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Online training starts Feb. 1: Here’s our schedule

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Online training starts Feb. 1: Here’s our schedule

Y’all, we continue to have a lot of interest in both our online programs and in our eventual re-opening date. Here’s a comprehensive update on both! We won’t be opening our downtown space until at least March, and will continue to track the pandemic indicators for guidance on when that will be. I wish I had better news, but Whatcom County is in the midst of an outbreak and all counties are still in Phase One of the re-opening plan. We will continue to hope for March and keep you posted. In the meantime, we’ve paid in advance for our Read more »

Our Next Video Project: The Bellingham BJJ Advanced Curriculum

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Our Next Video Project: The Bellingham BJJ Advanced Curriculum

Y’all, we continue to be closed due to COVID, and we won’t re-open until 2021 for sure. We want to keep bringing you jiu-jitsu, though, and use this time productively. In that spirit, I’m excited to let you in on our next video project. The fundamentals are the most important techniques in jiujitsu: That’s why we’ve already filmed our entire fundamentals curriculum and put it in an Unlisted YouTube playlist for members. Everyone has to learn the fundamentals: That’s a requirement to be considered for blue belt, and you can see that list of techniques both in the playlist and Read more »

Closed until further notice due to coronavirus

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Closed until further notice due to coronavirus

Hello, everyone: Doesn’t the virus understand it’s KIMURA MONTH?!?!?!? Sadly, no, it doesn’t, because it’s a virus. I hope everyone’s weekend is going well: We got some great training yesterday, including our first Blue Belt Curriculum class. Unfortunately, we expect those to be our last classes for a while.  We expect to get some bad news today at 11 a.m. Due to rising cases of coronavirus statewide, Gov. Inslee is expected to announce closure of all gyms in the state — along with other restrictions on businesses like restaurants and bars. This means that as of Monday, we will be Read more »

Re-opening Oct. 5, Virtual Intro to BJJ starts Oct. 6 …

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Re-opening Oct. 5, Virtual Intro to BJJ starts Oct. 6 …

Doing anything Oct. 5? It’s just two weeks away … and that’s our soft re-opening. We’ve been holding outdoor classes and online classes for the past few months. As you know, we’ve committed to getting back to regular classes indoors the way we were before Covid ONLY when Whatcom County hits Phase 3. We’ve been able to do outdoor classes in summer, and we’ll continue to do this whenever weather permits, but we need a plan for fall and winter, too.  Here’s that plan. Most of the upgrades to the academy and changes in procedure for health and safety we’ve Read more »

Our “Soft Launch” Re-Opening Plan For Oct. 1

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Our “Soft Launch” Re-Opening Plan For Oct. 1

Jiu-jitsu is about adaptation. We’ve all had to adapt to change in the past six months, and personally, I consider that a test of jiu-jitsu: Finding efficient, effective ways to do important things.  Everyone wants to get back to regular training. We hope that will happen sooner rather than later. Just like in jiu-jitsu, though, it’s important to have a best-case scenario plan … and then a check-down list with plans for every contingency. So that’s what we’re doing!  As you know, we’ve committed to getting back to regular indoor classes ONLY when Whatcom County hits Phase 3. (We’re currently Read more »

The History of Jiu-Jitsu, From Ancient Times to Today

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The History of Jiu-Jitsu, From Ancient Times to Today

Combat will never be a solved game. That’s part of what makes it interesting: No two fights are exactly like, and neither are two combat sports matches. Wrestling has different rules than kickboxing or pankration, and sometimes there are no-rules situations, and sometimes rules change or are negotiated. That’s part of why jiu-jitsu keeps evolving, and why understanding the history of jiu-jitsu gives you perspective about where the art might go in the future. When people say “jiu-jitsu,” they mean different things: to me, I take the broadest possible lens. Jiu-jitsu is a philosophy of finding the most efficient and Read more »

Our Re-Opening Protocol: Best Practices for Health & Safety

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Our Re-Opening Protocol: Best Practices for Health & Safety

Folks, exciting news: It seems the sacrifices and efforts people have made to slow the spread of coronavirus are paying dividends.  We’ve been working hard on our re-opening plan — a plan that doesn’t just follow the law, but goes above and beyond what the law requires to prioritize health and safety. We have that plan, and you can read it in full below if you like. I’ll also provide a quick summary. Why are we telling you about this plan now? For the first time, it seems like we have a tentative schedule for re-opening. Currently, our state is Read more »

The History of BJJ: A Starting Point

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The History of BJJ: A Starting Point

All history is political history. Anybody who tells you different is selling something. That applies to martial arts history, too: There are facts that are objective, but — especially when you’re dealing with events that happened years ago — truth is a negotiated matter. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t always try to get at the whole truth — we absolutely should! — but to explain why we’re so excited for Robert Drysdale’s “Closed Guard” film. Currently, there simply aren’t any indispensable one-stop resources for a credible history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Watching Drysdale take his historian’s approach to the project Read more »

A Look Back At Year One

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A Look Back At Year One

One year ago today, we opened our new academy in downtown Bellingham.  If you’re reading this, you joined us at some point in the last year — so thank you for that. Thank you for sharing a host of great memories from the first 365 days, and thank you for sticking with us during the current closure. It’s been an incredible season. In just our first year as an academy we’ve: * Hosted seminars by people we love and admire, such as Dominyka Obelenyte, Dave Camarillo, Felicia Oh, Seph Smith, Jake Whitfield, Cody Maltais, Pete McGregor, D’Juan Owens, Jeff Glover, Read more »

Jeff’s new Omoplata instructional is live!

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Jeff’s new Omoplata instructional is live!

Folks, we really appreciate your hanging in with us and staying engaged with jiu-jitsu during the time of coronavirus. As thank you, all members get access to our new labor of love: the Omoplata System! Available now for Bellingham BJJ students: #Omoplatapalooza is LIVE at omoplatasystem.com! We’re so excited about this one: Jeff has always wanted to get his entire omoplata system down in a video instructional, and now it’s here. We worked long hours, painstakingly organizing, scripting, editing and filming to be sure the information is accessible to folks from white belt to black belt. We recruited great jiujitsu Read more »