Over $500 Raised for Flood-ravaged Sicamous
We at Pacific Wave Jiu-jitsu believe in giving back to the community as a dojo. Recently, in conjunction with BCIT Jiu-jitsu, we held a “Water Balloon Revenge” event to raise funds to donate to flood-ravaged community of Sicamous, BC. Every summer the Canadian Jiu-jitsu Union holds its summer camp there so a number of member dojos decided to raise funds to help the community in different ways. We decided to have a bit of fun with it and give students a chance to “take revenge” on their Senseis by buying water balloons for $5.00, which they could throw at a Sensei of their choice.
We managed to raise over $500 with all proceeds from the balloons being donated to the Eagle Valley Community Support Society, which supports Sicamous in times of need (like now). Check out the video below for a recap from the event. Or check out the photos on our Facebook page.
Be the Black Sheep: The Payoff of Being Different
“Don’t mind anyone else, you don’t make mistakes.”
It was during an unexpected water break in the middle of my four hour plus grading for my brown belt six years ago that my first Sensei leaned in and whispered to me. He was one of a half dozen black belts assisting in the grading that day, and while the comment may seem odd, I knew to what he was referring.
About twenty minutes earlier, the grading panel had been yelling out the names of different chokes, and not entirely certain I had heard correctly, I began applying a choke. From the corner of my eye, I noticed everyone one else was doing a different choke. Assuming I must have simply heard wrong, I adjusted to perform the same choke as everyone else. Turns out everyone else was wrong.
This story came to mind the other night after I had begun a warm-up during class. I started off with the warning, “Listen carefully to the instructions,” and I proceeded to rattle off a set of exercises. (more…)
5 Advantages of Training with a Female Martial Arts Instructor
For some reason, a lot of people think that because I am a female martial arts instructor that my students would probably be mostly women. This is far from the truth. The reality is that my division of men to women is pretty much the same as it is in most martial arts schools, with more men than women training. People train for all sorts of reasons, but many of my students, both men and women, look at training under a female instructor as beneficial to their learning. Here are some of the reasons why:
1. Less Macho Training Environment. One of the reasons many people are hesitant to take up martial arts training is because they are worried that there will be too many people who train with a macho attitude using the dojo as their own personal proving ground. They worry that this kind of environment would make the social element unappealing, and the training environment potentially dangerous as people take out their personal baggage on unsuspecting partners. With a female instructor running the show, a class is less likely to attract people with macho attitudes because they’re (more…)
The Challenge of Training Verbal De-escalation Tactics
One of the most important elements in self-protection is the use of verbal de-escalation tactics, particularly for security and law enforcement professionals. Our first response should always be to resolve situations without the use of force.
The Purpose of Verbal De-escalation
There are many reasons for both police and private citizens to use force only as a last resort, (liability, paperwork, etc) but the most important one is safety. If you can avoid using physical skills to defend yourself, you’re much less likely to get injured.
Verbal de-escalation tactics mix a number of skills and require practice just like physical techniques. You need to remain calm under stressful conditions and walk the fine line of assertiveness that runs just between passive and aggressive when responding to a potentially hostile situation.
If you act passively, your potential attacker may see you as prey, which can motivate him to press forward with his assault. However, if you respond with aggression, may escalate to violence in his response in order to save face. (more…)
Giving Back: Community Involvement through Martial Arts Schools
In my mind, martial arts schools exist to be a positive influence in the community. Instructors strive to help their students improve their fitness, become more confident, meet new people, and have fun. That is essentially the mission of our dojo.
But there is also something to be said about getting involved in the community beyond those who train at the dojo. I believe in giving back to the world however I can. Over the past 3 months, I have made it my intention to engage in some form of selfless giving every day, recording my efforts on my blog, Giv’er 365. The dojo is just one more avenue that allows me to do so. (more…)
Tripping vs Throwing: A Different Way to Conceptualize Throws
Throws get very mixed reviews. Some people absolutely love throwing, and really look forward to learning how to toss people about the mats. Other people get nervous and apprehensive when it comes to learning throws.
The very word throwing carries with it a lot of connotation. Throwing implies a requirement of strength, dexterity and energy, and is generally done in the movies by big tough guys with large muscles.
When people try to throw for the first time, you can almost see the big intake of breath before they try and pick someone up and throw them, regardless of how you’ve explained the technique.
Throwing is one of reasons that the assertion made by Jiu-jitsu instructors that it can be done anyone regardless of strength and size is often met with skepticism. The punching, the kicking, that’s ok, even perhaps the locks seem attainable. But tell someone that they’re going to learn to how throw people larger then themselves, well, that’s hard to believe. (more…)
What to Do After Completing a Big Goal or Project
Recently, I finished off a project I had been working toward over the past few weeks. I had the opportunity to do stunt doubling work for a movie using my fencing skills. In the end, all went well and I doubled for 3 different women for the same film. Even though I already had a good set of fencing skills to draw on, there was a lot of work involved. I helped train other women with no fencing experience so they could work on the film. I learned choreographed sequences. The biggest task though was losing weight as I was told that the women I was expected to double were thinner than me. Through my efforts of working out and diet management I lost 8 lbs within 2 weeks for the show, and kept up my plan to maintain my physique until the show was complete. Needless to say, it was a busy 3 weeks of moving outside my usual comfort zones, requiring a lot of focus on a number of physical goals. (more…)
Reading an Attacker’s Intent
One of the issues that comes up with training in martial arts for the purposes of self-defense is that classes tend to focus on the physical skills you use once you’re in an altercation. There’s generally, at best, a passing reference to avoidance tactics, reading the situation, and running away.
This isn’t meant as a criticism, as not everyone takes up a martial art for self-defense purposes. Plenty of people just want to do something active, have fun, or meet new people. One of the big benefits of teaching with Pacific Wave Jiu-jitsu is that I’ve had the opportunity to assist and teach purely self-defense classes that cover more about awareness, de-escalation tactics, and conflict avoidance. The amount that I have picked up and incorporated into my life, however, did not become apparent until I re-entered the security field a couple of months ago.
There is a common theme about preparedness and awareness stories amongst security and law enforcement professionals when dealing with someone who is potentially violent. I don’t know how many times I’ve read and heard from police the cautionary tale about how an officer didn’t react to someone threatening violence because the body language didn’t support it. (more…)
How Being a Morning Person Can Be More Productive (with Fixes for Night Owls)
I’ve found that being a morning person really helps me live a more productive life. There are a number of reasons for this just due to the timing of life in North American society. It is this same timing that can lead to night owls being less productive. There are work-arounds, however, if you want the same benefits that active morning people enjoy. (more…)
Staunching Starches: 4 Tips for Cutting Back on Starchy Carbs
In my last post, I offered 5 tips for cutting back on refined sugar, which factored into my weight loss goal discussed in The Benefits of Moving Outside Our Comfort Zones. Today I’ll offer advice for doing the same with starchy carbs. For the record, carbs are not the enemy. There are plenty of healthy carbs that you can and should be incorporating into a healthy, balanced diet. Fruits and vegetable are all carbohydrates that can be eaten in abundance. What causes us to overeat sometimes is starchy carbs, especially ones containing refined flours.
Eating the Right Balance
According to Barry Sears, creator of the Zone diet, it’s not about eliminating all of a single thing, whether it’s carbs, protein or fats. It’s about getting the right balance of all 3 in your body, opting for the healthiest versions of each. The trouble is that in North America we tend to eat too many unhealthy carbs by way of refined sugars and starchy options. (more…)
We're proud to announce that Lori O'Connell Sensei's new book, When the Fight Goes to the Ground: Jiu-jitsu Strategies & Tactics for Self-Defense, published through international martial arts publisher Tuttle Publishing, is now available in major book stores and online. More about it & where to buy it.