BJJ Poll: If You Could Turn Back the Clock and Start BJJ Again, Would You Begin Your Training at the Same BJJ School?
August 28, 2010
I was thinking the other day about how a certain percentage of BJJ practitioners end up changing schools. There are a handful of reasons why that happens. It’s not an everyday occurence though.
We’ve touched on how many people have changed their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy in older BJJ Polls, but today’s poll is a little different twist. For many of us where we started our BJJ journey is a bit like being born – you look back and you have the parents you do because you have the parents you have! Many of us did not do a ton of research before beginning BJJ. We just walked in to the nearest (or only) school and got hooked. And so there we are.
But at some point in our BJJ careers, we have the chance and information to reflect and see that there might be more BJJ around than we knew about, and opportunities for different or better training environments. As such, what about you? If you could turn back time and start training jiu-jitsu somewhere else, would you change things?
BJJ Poll: You Train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Do You Consider Yourself a Martial Artist?
August 7, 2010
Blas wrote in to us here at The FightWorks Podcast, saying:
I asked a question to my former Jiu Jitsu Coach in Texas if he considered himself a Martial Artist. Much to my surprise he said no…he said that Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the Anti-Martial Art and thus doesn’t consider himself to be a Martial Artist. This is coming from a black belt. So I pose a question for a toll possibly. How many of you BJJ players out there consider yourself to be a Martial Artist? I’d be curious to see the answer.
Regards,
Blas
So what about you? You train Brazilian jiu-jitsu right? And do you think of yourself as a martial artist? Let us know by voting in the poll above and feel free to leave us a comment as well.
BJJ Poll: What Percent of Time Does Your School Devote to Learning Self-Defense Techniques?
July 31, 2010
This week’s poll came to us from Jason (if anyone’s suggested it in the past and it slipped my mind, I apologize). This is a very interesting poll idea and gets to the heart of many debates in our jiu-jitsu community. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a constantly evolving set of techniques and as time goes on, there are more techniques and things to focus on when we train jiu-jitsu but the same number of hours in a day. So some things will likely be set aside along the way.
Many have argued that self defense – the fundamental reason for Brazilian jiu-jitsu – has been abandoned in the average BJJ school in favor of techniques and moves that are only worthwhile in a BJJ tournament. Perhaps the most vocal in this belief is the crew at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, California, lead by Helio Gracie’s eldest son Rorion Gracie.
Please don’t over-think this and say, “all the techniques I learn are self defense techniques because you never know, that crazy flying coconut-plata submission I just saw on YouTube could work in a street fight!” When I say “basic self-defense techniques”, you know which ones I’m speaking about.
As always, leave your comments on this below after voting!
BJJ Poll: What Percentage of Sport Jiu-Jitsu Techniques Are Street or Self Defense Applicable?
July 24, 2010
You know that one of our favorite sources of poll questions are you, The Mighty 600,000. We recently received a voicemail from a listener to the show who said:
Hi, this is Josh from Pasadena and I’ve got a poll suggestion. It goes, “How much sportive aspects of jiu-jitsu cross over into street self-defense situations percentage-wise?” …It’s a very interesting question. It’s a very big debate and I think a lot of people would like to vote on something like that.
Cohost Dan and I agree that this is indeed a very important question. It cuts to the heart of what Brazilian jiu-jitsu is, right? We tweaked the wording of the suggestion just a little bit and came up with “What Percentage of Sport Jiu-Jitsu Techniques Are Street or Self Defense Applicable?” Even if the poll isn’t perfectly crafted it’s a starting point for conversation on this important topic.
So please vote in the poll by letting us know which option most closely reflects how much you think sport jiu-jitsu will work in a self defense situation. And feel free to leave a comment too to explain how you made your choice!
BJJ Poll: Which of These Best Describes Your BJJ School’s Training Schedule?
July 17, 2010
This Brazilian jiu-jitsu poll came to us courtesy of one of the listeners to our BJJ radio show Aaron! Aaron contacted us and said:
Like most of the Mighty 600K I’m addicted to BJJ and try to get to as many classes as possible. However, family commitments (wife and two young kids) and night BJJ classes often create a logistical nightmare for me. Thankfully, I still manage to get to a few classes a week, but classes before work or even at lunch would allow me to get in much more training. I was wondering how common this is with other clubs…
He went on to suggest we explore what most jiu-jitsu school’s schedules look like using the above options. Thank you for the poll idea Aaron!
BJJ Poll: In General, How Do You Deal with Your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Injuries?
July 10, 2010
This week’s BJJ Poll comes to us from David, one of the Mighty 600,000. He writes,
Hi Caleb,
I tore my rotator cuff last October and had subsequent surgery in December. After a grueling rehab I am finally back on the mat. I am able to use both arms while practicing positions but I have to stuff my arm in my belt when I roll. It’s extremely frustrating but it forced me to look at jiujitsu in another perspective and I am back on the mat. I would be interested in knowing how others have dealt with their injuries and subsequent return to the mat.
Thank you for the poll idea David!
Make sure you let us know about how you cope with a jiu-jitsu injury by voting in the poll and leaving a comment on this post!
BJJ Poll: Does Your Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy Have Any Rules About Whom You Can Ask to Train With You?
July 3, 2010
What is your experience like at your BJJ academy? Do you have to ask permission to train with higher belts? What’s that like? Vote and let us know in the comments section below too!
Another excellent poll suggestion from Ross in Northern California! Thank you Ross!
BJJ Poll: As a Jiu-Jitsu Practitioner, Do You Also Eat Any Special Diet?
June 26, 2010
In this month’s episode of Gracie Magazine, there’s an article about Helio Gracie’s distaste for red meat. This prompted Chris, a member of the Mighty 600,000, to contact us here at the to The FightWorks Podcast headquarters:
I just recently read the latest Graciemag, and they had an article in there about whether or not it’s good for your jiu-jitsu to eat red meat. Everyone knows Jake Shields is a vegetarian, and he’s an awesome grappler. I was just wondering how many people out there who do jiu-jitsu are vegetarians or vegans. Perhaps this would be a good poll question?
So what about you? Let us know about your eating habits as a BJJ person in the poll above, and definitely leave a comment here if you have any feelings on how diet affects your jiu-jitsu!
BJJ Poll: Do You Feel Comfortable Rolling with Jiu-jitsu Players of the Opposite Sex?
June 19, 2010
We received this question from a listener to The FightWorks Podcast here in Southern California, who called our toll free number 877-247-4662 and left us this message:
I’m calling you from Los Angeles and I got a question for you regarding rolling with people from your school of the opposite gender. I know at our school we have some smaller, petite female jiu-jitsu players that are also good looking. I know sometimes they don’t feel comfortable rolling with other guys. They only roll with guys they know that they can trust either to not smother them or to not, you know, be discourteous. I’d like to know how many jiu-jitsu players out there of the Mighty 600,000 feel comfortable rolling with jiu-jitsu players of the opposite sex.
So that’s this week’s BJJ Poll!
I look forward to hearing what the results of the poll will be, as well as what some of the comments will be on this post. I know there is a noteworthy cadre of female jiu-jitsu bloggers out there who weigh in on related topics all the time. This should be a good one.
Make sure you vote and leave your comments here on the site!
BJJ Poll: Do Apprehension or Nerves (“Butterflies”) Affect Your Daily Jiu-jitsu Training?
June 12, 2010
This idea for a poll was emailed to us by Jake, one of the Mighty 600,000. It’s an excellent poll idea because it furthers our understanding of how people experience Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Please let us know if you are affected by nerves, anxiety, or “butterflies in your stomach” when you train BJJ by voting in the poll and feel free to share your story in the comments below the poll!
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