Newsletter: April 2015

It’s Grading Time!

By now I’m sure you are all aware that Sunday April 19th is grading day. Please note that grading will start at 7pm and will cost $20. Make sure you get there on time!

For April’s newsletter, our two Black Belt candidates would like to share their thoughts on their upcoming grading and what it means to them, and what it means to be a part of the BJJ community.

I expect to see you all on Sunday!

Trent Haggard

I made the decision to add jits to my life several years ago and I have never once regretted it. Despite all the injuries and pressures that jits subjected me to, I came to realize that these were just par for the course. The fact is, jits lifestyle is a healthy choice. It has helped to keep me fit both physically and mentally and allowed me to participate as a member of a dynamic and growing culture. Beaches BJJ has been my second family. The comfort that I have felt upon entering the gym and zen state upon leaving the gym has made me a much happier person. Although there are pressures with the upcoming grading, I understand that whether or not a person receives a promotion is less relevant if you view jits as just a lifestyle. If a person is training for the sole purpose of achieving a belt or having others look up to them based on their new rank, then they are losing out on the big picture. Jits should be viewed as a way of bettering yourself through perfecting techniques or expanding your creative understanding of the art.

Trent

Robert Apap

10+ years on the mats and it’s hard to comprehend grading for my black belt. Something I never thought I would be capable of obtaining when I first started. Everything seemed completely foreign. The light that fired the passion to learn started immediately. Since then I have met and trained with some amazing, fiercely talented people. Jiu Jitsu is truly a lifestyle that incorporates into who you were when you start, and forges who you are today. It’s a parallel in the style you create that’s unique only to your body type and different from every practitioner. Jiu Jitsu is really therapy on alot of levels. We carry our burdens like a back pack, but we remove them before we step on the mats……focus on the person across from you who would gladly take your arm home with them. All your stresses, anxieties are temporarily forgotten and we roll. After we laugh……and cry at what hurts….but the back pack is waiting for us as we leave. We are better equipped to deal with our burdens with training because we push our limits physically and find out what we are made of. I speak from experience. A black belt grading in Jiu Jitsu to me is the beginning.

I am extremely excited for all of our students in their progress and acknowledging their training and efforts Sunday. It will be an amazing event.

Rob