doing wrong... I've seen guys get their purple after 2.5 years, so I felt I would have had at least one freaking stripe by now.

-This Thursday morning I saw Demian Maia at the academy. It is always interesting to see professional fighters in real life for the first time. Kind of like when I saw Royce for the first time, Demian just seems like a "normal" guy. This is totally unlike the times I saw Bas Rutten or Mark Kerr in real life.

Seeing Demian reminds me I need to do more with Alvaro Romano, aka Ginastica Natural.