Category Archives: Adults Jiu Jitsu

“If you want to be strong, you need to be healthy.” Thinking about strength, health, and jiu-jitsu

 I recently read the book Modern Weight Lifting And How To Gain Strength by Edward Aston. It was a short and interesting book written by an English strong man athlete published in 1912. Edward Aston held the title of “Britain’s Strongest Man” for over twenty years and created a training tool called the anti-barbell.

Early on in the book Edward gives a brief history of the sport of weight lifting. I thought this part of the book was really interesting. He told stories about athletes back then challenging each other to do different lifts. These athletes had funny nicknames like “Hercules” and “Sampson” and the judging criteria for these competitions was completely subjective. Learning about how far that sport has come over the years was one of my favorite parts of reading this book

In the “How To Gain Strength” chapter of this book there were a lot of basic training guidelines along with a section about diet and bathing. I thought it was interesting that even over one hundred years ago athletes knew that a healthy lifestyle was one of the most important aspects of their training. He also mentioned in this chapter that he believes everybody should lift weights and that the most valuable asset to an aspiring champion is a knowledge of how to train.

The thing that I found most interesting about this book was one of Edward’s opinions on competing. He talked about never thinking about the match leading up to game day to avoid getting nervous. I thought this was interesting because it is the exact opposite of what I do. I love thinking about my matches leading up to a competition, it makes me feel excited and makes me push myself a little harder. Reading what Edward had to say about it made me think about how different people can be and how there is more than one way to do most things. 

Coach Danny

Jiu Jitsu Black belt promotion at El Dorado Hills BJJ

We had a chance to do a short Q&A with Kunk and reflect on his jiujitsu journey over the years. Kunk has been a “big” part of edh jiujitsu. Not only does he train regularly 2-3 sessions a week but also he has contributed to the peewee, kids, and jiujitsu classes as a volunteer coach. Kunk is an open book of grappling knowledge and finds every opportunity to share with his team what he knows and what he is developing in his game.

When & how did you get started:

I started doing Jiu Jitsu in 2010ish.

I began doing Jiu Jitsu because I loved wrestling in high school and college, but when I stopped I didn’t have a physical outlet I enjoyed, got out of shape and gained weight. After wrestling was over, I fell into the old man trap of eating and drinking whatever I wanted, with the mindset that I would just work it off at practice. I continued to work out but nowhere near enough to counteract some of the unhealthy habits and I ended up weighing over 330lbs.

One day a friend of mine told me he had started going to EDHBJJ. I had watched MMA and the UFC shows and always thought that Jiu Jitsu would be fun to try. So I got permission from my girlfriend/ now wife, to join my friend in a trial class. The first thing I noticed was how much hard work people were putting into learning Jiu Jitsu. A few classes into starting at EDHBJJ, I finally got to roll with Eliot. During this roll I had turtled, turned into him grabbing his inside leg and did a sit out. In wrestling I would have scored five points and possibly a pin. In Jiu Jistu, Eliot having a wealth of knowledge, took advantage of this position and did a crucifix choke. I was forced to tap. This was the first time I was submitted by anyone in the school and I instantly fell in love with Jiu Jitsu from that moment forward.

What are your goals?

My goals in Jiu Jitsu are to keep learning new ways to improve my technique, help people learn, be the best training partner I can be, and most importantly have fun.

What are some quotes or phrases you like?

– Winners never quit and quitters never win.
– If it was easy everyone would do it.
– Embrace the grind.

Submission Pro Tour Sacramento Victory for Josh

Congratulation to Josh on his victory at the Submission Pro Tour event in Sacramento this last weekend. Josh spent a great deal of time preparing for this event, even with work and his volunteer activities he takes part in to serve the community.

The submission pro tour is an event that started in the sacramento area with the slogan technique or technicality. The event has served as an exciting ground for local bjj practitioners to compete under the submission only rule set with an EBI style overtime to settle the victory. Josh won in overtime when he defended the attack from the back and submitted his opponent with an armbar. Congrats

Belt Promotion at Martial Arts Academy EDH Jiu Jitsu

Congratulations to Julian today on his promotion. Julian is as humble as they come and is just a very pleasant person to be on the mats with. He has truly used learning Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to help himself focus and pay attention better. We’re so very proud of him. Keep up the good work!

In learning and teaching jiujitsu we believe in the idea of getting stronger together. This is the idea that people are mutual dependent to work together and improve. One person’s weakness is our weakness and it is our responsibility to help them learn how to overcome that weakness. In the martial art of Judo, an olympic sport originating from Japan, there is a phrase “ji-ta kyo-ei” this is very similar. This idea is that people develop themselves along with others. An idea that people nourish themselves by nourishing others at the same time. It’s a beautiful concept that has been stressed and emphasized in the martial art of Judo for over a century.

We at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu look to do the same with the phrase “Getting Stronger Together.” Julian’s promotion is an accomplishment of not just him and the coach, but the entire team who has contributed to helping him realize his potential both on and off the mat.

New Martial Arts Dojo in El Dorado Hills

Come visit our new Brazilian jiu jitsu and Self Defense Dojo in El Dorado Hills. Our martial arts school in el dorado hills is an inclusive school for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners of brazilian jiujitsu.

We offer classes in the Gi and NoGi for kids as young as age 4 and have students in their teens, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. Our inclusivity allows for a training environment for men and women to train and better one another on and off the mat.

In addition to the art of brazilian jiu jitsu as a martial art, we focus on the competitive sport element of jiujitsu. As a sport jiujitsu is one of the most practical way to practice self defense under extreme stress and pressure. There is no other way to replicate self defense training like jiujitsu and maintain a safe training environment where people can come back and train again the next day or even twice, maybe three times in one day. This type of training is both technical, mental, and physical. Although beginners are gradually introduced to the concept of training with high intensity, they will eventually learn how to control their breathing, their mind, and use technique in combination with whatever strength they possess.

Our new location is in the business park in El Dorado Hills:

4669 Golden Foothill Parkway #208 El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Drop in for a trial lesson and learn the art of brazilian jiujitsu.

Father’s Day Gift Certificate

Get your Father the gift of training! EDH Jiu-Jitsu is a martial arts academy for the family. We specialize in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a martial art, sport, and self defense. We offer classes for kids and adults and welcome new and experienced learners to join us on the mat.


Father’s Day Gift Certificate




 Beginners to jiu-jitsu are welcome to start with our “ALL LEVELS” class in the 6am or mid-day classes or the evening “Fundamental” class, where basic movements, concepts, and techniques are taught and drilled. For questions email: edhbjj@gmail.com

Performing Jiu Jitsu for the public at Sac State


El Dorado Hills brazilian jiujitsu was invited to Sac State University to perform a martial arts demonstration on Japan day. This was a fun event for the team to join and share with the community the value and fun we have on the mat. Brazilian jiujitsu is often a misunderstood martial art. opportunities like this allow us to share with everyone what it is that we do and how we do it.

Wim Hof Method Workshop with Reed Shelger: Breathing & Meditation


The wim hof method workshop led by personal trainer Reed Shelger at el dorado hills brazilian jiu jitsu was a great spark to better understand the science, theory and application of breath work, yoga and extreme cold to better the body on and off the mat.

There is an incredible sense of focus and deep degree of mindfulness that can be attained through the process of meditation and commonly talked about as the wim hof method.

EDH BJJ is a martial arts school for the community. We focus on technical training to develop the individual and team while talking about our community and ways we can better ourselves and the people surrounding us. Our community is El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Placerville, Folsom, and in general the greater Sacramento area.

IBJJF San Jose Open: Bronze at Black Belt

Athlete-Coach Jerel Tengan took to the mats at the IBJJF San Jose Open. This was his first competition at the black belt division and finished with a bronze medal in the tournament. He was competing up in weight class and age category to get some competition experience before taking the mats at the Master World Championships this summer in Las Vegas. A great start to break in the black belt category and gain valuable experience.

A challenge worth taking

Every day is an opportunity to challenge yourself! Jiu-Jitsu is a great challenge for yourself; not just physically and mentally, but also for your self discipline. It’s okay if you’re not the best one on the mat, or if you get submitted once a minute. If you come on time, give it your all while you are there, and train at a realistic consistency you will improve! That is a challenge worth taking!