Sorry to hear about the sub-par food,  but congrats on getting gold!

I would like to share with you a few of my (non-Jiu jitsu) related favorite things:

Orange flavored seltzer water:

It’s like orange soda but without all the sweeteners and weird food coloring- hooray!

Blue papermate pens:

I believe in finding a pen you like and sticking with it. I prefer to write with blue ink and these pens are my favorite, although it seems they are being phased out of actual stores and I’ll have to start buying them from amazon :-/

This chair:

Ok, maybe it’s not a favorite thing I own or currently use, but it is a pretty awesome chair. It was purely decorative though, and was in a trendy part of town, and so probably cost twice what it was worth- I don’t really know, I didn’t see a price tag. But still, pretty cool and therefore worth mentioning.

And that’s it for now. Have a great weekend and Father’s Day everyone!

We say jiu jitsu is for everyone, but today I’m going to make a case for a group of people that the internet seems to be chock-full of: the introvert.

We all know the concept between introversion and extroversion: I’m not going to go into the definition because really they are unflattering on either side, but you know for the most part what they include. Introverts are seen as quiet, “thoughtful”, borderline anti-social whereas extroverts are seen as loud, boisterous and “excitable”, much like a puppy. In my opinion people are really not one or the other, but more of in the middle, with a particular leaning one way or the other.

Why do I say jiu jitsu is for the introvert? Well, here’s a list of elements someone out there on the internet recommended a sport should have to be truly successful and keep the introvert’s interest:

• Concentration
• Precision
• Self-motivation
• Intricate skills
• Individual performances

There was also a mention of “low arousal level”, but that just sounded odd so I took it out. But otherwise, really, if those qualities don’t say “jiu jitsu” all over them, I really don’t know what does. Sure there’s the whole “full body contact” element to the sport, but it’s really not that big of a deal. The real appeal lies in the “human chess” element, the whole puzzle and strategy that needs to be solved during training sessions. And while you do need someone to drill and compete with, it’s more of a one on one basis, which is much easier for an introvert to handle rather than a large group sport where they can feel lost in the crowd.

Some might say the biggest challenge for the introvert would possibly be the aggression needed in jiu jitsu, but personally I feel that falls under “self-motivation”. You are motivated to complete the technique, you are motivated to continue the match and with that aggression I personally feel will follow. Competition may also be a challenge, but that’s nerve-wracking for everyone and can actually be beneficial and helps both the introvert and extrovert.

So that is my case for jiu jitsu and the introvert: it can be an immensely rewarding experience for the introvert, if they are willing to take the chance. And it sure as heck beats other options, like golf.

Have an awesome day everyone!

I was pretty disappointed by a lot of things this time around, but most especially by the introduction of the judges and then completely ignoring what they were for: to avoid draws. Why on earth would you have three judges if you are just going to come to the same conclusion you would without judges. Especially when you have three of them: the odd number implies one of them would act as a tie-breaker.

Second, the commentary. In regards to Ed O’Neill: he’s a nice guy, but definitely not the right choice for this sort of event. You need someone to content against your main commentator, Rener, and instruct him not making sweeping generalizations about jiu jitsu which leaves no room for an opposing opinion in the first place, and you need someone that understands how to tactfully offer a different point of view, and carry on. Next time if would also probably be better to have a regular competitor, or someone who follows the careers of these competitors more regularly to reference other competitions, etc.

Third, I understand this is a Gracie run event, but can we stop with the family references and the awards ceremonies to family members in the middle of the event? “My uncle,” “my cousin”, “my grandfather”- yes, the Gracie family is big with a lot of big names in the jiu jitsu community, and while there may be the impression that making mention of those family ties legitimizes the person and/or the sport, it actually sort of takes away from it a bit. I know the awards ceremony is a thing, even back at the first UFC where Helio was given a sort of “lifetime achievement” award- it’s great and all that you want to honor the work and dedication of your family members, but that may be more appropriate in the press conference, or you know, sitting around for Thanksgiving dinner.

Those are my main gripes for now. I know a lot of these things will not be fixed, but I certainly hope at least the judging is tweaked for a more definitive judging in future events. We’ll see.

What did you guys think? What would you have changed in this event?

In case you missed the plethora of people sharing this link on Facebook, Saulo discusses his thoughts on the double guard pull and how it strays away from jiu jitsu’s origins as a means of self defense.

Check it out and have a good weekend everyone!

The Victor & Braulio Estima seminar will take place tomorrow morning at 11am California time, which means a lot of people are going to be secretly watching from their desks, or like myself, will wait and watch the seminar later on YouTube.

Will anyone be actually available at this time to watch it? Or will you wait until you get home? Are you even planning on checking the seminar out at all?

My only criticism, and really it’s not that much of a criticism, if for now there are only videos and blog posts regarding one BJJ competitor, Leandro Lo. There are some mentions of other competitors, but the main focus at this point is just on the one black belt. It looks like BJJ Scout is still fairly new, I’m pretty sure, so I’m definitely giving them the benefit of the doubt that there will be more videos regarding different top competitors.

Check it out and let me know what you think.