Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Concepts Clarksville IN

How long have you studied BJJ?

I’ve been training BJJ over 8 years and martial arts for about 11.

What are some of the aspects of BJJ that set it apart from other martial art styles?

Most martial arts are similar and share the same basic principles. BJJ is unique in that it truly allows a way for the smaller weaker person to defeat a larger stronger person.  Many martial art styles make this claim, but BJJ is the only one that has proven to me that it’s possible.

A lot of martial arts focus on punching, kicking, and other striking techniques to defeat an opponent.  If the opponent is bigger and stronger, I don’t think this approach is going to have much effect.  The striking game is risky because it only takes one well placed punch or kick to knock someone out.  BJJ cuts past this approach by quickly tying up the opponent, taking them to the ground, and neutralizing their attacks before they can get any effective strikes off.  Most people have no idea about fighting on the ground so this gives the BJJ practitioner an advantage.

The most unique aspect of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is that it teaches fighting from laying on the back.  When I was first exposed to BJJ, I found this to be absolutely brilliant.  In real fights, the larger stronger person is most likely going to put the smaller weaker person on his or her back.  To me, it makes sense to learn to fight from there.

BJJ has a restrained approach to fighting.  While the techniques of BJJ can easily hurt someone, it’s rule-set allows the opponent tap out and avoid injury.  In sports like boxing and kickboxing, this isn’t an option.  In these sports the goal is to hurt the opponent by knockout or TKO.  I feel one of the highest ideals in the martial arts is to neutralize the attacker without causing physical harm.

My favorite thing about BJJ is that the belt system is performance based.  When someone earns a belt in BJJ, they know that they have the skills and abilities to compete on a relatively equal level with someone of that belt rank.  A BJJ black belt takes a long time to earn, but it’s definitely worth the wait.  You can see progression and improvement every day because you are actively competing in a live and realistic environment against fully resisting opponents.  No other martial art is able to do this  due to constant injuries.  This is what separates BJJ from other arts and makes it special.

Can you describe any highlights for you over the past several years you have been training? Any moments stand out to you?

I have competed in amateur MMA matches, and numerous BJJ tournaments.  I’ve won gold as a white belt, blue belt and purple belt. I’ve even moved up in rank at tournaments to face people at brown belt level and so far I am doing extremely well.

One moment I can recall was a tournament that I was competing in as a white belt.  The tournament in Lexington, Kentucky was run by Gokor Chivichian.  One of my opponents was an athletic, strong wrestler.  He took me down at will and was very hard to deal with.  He was faster than me and I wasn’t very skilled at that time to catch him in anything.  Close to the end of the match, I was down by 2 points.  The referee stood us both up and the guy double legged me through the air.  I went flying and he landed in my guard.  Once on the ground I had only one chance to submit him before the time ran out. I  forgot that I was losing and got him in a triangle choke.  It was already sunk in tight and he was forced to tap. Everyone watching thought I was going to lose.  When we got up, he got mad and stormed off.  People clapped and cheered for me.  I didn’t win the tournament, but it  was a good experience and taught me to have confidence.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking of trying out BJJ?

A beginner student should relax and not worry about tapping out to the upper ranks.  Tapping is part of the learning process.  I tap out all the time to belts higher than me and it’s no different. The difference is that I know more techniques than a beginner.  Learning techniques is the fast part of the process.  Developing timing and sensitivity to use the techniques is a slow process and takes years to master.  I advise students to keep an open mind and try not to mimic the jiu-jitsu game of someone else.  I draw inspiration from different BJJ fighters, but I don’t copy them. Jiu-jitsu should be tailored to your personality and your body type.  It needs to be unique to you.