One of the Most Important Things I learned from BJJ: Value

When we think of the things we’ve learned from Jiu-Jitsu, values come to mind -- respect, honor, loyalty, etc. But what about the word, “value,” itself? The meaning of the word value is simple: 1) the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something; and 2) a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.

Although I have been training for over seven years, I have only began to reflect on the most important things that I value about jiu-jitsu:

I value my academy and the people that I train with. While there are some people that I vehemently do not enjoy training with (and often try to avoid at all costs), I value the things that I learn from training with them regardless of whether I want to or not. I value that my academy provides us with seminars so that we can learn from others, rather than confining information within our academy and/or association. I value the trust I have in my partners to keep it a safe (and fun) training environment.  Most importantly, I value the “mat chats” at the end of each and EVERY class. Whether it is a short message, a long one, or something that has been repeated over and over, I value the things that I learn from those words every day that I step foot on the mat.

I value having a spouse that also trains (who outranks me and is obviously a lot better than I am). I value that I can share this journey, along with all the struggles, injuries, and accomplishments, with someone who FULLY understands what I am going through.

I value the BJJ community. While it is big, it is also small too. I value the time I was able to spend training abroad and the friendships that I have made globally because of it. I also value the people in the BJJ community who continue to come together to support each other in times of need. People who are willing to help complete strangers just because it’s the right thing to do.

And finally, I value not being promoted when I felt that I deserved to be and value what I learned from what seemed like a disappointment at the time. It has reinforced my humility more than ever before.

It is impossible to separate emotion from each and every one of our BJJ journeys. We have all experienced the highs and the lows, but the lessons that we learn from them and the things that we value because of them make the biggest impact on the way that we adapt, overcome, and persevere to become the 2% that actually make it to the black belt.

So, what do you value?

The Ultimate Jiu-Jitsu Love Story /// By: Lea Young

Imagine being around martial arts your whole life and having a father who was an active competitor for a large part of your childhood. That was life for Jiu-Jitsu power couple, Raquel (formerly Pa’aluhi) and Renato Canuto of Zenith Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas, Nevada. While we now know them as a newly married (and inseparable) couple, the Canuto's couldn't have had more of a similar upbringing… aside from being raised in two totally different countries.

Raquel, a native from Wai’anae, Hawaii, grew up in the gym watching her dad train. Her father, David Pa’aluhi, was an MMA fighter who notably won a tournament at Superbrawl 1 in January 1996 - the first MMA event ever staged in Hawaii. It wasn't until her sophomore year that she began to train seriously when she started wrestling in high school. She wrestled for three years in high school and one year in college. During her first summer in college, Raquel returned home and trained at her father’s gym during the summer to stay in shape. At that time, things fell through with her college transfer to another university so she decided to begin her MMA career since it was always something she wanted to do. Who knew it would eventually fuel her passion for Jiu-Jitsu and lead to her life now.

“I'd taken a lot of tough fights early in my career and all of my losses were by submission. So my professor at the time told me to take a year off and just train in the gi. This was at the end of 2012. Two months later they held an Abu Dhabi trials in Hawaii so I decided to compete for the hell of it and ended up winning the white/blue belt open and the ticket to Abu Dhabi. The rest is history! (Lol) Just fell in love with the art and haven't stopped training since.”

Renato, a native from Brazil, and six years Raquel’s junior, says he was pretty much born into the martial arts. He first tried karate but was too hyper active and preferred to watch cartoons. He also didn't understand why they would never really fight in the training so he would fight with other kids outside of the academy. At age 8, Renato began training judo. He trained for one year before his father, black belt and IBJJF referee, Tio Chico, was asked to teach BJJ in a social project. Renato was his first student and in less than a year, there were more than 50 kids doing BJJ.

“My dad was always a Jiu-Jitsu competitor and for sure he put us to compete too. After my first victory I got addicted with the feeling to compete and was decided that I'd be fighter, a good one! So I still have a lot of work to do…”

Raquel and Renato first met last year when Renato went to Vegas for Zenith’s Pan Ams camp. At the time he was just an 18-year-old purple belt “ugly and full of confidence.” His English was also pretty horrible at the time. Nothing happened then, but fast forward to this year’s Pan Ams, Renato decided to stay until Worlds so that he could be focused and just train.

Like most plans, it almost never works out the way you expect it to. Within 3 1/2 months, Raquel and Renato went from dating to getting married. While most people think it’s crazy, those closest to them know it's meant to be. Their coach, Robert Drysdale, has known both of them separately for years now and has never seen them happier. He also noted that they make each other better. At Worlds, Drysdale knew that Renato would win… because he was fighting happy. And he did. After chasing a world title all this time, Renato finally won… nonetheless with a beautiful woman by his side on and off the mats.

So what is a day like in the life of a married couple… who just so happens to be professional fighters? Every morning they wake up and have breakfast and coffee together. Renato teaches a morning class most days so they go to the gym and teach/train. They go home to have lunch that the master chef (as Renato refers to his wife) prepares, he does the dishes (most times), and they relax for a bit. Raquel teaches a women's class in the evenings so they go back to teach/train. They come home, have dinner (that the master chef prepares) and “annoy each other” until it's time to go to bed… and then they do it all over again the next day.

As newlyweds, Raquel and Renato are still learning. But one thing is for sure, marriage has made them both work harder for a life that they love.

“It's made us both work a lot harder and smarter to create a better life for us. It's definitely been a big motivation for me… It's been amazing having each other during tournaments and travel. It's so much more enjoyable with someone rather than doing it alone. We warm up together but after that we leave each other alone… We are each other's best training partner most days but also each other's worst on other days.” - Raquel

“As crazy as jiujitsu fighters are, to choose to live from jiujitsu. We decided get married and never allow this good relationship we have to finish. We have been living the most beautiful and the hardest moments together. But everything is so easy to work with and to figure out when I have her, that for me nothing is ever is a big deal… Since I met her, she has being my inspiration, who pushed me the most, who changed my life, she made me forget all the problems, and feel so happy that nothing could frustrate my goals. My goals just got bigger and more couple goals than individual goals. Nowadays I feel motivated all the time now we fight for our life, and I couldn't feel less motivation, with the beautiful life we have been building together.” - Renato

To keep up with the Canuto's, check out their IG @canutotravels that highlights their BJJ lifestyle and travels.

 

 

 

 

Respect is Earned, Not Given /// By: Anthony Mitchell

From day one, we are taught (and taught to teach) that jiu-jitsu is about respect. Martial Arts teach us respect. But it's as if it's expected of us, under all circumstances. If someone questions someone or insults them, it's "against the code," and they are instantly the one who is faulted.

I originally started as a mixed martial artist. I trained jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, and Muay Thai. I was always the consummate professional... in my lone losses and in all of my victories because that's what I was taught - how I was raised. But fighting got old, and jiu-jitsu was my passion, primarily in the gi. So I dedicated many hard years trying to improve and in return help others improve as well.

This all leads me to my drive and love for sport jiu-jitsu. Competition is unlike any other experience you will ever know. We are still told jiu-jitsu teaches respect. But are we as athletes supposed to show respect for another athlete that refuses to engage or stalls in competition? I train hard, I beat my body ragged... all for the opportunity to compete and be pushed to my limits. All of that is not done to get to the battle and end up in a cuddle session. I have won and I have lost, but I have always fought... and I fought from bell to bell for a submission. I have always fought battles, and whether I succeeded or not, I always had my opponent respect me - for my attitude before, my attitude after, and how I fought.

This is not a dig at guard pullers or guys who make contact and sit down. This is primarily a question to the guys who come to fight and win, but they never fight. Is this how you train? Are there special techniques or training sessions or camps that teach how to win without breaking a sweat? I literally had a guy reverse a takedown on me in one match, get top half guard, and bear hug me. Every ref warning, he would try to advance... I'd almost get the sweep, get my advantage, then I was bear hugged for another 30-45 seconds. When it was all over, I lost 2-0 and had 4 advantages for my attempts to engage in the fight. I lost the match and he apologized, but I felt robbed of the battle that I trained for. Point is, the guard pullers and butt scooters are not the problem with modern sport jiu-jitsu, it's the stallers who either do not engage, or engage just enough to not actually fight. People always respect the fight, but not always the fighter. When the dust settles, at least be the opponent that does enough to make the dust stir. Train hard, fight harder, and earn RESPECT.

World Clan Seattle Recap /// By: Lea Young

When you hear of an open mat that is open to all affiliations, I don’t know about you, but there’s always some sort of hesitation or anxiety… especially if you come from an academy that isn’t too keen on “cross training.” But when Shoyoroll hosts an open mat… now that’s a different story. After hearing about the good vibes that have been spreading like wildfire during World Clan open mats in Los Angeles, Texas, Philly, Miami, and San Diego, it is no surprise that spots fill up fast and furiously when the next World Clan is announced.

Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending the latest World Clan open mat in Seattle hosted by James “300” Foster at his academy in Kent, Washington. The timing of the event couldn’t have been any better, as many of us were flying (or driving) there to attend a two-day seminar supporting Autism awareness that weekend. People came from as far as Connecticut, New York, Hawaii, North Carolina, Texas, California, and Oregon to attend, spanning over 30 affiliations. You could almost call it a “mini reunion” of some sort, as many of the people in attendance already knew each other from social media and it was just a matter of time when we would all meet in real life.

With over 100 of people (including 22 black belts) in attendance, there was no shortage of good rolls (or surprises) over the three hours of the event. Black belts James Foster, Todd Richards (Team Rhino BJJ), and Carlos Sievert (Gracie Barra Seattle) taught techniques from half guard that built upon each other. Special guests also popped up throughout the event, including 27 time world champion, Renato Laranja, and none other than the man behind the brand, Bear Quitugua.

As if it couldn’t get any better, it was announced that the sales from the World Clan shirts for the event would be donated to Autism Empowerment, an organization in Washington devoted to enriching and empowering the lives of children, teens, adults, and families within the Autism and Asperger communities.

If there is one thing that we can take away from World Clan is that jiu-jitsu brings people together. If you can forget about the politics and your own insecurities of training with people you don’t know outside of your own academy, you will have an amazing time. You will open yourself up to learning new techniques, expand your circle of friends, and most importantly, you will become inspired to be a better person than you were yesterday.

Thank you to Shoyoroll for having a vision to bring the jiu-jitsu community together to SHARE JIU-JITSU and spread good vibes.

Shot by: John McDaniel and Paul Le

It’s About the Process, Not the Destination /// By: Lea Young

A week ago, I came across a post from Piet Wilhelm, black belt and owner of Triton Fight Center in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It said: “Don’t get a black belt, be a Black Belt. It’s a never-ending process, not a destination.”

These words resonated with me for a long time as I reflected on not only my jiu-jitsu journey, but also the impact left on me by black belts that I’ve met along the way. It made me think back to when I started training and how much I’ve changed and how much jiu-jitsu has changed my life for the better.

With Bryant Pangelinan, James "300" Foster, Kurt Osiander, Piet Wilhelm

With Bryant Pangelinan, James "300" Foster, Kurt Osiander, Piet Wilhelm

I first learned about jiu-jitsu when I started kickboxing in 2004. I just graduated with my Masters’ Degree and finally had free time. The academy that I trained at had a great MMA program, which wasn’t nearly as popular as the sport is nowadays. It was at that time that I was introduced to jiu-jitsu and to be honest, I didn’t like it. I preferred hitting things instead of rolling around with a bunch of sweaty dudes. I thought that by being able to hit things, I was more powerful. After years of training standup, I finally committed to the gentle art in 2010 after takedowns and wrestling were incorporated into our standup classes and I began to feel more comfortable training on the ground. I started to feel empowered being able to do chokes and submissions.  

Back then, I had no idea how jiu-jitsu would change my life. As a newbie white belt, I was more concerned about “getting it” and keeping up with my training partners then actually trying to build a solid foundation without my ego getting in the way. At that time, the black belt that I had been training under was well-respected and had trained notable fighters. But I felt that something was missing… even though I wasn’t sure what it was. 

Six months later, I left for Brazil by myself and my whole world changed. I spent the majority of my time training, learning Portuguese, and falling in love with the sport and just about everything about Brazil. It was at that time that I realized that jiu-jitsu wasn’t just a sport, it was a lifestyle. I became inspired…. something that I hadn’t felt before because I was too concerned trying to “get” jiu-jitsu and keep up. When I returned from vacation, I quit my cushy state job and decided I was going to move to Brazil to train and teach English. 

Fast forward to 2012 -- I left for Brazil again and then later moved back home to Kaua’i where I started training at a new academy. By this time, I had experienced training under multiple black belts in various places, but found stability in an academy that was more family oriented (although very much old school). When I received my blue belt later that year, I became even more committed to sharing the jiu-jitsu lifestyle and my experiences along the way. I was super involved in the academy. I began teaching the new beginner fundamentals class, started a women’s program, and held free women's self-defense seminars.  I also began networking with others in the community and committed to help organizations like Blackbelts for Butterflies and Mission 22 that use jiu-jitsu as the vehicle to bring awareness to autism and veteran suicide. 

Now that I have my purple belt, it has become clear to me that it has never been about medals, recognition, or being the best. Although those things are great, the real gratification comes from helping others and being able to share the things that I’ve worked hard for. So now, after hearing my story, ask yourself this: What kind of legacy do you want to leave on your jiu-jitsu journey or is it just about the destination?

Ego Is Not Your Amigo: Training With Injuries /// By: Lea Young

It doesn’t matter what belt color you are or how long you have been training – we have ALL been there before.  You get injured while training, and whether it is minor or severe, the pain of not going to jiu-jitsu hurts you SO MUCH MORE.

I used to think that this was a phenomenon amongst men, as I would often witness guys furiously taping up their fingers, toes, feet, and wrists before class.  I used to shake my head and ask, “Why don’t you just stay home and let it heal?” But then, slowly but surely, I became one of them.

It started with my finger last November. I was rolling with another blue belt who had not been training consistently and was known to use more strength than technique (mistake #1). My right index finger got twisted pretty bad on the outside of his pant leg while I was trying to pass from the top. When I started to feel pain and realized what was happening, I told him to stop. Apparently he didn’t hear me the first time and continued to fight to break my grip off his pants. Once I felt (and heard) a crack and my finger went numb, I finally yelled for him to stop. It swelled a little and I could bend it, so I went home, took Ibuprofen and iced it. I was back on the mats the following week… with taped up fingers. In my head, I thought that by not being able to use my right hand 100%, I’d be able to train my weaker grip to become stronger (mistake #2)… In any case, my finger took over 3 months to heal and the swelling appears to be permanent. But that’s life with jiu-jitsu fingers, right?

The next month, I had a cyst removed from my leg that left me with 4 sutures and 2-3 weeks of no training. At the 10-day mark, my doctor told me that my leg was healing nicely and that I could remove the sutures. So I did… and I went back to training (just to drill) one or two days later. Biggest mistake ever. The wound wasn’t fully healed and after “light” drilling (although I really did want to roll), the wound opened up and I ended up in the emergency room because I could literally see into the hole in my leg. The emergency room doctor explained to me that they could not close the wound again so I had to let the hole close on its own. Long story short, it took my leg almost one month to fully heal completely. Luckily for me, I was still promoted to purple belt (despite not being able to roll) and it was during the holidays so I didn’t feel like I missed out on everything.

So what’s the moral of this story? Jiu-jitsu is addicting. But for the majority of us, it does not pay the bills. So if your injuries are truly serious, please sideline yourself and let your body heal. Spend more time with family during that time (I’m sure they will appreciate that too) or geek out on BJJ videos all day. A week or two away from the mat is better than months away from the mat. But… if you do decide to train with injuries, use caution, know your limits, and communicate with your training partners so that you don’t increase your risk of getting hurt again. Ego is not your amigo, especially when your body isn’t working at 100%.

For the Love of Jiu-Jitsu /// By: Lea Young

I giggle a little every time I see memes about people who get upset when their significant other goes to jiu-jitsu or when I hear teammates talk about how they need to leave immediately after class before their significant others (both girls and guys) get mad.

Luckily, I don’t have that problem. I met my husband in 2012 while he was visiting my academy on Kauai. He trained there before but had moved back to the mainland prior to me moving home.  At that time, I was in the middle of training for a couple of competitions coming up, including Worlds. So after hearing about how much of a “killer” he was on the mat, I asked him for help and the rest is history.  

Our life, collectively and singularly, revolve around jiu-jitsu. Our vacations always include new places to visit and train, our free time outside of work is spent at the academy, and our gifts to each other most always include fancy new gis.

I’ve had numerous people (guys) tell me that they wish they had a girlfriend/wife like me. Not just so that they can get the “nagging” about gis and time spent at jiu-jitsu to stop, but so that they can genuinely share their love of jiu-jitsu and their lifestyle with someone that they love or care about.

While there’s no quick fix for a hesitant significant other to at least like jiu-jitsu, or even get them to try it, there are a few ways that may help ease them into it.

  1. Introduce them to your “other” family, your jiu-jitsu family. More likely than not, some of your closest friends will come from the gym. Once your significant other sees what kind of relationship you have with your gym family, the better chance that they might lighten up and even want to spend time with them too!

  2. Bring them to the gym and let them watch you train. They might be so inspired or intrigued that they might want to try it too. On that same note, if your gym has a women’s program, see if they would be interested in observing that class as well.

  3. Include them in important jiu-jitsu decisions, like what gi to wear for competition or which gi you should buy next (admit it, those are pretty big decisions). The more pride they can put into your lifestyle, the more support you’ll get.

So what's the key word in all of this? Involvement! Happy wife, happy life... and happy rolls. :)