Chelsea_Whitmore by Freestyle Academy

jiu jitsu: manly hugs

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chelsea whitmore

JIU JITSU: MANLY HUGS

by chelsea whitmore

Jiu Jitsiu:

manly hugs

written, designed, and photographed by Chelsea Whitmore

Dedicated to my brother, who has been an inspiration and a rolemodel to me. Thanks for testing your throws on me all the time.

Acknowledgements None of this would be possible, of course, without the help and support of Freestyle Academy, which has already changed my life invaluably. I especially want to express graditude towards the Freestyle students, without whom classes would probably be extremely dull, if not just empty. Courtney especially made design an exciting time. Thanks for letting me punch you, even if you said I was abusive. Thanks to Rue for always logging me off and never messing with my stuff. Unless you did and I didn’t notice, in which case, how could you? I trusted you! My brother, too, deserves some praise. I mention him again in my foreword and it sounds a little creepy but that’s ok. I love my brother. He’s really cool. Alan “Gumby” Marques, owner of a jiu jitsu school and original student of Ralph Gracie. 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS foreword intro chapter 1: jiu jitsu, I choose you chapter 2: jiu jitsu and you chapter 3: jiu jitsu and the troubled youth chapter 4: not that deadly chapter 5: to jiu jitsu and beyond index bibliography

pg. 8 pg. 10 pg. 16 pg. 18 pg. 23 pg. 24 pg. 27 pg. 28 pg. 29 7

FOREWORD T

he process of writing this book has been really to bring me closer to and to understand my brother. As a child he was always my favorite person, even if he was sometimes mean to me. He was who I aspired to be, as he was always seemed to be charismatic. As I grew older I became more jaded and had that misguided preteen cynicism that comes with age and spending too much time on the internet. Still, though, I viewed Sean in the limelight. I wouldn’t know anything about jiu jitsu were it not for Sean, and I would not have written a book about it if it weren’t for him. In the beginning, though, I still didn’t

know much about jiu jitsu or what secrets it held, and I didn’t know what I was going to say about it. Not knowing what to expect, I jumped into the world of jiu jitsu. 0 ÄYZ[ PU[LY]PL^LK :LHU ILJH\ZL he was close and convenient. As I began to go deeper, and do more research, the world began to build around me- the community, the art, the philosophy. The second interview seemed like it would be successful. He was a friendly black belt who had trained under Ralph Gracie himself and started his own school in San Jose. By the time I got there, it was becoming dark, and the building didn’t seem to have ]LY` T\JO HY[PÄJPHS SPNO[PUN ;OL giant windows still didn’t let in very much natural light. With the darkness and my novice skills, the photos were doomed to a life of blurry blackness. Still I had hope

for the interview, and it did seem to go well. He answered the questions thoroughly and gave a few statements that would make for great quotes and I was pleased. Leaving the place and going home, I was tired but eager to listen to the results. Finding headphones, I plugged them in and was greeted with static-y silence. I was only slightly disappointed by the mistake and I continued on anyway, hoping to discover the reality of jiu jitsu and the role it’s played in people’s lives. I interviewed others (too embarrassed to go back to Gumby) and feel as though I’ve only gone through the beginning layers of the dress of jiu jitsu, and many more await. But [V `V\ 0 WYLZLU[ T` ÄUKPUNZ ^OH[ I’ve discovered about jiu jitsu.

Introduction W

hen the Toronto school board heard that someone was trying to start a program teaching martial arts to youth, they slammed the idea. Teaching a population of violent and at-risk teens prone to bullying how to harm others seemed like an open and close case. Natasha Jones might argue otherwise. When an intruder tried to have his way with her, Natasha, being the wonderful lady she is, gave him a friendly arm-bar and kindly showed him the door without a second thought.

But self-defense isn’t the only ^H` 5H[HZOH MV\UK OLYZLSM ILULÄ[ing from the jiu-jitsu program that she and many of her other friends attend.

As Rapport learn how gies rather

(a teacher) says, “You to channel your enerthan unleashing them.”

Translated from Japanese, jiu jitsu is “The Gentle Art.” “You learn how to As Alan “Gumby” channel your ener- Marques (a blackbelt) explained to gies rather than me, it describes unleashing them.” that unlike striking martial arts, like Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Doe, which focuses on using your own force, Jiu Jitsu takes the force of the assailant and manipulates it against them. It prioritizes strategy and technique over strength, allowing the little guy to beat the big guy- size doesn’t play a role in success when it is your size that is being played against you. Students and practitioners of jiu jitsu program

OH]L MV\UK [OLTZLS]LZ ILULÄ[[PUN PU THU` ^H`Z 2LYY` 4HYPUL ZH`Z [OH[ HM[LY QVPUPUN QP\ QP[Z\ OL fought in the studio rather than outside on the street. Doing this made him friends while keeping him off the street. “This is my home,” explains Marine, “I feel at ease here.” An emphasis on groundwork makes the martial art perhaps confusing to the untrained eye. To a master, however, following a match is like following a chess game. It is not simply a matter VM L_JOHUNPUN ISV^Z I\[ NHPUPUN [OL \WWLY OHUK HUK THRPUN [OL ÄUHS JOLJRTH[L! H [HW V\[ “It’s a sport for the highly intelligent,” says Gerson. “You can’t just get really good at one technique and expect that to be enough. It’s not like baseball, where being 95-mile-an-hour fastball will get you in the Blue Jays’ lineup. fastball will get you in the Blue Jays’ lineup. Like Aristotle said, the complete man should work, study and wrestle.” (Hooper, Barrett. 23 Mar. 2012.) 11

Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, where students learn valuable skills.

Black belt William Dias gives his students pro-tips.

“It’s a sport for the highly intelligent.”

Chapter 1 15

*OHW[LY ! Jiu Jitsu, I Choose You

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a relatively new art with much less ancient history than its martial arts brothers, but it has a lot to offer. It introduces its students to a new mindset and keeps them on a rigorous path of discipline and self-control. Jiu Jitsu gives its students the ability to control their opponent, which is an impossible task without a certain level of self-control. The original form of jiu jitsu was developed in Japan during the feudal period, where war was the status quo. After the end of the feudal period, there was a need to practice the art (which was not necessarily called jiu jitsu

at the time) in a non-deadly yet still realistic and practical way. A martial arts master, Kano, then developed Judo, which took away all of the weapons and killing strikes and prioritized takedowns and throws. Compared to other styles, Judo won-out due to its grappling nature and beJHTL [OL WYLMLYYLK ÄNO[PUN style for the Japanese police force. However, as guns won out over swords, the martial arts world was at a loss for establishing its relevance in the world. Kano and his top students sought to spread their Judo around the world to popularize his art. Maeda, one of his top students, brought Judo to Brazil. (Simco) There, the Gracie family took up Judo and reformed it into what they called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. From there, the GraJPL MHTPS` YLÄULK P[ PU[V [OLPY own style, which had more emphasis on groundwork than Kano’s Judo did. The tech-

UPX\LZ ILJHTL ]LY` YLĂ&#x201E;ULK through real experience- the brothers would issue no-rule challenges to anyone who ^HU[LK [V Ă&#x201E;NO[ ;OL NYHWWSLZ and takedowns and armlocks went through a state of evolution and continue to evolve. The Gracie family created several schools and taught students in the United States, where it continued to spread and gain popularity (Simco). Now it is well established as an art form and has shown its usefulness in the UFC mixed martial arts world. Many people from all walks of life- age, gender, socio-economic standing- are inspired to start attending one of the many schools and walk away with much more.

*OHW[LY ! Jiu Jitsu and You

My brother, Sean, trained in one of these schools at a nice but unimpressive place just off El Camino. I only remember going once. It was the ceremony for his purple belt, which presented itself with very little fanfare but seemed to have a very humble seriousness.The windows were tinted with perspiration. Men I didn’t know ^LYL YVSSPUN HYV\UK VU [OL ÅVVY HUK P[ ^HZ H very mystifying experience for little me. But it was an even bigger day for Sean.

He started Jiu Jitsu during highschool as a small ZL]LU[LLU `LHY VSK ¸>OLU 0 ÄYZ[ Z[HY[LK HNHPU 0 was like 120-125 pounds,” he explains. Sean had just quit baseball and, “I wanted to stay active, and I remember doing tae kwon do when I was little, and I was then looking for a martial art to get into just for sport and that’s how I found jiu jitsu. I went to a couple of different martial art places and that was the one that stuck out to me the most.” Aurellian Keller and Sean Whitmore, both students of different jiu jitsu places, shared similar motives for joining jiu jitsu in particular. “Well, because I didn’t really like the idea of standing there striking the air for hours on end, so, instead you throw people, strike people, and it’s... more fun,” explained Aurellian.

Sean also felt more of a draw towards martial arts because it wasn’t a team sport. “One thing I really like about martial arts, as opposed to team sports, is when you do team sports- not that it’s a bad thing, just a personal preference- you rely a lot on your teammates. When I was pitching, if I was doing well, that doesn’t necessarily mean you would win the NHTL 0M `V\ KVU»[ OH]L [OL WYVWLY PUÄLSK VY V\[ÄLSK [V Z\WWVY[ `V\ VY PM `V\»YL PU [OL V\[ÄLSK HUK `V\ Å\I H Å`IHSS VY `V\ SL[ H NYV\UK ball get past you, you really let the team down. But for jiu jitsu, if you mess up, it’s your own fault- or if you succeed, it’s your own victory, and your training, your own practice- what you put in is what you get out.” But that shouldn’t paint Sean as a loner. Completely the opposite, in fact. Sean still had a team that stood by him. “You know, when you train

you try to defeat the other person but afterwards you kind of have this bond between- I’ll go so far as to call them teammates, and you help each V[OLY ^P[O [LJOUPX\L HUK OLSW ÄSS PU [OL OVSLZ where you may be lacking and help each other improve.” In Aurellian’s case, he feels it has helped bring him out of his shell, allowing him to blossom PU[V H ILH\[PM\S ZVJPHS I\[[LYÅ` 4VYL [OHU [OH[ though, he emphasized that it gave him a sense of control that he had once lacked. “It’s given me a lot more control over my body, and, self, like, not self-respect. … Yes, self determination, self-control.”

chapter 3! jiu jitsu and the troubled

youth

“We don’t teach aggression. We teach you how to defend yourself.”

phasizing it, even, while proffering a welcoming community. To maintain a jiu jitsu lifestyle requires that one stay healthy and focused, keeping them on a safer path. William Dias, an original student of Ralph Gracie and the main teacher at a local academy, explains it better than me“[we] give something them a focus, a sport that they can learn very fast, give them a sense of family, a community. They spend time here with us rather than outside, getting in trouble, hen you join a gang, or not doing well in school. We you don’t do it because you’d work with parents also to make like to. Gangs gain and control sure that, you know, we can their members through fear. Fear give guidance to their kids here. of the gang itself, fear of other We tell them they need to do gangs, fear of the system. They well in school so they can conthink that’s the only option, the tinue to train.” only way to go on, and often that At the same time, jiu jitsu prois true because of little opporvides practical skills. Jiu jitsu is tunity and a bad environment. praised as being one of the most When you join a gang, you practical martial arts in real life forsake your independence for situations, so for self-defense safety and a chance at a better purposes, it is reliable, and even life, albeit a risky one. Jiu jitsu superior in that it doesn’t aim offers an alternative; it gives an to injure the opponent. Unlike individual independence, emboxing or taekwondo, jiu jitsu

chapter 3 jiu jitsu and the troubled youth

doesn’t try to strike the opponent, or cripple them. Jiu jitsu manipulates the opponent to achieve a better position Black belt William Dias says this on the topic, “You use technique against pure strength to achieve superior position according to the situation. If its possible we diffuse the situation without hurting the opponent, without having to hit them. If the person doesn’t stop the attack, you can put them in a submission hold and still give them the chance that you don’t have to hit them. That’s the goal of jiu jitsu, to be able to defend yourself. We don’t teach aggression. We teach you how to defend yourself.” ;OL ILULÄ[Z VM QP\ QP[Z\ HYL ^LSS evidenced. All around, the academies are affecting American youth positively. Giving people a safe ground to explore is important; in these walls, they are given a supportive community and the time and space to better themselves and to be productive. 23

JOHW[LY ! not deadly

Jiu Jitsu draws all sorts of people. Many are eager to join the 44( Ă&#x201E;NO[PUN ZJLUL ^OPJO draws a lot of knee-jerk criticism to the sport. However, as mentioned earlier, jiu jitsu has brought a lot of order and control to peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives along with a practical skill in real life situations. The youth in Toronto boast a wide array of success stories for the troubled youth involved. Sherri says of her training in an interview with Emily Jackson for her article- â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love jiu-jitsu,â&#x20AC;? she said, joking that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;fun version of yogaâ&#x20AC;? prompted her to quit smoking. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your eating, habits, routine â&#x20AC;&#x201D; everything revolves around

training.â&#x20AC;? (Emily Jackson, Dec 11, 2011). However, one can not H]VPK [OH[ QP\ QP[Z\ PZ ^OH[ P[ PZ! H THY[PHS HY[ THKL MVY Ă&#x201E;NO[ing and self-defense, despite it being the â&#x20AC;&#x153;gentle art.â&#x20AC;? To dress it up as otherwise would probably be offensive. With the second death in MMA Ă&#x201E;NO[PUN OPZ[VY` VJJ\YYPUN SHZ[ year, mixed martial arts has been taking more heat. (Bland, Scott. 29 June 2010). Even in the Gracieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ad in newspapers, [OL` ^LYL \WMYVU[ HIV\[ P[! Â¸0M you want to get your face beaten and well smashed, your ass kicked, and your arms broken, Contact Carlos Gracie at this address...â&#x20AC;?

Jiu Jitsu indeed emphasizes the need for sparring to be realistic in order for the training to be effective. The point of sparring, however, is not to hurt your partner; the goal instead is to be able to control and manipulate them so that you have the upper-hand. As Sean explains, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a saying that the most dangerous belt you can train with is a white belt, because they have no idea what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing and, as opposed to a black belt, their movements are very wild and sporadic and they use a lot more force than they need to, so in white belt versus white belt matches you see a lot more uncontrolled in-

juries, compared to a black belt on the other hand they may put force but the force has a reason and not as wild, not as crazy, and they move with much more purpose.” Still, it must be argued that jiu jitsu is safer and perhaps healthier than striking martial arts such as kickboxing and taekwondo and even popular sports such as football. Socially accepted as football is, the players take and are expected to take tackles and hits to the head and get dirty and rough. It’s a part of the game, after all. 0U :JV[[ )SHUK»Z HY[PJSL ¸+LH[O VM TP_LK THY[PHS HY[Z ÄNO[LY HUV[OLY ISHJR L`L MVY [OL ZWVY[ ¹ OL TLU[PVUZ [OPZ! ¸( Z[\K` PU [OL 1V\YUHS VM :WVY[Z :JPLUJL 4LKPJPUL MV\UK [OH[ [OV\NO 44( ÄNO[LYZ Z\Z[HPU TVYL V]LYHSS PUQ\YPLZ WLY ÄNO[ [OHU IV_LYZ [OLYL HYL OHSM HZ THU` knockouts - and thus fewer serious brain injuries - in MMA bouts. Kirkham’s death was the secVUK KPYLJ[S` YLZ\S[PUN MYVT H <: TP_LK THY[PHS HY[Z ÄNO[ I\[ [OL OPZ[VY` VM IV_PUN PZ YPML ^P[O fatal injuries sustained in matches.” In the same article, the New York state Assemblyman Steve Englebright is cited as a supWVY[LY VM 44( ÄNO[PUN KLZWP[L [OL \UWVW\SHYP[` ¸0»T UV[ NVPUN [V NL[ \W VU H ZVHWIV_ HUK say we need this to [afford to] put cops on the street,” says Mr. Englebright, “but I’m also not going to get on a soapbox and say it’s debauching our society. It’s already out there.”

JOHW[LY ! [V QP\ QP[Z\ HUK IL`VUK

Jiu Jitsu is continuing to spread and gain more popularity, despite the traction with those ÄNO[PUN HNHPUZ[ [OPUNZ SPRL [OL MMA. Heralded as being practical and realistic in real life scenarios, jiu jitsu will gain more followers for those seeking a self-defense art, while also being a good workout. Enjoying a good bout between fellow practitioners means TVYL [OHU H ÄNO[ P[ PZ H NHTL VM chess, but faster, forcing you to be on your toes. Jiu jitsu sharpens the mind while building relationships. Once caught in the squirming

tendrils and appendages of jiu jitsu, it’s hard to get out of it; the training entices you to return! Following the regimen forces you to take control of your life, because without control of your life, of your body, how will you be able to take control of your opponent? Jiu jitsu is an evolving art, constantly being innovated and adapting to suit the circumstances. In itself, it forces the user to be adaptable and constantly aware and anticipating. I’ll leave you with this, a quote from RickZVU .YHJPL VM [OL .YHJPL MHTPS`!

KVU»[ IL Y\ZOLK!

be sure 27

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bland, Scott. “Death of mixed martial arts fighter another black eye for the sport.” Christian Science Monitor 29 June 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. Dias, William. Personal Interview. (22 March, 2012) Emily Jackson, UFC-style jiu jitsu a positive force in the lives of troubled youth, Dec 11, 2011. Greco, Jason. Personal Interview. (14 March 2012) Hooper, Barrett. “Why We Fight.” Toronto Life. 01 Apr. 2009: 41. eLibrary. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. Keller, Aurellian. Personal Interview. (8 March 2012) Simco, Gene. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu: The Master Text. Poughkeepsie, NY: Jiu-jitsu.net, 2001. Print. Whitmore, Sean. Personal Interview. (3 Feb 2012)