The word sacrifice can be simply defined as, “the giving up of something of value for the sake of something else.” Every person in this world is constantly making sacrifices on a day to day basis. We make sacrifices to acquire wealth or to achieve a goal. We sacrifice to be with our loved ones or to be alone. We sacrifice to make someone happy or to make ourselves happy. There is a constant battle going on inside all of us based on gain vs. loss. Most of the time, these decisions are made while we are on the move and often go unnoticed to ourselves until we sit back in our alone time and begin that internal conversation with ourselves about life. We ask ourselves so many wheres, whos, whys, and hows. We weigh the gain vs. loss ratio on how we value one thing over another and make decisions based upon those  conclusions. Where I usually find myself at that point is asking myself, “Okay you’ve made your decision but is that the right decision?” “What are the right or wrong things to sacrifice?” “Will I regret my decisions later?”

Over the course of my lifetime I’ve made so many sacrifices in the name of trying to be the best athlete I could possibly be. I’ve learned to sacrifice my time with friends and family in return for more time in the gym. I’ve sacrificed friendships and relationships because of my belief that my actions and achievements might possibly have a lasting impact on the world around me. And I’ve sacrificed popularity and monetary gain simply because I love what I do. All my sacrifice has lead me to great heights and I have achieved so many of my goals but how do I know I gave up the right things? Truth be told, I don’t know that I’ve given up the right things. I’ve seen my siblings grow up seemingly over night because I’ve devoted so much time to athletics. I’ve seen friends and girlfriends come and go because I’m so hell bent on being the best and people don’t like feeling neglected. I’ve watched friends and family surpass me in financial success because I’m so determined to achieve my goals that I’ve never really cared what the consequences are and I’m not willing to give up.

People say nothing worth doing is ever easy. Well the road I’ve chosen has not been easy. It has been a very long, lonely and isolated road. I’ve chosen the road most people would look at and walk away from because they look at it and think, “No thank you. That is too hard.” Nothing is too hard. It’s not easy and it only seems to get harder and harder but I push forward because I believe. I believe in myself and what I know I’m capable of. And I believe that some day I will be the best and that I will have a lasting impact on the world and the people around me. So have I made the right decisions? Have I sacrificed the right things? Only time will tell. All I can do is hold fast to my belief in myself and keep moving forward. One thing is certain. Without sacrifice there is no gain. What is it that you want in life? Now what are you willing to give up to get that? Are you willing to sacrifice? If you are, then the world is yours for the taking. Now go get it!!!

Henry Martinez

Looking back through these blogs, I’ve noticed that quite a few of them are about competitions and the importance of competing. That should go to show just exactly how important it is to compete if you want to get serious with jiu jitsu. If you’re somebody who is a hobbyist and just wants to do it for fun, that’s awesome. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But if you’re one of the people who want to take their training to the next level, you’re going to want to keep reading.

We have decided to form a competition team. What exactly is that, you ask? Well a competition team is a group of jiu jitsu practitioners within the school that dedicate extra time and training to go compete. Now, everybody is welcome (and encouraged) to be part of the competition team. That being said, if you commit to being a part of the team, you will have to honor certain requirements that come with it.

Those requirements include (but are not limited to):

You must compete at every local tournament.

You must compete at at least 3 prestigious tournaments in a calendar year. (Worlds, Grappler’s Quest, NAGA, etc.)

You must be at every competition specific training day.

You must be a pro member of the 10th Planet website.

Now then, who wants some?

Why do so many schools teach with a gi? The simple answer would be tradition but I want to know more. So I decided to go way back and find out how the use of the gi came to be.

I’ll start from the beginning. The term Jujutsu was created in the 17^th century in Japan as a term for a variety of grappling-related disciplines. Originally Jujutsu systems were not systems of unarmed combat but combat methods that included striking, throwing, restraining and weaponry that allowed an unarmed or lightly armed samurai to fight a heavily armed and armored enemy on the battlefield. With time Jujutsu evolved and branched into many different styles and sport forms that were more focused on unarmed combat.

Judo was the first Japanese martial art to gain international recognition. The founder of Kodokan Judo Kanō Jigorō studied several forms of Jujutsu growing up and later stated that “By taking together all the good points I had learned of the various schools and adding thereto my own inventions and discoveries, I devised a new system for physical culture and moral training as well as for winning contests.” Kanō Jigorō is credited with developing a practice kimono called the keikogi (keiko meaning practice, gi meaning dress or clothes). The kiekogi is relevant to the everyday kimonos worn by the Japanese in the 19^th century.

Kanō Jigorō would later send one of his five Judo experts Mitsuyo Maeda overseas to demonstrate and spread his style to the world. Maeda travelled to many places around the world displaying the art before landing in Brazil. It was in Brazil that he met Carlos Gracie, a troubled teenager that Maeda took under his wing and taught his style. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is largely identified with the Gracie family and the Gracie’s have been training in the gi ever since.

The Jiu Jitsu gi is similar to the Judo gi with a few slight differences. Jiu Jitsu regulations allow for tighter cuffs on the pants and jacket, and the skirt is shorter. This allows the practitioner to benefit from a closer fit, providing less material for an opponent to manipulate. Team, sponsor, and manufacturer’s patches are often more prominently displayed on a Jiu Jitsu gi than would be allowed in judo. A judo gi may be worn for BJJ tournaments, but a Jiu Jitsu gi will not meet guidelines for a judo tournament.

Jiu Jitsu is continuing to evolve and is being applied prominently in MMA where many gi techniques do not translate very well thus forcing competitors to focus on developing no-gi techniques; but, even the most vocal no-gi practitioners such as Eddie Bravo are black belts in the gi. So should you train in the gi? I would say the answer is up to you. Learn the classics or join the rebels evolving beyond the old-style “practice uniform?” I say both.

Ruben Rivera