I recently had the opportunity to train under one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belts around, Saulo Ribeiro. You may have seen him cornering Diego Sanchez. The head instructor at the gym I go to, one of Saulo’s black belts, was taking a well deserved vacation and Professor Ribeiro took over classes for a couple of weeks. Looking back now it’s crazy to think about the experience with some perspective; at an early stage of my development I got to receive instruction from one of the world’s best. It was like being offered boxing lessons from someone like Joe Frazier.
Not really knowing what to expect I made the assumption that we’d learn some crazy new moves to unleash on the world and that the training would emphasize blood and tears: wrong. In many ways Saulo’s visit was a return to basics, strengthening foundations that had been somewhat neglected. Don’t get me wrong, I did pick up quite a few nifty techniques – such as better arm bars from side control (a personal weakness) and really good positional transitions – but the brass tacks basics like front rolls and technical stand ups were being approached casually and needed revisiting.
Aside from shoring up our basics, Saulo emphasized the philosophical aspect of Jiu Jitsu; trusting in your technique and your body. Saulo claimed that what allowed him to win so many championships was that he was “careless”, he didn’t think out there, he trusted himself to know what to do. Of course, strength and athleticism have a place, but he kept on emphasizing the fact that Helio Gracie, one of the arts’ founders, was a man of about 115 lbs. with no prayer against bigger men without superior technique. Breaking things down this way helped me remember what got me hooked in the first place; the first class I ever took I sparred with somebody who must have been about 15-20 pounds lighter than me and got tapped out every thirty seconds. Immediately I thought to myself, man I better learn some of this shit.
Listening to the man talk about his history in the sport was another highlight. His love for the sport was clear; he obtained a law degree but chose to pursue a more uncertain life in a martial art which, at the time, was nowhere near as popular and profitable as it is today. As you could imagine, he explained with a laugh, his mother wasn’t too happy with this decision. Hearing his various anecdotes about coming up as a BJJ fighter really gave a sense of legacy; after all, this is a man with a direct lineage to one of the martial arts’ founders (Saulo received his black belt from Royler Gracie, Helio’s son).
While Jiu Jitsu is merely a hobby for me, I feel blessed to have been given the opportunities I’ve received; for example, right after Saulo left our classes had another guest instructor in Paulo Guillobel, another highly regarded black belt. I know that many people are skeptical of BJJ (remember, it’s only gay if you make eye contact), but I sincerely hope that anybody with even a passing interest will give it a fair shot.
i hate diego