Wednesday, September 28, 2011


I think we can all agree that family is important.  It's even more than that - it could be everything.  Your family nurture you; it molded you into the person you are today.  You rely on your family and it relies on you.  In your case, grappler, it's mainly you relying on your parents for financial support and them being bled dry by your irresponsible lifestyle.  You really need to move out and get a job (unless that would interfere with your training).

Furthermore, knowing where you come from is equally important.  I, for example, come from a long line of Mexican farm workers and good-for-nothings, some of whom served time in the finest penitentiaries in the state of California.  But, not everyone is as fortunate as me.  Family.  Yeah. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we too, as grapplers, share a long storied history, a lineage, that dates back to a man called Mitsuyo who taught a man called Carlos how kick some serious ass on the ground.  Carlos taught his some Carlos Jr. and, in turn, Carlos Jr. taught a man called Renato.  And, Renato taught me everything I know.  And, the rest is history.  And, it's ours.  I'm getting a little teary eyed. 


  1. Great video! Only a couple things to point out. Kosen judo just means university judo. There was a trend in Japan of pulling guard or dropping for a long time, but the Kodokan has always hated it. Maeda was not the only judoka to enter prize fights, and lots of the Japanese judoka who traveled entered into exhibition matches or prize fights.

  2. It's all about our ROOTS!!

