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Jiu-jitsu Sensei
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This blog is to record my many training and teaching experiences in the martial arts. I run my own Can-ryu Jiu-jitsu dojo, but I also do extra curricular training in other martial arts to keep my skills sharp and to add to my knowledge of the arts. M
Recent Posts Tagged With 'dojos'
Why Attend Martial Arts Organization Events
My Jiu-jitsu dojo, West Coast Jiu-jitsu, is a member of the Jiu-jitsu BC Society. This is a non-invasive organization that does not dictate training curricula, nor how dojo owners should run their cl...
The Benefits of a Non-Macho Martial Arts School
Yesterday I taught an impromptu grappling class for my students. Submission grappling doesn't make an appearance in my curriculum until the senior belt levels, focusing more on 'no rules' ground defe...
The Foot Fist Way - A Martial Mockumentary
One of my students sent me the trailer for a Will Ferrell movie that takes the piss out of McDojos, in this case, a Karate school. Check it out:I love the full-contact sparring "match" with Marge not...
Being a Student in My Own Dojo
Last night, I participated in a class at my own dojo, but not as a teacher, as a student. One of my students is a brown belt a different style of Jiu-jitsu, Shorinjikan, so I let him teach for a chan...
How to Help Out Without Hindering
Students are often eager to help out their training partners with techniques they think he or she may be having trouble with. This is usually motivated by a genuine effort to help out. That being said...
Saying Goodbye
As a dojo owner, I see a lot of faces come and go. Some students come to our mats for a couple of months then move on. Other students find a love for what we do and stay for years. Then there are s...
Capping Off My Dojo Membership
Well, it's official. My dojo is now reaching capacity. I have one last new student coming in for trial lessons next week and if she signs up, I'll stop accepting new students. I'll have a total of ...
The Hakama Debate: Tradition vs. Practicality
Hakama are the skirt-like pleated pants worn by higher ranking belts (usually instructors) in more traditional Japanese martial arts schools. They are worn by black belts and sometimes brown belts in...
Thoughts on Curriculum
Back when I was a colour belt going through the ranks, it used to frustrate me when the curriculum was changed. It would be set in my mind what I needed to learn then all of a sudden things change an...
The Purpose of Bowing in the Martial Arts
Bowing is a common ritual in martial arts schools. There is often a series of bows at the beginning and end of each class, in addition to the bowing we do to our partners before and after training to...
4 Pet Peeves I Have with MMA/ BJJ Schools
As many of you know, my martial arts background largely constitutes training at more traditional schools. It was only in recent years that I started investigating the value of the training offered at...
The Appeal of McDojos
I was talking to a friend of mine named Slan at work this morning. He was planning to take up Aikido at a local community centre. That is, until the Vancouver civil service strike shut the community...
Enter the McDojo: The Problem with Commercialized Martial Art Schools
Commercialized martial arts schools (or “McDojos” as I call them), like the piss-take version shown here in this clip from the movie Napoleon Dynamite, exist in most major cities. They often have...