Episode 23 | Jujutsu for Wellness

Introduction

The Valencia Brothers introduce themselves and discuss the importance of Jiu Jitsu and wellness in their family.

Jiu Jitsu and Wellness

• Four generations of the Valencia family have practiced Jiu Jitsu for self-defense and to promote a healthy lifestyle.

• Jiu Jitsu is a complete form of exercise that promotes movement, conditioning, flexibility, strength, and endurance.

• Horseback riding, self-defense, and swimming were three physical exercises that the Valencia brothers learned from their mentors. These activities were inspired by the samurai culture and helped build confidence, self-esteem, and preparedness to face challenges.

Samurai Tradition

The Valencia brothers discuss how their father was influenced by Japanese tradition and how it shaped his approach to teaching Jiu Jitsu.

Three Activities Inspired by Samurai Warriors

• Carlos Gracie started training at Mitsui school as a teenager.

• Horseback riding, swimming, and self-defense were activities that the samurai would put young children to practice. Grandmaster Ido was passionate about these three activities.

• A picture of a samurai on horseback is displayed in the Valencia Brothers Museum because it represents the connection between horseback riding and warrior culture.

Importance of Swimming

The Valencia brothers discuss why swimming is an important activity for promoting wellness.

Benefits of Swimming

• Swimming helps prepare individuals to face uncomfortable situations such as rough ocean waters.

• Grandmaster Ido was part of a swim team when he was younger. He once jumped from a ship to save a person who was drowning in rough water.

• Swimming helps build confidence and self-esteem.

Importance of Horseback Riding

The Valencia brothers discuss why horseback riding is an important activity for promoting wellness.

Benefits of Horseback Riding

• Horseback riding helps build confidence since it involves being in control of a large animal.

• Grandmaster Ido loved horses and believed that horseback riding was an important activity for building self-confidence and preparing individuals to face challenges.

Importance of Self-Defense

The Valencia brothers discuss why self-defense is an important activity for promoting wellness.

Benefits of Self-Defense

• Learning self-defense helps build confidence and prepares individuals to face challenges.

• Jiu Jitsu teachers become role models for their students. Grandmaster Ido was passionate about self-defense, swimming, and horseback riding.

Benefits of Jujitsu

In this section, the speakers discuss the benefits of practicing jujitsu beyond physical fitness.

Jujitsu for Mobility and Wellness

• Practicing jujitsu can improve mobility and help with falling and standing up, which is especially important as we age.

• Grappling or rough play has mental health benefits in addition to physical wellness.

Self-Defense Philosophy

• Valencia Brothers focuses on self-defense, survival, street awareness, and following the instruction of Grandmaster Elio.

• The 753 code emphasizes a comprehensive approach to self-defense that includes nutrition, emotional balance, and awareness of surroundings.

Self-Defense Mindset

• A self-defense mindset means protecting oneself from injury in all aspects of life, including through good nutrition and sensible exercise.

• Jujitsu for wellness goes beyond just learning techniques like punches and kicks; it encompasses fall protection training (ukemi wasa) as well.

Importance of Learning How to Fall

In this section, the importance of learning how to fall is discussed. Techniques for falling forward, backward, and to the sides are taught in Jiu-Jitsu classes. Falling techniques decrease the likelihood of getting hurt during falls.

Falling Techniques

• Breaking fall protection is one of the most important elements taught in Jiu-Jitsu.

• Specific techniques are taught for falling forward, backward, and to the sides.

• Students are encouraged to practice these techniques regularly so that they become instinctive reactions.

• Rolling over the shoulder is an important technique that protects against neck and head injuries.

Influence of Sport on Jiu-Jitsu Practice

This section discusses how sport has influenced Jiu-Jitsu practice. The winning mindset in tournaments can be detrimental to health and wellness if it becomes more important than self-defense or well-being.

Winning Mindset

• The objective of tournaments becomes winning above all else.

• Taking substances that enhance performance but harm the body goes against self-defense and wellness mentalities.

• Winning becomes more important than self-defense or wellness in tournament settings.

Prohibited Techniques in Honduri Sparring

This section discusses prohibited techniques in honduri sparring. These techniques were banned due to their unpredictable nature and potential for injury.

Prohibited Techniques

• Certain techniques were prohibited over time by Kodo Kanjuro due to their unpredictable nature.

• Honduri sparring has no choreography, making it unpredictable and chaotic.

• Improvisation is common in honduri sparring, especially on the ground.

Judo Techniques and Safety Mechanisms

In this section, the speakers discuss how techniques are developed in the moment during sparring and how safety mechanisms were created to balance safety and realism in Judo.

Techniques Developed During Sparring

• Techniques can be developed in the moment as practitioners are sparring.

• Chicago created safety mechanisms as far as which techniques he chose to allow and which techniques he chose to disallow and discontinued.

Balancing Safety and Realism

• There was always a balance between safety and realism in competitive Judo.

• Different types of rules were created to create a safe environment but at the same time realistic.

• The objective was to make sure that practitioners could train safely but at the same time have that chaotic, unpredictable environment which is what happens in a street fight.

Advantage of Jujitsu in Real Street Situations

In this section, the speakers discuss how Jujitsu gives an advantage in real street situations due to its focus on improvisation, adaptability, and principles rather than memorization of every technique.

Improvisation and Adaptability

• The advantage that Jujitsu gives you in a real street situation is that you're used to the chaos.

• Practitioners are used to someone trying to take them off balance and improvising techniques.

• This allows for problem-solving in the moment based on each scenario.

Principles Over Memorization

• Students should learn a few principles early on instead of trying to memorize every single technique that can be done against them.

• Knowing every single technique is impossible, so it's important to focus on defensive principles instead.

• Confidence comes from being able to defend oneself based on defensive principles rather than being dependent on knowing every single technique.

Defensive Principles in Jujitsu

In this section, the speakers discuss how defensive principles are more important than knowing every single technique and how Jujitsu gives students the tools to figure things out on their own.

Defensive Principles Over Knowing Every Technique

• Defensive principles are more important than knowing every single technique that can be done against you.

• The objective is to give students confidence by teaching them a few safety principles early on.

• It's not about what your opponent is doing to you, but rather your ability to defend yourself based on your defensive principles.

Tools for Problem-Solving

• Jujitsu gives students the tools so that they can figure things out on their own.

• When everything becomes choreographed and dependent on knowing what your opponent will do, it loses the main principle of Jujitsu which is being able to deal with chaos and developing adaptability.

Reacting Well in Chaos Situations

In this section, the speakers discuss how it is difficult to react well in chaotic situations if one has not been trained and tested in such scenarios. They also talk about the importance of improvisation and how it is impossible to replicate every scenario without some level of improvisation.

Importance of Training for Chaos Situations

• It is difficult to react well in chaotic situations if one has not been trained and tested in such scenarios.

• Improvisation is important as it is impossible to replicate every scenario or everything that happens in a scenario.

• Jiu-jitsu teachers cannot train students so that they are expecting every single move that might be used against them.

• What is possible is learning from teachers to be ready based on a few principles that will keep you as safe as possible.

Different Objectives for Jiu-Jitsu Schools

• Valente Brothers train Jiu-Jitsu a certain way with protocols focused on self-defense, survival, and wellness.

• Other schools have different objectives, and everyone should have the freedom to express Jiu-Jitsu whichever way they choose.

• It's wrong and presumptuous to try imposing our way on other schools because their objective may differ from ours.

• There are different roads for reaching the top of the mountain, depending on each school's objectives.

Tolerance for Risk

• People have different tolerance levels for risk; some may want to practice more risky ways than others.

• Valente Brothers' main goal is safety, and they have specific protocols in place for sparring to be safe.

• Other people might want to practice in a more risky way, and that's okay.

Introduction

The instructors discuss the importance of training with firearms and the risks associated with practicing Jiu Jitsu.

Firearms Training

• Firing a trained ammunition at each other is important for students to learn how to react in those scenarios.

• This involves assuming risk as an instructor, but it is necessary for student development.

Risks in Jiu Jitsu

• Over 5-6 million people practice Jiu Jitsu worldwide.

• Catastrophic injuries connected to grappling are rare, with single-digit numbers reported over a span of 60-70 years.

• Despite good safety measures, injuries can still happen during training.

Mitigating Risk in Jiu Jitsu

The instructors discuss ways to minimize the risk of injury during Jiu Jitsu training.

Protocols Before Sparring Begins

• Protocols before sparring begins help minimize the risk of injury, especially catastrophic injury.

• These protocols will be discussed later on.

Facing Risks and Benefits

• It's important to be honest with students about the risks involved in training.

• Courage is required to face these risks and move forward.

• Understanding that benefits outweigh risks is crucial for student development.

Overcoming Risks and Gaining Benefits

The instructors discuss how understanding the art of Jiu Jitsu helps overcome risks and gain benefits from training.

Importance of Deep Understanding

• The courage required to start training is greater for someone who doesn't understand the art than someone who does.

Showing Students Success

• Instructors should use tools to show students that they can succeed despite the risks.

• It's not about denying the risks, but showing that there are great gains from training Jiu Jitsu.

Example of Overcoming Risks

• A friend with a history of neck injuries and medical conditions overcame his fear of training and now trains every day.

Developing Courage Through Martial Arts

In this section, the speaker talks about how practicing martial arts can help develop courage. They share stories of their teacher, Grandmaster Elio, who was able to break falls and save himself from injury due to his practice.

Importance of Facing Risk

• Practicing martial arts involves facing risks.

• Facing risk helps develop courage.

• Grandmaster Elio shared stories of how he was able to save himself from injury due to his ability to break falls.

Examples of Facing Risk

• Grandmaster Elio slipped and fell in his 90s but was able to break the fall and save himself from injury.

• He also went flying off a horse in his 70s but was able to do a forward roll and save himself.

Importance of Practice

• Grandmaster Elio's ability to break falls and do a forward roll came from practicing many times.

• Willingness to accept risk is also important in developing these skills.

Conclusion

The speaker concludes by thanking the audience for watching and encourages them to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for their channel.

Final Thoughts

• Thank you for watching.

• Please like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for our channel.