Martial Arts is not a pastime, it’s a way of life

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Martial Arts is not a pastime, it’s a way of life

My good friend said that Martial Arts is not a pastime, it’s a way of life. Thankfully, I’ve never had to say that Martial Arts is something I used to do. Admittedly, the only important endeavor in my life I ever gave up on was my marriage, and although I’ve made the best of that decision, there’s still a part of me deep inside that knows I was the one who gave in and stopped doing my best. I told myself I’m no longer in love with my wife. But the truth was that I no longer wanted to do the things necessary to stay in love with my wife. I think our martial arts practice is very similar. At the beginning of our journey, everything seems so new and exciting, and we put lots of effort into practice and gradually things seem mundane and less exciting so we stop trying as hard and, inevitably like my marriage, we tell ourselves we’re bored, or we have other things that get in the way. And like me, instead of reaffirming our commitment and efforts we quit never really understanding that the answer to staying in love with martial arts is to love the martial arts. To continue to work hard and reignite our passion every time we come to the dojo. For me and my marriage it’s too late, but for you and your journey to black belt and beyond, you always have a chance to stay in love with the martial arts. The answer always has been and always will be showing up to class, regardless of how you may feel and training with focus and diligence.

written by Renzo Gracie blackbelt Gene Dunn

Story of the boy with a bad temper

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Story of the boy with a bad temper

Story of the boy with a bad temper.
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there.”
The little boy then understood how powerful his words were. He looked up at his father and said “I hope you can forgive me father for the holes I put in you.”
“Of course I can,” said the father.
It’s not always anger, it is your actions in general. There are no “fresh starts” in life. There is no new beginning. Forgiveness comes easy for many people but the scars of the past, they never go away. Watch what you do today, because sometimes the price isn’t worth the reward.

A sweet lesson on patience

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A sweet lesson on patience

A sweet lesson on patience.
A NYC Taxi driver wrote:
I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. ‘Just a minute’, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
‘Would you carry my bag out to the car?’ she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. ‘It’s nothing’, I told her.. ‘I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.’
‘Oh, you’re such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, ‘Could you drive through downtown?’
‘It’s not the shortest way,’ I answered quickly..
‘Oh, I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. ‘I don’t have any family left,’ she continued in a soft voice.’The doctor says I don’t have very long.’ I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
‘What route would you like me to take?’ I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, ‘I’m tired. Let’s go now’. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
‘How much do I owe you?’ She asked, reaching into her purse.
‘Nothing,’ I said
‘You have to make a living,’ she answered.
‘There are other passengers,’ I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
‘You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life..
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.
We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Master Royler Gracie seminar at Savarese Jiu-Jitsu Lyndhurst

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Master Royler Gracie seminar at Savarese Jiu-Jitsu Lyndhurst

 

Master Royler Gracie seminar at Savarese Jiu-Jitsu Lyndhurst! Royler Gracie is the son of Gracie jiu jitsu Grandmaster Helio Gracie and a legend in jiu jitsu and submission wrestling of his own merit, having been the first “King of BJJ’s Featherweight Division” setting the record of world championships at the time. Royler Gracie also ventured in mixed martial arts (MMA) ending his career in 2006, and excelled as a coach, leading the Gracie Humaitá academy in Rio de Janeiro, developing fighters like “Megaton” Dias, Alexandre Ribeiro, Omar Salum, Renato Barreto and many others. The seminar will be held at the Academy of Professor Chris Savarese, who eared his blackbelt from Gracie.

Main Achievements:

  • World Champion (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)
  • Pan American Champion (1997, 1999)
  • ADCC Champion (1999, 2000, 2001)

Lyndhurst Jiu-Jitsu team shines at IBJJF NJ OPEN

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Lyndhurst Jiu-Jitsu team shines at IBJJF NJ OPEN

Savarese Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a Lyndhurst Jiu-Jitsu team shined at the IBJJF NJ Open saturday. The long time team, one of NJ best since 2006, had an incredible showing in what was reported to be the largest non World Championshionship BJJ tournament in history. The IBJJF reported on their website (www.ibjjf.com) that the IBJJF NJ International Open had the most competitors in the history of IBJJF International Opens. Professor Chris Savarese, the school owner and instructor said “Overall a pretty good day at an unbelievably STACKED NJ Open. There was A LOT of great talent there today w some incredible performances from some top athletes. We more than held our own with only 5 competitors taking home 3 bronze medals 🥉🥉🥉and a bunch of wins home. The one thing I could say is, we were in position to win every single match that we had today and that’s all I could ask for my athletes. Great job today everyone, I’m always proud of those who put it on the line because they aren’t afraid to fail. To say that our Lyndhurst Jiu-Jitsu team shined at the IBJJF NJ Open is fair. oss.” The team has a record of 11-5 on the day.
To find out more information about this team, contact the Academy at 201 933-5134 or visit them online at (www.njbjj.com).

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Jiu-Jitsu Changes Lives

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Jiu-Jitsu Changes Lives

Jiu-Jitsu Changes Lives, written by professor Chris Savarese (www.njbjj.com)

I was reading some of my 1st BJJ instructors David Adiv blogs the other day and it made me think of my training journey through BJJ and all of the benefits and things that happened in my life because I started doing BJJ. I started writing them down and while it is a very rough list, I read it when I was done and thought about how different my life would be (and where I would be) if I never started or quit. here is the list:
-The Belief that i can accomplish anything I put my mind to
-made great, positive friends (and in 2 different countries)
-taught me to defend and stand up for myself
-Stopped drinking alcohol
-visited california for the 1st time, something I dreamed about as a kid.
-visited 2 different countries
-visited, competed in and reffed in over 15 states across the US
-eat healthier food (and learned about food)
-learned how to understand Portuguese (a little..lol)
-Stopped making excuses and started getting stuff done
-taught me to set goals and set them high (I set goals every year)
-taught me to respect others and realize everyone is fighting a battle of their own
-made me a more patient person
-gave me better Self control
-gave me great role models who helped make me who I am today
-gave me the opportunity to help people change their lives.
-gave the opportunity to give back to the community i grew up in
-gave others a way to make a living and others, met their spouse and had children after meeeting at my academy
-and after a horrific injury, it taught me how to never give up and how to persevere
-I try to be a better person everyday because of Jiu-Jitsu.
I wish I could make everyone take jiu-jitsu because
BJJ changes lives

3 things that influence you

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3 things that influence you

There are three things that influence you, your actions, your success and what you think you’re able to achieve in life…
1) The thoughts that occupy your mind. What you think about the most is what you’ll amount to the fastest.
2) The people you surround yourself with.
3) The words that you choose to use throughout the day.
I’ve talked about the first two plenty of times, but I haven’t talked about your vocabulary… specifically the words that you use every day that influence your actions and get deep into your subconscious mind and drive your day to day thoughts an actions.
I’ve found that these 7 word can really screw with your subconscious mind and cause you to sabotage yourself – and you may not even realize it.
So if I had it my way, the world’s population would do away with using these 7 words…
1) When. When I have time I’m going to start a fitness program, a diet, or work on my business. When… as in you have NO control over your life and time? WTF?!
2) Someday. Someday I’ll be famous, rich, travel, own a home, start a family. “Someday” is NOT a day of the week.
3) Want. I want to travel, be successful, own a home. Never, ever want for anything!
4) Wish. I wish I could do that. I wish I could be like him/her. Stop wishing and do it.
5) Can’t. I can’t do that… I can’t go… I can’t afford it. How about you choose not to go, choose not to afford it, or choose to not do that.
The word can’t make it seem like you have no control over the circumstance in your life.
6) Try. I’ll try to be there. I’ll try to do that. There is no try, you either will or won’t – Yoda.
7) Never. I’ll never be able to do that.
Listen, you can do whatever you want in life. No one controls you.
You’re in charge.
You’re the CEO of your life.
You manage your time, your energy, and your actions.
Never, ever be a victim of circumstance. Never use words that defeat you.
Man up, and take charge of your life.
I believe in you!

Chris Savarese (www.njbjj.com)

Jiu-Jitsu advice

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Jiu-Jitsu advice

Jiu-Jitsu advice…..At the beginning of every year, set goals that you want to accomplish and write them on a piece of paper. It’s not too late for this. Studies show that people who write out their goals have more success reaching them than those who do not. At my Academy, I make all students turn in goals and I keep them in a folder until the end of the year. At years end, I do a 30 minute year end evaluation w them and go over their goals and help them w/ goals for next year. To reach your goals, you must have discipline and be consistant. If you disciplined and consistant, odds are you will smash your goals. Set realistic goals and set some so high that you have to really work to reach them. If you are new to BJJ, ask your instructor or one of the brown or blackbelts after class to help you. Discipline, above all things, even motivation, is what matters most. Motivation will fade some days, but it’s important we get done what we have to get done. Any worthwhile goal is never handed to us, you must fight hard for it, even when no one is around. And have fun. Reaching your goals is one of the most gratifying this we can do. “I’m not telling you it’s gonna be easy, I’m telling you it’s gonna be worth it.”

Don’t let your child quit!

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Don’t let your child quit!

Don’t let your child quit!

“My child wants to quit.”
Over the years We’ve heard this statement thousands of times.
To be very clear and honest about this statement.
Children don’t quit things, parents do.
This statement is usually a way to play mental gymnastics on who’s responsibility it is to make decisions on what’s best for our family.
By saying “my child wants to quit” it takes the responsibility and ownership of what really happened off our shoulders.
We see these things often enough to see very common threads in how this happens:
1. The car ride to and from practice becomes a place to share the disappointment with their performance.
2. Conversations are had in front of children about how we as parents disagree with something the coaches do causing a loss of trust in the child’s eyes.
3. The kids caught us on a day where we felt like being “lazy” and got us to agree to let them stay home from practice. This creates a sense of “it’s okay to skip” attitude in kids….. they will not only do this over and over, they will actually start to fight you because it was “okay” once.
4. Kids were allowed to quit prior commitments with no consequences.
………
A few questions to ask yourself when this thought arises:
1. Would I let my child quit school?
2. Would I let my child make all their own rules?
3. Just because my child doesn’t like things that are good for them, should I let them eat nothing but junk food.
4. Would I like my child to go down a path of self-destructive behaviors with real-world consequences?
………
Here’s the thing.
Someday you’re going to be the bad guy.
Someday they’ll be mad that you made them go.
Someday you’ll be tired or sick and not want to leave the house.
Someday you’ll want to play hookie.
Someday you won’t be their friend.
Someday. They. Will. Thank. You.
They’ll thank you for all the lessons you taught them.
They’ll come to you and say “now that I have my own kids I completely understand why you did those things.”
They’ll respect your hard choices.
It. Will. Be. Worth. It.
Not tomorrow, next week or even next month.
30 years from now.
It. Will. Be. Worth. It.

Martial Arts is a mandatory life skill

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Martial Arts is a mandatory life skill

Martial Arts is a mandatory life skill. Activities and sports like Hockey, Baseball, Soccer, Gymnastics, Girl/Boy Scouts etc… are all great hobby’s and pass time activities and I let my kids choose whatever activities they want. I categorize swimming lessons differently; swimming is a life skill and non-negotiable in my house. Sooner or later my children will be exposed to water, (be it a pool, lake, river or ocean) and not having basic swimming skills and confidence around the water will hold them back and could be potentially fatal. They don’t need to be Olympic swimmers but they need enough basic skills to tread water and survive but ideally are competent enough that they don’t have to be nervous or fearful around water.
Now apply that same filter to martial arts. It’s a great sport, with all the benefits of traditional sports, but it also teaches self defense which is an essential life skill. In your child’s lifetime, they will almost certainly face the threat of physical violence (often unavoidably and through no fault of their own).
When you are attacked, just like in the water, it doesn’t matter how hard you try, without proper training and technique you will panic, thrash & most likely drown. We put our kids in swimming lessons to prepare them, so they can be in the water without fear and tread water if they get in over their heads. The day your child gets confronted by a bully ask yourself; have you given them the tools & confidence to stay calm, protect themselves and survive or have they been thrown in the deep end to fend for themselves?
Martial arts is a mandatory life skill.
Change my mind 😉
written by Professor Rob Thompson