Archives for 2019

Gi Review: Elite Sports Ultra Light

By Ruben Avila · December 15, 2019 · @RubenEAvila

Can a very affordable gi (read cheap) be a worthwhile part of your training rotation? That is the question you’ll ask yourself when you’re in a sudden need of a new gi, and it is completely unexpected.

Sure, you can save some skrilla to cop that hot new Shoyo when you plan for it, but what if one of your gis happens to rip during training? What if you just bought a new car so your discretionary money is a lot tighter? What if I just keep coming up with a million hypothetical scenarios when we all totally understand already? We get it Ruben, we’re broke...

I sought out to review one of the lowest cost gis on the market. The Elite Sports Ultra Light gi.

You can purchase it on Amazon, and get back on the mats in a jiffy. But, is it a worthwhile purchase?

In short, yes. Although it is partially made with polyester, the gi performs just as you’d expect any other gi to perform. The design is understated and if you utilize my process for washing black gis, you’ll keep it dark and dangerously sexy.

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On Promoting Your First Blue Belt as a Black Belt

By Ruben Avila · December 3, 2019 · @RubenEAvila

bjj blue belts — Nate Diaz might not be surprised, but the Diesel was… AF

As a black belt, my first student I was honored to promote to blue belt – the infamous Dieselinha aka The Big D. It’s been well over a week since this moment has passed, and yet the artillery of emotions it galvanized has yet to taper off. By far, this was the most epic promotions I have ever been to. Likewise, it was also the most special promotional event for me personally. Because…

I Promoted my First Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt!

One of the best memories we’ve ever made together.

Okay, okay… I am being immodest, she was not my bjj student. She is the student of my instructor. I was only bestowed the honor of calling her up and helping tie the blue belt around her waist. But, the honor was unbelievably rewarding to me personally. And, as she has been my main drilling partner for quite some time, it was kind of a big deal. Besides being my main drilling partner, she’s also my main squeeze. So, there’s that.

Tying the BJJ Blue Belt Around D

I practiced this a lot. What? You thought I’d go out like a chump? Na dawgie.

I am eternally grateful to Yemaso both for his tireless efforts to mold us, his students at Yemaso BJJ, into formidable martial artists and for his communal disposition which leads to collaborative promotional ceremonies of partners. I was so excited, and I had been practicing to tie the blue belt so much, that I almost didn’t give him a chance to finish tying it!

#GiveMeAnInch

bjj love — I had to seize the opportunity to steal a kiss from a cute new little blue belt.

Fortunately, he intervened to make it official. And provide the Diesel with some wisdom as she embarks on a new quest.

The skipper, putting those finishing touches on the blue belt knot.

Truth be told, when I first saw my friend B tie the belt around his wife & little brother I was overjoyed. We also got to witness Troy tie a purple (and later a brown) around his wife, and that was a special moment too. However, it did not prepare me for how big the moment would be for The Diesel and me.

I’m an affectionate lad, what can I say?

As Heraclitus reasoned:

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.
Heraclitus

The same could be said about martial art peregrinations. My experience achieving blue belt was not parallel to that of The Diesel. We all have our own set of physical, emotional, intellectual, athletic and psychological capacities which coalesce to govern the development of our martial skills.

The moon of my life, the skipper, and I.

For most of us this avocation is prioritized behind educational, professional, and familial matters. As the mountain of life periodically drops boulders at our feet, it is those of us who do not permanently shrink, but rather perceive it as a catalyst for upward mobility that succeed in traversing said mountain.

Most don’t know, but The Diesel was one of the first females to train at Yemaso BJJ while she was still living in Long Beach. True story, she would sometimes drive 5-7 hours from Long Beach straight to the academy to join our Friday comp team sessions knowing she’d be the only female training that night. With time the original fembeast, Celina, came back to train so the Diesel would have another female training partner.

Since then, we’ve grown the largest female bjj group in the Sacramento region. Throughout this time we’ve taken our lumps as individuals and we’ve taken them together, yet the Diesel has remained true.

All of these thoughts hit me at once, like it is said your life flashes in your eyes before you die. This time, these memories with my caramel Khaleesi flashed in my eyes as it was time to lay to rest the Diesel’s white belt. It was a lot all at once, and I was overcame with it all…

Mi corazon, su hermana, y el tigre de Guatemala 😉

I haven’t begun to truly consider my own journey, as I’ve been far too elated to move The Diesel up. People keep asking me what it feels like to reach the black belt, and really all I can think about is how pumped I am for my caramel Khaleesi. I wish I could offer everyone more, but that is just what is resonating in my mind right now. I will address the milestone of black belt, I promise, and do my best to address it with the attention it deserves.

The Dominion and the Turner Dynasty – May We Reign Forever

But first comes first, I couldn’t possibly be more proud of the moon of my life for reaching this milestone blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

bjj blue belt kiss — Stealing my self a smooch from a newly minted blue belt babe.

What is The Gentle Artist

By Ruben Avila · November 20, 2019 · @RubenEAvila

There was one change on this blog that I never addressed, but always planned to address. That is the rebranding of the blog to The Gentle Artist.

Originally, I started this blog both as a means to express a creative outlet as well as to support marketing efforts for the academy I train at.

I wanted to start writing immediately.

To the degree of self awareness I have, I know that one of my weaknesses is that, due to my desire to “do things right”, it can take me a long time to finish projects. I unneccessarily obsess over minute details that, ultimately, don’t make a huge difference. The law of limited returns and what not. This is something that perfectionists are usually unable unwilling to see about themselves. We justify lack of productivity by having exact precision.

Anyway…

I found the first available URL that I could think of BJJ Grappling . com and just got started. Looking back, it was a good decision and I proved myself right. It was YEARS before I thought about the name “The Gentle Artist” as a brand name for the blog.

Sure, it hit all the marks I wanted to hit. And I love the name, but it took me YEARS to get there.

That’s a ton of traffic and value that could have been otherwise lost.

A shit ton.

So, why “The Gentle Artist”?

I want to make this absolutely clear – I am in no way, shape, or means alluding to myself as The Gentle Artist.

Rather, I am referring to us as The Gentle Artists.

On the surface, sure, it is a call that Jiu-Jitsu, by definition, is The Gentle Art.

But, there is so much more to it than that.

To me, it’s also a call to Bushido, a call to the manner in which we aught to conduct ourselves, a call to how we should practice the art, a call to how we should treat our training partners, a call to how we should treat our opponents (if you compete), a call to how we should treat our friends, a call to how we should treat our family, a call to how we should treat those that we don’t call friends, and, even, a call to how we should treat people we genuinely dislike. It is my belief that we can, and should, be kind even to those who we harbor dissaffection for.

For some, ~~including~~ especially me, this is not easy. But, it is worth minding my behavior to reap the reward of feeling like a good dude at the end of the day.

There is a lot of beauty in these ideals and principles. And, I regret that, “western culture” seems to be at odds with this train of thought. I am not a fan of the influence that celebrities like the Kardashians, Kayne, Connor McGreggor, etc. have on pop culture. They are the vanguard that appeals to some of the lowest qualities that humanity has to offer. Of course, that’s not to say that these people are not very hardworking, industrious, and carry plenty of good qualities too. But, anecdotally speaking, these people are typically admired for the more gregarious and outlandish parts of their behavior. I think this is ultimately detrimental to pop culture and devoid of virtue.

So, that’s why I chose the name The Gentle Artist for this martial arts blog.

If you are a long time reader, drop me a line. I’ve missed you.

If you are a new reader – hey, hi, hello there.