How did BJJ come into your life?

[GrCh35]

For me it was back in 93 with the first UFC. I was really amazed how this small guy that was less then intimidating just went through all the opponents with 3 quarters less of the aggression, strength & size. I never got the opportunity to study BJJ till last year dew to lack of money & there really being no places here in Az that offered it. Next thing you know I fell into some money & found a place that was offering BJJ & to my surprise a student of one of Royce's brothers. I jumped on the opportunity & went & joined over the summer & fell in love with BJJ. Though I haven't stepped into the Academy since last August & recently visited a place here closer to the house I have stayed active training at home with my son on some mats that I bought a while back. But can't wait to go back & learn more.

[Ryan]

Well, in 93 I saw UFC and loved it. I remember everyone would rent the tapes of the UFC events and we would all sit around watching it. I loved Royce's fights the most. UFC kinda went dead for a couple of years and all of a sudden re-emurger and became big again. As I got into UFC more I started learning about the diff. styles. BJJ was most impressive~!

[Tom Gavrilos]

Same here.
Saw my first UFC and was HOOKED. Changed my entire view on fighting and fight strategy in general!

I quickly fell in love with BJJ.

[JustinMcCorkle]

I went to college to play basketball in August of 2002. I broke my ankle the second week of practice, and was out. I became depressed as ever, and didn't come out of my dorm room much other than to go to class. In January, I decided to make a "comeback" and try to play again. However, I had began downloading Mike Tyson fights, considering boxing a little bit.

In May, I somehow randomly accidentally downloaded a Wanderlei Silva vs Kazushi Sakarabu fight, in which Silva beat the living hell out of him. I think it was their first fight. Anyway, that was the first time I had ever witnessed any type of mixed martial arts of no holds barred fighting... and I sat captivated. I watched it probably 20 times in a row, thinking it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in my life.

That summer, I got an offer to play at another school, but was doing heavy squats one day and suffered a minor hernia. I just decided to give up basketball, and moved in with a close friend who ironically was in the process of joining a BJJ school. I asked him if that was a big part of MMA and he said he didn't even know what MMA was. So I began researching, and then found out about Royce and Shamrock and the early UFCs and decided "I gotta try this..."

I began training in August of 2003, and have never looked back since.

[BigD]

Always a big fan of combat sports, accidentally met a kid Dan who is a top 145lber up here in New England, I used my "pull" to start a MMA club with him, he got me into MMA and BJJ and I haven't looked back (started march 2005).

[Eric?!]

Just like everyone else, Royce was the reason I wanted to learn BJJ. I actually need to get back into the Gym and start training again, but due too my Work schedule and my two Sons it's difficult?!

[Billy88]

For me it was watching Royce Gracie in the UFC old school fights .I was amazed how he could dominate his oppenents some much larger than him.

[Ryan]

Hey, would like to see the newer peoples answers!

[Oneiros]

Doing Japanese Jiu Jutsu since a was 18 (36 reight now)
Well.. my takedowns are good, strikes okay, kicks also okay...
but I sucked at my groundgame...
searched the Internet and well Gracie Barra it was...
________
Chevrolet straight-4 engine (http://www.chevy-wiki.com/wiki/Chevrolet_Straight-4_engine)

[Ari Bolden]

What rank are you in JJJ Oneiros? What style of JJJ is it?

[Oneiros]

Tenjin Shinyo Ryu Jiu Jitsu

this is the Austrian Homepage for "our" Jiujutsu Style

http://www.oejjb.or.at/index.htm

Well it is in German but maybe you find some interesting things... (the homepage sucks though ;-) )

My rank... just consider me lower then I could have been ;-)
I was never much of a exam type guy... ;-)
________
Buy Extreme Q (http://vaporizers.net/extreme-vaporizer)

[Ghosted3]

Well, as many others have stated Royce sparked my interest many years ago, but for me it was watching Genki Sudo that made me act on my desire to roll. I will be forever thankfull to both of them lol BJJ has really helped me out alot, getting me into good shape, giving me goals, its great.

[BadKarmaRising]

Back when I was 13. We called it ne waza. (still do) :-D

[danjr]

I was watching videos on youtube and stumbled across sub 101 videos. I'm pretty sure Ari Bolden single-handedly changed my life.

[CEB]

I got too old for Judo. I have a cousin who has some academies under Royce. He suggested I try Gracie JiuJitsu.

[Shotim]

Got big into martial arts at the end of high school. A friend took me with him to check out this guys ultimate fighting school. The guy was a little sketch, but he showed us a few armbars and chokes, I was hooked. I trained there for a bit, he was big on sambo and pancrase. After that I got every book I could on the subject, then the 4 of us went in on a 4x8 2 in thick mat and we went through each book. Eventually we all found places to train, but I still remember being shown how to armbar and went " thats what I wanna do, forget the striking stuff" Then that led me into Judo which I thought was just a sport and was only about throws....was I wrong.

I just wish I could find a no-gi judo place around here....

[Luiz]

Well, I was returning from school and then, i stoped at the academy(i always see it when im going home) and the reception woman said that they had muay thai and jiu jitsu(by the time i didn't know what jiu jitsu was). So, i went to a "free class" at the same day and i Liked it.

[Ari Bolden]

I had exposure to ne waza (ground fighting) when I started doing Kodokan Judo in 1984 and wrestling in high school. Although, it wasn't until Nov 12 1993 via ppv that I saw what a ground specialist could really do (UFC 1 and Royce Gracie). I continued to practice aikido throughout University ( it was in 1987 that I saw Above the Law and said "What the hell art is that...Aikido rocks!) but always played around with ground fighting with my partners. I then began my journey in jujitsu when I started studying under my first teacher 1998. He was a black belt in numerous Japanese arts (he was Japanese) including Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido, Daito Ryu, and Kosen Judo. Then, I started training in more ground based arts. I then started cross training in BJJ and Submission Grappling and then moving onto Eddie Bravo.

So, I started seeing the gaps in styles and started adding the flavors on my Japanese Martial Art back ground with BJJ and other arts.

Ryu Bu Kan Jujitsu was born (It means House of the fighting Dragon)

[PhxRph]

I discovered it at UFC 1 along with basically everyone else, but its taken me until a few months ago to actually go out and learn it.

The main thing that got me motivated is that I have an infant daughter and I want to make sure that any boys that she brings home when she starts to date know that I can kick their a$$ even if they're 20 years younger than me :D

Somehow being a pharmacist and wearing a white coat doesn't strike fear into the hearts of men. ;)

[Dondo]

Well, to be real honest, sure i enjoyed watching the "current" UFC product, beginning with the later events (UFC's 40+). Then this crazy co-worker of mine, some of you know him as "Out of Control", started talking to me more and more about it in late 2005. By mid 2006 i was watching the old Gracie Fighting videos, thanks to Tom, began taking some classes, even some one on ones with Tom at my house, then worked with Santino. From there, i have been a die hard MMA fan, partial to JJ and get to talk about it with all of you fine folks. Thx Tommy Boy!

And Matt (PhxRph), i'm in agreement with you on teaching the daughter(s) the tricks of the trade. My 6 1/2 year old loves JJ, the little stuff i have shared. NOBODY MESSES WITH HER...just ask Tom, she loves a good RNC!

[Hadaka Jime]

i found JJ looking for a ground fighting style for self defense and just to learn a martial art, some guys i knew wanted to do judo and liked the whole system of throws etc... but i wanted more of a strictly ground system, i also saw UFC 1 and royce got me into the idea of GJJ and the smaller weaker guy with good ground skills could win fights, so i took a few classes of GJJ at my local academy and have been to a few seminars over my years in JJ and recently have found eddies RG system to add to my game... the main reason is because i wanted to not be able to get beaten up by people that can out strike with me, because the reason i like ground fighting (JJ) is because in a street fight i know enough to survive in the stand-up session of a fight, to the point where i most likely won't get knocked out before it goes to the ground, but most people don't know enough on the ground to prevent getting choked out:)

[otto76]

i have always like bjj but we finally got a gym in my town.. so now its on...once i get my money right....the count down has started..:D

[Tallsilkyslim]

For me, I had been doing standup arts for about 5 years an thought I was bad. After "defending" myself a few times I thought no one could stop me. Then I met a guy named Scott Lopez who tapped me in under a minute. Never looked back. Been doing it for almost 4 years.

[prodigypenn]

ironically at first i was very wary of grappling and ground fighting, thinking i would only specialize in stand-up but i got started on ufc, around the time of ortiz vs shamrock 2, after that i got hooked on ufc, and from there i became interested in jiu-jitsu, and i started watching the jiu-jitsu guys do their submissions and their guard and i started trying it out, and my friends who were more experienced in wrestling than me started rolling with me and i quickly caught up, and then this guy who was training at my place as well as jiu-jitsu told me about his jiu-jitsu school, and i tried it out. then i learned about another school run by my current instructor i tried it out and ended up joining now my ground skills are far more technical then my friends, and i dont even rlly bother much with striking anymore, altho due to my training at my first school i still have to, but mostly i teach students, and skip out on practice unless i can get sum rolling in lol. ironic huh? from hate to love, talk about a turnaround

[LongV]

after being armbared 11 straight times by a cop, who had a black belt in judo. I told myself..."this is something I could do".

also the royce gracie fights influenced too.

[jakem]

what gym and where ? hello by the way fellow student of the game here

[LongV]

what gym and where ? hello by the way fellow student of the game here

from Lovato's jiu jitsu in Oklahoma City. it's a small place, but great gym to learn at.

[JRT6]

I got a second degree in TKD and eventhough it was fun I found it quite lacking in the self defense department. Did Goshin JJJ when the UFC's first came out and did some rudimentary rolling there. Found JJJ worse than TKD for fighting. Took 10 years off due to work and life when my work schedule changed to 12hr shifts which allowed me time to actually get back into MA. I am motivated by significant arthritis now which gives me a sense of urgency. Did a web search and started MMA last year but could only go twice a week at most. Expensive too. Last month I saw a Royler Gracie school while drving around and that is where I am now because it has 9pm classes which allows me to roll four times a week while my kids are in bed so I'm not taking any time away from my family. BBJ is so dynamic it seems like a challenge that will keep me going for a while

I still do MMA about once a week or two on the side because I'm still a standup fighter as my strength and preference.

[Hobobagins]

Im a boxer and havent had an oppurtunity to take any formal JJ classes(neither did Bruce Lee though haha) but have been reading alooot and watchin alot of videos and rollin with as many ppl as i can for a while. Wrestlers and some JJ ppl, but i mainly got into it because i wanted to be able to do somethin if i needed to defend myself on the ground and i worked with a kenpo 5.0 instructor and he said they use alot of stuff from JJ so here i am lol

[Ari Bolden]

"Found JJJ worse than TKD for fighting."

Wow JRT6, that surprises me a bit. But then again, any martial art can fall short for many reasons. Your training experience, instructors and the focus really makes a difference.

My JJJ experience was such that I focues on technique, progressive sparring and all out randori (yes, I got injured a few times doing that). Like I said, any MA can fall short. Some guys do BJJ and their instructors never touch upon nogi. So when they get into it and loose the handles, they question their training.

To be totally honest, it doesn't matter what arts anyone has done. I think we can learn something from everyone. I found grappling, JJJ, 10th planet and BJJ "my home". I works for me. It may not for you.

Building relationships and honouring what we do (even if our wives don't understand :D ) is so important to me.

Thanks for sharing everyone..this really is a great forum (thanks Tom for putting it up!)

[Ghosted3]

Building relationships and honouring what we do (even if our wives don't understand :D ) is so important to me.

Did you finally get married?

[JRT6]

"Found JJJ worse than TKD for fighting."

Wow JRT6, that surprises me a bit. But then again, any martial art can fall short for many reasons. Your training experience, instructors and the focus really makes a difference.


If attacked the repsonse in TKD was basically was a weak block, flashy kicks or a weak punch or two. In JJJ it was a choregraphed multi move fine motor skill technique. There were almost no strikes to speak of and the blocks weren't any better. At least in TKD the response is spontaneous. Unless we're talking set peice move one steps which is the same in both arts.