Blogging and the Art of Jiu Jitsu

Why blog now?

I’ve spent over 16 years of my life entangled in some aspect of BJJ. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into when I started, and I dare say that I still don’t know what I’m doing day to day. Diving into this art gave me a vehicle to explore, play and internalize life lessons that would inevitably change the course of my life.

My time thus far has allowed me to be a student, athlete, instructor, coach, mentor and business owner. I grapple with the many dimensions of my being everyday, sometimes gracefully, other times…not so much.

Try. to. Enjoy. the. RIDE.

Many people don’t know this, but in my pre-BJJ life, I had been educated as a fine artist. One of the biggest lessons I learned in art school was that you have to make a lot of bad art to make a single piece of good art. By nature I’m very much a ‘results’ oriented person, but life experience, BJJ and wiser companions have taught me how important process is. I think we culturally tend to devalue or hide process out of fear, politics or control. And so I feel perhaps it’s time to break the mold and give voice to all the things that happen ‘in between’. In between the highs and the lows, in the nitty gritty of the the student, teacher or coach’s mindset, after the beginning but before the end.

Here’s to building something bigger than ourselves.

With this blog we intend to share stories about our members and our beliefs related to jiu jitsu, and to showcase the creativity of many of our members. Keep your eyes on this space for further updates.

– Emily Kwok