Gracie Barra Mansfield | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Tag: BJJ Arlington

Ten Reasons to Fall in Love with Jiu Jitsu

It’s coming up on Valentine’s Day where we show appreciation, adoration and affection for who and (today) what we love. We take time to articulate WHY we get that warm fuzzy feeling when that special someone (or something) crosses our mind. Thus, I want to talk about Jiu Jitsu and why I LOVE Gracie Barra Jiu Jistu in Mansfield, TX.

I am in withdrawal. I have actually been healthy, but my poor Spawn has been bringing home a string of seriously contagious bugs (I.e. stomach flu) and managed to infect Hubby and my mom and, because I LOVE my BJJ peeps?

I am nice enough not to share the experience of praying for death in the middle of the night with a stomach ache.

Yeah I am classy like that.

But here is me.

Last night I was woefully looking at pictures of all my BJJ friends who I miss DEARLY and it made me really start thinking about why I love them and Jiu Jitsu and I have come up with the TOP TEN REASONS to Fall in Love with Jiu Jitsu.

10. If you train as a family it is not only legal to arm bar your spouse, GF/BF, child…but encouraged 😀

9. It’s legal to choke people.

Unlike that guy who’s honking me at a RED FREAKING LIGHT because I was refusing to block an entrance to a school just so we all could WAIT at the RED LIGHT…closer. Choking him? Totally illegal.

Bummer 🙁 .

Really, Buddy? Just freaking REALLY.

8. You learn that real friends still love you even after using you as a human Swiffer.

7. It’s really awesome exercise.

So you sleep better, feel more relaxed (probably because choking people legally can be cathartic), and it limbers up those muscles that get tight from sitting at the computer on Facebook too long.

6. You make friends without the aid of alcohol.

Face it. When you get to be an adult, making friends is no easy task. When we were kids, it was as simple as, “You have a bike? I HAVE A BIKE! OMG! We must be best friends!” These days, for folks who aren’t into a bar scene, finding a way to socialize is no simple deal. But, with Jiu Jitsu? No problem.

Of course, you can add alcohol later. Sometimes helps *limps away*

5. You make REALLY good friends.

As in friends who can and WILL beat up anyone who messes with you. Yeah, dude at the light revving your car and threatening me? I am looking at YOU. I know people who will omoplata that sass right out of you.

4. Jiu Jitsu is similar to Fight Club and you have friends…you don’t even know you HAVE.

Seriously. I wear my Gracie shirt everywhere. It’s like those Barbie shoes my mom had to sneak in and steal and burn so I would stop wearing them because I’d long ago outgrown them but they were just TOO AWESOME.

Anyway…

One day I’m in another town having lunch. They guy at the counter is all, “Oh, you do Jiu Jitsu.” *wink, wink* *gives me extra brisket then slinks back in shadows with a knowing smile*

I feel part of Project Mayhem already. We meet, beat each other up and the only difference is we aren’t planning on taking out the credit card companies and we are encouraged to tell others about ~~Fight Club~~ Jiu Jitsu.

3. There IS a certain BAD@$$ Factor

And what is NOT to love about that? Hey, I’m a 41 year old MOM who drives an SUV. I need all the help I can get. It can be tough when you get older. You don’t want to be ridiculous, but you might not quite be ready to talk about fiber supplements with friends. BJJ helps us create that nice MIDDLE ERA where we are still kind of…okay incredibly cool even if we are “old.”

2. You get to hang out with Professor Young.

Well worth paying for. This guy is AMAZING. You cannot be unhappy being around the guy. NOT KIDDING. Having a bad day? Spend three minutes with Professor and you will be all better. It is weird and if he goes missing, we know he’s been abducted by either the government or the pharmaceutical companies who are going to study him.

1. You can protect yourself and those you LOVE from harm.

Woe be to the bully who messes with my kid or frankly anyone I care about. Love is a verb and what better way to express love for another person than volunteering to get beaten up multiple times a week all so you can keep THEM safer?

THAT is love.

Awwww. Man, I get all choked up at that.

Happy Valentines! I love you all. I miss my BJJ Brothers and Sisters. There is SO much to love about Jiu Jitsu that one little post cannot convey what you simply have to experience for yourself. Gracie Jiu Jistu is not a sport or a hobby or a workout…it is a LIFE. And a very cool and rewarding one at that.

WE LOVE YOU! To show our love, if you want to check out the BJJ experience come by and get a free month. My plan is to be back this coming week. Kid was up sick coughing last night again and I was all, “I’ll get you a pony of you STOP THAT!! I miss Jiu Jistu 🙁 ! You’re killin’ me, Smalls!”

What are your thoughts? What do you love about Jiu Jistu? How does it simply make your life all better? Am I right about Professor? YOU CANNOT BE IN A BAD MOOD AROUND THE MAN! It’s science.

Happy Valentines!

~Dojo Diva

February 12, 2016
5 Ways to Choke Out Cold & Flu Season

It is that time of YEAR! The weather is changing. Kids are back in school. People are gathering in closed spaces and cooties abound. Yes, even in the dojo. ESPECIALLY in the dojo.
Thing is. Kids are seriously cute. Sign your kid up for Jiu Jitsu and the cuteness factor just increases two hundred million percent.

Don’t argue. It’s science. PROOF HERE.

Then, when your kids are in Jiu Jitsu, they like to make friends. Or, in my son’s case, I think one of his classmates claimed him as her future husband…which totally works for me because HELLO? She does Jiu Jitsu so she’s a keeper.

But, let’s face it, Jiu Jitsu often involves a lot of this…

And this…

This…

OOH! This.

And of COURSE…THIS…

And YES I KNOW I have way more pics of the little kids and the girls and that is because trying to take pics of the bigger boys grappling? How do we put this? Ever see the outtakes where the poor cameraman is accidentally flattened by an overzealous lineman and hospitalized?

EXACTLY. And that is why y’all got a shot of them sitting. Still. Where they don’t BLUR and can’t hurt me.

Anyway. With all this Jiu Jitsu cuteness rolling around, it’s hard to believe that any one of these could be Patient Zero in a gi. These kids are so cute (especially mine), but we need to remember that they are God’s Little Petri Dishes.

I watch my kid sometimes and think I’d be safer licking a toilet than kissing him.

Sigh.

And the adults? We aren’t any better. We are sweating and slobbering as we grapple, spreading the Joy of Germs everywhere we go.

The common approach these days is to SANITIZE EVERYTHING. And that’s cool. Cleanliness is my thing. I am Scandinavian and Norway IS the motherland of OCD. But, I am not a huge fan of relying on anti-bacterial stuff. I like some common sense.

So FIVE TIPS to help keep you healthy this cold and flu season.

#1—Easy on the Anti-Bacterial Gels

I am not saying these are bad, but they are not a cure-all. WASHING our hands actually does a better job because it is the friction that does the best job at getting rid of the germs. So, yeah, gels when in a pinch, but good old fashioned hand-washing just can’t be beat. Wash to the tune of Happy Birthday or if your kid is like my son?

Innagaddadavida.

#2—Jedi Your Germs

Thing is, germs are EVERYWHERE. We need them to be everywhere or life as we know it would implode. Like the scientists benevolently kill one BAD bacteria but then they find they disrupted this chain of events because that bad bacteria was the ONLY one feeding off a bacteria no one ever knew about that made Avon Ladies foam at the mouth and eat their young and WE KILLED IT!

When science starts tinkering with things to “help”, that’s when we get a new Michael Bay movie.

It’s The FORCE. Things need to stay in balance.

Sith germs exist, but so long as the Jedi Germs abound? We’re cool.

Invest in a GOOD probiotic. Modern food doesn’t keep the Jedi germs in high enough numbers in our system. Unfortunately, if you have even REMOTELY paid attention in the last 20 years, you KNOW McDonald’s is OWNED by the Sith.

We have to actively look for things like a GOOD Greek yogurt or even a GOOD probiotic (found in the refrigerated section of Sprouts). I would recommend that you get the probiotic Gummies, but you seriously need the self-discipline of a Shaolin Monk or those are going to be the most expensive gummy bears you have ever eaten in your LIFE…and no, eating an entire jar of them in one night does NOT make you healthier.

It does, however make you poorer and sad. Very very sad.

#3—KALE, BABY!

Yes, well I drank green juice with KALE before it was cool. But now that it’s cool it is easier for you to stay healthy because I used to have to drive 30 MILES to get good, luscious, dark, awesome kale to toss in my juicer and now they sell it at Home Depot and JoAnnes Fabric store so you have NO EXCUSE.

Invest in a Vita-Mix if you can because fiber is great for keeping you healthy. It pulls toxins out of your system.

Kale is loaded in B Vitamins that we ALL NEED. Stress will burn through your Bs like a flash fire and if you don’t replenish them? You get tired, burned out and SICK. Antioxidants also act like tiny Norwegians with OCD who like to scrub your body clean of all the schmutz.

Again, don’t argue. It’s science.

Why I love kale is the body just does better getting nutrients from FOOD instead of a pill. BUT, we should all be taking a good supplement so I HIGHLY recommend vitamins by Megafoods because all the nutrients are from food and captured using cold fusion.

This means your body uses a LOT more (meaning less Technicolor pee—YES SHE WENT THERE!) and you also won’t be belching up the taste of vitamins all day.

#4—Drink Lots of Water

It’s easy to remember to hydrate in the summer when it’s hot. When the weather cools? Not so much. Thing is, germs looooove a dehydrated, acidic environment. They thrive where there is not enough fluid to flush them out.

How much to drink? Take your body weight, divide in half and then drink that in ounces.

And yes, I know vodka IS clear, but that doesn’t make it water and no it doesn’t count toward your hydration intake or make your grappling or dancing better.

#5—DO JIU JITSU

Want to stay healthy? EXERCISE! Yes, wash your hands, eat great, get sleep, take probiotics, but get exercise. The human body was designed to MOVE. Our lymphatic system works as a hydraulic pump (ergo the needing enough water). We need to be hydrated to make the lymphatic fluid more viscous, but then we need to MOVE so that the lymphatic fluid can do it’s JOB, which is to help CLEAN the body…

Because the antioxidants…(those tiny ODC Norwegians) can only do so much and they probably got distracted organizing. So they need help. Lymphatic fluid can do that.

We modern humans sit waaaay too much on our butts, and so we need to GET OFF them and get to a Jiu Jitsu class and help put Cold and Flu Season in a Triangle Choke.

Yes, I went there. I hear your golf clap. YOU! In the back! I have my eye on you O_o. I am going to go make my kale juice and silently judge you.

ANYWAY! Enjoy the fall, have a great Halloween. Enjoy Jui Jitsu and kiss your adorable little Petri Dishes of LOVE. Stay safe and healthy and please, if you are in Mansfield, come join us for a free month of classes!

Dojo Diva OUT!

October 28, 2015
Gracie Goes BACK TO SCHOOL! Three Tips to Stop Bullying

The BJJ “Brothers”

Ah, BACK TO SCHOOL! At Gracie Barra Mansfield, we strive to support families and this means helping bully proof your kids. As an author and on-line personality, I can say that bullying never goes away. It seems that young bullies often simply grow up to become adult bullies. Though nothing will ever make bullies completely disappear, there are things we can do to minimize the damage they can do.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is wonderful for helping our kids learn how to handle bullies, but Jiu Jitsu goes beyond simple self-defense. Martial arts practitioners might be prepared for a fight, but that in no way means we ever WANT a fight.

Today we are going to talk about three simple ways Jiu Jitsu helps kids with bullying.

Peace In The Plan

We talked about this earlier in the year. As a society, we drill for EVERYTHING. We have fire drills and flood drills. Tornado drills. Hurricane drills. We make a plan for what to do if separated at the mall. What to do if Mom forgets to pick us up from school. Heck, our family even has a plan for the Zombie Apocalypse.

But how many people plan (mentally prepare) for being verbally or physically assaulted?

Often, just wargaming a potential crisis can help tremendously. If it didn’t, flight attendants would simply wait until the plane was falling out of the sky to bother telling us that our seat cushions can also be used as a flotation device.

When you or your child trains in Jiu Jitsu, you are mentally preparing to be victorious and not a victim. Your child is practicing being in a bad spot and coming out unscathed (in a healthy environment).

Body Language

How do you feel when you deal with a person who refuses to make eye contact?

What about a person who keeps looking at a phone and tapping her foot when you are trying to ask a question?

How do you feel about people who smile genuinely when they see you?

Most communication is nonverbal. Body language is a HUGE deal. School can be hard on kids, especially at the beginning of a school year. Are the old friends going to still be friends? Will there be a place she can fit in? Maybe the school is completely new and is a frightening and unfamiliar world.

Jiu Jitsu instills a quiet confidence in those who practice the art. Confidence is nonverbal and it does affect how others treat us. Predators (bullies) are not looking for the kid who has a strong self image. They are sniffing out the insecure because the confident kid will just tell them to go pound sand. Bullying, manipulation and intimidation don’t work very well on the kid who has a strong sense of self.

Having a TRIBE

This strong sense of self can and does come from practicing a martial art, but it also comes from being part of a TRIBE. Bullies look for insecure loners because insecure loners lack a system of support. They lack peers who can be there for emotional support.

Think of wildlife documentaries. The pack of hyenas (great parallel for bullies) isn’t looking to take on an entire pride of lions. They are looking for the sick, old or lost gazelle who wandered too far away from the herd.

Bullies are cowards and the best thing we can do to bully-proof our kids is to add them to the Gracie Tribe. They can then learn to practice and live excellence and feel safe knowing they are part of something stronger than themselves. Maybe they don’t fit in at school, but they will always have their Jiu Jitsu brothers and sisters 😉 .

Jiu Jitsu also helps train our kids to be world changers. The only way to get rid of bullying is to train kids to have excellent character. Don’t BE a bully and if you SEE bullying? Make a difference. Protect those weaker and stand up for what is right.

We hope that you will come by and bring your kids. We offer an entire anti-bullying curriculum and look forward to making you part of our tribe!

August 20, 2015