Jr Jiu Jitsu Class (age 10-16)

We believe jiujitsu is a means of teaching communication. Not just with our bodies but with our words. A way to express who we are and what we are thinking as well as what we are feeling. Communication is a skill, more broadly a life skill, that needs practice and work to develop. It’s not something that just happens. It takes practice, tips, advice, and more to get better at doing.

We emphasize the idea of communication starting with talking about greetings. How do you say “hello.” Every good interaction is easier when we start with a good greeting. Greetings might seem minimal and trivial in an interaction, but they set the tone and expectation of the interaction. Therefore it’s an integral part of our communication. We practice and teach this at EDH Jiu Jitsu regularly. Doing so gives the students tools to use off the mat. The mat is a training ground for a life skill that will be integral to them forever.

As students finish up their summer and head back to school, we stress the importance of good greetings in building friendships and good interactions. Greetings, much like first impressions, set an expectation. This expectation of confidence can lead to minimize bullying behavior. It’s not the cure but it’s one interaction that negates a bully from seizing control.

May 29th, 2018

The BJJ Practitioner as a Consumer

By Aaron Martinez

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the United States can be kind of paradox when it comes to the literal sense of paying your dues. On one hand, you have this ancient Martial Art steeped in tradition that migrated from Japan to Brazil where the Art was refined in terms of technique, but also in the way it was presented as a business model. The owner of the academy is typically the head Black Belt Sensei and the students are learning practitioners with the ultimate goal of eventually earning their own Black Belt and possibly starting their own academy. On the other hand, here in America we are a consumer based culture with a consumer based economy that can often times lead to some entitlement with the businesses we patronize and support.

I’ve seen conflict over the years between academies and the students concerning this contradiction of needing to display this traditional respect for your academy and the belt system vs. feeling satisfied with what you are paying for each month.

As a student, I never questioned the worth of learning Jiu-Jitsu. Sure, it typically costs more than a gym membership, but the value was so much greater to me. It wasn’t just more effective for me Physically, but also Mentally, Emotionally, and Socially. The ten years I spent running on treadmills and lifting weights could never compare to the ten years I spent training Jiu-Jitsu. I am a different person with a healthier perspective on life. I figure I spent roughly $14k on BJJ dues alone (Not counting Gi’s, tournaments, seminars, and private lessons) and I’ve never considered it as anything other than completely necessary and completely worth every penny.

I also never expected anything from my head Instructor and academy, other than to learn BJJ. All the benefits that coincide with learning the Art (becoming physically fit, gaining self-confidence, satisfaction from accomplishing goals, being a part of something bigger than myself) are simply great results that go along with buying into BJJ and what your Instructors are trying to teach you.

The conflict I’ve seen generally comes from wanting an equal respect, which is really impossible for an Instructor that is truly trying to teach you a Martial Art. A huge part of Martial Arts is showing respect upwards and some people find this hard to swallow when they are paying over a hundred dollars in dues each month. It doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a mutual respect though. I was lucky to find an academy and a head instructor that showed great respect for the students, but also instilled a great deal of traditional respect for the Belt system. Over the years I have heard many of horror stories about students being treated poorly to downright abused by instructors. Do I think students should blindly pay for that and be a part of that? Of course not.

And that is where the balance of consumerism and traditional Martial Arts meet. You should find an academy and Instructor that will teach and guide you with the best intentions. You should feel satisfied that you are paying hard-earned money to become a better person through this Art by trusting your Instructor, even if it isn’t always comfortable. People pay even more money to train with a Personal Trainer to push you past your physical and mental limits; as means to give you greater results than you would have had working out on your own. So, why wouldn’t a BJJ Instructor do the same? Their job is to push you in sparring when you’re tired and don’t want to roll any more. Their job is to teach you Traditional etiquette of the Martial Art, which requires you to bow to them and show them respect. Their job is to tell you when you are emotionally not handling a situation well and to help you calm yourself. And at times, their job is to have a hard conversation about your attitude in class, and sometimes even discipline you. Should you pay for such a thing? Well, that depends on the person you want to become. A big part of coming up the ranks is showing even more respect for the belts ahead of you and to still show respect to the belts behind you. Some of the worst students I’ve seen (Worst in terms of attitude, not BJJ) were able to train for free somehow. I think if they had to pay, they either would have seen the benefits they had to sacrifice for or they would have just quit and had a bad attitude doing something else.

Every once in a while, I’ll see it in a student’s face when they are new to Jiu-Jitsu. Like, they don’t want to pay to be told what to do. They just want to pay to learn new skills. But learning to follow directions and stay disciplined under an Instructor is a new skill if they haven’t learned it already. And after years of training and gaining all the benefits of practicing Jiu-Jitsu, I think most practitioners either feel it was well worth the money in the end or never even thought about it, because they were more focused on learning and getting better than what it cost each month.

Gray Belt Promotion

🛡柔🥋柔🛡

Keaton moves up in belt rank after three year of jiujitsu. He has challenged himself not just in practice but also in competitions in the Bay Area!

He has inspired his brother to start training with him and has really taken to heart the idea of responsibility. We know that responsibility isn’t something that is given. Instead it is something taken.

Keaton has taken responsibility for his training and learning by helping those around him, challenging himself in competition, and being responsible for his actions on and off the mat! Keep being the leader that you are!

On April 28th & 29th The BJJ Tour hosted the 11th annual American Cup at Independence High School in San Jose, CA. The tournament boasted over 900 competitors, including: a Black Belt Pro division, Masters, Kids, and armature for White Belts to Brown Belts.

El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brought 3 competitors this year:

Mason Mahoney fought his first tournament at 7 years old. He was very eager to compete and had a tremendous attitude before and after his match. After fighting very hard for the entire 3 minutes he walked away without his hand raised, but gained a valuable experience and taste for competing on one of the biggest stages for kid’s competition.

Mateo Diaz has been competing a lot this past year and added a second place medal to his resume at the American Cup in the Boys 2004 Gray Belt lightweight division. He had a spectacular performance in the Semifinals with an armbar to finish the match.

Aaron Martinez fought in the Master 3 Black Belt Lightweight division and has a nice sweep from guard, but eventually was submitted by armbar from his opponent in his first match.

The BJJ Tour is a tournament series founded and promoted by Master Claudio Franca, who is a pioneer for helping introduce BJJ Competitions in America. The tournaments have a reputation for being professional and well organized.

El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling based academy in El Dorado Hills that offers lessons and training for BJJ, NoGi (Competition Style and Submission Only), and Wrestling for adults of all ages and for kids, ages 4 and up. Black Belt and pro fighter, Eliot Kelly, founded the school nearly a decade ago and has created a mainstay in the community with the school through his academic approach to teaching Martial Arts and his civic minded events he organizes throughout the year.