BJJ

Jiu Jitsu Success Story!

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness · Apr 6, 2019 ·

Jeff Blaaw before starting BJJ is out of shape, 50 years old, and discouraged. Texarkana Jiu Jitsu!

Jeff Blaaw raves about training BJJ at Texarkana Jiu Jitsu under 4th degree BJJ black belt Marc Hagebusch

Should you try Jiu Jitsu?

Imagine you decide it’s time to get in shape and lose some weight at 50 years old.

You know the gym isn’t going to work for you and really it sounds kind of boring.

You suddenly have an idea… what about martial arts?

You haven’t ever trained martial arts before and really don’t know too much about it.

You don’t really see yourself running around punching and kicking the air yelling kia and calling all the little 8 year old black belts sir.

You’ve seen some UFC mixed martial arts events and heard Joe Rogan raving about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

You wonder if there’s one in Texarkana.

A quick Google search and you realize…

You have a world class Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym close by run by a 4th degree black belt with almost 20 years of teaching the art.

You call them up and set up a time to try a first class.

You show up, maybe a little intimidated wondering if it will be too hard or that you’ll be too out of shape.
Is the gym full of knuckleheads that are just going to try to beat you up?
Thankfully you find a group of the coolest people you’ve ever met that help you out and walk you through some of the basic techniques.
You sweat a little, learn some moves, and meet some cool people.

You can’t wait to get back for the next class.

Jeff Blaaw loses a ton of weight, feels better, and is healthier since starting Jiu Jitsu at Texarkana Jiu Jitsu!

Fast forward a year, you’ve lost a ton of weight.

You feel better.

You’re now on the mats as often as you can make it… and now you’re helping out the new men and women coming in just like others helped you.

If you’re interested in trying a first class to see if Jiu Jitsu can transform your life like it’s done for so many others…

Contact us and we’ll get it set up for you!

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu
Email us.
Call us.

Jiu Jitsu for everyone age 4 through adult men and women. No experience necessary. All fitness levels welcome!

Hurry Up Offense 2018

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness · Oct 3, 2018 ·

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿

We have officially entered the 4th quarter of 2018.

I don’t know if you’re a football fan or not…

In football as the time ticks off the clock and the game enters the 4th quarter the teams begin to feel a sense of urgency to win.

This is especially true of the team that is behind in the game.

They hadn’t up to that point hit their targets and accomplished their goals.

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴.

75% of the year is behind us.

3/4 of 2018 has already passed and it’s easy to start looking ahead to the end of the year with the holidays and the rapidly approaching 2019.

Only 91 days to go.

Many of us started 2018 optimistically.

𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.

We thought we’re going to lose some weight, take care of our health, eat better, exercise more, train more Jiu Jitsu.

We may have set some type of target, say we wanted to lose 25lbs because we knew it would make us feel better and improve our health.

We thought, this year I’m going to start training Jiu Jitsu or maybe put in some extra time to see what we are capable of achieving.

Unfortunately life has probably gotten in the way and threw us a few unanticipated ‘curveballs.’

You may not be on track to ‘win‘ in the 4th quarter of 2019.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵!

In football, the team generally doesn’t ever give up in the 4th quarter.

They do not just simply throw in the towel and leave the field.

Often people do.

The idea is let’s just make it through the holiday and then 2019 will be our year.

Paraphrasing Mark Twain who apparently made up a quote he attributed to Ben Franklin…

“𝑁𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑃𝑢𝑡 𝑂𝑓𝑓 𝑇𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝐷𝑜 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑦 𝐴𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝐴𝑠 𝑊𝑒𝑙𝑙.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵.

If you want to start hitting your goals, start today as Twain suggests.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗶𝘂 𝗝𝗶𝘁𝘀𝘂?

Contact us and we’ll get you set up to try a first free class so we can start you moving towards the goal line before the end of the quarter.

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness
903-793-1085

𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘪𝘶 𝘑𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦 4 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵. 𝘕𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺!

What’s Better for Self Defense, Judo or BJJ?

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness · Mar 11, 2018 ·

Which Martial Art Is Better for Self Defense… Judo or BJJ ?

This question comes up so often and is very polarizing. Everyone has an opinion based on their own experiences.

I have been fortunate enough to train both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with some incredible instructors.

I don’t believe that there is a single right answer here.

Should you train BJJ or Judo?

It depends on the specific gym, the instructor, the other students, and the individual that is thinking about training.

These probably matter much more than the art itself in this case… and because a wide variety exists in all these variables and what may suit you may not be the best for many others.

It depends a lot on you because if you don’t like the training or are training at a place where you are often injured due to poor safety standards then you won’t get good enough to use the techniques in a self defense situation.

Judo for Self Defense

My Judo instructor, the late Vince Tamura, was very ‘old school’ and taught his family’s style of jujitsu as well as Judo in a pretty well rounded curriculum that still predominately focused on competitive Judo for the most part.

I don’t think the self defense techniques were all that necessary to allow any of the Judoka I trained with to defend themselves against an attack.

The throws, conditioning, and the groundwork would give you a huge advantage in a fight over an opponent that likely knows nothing in the grappling area either stand up or ground.

There is a little less variation in curriculum between Judo schools, but it’s still very variable depending on the coach.

Judo tends to really stand out in the clinch/throwing department.

There’s more to Judo than throws though as I mention below.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for Self Defense

Restating the idea above, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu may be the best art for you.

It depends.

As far as self defense goes, the greatest danger is when you are in close combat – not when you’re throwing punches at each other while at a distance.

If you aren’t in the clinch already you are likely able to get away in most situations… or you can very likely get there quickly.

In close combat, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner is going to have a huge advantage over the average person.

The specific Jiu Jitsu school curriculum does matter to some degree.

If the training is too focused on competition techniques without covering basic foundational Jiu Jitsu techniques then it might not be quite as effective… even so, the average sport focused BJJ practitioner will have a big advantage in close combat over most attacks.

If there are no clinch or takedown techniques it might not be ideal for self defense.

I haven’t done a formal survey of BJJ schools, but I would guess the vast majority teach some stand up grappling to varying degrees.

Judo or BJJ for Self Defense

The reality is that both martial arts are likely to help someone be able to defend themselves for a variety of reasons.

These are both grappling based martial arts that will give you skills in close range combat where the vast majority of the public have no technical skills.
Both martial arts are generally trained against a resisting opponent giving the practitioners a more realistic type of training where the practitioners have to develop strategies that work in a real situation.
These arts tend to push your fitness, conditioning, and balance which will give you an advantage over the vast majority of people that do not train and are out of shape.
Both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will help practitioners develop mental toughness and perseverance through constant challenges that will help you in a self defense situation when things may get tough.

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu

Texarkana is a small town. We don’t have a separate Judo gym here.

My own gym, Texarkana Jiu Jitsu, trains a good amount of Judo in our Jiu Jitsu class.

At my school, Texarkana Jiu Jitsu, we spend a significant amount of time on takedowns in our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes although not as much as the average Judo school.

This time is vastly more than the individual you are likely to fight in a self defense situation has in stand up grappling… and more than the average BJJ school.

The ground matters, a lot, particularly for women’s self defense who in the worst scenario will be put on their back against likely a bigger, stronger male… but the ground matters for everyone that gets in a fight.

Mostly to be able to get up or sweep from the bottom, as well as being able to dominate in the top position.

Coach Marc Hagebusch

Martial Arts, Reality Versus Fallacy

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness · Mar 8, 2018 ·

Jim Carrey humorously demonstrates the problem with some martial arts and self defense… the lack of a reality basis.

At Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness, we only train what works against a resisting opponent that is trying to beat you.

We don’t train based on tradition being passed down since the days of feudal Japan. A lot has changed since that time!

The advantage of this approach is that it works when you use it… but probably more interesting is that it requires the practitioner to challenge themselves mentally and physically to overcome the obstacles that will be placed in front of you.

Developing yourself physically and mentally, developing grit and perseverance that allows each person to become more successful both on and off the mats.

Interested in trying out a first Free Class for yourself or your child in Texarkana?

Send us an email or call us and we’ll set it up for you!

No experience necessary and all fitness levels welcome. You do not have to be in shape to start, we’ll help you take care of that!

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness

903-793-1085

Adults – We offer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, Cardio Kickboxing, and Yoga classes.

Kids – We offer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for kids age 4 and up.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu For Self Defense?

Texarkana Jiu Jitsu and Fitness · Feb 16, 2018 ·

“Can Brazilian Jiu Jitsu work in a street fight?”

It depends. Great answer, I know!

What does it depend upon?

It depends on the situation and the practitioner.

The best approach is to not fight and leave if at all possible.

Unfortunately, in some cases this won’t be possible.

It might be that the person is cornered or in a situation where they need to protect others like friends or family.

In this case, you have to fight.

It also might be that the other person(s) grab you.

In this case, you no longer have the ability to leave/run… so you’ll have to engage to some degree.

In this case, you may be able to use grappling/BJJ to disengage and then leave the situation.

Stuck in the grappling range without this ability means you are in very serious trouble.

This is part of the problem with the ‘BJJ is useless against multiple opponents’ idea.

Anyone against multiple opponents is in greater trouble.

It doesn’t matter what art you train.

Yes I know there’s a youtube video showing a boxer taking out multiple opponents.

It can happen.

It also might go really wrong if one of the opponents grabs the boxer (or non-boxer).

See Art Jimmerson, a skilled boxer, against Royce Gracie in UFC 1.

Art was helpless against Royce in the grappling range… so were his other opponents who had no significant grappling ability.

No one should want to be too entangled on the ground in a fight, especially if there is a possibility of someone else jumping in.

Here’s an interesting question…

Why is it always assumed that BJJ practitioners have no friends around, but the street fighting guy is part of some gang of brothers or something?

I don’t think that training BJJ means you’re always alone and friendless.

Anyway, it’s not really relevant to the question.

Most opponents will be completely lost in the grappling range.

They will be out of position and essentially drowning on land.

They will be very frightened as they realize this.

They will also become tired very, very quickly.

This is due to several things…

⦁ they have no idea what is going on,
⦁ they get a massive brief adrenaline dump,
⦁ they are very likely way out of shape playing the averages,
⦁ if if they are not out of shape for general society – they will be out of grappling shape if they have not been training regularly. They will very likely have no sport specific endurance/conditioning…
⦁ and if they do because they train BJJ, you had better know what you’re doing.

**I can assure you this is true.**

I have trained for 22+ years and own a school. I have seen this countless times.

The people coming in to train experience this the first time they ‘spar‘ even in a very safe and friendly situation on mats.

In a situation where they will be taken down to the ground quickly landing on very likely a bad surface and not know how to fall – it will be much worse.

Virtually everyone has some sense of throwing a strike.

Even a pure sport BJJ guy/girl.

As mentioned above, virtually no one knows what to do in a grappling situation.

As soon as someone is taken down (with the landing possibly ending the fight right there), the BJJ practitioned does not have to have great striking skills to strike from a superior position controlling an opponent who is very likely completely helpless.

A few strikes to the head which is against the ground and no where to go is likely to end the fight.

You don’t have to mount, take an opponent’s back, or play guard in the vast majority of situations.

A very common position in BJJ is knee on belly.

This allows an excellent, high pressure control which allows you to strike very, very well and to get back to your feet immediately in a fraction of a second.

What if you end up on the bottom?

You had better know what you’re doing or again you are in big trouble

If possible, use BJJ to get up and leave the situation OR at least protect yourself and get to a better situation.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gives you the ability to control of another opponent.

It also provides an excellent platform from which you can strike, use a submission, or get up as necessary.

It also generally promotes a healthier lifestyle including getting the practitioner in shape. *Again some limited variance here from practitioner to practitioner – but generally very true.

This alone could save you in a self defense situation OR may save you from serious health problems / death from an unhealthy lifestyle.

**Most people will not be in a fight, ever, once they’re an adult.**

If they are it’s likely because of their occupation (a police officer or a bouncer for example)… or they’re in a place that they probably shouldn’t be in.

Avoiding these types of places is excellent self defense.

If you are otherwise forced to defend yourself, being proficient at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu can be very, very valuable for the reasons I posted above and so many others.

Coach Marc