We Stand with Ian
Have you ever heard of a jiu jitsu fighter by the name of Ian Matuszak? No? Well it’s about time you learned his name. Ian is a huge inspiration to us here at UPMA. He was born with Cerebral Palsy, but hasn’t let that stop him from training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is a wonderful example of just how much a person can accomplish if he doesn’t let preconceived notions stand in his way.
That being said, Ian has an even tougher battle facing him. He was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer and will soon begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments. His wonderful friends and team mates have started a fund to help pay for his treatment. We hope that you can help Ian by donating whatever you can to fund treatment for this amazing man. We look forward to seeing him win this battle and go back to a different kind of fighting. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Ian!
To contribute to Ian’s treatment fund, go to: Â https://www.gofundme.com/eu4xygjc
What a Difference a Day Makes!
Last week we welcomed two new students to UPMA. This is always exciting and sometimes a bit challenging as well. Sometimes the newness is just too much for a student with disabilities. It is easy for them to get overwhelmed and for them to want to retreat inward.
That is exactly what happened to Raymond. He came to class with his parents and was so overwhelmed, that he refused to even get on the mat. This is where the never give up attitude of the coaches at UPMA really makes a difference. Throughout the course of class both Coach Kristen and Coach Sam took turns spending one on one time with Raymond. It started with just getting him to move closer to the mat. Eventually we were able to get him to punch the focus mitts and block when a soft ball was tossed towards him. With each new task we could see his interest peaking. It took the entire hour, but by the end of class, Raymond had stepped on the mat. A small victory, but a victory none the less.
What a delight it was to see Raymond arrive in class this week. He came running down the walkway with a huge smile on his face. He took his shoes off, bowed, came on the mat and never looked back. Not only did he smile the WHOLE TIME, he listened to instruction and watched as his fellow classmates took their turns. What a blessing to be able to take a student that probably would have been turned away elsewhere and to give him the simple gift of recreation that most people take for granted. We look forward to seeing Raymond grow over the coming months.
What is Jiu Jitsu
Many of you know that Coach Kristen recently won gold at the 2015 Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship. You may also know that this is one of the biggest tournaments in the world. What many of you don’t know, is what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu consists of.
Many people hear the term Jiu Jitsu and automatically associate it with Karate or other traditional forms of martial arts. Or perhaps people just think it’s that thing they do in the UFC. So, let’s take a moment and clarify how it is different. Let’s start with traditional martial arts, things like Karate and Kung Fu. When you imagine Karate you probably think of katas. Katas are a series of movements, usually punches, kicks and blocks, arranged in a particular order to help students learn to string these movements together. In Kung Fu for example, these movements are usually also intended, in some way, to mimic the movements of a particular animal such as a tiger or crane (think Kung Fu Panda). These can be a lot of fun, but generally speaking, they aren’t very effective in real world situations. The other thing that may come to someone’s mind is the UFC. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has gained many fans over the last several years. Most every fighter in the UFC has at least some Jiu Jitsu training, but it is only one aspect of what goes on in the cage.
So, what is Jiu Jitsu? It can most easily be summarized as ground fighting. It has been said that upwards of 90% of all fights end up with at least one person on the ground. While this number may not have be somewhat inflated, the fact remains that most fights end up there at some point. So what happens when one or both parties end up on the ground? Traditional punches and kicks go all but out the window. This is where Jiu Jitsu comes in. Think of it like wrestling, only meaner. While wrestling relies solely on keeping an opponent down, Jiu Jitsu aims to also subdue that opponent. This means that while on the ground the Jiu Jitsu practitioner will be looking for a way to choke or manipulate his opponent’s joints. In a real life situation, that joint manipulation is intended to cause injury, perhaps just enough to allow you to get away from an attacker. In the gym, these submissions are carefully applied to allow one’s sparring partner to “tap out” or give up.
You may be asking yourself at this moment, “Why would I ever want to practice a sport where my partner is trying to choke me?” As previously stated, while Jiu Jitsu is a very effective self defense tool, it is also a safe sport to practice. The key to being a successful student of Jiu Jitsu is to leave your ego at the door. People most often get injured by not tapping out simply out of a reluctance to “give up”. We learn from our mistakes, but only if we can stick around long enough to do so. At Unlimited Possibilities we take safety one step further. Students are not taught how to finish a submission until they have proven that they can let go when a partner taps and that in turn they can tap out at the appropriate time.
Hopefully, this has shed some light on what it is that we are practicing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Coach Kristen. She is always willing to help.