A STORY ABOUT JIU JITSU

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Lily who lived in a small village surrounded by beautiful hills and fields. She was a kind and gentle soul who loved to play with flowers and watch the birds fly. Her parents were farmers, and she had two older brothers who were always getting into mischief.

One day, her brothers introduced her to the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. They started taking her to their martial arts classes and showing her the basics. At first, Lily was intimidated and overwhelmed. She was used to playing with flowers, not grappling with other kids. But as she continued to attend classes, she started to see the beauty in the art of Jiu Jitsu.

However, despite her love for the sport, Lily often found herself feeling frustrated and defeated on the mat. Her opponents were often much stronger and tougher than her, and she struggled to keep up. Her brothers and instructors constantly reminded her that she needed to be tough if she wanted to succeed in Jiu Jitsu, but Lily didn't understand what they meant. To her, being tough meant being mean and unkind, and that was not who she wanted to be.

One day, Lily's instructor called her aside and had a heart-to-heart talk with her. He told her that being tough in Jiu Jitsu didn't mean being mean or unkind, but rather having the strength and resilience to push through tough times and never give up. He explained that, like in life, there will be times when you fall down, but it's important to get back up and keep going.

The words of her instructor resonated with Lily, and she began to embrace the concept of being tough in a positive and empowering way. She started to train harder, pushing herself to her limits, and learning from her mistakes. Slowly but surely, she became stronger, both physically and mentally.

Lily's hard work paid off, and she started to see improvement on the mat. She was no longer intimidated by her opponents, but instead saw them as opportunities for growth and learning. Her instructors and training partners were amazed at her transformation, and she became a role model for the younger students.

Years went by, and Lily became a highly skilled and successful competitor, known for her heart, determination, and kindness on and off the mat. She never forgot the lessons she learned about being tough, and she carried them with her throughout her life.

In the end, Lily realized that being tough didn't mean being mean or unkind, but rather having the strength and resilience to overcome adversity and never give up on her dreams. So, she lived happily ever after, inspiring others to embrace the beauty of Jiu Jitsu and martial arts and the power of being tough enough to keep fighting.

Did you find inspiration in Lily’s story? Would you like to build your own resilience? Gain confidence? Increase your mental and physical well being in a sport that offers more than just fitness? The martial art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu might be for you. Try a Gi or No Gi Kids or Adult class with us at Preta Academy in Kelowna. It is time to start your own unique and inspiring road to black belt!

BECOMING A BACKPACK

In jiu jitsu, the back mount is arguably the most powerful and advantageous position a grappler can be in. With its numerous offensive opportunities, and predictable defensive actions, it can prove to be quite a formidable position for even inexperienced practitioners.

One of the main reasons why the back mount is so successful is because it gives you complete control over your opponent, as well as making it easier to execute submissions. It’s possible to attack your opponent with arm locks, chokes, shoulder locks, leg locks and more – all from this one dominant position.

However, the most successful submission from the back mount is the Rear Naked Choke (RNC). This choke puts a tremendous amount of pressure on your opponents neck and cuts off their blood supply to the brain; which usually results in an instant tap out from your opponent if executed correctly. It’s often seen as ‘the king of all submissions’ because of how powerful and effective it can be in certain scenarios.

The back mount is certainly an important position to master in jiu jitsu; but more specifically mastering the rear naked choke when given this opportunity is essential if you want to progress within the sport. Having the RNC at your disposal will give you a greater chance of success against a much larger opponent. So if you're looking to become better at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu then learning how to transition into back mount and how to apply the RNC effectively are absolutely key!

If you are interested in improving your back control and submission offence come check out one of our Gi or No Gi classes at Preta Academy in Kelowna BC!

THE FOUNDATION OF JIU JITSU

The first step on the road to success in jiu jitsu is to build a strong foundation.

Building a solid foundation is always the first step in any endeavour. If you want to be successful at BJJ, you must first build a strong foundation of escapes and defences.

Why?

Your ability to get out of bad positions is the structure that everything else you learn will sit on top of. As an example, if you want to learn how to sweep someone from the bottom guard position, but your escape game isn't strong enough yet, what happens when they pass your guard? You have no plan B and will just be stuck underneath someones mount again and again until you are left with no choice but to tap.

Learning escapes and defences allows you to develop a means to get back to your guard which means that instead of being stuck in positions where all your moves fail, there is always be an opportunity to try again. Additionally, if you have confidence in your escapes, you will have confidence to go for your attacks. Simply because you know if things go wrong, we can always escape and try again.

Come and learn how to build your strong BJJ foundation with Preta Academy in Kelowna, BC!