All About The Ladies!

Women participating in BJJ is quickly becoming a norm and at Jedi Jiu-Jitsu, we are feeling the love! We have increased our membership from just 2 females to over 10 female members in 6 months and are actively recruiting for more! (We want the bigger dressing room, fellas!) Thank you ladies, for being the strong, capable women who have taken the leap into unfamiliar waters. You are courageous, and we are so blessed that you have chosen our facility to enrich your life. Our gratitude extends far beyond what words can express.

At Jedi Jiu-Jitsu, we strive to create a clean, friendly and fun atmosphere where all genders, nationalities and fitness levels can learn a tangible skill in a family-oriented environment. We encourage all to come and try us out and find out why our program is growing so rapidly. Not only have we been blessed with a phenomenal network of BJJ professors and practitioners providing support and guidance, we also pride ourselves in promoting a culture that supports our vision of family, camaraderie, and knowledge sharing. Take a chance, and see why the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is growing so rapidly.

Hey New Year!

New Year’s are all about new beginnings. 2019 is no different for Jedi Jiu-Jitsu. We are starting off by offering a new special where you can get a free gi and by offering a new class known as “Day One.”

To find out about the free gi, just come in and ask about it. Our instructors will be able to provide all of the information you need and we would love to meet you.

Day One is a movement and conditioning class designed to provide natural movement flexibility and strength training to perform the movement required to execute positions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The class is designed for anyone to come in and gain mobility and strength in a comfortable environment where you can move at your own pace. We offer this class for beginning students to get just a little extra training in. It is offered at 8:15AM on Saturdays and will last until 9:00AM. Come on in and join us! We have a blast learning and moving together.

10 Great Reasons to do Jiu-Jitsu!

This is a great post from www.cagejsa.com that provides 10 reasons for doing jiu-jitsu. I found lots of value in it, and re-blogged it. Enjoy!

Why should you learn Jiu-Jitsu?

Jiu-Jitsu is one of the fastest growing and one of the most popular martial arts. But… is it for you? Here are the top 10 reasons why you should learn Jiu-Jitsu.

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1.) Jiu-Jitsu is one of the most effective, realistic fighting systems… EVER.

If you are looking for a realistic self-defense system that teaches you how to fight and dominate the worst position situations, then you should definitely check out Jiu-Jitsu.

Jiu-Jitsu is a realistic self-defense martial art

2.) Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone.

You don’t need to be a 20 year old super-star athlete to train, anyone can learn and get the amazing benefits of Jiu-Jitsu.
We have kids as old as 4 and adults over the age of 60 training on a daily basis. All you need is the willingness to learn, and you’ll be fine. Worried about being the new guy/girl on the mat? No worries! We ALL had to start somewhere and the Jiu-Jitsu community is built upon sharing and helping others.
BTW – if you are a 20 year old athlete and want to get into MMA and BJJ competition – we have a comp team too!

Jiu-Jitsu is for everyone – including kids and adults

3.) It’s an INCREDIBLE workout!

Whoever thought that learning something cool, gaining self-defense skills, and hanging out with your friends; would also be one of the best workouts you’ll ever do!

It doesn’t matter if you’re not in perfect shape. When you first start Jiu-Jitsu, it starts slow and builds. Before you know it you’ll find that you’re losing weight, building muscle and have cardio for days.

Training Jiu-Jitsu is an incredible workout

4.) Jiu-Jitsu sharpens your mind.

Some people consider Jiu-Jitsu “human chess”. Jiu-Jitsu is like combat problem solving. It’s not just a bunch of dudes rolling around on the mat. You will learn hundreds of techniques and concepts that you’ll use on a daily basis to challenge yourself and sharpen your mind.

Learning Jiu-Jitsu is fun!

5.) Jiu-Jitsu relieves stress, anger and frustration

It’s almost like therapy! It is impossible to be in a bad mood after Jiu-Jitsu. Training washes away the stress and frustration of the day so that you go home happy after an incredible workout.

Jiu-Jitsu relieves stress and frustration

6.) It fills a void.

Humans fight. It is part of our DNA. Most people try to fill this void by watching TV or playing a game. But what they really want is Jiu-Jitsu. It is a real life – completely immersive game of developing the ability to move, escape, defend, attack, and win.

Jiu-Jitsu teaches you to win

7.) Jiu-Jitsu Cult.

Yea… it’s like a cult that accepts everyone, but when you’re a part of it, you can kick all the other cults asses.

Jiu-Jitsu students are family

8.) Power of Control.

Gain control of yourself, your opponents and your life. Develop patience, determination, and disciple to win on the mats and in life.

9.) The Art of Learning.

Jiu-Jitsu teaches you to learn. You essentially “level-up” each day on the mats. You learn to problem solve, ask questions, and find solutions. You are consistently testing your new found abilities and techniques to see how they work, and how to make them better.

10.) Jiu-Jitsu Mirrors Life.

Jiu-Jitsu is a journey. It’s not something you ever “finish”. The only way it stops… is if you quit.
There will be highs and lows, victories and defeat.
You’ll feel stupid one day, then feel unbeatable the next.
You’ll lose sleep over it, get angry at it, but deeply appreciate what it has done for your life.
Want to quit 1000s of times, but you don’t… because you know that you have to keep moving forward.
You’ll experience these movements of incredible joy and victory, and learn how to come back from defeat

Tulsa BJJ - Open Mats and Open Doors

I started training Jiu-Jitsu in Tulsa in 1994 shortly after the first UFC.  Having an amateur wrestling and Japanese-based Martial Arts (Aikido and Aiki-Jutsu) background, Jiu-Jitsu was a perfect fit for me.  At that time, Jiu-Jitsu training opportunities were very limited.  Warrior Way Martial Arts, taught by Calvin Metz, was one location.  Apollos also offered some training demonstrated by Dr. Patrick Sharp and Greg Douglas.  Dr. Sharp began training at Warrior Way and Greg trained with a few other guys around.  A few years later, Mikey Burnett traveled to California and trained with Ken Shamrocks’ guys at the Lion’s Den. Mikey came back to Tulsa and opened the Lion’s Den.  As you can see, this only provided a few places to train Jiu-Jitsu.  As the popularity of the UFC grew (especially right after the TUF 1 finale on free TV, which was HUGE at the time), more schools began to emerge.  Many were unsuccessful, however, some are still running today.  Piet Wilhelm opened Triton Fight Center in the early 2000s as an MMA gym, Mikey’s gym became Absolute Combat Alliance (and today’s 918 Factory) and a few others.  Apollos expanded their MMA and Jiu-Jitsu programs by hiring myself, Mikey Burnett, Dr. Sharp and a few others.  At this time, it was highly discouraged to cross-train at other gyms.  Negative attention on message boards was directed towards individuals who did attempt to cross-train, but for the most part everyone left everyone else alone.  Most people were friendly and cordial face-to-face, but the barriers and walls were always there.

In the mid 2000s (Sorry I do not know the exact year – would guess 2004 or 2005) Piet Wilhelm attained the first Brazilian Affiliation in Tulsa  – Renato Tavares.  This allowed his students to get true ranking in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  Others followed suit – Noguiera, a brief Lovato Affiliate, Apollos became a Carlos Machado Affiliate and Christian Derr with a Jean Jacques Machado Affiliation in Owasso.  This was when the BJJ craze really took place in Tulsa.  Doors slowly started opening for cross-training.  Triton produced Piet as one of the first BJJ Black Belts in Tulsa, and others from his Affiliation.  As students progressed in skill and rank, so did the branches of the tree.  You started to see additional Triton and Clinch Affiliates in town and the outlying areas.  This created even more cross-training.  In mid-teens of the 2000s, more people in the area earned black belts from other Affiliations such as the Gracies and myself, along with the other Apollos instructors, earning their black belt directly from Carlos Machado along with his brothers Roger and John.  With various affiliations, students quickly realized the benefit of training with multiple gyms, taking advantage of the opportunity to absorb more information.  To accommodate this new trend, most gyms in town have open mats at various times during the week.

This has caused a huge cultural shift in the BJJ community in Tulsa.  With people from different schools and affiliations training together, a system of support has developed.  Each gym supports and encourages the others.  Our goal, as martial artists, is improvement and self-growth.  This scenario has created an opportunity for much more improvement and growth.  Recently competitors from multiple gyms and affiliations from the area traveled to the IBJJF Masters World Championship in Las Vegas.  Tulsa BJJ produced numerous World Champions - all pushing, supporting and encouraging each other.

Jedi Jiu-Jitsu encourages taking the opportunity to cross-train.  We do request that you give your instructors the courtesy of making them aware you are cross-training.  When going to other gyms, we encourage our students to pay a mat fee regardless of the gym’s policy.  If they refuse to accept money, ask them to please donate the funds to their cleaning supplies or charity or needy students.  We are all small businesses struggling to keep the doors open and provide students a solid service.

I shared the history of Tulsa BJJ to explain why Jedi Jiu-Jitsu offers Friday Night Open Mat/Happy Hour.  Every Friday at 6:30, we welcome anyone from any affiliation to come get some mat time in.  You may drill, roll, workout, ask questions, share, etc.  We only ask that egos are left off the mats.  This is THE best way to start your weekend.  You get rid of the work week stress and get your weekend started on a positive note with endorphins flowing.  (And we occasionally have a frosty beverage at the end to also clear the stress and start your weekend right!)  Thank you for stopping by and I hope to see you soon.

Jamo

Exciting News Afoot!

Jedi Jiu-Jitsu is proud to announce the addition of Judo classes!  The Lead Instructor is Dr. Gorospe.  Dr. Gorospe is a 6th Degree Black Belt in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu.  His training began in the 1960's in the Philippines.   In addition to Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, Dr. Gorospe has trained in Aikido, Tae Kwon Do and Self Defense

Dr. Gorospe has been honored from the following institutions:

Oklahoma Judo Association - Master Coach (2 years)

United States Martial Arts Association Hall of Fame - Master Coach

Please join us in welcoming such an accomplished Professor to our organization.

Friday Night Fun - BJJ and Good Times

Every Friday evening at 6:30PM, we get together for Open Mat.  For those of you who are not familiar with this term, "Open Mat" refers to an informal grappling/technique building session.  All are welcome.   We do not scrutinize affiliations or pressure individuals for memberships.  It is for both Gi and No-Gi.  This is an inexpensive opportunity where you can work with instructors and higher level belts.  Both the lead instructor and assistant instructors will be available to answer questions and work on your technique or grapple.  When you are finished, we offer some beverages to our participants as a thank you for coming out.  

The cost for non-members is $10.00 for the evening.  We typically stay onsite for this service until approximately 9PM.  You are free to train for the duration that the facilitators are on site.  We offer a clean facility, friendly partners, and promote an injury-free environment.  We believe everyone's journey can be an engaging and fun experience.  If you are new to the facility, please sign the waiver below.  We look forward to seeing you.  

Grand Opening Success!

We were able to kick off the Grand Opening Celebration on July 10, 2018.  We had so much support and are so grateful for the BJJ community.  We hope that everyone who made it out had a wonderful time and comes to visit us again soon.  

As a No-Contract, No-Fuss gym, we are fostering a culture that promotes training and camaraderie with excellent customer service.  We believe that this gives those who train exclusively with one lineage the ability to exchange their techniques with new techniques and philosophies honed by RCJ Machado.  Grow together, learn together.  See you on the mats!

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