It was 1996 when I first began training in the martial arts. At the age of 9 I wasn’t thinking about boosting my level of confidence, reinforcing self-discipline or developing my focus. Fortunately, my parents were; so while my goal was to kick butt and learn the flashy kicks I saw on TV during “Power Rangers,” their foresight allowed them to see the training I was undertaking as an investment.

Two years earlier, my parents had moved from St. Petersburg, Russia to New York City in hopes of a better life, less for themselves and more for me. These were not people who did things on a whim, who had resources that they could afford to waste.

What mattered to them was taking an active and conscious role in my development.

Because of that investment, I have spent the past 17 years inside of the martial arts (almost all of which were under the tutelage of Shihan Gene Dunn). There were thrills and defeats, mastery and monotony. It was almost never easy and at times verged on tedium – a handful of times I almost gave it up for good.

I went through different life stages: elementary school, middle school, and college. I went through all the reasons kids want to quit anything: wanting more time with my friends, feeling overwhelmed at school, being bored.

But through it all there was one constant: my parents urging me to continue, to learn a skill, to have something that could be my own. “What about being a black belt? How about second degree? How old will you be when you get to test for third degree? When can you get to fourth degree by?”

Sometimes it was a gentle nudge, other times a conversation and occasionally a full-blown, all-out fight. Regardless, they managed to keep me from going off track and losing the thread; even though there were times when it probably would have been easier (and definitely cheaper!) to have just let me give up.

What I couldn’t verbalize or comprehend at the time was that these feelings were the natural stages of any kind of experience – that these were the peaks, valleys and plateaus that we caution our own students and families about.

What I can say for certain is that it was my parents’ unwavering commitment that led me past many of the pitfalls that my peers could not avoid. I never quit. And it was worth it. So Mom, Dad, thank you for not being afraid of being parents, even when I didn’t make it easy.

Practicing martial arts is not just about what happens on the mat, but influences how we live our daily life. Progression in one’s practice is about training the mind and body. Meditation is a great way to strengthen your practice.

Some insight into how meditation can strengthen you both on and off the mat from budhadarma.com:

Meditation makes us more self aware, both on and off the meditation cushion. This helps us to recognize negative emotions as they arise, before they catch hold. This has the obvious advantage of not having to spend a lot of energy doing damage control after an outburst of anger, for example, and countless other instances where greed, cunningness, lying, deceptiveness, harsh speech, lust, etc., might have taken control over our actions. If we can go though the day without negativity, we will not be fighting off disturbing thoughts when we go to sit in meditation. Eventually, when negativity is well under control, genuine compassion, generosity, honesty, and other qualities will shine in our actions and this will support a deeper meditation practice.

1: Consistency. A good strong practice is developed over a long period of time and we should understand this from the very beginning. We must be in it for the long haul and practice like we eat, everyday, and several times a day, even if some of the sessions are short. Just as we nourish the body best with rest, exercise; and nourishing food, our practice should be based on good teachings, authentic teachings.

2:  Be patient with yourself and believe in yourself.

3:  Discipline desires, but don’t suppress them. A good practitioner is able to sublimate the energy of desire and direct it inward, and rest in the sense of fulfillment this brings.

4:  Keep the body light and pliant, diet disciplined, and sleep not too much nor too little.

5:  Choose a practice that suits your temperament and stay with it.  Since the fault usually lies in the application, always  look to improve how you practice and don’t worry so much about which technique is best.

6:  Keep your life as simple as possible, with the fewest distractions.

7:  Cultivate friendships with others who are better than you or your equal.

8:   Seek out a good teacher and put his advice into practice. Rely on instructions from authentic sutra texts when no teacher is available.

9:   Put aside all thoughts about progress and just work hard. You’ll know when you get there.

10:  Be sincere. More than anything else, being sincere will assure your success.

Shihan Gene Dunn was honored today with the rank of double-black armband by Kru Joseph Sampieri and Master Jamie Crowder, aolong with the Renzo Gracie Muay Thai instructor team. One of only a handful of graduates, Shihan also received an award for service to the development and growth of the martial arts worldwide (pictured below). Congratulations!

On May 24th all BBJJ schools gathered at 13th Avenue to graduate a new class of Jiu-Jitsu students. They all studied hard with the discipline and dedication to grow their practice to the next belt.

Mastery is an ongoing process. It may begin at white belt, but it certainly doesn’t end at black belt. The value of proper martial arts training is that it invests you with a curiosity about yourself – your choices, behaviors, decisions and reactions. And then it gives you the tools to modify all those things.

Congratulations to all graduates!

As I near the 20th anniversary of when I started training Jiu-Jitsu, I am compelled to say thank you to my instructor, my master, who has made this incredible journey possible.

Thank you for sharing your art, your creation, your craft. Thank you for sharing your passion, your commitment, your resolve. Thank you for sharing Jiu-jitsu with us: your students. And when I say “your students” I mean each and every one of us. I mean those of us who are wearing black belts and those of us who are wearing white belts. I mean from people who have spent twenty years on the mats with Master Renzo to everyone training around the world today. As students of Jiu-Jitsu we owe a debt of gratitude to your family. Because while changes occur and new creations are made you have always been here for us. For that I am very grateful.

I could write stories about driving to New Jersey two hours in each direction to train with Master Renzo. And I could talk your ear off about all of the times when I felt defeated by the complexity of jiu-jitsu and by my own limitations as a student, but I came back anyway. And, of course, each of these stories would end with how it was all worth it. It’s commitment that keeps us coming back to training.

But what keeps someone coming back to the same instructor day after day, year after year? Loyalty. I truly believe that love is important to build a strong relationship, but it’s loyalty that creates a family. Sure there are temptations in the world that challenge our loyalties and there are always going to be people that attempt to lure us towards those temptations. But I chose my instructor the day I met Master Renzo. And opportunism won’t change that. There is a Japanese proverb that reads: “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”

We can embrace new trends without abandoning fundamentals. Just because we spend time learning and mastering the tornado guard doesn’t mean we forget the guard that Master Carlos and Master Helio taught to their children, and their children’s children. The berimbolo won’t soon make us forget the scissor sweep. And there is no trend or fad or fashionable instructor that will ever lead me to lose sight of the people who believed in me so long ago – and have stayed with me ever since.

I have never sought another teacher, just as I’ve never sought another family. To me, there is far more to our training than finding the coach that will accept the credit for the next tournament win. The stakes are much higher than that: our integrity, our history, is on the line. And without loyalty or integrity, there’s little else.

I am a Renzo Gracie Black Belt. And I have every intention of fulfilling your family vision – our family vision – of training to 9th degree.

Your student,
Gene Dunn

Each month we enjoy seeing students progress in their BJJ practice and watching each school grow as new students join our community. We work hard to make sure classes stay engaging for current students and provide special seminars each month that focus on specific life skills for both our students and the Brooklyn community.

In April not only did we welcome new faces through orientations and leadership training, but we grew our community in Bully Buster  and Women’s Safety seminars. Stay tuned for special seminars coming up in May!

 

Practicing the clinch from the over-under tie in a no-gi class.