The University Daily Kansan
Monday, June 24, 2013
Page 13
Sparring or grappling in BJJ can be grueling, strenuous and exhausting — and is also the allure for many people who want a great workout.
"Jiu-jitsu doesn't fit into the world that we live. You have to work hard for years and years," Riley said. "You have to be ready to not participate in this fast-paced, instant gratification state of mind — that whole 'if you can't get it now, it's not worth it' attitude. Some things are worth taking the long, hard road for, and that's probably why I like it so much. There is no instant gratification. There is no talking yourself up in this sport.
He knows the mental aspects of the art.
FROM JIU-JITSU PAGE 12
He has coached some of his students at the Sunflower Games in the past, and this year, he has signed up as a competitor.
Riley has been honing his jiu-jitsu skills for almost a decade and is owner and head instructor at Lawrence Jiu-Jitsu.
Ellis is a University alum and business graduate student at Emporia State University.
He's trained in JJ for approximately three years and participated in the games last summer when he placed first after defeating three of his opponents in one day.
He shares a similar stance to Riley in how he views the art of jiu-jitsu.
"You have to go into it knowing that you're not going to become an expert quickly." Ellis said. "It's something that does take a lot of time — and that is another thing that attracted me to it. It's something that I can work towards long-term. It's really about how you choose to live to become better at something, and it affects other parts of your life too."
Riley will be closing down LJJ near the end of August and is moving to Denver to teach in a school that trains professional mixed martial artists.
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Champion Leonardo Peçanha is opening a school in north Lawrence this Saturday under the Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy Nova União.
The KUJC team will be training there throughout the summer and encourages newcomers to check out the new training facility.
"I want to tell people to not be intimidated over it being a martial art and not to worry about getting hurt because everybody is extremely nice and helpful," Madock said. "Just come out and train. If people take some time to get to know the sport, they'll really end up loving it and the technicality that the sport has to offer."
Edited by Megan Hinman
ERIN BREMER/KANSAN
The University's Jiu-Jitsu Club and Lawrence Jiu-Jitsu competitors prepare for the annual Sunflower State Games Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu event that begins July 27 in Topeka.