Yesterday I did a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) workout at Universal MMA in downtown Vancouver. Actually, I did two BJJ workouts: one during the lunch hour and one in the evening. The workout during the lunch hour was one of the most intense workouts I’ve ever done. Not just one of the most intense BJJ workouts, but one of the most intense workouts in general, including all of the other forms of exercise I do.

Despite the lunch hour BJJ workout being incredibly intense, at one point during the workout I recall saying to Dave (owner of Universal MMA) that “I didn’t know it was possible to have this much fun while working out.” I wasn’t kidding around. It was a serious comment. I had a blast during one of the most intense workouts I’ve ever done. Sure it was grueling and difficult, but it was way more fun than just going to the gym and lifting weights or running on the treadmill.

The easiest way to get fit and stay fit is to find an activity that you enjoy that also doubles as a fantastic workout. If you can find an activity where you’re doing one of the most intense workouts of your life, and saying “I didn’t know it was possible to have this much fun while working out”, you will truly have found yourself a workout program that will produce lasting results.

If you’re in Vancouver and are interested in learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from one of the top instructors in Canada (Shane Rice, BJJ black belt under Rickson Gracie), I highly recommend you check out Universal MMA.

Earlier today I had the privilege of attending a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) seminar with Kron Gracie. The seminar was put on by Universal MMA in downtown Vancouver, which is the MMA gym that I train at, and part of the Rickson Gracie International Jiu-Jitsu Association.

Kron Gracie is a decorated BJJ competitor, and is also the son of the legendary Rickson Gracie. Kron runs the Rickson Gracie International Jiu-Jitsu Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Going into the seminar, I was expecting to learn various BJJ moves and techniques from Kron, and I certainly wasn’t let down in that regard. Kron is an incredible instructor with a real knack for breaking down complicated movements and techniques and explaining them in a way that a beginner like myself can understand.

But Kron’s seminar also included so much more than I was expecting.

Much of what Kron was teaching at the seminar went much deeper than just BJJ moves. Throughout the seminar he often talked about the mental aspects of becoming proficient at BJJ, and how the mental toughness developed from training BJJ (and martial arts in general) transfers into your everyday life. To paraphrase Kron, if you can learn to be calm and relaxed while someone is trying to choke you, you can also be calm and relaxed when someone cuts you off while you’re driving in your car (or whatever other stresses you’re presented in your day to day life).

It was great to hear Kron talk about how BJJ training can benefit you in so many more ways than just being able to defend yourself on the street. I’ve personally experienced many of those benefits, so it was nice to hear Kron reconfirm the things that I felt I’ve been getting from my BJJ training. Since I started training BJJ at Universal last fall, I’ve been less stressed, had higher-energy levels, less aches and pains, I’ve slept better at night, increased confidence, and perhaps most importantly I’ve been having fun and enjoying my BJJ training. It’s been great to find a new hobby that I enjoy and look forward to, and that also provides me with all of the other great benefits.

The Kron Gracie seminar was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things I’ve done in a long time, and I want to thank Kron for coming to Vancouver and putting on such a great seminar, and I want to thank Shane Rice at Universal MMA for putting on the seminar.

It’s no secret that I’m not into working out in traditional gyms and health clubs, and I’m constantly looking for enjoyable activities that I can do to exercise and stay fit.

About three years ago (November 2006) I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) but I quit after less than two months because I found the instructor to be inattentive and completely uninterested in the class. It was very difficult to learn from an instructor that didn’t seem like he wanted to be there, I constantly felt like I was going to get injured, and frankly it was a miserable experience.

Roughly a year later (January 2008), I made another attempt at learning BJJ at a different martial arts academy with a different instructor. Again, I quit after less than two months, this time because the program wasn’t remotely tailored towards beginners like me. I was being taught complicated sweeps and transitions to submissions from positions I had no prior experience with, and this was before I had a basic understanding of the fundamentals BJJ. The result was that I was overwhelmed, constantly discouraged, and I quickly lost interest and quit again.

Roughly two years later (October 2009), still interested in learning BJJ if I could find the right instructor, I became aware of a very highly regarded BJJ instructor named Shane Rice who had recently moved to Vancouver from Los Angeles where he had been the head instructor at the Rickson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Rickson Gracie is widely regarded as the greatest BJJ fighter who ever lived, so I felt it was a very unique opportunity to learn from Shane Rice, who earned his BJJ black belt from training directly under the great Rickson Gracie.

I figured surely if I was ever going to safely and effectively learn BJJ, it would be from Shane Rice, and if I quit this time, I would be certain that BJJ just isn’t for me.

After three months of training with Shane Rice at Universal Mixed Martial Arts, I have only positive things to say about the quality of instruction I’ve received from Shane. I’ve been doing a combination of private lessons and group classes, and I finally feel like I am making real progress towards learning the complicated martial art of BJJ.

Injuries are still frequently on the front of my mind, particularly when learning throws (which I have a very hard time with), but I am slowly but surely getting more comfortable in these areas, and Shane’s instruction has been instrumental for me in making progress in these areas.

I finally feel like I have gotten past the initial period of being overwhelmed and discouraged trying to learn something as complicated as BJJ, and as I start to better understand the basics, BJJ is finally starting to become fun and I am excited to continue training and learning.

If you are in Vancouver, BC, and are interested in learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I recommend Shane Rice at Universal Mixed Martial Arts.