BJJ Creonte: Guest article

Ha! I wonder if they know about the name :)

Creonte is a term that's sometimes thrown around the BJJ community. Here's an article about it that was sent in by a friend from down south:

CREONTE

Probably the ultimate C word in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  Like all things in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu everyone has their own take on it.  Kid Peligro wrote about a whole article about it in Grappling magazine in the early noughties, and why it was a problem at first, but increasing less due to more technological times  where ideas, techniques could and were being disseminated much more freely (interestingly this article was before websites such as YouTube even existed).  Royler Gracie mentioned briefly mentioned the creonte concept when he was giving advice on how to choose the right school for them.  But even today as demonstrated by a recent Draculino interview for Budovideos the word can still elicit a negative emotion.  Why I am mentioning the C word?  Simple, I almost became that C word.

I had been training regularly in Jiu Jitsu for 18 months and felt frustrated at my lack of progress.  No matter how good my coach was at teaching I just did not feel like I was making any meaningful improvement. At a recent graduation (June 2011) where one of my newly promoted (to blue belt) teammates comforted me that my promotion would be coming soon, I could not help but feel frustrated.  A UFC fighter with whom I had befriended on Facebook had told me before I could learn to be the hammer I had to first be the anvil, but like Anakin Skywalker my impatience caused me to tempted by the dark side. The frustration of being an anti phenom on the mats was wearing on me.

Eventually it all boiled over and I seriously contemplated leaving.  But I was terrified of being labelled a Creonte.  So I asked a few people for their advice.  A couple of them said not to be concerned with the Creonte label as I had never really demonstrated a desire to compete.  And as a consumer I had the right to pick and choose from whom I learned anyway. Most importantly I was told that despite what I thought Jiu Jitsu was not “a martial art that comes naturally to most people it takes a lot of hard work & mat time”.  The common theme espoused by all that was that I should talk to my coach and tell him how I feel. So I did, one of the hardest things I ever did was sending him that e-mail.

To my surprise (and relief) he was really cool about it.  Told me at the next lesson to come in and speak to him and then “we can try to figure it out”.  Fast forward 6 months and I am to my own amazement I was promoted to blue belt; I am assisting with private lessons, enjoying a litany of opportunities that have helped me to enjoy my Jiu Jitsu even more than I dreamed possible.  

So if you ever have doubts about your training, and feel a sense of frustration don’t be afr aid to communicate your feelings.  If your coach has your best interests at heart (or not) his/her response (or lack thereof) will tell you all you need to know.  Leaving your team does not make you a Creonte, not communicating honestly with them before you leave does….

Now go ENJOY Jiu Jitsu!

What do you think? What are your opinions / experiences?
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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters

BJJ Practitioner, Gi Designer and Amazing Illustrator Mr Evan Mannweiler's Guest Article



The amazing artwork above is by today's guest article writer, Mr Evan Mannweiler


My plan for today was, as indicated earlier, to give you part one of my Part Time Grappler interviews with the three winners from the Crazy Ass BJJ Gi Design Competition (and I think I still will do that only later in the day or perhaps tomorrow!). When I openned my email inbox this morning, however, I was very happy to see the article below from Mr Evan Mannweiler as a response to my previous post on BJJ being a Journey Shared on the Mats.

Guest Article: Jiu-Jitsu Can Level the Playing Field for Women by Alexia Krause

About a week ago, I was contacted by Alexia of MMA Industries with an article for the Part Time Grappler. I hope you enjoy it.

Can a woman really beat a man? It is common knowledge in the combat arts that strength is a great advantage to have. While this is true whether you are a man or a woman, females face this challenge more often, especially when a situation with a male opponent presents itself. The good news is superior jiu jitsu skill can come to the rescue.

Sure, in Mixed Martial Arts (an activity more popular with men), women have created their own niche and follow many of the same footsteps as their male counterparts. They take on the same type of regimens that men do, use some of the same MMA equipment, and take on the same type of punishment. However, in a situation in which a woman must outlast a stronger opponent (male or otherwise), for the purpose of e.g. self-defence, and she cannot depend on referees, rules or evenly matched opponents, the age-old art of Jiu-Jitsu will help answer many of the unique questions that present themselves.

Jiu-Jitsu has existed since feudal times as a way for an unarmed fighter to incapacitate a stronger, armed and armored opponent. This martial art promotes the idea that weaker or smaller individuals can defend themselves against, and even defeat, a larger and much stronger opponent. By utilizing joint locks, throws, holds, and strikes, a Jiu-Jitsu fighter can use his or her attacker's energy against them. Jiu-Jitsu training is a great way to get into shape and a great martial art for women to learn for self-defense purposes.

Self-defense skills can help save lives.  Knowing them is especially important for women as statistics show that their size and attributes mean they can be victims of different types and genres of violence.  Learning skills that even the power-balance, such as jiu-jitsu, and participating in simulated fight training* can ultimately help a woman balance the playing field between her and a bigger attacker.

So for the majority of you who aren't fighters- do you think you could hold your own against a professionally trained female Jiu-Jitsu player? I bet you'll find they beat men more often than you think.

Alexia has a true enthusiasm for writing articles related to mixed martial arts and fitness. As a result, she joined up with MMA Industries- retailers of highly popular MMA training equipment and MMA gloves. Alexia currently resides in Long Island and continues to promote the virtues of MMA as a sport and a fitness vehicle.

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*Just take note that simulated fight training should be done with proper equipment, such as MMA gloves, so that no injuries are actually sustained throughout the practice.  You’ll want to save the real injuries for someone deserving of them.




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