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Self-Defense, Confidence and 10 More Benefits for Kids Who Train at ICBJJ

1/22/2022

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We've put together a short list of the top benefits offered by our Kids Program at Iowa City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  At ICBJJ we develop powerful and beneficial life skills in all of the kids who join our programs. We're confident that after reading this article you will want your child to have some, if not all, of these wonderful benefits in their life. We've also included a link to our Kids Free Trial so your kids try us out at no cost!

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Making Progress In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

12/6/2021

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"Keep Treading" by Jody Clark. This hangs in the ICBJJ academy. https://www.jodyclark.com
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is often considered the most difficult martial art to become proficient at, let alone develop expertise in. On the one hand, Jiu-Jitsu can be very powerful when applied correctly and a little bit of Jiu-Jitsu can go a long way. People with very little Jiu-Jitsu training can soon best their friends in friendly grappling matches and may even be successful in a small real life self-defense situation. Compared to those who don't train Jiu-Jitsu, the student who has 6 months to a year of training can be quite formidable... sometimes.

The difficulty comes when you begin to measure your abilities and knowledge not just against those who don't train, but when you measure them against fellow Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. What's more important than how you stack up against others is how you stack up against your previous self. This is the metric of personal progress and while it may be difficult to keep this in perspective, your personal progress is the most important metric in all of Jiu-Jitsu. 

Making acceptable levels of progress at any new endeavor is both difficult and important for practitioners. Unfortunately, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu  is notoriously difficult for people to make progress in. There are many reasons as to why this is, but there are at least two specific reasons that are absolutely critical and which are both under the direct control of the student.

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ICBJJ LEO Scholarship Update: Blue Belts!

1/5/2021

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ICBJJ LEO Scholarship awardee, Iowa State Trooper Aaron Peter.
For years ICBJJ has offered a training scholarship to full time local police officers and troopers. In the past the scholarship was for one year of free training to the officer followed by a discounted tuition for the rest of their time with us.

In an effort to encourage officers to train more and to help them achieve a higher standard of minimum training, we are changing our LEO Scholarship Program.



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Street Fighting and Martial Arts Training: Training to Go To Jail

11/19/2020

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Young men in Ireland engaged in a fight.
"In a street fight do this", "In a street fight, do that", "You should never do that in a street fight", "A person would never do this in a street fight", "This works in competition, but you never want to do it in a street fight". 

​Since I started martial arts, 39 years ago, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu almost 30 years ago, I have heard everyone from a white belt to a red belt talk about "street fighting" in one aspect or another. The reasons to use BJJ in a street fight tend to come from those who are jiujitsukas. The reasons not to use BJJ in a street fight tend to come from all those who are not. The reasons to use Tae Kwon Do in a street fight tend to come from the people who do that, and the reasons to not use it tend to come from those who don't. It's all seems to be rather subjective. My goal in this article is to try to clear up a very troublesome issue with both sides of this argument and attempt to make the argument have a more objective conclusion based on defined terms and real world data. The central theme that needs to be clarified by any martial system making a claim about it's effectiveness in a street fight is - What do you mean when you say "street fighting"?

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Buying and Caring For a BJJ Gi

11/5/2020

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 When you take your first BJJ lesson you will typically be given a gi (pronounced "gee", with a hard 'g') to borrow for the class. After the class is over, if you want to continue training, you will need to buy your first BJJ gi, often with very little information about what it is you're buying.

At ICBJJ, we will take care of you and help you get into a gi that you like and which fits you well. But we want you to be educated on the subject so you can make future purchases that are informed. So let's talk a little about BJJ gis and how you can buy future gis with confidence.
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BJJ Gi Sizes
Adult gis start with the Letter 'A' and are followed by a number. The 'A' means "Adult", or "Adulto" in Portuguese, and the higher the number the larger the gi, A1, A2, A3, etc. Most companies will size Adult gis in sizes A1 - A6. However, some will do sizes 0 and 7, and some will even do half sizes. Gis for kids will usually begin with an 'M' and can start as low as M0000 and go up to M4. 

A size A1 from one company may not fit exactly like an A1 from another. They tend to be close, however, and most companies will have a sizing chart on their website so be sure to check their chart before buying their gi. 

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Why You Want Cops to Train BJJ: Safer Communities

10/26/2020

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PictureThe killing of Eric Garner.
"I can't breathe." - Last words of Eric Garner

Law enforcement officers, troopers, deputies and agents (from here on out called LEs), are historically undertrained in hands on techniques with resisting subjects since at least the 1970's. Over time police departments, agencies and training academies transitioned their focus away from hands on skills proficiency to utilizing tools like the baton, taser, pepper spray and firearm at an increasing rate. The legal landscape was turning matters of use of force into a realm of tools and machines. Perhaps it was with the best interest of the officer in mind - that if the officer could stay at a distance to the subject, they would be safer. Just look at all the tools the officer uses that are designed to maintain distance - baton/impact weapon, pepper spray, taser, sidearm, shotgun, patrol rifle. Each one of those tools is taught and trained at a police academy and their sustainment is prioritized by departments and agencies in annual, bi-annual and even quarterly refresher training and range time.


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LEO Scholarship Spotlight: Aaron Peter

10/15/2020

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"I have been a member of ICBJJ for nearly 18 months now. I was also a recipient of Jason Clarke’s “Law Enforcement Officer Scholarship”. This is one of the greatest opportunities in the entire country for Law Enforcement Officers to train in BJJ.

I truly believe a BJJ based system is the future for Law Enforcement defensive tactics. It allows an officer to restrain a combative subject using the least amount of force necessary without high risk of injury to either the officer or a subject. BJJ also looks better to the public than traditionally taught strikes or baton use. This is extremely advantageous for Law Enforcement especially in today’s environment. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also is a massive ego check, and forces an officer to humble themselves. It's also an insanely good workout and will humble even the most in shape people. Further, I believe BJJ has allowed me to approach high risk situations at work with confidence and not with fear. From stress relief to confidence building, the mental benefits of BJJ cannot be understated.


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What's the Difference Between ICBJJ & Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?

10/5/2020

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PictureJason Clarke Promoted to Blue Belt by Royce Gracie.
A common question I get asked by new and prospective students is, "What's the difference between what you're doing at ICBJJ and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?"

The simplest answer is - "Not much." But, then again... "kinda a lot." As you can see in the diagram of my BJJ lineage below, I am a direct descendant of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. My first instructor was Relson Gracie in Hawaii in 1994. For the longest time the Gracies were the only game in town... and by "town", I mean "the United States". Almost all of us old school Americans originally got into BJJ because we watched Royce Gracie dominate in UFC 1 & 2. 


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COVID-19 Precautions at ICBJJ

9/13/2020

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As a former molecular biologist and researcher at The University of Michigan and The University of Iowa, I am applying all my knowledge, training and understanding, as well consulting the literature and experts as to how best safely continue training at ICBJJ. I believe our current plan is one of the best around due not only to the level of expertise we can directly consult on these matters, but also the unique design of our facility which facilitates airflow and air change over.

Here is our current COVID-19 mitigation protocol at ICBJJ. Last Edit, 12/14/21.

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Note Taking for BJJ

6/19/2018

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     When it comes to learning something new and receiving new information, I am a copious note taker. I have been since I was young, but as I get older I get more value out of notes with each passing year. It use to be that I could simply see a move or sequence of basic to intermediate level techniques and be able to replicate them, even days afterward, with pretty decent accuracy. Albeit, they weren't ready for competition by any means. But my memory for retaining what I saw and heard on the mats was pretty decent. However, as I started attending seminars I realized that I wasn't able to retain much, if anything.


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    Jason Clarke. Owner & Head Instructor of Iowa City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

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Iowa City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Logo, TM.
IOWA CITY BJJ
2001 STEVENS STREET #1
IOWA CITY, IA. 52240
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  • Home
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