ohman. so much adrenaline watching those vids.

i wish i could keep doing bjj but its too expensive. anybody know a place i can go for cheap? gracie is just too much

 

however i respect mma as a sport. i think it does get out of control at times when opponents are trying to kill eachother.

 

BJJ is VERY expensive, especially with the Gracies, because is it not only effective, it's the "in" thing nowadays. Same goes for Muay Thai, it's effective and it's "in" now, so what used to be a comparatively economical style is now going through the roof pricewise.

If you want an economical alternative to BJJ, you should look into judo. Judo tends to be very reasonable because it's common and because the fan boys haven't figured it out yet, and the level of expertise tends to be very high because it's a very competition-oriented style, with every player's dream being the Olympics. Remember, BJJ came from judo -- Maeda Mitsuo, a.k.a. Comte Coma, was originally a Kodokan judo practitioner before he emigrated to Brasil and taught Gastao Gracie! Most judo schools will place more emphasis on throws and takedowns than the Gracies, but these schools will also teach a good amount of groundwork as well (mostly to establish and maintain dominant position). Furthermore, combat-oriented judo schools will often incorporate much BJJ into their curriculum too, as many instructors and students tend to crosstrain the two styles as they are like 2 sides of a coin.

As for MMA, to be honest with you, I really like the raw combative aspect of it. When two fighters give it their all and try to destroy each other, that doesn't bother me at all (in fact, I respect that very much). What I don't like is the number of meatheads nowadays that think it's easy to do MMA or think that they're invincible and as a result are foolishly arrogant. MMA is a very dangerous sport, and there needs to be a certain degree of respect and humility in order to maintain order and class in a sport that can sometimes be very, very brutal. It's what separates the men from the boys, so to speak.

 

I've heard that a lot of BJJ gyms don't even start to teach takedowns to the white belts soo if they don't how does that work at a tournament?

 

Maybe the white belts just walk up to each other and struggle to pull guard on one another?

 

We practice takedowns every friday, soo I guess that would put me ahead of other white belts where that is concerned. What belt does everyone have here? I've heard it takes forever to move up in belts for jiu jitsu. How long have people been doing their specific martial art?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if your average BJJ white belt knows at least a double-leg and maybe a single-leg, so don't get your hopes up

I did about 2 years of Muay Thai, but there's no belt system other than championship belts
Then, I did little over a year of judo, still a white belt (albeit a very dirty white belt haha!). Will probably go for brown belt promotion later this year, if my legs heal up in time (traditional judo schools go from white to brown to black; time from brown to black can take years).
Then, I did about a half year of Kyokushin, passed the blue belt exam, but had to call it quits due to moving.

BJJ promotions are justifiably slow; but in my opinion, I'd rather be the world's toughest white belt than the world's crappiest black belt It's like Royce Gracie himself said, "A belt only covers 2 inches of your ***"

 

Ah, well, I've been sorta in the wind. My poor suby hasnt been gotten much driving time. A new truck, motorcycles (3), and work have gotten in the way. Plus it needs a new battery, new tires, and it needs to pass SMOG.

But anyhow, I'm still working out and sparring. Definitely feel free to PM me if you want to come out. I'm not much of a grappler but Im not totally illiterate in grappling...only kinda

 

I think that is what is soo scarey a white belt 3 months of experience(me) could be up against a white belt with a whole lot more of experience and then I will get my *** woped. Just a little nervous about doing a tournament- how many have you done how long had you been doing judo before doing a tournament?

 

I feel ya bud! Busy times for me too, plus I'm coming off injuries to my legs
I still intend to work out with you sometime! I'll trade you some slick submissions in exchange for help from you on my "Brazilian kick"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3RQNMrOgRY

 

Why not try this then? Instead of signing straight away for a tournament, attend one as a spectator instead and watch how the white belts in your class do. It'll give you some idea of how local competition is.

On the flip side, there's little need to fear getting beaten in a BJJ match since injuries are comparatively rare, particularly if you are level-headed enough to tap once a submission gets "locked in" (deep enough that you can't escape). At the white belt level, it's rare that any competitor will be so well-versed as to be able to sink a submission so deeply and so quickly that you don't even get the chance to tap before you get severely injured: that's usually the realm of at least purple belts and up, and even then, it's not very common. At the same time, don't be surprised at occasional hyperextended elbows or shoulders that "click" for awhile: it's all part of the sport

As for me, I still haven't competed in a judo tournament as I feel I'm not proficient enough in my throws. I'm more than comfortable on the ground, but I feel I still have a lot to learn in terms of tachiwaza (throws and takedowns). At the dojo I trained at, I was the only adult white belt there besides the occasional new guy that quit after 1 month -- everyone else was either a high-raking brown (like 2 kyu and 1 kyu) or a black belt (1 dan through 5 dan), so I always got flung around like a rag doll during practice I don't think I'll participate in a tournament until I can start applying successful takedowns on my superiors; then, I know that I'll do decently at a tournament and not waste my time and entry fees

 

It's that time of year again!

The 2009 World Sabaki Challenge presented by Enshin Kaikan!
No pads, no gloves, just good ol' bareknuckle full contact karate + clinching and takedowns!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypXQh...e=channel_page

Just don't mind the announcer's voice

 

Thanks for the suggestion! I told the other girl that trains with me about going an watching a tournament-so that is what we are going to do, probably near the end of april we will support the guys from our gym and go out watch a tournament. Then maybe August we will try one also.
By the way where are there gyms that teach Judo around the Bay area?

 

You're very welcome!

As for judo, the Bay Area is a bit of hotbed. SJSU's Judo Team is one of the best in the nation, and its founder was responsible for establishing judo's international competition rules as well as making it an Olympic sport. Lots of SJSU's team members train with the San Jose Buddhist Temple in the off-season. The East Bay Judo Institute has sent members to the Olympics as well. Cahill's Judo in San Bruno is run by ***** Cahill, who was the U.S. National Team's coach at the Olympics some years ago (he also teaches Danzan-Ryu Jiujitsu).

And of course, in San Francisco itself there are three major clubs: CCSF Judo, Soko Joshi, and the San Francisco Judo Institute. Soko Joshi is a women's only judo club that is led by Keiko F u kuda, the highest ranking female judo practitioner in the world and the last living pupil of judo's founder. The San Francisco Judo Institute is where I used to train; its founder was Mitsuho Kimura, 9th dan, and at one time the highest ranking judo practitioner in America (he's unfortunately passed away a few years ago though).

 

Here's a handy educational video:

An Introduction to Kodokan Judo by the CCSF Judo Team
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujXRA-nXb9M