Deborah's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Arnis-Eskrima Training

I just finished watching a documentary about a cult. I am saddened to my core by the number of people who believe their "answers" will come from a guy with a bad hair-dye job for the mere cost of a several hundred thousand dollars.  Oh!  And within, one week's time. The answers, the reasons, the purposes, are right in front of you. The answer is, go do something.  Right now, or tomorrow.  Go...volunteer somewhere .  Go....take a jiu jitsu class.  Go...have breakfast with your parents just for fun.  Or, decide you are going to batten down the hatches and train for a marathon.  God, people, you don't need a shiny guy in a shiny suit to give you an answer.   The reason?  Because this is not a dress rehearsal.  Because as much as we all plan about next year, retirement, the far future, Reality has her own plan.  Reality might flip a switch and drastically change your life in the next month, or not, but at the end of the day, what if your breakfast this morning wi

I studied classical ballet m a n y years ago.  Since then I have hiked, run, lifted weights, rock climbed, mountain biked, and now I practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Arnis.  What strikes me, is how much the basis of the technique of, well, ALL these forms of physical movement is deeply rooted in the core, in strong balance, proper alignment, in the basics of classical ballet.  I am always, brought right back to ballet.  Ankles straight, knees over ankles, hips over knees, stomach in, butt tucked in, shoulders over hips, head resting straight on top supported by the body and a strong spine.  In hiking, proper alignment ensures and efficient gait. Running?  Open shoulders will keep your lungs open.  Weight lifting?  There is no weight lifting without the core.  If you are riding a mountain bike downhill, you're moving the core to the back of the bike for counterbalance. In ballet, you spend hours upon hours, holding in your stomach tight, squeezing the butt,  holding your shoulde