My Thought on Self Defense

I often ask students after they've been training for a few months what they want to get out of their training at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The answers vary from person to person, but most of the time I hear these phrases in the mix.

1) Lose weight

2) Learn self defense

3) Become a world champion

I sometimes cringe when I hear the term "self-defense" because it's become thrown around as though it's something you can go and learn in a few hours. So when someone tells me they want to learn self-defense, I clarify that they really want to be able to defend themselves from someone bigger and stronger attacking them. Not just attacking them, but to possibly take their life. If the answer is yes, I recommend they train as though they are going to get ready for a tournament. To roll as hard as they can. I truly believe that the best form of training for self defense is some form of grappling. In my opinion Jiu-Jitus has found a way to mix the idea and concepts of self-defense with the competitive sport, allowing for the best form of self defense training. 

Yes, there are situations you would not want to voluntarily go to in a self defense situation, but jiujitsu teaches that. There are illegal moves that jiujitsu doesn't do, but again a good teacher teaches that as  a form of self defense. I have yet to find a style of training where both partners can go as hard as they possibly can without the worry of hurting each other day after day after day. 

A follow up question I always ask when someone tells me they want to learn self defense are these:

1) Do you take any medication or prescription drugs?

2) Do you eat well balanced, well proportioned meals?

3) Do you reduce, reuse, recycle in that order?

These are a few questions the I feel are necessary to ask because self defense is much more than just the physical. The physical aspects of self-defense, you could argue are much less prevalent than the dietary, medical, or environmental forms of self defense we should be practicing on a daily basis.

The real attackers and killers are the ones that kill the most amount of people each day. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, pollution, toxicity, etc. We need to take a more practical look at what we are "training" to protect ourselves from, and realize if the training we are doing is truly going to defeat a bigger, stronger person. 

Eliot Kelly

916.595.4064

Teen Wrestler takes on a quest to spread awareness with his brother

At El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we are looking not just to become a better competitor on the mat, but also contribute to the people around us. Our goal is to raise awareness for the differences we all encounter and motivate each other to do better, one step at a time. This is a great example of a wrestler going above to raise awareness for cerebral palsy. Our students are challenged and motivated to take on different tasks and pursue what they feel passionate about. Great work Hunter for not only challenging yourself on the mat, but also taking on the challenge off the mat and into the world! 

El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 

916.595.4064

Teen wrestler finishes quest, carrying brother with cerebral palsy for 40 miles

Sam Gardner

FOX Sports

JUN 09, 2014 1:38p ET

 

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Mike Householder / AP

Hunter Gandee, 14, walks in Saline, Mich., on Sunday with his 7-year-old brother, Braden.

A Michigan eighth-grader hoping to raise awareness for cerebral palsy has completed a 40-mile walk with his 7-year-old brother on his back,according to MLive.com.

Fourteen-year-old Hunter Gandee began his journey Saturday at the gymnasium at Bedford Junior High School, where Hunter is a wrestler, and walked the initial 25 miles. After stopping for the night in Milan, Hunter quite literally picked up where he left off and conquered the final 15 miles Sunday with his brother Braden aboard, finishing with a group of 100 followers at the University of Michigan'€s Bahna Wrestling Center.

The walk was inspired by a dream of the boys'€™ mother, Danielle Gandee. In it, she envisioned Hunter carrying Braden, who has cerebral palsy, from the family'€™s home in Temperance to Mackinac, MLive.com reports. Earlier this year, Hunter raised $350 selling green cerebral palsy awareness wristbands, and so the walk seemed like the logical next step.

"That'€™s just Hunter,"€ Danielle Gandee told MLive.com. "€œThis is what he wanted to do. I knew he'€™d do it, and I had faith in him the entire time. We were a little worried about Braden. He had some injuries and blistering and stuff like that from some of the equipment and just the heat and sweat, so we were worried we were going to have to push him in his stroller."

Hunter'€™s commitment to the goal never wavered, though, and eventually the team reached the UM campus in Ann Arbor, with the wrestling building being the most appropriate place for him and Braden to stop.

"Braden sits mat side at Hunter's matches, and he keeps stats. He knows the tournament brackets when Hunter is in there,"€ the boys'€™ father, Sam Gandee, told the site. "€œHunter wanted to tie this (walk) in with Braden'€™s love of wrestling and do something hard, and really wrestling, the determination and strength and the (preparation) that comes with wrestling really helped this to happen. Without wrestling, this wouldn'€™t have happened.

"€œ... Proud isn'€™t even really a word I could use; it'€™s way beyond that," Sam Gandee added. "To me, it'€™s one of those things that can make a difference in the world, and at age 14 and at age 7, Hunter and Braden, they've reached so many people. It'€™s way more than I have done in my life."

Self Defense Awareness Month at El Dorado Hills Jiu Jitsu

     This month EDH Jiu-Jitsu will be celebrating Self Defense Awareness. With each lesson we will be including a short 30-90 second (maybe longer) message about what we know, learned, and can share about self-defense. As an added bonus all family members are welcome to come a train (for free) during the month of October. Some training is better than no training. Some awareness is better than no awareness. Please help us spread a little more awareness by brining a family member on the mat with you!

     When most of us think about self-defense, the scenario we tend to think of in our head is: Innocent little defenseless person gets attacked by a crazy under the influence psycho...... And that's understandable. But what about opening up the idea of self defense to the many other "attackers" that are prevalent within our society. Diabetes (dietary self-defense), Heart Disease (cardiac self-defense), Pollution (environmental self-defense), Mental Health (psychological self-defense), etc. If Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a lifestyle, and we are looking to live the "jiujitsu lifestyle" we talk about, then thinking about protecting ourselves from these attackers should be a high priority. If AWARENESS is the first step of self-defense, then this month we will be doing just that. See you on the mat!

Eliot Kelly

 www.edhbjj.com

Increase your levels of awareness with Brazilian Jiujitsu

      We got back on the mat for the first time in 2013 as a team to train Jiujitsu in El Dorado Hills! It's great to see everyone on the mat training hard with enthusiasm and ambition. Unfortunately, there have been some very tragic moments in the Sacramento area lately. It's not fair that people have to live in fear of being attacked, mugged, or assaulted. As we continue to train and develop our martial arts on the mat, it is even more important to develop our first line of self-defense: AWARENESS. Training yourself to be aware of where you are in relation to others rolling on the mat is the first step. Instead of walking around, only invested in your thoughts be aware of the people around you.

     As a result of becoming a more aware individual, we should find ourselves consciously recognizing dangerous situations. Additionally, we will begin to recognize the good we are surrounded by as well. As a result of recognizing the dangers, hopefully we will be able to recognize some of the more beautiful things and people we find ourselves surrounded by. The people working hard to make a difference, the people needing help, the people selflessly giving to better their community. So let's get on the mat with the conscious effort to build and train our levels of awareness. Let's get all of our friends to learn Brazilian Jiujitsu or Judo, or Wrestling or any type of Martial Art that will allow us to apply the lessons we are learning on the mat on the streets and in our everyday lives. Our doors are always open to those you are ready to make a difference. See you on the mat!

El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiujitsu

916 595 4064

TRAIN. TRAIN. TRAIN.

Training Your Awareness is Training For Anti-Bullying

     School has started for most of our students in the Kids Martial Arts Class, and I hope everyone is excited to be on a schedule where learning is the priority! In addition to learning about Jiu-Jitsu and developing our bodies, minds, and spirits, we will be learning about how to prevent bullying from continuing in our local schools.
     When we talk about Self-Defense in our Jiu-Jitsu class, we always emphasize that one of the most important tools of Self-Defense is AWARENESS. Being aware of where we are, who we are around, and the possible dangers is essential to proper Self-Defense. There are many ways to help improve your awareness.
     One way to help improve your awareness is on the mat. Being aware of where you are in relation to the people around you. If you are too close to another group, the chances of you or your partner catching a foot, an elbow, or an arm are very high. If you are training your awareness, you will be able to remove yourself from the dangerous position. Students in our kids martial arts class can also train their awareness off the mat.
     Another way to train awareness is by being alert to what people are doing and saying around you in school. If you are training your awareness at school, you will notice if someone is being mean. You will notice if someone is trying to hurt someone. You will notice if someone is in pain. However, being aware and only being aware is not enough.
     Once we become aware of these things, it is essential that we go and report the problem. It's important that we don't just tell someone. We need to REPORT the issue. A report will tell someone what is happening, when it happened, what you saw, who was involved, and where it took place. There is a big difference between telling someone a problem and reporting a problem. As we continue to train our awareness in our Kids Martial Arts class in El Dorado Hills, we will be working on ways to report a problem to our teachers, parents, and administrators around us.

Eliot Kelly

EDH Grappling

916 595 4064

"Learning how to stop bullying in our Kids Martial Arts Class!"

Self Defense Awareness is Developed When You Roll

     Awareness is a BIG bullet point when the topic of Self-Defense is brought up. Being aware of your surroundings, understanding what dangers surround you, and taking the necessary actions to remove yourself from the possible dangers are all essential steps to protecting yourself.
     When grapplers train on the mat, whether it's Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, or Wrestling, it's essential to maintain an elevated sense of awareness. Not only do you have to be aware of the potential chokes and attacks from your training partner, but also where you are in relationship to others on the mat. If you are rolling inches from another group, you are allowing yourself to play in a 'high risk' area. Get yourself out of that situation. Don't wait for others to move... Exercise your awareness and move before someone gets hurt. If you are rolling inches from a wall, or the edge of a mat, that's also a great thing to be AWARE of. Tap your partner and let them know that you should move so it doesn't end up on the wall or hard floor.  Exercise your Self Defense Awareness, when you are on the mat! This is a great way to consciously train the mind and improve your sense of awareness!

Eliot Kelly

EDH Grappling

916-595-4064

"Train your Self-Defense Awareness when you roll!"