GSW Article in the Wellingtonian
Got a cool article in the Wellingtonian this week. Ester, a journalism student came along a last week and asked a whole bunch of questions, then last Sunday Callum came down and took a heap of photos.
This is what they printed.
WHEN BRAZILIAN Jiu Jitsu teacher Geoff Grant arrived at the Mt Victoria Dojo to take a class on Father's Day recently, he expected numbers to be a bit lower than usual. So he was a bit surprised when 32 people turned up.
When he asked the students why they weren't spending the day with their dads, some offered vague excuses about having rang or sent text messages; others just looked sheepish.
It seems these guys have been "bitten by the bug", as Grant puts it. The G.S.W. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) club is the only one of its kind in Wellington and membership is steadily growing. This is despite the fact that martial arts often tend to be outside the comfort zone of the everyday person.
"With BJJ it can be difficult to get new students in the door" says Grant.
"It's a very confrontational sport. It might be a bit intimidating at first, but once people get involved they're usually hooked."
To a layperson, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) looks like a mixture of martial arts and wrestling. It's an offshoot of judo, which originated when a Japanese prize-fighter emigrated to Brazil in the late 1910s and taught his craft to a family called the Grades. The Grade sons developed what they learned into a new sport in its own right, with a distinct slant towards wrestling, and a focus on practical application rather than ritualised movements.
While Grant resists the notion that BJJ is superior to other martial arts, he says what makes BJJ so popular is its flexibility.
"BJJ has guidelines, but everything can be adapted. Whether you're tall, short, overweight, underweight you can learn things that work for you in the real world. In your first session of BJJ you can learn things instantly that will be relevant in everyday life."
When he's not teaching or working full-time as courier. Grant also maintains the G.S.W. website, which is packed with information about BJJ, class schedules, photos and a web log.
This is what they printed.
WHEN BRAZILIAN Jiu Jitsu teacher Geoff Grant arrived at the Mt Victoria Dojo to take a class on Father's Day recently, he expected numbers to be a bit lower than usual. So he was a bit surprised when 32 people turned up.
When he asked the students why they weren't spending the day with their dads, some offered vague excuses about having rang or sent text messages; others just looked sheepish.
It seems these guys have been "bitten by the bug", as Grant puts it. The G.S.W. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) club is the only one of its kind in Wellington and membership is steadily growing. This is despite the fact that martial arts often tend to be outside the comfort zone of the everyday person.
"With BJJ it can be difficult to get new students in the door" says Grant.
"It's a very confrontational sport. It might be a bit intimidating at first, but once people get involved they're usually hooked."
To a layperson, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) looks like a mixture of martial arts and wrestling. It's an offshoot of judo, which originated when a Japanese prize-fighter emigrated to Brazil in the late 1910s and taught his craft to a family called the Grades. The Grade sons developed what they learned into a new sport in its own right, with a distinct slant towards wrestling, and a focus on practical application rather than ritualised movements.
While Grant resists the notion that BJJ is superior to other martial arts, he says what makes BJJ so popular is its flexibility.
"BJJ has guidelines, but everything can be adapted. Whether you're tall, short, overweight, underweight you can learn things that work for you in the real world. In your first session of BJJ you can learn things instantly that will be relevant in everyday life."
When he's not teaching or working full-time as courier. Grant also maintains the G.S.W. website, which is packed with information about BJJ, class schedules, photos and a web log.
posted by BJJ NZ at
9/23/2005 09:04:00 pm
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