BJJ / Grappling tips: Master Rickson Gracie's advice on training part time vs full time

I once explained to master Rickson Gracie what this website / movement is and what being a part time grappler is all about and sought his view on the matter and what he said really calmed me:



Me: I'm talking about the professionals like the doctors, teachers etc who only train 2-3 times per week for 1-2 hours each session. They can't compete with the full timers. What advice do you have for them?

Rickson: Balance. These guys can join the navy, but they will never become navy seals! My son (Kron) lives jiujitsu and I constantly advise him to balance his energy. Energy for training, energy to live and energy to love. 



It's so important to remember why we started to train and to plan our lives and set our attitudes accordingly.

The speedboat of top level competitors skims across the ocean of Jiujitsu. Those who fool themselves into thinking they can hang with them while training 3 hours per week inevitably fall off it into the surges after an exhausting year or two of hard and injurious sparring. 

We, The Part Time Grapplers, are the smart ones. We are the ones riding wakeboards behind the boat, using their bobbing heads for 720 tricks. 

We'll never make it to the top, but we'll always be having a great time.

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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

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BJJ Seminar & Summer Grading: New School BJJ with Helio "Soneca" Moreira

The day started with 7 black belts

I recently had the pleasure & honour to attend Professor Helio Soneca's Summer Grading and seminar at Ernest Bevin College in Tooting, South London. The seminar was open to all and was immediately followed by New School BJJ's Summer Grading.

The Instructor

Helio Pires Moreira, aka Soneca, is a big deal. The man is a bit of a legend to be fair. He's one of the first black belt produced by the powerhouse Gracie Barra back in the old days. The NAGA, Brazilian Nationals- & Mundial champion has a lot to teach so when I heard he was coming over to London for the third time to teach and grade at his affiliate New School BJJ, I jumped at the opportunity. I mean, how many black belt do you know who started jiujitsu at the age of 8? Exactly!

BJJ Gi Review: Globetrotters Competition Gi - New Release!

Short BJJ Gi Review

BJJ Globetrotters is a world spanning, yet accidental, Brazilian jiujitsu team. I say accidental because the founder Christian Graugart describes it like that and while indeed you can register for IBJJF and UAEJJF competitions through the BJJ Globetrotters, they represent far more than just another BJJ team. They’re a movement:

I reviewed the BJJ Globetrotter’s travel gi not too long ago and it’s still one of my favourite gis to train in. Understandably, the super light, ripstop gi is not competition legal so when I heard that they’d released a competition legal one, I jumped at the opportunity to review it. 

They real seem to have done their homework as the gi is both beautiful, aesthetically designed and tailored to the tooth. It's light enough to train in regularly and do local, national and international comps in.

 

Simple and aesthetically pleasing reminders of the general ethos of the BJJ Globetrotters are strewn throughout this project.

Disclosure and cost:

Christian sent me this gi to review. BJJ Globetrotters normally sell the BJJ Globetrotters Competition gi for $199 which works out to around £150 (€180) but they're currently offering it for $175 (£132 / €158). Did I mention free shipping worldwide?!

BJJ School visit: Gracie Barra Fulham in London, UK

Gracie Barra as a jiujitsu team have worked hard at spreading their brand of the art to all corners of the world. One such corner is Fulham, a South-London neighbourhood just a short cycle away from the school I work at as a maths teacher.

Stripe Promotions at Gracie Barra - Fulham

Stripe Promotions at Gracie Barra - Fulham

Stripe Promotions at Gracie Barra - Fulham

I had heard about Gracie Barra Fulham from two separate sources. One is from one of their instructors: Professor Paul Hartley who has worked tirelessly to promote Jiujitsu an Gracie Barra in the north of England, where I used to live. I had found out that Paul had recently started teaching down in London at his instructor's academy. The instructor being none less than the amazing Lucio "Lagarto" Rodrigues and the academy being the old Gracie Barra Knightsbridge.

Kron Rickson Gracie MMA FIGHT Hideo Tokoro

Rizin FF have started booking matches for their next event (late September 2016)- Rizin Fighting World Grand-Prix 2016. The first advertised (and largest draw) fight is one involving Kron Gracie (2-0) and Hideo Tokoro (33-28)