Japanese ju jutsu
About Sander
27/08/12 09:21 Filed in: Martial Arts | Fitness | TRX / Cross Training | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | Other | My experiences
This blog post is… well about myself. I am not writing this because I love talking about myself or out of narcissistic tendencies. I am posting this because I have had many questions about my background in martial arts, fitness, education etc. This is a great visual way to show everyone what I’ve done since I was a child that relates to my profession now.
I have been involved with a lot of different sports (especially in college of which I don’t have any visual materials for) and always continue to learn and try new things.
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Our No Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Program - Downtown Boulder
A little more about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at our Define Defense studio:
Our No Gi Jiu Jitsu Classes
My main background in martial arts is stand up fighting and self defense (for almost 19 years now). I have also been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu since 2008. For the first three years, I only practiced with the gi, based on Gracie Jiu Jitsu.
Before opening Define Defense, I met Drew (our BJJ instructor) and he introduced me to the world of no gi Jiu Jitsu. This was a huge change for me since I had never done Brazilian Jiu Jitsu without the gi before.
Drew doesn’t only teach no gi Jiu Jitsu, he also shows great techniques from catch wrestling, Judo and (my favorite): 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu.
This has made my grappling game improve tremendously and now, I feel much more confident and skilled. Of course, we still go over the basics to have a solid foundation but being able to supplement this with techniques from other forms of submission wrestling has made a huge difference. I am now able to catch Twisters, control people with Rubber Guard, catch calf slicers etc. For me, it has made a huge difference, both skill wise and mentally. I can put things together better and am able to think out of the box and make transitions easier.
Gi Jiu Jitsu is still great and I am very thankful I have learned the basics the way I did. However, I feel much more versatile now that I don’t have to rely on the gi anymore (my opinion, I am aware others may have different experiences).
Also, having so many classes each week makes it convenient for everyone else to fit it in their schedule. It’s also a great workout and combining it with strength & conditioning classes simply makes you stronger and more skilled.
More info on the No Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Program here.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for Self Defense
For self defense purposes, Jiu Jitsu is the ultimate way to protect yourself on the ground. That being said, there is a certain amount of skills you should possess BUT more would be irrelevant for pure self defense situations.
After all, the chances of your attacker knowing a gift wrap choke is extremely small or doing a banana split would be useless. A great self defense course absolutely needs to teach some Brazilian Jiu Jitsu but it should never be the only thing to rely on. After all, if you can avoid going to the ground, you always should (for example: a sexual assault situation), no matter how good your grappling is. There is the issue of ground and pound, plus your attacker’s accomplice may be just around the corner.
Jiu Jitsu is extremely important for self defense since you do not have to rely on strength; instead, technique will help you get back to safety. Knowing how to avoid situations, accurate striking, stand up self defense locks and techniques etcetera play a very important role as well and a self defense course should offer a complete package of all these aspects.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Why you don't want your kid to grow up top be a ninja...
When growing up, few things fascinated me more than ninjas. Their skills, mysteries, weapons and 'awesomeness' were amazing to me. Many kids, especially boys, admire them through comic books, media, movies and other sources. However, the facts are that ninjas were spies and mercenaries. Period! Ninjas are horrible role models and once you realize what kind of people they were, you don't want your child to have anything to do with them. That is why nobody in their right mind should be promoting ninjas and definitely not teaching (or claiming to) how to be a 'ninja'. That is, if a person knows what the real ninjas were like. We realize ninjas are a huge attraction but every serious martial artist should know better.
Some urban myths claim that the ninja descended from a half human, half demon. The more rational background is that ninjas came from samurai that betrayed their masters and worked for whoever paid them most. Ninjas practiced ninjutsu, which came from Ju Jutsu (the art of the Samurai), combined with other Chinese arts.
Ninjutsu was a kind of guerrilla warfare back then and did not put loyalty and honor central, as samurai did. Ninjas used seduction, poison, sneak attacks from behind etc. while samurai went head to head with their opponents in a more fair situation.
Ninjas came from different backgrounds, some may have been farmers, nobels or disgraced samurai. Daisuke Togakure for example, who fled instead of committing seppuku (ritual suicide).
This does not mean sneaky attacks from behind don't work or you should commit seppuku when you're asked to. But it does show you what kind of people ninjas were in a society in which honor, respect and loyalty were utterly important.
If you put it in a modern situation, you could say samurai were the honest working people and a ninja would be Bernie Maddoff...
However, all of this does not mean you cannot enjoy the use of ninjas in our culture nowadays. Take a look at the movie 'Ninja Assassin', a nice action movie, in which they actually portray the actual nature of the ninja. A good movie for the fan nonetheless!
Just be more cautious when using the term 'ninja' and please... Don't let your child grow up to be a ninja. There are much better and more practical martial arts out there.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Some urban myths claim that the ninja descended from a half human, half demon. The more rational background is that ninjas came from samurai that betrayed their masters and worked for whoever paid them most. Ninjas practiced ninjutsu, which came from Ju Jutsu (the art of the Samurai), combined with other Chinese arts.
Ninjutsu was a kind of guerrilla warfare back then and did not put loyalty and honor central, as samurai did. Ninjas used seduction, poison, sneak attacks from behind etc. while samurai went head to head with their opponents in a more fair situation.
Ninjas came from different backgrounds, some may have been farmers, nobels or disgraced samurai. Daisuke Togakure for example, who fled instead of committing seppuku (ritual suicide).
This does not mean sneaky attacks from behind don't work or you should commit seppuku when you're asked to. But it does show you what kind of people ninjas were in a society in which honor, respect and loyalty were utterly important.
If you put it in a modern situation, you could say samurai were the honest working people and a ninja would be Bernie Maddoff...
However, all of this does not mean you cannot enjoy the use of ninjas in our culture nowadays. Take a look at the movie 'Ninja Assassin', a nice action movie, in which they actually portray the actual nature of the ninja. A good movie for the fan nonetheless!
Just be more cautious when using the term 'ninja' and please... Don't let your child grow up to be a ninja. There are much better and more practical martial arts out there.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
About Modern Martial Arts & Our Curriculum
When we talk about Modern Martial Arts, many still have many questions about what style it is, what you learn etc. Our Modern Martial Arts is exactly what it sounds: a modern approach to martial arts!
Traditional martial arts are very rigid and more often than not unrealistic and ineffective. That is why we created our own program and curriculum by combining the elements that DO work and put them together. Our program includes everything from striking, kicking, armlocks and chokes standing and on the ground, takedowns, throws, self defense, weapons defense and grappling. It was our goal to step away from the one sided traditional practices which are outdated and offer something better... much better. You'll be more diverse and better skilled when you train Modern Martial Arts with us.
Only techniques that meet our standards and we believe are practical in a real situation were accepted and made it into the curriculum. Once you master our entire program, you will be a very complete martial artist because you are know what to do in all these different situations. If you combine the Modern Martial Arts with the No Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program, you will learn everything you need to know for competition and MMA. However, that is a decision you make for yourself, depending on your goals.
Our Modern Martial Arts program offers the best of many different styles, for example:
- Karate
- Muay Thai
- Krav Maga
- Japanese Ju Jutsu
- BJJ
- MMA
- Kickboxing
- ...
Not only will you be learning more effective techniques, you will also experience strength and conditioning classes, enjoy complimentary yoga classes etc. Creating our own program and curriculum makes our program and clients more open minded towards learning more skills and evolving with martial arts/self defense instead of being stuck with a firm skillset that has been the same for decades or centuries.
Underneath you can see our curriculum, which has all the belt ranks and test requirements (excluding the amount of classes needed to test).
As you see, our curriculum is very strong and well rounded. Every single attack has 3-5 self defense escapes (not shown) so you won't get stuck in a situation. Testing is not mandatory as some of our clients simply come to get in shape or to learn how to defend themselves, compete etc. Other clients do want to get higher ranks and reach that black belt. If you look through the curriculum, you will see our black belts earned it as they master a great amount of skills and also learn to be critical towards what is effective and what is not. We do NOT want to teach our clients anything that is ineffective as this gives false confidence and can put you in serious danger.
Our black belt curriculum is available to view in our facility (degrees 2-6) and includes physiology, coaching, CPR and much more.
At Define Defense, we guide our clients and teach them the best way we can to make them the best martial artist possible.
Modern Martial Arts Curriculum at Define Defense LLC.
Traditional martial arts are very rigid and more often than not unrealistic and ineffective. That is why we created our own program and curriculum by combining the elements that DO work and put them together. Our program includes everything from striking, kicking, armlocks and chokes standing and on the ground, takedowns, throws, self defense, weapons defense and grappling. It was our goal to step away from the one sided traditional practices which are outdated and offer something better... much better. You'll be more diverse and better skilled when you train Modern Martial Arts with us.
Only techniques that meet our standards and we believe are practical in a real situation were accepted and made it into the curriculum. Once you master our entire program, you will be a very complete martial artist because you are know what to do in all these different situations. If you combine the Modern Martial Arts with the No Gi Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program, you will learn everything you need to know for competition and MMA. However, that is a decision you make for yourself, depending on your goals.
Our Modern Martial Arts program offers the best of many different styles, for example:
- Karate
- Muay Thai
- Krav Maga
- Japanese Ju Jutsu
- BJJ
- MMA
- Kickboxing
- ...
Not only will you be learning more effective techniques, you will also experience strength and conditioning classes, enjoy complimentary yoga classes etc. Creating our own program and curriculum makes our program and clients more open minded towards learning more skills and evolving with martial arts/self defense instead of being stuck with a firm skillset that has been the same for decades or centuries.
Underneath you can see our curriculum, which has all the belt ranks and test requirements (excluding the amount of classes needed to test).
As you see, our curriculum is very strong and well rounded. Every single attack has 3-5 self defense escapes (not shown) so you won't get stuck in a situation. Testing is not mandatory as some of our clients simply come to get in shape or to learn how to defend themselves, compete etc. Other clients do want to get higher ranks and reach that black belt. If you look through the curriculum, you will see our black belts earned it as they master a great amount of skills and also learn to be critical towards what is effective and what is not. We do NOT want to teach our clients anything that is ineffective as this gives false confidence and can put you in serious danger.
Our black belt curriculum is available to view in our facility (degrees 2-6) and includes physiology, coaching, CPR and much more.
At Define Defense, we guide our clients and teach them the best way we can to make them the best martial artist possible.
Modern Martial Arts Curriculum at Define Defense LLC.